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BRIEFLY
Reliance Jio to extend
free data till March
MUMBAI: The Mukesh Ambani-
led Reliance Jio on Thursday
said it would extend the
welcome offer for the Jio brand
of services, including free voice
calls and data services, till
March 31. The extended offer is
seen as being aimed at doubling
the number of subscribers to
more than 100 million from 52
million now.
쐍 BUSINESS | PAGE 16
Congress Twitter
account hacked
NEW DELHI: The official Twitter
account of the Congress was
hacked on Thursday, a day after
the hacking of Congress vice-
president Rahul Gandhi’s
Twitter account. The Centre has
ordered an inquiry and also
sought a report from the micro-
blogging site.
쐍 NEWS | PAGE 12
FRIDAY REVIEW
4 Pages
Reflections on winter
A Pink Trumpet tree, which is native to continental America, in full bloom in Hyderabad. It is considered one of the most
beautiful flowering trees in the world. — PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL
Banks run out of cash Delhi High Court reverses ban
quickly on Salary Day on combination drugs
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
L ong queues in banks from
where many had to return
empty-handed, ATMs run-
ning out of money quickly,
police being deployed in
some instances was the story
on Salary Day across the
country.
With their salaries credited
into their account on the first
of the month, Delhiites began
to queue up at banks across
the city several hours before
they opened for business.
However, as the day pro-
gressed, these lines thinned
out as several banks either
ran out of money or did not
have any to disburse.
In Kerala, with the RBI fail-
ing to supply the quantum of
money sought by the State to
meet its salary and pension
commitments, many had to
return empty-handed or with
CM
YK
www.thehindu.in Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 6 No. 286 CITY EDITION 24 Pages Rs. 8.00
Printed at Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Madurai, Noida, Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Vijayawada, Mangaluru, Tiruchirapalli, Kolkata, Hubballi, Mohali, Allahabad, Malappuram and Mumbai
Many Ministers had
large cash holdings
MAHIMA A JAIN
VISVAK
P ublicly available data in-
dicates that a number of
Ministers had large cash
holdings as on March 31,
2016.
The Code of Conduct for
Ministers stipulates that
they must file details of their
assets and liabilities with the
Prime Minister’s Oice an-
nually.
This data, collated by
Commonwealth Human
Rights Initiative and ac-
cessed by The Hindu, reveal
that of the 76 Ministers who
are currently serving, only
40 have declared the amount
a small portion of their ex-
pected payment on Thursday.
Finance Minister T.M.
Thomas Isaac told reporters
that against the demand for
Rs. 167 crore, the government
had got only Rs. 111 crore.
Twelve treasuries did not get
any money.
Of the 5.50 lakh employees
and service pensioners, 4.5
lakh customers draw money
though treasury accounts and
about 50,000 in cash.
The RBI had promised to
make Rs. 500 crore each avail-
able to banks and treasuries
to meet the State’s salary and
pension commitments. Un-
less it keeps its word on Fri-
day, there would be absolute
chaos, Dr. Isaac said.
(Inputs from bureaus)
쐍 EXTRA CASH HELPS
CHENNAI BANKS | PAGE 13
friday, december 2, 2016
● ●
of cash they had in hand.
Union Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley topped the list
with over Rs. 65 lakh. fol-
lowed by Shripad Yesso
Naik, Minister of State (Inde-
pendent) with Rs. 22 lakh
and Hansraj Ahir, MoS
(Home) with a little over Rs.
10 lakh.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has declared cash
holdings of Rs. 89,700.
Most of the Ministers, 23
in all, declared that they had
under Rs. 2 lakh in cash,
while 15 held cash in excess
of Rs. 2.5 lakh.
쐍 15 MINISTERS HELD CASH
ABOVE RS. 2.5 LAKH | PAGE 13
AKANKSHA JAIN
NEW DELHI: Quashing the ban
on 344 fixed dose combina-
tion (FDC) drugs, Justice
Rajiv Sahai Endlaw of the
Delhi High Court said on
Thursday that the Centre
had acted in a haphazard
manner and did not take the
advice of the statutory
bodies under the Drugs and
Cosmetics Act before issuing
the March 10 notification.
“To say the least, the
Central Government, though
acting in public interest,
seems to have gone about it
in a haphazard manner..,” the
court said in its 82-page
judgment.
The Centre had imposed
the ban under Section 26A of
the Drugs and Cosmetics
Act. The court said the sec-
tion gave no carte blanche to
impose a ban.
Delhi
Note ban relief partly withdrawn
Old Rs. 500 notes
no more legal
tender at pumps,
airline counters
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Old Rs. 500 cur-
rency notes will no longer be
accepted at petrol pumps
and airline ticket counters
from December 3, the gov-
ernment announced on
Thursday, amending its
November 24 decision to
permit the use of such notes
till December 15.
Separately, the Road
Transport and Highways
Ministry reiterated that toll
levies would resume on Na-
tional Highways from
December 3, but added a
caveat to its earlier position
of accepting old Rs. 500
notes till December 15. Now,
commuters will not be able
to use the old notes for toll
payments below Rs. 200.
“The old Rs. 500 notes will
be accepted till the midnight
of December 15, but this will
only be for purchasing
FASTags and for making toll
payments of more than Rs.
200,” the Road Transport
Ministry said.
Efectively, commuters us-
ing cars, jeeps and vans will
not be able to use old Rs. 500
“Centre had acted in
a haphazard manner
and did not take the
advice of the
statutory bodies”
The Bench said the Centre
first claimed that licences for
manufacture of the FDCs be-
tween September 1988 and
October 2012 were wrongly
granted by the State licens-
ing authorities and had no
approval of the Drug Con-
troller. Instead of cancelling
those licences, the manufac-
tures were asked to apply for
licences. Rather than the
Drug Controller, 10 commit-
tees were constituted to
consider the applications
and when these committees
failed to do their job, the
Kokate committee was
constituted.
● ●
notes for payment of toll tax
as they are lower than Rs.
200 for a single journey on
most National Highway
stretches. However, a senior
Ministry oicial said the old
notes can be used for buying
monthly passes for toll
payments.
Enough swipe machines
The Centre said all toll
plazas had been equipped
with adequate numbers of
swipe machines for accept-
ing payments through credit
or debit cards. Toll fee could
also be paid through elec-
tronic wallets.
Turbulence
over Mamata
flight delay
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Trinamool Con-
gress members on Thursday
questioned in Parliament
the delay in the landing of an
IndiGo flight carrying West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee at the
Kolkata airport on Wednes-
day, though it was allegedly
low on fuel.
They said the Air Traic
Control did not allow the
flight to land immediately,
endangering the safety of
Ms. Banerjee.
The government, which
has ordered an inquiry, said
the flight was delayed by just
13 minutes as two other
flights were also low on fuel.
However, denying that the
aircraft was low on fuel, In-
diGo said in a statement that
the Kolkata Air Traic Con-
trol had misinterpreted the
pilot’s message.
쐍 DETAILS ON PAGE 12
The Kokate committee, in-
stead of considering the ap-
plications for approval, went
into the aspects of risk to
consumers, leading to the
notifications.
Noting that the power can-
not be exercised in public in-
terest for any reason other
than the drug being risky or
not having any therapeutic
value, the Bench said the
same had to be decided
based on scientific technical
reasons on the advice of the
Drugs Technical Advisory
Body (DTAB) and the Drugs
Consultative Committee
(DCC) constituted under the
Drugs Act.
The court wondered why
the Centre took advice of
Kokate Committee and not
the DTAB and DCC.
쐍 HEALTH MINISTRY TO FILE
APPEAL | PAGE 12
https://telegram.
● ● ● ●
“It has been decided that
with efect from midnight of
December 2, 2016, petrol,
diesel and gas outlets of pub-
lic sector oil and gas market-
ing companies will be re-
moved from the exempted
category for receipt of old
Rs. 500 bank notes,” the Fin-
ance Ministry said. “Supply
of LPG continues to be in the
exempted category for pay-
ment through old Rs. 500
bank notes,” it stressed.
“Similarly, purchase of air
tickets at airports was in-
cluded initially in the ex-
empted category,” the state-
ment added. “It is observed
We’re willing to wait for talks: Basit
SUHASINI HAIDAR
NEW DELHI: Pakistan is willing
to wait until India is ready for
dialogue, High Commis-
sioner Abdul Basit has said,
adding that his government
“expressed a desire” for a bi-
lateral engagement when
Foreign Afairs Adviser
Sartaj Aziz visits Amritsar
this weekend.
“Some thought the Heart
of Asia conference may be
the time when the two coun-
tries move towards a thaw,”
he told The Hindu, on a day
India launched a fresh attack
that air ticketing counters
have facilities to accept non
cash/digital payments. Fur-
ther, enough time has been
allowed for travellers to be
prepared with legal tender
and/or non-cash modes of
payment.”
All other exempted cate-
gories would continue to al-
low the use of old currency
notes till December 15, as per
the November 24 decision.
쐍 ENOUGH TIME GIVEN TO AIR
TRAVELLERS: CENTRE | PAGE 13
쐍 TAXMAN SAYS 85%,
EXPERTS 83.25% | PAGE 15
“Heart of Asia
conference may be
the time when the
two countries move
towards a thaw”
on Pakistan over cross-bor-
der terrorism.
He rejected the idea that
the U.S. could mediate be-
tween India and Pakistan, as
was reportedly suggested
during the conversation be-
tween President-elect Don-
ald Trump and Pakistan PM
Nawaz Sharifin which Mr.
Rs. 4.7 crore in
new notes seized
BENGALURU: The search by
Income Tax oicials on the
homes of two Chief
Engineers of the Public
Works Department and
three others linked to them
in Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu has yielded Rs. 6
crore, including Rs. 4.7
crore in new currency, and
over 14 kg of gold
jewellery.
The search covered 18
locations in Bengaluru, and
multiple locations in Erode
and Chennai in Tamil
Nadu. PAGE 8
No tax if gold
is inherited
NEW DELHI: The government
on Thursday sought to
quell rumours that all gold
jewellery, including
ancestral inheritances,
could now be taxed under
the Taxation Laws (Second
Amendment) Bill, 2016,
passed by the Lok Sabha on
Tuesday.
It said gold or jewellery
bought using disclosed
income would not be
taxed. PAGE 13
Trump ofered to “play any
role” in solving Pakistan’s
problems, according to an of-
ficial release issued in Is-
lamabad.
“At the end of the day any
decision has to be taken by
India and Pakistan rather
than a third country. We can
count on the U.S. and other
countries to encourage us.
But primarily, decisions lie
between New Delhi and Is-
lamabad,” he said.
쐍 PAK. IS NOT BEGGING FOR
DIALOGUE: BASIT | PAGE 12
ND-ND
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2| CITY
DENSE FOG
Three dead in Yamuna e-way pile-ups
Nearly two dozen injured in two separate accidents in less than 12 hours
PURUSHARTH ARADHAK
MATHURA: Three persons
were killed and nearly two
dozen injured in two pile-
ups due to dense fog on the
Yamuna Expressway in
less than 12 hours on
Thursday.
The first accident
happened 81 km from zero
point (Greater Noida) in
Mathura at 12.50 a.m. on
Thursday, followed by the
second one, happened 124
km from zero point, in the
early hours of Thursday.
Severe injuries
According to the Math-
ura Police, the first incid-
ent involved two buses, a
canter, one truck and two
cars. Sumit Narayan, a resi-
dent of Etawah district in
Uttar Pradesh, was killed
in the incident, while the
occupants of a bus sus-
tained severe injuries.
Fog disrupts 200 flights, 50 trains
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Early morning fog
in the Capital on Thursday
turned out to be worse than
Wednesday for fliers and
train passengers.
Visibility dips
Six flights were diverted
to nearby airports due to
poor visibility at the Indira
Gandhi International Air-
port here. More than 200
flights got delayed due to
the fog. Low visibility pro-
cedures were implemented
at the airport at 3 a.m. and
remained in force till 11.15
a.m. The worst period of
fog was during 7 a.m., when
visibility dropped to just 50
metres.
Delayed by 30 hours
Train passengers had it
worse as trains were
delayed by several hours.
More than 50 trains were
delayed due to fog, with
CM
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https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
TRAGEDY: The first accident happened about 80 km from
Greater Noida at 12.50 a.m. on Thursday. It involved two
buses, a canter and a truck. — PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sureer police station Sta-
tion House Oicer G.P. Singh
told The Hindu that a red bus
was headed towards Agra
from Noida, followed by a
green bus, a canter and a
truck.
“The vehicles were mov-
ing in one line due to thick
fog. According to the injured
persons, the red bus braked
BAD WEATHER: Heavy fog at the Tilak Bridge railway station in
New Delhi on Thursday. — PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN
delays ranging between three
and 30 hours. The Bhagalpur
Garib Rath was delayed by 30
hours, while many others
were delayed by 18 to 20
hours. The Northern Railway
too rescheduled 16 train de-
partures, including two Rajd-
hanis. The maximum tem-
perature was recorded at 25.8
degrees Celsius, normal for
this time of the year, while the
minimum settled at 11.9 de-
THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
suddenly. The green bus
managed to brake in time,
but the canter was unable to
do so and rammed the green
bus,” he said.
“The rear seat occupants
were severely injured. Sumit
was rushed to a nearby hos-
pital, where he was declared
dead on arrival. We are yet to
receive a complaint. The toll
grees, two degrees above the
season’s average, as per the
weather department.
The weatherman has
forecast mainly clear skies for
Friday, along with the possib-
ility of shallow to moderate
fog at some places and dense
to very dense fog at isolated
places. The maximum and
minimum is expected to
hover between 25 and 11 de-
grees, respectively.
NOIDA/DELHI
operator company’s rescue
team rushed the victims to
the hospital,” he said. The
Expressway is operated by
Jaypee Group.
A company spokesperson
told The Hindu that the
second pile-up lead to the
deaths of Noida Authority
employees Durgesh and Ga-
zab Singh. The second incid-
ent involved an SUV, two
canters and one truck. A
company oicial said the two
deceased and four of their
friends were returning from
a wedding ceremony in Agra
in an SUV. In November,
over a dozen people were in-
jured in two pile-ups on the
Expressway due to dense fog.
Another pile-up
In another development,
one person died and a dozen
were injured in a major pile-
up on NH 91 on Thursday.
(The writer is a
freelance journalist)
Three booked
for trespassing
Latika’s house
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Three men were
detained for allegedly tres-
passing the residence of
former Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit’s daughter Latika at
Hailey Road, the Delhi Police
said on Thursday.
Suspicious loitering
A senior oicer said the
trio were detained from the
house after Ms. Latika’s
guards found them loitering
suspiciously in the area in
mid-November. As per the
complaint, the trio were al-
legedly standing outside the
house holding a “weapon-
like” object and enquiring
about something from a
passer-by.
The oicer added that an
FIR had been registered. The
trio was released later.
ND-ND
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
RAPE-CUM-MURDER CASE
Accused known to victim
Hosted by girl’s family on day of incident; held in Bawana
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: The accused in the
Keshavpuram incident,
where a four-year-old girl
was sexually assaulted and
then murdered, was a
familiar face in her house,
the police said. The accused,
Amarjeet (25), was arrested
late on Wednesday.
They added that the girl's
family had hosted him on the
day of the incident.
Hails from same village
The accused, who drives a
luggage carrier, hails from
the same village as the vic-
tim’s family and is the father
of a four-year-old daughter
himself.
“He would often give her
chocolates, sweets and even
DELHI TODAY
Talk: Discussion on “Labour in
Global Value Chains in Asia” edited
by Dev Nathan, Meenu Tewari and
Sandip Sarkar. Discussants: Renana
Jhabvala; Sher Verick, and Saon
Ray. Chair: Prof. Deepak Nayyar of
JNU, at IIC, 6.30 p.m.
Talk: Panel discussion on ‘Health
and Morbidity in India: Evidence
and policy Implications’ at Nehru
Memorial Museum & Library
(NMML), Teen Murti House, 3 p.m.
CM
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money. He had consumed al-
cohol with the girl's father
on November 20 and then
took her along on his way
home. He took her to an isol-
ated spot, where he sexually
assaulted her,” said a senior
police oicer.
“To silence the girl during
the act, he placed his hand
over her mouth, smothering
her and eventually killing
her,” the oicer added.
Spot near police post
The spot where the sexual
assault took place is right op-
posite a police post in
Lawrence Road.
On the day of the incident,
the girl’s mother contacted
the police after she didn’t re-
turn home.
She later registered a mis-
Exhibition: 2 day show of Tradi-
tional and Folk Art at Hungarian In-
formation and Cultural Centre
(HICC), 1-A, Janpath, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Exhibition: “Delhi Dawns” - solo
photography exhibition by Sara
Wadhwa at IHC, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Exhibition: “Time Frame/s” Digital
Landscapes of Santosh Jain at Triv-
eni Kala Sangam, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Art: 89th Annual All India Art Show
at All India Fine Arts & Craft Society
sing person’s complaint at
Keshavpuram police station.
After the complaint was
registered, oicers from Ke-
shavpuram police station
searched the area but could
not find her.
The girl’s body was found
the next morning by a
woman who had come to re-
lieve herself at the spot.
Traced to friend’s house
The accused, meanwhile,
had escaped to Bawana after
the incident, and was living
with a friend there. “The
family had provided us some
clues and his phone number.
We mounted technical sur-
veillance and arrested him
after tracing him to Bawana
on Wednesday evening,”
said the oicer.
(AIFACS), 1 Rafi Marg, 11 a.m. - 7
p.m.
Culture: Kartigai month special
poojas. Sri Sonili Durga - Nithya
Homam at Sri Devi Kamakshi
Mandir, A-11, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, 8
a.m.
Screening: “Anari” Hindi film
screening at IHC, 7 p.m.
(Mail your listings for this column
at cityeditordelhi@thehindu.co.in)
https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
CITY |3
Rambeer Shokeen — FILE PHOTO
Former MLA sent
to police custody
NIRNIMESH KUMAR
NEW DELHI: A court here on
Thursday sent former Delhi
MLA Rambeer Shokeen to
five days’ police custody un-
der the Maharashtra Control
of Organised Crime Act
(MCOCA) for allegedly run-
ning an organised crime
syndicate.
Additional Sessions Judge
Rakesh Pandit allowed a
Delhi Police plea to interrog-
ate Shokeen till December 6.
Earlier, a Metropolitan Ma-
gistrate court had remanded
him in three days’ police cus-
tody in a case under the Arms
Act. He has been remanded in
judicial custody in this case
after being arrested last
Sunday from outer Delhi.
The police said all the ac-
cused committed extortion
and murders, apart from
grabbing land and settling
property disputes for pecuni-
ary benefits, the police said.
ND-ND
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams
4|
HOPING AGAINST HOPE: People wait outside a bank to withdraw money on the first day of the month, in New Delhi on Thursday. PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN
Cash in accounts, none in hand
On pay day, only a few managed to withdraw money as banks and ATMs ran dry within hours
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: A large number of
people gathered outside
banks and ATMs on
Thursday to withdraw their
salaries, but only a few re-
turned with cash. As the day
progressed, there were no
queues outside many banks
as they had run out of cash.
“What good is a figure in
my bank account when I
need to spend half a day try-
ing to withdraw it? India is
not a cashless economy yet,”
said Nikhil Jhadav, a lawyer
who had lined up outside a
bank in Khan Market.
In Preet Vihar, most banks
ran out of money by noon. An
HDFC ATM in the area ran
dry within five hours.
Navneet, the bank’s security
guard, said people had star-
ted queuing up as early as
5.30 a.m. He added that the
ATM had got cash after eight
Senior citizens
at their wits’ end
TOUGH TIME: Many elderly people who visited the head post
office in Gurugram to withdraw their pensions returned
empty-handed. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
ASHOK BERWAL
GURUGRAM/NEW DELHI: Many
elderly people were left dis-
appointed when they went to
withdraw their pensions at
the head post oice in Sadar
Bazar here on Thursday. The
cash ran out within 30
minutes and only a few peo-
ple managed to grab a share.
The post oice has around
1,100 pension accounts, in-
cluding the Haryana Old Age
Pension accounts, but it has
been facing a severe cash
crunch.
Short supply
Assistant Post Master Sat-
ish Kumar told The Hindu
that the post oice catered to
around 45 smaller post of-
fices in the region and re-
ceived Rs.40-Rs.50 lakh
every day against a require-
ment of Rs.2 crore.
“We cater to more than
7,000 pension holders in the
region. To avoid inconveni-
ence to them, we have direc-
ted our staf not to withdraw
more than Rs.10,000 from
their salary accounts,” said
Mr. Kumar, adding that
withdrawals had gone up by
25 per cent over the past one
week and deposits were
showing a downward trend.
Om Prakash, 69, a retired
Post Department oicial,
said he was not hopeful get-
ting cash even after waiting
for two hours.
Inconvenience
“I am in dire need of cash. I
want to withdraw Rs.20,000,
but I doubt I will be allowed
to withdraw that much. So, I
CM
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days.
The State Bank of India in
the area had money till 2 p.m.,
but they had distributed
tokens to a limited number of
people and had told the rest
to return. An SBI bank oicial
at Mehrauli Road said there
had been a 15-20 per cent in-
crease in rush for
withdrawals over the past
two days and deposits had
gone down over the past
week.
Spike in demand
“The bank also supplies
cash to post oices in the area
and the oicials said there
had been an increase in de-
mand for cash. The head post
oice in Gurugram deman-
ded Rs.2 crore on Thursday,
but was given only Rs.40
lakh,” said the oicial.
People who lined up out-
side Karnataka Bank in
Laxmi Nagar seemed to lose
will have to come back all the
way from Hira Nagar on Fri-
day,” said Mr. Prakash.
“It is my third visit to the
post oice over the past
many days. On Thursday, I
came early expecting to
withdraw my pension, but
the cash is yet to reach the
post oice. I spoke to the oi-
cials, but they are non-com-
mittal on whether cash will
be disbursed on Thursday,”
complained retired Haryana
Police Assistant Sub-In-
spector Ram Kishan.
Another pensioner, Jag-
wanti Verma, said she
needed Rs.15,000, but the
post oicials had refused to
disburse more than
Rs.10,000.
“It is disgusting when you
cannot withdraw your own
money. How many times do I
need to come to this post of-
fice to withdraw cash,” asked
Ms. Verma, whose husband
was a Post Department
oicial.
‘Prefer to wait’
Sutikshan Kumar, 67, a re-
tired postman, was among
the few who missed the op-
portunity completely.
“The cash got over before I
came. But I would prefer to
wait till evening rather than
come back on Friday. We
support demonetisation, but
the elderly should be spared
the pain,” said Mr. Kumar.
Meanwhile, K.L. Sharma,
who retired from a private
bank in the Capital, claimed
he had to use his “staf con-
nection’’ to jump a queue
outside a bank in central
Delhi.
NO RELIEF: Senior citizens queue up outside a bank in New Delhi
on Thursday. PHOTO: V. V. KRISHNAN
their temper easily. When
elderly people sat down mid-
way, tired after standing for
long, they were scofed at by
the others in the queue. Out-
side some banks, policemen
were seen trying to pacify
people.
The bustling Rajiv Chowk
metro station had an odd
augmentation in its never-
ending crowd on the first day
of the month. Over 100 peo-
Locals block roads in protest
PURUSHARTH ARADHAK
NOIDA/GHAZIABAD/BAGHPAT:Many
ATMs in Noida, Ghaziabad,
Greater Noida, Bulandshahr
and Baghpat ran dry on
Thursday, forcing locals to
block roads in protest.
In Baghpat’s Badaut, locals
blocked Delhi-Saharanpur
Road after a PNB branch in
the area declared that it had
no more cash to disburse.
‘No relief in villages’
“Villagers have no choice
but to raise their voice. No-
body is highlighting our
pain. No relief in being
rendered in rural areas.
Farmers have been the worst
hit,” said Aadesh Rathi, a res-
ident of Baghpat. The road
was cleared after police
intervention.
At Masuri in Ghaziabad,
In Agra, ‘soles’ bear the burden of demonetisation
MOHAMMAD ALI
AGRA: It is 2 p.m. A small
workshop located in the ex-
treme corner of Chakki Paat,
a densely populated Dalit
settlement which produces
tens of thousands of shoes
every day, is quiet. Of the 20-
odd workers, only three
karigars are showing the
magic of their hands. On a
normal day, they don’t get
time to strike a conversation
with each other, given that
they have to produce 200
pairs of shoes at the end of
the day. Ever since the de-
monetisation announce-
ment, the workers at the unit
have had no work, just like
over three lakh workers as-
sociated with the city’s unor-
ganised shoe manufacturing
industry.
Lives paralysed
“Our lives have been
pushed back by at least 10
years. The government has
prevented us from with-
drawing our own hard-
earned money and thereby
paralysed the shoe manufac-
turing units,” says Bharat
Singh, the owner of the
workshop. In Agra, families
join hands with workers,
CASH CRUNCH
ple in the need for cash
queued up at the State Bank
of Patiala Money Shoppe at
the station.
Long wait
“I have been waiting in this
queue for over 90 minutes. I
had to take a day of to with-
draw money as there is no
cash at home,” said Ajay Rem,
an employee at the Life In-
surance Corporation of
In Badaut, angry
locals blocked
Delhi-Saharanpur
Road after a bank
ran out of cash
locals blocked NH-24 after
they did not get cash. The
stir disrupted traic move-
ment.
Heavy police force was
then deployed in the area to
pacify the protesters.
“The entire country is ex-
periencing a cash crunch.
Taking law in one’s own
hands or disrupting traic
will not bring about a solu-
tion,” said a senior police of-
ficer in Ghaziabad.
Bad news
Meanwhile, in Noida,
ATMs did not have cash even
after the banks opened.
BLEAK FUTURE: Demonetisation has hit Agra’s unorganised shoe manufacturing industry, with a
large number of workers being out of work. Seen above, workers at a manufacturing unit in
Agra’s Qazi Pada. PHOTO: PARVEZ KHAN
mainly Dalits and Muslims,
and set up small manufac-
turing units which work only
on cash. There are 10,000
such workshops, located in
Qazi Pada and Teela Nanad-
ram, which produce over
10,00,000 pairs of shoes
India.
Suryakant Sen, an em-
ployee at Hindustan Uni-
lever, complained of poor
planning by the government.
“Connaught Place is a
prime spot for Delhiites, but
only a handful of ATMs are
working there. Our govern-
ment had an honest motive
behind demonetisation, but
the necessary facilities aren’t
there. If this is the condition
in the Capital even after three
weeks, then the plight of the
nation is worrisome,” said
Mr. Sen, who later left the
queue due to exhaustion.
Sameer Pal, 54, a NHAI Project Director
transporter, complained of
cash crunch across banks in
Noida’s commercial enclave
of Sector 18. “There was no
cash in at least four branches
that I visited. I stood in a
queue for five hours to be
able to withdraw only Rs.
10,000,” he said.
“I went to Sectors 50, 18
and 16 to withdraw cash, but
to no avail,” said Tikam
Singh, a local.
Ghaziabad, too, reeled un-
der a crisis. Five banks in
Vasundhra ran out of money
by 12 p.m.
“I arrived at 7.30 a.m. to
withdraw cash. After stand-
ing in a long queue, I re-
turned empty-handed,” said
Amit Kumar, who lives in
Vasundhra.
Pensioners who had
queued up outside Indian
Overseas Bank in Shalimar
Garden since morning also
faced a diicult time.
“I stood in a queue outside
the bank for three hours only
to be told that there was no
cash,” said Anand Singh, a
local.
(The writer is a freelance
journalist)
daily. The annual turnover is
said to be Rs. 14,000 crore.
Agra itself contributes to
28 per cent of the national
export and 65 per cent of the
domestic consumption of
shoes in the country.
For the past three weeks,
https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
Mr. Singh, a Dalit whose
grandfather Bihari Singh had
initially adopted an upper-
caste title as a ‘protest
against caste oppression’
and later converted to
Buddhism when B.R.
Ambedkar visited Agra in
THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
Paytm to ease business
at Gurugram toll plaza
ASHOK KUMAR
GURUGRAM: With
collections set to resume
at the Kherki Dhaula toll
plaza in Manesar here
from Friday midnight,
the National Highways
Authority of India
(NHAI) has taken a slew
of measures including
collection of fee through
“Point of Sale” system,
Paytm and mobile
application “Highway
Saathi” to facilitate
smooth flow of traic on
the Delhi-Gurgaon
Expressway.
Ashok Sharma said an
adequate number of POS
systems had been
installed at the plaza. For
collection of toll through
Paytm, distinct QR codes
have been displayed on
all the 22 booths. People
can also pay through
mobile application
“Highway Saathi”, which
provides for payment
against a single trip as
well as a monthly
discount pass. Besides,
additional marshals have
been deployed at the
plaza to manage traic.
To facilitate transactions,
Shri Mata Sheetla Devi
Shrine Board in
‘Print pictures of Indian
leaders on new notes’
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)
has urged Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to consider
printing pictures of “great In-
dian leaders from diferent
States” on new notes.
In a letter to the Prime
Minister’s Oice, Rajeev
March 1956, has had to run
not only his own house but
also take care of his workers
hit by demonetisation.
No demand
“We neither have cash to
buy raw material, nor is
there any demand for our
products. After standing
outside banks for half a day,
we get just Rs. 5,000 instead
of Rs. 50,000 a week,” adds
Mr. Singh,.
Mr. Singh says the Modi
government is harming poor
and lower-middle class peo-
ple. “The shoes we make are
meant for poor and lower
middle class people. If we
are unable to make shoes
during winters, the season
when the poor need shoes
the most, whom is the Modi
government harming,” asks
Mr. Singh, who is also asso-
ciated with the unorganised
sector shoe workers’ asso-
ciation in Agra.
Hari, a shoe-worker who
went out of work after de-
monetisation, agrees with
Mr. Singh. He worked at a
workshop in Qazi Pada, but
on Wednesday, he had no
work.
“I was busy completing
old orders. After demonet-
NOIDA/DELHI
Gurugram has agreed to
provide the NHAI low-
denomination notes to
the tune of Rs.5 lakh daily
till December 15.
On the toes
Mr. Sharma said
despite all the measures
to manage traic, law and
order issues could not be
ruled out in the initial
stages and a Duty
Magistrate had been
appointed by the
Gurugram
administration to deal
with the same.
Within hours of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
announcing that Rs.1,000
and Rs.500 notes would
cease to be legal tender
from November 8
midnight, the Kherki
Dhaula toll plaza had
begun to witness traic
snarls, with the toll
attendants refusing to
accept the notes. At one
point, vehicles extended
up to 2 km on both sides
of the plaza, and the
police had to allow free
travel to clear the traic.
Even after the
government allowed
Rs.1,000 and Rs.500 notes
for toll fee, the situation
did not change much due
to shortage of change.
Gupta, an activist from the
RSS’ Shiksha Bachao An-
dolan Samiti, said leaders
such as Swami Vivekananda,
Shivaji, Bhagat Singh, Jawa-
harlal Nehru and A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam could be the choices.
The move, Mr. Gupta said,
could go a long way in educat-
ing people about the coun-
try’s heritage.
isation, there has been no
work for me. I am thinking of
pulling a rickshaw outside
the railway station,” he says.
Impending crisis?
Upendra Singh of the Agra
Shoe Manufacturing Asso-
ciation, which takes care of
the interests of domestic and
unorganised shoe manufac-
turing units, echoes the
same views: “There is no one
in Agra who is not depend-
ent on the shoe manufac-
turing industry for their sur-
vival. If they go out of work
for a longer period of time, a
huge crisis will ensue,” he
says.
Puran Dawar, chairman of
the Chambers for Agra
Footwear Manufacturers
and Exporters, terms the di-
gitisation of financial trans-
actions a “good move”.
“The crisis is temporary.
The government wants com-
pletely cashless mode of
payments, and we want to do
that because it will ensure
minimum wages to workers
as well as provident funds to
them. But the government
should give us some time so
that we can get all the work-
ers to have bank accounts,”
he adds.
ND-ND
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CITY/STATE |5
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

