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5 ‘Reds’ to be kept Triple Jump

Arpinder Singh clinches In-
dia’s third men’s triple jump
Asian
Games
2018
P10
on national sports day,
india strikes gold twice

under house arrest

SC stays arrests,
seeks reply from
state and Centre
Team DNA
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi/Pune: The Su-
preme Court (SC) on Wednes-
day granted some reprieve to
the five alleged ‘urban Nax-
als’ who were arrested by the
Pune Police in a joint opera-
tion on Tuesday by stating
that they would be under
house arrest till September 6.
The five-judge SC bench led
by Chief Justice of India Di-
pak Misra said: “Dissent is
the safety valve of democra-
cy. If you don’t allow the
safety valve pressure cooker
will burst.”
The SC bench directed the
Centre and state govern-
ments to submit their replies
to the petition and stayed the
arrests of the five alleged ‘ur-
ban Naxals’ — Varavara Rao,
Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Fer-
reira, Sudha Bharadwaj and
Gautam Navlakha. The SC
bench directed the police to
keep them under house ar-
rest till September 6. The
Court will hear the matter
again next week.
The Maharashtra Police,
which arrested Rao, Gon-
salves, Ferreira, Bharadwaj
and Navlakha had to face
some tough questions from
the SC bench headed by CJI
Misra and comprising Jus-
tices AM Khanwilkar and DY
99.3% of cash came back to RBI after note-ban
Indians have
deposited almost
all the Rs 500 and
Rs 1,000 notes Introduction of
demonetised in new currency
November 2016 notes has
failed to check
Overall volume counterfeiting.
There was a
of banknotes
sharp rise in
increased by
2.1%, but printing the counterfeit
notes of the new
of Rs 2,000 notes RBI says banks have received denominated
comes down by
gold in the Asian Games on
Wednesday
n Arpinder’s effort is the
first medal in 48 years for
India in triple jump at the
Asiand
n Arpinder follows medals
Who said what won by Mohinder Singh in
1958 and Mohinder Singh
Dissent is the This is a strange As per the Gill in 1970
n He covers a distance of
safety valve of case where SC
democracy. If it strangers have directions, the 16.77 metres to seal his
gold medal
is not allowed, moved bail arrested persons
then the pleas. Some of will be taken
pressure cooker them have been back to their Gold
may burst jailed in the past homes. They
DY Chandrachud, Tushar Mehta, will be kept
SC Justice ASG their till further
direction
KD Vadhane, India’s Swapna Barman prays after winning heptathlon
Sessions and gold as Japan’s Yuki Yamasaki looks on —Reuters
District Judge, Pune
Heptathlon Medal winners
Delhi HC points out lapses in Navlakha arrest India’s Swapna Barman wins
country’s 150th gold medal
n She has been battling
toothache and participated GOLD
SILVER
Dutee Chand
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednes- at the Asian Games and the at the Asian Games with a Arpinder Singh (athletics,
day questioned the legality of a transit re- first ever for the nation in bandaged jaw (athletics, men’s women’s 200m)
mand order passed by a Chief Metropolitan heptathlon. India have previ- n She has six toes on each triple jump)
Magistrate allowing the Maharashtra Police ously won five medals in this foot, which makes it painful BRONZE
Swapna
to take away alleged naxal activist and jour- event without taking gold for her as she cannot afford Achanta Sharath
Barman
nalist Gautam Navlakha to Pune.  Report, P14 n Swapna, who earned extra wide shoes Kamal/ Manika
(athletics,
6,026 points, is only the n Swapna uses money she Batra (table
women’s
UPA had flagged 128 orgs with Naxal links fifth woman to cross 6,000
points
gets as prize in looking after
her family
heptathlon)
tennis, mixed
doubles)
New Delhi: The Pune Police informed the Centre on Wednes-
day that the five persons arrested on Tuesday were part of
the 128 organisations in urban areas identified by the UPA
government in December 2012 as having Naxal links. It had
then asked the respective state government to take action
against them.  Report, P14 Terrorists kill four cops in J&K
Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
Chandrachud. The SC questioned the h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
There was much hullaba- Pune police as to why the
loo after the arrest of the five ‘Naxal activists’ were ar- Srinagar: Terrorists attacked the
alleged Naxal supporters, rested eight months after escort vehicle of a senior police of-
with several human rights the Bhima Koregaon com- ficer on Wednesday, killing four po-
activists, historians and legal munal clashes that broke licemen in Shopian district of south
experts, questioning the out in Pune, following the Kashmir. The killings came hours
manner in which they were Elgaar Parishad in Decem- after security forces dealt a major
arrested.  ber 2017.  Turn to P4 blow to Hizbul Mujahideen and killed
two top militant commanders in (Left to Right) Special Police Officer Adil Ahmad, Constable Javid Ahmad, Constable
Anantnag district of South Kashmir. Mohammad Ishfaq and Constable Mohammad Iqbal
Police said terrorists fired indis-
criminately in the afternoon on a
party at Arhama village. “Four po-
the attack was carried by its cadres,
along with Hizbul Mujahideen, and
ers with a history of criminal record
stretching to 2007.
`10,720 cr `15.4 lakh cr licemen were wounded and evacu-
ated to nearby hospital. However, all
confessed to taking the riffles as well.
Earlier in the morning, police and
“Considered as a long time surviv-
ing terrorist in the area, he was in-
Total amount that Total amount of four succumbed to injuries,” said a security forces jointly launched volved in series of terror crimes. He
didn’t return after Rs 500 & Rs1,000 police spokesman. search operation at Muniward area of was involved in several attacks on
the cash ban notes demonetised The policemen have been identi- Khanabal in Anantnag district, in the security forces and killings of
fied as Special Police Officer Adil which two militants were killed. civilians and policemen in the area.
DIGITAL PAYMENTS ON A HIGH Ahmad, Constable Javid Ahmad, “During the searches, terrorists Several cases were registered
4.4 Constable Mohammad Ishfaq ad Con- fired on the search party which re- against him in different police sta-
2016-17 stable Mohammad Iqbal. taliated. In the ensuing encounter, tions across the Valley for his terror
7.4 The incident occurred when the two terrorists were eliminated. The activities,” he added.
2017-18
82 police was taking the escort vehicle of slain were identified as Altaf Ahmad Meanwhile, the police busted
the Deputy Superintendent of Police Dar alias Kachroo alias Moin and three terror modules in Awantipo-
80.9 to a workshop for repairs. Militants Umar Rashid Wani,” said a police ra area of south Kashmir and ar-

95% `15.31
n Total retail electronic clearing n Total card payment
lakh crore currency notes Rs
500 and Rs 2,000
n (All figures in Rs lakh crore)
Full report in DNA Money
lurking near Arhama fired at the ve-
hicle and decamped with three riffles.
spokesperson.
Police said Kachroo was one of
rested several persons who were
motivating the youth to join the
Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed that Hizbul’s most important command- terrorist ranks.

`1K cr frauds hit textile trade 60K evacuated

in Myanmar
dam overflow displaces thousands
Conduit jailor’s ‘safe’
Blackberry did him in
Ahmedabad: Frauds related to non-payment of dues of
about Rs 1,000 crore is hurting the local textile market, say
market leaders. These relate to bouncing of cheques, misuse
of GST numbers, deliberate non-payment and even exten-
as dam breaks
sion of payment cycles to about six months. However, In Kyin Kone: More than Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
Maskati Market Kapad Mahajan, which arbitrates in trade 60,000 people have evacuated h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net case history
disputes, said that most of the cases do not come on record their homes in central Myan-
The case dates back
and so culprits are mostly not identified. Gaurang Bhagat, mar after part of a dam failed Srinagar: A day after Srina-
to October 2017 when
president of Maskati Market Kapad Mahajan, said that such on Wednesday, inundating gar Central Jail’s former Dep-
J&K police discovered
cases have been rampant over the past two years. Report, P2 communities and damaging uty Jail Superintendent,
a Hizb plan to send
a bridge on a major highway, Feroze Ahmad Lone, was
Kashmiri youth to PoK for
officials said. Myanmar fire busted for helping jailed ter-
arms training after they

Rahul heading for

authorities sent a team to the rorists cross into Pakistan Oc-
arrested two youths. They
dam after the breach at 5:30 cupied Kashmir for arms
had met Palla in jail
am unleashed water into the training, he may not be par-
nearby town of Swar and sev- ticularly happy to learn that it

Mt Kailash soon
eral other settlements. “The was the ‘safe’ Blackberry mes- jail and that was the main
(spillway) of the dam was senger that did him in. Even reason for his transfer from
broken and flooded the two as he had depended on it for its Kashmir to Jammu three
villages close to the high- high-security features, within months ago,” said a source.
Iftikhar Gilani & way,” the fire department Residents negotiate a flooded road after rampaging waters from Swar Chaung dam submerged villages in Bago the jail during his tenure, he It was, however, the same
Amrita Madhukalya The trip said on its Facebook page. region, central Myanmar on Wednesday —AFP had conspired with inmate Blackberry that blew the lid
correspondent@dnaindia.net  Report, P7 Ishaq Palla who is lodged off his role as a ‘conspirator’.
n Rahul Gandhi is said
there since October 2017. “Accused persons were in
to fly to Beijing on August
New Delhi: Making good on According to sources, Pal- contact with each other

