2 ˛ · Chhattisgarh Tourism Board Commissioner, Chhattisgarh Housing Board. Mahadeo Kawre...
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T he entire security grid has been put in a state of high alert to ensure peaceful cele- brations of the 73rd Independence Day in Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday. Amid heightened tension with Pakistan, foot soldiers of the Indian Army and BSF have been asked to remain vigilant to prevent any infiltration bid from across the border. Elaborate security arrange- ments have been put in place across both the main cities of Jammu and Srinagar to ensure incident-free celebrations. This is the first Independence Day after the abrogation of the special status to Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370 and reorganisa- tion of the State into two Union Territories. To set the stage for the spe- cial celebrations, several Tiranga rallies were organised across Jammu region where a large number of people took out rallies holding tricolours. Barring Kishtwar and Poonch, where security forces exercised extra caution to ensure peace, situation remained peaceful across other district headquarters of Jammu region on Wednesday. But anti- India posters surfaced in Poonch in Sheeshmahal area near office of the Deputy Commissioner. Strict enforce- ment of Section 144 CrPC was applied in Kishtwar and people were advised to stay indoors. The Government on Wednesday said all the arrange- ments to celebrate the Independence Day are now in place in all the districts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. This was stated by the Government’s spokesperson and Principal Secretary Planning and Development Rohit Kansal in Srinagar. Kansal said restrictions were eased out in various parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar city which remained peaceful. He added reasonable restric- tions are put in place to main- tain law and order situation in the Valley. He further said situation in Kashmir is peaceful and no major incidents have been reported. The Government has relaxed prohibitory orders in many areas, he said. Additional Director- General of Police, Law and Order, Munir Khan said the sit- uation is under control and the main focus is to have a peace- ful celebration on Independence Day. Khan said there have been localised incidents at various parts of Srinagar and other dis- tricts and these were contained locally. “There have been no major injuries, but a few pellet injuries. Our biggest endeavour is that no civil casualty should take place,” he said. Continued on Page 4 U S President Donald Trump has said that India and China are no longer “develop- ing nations” but are “taking advantage” of the tag from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and asserted that he will not let it happen any- more. Trump, championing his “America First” policy, has been a vocal critic of India for levying “tremendously high” duties on US products and has described the country as a “tariff king”. The US and China are currently engaged in a bruising trade war after Trump imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing retaliated. Earlier in July, Trump asked the WTO to define how it desig- nates developing-country sta- tus, a move apparently aimed at singling out countries like China, Turkey and India which are getting lenient treatment under the global trade rules. In a memorandum, Trump had empowered the US Trade Representative (USTR) to start taking punitive actions if any advanced economies are inap- propriately taking benefits of the WTO loopholes. Addressing a gathering at Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump said India and China — the two economic giants from Asia — are no longer develop- ing nations and as such they cannot take the benefit from the WTO. However, they are taking the advantage of a devel- oping nation tag from the WTO, putting the US to dis- advantage, he said. “They (India and China) were taking advantage of us for years and years,” Trump said. The Geneva-based WTO is an intergovernmental organi- sation that regulates interna- tional trade between nations. Continued on Page 4 S tudents of the Delhi Government and aided schools will not have to pay any fees for Class 10 and 12 CBSE examinations and the cost will be borne by the city dispensa- tion, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Tuesday. The decision was taken by the Delhi Government follow- ing an announcement of a fee hike by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Sisodia said the Government is in discussion with CBSE to roll back the fee hike. On Tuesday, the CBSE announced that the burden of the fee hike will not be passed on to SC/ST students in Government and aided schools as the Delhi Government will pay the board. “Students in Delhi Government schools and aided schools will not have to pay any fees for CBSE Class 10, 12 exams. The Delhi Government will bear entire cost for all cat- egories of students and the modalities are being worked out,” Sisodia told PTI on the sidelines of an event. “The Delhi Government is in talks with CBSE to roll back the fee hike. Irrespective of what happens, no child will have to bear the burden of fees as the Government will bear that,” he added. Continued on Page 4 I n a big blow to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, one of her closest aides and former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee joined the BJP on Wednesday in the presence of party working president JP Nadda at the party headquarters here. Senior West Bengal BJP leader Mukul Roy and party general secretary Arun Singh were present when Chatterjee took BJP’s membership. Sovan Chatterjee is an influential TMC leader and perhaps the biggest one to defect to the saffron party after Mukul Roy. Welcoming Chatterjee, Roy said he was one of those leaders who made a big con- tribution to Mamata’s rise to the post of Chief Minister. “He will now strengthen the BJP... Let me repeat that TMC will not even get the sta- tus of the Opposition party,” he told reporters. Baisakhi Banerjee, a con- fidant of Chatterjee, also joined the BJP.TMC has been seeing exodus to the BJP even before Lok Sabha polls and shifting of loyalties to the saffron party has continued unabated after BJP’s convincing victory in the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP which had bare- ly two Lok Sabha seats in 2014 won 18 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, emerging as the main Opposition party in the State. D elhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced to introduce a “Deshbhakti Curriculum” in Government schools from the next academic year. “The move was made with some important goals. First, each child must feel pride in the nation. Second, each child must be made aware of their responsibility towards the country. Third, we have to instill into children the passion to be prepared to sacrifice any- thing for the nation,” the Delhi CM said. While speaking at a pro- gramme organised by the Directorate of Education at the Thyagaraj Stadium, Kejriwal said, “We have to cre- ate a sense of ownership among all children that they have to take on the challenges we are facing as a country head on and address them.” Highlighting the purpose of introducing this curriculum, he said that ordinarily we are reminded of our love for the country either when there is an India-Pakistan match or when there are tensions on the bor- der. “In our day-to-day lives we forget about our country. The Deshbhakti Curriculum is being introduced so that each and every citizen of this coun- try truly loves their country,” he added. Continued on Page 4 A n Alwar court on Wednesday acquitted all six accused in the lynching of Pehlu Khan, killed two years ago by a mob that set upon him while he was transporting cows. The Additional Judicial Magistrate acquitted the six men, giving them benefit of the doubt, according to a lawyer. Pehlu Khan (55), his two sons and a few others were transporting cows when they were allegedly stopped and thrashed by a mob near Behror in Alwar district on April 1, 2017. Khan died in hospital on April 3, triggering outrage over the murder by cow vigilantes. “The court gave benefit of the doubt to all six accused and acquitted them of lynching charges. We have not received the court order copy and will wait for it to study it and appeal in the higher court,” said Additional Public Prosecutor Yogendra Khatana. The six accused let off by the court are Vipin Yadav, Ravindra Kumar, Kaluram, Dayanand, Yogesh Kumar and Bheem Rathi. Police had also named three minors in the case. They are facing facing trial in a juvenile court. Additional District Judge Sarita Swami completed the trial proceedings on August 7 and reserved the case for judg- ment on Wednesday. Continued on Page 4 C oming down on those opposing the abrogation of Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the critics belong to the usual vested interest groups, political dynasties or are terror sympathisers as well as some “friends” in the Opposition. Modi said in the past seven decades intimidation ruled the roost in the Valley and now it is time to give chance for development. In an interview to news agency IANS, the PM said Articles 370 and 35(A) fully isolated the State and cit- izens were kept away from fruits of development. “Please see the list of peo- ple who have opposed the decisions about Kashmir: The usual vested interest groups, political dynasties, those who sympathise with terror and some friends in the Opposition. The people of India, irrespec- tive of what their political pref- erence is, have supported the steps taken in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. This is about the nation, not politics. The people of India are seeing that tough but essential decisions that were earlier assumed to be impossible are becoming a reality,” Modi said. Detailed interview on P9 S tate Government has given new postings, additional charges to around 11 IAS offi- cials on Wednesday. As per the order by the General Administration Dep- artment, Shammi Abidi (IAS- 2007), Commissioner, Chhatti- sgarh Housing Board has been appointed as Managing Director, Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (MarkFed). Mohammad Qaiser Abdul- haque (IAS-2007) will now be relieved from the post of MD, MarkFed while he will retain existing charges as Joint Secre- tary, Energy Department and additional charge of Managing Director, Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company. Him Shikhar Gupta (IAS- 2007), Commissioner Higher Education and Additional charge of Mission Director, National Higher Secondary Education Abhiyan has been given addi- tional charge as Director, Administrative Academy. Bhim Singh (IAS-2006) Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board has been posted as Commissioner, Chhattisgarh Housing Board. Mahadeo Kawre (IAS-2008), Director, Treasury, Accounts and Pension has been given addi- tional charge of Joint Secretary, Mining Resources Department. Sharda Verma (IAS-2008) Joint Secretary, Finance with additional charge of Director, Budget has been given addi- tional charge of Commissioner, Higher Education and Mission Director, National Higher Education Mission (RUSA). Bipin Manjhi (IAS-2009) Director, Gramudyog and addi- tional charge of Managing Director, Handicrafts Development Board, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Antavyavsai Vitth avum Vikas Nigam, Wafq Survey Commissioner has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Tribal, Scheduled Caste, OBC and Minority Development Department and given addi- tional charge of Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Antavyavsai Vitth avum Vikas Nigam, Wafq Survey Commissioner. Bhoskar Vilas Sandeepan (IAS-2011), Deputy Secretary, Forest Department along with his present responsibilities will look after the additional charge of Deputy Secretary, Housing and Environment Department. Effat Ara (IAS-2012) Deputy Secretary, Mining Resources Department has been deputed as Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board. Sudhakar Xalxo (IAS- 2012) Member Secretary, Food Commission, who is also hold- ing additional charge of Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Maatikala Board has been posted as Director, Gramudyog and additional charge of Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Handicrafts Development and MD, Chhattisgarh Maatikala Board. Rajendra Kumar Katara (IAS-2013) CEO, Zila Panchayat Jashpur has been shifted as Additional Collector, Raigarh while Amrit Vikas Topno (IAS-2014) CEO, Zila Panchayat, Narayanpur has been made Managing Director, Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies. RNI Regn. No. CHHENG/2012/42718, Postal Reg. No. - RYP DN/34/2013-2015
Transcript of 2 ˛ · Chhattisgarh Tourism Board Commissioner, Chhattisgarh Housing Board. Mahadeo Kawre...
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The entire security grid hasbeen put in a state of high
alert to ensure peaceful cele-brations of the 73rdIndependence Day in Jammu &Kashmir on Thursday.
Amid heightened tensionwith Pakistan, foot soldiers ofthe Indian Army and BSF havebeen asked to remain vigilantto prevent any infiltration bidfrom across the border.
Elaborate security arrange-ments have been put in placeacross both the main cities ofJammu and Srinagar to ensureincident-free celebrations.
This is the firstIndependence Day after theabrogation of the special statusto Jammu & Kashmir underArticle 370 and reorganisa-tion of the State into two UnionTerritories.
To set the stage for the spe-cial celebrations, severalTiranga rallies were organisedacross Jammu region where alarge number of people tookout rallies holding tricolours.
Barring Kishtwar andPoonch, where security forcesexercised extra caution toensure peace, situationremained peaceful across otherdistrict headquarters of Jammuregion on Wednesday. But anti-India posters surfaced inPoonch in Sheeshmahal areanear office of the DeputyCommissioner. Strict enforce-ment of Section 144 CrPC was
applied in Kishtwar and peoplewere advised to stay indoors.
The Government onWednesday said all the arrange-ments to celebrate theIndependence Day are now inplace in all the districts ofJammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
This was stated by theGovernment’s spokespersonand Principal SecretaryPlanning and Development
Rohit Kansal in Srinagar.Kansal said restrictions
were eased out in various partsof Kashmir, including Srinagarcity which remained peaceful.He added reasonable restric-tions are put in place to main-tain law and order situation inthe Valley.
He further said situation inKashmir is peaceful and nomajor incidents have beenreported. The Government hasrelaxed prohibitory orders inmany areas, he said.
Additional Director-General of Police, Law andOrder, Munir Khan said the sit-uation is under control and themain focus is to have a peace-ful celebration onIndependence Day.
Khan said there have beenlocalised incidents at variousparts of Srinagar and other dis-tricts and these were containedlocally. “There have been nomajor injuries, but a few pelletinjuries. Our biggest endeavouris that no civil casualty shouldtake place,” he said.
Continued on Page 4
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US President Donald Trumphas said that India and
China are no longer “develop-ing nations” but are “takingadvantage” of the tag from theWorld Trade Organisation(WTO) and asserted that hewill not let it happen any-more.
Trump, championing his“America First” policy, hasbeen a vocal critic of India forlevying “tremendously high”duties on US products and hasdescribed the country as a“tariff king”.
The US and China arecurrently engaged in a bruisingtrade war after Trump imposedpunitive tariffs on Chinesegoods and Beijing retaliated.Earlier in July, Trump asked theWTO to define how it desig-nates developing-country sta-tus, a move apparently aimedat singling out countries likeChina, Turkey and India whichare getting lenient treatmentunder the global trade rules.
In a memorandum, Trumphad empowered the US Trade
Representative (USTR) to starttaking punitive actions if anyadvanced economies are inap-propriately taking benefits ofthe WTO loopholes.
Addressing a gathering atPennsylvania on Tuesday,Trump said India and China —the two economic giants fromAsia — are no longer develop-ing nations and as such theycannot take the benefit fromthe WTO. However, they aretaking the advantage of a devel-oping nation tag from theWTO, putting the US to dis-advantage, he said.
“They (India and China)were taking advantage of us foryears and years,” Trump said.
The Geneva-based WTO isan intergovernmental organi-sation that regulates interna-tional trade between nations.
Continued on Page 4
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Students of the DelhiGovernment and aided
schools will not have to pay anyfees for Class 10 and 12 CBSEexaminations and the cost willbe borne by the city dispensa-tion, Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia announced onTuesday.
The decision was taken bythe Delhi Government follow-ing an announcement of a feehike by the Central Board ofSecondary Education (CBSE).Sisodia said the Government isin discussion with CBSE to rollback the fee hike.
On Tuesday, the CBSEannounced that the burden ofthe fee hike will not be passed
on to SC/ST students inGovernment and aided schoolsas the Delhi Government willpay the board.
“Students in DelhiGovernment schools and aidedschools will not have to pay anyfees for CBSE Class 10, 12exams. The Delhi Governmentwill bear entire cost for all cat-egories of students and themodalities are being workedout,” Sisodia told PTI on thesidelines of an event.
“The Delhi Government isin talks with CBSE to roll backthe fee hike. Irrespective ofwhat happens, no child willhave to bear the burden of feesas the Government will bearthat,” he added.
Continued on Page 4
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In a big blow to West BengalChief Minister Mamata
Banerjee, one of her closestaides and former KolkataMayor Sovan Chatterjee joinedthe BJP on Wednesday in thepresence of party workingpresident JP Nadda at theparty headquarters here.
Senior West Bengal BJPleader Mukul Roy and partygeneral secretary Arun Singhwere present when Chatterjeetook BJP’s membership.
Sovan Chatterjee is aninfluential TMC leader andperhaps the biggest one todefect to the saffron partyafter Mukul Roy.
Welcoming Chatterjee,Roy said he was one of those
leaders who made a big con-tribution to Mamata’s rise tothe post of Chief Minister.
“He will now strengthenthe BJP... Let me repeat thatTMC will not even get the sta-tus of the Opposition party,” hetold reporters.
Baisakhi Banerjee, a con-fidant of Chatterjee, also joinedthe BJP.TMC has been seeingexodus to the BJP even beforeLok Sabha polls and shifting ofloyalties to the saffron partyhas continued unabated afterBJP’s convincing victory inthe Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP which had bare-ly two Lok Sabha seats in 2014won 18 Lok Sabha seats inWest Bengal, emerging as themain Opposition party in theState.
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Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal on Wednesday
announced to introduce a“Deshbhakti Curriculum” inGovernment schools from thenext academic year.
“The move was made withsome important goals. First,each child must feel pride in thenation. Second, each childmust be made aware of theirresponsibility towards thecountry. Third, we have to
instill into children the passionto be prepared to sacrifice any-thing for the nation,” the DelhiCM said.
While speaking at a pro-gramme organised by theDirectorate of Education atthe Thyagaraj Stadium,Kejriwal said, “We have to cre-ate a sense of ownership amongall children that they have totake on the challenges we arefacing as a country head on andaddress them.”
Highlighting the purpose
of introducing this curriculum,he said that ordinarily we arereminded of our love for thecountry either when there is anIndia-Pakistan match or whenthere are tensions on the bor-der.
“In our day-to-day lives weforget about our country. TheDeshbhakti Curriculum isbeing introduced so that eachand every citizen of this coun-try truly loves their country,” headded.
