08
Monday
April
2019
`3.00 Ÿ Pages 14
AHMEDABAD
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delhi voters face
unique dilemma
Elections in Delhi pose a unique
dilemma as citizens want to
bring the PM Modi government
back to power though their MPs
have left them disappointed.
urmila in dock for
‘anti-hindu’ remarks
Bollywood actor and Con-
gress’s Lok Sabha candidate
Urmila Matondkar had report-
edly said “Hinduism is the most
violent religion in the world”.
maha battle on the
cards in 1st phase
The first phase of polls cover-
ing seven seats in Maharashtra
will see a tough fight between
the BJP-Shiv Sena and
Congress-NCP alliances.  P5
Someone told me
Mayawati will be
PM on Monday, Akhilesh
on Tuesday, Lalu on Wed,
Naidu on Thursday, Stalin
on Friday and Rahul on
Saturday; Sunday
will be a holiday
Amit Shah,
BJP president, mocks
Oppn alliance
inside 
india
Giving in to pressure from
the NIA, Hurriyat leader
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq will
today present himself for
questioning in Delhi P4
world
Israeli PM Benjamin
Netanyahu has pledged to
annex settlements in the
occupied West Bank if he
wins Tuesday’s elections  P7
Afterhrs 
Akshay Kumar and Kareena
Kapoor Khan open
up about
reuniting
on-screen
after a
decade with
Good News
size doesn’t matter Victims of body shaming say they faced depression, anxiety
Body shaming casts ugly shadow on mental health
Anagha Sawant
anagha.sawant@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: Body shaming is far
more common than you
thought. Nine out of 10 wom-
en have experienced body
shaming, although, interest-
ingly enough, 95 per cent
didn’t even realise when they
body shamed someone. These
were the startling findings of
a survey wherein 1,244 women
from 20 Indian cities were
asked about their experiences.
The survey, conducted by
Mumbai-based Fortis Health-
care, came about after the hos-
pital received several cases of
depression, low self-esteem
Snap POLL
Q. Have you ever been
body-shamed?
Yes No
Go to our Twitter handle
@dna, look for #DNAPoll
and vote.
Even as PM launches three-pronged attack, Oppn shows united front at rally
‘Speed breaker Didi
has sleepless nights’
Arshad Ali
arshad.ali@dnaindia.net
Kolkata: Launching yet an-
other salvo against West Ben-
gal CM Mamata Banerjee,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Sunday addressed his
third rally in Bengal in four
days and claimed that the
chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ were
giving her sleepless night. Re-
ferring to her as ‘Speedbreak-
er Didi’ while speaking at the
Rasmela Ground in Cooch
Behar, he claimed, “The more
you do ‘Modi’ ‘Modi’, the more
Speed breaker Didi loses sleep
and takes out her anger on the
Election Commission of In-
dia. Her restlessness shows
what happens to a person who
is afraid of losing support at
the ground level.”
Later in the day, when ad-
dressing a rally in Tripura, he
also attacked the Left and the
Congress and claimed that
“the Opposition will stoop to
any level to oust me”. He even
took a jibe at Congress’ mani-
festo, alleging that it seems to
be blowing Pakistan’s trum-
pet more than that of India.
Interestingly, of his three
meetings in West Bengal, two
were in north Bengal where
the party aims to score the
maximum seats in the state.
Pointing to the bamboo
structure readied for Mama-
ta’s Monday rally at the same
ground, Modi said, “The stage
there has been put up to pre-
vent people from gathering in
my meeting.”  Turn to P4
Chaos reigns supreme as J&K
govt shuts highway for civilians
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Srinagar: The Jammu and
Kashmir government on Sun-
day imposed its highway lock-
down, even as two former chief
ministers — Farooq Abdullah
and Mehbooba Mufti — hit the
streets to defy the order.
The Jammu-Srinagar
highway was dotted with se-
curity personnel from Bara-
mulla to Udhampur as the
ban order was imposed amid
much chaos. Civilian vehi-
cles weren’t allowed to ply
and only security convoys
were seen moving.
With inter-city public
transport not functional,
people faced a lot of incon-
venience in getting to their
destinations. Some were seen
riding cycles while others
and stress induced by body
shaming. The concept of body
shaming includes comments
about weight, skin tone, body
shape and hair. It may even be
unintentional, as 89 per cent
women said they feel uncom-
fortable about their own selves
after reading comments about
other people’s appearances.
“We have been getting cases
where women are struggling
with self-image. In such cases,
they may experience depres-
sion, anxiety and even rela-
tionship issues. We wanted to
check to what extent is body
shaming affecting mindsets,”
said Dr Samir Parikh, director,
Mental Health and Behaviour-
YESTERDAY’S POLL RESULT:
Should Virat Kohli step down
as RCB captain?
Yes 
No
Can’t say
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) waves to supporters during a campaign
rally in Cooch Behar, West Bengal on Sunday —AFP
...Mamata accuses Centre of intimidation
Kolkata: Two hours after PM Narendra Modi’s rally at
Cooch Behar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee hit back
in two back-to-back rallies, accusing the PM of using gov-
ernment machinery and institutions to intimidate the op-
position. She wondered why PM Modi is not removing his
own cabinet secretary or the Union home secretary, if he
was so “fond of making last-minute changes”.  Report, P5
Only security forces convoys were allowed to ply on the highway. — PTI
walked. Though emergency
vehicles were being allowed
through, civilian traffic
movement came to a grind-
ing halt.
The government had on
April 3 issued an order ban-
ning civilian traffic on the
national highway between
skin-deep beauty
31% women say they didn’t
feel like facing the world
because of what people say
32.5% said their friends
make negative
comments about how they look
97% said the issue of body
shaming needs to be
addressed in schools
al Sciences, Fortis.
In addition, two in three
women said it’s important to
look good to feel confident,
while 62 per cent said they felt
65%
30%
5%
Baramulla and Udhampur on
Sundays and Wednesdays,
reserving the two days for
movement of security forces’
convoys. The possibility of a
terrorist attack with the gen-
eral elections around the cor-
ner was cited as the reason
for the order. Turn to P4
anxious and nervous follow-
ing negative comments. In ad-
dition, a large majority (76 per
cent) said portrayal of beauty
in the media contributed to
R.N.I. No. : GUJENG/2007/22424
India rejects Pak
claim of ‘attack’
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: India has strong-
ly rejected Pakistan’s claim
that New Delhi is planning an
attack on the neighbouring
country, calling the claims
“irresponsible and preposter-
ous” with a clear objective of
BSP leader Mayawati, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav (R) and RLD leader Ajit “whipping up war hysteria”
Singh (L) during the joint election rally in Deoband on Sunday —AP in the region. On the contra-
ry, said Raveesh Kumar, a
UP grand alliance spokesperson for the Minis-
try of External Affairs, “This
public gimmick appears to be
Pakistan foreign minister Shah
Mehmood Qureshi. — AFP
sounds poll bugle
a call to Pakistan-based ter- they said it
rorists to undertake a terror
attack in India.” „„Pakistan said it has
India’s reaction came soon information that India
DNA Correspondent Deoband — famous as the after Pakistan summoned the is planning an attack
correspondent@dnaindia.net second topmost Dar-ul-Ul- Indian envoy in Islamabad between April 16 and 20.
oom — falls next to Saharan- and issued him a demarche
„„Pakistan also
New Delhi: Coming togeth- pur city where PM Naren- “warning against any misad-
summoned the Indian
er in a massive show of dra Modi addressed a mam- venture”. Earlier in the day,
envoy in Islamabad and
strength in Western Uttar moth rally just two days ago. Pakistan foreign minister
Pradesh’s Deoband on Sun- After its falling out with Shah Mehmood Qureshi said issued a demarche.
day, leaders of the Grand the SP-BSP, the Congress Islamabad had reliable intel-
„„India’s MEA called it a
Alliance — Samajwadi Par- has fielded a strong candi- ligence that India was plan-
gimmick, and said it might
ty, Bahujan Samaj date in Saharanpur ning an attack between April
be a call for Pak-based
Party and Rashtri- and the alliance 16 and April 20. “If anything
terrorists to attack India.
ya Lok Dal — told fears the split vote happens, you can imagine the
Our alliance is
their supporters in may allow BJP’s impact on the peace and sta- „„India also said if Pak
not a toxic
no uncertain terms sitting MP Raghav bility of the region,” he said. did have actionable
concoction but a
that the vote can- Lakhanpal to win “A new mishap could be intel, it must share it
force of change. It
not be split due to
is an alliance that
again. staged. And its purpose will through right channels
the Congress. They
will bring about
The three party be to justify their (India’s) of-
also flayed the PM chiefs attacked fensive against Pakistan and
a new Prime
for his SARAB (liq- both PM Modi and to increase diplomatic pres- terrorist attack”.
Minister
uor) remark Congress on vari- sure against Islamabad.” “Pakistan needs to take
against the grand Akhilesh Yadav, ous counts and In response, India advised credible and irreversible
SP leader
alliance. leading the charge, Pakistan that instead of try- steps against terrorism oper-
“Don’t split your RLD chief Ajit Sin-
votes. The Congress is not gh said, “What has Prime
ing to create an alibi for its
complicity in terrorism, it
ating from territories under
its control rather than make
strong enough to give a Minister Modi done in five should use established diplo- hysterical statements to ob-
tough fight to BJP. Only the years? He wasn’t talking matic and DGMO channels fuscate the core issue that
Mahagathbandhan can fight about your achche din, but and share any actionable bedevils our region: Cross-
the BJP,” said BSP supremo his own achche din.” He and credible intelligence it border terrorism,” India
Mayawati, specifying that also criticised the PM over may have. It also warned said, adding that Pakistan
her remarks were particu- the pending Rs 10,000 crore that India “reserves the right cannot absolve itself of the
larly for the “people of Mus- dues to the sugarcane farm- to respond firmly and deci- responsibility of a cross-bor-
lim community”. ers in the state. Turn to P4 sively to any cross-border der terrorist attack on India.
EC to Mamata:
Within rights to
I-T swoops in on MP CM’s aides
New Delhi/Bhopal: The In- searches are linked to sus-
transfer officers come Tax Department on Sun-
day launched pre-dawn
pected movement of hawala
money during the ongoing
searches on at least 50 loca- polls season and tax evasion.
New Delhi: The Election tions in Delhi and Madhya Locations in Indore, Bhopal
Commission has rejected Pradesh against people linked and Delhi (Green Park) were
West Bengal Chief Minister to state Chief Minister Kamal being raided and those being
Mamata Banerjee’s allega- Nath on charges of alleged searched included Nath’s for-
tions that it ordered transfer tax evasion, officials said. mer Officer on Special Duty
of four police officers at the A team of about 200 I-T de- (OSD) Pravin Kakkad, former
behest of the ruling BJP at partment and police officers adviser Rajendra Miglani and
the Centre, saying the deci- swooped down on these prem- executives linked to his broth-
sion was based on “cumula- ises around 3 am and some er-in-law’s firm MoserBaer
tive feedback” from one of its undisclosed cash was recov- and his nephew Ratul Puri’s I-T officials at the residence of
top officials and the special ered, they said, adding the company, they said. —PTI Nath’s former advisor Miglani —PTI
police observer.
The Commission also told
Banerjee that as per election
law, it is “fully within its
rights” to transfer and ap-
point officers during model
code. It said it won’t respond
to the averment to prove its
image and referred to Section
28A of the Representation of
the People Act to drive home
the point that EC can transfer
and post them during the poll
code period. Report, P5
the custom, while 90 per cent
said people who don’t con-
form to the standard norm are
mocked in films and TV.
“We have been getting cases
where people from different
age groups said they faced psy-
chological issues because of
body shaming. The perception
of physical appearances tends
to be significantly influenced
by a multitude of factors, in-
cluding the role played by me-
dia, peer influences, societal
factors, etc. There is a need to
work towards creating a sensi-
tised and aware society that’s
able to respect one’s own as
well as others’ body image,” Dr
Parikh added.
 02 
daily news & analysis I Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019
musings
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia

Safety vs Software: Aviation at a crossroad

Lawfully Yours would like to be flown in a safe air- capacity, aircraft manufacturers services, which are said to be essen- the car – which make the vehicle

