200821 ML 01 - bandhan.ongc.co.in

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA ● REG .NO . MCS/067/2018 - 20 RN I REGN . NO . 1543/57

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

Engagement of Direct Agents for Postal Life Insurance atDEPARTMENT OF POSTS, INDIA, O/o SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT OF POSTOFFICES, MUMBAI NORTH DIVISION, VILE PARLE EAST, MUMBAI 400057

Eligibility and other Criteria :1. Age Limit : Min 18 years and Max 50 years.2. Educational Qualifications : 10th pass from recognised Central/

State Govt. Board Institutions.3. Experience : The Applicant must have knowledge of Insurance

Schemes/Marketing skills along with working knowledge ofcomputer.

4. Categories : Unemployed/Self-employed youth, Ex-life advisor/Ex-agents of any insurance company, Ex-servicemen, Retiredschool teachers, SHGs. Gram Pradhan, Members of GramPanchayat and any other person as considered suitable by the Headof Postal Division.

5. Candidates for Direct PLI/RPLI Agent will be shortlisted on the basisof Walk-in-interviews. In house and Practical training will be givento shortlisted candidates.

6. The shortlisted candidates have to appear for Licentiate Exam andthe License will be issued after successfully passing the LicentiateExam and completing the training.

7. A shortlisted candidate will be required to deposit fee of Rs 50/- forissue of Provisional License and Rs 400/- for Licentiate Exam Fee.

8. A cash security of Rs 5000/- will be required to be furnished by theselected Direct Agent in the form of National SavingsCertificate (NSC)/Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) to be pledged to thePresident of India as Security.

9. Candidates who will be selected as Direct Agents will be engagedon incentive basis/commission basis as per prescribed rates by theDepartment of Posts from time to time.

10. For Walk-in-Interview, candidates have to attend at office ofSr. Supdt. of Post Offices, Mumbai North Division, Nanda PatkarMarg, Vile Parle East, Mumbai-400057 along with latestphotographs, original and one set of photocopy of EducationalQualification certificate (SSC Marklist and SSC Passing Certificatecompulsory), PAN Card, Aadhar Card and other relevant documentson 23.08.2021 to 25.08.2021 between 11.00 am. and 5.00 pm.

NMDC Ltd.(A Govt. of India Enterprises) (ISO-9001 Company)

Bailadila Iron Ore Mines, Bacheli Complex,Bacheli, Distt.-South Bastar (Dantewada), CG-494553Phone No.: 07857-230210, Mob.: 9575665681

BIOM/BC/Contracts/Publication/2021-22/045 Date: 21/08/2021Bailadila Iron Ore Mines, Bacheli Complex, NMDC Ltd. invites e-bidsfor the following works. Intending tenderers may visit and downloadTender Documents from CPP Portal or www.nmdc.co.in orhttp://www.mstcecommerce.com/eprochome/nmdc/. The offer has to besubmitted online at the given MSTC portal only till 03:30 PM and willbe opened on 04:00 PM on respective last dates.

GM (M&S and Contracts)BIOM, Bacheli Complex

// e-Tender Notice //

MSTCRef.No.NMDC/Bacheli/21-22/ET/153/212

154/213

155/214

156/215

157/216

1

2

3

4

5

NMDCTender. No.BIOM/BC/CONTRACTS/OTE(45)/21-22/C-155

LP-016

PE-004

SER-004

P-019

Last Dateof Sub'n

10/09/2021

10/09/2021

11/09/2021

11/09/2021

12/09/2021

Short Description of Work

Construction and Electrification ofWBM Road from TDI Junction toPWD RoadLevelling. Alignment. Repair &Maintenance of track lines atLoading PlantAMC & Calibration of Belt scale(Make-PEL & PBL) for 3 yearslocated at different locations ofOCSL PlantReconditioning of BucketAssembly of CAT992K FrontEnd LoaderComplete Overhauling of M/s.Chitrammake EOT Cranes including supplyof spares at Crushing Plant Den-5

³f¦fSX d³f¦f¸f, ´fi¹ff¦fSXfþCorrigendum-I

³f¦fS d³f¦f¸f Àfe¸ff³°f¦fÊ°f 06 À±fÕûa ´fS dUôb°f VfUQfW ¦fÈW IZ d³f¸fÊf¯f (Àf¸´fc¯fÊ dÀfdUÕ I f¹fÊ), VfUQfW³f¸fVfe³f I e Af´fcd°fÊ EUa À±ff´f³ff ¸f¹f 05 U¿ffÊZÔ IZ A³fbSÃf¯f I f¹fÊ W Z°fb I f¹ffÊÕ¹f ´f{faI Oe-1736/þ0Àf¸´fÊ0Ad²f0/2021, dQ³ffaI -13.07.2021 IZ õfSf Q`d³fI Àf¸ff¨ffS ´f{ “Q`d³fI þf¦fS¯f (dQ»»fe,´fi¹ff¦fSfþ), ·ffS°f ÀfaUfQ (´fi¹ff¦fSfþ) EUa Bd¯O¹f³f E¢Àf´fiZÀf (¸fb¸¶fBÊ)” ¸fZa dQ³ffaI -14.07.2021 I û´fiI fdVf°f d³fdUQf Àfc¨f³ff ¸fZÔ A´fdSWf¹fÊ I fS¯fûÔ ÀfZ d³fd½fQf d°fd±f ¸fZÔ d³f¸³ff³fbÀffS ÀfaVfû²f³f dI ¹ff ªff°ff W`:-

d³f¹f¸f ½f Vf°fûÊa I f d½fÀ°fÈ°f d½f½fS¯f ½fZ¶fÀffBM ´fS C´f»f¶²f SWZ¦ffÜWXÀ°ff./- WXÀ°ff./-Ad²fVffÀfe Ad·f¹f³°ff (d½f/¹ffa) ¸fb£¹f Ad·f¹f³°ff³f¦fSX d³f¦f¸f, ´fi¹ff¦fSXfªfÜ ³f¦fSX d³f¦f¸f, ´fi¹ff¦fSXfªfÜ´fÂffaIY OXe-1763/ªf.Àf¸´fÊ./Ad²f./2021 dQ³ffaIY:- 19.08.2021

d³fd½fQfQf°ffAûÔ õfSf d³fd½fQf ´fi´fÂf OfC³f»fûO I S³fZ I e´fifSd¸·fI d°fd±fÜ

25.08.2021 A´fSf³W 4.00 ¶fªfZ ÀfZ

d³fd½fQfQf°ffAûÔ õfSf d³fd½fQf ´fi´fÂf A´f»fûO I S³fZ I eAd³°f¸f d°fd±fÜ

06.09.2021 A´fSf³W 2.00 ¶fªfZ °fI

d³fd½fQf £fû»f³fZ I e d°fd±f 06.09.2021 A´fSf³W 4.00 ¶fªfZ °fI

¸FWFSFáÑ »FûI ÀFZ½FF AF¹Fû¦FMaharashtra Public Service Commission¸Fb£¹F I F¹FFÊ»F¹F : v

r/s, x ½F y ½FF ¸FªF»FF, Ib ´FSmªF MZd»FR û³F d³F¦F¸F B¸FFS°F, ¸FW¿FeÊ

I ½FZÊ ¸FF¦FÊ, Ib ´FSmªF, ¸Fba¶FBÊ uqqqsr QcS²½F³Fe-ssxzvzqq RG ¢ÀF : ssyyqvsuR ûMÊ I F¹FFÊ»F¹F : ¶FhI AFGR BadO¹FF B¸FFS°F, t SF ¸FFTF, R ûMÊ, ¸Fba¶FBÊ uqqqqrQcS²½F³Fe : sswxqsrq/ruy/suy, ssrqssss. RG ¢ÀF : sswxtzrv

BÊ-¸FZ»F - [email protected] ½FZ¶FÀFFBM - www.mpsc.gov.in,https://mahampsc.mahaonline.gov.in

No.MIS-0120/CR-25/2021/23 Date : 19th August 2021

TENDER NOTICE NO. 05/2021Sub :- Providing Security Ancillary Service Including

Sanitisation during ExaminationsMAHARASHTRA Public Service Commission invites

proposals to participate in the competitive bidding processfor Providing Security Ancillary Services includingSanitisation during Examinations as per the scope anddetailed specifications of requirement given in the detailtender document.

2. For the detailed Tender document, interestedbiders should visit https://mahatenders.gov.in orwww.mpsc.gov.in

3. Tender submission would be online and the deadlineto submit the proposals is 9th September 2021 at 1500 Hrs.

Secretary,Palce : Mumbai Maharashtra Public Service Commission

OFFICE OF THE ADDITIONAL CHIEF ENGINEER, PHED,REGION AJMER

PHONE No. 0145-2624748 FAX NO. 0145-2627671No. F. ( )/Ar. MP/2021-2022/6357-397 Dated: 11.08.2021

NOTICE INVITING TENDERS FOR WORKSBids for the CONSTRUCTION OF OHSR, CWR & PROVIDING, LAYING, JOINTING& COMMISSIONING OF DISTRIBUTION PIPELINES OF VARIOUS SIZES/TYPESTO PROVIDE FHTC CONNECTIONS AT RWSS- BRIKCHIYAWAS (091697) ANDITS DHANIES (08 Nos.), GRAM PANCHAYAT- BRIKCHIYAWAS, TEHSIL-PEESANGAN, MLA CONSTITUENCY- NASIRABAD, DISTRICT- AJMER TOPROVIDE FHTC CONNECTIONS UNDER JJM. (Estimated cost of work- Rs.300.96 lacs) are invited from interested bidders upto 01.09.2021. Other particularsof the Bid may be visited on the procurement portal (http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in,http://sppp.raj.nic.in) of the state.UBN No.: PHE2122WSOB06085 NIB No.: PHE2122A2726

Sd/-(Mukul Bhargava)

Additional Chief Engineer,DIPR/C/8120/2021 PHED, Region, Ajmer.

NAVAL SHIP REPAIR YARD, KOCHIAPPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

APPLICATIONS for 230 vacancies areinvited from ITI (NCVT) qualified candidates forundergoing Apprenticeship Training atApprentice Training School. Naval Ship RepairYard Naval Base, Kochi-682004 underApprenticeship Act-1961. Complete detailspublished in "Employment News" of 21stAugust 2021 and "Rozgar Samachar" of 21stAugust 2021.

davp 10702/11/0022/2122

MMAARRTTYYRRDDOOMM OONN 2200 AAUUGGUUSSTTLLTT NNAAVVDDEEEEPP SSIINNGGHH,, AACC ((PPOOSSTTHHUUMMOOUUSS))((0088 JJUUNN 11998855 -- 2200 AAUUGG 22001111))Lt Navdeep Singh, Ashok Chakra laid down hislife while fighting against an infiltrating terroristcolumn during "OPERATION BAGTOR" in J&K. Inthe truest tradition of the Indian Army, LtNavdeep Singh led from the front and displayed

exemplary courage and conspicuous bravery. He will always beremembered and missed by all of us in the Ordnance Corps for hissupreme sacrifice and gallant act.

DDGG OOSS && SSrr CCooll CCoommddtt aanndd aallll rrkkss ooff tthhee AAOOCC2200tthh AAuugguusstt''11999999

Sashastra Seema Bal fondlyremembers and cherishes thevaliant contribution of the bravehearts, Constable (GD) NabjitTalukdar and Constable (Driver)Nilambar Bora of erstwhile GC,Bongaigaon (15th Bn SSB,Kajalgaon) (Assam) who madethe supreme sacrifice while fight-ing bravely with militants on this

day in the year 1999 at Lal Chowk Market in Srinagar. Their gal-lant action will continue to inspire us all. We salute the sacrificesof our brave soldiers.

SSAASSHHAASSTTRRAA SSEEEEMMAA BBAALL

Constable

(GD) Nabjit

Talukdar

Constable

(Driver)

Nilambar Bora

IYf¹ffÊÕX¹f Ad°fdSXöY ¸fb£¹f Ad·f¹fa°ff,þ³fÀUfÀ±¹f Ad·f¹ffad{IYe dU·ff¦f, Ãf`{-´fi±f¸f, þû²f´fbSXTel: 0291-2650750, Email: [email protected]

IiY¸ffaIY A¸fbA/ ªfû./ ´fi±f¸f/ 20-21/ 3688-700 dQ³ffaIY 5/8/2021

d¶fOX ÀfaVfû²f³f Àfc̈ f³ff, NIB Àfa£¹ff 10/2021-22BÀf I f¹ffÊÕ¹f õfSf þfSe I e ¦fBÊ d³fdUQf Àfa£¹ff 10/2021-22 ¸fZÔ d³fdUQf ´fi´f{ ¸fZa AfadVfI ÀfaVfû²f³f Wû³fZ IZ I fS¯f d¶fO ÀfaVfû²f³f þfSedI ¹ff þfI S https://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in EUa https://sppp.rajasthan.gov.in ´fS A´fÕûO dI ¹ff ¦f¹ffÜd³fdUQf Àfa£¹ff 10/2021-22 (UBIN No.PHE2122WSOB04749)

WXÀ°ff./-

(³feSXþ ¸ff±fbSX)

Ad°fdSXöY ¸fb£¹f Ad·f¹fa°ff

DIPR/C/7863/2021 þ³f ÀUfÀ±¹f Ad·f¹ffad{IY dU·ff¦f, ÃfZ{ ´fi±f¸f þû²f´fbSX

OFFICE OF THE ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF (CIVIL), ODISHANIRMAN SOUDHA, KESHARI NAGAR, UNIT-V,

BHUBANESWAR - 751 001File No- C-IIM-IFB-06/2019 No. 30575 Dtd. 12.08.20211st corrigendum to RFP Identification No. CE-DPI & R-01/2021-22

The following changes are made to the NIT for the package vide RFPIdentification No. CE-DPI & R-01/2021-22 issued vide letter No. 28749 dtd.02.08.2021.Modification in Critical Dates

The Request for Proposal documents will be available in the websitewww.tendersodisha.gov.in from 10.00 A.M of 27.08.2021 to 5.30 P.M of27.09.2021 for online bidding.Interested bidders may download the documents from the StateGovernment web site www.tendersodisha.gov.in from 10.00 A.M of27.08.2021 to 5.30 P.M of 27.09.2021 for participation in the onlinebidding.The application shall be received only on “online” on or before 5.30 P.M of27.09.2021.The applications received on line shall be opened at 3.00 P.M. on01.10.2021 in the office of the Engineer-in-Chief (Civil), Nirman Soudha,Unit-V, Bhubaneswar.One set of hard copy of such uploaded application shall be submitted to theChief Engineer (DPI & Roads) Odisha, O/o the E.I.C (Civil), Odisha,Nirman Soudha, Bhubaneswar on or before 1.30 P.M. on 01.10.2021.A Pre-Application conference of the interested parties shall be held on07.09.2021 at 12.30 P.M.All other terms and conditions of Notice remain unchanged.

B-311

Sd/-Chief Engineer (DPI & Roads), Odisha

OIPR-34117/11/0037/2122

KERALA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION

Transport Bhavan , Fort P.O, Thiruvananthapuram–695023

E-TENDER NOTICE

Name of Item Qty Last Date of Bid submission

Fully Built Non AC-6 Cylinder

CNG Propelled Inter City (175Nos.) and City Services (135

Nos.) Buses of BS VI Norms

310 Nos.

06.00 PM

01.09.2021Fully Built Non AC-4 Cylinder

CNG Propelled Bus of BS VINorms

1 No.

For the detailed tender document visit: sd/-

www.etenders.kerala.gov.in, Chairman & Managing Director

www.keralartc.com/tenders/purchase, e-mail : [email protected] 19.08.2021

DELHI JAL BOARD : GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHIOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (EAST)-II

E-BLOCK : PREET VIHAR : DELHI-110092“STOP CORANA; Wear Mask, Follow Physical Distancing, Maintain Hand Hygiene”

PRESS NIT No. 09/ E-II (2021-22)

Further details in this regard can be seen at https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.inISSUED BY PRO (WATER) Sd/- VIJAY SAGARAdvt. No. J.S.V. 300 (2021-22) EX. ENGINEER (EAST)-II

S.No.

Name of Work Amount Putto Tender

TenderProcessing

Fee

EarnestMoney

Tender ID No. & Dateof Release of tender

in E-ProcurementSolution

Last Date/ Time ofreceipt of tenderE-Procurement

Solution1. Installation of high yield tube wells to

boost water supply in ward no. 20E,Chitra Vihar BPS in AC-59 in East-II.

39,32,772.00 500.00 EMDExempted

2021_DJB_207271_119-Aug-2021

12:00 PM

30-Aug-2102:00 PM

GOVERNMENT OF ODISHAOFFICE OF THE CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER,CENTRAL RURAL WORKS CIRCLE, BHUBANESWAR

No.3870/Date. 18.08.2021"e" Procurement Notice for PMGSY- III (Batch-I & Batch-II) Works for the year 2021-22

Further details can be seen from the web site www.pmgsytenders.gov.in

Chief Construction Engineer

Central Rural Works Circle, Bhubaneswar

Memo No.3871/ Date.18.08.2021

OIPR-25082/11/0024/2122

O-559

1. Name of the work : PMGSY works for the year 2021-22

2. Total No. of Packages : 127 Nos. of Packages

3. Estimated Cost of the Package : Varies from Rs.1.08 Crores to Rs.15.22 Crores

4. Class of Contractor :

a) Estimated cost more than Rs. 40.00 lakhs upto Rs. 3.00 Crores

: B Class & A class (of Odisha PWD) or relevant class of other licensing authorities

b) Estimated cost more than Rs. Rs.3.00Crores up to Rs. 6.00 Crores

: A Class & Special class (of Odisha PWD) or relevant class of other licensing authorities

c) Estimated cost more than Rs. Rs.6.00Crores up to Rs.15.00 Crores

: Special Class & Super class (of Odisha PWD) or relevant class of other licensing authorities

d) Estimated cost more than Rs.15.00 Crores : Super Class (of Odisha PWD) or relevant class of other licensing authorities

5. Period of completion. : Packages costing less than Rs.3.00 Crores-09(Nine) monthsPackages costing more than Rs.3.00 Crores & less than Rs.5.00 Crores-11(Eleven) monthsPackages costing more than Rs.5.00 Crore -12(Twelve) months

6. Offered rates by bidder : The offered rate by the contractor shall be excluding GST.

7. Other details :

Procurement Officer Bid Identifica-tion No.

Availability of Tender on-line for bidding

Last Date &Time of

seeking tenderclarification

Date & time of submission oforiginal financial instrument

along with affidavit regardingcorrectness of information

Date & Time of openingof tender

From To Technical Bid Financial Bid

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Chief Construction

Engineer, Central Ruralworks Circle, Bhubaneswar

Tender-Online-C.C.- 20

of 2021

23.08.21at 11.00 A.M.

06.09.21up to 5.00 P.M.

04.09.21up to 3.00 P.M.

08.09.2021 to 13.09.2021Up to 5.00 PM

(During office hour)

07.09.2021at 11.00 A.M.

To be intimatedlateron

Ref No:- BSCL/2021-22/1172 Date: 19.08.2021

Bareilly Smart City Limited, Bareilly invites e-tender for the following projects:-

Sd/-

Chief Executive Officer,

Bareilly Smart City Limited, Bareilly.

BAREILLY SMART CITY LIMITED (BSCL)BAREILLY (UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA)

S.No.

Name of the Work EarnestMoney

Deposit (Rs.)

Tender feewith GST @18% (Rs.)

Workcompletion

Period

Bid StartDate

01 Upgradation of Gandhi Udhyan with 1year Defect Liability under BareillySmart City Mission

3.00 lakhs 11,800 03 Months 25/08/21

02 Supplying, installing, Testing andCommissioning Cum Operatoin andMaintenance of Smart Health Centrefor 20 Years in 5 Locations of BareillyPan City on BOOT”

9.00 lakhs 11,800 12 Months 25/08/21

1 Detailed NIT and Bid Document shall be available on: - https://etender.up.nic.in andhttp://www.bareillysmartcity.in

2 Tender call notice in two Bid systems (Part- I: General & Technical Bid and Part-II financialBid/Price Bid/BOQ) from intending bidders fulfilling the eligibility criteria mentioned in thisNotice and other qualifying requirements mentioned in this RFP

3 Amendment to NIT, if any would be published on website only.4 In case of any queries on this RFP, intending bidders may contact THE GENERAL

MANAGER, BAREILLY SMART CITY LIMITED, Bareilly (Tel. No: - 0581- 25510074,7055519602) or send an email to: ceo [email protected]

Administration ofDadra & Nagar Haveli, U.T.,

Forest Department (WL), Silvassa.No. 8-6/2087-FD/CI/2021/658 Date: 18.08.2021

E-TENDER (ON LINE) INVITATION NOTICE NO: 05 OF 2021-22The Deputy Conservator of Forests (WL), Forest Department, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Silvassainvites tenders on behalf of the president of India, through On-line on www.dnhtenders.gov.infrom the eligible Contractors and for the following works and schedule:

* On line downloading of tender documents From 17.08.2021 17.00 hrs.

Submission of Price bid online Up to 07.09.2021 15.00 hrs.

On Line opening of Price Bid On 09.09.2021 17.00 hrs.

The said Physical documents shall be deposited in Tender box kept at the office of the under-signed. On or before 07.09.2021 up to 15.00 hrs. The Price bid will be opened on 09.09.2021@ 17.00 Hrs.

* Bidders have to submit price bid in Electronic format only on www.dnhtenders.gov.in websitetill the last date and time for submission. Price Bid in physical format shall not be accepted inany case.

Physical submission of tender fees, EMD, with GST Registration certificate issued by theGovernment is essential or tender will be considered who has applied for registration with GSTdepartment shall have to produce affidavit ensuring that they shall obtain GST registrationbefore issuing work order (within 10 days) if there bid is found L1 otherwise EMD will be for-feited without assigning any reason, Pan Card, The bidder may also submit in physical andscan other documents in hard copy in the office of the tender inviting authority by RPAD/Speedpost/Courier in office of the Deputy Conservator of Forest(WL) DNH, Silvassa. The Tenderinviting Authority shall not be responsible for any postal delay or loss of documents. Note-Tender fees Non refundable. All other terms & condition shall be applicable as per NIT.

The Tender Inviting Authority resaves the right to accept or reject any or all the tender to bereceived without assigning any reasons thereof.

Bidder shall have to post their queries on E-mail Address: [email protected] on or before dated31.08.2021 up to 16.00 hrs.

Sd/-No.IP/DNH/ADVT/2021/210 Deputy Conservator of Forests (WL),Silvassa Dadra and Nagar HaveIi,Date: 19/08/2021 Silvassa.

Sr.No1

Name of Work

Redevelopmentof satmaliyaEntrance Gate.

EstimatedCost Rs.

Rs.1,83,56,889/-

TimeLimit120days

EMD

Rs.3,67,200/-

Tender Fees Nonrefundable in Rs.

Rs.2000/-

Tender ID No.

2021_UTDNH_5526_1

2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021



SINCE 1932

CALENDAR4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

0070750730-1-1

0070750701-1-1

0070750674-1-1

0070750675-1-1

II Nifade SantoshSakhahari, Army No2807316H, Rank HAV,Have changed mysurname’s spelling from‘’NIFADE’’ to ‘’NIPHADE’’vide affidavit swornbefore Adv. and notaryR.B. Gajare.....Dated.05/08/2021.

0070750640-1

II have changed my namefrom Khan MohamedAltaf Hanif to AltafHanif Khan as peraffidavit No. 609822dated 18/8/2021.

0070750710-1

II here by confirm that V.Ganesan, VeerabadranGanesan, Ganesan, VGanesan, Ganesan Vand GanesanVeerabadran is one andthe same person as peraffidavit dated 18thAugust 2021.

0070750610-1

CHANGE OF NAME

PERSONAL

ADMISSION

100%100% Passing guarantee.“Khardikar Classes”. VIIfail...? Direct X. XI fail...?Direct XII. Dombivli- BA,B.Com., B.Sc.-9820627580, 9820904646.

0070745276-2

EDUCATIONAL

EDUCATIONSOCIETY NOTICEPROPERTY

N.E.C.C.N.E.C.C. suggested pricefor 100 eggs in Mumbaion 20/08/2021 Rs. 453/-(Four Hundred FiftyThree) only. NECC22834107.

0070748284-1

NEWNEW Dolly suggestedEgg Price Rs. 398/-.Good News for BakeryTich Eggs Rs. 250/-.Mobile: 09110526654,9542230818.

0070748278-1

S.K.S.K. Patel Small: 126/-,Big: 123/-. 8082040343/24460095/ 24459098. Tosubscribe to paper rate& purchase rate.9320460095/ 9930193010.

0070747047-1

VENCOBBVENCOBB Ex-FarmYesterday’s price inPune Rs. 102/-.SuggestedRetail Price isRs. 120 /-.

0070735580-1

ZORABIANZORABIAN TOday’s Ex-Farm Live Broiler RateRs. 98/-. Retail MarketRate Rs. 125/-. Mobile:8879050887/ 9372663242Office: 022-26604937/38/ 39.

0070740732-2

FRESHFRESH Chicken TradingBig birds 113/- kg.,Small birds 120/- kg.,Turbhe Naka, NaviMumbai. Mobile:9769468897.

0070745632-1

AMIRAMIR Broiler, Small:Rs. 123/-, Big: Rs. 123/-.Contact: Phone:+91-8828895000/8080432388/ 022-25251901/ 022-23860517.

0070741513-1

MEAMEA Mumbai EggsAssociation SuggestedSelling Rate in MumbaiRs. 405/- per 100 Eggs.Mobile: 9820057700/9820351822/ 7303390009.

0070734347-1

POULTRY

BUSINESS

''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertising copy, it isnot possible to verify its contents.The Indian Express (P.) Limitedcannot be held responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss or damageincurred as a result of transactionswith companies, associations orindividuals advertising in itsnewspapers or Publications. Wetherefore recommend that readersmake necessary inquiries beforesending any monies or entering intoany agreements with advertisers orotherwise acting on anadvertisement in any mannerwhatsoever.

B. Y. Padhye Publicity,Dadar (W),Phone : 2422 9241/2422 0445.

Preview Ads & DesignsMatunga (East)Mobile: 9820809477/522

Fulrani Advtg. & Mktg.Antop HillPhone: 24159061Mobile: 9769238274/9969408835

J.K. Advertisers,Hornimal Circle, Fort.Phone : 22663742.

Mani’s Agencies,Opp.G.P.O.Fort.Phone : 2263 00232.Mobile : 9892091257.

Manjyot Ads,Currey Road (E)Phone : 24700338.Mobile : 9820460262.

Pinto Advertising,Mazagaon,Phone : 23701070.Mobile : 9869040181.

Sanjeet Communication Fort.Phone : 40024682/40792205.

S. Arts Advtg.MasjidPhone: 23415111

Yugarambha Advertising,Girgaon,Phone : 2386 8065.Mobile : 9869074144.

Charudatta Advertising,Mahim (W),Phone : 24221461

Shree Swami SamarthAdvertising,Dadar (W),Phone : 24440631Mobile : 9869131962

Jay Publicity,Dadar (E),Phone : 24124640

Pallavi Advtg.Dadar (W),Mobile: 9869109765Time Advertising,Matunga (W),Phone : 2446 6191

Vijaya Agencies,Dadar (W),Phone : 2422 5672.Mobile : 9920640689

Gauri PressCommunication,Vile Parle (E),Phone : 2617 6310Mobile: 9820069565

Carl Advertising,Andheri (W),Phone : 6696 3441 / 42.

Keyon PublicityAndheri (E.)Phone : 28253077Mobile : 9920992393

CCLLAASSSSIIFFIIEEDD CCEENNTTRREESSIINN MMUUMMBBAAII

To place your ad inClassifieds call :

Sanjeev: 9967552226Vinay Yadav : 8451957053

TThhee IInnddiiaann EXPRESS

PROCLAIMATION FOR APPEARANCEOF ACCUSED U/S 82 Cr.P.C.

Whereas Complaint hasbeen made before me thatBansidhar Amar Malik R/o.Near Patel Cricket Ground,Kachigam, Nileshbhai'sChawl, Daman, has commit-ted (or is suspected to havecommitted) the offence of_____________________punishable under Section279,304 (A) IPC, and it hasbeen returned to a warrant ofarrest thereupon issued that

the said Accused cannot be found, and whereas it hasbeen shown to my satisfaction that the said Accusedhas absconded (or is concealing himself to avoid theservice of the said warrant:

Proclamation is hereby made that the said Accused of_______ -- ____________ is required to appear atDadra and Nagar Haveli, Silvassa before this court (orbefore me) to answer the said complaint on the14th day of September, 2021.

By OrderShri, Y.S. FaithankarChief Judicial Magistrate,

No.IP/2/5/2021-22/161 Dadra & Nagar Haveli,dtd: 18/08/2021 Silvassa.

CROSSWORD4513

ACROSS1 Evidence followsconcerningblame(7)

5 Plead foronetroddenunderfoot (5)

8 Withportunclebecomesportly (9)

9 Irishman’sportionofbutter?(3)

10 Pulls legroundchest (4)12 Isn’t lovetobewrittenabout?Yesoneoftendoes (8)

14 Reachaswirlingriver(6)

15 Fights for food leftover (6)17 Nota friendlyvisitmadebyabugler? (4,4)

18 SimpleplantFatherBenedictprovides (4)

21 Joshua’s father’s sister (3)22 Notknowing-howtomendafuse? (2,3,4)

24 Theoffenceof onecomingtolight (5)

25 Recklesspersonpulledupshort (7)

DOWN1 Comeagainabout thedog(5)

2 Standardsparepart (3)3 Theresponsibilitywebearapparently (4)

4 Someislandsareof Easternorigin (6)

5 Awoman’s resignation(8)

6 Notauniquetypeof bridge(9)

7 T.S.Eliotplayshowingunderstatement (7)

11 Vocalists inboatersperhaps(9)

13 Peoplewillbeputoutby it (8)14 Putona finish toa literarysupplement (7)

16 Seizesomeeggs (6)19 Breakarrangedforonewhoworks in theheat (5)

20 Theothers taketimeout(4)

23 Apoliticianconcerned incurrentaffairs (3)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Mostastrologerssaythat it isnecessary toflowwiththedominantplanetary

influencesof thetimes.Yet, ifyouwish,youmaybuckthetrendanddealwith issueswhicharenotnowofgreatestimportance, suchas travelplans,educationalarrangementsandlegalquestions.

TAURUS(Apr.21-May21)Lifehops fromonesetof lunaralignments toanother.At this stage

in thecycleyoumaybe forcedtoget ridof anythingofnolastingvalue,muchas thismaygoagainst thegrain.Youhavemuchtogain frommakingafreshstart inall closefamily relationships.

GEMINI (May22- June21)You'reunder theMoon'semotionalswaytoday,andthepace isboundtopick

up.Somuchappears tobeaffectedbycircumstancesoverwhichyouhave littleornocontrol. There isnothingstrange in this.Afterall,wearealldependentonpartners,friendsandassociates toonedegreeoranother.

CANCER(June22- July23)There isa realdangerat themomentofsayingmorethansituationswarrant.

Yetotherpeoplewillbesurprisedwhenit turnsout thatyourbite is indeedeverybitasbadasyourbark.Althoughyousometimescan't findthebestwords,whenyoudo,yourfamoussharptonguewillgivethemareal sting.

LEO(July24-Aug.23)Youwoulddobestnottotrytopredicttheoutcomeofanyemotionalwrangles

orconflictsuntil thedusthassettled.Atpresent, itstill looksasifanythingmay,andprobablywill,happen.Youstillhavetounravelafinancialquestion,though,sogetonwithit.

VIRGO(Aug.24-Sept.23)It'sheaddownandshoulders to thewheel foryou,nomatterwhereyour

dreamsandfantasieshaveledyouover thepastweek.There ismuchtobedonebeforeyoucanafford torestonyourlaurels. In fact, I'd saytherecouldbeanothereight tonineweeksbeforeyouachieveyourgoals.

LIBRA(Sept.24-Oct.23)Venus'evolvingpositionisboundtoboostyourmoraletonewheights.

However,foranotherfewdaysyoumaystillbeunabletodomorethanwaveyourarmsineffectually,aspartnersfailtotakeaccountofwhatyouaretryingtosay.Theymightnotnoticewhatyou'redoingeither,andthatcouldworkinyourfavour.

SCORPIO(Oct.24-Nov.22)Noonehastrulybeenabletocomplainthatyoulackambition,foryouhavesucceeded

inpromotingyourowninterestsverydiscreetly.Success,though,isrelative,andcanonlybemeasuredagainsthowwell,orbadly,otherpeoplehavedone.Don'tjudgeyourself tooharshly.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov.23- Jan.20)Likeanumberofotherpeople,youhavebeenexperiencingmany

changesofmood.Yetyourlifehasbeensmootherthanmost,largelyduetothestabilisingrelationshipbetweentheSunandyourownsign.Onceyouhaveworkedoutaproblemwithauthority,Isuspectotherdifficultieswillsortthemselvesout.

CAPRICORN(Dec.23- Jan.20)Jupiter'spowerfulandbroodingrelationshipwithSaturnmeansone

thing:partnersandcloseassociatesaregoingtobedisagreeablysurprised if theyimaginethat theycanget thebetterof you,especially ifthey're tryingtoget theirhandsonyourmoney.

AQUARIUS(Jan.21-Feb.19)All the indicationspoint to thisbeingatimeofupheavalsandenforced

changes,particularly inrelationship topartners.Peoplewhoare involvedwithyouemotionally,professionally,sociallyandfinancially, areall reassessing theirprioritiesandthatcovers justabouteverything.

PISCES(Feb.20-Mar20)You'vebeenable toduckanddive in thepast.Nowyoumustbetotallyhonestand

onehundredpercentobjectiveaboutyourattitudes tootherpeople.Quiteaside fromyourpersonal relationships,yourcareer interestsdependonhowwellyougetonwithpartnersandcolleagues.

SUDOKU4569

DifficultyLevel2sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4568

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Theremustbequiteafewthingsthata_____won't__,butIdon'tknowmanyofthem-SylviaPlath(3,4,.,4)

SOLUTION:AFIRE,TAROT,PUNCHY,HOBBLEAnswer:Theremustbequiteafewthingsthatahotbathwon'tcure,butIdon'tknowmanyofthem-SylviaPlath

FIAER NPYCHU

AROTT BELOBH

SolutionsCrossword4512:Across:1Casanova,5Emma,9Tight,10Learner,11Hair-restorer,13Tussle,14Getoff,17Intheinterim,20Piastre,21Laird,22Draw,23Clarinet.Down:1Cots,2Signals,3Naturaldeath,4Valuer,6Manor,7Aircraft,8Cattledealer,12Stripped,15Opinion,16Anneal,18Tiara,19Adit.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL



SINCE 1932

`̀ 102 per kilo

`̀ 130 per kilo

`̀ 161 per kilo

`̀ 58 per Dozen

DEVENDRAPANDEYMUMBAI, AUGUST19

A MISSING cricket roller haspitched the Indian cricketerParvezRasool inabizarrebattlewith the Jammu & KashmirCricketAssociation (JKCA).TheJKCAhasissuednoticeto

Rasool, askinghimtoreturntheroller or face “police action”. Inhisreply,Rasoolhasdeniedeverhaving taken the roller, and has

askedtheadministrators,“Isthisthewaytotreataninternationalcricketerwhohas given life andsoul to J&Kcricket?”.Thesituationhasescalatedto

a point where Brigadier (retd)Anil Gupta, a BJP spokespersonwho is on the three-membersub-committee appointed bythe Indian cricket board to runJKCA, has written in an email:“Do we have any proof to nailhimdown.”Rasool was marked on

Gupta's email, along with theotheradministrators.GuptatoldTheIndianExpress

thatthematterwasbeing“hyped

up”—andthatthemailhadbeenwritten to Rasool because themailing addresses of all districtassociationswere not available,and Rasool’s namewas in theJKCAregister forhisdistrict.Rasool hails from Bijbehara

in Anantnag district. JKCA firstsent a notice to MohammadShafi of Bijbehara, and then a

second notice to Rasool. Guptasaid theydid it because the reg-ister showed Rasool’s name intheir records.“Wehavenotonlywrittento

Parvez Rasool but to all districtassociationsandwhosoeverhastaken JKCA machinery fromSrinagar.Machinerywasdistrib-uted at district associationswithout any vouchers. Inmanydistrictswherewe don’t have amailing address, the letter wassent to the concerned personwhose name was registeredwithus.He(Rasool)tookoffencetowhy themail waswritten to

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

PAGE1ANCHOR

JKCA accuses cricketer Parvez Rasool ofstealing pitch roller; he says ‘unfortunate’

NOTES ‘PRE-DETERMINEDMIND’OFSTATEONPROBE

Suchincidentsnotgoodforhealthydemocracy:5-judgebench

ATRIMITRAKOLKATA,AUGUST19

NOTING“THEREaredefiniteandproved allegations” that com-plaintsbyvictimsofviolencefol-lowing theWest Bengal assem-bly polls were “not registered”,the Calcutta High CourtThursday ordered a CBI investi-gation into all alleged cases ofmurder, rape and attempt torape, as flaggedby a committeewhose members were nomi-

natedbytheNHRCchairperson.In a unanimous ruling on a

clutchofpetitions,thefive-judgebench of Chief Justice (Acting)Rajesh Bindal, Justices I PMukerji, Harish Tandon,Soumen Sen and SubrataTalukdarsaid“suchtypesof inci-dents, even if isolated, are notgood forhealthydemocracy”.“Wehavechosenthisoption

because…these fall in the cate-goryof rare cases…the reasonsforwhichthislargescaleviolencehas occurred in the State…The

Committee, NHRC, any otherCommission or Authority andtheStateshallimmediatelyhandoverentirerecordof thecases…to the CBI for investigation. It ismadeclear that it shall beCourtmonitored investigation. Anyobstruction in the course of in-vestigation by anyone shall beviewedseriously,” it said.

