ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)....

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P rotests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) spilled over from Jamia Millia Islamia here and Aligarh Muslim University to several other higher educa- tional institutions across the country from Lucknow’s Nadwa College to Hyderabad’s Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU); from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi to Jadavpur University in Kolkata; from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai to Central University of Kerala, Kasargod and Pondicherry University. Students from three Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Kanpur, Madras and Bombay, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru and IIM Ahmedabad among others also joined the protests besides the Delhi University where students boycotted exams and held a protest outside the Arts Faculty in North Campus to express their solidarity with the movement. After the protest at AMU, the administration announced closure of the university till January 5 and students were asked to evacuate the hostels. The AMU campus has been sealed and heavy patrolling is underway, university officials said on Monday. AMU Registrar Abdul Hamid said the police entered the campus late Sunday night and clashes were reported from inside. In Lucknow, 21 persons were arrested in connection with the students-police clash at the AMU. “Named FIR has been lodged against 56 persons and others unidentified. The process of hostel vacation is on and 25-30 per cent of them have been vacated, rest expected to be vacated by evening,” SSP (Aligarh) Akash Kulhary said. Internet services in Aligarh, Saharanpur and Meerut stand suspended, a day after protests broke out in cer- tain parts of the State, includ- ing at AMU, against the amended citizenship law, DGP OP Singh said. In Lucknow’s Nadwa College, students gathered in the hundreds shouting slogans like “Awaz do, hum ek hain(call us we are all united) as police tried to control the sit- uation. For a brief while, they hurled stones at the police who threw them back over a campus steel gate. Down south, in Hyderabad in Telangana, students of Maulana Azad Urdu University, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and the Osmania University, staged sit- in inside their campuses, hold- ing placards. Besides IIT-Madras, stu- dents of educational institu- tions in Tamil Nadu, including the Loyola College in Chennai and the Central University of Tamil Nadu at Tiruvarur, held protest demnonstrations. Over 300 students and citizens staged a protest on the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus on Monday evening. U niting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Opposition on Monday demanded a judicial enquiry into the police action in Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on Sunday. While Left parties gave a call for country- wide protest on Thursday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) called for an emergency Session of Parliament to carry out an amendment to ensure no dis- crimination. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the violence and disturbances over CAA as “unfortunate” and “deeply depressing” while the BJP attacked the Opposition saying some parties are trying to “instigate” students and using them as “pawns” to further their petty political interests. Modi reiterated that the CAA would not affect any bonafide citizen of any religion. The Opposition parties demanded an enquiry by a Supreme Court judge into the incidents of students being thrashed on the campus. Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja, RJD’s Manoj Jha, SP’s Javed Ali Khan and Sharad Yadav condemned Sunday’s police action against Jamia stu- dents who were protesting against the amended citizen- ship act. “How could the police enter Jamia and unleash such brutality on the students when university authorities did not allow the police to enter inside. There should be a judicial probe into the violence against students by police in the Jamia campus,” said Azad at a joint Press conference. The BJP retaliated accusing former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi of indulging in vote bank and appeasement politics and causing Hindu-Muslim divide. E ven as burning tyres on blockaded roads, vandalised public facilities and cancelled trains symbolised the absolute bedlam that Bengal continued to be in on the third consecu- tive day of protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that the Centre will have to imple- ment CAA or National Register for Citizens(NRC)over her remains. “I ask you all whether you have faith in your Chief Minister or not. If you trust me, there will be no NRC in Bengal. They (Centre) will have to implement it over my dead body. I will die but not let it happen in Bengal, Mamata said addressing the massive anti-CAA rally Launching a scathing attack on the BJP Government at the rally for pushing India into its “biggest crises” since Independence, Banerjee said, “They think that only BJP will live in India and all others will have to leave. This is their pol- itics. It will never be allowed,” she said. However, the rally was promptly dismissed by State Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as unconstitutional. Showing how her counter- parts in Delhi, Bihar, Kerala, MP, Punjab and elsewhere had all stood against the CAA and NRC, Banerjee said, “agar sab ka saath nahi hoga to sabka vikas kaise hoga (how will there be a collective progress if we don’t take everyone along)?” She said, “There was a time when I alone was raising my voice against NRC, but today many other Chief Ministers like those of Bihar, Punjab, Kerala, MP … have started voicing their concern,” adding, “we are all citizens. A day after clashes between the Delhi Police and Jamia Millia Islamia students, hun- dreds of students were back on the streets on Monday, some standing shirtless in bone chill- ing winter demanding action against the Delhi Police over the Sunday violence on campus. Chanting slogans ‘inquilab zindabad’, the group of students also demanded Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the violence. Another group of students, formed a human chain near the univer- sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, local residents and some guardians also came out in sup- port of protesting students. Carrying a Tricolour, stu- dents clapped and raised slo- gans against the Central Government and the Delhi Police. “This Government is anti-minority, anti-students, anti-poor. We won’t tolerate this. Won’t keep mum,” they said in unison. A group of students claimed that police on Sunday damaged two mosques on the campus, beat up the Imam and also a blind student. They said police also ransacked uni- versity central library. A Delhi court convicted expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar on Monday for raping a woman in Unnao in 2017 saying the vic- tim’s testimony was “truthful and unblemished” against a “powerful person”. The court convicted Sengar for rape under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act for offence by a public servant committing penetrative sexual assault against a child. The court will hear argu- ments on quantum on sentence on Wednesday. The offences entail maximum punishment of life imprisonment. District Judge Dharmesh Sharma, however, acquitted co-accused Shashi Singh of all charges. Convicting Sengar, 53, under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court said the CBI proved that the victim was a minor and he was right- ly prosecuted under the special law. “I found her statement truthful and unblemished that she was sexually assaulted. She was under threat, worried. She is a village girl, not from cos- mopolitan educated area... Sengar was powerful person. So she took her time..,” the judge said while reading out the verdict. A s the law and order situa- tion improved in Assam, the administration on Monday relaxed curfew from 6 am to 9 pm in Guwahati but trains between West Bengal and the Northeast have come to a com- plete halt with the Eastern Railway suspending all its ser- vices to the northern region of the State. However, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged the involvement of a Congress activist in the incident involving vandalism at the Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati during the protests against the amend- ed Citizenship Act. “If he (Congress activist) has done in his individual capacity or was part of an organised crime that needs to be probed,” Sarma said. He said there is a specific pattern in the mob violence in Guwahati. “There is a huge involvement of people who are not citizens of Guwahati and who have come from the lower Assam districts.” Whether they have come for participation in the agita- tion or they have been brought here by some kind of design, will be investigated by the Government. The Constitution of a proper investigation team will be announced in a day or two, he said adding curfew has been withdrawn and there will not be curfew during the day time. However, night curfew will remain imposed until the sit- uation is reviewed and a deci- sion to the effect is taken, he maintained. Sarma said the situation was returning to nor- malcy and soon the curfew will be lifted and internet services restored. Efforts were on to lift restrictions so that education- al institutions could be opened, he added. T he Supreme Court on Monday took serious note of rioting and destruction of public property during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country and said that “violence must stop immediately”. The top court said it, prima facie, does not think court can do much in the mat- ter as it is a law and order problem and police forces have to control it. The apex court, which agreed to hear on Tuesday pleas alleging police atrocities on students holding protests against the Act at Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia here, said it will not hear this issue in such an atmosphere of violence. A Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde said, “We are not here to blame anybody. All we are saying is that this vio- lence must stop.” “If protests and violence and damage of public proper- ty will be there, we will not hear the matter,” it added. The Bench, also comprising justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant, made the observations after a group of lawyers led by senior advocate Indira Jaising and Colin Gonsalves urged it to take suo motu cognisance of the alleged violence unleashed against protesting students. T he Government on Monday appointed Vice Chief of Army Lt General Manoj Mukund Naravane as the next Army Chief after incumbent General Bipin Rawat’s tenure ends on December 31. Naravane took over as the Vice Chief in September. Before that he served as the Eastern Army Commander and Commander Army Training Command (ARTRAC), commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry, commanded a Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Kashmir, served in the Assam Rifles and has been posted as defence attache to Myanmar. He will be the third Army Chief from the Sikh Light regiment after Gen VP Malik and Gen Bikram Singh. F acing criticism from within, the Congress in Punjab is all set to carry out a major reshuf- fle exercise in the Council of Ministers. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder has virtually put on hold any decision making process by his Ministers in view of the Cabinet reshuffle. As of now, just one berth is lying vacant after the cricketer- turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu formally resigned from the State Cabinet in July this year in protest against the “punishment” of changing his portfolio when the Chief Minister blamed him for party’s not-so-good performance in the State’s urban pockets dur- ing 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The lobbying to grab the same has started within the party, even as several leaders are openly airing their griev- ances against their own party Government. The Chief Minister may soon be meeting the Congress’ interim national president Sonia Gandhi to take the final call, and the reshuffle may be carried out by the end of this month. Sources has informed The Pioneer that at least six-seven Ministers have been asked not to take any important policy decisions for the time being, and just concentrate on their day-to-day work. It is believed that some of the non-performing Ministers, and those “rebel” Ministers who had been raising their voice against their own Government, would be reduced in ranks as major change in portfolios is expected. Available information suggests that no Minister would be replaced with a new face, but a reshuffle of departments would be done. “Non-performers could be divested of important depart- ments…there are at least four such Ministers who could be demoted,” said an official privy to the developments. The decision comes at a time when voices are growing louder against the “inaccessi- ble” Capt Amarinder within the party. Four MLAs, hailing from his home district Patiala, had come out in open against their own Government. All the four party legislators — Hardyal Singh Kamboj (Rajpura), Rajinder Singh (Samana), Nirmal Singh (Shutrana), and Madan Lal Jalalapur (Ghanaur) — hail from Patiala, and are a part of Patiala parliamentary seat from where the Chief Minister’s wife Preneet Kaur is the Lok Sabha MP. Accusing the Chief Minister of being inaccessible to his own MLAs and party leaders, they had raised their voice against the unbridled powers to handful bureaucrats leaving the elected representa- tives virtually powerless. That is not all! Now even the party workers and district leaders are also airing their resentment against the party leadership for not fulfilling their pre-poll promises of elim- inating drugs, punishing those guilty of sacrilege, generating employment, among others. Latest was the Chief Minister’s advisor and party’s Gidderbaha MLA Raja Amarinder Singh Warring, who only recently maintained that a Cabinet reshuffle should take place. “It has been three years since the Congress party came to power and it is high time reshuf- fling should take place based on performance…Those who are performing should remain but non-performers should go and replaced by the performers,” Warring had stated. Taking note of all the developments in Congress’ Punjab unit, it has been learnt that the party high command has asked the state leadership to bring about a change in the State Council to make the Governance more effective. Continued on Page 4

Transcript of ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)....

Page 1: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

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Protests against theCitizenship Amendment

Act (CAA) spilled over fromJamia Millia Islamia here andAligarh Muslim University toseveral other higher educa-tional institutions across thecountry from Lucknow’sNadwa College to Hyderabad’sMaulana Azad National UrduUniversity (MANUU); fromBanaras Hindu University(BHU) in Varanasi to JadavpurUniversity in Kolkata; fromTata Institute of Social Sciences(TISS) in Mumbai to CentralUniversity of Kerala, Kasargodand Pondicherry University.

Students from three IndianInstitutes of Technology (IITs)in Kanpur, Madras andBombay, Indian Institute ofScience (IISc) in Bengaluru andIIM Ahmedabad among othersalso joined the protests besidesthe Delhi University wherestudents boycotted exams andheld a protest outside the ArtsFaculty in North Campus toexpress their solidarity with themovement.

After the protest at AMU,the administration announcedclosure of the university tillJanuary 5 and students wereasked to evacuate the hostels.The AMU campus has beensealed and heavy patrolling is

underway, university officialssaid on Monday. AMURegistrar Abdul Hamid said thepolice entered the campus lateSunday night and clashes werereported from inside.

In Lucknow, 21 personswere arrested in connectionwith the students-police clash atthe AMU. “Named FIR hasbeen lodged against 56 personsand others unidentified. Theprocess of hostel vacation is onand 25-30 per cent of them havebeen vacated, rest expected tobe vacated by evening,” SSP(Aligarh) Akash Kulhary said.

Internet services inAligarh, Saharanpur andMeerut stand suspended, a dayafter protests broke out in cer-tain parts of the State, includ-ing at AMU, against theamended citizenship law, DGPOP Singh said.

In Lucknow’s NadwaCollege, students gathered inthe hundreds shouting sloganslike “Awaz do, hum ek hain”(call us we are all united) aspolice tried to control the sit-uation. For a brief while, theyhurled stones at the policewho threw them back over acampus steel gate.

Down south, in Hyderabadin Telangana, students ofMaulana Azad UrduUniversity, the University ofHyderabad (UoH) and the

Osmania University, staged sit-in inside their campuses, hold-ing placards.

Besides IIT-Madras, stu-dents of educational institu-tions in Tamil Nadu, includingthe Loyola College in Chennaiand the Central University ofTamil Nadu at Tiruvarur, heldprotest demnonstrations. Over300 students and citizens stageda protest on the SavitribaiPhule Pune University (SPPU)campus on Monday evening.

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Uniting against theCitizenship Amendment

Act (CAA), the Opposition onMonday demanded a judicialenquiry into the police actionin Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI) on Sunday. While Leftparties gave a call for country-wide protest on Thursday, theSamajwadi Party (SP) called foran emergency Session ofParliament to carry out anamendment to ensure no dis-crimination.

Prime Minister NarendraModi described the violenceand disturbances over CAA as

“unfortunate” and “deeplydepressing” while the BJPattacked the Opposition sayingsome parties are trying to“instigate” students and usingthem as “pawns” to furthertheir petty political interests.Modi reiterated that the CAAwould not affect any bonafidecitizen of any religion.

The Opposition partiesdemanded an enquiry by aSupreme Court judge into theincidents of students beingthrashed on the campus.

Congress leaders Ghulam NabiAzad and Kapil Sibal, CPI(M)leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s DRaja, RJD’s Manoj Jha, SP’sJaved Ali Khan and SharadYadav condemned Sunday’spolice action against Jamia stu-dents who were protestingagainst the amended citizen-ship act.

“How could the policeenter Jamia and unleash suchbrutality on the students whenuniversity authorities did notallow the police to enter inside.

There should be a judicialprobe into the violence againststudents by police in the Jamiacampus,” said Azad at a jointPress conference.

The BJP retaliated accusingformer Congress presidentRahul Gandhi, West BengalChief Minister MamataBanerjee and AIMIM leaderAsaduddin Owaisi ofindulging in vote bank andappeasement politics and causing Hindu-Muslim divide.

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Even as burning tyres onblockaded roads, vandalised

public facilities and cancelledtrains symbolised the absolutebedlam that Bengal continuedto be in on the third consecu-tive day of protest against theCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA), Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on Monday said thatthe Centre will have to imple-ment CAA or National Registerfor Citizens(NRC)over herremains.

“I ask you all whether youhave faith in your ChiefMinister or not. If you trust me,there will be no NRC in Bengal.They (Centre) will have toimplement it over my deadbody. I will die but not let ithappen in Bengal, Mamatasaid addressing the massiveanti-CAA rally

Launching a scathingattack on the BJP Governmentat the rally for pushing Indiainto its “biggest crises” sinceIndependence, Banerjee said,“They think that only BJP willlive in India and all others willhave to leave. This is their pol-itics. It will never be allowed,”she said. However, the rally waspromptly dismissed by StateGovernor Jagdeep Dhankhar as

unconstitutional.Showing how her counter-

parts in Delhi, Bihar, Kerala,MP, Punjab and elsewhere hadall stood against the CAA andNRC, Banerjee said, “agar sabka saath nahi hoga to sabkavikas kaise hoga (how willthere be a collective progress ifwe don’t take everyone along)?”

She said, “There was atime when I alone was raisingmy voice against NRC, buttoday many other ChiefMinisters like those of Bihar,Punjab, Kerala, MP … havestarted voicing their concern,”adding, “we are all citizens.

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Aday after clashes betweenthe Delhi Police and Jamia

Millia Islamia students, hun-dreds of students were back onthe streets on Monday, somestanding shirtless in bone chill-ing winter demanding actionagainst the Delhi Police over theSunday violence on campus.

Chanting slogans ‘inquilabzindabad’, the group of studentsalso demanded Central BureauInvestigation (CBI) enquiryinto the violence. Anothergroup of students, formed ahuman chain near the univer-sity gate to resume their protestagainst the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA).

On Monday, the protestersincluding women students,local residents and someguardians also came out in sup-port of protesting students.

Carrying a Tricolour, stu-dents clapped and raised slo-gans against the CentralGovernment and the DelhiPolice. “This Government isanti-minority, anti-students,anti-poor. We won’t toleratethis. Won’t keep mum,” theysaid in unison.

A group of studentsclaimed that police on Sundaydamaged two mosques on thecampus, beat up the Imamand also a blind student. Theysaid police also ransacked uni-versity central library.

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ADelhi court convictedexpelled BJP MLA

Kuldeep Singh Sengar onMonday for raping a woman inUnnao in 2017 saying the vic-tim’s testimony was “truthfuland unblemished” against a“powerful person”.

The court convicted Sengarfor rape under the Indian PenalCode and the POCSO Act foroffence by a public servantcommitting penetrative sexualassault against a child.

The court will hear argu-ments on quantum on sentenceon Wednesday. The offencesentail maximum punishmentof life imprisonment.

District Judge DharmeshSharma, however, acquittedco-accused Shashi Singh of allcharges. Convicting Sengar,53, under Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences

(POCSO) Act, the court saidthe CBI proved that the victimwas a minor and he was right-ly prosecuted under the speciallaw. “I found her statementtruthful and unblemished thatshe was sexually assaulted. Shewas under threat, worried. Sheis a village girl, not from cos-mopolitan educated area...Sengar was powerful person. Soshe took her time..,” the judgesaid while reading out the verdict.

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As the law and order situa-tion improved in Assam,

the administration on Mondayrelaxed curfew from 6 am to 9pm in Guwahati but trainsbetween West Bengal and theNortheast have come to a com-plete halt with the EasternRailway suspending all its ser-vices to the northern region ofthe State.

However, Assam Minister

Himanta Biswa Sarma allegedthe involvement of a Congressactivist in the incident involvingvandalism at the SankardevKalakshetra in Guwahati duringthe protests against the amend-ed Citizenship Act. “If he(Congress activist) has done inhis individual capacity or waspart of an organised crime thatneeds to be probed,” Sarma said.

He said there is a specificpattern in the mob violence inGuwahati. “There is a huge

involvement of people whoare not citizens of Guwahatiand who have come from thelower Assam districts.”

Whether they have comefor participation in the agita-tion or they have been broughthere by some kind of design,will be investigated by theGovernment. The Constitutionof a proper investigation teamwill be announced in a day ortwo, he said adding curfew hasbeen withdrawn and there will

not be curfew during the daytime.

However, night curfew willremain imposed until the sit-uation is reviewed and a deci-sion to the effect is taken, hemaintained. Sarma said thesituation was returning to nor-malcy and soon the curfew willbe lifted and internet servicesrestored. Efforts were on to liftrestrictions so that education-al institutions could be opened,he added.

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The Supreme Court onMonday took serious note

of rioting and destruction ofpublic property duringprotests against theCitizenship Amendment Actacross the country and saidthat “violence must stopimmediately”.

The top court said it,prima facie, does not think

court can do much in the mat-ter as it is a law and orderproblem and police forceshave to control it.

The apex court, whichagreed to hear on Tuesdaypleas alleging police atrocitieson students holding protestsagainst the Act at AligarhMuslim University and JamiaMillia Islamia here, said it willnot hear this issue in such anatmosphere of violence.

A Bench headed by ChiefJustice SA Bobde said, “We arenot here to blame anybody. All

we are saying is that this vio-lence must stop.”

“If protests and violenceand damage of public proper-ty will be there, we will nothear the matter,” it added. TheBench, also comprising justicesBR Gavai and Surya Kant,made the observations after agroup of lawyers led by senioradvocate Indira Jaising andColin Gonsalves urged it totake suo motu cognisance ofthe alleged violence unleashedagainst protesting students.

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The Government on Mondayappointed Vice Chief of

Army Lt General ManojMukund Naravane as the nextArmy Chief after incumbentGeneral Bipin Rawat’s tenureends on December 31.Naravane took over as the ViceChief in September.

Before that he served as theEastern Army Commanderand Commander ArmyTraining Command(ARTRAC), commissionedinto the Sikh Light Infantry,commanded a Rashtriya Riflesbattalion in Kashmir, served inthe Assam Rifles and has beenposted as defence attache toMyanmar. He will be the thirdArmy Chief from the SikhLight regiment after Gen VPMalik and Gen Bikram Singh.

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Facing criticism from within,the Congress in Punjab is all

set to carry out a major reshuf-fle exercise in the Council ofMinisters. Chief Minister CaptAmarinder has virtually put onhold any decision makingprocess by his Ministers inview of the Cabinet reshuffle.

As of now, just one berth islying vacant after the cricketer-turned-politician Navjot SinghSidhu formally resigned fromthe State Cabinet in July thisyear in protest against the“punishment” of changing hisportfolio when the ChiefMinister blamed him for party’snot-so-good performance inthe State’s urban pockets dur-ing 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The lobbying to grab thesame has started within theparty, even as several leadersare openly airing their griev-ances against their own partyGovernment.

The Chief Minister may

soon be meeting the Congress’interim national president SoniaGandhi to take the final call, andthe reshuffle may be carried outby the end of this month.

Sources has informed ThePioneer that at least six-sevenMinisters have been asked notto take any important policydecisions for the time being,and just concentrate on theirday-to-day work.

It is believed that some ofthe non-performing Ministers,and those “rebel” Ministerswho had been raising theirvoice against their ownGovernment, would be reducedin ranks as major change inportfolios is expected. Availableinformation suggests that noMinister would be replacedwith a new face, but a reshuffleof departments would be done.

“Non-performers could bedivested of important depart-ments…there are at least foursuch Ministers who could bedemoted,” said an official privyto the developments.

The decision comes at atime when voices are growinglouder against the “inaccessi-ble” Capt Amarinder within theparty. Four MLAs, hailing fromhis home district Patiala, hadcome out in open against theirown Government.

All the four party legislators— Hardyal Singh Kamboj(Rajpura), Rajinder Singh(Samana), Nirmal Singh(Shutrana), and Madan LalJalalapur (Ghanaur) — hail fromPatiala, and are a part of Patialaparliamentary seat from wherethe Chief Minister’s wife PreneetKaur is the Lok Sabha MP.

Accusing the ChiefMinister of being inaccessibleto his own MLAs and partyleaders, they had raised theirvoice against the unbridledpowers to handful bureaucratsleaving the elected representa-tives virtually powerless.

That is not all! Now eventhe party workers and districtleaders are also airing theirresentment against the party

leadership for not fulfillingtheir pre-poll promises of elim-inating drugs, punishing thoseguilty of sacrilege, generatingemployment, among others.

Latest was the ChiefMinister’s advisor and party’sGidderbaha MLA RajaAmarinder Singh Warring,who only recently maintainedthat a Cabinet reshuffle shouldtake place.

“It has been three yearssince the Congress party came topower and it is high time reshuf-fling should take place based onperformance…Those who areperforming should remain butnon-performers should go andreplaced by the performers,”Warring had stated.

Taking note of all thedevelopments in Congress’Punjab unit, it has been learntthat the party high commandhas asked the state leadershipto bring about a change in theState Council to make theGovernance more effective.

Continued on Page 4

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Haryana Government onMonday has made elabo-

rate arrangements for the pil-grims who will visit Kurukshetraduring the Solar Eclipse Fair-2019 on December 26.

The fair is expected to seethe participation of 15 lakhdevotees from India andabroad. State Government willrun special buses for the devo-tees so that the devotees do notface any inconvenience inreaching Kurukshetra.

Chief Secretary KeshniAnand Arora chaired a meet-ing to review the arrangementsfor the Solar Eclipse Fair- 2019on Monday.

The Chief Secretary direct-ed the officers that the districtadministration, Kurukshetra,Kurukshetra DevelopmentBoard and the Tourism depart-ment should work in coordi-nation to ensure the successfulorganization of the fair.

She directed the officers towork towards developing anAndroid app to furtherstrengthen the public address

system at the fair so that anyperson can easily get informa-tion related to the fair throughthe mobile app.

Apart from this, to strength-en the medical system, arrange-ments of ambulances, stretchers,teams of doctors should beplaced in the fairground, theChief Secretary added.

She said that sufficient num-ber of fire fighting vehiclesshould be arranged at the melasite. Boats, divers and swimmersshould be ensured to be installedat Brahmasovar so that all facil-ities are available immediately incase of any emergency.

Arora said that the law andorder should be strengthenedto ensure the security of everydevotee visiting the fair, addingthat proper arrangementsshould also be made for lodg-ing facilities for devotees,Bhandara, drinking water, toi-lets, parking, etc. She said thatelectricity and the telephoneshould also be arranged in thefair area. In addition, fullcleanliness arrangementsshould be made in the fair area.