2% DA hike for Central staff, pensioners

his declaration about paying
a visit to Mount Kailash, Ra-
hul Gandhi will embark on
the journey on Friday, sourc-
es in the party say.
Gandhi is said to fly to
Beijing from Delhi on August
31, from where he will travel
to Lhasa and then make his
way to Saga. He will then stay
at Saga for a day or two to ac-
climatise before moving on to
Mansarovar Lake located at
15,060 ft above sea level. The
Congress president will stay
in a base camp in Prayang
near the lake, from where he
will be taken to the sacred
site in Mount Kailash and
nearby tourist spots in a heli-
copter. The whole visit is said
to take a fortnight
Gandhi will be accompa-
nied by his Special Protec-
tion Group personnel; party
colleagues Kaushal Vid-
yarthi and Manoj Tyagi may
join him. Party sources say
Gandhi, who has a diplomat-
ic passport, will inform the
Ministry of Home Affairs in
31. It is unconfirmed
whether he will meet
Chinese leaders
n He will stay in a base
camp in Prayang and
go to Mount
Kailash in a
chopper. The
whole visit is
said to take a
fortnight
a day or two. As he moves in-
side Chinese territory, China
is likely to attach an officer
for his safety. It is uncon-
firmed whether he will meet
any political leaders there.
Gandhi declared his inten-
tion to visit Kailash Mansaro-
var after a troubling episode
during Karnataka elections.
The plane he was in — a Das-
sault Falcon 2000 aircraft (VY-
AVH) — nosedived as he was
flying over Hubli. “I thought
it was the end,” he said after-
wards, “Then, a second
thought came to my mind — I
want to visit Kailash.”
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: There is good
news for Central government
employees and pensioners.
The Union Cabinet on
Wednesday approved addi-
tional two per cent hike in the
Dearness Allowance (DA)
and Dearness Relief (DR), a
move that will benefit ap-
proximately 1.1 crore central
government employees and
pensioners, an official re-
lease said.
The impact on the excheq-
uer on account of both the
DA and DR would be Rs
6,112.20 crore per annum and
Rs 4,074.80 crore in the finan-
cial year 2018-19 (8 months
from July, 2018 to February,
2019). The hike will be effect-
ed from July 1, 2018, the gov-
ernment press release said.
The decision was taken at
the Union Cabinet meeting
chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in New Delhi
on Wednesday.
“The Union Cabinet...has
approved to release an addi-
tional instalment of Dear-
ness Allowance (DA) to Cen-
tral Government employees
and Dearness Relief (DR) to
pensioners w.e.f. July 01, 2018
representing an increase of
two per cent over the existing
rate of seven per cent of the
Basic Pay/Pension, to com-
la had planned to send Kash- through Blackberry messen-
miri youth to PoK for training ger during October before
and Lone, with his creden- they were apprehended by
tials, was handy in being the the police last year on Octo-
conduit as he helped facilitate ber 30. Investigation contin-
Money Matters the terrorists’ meeting with ues to unearth the larger
overground workers while conspiracy”, the NIA said.
n Dearness Allowance hike will benefit around 48.41 lakh Palla. He also provided com- The case dates back to Oc-
central government employees and 62 lakh pensioners munication facilities to him. tober 2017 when J&K police
n The impact on the exchequer on account of DA and “He was instrumental in discovered a Hizbul Mujahi-
DR would be Rs 6,112.20 crore per annum providing communication fa- deen plan to send Kashmiri
cilities to terrorists in central youth to PoK.
n The Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief hike will
be effected from July 1, 2018
pensate for price rise,” it government employees and
said. About 48.41 lakh central pensioners to seven per cent
government employees and from five per cent, with effect
62 lakh pensioners will be from 1 January 2018. The DA
benefited because of the DA hike was in accordance with
hike. a formula based on the rec-
As per the release, the in- ommendations of the 7th Pay
crease is in accordance with Commission for central gov-
the accepted formula, which ernment employees. In an-
is based on the recommenda- other Cabinet decision today,
tions of the 7th Central Pay the government approved
Commission. revised cost estimate for set-
It may be recalled that in ting up of India Post Pay-
March this year, the Union ments Bank from Rs 800 crore Feroze Ahmed Lone (inset) was shunted out of
Cabinet had increased DA for to Rs 1,435 crore. Srinagar Central Jail around three months ago
  02
daily news & analysis I Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018
caught on cam `1k cr and counting, Hardik health slips, says fast to go on
Panchayat man
beating student
frauds hit textile biz
Gandhidham: A video pur-
portedly showing a village
panchayat member thrash-
ing a primary school student
at a village in Kutch district
of Gujarat has gone viral on
social media, prompting the
authorities to initiate an in-
quiry into the incident.
The man, a member of
Raydhanpar village panchay-
at in Bhuj taluka, also hap-
pens to be a member of the
panchayat’s school manage-
ment committee. He was
caught in a CCTV camera
beating up a Class 7 student
on Tuesday.
After the video went viral,
the Kutch district education
authorities initiated an in-
quiry and said action will be
taken against the man, iden-
tified as Mada Baradiya, by
the district development of-
ficer (DDO).
In the video, Baradiya is
seen dragging a student and
slapping and kicking him
several times.
The video shows another
student trying to intervene,
although it fails to prevent
him from beating up the boy
with a stick. After a while, he
drags the boy inside a class-
room and beats him up there,
before leaving the room.
Meanwhile, teachers are seen
standing as mute spectators.
“We received the video
this morning, and we have
initiated an inquiry. Since
the man is a member of the
gram panchayat, we will send
the report to the district de-
velopment officer for further
action against him,” district
primary education officer
Sanjay Parmar said. The in-
cident took place during re-
cess on Tuesday.  —PTI
Petition challenges blanket ban on plastic
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
A petition filed in the Gujarat
High Court before a division
bench of Justice Anant Dave
and Justice Biren Vaishnav
has challenged plastic ban in
the state. The petition filed by
a manufacturer of plastic
cups and plates argued that
after the plastic ban was im-
plemented, large-scale raids
were carried out at various
plastic manufacturing units.
Appearing for the petition-
er, counsel Rajan Patel argued
that there is no ban on plastic
Why register diesel autos when
they are banned in city: PIL
DNA Correspondent
correpondent@dnaindia.net
A petition in the Gujarat High
Court has challenged the RTOs
in municipal corporation lim-
its registering diesel auto rick-
shaws in the state. The petition
stated that there is a ban on
running diesel passenger auto
rickshaws and loading vehi-
cles within the municipal cor-
poration limits yet the Road
Transport Office in such cor-
porations’ limits continue to
register such vehicles.
This, the petition argued,
was in violation of the rules.
The petition also said that if
the RTOs continue to register
such vehicles even if a ban
against them was in place, it
would not help in battling
‘Women ragpickers need natural anti-oxidant therapy’ Talks start for Retail Trade Policy
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
There is a need to develop natu-
ral or herbal anti-oxidant ther-
apy to prevent women ragpick-
ers from diseases, recommends
a study by two professors of
Gujarat University. The study
conducted on ‘Health Risk As-
sessment on Women Rag Pick-
ers of Ahmedabad’ by profes-
sors Divya Fulwani and Dr Di-
vya Chandel of Department of
Zoology, BMT & Human Genet-
ics at Gujarat University, re-
vealed that nearly 70% of
women suffered from higher
number of injuries through
syringe, dog bites, harsh chem-
icals, and metal scraps in ab-
ah edabad
Cases of deliberate non-payment, prolonging payment
cycle, and misuse of GST numbers are rampant
Keyur Dhandeo
keyur.dhandeo@dnaindia.net
Frauds related to non-pay-
ment of dues of about Rs
1,000 crore is hurting the lo-
cal textile market, say mar-
ket leaders. These relate to
bouncing of cheques, misuse
of GST numbers, deliberate
non-payment and even ex-
tension of payment cycles to
about six months. However,
Maskati Market Kapad Ma-
hajan, which arbitrates in
trade disputes, said that
most of the cases do not
come on record and so cul-
prits are mostly not identi-
fied resulting in repetition
of frauds.
Gaurang Bhagat, presi-
dent of Maskati Market Ka-
pad Mahajan, said that cases
of cheques not being hon-
oured have been rampant
over the past two and a half
years resulting in accumu-
lated frauds worth Rs 1,000
crore. “These estimates were
arrived at when traders be-
gan opening up. Despite the
Mahajan intervening to solve
disputes, only about one per
cent of cases come on record
and the count of victims con-
tinue to rise,” said Bhagat.
The owner of a processing
firm in Ahmedabad said that
it had supplied goods worth
Rs 12.5 lakh to a firm about
two months ago but the buyer
is unwilling to pay. He has
registered his complaint with
the Mahajan. “The buyer
came with the reference of a
reputed trader and paid for
goods worth Rs 2.5 lakh. After
that he bought goods worth
Rs 7.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh in
quick succession and is now
not honouring the commit-
ment,” said the businessman.
Bhagat said that despite
being duped, sellers give ref-
erence of buyers in the hope
Picture for representation
above 50 microns and yet the
municipal bodies did not both-
er to take these into considera-
tion while seizing the goods.
He argued that the civic
Picture for representation
pollution in cities. It should
be noted that the ban was put
in place to help deal with the
rising particulate matter lev-
els in the air in various cities
of Gujarat.
The High Court has issued
notices to the state govern-
ment and others in the matter.
Picture for representation
sence of protective equipment
like gloves and masks.
Rag-pickers play an impor-
tant but usually unrecognised
role in the waste management
Over 400 complaints received in 18 months
Maskati Mahajan, as it is
popularly called, received
over 400 disputes in past 18
months, of which 125 are
still pending. Bhagat said
that another 800 cases have
been settled in an informal
manner. The Mahajan has
got the authority to arbitrate
in disputes between traders.
It has blacklisted over 100
traders and has urged traders
to bring on record the fraud
cases so more fraudulent
traders can be identified.
If the sellers want to know the credentials
of any buyer, they should approach the
Mahajan. We will give the right guidance.
Gaurang Bhagat,
president, Maskati Market Kapad Mahajan
that the latter will pay back,
but in the process, other trad-
ers get duped too. Bhagat
warned sellers to supply
goods to unauthenticated
buyers coming through the
reference of other traders.
“If the sellers want to know
the credentials of any buyer,
they should approach the Ma-
hajan. We will give the right
guidance,” he said.
bodies in their notification
did not clarify about the mi-
crons and this was leading to
even plastic above 50 microns
being seized, affecting a lot of
businesses.
The court has issued no-
tices to the state government,
the AMC, and other pertinent
authorities and slated further
hearing in the matter on Sep-
tember 12.
The petition added that the
present notification was in
violation of an earlier court
order that allowed use of plas-
tic cups and plates above 50
microns. It also said that mu-
Vendors withdraw plea
A PIL filed in the Gujarat
High Court was withdrawn
after the court pointed out
that the petitioners had an
interest in the petition and
hence it cannot be said that
there was public interest in
the same. It directed the pe-
titioners to file the matter
before a single bench of the
court since it was a private
matter of the petitioner
which affected their liveli-
hood.
The petitioners were
street vendors who had ap-
proached the court against
the recent move by the civic
body and the police to re-
move their business from the
roads, terming them as en-
croachments.
system of Indian cities. They
collect garbage in search of re-
cyclable items that can be sold
to scrap merchants. The occu-
pational exposure, which if not
Traditionally, textile trading
is on credit, with credit cycle
being 15-60 days. Even if there
is a delay in payment, traders
hope that payment will be
made and do not register a for-
mal complaint. Bhagat said that
in spite of the fact that Goods
and Services Tax (GST) has
brought formalisation in trade,
such frauds continue. “There
are numerous cases of misuse
of GST number, with the rightful
owner not even aware of the
misuse,” he informed.
The segment of salwaar-
kameez and kurtis is the
worst affected with estimat-
ed frauds worth at least Rs
500 crore. “Close to 2,000
traders in the sector have
been at the receiving end.
The frauds in denim, shirt-
ing, cotton suiting, other
dress material and bed
sheets are not that ram-
pant,” said Bhagat.
nicipal authorities were ran-
domly seizing plastic cups
and plates and penalising
manufacturers even though
their product did not violate
any norms and they had all
the requisite permissions.
The petition said that the
state should set up infrastruc-
tural facilities to deal with the
management of plastic waste.
It further stated that local
body lacked proper infra-
structure to collect, segregate,
and manage plastic waste.
And to deal with this they
were putting a blanket ban on
plastic waste.
preach what you practice
Even as AMC goes all out to enforce parking rules in the city, its own office at Danapith sees haphazard parking by
officials and visitors. —Pravin Indrekar/ DNA
Health at stake
„„The researchers
examined 70 women
exposed to various dumping
sites over a period of three
cured or taken care of can lead
to various ailments in them
and in their children as they
are also present at the dump
site for long hours and exposed
to unhealthy conditions.
Professor Chandel said,
“Medical examination was per-
formed by a doctor and blood
samples were collected by tech-
nical staff to study various
haemotological and oxidative
stress parameters. The women
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The health of Hardik Patel,
whose protest fast entered the
fifth day, worsened on Wednes-
day, even as the Patidar reser-
vation stir leader reiterated
that the fast would continue
till his last breath. The Patidar
Anamat Andolan Samiti also
moved the High Court com-
plaining that police were pre-
venting people from reaching
Hardik’s residence and were
also not allowing even sup-
plies of essential items.
Hardik remained on fast at
his residence in the presence
of about 150-200 supporters
and PAAS members.
Dr Namrata Vadodaria,
who examined Hardik in the
morning, said his blood pres-
sure and sugar count were
low, and advised to get him
hospitalised. “If he continues
the fast, his health will be af-
fected,” she told reporters.
Updates about Hardik’s
health led to a buzz that the
state government was consid-
ering to shift him to hospital.
Teen sexually
assaulted by
neighbour
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
17-year-old was harassed by
her neighbour while she was
at her tuition classes in Vas-
tral. The girl used to know the
accused and the two used to
chat via texts. However, re-
cently, the victim’s father had
asked her to snap ties with
the accused, following which
the incident took place. A
complaint under the POCSO
Act was lodged at the Ramol
Police Station on Tuesday.
The accused has been identi-
fied as 22-year-old Vanraj Sinh,
who allegedly had pulled out a
knife and threatened to kill the
girl’s father when he asked him
to stop harassing his daughter.
Police said, about four
years ago, the youth was re-
siding next to the victim’s
house. During this period, he
came in contact with the girl.
But their bonhomie was cut
short by the girl’s parents.
While the girl conceded to her
parents’ wish, Vanraj didn’t
stop trying to contact her.
On Tuesday, when it was
Vanraj’s birthday, he reached
the victim’s tuition centre
and took her to the terrace
forcefully where he sexually
abused her. Fortunately, one
of the workers at the tuition
centre reached the terrace
and Vanraj fled from the spot.
The victim narrated the en-
tire incident to her parents.
KS Dave, the inspector of
Ramol Police Station, said,
“We have been able to arrest
two of the accused including
Vanraj; the search for the
third one is on.”
years. Only 23% of women
used personal protective
equipment like gloves, masks
and tools for rag picking.
also showed a high prevalence
of ‘Eosinophilia’ caused by al-
lergies, asthma, inflammatory
conditions, parasitic infections
and reactions to medications.
As most of them use public toi-
lets, they often get urinary
tract infections (UTIs) and this
may be also a reason for getting
frequent fever. Also, most of
the rag pickers follow home
remedies and do not consult a
doctor due to ignorance.”
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Patidar community members support gather in support of PAAS convenor
Hardik Patel, as he fasts demanding a loan waiver for Gujarat farmers —PTI
However, this could not be
confirmed from authorities,
while Hardik reiterated that
he would continue to fast.
“Today is the fifth day of
my fast. There is some prob-
lem, but there is nothing to
worry. My fight will continue
till I die,” Hardik wrote on
Twitter.
He also lashed out at the
state government for prevent-
ing people from reaching his
residence.
`2,215 crore central assistance,
loan to expedite Narmada work
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
In a boost to the Sardar Sa-
rovar Yojana, the central
government has approved
assistance of Rs 730.90
crore for construction of
canals, Deputy Chief Min-
ister Nitin Patel announced
in Gandhinagar on
Wednesday.
Patel told reporters that
the central government had
approved the assistance un-
der the Accelerated Irriga-
tion Benefit Programme
(AIBP) for the year 2018-19.
“This decision will im-
mensely benefit the Nar-
mada project, which is like
a lifeline for Gujarat,” he
said thanking Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi for the
government’s support for
the project.
The Deputy CM further
said that the Sardar Saro-
var project was among the
99 selected by the Narendra
Modi-led central govern-
ment for completion on a
priority basis.
“The Centre has also ap-
proved a loan of Rs 1,484.39
crore for the Sardar Sarovar
project from the Long Term
Irrigation Fund (LTIF)
scheme for 15 years at an
interest rate of six per cent.
These funds will help in in-
creasing the pace of the pro-
ject’s work,” he added.
The construction of Nar-
mada project canals, which
will carry water from Nar-
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The Gujarat government is
mulling a policy on retail trade
and held consultation, on
Wednesday, with representa-
tives of organised retail compa-
nies as well as traditional mom
and pop stores. Representatives
of traditional neighbourhood
shops feel a need for a level
playing field to compete with
organised retail as well as e-
commerce companies.
“We met representatives of
trading community and took
their suggestions,” Industries
Commissioner Mamta Verma
said. Local representatives
have been advocating forma-
“Has a new Constitution
been adopted in the country?
Will the BJP and police now
decide who will come and
who will not to your home?
This is what we are seeing for
the last five days. More than
60,000 people have come from
across the country to meet
me, but police have allowed
only 1,125 people to my resi-
dence,” he claimed.
Earlier in the day, former
IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt met
This decision will immensely benefit the
Narmada project, which is like a lifeline for
Gujarat.
Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister, Gujarat
mada dam to parched areas
of north Gujarat, Saurash-
tra, and Kutch, should have
been completed several
years ago but has been de-
layed due to land acquisi-
tion and other reasons.
According to the state
government, out of the esti-
mated canal length of 71,748
km, works of 50,121 km had
been completed last year
and work on 12,642 km was
in progress. The govern-
ment also said that the final
canal length could be
around 69,000 km due to rea-
sons such as farmers’ oppo-
sition, urbanisation, and
de-command, among oth-
ers. At the current rate, the
Temples gear up for
Janmashtami in city
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The celebration of Janmashta-
mi, which falls on September 3,
will be a three-day affair begin-
ning September 1 at the Iskcon
temple this year, temple offi-
cials said on Wednesday.
A Krishna village theme
park has been set up in the tem-
ple for the first time as a part of
the celebration. The park has 20
stalls comprising the Krishna
movie theatre, selfie point, spir-
itual Q&A section, children’s
playground, puppet show, and
magic show among others.
Drawing and painting competi-
tions have also been organised
for the children.
On Janmashtami, the fes-
tivities will commence at 4:30
Picture for representation
tion of such a policy for a
while. Representatives from
Retailers Association of India,
Gujarat Chamber of Com-
merce and Industry, regional
chambers, Vadodara-based
Federation of Gujarat Indus-
tries and other trade bodies
in protest
„„Dr Namrata
Vadodaria, who examined
Hardik in the morning,
said his blood pressure
and sugar count were
low, and advised to get
him hospitalised.
„„Hardik remained on
fast at his residence in
the presence of about
150-200 supporters.
„„This is the fifth day of
his fast.
Hardik and extended support
to his stir.
Bhatt told reporters that
Hardik was fighting for farm-
ers and youths, and said it
was unfortunate that police
were preventing people from
meeting him.
In the meanwhile, Gujarat
Congress, which extended
support for Hardik’s fast two
days ago, sought the state
government’s intervention to
end the stir.
work could take several
years to be completed, but
the Deputy CM said the gov-
ernment was targeting
completion by 2019 end.
Talking about the water
level in Sardar Sarovar
Dam, Patel said that the
level was 120.93 metre. How-
ever, the dam is unlikely to
overflow this year since the
dam’s height had gone up to
138 metre due to the closure
of gates.
“There is enough water
in the dam to meet drinking
water need for the whole
year. Water storage in other
dams will also be higher
than last year’s 76 per cent,”
he added.
am with mangala aarti, kirtan,
japa yajna, followed by a puja at
8:00 am. The temple said that a
discourse on shri Krishna lee-
la, chhapan bhog darshan, hin-
dola darshan, and akhand hari-
naam sankirtan would also
take place throughout the day.
The abhishek ceremony
will be performed at mid-
night amid Vedic chants,
while the maha aarti will be
performed at 1:00 am.
The Hare Krishna temple in
Bhadaj will also celebrate Jan-
mashtami starting with dar-
shan, maha abhishekam, swar-
na rathotsava, bhajan and a
dance drama by Darpana Acad-
emy of Performing Arts under
the aegis of Mallika Sarabhai,
followed by maha mangala
aarti at midnight.
were invited to the meeting.
“We have given recommen-
dations before. We also gave
some fresh suggestions. The
government will think it over,”
said Jayendra Tanna, former
vice-president of GCCI. Pratap
Chandan, co-chairman of Ma-
hajan Sankalan Samiti of GCCI
said that traditional shopkeep-
ers want a level playing field
against players in organised
retail and e-commerce firms,
who have deep pockets, access
to technology and best manage-
ment practices. “There is no
level playing field. Organised
retailers have long business
hours, can operate seven days a
week and have access to institu-
tional finance,” said Chandan.
 ah
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in brief
Cadila Pharma
CMD in domestic
violence row
Cadila Pharmaceutical
CMD Rajiv Modi was
caught in a domestic
violence row after his
wife reached Sola police
station on Wednesday
evening to lodge a
complaint against him.
His wife allegedly told
the police that he had
assaulted her and
thrown her out of the
house. Rajiv, too, reached
the police station later.
Sola police inspector GS
Shyam, however, said
that a formal complaint
was not registered.
AMC to recycle
temple flowers
From Thursday onward,
flowers from 22 main lo-
cated in the new west
zone will be recycled. As
of now, pooja waste in
general gets processed
and recycled as organic
compost. In the new sys-
tem, the flowers will be
recycled separately. Ros-
es will be recycled to
make agarbattis (incense
sticks). The petals will be
dried to make them.
Chiranjiv Patel to
chair ICBC in Guj
Chiranjiv Patel, MD of PC
Snehal Group of Compa-
nies, has been unanimous-
ly elected as the chairman
of the Gujarat chapter of
Indo Canadian Business
Chamber (ICBC) for the
year 2018-19. The ICBC,
headquartered in Delhi,
has five regional councils
to facilitate exchange of
trade and investment be-
tween both the countries.
Bokhiria land case
hearing on Aug 31
The next hearing of the
Babu Bokharia land case
will be on August 31, the
Gujarat High Court said
on Wednesday. The case
pertains to allotment of
Rs 300 crore worth land of
the forest department to
the family of BJP MLA
Babu Bokhiria.
AMC bifurcates new
west zone into two
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
On Wednesday,
Ahmedabad Municipal Corpo-
the
ration (AMC) announced that
the largest zone under its ju-
risdiction will be split into
smaller units. The zone spans
158 km and the civic body
finds it difficult to manage it.
This also happens to be the
largest zone in all of Gujarat,
with the exception of Surat.
So now, there will be two
zones one northwest zone and
the other southwest zone. The
northwest zone would in-
clude Thaltej, Gota, Ghatlo-
dia, and Bodakdev, with a
population of 5.45 lakh as per
the 2011 census.
While the south west zone
comprises Sarkhej, Maktam-
pura, Jodhpur, and Vejalpur
with a population of 4.43
lakh, the entire Vejalpur state
assembly constituency now
will be the southwest zone.
According to Standing
Committee Chairman Amul
Bhatt, the decision was taken
a year ago and they had initi-
ated an exponential survey
last year. “We were facing ad-
ministrative challenges to
manage such a huge zone, pan-
ning 153 km. So, for adminis-
trative ease, we carved out two
zones from one,” said Bhatt.
Adani Power cheated of `55 lakh CEPTian wins 5 national competitions
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Adani Power Maharashtra
limited has registered a com-
plaint at the Navrangpura Po-
lice Station against three part-
ners of Balaji Enterprises for
cheating them of Rs 55 lakh.
It stated in the complaint
that, Balaji Enterprises tried
to dupe the Adani group of Rs
55 lakh by forging service or-
ders. The three partners,
namely, Chandrashekhar
Parekh, Deendayal Radheshy-
am, and Karan Parekh are the
accused in the case. The com-
plaint also stated that Chan-
drashekhar happened to be an
assistant manager at Adani
Power Ltd. He forged the docu-
ments that stated that Balaji
Enterprises has already paid
rupees 55 lakh in cash to Ada-
edabad
AMC cuts electricity, drainage
connections at 6 Odhav blocks
The Municipal Commissioner, however, denied disconnecting basic services in those units
Odhav victims protest outside AMC office —pravin indrekar/ DNA
AMC board meeting sees political blame game
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
During a general monthly
board meeting of the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation, both the rul-
ing and opposition parties
in the house played a blame
game over the Odhav issue.
While the Congress party
alleged corruption by the
BJP in construction of the
housing units, the BJP re-
torted by saying that the
work had been completed
during Congress’ regime.
Leader of opposition
Dinesh Sharma said that
when the work order was
given in 1999, the BJP was
the ruling party at the
AMC. In response to the al-
legation, BJP’s leader Amit
Shah said the construction
was completed during Con-
gress’ tenure and at that
time, some changes were
made along with an in-
Municipal chiefs
to head urban
dvpt authorities
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The state government has
decided to appoint mu-
nicipal commissioners as
chairmen of respective
urban development au-
thorities. The state gov-
ernment said the decision
to relieve collectors of the
responsibility of the eight
urban development au-
thorities was taken to en-
sure that they can focus
more on revenue related
activities and other pub-
lic work such as seva setu.
“The survey was under-
taken to find out how to ease
the administrative workload.
We have looked into the area,
population, and municipal
services over the year before
making this announcement,”
added Bhatt.
Within ten days, a separate
administration will become
functional. Both the zones
will function from the exist-
ing building at Bodakdev.
Picture for representation
ni for an order.
In August, the partners of
Balaji then marched into Ada-
ni’s office located in Navrang-
pura and claimed that their
material was not delivered in
lieu of the cash that the fake
documents stated has been
paid already.
Upon looking at the docu-
ments more carefully it was
found that the partners them-
selves had forged the service
The AMC board meeting held on Wednesday —pravin indrekar/ DNA
crease of Rs 50 crore in the
construction budget.
Before the proceedings
of the house started, Amit
Shah condemned the be-
haviour of Shahnawaz
Shaikh, Congress council-
lor from Jamalpur. Just a
couple of minutes before
the board meeting, a dele-
gation of the Odhav victims
say no to wastage
Students take part in a rally in the city on Wednesday to create awareness on the need to reduce food waste.
 —Pravin Indrekar/ DNA
PIL challenges compulsory cashless travel in BRTS
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
A Public Interest Litigation
filed in the Gujarat High Court
has challenged the AMC move
to make smart cards a must to
use Bus Rapid Transport Sys-
tem (BRTS). The petition filed
by Khemchand Koshti said that
the move to make smart cards
mandatory for BRTS services
was illegal, unreasonable, and
contrary to law.
orders. After this, Adani re-
fused to entertain the said ser-
vice order. The accused then
also took to social media and
started badmouthing the com-
pany on Twitter.
Following this, Adani reg-
istered a complaint of cheat-
ing. The police said, “A case
has been registered against
the three accused of cheating.
But as of now, all the three are
absconding. Further investi-
gation is on and we will also
analyse the alleged forged
documents among other
things as evidence. It could be
possible that the Balaji Enter-
prises themselves swindled
this cash and now are trying
to take it from Adani. We are
looking into that angle as
well,” said Abhijeet Singh
Parmar, PI, Navrangpura Po-
lice Station.
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation on Wednesday,
disconnected the water, drain-
age and electricity connec-
tions of six blocks in Odhav.
After two blocks collapsed
in the government colony on
Saturday, the civic body
surveyed the remaining
building units and found six
in dilapidated condition.
Residents of the colony are
worried about the situation
and about finding alternate ac-
commodation. “Our services
have been disconnected. We
don’t have water to drink at all.
The situation is very disturb-
ing. We have some here who
have relatives in the city, so
along with Congress party
members went to the mu-
nicipal commissioner for
representation. During the
representation, Shaikh
used abusive language, al-
leged the BJP member.
Shah said that Shaikh
used abusive language in
the presence of female
councillors which is unac-
It further said that when ini-
tially introduced, the smart
cards were available for a fee
paid in cash without the need
for any documents. These cards
were directly issued without
the involvement of any bank or
any other third parties.
It said that janmitra cards
were introduced in 2017 and us-
ing it was not a must. The PIL
said that recent media reports
pointed to the fact that the civic
body planned to make it manda-
CEPT University student Jil Sheth
Cops, AMC staff
evacuated people
by force. We
didn’t get time to take
our belongings also.
What do we do?
Girish Solanki,
Odhav resident
that’s where they have shifted.
But where will the others go?
We don’t have reference hence
can’t rent a space. We don’t
have reference for the police
verification,” said Girish
Solanki, one of the residents
of Odhav government colony.
“The police, along with
AMC authorities, has evacu-
ated people by force from this
ceptable. Later on, Shaikh
defended himself and said
that he would resign as a
councillor if anyone said
that he misbehaved and
used abusive language.
Sharma and Shaikh both
said they would apologize
if sentiments had been
hurt over Congress council-
lors’ behaviour.
the petition says...
The petition says the entire
declaration to sign up for
janmitra cards is in English,
which is not the local
language spoken by most
commuters.
tory to buy janmitra cards or
get BRTS tickets through debit
or credit cards to avail the ser-
vice. It further stated that to
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 I daily news & analysis
space. We didn’t get the time to
take our belongings from the
houses. What do we do? Those
who have been shifted in the
Rain Basera do not even have
an extra pair of clothes. How
does one survive under such
conditions?” Solanki said.
The occupants of all six
buildings were served notice to
evacuate the building on Tues-
day. “We have given them no-
tice to evacuate the building.
But they were reluctant to
move out of the risky building
on Tuesday. But we have con-
vinced some of them and they
have been moved out of the
units,” said JS Prajapati, dep-
uty municipal commissioner.
Prajapati.
He denied disconnecting
basic services in those units.
ruckus in meet
Just a couple of minutes
before the board
meeting, a delegation
of the Odhav victims
along with Congress
party members went
to the municipal
commissioner for
representation. During
the representation,
Cong man Shahnawaz
Shaikh used abusive
language, alleged the
BJP member.
In zero hour, Sharma al-
leged corruption in approv-
al of five green belt town
planning schemes.
Some senior members of
the BJP and councillors
claimed that the board
meeting just ended in a
blame game rather than
have any discussion on
policy matter.
AMC staffers & police attacked
during drive against stray cattle
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
A mob of about 40 locals at-
tacked Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation staff and police
officers who had gone to Dhu-
latkhana area of Khadia to nab
stray cattle. In the attack, three
deployed policemen were in-
jured; they were rushed to VS
Hospital for treatment.
A complaint was lodged at
Khadia Police Station against
the mob and further investiga-
tion is on. On Wednesday after-
noon, municipality staff and
police had gone to Dhulatkhana
area of the city to catch roam-
ing cattle after they got a com-
plaint about traffic congestion
due to the strays.
It sought the AMC
decision to be quashed
as the move to make
cashless transaction for
BRTS a must will cause
hardship to the poor.
obtain this card, people had to
fill up forms of a private bank
wherein they had to provide
personal information.
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Smart city logos designed by a
student of CEPT University for
three cities in India have been
selected to be implemented by
the local governments. Jil
Sheth, who studied Bachelors of
Construction Technology from
CEPT University, won five na-
tional-level competitions organ-
ised by the Indian government.
While she bagged first position
for smart city Udaipur, which
will be adopted as the official
logo now, she bagged second po-
sition in: ‘Make Your City Smart
- Phase- 2’ of design park in Bho-
pal, ‘Make Your City Smart -
Phase- 2’ –for design street in
Bhopal, ‘Make Your City Smart
Phase 1’ for Jabalpur, and came
fourth in overall category. She
also got a special mention in the
03
Jain students of GU demand change of exam dates ——pravin indrekar/ DNA
Paryushan: Students
want exams shifted
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Nearly 100 students of KS
School of Business Manage-
ment of Gujarat University
have demanded their mid-se-
mester exams, clashing with
Paryushan, to be deferred.
Paryushan is a period of fast-
ing for Jains, which will be held
from September 6 to 13, and will
clash with their mid-sems,
which are slated to be held be-
tween September 1 to 12. Prit
Jain, a second-year student,
says this is unjust. He said, “If
the government can declare a
mini vacation during Navratri,
and a holiday on Janmashtami,
apart from Christmas vacation,
then why should there be ex-
ams during our holy festival? It
is absolutely unjust to the
Jains; hence we are raising our
concerns.”
Speaking about the same,
Darshit Jain, an architect by
profession, who also does vol-
unteering work for the Jain
community, said, “Students had
come to us complaining about
the same. While we are not de-
manding a holiday for our festi-
val, many students travel to
their hometown. Due to exams,
they will not be able to enjoy
themselves. There are no ex-
ams during Christmas or
Ramzan, then why during our
festival? Hence, we staged a
Cops, AMC staff leave with cattle
As the officer reached the
spot, a mob of around 40 people
carrying lathis and weapons
surrounded them and started
attacking their vehicle. The
cops tried to control the situa-
tion, in the course of which an
inspector-level officer and two
constables got injured. Apart
The petitioner also said that
almost all public utilities across
the country issued smart cards
against cash including the Rail-
ways and Delhi Metro but none
required the passengers to give
away personal information.
But the janmitra card issued by
BRTS seeks personal informa-
tion which is a violation of pri-
vacy. It further stated that the
declaration on the form for get-
ting the card asks the people to
waive their Right to Privacy.
Coimbatore smart city.
Speaking about the same, she
said, “I have been interested in
smart cities and its design since
I joined CEPT University. I tried
to make inclusive designs keep-
ing elderly, differently-abled,
and all types of people in mind.
The coursework furthered my
understanding for urban de-
sign. My designs are being im-
plemented in the cities I won.
Further to this, I acquired full
scholarship and will study ur-
ban and regional planning at
Edinburgh to deepen my knowl-
edge about the same topic.”
For Udaipur logo, she incor-
porated features of Udaipur city
in the logo and chose colours
and motifs accordingly. “Each
logo of the cities differ from
each other based on its heritage,
specialities, culture, communi-
ty, and more,” she said.
the protests
Over 60 Jain students
of GU’s KS School of
Business Management
protested demanding
postponement of
exams that clash with
Paryushan
peaceful protest on Wednesday
so that college authorities defer
the exam dates.”
The institute has called for a
meeting with faculty members
on Thursday after which a deci-
sion will be taken on the same.
Commenting on the situation,
Jayraj Pandya, Director, KS
School of Business Manage-
ment, said, “We have all kinds
of students including Muslims,
Parsis, Hindus, Jains, etc. If the
dates are tweaked for one com-
munity, others will also de-
mand the same and it will be-
come difficult for us. We need to
respect all communities and
hence have called for a faculty
meeting and decide whatever is
good for the academic system.”
Himanshu Pandya, Vice-
Chancellor, Gujarat Univer-
sity, said, “These are internal
exams. So I have asked the
director to look into the num-
ber of students wanting to
defer the exams. If possible,
we will defer.”
from that, two vehicles of the
AMC were also vandalised.
More police were sent to the
spot to contain the situation. In
the meantime, the mob dis-
persed and eventually, nobody
was caught.
NN Parghi, Inspector of
Khadia Police Station, said,
“We have lodged a case in the
matter, but till now no one has
been nabbed. We will recover
CCTV footage to identify the ac-
cused and action will be taken.”
Later, AMC staff and police
started catching cattle which
were inside the compound wall
of houses of cattle owners and
even forcefully captured cattle
that were tied inside shelter,
houses. More than 100 police of-
ficers were sent to the spot.
Increase in Guj
board students
cracking NEET
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
The state government on
Wednesday announced that
there has been an increase in
the number of Gujarat board
students taking admission in
medical colleges through the
National Eligibility cum En-
trance Test (NEET). The gov-
ernment also took credit for
the same as it issued a state-
ment citing the government’s
efforts in helping class 12 Sci-
ence students prepare better.
The statement said, “In 2017,
out of a total of 3,551 seats, a
total of 2,839 (80%) of Gujarat
board students took admission,
whereas the percentage of
those students in 2018 rose to
81.13% for 3,354 seats.
State Education Minister
Bhupendrasinh Chudasama,
said, “There has been an in-
crease in the number of stu-
dents of Gujarat Secondary
and Higher Secondary Educa-
tion Board schools cracking
NEET and it is because of the
efforts of the state govern-
ment. Bisag and Vande Mata-
ram schemes helped students
get clearer concept. Apart
from this, Gujarat State Board
of School textbooks created a
question bank for class 12 sci-
ence students, which helped
them prepare better.”
 04 
daily news & analysis I Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018
indi
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PC slams govt over We’ve kept acid ready: Hizbul