3 Barapullah flyover loops to be opened Tension brewing between

Will spell relief to those residing in Maharani Bagh, Siddharth Extension and Sarita Vihar JNU students, administration
STAFF REPORTER also be able to drive directly cials over the issue on STAFF REPORTER JNU says certain The JNUSU responded
towards INA market,” said a Wednesday. to the university’s claims
NEW DELHI: Public Works De- senior PWD oicial. In addition to holding NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal student protesters calling it “a complete
partment (PWD) Minister At the moment, a sizeable various protests over the is- Nehru University trying to malign bunch of lies,
Satyendar Jain announced majority of an estimated two sue, residents had also administration on university’s image in insensitivity,
the opening of three loops lakh commuters who use the moved court against the Thursday said that certain authoritarianism and
on the Barapullah flyover stretch on a daily basis move. student protesters were Najeeb assault case high-handedness”.
here by Chief Minister bound towards south Delhi A part of phase II of the trying to malign the image JNUSU said Vice-
Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday. from Noida via DND must Barapullah elevated flyover, of the university by partisan approach by the Chancellor M. Jagadesh
turn from below the flyover the three loops were con- propagating false administration in Kumar wants to hide the
Noida commuters adjacent to Nizamuddin rail- structed at a combined cost information related to the handling of the incident fact that the Proctorial
The move will spell much way station before proceed- of Rs.66 crore. The loop from violence at Mahi-Mandovi and is currently on an Committee, formed to
relief for those residing in ing towards Barapullah JLN to INA Market is hostel the night before indefinite sit-in at the look into the matter of
areas including Maharani flyover. scheduled to be thrown open Najeeb Ahmed’s administration block. assault on Najeeb, found
Bagh, Siddharth Extension by March. disappearance from The administration six persons ailiated to
and Sarita Vihar, in addition SHORTER RIDE: A part of phase II of the Barapullah elevated Oicials meet residents Congestion reduced on campus. added that they have been the ABVP guilty of
to Noida commuters headed flyover, the three loops were constructed at a combined cost The PWD oicial said the stretch from Gurudwara JNU sought to clarify its left with no options but to assaulting him. However,
to south Delhi. of Rs.66 crore. The loop from JLN to INA Market is scheduled residents of Siddharth Ex- Bala Sahib to Sarai Kale Khan stand and eforts towards consider disciplinary the JNUSU added, the
“We are opening three to be thrown open by March. — FILE PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR tension, who were against even as the PWD said anoth- resolving the issue at measures against the report has not been made
loops on the [Barapullah] the opening of the loop due er loop for buses headed to- various levels by violators of university public in an attempt to
flyover, which will help in re- these is the loop from it instead of Ring Road to- to safety concerns regarding wards Sarai Kale Khan ISBT publishing the steps it has rules that prohibits shield the ABVP. They
ducing congestion in south Siddharth Extension. Com- wards Aurobindo Marg. vehicles existing their local- was ready but would be made taken so far. However, the protest outside the added that even the Delhi
Delhi. The main among muters from Ashram can use Commuters using DND will ity, were met by senior oi- operational later. JNU Students’ Union, administration block in High Court had pulled up
which has been the best interest of the the JNU administration
demanding justice for larger JNU student for the way it has handled

Freedom 251 Man held for cheating Newborn girl found Najeeb, has alleged a community. the issue.

manufacturer STAFF REPORTER

abandoned near temple
summoned NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police M.M. Kutty
Crime Branch have arrested STAFF REPORTER According to the
NIRNIMESH KUMAR a 40-year-old man for al-
police, the baby
takes charge
legedly cheating people in NEW DELHI: A newborn girl, es-
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has Chhattisgarh on the pretext timated to be not more than was wrapped in a NEW DELHI: Senior IAS
summoned the manufac- of providing them admission two-day-old, was found bedsheet; her parents oicer M.M Kutty
turer of the “world’s in medical courses in Central abandoned by the steps of a on Thursday took
cheapest” mobile phone Asian countries. temple in south-west Delhi's are yet to be traced charge as Delhi
Freedom 251 in a Rs. 2 crore Accused Gopalan Anish Todapur in the early hours of Chief Secretary, re-
cheque bounce case. Acharya, who hails from Ker- Gopalan Anish Acharya Thursday. hospital. placing K. K.
Metropolitan Magistrate ala, is said to be the head of a Her parents could not be The area where the infant Sharma, who was
Snigdha Sarvaria summoned gang of four that allegedly He allegedly promised traced till Thursday night. was found abandoned is not transferred as OSD
authorised signatory Messrs duped people by charging According to the police, under CCTV surveillance in the Union HRD
Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd; MD lakhs in the name of provid- Chhattisgarh residents the baby, who was wrapped and it is not known to how Ministry earlier this
Mohit Goel; directors Anmol ing medical seats in coun- admission in medical in a bedsheet, had been left long she was lying out in the week.
Goel and Sumit Goel; CEO tries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbek- courses in Central near the steps of the Shani cold, the police said. Mr. Kutty, a 1985
Dhaarna Goel and president istan and Kazakhstan, and temple in Todapur. The They are looking for the batch IAS oicer,
Ashok Chaddha on a com- then going incommunicado. Asian colleges temple priest and some la- child’s parents and trying to was the Principal
plaint by Aryan Infratech Pvt Four complainants have bourers heard the baby cry ascertain whether they had a Secretary to former
Ltd. “There is suicient come forward so far, alleging garh Police had sought help and called up the police at role in abandoning her or Chief Minister
material available on record that they were duped of Rs.18 from us. The accused was 2.30 a.m., said a senior police not. Sheila Dikshit. He
to summon all the accused. lakh each. All four victims residing in Dwarka Sector 16. oicer. The police added that they has also worked
Therefore, a prima facie belong to Chhattisgarh’s He is an MCA graduate from had received ofers from at with the AAP gov-
case, punishable under Sec- Durg district. Durg Superin- Kyrgyzstan and used to send Stable condition least four persons to help the ernment as the Fin-
tion 138 of the Negotiable In- tendent of Police Amresh students to Kyrgyzstan for She was rushed to Ram newborn. ance Secretary.
strument Act, is made out. Is- Mishra told The Hindu that MBBS. In the process, he Manohar Lohia Hospital in “We have registered a case The Union
sue summons to all the Gopalan and his accomplices cheated gullible persons,” critical condition. The baby’s under Section 317 (exposure Ministry of Home
accused,” the Magistrate had cheated people from said Joint Commissioner of condition improved by eve- and abandonment of child Afairs had on Tues-
said, posting the matter for 2006 to 2013, and that the Police (Crime) Ravindra Ya- ning, the police said. Hos- under 12 years by parent or day appointed him
further hearing on April 28. overall numbers could be dav. He said Gopalan had pital authorities said the person having care of it) of as the Delhi Chief
The complainant ap- much higher. floated an educational soci- baby was stable and that they the Indian Penal Code at In- Secretary . Lieuten-
proached the court when the The Chhattisgarh Police ety in Durg. were conducting further derpuri police station. The ant-Governor Na-
accused company failed to had approached the Delhi Two other accused, tests.“We are now conduct- baby is healthy and respond- jeeb Jung had
make due payments even Police following a tip-of Vaishno and Arvind Ghosh, ing a series of tests to see if ing well,” said Deputy Com- ordered his posting
after being served a legal no- about Gopalan’s presence in were arrested earlier by the the baby is fit for adoption,” missioner of Police (south- on Wednesday. —
tice. the Capital. “The Chhattis- Durg police. said Aarti Maria from the west) Surender Kumar. PTI

Nitish to chair JD(U) meet in city tomorrow

STAFF REPORTER Among deliberations re- bodies will figure
lated to resurrecting the JD prominently on the agenda.
NEW DELHI: Bihar Chief Minister (U)’s Delhi unit, “aixing re- Pradesh president Raj Singh
Nitish Kumar will preside sponsibility” on and question- Mann said: “The Delhi gov-
over a convention of the Janata ing the “false propaganda” of ernment and the civic bodies
Dal (United) workers here on the AAP-led Delhi govern- are turning a blind eye to the
Saturday. ment and the BJP-led civic welfare of the people.”

Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

CM ND-ND
YK
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NORTHERN REGION |7
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

No monitoring failed Inside Lucknow Quake hits

Uttarakhand
DEHRADUN/NEW DELHI: A me-

Ganga cleaning: IITs dium intensity earthquake,

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Multiplicity of au-
thorities, lack of assistance
from the State governments
and dearth of monitoring
has led to the failure of the
Ganga cleaning programme,
a consortium of seven Indi-
an Institutes of Technology
(IITs) told the National
Green Tribunal (NGT) on
Thursday.
“The Namami Gange pro-
gramme should be run by
knowledge and not percep-
tion. There are a number of
authorities at State and na-
tional levels, causing multi-
plicity. There is lack of ad-
ministrative intent and
coordination among
various wings of govern-
ment,” Professor Vinod
Tare of IIT-Kanpur, the co-
ordinator of the consor-
tium, told a Bench, which
also included Justice U.D.
Salvi.
The consortium’s sub-
mission came in response to
a query raised by a Bench
headed by NGT Chairper-
son Justice Swatanter Ku-
mar, which had asked the
expert body about the reas-
ons for failure of the Ganga
Action Plans I and II. The
consortium of IITs in Bom-
bay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kan-
pur, Kharagpur, Madras and
Roorkee, was entrusted
with the task of finalising a
holistic Ganga River Basin
Management (GRBM)
programme.
The Bench asked: “Did
you verify any data taken
from diferent sources,
whether it is correct or not?
Because our experience has
been that the data changes
with the authority. Did you
verify the data even on a
single stretch of Ganga?”
When the Professor
replied in the negative, the
green panel observed:
“Government data is often
ill-founded and there is
hardly any nexus with the
reality on the ground, so you
should always cross-check.”
measuring 5.2 on the Richter
scale, shook Uttarakhand
late on Thursday night.
Epicentered in Dharchula
near the India-Nepal border
in Uttarakhand, the quake hit
Pithoragarh, Champawat,
Almora, Nainital and Udham
Singh Nagar districts of the
State, the MeT department
in Dehradun said.
The quake with a latitude
of 29.8 degree north and a
longitude of 80.6 degree east
occurred at 10-23 p.m, it said.
There was no immediate
report of any casualty from
anywhere.
Earlier in the day, an earth-
quake measuring 3.3 on the
Richter scale had hit the
Kullu region in Himachal
Pradesh . The earthquake in
NEW ARRIVAL: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav after inaugurating the Kullu had occurred at 4-12
Lucknow Metro on Thursday. - PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT a.m., they said. - PTI

Woman, daughter hit

by train, killed
VARANASI: A 30-year-old woman and her one-
year-old daughter were killed while her
other minor daughter was injured after they
were hit by a train while trying to cross
tracks near here, police said.
The woman and her daughters were hit
by a Faizabad-bound passenger train on the
Pindra-Jaunpur railway line in Phoolpur po-
lice station area here on Wednesday. - PTI
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NATION |9
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

Meeting between
Patidar leaders,
govt. inconclusive But it is likely to be colder than last year, says IMD in its first winter forecast
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
AHMEDABAD: The first meeting
between Ministers of the Gu-
jarat government and leaders
of the Patidar Anamat An-
dolan Samiti (PAAS), which
runs the quota agitation in
the State, remained incon-
clusive because of difer-
ences on the quota issue and
the demands of the PAAS
members.
After the six-hour meet-
ing, the three-member min-
isterial committee led by
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin
Patel and a 11-member PAAS
delegation decided to meet
again next week to thrash out
their diferences.
However, immediately
after the meeting, PAAS
leader Hardik Patel slammed
the State government from
Udaipur. “The Gujarat gov-
ernment has no freedom to
decide anything because it’s
a puppet government of BJP
president Amit Shah,” Mr.
Patel said.
He stressed that the “talks
with the government repre-
sentatives is only on specific
issues like the quota under
the OBC category and com-
pensation to those killed in
police firing during last
year’s agitation.”
A warm winter in the oing
JACOB KOSHY
NEW DELHI: Winter this year
could be slightly colder than
last year — a record, unusu-
ally-warm spell — but would
still be warmer than what is
usual, the India Meteorolo-
gical Department (IMD) has
suggested in its first ever
winter forecast.
Seasonal temperatures
across India, from December
to February, would be higher
than normal with fewer cold
waves over north and north-
west India than what is typ-
ical. In general, minimum
and maximum temperatures
over most of India would be
0.5-1.0 C higher than average
winter temperatures during
1961-1990, with Jammu and
Kashmir and Rajasthan ex-
pected to show the widest,
upward deviations. Normal
refers to average, seasonal
temperature over a region
between 1961-1990.
Cold wave
Last year was the warmest
winter recorded in India
since 1901, with the mean
temperature nearly 1.25 C
more than normal. “This
year would likely be warm
too but not as much as last
COLD DAYS AHEAD: Fog at a railway station in New Delhi on Thursday. — PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN
year,” said D.S. Pai, Chief
Forecaster, IMD Pune.
“This is in line with the
overall global warming
trends. There may be about
the same, or slightly more,
cold waves than last year.”
IMD oicials said there
would be updates of likely
cold waves, every five days,
through the season.
In a research report last
year, Mr. Pai and his col-
leagues said the number and
duration of cold waves over
India have generally been
decreasing over 4 decades.
Severe cold waves annually
kill about 780 every year.
Several deaths were repor-
ted in North India during the
2015-16 winter season, in
spite of it being extremely
warm. The mean tem-
perature between March and
May 2016 was also signific-
antly warmer than normal
with an anomaly of +1.250C,
which was the second
warmest ever spring season
since 1901.
A raging El Nino, usually
responsible for droughts
over India, was believed to
cause higher than normal sea
surface temperatures and
warm winters. So far, the an-
nual mean land surface air
temperature averaged over
the country during 2016 till
October was +0.90C above
the 1961-1990 average.
The winter forecast has
been made with a Dynamical
Extended Range Forecasting
System developed by the In-
dian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology, Pune, and uses
the same physics and climate
models used to track the
monsoon.
Army deployed but State not
informed, alleges Mamata
STAFF REPORTER
KOLKATA: Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee on
Thursday accused the Cen-
tre of deploying the Army at
toll plazas in Bengal without
informing the State govern-
ment.
The Army had been de-
ployed at Palsit in Bard-
haman and Dankuni in
Hooghly districts, she told a
hurriedly convened press
conference in the State
Secretariat.
However, the Defence
spokesperson in Kolkata,
Wing Commander S.S. Birdi,
said it was a “routine exer-
cise” and State governments
were always intimated about
such exercises.
At least half-a-dozen vehi-
cles marked ‘Military Police’
were stationed at the toll tax
counter on the Bidyasagar
Setu, connecting Kolkata to
Howrah, on Wednesday.
Dozens of Army personnel
were seen checking the vehi-
cles entering Kolkata.
Ms. Banerjee questioned
the intentions of the Central
government. “Those who
protect our country from ex-
ternal enemies have no polit-
ical agenda. But now they are
being used for political ven-
Mamata Banerjee at a press
conference in Kolkata on
Thursday. — PHOTO: PTI
CM says she will not
leave the Secretariat
till Armymen are
withdrawn from the
toll plaza nearby
detta,” she said. The Chief
Minister wondered whether
“an emergency” had been
declared in the country.
“This is a very serious situ-
ation... I will raise the matter
with the President,” she said.
The State’s Chief Secretary
had been instructed to lodge
a protest with the Centre, she
said.
Ms. Banerjee said she
would not leave the Sec-
retariat till the Army was
withdrawn from the toll
plaza in front of it.
“The Secretariat is a sens-
itive zone and toll plaza is a
sensitive place. Why is the
Army here? Whatever
reason they are giving is not
correct. They are lying. They
are changing their reasons
from time to time. The MHA
has complete data of the ve-
hicles moving in diferent
States,” she said.
Annual exercise: Army
In a statement, Wing
Commander S.S. Birdi de-
scribed the monitoring of ve-
hicles as an “annual... three-
day exercise” conducted
throughout the county to get
data on load carriers.
“Vehicles are stopped to
get basic parameters like
make and load capacity.
They are then marked so that
the next checkpoint knows
they have already been
checked. There is nothing
alarming about this and it is
carried out in accordance
with government orders.”
Wing Commander Birdi
said the exercise provided
“an estimate of the number
of vehicles that pass through
a certain area.”
(With PTI inputs)

First private moon

mission next year
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: TeamIndus, a
Bengaluru-based private
aerospace company, has said
it will send a spacecraft to
the moon on December 28,
2017, aboard an Indian Space
Research Organisation
(ISRO) rocket.
The mission’s aim is to
land this spacecraft on the
moon, have it travel at least
500 metres and beam high-
definition video, images and
data back to the earth. Were
it to be successful, it would
likely pip ISRO’s proposed
moon-lander mission —
Chandrayaan 2 — that is yet
to formally announce a
launch date. In 2008,
Chandrayaan 1 became the
first Indian space mission to
send a spacecraft that circled
the moon.
Except for the launch ve-
hicle, all of the technology
that will power the rover and
lander is developed in-house
by TeamIndus.
TeamIndus has high-pro-
file investors, including
Ratan Tata of the Tata Group;
Sachin and Binny Bansal, co-
founders of Flipkart and
Nandan Nilekani, co-
founder of Infosys Ltd, and is
a 100-member team of engin-
eers, space enthusiasts,
former Air Force pilots and
former ISRO employees. It is
one of the four international
teams — and the only one
from India — in the running
for the Google Lunar
XPRIZE, a $30 million (ap-
prox. Rs. 200 crore) competi-
tion, to encourage private
companies to launch space
missions.
Two U.S.-based compan-
If successful,
TeamIndus will beat
ISRO’s proposed
moon-lander mission
Chandrayaan 2
ies, Moon Express and Syn-
ergy Moon and one Israeli
company — SPACE 1 L —
have so far announced agree-
ments with space-launch-ve-
hicle companies such as
SpaceX.
Early bird
The launch agreements
are a prerequisite to be in the
reckoning for the prize and
also require contenders to
launch their vehicles before
December 28, 2017. Tea-
mIndus is the only one so far
to have announced a firm
launch date at a press confer-
ence on Thursday here.
“We are delighted to oi-
cially verify TeamIndus’
launch contract,” said
Chanda Gonzales-Mowrer,
senior director, Google
Lunar XPRIZE, said in a
press statement. Antrix, the
commercial arm of ISRO,
with whom TeamIndus
signed an agreement, de-
clined to comment.
Rahul Narayan, Tea-
mIndus’ Fleet Commander
said ISRO’s workhorse Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV) would launch the
spacecraft in a three-day
window centred on Decem-
ber 28 next year and, after
completing a rotation
around the earth, will ideally
land in 21 days at Mare Im-
brium, a region in the North-
Western hemisphere of the
Moon.

Foreigners can enter

India through 5 ports
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Foreigners will be
able to enter India through
five seaports — Mumbai, Ko-
chi, Chennai, Goa and Man-
galore — with electronic visa
(e-visa), in addition of 16 air-
ports where the facility is
available, a senior Home
Ministry oicial said on
Thursday.
As part of the new liber-
alised visa policy, the gov-
ernment has also decided
that business visitors and
those coming on medical
emergency will be issued
visa within 48 hours of ap-
plication.
Special counters
Separate immigration
counters will be set up in all
16 major airports and the five
seaports for medical tourists
coming to India on e-visa, a
Home Ministry oicial said.
The government will issue
employment visa to fore-
igners who earn a minimum
of Rs. 16.25 lakh per annum as
salary. For those in the aca-
demic field, the minimum
annual salary qualification is
CM
YK
fixed at Rs. 9.10 lakh for em-
ployment visa.
India will also allow tour-
ists coming on e-visa to stay
up to 60 days instead of the
30 days now. Tourists can
also apply for the e-visa four
months in advance instead of
the 30 days now.
On Wednesday, the Union
Cabinet gave its approval to
merge the conference, tour-
ist, business and medical
visas into one. A go-ahead
was also given for an ‘intern-
ship visa’ for foreigners who
want to gain professional ex-
perience in India.
It was also decided that the
electronic tourist visa (eTV)
will now be known as elec-
tronic visa and visitors could
apply through the existing
online portal.
This is expected to stimu-
late economic growth, in-
crease earnings from export
of services like tourism,
medical value travel and
travel on account of business
and to make Skill India, Di-
gital India, Make in India and
other such flagship initiat-
ives of the government
successful.
ND-ND
https://telegram.me/pdf4exams https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
10 | EDITORIAL
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

Contours of a challenge
The manner of enforcement of demonetisation has visited many consequences upon the people. If it
chooses to review them, the judiciary would scarcely be overreaching its authority
likely find that, on merits, the petitioners’ was unable to reach the front of the queue
F R I D AY , D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 6 primary argument stands on a weak ground. before bank hours ended. Pradhan intended
SUHRITH
PARTHASARATHY This is because Section 26(2) of the Reserve to send the money to his two sons who were
Bank of India Act, 1934, expressly states: “On working on daily wages in Tamil Nadu.
recommendation of the Central Board the These humanitarian costs are graver yet
Patriotism Today the Supreme Court is slated to com-
Central Government may, by notification in
the Gazette of India, declare that… any
when you study the liquidity crunch in the
informal economy, the numerous lay-ofs of

by diktat mence hearing arguments on a slew of pet-

itions that call into question the correctness,
and indeed the constitutional validity, of the
series of bank notes of any denomination
shall cease to be legal tender save at such of-
fice or agency of the Bank and to such extent
workers across industries, and the woes of
millions of people seeking to access the
most essential services. If the ordinary Indi-

P
atriotism is a value that most people cher-
ish without being required to demonstrate
it in visible ways. Unfortunately, a notion
has emerged in the country that it ought to
be articulated frequently, demonstrated publicly
and enforced in such a manner that it will be an ob-
ject lesson to the odd dissenter. Given this, it is hard
to understand the rationale for the Supreme
Court’s order that every cinema hall should play the
national anthem before the exhibition of a film. In-
dia has given itself an anthem easily recognised as a
lofty and moving rendering of the country’s one-
ness amidst diversity. It hardly requires judicial
promotion. The singing of the national anthem on
special occasions, especially in schools and col-
leges, is suicient to help citizens identify the an-
them with something larger than their daily con-
cerns. There are clear rules on when the anthem
should be played. Any misuse of the anthem or any
wilful insult to it is legally prohibited, and those ag-
grieved by any such incident can take recourse to
the law. Beyond this, in a mature democracy such as
India, there really is no need to make the playing or
the singing of the anthem mandatory through a ju-
dicial order.
It is not clear why cinema halls were singled out
for special treatment by the Supreme Court. The
only possible explanation is that they were re-
quired to play the national anthem some decades
ago, a practice that has been largely given up. But if
the logic for playing the national anthem at places
where a sizeable number of people congregate is
taken to its logical conclusion, they should be ex-
tended, for example, to dance and music recitals as
well. To take this line of reasoning even further,
why not to every sitting of the legislature, or the
court itself? Playing the national anthem in theatres
at the end of the film was given up some three
decades ago in most parts of the country, largely as
a result of the tendency of a section of the audience
to walk out. To reintroduce it now gives the impres-
sion that cinemas should forever be the main sites
for the demonstration of patriotism. Matters such
as commercial exploitation and dramatisation of
the anthem cannot be the subject of blanket interim
orders in a public interest petition. The appeal to a
sense of ‘constitutional patriotism’ is also in-
triguing, as the only reasonable interpretation of
the term is that of having allegiance to the values
underlying the Constitution. This is not something
that can be enforced by judicial diktat, or by making
cinema halls the playground for a misplaced sense
of patriotism.
Union government’s policy of demonetisa-
tion. The petitions allege that the primary
notification issued on November 8, which il-
legitimatises currency notes of denomina-
tions of Rs.1,000 and Rs.500, and the series
of consequential orders passed by the Re-
serve Bank of India (RBI) lack competency,
in that the government cannot demonetise
currency through mere executive fiat ab-
sent any legislative support. The policy, as a
collective whole, the petitioners contend,
far from causing what the government has
described as mere inconveniences, im-
pinges deeply on several fundamental
rights, and it should therefore be declared
invalid.
How the Supreme Court treats these chal-
lenges will tell us a great deal about the
checks and balances that our democracy
purports to provide.
Courts and economic policy
There is an often-repeated belief that is-
sues of policy — especially those involving
the state and nature of a country’s economy,
such as this — ought to be beyond judicial
review. That is, courts should exhibit re-
straint in examining what are really matters
for executive determination. Indeed,
despite popular opinion that might hold the
Supreme Court as excessively intervention-
ist, India’s judiciary has historically shown a
reticence in interfering in matters of
economic policy. For the most part, the
court has been justified in acceding to the
executive’s expertise. But while there is cer-
tainly a kernel of rationality to such a theory
of limited judicial review, it is dangerous to
see judicial deference as forming part of an
immutable doctrine. As the former
President of the Israeli Supreme Court
Aharon Barak had once observed, separa-
tion of powers exists to “strengthen free-
dom and prevent the concentration of
power in the hands of one governmental
actor in a manner likely to harm the freedom
of the individual”.
The issues at stake before the Supreme
CARTOONSCAPE
It isn’t enough for the government
to show that it possessed the
basic competency to implement
demonetisation through mere
executive orders
Court are, without doubt, complicated.
They give rise to a dispute which might be
described as a “hard case”, where difering
value judgments can lead to entirely difer-
ent conclusions. But that need not dissuade
the court from applying its mind to the sub-
ject, and from ruling upon questions of law
that go to the root of the policy’s validity. In
the present case, despite the sense of most
independent economists that the long-term
economic benefits of the government’s noti-
fications are negligible at best, what the pet-
itioners are questioning is not the policy’s
financial viability. Rather, what they ask of
the court is to judge the government’s com-
petency in efecting the policy, and, even
more gravely, to decide on whether the
means of its enforcement has led to uncon-
stitutional consequences. Regardless of
where one might stand on the political spec-
trum, it is diicult to argue against the mag-
nitude of these questions.
The petitioners’ case
Were the court to decide that it can, in
fact, examine the policy’s validity, it would
as may be specified in the notification.” The
petitioners assert that under Section 26(2),
the government can only withdraw the legal
tender of any particular series of a bank note
of any denomination. Therefore, according
to them, the government ought to have, at
the least, passed an ordinance (as the Mor-
arji Desai-led regime had done in 1978) to
implement this policy of demonetisation.
But ordinary rules of statutory interpreta-
tion suggest otherwise. The government
can argue, quite reasonably, that the execut-
ive power vested in it to withdraw any par-
ticular series of bank notes would nec-
essarily also include a power to withdraw all
the series of bank notes belonging to any
particular denomination. What’s more, it
may be pointed out, the RBI, acting under
the Payment and Settlement Systems Act,
2007, has been unequivocally bestowed with
authority to regulate the means and the
manner through which money can be with-
drawn, exchanged and deposited. In sum,
therefore, it is perhaps diicult to assail the
demonetisation policy for the reason that it
lacks legislative support.
The shocks of demonetisation
But it isn’t enough for the government to
show that it possessed the basic compet-
ency to implement demonetisation through
mere executive orders. It must also show
that the manner of the policy’s enforcement,
and the details of the various notifications
that have been issued, conform to con-
stitutional standards of fairness.
The immediate reverberations of demon-
etisation, by any account, have been brutally
depressing. Most shocking amongst these
consequences has been the death toll. News
reports aver that there have been as many as
55 deaths emanating out of its diktats.
Consider one of these cases: a suicide com-
mitted by Ravi Pradhan, a farmer from Ch-
hattisgarh, who stood in queues for two con-
secutive days at a bank branch around 2 km
away from his home town, to get exchanged
Rs.3,000, only to be rebufed each time as he
an is not complaining, as some would want
us to believe, it’s because she has little
choice, faced with a denial of her right to be
treated as an equal, and of her freedom to
move freely and earn her basic livelihood.
Government’s pitiless response
Quite opposed to taking steps to assuage
the deep infractions of rights that the policy
has caused, the government has merely in-
dulged in what can only be described as
policymaking on the fly. Since the original
notification was announced, the rules have
been constantly modified (more than 20
times at last count), with some of the classi-
fications that have been made crossing all
thresholds of the absurd. How, for instance,
one may easily ask, can it be permissible to
withdraw Rs.2.5 lakh in cash for a wedding,
when people are forbidden from withdraw-
ing money beyond a minimal limit for other
equally, if not more, pressing purposes? To
make matters worse, on November 24, the
RBI shattered any remaining notion of trust
that one had reposed in it by announcing
that exchange through banks of the old
Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes would be ceased
immediately despite the Prime Minister’s
explicit promise that limits imposed earlier
would be enhanced, and that such exchange
would be permitted until the end of the year.
Although its transgressions have been
flagrant, the state’s response has been
markedly pitiless, based, as it is, on a warped
sense of utilitarianism: the short-term
losses (a pathetic euphemism for loss of life,
among other things), the government ar-
gues, are somehow compensable by the
long-term gains that the policy will usher in.
Here, let’s pause to understand what
justice really demands. Justice requires not
only an adherence to procedural integrity,
where democratic institutions collectively
determine social and economic policy, but,
even more significantly, it also requires that
any policy takes into account the potential
injustices that might accrue out of its en-
forcement. To view policy decisions as
merely a product of a balancing of short-
term pains against supposed long-term
pleasures is to ignore the injustices of the
present. While many governmental actions
make significant trade-ofs, should those
trade-ofs be allowed to impinge on a per-
son’s most foundational freedoms in a man-
ner that perpetuates existing inequalities?
The classifications that the demonetisa-
tion policy makes, and the manner of its en-
forcement, sufer from this inherent flaw:
they fail to consider the moral abhorrence in
treating some lives as more valuable than