The chief secretary said for

the convenience of devotees,special buses should be runfrom all the districts and coor-dination of transportation withneighboring states should bedone. Apart from this, direc-tions were also given for ensur-ing the coordination with therailways so that the devotees donot face any inconvenience inreaching Kurukshetra.

Arora also directed thatbooths should be set up in theMela area by Vita and Hafedwhich will not only promotethe products of Haryana butthe basic needs of the devoteeswill also be fulfilled.

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Haryana Government onMonday declared a one-

day State mourning as a markof respect to former Unionminister ID Swami, who passedaway in Faridabad at the age of90.

Swami breathed his last ata private hospital on Sunday.

The national flag would flyat half-mast on December 16 inthe state across all govern-ment buildings and there willbe no official engagement forthe day, an official statementsaid here.

Swami, a two-time BJPMP from Karnal, was a minis-ter in the erstwhile Atal BihariVajpayee government nearly 20years ago.

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Himachal Chief Minister JaiRam Thakur on Monday

inaugurated Circuit House atShimla having 89 sets con-structed at a cost of Rs. 55.19crore which is expected to facil-itate the tourists as well as offi-cials of the State Government.

"Prior to this, there was noCircuit House at Shimla but nowwith the construction of thisCircuit House people will haveeasy boarding and lodging facil-ities in government sector," CMsaid. Thakur also appreciated theefforts of the Public WorksDepartment for ensuring qual-ity construction and time boundcompletion of this Circuit House

which has modern facilities tothe users and said thatDepartment should intensifymore concerned endeavours forthe benefit of the people of theState. Chief Minister said thatShimla was known as ‘Queen ofHills’ for its natural beauty andgrandeur and State Governmentis committed to maintain its oldglory with adequate facilities tothe visiting people so that they do not face any hardship inthe town.

Chandigarh: To demonstratethe technical and economicalviability of Piped Natural Gas(PNG) over coal, PunjabGovernment on Monday estab-lished two model units inMandi Gobindgarh.

Informing this, TandrustPunjab Mission director KahanSingh Pannu said that IRMEnergy Private Limited andThink Gas Private Limited haslaid down gas pipeline for dis-tribution of PNG in MandiGobindgarh and Khanna area,respectively. “However, due tolack of technical assistance toindustries, the industries arereluctant to shift from coal toPNG,” he pointed. Pannu saidthat in view of urgency tocheck pollution in the area, “itis decided that two model unitswould be set up in the area sothat people may get first-handinformation on the workingand feasibility of usage of PNGthrough demonstration in theunits. This will end initial inhi-bition and facilitate the switchover from coal to PNG”.

To ensure meticulous time-bound establishment of modelunits operated on PNG, aCommittee has been consti-tuted with the Director,Directorate of Environmentand Climate Change as thechairman, EnvironmentalEngineer Punjab PollutionControl Board, Regional OfficeFatehgarh Sahib as Memberand Convener, the DeputyDirector, Punjab State Councilfor Science and Technology asMember, among others. ���

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Page 3: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

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Pathankot in Punjab andUnion Territory

Chandigarh on Mondayrecorded the season''s coldestday so far at 9.9 degrees Celsiusand 11.4 degrees Celsiusrespectively as maximum tem-peratures dropped sharply inthe region.

The day-temperatures inthe plains of Punjab andHaryana dropped between 7-11 degrees below normal lim-its, a MeteorologicalDepartment official said here.

Chandigarh, like manyother places in the two stateswas enveloped by fog in themorning and its maximumtemperature settled 11 degreesbelow normal, he said.

Similarly, Pathankot''smaximum temperature settled10 notches below normal, headded.

The other coldest places inPunjab included Bathinda,which recorded a maximum

temperature of 11.3 degreesCelsius followed by Adampur(12.2), Halwara (13.3).

Amritsar recorded a highof 14 degrees Celsius, downseven notches against normaland Patiala's maximum tem-perature settled at 13.4 degreesCelsius, eight degrees belownormal limits. Ludhiana, too,experienced a cold day at 13.7degrees Celsius, eight degreesbelow normal.

In Haryana, Hisar record-ed a maximum of 11.9 degreesCelsius, 11 notches below nor-mal, Ambala registered a highof 12.5 degrees Celsius, down10 degrees while Karnal shiv-ered at a high of 12.6 degreesCelsius, ten degrees below nor-mal. Rohtak recorded a high of12.1 degrees Celsius whileNarnaul''s maximum tempera-ture settled at 14 degreesCelsius— 10 notches belownormal.

The night temperaturessettled in the range of 8 to 9degrees Celsius at most places.

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The arrest of dreaded gangsterSukhpreet Singh alias Budda,

recently deported from Armeniaby the Punjab Police, has led tothe arrest of 15 of his criminalassociates, along with seizure ofa large number of weapons,drugs and foreign currency.

The arrests include that ofretired Deputy Passport OfficerBidhi Chand, who was posted asPublic Relations Officer (PRO)in Chandigarh during 2007-08.He received Rs 50,000 from oneGaurav Patyal to prepare hisIndian passport on a fake nameand address and to deliver it byhand to him. Bidhi Chand

retired as Deputy PassportOfficer in 2011.

“Budda has been trying toget into US illegally fromArmenia at the time of hisdetention. Since Budda fledfrom Punjab in April 2018 toUAE after the attack on ParmishVerma, he had travelled to manycountries, including UAE, China,Iran, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia,Georgia and Singapore, and thePunjab Police was tracking hismovements during his visit orstay in different countries,” saidthe state Director General ofPolice (DGP) Dinkar Gupta onMonday.

Gupta said that the PunjabPolice was now trying to identi-

fy his contacts in these countries.Police teams from various dis-tricts, including Ludhiana, Moga,Faridkot, Khanna, SAS Nagarand Amritsar, were working onfurther leads, obtained duringthe course of investigation, underthe supervision of Punjab Police’sOrganized Crime Control Unit(OCCU).

Giving details of the seizuresmade on the basis of Budda’sinterrogation, the DGP said thatsix weapons including one car-bine, one bulletproof jacket,three kg opium, seven vehicles,ammunition and total cash of Rs13.80 lakh and 1700 US dollarshas already been recovered fromhim and his associates.

“The arrest and deportationof Budda is a big achievement forthe Punjab Police. He is the mostactive gangster of Punjab duringthe last two years. Budda and hisassociates had spread fear andterror among the Punjabi musicand film industry,” said the DGP.

“With his arrest and thearrest of 15 of his criminal asso-ciates, the perpetrators of 10criminal crimes of murder, extor-tion or car-jacking and snatch-ing have been identified andarrested so far. Four new FIRshave also been registered againstBudda’s associates in crime,based on the disclosures made byBudda and his associates. Furtherinvestigations are in progress,”

said the DGP.Notably, Budda, a resident of

Kussa village in Moga district,was tracked down in Armeniaand was detained on the basis ofa Red Corner Notice (RCN)issued by Interpol and thereafterefforts were made to secure hisdeportation. Consequently, hewas arrested from IGI Airport,Delhi, by Punjab Police, onNovember 23.

It may be mentioned thatBudda did not report back toFaridkot Jail after availing parolein Jugraj Singh alias Raja mur-der case of Bathinda district, inwhich he was sentenced to lifeimprisonment. After jumpingparole, he, along with his asso-

ciates, murdered Pradeep Kumarand Amit Saharan at a farm-house in Chautala village inHaryana in January 2017.

Thereafter in July 2017,Budda murdered RavinderKochar at his Rice Mill at BajaKhana in Faridkot district. InApril 2018, he and his associatesmurdered one Bhupesh Rana atChandimandir area in an inter-gang rivalry.

On April 14, 2018, he firedupon Punjabi singer ParmishVerma after the latter refused topay extortion amount of Rs 20lakh. Subsequently, he flew toDubai via Nepal, and startedcoordinating and operatingcriminal activities of making

ransom calls, extortions andmurders from Dubai.

THREE MURDERS COM-MITTED IN PUNJAB WHILEBUDDA WAS IN DUBAI

The investigation hasrevealed that while Budda wasin Dubai, on his directions,three more sensational murderswere committed by his closeassociates in Punjab. “HardevSingh alias Gogi Jattana, a poul-try farm owner from RampuraPhul, was murdered on June 17,2018, by two motorcyclists as hewas suspected to be a Policeinformer in Davinder Bambihashootout case,” said the DGP.

In another case of

December 2018, Budda con-spired to murder RajinderKumar alias Gogga of Manukein Moga district, since he want-ed to avenge the murder of hisfriend Beant Singh Sarpanch,who had been killed by Goga, who was acquitted in thatmurder.

Recently, on Budda’s direc-tions, his associates Lakhwinderalias Lakha and Amrik Singhalias Shera murdered Baba DyalDas of Dera Harika Das inKotakpura on November 7,2019, after hatching a conspir-acy with Baba Jarnail Singh ofMoga. Both Lakha and Sherahave been arrested by MadhyaPradesh Police.

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Haryana Home MinisterAnil Vij on Monday said

that the people of the countrywill never forgive the partieswho are opposing theCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA), 2019 passed by theParliament of India.

Reacting on protests ofvarious organisations or groupsover CAA issue in variousparts of the country, the HomeMinister said that planned riotsor protests are being conduct-ed by some groups or parties.“The Citizenship AmendmentBill after being passed in theLok Sabha and Rajya Sabha gotthe President’s assent and hasnow become a law.

Vij said that the sufferingpeople belonging to Hindu,Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Persianand Christian communitiescoming from Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistanwould benefit citizenship andall other rights. He said thecountrymen will never forgivethose involved in provokingplanned riots in different partsof the country. He said that allsuch incidents should be inves-tigated and strict action shouldbe taken against such people.

IAS Khemka’s concern shouldbe heard, says Vij

Reacting on IAS AshokKhemka’s recent letter to theHaryana Chief Minister office(CMO) seeking permission towrite Prime Minister to exposecorruption in the State, Vij saidthat Khemka is an honest IASofficer and his concern shouldbe heard.

Vij who had earlier tooannounced his support forwhistleblower IAS officerKhemka when his own gov-ernment (few years ago) start-ed transferring him from onedepartment to another saidthat the Chief Minister has pre-rogative to appoint the officersin any departments.

Meanwhile, upset overrecent transfer, the senior IASofficer Khemka had written aletter to Haryana Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar, sayingwhile ‘pliable’ officials flourishthe honest are given insignificantroles. The 1991-batch officer hasasked the state government topermit him to write a letter tothe Prime Minister NarendraModi to expose corruption inthe State. The Haryana govern-ment had recently transferredKhemka (53rd time of his totalservice) from the Science andTechnology Department to theArchives Department lastmonth. Anguished over his fre-quent transfers, he wrote, “Ihave always suffered the ill-con-sidered and premature transferssilently. My self-imposedrestraint should not be inter-preted as a sign of acquiescence.”He said a transfer should not becarried out solely on one’s wishor desire.

Hospitals to be supplied unin-terrupted power

Vij, who is also the HealthMinister has directed all the dis-trict commissioners to ensurethat all the health centres includ-ing primary health centres,community health centres andsub-divisional and district hos-pitals are supplied uninterrupt-ed power in their jurisdiction-al limit. According to him, it hasbeen reported in the newspa-pers on various occasions thatpatients’ operation was con-ducted under torch light orcandle light. Taking seriousnote of it, the officers concernedhave been directed to ensurethat all the hospitals are con-nected with Hotline to supply

power uninterrupted, he said,adding the authorities have alsobeen asked to make an arrange-ment of power generator of highcapacity for each hospital intheir jurisdictional limit. Asper state health department’s fig-ure, the state government has setup around 2643 sub-health cen-tres, 513 primary health centres,128 community health centresand 22 district hospitals in thestate wherein around 2650 doc-tors have been deputed there.

Dial number 112 to be oper-ated effectively in State

Vij said that dial number112 will be operated effective-ly in the State. For this, hewould preside over a meetingwith the police officers at policeheadquarters on December 19-20. Two PCRs will be pro-vided to each police station ofthe State so that police couldreach to the aggrieved personswithin two or three minutes.‘Operation Prahar’ will also bereviewed to put check on ille-gal supply of drugs in theState. “We are considering toaward police personnel whoperform exceptionally well inthe department while perfor-mances of those are not uptothe mark will be punished,” theHome Minister added.

Public grievances to beredressed on time

Vij said that on the secondFriday of every month he willaddress the public grievances atthe District Public Relationand Grievances Committee atRohtak. He said that a similarpublic grievance redressalcamp will be held in Sirsa dis-trict on fourth Friday of everymonth.The Home Ministersaid the problems will be heardat the District Public Relationand Grievances Committee atSirsa. He said that during thesegrievance camps, to be held atRohtak and Sirsa district, hewould ensure that every griev-ance sould be addressed.

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Haryana Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar on

Monday directed theCooperation Department offi-cers to formulate a plan givingspecial impetus to high-levelmanagement to increase sugarrecovery from the state's coop-erative sugar mills and so thatsugar production can also beincreased.

Additional Chief SecretaryHaryana, CooperationDepartment Sanjeev Kaushal,shared this information, whilepresiding over a meeting of theofficers of the cooperative sugarmills. The meeting was held inPanchkula. Chairman of theHaryana Federation ofCooperative Sugar MillsLimited, Sardar Harpal Singhalso attended the meeting.

During the meeting, theAdditional Chief Secretarydirected the officers to do theirbest to increase the sugarrecovery. He said that thedepartment is also preparing aplan to give incentives to theofficers for this.

He further directed theofficials to set targets for deal-ing with breakdowns and toincrease production. He saidthat all the officers will have towork jointly to increase theproduction. He said that hehimself will monitor the per-formance of all the cooperativesugar mills so that the perfor-mance of each sugar mill can beimproved and production canbe increased. He said that allthe officers will have to fixgoals, whether it is about theoperation of ethanol plant,sugar recovery or mill break-down.

Kaushal directed theManaging Directors of theCooperative Sugar Mills toprepare a period-wise reportwhich would increase the peri-od-wise investigation and thiswould also increase sugar pro-duction and recovery. He said

that the concerned ManagingDirector should self-monitorthe recovery, crushing andpayment of sugarcane in theirmills. Apart from this, he alsogave various directions on fill-ing various vacant posts in themills and stated that if a keyworker retires during thecrushing session, which caus-es problems in the crushingsession, then he / she will bereferred to the higher officersby their concerned Managingdirectors and may be out-sourced as per the permissionof the authorities so that thecrushing session is not inter-rupted.

He said that the officerswill have to set a time limit foreach work so that there is nodelay. He directed the officialsto hold a review meeting afterevery 15 days and if possible,the review should be donethrough video conferencing.He said that improvementswould be made only after reg-ular review meetings and dis-cussions. During the meetinghe was also informed aboutvarious ongoing projects.

Chairman of the HaryanaFederation of CooperativeSugar Mills Limited, SardarHarpal Singh, also shared var-ious suggestions to increasesugar recovery he said thatthousands of farmers dependon one sugar mill.

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Punjab Health Departmentfrom Monday began the

process of destroying seizeddrugs, worth �4crore, underDrug and Cosmetics Act in aphased manner. TheDepartment has also intensi-fied its crackdown to take themission, to make Punjab drugfree, to its logical end.

Stating this, the stateHealth Minister Balbir SinghSidhu on Monday said thatwith around Rs four croreworth of drugs seized from 938firms under Drug andCosmetics Act, Punjab hasregistered a massive decline inthe numbers of new drugabusers in the State in the pastyear.

“The drugs would bedestroyed in a phased mannerbeginning today and wouldfurther intensify our crack-down to take our mission tomake Punjab Drug-Free to itslogical end,” he said after hand-ing over appointment letters to13 new recruited analysts.

The Minister said thatPunjab is on its way to becomedrug-free. Nine analysts in theFood Lab and four analysts inthe Drugs Lab at theGovernment Food and DrugsLaboratories, Kharar, have beenappointed on Monday.

He said that this seizuresinclude 5,42,425 tablets, 57,340capsules, besides 4,654 injec-tions and 1,190 syrups.

“The Food and DrugsAdministration, in its pur-suance to provide safe andefficacious drugs to the peopleof Punjab, has made untiringefforts to weed out the menaceof drug abuse from the State,”he said.During this campaign,a large quantity of drugs wasseized by the Department fromthe firms for violations ofDrugs and Cosmetics Act,1940, and Rules 1945, theMinister added.

Underlining the CaptAmarinder SinghGovernment’s firm resolve toweed out drugs menace fromthe State, Sidhu pointed outthat the state FDA has alreadyrestricted the sale of eighttypes of drugs in the State —that is drugs formulations con-taining narcotics drugs name-ly diphenoxylate, dextro-propoxyphene, codeine andtheir salts, psychotropic sub-stances buprenorphine, penta-zocine, nitrazepam and theirsalts and tramadol and tapen-tadol in solid oral dosageforms.

Covering around 90 per-cent of the licensed chemists ofthe State, these are not allowedto stock and sell these drugsformulations and only those

chemists are allowed whoseshops are inside or outside thehospitals.

Taking strict action againstthe violators, a large number ofdrug licenses were suspendedor canceled. The Departmenthas also made amendments inthe drug policy to control themushrooming of chemist shopsin the urban and rural areas.

“For effective control of thepurchase, sale, and distributionof certain habit forming drugs,the department has also framedguidelines that no habit-form-ing drugs shall be supplied bythe manufacturer or traderswithout written authentic orderof the purchaser and paymentagainst such supplies shall nec-essarily be made throughapproved sources, that is eitherby cheque, draft or RTGs modeof transactions,” said the stateFood and Drug AdministrationCommissioner Kahan SinghPannu.

He said that the paymentmade by unapproved sourceswill amount to contraventionsof the Drugs and CosmeticsAct and Rules, leading to sus-pension or cancellation oflicenses.

It may be recalled that in itsfight against the menace, theState Government had also setup an ultra-modern food anddrugs testing lab has at Khararwhich is equipped with the lat-est equipment working underthe supervision of highlytrained staff.

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Haryana Transport MinisterMool Chand Sharma on

Monday said that any incidenceof illegal mining in the State willnot be tolerated and warned ofaction against violators.

Presiding over a meeting ofthe District Public Relationand Grievances Committee atSonipat, the Minister directedthe officers to constitute ateam of top officials to look intoillegal sand mining mattersand register an FIR against thepersons found guilty.

Meanwhile, most of thegrievances included in theagenda were resolved on thespot by the Minister. Apartfrom this, he also directed theofficers for redressal of griev-ances other than those men-tioned in the agenda. Duringthe meeting, Usman, a residentof the Idgah colony, Sonipatcomplained about illegal liftingand selling of soil of drain No-8 and illegal mining, respond-ing to this the Minister said thatstrict action will be takenagainst those involved in suchunlawful activities.

While the residents ofHasanpur, Sonipat filed a com-plaint about two owners ofDhabas located on GT Road.The villagers said that the own-ers are releasing their dhabawater into the Panchayati land,which is polluting the ground-water as well as is polluting theenvironment.

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Accusing the Congress ledPunjab Government of not

releasing the due compensationto the farmers in the State fordisposing of their paddy strawinstead of burning it, AamAadmi Party (AAP) onMonday demanded immediaterelease of compensation at therate of Rs 2,500 per acre.

Kotkapura MLA andparty’s state kisan wing presi-dent Kultar Singh Sandhwansaid that for a pretty long time,the NGT and the SupremeCourt had been pestering theState Government to providemachinery and financial aid tothe farmers to prevent themfrom burning of farm residue,but it had failed to take actionin the matter.

Sandhwan lamented that,

despite being stuck in deep eco-nomic crisis owing to not get-ting reasonable rate for theircrops, the farmers purchasedcostly machinery to dispose ofthe paddy straw instead ofburning and ferrying it to var-ious factories to save environ-ment and ecology. “The need ofthe hour is to provide theminstant relief so that the rest of their ilk could refrainfrom burning the straw,” hesaid.

AAP leader informed thatupholding the Apex Court’sorder, the first installment ofcompensation was released tocertain “unauthorized benefi-ciaries” instead of those actu-ally deserved the compensationfor bearing the heavy cost ofburying paddy straw undertheir fields or ferrying it the factories.

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Demanding registration of acriminal case against

Punjab Cabinet Minister BalbirSingh Sidhu for allegedly “mis-using” his official position toroot farmers to illegally enrichhis family in a change of landuse (CLU) case, ShiromaniAkali Dal on Monday said thata CBI probe was needed touncover “illegal” acts of theCongress leader which causeda huge loss to the State exche-quer as well.

“FIR should be registeredagainst Balbir Sidhu for con-verting agricultural land intoindustrial and residential landin a completely illegal, arbitraryand malafide manner. Theminister has not only cheatedfarmers but has also looted theState exchequer by misusing hisofficial power to change theland use of agricultural landinto commercial category with-out complying with the proce-dure prescribed in the Act,” saidSAD president Sukhbir Badal.

Sukhbir said that an addi-tional corruption case shouldalso be slapped against theCongress Minister for his ille-gal acts.

Giving details of the case,Sukhbir said that the entireexercise of changing the landuse of Manakpur Kalar villagefrom agricultural to industrialzone was done only in malafidemanner to give benefit toSidhu’s brother.

“Land measuring around68 acres of Manakpur Kalar vil-lage was purchased by a firm,Chester InfrastructureAssociates, in which theMinister’s brother AmarjitSingh Sidhu is a partner,” hesaid adding that the Ministerexercised his influence over theTown Planning Board to getthe status of this piece of agri-cultural land changed to indus-trial land to ensure illegalfinancial gain to his brother atthe cost of farmers as well as theState.

Stating that the land couldhave been acquired directly

from the farmers by the Statein case its land use was to bechanged, Sukhbir said thatinstead of allowing the State todo its job, the CongressMinister “hoodwinked” thefarmers and the StateAdministration to maximizehis profits in the deal.

“Town Planning Board, inits 34th meeting held onFebruary 22, 2018, agreed thatthe agriculture land of villageManakapur Kalar along withthe agriculture land of villageKurra and Sekhan Majra bechanged from agriculture toresidential zone. A publicnotice was issued for the sameon April 12, 2018,” he pointedadding that in a similar man-ner, Banur’s Master Plan wasamended to alter the change ofland use of Tangori villagefrom agriculture to a residen-tial zone.

Asking the Chief MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh toimmediately take stern actionagainst the Congress Ministerfor “this big land fraud”,Sukhbir said that it shows thatall mafias — land, sand, andliquor — were being run in theState with the open patronageof Congress Ministers andleaders.

“Sidhu must be taken totask for his corrupt practices bybeing dismissed instantlybesides being probed for hisillegal acts,” said Sukhbir while

announcing that SAD wouldstand by the farmers and assistthem in ensuring justice isdone in the case.

SUKHBIR TO LEAD DHAR-NAS IN PATIALA ANDMOGA ON DEC 21, 24

As a part of the party’sstate-wide series of protestsagainst lawlessness, policeatrocities, illegal mining, per-secution of Dalits and otherissues that are currently afflict-ing Punjab, SAD presidentSukhbir Badal will lead dhar-nas to be held at Patiala andMoga on December 21 and 24respectively.

“There is complete law-lessness in the state as theCongress Ministers and leadersare busy in patronizing noto-rious gangsters. People’s life andproperty have become totallyunsafe as political murders arebeing committed in broad day-light. There is a complete JungleRaj in the state,” said the polit-ical secretary to SAD presidentCharanjit Singh Brar.

He said that the party pres-ident would lead a dharna onDecember 21 at 1 pm in Patialato demand the restoration ofrule of law.

Brar added that SAD hadstarted a series of state-wideprotests against persecution ofDalits, illegal mining and policeatrocities and the SAD presi-dent was leading this battleagainst Congress oppressionright from the front.

Another dharna will beheld at Moga on December 24at 1 pm under Sukhbir’s lead-ership to expose the failures ofthe Congress Government.

“A party meeting will beheld at Sri Mukatsar Sahib onDecember 22 to discuss prepa-rations for the Maghi confer-ence. Apart from exposing theState Government’s failure inimplementing its poll promis-es, a strategy to uncover theCongress’s anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab policies would be final-ized in the meeting,” he added.

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Page 4: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

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Haryana State Council forChild Welfare is celebrat-

ing the second edition of StateLevel Bal Mahotsav at Kingdomof Dreams, Gurugram fromDecember 19 to 23 in whichchildren will participate from allover Haryana.

Honorary GeneralSecretary, Haryana StateCouncil for Child Welfare,

Krishan Dhull said that DeputyChief Minister DushyantChautala will inaugurate theMahostav and HaryanaGovernor, who is also thePresident of Haryana StateCouncil for Child WelfareSatyadeo Narayan Arya will bethe Chief Guest on the closingday of State Level Competitionsheld on December 23, 2019.