in brief
Pilot a novice in
politics, says
Vasundhara Raje
Jodhpur: Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje on
Wednesday said Congress
leader Sachin Pilot had
“no knowledge” about the
culture and traditions of
Rajasthan and he was a
“novice” in state politics.
This was the first time
that Raje has trained her
guns on the state Con-
gress chief in her ongo-
ing “Gaurav Yatra”, shift-
ing her target from for-
mer chief minister Ashok
Gehlot. Addressing a rally
in Jaitaran town of Pali
disitrict in the second leg
of the yatra, Raje advised
Pilot to know the state
first and question her af-
terwards. “Pilot is just a
novice in the politics. He
is neither aware of the
culture of the state nor its
traditions,” the CM said.
Attempt to enter
Saibaba’s name as
voter in Shirdi
Shirdi: An unidentified
person allegedly tried to
insert the name of Shirdi
Saibaba as a voter in the
local assembly constitu-
ency in Ahmednagar dis-
trict through the online
system of the Election
Commission, an official
said on Wednesday. The
authorities detected the
matter during scrutiny
of online forms and ap-
proached the police.
Punjab SAD leader
commits suicide
Bathinda: A SAD leader
and president of the Bud-
hlada municipal council
committed suicide by con-
suming a poisonous sub-
stance, police said on
Wednesday. Harvinder
Singh (40) was depressed
because of the allegations
of embezzlement against
him, his family claimed.
warns Kashmiris against voting
biggest folly: DeMo
Former FinMin
says the whole
country paid a
‘huge price’ for
the action
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Senior Con-
gress leader P Chidambar-
am said that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi did the
“most foolish thing” with
demonetisation, for which
the whole country “paid a
huge price”.
Chidambaram’s attack on
the government comes after
the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) said that as much as
99.3 per cent of the demone-
tised 500 and 1,000 notes
have returned to the bank-
ing system.
He was speaking at an
event conducted by Con-
gress’ student wing, the Na-
tional Students Union of
India. “Show me one econo-
mist anywhere in the world
who stood up and said de-
monetisation was a good
thing. Not one.
“On the day PM an-
nounced demonetisation,
Chief Economic Advisor
Arvind Subramanian was in
Kerala. He was not in Delhi.
He was not event consulted.
He didn’t know that demon-
etisation is taking place. If
the CEA doesn’t know, what
kind of an economy is this,”
said Chidambaram.
The former union minis-
ter also took to Twitter to
slam the government. “In-
dian economy lost 1.5 per
cent of its GDP in terms of
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net The army will
assure people of
Srinagar: A cloud of terror
hangs over the panchayat
safety, but won’t
always be with you. So,
and municipal body elections
in Jammu and Kashmir the movement of the
scheduled for next month, army will not deter us.
after the Hizbul Mujahideen
threatened to attack inter- Riyaz Naikoo,
ested candidates with acid.
In an 11-minute audio clip
Chief operations commander,
Hizbul Mujahideen
circulated on social media,
Hizbul Mujahideen chief op-
erations commander Riyaz
Naikoo alias Mohammad Bin held in 2011 after a 33-year
Qasim asked people to stay A file photo of security personnel in Kashmir hiatus. In that election, more
away from the polls or face than 80 percent of people had
the consequences. mir. “Army’s movement will in the Valley to maintain se- defied militants and cast
“People who want to par- not deter us. Whatever we curity and to ensure free and their votes. More than 33,000
ticipate in the polls should have to do, we will. We killed fair elections, which have panchayat representatives
keep their shroud ready Shameema of Quil village been scheduled for next were elected in the 2011 polls.
tewari’s attacks when they are going to sub- though troops had laid am- month. There are 47 municipal
mit their forms. We have al- bush in her village. The army Elections to the urban lo- councils/committees in
„„Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari also attacked ready stored hydrochloride will try to assure safety and cal bodies will take place in Kashmir division and 37 in
the government on Wednesday acid and sulphuric acid. They security of people, but they September-October. Phase- Jammu division. The Mu-
should be ready for conse- won’t always be with you. So, wise panchayat polls will nicipal Corporation of Srina-
„„“Last year, the RBI in its Annual Report said that
out of the demonetised Rs 15.44 lakh crore, Rs 15.20 quences,” Naikoo was heard we ask you to not fall into any take place between October gar has 73 wards, while the
lakh crore was back in the banking system. Which saying in the audio message. trap, lest you have to face the and December. Municipal Corporation of
means that only Rs 16,000 crore was demonetised Naikoo noted that even consequences,” he said. The panchayat polls are Jammu consists of 71 wards.
the army wouldn’t be able to The threat by Hizbul came being held in Jammu and There are three municipal
„„“In this year’s report, the RBI has said that Rs 15.31 save the people who are on even as 203 companies of Kashmir after a two-year de- councils each in Kashmir
lakh crore is back in the banking system, meaning the the militants’ hitlist in Kash- paramilitary forces arrived lay. The elections were last and Jammu divisions.
exercise yielded a demonetisation of only Rs 10,000 crore
water diplomacy
growth. That alone was a
loss of 2.25 lakh crore a
government and said that
the exercise was a monu-
Island tourism
year. Over 100 lives were
lost. Over 15 crore daily
mental folly of the govern-
ment.
may receive
wage earners lost their live- “Last year, the RBI in its major fillip
lihood for several weeks. Annual Report said that out
Thousands of SME units of the demonetised Rs 15.44 Nikhil M Ghanekar
were shut down. Lakhs of lakh crore, Rs 15.20 lakh nikhil.ghanekar@dnaindia.net
jobs were destroyed,” he crore was back in the bank-
tweeted. ing system. Which means New Delhi: The Centre
“I suspect that the bulk of that only Rs 16,000 crore was has suggested a slew of
the Rs 13,000 crore is cur- demonetised. relaxations in the new
rency in Nepal and Bhutan “In this year’s report, the draft of coastal norms
and some that was lost or RBI has said that Rs 15.31 proposed for India’s is-
destroyed. Remember who lakh crore is back in the lands, including those in-
had said that Rs 3 lakh crore banking system, meaning volving eco-tourism, road
will not come back and that the exercise yielded a de- construction using recla-
will be a gain for the govern- monetisation of only Rs mation, and storage of
ment!?,” read another tweet. 10,000 crore. From last year’s petroleum, chemicals and
On the same day, Con- Rs 14,000 crore, the figure mining for the construc-
gress spokesperson Manish has come down to Rs 10,000 tion sector. The draft Is-
Tewari, too, attacked the crore,” said Tiwari. land Coastal Regulation
Zone (ICRZ) notification
has been made public by

RIL offers optic fibre, free WiFi to U’khand

DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: Reliance Indus-
tries has offered to lay optic
fibre network across Uttara-
khand in the next six months.
The company proposes to
provide free WiFi connectiv-
ity in colleges and hospitals.
This was decided at a meet-
ing between Uttarakhand
chief minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat and RIL chair-
man and managing director
Mukesh Ambani. Ambani
has requested the state to
give necessary approvals so
that RIL can lay optic fibre
across Uttarakhand. “Amba-
ni has also offered to provide
free WiFi in colleges and hos-
pitals,” said Rawat, who ad-
dressed investors at an event
organised by the state and
CII. According to the Uttara-
khand government’s website,
there are 36 state colleges and
over 40 hospitals there.
RIL’s proposal comes two
months after Uttarakhand
launched a WiFi balloon to
bring internet to remote vil-
lages. The aerostat technol-
ogy is the work of IIT-Bom-
bay, with hydrogen used to
lift it off the ground. It’s fit-
ted with a base transceiver
antenna to allow a calling
network, and a WiFi modem
to provide villagers in the
coverage area with Internet,
as well as surveillance cam-
eras.
the government, seeking
public comments, and it
will supercede the exist-
ing Island Protection
Zone Notification, 2011.
The ICRZ, modelled on
the new CRZ notification,
will apply to 10 oceanic
islands in the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, and
is in line with recommen-
dations of the Shailesh
Nayak committee.
tenders & Notices
Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters (PCIW) Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah (R) talks with Indian Indus
Water Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena (L) with other members of the committees during the first day of a
meeting to discuss the Indus Waters Treaty and other issues in Lahore on Wednesday —AFP
5 ‘Reds’ to be kept under house arrest
From P1
The SC also issued notice to
the Maharashtra govern-
ment and the state police on
the pleas filed by five leading
intellectuals, against the ar-
rests. Senior advocate Ab-
hishek Manu Singhvi, who
appeared on behalf of five
petitioners submitted that
there was no need to send
them to jail till the court de-
cides the petition. He sug-
gested they could be kept
under house arrest and the
SC bench accepted his plea.
“The SC passed an order that
covers all who were arrest-
ed,” said lawyer Vrinda Grov-
er. While Bharadwaj is under
house arrest in Faridabad,
Navlakha has been confined
to his Delhi residence. Telugu
poet Rao and activists Gon-
salves and Ferreira were
taken to Pune late on Tues-
day night.
Appearing for Maharash-
tra, Additional Solicitor Gen-
eral Tushar Mehta said,
“Some of them have been
jailed in the past too,” said Me-
hta but Chandrachud shot
back: “What are you saying…
they are professors. They say
it is an attempt to muzzle the
voice of dissent. Let us exam-
ine it.” When Singhvi said that
democracy will be dead if such
arbitrary arrests are permit-
ted, CJI Misra replied: “That is
why we have issued notices.”
The chief judicial magis-
trate of Faridabad granted
Bharadwaj’s transit remand
to the Maharashtra police.
However, it had to reverse its
order in the early hours of
Wednesday in keeping with
the directions of the Punjab
and Haryana high court that
had stayed her transit re-
mand for three days.
Full report on: www.dnaindia.com
 indi 
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International airport, rendered non-functional following deluge since Aug 15, resumes ops n Loss estimated between `220-250 crore
14 days later, Kochi takes wings
DNA & Agencies
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Kochi: A fortnight after it
was rendered non-functional
following the deluge that
wreaked havoc across Kerala,
the Cochin International Air-
port resumed its operations
on Wednesday afternoon.
One of the busiest in the
country, the airport suffered
an estimated loss between Rs
220-250 crore after it was
closed on August 15.
Centre to consider plea to Lend more support to Kerala: RG to Centre
enhance borrowing limit
T’puram: With flood-ravaged
Kerala now focusing on re-
building, the Centre said on
Wednesday that it would fa-
vourably consider the state’s
demand to enhance the bor-
rowing limit. As part of ef-
forts for resource mobilisa-
tion, Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan held discussions with
World Bank officials and said
their help was necessary to
rebuild the state.
Roads and bridges have
been destroyed and small
traders and businessman
were facing grave crisis and
so the present bank schemes
alone were not enough, Vi-
in brief
Tripura Governor Kaptan Singh
Solanki watches the flag down
ceremony of India and Bangla-
desh at the border check-post,
Agartala on Wednesday —PTI
IT returns e-filing
goes up by 40%
New Delhi: Data tabu-
lated by the Income Tax
(IT) department has
highlighted a 40 per cent
increase in incremental
growth in the e-Filing of
IT returns. As on August
26, data which was ac-
cessed by ANI showed
that more than 4.37
crore returns were filed
for the financial year
ending March 31 against
3.10 crore returns for the
financial year 17-18 (As-
sessment Year 16-17).
Rahul not for
Sangh event
Mumbai: Senior Con-
gress leader Mallikarjun
Kharge said on Wednes-
day that “there is no
question” of Rahul Gan-
dhi or anybody from the
party attending an RSS
event. “Let the letter (of
invitation) come first.
This (invitation) is all
in view of elections,”
Kharge said, when asked
about the RSS’ reported
plan to invite the Con-
gress president to a lec-
ture series next month.
1 detained for sex
with bhikhshus
Patna: One person has
been taken into custody
after at least four young
Buddhist Bhikhshus ac-
cused him of having un-
natural sex with them at
Prasanna Jyothi Welfare
Trust and Meditation
Centre in Bihar’s Gaya
district. Gaya Senior SP
Rajiv Mishra told DNA,
“Four children have giv-
en their statement
against one Bhanthe Su-
joy who has been de-
tained and is being inter-
rogated.” —DNA
The airport has com- erations on Sunday, but had
menced full-scale operations extended the date by three
— both international and do- days after most stakeholders,
mestic — with an Indigo
flight from Ahmedabad
making the first land-
ing at around 2.05 pm, kerala cern over mobilising
said a spokesperson deluge
of the CIAL — the
company that operates
it. He said there would be 33 damaged infrastructure, in-
landings and 30 departures cluding 2.6-km-long airport
till midnight on Wednesday. walls that collapsed after the
The airport was earlier Periyar river overflowed.
scheduled to commence op-
jayan said and sought aid
from the World Bank.
The Centre said more assis-
tance would be provided after
a fresh memorandum is sub-
mitted on the loss and damage
caused due to the deluge.
At the State Level Bankers
meet, Union minister of state
for Finance Pon Rad-
hakrishnan said the Centre
would consider all demands,
including increasing the bor-
rowing limit of the state. The
state had asked the Centre to
enhance the borrowing limit
from 3% SGDP to 4.5% and had
sought permission to impose a
cess of 10% on state GST. —PTI
no monkeying around
A macaque looks at a spread of grain thrown by a roadside in Dharmsala
on Wednesday. Catching monkeys is turning out to be a lucrative business
in the area as per reports —AP
Drunken droning can cost
you dearly, warns DGCA
Mehul R Thakkar
mehul.thakkar@dnainida.net
Mumbai: Operating drone
under the influence of alco-
hol or drugs can cost you
dear. As per the drone policy,
announced by the Directo-
rate General of Civil Avia-
tion (DGCA) on Monday, li-
cences will be issued for
flying of drones starting
December 1.
The DGCA’s licence is
likely to have a clause stat-
ing those indulging in
drunken droning will have
to forfeit their licence or pay
fine as decided by the au-
thorities. The same is listed
under the do’s and don’ts is-
sued by the DGCA.
Currently, pilots flying
aircraft lose their flying li-
cence or are warned for be-
ing under influence of alco-
hol during the breath ana-
lyser test that is undertaken
before every flight. The
same will now be applicable
to one operating a drone.
The list of don’ts also in-
clude keeping your drones
away from airports/heli-
ports, public gatherings,
events or stadiums without
permission. Delivery of
including airlines and
ground-handling agen-
cies, expressed con-
manpower by that day.
The CIAL manage-
ment has rebuilt the
Airport officials had said
Kochi: Congress president
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday
urged the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi-led central
government to disburse suf-
ficient funds for flood-ravaged
Kerala to expedite the restora-
tion work.
Gandhi said that he is un-
happy over the amount of
funds allocated to the state.
While addressing the me-
dia, the Gandhi scion said, “I
would have liked if the Cen-
tral Government would have
extended more support to the
people of Kerala. I think get-
ting more aid is their (Kerala
flood victims) right and I am
sad that the government has
not given as much as they
should have given.”
The list of don’ts include keeping your drones away from airports/
heliports, public gatherings, events or stadiums without permission.
goods and food items using
drones is also a strict ‘no’ as
of now.
An official from DGCA
said, “We have not decided
on how much the fine will be
or whether after how many
warnings the licence for fly-
ing drone under influence of
alcohol or drugs will be.
However, it will certainly be
decided within due course
of time. Also, these condi-
tions will be made clear, and
will be binding after the is-
suance of licence in the
agreed conditions.”
On how will one come to
know if the drone operator
that the runway, taxi bay, du-
ty-free shops and other areas
of international and domestic
terminals were submerged,
damaging electrical equip-
ment, including runway
lights. The power system of
the world’s first solar-pow-
ered airport also suffered
damage, they had said.
The state’s deadliest deluge
in the last 100 years left a trail
of destruction and claimed
474 lives in rain-related inci-
dents since May 29.
Rahul Gandhi preparing to leave for Wayanad, in Kochi on Wednesday—PTI
The Congress president
who visited the victims
housed in various relief
camps on Tuesday also urged
the state government to speed
up the process of releasing
‘UPA Rafale deal would have been 20% dearer’
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Strongly defend-
ing the Rafale deal, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley on
Wednesday flayed Congress
president Rahul Gandhi for
heaping allegations like in a
kindergarten school debate
and asked him to respond to 15
questions instead of spread-
ing false campaign and cast-
ing a cloud on the inter-gov-
ernmental agreement with
France.
Jaitley trashed all three
principle arguments spelt by
the Congress — a higher price
paid by NDA government for
Rafale aircraft, negotiations
by contract negotiation com-
mittee and CCS approval not
obtained, and private indus-
trialist favoured against the
interest of a PSU — as “com-
is under influence of alcohol
or drugs, the DGCA official
added, “The law enforcing
agency here will be police,
considering one has to in-
form local police before fly-
ing of drones. Once the po-
lice book them, we can take
action like levying fine or
cancelling licence.”
BS Bhullar, director gen-
eral of DGCA, however,
didn’t comment on drunken
droning despite DNA con-
tacting him. Civil Aviation
Minister Suresh Prabhu had
on Monday announced the
much sought after drone
policy for the country.
11,000 claims
worth 1,200 cr
More than 11,000 claims worth
Rs 1,200 crore have been filed by
flood-affected people with the four
public sector insurance compa-
nies in Kerala, a top official said.
United India Insurance Company
DGM KB Vijay Srinivas said the
public sector insurance compa-
nies had decided to simplify the
process and dilute norms for
speedy disbursement of claims to
the flood-affected people.
compensation of Rs 10,000 to
each victim.
“I have visited a large num-
ber of camps yesterday, peo-
ple are worried. I spoke to
Kerela Chief Minister too. It
plete falsehood”.
Questioning Gandhi for
quoting different procure-
ment prices from Rs 526 crore
to Rs 700 crore for Rafale air-
craft, Jaitley asked, “Is he
aware of the aircraft price,
which was quoted in 2007 in
the L1 bid? Is he aware that
there was an escalation
clause, which by 2015 when
the NDA struck the price
deal, would have further esca-
lated the price?”
“Is he aware of the fact
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 I daily news & analysis
some schools
colleges open
A section of educational institu-
tions in Kerala re-opened on
Wednesday, a fortnight after the
devastating deluge ravaged the
state. The onam vacation was
advanced due to heavy rains and
floods and over 10 lakh people
who were displaced by the
deluge after their houses were
either destroyed or damaged due
to flood waters, were accommo-
dated in schools and colleges.
is important that the govern-
ment gives a sense to the peo-
ple that they are going to help
rebuild the houses. Compen-
sation promised should be
delivered quickly,” he said.
Rahul also assured the peo-
ple of Kerala that his party
will work day and night to re-
build their houses which got
destroyed due to heavy down-
pour in the state.
“I ensure that Congress
party is working for them
(victims) and I have clearly
instructed the party workers
that they should help in the
construction process. Be-
cause we are not in power we
have a certain restrictions
but whatever we can, we will
do.” —Agencies
that the basic aircraft price
itself is nine per cent cheaper
under the NDA than it was
under the UPA? Can he deny
that with add-ons such as In-
dia-specific adaptations,
weaponry, etc. installed on the
basic aircraft, the UPA price
would be at least 20% costlier
than the more favourable
price negotiated by the
NDA?”Jaitley asked.
Defending the offset clause,
Jaitley claimed this makes it
mandatory for the vendor to
partner with an Indian firm.
“This is a government-to-
government arrangement.
Offset has nothing to do with
this contract... Under a poli-
cy devised by the UPA, every
defence supplier has to un-
dertake some offsets... Das-
sault can also enter into con-
tracts with whomever they
want,” he said.
05
No more God’s Own
Country for most of
its migrant workers
ground report
g jagannath
Perumbavoor, Kochi: Sujan
Mondal, hailing from Mur-
shidabad district in West
Bengal, was chatting with a
couple of his friends in the
deserted ‘Bhai’s Colony’, as
the migrant settlement is
known, at Kandanthara in
Perumbavoor on Thursday
afternoon, when DNA visited
the place.
On a normal workday,
Mondal would not be sitting
outside his room and chat-
ting with his friends but the
devastating floods made him
jobless and penniless.
The workers’ settlement
dotting the Perumbavoor,
which is home to over one
lakh migrant workers, now
wears a deserted look. Thou-
sands of migrant labourers
from West Bengal, Odisha,
Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand
have gone back to their home-
towns in a dozen-odd special
train operating following the
floods. The workers felt that
it is better toiling in their na-
tive places, instead of staying
back in Kerala without jobs.
Majority of the blue-collar
workforce in Kerala is made up
of the migrant workers who
work in the labour intensive
timber industries, rice mills,
plantations, fish processing
units and factories in Ernaku-
lam and other districts.
“I also wanted to go to Mur-
shidabad. But it will be an un-
necessary expense as I will be
jobless there too. So I decided
to stay back and find some
work here,” Mondal said, ex-
plaining his decision. He said
that after floods, most of the
people living along with him
in the 27-room two-storeyed
building have left. “Eight to 10
Can Rahul deny that with add-ons such as India-
specific adaptations, weaponry, etc. installed on
the basic aircraft, the UPA price would be at least
20% costlier than the more price negotiated by the NDA
Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister
people live in each room. Now
some rooms are empty while
others have one or two per-
sons living,” he said, noting
many people fled as the water
entered the first floor.
As many of the plywood
manufacturing units were
hit by floods, thousands of
migrant workers dependent
on it became jobless. Salim, a
native of Assam, said the
owner of his plywood com-
pany asked him to return to
work after the unit was re-
vived. “I was earning Rs 600
a day. Now I have to find an-
other job to support my fam-
A building which lodges migrant
workers in Kochi seen deserted
ily living in my native,” said
26-year-old Salim. He said
that he came to Kerala only
last year from Hyderabad as
the wages are high.
Azees Pandiyarpilly, gen-
eral secretary of Sawmill
Owners and Plywood Manu-
facturers Association said
the timber industry suffered
a loss of Rs 150 crore in the
floods in terms of damage to
machines, finished goods and
raw materials.
Many of the migrant
workers left Kerala as their
livelihood was impacted, in-
undation of dwellings, no
jobs for next few weeks and
panic at their homes Benoy
Peter, executive director of
Centre for Migration and In-
clusive Development said,
adding they would certainly
return to Kerala once all the
issue got settled.
 06
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018
 opini n
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The realpolitik of modern sport

The ascension of Imran Khan has motivated some to demand India resume cricketing ties with Pakistan
daily news & analysis
Minhaz Merchant
Major faux pax
A
s the 2018 Asian Games in Indone-
sia approaches its climax this
The Pune police have cut a sorry figure weekend, India and Pakistan
would have played each other in,

W
ith the Supreme Court’s Wednesday order that the five among other team sports, hockey
people with alleged Maoist connections be kept under and volleyball. Following Imran
house arrest till the next hearing on September 6, the spot- Khan’s election as Pakistan Prime Min-
light has shifted on the incompetence of the Pune police. The ister, a strong lobby has sprung up for
resumption of bilateral cricket between
law-enforcers have cut a sorry figure because of their failure India and Pakistan. The argument is sim-
to pass judicial scrutiny. The charges levelled by the police ple: we play Pakistan in multilateral
against these individuals are serious. The accused were picked sports. Why not bilaterally?
up during raids carried out in Delhi, Faridabad, Goa, Mumbai, The argument is disingenuous on sev-
Ranchi and Hyderabad. They were booked under various sec- eral counts. Sport has been used success-
tions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (2012) — an anti- fully by democracies as a weapon against
injustice in dictatorial regimes. The West
terror legislation — and the Indian Penal Code for their sup- boycotted South African sport to pressur-
posed links with Maoist groups. If proven guilty under this Act, ise the white supremacist government to
these very people could be in prison for a long time. Given the dismantle apartheid. It took over 20 years
gravity of the case, the Pune police should have done a thorough of sustained sporting and political isola-
spade work and furnished incontrovertible evidence. Instead, tion to finally liberate South Africa from
in their hurry to carry out arrests, they jumped the gun to dis- a noxious white racist regime and free
Nelson Mandela from 27 years in prison.
astrous effect. However, there is no denying the fact that Naxal- India forfeited the opportunity to win its
ism is a growing threat in this country and poses an even grav- first Davis Cup tennis trophy when it re-
er risk than cross-border terrorism. According to the Home fused to play South Africa in the 1974 fi-
Ministry’s 2014 data, more than 12,000 people, including secu- nal. South Africa was expelled from the
rity forces, have been killed by Naxals in nine states badly hit International Olympic Committee (IOC)
by Red terror over 20 years. The killings had taken place in in 1970. FIFA, to its credit, expelled South
Africa as early as 1963.
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya With Pakistan, the issue is far more
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. serious. Since 1989, the Pakistani army
The year 2010 proved to be the deadliest for security forces and has used terrorism against India as an Sports has been used successfully by democracies as a weapon against injustice in dictatorial regimes
civilians as 1,005 lives were lost in Naxalite violence — the hor- instrument of state policy. Thousands
rific Dantewada ambush that led to the death of 75 CRPF men of Indian soldiers and civilians have hore, summits in Agra, invitations to Emboldened, the pro-Pakistan lobby
been killed over the past 29 years by Pa- prime ministerial oath-taking in Delhi, in India asks: why boycott only bilateral
and one Chhattisgarh police constable, the Gyaneshwari Ex-
kistani terror proxies. Why then did and impromptu stopovers in Lahore cricket with Pakistan? Why not ban hock-
press derailment, the Dantewada bus bombing and the Silda India not boycott bilateral cricket with were met with terror attacks. ey and other sports as well? In fact, bilat-
camp attack in Midnapore, among other incidents. For the Pakistan till 2012-13? The answer is that The penny began to drop after 2012-13, eral hockey matches between India and
CRPF jawans, the long days and nights in Naxal-dominated for- India is a soft state. It lives in the hope when the Manmohan Singh government Pakistan have belatedly been put on ice.
ests have had devastating effects. In the last two years, deaths that diplomacy, people-to-people con- allowed the last bilateral cricket series In most sports, including the ongoing
due to heart attacks, depression, suicides, malaria, dengue and tacts, trade and other confidence build- with Pakistan to take place in India de- Asian Games in Indonesia, India plays
ing measures (CBMs) would change spite strong criticism over Pakistan’s Pakistan only multilaterally. Bilateral
other such reasons have been 15 times more over operational
Pakistan’s violent behaviour. Through inaction in the 26/11 Mumbai terror at- contests are increasingly rare.
duties. Moreover, the nature of threats too have changed. Red the 1990s and 2000s, leaders across the tack. The Congress lost power soon after. Playing bilateral cricket, hockey and
extremists are increasingly resorting to Improvised Explosive political spectrum, from Atal Bihari Since the NDA government took office other sports with Pakistan for decades
Device in their battle against security personnel. This year, till Vajpayee to Dr. Manmohan Singh, tried in 2014, the question of resuming bilat- did nothing to stop terror attacks on In-
August, 55 security personnel, 170 Maoists and 76 civilians have to build bridges with Pakistan. eral matches with Pakistan has been dia. Why would resuming bilateral sports
died in skirmishes. While there is still no definitive proof of But Pakistan is ruled by an Army that periodically raised by leaders from both centrality within the country and retain- with Pakistan stop terror attacks now?
sees India not so much as an existential- the Congress (Rajeev Shukla) and the ing access to financial resources. But Quite the contrary: Pakistan would gain
urban naxalism, reports of sleeper cells and Maoist ideologues
ist threat, but as a financial resource. BJP (Anurag Thakur). The Narendra Pakistan also craves respectability. It is the respectability and false equivalence
inciting the youth to take up arms and resort to violence crop The Pakistani Army’s bloated defence Modi government has had the good widely disrespected. Neighbouring Af- with India it craves, without ending its
up every once in a while. Coming back to the case in hand, the budget is nearly 4 per cent of GDP — sense to ignore their entreaties. It has ghanistan despises it. The United States state policy of sponsoring lethal terror
next date of hearing will add to clarity since the apex court has compared to India’s defence budget of not permitted the forthcoming cricket distrusts it. Resuming official talks with attacks against India that suits the Paki-
issued notices to the Centre and Maharashtra government, 1.6 per cent of GDP. This can only be Asia Cup, which features games be- India along with bilateral sporting links stani Army’s pathological agenda.
seeking their replies. The police and the government must be justified by setting India up as an exis- tween India and Pakistan, to be held in would afford Pakistan a patina of re- Pro-Pakistan lobbyists repeat ad nau-
tential enemy. Without India, the Paki- India. The United Arab Emirates will spectability. For Islamabad, terror and seam: don’t mix politics and sport. For
mindful of the fact that those arrested are prominent rights
stani Army’s senior officers, who siphon host the multilateral contest in Septem- talks are mutually inclusive. The Indian them, here’s a lesson on the subject from
activists, professors and lawyers and not petty criminals. If the off large parts of the defence budget, ber. Pakistan is obsessive about resum- lobby that believes talks will end terror the late Nobel peace laureate Nelson
police are not careful, this issue may snowball into a national would be forced to consign themselves ing bilateral cricketing ties with India. falls into Pakistan’s trap by propagating Mandela: “Sport has the power to change
political challenge. to a vastly more modest lifestyle. Its cricket board is bankrupt. No inter- Islamabad’s fraudulent narrative. The the world. I became president of South
India’s policy-making establishment, national cricket team has played a Test Modi government’s blow hot, blow cold Africa because of the sports boycott.”
ranging from bureaucrats in the defence match in Pakistan since the 2009 terror policy on Pakistan has given this narra- The writer is the author of The

BJP’s winning strategy

ministry and intelligence services to po-
litical leaders and elements among
armed services officers, has been blind
to Pakistani chicanery. Bus trips to La-
Schemes that will catch votes for the party
attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. tive fresh legs. By not withdrawing most New Clash of Civilizations: How The
Proxy terrorism with few casualties favoured nation (MFN) status to Paki- Contest Between America, China,
among Army regulars, serves the Paki- stan, the government has strengthened India and Islam Will Shape Our
stani army’s purpose of maintaining its the narrative. Century. Views are personal.