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

THEHIGHCourt rulingwill escalate thepoliticalfightbetweentherulingTMCin thestateandtheBJP-ledgovernmentattheCentre. TheBJPhaswelcomedtheruling,and it ispossible that theTMCor thestatemayconsidermoving theSC.

BattlewillintensifyE●EX

PLAINED

West Bengal post-poll violence:HC orders CBI probe, formsSIT

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, AUGUST19

AMID THE rapidly unfoldingevents following the Taliban'stakeoverofAfghanistan,IndiaonThursday flagged “heightenedactivities" of the proscribedHaqqaninetworkandsaidotherPakistan-based terrorist groupssuchas theLashkar-e-ToibaandJaish-e-Mohammedcontinuetooperatewith"impunityanden-couragement".Addressing the United

NationsSecurityCouncil(UNSC),External Affairs Minister SJaishankar said the events inAfghanistan "have naturally en-hanced global concerns abouttheir implications for both re-gionalandinternationalsecurity”.

“The heightened activities oftheproscribedHaqqaninetworkjustifies this growing anxiety.Whether it is in Afghanistan oragainstIndia,groupslikeLashkar-e-ToibaandJaish-e-Mohammed

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

THEFALL OFKABUL TO

TALIBANWHAT ITMEANS

FOR INDIA

A S E R I E S

FAITHANDHERFREEDOM

BySYQuraishiPAGE12

Pak-based terror groupsoperate with impunity:Jaishankar at UNSC

Givenlifeandsoul toJ&Kcricket:ParvezRasool

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

SANTOSHSINGH&LIZMATHEWPATNA,NEWDELHI,AUGUST19

BIHAR LEADER of OppositionTejashwi Prasad Yadavwill ac-company Chief Minister NitishKumarinanall-partydelegationthat will meet PrimeMinisterNarendraModi onAugust 23 toask foracaste-basedcensus.Thiswillbethefirsttimethat

NitishandTejashwiwill shareaplatform.“I had sought time from the

Hon'ble PrimeMinister tomeetwith a delegation (from Bihar)on caste-based census. Manythanks to the Hon'ble PrimeMinister for giving an appoint-ment on August 23,” the Chief

MinisterpostedonTwitter.Tejashwi's political advisor

SanjayYadavconfirmedthattheRJD leaderwould join theCMatthemeetingwithModi.Allparties inBiharexcept the

BJP have demanded a count ofcastenumbersinthe2021census.Whilethecentralgovernmenthassofarrefusedtoaccedetothede-mand,someBJPleadersincludingBiharDeputyCMRenuDevihavebackedthecastecensus.“All socialist parties,

Congress,andLeftpartiesareonthesamepageonthecastecen-sus. Ironically, the BJP too hadbacked the unanimous resolu-tionpassedbytheBihar legisla-tureaskingforacastecensus,”aJD(U) leader said.

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

Nitish, Tejashwi tomeet PM togetherto seek caste census

AVANEESHMISHRALUCKNOW,AUGUST19

OVERAyearaftergangsterVikasDubey and five others werekilled in a series of alleged en-counterswiththeUttarPradeshPolice, a three-member judicialcommission, formed on the di-rection of the Supreme Court,tabled its report in the stateAssemblyonThursday, clearingthepoliceaction.The commission — headed

by retiredSupremeCourt judgeJusticeBSChauhan,andwithre-tiredAllahabadHCjudgeJusticeShashiKantAgarwalandformerUPDirectorGeneralofPoliceKLGupta as its other members —also concluded that there was

enough evidence that Dubeyandhisgangwerepatronisedbylocalpolice,revenueandadmin-istrative officials, and recom-mended an inquiry against the"erringpublic servants".On July 3 last year, a police

teamthathadgone toBikruvil-lage in Kanpur to arrest Dubeyhad come under heavy gunfirefrom rooftops near the gang-ster'shome.Eightpolicemen,in-cludingDeputySuperintendentof PoliceDevendraMishra,died

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

BiharCMhasbrokenrankswithhisallyBJPonPegasus issueaswell

MAHARASHTRA

RANEPAYSTRIBUTEATBALTHACKERAYMEMORIALPAGE9

EXPLAINED

SIMPLYPUTBEHINDTHEMOVETOPHASEOUTHFCsPAGE11

EXPRESSNETWORK

COURT:NOTHINGTOSUGGESTTHAROORDROVEWIFETOSUICIDEPAGE10

Dubey encounter: Panel clears UP policebut seeks probe into official collusion

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEAHMEDABAD,AUGUST19

GRANTINGPARTIESininterfaithmarriages protection "frombe-ingunnecessarilyharassed”,theGujaratHighCourtonThursdaystayed the operation of severalsections of the Freedom ofReligion (Amendment) Act,2021, including the provisionthattermedinterfaithmarriages

asmeansforforcefulconversion.The interim relief by a divi-

sion bench of the court camewhile it was hearing two peti-tions challenging the constitu-tionalityof theamendedAct.Tilldate, threecaseshavebeenfiledunderthelaw,accordingtosub-missions made by AdvocateGeneral (AG)KamalTrivedi.The law, which was

amended to bring in the clauseon interfaith marriages as a

means to carry out forced con-version,amongotherthings,waspassedbytheGujaratAssemblyon April 1. After GovernorAcharyaDevvratgavehisassentonMay22,thestategovernmentnotified it and enforced theamended law in theentire statefromJune15.Thetwopetitions—onefiled

bytheJamiatUlama-e-Hindandthe other by an Ahmedabad

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

Anti-conversion law: Gujarat HC stayssections linked to interfaith marriages

MAYAPPEAL: TMCPAGE10

NitishKumar,TejashwiYadavtomeetPMonAugust23.PTI file

Thecrowdoutsidetheairport inKabulonThursday.MirwaisKhanAmiri viaReuters SEVERALKILLEDINPROTESTS,PAGE16

NEHRUANDVAJPAYEEIDEAL LEADERS, ALLPARTIESMUSTINTROSPECT: GADKARI

PAGE 10

VikasDubeywasshotdead in Julylastyear

OnAfghanistan, flags regionalandinternational security implications

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI, AUGUST19

LINKING INDIA'S growth to thepace of vaccination, Fitch groupcompany India Ratings onThursday revised down its GDPforecast for the Indian economyto 9.4 per cent in 2021-22 fromitsearlierestimateof9.6percent.Mutedwage growth, rise in

healthexpenditure,anddeclinein household savings coupledwithhighconsumerinflationareexpectedtoweighonconsump-tion demand and hence, eco-nomicgrowth, it said.TheReserveBankofIndiahas

projectedarealGDPgrowthrate

of 9.5 per cent in 2021-22. TheGDPestimatesfortheApril-Junequarter will be released by thegovernment on August 31.Because of the extremely lowbaseofaGDPcontractionof24.4per cent in April-June last year,most economists areprojectingadouble-digitgrowthinGDPforthesameperiod this fiscal.IndiaRatingshadearliersaid

that if thecountry isable tovac-cinate its entire adult (18-plus)populationbyDecember31thisyear, thenGDPgrowthcouldbeexpected to come in at 9.6 percent in FY22 — otherwise, itmight slip to9.1percent.“Goingby thepaceof

CONTINUEDONPAGE6

Vaccination pace tooslow, India Ratingslowers GDP forecast

KeralaHealthMinisterVeenaGeorgeatavaccinationcampinThiruvananthapuramon Thursday.PTI

THESECONDPAGE6 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Collegiumsuggestions,MeghalayaunrestandAfghanistanInthisepisode,wetalkabouttheSCCollegium’snewrecommendationsandtheturmoilinMeghalayaafterthekillingofaformermilitant.WealsogooverthelatestnewsfromAfghanistan

DOWNLOADAPP

EXPLAINED:ANCIENTDRAVIDIANLANGUAGELINKWITHTHEINDUSVALLEYCIVILISATION

Anewresearchpaperpublishedinthepeer-reviewedjournaloftheSpringerNatureGrouphasprovidedsomeinterestingnewinsightonthelinguisticcultureoftheHarappans

ENTERTAINMENT IN PICS

BELLBOTTOMMOVIEREVIEWAkshayKumardeliversaracy,pacyentertainer

WEB

EXCLUSIVE

SCANTHISQRCODETODOWNLOADTHEAPP

WORLDPHOTOGRAPHYDAY

InsideKolkata’scentury-oldphotostudio

■VISUAL STORIES

■ DAILY BRIEFING

■ PODCASTS

■ CUSTOMIZABLENEWS EXPERIENCE

IndianExpress★★★★★■4.6

Gujarat HCresident,MujahidNafees—chal-lengedtheamendedActprima-rilyonthegroundsthatthelawismanifestlyarbitraryandviolatestheright toprivacy.“We are therefore of the

opinion that pending furtherhearing,therigoursofsections3,4,4Ato4C,5,6and6A, shallnotoperatemerely because amar-riage is solemnised by a personof one religion with anotherwithout force, or by allurementorbyfraudulentmeansandsuchmarriages cannot be termed asmarriagesforthepurposeofun-lawfulconversion,”Chief JusticeVikramNathsaid.“The above interim order is

providedonlyonthelinesof thearguments advanced by Mr(Kamal) Trivedi, learned advo-cate general, and to protect thepartiessolemnisingthemarriage(interfaith)frombeingunneces-sarily harassed," Justice Nathadded.OnAugust17,AGTrivedihad

submittedbefore the court thatinterfaithmarriages are “per senot prohibited” although thebench of Chief Justice Nath andJustice Biren Vaishnav had ob-served that the language of theamendedActdoesnotmakethesame clear, leaving a “swordhanging”onsuchmarriages.On Thursday, the AG re-

questedthebenchtoclarifyiftheoperation of the said sectionsmaybeallowedifamarriagere-sults in forceful conversion, towhichthebenchrespondedthatits order has said that interfaithmarriages donewithout force,allurementorfraudulentmeanscannot be construed as an of-fence.Section3oftheamendedAct

deals with “prohibition offorcible conversion” and states,“No person shall convert or at-tempt toconvert, eitherdirectlyor otherwise, any person fromonereligiontoanotherbyuseofforceorbyallurementorbyanyfraudulentmeansorbymarriageorbygettingapersonmarriedorbyaidingapersontogetmarriednor shall any person abet suchconversion”.Section4 laysdownpunish-

ment for violation of Section 3,withimprisonmentofuptofouryears,withsection4Aprovidingfor punishment for contraven-tionofprovisionsof Section3 incase of marriage by unlawfulconversion, with amaximumprisontermof sevenyears.Section4Bdefines“marriage

byunlawfulconversion”as“anymarriagewhich is done for thepurposeofunlawfulconversionby the person of one religionwith the person of another reli-gion, either by converting him-self/herself before or aftermar-riage, shall be declared void bythe Family Court or where theFamily Court is not established,by theCourthaving jurisdictiontotrysuchcases”.Section 4C lays down of-

fencesbyinstitutionororganisa-tion being in contravention ofSection3andstipulatespunish-mentupto10yearsof imprison-ment. Sections5and6stipulatepriorpermissionofdistrictmag-istrate incaseof conversionanddistrictmagistrate’s permissiontoprosecuteoffencesunder theAct.Section 6A lays down the

burdenof proof as towhether areligiousconversionwas“notef-fected throughmisrepresenta-tion, force, undue influence, co-ercion, allurement or by anyfraudulent means or by mar-riage" on the person "who hascaused the conversion and,wheresuchconversionhasbeenfacilitated by any person by act,omission,aid,abetmentorcoun-selling,onsuchotherperson”.Reactingtothepassingofthe

interim order, Jamiat nationalpresidentMaulanaMahmoodMadani said that the court had"shown a mirror of reality tothose in powerwhomade this

lawwithbadintent.Thecompo-nentsof thelawarestricterthanUAPA. You cannot treat a socialproblemthisway. Itwill furthercomplicate the issue".Respondingtoqueriesat the

sidelines of an event atMansa,DeputyChiefMinisterNitinPatelsaid,“Iamnotawareofthecom-ments on the love jihad law bythe Honourable High Court.Whatevermay be the observa-tions or comments, it is naturalthat our Advocate General andother government lawyerswillapprisethechiefminister,homeminister and the legal depart-ment. The governmentwill de-cide on steps to take once wehavefullinformationofthecom-mentsandobservationsmade.”

INPUTSFROMENS,NEWDELHI

Parvez Rasoolhim,” Gupta told The IndianExpress.“We did this because we

want toprepareanaudit report,a ledgerbookneedstobemain-tained.There ishardlyanybookmaintainedhereover theyears.Sowhenwe took over after thecourt's order,we sawthat thesemachineryarenotbeingfound,”Guptasaid.The sub-committee came

into existence in June after theJammuandKashmirHighCourtpassed an order that the BCCIshouldrunJKCAcricket.TwoBJPspokespersons—Guptaandad-vocate Sunil Sethi —were ap-pointedtothepanel,alongwithcricketer Mithun Manhas.Additionally,MajidDarwas ap-pointedtolookintothedevelop-ment of cricket at Srinagar andreport tothesub-committee.The email to Rasool, signed

by“CommitteeMembersJKCA”,warnedofpossiblepoliceaction.“You are holdingmachinery

ofJKCA...Beforetakinganyharshstep in thedirectionwhichmayincludeinvitingpoliceactionforbreach of trust and in order tomaintain cordial relationship,youaredirectedtoimmediatelyreturnallmachinerywithinoneweek failingwhich JKCAwill befreetotakeaction,” it said.According to Gupta, the

threat of police actionwas in-cluded in the second notice be-cause “someof the districts feelthattheycangetawaywithany-thingandnothingwillhappentothem.”In his reply, dated July 26,

Rasoolwrote: “This is to informyou that I ParvezRasool first in-ternationalcricketerhaverepre-sented my country and alsoplayed in IPL, Duleep Trophy,Deodhar trophy, India A, Boardpresident XI, Irani Trophy, cap-tained the J&KRanji team fromlast 6 years and only cricketerfrom J&K who got best all-rounder award from BCCI 2times.TodayIgota letterstatingthatIhavetakenrollerfromJKCAwhichisreallyunfortunate... Letme clarify that I haven’t takenanyrollerormachinefromJKCA.I am a player who is playingcricket. I justwant to ask is thisthe way to treat internationalcricketerwhohas given life andsoul to J&K cricket. You have anaffiliatedbodyinalldistricts;youshould ask them for any JKCAequipmentifpresentintheirdis-tricts rather thanme.”Despite repeated attempts,

Rasoolremainedunavailableforcomment.

Nitish KumarAsked if the JD(U)was indi-

cating to the BJP that it had theoptionof joininghandswiththeRJD, the leadersaid:“Themediaare reading toomuch into this.NitishKumarhasreiteratedthatJD(U) ispartof theNDA.”A senior RJD leader said the

demand for a caste censuswas“surely common meetingground”. “But it is too early tolook for a political meaning.Castecensushasbeenabigissue.It isgoodthatalmostallopposi-tion parties have been unani-

mousonit,” the leadersaid.The JD(U) broke rankswith

the BJP recently on the Pegasusaffair as well, with Nitish de-mandingaprobeintotheallega-tions of surveillance of phonesusing sophisticated spyware.Nitish also does not agreewiththe population policy that hasbeen proposed in BJP-ruled UPandAssam.The BJP has been in a

dilemma over the intensifyingdemandforacastecensus.UnionMinister Bhupender Yadav hastoldTheIndianExpress inanin-terview that the government isyet totakeadecisiononit.Highly placed sources in the

government said that the topleadership of the ruling party isoftheviewthat“thegovernmentshouldnotagreetosuchanenu-meration soon”. However, thestanding committee on socialjustice,whichwasearlierheadedby senior BJP leader GaneshSingh, has proposed a census ofOBCs.BJPleadersprivatelyconcede

thatthedemandforacastecen-suswouldbeanissueinthestateelections of next year. They saythepartycannotaffordtoantag-onise the OBCs, who have be-come a crucial support base inrecentyears.On July20, inawrittenreply

to a question in Lok Sabha,MinisterofstateforHomeAffairsNityanand Rai had said: “TheGovernment of India has de-cidedasamatterofpolicynottoenumerate caste-wise popula-tions other than SCs and STs inthecensus.”

Jaishankarcontinue to operate with bothimpunity and encouragement,”Jaishankar said at a high-levelUNSCbriefing on ‘Threats to in-ternational peace and securitycaused by terrorist acts'. Indiaholds the current presidency oftheUNSC.“It is, therefore,vital thatthis

Councildoesnottakeaselective,tactical or complacent view oftheproblemswe face.Wemustnever countenance sanctuariesfor terrorists or overlook theirraising of resources. Andwhenweseestatehospitalitybeingex-tended to thosewith innocents'bloodontheirhands,weshouldneverlackthecouragetocallouttheir double-speak," saidJaishankar, who chaired themeeting.

The UNSC briefing consid-ered the 13th report of theSecretary General on the threatposedbytheIslamicStateof Iraqand the Levant (ISIL) to interna-tional peace and security. TheAugust 3 report states that ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K), a self-pro-claimed branch of the ISIL, hasexpandeditspresenceinseveralprovinces of Afghanistan andstrengtheneditspositionsinandaroundKabul.Jaishankar said the ISIL-K is

constantlyseekingtoexpanditsfootprint in India's immediateneighbourhood.HetoldtheCouncilthatISIL's

modus operandi has changed,withthecorefocusingonregain-inggroundinSyriaandIraqandaffiliates functioning independ-ently. “This evolving phenome-nonisextremelydangerousandposes anewsetof challenges toourcollectiveefforts inour fightagainst ISIL and terrorism,” hesaid, adding, “Wemust nevercompromisewiththisevil.”In a swipe at China,

Jaishankar told the Council thatcountriesshouldnotplaceblocksandholdswithoutanyreasononrequests to designate terrorists,warning that any double stan-dards and distinctions betweenterroristswouldbemadeonlyat"ourownperil”.Jaishankar alluded to his re-

marks to the Council made inJanuary,whenhehadproposedaneight-pointactionplanaimedat collectively eliminating thescourgeof terrorism.“Summon the political will:

don'tjustifyterrorism,don'tglo-rify terrorists, no double stan-dards. Terrorists are terrorists,distinctionsaremadeonlyatourownperil.Don'tplaceblocksandholdsonlistingrequestswithoutanyreason,”hesaid.ThiswasinreferencetoChina

repeatedly placing technicalholdsonbidsby Indiaandothernations to designate MasoodAzhar, head of the Pakistan-basedmilitant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, as a global terror-ist.Jaishankarsaidthattheinter-

nationalcommunityholdsacol-lectiveviewthat terrorisminallits forms and manifestationsmustbecondemned.“Inspiteofthe progress we havemade totightenthelegal,security,financ-ing and other frameworks tocombat terrorism, terrorists areconstantly finding newerways

ofmotivating,resourcingandex-ecuting acts of terror.Unfortunately, there are alsosomecountrieswhoseektoun-dermineorsubvertourcollectiveresolve to fight terrorism. Thatcannot be allowed to pass,” hesaid,adding,“Itisalsoimportant,therefore, to end the stalematepreventing the adoption of aComprehensive Convention onInternational Terrorism,whichIndia has championed for solong.”He also drew parallels be-

tween the Covid-19 pandemicand the scourge of terrorism,telling the 15-nation UN bodythat “let us always rememberthatwhatistrueofCovidisevenmore true of terrorism: none ofusaresafeuntilallofusaresafe.”Speakingat theUNSCmeet-

ing, DavoodMoradian, DirectorGeneral of the Afghan Institutefor Strategic Studies, who es-capedfromKabulas theTalibantookcontrol of thecountry, saidoneofthepassengerswhofelltothegroundfromaUSplanethatwas taking off was reportedly amember of Afghanistan's na-tional football team.

Vaccination pacevaccination,itisnowalmostcer-tainthatIndiawillnotbeabletovaccinateitsentireadultpopula-tion by 31 December 2021,”Principal Economist SunilKumarSinhasaid.Faster recoveryafter thesec-

ondwaveofCovid-19,higherex-ports and sufficient rainfallwillprovide support to economicgrowth. The agency estimatesthat5.2milliondailydoseswouldhave to be administeredAugust18 onwards to fully vaccinatemore than 88 per cent of theadultpopulation,andtoadminis-ter single doses to the rest byMarch 31 next year.The consumption demand

storydoesnotlookencouragingeven fromamedium-termper-spective, with only exports be-ingseenasthebrightspot.“UnlikeCOVID1.0,whichwas

largely an urban phenomenon,COVID 2.0 spread to rural areasaswell. Even if the agriculturaloutput/incomeremainsintactinviewoftheprogressofmonsoonso far, rural households are un-likely to loosen their pursestrings in viewof the COVID-19induced rise and/or a likely riseinthehealthexpenditureasalsotheuncertainty/insecurityasso-

ciated with the likely futurewaves of COVID-19,” IndiaRatingssaid.Rural wage growth both for

agriculturalandnon-agriculturalactivities has declined lately.“Wagegrowtheveninurbanar-eas has beenmuted. In fact, ur-banhouseholds,besidestheriseinhealthexpenditure,arefacingthedoublewhammyof incomeloss/stagnation coupled withhighconsumerinflation.All thishasseverelydentedtheirdispos-able income,” it said.The jobs sector has been

showing indications of the im-pactofthepandemicbeingmorepronounced in case of betterqualityjobsinurbanareas,espe-cially salaried jobsafter the sec-ondwaveof thepandemic.Thedisproportionateimpact

on better quality jobs is evidentinCMIEdata that showsalariedjobs at 76.5million in July 2021were actually 3.2million fewerthantheywereinJune,notwith-standing the broader economicuptick in July.The July number is also 3.6

million short of the pre-secondwave level of 80 million inJanuary-March2021.Citingcorporatetaxratioand

income tax ratio to GDP, it saidthatwhilecorporateshavebeenbenefitingfromthereducedcor-porate tax announced in FY20,such benefit has remained elu-sivesofarforurbanhouseholds,despitetheCovid-19inducedin-come shock that will limitgrowth of consumption expen-diture.Sinhasaidtherecoverytrend

points to rising inequality afterthepandemicthathaspushedalargenumberofpeoplebackintopoverty.“Whateverrecoverywetalk about now will be a 'K-shaped' recovery and not V-shapedrecovery,”hesaid.A 'K-shaped' recoverypoints

to inequality, with the poorersectionsbearing thebrunt evenas there isanoverall recovery intheeconomy,benefittingmainlythebetteroff.Theagencyseesalowchance

ofrevivalinprivatesectorinvest-ment during this fiscal. “...Whatwe arewitnessing right now ismaintenance capital expendi-tureandnotgreenfieldprojects,”Sinhasaid.Theratingagencyexpectsthe

nominal GDP growth to be 15.6percentandtheaverageretailin-flationat5.6percent.

The rise in fuel prices is oneof thebiggest factors feedingin-flation,IndiaRatingssaid,point-ingout thatRBIhasbeenurgingthegovernment to reduce taxesand duties on the commodity,which lead to inflationary pres-sures.“Thereare first roundeffects

and there are then indirect ef-fects of hike in fuel prices andusually the impact is greater inthe indirect effects,” Sinha said,addingthattransportationcostsfor producers have goneup sig-nificantly.Sinhasaidthegovernmentis

notheedingsuchcallsbecauseitfeels theresentmentamongthepublicisnothighenoughforittoact.Soitiscontinuingtokeepthetaxes and duties at high levels,which lead to higher revenuesthat can then be distributed forpublicschemes,hesaid.

Dubey encounterin theambush.Of the 21 people named in

theFIR,policegunneddownsixaccused, includingDubey, inal-leged encounters over the fol-lowing weeks. On July 10,Dubeywaskilledwhenapolicevehicle ferrying him fromUjjain, fromwhere he was ar-rested, to Kanpur met with anaccident. Police alleged that hetriedtoescapeandopenedfire,and that hewas killed in retal-iatory fire.Ontheallegedcollusionbe-

tween Dubey and officials, thecommissionreportsays,"Policeandrevenueofficerspatronisedhimandhis gang. If anypersonlodged any complaint againstVikas Dubey or his associates,the complainant was alwayshumiliated by the police. Evenif thehigherauthoritiesdirectedto lodge the complaint, the lo-cal police dictated the terms,”the report said, pointing toDubey's wife's election as ZilaPanchayat member and hisbrother’swife'selectionasprad-hanof thevillageasevidenceofDubey's clout in the local ad-ministration.“Investigation in any case

lodgedagainst themwasneverimpartial. Sections relating toserious offenceswere droppedbefore filing the chargesheet.Duringthetrial,mostwitnessesturn hostile. Vikas Dubey andhis associates got bail ordersfrom the courts easily andquickly as therewasno seriousoppositionby the state author-itiesandgovernmentadvocates.State authorities never consid-ered it appropriate to engage aspecial counsel forhisprosecu-tion.Thestatenevermovedanyapplication for cancellation ofbailorapproachedthesuperiorcourt for cancellation of any ofthebailorders,” thereportsaid.Onthe July3policeambush

that ended up in the death ofeightpolicemen,thereportsaidsome of the police personnelposted in Chaubeypur policestation, which has jurisdictionoverDubey's Bikru village, hadtipped off the gangster aboutthe impending police raid.“Therewasa total failureof theintelligence unit in Kanpur incollecting information aboutthe criminal activities [ofDubey] and possession of so-phisticated weapons. Noproper caution was taken inpreparation for the raid, andnone of the policemen werewearing bulletproof jackets.Only 18 of them had arms, theresthadgoneempty-handedorwith sticks,” the commission'sreport said.Recommending action

against those whose allegedlycolludedwithDubey,thereportsays, “The Commission recom-mendsinitiationofdisciplinaryproceedings against the erringpublic servants for loss ofrecords, particularly the recordofcasesrelatingtoVikasDubey,after holding a regular inquiry,and pass necessary ordersagainst those foundguilty.”

Givingacleanchittothefirstencounter that took place justsevenhoursaftertheBikruam-bush andwhich resulted in thekilling of two of the accused,Dubey's maternal uncle PremPrakashandhisaideAtulDubey,the report said the injuries sus-tained by police personnel didnot appear to be self-inflictedandthatmostof thefirearmin-juries on the accused "were onthenon-vitalpartsof theirbod-ies".The commission gave simi-

larcleanchitstotheencountersthat later killed Amar Dubey,Pravin Kumar Dubey andPrabhatMishra.On the alleged encounter

thatkilledDubeyonJuly10, thereportsaidthat thepoliceteamwere on their way back fromUjjainwhenaherdof cowsandbuffaloes started crossing theroad,causingthevehicletoskidandturnover.Thecommission'sreport said that the accidentcaused "momentary uncon-sciousness" to some of the po-lice personnel sitting in the ve-hicle, following which theaccused, taking advantage ofthesituation,allegedlysnatchedtherevolverofapolicemanandstartedrunningtohis leftalongakutchha road.According to the commis-

sion's report, Dubey shot fromthe policeman's pistol even asthe police chasedhim, injuringtwoof themen inuniform.Thereport adds that police fired atthe accused in self-defence,leadingtoDubeycollpasing.Hewas rushed to the district hos-pital, where he was declaredbrought dead, the commissionsaid, adding the injuries suf-fered by the policemen couldnot have been self-inflicted orfabricated.

FROMPAGEONE

HC orders CBI probe, forms SITThe bench said a Special

InvestigationTeamwillbecon-stituted for all other cases re-ferred to in the report of thecommittee.ItsaidtheSITwillbeheadedby SumanBala Sahoo,and its othermemberswill beSoumen Mitra and RanveerKumar, all IPS officers of theWestBengalcadre.“It ismadeclear that it shall

be Courtmonitored investiga-tion. TheState shall spare theirservicesforthepurpose,asandwhen required and shall nottakeanyadverseactionagainstthemwithout specific permis-sionof theCourt. TheworkingoftheSITshallbeoverviewedbya retiredHon’ble Judge of theHon’ble Supreme Court, forwhich separate order shall bepassedaftertakinghis/hercon-sent.His/her termsof appoint-mentshallbedecidedlateron,”theorderstated.DirectingtheCBIandtheSIT

to submit their status reportwithin sixweeks – thematterwillbeheardnextonOctober4-- the bench said: “As the coreissueregardingthepost-pollvi-olence and the action requiredtobetakenthereonhasbeenre-solvedwith the directions forproperinvestigationofcasesbytheCBI and theSIT…, themat-tersnowshallbeplacedbefore

theDivisionBench for dealingwith other issues in the reportandfurtherproceedings.”Explainingwhyitwasorder-

ingaCBIprobe, thebenchsaid:“Itisforthereasonthatinnum-berofcases,theStatehadfailedto register the FIRs andopinedthe same tobenot the cases ofmurder. Insomecases,evenaf-terregistrationofFIR,theobser-vationbytheState is that thesemay result in ‘no case’. Thisshowspre-determinedmindtotake investigation intoapartic-ular direction. Under such cir-cumstances,investigationbyin-dependent agencywill inspireconfidencetoallconcerned.”The bench said: “Notice is-

sued to Rashid Munir Khan,DeputyCommissionerofPolice,South Suburban Division,KolkatavideorderdatedJuly13,2021, to show-cause as towhyproceedings for contempt benot initiated against him, shallbedealtwithlater.“Rejecting the state plea for

a time-frame that could de-scribe post-poll violence, thebench said: “One of the argu-ments raised by the Statewasto fix the period of the crimereportedduringwhich can beconsidered as post-poll vio-lence. But we do not wish toenterintothatareafortherea-

sonthat if anyaggressorpartycommits an offence on ac-count of someone’s participa-tionintheelectionprocessandsupporting a particular politi-cal party, the same shall beconsidered as post-poll vio-lenceandnotimelimitassuchcanbe fixed.”It said “polling in the State

was in eight phases startingfromMarch27, 2021andend-ing onApril 29, 2021. In everyphase of polling, some of thepersonswho support orworkfor a particular party arewellknown. If any offence is com-mittedevenbeforedeclarationof result and has connectionwithelectionprocess,eventhatcan also be considered as partof the post poll violence. Anythreat to a victim or a com-plainantafterwardsisalsocon-tinuation of offence related tothepolls.Itwillbefortheinves-tigatingagencytofindoutfromthe facts of each case. The in-vestigating agency shall alsofind out as towhether the po-lice had registered FIRs underpropersectionsornot.”On the role of the Election

Commission of India, it said:“Strongargumentwassoughttobe raised by the learnedAdvocate General time andagainthattillsuchtimeelection

codewas in force, entirepolicewasunder the control and su-pervision of the ElectionCommissionofIndia,hence,itisresponsible foranyviolencetillMay 03, 2021,when the codewaslifted…Noprovisionoflawrules or instructions to that ef-fecthavebeenreferredtoinsup-portoftheargument.Theargu-ment deserves to be rejectedoutrightly.Civilorpoliceadmin-istration isunder thecontrolofthe Election Commission dur-ingtheprocessofelectionsonlytoensurefreeandfairelections.Thatdoesnotmeanthatthepo-licestopdischargingitsnormaldutiestocontrollawandorder.”“TheStatecannotbeallowed

toblowhotandcoldatthesamebreath. There isnothingplacedonrecordbythestatethatevennormal lawandorder, andreg-istrationofcriminalcasescomeswithin the purview of EC.ConstitutionalobligationsoftheState do not get vested in theElectionCommissionduringtheprocessofelections,” itsaid.Thebenchorderedthestate

government topaycompensa-tion to the victimsof crimes inaccordancewith the policy oftheState, afterdueverification.Thecompensationamountwillbe directly transferred to theirbankaccounts.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIABHOPAL,BHUBANESWAR,AUGUST19

THEPOLICE inMadhya Pradeshhave registered an FIR againstOdisha's senior BJD MPBhartruhariMahtab,hiswifeandtheirson,aftertheirdaughter-in-lawallegedharassmentfordowry,an official said in Bhopal onThursday.Mahtab claimed in

Bhubaneswarthathisdaughter-in-lawhadstayedwithhissonforjustfiveorsixdaysaftertheirmarriagein2016andthecasefiledinBhopalcouldbeanafterthought.Hisdaughter-in-lawlodgeda

complaintatawomenpolicesta-tioninBhopalonTuesday,sayingthather familyhad spent ahugesumonherweddingandthatshewasallegedlybeingharassed fordowry,theofficialsaid.Policehaveregistered a case against theMPand his familymembers undervarioussectionsoftheIPCandtheDowryProhibitionAct.Mahtab,asix-timeLokSabha

memberfromCuttackandasen-iorleaderoftherulingBijuJanataDal(BJD)inOdisha,saidthatheisyettogetanynoticefromthepo-liceorthecourtinthisregard.Mahtab said that his sonand

daughter-in-lawstayed togetheronly for5/6days, andafter a rec-onciliationattemptfailedin2018,a separation casehas been filed,whichispendinginPatialaHouseCourtinNewDelhi.Askedabout theallegationof

dowryharassment,hesaid,“Suchaccusationsarenotmadeafterfiveyears ofmarriage.Had this beenthecase,theallegedvictimmighthave lodged a complaint imme-diately.”

Daughter-in-lawfiles dowrycomplaintagainst BJD MPMahtab, kin

THECITY 7WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

AGRA

The Mumbai District Central Co-operative Bank Limited

HEAD OFFICE: “Mumbai Bank Bhawan” 207, D.N.Road, Fort, Mumbai400001. HEAD OFFICE Contact No. 022-22617154 to 59

E-Mail: contact-recovery@ mumbaidistrictbank.com

OW MUMBAI BANK/ LOAN RECOVERY DEPT/2021-22/5162 DT: 18.08.2021WHEREAS, THE MUMBAI DISTRICT CENTRAL COOPERATIVE BANK LIMITED havingtheir head office at Mumbai Bank Bhawan, 207, D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, hasinitiated recovery certificate as per section 91 of Maharashtra Co-operative SocietyRegulation, 1960 against the mentioned borrower and also served the Demand Notice &Possession Notice against them.As they have not tendered the due amount and therefore,I, Mr. P. S. Sarambale, as special officer is declaring the auction on below mentioned, date,place and time sale of the below mentioned notice as per rights received to me as persection 156 & 107 of Maharashtra Co-operative Society Regulation, 1960,

Place forAuction : In the office of Recovery Department of The MumbaiBank Bhawan, 207, D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001

Date ofAuction : D t : 20.09.2021Time ofAuction : 11.00 amNOTES:1. The terms & Conditions of the auctions along with the tender documents can be obtainedfrom the office of Loan Recovery Department from 21/08/2021 to 15/09/2021 (except 2nd& 4th Saturdays, Sundays & other official holidays) between Morning 11.00 am to evening4.00 pm.2. The inspection of the property which is kept for the auction is on 06/09/2021 between11.00 am to 4.00 pm3. The last date for the submission of the sealed envelopes will be on 16/09/2021 till 4.00pm4. The Special Recovery Officer & Sales Officers reserves the right to cancel / or adjournedthe auction.5. If no body participates in the immovable property sale auction, in that case saidimmovable property, the rights are reserved for transferring the same in the favour of Bankor to put for the re-auction which will be as per Section 100 of the Maharashtra Co-operative Society Regulations, 1960 & rule 85 under the Mumbai District Central Co -operative Bank Ltd . Regulation.

HE SAID NOTICEIS ISSUED WITHTHE SIGNATURE AND THE SEALON 18/ 08/2021

SD/-P. S. KAMBLE

The Special Recovery Officer & Sales OfficerMumbai District Central Cooperative Bank Ltd.

NAME & ADDRESSOF THE

BOROWER/ Gurantor

The Vinkar Co-operative Bank Ltd.

(Custodian),Krishnakunj co-op.

housing soc ltd., Flatno. 101, 1st floor,

Gokuldham Mulund linkroad, Goregaon (East),

Mumbai 400063

Details of theEarnings

1) Krishnakunj co-op.housing soc ltd. Flatno. 101, 1st floor,Gokuldham Mulund linkroad, Goregaon (East),Mumbai 400063 (1063sq ft)2) Parking place:ground floor, 150 sq ft

Reservedprice Rs

Rs.1,96,80,000/-

(Rs. One croreninty six lakhs

eightythousand

only)

EMD (RS.)