Union Ministers Rattan LalKataria, Krishan Pal Gurjar,

Rao Inderjeet Singh andHaryana Vidhan Sabha SpeakerGian Chand Gupta, DeputySpeaker Ranbir Singh Gangwa,Women and ChildDevelopment Minister KamleshDhanda will also attend theMahostav. He said that StateCouncil celebrates State LevelBal Mahotsav every year.

One lakh children will par-ticipate in the Mahostav.

State Council is providing

a State Level platform to thechildren of all districts toexpress their talent and cre-ativity. On the occasion of BalMahotsav, the State Councilorganizes competitions atDistrict and Division Level inthe events of Quiz competition,Sketching on the Spot, Rangoli,Poster Making, Fun Games,Declamation Contest, SoloSong, Solo Dance and FacePainting etc.

From Page 1Available information sug-

gests that instructions havebeen issued to all the CabinetMinisters about not taking anysignificant decision related totheir departments for the next10-15 days.

In fact, six to seven ofthem have been reportedlyasked to stay away from thefunctioning.

NO PROPOSAL TOAPPOINT DEPUTY CM

Amidst reports of appoint-ing a Deputy to the ChiefMinister Capt AmarinderSingh, the party high commandhas made it clear that there wasno such proposal under con-sideration.

Several reports were doinground that the Congress high

command has asked CaptAmarinder Singh to bring backNavjot Singh Sidhu in hisCabinet as the Deputy ChiefMinister.

“Congress government inPunjab is performing well anddoing its job effectively. Thereis no need to appoint a DeputyChief Minister here,” saidCongress’ Punjab party affairs’in-charge Asha Kumari.

She said that the final deci-sion to make an appointmentor include anyone in theCabinet is that of the ChiefMinister Capt AmarinderSingh and the party chief Sonia Gandhi, but as ofnow, there was not any pro-posal under consideration toappoint a deputy ChiefMinister in Punjab.

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Kathmandu: The Indian andNepalese Army personnelexchanged theoretical, practi-cal and special experienceswith each other during a bat-talion-level joint military exer-cise in Nepal.

Joint military exercise‘SURYA KIRAN — XIV'between India and Nepal wasconducted at Salijhandi ofRupendehi district of Nepalfrom December 3-16.

During the training pro-

gramme, Nepalese and IndianArmy personnel exchangedtheoretical, practical and spe-cial experiences with eachother. Nepal Army hasexpressed hope expresses hopethat such kind of exercise willhelp further strengthen friend-ly relations existing between thetwo armies for centuries, theNepal Army said in a state-ment.

Exercise SURYA KIRAN -XIV is an annual event which

is conducted alternatively inNepal and India. SURYAKIRAN with Nepal is animportant exercise in terms ofthe security challenges faced byboth the nations in the realmof changing facets of global ter-rorism. The aim of the exerciseis to conduct a battalion-levelcombined training betweenIndian Army and Nepal Armyto increase interoperability injungle warfare and counterterrorist operations. PTI

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Amitabha Bagchi onMonday won the DSC

Prize for South Asian Literature2019 for his post-colonial novel"Half the Night is Gone" thatunfolds over three generations,explores human relationships,and the intertwining of fatesand cultures in an Indian context.

The judges said the book is"epic in scope, profound in itsexploration of class and gender,and elegantly assured in theway it infuses English withIndian wit and wisdom toachieve an unprecedentedcommingling of different liter-atures and cultures".

The book beat "99 Nightsin Logar" (Jamil Jan Kochai),"The Far Field" (MadhuriVijay), "There's Gunpowder inthe Air" (Manoranjan Byapari,translated from Bengali byArunava Sinha), "The City andthe Sea" (Raj Kamal Jha), "TheEmpty Room" (Sadia Abbas)for the USD 25,000 prize.

Bagchi was handed overthe prize by Nepal's ForeignMinister Pradeep Gyawali atthe IME Nepal LiteratureFestival which concluded onMonday here.

This year's internationaljury panel was headed byHarish Trivedi and had JeremyTambling, Kunda Dixit,Carmen Wickramagamage andRifat Munim as its other mem-bers. The festival was organisedat the Taalbarahi Chowk on thebank of lake Fema in this pic-turesque Nepal city. The jury inthe citation "Half the Night isGone" said this novel, writtenin English, "feels like a bookwritten in an Indian language,and has the authenticity andthe interiority of a work intranslation without in factbeing a translation".

"All sub-continental novel-ists in English since Raja Raohave striven ‘to express in a lan-guage that is not one's own asensibility that is one's own', andthis novel evokes the sensibilityof not one but three Indian lan-guages: Hindi, Urdu andSanskrit.

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Following a complaint byBJP leaders, led by Union

Textile Minister Smriti Irani,the Election Commission (EC)has sought a factual reportfrom the Jharkhand chief elec-toral officer on Congress leaderRahul Gandhi’s ‘rape in India’comment.

Sources in the EC saidfurther action would be decid-ed after getting the report.“The transcript should be withus anytime now. We are busywith polling in Jharkhand atpresent,” said a senior EC func-tionary.

Addressing the rally inJharkhand’s Godda onThursday, Rahul had said,“Narendra Modi had said

'Make in India' but nowadayswherever you look, it is 'Rapein India'. In Uttar PradeshNarendra Modi’s MLA raped awoman, then she met with anaccident but Narendra Modidid not utter a word.” Hiscomments led to an uproar inParliament, with BJP leadersdemanding an apology fromRahul. The women BJP MP’s

accused Gandhi of “using”rape incidents as a “politicalweapon” to settle scores withPM Modi.

Union Minister SmritiIrani, a longtime rival of RahulGandhi’s who wrested hisAmethi seat from him thisyear, said he had given “a clar-ion call” that Indian womenshould be raped.

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The Supreme Court has setup a 2-judge committee to

look into the issue of expedi-tious disposal of rape casesacross thecountry, asource said onMonday.

In anadministrativedecision, ChiefJustice SABobde has set up the two-member committee of JusticesSubhash Reddy and MR Shah,the source said.

The decision comes in thewake of rise in rape casesacross the country and therecent incident of encounterkilling of four accused in thegang rape and murder of a vet-erinarian in Telangana.

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The principal and threeteachers of a Kendriya

Vidyalaya near here werebooked on Monday for allegedsexual harassment of a class XIboy student, police said.

According to the police, theboy was stripped and sexuallyharassed by the three onSaturday under the guise offrisking whether he was havinga mobile phone.

Based on a complaint, thepolice registered cases underthe POCSO Act against theprincipal and three teachers forthe alleged torture

The boy was being treatedat a government hospital here.

Besides, the student’syounger brother was allegedlyharassed by the teachers.

All the four - the principaland the three teachers - werebooked under sections 7 (sex-ual assault), 8 (punishment forsexual assault) of the POCSOact, section 66E of InformationTechnology Act and section506 (i) (criminal intimidation)of the IPC, the police.

Even as the principaldenied the charges, the studentsboycotted the classes protestingthe registering of cases underPOCSO Act and seekingimmediate withdrawal of thecases, they said.

Further inquiry is on, theyadded.

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PDP president MehboobaMufti on Monday ques-

tioned Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s assertionabout debate and dissentbeing essence of democracy inthe light of the detentions andcurbs on opposition leaders inKashmir.

“If debate and discussionare essential to democracythen why deprive people ofJ&K of the same rights?

For us Kashmiris, its onlybeen division, draconian lawsand detentions,” MehboobaMufti’s Twitter handle, oper-ated by her daughter IltijaMufti, tweeted in response to

a post by the Prime Minister.Mehbooba Mufti and sev-

eral top mainstream leaders,including Farooq Abdullahand Omar Abdullah, havebeen placed under preventivedetention since August 5when the Centre announcedabrogation of provisions ofArticle 370.

“Violent protests onCitizenship Amendment Actare unfortunate and deeplydistressing. Debate and dis-cussion are essential parts ofdemocracy but, never hasdamage to public propertyand disturbance of normal lifebeen a part of our ethos,”Modi had tweeted earlier inday.

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The Army on Monday herecelebrated the 48th

anniversary of the 1971 India-Pakistan war that culminated inthe creation of Bangladesh.

Corps Commander LtGeneral K J S Dhillon led offi-cers and other ranks of theSrinagar-based Chinar Corpsin paying tribute to the martyrsby laying a wreath at the warmemorial, a Defencespokesman said.

“The 48th anniversary ofthe Indian victory in the 1971Indo-Pakistan war was cele-brated with great zeal andenthusiasm. Several functionswere held to mark the occa-sion,” he said.

The spokesman said a

felicitation function was held toacknowledge and honour thesacrifices of the veterans andmartyrs of the 1971 war.

“The war veterans andfamilies of the martyrs of the1971 war were felicitated at afunction.

Camaraderie that charac-terises the Army was on displayas the veterans and families ofmartyrs interacted with thepresent generation of the sol-

diers,” he said.Addressing the function,

Lt Gen Dhillon said the Armyis grateful to the veterans fortheir services to the nation intheir younger years andexpressed the resolve thatArmy will look after their wel-fare.

“The Army immensely val-ues the sacrifices of the VeerNaaris and their family mem-bers. The victory of such amagnitude would not havebeen possible without thetremendous sacrifice by the sol-diers,” the corps commandersaid, referring to the 1971 warvictory.

He urged the soldiers tocontinue to positively con-tribute towards building avibrant and peaceful Kashmir.

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An Army personnel waskilled in an unprovoked

ceasefire violation by Pakistanalong the Line of Control inGurez sector in J&K’sBandipore district on Monday,officials said.

“Pakistani troops resortedto unprovoked ceasefire viola-tion in Gurez sector today(Monday). Our troops retali-ated to the violation in ade-quate measure and effectively,”an Army official said.

He said one soldier waskilled in the firing by Pakistanitroops.”The Army salutes thesupreme sacrifice of the bravesoldier,” the official said.

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The CRPF and Police onMonday paid tributes to

DIG, CRPF Shailender VikramSingh, who died after his vehi-cle was crushed under a hugeboulder during a landslide onthe Jammu-Srinagar NationalHighway in Ramban district.

A wreath laying ceremonywas organised in the DIG’shonour at 160 battalion head-quarters at Chatha in Jammu,CRPF officers said.

A military send off wasorganised, wherein DGP ofJ&K Police, Dilbag Singh,Special DG CRPF, ZulfiqarHassan, DivisionalCommissioner of Jammu,Sanjeev Verma, among othersincluding CRPF and Policedignitaries and civilians laidwreaths here, they said.Singhand constable Naveen Kumar

died near Digdol in Ramsoobelt on Sunday evening. Theirlast rites will be performed attheir respective hometown withceremonial honours.

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Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot on Monday

alleged that the BJPGovernment at the Centre istrying to prepare the groundfor making India a “Hindurashtra” instead of focusing onthe country’s economy.

Targeting Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and HomeMinister Amit Shah, the chiefminister said they are trying tocreate a “division” in the nameof religion and questionedwhether the country wouldremain intact if they continuedoing so.

“A dangerous game isbeing played. The ground isbeing prepared on how to takethings towards the making ofa Hindu rashtra. Economymust be the prime agenda forthe government but instead theagenda of the government isArticle 370 and provocation inthe name of nationalism,”

Gehlot said here at a press con-ference here. He said theamended citizenship law is“impractical” and therefore itcannot be implemented. “Thenortheast is burning. There iswidespread reaction to theamendment. This will not beimplemented because this isimpractical. Six-seven stateshave already said this. Thegovernment should repeal it,”the chief minister said.

He alleged the Income Taxdepartment and theEnforcement Directorate areconducting raids on the direc-tions of the that the PrimeMinister’s Office.

The chief minister saidduring the United ProgressiveAlliance (UPA) governmentrule, talks of India’s emergenceas “economic superpower”used to be there and compar-ison used to be between Indiaand China in context of eco-nomic growth but now the gov-ernment has create an atmos-

phere where talks of India andPakistan are there.

“What is Pakistan as com-pared to India? Pakistan’s primeminister has himself statedthat they cannot stand in com-parison to India but now thereare talks of India-Pakistan,” hesaid.

The chief minister claimedthat the Centre has significantlycut grants of the state which isa matter of concern. “States aresuffering due to wrongdoingsof the Centre. The grants fromthe Centre to Rajasthan havebeen cut by Rs 11,000 crore.How the developmental activ-ities will take place?” he ques-tioned.

The senior Congress leaderalso alleged that electoral bondis a scandal and the BJP gov-ernment is running a campaignto end other political parties.

“Where is democracy?” heasked. Targeting PM Modi andHome Minister Shah over theBJP’s 'Congress-mukt Bharat'

slogan, Gehlot said they haverealised their agenda of aCongress-free India cannot befulfilled. “After Haryana andMaharashtra assembly results,they have realised that theBJP’s graph is going down.They will never say Congress-free India. People have wisdomand they understand what isgoing on,” he said.

The chief minister alsoaccused the BJP of trying tomislead the youths and spend-ing crores of rupees to run pro-paganda.

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Uttar Pradesh Deputy ChiefMinister Dinesh Sharma

said the State Government hasconstituted an expert commit-tee on examinations to mod-ernise the process and make itfoolproof.

The three-member com-mittee would submit its reportwithin a month, Sharma, whoalso holds the education port-folio, told PTI on Sunday.

“In its report, the commit-tee would suggest ways tomodernise paper setting andevaluation and making theprocess foolproof to maintainthe sanctity of examinations,”the dy CM said.

The members of the com-mittee are - Deputy DirectorIIT Kanpur Manindra Agrawal,Vice Chancellor AKTULucknow Vinay Kumar Pathakand Vice Chancellor SiddharthVishwavidyalay SurendraDubey -, he said. Shrama said

after several incidents of paperleak a need was felt to developa system that would thwart thedesigns of copying mafia.

The committee would alsosuggest ways to secure digitalevaluation, eliminate humanerror from the examinationprocess and provide technicalsolutions for moderation ofquestion papers using artificialintelligence, he said.

To fulfil its commitment ofproviding equal opportunitiesto all, the State Government hasmade changes in the secondaryeducation, Sharma said.

Syllabus on NCERT pat-tern was introduced from 2018academic session as the UPBoard curriculum had becomeobsolete and its students werelagging behind in all-Indiacompetitions, then dy CM said.

The examination sched-ule has virtually been reducedto just two weeks so that stu-dents can utilize time for stud-ies, he added.

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Former Union Minister K HMuniyappa on Monday

threw his hat into the ring to fillthe post of Karnataka CongressPresident, highlighting seniori-ty and loyalty.

He, however said, hewould abide by the party highcommand’s decision, being a“disciplined soldier” of theCongress. “I’m among theseniors in the Congress party; afew seniors and parliamentmembers have suggested myname. Sonia Gandhi (AICCPresident)and Rahul Gandhi(senior party leader) will decide,”the senior party leadersaid.Speaking to Reporters inDelhi, he said if the high com-mand gives him an opportuni-ty, he was ready to take up theresponsibility and work for theparty.

“High command will takenecessary decision, whether I’mgiven the responsibility or not,being the disciplined soldier ofthe party I will work for theparty to bring it back to power,”

he said.The party leadership was

yet to decide on Dinesh GunduRao and Siddaramaiah’s (CLPleader) resignation and he willabide by their decision, headded.

State Congress Chief DineshGundu Rao had last week quitas KPCC president soon afterthe party posted a poor show,winning only two seats, asagainst the 12 it had held of the15 which went to the bypolls onDecember five.

Muniyappa, a seven timeMP from Kolar, who faceddefeat in the previous parlia-mentary election, had beencamping in Delhi for last coupleof days meeting several AICCleaders, party sourcessaid.However, he clarified that hehas not met Congress PresidentSonia Gandhi so far on this.

Another senior party leader

D K Shivakumar and KPCCWorking President EshwarKhandre are being seen as othertop contenders for the post ofstate president.

With former Chief MinisterSiddaramaiah too resigning asCongress Legislature Partyleader after the party’s rout in thebypolls, lobbying is said to haveintensified for that post too.

Senior leaders H K Patiland G Parameshwara areamong those seen as amongthe front-runners for the CLPleader post.

Those loyal toSiddaramaiah are planning torequest the CongressPresident not to accept his res-ignation, by highlighting the“necessity” of his leadershipfor the party.

Muniyappa along withparty colleague B KHariprasad had in the pastrepeatedly expressed resent-ment over Siddaramaiah andRao’s “unilateral style of func-tioning” and accountabilitynot being fixed for the party’sdebacle in successive polls.

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Karnataka Chief Minister B SYediyurappa on Monday

said the Government will initi-ate measures to set up industri-al clusters based on the agricul-ture produces grown in a par-ticular region and offer attractiveconcessions to those setting upagri-related units.

He called upon farmers tominimise chemicals in agricul-ture by switching to organicfarming.

“We are giving more thrustto organic farming. It is the onlyway to minimise poisonouschemicals and its negative effecton the growers and consumers.Already discussions are takingplace on a large scale. I am plan-ning to hold meetings withfarmers in each taluk everymonth to create awareness aboutit,” the chief minister added.

Yediyurappa said a megaconvention is going on inShivamogga on organic farmingwhere thousands of farmershave enrolled themselves.

He recalled how his 'perdrop, more crop' drive resulted

in micro-irrigation project in26,000 acres in 2012 when hewas the chief minister.

Yediyurappa said India hasslipped to 102nd spot among117 nations in the GlobalHunger Index and lamentedthat an estimated 40 per cent offoodgrains go waste in the coun-try annually.

“According to the GlobalHunger Index-2019, India ranks102 out of 117 nations. On theone hand, people are sufferingfrom hunger, while on the other,there is huge wastage of agri-culture produce,” he said at thecurtain raiser of Agro Food-techExpo-2020 here from April 22 to26 next year.

The event will be organisedby the Federation of KarnatakaChambers of Commerce andIndustry (FKCCI) at the PalaceGrounds which would see atten-dance from experts and partic-ipants from different parts ofIndia and abroad.

Citing a UN report,Yediyurappa said the loss due tothe gap between agricultureproduction and its utilisation is40 per cent, which is a matter of

grave concern.“For example, the UN has

estimated that at least 21 millionmetric tonnes of wheat is gettingwasted annually. Around Rs50,000 crore worth agricultureproduce is getting wasted. Thereis a need to carry out more studyand bring reform in the agri-culture production, preservationand utilisation,” he added.

The big question staringIndia is to make agriculture prof-itable, Yediyurappa said andemphasised the need to changethe way farming and processingis done to lift the living standardsof farmers.

In this regard, the ChiefMinister called upon the indus-try to open more processingunits, improvise the manner inwhich production is done andset up marketing units.

These mega units should beset up across the nation and gen-erate employment, he pointedout. Yediyurappa hailed theCentre for introducing 100 percent FDI in food processing,which has already brought USD8.7 billion of investment in thecountry.

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Bollywood actress PayalRohatgi was on Monday

sent to Bundi Central jailunder judicial custody tillDecember 24 after a localcourt rejected her bail appli-cation in the case relating toalleged objectionable contentagainst the Nehru-Gandhifamily on social media.

She was produced beforethe Additional Chief JudicialMagistrate court a day afterbeing brought to Bundi fromher residence in Ahmedabadwhere she was detained, BundiSuperintendent of PoliceMamta Gupta told PTI.

She was formally placedunder arrest on Sunday night,the SP said.

Meanwhile, BhupendraSahay Saxena, Rohatgi’s legalcounselor, confirmed therejection of the bail applicationbut added that she would

move the higher court forremedy.

The former Big Boss con-testant had posted the objec-tionable content on her socialmedia sites, includingFacebook, Instagram andTwitter, on September 6 and 21against Motilal Nehru,Jawaharlal Nehru, IndiraGandhi and other members ofthe family.

State Youth Congress gen-eral secretary and a resident ofBundi, Charmesh Sharma, hadsubmitted a complaint alongwith copies of the offensivecontent after which the casewas registered against theactress.

The Congress member hadalleged in the complaint againstthe actress that the objection-able content tarnished theimage of the country andspread vulgarity, religioushatred besides disgracing awoman’s character.

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An audit panel’s report,highlighting a range of

irregularities in the functioningof the Delhi-based SafdarjungHospital’s Sports Injury Centre(SIC), is languishing with theUnion Health Ministry for thelast several months in want ofaction. Interestingly, the panelwas set up by the HealthMinistry itself.

The seven-member panelin its extensive 62 pagesreport, submitted to theMinistry in March 2019 forfurther action, had pointedout frauds in procurement ofequipments and facilities,financial mismanagement andserious discrepancies inappointments of healthcareprofessionals.

Prior to this report, thepanel had earlier submittedan interim report to the UnionHealth Ministry in October2018 which said that “available

records and evidence, prima-facie, indicate collusion of SICwith some suppliers therebycausing loss to the patients andpublic exchequer.”

The panel headed by JointSecretary Rajeev Manjhi wasset up by the Ministry follow-ing allegations of financialmismanagement in the SIC’sfunctioning in various areasranging from equipments andfacilities for operation theatresto their procurement andmaintenance.

Both the reports have rec-ommended a detailed probeinto the matter in view of “bla-tant violation of CVCs instruc-tions and has sought immedi-ate action against those respon-sible for irregularities” occurredduring the tenure of the thendirector of the SIC, Dr DeepakChaudhary.

The matter is now underthe scanner of Union HealthMinister Harshvardhan.

The probe panel in its

report said “On scrutiny of thefiles pertaining to procure-ment of equipments and facil-ities for operation theatre andphysiotherapy units of the SIC,it has been observed that thereare blatant violations of gener-

al financial rules (GFRs) andthe procedures adopted arerepugnant to CVC instruc-tions.

“With regard to usefulnessand usability of the equipmentwith almost similar functionshave been proposed to be pro-cured twice by furnishing a cer-tificate that the said equipmentsare being procured not asreplacement or additional butas a first-time procurement.Frequent purchases have beenresorted to for certain equip-ment.

“It is surprising that theseequipments have been con-demned even during the man-ufacturers' warranty periodmany equipment are not inworking conditions.”

In fact, last December, theMinistry had issued a notice toDr Chaudhary too for “takingup a commercial assignmentwith a private hospital withoutprior permission from theGovernment”.

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Page 6: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

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The Supreme Court onMonday said it will hear on

December 18 a batch of pleas,including those by Congressleader Jairam Ramesh androyal scion of Tripura PradyotKishore Deb Barman, chal-lenging the constitutional valid-ity of the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA).

A Bench of Chief JusticeSA Bobde and Justices BRGavai and Surya Kant said thepleas will be heard along withother pending matters comingup for hearing on Wednesday.

Senior advocate AbhishekManu Singhvi mentioned forurgent listing of the two pleasand said they should also beheard along with a similar pleafiled by the Indian UnionMuslim League (IUML) that iscoming up for hearing onWednesday. “I have filed twopleas one by Indian NationalCongress and the other by ex-Maharaja of Tripura challeng-ing the validity of CitizenshipAmendment Act. All I want isthat they should come up forhearing along with a similarpetition filed by IUML onDecember 18,” Singhvi said.

Several petitions, includingby Trinamool Congress MPMahua Moitra have been filedin the Supreme Court chal-lenging the constitutional valid-

ity of the Citizenship(Amendment) Act 2019.

All India Majlis-e-IttehadulMuslimeen (AIMIM) leaderAsaduddin Owaisi has alsofiled a petition challenging thevalidity of the Act. He hassought direction declaring pro-visions of the Citizenship(Amendment) Act, 2019 as“unconstitutional, null and voidand ultra vires Articles 14, 21and 25 of the Constitution ofIndia and hence void ab initio”.

He said the presentAmendment Act miserablyfails on the touchstone ofArticle 14 and the parametersfor non-arbitrariness providedtherein. “The Act is primarilyfocussed on establishing a reli-gion-based classification whichis, in and of itself, an imper-missible classification andtherefore violative of Articles

14, 21 and 25 of the IndianConstitution,” his plea said.

Another petition has beenfiled through advocatePrashant Bhushan for fivehuman rights activists and aca-demicians led Harsh Manderchallenging the valildity of theCitizenship Act.

The plea had sought direc-tion for striking down from theprovisions of the Citizenship(Amendment) Act 2019 thewords “Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist,Jain, Parsi or ChristianCommunity from Afghanistan,Bangladesh or Pakistan, whoentered into India on or before31st day of December, 2014, oralternatively striking down theentire proviso to Section2(1)(b) introduced by theCitizenship (Amendment) Act,2019 as unconstitutional, ille-gal and void”.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday described

the violence and disturbancesover Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA) as “unfortunate”and “deeply depressing” whilethe BJP attacked the Oppositionsaying some parties are tryingto “instigate” students and usingthem as “pawns” to furthertheir petty political interests.

While the ruling BJPaccused former Congress pres-ident Rahul Gandhi, WestBengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee and AIMIM leaderAsaduddin Owaisi of indulgingin the vote bank and appease-ment politics and causingHindu-Muslim divide, PrimeMinister asserted that

Citizenship Act will not affectany bona-fide citizen of any reli-gion. Modi appealed to peopleto stay away from rumour-mongering and not let “vestedinterests” divide the society.