T
he BJP is already in poll mode, with Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and BJP President Amit Shah working out strategies in QUOTE HANGER slowburn
close consultations with the Chief Ministers of the states ruled
by the saffron party. While the bigger battle in 2019 is still several
months away, assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,
Arun Jaitley MadhuPurnima Kishwar ‘30% C-sections in rural India unnecessary’
@arunjaitley Rahul @madhukishwar
A
and Chhattisgarh will determine the efficacy of the government’s global study, which also picked two case as the majority of surgeries
flagship programmes and infrastructure projects. In Rajasthan, the Gandhi quoted a price of If Gautam Navlakha is a districts in India, has revealed a were carried out in private hospitals.
high percentage of “unnecessary” To stop this practice, they have rec-
government is pinning hopes on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway, Rs 700 cr per aircraft in Delhi, K’taka in human rights activist, I am Einstein! I Caesarean Sections (C-sections) in ommended that hospitals in India
which is touted to bring about transformation in the state’s back- April & May this year. In Parliament, witnessed from close quarters his rural and low-resource settings. Ac- could be accredited possibly on the
ward areas through rapid industrialisation. The Centre wants to he reduced it to Rs 520 cr per aircraft, vicious diatribes against India not just at cording to the study, which looked at number of C-sections being carried
complete the super fast highway by 2021 at an estimated cost of Rs C-sections between 2010-13 in Nagpur out. The experts also recommended a
one lakh crore. Apart from generous compensations for land acqui- in Raipur he increased it to Rs 540 cr home but also when in Pakistan & US. and Belgaum as part of an assess- mandatory yearly audit of all child-
ment in six low-income countries, births in hospitals by state health
sition, an infrastructure project of this size would also provide jobs about 30 per cent surgeries were car- departments.
to thousands of people. In an effort to boost development through Sachin Tendulkar ried out for reasons that were not life
road connectivity in Madhya Pradesh, the Centre last year had ap- @sachin_rt I’ve heard threatening. Data from the National
proved two major expressways, the Chambal Expressway and Nar-
mada Expressway, to connect the state with Uttar Pradesh, Ra-
stories of Major Dhyan Sometimes it can get very Family Health Survey (NHFS) showed
about 30-35 per cent babies in urban 68% schoolkids are
jasthan, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat by allocating Rs 2 lakh crore. In Chand practising Hockey under moonlit demanding when you have to India are born through surgeries and
low on stamina
Rajasthan, there are 27 ongoing railway projects worth Rs 45,833 sky as there were no floodlights then. He play so much cricket regularly. I in some southern states like Telan-

A
gana, this figure is 41 per cent. Statis- study covering 15,000 children from
crore, covering a distance of 4,937 km. Rajasthan has seen a rise of did what it took to fulfil his dream. feel somewhere the tics also showed that at a pan-India 25 schools across Mumbai, Navi
567 per cent in its budget allocation from an average of Rs 682 crore level, the rate of C-sections has dou- Mumbai, Thane and Delhi has re-
in 2009-14 to a total outlay of Rs 4,553 crore in 2018-19. Similarly, commercial aspect bled in ten years, while in the last 20 vealed that 68 per cent children have
TheRichaChadha
Madhya Pradesh also witnessed a rise of 906 per cent in its Railway
@RichaChadha People is taking over the years, it has risen six times.
But according to WHO norms, a
below par stamina. The study, which
screened children between five and 17
budget allocation, going up from Rs 632 crore to a total outlay of Rs
6,359 crore in 2018-19. The state has 36 on-going railway projects for hung dead bodies of real quality of cricket rate of 10-15 per cent is considered ap- years of age, found that they had low
propriate for C-sections as per medi- stamina, inferior muscle strength, body
6,279 km, worth Rs 63,064 crore. Chhattisgarh also saw a boost in Mussolini and his mistress upside and that hurts me. cal indications. As a result, the Indian composition and musculoskeletal fit-
railway budget allocation from Rs 311 crore to an outlay of Rs 3,964 figures indicate C-sections are being ness. As per these parameters, boys did
crore. Currently, there are 19 railway projects under execution, cost-
down in Italy, so passers-by could spit —Virat Kohli, conducted for non-medical reasons better in comparison to girls. Around 79
ing around Rs 28,524 crore for approximately 2,750 km. on them. Violence begets violence. Captain, India — for commerce or for the conveni- per cent of girls were found to be at po-
ence of doctors. tential risk of cardiovascular and other
Experts believed that this was the non-communicable diseases.

Do we care about the Muzaffarpur shelter home horror?

Abhishek Anicca sponsored shelter home, 34 were side the shelter home? Many people who ue to face sexual harassment and abuse

T
he term shelter home is self ex-
planatory. It’s a home. It’s sup-
posed to give shelter. In our coun-
try, there are shelter homes in
every town and city, sheltering
those who have been abandoned
or neglected. A shelter home is sup-
posed to be a safe house.
Yet, the recent case in Muzaffarpur
contradicts each of these basic premis-
es. The stories emerging from a state-
funded shelter home in the town of Mu-
zaffarpur should have filled us with
horror and shattered the conscience of
this nation. Maybe they did, for a day or
two. Perhaps, we have become so used
to stories of violence against women
and children that our conscience has
become numb to such incidences. None-
theless, the facts of what happened
must be repeated and talked about be-
cause it questions not only the state of
government machinery, but also the so-
ciety we live in.
Out of the 42 girls living in the state
drugged, abused, tortured and raped.
Among those who have not been exam-
ined for rape is a four-year-old disabled
girl, lying in a hospital bed, too ill to be
examined. All these girls were aban-
doned or neglected by their families. All
these girls were abused and tortured in
the shelter home that was meant to pro-
vide them a safe environment.
The horrific accounts of physical as-
sault, starvation and rape make those
involved seem like monsters. But these
monsters are the kind of people who are
not only ‘respectable’ members of the
society, but are also powerful enough to
do all this with the confidence that they
will never get caught. It took an audit re-
port by the Tata Institute of Social Sci-
ences (TISS), Mumbai, to reveal the hor-
ror of what happens in these shelter
homes. According to that report, not
only this particular shelter home, but
abuse is common in some other shelter
homes across Bihar.
The incident raises many questions
about the state machinery, which gives
funding to run these shelter homes.
Funds are often given to shady non-
profits run by local powerful men, with-
out any due diligence. The state, which
is supposed to protect vulnerable people
hands them over to powerful men who
then exploit them with full impunity.
The contract for shelter homes is a prof-
itable business and often only those
with reach and political connections get
these contracts. It is not unusual to find
the involvement of politicians who run
NGOs on the side and use their political
mileage to get government funding. In
all of this, the state is also a complicit
actor. Thus, one must ask the govern-
ment questions regarding its role in the
entire affair.
On the other hand, it also raises ques-
tions about the civil society. How “civil”
is our society. Did no one living in Mu-
zaffarpur know what was going on in-
lived nearby and were interviewed later
had suspicions, but they did not report
the matter because the person who ran
it was a powerful figure.
What happened in Muzaffarpur is not
just a one off incidence; it is a testimony
to how women and adolescent girls are
treated in our country. The exploitation
of women, sexually and otherwise,
points to the deeply embedded patriar-
chal roots of our society. From the streets
of Delhi to a shelter home in Muzaffar-
pur, from an independent girl working in
the city to vulnerable adolescents aban-
doned by their families, there are no safe
spaces for women in this country.
The gender inequality in this country
is not hidden from anyone. Yet, it is only
when instances of rape and abuse come
out that we realise how hostile our soci-
ety can be towards women. While it is
important that justice is done in this
particular case, it is also essential that
we rethink the way our society is
shaped. Today, in this country, women
from every section of the society contin-
in all kinds of spaces. Some like the
girls from Muzaffarpur don’t even have
an agency to raise their voice against
their perpetrators. The state and the civ-
il society needs to introspect and assure
that these girls are protected, that they
get safe spaces to live, that they get the
opportunity to become empowered indi-
viduals and not just victims who are for-
gotten in a week’s news cycle.
If today, audits are conducted across
the country, one would not be surprised
to find that there are many other shelter
homes like these across India. Some-
times, it seems like the welfare system
in this country exploits the very people
it was supposed to protect. That said,
while it is somewhat easy to give state-
ments on a particular case, it is often
difficult to question the power struc-
tures that govern us and how they are
designed to benefit only a few. For now,
one can only wonder if the state or the
society is ready to face these questions.
The author is a poet and activist
based in Delhi. Views are personal.