HIV: The self-test others. There is no doubt the executive

should be allowed great leeway in using the
state as a laboratory for democracy, to bor-

option row Justice Louis Brandeis’s famous aphor-

ism. But such experiments cannot come at
the cost of human lives. By constantly mov-

W
ith the World Health Organisation
releasing guidelines on HIV self-
testing, a major obstacle in improv-
ing access to diagnosis has been
cleared. Though much progress has been achieved
in India in making HIV testing accessible and free
of cost, many infected persons remain unaware of
their status. Across the world, nearly 40 per cent of
people with HIV are unaware of their infection and
run the risk of unknowingly transmitting it. Besides
going a long way in preventing new infections,
early diagnosis will help in a prompt start to treat-
ment and enable the infected to live longer and
healthier. Though there has been a 66 per cent drop
in incidence in 2015 in India compared with 2000,
the number of new HIV infections last year was
86,000; children below 15 years of age alone ac-
count for 12 per cent of this number. In 2015, the
total number of people with HIV in India was es-
timated to be 2.1 million. Of this, 1.5 million were de-
tected and tested at integrated counselling and test-
ing centres (ICTC) and about a million people are
on treatment. This leaves about half a million who
are unaware of their HIV status. The government
has approved in principle the proposal to take HIV
testing closer to those in need by starting
community-based testing. This will soon become
operational and will be in addition to institutional
testing. India is also weighing the option of
self-testing.
The WHO-approved OraQuick HIV self-testing
is based on HIV antibodies present in oral and
blood samples. The test can detect antibodies de-
veloped within three months of getting infected. It
is a screening test, and a positive result should be
reconfirmed though a blood-based test. Despite
greater awareness, people with HIV still face
stigma and discrimination. As a result, getting ever-
yone at risk of HIV infection tested has been a chal-
lenge. The OraQuick self-testing makes diagnosis
easier and faster, besides ensuring privacy and con-
fidentiality, thus encouraging more people to get
tested. But there are challenges in terms of coun-
selling and sensitivity, with the accuracy of the tests
pegged at around 93 per cent. Counselling has to be
done through innovative ways, such as over the tel-
ephone, as in the case of the U.S. Unlike the conven-
tional method of getting tested at ICTCs, people
self-testing should be more aware about the possib-
ility of false negatives. But the risk of not getting
tested far outweighs the limitations posed by self-
testing. Twenty-three countries have in place
policies that support HIV self-testing. It is time In-
dia adopted it quickly to enable more people to test
themselves and help break the transmission cycle.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters emailed to letters@thehindu.co.in must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
Nagrota attack
The fact that three terrorists
stormed into an Army installation
at Nagrota highlights the
defencelessness of our defence
establishments (“Provocation at
Nagrota”, Dec.1). The attack shows
that no lessons have been learnt
from the Pathankot and Uri attacks.
It also indicates that neither
Pakistan nor its militants are trying
to give peace a chance. India must
enhance its security preparedness
and infrastructure in vulnerable
places and draw up a plan to
minimise the loss of lives.
Importantly, it must hold an oicial
meeting with the new Pakistani
Army chief soon.
Gregory Fernandes,
Mumbai
Instilling patriotism
How can the Supreme Court
assume the powers of the
legislature? (“SC makes national
anthem mandatory in cinema halls”,
Dec.1) If the court felt that it must
infuse patriotism, it should have
asked parliamentarians to consider
enacting a suitable law. It would be
healthy if all the pillars of
democracy confined themselves to
their respective domains rather
than tread on each other’s toes.
Moreover, I fail to understand how
patriotism can be instilled by
closing the doors of a cinema hall
and forcing an audience to stand up.
(The photo that accompanies the
article in the newspaper shows
some boys standing casually;
they’re not even standing at
attention.) The practice of playing
the national anthem at the end of
film screenings was discontinued
long back. The court should have
examined the reasons for that
decision.
I am reminded of a short story in a
Tamil weekly in the 1960s, when the
patriotic spirit was high, fuelled by
successive wars. The story is about
a climax scene in a film. Indian
soldiers, who have been captured
by the enemy, are shot one after
another in the film. Some suspense
awaits the audience about the last
soldier. Young people watching the
movie are restless as the clock ticks
away. It turns out that their
impatience is not because of the
climax scene but because of their
compulsion to sit through the
national anthem after the suspense
is lifted and the film is over! So
apparently people rush out of halls
before the conclusion of a film just
to escape sitting through the
national anthem. The moral of the
story stands true today too:
patriotism cannot be forced.
R. Vidya Sagar,
Chennai
The court’s verdict is based on the
logic that patriotism is a virtue that
needs to be forcibly imposed, and
that a symbolic display of
aggressive nationalism is the true
test of appropriate civic morality.
Though the ruling in question is
limited to cinema halls, the
rationale can be applied to other
public places such as railway
stations, bus depots, government
oices, and banks where citizens
assemble for specific purposes and
that therefore can be considered as
appropriate platforms for the
collective display of nationalism.
One is left to wonder how such a
ruling would be enforced in
practice. It comes with the danger
of encouraging private vigilantism
in public places due to inherent
limitations of state enforcement
machinery.
Abraham Joseph,
Gurugram
Our anthem is the best in the world
for its lyrical content and music. It
can be sung at any place, unlike a
bhajan (“Reeling out patriotism”,
Nov.1). It causes, if at all,
inconvenience for only about three
minutes. The court’s judgment does
not infringe on any constitutional
right. The verdict is consistent with
Article 51A of the Constitution. It is
also timely given the terrorist
attacks from across the border.
Y.G. Chouksey,
Pune
The national anthem should be
played in Parliament too, before the
ing its goalposts, by arbitrarily tweaking the
rules virtually every day, the government
has committed a serious sin on society: it
has used the fig leaf of public interest to
create a situation of grim distress. Were the
Supreme Court to review these terrible con-
sequences of demonetisation, it would
scarcely be overreaching its authority. On
the contrary, it would merely be performing
its rightful role in India’s constitutional
structure.
Suhrith Parthasarathy is an advocate practising at the
Madras High Court.
day’s business begins. Seeing the astonishing (“India’s missing girl
never-ending ugly fights among our children”, Dec.1). It is time to
so-called people’s representatives, analyse the loopholes in the Pre-
it would make sense to make them Conception and Pre-Natal
stand for the national anthem and Diagnostic Techniques Act to
respect the nation. completely eliminate unscrupulous
sex-determination practices. Also,
V.S. Ganeshan,
Bengaluru some regions show more gaps in
gender status than others; we need
to pay attention to these. The
This is a welcome verdict. Many government and various NGOs
Americans fly their national flag have created much awareness in
with pride atop their homes. We can communities but the change in
also go one step further by hoisting mindset is still not substantial.
our flag not only at our homes but at Gagan Pratap Singh,
our places of work too. This will go
Uttar Pradesh
a long way in instilling patriotism
and a sense of belonging to the
nation. I beg to difer with the Sound of birds
argument that the court’s ruling The sudden disappearance of the
amounts to a kind of tokenist sparrow is another indication of
measure. Filmi content has nothing how man has distanced himself
to with patriotism. from his natural surroundings
C.G. Kuriakose, (“Confessions of a bird man”,
Kerala Dec.1). The biosphere is one
integral whole, an interconnected
If singing the national anthem in web of species essential for our
school did not instil the type of survival. As man continues to
patriotism that the judgment tamper with this balance, to the
laments is lost on an entire extent it might be irreversible, the
generation, how would standing at aftermath is inconceivably
theatres succeed in doing the same? horrifying. The article has an
Sham Sankar, important lesson for our
Thiruvananthapuram conservationists. It tacitly lays
emphasis on the potential of
communities and cultures in
Missing girl children making important contributions to
Revelations from the data of the the field of conservation.
Civil Registration System of the Shalini Bellan,
Registrar General of India are Bengaluru

CM ND-ND
YK
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
PERSPECTIVE | 11
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

WORLD VIEW Democracy, direct to home

How Ebola changed a country The subordination of political parties to populist leaders has cast a shadow on democracy.
Sierra Leone has traipsed through a long wanton war that de-
voured tens of thousands of lives, and bloodied its lush, deep-
A representative party system is infinitely preferable to personalised forms of power
sea landscape. During the war (1991-2002), a large number of
children were recruited as soldiers. I had interviewed over 70 nouncement of radical programmes
of them in 2011. Some had reintegrated well economically; such as the abolition of privy purses of
MEHA however, many continued to face economic hardships. Most NEERA CHANDHOKE former princes and nationalisation of
DIXIT were accepted by their families and communities. But the banks endeared Mrs. Gandhi to the po-
traumatic experiences during the war had huge negative re- litical public. More significantly, she
percussions on their mental health. Akim, a former child soldier in Sierra fashioned a nationwide constituency by
Leone, told me: “Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels mixed my food Delivering his third Independence Day detaching parliamentary elections from
with drugs. With coke in my head I don’t know how many people I killed. I address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi State Assembly elections. This enabled
burned villages, children, everybody. Later I became a commander and had remarked that he deliberately her to speak directly to citizens, and dis-
gave orders to kill enemies.” stayed away from populist measures pense with the mediation of regional
Over a decade after the war ended, as Sierra Leone was still emerging that deplete exchequers and opted for a satraps.
from the devastating legacy of the conflict, it was struck along with some culture of governance. His referent Mrs. Gandhi’s charisma, style and
other neighbouring countries by a deadly epidemic called Ebola in 2014. point was, obviously, strategies that pol- oratory gripped popular imagination.
The disease killed thousands in West Africa. Schools were closed for eight iticians employ to garner votes. In polit- But the process of securing acclaim car-
months and public gatherings banned. The crisis in the country was de- ical theory, however, the term populism ried heavy costs. Concentration of
clared over in November 2015. One year on, Sierra Leone continues to deal originates from the Latin term populous power in the person of the Prime
with Ebola’s devastating impact on its people and the economy. or ‘people’. If we take the political the- Minister spectacularly subverted dem-
When comparing Ebola with war, Robert M. Kamara, who works with ory of populism as our cue, the Prime ocratic norms. Her call for a committed
children in Freetown, Sierra Leone, said, Minister appears quite a populist. judiciary and a committed bureaucracy
“Ebola was worse, even a family member Let me hasten to add that in demo- compromised the autonomy of both in-
could not come close or touch the Ebola- During the Ebola crisis, cratic contexts populists are not anti- stitutions. The Supreme Court under-
afected or the bodies of those who died schools were closed for democratic. On the contrary they claim cut its own status as an impartial insti-
from the disease due to the possibility of eight months and to be true democrats, obsessed with res- tution by supporting the Emergency
contracting the virus.” In 2014, World cuing democracy from the clutches of declared by Mrs. Gandhi’s government.
Health Organisation (WHO) oicials public gatherings were incompetent and venal elites. This More significantly, personalisation of
noted that traditional burial practices banned in Sierra Leone class, it is alleged, has betrayed the con- power irreversibly damaged the Con-
were among the hurdles that were making fidence of citizens, and derailed the po- gress. Till the 1960s, the party was
it diicult to control Ebola. Burial practices in Sierra Leone entail washing litical system. Arvind Kejriwal does so known as one that could skilfully
the bodies of the loved ones. It was an uphill task for relief workers to con- directly and abrasively. Prime Minister reconcile diverse interests within the
vince families to allow trained specialists to safely bury Ebola victims. Modi mockingly dismisses the Opposi- organisation. It had perfected the art of
tion. Both represent themselves as pre- compromise. This changed after Mrs.
Impact on the young ferable alternatives to corrupt and non- Gandhi’s accession to power. The party
One lasting legacy of Ebola, like the war in Sierra Leone, will be its impact performing elites. The second rescue was reduced to a group of courtiers pay-
on the young. Due to the virus, thousands of children were orphaned. Many operation launched by these leaders is ing ritual obeisance to a supreme leader.
of them are now compelled to fend for their younger siblings and have not to free popular sovereignty from the TOWERING FIGURE: “Today parties have become practically irrelevant because the The Congress is today a pale shadow of
been able to return to school. Philip Sesay, a graphic designer from Free- mediations of liberal democracy, and image of the leader looms large over them.” Cutouts of Prime Minister Modi at an what it used to be. Once it was a dy-
town, said, “The communal responsibility for children in Sierra Leone has relocate the concept in ‘the people’. By election rally in Jamshedpur. FILE PHOTO: PTI namic party that could mobilise mil-
declined and extended families have been resistant to support orphans who appealing to ‘the people’ over the heads lions, today the fate of the party is tied to
lost their parents due to Ebola, out of fear of being contaminated or stigmat- of democratic institutions deemed inef- society organisations, between citizens Snap polls that demand a the fate of the Gandhi family.
ised by the community.” fectual and dishonest, populist leaders and the state, safeguards ordinary cit- After Mrs. Gandhi, it is Mr. Modi who
Further, the closure of schools during the outbreak has had a huge impact forge a personal constituency that they izens against abuses of power. simple answer — yes or no has caught the imagination of Indians
on the education of children. The Ministry of Education, Science and Tech- can confide in, admonish, and instruct. — in effect depoliticise the across caste and class. He speaks dir-
nology had commissioned an Emergency Radio Education Programme The populist’s penchant ectly and powerfully to them through
with support from UNICEF and other partners. Its daily programming was Need for checks and balances It is precisely the complicated proce-
deliberative capacity of the radio, social media, and televised
based on the primary and secondary school curricula in core academic sub- The problem is that ‘people’ is not a dural and institutional aspect of de- citizens speeches. We, of course, cannot re-
jects. However, access to the initiative was limited by poor radio signal cov- homogenous unit. The category is di- mocracy that populist leaders are impa- spond to his suggestions. Most of his
erage in rural areas and a scarcity of radios and/or batteries, particularly vided and hierarchised along the lines tient with. They would rather reach out Democracy is doubly diminished ministers do not utter a sentence except
among poorer households. of class, caste, religion, ethnicity, gen- directly to citizens. There is, of course, when the complexities of public opin- in his praise, his initiative, his courage,
Besides, according to the United Nations Population Fund, at least 18,000 der, and sexual preferences. More signi- nothing wrong with reaching out to ion are simplified through the mecha- his imagination, and his expertise.
teenagers became pregnant during Ebola in Sierra Leone. Even prior to the ficantly, ‘people’ are organised into ma- people. The problem is that populist nism of snap referendums through the What on earth has happened to the
crisis, in late 2013, the country had one of the highest teenage pregnancy jorities and minorities, and majorities leaders show scant respect for the give social media. Citizens have the right to norm of collective responsibility, and to
rates in the world. The spike in teenage pregnancy is being largely attrib- — as our history tells us — can seriously and take of arguments during processes debate on the pros and cons of ‘this’ or the status of the Prime Minister as the
uted to disruption of already fragile health systems including family plan- impair the basic rights of minorities. For of decision-making. This can breed ‘that’ law, unearth hidden dimensions of ‘first among equals’ in a parliamentary
ning and birth control, closure of schools and abusive relationships. While this precise reason, liberal democrats ominous outcomes: witness the sharp issues, highlight grey areas, and pro- democracy? The BJP has till now
during the conflict many young girls became pregnant after being used as fear the ‘brute power’ of majorities and and painful crisis that followed demon- pose alternatives. Snap polls that de- privileged ideology and principles over
sex slaves by their captors, the negative economic impact of Ebola, as re- try to curtail the power of elected ma- etisation. The eminent statesman of an- mand a simple answer — yes or no — in individual leaders. Today the party
ported by Amnesty International, contributed to an increase in exploitative jorities through constitutions, leg- cient Athens, Pericles, had warned efect depoliticise the deliberative ca- hangs on to the coat-tails of the Prime
relationships which led to a rise in teenage pregnancy. islation, judiciaries, and, more import- against decisions that do not take the pacity of citizens and undermine their Minister.
Due to stigma surrounding teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone, the pro- antly, the institutionalisation of a consequences of a particular action into competence to skilfully debate all sides The BJP is not alone in this. The sub-
hibition on pregnant girls attending schools was declared oicial govern- system of checks and balances. consideration. But populists defy labor- of an issue. It is precisely this aspect of ordination of regional political parties
ment policy in April 2015, soon before schools re-opened following the out- Notably, democracy is not only about ious and cumbersome processes in- deliberative democracy that populists to populist leaders has cast a shadow on
break, and is still in place. In a 2015 report, Amnesty International reported a party that has won the largest number volving critique of, reflection on, and avoid when they ask for instant ref- the party system and on democracy.
that around 10,000 girls were afected by the ban. The government an- of seats taking over state power. It is modification of proposed policy. They erendums. Parties mediate between leaders and
nounced the establishment of an alternative “bridging” education system about protecting the basic rights of all would rather take shortcuts and evoke citizens because they represent the in-
that would let pregnant girls continue in schools, however at diferent individuals, and, in particular, the rights naïve and simplistic notions of direct What history tells us terests of their constituency. Today
times to their peers or in diferent premises. The majority of the girls Am- of vulnerable minorities against dep- democracy. Direct democracy is, how- The proposition that populism harms parties have become practically ir-
nesty International interviewed felt positively about the system. But many redations of majorities. This is secured ever, the ultimate illusion. democracy has been amply borne out relevant because the image of the leader
girls said that given a choice, they would have preferred to continue in their through the establishment of proced- Let us not forget that in ancient by our history. Recollect Indira Gandhi, looms large over them. This is a serious
normal school; only a few said they preferred it to their normal school due ures and institutions. That is why dem- Athens, participation in direct de- popularly known as the first populist setback for democracy. A repre-
to stigma. ocratic governance is complex, time- mocracy was confined to property- and leader in independent India. Taking sentative party system is infinitely pre-
consuming, and demanding. Each pro- slave-owning males, provided they over the reins of the Congress in ad- ferable to personalised forms of power.
Role of ex-child soldiers posal has to go through several stages of were born in the city-state. The rest verse circumstances, she set out to con- It is time party organisations asserted
Lifeline Nehemiah Projects in Freetown is among the key organisations scrutiny, including debates in the public were consigned to the lowly category of solidate her status. Regional leaders, their identity and control over leaders.
which has been working with Ebola-afected, survivors and orphans. P.J. sphere on the virtues or otherwise of subjects. In complex societies, direct who till then had wielded considerable Otherwise history will repeat itself not
Cole, the executive director of the Nehemiah Projects, said in an interview, the proposition on ofer, before it is democracy simply does not work; it influence in the party through a net- as ‘farce’, but as ‘tragedy’.
“The leaders that I work with were once child soldiers who are now com- transformed into law. The insertion of slides easily into populism and, worse, work of ‘big men’, were rendered ir-
mitted to serving their communities.” The organisation was initially set up layers of intermediary institutions that into the cult of the leader. Democracy is relevant through the Kamaraj Plan, and Neera Chandhoke is a former Professor of Political
by his parents to help ex-child soldiers in Sierra Leone rebuild their lives. range from elected assemblies to civil diminished. by the 1969 split in the party. The an- Science at Delhi University.
During the Ebola outbreak, the organisation devised an Ebola education
programme which sensitised communities about the dangers of the virus.