In a series of tweets, Modialso assured that the amendedcitizenship law does not affectany Indian of any religion.

As violence and unrestspread across some States againstthe CA, the Prime Ministersaid “this is the time to maintainpeace, unity and brotherhood. Itis my appeal to everyone to stayaway from any sort of rumour-mongering and falsehoods.”

Violent protests on theamended citizenship law are“unfortunate and deeply dis-tressing”, he said adding thatdebate, discussion and dissent

are essential parts of democra-cy, “but never has damage topublic property and distur-bance of normal life been a partof our ethos.”

Modi said he unequivocal-ly assures people that tweakedlaw does not affect any citizenof India of any religion.

“No Indian has anything toworry regarding this Act. ThisAct is only for those who havefaced years of persecution out-side and have no other place togo except India,” he tweeted.

Asserting that the law waspassed by both Houses ofParliament with overwhelmingsupport, Modi said, “Largenumber of political parties andMPs supported its passage.This Act illustrates India’s cen-turies old culture of acceptance,

harmony, compassion andbrotherhood.”

The ruling BJP said someparties are trying to “instigate”students and using them as“pawns” to further their pettypolitical interests.

Addressing a Press confer-ence, BJP spokesperson SambitPatra accused the Oppositionparties of misleading peopleand trying to “bifurcate” thecountry in the name of Hindusand Muslims by firing from theshoulders of students.

These students are educat-ed and know that the

Citizenship Act does not dis-criminate against any Indiancitizen irrespective of caste orreligion, he said, and urgedpeople to heed the advice of thePrime Minister and ChiefJustice of India againstindulging in any violence.

Patra blamed Congressleader Rahul Gandhi, WestBengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee and AIMIM leaderAsaduddin Owaisi wanting tocurry favour for Muslim votesby orchestrating anti-Citizenship propaganda in thecountry.

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As unrest continues overthe Citizenship

(Amendment) Act in someparts of the country, France onMonday it is an “internal mat-ter of India” and “we respectthat”. Making this assertionhere, French AmbassadorEmmanuel Lenain said hiscountry believes in freedom ofreligion.

He also said though anadvisory was issued to Frenchcitizens travelling in India toavoid certain places due todisturbances, France did notchange the rating of India norissued any demarche.

Interacting with reporters,the French envoy said it is notcorrect to issue any publiccomment on an internal mat-ter. “India is a democracy andwhen there are conflicts inviews of people then they canapproach institutions like theSupreme Court which cancompetently take a decision. Idon’t think it is apt for anycountry to comment on thedomestic matter of India. Webelieve in freedom of religionand it is not for us to commenton the matter,” he said.

Asked if the IndianGovernment briefed countrieson issues like abrogation ofArticle 370 giving special statusto Jammu and Kashmir and theCitizenship Act, Lenain said dis-cussions take place at variouslevels regularly on all issues.

Briefing mediapersons onthe entire gamut of India-France relations, he said fightagainst terrorism is an impor-tant aspect and both the coun-tries share intelligence and

other operational details.Fielding a question about

cross-border terrorism spon-sored by Pakistan, he said“nobody can say Pakistan ful-filled its commitment” toaddress the issue.

Observing that the interna-tional body Financial ActionTask Force (FATF) against ter-rorism has given Pakistan adeadline till February next yearto stop terror finance, the Frenchenvoy said “we are very strict.Not an issue to be taken lightlyand we will maintain pressure.”

Regarding joint fightagainst terrorism, he said Indiaand France are victims of thisscourge and lauded the role ofIndia in taking part in the firstever international conferencehosted in Paris on financingterror last year. Australia willhost the next session followedby India thereby indicating theseriousness attached to theissue, Lenain said.

On growing ties in mar-itime security, he said the twocountries have increased theircommitment in this sphereand share data besides soonstarting joint patrolling. Healso said India will deploy P8Imaritime surveillance aircraft.

He made these observa-tions in the backdrop of boththe countries in an effort toprotect their strategic interestsin the Indian Ocean regiondeciding to embark on jointpatrolling. The Indian mar-itime surveillance plane will bedeployed with the primary aimto check illegal fishing.

In fact, last week visitingFrench Navy Vice AdmiralDidier Maleterre said, who isJoint Commander of the

French forces deployed in theIndian Ocean region, also saidthe two navies will ink anagreement early next year pro-viding for sharing of classifiedinformation for better opera-tional cooperation in theregion.

Giving this informationhere during a media interaction,he also expressed concern overChina expanding its maritimeinfluence in the region, includ-ing through strategic bases likeHambantota port in Sri Lanka,Gwadar port in Pakistan and akey military facility in Djiboutiin the Horn of Africa.

Maleterre said following theattacks on two tankers in southof the Strait of Hormuz aroundfive months back, India decid-ed to deploy one of its frigates inthe area to protect the sea linesof communication. Similarly,the French government alsodecided to permanently deployone frigate in the area. The Straitof Hormuz in the Indian OceanRegion is a key area throughwhich almost a fifth of theworld’s oil supply is shipped.

On the proposed Indo-French pact to facilitate sharingof classified information, hesaid it would be a rare occasionto have such an arrangement byFrance with a non-Nato coun-try. Maleterre said both Indianand French navies are going tohave high-level operations fea-turing carrier battle group, sub-marines and amphibious ships.

He said both India andFrance share same politicalobjectives for the Indian OceanRegion and that the high-levelengagement between the twonavies will further expand inthe coming years.

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Congress leaders led byPriyanka Gandhi Vadra held

a sit-in at the India Gate onMonday in a show of solidaritywith the students from JamiaMillia Islamia and several otheruniversities across the countryprotesting the contentiousamended citizenship law.

The Congress general sec-retary was joined by leaders likeAhmed Patel, AK Antony,Ghulam Nabi Azad andRandeep Singh Surjewala,besides hundreds of party work-ers. Before sitting on the dhar-na at the India Gate lawns,Priyanka Gandhi cited DelhiPolice action against Jamia uni-versity students to hit out at theModi Government, saying theatmosphere in the country hasbecome “bad”. Rahul took totwitter to express his solidaritywith those protesting peaceful-ly against them.

“The country’s atmosphereis bad. Police is entering uni-

versity to beat up (students). Thegovernment has tinkered withthe Constitution. We will fightfor the Constitution,” she said.

“This country is for every-one, it is for all those studentswho were beaten up yesterday.Attack on students is an attackon the soul of India,” she said.She said the citizenship amend-ment law was against India’s

Constitution and that it wasbrought to “destroy” theConstitution.

“Each and every Congressworker will fight against Modigovernment which is turningdictatorial,” said PriyankaGandhi, wondering why PrimeMinister Narendra Modi is“silent” on assault on women,economy, joblessness and what

happened against the students.In a statement Congress

chief Sonia Gandhi alleged thatthe BJP Government’s intentionwas clear about wanting tospread instability and creating anatmosphere of religious tensionfor political interests.

“A Government’s job is tomaintain peace and harmony,deliver governance and protectthe Constitution. But the BJPgovernment has declared a waron its own people. It has becomethe creator of violence and divi-siveness. The government haspushed the country into anabyss of hatred and made thefutures of youth uncertain,”Sonia stated.

Sonia Gandhi claimed thatShah could not muster thecourage to go to the northeastand the Bangladeshi foreignminister and the Japanese primeminister had to postpone theirvisits to India. “The reason isevident -- Modi government hasfailed to govern. Inflation is atits peak, unemployment is on

record high levels, economy isdeclining and educational insti-tutions are in a mess,” Soniaalleged, adding that the Modigovernment is “busy spreadingreligious tension, creating chaosand fomenting violence todeflect attention from key issues”.The amended citizenship actand the National Register ofCitizens are part of theGovernment’s overall agendato “divert the nation’s attentionfrom its failures”.

Rahul Gandhi termed theCAA and the National Registerof Citizens as “weapons of masspolarisation” unleashed by fas-cists on India and said the bestdefence against them is peace-ful satyagraha.

“The CAB and NRC areweapons of mass polarisationunleashed by fascists on India.The best defence against thesedirty weapons is peaceful, nonviolent Satyagraha. I stand in sol-idarity with all those protestingpeacefully against the CAB andNRC,” Rahul said.

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In the wake student protests,Union Home Ministry on

Monday in an advisory askedthe States and Union Territoriesto check violence and ensuresafety of life and property andalso to take strict action againstthose spreading fake news onsocial media. The advisorycomes against the backdrop ofviolence reported from differentparts of the country, especiallyuniversity campuses, duringprotests against the amended cit-izenship act which was passed byParliament and given assent bythe president last week.

“It is imperative that allrequired measures be taken tocontain violence, ensure protec-tion of life and safety of citizensand prevent damage of proper-

ty,” the advisory said. The StateGovernments and UT adminis-trations have been requested totake precautionary measures tomaintain law and order, peaceand public tranquility. “Theyhave also been requested totake action against circulationof fake news and rumours onsocial media having the poten-tial to incite violence,” it said.

Meanwhile, HomeMinister Amit Shah whileaddressing lection rallies inJharkhand reiterated that thereare certain elements unneces-sarily trying to create chaos andthe Citizenship AmendmentAct will give Indian nationali-ty to refugees facing religiouspersecution in three Islamicneighbouring countries andnot take away anyone’s citi-zenship in India.

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New Delhi: HRD Minister RameshPokhriyal Nishank on Monday appealedto students to stay away from violence andmaintain peace on campuses. The HumanResource Development (HRD) Minister’sappeal came against the backdrop ofprotests on campuses across the countryagainst the Citizenship Amendment Actand alleged police crackdown on JamiaMillia Islamia (JMI) and Aligarh MuslimUniversity (AMU) students.

“I appeal to all students to stay awayfrom violence and maintain peace oncampuses. Please do not pay heed torumours. At this point, we need to prop-agate feelings of peace, harmony andbrotherhood. We should not indulge inactivity which is not in interests of thenation,” he said. The Minister said it isunfortunate that “some anti-social ele-ments want to damage national proper-ty by spreading violence and frenzy anddisrupt the law and order situation”.

“After demands from the country forlong, the Citizenship Amendment Bill has

been passed. The Act passed in nation’sinterest is not against any religion, casteor region,” he said.

Earlier in the day, he spoke to JamiaVice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar and tooka stock of the situation. Akhtar addressedthe media after the university’s ExecutiveCouncil meeting and said she will presentall facts before the HRD Ministry.

Akhtar also briefed HRD HigherEducation Secretary Amit Khare who tookcharge of the post Monday.

In recent times the HRD Minister hastaken the initiative to resolve the crisis atearliest with first being during the mas-sive protest by the JNU students over feehike. After protests continued for a cou-ple of days, Nishank had appointed athree-member committee to recommendways to restore normal functioning of theJNU. The committee was mandated to ini-tiate dialogues with students and admin-istration as well as submit recommenda-tions on resolution of all issues which theydid and the matter was resolved. PNS

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Page 7: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

Kolkata: West Bengal BJP presidentDilip Ghosh on Monday said that the party will hold a rally in Kolkataon December 23 to “congratulate” the Centre for amending theCitizenship Act.

Ghosh said the kind of violentprotests taking place in West Bengalclearly shows that there is a need forimplementing NRC and the citizenshiplaw in the state.

He said BJP working president J PNadda will be present at the rally andthe party will hold a similar mass meet-ing in north Bengal on December 24.

Ghosh said the way public proper-ty is vandalised and damaged in WestBengal is unprecedented.

“Even protests are being held inAssam and Tripura. But public propertyhad not been damaged there,” heclaimed.

The BJP leader said the violenceand arson taking place in the state hasbeen a result of instigation by ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee who hasbeen “speaking in the same tone as thatof Pakistan”.

He said since the citizenship law isa central Act, the state government willhave to implement it. PTI

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Students of the MumbaiUniversity, Tata Institute of

Social Sciences (TISS), Studentsof University of Mumbai andIndian Institute of Technology,Bombay (IIT-B) on Mondaystaged protests over the vio-lence unleashed against thestudents of Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI), Aligarh MuslimUniversity (AMU) and theGuwahati University.

As part of the protests, thestudents from TISS andUniversity of Mumbai alsocondemned the NarendraModi Government over theCitizens Amendment Act(CAA), 2019, and the proposed move to implementNational Register of Citizens (NRC) across thecountry.

More than 300 studentsfrom the University of Mumbaiassembled at Kalina and raisedslogans like “Azadi” and“Samvidhaan humara bhaarihai” and condemned lathi-charge resorted to the policeagainst the students of JMI,AMU and Guwahati University

who are protesting against theCAA. They opposed the man-ner in which CAA discrimi-nated on the basis of religion.

Hundreds of studentsowing allegiance to ChhatraBharati Sanghatana (CBS)expressed their solidarity withthe students of JMI, AMU stu-dents. They also opposed the

CAA and NRC laws at theMumbai University’s KalinaCampus in the afternoon. Theydemanded the immediaterelease of the JMI studentswho were arrested in connec-tion with Sunday’s protests.

Talking to media persons,CBS’s state co-ordinator SachinBansod said: “Apart from con-

demning against CAA andNRC, we — through ourprotest — expressed our soli-darity with the students of JMIstudents. We demand that thestudents who were arrested inyesterday’s protests in Delhi bereleased immediately”.

Condemning the lathi-charge resorted to against the

JMI students, Bansod said:“Just because students speakagainst the Government doesnot mean that they should belathi-charged. We demand thatstringent action be takenagainst all those Delhi policepersons who indulged in high-handed manner against theJMI students”.

Students from TISS, whogathered outside the Institutepremises, carried placards withslogans against theGovernment over CAA andviolence meted out to the stu-dents of JMI and two other uni-versities. They demandedscrapping of CAA and NRC.

The IIT-B students stageda peaceful protest carryingtorches, banners and postersaround the institute campusagainst violence meted out JMIstudents on Sunday night. Theycarried placards and bannerssaying ‘In Solidarity WithJamia’.

The IIT-B students con-cerned took to social media onMonday, giving details of thesilent protest that they under-took on Sunday night.

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As the protests against theCitizenship Amendment

Act(CAA) rages in variousparts of the country, here is alook at the stand of keyregional political parties fromsouthern States.

Tamil Nadu: The rulingAIADMK supports the CAAand it spoke in Parliament forinclusion of Sri Lankan Tamilsunder the purview of the act inParliament. It has mocked atarch-rival DMK for allegedlynot doing anything to get citi-zenship for Lankan Tamilrefugees when it shared powerat the Centre for 17 years.

The DMK vehementlyopposes the act both before andafter its enactment.

The MK Stalin-led princi-pal opposition has lashed out atChief Minister K Palaniswamifor supporting the CAA, alleg-ing it was a “betrayal of minori-ties and Sri Lankan Tamils.”

Telangana and AndhraPradesh: The ruling Telangana

Rashtra Samiti opposes theCAA while in neighbouringAndhra Pradesh, both the rul-ing YSR Congress Party andmain Opposition Telugu DesamParty supported the legislation.

Karnataka: Former PrimeMinister and Janata Dal(Secular) chief H D Deve

Gowda has opposed theact, saying it was against theprinciples of secularism andrights enshrined in theConstitution.

JD(S) Member of RajyaSabha Kupendra Reddy saidtheir party opposed the bill asit was not proper and lackedclarity on various aspects likewhat will happen to those whoare not given citizenship underthis act. “We are not saying thebill was anti Muslim or any-thing, I’m not blamingGovernment... There is lack ofclarity on many things like SriLankan Tamils being left out...,”he said.

Thiruvananthapuram: They are known in Keralaas arch political opponents, strong critics of eachother. Yet, they came together on the same platform,shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and raised theirvoices in unison against the Citizenship(Amendment) Act here on Monday, setting asidetheir political and ideological differences.

When Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) vet-eran Pinarayi Vijayan and senior Congress leader andopposition head in the State Assembly RameshChennitha led a joint protest against the CAA, itbecame a rare chapter in the State’s politics.

Besides them, Vijayan’s Cabinet Masinisters andparty leaders and Chennithala’s party MLAs and col-leagues took part in the protest held at the specialplatform erected in front of the Martyrs’s Columnin the heart of the State capital.

A sense of togetherness against a ‘common threat’seemed to have gripped the atmosphere of the jointprotest venue.

Both the ruling and opposition leaders mincedno words in attacking the BJP-led NDA Governmentover the CAA and seeing “Sangh Parivar agenda”behind the move. While Vijayan said the countrywas facing an ‘explosive’ atmosphere, Chennithala alleged the Sangh was “experimentingwith the idea” of German dictator Adolf Hitler inthe country. PTI

Mau (UP): Protesters torchedvehicles as a demonstrationagainst the CitizenshipAmendment Act and policeaction at Jamia Millia IslamiaUniversity turned violent hereon Monday, prompting policeto fire in the air.

Police lobbed tear gas shellsand also fired in the air to con-trol the situation in Mau’sDakshintola area.

An eyewitness said pro-testers set ablaze 15 vehicles,including those of police.

Police, however, gave out amuch smaller number of vehi-cles damaged.

Inspector General (Law

and Order) Praveen Kumarsaid in Lucknow, “Three orfour motorcycles were setablaze.” “The unlawful assem-bly has been dispersed.Additional forces have beendeployed. Presently, peace andorder is being maintained,” hesaid in a statement.

Additional Chief Secretary(Home) Awanish Awasthi saidsenior officials are at the spot.

“The mob has been dis-persed. Section 144 of theCrPC is already implementedin the district,” he said, refer-ring to the section that prohibits assembly of peo-ple. PTI

Lucknow: The BJPGovernment has pushed thecountry into “an inferno of vio-lence” by the “destructive”Citizenship Amendment Act,Samajwadi Party chief AkhileshYadav said on Monday.

In a tweet in Hindi, Yadavsaid, “The BJP Government haspushed the country into aninferno of violence by itsdestructive law. It is inflictingfatal injuries on the future ofthe country. It is said thatwhen people start losing, theybecome oppressive.”

He alleged that the coun-try has not seen a “power-hun-gry” party like the BJP before.

Anger over the policecrackdown in Delhi’s JamiaMillia Islamia and at the con-troversial CitizenshipAmendment Act cascadedacross many campuses in thecountry on Monday. PTI

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Courtdirected the State Government onMonday to file a report on action takenregarding law and order situation inWest Bengal, amid violent protestsagainst the citizenship law.

A division bench of Chief JusticeTBN Radhakrishnan and Justice HBhattacharyya gave the directions on apetition filed by a resident of Howrahthat has seen several incidents of van-dalism and arson.

Petitioner Surajit Saha prayed for

direction to the Government to ensuremaintenance of law and order, whichis a state subject. The court directed thestate government to file the report byDecember 18 when the matter will beheard next. The counsel for the stategovernment told the court that reportshave been sought from the affected dis-tricts. The petitioner further urged thatcompensation be given to the railways,which bore the brunt of violence, andalso to private persons who were affected. PTI

Kolkata/Guwahati: The enactment of the new citi-zenship law has left BJP ally Asom Gana Parishad in aquandary following protests in Assam, with the partydeciding to move the Supreme Court to scrap the Act,days after backing it in Parliament.

It, however, is still a partner in the BJP — led NDA.“We will take the legal route to seek revocation of

the amended Act as the indigenous people of Assamare apprehensive that their identity, language mightcome under threat,” AGP leader Kumar Deepak Dashad told PTI on Sunday.

However, the party looked like a divided house withits president and State Minister Atul Bora appearingmore resilient and accomodative.

He said on Sunday that the Brahmaputra Valleyshould be excluded from the purview of the law, whichmay be implemented in the Barak Valley. Barak Valleyhas vast Muslim population, besides substantial num-ber of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh who stand tobenefit from the new law.

The AGP had walked out of the NDA in January thisyear following the passage of the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill by the Lok Sabha. It, however, returnedto the NDA fold as the Bill expired with the dissolutionof the 16th Lok Sabha. It contested the Lok Sabha andstate assembly elections in alliance with the BJP. PTI

Kolkata: Protests over the amendedCitizenship Act continued in Bengal for the fourth con-secutive day on Monday, with incidentsof road and rail blockades reported fromvarious parts of the state, officials said.

In East Midnapore andMurshidabad districts, the agitatorsblocked thoroughfares since morning,inconveniencing hundreds of com-muters, they said.

Several trains have been cancelledor delayed due to the ongoing protests.

A spokesperson of the railwayssaid demonstrators have blocked thetracks in Sealdah-Diamond Harbourand Sealdah- Namkhana sectors.

Efforts were being made to dispersethe mob, he added. Internet servicesremained suspended in six districts ofState — Malda, Uttar Dinajpur,Murshidabad, Howrah, North 24Parganas and parts of South 24 Parganasdistricts — where agitation over theamended Act have brought life to a halt. PTI

Gangtok: Sikkim ChiefMinister Prem Singh Tamangon Monday said the citizenshiplaw will not be implemented inthe State as it enjoys special status under Article 371(F) ofthe Constitution.

Hitting out at theOpposition, Tamang said,“Some people with vested inter-est are misleading people inSikkim on amended citizenshiplaw. It will not have any impli-cations in the State.”

“We have already beenassured by Union HomeMinister Amit Shah that theamended Citizenship Act willnot come into force in Sikkimas the state enjoys a special sta-tus under Article 371(F) of the

Constitution,” Tamang said.The Chief Minister said

despite the Union home min-ister giving a point of clarifi-cation in the Parliament thatthe Act will not be imple-mented in Sikkim till it is rat-

ified by the State Assembly,opposition parties in the statewere “misguiding” people overthe issue.

Opposition partiesCongress, Hamro Sikkim Party(HSP) and the SikkimRepublican Party (SRP) haveexpressed fears that Sikkim,with only six lakh population,will be forced to come underthe purview of the Act.

HSP working presidentBhaichung Bhutia has been afierce critic of the Act, express-ing apprehensions that theamended citizenship law maychange the demography of theState, which is at present in thefavour of Lepchas, Bhutias andGorkhas. PTI

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Protests by political parties and studentsagainst the CAA were held in various partsof southern states on Monday as the rulingCPI (M)-led LDF and Opposition Congressheaded UDF in Kerala joined hands tooppose the law, setting aside differences.

Various educational campuses, includ-ing the prestigious Indian Institute ofTechnology (IIT), Madras, the IndianInstitute of Institute of Science (IISc) inBengaluru, saw protests by the studentsagainst the police crackdown in Jamia MilliaIslamia in Delhi on Sunday night and thecontroversial Citizenship (Amendment)Act (CAA).

Actor politician Kamal Haasan ledMakkal Needhi Maiam said it has filed apublic interest litigation in the SupremeCourt on Monday seeking a stay on the newamendment which provides citizenship tothe persecuted religious minorities fromPakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

In a rare show of camaraderie, bitterpolitical foes — Kerala Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Oppositionin the assembly Ramesh Chennithala —came together at a joint protest in the statecapital and condemned the act with the for-mer saying it was an attempt to “curb” freedom. PTI

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Page 8: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

The statements of six ChiefMinisters belonging to partiesopposed to the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP), that they “will notallow” the implementation of the

Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) intheir States, poses an open and grave chal-lenge to the Constitution and to India’sunity and integrity.

The opposition to the amended Actbegan with West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee. Soon thereafter, KamalNath, Bhupesh Baghel and AmarinderSingh, the Congress Chief Ministers ofMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Punjabjoined in, followed by Pinarayi Vijayan ofKerala and Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi. All ofthem have said that they “will not allow” theamended Act to be implemented in theirStates. These statements smack of reckless-ness and do not augur well for the preser-vation of national unity and integrity.

The CAA grants citizenship to six non-Muslim communities from Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who are vic-tims of religious persecution in these Islamicnations. They are identified as Hindus, Sikhs,Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians, whofled these nations and entered India untilDecember 31, 2014. The amendment saysthey will not be treated as illegal immigrantsany more.

The legislative powers of the Centre andthe States are clearly demarcated in the UnionList, the State List and the Concurrent Listin the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.Entry 17 in the Union List says, “Citizenship,naturalisation and aliens,” meaning that allmatters pertaining to these issues are whol-ly within the legislative competence of theUnion Government.

Under the Constitution, no State has theright to reject a law made by the Centre with-in the legislative sphere allotted to it.Speaking on Centre-State relations, BRAmbedkar had told the ConstituentAssembly on November 4, 1948, that “thebasic principle of federalism is that the leg-islative and executive authority is partitionedbetween the Centre and the States, not byany law to be made by the Centre but by theConstitution itself. This is what theConstitution does.”

Those who are opposing the amend-ment argue that it violates Article 14 of theConstitution, which guarantees equalitybefore law and the equal protection of thelaws. In their view, the exclusion of Muslimsfrom these three nations constitutes aninfringement of this Article. Several individ-uals are already knocking on the doors of theSupreme Court, questioning the vires of theamendment and one will have to await theopinion of the apex court in the matter.

This law has nothing to do with Indiancitizens, irrespective of their religious affil-iation and those who oppose it are aware ofthis. This amendment does not deny the pro-tection of Article 14 to any citizen of India.