L
ast week, preliminary investi-
gations revealed that the pilots
of the Ethiopian Airlines were
unable to control the aircraft
despite following the proce-
dures repeatedly given by the
manufacturing company Boeing.
The aircraft nosedived uncontrol-
lably, resulting in its crash last
month killing everyone on board. It
anurag is being said that a particular soft-
k agarwal ware either did not work properly or
was not installed. This software, or
The author is a
lack of it, somehow did not allow the
professor at IIM-A, pilots to control the aircraft. Boeing
akagarwal@iima.ac.in has been working on this software
since October 2018, when a similar
aircraft had crashed in Indonesia.
Ask an air traveller whether he
craft with pilots able to control it
fully, or would prefer a software-
controlled aircraft which makes the
presence of pilots meaningless and
on top of it is not able to fly and land
the aircraft safely? I don’t think that
any reasonable person with even a
little bit of common sense would
even take a moment to answer it.
Everyone would prefer to be safe –
we are not talking about individuals
on a suicidal mission – and not give
two hoots about fancy aircraft de-
sign with cutting-edge technology
using the latest software supported
by artificial intelligence. Ultimately,
what matters is “safety”.
Recent developments in the avia-
tion industry, especially the two
crashes of Boeing 737 in quick suc-
cession, have shaken many experts
and made the common travellers
nervous and anxious about safety. In
the zest to develop an ultimate flying
machine with the least fuel con-
sumption, least carbon emission,
and the maximum possible carrying
have been working with stronger
and better materials, technology
and management practices. Truly a
fantastic endeavour! But, in this
quest, how can safety be compro-
mised is incomprehensible. Simula-
tors, virtual reality, modelling, ex-
perimentation, testing in real life
conditions, etc. are standard indus-
try practices, and, it is beyond any-
one’s comprehension as to how the
control of an aircraft can be simply
taken away from the pilots.
The upcoming driverless cars is
akin to giving the complete control
of the driving of a car to a software,
guided by artificial intelligence,
connected to internet, global posi-
tioning system (GPS), and now the
very recently launched 5G telecom
tial for extremely fast responses
necessary for successful function-
ing of driverless cars. Something
similar is what is done in flying
drones, however, the drones are con-
trolled by some remote agency. Is
similar technology successful in
commercial flying operations? Once
the pilots don’t have any control
over the aircraft, it is as good as fly-
ing in a pilotless aircraft.
It has been reported that Boeing
used to charge extra for certain
safety features for the aircraft of 737
Max series. This is unbelievable.
When a person buys a car there are
certain basic safety features – some
mandatory due to legal and regula-
tory compliance, and some others
depending on the usage and price of
worth driving on the road and gives
confidence to the user. The simple
principle ought to be, the higher the
price, the safer the car should be.
But, without certain basic safety
features a vehicle is just a piece of
metal, and cannot be sold in the mar-
ket as a vehicle.
Similarly, an aircraft – especially
if the company boasts it to be one of
the finest – without adequate safety
features is just a piece of metal and
doesn’t have airworthiness. How the
certification authorities gave the
green signal is a mystery and must
be investigated. Any aircraft must
be fully equipped with all the safety
features and the pilots should al-
ways have complete control of the
aircraft.

Make your Spreading the word

A nation
marriage desperately
exclusive wishing to fail
REVERSE shift view point

F A
ibbing is a part of every human nature.
Harmless, yet dangerous when overdone
and overused – especially in relationships.
I very recently met a couple who was in
terrible marital distress, thanks to the fib-
bing nature of the husband. Being brought
up in a conventional patriarchal family, where the
father was very autocratic, fibbing became his
second nature right from his childhood to protect
himself from him. When he got married, his fib-
bing habit continued. It was very disturbing for
the wife initially, but she slowly came to terms
with it. To keep the marital harmony intact, she
kept quiet thinking most of his lies were white
lies. However, she felt the husband started taking
advantage of her silence. Along with his fibbing,
he also started keeping things to himself, and not
share details. The hus-
band’s friend had a major
illness and the ill friend’s
wife started seeking help
from him. The wife was
involved initially with
some particulars. But
gradually he tapered giv-
ing all the information.
Apparently, his friend’s
SAGARIKA SHAH wife started texting him
Relationship and on a regular basis – ini-
couples therapist. Helps tially
with the health bul-
letins and later under the
couples and individuals pretext of some vain mat-
deal with their ters. The ill friend’s wife
s Balakot surgical strike is going to be
alive, at least till elections are around, I
am unable to escape from reading social
media posts about it from some of the
smartest people of my nation.Though I
am not in a position to accept or deny
existence or success/failure of surgical strike
with cent percent certainty, this episode has
made me sure about something else.
I am absolutely sure that no nation on the
planet is as keen or desperate to fail as the coun-
try called India.
The amount of intellectual energy that Indian
intelligentsia has invested in looking for evi-
dences to prove failure of surgical strike is so
incredible that their failure-hunger needs to be
explored to look for an explanation for this un-
doubtedly unique Indian talent.
Let us differentiate this quest of desperation
from our standard hatred for the state that stems
from systemic inefficiencies and corruption that
are in front of us.
Balakot is not here for us to see to be sure of
its failure by any stretch.
State’s CEO S Murali Krishna and Ahmedabad collector Vikrant Pandey flag off a train at Ahmedabad with the message for maximum voting in upcoming elections Unfortunately, for some mysterious reason,
Imran Khan has also not invited our 150 plus
scientists, 600 plus theatre artists, 200 plus acad-
emicians and various other experts for a tea to
Balakot to help them confirm and celebrate fail-
Mobilising best minds for addressing
ure of the strike. And yet, the social media is
filled to the brim with Indian Sherlock Holms
offering conclusions about its failure.
If we look honestly at Balakot, with the level

complex national challenges?

relationship problems made it a point to connect of information available, it
effectively only with the husband’s offers convenience of
sagarika@thoughtcounsel.com friend and not with his choosing either of the op-
wife although they were tion of success and failure,
all friends. Eventually, when the wife found out and yet India has enough
about the exclusive connection between her hus- minds on the margin sultation process whose view one does not Why can not similar professionalism be the countrymen not only opting

band and the friend’s wife, she couldn’t take it and
felt deceived. It wasn’t the communication be-
tween the two that drove her nuts. Being kept in
the dark by her husband made her upset. Why
would her husband and the friend’s wife want an
exclusive connection with each other? She felt it
was taking undue advantage of her understand-
ing, sweetness and patience apart from being
unfair to the unwell friend.
One tends to fib or hide things when one fears
one’s partner. If the spouse is unreasonable and
innately suspicious and jealous, it’s a different
story. But with an understanding partner, fibbing
excessively can be a deal breaker. It’s very much
taking all the goodness for granted. So called ‘one
to one’ connections with only the friends’
spouse/s is unethical and unhealthy.
Have the best of friendships with your friends
and their spouses. But be mindful of the exclusiv-
ity. The only person to have an exclusive relation-
ship with is your partner. Exclusively yours!
L
et us surmise about the post-election
scenario and overall expectations in
general.
Whosever the voters elect, there
will be certainly a rise in expecta-
tions. For most of the self-employed
business and professional people, a
simplification of regulatory
framework will be the most cher-
ished wish. For the working class,
low consumer prices and easy
availability of essentials, afforda-
ble health care, and quality educa-
tion for their children in govern-
ment schools and colleges obvi-
ously matter most. For the elite,
the low to moderate risk-high re-
turn investment opportunities anil gupta health and life insurance etc.
will be very attractive besides less
taxation. For high net-worth indi-
viduals, the ability to invest in founder of Honey utilization efficiency will go down.
start-ups and other ventures with-
in and outside the country without & visiting faculty sated by sectoral allocative efficien-
attracting too many reporting lia-
bilities and constraints will be at-
tractive.
Now, no government can please
all and that too equally. But then all programs
which are intended to deliver benefits to the
poor can benefit a lot from feedback from
people with diverse background. Labelling
in ideological terms rather than intellectual
terms does not help. In fact, it does not hurt
at all if there are such people in every con-
like at all. It is the diversity and debate that
will bring out the best for the country.
Let us take the case of providing cooking
gas connections to the poor, an eminently
good idea. Now when we design supply chain,
it will help to explore the relative utility in
high biomass areas versus low biomass are-
as, frequency of replacement will
need to be high in low biomass ar-
eas, population density may be low,
villages may be located far away
from the source of supply and
money required to buy the cylinder
may not always be there. How do we
link the employment program, pay-
ment of wages, payment for public
supplied goods and services like
ration, kerosene, gas, premium of
It is quite possible the with a re-
The author is duction in transaction costs, the
Bee Network Spatial inequality can be compen-
at IIM-A cy and effectiveness.
anilgb@gmail.com In contemporary data and
knowledge-intensive world, the
quality of management can be im-
proved significantly by using big data and
efficient and integrated supply chains. Why
should this be made into an ideological issue?
When Aadhar was implemented, a bipartisan
approach was used to streamline the system
regardless of who designed, under which rul-
ing dispensation. The results are for all to see.
way in which committees are constituted,
minds are mobilized and consensus achieved
for achieving the best societal good.
I am sure this is not in the interest of any-
one to have good policies implemented badly
or conceived weakly. There was news of an
MNREGA worker whose thumb surface hav-
ing been worn out, biometric identification
did not work, though he had Aadhar card.
Naturally, if we have to pay pension or wages
to workers who work with their hands,
should not we anticipate such problems. This
is the kind of triangulation that will happen
when the design of public policy and its im-
plementation is checked up with not only
experts but also user groups. Last week, I
wrote about the pervasive scope of improve-
ment that exists in the design and implemen-
tation of toilets all over the country. Namib-
ian entrepreneur recently designed a low-
cost toilet which won a national second prize.
Gandhi ji announced a one lakh rupees prize
in 1929 open to all for redesigning the spin-
ning wheel. The value of that amount will not
be less than 10 cr today. Why not have both
collaborative as well as crowdsourced design
contest for meeting various developmental
challenges.
I hope that the new government will bring
a new approach to learning from its mistakes
and as well as outstanding achievements in
a bipartisan manner. It will try to mobilize
the best minds over every issue regardless
of whether they were engaged by one or the
other government at different times.
for failure but are so desper-
ate that they are ready to go
to any extreme in looking
for evidence from any-
samir where, even from Pakistan
to proclaim failure of their
shukla nation in an act of aggres-
City-based science sion.
From psychological per-
nomad who tries to spective, this desire to look
find definitive answers for failure really needs ex-
samir.shukla@icloud.com ploration as, when there is
reasonable opportunity
available, people should be choosing the option
that makes them feel good and not the one that
makes them feel bad. So, there is only one pos-
sibility that can explain the choice, i.e. failure
feels good to a given set of Indians.
If it sounds weird, in reality it is not, as loving
failure is a lot common than what it seems. If one
needs to make one’s life simple, accepting failure
is a path of least resistance. It is a state of mind
that offers a great comfort, especially if one can
assign the cause of failure to someone or some-
thing else.
All the Indians trying really hard to prove that
their nation has failed are comfortably satiating
their failure-hunger because they have delinked
themselves from the state. Working hard to prove
failure of their own nation is not a source of dis-
comfort for them because they see that failure as
a success of their ideology.
As an intellectual musing, this is a great sub-
ject to explore, but there is something more real
here, and that needs urgent cognisance by the
entire nation if it wants to remain a nation.

Back in time: the courageous journeyer of joy

Failed or successful, surgical strike meant
that some really young Indians had to fly across
a hostile border and face death. Such acts of val-
our are possible only when these young men
know that there is a nation rooting for their suc-
cess.
JOY OF LIVING of learning’. The who’s who from when people went to enquire about his No solider can lay down his life for a nation

L
ooking back at school years brings
smiles to the face when we think of
the friends, games, fun and mischief
that were all rolled together with in-
nocence and carefree times. An occa-
sional teacher also finds herself in
this list. Juxtaposed with this smile-list are
the faces, words and thoughts of teachers,
prefects and even principals, which often
bring sadness and tears to the eyes. Their
jayanti ravi needless tyranny is something I’ve strug-
The author is a gled to understand. Can’t school rooms be
Harvard-educated happy spaces, I would often wonder.
civil servant & writer, While the strict, stern, anger-spewing
and has worked in teacher was the stereotype, I’m sure we
the education sector can all recollect some worthy exceptions
with a smiling, happy heart. One such
jayanti.ravi.dna@gmail.com
‘iconoclast’ was Sh Himmatbhai Kapasi,
the celebrated and revered Principal of
Vidyanagar school of Ahmedabad. True
to his name, he exhibited the immense
courage required to be so very different.
He was lenient, encouraging, experiment-
ing, improvising and innovating across
diverse fields. A ‘renaissance man’, Kapasi
Saab could straddle Beethoven, Kurosawa,
Gavaskar, Ustad Amir Khan with the same
ease as diverse foods and crafts. His leader-
ship made Vidyanagar a true ‘metropolis
Ahmedabad, who have made a dent in so
many walks of life across the country and
globe were nurtured or influenced by Ka-
pasi Saab. These range from Abhijaat
Joshi, screenwriter of films like “Three
Idiot’s”, Madhu Rai, cricketer Parthiv Pa-
tel, Sural Collector Dhaval Patel, and a
host of doctors, teachers, engineers and
administrators who have made a differ-
ence. Those who had walked and breathed
in the school or been friends with Mr Ka-
pasi speak of his refreshing influence and
impact in their lives.
A student thrown out of class by a
teacher recounts how the ‘poker faced’
Principal asked him to meet him in his of-
fice. On nervously entering the Principal’s
room, he was treated to some exquisite
music of Beethoven and explained the nu-
ances of it. He was also told to not be mis-
chievous in future as he was allowed to go
home for the day. That was Principal Ka-
pasi for you! The student who recounted
this is a principal of a leading city college
today!
Over the last decade, my involvement
and engagement with Saptak brought me
in contact with this legend. I can hear his
lilting voice as he would discuss the nu-
ances of carnatic music, films, nature and
so many things on many evenings, seated
on his now empty chair in Vidyanagar
school. He was a traveller and pilgrim of
joy, whose curiosity, wonder could deftly
turn the ordinary and mundane into some-
thing fun or even ‘topsy-turvy’. As an aca-
demic leader, he explored new worlds, ex-
posing young minds of various biological
ages to different, fascinating worlds and
people, connecting them to create new
friendships and worlds of activities and
amusement.
Down with bouts of serious illness,
health, he would recount his experiences that is desperately looking to prove that he has
with people who were taking care of him. failed. And lot worse is when he sees a nation
His childlike interest and fondness for peo- looking at him as a potential liar.
ple made him lap up the life stories and So, to all my extremely intelligent friends out
narratives of doctors and caregivers at- there looking at international media and even
tending to him in the hospital.This left Pakistan with hope that Balakot has failed, I
absolutely no room for any bitterness, an- have a simple prayer.
ger or cynicism. He was the same joyful A nation can survive only when guarded
voyager of life in a different setting! fiercely by its soldiers. India needs its armed
He had an elephantine grip and mastery forces and wants them to be confident that there
over so many subjects and yet carried all is a nation standing behind them praying for
this so lightly. He touched almost three their success and not for their failure.
generations of Ahmedabad, leading them
into exciting worlds of multi hued creativ-
ity and joy. A fortnight ago, a packed hall
of his students and friends had gathered
to celebrate his ‘power-packed’ beautiful
life that effortlessly impacted and trans-
formed so many worlds around.
A book and a film on his life and work
has been put together by his family and
students as a homage. As I read this book,
I get to know more and more about this
humble, elderly man with a lilting voice.
People may scarcely believe that he
strode through this garden of life, in his
own terms, in a complete journey of joy.
May his spirit live on, as we celebrate his
life and the gentle fragrance that flows
from it.
 ah edabad
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03
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019 I daily news & analysis