Rs.2,00,000/-(Rs. Two

lakhs only)

Borrower : The Vinkar Co- perative Bank Ltd .(Custodian) Krishnakunj co-op. housing socltd. Flat no.101, 1st floor, Gokuldham Mulundlink road, Goregaon (East), Mumbai 400063

Recovery Certificate No. &Amount : CC/I/219 /1998 DT: 29.06.2018 Rs .1,76,43,594.80 alongwith the 17% interestfrom 26.03.1998 plus other charges.

Description of the property : 1) Krishnakunj co-op. housing soc ltd. Flat no.101, 1st floor, Gokuldham Mulund link road,Goregaon (East), Mumbai 400063

2) Parking place: ground floor, 150 sq ft

PUBLIC AUCTION SALE FOR IMMOVABLE/ MOVABLE PROPERTY(under Section 156 Maharashtra Co-operative Society Regulation 1960 & Under

107 Of Maharashtara Co-society Regulation, 1961)

DETAILS OF THE AUCTIONED PROPERTY AS PER BELOW:

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, AUGUST19

THEMUMBAI crime branch onWednesdayraidedclinicsbeingillegally runby“fakedoctors” inShivaji Nagar area and arrestedfivepeople.Anofficer fromunitVI of the crime branch said theraidswere carried out simulta-neously at the five clinics basedonatip-off.Theraidingpoliceof-ficials were accompanied by ateamofdoctors.Theteamverifiedthedetails

of the persons claiming to bedoctors and found they did nothave any qualifications to prac-tise medicine. They were not

registeredwiththeMaharashtraMedical Council andwere put-ting the lives of patients at risk,said an official. The police teamconfiscated variousmedicines,injections and stethoscopesfromtheclinics.An FIRwas registered in the

case at Shivaji Nagar police sta-tion.Theaccused,agedbetween43 and 59, have been identifiedas Mehtab Hasan, NagendraMishra, Mohammad Idrisi,Mohammad Alam andWasimKhan. In thepreviousyears too,policehavemadesimilararrestsof people practicing as doctorsusing either fake certificates orafter purchasing them fromqualifieddoctors.


THE MUMBAI MetropolitanRegionDevelopment Authority(MMRDA) once again extendedthedeadlineforsubmittingbidsforleasingouttwoamalgamatedcommercial plots fromG-Blockof Bandra-KurlaComplex.The new deadline is now

August 31 for these commercialplots.EarlierinApril,theMMRDAhadextendedthedeadlinefromMay14toJune30.Thetenderforthe samewas initially invited inSeptember 2019. However, dueto the pandemic, therewas nofavourableresponsefromanyin-terestedparty.AccordingtotheMMRDAof-

ficialswhile the combined plotareais6,018.90squaremeters,thebuilt-upareaof these twoamal-gamating plots is 30,000 squaremetersandthereservedpricepersquaremeter isRs3.44lakh.AnMMRDA official said the

earnest money deposit (EMD)throughbankguaranteeisRs20crore while the EMD throughonline transfer is Rs 5 lakh,whichistobepaidforparticipa-tion inbidding.AsourcesaidtheMMRDAhas

been trying hard to sell theseplots. Initially, three separateplots, C-44, C-48 andC-65wereputupforaninvitation,however,nopreferableresponsecameforC-44andC-48plots.Theauthor-ity then amalgamated both theplots toattract thebidders.

Five ‘fake doctors’ heldafter raids on illegalclinics in Shivaji Nagar

MMRDAextends deadlinefor bids to leaseout BKC plots

Mumbai:The infrastructure aug-mentation of MaharashtraHousing andAreaDevelopmentAuthority (MHADA) coloniesspreadacrossthecity,whichwaspreviously being carried out bythe agency,will nowbehandledbytheBrihanmumbaiMunicipalCorporation(BMC).Thestategovernmentrecently

issuedadirective toBMCto take

the responsibility and carry outimprovementofallinfrastructureservicesinallMHADAcolonies.Atpresent,MHADAdoes the

infrastructure improvement it-self or pays the BMC to do thework.The BMCwill nowdeployofficials to understand the re-quirementsofthesecoloniesandtake upwork on these projectsaccordingly. YOGESHNAIK

Infra development of MHADAcolonies to be handled by BMC


THE BRIHANMUMBAIMunicipal Corporation (BMC),under its Business IncubationCentre,setupwithhelpfromIIT-Bombay’sSocietyforInnovationandEntrepreneurship(SINE),in-

vitedstart-upsinthecitytosub-mit proposals to solve the city’scivic issues through innovativeideasandtechnology.Thefocusareasarestormwa-

ter drain management, wastemanagement,cleanlinessinslumareas, education, and publichealth in the current call for ap-plications. Entries are open till

September 5 and Indian start-ups;[email protected].“Mumbaimunicipal corpo-

rationhasbeenprovidingthein-frastructure facilities for the lastseveral years.We are expectingnew concepts of technologyfrom start-ups that can furtherimprove the existing facilities,”

said Shashi Bala, chief, businessdevelopment,BMC.Eachapplicationwillbescru-

tinised by the governing boardmembers of the SMILE (Societyfor Mumbai Incubation Lab toEntrepreneurship). A specialpurpose vehicle set up by theBMC to facilitate a platform forbudding entrepreneurs to con-

vert ideas into viable businesspropositionswhilemaximisingthewelfareofsocietytherebyre-taining Mumbai’s position asInternationalBusinessHub.It is the social entrepreneur-

ship incubation of BMC to pro-motesocialandeconomicdevel-opmentinthecitybycreatinganopportunity to nurture, support

andpromotetheideasthatcouldpotentially become profitableand scalable business venturesgeneratingrevenuesandemploy-mentopportunities inthecity.The committee consists of

municipal officials, corporators,IIT experts, entrepreneurs, pro-fessionals, and practitioners inrelated fields.

BMC invites start-ups to help solve civic issues through innovation, technology

8THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM


ABOUT 90% of corporators inMumbaihaveperformedpoorlyin terms of addressing citizens’issuesandraisingtheirquestionsin civic meetings, according tocity-based NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation)Praja Foundation’s report ratingthe performance of the coun-cilors in the last four years.Accordingtothereportcard,only

two out of the 220 corporatorsreviewed fall in ‘A’ grade basedontheiroverallperformance.For the year 2017-2021, as

perthereportcard,198council-lors have received C, D, E and Fgrades in the overall perform-ance.Thereportalsohighlightedneedformajorimprovementsinperformance.Ahead of Brihanmumbai

Municipal Corporation (BMC)polls, which is scheduled forFebruary 2022, the grading ofcorporatorswillhelpcitizensun-

derstand the performance oftheirlocalpublicrepresentativesin a better manner. Due to thecoronavirus pandemic, whichimpactedtheoverallfunctioningoftheBMC,PrajaFoundationthisyear decided to publish a“ConsolidatedReportCard”from2017to2021insteadofaregularannual report card.Forthegradingofcouncillors,

citizens’ complaintswereoneofthemost important aspects oftheissuestheywereexpectedtotake upwith themunicipal cor-

poration.Accordingtothereport,thecorporatorshavefailedtoful-filtheirprimaryresponsibilityofraisingthecitizens’ issues.The report has also stated

thattherehasbeennoimprove-ment in thequalityof questionsraisedbycorporators ingeneralbodymeetingsorwardcommit-tees. Also, attendance of corpo-rators at general bodymeetinghas dropped from82% in 2017-18to74% in2019-20.According to the report, top

threecorporatorsintermsofper-

formanceareRaviRaja fromtheCongress, who also holds thepost of Opposition leader,Samadhan Sarvankar from theShiv Sena and Harish Chhedafrom the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP).RajaandSarvankarareonlytwocorporators out of 220whohavebeengiven'A'grade.There-portcardrankedGulnazQureshifrom the AIMIM, Sagar Singhfrom the BJP and ParmeshwarKadamfromtheShivSenaasthebottomthreecorporators.Party-wise, Congress coun-

cillors performed the bestwith57.21%scorefollowedbytheShivSena (55.88%) and theSamajwadiParty (SP) (55.05%).Raja said that Praja’s report

has acknowledged theCongress’sefforts to takeupcit-izens’ issues. "I am thankful tothem as their reports highlightefforts undertaken by us in thelastfiveyears.Thebasicissuesofthe city need to be addressedproactivelybythecivicadminis-tration,” saidRaja.Based on the consolidated

data, theoverall averagescoreofcouncillors in this report card is55.10%whereas in the last term(April 2012-March 2016), itwas58.92%.InApril2017-March2021,outof220councillors,59arepo-sitioned in ‘E’ category, 12 in ‘F’grades (which is anoverall scoreofbelow35%)and20in‘B’grade.A largemajority,127councillors,havereceived ‘C’and‘D’grades.“Nowthatcivicelectionsare

around the corner, we need tounderstand how our currentelected representatives have

performed in the last term andthiscanactasanopportunemo-ment to introspect on the per-formances,” said Nitai Mehta,FounderandManagingTrustee,PrajaFoundation.TheNGOalsosuggestedthat

technology should be used foreffectivequalitativediscussionsand that the total number ofmeetingsshouldbeincreasedbyleveragingtelecommunicationssoftwareas seenafterCovid-19.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

90% corporators fare poorly in addressing citizens’ issues: NGO report

SAGARRAJPUTMUMBAI, AUGUST19

MUMBAIPOLICECommissionerHemantNagraleissuedacircularthisweekwarninghispersonnelthat disciplinary action shall betaken against any anyonewhobypasses him and approachesthe DG or any other unit headseekinga transfer.Themovecomes intheback-

drop of an incident inwhich 12senior police officers had by-passed the thenMumbai policecommissioner Sanjay Barve in2019and submitted transfer ap-plications directly to the thenMaharashtraDirectorGeneral ofPolice(DGP)SubodhJaiswalseek-ing transfer to theMaharashtraATS,whichwas thenheadedbyDevenBharti.Subsequently,Barvehadissuedshowcausenoticesto12decoratedpolice officers ask-ingthemforawrittenexplanationas towhyheshouldnot takedis-ciplinaryactionagainstthem.The order byNagrale comes

after anumberof officers in theforcehadagainwrittentotheDGofficeorheadsofotherunitslikeThaneorNaviMumbaicommis-sionerseekingatransferbypass-ing theMumbaiCP."It has come to our notice,

that police officers and consta-bles fromMumbai police haveapproached the senior officialsandheadofotherunitsandsub-mitted their application fortransfer while they also go and

attendwar rooms. In regards tosuchanapplication, theofficialsare not going through a properchanneli.e.throughtheirsuperi-ors and also the remarks ofMumbai police commissionerarenotbeingtaken,”thecircularissuedonTuesdaysaid.According to police officials,

every policemanhas to followadue procedure, according towhichanofficerhas to submit arequest of transfer to anotherunit to the chief of the unit theyareserving in,which inthiscaseis the Mumbai PoliceCommissioner,whothendecidesaftertakingintoaccountthepop-ulation of Mumbai city, the na-tureofwork, vacantpostsof thepolice,andthe increasingdutiesandresponsibilities.Officialssaidthatbybypassing the laiddownchain of command, the person-nelwereviolatingrules.The commissioner through

thecircularwarnedthatdiscipli-naryactionwillbetakenagainstthe policeman found violatingtheorder.

OMKARGOKHALEMUMBAI, AUGUST19

THE BOMBAY High Court hasgranted an interim stay oncriminal defamation proceed-ings against the producers ofGangubai Kathiawadi and thefilm’s lead actor Alia Bhatt.In anotherorder, theHCre-

fused to stay the release of thefilm in response to a plea byBabuji Rawji Shah, whoclaimed to be the adopted sonof Kathiawadi, abrothel owneron the life of whom the film issaid tobebasedon, andallegedthat the film and the book itdraws from are defamatory tothe reputation of his latemother.A single-judge bench of

Justice Revati Mohite-Dere onAugust 10 passed an order oncriminal application byBhansali Productions PrivateLimited, filmmaker SanjayLeelaBhansali, andBhatt, chal-lenging summons issued byMagistrate Court,Mazgaon onMarch15 inacriminaldefama-tion complaint filed by Shah.Senior advocate Aabad

Ponda forBhansaliProductionssubmitted that the film isbased on the book “MafiaQueens of Mumbai”, whichwas published in 2011, addingthe applicants had no knowl-edge of Shah’s existence.Ponda also referred to a

February order of the CivilCourtdismissingasuitbyShahseekingpermanent injunctionagainst theauthorsof thebook,restraining themfrompublish-

ing, selling or creating anythirdparty rights for thenovel.Ponda said this fact was sup-pressed by Shah in a criminalcomplaint filedbyhimagainstthe producers and, therefore,summons issued by the mag-istrate court be set aside.Issuing notice to Shah,

Justice Dere said that till thenext date of hearing, the pro-ceedingsbefore trial courtwillbe stayed.HCwillhear thepleanext on September 7.Meanwhile, a single-judge

bench of Justice Nitin WSambre passed an order on anapplication filed by Shah chal-lenging dismissal of the orderof the Civil Court, Mumbai,which refused interim injunc-tion against Hussain Zaidi andJane Borges, authors of “MafiaQueens of Mumbai”.TheCourthadrefused to re-

strain the authors from pub-lishing, sellingor creating thirdparty rights on their novel.The suit filed by Shah had

also sought an injunctionagainst Bhansali Productionsfrom producing, directing orairing the promo of any filmbased on the said novel.TheCivil Courthadallowed

anapplicationbyproducers fordismissal of the suit, whichprompted Shah to approachHC against the same.Shah, through advocate

NarendraDubey, sought an in-terim order from HC seekingtemporary injunction, restrain-ing the makers of the moviefrom releasing the film.However, advocate Mayur

Khandeparkar for the produc-ers submitted that as thesuit at the behest of legal heirof the person alleged to be de-famed isnotmaintainable, thesame was rightly rejected bythe Civil Court.He added that Shah is not

likely to suffer irreparable lossin view of absence of his legalrights and, therefore, theprayer for injunction is liable tobe rejected.Disposing the plea, Justice

Sambreheld, “Inacaseof claimfor defamation, action can bebroughtbyaperson inCourtoflaw provided he claimed to bedefamed. Merely because theAppellant is claiming tobe sonof suchpersoncannotbeprimafacie inferred to have the legalright to show indulgence.Temporary injunction asprayed cannot be granted andassuchprayers standrejected.”


A 21-YEAR-OLD man was ar-rested by the Navi MumbaiPolice's Crime Branch Unit 2from Nerul on Wednesdayevening for allegedly blackmarketing Covishield vaccine.The accused, Kishore

Khet Kumar, was found inpossession of two vials and15 syringes of Covishield, po-lice said.A probe has been launched

to ascertain where he got thevaccine.According to the police,

while the government is cur-rently providing free vaccinesagainst the Covid-19 virus, thepolice teamhadreceiveda tip-off that a person was sellingeachdoseof Covishieldvaccinefor Rs 4,000.The Crime Branch then in-

formed the Food and DrugAdministration and ap-proached the youth, who wasselling the vaccine, through a

bogus customer.The accused was sum-

monedbelowtheRajivGandhiflyover in Nerul Sector 8on Wednesday evening tovaccinate a bogus customerand a trap was set up for him,police said.When the accused arrived

at 4 pm, he took Rs 60,000 for15 doses as against the Rs4,000 for a single dose from abogus customer, police said.The customer was then

given a fully filled sealed glassvial of Covishield vaccine anda half-filled non-sealed glassvial aswell as15sealedpackedsyringes.After ascertaining that he

was selling it illegally, the ac-cusedwasbookedby theNerulpolice station on charges offraud and cheating and wasplaced under arrest."We are investigating from

where he got the Covishieldvaccineand tohowmanypeo-ple he has sold the vaccine inthis manner," said SeniorInspector Giridhar Gore.

MOHAMEDTHAVERMUMBAI, AUGUST19

STATEMENTSOF three nursingstudentsonwhomfakevaccineswere first testedby themainac-cusedintheallegedfakevaccina-tiondrivecarriedoutatHiranan-danihousing societyatKandivaliin June forms thecruxof theevi-dence in the over 2,000-pagechargesheetfiledbyMumbaipo-liceagainst11personslastweek.TheSpecialInvestigationTeam

(SIT)ledbyDeputyCommissionerofPoliceVishalThakur,whichfiledthe chargesheet in this case,willfile chargesheets in ninemorecases,officialssaid.Theninecaseswere registered after it came tolight that accusedhad allegedlycarriedoutfakevaccinationdrivesinseveralplaceswheresalinewa-terwasusedinsteadofvaccines.A seniorofficer said the three

nursing studentsworking at thetraining institute of DrManishTripathi,oneoftheaccusedinthecase, have recorded their state-ments before the police. “Theyhave said that the accused hadtriedout the salinewater on thethreetraineespriortousingthemontheresidentsofthehousingso-ciety,” an officer recounting thetrio’sstatementssaid.Theyhavementionedintheir

statements that theywere keptunderobservationforaround24-

48hourstoseeiftherewasanyad-verseeffect.Afternosuchadverseeffectwasseen,theaccusedwentaheadwith their plan, anofficersaid. “The three traineeswere,however,notawarethatthesalinewater injectionsweregoingtobeused instead of vaccines on thehousingsocietyresidents,”theof-ficeradded.The officer added that the

nursing studentswere told thattheexercisewouldbecountedaspart of their “practical” and thattheywouldreceive“goodmarksiftheyagreed tovolunteer” to takethe salinewater injections. “Thestatementsof the three studentsabouthowthesalinewaterinjec-

tionswere triedon thembeforeusingitatothersocietiesisimpor-tanttoshowhowtheaccusedhadplanned the fraud,” an IPSofficertoldTheIndianExpress.Theofficerfurthersaidthat in

addition to the10FIRs registeredin the case, theyhave registeredanother cheating caseagainstDrTripathiatthebehestof thenurs-ingstudents.Afterthiscasecameto light, the students found thatwhileRs70,000was taken fromthem in the form of fees, DrTripathi’s institutewas allegedlynot registeredwith a recognisedboard. Followingawritten com-plaintbythestudents,anFIRwasregisteredby theCharkoppolice

againstDrTripathi.In thechargesheet submitted

bythepolice lastweek, thestate-mentsofatotalof500peoplehavebeen recorded. The chargesheetsaidthattheaccused,includingtheowners of ShivamHospital thatcarriedout thedrive for390per-sonsatHiranandani Society, hadcommitted the crime formone-tary gain. The accused werechargedwith sections that dealwith culpable homicide notamountingtomurder,destructionofevidence,cheatingandforgeryamongothers.


THE INDIA MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) said thatMumbai will experiencecloudy sky conditions andmoderate rainfall on Friday,while the neighbouring Thanedistrict is on yellow alert withforecast of heavy rain at iso-lated places for Friday.Overcastconditionsandlight

rainfall continue in the city andsuburbsonThursday.Duringthepastninehours,IMD’sSantacruzobservatory recorded light rainat15.8mm,whiletheColabaob-servatory recorded light rain at1.6 mm. The relative humidityrecordedonThursdaywashighat94percent.In the 24 hours ending at

8:30 am on Thursday, IMDsSantacruzobservatoryrecorded42.5 mm rainfall, while theColaba observatory recorded52.4mmraininthesameperiod.According to the 24-hour

forecast for the city, moderaterain is likelywith thepossibilityofoccasionalintensespells.Withthe activemonsoon in the city,the maximum andminimum

temperaturesalsodropped.On Thursday, theminimum

temperaturewas 2 degrees be-lownormalat23degreesCelsiusand the day’s temperaturewasthree degrees below normal at27.2degreesCelsius.Accordingtotheforecast,the

dayandnighttemperatureswillcontinue to remain below nor-mal in thenext48hours.The southwest monsoon is

activeoverMaharashtraandwillbring enhanced rain over thestate. According to the districtforecastandwarning,heavyrainat isolated places is likely onFriday in Palghar, Thane, Dhule,Nandurbar, Jalgaon andNashik.LighttomoderaterainisforecasttillMonday in thestate.

YOGESHNAIKMUMBAI, AUGUST19

THE MUMBAI Port Trust hasfloated tenders for its proposedMarina, whichwill come up onthe Princess and Victoria docksandwillcatertoyachtsthatvisitorarebased inMumbai.Mumbai Port Trust's chief

engineerNagendraMirajkartoldThe Indian Express, "We had is-suedthetendersinFebruaryandthe process could not be com-pletedduetothesecondwaveofthepandemic,andtherewasnoresponse as everything wasclosed. WeissuedatenderagainonAugust 12andwill completetheprocess inthenext45days.’’MirajkarsaidtheMarinawill

bebuiltonapublic-privatepart-nershipbasis.He said the Mumbai Port

Trust had reclaimed some landnear the Princess Dock for theOffshore Container Terminal,whichwasshelved15yearsago.Nearly eight acres had beencarvedout fromthisandwill begiven for theMarinaand the in-vestorwillhavetospendRs360

croreonthework.There will be a provision to

have200yachtsandspeedboatsin the water and 100 on drystacks on land,Mirajkar said. Atpresent,boatownersuse jetty5at theGatewayof India toboardtheir speedboats. Yacht ownersgo in small speedboats to theiryachtsandthis isquitecumber-some, he added. At least five

years ago, a woman fell downwhile boarding a small speed-boatat theGateway.TheMaharashtraMaritime

Boardhadmade attempts to setup aMarina at the Gateway ofIndiaandonenearRadioClubbuttheprojectdidnottakeoff.CIDCO,too,hasalsoplannedaMarinainBelapur NaviMumbai, but theproject isyettotakeshape.

FAKEVACCINATIONDRIVECASE

MigrantworkersreturningtoMumbai-ThaneafterrelaxationofCovid-19restrictionsundergoCovidtestsatThanerailwaystationonThursday. Deepak Joshi

21-year-old arrestedfor ‘selling Covishielddoses on black market’

RAKSHA BANDHAN WISHESApersondressedasacartooncharacter tiesarakhionadoctorduringRakshaBandhancelebrationsataprivatehospital inSouthMumbaionThursday.GaneshShirsekar

Relief for makers of GangubaiKathiawadi, actor Alia Bhatt asHC refuses to stay film’s releaseGrants interimstayoncriminaldefamationproceedings

Mumbai police chiefwarns personnel againstapproaching otherunits seeking transfer

City to see moderaterainfall today, yellowalert issued for Thane

Tenders floated for proposed Marina at Princess and Victoria docks

TWO OF 220 CORPORATORS REVIEWED IN ‘A’ GRADE

64.11 lakhTOTALPOSITIVECASESINMAHARASHTRAActiveCases 57,579NewCases 5,225TotalDeaths 1,35,567NewDeaths 154Quarantined 3.29lakh

Tested 5.17crore

7,40,289TOTALPOSITIVECASESINMUMBAINewCases 282TotalDeaths 15,935NewDeaths 5

Statements of nursing students used as‘guinea pigs’ form crux of chargesheet

HemantNagrale

In a case of claim fordefamation, action

canbebrought by aperson inCourt of lawprovidedhe claimed tobedefamed.Merely becausetheAppellant is claimingtobe sonof suchpersoncannot beprima facieinferred tohave the legalright to show indulgence.Temporary injunction asprayedcannot begrantedandas suchprayersstand rejected”—JUSTICENITINWSAMBRE

According to thedistrict forecast andwarning, heavy rain atisolatedplaces is likelyonFriday inPalghar,Thane,Dhule,Nandurbar, JalgaonandNashik


MAHARASHTRAWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI,AUGUST19

UNIONMINISTERforMicro,SmallandMediumEnterprisesNarayanRane onThursdaymade a forayintoShivSenaterritorybypayingafloraltributeattheBalThackeraymemorial inShivajiParkhere.ThevisittotheThackerayme-

morial, the first stop onhis "JanAshirwad Yatra" of the Konkanareaof thestate, tookplaceamidtight security. The state govern-mentdeployedadditional policepersonnel to avoid clashes be-tweenSenaandBJPworkers.TheBMChad stripped his route be-tweenBandraandDadarcleanofhisposters.On Wednesday, Shiv Sena

leaderandMPVinayakRauthadsaid thatRanedoesnothave the“moral right” tovisit Thackeray’smemorial and Shiv Sainikswillnot allow him. But Rane's onThursday visit passed unevent-fully afterwhat appears to havebeenadeliberatedecisionbythepartytoignoretheminister."Everypartycarriesoutitsac-

tivities. TheMVAgovernment isperformingexcellentlyundertheleadership of CM UddhavThackeray.Ifanybodyholdsarally,it doesn'tmatter. It is theparty’smatter," Eknath Shinde, UrbanDevelopmentMinister, told themediawhenaskedaboutRane'stourinMumbai.Sources in the Sena said the

party leadership asked its cadrenottoresort toanyprotestorop-position. However, the party is

watching theBJP rally andRaneclosely,saidaleader.Soon after Rane's visit, how-

ever, Appa Patil and a fewotherSenaleadersconducteda"purifi-cation ceremony" at thememo-rial. “This placehadbecomeun-holyafteravisit bysomepeople.So I sprayed gaumutra and per-formedabhishekwithmilktopu-rify it. He (Rane) rememberedShiv Sena today. After leavingSena,forsomanyyears,hedidnotremember Balasaheb. After thevisit, he said the governmentheaded by Uddhav Thackeray,Balasaheb's son, is destroyingMaharashtra. Uddhav ji is in thetop five CMs in the country. NoShiv Sainik will tolerate suchthings,"Patil toldmediapersons.

State BJP leaders accordedRaneagrandwelcomeattheair-port, fromwherehedrove in thespecialpurposeyatravehiclefromAndheri to Shivaji Park via VileParle,Bandra.At the Thackeraymemorial,

Raneoffered flowers, bowedhisheadand foldedhishands toex-press salutation to his politicalmentor. Speaking to themedia,Rane said, "I offeredmy tributeand gratitude to Saheb (BalThackeray). I know inmyheartthat if hewaspresent, hewouldhavebeenproudofmyachieve-ments.His blessingswill alwaysbewithme."On someSena leaders disap-

provingof hisvisit to thememo-rial,Ranesaid,"Whenyouvisitthe

Thackeraymemorial, it is toofferreverence.Whyshould anybodyobject?It ispetty."Sayinghewas already "over-

whelmed"bytheresponsetotheJanAshirwadYatra, hepredictedthe BJPwouldwin theMumbaicivicelectionsdueearlynextyear."BJPwillreturntopower.Wewillensure the endof threedecadesof Shiv Sena regime inBMC," heasserted.Opposition leaderDevendra

Fadnavissaid,"ThosequestioningRane'svisit totheThackerayme-morial are displaying their shal-lowthinking. Inourtradition,weoftensetasideourideologiesanddifferenceswhenwevisittheme-morialofgreatpersons.”Outside the airport, Ranead-

dressedpeople fromamakeshiftpodium. He targeted Uddhav,making it clear that thiswas theagenda of the tour. "Uddhav isleading the state towardsdemo-lition," Rane declared, pledgingthattheyatrawasthestartofBJP'scomeback.Rane'syatraispartoftheBJP's

earlycampaignfortheBMCelec-tions. In the2017BMCelections,Sena and BJP contested againsteachotherdespitebeingalliancepartnersintheFadnavis-ledstategovernment. The contest for227wards sawBJPwinning82 seatsandSena84.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

AJAYJADHAVPUNE,AUGUST19

ABJPworker, who had set up atemplewith the bust of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi inAundh, has removed the sculp-tureafterhewaspulledupbytheBJPleadershipinDelhi.MayurMunde had set up a

small temple alongside a road inAundhareaafewdaysagoandin-stalledabustofModiinit.“Iamafollower of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and I worshiphim... and takehis blessings. Thetemplewould also enable otherfollowers to seek his blessings,”Mundehadsaid.Hisaction,however,attracted

sharpcriticism,notonlyfromop-positionpartiesbutevenlocalBJPleaders. After the bust was re-moved, bothNCP andShiv Senausedthisopportunitytotakepot-shotsattheBJPandsaidtheywere"disappointed".“Wecame to the temple and

wanted to offer petrol, LPG, andfood items to the idol as theirpricesareatanall-timehigh.Wehaddecidedtoprayinthetempletobringdownthepricesofneces-sary items,provideemploymenttoyouthandsolvecivicproblemsof the city, butwewere disap-pointedasthebustof thePMhasbeen removed,” said city NCPchief Prashant Jagtap. Leaders ofthecityunitofShivSenaalsosaidtheywantedtoofferprayersatthetemple."Inflationisatanall-timehighanditisdifficultforthepoortosurviveinthecurrentsituation.

Wewanted to pray... to help thepoor,"saidaSenaleader.While Munde initially re-

mained unavailable for com-ments, he addressed themedialate on Thursday. “I amhere toclear my stand but my lawyerMadhukarMusalewill speakonmybehalf,” he said.Musale saidMundehadsetupthetempleanditwasrecentlyinauguratedbylo-cal residents. “News about thetemplespreadacrossthecountryduetotherespectandloveforthePrimeMinister. It also reachedBJP'snationalleaders...theycalledmeup and askedme to removethestatue,”hesaid.“Anational leadercommuni-

cated...thattheconstructionofthetempleofthePrimeMinisterwasnot in accordancewith theprin-ciples and values of the BJP. Theleader said, 'we canunderstandthe respect and love of party

workers towards thePMbut thisway of expressing itwas incor-rect,”saidMusale.Thebusthasnowbeenkeptin

thelocalBJPoffice,thelawyersaid,adding,“Wewillnotworshipthebustbutitwillinspirepartywork-ersvisitingtheoffice.”Musale,however,emphasised

thatthebustwasnotremovedbe-causeofcriticismfromoppositionparties,but“inresponsetothedi-rectionsofanational leader”.Earlier in the day, Siddharth

Shirole, BJP MLA fromShivajinagarconstituency,whichincludesAundh,hadcommentedonthecontroversy.“It istruethataBJPworkerhadsetupatempleinAundhwherethebustofPrimeMinisterNarendraModiwaskeptforworship.HemighthavedonesoduetohisfeelingstowardsthePrimeMinisterbutthepartyhadnoinformationaboutit.”


THE JAMSHEDPUR JesuitProvince, to which the ElgaarParishadcaseaccusedFatherStanSwamywas associated, recentlysoughtremovalofthe"odium"--widespreadhatred--attachedtoSwamy's name and reputationduetohisarrest.Throughwrittensubmissions

filed before the High Court,Swamy's lawyerssubmittedthatas per Criminal Procedure Code(CrPC)andSupremeCourtrulings,eventhoughSwamypassedawayon July 5pendinghearing of hismedicalbailplea inthecourt,hisnext of kin had a right to clearstigmaattachedtohisname.Submissionsweremade to a

division bench of Justice S SShinde and JusticeN J Jamadar,whichhasbeenhearingposthu-mouslytheappealsfiledbyFatherStanSwamyagainstspecialcourtorders rejectinghis bail pleas onmedicalgroundsandmerits.The court had kept thepleas

pending to ascertain veracity ofclaimsbySwamy'scounselof"ap-athy,negligenceandlackofmed-ical facilities" given byNIA andstate prison authorities, despitethe octogenarian suffering frommultiple ailments that requireclosemonitoring.Senior advocateMihir Desai

and advocate Mihir Joshi for

Swamy said persons closest toSwamy have as much right toclearhis nameashewouldhavehadifhestillhadbeenalive.The lawyers said that

Jamshedpur Province has ap-pointed Father FrazerMascerenhas,formerprincipalofStXavier’sCollegeinMumbaiandcurrentlyParishPriestofStPeter’sChurchinBandra,asdelegateandnextofkin."Article21oftheConstitution

(RighttoLifeandPersonalliberty)equally applies todeceasedper-sons and just as the appellantwouldhavehadarighttoclearhisname if hewere alive, similarlythoseclosesttohimwouldhavea

similar right to clear his name,"Swamy'slawyerssubmitted.Desai said that theNational

InvestigationAgency(NIA)court,whichrefusedbailtoSwamy,hadmadecertainobservationswhich"amount topreliminary findingsof guilt", which theHigh Courtshouldsetaside."Thesubstantivebail hasbeen rejectedon theba-sisthattheaccusationsagainsttheaccused areprima facie true. So,there is a stigmawhich attachestotheappellant(Swamy)andwillcontinuetobesoattachedunlessthesefindingsaresetaside,"Desaisaid.TheHighCourtislikelytohear

theappealsonAugust31.

Mumbai:Mumbai Policeon Thursday registeredseven FIRs against UnionMinisterNarayanRaneforallegedlyviolatingCovid-19rulesby takingoutBJPralliesacrossthecity.Theywere registered undersections 188 (Disobed-iencetoorderdulyprom-ulgatedbypublicservant)of IPC,51(refusestocom-ply with governmentrules) of NDMA and 135(penalty for contraven-tion of rule) of theBombayPoliceAct.ENS

Seven FIRsfor violatingpandemic rules

NarayanRaneat theBalThackeraymemorial inMumbaionThursday.GaneshShirsekar

Swamy’s kin have right toclear stigma attached to hisname: Jesuit Province in HC

Mumbai:Thefatherof jailedactivistRonaWilson,whowasar-rested in 2018 over his alleged involvement in the ElgaarParishad case, passed awayWednesday at his residence inAlappuzha.Hewas84.Wilsonhad lastmethim inApril 2018when he had visited Kerala. His lawyerswill be approachingthecourtseekingtemporarybailforWilsonsothathecantravelto his home for the final rites.Wilsonwas arrested on June 6,2018, by thePunepolice.Aplea filedbyhim, citinga report ofaUS-baseddigital consultant ‘Arsenal Consulting’ that stated"incriminating evidence"was allegedly planted on his elec-tronicdevicetwoyearspriortohisarrest, ispendingbeforetheBombayHighCourt.Recently,theHighCourthadgrantedtem-porarybailtoWilson’sco-accused,lawyerSurendraGadling,tovisithishomeinNagpur toperformfinal ritesonhismother’sfirstdeathanniversary. ENS

RONAWILSON’S FATHERDIES, LAWYERS TOSEEK TEMPORARYBAIL FOR FINAL RITES

Under fire from Oppn and hisparty, BJP worker removesModi bust from ‘temple’

MayurMundeat thetemplehebuilt forPMNarendraModi,before thebustwasremoved.ArulHorizon

VALLABHOZARKARMUMBAI, AUGUST19

CHIEF MINISTER UddhavThackerayThursdayinaugurateda sprawling newadministrativecomplexforPalghardistrict.The Palghar District head-

quarters is situated in Kolgaon,BoisarRoadandhasbeendevel-oped by the City and IndustrialDevelopment Corporation(CIDCO) over 103 hectares. Theofficeofthedistrictcollectoranddistrictmagistrate, superinten-dent of police, zilla parishad,new administration buildingand court are all part of thePalghar headquarters, which issaidtobe largestadministrativecomplex in thecountry.The headquarterswas inau-

guratedvirtuallyafterThackerayand Deputy Chief Minister AjitPawar cancelled their visit toPalghardue tobadweather.Thackeray directed officials

to undertake developmentworks by preserving tribal cul-tureandtraditionsinthedistrictand enhance the reputation ofthenewbuilding.


IN THE past sevenmonths, theRailway Protection Force (RPF)hasmanagedtoreunite477run-awaychildrenrescuedfromvar-ious railway stations of theCentral Railwaywith their fam-ilies. Around 477 children, in-cluding167girls,were reunitedwiththeirparentswiththehelpfromNGOs.AccordingtotheRPF,mostof

the childrenwere found loiter-ingatrailwaystationsaftertheyleft theirhousefollowingafightorgettingscoldedorinsearchofglamourorbetter life.ARPF official said on July 27,

they had rescued a teenage girl

travellingalonebetweenKalyanandLokmanya tilakTerminus.TheTTEandtheRPFstaffers,

who found the girl, counselledherwiththehelpofanNGO. She

saidthatsheisnativeofPatnainBihar and had run away fromhomewithout informing any-one tomake a career inmodel-ling/acting inMumbai.

VIVEKDESHPANDENAGPUR,AUGUST19

THE NAGPUR bench of theBombayHighCourthas ruled infavourofGMRAirportsLtd(GAL),quashing thecancellationof thecontractgiventothecompanytobuildanewinternationalairportatNagpur.Adivisionbenchcom-prisingJusticesSunilShukreandAnilKilorpassedanordertothiseffectonWednesday.GALhadwonthebidtobuild

the new international airporthere in 2018 and was issued aletterofaward(LoA)onMarch7,2019, three years after the bidprocesswasinitiatedin2016.Butayear letter, onMarch19, 2020,GAL was informed that its bidwascancelled“asperdirectionsfrom government of Maha-rashtra”.Noreasonwascited.GAL had fielded senior

SupremeCourtlawyerAbhishekManu Singhvi to plead its case.He was assisted by CharuhasDharmadhikari.The new international air-

port is part of theMultimodalInternational Hub Airport atNagpur (MIHAN) project thatenvisages developing an inter-nationalaircargoandpassengerhubatNagpur. Theproject, dat-ingbacktoovertwodecades,hasstill not takenoff asplanned.