It appears the argument againstthe amendment is that itinfringes on the rights of Muslimcitizens of Pakistan, Bangladeshand Afghanistan. Is any nationobliged to ensure Constitutionalguarantees to the citizens ofother nations?

Second, while the amend-ment speaks of six communities,they are actually a class of per-secuted people, not merelyadherents of certain religions.There are also decisions of theSupreme Court that Article 14provides for reasonable classifi-cation.

The Centre’s decision toreach out to these communitiesmust be welcomed for two rea-sons. First, India has always beenhospitable to persecuted com-munities for millennia. Thearrival of Zoroastrians in the12th century is an example ofthat tradition. In recent times,after the Chinese moved intoTibet, India saw a flood ofTibetan refugees numberingover 80,000 in 1959-60.Thereafter, there has been asteady flow of Tibetan refugeesinto India and the UnionGovernment made special pro-visions for their settlement inDharamshala and in other partsof the country, includingKarnataka. Given the manner inwhich India handled the Tibetanrefugee issue, one would pre-sume this would be the template

to accommodate those comingin from the Islamic nations.

In other words, they will beaccommodated in other parts ofthe country. The fears that thesepeople will be a burden onAssam is, therefore, misplaced.Since this amendment talksabout a cut-off date of December31, 2014, the fear of fresh migra-tions is baseless. The benefits ofthis amendment will not beavailable to those who cross intoIndia in future.

Further, it is not realised thatthis amendment is consequen-tial to a couple of notificationsissued by the CentralGovernment in 2015 and 2016.The first notification said thatindividuals from these six per-secuted communities, whoentered India before December31, 2014, would be exemptedfrom the penal provisions of thePassport Act and The ForeignersAct. This meant that such peo-ple would not face criminalproceedings even if they did nothave passports and other validdocuments. Their entry andstay were regularised.

Thereafter, the CentralGovernment gave these peoplethe facility of long-term visas.The amendment became neces-sary because despite these noti-fications, these people were still“illegal migrants” as per the def-inition in the citizenship Act.Until this amendment is made,

these people cannot apply forIndian citizenship.

The real issue is not whysuch a law has been brought innow. The question to ask is: Whywas it not done earlier? Why didIndia, largely under theCongress’ rule since indepen-dence, turn a blind eye to theplight of adherents of Indic reli-gions and Christians in theseIslamic nations? Further, whyhas the Congress, which hasencouraged Bangladeshi Muslimmigrants and used them as avote-bank all these years, nowprotesting over this law.

The attitude of the Congressis in line with its Muslim appease-ment policy even though it is giv-ing it diminishing returns. Thisparty, which ruled the country formuch of the post-independenceera, is unable to digest its margin-alisation and is adopting an“after me the deluge” kind of anattitude. The only Constitutionaloption available to the opponentsof the amended law is to chal-lenge it in the Supreme Court,which has been done.

When the Congress encour-ages its Chief Ministers to open-ly declare that they will notimplement a Central law, theparty is playing with fire. It willbe wholly responsible for theconsequences.

(The writer is an author spe-cialising in democracy studies.Views expressed are personal.)

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Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Take the lead” (December 16).In the wake of the abrogation ofArticle 370 and 35(A), theNarendra Modi Governmenttook every precautionary measureto thwart possible violence.Similar was the case ahead of theAyodhya verdict. It should havemoved with equal alacrity duringthe passage of the CitizensAmendment Bill (CAB).

Knowing that it was aninflammatory issue, it shouldhave prepared security personnelto make a distinction betweenpeaceful protests and wilful van-dalism of public properties. Also,there may be much anxiety aboutthe Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) but not all religiousminorities are on their toes tocome back to India, leaving theirproperties in nations where theyhave settled. Only persecutedreligious minorities, who areunable to stay there, will be reha-bilitated. The National Register ofCitizens (NRC), too, does not aimto deport genuine citizens of thecountry. Only those foreignnationals, who have settled downin the country illegally, will be

deported. Opposition parties areworried about the vote-banksthey have nurtured. Of course, thelack of documentation bothers allIndians equally.

KV SeetharamaiahHassan

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Sir — The clash of civilisationswill no longer be a big bang eventbut will gradually escalatethrough infinitesimal attrition.

With increasing levels of migra-tion along open borders and thedemographic situation exploding,politically the Right and Leftwing factions have gelled into anamorphous entity.

Strategically, nanobots and

drones have been game changersbut conflict within technology-based societies will largely be sub-ject to massive collateral damageas shown in the popular sci-fimovie, The Surrogates. Europe isan emerging theatre to studysociological assimilation and therobustness of multi-cultural soci-eties. As in the past, when the twogreat wars had their epicentrehere, the future will also emergefrom this cauldron of humanity.

Anoop HosmathMysuru

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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“A Brexit mandate” (December15). It was Boris Johnson’s cam-paign promise to get Brexit donethat led to the Conservative Party’shistoric win in the UK elections. Itwill, however, be a fallacy to thinkthat Britain will be free to do what-ever it wants the moment the Billis passed. Its freedom will dependon the kind of relationship it wantswith the EU and other partners.

PrathnaVia email

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Page 9: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

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Three of India’s leading central universities,located in the Capital, are going through aphase of student-faculty unrest. While stu-

dents at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) areopposing the recent fee revision, Delhi University(DU) teachers have hit the streets demandingabsorption of ad-hoc teachers, disbursal of suspend-ed pensions and promotion. Over the past few days,Jamia Millia Islamia has erupted too, with studentsdenouncing the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA). According to the agitators, the issues whichhave rattled theses campuses violate notions of inclu-sivity, individual dignity and impartiality, as guar-anteed by the Constitution. However, even as thedramatic visuals of demonstration keep trickling inand many decry the situation as “unprecedented”,one needs to admit that Indian universities havenever been immune to such turbulence.

During the days of the Civil DisobedienceMovement in the 1920s, “nationalist” universitiessuch as Jamia were conceptualised and establishedas pockets of resistance. Over the years, these insti-tutions have offered the most trenchant critique ofauthority, whether British or Indian. From theIndependence struggle to the JP Movement, andfrom Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee to Arun Jaitley, uni-versities have supplied both leadership and spineto mass movements in India. However, the state ofaffairs in 2019 begs an important question: Wasthere ever such a phase in modern India when pub-lic sympathy for State-funded universities hadshrunk to the extent it has today?

The custom of criticising universities is near-ly as old as the history of modern education in India.As harbingers of change, these institutions have oftenbeen accused of corrupting time-honoured tradi-tions and causing social anarchy. In a scene fromSunil Gangopadhyay’s celebrated historical novelThose Days, which portrays the lives of several leg-endary reformer-educationists in 19th centuryBengal, Scottish philanthropist David Hare bemoansthe conservatives of Calcutta who believe that“book-learned women are liable to lose their hus-bands.” However, this suspicion has moved beyondthe realm of superstition and has now developedinto an incisive politico-economic critique. Over thepast few years, particularly in rural and semi-urbanareas, this criticism has reached a fever pitch. Themajority appears to have bought the argument thatsubsidising universities is wastage of tax-payers’money, since these institutions foment secession-ist and pro-Naxal sympathies. And that the “age-ing” researchers, who inhabit these campuses, aremere shirkers. Unfortunately, nothing seems to havebolstered public estimation of these universities ortheir students — not their dominance of theNational Institutional Ranking Framework, posi-tions in the Union Cabinet or even a Nobel Prize.

Arguably, had it not been for its proximity tonewsrooms in Delhi and Noida, the State electionin Delhi, the notoriety which JNU has acquired since2016 and the agitation at the three universities wouldhave evaded media attention. Although DU catersto nearly 300,000 students and a large number ofstudents at JNU and Jamia come from extremelyunderprivileged backgrounds, news of unrest hasfailed to trigger a national debate on the need toprotect institutions which continue to provideaffordable education in India.

There is no denying, that part of the problemlies in uncharitable portraiture by certain news chan-

nels, misinformation peddled on social-media and a voyeuristic interest in cam-pus life. But these aren’t the only ones tobe blamed. Popular culture, cinema andby extension, public imagination aresated with several problematic represen-tations of the idea of a university.

First, in a number of films, universi-ties are depicted as breeding grounds forextremists and delusional idealists, typi-fied by JNU and its bespectacled jholachhaap (cloth bag-toting) students. Thefamous thief-scene from the filmRaanjhanaa (2013), where studentsindulge in a futile night-long debate intothe origins of delinquency, is a snideremark on the culture of debates that uni-versities pride themselves on. Second, infilms such as Haasil (2003) and Gulal(2009) and the recent web-series Mirzapur(2018), universities are portrayed as bat-tlegrounds of violent student politics,puppeteered by corrupt musclemen. Athird variety emerges in Karan Johar’sfairyland colleges, exemplified by theStudent of the Year franchise. Of late,thanks to the army of technocrat-turned-comedians, and films such as ThreeIdiots (2009) and Chhichhore (2019),engineering colleges are being imaginedas zoos of quirky characters, lechery andsuch. In a country where cinema, televi-sion and now YouTube define the scopeof reality for millions, such representationshave dented their public perception.

At the same time, mass media haspersistently, if not deliberately, shiedaway from portraying the challengesand the disappointments of university life.No mainstream film speaks of those non-glamorous, bookish-students who wagedaily battles against social sanctions,poverty, joblessness and an endlessly frus-trating bureaucracy in the academia. NoTV-show or web-series examines the exis-tential struggles of thousands of tempo-

rary professors across India who areforced to spend their lives in perpetual fearof termination. University life is notromantic enough to the viewers exceptwhen presented in one of the aforemen-tioned templates. Perhaps no film or bookportrays the agony of university teachersbetter than Anita Desai’s In Custody(1984). But then again, outside the aca-demic circuit, how many have evenheard of this book?

The academic fraternity lacks thewherewithal to contest media hostility ormisrepresentation. Nevertheless, theymust reach out to the community at largeand share their stories. While many pro-fessors have become spokespersons ofmajor political parties, and in that capac-ity, they appear routinely on national tele-vision, rarely, if ever so, do they speak ofthe challenges they face in their profes-sional lives as educators and mentors.These “ambassadors” must utilise televi-sion to highlight the difficulties faced bytheir students, colleagues and institutions.The participation of professors in text-book production, school pedagogy andsocial movements, which has latelydeclined, must be reinvigorated as well.

Unfortunately, the university ecosys-tem insinuates the semblance of a universeunto itself. It creates the illusion that if allis well inside the campus, things are wellelsewhere too. And that the fight for high-er education is as much an emotional sub-ject to people outside, as it is to the aca-demic fraternity. But we need to break outof this chimera. At a recent DelhiUniversity Teachers’ Association protest,when I advised a colleague against rais-ing a certain slogan which has attractedconsiderable popular condemnation overthe past few years, he argued that it wasraised with an objective to educate themasses. It is important to realise thatrespect for popular sentiments or simplic-

ity of expression does not tantamount tosurrender of ideas, however indispensableor progressive they might be. Eventhough perception management is nottheir forte, academicians must speak a lan-guage which the common people under-stand and respect. Through popular arti-cles, public debates, parent-teacher meet-ings and maybe, even a YouTube chan-nel, they have to find ways to engage withthe community they so sincerely serve.

As the President of India pointed outrecently, universities shouldn’t behave likeivory towers. At the same time, given thelegacy of universities and their enormouscontribution to society-building in India,it is important that the Government andthe university administration honourthe circumstances of their origin. Theywere imagined as centres of criticalthinking, and they must remain so. It wasprecisely this culture of dissent andprotest in the universities which militat-ed against State oppression during thedark days of Emergency and saw to it thata reinvigorated democracy was restoredin the country. Had it not been for thisspirit of rational inquiry and the desire toquestion the sacrosanct, our progresstowards ensuring social justice wouldn’thave been half as successful. It is, there-fore, imperative that the Governmentgives a patient hearing to the students andthe academic fraternity. It must constituteforums and coordination committees toengage students on policy decisionswhich concern them. Contrary to popu-lar perception, they aren’t always delusion-al idealists or virulent anarchists. Besides,even from the perspective of law andorder, a controlled outlet of pent-up sen-timents, as philosopher Mikhail Bakhtinhas argued, is preferable to the viciouscycle of mob arson and State reprisal.

(The writer teaches English at DelhiUniversity)

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Not just a believer of the hetero-dox school of economicthought, even a stickler for

classic political economy can’t negatethat “dialectics” has not ceased to influ-ence the course of history and mate-rialism. While Hegel, Marx and Engelshad their interpretation of it, now ina different context, when the “late stagecapitalism” is shaping up regional geo-strategic and economic considerationsin unprecedented ways, the necessityto comprehend the “contradictions”well is something essential.

As globalisation is in the processof travelling extra miles, leadingeconomies are willingly making effortsto go beyond bilateral and other con-

ventional economic diplomacyarrangements. Playing safe with theregional cooperation framework alarge economy gains disproportionate-ly out of the sentimental grouping ofunequal participants. China has beena formidable player on this turf, so itsensed the criticality of India’s non-affirmative positioning on the much-touted Free Trade Agreement (FTA)experiment called the RegionalComprehensive EconomicPartnership (RCEP). However, RCEPbeing a China-dominated association,had to receive India’s response as perits “enlightened self-interest” to keephistory in perspective, house in orderand domestic manufacturing business-es shielded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modihad summed it up eloquently when hesaid, “Whenever I try and gaugeIndia’s interest in light of her joiningRCEP, I do not get an answer in theaffirmative. Neither Gandhiji’s policyof self-reliance nor my wisdom allowsme to join RCEP.” He made the state-ment based on realistic considerations.Among them, one was a silent confes-sion that India’s economy is passing

through a rough phase.Noticeably, India’s GDP growth

has been slowing down for five con-secutive quarters. It is believed that theeconomy was severely hit by demon-etisation and the Goods and ServicesTax (GST) and the core manufactur-ing and real estate sectors have losttheir way. India joining the RCEPwould have exposed its inability tocome to terms with challenges of anew regional framework that wastotally bereft of anything promising forthe industry in the country.

Also, RCEP keeps conflictingintent with the existing regional andsub-regional associations, such asSouth Asian Association for RegionalCooperation (SAARC), South AsianSub-regional Economic Cooperation(SASEC), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indiaand Nepal (BBIN) and Bay of BengalInitiative for Multi-Sectoral andTechnical and Economic Cooperation(BIMSTEC).

India’s decision not to join RCEPwas a conscious one, after calculatingall the costs and gains that usuallycome with entering a new arrange-ment. Delivering the recent Ramnath

Goenka Memorial Lecture in NewDelhi, India’s External Affairs MinisterS Jaishankar made his statement on it,saying, “And it was that no agreementat this time was better than a badagreement. It is also important torecognise what the RCEP decision isnot. It is not stepping back from theAct East Policy, which in any case isdeeply rooted in distant and contem-porary history.”

He further added, “Our cooper-ation spans so many domains that thisone decision does not really under-mine the basics. Even in trade, Indiaalready has Free Trade Agreementswith 12 of the 15 RCEP partners. Noris there really a connection with ourIndo-Pacific approach, as that goeswell beyond the RCEP membership.”

What the Minister made out wasa narrative that India didn’t miss on“grand strategy.” In fact, this wasclose to the reality, as it was not an ideawhose time had come. RCEP was notjust a matter of trade for India; it wasrelated to strategy and foreign policyas well. While India was at the brinkof taking a decision on it, its neigh-bours, especially Nepal, watched the

proceedings closely. Nepal, whichhas been grappling with high tradedeficit and low manufacturing base,would not have gained much fromIndia’s entry into RCEP and the pos-sibility of cheap goods from member-countries being dumped into it.

As Nepal is passing through adevelopmental phase where the mode,locale and scale of production have tosee a big shift for reciprocating massaspirations, it should aim to work witha model that combines “Make inNepal” with “Make for Nepal”. Onlythis can lead towards an inclusive andsustainable growth agenda. A moreinward-looking approach for industri-al activities, eyeing both domestic andinternational markets, is the need ofhour. Moreover, policy-makers inNepal must think seriously over theunchecked outbound migration,which is causing enormous losses toits own prospects.

India’s tryst with FTAs has beendisappointing. Take, for instance, theIndo-ASEAN FTA, the Indo-KoreaFTA and the Indo-Japan FTA.Notwithstanding the initial excite-ment, in practical terms, FTAs have

proved to be a faulty arrangement forthe country. The experience of manyother countries has not been bettereither. The fault lines can be spottedin the “late stage capitalism” that neces-sitates developing countries to goahead with the public policy of devel-oped and saturated economies. Oneof the common issues with regionalassociations is that there is little scopefor a level playing field, as for the pro-tectionist measures, they only offer“double-standards.”

To maintain parity, an experimentlike RCEP must offer fair competitionto other member-countries not luck-ier than China in protecting theeconomy and playing comfortably inthe world. To make RCEP or any newformation, a positive factor for theAsian Century, the strategic and eco-nomic fundamentals have to be ascer-tained. Simply put, whims and fanciesdon’t help the grand plan. Above all,what matters is the fairness in intentand working for a shared goal. WithRCEP, this was and is missing.

(The writer is a New Delhi-basedpublic policy professional and colum-nist.)

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Page 10: ˇ ˆ - The Pioneer...sity gate to resume their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Monday, the protesters including women students, ... Kuldeep Singh Sengar on

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Facing heat over delay in pay-ment of GST compensation,

the central government onMonday released �35,298 croreto states to make up for the lossof revenue due to rollout of theGoods and Services Tax (GST).

When GST was rolled outon July 1, 2017, states werethrough legislation promised tobe compensated for the loss ofrevenue as not just their taxessuch as VAT were being sub-sumed in the new levy but alsotheir right to levy taxes wasbeing snatched.

The compensation amountwas fixed at 14 per cent on topof revenue in the base year of2016-17. The corpus for payingcompensation was collectedby levying a cess on top of GSTrates on tobacco products, cig-arettes, aerated water, auto-mobiles, and coal.

This compensation was tobe released after every twomonths but the same was

pending since August, drawingprotests from states, particu-larly non-BJP ruled ones.

“The central governmenthas released GST compensa-tion of �35,298 crore to Statesand Union Territories today,”the Central Board of IndirectTaxes and Customs (CBIC)said in a Twitter post.

This comes just days beforethe 38th meeting of the GSTCouncil — the highest deci-sion-making body of the newindirect tax regime — onDecember 18, where the oppo-sition-ruled states had plannedto again raise the issue ofdelayed payments.

Opposition-ruled statessuch as Punjab, West Bengaland Kerala have since lastmonth upped the ante for theimmediate release of GSTCompensation Fund. Theirfinance ministers had also metUnion Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman and theissue came up during the just-concluded Winter Session of

Parliament.Sitharaman had in press

conferences and industryevents acknowledged the duesbut never mentioned timelinesfor making the payment.

She had in the Rajya Sabhaon December 12 stated that in2017-18, the total cess collect-ed was �62,596 crore, of which�41,146 crore was released tostates. The remaining �15,000crore was accumulated in theCess Fund. In the next year,

�95,081 crore was collectedand �69,275 crore released tostates but “cess accumulated inthe Fund was zero,” she hadsaid, according to a verbatimtranscript of her speech avail-able on the Rajya Sabha web-site.

It wasn’t clear how nomoney was accumulated inthe Cess Fund in 2018-19when, according to her, only�69,275 crore out of �95,081crore was paid.

She also hadn’t said whathappens to the surplus thataccumulates in the Fund.

According to Sitharaman,during the current fiscal yearthat began in April 2019, cesscollections till October 31 were�55,467 crore but compensa-tion released to the states was�65,250 crore. “TheGovernment of India hasreleased �9,783 crore morethan the amount raisedthrough cess collections (thisfiscal),” she had said in theRajya Sabha.

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Mumbai: Union FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamanon Monday assured States thatthe Centre will not “renege” onthe promise of GST compen-sations. The delays to pass onthe money are due to a slip incollections and the States havenothing to be embarrassedabout, she said. The remarkscome at a time when states likeMaharashtra and Kerala havebeen demanding the compen-sation sooner.

“It is certainly their right,I am not denying. At the sametime, I am also making clear tosay that I am not reneging onthat. States will be given. We arecertainly not reneging on it.

“I admit that the paymentswhich had to go the compensa-tion head have not been givenfor two months slot,” Sitharamansaid, addressing the TimesNetwork’s India EconomicConclave through video con-ferencing. The GST Council, thehighest decision making bodyfor indirect tax, is slated to holdits meeting on December 18.

“I do not want them(states) to feel embarrassed

because it’s not their fault noris it personally my fault,” shesaid, admitting that the GSTcollections have been muchlower than expectations.

She attributed the dip incollections to a slip in GST fil-ing due to natural calamitiesand also due to a slowdown inconsumption that has a directimpact on the collections.

“I am working with thestates. Each of them have takena lot of effort from their endto improve the GST collection.I guess with their efforts andthe centre and revenue depart-ment officials...The prospects ofimproving GST collection islikely to go up,” she said.

When asked about reportsof cuts in GST rates,Sitharaman said there is nosuch call to review.

“I don’t think, I am eventalking about raising or ratio-nalising the slabs at all at thisstage. But Eventually at sometime the GST Council wouldwant to talk about it, but I amnot readying myself for thisparticular meeting on this par-ticular issue,” she said. PTI

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Union Minister NitinGadkari on Monday

approved changes in theInterest Subvention Schemeguidelines for MSMEs and dis-pensed with the requirement ofUdyog Aadhaar Number forunits eligible for GST and set-tlement of claims based oninternal or concurrent auditorcertificate.

The Minister for RoadTransport & Highways andMSME reviewed the function-ing of the scheme, and said thechanges are expected to boostproductivity of MSMEsthrough access to credit atreduced cost.

The modifications in oper-ational guidelines carried outare based on suggestions madeby various stakeholders, includ-ing banks and lending institu-tions who had brought to light

operational difficulties thatwere hindering a smooth roll-out of the scheme, an officialstatement said.

The improvements are setto provide momentum givingfillip to the MSME sector, itadded.

“It is expected that themodifications in the schemeguidelines will lead to fulfil-ment of objectives of thescheme, i.E. To increase pro-ductivity in MSMEs throughaccess to credit at reducedcost,” Gadkari said.

The minister highlightedthat the government is com-mitted to enhancing credit tothe MSME sector and theimplementation of the schemeis being closely monitored tohelp micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSMEs) get incre-mental credit of up to �1 crorewith an interest subvention of2 per cent.

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IT hardware and mobile man-ufacturers on Monday sought

clarity over recent reduction inexport incentives and demand-ed rationalisation of tax struc-ture, including GST rate onhandsets, during a pre-Budgetmeet with Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman.

According to the IndiaCellular and ElectronicsAssociation (ICEA), reductionin export incentives will lead tomassive job losses.

“Many have emphasised

that some schemes that are onthe anvil can be brought inquickly like some incentives forlarge-scale manufacturing.There are a number of incen-tives,” Electronics and ITSecretary Ajay PrakashSawhney said after the pre-Budget meeting.

On the meeting, ICEAChairman Pankaj Mohindroosaid the government has strongintention to support Indiancompanies as well as attractglobal brands to make thecountry a hub of mobile man-ufacturing.

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The announcement of atrade deal between the US

and China that will de-escalatetrade tensions, along with otherdevelopments like reduced like-lihood of a no-deal Brexit, islikely to support a pick-up inthe global economic activity in2020, said IMF ChiefEconomist Gita Gopinath.

Global growth moderatedto the lowest level since theglobal financial crisis this year,Gopinath said adding that thisis an outcome of heightenedtrade and geopolitical tensionsand country-specific factors in

emerging markets. In addition,advanced economies’ growth isbeing weighed down by weakproductivity growth and agingdemographics. These factorslead to sharp weakness in man-ufacturing and trade almostacross the globe, she added.

The IMF’s October 2019World Economic Outlook pro-jected global growth at 3 percent this year and 3.4 per centin 2020 — 0.3 and 0.2 percent-age points lower than our Aprilforecast respectively, she noted.

“A recovery is expected in2020 but that remains precar-ious. Since then, global growthhas been lower-than-forecast-

ed in some large emergingmarkets, notably India, andcivil unrest is taking a toll onsome countries,” Gopinath toldPTI in an interview.

Gopinath, 48, one of thetop world economist, joinedthe IMF early this year. “It hasbeen a wonderful learningexperience and I am enjoyingall aspects of the job,” she toldPTI when asked about herexperience at the world body.

“At the same time, we areseeing tentative signs of stabil-isation, with the decline inmanufacturing and tradeappearing to have bottomed out.

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Wholesale inflation rose to0.58 per cent in November

mainly on account of risingprices of food articles, withonion alone spurting by over 172per cent during the month vis-a-vis a year ago, governmentdata showed on Monday.

The annual rate of infla-tion, based on monthly whole-sale price index (WPI) was at0.16 per cent in October.

The inflation was at 4.47per cent in the same month ayear ago (November 2018).

Build up inflation rate inthe financial year so far was 2per cent compared to a buildup rate of 4.56 per cent in thecorresponding period of theprevious year, as per the datareleased by the Office ofEconomic Adviser, Ministryof Commerce & Industry.