Vol 11 n Issue No. 299 RNI: GUJENG/2007/22424. Printed and Published by Deepak Rajani on behalf of Diligent Media Corporation ltd. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, Survey No.148 P, Nagdevta Mandir, Changodar, Bavla Highway, Sanand, Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Published at Diligent Media Corporation
Limited, Venus Atlantis Building, Unit No. 201 to 208, 2nd Floor, 100 Feet Road, Prahladnagar, Satellite, Ahmedabad 380015. Phone: 079 4060 2000 Editor: Yatish Rajawat Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act.
 w rld
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
in brief
Trump warns of
violence in case
Republicans lose
Washington: US Presi-
dent Donald Trump
warned evangelical lead-
ers that if Republicans
lose control of Congress
in the midterm elec-
tions, Democrats will in-
stitute change “quickly
and violently,” The New
York Times reported. At
a meeting with those
leaders at the White
House on Monday,
Trump said everything
was at stake for his con-
servative agenda if his
party loses in November.
Democrats “will over-
turn everything that
we’ve done and they’ll do
it quickly and violently,”
Trump said, according
to the Times report.
Death toll from
Hurricane Maria
rises to 2,975
Washington: Puerto
Rico’s official death toll
from Hurricane Maria,
the most powerful storm
to hit the Caribbean is-
land in almost a century,
was raised on Tuesday
from 64, a number wide-
ly discounted as too low,
to 2,975, based on a study
ordered by the governor
of the US territory. The
report found that
around 2,975 deaths
could be attributed di-
rectly or indirectly to
Maria from the time it
struck in September
2017 to mid-February.
Italy to ask EU to
rotate ports for
migrant arrivals
Rome: Rome will Thurs-
day ask the EU to rotate
ports where migrants
rescued at sea disem-
bark, with France and
Spain top of the list, a
defence ministry source
said. “The proposal aims
for a rotation of landing
ports ... our goal is to en-
sure that Italy is not the
only one taking charge
of the problem, but also
other member states,”
the source said.
Canada, US set for second day of NAFTA talks
Washington: Canada and US
are set to tackle their conten-
tious issues in bilateral talks
on Wednesday, as the two na-
tions work to salvage the
North American Free Trade
Agreement amid signs Ottawa
was open to taking a more con-
ciliatory approach.
After more than a year of
talks, Mexico and the US an-
nounced a bilateral deal on
Monday, setting the stage for
Canada to rejoin negotiations
to modernise 24-year-old NAF-
TA which accounts for over $1
Beijing denies it is
planning a military
base in Afghanistan
Beijing: China on Wednes-
day denied that it planned to
build a military base in Af-
ghanistan, after a Hong Kong
newspaper said Beijing was
constructing a training camp
for Afghan troops to which it
could also send its own sol-
diers.
The South China Morning
Post, citing unidentified
sources with ties to the Chi-
nese military, said China was
building the camp in the nar-
row Wakhan Corridor that
links the two countries.
Foreign Ministry spokes-
woman Hua Chunying dis-
missed the report, however.
“After looking into it, the
relevant report is not true,”
she told a daily news briefing.
“Since the construction
and training, this situation,
it doesn’t exist - it’s not true.
So anything related naturally
is not true,” Hua added, dis-
missing the assertion about
China eventually sending its
own soldiers.
She did not elaborate. The
Defence Ministry did not re-
spond to a request from Reu-
ters for comment.
It was not the first time
reports have pointed to China
seeking a military presence
in Afghanistan, although it
has denied all of them.
In January, the defence
ministry denied a similar re-
port that it planned to build a
military base in Afghanistan.
It has also previously dis-
missed reports that Chinese
military vehicles were patrol-
60K flee as Myanmar dam
overflows, floods villages
Surge of water inundates at least 100 villages in the nation’s Bago region
Naypyidaw: A major effort
was under way to reach
thousands of people trapped
in their homes after a dam
swollen by monsoon rain
overflowed early Wednesday
in central Myanmar, offi-
cials said. A surge of water
inundated the rural flatland
in Bago region after the
Swar Chaung dam spillway,
which regulates the release
of water, collapsed due to
heavy seasonal rain.
AFP reporters in Kayin
village described how some
people waded through chest-
deep water to get to higher
ground. Many others re-
mained trapped in their half-
submerged homes as rescu-
ers worked into the night to
try to ferry residents out.
No casualties have yet
been reported but more than
12,600 people have taken
shelter in about 30 tempo-
rary camps, Ministry of So-
cial Welfare director Phyu
Lae Lae Tun said.
“There are more than
14,000 households and some
63,000 people affected by the
waters,” she said. The tor-
rent also fractured part of a
bridge on the Yangon-Man-
AFP/Reuters
dalay highway linking My-
anmar’s two biggest cities.
Deputy Minister for Con-
struction Kyaw Linn said the
bridge’s supporting towers
were sinking.
“We will get divers to go
down and check after the wa-
ter levels recede,” he said.
Army chief Min Aung
Hlaing, under mounting in-
ternational pressure to face
international justice follow-
ing a damning UN report
this week on the Rohingya
crisis, was quick to arrive at
the scene on Wednesday
morning. “We have to work
together,” he said. “The spill-
way will not be able to be
controlled until the water
flow stops.” The deluge
Goods pass through an inspection
station near San Diego —Reuters
trillion in annual trade be-
tween the three nations.
Canadian Foreign Minis-
ter Chrystia Freeland said on
A Chinese flag in front of the Great
Wall of China —Reuters
military might
„„Last year, China
opened its first overseas
military base, in the Horn
of Africa country Djibouti.
It has previously denied
having plans for other
overseas bases, but the
United States expects
it to build more, with
Pakistan a likely location
ling in the south Asian na-
tion. China has long worried
that instability in Afghani-
stan could spill over into its
violence-prone Xinjiang re-
gion, home to the Muslim
Uighur people.
In recent years, hundreds
of people have been killed in
the far western region in un-
rest China blames on Islamist
militants. China has also
worked with Pakistan and the
United States to broker peace
talks to end Afghanistan’s
Taliban insurgency that has
raged since the militants
were ousted by US-backed
forces in 2001. —Reuters
(Top) Farmers evacuate water buffaloes in Bago; (above L-R) a resident evacuates with belongings from his home
under rising flood waters in Bago; people are evacuated by Myanmar soldiers after flooding in Swar township
comes just weeks after heavy
monsoon rains pummelled
Myanmar, causing wide-
spread flash floods that
forced some 150,000 people to
flee their homes.
Southeast Asia’s annual
monsoon season runs from
around June to November.
Regional neighbour Laos was
hit badly last month when
heavy rainfall caused the col-
lapse of a dam. At least 35
people were killed, scores
went missing and thousands
ultimatums in trade
„„US President Donald
Trump warned he could
proceed with a deal with
Mexico alone and levy
tariffs on Canada if it
does not come on board
with the revised trade
terms
Tuesday that Mexico’s con-
cessions on auto rules of ori-
gin and labour rights was a
crucial breakthrough, clear-
People grapple with a swarm of bees that descended on the Times Square in New York City, US —Reuters
Gaza children open school year
amid major UN budget crunch
Gaza City: Tens of thou-
sands of Palestinian children
returned to United Nations-
run schools on Wednesday
after the summer holidays,
though major US cuts have
thrown their funding into
jeopardy beyond next month.
Children wearing cheq-
uered uniforms and back-
packs thronged schools
across the Palestinian terri-
tories for the first classes of
the new school year, AFP cor-
respondents reported.
The UN Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refu-
gees (UNRWA) said all 711
schools it runs for 526,000 pu-
more languished in shelters.
The $1.2 billion Xe-Nam-
noy dam -- a joint venture be-
tween South Korean, Thai and
Laotian firms -- collapsed on
July 23 after heavy rains, un-
leashing a barrage of water
that swept away entire vil-
lages in the country’s south.
The communist country has
since suspended its hydro-
power strategy to become the
“battery of Asia” by damming
rivers and selling electricity
to its neighbours. —AFP
ing the way for Ottawa to re-
sume talks with US this week.
After being sidelined from
the talks for more than two
months, Freeland will be un-
der pressure to accept terms
the US and Mexico worked out.
The US Congress also wants a
deal that includes Canada.
“The fact that agreement on
those difficult issues for Mexi-
co was able to be reached defi-
nitely clears the way for us to
have significant, substantive,
and I hope productive, conver-
sations with the US this week,”
bee attack
Palestinian schoolgirls participate in
the morning exercise at an UNRWA-
run school, on the first day of
school, in Gaza City on Wednesday
—Reuters
pils in Gaza and the West
Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and
Syria would reopen in the
next few days despite the $300
million US funding cut.
no casualties, yet
No casualties have yet
been reported but more
than 12,600 people
have taken shelter in
about 30 temporary
camps, Ministry of Social
Welfare director Phyu
Lae Lae Tun said. “There
are more than 14,000
households and some
63,000 people affected
by the waters,” she said
Freeland said after a brief
meeting with US Trade Repre-
sentative Robert Lighthizer.
She dodged questions on
what points Canada would be
willing to concede on, noting
that Ottawa’s key issues are
well known. “We will, as we
have done throughout this
negotiation, stand up for the
Canadian national interest
and for Canadian values,
while looking for areas where
we can find a compromise
that everyone can live with,”
she said. —Reuters
Fears raised by UN chief
Antonio Guterres that the
schools might not be able to
reopen at all have failed to
materialise, but UNRWA
warned it might still be
forced to close them again in
a month if additional new
funding is not found.
“At the moment, we do not
have enough money to keep
the schools open after the end
of September,” UNRWA
spokesman Chris Gunness
said. “At the end of Septem-
ber, UNRWA will be running
on empty for all its services,
including schools and medi-
cal facilities.”—AFP
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 I daily news & analysis
Myanmar shrugs off UN probe
findings of Rohingya genocide
New York: Myanmar
Wednesday rejected the find-
ings of a UN investigation
alleging genocide by its mili-
tary against the Rohingya,
after the US and other coun-
tries joined growing calls for
them to face justice.
Mainly Buddhist Myan-
mar has come under im-
mense pressure this week
over last year’s military
crackdown that pushed more
than 700,000 of the Muslim
minority into Bangladesh.
On Monday the UN probe
detailed evidence of genocide
and crimes against humanity
“perpetrated on a massive
scale” against the Rohingya,
including acts of rape, sexual
violence and mass killings. In
a UN Security Council session
a day later, several countries
-- including the US, Britain,
France and Sweden -- called
for Myanmar’s military lead-
ers to be held accountable.
The meeting was one of
the most high-profile to date
to address the crisis and fea-
tured graphic testimony
from actress Cate Blanchett,
who visited the refugee
camps in May as a goodwill
ambassador. “I am a mother
and I saw my own children in
the eyes of every single refu-
gee child that I met. I saw my-
self in every parent,” she told
the Security Council. “How
can any mother endure see-
Khamenei: Iran ready to abandon
nuclear agreement if needed
Tehran: Iran’s supreme lead-
er warned Wednesday the
country could abandon its
nuclear deal with world pow-
ers if it no longer served its
interests, even as economic
and political pressure mount-
ed on the government.
“Naturally, if we reach the
conclusion that (the nuclear
deal) is no longer maintain-
ing our national interests, we
will put it aside,” Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei said in a meet-
ing with the cabinet, accord-
ing to his website.
He said Iran must not “pin
its hopes” on Europe, despite
tenders & Notices
07
Rohingya refugee women during a protest at the Kutupalong refugee camp
to mark the one-year anniversary of their exodus in Bangladesh —Reuters
facebook ban
„„Spokesperson for
Mynmar’s government
Zaw Htay lashed out at
Facebook for shutting
down the pages of
Myanmar’s army chief
and other top military
brass on Monday, saying
the move could hamper
the government’s efforts
at “national reconciliation”
ing her child thrown into a
fire? Their experiences will
never leave me.”
Myanmar rejected the UN
mission’s findings in a typi-
cally defiant response to a
crisis that has heaped inter-
national opprobrium on both
its military and civilian lead-
ership. “We didn’t allow the
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei in Tehran Wednesday
and President Hassan Rouhani (on
Khamenei’s right) —AFP
European efforts to salvage
the nuclear deal following the
withdrawal of the US. The
government of President
Hassan Rouhani has been
FFM (the UN Fact-Finding
Mission) to enter into Myan-
mar, that’s why we don’t
agree and accept any resolu-
tions made by the Human
Rights Council,” said govern-
ment spokesman Zaw Htay,
according to Wednesday’s
state-run Global New Light
of Myanmar newspaper.
He pointed to the formation
of Myanmar’s own Independ-
ent Commission of Enquiry,
which he said was set up to
respond to “false allegations
made by the UN agencies and
other international communi-
ties”. The country has “zero
tolerance for human rights vio-
lations,” Zaw Htay said, but he
added that “strong evidence”
including records and dates of
any alleged abuses must be
provided before investigations
are undertaken. —AFP
battered by the return of US
sanctions, which has trig-
gered a rapid departure of
foreign firms and ended his
hopes of attracting large-
scale investment.
His political enemies are
circling, with parliament an-
nouncing that two more of his
ministers could be impeached
in the coming days. The la-
bour and economy ministers
have already been sacked by
parliament this month and
motions have been accepted to
vote on impeaching his indus-
tries and education ministers
in the coming days. —AFP
30
Thursday
August
2018
ahmedabad
www.dnaindia.com
Sensex
38722.93 173.70 q
Gold 10 gram 30065.00
US $ 70.59 0.48 p
news in numbers
moneyedit
Head start
for India’s
growth engine
T
he 2018-19 fiscal has be-
gun on a promising
note. Most economists
have projected the eco-
nomic growth in the first
quarter to come between
7.25% and 7.6% as indus-
trial output and private
investment pick up, de-
spite a challenging milieu.
This is indeed a leap from
5.6% growth reported dur-
ing the same period last
year, due to the demoneti-
sation hangover and the
impending implementa-
tion of GST then, which
had resulted in huge de-
stocking by businesses.
The GST implementation
has surely enhanced the
potential growth of India.
The first quarter
growth is primarily driv-
en by domestic factors.
There is a revival in in-
vestment, with both pri-
vate and public sector in-
vestments growing. The
private investment is gath-
ering momentum now
while capacity utilisation
figures show better days
ahead.
The consumption and
the capital expenditure
data have fuelled confi-
dence among economists
during the first quarter
number.
However, many of them
believe that India is lag-
ging in its potential
growth which is pegged
somewhere close to 8%.
Though some aver that the
external sector is still not
so important for the Indi-
an economy, falling rupee
and rising oil bill along
with worsening current
account deficit (CAD) can
throw some challenges.
ST smart
AI disinvestment
not anytime soon
The disinvestment of
loss-making Air India
(AI) will not happen in
“near future”, a senior
government official told
a Parliamentary panel,
according to sources.
The Parliamentary
Standing Committee on
Transport, Tourism and
Culture also sought de-
tails about funds infused
by the government into
Air India, which has
been making losses for
long. Senior civil avia-
tion ministry officials
appeared before the pan-
el and briefed members
about various issues re-
lated to the national car-
rier, sources said. Re-
sponding to a question
about the disinvestment
plan for Air India, Civil
Aviation Secretary R N
Choubey said, “not im-
mediately, not in new fu-
ture”, a member who at-
tended the meeting said.
PSBs reduce
`64,106-cr NPAs
The public sector banks
(PSBs) had reduced their
non-performing assets
(NPAs) by Rs 64,106 crore
in the last financial year
through actual
recoveries, revealed an
RTI query. However, the
reduction seems to be
insignificant given the
fact that gross NPAs of
state-run banks at the
end of FY18 stood at Rs
8,95,601 crore. As per the
Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) data received on
August 24 in response to
the RTI query filed by
activist Chandrashekhar
Gaud, the NPAs reduced
by Rs 53,250 crore and Rs
40,903 crore, respectively,
in FY17 and FY16 due to
actual recoveries from
defaulters. The query
also revealed that the
gross NPAs of public
sector banks was Rs
6,84,732 crore.
Nifty
11691.90 46.60 q
15.00q
EURO 82.32 0.22 p
Rs 40,000 crore - Gross merchandise value Government e-Marketplace aims this fiscal
About 99.3% of high value currency banned in Nov 2016 has returned to the system; only `10,720 cr haven’t come back
Black bucks return to haunt
Swipe gain upper hand
132.07
More Indians are paying through electronics means
193.0
Total Retail Electronic Clearing
91.0
Total Card Payments
Total Cheque Clearing
4.4
2015-16
Cash is king
` 15.31lakh `15.44lakh crore
Total value of high value or 86% of the currency in circulation— Total value
bank notes returned Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes that were demonetised
80.2% share of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes as of March end 2018
New 500, 2,000 rupee notes
fail to check counterfeiting
DNA Money Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: The introduction of the
new currency notes has failed to
check counterfeiting.
There was a sharp rise in the
counterfeit notes of the new de-
nominated currency notes of Rs
500 and Rs 2000, according to the
latest figures put out by Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) in its annual
report for 2017-18.
Counterfeits in the newly de-
nominated Rs 500 notes rose to
9,892 pieces in 2017-18 from just 199
pieces in the year-ago period. In
the Rs 2,000 denominated notes,
the counterfeit notes rose to 17,929
pieces in 2017-18 from just 638
pieces a year ago.
Counterfeiting was also high in
both Rs 100 and Rs 50 notes. Coun-
terfeits in Rs 50 denominated
notes jumped 154.3% to 23,447
notes in 2017-18, while there was a
35% rise in Rs 100 rupee notes to
2,39,182 pieces.
The total number of counter-
feit notes decreased 31.4% in 2017-
18 over the previous year as coun-
terfeits in the demonetised notes,
which are no longer in circula-
tion, came down sharply.
During 2017-18, 522,783 pieces of
counterfeit notes were detected in
the banking system, of which
63.9% were detected by banks
other than Reserve Bank.
desi clicks Experts say it would create protectionist regime, hit global companies
E-comm policy may put foreign firms on mat
Ashish K Tiwari
t_ashish@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: The new draft e-com-
merce policy, which is yet to be
opened for public discussion, has
raised key issues such as disallow-
ing foreign players to sell directly
in India, additional voting rights
for promoters of Indian business-
es and data security/localisation.
As the new version of the draft
policy is on its way to be thrown
open for public discussion in a
month, industry experts believe
that the policy aims to create a
highly protectionist regime, mak-
ing it difficult for global players to
do business in the domestic market.
While players like Amazon and
Walmart-owned Flipkart are un-
FTSE 100
7617.22 39.73 p
Silver kg 37120.00 325.00q Brent Crude
British pound 90.94 0.40p
Manju AB
manju.ab@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: Demonetisation, which
junked Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes,
has failed to throw up black mon-
ey that cast a shadow on the Indi-
an economy.
After nearly two years of count-
ing, Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
has said that 99.3% of the banned
currency has returned to the In-
dian banking system.
The data, released on Wednes-
day by RBI in its annual report for
2017-18, is expected to spark a
heated political debate as In-
dia heads for a round of state
elections starting later this
year and general elections in
2019. While the ruling BJP
party has argued that a radical
step like demonetisation was nec-
essary for transition to a more
transparent and less cash-based
200
economy, the Opposition has ques-
tioned the purpose of the move
150
that has slowed down the economy
and impacted small and medium
Rs lakh crore
82.0
81.9
80.9
100 businesses.
According to RBI, only Rs
50 10,720 crore of the demonetised
10.6
currency has not come back
7.4
0 into the system. Banks have re-
2016-17 2017-18 ceived Rs 15.31 lakh crore of the
Source: RBI
`18.3lakh crore
value of notes as at end-March 2018,
a 37% rise over the previous year
Denomination-wise fake notes
Notes Detected in the Banking System (April-March) (No of pieces)
2 and 5 2 80 1
10
20
134
96
523 287
324 437
Denomination (Rs)
50 6,453 9,222 23,447
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
100 2,21,447 1,77,195 2,39,182
200 - - 79
500 (MG series) 2,61,695 3,17,567 1,27,918
500 (New design) - 199 9,892
1000 1,43,099 2,56,324 1,03,611
2000 - 638 17,929
Total 6,32,926 7,62,072 5,22,783
“Counterfeit notes detected in 80.2 % at end-March 2018.
banned currencies decreased by “The share of newly intro-
59.7% and 59.6% in the denomina- duced Rs 200 banknotes in the to-
tions of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, re- tal currency management during
spectively, as the same comprised 2017-18 was geared towards man-
only the residual part of SBN de- aging the process of remonetisa-
posits processed during the year tion and processing and reconcili-
2017-18,” RBI said in its annual ation of specified banknotes
report. (SBNs),” the central bank said in
The value of banknotes in cir- its report.
culation increased 37.7% over the Out of the total Fake Indian
year to Rs 18,03,700 crore as at Currency Notes (FICNs) detected,
end-March 2018. the share of FICNs detected at Re-
The volume of banknotes, how- serve Bank was higher at 36.1% as
ever, increased 2.1%. In value compared to 4.3% during the pre-
terms, the share of Rs 500 and Rs vious year.
2,000 banknotes, which had togeth- This was because of processing
er accounted for 72.7 % of the total of large volume of specified bank
value of banknotes in circulation notes s withdrawn from circula-
at end-March 2017, increased to tion.
local advantage
„„Timing for draft policy
is being questioned as
India is set to get into
election mode six months
from now
„„While a lot is being
deliberated through
the new draft policy,
nothing may come out
of it, say experts
willing to openly discuss the im- ments in the country.
pact, industry experts are of the The most cleverly worded clause
view that the draft policy, if imple- in the draft policy is that it disal-
mented, is not in the best interest lows global e-commerce companies
of foreign players that have al- from selling products directly on
ready made significant invest- their website in India by carrying
Nikkei 225
22848.22 34.75 p
$/barrel 75.56 0.13 q
UAE dirham 19.23 0.13 p
invalidated total 15.44 lakh
crore notes in circulation on
November 8, 2016.
The returned amount of the
banned notes could increase fur-
ther as this does not take into con-
sideration the currency confis-
cated by the enforcement agencies
and some of the district co-opera-
tive banks, which have not been
able to submit due to certain legal
issues pending in the court.
After nearly two years since the
demonetisation on November 8,
RBI said the verification of the
banned notes is now com-
plete. At the time of demon-
etisation, there were 17,165
million units of Rs 500 notes
and 6,858 million units of Rs
1,000 notes, which together
added up to Rs 15.44 lakh crore of