TheDrBabasahebAmbedkarInternationalAirport,asit isoffi-ciallyknown,iscurrentlyrunbyMIHAN (India) Limited (MIL), ajoint venture company ofMaharashtra AirportDevelopmentCompanyandtheAirportsAuthorityof India(AAI),whichhaveashare-holdingof51percentand49percent,respec-tively. “Theprocessof privatisa-tion of the airportwas initiatedas it was themainmandate ofMIL,” saidaseniorMILofficial.MIL,whichwasarespondent

in the case alongwith the stategovernment, has been directedby the HC to complete the con-tract process formalitieswithinthenext sixweeks.The company winning the

bidwassupposedtomakeanin-vestmentofRs1,685croreinthefirst four years and continue toinvest in later stages as per thepassenger flow. GAL was thehighestbidder,offering5.76percent of the gross revenue of theairport,whichwassubsequentlyraised to 14.49 per cent duringthepost-bidnegotiations.The Nagpur airport was op-

erating at barely break-evenlevelof revenueversus losses in2016-17. However, it showed a‘profit before tax’ of Rs 49 crorein thesubsequentyear.

FULLREPORT ONwww.indianexpress.com


AN URAN resident booked forsmuggling high-speed dieselfrom big ships will not be al-lowed to engage in commercialfishinginthearea,aspecialcourthas said in its recentorder. Theaccused, Roshan Shirodkar,wasarrested in 2018 for alleged or-ganized crime involving smug-glingdieselfrombigshipsathighsea.Hewasgrantedbail in June.Shirodkar approached the

court earlier thismonth statingthat the conditions imposed onhimwhile grantingbail, preventhimfromenteringthejurisdictionofUranandMorapolicestations.Thepleasaidthat thiscondi-

tiondidnotallowhimtovisithisresidence in Uran or meet hisfamilymembers.Italsosaidthatthispreventedhimfromengag-ing incommercial fishing.The prosecution, however,

opposedthepleastatingthatal-lowing Shirodkar to visit Urancouldaffectwitnesses.Whilepo-lice also opposed allowingShirodkartovisitUran,thecourtobjectedtohimbeingprohibitedfromstayingathis residence.

YOGESHNAIKMUMBAI, AUGUST19

WITH THE chairman of theMaharashtra Public ServiceCommission(MPSC)settoretireon August 26, theMaharashtragovernment has put up an ad-vertisement to fill the post. Itwillalsobefillingthepostof twomembersof the commission.MPSC plays an important

role in examinations and inter-views conducted by the stategovernment for staff recruit-ment. It has six members, butforalongtimeonlytwoof theseposts were filled, including in-cumbentchairmanSatishGavaiand one member, DayanandMeshram. Four positions havebeen vacant and the state re-cently filled threeposts.The absence of members

had created amassive backlogforthecommission,whichoverthe past years has had to fill2,000 government posts. Foreachpost,roughlythreepersonsare interviewedandeach inter-viewtakes15 to20minutes.Gavai is retiring after com-

pleting 62 years of age. Earlier,retired additional chief secre-taries or chief secretaries occu-piedthepost,whichisnormally

heldbyan IASofficer, but in thelast 10 years promotee IAS offi-cers have held the post aftertheyretired.Gavaiwasanaddi-tional chief secretary in the en-vironment department whenhe retired two years ago fromthe IAS.Retired IPS officer Pratap

Dighavkar, retired IAS officerRajeev Jadhav andacademicDrDevanandShindewerethenewmembers of the commissionappointed in August. TheCongress had recommendedthenameofHajCommitteeCEOMAKhan,butitwasnotconsid-ered.Now,with the retirementof

Meshram, twopostswill beva-cant apart from the chairper-son’s. Sources said that ChiefSecretary S J Kuntemay also bea candidate for chairpersonwhenhe retires inNovember.

Govt moves to fill 3posts in state publicservice commission

HAPPY ENDINGSDivision-wisebreakupof childrenrescuedfromJanuaryto July2021

MumbaiDivision

BhusawalDivision

NagpurDivision

PuneDivision

SolapurDivision

10462

39 31 22 18

130

4115 15

166 70 40 171 30

■Boys ■Girls ■TotalChildren

CM inauguratesPalghar districtHQ building

Bombay HC rulesin favour of GAL

477 kids rescued, reunited withfamilies in 7 months with RPF help

NEWAIRPORT INNAGPUR

Theabsenceofmembershadcreatedamassivebacklogforthecommission,whichoverthepastyearshashadtofill2,000governmentposts.

Man booked for‘smuggling’ dieselfrom ships barredfrom fishing

Rane pays tribute at Bal Thackeraymemorial, Sena leaders ‘purify’ site

First aircraft registered in Indian facilityfor leasing purposes lands in Nagpur SEZVIVEKDESHPANDENAGPUR,AUGUST19

INAfirst, themaidenaircraft im-ported by JetSetFleetManagement Services IFSC PvtLtdfromUKlandedintheSpecialEconomic Zone (SEZ) ofMultimodal Hub Airport atNagpur(MIHAN)projectarea,un-der the GIFT City project of thecentral government to facilitatelease-in and lease-out of char-teredaircraft.Earlier,forleasinginand leasing out of such aircraft,Indiancompanieshadtoregisterin foreign countries like Ireland.UndertheGIFTCityprojecthead-quartered inAhmedabad, Indianaviationcompaniescannowreg-isterthereandoperatetheirleas-ingbusinessfromIndiaitself.JetSetFleet Management

Services IFSC Private is a leasingarm of Delhi-based JetSetGo

Aviation Services Pvt Ltd. IFSC isan acronym for InternationalFinancial Services Centre,whichis a regulatory authority for off-shore financial transactions.CompaniesregulatedbyIFSChavetocarryIFSCaspartoftheirname.The company's founder and

CEOKanikaTekriwalreceivedthesix-seater plane, along withNagpurDistrictGuardianMinisterNitin Raut, District Collector RVimala andMayorDayashankarTiwari, in theparking areaof the

Indian Airlines Maintenance,RepairandOverhaul(MRO)facil-ity here. "...we are extremelyproud tobe the first Indian leas-ing company tobring an aircraftinto the country directly,”Tekriwaltoldmediapersons."TheplanewillbeleasedtoInfoPacificAviationPvtLtd,asubsidiarycom-panyof JetSetFleet,"sheadded."The company proposes to

buy sixmore planes for leasingbusiness over the next one yearundertheGiftCityproject...thefa-cilitationofpurchasingleast-pur-poseaircraftbyregisteringwithinthecountrywillsavepreciousfor-eign currency in terms of leaserental,whichearlierhadtobede-posited in the foreign countrywhere the companywas regis-tered,"saidTekriwal.She said the company had a

choice to land the aircraft atHyderabad airport too,which istheonlyotherairportinIndiabe-

sidesNagpurthatisconnectedtotheSEZbyataxiway."ButwegotquickclearnessfromMIHANandMaharashtra authorities.""TheaircraftacquiredundertheGIFT City schemeoperateswithNon-scheduledOperationPermit(NSOP),meant for useby corpo-rates or business leaders,"AbhishekKumar, vice-presidentof JetSetGoAviationServices PvtLtd,toldTheIndianExpress.DipeshShah,headofdevelop-

ment at International FinancialServices CentresAuthority, said,"IFSC atGIFTCity is anoff-shorecentrewhichfacilitatesundertak-ing off-shore transactions on-shore,therebycreatingnewbusi-ness opportunities and jobs...ConsideringMIHANSEZhasair-port facilities, it enabledparkingfacilities for aircraft and therebyhelped the first transaction tomovequickly,allowingIndia'sfirstaircraftleasedfromIFSCtoIndia."

Theaircraft importedbyJetSetFleet fromUK.Express


EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

CMYogiAdityanath intheAssembly:ThosebackingTalibantalkingaboutwomenwelfare . Express

1cryouthstogettablets,smartphones;housesforpooronmafialand:Adityanath

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,AUGUST19

CALLING FORMER PrimeMinisters Jawaharlal Nehru andAtalBihariVajpayee“idealleadersofIndiandemocracy”,Unionmin-ister and senior BJP leaderNitinGadkarionWednesdaysaid thatthoseintherulingpartyaswellasthose in theOpposition should“introspect”andactwithdignity.“Vajpayee aur Nehru, yeh

Hindustan ke loktantra ke doadarshnetathe,aurdonokehtethekimain apne loktantrikmaryadakapaalankarunga (VajpayeeandNehruwerethetwoidealleadersof Indian democracy. And bothused to say that theywould actwith democratic dignity),”Gadkari saidata functionorgan-isedbyHindinewschannelNewsNation.“Atalji’s legacy is our inspira-

tionandPanditJawaharlalNehrualso had a big contribution to

Indiandemocracy,”hesaid.Gadkariwastalkingaboutdis-

ruptionsinParliamentduringthejust-concludedMonsoonSession,whichwasas goodas awashoutwiththeOppositionprotestinginbothHousesover the three agri-culturallaws,riseinfuelpricesandallegations relating to Pegasusspyware.RecallinghisyearsasLeaderof

Opposition in MaharashtraAssembly,Gadkarisaidtherewasa timewhenhe ledthecharge indisruptingtheHouse.“Oncedur-ingthosedaysImetAtalji,andhe

toldmethiswasnowaytoactinademocracyandthatitwasimpor-tant to convey yourmessage tothepeople,”hesaid.Hesaidallparties,bothruling

andopposition,must introspect.“Sabhi partyon ne — main bhipartykaadhyakshrehchukahoon— ekbar iska atma parikshankarke... sattarudh party aurvipakhsh,kyunkiaajjovipakshhai,wohkalkasattarudhpartyhai.Aajke sattarudh party kal ka vipakshhai. Humaare role badalte rehtehain (All parties should intro-spect. The one who is inOppositiontodaywillbeinpowertomorrow,andthoseinpowerto-daywill be in Opposition. Ourroleskeepchanging),”hesaid.“Main toh jeevan ke anek

saalon takvipakshmeinhi kaamkar chuka hoon. Toh kahin nakahin sab log maryada ka palankarkejaaye(IhaveworkedintheOppositionforsomanyyears.Soeveryone must act with dig-nity),” he said, adding that the

recentdisruptionsinParliamentpainedhim.Speakingaboutthestateofthe

Congress party, Gadkari said a“strongopposition”was “neces-saryinasuccessfuldemocracy”.Calling the ruling party and

the Opposition “twowheels ofdemocracy”,theministersaid:“AstrongOpposition is also neces-sarytomakethisdemocracysuc-cessful. Nehru always respectedVajpayee ji and said theOppositionwasalsonecessary.”He said a strongOpposition’s

checks on the ruling partywasnecessary for the success of ademocracy. “Aur iss liye Congressparty vipaksh ke roopmeinmaj-boot banni chahiye, aur vichar keadhaar par unko zimmedarvipaksh ka kaam karna chahiye,yehimeriunnkeliyeshubhkamanahai (Forthis, theCongressshouldemerge as a strong Oppositionand act act as a responsibleOpposition.ThisiswhatIwishforthem),”hesaid.

MAULSHREESETHLUCKNOW,AUGUST19

INANabruptendtotheMonsoonSession, the UP LegislativeAssemblywasadjournedsinedieon Thursday after the Housepassedthesupplementarybudgetof Rs7,301.52crore tabledby theBJPgovernmenttomeettheaddi-tionalexpenditure.TheMonsoonSession,whichwas scheduled tocontinuetillAugust24,functionedforonlythreedays.Whilereplyingtoadebateon

thesupplementarybudget,ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanathhit outat theOpposition for their criti-cismof his governmentover thelaw and order situation, saying“those shamelessly supportingtheTalibanaretodaytalkingaboutwelfareof women”.“Therearesomewhoaresup-

portingtheTaliban...TheywanttoTalibaniseIndiatoo...Suchpeoplearetalkingaboutwomenwelfare.Allsuchfacesshouldbeexposed,”theCMsaid.Inaspeechthatlastedforover

an hour, Adityanath shared thedetailsofRs3,000crorefundsset

aside for “employment” in thesupplementary budget. The CMsaid that themoneywill beusedto digitally equip one crore stu-dentspursuinggraduation,post-graduation, technical educationand diploma courses by givingthem tablets or smartphones.“Andasperneed,effortswillalsobemade to provide themwithfreedigitalaccess,"theCMsaid.Rejecting the Opposition's

chargeofmismanagementduringthesecondwaveofCovid-19, thechiefministerclaimedthatUP,de-spitebeingthemostpopulousstate,reportedthelowestpositivityrateandhighestrecoveryrate.Pointingtowards theOppositionbenches,hesaidthathowwouldtheyknowthegroundrealitywhenmostofthemhavebeenin“homeisolation”duringthepandemic.Earlierinthedebate,Congress

LegislatureParty leaderAradhnaMisha had sought protection ofwomenandsupportforgirlswholost an earningmember in thefamily. She also demanded thatprovisionshouldhavebeenmadein the budget for those families,who have lost their loved onesfromCovid-19. —WITHPTI

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEKOLKATA,AUGUST19

THE BJP on Thursday wel-comedtheCalcuttaHighCourtorder of a CBI probe into al-leged incidents of post poll vi-olence inWest Bengal even asthe rulingTrinamoolCongresssaid itwas looking tochallengethe order in the SupremeCourt.BJP national general secre-

tary and party's co-in-chargeof Bengal, KailashVijayvargiyasaid, “We welcome this deci-sion. This has vindicated ourstand. The incidents of post-poll violence in Bengal tookplace under the protection ofthe state government and theTrinamool. This is amoral vic-tory for our party.”BJP state president Dilip

Ghosh echoed the same senti-ment:“Thehighcourtorder to-day is a victory of theConstitution. The victims ofsuch incidents will get justicenow. Democracy will be re-

stored in Bengal. Oppositionpartieswill be able to exercisetheir rights. We also welcomethe court’s decision to ordercompensation for the affectedfamilies.”ThehighcourtonThursday

ordered a CBI probe into casesof murder and rape during al-leged post-poll violence in thestate.TheTrinamool,meanwhile,

said it was planning to movethe higher court challengingthe order.“The Calcutta High Court

court has issued an order andwe respect the judiciary. But if

the CBI intervenes in everylaw-and-order matter, whichis well within the domain ofstate government, it is a trans-gression of the state’s right. Iam sure the state governmentwill look into the order andmight takeadecision toappealto ahigher court, if necessary. Iamnotveryhappywith theor-der,” veteran Trinamool MPSougata Roy said.Trinamool state general

secretary Kunal Ghoshtweeted, “Before the vote, theBJP leadershadmadeprovoca-tive statements such as ‘Wewill kill you and youwon’t getpeople to take thebodies to thecrematorium’. Every threat isknown to all. The BJP has re-peatedlymadesuchprovokingstatements inorder to incitevi-olence. They are doing thesame now in Tripura.”He said, “Possible legal as-

pects will be considered. Wethink theNHRCreport ispurelypoliticallymotivated. Iwill notcomment on the HC ordernow.”

Chandigarh: Punjab Congresschief Navjot Singh SidhuThursdayappointedformerDGPMohammadMustafaashisprin-cipalstrategicadvisor,daysafterthe retired IPS officer left himred-facedbydecliningthecrick-eter-turned-politician's offer toappoint him as one of his fouradvisors. This time,Mustafa ac-cepted theofferand thepost.“MohdMustafa isherebyap-

pointedas theprincipal strategicadvisortothePPCCpresident,theundersigned,Navjot SinghSidhuwithimmediateeffect.HewouldactasaPCCcoordinatorwith theAICConissuespertainingtohisdo-mainandanyothermatters thatthe presidentmay deem fit,” astatement issued by PunjabPradeshCongressCommitteesaid.Earlier, Sidhu went to

Mustafa’shouseinPanchkulaandhandedhimtheappointmentlet-ter.Mustafa did not respond tomediacallsbut it is learntthatheacceptedtheoffer,asSidhupostedpictureswithMustafaandhiswifeand Punjab minister RaziaSultanaholdingtheappointmentletter.“LovetobeassociatedwithRazia Ji andMustafa sahib,” hetweeted. ENS

New Delhi: The AppointmentsCommitteeoftheCabinethasap-pointedApurvaChandra,servingas theSecretary,UnionMinistryofLabourandEmploymentsinceOctober 2020, as the newSecretary, Union Ministry ofInformationandBroadcasting.Before the Labour and

EmploymentMinistry, ChandrahadservedastheSpecialDirectorGeneral, DefenceAcquisition, intheMinistryofDefence, “aposi-tionwhere he played a key rolein contributing towards AtmaNirbhar Bharat in terms ofgreaterdefenceacquisitionfromdomestic industry and at thesame time keeping DefenceForcesequippedwithallitschal-lenging requirements,” a state-menthadsaid lastyear. ENS

DEBRAJDEBAGARTALA,AUGUST19

A TRIPURA BJP MLA has trig-gered a row for asking partysupporters to launch 'Talibanistyle attacks' on TrinamoolCongress leaders if they landatthe airport in Agartala.BJP Tripura chief

spokesperson SubrataChakraborty said thecommentmade by Bhowmik is his ownandthepartydoesnot takeanyresponsibility.Speakingataneventorgan-

ised here on Wednesdayevening to felicitate PratimaBhowmik, who was recentlyinducted in the Union cabinet

as Minister of State in theMinistry of Social Justice andEmpowerment, senior BJPleader andMLAArun ChandraBhowmik said TMC leadersfromWestBengal are trying todamage theBiplabDeb-ledBJPgovernment in Tripura.“They are being instigated

byMamataBanerjee... I appealall of youthatwehave toattacktheminTalibani style.Weneed

to attack them once they landat the airport here. We shallprotect our government herewith every drop of blood,”Bhowmik said.A video clip of his com-

ments has gone viral on socialmedia.Whencontacted, Bhowmik

said he had made the remarkasanexample to justifyhowtocounter the TMC seriously.Tripura TMC leader Subal

Bhowmik has demandedBhowmik's arrest for his in-flammatory remarks. He alsosaid TMC leaders were ha-rassed at an Agartala-basedhotel on Wednesday nightshortly after this comment.

WITHPTIINPUTS

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,AUGUST19

UTTARPRADESHChiefMinisterYogiAdityanath,BJPstatepresi-dent Swatantra Dev Singh andparty general secretary SunilBansal on Thursday eveningrushed toNewDelhi toattendameetingbyHomeMinisterAmitShahandBJPnationalpresidentJPNadda.Speculation in the statewas

rife that themeeting at Shah’s

residencelateonThursdaynightwas to discuss the poll strategyfor the2022stateelections, andtocountertheOpposition’salle-gations of Covid mismanage-ment, law and order, andwomen’s safety in the statewhile highlighting the govern-ment’s achievements. Reportssuggestedthatapossiblereshuf-fleinthepartyorganisationwasalsodiscussed.This is the third suchmeet-

ing between the leaders in thelastonemonth.

TRIPURA

UP CHEERS FOR SPORTS, ITS HEROESGatheringataneventatAtalBihariVajpayee InternationalCricketStadiuminLucknowtofelicitateathleteswhoparticipated intheTokyoOlympics.UttarPradeshChiefMinisterYogiAdityanathannouncedsettingupof asportsuniversity,namedafterhockey legendDhyanchand, inMeerut.Healsosaid thestategovernmentwilladopt twosports, includingwrestling,andfinancetheirpromotion inthestate for thenext10years.Cashawardsweregiventotheathletesandsupportstaff ontheoccasion.Vishal Srivastav

Sidhu nowappoints ex-DGPMustafa as hisstrategic advisor

ArunChandraBhowmik

BJP MLA asks party workers to attackTMC leaders in ‘Talibani style’

Apurva Chandrais new I&B Secy

UPmonsoonsession endswithin 3 days

ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI, AUGUST19

IN ITS Wednesday order dis-charging Congress MP ShashiTharoor in the death of his latewife Sunanda Pushkar, a Delhicourtsaidthat"intheabsenceofspecificallegationsandsufficientmaterial", the accused "cannotbe compelled to face the rig-marolesof acriminal trial"."Nodoubtapreciouslifewas

lost. But in the absence of spe-cific allegations and sufficientmaterial tomake out the ingre-dients of the various offencesand on the basis of which thecourt could, at this stage, pre-sumethattheaccusedhadcom-mitted the offence, the accusedcannotbecompelled to face therigmaroles of a criminal trial,"Special Judge Geetanjali Goelsaid in the order that was up-loadedonThursday.Pushkar was found dead in

the suite of a luxury hotel inDelhi on January 17, 2014. TheDelhi Police initially registeredanFIRagainstunknownpersonsonchargesofmurderonJanuary1, 2015. Tharoor was laterbookedunderIPCSections498A(husbandorhisrelativesubject-ingawomantocruelty)and306(abetment tosuicide).AdditionalPublicProsecutor

Atul Kumar Shrivastava had inhearings stretching over twoyearsmadethecasethatTharoorhad subjected Pushkar tomen-talandphysicalcrueltyandthathehadabettedher suicide.To constitute an offence un-

der Section 306 (abetment tosuicide), the prosecution has toprove that thedeceaseddiedbysuicideandtheaccusedabettedthecommissionof suicide.Tharoor's lawyer, senior ad-

vocateVikasPahwa,hadarguedthatithasbeenheldinacantenaof judgments that where thecause of deathwasnot definite,itwouldnotattractSection306.Thiswasapointthatwentin

Tharoor's favour, as the courtnoted that "none of the (med-ical) reports on record confirmthatthedeathinthepresentcasewassuicidal".In its first report, the

Psychological Autopsy Board—aBoardof independent doctorsset upby theMinistryofHealthontherequestof the investigat-ingagency—hadstatedthatthedeathwas not homicide or sui-cidewhileinitssecondreport, itstated that the deceased had"suicidal ideations but did notstate that it was a suicide northere is any other material toconfirm the same". The courtsaid that as such, "none of theBoards had confirmed that thedeathwasasuicide".The court noted that the

"prosecutionitselfhastakenthestance at onepoint that itwas ahomicidal death andat anotherthat thedeathwasasuicide".It said that "even if it is pre-

sumed that the deceased hadsuicidal ideations and she hadcommitted suicide or causedgrave injury or danger to life,limborhealth asper the caseofthe prosecution", there is noth-ing, evenprima facie, to suggestthat therewas any "willful con-duct on the part of the accusedof such anature aswas likely todrive the deceased to commitsuicide..."The prosecution had largely

relied on the fact that Pushkarsuspected her husbandwas in-volvedinanextra-maritalaffair,however, the court held that "itcannot be said that the samewould amount to mental cru-elty".The prosecutor had men-

tioned various instanceswhereTharoor allegedly treatedPushkar cruelly, however, thecourtheldthatthe"prosecutionhas not brought anything onrecordtoshowthat theaccusedhadprovoked,incitedorinducedthedeceasedtocommitsuicide".The court had perused the

statementsmade by Pushkar'sson and her two brothers andstated that they did not "stateabout any physical cruelty nordidanyof theotherwitnesses".The court perused a state-

ment by Pushkar's close friendwho stated that the deceasedshowedhersomebruisesonherbody and alleged that Tharoorhad hit her. The court observedthat even this witness "did notbelieveher".Thecourtalsoobserved that

therewas “nothingwhatsoeverto even prima facie” show thatan offence under the section ofmurder isattached in thecase.Whilethepolicehadfirstreg-

istered a case ofmurder only todrop it in the chargesheet, twoyearsintotheargumentonpointof charge, the state prosecutor,arguing on point of framing ofcharges, had asked the court toprosecuteTharoorforabetmentto suicide or “alternatively”framemurder charges againsthim.

Nothing to suggestTharoor drove wifeto suicide, says court

Yogi meets Shah, Nadda

POST-POLLBENGALVIOLENCE

DilipGhosh,SougataRoy

TMC may move SC, BJP claimsmoral victory after HC order

NitinGadkari

Nehru, Vajpayee ideal leaders, allparties must introspect: Gadkari

Nagpur: The RSS-affiliatedBharatiyaKisan Sangh (BKS) onThursdaysaidtheoutfitwillstagea nationwide agitation onSeptember8topressfor'remuner-ativeprice'tofarmersfortheirpro-ducetocovertheirproductioncostandcalled for "improvement" intheCentre'snewagrilawsthatarefacingoppositionfromasectionofcultivators.Thefarmers'bodysaidthecentralgovernmentshouldei-therbringnewlegislationormakechanges in the agri-marketinglawsenactedlastyeartoaddapro-vision forpaymentof minimumsupport price (MSP) for majorfarm produce. Top BKS func-tionaryDineshKulkarni,address-ingapress conference inNagpuronThursday,said farmersshouldget 'remunerativeprice' for theirproducetocovertheircostofpro-duction,which they arenot get-tingintheexistingsystem. PTI

FULLREPORT ONwww.indianexpress.com

BKS: New farmlaws needimprovement

CONGMPDISCHARGED INCASE

SunandaPushkarwasfounddeadinahotel in2014

ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI, AUGUST19

OVER SEVEN years afterCongress MP Shashi Tharoor'swife Sunanda Pushkar wasfounddead, it has still not beenestablished whether it was acaseofhomicideorsuicide.Thislackof claritycouldalsobeseenin thepolice investigation,whofirst registeredacaseofmurderbeforetheydroppedthesectionin their chargesheet.Twoyearsintotheargument

on point of charge, another u-turn took place when the stateprosecutor, arguing on point offraming of charges, had askedthe court to prosecute Tharoorfor abetment to suicide or "al-ternatively" frame murderchargesagainsthiminthedeathof his latewife.However, Special Judge

Geetanjali Goel, inherorderdis-charging Tharoor onWednesday,observedthattherewas "nothing whatsoever toeven prima facie" show that anoffenceundersectionofmurderis attached in the case.The court had come to this

conclusion after perusing a re-port submitted by a medicalboard constituted by theMinistry of Health. It said the"investigation was proceeding

on the premise that it could bea homicidal death because ofthe presence of an injectionmark. However, this mark wasduetothepresenceofacannula(a thin tube inserted into thebodycavity toadministermed-ication) at KIMS, Trivandrum"duringPushkar's treatment.Thecourthadsaidtheboard

also "ruled out possibility ofdeath from lidocaine and re-marked that in the absence ofdefinitiveevidenceof anyotherchemical agent, including in-sulin, itwasnotpossibletocom-ment on whether the abovementioned agents were thecauseof death".It said the board further

stated that no definite opinioncould be given "regarding defi-nite cause of death",whether itwashomicidal, suicidal,oracci-dental.Thecourtalsonotedthatthechargesheetitself statedthat"Alprazolamwasnotconsideredtobeahomicidal drug".Ontheinjectionmarkfound

onPushkar'sbody,thecourtsaidthat in normal circumstances,the mark disappeared after 72hoursthoughitremainedinthecase of the deceased. It, how-ever, held that on that basis itcannotbeinferredthataninjec-tion had been given to Pushkarto inject some poisonous sub-stance.

Court: No murderoffence made out

536DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

TRACKING THE SECOND SURGE

NEWCASES: 36,573ACTIVE CASES:3,64,513VACCINATIONS:56,64,88,433

DAILY DEATHS547

TOTALDEATHS4,33,596

WEEKLY CFR1.18%

OVERALL CFR1.36%

TESTS TODAY: 17,99,508 | TOTAL TESTS: 50,21,00,348

WEEKLY POSITIVITY: 1.91% | OVERALL POSITIVITY: 6.44%

STATESREPORTINGMOSTCASES

STATE NEW ACTIVE WEEKLY TOTALCASES CASES POSITIVITY VACCINATION

■Kerala 21,116 1,79,756 14.98% 2,52,51,265

■Maharashtra 5,225 57,579 2.61% 5,12,67,138

■TamilNadu 1,702 19,864 1.17% 2,76,46,321

■Andhra 1,501 15,738 2.15% 2,58,30,354

■Karnataka 1,432 21,159 0.92% 3,57,90,482

STATESREPORTINGMOSTDEATHS

STATE TODAY’S TOTAL WEEKLY OVERALLDEATHS DEATHS CFR CFR

■Kerala 197 19,325 0.67% 0.55%

■Maharashtra 158 139,070 2.26% 2.19%

■Odisha 68 7,207 4.98% 0.73%

■TamilNadu 29 34,639 1.54% 1.35%

■Karnataka 27 37,088 1.44% 1.27%

Note:DataasonAug19;vaccinationnumbersasofAug18.Deaths includethosefrompreviousdays.

THESENSEXand theNifty are trading at all-timehighs,andthereisstillenthusiasmamongretail investors about participating in equitymarkets. But the free ridemay be over, andeverythingthatoneinvestsmaynotrise.Infact,Augusthasseenacleardivergenceinperform-anceacrossvariousindices.Whilethebench-markSensexhasrisen5.8%inAugusttotradeatover55,500,themid-capindexhasrisenjust0.1% and the small cap index is down 2%.Investorsmovingfrommid-andsmall-capstoblue chip companies amidhighvaluations isanindicationofcautioninthemarket,andisasignal for retail investors to followaproperstrategy.As investorsweightheiroptionsbe-tweenwaitingforacorrectionandmissingoutonapossible rally, experts saytheywoulddo

welltofollowastrategyofasystematictrans-fer plan instead of a lump-sum investment,andgoforlarge-capfundsorfundsinthediver-sifiedorhybridcategory.

Whatshouldaninvestorconsider?Both fundmanagers and investment ad-

visers see the currentmarket situation as atrickyone:Whilethereisconcernovervalua-tion, there isalsoapossibilityof a further riseinmarketsinthewakeoftheongoinghighliq-uidityandhopesofanuptickineconomicac-tivity.So,whilevaluationsmaynotlookveryat-tractive, there isnomajor foreseeable reasonforacorrectioneither.Besides,corporateearn-ingstoohavebeensupportive.Whilerisksex-ist in the formof theUS Federal Reserve an-nouncing a tapering-off of its monetarystimulusprogramme, alongwith theproba-bilityofathirdwaveofthepandemic,marketexpertssaythatmostof theseareknownfac-torsandlargelyfactoredintotheprice.The US Fed is set tomeet for its annual

Augustpolicyretreatlaterthismonth.Throughitsstimulus,itiscurrentlybuyingbondsworth$120billioneachmonth.So,whileinvestorscancontinuewiththeir

existing investments, theywouldbewise tonot put lump-sum investments and can in-steadopt forarrangementssuchasasystem-atictransferplan(STP).

Whereshouldyouinvest?While themarket rally is drivenmoreby

liquidity, and it is gettingmoreandmoreex-pensivewitheveryrise,anunexpectedhiccupcan lead to a correctionandmay first impactthecompaniesinthemid-andsmall-capsseg-ment.Expertssaythatinthisuncomfortablezone

intermsofvaluationandthefearoflosingoutonarally, it istimetogetintolargecapsfundsorcompanies.Whiletheyprovidebetterpro-tectionintimesofcorrection,investorscanalsolookat companies thathave significantbusi-nessesfocusedoutsideIndia.“Onemustavoidsmall-capsandevenmid-

capsatthistime.Investorsshouldeithergoforlarge-caps, flexi-capsorhybrid fundsandthebetterwaytodoisthroughSTPsinsteadof in-vestinglump-sumamount,”saidSuryaBhatia,founder,AMUnicormProfessional.

HowdoesanSTPwork?AnSTPallowsaninvestortogiveconsentto

amutualfundtoperiodicallytransferacertainamount fromoneschemetoanotherat fixedintervals. This facility allowsdeployment offundsinastaggeredmannerandhelpsthein-vestor take advantage of a correction in themarket.For example: If an investorwishes tode-

ployRs10lakhintoequities,insteadofinvest-ingitalltogetheratonego,he/shecaninvestalump-sumofRs10lakhinadebtmutualfundand thereafter set up an STP of a certainamountinanequityfund.

The investor needs to select a fund fromwhichthetransfershouldtakeplaceandafundtowhich it is taking place. Transfers can bemadeweekly,monthlyorquarterlydepend-ingupontheSTPchosenandtheoptionsavail-ablewiththeassetmanagementcompany.InavolatilesituationwhileanSTPprovides

protection to thepart of the investment thatremainsparkedinadebtfund,italsohelpsin-vestorsaverageoutthecostof investment.“Aconservativeinvestorcangofora12-24-

month STPwhere the fund can be divertedfromdebt to equity funds— large-cap, flexi-caporhybridfunds.OnecandoaweeklySTPwhereRs1lakhcanbeputinadebtfundanditcangetinvestedintoequityschemeover50weekly instalments. It providesagoodrupeeaveraging,”saidBhatia.

WhatarethevarioustypesofSTPs?Apart fromtheplain vanilla STPs,mutual

fundhousesoffer innovativevariants suchasFlexSTP, formula-basedSTPandbooster STP.UnderFlexSTP,aninvestorcanparkmoneyinadebtfundwhichisthentransferredtoaneq-uity fundbasedontheP/E(Price toEarnings)bandoftheNifty50Index.Incaseof formula-

based STP, as the name suggests, the STPamount isdecidedbasedonaformula.Thereare several fund houses that offer either ofthesevariantsofSTPs.BoosterSTPisaneweroption,recentlyin-

troducedbyICICIPrudentialMutualFund.Thisallowsaninvestortoinvestvariablesumsintoequityfundsbasedonmarketvaluation.Whilethe investor is required toprovide a base in-stalment amount (amount intended to betransferred) and the frequencyof transfer—whichcanbeweekly,monthlyorquarterly—booster STP gives the flexibility to the fundhousetovarytheinstalmentamountfrom0.1×to5×thebaseamount,andthatisbasedonthefund house’s equity valuation index. Thismeansthatwhenmarketvaluationsareveryexpensive,theSTPinstalmentamountwouldgodownto0.1×,andwhenthevaluationsareattractive,theycangoupto5×.Soonabasein-stalmentofRs10,000,theinvestmentamountcanvarybetweenRs1,000andRs50,000.So, compared to a traditional STP, in a

booster STP the instalment amount and theperiodicityoftransferisvariableandisdecidedbythefundhouseinlinewithinvestmentop-portunityitsees.

EXPLAINED YOURMONEY

CORONAVIRUSDASHBOARDAMITABHSINHAPUNE,AUGUST19

FIVEYEARSafteritfoughthardtosuccessfullynegotiatefavourabletermsfor itself, IndiaonWednesday decided to ratify a key amend-menttotheMontrealProtocol,whichturnedthe1989ozone-savingagreementintoanex-tremelypotentweaponinthefightagainstcli-matechangeaswell.TheKigaliAmendment,negotiatedinthe

Rwandan capital in October 2016, enablesthegradualphase-downofhydrofluorocar-bons,orHFCs,afamilyofchemicalsusedex-tensively in the air-conditioning, refrigera-tionand furnishing foamindustry.HFCsareknowntobemuchworsethancarbondiox-ideincausingglobalwarming.Infact,accord-ing to the UN Environment Programme(UNEP), theaverageglobalwarmingpoten-tial of 22 of the most used HFCs is about2,500times thatof carbondioxide.India’s decision to ratify the amendment

was never in doubt and is littlemore than aformality at this stage. Itwaswidely antici-pated after theUnited States andChina, theworld’stopproducersandconsumersofHFCs,tooksimilardecisionsinthelastfewmonths.Theamendmenthasalreadycomeintoforcefromthestartof2019.Butthedecisiontorat-ifyitdoescreatetherightatmosphericsaheadof the annual climate change conference inGlasgowthisNovember.

Ozone and climateThe 1989Montreal Protocol ismeant to

protect the ozone layer of the upper atmos-phere. Itwasn’t originally an instrument tofight climate change. A set of chemicals,mainly the chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs,whichwerebeingusedintheair-conditioningandrefrigerationindustryearlier,werefoundtobedamaging theozone layerof theupperatmosphere. Their extensive use had led todepletionoftheozonelayer,andformationofan“ozonehole”overtheAntarcticregion.TheMontreal Protocolmandated the completephase-outofCFCsandotherozone-depletingsubstances (ODS),which it has successfullymanagedtodointhelastthreedecades.CFCs were gradually replaced, first by

HCFCs,orhydrochlorofluorocarbons,insomecases, and eventually by HFCswhich haveminimalimpactontheozonelayer.Thetran-sition fromHCFCs toHFCs is still happening,

particularly inthedevelopingworld.HFCs, though benign to the ozone layer,

werepowerfulgreenhousegases.Withglobalwarming emerging as one of the biggestglobalchallengesinthenewmillennium,theuseofHFCscameunderthescanner.HFCsstillformasmallpartof thetotalgreenhousegasemissions,butwithair-conditioningdemandshowing a significant increase, especially incountrieslikeIndia,theiruseisrisingatabout8%everyyear.If leftunabated,theircontribu-tiontoannualgreenhousegasemissionsisex-pectedtoreachupto19%by2050.BecauseHFCswerenotozone-depleting,

theywere not controlled substances undertheMontrealProtocol. Theywerepartof theproblematic greenhouse gaseswhose emis-sions are sought to be curtailed through cli-mate change instruments such as theKyotoProtocol of 1997 and the 2015 ParisAgreement. But theMontreal Protocol hasbeenafarmoreeffectiveandsuccessfulagree-mentthantheclimatechangeinstruments.Ithasalreadyresultedinthephase-outof98.6%of ozone-depleting substances. The remain-ing1.4%aretheHCFCsthatare intheprocessof being transitioned.Accordingly, itwasde-cided to use theMontreal Protocol to phase

outHFCsaswell,ratherthanleavethematthemercyofclimatechangeagreements.Forthatto happen, an amendment to theMontrealProtocolwasrequired.