Battle of political survival for

in brief
Mercury to
remain at 42

sons of two ex-chief ministers

degree Celsius
The maximum tempera-
ture in Ahmedabad was
forecasted to be 42 de-
gree Celsius till Thurs-

It is imperative for Tushar Chaudhary & Bharatsinh Solanki to win in the polls to avoid political oblivion
day. The India Meteoro-
logical Department said,
the minimum tempera-
ture would be 24 degree Sumit Khanna can win only if he manages File photo of Congress rally
C till Thursday. Clear k_summit@dnaindia.net to get their support, and to

Heat forces noon

sky and dry weather prevent political oblivion for
likely in Ahmedabad and Any election is crucial for all himself,” he said.
other parts of the state candidates, but the upcoming Chaudhary told DNA that
over the next six days. Lok Sabha battle is especially he was getting good response

Heat wave conditions
likely in Banaskantha,
Sabarkantha, Rajkot,
Surendranagar, Amreli,
and Kutch.
breaks, hits LS
critical for two Congress during campaigning, and
leaders, for whom the 2019 was confident of a victory,
polls could very well be a mat- but declined to comment
ter of political survival. when asked what impact an
The political careers of adverse result could have on

Exam held for fire
station officers
After a gap of 20 years,
the Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Commissioner con-
ducted the exam for re-
cruitment of 17 fire sta-
tion officers. Officials
said that 80 out of 83
candidates appeared for
the exam on Sunday. Mu-
nicipal commissioner
Vijay Nehra said that ap-
pointment orders would
be issued after elections.
Three students for
ISRO programme
Three students, viz.
Kunj Devang from Ra-
jkot, Pratham Patel from
Aravalli, and Rahul
Solanki from Suren-
dranagar, will represent
the state at the Yuva Vig-
yani Karyakram (Young
Scientist Programme) of
Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
They were selected from
among 203 students who
had applied. The three-
week programme aims
at imparting basic
knowledge on space
technology, space sci-
ence, and space applica-
tions to students.
Tushar Chaudhary, the Con-
gress candidate from Bardoli
ST seat, and Bharatsinh
Solanki, 65, the candidate
from Anand seat, hang in the
balance, and the outcome of
the April 23 elections could
very well decide their politi-
cal future. This is true more
in the case of Chaudhary
who has seen his political
stock dwindling in the past
few years.
Chaudhary, 53, will take
on current MP and BJP can-
didate Prabhu Vasava, from
the tribal reserved seat in
Surat district. Solanki, on the
other hand, will face-off
against BJP candidate
Mitesh Patel from Anand seat
in central Gujarat. Initial re-
ports suggest a tough battle
awaits Chaudhary, while
Solanki has an edge over his
BJP rival.
“Tusharbhai was winning
when Congress was doing
well. One can say that the vic-
tories were more because of
the party’s popularity and
work than his own. On the
other hand, other leaders like
Jitu Chaudhari have been
winning in election after
election in spite of the in-
roads BJP has made in the
tribal community,” said a
Congress leader, requesting
anonymity.
poll campaigning
his political career.
As far as Solanki is con-
cerned, he still has a strong
say in the party’s affairs in
Gujarat – his cousin Amit Although campaigning for the
Bharatsinh Solanki campaigning ahead of the polls; Tushar Chaudhary (R) Chavda replaced him as the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat campaign
state Congress president is picking up, candidates and
„„BJP MP Kirit Solanki,
Striking similarities between careers of the two leaders when he stepped down last their supporters are finding it
who represents the
year - but a loss in the elec- tough to reach out to their vot-
Both are sons of former chief Both Chaudhary and Solanki have been MLAs. Ahmedabad West
tions would be seen as a body ers in the afternoon hours due
ministers. Chaudhary’s father Solanki was elected to the assembly thrice from constituency, campaigned
blow to him. to the scorching heat.
Amarsinh Chaudhary was the state’s 1995 to 2002, and Chaudhary in 2002. Both on a bicycle, while sitting
“Anand is one seat which As the maxmimum tem-
first and only CM from the tribal were elected to Lok Sabha in 2004, and again MP of Jamnagar, Poonam
the Congress expects to win, perature has touched 42 de-
community till date, while Solanki’s in 2009. Both served as ministers in the UPA Maadam, who is seeking
and it is critical for Bharat- grees Celsius in many parts of
father Madhavsinh Solanki was chief II government. Both had lost in the 2014 Lok her re-election, rode a
sinh to deliver. A loss will the state, candidates now pre-
minister for four terms. Sabha elections. bullock cart.
certainly erode his stock,” fer to take afternoon breaks
said a senior leader, pointing and campaign till late evening „„At several places
Solanki was president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress out that party president Ra- instead. Dhansukh Bhanderi, in rural parts of the
Solanki was the state
Committee twice, while Chaudhary was one of the four hul Gandhi had made it clear a BJP leader from Rajkot, said state, the BJP also
Congress president that only those who can win candidates and party workers roped in magicians for
working presidents ahead of the 2017 assembly elections.
during the 2017 polls, and make the Congress win now campaign in two shifts- campaigning.
which saw the party will have a say in how the morning and evening- as they
tally rise to 77, its party is run. prefer taking afternoon breaks
best performance in Speaking with DNA, due to the rising heat. 10 pm, we hold booth meetings.
nearly three decades. Tusharbhai was winning For me , this is an Bharatsinh said that the com- Congress spokesperson We take afternoon breaks due
Chaudhary had when Congress was important election, but it ing elections were crucial as Manish Doshi also said that to heat,” Bhanderi said.
contested in the polls, they would decide the future heat has affected campaign In many cities like Rajkot,
much against the senior doing well. One can say is a do battle, not a die
direction of the country. activities and party leaders Surendranagar and
leadership’s advice, that the victories were battle. I am confident of “For me personally too, are now avoiding meeting vot- Ahmedabad, the maximum
which wanted him to more because of the getting blessings of this is an important election, ers in the afternoon. temperature has gone beyond
focus on campaigning, party’s popularity and people of Anand. but it is a do battle, not a die “Election material like caps 40 degrees, which has damp-
but lost, and suffered
a huge blow to his
work than his own. Bharatsinh Solanki, battle. I am confident of get- are being distributed to sup- ened the spirit of most of the
ting blessings of people of porters in large numbers to candidates, political leaders
standing in the party. Congress Leader Congress leader Anand,” he said. help them avoid the sunlight,” said. Doshi said, “Rising mer-
Solanki stressed that the he said. “We used to start cam- cury levels have affected cam-
result in 2019 would be drasti- paigning around 9.30 am. But paigning as party workers
A party leader from Surat promoting his supporters, importance of the coming cally different than in 2014, now, we reach out to people in avoid going out in the after-
said that Chaudhary using had alienated him from the election, and is reaching out and that the Congress would two shifts- between 8 and 11 noon. We have divided cam-
his influence to get tickets for party’s workers. to leaders and workers who win 16 out of 26 seats in the am- and then from 5 to 8 pm. paigning in two shifts and give
family members, instead of “Tusharbhai realises the are unhappy with him. He state. Thereafter, between 9 pm and breaks during afternoon.” —PTI

Single-use plastic Going Hi-Tech

ban likely from May
Gargi Raval
gargi.raval@dnaindia.net
The Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) had ear-
lier announcd the ban on
plastic products below
50-micron thickness in the
city. A blanket ban was in-
troduced on the usage, man-
ufacturing and selling on
water pouches, bags and
plastic cups. Now, as per the
resolution of the United Na-
tions, the civic body will ban
the single-use plastic items
in civic body’s jurisdiction
from May 2019 onwards.
The civic officials are
meeting with people from
food business and other eat-
ery operators asking them
to stop using the single-use
plastic items like spoons,
forks, plates etc. “Other
Key conspirator in LRD paper
leak case arrested from Delhi
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnandia.net
On Saturday, during a joint
operation conducted by Anti-
Terrorism Squad (ATS) of
Gujarat, Ahmedabad crime
branch and Delhi police ar-
rested the main conspirator
and leader in the LRD paper
leak case, Virendra Mathur
from Rohini area of Delhi.
During the interrogation,
Representational picture the accused revealed that he
was provided with a solved
paper of the LRD exam two
A huge amount of days prior to the examina-
plastic is dumped tion. In exchange he was to
LED Raths, which will talk about the central government’s achievements, were flagged off from the State BJP pay Rs 1 crore to Vinay Arora
daily because of headquarters in Gandhinagar on Sunday. and Vinod Chikkara, both ar-
lucrative packaging of rested by crime branch.
food parcels. We have
asked them to find an
alternative.
Rape case Man had moved HC against his conviction and sentence awarded by sessions court
Virendra Mathur
Further investigation re-
vealed that Virendra contact-
ed Monu from Gujarat, who
with the help of his associate
made arrangements for the
students from Gujarat to
travel to Delhi. Virendra had
made an advance payment of
Rs 7.99 lakh. As per officials,
on December 2, Virendra got
a call from Arora saying that
paper was cancelled. After
the news was spread, Viren-
dra changed his appearance
and moved out of his house
to hide from the cops. The in-
vestigation also revealed that
Virendra was involved in
other paper leak too.
The LRD recruitment
exam on December 2, 2018,
was cancelled after an official
got to know about the paper
leak. The new dates of the
exam were fixed for January
6. So far police have arrested
a total of 15 people in related
to the case.