The message from Amritsar

It also provided support to over 8,000 quarantined individuals and set up
an Ebola Clinic. Further, Prince Tommy Williams, an ex-child soldier in Si-
erra Leone, was among hundreds of volunteers who worked with the com-
munities and Ebola-afected during the crisis. It is awe-inspiring to see
many of those ex-child soldiers who experienced traumatic events and
committed some of the worst atrocities during the conflict in Sierra Leone,
help rebuild the lives of Ebola survivors.
The Heart of Asia conference is likely to confirm a new phase in India-Afghanistan ties
Meha Dixit has a PhD in International Politics from JNU and has taught at Kashmir University. done. Indian interests, including its Em-
bassy and consulates, are repeatedly
HARSH V. PANT targeted in Afghanistan.
Evolving relations
FROM THE ARCHIVES Mr. Modi’s visit to Afghanistan to in-
India hosts the Heart of Asia (HoA) augurate the new parliament building
conference this week in Amritsar. It is last year and the decision by New Delhi
aimed at speeding up reconstruction in to gift Mi-24 attack helicopters to
war-torn Afghanistan and bringing Afghan forces are meant to underline
(dated December 2, 1966) peace and normalcy to the nation. It will India’s resolve to preserve its equities in
witnessed in Delhi on November 7. see participation from 14 states: Afgh- a troubled neighbour. India also signed
Mrs. Gandhi’s appeal anistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, the TAPI pipeline agreement to show-
Mrs. Gandhi in her letter said:
to cow protectionists “When you saw me some days ago, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, case its continuing commitment to
The Prime Minister Mrs. Indira you left a memorandum dated Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Afghanistan’s economic viability. China
Gandhi has advised sadhus “who November 17 addressed to the Turkmenistan and the United Arab too is making it clear that it wants to
are dedicated to peace and Government, in support of the Emirates. The HoA process, supported have deeper security ties with Afgh-
goodwill to do all that lies in your demand for a ban on cow by the wider international community, anistan, and there are plans to
power to promote an atmosphere slaughter throughout the country. originated under the aegis of the Istan- strengthen counter-terror and intelli-
which would enable the question Subsequently, I received a letter bul Conference in November 2011, gence cooperation along with enhan-
of banning cow slaughter to be from your Samiti with which which underscored the need for re- cing China’s role in the training of
considered in a calm and certain resolutions adopted by the gional cooperation and confidence- DEEP TIES: “India’s policy vis-à-vis Afghanistan has evolved.” Prime Minister Modi Afghan military and civilian personnel.
dispassionate manner.” In a letter, Samiti were forwarded to me. So building to resolve underlying prob- and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul. FILE PHOTO: PTI China has become increasingly con-
written to Muni Sushil Kumar, far as the question of a ban on cow lems facing Afghanistan and anchoring cerned about its extremists and separat-
President of the All Party Cow slaughter is concerned, the the state’s development in a regional en- anistan, but also for people in the coun- New Delhi has shown ists in Xinjiang, and sees security in
Protection Committee, Mrs. Government of India has already vironment that is stable, economically try where “terrorism is nurtured”. Afghanistan as key to stability in China.
Gandhi said: “In the present made its position clear. A majority integrated and conducive to shared Afghanistan has been reviewing its Afghanistan a willingness to Whether India and China can cooperate
context, any demonstration in the of the States, in whose sphere the prosperity. New Delhi too has re- policy towards Pakistan. In his address move beyond the binary of in Afghanistan is anybody’s guess, given
nature of fasts, hunger-strikes or subject lies under the peatedly underscored the need for im- to a joint session of Afghanistan’s par- China’s deepening ties with Pakistan.
proving connectivity in the region to liament this year, Mr. Ghani had economic cooperation and Though Beijing has been increasingly
in any other form, can only create Constitution, have already
further diiculties and may lead adopted full or partial ban on cow help Afghanistan harness its trade and threatened to lodge a formal complaint military engagement keen to see a political settlement in
to the kind of disorder which was slaughter.” transit potential. against Pakistan. In a departure from his Afghanistan that ensures a stable bal-
earlier stand, he called on Pakistan to ance of power, it is nevertheless placed
The Pakistan factor forego attempts to bring the Taliban to U.S. President Barack Obama also de- well to deal with the less-than-desirable
Yet this conference comes at a time negotiations and take military action cided to draw down troops to 8,400 by prospect of a Taliban resurgence.
when India is looking to isolate Pakistan against them. “If we do not see a change, the end of his term, a change from his New Delhi has so far shown an un-
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS regionally and globally. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Afghan President
despite our hopes and eforts for re-
gional cooperation, we will be forced to
initial target of 5,500, in accordance
with the views of the military. It is not
usual tenacity in its dealings with Afgh-
anistan, and a willingness to move be-
Ashraf Ghani will jointly inaugurate the turn to the U.N. Security Council and clear what a Trump presidency would yond the binary of economic
>>The report headlined “Cap on Jan Dhan withdrawal” (Dec. 1, 2016) erro- ministerial deliberations and try to put launch serious diplomatic eforts,” he mean for Afghanistan, but it is safe to as- cooperation and military engagement
neously said that full KYC-compliant account holders could withdraw Rs. up a united front vis-a-vis Pakistan. said. Despite Pakistan’s repeated asser- sume that Washington now wants to re- and evolve a comprehensive policy
10,000 crore in a month. It should have been Rs. 10,000. Afghanistan’s envoy to India Shaida Ab- tions that it would go after Taliban lead- duce its stake in the country and would which involves all dimensions of power.
dali, in a joint press conference at the ers who refused to engage in the peace like the regional states to do some This has enhanced Indian credibility in
>>The answer to a question about the significance of the name — al-Qaeda Ministry of External Afairs, made it process involving Afghanistan, heavy-lifting. Afghanistan which is a tough country.
— in the interview, “A home-grown movement inspired by al-Qaeda” (Dec. 1, clear that terrorism is the “creation of Pakistan, the U.S. and China, negoti- India’s policy vis-à-vis Afghanistan Only those who are willing to fight on
2016) said ‘al’ of ‘al-Qaeda’ meant ‘Base’ in Arabic. Actually ‘qaeda’ of ‘al- the region and the solution lies in the re- ations have stalled and deadly attacks in has also evolved. It has been demanding multiple fronts will be able to preserve
Qaeda’ means ‘Base’ in Arabic. gion. Therefore the upcoming HoA Afghanistan have increased. dismantling of safe havens and terror their leverage.
The Readers’ Editor’s oice can be contacted by conference is very well timed.” He went Mr. Ghani’s government is struggling sanctuaries in the region besides press-
Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Fri- on to suggest that terror must be dealt to hold key districts and has failed to ing for deeper engagement of various Harsh V. Pant is a Distinguished Fellow at Observer
day); E-mail:readerseditor@thehindu.co.in with efectively, not only for the sake of hold overdue parliamentary elections stakeholders for Afghanistan’s stability Research Foundation, New Delhi and Professor of
countries such as India and Afgh- amid a worsening security situation. and security. That’s easier said than International Relations at King’s College London.
The Terms of Reference for the Readers’ Editor are on www.thehindu.com
CM ND-ND
YK
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams
12 |
Turbulence over Mamata flight delay
In Parliament, Opposition leaders say they feel unsafe; airline denies flight was low on fuel
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Trinamool Con-
gress members on Thursday
questioned in Parliament the
delay in the landing of an In-
diGo flight carrying West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee at the
Kolkata airport on Wednes-
day, though it was allegedly
low on fuel.
They said the Air Traic
Control did not allow the
flight to land immediately,
endangering the safety of
Ms. Banerjee.
The government, which
has ordered an inquiry, said
the flight was delayed by just
13 minutes as two other
flights were also low on fuel.
However, denying that the
aircraft was low on fuel, In-
diGo said in a statement that
the Kolkata Air Traic Con-
trol had misinterpreted the
pilot’s message.
Trinamool charge
Trinamool Congress
members raised the matter
in both Houses, saying the
marshalling of ambulances
Parrikar holds detailed
discussions in Dhaka
HAROON HABIB
DHAKA: Defence Minister Ma-
nohar Parrikar ended his
two-day visit to Bangladesh
on Thursday, after holding
wide-ranging discussions
with the nation’s political
and military leadership.
This was the first-ever vis-
it by an Indian Defence
Minister to Bangladesh. Mr.
Parrikar was accompanied
by the Vice Chiefs of the
Army and Air Force, Deputy
Chief of the Navy, Director
General of the Coast Guard
and senior Defence Ministry
oicials. The visit comes in
the backdrop of the recent
settlement of the land and
maritime boundaries and in-
creased exchanges between
the two defence forces .
An Indian High Commis-
sion press release said the
visit was also the first by an
Indian Defence Minister to
any of India’s immediate
neighbouring countries and
was “ indicative of the im-
INTERVIEW | ABDUL BASIT
Pakistan is not begging for dialogue
SUHASINI HAIDAR
Pakistan is willing to wait
for India to agree to dia-
logue, but resigned that the
ice may not be broken at the
Heart of Asia conference
when Foreign Adviser
Sartaj Aziz visits India this
weekend. Speaking to The
Hindu’s New Delhi Bur-
eau, Pakistan’s High Com-
missioner Abdul Basit
also tackled questions on
Pakistan’s continued sup-
port to terror groups, and
whether the LoC ceasefire
is now dead.
• Pakistan Foreign Affairs
Adviser Sartaj Aziz will be
visiting India for the Heart of
Asia conference this weekend.
Do you expect a bilateral
meeting, and where do you
see ties today?
CM
YK
IndiGo says the air traffic controller heard the pilot wrong, and
there was no dearth of fuel. — PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATIONAL USE
and the fire brigade proved
that there was a risk
involved.
Opposition members sup-
ported Trinamool leaders,
arguing that the security of
Opposition leaders and
other passengers was a ma-
jor concern. Leader of the
Congress in the Lok Sabha
Mallikarjuna Kharge said the
flight carrying the VVIP
should have been allowed to
land first.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar with Bangladesh Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. — PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
portance the government of
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi places on its relation-
ship with Bangladesh.”
Mr. Parrikar called on
Bangladesh President Abdul
Hamid and Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina. He also held
talks with the Security Ad-
viser to the Prime Minister
on defence related coopera-
tion. The chiefs of the
Bangladesh Army, Navy and
Air Force, Director General
of the Coast Guard and the
Some thought the Heart of
Asia conference may be the
time when the two coun-
tries move towards a thaw.
We have expressed our
readiness to consider any
proposal for talks from the
Indian side, whether or not
they would like to have a bi-
lateral engagement on the
margins of the conference.
But whether or not there are
bilateral talks, our adviser is
coming because Afgh-
anistan is important for us,
its stability and economy
are important for us, so we
will participate construct-
ively. If they don’t break the
ice in Amritsar perhaps we
will find another opportu-
nity somewhere later.
• The External Affairs Ministry
says no formal proposal has
been received by them. Are
you then simply speaking
through the media here?
As happens at these mul-
tilateral forum meet-
ings, we had con-
veyed that our
adviser would
attend and he
made a state-
ment that we are
open to ideas [for
talks]. As hosts,
India will decide
our programme.
We have ex-
PHOTO: V.V. KRISHNAN
Trinamool member Sudip
Bandyopadhyay raised the
matter in the Lok Sabha.
“Today, it is one Opposition
leader ... this Opposition
leader is at the forefront ... [of
the fight against the govern-
ment],” Derek O’Brien said
in the Rajya Sabha,
suggesting that there was a
perception that Opposition
leaders were not safe.
Civil Aviation Minister
Ashok Gajapathi Raju said
Principal Staf Oicer to the
Armed Forces Division
called on the Defence
Minister.
The High Commission
press release said the De-
fence Minister proposed a
number of new initiatives to
enhance the capacity and ca-
pability endeavours of the
Bangladesh Armed Forces.
He conveyed India’s full sup-
port to the vision of Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina to
achieve self reliance.
pressed our desire, but we
do not know if India is will-
ing. We are kind of in a situ-
ation where we would like
the ice to break but we
would not like to take any
step that will not be
reciprocated.
• You said Afghanistan’s
stability is important, but both
India and Afghanistan hold
Pakistan responsible for
cross-border terrorism they
face. Are you worried that you
will be cornered at the
conference with the
declaration that is likely to
contain tough words on
terror?
Why should we worry be-
cause terrorism is also an
important issue for us and
the final draft on terror is
being negotiated, and many
brackets will be removed
from the declaration before
it is cleared. We have our
own positions on these is-
sues.
• Is the 2003 ceasefire now
dead? Have the recent
exchanges of fire on the LoC
and International Border now
taken India and Pakistan back
to the pre-2003 ceasefire
situation?
The 2003 ceasefire was an
important confidence-
building measure. We
would not like to see it de-
stroyed. That is why, last
week, our DGMO took the
initiative to speak to his In-
dian counterpart. We would
very much like peace and
tranquillity to be pre-
served.
• Why is Pakistan unable to
deliver action on terror
groups such as LeT and JeM
NEWS
Ambulances, fire
brigade called as a
measure of caution,
not because of any
emergency: Centre
the Directorate-General of
Civil Aviation had ordered
an inquiry. He said the flight
hovered over the airport for
just 13 minutes.
Minister of State for Civil
Aviation Jayant Sinha told
the Rajya Sabha that the am-
bulances and fire brigades
were called as a measure of
caution. He said the govern-
ment was committed to the
safety of all passengers. As
per norms, every aircraft
should carry enough fuel to
allow 30-40 minutes of hov-
ering and travelling to the
nearest diversion airport, he
said. These global standards
were strictly followed and
any violation would be puni-
shed, he said.
IndiGo statement
However, IndiGo clarified
the aircraft was not low on
Anthem redux: How it came back in play
ANURADHA RAMAN
On November 30, the
Supreme Court ruled that
all cinemas in the country
must play the national
anthem prior to the
screening of a film, with all
doors closed. The order
has become a talking point
among millions of cinema-
goers who visit thousands
of theatres that dot India’s
landscape where
numerous films are
screened every day. The
Hindu breaks down the
verdict and its
implications for the benefit
of this population that
spends money and time at
the movies ever so often:
In light of the interim order
by the Supreme Court to
play the national anthem in
cinemas, which are the
States that have already
made it compulsory for
theatres to do so?
Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh and Goa are
‘We have expressed
our readiness to
consider any
proposal for talks
from the Indian side’
when it can take action
against other groups?
The organisations you men-
tioned are proscribed orga-
nisations. We have in the
past taken actions against
them. And if there is proof
against them, it should be
shared with us — not specu-
lation and hearsay.
• What more proof do you
want for action against
Masood Azhar for example?
Everyone saw him on TV being
exchanged for hostages in
1999 … is there any doubt
about his guilt?
We are ready to play our
role, so long as this is done
on the basis of irrefutable
evidence . Even after Path-
ankot, Pakistan moved
quickly and filed an FIR.
That should be testimony to
the seriousness of purpose,
but they need a cooperative
approach.
• The Pakistan government
has started an international
campaign on Kashmir. Is it
possible to have a dialogue at
the same time?
Pakistan will continue to ex-
tend moral and diplomatic
support to the people of
J&K. To expect Pakistan to
look the other way would
not be possible. And we are
not alone. The Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation has
issued a statement in sup-
port of J&K. The U.N. Hu-
fuel. “The flight was kept on
hold for landing due to air
traic congestion at Kolkata.
The pilot... advised the ATC
that he had eight minutes of
extra holding fuel over Kolk-
ata before commencing di-
version to the planned al-
ternative,” it said in a
statement.
“However, this informa-
tion was misunderstood by
the Air Traic Controller
who assumed that the air-
craft had only eight minutes
of total fuel left.”
Misinterpretation
“The misinterpretation of
the information by the Air
Traic Controller led the
ATC to ask for fire engines
and ambulances to be sta-
tioned at the Kolkata airport.
...IndiGo Captain at no stage
declared a fuel priority or an
emergency,” the airline said
in the statement.
The fuel on arrival was
more than the minimum di-
version fuel and there was no
violation or breach of any
regulatory norm, the airline
said.
among the States that have
passed orders to this efect.
Under what law did these
States make it mandatory?
The States have done
this under the Prevention
of Insults to National
Honour Act, 1971. The Act
got presidential assent on
December 23, 1971. It has
been amended twice since
then.
What does this Act entail?
The Act, which
addresses insults to the
Constitution, the national
flag and the national
anthem, has its genesis in
Article 51 (a) of the
Constitution, which
enjoins a duty on every
citizen of India to abide by
the Constitution and
respect its ideals and
institutions, the national
flag and the national
anthem.
The Act states that
whoever intentionally
man Rights Commissioner
wants to send a fact-finding
mission there.
• What about the fact that in
the region, Pakistan has been
isolated on this issue, which
led to the SAARC summit being
cancelled?
That is a temporary thing. If
SAARC couldn’t be held
that is our collective loss.
We still strongly feel that
terrorism is a common chal-
lenge and it is only through
a cooperative approach that
we can make a diference,
not targeting one country.
• So what are you suggesting
for dialogue. Can Pakistan give
any assurances on terror?
Pakistan is not begging for
dialogue. If India is not
ready, we can always wait.
We will continue to work to
break the impasse, but we
are very clear that dialogue
is the only way our coun-
tries can move forward and
they cannot live in a state of
perpetual hostility. Talking
to each other is inevitable,
whether it happens one
year down the road or three
years down the road.
• Do you think the U.S. will
help? We saw the statement
on the conversation between
President-elect Donald Trump
and Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif where he offered to play
a role to help sort out
problems.
What the U.S. will do vis-a-
vis India and Pakistan is not
for me to say. We can count
on the U.S. and other coun-
tries to encourage us. But
primary decisions lie be-
tween New Delhi and
Islamabad.
https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
For hackers, it’s open
season on Congress
DEVESH K. PANDEY
NEW DELHI: The Congress’s
website was on Thursday
taken down and hundreds of
e-mail and Twitter accounts
of its members, including
those of several senior lead-
ers, were disabled following
a series of massive cyber at-
tacks on the server that hosts
the services.
The hackers have
threatened to make public
the e-mail contents by
Christmas.
Based on complaints, the
Delhi Police have registered
two FIRs under Section 66 of
the Information Technology
Act and sought the service
provider log records and IP
addresses of the devices that
were used to access the ac-
counts.
The Ministry of Electron-
ics and Information Techno-
logy is also investigating the
digital footprints of the hack-
ers.
The cyber attacks have
triggered a war of words be-
tween the Congress and the
BJP leaders. The issue was
BACKGROUNDER
prevents the singing of the
national anthem or causes
disturbances to any
assembly engaged in such
singing, shall be punished
with imprisonment for a
term, which may extend to
three years, or with fine, or
with both.
Why was the Act given
punitive provisions?
The objects and reasons
for this Act said that cases
involving deliberate
Health Ministry to file appeal,
points to parallel plea in SC
VIDYA KRISHNAN
NEW DELHI: With a parallel pet-
ition pending in the Supreme
Court, the Union Health
Ministry plans to appeal
against the Delhi High
Court’s decision to set aside
the ban on 344 drugs con-
sidered unsafe. The Ministry
wants all 454 petitions con-
cerning fixed dose combina-
tions (FDCs) to be heard at
one place.
Brands such as Corex
cough syrup, Vicks Action
500 Extra and Phensedyl
were banned by the Health
Ministry for not having a
therapeutic justification. But
they continue to be sold over
the counter after the Delhi
High Court provided an in-
terim relief in March, allow-
ing production and sale of
the notified drugs.
Noida farmers intensify stir
PURUSHARTH ARADHAK
NOIDA: The protest by farmers,
whose land has been ear-
marked by the Noida Author-
ity for acquisition by Sam-
sung, intensified on Thursday.
Despite the cold, the farmers
sat on the land, slept behind
JCB machines and did not al-
low the Authority to start
work.
Stating that the acquisition
had been quashed by the Su-
preme Court, they said the
Noida Authority had acquired
the land forcefully. On
Thursday, a meeting was held
between the farmers and
Noida Authority oicials.
However, the farmers refused
to give up their land.
The farmers had protested
some days ago and some of
them were booked for “dis-
rupting government work”.
“By hook or by crook, the
Noida Authority and State
THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
Rahul Gandhi
also raised in Parliament by
several members, raising
concern about the cyber se-
curity preparedness of the
country.
Alleging a conspiracy be-
hind the hacking of its web-
site and e-mail and Twitter
accounts, the party, in its po-
lice complaint, said: “The
profanity, abuse and deroga-
tory remarks were then
retweeted within seconds
and minutes by various
individuals carrying the
same mal-intent in concert
with the said hackers as part
disrespect to these national
symbols were discussed in
both Houses of Parliament
and members urged the
government to prevent the
recurrence of such
incidents.
How was the national
anthem played in theatres
before?
Yes, it was a practice to
play the national anthem
after a film ended. But with
people walking out even as
the anthem was playing,
the practice was
discontinued.
In Tamil Nadu for
instance, the anthem was
played in all theatres until
about 30 years ago. Even
now a few theatres do.
Given that people were not
standing in attention as it
played, the practice was
given up.
A petitioner went to the
Madurai Bench of the
Madras High Court last
year asking for a ban as
people were moving about
‘Fixed dose
combinations are
acceptable only when
they have therapeutic
advantage’
Fixed dose combinations
are drugs with two or more
active ingredients in a single
dosage, acceptable only
when the drugs so combined
have a therapeutic advant-
age. The Health Ministry had
banned the sale and distribu-
tion of 344 of them — con-
sidered unsafe and with no
therapeutic justification —
based on the recom-
mendations of the Kokate ex-
pert committee.
“We have received the or-
der of the Delhi High Court
and are going through it. We
are considering legal op-
Farmers protesting on Thursday. — PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
government are trying to grab
our land for Samsung and
other private players. The
apex court has already
quashed the acquisition. The
Authority, as per the new Act,
cannot acquire our land force-
fully.
Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Akhilesh Yadav has
already approved the invest-
ment by Samsung and a pact
was signed between the U.P.
Chief Secretary and H.C.
Hong of Samsung in the pres-
ence of Mr. Yadav. To save face
and mount pressure, false
NOIDA/DELHI
of a ring of conspiracy to
publish, propagate and
spread the highly abusive,
obscene … as posted illeg-
ally.”
“The e-mail accounts op-
erating through domain in-
c.in and the Twitter accounts
of a large number of party
members have been suspen-
ded due to the cyber attacks,”
said a Congress member, re-
questing anonymity.
It comes just a day after
Congress vice-president
Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter ac-
count was hacked.
Party chief spokesperson
Randeep Surjewala blamed
the “fascist” forces, stating
that it reflected the extremit-
ies of an intolerant culture
that resorted to abuse when
cornered. Congress
president Sonia Gandhi’s po-
litical secretary Ahmed Patel
tweeted: “Those forcing
country to adopt online pay-
ment overnight, have they
taken steps to ensure a/c of
ordinary ppl will be immune
from hacking?”
(With Nisthula Hebbar
and Shubhomoy Sikdar)
when the anthem is played.
The court dismissed the
petition.
Can the recent interim
order of the Supreme Court
be reviewed?
Yes, those aggrieved can
file a modification
application to address the
omissions and
contradictions in the
recent Supreme Court
Order.
Who can file the
interventions?
The Cinema Owners
Exhibitors’ Association of
India can, for instance,
plead that the order is in
contradiction of an earlier
Supreme Court order
ordering cinema theatres
to keep their doors open,
after a fire killed 59 people
in Uphaar Theatre in 1997.
Organisations of
diferently abled people
can seek exemptions from
the order.
tions. We also have a parallel
petition pending in the SC,
where the Ministry has re-
quested that all petitions
filed across the country
should be brought together
here,” Union Health
Secretary C.K. Mishra said.
Chinu Srinivasan, who
works with the All-India
Drug Action Network, a pet-
itioner in the matter, said the
decision was a great setback
to public health interest.
“The judgment reads too
much into the powers of the
DTAB, which are not men-
tioned in the Drugs and Cos-
metics Act. The court has
missed a golden opportunity
to reinforce the govern-
ment’s efort to get rid of un-
safe drugs.” This is the third
attempt by the government
to clamp down on irrational
use of medicines.
cases are being lodged against
farmers,” said Rohtash Bhati, a
farmer of Salaarpur, Sector 81,
whose land has been ear-
marked for Samsung.
Additional CEO of Noida
Authority Shishir Singh told
The Hindu that on Thursday
afternoon a meeting was held
with the farmers on the Sam-
sung issue. “To end the dis-
pute, we are in talks with
them. We are hopeful of end-
ing the dispute soon,” Mr
Singh said.
(The writer is a freelance
journalist)
ND-ND
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
NEWS | 13
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

3 CMs opt out of digitisation panel Imposed only reasonable

Only Chandrababu Naidu and Shivraj and Finance Ministry oi-
cials to explain the thinking
restrictions, govt. tells SC
Singh Chauhan will remain members behind the demonetisation KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL

SMITA GUPTA just two members — its chair-

NEW DELHI: Bihar’s Nitish Ku-
mar, Tripura’s Manik Sarkar
and Puducherry’s V. Naray-
anasamy have refused the
Narendra Modi govern-
ment’s invitation to join a
sub-committee of Chief
Ministers on digitisation and
cashless transactions.
The panel is tasked with
suggesting possible ways to
ease problems in the wake of
the Centre’s demonetisation
decision, sources in the
Janata Dal (United), the CPI
(M) and the Congress
confirmed.
The panel is now left with
Govt. allays
fears over tax
on gold jewels
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The government on
Thursday sought to quell ru-
mours that all gold jewellery,
including ancestral inherit-
ances, could now be taxed
under the Taxation Laws
(Second Amendment) Bill
2016 passed by the Lok Sabha
on Tuesday.
It stressed that gold or jew-
ellery bought using dis-
closed income would not be
taxed.
“It is clarified that the jew-
ellery/gold purchased out of
disclosed income or out of
exempted income like agri-
cultural income or out of
reasonable household sav-
ings or legally inherited
which has been acquired out
of explained sources is nei-
ther chargeable to tax under
the existing provisions nor
under the proposed
amended provisions,” the
Finance Ministry said in a
statement.
The government also cited
a 1994 instruction from the
Income Tax Department that
gold jewellery and orna-
ments amounting to 500 gm
per married woman, 250 gm
per unmarried woman and
100 gm per male member of a
family need not be seized
“even if prima facie, it does
not seem to be matching
with the income record of
the assessee.”
However, the instruction
highlighted by the Ministry
emphasises the discretion of
the assessing oicer.
person, Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister N. Chandrab-
abu Naidu, and Madhya Pra-
desh Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chauhan. Mr. Naidu
leads the Telugu Desam
Party, which is a BJP ally, and
Mr. Chauhanis from the BJP.
Mr. Kumar’s decision not
to accept a place on the sub-
committee is particularly sig-
nificant as he had initially
supported the government’s
move.
Senior BJP leaders had told
The Hindu that despite what
Mr. Kumar’s JD(U) col-
leagues were saying in Parlia-
ment, the Bihar Chief
Up in arms
CO-OP MOVEMENT: Employees of co-operative societies of Maharashtra holding a demonstration against demonetisation
at Azad Maidan, in Mumbai on Thursday. — PHOTO: ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY
Extra cash helps Chennai banks
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
I n Bengaluru, police were
deployed at many banks
to control the milling
crowds.
Most banks, except State
Bank of India and State
Bank of Mysore, were un-
able to dispense cash to cus-
tomers as per the RBI with-
drawal limits.
The cash withdrawal
limits at banks varied from
Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 10,000. By
afternoon many banks had
run out of cash.
Bankers reported a shift
towards withdrawal of cash
Nitish Kumar, Manik Sarkar and V. Narayanasamy
Minister was actually with
them. This had also sparked
of speculation that the rela-
tionship between the JD(U)
and the Rashtriya Janata Dal,
its partner in the Bihar gov-
ernment, wason the rocks.
Mr. Sarkar was the first to
publicly refuse the Centre’s
ofer. Despite the Union Fin-
ance Minister’s insistence
that he join the panel, Mr.
by even those employees
who earlier never withdrew
cash on salary day, and pre-
ferred cards. Staring at a
cash crunch most banks left
ATM kiosks dry.
The RBI in Bengaluru has
been pushing Rs. 10 coins
into the market.
Many customers with-
drawing money from banks
and insisting on lower de-
nomination notes are being
issued bags of Rs. 10 coins.
In Chennai, queues began
forming early in the day
despite the rains. “By and
large the situation [on
Thursday] was better [than
Sarkar stayed firm. “I op-
posed the decision because it
created a disorder in our
economy and also 75 to 77
people have committed
suicide.”
Meanwhile, the Parlia-
mentary Standing Commit-
tee on Finance that met here
on Wednesday has decided to
call mid-month Reserve
Bank Governor Urijit Patel
Wednesday] and we could
manage,” D. Thomas
Franco Rajendra Dev,
senior vice-president of All
India Bank Oicers Con-
federation told The Hindu.
A senior manager from
IOB said, “We received ex-
tra cash to be disbursed
today and we could manage
the situation. But again the
concern is we still have not
got the Rs. 500 notes.”
In Hyderabad and the
rest of Telangana disap-
pointment continued to
reign, mainly because
banks did not have enough
cash to meet the demand.
move, the panel’s chairman
and senior Congress leader
M. Veerappa Moily said. It
was a “consensus decision,”
Mr. Moily said.
Solution to cash crunch
At a meeting organised by
Niti Aayog on Thursday, Mr.
Naidu pitched for digital pay-
ment methods as a solution to
the cash crunch in the coun-
try. As convener of the Chief
Ministers’ sub-committee, he
called for distribution of
more Rupay, Visa, Master and
debit cards, while underlin-
ing the need for more card
swipe machines.
(With inputs from Yuthika
Bhargava)
Building expectations of
the customers was a State
government announce-
ment, as well as advisory to
the banks, to disburse
Rs.10,000 in cash from the
November pay to serving
and retired employees.
While the branch of State
Bank of Hyderabad and
Andhra Bank in the Telan-
gana Secretariat complex
seemed to manage the de-
mand better, the same was
not the case with other
branches and banks as
thousands of salaried peo-
ple, including those in the
private sector, queued up.
NEW DELHI: Curb on money
transactions, including
withdrawals and wedding
expenses, are “only reason-
able restrictions” imposed
on the rights of the public for
a limited time, the govern-
ment said in its latest
aidavit.
“Cancellation of legal
tender of Rs. 500 and Rs.
1,000 notes is only a reason-
able restriction and regu-
latory in nature. Merely be-
cause there is a restriction on
the public to use the old high
denomination notes, the reg-
ulation cannot be held to be
illegal or unreasonable re-
striction as there is no in-
fringement of the funda-
mental rights of citizens,” the
aidavit said.
Major court hearing
Filed on Thursday on the
eve of a major court hearing
before a Bench led by Chief
Justice of India T.S. Thakur,
the aidavit justified that
multiple notifications issued
post demonetisation had not
deprived the public of their
money.
15 Ministers held cash in excess of Rs. 2.5 lakh
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
F orty currently serving
Ministers declared the
amount of cash they had in
hand as on March 31, 2016.
Of them, Shripad Yesso
Naik, Minister of State (Inde-
pendent) had Rs. 22 lakh and
Hansraj Ahir, MoS (Home)
possessed a little over Rs. 10
lakh.
Prime Minister Narendra
‘Co-operative banks
deliberately kept away’
LEGAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Centre on
Thursday said it was a
“conscious decision” to
keep co-operative banks
out of primary exchange
facility post
demonetisation.
The government was
replying to claims that
the demonetisation
policy has crippled the
entire co-operative
sector banking.
In an aidavit filed in
the Supreme Court, the
“They can still use their
money by use of cheques, e-
transfer, etc,” the aidavit
said. In a bid to quieten criti-
cism that the checks on
withdrawals is a violation of
the fundamental rights un-
der the Constitution, the
government said the demon-
etisation notifications were
“reasonable restraints im-
Modi declared cash holdings
of Rs. 89,700.
Less than Rs. 2 lakh
Most of the Ministers, 23
in all, declared that they had
under Rs. 2 lakh in cash,
while 15 held cash in excess
of Rs. 2.5 lakh, deposits of
which would invite scrutiny
from the I-T department fol-
lowing demonetisation.
A number of high-profile
Centre accused the
District Central Co-
operative Banks
(DCCBs) of “low-order
professionalism among
their staf and low-level
of automation.” The
government said the
“capability of DCCBs to
detect fake currency
Indian notes is also low.”
“The DCCBs are
deficient in ensuring
KYC norms, and thus,
their capability to detect
fake Indian currency
notes is not adequate.”
posed in the interests of the
general public for the
greater good of the public at
large.”
The government also said
that 1.69 lakh ATMs had
been recalibrated as on
November 28. “By Decem-
ber 2, it is expected that 1.96
lakh ATMs will be recalib-
rated,” it said.
Ministers, including
Transport Minister Nitin
Gadkari, Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar and Water
Resources Minister Uma
Bharti have not declared
their assets with the PMO.
The data also reveals that
not everyone in the govern-
ment’s roster of Ministers
shares the Prime Minister’s
enthusiasm for cashless
transactions.

Enough time
given to air
travellers: Centre
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: “It has been de-
cided that with efect from
midnight of December 2,
2016, petrol, diesel and gas
outlets of public sector oil
and gas marketing compan-
ies will be removed from the
exempted category for re-
ceipt of old Rs. 500 bank
notes,” the Finance Ministry
said in a statement on
Thursday.
“Similarly, purchase of air
tickets at airports was in-
cluded initially in the exemp-
ted category,” the Ministry
added. “It is observed that air
ticketing counters have facil-
ities to accept non cash/di-
gital payments. Further,
enough time has been al-
lowed for travellers to be
prepared with legal tender
and/or non-cash modes of
payment.”
Modi’s presence in Rajya
Sabha fails to break the ice
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The demonetisa-
tion issue rocked Parliament
for the 11th consecutive day
on Thursday, with even the
presence of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in the Rajya
Sabha failing to break the ice.
The Opposition — which
had demanded his presence
in the House as a precondi-
tion for the demonetisation
debate to continue — re-
ferred to his recent state-
ments outside Parliament
and called for an apology, al-
leging that he had suggested
that Opposition members
opposing the move were
backing black money.
The treasury benches ob-
jected to the Opposition
members’ tone, accusing
them of not wanting a debate
in the House.
Mr. Modi sat through the
Narendra Modi
Question Hour on a day
which had questions listed
against his name. Sub-
sequently, he was present in
the post-lunch session at 2
pm as well. He sat in the
House even during a 15-min-
ute adjournment, when
some members walked up to
him and greeted him.
BJP members protested
when Leader of the Opposi-
tion Ghulam Nabi Azad al-
leged that the PM has re-
marked that Opposition
parties supported black
money holders.
When Rajya Sabha chair-
man Hamid Ansari called the
listed speaker, A.U. Singh
Deo of the BJD, to speak on
demonetisation, Congress
members began to shout slo-
gans that the PM should apo-
logise, leading to adjourn-
ment. Information and
Broadcasting Minister M
Venkaiah Naidu later said
that the Congress had com-
pletely exposed itself as they
did not allow the House to
function even when the PM
was present.
In the Lok Sabha too, there
was no meeting ground on
the demonetisation, with the
Opposition insisting on a de-
bate under a rule that en-
tailed voting. The adjourned
amid interruptions.
Demonetisation
was a necessary
step, says U.S.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON: The U.S on
Wednesday described In-
dia’s demonetisation drive as
an “important and
necessary” step to curb illicit
cash and actions.
“This was, we believe, an
important and necessary
step to crack down on illegal
actions,” Mark Toner, State
Department spokesperson,
said.
Mr. Toner said the demon-
etisation exercise “followed
on a series of steps that the
Modi government took over
the past two years to reduce
black market money.”
Acknowledging that the
move inconvenienced peo-
ple, including American cit-
izens working and living in
India, Mr. Toner said it was
“a necessary one to address
the corruption.”

