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VIJAYAWADA, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2021; PAGES 10+16 `5

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VIJAYAWADAWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated November 13, 2021 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Kartik & Shukla Paksha

Tithi : Ekadashi Full Night

Nakshatram: Purva Bhadrapada 16:31

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 4:12 pm - 5:36 pm

Yamagandam: 12:00 pm - 1:24 pm

Varjyam: 2:46 am - 4:29 am

Gulika: 2:48 pm - 4:12 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 8:09 am - 9:49 am

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:38 am - 12:22 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Partly cloudyTemp: 32Humidity: 78%Sunrise: 6:20 amSunset: 5:40 pm

o KCR to skip, HM Mahmood Ali to represent TS

Crucial Southern ZonalCouncil meeting todayPNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K ChandrasekharRao will not be attending the cru-cial 29th Southern Zonal Councilmeeting, being held after a gap oftwo years, to be chaired by UnionHome Minister Amit Shah atTirupati on November 14.

While a Statement released byMinistry of Home Affairs saidthat the meeting will discuss arange of issues including bound-ary disputes, security, infrastruc-ture such as road, transport,industries, water and power,forests and environment, housing,education, food security, tourismof the members States, it isimportant for the two TeluguStates given the number of unre-solved disputes and mutual com-plaints against each other.

Amit Shah too had emphasisedon using the platform for disputeresolving and promoting cooper-ative federalism.

Apart from post bifurcationissues, there are other mattersunresolved – re-allocation ofKrishna river water or the issuespending with the Centre and yetto be filled assurances givenunder the State ReorganisationAct, 2014 and the Telangana gov-ernment will undoubtedly raisethem.

Earlier, KCR’s visit to Delhi andhis meetings with various UnionMinisters were believed to havebeen fruitful to the extent heexplained the pending issues andhad one to one meetings with theUnion Home Minister. However,the recent war of words between

the State TRS leadership and BJPleaders and stalemate over theprocurement of Yasangi paddywith the Centre and the TRS leddharnas in support of farmersapparently changed the equation.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy receives Union Home Minister AmitShah on his arrival in Tirupati on Saturday for the Souther Zonal Council meeting on Sunday.

Jagan may beonly non-BJPCM at SZC meetPNS n HYDERABAD

With Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao confirmingthat he would not attend andpresence of MK Stalin andPinarayi Vijayan doubtful due tothe rain situation in their respec-tive States, Andhra Pradesh ChiefMinister YS Jaganmohan Reddymay be the sole non-BJP ChiefMinister present at the SouthernZonal Council meeting onSunday (Puducherry ChiefMinister N Rangaswamy heads agovernment in coalition withthe BJP).

This will probably make himthe cynosure of all eyes at themeeting.

Jagan reached Tirupati onSaturday, instead of the original-ly planned Sunday afternoon, toreceive Union Home MinisterAmit Shah at the temple town.

According to sources, Jaganplans to accompany Amit Shahfor darshan of Lord Venkateswaraat Tirumala. A

s per the tentative programme,Amit Shah was to have darshanon Monday morning leaving forDelhi.

Sources said that Jagan andAmit Shah are likely to have aone-on-one meeting and discusspolitical issues.

Of late, the gap between BJPand YSRCP has widened at thenational level too, in spite of theAndhra Pradesh Chief Ministertrying his best to maintain cor-dial relations with the saffronparty leaders.

26 Maoists killed inencounter in MahaPNS n NAGPUR/HYDERABAD

At least 26 Maoists werekilled on Saturday in anencounter with police ineastern Maharashtra'sGadchiroli district,over 900 km fromMumbai, senior offi-cials said.

"We have recovered thebodies of 26 naxals so farfrom the forest," said districtSuperintendent of Police AnkitGoyal.

The gun battle took place in themorning at Korchi in Mardintola

forest area when a C-60 police com-mando team was conduct-

ing a search operationled by additional SPSoumya Munde, MrGoyal said.

While identity ofthe Maoists killedwas yet to be ascer-

tained, according tosources a top rebel

leader was suspected to beamong them. Four police per-

sonnel were also seriously injuredin the action and were taken toNagpur by a helicopter for treat-ment, officials had said earlier.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Government of AndhraPradesh will apprise Union HomeMinister Amit Shah of the duesfrom Telangana power utilities toAndhra Pradesh amounting to Rs6015.22 crore and request theUnion Government to prevail overthe State of Telangana and arrangepayment to APGENCO.

According to sources, the Stategovernment will also request theGovernment of India to alternative-ly direct the Telangana State toinclude the Rs 6015.22 crore gen-erator dues to APGenco underTranche II loan of Atma NirbharScheme that is being availed byTelangana State Discoms. In view of the 29th Southern Zonal Council meeting in Tirupati

on Sunday, officials submitted areport to the State government overthe issues.

Sources said that an amountof Rs 6015.22 crore powerpurchase payments (PPPs) arereceivable from TelanganaDiscoms to AP Genco as onFebruary 28, 2021 for powersupplied after State bifurcationup to June 10, 2017.

Telangana Discoms haveagreed to pay the amount butare unable to pay. APGenco isunder great financial distressand is unable to pay for itsdebt servicing and coal suppli-ers..

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

One more low-pressure areaformed over the Bay of Bengal onSaturday. It is likely to move west-north westwards and concentrateinto a depression over northAndaman sea and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal by November15. According to Cyclone WarningCentre, Visakhapatnam, the coolclimate system is likely to contin-ue to move west-north west-wards, intensify further and reachnear Andhra Pradesh coastaround November 18.

Under the influence of the sys-tem, strong wind speed reaching55-65 kmph gusting up to 75kmph is very likely along and offCoastal Andhra Pradesh andYanam from November 17.

SNCN ACHARYULU n HYDERABAD

Kuppam municipal election inAndhra Pradesh is causing a stiracross the State as both ruling YSRCongress Party (YSRCP) and themain Opposition TDP have takenit as a prestigious issue. TheKuppam Municipality hasassumed significance because it ispart of the Assembly constituen-cy of Opposition leader and TDPsupremo Nara ChandrababuNaidu.

The election has become likethe Huzurabad Assembly by-elec-tion in Telangana. In Kuppam,Panchayat Raj MinisterPeddireddy Ramachandra Reddy

is playing a role like FinanceMinister T Harish Rao who playeda signif icant role in theHuzurabad Assembly by-election.As in the Huzurabad Assemblyby-election turned into a fightbetween CM KCR and EatalaRajendar, in the case of Kuppamit is between CM YS Jagan MohanReddy and former CMChandrababu. Jagan MohanReddy is determined to ensurethat the Kuppam constituency isbagged by YSRCP in the nextAssembly elections. In the recentPanchayat Raj elections, YSRCPwon the Kuppam ZPTC, MPTCand Sarpanch posts.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy has been invit-ed to the World Economic Forum(WEF) meeting which is going tobe held in Davos from January17 to 21 in 2022.

World Economic ForumPresident Borge Brendemet Minister GautamReddy and he revealedthat this time around themeeting will be held in thecontext of 'Working Together,Restoring Trust'.

Minister Gautam Reddy briefedBorge Brende about the measuresthat are being taken by the ChiefMinister for the economic andindustrial development in AndhraPradesh.

Borge Brende appreciated theefforts of the Government ofAndhra Pradesh in controllingCovid-19. Brende praised the APgovernment on industrial policy

and economic development.Klaus Schwab, Founderand Executive

Chairman of the WEF,is quoted in the pressrelease, as saying:"The pandemic hasbrought far-reaching

changes. In a worldfull of uncertainty and

tension, personal dialogueis more important than ever.Leaders have an obligation towork together and rebuild trust,increase global cooperation andwork towards sustainable, boldsolutions."

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The State Election Commission(SEC) reviewed the poll- relatedarrangements with DistrictCollectors, Superintendents ofPolice/Commissioners of Policeand Election Observers through ateleconference on Saturday for theconduct of elections to left-overand casual vacancies in GramPanchayats, PTCs/ZPTCs, NagarPanchayats/Municipalities andNellore Municipal Corporation tobe held on November 14, 15 and16.

The officials on poll duty areheading for Gram Panchayatsallotted to them to conduct elec-tions. Adequate number of policepersonnel was deployed to ensureconduct of elections in a free andfair manner. Webcasting/videogra-phy is arranged at sensitive andhypersensitive polling stations.Covid-19 safety precautions werealso taken as per the instructionsissued by the Commission.

Meanwhile, 30 of the 69Sarpanch posts were declaredunanimously while no nomina-tions were filed for three and 88 arein the fray for 36 Sarpanch posts.Out of the 533 ward member

posts, 380 are unanimous while nonominations were filed for 85 and148 candidates are in the fray for68 posts.

The total number of voters are1,00,032 including 49,939 male,50,086 female and seven others.Polling will be held at 350 pollingstations of which 154 are sensitive,46 hypersensitive and one extrem-ist-affected. Webcasting is done for63 polling stations.

A total of 9,221 big ballot boxes,5,852 medium and 11,597 smallsize ballot boxes are made availablefor the polling. As many as 363returning officers, 219 assistantreturning officers, 420 presidingofficers, 852 other polling person-nel, 107 zonal officers and 59micro observers were deployed.

VKL GAYATRIn VISAKHAPATNAM

The residents of hill-slope coloniesin the city are having sleeplessnights as the danger of landslidesstalks them due to incessant rain forthe past 48 hours. Besides, with theweatherman predicting more rain inthe coming week, are worried aboutsoil erosion, setting the boulders inmotion.

Already, the GreaterVisakhapatnam MunicipalCorporation (GVMC) and theRevenue department have alertedtheir staff to be more careful at thehigh-risk areas. Earlier, fatal land-slide incidents were reported in thecity. The officials also alerted theward volunteers at the hillockcolonies to keep a constant vigil toavoid accidents.

Due to the low-pressure over theBay of Bengal, the Visakhapatnamcity has received continuous rain forthe past two days.

Meanwhile, according to theIndian Meteorological Department(IMD) one more low-pressure areawas formed in the Bay of Bengal andit is expected to concentrate into a

depression. The system is likely toreach Andhra Pradesh coast aroundNovember 18. Under the influence,more rain and heavy falls areexpected in the coming week.

With the recent rains, the red soilfrom the hillocks eroded and therocky areas were exposed on thehills at several places. With a large

number of migrants, particularly theworking class has been construct-ing houses on the hillocks. Duringthe past decade, almost all thehillocks in the city have encroachedand a number of residential colonieshave come up. The GVMC is con-structing staircases, providing streetlighting and supplying drinkingwater. The APEPDCL has alsogiven power connections to thehouses.

Initially, the officials have iden-tified some most dangerous spotsprone to landslides at Gajuwaka,Pendurty, Simhachalam,Thatichetlapalem, Madhavadharaand Hanumanthawaka areas.

GVMC Commissioner,Lakshmisha, alerted the residents ofthe hillock colonies and also thosein the low-lying areas, as more spellsof rain are forecast.

Landslides stalk Vizag hill-slope colonies

Col family among 7dead in ambush byultras in ManipurPNS n NEW DELHI

An Indian Army Colonel, his wifeand son, and four soldiers werekilled in an ambush by terroristsnear the border with Myanmar inManipur. The terror attack - oneof the deadliest in the region inrecent times - took place at 10 amin Manipur's Churachandpurdistrict, sources have said.

The Commanding Officer of46 Assam Rifles, Colonel ViplavTripathy, had gone to a forwardcamp on Saturday and wasreturning when his convoy wasambushed, sources said.

Manipur-based terrorist groupPeople's Liberation Army, orPLA, is believed to be behind theattack, though no group hasclaimed responsibility yet,sources have said.

Intermittent firing is goingon, police sources said. This isthe first time that civilians havedied in an ambush in this remotearea of the district. The locationis an extremely remote villagearound 50 km fromChurachandpur.

All set for three-daypending local bodyelections from today

It’s Jagan vs Naiducontest in KuppamAP to apprise Shah of Rs 6k-cr dues from TS

CM invited to WEFmeetYet anotherlow-pressurearea over Bay

Student's death:Principal bookedunder POCSO Act

The principal of a school here was

on Saturday booked under theProtection of Children from

Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for notacting on a complaint from a student

who died by suicide after a sexualassault by a teacher, police said. Theschool head is now absconding and

two special police teams were set upto trace her. Chief Minister of Tamil

Nadu M K Stalin expressed grief overthe student's death and promised

stringent action against the culprits. Hesaid the act of "some human beasts"

has taken away a life. "Schools shouldensure sexual assaults do not happen.

(we) will arrest the culprits and bringthem before the law... will ensure thesafety of women," he said in a tweet.

SC allows some HCsto shift judges tryingcases on MPs, MLAs

The Supreme Court on Saturday

permitted the High Courts ofBombay, Allahabad and Punjab

and Haryana to transfer some specialjudges trying criminal cases against

sitting and former MPs and MLAs toother courts in their respective states

on grounds such as "administrativeexigencies", and asked them to find

suitable substitutes quickly to ensurethat such trials are not delayed.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N VRamana, hearing a 2016 PIL seeking

life ban on contesting elections onlawmakers convicted of heinous

crimes and speedy disposal of casesagainst them, had earlier directed all

the High Courts not to transfer specialjudges without its prior nod.

Mullaperiyar damstructurally,

seismically safe: TN

The Tamil Nadu government has

told the Supreme Court that"repeated assertion" by Kerala

to seek decommissioning of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam is "whollyimpermissible" as the dam has been

found to be hydrologically, structurallyand seismically safe. Mullaperiyar

dam was built in 1895 on the Periyarriver in Idukki district of Kerala. In aresponse to an affidavit filed by the

Kerala government on the Mullaperiyardam matter, Tamil Nadu told the apex

court that there is no limit specified fora dam's life and the empowered

committee has said it is linked to theinherent health and care through

maintenance, repair and rehabilitation.

In brief

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VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 vijayawada 02

EGG

RATES

VIJAYAWADA 458

HYDERABAD 389

VISAKHAPATNAM 420

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀44..5588

`̀//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `203

Without Skin `223

Broiler at Farm `110

`̀//KKGG

(IN VIJAYAWADA

PNS n AMARAVATI

Operationalising the fast-trackspecial courts for early dispos-al of rape and child sexualabuse (POCSO Act) cases andcompleting the investigationswithin the stipulated 60-days insuch cases will be a major pointof discussion at the 29thSouthern Zonal Council meet-ing in Tirupati on Sunday.

The Union Ministry ofHome Affairs has listed this asa priority item in the SZCmeeting agenda as there isconcern over a lower percent-age of completion of investiga-tion into such cases within theprescribed time.

The Centre had in 2018enacted the Criminal Law(Amendment) Act, 2018, pre-scribing stringent provisionsfor sexual offence, includingaward of death penalty in therape of a girl below 12 years ofage. Also, an Amendment tothe Code of CriminalProcedure prescribed a timelimit of two months for com-pletion of investigations insuch cases.

The Standing Committee ofthe SZC, at its recent meeting,expressed concern on the lowerpercentage of completion ofinvestigation of cases withinthe stipulated time-period in

respect of many States andadvised member states andUnion Territories to make seri-ous efforts for timely comple-tion of cases, the agenda notesaid.

The Centre, on its part, isadopting a multi-prongedstrategy to ensure the amend-ments to the Act are effective-ly translated into action at theground level.

Accordingly, it initiated aseries of measures and pro-grammes like the InvestigationTracking System for SexualOffences, as part of SMARTpolicing, using the Crime andCriminal Tracking Networkand Systems for facilitatingcompliance with theAmendment.

The Centre has asked thestates to make serious efforts tooperationalise all the ear-

marked FTSCs for early dis-posal of sexual offence cases.

Tamil Nadu is on top amongsouthern states by operational-ising all the 14 earmarked all 14FTSCs, followed by Telanganawith 23 out of 36. Karnataka setup 16 out of 31 FTSCs andAndhra Pradesh, nine out of18.

Kerala too operationalisedhalf of the 56 earmarkedFTSCs, according to MHAdata.

Puducherry andLakshadweep were not madepart of the scheme as the totalnumber of pending cases in2018 was less than the specified(65 and above) to opera-tionalise the FTSC.

AP is leading the pack bycompleting investigation with-in the stipulated two months in81.87 percent of sexual and

child sexual abuse cases till theend of October this year. Lastyear, it scored only 47.61 per-cent. Union TerritoriesPuducherry and Andamanand Nicobar Islands achieved

79.17 and 69.77 percentrespectively.