TheKigali AmendmentIn2016,countriesagreedtoincludeHFCs

in the list of controlled substances underMontrealProtocolanddecidedonaschedulefor itsphase-down.Before themiddleof thiscentury, currentHFCuse has to be curtailedbyat least85percent.Countrieshavediffer-ent timelines to do this. India has to achievethistargetby2047whilethedevelopedcoun-tries have to do it by 2036. China and someothercountrieshaveatargetof2045.Whilethereductionsfortherichcountries

have to begin immediately, India, and someother countries, have to begin cutting theirHFCuseonlyfrom2031.If implemented successfully, the Kigali

Amendment is expected to prevent about0.5°Criseinglobalwarmingbytheendofthiscentury. No other single intervention to cutgreenhousegasemissionscomesevenclosetothis in terms of returns offered and the easeof implementation. It is thusconsideredcru-cialtoachievingtheParisAgreementtargetof

restrictingtemperaturerisetowithin2°Cfrompre-industrial times.AndtheMontrealProtocolhasafairlygood

track record on ensuring climate benefits aswell.CFCs,thepredecessorstoHFCs,werealsogreenhouse gases, apart frombeing ozone-depleting. Their phase-out has alreadyavoidedanestimated135billiontonnesofcar-bon dioxide equivalent emissions between1990and2010.Thisisthreetimesthecurrentannualgreenhousegasemissions.TheUNEPestimates that,withKigali Amendment, theavoided emissions could touch 420 billiontonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by theendof thecentury.

India’s effortsIndiahadplayedakeyrole innegotiating

theKigaliAmendment. Ithad foughthard togetanextendedtimeline for itself, andsomeothercountries, forthereductionofHFCuse.Thiswasconsideredimportantforthedomes-tic industrywhichwas still in the process oftransitioning fromHCFCs to HFCs. The cli-mate-friendlyalternativestoHFCsarenotyetwidely available at low cost. The extendedtimelinewasmeanttogivetheindustrysomecushiontomakethetransition.Despitebeingoneofthemainarchitectsof

theKigaliAmendment,Indiawasthelastma-jor country to announce its decision to ratifyit.Therewasn’teveranydoubtoveritsratifica-tion,anditwasmorelikeawaitinggametoseewhat China or theUnited States did. In themeanwhile, however, India hadunveiled anambitiousactionplanforthecoolingindustrywhichaccountsforthephase-outofHFCs.The20-year‘IndiaCoolingActionPlan’,or

ICAP, released in2019, describes coolingas a“developmental need” and seeks to addresstherisingdemandincooling, frombuildingsto transport to cold-chains, through sustain-able actions. Theplan estimates that thena-tional cooling demandwould grow eighttimes in the next 20 years,whichwould re-sultinacorrespondingfivetoeight-foldriseinthe demand for refrigerants that involve theuseofHFCs.TheICAPaimstobringdowntherefrigerantdemandby25to30percentinthenext20years.As part of the ICAP, the government has

also announced targetedR&Defforts aimedat developing low-cost alternatives toHFCs.Such efforts are already underway at theHyderabad-basedIndianInstituteofChemicalTechnologyandIITBombay.


@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to [email protected] E EXPLAINED

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

KAMALDEEPSINGHBRARAMRITSAR,AUGUST19

ANINE-FOOT-TALLbronzeequestrianstatueofMaharajaRanjit Singh, the founderof theSikhEmpire,was vandalised in Lahore Fortearlierthisweek.AmanwhowasidentifiedinthePakistani

media as Rizwan, a member of far rightIslamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan(TLP),toreoffthestatue’sleftarmandpusheditoffthehorsebeforehewaspulledawaybyanothermanandrestrainedbyafewothers.A videoof thevandalismwas circulated

widely, and FawadChaudhry, the Pakistanifederal minister for Information andBroadcastingpostedonTwitter,“#Shamefulthisbunchof illiteratesare reallydangerousforPakistanimageintheworld”.Dawnreportedthevandalhadbeenar-

rested, and quoted Lahore’s Capital CityPoliceOfficerGhulamMahmoodDogar assaying “strict legal action”would be takenagainsthim.On Tuesday, theMinistry of External

Affairssaid:“Suchattacksontheculturalher-itage ofminority communities in PakistanhighlightthegrowingintoleranceandlackofrespectforminoritycommunitiesinPakistanisociety…ThePakistanistatehascompletelyfailed in its duty toprevent suchattacks.” ItcalleduponthePakistanigovernment“toen-surethesafety,securityandwell-beingof itsminoritycommunities”.The followingday, thePakistanForeign

Office retorted that India’s “unwarrantedand gratuitous remarks” on the incidentwereakinto“feigningconcern”and“highlyhypocritical”givenits“state-sponsoreddis-crimination” against its ownminorities,Dawn reported.

Ranjit SinghandLahoreMaharajaRanjitSingh(1780-1839)seized

Lahorein1799afterhewasinvitedtorulethecitybyitsHindu,Muslim,andSikhelite.Lahore,onceamongthebiggestandmost

developed of the cities of Punjab,was in ashambles at the time— the dyingMughalEmpirewasno longer able to extend it pa-tronageandprotection,itwasbatteredbyre-peatedassaultsfrombandsofAfghanraiders,andweakened by infighting among someSikhgroups.ResidentsofLahorecomplainedofbeingforcedtopayexorbitanttaxes.RanjitSinghbroughtpeaceandsecurityto

Lahoreandreviveditseconomicandculturalglory.HeproclaimedhimselfmaharajaofthePunjab in1801, andproceeded to rulewithreligious tolerance for communities otherthanSikhs.He carriedout repairs to the Lahore fort

—whichwasbuilt byEmperorAkbarat the

siteofanoldermud-brickstructureandwassubsequently beautified and expandedbyShahJahanandAurangzeb—andbuiltawallaroundit,andusedapartofthefortashisres-identialquarters.

Admired inPakistanAs the founder of amighty empire that

sprawledover a largepart of northwesternIndia,theMaharajaisidentifiedbymanywiththeidentityofPunjab.Around a decade ago, Pakistani video

bloggersstartedtopaintaglowingportraitoftheMaharajaonplatformssuchasYouTube.TheyunderlinedRanjit Singh's 'secular' val-ues,andrecalledhisappointmentof severalHinduandMuslimministers. They recalledthathehadhandedoverthefamousSunehriMasjidofLahore,whichhadbeenconvertedintoaGurdwarabysomeSikhmilitias,backtoMuslims,andhadfundeditsrenovation.

The statueat theFortAsustainedcampaignbysocialmediaac-

tivists,thePunjabidiaspora,especiallySikhs,and several small but vocal political groupsculminatedintheinstallationofRanjitSingh’sbronzestatueatLahoreFort in June2019ontheoccasionof theMaharaja's 180thdeathanniversary.Thelife-sizestatuewasgiftedtotheWalledCityof LahoreAuthority(WCLA)bySKFoundationUK,anorganisationbasedintheUnitedKingdom.GurdwaraDeraSahib,built on the spotwhere the fifth Sikh guruArjanDevwasmartyred, andRanjit Singh’ssamadhi,locatedadjacenttotheLahoreFort,drawa large number of Sikh tourists fromacrosstheworld.

Attackson the statueCritics in Pakistan complain that the

WCLAmadethedecisiontoinstalthestatuewithout due consultation, and that itwas

driven by commercial considerations. Thethreattothestatuehas,however,comefrompoliticalquarters,especiallyIslamistsandfun-damentalists.TheMEA's official spokespersonnoted

thatTuesday'svandalismwas“thethirdsuchincidentwherein the statue has been van-dalised,sinceitwasunveiledin2019”.InAugust2019,notlongaftertheinaugu-

rationof thestatue, “twomenstruck itwithwoodenrods,resultinginthebreakageofoneofitsarmsanddamagetootherparts”,Dawnreported.TheattackersraisedslogansagainsttheAugust5,2019constitutionalchangesinJammuandKashmir,thereportsaid.InDecember2020, amanbrokeanarm

of the statue. Thisman,whowas arrested,toldpolicethat“RanjitSingh'sstatueshouldnot have been built as he had committedatrocities againstMuslimsduringhis rule”,Dawnreported.

TOTALVACCINATED IN INDIA (at least one dose)

44,01,02,169

DOSESONAUG1858,36,403AUG17:59,21,421 (45,25,247 st doses; 13,96,1742nd)

Aug09 Aug18

■Firstdose ■Seconddose

80,00,000

40,00,000

0

COVISHIELD87.4%

COVAXIN12.5%

TOTALDOSES56,64,88,433(Sputnik V's 6,71,688dosesnot represented in pie)

INDIAACTIVECASES 3,65,240

Aug09 Aug18LAST 10 DAYS

INDIATOTALCASES3,23,22,258Source:Ministry of Health& FamilyWelfare, updated at 11 pmonAugust 19

4,00,000

2,00,000

0

Note: TheAugust18 figures in thesegraphsarebasedon thegovtupdatesonAugust19

LAST 10 DAYS (daily)

3,65,2403,88,508

43,82,11344,90,464

13,45,045 14,54,290

Sandeep Singh

SummerinNewDelhi,2018. Air-conditionersandrefrigeratorsextensivelyuseHFCs,whichcontributemoretoglobalwarmingthancarbondioxide.TheNewYorkTimes

SIMPLYPUT

Ozone pact in climate fightIndiahasratifiedtheKigaliAmendmenttothe1989MontrealProtocolforprotectionof theozonelayer.This isforphasingoutcompoundscalledHFCs,whichhappentobepowerfulgreenhousegases.

MOVINGTOWARDSLARGECAPS

July30 Aug18 Change

Sensex 52,586 55,629 5.8%BSE 23,087 23,121 0.1%mid-cap

BSE 26,786 26,237 -2.0%small-cap

Why a statue ofMaharaja Ranjit Singh has been vandalised in Lahore

Where to invest amid divergence of market indices

12WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

WELCOME THE NINETheCollegium’s listof recommendations toapexcourtbreaks

adeadlock—andleavesa trace

THEBEGINNINGOFtheendof a judicialdeadlockonvacancies in thehighestcourt is immenselywelcome. The recommendation by the Supreme CourtCollegiumheadedbyChief Justiceof IndiaNVRamanaofninenamesforap-pointmentasjudgestothetopcourt,breaksthe22-month-longimpassedur-

ingwhichnoconsensuscouldemergewithintheCollegiumevenasvacanciesremainedunfilled. The forwardmovement on appointments — the government’s response isawaited—isalsohearteningbecauseitbringsintosightthepossibilityof thefirstwomanchief justiceof India.Buttheprolongedstalematehasnotgonewithoutatrace. Ithadre-portedlydevelopedaroundtheinsistenceof JusticeRohintonNariman,whoretiredonlydaysago,onthe inclusionof thetwosenior-most judges intheall-India listofHCjudgesin any list of recommendations — one of the two judges, Chief Justice of Tripura HighCourtAkilKureshi, isabsentfromthefinalnine.Yes,aninstitutioncannotbekeptonholdbecauseofoneindividual.Andyet,themissingnameontheCollegium’slistraisesunan-sweredquestions.Theunderlyingproblemis theopaquenessof the judicial appointmentsprocess.No

reasons are given for the choice of those selected, or left out. Thiswas not always so. InOctober 2017, the Collegium, then headed by CJI DipakMisra, had decided that “deci-sionshenceforthtakenbytheCollegiumindicatingthereasonsshallbeputontheweb-siteof theSupremeCourt,whentherecommendation(s) is/are sent to theGovernmentof India…”,because“oneachoccasionthematerialwhichisconsideredbytheCollegiumis different”. And briefly, for about two years, the court did try to bring inmore trans-parency inmattersof elevationand transferof judges.Butnowtheabsenceof anypub-lic reasoning has cast the spotlight on a judgewhose elevation became a point of con-tention even earlier. In September 2019, the SC Collegiumheaded by CJI Ranjan GogoireverseditsMay2019recommendationappointingJusticeKureshiaschief justiceof theMadhyaPradeshHighCourt, after thegovernmentsent thefilebackforreconsiderationand instead recommended him for the position of chief justice of Tripura. Earlier, inNovember2018,whenthepostofchief justiceofGujaratHighCourtfellvacant, itwasnotJusticeKureshiwhotookchargeasactingCJ,asthesenior-mostjudge,asperconvention.Hewas,instead,transferredtoBombayHCasitsfifthsenior-mostjudge.Itisthissequenceof events thatmakeshisabsence fromtheCollegium’s listmoreconspicuous.WhilethepossibilityofawomanCJIhasnowcomeintoview,thefactthathertenure

will last just over amonthhighlights theurgencyof planningahead,widening thepool—morewomen judgesneed tobeelevated in thehighcourts. This isnecessaryand im-portant, as never before, in an institutionwhose centrality in keeping constitutionaldemocracyhonestandtetheredtoitsfoundingideals,commitmentsandrulesonlygrows.

THE REST IS NOISEDelhicourtverdict inSunandaPushkarcaseaffirmsdueprocess:Factsandevidencematter,notprimetimebullies

SEVENYEARSAFTER the death of hiswife Sunanda Pushkar, a Delhi court hasclearedCongressMPShashiTharoorof chargesof crueltyandabettingheral-leged suicide. It is reassuring andwelcome that the lastword in this unfortu-nate case belongs not to the high-decibel proclamations of primetime juries

andexecutioners,buttotherigourofdueprocess.ThecourtfoundnogroundstosustainthecaseagainstTharoor.TheprosecutioncouldnotconclusivelyconvincethecourtthatTharoor “provoked, incitedor induced thedeceased to commit suicide”. It decided thathedidnotdeserve to stand trial on thebasisof the flimsyevidencepresented: “…crim-inal trials require evidence.Nodoubt a precious lifewas lost. But in the absence of spe-cificallegationsandsufficientmaterial…onthebasisofwhichthecourtcould,atthisstagepresumethattheaccusedhadcommittedtheoffence,theaccusedcannotbecompelledto face the rigmarolesof acriminal trial,” thecourt said.InthesevenyearssincePushkar’sdeath in January,2014,Tharoorwascompelledto

face a vicious, fact-free, slander-heavymedia trial. Television channels and prize an-chors criedmurder and broadcast dubious tapes, reporters pursuedhimat press con-ferences.SomuchsothattheDelhiHighCourthadtoreprimandachannelandrestrainit fromrunninga“parallel” investigation.ThehoundingofTharooronlyfollowedatem-plate that has beenusedbynews televisionmany times in thepast. Amixof salaciousunverifieddetail, vigilante indignationandvoyeurism isused toappeal to theworst inviewers’ instincts, and tap their insecurities to scapegoat a victim. This is theplaybookthatwasputinactionintheAarushiTalwarcase;andthat ledTVwarriorsandsocialme-dia intoa terrainof alt-facts andconspiracyas theybayed foractorRheaChakraborty’sarrest for the suicideof SushantSingh. Spikedwithcommunalpoison, itwasalsousedtodehumanisetheTablighi Jamaat. InthePushkardeathcase, theprivatelifeofapromi-nent politician became the easy target.While Tharoor had the resources to fight thiscase and stare down the vilification, ordinary citizens have little defence against suchcampaignsof cynicism.Themegaphonesof thepowerfulmightwishtoconvince thegullibleotherwise,but

thecourthasreaffirmedthatjusticeisarrivedatbyaconsiderationof factsandevidence.The rest isnoise.

WORD POLICEHaryanagovernment’sdecisiontoban ‘gorakhdhanda’ isanexampleofpolicy thatgoesdowntheslipperiestof slopes

LANGUAGE,” THE LITERARY critic Terry Eagleton oncewrote, “is the root of allidentity.Totamperwithit iseitherpoetryortreason.”TheManoharLalKhattargovernment in Haryana, though, does not seem constrained by these high-mindedsentiments. In themost recent salvo in the seeminglyperpetualbattle

betweenfreespeechand“hurtsentiments”,ithasdecidedtogotobatindefenceofthelat-ter.Accordingtoastategovernmentspokesperson,thechiefministerofHaryanahasdecreedthat theuseof thephrase “gorakhdhanda”bebannedinthestate. “Theexpressioncannotbeusednowinanycontext.”Gorakhdhanda isacolloquialismusedin largepartsofnorthIndia todescribeunethicalpractices.Reportedly,Khattardecidedtooutlawthephraseaf-termeetingadelegationoftheGorakhnathcommunity,whoareostensiblyoffendedbyit.Words, of course, are curious things. Language can enforce inequalities, jokes cande-

humanisepeople.Ontheotherhand, languageevolvesandnoteverywordandphrase—particularlywhenitmorphsintometaphor—isaninsult.Banningwordsforpoliticalcon-siderations—or,infact,foralmostanyotherreason—isgoingdowntheslipperiestofslopes.Arepoordancersthetargetofasayinglike“naachnajaane,aangantedha”?Shouldschool-childrennolongerhearthephrase“andhonmeinkaanaraja”, lest it isdeemedtooableist?Afterall,takenliterally,thesetermscanbeseenasoffensivetosomeclassofpeopleorother.In fact,by trying toprevent “hurt sentiments”, thegovernmentdoesagreatdisservice

to the people it claims to protect. Itmakes children of adults, thinking of themas beingswayedbytheopticsofbanningwordsbyanover-interferingfatherfigureofthestate.Therearemany followersofGorakhnath, an11th-century religious figure, but touse theirpietyasapoliticalploytotamperwithlanguageiscertainlynotpoetry.

S YQuraishi

SunandaMehta

Islamictenetsprescribeequalityforwomen.NotjustTaliban,manyMuslimsdonotfollowthem

LIFE AFTER SUNANDATrialbymediahas takena toll, tested the tenacityofher familyand friends

EVER SINCE THE Taliban captured power inAfghanistan,themediahasbeenspeculatingonhowtheywouldconductthemselves,par-ticularly towardswomen. Imagesofwomenwrappedinblueburqasfromtheirearlierrulein1996-2001arebeingflashed.Atrocitiesonwomen,especiallygirlsbeingprohibitedfromgoingtoschool,arebeingrecapitulated.Mercifully, the Taliban’s first statement

givescauseforoptimism.“Wearegoingtoal-lowwomen toworkand study.Wehavegotframeworks, of course.Womenare going tobe very active in the society butwithin theframeworkofIslam,”ZabihullahMujahid,thegroup’sspokesmantoldapressconferenceinKabulonTuesday.Hedeclaredthat“therewillbenodiscriminationagainstwomen”addingthat“theyaregoingtoworkshouldertoshoul-derwithus”.Questions are being asked:What is the

“framework of Islam?”What’s the Taliban’sversionofit?Sincetheyclaimtoactaccordingto Shariah, let’s understand themeaning ofShariah.InArabic,itmeansthepathtobefol-lowed byMuslims. It can be described asIslamic law. The original sources of Shariahare: The Quran, Sunnah or the “HabitualPractices”oftheProphet(PBUH)andAhadees(recorded sayings of the Prophet). Based onthese,andsubservienttothem,aretwoothersources—Ijma(Theconsensusofjurists),andQiyas(analogy/ interpretation).The internationalmedia often projects

Islamas a religion that cageswomen. Theseperceptions ignore, or are unaware of, theIslamictenetswithrespecttowomen,asspec-ified in the holyQuran and the traditions ofProphetMuhammad.Thisarticleattemptstoshedlightonsome

suchtenets.Fourteencenturiesago, Islamrecognised

womenasequalpartnerstomen:Theypartic-ipatedinbusiness,warandseveralotheractiv-ities.Islamwasalsothefirstreligiontorecog-nise property and inheritance rights forwomen — which many other religionsgrantedonlyinthe20thcentury.TheHoly Quran andHadith are replete

withinjunctionsongenderequality.HerearesomesamplesfromtheHolyQuran:“Andoneof His signs is this:He created for youmatesfromyourselfthatyoumightfindtranquilityin

them,andHeordainedbetweenyouloveandmercy…”(SurahArRum—TheRomans30:21).“Andforwomenarerightsovermensim-

ilar to those ofmenoverwomen.” (SurahAlBaqarah—TheCow2:228)“They(yourwives)areyourgarment,and

youareagarmentforthem.”(SurahBaqarah2:187)“Inever fail to rewardanyworkeramong

you for anywork youdo, be youmale or fe-male—youareequaltooneanother.” (SurahAleImran—TheFamilyof Imran3:195)“The believers, men and women, are

helpers,supporters,friendsandprotectorsofone another.” (Surah At Tawbah — TheRepentance,Quran,9:71)TheAhadeessupplementtheversesofthe

Quranwith explanations and elaboration.Herearesomesamples:“Verily, women are the twin halves of

men.” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi). “Men andwomenareequalhalves.”(AbuDawud).“Themost completebeliever in faith is thebest inmorals,andthebestamongyouisthebesttotheirwives.” (Tirmidhi). “Observe your dutyto Allah in respect to thewomen, and treatthem well” (Prophet Muhammad’s LastSermon). Please note: Respectingwomen isseenasadutytoAllah.The followinganecdote isalsoeducative:

“AmanaskedtheProphet,‘Whodeservesmycompanionshipmost?’TheProphetsaid,‘Yourmother.’ Theman asked, ‘Who next’? TheProphet said, ‘Yourmother.’ Theman asked,‘Whonext?’ Prophet said, ‘Yourmother.’ Heasked, ‘Whonext?’ The Prophet said, ‘Thenyour father’.” (Narrated by AbuHurairah-BukhariandMuslim)ItiswellknownthatmanyIndians,driven

bythetraditionalpreferenceforsons,continuetohavechildrenuntiltheygetamalechildandendupwithalargefamily.Lately,withthein-vention of sex determination tests, femalefoeticidehasbecomerampant,despitestrin-gentlawsagainstit.TheQuranforbadefemaleinfanticide 14 centuries ago: “When one ofthemgetsababygirl,his facebecomesdark-enedwithoverwhelminggrief.Ashamed,hehides from the people, because of the badnewsgiventohim.Heevenponders:Shouldhe keep the baby grudgingly or bury her indust?Miserable indeed is their judgement.”

(SurahAnNahl—TheBee16:58-59)“Donothatehavingdaughters,fortheyare

the comforting dears.” (Al-Tabarani)“Whoeverhas threedaughters, andcares forthem, ismerciful to them, andclothes them,then paradise is certain for him.” (Jabir ibnAbdullah)AbdelRahimOmran,Professorof Islamic

Lawat theUniversity of Al-Azhar, Cairo, hassummedupthepositionofwomeninIslamasenunciated in SurahAnNisa 4:11,12: “Islamchampioned equality forwomen in allmat-ters—religious,social,economicandfamilial.Awomancannotbe forced intomarriagebyher family or guardian— shehas to give herconsent. Islamendorses awoman’s consenttosuchanextentthatamarriagecouldbean-nulledwhenithasbeenforcedonawomanbyherguardian.”OneofthemostsignificantfacetsofIslam’s

recognition of awoman’s individuality per-tains to her retaininghermaidenname. Shecandowithhermoneyasshepleases,whileher husband—or father or brother— is re-sponsible for providing for her andher chil-dren.Shehastotalcontrolofherpossessions.As amother, she is placed aheadof her hus-bandinregardtothechildren’sloyaltyandaf-fection.Shehasarighttodemand,atthetimeofthemarriagecontract,thepowerofdivorceand also the power to disallowpolygyny byherhusband.Islam gives women equal legal status.

Thismeansshehastherighttoenter intoallkinds of contractual arrangements and toconduct business on her ownwithout theneed of her husband’s consent. As regardsgirls’righttoeducation,ProphetMuhammadtoldhisfollowers:“AcquisitionofknowledgeisbindingonallMuslims,maleandfemale…The person who goes forth in search ofknowledge is striving hard in the way ofAllah,untilhis/her return.”It isunfortunatethatnotonlytheTaliban,

butalsoMuslims inmanypartsof theworlddo not understand and follow the tenets ofIslam. It is clearly a case of Islamversus theMuslims.

Thewriter is theauthorofThePopulationMyth:Islam,FamilyPlanningand

Politics inIndia

SEVEN-AND-A-HALF YEARS IS a long timeindeed. A long time towait for a case to beclosed. Even longer when you are waitingfor closure.At leastoneof theseoccurred thisweek

when, in a rare and bold judgment, a casewas disposed of before a trial had begun.Make that the trial in court. Because, fortheverymanywhowere involved, a trialofa different kind had been underway allthese years. A trial by public perception,which tested both official machinery andpersonal tenacity.On January 17, 2014, when Sunanda

PushkarwasfounddeadattheLeelaHotelinNewDelhi,nooneexpectedthistobeaneasy,open-and-shutcase.Becausethiswasnotjustanotherwoman. Shewas thewife of one ofIndia’s most well-known and influentialpoliticians,andawomanwhoheldherown,thanks to her bold and commanding pres-ence.Nottoforgetthescandalthathadspilledout of Twitter and onto the nationalmediajustadaybeforethetragedy.Whatallof thiscollectivelyset inmotion

was a chain of actions and reactions, twistsand turnarounds that converted themyste-riousdeathintoaragingcontroversy.Startingasearlyasthefuneral itself (“heldtoosoon”)tothepost-mortemreport(doctoredornot)tomultipletheoriesaboutthecauseofdeath(accidental drug overdose/murder/suicide),itwasacasethatchallengedeveryinvestiga-

tiveagency,evenasitcapturedtheattentionof thenation.Sixpolicecommissionerscameandwent,

fourdetailedmedicalreportsweredrawnup,multipleviscerareports, includingonefromthe FBI, obtained, FIR filed, polygraph testsand even psychological forensic tests con-ducted, a detailed Vigilance CommitteeReport filed, SITs formed, over 100 peoplequestioned, raids conducted and a humon-gous 3,000-page chargesheet presented inthecourt.If it strained the system, infinitelymore

damagingwas the havoc itwreaked on thehumanspirit.AndherewearenottalkingjustaboutShashiTharoor,though,admittedly,astheoneaccusedbythepoliceforabettingthesuicideof hiswife, hiswasoneof theheavi-estburdenstocarry.If Sunanda’sdeathcameunderacloud,

her life was nothing short of spectacular,markedbyanextraordinarydisplayof gritand courage. If there was one thing shehad learnt, itwas toalways landonher feetandbounceback.A singlemother, shehadchanged continents in search of a betterlife for herself and her young son andtransformed their lives from bankruptcyto riches.Attheotherendof thespectrumwasher

son Shiv, trying to balance his irreparableemotionallosswiththepragmaticdemandsof financial stability, given that hismother’s

Rs 100 crore-worth assets remainedmostlyinaccessibletohimduetothenon-closureofhercaseandtheabsenceofawill.Twogriev-ingbrothers,a fathersufferingfromdemen-tiaandeventuallypassingawayin2019,aseaoffriendscaughtbetweensorrowandthean-guishof notknowingwhathappened—theSunandasagaseemedtobeanunendingtaleofmysteryandmisery.Till Wednesday, when Tharoor was

clearedof all thechargesagainsthim.A trialconducted outside the court had beenbroughttoanend.Whilethecourthasdeemedwhatcould

not have been, there is no revelation yet ofwhat did happen on that fateful day ofJanuary 17, 2014. Officials have long com-plained that high-profile cases, where theauthoritiesarecompelledtocarryoutinves-tigationsunderthemediaandpubliceye,arenot just hampered by pressure, but tend togetsocomplicatedthatanoriginallystraight-forward situation gets obfuscated, some-thingthat isunfairbothtothedeceasedandthe family and friends left behind. TheSushant Singh Rajput case is often cited asanotherexample.AswestoptorememberSunanda’sfeisty

lifeandmournitsend,closurewilltakemuchlonger.

Mehta is theauthorofTheExtraordinaryLifeandDeathofSunandaPushkar

The international mediaoften projects Islam as areligion that cages women.These perceptions ignore, orare unaware of, the Islamictenets with respect towomen, as specified in theholy Quran and thetraditions of ProphetMuhammad.

Officials have longcomplained that high-profilecases, where the authoritiesare compelled to carry outinvestigations under themedia and public eye, are notjust hampered by pressure,but tend to get socomplicated that anoriginally straight-forwardsituation gets obfuscated,something that is unfairboth to the deceased and thefamily and friends leftbehind. The Sushant SinghRajput case is often cited asanother example.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021WORDLYWISE

Agood judge... is not themaster,but theminister of the law.

— Thomas F.WilsonTHEEDITORIALPAGE

Faith and her freedom

WEAPONS NEEDED

PRIMEMINISTERINDIRAGandhi is in favourof getting thebestweapons, even if they arefrom abroad, in view of the danger arisingfrom themassive Americanmilitary aid toPakistan.Abalancehastobestruckbetweenself-relianceandsophistication,shesaidintheRajya Sabha on August 19. The issue of thethreat to India’s security arising from theUSdecisiontosupplyF-16fighterjetstoPakistanandothersophisticatedarms,hasbeenraisedby 23members in the House, across partylines.SeveralOppositionMPsquestionedthewisdomof including an expressionuphold-ingPakistan’srighttoacquirearmsfordefence

in a joint statement issuedby the twocoun-trieswhenPVNarasimhaRaovisitedPakistan.

RAO ON SRI LANKAEXTERNALAFFAIRSMINISTERPVNarasimhaRaosaidonAugust19inNewDelhithatIndiadidnotconsideritnecessarytoholdtalkswithSriLankaontheracialriotsinthatcountryandthought itwouldnot be proper to offer helpin restoringnormalcy.He said the riotswereaninternalaffairofSriLankaandthattheyhadnotaffectedclosebilateralties.RaosaidthathehadheardreportsofTamiliansbeingattackedinJaffnabypolicemen,butsaidthatIndiahadbeen informed that action had been taken

againsttheoffendingpolicemen.

ASSAM TALKSONEOFTHEmainpointsdiscussedduringtheAssamtalksinNewDelhiwasbordersecurityarrangements. Some other points coveredwere:Howforeignerscouldbedetectedanddeported, dispersal of foreign nationals anddeletionoftheirnamesfromtheelectoralrolls.Thetalks,whichwereheldinacordialatmos-phere,aresettocontinue.Onbordersecurityarrangements, theAssamagitators have re-portedlysuggestedtheimplementationoftheplan suggested by the former IntelligenceBureauchief,BNMalik.

AUGUST 20, 1981, FORTYYEARSAGO


WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“Washington has limited cooperation with China within the sphere where theUS can unilaterally benefit. China will never accept such logic. Cooperationmust be mutually beneficial.” —GLOBALTIMES,CHINATHE IDEASPAGE


The 40 per cent in theinformal non-agriculturalsector is the most worrying.These workers are mostvulnerable as they’ve bornethe brunt of the economicdisruption that thepandemic has unleashed.One half of this group livesin rural India. They’ve notdone as well as their farmingcounterparts. Most of theminvolved in construction,trade and manufacturinghave seen wage growth fall.The sharp rise in demand forrural unemploymentbenefits is an indicator of thedisruption faced.

INArecentstatementonthe30thanniver-saryof the1991economicreforms, formerPrimeMinisterManmohanSinghindulgedinsomeself-praise,creditingtheCongresspartyandhiscolleaguesforpaving“anewpath” for the country’s economic policy.However, besides themuch-needed andmuch delayed 1991 reforms under theleadership of Prime Minister P VNarasimha Rao, Singh and his party havelittletobacktheircredentialsascommittedeconomic reformers.While claiming credit for the 1991 re-

forms, Congress leaders must introspectwhythesereformswererequiredinthefirstplace. The economic crisis in 1991was aninevitable consequence of disastrousNehruvianeconomics.Congresswasfinallycompelled to give up on Nehruvian eco-nomicswhenthenationwaspushedtothebrinkofeconomiccollapseandnootherop-tionwas left. But such are the contradic-tionswithin the Congress that on the onehand, it takes credit for the reforms doneundercompulsionin1991,andontheotherhand, it celebratesNehruvianeconomics.Despite knowing the pitfalls of the

Nehruvianconsensus,Singhhadremainedsilent while holdingmany top offices inCongressregimesofthe1970sand’80s.Thiswas tantamount to being complicit in de-railing the Indianeconomy.TheformerPMhadquotedVictorHugo

andendedhisbudgetspeechin1991withthewords, "nopoweronearthcanstopanideawhosetimehascome.”However, thelack of conviction in those ideas was ondisplaywhen reforms came to a grindinghalt under the decade-long UPA govern-mentheheaded.Inthatdisastrousdecade,landmarkeco-

nomicreformsliketheGoodsandServicesTax (GST) remainedadistantdreamas theUPA government failed to build a consen-sus among state governments. Similarly,keysectorsof theeconomylikebanking,fi-nance, insurance, etc. were starved for re-forms. The governmentwas disinterestedintheeaseofdoingbusinessandentrepre-neursremainedpariahs,excepttheirpoolofcronieswith their scams in telecoms, coalandmore.Despiterecognisingthefarmers’difficultiesinsellingtheirproduce,agricul-turemarkets were never considered. TheUPA government did not even try to initi-ate reforms in labour and environmentlaws, considering themtoopoliticallysen-sitive.Withsomanymissedopportunitieswith Singh at the helm, anybody shouldthinktwicebeforeendorsinghisteam’sre-formist credentials.NumerousCongressleadershavehigh-

lighted the importanceof reformsby con-sensus rather than stealth. It is helpful to

lookbackathistorytocheckwhethertheiractionsmatchedtheirwords.SeniorCongress leader JairamRamesh,

an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in thePMOduring1991,wrote inhisbookonthe1991 economic reforms— “The two-stepdevaluationdecisionwastakenpurelybe-tweentheprimeministerandthe financeminister, andwas conveyed to the gover-nor and deputy governor of the RBI. Thefinance minister had wanted it that waybecause he felt that given the 1966 expe-rience, the cabinet would never give itsconsent.”Forgetgettingvariousstakehold-ersonboard, thethenfinanceministerandfuturePMdidnoteven trusthisowncab-inet colleagues.In a recent interview, Montek Singh

Ahluwalia,SecretaryofCommercein1991,proudly recalled the speed with whichtradepolicyreformswereinitiated.Hesaid,“Thewhole process of abolishing importcontrols and moving to market-basedmethodsof allocating imports,withanul-timate shift to amarket-based exchangerate,wasdoneinthespaceofeighthours.”One of the landmark decisions in 1991

wasthenewindustrialpolicy,announcedafewhoursbefore theUnionbudgeton July24. The draft of such an important policywith far-reaching impactwas prepared ina fewweeks.Acabinetnotewasdiscussedon July 19. Due to opposition within thecabinet, the PM formed a group of minis-ters. The GoMmet the next day itself andmanyministers had apprehensions aboutthepolicyaccording to JairamRamesh.OnJuly 23, the cabinet eventually passed thepolicy. To save time, thePMcalledameet-ing of the entire council of ministers andCongressWorkingCommitteeonthesamedayandgot itpassed.Despiteadvocating“reformsbyconsen-

sus”,didSinghorhiscolleaguesadvise thePMtoconsultvariousstakeholderswiththefinal draft of the policy? Howmany stategovernments gave their suggestions andfeedbackonthisdraftpolicywithfar-reach-ing consequences? Despite the lack of ef-forts to build a consensus, the Congresspartycontinuestorecallthe1991economicreformsasagloriousachievement.Economicreformshavealwaysbeena

matter of political opportunism ratherthan a policy commitment for theCongress.Duetoinsecuritiesoversharingcredit for the1991economic reforms, theparty and its leaders nevermention theroleofPrimeMinisterPVNarasimhaRao.In his statement, Singh attributed creditfor the reforms to his party and his col-leaguesandfailedtoevenmentionthefor-merprimeminister.TheCongresshaspaidlipservicetoeco-

nomic reforms but has never hesitated inclaimingcredittoappeasethemiddle-class.Singh ended his statementwith the poetRobertFrost’sfamousline,“ButIhaveprom-isestokeep,AndmilestogobeforeIsleep”.Perhaps,heandhispartyneedtointrospectwhytheyhaveprioritisedpoliticsoverpol-icy to prevent theNarendraModi govern-ment fromkeepingthose“promises”.

Thewriter isNationalVicePresident,BJP

THE LACKOF frequent and up-to-date eco-nomicindicatorsmakesithardtotrackIndia’slarge informal sector,whichemploys around80per cent of the labour force andproducesabout50percentofGDP.A lot isat stakehere. Ignoringproblems in

theinformalsectorcanbecostlyas itcanleadto job andwage losses, higher inflation andevenriskthelivelihoodofmigrantworkers.Forinstance, followingdemonetisation, adispro-portionatelyhighernumberof jobswerecre-ated in rural Indiawhich isn’t the positive itmightseemaswagesare2.5timeslowerthaninurban India. As a result, overallwage levelsandGDPdeclinedoverthenextfewyears.Informalsectorworkerssufferedfarmore

fromthenationallockdownin2020thantheirformalsectorcounterparts.Withaninadequatesafetynet, therewerepainfulaccountsofdis-placed informalworkers trying toget back totheirruralhomes.Suchdisruptions can be inflationary too.