HC acquits rape convict, orders him to pay `5 lakh for child

than this, we have asked the
food business operators to
reduce the usage of plastic
for the food parcel. A huge
amount of plastic is dumped
daily because of lucrative
packaging of food parcels.
We have asked them to find
an alternative,” said a sen-
ior AMC official.
The ban has been delayed
because of the announce-
ment of the General Elec-
tion 2019. With the ongoing
election process and imple-
mentation of Model Code of
Conduct, the civic body
could not issue a notifica-
tion regarding the ban. Ac-
cording to the sources, once
the election gets over in
state on April 23, 2019, the
civic body will impose the
ban. The ban will be imple-
mented from May 1, 2019,
which is also the foundation
day of the State.
AMC Official
Post the ban, there will be
difficulty in finding substi-
tute for milk packaging and
milk products pouches that
have been used by the dairy
industry. “It is easy to ban
the items like plastic spoons
and fork, but there is a big
question of the plastic being
used by the dairy industry.
There needs to be some al-
ternative for that also,”
added the official.
In June 2018, the civic
body had seized more than
12,000 kg of banned plastic
and levied administrative
charge worth more than
crore rupees soon after the
ban on plastic items. But af-
ter few weeks, some of the
banned items are still being
used in city premises.
Nirupam Banerjee
nirupam.banerjee@dnaindia.net
The Gujarat High Court ac-
quitted a man convicted for
rape and sentenced to life by
sessions court in Godhra.
The division bench of Jus-
tice JB Pardiwala and Jus-
tice AC Rao stated that the
physical intimacy between
the accused and victim was
with the latter’s consent and
she was not lured by giving
any false promise of mar-
riage.
While ordering the man’s
release from jail, the division
bench, however, made it clear
that he should deposit Rs 5
lakh before the trial court
which should be kept in a
fixed deposit in the name of
the child born out of the
physical intimacy between
the accused and victim. It or-
dered that the amount should
be paid to him once he at-
tains 18 years of age, while
the interest accrued on the
principal should be paid to
the woman. Notably, the man
had moved the high court
against his conviction and
sentence awarded by the ses-
sions court on July 18, 2016.
As per the case details,
the woman had alleged that
she was raped by the ac-
cused on June 4, 2011, at
around 2 am, while she was
returning home from a mar-
riage ceremony at her sis-
ter’s place. She was threat-
ened by the accused not to
disclose about the incident
to anyone, or else, he will
kill her. The FIR was regis-
tered at Lunawada police
station for rape and crimi-
nal intimidation. The accuse
Case file
„„As per the case
details, the woman had
alleged that she was
raped by the accused on
June 4, 2011.
„„State’s argument failed
to convince the division
bench, which quashed
sessions court’s order
& directed authorities to
release man.
was arrested and the case
was tried by the sessions
court which held him guilty
for the alleged crime.
When the man’s appeal
against the conviction and
sentence was heard by the
high court, his counsel con-
tended that the prosecution
failed to prove that he had
taken the woman forcibly
and raped her. It was also
contended that the trial court
failed to appreciate that the
victim was in love with the
accused, was a consenting
party to the physical rela-
tionship, and had filed the
FIR after a gap of seven
months. It was also contend-
ed that the victim had filed
an injunction suit to ensure
that the man does not marry
someone else as she was in
love with him and had mar-
ried him in a temple.
On the contrary, the coun-
sel for the state government
argued that the act of rape by
the accused impregnated the
woman and she delivered his
child, which was confirmed
by a DNA test. It was also ar-
gued that the accused cannot
take the defense of ‘consent’
as the same was not argued
before the trial court. The
state’s counsel also submit-
ted that the life of the child
born out of the physical rela-
tionship has become miser-
able due to social stigma, as
the accused has married an-
other woman.
However, the state’s argu-
ment failed to convince the
division bench, which
quashed and set-aside the
sessions court’s order and
directed the authorities to
release the man.
 04 
daily news & analysis I Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019
Mirwaiz to appear
before NIA in Delhi
Decision comes after meeting of Hurriyat Conference members
Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
Srinagar: Seemingly giving
in to pressure from the Na-
tional Investigation Agency
(NIA), Moderate Hurriyat
Conference Chairman Mir-
waiz Umar Farooq decided to
present himself before the
agency for questioning on
Monday.
This follows the third sum-
mons issued by NIA asking
Mirwaiz to appear for exami-
nation at its headquarters in
New Delhi on April 8. Keep-
ing in view security concerns
raised by Mirwaiz, NIA had
in writing assured the Hur-
riyat chief of full security.
NIA had summoned Mir-
waiz in a case registered in
2017 under different sections
of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC) including Sections 121
(waging war against the
state) and 120B (criminal con-
spiracy) and others.
A crucial meeting of Hur-
riyat Executive Council
members, including chair-
man Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,
Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal
Gani Lone, Masroor Abbas
Ansari was held on Sunday
to discuss the summons and
further course of action.
“NIA has refused to con-
duct the investigation in Sri-
Chaos reigns
as J&K govt
closes hwy
From p1
The controversy snowballed
further when Mehbooba and
Farooq took to the streets to
defy the diktat. “Protested
against governor adminis-
tration’s callous and absurd
ban today. How can you re-
strict civilian movement on
our main highway? You want
to smother Kashmiris,
change the demographics of
the state and imprison them
in their own land? Over my
dead body,” Mehbooba said,
while symbolically defying
the order. PDP supporters led
a march at Srinagar’s Pantha
Chowk, and shouted slogans
while demanding the ban be
revoked. “This is Kashmir, not
Palestine. We won’t allow you
to turn our beloved land into
an open air prison. Kashmiris
now need to seek permission
to use roads that rightfully be-
long to them and pay taxes for.
Full report on: www.dnaindia.com
FORM A
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
[Under Regulation 6 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
(Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016]
FOR THE ATTENTION OF THECREDITORS OF
BHOOMI GINNING PRESSING PVT. LTD.
1. Name of Corporate Debtor
2. Date of Incorporation of Corporate Debtor
3. Authority under which Corporate Debtor is
Incorporated / Registered
4. Corporate Identity Number / Limited Liability
Identification Number of Corporate Debtor
5. Address of the Registered Office and Principal
Office (if any) of Corporate Debtor
6. Insolvency commencement date in respect of
Corporate Debtor
7. Estimated date of closure of insolvency
resolution process
8. Name and registration number of the insolvency
professional acting as interim resolution
professional
9. Address and e-mail of the interim resolution
professional, as registered with the Board
10. Address and e-mail to be used for
correspondence with the interim resolution
professional
11. Last date for submission of claims
12. Classes of creditors, if any, under clause(b) of
sub-section (6A) of section 21, ascertained by
the interim resolution professional
13. Names of Insolvency Professionals identified to
act as Authorised Representative of creditors
in a class
14. (a) at Relevant Forms and (b) Details of
authorized representatives are available :
Notice is hereby given that the National Company Law Tribunal has ordered the
commencement of a corporate insolvency resolution process against M/s Bhoomi Ginning
Pressing Pvt. Ltd. on 4th April 2019.
The creditors of M/s Bhoomi Ginning Pressing Pvt. Ltd., are hereby called upon to submit a
proof of their claims on or before 19th April 2019 to the interim resolution professional at
the address mentioned against item 10.
The financial creditors shall submit their proof of claims by electronic means only. All other
creditors may submit the proof of claims in person, by post or by electronic means.
A financial creditor belonging to a class, as listed against the entry No.10, shall indicate its
choice of authorized representative from among the three insolvency professionals listed
against entry No.13 to act as authorized representative of the class in FORM CA.
Submission of false or misleading proofs of claim shall attract penalties.
Date : 8th April 2019
Place : Ahmedabad
indi
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Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq —PTI
flashback
On March 9, the agency to the NIA through his
had first summoned him counsel Aijaz Ahmad Dhar,
for questioning in the terror informing the agency that he
funding case. Later, Mirwaiz was willing to cooperate if he
had sent a detailed response is examined at Srinagar
nagar but said it would take ing deliberately harassed and
care of his security concern. an effort is being made to
It is unfortunate that they criminalise the leadership
did take into account other because of their political
concerns and are insisting stand.
on an investigation in Delhi. “Hurriyat is a coalition of
It was decided in the meeting political parties striving for
that they (all executive com- the peaceful resolution of the
mittee members) will accom- Kashmir issue and to associ-
pany Mirwaiz to New Delhi ate it with anything related to
for the investigation,” said a terror is ridiculous and delib-
Hurriyat Conference spokes- erate victimisation because
man. of our political ideology,”
It was agreed upon in the said the spokesman.
meeting that Mirwaiz was be- Full report on: www.dnaindia.com
‘Speed breaker Didi
has sleepless nights’
From p1
“The stage is a monument of
Didi’s destruction. What she
is doing is so child-like. How
can one think of winning by
doing such childish activi-
ties?”
He reiterated that while
the Central government had
replied to Pakistan’s terror
attack at Pulwama with an
air strike and successfully
tested the anti -satellite mis- PM Narendra Modi in Cooch Behar,
sile, Mamata was among the WB —PTI
first one to criticise and
shower canards. “She and took over from the CPM, but
her ‘milawat’ friends had a started its own policies for
problem with everything and growth and development, un-
kept on chanting ‘Modi like the TMC which had
hatao’, ‘Modi hatao’. He al- ousted the Left Front rule in
leged that Mamata had sup- Bengal. I cannot imagine
ported people who want to how she has been following
divide the country and make their footsteps in terms of
two Prime Ministers within hooliganism, high-handed-
the country — one in India ness, and corruption. Her
and another one in Kashmir. leaders were involved in chit-
Referring to the CPM rule fund scams.”
in Tripura he said, “The BJP Full report on: www.dnaindia.com
UP grand alliance
sounds poll bugle
From p1
On PM Modi’s “Sarab” (liquor) remark, SP
chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “It looks like
the people who talk about liquor are on a
heady trip of some kind. Our alliance is not
a toxic concoction but a force of change. It
is an alliance that will bring about a new
Prime Minister.” Following that, Mayawa-
ti said, “BJP will lose this election because
of policies inspired by hatred.. especially
their chowkidar campaign... no matter how
much the chhote, bade chowkidars try, the
BJP will not win,” she said.
 Full report on: www.dnaindia.com
tenders
Bhoomi Ginning Pressing Pvt. Ltd.
30th May 2006
Registrar of Companies, Ahmedabad & Notices
U17121GJ2006PTC048344
SURVEY NO. 323, JASDAN-ALKOT ROAD,
VIL-ATKOT, TAL-JASDAN, DIST-RAJKOT-360001.
4th April 2019
Order received on 5th April 2019
1st October 2019 (180th day from insolvency
commencement date, i.e., 4th April 2019)
Name - Vinod Tarachand Agrawal
Reg. No. -
IBBI/IPA-001/IP-P00641/2017-18/11090
Address - 204, Wall Street-1, Near Gujarat
College, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad - 380006.
Email - ca.vinod@gmail.com
Address - 204, Wall Street-1, Near Gujarat
College, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad - 380006.
Email - cirp.bhoomi@gmail.com
19th April 2019 (14th day from the date of
receipt of order, i.e., 5th April 2019
NA
NA
Weblink:
http://www.ibbi.gov.in/downloadform.html
Physical Address: not applicable
Vinod Tarachand Agrawal
(Interim Resolution Professional)