Karnataka accomplished58.99 percent and Tamil Nadu15.19 percent, while Keralafinished with 9.82 percent.

DBT on list of 'priority items'for discussion at SZC meetingAmaravati: The Centre isseeking details from States onthe estimated gains from variousdirect benefit transfer (DBT)schemes and the accruedsavings so far. The UnionCabinet Secretariat has listed theDBT schemes as one of thepriority items for discussion atthe 29th Southern Zonal Council(SZC) meeting scheduled forNovember 15 in the temple-townof Tirupati.Among the southernStates, Karnataka, Kerala,Telangana and Lakshadweephave not reported the estimatedgains or benefits from DBTschemes so far. Puducherry hasreported meagre savings. A noteon the agenda of the SZCmeeting says Karnataka andTelangana have not integratedtheir DBT portals with DBTBharat despite numerous letters.Direct Benefit Transfer is a high-priority governance reform

initiated to ensure targeted andtimely delivery of subsidies andbenefits under various schemesof the government in a fair,transparent, efficient and reliablemanner. At present, DBT is beingimplemented in 438 schemes in55 Ministries\Depa-rtments ofthe Central government, whereinmore than Rs 6.23 lakh crore hasbeen transferred so far, the notesaid.The Centre suggested thatsome more improvements in theinterface and data accuracy ofJan Dhan Darshak Mobile Appwere needed. It asked the Statesto modify their DBT portals so asto reflect the savings on CentralSchemes and State Schemeswithout overlapping orduplication. It said bogus andduplicate beneficiaries in variousschemes have to be eliminated.After that, the savings accruedmay be calculated as perschematic norms, it added.

Sexual offences cases to bediscussed at SZC meet today

SC steps in; Delhi shuts schools over pollutionPNS n NEW DELHI

Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal Saturday announceda slew of measures, includingclosure of schools and collegesfor a week, work from homefor government officials andban on construction activities,after an angry Supreme Courttermed the rise in pollution asan "emergency situation" andsuggested clamping a lock-down in the national capital.

Kejriwal, who held an emer-gency meeting with his cabinetministers and departmentsconcerned to tackle rising airpollution, said that his govern-ment will present a proposalfor lockdown before the apexcourt after discussions with theCentre, the CPCB and otheragencies.

On Saturday, Delhi's airquality remained in the severecategory for the third consec-utive day with the 24-houraverage air quality index beingrecorded at 437, a marginalimprovement from the daybefore.

The air quality index ofneighbouring Ghaziabad,Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad,Greater Noida was no better at441, 441, 423, 464 and 408,

respectively.Talking to reporters after the

emergency meeting, Kejriwalsaid that virtual classes willcontinue in the city schools,adding that construction activ-ities will also be shut down forfour days – from November 14to 17 as forecast is that therewill be no wind and smokecaused by stubble burning willkeep reaching Delhi.

"We are closing downschools from Monday for oneweek so that our childrendon't have to venture out oftheir homes and breathe pol-

luted air," he said.The move comes hours after

the Supreme Court expressedconcern that schools in thenational capital have openedand children are being exposedto severe pollution conditions.

Calling the rise in pollutionlevels as an "emergency situa-tion', the chief minister saidthat all Delhi governmentoffices will remain closed fora week, but all officials willwork from home. All privateoffices will be advised to shiftto work-from-home.

"The pollution has gone up

in the past few days. However,data shows that air was cleanwith air quality index below100 till September 30 but it hasbeen increasing afterwardscontinuously due to Paraliburning in neighbouringstates.

"This is not the time ofpointing finger. The Delhigovernment only wants to pro-vide relief to Delhiites and chil-dren from emergency like sit-uation, and ensure theybreathe fresh air," he toldreporters.

Earlier in the day, theSupreme Court also suggestedclamping a lockdown in thecity as it asked the Centre andthe Delhi government to takeimmediate measures toimprove the air quality.

The court said the situationof pollution is so bad that peo-ple are wearing masks insidetheir houses.

A bench headed by ChiefJustice N V Ramana said thereare other reasons for pollutionsuch as vehicular emissions,firecrackers and dust, and sin-gling out stubble burning is notthe solution.

Asked about the SupremeCourt's suggestion, Kejriwalsaid that the AAP govern-

ment is not imposing a lock-down for now.

"We will take the centralgovernment, CPCB, SAFARinto confidence. If the situationworsens, all private vehicles,transport, construction andindustrial activities can bestopped. The proposal (forlockdown) will be presented tothe Supreme Court."

He said that it is compulsionto take such strong steps, hop-ing that Delhiites understandit, and added that the AAPgovernment is taking all stepswhich need to be done totackle rising air pollution in thenational capital.

During the hearing, theapex court said, "Your projec-tion is as if farmers are respon-sible for this pollution. Seventyper cent. First let the Delhipeople be controlled. Where isthe effective mechanism tocontrol firecrackers, vehiclepollution etc.?

The apex court asked theCentre to revert on Monday.

Environmentalists, mean-while, termed the emergencymeasures announced byKejriwal as "band-aid solution"and called for a long-term res-olution to the recurring prob-lem.

An umbrella body ofResidents' WelfareAssociations (RWAs) allegedthat the Delhi government isnot committed to solving thecity's "pollution pandemic"and has left the residents tofend for themselves with tem-porary solutions such as airpurifiers and masks.

Expressing concern overDelhi's air quality, the UnitedResidents Joint Action (URJA)said tackling pollution is a dif-ficult challenge and the gov-ernment's announcements"oversimplify the approach,thus reducing the gravity ofthe issue and urgency of pri-oritised action required".

In Delhi, the AQI of AnandVihar, Jahangirpuri, Wazirpur,Okhla, Rohini and Narelastood at 450, 453, 452, 460,427 and 414, respectively.

On Friday, the 24-houraverage AQI was recorded at471, the worst this season sofar. The AQI was 411 onThursday and 372 onWednesday.

An AQI between zero and50 is considered 'good', 51 and100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor',301 and 400 'very poor', and401 and 500 'severe'.

Crucial Southern ZonalCouncil meeting today...Continued from page 1

The Tirupati meeting wouldhave been an opportunity forTelangana to follow up andalso seek proactive involve-ment of Centre in resolvingthe issues between the twoTelugu States related to shar-ing of Krishna water and con-stitution of a new Tribunal orgiving new terms of referenceto the existing Tribunal for re-allocation of Krishna waterafresh.

Also as the Centre is keenon linking of rivers, the plat-form would be ideal for theTelugu States to express theirview point.

KCR earlier stated that link-ing of rivers could be consid-ered only after the deprivedareas in Telangana were pro-vided with water first and forthat re-allocation of riverwaters was must.

With KCR not attending,State Home MinisterMohammed Mahmood Aliwould lead the Telangana del-egations and be accompaniedby Chief Secretary SomeshKumar and Finance Special

Secretary Ramakrishna Rao.A few weeks ago, it was

indicated that KCR himselfwould attend the crucial meet-ing and the bureaucrats of var-ious departments were askedto prepare detailed reportsand PowerPoint presentations.

The State, which has beenappreciated by UnionMinisters about its progress invarious sectors, decided tostep up pressure for sanctionof projects and funds to enableit perform better.

Now with Chief Ministernot attending, the onus will beon the Ministers he deputes,apart from Home Ministerand the officials, to make theirpresentations effectively espe-cially considering that theTRS government has made itclear that it waited patiently forover seven years and indicat-ed that it would be moreassertive in demanding what isdue to the State.

However the recent war ofwords between the State TRSleadership and BJP leadersand stalemate over the pro-curement of Yasangi paddywith the Centre and the TRS

led dharnas in support offarmers apparently changedthe equation.

However sources said thatKCR did not attend any con-ference so far after the forma-tion of the State.

The meeting was to beattended by Chief Ministers orMinisters of member Statescomprising Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,Kerala, Telangana and UnionTerritories of Puducherry,Lakshadweep and theAndaman and Nicobarislands. It is being hosted byAP Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy who isthe Vice-Chairman of themeeting.

Apart from Chief Ministersof above States, two Ministersfrom each State are membersof the Council. The ChiefMinisters of Tamil Nadu andKerala would not be attendingdue to the rain situation inthose states, according tosources.

The Council meeting orig-inally was scheduled for Marchthis year but was postponed asAmit Shah was indisposed.

All set for three-daypending local... Continued from page 1

Vehicles, numbering 158, werepressed into service for theelections, according to theSEC.

For municipal elections, atotal of 353 wards are notifiedof which 28 are unanimousand 325 are going to poll and1,206 candidates are in thefray. A total of 8,62,066 vot-ers will cast their votes ofwhich 4,20,889 are male,4,41,017 are female and 160are others. Voting will be heldat 908 polling stations of which349 are sensitive, 239 hyper-sensitive and 38 are criticalpolling stations. Webcastingwill be done for 626 pollingstations.

A total of 1,923 big ballotboxes, 74 medium and 41small ballot boxes are arrangedfor the elections. To monitorthe elections, 117 electionsofficers, 117 additional elec-tion officers, 109 assistantelection officers, 34 returningofficers, 36 assistant returningofficers 2410 presiding officersand assistant presiding offi-cers, 3,700 other polling per-sonnel, 81 zonal officers, 157route officers and 556 micro

observers are deployed forthe smooth conduct of theelections.

For MPTCs & ZPTCs, theelections will be held for 10Zilla Parishads and 40 candi-dates are in the fray. Electionswill be held for 123 MandalParishad and 328 candidatesare in the fray out of 176 as 50are unanimously elected whileno nominations were filed forthree.

In all, 8,07,640 voters willcast their votes of which4,01,364 were male, 4,06,234were female and 39 others.Elections will be held at 954polling stations of which 248are sensitive polling stations,241 are hypersensitive pollingstations and six are extremist-affected. Webcasting will bedone at 307 polling stations.

A total of 3,689 big ballotboxes, 508 medium and 4,769small ballot boxes are arrangedfor the elections. As many as120 returning officers, 200assistant returning officers,1,356 presiding officers, 4,231other polling personnel, 149zonal officers and 405 microobservers are deployed. Atotal of 447 vehicles arepressed into service.

Yet anotherlow-pressurearea over...Continued from page 1

The CWC also advised thefishermen not to venture intothe sea along and off AndhraPradesh Coast and fromNovember 17.

The months of Novemberand December are consideredas cyclone season as tropicalcyclones surface in the Bay ofBengal and this year also thecool climate conditions arelikely to prevail to form twomore low-pressure areas inthe next two weeks.

AP to appriseShah of Rs 6k-cr...Continued from page 1

As the power generation inTelangana was not enoughto meet the demand at thetime of bifurcation of erst-while Andhra Pradesh, theAP Genco had supplied thedeficit power to TelanganaDISCOMs of 8890 MUfrom June 2, 2014 to June10, 2017 (after netting off )as per AP ReorganisationAct, 2014, for which anundisputed due of Rs3 ,441 .78 crore and Rs2841.90 crore towards latepayment surcharge, whichis the cost of power sup-plied during that period,has remained unpaid tilldate, according to sources.

Telangana and AndhraPradesh together agreed onpayment of these dues ondi f ferent o ccas ions onAugust 19, 2019, in a jointmeeting between both thepower utilities of AP andTelangana and on January30, 2020, during the jointmeeting between ChiefS e cre t ar ies of AP andTelangana, but these duesare still unpaid.

Sources said that thesedues are the single largest

hurd le in the i ssue ofAPGENCO loans. Due tothe non-receipt of theamount, the APGENCOobtained additional work-ing capital loans of Rs5,625.08 crore from PFCand REC from June 2, 2014,to March 31, .2017.

Due to the non-receipt ofthe above huge dues fromTelangana, the APGENCOcould not service the debt-servicing on the due datefor Rs 1700.00 crore to PFCand REC in June 2021 andanother Rs 1020 croreremained unpaid towardsdues payable to PFC andREC for July and August2021.

"It can be seen that suchhuge receivables turninginto bad debts will not onlyaffect the financial viabili-ty of APGENCO but willalso have serious implica-tions on lenders-PFC andREC. Since the above powerwas supplied as per direc-tions of Government ofIndia f rom 2014 , i t i sre ques te d t hat t he Rs6,283.68 crore dues receiv-able may be liquidated andpaid to REC and PFC," saidofficials.

Modi presides over meeting oncryptocurrency amid concernsPNS n NEW DELHI

Amid concerns over mislead-ing claims of huge returns oncryptocurrency investment,Prime Minister NarendraModi on Saturday chaired ameeting on the way forward onthe issue, with governmentsources asserting that suchunregulated markets cannot beallowed to become avenues for"money laundering and terrorfinancing".

It was strongly felt in themeeting that attempts to mis-lead the youth through over-promising and non-transpar-ent advertising should bestopped, the sources said, sig-nalling that strong regulatorysteps are in the offing.

"The government is cog-nizant of the fact that this is anevolving technology, it willkeep a close watch and takeproactive steps. There wasconsensus also that the stepstaken in this field by the gov-ernment will be progressiveand forward looking," a sourcesaid.

The government will contin-ue to proactively engage withexperts and other stakeholders,sources added, noting thatsince the issue cuts acrossgeographical borders, it wasfelt that it will also requireglobal partnerships and collec-tive strategies.

The meeting on the way for-ward for cryptocurrency andrelated issues was a very com-prehensive one.

"It was also an outcome of aconsultative process as RBI,Finance Ministry, HomeMinistry had done an elaborateexercise on it as well as consult-ed experts from across thecountry and the world. Globalexamples and best practiceswere also looked at," the sourcesaid.

The RBI has repeatedly reit-erated its strong views againstcryptocurrencies saying theypose serious threats to themacroeconomic and financialstability of the country and alsodoubted the number ofinvestors trading on them aswell as their claimed marketvalue. RBI GovernorShaktikanta Das onWednesday had reiterated hisviews against allowing cryp-tocurrencies saying they are aserious threat to any financialsystem since they are unregu-lated by central banks.

His comments come aheadof the RBI's internal panel

report on the contentious topicwhich is expected next month.

The Supreme Court in earlyMarch 2020 had nullified theRBI circular banning cryp-tocurrencies. Following thisin February 5, 2021, the cen-tral bank had instituted aninternal panel to suggest amodel of the central bank'sdigital currency.

The RBI had announcedits intent to come out withan official digital currency,in the face of proliferation ofcryptocurrencies like Bitcoinabout which the centralbank has had many con-cerns.

Private digital currencie-s/virtual currencies/cryptocurrencies have gained pop-ularity in the past onedecade or so. Here, regula-tors and governments havebeen sceptical about thesecurrencies and are appre-hensive about the associat-ed risks.

It’s Jagan vs Naidu...Continued from page 1

In fact, as an Oppositionleader Jagan Mohan Reddyhad focused on Kuppam todefeat Chandrababu Naiduwhich is TDP's strong bastion.Surprising everyone, Naidutrailed behind the YSRCPcandidate in two rounds in theprevious Assembly elections.Finally, Naidu managed to winbut the majority had comedown when compared to thevotes polled in the previouselection. TDP announced toboycott local body electionsbut contested in some placeslike Kuppam but did not getpositive results in many placesincluding Kuppam. After this,Naidu has taken the Kuppammunicipal election as a pres-tigious issue to check YSRCP.But, Peddireddy Ramac-han-dra Reddy, who is one of theclose confidants of CM JaganMohan Reddy, is camping atKuppam and trying to furtherweaken the TDP. In the recentBadvel Assembly by-electiontoo, Peddireddy RamachandraReddy was given the respon-sibility and eventually, theYSRCP had won with morethan 90,000 votes majority.Buoyed by this, he has beenworking with the same enthu-siasm now to ensure thatKuppam Municipality is in theYSRCP kitty.

PNS n HYDERABAD

L&T Metro Rail Hyderabadand Star-MAA have cometogether to create a publicsafety awareness campaign"Bigg Boss Is Watching You"for passengers. The publicsafety campaign is being exe-cuted in all 57 Metro Stationscovering concourse, entry-exit and check-in areas.

Customised jingles withcaution messages will beplayed in all Metro trains. The100-day campaign periodwould enable all Metro com-muters to be aware of safetyprecautions to be taken dur-ing travel and at Metro stationpremises, including awarenesson safety measures, rules ofMetro, encouraging moreusage of the Metro Rail as thesafest and convenient mode tocommute.

KVB Reddy, MD & CEO,L&TMRHL, said "As part ofthis association, we have alsorolled out the 'Bigg Boss isWatching You' campaign atour Metro stations to ampli-fy Covid safety awarenessand safe travel practicesamong the public at large andbuild a strong passenger con-nect.”