Continued on Page 4
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An Alwar court onWednesday acquitted all
six accused in the lynching ofPehlu Khan, killed two yearsago by a mob that set upon himwhile he was transportingcows. The Additional JudicialMagistrate acquitted the sixmen, giving them benefit of thedoubt, according to a lawyer.
Pehlu Khan (55), his twosons and a few others weretransporting cows when theywere allegedly stopped andthrashed by a mob near Behrorin Alwar district on April 1,2017. Khan died in hospital onApril 3, triggering outrage overthe murder by cow vigilantes.
“The court gave benefit ofthe doubt to all six accused andacquitted them of lynchingcharges. We have not receivedthe court order copy and willwait for it to study it andappeal in the higher court,” saidAdditional Public ProsecutorYogendra Khatana.
The six accused let off bythe court are Vipin Yadav,Ravindra Kumar, Kaluram,Dayanand, Yogesh Kumar andBheem Rathi. Police had alsonamed three minors in thecase. They are facing facing trialin a juvenile court.
Additional District JudgeSarita Swami completed thetrial proceedings on August 7and reserved the case for judg-ment on Wednesday.
Continued on Page 4
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Coming down on thoseopposing the abrogation of
Article 370, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Wednesdaysaid the critics belong to theusual vested interest groups,political dynasties or are terrorsympathisers as well as some“friends” in the Opposition.
Modi said in the past sevendecades intimidation ruled theroost in the Valley and now itis time to give chance fordevelopment. In an interviewto news agency IANS, the PMsaid Articles 370 and 35(A)fully isolated the State and cit-izens were kept away fromfruits of development.
“Please see the list of peo-ple who have opposed thedecisions about Kashmir: Theusual vested interest groups,political dynasties, those whosympathise with terror andsome friends in the Opposition.The people of India, irrespec-tive of what their political pref-erence is, have supported thesteps taken in Jammu, Kashmirand Ladakh. This is about thenation, not politics. The peopleof India are seeing that toughbut essential decisions thatwere earlier assumed to beimpossible are becoming areality,” Modi said.
Detailed interview on P9
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State Government has givennew postings, additional
charges to around 11 IAS offi-cials on Wednesday.
As per the order by theGeneral Administration Dep-artment, Shammi Abidi (IAS-2007), Commissioner, Chhatti-sgarh Housing Board has beenappointed as ManagingDirector, Chhattisgarh StateCooperative MarketingFederation Limited (MarkFed).
Mohammad Qaiser Abdul-haque (IAS-2007) will now berelieved from the post of MD,MarkFed while he will retainexisting charges as Joint Secre-tary, Energy Department andadditional charge of ManagingDirector, Chhattisgarh StatePower Distribution Company.
Him Shikhar Gupta (IAS-2007), Commissioner HigherEducation and Additional chargeof Mission Director, NationalHigher Secondary EducationAbhiyan has been given addi-tional charge as Director,Administrative Academy.
Bhim Singh (IAS-2006)Managing Director,Chhattisgarh Tourism Board
has been posted asCommissioner, ChhattisgarhHousing Board. MahadeoKawre (IAS-2008), Director,Treasury, Accounts andPension has been given addi-tional charge of Joint Secretary,Mining ResourcesDepartment.
Sharda Verma (IAS-2008)Joint Secretary, Finance withadditional charge of Director,Budget has been given addi-tional charge of Commissioner,Higher Education and MissionDirector, National HigherEducation Mission (RUSA).
Bipin Manjhi (IAS-2009)Director, Gramudyog and addi-tional charge of ManagingDirector, HandicraftsDevelopment Board, ManagingDirector, ChhattisgarhAntavyavsai Vitth avum VikasNigam, Wafq SurveyCommissioner has beenappointed as Joint Secretary,Tribal, Scheduled Caste, OBCand Minority DevelopmentDepartment and given addi-tional charge of ManagingDirector, ChhattisgarhAntavyavsai Vitth avum VikasNigam, Wafq SurveyCommissioner.
Bhoskar Vilas Sandeepan(IAS-2011), Deputy Secretary,Forest Department along withhis present responsibilities willlook after the additional chargeof Deputy Secretary, Housingand Environment Department.
Effat Ara (IAS-2012)Deputy Secretary, MiningResources Department hasbeen deputed as ManagingDirector, Chhattisgarh TourismBoard.
Sudhakar Xalxo (IAS-2012) Member Secretary, FoodCommission, who is also hold-ing additional charge ofManaging Director,Chhattisgarh Maatikala Boardhas been posted as Director,Gramudyog and additionalcharge of Managing Director,Chhattisgarh HandicraftsDevelopment and MD,Chhattisgarh Maatikala Board.
Rajendra Kumar Katara(IAS-2013) CEO, ZilaPanchayat Jashpur has beenshifted as Additional Collector,Raigarh while Amrit VikasTopno (IAS-2014) CEO, ZilaPanchayat, Narayanpur hasbeen made Managing Director,Chhattisgarh State CivilSupplies.
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Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman,
who became a household nameafter he shot down a PakistaniF-16 and was later capturedwhen his MIG-21 was hit by amissile, has been conferredwith Vir Chakra on the eve ofIndependence Day. This medalis the third highest war timegallantry medal. Some otherpilots who took part in the airstrikes to destroy terrorist campin Balakot were conferred withYudh Seva Medal.
President Ram NathKovind, who is also theSupreme Commander of theArmed Forces, has approved atotal of 132 Awards to armedforces personnel and mem-bers of paramilitary Forces.The awards include two KirtiChakras, one Vir Chakra, 14
Shaurya Chakras, eight Bar toSena Medals (Gallantry), 90Sena Medals (Gallantry), fiveNao Sena Medals (Gallantry),seven Vayu Sena Medals andfive Yudh Seva Medals.
Kirti Chakra, the secondhighest peace time medal wasconferred posthumously onPrakash Jadhav of Corps ofEngineers. He died fighting ter-rorists in Jammu & Kashmir.
The other Kirti Chakraawardee is DeputyCommandant of CentralReserve Police Force (CRPF)Harshpal Singh for his gallantaction in Kashmir.
Vir Chakra recipientVarthaman, 36, was capturedby the Pakistan Army onFebruary 27 this year after hisMIG-21 Bison jet was shotdown by a missile during a dog
fight with the Pakistani jetswhen they intruded into theIndian air space in Rajouri sec-tor of Jammu & Kashmir. Atleast four to five Pakistani jetstried to hit Indian militaryinstallations in retaliation to theIAF air strikes in Balakot inPakistan a day earlier.
Varthaman was part of theIAF team guarding the Rajourisector and successfully chasedaway the Pakistani jets and shotdown a Pakistani F-16 beforegetting hit. He bailed out andlanded in Pakistan OccupiedKashmir (POK). The pilot wasreleased and returned to Indiatwo days later to a hero’s wel-come. He had suffered injurieswhile ejecting from his MiG-21Bison during the aerial combat.
A high-level medical boardof the IAF has clearedVarthaman to return to thefighter cockpit. He may resume
fighter flying soon.Woman officer Squadron
Leader Minty Agarwal, whoplayed a key role as flight con-troller during the aerial com-bat between India and Pakistanon February 27, has beenawarded Yudh Seva medal.The IAF received a total of 13awards including five YudhSeva Medals and seven VayuSena Medals. At least fiveMirage fighter pilots, who werepart of the operation to strikea Jaish-e-Mohmamed(JeM)terrorist training camp inBalakot on February 26, wereamong the awardees. The raidwas carried out after thePulwama incident on February14 where 40 CRPF personnelwere killed in a suicide attack.
The Army also got eightShaurya Chakra awards and 98Sena medals. The Navy got oneShaurya Chakra award.
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Gallant role in the counter-terrorism grid of Jammu
& Kashmir has fetched theCentral Security forces maxi-mum gallantry medalsamongst the 180 such decora-tions announced by theGovernment on the eve of theIndependence Day. A total of114 gallantry medals havebeen given to the troopsdeployed in J&K and 62 such medals in the Naxal-affected States.
Four gallantry medalswere announced for Centralforces for their counter-insur-gency operations in the North Eastern States.
The Centre announced asmany as 946 medals for per-sonnel and officers of CentralArmed Police Forces (CAPFs)and state police forces, out ofwhich three have been deco-rated with the President’sPolice Medal for Gallantry(PPMG) while 177 have beenawarded the PMG.
Nine personnel have beengiven these bravery medalsposthumously, a HomeMinistry statement said.
In keeping with the tradi-tion, the CRPF has bagged themaximum, 75 gallantry medalsfollowed by 61 by the J&KPolice, 23 by Odisha police,nine by police personnel fromChhattisgarh, a major Naxal-affectedState, and five each bythe Border Security Force(BSF) and the Indo-TibetanBorder Police force (ITBP).
Likewise, 89 police per-sonnel have been given thePresident’s Police Medal fordistinguished service and 677have been awarded the policemedal for meritorious service.
A total of 56 personnelhave been awarded fire servicemedals and 44 officials havebeen given the home guardand civil defence medal.
Forty personnel have alsobeen awarded the correction-al service medals that are givento prison staffers who guardand manage jails in variousStates.
The CRPF bagged theKirti Chakra and two ShauryaChakras for counter-terroristoperations in Jammu andKashmir and in the anti-Naxalcombat theatre.
Harshpal Singh, now pro-moted in the Second-in-Command rank from DeputyCommandant, and his buddyconstable Zaker Hussain havebeen decorated with the mili-tary medals for killing “threedreaded terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed” in Septemberlast year in Jammu.
“Both these brave heartstook bullets and grenade splin-ters fired by the terrorists butthey held their ground till theygunned down all the three ter-rorists hiding behind a house,”
reads the their citation. Singh has been decorated
with the Kirti Chakra, the sec-ond highest peacetime gal-lantry medal of the country,while Hussain has been award-ed the Shaurya Chakra, onebelow in precedence than theKirti Chakra, for this opera-tion. Another CRPF ConstableSable Dyaneshwar Shriram ofthe 53rd battalion of the forcewas awarded the ShauryaChakra for killing two armedJeM terrorists after takingthem on in Baramulla districtof Kashmir Valley while he wason ‘naka’ (checkpost) duty onOctober 19 last year.
Five personnel of the ITBPhave been decorated withPolice Medal for Gallantry forexemplary valour and extra-ordinary courage in a Naxalencounter that took place onOctober 25, 2017 in the junglesof Kamkasur and Kopankarkain Rajnandgaon district ofChhattisgarh.
The force has been award-ed a total of 19 medals in var-ious service categories thistime.
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From this year’sIndependence Day, private
satellite news TV channels willhave to telecast a short programme on the celebra-tions along with correspondingsign language interpretationin the afternoon/evening ofAugust 15 as mandated by theUnion Information andBroadcasting Ministry.
The private news chan-nels have been told that theymay either make their own pro-gramme with sign languageinterpretation, or, if they wish,they may carry a bulletin pre-pared by DD News free of cost,Amit Khare, I&B Secretarysaid at an event here organisedby the NCPEDP Wednesday.
The Ministry baggedSpecial Jury NCPEDP-Mphasis
Universal Design Award for itsefforts in making televisionaccessible for people with hear-ing disabilities. MP Rama Devicalled for ensuring the disabledthe access to independenceand livelihoods while NCPEDPhead Arman Ali said, “withoutaccessibility, inclusion is impos-sible. Some of the ideas thathave won this year are so futur-istic that it gives us hope.”
Devanshi Joshi, a specially-abled who suffers from Downsyndrome and an employee ofFuture Group working in BigBazaar, Vasant Kunj on behalfof the corporate sectorexpressed happiness that com-panies were focusing on mak-ing their spaces more inclusivewhich will go a long way inmaking the society inclusive.
Among corporate thosewho clinched the awards were
Bleetech Pvt Ltd, Maharashtrafor developing a wearable bandthat connects with the users’Smartphone and convertssound signals to vibrationsand visual notifications, SMLearning Skills Academy forSpecial Needs Private Limited,Haryana for developing anonline platform, CogniAbleand Noida-based NIOS fordeveloping videos in sign lan-guage version.
Big Bazaar- Future Retailfrom Maharashtra andBangaluru based Robert BoschEngineering and BusinessSolutions Private Limited wereawarded respectively for theproject “Sab Ke Liye” whichensures accessible spaces toall including specially-abledand elderly and developingMPAS, an assistive technologydevice for the blind.
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President Ram Nath Kovindon Wednesday chose his
Independence Day address tothe nation to express confi-dence that the people of Jammu& Kashmir will immenselybenefit from the revocation ofprovisions of Article 370 thatgave special status to the stateand its bifurcation into twoUnion Territories.
Delivering his address,Kovind also said the changesmade in Jammu & Kashmirand Ladakh recently will enablethe people to access and enjoythe same rights, same privileges and same facilities astheir fellow citizens in the restof the country.
“...I am confident that therecent changes made inJammu-Kashmir and Ladakhwould be of immense benefit to
those regions. They will enablethe people to access and enjoythe same rights, same privilegesand same facilities as their fel-low citizens in the rest of thecountry,” Kovind said on the eve of the 73rdIndependence Day.
Kovind made a reference tothe changes in Jammu &Kashmir while recalling thatthe illustrious generation thatled us to freedom did not perceive Independenceonly in terms of transfer ofpolitical power.
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As many as 500 people havedied and at least 100 are
missing in torrential rains andfloods across India sinceAugust 1. After Kerala andKarnataka, Andhra Pradesh ison alert following rising waterlevels in Krishna River. Allmajor rivers-Brahmaputra inAssam, Bagmati and Kosi inBihar, Warna in Maharashtra,
Tungabhadra in AndhraPradesh, Ganga in UttarPradesh and Vamsadhara inOdisha are flowing above dan-ger level.
As per flood situationreport prepared by the Ministryof Home Affairs, 91 deathshave been reported from Kerala,54 from Karnataka, 48 fromMaharashtra and eight fromOdisha in the past one week.Between July and the first week
of August, at least 98 deathswere reported from Gujarat, 123in Bihar and 71 in Assam. Withseveral persons still missing,authorities fear the toll willlikely go up. Since the onset ofmonsoon (from June 1), asmany as 950 people died due tofloods, landslides and rain relat-ed incidents across the country.
The IMD has warned ofheavy rainfall over the next fivedays in several places. Heavy
rain in parts of four Indianstates — Kerala, Karnataka,Maharashtra and Gujarat —has forced more than 1.2 mil-lion people to leave theirhomes, mostly for govern-ment-run relief camps
At least 95 people werekilled and more than 50 aremissing in Kerala, where heavyrainfall triggered dozens oflandslides last week andtrapped more than 100 people.Kerala was hit by its worstfloods in almost a century lastyear, when 450 people died,and the state is still recoveringfrom the damage to publicinfrastructure including rail-ways and roads.
In neighbouring Karnataka,home to the technology hubBengaluru, 54 people died and15 are missing after rivers bursttheir banks when authoritiesreleased water from dams.Nearly 700,000 people havebeen evacuated in the state.Heavy rainfall is expected inparts of Karnataka, Maharashtraand Gujarat, as well as MadhyaPradesh, in the next two days,IMD said. In Maharashtra, 48people died but flood waters arereceding. In Madhya Pradesh,the biggest producer of soy-beans, heavy rains killed 32 peo-ple and damaged crops, author-ities said. In Gujarat, 31 peopledied in rain-related incidents,while landslides killed nearly adozen people in the northernhilly State of Uttarakhand.
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Congress leader RahulGandhi has written to RBI
Governor Shaktikanta Das,urging that the moratorium onrepayment of crop loans beextended to December 31 forfarmers in Kerala in the wakeof floods in the State. Thedeath toll in the Kerala floodsis 95, as per Government fig-ures, and over 1.89 lakh peopledisplaced by the deluge sinceAugust 8 have taken refuge in1,118 camps since August 8.
“Almost a year back, Keralawitnessed the worst floods inover a century. I request RBI totake measures to extend themoratorium on repayment ofloans by farmers to December2019,” wrote Rahul.
He said the impact offloods is further aggravated bythe inability of farmers to repayagricultural loans due to croploss coupled with falling com-modity prices of cash crops that affects their ability tobounce back.
“Kerala has witnessed atragic spate of farmer suicidesin the wake of banks initiating
recovery proceedings underhelpless farmers under theSecuritisation andReconstruction of FinancialAssets and Enforcement ofSecurities Interests Act, 2002(SARFAESI Act).”