currency that was banned.
RBI also incurred a huge print-
ing cost. It spent Rs 7,965 crore on
printing currency notes in 2016-17,
which is more than double the Rs
3,420 crore spent year before that.
The rise in cost of printing
was due to printing of new cur-
rency notes during remonetisa-
tion. In 2017-18 (July 2017 to June
2018), it spent another Rs 4,912
crore on printing of currency, the
report said.
Fakes galore
35% 9,892 fakes notes
rise on of Rs 500 detected in 2017-18 vs 199 a year ago
counterfeit notes
154.3%
in denomination
of Rs 100
Demonetisation achieved
its objective, says finmin
DNA Money Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The central govern-
ment on Wednesday said that its
“decision on demonetisation
achieved its objective quite sub-
stantially” whether it was about
curbing black money, terror fi-
nancing, fake currency or promot-
ing digital payments.
While defending the govern-
ment’s decision that wiped out
86% of the cash overnight about
21 months ago, economic affairs
secretary in the finance ministry,
RBI says bad loans set to rise
DNA Money Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) in its annual report said that
current economic scenario could
increase the gross non-perform-
ing assets (NPA) of the banking
system.
“Going forward, the stress tests
carried out by the Reserve Bank
suggest that under the baseline as-
sumption of the current economic
situation prevailing, the gross
NPA ratio of scheduled commer-
cial banks may increase further in
2018-19,” RBI said in the report
released on Wednesday.
On a positive note, the central
bank said that the gross domestic
product (GDP) growth this fiscal
inventory. This basically means
that they can sell on e-marketplac-
es but cannot carry inventory, un-
less the product is made in India.
K Vaitheeswaran, e-commerce
pioneer and author of Failing to
Succeed, calls the clause
“strange”. The rule of inventory
or marketplace has nothing to do
with companies in India or out-
side.
“Either you allow or don’t, it
can’t be a hanging decision,” he
said. The purpose behind putting
this clause, industry experts say,
seems to benefit certain players
operating in the market. So local
companies can carry inventory
but a player like Amazon cannot,
which could impact its customer
experience, feel experts.
Order and supply
of banknotes
by Reserve Bank presses
(April-March) (Million pieces)
Order Supply
2016-17
—7,260
2,200925
3,5003,504
2000
1000
500
Source: RBI
Indent Supply
2017-18
9,2139,693
——
151151
Note: BRBNMPL: Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note
Mudran Private Limited SPMCIL: Security Printing
and Minting Corporation of India Limited
jump in counterfeit
notes of `50
Subhash Chandra Garg, said, “I
think demonetisation achieved its
objective quite substantially.”
He was talking to reporters in
the national capital after the Re-
serve Bank of India (RBI) released
a report saying that 99.3% of the
banned currency notes of Rs 500
and Rs 1,000 came back into the
banking system post-demonetisa-
tion.
The government is facing criti-
cism over the results achieved by
demonetisation considering the
pain the economy went through
after the decision.
is expected to increase to 7.4%
from 6.7% in the previous year,
with risks evenly placed. The ac-
celeration in growth is also ex-
pected to help the banking sector
which is reeling under a severe
stress due to the spurt in NPAs and
poor credit growth.
Going forward, the uptick in
Centre asks RBI to identify
banks that can be merged
Siddhartha Singh
New Delhi: The central govern-
ment has asked the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) to prepare a list of
candidates for a merger among
21 government-controlled lenders
as it seeks to strengthen a banking
system laden with bad debt,
people familiar with the matter
said.
In a meeting this month, fi-
nance ministry officials also
asked RBI to suggest a time frame
for the consolidation, the people
said, asking not be named as the
information isn’t public.
The move is aimed at creating
fewer, better-capitalised lenders
and improving regulatory over-
sight, they said.
India has been battling for
RBI sees
recovery
this fiscal
Praveena Sharma
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Reserve Bank of India
(RBI), in its latest annual report
published on Wednesday, called
last fiscal “a year of inflexions” for
the Indian economy and expects
recovery in growth to be “consoli-
dated and built upon” this fiscal.
“The year 2017-18 turned out to
be a year of inflexions in the
growth path of the Indian econo-
my, despite the lingering after-ef-
fects of demonetisation and the
GST implementation,” stated the
central bank report.
And going by how the current
macroeconomic factors are un-
ravelling, the apex bank main-
tained its earlier projection of a
7.4% gross domestic product
(GDP) growth this fiscal.
“Over the rest of 2018-19, the ac-
celeration of growth that com-
menced in 2017-18: H2 (second half)
is expected to be consolidated and
built upon. Keeping in view the
evolving economic conditions,
real GDP growth for 2018-19 is ex-
pected to increase to 7.4% from
6.7% in the previous year, with
risks evenly balanced,” forecasts
the RBI.
In its summary of how the
economy performed in the year
gone by, the central bank said the
green shoots of recovery had
started to appear from second
quarter of the last fiscal as GDP
growth picked up from a 13-quar-
ter low of 5.6% in the first quarter
of FY18 to reach 7.7% in the
fourth quarter of the fiscal.
It attributed the massive recov-
ery to the gross fixed capital for-
mation (GFCF) “which snapped
out of a four-quarter soft patch
and posted expansion right
through Q2 (second quarter) and
until Q4 (fourth quarter)”.
Other factors that drove up the
economic growth were private fi-
nal consumption expenditure
(PFCE) supported by rural de-
mand on the back of a bumper
harvest and the government’s
thrust on rural housing and infra-
structure.
credit growth is likely to be sup-
ported by the progress being made
under the aegis of the Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 in ad-
dressing stress on balance-sheets of
both corporates and banks, recapi-
talisation of public sector banks
(PSBs) and a positive outlook on the
economy, RBI added. “The prevail-
ing negative credit-to-GDP gap indi-
cates that there is sufficient scope
for credit absorption and expansion
in bank lending on a sustained ba-
sis,” it said in the report.
According to RBI, the stressed
assets, i.e, gross non-performing as-
sets (GNPAs) plus restructured
standard advances, in the banking
system remained elevated to 12.1%
of gross advances at the end of last
fiscal.
years to clean up its banks, which
have the highest bad-loan ratio
after Italy among the world’s 10
largest economies.
The government-controlled
lenders are estimated to hold 90%
of non-performing loans (NPA),
and 11 of the 21 are operating un-
der an emergency program, su-
pervised by the central bank,
which restricts new lending.
A phone call to a finance min-
istry spokesman and an email to
the RBI seeking comment weren’t
immediately answered.
State-backed lenders need to
consolidate to avoid losing more
market share to peers in the pri-
vate sector, the outgoing chair-
man of Bank of Baroda Ravi Ven-
katesan said last month.
 — Bloomberg
 c mpanies
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
Wipro enters into
multi-year deal
Deal
Street with Danish firm
Wipro has bagged a multi-year business process
services engagement from Denmark-based Falck. The
financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Wipro
will help transform Falck’s finance operations through
its enterprise operations transformation model. This
engagement will help Falck increase operational
efficiency and achieve data and process consistency
across its different entities around the globe, Wipro
said. Headquartered in Denmark, Falck is supplier of
ambulance services, employee health care and
roadside assistance and is active in 35 countries with
over 37,000 employees. Wipro has been present in the
Nordic region for over a decade and works with
customers across the healthcare, manufacturing,
energy, natural resources, utilities, financial services,
telecom and retail industry verticals. Wipro also has a
presence in the region through its acquired entities
Appirio, which helps companies improve their worker
and customer experiences.
Greaves Cotton
to buy Ampere
Engineering company
Greaves Cotton Ltd
said on Wednesday it
has signed definitive
agreements to acquire
a majority stake in
electric two-wheeler
maker Ampere
Vehicles Pvt Ltd,
VCCircle reported.
Greaves Cotton will
initially acquire 67%
of Coimbatore-based
Ampere for Rs 77
crore. It may buy
another 13% for Rs
75.5 crore after three
years, it said in a
stock-exchange filing.
The first stage of the
deal will be completed
by the end of
December, subject to
customary closing
conditions. Ampere
counts Tata Sons
chairman emeritus
Ratan Tata and Infosys
co-founder Kris
Gopalakrishnan
among its investors.
Tata had invested in
Ampere in July 2015.
Gopalakrishnan first
invested in December
2015 and again the
following year.
In brief
Cadila gets five
observations
Cadila Healthcare said
United States Food and
Drug Administration
has issued five
observations after
inspection of its
subsidiary Liva
Pharmaceuticals’s
injectables
manufacturing facility.
“This was a product-
specific pre-approval
inspection located at
Vadodara. US FDA
conducted the
inspection from
August 20-28.
AirAsia inducts
19th aircraft
AirAsia India
announced the
induction of 19th
aircraft in its fleet and
said it will add two new
routes in its flight
network from October.
The Tata Sons-AirAsia
group joint venture
airline is now just one
plane short of the
mandatory 20 aircraft
for starting
international operations
by a domestic carrier.
Hetero recalls
hypertension drug
Hetero Labs is recalling
over 15.90 lakh bottles
of Valsartan Tablets
used for the treatment
of hypertension from
the American market
due to deviations from
the good manufacturing
norms, the latest
enforcement report of
the US health regulator
has said. The company
is “recalling all lots with
expiration dates 7/2018
to 6/2020,” it added.
Airtel-Tata Tele
deal approved
Bharti Airtel said its
shareholders have
approved the proposed
merger between the
company and Tata
Teleservices as part of
ongoing proceedings at
the National Company
Law Tribunal (NCLT).
The special resolution
received 99.97% voting
in favour of the
resolution, Bharti
Airtel said in a
regulatory filing.
Leap India raises
`200 crore
Leap India, a leading
enterprise in
advanced pooling said
it has raised Rs 200
crore from Piramal
Capital & Housing
Finance, the wholly
owned subsidiary of
Piramal Enterprises.
Piramal Capital &
Housing Finance has
extended a credit line
to Leap India to meet
the company’s growth
requirement over the
next two to three
years. Leap is a leader
in providing pallets
and foldable large
containers (FLCs) on
rent to more than 370
leading corporates
from fast moving
comnsumer goods,
beverages, auto and
pharma industry.
Varde, Aditya Birla plan
$1 bn JV for stressed cos
Bhuma Shrivastava
Mumbai: Varde Partners
Inc and Aditya Birla Capital
Ltd are creating a joint ven-
ture to invest as much as $1
billion in distressed assets in
India, according to people
familiar with the transac-
tion, who asked not to be
identified because the infor-
mation is private.
The US investment firm
and Indian financial servic-
es provider, helmed by bil-
lionaire Kumar Mangalam
Birla, are expected to deploy
this sum over three years,
one of the people said.
The venture, which will
scout for deals of up to
$100 million, may
be announced
as early as this
week, the per-
son said.
Va r d e ,
which manag-
es $14 billion of
assets, joins
overseas inves-
tors from Black-
stone Group
LP to Oak-
Tata Power JV lowest on time To spend `6K cr on upgrading refineries, Ennore terminal to be commissioned by October
bidder for Prayagraj IOC earmarks `22,000 cr capex for this fiscal
New Delhi: Tata Power said
its JV Resurgent Power Ven-
tures has got a letter of in-
tent (LoI) from the lenders of
Prayagraj Power Generation
Company (PPGCL) for the
acquisition of 75.01% stake
in the company.
PPGCL is a 3X660 mega-
watt (mw) coal-based power
project in Uttar Pradesh. It is
the first stressed power asset
account resolved by the lend-
ers. State Bank of India,
which is the lead banker, has
resolved the account under
its Samadhan Scheme.
“We found that Prayagraj
Power fits in our overall
scheme of growth. It has all
approvals and clearances in
place along with long-term
PPA (power purchase agree-
ment) and fuel supply agree-
ment,” Tata Power CEO and
MD Praveer Sinha said in a
statement.
Adani acquires RInfra’s power biz
Completes Rs 19K cr deal, plans to enter electricity distribution in more cities and districts against M&M
DNA Money Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: Adani Transmis-
sion Limited (ATL) on
Wednesday announced the
completion of the deal to buy
Mumbai power generation,
transmission and distribu-
tion business of Reliance
Infrastructure (RInfra).
With this, Adani Group
has forayed in power distri-
bution business and now
plans to enter more cities
and districts across India.
Adani Group chairman
Gautam Adani said in a
statement that the firm as-
pires to enter into electricity
distribution business in
“key cities and districts in
India” in pursuit of the gov-
ernment’s vision to enable
‘Power for All by 2020’.
The closure of the Mum-
bai suburban power distri-
bution deal comes after over
eight months of Adani
Transmission signing a def-
inite binding agreement.
A new entity - Adani Elec-
tricity Mumbai Ltd (AEML)
- has been formed for the lat-
Macquarie pays `9,682 crore
to Centre for NHAI toll plazas
New Delhi: Global financial
conglomerate Macquarie
group’s infrastructure fund-
ing arm on Wednesday made
an upfront payment of Rs
9,681.50 crore to the govern-
ment to operate nine stretch-
es of NHAI under a new toll
collection policy.
National Highways Au-
thority of India (NHAI) has
floated India’s first toll oper-
ate transfer (TOT) model to
monetise national highways
(NH) by awarding toll collec-
tion operations to a private
party on a long-term basis.
NHAI has identified 75
NH stretches across the
country for awarding con-
distressed
in vogue
$14 bn
– Assets managed by Varde
$210 bn
– Soured loans in India
The venture is expected to
deploy this sum over three years
and will scout for deals of up to
$100 million
tree Capital Group LLC
drawn by India’s efforts to
resolve $210 billion in
soured loans. The
scramble among local
lenders to sell assets
intensified after the
central bank last
year forced about 40
large defaulters into
bankruptcy
courts and
then set
stringent
dead-
“It will be a value-adding
asset in Resurgent Power’s
portfolio,” Sinha said.
Tata Power holds 26%
stake in Resurgent Power,
which is based out of Singa-
pore. The balance 74% is
held by ICICI Bank and glob-
al investors.
The transaction will be
subject to customary approv-
als and conditions.
Tata Power stock was
trading 1.74% higher at Rs 76
on BSE. —PTI
est acquisition.
“The rebranding of busi-
ness starts immediately,”
Anil Sardana, managing di-
rector and chief executive
officer of ATL and chairman
of AEML told DNA Money.
Hence, power consumers
in suburban Mumbai will
now get a bill from AEML.
Explaining the reasons
for the delay in the acquisi-
tion, Sardana added that
there were issues related to
repayment of dues on the
seller’s front.
As per the terms of the
deal, Reliance Infrastruc-
ture was supposed to pay
tracts to a third party under
the TOT model.
It will manage and collect
toll from nine stretches of
NHAI -- five in Andhra
Pradesh and four in Gujarat
-- for a period of 30 years
against the upfront payment
of about Rs 9,682 crore to the
lines for stressed accounts to
be restructured or share the
same fate.
An Aditya Birla group
spokeswoman declined to
comment.
A spokeswoman for Varde
in London didn’t immedi-
ately respond to emailed
queries.
Varde’s co-chief invest-
ment officer Ilfryn Carstairs
called the India distressed
opportunity “enormous”
and one of the biggest in the
world, in a September 2017
interview. Carstairs said
that he saw “systemic” op-
portunities in India, adding
that its soured loans prob-
lems were comparable to Ita-
ly and Spain.
Aditya Birla Capital al-
ready has an asset recon-
struction business focusing
on bad loans to micro, small
and medium firms.
It may also set up an Al-
ternative Investment Fund
to buy financially-stressed
firms that may be on the
brink but haven’t defaulted,
one of the people familiar
said. —Bloomberg
Mumbai: Indian Oil Corpo-
ration (IOC) said it has lined
up Rs 22,000 crore capex plan
for the current fiscal year
and will commission the
Ennore-Manali LNG pipe-
line on schedule by the end
of the year.
Sanjiv Singh, the chair-
man of the nation’s largest
oil marketing company, said
the Board has approved a
capex plan of Rs 22,000 crore
for FY19, of which around Rs
6,000 crore will be towards
upgrading refineries to meet
BS-VI emission norms.
Addressing reporters af-
ter the annual general meet-
ing (AGM), Singh also said
the company is confident of
commissioning the over Rs
4,000 crore, the 1,170-kilome-
tre pipeline linking its En-
nore LNP terminal near
Chennai to Manali in
Himachal in 2018.
Patent row:
Fiat files plea
Relative showing
Reliance Infrastructure
Adani Transmission
Jan 1, 18 Aug 29
electricity duty and tax on
the sale of electricity to the
government of Maharashtra
since September 2016.
Just before the deal clo-
sure, Rs 2,639 crore was paid
towards these taxes along
with the interest accrued on
the outstanding amount.
Post the transaction val-
ue of Rs 18,800 crore, “Reli-
ance Infrastructure has re-
duced debt liabilities by Rs
13,800 crore from the deal
proceeds. Regulatory As-
sets under approval of Rs
5,000 crore will flow entire-
ly to Reliance Infrastruc-
ture making the company
government.
Macquarie was among the
four bidders to win the first
bundle of the TOT contract
of NHAI.
Transport minister Nitin
Gadkari said, “The handing
over of the first bundle un-
der TOT will encourage
more such awards in coming
days and we will invest the
money received to boost in-
frastructure in the country,”
he said.
“We can now think about
implementing this TOT mod-
el in Ganga river also. Like-
wise, it can be implemented
in other infrastructure sec-
tors as well,” he added. —PTI
Nalco pays
record dividend
as net doubles
Bhubaneswar: Aluminium
major Nalco said its net profit
has doubled to Rs 1,342 crore
in 2017-18 from Rs 669 crore
recorded in the previous year
owing to its new business
plan which has put the com-
pany on a new growth path.
“The company achieved
highest net profit in last 10
years of Rs 1,342 crore in
2017-18 against Rs 669 crore
earned in the previous year,”
Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar
Chand said on the sidelines
of the 37th annual general
meeting (AGM).
Chand said Nalco also
achieved record turnover of
Rs 9,376 crore since incep-
tion, a growth of 26% over the
previous year. Export earn-
ing of Rs 4,076 crore was also
highest-ever since inception,
up 12% over last year.
Nalco was the third high-
est net foreign exchange
earning central public sector
enterprise in the country.
Nalco has also declared a
record dividend payout of Rs
1,102 crore, an increase from
56% in 2016-17 to 114% in
2017-18. The dividend payout
works out to Rs 5.70 per eq-
uity share of Rs 5 each. —PTI
The over Rs 5,000 crore
LNG terminal at Ennore will
be commissioned as per sched-
ule by October, he added.
“More than 50% work on
the pipeline is already com-
pleted and we have tied up
with all our target customers
in Manali and most of them
in Chennai region as well,
Singh said.
On crude imports from
Iran, Singh said there is no
clarity how the sanctions
will pan out from November
4 and accordingly they have
tied up many national oil
marketing companies to en-
sure that crude supplies are
not disrupted.
“We don’t procure crude
from private suppliers. We
have sounded out enough na-
tional oil companies for sup-
plies to source oil depending
on the impact of the US sanc-
tions on Tehran,” he said.
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 I daily news & analysis
electric start
115 „„A new entity - Adani
Electricity Mumbai Ltd
(AEML) - has been formed
100
for power distribution
business
85
„„The closure of the
deal comes after over
70
eight months of Adani
Transmission signing
55 a definite binding
agreement
debt-free in 2019,” read a
regulatory filing.
As per Maharashtra Elec-
tricity Regulatory Commis-
sion’s (MERC) order con-
cerning the deal, around Rs
250 crore is the upper limit
for ATL to spend on AEML’s
headquarters as the existing
plot and office building of
Mumbai power distribution
business has been retained
by the seller.
Adani Transmission is
yet to locate a permanent
head office for the latest ac-
quisition for the price capped
by MERC.
On the acquisition and
Indian carriers pay the world’s highest jet-fuel prices. But the real killer has been fare war
that’s driven ticket prices so low that they can hardly cover costs. The competition will
intensify if Qatar Airways starts a short-haul airline here
How cheap fares are
killing airlines
Up to 30%
– Taxes on aviation fuel in India
Entry of budget carriers such
as IndiGo and SpiceJet has forced
full-service carriers like Jet Airways
to offer discounts
2 cents
or Rs 1.40 paise
– Base fares SpiceJet offered in 2015
15%
– Fall in
average ticket prices
for New Delhi to
Mumbai, world’s
third-busiest route, to Rs 3,334 in
July-August from the previous year,
according to Yatra.com
40%
Fares are down
from 2014, according
to Sanjiv Kapoor,
chief commercial officer, Vistara
NCLAT admits Mistry’s plea
New Delhi: The National
Company Law Appellate
Tribunal (NCLAT) on
Wednesday admitted a peti-
tion moved by the outsted
Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus
P Mistry seeking to set
aside an order of a Mum-
bai-bench of the company
law tribunal upholding his
removal.
In the July 9 order, a bench
of NCLT Mumbai had dis-
missed Mistry’s plea chal-
lenging his removal as chair-
We don’t procure
sounded out enough
national firm for supplies
to source oil depending on
impact of US sanctions
He also denied that IOC
has reduced its intake from
Iran as saying on a net-net
basis there is no cutdown.
“There could have been some
fluctuations in some months
but overall we are procuring
as per our contracts”
Giving a break-up of the
capex plan, finance director
A K Sharma said that around
Rs 6,000 crore will go into re-
finery upgrades to meet the
09
New Delhi: Mahindra & Ma-
expansion of the company, hindra (M&M) said a patent
Adani said, “I am delighted violation complaint has been
to announce our significant filed against the home-grown
launch into large-scale city utility vehicles major by Fiat
electricity distribution busi- Chrysler Automobile US,
ness and are privileged to LLC, at US-based Internation-
serve over 3 million consum- al Trade Commission (ITC).
ers in the city of Mumbai. The complaint alleges that
We aspire to enter into elec- certain design features of the
tricity distribution business details of Mahindra ROXOR
in key cities and districts in infringe the intellectual
India in pursuit of govern- property rights of Fiat’s Jeep
ment of India’s vision to en- design as it was modelled af-
able ‘Power for all by 2020’. ter the original Willys Jeep,
We are committed to lever- M&M said. The company be-
age the experience to emerge lieves that the complaint is
as a leading utility in elec- without merit, it added.
tricity distribution, thereby In response to the com-
providing state-of-the-art, plaint, M&M and its subsidi-
reliable and competitive sup- ary Mahindra Automotive
ply experience to all our cus- North America (MANA) has
tomers.” filed a public interest state-
Adani Electricity Mumbai ment with the ITC.
Ltd has over three million “The company and MANA
customers spread across 400 have commenced a proceed-
square kilometre in the sub- ing in the Federal District
urban areas of Mumbai. Court at Michigan to enforce
SBI Capital Markets was the Grill Design Agreement
the merger and acquisition that the company had execut-
advisor for the transaction. ed with Fiat in 2009 and to
Cyril Amarchand Mangal- seek an injunction against
das was the legal advisor and Fiat from proceeding with the
the lenders’ counsel was Lu- ITC complaint that has been
thra & Luthra Law Offices. filed by it,” M&M said. —PTI
Source: Bloomberg
Drying Coffers
Jet Airways cash dwindles
AirAsia, which