‘Bigg Boss iswatching you'

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021vijayawada 03

PNS n TIRUPATI

The maiden open-heartsurgery was performed suc-cessfully at Sri PadmavathiPaediatric Cardiac Hospital inTirupati recently. ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy inaugurated the hospi-tal on October 11.

The operation was con-ducted on a girl named Kavitafrom YSR Kadapa district.She was born with a congen-ital heart problem. Her par-ents could not afford thetreatment costs in corporatehospitals and therefore theytook her to a local hospital.However, as she contracted aninfection in the heart, her casewas recommended to thePadmavathi Cardiac Hospital

by the local doctors. Underthe supervision of the Directorof the Hospital Dr. SrinathReddy, a team of doctors suc-cessfully carried out openheart surgery for four hours.Now, the girl is undergoingmedication in the ICU.

TTD EO Dr. KS JawaharReddy lauded the efforts ofthe team of doctors headed byDr. Srinath Reddy, who hadsuccessfully carried out thefirst Open Heart Surgery case.The team included Dr.Ganapathi Subramanyam, Dr.Ashok, Dr. Vijita and Dr.Madhu Yadav.

Director Dr. Srinath Reddysaid the Hospital is planningto perform at least 100 openheart surgeries for needy chil-dren in one month.

Open-heart surgeryon girl at TTD hosp

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Thanks to the KartikaMasam, the prices ofnon-vegetarian food havecome down. Due to theCovid pandemic, therehas been a huge demandfor mutton, chicken andfish and the prices haveskyrocketed in the regionwhich resulted in thenon-vegetarian foodgoing out of the reach ofthe common man.

Normally, every year,during the KartikaMasam (mostly falls inNovember), the peopledo not eat non-vegetari-an food during all 30days. However, thisyear, the consumptionof non-vegetarian hascome down by almost50 percent for the pastweek.

During the Dasarafestival, the chickenprice crossed Rs 300 perkg and it has come downto Rs 160/170 and theskinless chicken is nowavailable at Rs 180which was 330 lastmonth. The muttonprice also came downand is presently availableat Rs 350/300 per kg,which crossed Rs 500last month.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Though the National AIDSControl Organisation(NACO) has given its nod toallow interstate transfer (lat-eral shifting) of contractemployees working inAndhra Pradesh andTelangana, the employeeshave been waiting to go totheir home states for years asthe AP State AIDS ControlSociety (APSACS) andTelangana State AIDS ControlSociety (TSSACS) have notinitiated steps.

As many as 16 contractualemployees of Andhra Pradeshare working in Telangana Statefor TSSACS and one contrac-tual employee of Telangana isworking for APSACS in

Andhra Pradesh. The NACOhas already given orders forinterstate transfers by mutualconsent.

President of the AP StateAIDS Control Employees’Union, Venu Sudarthiexplained that they had givena representation to the projectdirectors, urging them to takesteps for the inter-state trans-fers, but in vain.

The NACO’s national meetto review care, support andtreatment to HIV/AIDSpatients concluded onSaturday.

“We are appealing to theDirector General, NACO,Alok Saxena to give instruc-tions to Project Directors forspeedy process of the inter-state transfers,” Venu said.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRC REPORT IMPLEMENTATION

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Krishna District Collector JNivas has instructed the offi-cials to complete the arrange-ments for the peaceful conductof local body elections to beheld for two municipalities,ZPTCs, MPTCs and some vil-lage panchayats in the districtfrom November 14 to 16.Collector Nivas on Saturdayconducted a teleconferencewith the officials and issued theorders for the peaceful conductof elections.

Elections to elect five villagesarpanches and 41 wards in thevillage panchayats will be heldon November 14 and thecounting of votes will be heldthe same day. Elections for thetwo municipalities ofJaggaiahpet and Kondapalliwill be held on November 15and counting of votes will beheld on November 17.Elections to be held to electZPTC and MPTC members inPedana, Vissannapeta and GKonduru mandals of Krishnadistrict on November 16. Thecounting of votes will be heldon November 18.

The collector Nivas instruct-ed the officials to ensure freeand fair elections and askedthem to be on alert till comple-tion of elections. He instruct-ed the officials for webcastingof the election process and tofollow the Covid guidelines.He asked the officials to workin coordination with the policeofficials. Joint collector KMohan Kumar, L Siva Sankarand other officials attended thevideo conference.

On the other hand, thepolling campaign for the twomunicipalities of Jaggaiahpetand Kondapalli ended onSaturday evening. Both TeluguDesam party and the YSRCPvigorously campaigned to winthe elections. TDP leaders

Vijayawada MP KesineniSrinivas, former MLAsNettem Raghuram, SriramTataiah, Tangirala Sowmyaand other leaders participat-ed in the election campaign.The YSRCP leadersEndowments MinisterVelampalli Srinivas,Jaggaiahpet MLA SamineniUdaya Bhanu, Mylavaram

MLA Vasanta Krishna Prasadand other leaders participat-ed in the election campaign intwo municipalities. Electionsto the ZPTCS, MPTCS andvillage panchayats werealready held by the ElectionCommission. Now the elec-tions are being conducted forthe pending ZPTC, MPTCsconstituencies and villages.

Collector instructs officialsto ensure free and fair poll

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The campaign for the elec-tions of two divisions inGreater VisakhapatnamMunicipal Corporation(GVMC) concluded onSaturday. Polling for the31st and 61st divisions isscheduled for November 15.Total five candidates are con-testing in the two divisions.Jana Sena Party (JSP) candi-date is contesting in 61thDivision only. However, themain contest is between theYSR Congress and TeluguDesam only. On the last day,YSRCP heavyweight andparty MP V Vijayasai Reddyand all senior leaders werepresent in the campaign.

Speaking at various meet-

ings, Vijayasai Reddy saidthat his party again will sweepall the by-elections acrossthe State. For the first time,the YSRCP flag would behoisted in the KuppamMunicipal elections also,Reddy said.

Meanwhile, TDP politburomember Ch.Ayyannapatrudu took thelead role in the party cam-paign.

Addressing the media,along with party MLAVelagapudi RamakrishnaBabu, the former ministersaid that Chief Minister YSJagan Mohan Reddy mort-gaged the entire State andthe people of AndhraPradesh are now in a big cri-sis.

Campaign for GVMC polls ends

NACO staff transferspending for years

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra Pradesh MedicalServices & InfrastructureDevelopment Corporation(APMSIDC) wrote a letter to theForum Coordinator of theAssociation of Indian MedicalDevice (AIMED) on Saturdaystating that the majority of duesrelated to outstanding paymentswere cleared. APMSIDC man-aging director D MuralidharReddy stated in the letter thatAIMED wrote a letter onSeptember 17 for clearing theoutstanding payments to suppli-ers by APMSIDC. The letterdoes not clearly inform the fac-

tual position and it is not theactual representation of factsand APMSIDC warned initiat-ing legal action against AIMEDif it fails tor e m o v ethe RedN o t i c eafter veri-fying facts.

Muralidhar Reddy said thatthe issues raised by AIMEDwith respect to non-clearance ofoutstanding dues for their mem-bers during the last 4-5 years arenot at all tenable as the major-ity of dues were paid and pay-ment which has not been paid

to the suppliers was only due tonon-fulfilment of tender claus-es. Some of the suppliers did not

submit the requireddocuments such asagreement conclusion,

mandatoryinstallationcertificates,

performancecertificates from end-

users etc. for bills processing andclaimed that the amount is stillpending for clearance.

Muralidhar Reddy said thatthis kind of news creates a falseimpression to the suppliers andhurts the State's image which isnot all acceptable. He stated that

APMSIDC strongly denies thiskind of misinterpreted and falsenews as it is not in the right spir-it with respect to the honestefforts being put up by thestate government in providingthe best and quality services tothe citizens. He said that all thedetails of payments and dueswith reasons were sent toAIMED. He asked AIMED toverify the facts and to removethe Red Notice notificationfrom AIMED website. Hewarned that if AIMED failed totake action, then APMSIDC willinitiate appropriate legal actionagainst AIMED and firms formisrepresentation of facts.

APMSIDC warns of action against AIMED

‘Child Safety Week’ from todayPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Child Rights Week(November 14 to 20) is a coalitionof 10 organisations across Indiawhich are focusing on the need toend commercial sexual exploita-tion and trafficking of children.During the ‘Child Safety Week’, wehope to join our collective voicesto raise awareness about theseissues and take steps towards aworld free of these crimes, saysRam Mohan N, Secretary of HELPorganization. The 10 organisationsfrom across India forming thecoalition are HELP from AP,Prerana, INGON (Impulse NGONetwork), My ChoicesFoundation, Vipla Foundation,Rescue Foundation, Snehalaya,MISSING Link Trust, Arz (Anyay

Rahit Zindagi) and TheMovement India.

Secretary of HELP organisation,Rammohan Nimmaraju said thatcommercial sexual exploitationand trafficking of children aresevere avatars of child abuse, andduring this ‘Child Safety Week’ col-lective voices are going to raiseawareness about these issues andtake steps towards a world free ofthese crimes. He said that theIndian Government’s NationalCrime Record Bureau (NCRB)2020 data says 95% of traffickedpersons in India are forced intoprostitution. According to theNCRB, 2020, nationally therewere 108,234 cases of missing chil-dren in which the majority of chil-dren are at risk of commercial sex-ual exploitation, or may have

gone missing as a result of beingtrafficked. He said that World Dayfor the Prevention of Child Abuseis on November 19, also falls with-in this week. Rammohan said thatHELP and other organisations inAP would conduct awarenessprogrammes on ‘What is CSE &T of children?’, ‘Why are childrenmost vulnerable and the vulnera-bilities leading to children beingvictims of CSE & T?’, ‘Ways inwhich perpetrators gain access topotential minor victims of CSE &T & the physical/emotional well-being of minor victims of CSE&T’,Prevention messaging for children,parents and caregivers with a spe-cific focus on digital safety andCitizen’s Role in preventing CSE &T of children in the Child RightsWeek.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

National Institute of Technology,Andhra Pradesh an ‘Institute ofNational Importance,’ conducted itsSecond and Third Convocation onSaturday. A total of 381 candidatesof 2016-20 Batch and 412 candidatesof 2017-21 Batch were awardeddegrees during the occasion.

Karthik Reddy, a student of theDepartment of MechanicalEngineering, was the InstituteTopper and Gold Medalist Winnerof the 2016-20 Batch. B Anusha, astudent of the Department ofElectronics and CommunicationEngineering, was the topper of the2017-21 Batch.

Delivering the Convocationaddress, chief guest Dr G SatheeshReddy, Chairman, Defence Researchand Development Organization(DRDO), said, “Innovation hasbecome one of the important toolstoday. A product, unless it is inno-vative, is very difficult for the worldto accept today. AcademicInstitutions like NITs are the enginesof innovations. The seeds for inno-vations have to come right from theacademic institutions. That is why wehave started many courses inDefence Technologies in theAcademic Institutes.”

Dr Satheesh Reddy added, “Thenumber of startups which havebeen registered DPIIT (Department

for Promotion of Industry andInternal Trade) is more than 56,000.Youngsters are coming up with anumber of startup ideas today. Thereare many startups that are working

on defence technology ideas, whichwe have never seen. This is a trendchange in the last four-five years.These startups are working on mate-rials, composites, engines, propul-sions and core technologies that arerequired for Defence. The Ministryof Defence and the Government ofIndia is encouraging this trend in abig way. Many schemes have beencreated.”

Guests of Honour Dr DasarathRam Yadav, Director, DefenceResearch and DevelopmentLaboratory (DRDL), MridulaRamesh, Chairperson, Board ofGovernors, NIT Andhra Pradesh,Prof CSP Rao, Director, NIT AndhraPradesh spoke on the occasion.

NITs are engines of innovation: DRDO chief

Governor Biswabhusanextends Children’s Day greetingsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan hasextended the Children’s Day greetings. He said,“I extend my warm greetings to all the childrenin the State, on the occasion of the Children’s Day,celebrated every year on November 14, com-memorating the birth anniversary of our FirstPrime Minister Bharat Ratna Pandit JawaharlalNehru.” Pandit Nehru was a strong advocate ofchildren’s education as he considered them asthe backbone of Indian society. Children are thefuture of the nation, the citizens of tomorrowand they should be nurtured and groomed tobecome worthy citizens of the nation.

As future citizens of the country, the respon-sibility lies on them to safeguard the motherlandand build a bright future for everyone, he said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP MLC P Ashok Babu advisedthe employees' associations tostop dancing to the tunes of thegovernment and start fighting forthe PRC, DA and other benefitswithout any further delay. AshokBabu accused the associations'leaders of dragging the employ-ees' issues without bringing nec-essary pressure on the YSRCPregime. These leaders firstvowed not to attend any meetingwith the government without get-ting a copy of the PRC. But, theybroke their own vow and helddiscussions that could not giveany solution. Addressing a pressconference here, the TDP MLCdemanded that the employees'associations explain why theyhad extended their deadline tillmonth-end. Why was the gov-ernment making so much fusswithout even giving a copy of thePRC report? It was clear that the

Government would not changeits mind even by month-end. Butstill, the employees' leaders weretrying to mislead everyone.Ashok babu said that a timewould come when the employ-ees would remember all thehardships they were facing now.Then, they would not forgive theYSRCP government for all itsinsults and humiliations. TheTDP MLC said nobody wouldbelieve in the propaganda thatthe PRC report containing 500 to600 pages was waiting to beseen by the Chief Minister. Butthe fact was that any CM wouldlook at just 10 to 15 items andhe would not go deep into all thepages. Items like fitment, HRA,and gratuity would usually bestudied by the CM before takinga final decision. The Government could releasethe PRC report and take time tillMarch or April next year for hold-ing discussions.

TDP: Why fuss over PRC report?PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The government employees'unions and associations are upin arms against the AP State gov-ernment and have set a deadlineto announce and implementPRC by November-end. Theleaders warned that as many as200 unions and associationswould conduct meetings to chalkout the future course of action ifthe government fails to fulfil theirdemand.

Speaking to the media personshere on Saturday, the employees’union leaders said that there isno clarity from the governmentofficials on when exactly thepending bills will be cleared.They said that no decision wastaken on the PRC report at themeeting held on Saturday. Onbehalf of 200 governmentemployees’ unions, two JointAction Committee leaders dis-cussed at length all the pendingissues with the government offi-cials. Those who had hopes onthe PRC report were left disap-

pointed at the Saturday’s meet-ing. The union leaders ques-tioned why the government isreluctant to pay their money andalleged that the government waspassing time without resolvingtheir pending issues.

The union leaders said thatthey had decided to serve an ulti-matum to the State governmenttill November-end. The APNGO Association will meet onNovember 27 and on 28 the JACleaders will meet and decide onmeeting the Chief Secretary andsubmit a memorandum. Theyfurther said that all the detailspertaining to the pending issuesof the employees will be clearlymentioned, the union leaderssaid.

AP Revenue DepartmentEmployees’ Association leaderBopparaju Venkateswarlu allegedthat during the past three yearsthe State government did notresolve any pending issues of thegovernment employees. He saidthat the government had failedto fulfill the promises made tothe employees. On the CPS can-cellation, the governmentappointed a Group of Ministersand later officials to make a deci-sion but failed to submit thereport and cancel CPS. He point-ed out that even with the PRCthe government promised to giveon time but appointed a commit-tee after six months. He said thatthe committees were appointedonly to pass time.

Staff set Nov-end deadline for govt

Chicken,mutton pricesdip, thanks to KartikaMasam

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala onSaturday night.

AT LLORD'S AABODE

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 04

MLC ticket to Muruguduleaves YSRCP leaders aghast

PNS n ONGOLE

Prakasam districtSuperintendent of PoliceMalika Garg inspected pollingstations, strong rooms andreviewed the security arrange-ments, being made for themunicipal elections to be heldon November 15 in Darsitown on Saturday and warnedof taking stringent actionagainst those who try to createtrouble during the polling.

The SP inspected the pollingstations, strong rooms, andcounting halls in AP modelschool along with the policeofficials. The SP also visited theDSP office, circle office, policestation, and police quarters.She also inspected the pollingcentres located in the govern-ment junior college on LP Road.

At a review meeting with thepolice officials, she directedthem not to hesitate to takestringent action against thosewho try to create law andorder problems during thepolling. She asked the policeofficials to identify the prob-lematic, most problematic

polling stations and collectinformation about the oldcriminals and keep a vigil ontheir activities.