“Despite the demand fromthe State government and theopposition parties to extend themoratorium on repayment ofloans to December 31, 2019,the state level banker’s com-mittee as refused to considerthe demand,” he added.
Rahul had also written aletter to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi asking forCentre’s assistance in tacklingthe flood situation in Kerala.
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As the national cleanlinesscampaign completes its
five years on October, 2, 2019,the Union Jal Shakti Ministryon Wednesday kicked off a 15-day survey, SwachchhSarvekshan Grameen-2019 tocover 17,450 villages in 698 dis-tricts across the country.
The aim is to providenational ranking of all dis-tricts and States on the basis ofquantitative and qualitativesanitation (Swachchhta) para-meters, said a senior officialfrom the Ministry.
Feedback will be garneredfrom over 87,250 public placesincluding schools, anganwadisand public health centres,haat/bazaars/religious placesin the identified villages.Around 250,000 citizens will beinterviewed for their feedbackon SBM related issues. Also cit-izens will be mobilised to pro-vide feedback on sanitation
relation related issues onlineusing an application devel-oped for the purpose, said theofficial from the Ministry.
A detailed protocol hasbeen developed to guide theranking of districts basis theirperformance on key quality
and quantitative parameters. The official said the maid-
en exercise by Department ofDrinking Water and Sanitation,Ministry of Jal Shakti to rankstates and districts on key san-itation parameters through a“Swachh Survekshan
Grameen” in 2018 covered 698districts and more than 7000villages. The Survekshan gen-erated huge enthusiasm acrossdistricts and generated hugeattention from all stakeholdersand common citizens in par-ticular. More than a crore cit-izen provided direct feedbackon various sanitation parame-ters in their settings using the
Swachh Survekshan App devel-oped by the Ministry.
Intense IEC and sanitationimprovement activities werecarried out by people toimprove the sanitation status oftheir villages. SSG 2018 alsofostered a spirit of healthycompetition among villages toimprove their service deliveryto citizens, towards creatingcleaner villages.
On Tuesday, the UnionHousing and Urban AffairsMinister Hardeep Singh Purihad launched the SwachhSurvekshan 2020, the fifth edi-tion of the annual cleanlinesssurvey. He had claimed that asmany as 4284 cities in 24 stateshave been certified OpenDefecation-Free (ODF) by now.The remaining 150 is expectedto be certified ODF by October2, this year. More than 98 percent of our toilet constructiontargets have been met. We areon track to achieve our sanita-tion targets, Puri had said.
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In a bid to enhance the qual-ity of Doordarshan pro-
grammes, the Prasar BharatiBoard on Wednesday approvedthe restructuring of the nation-al broadcaster that will nowhave a separate dedicated ver-tical for handling content oper-ations.
The Board, at its 156thmeeting, has authorised thesearch and selection commit-tee headed by Prasar BharatiChairman A Surya Prakash toselect suitable professionals forthe roles of Chief ContentOfficer and Channel Headson a contract basis.
The board desired thatsuitable professionals may beidentified with 15-20 years ormore of experience in broad-casting with specialisation innews/culture /arts /entertain-ment/sports and other genresof relevance to public broad-casting, having held leadershiproles over the last five years,preferably at a large networkwith responsibility for one ormore channels with a nation-wide viewership footprint.
It was also indicated at the
meeting that identified profes-sionals must be tuned into thegoals and responsibilities of thePublic Broadcaster as man-dated by Parliament, a state-ment by Prasar Bharati said.
While the Chief ContentOfficer will be responsible forthe content/creative functionsand operations across theDoordarshan network(National and regional chan-nels) in line with the goals andobjectives of Prasar Bharati, theChannel Heads are expected tomanage individual channelsin line with the Content andChannel Strategy.
With this restructuringPrasar Bharati intends toinduce professionalism into itscontent and creative functionsin line with state of the arttrends, production values andindustry best practices, thestatement said.
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English merchant WilliamFinch, who visited India in
1608-1611, recorded in histravelogue that there was a fortin Ayodhya where Hindusbelieved Ram was born, thecounsel for diety ‘Ram Lalla’said in the Supreme Court onWednesday.
‘Ram Lalla’, one of thethree parties in the decades oldRam Janambhoomi-BabriMasjid dispute, has been grant-ed one-third of the 2.77 acreland by the Allahabad HighCourt in 2010. NirmohiAkhara and Sunni Waqf Boardare the other parties.
A five-judge bench headedby Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoiwas informed by senior advo-cate CS Vaidyanathan, appear-ing for ‘Ram Lalla’, that Finchvisited India in early 17th cen-tury and recorded that there
was a fort or castle in Ayodhyawhere Hindus believed LordRam was born.
Referring to the travel-ogue, published in the book‘Early Travels to India’, he saidthe English trader has mentioned that Hindusbelieved Ayodhya was‘Janmasthan’ (birthplace) ofLord Ram.
Vaidyanathan also referredto other travelogues, includingthose written by British sur-veyor Montgomery Martin andJesuit missionary JosephTiefenthaler, to buttress hisarguments about faith of peo-ple in the birthplace of LordRam.
It is the “belief and faith” ofHindus that Ayodhya is thebirthplace of Lord Ram and hewas born at the site of the dis-puted structure, Vaidyanathanfurther said addressing thebench, also comprising Justices
S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud,Ashok Bhushan and S ANazeer.
The senior counsel alsoreferred to the ‘Puranas’ (sacredmythological writings),believed to be written by sages,to support his arguments.
Advancing arguments onthe sixth day of the hearing, hesaid the top court should not gobeyond to see how rational thisis. “It is the faith of people thatit is the place where Lord Ramwas born. It was always con-sidered to be the birthplace ofLord Ram”.
The bench askedVaidyanathan about the struc-ture. “When it was first calledBabri Masjid?”.
Responding to the query,the senior counsel said, “In the19th century. There is no doc-ument available to show thatearlier (prior to 19th century)it was known as Babri Masjid.”
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Chhattisgarh capital gripped by patriotic fervour: A panoramic night view of Swami Vivekanand Airport, Raipur, decked up on the eve ofIndependence Day.
School students participated in the ‘Freedom Run’ on the eve of Independence Day (Wednesday), in the capital cityRaipur. The run was organised jointly by Sports and Youth Welfare Department and Raipur district administrationin the morning.
RAIPUR | THURSDAY | AUGUST 15, 2019chhattisgarh 03
STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR
State government onWednesday assigned an inde-
pendent agency to probe intoconstruction quality ofexpressway.
Official sources informedthat Minister for Public WorksTamradhwaj Sahu constituting anew probe committee alsoordered to remove in-chargechief engineer of the expresswayconstruction work.
Earlier internal probe com-mittee of the public worksdepartment was investigatinginto the matter. Dissatisfied withthe progress of the probe, thecommittee was dissolved andOffice of Chief TechnicalExaminer working underGeneral Administration
Department of the state has beenasked to conduct the inquiry.
The new probe committeewould investigate into the matterwith the help of technical expertsfrom Indian Institute ofTechnology (IIT) and NationalInstitute of Technology (NIT)and will submit its report men-tioning and fixing responsibilityfor the sub-standard construc-
tion work.Notable, following heavy
downpour in capital city craterswere developed in the express-way, which resulted in even onecar accident around a week ago.Ruling Congress membersalleged rampant corruption dur-ing the BJP regime and termedthe construction work of express-way a glaring example of it.
Munat welcomesindependent probeFormer PWD ministerRajesh Munat commentingon the allegations ofsub-standard quality ofconstruction of expresswaysaid, “let the Congressgovernment conduct aprobe into the constructionwork undertaken as it is yetto be completed”. “Thoseresponsible should bebrought to fore, if thenorms as per tender forwork are not followed.Already there is a provisionof third party assessmentfor quality checks in theproject”, he said.
Independent agency to probeconstruction quality of E-way
STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR
Former PWD ministerRajesh Munat condemn-
ing the Congress govern-ment’s decision to suspendan officer through a cabinetdecision, said land to IndianInstitute of Management(IIM) at Nava Raipur wasallocated based on anapproval by the then UnitedProgressive Alliance (UPA)government.
State government onTuesday suspended formerCEO of Naya RaipurDevelopment Authority S.S.Bajaj.
Addressing the mediaon Wednesday Munat said,as IIM being a central insti-tute, a team from centralgovernment had arrived andvisited different proposedsites and had finallyapproved one. Based on therecommendation, the then
state government took thedecision of allocation. Thefoundation stone is intact,surrounded by a garden as itwas in 2003, when the BJPgovernment came to power.
He said, “It is surprisingthat nine months after com-ing to power in the state, theCongress is now recalling thefoundation stone laid by thenUPA chairperson Sonia
Gandhi. Does it coincide withSonia Gandhi taking chargeas Congress interim presidentso a political message can begiven to the high command?”
Munat further said it isthe erstwhile BJP govern-ment which started the con-struction of New Raipur cityof 21st century where fol-lowing due process tenderwas floated for master plan
and after finalisation,approval was given.
Bajaj was instrumentalin giving shape to the newcapital city as per approvedmaster plan, he said.
Munat further ques-tioned for the collectivedecisions taken by the thengovernment why theCongress is now targeting asingle official.
STAFF REPORTER nBAIKUNTHPUR
Lokpal has recommendedthe Chhattisgarh govern-
ment to file an FIR againstgovernment employees whowere found to be involved infinancial irregularities in set-ting up a nursery of ‘Arjuna’trees.
The anti-corruptionombudsman in a recent orderfurther directed the state gov-ernment to recover Rs 2 lakhfrom the accused employees.
The Lokpal was referringto a nursery project the agri-culture department proposedto prepare at Baikuntpur underMGNREGA scheme.
According to TulikaPrajapati, CEO, ZilaPanchayat, Khadangaon resi-dent Rampratap had registereda written complaint in 2017that at village panchayat Jilda
under Janpad PanchayatKhadgaon, there were misap-propriation of funds in the Rs16-lakh nursery project beingimplemented by agriculturedepartment as nodal agencyunder the MGNREGA.
Lokpal conducted theprobe after seeking evidencesfrom both sides and found thatfake bills of total Rs 93,500were used to procure ‘Arjun’seeds while fake attendance ofworkers were taken thoughwhich Rs 1.8 lakh wasembezzled.
It was done by agriculturedepartment surveyor R. K.Vaishnav and his associateShrawan Kumar.
As the probe found thecomplaint was true, the Lokpalrecommended filing of the FIRand recovery of money. Therecovered money should bedeposited to the state’s MGN-REGA funds, the Lokpal said.
STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR
The state Congress onWednesday welcomed the
Baghel government’s move toissue a notification adding eightnew points for the judicial probeinto the Jheeram massacre.
This would bring to fore theconspiracy angle into the killingand soon the perpetratorswould be behind the bars, itsaid.
Notable, a one-man judicialcommission headed by HighCourt Justice Prashant Mishrais probing into the matter.
State General Secretary andchairman communication wingof the Pradesh CongressShailesh Nitin Trivedi in astatement said the alleged
conspiracy behind the Jheeramvalley massacre by Maoists,which wiped out the entire topstate-level leadership of theCongress party in 2013, wouldnow come to fore with theinclusion of the eight newpoints in the probe.
“The conspiracy angle wastill now not probed by the judi-cial commission as it was notwithin its purview. With theaddition of these eight points inthe probe anyone who had infor-mation about the massacre couldnow record their statementbefore the judicial commission”,he said. “By doing so the judicialcommission will now be able tolook into the criminal andpolitical conspiracy behind themassacre”, Trivedi added.
STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR
Chhattisgarh Director Generalof Police D.M. Awasthi
handed over probe into the sus-picious death of Miki Mehta toInspector General of Police(IGP), Raipur, a move that islikely to add to the trouble of sus-pended DG Mukesh Gupta.
Mehta died at the residence ofMukesh Gupta in Raipur under sus-picious circumstances on September7, 2001. Gupta did ‘GandharvaVivah’ with Miki and was living withher in his official residence.
The then DG GirdhariNayak was conducting the probeinto the matter and before
retirement he had reportedlyhanded over the probe report tothe current DGP. In his investi-gation, Nayak had found seriouslapses in the FIR lodged inconnection with the case in 2001.
In view of the findings, theDGP has now handed over thecase to the IGP Raipur andinstructed him to investigate thematter afresh.
Notable, the main accused inthe case Gupta, a controversialand daring IPS officer, wassuspended by the Congressgovernment recently for illegallytapping phones of state’s politicalbigwigs during the previous BJPregime.
STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR
State Government hasnominated names of pub-
lic representatives for unfurl-ing of tricolor and recitationof Chief Minister's messagein the Independence Dayprogrammes to be held indistrict headquarters.
Chief Minister BhupeshBaghel will be hoisting thenational flag in Raipur district.
Assembly Speaker DrCharandas Mahant will beunfurling tricolor at I-Dayprogramme in Durg, HomeMinister Tamradhwaj Sahu inBilaspur, Health Minister TSSinghdeo in Janjgir-Champa,Agriculture MinisterRavindra Choubey inRaigarh, Forest MinisterMohammad Akbar inRajnandgaon, Women andChild Development MinisterAnila Bhendiya in
Kabeerdham district, SchoolEducation Minister DrPremsai Singh Tekam inKorba, Excise Minister KawasiLakhma in Dhamtari, UrbanAdministration Minister DrShivkumar Daharia inSarguja, Food MinisterAmarjeet Bhagat in Jashpur,Higher Education MinisterUmesh Patel in Balrampur,PHE Minister Guru RudraKumar in Kanker.
Likewise, MP Jyotsana
Mahant will be the chief guestof I-day programme to beheld in Koriya, MP DeepakBaij in Bastar, ChairmanBastar DevelopmentAuthority Lakheshwar Baghelin Bijapur, Chairman Mid-Region Tribal DevelopmentAuthority Laljeet SinghRathiya in Balodabazar-Bhatapara, Chairman SargujaTribal DevelopmentAuthority Khelsai Singh,Deputy Chairman BastarDevelopment AuthorityVikram Mandavi inNarayanpur, DeputyChairman of BastarDevelopment AuthoritySantram Netam in Sukma,Deputy Chairman of SargujaDevelopment AuthorityGulab Kamro in Mungeli,Deputy Chairman Mid-Region Tribal DevelopmentAuthority Dr Lakshmi Dhruvin Gariaband.
STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR
School education minister Dr PremsaiSingh Tekam handed over job-offer
letter to 302 students who, afterundergoing professional training, wereselected for the jobs during a two-dayemployment fair organised at a privatefarm house in Raipur on Wednesday.
As per details, a private IT Companyhas selected 37 students, IL&FS picked 50,
M-Power 10, AISECT 26, health care com-pany 30, and Skill Tree 35 students. Anautomobile sector company has selected68, a retail brand 15 and a agriculture-based company 31 candidates for the job.
School education minister addressingthe students said future lies in vocationaleducation as it provides employment.Those who could not make it shouldfurther work hard and update their expertise.
ASI from C’garh toget Home Minsiter’smedal for probe skillRAIPUR: Deepak Singh Chouhan,an assistant sub inspector (ASI) fromChhattisgarh will be awarded “UnionHome Minister’s Medal forExcellence in Investigation” for theyear 2019. He will be among 96Police personnel from across thecountry to get the award, accordingto home ministry sources.
The medal was constituted in2018 with the objective to promotehigh professional standards of inves-tigation of crime and to recognizesuch excellence in investigation byinvestigating officers.
Among the personnel receivingthese awards this year, 15 are fromCBI, 11 are from Maharashtra Police,10 are from Uttar Pradesh Police, 9are from Kerala Police, 8 are fromMadhya Pradesh Police, 6 are fromDelhi Police and Karnataka Policeand the remaining are from the otherStates/UT and Central investigatingagencies. Among the recipients are 13women police officers.
Lokpal recommends FIR againstgovt employees in nursery scam
BJP condemns suspension of ex-NRDA CEO Perpetrators of ‘Jheeram’ massacrewill soon be behind bars: Cong
State government issues notificationfacilitating judicial commission to look
into conspiracy angle
CM to unfurl tricolor in Raipur on I-Day Min hands over job-offerletter to 302 students
STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR
State Government has issueddetailed guidelines for settlement
of encroached land, allotment ofgovernment land and simplificationof redressal process of diversioncases.
In case of diversion, it has beendecided that the applications will becollected in town and village invest-ment offices. In the same way, penal-ty amount for encroached land set-tlement has been halved.
Besides, for allotment of govern-ment land, officials of local bodiesand town and village investmentoffices will be included in the com-mittee constituted for redressal ofland allotment cases. In case, two ormore applications are received for
the same plot of land, auction systemwill be applied to maintain trans-parency.