entered in 2014 with
a vow to break even
against high debt in four months, is
Cash & Cash Equivalent (Rs cr) still nowhere close
to its goal
Net Debt (Rs cr)
Vistara, Singapore

Air’s JV with the Tata
10,190
Group that started in
9,830
9,380
9,100
8,890
2015, has yet to make
any money
2,080
1,490 SpiceJet almost

1,210
540
collapsed the
320
previous year
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
IndiGo Dominates
But all aren't losing money
IndiGo has never lost

Budget airlines fly every two out of money since going
three passengers in India public in 2015; its
planes are also newer,
IndiGo Jet Airways Air India SpiceJet more fuel-efficient than
42.1% 15.1% 12.4% 12.3% many rivals
Others
Jet Airways is bogged

down by higher costs.
9.2%
The average age of
its fleet is almost nine
Go Air
years, costing more to
8.9% maintain
man of Tata Sons. with the original plea filed
Hearing the matter on by Cyrus Investments chal-
Wednesday, the two members lenging Mistry’s removal
of the appellate tribunal, from Tata Sons.
headed by its Chairman Jus- In his plea, Mistry also
tice S J Mukhopadhaya ad- sought expunging of re-
mitted Mistry’s petition, marks and some words used
which he filed in his person- in the July 9 order.
al capacity. Mistry had on Tuesday
The NCLAT also issued filed the petition in his per-
notices to Tata Sons and sonal capacity, requesting
other respondents and asked the appellate tribunal to set
them to reply in ten days. aside the impugned July 9
The matter will now be order of the National Com-
heard on September 24 along pany Law Tribunal. —PTI
of the fiscal year, they will
hit international bond mar-
crude from private kets along with a domestic
debt market, as the firm has
suppliers. We’ve not tapped it for long.
According to the annual
report, the company sought
shareholders’ approval for
raising around Rs 20,000
crore through an NCD issue
this year. The company has
Sanjiv Singh around Rs 53,000 crore of
debt as of June, of which
70% are forex loans.
BS-VI emission norms, Rs The chairman also said,
4,000 crore into marketing, IOC, which was the first oil
of which half will be used to company to set up an electric
procure new LPG cylinders vehicle charging station a few
and around Rs 3,000 crore years ago in Nagpur, will in-
into new businesses like bio- crease its footprint more. But
fuels and Rs 1,000 crore into he did not offer more details.
Paradeep petrochemicals On new businesses, espe-
expansion among others. cially after entering the city
On fund raising plans, gas distribution, he said IOC
though Sharma said the will invest over Rs 15,000
company does not need any crore into this vertical over
funds now, towards the end the next three years. —PTI
 China wins 100th gold medal
China pick up their 100th gold medal of the Games when their team of women
won the artistic swimming free routine final with a score of 186.9395. Japan
Asian Ascent
PENCAK SILAT
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018
Medals Tally
Rank Nation G S B T
1. China 102 67 50 219
2. Japan 52 47 63 162
3. South Korea 37 42 50 129
4. Indonesia 30 22 36 88
5. Iran 19 16 17 52
6. Chinese Taipei 13 17 21 51
7. Uzbekistan 12 17 16 45
8. DPR Korea 12 8 11 31
9. India 11 20 23 54
10. Thailand 9 13 36 58
India Results
MEDALS: ATHLETICS: Arpinder
Singh won gold in men’s triple jump,
Swapna Burman won gold in women’s
heptathlon, Dutee Chand won Silver in
women’s 200m finals
TABLE TENNIS: SK Achanta/M Batra
won bronze in mixed doubles
l ATHLETICS: MEN: Manish Singh Rawat
and Irfan Kolothum Thodi were disqualified
from 20km walk finals,, Jinson Johnson
finished 2nd, Manjit Singh finished 7th
in 1500m qualification, India finished 4th
in 4x400 relay qualification; WOMEN:
Khushbir Kaur finished 4th , Soumya Baby
was disqualified in 20km walk, Purnima
Hembram finished 4th in Heptahlon
l BOXING: MEN: Amit beat Kim Jang 5-0 in
Light Fly (49 kg) Quarterfinals, Dheeraj vs
Bhaatarsukh in Light Welter (64kg) Quar-
terfinals, Vikas Krishnan bt Tanglatihan 3-2
in Middle (75kg) Quarterfinals; WOMEN:
Sarjubala Devi lost to Chang Ya 0-5 in Fly
(51 kg) Quarterfinals
l CANOE/KAYAK SPRINT: MEN: India
finished 2nd in Seminfinal of Kayak Four
(K4) 500m, Ching Ching Singh Arambram/
Naocha Singh Laitocham finished 1st in
Semifinal 1 of Kayak Double (K2) 1000m
l CYCLING: MEN: Ranjit Singh finished
2nd in Heat 2 in Sprint 1/16th elimina-
tion, Esow finished 2nd in Heat 1 in 1/8th
elimination, Manjeet Singh finished 12th
in 4000m Individual Pursuit Qualification;
WOMEN: Manorama Devi DNF in Women’s
Omnium
l HANDBALL: MEN: India bt Indonesia
37-23 in Group 3
l HOCKEY: WOMEN: India bt China 1-0 in
Seminfinal
l JUDO: MEN: Vijay Kumar Yadav lost
to Urozboev Diyorbek 0-10 in 60kg
Elimination round of 16; WOMEN: Thoudan
Kalpana Devi lost to Ziyaneva Gulnoza 0s3-
10s2 in 52kg Elimination round of 16
l KURASH: MEN: Manish Tokas lost to
Sobirov Muso 0-10, Kunal lost to Baayan-
munkh Gaajadamba 0-10 in 81 kg Round
of 32 WOMEN: Binash Nayakattu Biju lost
to Koolivand Azar 0-3 in 63 kg Round of
32, Meghna Tokas lost to Njama in 63 kg
Quarterfinals
lPENCAK SILAT: WOMEN: Simran/Sonia
finished 7th in Women’s Doubles Final
l SAILING: WOMEN: Nethra Kumanathan
finished 5th after Race 10, 5th after Race
11 in Laser Radial MIXED: Govind Bairagi
finished 3rd, Harshita Tomar finished 4th
in Race 10, Harshita Tomar finished 3rd,
Govind Bairagi finished 4th in Race 11 in
Open Laser4.7, India finished 8th in Race
12, 8th in Race 13, 8th in Race 14 of Mixed
RS One
l SEPAKTAKRAW: WOMEN: India lost to
Malaysia 0-2, India lost to Vietnam 0-2 in
Group B
l SOFT TENNIS: MIXED: R Dhiman/ A
Tiwari lost to K Yu/C Cheng 0-5 in Group
C, R Dhiman/ A Tiwari lost to C Xayalin/P
Champamanivog 3-5 in Group C, Namita
Seth/ AC Patel bt D Alkanthuyag/A Mun-
gunsetseg 5-0 in Group F, Namita Seth/ AC
Patel lost to T Uematsu/R Hayashida 0-5
in Group F
l SQUASH: WOMEN: India bt China 3-0
in Pool B
l TABLE TENNIS: MIXED: AA Amalraj/MS
Patkar lost to Ho Kk/ LeeHC 11-6, 7-11,
5-11, 4-11 in Round of 32 doubles
l VOLLEYBALL: WOMEN: India bt Hong
Kong 25-18, 25-16, 25-13 in Seminflas
for 9-12
Gold medal-winning wrestlers Vinesh
Bajrang in fray for Khel Ratna award
Chander Shekhar Luthra
shekhar.luthra@gmail.com
New Delhi: Newly-crowned
champion wrestlers in the ongo-
ing Asian Games, Bajrang Punia
and Vinesh Phogat, are strong
contenders for this year’s Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna award, accord-
ing to sources.
It has been learnt from highly
placed sources in the sports min-
istry that gold medallist in 65kg
weight category, Bajrang, has al-
ready filed his nomination
through the Wrestling Federation
of India (WFI).
Also, women’s freestyle 52 kg
category gold winner, Vinesh,
could well be considered by the
ministry for her remarkable come-
back after injury during Rio
Olympics.
“Bajrang and Vinesh’s entries
have not been received by April 30
cut off date but we will have a re-
view meeting soon after the Asian
Games to consider their names,” a
senior official in the ministry told
DNA on Wednesday.
takes silver, while North Korea are placed third
Vietnam’s Van Tri Nguyen and Dinh Nam Tran win gold medals to break Indonesia’s hold on the sport
The champion with 12 toes
asks for customised shoes
Indian heptathlete Swapna draws attention to her abnormal feet after winning historic gold
(Top) India’s Swapna Barman reacts after winning gold in the women’s heptathlon in Jakarta on Wednesday. (Below from left) combination pictures show Swapna
participating in javelin throw, 800-metre run, and long jump — which are all part of the heptathlon event —Agencies
Jakarta: The first Indian hep-
tathlete to win an Asian Games
gold, Swapna Bar-
man on Wednesday
made a plea to pro-
vide her more cus-
tomised shoes for
her ‘abnormal’ feet.
Barman, who has six
toes in both her feet, produced
her career-best performance on
Wednesday by logging 6026 ag-
gregate points from the seven
events spread for two days. She
competed with a tape on her
right cheek to lessen pain arising
out of teeth infection.
“I have got this gold on the Na-
tional Sports day, so it’s really
special. I use normal shoes worn
by people who have normal five
toes. It really pains during train-
ing. It is very uncomfortable,
whether I wear spikes or normal
Bajrang Punia (left) and Vinesh Phogat
The final decision, however,
would be taken after sports minis-
ter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
will go through the entire list of
candidates and their performanc-
es at the Asiad. A short-list of
names will be made and forward-
ed to the selection committee of
National Sports Awards for final
nod.
Going by the tradition followed
during the Olympics or Asian
Games year, other gold medallists
such as javelin thrower Neeraj
Chopra or other track and field
stars are also strong contenders to
I use normal shoes worn by people who have normal
five toes. It really pains during training. It is very
uncomfortable
Swapna Barman, Heptathlete, India
shoes,” Swapna said with a smile.
She said she also overcame a
knee injury before the event.
Asked if she would like some
companies to manufacture cus-
tomised shoes for her, she said,
“Definitely. It will make life easy.”
At one time, Barman’s father was
a rickshaw puller and bed-ridden
due to a stroke suffered.
En route the title, she won the
high jump (1003 pwoints) and
javelin throw (872 points) events
and finished second-best in shot
put (707 points) and long jump
(865 points). Her weakest events
were 100m (981 points, 5th posi-
get this coveted award this time
around. India cricket captain Vi-
rat Kohli’s is also in contention.
Chopra, for instance, was also
given the honour of carrying the
national flag at the opening cere-
mony. He was also with nominated
for the Arjuna Award after he won
gold in the World Junior Champi-
onships in 2016.
The awards will be given on
September 25, deviating from the
tradition of giving it on August 29
— the birth anniversary of hockey
legend Major Dhyan Chand —
which is being celebrated as Na-
tional Sports Day.
Arjuna Awardee Vinesh be-
came the first Indian woman wres-
tler to win a gold in the Asian
Games. She won a bronze medal in
the 2014 Incheon Asiad.
Vinesh is also a two-time Com-
monwealth Games gold-medallist,
having won back-to-back titles in
2014 and 2018.at Incheon earlier.
Bajrang also won gold medals in
Gold Coast before Jakarta besides
winning bronze in 2013 World
Championship.
Asian Games
2018 Jakarta
tion) and 200m in which she fin-
ished seventh with 790 points.
Going into the 800m run, the last
of the seven-event competition,
Barman was leading China’s
Qingling Wang by 64 points.
She needed a good run in the
concluding event in which she
eventually finished fourth. It was
the same event in which she had
collapsed during the Asian Ath-
letics Championship last year in
Bhubaneswar but despite finish-
ing fourth today, she had emerged
a champion.
Asked about the tape on her
cheek she said, it was to lessen
Indian women
reach first final
in 20 years
Jakarta: The Indian women’s
hockey team made its
first Asian Games
final in 20 years, out-
lasting three-time
champions China 1-0
here on Wednesday.
Gurjit Kaur’s strike
from a penalty corner in the 52nd
minute was the difference be-
tween the two sides, in a match
that lacked the quality of a high-
profile semifinal. Nonetheless, it
was good enough for India’s first
appearance in the final since the
1998 Bangkok Games.
India’s only title at the Asiad
came way back in 1982 when
women’s hockey made its debut.
India will now face Japan, who
upset five-time champions South
Korea 2-0 in the other semifinal.
It was not the most fluent of
matches with both India and
China failing to create opportuni-
ties in the field. “The team surely
did not play to its potential in the
first half. They stepped up in the
second half and I am really hap-
py for these girls,”said India
coach Sjoerd Marijne. —PTI
Palembang
India’s Arpinder Singh during his gold-winning effort in the final of the men’s
triple jump in Jakarta on Wednesday —AFP
Arpinder triple
jumps to gold
Jakarta: Arpinder Singh
clinched India’s first men’s tri-
ple jump gold in 48 years with
a jump of 16.77m in the Asian
Games here on Wednesday.
Arpinder, who has been
without a medal in multi-
sporting events since winning
a bronze in the 2014 Common-
wealth Games, produced a best
jump of 16.77m which he came
up with in his third attempt.
Ruslan Kurbanov of Uz-
bekistan took the silver with
a best jump of 16.62m while
Shuo Cao of China was third
with an effort of 16.56m.
Wednesday’s mark of
Arpinder was, however, well
below his season best of
17.09m which he did during
Kamal-Batra carry on
paddlers’ dream run
Jakarta: The Indian table ten-
nis contingent’s
dream run at the
Asian Games got
better on Wednes-
day when the
mixed doubles pair-
ing of A Sharath Kamal and
Manika Batra exceeded its own
expectations to win a historic
bronze.
It was only on Tuesday that
the Kamal-led men’s team had
secured a bronze, ending In-
dia’s 60-year-wait for a maiden
medal at the Asian Games.
On Wednesday, Kamal and
the pain in her teeth. “I used to Batra played four matches in a
eat a lot of chocolates, so I have a day and only the opener against
teeth problem. It started paining Malaysia was comfortable. In
two days before the event. It was the lead-up to the event, Kamal
severe but I could not let years of had slammed the scheduling of
hard work go waste. So I forgot the competition.
the pain and gave my best,” said In the semifinals, Kamal and
the undergraduate, who is fear- Batra made life tough for Chi-
ing for final examination result.
“First day, I thought I won’t
be able to compete. It was un-
bearable. I thought what will
happen to my hard work, I had
to do it. I forgot the pain.” An-
other Indian in the fray, Purni-
ma Hembram was 18 points be-
hind Japan’s Yuki Yamasaki
going into the 800m run. She
finshed just ahead of Barman in
the 800m run and overall fourth
with 5837 points.
Qingling (5954) won the silver
and Yamasaki the bronze with India’s Achanta Sharath Kamal (left) and Manika Batra celebrate during the
5873 points. —PTI mixed-double table tennis match in Jakarta on Wednesday —PTI
Dutee wins silver, expresses fear
Jakarta: India’s Dutee Chand
said she is still fearful
n zone
4
over her future in The number of woman athletes,
athletics as she including Dutee Chand, to achieve
scooped her second the 100m-200m double at a single
Asian Games sil- Asian Games.
ver in the wom-
en’s 200 metres on did you know?
Wednesday — four years nDutee Chand is the second
after missing the last edi- Indian woman to win medals
tion in a row over her in both the 100m and 200m
gender. at the Asiad Games, after PT
Chand, denied gold USHA.
in both sprint races n Odiong becomes
by Bahrain’s the fourth woman
Edidiong to complete the
Odiong, was 100m/200m
barred from double at a single
the 2014 Asian
G a m e s Games,
over her after
hyper- Chisato
andro- Fukushima
g e n - (Japan , 2010),
i s m , Esther Rot
which (ISR, 1974)
causes and Mona
high testosterone Solaiman
levels and left her (Philipines, 1962).
undergoing trau-
matic tests to
prove her gender. Dutee Chand poses
The Indian with her silver medal on
athlete won a Wednesday —AFP
10
the National Inter-State
Championships in June,
which had put him at number
three in the Asian rankings.
Arpinder has a personal
best of 17.17m. He had fin-
ished fifth in the 2014 Asian
Games. Arpinder said he had
come into the Asian Games
looking to break the national
record which is in the name of
Renjith Maheshwary (17.30m).
“It’s gold, so it’s okay but I
wanted to go better than the
national record. I was dehy-
drated after three jumps,
that’s why there were fouls
after that. The performance
was going up and down. My
calves were hurting,” Arpin-
der said. —PTI
did you know?
n This is India’s second medal
in table tennis and the second at
these Games, after bronze in the
men’s team event
n Achanta Sharath Kamal
becomes the first Indian table
tennis player to win two medals
in this sport.
na’s Yingsha Sun and Wang
Sun before going down 9-11,
5-11, 13-11, 4-11, 8-11. The semi-
final was a best of seven games
contest while the earlier rounds
were played in the usual best of
five format.
Their pre-quarterfinal was
against the strong a South Ko-
rean pairing of Lee Sangsu and
Jeon Jihee but the Indians bat-
tled past them 11-7, 7-11, 11-8,
10-12, 11-4. —PTI
court battle for her right to com-
pete with her hormonal imbal-
ance, which also affects South
Africa’s 800m Olympic champion
Caster Semenya.
New athletics rules in place
from November will bar runners
with hyperandrogenism from
middle-distance races, Semenya’s
speciality, but allow sprinters
with the same condition.
But Chand, 22, said uncertain-
ty remained. The ruling by the
International Association of Ath-
letics Federations has been criti-
cised, and could face challenges
and amendments.
“My legal team helped me to
come back,” said Chand. “But no-
body could guarantee what will
happen in the future. Caster Se-
menya is still fighting.
“There is always fear but you
need to overcome it.”
Chand’s nagging doubts come
despite a triumphant appearance
in Jakarta, where she became the
first Indian woman since sprint
queen PT Usha in 1986 to win
medals in both sprint events.
“God has given me a lot of
trouble since 2014. I suffered a lot.
Nobody could have suffered so
much,” said Chand. —PTI
 sP rt
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
hot on heels
Bhuvi takes three
wickets on return
India’s pace spearhead
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
made an impressive
comeback to competitive
cricket with a three-wick-
et haul for India A, giving
clear indication that he
will be available for selec-
tion during the Asia Cup
in the UAE from Sep 15.
Brief scores: Final:
Australia ‘A’ 225 in 47.5 ov
(D Short 72, A Carey 53; S
Kaul 2/24, N Saini 2/33, S
Gopal 3/50, D Hooda 2/41)
lost to India ‘B’ 230/1 in
36.3 ov (M Agarwal 69, S
Gill 66*, M Pandey 73*)
3rd place play-off: India
‘B’ 275/7 in 50 ov (S Iyer
67, A Rayudu 66, N Rana
30; B Hendricks 3/39) bt
South Africa ‘A’ 151 in 37.1
ov (S Muthusamy 40. F
Behardien 38; B Kumar
3/33, D Chahar 2/31, M
Markande 2/30)
Lanka arrest 2
Indian spectators
Sri Lankan cricket’s an-
kti-corruption unit de-
tained two Indian specta-
tors on suspicion of
match-fixing during a
domestic Twenty20
league game, officials
said on Wednesday. The
men were apprehended
after officials spotted
them behaving suspi-
ciously and making re-
peated calls on their mo-
bile phones during the
match between Galle and
Dambulla at Pallekele.
Holder to lead
Windies in India
West Indies named Jason
Holder as captain of a
15-member Test team for
the tour of India in Sep-
tember-November in
which they will play 2
Tests, 5 ODIs and 3 T20s.
The Tests will be played
in Rajkot (Oct 4-8) and
Hyderabad (12-16). ODIs
will be in Guwahati (Oct
21), Indore (Oct 24), Pune
(Oct 27), Mumbai (Oct 29)
and Thiruvananthapu-
ram (Nov 1) and the 3
T20Is in Kolkata (Nov 4),
Kanpur-Lucknow (Nov 6)
and Chennai (Nov 11).
MCA panel term
not to be extended
The Bombay HC, on
Wednesday, refused to
extend the term of the
committee of adminis-
trators which is oversee-
ing the functioning of
the Mumbai Cricket As-
sociation. The court had
extended the two-mem-
ber committee’s term in
June. Later, the Supreme
Court extended its term
again till September 15.
The MCA will have to
conduct an election by
September 15, the apex
court had said.
on the tube
(All Live)
GENERAL
Sony Ten 2, Ten 3, ESPN
07:00 Asian Games,
Day 12
TENNIS
Star Sports Select 1, 2
20:30 US Open, Day 4
CRICKET
Sony Six, Ten 3
15:30 England vs India,
4th Test, Day 1
Star Sports 2
03:25 (Thu) CPL
GOLF
Sony Ten Golf HD
15:00 & 19:00 Euro-
pean Tour
ff the field
1 London: India captain Virat
2 periments such as the 100-
3 plays the BCCI’s marquee
Send in your answers to
sportsdna@gmail.com. Names of
the first 10 winners will be published
tomorrow
Pictures ‘n’
snippets
1. An athlete squeezes a water-soaked sponge
during the women’s 20km walk on Wednesday;
2. Hong Kong women perform at synchronized
swimming competition; 3. An official Games
photographer comforts Christina Grace Lai of
Malaysia after she fell during warm ups of the
skateboard women’s park final; 4. Athletes cool
off as they pass through water spray during
Men’s 20km walk; 5. Indias Sarjubala (blue)
punches China’s Chang Yuan during the women’s
fly (51 kg) boxing quarterfinal; —Reuters/PTI
India likely to play unchanged side Djokovic battles heat, Fucsovics
Virat Kohli seems to see the cricket ball like a football. Such has been his
form this series, amassing 440 runs in 3 Tests —Reuters
Kohli talks against
experiments in formats
Kohli feels cricket is losing
out on quality because of the
“commercial aspects” which
are taking over the game and
also criticised proposed ex-
ball format being pushed by
the England and Wales Crick-
et Board (ECB).
Kohli, who leads India
across all three formats also
flagship event the Indian Pre-
mier League for six weeks,
making for a very exhaustive
schedule. “I’m already very, I
wouldn’t say, frustrated, but
sometimes it can get very de-
manding of you when you
have to play so much cricket
regularly. I feel somewhere
the commercial aspect is tak-
ing over the real quality of
cricket and that hurts me,”
Kohli told the Wisden Cricket
Monthly.
While the ECB is starting
a new 100-ball format, which
has drawn flak from all quar-
ters, the Indian skipper an-
nounced that he won’t be a
1 6. Chinese divers perform
5
4 3
India in
England
fOURTH Test
London: R Ashwin has recov-
ered from his hip injury and
is fit to play the fourth Test
against England, said Indian
skipper Virat Kohli, who hint-
ed that he would field an un-
changed side tomorrow after
changing the playing XI in
each of the last 38 Tests.
India have chopped and
changed their teams for the
last 45 Tests, with Kohli field-
ing 38 combinations in as
many Tests.
“Everyone is fit to start
tomorrow. Ashwin has recov-
ered nicely. He had a good
practice session yesterday.
He is good to go,” Kohli told
reporters on Wednesday.
“It has not always been the
case of (making random)
changes. There have been in-
juries as well, which have not
been taking in to considera-
tion. It has been a mix of
both. Seeing the way things
are right now we don’t feel we
England VS India
Fourth Test, Rose Bowl, Southampton
Live on Sony Six, Sony Ten 3, 3:30pm onwards
India look to tighten noose around England
part of “one more format”. team news
“Obviously for the people England: Seamer Sam Curran
involved (ECB) in the whole replaces Chris Woakes, who has
process and the set-up it will thigh issue. Moeen Ali comes in
be really exciting but I can- place of Ollie Pope in the 11. Jonny
not think of one more for- Bairstow will play as batsman with
mat, to be honest,” Kohli
said. “Honestly, I don’t want
Jos Buttler keeping wickets.
to be a testing sort of a crick- Key contest
eter for any new format. I Alastair Cook vs Ishant Sharma
don’t want to be someone
who’s going to be part of that The England opener is not in the best of form,
World XI who comes and and has been falling often to Indian pacer Ishant.
Cook’s place in the 11 is debated and he needs 1 good knock to silence
launches the 100-ball for-
mat.” all. But Ishant will look to add one more Cook scalp.
Kohli also explained the
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 120, England: 45, India 26, Drawn: 49
difference between leagues
like IPL or Big Bash League Pitch report: Green top has been laid
from the proposed 100-ball out. The grass is live and not
format. “I love playing the sprinkled to give it the look. So,
IPL, I love watching the BBL, pacers will look to strike a lot.
because you are working to-
Weather report: Should be
wards something, competing
perfect for Test cricket with sun
against high-quality sides
coming out and the occasional
and it gets your competitive
cloudy skies without rain threat a pos-
juices flowing. That’s what
sibility
you want as a cricketer. I am
all for the leagues, but not to Watchability quotient: (1-3:
8
experiment.” Forget it ; 4-7: If you have
Kohli said that he would nothing else to do; 8 and
love to play first-class cricket above: do not miss it)
in England. —PTI
2 “Oat” Athiwat is a
n zone
2
No. of Tests Southampton
ground has hosted, in 2011 vs
Sri Lanka (draw) and in 2014
vs India (England win by 266 runs)
need to change anything.”
Lagging 0-2, India managed
to make a comeback in the
five-Test series with a 203-
run win in the third Test at
Nottingham and Kohli urged
his side to work hard and
carry the winning momen-
tum into the fourth Test.
“We probably didn’t have
the experience to capitalise
on the lead (1-0 after win at
Lord’s) is how I see things
four years down the line,” he
said, reflecting on India’s
tour of England in 2014.
“Right now we understand
that we are in a very exciting
position to have gained mo-
mentum at the right time in
the series. To have played
like that when 2-nil down,
when everyone thought that
it is going to be a clean sweep
or we are going to be rolled
over.” —PTI
India: Virat Kohli hints at playing
an unchanged 11 for the first time
in his Test captaincy. R Ashwin has
recovered from hip injury. India
will be keen to maintain winning
momentum in this Test also.
What to expect? India
believe that they can now win
the series following their bril-
liant victory in the third Test.
Their pacers will look to make
early inroads into the brittle
England top-order. The Indian
batsmen will get their act
together and not overburden
Virat Kohli once again.
Punter Point:
England 10/11, India
13/8, Draw 5/1
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 I daily news & analysis
the men’s synchronised
10m platform; 7. Tomohiro
Fukaya of Japan
passes Zhou
Yu of China
as they
compete in
Men’s Sprint
cycling
Street urchin
eyes Tokyo 2020
F F
rom runaway street ur-
chin eating out of a
trash can to Thai nation-
al skateboard champion,
graduate of life’s
school of hard
knocks. But the
24-year-old, aban-
doned by his parents
at a young age and
beaten by relatives, is
daring to dream
about the 2020 Tokyo Asian Games Yuko Mitsuya told re-
Olympics after a 2018 Jakarta Palembang
promising fourth-
place finish at the
Asiad. Oat never knew his
mom and his dad left him to
pursue a monk’s life in a
monastery. “I used to eat
anything, even gum on the
floor or the leftovers I found
in the trash bin,” Oat says.
to enter Rd 2; Easy for Federer
New York: Novak Djokovic
suffered in sweltering US
Open conditions but held on
to reach the second round
with a 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-0 victory
over Hungarian Marton Fuc-
sovics.
The Wimbledon champi-
on, playing his first match on
Arthur Ashe Stadium since
falling to Stan Wawrinka in
the 2016 final, received
a brutal wel-
come back as
soaring tem-
peratures and
suffocating hu-
midity prompted
organizers to offer the men a
10-minute mid-match heat
break for the first time ever.
“We obviously both strug-
gled, you could see that, you
could feel that, especially
(over) two-and-a-half sets,
three sets,” said Djokovic,
who called trainers who en-
veloped him in ice-packed
towels during a change over
late in the second set.
“Towards the end of third
we started playing a bit bet-
ter,” Djokovic said. “I started
hitting the ball – before that it
was survival mode.” Djokovic
missed last year’s US Open
with a right elbow injury.
Federer, the second seed,
launched his quest for a sixth
US Open title – and a first
since 2008 – not under the
blazing sun but under the
floodlights on Ashe against
Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.
The Swiss great eased into
the second round, beating
Nishioka 6-2 6-2 6-4 to im-
prove his perfect record in
US Open first-round matches
with his 18th win in 18 at-
tempts.
“I’m very happy to be back
in New York healthy,” said
Federer, who claimed five
straight US Open titles from
2004-2008 but missed the 2016
edition and only made it to
the quarter-finals last year.
In the women’s singles,
Maria Sharapova shattered
the fairytale return of
39-year-old Patty Schnyder at
the US Open on Tuesday, win-
ning a roller-coaster first
round clash 6-2 7-6(6).
Schnyder was outgunned
by the five-time major cham-
pion in the first set and for
the majority of the second.
However, she battled back
from 1-5 down to 6-6. —AFP
11
6
7
Jakarta Tales
Japan cagers Ugly scuffles at
suspended boxing arena
U
our Japanese basketball gly scuffles broke out in
players – Yuya Nagay- the arena between cor-
oshi, Takuya Hashimoto, nermen and security
Takuma Sato and Keita staff after an Iraqi fighter
Imamura – kicked lost a split decision to an
out of the Asian Indonesian opponent in
Games for paying their Asian Games ban-
prostitutes for sex tamweight boxing quarter-
will be suspended for final on Wednesday. Local
a year, officials said favourite Sunan Agung
on Wednesday. Amoragam and Iraq’s
Japan Basketball Jaafar Al Sudani had gone
Association chief toe-to-toe for three pulsat-
ing rounds in Jakarta be-
porters the players fore the Indonesian’s hand
would be barred from was held aloft on a 4-1 deci-
official tournaments sion by the five judges.
for a year, adding their ac- While Al Sudani dropped
tion “damages the honour to his knees distraught at
and trust of Japan’s sport- losing a medal and Amor-
ing world”. They would be agam celebrated a guaran-
allowed to take part in teed bronze, his coach and
training, however, Mitsuya cornerman screamed
added. abuse at the officials.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia cools himself from the searing New York heat
during his first round win against Marton Fucsovics on Tuesday —AFP
CR SSquote
We had the ice baths next to each other. We were
naked in the ice baths. It was a magnificent feeling I
must say to be naked with the guy you are still
battling when the match hasn’t finished.”
—Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis star
INDIAwatch Nz ne
6
Yuki bows out in Rd 1
No. of men who retired during
India’s top singles player Yuki
Bhambri once again failed to clear
matches on Tuesday, when
the US Tennis Association
the first round hurdle of a Grand
instituted an “extreme heat” rule
Slam, losing to Frenchman Pierre
because of high temperatures and
Hugues Herbert in straight sets.
humidity
Bhambri, who is world No. 96,
lost 3-6 6-7(3) 5-7 to Herbert in a Did you kn w?
match that lasted nearly two-and-a-
half hours. The India No. 1 did put At 39, Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder
up a fight in the second and third was the oldest female qualifier in
sets but that wasn’t enough to beat Grand Slam history. She went on to
the world No 75. —PTI lose 1st round to Maria Sharapova
seedwatch
Men: 1-R Federer (SUI) bt Y Nishioka (JPN) 6-2 6-2 6-4, 7-M Cilic
(CRO) bt M Copil (ROM) 7-5 6-1 1-1 (retd), F Tiafoe (USA) bt 29-A
Mannarino (FRA) 6-1 6-4 4-6 6-4, J Benneteau (FRA) bt 22-M
Cecchinato (ITA) 2-6 7-6(5) 6-3 6-4, 10-D Goffin (BEL) bt F Gaio (ITA)
6-2 6-4 7-6(5), 13-D Schwartzman (ARG) bt F Del Bonis (ARG) 6-2
7-6(6) 6-2, 21-K Nishikori (JPN) bt M Marterer (GER) 6-2 6-2 6-3, M
Ebden (AUS) bt 32-F Krajinovic (SRB) 7-6(1) 6-7(5) 4-6 6-1 4-1
(retd), 4-A Zverev (GER) bt P Polansky (CAN) 6-2 6-1 6-2, 6-N
Djokovic (SRB) bt M Fucsovics (HUN) 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-0, 17-L Pouille
(FRA) bt Y Maden (GER) 7-6(6) 6-2 7-5, 12-P Carreno-Busta (ESP) bt
M Jaziri (TUN) 7-5 6-2 6-2, 14-F Fognini (ITA) bt M Mmoh (USA) 4-6
6-2 6-4 7-6(4), 23-C Hyeon (KOR x23) bt R Berankis (LTU) 4-6 7-6(6)
6-0 2-0 (retd), 30-N Kyrgios (AUS) bt R Albot (MDA) 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-2
Women: 6-C Garcia (FRA) bt J Konta (GBR) 6-2 6-2, 30-C Suarez
(ESP) bt N Gibbs (USA) 5-7 6-3 6-4, 22-M Sharapova (RUS) bt P
Schnyder (SUI) 6-2 7-6(6), 10-J Ostapenko (LAT) bt A Petkovic (GER)
6-4 4-6 7-5, 14-M Keys (USA) bt P Parmentier (FRA) 6-4 6-4, K
Flipkens (BEL) bt 24-C Vandeweghe (USA) 6-3 7-6(3), 29-D Cibulkova
(SVK) bt A Rus (NED) 4-6 6-2 6-3, 4-A Kerber (GER) bt M Gasparyan
(RUS) 7-6(5) 6-3, 26-A Sabalenka (BLR) bt D Collins (USA) 6-0 4-6
6-4, 11-D Kasatkina (RUS) bt T Babos (HUN) 6-4 5-7 6-4, 13-K Bertens
(NED) bt K Plískova (CZE) 6-0 7-5, K Siniakova (CZE) bt 28-A Kontaveit
(EST) 6-7(3) 6-3 7-5, L Tsurenko (UKR) bt AV Uytvanck (BEL) 6-3 6-2
 30
Thursday
August
2018
Ahmedabad
www.dnaindia.com
ALIA’S STOPOVER
IN LONDON
What lies ahead
for Aishwarya
The actress gets candid about her future projects and teaming up
with hubby Abhishek Bachchan after eight years
Nayandeep Rakshit
E
ver since
Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan returned
to the silver screen
with Jazbaa (2015),
she has been
taking measured steps. In the last
three years, she has been a part of
four projects. The diva is clear
that she wants to do movies that
will help her portray diverse
characters and make the audience
see her in a new light. She talks to
After Hrs about the films that she
has greenlit and the ones that are
still being worked on.
Couple shenanigans
After the recently-released
Fanney Khan, Ash will be seen in
Anurag Kashyap’s Gulab Jamun
opposite Abhishek Bachchan. The
former beauty queen is excited to
share screen space with her
hubby after eight years. They
were last seen together in Mani
Ratnam’s Raavan (2010). Ash
reveals, “I agreed on it early last
year. At that time, Abhishek had
taken a small break to review his
work. It was a good move because
I think every professional should
do that. He just wanted to sit back
and decide what he wanted to do
next.” She adds, “He chose
Manmarziyaan then, and now
with Anurag directing this one
(Gulab Jamun) too, people have
incidentally put it together and
there have been a lot of re-men-
tions. We will set the plan to do
this one soon.”
Contd on P13
‘I want to make
Majnu aspirational’
Avinash Tiwary on playing an impassioned
lover in his forthcoming film
Hiren Kotwani
A
vinash Tiwary,
who made his
Bollywood debut
as part of an
ensemble cast in the light-
hearted Tu Hai Mera
Sunday (2016), will now be
seen as the lead in Sajid
Ali’s Laila Majnu.
Scripted by acclaimed
filmmaker Imtiaz Ali,
who is also backing the
film along with Ekta
Kapoor, it’s a contempo-
rary retelling of the
classic love story. The
Mumbai lad, who quit
engineering in the
fourth semester to pur-
sue a career in acting,
tells us about strug-
gling for 13 years
before landing his big
break and the challenges
of playing a man crazy in
love. Excerpts...
zz How did you bag
Laila Majnu?
In December 2015, the
casting was underway for
the film. I met Sajid, who
told me that he’d liked my
audition, but they were yet
to take the final call. Even-
tually, in 2017, I was signed
on for the part.
zz After debuting in Tu
Hai Mera Sunday, the
struggle and waiting for
a second film must have
been tough.
I had quit engineering
and joined Barry John’s
Acting Studio. After that,
I went to New York Film
Academy and started
doing short films since
2005. I kept myself busy.
By the grace of God,
something or the other
kept coming. So 13 years
down the line, I can say I
have started off now.
zz Tell us about your
first meeting with
Imtiaz Ali.
It was in 2016; he was
Disclaimer: Note to reader: Some of the content/coverage that appear in our special ‘feature’ page/s may be paid for by the concerned brands. Such page/s will be appropriately declared as ‘features pages’ (e.g. reader engagement feature, etc.)
After
Alia Bhatt, who joins Ayan Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor for the next schedule of
Brahmastra in Bulgaria, took a stopover in London. A source said that the petite
actress, who is ruling the ranks in Hindi cinema, was in the UK capital yesterday
to spend time with her mother, Soni Razdan. Ranbir was also expected to fly to
Bulgaria via London, but he flew out of Mumbai a day later.
Ahaan Panday and
Manushi Chillar are the
new friends in B-Town
Nayandeep Rakshit Both, Ahaan and
Manushi, are
A
haan Panday, Chunky Panday’s
nephew, still has a few years currently
before he makes his Bollywood
debut, but the young lad is
preparing to make
quite popular on social media. The their debut on the
same holds true for Manushi Chillar,
who was crowned Miss World last silver screen
year. Apparently, both of them have
become close friends over the past few
months.
Says a source, “Ahaan and
Manushi, who hang out with the same
bunch of friends, bonded at a common
buddy’s party. Since then, they have
stayed in touch and have become the
Abhishek best of friends. In fact, Ahaan was
had taken a even present to ring in Manushi’s
birthday earlier this year (May 14).”
small break Reportedly, Manushi was dating
to review his model Rohit Khandelwal, but that
work. It was buzz died down a few months ago.
“Rohit had won the Mr World pageant
a good move and he apparently helped Manushi
because I train for her Miss World stint. They
were reportedly close to each other
think every for some time before they went
professional their separate ways owing to some
differences,” adds the source.
should do As for Ahaan, he has signed a
that. He just three-film deal with a big banner
and is currently readying himself
wanted to sit for showbiz. Manushi, too, is gear-
back and ing up for a career in movies. A
decide what common friend of the two youngsters
tells us, “They just love hanging out
he wanted to together.” Guess we have two new
do next friends in B-Town!
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Ahaan Panday
Manushi Chillar
BOX-OFFICE REPORT
An average August
for Bollywood
This month’s BO collections showed mixed results August 2018 BO
Meena Iyer offering that week was the August 3:
Fanney Khan: `10.50 cr
A
much-talked-about Mulk, a
ugust is over! And, just film that spoke up for the Mulk: `20.05 cr
Ashwini Sawant/DNA
one film, Gold, crossed Indian Muslim community. Karwaan: `18.26 cr
the coveted `100-cr Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor
mark in the last 29 turned in an award-winning August 10:
days. The month that looked performance as a Muslim Vishwaroop II:
extraordinarily promising man who feels ‘ostracised’ (Hindi) `4.08 cr
at the start, due to a in his own country.
number of high-profile However, all three August 15:
releases, was a letdown films met with an Gold: `99.60 cr (till
for the most part. indifferent fate. “The Tuesday, August 28)
For a quick rewind: hype didn’t carry Satyameva Jayate:
Fanney Khan, starring through,” observed a `74.20 cr (till Tuesday,
Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya trade source. Veteran August 28)
Rai Bachchan and trade analyst Taran
Rajkummar Rao, opened Adarsh had tweeted, August 24:
in cinemas on August 3. “Terrible terrible Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi:
The musical drama, terrible Friday... `14.80 cr (till Tuesday,
helmed by Atul New Hindi August 28)
Manjrekar, was accompa- films open to Genius: `3.90 cr
nied by Akarsh Khurana’s shockingly low (till Tuesday, August 28)
road-adventure drama, numbers (sic).”
Karwaan, toplined by Irrfan For the full *BO figures are India Nett
Akshay Kumar has added another and Malayalam sensation story, log on to John Abraham’s Satyameva Jayate Collections collated from
`100-crore movie to his Dulquer Salmaan. The third www.dnaindia.com released on the same day as Gold reliable trade sources
filmography with Gold
Maiden medal wins at Asian Games
These champs have made India proud at the sporting event
Dhaval Roy Vinesh Phogat
I
Gold in women’s freestyle 50 kg wrestling
ndia is having a glorious moment
at the Asian Games 2018 that are
No medals for guessing that she is related to Geeta Phogat
underway in Indonesian cities
and Babita Kumari. The wrestlers’ cousin (she is their father
Avinash Tiwary Mahavir Phogat’s younger brother Rajpal’s daughter) became
Jakarta and Palembang. So far,
our sportspersons have gifted us
the first Indian woman to gain the topmost position in the
with the bragging rights for a total of
freestyle 50 kg segment. She is also the first Indian woman
When was the last time you saw a 50 medals — nine gold, 19 silver and
wrestler to win gold in Commonwealth Games.
guy go really crazy in love in a film? 22 bronze, catapulting the nation to
Our movie shows that jo junooniyat the eighth position at the sporting
event. Here’s who had won the
hai, woh jab kissi din nikale aati hai, toh laurels till the time of going to press.
kya ho sakta hai. Majnu is so liberated
from the clutches of society
Neeraj Chopra
gracious enough to call Then, headed to the kitch- Gold in men’s javelin throw
me home. Back then, I en and made it himself. I This was the track and field athlete’s debut at the Asian
thought I had almost been just couldn’t believe it. I’m Games, and he was also the flag bearer at the opening
selected for his movie, but a huge fan of Imtiaz. ceremony. The almost 21-year-old sportsman from Haryana
still wasn’t entirely sure. I Every time I see his films, became the first Indian to win gold in this category. He
was nervous, but he was I want to be a part of cleared a distance of 88.06m and broke his own record
so humble. He asked me if them. of 86.47m at 2018 Commonwealth Games where he had
I would like to have tea. Contd on P13 secured the same spot. Like Milkha Singh, he was a winner For the full story, log on
at both in the same year. to www.dnaindia.com
 After
Contd from P12 Contd from P12
Etc daily news & analysis
Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018
13
What lies ahead Every time I see an Imtiaz Ali film, I want
for Aishwarya to be a part of it: Avinash Tiwary