More police personal shouldbe deployed to the most prob-lematic areas and all arrange-ments should be made toensure that no untoward inci-dent took place during the polland the voters should casttheir vote in a peaceful atmos-phere. The contesting candi-dates and their polling agentsshould be explained about themodel code of conduct, shesaid.

Speaking on the occasion,the SP said that all steps weretaken to ensure that the pollingfor the Darsi nagara panchay-at election to hold in a peace-ful atmosphere on November15. “Checking of vehicles isbeing carried out at variousplaces. Route march is alsobeing carried out in the town.Special teams are beingdeployed. The revenue, police,and municipal officials areworking in a coordinated man-ner to conduct the civic pollspeacefully in Darsi”, she said

and appealed to voters to casttheir vote without fear.

Ms.Malika Garg said that allsteps were taken to conduct theelection in a transparent andunbiased manner. The SP saidthat two DSPs, 5 CIs, 13 SIs,and 61 ASIs, and HeadConstable, 129 constables, 94home guards and womenhome guards, 61 ARPC andpara-police were beingdeployed to Darsi to conductelection peacefully. The SPdirected officials to bind overthose who were involved incriminal cases in the last elec-tion.

The police officials apprisedthe SP that out of the 14 loca-tions, 7 were identified asmost problematic, 3 were iden-tified as problematic and 4were identified as normal loca-tions. There would be 38polling booths for 19 wards.The officials informed the SPsaid that 922 people werebinding-over. DSP NarayanaSwamy Reddy, DSB DSP BMariyadas, Darsi CI M BhimaNaik, and CIs Sudhakar and MRajesh accompanied her.

SP inspects security steps for Darsi poll

PNS n GUNTUR

Allotment of the ticket toMurugudu Hanumantha Raoto contest in the LegislativeCounci l e lected by theYSRCP leadership has takenall YSRCP leaders by surpriseas Hanumanta Rao is neithera senior leader in the partynor familiar to all.

The YSRCP leadersexpected that Marr iRajasekhar would certainlybe given a ticket to contest inthe MLC election. But he wasignored and MuruguduHanumantha Rao was allo-cated a ticket which embar-rassed all the YSRCP leaders.Murugudu HanumanthaRao was elected to theLegislative Assembly fromMangalagiri constituencytwice and was inducted inthe Cabinet in the united APby the then Chief MinisterYS Rajasekhar Reddy andallocated the Education port-folio.

After the bifurcation ofthe united AP, Hanumanth

Rao joined the Telugu Desamparty he was given the chair-man post of APCO. He quitthe TDP a few days ago buthe did not announce whichparty he was going to join.

Taking every leader bysurprise, the YSRCPannounced his name as aYSRCP candidate for theensuing MLC election. “Wewere shocked to know thatMurugudu Hanumanta Raowas given a YSRCP ticket tocontest in the MLC election.We do not know whether hejoined the YSRCP after quit-ting the TDP. We do notknow on what basis he wasgiven an MLC ticket. We do

not know why MarriRajasekhar was ignored” asenior YSRCP leader toldthe Pioneer.

The YSRCP senior leadersrecalled the promise of ChiefMinister YS Jagan MohanReddy that Marri Rajasekharwould be inducted into theCabinet after making himMLC but the promise wasnot fulfilled.

Giving MLC ticket toMurugudu Hanumantha Raohas come like rubbing salt onthe wound to the followers ofMarri Rajasekhar who playeda significant role in thestrengthening of YSRCPwhen it was out of power in2014-19.

However, A YSRCP seniorleader told the Pioneer thatMurugudu Hanumantha Raowas given a ticket to checkthe influence of TDP MLCNara Lokesh in theMangalagiri constituency.Murugudu belongs to theweavers' community whichconstitutes a large chunk ofthe Mangalagiri population.

PNS n ONGOLE

The election campaign for theDarsi municipal polls came toan end on the evening ofSaturday and the YSRCP lead-ers including ministers andMLAs appealed voters to votefor the YSRCP keeping in viewthe implementation of welfareschemes and achieving devel-opment. On the final day of thecampaign, Ministers BalineniSrinivasa Reddy, PerniVenkatraimah, former ministerSidda Raghava Rao, MLAsMaddishetti Venugopal, AmbatiRambabu, Vidudala Rajani,Kakani Govardhan Reddy, ZPchairperson BuchepalliVenkayamma and former MLABuchepalli Shiva Prasad partici-pated in an election meeting inDarsi on Saturday. Addressinga public meeting held atGadiyaram Stambham in Darsi,Sidda Raghava Rao claimedthat the people of the state aresatisfied with the efficient gov-ernance of Jagan Mohan Reddygovernment. All sections of thepoor are receiving the fruits ofthe welfare schemes. Dueimportance was given to theleaders of weaker sections and

were given important power ofpositions, Raghava Rao said.“Chief Minister Jagan MohanReddy has fulfilled all the assur-ances which he had given dur-ing his padayatra. Many house-holds are receiving theNavaratnalu welfare schemesbenefits. We all strive hard forthe development of Darsi town”,Sidda Raghava Rao assured thevoters. Minister Balinenipromised to resolve the drink-ing water scarcity in Darsi. Hemade it clear to the voters thatthere were no groups in theYSRCP as all are in the JaganMohan Reddy group. He urgedthe Darsi voters to give the elec-tion victory of Darsi as a gift tothe Chief Minister. He criticisedthe TDP stating that it wasspreading lies against theYSRCP led government. TheTDP is misleading the people inthe name of maha padayatraand provoking them, he flayed.Earlier, Sidda Raghava Rao,along with MLAs Venugopal,Karanam Venkatesh and MSridhar, carried out door-to-door election campaigns inDarsi town. He performed aspecial pooja in the Sri VasaviKanyaka Parameshwari temple.

YSRCP woos votershighlighting schemes

KTR blames Centre’s ‘mental block’ for road blocksPNS n HYDERABAD

An exasperated Minister KTRama Rao lashed out at theCentre on Saturday, statingthat its inability or unwilling-ness to hand over Defencelands to Telangana as request-ed was due to its ‘mentalblock’ and that it was only giv-ing awards to a performingState and not rewards.

“Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao has askedthe Prime Minister and theDefence Ministry many times,but for some reason they havea mental block (against theState). They don't want togive roads here,” KTR said.

Explaining the situation ofroads, KTR said, “Traversingfrom Paradise to Shamirpet isscary as the traffic hasincreased so much that peopleare stuck for hours. There isway too much traffic on theParadise to Patny stretch.These people (the Centre) areobstructing it.”

Stating that the Defenceauthorities are running a ‘par-

allel government’ of sorts,KTR said, “Langar Houz andDulkapur nala flows throughthe Cantonment areas. Theyconstructed a check dam on itbecause of which inflows tothe Shah Hatim Talab areblocked. When we asked themto remove it (the check dam)so water could flow freely, theywouldn’t do so.”

“It's like they are running aparallel government and aparallel system here, as if theyare not part of this State. Suchis the behaviour of Defenceauthorities. They close theroads on their wish andwhims,” he said.

KTR said that the State will

take up agitation if Centre’sattitude towards Telanganadoesn’t change. “Many issueshave been pending with theUnion government since thelast 7.5 years. We will not letgo of any issue; we will followup and ensure they are cleared.If they don't listen, in democ-racy the only way is to protest.Yesterday we took to roads onpaddy procurement andbrought it to the notice of peo-ple. Even in the case ofHyderabad, tens of issues arepending, we will bring eachone before the people, we willpressurise the Centre.”

“If they don't agree andkeep depriving a performingState, we will protest. We aregetting praises and awards forboth Panchayat Raj and UrbanLocal Bodies, but not money.We are not getting any addi-tional funds except funds thatare constitutional obligation,”the Minister said.

Bengaluru will get Rs 17,000crore for Metro, butHydreabad has been ignored,KTR said.

KTR: Accessibility enablesparticipatory governanceNAVEENA GHANATE

n HYDERABAD

Telangana netizens never hadit so good: They can getTSRTC bus refunds, getMetro timings extended oreven make Tank Bund pedes-trian-friendly merely by post-ing it on social media.

When a netizen sent atweet to MunicipalAdministration and ITMinister KT Rama Rao sug-gesting Metro trains shouldstart earlier, within a day, thetrains began running from 6am. In another instance, acommuter sent a tweet toTSRTC MD that he forgot tocollect change of Rs 85 fromconductor and presto, theamount was refunded.

In KTR’s own words: “Thisis a government that listens toits people. This is a govern-ment that believes in partici-

patory governance.”A citizen suggested turning

the Tank Bund a picnic spotfor families on the weekends,and now, every Sunday is a‘Funday’. “Another personasked and we started a simi-lar programme at Charminar.This is a government thatbelieves in getting feedback,”the Minister said.

He said that no other gov-ernment in the past has beenso accessible. “No MunicipalAdministration Secretary,CDMA or Commissioner orMayor ever took note of peo-ple's issues on social mediaand resolved them. This ishappening for the first time.Not just Hyderabad, in othercorporations, public repre-sentatives are reaching out tous not just directly but alsothrough such media. We aretrying to solve the problems,”KTR said.

Harass farmers at your ownperil, Minister warns CentrePNS n HYDERABAD

Warning that no governmentthat harassed and causedanguish to the farming commu-nity had ever succeeded inretaining power, TelanganaAgriculture Minister S NiranjanReddy on Saturday echoed thestatements made by his Cabinetcolleagues on Friday that therewould be no let-up in theprotests till such time theCentre makes its stand on pro-curement of Yasangi paddyclear.

A day after the successfuldharnas against the dual standof Central and State BJP lead-ers on purchase of paddy inYasangi, the AgricultureMinister spoke to media per-sons at the Telangana Bhavanwhere he said that the TRS asa political force, and farmers asstakeholders, were waiting fordirections from Chief MinisterK Chandrasekhar Rao to inten-sify their protests.

“KCR would discuss theCentre’s stand and present sit-uation in the party and in theCabinet and would give a direc-tion for the future course ofaction to address issues offarmers along with other pend-ing issues of the State,” NiranjanReddy said.

He reminded that farmershave always punished govern-ments that caused hardships tothem. “At least now the Uniongovernment should announceits policy on purchase of paddyin Yasangi and direct its stateleaders to stick to that policyand stop spreading uncertain-ty and confusion among farm-ers with their irresponsiblestatements,” Niranjan Reddy

said. He demanded that the

Centre purchase, or at leastexamine the possibility ofprocuring, all food crops bycasting aside its stubborn stand.“Previous governments used togive incentives to those whoexported agricultural produce,but the BJP has discontinuedthat policy and discouragedfarmers,” Niranjan Reddy said.

The Minister said that theCentre, which kept importsand exports in its control, wasnot exploring new avenues forpurchase of food crops. “Thosewith no understanding aboutthe responsibilities of Centreand States were today in lead-ership positions in the BJP,” heregretted.

Thanking the farmers whoparticipated in Friday’s dharnasagainst the Centre over pur-chase of paddy, the AgricultureMinister said that Telanganawas the State that undertookcrop booking accurately andbased on the State’s data, PM’sSamman Yojana could beimplemented.

“Northern India has alreadybeen witnessing unrest amongfarmers because of farm lawsintroduced by the Centre andfarmers in South India haveexpressed their solidarity to

their counterparts in the North.The Union Government haskept the three controversialfarm laws aside temporarily dueto intervention of the SupremeCourt but the three ‘black farmlaws’ were hanging like theSword of Damocles over theirneck,” he said.

Niranjan Reddy said thatthough the Centre was statingthat their godowns were over-flowing with food grains, itshould remember that evennow, 22 crore people in thecountry were without foodsecurity. “The piled up stocks offood grains could be distributedamong the poor by increasingtheir quota in the PDS system.Doesn’t the Centre have thecapability to spend thousandsof crores for farmers when itcould waive loans of corpo-rates? At least now Centreshould review its decision onpurchase of Yasangi paddy,”Niranjan Reddy demanded.

Responding to the opposi-tion criticism for the dharnastaged by the ruling party whileit was supposed to providesolutions to problems, theMinister said if all the institu-tions and policy decisions werein the hands of Centre, whatcould States do independentlyto help farmers?

PNS n HYDERABAD

Officials of the SOT MalkajgiriZone along with KushiagudaPolice on Saturday arrested fivepersons involved in the murderof a businessman at his resi-dence in Kapra.

The arrested persons wereidentified as a 17-year-old stu-dent, daughter of the deceasedman, Prashanth, 19, R Ganesh,20, Bhupal, 20, and Vijaypal, 45.

The deceased person wasidentified as Rama Krishna,49. On the night of July 19,Krishna succumbed due tohead injury.

Rama Krishna and his fam-ily used to stay at Narayanagudaearlier. While they were atNarayanguda, his daughter gotclose to Bhupal, who instigatedher to steal money from home.After Krishna learnt of the rela-tionship, he warned Bhupalseveral times but despite hiswarnings, Bhupal continuedroaming with his daughter.Krishna then approached theNarayanguda Police who regis-tered a case under various sec-tions including the POCSOAct against him and remandedhim to judicial custody.

After releasing from jail, hetried to contact Krishna'sdaughter but was reprimandedby Krishna. Knowing that her

father stopped him from con-tacting her, Krishna's daughtergot angry at her father andhatched a plan to kill him alongwith Bhupal's friends.

As per their plan, on July 19,she mixed powdered sleepingpills in the chicken curry whichthe entire family, except her,consumed. At 1 AM, she con-firmed with the other accusedthat all of her family was in deepsleep, following which, Bhupaland Ganesh closed Krishna'smouth with a blanket andPrashant stabbed him in histemples using a knife. However,Krishna woke up screaming

loudly that caused the accusedto flee from the scene. He wasrushed to the hospital by hiswife and brother but wasdeclared dead by the hospitalauthorities.

After the murder, all theaccused went to their respectivehomes.

The police, who initially reg-istered a suspicious death case,changed it to a murder case andarrested the five persons onSaturday. The four accused arecollege dropouts and are habit-uated to bad habits of consum-ing ganja, tablets and liquor, saidthe police.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The sleuths of Commissioner'sTask Force (South Zone) team,along with Shahinayathgunj Policeon Saturday, conducted a jointoperation and busted an adulter-ated tea powder manufacturingunit at Feelkhana, Begum Bazarand apprehended one person.

The arrested person identifiedas Vishnu Gopal Tiwari, 54, is theowner of Srinath Agencies Tea

Powder at Begum Bazaar. Tiwari was manufacturing

adulterated tea powder by mixingit with different flavors and chem-icals, suspected to be Tatrazine,for extra taste and color in teapowder. The same adulterated teapowder was being packed in 250grams packets and different 5 kgbags, duly mentioning differentnames on the bags was being soldto shops in the name of "PremiumRed Rose Tea Powder, Dilkhush

Ganesh Tea, Red Gulab and TulsiSupreme Tea". All this was beingdone without obtaining FSSAIpermission and license and foodsafety standards were not beingmaintained, said ChakravarthyGummi, DCP, Commissioner'sTask Force, Hyderabad.

The accused person along withthe seized tea powder worth Rs6 lakh, was handed over to SHOShahinayathgunj PS for furtheraction.

Police seize adulterated tea powder worth Rs 6L Daughter, boyfriend, three others nabbed for businessman’s murder 30-year-old

man dies afterhaving milkwith pepper PNS n HYDERABAD

A man reportedly died afterconsuming milk mixed withpepper at his residence inAlwal on Saturday.

The deceased person wasidentified as M NareshKumar, 30, a private employ-ee.

According to the police,Naresh saw a health tiponline in which they statedthat having black pepperalong with milk will give onegood health and avoid anyhealth issues.

Naresh then mixed thesame for him, his wife andhis mother. His father, whonoticed the trio vomitinginformed his brother whorushed to the spot and tookthem to a private hospital.

As Naresh's conditiondeteriorated, he was shiftedto Gandhi Hospital where hesuccumbed while undergo-ing treatment on Saturday.

Based on a complaint bythe victim’s brother, policeregistered a case.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The officials of CustomsDepartment at the RajivGandhi InternationalAirport (RGIA),Shamshabad seized smug-gled gold worth around Rs34.18 lakhs from a passengeron Saturday.

According to the officials,the gold, weighing morethan 671.9 grams, was foundconcealed inside the handleof a hand pressed juicer thatwas kept in the passenger'scheck-in baggage. The malepassenger had arrived at theairport from Dubai, saidcustom officials.