Indiawasoneof the fewcountrieswithhighinflationthroughoutpandemic-stricken2020.Someof this is likelytobeassociatedwiththedisruption in informal firms,who innormaltimes are very active in theproductionof es-sentialgoodslikefoodandtextiles.Of the384million employed in the infor-

mal sector, half work in agriculture, livingmostly in rural India, and theotherhalf are innon-agricultural sectors. Of those, abouthalflive in rural India and the remaining inurbanareas. Eachof these groupshave fareddiffer-entlythroughthepandemic.Thefortunesof thoseintheformalsector,

whomake up 20 per cent of theworkforce,havebeen relatively good. Through thepan-demic, large and listed firms have done bet-terthansmallerfirms.Acombinationofcost-cutting, a lower interest rate environment,accesstobuoyantcapitalmarkets,andongo-ing formalisation are likely to have helpedkeepprofitabilityhigh.Thesalariesofindivid-ualsworkingatthese larger listedfirmshavealsohelduprelativelybetter,thoughtheyarelowerthanthepre-pandemictrend.Thesein-dividualsmayalsohavebenefittedfrombuoy-antstockmarkets.Will they continue to lead the recovery?

Most likelyyes, butdifferently.Recall that theurbanaffluentclassledtheriseindemandpostthefirstCovid-19wavein2020bybuyingcon-sumerdurableslikefurniture,electronics,carsandevenhouses.Theseitemsaregenerallynotpurchasedyearafteryear.Asvaccinationsarerolledout,theseconsumersmayinsteadswitchfromspendingongoods to services.Over thelonger term, theprospects for this groupwilldependontheprogressofpolicyreformsandeconomicgrowth,whicharetheleadingdriv-ersof realwages.Theprospectsforthe40percentinthein-

formal agricultural sector havebeen surpris-ingly resilient too. Ruralwages have held upwell over the pandemic, led by goodmon-soons,anexemptiontothefoodtradefromthevariouslockdowns,andmorerecently,higheragricultural exports. Higher governmentspendinginvarioussocialwelfareschemeshasalsohelped.

As this group emerges from the secondCovid-19wave, theymaywant toconsumegoods that make them feel more secure,such as two-wheelers and home repairservices. Longer-termconsumptionwillde-pend on agricultural reforms which willhelp diversify income sources and raiseagricultural productivity.The40per cent in the informal non-agri-

cultural sector is themostworrying. Theseworkers aremost vulnerable as they haveborne the brunt of the economic disruptionthatthepandemichasunleashed.Onehalf of this group lives in rural India.

They have not done aswell as their farmingcounterparts.Most of them involved in con-struction, tradeandmanufacturinghaveseenwagegrowthfall.Thesharpriseindemandforruralunemploymentbenefitsisanindicatorofthedisruptionfaced.TheotherhalflivesinurbanIndiaandisem-

ployedacrossthetrade,hotels,transport,man-ufacturingandconstructionsectors.Thisgrouphasbeenatthereceivingendofformalisation.Welookcloselyat theconstituentcompaniesoftheFTSEindex,whobydesign,belongtotheformalsector.Wefindthathistorically,nominalGDPgrowthhasbeenagood indicator of theformal sector corporate sales. But during thepandemicandalsoduringeventslikedemon-etisation,formalcorporatesaleshaveexceedednominalGDPgrowth.Webelievethismeansthatsomedemand,

whichwaspreviouslysuppliedbytheinformalsector,begantobesuppliedbytheformalsec-tor.Otherdatashowshowspendinghasmovedfromsmallfirmstobiggerones.Itisnosurprisethatemployeesoflargefirmshavedonemuchbetterthansmallandinformalfirms.Several surveysover this timealsoshowa

riseinurbanunemploymentandself-employ-ment,withthelattercategoryseeingthehigh-estearningsloss.What does all of thismean for economic

growth?Formalisationcanbeadouble-edged

sword.Whiletraditionallyassociatedwithef-ficiencygains, if itcomesatthecostofputtingsmall informal firmsout of business, and thedisruption inthe informalsector, it canweighondemandinsubsequentperiods.The constructiveway to think about this

is to differentiate between “forced” and “or-ganic” formalisation. Formalisation thatcomesonlyonthebackofexternalpressureorleads to deep distress in the informal sector,maynotbesustainable.Bycontrast, formali-sation that happens on the back of policychanges that help small and informal firmsgrowovertimeintomediumorlargerformalsector firmsismoresustainable.Whatis,perhaps,needednowisprotection

for informal sectorworkers via socialwelfareschemessothatthedisruptiontheyarefacingdoesnot lead to apermanent fall indemand.There is a case for remaining generouswithprogrammes such as the rural MGNREGAschemeforlonger.Indiadoesn’thaveanequivalenturbanso-

cialwelfarescheme.Governmentcapexdou-blesupasone,providingshort-termjobs.Butthissourceofexpenditurecanbeunreliable.Webelievethereisagoodcaseforsettingupamore permanent direct urban social wel-fare structure.Inthemeantime,stepstopromotereforms

thatareneededtohelpsmallbusinessesgrowarecritical. For example, lowering the regula-toryburdenassociatedwithgrowingfirms.Onabroader level, onebig learning from

thepandemichas been that India can’twishawaytheinformalsector.Andneithercanitbeassumed that the fortunes of the formal andinformalsectorsmovetogether.Bringingtheinformalsectortotheforefront

ofpolicydecisionscanleadtoasignificantpay-off fortheentireeconomyforyearstocome.

Thewriter is chief Indiaeconomist,HSBCSecuritiesandCapitalMarkets

(India)PvtLtd

Pranjul Bhandari

Baijayant Jay Panda

OnebiglearningfromthepandemichasbeenthatIndiacan’twishawaytheinformalsector.Neithercanitbeassumedthatthefortunesof theformalandinformalsectorsmovetogether

Informal sector to the fore From stealth toconsensus

EconomicreformswereamatterofpoliticalopportunismratherthanapolicycommitmentforCongress

CR Sasikumar

PATRONISING POLICYTHISREFERSTOtheeditorial, ‘Northeastwarning’ (IE,August19).Whenitcomestousheringdevelopment andpeace totheNortheast,theprevalentviewisthatof“mainstreaming”oftheregionanditspopulation.However,thismindsetisten-dentious andmyopic. It is like telling aDelhiiteoraMumbaikarthattheiriden-tityexistsonlyifitfindsresemblancewiththatofanaverageAmerican.Suchimpo-sitionuponanyoneworkstoirkapopu-lationanddestabilisearegion.Luxuriantcultures, like theones in theNortheast,have been flourishing on their own forcenturies anddonot require ourhand-holdingtoprogressnow.

VinaySaroha,Delhi

EMPOWER WOMENTHISREFERSTOthearticle,‘Thefutureisfemale’(IE,August19).Thespectreofau-tomationhasputthespotlightonunem-ployability,particularlyonwomen’spar-ticipation.Althoughmulti-facetedtalentwithathrustonsoftskillsishighlysoughtafter today,classbarriersandpatriarchyoftenhinderwomenfromachievingtheirtrue potential. Recent data showing afallingshareofwomenintheworkforceisworrying.Sensitisationregardingtheseissuesat thehighest levels isneededforbetter-roundedorganisations.

IlaRailkar,Mumbai

SPEAKER’S ROLETHISREFERSTOthearticle, ‘GuardianoftheHouse’(IEAugust19).Theconductofsuccessive LokSabhasandstate assem-

blies in thepastcoupleof decades,withafewexceptions, isreflectiveof thegen-eraldeteriorationinthedemocraticspiritof thecountry.Partypoliticssupersedesall. Having the Speaker resign fromhispartywhenelected is a goodwayof in-jectingimpartialityandindependenceinthelegislature.

HemantContractor,Pune

SUDOKU LIVES ONTHISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Fortheloveof Sudoku’ (IE, August 19). The mandubbedthe“godfatherofSudoku”forhisroleinpopularisingthenumericalbrain-teaser,MakiKaji,giftedusthepleasureofsolvingwonderfullychallengingpuzzles.Manyofthepuzzlesareagreatstimulantto the thinking process. Theywill con-tinuetoenthrallmillions.

SSPaul,Nadia

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

IDEASONLINE

ONLY IN THE EXPRESS

●●NODEMOCRACYWITHOUTFRATERNITY:ABHISHEKMISHRA,HRITHWIKSINGH

●● TOWARDSANARBITRATION-FRIENDLYJURISDICTION:ABHISHEK

SHIVPURI

www.indianexpress.com

RAJIVGANDHIwouldhavebeen77yearsoldtoday.Asanaccidental, reluctantandyoungprimeminister,hepiloted Indiathroughthetumultuous1980sandhelpedshapethenewworldorder.Heshowedexemplaryequanim-ity and dignity and gave new confidence tothenation.I am fortunate to have watched and

workedwithhimclosely.Hehadadisarmingpersonalityandcharm,courage,fortitude,dig-nityanddecency.Hewaskeentobeperceivedas a break from the past and symbolised achange inpolitics, economyandmorality inpublic life, throughconsent andconciliation,participationandpersuasion.Hewasadeter-minedpeacemaker andworkedhard toputan end to agitations and violence in Punjab,Assam,Mizoram, Nagaland and Kashmir.Ironically,hefellvictimtotheviolencethathehadfoughtallhislife.Hesaid,“Indiaisanoldcountrybutayoung

nation;andliketheyoungeverywhere,weareimpatient.Iamyoung,andItoohaveadream.IdreamofanIndia—strong,independent,andself-reliantandinthefrontrankofthenationsoftheworldintheserviceofmankind.”Heex-horted thenation, “Our task today is tobringIndiatothethresholdofthe21stcentury,freeoftheburdenofpovertywhichisthelegacyofour colonial past andcapableofmeeting therising aspirations of our people. Thiswill re-quiresustainedeffortonourpart.”Hepursuedhisdream,undeterredandvigorously.He firmlybelieved that “Indiawouldnot

hold togetherwithout democracy” and dideverything to save, strengthen and spreaddemocratic systems, symbols andvalues. Inearly 1990, during theMehamby-election(infamouslyknownasMayhemofMeham),whichsawrigging,violenceandintimidation,Gandhi, alongwithyoungRahul, visited thehouseofindependentcandidateAnandSinghDangi.Threepeoplehadbeenkilledinpolicefiring there. I waswith him throughout thevisit.Hestoodwiththestrugglingpeopleanddared themight of the then-chief minister,OmPrakashChautala,whowasseekingelec-tion to theVidhanSabha to retainhis office.Afterthisvisit,ChautalahadtoresignonMay22,1990.Ifeelprivilegedthat,forthe10thLokSabha

elections,GandhichosemeasacandidatefromRohtak to opposeDevi Lal, the then-deputyprimeminister,whowas trouncednot oncebutinthreeconsecutiveelections.Alas,Gandhiwasnomorewhenelection resultswerean-nounced: TheCongress got to form thegov-ernmentsinHaryanaandintheCentre.Gandhiwasconvincedthatpeaceandpo-

litical stability are sine qua non for progressandprosperity.Therefore,tocheckthemalaiseofpoliticalhorse-tradingandtocurbcorrup-tion and political opportunism, he got the52nd Constitution Amendment Act, 1985,passedwithinafewmonthsoftakingoverasprimeminister. Itprovidedforthedisqualifi-cationofanelectedmemberoflegislatureonthe grounds of defection to another political

party.Itwasamendedsubsequentlythroughthe91stConstitutionAmendmentAct,2003.Thoughattemptsarebeingmade tocircum-venttheprovisionsofthisAct,ithassucceededtoalargeextent.Tomakedemocracybroad-basedandto

harness the emerging advantage of India’s“demographic dividend”, Gandhi, throughthe61stConstitutionAmendmentAct, low-ered the voting age from 21 to 18.Undoubtedly,theidealismandenergyoftheyouthhavechangedthepoliticaldynamicsofthe country. Moved by the abject povertyprevalentinruralKalahandi,RajivGandhifa-mouslysaidthatofeveryrupeespentbythegovernment, only 15 paisa reaches the in-tended beneficiary. He realised that decen-tralisation of democracywas imperative tomagnify the ambit of a democratic system.He decided to revitalise the panchayati rajframework and introduced the 64thConstitution Amendment Bill in the LokSabhain1989,whichprovidedforlocalself-governance.TheCongressmanifestoforthe1991 Lok Sabha elections promised settingup of panchayati raj institutions. TheCongressgovernmentfulfilledthisdreambyenacting the 73rd and 74th ConstitutionAmendmentActs.Theseenjointhestatestoestablish three-tier panchayats andmunic-ipalitieswith decision-making powers andadequate finance.To arrive in the 21st centurywith a fair,

just, peaceful and educated society, Rajiv

Gandhi emphasised the education of theyouth.HeestablishedtheMinistryofHumanResourceDevelopmentin1985tomoderniseand expand higher education programmesacross the country. He conceived of theJawaharNavodayaVidyalaya(JNV),afreeres-idential school, for providingquality educa-tion to theyoung in the rural areas. The firstJNVinthecountrywasopenedinavillageinJhajjar district, a part of my parliamentaryconstituency.Atpresent,thereareabout660JNVs inthecountry.Gandhi left the imprint ofmodernity on

this ancient country. He is rightly acclaimedas the architect of Digital India. The seeds ofinformationtechnology,telecommunicationand computer revolutionswere planted byhim.Several institutions likeMTNL,VSNL,C-DOTetc.wereestablishedtospreadthecom-munication network through PCOs in far-flungruralareas.Gandhilaunchedseveralotherinstitutions

toliberatethemind,economyand cultureofthiscountrybysheddingtheslothofcenturiesand infusing itwith the dynamismand en-ergy of the youth.He changed India forever.His heart throbbed for India and exhortedeveryIndiantoproudlysay“meraBharatma-han”.Hismemoryisetchedintheheartsandmindsof Indians.

Thewriter is formerchiefministerofHaryanaandLeaderof theOpposition in the

HaryanaLegislativeAssembly

Bhupinder SinghHooda

A dreamer and moderniserRajivGandhilaidthegroundforIndia’scomputer,communicationrevolutions


EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,AUGUST19

A LOCAL court in Varanasi hassoughtresponsesfromtheUttarPradesh government, GyanvapimosquecommitteeandBoardofTrustees of Shri KashiVishwanath Temple on a peti-tionfiledbysomewomenseek-ing an order allowing them toworship deities inside theGyanvapimosquecomplex.Thepetitionwasfiledbyfive

womenledbyRakhiSingh,ares-identofDelhi,throughAdvocateHari Shankar Jainandothers.The court of Civil Judge,

Varanasi passed the order onWednesday, saying that a spotreport should be submitted be-fore the next date of hearing byan advocate from a list of thecourt’s lawyers. Thematter hasbeen listed for hearing onSeptember10.Thecourthasalsosaidthata

notice should be issued to re-spondents – Varanasi DistrictMagistrate, Varanasi PoliceCommissioner, State of UP,Committee of ManagementAnjumanIntazamiaMasajidandBoard of Trustees of Shri KashiVishwanath Temple – withinthreedays.“Putupforresolutionof objectionsonSeptember10,”theCivil Judge’s court said.The petitioners have prayed

thatanorderbepassedallowingthem toworshipMaa ShringarGauri, Lord Ganesh, Hanumanand Nandiji without any inter-ference.“Decree the suit for declara-

tion declaring that Plaintiffs areentitled to have Darshan, Poojaand perform all the rituals ofMaaSrinigarGauri,LordGanesh,LordHanumanandothervisibleand invisible deities within oldtemplecomplexsituatedat set-tlementPlotNo.9130intheareaof Ward and P.S. DashwamedhDistrict Varanasi,” the petitionread.The petitioners have prayed

that no restriction, hindrance

and interference should be im-posedby thedefendants inper-formance of daily Darshan,pooja, aarti, bhog and obser-vance of rituals by devotees ofthe visible and invisible deities“withinoldtemplecomplexsit-uatedatsettlementPlotNo.9130in the area of Ward and P.S.DashwamedhDistrictVaranasi”.Thepetitioners said security

arrangements should bemadeby the UP government and dis-trict administration to facilitatedaily rituals by devotees for thedeities.On Wednesday, the

Allahabad High Court hadgranted three weeks to theCentre and the Uttar Pradeshgovernment to file their re-sponsestoapetitionchallengingaVaranasi local courtorder thathad ordered “a comprehensivearchaeological physical survey”of the disputed KashiVishwanath Temple-GyanvapiMosquecomplex.OnApril8,whilestatingthat

“thematter in dispute pertainsto have connection with ourdeep history”, a Varanasi courthadorderedtheDirectorGeneralof the Archaeological Survey ofIndiato“getacomprehensivear-chaeological physical survey”done of the complex and “findout as towhether the religiousstructure standing at present atthedisputedsiteisasuperimpo-sition, alteration or addition orthere isastructuraloverlappingofanykind,withorover,anyre-ligious structure”.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, AUGUST19

AS CLASSROOMS tentativelyopen up after what has beenamong the longest school clo-sures in theworld, what awaitschildren,educatorsandgovern-ments?Given the digital divide that

hasdeniedvirtualschoolingtoalarge section of children, whatdoes this prolongedabsence fromschoolmean in terms oflearning loss? Doesthis worsen an al-readybadsituation?Thesearesomeof

the questions that apanelwillunpackonFriday during IE Thinc, anExpressplatformwhereexpertsconfrontsomeofthemostpress-ing issuesof our times.The session, titled

'Rebuilding Schools Post Covid',isbeingorganisedbyTheIndianExpress in association withCentral Square Foundation, an

organisation work-ingwiththevisionofensuring qualityschool education forall children in India.Thepanellists for

Friday's session areRukmini Banerji,

CEO of Pratham, the organisa-tion that releases the AnnualStatus of Education Report(ASER); Atishi,MLA of theAamAadmi Party and one of the ar-chitectsbehindthetransforma-tioninDelhi'spubliceducation;Usha Menon, founder, JodoGyan, a social enterprise that is

part of a unique experiment indeveloping conceptual under-standing of mathematicsamongchildren; andBenPiper,Senior Director, AfricaEducation, forRTI Internationalbased in Nairobi, and PrincipalInvestigator for Learning atScale, a multi-country study oflarge-scale education pro-grammes. The session is beingmoderated by Uma Vishnu,SeniorEditor,TheIndianExpress.With a vast section of chil-

dren already struggling withfoundational literacy and nu-meracy skills — as ASER andother surveys have shown— iscatch-uppossible once theygetback to school after the pro-longed closure?What are thetools educators have as they at-temptsuchacatch-up?The panellists will also dis-

cusstheavailabletoolstomeas-ure learning loss andwhetherthese can be repurposed tomeasurenot justwhat thechilddoesn’tknow,butwhatthechildhas learnt during nearly twoyearsof beingathome.

IE Thinc session today onrebuilding schools post-Covid

DESPERATE TIMESTheircountry inastateof chaos followingTalibantakeoverof capitalKabul, agroupofpeople fromAfghanistanwaitoutsidetheUSEmbassy inNewDelhi,Thursday.PTI

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAKOZHIKODE (KERALA),AUGUST19

THEMOPLAH rebellion of 1921was one of the first manifesta-tions of a “Talibanimindset” inIndia and the Kerala’s Left gov-ernment is whitewashing it bycelebrating it as a communistrevolution, RSS leader RamMadhav claimed on Thursday.He said the national leadershipis aware of the “correct history”andwill not give space to suchforces.Madhav, a member of the

National Executive CommitteeofRSS,wasspeakingataneventheld at Kozhikode in remem-branceoftheviolenceduringthe1921rebellion inKerala.Hesaideveryone’sattention

isfocusedonTaliban’scaptureofpowerinAfghanistan.Peoplearebeing reminded by the mediaabout the atrocities committedby the Taliban. For India, how-ever, itwas “not anewstory” as

this “Talibanmindset”,bornoutof fundamentalist Islamist ide-ology, first manifested here inthe form of theMoplah rebel-lion,heclaimed.As the brutalities and vio-

lencecommittedbackthenwasnotknowntoeveryone, theLeftgovernment was trying towhitewashorconcealwhathap-penedandwascelebratingitasacommunist revolution againsttheBritishandthebourgeoisbyencouragingproductionof filmswhich showcase the rebellion’sleadersas“heroes”,Madhav,theformer National GeneralSecretaryof BJP, contended.Leftist historians have long

made the case that theMalabarrebellion should be seen as apeasant struggle against feudalHindu landlords in the region.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEBENGALURU,AUGUST19

AMINISTER in the KarnatakagovernmentandthestatepolicehavebeenissuedanoticebytheKarnatakaHighCourtoverazerotraffic clearance granted to theBJPMLA—shortlybeforeherin-duction inthestatecabinet—inanallegedviolationof rules.The court orally observed

that a clearance like this can beprovided formedical emergen-cies such as a heart transplantand the case violated the rightsof the people to move aroundfreely in thecountry.Shashikala Jolle,minister for

theMuzraidepartmentwhopre-viously held the women andchilddevelopmentportfolio,hadreached Raj Bhavan fromBengaluruairport—adistanceof37km—injustabout30minutestotakeoathonAugust4.Shehadlanded in Bengaluru fromNewDelhiwhentheswearing-incer-emonyfortheBasavarajBommaicabinethadalreadybegun.

On Thursday, the ministersaidshewasnotawareof azerotraffic clearance given to her onAugust 4. She claimed she hadnotasked for it.A resident of Bengaluru has

filed a petition in the courtagainst clearance given in al-

legedviolationof rules.Adivisionbenchof theHigh

CourtWednesdayissuednoticesto Jolle, the state governmentand the police and asked thestate to treat the petition “as arepresentation and pass an ap-propriate order thereonwithinaperiodof onemonth”.Jolle, whowas theminister

for women and child develop-ment in theBJPgovernment ledbyBSYediyurappa,hadafalloutwith Yediyurappa andwas ex-pected tobe left outof the cabi-net—especiallyafterallegationsof an attempt to seek bribes toclearacontracttosupplyeggstoschool children surfaced in thedaysaheadof thenamingof thenewBommaicabinet.According to officials, Jolle’s

name was added to the list ofcandidates inthefinalstagesaf-ter the MLA used her connec-tions in the central BJP. Shewasin Delhi on August 4 to meetparty leaders to push her casewhen shewas finally chosen tobe in theKarnatakacabinet andhadto rush toBengaluru.

Shashikala Jollehadreceivedtheclearancetoreachheroath-takingceremonyontime.Shehasdeniedanyknowledgeof it PTI/File

Karnataka minister, cops get HCnotice over zero traffic clearance

P Rajagopal, founder of theSaravanaBhavan chain of restau-rants, went to jail in 2019 for the2001murderofanemployeewhosewife hewas intent onmarrying.Extract froma retelling of the sen-sational murder, by The IndianExpressNationalEditorNirupamaSubramanian.

HERE’SAcounterfactual:hadso-cialmediaexistedin2001,withitshashtagsandviral videos,wouldthe powerful Pitchai Rajagopalhavemanaged to get awaywithhissingle-mindedsexualpursuitof a formeremployee’sdaughterforoverhalfadecade?Moreper-tinently, could a murder havebeenavertedhadJeevajothibeenable to splash her story overFacebook or Twitter? Perhaps.

Perhaps not. Afterall, the #MeToomovementinIndiahas largely re-mainedconfinedtoEnglish-speakingprofessionalwomen in bigcities. Jeevajothiwas facing up toRajagopal in 2001,at a time whenthere was noTwitter, Insta orWhatsApp. Backthen, for a twenty-somethingwomandeterminedtofight off a predatory male, itmeant almost a hand-to-handcombat for self-protection andself-preservation.Andthat,inessence,washow

itwasforJeevajothitoo.By themiddle of 2001,Rajagopal hadbecomebrazenlyopenandper-sistent in his determi-nation to priseJeevajothi away fromPrince and take her ashis thirdwife, his sec-ond chinna veedu. Anastrologer, identified inpolicerecordsasRaviofMadipakkam, aChennai suburb, hadtold Rajagopal that hishoroscope matched

with Jeevajothi’s, andmarryingherwouldtakehimtothepinna-cle of his achievements. That iswhat Rajagopalwould later tellthepolice.Forhim,thispredictionwas further confirmation, if any

was needed,that takingJeevajothi ashis thirdwifewas predes-tined. It waswritten in hisstars, and itwasastrologi-

cal forces thatpushedhimtoactinhispursuitofher.Police inves-tigators, of course, dismiss thistheory— to themthe astrologerwas also a ‘victim’ of Rajagopal’smachinations to acquireJeevajothi.Accordingtothepolice,even Rajagopal’s firstwife, ValliAmmal,appearedtosensethis.Afterthepolicecaughtupwith

Rajagopal, AssistantCommissioner of Police (ACP)K.Ramachandran, who was in

chargeofthreeChennaipolicesta-tions thatwere involved in thePrince Santhakumarmurder in-vestigation — Velachery,NandanamandGuindy—hadoc-casion to meet Valli Ammal.‘Shehadarequest.Shesaidto

me: “Look, I know that he is apenn pittal [womanizer]. Butthousands of livelihoods are de-pendent on him. He’s like a bigbanyan tree. Please allowhimtocomeoutonbail.”’Rajagopal’s sonswere grown

up by then, and the elder one,ShivaKumaar,whohad studiedhotel management inSwitzerland,waslookingaftertheDubaioutletof SaravanaBhavan,the restaurant’s first, and at thattimetheonly, international fran-chise. In 2002,whenRajagopal’s

bail was cancelled, he hadchecked himself into VijayaHospital.Ramachandranwenttothehospital to servehim the ar-restwarrant.Inthehospitalroom,he sawShiva Kumaar,who hadapparently come to take leaveofhis father before going toDubaibutwasengagedinanargumentwithhimaboutthemessthathisfather’s obsessionwithwomenhad got them into. ‘Rajagopalraisedhis hand as if to strike hisson, and I heard him say, “Iwillmarry asmanywomenas I like,it’s none of your business”,’Ramachandranrecalled.

■■■

Rajagopal’swelfare schemesforhisemployeesenabledhimto

exercise enormous power overeveryaspectoftheirlives.Herev-elled in thispower—andhadal-readydemonstrated this bybru-tally forcinghiscookGaneshIyerto surrender hiswifeKrithiga tohim.Now,itwasasifhisconquestof Krithiga hadwhetted his ap-petiteandstrengthenedhisbeliefthathecouldhaveanywomanhewanted.ThroughAugustof2001,until

thepolice caughtupwithhiminNovember that year, Rajagopal’ssingle-point planwas to instalJeevajothi as his second chinnaveedu. Jeevajothi’s husband,Prince,herapparent love forhimandherdeterminationnot to al-lowRajagopal to break up theirmarriagewere all coming in thewayofhisplans.Hewasclearthat

comewhatmay,Jeevajothiwouldbemarried to himby the endoftheyear, ifnotbefore.Afterall,hewasamanwhohad,asthetitleofhisautobiographyproclaimed,sethis heart on victory. Hewas notgoing tobe thwartedbyher, andlesssobyherhusband.Hewasnotgoing to takeno for ananswer. IfPrincewas in theway, then toobadforPrince,hehadtogo.ThatishowRajagopal seemed to haveseenit.Andthat ishowwhatbe-ganasanobsessionin1996ledtoacold-bloodedmurderin2001.

Extractedwithpermissionfrom'MurderontheMenu:The

SensationalStoryoftheTycoonwhoFoundedSaravanaBhavan',byNirupamaSubramanian

(JuggernautBooks)

OntheSaravanaBhavanfounder

Varanasi court seeksresponses on plea toworship deities inGyanvapi complex

TheGyanvapiMosquecomplex. File

PRajagopal

Dosa king who wouldn’t take no for an answer, even if it meant murder

RamMadhav

Kerala’s Moplah rebellionmanifestation of Talibanimindset: Ram Madhav


FOURPEOPLEdied in twosepa-rate incidents in Palghar andThanedistrict.Twolabourers,oneofthema

woman, died and five otherswere injured after a slab of anunder-constructionbuildingcol-lapsed inWada of Palghar dis-trictonThursday.Accordingtoofficials, the in-

cidenttookplacearound2pmatPeltechHealthcareCentre. Apo-lice officer said, “Two construc-tion workers died on the spot.Five others were injured andthey been admitted at KalyaniHospital in Bhiwandi. Inquiry ison.”In the other incident at

UlhasnagarinThanedistrict,twoworkers who were doing gar-dening work on a terrace of abuilding died on the spot aftergetting electrocuted onWednesdaynight. Thedeceasedhave been identified as VivekSingh,35, andRamPandit, 25.

4 dead in 2mishaps inPalghar, Thane

Bhubaneswar:TheKalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) inBhubaneswarhasconferredanhonorarydegree,DLitt.(HonorisCausa),onspiritualleaderSriMataAmritanandamayiDevi.Thedegreewasbe-stoweduponhervirtuallyaspartofthedeemed-to-beuniversity’s17thannualconvocationceremonylastSaturdayinrecognitionofher“greatcontributions in the fieldof spirituality, education, environmental is-sues,humanitarianefforts, loveandcompassion”. ENS

KIIT honours Mata Amritanandamayi

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESRINAGAR,AUGUST19

IN THE second such attack onpolitical workers in the pastthree days in South Kashmir’sKulgam, suspected militantsonThursdayshotdeadaworkerof Jammu and Kashmir ApniParty.GhulamHassanLonewaskilled Thursday eveningwhenthemilitantsopened fireathimoutside his residence in DevsarvillageofKulgam.“Preliminary investigations

revealed that terrorists hadfiredupononepersonidentifiedas Ghulam Hassan Lone...near his house, inwhich he re-ceived critical gunshot

injuries,” police said in astatement.“Hewasimmediatelyshiftedtothenearbyhospitalfortreatment, where he was de-clareddead.”Thepolice said Lonehadnot

listed himself as a politicalworker in police records.“Neither the police records northeactivitiesof thedeceased in-dicated him to be a politicalworker,”thepolicesaid. “Besides,asondate,nopoliticalpartyhadindicatedor intimatedabouthispolitical affiliation. However,post-incident Apni Party hasclaimed that the deceasedwastheirpoliticalworker.”Mainstreampoliticalparties

have condemned the killing ofpoliticalworkers.

J&K: Apni Party workershot dead in Kulgam

SUSHANTKULKARNI&ANURADHAMASCARENHASPUNE,AUGUST19

IN THE wake of the SupremeCourt's interim order to allowwomen to appear for the up-coming entrance exam of theNational Defence Academy(NDA), top retired and servingmilitary officers have high-lightedtheneedtoaugmentex-isting infrastructure and recali-brate policies towards trainingstandardsandcurriculum.Theinterimorderwaspassed

by the SC onWednesdaywhilehearingapleaseekingdirectionstoalloweligiblewomentoappearfor theentranceexaminationsoftheNDAandNavalAcademy,con-ducted by the Union PublicServiceCommission (UPSC). Theapexcourt askedUPSC to issueacorrigendum inkeepingwith its

interimdirection.Thecourt,how-ever, said that admission ofwomencandidateswillbesubjecttothefinalrulingonthepetition.Former Chief of Naval Staff

Admiral Arun Prakash (retd),who had also served as theCommandantof theNDA in thelate 1990s, said: “Immediatelyimplementing the ruling of theSupremeCourtwouldbeadiffi-cult task, mainly due to the ad-ministrative and infrastructuralaspects. For example, construc-tionof newaccommodation fa-cilities and changes required tobe made in the existing ones.Trainingmodulesmayalsoneedtobealtered.”Atpresent,studentsbetween

age group of 16 to 19 and thosewhoareinClass12orabovecanapply for the NDA, which is lo-cated at Khadakwasla in Pune.Those who pass the entranceexam conducted by UPSC un-dergoaServicesSelectionBoard

process and later undergo amedical test. After completingthree years of training, cadetsmoveto their respectiveserviceacademies.There are several women

civilian academic officers whoarepermanentfacultymembersat the NDA and a number ofwomen officers from the tri-servicesregularlycomeondep-utations to teach academic orservice subjects.

Former Chief of Air Staff, AirChief Marshal PV Naik (retd),said allowing women in NDAwasagoodsteptowardsprovid-ing equal opportunities in theArmed Forces. “When theArmedForcesstartedrecruitingwomen officers, 30 years ago,some changes had to bemade.ThelatestrulingbytheSupremeCourtwillhavetobefollowedbypolicy recalibration and infra-structure changes at all levels --for the selection ofwomen intotheNDA,fortheirtrainingattheNDA and respective serviceacademies and third, their de-ployment in the services, oncetheypassout,”hesaid.LtGenPunitaArora (retd), a

former Surgeon Vice Admiral,said itwasa“positive step”."Everything has to be taken

step by step – development forwomenintheArmedForceshasbeen gradual but very firm andthe government has planned

verywellonwhatisthewayfor-ward. This is a positive step bythe leadership,” Lt Gen Arora(retd),whowasthefirstwomanto secure the rankof LieutenantGeneral in the Indian ArmedForces, toldThe IndianExpress.In 2005, shewas appointed

thefirstwomanVice-Admiralofthe Indian Navy. She also be-came the firstwomanofficer tocommand the Armed ForceMedical College,whenshe tookchargeof it in2004.Lt Gen (Dr) Madhuri

Kanitkar, Deputy Chief ofIntegrated Defence Staff(Medical), told The IndianExpress that trainingandwork-ing conditions in the MedicalCorps are quite different andhenceshecan'tprovideadeeperinsightintothis."Whilethefinalplanswill beworkedout by theleadership,womenmaybeableto start on a common platformwith a permanent commission

and a standardised rigoroustraining. Training togethermayhelp develop gender sensitisa-tionatanearlystage,makingtheprocess of working togethershouldertoshouldereasierwithbettercamaraderie. Theorgani-sationwillneedtoworkout thelogistics, including trainingscheduleandsupport systems,”LtGenKanitkar said.Aseniorservingofficer from

theArmy,whohasservedattheNDAinthepast, said requestinganonymity: “The NDA, in itspresent structure, is notmeanttoadmitwomencadets.But thewomenwill certainly be bettertrainedattheNDAduetotherig-orous training modules. If theacademyistoimplementtheSCruling,thepreparationswillhavetobedonenotjustatthelevelofthe academy but also at theHeadquarters, IntegratedDefence Service, under whosepurviewtheacademyfalls.

DAYAFTERSCNODFORWOMEN INNDA ,RETIREDOFFICERSCALLFORPOLICYRECALIBRATION

NationalDefenceAcademy

‘Tough to implement soon,will need infra, tweaks’

File

15SENSEX: 55,629.49 ▼ 162.78 (-0.29%) NIFTY: 16,568.85 ▼ 45.75 (-0.28%) NIKKEI: 27,281.17 ▼ 304.74 HANG SENG: 25,316.33 ▼ 550.68 FTSE: 7,024.43 ▼ 144.89 DAX: 15,650.82 ▼ 315.15

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

*Domesticequity, forexandbullionmarketswereclosedonThursdayonaccountofMuharram; internationalmarketdatatill1900IST

GOLD`46,328*

RUPEE`74.24*

OIL$68.91

SILVER`62,131*

Note:Gold,silverratesatDelhispotmarketasofAugust18;goldper10g,silverper1kg;Crudeoil(Indianbasket)asonAugust18,2021

SUNNYVERMANEWDELHI,AUGUST19

THEGOVERNMENT expects tostarttradeandsettlementofdebtsecurities on the internationalEuroclear platform, amove thatwouldpavethewayfor inclusionof G-sec in global bond indicesanytimesoon.“Wehavemadethearrangements,most of thebondplatformrequirementshavebeenmet. This should open anotherchanneltoattractoverseascapitalin Indiandebtmarkets,” a seniorFinanceMinistry official said onWednesday.“Taxationissuesincludingthe

exemption fromcapital gainsontheinternationaltransactionshavebeenamicablyaddressed.Weex-pectthatattheirnextreviewofin-dex constituents, entities like JPMorgan andBarclays should beabletoincludeIndiangiltsintheirindices, givingaccess to investorstoparticipate inourmarket,” theofficialsaid.Theplantolistasetofgovern-

mentsecuritiesinglobalbondin-dices has been in theworks formany years now. Then Finance

MinisterArunJaitley,intheUnionBudget2014-15,proposedallow-ing international settlement ofIndiandebtsecurities,asitwasex-pected to result in a reduction inbondyieldsandanincreaseinliq-uidityindomesticbondmarkets.TheBudget2020-21hadpro-

posed to remove limiton foreigninvestment in somegovernmentsecurities, as a first step towardstheir inclusion inglobal bond in-dices. TheReserveBankof IndiahadonMarch30notifiedafullyac-cessible route for investmentbynon-residents ingovernment se-curitieswithoutanyceilings.