A lump-sum payment of theamount of land lease for 15 years willmake the beneficiary entitled to availthe provision of concession for next15 years. This will save the benefici-aries from submission of leaseamount every year. It is noteworthythat Chief Minister Bhupesh Bagheltook the aforementioned decisions inthe cabinet meeting held on Tuesday.
State government has receivedcomplaints about delay in settlementof encroached land and allotment ofgovernment land. For the conven-ience of common people, the stategovernment has decided to delegatethe power of allotting land of up to7500 sq ft to district collector.
Govt issues guidelinesfor diversion, allotment,settlement of land
IGP, Raipur to probesuspicious death ofMiki Mehta
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Newly appointed State BJPelection co in-charge cum
Minister of road constructiondepartment in BiharGovernment Nand KishoreYadav on Wednesday exudedconfidence of BJP repeating theLok Sabha election perfor-mance in the Assembly elec-tions in Jharkhand. He said forparty, it is immaterial, who iscontesting against BJP, as partyis confident of making a land-slide victory in election andable to form the Governmentof its own.
Yadav, taking to mediapersons for the first time afterassuming charge said, “InJharkhand, the party is leastbothered, who is contestingagainst BJP. The party has set
a target of 65 plus seats aftergetting feedbacks from partycadres working on ground.”
He further said, “The partyhas fixed a target of enrolling25 lakh new members acrossthe State by year-end Assemblyelections and in this connec-tion, all MPs and Ministershave been asked to camp atparty’s organisational mandalstill August 31.” The leaderscamping at mandals will over-see membership drive apartfrom carrying out membershipdrive reaching people at boothlevel.
The Central BJP to overseepoll preparations in four pollbound states has appointedelection in-charge and co in-charge for four States. SeniorBJP leader from Rajasthan OmPrakash Mathur has been
appointed as election in-chargeof BJP, while Yadav has beenmade as his deputy. Mathur tooversee BJP poll preparations isto visit Ranchi next week.
Yadav on his first visit toJharkhand after becoming elec-tion in-charge on Tuesday holdthe core committee meeting.Sources said that within amonth this is second core com-mittee meet of BJP inJharkhand. On July 13-14,when BJP working president JPNadda visited Jharkhand heheld a meeting of the coregroup of the state BJP dis-cussing the party’s prepara-tion and candidates for theupcoming assembly elections.
Yadav also predicted thatRJD will face same conse-quences in Bihar, which theparty faced in Jharkhand.
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From Page 1Under the global trade
rules, developing countriesclaim entitlement to longertimeframe for the impositionof safeguards, generous tran-sition periods, softer tariffcuts, procedural advantagesfor WTO disputes and theability to avail themselves ofcertain export subsidies.
Trump expressed hopethat the WTO will treat theUS “fairly”.
He said the WTO viewscertain countries like Chinaand India as “they’re grow-ing”. “Well, they’ve grown,”he said and warned that theUS will not let such countriesto take advantage of theWTO. “We’re not letting thathappen anymore... Everybodyis growing but us,” he said.
From Page 1
Addressing the gather-ing, he said that our childrenat any point of time if theyaccept bribe, they must feelthat they are betraying BharatMata. “When they jump atraffic light, they must feelthey’ve wronged their coun-try. We hear of so many inci-dents where foreign nationalscome to India, they are facedwith loot, assault, rape. Whenwe hear stories of Indiansreturning from Japan, we onlyhear praise for the Japaneseand their hospitality. We haveto love our country to theextent that we respect it and
respect our guests,” he added.In a tweet, the Chief
Minister stated, “We wantour education system toensure that each chi ldbecomes a good humanbeing, is equipped to supporttheir family and becomes atrue patriot.” He added inanother tweet, “We needinputs from everyone aboutwhat kind of course (theDeshbhakti Curriculum)should be.”
“Tomorrow is the 73rdIndependence Day. I thinkthis will be the biggest gift tothe nation on such a specialoccasion,” he said in his con-cluding remarks.
Meanwhile, Deputy ChiefMinister and EducationMinister Manish Sisodia whowas also present at the eventsaid, “I am confident thatteachers and Principals ofDelhi Government schoolswill be able to do this. Theywill be at the forefront of thedesigning of this curriculum,similar to the way the‘Happiness andEntrepreneurship MindsetCurriculums’ were designed,”he added.
Sisodia further said thathe has directed the depart-ment to form a cell to drivethis and take inputs frompeople across the country.
From Page 1Regarding the availability
of essential services, Kansal saidservices like National Highway,Airport, are normal, availabil-ity of normal and emergencymedicines are available at allthe hospitals.
Senior Superintendent ofPolice, Jammu Tejinder Singhsaid several security checkpoints have been established toensure smooth conduct of theIndependence Day celebra-tions in Jammu. He said severalteams have been deployed invulnerable areas to keep a closewatch on the suspects whilevenues of I-Day functions havebeen fully secured with heavydeployment of security forces.
People have been asked toinform police in case theynotice any suspicious person orobject, an advisory issued bythe Senior Superintendent ofPolice (Security), Jammu, said.
They have been advised tonot carry arms and ammuni-tion, sharp-edged weapons,hand bags, polythene bags,transistors, hand fire extin-guishers, stop watch, any kindof powder, inflammable mate-rial like cigarettes, match boxes,lighter, cameras and alikeobjectionable items.
People have been advisedto cooperate with security per-sonnel and not hesitate in dis-closing their identity if request-ed by the personnel. Districtadministrations have been con-stantly reviewing the securitysituation since the Governmentscrapped Jammu & Kashmir’sspecial status on August 5.
An unprecedented securi-ty arrangement has been put inplace to avoid any trouble in theborder State. Also, internetand telecommunication lineshad been completely suspend-ed immediately after theGovernment’s move.
From Page 1The CBSE last week noti-
fied an increase in the exam-ination fees for Classes 10and 12, registration fees forClasses 9 and 11 and migra-tion fees.
The fees for general cat-egory students for Classes10 and 12 were doubled fromRs 750 to Rs 1,500 for fivesubjects.
The Scheduled Caste(SC) and Scheduled Tribe(ST) students, who were pay-ing Rs 375 earlier, will nowpay Rs 1,200 for five subjects.Under a special arrangementin the national Capital, thesestudents were only payingRs 50, whi le the DelhiGovernment was paying therest of the amount as subsidy.
According to the revisednorms, the SC/ST students
were required to pay theentire amount to the CBSE.
However, on Monday theboard had restored the facil-ity of SC/ST students payingRs 50 af ter the cityGovernment agreed to paythe remaining amount.
The CBSE had justifiedthe fee hike, citing Rs 200-crore deficit in conductingclass 10 and 12 board exam-inations.
Early board results, mea-sures to make examinationleak proof and error-freeevaluation have imposed afinancial burden on the CBSEand passing on the responsi-bility of conducting compet-itive examinations like theJEE and the NEET to thenewly formed NationalTesting Agency has also leftit in a fund crunch, the boardofficials had said.
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����6��$�$�*�����������555From Page 1The then BJP Government
in Rajasthan under VasundharaRaje came under flak over thekilling, with the incident esca-lating the debate over Muslims
facing attacks from cow vigi-lantes. Recently, the RajasthanAssembly passed a bill ---introduced by the currentCongress Government in theState --- to tackle lynching.
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The Vice-President VenkaiahNaidu on Wednesday said
abrogation of Article 370 inJammu & Kashmir willstrengthen security, safety andintegrity of India and shouldnot be viewed through anyother narrow prism.
“We are not a new nationand we should evolve a con-sensus on larger national issues.We should also avoid parti-sanship and petty politickingon issues of national interests.This is the need of the hour,”said Naidu while deliveringfirst Balramji Dass TandonMemorial Lecture at PanjabUniversity here.
Tandon had served as theDeputy Chief Minister ofPunjab in 1969-70 and wasappointed the Governor ofChhattisgarh in July 2014. Hedied on August 14 last year.
Speaking on the issue ofscrapping of the special pow-ers given to Jammu & Kashmirunder Article 370, the Vice-President said, “The State ofJammu & Kashmir has alwaysbeen integral part of our coun-try and it would remain so.”
Notably, the CentralGovernment had on August 5revoked Article 370 (3) ofJammu & Kashmir that grant-ed special constitutional statuson the State, bifurcating it (State)into two Union Territories(UTs) — J&K with a legislatureand Ladakh without one.
The Vice-Presidentbemoaned that a section of thewestern media was indulging infalse propaganda on the situa-tion in Kashmir post dilutionof Article 370.
He also cited a news arti-cle published by a nationaldaily in 1964 highlighting thatMPs cutting across party lineswere in favour of abrogation ofArticle 370. He addedParliament took the decisionthat this transitory provisionneeds to go and Jammu &Kashmir must be fully inte-grated with the rest of India.
“It is expected that this willpave way for faster develop-ment of Jammu & Kashmir incoming years. People across thecountry are rejoicing over theabrogation of Article 370,” he added.
On the occasion, the Vice-President also praised PunjabChief Minister AmarinderSingh for asking PakistanMinister Fawad Chaudhary,
who made a provocative tweeton the Indian Army, to not tryto interfere in India’s internal matter.
Capt had said the IndianArmy is a disciplined andnationalist force, warningIslamabad against continuedattempts to interfere on theKashmir issue.
“Punjab Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh has said ‘weall are one and the country isready to face any situation’. Iread his statement today and Iwas very happy about it.
This is the time when weshould learn to be united andPunjab CM has given a goodexample of that,” Naidu said.
Calling for a need to toneup administration, speed upjudicial reforms and promoting
healthy, constructive andmeaningful debates in legisla-tures and Parliament, the VicePresident said, “Discuss, debateand decide…. decentralize anddeliver should become theagenda and the way forward forpublic representatives.”
He also called upon polit-ical parties to adopt a code ofconduct for people’s represen-tatives including MPs andMLAs for effective functioningof Parliament and StateAssemblies.
Naidu said that the legisla-ture, the executive and thejudicial processes must becomemore people-friendly.
He also stressed the needfor taking immediate steps toreduce heavy pendency atcourts. In order to streamlineand make justice delivery moreeffective, the Vice Presidentsuggested time bound decisionson election petitions and crim-inal cases against sitting MPsand MLAs, including disqual-ification under the anti-defec-tion law.
Naidu also suggested revis-iting the 10th Schedule of theConstitution, containing anti-defection provisions, to ensurea time bound disposal of suchcases and make it more effec-tive by plugging loopholes.
He said that expandingthe Supreme Court bench andhaving separate benches in dif-ferent regions on trial basis assuggested by the ParliamentaryStanding Committee on Lawand Justice would help addressthe problem of pendency injudiciary and would save hugeamount of money and energyof litigants who travel miles toreach Delhi.
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With the HaryanaAssembly polls barely
two months away, politicalparties in the State will virtu-ally launch their election cam-paign from August 16. UnionHome Minister and senior BJPleader Amit Shah will addressa rally in Jind on August 16while former Chief Ministerand Senior Congress leaderBhupinder Singh Hooda hasannounced ‘ParivartanMaharally’ in Rohtak onAugust 18.
To make BJP’s Jind rallysuccessful, senior BJP leadersand some State CabinetMinisters and large number ofparty workers have been sta-tioned in Jind.
While former CM Hoodawho has not invited any seniorCongress leaders from Delhifor his rally, has himself taken command of ‘ParivartanMaharally’, seeking support ofthe people by visiting village to village in his strong-hold of Rohtak.
Former MP and his sonDeepender Singh Hooda andsome Congress leaders likeKaran Singh Dalal are assistinghim to make this ‘ParivartanMaharally’ successful. EvenAshok Tanwar, HaryanaPradesh Congress Committeechief said that he has no ideaof the proposed rally in Rohtakand has kept himself awayfrom it.
Bhupinder Singh Hoodasaid that ‘Parivartan Maha
Rally’ would be held in Rohtakon August 18 to dislodge the“corrupt and non-performing”Manohar Lal Khattar govern-ment in the assembly election.BJP had made 154 promisesthrough its election manifestoin 2014, but failed to meet theexception of the people.
He asked party workers toensure maximum participationin the rally at Rohtak on August18. He claimed that the down-fall of Khattar governmentwould begin after the rally.
On the other hand, a BJPleader said that the HomeMinister’s visit and rally inHisar would have an impact onseveral seats in Hisar, Rohtakand Karnal districts. SeniorBJP leader and StateAgriculture and PanchayatsMinister OP Dhankar said,“For a healthy democracy,opposition parties should bestrong. Unfortunately, big par-ties like Congress and INLD inthe state are struggling due toleadership crisis. Their leadersare hungry of power and fight-ing themselves. Current BJP-led government has providedcorruption free governance in
the last five years. BJP’s agen-da was only development of thepeople. Party has set the targetof 75+ and we are workingeffectively to achieve it.”
In their early phase of elec-tion campaign, the parties areeyeing Assembly constituenciesin districts like Rohtak, Hisar,Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, Jindand Sonepat which are Jatdominated seats.
Rohtak and Jind which areconventionally known asCongress and INLD bastionsdue to a majority of Jat voters,but BJP is trying to woo thevoters by inviting Union HomeMinister Amit Shah who wasinstrumental in scarpingArticle 370 from the Jammu & Kashmir. Meanwhile, partieslike Jannayak Janata Party (JJP)and Indian National Lok Dal(INLD) started their campaignaround a month ago in theform of meeting with partyworkers and interacting withthe people though door todoor campaign. The leadersand workers of all the politicalparties are leaving no stoneunturned to make their ralliessuccessful.
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The chief Minister TrivendraSingh Rawat has expressed
happiness on the decision ofthe Board of Control forCricket in India (BCCI) togive recognition toUttarakhand. Terming it inthe interest of the state, the CMsaid that apart from promotingcricket, the decision wouldhelp in providing better oppor-tunities to players of the state.Rawat said that players andsports lovers were waiting forthe day for long and now thecricketing talent ofUttarakhand would get achance to excel. He added that
with BCCI giving recognitionto Uttarakhand, the cricketersof the state would now not haveto migrate to other states.
On Tuesday, theCommittee of Administrators(CoA) of BCCI gave perma-nent recognition to the CricketAssociation of Uttarakhand(CAU) for administration ofcricket in the state.
The COA of BCCI in ameeting found the claim ofCAU on its role in developmentof local cricket and availabili-ty of sporting infrastructurestrong enough to be grantedrecognition.
It is worth mentioning herethat due to bickering between
three associations, the CricketAssociation of Uttarakhand,Uttarakhand CricketAssociation and UttaranchalCricket Association the statecricket was not getting the allimportant recognition of theBCCI from last 18 years.
On the initiative taken bystate government, two majorassociations merged last yearwhich paved the way for therecognition from the BCCI.
Expressing happiness onthe development, the presi-dent of the CAU, Hira SinghBisht said that the young crick-eters of the state would now getmore opportunities.
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The Coast Guard has raisedconcern over possible
spillage of oil from Tug JINHWA 32, a cargo vessel that ranaground off the Chilika lake onAugust 9. The Coast hasapprised the State Governmentabout the threat to the eco-sen-sitive coastal zone off theChilika lake and the Odishacoast due to possible leakagefrom the Malaysian cargo ship,which contains 30,000 litres ofdiesel, 1,000 litres of lube oiland 200 litres of hydraulic oil.
The Coast Guard has alsowritten to the company whichowns the vessel, asking it toprevent any leak of oil.
“You are hereby warnedunder Section 356(J) 1(B) ofthe Indian Merchant ShippingAct, 1958 to ensure all neces-sary measures are undertakento prevent any leakage of oilfrom Tug JIN HWA 32 causingoil pollution in the area,” theCoast Guard has written in theletter, which was faxed onWednesday.
“Hence, you are advised toundertake above action on pri-ority either through a localagent or any other profession-al salvor. Non compliance ofthe same will entail thisHeadquarters to take actionunder section 356(K) of part XIof Indian Merchant ShippingAct, 1958,” the letter read.
Notably, the cargo ship,which was heading towardsVisakhapatnam, had driftedtowards the Odisha coast dueto a storm in the Bay of Bengal.Since then, the vessel has beenanchored near the Rajhansisland close to the Chilika lake.
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President Donald Trump hasthreatened to pull the
United States out of the WorldTrade Organization if condi-tions are not improved.
"We will leave if we have to,"Trump told a cheering audience
of workers at a Shell chemicalplant in Pennsylvania onTuesday.