The customs officials haveseized the gold and have reg-istered a case against the pas-senger who is taken into cus-tody and are investigatingthe incident.

Customs seizegold worth Rs 34.18 lakh at Hyd airport

4-yr-old girl tortured by mom,paramour before murder PNS n HYDERABAD

The Hyderabad Police, who havecracked the murder mystery of atoddler, whose body was foundin a colony in the heart of the cityon November 4, revealed thedetails to the media persons hereon Saturday.

The police have reportedlyarrested three persons, includingthe girl's mother, in Rajasthan andbrought them to Hyderabad.

The arrested persons wereidentified as Shaik Mohd Khadar,24, a hotel worker fromDabeerpura and Heena Begum,22, a housemaid.

"Heena was married to Ahmedand the couple were blessed with

three kids, Affan, 7 and twodaughters, Maheak, 4, andMahera, 3. Ahmed is a propertyoffender, who at present is underjudicial custody with the MiyapurPolice. Soon, Begum began fre-quenting a toddy compound,where she met Khadar. Khadarproposed to marry her and takecare of her children. He then tookher and the three children toMumbai, Delhi, Jaipur andManali, where they were eking aliving by begging along with thechildren," said AR Srinivas, DCP.

Begum's elder daughter,Maheak, was not happy with hermother being close to Khadarand kept insisting that she betaken back to her father. She even

refused to go along with them forbegging, which an\gered themand they began physically tortur-ing her. On November 3, whenthey were in Bangalore, Khadarand Begum beat Maheak severe-ly including raining blows on herabdomen and kicking her, follow-ing which she became uncon-scious. The duo then got scaredand decided to head toHyderabad. They boarded a pri-vate bus and on their way, noticedthat Maheak's body had becomecold and concluded that shedied.

To escape from being caught,they dumped the body on thefootpath in Panjagutta andescaped from the scene.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 nation 05

INDIA CORNER

PNS n AMRAVATI/MUMBAI

A curfew was imposed inMaharashtra's Amravati cityon Saturday after a mob hurledstones on shops during a bandhallegedly organised by BJP inprotest against rallies taken outby members of a minority com-munity the day before againstthe purported communal vio-lence in Tripura, police said.

Police resorted to lathichargeto control the situation, anAmravati Police official said.

On Saturday morning, hun-dreds of people, many of themholding saffron flags in theirhands and raising slogans, cameout on streets in RajkamalChowk area of this eastMaharashtra city, locatedaround 670 km from the statecapital. Some members of themob hurled stones at the shopsand damaged them in theRajkamal Chowk and someother places, the official said,adding that the police lath-icharged the protesters to bringthe situation under control.

Against the backdrop of backto back incidents of stone-pelt-ing on Friday and Saturday, offi-ciating police commissioner

Sandip Patil issued ordersimposing a curfew in the citylimits of Amravati under sec-tions 144(1), (2), (3) of the CrPcto avoid any untoward inci-dents.

Except for medical emergen-cies, people are not allowed tocome out of their houses.Similarly, a gathering of morethan five people is not allowed,as per the order.

The curfew will remain inforce till further notice.

On Friday, various cities inMaharashtra had witnessedstone-pelting during ralliestaken out by some Muslimorganisations protesting against

the purported communal vio-lence in Tripura.

These incidents were report-ed from Amravati, Nanded,Malegaon, Washim andYavatmal districts.

Police have so far arrested 20people and detained four oth-ers by registering 20 FIRsunder various charges, includ-ing rioting, in connection withFriday's incidents.

In Amravati, over 8,000 peo-ple had gathered outside thedistrict collector's office onFriday to submit a memoran-dum demanding that atrocitiesagainst the minority commu-nity be stopped.

PNS n MUMBAI

Maharashtra opposition leaderDevendra Fadnavis on Saturdaysaid it was wrong to organiserallies in the state for an incidentthat "never occurred" in Tripuraand appealed to people to exerciserestraint as incidents of violencewere reported for the secondconsecutive day from Amravaticity prompting the police toimpose a curfew. “The Tripuragovernment and local police haveclarified that no religious place of aminority community was burneddown. They have issued picturesof the same as well. I appeal toboth the communities to observerestrain,” the former chief ministertold reporters in Mumbai. Thesenior BJP leader also said thatpolitical parties in the stategovernment should not giveinflammatory statements. "It is absolutely wrong to hold

rallies here in Maharashtra for anincident that has not even takenplace in Tripura state. It is wrongto attack shops of a particularcommunity,” he said. On Saturdaymorning, a mob hurled stones anddamaged shops at various placesin Amravati city during a bandhallegedly organised by BJP,prompting the police to lathichargethe protesters, an official had said.The fresh violence erupted a dayafter over eight thousand peoplegathered outside the Amravatidistrict collector's office to submita memorandum demanding thatatrocities against a minoritycommunity in Tripura and otherplaces be stopped, officials hadsaid. When people wereleaving after submitting thememorandum, stone-peltingtook place at three placesbetween Chitra Chowk andCotton Market under the limits ofthe Kotwali police station.

Fadnavis questions ralliesagainst incident that ‘neverhappened’ in Tripura

PNS n JAMMU

Amid a raging controversyover senior Congress leaderSalman Khurshid's book, inwhich he compared Hindutvaas propagated by some to rad-ical jihadi groups such as theISIS and the Boko Haram,PDP president MehboobaMufti on Saturday said there isnothing wrong in comparingpolitical parties with groupskilling people in the name ofreligion.

She accused the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS) andthe Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) of hijacking "Hindutvaand Hinduism" and saidSanatan Dharma does notteach communalism.

Khurshid, in his book, wrote:"Sanatan Dharma and classicalHinduism known to sages andsaints were being pushed asideby a robust version ofHindutva, by all standards apolitical version similar to thejihadist Islam of groups likeISIS and Boko Haram of recentyears."

"The communal partieswhich want to make Hinduand Muslims fight each otherand indulge in lynching in thename of religion. You can com-pare such parties with the ISIS

or any other like-minded groupbecause both kill people in thename of religion," Mufti toldreporters outside the People'sDemocratic Party (PDP) head-quarters here.

Responding to a question onKhurshid's book, she said"Sanatan Dharma does notteach us communalism".

"RSS, Jan Sangh and BJPwant to make people in thecountry fight each other in thename of religion. They havehijacked Hindutva andHinduism," she said.

The former Jammu andKashmir chief minister referredto "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"(the world is one family) and

said, "Sanatan Dharma teach-es us that. What BJP and RSSare trying to teach us is neitherHindutva nor Hinduism."

Meanwhile, a group ofBajrang Dal activists, led byRakesh Bajrangi, staged ademonstration againstKhurshid outside the PressClub here, demanding a ban onhis book and registration of acase against the former Unionminister.

"Comparing Hindutva withterror groups is a sin commit-ted by Khurshid. His bookshould be banned and an FIRlodged against him," Bajrangisaid as his supporters burnt aneffigy of the Congress leader.

Union Minister Kapil Patil onSaturday directed officials in

Maharashtra's Thane district toensure smooth and sufficientsupply of water to 34 villages inBhiwandi taluka. Patil presidedover a meeting to discuss thewater woes of these villages at thedistrict collectorate in the

presence of additional collector Vaidehi Ranade, sarpanches of the34 villages and other senior officials. The minister instructed districtofficials to plan for smooth supply of water after carrying out asurvey of the supply being made to the villages by STEM WaterDistribution and Infrastructure company. At least 34 villages in thetaluka are getting insufficient water supply, he said. "Although a totalof 41 MLD of water is reserved for 34 villages, they are supplied only11 MLDs of water," Patil said.

At least 143 persons werearrested in an "all out" operation

conducted by the police inMaharashtra's Thane city, anofficial said on Saturday. At least126 police officers and 684personnel took part in theoperation that was carried out inthe intervening night of Thursday

and Friday, the official said. As many as 61 people were arrestedunder the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,while 21 were nabbed under the Maharashtra Police Act, additionalcommissioner of police (crime) Ashok Morale said. Non-bailablewarrants were issued against 15 people, four were arrested forgambling and 14 each were nabbed for offences under the Arms Act,Mumbai Prohibition Act and were absconding accused, he said.A total of 32 cases of drunk driving were registered, the official said,adding that nakabandi was undertaken at 18 locations.

Agroup of Naxals allegedly shotdead two villagers on suspicion

that they were working as policeinformers in Madhya Pradesh'sBalaghat district, an official said onSaturday. The incident took placeat Malikhedi village under Baiharpolice station in the interveningnight of Friday and Saturday, the

official said. As per initial information, the Naxals shot dead villagersSantosh (48) and Jagdish Yadav (45), said Aditya Pratap Mishra,Baihar's sub divisional officer of police (SDOP). However, it is yet tobe ascertained how many ultras were involved in the killing, he said,adding that further probe is underway. According to the police, theultras also left behind pamphlets warning villagers against workingas police informers. The pamphlets mentioned the name of KhatiyaMocha Area Committee of Naxals.

With an eye on the 2022 GoaAssembly polls, the TMC on

Saturday named Luizinho Faleiroas its candidate for the upcomingbypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat fromWest Bengal. Faleiro, the formerchief minister of Goa, ended hisdecades-long association with theCongress and joined the TMC in

September. He was appointed as the party's national vice presidentlast month. "We are extremely pleased to nominate @luizinhofaleiroto the Upper House of the Parliament. We are confident that hisefforts towards serving the nation shall be appreciated widely by ourpeople!" the TMC said on Twitter. The November 29 bypoll to the RSseat was necessitated following the resignation of TMC MP ArpitaGhosh from the Upper House. The Trinamool Congress, after astunning victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections earlier thisyear, is trying to expand its footprint in BJP-ruled Goa and Tripura.Apart from Faleiro, the party has also roped in tennis legend LeanderPaes and many other dignitaries. Elections to the 40-member GoaAssembly are likely to be held early next year.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Terming the rise in air pollu-tion in Delhi-NCR an "emer-gency" situation, the SupremeCourt asked the Centre and theDelhi government on Saturdayto take immediate measures toimprove the air quality andsuggested steps such as stop-ping vehicles and clamping alockdown in the national cap-ital.

The court said the situationof pollution is so bad thatpeople are wearing masksinside their houses.

A bench headed by ChiefJustice N V Ramana said thereare other reasons for pollutionsuch as vehicular emissions,firecrackers and dust, and sin-gling out stubble burning is not

the solution."Your projection is as if

farmers are responsible forthis pollution. Seventy percent. First let the Delhi people

be controlled. Where is theeffective mechanism to controlfire crackers, vehicle pollutionetc.?

"We understand some per

cent is stubble burning. Rest iscrackers, vehicular pollution,industries, dust pollution etc.You tell us how to bring AQIlevels from 500 to 200 points inDelhi. Take some immediateurgent measures like a two-daylockdown," the bench, alsocomprising justices D YChandrachud and Surya Kant,said.

The apex court has asked theCentre to revert on Monday.

It also took note of the factthat schools have opened in thenational capital and asked theauthorities to take immediatemeasures such as stoppingvehicles or imposing a lock-down in Delhi.

Appearing for the Centre,Solicitor General Tushar Mehtasaid there is stubble burning in

Punjab and the state will haveto do something in this regard.

The bench, however, said,"Your projection is as if farm-ers are only responsible. Whatabout steps taken to contain thepollution in Delhi?"

Mehta clarified that he wasnot even remotely suggestingthat only farmers are respon-sible for the pollution.

When senior advocate RahulMehra, appearing for the Delhigovernment, mentioned theissue of stubble burning, thebench said, "Be the petitioners,the Delhi government or any-body else -- it has become afashion to blame the farmers.Have you seen how crackersare being burnt in Delhi for thelast seven days? What was theDelhi police doing?"

PNS n KOLKATA

The longest partial lunareclipse in 580 years will occuron November 19 and will bevisible from parts of NortheastIndia, an astrophysicist said onSaturday.

The rare phenomenon willbe visible from a few areas inArunachal Pradesh and Assam,Director of Research andAcademic at MP BirlaPlanetarium Debiprosad Duaritold PTI.

The partial eclipse will startat 12.48 pm and end at 4.17pm, he said.

The duration of the eclipsewill be 3 hours 28 minutes and24 seconds, making it the

longest in 580 years, Duari said."A few areas in Arunachal

Pradesh and Assam will expe-

rience the last f leetingmoments of the partial eclipsejust after the moonrise, very

close to the eastern horizon," heexplained.

The last time a partial lunareclipse of such length occurredwas on February 18, 1440, andthe next time a similar phe-nomenon can be witnessedwill be on February 8, 2669, hesaid.

The maximum partialeclipse will be visible at 2.34 pmas 97 per cent of the moon willbe covered by the Earth's shad-ow. The moon is likely toappear blood-red in colour,which happens when the redbeams of the sunlight passthrough the Earth's atmos-phere and get least deflectedand fall on the moon.

The partial Lunar eclipse will

be visible from North America,South America, eastern Asia,Australia and the Pacificregion.

The penumbral eclipse,which occurs when the sun,earth, and the moon are imper-fectly aligned, will begin at11.32 am and end at 5.33 pm,Duari said.

The penumbral eclipse willbe visible from UP, Bihar,Jharkhand, West Bengal andOdisha but it can be seen onlybriefly from these places, hesaid.

A penumbral eclipse is notas spectacular and dramatic asthe partial eclipse and some-times does not even getnoticed, he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court has dis-missed with Rs 1 lakh costs aplea by the Lok Insaaf Partychallenging the allotment of'Letter Box' as its symbol for thePunjab assembly elections.Justice Prateek Jalan said that thepolitical outfit, which sought'Tractor Chalata Kisan' as itselection symbol, approachedthe court with "unclean hands"and directed that the costs bedeposited with the Delhi HighCourt Legal Services Committeewithin two weeks.

The petitioner partyinformed the court that it hadapplied to the ElectionCommission for allotment of a

common symbol, stating that'Tractor Chalata Kisan' and'Letter Box' were its first and sec-ond preferences respectively.

The petitioner claimed beforecourt that the symbol 'TractorChalata Kisan' was one of thefree symbols available for allot-ment to registered, unrecog-nised parties as far as the Stateof Punjab was concerned.

The Election Commissioncontended that the petitionerwas suppressing material facts asthe symbol in question was nota free symbol and the same hadalso been notified by it. Thecourt opined that "suppression ina petition under Article 226 ofthe Constitution cannot becountenanced".

PNS n MUMBAI

A local court on Saturdayextended the police custodyof dismissed assistant policeinspector Sachin Waze tillNovember 15 in connectionwith an extortion case regis-tered against him at suburbanGoregaon police station.

The Mumbai police's crimebranch had taken Waze's cus-tody on November 1 in thecase, based on the complaintlodged by builder-cum-hote-lier Bimal Agrawal, in whichformer Mumbai police com-missioner Param Bir Singh isalso an accused.

Waze was produced beforea magistrate court onSaturday at the end of his ear-lier remand.

The police sought anextension of his custody forfurther probe, which wasallowed by the court tillNovember 15.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Some students of IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT),Delhi have alleged that theadministration's decision toconduct examinations inhybrid mode is not offering alevel-playing field.

Institute officials, however,rejected the allegation, sayingthere will be a single examwhether students appear for itfrom home or from campusand there is no scope for anybiases.

According to students, thosewho have returned to thecampus have to report to theirdepartments and appear fortheir exams in a classroomenvironment while those whohave not returned yet have theoption of taking online examswhich will create a "non-uni-formity".

"Not everyone has onboard-ed, which means there is asubstantial number of peoplewho would still be takingexams from the comfort oftheir homes.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Over 3.16 lakh people werefined between April 19 andNovember 12 for violatingCovid-related norms, of whichthe highest were for not wear-ing face masks, police said onTuesday. According to the lat-est data shared by the DelhiPolice, 3,16,565 challans wereissued for such violations dur-ing this period.

The data showed that2,79,878 people were fined fornot wearing masks, followed by

30,385 for not adhering to socialdistancing norms and 3,152 forconsumption of liquor, pan andtobacco at public places.

Another 1,685 challans wereissued for spitting in publicplaces and 1,465 for holdinglarge public gatherings and con-gregations, the data stated.

On Friday, police challaned181 people for not wearingmask, one for holding largepublic gatherings and congrega-tions and 19 for consumption ofliquor, pan and tobacco at pub-lic places, it said.