Thecentralbank, inconsulta-tionwith theFinanceMinistry, isexpected to put caps on theamountof specific securities thatwillbeallowedtobetradedontheEuroclearplatformunderthefullyaccessibleroute.Withfiscaldeficitrising sharply after Covidhit theeconomy, additional sources offunding into government debtmarket are expected to aid theCentre’sincreasedborrowingpro-grammeofmore thanRs12 lakhcroreannually.Lastmonth,theRBIunveileda

schemeallowingdomestic retailinvestorstodirectlyparticipatein

theG-secmarket. Theycanopenandmaintain a ‘RetailDirectGiltAccount’with theRBI throughaportal,whichwillalsoprovideac-cesstoprimaryissuanceofG-Secsandthesecondarymarketaswell.Inclusion in bond indices,

alongwith thesemeasures, areaimedat supporting thegovern-ment’s borrowing programme.TheFinancialMarketsRegulationDepartment of theRBI,which isentrustedwith thedevelopmentandregulationandsurveillanceofG-secs market, has created aframework for international set-tlementofgilts.Thiswouldallowoverseas investors toputmoneyingovernmentdebtpaperswith-outtheneedtoregisterasFPIs.“TheDepartmentinitiatedthe

process of international settle-mentofIndiangovernmentsecu-ritiesthroughInternationalCentralSecurities Depository (ICSD) inconsultation with theGovernment of India, ICSDs andother stakeholders. Clients ofICSDswouldbe able to invest inIndianG-secwithout registeringthemselvesasforeignportfolioin-vestors (FPIs),” theRBI said in itsannualreportreleasedonMay27.

EXPECTEDTOAIDCENTRE’SBORROWINGPROGRAMME

‘FPI investment value in equitiesrises to $592 bn in June quarter’The value of foreignportfolio investor (FPI) holdings indomestic equities reached $592billion in the June quarter, a7% rise over the preceding quarter, aMorningstar report said

$552BILLION:VALUEOFFPI INVESTMENTSIN INDIANEQUITIES INJANUARY-MARCHQUARTER

$344BILLION:VALUEOFFPI INVESTMENTSIN INDIANEQUITIESASOFJUNE2020

Source:Morningstar/PTI

Factors thatboostedinvestment inequities:■Robust net inflows fromFPIs■ Strongperformanceofequitymarkets

19.1%Overseas investors’contribution to domesticequitymarket capitalisation in

June quarter, slipping from19.9% inMarch quarter

Majorcomponentsof foreignportfolio investmentapart fromlargeFPIs:■Offshoremutual funds■ Offshore insurancecompanies■ Hedge funds■Sovereignwealth funds

More cautious in July: FPIs turned cautious toward Indian equity markets again in July.The US Federal Reserve’s hawkish statement that it might raise interest ratesmuchearlier than assumedwas the precursor for the change in their stance. Rising valuations,surging oil prices, and firmness in the US dollar toomade themwary of the near-term risks

E●EXPLAINED

Frameworkforinternationalsettlement

THEFINANCIALMarketsRegulationDepartmentof theRBI,which isentrustedwiththedevelopmentandregulationandsurveillanceofG-secsmarket,hascreatedaframeworkfor internationalsettlementof gilts.Thiswouldallowover-seas investors toputmoney ingovernmentdebtpaperswithout theneedtoregisterasFPIs.

Giltssettogoglobal:Overseasinvestorsgetanotherchannel

BRIEFLYDieselpricecutNewDelhi:Diesel price onThursdaywascutby20paiseper litre toRs89.47per litre—thesecondstraightdayofreduction—butpetrol rateswereunchangedatRs101.84.

ADBloanpactNewDelhi:TheAsianDeve-lopmentBankwillgive$500millionloantoexpandmetronetworkinBengaluru.PTI

BHELstationsNewDelhi:TheDelhi-Chan-digarhHighwayhasbecomeIndia’sfirste-vehiclefriendlyhighway,withsolarchargingstationssetupbyBHEL.

UjjivanSFBCEOMumbai:Nitin Chugh,MDand CEO of Ujjivan SmallFinanceBank,hasresigned,citingpersonal reasons, ef-fectiveSeptember30. ENS

IndianBankNewDelhi:ShantiLalJainhasbeen appointed MD andCEO of Indian Bank for3years,aPersonnelMinistryordersaid.PTI

KHUSHBOONARAYANMUMBAI,AUGUST19

ACUSTOMSandexcisetribunalinMumbaiwill begin hearing theappeal filedby theDirectorateofRevenueIntelligence(DRI)againsttwoorders that struck downallproceedings against threeAdaniGroup companies in powerequipmentovervaluationcasesofRs5,500crore, fromAugust30.Thedecisiontohearthecases

cameonJuly26afterAdaniPowerMaharashtra Ltd, Adani PowerRajasthan Ltd andMaharashtraEasternGridPowerTransmissionCompanyLtd—thatwonthefirstround in the legal battle — ap-proachedthetribunalseekinganearlyhearingofthematterastheyfeeltheDRIprobehasraisedcon-cerns among their independentdirectors,auditors,lenders,foreigninvestorsandshareholders.However,theDRIopposedthe

Adanifirms’pleastatingthattheyhave alreadybeengranted reliefin the cases and “no prejudice”willbecausedtothem,“if theap-peals are takenup for hearing induecourseoftime”.Italsosaidthetribunalorder inasimilarcaseofanothercompanyhasbeenchal-lengedbytheagencyintheSupr-emeCourt and the case againstAdanifirmsshouldbeheardonlyaftertheSCdecidesthatcase.TheAdaniGroupfirms,intheir

petitiontothetribunalinsupportof an early hearing of the cases,said, “... the issue involved in thepresentdisputehasbeenwidelypublicized, causing concernamongst the appellant’s lendersandshareholders.Thevilificationcampaignedbyvested interests,including in and throughmedia,has resulted in erosionof equityvalue, and thereby, triggering acascadingeffectontheapplicants’business. Thedispute arisingoutof thepresentcasehasavital im-pact on the appellant’s groupcompanies inasmuchasvariousforeign investors, lenders, finan-cial institutions have time andagainpursuingforascertainment

of thestatusofpendingdispute”.Earlier this year, theDRI had

petitionedtothepresidentof thetribunaltoreconstitutethetribu-nalbenchhearingtheAdanicasesasitfelttheRevenueDepartmentwill not get justice if the case isheardby theoldbench that pre-viously ruledagainst thedepart-ment in a similar case. Sourcessaid theAdani casewill nowbeheardbyabenchcomprising tri-bunal president Justice DilipGuptaandPAnjaniKumar, tech-nicalmemberof thetribunal.The threeAdani group firms

areaccusedof allegedly inflatingthe total declaredvalueof goodsimportedunderpowerandinfra-structure heads,which attractszeroorlessthan5percentdutytotheextentofRs5467crore.In thesecases, theDRIhasal-

legedthatwhilethegoods(powergeneration and transmissionequipment)werebeing shippeddirectlytoIndiabyoriginalequip-ment manufacturers (OEM)based inChina andSouthKorea,“the documents were routedthrough an intermediary entitycreated in UAE, who raised in-flated invoices (inflating the val-ues in original invoices of OEMseveraltimes)ontheIndiancom-pany,againstwhichmoneyisre-mitted toUAE”. TheDRI has al-legedthattheactualinvoicevalueof theOEMwas remitted to thesupplierwhile the inflated extraamountwas sent to accounts oftheparentcompanyof the inter-mediary.The intermediarycom-pany,accordingtotheDRI,iscon-trolled by the Adani Groupthroughitsrepresentativefirms.

Fullreportonwww.indianexpress.com

■ThefirmssoughtanearlyhearingfeelingtheDRIproberaisedconcernsamongauditorsandinvestors

INVESTOR, AUDITORCONCERNS

Goods ‘overvaluation’:Tribunal to take upDRI plea against reliefto Adani Group cos

REUTERSWASHINGTON,AUGUST19

THEUSFederalTradeCommissionrefresheditsantitrustcaseagainstFacebookThursday,addingmoredetailontheaccusationthesocialmedia company crushed orboughtrivalsandonceagainask-ingajudgetoforcethesocialme-dia giant to sell Instagram andWhatsApp.An expanded portion of the

complaint argues that FacebookdominatestheUSpersonalsocialnetworking market. The FTCvoted3-2alongparty lines to filetheamendedlawsuitanddeniedFacebook’s request that agencyhead LinaKhanbe recused. Theagency also repeated its requestthat the court order Facebook tosellInstagram,whichitboughtin2012for$1billion,andWhatsApp,which it bought in 2014 for $19billion.TheFTCaccusedFacebookof an“illegalbuyorburyschemetocrushcompetition”inthehead-line of the press release on itscomplaint.Facebook said that itwould

continuetofightthelawsuit.“It isunfortunate that despite thecourt’sdismissalofthecomplaintandconclusion that it lacked thebasis foraclaim,theFTChascho-sentocontinuethismeritlesslaw-suit,”acompanyspokesmansaid.

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,AUGUST19

INDIAISclosetoagreeingtoan“early harvest” trade agree-ment as part of the ongoingdiscussionswithAustralia.Thegovernmentisalsoworkingona similar deal with the UK,CommerceMinister PiyushGoyal saidonWednesday.Headded theearlyharvestdealswouldaddress trade issues inareasofimmediateinterestforIndiaandothercountriesandthat negotiations on the re-mainingareaswouldcontinue.“Australia has shownsig-

nificant interest todoanearlyharvest. Theyhavekindof al-mostagreedtodoanearlyhar-vest,” Goyal said while ad-dressing Export PromotionCouncils in Mumbai. TheMinister noted that the gov-ernment hadheld intensivetalksonanearlyharvestagree-mentwithSpecialTradeEnvoyand formerPrimeMinisterofAustraliaTonyAbbott.“So,Iwouldurgeallofyou

toquicklyassesswhicharetheareaswherewecanfinalisetheearly harvestwithAustralia,whatare theareasof your in-terest, what are the areaswhereyouallcanletgoalittlebit,” Goyal told exporters,adding anearlyharvestwithAustraliawouldhelpIndiaen-gagewithotherWesterncoun-triesontradeagreements.“The UK is something

whichisprogressingwell.Weareworkingthroughlinemin-istries to identifyareaswherewecanquickly close thedealinthetermsofearlyharvest,ifpossible,” saidGoyal, notingthat the governmentwould

looktoaddressareasofimme-diateinterestinsteadofrequir-ingagreementontheentiresetof about 11,000 goods thatIndiatrades.He said theUS had indi-

catedthatitwascurrentlynotlooking at new trade agree-ments but that the govern-ment was looking to workwith themtoaddressmarketaccessissues,suchasaddress-ingnon-tariffbarriersanden-teringintomutualrecognitionagreementswithhigherqual-ity standards. Goyal addedtradenegotiationswiththeEU,Canada,theUAE,GCCnationsand Israel had also achieved“positivemomentum.”TheMinistersaidtherehad

beenmistakesmadeinprevi-ous Free Trade Agreements(FTAs) but this time thegov-ernment is engagingwith in-dustryandotherMinistriestoensurethattheFTAsare“fairlyandequitablycrafted”.Goyal did note, however,

that FTAs could not be one-waytraffic, saying:“We’llalsohave to openourmarkets toothers, if you’re wanting alargerpieintheirmarkets,andthereforemyappeal and re-quest to all of you is to alsoidentify areaswherewehavethe confidence thatwe canwithstandcompetition.”

POLICYWATCHBILATERALCOMMERCE

‘Finalising earlyharvest trade dealwith Australia;talks on with UK’

KHUSHBOONARAYANMUMBAI,AUGUST19

SAMSUNG INDIA ElectronicsPvt Ltd has deposited Rs 300crore with the Directorate ofRevenue Intelligence (DRI), af-ter the agency found the com-panyhadallegedlymisdeclaredimportsof RemoteRadioHead,an apparatus used for 4G tele-com technology, sources toldThe Indian Express.In July, the DRI began inves-

tigating imports of RemoteRadio Head by Samsung India.The agency found the company

hadmisdeclared and classifiedthe imports as telecom goodsthat attract zero duty. The DRIalso searched theMumbai andDelhi office of Samsung as partof theirprobe.Subsequently,theagency questioned the chief fi-

nancialofficerofSamsungIndiaand a fewother officials in con-nectionwith thecase.“The imports of Remote

Radio Head were declared aseNodeB that attract zero duty.The short paid duty on the con-signmentsimportedbySamsungIndia is over Rs. 500 crore.However,onAugust17,thecom-panyhasdepositedRs300croretowardstheirdutyliability,”saidasource.The Indian Express had

reached out to Samsung viaemail, phonecalls and textmes-sage,butdidnotreceiveareplyatthetimeofgoingtopress.

ALLEGEDDUTYEVASIONCASE

CommerceMinisterPiyushGoyal.PTI file

■InJuly,theDRIbeganinvestigatingimportsofRemoteRadioHeadbySamsungIndia.

‘MISDECLAREDIMPORTS’

Samsung deposits `300 cr with DRI US FTC saysFB ‘bought,buried’ rivalsin renewedantitrust fight

COCALLSSUIT ‘MERITLESS’

USFederalTradeCommissionChairLinaKhan.AFP/PTI file

‘WorkingwithUSonmarketaccessissues’

HDFC Bank raises $1 bn via AT-1 bonds at 3.7%ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,AUGUST19

HDFCBANKhasmobilised$1bil-lion(overRs7,400crore)throughanadditionaltier-I(AT-1)perpet-ual bond issue at a coupon ratesubstantially lower than the ini-tialguidance.Whiletheinitialguidancewas

4.125percent,thebankhasbeenabletogetafinalpricingof3.7percent, despite concerns aboutAT-1 bonds after the Yes BankAT-1write-off. The bond offering re-ceived strong demand from in-vestors acrossmarkets, and theoveralldemandwas$4.5billion.

“HDFCBank’s $1billionAT-1bondsale,thelargestoffshoresaleofthesebondsbyanIndianentity,was subscribed several timeswithinhoursofitslaunchonWe-dnesday,”saidabankingsource.“TheNoteswillbelistedonthe

India International Exchange(IFSC),”theprivatebanksaidinanexchange filing. Global investorslike GIC Singapore, Blackrock,FidelityInvestment,HSBCGlobal

AssetManagement, JPMorganAsset Management, LombardOdierandValuePartnershavere-portedlyinvestedinthebonds.AshishParthasarthy,treasurer,

HDFCBank,said,“Webelievethatthis successful issuancewill setthe road for other Indianplayerslooking to raise AT-1 bonds inoverseasmarkets.”According tomarket sources,

the AT-1 issue fromHDFCBank

hadcomeata timewhenthe in-vestor community raised con-cerns about such bonds as theyhad suffered losses when YesBankextinguisheditsAT-1bondsaspartof thebailout.HDFCBankbonds are ratedBa3byMoody’s.ABa3ratingisbelowinvestmentgradeandbondsthatgetthisrat-ingarecategorisedasjunkbonds.Thebank’sAT-1 issue camea

dayaftertheRBIallowedthebankto issue credit cards tonewcus-tomers. Sashidhar Jagdishan,HDFC Bank’sMD and CEO, hassaidthatthelenderwillbeaggres-siveand“comebackwithabang”asitseekstowinbacklostmarketshareinthecreditcardsegment.

Whiletheinitialguidancewas4.125%,thebankgotafinalpricingof3.7%,despiteconcernsaboutAT-1bondsaftertheYesBankAT-1write-off

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,AUGUST19

STATE-OWNEDPOWERgenera-tion company NTPC Ltd hasthreatenedtocutsupplyof5,512MWof power to Uttar PradeshstartingFridayif thestatediscomdoesnotclearduesofRs919crorethathavebeenpendingformorethan45days,accordingtosourcesawareofdevelopments.TheUttarPradesh Power Corporation Ltd(UPPCL)hasduesofRs2,873crorepayabletoNTPC.ThenoticebyNTPCcitedguid-

elinesbyCentralElectricityRegul-atoryCommission (CERC)whichprovide that apower generatingcompanyhastherighttodiscon-tinuesupplytoadefaultingentityin case of non-payment of out-standingdues.NTPCsaid“inspiteof repeated followupsatvariouslevelsinpersonaswellasthroughourletters...UPPCLhasnotyetliq-uidatedoutstandingdues.”NTPCnotedthat100percent

of thepower supply allocated toUPwouldbecutinitiallyforape-riodof15days,asperCERCregu-lations.Expertsnotedthatsucha

large supply cut byNTPCwouldlead to blackouts inUP, but thatsuch a cutwas unlikely and thenoticewasaimedatputtingpres-sureonthediscomtocleardues.

NewDelhi: TheMinistry ofPower has proposed toamend rules for facilitatingelectricity producers to sellpower to thirdparty,whichcan reduce fixed costs andcut retail tariff for end con-sumers,accordingtoastate-ment. The Ministry onThursdaycirculatedthedraftElectricity (Late PaymentSurcharge) AmendmentRules, 2021, seeking com-mentsforthesame,themin-istry said. Theministrypro-poses to takeonemoresteptowardsreducingtheburdenof the distribution licensee(discoms)inordertoreducethe retail tariff for the elec-tricityconsumers, thestate-mentsaid. PTI

Draft rules onelectricity sale

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEHYDERABAD/MUMBAI,AUG19

KARVY STOCK Broking Pvt Ltd(KSBL) chairman andmanagingdirector CParthasarathywas ar-rested byHyderabad police onThursdayforallegedlydefaultingonbankloans.IndusIndBankhadlodgedapolicecomplaintagainsthimfordefaultingonRs237croreof loantakenfromthebank.TheDetectiveDepartmentof

Central CrimeStationhad regis-tered the FIR and took him into

custody. Joint Commissioner ofPolice (Detective Department)AvinashMohanty said Partha-sarathywas arrested fordefault-ingonaloantakenfromIndusIndBank in 2019 and diverting thefundstootherbankaccounts.Officials said hehad also de-

faultedonaloanfromHDFCBankandaninvestigationisgoingon.The banks alleged in their

complaintinJunethatParthasara-thypledged shares of his clientsandavailedtheloans,anddivertedthe money to other firms andstarteddefaultingonrepayment.HDFC Bank had extended a

loanofRs350crore,saidofficials.In 2019, the Securities and

Exchange Board of India (Sebi)bannedKSBL from taking freshbusiness for allegedlymisappro-priatingmoney and securities,worthnearlyRs 2,000 crore, be-

longingtoitsinvestors,tofunditsrealestatearmKarvyRealty.Lend-ers, includingHDFC Bank, ICICIBank, IndusInd Bank and BajajFinanceLtd,hadallowedKarvytoborrowmoneybypledging clie-nts’shares,puttingtheinvestmentofover90,000investorsatrisk.KSBLcreditedthefundsraised

bypledgingof clientsecurities tosix of its ownbank accounts in-steadofitsclientaccountsandfur-ther has not reported these sixown bank accounts to theExchange,whichismandatedun-derSebiprovisions,Sebihadsaid.

NTPC warns UP ofcutting supply over`919 cr unpaid dues

REUTERSBENGALURU,AUGUST19

AMAZON.COMINCisplanningtoopen several largephysical retailstoresintheUnitedStatesthatwilloperate like department stores,theWallStreetJournalreportedonThursday, citing people familiarwiththematter.Someof the company’s first

department stores are expectedtoopeninOhioandCalifornia,theJournal reported,addingthat thestoreswillbeabout30,000squarefeetinsizeandofferproductsfrom

well-knownconsumerbrands.Amazondidnotimmediately

respond to aReuters request forcomment.

The e-commerce giant hasbeen benefiting froma surge inonline purchases from home-boundshoppers.However,vacci-nations are now encouragingmore US shoppers to return tobrick-and-mortar stores to buyclothes,footwearandelectronics.Traditional retailers also saw

online sales surge, though totalsales fell as theywere forced toshut stores,whichmake up thebulkoftheirrevenue.Steadyvac-cinerolloutsarenowencouragingmore Americans to return tobrick-and-mortar stores to buyclothes,footwear,andelectronics.

DEFAULTINGON`237CROREEXTENDEDBY INDUSINDBANK

‘Loan default’: Karvy Stock Broking CMD arrested

AnAmazonFulfillmentwarehouse inShakopee,Minnesota.Someof thefirstdepartmentstoresareexpectedtoopeninOhioandCalifornia,theWallStreetJournalreported. AP file

‘Amazon plans physical retail stores in US’

KSBL chairmanandMDCParthasarathywasarrestedbyHyderabadpoliceonThursday


THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

CUBA

Newdecreetightenscontrolsonsocialmedia,sparkingoutrageCUBA INTRODUCEDtightercontrolsontheuseof socialmedia thisweek,includingabanonpublica-tions thatmight damage“the country’s prestige”,angering many citizensandinternationalrightsac-tivists. Decree 35, pub-lishedintheofficialgazetteon Tuesday, comes amonth after the mostwidespread anti-govern-ment protests in theCommunist-run countryin decades,which spreadinpartdueto informationshared on social media.The legislation bans thespread of false news ormessages and contentdeemed offensive orwhich “incite mobilisa-tionsorotheractsthatup-setpublicorder”.REUTERS

Atarally inHavanalastmonth.Reuters

TOPOFTHEWORLD

PAKISTAN

3killedinblastduringMuharramprocessionA POWERFUL explosionripped through aMuharram procession incentral Pakistan’s Punjabprovince on Thursday,killing at least three peo-ple, including a seven-year-old girl, andwound-ing 59 others, the localgovernmentandpoliceof-ficials said. The incidenttook place inBahawalnagar, some 260kilometres from Lahorewhen a Shia processionwas heading to anImambargahaspartoftheannualAshuracommem-oration. The Punjab gov-ernment issued the list ofthedeadand injured. PTI

MEXICO

HurricaneGracemakeslandfallHURRICANEGRACEstruckMexico’s Caribbean coastjust south of the ancientMayan temples of Tulumearly Thursday, pushing adangerous storm surge.Heavy rain and strongwinds threatened to de-stroy flimsier homes andkeeptouristsoffwhitesandbeachesuntil it crosses theYucatan Peninsula. TheCategory 1 stormhad al-ready soakedearthquake-damagedHaiti,Jamaicaandthe Cayman Islands enroute to adirect hit on theRivieraMaya, theheart ofMexico’s tourismindustry.Grace’s centre struck justsouthofTulumwithmaxi-mumsustainedwinds of130km/h. AP

ISABELKERSHNERJERUSALEM,AUGUST19

LASTSPRING,Israel’sremarkablyswift vaccination campaignwasseen as a global model.Coronavirus infections plum-meted,anelectronicpassallowedthe vaccinated to attend indoorconcertsandsportingevents,anddistancing rules andmaskman-dateswereeventuallyscrapped.Israel offered the world a

hopeful glimpse of theway outof thepandemic.No longer.A fourthwaveof infections is

rapidlyapproachingthelevelsofIsrael’s worst days of the pan-

demic lastwinter. The daily rateofconfirmednewviruscaseshasmorethandoubledinthelasttwoweeks,makingIsraelarisinghotspotontheinternationalcharts.Restrictions on gatherings

and commercial and entertain-ment venues were reinstatedthisweek, and the governmentis consideringanewlockdown.“Ibelieveweareatwar,”Israel’s

coronavirus commissioner, ProfSalmanZarka, told aparliamen-tarycommitteeonWednesday.Scientists are still assessing

howIsrael’spandemic responseplunged from shining exampleto cautionary tale, and the stun-ningreversalhasprovidedacru-cial test for Israel’s new prime

minister, Naftali Bennett, whostaked a claim for leadershippartlyonthestrengthofhisman-ifesto,“HowtoBeataPandemic.”

But some experts fear thatIsrael’s high rate of infectionsamong early vaccine recipientsmay indicate a waning of the

vaccine’s protections over time,afindingthatcontributedtoaUSdecisionWednesdaytobeginof-fering booster shots toAmericansstartingnextmonth.Thevaccinemaybelesseffec-

tive at preventing infectionwiththehighly contagiousDelta vari-ant, now theprimary versionofthevirusinIsrael.Andthefirstco-horttobevaccinatedwasanoldergroupwhose immune systemsmayhavebeenweaker.By June, Israelis, convinced

the worst was over, had aban-doned social distancing andotherprecautions.“Everyone went about the

business of trying to put thememory of a very difficult year

andahalfbehindthem,”saidProf.RanBalicer,chairmanofanexpertpanelthatadvisestheIsraeligov-ernmentonCovidresponse.“Atthatpointintime,”hesaid,

“theparadigmformanywasthatIsraelisthemostvaccinatedcoun-try in theworld, that vaccinatedpeople rarely become infected,thatevenmorerarelydotheybe-comeseverelyillandthatbasically,withveryfewprecautionsinplace,thepopulationwasvery close toherdimmunity,all thingsconsid-ered.Thatwasnotamistake.”Theproblem,hesaid,wasthat

what was true for the originalvirus “did not necessarily holdtrue for future variants coupledwithwaningimmunity.” NYT

ONE OF THE MOST VACCINATED SOCIETIES, ISRAEL NOW HAS ONE OF WORLD’S HIGHEST INFECTION RATES

Israel, once a model for beating Covid, faces new surge

Peoplewait toreceiveathirddoseof thevaccine lastweek inJerusalem.Reuters

REUTERSKABUL,AUGUST19

FLAG-WAVING PROTESTERStook to the streets of moreAfghan cities on Thursday aspopular opposition to theTaliban spread, and a witnesssaid several peoplewere killedwhen the militants fired on acrowdinAsadabad in theeast.“Our flag, our identity,” a

crowdofmenandwomenwav-ingblack, redandgreennationalflagsshoutedinthecapitalKabul,avideoclippostedonsocialme-dia showed, on the dayAfghanistancelebratesindepend-encefromBritishcontrolin1919.Awitnessreportedgunshots

firednear the rally, but they ap-peared to be armed Talibanshooting in theair.Someof thedemonstrations

aresmall,butcombinedwiththeongoingscramblebythousandsof people toget toKabul airportandfleethecountry,theyunder-line the challenge the Talibanface togovern thecountry.The Islamistmilitantmove-

mentconqueredAfghanistanatlightningspeedasforeigntroopswithdrew, surprising even itsleadersandleavingthemtofillapowervacuuminmanyplaces.Since seizing Kabul on

Sunday, the Taliban have pre-sented amoremoderate face tothe world, saying they wantpeace, will not take revengeagainst oldenemies andwill re-specttherightsofwomenwithintheframeworkof Islamic law.In Asadabad, capital of the

easternprovinceofKunar,severalpeoplewerekilledduringa rally,but itwasnot clear if the casual-tiesresultedfromTalibanfiringorfromastampedethatittriggered,witnessMohammedSalimsaid.Protests also flared up in the

city of Jalalabad and adistrict ofPaktia province, both also in theeast.OnWednesday,Talibanfight-ersfiredatprotesterswavingflagsin Jalalabad, killing three, wit-nessesandmediareported.Mediareported similar scenes inAsadabad and another easterncity,Khost,onWednesday.“Salute thosewho carry the

national flag and thus stand fordignity of thenation,” First VicePresident Amrullah Saleh, whoistryingtorallyoppositiontotheTaliban, saidonTwitter.

Talibangunmenconfrontedprotesterscarryingtheflagof thedeposedAfghangovernment,inKabulonThursday.NYT

ROBERTBURNS,ELLENKNICKMEYER&ZEKEMILLERWASHINGTON,AUGUST19

US PRESIDENT Joe Biden saysevenwith the Taliban in powerinAfghanistan,heseesagreaterthreatfromoutpostsofal-Qaidaand itsaffiliatedgroups inothercountries, and that it was nolonger “rational” to continue tofocusUSmilitarypower there.“We should be focusing on

wherethethreatisthegreatest,”Biden said in an interview thataired on ABC’s “GoodMorningAmerica”Thursday.“Andtheideawecancontinue

tospendatrilliondollars,andhavetens of thousands of Americanforces inAfghanistan,whenwehaveNorth Africa andWesternAfrica— the ideawecando thatand ignore those loomingprob-lems,growingproblems,isnotra-tional.” Biden has said that

AmericawillnotsendsignificantlymoreforcestofightinAfghanistan.TheUShasnothad tensof thou-sands there for several years andhad2,500to3,000deployedtherewhenBidentookoffice.Biden named Syria and East

AfricaasplaceswheretheIslamicStategroupposesa“significantlygreater threat” than inAfghanistanandsaidthatISIShas“metastasised”.HesaidwhiletheUSdoesn’thaveasizablemilitarypresence in a place like Syria, itdoes have an “over the horizon

capability totakethemout.”The comments come as the

Biden administration has facedsharpcriticismforthetiminganddirectionoftheAfghanistanwith-drawal, after theTalibancame topowermorequicklythanadmin-istrationofficialspredicted.Bidenalsopushedbackagainst

concerns about the treatmentofwomenandgirls in the country,arguing that it’s “not rational” totry to protect women’s rightsaroundtheglobethroughmilitaryforce. Instead, it shouldbedonethrough“diplomaticandinterna-tionalpressure”onhumanrightsabuserstochangetheirbehaviour.Up to 15,000Americans re-

main in Afghanistan after theTalibantookfullcontrolofthena-tion. Biden saidduring the sameinterviewthathe’s committed tokeepingUStroopsinAfghanistanuntileveryAmericanisevacuated,even if thatmeansmaintainingamilitarypresencebeyondhisAug.31deadlineforwithdrawal. AP

TRACICARL&RICKGLADSTONEAUGUST19

TALIBANMILITANTSareintensi-fyingasearchforpeopletheybe-lieveworkedwithUSandNATOforces, including among thecrowdsofAfghansatKabul’sair-port,andhavethreatenedtokillorarresttheirfamilymembersifthey cannot find them, accord-ing to a confidential UnitedNationsdocument.The document, from a UN

threat-assessment adviser, di-rectly contradicted themilitantgroup’spublicassurancesthatitwould not seek revenge onmembersandsupportersof the

toppledgovernment.Thereweremultiple reports

thattheTalibanhadalistofpeo-pletheywantedtoquestionandpunish—andtheirlocations,the

documentsaid.Already, the document said,

theTalibanhadbeengoingdoorto door and “arresting and/orthreateningtokillorarrestfam-

ilymembersoftargetindividualsunless they surrender them-selves to theTaliban.”The document, dated

Wednesday,wasprovidedtotheUnitedNationsbytheNorwegianCentre for Global Analyses, agroup that provides intelligenceinformation to agencies of theglobalorganisation.Itwassharedinternally at theUnitedNationsandseenbyTheNewYorkTimes.Membersof theAfghanmili-

taryandpolice, aswell aspeoplewhoworkedforinvestigativeunitsof thetoppledgovernment,weremostatrisk,thedocumentsaid.TheTalibanhaverepeatedlyis-

suedassurancesthattheywillnotusetheirvictorytowreakrevengeonpeoplewhoopposethem.NYT

REUTERSKUALALUMPUR,AUGUST19

FORMER MALAYSIAN DeputyPrime Minister Ismail SabriYaakobmovedcloseronThursdayto forming thenext governmentafter securing a parliamentarymajorityfromthesamecoalitionthatcollapsedearlierthisweek.MuhyiddinYassinresignedas

primeminister onMondayafterconceding he had lost supportfromhis alliance, bringing to anenda fraught17months inofficeandthrowingthecountryintofur-therpoliticalchaosamidstaCovid-19surgeandeconomicslump.If confirmed, Ismail Sabri's

appointment wouldmark thereturn of the United MalaysNational Organisation (UMNO)party to leadership, three yearsafterit lostageneralelectionbe-cause of corruption allegations,especiallyaroundthemulti-bil-liondollarscandalatinvestmentfund 1Malaysia DevelopmentBerhad (1MDB).Muhyiddin,whoisnowserv-

ing as caretaker PM, said onThursday his alliance unani-mously backed his formerdeputy to ensure continuity ofpolicies on “fighting Covid-19and the nation’s recovery” untilitwassuitable toholdelections.The supportwas conditional

onIsmailSabriensuringthat thenewcabinetmemberswerefreefrom graft charges, he said in a

statement.SeveralUMNOpoliti-cianswerechargedwithcorrup-tionafterthe2018electiondefeat.IsmailSabri,61,hasthesupport

of 114 lawmakersoutof the222-seatparliament,UMNOlawmakerAhmadMaslansaidonTwitter.KingAl-SultanAbdullah, the

constitutionalmonarchwhowillbe appointing anewpremier, isscheduled to meet with thecountry’s other senior royals onFriday. A decision on the newgovernment head is likely to beannouncedafter that.UMNO,governedthecountry

forover60yearsuntiltheelectionrout and two governments thatcameafterthepollsprovedtobefragile andshort lived. Thepartywas part of the last one, butMuhyiddin’s coalition collapsedwhen someUMNO lawmakerspulledout.OhEiSun,aseniorfellowatthe

SingaporeInstituteofInternationalAffairs, said Ismail Sabri’sgovern-ment may not be stable eithergivenhisslimmajority.

YEWLUNTIANBEIJING,AUGUST19

CHINAONThursdaymarkedthe70th anniversary of the found-ing of the Tibet AutonomousRegionon the roof of theworld,with a call to accept the rule oftheCommunistParty.Beijinghas ruled the remote

westernregionsince1951,afteritsPeople’sLiberationArmymarchedinandtookcontrolinwhatitcallsa“peacefulliberation”.“Tibet can only develop and

prosperunder theparty’s leader-shipandsocialism,”WangYang,whoheadsanationalorganisationresponsibleforunitingallracesandallpartiesundertheleadershipoftheCommunistParty, saidat theeventintheregion’scapital,Lhasa.Thecelebration,attendedby

almost 10,000people,washeldat the foot of the iconic PotalaPalace,asacredBuddhistsiteas-sociatedwith theDalai Lamas.A nationwide live telecast of

thecelebrationprominentlyfea-turedafour-storeyhighportraitof Chinese President Xi Jinpingtoweringover theaudience.Propagandists in the 1950s

and 1960s used to extensivelydisplayMao Zedong’s portraitsat rallies and celebrations towhip up a personality cultaroundhimandcultivateloyalty.Most leaders afterMao for-

bade the practice, although un-derXi'srule,hissoloportraitsaswell as thosewithhimand fourprevious leaders have beenplacedextensively inTibet.Theparty’satheistHanlead-

ersinBeijinghavealsomadeex-tra efforts to cultivate loyaltyamongTibetans,manyofwhomaredevoutBuddhists and tradi-tionallyviewtheDalaiLamasastheirspiritualleaders.REUTERS

EMILYCOCHRANE& MARIACRAMERWASHINGTON,AUGUST19

THEUNITEDStatesCapitolPolicewerenegotiatingwithamanwhoclaimed to have a bomb in apickup truck outside the Libraryof Congress on Thursday,promptingevacuationsfromgov-ernmentbuildingsinthearea.The man drove a black

pickuponto the sidewalk of theLibrary of Congress at about9.15am(localtime)onThursday,and the police responded to adisturbancecall,Chief J.ThomasMangeroftheCapitolPolicesaidinanewsconference.Whenthepolicearrived, the

mansaidhehadabombandoneoftheofficersobservedwhatap-peared to be a detonator in hishand,Manger said.The police are negotiating

withtheman,hesaid. Itwasun-clearwhetherthemandidactu-allyhaveexplosives.“We don’t know what his

motivesareatthistime,”Mangersaid.Heconfirmedthatsomeofthose negotiations had beenstreamed liveonsocialmedia.“We’re trying togetasmuch

information aswe can to try tofind away to peacefully resolve

this,” he said. Chief Manger de-clinedtodescribe theconversa-tion between theman and thenegotiators.The man, whom officials

identifiedasaresidentofGrover,NorthCarolina,namedFloydRayRoseberry, about 50 years old,was making anti-governmentstatements, according to a lawenforcementofficial.A spokesman for Facebook

confirmedthatthecompanyhadtaken down a postwith a videobroadcastfrommaninthetruck.In the rambling video, he ad-dressesPresident JoeBiden, de-mandingtospeakwithhimorarepresentative, and sometimesshows ametal object in his lap.He describes himself as “a pa-triot” and expresses grievanceswithDemocrats. NYT

REUTERSAUGUST19

AN AFGHAN national teamfootballer died in a fall from aUS plane at Kabul airport onMonday, the Afghan newsagency Ariana said onThursday.Crowdsof people seeking to

flee Aghanistan have throngedthe airport since Taliban insur-gentsswepttopoweronSunday,many seen trying to board amovingplane.Ariana said Zaki Anwari fell

from a USAF Boeing C-17 andthat the death had been con-firmed by the GeneralDirectorate forSport.

EARLYCHALLENGETOTALIBANRULE

Biden: Greater threats thanTaliban-controlled AfghanistanSayswillkeeptroopsincountryuntilAmericansevacuated

Biden:Weshouldbefocusingonwherethethreat is thegreatest

Report: Afghanfootballer dies infall from plane

In contact withAfghan Taliban,says Beijing

KJMVARMABEIJING,AUGUST19

CHINAONThursday said it is in“contact and communication”with the Taliban and called foran “objective judgement” ontheir actions after it seizedpowerinAfghanistan,sayingthemilitant group appears to bemore “clear headed and ra-tional”andhopedthatitwillde-liver on its promises, includingprotectionofwomen’s rights.“Chinamaintainscontactand

communicationwith theAfghanTaliban andother parties on thebasisof full respect for thesover-eigntyofAfghanistanandthewillof all parties,” Chinese ForeignMinistry spokesperson HuaChunying said in updated com-mentsontheministry’swebsite.OnWednesday,Chinasaid it

would decide on extendingdiplomatic recognition to theTalibaninAfghanistanonlyaftertheformationofthegovernmentin thecountry. PTI

Taliban intensify search for those whoworked with foreign forces: UN document

Talibanfighterspatrol inKabulonThursday.AP

Malaysia ex-deputyPM Ismail Sabri poisedto clinch premiership

Police probe ‘bombthreat’ near US Capitol

IsmailSabriYaakob

WangYang,chairmanof theChinesePeople’sPoliticalConsultativeConferenceNationalCommittee,arrivesinLhasa,Tibet.Reuters

China marks Tibetanniversary with call toaccept Communist rule

ONEOFthebiggestchallengesfacingtheTalibanasthenewrulersofAfghanistanistheshortageoffoodandmoneythatthecountryisfacing.TheheadoftheWorldFoodProgrammecalledthesitua-tiona“humanitariancrisisofincredibleproportions”.Around40%ofAfghanistan’scrophasbeenlostduetodrought,theUNagencysaid.AndtheTalibantakeoverhasmadetradewiththeland-lockedcountrymoredanger-ousandmoreexpensive.HowmuchaidAfghanistanwillre-ceiveundertheTalibanalsoremainstobeseen.ThiscomesatatimewhenthevalueoftheAfghancurrencyisplummeting,withexpertssayingordinarypeoplemayfindithardtobuybread.