Taxation Bill: Opposition knocks on President’s door

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Leaders of 16 Op-
position parties, led by Con-
gress vice-president Rahul
Gandhi, called on President
Pranab Mukherjee on
Thursday to request him to
withhold his assent to The
Taxation Laws (Second
Amendment) Bill 2016, as the
government introduced the
legislation without giving
previous notice to the Lok
Sabha on Tuesday, and the
Rajya Sabha will have role in
its passage as it has been
framed as a Money Bill.
The parties that went in-
cluded the Congress, the CPI
(M), the CPI, the Trinamool
Congress, the Samajwadi
CM
YK
Party, the Bahujan Samaj
Party, the Janata Dal
(United), the Rashtriya
Janata Dal and the Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagham.
‘Attempt to crush voice’
Emerging from the meet-
ing with the President, Mr.
Gandhi said “This is an at-
tempt to crush the voice of
the Opposition.” Another
leader said unlike an earlier
meeting with the President
on the demonetisation issue,
Mr. Mukherjee asked many
questions on Thursday.
The amendments that had
been brought into the taxa-
tion Bill were brought in by
the government in the wake
of its demonetisation move:
tent of 50 per cent, 25 per cent
will be returned and another
25 per cent will be deposited
with the government for four
years — the interest earned
on that will fund the Pradhan
Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana,
2016.
In the letter submitted to
the President, the MPs have
written: “We had gravely ap-
prehended that Parliament-
ary procedures, seeking the
(From left) Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi participation of all members
Azad, former PM H.D. Deve Gowda, Congress leader Rahul in the House in a fruitful leg-
Gandhi and other Opposition leaders with President Pranab islative debate, would be
Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. — PHOTO: PTI abandoned for the passage of
the Bill. ..the Bill was passed
under the scheme, taxpayers post oices or Reserve Bank without discussion in the Lok
may declare undisclosed in- of India before a notified date. Sabha. Members’ rights to
come possessed in the form In such cases, taxes and pen- pass amendments were also
of cash or deposited in banks, alties will be levied, to the ex- bypassed.”
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
14 | WORLD
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

U.S. for closer defence ties with India
New bill seeks executive action to ‘recognise India’s status as a major partner’
VARGHESE K. GEORGE
WASHINGTON: The National De-
fence Authorisation Act
(NDAA), 2017, scheduled to
be passed by the U.S. Con-
gress next week, seeks exec-
utive action to “recognise In-
dia’s status as a major
defence partner of the
United States”.
The draft bill, released on
Wednesday, also said tech-
nology transfer to India and
defence cooperation must be
“consistent with United
States’ conventional arms
transfer policy”.
A move supported by a
pro-India group to designate
India a ‘major non-NATO
ally’ in the bill was aban-
doned earlier this year after
it failed to garner enough
support in Congress. The
U.S. recognised India as a
“major defence partner” in
June, during Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s visit, but
the implications of it re-
mains undefined. “..we
would be treated at a level
similar to the closest allies
and partners of the U.S. and
that it sort of allows for
better, higher quality, faster
technology access on the de-
fence side and also more
liberal access to the dual
technology side,” Foreign
Secretary S. Jaishankar had
said then.
Recently, Peter Lavoy,
Senior Director for South
Asia at the National Security
Council, said requests for
high technology from India
are considered these days
with a “presumption of ap-
proval” compared to the
“presumption of rejection”
that used to exist.
The 3,000-page text of the
NDAA, which authorises de-
fence expenditures for 2017,
has nearly 700 words under
the topic, ‘enhancing de-
fence and security coopera-
tion with India’. It mandates
to “designate an individual
within the executive branch
who has experience in de-
mocracies is being matched
by an institutionalisation of
defence cooperation in re-
cent years and I believe we
can fully expect the strong
positive trend to continue.”
Pressure on Pakistan
The new law will tighten
the screws on Pakistan to
take more credible action
against the Haqqani net-
work. It proposes to tie $400
million of the total $900 mil-
lion in coalition support
STRONGER RELATIONS: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and funds for Pakistan for 2017 to
his U.S. counterpart Ashton Carter taking a look at INS a certification by the
Vikramaditya in April this year. — FILE PHOTO Secretary of Defense.
In 2016, the amount was
fence acquisition and tech- cial unit that reviews ties $300 million, which was not
nology” to ensure the suc- with India. released after Secretary Ash
cess of bilateral defence ties The defence bill enhances Carter refused to certify in
and “to help resolve remain- India-U.S. defence ties, said favour of Pakistan. The law
ing issues impeding” them. Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, will require the Secretary to
It also calls for “strength- U.S. and International Stra- certify, among other things,
ening the efectiveness of the tegic Development, General that “Pakistan has taken
U.S.-India Defense Trade Atomics, manufacturers of steps to demonstrate its
and Technology Initiative unmanned aerial vehicles. commitment to prevent the
and the durability of the De- “Convergence of national se- Haqqani Network from us-
partment of Defense’s ‘India curity priorities of the ing any Pakistani territory as
Rapid Reaction Cell’,” a spe- world’s two great de- a safe haven”.
Trump holds talks with ‘terrific
Sharif’, India highlights terror
KALLOL BHATTACHERJEE
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday
said the U.S. is welcome to
engage Islamabad to end
cross-border terrorism em-
anating from the Pakistani
territory. The statement
came after Islamabad said
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
had a telephone conversa-
tion with U.S. President-
elect Donald Trump in
which the latter expressed
“willingness” to play a role in
resolving Pakistan’s “out-
standing issues”.
“The conversation does
talk about the President-
elect willing to resolve the
outstanding issues of
Pakistan. Well, we believe
the most outstanding of the
outstanding issues is
Pakistan’s continued support
for cross-border terrorism.
To that extend, we welcome
a dialogue between the U.S.
and Pakistan to resolve that
particular issue,” said Vikas
Swarup, spokesperson of the
External Afairs Ministry.
Pakistani Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif. — FILE PHOTO: AFP
“Pakistan as a country has
a long record of carrying out
cross-border terror attacks.
This puts Pakistan at odds
with the rest of the interna-
tional community,” he add-
ed.
‘Very good reputation’
According to a statement
issued by Pakistan, Mr.
Trump and Prime Minister
Sharif had the conversation
on Wednesday night.
“President Trump said
Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, you have a very good
reputation. You are a terrific
guy. You are doing amazing
work which is visible in
every way,” the release said.
Islamabad welcomed Mr.
Trump’s “willingness” to
play a role in resolving “out-
standing issues between
Pakistan and India, including
the core issue of Jammu and
Kashmir”, according to a
spokesperson of the
Ministry of Foreign Afairs in
Islamabad.
In Washington, Mr.
Trump’s transition team is-
sued a statement, saying the
Preident-elect is “looking
forward to a lasting and
strong personal relation-
ship” with Prime Minister
Sharif.
“President-elect Donald
Trump and the Prime
Minister of Pakistan,
Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,
spoke today and had a
productive conversation
about how the United States
and Pakistan will have a
strong working relationship
in the future,” it said.

In conciliatory address, Putin No troop presence in Afghanistan: China Bharara agrees

to stay on after
seeks better ties with U.S. Both countries are
discussing ways
ATUL ANEJA

BEIJING: China has denied that

MOSCOW: In a conciliatory
state-of-the-nation address,
Russian President Vladimir
Putin on Thursday voiced
hope for mending a rift with
the U.S. and pooling eforts
in fighting terrorism.
The speech reflected Mo-
scow’s hope that President-
elect Donald Trump could
help repair ties with Wash-
ington that have sunk to a
post-Cold War low over the
crisis in Ukraine, the Syria
war and other disputes.
Mr. Putin emphasised that
friendly relations between
the two superpowers are es-
sential for global stability.
“Russia-U.S. cooperation
in solving global and re-
gional problems answers the
interests of the entire world,”
he said. “We share respons-
ibility for ensuring global se-
curity and stability and
strengthening the non-pro-
liferation regime.”
Mr. Putin’s live address
contrasted with some of his
recent speeches, in which he
launched scathing attacks on
the U.S. and its allies.
Tensions escalated during
the U.S. election campaign,
when President Barack Oba-
ma’s administration accused
Moscow of hacking Amer-
ican political sites and e-mail
accounts in an efort to inter-
fere with the vote. The
Kremlin has rejected the ac-
cusations. Mr. Putin noted in
his speech that Russia has
faced “attempts of foreign
pressure with all tools in-
volved from the myths about
Russian aggression, [allega-
tions] of meddling in elec-
tions to the hounding of our
athletes,” a reference to dop-
ing scandals.
But he also emphasised
PARTNERS IN POWER: Russian President Vladimir Putin with PM
Dmitry Medvedev, after addressing the Federal Assembly of
both houses of Parliament in Moscow on Thursday. — PHOTO: AFP
that Russia bears no grudge
against the West and is open
for a “friendly and equal”
dialogue on global issues.
‘Equal dialogue’
In a phone call on Nov. 16,
Mr. Trump had told Mr.
Putin that he looks forward
to “a strong and enduring re-
lationship with Russia and
the people of Russia”, ac-
cording to his transition
team. Mr. Putin said that Rus-
sia is open to a “friendly and
equal dialogue” about global
security. He mostly focused
his speech on economic and
social issues. The Russian
economy contracted 3.7 per
cent in 2015 and the reces-
sion has continued this year
under the combined blow of
low oil prices and Western
sanctions.
Alexei Navalny, a leading
opposition figure, said that
Mr. Putin’s speech sounded
dull as he muted his criticism
of the West. — AP
Ukraine launches
missile drills
near Crimea
KIEV: Ukraine on Thursday
unleashed a barrage of missile
tests near Russian-annexed
Crimea in a show of strength and
defiance bound to irritate
Moscow. The two-day military
drills near the Black Sea
peninsula are a first for the
former Soviet republic and a sign
that it is regaining assertiveness.
“No one will stop us,”
Ukrainian President Petro
Poroshenko tweeted. Spokesman
for Kremlin Dmitry Peskov told
Thursday’s online edition of the
Vedomosti daily that Russia
would shoot down the missiles if
it felt threatened. A source in the
Crimean military told Russia’s RIA
Novosti state news agency that
his region’s anti-missile systems
had been put on a heightened
state of alert. — AFP
its forces were conducting
vehicular patrols in Afgh-
anistan, despite active milit-
ary cooperation with Kabul,
as part of a quadrilateral
mechanism established
earlier this year.
Asked about a report that
appeared on the website of
an Indian media outlet al-
legedly showing Chinese se-
curity forces patrolling Afgh-
anistan’s northeastern Little
Pamir region, Defence
Ministry spokesman Yang
Yujun on Wednesday said: “I
have also noticed the report
you mentioned. Actually, the
report by some foreign
media about Chinese milit-
Thai Crown Prince
proclaimed new King
BANGKOK: Crown Prince Maha
Vajiralongkorn became the
king of Thailand late on
Thursday, opening a new
chapter for the powerful
monarchy in a country still
mourning the death of his
father.
The 64-year-old inherits
one of the world’s richest
monarchies as well as a po-
litically febrile nation, and
was proclaimed king 50 days
after King Bhumibol Aduly-
adej’s death.
After weeks of complex
palace protocols the prince
was invited by the head of
the National Legislative As-
sembly (NLA) to ascend the
throne in an event broadcast
on all Thai television
channels.
“I agree to accept the
wishes of the late king... for
ary vehicles entering the ter-
ritory of Afghanistan for
patrol is inconsistent with
to the threat of terrorism and
extremism.
The spokesman also did
meeting Trump
the fact.” Reuters also quoted to jointly counter not confirm Pakistani media WASHINGTON: Indian-origin at-
a denial by an Afghan oicial reports that China would de- torney Preet Bharara has
of the report.
terror and ploy its naval ships in
agreed to remain in his
cross-border crimes Gwadar in coordination with present position after meet-
Joint activities Pakistan. ing President-elect Donald
Col. Yang, however, ac- Col. Yang highlighted that In response to a question, Trump. Appointed as the
knowledged that China and mid-ranking military oicers he said the “two navies have U.S. Attorney for the South-
Afghanistan “have been dis- of the four countries had also maintained friendly ex- ern District of New York by
cussing conducting joint law been part of a five-day sym- changes and cooperation in President Barack Obama in
enforcement activities, pre- posium on counter- such fields as port calls of 2009, Mr. Bharara has earned
venting and combating ter- terrorism, which ended on naval ships and replenish- the reputation of a “cru-
rorist activities and orga- November 27 at the Special ment at ports, etc.” sader” prosecutor.
nised cross-border crimes Operations College of the When contacted, Liu “The President-elect
along the China-Afghanistan People’s Liberation Army in Zongyi of the Shanghai Insti- asked... to meet with me to
border”. Beijing. tutes for International Stud- discuss whether or not I’d be
Along with Pakistan and He acknowledged that the ies told The Hindu that the prepared to stay on,” said Mr.
Tajikistan, China and Afgh- event had been held as part “Gwadar port is a business Bharara.
anistan are part of a quadri- of the quadrilateral counter- port”. He added: “I do not “I said I would absolutely
lateral military mechanism terrorism mechanism estab- think China will establish a consider staying on. I agreed
to counter terrorism. lished in August in response naval base at Gwadar.” to stay on,” he added. — PTI
Thailand’s Crown Prince
Maha Vajiralongkorn.
— FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
the benefit of the entire Thai
people,” said Mr. Vajir-
alongkorn, wearing an oi-
cial white tunic decorated
with medals and a pink sash.
He becomes Rama X of
Thailand’s Chakri dynasty,
but will not formally be
crowned until after his
father's cremation, which is
expected next year. — AFP

Crashed plane Park breaks down after public appearance

had no fuel at the
time of impact
MEDELLIN (COLOMBIA): The plane
that crashed in Colombia
killing 71 people including
most of a Brazilian soccer
team had no fuel on impact,
according to initial findings
by aviation oicials, prompt-
ing an investigation into why
the plane flew under those
conditions.
The comments by the civil
aviation authority late on
Wednesday night confirmed
Bolivian pilot Miguel Quiro-
ga’s final words to the con-
trol tower at Medellin’s air-
port on a crackly audio
obtained by Colombian
media. “When we arrived at
the accident site and were
able to inspect the remains
we could confirm that the
aircraft had no fuel at the
time of impact,” said Freddy
Bonilla, secretary of airline
security at Colombia’s avi-
ation authority. A recording
of the pilot’s final words can
be heard telling the control
tower the plane was “in total
failure, total electrical fail-
ure, without fuel”.
He requested urgent per-
mission to land before the
audio went silent. The BAe
146, made by BAE Systems
Plc, slammed into a moun-
tainside next to the town of
La Union outside Medellin.
— Reuters
CM
YK
SEOUL: Battered by massive
protests and an impeach-
ment push, South Korea’s
President cried on Thursday
during her first public ap-
pearance since a huge politi-
cal scandal exploded in Oc-
tober.
President Park Geun-hye’s
visit to a rural market came
as opponents in Parliament
squabble over whether to
impeach her.
Meanwhile, police said
they arrested a 48-year-old
man who told investigators
he used paint thinner to set
fire to the birthplace of Ms.
Park’s late father on
Abbas proposes unity government with Hamas
Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas.
— FILE PHOTO: AFP
Thursday because he was
angry over her refusal to step
down immediately over the
scandal involving a confid-
ant accused of influence ped-
dling and extortion. A me-
morial hall for Ms. Park’s
parents, ex-President Park
Chung-hee and Yook Young-
soo, was nearly burned
down.
Ms. Park didn’t immedi-
ately comment publicly on
the arson.
Earlier on Thursday, Ms.
Park visited a market in the
nearby city of Daegu where
hundreds of shops had been
destroyed by a previous fire.
RAMI NAZZAL
PETER BAKER
RAMALLAH (WEST BANK): Mah-
moud Abbas, the President
of the Palestinian Authority,
proposed on Wednesday the
creation of a temporary
unity government along with
Hamas. In a three-hour ad-
dress at a conference of his
Fatah party, Mr. Abbas
sought to push forward long-
stalled eforts to reconcile
the two major competing
Palestinian factions, and to
present an image of unity.
Mr. Abbas invited Hamas
to send representatives for
negotiations to bridge the di-
South Korean President Park
Geun-hye. — FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
Daegu is her political
home turf where she was
elected as a national law-
maker four times before be-
coming President in 2013.
vide, and he thanked Khaled
Meshal, the organisation’s
political chief, for ofering a
supportive message that Mr.
Abbas passed along to the
conference.
A month after meeting
with Mr. Meshal in Qatar, Mr.
Abbas told his supporters
that the two parties should
form a joint government to
be followed by presidential,
legislative and other elec-
tions. “Our national unity is
our safety valve, and I call on
Hamas to end the division,”
Mr. Abbas told the party con-
ference. “There will not be a
Palestinian state without
Gaza.” It is uncertain
Local TV showed dozens
of people at the market
shouting “Park Geun-hye!”
and using cellphones to pho-
tograph her as she walked
through the fire-ravaged
shops. “Merchants [here]
supported me whenever I
had diiculties and I’m really
sorry,” Ms. Park said during
her visit, according to her of-
fice. “I agonised a lot over
whether I should come here
in the current situation.”
Ms. Park cried after re-
turning to her car, her oice
said, citing presidential se-
curity staf who travelled
with her. — AP
whether the two sides can
follow through on a uni-
fication proposal, or would
want to. Hamas stunned Fa-
tah with its victory in leg-
islative elections in the West
Bank and Gaza in 2006, and
then seized control of Gaza
in 2007, driving its rival party
out of the strip altogether.
Half-a-dozen reconciliation
agreements since then have
fallen apart.
Mr. Abbas also said that he
hoped U.S. President-elect
Donald Trump would pur-
sue eforts to fairly resolve
the Palestinians’ conflict
with Israel. — New York
Times News Service
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BUSINESS | 15
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

Gujarat is committed to becoming an SENSEX GOLD RUPEE BRENT OIL

aerospace and defence manufacturing hub 01-12-2016 26,560 01-12-2016 29,000 01-12-2016 68.34 01-12-2016 53.18
Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Chief Minister 92 450 0.04 4.29
30-11-2016 26,652 points 30-11-2016 29,450 ₨/10gms 30-11-2016 68.38 ₨/$ 30-11-2016 48.89 $/bbl

Manufacturing PMI eases in

BRIEFLY
Apollo Health raises
Rs.450 crore from IFC
Taxman says 85%, Nokia-branded
phones to hit the
market in 2017
November on demonetisation efect
CHENNAI: Apollo Health and
Lifestyle Ltd. (AHLL) a wholly
owned subsidiary of Apollo
Hospitals Enterprise Ltd., has
experts opine 83.25% SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Nokia-branded

phones are all set to make a
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Demonetisation

adversely impacted manu-
facturing growth in Novem-
raised Rs.450 crore from
International Finance Corp. and
Uncertainty over how much tax dodgers will have to pay global comeback next year.
HMD Global, which had
ber, according to a Nikkei In-
dia survey of purchasing
IFC Asset Management VIKAS DHOOT entered into an exclusive 10- managers. Conditions, nev-
Company. This investment will year brand licensing agree- ertheless, improved for the
fuel AHLL’s expansion plans and NEW DELHI: The tax law amend- ment with Nokia for mobile eleventh consecutive month,
fulfill its vision of bringing ments to implement the phones and tablets globally, the survey showed.
healthcare of global standards latest voluntary income dis- earlier this year, on Thursday “The withdrawal of high-
within the reach of 20 million closure scheme has left tax said it would launch the An- value banknotes in India re-
patients each year by 2020. practitioners puzzled about droid-based Nokia smart- portedly hampered manu-
AHLL will use the funds to the efective rate of tax and phone in the first half of 2017. facturing growth in Novem-
expand its network of clinics, penalty that will be imposed In 2014, U.S.-based Mi- ber, with companies
cradle and diagnostics centres on those who fail to avail of crosoft had acquired Nokia’s signalling softer increases in GRINDING DOWN: Cash shortage post-demonetisation
across India. — Special what is being considered the handset business for $7.2 bil- order books, buying levels hampered new work, buying and production. — FILE PHOTO
Correspondent last chance at amnesty for lion. It later sold the brand- and output,” the Nikkei India
holders of black money. ing rights to HMD Global Manufacturing Purchasing banknotes in India caused goods producers recording a
and contract manufacturer Managers’ Index (PMI) said. problems for manufacturers, sharp slowdown in growth.
Exchange Rates Ambiguous language Foxconn for $350 million. The headline figure for the as cash shortages hampered However, the prevailing
Indicative direct rates in rupees a unit Nokia’s non-compete clause
except yen at 4 p.m on December 01 While the government has PMI for India was 52.3 in growth of new work, buying conditions could point to-
said that the tax rate and pen- with Microsoft (after the lat- November, with a reading activity and production,” wards further cuts in interest
TT TT ter took over the company)
Currencies Buying Selling
alty to be levied on un- over 50 indicating an expan- Pollyanna De Lima, rates by the Reserve Bank of
declared cash and assets for TAX RIDDLE: The language of the amendments suggests that expires in 2017. The company sion in activity. “However, Economist at IHS Markit and India.
U.S. Dollar 68.14 68.46 will move away from Mi-
Euro 72.40 72.74 which a source of income the tax and penalty payable could be lesser. — FILE PHOTO down from October’s 22- author of the report, said. “Of respite to firms, cost
can’t be explained, would crosoft’s Windows OS in fa- month high of 54.4, the latest “However, whereas some inflationary pressures
Pound Sterling 85.98 86.39
Jap Yen (100 Units) 59.61 59.90 add up to 85 per cent, the lan- of sub-section (1) of section is a good option and since the vour of Google’s Android reading pointed to a modest may have anticipated an out- softened, which in turn en-
Chinese Yuan 9.88 9.94 guage of the amendments to 115BBE,” it states. government appears relent- OS. “In future, Nokia smart- upturn overall,” the report right downturn, the sector couraged the vast majority of
Swiss Franc 67.27 67.60 the income tax (I-T) law “The drafting of the new less in its drive against black phones will utilise Google’s added. held its ground and re- businesses to keep their
Singapore Dollar 47.68 47.91 cleared by Lok Sabha on provisions has created ambi- money, so clients are being Android operating system, mained in expansion mode.” selling prices unchanged,”
Australian Dollar 50.32 50.56 Tuesday seems to suggest guity on how the 10 per cent advised to assume the worst currently deployed on 86 per Cash shortage The report said that the Ms. De Lima said. “If this
Canadian Dollar 50.78 51.02 that the actual amount pay- penalty will be applied, ie, and consider that the rate cent of the world’s smart- “PMI data for November sectors it monitored had wit- trend is sustained we will
Swedish Kroner 7.39 7.42 able could be a little lesser, whether only on the base payable if they don’t use the phones,” HMD Global said in showed that the sudden nessed softer growth in likely see further cuts to the
Danish Kroner 9.73 9.78 tax experts said. rate of tax (60 per cent), res- voluntary disclosure win- a statement. withdrawal of high-value November, with consumer benchmark rate.”
New Zealand Dollar 48.27 48.50 Section 115 BBE stipulates ulting in an efective rate of dow will be 85 per cent,” Mr.
Hongkong Dollar 8.79 8.83 a 60 per cent tax rate plus 25 83.25%, or on the total tax, in- Vanvari said.
Malaysian Ringgit 15.27 15.36
Kuwaiti Dinar
UAE Dirham
Bahraini Dinar
222.10 224.61
18.55 18.64
180.62 181.71
per cent of the tax to be
levied as surcharge, which
adds up to about 75 per cent.
cluding surcharge and cess,
resulting in an efective rate
of close to 85 per cent, which
Queries sent to the Central
Board of Direct Taxes re-
mained unanswered.
‘90% of ATMs recalibrated, but cash scarce’
With the addition of 3 per is what the Government has
Qatari Riyal 18.76 18.77 Penalty base MANOJIT SAHA pensing machines. Follow- said. However, the supply of
Saudi Riyal 18.22 18.22
cent of tax to be paid as cess, been talking of,” said Ab-
the tax liability comes to hishek Goenka, partner (Tax However, a senior oicial ing the withdrawal of cash was still an issue which
Omani Riyal 176.94 177.86
77.25 per cent. However, the & Regulatory Services) at in the revenue department MUMBAI: NCR Corporation, Rs.1,000 and Rs.500 notes, a was resulting in ATMs run-
Source:Indian Bank
new section 271 AAC intro- PwC. said that the changes were in which has supplied almost new Rs.500 note was issued ning dry frequently, the NCR
duced in the I-T law that em- line with the 85 per cent tax half the 2 lakh cash-dispens- along with a new Rs.2,000 executive said.
powers assessing oicers to ‘Not cohesive’ rate announced as a stick to ing ATMs in the country, said note. The new notes are of “The ATMs have been dis-
levy an additional penalty at KPMG India partner Gir- drive out black money. 90 per cent of all ATMs had diferent sizes so the cash pensing the new notes, only
Bullion Rates been recalibrated to dis- dispensing machines have challenge is the quantum
December 01 rates in rupees with
10 per cent of tax payable in ish Vanvari, who heads the “In taxation, penalties are
cases where a person can’t tax practice, said that the always considered payable pense the new Rs.2,000 and had to be physically recalib- that is available,” Mr. Dastur
previous rates in brackets
explain the source of income, new sections in the tax law on the total tax liability, so Rs.500 currency notes. rated so that they can read said. “What is happening
Chennai “The task force had man- and dispense the new cur- now is that we are filling the
Bar Silver (1 kg) 40,495 (40,805)
is a source of confusion. are not cohesive. “This has the 10 per cent penalty that
“The assessing oicer led to a doubt on the inter- an assessing oicer can levy dated us (ATM suppliers) Navroze Dastur rency notes. ATMs with Rs.500 and
Retail (1 g) 43.30 (43.70)
may… direct that… the as- pretation of the total tax pay- would be applicable on the that we recalibrate the ATMs Out of the 2 lakh cash dis- Rs.100 but they are running
24 ct gold (10 g) 28,900 (29,390)
sessee shall pay by way of able. This may need to be 77.25 per cent of liability pay- by November 30,” NCR Cor- A task force headed by RBI pensing machines, NCR dry in one or two hours be-
22 ct gold (1 g) 2,762 (2,808)
Delhi penalty, in addition to tax amended, since the govern- able under section 115BBE, poration India & South Asia Deputy Governor S.S. Mun- handles about 1 lakh ma- cause the demand is so
Silver 40,700 (40,735) payable under section ment’s intent is to levy an 85 which includes surcharge at MD Navroze Dastur told The dra was set up to ensure chines. “We started the high… people are taking the
Standard Gold 29,000 (29,450) 115BBE, a sum computed at per cent rate,” he said. 25 per cent of tax and cess. Hindu on Thursday. “We speedy recalibration of activity on November 13; we cash but not putting into cir-
Sovereign 24,350 (24,400) the rate of ten per cent of the “The amnesty window to This adds up to 84.95 per have done about 1.8 lakh ATMs. Out of the 2.2 lakh have done record work in culation,” he said. “The issue
tax payable under clause (i) declare inexplicable income cent,” the oicial said. ATMs already.” ATMs , 2 lakh are cash dis- that time period,” Mr. Dastur seems to be supply.”