IIT Delhi students conceredabout hybrid mode exams

Covid violations: Over 3.16 lakhfined in Delhi between Apr 19-Nov 12

Curfew in Amravati due to violence;Raut sees ploy to destabilise govt

‘Comparing parties with those killingpeople in the name of religion fine’

It is an emergency: SC on air pollution in Delhi

Court extendsWaze's custodytill Nov 15

Longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 ys on Nov 19 TMC names ex-Goa CM Faleiroas candidate for RS bypoll

Naxals kill two villagers theysuspected were informers

Maha: Thane police conduct ‘all- out' operation; 143 arrested

Patil directs officials to ensuresufficient water supply to 34 villages

POLL SYMBOL ROW

Delhi nixes Lok Insaaf Party; plea with costs

‘TargetingHarish Makeshim stronger’ PNS n DEHRADUN

UK minister Harak SinghRawat on Saturday indirectlyadvised the BJP to avoid tar-geting Congress leader HarishRawat, saying more a politicalopponent is targeted, thestronger he becomes. "Myexperience tells me that themore you target an opponent,the stronger he gets. My strat-egy would have been different.I would have targeted some-one whom I wanted to be inthe race," Harak told reporterswhen asked if targeting HarishRawat was going to brightenthe BJP's poll prospects.

Cow, dung, urine can strengtheneconomy, says MP CM ChouhanPNS n BHOPAL

Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhan on Saturday said thecow as well as its dung andurine can strengthen an indi-vidual's economy and makethe country financially capable.

The government has devel-oped cow sanctuaries and shel-ters but it will not work aloneand requires participation ofsociety, he said at 'Shakti 2021',

a convention of women veteri-narians organised by IndianVeterinary Association.

"If we want, we can strength-en our own economy andmake the country financiallycapable through cows, theirdung and urine. MP's crema-toriums have been usinggaukasth (logs made of cowdung) to reduce the use ofwood," he said.

He added that veterinarydoctors and experts should

engage in result-oriented workon how cow rearing couldbecome a profitable businessfor small farmers and livestockowners.

Addressing the event, UnionMinister for Fisheries, AnimalHusbandry and DairyingParshottam Rupala saidwomen in large numbers areassociated with cow rearing inthe rural areas of Gujarat, andthis has also resulted in thesuccess of the dairy business.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 money 06

MONEY MATTERS

Tea Board chairman P KBezboruah on Friday saidsubsidy given to the industry

should be used for promotion of thebeverage to boost its consumptionin the domestic market. Speaking atthe biennial general meeting of TeaAssociation of India (TAI), he saidmoney at disposal of the board is

around Rs 200 crore per year. "Tea Board gives subsidy to theindustry and it should be used for promotion of consumption of thebeverage in the country and not for anything else. "Per capitaconsumption of tea in the country is low, which should be increasedfor the long term sustainability of the sector," Bezboruah said. Theaverage per capita consumption of tea in India is estimated to beclose to 0.786 kg. K K Dwivedi, the principal secretary of industriesand commerce department of the Assam government, said acomprehensive tea policy to give impetus to the sector will beannounced soon. The Assam government has also decided to set upa world-class tea park in the state, he added.

Subsidy should be used forpromotion of beverage: TAI

Drug firm GlenmarkPharmaceuticals on Friday

reported a 17.44 per cent jump in itsconsolidated net profit to Rs 274.80crore for the quarter endedSeptember 30, 2021. The companyhad posted a net profit of Rs 233.99crore for the corresponding period ofthe previous fiscal, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatoryfiling. Its consolidated revenue from operations during July-September2021 stood at Rs 3,147.44 crore. It was Rs 2,952.47 crore for thesame period a year ago, it added. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Chairmanand MD Glenn Saldanha said, "We delivered yet another quarter ofconsistent performance, both in revenue growth and profitability. Wehave continued to perform well in our core therapy areas and launcheddifferentiated products." Shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals onFriday closed at Rs 523.65 per scrip on the BSE, up 1.68 per cent fromits previous close.

Glenmark Pharma Q2 netprofit rises 17 pc to Rs 275 cr

PNS n MUMBAI

Extrapolating the retail inflationprint for October, which inchedup on-month to 4.5 per centfrom 4.3 per cent in September,but steeply declined from 7.6per cent on-year, Crisil says therichest 20 per cent of the pop-ulation, who pay more on non-food or core items, suffered themost from rising prices in themonth and the poorest 20 percent, who pay the most for fooditems and prices of which havedeclined, suffered the least.

The Crisil argument is basedon the fact that the burden ofinflation varies across differentincome groups, as the share ofspending on food, fuel andcore categories differs acrossclasses.

According to the NationalSample Survey Organisation's(NSSO) 2011-12 consumerexpenditure, the poorest 20 percent of population spendmajority of their income onfood, while the richest 20 percent do so on core items.

Using the NSSO data, theagency has estimated the aver-age expenditure patterns acrossthree income groups--the bot-tom 20, the middle 60, and theupper 20 per cent--and

mapped them with the currentinflation trends to find out thatthe highest inflation was facedby the upper 20 per cent of theincome group in urban areas inOctober when it increased 5per cent on-year compared to4.6 per cent in September.

Urban inflation in Octoberwas driven by fuel and coreinflation, which cumulativelyoccupy 65 per cent weight intheir commodity basket, saysthe report.

On the other hand, the low-

est inflation was faced by thebottom 20 per cent in ruralareas, as the October printinched down to 3.9 per centon-year from 4 per cent inSeptember, primarily driven bylower food inflation.

Thus it can be surmisedthat the richest 20 per centfaced facing more inflationthan the poorest 20 per centbecause of rising core inflationand falling food inflation, saysthe agency.

While the gap widened in

rural areas in October relativeto September as inflation forthe bottom 20 per cent fellmore, but the gap got reducedin urban areas as inflationrose for the bottom 20 per centin addition for the top 20 percent. While the top rural 20 percent faced 4.4 per cent inflatonin October, the top urban 20per cent did so by 5 per cent,the rural 60 per cent middleincome group faced this by 4per cent and 4.9 per cent forurban top 60 per cent and the

bottom rural 20 per cent hadsuffered it by 3.9 per cent whilethe same was 4.9 per cent forthe urban bottom 20 per cent.

Going forward, Crisilexpects retail inflation to aver-age at 5.5 per cent on-year thisfiscal, down from 6.2 per centlast fiscal as easing food infla-tion and high base effect areexpected to bring down head-line inflation on-year.

As agricultural growth isexpected to remain healthy at3-3.5 per cent, as the normalmonsoons, expected recordkharif production and ade-quate reservoir levels bodewell for rabi production, keep-ing food prices under check.

On the other hand, non-food inflation is expected tocontinue facing pressures fromsurging global commodityprices. Nevertheless, the impactof the recent excise duty cutson petroleum products shouldhelp soften fuel inflation inNovember and will also filterthrough as second-roundeffects to other parts of CPIover the next few months.

On the other hand elevatedinput costs will continue topressure core inflation, as pro-ducers will partially pass themon to end-consumers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

There is a need to share at leastsome portion of the cess andsurcharges collected by thecentral government with thestates, experts said on Friday.

They were participating ina seminar on 'Re-imaginingFiscal Federalism' organised bythe city-based think tankNCAER.

Responding to the variousissues flagged by FinanceCommission chairman N KSingh, Tamil Nadu FinanceMinister Palanivel Thiagarajanmade a case for giving morefiscal autonomy to the states.

A similar opinion wasexpressed by former KeralaFinance Minister ThomasIsaac, who underlined theneed for rolling back the fis-cal control of the central gov-ernment and giving the free-dom to the states to at leastincrease the State GST rates.

Rajya Sabha MP and formerBihar Finance Minister SushilModi opined that some por-tion of the cess and surchargescollected by the central gov-ernment should form part ofthe divisible pool, which isshared with the states as perthe recommendations of theFinance Commission.

"I feel like there shouldeither be some inherent limi-tation on how much this

(Cess) can be levied or thereshould be some requirementthat it should be in the divis-ible pool.

“We have a one-sided kindof system where there is nolimit or ceiling or cap on thecesses and that it doesn'trequire to be in the divisiblepool. I think is a skewed bal-ancing of rights," saidThiagarajan. Modi too saidthere is a need to work outsome kind of formula so somepart of the cess should becomepart of the divisible pool.

On the cess issue, Singh saidthat following any of thesepaths will require a constitu-tional amendment becausethe constitutional amendmentintroduced in 2000 specifical-ly kept cess out of the divisi-ble pool. Responding to a

question, the former Biharfinance minister also said thatunder the current dispensationit would not be possible tobring petrol and diesel underthe ambit of the Goods andServices Tax (GST).

"I don't think it is feasible tobring petrol, diesel, and otherpetroleum products underGST in the near future," hesaid. According to him, thecombined revenue loss bybringing motor fuel in theambit of GST would be aboutRs 4 lakh crore.

In his response, Thiagarajansaid more and more productsshould actually be left to thestates. "So, I would be formore product staying withinthe states and less going intoGST as a fundamental princi-ple," he said.

States should get part of cess,surcharges collected by Centre

PNS n NEW DELHI

Tesla Inc Chief Executive ElonMusk sold 1.2 million sharesheld by his trust on Nov. 12 formore than $1.2 billion, U.S.securities filings showed onFriday, adding to the multi-bil-lion dollar list of sales report-ed this week.

Tesla CEO Elon Muskoffloaded a combined $6.9 bil-lion worth of shares in the elec-tric car company this week,taking advantage of a meteoricrally that vaulted the firm'svalue to over $1 trillion.

The world's richest personand Tesla's top shareholderlast Saturday tweeted that hewould sell 10% of his shares ifusers of the social media plat-form approved the move. The10% would be about 17 millionshares at the time of his tweet.

He has sold 6.36 millionshares this week - around 37%of 17 million. He now needs tooffload about 10 million moreshares to fulfill his pledge to sell10% of his holdings. Shares of

Tesla Inc closed lower onFriday, down 2.8% at $1,033.42,snapping an 11-week winningstreak. The shares are up morethan 46% this year following asharp rally in October.

The stock sales, whichmarked the first time thatMusk cashed out on a stake ofthat size since the companywas founded in 2003, were

massive by capital market stan-dards, eclipsing the initial pub-lic offerings of most compa-nies. By getting Twitter users togreen-light the move, he hasblunted potential criticism ofcashing out at a time whenTesla's valuation has becomefrothy and shares are at recordhighs.

Tesla shares fell 15.4% this

week and lost some $187 bil-lion in market value, more thanthe combined market capital-izations of Ford Motor Coand General Motors Co .

Despite the week's losses,Tesla is still the most valuableautomaker in the world. Recentstrong gains in the stock haveunderscored demand forshares of EV vehicle.

Drug firm Ipca Laboratories onSaturday reported a 6.30 per cent

decline in its consoli dated net profitto Rs 250.23 crore for the secondquarter ended September 30.Thecompany had posted a net profit ofRs 267.07 crore for thecorresponding period of the previousfiscal, Ipca Laboratories said in a

regulatory filing. Consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs1,544.43 crore for the quarter under consideration. It was Rs 1,361.10crore for the same period a year ago, it added.The board has declaredan interim dividend of Rs 8 per share, the filing said.The board has"approved subdivision of every 1 equity share of the nominal/face valueof Rs 2/ each into 2 equity shares of the nominal/face value of Re 1/-each, subject to the approval of the shareholders at the extraordinarygeneral meeting scheduled to be held on December 16, 2021," it added.The rationale behind the split is to improve the liquidity of thecompany's share and to make it more affordable for small investors soas to broad base the small investors base, it added.

Ipca Labs Q2 net profitdeclines 6 pc to Rs 250 cr

The India Pavilion at the ongoing DubaiExpo has witnessed three lakh footfalls

in 43 days on November 12, emerging asone of the most-visited pavilions.Cheering the "huge buzz" about India atthe Expo, Commerce & Industry MinisterPiyush Goyal tweeted that it "reflectsglobal curiosity to explore the tremendouspotential of New India". Goyal had inaugurated the pavilion on October1. Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and DeputyCommissioner General of India at EXPO2020, said the huge interest ofvisitors in India pavilion is a sign of confidence on India's resilienceand opportunities, besides the vibrant culture of the country, which isin full display in different state weeks being held in the pavilion.

India Pavilion at Dubai Expocrosses 3 lakh footfalls

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union minister Piyush Goyal onFriday urged chartered accoun-tants' community to introspectand look at ways to "revive thecredibility of the profession"even as he asserted that all arenot bad but exceptions some-times damage the reputation.Emphasising that CharteredAccountants (CAs) profession isthat of a gate keeper and has ahuge responsibility in nationbuilding, he said that "honesty,loyalty and ethics" are integralto this field.

Citing examples in the gemsand jewellery industry, the com-merce and industry ministersaid that a few bad and rotteneggs in the business ruined theimage and now no banker wantsto lend money.

"Few big names whodestroyed the name of the sec-tor and its image, who werethey?. Every jeweller was awareabout them... but the sad part is

that all of that happened(because) somebody was sign-ing that balance sheet," he said.

All are "not bad" and there areexceptions but sadly sometimesexceptions take centre stageand damage the reputation andcredibility of the entire industry,he said.

Speaking at an event here,Goyal said that CAs should doa bit of introspection and thinkof ways to revive the credibili-ty of the profession and discipli-nary action should be takenagainst those indulging inwrong doings.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Johnson & Johnson plans tospin off its consumer healthdivision that sells Listerine andBaby Powder to focus on phar-maceuticals and medicaldevices in the biggest shake-upin the U.S. company's 135-yearhistory. Here is how J&J got towhere it is today.

1886Robert Wood Johnson part-

ners with brothers James WoodJohnson and Edward MeadJohnson to found Johnson &Johnson in 1886. It originallyfocused on ready-to-use ster-ile surgical dressings.

1894J&J begins producing

Johnson’s Baby Powder.1918

In response to a global flu pan-demic, J&J begins selling a mask

designed to limit the spread ofthe airborne viral illness.

1920J&J invents Band-Aid and

begins marketing it in 1921.1944J&J completes its initial pub-

lic offering and becomes a pub-licly traded company. It hadannual sales of around $95 mil-lion at the time, compared tomore than $80 billion in 2020.

1959J&J acquires Tylenol maker

McNeil Laboratories.1961J&J acquires Janssen

Pharmaceuticals, which nowmakes ADHD drug Concertaand J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine.

1997The first lawsuit alleging

that J&J’s Baby Powder containscancer-causing asbestos is filedagainst J&J. Since then, J&J hasfaced thousands of lawsuitsand billions of liabilities and has

ceased distributing BabyPowder in the US and Canada.

1999J&J acquires Centocor

Biotech Inc, maker ofRemicade for Crohn's disease,and renames it Janssen Biotech.

2012Johnson and Johnson

acquires orthopedic devicemaker Synthes for nearly $20billion to expand its medicalproduct offerings.

2017J&J acquires Actelion for

$30 billion, adding heart dis-ease medicines such as Tracleerto its portfolio.

2020J&J begins developing a vac-

cine. It received authorizationto begin administering its shotthe following year.

How Johnson & Johnson became the sprawling healthcare giant

PNS n KOLKATA

Driven by the market dynam-ics, steel prices in the countryhave risen but are still compet-itive as compared to prices ofthe metal in the internationalmarkets, an official said onFriday.

Steelmakers in the countryhave reportedly raised prices ofbenchmark hot-rolled coil byup to Rs 3,500 a tonne on theback of rising input costs dueto soaring coal prices.

"Steel prices follow globaltrends and now stay at a high-er level. If compared to inter-national markets, our pricesare still low. It is a deregulat-ed sector and market dynam-ics has an influence on it," SteelMinistry additional secretaryRasika Chaube, said whileaddressing a programmeorganised by CII.

Tata Steel in its guidanceindicated that prices of the

metal in India will be higher byabout Rs 2,500 per tonne in thecurrent quarter as comparedto last year and in Europe, itwill be about 25 to 30 poundsper tonne higher.

With increasing coal pricesand high cost of raw material,it is difficult to sell steel at cur-rent prices, a company official

said. However, some analysts said

steel prices may see correctionsin the near term with easingiron-ore prices.

Chaube said the Centreenvisioned the transformationof eastern India as a potentialintegrated steel hub throughMission Purvoday.

CAs need to look at waysto revive credibility: Goyal

PNS n NEW DELHI

Toyota Motor Corp said onSaturday it will partner withfour other Japanese vehiclemakers to explore the viabil-ity of alternative green fuelsfor internal combustionengine cars , includinghydrogen and syntheticfuels derived from biomass.