"We know that they havebeen screwing us for years andit's not going to happen again,"he said.
Trump has made the WTOthe target of many previous
attacks, and threatened beforeto withdraw, claiming unfairtreatment toward the US andsaying Washington does nothave to abide by WTO rulings.
He is especially criticalabout the terms granted toChina when it joined the orga-nization, given US complaintsabout Chinese theft ofAmerican technology.
But the United States infact has a successful trackrecord of winning disputesmediated by the global tradingbody. While calling for reformsto the institution's rules, theTrump administration also haseffectively paralysed its work.
By blocking naming of
new members to the appellatepanel part of the DisputeSettlement Body that arbitrates disputes, the systemwill grind to a halt by the endof the year.
Chad Bown, a trade expertwith the Peterson Institute forInternational Economics, saidthe moves weakening the WTOhave done "lasting damage," notall of which can be reversed.
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Foreign spies keen to gettheir hands on Russian
research are monitoringRussian scientists around theclock, the Kremlin said Wednesday, after experts denounced a new secu-rity decree as a Soviet throw-back.
The Kremlin's commentscame after scientists criticiseda ministry directive calling onresearchers not to meet foreigncolleagues one-on-one andrequesting filed reports afterevery encounter -- even a cupof coffee.
"Of course we must besomewhat vigilant, becauseforeign special services are onalert," said President VladimirPutin's spokesman DmitryPeskov when questioned on the
decree from the science andeducation ministry.
"There is such a thing asscientific and industrial espi-onage," Peskov said. "It exists24/7 and is targeting our sci-entists, especially young scien-tists."
He noted however thatsome of the decree's provisions"sound excessive" adding thatRussia "should not be bound bysome rules that won't lead toanything good." The decreerecommending new rules oncontacting foreign scientists -- or Russian scientists workingfor foreign institutions
was made public byAlexander Fradkov from amechanical engineering insti-tute.
He called the rules "absurd"and urged authorities to retractthem.
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Afemale suicide bomberkilled six people after
blowing herself up in westernChad early Wednesday, a seniorArmy officer said, in an attackattributed to Nigeria's BokoHaram jihadists.
"Six people died, includinga soldier," in the attack inKaiga-Kindjiria district, saidthe source, speaking on condi-tion of anonymity.
A number of people werealso injured, the officer said,without giving figures. Aprovincial security official saida woman wearing an explo-sives-laden belt "blew herself upnear the home of a traditionalchief ". Four guards as well as asoldier were among the dead,and five people were wounded,the official said.
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Despite several judicial pronounce-ments and recommendations ofJustice RS Sarkaria and Justice Punchhi
Commissions, Governors are known to haveacted differently in seemingly similar situa-tions with Constitutional consequences.Ultimately, it has been left to the SupremeCourt to restore balance and uphold the prin-ciples enshrined in our Constitution.
According to the 38th Constitutionalamendment of 1975, presidential proclama-tions issued under Article 356 were beyondthe scope of any judicial review. This was laterrevoked by the 44th amendment of 1978. TheBommai judgement of 1994 not only laiddown the principles to be followed in aConstitutional crisis — in the context ofArticle 356 — but also held that if the procla-mation was invalidated, then notwithstand-ing its approval by Parliament, the court couldlawfully revive the dissolved LegislativeAssembly. Some of the cases, which illustratethe role of the Governor taking recourse toArticle 356 and where the apex court had tointervene, have been discussed here.
In 1991, a peculiar situation had arisenin Meghalaya where the Speaker himself, withthe help of the principal Opposition party,became a chief ministerial candidate. Earlier,he had disqualified five independent MLAswho had been supporting the Government,thereby precipitating a crisis. The SupremeCourt intervened on a petition by the MLAsand gave an interim stay against the order ofthe Speaker, who then issued a Press statementto the effect that he did not accept any inter-ference in his orders.
On a contempt petition being moved, theapex court ordered that all authorities of theState, including the Governor, must ensurethat its earlier orders are implemented. Thesubsequent proceedings of the House show-ing a tie, the Speaker voted against theGovernment and adjourned the House sinedie. It was discovered that the Speaker had notcounted the votes of the Independents whiledeclaring a tie. As such, the House continuedthe proceedings under a freshly electedSpeaker and conveyed to the Governor thatthe House had confidence in the Governmentand had passed a motion of no confidenceagainst the Speaker. Not paying any heed tothe direction of the Supreme Court, theGovernor observed that the matter wasbetween the Supreme Court and the Speakerand recommended to the President dissolu-tion of the House, which was so proclaimedunder Article 356.
This matter came up to the SupremeCourt, which in its orders stated: “Theunflattering episode shows in unmistakableterms the Governor’s unnecessary anxiety todismiss the Ministry and dissolve theAssembly and also his failure as aConstitutional functionary to realise thebinding legal consequences of, and givingeffect to the order of this court. What is worse,the Union Council of Ministers also chose togive advice to the President to issue the procla-mation on the material in question. Prima
facie, the material before the President wasnot only irrational but motivated by factualand legal mala fides. The proclamation was,therefore, invalid.”
Since fresh elections had been held to theAssembly and a new House had come intoexistence, the court did not issue the writ anddirection for the restoration of the LyngdohMinistry or the Assembly.
Yet another case where the Governor’saction drew the public’s as well as the judi-ciary’s ire was from the State of UttarPradesh. As a former diplomat, the Governorhad earlier held several important assign-ments. While the details of the case wouldbe of immense interest to the reader, let mefirst quote the Supreme Court’s ruling in thematter:
“It appears that the Governor had pro-ceeded on the basis of such information, inti-mation, letters or telephone calls. Nowherehas he mentioned that he had verified theissues himself before coming to any conclu-sion. His assessment was based on the inti-mation given to him by leaders of some ofthe political parties.”
The most interesting part of the eventswas that the Kalyan Singh Ministry was dis-missed on February 21, 1998, just a few hoursbefore the Lok Sabha elections were to beheld. In the meantime, a petition was movedin the Allahabad High Court before theswearing-in of the successor Government.The proceedings in the High Court weretaken up the same evening itself and contin-ued till the next morning. In between, theGovernor swore in Jagdambika Pal as theChief Minister on the night of February 21at 10 pm. The new Chief Minister was asked
to seek a vote of confidence on February 24but on August 22 itself, the High Court stayedthe dismissal of the Kalyan SinghGovernment. This in effect meant thatJagdambika Pal could remain the ChiefMinister for a few hours.
The matter went up to the SupremeCourt, where Jagdambika Pal appealedagainst the stay on the dismissal of KalyanSingh. Unprecedented in the judicial as wellas legislative history, the top court fixed thetime for the Assembly to meet on February26 for a composite test. The order was uniqueas it was for the first time that the apex courtwas not only actively participating and facil-itating a democratic processes but was alsofixing the agenda for the legislature. Theextracts from the historic order of theSupreme Court are reproduced here :
“(i) A special session of the UttarPradesh Assembly be summoned/convenedfor February, 26, 1998, the session commenc-ing forenoon. (ii) The only agenda in theAssembly would be to have a composite floor-test between the contending parties in orderto see which out of the two contestingclaimants of chief ministership has majori-ty in the House. (iii) It is pertinently empha-sised that the proceedings in the Assemblyshall be totally peaceful and disturbance, ifany, caused therein would be viewed serious-ly. (iv) The result of the composite floor-testwould be announced by the Speaker faith-fully and truthfully.
Further, “It appears that he (theGovernor) had sought to find out himselfabout the loss of confidence on the basis ofinformation, as mentioned in his order, fromthe leaders of some groups or parties and had
calculated himself to come to the conclusionthat Jagdambika Pal had mustered supportof the majority.” He had also mentioned that“it was not for me to do the count of heads.I have to go by what the leaders of the polit-ical parties maintained.”
According to him, no opportunity toKalyan Singh to test his strength on the floorshould be given. The reason for such a deci-sion was sought to be supported on theground that there was chance of horse-trad-ing on the basis of his experience of what hadhappened in October, 1997. He also record-ed that he received telephone calls from somepeople, who had informed that they were ontheir way to Lucknow from different places.He also mentioned that he wished to adhereto the principles of floor-test, “the essence ofBommai judgement.” In fact, this referenceto the Bommai judgement was completelymisplaced.
Further, according to the SupremeCourt, “prima facie, it appears that the deci-sion is based on materials, which in our view,cannot form materials for the Governor toform such an opinion. It is such a serious anda touchy issue and in such a hot haste on theeve of Lok Sabha election scheduled to be heldon February 22, 1998, a few hours later, it can-not be ruled out that power has been exer-cised for purpose not warranted by law.”
As ordered by the Supreme Court, acomposite floor-test was undertaken in theUttar Pradesh Assembly where Kalyan Singhcarried the day. Thereafter, within a few days,the Governor submitted his resignation,which was just a few months before his tenurewas to come to an end.
In yet another case in Uttarakhand, theGovernor had fixed the date for the ChiefMinister to seek a vote of confidence but aday before it, the Assembly was suspendedunder Article 356. The suspension wasoverruled by the High Court and when thematter went up to the Supreme Court, a datefor a floor-test and the modalities for con-ducting the same were assigned. The law andjudicial secretary of the Government wasentrusted the task of overseeing the processof voting where the sitting Government wonthe confidence of the House. Here also, thedate for the Assembly to be convened and theagenda for its proceedings was fixed by theSupreme Court.
In the case of Arunachal Pradesh, in alandmark judgement, the Supreme Court ledby Chief Justice of India, Justice Khehar, alongwith Justice Misra and Justice Madan Lokur,restored the status quo of the Assembly asprior to the declaration of President’s Rule.The Governor’s decision to advance theSession from January, 14, 2016, to December16, 2015, was quashed as also the President’sRule. This also led to the resignation of theGovernor and restoration of the Nabam TukiGovernment.
It would not be out of place to mentionthat in the four cases discussed above, oneGovernor was a politician and the other threewere from the IAS, IPS and IFS. From timeto time, instances have come to noticewhere the principles laid in the Bommaijudgement have not been followed byGovernors and as such, wherever and when-ever warranted, despite the provisions ofArticle 212, where courts are not to enquireinto proceedings of the legislature, theSupreme Court has assumed a proactive roleto ensure the majesty of the Constitution.
(The writer is a former Governor and aSenior Advisor at the Pranab MukherjeeFoundation)
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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Organ donors a far cry” (August14). It is interesting but sad to learnthat a vast majority of Indian organdonors are women. As a matter offact, cadaveric organs can serve asan alternative but they are scarce-ly donated due to socio-culturalattitudes, among other reasons,thus necessitating a huge demandto be met mostly by consenting liv-ing donors.
With rare availability, onlyone to four per cent of the thou-sand patients waiting for trans-plantation get lucky. Regainingpeople’s trust is of utmost impor-tance if we want to increaseorgan donation and transplanta-tion rates. This is hardly said thandone in today’s materialistic worldwhen it is difficult to reposeblind faith. To allay fears, themedical world must ensure arobust network for swift transportof the organs besides raisingawareness so that more and morepeople sign up for organ dona-tion. A centralised data system,which indicates the demand andsupply gap, is needed.
CV Krishna ManojHyderabad
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Sir — As we celebrateIndependence Day, besideshoisting the national flag, recit-ing the national anthem, singingpatriotic songs and organising
social and cultural events, wemust also sincerely rememberthe sacrifices made by our free-dom fighters, who bravelyfought for our country’s inde-pendence.
It is a pity that after celebra-tions, the country’s national flag
is strewn on the streets and peo-ple, irrespective of caste, creed,colour or religion, blithely walkover them. As Indians, we mustrespect our national flag, nation-al song and national anthem.
Jubel D’CruzMumbai
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Sir — Television channels andnewspapers are filled with reportstalking about how under a virtu-al communications blackout sinceAugust 5, Kashmiris had to makea beeline to phone booths withhopes to connect with their fam-ily and friends and enquire aboutthe well-being of their near anddear ones. But has anyone everspared a thought about our sol-diers, who do not get to speak totheir family members back homefor weeks together? No one talksabout their plight.
P ArihanthSecunderabad
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Sir — The grand old party can-not separate itself from theNehru-Gandhi family due to thelack of an acceptable second-rungleader. Even if there are dynam-ic leaders who can lead, they areconfined to the States.
PadmanabhanVia email
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With Prime MinisterNarendra Modi complet-ing 75 days today in hissecond avatar as thenation’s helmsman, he
speaks extensively to IANS on his priori-ties going forward and also touches uponvarious sensitive issues varying fromJammu & Kashmir (J&K), medicalreforms, criticality of education to takingthe knife to the malaise of corruption with-in the bureaucracy. In an extensive con-versation, the Prime Minister walksthrough the most contentious issues fac-ing India and his remedies for maladies.
You complete 75 days of yourGovernment today. Every Governmentpasses through such milestone numbersand talks about steps taken. Why shouldwe think your Government is any differ-ent?
We have set an unprecedented pacewithin just the first few days of ourGovernment. What we have been able toachieve is the result of “Spasht Neeti, SahiDisha (Right Intentions, Clear Policy).” Inthe first 75 days of our Government, a lothas happened. From children’s safety toChandrayaan-II, from action against cor-ruption to freeing Muslim women fromthe scourge of triple talaq, from Kashmirto kisan, we have shown what a resoluteGovernment with a strong mandate of thepeople can achieve. We have taken a head-start in tackling the most pressing issue ofour times, with the formation of Jal ShaktiMinistry for a mission mode and integrat-ed approach to improve water supply andaugment water conservation.
Did the unprecedented mandatehelp you firm up your commitment tothe people with an unstinting resolve thatreform has to percolate down? Andhave you used your political heft by goingbeyond the executive and using themandate in the legislature?
In a way, it is also the result of theGovernment coming back with a strongermandate. What we were able to achieve inthe first 75 days was the outcome of therobust base we were able to build in thelast five years. Hundreds of reforms in thelast five years have ensured the country isnow ready to take off, powered by the aspi-rations of the people. The first session ofthe 17th Lok Sabha has been a record-cre-ating one — it was the most productive ses-sion since 1952. This is not a minorachievement but, in my view, a historicturn for the better and one which will makeour Parliament much more responsive tothe needs and aspirations of the people.
Many momentous initiatives havebeen taken such as pension schemes forfarmers and traders, reform of the med-ical sector, important amendments in theInsolvency and Bankruptcy code, begin-ning of labour reforms, I could go on andon... But the gist of the matter is that whenthe intentions are right, there is clarity ofpurpose and implementation and whenthere is people’s support, then there’s nolimit to what we can do.
Your decision on Article 370 hasbeen welcomed by many and also beenopposed by a few. There seems to be anuneasy calm at the moment. Why doyou think the people of J&K will standwith you?
Please see the list of people who haveopposed the decisions about Kashmir —the usual vested interest groups, politicaldynasties, those who sympathise with ter-ror and some friends in the Opposition.The people of India, irrespective of whattheir political preference is, have support-ed the steps taken in Jammu, Kashmir andLadakh. This is about the nation, not pol-itics. The people of India are seeing thattough but essential decisions that wereearlier assumed to be impossible arebecoming a reality. It is now clear toeveryone how Articles 370 and 35(A) fullyisolated Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.The status quo of seven-long decadesclearly could not fulfill people’s aspira-tions. Citizens were kept away from thefruits of development. The greatest casu-alty was the lack of any proper econom-ic avenues to increase earnings. Ourapproach is different — instead of thevicious cycle of poverty, the people needmore economic opportunities.
What is your message for the peopleof J&K in the new dispensation, unshack-led and unfettered to reap the future ofreform in India, one replete with jobs anda better life?
For years, intimidation ruled the roost.Let us now give development a chance. Mysisters and brothers of Jammu, Kashmir andLadakh always wanted a better future forthem but Article 370 did not enable it. Therewas injustice against women and children,ST as well as SC communities. And, mostimportantly, the innovative zeal of the peo-ple of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh was notharnessed. Now, from BPOs to startups,from food processing to tourism, manyindustries can avail investment and createopportunities for the local youth. Educationand skill development will also bloom. Iwant to clearly assure my sisters and broth-ers of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh thatthese regions will develop as per the wish-es of local people, their dreams and ambi-tions. The growth of these regions will firstand foremost be powered by those belong-ing to these regions. Articles 370 and 35(A)were like chains that kept people tied. Thesechains are now broken, people have beenunshackled from such dominance andthey will now shape their own destiny.