ball
ballet
lo k sabha elect i on 2 0 1 9
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It’s Modi vs Rahul in Delhi; poll
battle not among local leaders
NCR voters want to bring BJP back to power even though MPs have left them disappointed
Sakshi Chand and Advitya Bahl
file picture
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Elections in the
National Capital might turn
out to be interesting this time
as the voters want to bring
Narendra Modi-lead govern-
ment back to power even
though MPs in their constitu-
encies have left them disap-
pointed.
Surprisingly the battle is
not among the candidates in
the constituency, but people
term it as a Prime Minister
Modi vs Rahul Rahul battle
in which they want PM Modi
to be victorious.
Migrant voters matter
The National Capital holds
seven Lok Sabha seats in its
kitty, and the people allege
that their voices are unheard
and promises made by their
current leaders are yet to be
fulfilled. The main issues in
the last five years for the busi-
ness class have been the seal-
ing drive in the city and GST,
whereas for the middle and
the poor class has been the
unemployment, demonetisa-
tion and lack of development
work in their area.
Delhi is also home to the
maximum number of the mi-
grant population including
the labourers, students com-
ing from across the globe.
Even though people have
been majorly disappointed
with their MPs owing to lack
of visibility to poor facilities
provided to them their desire
to bring back PM Narendra
Modi is at its peak. Last elec-
tions around 65 per cent peo-
ple voted in the National
Capital.
Ground reality
The Sansad Adarsh Gram Yo-
jana scheme, under which
MPs adopted villages, failed
Give BJP a chance to BJP accuses Urmila of maligning Hinduism 104-year-old to cast
serve Odisha: Shah
BJP chief Amit Shah during a public meet at Bargarh, on Sunday 
Polosara: BJP president
Amit Shah on Sunday called
upon the electorate to give
“rest” to Odisha Chief Min-
ister Naveen Patnaik as he is
“tired” and “lacks the will”
to develop the state.
Shah was addressing a
rally here under Aska Lok
Sabha segment in Odisha’s
Ganjam district where poll-
ing is slated to be held on
April 18.
“There has been no devel-
opmental work during
Naveen Babu’s tenure in 19
years. He is tired. Therefore,
give BJP a chance to meet
the aspirations of the peo-
ple,” Shah said promising
that the BJP will take Odisha
on the path of development.
Alleging that the Odisha
is being run by the officers,
Shah said, “The next BJP
government will end ‘Babu-
dom’ in Odisha”.
He alleged that officers
call the shots in the Naveen
Patnaik government while
the elected MLAs and MPs
have no voice.
The BJP national presi-
dent also came down heavily
on the BJD government al-
leging that it failed to reach
the benefits of welfare
schemes, launched by the
Narendra Modi government
at the Centre, to the people
t
to do any good to the villages
in Delhi’s periphery.
These rural areas that
were promised civic and in-
fra development continue to
battle water, power, roads and
school woes. DNA carried out
a ground report and visited
various villages which were
adopted by various MPs.
Ramesh Kumar, a resident
of Bhati village which was
adopted by Ramesh Bidhuri
said, “Ever since the BJP
came to power we all had
placed hope on the party to
improve the living conditions
of the area. However, forget
about providing employment
opportunities, our village
does not even have any basic
healthcare facilities. Politi-
cians come to our area once
in five years and then van-
ish.”
When DNA visited the
Bhati village it came to fore
that the entire village does
not have proper school up to
class twelve. Villagers, how-
ever, are all in praise for their
her vote in Assam
—PTI
POLL BOUND
Assembly election in
Odisha is slated to be
held along with Lok
Sabha polls in four
phases, beginning April
11. The state has 147
assembly and 21 Lok
Sabha seat
of the state.
“The Modi government in
the last five years has allo-
cated Rs 5.56 lakh crore for
Odisha’s development. Did
the money reach the people
in their villages?” Shah
asked.
Assuring the people that
only the saffron party can
ensure better governance in
the state, the BJP leader ap-
pealed to the people not to
repeat the mistake of voting
the BJD again.
If the BJP comes to power
in Odisha, it will punish peo-
ple indulging in unlawful
activities, including those
involved in mining and chit-
fund scams, he said.
Assembly election in Odi-
sha is slated to be held along
with Lok Sabha polls in four
phases, beginning April 11.
The state has 147 assembly
and 21 Lok Sabha seats.
 — PTI
small fish
59
Registered but unrecognised
parties that have fielded
candidates for the 26 Lok
Sabha seats in Gujarat
To empower VP Singh, had urged him to implement Mandal report: Lalu Prasad writes in his memoir
How Delhi voted in 2014
Name No of polling Voters Voters turn
station out %
Chandni Chowk 1485 982275 67.87
North East Delhi 1744 1317974 67.32
East delhi 1634 1196731 65.41
New Delhi 1525 970169 65.11
North West Delhi 2053 1356404 61.81
West Delhi 1889 1348744 66.13
South Delhi 1680 1102849 62.92
Total 12010 8275146 65.10
Brahm Singh Tanwar who is
also a BJP leader and a for-
mer Delhi MLA.
Bijendri, a resident of
Bhati village who has a hand-
icapped son and has to take
care of two of her grandchil-
dren, said “Mostly girls in the
villages sit at home post class
five as the school in the vil-
lage is up to that class. The
MP had come to the school
once and promised that it
would be up to class twelve,
DNA Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: A Bhartiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) worker,
accusing Bollywood actor
and Congress’ Lok Sabha
candidate Urmila Matond-
kar of allegedly making
anti-Hindu remarks, sub-
mitted a written complaint
to the Powai police station
on Saturday night. The
worker has also sought ac-
tion against Congress
party president Rahul
Gandhi and a television
journalist.
In his complaint, BJP
spokesperson Suresh Na-
khua claimed that in a TV
interview, Matondkar
‘falsely’ stated, “Hinduism
is the most violent religion
in the world”. According
to Nakhua, it can “cause
disharmony among citi-
zens and malign the coun-
try at a global level”.
election ready Voting for 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in four phases in April
Maha: Ruling, oppn alliances in direct fight in first phase
Mumbai: The first phase of
Lok Sabha elections covering
seven constituencies in Maha-
rashtra will see a tough con-
test between the ruling BJP-
Shiv Sena and the opposition
Congress-NCP alliances.
The Congress is in a direct
fight with the BJP in four of
these constituencies and with
the Shiv Sena in two others.
Besides, the NCP is locked in
a battle with the BJP in one
seat. There are 116 candidates
in fray and over 1.30 crore vot-
ers are eligible to exercise
their franchise at 14,919 poll-
ing centres. Of the total vot-
ers, 66.71 lakh are men, 63.64
lakh women, and 181 belong to
the third gender category.
2,293
Total political parties in India,
as per the EC. Out of these,
only seven are recognised as
national parties
Electoral Bonds are all Tax paid and declared money.
Parties declare how many bonds they got. All white
money and better transparency. However, many well-
meaning persons have a problem for every solution
Arun Jaitley, Finance minister and BJP leader
Villages adopted
by the MPs
1 New Delhi MP Meenakshi
Lekhi: Qutub Garh and Pilanji
2 North-east Delhi MP Manoj
Tiwari: Kadipur and Chauhan
Patti
3 East Delhi MP Maheish
Girri: Chilla village.
4 West Delhi MP Parvesh
Verma: Jharoda Kalan
5 North West MP Udit Raj:
Jaunti
6 Chandni Chowk MP Dr
Harsh Vardhan: Dheerpur and
Singhola
7 South Delhi MP Ramesh
Bidhuri: Bhatti
but nothing has happened till
now,” she said.
Out of various villages
adopted by the MPs, the one
in New Delhi, Pilanji adopted
by Meenakshi Lekhi has seen
a little more amount of devel-
opment than the others, prob-
ably owing to the location of
the village.
Choudhary Raj Pal, the
Pradhan of the village stated
that Lekhi does come to the
village and some work has
Congress candidate Urmila Matondkar along with Sanjay Nirupam —AP
Reacting to the com-
plaint, Matondkar said,
“The complaint filed
against me is ex facie bo-
gus, baseless and filed with
ulterior motives. I have
been grossly misquoted by
the complainant who is a
BJP member with malafide
Picture for representation
Voting for 48 Lok Sabha
seats in the state will be held
in four phases on April 11, 18,
23 and 29. In the first phase,
200
Number of registered parties that
contest elections, mainly to get some
advantage out of polls. Rest, experts
say, are money-making machines
happened however issues
like a wedding hall, health
vans, foot-over-bridges, com-
munity toilets, police booth
need to be taken care of as
well. “There are many
schools in the area but we do
not have access to them. The
aim was to make it an urban
village but that is yet to be
achieved. Schools which have
occupied the land of the vil-
lage do not even give admis-
sion to lids from the village,”
said Choudhary.
Chilla village adopted by
East Delhi MP Maheish Girri
has overflowing drains with
garbage kept outside the
drain, poor sewer lines and
kids as young as 5 or 7 chew-
ing tobacco and roaming in
the lanes. When asked if they
go to school some said they
did while some have got their
names registered but have
never gone.
Kadipur village in Delhi
adopted by MP Manoj Tiwari
has seen development in the
face of it with free wifi but
lacks constant water supply,
garbage disposal and medical
facilities. For youngsters, the
wifi has been a boon. Better
medical facilities and cleanli-
ness is what the area awaits.
Similarly, Dheerpur vil-
lage which was adopted by Dr
Harsh Vardhan in Chandni
Chowk constituency has nar-
row lanes, wires hanging and
vehicles parked on the sides,
and it would take hours for
services to reach them in
case of any calamity.
Unresolved civic issues
In some villages in the Na-
tional Capital people have
either seen their MPs for lay-
ing foundation stones or dur-
ing functions or festivals.
Civics issues continue to
plague most of the seven vil-
lages which the DNA visited.
intentions. In my inter-
view, I had only objected to
the fake, divisive and vio-
lent ideology promoted by
the BJP in the name of Hin-
duism to misguide our peo-
ple and bring disrepute to
our great religion. Hindu-
ism is an epitome of peace,
Wardha, Ramtek, Nagpur,
Bhandara- Gondiya, Gadchi-
roli-Chimur, Chandrapur and
Yavatmal-Washim constituen-
LJP vows job
reservation in
private sector
The Lok Janshakti Party, an ally
of the BJP on Sunday promised
extending job reservation in private
sector, stern action against those
involved in cow vigilantism and
mob lynching. Releasing the party’s
manifesto for Lok Sabha elections,
LJP chief and Union Minister Ram
Vilas Paswan vowed stern action
against those found guilty of mob
lynching and hate speeches.
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019 I daily news & analysis
Mamata accuses Modi of
intimidating opposition
Arshad Ali
arshad.ali@dnaindia.net
Kolkata: Within two hours
of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s rally at Cooch Behar
in which he lambasted Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee,
Mamata hit back at Modi
from two back-to-back rallies
– one from Mainaguri in Jal-
paiguri district and the other
at Falakata in Alipurduar
district.
After Modi alleged that
Mamata was venting her an-
ger at the Election Commis-
sion (EC) over the removal of
senior IPS officers ahead of
the polls, she said, “You think
by replacing two police offic-
ers, you will win polls? All
officers are our officers.” She
also demanded that secretar-
ies at the PMO should be re-
moved as well.”Do you think
using investigating agencies
and other institutions to con-
duct raids will intimidate
people?” Mamata asked.
Retorting to Modi’s claim
that the TMC chief was
scared of him, Mamata said
it was actually Modi who was
afraid of her, and not the
other way round.”The more
you try to intimidate me, the
more will I roar,” she said, ad-
dressing two back-to-back
rallies.
She alleged that Modi had
come asking for votes in 2014
and 2016 with several assur-
ances but none of those were
kept. “In 2014 he said that he
was a ‘Chaiwala’, but now he
has turned into a ‘Jhoota
chowkidar’. He had said that
Rs 15 lakh will be deposited
in everyone’s accounts. Noth-
ing of that sort happened. He
said that every year there
will be two crore jobs but on
the contrary, after demoneti-
sation, two crore jobs were
lost. You keep on accusing of
our involvement in Saradha
scam, whereas you yourself
conduct meeting with the big-
gest accused in the Saradha
scam by your side,” she add-
ed.
inclusiveness and non-vio-
lence. I believe in Hinduism
which embraces benevo-
lent concepts of Wasudhaiv
Kutumbakam and Ahimsa
Paramodharma. This is the
Hinduism promoted by our
great forefathers and
Lokmanya Tilak, Gandhiji,
Vivekanand and Sardar Pa-
tel. I believe in, love and
respect Hinduism in this
sense and not in what BJP
wants to promote. Unfortu-
nately, today raising voice
against BJP ideology and
speaking the truth amounts
to committing a crime. I
have been victimised like
so many others in the last 5
years by BJP. I deplore this
aggressive and hostile poli-
cy of BJP.”
Meanwhile, DCP, Zone
10, Navinchandra Reddy
said, “We will be investi-
gating the matter, but no
FIR has been lodged so
far.”
ALL SET
In Nagpur, 2,065 polling
centres will be set up
where 21.6 lakh voters
would cast votes, while
the Bhandara-Gondiya
constituency will have
2,184 polling centres for
18.08 lakh voters.
cies will go to polls. In Nagpur,
Union minister and senior
BJP leader Nitin Gadkari and
Congress’ Nana Patole, who
quit the saffron party in 2017,
are pitted against each other.
Dalit and Muslim voters
are likely to play a crucial role
in Nagpur, which is the head-
quarters of the Rashtriya
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee held two back-to-back rallies on Sunday
Fully within rights to transfer officials
during elections: EC tells Mamata
New Delhi: The Election
Commission has rejected
allegations of West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee that it ordered
the transfer of four police
officers at the behest of the
ruling BJP at the Centre,
saying the decision was
based on “cumulative feed-
back” from one of its top
officials and the special
police observer.
The Commission also
told Banerjee that as per
election law, it is “fully
within its rights” to trans-
fer and appoint officers
during the model code.
It said it won’t respond
to the averment to prove its
image. Banerjee had on
Saturday written to the EC
alleging that the poll panel
Mamata threw a challenge
at Modi, daring him to try
and implement National Reg-
ister of Citizens (NRC) in
Bengal. She also alleged con-
spiracy behind the Pulwama
killings of jawan and said,
“‘Shena mere shena prem’
(You show sympathy to the
army after killing the army),
BJP shame shame.”
Assam: “To make democra-
PTI Photo
cy work, we must be a nation
of participants, not simply
observers. One who does not
vote has no right to complain.
This observation by Amer-
ican novelist Louis L’Amour
seems to come alive through
the likes of Lakhi Pal, a
104-year-old woman from As-
sam who is looking forward to
exercise her franchise in the
coming Lok Sabha elections.
Lakhi Pal’s family lives, in a
small house near the Morana-
hat Railway station in As-
sam’s Charaidev district, with
her son and daughter. Her son
is the sole breadwinner and
her daughter Madhu Pal looks
after her. The family is in
pretty bad condition economi-
cally. Despite old age infirmi-
ties, Lakhi says she is excited
to vote. “JaiBu (Will go),” says
Lakhi when her daughter
asks in a raised voice. Lakhi
is hard-of-hearing.
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),
say political observers.
In the other constituencies,
the Kunbi and Banjara com-
munities could be the decid-
ing factors, they say.
In Chandrapur, Union Min-
ister of State for Home Han-
sraj Ahir is seeking re-elec-
tion for the fourth time. The
BJP leader’s main rival is
Suresh Dhanorkar, who last
year quit the Shiv Sena and
joined the Congress.
In Wardha, the Congress
has fielded Charulata Tokas,
its women’s wing chief,
against sitting BJP MP Ram-
das Tadas while in Gadchiroli-
Chimur, BJP nominee Ashok
Nete’s main opponent is Nam-
05
was working at the behest
of the BJP.
Responding to Baner-
jee’s letter, the poll panel
said Saturday that “It is the
ECI and the governments
of states/UTs who are
jointly responsible to elec-
tors of the largest democ-
racy and are bound to act
strictly in the letter and
spirit of the respective
roles set forth by the found-
ing fathers of the Constitu-
tion.” The letter, written by
one of the deputy election
commissioners, and ad-
dressed to Banerjee, re-
ferred to Section 28A of the
Representation of the Peo-
ple Act to drive home the
point that EC can transfer
and post them during the
poll code period.  —PTI
Claiming that North Ben-
gal was neglected before the
TMC came to power, she said
the BJP comes like a cuckoo
bird in the spring only during
the elections.
She also accused the BJP
of allowing people who loot-
ed people’s money to flee the
country.
 With inputs from agencies
Sand sculpture to aware voters at
Puri beach, in Odisha on Sunday
“She (Lakhi Pal) says, I will
go to vote. She says this is a
way to respect the nation,”
her daughter Madhu ex-
plains. The family has been
promised by the administra-
tion that arrangements will
be made so that Lakhi can
cast her votes. Charaidev’s
deputy collector DK Sandike
met the family some days ago
and assured them of arrange-
ments made for them to cast
their votes.  —ANI
deo Usendi of the Congress.
Besides, senior Congress
leader Manikrao Thakre is in
fray from Yavatmal-Washim
where Shiv Sena’s sitting MP
Bhavna Gawli is seeking a
fourth term.In Ramtek, the
Congress has fielded Kishore
Gajbhiye against Sena’s sit-
ting MP Krupal Tumane. In
Bhandara-Gondiya, the NCP,
contrary to speculations of
fielding party heavyweight
Praful Patel, has nominated
Nana Panchbuddhe against
BJP’s Sunil Mendhe. The NCP
has replaced its sitting MP
Madhukar Kukde, who won
the last year’s bypoll after
Nana Patole resigned from the
seat and the BJP.  —PTI
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019
06  opini n
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia

daily news & analysis

Truth of wave-less elections
Beneficiaries don’t always vote for the party, as Manmohan Singh’s vast loan waiver plan showed