The companies, which inaddition to Toyota includeMazda Motor Corp , SubaruCorp , Yamaha Motor andKawasaki Heavy Industries, made the announcement ata race track in Okayama,western Japan, where Toyotais racing a hydrogen car.

The hydrogen race car isbeing driven by Toyota chiefeexcutive Akio Toyodaalong with other Toyotadrivers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)has a second and final paymentfrom those who were issued42.26 crore company shares ina rights issue.

And to assist shareholders, ithas re-activated WhatsAppChatbot 7977111111.

In a regulatory filing, thecompany said a notice for pay-ment of Second and Final Callon 42,26,26,894 partly paid-upequity shares of the face value ofRs 10 each issued and allottedon rights basis on May 15,2020, has been issued.

Reliance had made a RightsIssue of 42.26 crore equityshares at Rs 1,257 each. Thefinal call of 50 per cent of theamount - Rs 628.50 per share -has now become due.

Reliance's rights issue at atotal size of Rs 53,125 crore wasthe largest ever rights issue in

India. This was the world'slargest rights issue by a non-financial company in the last 10years. The existing share-holders of the company wereoffered new shares of the com-pany in a 1:15 ratio. November10, 2021, was the record date todecide holders of the ReliancePartly Paid-up shares, who needto pay the Second and Final Call.

On payment of the Secondand Final Call amount, the part-ly paid-up shares will transitioninto fully paid-up shares ofReliance Industries, which aretraded under symbol RELIANCEon both NSE and BSE.

Reliance makes call forpayment on rights issue

Toyota to developalternative fuelswith othervehicle makers

Richest 20 per cent facing moreinflation than poorest 20 per cent

Musk sold another $1.2 bln of stock

Official: Steel prices in country remaincompetitive compared to intl markets

It’s sheer delight to see renowned artist PareshMaity at work. One of the most important anddynamic names among artists of the modernera, Maity began sculpting and moulding clay

when he was only seven years old.His obsession with scale often results in huge

installations and sculptures that are often drawnback to his nascent days in Tamluk in Bengal,where he grew up watching the creation of themonumental idols of goddess Durga. Eventhough he has held the brush for many years, itis his inner urge towards a childhood oath thathad brought him to moulding clay and castingmetal sculptures, thereby creating breath-takinginstallations which are often larger than life andextremely overwhelming.

And this passion about scale is whatbecame his driving force to exhibit a beautifulamalgamation of sculptures and installations inhis forthcoming month long show, Cast, that isbeing held in Kolkata at Birla Academy of Art &Culture Lawns and presented by Gallery ArtExposure along with Birla Academy of Art &Culture from November 13.

The exhibition, encapsulates the imperma-nence and fear of the artist that is moulded intounique shapes and forms which is not justastounding but is a journey between that whichis organic and that which is imagined. It is a tripdown memory lane that takes audiences to hisworld of creations — some imagined and somethrough physical manifestations. All his worksbear his unique stamp of artistry that draws inthe viewers and visitors to the close yet openexpanse of his imagination and rooted percep-tions that both speaks and allows others toendeavour to meet him midway.

Much delightful as it is going to be to see theexhibit in person, here is a peep into the artist'sworld as he can be seen working behind thescenes. A photofeature.

sundaymagazine

Photo Essay 7VIJAYAWADA, November 14, 2021

ART IS THE DESIRE OF A MAN TOEXPRESS HIMSELF, TO RECORD THEREACTIONS OF HIS PERSONALITY

TO THE WORLD HE LIVES IN— AMY LOWELL

MAKING OF MASTERPIECE

sundaymagazine

97Making of a masterpiece

VIJAYAWADA, November 14, 2021

Diwali, the festival of lights, thereturn of Lord Ram to Ayodhya,is one of the most auspicious andopulently celebrated festivals inthe nation. Historically, fire-

crackers weren’t even in existence when thefestival was initiated. For years, revellers havebeen marking the beginning of the festival bysetting off smoke bombs, sparklers and fire-crackers. Despite the beautiful light, sparksand patterns the firecrackers emanate, thepollution and harm it causes cannot be over-looked. The air post Diwali turns especiallytoxic, damaging the air quality and trappingthe pollutants in the lower atmosphere. TheGovernment of India initiated a ban on thesale and use of firecrackers this year, in anumber of states, to curb pollution. Despitethe ban, the citizens did not seem deterredand appeared eager to burst crackers. A thicklayer of smog enshrouded cities on Fridaymorning, hindering the visibility of people,troubling them with itchy throats and wateryeyes.

Air pollution has become a serious prob-lem in modern Indian cities, resulting in thedeath of several people and being the cause ofterminal illnesses for others. According toGreenpeace around 52,700 people died pre-maturely in the nation’s capital due to expo-sure to air pollution in spite of the CovidLockdown. As stated in the World AirQuality Report, 2020, twenty of the world’s30 most polluted cities are situated in India.Airborne particulate matter is the majorcause of cardiovascular and respiratory dis-eases such as lung cancer and asthma.Furthermore, the low temperatures anddecreasing wind speed during Diwali, in thenorthern states, tends to trap the pollutantsin the air for longer periods of time. Severalstates displayed an exponential surge in theAir Quality Index. On a scale of 500 certainstates measured up to 450 and more, urgingthe severity of the situation. A measurebetween 0 to 50 is considered good, whereasa measure somewhere between 51 to 100 isacceptable. India has broken all scales andhas proven how dangerous the tiny pollutantsin the air are.

People are of the belief that “green” fire-crackers are not dangerous and do not causerespiratory harm to the extent that non-greencrackers do. Though they may be considereda satisfactory replacement, they are not com-pletely pollution free. Bursting green crackersensures that the emissions are reduced bythirty percent only, as mentioned by theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research.Contrary to popular belief green crackers arenot a better, more reliable, safer and sustain-able alternative. They too use harmful chemi-

cals like potassium nitrate, aluminum, mag-nesium and barium. Green crackers are not asolution to the air pollution caused by tradi-tional firecrackers, as they too emit fine par-ticulate matter in the air. Such fine particleshave the ability to travel beyond the throat,occupy the lungs and cause severe healthproblems in the long run.

Toxic chemicals, particularly sulphurdioxide, carbon dioxide, monoxide, man-ganese, cadmium and carbon monoxide areejected in high and dense concentration intothe atmosphere. In a study performed byChest Research Foundation, Pune, firecrack-ers increase the levels of sulphur dioxide by200 times above the level prescribed as safeby the World Health Organisation. Suchchemicals have an immediate effect on one’shealth, and can also result in long lasting ill-nesses. Patients of asthma and bronchitis areat a greater risk of their health deterioratingdue the adverse effects of the chemicals andair pollution. Doctors have often mentioned,in interviews, that the frequency and volumeof patients complaining of breathing troublesand allergic reactions due to chemical irri-tants increases every year post Diwali. Everyyear there is an almost thirty to forty percentrise in the number of asthma cases. Besidespeople with lung infections, children andsenior citizens also face physical health diffi-culties instigated by pollution caused duringDiwali.

Since the pandemic has ensued, life itselfhas become a struggle. Mundane activitiesare also required to be performed withutmost care and concern. As of November 1,2021 India has reported a total of 34 millionconfirmed Corona cases. Thirty four millionpeople have suffered the wrath of the unde-feated disease. Considering the multitude ofpeople that have been affected, it has beenadvised that those affected by Covid-19 keepaway from bursting firecrackers. It is ironic toobserve that just a few months back peoplewere struggling to access oxygen due toshortage of oxygen tanks and now people arebursting firecrackers with no considerationfor the Covid recovered patients. Those thathave been affected by the virus are yet tobuild an invincible immune system. Therehas been a 20% increase in the number ofpatients exhibiting chronic lung conditionsymptoms since Diwali. At its peak, hospitali-sations go up by 40%. Covid patients, espe-cially those who have taken a trip to theIntensive Care Unit have higher chances ofexperiencing hyper activity due to irritants.Nearly twenty to thirty percent of recoveredCovid patients have suffered due to the aftereffects of Diwali. The lower the lung efficien-cy the greater the risks of contracting the

virus. Combining long term exposure to airpollution and the infection of the virus willhave an adverse effect on one’s health, espe-cially the lungs, heart and blood vessels,which will lead to greater vulnerability toCovid. The crisis will intensify and leave peo-ple sick and tired.

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF CHEMICALS USED IN

FIRECRACKERS

Chemicals used in firecrackers can causeserious damage to the respiratory tract andcontribute to infectious diseases and inflam-mation. l Copper: causes irritation to the respiratorytract l Cadmium: affects the ability of blood tocarry oxygen, leading to anemia l Zinc: instigates nausea, vomiting and mayalso cause feverl Lead: adversely affects the human nervoussystem l Magnesium: fume fever l Sodium: is the main cause of burns andwounds inflicted l Carbon monoxide: replaces oxygen inblood therefore, depriving the heart, brainand other essential organs of oxygen l Carbon dioxide: causes dizziness,headaches, difficulty in breathing, increasedheart rate l Sulphur dioxide: increases the risk of res-piratory tract infection and irritates the eye

WHEN TO APPROACH A DOCTOR?

Your health is not to be taken lightly. Beself aware and keep an eye out for the follow-ing symptoms: l Wheezing l Flaring nostrilsl Excessive perspirationl Fever l Tightness in the throat l Shortness of breath l Chest congestion

If one or any of these symptoms areobserved please contact a medical profession-al. Ignoring the obvious symptoms or pro-longing the effects will only escalate the issueand cause an even greater discomfort.

PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN

We’re all familiar with the age old saying‘precaution is better than cure’. Now that theair is already toxic, here’s what you can do: l Vitamin C rich diet: If your diet is rich in

Vitamin C, you are sure to have a wellsupported immunity. Citrus fruits andjuices such as mangoes, papaya, watermel-ons, pineapples and strawberries, broccoli,cauliflower, spinach, cabbage and potatoesare rich in Vitamin C. You may also

choose to include magnesium and omegafatty acids in your diet to establish a bal-anced, well nutritioned diet.

l Do not exercise outdoors: With pollutionlevels soaring it is important to decreasethe frequency of stepping out. Stick toexercising indoors. Limit the outdooractivities of children, senior citizens andthose suffering from breathing problems.

l Keep an inhaler or medicines at reach:Those suffering from asthma, bronchitisor chronic obtrusive pulmonary diseaseshould have their inhaler or other pre-scribed medicine at arms reach. Follow allthe directions as instructed by your doctorto prevent exacerbation of your physicalailments. Try not to step out of yourhouse, especially in the evenings, whenthe air quality is at its worst untilabsolutely necessary.

l Hydrate yourself: Drink lots and lots ofwater to keep yourself hydrated and fresh.Keep water handy in case someone startscoughing or wheezing.

l Use masks: Wear one, not only to preventthe spread of the virus but also to protectyourself from the fumes released into theatmosphere. A good quality mask prefer-ably N95, N99 or N100 will surely proveeffective at filtering the tiny particulatematter from the air.

l Refrain from eating outside: Eatingunhealthy, oily food might spoil your fes-tive mood. Stomach infections, vomiting,diarrhea, food poisoning are some of theillnesses that one can experience.

l Proper ventilation: Allow air to circulatethroughout the house by opening thedoors and windows. Fresh air does won-ders for the body. Though make sure youclose all the doors and windows in theevening to prevent smoke, fine particlesand noise from invading your home.

l Air purifiers: For people suffering frompre-existing health issues, an air purifier isa worthy investment. It will serve well byremoving pollutants, toxins and allergensfrom the air, thereby improving the airquality. Celebrations do not imply risking one’s

health and safety. Prioritise your and yourloved ones’ health above all. Now that thedamage is done, take ample measures to miti-gate the harmful effects. Government is vigi-lant on the crackers which are not only limit-ed to smoke, but, also burns, noise and relat-ed health hazards. Central Pollution ControlBoard, Ministry of Environment has doneexcellent studies and suggested detailedguidelines for prevention.

The writer is Medical Director, AdityaBirla Memorial Hospital

Paresh Maity's new exhibit, Cast, is atrip down memory lane that takes

audiences to his world of creations

Surround yourself with the right people, and realizeyour own worth. Honestly,

there are enough badpeople out there in the

world — you don't need tobe your own worst enemy

— Lucy Hale

F R O M T H E I N S I D E

According to UNESCO, learning process of around32 crore students in India has been affected. Howessential is reopening of educational institutes

bagpack

NEARLY TWENTY TOTHIRTY PERCENT OFRECOVERED COVID

PATIENTS HAVESUFFERED DUE TO THE

AFTER EFFECTS OFDIWALI. THE LOWER THE

LUNG EFFICIENCY THEGREATER THE RISKS OF

CONTRACTING THEVIRUS. COMBINING LONGTERM EXPOSURE TO AIR

POLLUTION AND THEINFECTION OF THE VIRUSWILL HAVE AN ADVERSE

EFFECT ON ONE'SHEALTH, ESPECIALLY THE

LUNGS, HEART ANDBLOOD VESSELS, WHICHWILL LEAD TO GREATER

VULNERABILITY TOCOVID. THE CRISIS WILL

INTENSIFY AND LEAVEPEOPLE SICK AND TIRED

There has been a 20% increase in the number of patients exhibiting chronic lung condition symptoms sinceDiwali, all thanks to the polluted and toxic air that we are inhaling in Delhi, writes DR ASHUTOSH SRIVASTAVA

BREATHING

POISONIN DELHI

BREATHING

POISONIN DELHI

It’s been one year and nine months since Indiaobserved its index case of COVID-19 inThrissur, Kerala taking the overall tally to3,44,26,036. Thousands of patients are being

reported even today. With the advent of this pan-demic, countries have been affected in many waysworldwide. While countries are at different pointsin their COVID-19 infection rates, in India thereare currently more than 298,145, 295 learnersaffected by school closures due to the pandemicas per statistics provided by the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO). According to its report, the learningprocess of around 32 crores students including 3.5crore university students in India has been badlyaffected.

Now that the schools are partially open foroffline classes, it is quite a task to analyse whetherstudents and teachers have set their minds for a‘back to school days’ routine. Many Governmentschools in Delhi resumed offline classes fromNovember 01, 2021, whereas several privateschools reopened from November 08, 2021.

Schools have adopted the hybrid-learning par-adigm and it seems to be the safest option at pre-sent. “There has been a paradigm shift in the cur-rent educational system and the hybrid learningmode has the potential to be a huge game-chang-er. We have adopted the hybrid learning paradigmfor grade 11 and 12 students after conducting ses-sions virtually for more than 18 months,” saysRadhika Sinha, Principal, Aditya Birla WorldAcademy.

She tells us that with the objective of ensur-ing the utmost safety of the children as well as staff,they request formal permission from parents beforesending their children to physical classrooms. Astudent is not allowed to attend offline classes ifthe consent form from the parents is not signed.Furthermore, for students who do not wish toattend or are not in a position to attend offline lec-tures, online sessions are being concurrently con-ducted.

Adhering to the Government laid COVID pro-tocols, schools are making sure that students, teach-ers and other staff members are all screened at theentrance point for temperature checks everyday.“Even though more than 90% of our teaching andnon-teaching staff are completely vaccinated, wehave made it essential for pupils and teachers toshow a negative RT PCR report each week at ourschool,” Sinha says.

“Through their time spent at school, childrenare required to wear masks. Students/Teachers whoexhibit any COVID like symptoms will be senthome after undergoing a medical examination byour in-house medical professionals,” she adds.

While the number of cases have gone down,there is still some fear lingering around. ShikhaBanerjee, Principal, Seth Anandram JaipuriaSchool, Kanpur, says “Apparently, going by the cur-rent scenario, the worst has passed but still I havea very strong inkling that now is the time whenwe need to be all the more cautious because peo-ple in general have become pretty much negligentand carefree.”

She adds that in their school, they have not leftany stone unturned to ensure that all safety pre-cautions are taken and protocols followed so thatthe children get a safe and healthy environmentto be in. Whether it be physical distancing, prac-

tising health and hand hygiene or use of disinfec-tants, they have been practising it all in their strictestterms.

Students might not follow safety measuressometimes so constant reminders should be givento them. “We all need to understand that each oneof us needs to act and behave responsibly to ensurea healthy work environment,” Banerjee says.

“Out of the long list of do’s and don’ts whichthe Health organisations have laid down for theschools, some of them pose challenges. For exam-ple, physical distancing. Ideally, students shouldremain at least three feet apart within classroomsor on campus, but it’s hard to implement it prac-tically. Oftentimes, students tend to forget to main-tain social distance when the teacher is away.However, other measures such as face masks, ther-mal screening, wellness exercises and emotionalsupport are working well,” says Divya Roy, PGT-English, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Kanpur.