CM ND-ND
YK
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
16 | BUSINESS
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

SNIPPETS Jio extends data

Oil prices zoom 4 per cent on OPEC-Russia deal Carmakers brace for ‘Deposits of
withdrawn high-
ofer to March 31
NEW YORK: Oil prices rose more than 4 per cent on Thursday, with Brent value notes near
crude at its highest in about 16 months, extending gains after OPEC and
Russia agreed to restrict output to speed up the rebalancing of a long-
oversupplied market. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries agreed on Wednesday to its first oil output reduction since
2008 after de-facto leader Saudi Arabia accepted “a big hit” and
demonetisation impact Rs.11 lakh crore’
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
PIYUSH PANDEY

MUMBAI: Mukesh Ambani-led

dropped a demand that arch-rival Iran also slash output. The deal also Slowdown triggered by uncertainty, may be short-term
included the group’s first coordinated action with non-OPEC member
Russia in 15 years. On Thursday, Azerbaijan said it was also willing to SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
engage in talks on cuts. — Reuters
NEW DELHI: The auto industry
is bracing for ‘short term
SlideApp raises funding worth $3.6 million headwinds’ due to ‘immedi-
ate disruption and uncer-
BENGALURU: SlideApp, a lock screen app that awards Android users for tainty’ brought in by demon-
reading content, said that it has raised series A round of funding worth etisation, even as some
$3.6 million. The funding was led by Songhyun Investment, a South carmakers posted double di-
Korean venture capital firm. The platform plans to use the money to git growth in domestic sales
scale its user base, develop products and strengthen its brand presence during November. Signific-
in the market. “We will continue to multiply our outreach as much as we antly, these figures reflect
can and build upon providing value to our users,” said Amrita Gujral, only the wholesale figures
co-founder of SlideApp, in a statement. SlideApp, which is just more for the industry and not the
than a year old now, said that the app has been downloaded more than retail sales reported by
five million times. — Special Correspondent dealers.
While players such as
Maruti, Toyota and Volkswa-
Lupin to market Eli Lilly’s new insulin in India gen saw robust growth, auto-
makers such as Mahindra,
MUMBAI: Lupin Ltd. has entered into an agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. Ford and Honda saw their
(India) Pvt. Ltd. to market and sell Eglucent, a new brand of Lilly’s sales drop during the month.
rapid-acting insulin analog Lispro, through its own field force in India. Market leader Maruti Su-
Lilly will be responsible for manufacturing and import. As per the zuki said it sold more than
agreement, Lilly will continue to sell Lispro under the brand name 1.26 lakh units in the country
Humalog, through its existing channels. Lupin, in July 2011, collaborated last month, up 14.2 per cent
with Lilly to promote and distribute Lilly’s Huminsulin products in India from the same period last
and Nepal. Eglucent is indicated for treating patients with diabetes year.
mellitus. It is an injectable medication designed to improve blood sugar Domestic sales for Toyota
control in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. — Special Correspondent Kirloskar Motor (TKM) rose
10.03 per cent to 11,309 units
in November. N Raja, Dir-
Air India Express first half net at Rs. 415 crore ector & Sr. VP(Sales & Mar-
keting) at TKM said the firm
KOCHI: Air India Express, the low-cost arm of Air India, has earned net had received more than
profit of Rs.415 crore in the first half of the year. The period has 6,200 bookings for the new
witnessed a capacity increase of 21 per cent and the airline’s operating Fortuner, while Innova
revenue has increased 18 per cent in the period, according to a press Crysta has clocked more
release. The airline has achieved operating revenue of Rs.1,897 crore than 50,000 units within six
against Rs.1,609 crore, earned in the first half of 2015-16. The airline months of its launch.
carried 1.64 million passengers during the period. Air India Express has
inducted four Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft to its fleet, on dry lease, ‘Afected walk-ins’
during the first half, enabling the airline to introduce new routes and “However, demonetisa-
increase frequencies on existing routes. — Special Correspondent tion has had its impact on our
sales as it has afected cus-
tomer walk-ins at dealer-
Moody’s upgrades power sector outlook to stable ships, order bookings and
timely deliveries. This will
NEW DELHI: Moody’s has upgraded the outlook for India’s power sector
pose as a major challenge in
to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’ in view of surge in domestic coal production
the coming days as custom-
and likely improvement in discoms’ financial health due to the UDAY
ers are still dealing with the
scheme. “We have changed the outlook for the Indian power sector to
efects of demonetisation,”
stable from negative, because the increased domestic production of coal
Mr. Raja added.
will ease constraints on fuel supply,” the ratings agency said in its
Likewise, domestic sales
investors’ service report ’Power Sector — Asia Pacific: 2017 Outlook —
for homegrown auto major
Rising Industry Challenges Are Manageable, Outlook Stable’ “In India,
Tata Motors’ grew 22 per
renewable generation could act as a complementary source of power
cent to 12,736 units, driven by
rather than a competitor to thermal, owing to power shortages.”— PTI
strong demand for the Tata
CURRENCY JAM: Demonetisation has hit the industry even as it
had begun to see stability after an uncertain period. — FILE PHOTO
Tiago. “The limitation on
cash availability due to the
recent demonetisation has
afected retails in the auto in-
dustry, this month,” said
Mayank Pareek, President,
Passenger Vehicle Business,
Tata Motors.
Volkswagen India repor-
ted a more than two-fold in-
crease in sales to 4,014 units
in November, while Renault
posted 23 per cent rise in
sales to 9,604 units.
Mahindra & Mahindra
said domestic sales in
November declined 24.29
per cent to 29,814 units.
“While we expected an im-
proved auto industry per-
formance on the back of the
festive season and other pos-
itive parameters such as
rural demand and interest
rates softening, the sudden
announcement of demonet-
isation has brought in dis-
ruption and uncertainty.” He
added that this was signific-
ant as “the automotive in-
dustry had just started expe-
riencing stability post a long
and tough period of uncer-
tainty,” Mr Shah said.
Similarly, Anurag Mehro-
tra, Executive Director (Mar-
keting, Sales & Service) Ford
India, which saw domestic
sales fall 21.62 per cent to
6,876 units, said, “While the
macro-economic indicators
continue to be positive, the
auto industry does face
short-term headwinds given
the recent demonetisation
drive.” The sales for Honda
Cars India fell 45.42 per cent
to 8,029 units. Its President
and CEO Yoichiro Ueno said,
“Consumer sentiment was
low and footfalls and enquir-
ies at the dealerships also
slowed down during the
month.”
Among two-wheeler
firms, India Yamaha Motor
reported a 20 per cent in-
crease in domestic sales at
51,106 units, while Honda
Motorcycle and Scooter In-
dia’s sales growth was flat at
3.25 lakh units in and Royal
Enfield’s domestic sales rose
39 per cent to 55,843 units.
Wholesale figures
Abdul Majeed, Partner at
PwCsaid, “Demonetisation
will have significant negative
impact at least in the next
two to three months espe-
cially (for) two-wheelers,
SUVs, luxury and commer-
cial vehicles.” He added that
November sales do not re-
flect the ground reality of re-
tail sales as manufacturers
give out wholesale numbers.
MUMBAI: Deposits made in the
withdrawn currency notes
may have reached close to
Rs.11 lakh crore in just three
weeks since the start of the
demonetisation drive aimed
at striking at black money,
according to banking in-
dustry sources.
And with almost one
month to go till the time the
banned notes can no longer
be deposited, bankers won-
der if the objective of the en-
tire exercise may be under-
mined if 90 per cent of the
high-denomination notes
that were withdrawn, end up
being returned to the bank-
ing system.
The high value notes were
banned to curb the stock of
black money in circulation.
According to Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) data, the
total value of Rs.500 and
Rs.1,000 notes that were in
circulation as at the end of
March 2016 was Rs 14.18 lakh
crore.
There were 15,707 million
pieces of Rs.500 notes and
6,326 million pieces of
Rs.1000 notes.
RBI had said Rs.8.45 lakh
crore was deposited and ex-
changed between November
10 and November 27.
The withdrawal of the spe-
cified currency notes was
implemented from Novem-
ber 9 and from November 10,
banks started accepting the
withdrawn notes.
Such notes can be de-
posited in banks and post of-
fices till December 30.
“Rs.8.5 lakh crore was al-
ready deposited by Novem-
ber 27. So it is quite possible
that the figure has gone close
to Rs.11 lakh crore,” a banking
industry oicial, who did not
wish to be identified, said.
State Bank of India, the
biggest lender, saw deposits
jump by 11 per cent, or
Rs.22,000 crore, in the three-
day period ended November
30 to Rs.2.16 lakh crore.
Reliance Jio on Thursday
said it would extend its intro-
ductory free data services till
March 31, 2017.
The extended ofer, titled
‘Jio Happy New Year’, is ex-
pected to help the company
double the number of sub-
scribers to more than 100
million from 52 million now.
“Starting December 4,
every new Jio user will get…
Jio’s data, voice, video and
the full bouquet of Jio applic-
ations and content, abso-
lutely free, till March 31,
2017,” said Reliance Indus-
tries chairman Mukesh Am-
bani. Mr. Ambani was speak-
ing at the Reliance Corporate
Park (RCP) oice addressing
a gathering of more than 400
employees and business
partners. Manoj Modi, his
close confidant and son
Akash Ambani were also
present at the event.
Mr. Ambani also said that
Jio had become the fastest-
growing technology com-
pany globally.
“In the first three months,
Jio has grown faster than
Facebook, WhatsApp or
Skype (had, in that time). In
83 days, Jio has crossed 50
million customers on its 4G
LTE ALL-IP wireless broad-
band network,” said Mr. Am-
bani adding that on average,
a Jio customer used 25 times
more data than the average
Indian broadband user.
Talking about call drops,
Mr. Ambani said, “In the last
3 months, nearly 900 crore
voice calls from Jio custom-
ers to the networks of our
three largest competitors
were blocked.”
Mr. Ambani added, “The
call block rates have come
down from over 90 per cent
to nearly 20 per cent as of
(Wednesday). ...In the com-
ing weeks, this will come be-
low the specified grade of
service, which is 0.2 per
cent.” For enterprise and
high-end customers, Reli-
ance Jio has introduced
Mukesh Ambani
home delivery of Jio Sims.
Mr. Ambani also said that
about 8 per cent of Jio towers
have experienced conges-
tion due to abnormally high
data usage, leading to lower
data speeds.
Signalling imminent re-
strictions on data usage, Mr.
Ambani said, “Eighty per
cent of Jio users use less than
1 GB of data a day.” The rest
consume disproportionately
higher amounts, leading to
congestion.
“We have fine-tuned our
Fair Usage Policy to ensure
all users get a fair share of
Jio’s capacity.”
Mr. Ambani also lauded
the government’s decision to
demonetise old currency
notes, describing it as a bold
decision. “By doing this, our
Prime Minister has given the
strongest possible push to
the growth of a digitally-en-
abled, optimal-cash econo-
my in India.”
TRAI to review
PTI reports: Telecom reg-
ulator TRAI said it would ex-
amine Reliance Jio’s latest of-
fer providing free 4G
services.
“We will look into it. Every
tarif that is filed before us is
examined. We will come up
with our response at appro-
priate time,” TRAI chairman
R.S. Sharma said when asked
about the validity of Jio’s new
ofer.
TRAI had earlier allowed
Jio to provide free services
till the end of the year for
those who subscribed to its
services till December 3.

RBI challenges RBI will decide on withdrawal

Tata-Docomo
deal in Delhi HC limits from banks, ATMs: Centre
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of NEW DELHI: The government

India (RBI) on Thursday
challenged the legality of the
Tata-Docomo deal in the
Delhi High Court, citing vio-
lation of the Foreign Ex-
change Management Act
Regulations. In its applica-
tion, it said that Tata Sons
should not be allowed to re-
mit money overseas either
for share buyback or for the
arbitration award. The court
issued notices to Tata Sons
and Docomo for their reply
to the plea, a lawyer present
in the court told The Hindu.
The next hearing will be on
December 21.
The RBI’s application
came even as Tata Sons’ law-
yer informed the court that it
intended to pay the arbitral
award of $1.17 billion but had
been unable to do so due to
the lack of permission from
India’s central bank. A Tata
Sons spokesperson declined
to comment citing the matter
being sub-judice.
has taken a step back from
taking a call on rationing
cash supply through various
withdrawal limits imposed
on customers from bank
branches and ATMs, by put-
ting the onus of these de-
cisions on the Reserve Bank
of India, through an oicial
notification on Thursday.
Following Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s decision to FRESH RULE: The notification also said ATMs must ensure they
demonetise high-value cur- dispense any denomination notes specified by RBI. — FILE PHOTO
rency notes unveiled on
November 8, the Ministry from a bank account over the specified.”
had first notified that over- counter shall be such as may The decision to let the RBI
the-counter cash be specified by the RBI from take the lead in such de-
withdrawals would be time to time" and from cisions comes after several
restricted to Rs.10,000 per ATMs would now be as spe- alterations and amendments
day subject to an overall cified by the RBI. to the rules by the govern-
limit of Rs.20,000 per week, The notification on ment over the three-odd
which was subsequently Thursday also added that weeks since demonetisation.
raised to Rs.24,000 a week. ATMs must ensure that they Following the Finance
Similar restrictions were dispense notes of any de- Ministry announcement
put on ATM withdrawals nomination as specified by about myriad rule changes,
and so on. the RBI rather than the the central bank needed to
However, in its latest noti- earlier requirement that they notify the same to enable
fication, the Ministry has must dispense notes of Rs.50 banks to implement the new
said that “cash withdrawal and Rs.100 “until further withdrawal limits.

Oicials want Coal India broken up

NEW DELHI: Senior government
oicials tasked by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
with reviewing energy se-
curity are recommending
the break up of the country’s
coal monopoly, Coal India
Ltd., within a year.
Attempts to break up the
world’s biggest coal miner
would be met with strong re-
sistance from powerful uni-
ons representing the com-
pany’s employees of more
than 3,50,000. The govern-
ment backed down from a
similar proposal in the face
of union protests in 2014.
About 70 per cent of In-
dia’s power generation is
coal-based. The country is
the world’s third-largest pro-
ducer and its third-biggest
importer of coal, which the
government wants to change
by boosting local coal
production.
In a presentation seen by
Reuters, government oi-
cials recommend that Coal
India, with a stock market
valuation of $28 billion,
CM
YK
FUELLING TROUBLE: The government backed down from a similar
proposal in 2014 following union protests. — FILE PHOTO: AFP
should be broken up into
seven companies, which
they say will make it more
competitive and eicient.
The proposal, dated
November 30, is expected to
be presented to Mr. Modi
soon, three government oi-
cials with direct knowledge
of the situation said. Calls to
a Coal India spokesman
went unanswered.
A source close to Power
and Coal Minister, Piyush
Goyal, said the ministry
would review its stand on
Coal India depending on
what the Prime Minister
says. Coal India is the coun-
try’s second-biggest em-
ployer, but critics say it is
bloated and ineicient.
The government wants
Coal India to increase
production of coal to 1 billion
tonnes a year by 2020 from
about 539 million tonnes in
the fiscal year that ended in
March.
Unions fear restructuring
Coal India would almost cer-
tainly lead to job cuts and
work being outsourced to
private companies, and so
are likely to protest against a
break up. “What happens is
that once a big company is
broken down, it is easier to
control the smaller ones,”
said D.D. Ramanandan of the
All India Coal Workers’ Fed-
eration, which he said,
represents more than
1,00,000 workers of the com-
pany. “But if it happens, we
will oppose it.” — Reuters
‘No proposal’
PTI reports: Putting to rest
speculation that Coal India
Ltd may be broken up, the
government on Thursday
said there was no such pro-
posal for the state-run be-
hemoth. “There is neither
any such proposal (to break
CIL) nor are we contemplat-
ing it,” Coal Secretary
Susheel Kumar told PTI. In
June 2014, Mr. Goyal had said
that the government would
not split the coal miner but
would work to improve its
performance.
ND-ND
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
Telecast schedule
IPTL: SS Select HD 2, 10.30 a.m.
& 1.50 p.m.; ISL: STAR Sports 1, 2,
3 & HD 1, 2, 3, 6.50 p.m.; World
Golf Challenge, Neo Sports,
10.30 p.m.
No stopping the Carlsen juggernaut
CHESS / The Norwegian beats Karjakin to win his third World championship in a row
CHAMPION STUFF: Magnus Carlsen retained his title after defeating Sergey Karjakin in
the fourth game of the tie-breaker. — PHOTO: AFP
This King is in for a long reign
P.K. AJITH KUMAR
I magine Usain Bolt on the
track in an Olympic final.
Roger Federer on the centre
court of Wimbledon at his
prime.
Imagine Tiger Woods on
the golf course for the better
part of his career. Or Don
Bradman practically at any
point of his career.
We get the picture of a true
champion in sport. A cham-
pion who just refuses to be
beaten. A champion who takes
his sport to heights that had
never been scaled before.
Magnus Carlsen is one such
champion.
In New York, he may not
have been as dominant as he
was in his first two World
championships. There were
occasions when it seemed he
was human after all, as he
failed to convert his advant-
CRICKET
Easy for India Women
BANGKOK: Mithali Raj hit a half-
century, while Ekta Bisht and
Preeti Bose shared six wickets
between them to steer India to
a comfortable 52-run win over
Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia
Cup Twenty20 tournament
here on Thursday.
Opting to bat, India posted a
modest total of 121 for four in
its 20 overs and managed to re-
strict Sri Lanka to 69 for nine
to maintain its unbeaten run in
the tournament so far.
Opener Mithali gave India a
solid platform with a quickfire
59-ball 62 that included six hits
to the fence.
Smriti Mandhana (21) and
Not begging India to
play us: Shaharyar
KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) chairman
Shaharyar Khan says the PCB
is well within its rights to
“push” the BCCI into honour-
ing the Memorandum of Un-
derstanding (MoU) for six bi-
lateral series between the two
countries.
“We are not begging them to
play us. Please don’t get that
impression.
“But they (BCCI) signed a
proper MoU with us to play six
bilateral series between 2015
Kerala Cricket Association issues show cause notice to Sanju
M.R. PRAVEEN CHANDRAN
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ker-
ala Cricket Association (KCA)
has issued a show cause notice
to Sanju Samson for violating
the code of conduct during
Ranji Trophy matches this
season.
KCA has sought an explana-
tion from Sanju following
complaints from the team
management which alleged
the player had committed a
series of breaches of
discipline.
KCA secretary T.N.
CM
YK
ages into wins.
And there was also a time he
was trailing, something which
never happened in a World ti-
tle match. He had lost to
Sergey Karjakin in the eighth
round.
There were just four games
left for him to equaise. All Kar-
jakin, who is incredibly strong
in defence, needed to de-
throne Carslen was to avoid
defeat in those games.
But, Carlsen struck back, in
the 10th game. Everyone was
expecting him to go for the kill
in the home stretch. He, how-
ever, settled for two quiet
games, saving his energy for
the tie-breakers, of rapid and
blitz games.
There was risk yes, in that
strategy: in games played over
much shorter duration,
chances of mistakes are
higher. But, Carlsen thought
he would rather preserve his
Veda Krishnamurthy (21) also
chipped in, although they
failed to raise the run-rate.
Despite chasing a modest
target, Sri Lanka never looked
to be in the race as it kept los-
ing wickets at regular intervals
with Preeti and Ekta wreaking
havoc, running through the Sri
Lankan middle-order.
Only two Sri Lankan batters
could reach double figures,
with Dilani Manodara top-
scoring with 20.
The scores: India Women 121 for
four in 20 overs (Mithali Raj 62) bt Sri
Lanka Women 69 for nine in 20 overs
(Ekta Bisht three for eight, Preeti
Bose three for 14). — PTI
and 2023 and they didn’t meet
their commitment,” Shaharyar
said, after a meeting of the na-
tional standing committee on
sports.
“It is our right as a cricket
nation to push them to honour
the MoU.
“They immediat0ely owe us
at least two home series as the
last full bilateral series was
held in India in 2007.
“In the MoU, Pakistan was
to host four series between
2015 and 2023,” he said. — PTI
Ananthanarayan told The
Hindu on Thursday that a
four-member inquiry commit-
tee would look into the matter.
The charges were that Sanju
broke his bat following his
duck against Goa in Mumbai.
He had left the dressing
room without informing the
management and gone mis-
sing from his hotel room and
was incommunicado for sev-
eral hours.
The team management and
selectors decided to drop
Sanju for the match against
Tripura at Cuttack to give the
Raonic splits with Moya
Milos Raonic parted ways with coach
Carlos Moya despite a season which saw
쑺 쑺
him reach his first Slam final and finishing as
World No. 3. The 25-year-old teamed up with
Moya in January.
energy for four short games
rather than on one marathon
game in the final round.
Master stroke
It proved a master stroke.
He was in total control of that
mini match of four games, as
he won the World title for the
third time in-a-row.
It was three winters ago in
Chennai that he was crowned
for the first time.
At Hotel Hyatt Regency on
those November nights, he
didn’t show nerves of a chal-
lenger in the match against a
five-time, though ageing,
World champion, who was
playing at home.
He was the favourite in
Chennai, just as he was in So-
chi a year later. Though Anand
put up a strong fight, there was
no stopping Carlsen.
Karjakin, younger than
Anand by two decades, was
BADMINTON
Saina, Sai Praneeth
in quarterfinals
MACAU: Top seed Saina Nehwal
defeated Indonesia’s Dinar
Dyah Ayustine to reach the
quarterfinals of the Macau
Open Grand Prix Gold bad-
minton here on Thursday.
Former World No. 1 Saina
defeated Ayustine 17-21, 21-18,
21-12. She will next take on
China’s Zhang Yiman.
B. Sai Praneeth also entered
the quarterfinals beating Hong
Kong’s fifth-seeded Wong
Wing Ki Vincent 21-15, 21-17.
He will next take on Zhao Jun
Peng of China.
However, it was curtains for
P. Kashyap and the men’s
FIGHTING WIN: Saina Nehwal bounced back from a game down
to see off Indonesia’s Dinar Dyah Ayustine.
— PHOTO: MARK KOLBE/GETTY IMAGES
player a break. However,
Sanju — who after learning
that he was not part of the
playing XI — wanted to go to
the NCA in Bengaluru to
check his troublesome knees.
But KCA refused permis-
sion and asked him to remain
with the team.
The team management was
also upset that Sanju was not
in his ‘whites’ when he came to
the ground on the first day of
the Kerala-Tripura match.
He also allegedly misbe-
haved with the team manage-
ment and refused to travel
SPORT
SPORTS BUREAU
NEW YORK: Magnus Carlsen
showed on Wednesday why
he is regarded the best chess
player in the world by a con-
siderable distance. The Nor-
wegian retained his World ti-
tle beating Sergey Karjakin of
Russia, with a queen sacrifice,
in the fourth game of the tie-
breaker at Fulton Market here.
He won the play-of of four
rapid games 3-1 on the day he
turned 26.
The 12 games played in the
classical time control had
failed to produce a decisive
result: the score was tied 6-6,
with both men winning one
game apiece and drawing the
other 10.
Carlsen had shown that he
was willing to risk his crown
by going for the tie-breakers,
as he settled for a quick draw
in the 12th game, despite play-
ing white.
The first two games in the
rapid time control were
drawn, too. Carlsen had excel-
lent chances of going ahead in
the second game, which lasted
84 moves, but he failed to cap-
expected to give a stronger
challenge. He had come fully
prepared in opening theories,
like a true Russian Grandmas-
ter. But he surely could not
have expected Carlsen to play
Trompowsky Attack in the
opening game (a tribute to
Donald Trump, who had won
the United States presidential
election shortly before the
match got under way).
But, then, Carlsen could af-
ford to do that. Regardless of
the opening or a slight inferi-
ority early on, he has the abil-
ity to inch his way slowly back
into the game and then torture
the rival in long battles.
Carlsen could dominate
chess like nobody has done be-
fore. With his good looks,
skills in articulation and sense
of humour, he could take chess
to wider audiences.
Looks like King Carlsen is
set to reign for long.
doubles pair of Manu Attri and
B. Sumeeth Reddy. Kashyap
lost 13-21, 20-22 to Lin Yu
Hsien of Chinese Taipei while
the pair of Manu and Sumeeth
lost 20-22, 19-21 to Singapore’s
Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and
Hendra Wijaya.
The results : Men (pre-
quarterfinals) : B. Sai Praneeth bt
Wong Wing Ki Vincent 21-15, 21-17; P.
Kashyap lost to Yu Hsien 13-21, 20-
22. Doubles : Manu Attri & B. Sumeet
Reddy lost to Bawa Chrisnanta &
Hendra Wijaya 20-22, 19-21.
Women (pre-quarterfinals) :
Saina Nehwal bt Dyah Ayustine 17-
21, 21-18, 21-12. —PTI
with the team. The KCA
secretary said Sanju would
have automatically invited
censure from the BCCI had
KCA reported his
misdemeanours.
“We have been lenient as we
did not want to destroy his ca-
reer. But his behaviour went
from bad to worse,” said
Ananthanarayan.
The KCA secretary also
confirmed that Sanju’s father
had abused KCA president
T.C. Mathew and a KCA em-
ployee, but said the inquiry
committee would only be
italise and Karjakin defended
stoutly, as he so often did in
this match.
Crucial win
In the third game, which fea-
tured the Ruy Lopez opening
for the 10th time in the match,
Carlsen scored a crucial win
with black. He sacrificed a
pawn on the 30th move and
romped home eight moves lat-
er. Karjakin’s 38th move with
his rook was a blunder; it
proved to be his last move of
the game.
The Russian was, thus, in a
must-win situation in the
fourth game. He chose Sicilian
Defence, the best option for
black in such circumstances,
though it was making its ap-
pearance for the first time in
the match.
Carlsen only required a
draw and allowed Karjakin to
attack him. But the World No. 1
played solidly and before long
moved into a position from
where could force a win.
And he won in 50 moves,
sacrificing his queen. Karjakin
resigned straightaway, with
checkmate just a move away.
FOOTBALL
Tavora provides
one final twist
THE HERO: Sahil Tavora’s late wonder strike helped FC Goa
score an exciting win. — PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR
FC Goa 5 ( Coelho 6, 75,
Joffre 21, Tavora 68, 90+4) bt
Chennaiyin FC 4 (Jerry
4, Arnolin 14-OG, Dudu 24,
Riise 88).
ASHWIN ACHAL
MARGAO: A late wonder strike
from Sahil Tavora gave FC
Goa an exciting 5-4 victory
over Chennaiyin FC in the In-
dian Super League here on
Thursday. The three points
gained was not enough to lift
FC Goa out of the bottom rung
of the points table, but it did
bring some cheer at the end of
a disappointing season.
With the score locked at 4-4
in injury time, Tavora latched
on to a long ball on the left and
cut inside.
He then unleashed the per-
fect right-footed shot, which
AFC award for AIFF
ABU DHABI: The All-India
Football Federation (AIFF) on
Thursday won the AFC De-
veloping Member Association
of the Year Award at the Asian
Football Confederation’s an-
nual awards night here.
UAE’s Omar Abdulrahman
was crowned AFC player of
the year. The left-sided mid-
fielder and winger is the
second Emirati to win the
trophy in consecutive years.
AIFF President Praful Patel
received the award from AFC
vice-president Ali Kafashian.
“I need to thank AFC for rec-
ognising our eforts. Indian
football is headed in the right
direction,” Patel said.
The award is given to a
Member Association in recog-
nition of its professional ad-
looking into the complaints
raised by the team
management.
Meanwhile, Sanju’s father
Samson Viswanadh said his
son had undergone MRI scans
on both knees and had in-
formed KCA about this.
He also said his son had not
broken his bat as was alleged,
but had only thrown it at his kit
bag out of frustration.
He also alleged that the KCA
was yet to provide any assist-
ance to Sanju for the treatment
of his knees despite having
made several requests.
https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
Sports Illustrated award for LeBron James
LeBron James has been named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson-of-the-Year
for 2016 after fulfilling his pledge to end Cleveland's 52-year wait for a major
championship. It completed a personal odyssey for James, who had made
winning a championship with Cleveland his goal after returning to the Cavs in
2014 after four successful seasons with the Miami Heat.
He can, however, take heart
from the fact that he stretched
the champion longer than In-
dia’s Viswanathan Anand did
in the last two World title
matches, neither of which had
gone the distance.
“I felt it was an advantage
for me that I didn’t really have
to think so much about Game
12 and he did,” said Carlsen.
“I also felt my head was
working better than it was a
few days ago and he was play-
ing a bit worse, so in that sense
I thought playing four games
instead of one seemed a very
good idea. Besides, it was very
refreshing to play a bit faster
after all these weeks.”
Karjakin admitted he had
spent a lot of time to prepare
for Carlsen. “But it didn’t work
as he was jumping to diferent
openings and I didn’t really
use my preparation,” he said.
“I can admit that I com-
pletely forgot my preparation
a few times. There were so
many things to prepare that I
didn’t manage to remember
everything. Maybe it would
have been better to have a
fresh head.”
went into the far-post.
Not for the first time, Chen-
naiyin FC had fallen prey to
late jitters, and finished the
tournament in seventh spot.
It was the
visitor which
got the ball
rolling with a
fine curling
free-kick from
Jerry Lalrinzu-
ala in the fourth minute. FC
Goa responded immediately,
drawing level through Rafael
Coelho. The scoreline
continued to swing wildly all
the way until the final whistle.
With two minutes to go in the
regulation time, it seemed a
draw was on the cards when
former Liverpool man John
Arne Riise converted a penal-
ty to make it 4-4.
But Tavora would provide
one final twist to the tale.
ministration and governance
as well its exceptional con-
tribution to the development
and promotion of the game at
all levels within the country.
Member Associations are
assessed and awarded points
on various areas encom-
passing the association’s ac-
tivities such as the organisa-
tion of courses and seminars,
competitions, grassroots and
youth development pro-
grammes, women’s pro-
grammes, social responsibility
and special projects.
Points are also given for
hosting of AFC qualifying and
finals tournaments as well as
their national and club teams’
placing in AFC and FIFA com-
petitions throughout the year.
— Agencies
Sanju Samson with his father Samson Viswanadh.
| 17
NO BOUNDARIES
Father, son and the
beautiful game
NIRMAL SHEKAR
There is an antique aura about the place, as if the
whole environment was plucked out from
somewhere in the past and then reinstated sud-
denly even as the world elsewhere moved at its
normal pace.
And the black Ambassador parked outside the
main entrance to the house, with a reedy thin driver standing
hands folded in front of the garage which conceals from view a
1962 Merc, only enhances the illusion, although given the own-
er’s name and accomplishments, it might be a heritage monu-
ment sometime in the future.
What is more, once inside, there is an old world sense of
camaraderie and peace as Ramanathan Krishnan and his son
Ramesh step out to greet me.
Although it is a very busy day at work for both of them — they
run a gas agency and demonetisation hasn’t helped — they are
extremely polite and calm.
Around this time 50 years ago, Ramesh was four years old and
his father was battling his way out of a long injury layof. And
this correspondent’s visit
was to mentally re-enact
one of the greatest mo-
Fifty years ago this
ments of the senior Krish- week, India came
nan’s career.
“Looking back it feels within two match
good,” says Krishnan. “I
practised a lot during my
victories of
[rehabilitation]. I hit a lot of winning the Davis
balls with Rabi Venkatesan
[a Davis Cupper himself Cup in Melbourne,
and a well known figure in
the local tennis
Australia.
community].
Coming back from a long absence because of injury, not much
was expected of Krishnan in the inter-zonal Davis Cup final
against Brazil at Calcutta. But after beating Jose Mandarino on
the opening day and then playing with Jaideep Mukherjea and
outlasting Thomas Koch and Mandarino in the doubles rubber
the next day, Krishnan was expected to get past Koch on the
final day.
“I enjoy playing at Calcutta where everybody has been nice to
me and the crowds were knowledgeable,” says Krishnan.
If he was no world beater, Koch was no pushover either. And
after Mandarino won a marathon against Mukherjea, ever-
ything came down to Koch and Krishnan in the deciding fifth
rubber.
“The expectations were high [on December 6, 1966] and Koch
played really well,” says Krish, no matter that he is not the kind
of player to lose sleep in such situations.
I recalled what he had told me over 17 years ago when I was
writing his (and his son’s) autobiography, A Touch Of Tennis.
“Sitting in my bed that evening, I said to myself, ‘All is not lost,
I just have to win a best of three sets match in two straight sets
on the morrow’.
“Then again, these things are easier said than done. I was in
good physical shape, but few months before my 30th birthday,
my body wasn’t what it used to be when I was 23 or 24. And I felt
the noose tighten inexorably as Koch raced to a 5-2 lead in the
fourth set. As we changed over, the stands had almost emptied.
People had left quickly, accepting the inevitability of my
defeat.”
The next day, Krishnan was 0-30 down on serve, just two
points away from defeat. “The point about teetering on the
brink is, you should steer yourself of the thoughts about the
seemingly inevitable fall and concentrate on moving back to
safe ground,” he says.
Then, after winning the fourth set, the maestro raced to 4-0 in
the fifth. What followed led to some of the most passionate and
memorable celebrations among sports lovers in the country —
for the first time India was in the Davis Cup final [then the
Challenge Round] against the mighty Australians.
Rousing welcome
When he landed in Chennai, Krishnan was given the sort of
welcome never seen at any Indian airport as the humble self-
efacing champion walked under a canopy of tennis racquets.
“My earliest memory of my father’s career was going to the
airport to receive him,” says Ramesh, who played some of the
most sublime and jaw-droppingly beautiful tennis to emulate
his father as he stunned Wally Masur of Australia in the semi-
finals at Sydney to earn India a shot at the title, against Sweden.
It is another thing that India lost both the finals, in 1966 in
Melbourne — where Krishnan and Mukherjea brought of one
of the greatest victories of their careers in doubles, beating
Newcombe and Roche — and in 1987 at Gothenberg.
The Australian team of 1966 comprised Roy Emerson, Fred
Stolle, Tony Roche and John Newcombe while the Swedes who
lined up for the final included Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg,
Anders Jarryd and Joakim Nystrom. But Edberg had to pull out
in the last minute because of an injury.
Of course, playing in the title round of the Davis Cup is not the
only thing in common between the father and son.
And inevitably, the informal chat steered us to the influence
of technology today and how diferent it was in Ramanathan
Krishnan’s time.
Both admitted that not much can be done to stop the evolu-
tion of technology. Krishnan’s father, T.K. Ramanathan, a true
visionary, sliced of a piece of the bottom end of the racquet
with which his son pulled of the famous inter-zonal final vic-
tory against Koch so that the young Ramesh could play with it.
“Yes, he did it. But with today’s racquets there may not be any
need for that sort of innovation,” says Krishnan. “Today, I
believe, 30 per cent of the advantage that players have is down
to technology,” says Krishnan.
And it would be unfair to compare their achievements not so
much because of techno-leaps as because of the fact there was
much more depth in talent in Ramesh’s time.
We talk of a lot more but we can safely leave the last words to
Krishnan.
“I believe Roger Federer is better than Rod Laver. Laver did
not have a big serve and Federer has no weaknesses in his
all-round game”.
Welcome Krish, to the sports world’s largest fan club.
IAAF ban on
Russia stays
MONACO: Russia remains sus-
pended from international
athletics competition after the
IAAF voted on Thursday to
extend the ban on the country
for state-sponsored doping.
The IAAF Council was
unanimous in its decision to
uphold the suspension.
The IAAF imposed its initial
ban on Russia in November
2015 and has twice extended it
on the grounds that the criteria
set for the track and field pow-
erhouses to be re-included had
not been met. — AFP
ND-ND
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
18 | SPORT
NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