Hats in the ring

Less than a week
remains for first
phase of polling.
Parties have de-
Regional satraps are fancying chances in general polls clared candidates
for most of the

I
n political terms, Narendra Modi and the BJP enjoy a few seats. Congress has
distinct advantages over their rivals. For one, the BJP is the also announced its
only party that has one candidate for the top job. The maha- manifesto.
gathbandan or grand alliance, which is opposing it, has more Amitabh Tiwari Both BJP and
Congress have
than one. Days after BSP supremo Mayawati declared her some- sealed alliances and finalised seat ar-
what modest intentions of playing a key role in the formation rangements.
of the next government, Bengal chief minister Mamata Baner- While BJP has coined the slogan Modi
jee, has made her intentions clear. She told reporters in Kolka- hai to Mumkinhai and Main bhi Chowk-
ta that the Trinamool will play an important role in putting in idaar, Congress is banking on the NYAY
place an anti—BJP government in New Delhi. The two feisty scheme. In the process to retain power,
BJP faces many challenges.
women, both mass leaders in their own right, are putting forth Congress has released its manifesto
their names ahead of the crucial elections. The focus of their and is promising Rs 72,000 pa to 5 crore
attack is the same. India needs to be protected against the BJP poorest of poor families, besides filling
and only they have what it takes to stop the saffron juggernaut. up 22 lakh government jobs and increas-
While anyone can propose any name, including their own, the ing guaranteed employment under NRE-
fact is that democracy is a numbers’ game and roles will become GA from 100 to 150 days.
This has put pressure on BJP to re-
clear only once the numbers are known – in other words, when lease its manifesto and come up with
the cards are out. Happily for the BJP’s propaganda machine, concrete plans to negate some Congress
which is going in the overdrive about the personal ambitions promises.
of non-BJP leaders, these two are not the only political heavy- In the 2014 general elections, BJP had
weights who fancy their chances. There is Akhilesh Yadav in announced its manifesto on the day of
UP, TRS in Telangana and Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra first phase of polling. It can’t wait for that
long this time, as there has never been so Madhya Pradesh was the best performing state under PM Awas Yojana and Top 5 in Ujjwala — File photo
Pradesh, who consider themselves in the run. Add to it the odd much buzz about a poll manifesto in elec-
imponderable, who may emerge as the dark horse – remember tions in India. Awas Yojana and Top 5 in Ujjwala. Yet who won in the Modi wave), replacing
HD Devegowda and IK Gujral back in the 1990s – and come out The BJP needs to recreate the Modi Shivraj Singh Chouhan lost the elections. them won’t lead to big dissidence.
of the woodworks. BJP spin masters are impressing upon the magic of 2014 in 2019. BJP benefitted There has been an aspirational hike A candidate needs significantly high-
voters the need to put into place a stable government – read, one from a Presidential-style election in 2014 in India. The poor and downtrodden are er resources to contest a Lok Sabha seat
sans the uncertainties of coalition politics, which only Modi is where 27 per cent voters supported the not easily swayed by the schemes as compared to a Vidhan Sabha seat. So, un-
party, just because Modi was the prime they feel they have been deprived of less the rebel is lapped up by another
in a position to give. Frankly, it is a tactic that goes in favour ministerial candidate. these benefits for long and whatever the party, his/her chances of contesting as
of the BJP. The voter cannot be faulted for believing that with The opposition through strategic alli- government has doled out to them is independent are low.
so many claimants for the top job, instability looms large. At ances, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar their birth right. Another issue is that there is no wave
another level, the sentiments of other contenders can also be and Jharkhand, is trying to keep the elec- By just hoping that beneficiaries will in favour of the BJP, like in 2014. Also,
appreciated. Being at the sidelines of national politics, and with tions focused on local issues and on the vote for the party may not work; by this there is no wave against the BJP, like wit-
space at the top open for any fresh contender, there is no reason performance of MPs. logic no government would have ever nessed against the Congress in 2014.
It is hoping to exploit the anti-incum- lost. People voted out Manmohan Singh The party is trying to convert a wave-
why regional party heads should not legitimately believe that bency against MPs. Neither Congress nor in 2014 even after announcing one of the passing the blame of its failures on the less election into a wave in favour of
they are serious contenders. After all, let’s face it. While na- any other party has officially announced biggest farm loan waivers in India’s his- Congress central government. Modi, through campaigns like Modi hai
tional parties have got ample chances to run government in their prime ministerial candidate. tory and implementing path breaking This strategy has been efficiently used to Mumkinhai and Main bhiChowkidaar.
India, regional satraps have been left out of the sweepstakes. This is the same formula, which Con- schemes as NREGA. by Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and It is being helped by a hapless opposi-
Mamata, if she wins a substantial number of seats in her big gress used effectively in the 2018 state The Modi government is carrying out Gujarat BJP governments over the past tion, which has yet to come up with any
state, can legitimately aspire to lead the country. The last time elections of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattis- a media blitz, wherein newspapers are one-and-a-half decades. slogan/theme. The Pulwama attack and
garh and Rajasthan. flooded with advertisements, running In most state elections after 2014, the Surgical Strike 2.0 has been able to re-
a regional leader became a Prime Minister was well over two- The alliances in UP and Bihar are try- into many pages. BJP blamed opposition for not utilising verse the fortunes of BJP, according to
and-a-half decades ago; for them the feeling of being so near ing to convert the elections into a caste- The problem with newspaper ads is funds released by the Modi government opinion polls, also giving a boost to
and yet so far, would be overwhelming. There are strong indica- based affair, rather than focus on devel- not many people pay attention to it. Ad- and won many states. Now it’s not going Modi’s popularity.
tions that regional parties could do well in this election and opment, which trumped caste equations ditionally, majority of the target voters to be that easy. NDA-ruled states can’t The issue is catching up in BJP strong
cobble together an alliance. It would also fair to say that re- in 2014. of schemes/beneficiaries, the poor and blame the Centre and Modi can’t blame hold pockets, North, Centre and West.
gional satraps pose by far the most serious challenge to the BJP, BJP is targeting beneficiaries of vari- downtrodden, don’t read newspapers. states where BJP is in power for not ful- However, it will be a big challenge to keep
ous government schemes, especially Jan The BJP will need to rely on other me- filling his manifesto promises. up this momentum.
as compared to the Congress. There is another aside to this Dhan, Ujjwala, PM Awas Yojana, Ayush- diums like social media and WhatsApp The party needs to devise strategies to The Congress manifesto points on
equation. If there are more and more leaders who throw their man and Mudra, to coax them to vote for to disseminate information about its negate this triple anti-incumbency. It has amendment of AFSPA and repeal of sedi-
hats into the ring, it makes the contest less presidential. the party. achievements. denied tickets to 31 per cent sitting MPs, tion have given BJP an opportunity to
It claims to have touched the lives of The party today has most MPs, MLAs as per last count. keep the matter hot.
most households in India through one or and even councillors. It is ruling the By doing this, the party blames sitting To sum up, an election like 2019 is very

No last word
the other scheme. But beneficiaries don’t
necessarily translate into votes. We have
seen this in recent state elections. MP
was the best performing state under PM
Now, US says it has not taken stock of their F16s in Pak
highest number of states along with its MPs for non-performance and also hard difficult to predict. While BJP hopes for
allies. This leads to what call be called sells the fact that it is proactive and won’t an outcome like 1971, opposition hopes to
triple anti-incumbency. BJP state govern- tolerate such MPs. BJP hopes that since see a 1977 verdict.
ments, in the past, have benefitted by many MPs are lightweights (first timers Author is a political analyst

T
he case of the Pakistani F-16 is getting more and more curi-
ous. Days after the Pakistani military authorities got the
QUOTE HANGER slowburn
Americans to state that the Indian MIG-Bison that shot a
Pakistani F-16, was not actually the aircraft in mention, Indians
has done one better. Pentagon has denied that an American
Pragyan Prayas Ojha Sachin Tendulkar ‘AI robots may assist soldiers in future’
@pragyanojha @sachin_rt
S
cientists in the US are developing ar- quires soldiers to constantly switch
defence team had conducted a physical inspection of the F16s
that Pakistan has. Last week, Islamabad said in a statement that
What a spell from the Playing sports is an easy tificial intelligence (AI) systems that among these tasks, which means that
could help robots assist soldiers in the brain is also rapidly shifting among
an American defence team had taken stock of their F-16 inven- bowlers... it was #AlzarriJoseph and and cost effective way of staying the battlefield in future. For the re- the different brain regions needed for
tory in Pakistan and found out that all their aircraft was intact. today it is #KagisoRabada... why healthy and fit. What sport are you search, published in the journal Science these different tasks,” he said.
Advances, team looked at soldier brain
In the ensuing tension between the two countries, which had should batsmen have all the fun! picking to stay healthy?
led to IAF fighter Abhinandan Varthaman hitting a F-16 in his
MIG-Bison before bailing out and being captured in Pakistan,
#LetsPlayIndia #WorldHealthDay
activity during specific tasks for ways to
incorporate AI teaming to dynamically New rocket fuel safer
the point at stake is the make of the enemy fighter jet that was
Anand Mahindra complete tasks. According to Jean Vet-
tel, a senior neuroscientist at the Army than hypergolic fuels
@anandmahindra
A
shot by the IAF pilot. As ever, in the fog of war, clarity is a ma- Research Laboratory (ARL) in the US, research found that it is possible to
jor casualty. Pakistan claims that no F-16 was shot by the Indian I am in the habit of technologies that can predict states and develop rocket fuel that is cleaner
and what was actually hit was a Chinese aircraft, while India appreciating good work, no matter I am seeking votes in the behaviours of the individual soldier and safer than the commonly used
is sticking to its version that it was actually a F-16 that had been may help create a more optimised team. hypergolic fuels. The research revealed
hit. Part of the Pakistani reticence has to do with the end user
who does it, or under which backdrop of Sabarimala. My The work between ARL and the Univer- that the new fuel is still just as effective
agreement that they have with the US. As per the terms of the government or organisation. I believe Ayyan (lord Ayyappa), our Ayyan, sity at Buffalo is looking at ways the
dynamics and architecture of the hu-
as the hypergolic fuels. “This is a new,
cleaner approach to develop highly com-
agreement, Pakistan is not supposed to use F-16 except to coun- in positive thinking. if our Ayyan is an man brain may be coordinated to predict bustible fuels, that are not only signifi-
ter terror and fighting a war with India certainly does not con- such behaviors and consequently opti- cantly safer than those currently in use,
stitute an act of fighting terror. So who is speaking the truth? emotion for us, this mize team performance. “In military but they also respond or combust very
Gargi Rawat
There is another aside. The F16 is one of the US Air Force’s top
@GargiRawat
government will be operations, soldiers perform multiple
tasks at once. They’re analysing infor-
quickly, which is an essential quality in
rocket fuel,” said Tomislav Friscis, a co-
brands, sales of which go into trillions of dollars worldwide. It
Hema Malini’s campaigning given a befitting reply
mation from multiple sources, navigat- senior author. The new fuels use simple
would be a little ambitious to expect that the Americans will ing environments while simultaneously chemical ‘triggers’ to unlock the energy
easily concede that an old-fashioned MIG has shot down a is going to keep us all entertained it by the people of Kerala assessing threats, sharing situational of one of the hottest new materials, a
mighty F16. Its market repercussions would be huge, experts in seems. Though just what is happening — Suresh Gopi, awareness, and communicating with a class of porous solids known as metal-
the business state. One thing is for sure though; the last subject distributed team,” said Vettel. “This re- organic frameworks, or MOFs.
in this pic #elections NDA candidate, Thrissur
on the subject is yet to be told.
send your feedback to editor@dnaindia.net