To ensure added safety, Sinha says that theyhave designated isolation zones at school, usage ofelevators has been limited, and the cafeteria is keptclosed. Most importantly, safety being the top pri-ority, they ensure sanitizing and disinfecting theschool premises every day before and after schoolhours. The school has been following all process-es and safeguards to ensure a smooth transitionback to school for both educators and students.

To keep the numbers small and meet the nec-essary regulations of maintaining the required dis-tance in seating arrangements and other safeguards,schools have put out a routine for one grade perday to attend off-line sessions and grades have beenallotted different time slots.

“The school has set the timetable so as to haveonly one grade attend classes on a day, which assistsus in adhering to the needed protocol of maintain-ing the required seating spacing,” Sinha tells you.

“The timings are as usual but split into slots,so that 10th And 12th would have classes from 9amto 12:30pm, 9th and 11th would have classes from1:30 to 4:30pm,” says Challa Haneesha, a grade 12student from St. Brittos Academy, Velachery,Chennai.

As hybrid learning has become the new nor-mal, will it continue to exist in the future?

“Applying technology in the classroom hasgrown as a fundamental part of our lives as edu-cators. In the era of personalised learning, wherelearning is not confined to classrooms or textbooks,and instructors' expertise is not limited to the gath-ering of data or documented material essential forlearning, the phrase 'New School' connotes for-ward-thinking,” says Sinha.

Moreover, to suit the need of the hour, syllabushad to be restructured whether it be at the coun-cil level or school. “All aspects related to the pre-

sent work scenario have been taken into accountand the syllabus has been tailor-made to suit therespective levels and requirements of the students,”Banerjee tells you.

Haneesha tells us that the online education wasnot quite helpful as they had several distractions,so going back to school and catching up with thesyllabus felt difficult since the basics weren't strongenough.

Coming to the syllabus, there have been mod-ifications and alterations for both board classes andin-house curriculum. “The Council For TheIndian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)has brought in necessary bifurcations in the syl-labus to cater to two semester exams instead of oneboard exam. Likewise, the internal curriculum ofthe school has also been moderated in tangent withthe hybrid pattern of teaching,” Roy explains.

She adds that the Council has not onlyslashed down the syllabus for the board classes buthas also changed the pattern of their testing of thestudents. The candidates are now supposed toattempt MCQs for the semester one exam.Similarly, the internal exam system of the schoolhas been based on hybrid testing, MCQs and sub-jective.

With cons come pros. Switching from offlineteaching to online has been a rough ride but it hasalso given space to educators and learners to explorevarious methods of e-learning and make use of dif-ferent technologies in the comfort of their ownhomes. “During online classes the students werevery comfortable since they could learn at their ownpace. Now that we are almost back to in-personteaching, we can’t deny the pleasure of real timelively discussions and interactions. Offline class-es are easy from a teacher’s perspective but as aneducator I feel now is the time for hybrid learn-ing,” says Roy.

According to Banerjee, online teaching wassomething which was forced down everyone’sthroat. She felt that the very essence or soul ofmy institution had gone missing and teachingwithout physical and emotional connection waswithout any substance.

“All the students according to me preferoffline schooling as we get to meet our friends,even though wearing masks for long hours canget tiring, it's better than sitting at home andstaring into the laptop screens,” Haneeshashares.

Sitting still and not moving for hours, zeroface-to-face interactions and no extracurricu-lar activities have all taken a toll on students’and educators’ mental health. Coming back toschool seems like a relief for most of them evenif a lot of things are not the same.

“Teachers, too, require the tactile closenessand energy to teach students that a physicalclassroom delivers. Although teachers have beenable to maintain virtual connections with theirstudents, the value of face-to-face classroominteraction can never be matched. Students andstaff alike were filled with anxious anticipationand joy at the idea of returning to what they con-sider to be their second home," FranakBandekar, Secondary School and A Level Head,Aditya Birla World Academy shares.

She tells us that learning has had an impacton some children's emotional, social, behaviour-al, and intellectual development.

special 09VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021

There has been a paradigm shift in the currenteducational system and the hybrid learningmode has the potential to be a huge game-changer. We have adopted the hybrid learning paradigmfor grade 11 and 12 students after conductingsessions virtually for more than 18 months

— RADHIKA SINHA Principal, Aditya Birla World Academy

According to UNESCO, learning process of around 32 crore students in India has beenaffected. How essential is reopening of educational institutes for restoring academicengagement of students? SUPRIYA RAMESH brings you a report

GOING BY THE CURRENTSCENARIO, THE WORST HASPASSED BUT STILL I HAVE A

VERY STRONG INKLING THATNOW IS THE TIME WHEN WENEED TO BE ALL THE MORE

CAUTIOUS BECAUSE PEOPLE INGENERAL HAVE BECOME

PRETTY MUCH NEGLIGENT ANDCAREFREE.

ALL ASPECTS RELATED TO THEPRESENT WORK SCENARIO

HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTOACCOUNT AND THE SYLLABUS

HAS BEEN TAILOR-MADE TOSUIT THE RESPECTIVE LEVELS

AND REQUIREMENTS OF THESTUDENTS

— SHIKHA BANERJEE,PRINCIPAL,

SETH ANANDRAM JAIPURIASCHOOL, KANPUR

BAGPACK

The idea was striking in itsambition: African coun-

tries aimed to plant trees in anearly 5,000-mile line span-ning the entire continent,creating a natural barrier tohold back the Sahara Desertas climate change swept thesands south.

The project called theGreat Green Wall began in2007 with a vision for thetrees to extend like a beltacross the vast Sahel region,from Senegal in the west toDjibouti in the east, by 2030.But as temperatures rose andrainfall diminished, millionsof the planted trees died.

Efforts to rein in thedesert continue in Senegalon a smaller scale. On thewestern end of the plannedwall, Ibrahima Fall walksunder the cool shade ofdozens of lime trees, water-ing them with a hose as yel-low chicks scurry around hisfeet.

Just beyond the greenorchard and a village is adesolate, arid landscape.

The citrus crop provides ahaven from the heat andsand

that surround it.Outside the low vil-lage walls, windswhip sand into theair, inviting desertifi-cation, a process thatwrings the life out offertile soil andchanges it into desert,often because ofdrought or deforesta-tion.

Only 4 per cent ofthe Great Green Wall'soriginal goal has beenmet, and an estimatedUSD 43 billion wouldbe needed to achievethe rest.

With prospects forcompleting the barrieron time dim, organizershave shifted their focusfrom planting a wall oftrees to trying a mosaic ofsmaller, more durableprojects to stop desertifi-cation, including commu-nity-based effortsdesigned to improve livesand help the most vulnera-ble agriculture.

US high jumper to get2012 Olympic gold

American high jumperErik Kynard will finally

get his gold medal fromthe 2012 London Olympicsafter the IOC approvedreallocating some resultsfrom those games becauseof doping cases.

Kynard's leap of 2.33meters placed second inLondon behind IvanUkhov, who was provenyears later to have takenpart in the Russian state-backed steroid doping pro-gram.

Ukhov was banned for fouryears in 2019 at the Court of

Arbitration for Sport. He wentback to the same court last year

for an appeal hearing but failed tooverturn the ruling.

The International OlympicCommittee executive board onFriday signed off on reallocatingthe medals and final results for fiveevents from the London Olympics,including men's and women's highjump.

With Kynard upgraded to men'sgold, the three bronze medalists in2012 will each now get silvermedals: Derek Drouin of Canada,Robbie Grabarz of Britain andMutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar.Barshim also tied for gold at theTokyo Olympics in August.

The IOC also reallocated thebronze medal in women's highjump from a Russian athlete.

An Israeli married couplewere arrested for espionage

late Friday after takingphotographs of theTurkish president'sresidence inIstanbul, Turkey'sofficial newsagency said.

Anadolu

Agency said a Turkish nationalwas also arrested. Police

detained them after atip off from an

employee work-ing in theCamlica radioand televisiontower on theAsian side ofIstanbul.

Theemployee

claimed theywere taking pho-

tographs of Turkish

President Recep TayyipErdogan's nearby home fromthe tower's restaurant earlier thisweek.

They were formally arrestedpending trial for “political andmilitary espionage” by anIstanbul court.

In a statement issued lateFriday, Israeli Foreign MinisterYair Lapid denied the couplework for an “Israeli agency.” Hesaid his department has been inregular contact with the pairand is trying to organize theirrelease.

scopekaleid backpage VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2021

The possibility that screen

time during early childhood

could cause poorer atten-

tion later in a child's life is a

major concern for both parents

and researchers.

Earlier studies have suggested

links between preschoolers'

screen time and difficulties with

attention.

But there is by no means con-

sensus among the research com-

munity that such a relationship

exists, and there have been con-

flicting results.

Two studies based on data

from the Growing Up in New

Zealand (GUiNZ) longitudinal

cohort study may shed some new

light on the issue, in the context

of interactive media on offer for

young children today.

The first study examined

whether exceeding two hours of

screen time per day for children

aged two and almost four predict-

ed symptoms of inattention and

hyperactivity at four and a half

years.We used the Goodman's

Strengths and Difficulties ques-

tionnaire to measure symptoms

and found no association between

higher levels of screen time and

more symptoms.

A second study investigated the

correlation between screen time

and symptoms of inattention or

hyperactivity for children at the

age of four and a half.

Here, screen time and symp-

toms were measured at the same

point in time, in contrast to the

longitudinal approach of the

first study. We found a

significant associ-

ationbetween

more symptoms and higher levels

of screen time.

These two findings suggest

there is no causal link between

screen time and symptoms of

inattention and hyperactivity. But

instead, parents of children dis-

playing more of these symptoms

may allow more screen time.

Several factors may be at play,

and one is the child's preference.

Most children enjoy screen time.

For children with Attention

Deficit and Hyperactivity

Disorder (ADHD), for instance,

peer interactions are often diffi-

cult, and screen time may provide

a more enjoyable and less stress-

ful alternative.

Children with attention prob-

lems could find it hard to concen-

trate for long periods on pastimes

such as reading a book. Screen

time, with its bright colours and

action, may capture their atten-

tion and keep them interested.

Children with symptoms of

inattention or hyperactivity are

typically very active and impulsive

and parents may find screen time

can help settle and occupy their

child for a while. It can also

be something that par-

ents and children

enjoy doing

together.

US auto safety regula-tors are looking into

a complaint from a Tesla driver that the company's “Full Self-Driving”software caused a crash.The driver was beta testing the “Full Self-

Driving” software, and the Tesla SUV went into the wrong lane and washit by another vehicle, according to a complaint filed by the driver with the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The car went into the wrong lane and I was hit by another driver in the

lane next to my lane,” the driver wrote. The vehicle, a 2021 Tesla Model Y small SUV, gave the driver an alert

halfway through the turn, and the driver tried to turn the wheel to avoid othertraffic, according to the complaint.

But the car took control and “forced itself into the incorrect lane, creating anunsafe maneuver putting everyone involved at risk,” the driver wrote. No one was

injured in the crash, but the Model Y was severely damaged on the driver's side,according to the complaint filed with the agency online Monday and posted in its

public complaint database. The crash happened on November 3, and the driver's location is Brea,

California, but the location of the crash was not identified. NHTSA does notrelease names of those who file complaints.

It is likely the first complaint filed with the agency alleging that “Full Self-Driving” software caused a crash. A message

was left Friday seeking comment fromTesla, which has disbanded its media

relations department. A NHTSA spokeswoman said

Friday night the agency isaware of the complaint and is

communicating with Teslato get more information.

The spokeswoman sayspeople should report safe-ty concerns to the agency.

The inquiry isanother sign that NHTSAis becoming more aggres-

sive in watchingautonomous and partiallyautomated driving systemsunder President Joe Biden.

In the past the agencyhas been reluctant to regulate

the systems, saying that it didn'twant to delay potentially life-saving

technology.

Earlier this week, theInternational Space

Station (ISS) was forced to maneou-vre out of the way of a potential col-lision with space junk. With a crewof astronauts and cosmonauts onboard, this required an urgentchange of orbit on November 11.

Over the station's 23-yearorbital lifetime, there have beenabout 30 close encounters withorbital debris requiring evasiveaction. Three of these near-misses occurred in 2020. InMay this year there was a hit: atiny piece of space junkpunched a 5mm hole in theISS's Canadian-built robotarm.

This week's incidentinvolved a piece of debrisfrom the defunct Fengyun-1C weather satellite,destroyed in 2007 by a

Chineseanti-satel-lite missiletest. The satelliteexploded intomore than 3,500pieces of debris, mostof which are still orbit-ing. Many have now falleninto the ISS's orbital region.

To avoid the collision, aRussian Progress supply spacecraft

docked to the station fired its rocketsfor just over six minutes. This changedthe ISS's speed by 0.7 metres per secondand raised its orbit, already more than400km high, by about 1.2km.

Get news that's free, independent andbased on evidence.

Orbit is getting crowded Space debris hasbecome a major concern for all satellitesorbiting the Earth, not just the football-field-sized ISS. As well as notable satellites such asthe smaller Chinese Tiangong space stationand the Hubble Space Telescope, there arethousands of others.

As the largest inhabited space station, the ISSis the most vulnerable target. It orbits at 7.66kilometres a second, fast enough to travel fromPerth to Brisbane in under eight minutes. Acollision at that speed with even a small pieceof debris could produce serious damage.What counts is the relative speed of the satel-lite and the junk, so some collisions could beslower while others could be faster and doeven more damage.

‘NO LINK’between kids’

screen time and later

attention issues

Israeli couple arrested in Turkeyon espionage charges

Girl, teddy bear reunited ayear after loss in Glacier park

Pfizer's pill is the latest Covid treatment

Pfizer says its antiviral COVID treatment Paxlovid cuts the chance ofending up in hospital or dying by 89 per cent. What differentiates

this from other medicines we have used since the start of the pandemicis it provides the opportunity for patients to be treated at home, with acombination of a capsule and a pill. The phase 2/3 trial data on which

those hospitalisation rates are based have yet to be independentlyverified. Nor has the treatment been approved by any country for use

outside a clinical trial. Yet this development adds to our growingportfolio of potential options to directly target SARS-CoV-2,

the virus that causes COVID-19, and to treat COVIDsymptoms. What is it? Paxlovid is a combination of

two different drugs – the HIV drug ritonavir (acapsule) and an experimental drug PF-07321332

(a pill). Ritonavir protects the body frommetabolising PF-07321332. It acts by beingbroken down by the body first (known as asacrificial chemical) to ensure enough PF-

07321332 reaches the virus intact. PF-07321332 is a so-called protease inhibitor (as

is ritonavir). It blocks the action of a vitalenzyme (protease) and stops SARS-CoV-2 frommaking copies of itself. What did the trial show?

The trial included 1,219 “high risk” adults with COVIDwho were not in hospital.

Alittle girl who lost a special teddy bear she'd had since being adopted from anEthiopian orphanage thought it was gone forever when she forgot it along a

trail in Glacier National Park last year. Her parents and family friends still heldonto a glimmer of hope. Hope won out. Thanks to a social media plea, the sharpeyes and soft heart of a park ranger andthe closure of a hiking trail because ofgrizzly bear activity on the same day afamily friend visited the park, the teddybear is back in the arms of 6-year-oldNaomi Pascal in Jackson, Wyoming. Thebear's return, which has earned 12,000likes on the Glacier National ParkFacebook page, is a beautiful story thatresonates, said Ben Pascal, Naomi's dadand the senior pastor at the PresbyterianChurch of Jackson Hole, a popular skitown south of Grand Teton NationalPark in Wyoming. “It was just a story ofhope and kindness and people justworking together,” Pascal said. "Ittouched people's hearts. It gave 'emhope. It made 'em feel like there isgood in the world, which I believethere is.” Teddy was the first gift Benand Addie Pascal sent to Naomi before she was adopted in 2016. She tookTeddy with her on family trips to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Croatia and Greece.When Pascal took his kids to Montana in October 2020, Teddy was onceagain along for the adventure. While Pascal and a friend of his went on ahike in Glacier National Park, family friend Terri Hayden watched the kids.

Africa’s ‘GreatGreen Wall’shifts focus tohold off desert

Tesla driver’s

complaint being

looked into by

US regulators

A chunk of

Chinese satellite

almost hit the

International

Space Station