Those who are opposing the decisions
on J&K should answer one basic question:What is their defence for Articles 370 and35(A) remaining? They would have noanswer to this question. And these are thesame people who are used to protestingwhen it comes to anything that helps com-mon people. There is a project to providewater to people, they will oppose it. Thereis a railway track being built, they willoppose that. Their heart only beats forMaoists and terrorists, who have only bul-lied common citizens. Today, every Indianis fully standing with the people of Jammu,Kashmir and Ladakh and I am confidentthey will stand with us in the aim to boostdevelopment and bring peace.
But aren’t there concerns aboutdemocracy? Will the voice of the peopleof Kashmir be heard?
Kashmir has never witnessed such astrong commitment in favour of democra-cy. Remember the turnout during thepanchayat elections? The people voted inlarge numbers and did not get cowed bybullying. In November and December of2018, there were 35,000 sarpanches elect-ed and the turnout in the panchayat elec-tions was a record 74 per cent. There wasno violence during the panchayat elections.Not a drop of blood was shed in poll vio-lence. This, when the main parties there,were lukewarm to this entire exercise. It isvery satisfying that now panchayats are backat the forefront of furthering developmentand human empowerment.
Imagine, for so many years those inpower did not find it prudent to worktowards strengthening panchayats. Andremember, they gave great sermons ondemocracy but the words never led toaction. It surprised and saddened me thatthe 73rd amendment did not apply to J&K.How could such injustice be tolerated? Itwas in the last few years that panchayats inJ&K got more powers to work towards peo-ple’s progress and various subjects trans-ferred to panchayats under the 73rd amend-ment were transferred to panchayats of J&K.Now, I have requested the HonourableGovernor to work towards organisingBlock Panchayat elections, too.
Recently, the J&K administration con-ducted the “Back to Village” programme,where the entire Government machinerywent to the people instead of vice versa.They went just to mitigate people’s prob-lems. The common citizens appreciated theprogramme. The results of these efforts arefor all to see. Swachh Bharat, rural elec-trification and other such initiatives arereaching the grassroots. This is whatdemocracy truly is. In any case, I haveassured people that elections in Jammu,Kashmir will continue and it is the peo-ple of these regions only who will repre-sent the larger public. Yes, those who ruledKashmir thinking it is their divine right todo so will dislike democratisation and ped-dle incorrect narratives. They do notwant a self-made, younger leadership toemerge. These are the same people whoseown conduct in the 1987 elections has beensuspect. Article 370 has helped the localpolitical class avoid transparency andaccountability. Its removal will onlyempower democracy even more.
You have appeared in Man Vs Wild.What prompted you to appear in this veryunconventional show for a politician?
Sometimes it is good to do somethingunconventional to highlight a conven-tional cause. I believe that it is always a goodtime to speak and act for the right cause.Every community, every State, every coun-
try, every region has a cause dear to it. ButI believe the cause of environment conser-vation is larger than the sum total of all caus-es affecting select groups of people. Thisaffects every single human being, every sin-gle herb and bush, every single animal onthe planet today. It is a test of humankindof how fast and how effectively can we riseabove our self interests to think about glob-al interest.
India has a great tradition of living inharmony with nature. Across the country,across States and cultures, various aspectsof nature are considered holy, automatical-ly helping in its preservation. This is in away a natural conservation mechanisminbuilt in our country. Our upbringing issuch that we are trained to co-exist withnature. We just need to remember theseideals. I think we are also succeeding as therecent released figures show an impressiveincrease in the tiger population. The pro-gramme was a good medium to showIndia’s flora and fauna, along with its beau-ty and its richness to the world. India isblessed with innumerable places for peo-ple, who love nature, places rich in vari-ous forms of vegetation, places rich withvarious forms of wildlife. The last five yearshave seen an increase of almost 50 per centin terms of the foreign tourist arrivals inour country. I am confident that with var-ious initiatives planned to boost infrastruc-ture, connectivity and safety we will seeeven more tourists coming in from acrossthe world to experience the beauty ofIncredible India.
There has been some noise on themedical reforms front from variousquarters. Do you think the changes youhave brought in are well thoughtthrough?
When we formed the Government in2014, there were many concerns about theexisting system of medical education.Earlier, courts have used strong words forthe institution overseeing medical educa-tion in India, calling it a “den of corrup-tion.” A parliamentary committee did rig-orous study and took a very dull view ofthe state of affairs in medical education.It pointed out mismanagement, lack oftransparency and arbitrariness. EarlierGovernments, too, had given a thought toreforming this sector but could not gothrough with it. We decided to go throughwith it because this is not a matter that canbe taken lightly as it concerns the healthof our people and future of our youth. So,we set up an expert group to look into whatis plaguing it. The expert group studied thesystem carefully and brought out theproblems and improvement areas. It isbased on the suggestions from experts thatwe came to the current Bill.
Why is there so much hullabalooabout the Bill then?
The National Medical Commission(NMC) is a far-reaching reform in thisspace and seeks to correct prevalent prob-lems. It contains multiple reforms that curbavenues of corruption and boost trans-parency. At a time when nations are look-ing at India to power the next wave ofgrowth in the world, we realise that thiscan happen only with a healthy populace.Freeing the poor from the vicious cycle ofpoverty that lack of health perpetuates isvery important. The NMC serves this pur-pose well, too. It will ensure transparen-cy, accountability and quality in the gov-ernance of medical education in thecountry. It aims to lessen the burden onstudents, increase the number of medical
seats and reduce cost of medical education.This means more talented youth can takeup medicine as a profession and this willhelp us increase the number of medicalprofessionals.
Ayushman Bharat is bringing about arevolution in the healthcare sector. It isincreasing awareness as well as affordabil-ity of quality healthcare, especially in tier-II and tier-III towns. We are also workingto ensure that there is at least one medicalcollege between every three districts.With rising awareness about healthcare,increasing incomes and greater focus onaspirational goals among people, we willneed thousands and thousands of doctorsto fulfill the demand, especially in ruraland urban areas. The NMC seeks toaddress these issues for a better outcomefor all stakeholders. You must have alsoread that the academic year 2019-20 willsee the biggest addition of medical seatsin Government colleges in a single yearwith the creation of around two dozen newGovernment medical colleges. Ourroadmap is clear — a transparent, acces-sible and affordable medical education sys-tem, leading to better healthcare outcomes.
Education is critical for a youngnation. However, in the conversationssurrounding your Government, educa-tion seems missing. What is theGovernment doing on this?
Education is not just critical but themost important component in the over-all spectrum of skilled human resource fora technology-oriented, inclusive, people-centric and people-driven growth model.It not only has the potential to positivelytransform lives but also has a bearing onthe future of the nation.
We are working on all aspects of edu-cation. At the school level, special focus isbeing paid to improving quality of educa-tion, improving learning outcomes, givinga boost to innovation and scientific tem-per, improving infrastructure, using tech-nology to improve understanding amongthe students. We are trying to leveragetechnology like Artificial Intelligence andmachine learning to improve school edu-cation. In higher education, we are con-stantly striving to increase seats, increasepresence of premier institutions across thecountry, give more autonomy to institu-tions while boosting research and innova-tion. We set up a Higher EducationFinancing Agency (HEFA) with an aim toprovide funds up to one lakh crore rupeesby 2022. A sum of �21,000 crore hasalready been sanctioned till now. Sixtyhigher educational institutions, including52 universities, have been granted auton-omy.
These universities will remain withinthe ambit of the University GrantsCommission (UGC) but will have the free-dom to start new courses, off campus cen-tres, skill development courses, researchparks and any other new academic pro-grammes. They will also have the freedomto hire foreign faculty, enroll foreign stu-dents, give incentive-based emoluments tothe faculty, enter into academic collabo-rations and run open distance learningprogrammes. Progress has been also madein taking forward the mission of NationalEducation Policy (NEP). The first draft ofNEP got lakhs of inputs and suggestionsright from the block and panchayat level.Looking at the response and interest of var-ious stakeholders, the committee went foranother round of consultations.
The latest draft of the education pol-
icy, drawn after such extensive consulta-tions, has again been put in the publicdomain for a final round of inputs. Allstakeholders in education — the States,parents, teachers, students and coun-selors — have been heard a multiple num-ber of times. Our focus is that the NEPshould be driven by educationists, expertsand stakeholders so that it does notremain a policy but is adopted in practiceat the earliest. India, with its huge demo-graphic dividend, has the potential tobecome a leading knowledge economy inthe world.
A couple of important decisionsrelated to corruption sent shock wavesin the bureaucracy — what message wereyou intending to send?
Since India’s independence, one of thebiggest things holding us back was corrup-tion. It spared no one, neither the rich northe poor. People resorted to corruptioneither due to some greed or to make aquick buck or due to some compulsion.But even these people wanted corruptionto stop. The question in everyone’s mindwas that who will start the fight against cor-ruption and from where? The fight againstcorruption always had the support of peo-ple, media and institutions because every-one agreed that it was a major obstacle inIndia’s development journey. And this wasnot only an issue related to money.Corruption eroded trust in the society, beit a Government office or the market. Aperson going to the police station wouldthink whether he will get justice and sim-ilarly a person buying something from themarket will fear adulteration.
We decided, right from day one, toattack the menace of corruption. Someonehad to make a start somewhere, wedecided to do this, without caring forpolitical consequences. The results showthat we are succeeding. Not only is cor-ruption coming down but trust in soci-ety is increasing. The number of peoplefiling income tax returns almost doubledin the last five years. We have systemat-ically clamped down on corruption andmade tax filing and refund processonline.
Already, refunds are being crediteddirectly to bank accounts of income-taxpayers, without any human intervention.Going a few steps further, we aim to makefaceless assessment of income tax returna reality. This would be a game-changerin ushering a new era of transparency inthe tax system. We are firm in our com-mitment that neither will we allow cor-ruption nor will we tolerate any form ofundue harassment. Hence, we took toughsteps and compulsorily retired some taxofficials in the last few weeks. In the pre-vious term also, hundreds of Governmentofficials were removed from servicewhen there were reasons to do so. Wehave also leveraged the power of technol-ogy through Direct Benefit Transfer(DBT), which has resulted in a savings ofmore than �1.4 lakh crore.
How do you see the developments inCongress where Sonia Gandhi became thepresident after Rahul Gandhi had publiclysaid that he doesn’t want any Gandhi toget the role?
What happened in the Congress is aninternal matter of their family. I would notlike to comment on it.
It was believed in 2014 that youwould not be able to establish friendlyrelations with Gulf countries, but we haveseen that India’s relations with the them
have been improving since 2014.Currently, it may not be wrong to say thatIndia’s relations with Gulf countries arethe best now in the last seven decades.How do you explain this?
I feel that there are two aspects to this.First, a certain section of people believedthat my Government — and I personally— would fail on the foreign policy front notjust in the Gulf region but also in the widercontext. The reality is that my Government’ssuccessful track record on foreign policyacross the world is there for everyone to see.In fact, after assuming office in 2014, thevery first Foreign Minister my Governmentreceived on an official visit was that of theSultanate of Oman. So, what others thoughtof me and what the reality turned out to be,is for them to introspect.
I want to focus on the second aspectinstead — the importance of the Gulf regionto India. This is a region that has deep-root-ed historical and cultural ties with India. Itis home to almost nine million Indianswhose remittances are a significant contrib-utor to our economy and they have alsocontributed immensely to prosperity in theregion. I have always found that leaders ofthe Gulf countries value the enriching pres-ence of the Indian diaspora and care fortheir well-being like a guardian.
This region is also our major partnerin ensuring our energy security. We havegone beyond a buyer-seller relationship withthem. The UAE has participated in ourstrategic petroleum reserve programme andboth the UAE and Saudi Arabia are to investin the world’s largest oil refinery project inIndia. For the first time, Indian companieshave secured rights in offshore oil fields inthe Gulf region.
I have made a special effort to focusour foreign policy on enhancing our tieswith all countries in the region. Our out-reach to the region has been unprecedent-ed, right from the official level to thepolitical level. I have myself visited theregion many times and we have also host-ed many leaders from the region in India.Some of my closest and warmest interac-tions anywhere in the world are with lead-ers in the Gulf region. We are regularlyin touch. And I think our policy has suc-ceeded to a large extent because of thisoutreach, this constant engagement. Wehave not allowed any miscommunication,any doubts to play spoilsport. We havebeen very open with all the countries andthey have also reciprocated with warmthand friendship. I firmly believe thatIndia and the Gulf countries have onlybegun to explore the true potential of apartnership, which will go far beyondmutual benefits and can anchor peace,progress and prosperity not only in ourcommon and extended neighbourhoodbut also in the larger world.
During the 2019 elections, a lot ofpeople predicted that you may not get themajority. Some said that 2014 was a BlackSwan moment. While you were campaign-ing what was your inner self saying andhow confident were you of the victory?
There is a set of people, who becauseof their prejudice, ideology or some sortcommitment, invent logic to defeat peoplethey do not like. There is a time when thereality becomes evident on the ground butthese people choose to rubbish the reality.They deploy lies and spurious data to cre-ate confusion in the minds of people. It isthese people who invent theories like BJPwill not get majority, BJP will formGovernment but will need a new leader andBJP will need newer allies, among otherthings. These people also discredit thosewho don’t toe their line. They have beencaught again and again but their behaviourremains the same.
In our country, election analysis by thisset of people takes into account parties,potential alliances, glamour of familiesbased on decades old chemistry but ignorespeople and their aspirations. In 2014 and2019, people, who chose to talk to peopleand understand their preferences, knewwhat was happening.
As for us, we don’t work to win elec-tions, we work to win trust of people.Meeting sarkari targets alone don’t achievemuch if we do not win people’s trust.“Sarkari Dhan se zyada Janta ke Man kiTaakat hota hai” (People’s views are morepowerful than government’s money). Wefocus on the welfare of the people, electionresults are a byproduct. For the last 20years, I have been actively involved in sev-eral campaigns and there has not been oneelection where my defeat has not been pre-dicted. There are doom-sayers and I wishthem well.
Talking specifically about 2019, I cantell you that I was very confident about ourelectoral prospects. This confidencestemmed out of the track record of our gov-ernment and the manner in which we havedelivered on the agenda of good governanceand development.
Wherever I went, I could see thegroundswell of support for the BJP andNDA family. The people had made up theirmind — corruption, nepotism, dynasty pol-itics are not acceptable in 21st century India.We live in the era of politics of developmentand performance, not outdated rhetoric andtokenism. To give you an example — theCongress spoke about the NYAY scheme.Perhaps, it was the biggest ever pre-electionpromise but the people saw through suchempty promises. They did not see theCongress as having the honesty and capac-ity to deliver on such a scheme. No won-der those, who promised �72,000, could noteven manage 72 seats!
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MLAs joined BJP, SikkimDemocratic Front (SDF), suf-fered further jolt onWednesday when two otherlegislators of the party switchedover to the ruling SikkimKrantikari Morcha (SKM).
The SDF, which ruledSikkim for nearly 25 years, isnow left with just one MLA-Pawan Kumar Chamling- whohas also been the party supre-mo since its formation 26 yearsago.
MLAs — GT Dhungel andEm Prasad Sharma — onWednesday announced joiningSikkim Krantikari Morcha(SKM) at a press conference.
On Tuesday 10 SDF MLAshad deserted the party andjoined Bhartiya Janata Party inthe national capital.
"We have joined the SKMas we feel comfortable with itsleadership and agendas,"
Dhungel and Sharma toldreporters here.
With the joining of twoSDF MLAs, the strength of theruling SKM has gone up to 18,while the BJP has 10 MLAs andthe SDF is left with one MLA.
The saffron party has nowbecome the main opposition inthe state, where it had not wona single seat in the Assemblypolls held in April this year.
The 32-member SikkimLegislative Assembly presentlyhas 29 MLAs after three legis-lators vacated one seat each onbeing elected from two con-stituencies.
The two MLAs, whocrossed over to SKM, had ear-lier revolted against the SDFleadership by attending theBudget session of the SikkimLegislative Assembly thismonth in defiance of the party'sdecision to stay away from theHouse. PTI
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Noida (UP): Around 200 fam-ilies in a residential complex hereheaved a sigh of relief onWednesday after the UnionBank of India withdrew evictionnotices it had issued to themover non-payment of a loan of�78 crore by the builder.
The State-run bank had onAugust 5 issued the notices tothe residents of Garden Gatewayin Sector 75, asking them tovacate their houses by August 20,the apartment owners' associa-tion had said.
The bank, however, with-drew the notices on Wednesdayevening after there was outrageover the matter.
Referring to its notices to theflat owners, the bank's assetrecovery branch, Delhi, stated ina communication to them "wehereby inform you that the saidintimation dated August 5, 2019,has been withdrawn with imme-diate effect".