Pahal forces Himachal to follow on Group A

CRICKET / His five-wkt. haul helps Haryana take 169-run lead
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
VALSAD: Haryana preferred to
enforce the follow-on but Hi-
machal Pradesh came up with
a strong reply to end the third
day of the Ranji Trophy match
with a healthy chance of a
draw at the Sardar Patel Sta-
dium here on Thursday.
Resuming at 101 for three,
Himachal Pradesh was all out
for 233, conceding a lead of 169
runs.
Doing better
By close, it was 142 for one
following a brilliant opening
partnership of 140 between
Ravi Thakur (45) and Prashant
Chopra (89 batting).
Medium-pacer Sanjay Pa-
hal, who had accounted for
Paras Dogra on Wednesday,
picked up four wickets on
Thursday to place Haryana in
a strong position even as Mo-
hit Sharma lent support by
scalping two Himachal
batsmen.
Sumeet Verma, who made
66 of 167 balls with six fours
Play washed out
CHENNAI: Play on day three was
called of due to persistent rain
in the Group B Ranji Trophy
match between Delhi and Vid-
arbha at the SSN College here
RACING
and one six, was the key per-
former in the Himachal Pra-
desh middle-order apart from
Amit Kumar (37 of 89 balls),
but his efort could not stop his
team from following on.
Pahal’s five-wicket haul
stood out as Himachal com-
menced its second innings.
But there was a remarkable
change in the Himachal ap-
proach as openers Thakur and
Chopra opted to play their
shots, and it helped the team
emerge from the early
pressures.
Thakur was castled by Pahal
towards the close after a 71-
ball knock of 45, which con-
tained nine fours. Chopra was
at the crease with an excellent
101-ball essay worth 89 runs,
with 11 fours and two sixes.
The scores:
Haryana — 1st innings: 402.
Himachal Pradesh — 1st in-
nings: Ravi Thakur c Rohilla b Mehta
23, Prashant Chopra c Pahal b Mohit
33, Robin Bist b Mehta 21, Paras
Dogra c Saini b Pahal 23, Sumeet
Verma b Pahal 66, Ankush Bains c
Rohilla b Pahal 5, Rishi Dhawan b Pa-
on Thursday.
Put in to bat on the opening
day, Vidarbha managed just
183. In reply, Delhi was 250 for
eight on day two.
ON FIRE: Sanjay Pahal shone with the ball as Haryana put
Himachal on the backfoot on day three.
hal 10, Amit Kumar c Paliwal b Mohit
37, Pankaj Jaswal c Tewatia b Mohit
0, Gurvinder Singh lbw b Pahal 1,
Kanwar Abhinay (not out) 0; Extras
(b-4, lb-2, nb-5, w-3): 14; Total (in
88.4 overs) 233.
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-68, 3-95,
4-128, 5-136, 6-145, 7-214, 8-219,
9-222.
Haryana bowling: Ashish Hooda
18-3-59-0, Mohit Sharma 11.1-3-25-3,
Sanjay Pahal 28.3-9-71-5, Poonish
Mehta 18-4-32-2, Rahul Tewatia 11-
2-35-0, Chaitanya Bishnoi 2-0-5-0.
Himachal Pradesh — 2nd in-
nings: Thakur b Pahal 45, Chopra
(batting) 89, Bist (batting) 2; Extras
(b-1, lb-1, nb-2, w-2): 6; Total (for one
wkt in 29 overs): 142.
Fall of wicket: 1-140.
Haryana bowling: Hooda 7-1-
35-0, Mehta 6-2-30-0, Pahal 8-0-
28-1, Mohit 3-1-7-0, Tewatia 4-0-
23-0, Bishnoi 1-0-17-0.
At Nagpur: Bengal 99 & 433 for
eight in 131 overs (Sudip Chatterjee
130, Manoj Tiwary 169, Pragyan
Ojha 30 batting, Dhawal Kulkarni
four for 108) vs Mumbai 229.
At Dharamshala:
Madhya Pradesh 217 &
293 in 87.2 overs (Na-
man Ojha 57, Harpreet
Singh Bhatia 73, Puneet
Datey 41 n.o., Ishwar
Pandey 36, Atit Sheth
four for 51, Sagar Man-
galorkar three for 70)
vs Baroda 164 & 114 for nine in 35
overs (Chandrakant Sakure four for
17).
At Belagavi: Gujarat 624 for six
decl. vs Punjab 247 in 85.2 overs
(Manan Vohra 68, Mayank Siddana
Determined Bengal bounces back
G. VISWANATH
NAGPUR: A determined Bengal
competed against Mumbai
with a fixity of purpose and
has turned this crucial
Group-A Ranji Trophy
league match on its head.
The story of the third day’s
play was all about a resolute
Manoj Tiwary (169, 288b,
22x4, 1x6) and Sudip Chatter-
jee (130, 304b, 18x4) wearing
down the Mumbai seam
bowling, and striking a fine
balance between defence and
attack to take their fourth-
wicket stand to 271 runs.
Full marks to Tiwary and
Chatterjee who not only de-
prived Mumbai a break-
through for seven hours and
four minutes, but has also
RANJI SCORES, ROUND EIGHT, DAY THREE
39, Gitansh Khera 35 n.o., Rush
Kalaria four for 41) & 36 for one in
12.1 overs.
At Rajkot: Uttar Pradesh 259 &
330 in 90 overs (Shivam Chaudhary
124, Suresh Raina 91, Saurabh Ku-
mar 30 n.o., Karan Thakur three for
82, Karn Sharma five for 71) vs Rail-
ways 213 & 35 for five in 27 overs.
Group B
At Vizianagaram: Jharkhand 316
vs Assam 126 & 269 for five in 98.2
overs (Rishav Das 113, Pallav Kumar
Das 39, Sibsankar Roy 80 batting).
At Patiala: Karnataka 200 & 168
for five in 60 overs (Kaunain Abbas
62 batting, Manish Pandey 58, Kam-
lesh Makwana three for 46) vs Saur-
ashtra 359 in 115 overs (Snell Patel
87, Jaydev Shah 39, Prerak Mankad
126, Kamlesh Makwana 32, R. Vinay
CAPTAIN’S KNOCK: Manoj Tiwary scored a big hundred to pull
Bengal out of the woods against Mumbai on day three of the
Ranji Trophy on Thursday. — PHOTO: PTI
Medium pacer Nayar,
known to provide break-
throughs, first won a leg be-
Kumar four for 54, Abrar Kazi four
for 83).
At Chennai: Vidarbha 183 vs
Delhi 250 for eight in 81 overs. No
play on day three owing to rain .
Group C
At Dhanbad: Goa 115 and 276 bt
Andhra 159 and 198 in 59.2 overs
(Ravi Teja 49, Ricky Bhui 71, Shadab
Jakati three for 70, Rituraj Singh four
for 24, Amulaya Pandrekar three for
87). Points: Goa 6 (18); Andhra 0
(25) .
At Cuttack: Tripura 213 & 162 in
70.1 overs (Smit Patel 54, Akshay
Chandran four for 16, Iqbal Abdulla
three for 32) vs Kerala 193 & 117 for
no loss in 29 overs (Mohammed
Azharuddeen 80 batting, Bhavin
Thakkar 37 batting).
At Mumbai: Services 225 & 340
tain’s knock and with a gutsy
Chatterjee had baulked
Mumbai for 530 balls and that
for seven decl. in 82 overs (Nakul
Verma 156 n.o., Shamsher Yadav 40,
Rahul Singh 99, Pankaj Rao three for
64, Abhuday Kant three for 79) vs
Chhattisgarh 281 & six for no loss in
three overs.
At Vadodara: Hyderabad 328 &
244 for two decl. in 57 overs (Tan-
may Agarwal 103 n.o., Akshath
Reddy 53, S. Badrinath 66) vs J&K
169 in 55.3 overs (Parvez Rasool 70,
Ravi Kiran four for 32, Md. Siraj three
for 51) & 42 for four in 17 overs.
At Valsad: Haryana 402 vs Hi-
machal Pradesh 233 in 88.4 overs
(Prashant Chopra 33, Sumeet
Verma 66, Amit Kumar 37, Mohit
Sharma three for 25, Sanjay Pahal
five for 71) & 142 for one in 29 overs
(Ravi Thakur 45, Prashant Chopra
89 batting).
‘SL bowlers have
pace, need swing’
COLOMBO: Legendary Pakistan
paceman Wasim Akram said
Sri Lanka had a promising
crop of fast bowlers despite its
traditional reliance on spin
after holding a coaching ses-
sion with them on Thursday.
After spending several
hours with the national team’s
established strike bowlers and
promising youngsters, Akram
said there was no lack of raw
pace but they needed to devel-
op their ability to swing the
ball.
“Most of the bowlers had a
pace of 130 to 140 kmph,” said
Akram, who himself bowled at
a similar pace in his prime in
the ’90s when he was one of
the world’s leading players in
all formats. — ANI

Azzurro expected to score in feature event

BENGALURU: Azzurro, who is in fine
fettle, is expected to score in the
Ashoka Chakra Cup (1,800m), the
feature event of the races to be held
here on Friday (Dec. 2).
False rails (width about 4.5m from
1,600m to the winning post) will be
in position.
1 PLANETARIUM PLATE
(1,200m), rated 00 to 20, 4-y-o &
over, 1-45 pm: 1. New Era (3) A.
Imran Khan 60, 2. Thejaguar (5)
Darshan 60, 3. Intensive Act (4)
Syed Imran 59.5, 4. Splendid Brave
(8) Srinath 59.5, 5. Reverberating
(1) Janardhan P 58.5, 6. Brindani (6)
T.M. Prashanth 58, 7. Dontworry-
monday (7) S. Shiva Kumar 56 and
8. Thirtysixchamber’s (2) Arshad
Alam 55.5.
1. Reverberating, 2. New Era, 3.
Splendid Brave
2 RED BARON PLATE (Div.
II), (1,400m), rated 30 to 50, 4-y-o &
over, 2-15: 1. Odyssey (1) Mallikar-
jun 60, 2. My Transcripts (10)
Cedric Segeon 58.5, 3. Goodwill
Warrior (12) Suraj Narredu 58, 4.
Ravelnation (7) Srinath 57, 5. All
Thats Nice (5) S. John 56.5, 6. Del
Porto (9) Selvaraj 56, 7. Diamond
Green (8) T.S. Jodha 56, 8. Tea Wid
Me (11) Nitin Singh 56, 9. Croziet
(2) Jagadeesh 55.5, 10. Freestyle (3)
Raja Rao 55.5, 11. Wild Wild Angles
(6) T.M. Prashanth 55.5 and 12. At-
tractive Bay (4) Arshad Alam 55.
1. Ravelnation, 2. My Tran-
scripts, 3. Goodwill Warrior
3 KENTUCKY PLATE
(1,200m), maiden 3-y-o only,
(Terms), 2-45: 1. Dagobert (1)
Suraj Narredu 57, 2. Galaxy Pe-
gasus (8) R. Pradeep 57, 3. Grecian
Light (3) Anjar Alam 57, 4. High
Voltage (5) Adarsh 57, 5. Kanthaka
(4) Arshad Alam 57, 6. Super
Smart (7) M. Prabhakaran 57, 7.
Kristine (11) Irvan Singh 55.5, 8. Six
Degrees (2) P. Trevor 55.5, 9. Star
Line (12) A. Imran Khan 55.5, 10.
Tamara (10) Srinath 55.5, 11.
Valentine Babe (9) Jagadeesh 55.5
and 12. Zafran (6) David Allan 55.5.
1. Zafran, 2. Six Degrees, 3.
Dagobert
4 DHARWAR PLATE
(1,200m), rated 15 to 35, 3-15: 1. Har-
ley Quinn (10) S. Shiva Kumar 60,
2. Calico King (3) B. Nayak 59, 3.
Leopoldo (5) Arshad Alam 57.5, 4.
Santorini Secret (11) Srinath 57.5,
5. Zafrina (2) Suraj Narredu 57.5, 6.
Country’s Image (7) Shobhan 56.5,
7. Skybound (6) A. Imran Khan
55.5, 8. Sans Escale (1) P. Trevor 55,
9. Bold Runner (8) B. Harish 53.5,
10. Kudla Punch (9) N. Ganesh 52,
11. Meezaaj (4) Adarsh 51.5 and 12.
Claire (12) Jagadeesh 50.
1. Zafrina, 2. Sans Escale, 3.
Santorini Secret
5 HOYSALA TROPHY (Div.
I), (1,400m), rated 45 to 65, 4-y-o &
over, 3-45: 1. Ayrton (2) S. John 60,
2. Royal Defence (11) A. Imran
Khan 59.5, 3. Super Success (4)
Srinath 59.5, 4. Virat (9) S. Shiva
Kumar 58.5, 5. Czar Rule (10) Suraj
Narredu 57, 6. Ambleside (5) A.
Sandesh 56, 7. El Fenix (6)
Jagadeesh 56, 8. King Of The
Court (1) David Allan 55.5, 9. Rich
Revival (7) T.S. Jodha 55.5, 10.
Colour Of Gold (3) M. Kumar 55,
11. Hidden Soldier (8) K. Raghu 55
and 12. All In (12) Darshan 53.5.
1. Ayrton, 2. El Fenix, 3.
Ambleside
6 ASHOKA CHAKRA CUP
(1,800m), 3-y-o & over, (Terms),
4-15: 1. Azzurro (2) P. Trevor 60.5,
2. Toroloco (5) S. John 57, 3. Blaz-
ing Touch (1) A. Imran Khan 56, 4.
Jersey Wonder (4) A. Sandesh 56,
5. Let The Lion Roar (3) Suraj
Narredu 56, 6. Flamboyance (7)
Srinath 54.5 and 7. Star Formation
(6) T.S. Jodha 54.5.
1. Azzurro, 2. Let The Lion
Roar, 3. Toroloco
7 RED BARON PLATE (Div.
I), (1,400m), rated 30 to 50, 4-y-o &
over, 4-45: 1. Omber Glaze (7)
Ashok Kumar 60, 2. Perfect King
(5) M. Naveen 60, 3. Hostess (10)
K.G. Steyn 59.5, 4. Yellowzone (12)
Arshad Alam 59.5, 5. Afore (11)
Janardhan P 59, 6. Amazing Skill
(8) Suraj Narredu 58.5, 7. Only
Princess (6) T.S. Jodha 58, 8. Super
Strong (4) K. Raghu 58, 9. Youre
Ashwashakthi (2) S. Shiva Kumar
57.5, 10. Adriphos (1) Rayan
Ahmed 57, 11. Fotogenic (9) P.
Ramesh 54.5 and 12. Celestial
Storm (3) Jagadeesh 54.
1. Amazing Skill, 2. Yel-
lowzone, 3. Only Princess
8 HOYSALA TROPHY (Div.
II), (1,400m), rated 45 to 65, 4-y-o
& over, 5-15: 1. Mystic Music (8) S.
John 60, 2. Trapezoid (7) Irvan
Singh 59, 3. Majestic Style (2) P.
Trevor 57.5, 4. Royal Rein (11) T.S.
Jodha 57.5, 5. Back Of Beyond (3)
A. Imran Khan 57, 6. Aguante (1)
Srinath 56.5, 7. Amazing Redd (5)
Ashok Kumar 56.5, 8. Colossal
Moments (12) S. Imran 56.5, 9.
Frenemee (6) Arshad Alam 56, 10.
I Smile (4) Mallikarjun 56, 11.
Mariko (9) A. Sandesh 54.5 and 12.
Native Elements (10) Suraj
Narredu 54.5.
1. Majestic Style, 2. Mystic Mu-
sic, 3. Back Of Beyond
Day’s best: Azzurro
Double: Ravelnation - Zafran
Jkt: 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; Tr (i): 3, 4 and 5;
(ii): 6, 7 and 8.
turned the heat on it by post-
ing 433 for eight in the second
innings.
Bengal was up by 303 runs
when the failing light brought
an end to the action with 22
overs remaining to be
bowled.
Bengal can mount pressure
on Mumbai with a substantial
fourth innings target.
Prolific
There can be questions
asked of Tiwary of his choice
to bat at No. 5, and not at No. 3
where Sayan Shekhar Mondal
failed to deliver. Nonetheless
the option worked well for
Bengal as he faced the Mum-
bai attack once he took heavy
toll of seamer Dhawal
Kulkarni at the start of his in-
nings. Tiwary has been a pro-
lific run-getter against
Mumbai.
In the absence of a quality
spinner, Mumbai sufered
and the seamers Shardul
Thakur, Kulkarni, Tushar
Deshpande and Abhishek Na-
yar had to take heavy
punishment.
fore decision against Chatter-
jee, that signalled the fall of
the first Bengal wicket in
seven hours, and thereafter
trapped left-hander Agniv
Pan plumb in front.
An accurate throw from
the fence by Thakur to the
wicketkeeper Aditya Tare
that caught Tiwary short of
his ground. The referral con-
firmed his dismissal.
Tiwary had played the cap-
A ‘distraction’
NAGPUR: Bengal captain Manoj
Tiwary, overnight 85, batted on the
third day, without his individual score
being updated on the giant scoreboard
at the stadium.
“I did not want that to be a
distraction,” said Tiwary who batted
for nearly eight hours, scored 169 and
has given his team an outside chance
of winning the match against Mumbai.
Running scoreboards are operated
for first class and international
matches to help the spectators follow
the day’s proceedings and also to keep
the teams informed of the correct
score.
in itself is the terrific tale of
the match that had seemed all
over bar the shouting for
Bengal after it had capitulated
India beats
for 99 on the first day. the Netherlands
The scores:
PARIS: Playing for 9th-12th pla-
Bengal — Ist innings: 99.
cings, India made short work
Mumbai — Ist innings: 229.
Bengal — 2nd innings: Ab- of the Netherlands 3-0 in the
hishek Raman run out 29, Abhi- opening round robin match of
the World women’s team
manyu Easwaran c Suryakumar Ya-
dav b Dhawal Kulkarni 5, Sayan squash championship here on
Shekhar Mandal c Tare b Dhawal Thursday.
The results: India bt The Nether-
Kulkarni 0, Sudip Chatterjee lbw b
Abhishek Nayar 130, Manoj Tiwary
run out 169, Agniv Pan lbw b Ab-
lands 3-0 (Dipika Pallikal bt Tessa Ter
Sluis 11-5, 11-7, 11-5; Joshna Chinappa
hishek Nayar 4, Shreevats Goswami bt Milou Van Der Heijden 5-11, 12-10,
11-7, 11-8; Sunayna Kuruvilla bt Milja
c Dabholkar b Dhawal Kulkarni 11,
Ashoke Dinda b Dhawal Kulkarni 19, Dorenbos 11-8, 11-5, 11-4). — PTI
Pragyan Ojha (batting) 30, Amit Kuila
(batting) 18; Extras (b-2, lb-8, nb-6,
w-2): 18; Total (for eight wkts. in 131 Suresh moves up
overs): 433.
NEW DELHI: National sub-junior
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-17, 3-56,
champion Suresh Dhak-
4-327, 5-354, 6-356, 7-379, 8-390.
shineswar beat fifth seed
Mumbai bowling: Dhawal
Parikshit Somani 6-7(5), 6-2,
Kulkarni 32-7-108-4, Shardul Thakur 6-3 in the boys’ quarterfinals of
29-5-97-0, Abhishek Nayar 25-3- the ITF grade-4 junior tennis
70-2, Tushar Deshpande 20-0-74-0,
tournament at the DLTA
Jay Bista 6-2-23-0, Vishal Dabholkar Complex on Thursday.
7-0-39-0, Shubham Ranjane 12-7- The results: Boys: Quarterfi-
12-0. nals: Aditya Vashistha bt Abhi-
manyu Vannem Reddy 4-6, 6-4, 6-4;
Suresh Dhakshineswar bt Parikshit

Airco clinches Mystical Trophy Temporary chief TENNIS Somani 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3; Dhruv
Sunish bt Alex Solanki 6-2, 6-2; Nitin

MUMBAI: Airco, ridden by Suraj

Narredu, won the Mystical Trophy,
the main event of Thursday’s
(Dec.1) races. The winner is owned
by Mr. & Mrs. Shapoor P. Mistry
rep. Manjri Horse Breeders’ Farm
Pvt. Ltd. and trained by Imtiaz Sait.
The results:
1. SPRUNGLI PLATE
(1,800m), Cl. II, rated 60 to 86:
Highland Breeze (Sandesh) 1,
Bullrun (Suraj Narredu) 2, Zazou
(Neeraj) 3 and Caesars Star (Da-
man) 4. 5-3/4, 3-1/2, 3-1/2. 1m 52.59s.
Rs. 15 (w), 10 and 12 (p), SHP: Rs. 19,
FP: Rs. 14, Q: Rs. 10, Tanala: Rs. 24
and Rs. 10. Favourite: Highland
Breeze. Owner: Mr. Nazir Shaikh.
Trainer: Rhanullah Khan.
2. MYSTICAL TROPHY
(1,600m), Cl. I, rated 80 and upward:
Airco (Suraj Narredu) 1, Shadow-
fax (Trevor) 2, Mountbatten
(Vishal) 3 and The Ministerian
(Bhawani) 4. 4-1/2, 1/2, 6. 1m 39.61s.
Rs. 12 (w), 10 and 10 (p), SHP: Rs. 17,
FP: Rs. 14, Q: Rs. 10, Tanala: Rs. 27
and Rs. 10. Favourite: Airco. Own-
ers: Mr. & Mrs. Shapoor P. Mistry
rep. Manjri Horse Breeders’ Farm
Pvt. Ltd. Trainer: Imtiaz Sait.
3. VALLABHDAS H AD-
WALIA TROPHY (1,600m), Cl.
IV, rated 20 to 46: Glorious Hymn
(S.J. Sunil) 1, Normandy (Trevor) 2,
Trombone (Zervan) 3 and Simon
Says (Nazil) 4. 2-1/2, 1-1/2, Lnk. 1m
40.05s. Rs. 306 (w), 43, 18 and 12 (p),
SHP: Rs. 58, FP: Rs. 1,125, Q: Rs. 214,
Tanala: Rs. 898 and Rs. 385. Favour-
ite: Irises. Owners: M/s.
Vazhaparmbil J. Joseph & Blesson J.
Kallada. Trainer: Dallas Todywalla.
4. MAYOR’S TROPHY
(1,400m), Cl. III, rated 40 to 66:
Celtic Prince (J. Chinoy) 1, Rosella
(Sandesh) 2, Magical Memory
(Suraj Narredu) 3 and Flashy Wings
(Bhawani) 4. Nk, 1-3/4, 1/2. 1m
26.24s. Rs. 131 (w), 40 and 14 (p),
SHP: Rs. 36, FP: Rs. 1,137, Q: Rs. 165,
Tanala: Rs. 1,073 and Rs. 804. Fa-
vourite: Rosella. Owners: M/s. Juzer
Abbas Lokhandwala & Nirmal
Singh. Trainer: S. Waheed.
5. AU PANACHE PLATE
(1,000m), Cl. III, rated 40 to 66:
Monte Greco (Trevor) 1, Phoenix
Knight (Zervan) 2, Stardom Calling
(Sandesh) 3 and Minstrel Heights
(Parmar) 4. Not run: Lnk, Snk, 2-3/4.
59.98s. Rs. 30 (w), 11, 22 and 10 (p),
SHP: Rs. 67, FP: Rs. 168, Q: Rs. 184,
Tanala: Rs. 247 and Rs. 60. Favour-
ite: Stardom Calling. Owners: Mr. &
Mrs. Vijay B. Shirke, Mr. Jay V.
Shirke & Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy rep.
Five Stars Shipping Co. Pvt. Ltd.
Trainer: M.K. Jadhav.
6. FREE RADICAL PLATE,
DIV.II (1,200m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to
46: Hedwig (S.J. Sunil) 1, House Of
Commons (Sandesh) 2, Thunder
Down Under (Suraj Narredu) 3 and
Bohemian (Nadeem) 4. Not run:
Elsa. 1-1/2, 4, 3/4. 1m 13.81s. Rs. 36
(w), 13, 12 and 10 (p), SHP: Rs. 33, FP:
Rs. 67, Q: Rs. 23, Tanala: Rs. 92 and
Rs. 42. Favourite: House Of Com-
mons. Owners: Mr. Shantanu
Sharma, Dr. Y.K. Hamied, Dr. Phiroz
T. Khambatta & Miss Anita A.
Khalakdina. Trainer: Rehanullah
Khan.
7. KIARA PLATE (1,200m), Cl.
V, rated 1 to 26: Bay Of Love
(Nadeem) 1, Asahi (Sandesh) 2, Su-
per Icon (Zervan) 3 and Care Free
(C.S. Jodha) 4. 1, 2-1/4, 3/4. 1m 14.74s.
Rs. 105 (w), 29, 14 and 17 (p), SHP: Rs.
37, FP: Rs. 335, Q: Rs. 276, Tanala: Rs.
678 and Rs. 373. Favourite: Asahi.
Owner & Trainer: H.J. Antia.
8. FREE RADICAL PLATE,
DIV.I (1,200m), Cl. IV, rated 20 to
46: Miss Saigon (Daman) 1, Safdar
(Mosin) 2, Slam Dunk (Hanumant) 3
and Pierce Arrow (Srinath) 4. Lnk,
1-3/4, Snk, 1m 13.40s. Rs. 17 (w), 10, 15
and 65 (p), SHP: Rs. 55, FP: Rs. 33, Q:
Rs. 44, Tanala: Rs. 636 and Rs. 273.
Favourite: Miss Saigon. Owners:
Mr. & Mrs. Vijay B. Shirke, Mr. Jay
V. Shirke & Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy
rep. Five Stars Shipping Co. (p) Ltd.
Trainer: Vishal Gaikwad.
Jackpot: 70 per cent: Rs. 1,93,361 (2
tkts.) and 30 per cent: Rs. 55,246 (3
tkts.).
Treble (i): Rs. 7,600 (1 tkt.); (ii):
Rs. 1, 324 (12 tkts.).
Super Jackpot: 100 per cent (car-
ried forward).
for AITA
NEW DELHI: The Executive Com-
mittee of the All India Tennis
Association (AITA) has ap-
pointed the former chairper-
son of the Central Board of Ex-
cise and Customs, Mrs.
Praveen Mahajan, temporary
president.
In a statement released on
Thursday, AITA secretary-
general Hironmoy Chatterjee
said, as per the constitution of
the national federation, a new
president had to be appointed
within three months once Anil
Khanna declined to continue
in that post despite being elec-
ted unanimously in Septem-
ber. It had to be from among
the vice-presidents of AITA.
— Special Correspondent
Billabong posts wins
NOIDA: Host Billabong High In-
ternational School won its
matches in the boys’ under-19
and girls’ under-14 sections in
the CBSE inter-school tennis
tournament on Thursday.
The results:
Boys: Under-19: Billabong High
International, Noida bt Indian School,
Bahrain, 2-0; Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan, Telangana bt Fahaheel Al W
Indian Pvt. School, Kuwait 2-0; Sarla
Chopra DAV bt Indian School, Dubai
2-0; Little Angel’s, Sonipat bt Ven-
kateshwar International, Dwaraka
2-1.
Under-14: Indian School, Muscat
bt Fahaheel Al W Indian Pvt. School,
Kuwait 2-1; DPS, Hyderabad bt
Mount Carmel, Dwaraka 2-0; MM
Public School, Pitampura bt Lotus
Valley, Noida 2-0; Ajanta Public
School, Gurgaon bt Gems Our Own
High School, Dubai 2-0; LittleAngel’s
School, Sonipat w/o Blossom
School, Tamil Nadu.
Girls: Under-19: Amity Interna-
tional, Noida bt Maharaja Sawai Man
Singh, Jaipur 2-1; MM Public School,
Pitampura bt Indian School, Muscat
2-0; St. Joseph, Tonk bt Birla Public
School, Qatar 2-0.
Under-14: Little Angel’s, Sonipat
bt Maharani Gayatri Devi School,
Jaipur 2-0; Pragyan School, Greater
Noida bt Delhi Pvt. School, Dubai 2-0;
Billabong High International, Noida
bt SAI International, Odisha 2-0; DLF
Public, Sahibabad bt Fahaheel Al W
Indian Pvt. School, Kuwait 2-0. —
Sports Bureau
Kumar Sinha bt Digvijay Pratap Singh
6-2, 6-2. Doubles semifinals:
Alester Magalit (Hkg) & Keonho Shin
(Kor) bt Siddhant Banthia & Suresh
Dhakshineswar 7-5, 7-6(6); Mert Al-
kaya & Baran Cengiz (Tur) bt Megh
Bhargav Patel & Alex Solanki 7-5,
6-4.
Girls: Quarterfinals: Weronika
Falkowska (Pol) bt Sathwika Sama
6-0, 6-0; Eunhye Lee (Kor) bt Shivani
Amineni 6-2, 6-1; Rika Tanaka (Jpn)
bt Vaidehi Chaudhari 6-2, 6-0; Man-
anchaya Sawangkaew (Tha) bt
Zeynep Erman (Tur) 6-2, 6-2.
Doubles semifinals: Martyna
Kubka & Wiktoria Rutkowska (Pol) bt
Zeyep Erman (Tur) & Weronika
Falkowska (Pol) 2-6, 6-3, [10-8]; Nina
Olyanovskaya & Valeriya Olyan-
ovskaya (Rus) bt Mananchaya
Sawangkaew (Tha) & Sabhyata Ni-
halani 4-6, 6-4, [10-1]. — Sports
Bureau