Inflation in food articles asa group rose to 11.08 per centduring the month as against9.80 per cent in the previousmonth, mainly driven by exor-bitantly high onion prices, therates of which spiked by over172 per cent from a year-ago.

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Market benchmark Sensexdeclined by 71 points to

close at 40,938.72 on Monday,dragged by losses in energy,FMCG and auto stocks amidweak macroeconomic num-bers. The 30-share BSE barom-eter had opened higher and hita lifetime high of 41,185.03 inthe opening session.

Losses in FMCG, auto,energy and select bankingstocks eroded the gains laterwith Sensex settling 70.99points or 0.17 per cent down at

40,938.72. The broader NSENifty finished 32.75 points or0.27 per cent lower at 12,053.95as 37 of its componentsdeclined. ITC was the top loserin the Sensex pack, shedding1.97 per cent, followed by TataSteel 1.80 per cent, HUL 1.57per cent, Vedanta 1.44 percent, Bharti Airtel 1.37 per centand M&M 1.35 per cent.

On the other hand, ITstocks rallied due to weaknessin the rupee. TCS rose by 2.70per cent, Tech Mahindra 1.60per cent, and HCL Tech by 1.57per cent.

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With economic growthslowing to a six-year low,

IMF Chief Economist GitaGopinath says the governmentshould undertake structuralreforms such as bank clean-upand labour reforms to addressthe slowdown in domesticdemand.

Gopinath, 48, who is trav-elling to India this week, root-

ed for government policiesfocusing on managing a slow-down in domestic demand,and on boosting productivitygrowth and supportingemployment creation in themedium term.

“Given the cyclical positionand the structural challenges ofthe Indian economy at thispoint, we recommend thatpolicies focus on managing theslowdown in domestic

demand, and on boosting pro-ductivity growth and support-ing employment creation in themedium term,” she told PTI inan interview.

Recommending a seriesof key policy priorities for thePrime Minister NarendraModi government, she said,“Politically, the time — early inthe government’s second term— is right for a structuralreform push.”

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Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi onMonday expressed hope that

positive impact of the insolven-cy law will be visible on thedomestic corporate bond marketin five years. Describing theInsolvency and Bankruptcy Code(IBC) as a “landmark reform” inthe country’s economic history,Tyagi said the Code has broughtin behavioural changes amongcorporate debtors.

The Code came into forcein December 2016.

“IBC has been a landmarkreform that has successfullyempowered creditors byincreasing their recoveries,improved their debtor disci-pline... There is scope for fur-ther improvement,” Tyagi saidhere. According to him,reforms in bankruptcy lawsleading to bolstering of credi-

tor rights have generally beenfound to have a positive impacton corporate bond marketsowing to increased investorconfidence in the markets.

“In case of three BRICScountries — Brazil, Russia andChina — the five-year averageof outstanding corporate bondsto GDP ratio after implemen-tation of bankruptcy reformshave nearly doubled comparedto five-year average of out-standing corporate bonds toGDP ratio prior to implemen-tation of the reforms.

“While there is a positivecorrelation between recoveryrate, recovery timeline andcorporate bonds to GDP ratio,experiences also show thatthere is a time lag betweenimplementation of bankruptcylaws and effect on bond mar-ket to the extent of 5-10 years,”he noted.

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UK High Court has dis-missed a $680 million

claim application filed byChinese banks against RelianceCommunications ChairmanAnil Ambani, a spokesperson of Ambani saidon Monday.

The hearing in the mattertook place on November 7and the order was issued onMonday, the spokesperson saidin a statement.

UK High Court has dis-missed “summary judgementapplication of Chinese banks

against Anil Ambani” in whichthe “Chinese banks hadclaimed $680 million from Mr.Ambani against Chinese banks’corporate loans to RelianceCommunications Limited(RCom)”, it said.

“Mr Ambani’s position thatthe claim made by Chinesebanks in relation to his allegedguarantee for corporate loansavailed by RelianceCommunications Limited(RCom) could not be grantedby way of a summary judge-ment has been duly upheld bythe UK High Court,” thespokesperson said.

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While those of us who thought TB is a pulmonary diseaseaffecting our lungs need to think again! According to the

medical statistics, 5-10 per cent of the total TB patients in Indiasuffer from bone TB and the figure is on constant rise, more dueto ignorance about bone TB, during which the bacterium caus-ing TB affects bones and the spine. In fact, if we talk about num-bers, India is home to about one lakh people who suffer fromosteoarticular tuberculosis which leads to limb shortening ingrowing children and full body paralysis in a few cases.

Although TB, primarily affects the lungs, it can spreadthrough the blood stream to other sites, commonly called extrapulmonary or disseminated tuberculosis. Usually the ends of longbones and the vertebrae are common sites of extra pulmonarytuberculosis and the disease can hit people of every strata, nomatter whether they are rich or poor.

Also, it can affect any bone, but most commonly it attacksthe spine and weight-bearing joints, like hands, wrists and elbows.The type of pain too depends on the exact location of the tuber-culosis, for instance in case of spine TB the pain in lower backis so severe that the patient ends up seeking medical treatment.

How to diagnose?Bone TB in its early stages is often misdiagnosed as arthri-

tis. Therefore, to distinguish it from arthritic pain, patients shouldobserve the nature of pain. Most patients of arthritis experiencerelief at night when lying down. Whereas for those suffering frombone TB, lying flat increases discomfort due to increased bac-terial activity.

Diagnosis of the disease is made by X-ray and lab tests onfluid aspirated from the affected joint area. While in case of spineand skeletal TB, diagnosis are to be done with the help of CTscans and MRI reports.

Spinal tuberculosis, alsocalled Pott’s disease, usuallyaffects the thoracic part of thespine. It causes constant andunbearable back pain as thevirus degrades the discs cushion-ing the vertebrae. TB in thejoints also causes an achingpain along with stiffness. WhileTuberculous osteomyelitis, orbone infection, causes constantpain in the bone itself and cancause complications in nearbytissues, such as carpal tunnelsyndrome if the wrist is affect-ed.

How to identify the correctsymptoms?

Patients with TB in theirbones might or might not exhib-

it generalised signs of tuberculosis such as fever, fatigue, nightsweats and unexplained weight loss. Although about half of allpatients with bone TB also have infected lungs, the disease usu-ally is not active there which also means that most patients withbone TB do not suffer from coughing and probably do not sus-pect that they have tuberculosis. At times it may take years tostart showing its initial symptoms.

Patients with bone TB are generally not contagious becausethe disease spreads through coughed up active virus particlesunless you come in contact with a patient’s pus. Another impor-tant point to remember is that bone TB may affect the bone mar-row, so timely and complete course of treatment can only curethe patients.

The treatment for normal bone TB may last at least one yearand in case of spine TB causing paralysis treatment and recov-ery time depends if paralysis is mild, moderate or severe. Also,in case of MDR TB, in which patients fail to respond well to multidrugs, it may take longer to recover completely. The TB patientsare strictly advised to complete the medication course and neverto leave it in between, without consulting their doctor. It's impor-tant for patients to understand that TB is curable if it is timelydetected and treated well. In case of bone TB, bed rest, good diet,medicines and physiotherapy can help you get back to normallife. Therefore, don’t ignore symptoms or take them lightly. Ifproper medical attention is not received, TB can be fatal.

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�$����� � ���� Apumpkin seed is the

edible seed of a pumpkin orcertain other cultivars ofsquash. The seeds aretypically flat andasymmetricallyoval, have awhite outerhusk and arelight green incolour afterthe husk isremoved.

The seedsare r ich inantioxidants likecarotenoids andVitamin E.

Antioxidants can reduceinflammation and protectyour cells from harmful freeradicals. That’s why consum-ing foods rich in antioxidants

can help protect against manydiseases.

They are also high in fibrethat is known for promoting

digestive health. Notonly this the seeds

are rich in mag-n e s i u m .C o n s u m i n ga d e q u a t emagnesiumlevels resultin bettersleep.

The pres-ence of high

amounts ofantioxidants and

phytochemicals ensurea good immune system andfurther reduce the possibilityof viral infections that maylead to cold, flu, fatigueand other ailments.

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E-cigarette use sig-nificantly increasesa person's risk of

developing chronic lungdiseases like asthma, bron-chitis, emphysema or chronic obstructivepulmonary disease, says a new study.

The study, published in the Americanjournal of Preventive Medicine, also foundthat people who used e-cigarettes and alsosmoked tobacco by far the most commonpattern among adult e-cigarette users wereat an even higher risk of developing chron-ic lung disease than those who used eitherproduct alone.

“What we found is that for e-cigaretteusers, the odds of developing lung diseaseincreased by about a third, even after con-trolling for their tobacco use and theirclinical and demographic information,”said study senior author Stanton Glantz,PhD, Professor at the University ofCalifornia in the US.

“We concluded that e-cigarettes areharmful on their own, and the effects areindependent of smoking conventionaltobacco," Glantz said.

The study also found that switchingfrom smoked tobacco to e-cigaretteslowered the risk of developing lung dis-ease, fewer than one per cent of the smok-ers had completely switched to e-ciga-rettes.

“This study contributes to the grow-ing case that e-cigarettes have long-termadverse effects on health and are makingthe tobacco epidemic worse,” Glantzadded.

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Dry, cracked and chappedlips can be a problem —be it winters or sum-

mers. The peeling skin is notonly annoying, it doesn’t lookgood as well. But thereare several homeremedies that onecan follow withgreat results.

V i r g i ncoconut oil isnot just good forthe skin and hair,but also for thelips. Get some virgincoconut oil and grape-seed oil. One can use grapeseedoil as well.

If you don’t have virgincoconut oil and grapeseed oil,mix olive oil and jojoba oil oralmond oil and neem oil. Addone to two drops of both the oilsand apply onto the lips. Do thistwo-three times a day.

One can use honey and

vaseline. Apply a layer of honeyon the lips. Apply a layer ofvaseline on top of this. Leavefor10-15 minutes. Use a damp tis-sue or a damp cloth to wipe it

off. Repeat this once everyday for lasting results.

Use rose petalsand milk. Soakfive-six rosepetals in one-fourth cup of rawmilk for three

hours. Mash thepetals in the milk to

get a paste-like consis-tency. Apply this paste on

your lips. Keep it on for about20 minutes. Rinse it off withcold water. Do this every day fora week.

One can use cucumber aswell. Rub a cucumber slicegently on the lips for a minuteor two. Leave the cucumberjuice on for 10 minutes andthen wash your lips.

Dry and chapped lips are common problems during the

winter months. While lip balmshelp, ROSHANI DEVI shares

home remedies that can provebeneficial

Rubiya Khursheed, a PhD researchscholar at School of Pharmaceutical

Sciences of Lovely Professional University(LPU) has developed a herbal formulationcontaining a combination ofSynbiotics (a dietary supplementthat combines prebiotics andprobiotics) and curcumin(haldi) that helps in thetreatment of Diabetes.

She recently made Indiaproud by presenting herpath breaking research atone of the world’s foremostPharma conferences, AmericanAssociation of Pharmaceutical ScientistsPharmSci 360’, held at San Antonio, Texas,US.

Titled Exploring the role of Synbioticsas carrier to solidify Self-Nano emulsifyingDrug Delivery System, her research exploresthe usage of Synbiotics. The emulsified drug

is absorbed by the body easily, leading tosignificantly lower dosage requirement ofjust 5 mg against 500 mg that is generallyprescribed for Type 2 Diabetes.

This not only brings down the costof the medicine for the patients but

also eliminates the side effectscaused by high dosages like lowblood sugar, upset stomach,skin rashes or itching.Interestingly, Rubiya has usedmushroom polysaccharide as

prebiotic and friendly bacteriaprobiotic to develop the Synbitoics,

leading to it being 100% chemical freeand non-synthetic.

Fifteen Nobel Laureates, 6000-plusscientists and 600-plus pharmacy industryrepresentatives from across the worldincluding Dr Vivek H Murthy, 19thSurgeon General of the US, attended theconference.

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Plastic has implanted into our everyday liveslike an unavoidable fundamental. We have

been abusing it since a better than average timeframe not exclusively leaving plastic-impressionson earth anyway also delivering significant dam-age in our well being framework. From puttingaway nourishment to cooking and utilisationfrom it, the Petro-compound issue is keenly rot-ting our environment. The key compoundutilised for the assembling of plastics isBisphenol-A or BPA.

BPA is a modern concoction that has beenutilised to make certain plastics and pitches sincethe 1960s. BPA is found in polycarbonate plas-tics and epoxy saps. Polycarbonate plastics arefrequently utilised in compartments that areutilised for putting away nourishment andrefreshments, for example, water bottles. Theymay likewise be utilised in other ordinary buyerproducts. BPA and different poisons broke downin nourishment and water put away in plasticholders advance into your circulation system,which can cause a large group of issues includ-ing different malignant growths such as liver andkidney harm.

These destructive synthetic concoctionsdisintegrate even quickly when interact with hotnourishment or fluid. To be better protected andgrieved, plastic containers ought to be stayedaway from to keep up legitimate wellbeing capac-ity. Our typical plastic jugs and holders can besupplanted with gut-solid kansa.� Pure kansa or bronze is a ultra-predominantmetal compound comprising 78 per cent of cop-per and 22 per cent of tin.� It is seen for its great wellbeing and recuper-ating properties and is profoundly establishedin our way of life and ayurvedic science.� Also used to make sanctuary stock, purekansa is known to be the best metal to be utilisedfor feasting and water stockpiling purposesbecause of its restorative advantages.� It has properties that stem unadulterated, pro-found vibrations which likewise refine thenourishment and water we consume. Kansa hasan exceptional character that doesn’t enable itto respond with nourishment or water indepen-dent of its temperature.� Since a large portion of our customs are tiedwith great wellbeing, pure kansa is profoundlyprescribed to drink and eating from going forvast prosperity.� Kansa sharpens our insight and pays tributeto its remedial forces, its antacid properties sani-tise the nourishment as well as eliminatesmicrobes and microorganism.� The water or nourishment put away inkansa vessels naturally gains the crucial thera-peutic and remedial properties.� If utilised for eating and drinking every day,it energetically improves gut wellbeing.� It helps in improving insusceptibility and hin-ders sickness

Boycotting plastic and inclining towardunadulterated kansa metal for every day utili-sation can be a stage towards a more beneficialcondition with decreased carbon impressionsand prosperity. To ensure the immaculatenessof the metal whenever ringed is should make areverberant sound like tolls utilised for uncom-mon otherworldly vibrations. Kansa is a funda-mental material in building the vitality frame-works of things to come. It assumes a significantjob in sustainable power source frameworks, forexample, sun oriented, wind, tidal, hydro, bio-mass and geothermal.

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G O B A C K

TO ROOTS�����*����!���� ���������� &�������� ���������� �������������������! ���'��!������ � �� &�/6�������

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The cold reduces the blood circulation inJoints which amplifies arthritis pain. Lesssunlight during winters means lower

Vitamin D levels and leads to weakened bones andjoints arthritis, a progressive disorder, typicallystarts gradually and gets worse with time. Suchpatients who often find difficulty in walking feelstiffness, or pain ranging from sharp pain to dullache in hips more during the winters.

Though joint problems are often neglecteduntil they cause distress, it is important especial-ly during winters to diagnose the condition earlyfor better treatment outcomes.

To describe it in simple terms, arthritis occurswhen the joint space of your hip is narrowed andthe soft tissues surrounding it start to shrink andtighten. The condition may arise due to geneticor hereditary reasons and certain other conditionslike wear and tear of joints over time or due totough training regime, or being obese as well.

If we examine the make-up of our hip joint,it is a ball and socket joint and is very mobile.During arthritis when we stretch and move, thehip joint hurts and over time leads to greater stiff-ness and worsening of the condition that allevi-ates pain. Thus, it explains why the hip is one ofthe most common joints affected by arthritis.

There are different types of arthritis that canaffect the hip and its treatment is based on fac-tors such as the type of arthritis, how early the con-dition is diagnosed, age of the patient and med-ical history (if any).

Types: There are three main types of arthri-

tis that can affect the hip joint. These are:Osteoarthritis: This is most common form

of arthritis seen especially in elderly people.Although it is also caused due to structural prob-lems with the hip joint, advancing age, obesity, hipinjury and others. Obesity is one of the major caus-es of Osteoarthritis and knee-related ailments,where knees undergo six times the body weightthereby affecting the joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid arthri-tis (RA) affects your entire body and not just thehip joint. It affects people of all age groups includ-ing children and is commonly seen in women thanmen. The cause of inflammation in RA is due toan immune system response rather than wear andtear. The condition causes pain and swelling inboth the hips unlike osteoarthritis that occurs only

in one hip, and eventually, it leads to deteriora-tion of the bone and cartilage of the joint. Besidespain and swelling, RA also causes weakness andfatigue.

Ankylosing spondylitis: It is a chronicinflammation of the spine and sacroiliac joint (thejoint where the spine meets the pelvis). The con-dition may affect people of all age groups,including children, but typically its onset isbetween the age of 17 and 35. Unlike RA,Ankylosing spondylitis is more common in menthan women.

Some of the factors leading to hip joint prob-lems in the oldage include usage of steroids or sup-plements during younger age for body building.

Symptoms: Common symptoms associatedwith arthritis of hip are: � Pain in the hip joint that includes the groin,outer thigh and buttocks� Pain is worse in the morning and lessens overthe day� Difficulty in walking� Stiffness in the hip� Pain over back and radiating to knee throughfront of thigh

Diagnosis: If you suspect of having arthritisof the hip, get diagnostic evaluation immediate-ly. This may include: � Your medical history and physical examina-tion� X-rays can help in determining abnormalitiesin the joint.� Blood tests.

Non-surgical options: Based onyour diagnosis, your surgeon

will prescribe the type of treatmentthat is appropriate for your condition.

Non-surgical treatment forarthritis of the hip may include:� Anti-inflammatory medications� Physiotherapy or exercise pro-grams to improve flexibility and mus-cle strength� Swimming is an excellent exercisefor arthritis � Weight reduction in case of over-weight patients� Devices such as canes/walkers tomake it easier to walk

Surgical options: Many peoplewith arthritis of the hip are candi-dates for surgery. Surgery can helpto reduce pain, enhance quality oflife, and improve an individual's abil-

ity to perform everyday activitieswith no restrictions.

Minimally invasive hipreplacement surgery: It is an appro-priate treatment option if the hipjoint is severely damaged or if painand swelling reduces motion injoints and affects quality of life. Hipreplacement surgery is one of themost successful modernorthopaedic surgical proceduresand it is performed with smallerincisions which mean quickerrecovery. During a hip replace-ment surgery, the surgeon removesdamaged cartilage and bone fromthe hip joint and replaces them withman-made parts.&!� ����������� ��&����������5���) �����������05���.���2�������+ ��%�

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Akey Democratic lawmakersaid on Sunday that

President Donald Trump’s mis-conduct amounted to “a crimein progress” that threatens USdemocracy, as the full Houseprepares for a historic vote onimpeachment.

“Do we have a constitu-tional democracy, or do wehave a monarchy, where thepresident is unaccountable?”Representative Jerry Nadlerasked on ABC’s “This Week.”“That’s what’s at stake here.”

He expressed anger withSenate Republicans who saidthey had already made up theirmind to exonerate the president— even without hearing evi-dence or testimony — in theSenate trial expected next month.

When the Democratic-controlled House convenesWednesday to weigh the twocharges approved by Nadler’sJudiciary Committee, Trump isexpected to become only thethird US President to beimpeached, after AndrewJohnson in 1868 and BillClinton in 1998.

Richard Nixon resigned in1974 just before a Houseimpeachment vote. NeitherJohnson nor Clinton was con-victed in the Senate.

Trump is counting on theRepublican majority in theSenate to exonerate him.

In repeated tweets Sundayhe mocked a process that, tojudge by his frequent tweets,appears to consume him.

He retweeted one conser-vative commentator as saying:

“The President did nothingwrong here. There is no crime,”before adding: “ImpeachmentHoax!”

Some influential SenateRepublicans have suggestedthey have already made uptheir minds and don’t need tohear the evidence compiled byHouse Democrats in severalweeks of hearings.

Senate majority leaderMitch McConnell haspromised “total coordination”with the White House andsaid there is no chance Trumpwill be convicted.

And Republican SenatorLindsey Graham, a Trumpconfidant, told CNN, “I’m nottrying to pretend to be a fairjuror here,” dismissing thecharges against Trump as “par-tisan nonsense.”

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Chinese President Xi Jinpingreiterated his support for

Hong Kong’s embattled leaderon Monday even as he declaredthat the former British colonyhas faced its “grimmest andmost complex year” since itsreturn to China.

Xi praised Hong KongChief Executive Carrie Lam forholding fast to the principle of“one country, two systems,”and for courage and commit-ment during an “extraordi-nary period” for Hong Kong,where Lam has faced harshcriticism for how she has han-dled months of fiery anti-gov-ernment protests.

Lam briefed Xi andPremier Li Keqiang during herfirst visit to Beijing since pro-democracy candidates sweptlocal Hong Kong elections lastmonth in a clear rebuke of heradministration.

Hong Kong has been

“haunted by this social unrest,”Lam said at an evening newsbriefing, adding that theChinese leaders called the sit-uation “unprecedented.”

“Given the severity of thesituation and the difficultiesthat we are facing, I can say thatthe leaders are fully apprecia-tive of the efforts needed,” shesaid.

“I am heartened becausewe know that our work to stop the violence hasn’t ended. We are not out of thiscrisis yet.”

Hong Kong was returnedto China in 1997 under a “onecountry, two systems” frame-work that promises the citymore democratic rights thanare allowed on the mainland.

In recent years, however,the arrests of booksellers andactivists have stoked fears of agrowing encroachment by theruling Communist Party.

The mass demonstrationsbegan in June in response to

proposed legislation that wouldhave allowed Hong Kong res-idents to be tried for crimes inmainland China. While Lamhas since withdrawn the bill,

protesters have continued call-ing for broader democraticreforms and an independentinquiry into accusations ofpolice brutality.

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Prime Minister BorisJohnson got down to work

on Monday following hissweeping election victory,appointing Ministers andannouncing plans to publishlegislation this week to getBritain out of the European Union.

The Conservative leaderwas expected to carry out a lim-ited cabinet re-shuffle beforewelcoming new MPs to parlia-ment following his landslide win in Thursday’sgeneral election.

But his main focus is onfulfilling his promise to get

Britain out of the EuropeanUnion by the end of nextmonth after years of acrimo-nious debate in parliamentand across the nation.

Johnson will present legis-lation on Friday that begins theprocess of ratifying the divorceterms he struck with Brusselsin October, his spokesmansaid.

“The government has just been elected with a clearmajority to deliver Brexit, and we’re focused on passingthe legislation to ensure thathappens by January 31,” he said.

Johnson’s simple promiseto “get Brexit done” resonatedin a snap election Thursday

that for many became a re-runof Britain’s 2016 EU member-ship referendum.

A narrow majority hadopted to leave the EU back thenbut was followed by years ofdebate in parliament over how— or even when — Britainshould end almost five decadesof integration with its closestneighbours.

Johnson declared the argu-ment settled when hisConservatives won 44 percentof the vote on Thursday, givingit a majority of 80 in the 650-seat Commons — its biggestsince the heyday of MargaretThatcher in the 1980s.

The main opposition

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China on Monday called theexpulsion of diplomats from

the US a “mistake”, followingreports that Washington quiet-ly expelled two embassy officialsin September after they droveonto a sensitive military base inVirginia. The incident is the lat-est spat between the world’s twobiggest economies and comesdays after they announced atruce in the form of a mini-dealto reduce some tariffs in a bruis-ing trade war which has weighedon both sides.

Commenting on The New

York Times report, foreign min-istry spokesman Geng Shuangcalled the accusations “com-pletely contrary to the facts” andsaid they “strongly urge the USto correct its mistake”.

Geng said Beijing hadlodged “solemn representationsand protests to the US” andcalled for Washington to “protectthe legitimate rights and interestsof Chinese diplomats”. The inci-dent appeared to be the first timein over 30 years that the US hasexpelled Chinese diplomats onsuspicion of espionage, the news-paper said on Sunday, citing peo-ple familiar with the episode.

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The top US representative intalks with North Korea on

Monday slammed Pyongyang’sdemands as hostile and unnec-essary as its end-of-year deadlineapproaches, but held open thedoor for fresh negotiations.

The North has insisted thatWashington offer it new con-cessions by the end of 2019 withthe process largely deadlockedsince the collapse of a summit inHanoi in February.

Pyongyang has issued aseries of increasingly stridentdeclarations in recent weeks, andUS special representativeStephen Biegun told reporters inSeoul: “We have heard themall.”

“It is regrettable that the

tone of these statements towardsthe United States, the Republicof Korea, Japan and our friendsin Europe have been so hostileand negative and so unneces-sary,” he said. “The US does nothave a deadline, we have a goal.”