UnfoldinghumanitariancrisisE●EX

PLAINED

Several killedasprotestsagainstTalibanspread tomoreAfghancities

Apolicemannear theUSCapitol inWashingtononThursday.Reuters

“Movesby somecountries globally to introducebooster shots threaten thepromiseof abrightertomorrow forAfrica...As some richer countrieshoardvaccines, theymakeamockeryof vaccineequity.”—MATSHIDISOMOETI,WorldHealthOrganisation’sAfricadirector

Vol. LXVNo.197Printed for theproprietors, The IndianExpress (P) LtdbyMsVaidehiThakaratThe IndianExpressPress, PlotNo.EL-208,TTC IndustrialArea,Mahape,NaviMumbai -400710andpublished fromMafatlalCentre,7th floor,RamnathGoenkaMarg,NarimanPoint,Mumbai400021.Editorial&Administrativeoffices:MafatlalCentre,7th floor,RamnathGoenkaMarg,NarimanPoint,Mumbai400021.Phone:22022627/67440000. Fax:022-22835726.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha,Editor:UnniRajen

Shanker, Editor (Mumbai):NirupamaSubramanian.* (*Responsible for selectionofNewsunder thePRBAct)Additional air surchargeof `1 .00-Goa.Copyright:The IndianExpress (P) Ltd.All rights reserved.Reproduction inanymanner, electronicorotherwise, inwholeor inpart,withoutpriorwrittenpermission isprohibited. The IndianExpress®

SPORT17 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

‘We can’t stop now. Next target is that theflag is raised in the centre and is topmost’

Indianmen’shockeyteamcaptainManpreetSinghtalksaboutovercomingCovid,monthsaheadof theGames, comingtogetherasa team, theheart-stoppingfinal sixsecondsagainstGermany inthebronzemedalmatch,andwritinganewchapterof history for thesport’smostsuccessfulOlympicnation.

ThesessionwasmoderatedbySpecialCorrespondentNITINSHARMA.NitinSharma:Howwasthereceptiononarrival?Outstanding.AlltheTokyomedallistswere

inoneflightandwedidn’thavespacetowalkbecauseofthenumberofpeoplewantingourphotos.

NitinSharma:Howimportantwasthismedalforyourmotherandforthememoryofyourfather?Personally, itwasveryimportanttomeas

itwasmyfather’sdreamthatIwinanOlympicmedal.Whenwewonthebronze,Itriedtocallmymother but shewas crying because shemisseddadand then I started crying aswell.Allhisdreamscametruebut,ontheday,whereIreceivedsomuchloveandsupportafterwin-ningthemedal,hewasn’theretoseeallofthis.Mymother toldmehe'dhavebeenproudofme.

MihirVasavda:HowwasthatnightinTokyo?Iheardeveryonehadcometoyourroomandcelebratedlateintothenight?Thenightwewonthemedal,wewerebusy

takingphonecallsandmessagesanditgotverylatetalkingtoeveryone.Isleptwithmymedaland so did others. The next daywe sat andtalkedabouthowhappywefeltandhowmuchourfamilieshadstruggledtowatchuswinthismedal.

MihirVasavda:YouscoredfivegoalsagainstateamlikeGermany...Ourheartshadstoppedinthelastsixsec-

onds.Whentheygotthepenaltycorner,allwecaredaboutwastostopagoalfromhappening.Therewere just six seconds left on the clock.Wehadaquickhuddle and then rushedoutforthepenaltycorner.Werushedinsuchawaythatthedragflickwouldn’tcomeontotheleftside.Whenwedefendapenaltycorner,wetrytomakesurethattheshotisnothitontheleftsidesothatthegoalkeeperhastheentirerightsidecoveredandhasanopportunitytomakea stop.And that is exactlywhathappenedastheydrag flicked theball andSreejesh savedtheshot.

NitinSharma:Whatwasgoingoninyourmind,andeveninyourteammates’minds,inthatwinningmoment?Everyonestartedcrying.Ourcoachstarted

crying.Sreejeshgotontopof thegoal.

SandeepDwivedi:WhobroughtSreejeshdownfromthegoalposts?Hehimself didn’twant to comedown. I

askedhimwhyandhesaidthatsincehe’sbeenplayinghockey,he’sspentallhis timeonthatpole. Ithasbecomehisbestfriend. Intimesofsadnessorhappiness, thepolehas remainedwithhim.

ShahidJudge:NoneofthecurrentteamwasevenbornwhenIndialastwonahockeymedalattheOlympics.Whenyoufinallygotthemedal,wasitthesameasyouhadvisualised?True.Idon’tthinkevenSreejeshwasborn.

Whenwewore ourmedals at thepodium, Iwas standingnext toHardik andwesawthethree flags goup and I said to him, ‘41 yearshave passed and our flag is finally going upnow.Wecan’tstopnow.Ournexttargethastobe that the flag is raised in the centre andshouldbethetopmost.’

NitinSharma:PastIndianteamshavefacedpressureofnotwinningamedalsince1980..Actually, it isn’t pressure.Wehave sucha

richhistoryofhavingwoneightgoldmedals.Wefeelproudtoplaythatsport.This timewehaddecided thatnomatter

which teamwecomeupagainst,wewillnotunderestimatethem.ThisistheOlympicsandanything can happen at theOlympics. This

time, South Africa defeated Germany.Whatever teamcomes to theOlympicsgivesits100percent.SobeforeleavingforTokyo,allplayersweregoingwithagoodmindsetofhighconfidencebecausewehadbeaten some re-ally good teams last year:Holland, Australia,Belgium. And Argentina right before theOlympics.Sotheconfidencewasskyhigh.

SandeepDwivedi:YouweretrailingGermany3-1,andthefamiliarfearoflosingamedalindyingmomentsmight'vestruck.Butyourecoveredandcouldpulloffthiscomebackinacrucialmatch.Wewent in not just to participate but to

win.Theselast15monthshavebeenverydif-ficult.Wewere inBangalorewhen the lock-downwasannounced.Andcouldn'tmeetany-one,orgoout.Itwasjustusgoingtotheground,toourroomsortothedininghall.Sothatwasthethinkingthatwehavestruggledsomuch,worked sohard, stayedaway fromfamily forso long,weshouldkeep this inmind thatwehavetowinthemedal.Whenwelost thesemi-final toBelgium,

everyonewasdisappointed.WehadonedayrestdaysoItoldtheplay-

ers, ‘Look,westillhaveonechancetotakethebronzehome. Ifwegohomeemptyhanded,thenwe'llruethisfortherestofourlives’Evenwhenwewere3-1down,tobehon-

est,noplayerwasboggeddown.

MihirVasavda:TheteamfinishedlastatLondon2012,andyouwould’venoticedthereceptionthosemedallistsgot.Howwillyoucomparethatexperiencewiththisone?

Itwas verydifficult thenbecausewehadfinished12thdespite beingagood team.Butwe couldn'twin even onematch... That stillhurts. Evennow it irksme thatweplayed sobadlythen.Iwas a junior then, butwhenwe sawall

themedallists,wesawthereceptiontheygot.Anditwasswirlinginmymindthatevenifwedidn't dowell now,wewouldnext time.Weimproveda lotafter that.And Ipersonally fo-cussed on improvingmyowngame to playbettersoIcouldcontributemoretotheteam.

SandeepSingh:IstherestillafitnessandtechnicalgapbetweenAustralia,Belgiumandrestoftheworld?OrwasitanoffdayforIndia(againstAustralia)?The 7-1marginwas disappointing. But

whenweanalysedthematchandcheckedthedata,we realised that itwasAustralia’s luckyday.Everythingtheythrewatus,evenapushtowardsgoal,wasgoingin.Butnotforus.Dataoncirclepenetrationspointedtoa3-2,2-2kindofscores.Sowedecidedtohavethemindsettonotloseanyothermatch,toputinour100percenteverytime.

SriramVeera:FormercoachRoelantOltmanshadsaidthatyou’reasure-shothockeystarinthemaking,butyougettooexcited,tooemotional,oftenfightingwithreferees.Ascaptain,whatgoesinthemindwithallthatemotionandexcitement?I don’t like losing. I alwayshave the fight-

ingspiritinmymind.InpracticealsoIhavethetendency to fight for everythingandgivemy100percent.Idon’twanttohavethisfeelingaf-ter thematch that, “yaar,main aur accha karsaktatha.”

TheyellowcardagainstGreatBritainwassodifficult formetobesittingout.Therewasaround fiveminutes left and the scoreswereclose.Myheartbeatwasgoingcrazy.While Iwassittingoutall Iwasdoingwas

like,“comeon,Hardik!Runforme.Runforme,guys!Doyourbest,don’tgiveup.Justfivemin-utesleft!”Yes, it’s difficult to sit out, but (laughing)

sometimesyougetthecardbecauseofwrongdecision(fromthereferee). It’snotalwaysmyfault.

SriramVeera:Butyouseemtohaveabadrecordwithcards?ThisOlympicsthoughit’sbeenmuchbet-

ter,I’vebeencardedjusttwice.Onegreen,oneyellow. I’dsay itwas80percentnotmyfault,butIstillfeltbadbecauseitwasadifficulttimeand I shouldn't havebeen carded. It causes awholelotmorerunningbecausewhenoppo-nentshave11players.

SriramVeera:Whydidyourteammatescallyou‘Korean?’It’s a funny story. I’m not that tall even

now, I’m just 5’7”, butwhen Iwas younger,my eyes were a bit small. And I was veryquick.Sopeople thoughtmyspeedwas justlike theKoreanplayers, so henceforth Iwastobecalled that. It startedwhen Iwasplay-ing inmyvillage, then later at the academy.Thenwhen Iwasonthenational team.(In the national team) initially people

used to callmeManpreet only. But later onsomepeople frommyvillage and the acad-emyjoined(thenationalcamp)andtheysaid‘arre iska naam toh ‘Korean’ hai, woh he bu-layakaro.’

ShivaniNaik:PargatSinghwasaninfluencegrowingup.Haveyouevermethim,andhaveyouspokentohimaftertheOlympics?Whenever Pargat Singh came to the

ground, the fameandrespect thathegotandthewaypeopleusedtobearoundhimall thetime… ‘Pargat Singh aa gaye, Pargat Singh aagaye…’ThattimehewastheDSPinPunjabPolice.

IfeltthatItoowantedtobelikehim,andhavepeoplesay‘Manpreetaarahahai.’Iwanted to becomeabigger officer than

him.LastweekIgotpromotedastheSPfromDSP.ImethimatthefunctionlastweekwhenIgotthepromotion.Itoldhim,‘Paaji,finallyI’vebecomeanSP.NowI’marankbetterthanyou.Hehuggedmeand said ‘sahimeyaar, jo tunebolatunefinallypurakardiya.’

DevendraPandey:Everyteamhascharacterswhohelplightenthemoodoftheteam.Whoisthatpersoninyourdressingroom?Everyone's a little, Iwon’t say naughty...

Theyarenicepeople.Theyenjoyit,thereisal-waysmusic and laughter evenduring tensemoments. Sreejesh is very jovial and is thepranksterof the teamand jokesaroundwithyoungsterslikeVivekSagarallthetime.IliketoannoyNilakantaSharma.Ourmottois:wearetogetherinbothvictoryanddefeat.

SandeepDwivedi:DoyouthinkaChakDeIndiamoviewillbemadeonthemen’steamaswell?Ifamovieismade,Iwantittobemadeon

thewhole team. I want everyone to knowaboutthebackgroundsoftheseplayers.Theirparents’ stories, their struggles should behighlighted.

SriramVeera:VineshPhogathasspokenabouthowshe’sgoneintodepression.Howshouldthecountryreacttosuchsituations?Whenanathlete loses they feel themost

dejectedanddisappointed.Andwhentheyfailtohit thetarget, they feelbroken.Weneedtosupporther.ShemaynothavewonamedalattheOlympicsbutsheisaworld-classwrestler.Shehaswoneverymedaltherewasintherun-up to theOlympics and then everyonewasproudofher.Atthistime,weneedtostandforher,weneedtosupporther,weneedtoshowthat thewholenation iswithher. Sheshouldfeelthatthisisnotthetimetogiveup.

NitinSharma:NotqualifyingfortheOlympicsin2008,wasconsideredanew

lowforIndianhockey.AstheIndiancaptainnow,andasaplayer,howdoyoulookbackatthatmoment?Every athlete has a dream to play in the

Olympics.Thehockeyplayersoftheteamthatcouldnotqualify fortheGamesin2008werereallydisappointed. Ididnotknowmuchas Iwasakidbackthen.ButIfeltbad.

TusharBhaduri:HowdidCovid-19infectionandisolationaffectyourtraining?Whenmytestsreturnedpositive,Ididnot

knowhowto react.Whenyouare lockedupinaroomandyouknowthatyouarepositive,alotofnegativethoughtscreepintoyourhead.Butmyteamcoachingstaffwerethereforme.They toldmenot to focus onbeingpositive,you just thinkabout your recovery anddon’tworryaboutanything.Returningtothecamp,thecoachingstaffdevisedaplantohelpusre-coverandget fitassoonaspossible.Wewerenotsurehowthebodywouldreactandwhatwouldhappenifwepushedourselvesimme-diately. In Surender Kumar’s case, he had abloodclotwhenhe tried topushhard. Sowewereeased intotraining inagradualprocess.Forthefirstweek,wejoggedandthendidrun-ningandweincreasedtheintensitygradually.Ittookusthree-and-a-halfweeksforthat.Last year,wehadpre-trained ondealing

with isolation. InBengaluru,wewerefollow-ing these protocols. From the ground to ourrooms, rooms to thedininghall, andback totheroom.Thiswasourcycle.Wealwaysworemasksinpublicplaces.Tokyowasnotdifficult.Wegotsousedtothemaskthatwhenwetookit off it feltweird. It felt like somethingwasmissingfromourfaces.

MihirVasavda:Duetothepandemic,thecoachwasnotchangedandoverall,therewasstabilityintheplayinggroup.Didthathelp?WegelledwellasateaminBengaluru.We

gottoknoweachother,thestruggles,families,and perceptions. During the lockdown, ourcoachmadeindividualvideosonall theplay-ers,chroniclingtheirpersonallivesandthesac-rifices undertaken tomake it to the Indianteam.Wealso read about previousOlympicwinners like MCMary Kom and AbhinavBindra.

SandeepDwivedi:Hockey'sstillagameplayedinsmalltownsandvillages.What'sneededtomakeitpopularinbiggercities?Hockeymustbeplayed inacademiesand

schools inbiggercities.Recently, Imetsome-one fromDelhiwho toldme that he startedwatchinghockeyduring theOlympics. Afterseeing Indiawin bronze, he toldme that hewantshissontotakeuphockey.

NitinSharma:11playersinthisteamthathailfromPunjab...Yes, 11 from the current squad are from

Punjab.Butinordertowinamedal,all18play-ersneedtocontribute.ThereareplayersfromKerala, Haryana, andUttar Pradesh aswell.Insteadof saying11players are fromPunjab,weneedtofigureouthowwecanimproveasateam.Ithinkthat'smoreimportant.

ShahidJudge:HasSreejesh(aMalyali)startedlisteningtoPunjabimusic?He'slearningPunjabi.Wealsotaughthim

quite a lot. But there are things that I cannotsayinfrontof thecamera.

SandeepDwivedi:WillyouconsiderenteringpoliticslikeothersportspersonsfromPunjab?I'mnotagoodspeaker,soIdon'tthinkI'm

equipped to be a politician. Once I quit thegame (after seven-eight years), my targetwouldbetogivebacktothesportandhelpup-comingplayersatthegrass-rootlevel.

ManpreetSinghbelieves if amovie ismadeonthemen’s team, it shouldtelleveryoneabout thebackgroundsof theplayersandtheir struggles. File

INTERVIEW:MANPREETSINGH

Talibantoallowmen’scricket;statusofwomen’sprogrammesunclearParis:TheTalibanhavesaidtheywillnotinter-ferewith theAfghanmen's national cricketteam, the country's biggest sporting successof recent years, or stop theexpansionof theflagshipT20league,anAfghancricketofficialsaid.Despite theturmoil causedbythestun-ningfallof theKabulgovernmentonSunday,the board has confirmed a one-day seriesagainstPakistanwillgoaheadinSriLankanextmonth and said it was expanding the"Shpageeza" T20 competition. "TheTalibandon'thaveanyissueorproblemwithcricket,andtheyhavetoldusthatwecancontinueourwork asplanned," saidAfghanistanCricketBoard head of media operations HikmatHassan, adding that the teamwas ready forthree ODIs against Pakistan next month.Hassanalso said the teamshouldbeable toplayintheT20WorldCup.Oneareawhichre-mainsuncertainisthefutureof thewomen'scricketprogrammesrunbytheACB.REUTERS

Yorkshireadmitex-playerwas‘victimofinappropriatebehaviour’Leeds:EnglishcountyteamYorkshireapolo-gizedtooneofitsformerplayersonThursdayafteranindependentin-vestigation into hisclaims of institutionalracism found hewas a“victimofinappropriatebehavior.”AzeemRafiq,aformerEnglandunder-19captain,saidininterviewslastyearthatasaMuslimhewasmade to feel like an “out-sider”duringhistimeatYorkshirefrom2008-17andthathewasclosetotakinghisownlife.An investigation was commissioned byYorkshire intoRafiq’s claimsand the teamiscurrently reviewing the findingsof an inde-pendent panel. “It is right... to acknowledgefromtheoutsetthatseveraloftheallegationsmadebyAzeemwereupheldandthatsadly,historically,Azeemwasthevictimofinappro-priatebehavior,”Yorkshiresaidinastatement.

UnitedgreatLawrevealsdementiadiagnosisManchester:FormerManchesterUnitedstrikerDenis Lawsaid Thursdayhehasbeendiag-nosedwith two types of dementia. The81-year-old Law,whose237goals forUnited isbetteredonlybyBobbyCharltonandWayneRooney, saidhewantedtobeopenabouthisconditionafter revealinghehas "mixedde-mentia"—Alzheimer’sandvasculardementia."Thishasbeenanextremelydifficultyear foreveryoneandthelongperiodsofisolationhavecertainlynothelped,"saidLaw,whoplayedforUnitedfrom1962-73andwontheBallond’Orin1964."Youhopethatitwon’thappentoyou,evenmake jokesabout itwhilst ignoring theearlysignsbecauseyoudon’twantittobetrue.Youget angry, frustrated, confusedand thenworried,worriedforyourfamily,astheywillbetheonesdealingwithit."LawsaidhehopestocontinuegoingtoOldTraffordtowatchUnitedplaybutwillbe"adjustingmylifestyleaccord-ingly.""Thetimehascometotacklethisheadon, excuse thepun," Lawsaid ina statementonUnited’swebsite.AP

BarcalooktoreapunexpectedbenefitsofMessiexitatAthleticBarcelona:BarcelonalearnedlastweekthatafuturewithoutLionelMessidoesnothavetobeso bleak and theywill look to build on thegreaterteamunitythatwasondisplayintheirseason-openerwhentheyvisitAthleticBilbaoonSaturday inLaLiga.While theArgentine’sdeparturetoParisStGermainleftBarcawithaholeofroughly50goalsperseasonandhisrareability to change agame in an instant, theirdominant 4-2win over Real Sociedad onSunday indicated they couldbe stronger inotherareaswithoutbeingsobeholdentotheirformercaptain.AgainstSociedadatCampNoutheypressedasanentireunitandscoredtheirsecondgoalthankstohighpressingfromde-fender EricGarcia deep in the visitors’ half.CoachRonaldKoemanravedabouthis side’sdisplay in their first gamewithoutMessi. “IwouldalwaysprefertohaveMessiinmyteambecausehedecidesgameonhisownbutwecanbeabettercollectivenow,”Koemansaid.

Osakafelt‘ungrateful’forattitudetowardstennisMason(Ohio):NaomiOsakasaidshehadfelt"ungrateful"attimesoverthelastyearfornotfullyappreciatingherlifeasoneoftheworld'stoptennis players. TheWorld No. 2 sealed acomeback win overCoco Gauff at theWestern & SouthernOpen inCincinnati onWednesday, her firsteventoutsidetheOlympicssincewithdraw-ingfromtheFrenchOpeninMay."Iwaswon-deringwhywasIsoaffected,Iguess,likewhatmademenotwanttodomedia,"the23-year-oldtoldanewsconference."I'mwonderingifIwasscared,becausesometimesIwouldseeheadlines of likeplayers losing and then theheadlinethenextdaywouldbelikeacollapseorthey'renotthatgreatanymore...I'mnotsurewhen along theway I starteddesensitizingthat. Like it startednotbeing like anaccom-plishment forme.So I felt like Iwasveryun-gratefulonthatfact."

BelarusiansprinterwhodefectedplanstorunforPolandMoscow: Belarusian sprinter KrystinaTsimanouskaya who defected during theTokyoOlympicsthismonthsayssheplanstoapplyforPolishsportingcitizenshipsothatshecanrun forPoland.Tsimanouskaya,24,was taken inbyWarsawwhenhercoachestoldhertoreturntoBelarus fromJapanfol-lowing a dispute, an order she refused toobeyfearingforhersafety.Belarushasbeengrippedbyasweepingcrackdownonanti-governmentdissentfollowingmassproteststhat erupted last yearover adisputedelec-tion.InaninterviewwiththeRBCtelevisionchannel aired late on Wednesday,Tsimanouskaya said it can take three yearsto change sporting citizenship, but shehoped her application would be fast-tracked."Wearenowgoingtotrytochangemy sporting citizenship so that I can com-pete for thePolishnational team," shesaid.

REUTERS

BRIEFLY

SPORT18 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,AUGUST20,2021

PT Usha’s ‘guiding light’ no moreNIHALKOSHIEAUGUST19

WHENA young PT Usha first spotted OMNambiar,theretiredairforcesergeant-turned-coachwaswearing a cap and a coatwhilescoutingfortalentatasub-juniormeet.UsharecallsNambiarvividlyfromthatdaybecausehewastheonlypersonwearingasuitdespitethehumidity.A fewmonths later, Usha andNambiar

wouldmeetforthefirsttimewhen,asaClass8student,shejoinedthenewly-formedSportsDivisioninKannur.ThepartnershipbetweenthecoachandtheathletewouldbecomeoneofthemostsuccessfulinIndiantrackandfieldhistory, takingher to the cuspof anOlympicpodiumfinish,whilemintinggoldmedals inAsia.OnThursday,Nambiar,89passedawayat

hisresidencenearVadakaraduetoage-relatedillness.Buthislegacywill liveonasthecoachwho groomedUsha into one of the all-timegreats.“The passing of my guru, my coach,my

guidinglight isgoingtoleaveavoidthatcannever be filled,” Ushawrote on social me-dia.“Wordscannotexpresshiscontributionto

mylife.Anguishedbythegrief.WillmissyouOMNambiarsir.RIP.”TalkingaboutherearlydayswithNambiar,

Usha saidonThursday that shewas first no-ticedbyhimbecause she could complete allthe warm-up drills exactly as he demon-strated.“Hewasasticklerfordiscipline.Heclosely

watched how students were doing theirwarmups. Imade it a point to followevery-thinghesaid.Whoeverdidthewarm-updrillsthebestwouldgetatoffee. Iamtheonewhogotthemosttoffees,”Ushasays.She’d use some of his trainingmethods

when she started her own academynearly

twodecades ago. Aspiring athletes trainingunder Usha’s tutelagewouldwarm-up byrunningonthesandsof thebeachinPayyoli,where she had trained as a teenager withNambiar.ThelasttimeUshavisitedhercoachwasonAugust8, thedayafterNeerajChoprawon thehistoric gold in the javelin throwattheOlympics.“He had been in hospital recently. So he

wassedatedandcouldnottalk.Butheopenedhis eyes and looked atme. I think he recog-nizedme,” Usha says of their lastmeeting.

Right through the 1980sUsha andNambiarbecame household names as she scorchedtracksaroundtheworld.Usha finished fourth andmissed out on

bronzebyone-hundredthof a second in the400m hurdles at the 1984 Los AngelesOlympics. Even getting that closewouldnothave been possiblewithout the vision andwisecounselof thecoach.NambiarwaskeentochallengeUsha,who

wasstilllickingherwoundsafterbaggingonlysilver in the 100mand 200m sprints at the

1982AsiadinDelhi.The coach, after studying Usha’s stride

pattern, toldhershewassuited for thehur-dles, a relatively new event which wasadded to the Olympic roster for the firsttime.The1983AsianChampionshipsinKuwait

CityiswhereNambiartestedUsha’spotentialbymakingherruninthe400m.Shewonthegold,makingNambiar confident of his stu-dentbeingontherighttrack.“Nambiar sir toldme Ihaveagood stride

patternandhesaidIhavethepotentialtobe-comea top400mhurdles runner,” Usha, 57,hadtoldthispaperearlierthisyear.ThoughthebidtowinanOlympicmedal

didn’twork,Usha,withNambiarbyherside,wonfivegoldmedalsandabronzeattheAsianAthleticsChampionshipsinJakarta in1985.Back in the 1980s, Nambiarworemany

hats. Hewas not just Usha’s personal coachbutdoubledupasanutritionist,recoveryex-pert and sounding board. Usha knew shewouldbelostwithouthim.BeforesheleftforthemeetinKuwaitCity,

she knocked on the door of the PrimeMinister’s office to convince federation offi-cialstoallowNambiartotravelwithherover-seas as her personal coach. Itwas a conceptwhichwasunheardofbackthen.“Therewasnoscope forapersonalcoach

of an athlete to travel abroad in those days.Onlycoachesdecidedbythefederationwouldtravel. But Iwaskeen thatNambiar sir travelwithme.ThePrimeMinister (IndiraGandhi)was not in her office but Imet PCAlexander(principalsecretary)andtoldhimwhyitwascrucial forNambiar sir to travelwithme.MrAlexandersaid, ‘don’tworry,itwillbedone,’”Usharecalls.Another fruitful overseas stint for the

coach and athletewas at the Crystal PalaceSportsTrainingCentre inLondon,where theseeds of success for the continental event inJakartawereplanted.Ushaparticipatedinthecompetitive European circuitwithNambiarbyherside.Born inKannur in 1932, Nambiar joined

thearmedforcesandcontinuedtopursueath-letics.Heretiredfromtheairforceintheearly1970s, completed his diploma from theNationalInstituteofSports(NIS)inPatialaandjoinedtheKeralaSportsCouncil.Hewas one of the three recipients of the

firstDronacharyaAwardin1985.However, itwas only earlier this year that hewas con-ferredwiththePadmaShri.

Hurdler RohanKamble bookssemifinal berth

A course correction thatcame too late for Semenya

NEWYORKTIMESAUGUST19

CONTROVERSIAL RULES regarding intersexathletes,whichkeptCasterSemenyaofSouthAfricafromdefendinghertitleinthe800-me-terrunattheTokyoOlympics,havecomeun-derrenewedscrutinyasscientistshaveissuedacorrectiontoastudythatindicatedacausalconnectionbetweenhightestosteronelevelsand enhanced athletic performance amongelitefemaleathletes.The study, published in 2017, has been

among theevidenceused to restrict athleteswithararegeneticconditionthatresultsinel-evatedtestosteronelevelsfromenteringcer-tainwomen’sevents.Semenya’s attorneys and a prominent

American critic of the restrictions onWednesday called for the regulations to besuspended,followingacorrectionprintedbytheBritish Journal of SportsMedicine of the2017article,whichwaswrittenbytwoscien-tistsaffiliatedwithtrackandfield’sworldgov-erningbody.Thescientistsacknowledgedthattheir study indicating a pivotal relationshipbetween high testosterone levels and en-hanced athletic performance among top fe-male athleteswas “exploratory” and “couldhavebeenmisleadingbyimplyingacausalin-ference.” The studywas used to implementregulations in2018thatrestrict intersexath-letes from competing inwomen’s runningevents from400meters to themile unlessthey lower their naturally high testosteronelevels.Theregulationsgovernathleteswithadis-

orderofsexualdevelopmentknownas46,XYDSD.TheseathleteshaveanXandYchromo-some in each cell, the typicalmale pattern;genitaliathatarenottypicallymaleorfemale;and testosterone levels in themale range,which, doctors say, suggest the presence oftesticulartissueor internaltestes.WorldAthletics,whichgovernstrackand

field, has acknowledged that its regulationsare discriminatory, but argues that they arefairandnecessary toensurethat femaleath-letescanparticipateonalevelplayingfieldintermsof strength,musclemassandoxygen-carrying capacity. But challenges to theDSDregulationsimplementedbyWorldAthleticsseemcertain tobeginanewafter thecorrec-tionintheBritishJournalofSportsMedicine.On Wednesday, Gregory Nott, one ofSemenya’s lawyers, told theBritish newspa-

perTheTelegraphthattheathlete’slegalteamhopedWorld Athleticswould “support set-tingasidetheregulations.”Semenya has lost appeals to continue to

runthe800metersatinternationalcompeti-tionsbeforetheCourtofArbitrationforSport,a kind of Supreme Court for internationalsports; and the Federal Supreme Court ofSwitzerland. Her case is now before theEuropeanCourtofHumanRights, thoughle-galexpertshavesaidthatarulinginSemenya’sfavorwouldnotmeanWorldAthleticswouldhavetoallowhertorunhersignatureevent.She won the 800 meters at the 2012

LondonOlympicsandthe2016GamesinRiodeJaneiro.Excludedfromthe800inTokyobythenewrules,shesoughttorunthe5,000me-tersattheTokyoOlympics,butdidnotachieveaqualifyingtimeintheevent.“It is more than surprising thatWorld

Athletics did not reveal this evidence beforethe recent TokyoOlympics and allowCasterto defend her 800-meter title,” Nott,Semenya’s lawyer, toldTheTelegraph.

WorldAthletics under fireRoger Pielke Jr., a professor at the

University of Coloradowho for several yearshas criticized the science used byWorldAthleticstorestrictSemenyaandotherinter-sexathletes,saidinatelephoneinterviewonWednesdaythat theDSDregulationsshouldbe suspended pending an independent re-view. “ThisisatestforWorldAthleticstoshowthatthey’reactuallylisteningtoevidenceandscience,versustryingtobendsciencetosomepredetermineddecision,”Pielkesaid.Earlier,hewroteonhis Substack that the correctionwasan“admissionoferrorbyWorldAthleticsin the only empirical analysiswhich under-pins its eligibility regulations for female ath-letes.” “The implications aremassive,” headded.WorldAthletics downplayed the signifi-

canceof the correctionWednesday.After re-ceivingcriticismofthe2017study,itacknowl-edgedina2018articleintheBritishJournalofSports Medicine that the study was ex-ploratoryanddidnotconfirmacausalrelation-shipbetweenelevated testosteroneandper-formanceadvantagesforelitefemaleathletes.In2019,CASruled in its favorandagainst

Semenya.Amoreformalcorrectionwaswrit-ten, according to theWorld Athletics scien-tists, to clarify persistent questions raisedbyindependentobserversregardingalackofev-idenceofacausalrelationship.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAAUGUST19

Nairobi:RohanKamblegavetheIndiancon-tingent reason to smilebymaking it to themen's 400m hurdles semi-finals in theWorld Athletics U20 Championships onThursday.He was the only Indian athlete who

progressedtothenextroundadayafter thecountry's 4x400m relay mixed teamclaimed bronze. On a daywhen theWorldAthleticsPresidentLordSebastianCoemetand encouraged the Indian team, Kamblebooked a berth in the 400mhurdles semi-finals by finishing fourth in the last of thefive heats.He clocked 55.00 seconds when all he

needed todowas finish the race after SaadHinti (Morocco) did not start and AmarEded (Qatar) was disqualified for a falsestart. Hardeep Kumar hit a hurdle in theopeningheatsandwascreditedwithatimeof 1:12.80.Earlier,India'sAnuKumarmissedoutona

berth in themen's 800m semi-finals. Heclocked1:50.26infinishingfourthinhisopen-ingroundheats,justoverasecondslowerthanhis personal best time, clocked in theFederation CupAthletics Championships inPatialaonMarch18thisyear.Pooja warmed up for the women's

1500mheatstoberunonFridaythoughshedidnotmakeit tothewomen's800msemi-finals. She clocked the 16th fastest time inthe first round heats, finishing sixth in2:10.66. Shehas apersonal timeof 2:06.22clockedinSeptember2019andayear'sbesttimeof2:07.96clockedinFebruarythisyear.AmandeepSinghDhaliwal,whoputthe

shot over 17.92monWednesday toqualifyfor the men's final, fouled his first two at-tempts and managed a disappointing17.08monhis third attempt to finish12th.Barely three weeks ago, Amandeep

Singh Dhaliwal secured a personal best of19.15m in the Federation Cup JuniorAthletics Championships in Sangrur.

Coe praises juniorsWorldAthleticsPresidentSebastianCoe

has congratulated the Indian mixed4x400mrelay teamfor itsbronze-winningperformance at the U-20World AthleticsChampionships, saying that the country ismaking great progress in the sport.On the first day of competitions on

Wednesday, theIndianquartetofBharathS,Priya Mohan, Summy and Kapil clocked3:20.60 seconds to finish third in the finalof the 4x400mrelay teamevent, clinchingthe country's fifth medal in the history ofthe tournament.In a video tweeted by Coe, the 64-year-

old was seen interacting with the Indianathletes, including themedallists.“This iswhatyouneedat thestartof the

championship. Congratulations to your4x400mmixed relay team, fantastic per-formance in theheats aswell,” he said.The double Olympic gold medallist in

1500madded: “Thatmeansyouhavego todowhat they have done, there is big pres-sure there. I lovedwatching you guys per-formand this is a sport and country that isreallymaking great progress.”

CasterSemenyafailedtoqualify for theTokyoGames.AP

Fromawardingherwithtoffees to introducingher to400mhurdles, legendarycoachhelpedUshacomewithin thecuspofOlympicsuccess

PTUshawithcoachOMNambiar.Usha'spersonalphotoalbum

JUNIORWORLDS

O M NAMBIAR 1932-2021 Olympic champKorda shareslead at Women’sBritish OpenCarnoustie:NellyKorda’ssensationalsummerformisshowingnosignofdipping.Twoweeksafterwinningagoldmedalat

theTokyoOlympics,thetop-rankedKordabe-gan her bid for a secondmajor title in twomonthsby shooting5-under67 to share thefirst-roundleadattheWomen’sBritishOpenonThursday.Korda rolled in a 5-foot putt at No. 18 at

Carnoustieforhereighthbirdieofaroundthatalsocontainedthreebogeysinovercast,chillybutlargelywind-freeconditionsoverthelinksineasternScotland.Shewas later joinedon5underbySweden’sMadeleneSagstrom,whohasnever recordedatop-10 finishatamajor,and South Korea’s Sei Young Kim, amajorchampionlastyearandtheNo.4.The23-year-oldKordaisthenewsuperstarofwomen’sgolf,having climbed toNo. 1bywinning thePGAChampionshipinJuneandfollowedthatupbywinningtheOlympicgolftournamentinTokyothismonth.TheAmericanhasfourwinsin14eventsin2021andsaidshehasa“targetonmyback”forthelastof thefivemajors.“I try to take themindset of everyday’s a

newday,” saidKorda,who is a combined87under par for her last 21 rounds. “It doesn’tmatterwhatmyranking is. Everyone’s goinginto this eventpreparedandwanting towin.“That’skindoflikethemindsetthatItrytotakeinto every event.” TheWomen’sOpen is herfirsteventsincetheOlympicsandshecarriedthemomentumtoCarnoustie,holingaleft-to-right20-footerforbirdieatNo.3—thefirstofthree birdies in a four-hole span to immedi-atelythrowdownthechallengetoherrivals.Korda,whoworebulky, oven-stylemitts

betweenshotsattimesduringchillymorningconditionsthatcontrastedwithwhatsheex-periencedinTokyo, reboundedfromhersec-ondbogeyof theday, atNo. 12, bymaking adownhillputtforbirdieatthenextandpickedupanothershotat thepar-514thafterreach-ingthegreenintwo.AP

200821 ML 01 - bandhan.ongc.co.in

Documents

Transcript of 200821 ML 01 - bandhan.ongc.co.in