According to the bank'snotices, the housing project wasmortgaged as security by thebuilder of Gardenia IndiaLimited for the loan. The dueamount stood at �78.45 lakh on
December 31, 2015, and inter-est thereon.
The notices had said that thebank was initiating action sincethe borrower had "defaulted inpayment of the said amount". Itasked the flat owners to "vacatethe premises within 15 days ofreceipt of the notice to avoid anyfurther inconvenience". Earlier,the apartment owners' associa-tion had claimed that the resi-dents had made full payment fortheir flats and were not aware ofthe builder taking the loan bymortgaging the project.
"The bank had given a loanof �78 crore to Gardenia IndiaLimited four years ago for con-struction (of the society).However, the construction of theproject was already complete (bythen). Several people had madefull payments and purchasedflats in the society around fouryears ago," said a statementsigned by the association's pres-ident BS Lavania, vice presidentAK Jaiswal and secretary RakeshKumaria.
The flat owners had notbeen informed about this loangiven by the bank to the "fraud
builder", it said. The association had alleged
that the builder "diverted funds"instead of repaying the loan andthe flat owners were being"unnecessarily harassed".
Residents of the societywere relieved after the bankwithdrew its notice.
"It's total relief now. There'sno more fear," Jaiswal, who hasbeen living in the society for thelast three years, told PTI.
"Some problems stillremain. The project does nothave an occupancy certificate(OC) from the Noida Authorityand flat owners do not have reg-istry for their properties and wehope that the issues are sortedsoon," he said.
"The builder had promisedfacilities like swimming pool andclub in the society but is yet todeliver on that," he added.
Another resident claimedthat the builder owes crores indues to the Noida Authority andthat is why the registries have notbeen done. When contacted, aNoida Authority spokespersondeclined to comment on thematter. PTI
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Chhtradhar Mahato, a pro-Maoist leader and the face
of Lalgarh movement, whomade an abortive bid on thelife of the then West BengalChief Minister BuddhadebBhattacharjee in 2008, got amajor reprieve on Thursdayfrom the Calcutta High Court,which commuted his life sen-tence to 10 years in prison.
Along with Mahato, thelife sentence of other pro-Maoist leaders Sambhu Soren,Sukh Shanti Baskey and SagunMurmu was also reduced to 10years. Accordingly the sen-tence of these leaders who stillenjoy good following in theJangal Mahal area will end onSeptember 25. They werearrested during the Left Frontregime in September 2009and booked under UnlawfulActivities Prevention Act(UAPA).
Apart from commutingtheir sentences, the DivisionBench of Justice MumtazKhan and Jay Sengupta acquit-ted two other alleged ultraLeftist ideologues Raja Sorkheland Prasun Chatterjee whowere serving life sentence forwant of evidence.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh policehas issued directives barringany “spill-over” of religiousactivities, like offering of‘namaz’ and ‘aarti’, on roads inthe State, citing hindrance tomovement of traffic.
Earlier, similar directiveswere issued in Aligarh afterHindu organisations had givena call for holding 'HanumanChalisa' recital on roads. Theywere protesting the offering ofFriday namaz on roads byMuslim congregations nearmosques.
"Directives have beenissued to ensure that the spill-over of activities like namaz oraarti do not come on the roadshindering movement of vehic-ular traffic and this will beimplemented all over the state,"Uttar Pradesh DirectorGeneral of Police Om PrakashSingh said on Wednesday.
The DGP said that verbalorders have also been issued toorganise peace committeemeetings to see that this direc-tive is enforced in a harmo-nious manner.
Referring to similar direc-tives which are already in placein Aligarh and Meerut dis-tricts, he said these will beextended to all cities and townsin the state and expressed thehope that it will have a goodimpact. PTI
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J&K Governor Satya PalMalik in his Independence
day address on Wednesdaysaid the changes brought out bythe Union Government arenot just historic but haveopened a new vista of devel-opment for the people ofJammu & Kashmir and thepeople of Ladakh.
He said for the past 70years, the common people of theState have been distracted on thecore issues of economic devel-opment, peace and prosperity.Rather than focus on these, peo-ple have been misled aboutissues which are not material totheir lives. It is amazing thatwhether it is an election or oth-erwise, the public discoursenever focussed on issues ofRoti, Kapada and Makan.
He said, "with thesechanges, the veil has beenremoved. This will speed upeconomic growth and pros-
perity, promote good gover-nance, usher in self sufficien-cy, provide enhanced jobopportunities and more impor-tantly bring a feeling of belong-ing and oneness amongst theresidents of Jammu & Kashmir,with the rest of the country.
Giving an assurance to thepeople of Jammu & Kashmir,Malik said that their identity isnot at stake nor has been tam-pered with. The Constitutionof India allows many regionalidentities to thrive and prosper.If you travel from Kashmir to
Kanyakumari, one will seewide range of languages, cul-tures, religions and societies.Therefore, no one should getworried that their identity willbe lost with the measures takenby the Union Government. Infact this opportunity can beused to promote the tradition-al cultures, values and lan-guages in the State. Kashmiri,Dogri, Gojri, Pahari, Balti,Sheena and other languageswill have opportunity to thrivein the new set up. Varioustribes and castes in the Statewho have not had politicalrepresentation will find prop-er representation.
He said, a long pendingdemand of the people ofLadakh has also been fulfilledwith the formation of a UnionTerritory of Ladakh. This willenable the people of Ladakh torealise their aspirations inspiteof the problems they face onaccount of the large and diffi-cult terrain.
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Srinagar: Former IAS officerShah Faesal on Wednesdaywas sent back to Kashmirfrom the Delhi airport anddetained here under thePublic Safety Act (PSA), offi-cials said.
Faesal, who was bound forIstanbul, was detained at theairport during the interveningnight of Tuesday andWednesday, they said.
His purpose of visitingturkey was not immediacyknown, they said.
The former bureaucratfrom Jammu & Kashmir hadfloated a political outfit afterresigning from the IndianAdministrative Service (IAS).
After being detained at theDelhi airport, he was againdetained under the PSA on hisarrival in Srinagar, the officialssaid.
Post the removal of specialstatus to Jammu & Kashmir,provided under Article 370,Faesal had said Kashmir isexperiencing an "unprece-dented" lockdown and itseight million population"incarcerated" like neverbefore.
He is among the last polit-ical leaders who have beenplaced under house arrest.
Faesal is the president ofthe J&K Peoples Movementparty. PTI
Detained under PSA in Srinagar
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Ganderbal (J&K): Dismissingconcerns about Jammu &Kashmir becoming two UnionTerritories, former PDP leaderFarooq Ahmed Dar says thereis no harm if people benefitfrom it.
He cited the example ofNew Delhi, asserting that thenational Capital has continuedto develop even though itschief minister Arvind Kejriwalis frequently locked in con-frontations with the UnionGovernment.
“If people can benefit froma UT status, what's the harm?"he asked, pointing out that thestate has never developedbeyond being a "consumerstate" since 1947.
“We were a consumer statein 1947 and are a consumerstate in 2019. We were depen-dent on outside supply and weare dependent even now,” Dartold PTI.
He suggested that the state'slack of self reliance was because
of inept leadership provided bysuccessive state governmentsonce Sheikh Abdullah left thescene.
Acknowledging the role ofSheikh Abdullah, who became'Prime Minister' of Jammu &Kashmir in 1948 and went onto found the NationalConference, Dar said “he wasthe tallest leader who led thepeople of Jammu and Kashmirinto accepting India". "Everyone accepted it," he said.
Dar, popularly known as“Farooq Ganderbali”, resignedrecently as distinct president ofthe Peoples Democratic Party.
He also hit out at PDP chiefand former chief ministerMehbooba Mufti and her pre-decessor, National Conference'sOmar Abdullah, for misguidingpeople of the State.
“What has been left ofArticle 370... What are wecrying for? In the past 70years everything was diluted,”Dar said. PTI
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Lucknow: Neeraj Shekhar, sonof former Prime MinisterChandra Shekhar, onWednesday filed his nomina-tion papers as the BJP candi-date for Rajya Sabha bypollfrom Uttar Pradesh, and is allset to be re-elected unopposed.
"No one trusts the SP lead-ership now," the leader, whohad recently quit theSamajwadi Party and resignedfrom the Rajya Sabha seat,told reporters after filing hispapers in the presence of UPChief Minister YogiAdityanath, BJP state unitSwatantra Dev Singh and othersenior party leaders
Interestingly, senior SPleaders, including MLC RaviShankar Singh Pappu who is aclose relative of Neeraj Shekhar,were present as he submittedhis nomination papers.
Ravi Shankar Singh aliasPappu, when contacted, said hehad gone there as a familymember. "For me, family isabove party politics," Pappuadded.
The bypoll was necessitat-ed due to Neeraj Shekhar'sresignation from Rajya Sabhato join the ruling party. Theterm of the seat is up toNovember 25, 2020.
No other candidate has
filed nomination, PrincipalSecretary, UP Assembly,Pradeep Dubey said.Wednesday was the last dayof filing of papers for theAugust 26 Rajya Sabhabypoll.
Scrutiny will be done onAugust 16 and the last datefor withdrawal of candida-ture is August 19.
Neeraj Shekhar thankedPrime Minister NarendraModi and Home MinisterAmit Shah and said that hewould try to strengthen theparty.
Attacking SamajwadiParty supremo AkhileshYadav, he said, "No one truststhe SP leadership now.Everyone knows that after theLok Sabha polls, the leader-ship is itself in grief anddoes not want to work onground."
On opposition members
joining the BJP, Shekhar said,"PM Modi works with fulldedication. And, that is whyeveryone trusts him." PTI
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In a bid to take skill trainingand entrepreneurship devel-
opment to the next level, theUnion Government intends toset up the Indian Institute ofSkills (IIS) in Mumbai.
Talking to media personsafter Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis for a discussion on theproposed initiative, Minister forSkill Development andEntrepreneurship (MSDE) DrMahendra Nath Pandey saidthat the Government was work-ing towards fulfilling PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s vision
of setting up world-class SkillTraining Institutes in India andenabling the young generationto acquire skills at par with glob-al standards. He said the firststep was being taken in the formof Indian Institute of Skills (IIS).
“The idea was conceived byour Prime Minister during hisvisit to Singapore’s Institute ofTechnical Education. We will laythe foundation stone for IISsoon,” the Minister said.
Earlier in the day, Pandeyvisited the National SkillTraining Institute (NSTI),Mumbai, where he reviewedthe IIS project and discussed its
progress at length. TheMinister said the project wouldbe executed in PPP modewherein construction would bedone by TEDT.
“The Govt has provided 4.5acres of land for the project andthe Tata Group will investaround �300 crore. Work onthe project is expected to startby September. On completion,IIS will have a capacity oftraining 10,000 trainees.Besides traditional areas, theinstitute will provide skilling invarious areas including securi-ty, aerospace, iron and naturalgas,” Pandey said.
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India’s exports growth turnedpositive in July, spurting 2.25
per cent, while trade deficitnarrowed to a four-month lowof $13.43 billion, governmentdata showed on Wednesday.
Exports increased to $26.33 billion in July as against$25.75 billion in the samemonth last year.
Decline in overall imports,including oil and gold, led tonarrowing of the trade deficit— the difference betweenimports and exports.
Trade deficit in July 2018stood at $18.63 billion. The pre-vious low was in March 2019,when this gap was at $10.89 bil-lion.
Gold imports declined 42.2per cent to $1.71 billion in July.Oil imports fell 22.15 per centto $9.6 billion, while non-oilslipped by 5.92 per cent to$30.16 billion.
Export sectors that showedpositive growth in the lastmonth included chemical, ironore, electronics, marine prod-ucts and pharmaceuticals.
However, shipments ofsome key sectors recorded neg-ative growth, including gems
and jewellery(- 6.82 percent), engi-n e e r i n ggoods (- 1.69per cent) andp e t r o l e u mproducts (- 5per cent),according tothe data.
Cumulatively, duringApril-July 2019, exports dipped0.37 per cent to $107.41 billion,while imports contracted by3.63 per cent to $166.8 billion.
Trade deficit during thefour-month period narrowedto $59.39 billion as comparedto $65.27 billion in the sameperiod last fiscal.
Oil imports in April-July2019-20 were at $44.45 billion,which was 5.69 per cent loweras compared to $47.13 billionin the same period last year.
Commenting on the data,Federation of Indian ExportOrganisations (FIEO) said thesluggish global demand anduncertainties emanating fromtariff wars are clearly visible inthe slowdown in exports acrossthe globe.
“Domestic issues includingaccess to credit, cost of creditespecially for merchantexporters, interest equalisationsupport to all agri exports,benefits on sales to foreigntourists and quick refund ofGST should be seriously looked
into,” FIEO President SharadKumar Saraf said.
Trade Promotion Councilof India (TPCI) ChairmanMohit Singla said to someextent this export growth ispartially on account of rupee,which has depreciated by about3.5 per cent in the past sixweeks, which gives an impetusfor short-term export gains.
“Since the consumptionrates in India have plummet-ed, demand has beensqueezed, especially for pre-cious stones and electronicgoods,” Singla said. India’sexports growth entered thenegative zone after a gap ofeight months in June, record-ing a decline of 9.71 per cent,amid global headwinds.
The World Bank in itsGlobal Economic Prospects(June 2019) has projectedweakening of global trade in2019.
Global trade is projected togrow at 2.6 per cent this year,a full percentage point below itsprevious forecast.
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The recent steps by theReserve Bank to encourage
banks to increase lending tonon-banking finance compa-nies and retail borrowers arelikely to rise risks for the sec-tor, warns a report.
Earlier this month, the cen-tral bank announced threemajor steps to encourage banksto lend more to liquidity starvedNBFCs — an increase in thesingle-exposure limit to 20 per-cent of tier 1 capital (from 15percent); priority lending statusfor credit to NBFIs for on-lend-ing to finance agriculture, smallbusinesses and home-buyers;and a reduction in the riskweight for consumer loans(except credit cards) to 100 per-cent from 125 percent.
Global rating agency Fitchsaid Wednesday these initia-tives are designed to help keepcredit flowing to the real econ-omy amid growing signs of aslowdown.
“Averting a significantslowdown would help borrow-ers and therefore the stability ofthe financial system, but themeasures could push up banks’risk if these steps lead banks toaccept higher credit risk thanthey previously had the appetitefor,” the agency said.
The constant nudging ofbanks to lend more to NBFCsis in contrast to the global trendof authorities trying to breakthe linkages between banks
and NBFCs, it noted andargued that it increases thepotential of risks in NBFCsspilling over to banks, exacer-bated by the limited capacity ofthe capital markets to provideextra funding to NBFCs.
The parallel banking sectorhas been under significantfunding pressure as investorsshy away following the defaultof IL&FS last September andthe resultant troubles at DewanHousing early this year.
NBFC disbursements havedeclined steeply as a result, withknock-on effects to other sec-tors, particularly consumption,it noted. Reduced availability offinancing has contributed tothe slowdown in the auto sec-tor, with vehicle sales in Julyfalling 31 percent, the worst intwo decade.
“Some of the pressure onNBFIs will be alleviated ifbanks start to direct morefunding to them, but we expectmost of the benefit will go onlyto the strongest of them,” theagency said. The reduction inthe risk weight for consumerloans will give a small boost tobanks’ regulatory capital ratios(estimate 1.3 percentage pointson average), it said.
“This will enable banks tolend slightly more for each unitof capital, which would bepositive for loan growth butnegative for their overall cred-it profile if the extra lending isriskier than average,” the reportsaid.
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Of the 169 domestic sub-sidiaries of the bankrupt
IL&FS Group, the resolutionprofessional has classified 55as green in its fifth progressreport submitted to the NCLTas none of them had anydefaults/pending overdues, orany issues with cash-flow fromits operations.
These 169 entities havebeen classified into three cat-egories — green, amber andred — based on their cashflows in the last 12 months,according to a filing by the RPto the tribunal Thursday.
Asp per the filing, 13 enti-ties are classified amber as theyare not able to meet financialobligations during the periodand could only meet opera-tional payments obligations.
Further, 82 entities areclassified as red, while 8 aregoing in for liquidation andclassification of 11 are cur-rently underway, it added.
The IL&FS board, headedby banker Uday Kotak, alsosaid the ‘red’ entities owe�61,375 crore, while the‘amber’ entities owe �16,372.6crore and ‘green’ owe �11,022.9crore. And the 11 entities yetto be classified, owe a debt of�5,895.9 crore.