Pyongyang has said that ifWashington fails to make it anacceptable offer, it will adopt aso-far-unspecified “new way”.

It has also carried out aseries of static tests at its Sohaerocket facility this month, aftera number of weapons launchesin recent weeks, some of themdescribed as ballistic missiles byJapan and others -- whichPyongyang is banned from test-ing under UN sanctions.

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Turkey’s President RecepTayyip Erdogan on Sunday

threatened to close two strategicmilitary bases used by theUnited States in Turkey, afterWashington warned of sanctionsover Ankara buying Russian arms.

“If necessary, we can closeIncirlik and we can closeKurecik,” Erdogan said on thepro-government A Haber tele-vision channel. The two bases siton Turkey’s southwest coast,near the border with Syria.

Erdogan has regularly raisedthis possibility in the past, attimes of tension between the twocountries. The US air force usesthe airbase at Incirlik for raids onpositions held by the so-calledIslamic State group in Syria. TheKurecik base houses a majorNATO radar station.

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Qatar’s Foreign Minister hasvoiced optimism over end-

ing a bitter rift with Riyadh,saying early talks broke a “stale-mate” but stressed Doha’sunwillingness to downgradeties with Turkey as a pre-con-dition.

Saudi Arabia along with itsallies the United Arab Emirates,Bahrain and Egypt cut alldiplomatic and transport tieswith Qatar in June 2017.

The four nations accusedDoha of backing radicalIslamists, including the MuslimBrotherhood, and seeking clos-er ties with Saudi arch rivalTehran — allegations Qatarvehemently denies.

“There (is) some progress...We have broken the stalemateof non-communication to

starting communication withthe Saudis,” Qatari ForeignMinister Mohammed binAbdulrahman Al-Thani toldCNN in an interview broadcaston Sunday.

“Honestly, from our per-spective in Qatar, we want tounderstand the grievances. Wewant to study them and toassess them and to look at thesolutions that can safeguard usin the future from any otherpotential crisis.”

The Saudi-led bloc made13-key demands to resolve thedispute, including shuttingdown broadcaster Al Jazeera,downgrading ties with Iranand closing a Turkish militarybase on its territory.

But the UAE has sought todownplay the emerging recon-ciliation effort.

“The recent Qatari leaks

regarding resolving Doha’s cri-sis with Saudi Arabia, withoutthe three other countries, are arepetition of Doha’s quest todivide ranks and evade com-mitments,” Abu Dhabi’sMinister of State for ForeignAffairs Anwar Gargash wroteon Twitter at the weekend.

Several diplomats and ana-lysts have suggested to AFP thatSaudi Arabia could embrace arapprochement with Dohawhile the UAE keeps its dis-tance, a position echoed bysources briefed on the nascenttalks.

Responding to the chargesof Gulf boycott countries,Qatar’s foreign minister deniedDoha had direct ties with theBrotherhood, branded by sev-eral countries — includingSaudi Arabia — as a terroristorganisation.

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The wife of Zimbabwe’s vicepresident has been charged

with attempting to murder herhusband.

Marry Chiwenga, a formermodel and wife of Vice PresidentConstantino Chiwenga,appeared at the HarareMagistrates Court Mondaywhere she was also chargedwith money laundering andfraud, amid reports of a troubledmarriage.

Wearing a floral dress, shewaved to journalists as sheentered the court’s holding cells.The magistrate ordered that sheremain in custody pending a bailhearing. She is accused of tryingto kill her husband in SouthAfrica in July.

First, she tried to deny med-

ical treatment to Chiwenga byinsisting he stay at a hotelinstead of a hospital when hewas flown to South Africa foremergency medical treatment,according to the charge sheet.

Security officers later tookChiwenga to hospital, accordingto the charge sheet.

She allegedly went to thehospital on July 8, asked thesecurity to leave the room and“while alone” with Chiwenga,she “unlawfully removed themedical intravenous drip aswell as a central venous catheter,”causing Chiwenga to bleed pro-fusely, according to the chargesheet.

She forced her husband offthe hospital bed and tried to leadhim out of the ward before beingintercepted by his securitydetails, said the charges.

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Lebanon’s president onMonday postponed talks on

naming a new prime ministerafter security forces repeatedlyused tear gas, rubber bullets andwater cannons against hun-dreds of protesters over theweekend.

The clashes were the mostviolent since daily anti-govern-ment demonstrations erupted inLebanon in mid-October. Theprotests have plunged Lebanoninto unprecedented politicaland financial turmoil.

President Michel Aoun wasto meet with the heads ofLebanese parliamentary blocs onMonday to discuss the naming

of the new prime minister amiddivisions on the shape of thenext government.

The presidential palace saidthe consultations would insteadtake place on Thursday, follow-ing a special request from out-going Prime Minister SaadHariri. A similar postponementhappened last week as well.

The UN SpecialCoordinator for Lebanon JanKubis warned Monday that,with the collapsing economy,such postponements were “arisky hazard both for the politi-cians but even more so” for thepeople.

Hariri resigned in lateOctober, after protests first brokeout earlier that month over

widespread corruption andmismanagement. The palacesaid Hariri had asked Aoun toallow for more time for dis-cussions among politicalgroups before official consul-tations.

Earlier, the country’s mainChristian groups refused toback Hariri, who has served aspremier three times. TheLebanese Forces Party, with 15seats in the 128-member par-liament, said it won’t nameanyone, while the KataebParty said it will proposeLebanon’s former UNAmbassador Nawaf Salam forthe post. Hariri is now appar-ently trying anew to persuadeChristian parties to back him.

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Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu’s chal-

lenger for the post of rulingLikud party leader is picking upmore endorsements ahead ofthe official launch of his pri-mary campaign on Monday.

Gideon Saar’s associatesexpect about 1,000 partyactivists to attend the launchand have been buoyed by sup-port of a half-dozen Likudlawmakers, including the pow-erful chairman of the party’sexecutive body.

Saar’s leadership bid marks

the first serious internal chal-lenge to Netanyahu in hisdecade-plus in power. Thoughstill a decided underdog to theembattled prime minister, Saarseems to be gaining tractionahead of the December 26vote among the party faithfulwhere there isgrowing skepti-cism that Netanyahu can stilldeliver after two indecisiveelection results and a corrup-tion indictment that may forcehim out of office.

Netanyahu faces charges ofbribery, fraud and breach oftrust in three corruption casesin which he is accused of trad-

ing legislative or regulatoryfavors in exchange for lavishgifts or favorable media cover-age. He denies wrongdoingand has waged an angry cam-paign against the media andlaw enforcement officials hesaid are bent on ousting himfrom office.

Outwardly, Likud mem-bers have strongly supportedtheir leader and joined indenouncing the alleged “coup”of the liberal elites against him.

But Saar’s burgeoninginsurrection has begun toreveal some cracks.

While Netanyahu’s vari-

ous opponents across the polit-ical spectrum have called onhim to resign because of hislegal woes, Saar has kept say-ing the party needs a newleader because Netanyahu hasbeen unable to form a stablecoalition government and isunlikely to be able to again ifgiven another chance.

Recent polls show that withSaar as leader, Likud wouldmake a more powerful blocwith its natural ultra-Orthodoxand nationalist allies. Saarwould also be in an easierposition to create a nationalunity government with the

centrist Blue and White partyif, as expected, the upcomingMarch election produces adeadlock like the previoustwo rounds have.

Blue and White haveruled out serving withNetanyahu because of hisindictment. Even amid thepolitical disarray, Saar’s chal-lenge is a risky maneuver ina party that fiercely valuesloyalty and has had onlyfour leaders in its 70-plus-year history.

Netanyahu himself hasdenounced Saar as “subver-sive.”

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Chinese President XiJinping on Monday

praised beleaguered HongKong leader Carrie Lam aswell as the city’s police andsaid Beijing has “unswervingdetermination” to protectChina’s sovereignty over theformer British colony as hemet her for the second timein two months.

Since June, Hong Konghas seen massive, regulardemonstrations, which start-

ed in opposition to a pro-posed Bill that would haveallowed its citizens to beextradited to the mainland.The protests quickly mor-phed into wider calls fordemocracy and opposition togrowing Chinese influence.

Lam, who is visiting Beijing for consultations with the CentralGovernment on the futurecourse of action, met President Xi andPremier Li Keqiang andother top officials.

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�How did you conceptualiseyour set for Black Dog EasyEvenings — Savour The Pause?What inspired it?

The conceptualisation for a setoften depends on the crowd thatyou are performing for. In the caseof Black Dog Easy Evenings, it ismostly a very classy audiencecomprising of HNIs in their 30s or40s, so I plan my set accordingly.It is different as compared towhen I am on tour and there is amuch younger audience in atten-dance. The content also dependsa lot on the venue. Again, in thiscase, locations are mostly at fancyhotels and clubs so my primaryfocus while conceptualising my setautomatically depends on theaudience, the demographics andthe venue of the show.

�Earlier, comedy was onlylooked at as something that wasfun and was supposed to givepeople a break from monotony.Today, humour has become a toolof dissent and something thatcould be used to put across astrong perspective in a satiricalway. What’s your take on thischange in stand-up comedy?

The comedy scene today hasevolved as a whole. Comedians arebecoming content creators and areconceptualising it in various forms.But we are all very different fromeach other in our approach andwork. While some of us may wantto take a firm stand on certainissues, some would shy away fromit. Comedy is, however, a great toolof communication since you areputting across a message in afunny way and that almost alwaysmakes people listen to what youhave to say. Even filmmakers aretaking that path these days to putacross a strong message in the soci-ety without preaching by makingit funny.

�Adding to that, it seems likestand-up comics are becomingthe primary opposition partywhen the politicians are floun-

dering. Kunal Kamra is an exam-ple...

Comedians are comedians atthe end of the day and while theymight put across points that chal-lenge authority, they are onlycracking jokes. Let’s look at it thatway...

�How have you seen the comedyindustry evolve in India? Therehave been talent hunt showsaround dance and music butComicstaan was first of its kind...

The comedy scene in India isvery new. We are only around 10years-old. It is now going to get

bigger and better. Two to threeyears ago, we had comedy clubsonly in the metro cities, Mumbai,Delhi and Bengaluru. Today, theyexist in Tier 2 cities l ikeChandigarh and Jaipur as well. Alot of comedians and comedy isalso going international, whichaids in increasing the volume ofaudience that is exposed to it.There is online content being cre-ated and uploaded onto platformslike YouTube and Amazon PrimeVideo which is again getting a largeaudience for it.

�You had said in an interview

some time ago, “Indians getoffended very easily.” What’s thispressure on comedians to writeand tell their jokes in a way thatit is palatable to the audience?There is no pressure as such.However, you always have to useyour discretion when you put outcontent. The main point of differ-ence lies between watching theshow live versus watching thesame video online. When it is live,the audience has paid money andbought a ticket. They know whatto expect, are prepared, have asense of comedy and its style. Theyare already in that zone and frameof mind, so that they don’t reallyget offended. When they do, ittakes place mostly online. When itis just a snippet of the larger set orwhen people don’t necessarilyhave a context to the joke as theyare watching it from a differentpart of the world and are maybeunaware of your work and yourstyle of humour, is when theymight get offended. So it varies asper the situation and venue as wellas platform.

�The American web show, TheMarvelous Mrs Maisel, revolvesaround the journey of a youngcomedienne and how the indus-try functions. Do you think thereshould be more such shows whenit comes to talking about come-dians in everyday life?

Yes definitely, the more com-edy shows there are, the better itis for the whole industry. VipulGoyal did a show with TVF calledHumorously Yours that showcasedhim building his comic brand.With the rise of OTT platforms,I’m sure there will be many more.

�How did you conceptualiseOne Mic Stand. What made youget actors, a YouTube sensationand a politician on board? Whatwere the risks and ongroundchallenges?

I always wanted to do a showwith stand-up as the focal point. Iknew that I wanted to get a vari-ety of guests onboard which wouldimprove the quality of content. Ididn’t want it to be onlyBollywood-led. Since this wasbeing done for the first time, a lotof guests did back out as they werescared. However, anything whichis done for the first time has chal-lenges. Season 1 took off really welland I am glad that it was receivedwarmly.

Iconic Irish rock band U2made sure that their first-ever Mumbai concert was

nothing less than legendary. Theband had the audience groovingto their popular tracks such asWith or Without You, Where theStreets Have No Name and I StillHaven’t Found What I’m LookingFor from their 1987 album, TheJoshua Tree.

Paparazzi surrounded theband in Mumbai but they had noqualms striking quirky poses forthe shutterbugs. This was theirfirst-ever concert in India andmarked the closure of The JoshuaTree Tour 2019, which celebrated32 years of their album TheJoshua Tree.

Celebrities around townqueued up. Spotted at the concertwere B-town stars Ranveer Singhand Deepika Padukone, HrithikRoshan, Sussanne Khan, AmaalMallik, Diana Penty, Riya Senwith husband Shivam Tewari,Anurag Kashyap and RohitDhawan. Kunal Kapoor with wifeNaina Bachchan, Nitya Mehra,Mira Rajput, Rannvijay Singhawith wife Priyanka Vohra,Shaheen Bhatt, and Javed Jaffreywith son Mizaan Jaffrey werethere as well.

Cricket maestro SachinTendulkar with wife AnjaliTendulkar and Ness Wadia werealso seen grooving to U2 beats.

The concert turned into amagical affair as Indian maestroAR Rahman joined Bono, TheEdge, Adam Clayton and LarryMullen Jr on stage. Rahman tookto the stage with his daughtersKhatija and Raheema, and per-formed the single Ahimsa, whichhe composed in collaborationwith the rock band. Bonodescribed the ideal practised byMahatma Gandhi “India’s great-est gift to the world.” Psychedeliclights paired with Bono’s vocalsand Rahman trio’s chant-like ren-dition which cast a spell.

In their special segment,called Herstory, the musicianspaid tribute to icons of the coun-try and featured photos of women— projected on a giant screenwhich formed the backdrop of thestage — as the band played theirtrack Ultraviolet. Author-activistArundhati Roy, Smriti Irani,astronaught Kalpana Chawla,journalists Gauri Lankesh andRana Ayyub were some whowere featured. U2 also acknowl-edged the contribution of GretaThunberg.

To highlight the security con-cern women face the world over,the band also included picturesfrom the recent protest march inHyderabad after a young vet wasraped and killed. “When womenfeel safe at homes or walking onthe street, that’s a beautiful day.

When sisters around the worldare in school like their brothers,that’s a beautiful day. Whenwomen of the world unite torewrite history as their story,that’s a beautiful day. To rewritehistory as her story is a beautifulday,” Bono said as the crowderupted in applause.

Bono, in his greeting to theaudience which began with“namaste Mumbai,” acknowl-edged that it took them a while tovisit the country. “It took us only

four decades to come here. India,what a country! Tonight it’s goingto be the best ever show. We havefallen head over heels in love withIndia. Our prayer for the eveningis for an epic night of rock and rollwhich transcends beyond. Wecome to India as pilgrims. We arestudents, you are our teachers,”Bono said.

The singer-songwriter saidthe band was honoured to closetheir tour in the country. “We havebeen here for a few days but it

already looks to me that we justhave to come back,” Larry said.The Edge said though it has takenthe band quite some time tocome to the country, “It’s such athrill. This feels something special.We are grateful that our journey

has brought us to India. I’m soglad these companions have comehere tonight,” Adam added.

“We say thank you for yourpatience. Tonight is the last nightfor The Joshua Tree tour... Whenwomen and men, left and right

work together for change, that’show we change the world,” he said.

(The concert was brought byBookmyshow. It was held onSunday evening at Navi Mumbai’sDY Patil Stadium.)

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You might find similaritiesbetween two fashion

houses. But it is not often thata car and a fashion brandshare similar traits. Recently,designer-duo Shantanu &Nikhil collaborated withPorsche for the launch ofCayenne Coupé.

Shantanu Mehra believesthat the car blends into theworld of contrasts like they doin their clothing line. “You seea lot of glory but at the sametime there is lot of guts too.There is a hint of vintage inthe structure but at the sametime it seems contemporary.These are the features thatboth the brands bring to thetable,” he said.

The duo known for craft-ing dresses with narrativestraced their journey and saidthat they broke the stereotyp-ical notion of Indian fashionwhen they started off. “Anemphasis on draping becamean entrance to a new revolu-tionary fashion. It came to usin a way that even after 15years we continue to focus onit. It is the true form of wear-ability and functionality,” saidShantanu. Another out-of-the-box thought that they intro-duced was men’s drape.“Initially, it was mocked and

not welcomed by people butlater it became mainstream.We wanted to create a gender-fluid world where everyonecan stand tall wearing genderequality,” added Nikhil.

At the launch, modelswalked the ramp donninggolden and pale chestnutgowns and floral printed jack-ets. The showstopper,Jacqueline Fernandez, grabbedeyeballs for her red gownwhich was colour coordinatedwith Coupé. She said, “Iresemble a lot with the Coupé,on one hand there is ease andon the other, strength andendurance.”

This version of the car thatfeatures an all-new body shapeand two different roof conceptsshares the same technicalattributes as the third genera-tion Cayenne, what sets itapart are its sharpened propor-tions and dramatically slopingroofline that give it a more ath-letic appearance.

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Probir Gupta’s immersively installedsolo show, Family is Plural, traverses the

history of loss and the beauty of knowl-edge to create fragments of human rela-tionships.

���� ���% �������Curator Shaheen Merali says, “In

Gupta’s artworks, one can find transitorycompositions that together create new“half-forms.” The collective framing organ-ises these parts or sometimes suggests pos-sibilities in their unrealised forms.Throughout his images, one is drawn bythe skill set necessary for the audience tocomprehend the diverse aspects thatreveal empathy and care.”

�������"���������# �����Two installations become notes of a

flashback because Gupta flits through thepages of time. His art has always been aresponse to the social and political unrestof his times. He often oscillates betweenthe past and the present. Gupta creates twoworks that talk to us about ongoing rela-tionships and the collaborative influenceson human activity. Influences from life,other struggles and events impact his artand understanding of the world as he cre-ates narratives.

Gupta employs conceptual and per-sonal strategies of great conviction to med-

itate on the nature of his own artistic prac-tice. He also brings the viewer into the con-versation about the role of an artist as botha preternaturally talented individual andthe link to the history of both literature andculture. An example of this is seen in amanner of his narrative power that makeshis works unravel like a series “sequence-portraits” — altered or staged. He finds hisown language in pivoting away fromconceptual work and explores the complexpossibilities inherent in the art of creatinginstallations. These speak of the spectacleand of the power of the human figure.

Merali says Gupta’s is a sovereign prac-tice with comments on race, gender andcaste. In the process, he makes use ofmodernist visual art tropes to suggest bothimmediacy and the place of the infinites-

imal event in the making of history. Theinventive use of chroma and the camou-flage is an innovative source which is a dif-ficult space of multiple encounters. Yet itallows Gupta to re-examine trauma in thepursuit of our ethnographic televisuallives.

�# ������Fibre glass bricks upholstery and

hair come together in a deeply surrealinstallation The Wall. This singular instal-lation makes us think of pastoral scenesand quaint portrayals created with a sin-gular palette of bricks and hair that ref-erence human as well as architecturalmotifs. The artist makes us think of manythings — a visual response to industrial-isation and modernism, a specifically

complex psychological narrative andabstract concepts like time and the placeof man in the journey of trials and tribu-lations.

What endears is Gupta’s ability totranslate the passage of time through hisincisive approach of capturing differinglighting situations as we think of storiesthat unveil over many seasons, months oreven different times of day.

%��$����#��������� ��#The impulse Gupta feels to transform

the nature of his work culminates in apowerful visual shift that has preoccupiedhim for decades and resulted in this seriesof paintings and installations. The displayhas incredible depth, consistency andnuance. Also in a subtle way, Gupta rebutsmodern day monochromatic aesthetics inthe hyper-saturated, imagined landscapesand cityscapes that we see as run of themill.

Family is Plural is about the historyof man and woman, art and its lastinginfluence on modern and contemporarytastes alike.

You tell her that you read somewherethat the most beautiful places in the

world are cursed with conflict. She paus-es, and whispers that she didn’t really emo-tionally investigate that thought in thebook. You then ask what is the first imagethat comes to her mind when she hearsthe word ‘Kabul’? She says, almost imme-diately, “Mountains. And snow sitting ontop of them”.

Author Taran Khan’s Shadow City: AWoman Walks Kabul, published recentlyby Penguin Random House India capturesthe Afghan capital through the writer’seyes, who has been spending time theresince 2006, and reveals a fragile city in astate of flux: stricken by near-constant war,but flickering with the promise of peace,a shape-shifting place governed by age-old codes, but experimenting with newmodes of living.

She goes to the unvisited tombs of thedead, and to the land of the living: thebooksellers, archaeologists, intrepid film-makers and entrepreneurs who are remak-ing and rebuilding this ancient 3,000-year-old city.

Talking about the city, Khan empha-sises that she wouldn’t want to create aromantic vision of Kabul or use the cliche‘there is more to the place than war’because that would also be a kind of dis-service. She thinks it is always importantto describe people as people while writ-ing about them.

“For me, the key was to shed light oneverything — the nuances, the situations,the entire environment. I think that’s whatI really enjoy doing in this book — essen-tially talk about the humanity of thesepeople by focussing on specifics, bystressing on their experiences,” says she.

Insisting that for her the over-whelming emotion in peoplethere was humanity,great humour,warmth and extraor-dinary hospitality asdecades of conflict hastaught them how quick-ly life could change, andit was, therefore, impor-tant to hold on to thosequalities.

Khan says, “I felt thatwarmth when I went for thefirst time and I continue tofeel it, even today. I certainlynever felt that they were uni-dimensional and defined bytheir suffering, unlike how theyhave been portrayed by themedia.”

Stressing that she was still intouch with many of the charactersin the book, even those who have leftKabul and taken refuge in different coun-tries, Khan adds, “Some of them were inthe process of leaving when I was there.Things have changed for them as well, butthese are relationships that are continu-ing, beyond the life of a book.”

The author reveals that she didn’t setout to write the book in a certain way, butin fact, derived the essence from meetingpeople over several years, observingthings that changed and remainedunchanged in their lives.

She says, “There was both continuityand alteration. They were generousenough to include me in their lives. Thathelped me get the perspective — thatcomes from participation and observingthe every day. You know that automati-cally gives you a way, layers to talk aboutcomplexity or ordinariness. And the lat-ter can be a wonderful thing. You oftendon’t get to hear that quality aboutKabul... how ordinary days are, howeveryday life goes, what do you do whenyou are sitting by a window and reading.I was fortunate enough to see and describethat.”

Interestingly, fortified and high secu-rity-areas, and not the streets and people’shomes made her uneasy and insecure. Shelaughs and adds, “Maybe that’s just me.Honestly, if I was in an armoured car,moving through the city’s traffic, I felt very‘exposed’. For me, it was always less fright-ening to be a regular, normal home or arestaurant.”

Though she had been writing elabo-rate pieces for different publications fromKabul since 2006, somewhere along theway, it stuck her that maybe she was justscratching the surface.

“It was a peculiar ‘writer’ instinct. I feltthere was something more, and there was

a different way of getting at that. So I start-ed writing longer stories, which went intolucid themes, which I found very enjoy-able. I kept writing them and finding

places to pitch them. I thoughtyes, there is a book here,somewhere.” However, it wasonly after she left Kabul in2013 that she actually start-ed writing the book.

Ask her if the ‘dis-tance’ helped put things inperspective, and sheasserts, “Yes, I think leav-ing Kabul was part ofthe writing process andhelped me see pat-terns. I could see howthings connected andcould therefore,move pieces aroundin a freer way.”

Khan, whowrote three drafts,

admits that being ajournalist did help, as she did-

n’t feel that she was attempting somethingdramatically different.

“I had the discipline of writing. Ofcourse, this book required a completelydifferent kind of immersion and I lovedevery moment of it, despite it beingextremely difficult. Also, a lot of help camemy way — friends and other writers whowould read drafts and encourage. If Iweren’t a journalist, I wouldn’t have thiscommunity of people who understood theprocess and could hold me up when theyfelt my resolve wavering. I also had accessto resources that I could ask other jour-nalists for help. I knew where I needed tolook when I need information,” saysKhan.

She is not worried going back to jour-nalism with its demand of set templatesand word counts... “I like writing non-fic-tion generally and not worried about get-ting bored with it. In fact, the last series Idid was about Afghan refugees inGermany, an eight part series boasting ofabout 24,000 words.”

So we can expect a non-fiction now?She laughs and says, “Well, why can’t weexpect it? I would love to work on anoth-er book but it has to be something con-suming. I would like to find somethingthat I can invest myself in, something thatcan hold myself with the kind of powerthat Kabul did.”

Ask her about her plans to go back toKabul and if she will encounter the citythrough the book’s prism, Khan says, “Noimmediate plans but if I go back, I knowit will be to a very different city. In thebook, I looked through the prism of mymemories. The people I spent so muchtime with there, don’t live in Kabul any-more. But yes, when I meet them in dif-ferent parts of the world, it is like the citytakes a form there, and comes alivebeyond its geography.”