Central Intelligence Agency eyes the world of footloose NGOs

The Central Intel-
ligence Agency
(CIA), vector of
the US foreign pol-
icy, whose essence
is global war-mon-
gering in the ser-
vice of neo-liberal
finance capital,
Sankar Ray now looks up to
the non-govern-
ment organisations to help its subver-
sion strategies.
The rationale is, to briefly encapsu-
late, firming up better management of
the ‘unknown’, meaning ‘the develop-
ment professionals’ who will be enticed
‘ to take a leaf from the intelligence
community book and draw inspiration
from how spies try to predict the fu-
ture’, aptly put in by Paul M Bisca of
the Brookings Institution.
The CIA is keen on using the NGOs
whose existence is threatened the
world over due to fast drying of inter-
national funding sources in ‘collection,
processing, integration, analysis, and
interpretation of available information
from closed and open sources.’
The CIA has a favourable situation
when the World Bank in a study, ‘Fra-
gility, Conflict & Violence (FCV),
perceives “a critical development chal-
lenge that threatens efforts to end ex-
treme poverty, affecting both low — and
middle-income countries. The share of
the extreme poor living in conflict-af-
fected situations is expected to rise to
nearly 50 per cent by 2030.
Conflicts also drive 80 per cent of all
humanitarian needs, while they reduce
gross domestic product growth by two
percentage points per year, on average.’
The CIA works obviously at cross-
purposes with the Bank that at least for-
mally (cynics say ostensibly) expresses
concern for and assists fragile econo-
mies. It is, judging by its history of
threatening democracies (especially
the ones that strive for radical social
and agrarian changes), will try to cash
in on the ‘fragility risks’ that afflict low
— and middle-income countries.
Small wonder, the CIA intelligence is
Former Chile President Salvador Allende
tentatively redefined as ‘knowledge and
foreknowledge of the world around
us—the prelude to decisions by
policymaker.’But it had never a sus-
tainable definition for intelligence.
Michael Warner discussed the con-
troversy on definition of intelligence
and counter-intelligence in the CIA
website. ‘We have no accepted defini-
tion of intelligence. The term is de-
fined anew by each author who address-
es it, and these definitions rarely refer
to one another or build off what has
been written before. Without a clear
idea of what intelligence is, how can we
develop a theory to explain how it
works?’, he wrote.
However, sleuths generally look up
to espionage as a function for eliciting
specific types of information, needed
for national security. The CIA subse-
quently collate and analyze the data/in-
formation, as desired by lawful authori-
ties for counterintelligence activities
and other policy-driven operations.
For CIA, intelligence, Warner per-
ceives, ‘is the official, secret collection
and processing of information on for-
eign countries to aid in formulating and
implementing foreign policy, and the
conduct of covert activities abroad to
facilitate the implementation of for-
eign policy’.
Bisca hyphenates himself from
sleuths with a covert contempt and
points out with a dissenting mood that
there are other definitions, which stress
that development practitioners who
work with the NGOs ‘are not spies, nor
should they aspire to be’.
If they are to retain the experience as
project managers and economists and to
‘behave like spies — the methods of
functioning under the CIA being bound
to be different – it “is bound to raise eye-
brows for professionals driven by the
quest for sustainability and equity’, the
Brookings scholar adds. He bluntly,but
truly states, ‘methodology of intelli-
gence is well-suited to paint in our minds
the interplay of actions, information,
and analysis needed to navigate the com-
plex, uncertain, and downright danger-
ous environments where extreme pover-
ty stubbornly persists. This approach is
not about acting like James Bond, but
rather about thinking like him.’
The powerful CIA operators will
thrive on politicians and warlords who
don’t hesitate to shift alliances abrupt-
ly and interfere militarily to prop up lo-
cal protégés.
With the fleeting geopolitics amidst
internal disputes over land, water, or
other scarce resources that incite and
ignite in-fighting between local popula-
tions, ‘even the most knowledgeable ex-
perts must look for new ways to com-
prehend the world.’ The CIA cannot af-
ford to sit idle in the changing situa-
tions and so is in search of innova-
tions. The NGOs are in its antenna. And
many NGOs are infested with fishy and
footloose elements that CIA bosses can
conveniently employ, even use ; throw,
if needed. Author is a thinker

Vol 12 n Issue No. 153 RNI: GUJENG/2007/22424. Printed and Published by Prashant Saxena 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: Deepak Lokhande 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
Rouhani asks Iraq
to demand US
troop withdrawal
Tehran: Iran’s supreme
leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei has called on
Iraq to demand US troops
leave “as soon as possi-
ble”, warning that Wash-
ington is plotting to re-
move the Iraqi govern-
ment. The remarks came
during a visit to Tehran
on Saturday by Iraqi
Prime Minister Adel Ab-
del Mahdi, whose coun-
try is under pressure
from the United States to
distance itself from Iran.
“You should take actions
to make sure the Ameri-
cans withdraw their
troops from Iraq as soon
as possible because wher-
ever they have had an en-
during presence, forcing
them out has become
problematic,” Khamenei
told Abdel Mahdi.
Ghosn to name
names as wife
flees Tokyo
Tokyo: Arrested former
Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn
is set to name the people
he believes are responsi-
ble for his downfall in Ja-
pan, his wife said in an
interview on Sunday as
she fled Tokyo out of fear
she could be detained.
Ghosn was re-arrested
last week in the Japanese
capital over fresh allega-
tions of financial miscon-
duct which will see him
held in custody until at
least April 14.
No independence
for Catalonia, says
Spanish PM
Madrid: There will be no
independence for Catalo-
nia, nor a referendum on
the question if the social-
ists are returned to power,
Spanish Prime Minister
Pedro Sanchez told sup-
porters Sunday. “No is
no,” Sanchez told a So-
cialist Party meeting at
Zaragoza, in the north-
east region of Aragon,
ahead of the April 28 leg-
islative elections.
Rwanda a family again, 25 Singapore’s ‘fake news’ laws upset tech giants
years after genocide: Prez
Kigali: President Paul Kag-
ame said Sunday that Rwan-
dans had become a family
again, 25 years after more than
800,000 people were slaugh-
tered in a genocide that
shocked the world.
Kagame lit a remembrance
flame at the Kigali Genocide
Memorial, where more than
250,000 victims are believed to
be buried, mainly from the mi-
nority Tutsi people, as the
country began its annual 100
days of mourning that coin-
cide with the length of the
slaughter. They are only some
of those killed by the genocidal
Hutu forces, members of the
old army and militia forces
called the “Interahamwe”, that
began their bloody campaign
of death on April 7, 1994, the
day after the assassination of
President Juvenal Habyari-
mana, a Hutu.
Some were shot; most were
beaten or hacked by machetes.
“In 1994, there was no hope,
only darkness. Today, light ra-
diates from this place ... How
did it happen? Rwanda became
a family once again,” Kagame
said. “The arms of our people,
intertwined, constitute the pil-
lars of our nation. We hold
each other up. Our bodies and
minds bear amputations and
scars, but none of us is alone.
Together, we have woven the
tattered threads of our unity
unprecedented freedom the communist nation clamps down on independent demonstrations
In possible first, Cuba allows march by animal activists
Havana: On Sunday morning
a group of animal-lovers were
to march a mile down one of
Havana’s main thoroughfares
waving placards calling for an
end to animal cruelty in Cuba.
Short, seemingly simple,
the march is to write a small
but significant line in the his-
tory of modern Cuba. The
socialist government is ex-
plicitly permitting a public
march unassociated with any
part of the all-encompassing
Communist state, a move that
participants and historians
call highly unusual and per-
haps unprecedented since the
first years of the revolution.
“It’s a historic event,” said
Beatriz Del Carmen Hidalgo-
Gato Batista, a 21-year public
Netanyahu vows to annex West
Bank settlements if re-elected
A large-scale annexation could end already fading hopes for a two-state solution with Palestinians
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanya-
hu has pledged to annex settle-
ments in the occupied West
Bank if he wins Tuesday’s
elections, a deeply controver-
sial move that could prove to
be the death knell for the two-
state solution.
His comments late Satur-
day, just days before the close-
ly-fought April 9 poll, could
be seen as an appeal to right-
wing voters who do not be-
lieve in the feasibility of a
peace agreement with the
Palestinians.
“I will apply (Israeli) sover-
eignty, but I don’t distinguish
between settlement blocs and
isolated settlements,” he said
in an interview with Channel
12 television.
He did not provide details
on how quickly he planned to
move ahead with it and wheth-
er it would involve all settle-
ments. If done on a large-scale,
annexation could end already
fading hopes for a two-state
solution with the Palestinians.
It is a move the Israeli far-
right has long pushed for.
Settlements built on land
occupied by Israel in the 1967
Six-Day War are deemed ille-
gal by the international com-
munity and their ongoing con-
struction is seen as a major
barrier to peace.
Senior Palestinian official
Saeb Erekat said Netanyahu’s
statement on annexation was
“not surprising.”
“Israel will continue to bra-
zenly violate international
law for as long as the interna-
tional community will con-
tinue to reward Israel with
impunity, particularly with
the Trump administration’s
support,” he said on Twitter.
In an interview broadcast Fri-
day, Netanyahu said he told US
President Donald Trump he
would not remove settlements
or people as part of a future
American peace plan. —AFP
(L-R) African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Paul
Kagame, Jeannette Kagame and European Commission President Jean-
Claude Juncker, light the flame of hope in Kigali on Sunday —Reuters
The fighting spirit
is alive in us.
What happened
here will never
happen again
Paul Kagame,
President of Rwanda
into a new tapestry,” he said.
Kagame was speaking at the
Kigali Convention Centre, a
dome-shaped auditorium in the
centre of the capital, a modern
building emblematic of the re-
generation of Rwanda. The
killings lasted until Kagame,
then 36, led the mainly Tutsi
Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)
into Kigali on July 4, ending
the slaughter and taking con-
communications student
who received the permit for
the march from the Plaza of
the Revolution borough of
Havana.
There is no indication
Cuba is moving toward unfet-
tered freedom of assembly:
The state still clamps down on
unapproved political speech
with swift and massive police
mobilisations, waves of ar-
rests and temporary deten-
tions. So a march by inde-
pendent civil society groups
seeking government action is
a remarkable sight in a coun-
try where, for nearly 60 years,
virtually every aspect of life
was part of a single chain of
command ending in a su-
preme leader named Castro.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a Likud election campaign poster depicting Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday —Reuters
Trump: Democrats would leave Israel out there
Las Vegas: President Donald
Trump warned on Saturday
that a Democratic victory in
2020 could “leave Israel out
there,” as he highlighted his
pro-Israel actions in an effort
to make the case for Jewish
voters to back his re-election.
Speaking at the annual
meeting of the Republican
Jewish Coalition, Trump
touted his precedent-shred-
ding actions to move the US
Embassy to Jerusalem from
Tel Aviv and recognition
last month of Israeli sover-
eignty over the disputed
Golan Heights. “We got you
something that you want-
ed,” Trump said of the em-
bassy move, adding, “Un-
like other presidents, I keep
my promises.”
trol of the devastated country.
Kagame, now 61 and who has
been in power ever since, led
the memorial to the dead.
Deep trauma
For many survivors, forgive-
ness remains difficult when
the bodies of their loved ones
have not been found and many
killers are still free.
A quarter of a century on,
the east African nation has
recovered economically, but
the trauma still casts a dark
shadow. Kagame has kept an
authoritarian hold as he
steers the small, landlocked
East African nation through
economic recovery. Growth in
2018 was a heady 7.2 per cent,
according to the African De-
velopment Bank (AfDB). —AFP
Grettel Montes de Oca Valdes, a professional dancer and founder of the
group Cubans in Defense of Animals in Havana, Cuba —AP
“It’s unprecedented,” said
Alberto Gonzalez, a co-organ-
iser of the march and pub-
lisher of The Ark, an online
Cuban animal-lovers maga-
The group, backed by
GOP megadonor Sheldon
Adelson, supported
Trump’s 2016 campaign and
is preparing to spend mil-
lions on his 2020 effort.
“I know that the Republi-
can Jewish Coalition will
help lead our party to an-
other historic victory,”
Trump said.
“We need more Republi-
cans. Let’s go, so we can win
everything.” Jewish voters
in the US have traditionally
sided heavily with Demo-
crats — and are often ideo-
logically liberal — but Re-
publicans are hoping to
narrow the gap next year, in
part as Trump cites actions
that he says demonstrate
support for Israel.
Singapore: Tech giants have
reacted with horror after Sin-
gapore proposed laws against
“fake news” allowing author-
ities to order the removal of
content and impose hefty
fines, in what critics say is an
assault on free speech.
The government unveiled
a bill last week containing
tough measures, including
powers for ministers to order
social media sites like Face-
book to put warnings next to
posts authorities believe to be
collateral damage
Runners pass along discarded cups at a refreshment point during the Vienna City Marathon in Vienna,
Austria on Sunday —Reuters
zine. “This is going to mark a
before and an after.”
Since shortly after its foun-
dation, the Cuban Communist
government has only permit-
Donald Trump during the meet in
Las Vegas —AFP
‘Made Golan Heights
decision after quick
history lesson’
Trump said he made the con-
troversial decision to recog-
false and in extreme cases
take them down.
If an action is deemed ma-
licious and damaging to Sin-
gapore’s interests, companies
could be hit with fines of up
to Sg$1 million ($740,000). In-
dividuals could face jail
terms of up to 10 years.
Authorities in the tightly-
controlled country -- long
criticised for restricting civil
liberties -- insist the meas-
ures are necessary to stop the
circulation of falsehoods
ted the existence of what it
calls “legitimate civil society”
— groups overseen, sponsored
and managed by the state and
Communist Party. Those
groups are fixtures in the mass
marches and gatherings organ-
ised by the state on public holi-
days. On the other end of the
spectrum are dissident groups,
often with close ties to anti-
Castro forces in Miami who
want to overthrow the socialist
government and reinstall a
capitalist system with close
ties to Washington. Their at-
tempts at street protests and
other forms of organising are
almost instantly quashed by
state security.
The animal-rights march
is part of a wider change in
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019 I daily news & analysis
Palestinians
denounce vow
Dead Sea: Israel’s leader
will face a “real problem”
if he follows through with
his election campaign
promise to annex Jewish
settlements in the Israeli-
occupied West Bank, the
Palestinian foreign minis-
ter said on Sunday. Riad
Malki said that PM Benja-
min Netanyahu’s pledge
was likely aimed at rally-
ing his nationalist base. In
addition, Turkey’s Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusog-
lu said that Netanyahu’s
“irresponsible” statements
won’t change the fact that
West Bank is Palestinian
territory and Israel’s occu-
pation violates interna-
tional law. —Agencies
nise Israel’s 1981 annexation
of the Golan Heights after
getting a quick history lesson
during a conversation on a
different subject. He made
the snap decision during a
discussion with his top Mid-
dle East peace advisers, in-
cluding the US ambassador
to Israel, David Friedman, &
son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“I said, ‘Fellows, do me a
favour. Give me a little histo-
ry, quick. Want to go fast. I got
a lot of things I’m working
on: China, North Korea. Give
me a quickie,” Trump said to
laughter from the crowd.
“‘How do you like the idea of
me recognising exactly what
we’re discussing?’” said
Trump, recounting the con-
versation. —Agencies
AFP
Parliament House in Singapore
which could sow divisions in
the multi-ethnic city-state.
But press freedom groups
condemned the proposals,
saying they could stifle on-
the relationship between the
Cuban state and independent
civil society — Cubans trying
to effect change in their soci-
ety while making clear to
everyone, particularly the
authorities, that they have no
interest in crossing the red
line known as “politics.”
In the year since Raul Cas-
tro handed the presidency to
longtime party technocrat
Miguel Diaz-Canel in April
2018, churches, civil society
groups and loose associations
of like-minded acquaintances
have been using the growing
availability of internet in
Cuba to organise for various
causes, and the state has been
ceding them a small degree of
freedom to operate. —AP
07
UK’s May concedes
Brexit deal won’t
pass ‘in near future’
London: British Prime Min-
ister Theresa May acknowl-
edged that the government’s
strategies to get her Brexit
deal approved in Parliament
failed, saying Saturday
there’s little prospect law-
makers will back the thrice-
rejected divorce agreement
“in the near future.”
With the UK once again
days away from a deadline for
leaving the European Union,
May pressured opposition
lawmakers to help her find a
compromise agreement in-
stead, saying voters “expect
their politicians to work to-
gether when the national in-
terest demands it.”
After May’s deal with the
EU out for a third time in the
House of Commons, the prime
minister invited the opposi-
tion Labour Party this week to
discuss alternatives. But three
days of talks ended with no
agreement and the left-of-cent-
er Labour accusing May’s
Conservative government of
not offering real change.
“I haven’t noticed any
great change in the govern-
ment’s position so far,” La-
bour leader Jeremy Corbyn
said Saturday. “I’m waiting to
see the red lines move.”
Labour favours a softer
form of Brexit than the gov-
ernment has advocated. The
party says Britain should re-
main closely bound to EU
trade rules and maintain the
bloc’s standards in areas
UK PM Theresa May near High Wycombe in Britain on Sunday —Reuters
skewed power
Critics say one of the
most worrying aspects of
the new legislation is that
it is up to authorities to
decide what is false and
what is not
line discussion, as did tech
companies which have big
investments in the ultra-mod-
ern city.
“As the most far-reaching
Dutchman finishes
world’s longest electric
car trip in Australia
Sydney: A Dutchman com-
pleted an epic 95,000 kilome-
tre journey by electric car in
Sydney Sunday in a bid to
prove the viability of such
vehicles in tackling climate
change.
Wiebe Wakker drove his
retrofitted station wagon
nicknamed “The Blue Ban-
dit” across 33 countries in
what he said was the world’s
longest-ever journey by elec-
tric car.
The trip from the Nether-
lands to Australia took just
over three years and was
funded by public donations
from around the world, in-
cluding electricity to charge
the Bandit, food and a place
to sleep.
Wakker drove across a va-
riety of countries and envi-
ronments including Turkey,
Iran, India, Myanmar, Malay-
sia and Indonesia, with the
route determined by the of-
fers he received on his web-
site.
Wiebe Wakker finishes his three-year electric car journey from the
Netherlands to Australia, in Sydney, Australia on Sunday —Reuters
I haven’t noticed
any great change
in the
government’s position so
far. I’m waiting to see
the red lines move
Jeremy Corbyn,
Labour Party leader
such as workers’ rights and
environmental protection.
Britain is due to leave the
EU on Friday unless May can
secure another delay from
the EU, which already agreed
to postpone the Brexit day
originally set for March 29.
May now is asking for Brit-
ain’s departure to be pushed
back until June 30, hoping to
reach a compromise with La-
bour and a deal through Par-
liament in a matter of weeks.
“The longer this takes, the
greater the risk of the UK
never leaving at all,” May
said in a statement.
But EU leaders favour a
longer delay to avoid another
round of cliff-edge prepara-
tions and politics. And they
say the UK needs to put for-
ward a concrete plan to end the
stalemate to get any further
postponement. An extension
requires unanimous approval
from the 27 remaining leaders,
some of whom are fed up with
Brexit uncertainty and reluc-
tant to prolong it further. —AP
legislation of its kind to date,
this level of overreach poses
significant risks to freedom
of expression and speech,”
said the Asia Internet Coali-
tion, an industry association
whose members include Fa-
cebook, Google and Twitter.
Simon Milner, Facebook’s
vice president of public poli-
cy in Asia-Pacific, said the
social media giant was con-
cerned about potentially be-
ing compelled to remove con-
tent. —AFP
cheaper than fuel
„„Wiebe Wakker said
before the car was
modified, it would have
used 6,785 litres of petrol
to complete the journey
„„The modified vehicle
can travel 200 km on
a single charge, with
Wakker saying he
spent just US$300 on
electricity, much of it
in the remote desert
Outback of Australia
“I wanted to change peo-
ple’s opinions and inspire
people to start driving elec-
tric by showing the advan-
tages of sustainable mobili-
ty,” Wakker said.
“If one man can drive to
the other side of the world in
an electric car, then EVs
(electric vehicles) should
definitely be viable for daily
use.” —AFP
08
Monday
April
2019