The progress report alsosaid assets for which saleprocess has been launched sofar (except certain non-coreassets) account for about�50,000 crore of the total out-standing fund-based debt of�94,000 crore.
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Suggesting substantialchanges to competition reg-
ulatory framework, aGovernment-constituted highlevel panel has recommendeda green channel for automaticapproval of certain combina-tions, including those underthe insolvency law, by theCompetition Commission.
Under the CompetitionAct, combinations (mergersand acquisitions) beyond acertain threshold require clear-ance from the CompetitionCommission of India (CCI).
The Competition LawReview Committee, chairedby Corporate Affairs SecretaryInjeti Srinivas, has recom-mended a slew of changeswith respect to the Act.
The panel has suggested a“green channel route” for auto-matic approval of certain com-binations.
“Parties to the combina-tion may self-assess, based onspecified criteria and pre-filingconsultation with the CCI,whether they qualify for noti-fication under the GreenChannel,” the report, uploadedon the corporate affairs min-istry website, said.
Green Channel routeshould be the de facto route formerger notification andapproval for majority cases.The government can formulatea detailed eligibility criteria inconsultation with the CCI.
“Combinations arising outof the insolvency resolutionprocess under the IBC(Insolvency and BankruptcyCode) should be eligible for the
Green Channel,” the panelsaid.
The mandatory 30-daytimeline for completion of thefirst phase of review of com-bination cases should beincluded in the Act itself, thereport said.
“This timeline would con-tinue to govern combinationsthat are not eligible for the pro-posed Green Channel,” itadded.
Another recommendationis that all permissible timeexclusions from the 210-daytimeline for assessment ofmergers have to be codified inthe Act itself in order to pro-vide certainty and transparen-cy in the process.
The panel also suggestedthat the regulator’s power beenhanced to impose penaltyfor false statement.
To address issues related tojurisdictions when it comes todigital markets, the panel hassuggested that a “size of trans-action or deal value” thresholdcould be introduced for noti-fication of combinations underthe Act.
“The committee focusedon furthering ease of doingbusiness, encouraging startupsand meeting the challenges ofthe new economy,” an officialrelease said.
On Wednesday, Srinivassubmitted the report toFinance and Corporate AffairsMinister Nirmala Sitharaman.
A ranking system for stateson the basis of competitivenessof their laws and policies in thecontext of competition hasalso been suggested by thepanel.
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Wholesale price-basedinflation declined for
the third consecutive month toa 25-month low of 1.08 percent in July, mainly on accountof subdued prices of fooditems, fuel and manufacturedproducts, government datashowed on Wednesday.
The wholesale price index(WPI)-based inflation was at2.02 per cent in June this yearand 5.27 per cent in July 2018.
The previous low for WPIinflation was 0.9 per cent inJune 2017.
The consumer price index(CPI)-based retail inflation,which the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) takes into accountwhile deciding its monetarypolicy, eased marginally to3.15 per cent for July, indicat-ing room for further rate cutin monetary policy in October.
Although the RBI doesnot take into account the WPIwhile deciding its monetarypolicy, steep decline in whole-sale inflation rate to 1.08 percent will strengthen the casefor a further rate cut in thenext policy decision inOctober.
The inflation in food arti-cles — with over 15 per centweightage in WPI basket —stood at 6.15 per cent in July,as against 6.98 per cent in theprevious month, data released
by the Commerce Ministryshowed.
Amongst food articles,potato prices continued toslide during July at (-)23.63 percent as against (-) 24.27 percent a month earlier and veg-etable prices eased with aninflation print of 10.67 percent (from 24.76 per cent).
However, prices of fruitsmoved up by 15.38 per centduring the month as against ameagre inflation print of 1.87per cent in June this year.
Likewise, wholesale infla-tion in fuel and power seg-ment (contributing 13.15 percent) contracted further to (-) 3.64 per cent as against (-) 2.2per cent in June.
New delhi: udChalo, a UpCurve Business Services PrivateLimited, an Air Travel Online portal for Defence personnel hastied up with OYO and FabHotels to bring the hospitality serviceofferings on its platform for customers in the Armed Forces withan array of additional services to choose from. udChalothrough its new service hotel offering now has exclusive offerswith zero convenience fee available for the Indian Armed Forces,Paramilitary Forces, Veterans and Dependents. PNS
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Roger Federer and Novak Djokovicoverwhelmed opponents at the WTA-ATP Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday,
where Serena Williams withdrew because ofback trouble.
Williams had hoped to rebound from theback spasms that forced her out of the WTAfinal in Toronto on Sunday, where she lastedonly four games before retiring.
But the 23-time Grand Slam championsaid her back was “still not right” casting a fur-ther shadow on her chances at the US Openstarting in Flushing Meadows on August 26.
For Djokovic and Federer, back in actionfor the first timesince the Serb’svictory over theSwiss in theWi m b l e d o nfinal, it was asmooth start totheir US Openbuild-up.
Federer, seededthird, remained unruffled by a one-hour raininterruption at 2-2 in the second set, eventu-ally defeating Argentina’s Juan IgnacioLondero 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round atthe event he has won seven times.
“I’m very happy, even if it was a bit trickywith the rain delay,” Federer said. “I’m happyto be back on court.
“This is the start of a long, long hardcourtswing. It’s good to begin with a win.
“I didn’t know that much about my oppo-nent — he’s new to the tour — but at the endyou have to concentrate on your own game.”
Defending champion Djokovic doublefaulted three times as he dropped serve in theopening game against Sam Querrey butquickly put things right and pulled away fora 7-5, 6-1 victory over the American.
“I ended the match well even if the startwas nervy,” said Djokovic, who would breakQuerrey twice to take the first set then roll tovictory.
“Sam was feeling comfortable on the courtat the start and dictating. It was tough facinghis big serve,” Djokovic said.
He added that he is “hoping for a betterperformance in the next round,” when he’ll
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Former champion Samantha Stosurand teenage Wimbledon sensation
Coco Gauff highlight the list of US Openwildcards announced on Tuesday.
Gauff, 15, reached the Wimbledonmain draw through qualifying then upsetfive-time champion Venus Williams in thefirst round before falling to eventualchampion Simona Halep in the fourthround.
Gauff is joined by four other teenagersamong eight wildcard invitees: a trio of 17-year-old Americans in Caty McNally,Whitney Osuigwe and Katie Volynets and16-year-old French player Diane Parry.
Stosur, meanwhile, brings a veteranpresence. The 35-year-old Aussie won thetitle in Flushing Meadows in 2011 and hasreached the quarter-finals on two otheroccasions.
Other women’s wildcards went to for-mer US collegiate champion Francesca DiLorenzo and three-time StanfordUniversity All-American and New Jerseynative Kristie Ahn.
On the men’s side, Americans BjornFratangelo, Marcos Giron, ChristopherEubanks and Jack Sock join US OpenWild Card Challenge winner ErnestoEscobedo and 2019 US Tennis AssociationBoys’ 18s National Champion ZacharySvajda as main draw wild card recipients.
Antoine Hoang was awarded a maindraw wildcard by the French TennisFederation as part of its reciprocal agree-ment with the USTA, and TennisAustralia’s reciprocal agreement maindraw wild card will go to a player to beannounced.
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Cricket South Africa onWednesday said Dale
Steyn is not “medically ready”to be named in the T20 squadto face India, clarifying a dayafter the veteran fast bowlerexpressed his surprise at hisexclusion.
“He is not yet medicallyready and our informationmakes that very clear,” saidCricket South Africa’s (CSA)acting director of crick-et Corrievan Zyl.
Van Zylalso statedthat VernonPhilander (hamstring) andTheunis de Bruyn (back) areexpected to be fit in time forthe three-Test series againstIndia in October.
“Both are on track, butthey will have to play onematch before the tour to provethat they are fully fit,” Van Zylsaid. On Tuesday, Steyn, whorecently retired from Test crick-et after an illustrious career,
expressed his surprise at notfinding his name in the T20squad. In a Twitter conversa-tion with a local journalist, the36-year-old informed that hehad made himself available tothe CSA but it may have hisnumber.
“I did… Obviously lostmy number in the reshuffling
of the coaching staff,” the pacegreat had written.
The scribe said, “The newselectors are obviously savingyou for the ‘big’ games. (Whoare the new selectors?).”
The pacer replied:“Apologies to Virat and a bil-lion people for thinking theynot.”
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Ross Taylor hit an unbeaten half-century to keepNew Zealand afloat after Sri Lanka spinner Akila
Dananjaya claimed five wickets on a rain-hit dayone of the first Test on Wednesday.
New Zealand were 203 for five, having recov-ered from 71-3 at lunch, when rain stopped play forthe day in the final session in Galle with Taylor bat-ting on 86.
Dananjaya, bowling with a remodelled actionafter being reported for a suspect action last year,stood out with his fourth five-wicket haul.
The mystery spinner took three early wicketsincluding skipper Kane Williamson for noughtbefore Taylor put on 100 runs for the fourth wick-et with Henry Nicholls.
Dananjaya, who was overlooked for Tests inNew Zealand, Australia and South Africa, trappedNicholls for 42 to break the century stand and thengot BJ Watling for one to make New Zealand slipfurther. Taylor handled pace and spin with aplombas he registered his 31st Test fifty and had no prob-lems picking up Dananjaya, who mixed up his deliv-eries to outfox the batsmen.
Taylor registered the highest score by a Kiwibatsman in a Test match at Galle, surpassing the 69by Tim McIntosh. New Zealand have struggled atthis venue having lost all three previous Tests.
Earlier, openers Jeet Raval and Tom Latham puton 64 runs before Dananjaya struck on a pitch thatis already offering big turn.
Latham was the first to go after being caughtbehind for 30 as Dananjaya got the left-handed bats-man to poke at a delivery that was turning away.
Williamson fell three balls later when heflicked one straight into the hands of his oppositenumber Dimuth Karunaratne at short midwicket.
In the last over before lunch, Raval failed to picka googly and was caught at first slip by Dhananjayade Silva for 33.
Both Sri Lanka and New Zealand are playingtheir first match of the World Test Championship,which has nine top teams competing for suprema-cy in the five-day format.
Play was stopped at 3.42 pm (10.12 GMT) localtime due to rain and half an hour later was calledoff with 22 overs lost in the day. Play will resumeearly on Thursday.
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Former Pakistan spinner SaqlainMushtaq has applied for the posi-
tion of head coach of the nationalUnder-19 team and will appear for aninterview on Monday with the PakistanCricket Board.
Saqlain, 42, who took 496 wicketsin 49 Tests and 169 ODIs, has respond-ed to an advertisement by the PCB thathas sought applications for the post ofhead coach of the national juniorteam, which is preparing for next
year’s World Cup.“I have applied and my interview
is next week. I just feel that I can con-tribute a lot to Pakistan cricket,” Saqlainsaid.
The off-spinner, who is an ECBLevel-3 coach, has already worked withthe New Zealand, Australian, WestIndies and Bangladesh national seniorteams as their spin consultant orcoach.
He was also recently tied up withthe England team for the World Cupand is presently with them for part ofthe ongoing Ashes series.
“I have acquired a lot of coachingexperience working around the worldbut I have worked a lot with youngplayers at Somerset and Middlesexcounties and with different academiesall over the world,” he said.
The PCB is also expected to inviteapplications for its senior team coach-ing positions after the Eid holidays. TheBoard did not renew the contracts ofhead coach Mickey Arthur and supportstaff after Pakistan failed to make theknockout stage of the ODI World Cup.
Saqlain, whose spin twin MushtaqAhmed, is also currently working as aspin coach in the West Indies, hasalways expressed his interest to workin the Pakistan cricket set-up.
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Andrew Strauss believespatience if the key as
England look to find a way todismiss star Australia batsmanSteve Smith in the ongoingAshes series.
Smith returned to Testcricket with innings of 144 and142 as Australia beat England by251 runs in the Ashes opener atEdgbaston last week.
Smith has scored five cen-turies in his past six AshesTests, averaging 139.
But former England captainStrauss, speaking to reporters,insisted England were not upagainst a superhuman in Smith.
“If you look in that firstinnings, he played and missed alot early on...I don’t think it’s acase of reinventing the wheel,” hesaid.
“You know, a good ball toother people is a good ball tohim, but maybe just a little bitwider.
“He played brilliantly, fan-tastically well. But he’s going tonick one at some point.
“Bowlers have to be pre-pared to be patient.”
James Anderson, England’sall-time leading wicket-taker,broke down with a calf injuryafter bowling just four overs atEdgbaston and the Lancashirepaceman won’t now play in thesecond Test.
“I honestly believe JamesAnderson going off after fourovers cost us the game andthere’s no blame apportioned toanyone because these thingshappen, but we had them 120 for8, we had a 90-run lead (on firstinnings) and then we were with-out your best bowler.
“Over the course of thegame that counts more andmore.”
England give a Test debut atLord’s to Jofra Archer andStrauss had high hopes for theSussex quick. “He’s got pace, he’saccurate, he’s got good variety,”said Strauss, an Ashes-winningcaptain in 2009 and 2010/11,
“I think he’s going to be afantastic England bowler andhave a long career, but he’spotentially making his debut sowe can’t expect him to be theanswer to all our prayers.”
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Jofra Archer received hisEngland Test cap but was still
to make his debut as rain saw thefirst day of Wednesday’s secondAshes match against Australiaabandoned without a ball bowledat a soaking wet Lord’s.
Chris Jordan, a Sussex team-mate, presented Archer with thecap in England’s pre-match hud-dle ahead of a revised toss at3:00pm local time (1400 GMT)— only for further rain to delaythe start once again.
With rain still lashing anincreasingly gloomy ‘home of
cricket’, umpires Aleem Dar andChris Gaffaney finally aban-doned play for the day after teaat 4:19 pm local time (1519GMT)
Jordan may only have madeeight Test appearances but he hasbeen something of a ‘cricketbrother’ for fellow Barbados-
born county colleague Archer.When the match should have
been getting underway at 11:00am (1000 GMT), the square andpitch remained fully covered.
Further rain then meanthopes of any play before lunchsoon disappeared as well.
Now officials will hope the
weather relents sufficiently forthe match to begin at the sched-uled 1000 GMT start ofThursday’s second day.
Neither England norAustralia have yet named theirteams. They are not required todo so until the toss takes place.
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Former champion Juan Martindel Potro, who had surgery in
June to repair a broken rightkneecap, won’t be ready for the USOpen, organizers said on Tuesday.
The US Tennis Associationsaid the 2009 champion fromArgentina — who was runner-upat Flushing Meadows in 2018 —will miss the tournament as he con-tinues his recovery.
Del Potro shared a video ofhimself walking on a treadmill onJuly 31.
On June 21 he had said hewould undergo surgery after break-ing the patella in his right knee forthe second time in nine months. Atthat time he said he didn’t know ifhe’d played his last match.
So it’s no surprise he won’t beat Flushing Meadows; the USTA’sannouncement merely made itofficial.
Del Potro’s withdrawal sentAmerican Denis Kudla — who waspreviously announced as a wild-card — into the main draw. TheUSTA gave that wildcard toAmerican Christopher Eubanks.
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take on Spanish qualifier PabloCarreno Busta — who withstood 32aces from John Isner and a matchpoint before beating the American6-4, 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (8/6).
Williams, meanwhile, was leftjust trying to get healthy afterpulling out of her scheduled first-round match against qualifierZarina Diyas.
“I came to Mason (Ohio) onSunday and have tried everythingto be ready to play tonight, andwas still hopeful after my practicethis morning,” Williams said in astatement released by tourna-ment officials.
“But unfortunately my back isstill not right.”
In early action, StanWawrinka won a first-round bat-t le as he eliminated 2017Cincinnati champion GrigorDimitrov 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Under leaden skies after anovernight thunderstorm,Dimitrov broke in the 12th game
of the first set to take the lead.The 33-year-old Swiss foughtback with the only break in thesecond set.
Wawrinka then raced into a5-1 lead in the final set but wast-ed two match points in the eighthgame and was broken twice whileserving for victory.
Wawrinka had to hold off hisBulgarian opponent in the final-set tiebreaker before squeezingthrough in more than two and ahalf hours with his 10th ace.
Venus Williams kept the fam-ily flag flying, the 39-year-oldAmerican putting her decades ofexperience to good use in a 6-3,3-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory overdefending champion KikiBertens.
“Before the match I felt quitegood. Stepping on court, I’d sayfirst few games was pretty bad,”Bertens said. “I didn’t start thematch in a loose way. I knew thatI had to defend the title.”
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