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The fact that the crowdshave swelled is obviouseven to a casual observer

who has been visiting Jashn-e-Rekhta since its second edition.How many of them reached theMajor Dhyan Chand NationalStadium for the pure love of Urducould be anyone’s guess as the fes-tival has gradually acquired theconnotation of must-be-seen atevent in the December calendar.Or maybe it has just become theplace to rub shoulders withBollywood celebrities or postcheck-ins on social media as thenumber of people clicking selfiesat several premier spots werepractically tripping over eachother.

While entering, one encoun-

tered the beautiful pandals withcolourful strips adorning theceiling at each venue. Therewere, of course, performancesand discussions which form themainstay of the festival along withthe sideshows which consist offood stalls and vendors sellingdifferent merchandise. However,the proceedings this year weremarred, especially on the thirdday, with reports of violencecoming in from Jamia MiliaIslamia. In between the debatesabout which session to attendnext, snatches of conversationcould be heard about the CentralUniversity as well.

The inauguration on the firstday by Dr Karan Singh was fol-lowed by a performance by singer

Harshdeep Kaur who set thestage on fire with her foot-tap-ping numbers.

The second day saw a vari-ety of performances where JavedAkhtar, speaking on SahirLuhiyanvi, shared not just hiswork but his personal life too.While he elaborated onLudhiyanvi’s paradoxical nature,the loudest roars and apprecia-tion were reserved for the timewhen Akhtar said that increas-ingly the way to judge if a per-sonal was nationalistic was tofind out if s/he hated anyone ornot? Coming against the back-drop of his latest recital of hispoem, Jo baat kehte darte hainsab, tu woh baat likh (write whateveryone is afraid of writing),

there was no mistaking whowas at the receiving end of hissubtle criticism.

Old friends Munawwar Ranaand Rahat Indori got together todiscuss the falling standards ofmushairas while detailing theperils of inviting poets on thebasis of instagram likes.Peppered with funny incidents,it was a display of the cama-raderie that the two poets share.

The next day, too, sawBollywood representation. Whileat one place actor Divya Duttaheld forth on her book followedby Piyush Mishra, at the largerenclosure, sufi Kathak dancerManjari Chaturvedi performedon the Begums and Baijis ofBollywood. Ustad Shujaat Khan

wove magic on the sitar withpoetry written by the likes ofAmir Khusrau and KrishnaBihari Noor.

In the evening, a rock fusionband, Indie Routes, tried tomatch the high notes of UstadNusra Fateh Ali Khan and RahatFateh Ali Khan.

A performance by JaspinderNarula concluded the ninth edi-tion of the Rekhta, even as theinitial days leading upto it weremired in a controversy. The fes-tival, which till date, had pro-claimed to celebrate Urdu, in itsposters had changed it to say itwas a festival of Hindustani lan-guages. The uproar that followedon social media meant that it wasrestored to the original.

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Often accused of not puttingenough premium on his wick-et, rising Indian batsman

Rishabh Pant says he has now under-stood that there is no concept of “nat-ural game” in international cricketwhere one has to play according to thesituation.

Pant’s reckless strokeplay at cru-cial junctures, leading to soft dis-missals, as well as poor work behindthe stumps have been the talkingpoints and a matter of concern for theIndian team.

But the 22-year-old wicketkeep-er-batsman from Delhi finally camegood and struck his maiden ODI halfcentury, albeit in a losing cause, in thefirst one-dayer against West Indies.Pant said he is constantly trying toimprove his game.

“I’ve realised after playing a fairbit at international level that unlike atamateur levels of cricket, there isn’tanything like a natural game. At theinternational level, you have to playaccording to the situation or what theteam demands,” Pant said at thepost-match press conference.

“It’s my learning curve, I’m think-ing that. From team’s point of view,whatever I can do to help my teamwin, to have a good score on thescoreboard, that’s what I was focussingon. In the end, I got some runs,” headded.

He said he will continue to focuson his game rather than think aboutthe “talk going around” about him.

“As an individual and as a play-er, I want to focus on my processes.All the talk going around, they’re goodand sometimes they’re not. At the

moment, I’m concentrating on mygame and that will hold me in goodstead,” said Pant who scored 71 off 69deliveries for his maiden ODI half-century.

Asked what kept him goingdespite the constant criticism, Pantsaid it was all about believing in him-self and following the process ofgrowth.

“I will always tell a person thatyou have to believe in yourself. It

doesn’t matter what people say aroundyou. Sometimes you don't get runs,sometimes you get runs but theprocess is always important,” said thewicketkeeper-batsman.

Asked how important this knockwas in the current circumstances, hesaid every innings was important forhim and he wanted to improve everyday.

"Personally, if I play for India,every innings is important for me. As

a youngster I want to improve eachand every day," Pant said.

Pant has been greeted with chantsof 'Dhoni, Dhoni' by crowds at vari-ous stadiums but not here.

"Sometimes it's important whencrowd supports you. From an individ-ual point of view, I was trying toimprove myself every day but I was-n't getting there. I am not saying I gotthere, but I try to improve."

Pant, who revived the Indian

innings after the loss of three quickwickets in the company of ShreyasIyer (70), said the idea was to stitchtogether a partnership and stay longeron the crease.

"At the start, (Shreyas) Iyer and Iwere thinking of first stitching togeth-er a partnership and taking the gameto the 35th-40th over because a 50-over game is a fairly long one.

"Our idea was that the longer ourpartnership will be, it'd help us in cap-italising late in the innings," said Pantwho plays for Delhi Capitals in theIPL.

Asked if the Indian bowling line-up was missing pace spearhead JaspritBumrah, Pant backed the current lotand said they were learning. Bumrahis currently recovering from a stressfracture of the back and is expectedto be fit for the tour of New Zealandnext year.

"Bumrah is a top bowler.Everyone knows that. He's outbecause of an injury. The otherbowlers who are playing here aren'tdoing badly. As youngsters, these guysare learning," Pant reasoned.

"Bumrah has now become anexperienced bowler. He has learntquite a bit having played so much ofinternational cricket. These playerswill also learn as they go along," hesaid.

On his thought process on and offfield, he said, "If I'm practising I thinkabout cricket. If I'm off the field, I'mnot thinking about it too much.

"I talked to the team managementand they told me, 'just calm yourself,see what you can do around toimprove your game, improve your fit-ness, just try to improve yourself inevery way'."

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Prolific Pakistan batsman BabarAzam wants to achieve the

“legend” status that Virat Kohli hasacquired but concedes that despitethe often-repeated comparisons, heis still some time away from gettinganywhere close to the Indian cap-tain.

The 24-year-old is a self-con-fessed fan of Kohli spoke about hisaspiration to emulate the world’s No1 Test and ODI batsman.

“Look he (Kohli) has alreadyachieved a lot. He is a legend in hiscountry. Honestly there is no com-parison with me right now buteventually I also want to get wherehe is today,” Azam said.

“The media and people havedrawn comparisons between meand Virat Kohli but I realise that Istill need to get more runs in redball cricket to be ranked among thetop players. That is why in recentmonths I have been focusing a loton getting consistent scores in Testmatches,” he added.

Babar, who scored his secondTest hundred in the last threegames on Sunday, said he wantedto be a batsman who, like Kohli,could win more matches for histeam.

“I don’t feel any pressure if any-one compares me with Kohli or(Steve) Smith. I am now morefocused on my batting and I spendhours watching videos of myinnings. I catch my mistakes andthen I try to ensure I don’t committhem again the next time,” he said.

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Swashbuckling West Indiesbatsman Shimron

Hetmyer described hismatch-winning 139 againstIndia in the first one-dayer asthe best knock of his careerbut said he would have beenhappier had he finished offthe game.

Hetmyer was out in the39th over after stitching 218runs for the second wicketwith fellow centurion ShaiHope (102 not out), with theWest Indies at the stage need-ing 59 runs from 11.2 overswith eight wickets in hand.

“This is my highest scorein international cricket, so thiswould be the best one. It’salways nice chasing a scorethan a setting one. Chasingand taking the team home isa much better feeling. Sad thatI didn’t finish the game, but it’sa work in progress for me,”Hetmyer said.

He said he just kept itsimple and batting with Hopealso made it easier as theyhave good understandingbetween them.

“We just keep it simplebecause we’ve played witheach other for quite a whilenow. So, I know his game andhe knows mine. So, basically

when we’re batting together,most of the time, I’m theaggressor and he’s the personwho sticks around and batsaround,” said Hetmyer whofaced 106 deliveries during hisknock.

“And if he gets theboundary ball, he puts itaway. For us, it’s always nicebatting with someone likehim because he’s going tomake sure you get the strikeas much as possible and it’seasier to execute,” he added.

His career-best knockalso came just before the IPLauction on December 19 butthe 22-year-old batsman saidhe was not thinking muchabout the upcoming cash-rich T20 league at themoment.

Asked if he was trying toprove a point with a tondays before the IPL auction,he said for him it was aboutenjoying his batting.

“To me it’s about enjoy-

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Indian skipper Virat Kohliretained his top spot among

batsmen while the injuredbowler Jasprit Bumrah slippeda rung to sixth in the latestICC Test rankings issued onMonday.

Kohli (928 points) is 17points clear of Australia'sSteve Smith who scored 43and 16 in the first Test againstNew Zealand which Australiawon by 296 runs.

Cheteshwar Pujara (791)and Ajinkya Rahane (759)held on to their fourth andsixth spots respectively.

Australia batsman MarnusLabuschagne continued hissurge, entering the top five inthe list of batsmen after scoresof 143 and 50 in the PerthTest.

Labuschagne, who nar-rowly missed joiningPakistan's Zaheer Abbas andMudassar Nazar in scoring atleast 150 in three successiveTest innings, has gained threeslots to occupy fifth place.

He has overtaken compa-triot David Warner and is thesecond-highest rankedAustralia batsman after SteveSmith.

Pakistan batsman BabarAzam reached the top 10 forthe first time, moving from13th to ninth position after hisunbeaten knock of 102 againstSri Lanka in the drwan firstTest. He is currently No.1 inthe T20I rankings and secondin the ODIs.

Opener Abid Ali's unbeat-en 109, which made him thefirst male cricketer and onlythe second after formerEngland woman opener EnidBakewell to score centuries onboth Test and ODI debuts, hasentered the rankings at animpressive 78th position.

Among the bowlers,Bumrah, who has been outsince the start of the homeseries against South Africadue to a stress fracture, slippedto the sixth spot in the listheaded by Australia's PatCummins.

Neil Wagner's seven wick-ets against New Zealandhelped him reclaim third posi-tion among bowlers with acareer-best tally of 834 ratingpoints. Tim Southee is back inthe top 10 after his nine-wicket match haul.

Another Australianbowler Mitchell Starc's effortof 9/97 in the first Test has lift-ed him to a career-best fifthspot and career-best 806 rat-ing points. Josh Hazlewoodhas moved from eighth to sev-enth position.

India's Ravindra Jadeja,meanwhile, remained at num-ber 2 behind Jason Holder ofthe West Indies among Testall-rounders.

In the ICC World TestChampionship, India standon top with 360 points, wayahead of Australia (216), SriLanka (80), New Zealand (60)and England (56).

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Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah onMonday said it is “unfortunate” to have

not got a chance to play red ball cricketagainst India since making his debut andhe is now eagerly waiting to test his skillsagainst the likes of Virat Kohli in Testmatches.

Shah, 33, who has 207 wickets from37 Tests, has never played a Test againstIndia since his Pakistan debut in 2011.

“It is unfortunate and I feel disap-pointed when I think about the fact thatI have not played a Test against India.Even the white ball matches have been farand few against them in recent years,” hesaid.

“I would like to play against thembecause they have some top players andfor a leg-spinner it is always enjoyablewhen you are bowling too or getting wick-ets of high profile players (like Kohli),” hesaid.

Pakistan toured India in the winterof 2012 for a short limited over series, butthe two teams have not played a Testagainst each other since the Mumbai ter-ror attacks in 2008.

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ing my batting, it’s cricket, some-times you score runs and some-times you don’t. Didn’t have thebest IPL (2019 season), it’s a niceexperience, it always helps you tocome back much stronger fromthere. I just try as much as pos-sible to put that behind me,” hesaid.

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Holders Liverpool will return tothe scene of last season’sChampions League triumph

after they were drawn against AtleticoMadrid in the last 16 of the compe-tition on Monday and ManchesterCity face 13-time winners RealMadrid.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will travel tothe Wanda Metropolitano, whereLiverpool lifted the trophy in June, forthe first leg of their tie against three-time runners-up Atletico.

“Madrid is the place where weonly have fantastic memories, all ofus, so that’s great, but this time weplay Atletico there and it’s theirhome ground,” said Klopp.

“It’s a tough one, but if you gothrough all of the draws, there arepretty much four or five potentialfinals already in the last 16.”

Pep Guardiola’s City, who are try-ing to win a first Champions Leaguecrown, face a tough task againstReal, the record winners of Europe’stop club prize, for a place in the quar-ter-finals.

The two clubs met in the 2015-16 semi-finals, the furthest City haveprogressed in the tournament. Thattie was won 1-0 on aggregate by Real.

“It is a difficult one, of course.Real Madrid have won 13 times sothey are the best,” City director offootball Txiki Begiristain told BTSport.

“We want to be the best so wewant to beat them.”

The clash is a first competitivemeeting between Guardiola andZinedine Zidane, who won theChampions League three times in arow with Real from 2016.

“They are a big opponent, verypowerful in every sense,” said Realdirector Emilio Butragueno.

“It’s going to be an exciting tie —one of those that makes us love thiswonderful sport.”

Chelsea face German giantsBayern Munich in a repeat of the 2012final won by the Blues.

However, Bayern goalkeeper

Manuel Neuer has fond memories ofLondon, where the Bavarians beatBorussia Dortmund in the 2013 finalat Wembley.

“We’re happy to go to London, wehave great experiences from there.Chelsea are a dangerous team and wemust take them extremely seriously,”said Neuer.

Bayern forward RobertLewandowski is the competition’sleading scorer this season after net-ting 10 times in five group stagegames.

Paris Saint-Germain, whoimpressed in the group stage and willbe trying to avoid a fourth successive

last-16 exit, will take on 1997 cham-pions Dortmund.

BARCELONA MEET NAPOLIBarcelona will play Napoli for the

first time as the Catalangiants, five-time Europeanchampions, attempt tomove on from last season'spainful semi-final loss toLiverpool.

Napoli appointedGennaro Gattuso as coachlast week after CarloAncelotti was sacked just hoursafter a 4-0 win over Genk which sentthe Italian side into the last 16.

Italian champions Juventus andCristiano Ronaldo will fancy theirchances of overcoming French sideLyon, who lost captain MemphisDepay to a season-ending injury on

Sunday.“We can’t complain. Last

year we faced Atletico which wasa harder draw, I think,” Juventusvice-president Pavel Nedved toldSky.

“We can be happy, but ifyou’re not in form comeFebruary, March you won’t

get through.”Tottenham Hotspur, beaten 2-0

by Liverpool in last season’s final in

Spain, will lock horns with Bundesligaleaders RB Leipzig, who are throughto the knockout stages for the firsttime.

Spurs can count on the experi-ence of new coach Jose Mourinho —a two-time winner of the competition,with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milanin 2010.

The Portuguese is one of fivemanagers appointed by clubs whomade it through to the knockoutrounds who were not in charge whenthe draw for the group stage wasmade.

Champions League debutantsAtalanta continue their adventureagainst two-time former finalistsValencia, who knocked out Ajax inmidweek to finish top of their group.

This is the first time since the cur-rent Champions League format wasintroduced in 2003 that every clubthrough to the last 16 has come fromEurope’s biggest five domestic leagues.

The first legs will be played overFebruary 18-19 and February 25-26with the return fixtures scheduled forMarch 10, 11, 17 and 18.

The final is on May 30 at theAtaturk Stadium in Istanbul, whereLiverpool won a thrilling 2005 finalon penalties against AC Milan.

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Inter Milan failed to gotwo points clear of

Juventus at the top of SerieA table on Sunday afterAntonio Conte’s side wereheld 1-1 at Fiorentina.

Dusan Vlahovicsnatched a point forFiorentina two minutes intoinjury time to frustrateInter Milan who had ledfollowing Borja Valero’sopener after eight minutesin Tuscany.

Both Juventus and InterMilan have 39 points from16 games, with AntonioConte’s side ahead on goaldifference.

Valero scored off aMarcelo Brozovic crossagainst his former club.

But the visitors failed tokill off the game.

Lautaro Martinez hadthe ball in the netafter 39 minutes butit was disallowedbecause of RomeluLukaku’s offsideposition.

And Fiorentinagoalkeeper Bart lomiejDragowski did well to denyLukaku minutes later at fullstretch.

But just as it looked likeFiorentina were set to fall to

a fifth consecutive defeat,19-year-old Serb Vlahovicbroke through from hisown half, outpacing MilanSkriniar to rifle in from an

angle.It condemned

Inter to their secondconsecutive stalemateafter Roma last week-end, and follows theirChampions League

exit to Barcelona onTuesday.

“It’s the third gamewhere we did not get whatwe deserved,” said Conte.

“We weren’t good at

taking our many chances.“Maybe we’re paying

for fatigue. We’ve had sevengames in 21 days, withLautaro and Lukaku playingconstantly.”

The pressure remainson coach VincenzoMontella with Fiorentina’slast win on October 30,and their next game againstin-form Roma.

Roma moved up tofourth and into theChampions League placesafter three second-half goalssealed a 3-1 win over rockbottom SPAL.

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Real Madrid missed the chance toreplace Barcelona at the top of La

Liga ahead of tomorrow’s Clasico butsalvaged a 1-1 draw against Valencia asKarim Benzema scored a dramaticinjury-time equaliser on Sunday.

Madrid goalkeeper ThibautCourtois ventured up for a final cor-ner at Mestalla and it was his headerthat caused panic in the Valencia box,before the ball fell perfectly forBenzema to strike in the 95th minute.

“Opponents can get a little nervousif I go up,” said Courtois. “Toni (Kroos)hit the corner to the near post and I justsaw the ball was at my height and Icaught it well.”

Madrid coach Zinedine Zidanesaid: “He decided to go up and thatshows we want more, than we nevergive up. The draw is a reward for theeffort we made, which was a lot. Thisis Real Madrid, a team that never givesup.”

Valencia looked set for an impres-sive victory after Carlos Soler had put

them ahead in the second halfbut both sides had to settle fora point at the end of a com-pelling contest between two ofthe league’s form teams.

It means Barcelona remaintop of the table but in front ofMadrid only on goal difference,

after they were also held to a2-2 draw away at RealSociedad on Saturday.

Madrid were celebrating atthe final whistle but the resultcompletes a strong week forValencia, who won away atAjax on Tuesday to go through

as group winners to the ChampionsLeague last 16.

They stay eighth, now three pointsadrift of the top four.

Real Madrid have been on a goodrun too, now 10 matches unbeaten tocrank up the pressure on Barca andleave behind their early-season stum-bles that had put Zidane’s future indoubt.

Zidane had said on Saturdaynobody at the club would be lookingahead to the Clasico prematurely andwhile the draw against Valencia maymean an opportunity was missed,their late show still sends them toCamp Nou with a spring in their step.

“The team keeps up the unbeatenrun and the boost to the mood fromtoday is fantastic,” said defender DaniCarvajal. “Now we have to win at CampNou to go into the break at the top.”

Benzema, in particular, will be akey threat. The Frenchman hadCourtois to thank for his latest effortbut he now has 15 goals already thisseason and nine in his last eightgames.

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Kylian Mbappe helpedParis Saint-Germain

extend their Ligue 1 lead onSunday with a brace in acomfortable 4-0 win over 10-man Saint-Etienne.

France for-ward Mbappetook hisleague tallyto nine

in 11 appearances as his sidetook advantage of second-placed Marseille only drawingat Metz on Saturday to moveseven points clear and tightentheir grip on the French cham-pionship, which they havewon six out of the last sevenseasons.

“We have played threematches with a good mental-ity and lots of quality,” saidcoach Thomas Tuchel.

“We played with the ballwith intensity and serious-

ness. We created lots ofchances and never

stopped workingdefensively ... I’m

happy.” LeandroParedes set theball rolling in the

10th minute with a deflectedstrike and once Jean EudesAholou was sent off in the25th minute for a dreadful latetackle on the Argentine PSGcould stroll their way tothree points.

Mbappe then endedany question of a Saint-Etienne comeback aminute before the breakwhen he swiftly collectedNeymar’s brilliant throughball before sweeping his finishpast Stephane Ruffier.

Brazilian Neymar then

missed the chance to make itthree from the penaltyspot just after the hourmark, his spot-kick clip-ping the outside of thepost, before Mauro Icardimade it 13 goals in all com-

petitions this season with atap-in 11 minutes later.

Mbappe put the cherry onthe cake in the final minute asthe home fans let off a cascade

of fireworks in the stands tocelebrate the birthday of oneof their hardcore supportergroups.

The 20-year-old collectedanother Neymar pass andburst past Wesley Fofanabefore lashing his shot in thefar corner, celebrating by thestands as flares and fireworksbillowed smoke and flametowards the pitch.

"�� ����� Spain willdeploy a large-scale secu-rity operation involving3,000 personnel at theClasico tomorrow, whenthe likes of Lionel Messiand Sergio Ramos look setto share the limelight withCatalan separatist protests.

Tension in Spain’snorth-east region boiledover in October whendemonstrations and riotscaused the original La Ligafixture between Barcelonaand Real Madrid to bepostponed.

Democratic Tsunami,the protest group advocat-ing another independencereferendum for Catalonia,has called publicly for itssupporters to gather atBarcelona’s Camp Nou sta-dium from four hoursbefore kick-off at 1900GMT.

Renewed fears ofunrest have even raised thepossibility of the matchbeing postponed for a sec-ond time.

Meetings have takenplace between the police,clubs and the SpanishFootball Federation(RFEF) to ensure the safearrival of the two squadsand referees, as well as thenearly 100,000 fans expect-ed to attend.

The operation willinvolve some 3,000 securi-ty personnel, as well as acordon to prevent demon-strations blockingentrances to the ground.

In the stands, thenumbers of private securi-ty staff will also beincreased to reduce thethreat of pitch invasionsthat could interrupt thegame. AFP

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Manchester United willtake on Club Brugge in

the last 32 of the EuropaLeague while strugglingArsenal will face Greek sideOlympiakos followingMonday’s draw in Nyon.

United, who won the com-petition under Jose Mourinhoin 2017, travel to Bruges for thefirst leg on February 20before returning to OldTrafford a week later.

“There is no easyteam at this stage butthe team is doing welland hopefully we canget a good result,”United club ambassador ParkJi-Sung told BT Sport.

“A couple of years ago wewon the trophy and we knowhow beneficial it is, particular-ly with qualification to theChampions League.”

Arsenal are languishingninth in the Premier Leagueafter sacking coach UnaiEmery but finished top oftheir group in Europe and arealso away in the first leg.

“We are not doing so well,unfortunately in the PremierLeague, so this could be a route

into the Champions Leaguenext year, so I’m sure it will beone of our priorities,” saidArsenal club secretary DavidMiles.

Ajax were drawn withSpanish outfit Getafe followingtheir surprise exit from thegroup stage of the ChampionsLeague, while Serie A leadersInter Milan travel toLudogorets.

Antonio Conte’s sidewill be among thefavourites for the compe-tition alongside last sea-son’s Champions Leaguesemi-finalists Ajax afterfailing to get pastBarcelona and Borussia

Dortmund in Europe’s topcompetition.

Celtic face FCCopenhagen of Denmarkwhile Steven Gerrard’s Rangerscome up against Portugueseoutfit Braga.

Sevilla travel to Romanianside Cluj with the five-timewinners riding high in LaLiga, while fellow SpaniardsEspanyol travel toWolverhampton Wanderers,who are enjoying their firstEuropean campaign in nearlyfour decades.

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Memphis Depay’s bid toplay for the Netherlands

in Euro 2020 suffered a hugeblow after Lyon revealedthat their star attacker hadtorn the anterior cruciate lig-ament in his left knee duringSunday’s 1-0 defeat to Rennes.

Depay’s season is overafter Lyon said that he wouldbe out for “no less than sixmonths”, confirming aninjury coach RudiGarcia had revealedwas a strong possibili-ty in the aftermath oftheir loss at theGroupama Stadium.

Garcia said after the

defeat that he feared the worstfor the 25-year-old, who hasscored eight times in his lasteight matches in all competi-tions for Lyon, including thegoal that took them to the last16 of the Champions League.

On a dreadful day forLyon, Depay’s teammate Jeff

Reine-Adelaide has alsobeen ruled out for the sea-son after tearing the sameligament in his right knee.

“Memphis’ injury isa catastrophe because heis our most decisiveplayer ... we’ll have toforget about him for therest of the season,” saidLyon’s sporting direc-tor Juninho.

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