Pic: Ashwini Sawant/DNA

No clarity on cop
drama yet
Abhi-Ash were also
approached to star together
in Shailesh R Singh’s next
production venture, where
they were supposed to play
cops. “The discussions
stopped midway in Febru-
ary this year. Abhishek had
asked them to rewrite some
aspects of his character. I
don’t know whether he con-
tinued to show interest in it
or he dropped it completely.
I couldn’t reconnect on my
part.” Apparently, Junior
Bachchan has not liked the
final draft of the script and
moved on. Quiz her if she
will do the project and the
light-eyed beauty says, “I’m
not saying that it has to be
Abhishek and me together,
otherwise we won’t do the
film. We are both liberated
as artistes. But it still needs
to be ideally cast. Only then
you will see the magic on
screen.”
Rewrite and
right issues
After Fanney Khan,
Aishwarya was also in the
news for three other projects
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
with the same producer. But
none of them has material-
ised as yet. However, the Ae
Dil Hai Mushkil heroine
admits that there’s still a
possibility with these mov-
ies. “I had asked the makers
of the surrogacy story (Jas-
mine) for a rewrite. There
were two remakes (Woh
Kaun Thi and Raat Aur
Din), which were interesting
ideas. I respect the movies
of those times (the ’60s). So,
When Sanju
(Sanjay Dutt)
and I were filming
Shabd (2005), he
had said that if there
was ever a remake of
Raat Aur Din, I
should essay the
protagonist
I asked them to get their
rights in place,” she asserts.
If all goes well, she will re-
prise Nargis’ iconic role in
the Raat Aur Din remake.
“When Sanju (Sanjay Dutt)
and I were filming Shabd
(2005), he had said that if
there was ever a remake of
Raat Aur Din, I should essay
the protagonist. It made me
happy that he believed I
could play his mother’s
role,” signs off Aishwarya.
zz
What kind of guidance
did he give you?
We did a lot of work-
shops before we started
shooting. Imtiaz (Ali) sir
attended all of them and
would always tell me that I
needed to feel for the char-
acter and understand where
he was coming from before
saying the dialogues. He
also trained me how to lip-
sync for songs.
zz Imtiaz has written the
film but what were Sajid’s
inputs as the director?
Sajid has lent the story a
fresh voice through the dia-
logues. He approached the
movie in a unique way. He
is one of the most impor-
tant forces behind the film.
zz What do you think
makes this love story
relatable to today’s
audiences?
If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t
be hearing Laila Majnu in
every second song. They are
a part of our being. I think,
our generation, too, should
have a Laila Majnu.
zz While the trailer gives
a glimpse of Majnu’s
madness after his separa-
tion from Laila, it seems
debatable considering
people’s practical mindset
today when they don’t We started shooting the second half
think twice before break- first, where I have long hair and beard.
ing up and moving on.
You feel people don’t feel
I had to look thin, so initially, we thought we
so strongly for another per- could get the look with loose clothes. But 15
son in times of Tinder? days before the shoot, we felt it wasn’t
Everyone finds their own
functions of practicality in working. So, I lost about 12 kilos within a
cinema. Which is why Laila fortnight
Majnu is an epic classical
love story. If every love sto-
ry was like that, then there
would be no difference. hin, tab kya? When we’re soup, cucumbers, carrots
As for Majnu’s madness, talking about the trappings and some supplements for
when was the last time you of society, we know they vital vitamins. I’d do all the
saw a guy go really crazy in exist, but still, we can’t let physical activity. Initially,
love in a film? Our movie go. Which is why I said I we had the workshops in
shows that jo junooniyat want to make Majnu aspira- the mornings and I would
hai, woh kissi din nikale, Avinash Tiwary tional. We’ve become a work out in the evenings.
toh kaisa hoga. I want to hashtag generation. After I also had a lot of black
make Majnu aspirational four years, when something coffee during that time,
for people. He is so liberated heartbreak and after four new comes up, we move on. which is not the most
from the clutches of society. years, my ex-girlfriend and zz What was the most healthy thing. But I had to
Today, we are stuck in a I happen to meet. She is sit- challenging part about look weak.
zone of vanity. ting in front of me, a song playing Majnu? As the film was being
zz So what do you think plays in the background, We started with the sec- shot continuously, I had to
takes Majnu to the brink but I’m still missing her. We ond half first, where I have also transform back into
of madness? make adjustments in life long hair and beard. I had the happy cheerful Majnu
That is something I spent but what if you’re not able to look thin, so initially, we for the first half, which we
most time figuring out. Af- to make that compromise? thought we could get the started shooting within
ter about seven-eight days What happens then? Usual- look with loose clothes. But days of completing the
of shooting, it finally ly, to console someone, it is 15 days before the shoot, we second half. It took a while
struck me. Maybe this is my often said, ‘Waqt guzarta felt it wasn’t working. So, I for me to get into the
justification, but three hai, badalta hai.’ Lekin lost about 12 kilos in a fort- groove, but when there is
things come to my mind. agar waqt guzarta bhi night. I would have an egg so much at stake, you just
For instance, I have had a nahin aur badalta bhi na- white, some clear chicken have to do it.

pick your brain crossword hidato Baby Blues

Down 20 Bridegroom’s
1 Pavement edging words (1,2)
(4) 23 Cricket trophy
2 Peacock constel- (5)
lation (4) 24 Customary
3 Instrument (4) observances (5)
5 Instill (6) 25 Senseless (6)
6 Gumshoe (3) 26 Business;
7 Live (6) romance (6)
9 31-day mo. (3) 28 Fiji island (3)
11 A blood vessel 29 American wildcat
(5) (4)
12 Needing to 30 Burn to ground
scratch (5) (4)
15 Persian poet (4) 31 Ruffian (4) The Pajama Dairies
16 “Orinoco Flow” 33 Fall from grace
singer (4) (3)
18 Recipe abbrevia-
tion (4)
19 A dandy or self-
important person
(4)

Across 15 Belgian port (6) 32 Die or perish, elapse (4,4)

1 Retained (4)
4 Very easy catch (6)
8 Management degree (3)
10 Sitarist Shankar (4)
13 Confronts boldly (8)
14 Illicit liquor (7)
17 Then (2,3,4) 34 Waistband (4)
21 To endure (3) 35 Pottery vessel (3) The goal of Hidato is to fill the grid
with consecutive numbers that
22 Concubine’s room (3) 36 Givers as of blood (6)
connect horizontally, vertically, or
23 Firth of Clyde port (3) 37 A large mass of ice (4)
diagonally from first to the last
26 Mentioned earlier (9)
number in the grid. The first and last
27 Warning (6)
28 Young hare (7)
numbers of a puzzle and some other Tina’s Grove
numbers are already filled in.

spellathon How good is your vocabulary? Spell out sudoku

as many words of four or more letters
as you can from the letters in today’s To solve a Sudoku
diagram. In making a word, each letter puzzle, every digit
must be used only once and each word must appear once
must contain the letter in the centre. in: Each of the
There should be at least one nine-letter vertical columns;
word! Plurals, foreign words, and Each of the
proper nouns do not qualify. horizontal rows;
Rate yourself Each of the boxes.
13 Good; 15 Average; 17 Wow!

Tinkersons
crossword
solutions

sudoku
hidato

PUFFINESS, seif, sniff, snuff, spiff

fuss, infuse, neif, pfui, puff, puffin,
fess, feus, fief, fife, fine, fuse,
spellathon

Marjorie Orr
Your year ahead will be a time to make your mark socially and elsewhere. You’ll refuse to be pushed into a corner or ignored. Make the effort to let your
IF IT’S YOUR spontaneous feelings show. Being too defensive won’t help or turning everything into a chore. There’ll be chances to relax at home with loved ones
BIRTHDAY TODAY which will give you a warm sense of inner contentment. One close partner may be vague or unavailable. Treat them gently and they’ll come round.

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO VIRGO

Mar 21 - Apr 20
You will tend to get pulled
into tricky situations and end
up feeling frustrated. Try to
find tact as a counter balance
to forcefulness and sweep companions
up in your enthusiasm. You’ve got a
great deal to cope with at the moment at
work and organising elsewhere, and
should be able to praise yourself for your
achievements soon. Try to understand
that not everyone has your drive and
energy. Be kind to those less able.
Apr 21 - May 20
Being challenged in discussions
will make you come alive, and
you would rather be off
adventuring than be stuck in
routine. At times you may scatter your
energy in too many directions at once and
you’ll be in an unusually vocal mood wanting
to spread your enthusiastic opinions. You
will understand feelings and the emotional
ambience around you since your intuition
will be working well. Just watch but you are
not getting too close to one situation.
May 21 - June 21
Not everything will be as easy
as you might wish. But the
main thing to remember is that
this is a time of change in your
life. The more you face and the harder you
struggle, the greater your rewards will be
at the far end. If there are crisis around you
will handle them well with a cool head.
You have taken a while to make up your
mind and now that you’re on track, you
don’t intend to budge. But try not to be too
stubborn with loved ones.
June 22 - July 23
Close relationships will be
moving through challenging
times with so much
astro-influence in your chart
area of partnerships. On the one hand you
will be attracting energetic companions,
so you will achieve a great deal in joint
efforts. But you will have to make an effort
to stop arguing between yourselves. At
home especially you may find yourself
involved in noisy discussions with sharp
comments flying through the air.
July 24 - August 23
Less praise will be coming
your way than you might
wish, but you can always take
pride in what you do for its
own sake, and be your own morale-
booster. You’ll be thorough though finding
it difficult to wind down until everything
has been finished to perfection. Try not to
let feelings of dissatisfaction get you down
or make you too self-critical. With loved
ones, you’ll be playing your cards close to
your chest. Try not to shut them out.
Aug 24 - Sep 23
Your high spirits will make you
popular if you can tone down
your competitive edge.
Although no one will interfere
with what you want to do without finding
out how short your fuse can be. Watch that
pride is not getting in the way of common
sense. Your forceful way of expressing
yourself could ruffle more sensitive
companions. If you can sweep them up in
your enthusiasm rather than bossing them
around you will move ahead faster.

LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

Write to Sept 24 - October 22 Oct 23 - November 22 Nov 23 - Dec 22 Dec 23 - Jan 20 Jan 21 - Feb 19 Feb20 - March 20
Marjorie The mood at home will be In a busy schedule, you may With three planets, in your Give yourself permission to do There’ll be moments where Friends and team mates will
Orr heated at times so throw your have too many irons in the chart area of personal finances, what caution and lack of you’ll feel frustrated because find you a curious mix of
energy into re-organising to fire so won’t finish what you you’ll be firmly focussed on courage has prevented you you cannot be as pro-active as tolerance and obstinacy. You’ll
with your
soak up your surplus energy. start. Try to prioritise and then sorting out your cash situation. from doing in the past. Mars is usual or as up-front. Your be keen that everyone pitches
queries at Though oddly you will be sensitive to any you’ll get the essentials done. Remember Earning more, saving more and staying in forward gear and your anger will feel in together but you’ll also be argumentative.
revving up your engine, making you more
afterhrs@ hint of disagreement. If threatened, you will the old saying about more haste, less control of the budget will be your priorities. competitive and energetic even than usual. trapped but this is only temporary blip. Try to avoid hurting sensitive feelings. Mars
dnaindia. be defensive and retreat into your shell. speed. You will find yourself flying into You need to know your long-term security Though don’t expect to always be clear in Why not take the hint and go with the is not the most sensitive of energies and
net You will tend to overeat since you want to action at home, determined to sweep the is nailed down and you’ll also want the what you are trying to communicate to flow? Treat this as a passive not a dynamic the Moon really needs nurturing and
www. pamper yourself to compensate for loved furniture and the family into shape but do status that comes with more spending loved ones and others. Your mind will be time. You may overspend on luxury items protecting not railroaded into over hasty
star4cast. ones being unappreciative of your efforts. beware a tendency to be too fierce or power. You will cope well in crisis wander so you’ll need to think before you for home but they will make you feel good. action. Co-operation may not be easy for
com Later, you won’t be bothered with hassle aggressive. Blaming loved ones for situations but could make everyday ones speak and write down bullet points before Just don’t go too wild compensating for you but your enthusiasm will be catching
and will refuse to rise to provocation. getting in your way won’t help. more difficult than need be. leaping in. what you feel you lack elsewhere. so everyone should rally round.
 Your lies to fool the nation are self-
evident when Rafale price you quote second
front
vary in Delhi, Karnataka, Raipur,
Hyderabad, Jaipur & Parliament. But
the nation’s IQ is higher than yours!
—Amit Shah, BJP President
page
14 www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia Ahmedabad I THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 I daily news & analysis

‘128 groups tagged in ’12 by UPA’ Panel guidelines to

snapshot
‘Industry could
take lead on
making PSLVs’ Pune police submits a report to Ministry of Home Affairs, says 7 arrested are part of them
tackle online haters
Abhishek Bhalla

ISRO chairman K Sivan
Definitely, in my
1 opinion, in the ISRO
activity, industry is
going to play a major role.
If only the industry is taking
the load, ISRO can work out
on human space programme
and research and develop-
ment activities.
The industry should
2 help in manufactur-
ing PSLV as well as
SSLV. ISRO had already
Abhishek Bhalla
abhishek.bhalla@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: In 2012, the UPA
government identified 128 or-
ganisations in urban areas
with Naxal links and had
asked states to initiate action
against them, the Pune police
has informed the Centre in a
report on the alleged ‘urban
Naxal’ arrests. The report adds
that those arrested by Maha-
rashtra police recently were
part of these organisations.
The investigation in the
current arrests goes back to
the Bhima-Koregaon riots on
December 31, 2017. “Seven of
those arrested till now — Var-
avara Rao, Sudha Bhardwaj,
Surendra Gadling, Rona Wil-
son, Arun Ferreira, Vernon
Gonsalves and Mahesh Raut
— all belong to these organisa-
Pune cops claim Varavara procured
arms, other two recruited from TISS
Anurag Bende
anurag.bende@dnaindia.net
Pune: Before the Supreme
Court’s directions reached
the Pune court, the Pune
police informed the court
that they have strong evi-
dence suggesting they were
‘waging a war against the
country’. Submitting near-
ly nine letters in court, pub-
lic prosecutor Ujjwala Pa-
Protestors shout slogans after being detained while demonstrating against war stated that some letters
the arrest of Varavara Rao in Hyderabad —PTI
arrest sheet
Delhi HC questions why
„„Earlier in the case,
five people were arrested
that not only has Varavara
Rao raised funds for Maoist
activities, but has even
played an active role in pro-
curing firearms for Maoists
in the country. Pawar also
told the court that along
with Rao, the names of
other two arrested accused
— Gonsalves and Ferreira
— have also cropped up in
letters, mentioning recruit-
ing young professionals
from institutes like TISS.
abhishek.bhalla@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: A panel headed
by Home Secretary Rajeev
Gauba has prepared a report
on the possibility of a new law
to target the menace of mob
lynching, and presented it to
a Group of Ministers (GoM).
It has also issued guidelines to
social media platforms to
check rumours and hate mon-
gering. The panel’s recom-
mendations are likely to be
taken up by the GoM headed
by Home Minister Rajnath
Singh, sources said.
The panel met representa-
tives of various social media
platforms, and asked them to
set up a portal to let people
register complaints regard-
ing objectionable content. “It
was felt that further meas-
ures are required for moni-
toring content and cyber po-
Keep social media
Swachh: PM Modi
Lucknow: On the third
and final day of his inter-
action with the party
workers in his Parlia-
mentary constituency
Varanasi, Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi asked
them not to use social
media for ‘spreading dirt’
but instead share the
good things happening
around the country. In
his first-ever interaction
over Namo App with par-
ty workers, he said that
the issue was not con-
cerning any ideology or
political party. “We must
train all party workers to
refrain from doing so.
There are times when
people overstep their lim-

transit order in Marathi

worked out a model and
with it, within a year, the
PSLV will be produced by
industry partners Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL),
Larsen and Tubro Godrej. It
is possible to produce PSLV
from this consortium. That is
our ambition and target.
Informal discussions
3 had been initiated
with the Indian Air
Force on selection of the
crew. Once selected, it will
take two-three years to
train them. We have not de-
cided which country we will
choose for training. Russia,
Germany and USA have the
facilities.
We are looking for
4 a 50-60 vehicles
per year, which is
definitely going to make
it commercially viable to
produce... So the general
capacity we are building, we
are looking at a revenue of
around Rs 1,500 crore to Rs
2,000 crore per year. —PTI
tions,” the report said.
The list prepared by Minis-
try of Homa Affairs then had
organisations from Delhi,
Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab
and Karnataka. The Pune po-
lice has informed the Centre
that links between these ar-
rested individuals and CPI
(Maoist), a banned organisa-
tion, is under investigation.
The support provided by them
to the CPI(Maoist) is also be
probed. “Such individuals
cannot escape responsibility
for aiding and abetting the
violent acts committed by CPI
(Maoist)’s underground cad-
res,” the report says.
Arun Ferreira and Vernon
Gonsalves, two of the five ar-
rested on Tuesday have been
previously arrested in 2007 by
the Maharashtra Police and
spent several years in prison
till their acquittal and release
in 2013. Similarly, Varavara
Rao has been arrested several
times by the Andhra/Telan-
gana Police in the past, ac-
— Surendra Gadling,
Rona Wilson, Sudhir
Dhawale, Shoma Sen
and Mahesh Raut.
„„In May 2014, GN
Saibaba, a professor,
was arrested; in 2013,
JNU student Hem
Mishra was taken in;
Kobad Ghandy was
arrested from Delhi
in 2009; and in 2007,
Binayak Sen, a doctor
was kept in custody
cording to officials.
“The urban movement is
the main source for providing
leadership and resources to
the CPI (Maoist). The respon-
sibility for provision of sup-
plies, technologies, and other
logistic support is also shoul-
dered by the overground ac-
tivists in urban centres,” the
Pune police report says.
According to the report,
since 2001, 6,956 civilians and
2,517 security forces have
been killed by the CPI(Maoist).
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The Delhi High
Court on Wednesday ques-
tioned the legality of a tran-
sit remand order passed by a
Chief Metropolitan Magis-
trate, allowing the Maharash-
tra police to transport alleged
‘urban Naxal’ and journalist
Gautam Navlakha to Pune.
The court was hearing a
habeas corpus plea filed by
Navlakha’s advocate after the
Pune police detained him at
his residence on Tuesday. A
two-judge bench of Justices S
Muralidhar and Vinod Goel
noted that people accompa-
nying the police from Maha-
rashtra were made witnesses
of Navlakha’s arrest, instead
of locals. “A witness should
either be family members or
respectable members of the
The protests in Delhi —PTI
locality, it can’t be someone
who accompanies the police,”
Justice Muralidhar said.
The High Court was also
critical of the Chief Metro-
politan Magistrate, who did
not “bother to check” the case
diary to understand the of-
fence. The bench said that
since certain sections of the
stringent Unlawful Activities
Prevention Act (UAPA) were
invoked against Navlakha,
licing has to step up. A bal- its and decorum. They
ance between privacy moni- hear or see something
toring should be main- and just forward it with-
tained,” said an official. out realising the damage
The GoM and the secre- it may cause to the soci-
the Chief Metropolitan Mag- tarial panel was set up after a ety,” he said.
istrate should have been extra recent Supreme Court judg-
careful in granting the transit ment asked Parliament to
remand. “Under the UAPA, consider enacting a new law ad and Social Justice and Em-
the statutes are so strict that to deal with mob lynching. powerment Minister Thawar
it is impossible for a person to
get bail, thus there is addi-
The GoM — whose members
are External Affairs Minister
Chand Gehlot — will now
submit its recommendations
tional burden on the court to Sushma Swaraj, Transport to Prime Minister Narendra
be extra careful while grant- Minister Nitin Gadkari, Law Modi for a final decision, a
ing the transit remand,” the Minister Ravi Shankar Pras- home ministry official said.
Bench said. The court also
questioned how the Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate was
able to understand the charg-
es when all the documents
were in Marathi and why it
was not translated.
As the Bench was dictating
its order, Additional Solicitor
General (ASG) Aman Lekhi
informed the court that the
Supreme Court has stayed the
transit remand and has or-
dered to put them under
house arrest. The court, then,
did not issue any order.
File photo of student union members using social media to campaign

ED attaches Rai’s assets worth `26 crore

DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: The Enforce-
ment Directorate has at-
tached journalist Upendra
Rai’s movable and immova-
ble properties to the tune of
Rs. 26.65 crore in a money-
laundering case against him.
Rai is currently lodged in jail
for the same case.
“The properties attached
includes nine flats located at
Greater Kailash, Hailey
Road, Noida and Lucknow,
UP. His investments worth
Rs. 5.62 crore in bank fixed
deposits and mutual funds
along with three luxury cars
have also been attached,” the
agency said.
Based on an FIR against
him by the CBI, the Enforce-
ment Directorate had regis-
tered a case against him and
others in May. Rai was then
arrested by the Enforcement
Directorate and is now in ju-
dicial custody.
It is alleged that Rai was
extorting money from differ-
ent companies and corporate
houses and had laundered it
to whitewash it into the fi-
nancial system.

Parrikar heads
to US again
for treatment
Panaji/Mumbai: Goa Chief
Minister Manohar Parri-
kar, who is currently admit-
ted to a private hospital in
Mumbai, flew to the US on
Wednesday evening for fur-
ther medical treatment as he
has developed “some compli-
cations”, state Assembly
Speaker Pramod Sawant said.
Parrikar left for the US at
5 pm, Sawant told reporters
in Panaji. “Some complica-
tions have developed due to
which Parrikar is going to
the US for treatment. His con-
dition is stable and we need
not worry,” he said.
Sawant said the chief min-
ister was expected to be back
in Goa within a week.
The chief minister under-
went treat-
ment in the US
for three
months earlier
this year for a
pancreatic ail-
ment and re-
turned in
June. He went
there again for a follow-up
earlier this month.
He was admitted to the Li-
lavati Hospital in Mumbai for
a review health checkup on
August 23, a day after he re-
turned from the US, and was
scheduled to return to Goa on
Wednesday.
A senior official in the
Chief Minister’s Office said in
the morning that Parrikar
would leave for the US from
Mumbai in a flight later in the
day. “The official charge of the
post of chief minister will re-
main with him (Parrikar).
There is no need to hand over
the charge to anyone,” he said.
BJP’s Goa spokesperson
Siddharth Kuncalienkar said
Parrikar developed some in-
digestion problem while trav-
elling. “He will go to the US,
consult doctors and will re-
turn soon.” —PTI