VARIETY
THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11867 (set by Arden) FAITH TODAY'S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Freedom from fear SOLUTIONS
9 1 Hatch back cross-section (8) 13 Attack — not correct to allow to look around (5) N G P I I P K G E T S U G N
endless mirth (9) Valmiki describes the young princes Rama and
O O I C K S N E
5 Part of sales made, reverts to the 24 Collecting rent could be toil in E D E R S H U P O L I R I T
10 11
young lady (6) 14 Record soon broken, and others the capital (7) Lakshmana, with their swords, bows and arrows in place, A T S B P S Y H
10 Knowing the history — a feature return feeling sad (12) 25 Hired girl, taken in and shown following Vishwamitra to the forest. It is the prevailing C E E C R E D S T O N L A G
belief that contemplating this picture of the well-armed
S O E H R L I
of Republic Day parade (7) 18 Salesman hating his work (12) the place (7) G I N T R E S E N E P R
12 13 Lord confers a sense of security and freedom from fear,
11 One nabs it anyway, don't go (7) 21 The boy by the way, went out 26 Return fire, cop becomes a lump
N I W G N L S F

with a PM once (9) (6) said Oragadam Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy in a T E L A S O N D I S C O
12 Woman that took off clothes in
discourse.
H H I L S N Y
14 15 American city (5) 23 Leapt out of receptacle 27 Avoiding exercise (8) H T U G L A S H A O N OMA
It is symbolic of the omniscience, omnipresence and G N E S W E L W
16 17 omnipotence of the Lord which sustains and protects the I N T A B S A P A S T F L Y

SU | DO | KU entire universe.
E H T P R S E N
E L M S D A P D O O R T R A
18 When Vishwamitra requests Dasaratha to send Rama
19 20 F ACROSS and Lakshmana with him to the forest to protect the yagna
from the rakshasas Maricha and Subhahu, the king
21 22 23 hesitates because he fears for their safety. Both Vasishta
and Vishwamitra are aware of Rama’s Paratva and hence
are able to view the situation impartially, unlike Dasaratha
24 25 who is moved by parental love alone.
Vasishta intervenes and advises Dasaratha to send Rama

G
DOWN and Lakshmana as promised. He assures the king that no
26 27 harm will befall Rama and Lakshmana.
Vasishta knows how destiny had led Vishwamitra, a
Kshatriya by birth and a powerful ruler, through a series of
events to rightfully earn the status of a Brahma Rishi.
1 Strangely felt no stickiness with 7 Hair cut after criminal hangs for 17 Spreading — Carol's got to take There is none to equal him in the mastery of weapons. He
it (6) kidnap (8) part (8) can protect the yagas by the sheer power of his penance,
2 However, one's gone across the 8 Boy and girl later stretch out (8) but it is for the good of the princes that he has come and Sudoku is a mind game and a
19 Initially one computes true rate
city (6) 9 Not taking responsibility as of interest for tax (6)
appears to seek Dasaratha’s help. The trip will be puzzle that you solve with
3 Reject prize — painter's limit currency is changing hands beneficial to them in the long run for Vishwamitra is well- reasoning and logic.
(4,1,4) (7,3,4) 20 A day goes terribly for a sailor versed in archery and has many powerful mantras which Fill in the grid with digits in such a
4 "Use scissor, lose toe" is a 15 How sniper gets the title? (9) (3,3) he would impart to them. On Vishwamitra’s advice, Rama manner that every row, every
complaint (14) 16 Drive away, say as rain in the 22 Talked about one under stress kills Tataka and shields Vishwamitra’s yagna from the column and every 3x3 box
6 Clueless as tea is poured (2,3) bog (8) (5) atrocities of the rakshasas. Subhahu is killed but Maricha accommodates the digits 1 to 9,
escapes only to be killed later by Rama. without repeating any.

CM ND-ND
YK
 https://telegram.me/pdf4exams
NOIDA/DELHI
THE HINDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
Innings wins for
Baroda, Mumbai
VADODARA: Baroda defeated
Tamil Nadu by an innings and
44 runs in the Cooch Behar
Trophy (under-19) here on
Thursday.
Tamil Nadu was bowled out
for 275 in its second essay.
Sonu Yadav (82) and S.
Radhakrishnan (76) added 97
for the second wicket.
In Mumbai, the home team
defeated Andhra by an innings
and 44 runs.
The scores:
At Vadodara: Tamil Nadu 263
and 275 in 91.1 overs (S. Aravind 34,
Sonu Yadav 82, S. Radhakrishnan
76, N.A. Rathva five for 85, S.S. Desai
three for 47) lost to Baroda 580.
At Mumbai: Andhra 163 & 379 in
146.4 overs (S. Yudish 113, U.M.S. Gir-
inath 40, Khizer Dafedar three for 68,
A.B. Siddiqui three for 84, Shubham
Pandey three for 103) lost to Mumbai
586. — Sports Bureau
Sidharth Rawat in
quarterfinals
JAKARTA: Sidharth Rawat beat
third Yusuke Takahashi of Ja-
pan 6-4, 6-2 to make the
quarterfinals of the $10,000
Futures tennis tournament
here on Thursday.
In Doha, top seed Ramku-
mar Ramanathan lost to eighth
seed Jonny O’Mara in three
sets in the quarterfinals.
The results:
$10,000 Futures, Cairo:
Second round: Haadin Bava bt Ju-
lian Onken (Ger) 6-2, 7-6(6).
Doubles quarterfinals: Chandril
Sood & Lakshit Sood bt Alexander
Braun (Ger) & Giovani Samaha (Lib)
7-6(8), 6-2; Issam Al Taweel & Sherif
Sabry (Egy) bt Haadin Bava & Arpit
Sharma 3-6, 6-2, 10-4; Curtis Clarke
& Jay Clarke (GBR) bt Kunal Anand &
Anvit Bendre 7-6(4), 6-1.
$10,000 Futures, Jakarta:
Second round: Sasi Kumar Mukund
bt Yecong He (Chn) 6-3, 6-3; Lingxi
Zhao (Chn) bt Rishab Agarwal 6-4, 7-
6(4); Sidharth Rawat bt Yusuke
Takahashi (Jpn) 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles quarterfinals: Rishab
Agarwal & Sidharth Rawat bt Rio No-
gochi (Jpn) & Lingxi Zhao (Chn) 6-4,
6-4.
$10,000 Futures, Doha:
Quarterfinals: Jonny O’Mara (GBR)
bt Ramkumar Ramanathan 5-7, 6-2,
7-5. Second round: Ramkumar
Ramanathan bt Marcin Gawron (Pol)
6-3, 6-2.
$10,000 ITF women, Cairo:
Quarterfinals: Akiho Kakuya (Jpn)
bt Bhuvana Kalva 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Doubles quarterfinals: Pei-Chi
Lee (Tpe) & Ines Murta (Por) bt
Warona Mdlulwa (RSA) & Bhuvana
Kalva 6-1, 6-0. — Sports Bureau
FORMULA ONE
2017 schedule tweaked to avoid
clash with Le Mans 24-Hours
PARIS: The European GP in
Baku will be staged a week
earlier in 2017 to avoid clash-
ing with the Le Mans 24 Hour
Race, the FIA said.
In a schedule reduced to 20
races, from 21 in 2016, the Baku
race will be staged on June 25,
a week after Le Mans.
Missing from the pro-
gramme for next year is the
German GP. Nuremberg is fin-
ancially unable to stage the
race while 2016 host Hocken-
heim was not willing to take it
on.
The lack of a German race
means Nico Rosberg will not
FOOTBALL
Manchester United eases past West Ham
MANCHESTER: Zlatan
Ibrahimovic and Anthony
Martial scored twice each as
Manchester United crushed
West Ham United 4-1 in the
League Cup quarterfinals on
Wednesday, while Arsenal
was humbled by
Southampton
United manager Jose
Mourinho served a one-
game touchline ban after his
dismissal for kicking a water
bottle during Sunday’s 1-1
Premier League draw against
West Ham, but his absence
had no ill-efects.
Ibrahimovic put United
ahead in the second minute
and although Ashley
Fletcher equalised, Martial’s
second-half brace restored
the hosts’ control before the
Swede added a fourth goal in
added time.
The game at Old Traford
notably saw Bastian Sch-
weinsteiger make his first
appearance of the season for
United as a late substitute.
The former Germany cap-
tain has only recently re-
turned to the first-team
squad after being frozen out
by Mourinho and received a
huge ovation as he came on.
West Ham had needed less
than two minutes to take the
CM
YK
Randhawa, Mukesh turn back the clock
GOLF / After fog delays the start, only 59 out of 120 players could complete their rounds
RAKESH RAO
NEW DELHI: The world loves a
‘sentimental favourite’ in
sports as experience is valued
over energy and exuberance.
In this context, if the sport is
golf and the venue the Delhi
Golf Club, the prospects of
Jyoti Randhawa and Mukesh
Kumar can never be discoun-
ted.
If Randhawa, 44, remains
the most successful golfer in
the international events held
in the country, Mukesh, 51,
surely merits a mention for be-
ing the most successful with
over 100 titles on the domestic
tour.
On Thursday, after fog
delayed the start of the
$400,000 Panasonic Open by
four hours, Randhawa, and
Mukesh provided fresh evid-
ence of their ability to carry
on, more on experience and ir-
respective of form.
The veterans shot rounds of
five-under 67 each and stayed
TENNIS
Suraj Prabodh gets past Tejas Chaukulkar
KAMESH SRINIVASAN
CHANDIGARH: Suraj Prabodh
bounced back from a slow
start to beat Tejas Chaukulkar
3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals
of the State Bank of Patiala Na-
tional grass court tennis cham-
pionship at the Chandigarh
Club on Thursday.
In the semifinals, Suraj
meets former national cham-
pion and second seed V.M.
Ranjeet, who was razor sharp
in outplaying Shahbaaz Khan.
Vijay Kannan, another
former national champion,
pulled through into the semi-
finals with a hard-earned 6-4,
4-6, 6-4 victory over qualifier
Jatin Dahiya.
Vijay, who had lost the na-
tional grass court final to Syed
Fazaluddin back in 1999,
handled the crunch situations
with calm assurance, teasing
and tormenting Dahiya who
was swift on his feet and
stroked with flair.
Vijay is scheduled to play
top seed Dalwinder Singh in
the semifinals.
However, Dalwinder who
has been fluent in the last two
rounds after a tough start to
the tournament, is sufering
have the opportunity to race in
front of his home fans in 2017.
Rosberg will start the de-
fence of his Formula One
world title in Australia on
March 26 with Abu Dhabi
again staging the season finale,
on November 26.
Other tweaks see the British
GP at Silverstone move to a
week later on July 16, the same
day as the Wimbledon tennis
men’s singles final.
Brazil’s race at Interlagos in
Sao Paulo is still to be oicially
confirmed as negotiations
continue between the pro-
moter and the sport’s ringmas-
PROVING A POINT: Zlatan Ibrahimovic silenced his critics by scoring a brace against West Ham in
the EFL Cup on Wednesday. — PHOTO: AP
lead in Sunday’s game, but on
this occasion United was the
early bird.
Wayne Rooney’s clever re-
verse pass picked out the ad-
vancing Henrikh Mkhitaryan
and the Armenian’s alert
back-heel freed Ibrahimovic
to lift the ball past West Ham
goalkeeper Adrian.
three strokes ahead of the
competition after only 59 out
of 120 players could complete
their rounds.
To make up for the lost time,
the first round will resume at 7
a.m. on Friday, followed by the
scheduled second round.
Should there be another spell
of fog, further loss of playing
time is a certainty.
Consistency to the fore
Once the action com-
menced, the consistency of
Randhawa and Mukesh
knocked out Sanjeev Kumar
from the pedestal after he fin-
ished on 71.
Defending champion
Chiragh Kumar and S.
Chikkarangappa (71 each)
were far better placed than
Jeev Milkha Singh (75) and
Shiv Kapur (80).
Arjun Atwal and young
Shubhankar Sharma were lev-
el-par after playing five holes.
Randhawa’s tied-fourth
finish at Manila Masters (won
ALL-ROUND SOLIDITY: His lack of obvious weaponry
notwithstanding, Suraj Prabodh outplayed the aggressive
Tejas Chaukulkar to advance to the semifinals.
from a painful inflammation in
his abdomen, and that might
rule him out of the semifinal.
Dalwinder had, in fact,
sought to consult the physio at
the start of his quarterfinal but
played on as medical assist-
ter Bernie Ecclestone.
2017 schedule: March 26: Aus-
tralia (Melbourne), April 9: China
(Shanghai), April 16: Bahrain
(Sakhir), April 30: Russia (Sochi),
May 14: Spain (Barcelona), May 28:
Monaco, June 11: Canada (Montreal),
June 25: Europe (Baku), July 9: Aus-
tria (Spielberg), July 16: Great Britain
(Silverstone), July 30: Hungary (Bud-
apest), August 27: Belgium (Spa-
Francorchamps), Sept. 3: Italy
(Monza), Sept. 17: Singapore, Oct. 1:
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Oct. 8: Ja-
pan (Suzuka), Oct. 22: United States
(Austin), Oct. 29: Mexico, Nov. 12:
Brazil (Sao Paulo), Nov. 26: Abu Dh-
abi. — AFP
West Ham levelled in the
35th minute with a bolt from
the blue as David de Gea
spilled Dimitri Payet’s shot
and former United young-
ster Fletcher tucked in his
first senior goal in front of
the Stretford End.
Fortunately for United, it
started the second half as
SPORT
by S.S.P. Chowrasia) and
Mukesh’s triumph in this
year’s Chennai Open, reflec-
ted their self-belief.
If Mukesh started from the
10th tee with a hat-trick of
birdies, Randhawa ended his
round in a similar fashion on
the 18th.
Randhawa fired six birdies
against a bogey while Mukesh
had seven birdies and two bo-
geys.
Strangely, both dropped a
stroke on the par-3 12th.
“My hitting was decent
today, however, not as good as
I would’ve liked. I liked my
birdie on the 16th hole,” said
Randhawa as he referred to a
fine low 4-iron approach shot
before finding the hole from 30
feet.
Mukesh, whose personal
count of titles stands at a
whopping 123 and wishes to
retire after reaching 125, said,
“I was hitting it close on the
back-nine but on the front-
nine, I managed to sink three
ance was delayed, and dis-
missed Param Pun.
In the women’s section,
qualifier Aarushi Kakkar
joined the top three seeds Riya
Bhatia, Sai Samhitha and Nidhi
Chilumula in the semifinals.
CRICKET
‘This Test team has the potential to succeed abroad’
MUMBAI: Batting legend Rahul
Dravid on Thursday said a
settled middle order can en-
sure the Indian Test team’s
success abroad.
“I am very impressed with
the batting talent we have
and they are growing, de-
veloping as a team, they still
are figuring their way out. I
hope by the time India tours
abroad, we will have a settled
batting line-up, a sort of con-
fident and successful middle
order in place,” Dravid said
at an event here.
“If you have a set middle
order and the guys know
sharply as it had attacked the
first, a move down the right
culminating in Mkhitaryan
squaring for Martial to
sweep home.
West Ham’s cause was not
helped by the fact it lost both
wing-backs, Aaron Cress-
well and Michail Antonio to
injury, and in the 62nd min-
CASHING IN ON EXPERIENCE: Jyoti Randhawa, one of the lucky few to complete 18 holes on a fog-hit
first day, had six birdies and a bogie to emerge joint leader of a truncated opening round.
— PHOTO: AFP
long putts from 10 to 15 feet.
“I also made a good recov-
ery from the bushes on the
sixth but drained a 15-footer
Riya, the National cham-
pion on hard courts, has
dropped only three games
over three rounds here, and
she next meets Aarushi after
the latter went through beat-
ing Seerat Kaur Pannu.
The results:
Men: Quarterfinals: Dalwinder
Singh bt Param Pun 6-2, 6-4; Vijay
Kannan bt Jatin Dahiya 6-4, 4-6, 6-4;
Suraj Prabodh bt Tejas Chaukulkar
3-6, 6-2, 6-4; V.M. Ranjeet bt Shah-
baaz Khan 6-3, 6-3.
Doubles semifinals: Param Pun
& Hardeep Singh Sandhu bt Vilasier
Khate & Ranjeet Singh 6-2, 6-3;
Armaan Bhatia & Ishaque Eqbal bt
Abhinansu Borthakur & Saurav Sukul
6-1, 6-2.
Quarterfinals: Abhinansu
Borthakur & Saurav Sukul bt Siddarth
Ponnala & Suraj Prabodh 6-3, 6-4.
Women: Quarterfinals: Riya
Bhatia bt Sara Yadav 6-0, 6-2;
Aarushi Kakkar bt Seerat Kaur Pannu
6-1, 6-2; Nidhi Chilumula bt Himani
Mor 6-0, 6-1; Sai Samhitha bt Kaavya
Sawhney 6-1, 6-2.
Doubles semifinals: Nidhi Chi-
lumula & Moulika Ram bt Yubrani
Banerjee & Neeru Rapria 6-1, 6-2; Sai
Samhitha & Amrita Mukherjee bt HI-
mani Mor & Dakshata Patel 6-1, 6-1.
Quarterfinals: Himani Mor &
Dakshata Patel bt Vasavi Ganesan &
Arthi Muniyan 7-6(5), 4-6 retired.
they are secure in their posi-
tion, I think it will give us the
best chances to succeed. The
potential is there to succeed
in all conditions,” said the
former captain.
Dravid was in conversa-
tion with Link Group MD
John McMurtie at the ‘Link
Lecture Series’ which was
launched here on Thursday.
“The (current) guys (play-
ers), the way they are per-
forming, I think it’s a very
good talent.
“It’s a nice thing that they
have a lot of these home Test
matches over the next few
ute, found itself 3-1 down.
Ibrahimovic was the archi-
tect with a fine pass down
the inside-right channel for
Antonio Valencia, whose
cross was tapped in by
Martial.
Ibrahimovic doubled his
tally in the 93rd minute, slot-
ting in Ander Herrera’s low
cross from the left.
The only source of regret
for United was a booking for
Rooney that rules him out of
Sunday’s trip to Everton, nix-
ing his hopes of scoring a
club record-equalling 249th
goal against his old side.
Arsenal manager Arsene
Wenger had been hoping to
win the competition for the
first time, but instead his de-
cision to make 10 changes
backfired as Southampton
ended his side’s 19-game un-
beaten run.
Jordy Clasie put
Southampton ahead in the
13th minute and Ryan Ber-
trand added a second seven
minutes before half-time to
end Arsenal’s 19-game un-
beaten run.
The results: Manchester United
4 (Ibrahimovic 2, 90+3, Martial 48,
62) bt West Ham 1 (Fletcher 35); Ar-
senal 0 lost to Southampton 2
(Clasie 13, Bertrand 38). — AFP
https://telegram.me/thehindu_zone
for bogey.”
Leading scores: Jyoti Randhawa,
Mukesh Kumar 67. Sutjet Kooratanap-
isan (Tha) 70, Sanjeev Kumar, Chiragh
Scheduling issue leaves
Sai Samhitha scrambling
KAMESH SRINIVASAN
CHANDIGARH: While competing
in the national grass court
tennis championship may
not be especially rewarding,
the event’s scheduling also
comes in the way of a player’s
participation in the interna-
tional events.
Sai Samhitha, who has
made the singles semifinals
and the doubles final at the
grass court nationals here,
finds herself struggling to
enter next week’s $10,000
ITF women’s tournament in
Solapur.
With a $25,000 event in
Pune and another $10,000
tournament in Navi Mumbai
to follow, Solapur has attrac-
ted a field of strong players,
and Sai — seeded No. 2 here
— will have to qualify for the
main draw at the ITF event.
With her singles and
doubles matches scheduled
for Friday, it would be phys-
ically impossible for Sai to
play here and make it in time
for the sign-in at Solapur,
which has a deadline of 6
p.m.
There are two slots for
months,” said Dravid.
“(Cheteshwar) Pujara has
been exceptional at No. 3
after I have left. He has bat-
ted beautifully, he has played
well in this series (against
England). He is a terrific Test
player. I hope we are going to
see his best years ahead.
Ajinkya Rahane has been
exceptional as well. Virat
(Kohli) is absolutely sensa-
tional,” he said.
Talking of his generation,
Dravid said, “It was great in
my generation, the sort of
five players who were settled
and established.” — PTI
Rooney will
remain captain,
says Southgate
LONDON: England manager
Gareth Southgate, facing the
media for the first time since
his appointment on a per-
manent basis, confirmed on
Thursday that Wayne
Rooney would remain cap-
tain of the National side.
Rooney, 31, had apologised
after being pictured looking
the worse for wear as he
mingled with wedding
guests in the early hours at
the England team hotel dur-
ing the most recent Interna-
tional break.
Southgate had dropped
him for the 0-0 World Cup
qualifying draw in Slovenia,
but recalled him for Eng-
land’s 3-0 win over Scotland,
before injury forced the
Manchester United forward
to withdraw from the squad.
“Wayne Rooney is the
England captain,” Southgate
told reporters at Wembley.
“It’s important we develop
more leaders in that group.
“When I played for Eng-
land at Euro 96, there were
leaders throughout the team.
Wayne has played an import-
ant part up to this point, but
we also need to develop oth-
ers.” — Agencies
Kumar, Brett Munson (USA), S.
Chikkarangappa, M. Dharma, Shankar
Das, Vikrant Chopra, Manav Jaini and
Gaurav Pratap Singh 71.
special exempts specifically
meant for dealing with such
situations, and those are
likely to be taken by Nidhi
Chilumula and Kanika
Vaidya, the two players
ahead of Sai in the qualifying
list.
Incidentally, Nidhi is also
competing here, and will, in
fact, play Sai in the singles
semifinals, and in the
doubles final!
The four wild-cards for
the ITF tournament’s main
draw have already been giv-
en to Zeel Desai, Amrita
Mukherjee, Pareen Shivekar
and Malaika Alex Fernandes.
Sai has resorted to a work-
around to this particular
situation.
She has applied for a quali-
fying wild-card, which will
allow her to directly appear
for her qualifying match in
Solapur on Saturday, without
having to go through the
strict sign-in process on Fri-
day evening.
However, the fact remains
that this is the sort of
scheduling problems that af-
fects the focus of a player
while at a tournament.
PLAINSPEAK: Rahul Dravid feels India is on the way to
establishing a settled, confident middle order.— PHOTO: PTI
Habas hopes to
finish on a high
AMITABHA DAS SHARMA
KOLKATA: Having seen his cur-
rent team FC Pune City’s
play-of chances evaporating
with two successive losses,
Antonio Habas congratu-
lated the policy of persever-
ance of Atletico de Kolkata, a
play-of qualifier and his last
opponent on Friday in the
third edition of the Indian
Super league.
Habas, who coached ATK
to the title in the inaugural
year before guiding it to the
play-ofs again last season in
his two-year stint, said lack
of consistency put paid to
Pune City’s chances.
His successor in ATK, Jose
Molina, who retained the
nucleus of the team designed
by Habas, put the host in the
play-ofs for the third suc-
cessive season.
The Spaniards at the helm
have set their sights on a win
for diferent reasons in their
concluding league game of
the tournament, which hap-
pens at the Rabindra Sarobar
Stadium here on Friday.
Molina would like a pos-
itive result just to ensure that
his team finishes in a posi-
tion better than the current
| 19
Four-in-a-row
for Thunder
LOS ANGELES: Russell West-
brook (35 points, 14 rebounds
and 11 assists) set up a fourth
straight NBA victory for Ok-
lahoma City Thunder on
Wednesday, a 126-115 overtime
triumph over the visiting
Washington Wizards.
The results : Portland 131 bt
Indiana 109; Miami 106 bt Denver 98;
Phoenix 109 bt Atlanta 107; San Ant-
onio 94 bt Dallas 87; LA Lakers 96 bt
Chicago 90; Oklahoma City 126 bt
Washington 115 (ot); NY Knicks 106
bt Minnesota 104; Detroit 121 bt Bo-
ston 114; Toronto 120 bt Memphis
105. — Agencies
Kiwi coach
downplays
Australia turmoil
SYDNEY: New Zealand coach
Mike Hesson declined to lay
the boot into Australia on
Thursday after a demor-
alising Test series defeat to
South Africa, insisting its
ODI team was a diferent
beast.
Australia heads into the
three-game
Chappell-Hadlee
limited-overs
Trophy,
starting on Sunday in
Sydney.
“I think their one-day side
is a heck of a lot more settled
than their Test side,” said
Hesson.
“The one-day side has
been incredibly consistent,
bar the recent South Africa
(one-day 5-0 whitewash)
series.
“They’ve been very good
for a number of years and are
ranked No. 1 in the world, so I
don’t think the unsettled
nature of the Test side will
lead into the one-day side.”
No.1 spot at stake
The New Zealanders
could take the world No. 1
ranking from the Aussies
with a 3-0 series whitewash,
but Hesson insisted that sim-
ply retaining the Chappell-
Hadlee Trophy would be
enough.
“We won the Chappell-
Hadlee the last couple of
times, it’s really important
for us,” he said.
“Australia are our big
brothers and winning a bilat-
eral series against them is
important. If the by-product
of that is an increase in the
ranking, then great.” — AFP
third in the standings, which
it holds with 19 points from 13
matches.
Habas would like to sign
of on a high note.
Pune had beaten ATK 2-1
when the latter visited it in
the first phase of the league.
Composition problems
“ATK has retained most of
its foreign players. We signed
new foreign players so it took
time to settle down,” Habas
said.
“The match is not between
me and ATK but Pune and
ATK. We will go for three
points tomorrow and end on
a high,” Habas said.
“We lost Cameroon de-
fender Andre Bikey and Ice-
land forward Eidur Gudjohn-
sen’s before the start of the
season and that has hurt the
prospects of his side.”
Having achieved the first
target, Molina would now
look to regain the title. This
would mean that the host
will be resting some of the
players and try out some
fresh legs ahead of the
knock-outs.
“We are thinking about
giving chance to some play-
ers,” Molina said.
ND-ND