Ahmedabad
www.dnaindia.com

Sensex Week change Nifty FTSE 100 Nikkei 225

38862.23 189.32 p 11665.95 42.05 p 7401.94 167.61 p 21807.50 601.69 p
Gold 10 gram 31609.00 31.00q Silver kg 37560.00 315.00 p Brent Crude $/barrel 68.86 1.70 p

US $ 69.23 0.07 p EURO 77.65 0.07 p British pound 90.26 0.11p UAE dirham 18.85 0.04 q

news in numbers Rs 8,634 crore - Overseas investors have pumped into Indian capital markets in the first five trading sessions of April

Week Ahead Freight deal advances keep Railways’ finances on track

THE

Domestic
Earnings: Technology
majors TCS and Infosys will
kick off the earnings season for
March quarter and full fiscal
year on April 12
Delta Corp, Tata Metaliks,
Bajaj Consumer Care, Tinplate
Company, GTPL Hathway are
among other companies that
will announce their quarterly
earnings in the coming week
Elections: The first phase
of general elections will begin on
April 11. Voting for 91 seats will
be held in 20 states - Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh, Assam,
Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar,
Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra,
Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim,
Sindhu Bhattacharya
correspondent@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: National Ther-
mal Power Corporation
(NTPC) and Container Cor-
poration of India Ltd (Con-
cor) have agreed to shell out
about Rs 13,000 crore jointly
as advance freight payment
for the financial year 2019-20
to the Indian Railways for
carrying coal and contain-
ers, respectively.
Concor is a public sector
undertaking under the Min-
istry of Railways.
With this move, Indian
Railways aims to keep its
mounting operating ratio
(OR) in check. In 2017-18 too,
NTPC paid Rs 5,000 crore in
advance for 2018-19 for trans-
porting coal.
Coal accounts for almost
50 paise of every rupee
earned by Indian Railways
from freight and NTPC ac-
counts for almost a fifth of
the total coal loaded each
year.
A look at Railways’s oper-
ating ratio since the NDA
government took over shows
why advance payments for
freight are critical for its fi-
nances.
Operating ratio shows
how much Railways spends
to earn each rupee. The high-
er the OR, the worse the fi-
nancial position.
Comparative performance
of Freight Traffic
In millions Apr-Feb Apr-Feb %
2017-18 2018-19 chg
Tonnes 1,049.39 1,103.53 5.16
Originating Advance Scheme’, which of-
Rs crore Apr-Feb Apr-Feb %
2017-18 2018-19 chg
Earnings 101,887 112,683 10.60
(Incl. NTPC)
In three of the five years
of the NDA government, this
ratio was over 95%. Accord-
ing to the 22nd report of the
Standing Committee on Rail-
ways, the OR was 96.5% in
2016-17 and 98.4% in 2017-18.
For 2018-19, it has already
been revised upwards from
the Budget Estimate (BE) of
92.8% to 96.2%. For some of
the UPA years, this ratio was
much lower: 90.2% in 2012-13,
93.6% in 2013-14 and 91.3% in
2014-15.
So the Rs 13,000 crore ad-
vance will likely keep the OR
manageable.
Indian Railways officials get tariff certainty as they traffic earnings were Rs
say more such tie-ups with will be insulated from annu- 1,96,714 crore as against Rs
other freight customers al tariff hikes. 2,00,840 crore in the BE.
could be in the offing since An Indian Railways offi- For four successive years
Railways has now formulat- cial told DNA Money that since 2015-16, Railways has
ed a policy called the ‘Freight this IS “win-win’’ for both fallen short of its BE earn-
the parties. It helps the Rail- ings target, as per the re-
fers tariff certainty to big ways avoid high-cost market port from the Standing
freight customers who borrowings while helping Committee.
pledge a large sum of money the customers gain tariff A senior Railway Board
in advance. stability. official had said earlier that
The policy specifies that For several years in a row, earnings from both freight
customers who had mini- Railways has had trouble in and passengers have seen
mum annual freight revenue achieving its annual earn- “healthy” growth in 2018-19
of Rs 500 in the previous cal- ings target. In the Interim but declined to comment on
endar year can participate in Budget for 2019-20, it revised the mismatch between BE
the scheme. This way, Rail- gross traffic receipts target and RE targets as well the
ways will get much-needed for 2018-19 down by over Rs operating ratio.
cash ahead of schedule 4,000 crore or by about Rs Indian Railways earns al-
through such advances and 11.3 crore each day. In the re- most 65 paise of every rupee
the freight customers will vised estimates (RE), gross through freight.

Shortfall in personal levy

Tripura, Uttar Pradesh,

SBI Caps, Kotak Mah

West Bengal, Chhattisgarh,
Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and
Andaman & Nicobar

Macro data: Industrial

hits direct tax collection to find buyers for Jet

production data for February
and CPI Inflation for March will
be released on April 12 after the
market hours

04
Thursday
Manju AB manju.ab@dnaindia.net April
04
First in dna NIKK
money
Thursday
April

2019

Personal income tax mop-up at Rs 4.67 L cr against Rs 5.29 L cr target

2019

Overseas
MUMBAI
www.dnaindia.com

SENSEX
38877.12 179.53 
NIFTY
11643.95 69.25 
FTSE 100
7391.12 73.74 
NIKKEI 225
21713.21 207.90  EI 225
MUMBAI 207.90 
DNA
7391.12 Money
FTSE 100
reported2171 on3.21April 4 that Jet
GOLD 10 gram 31474.00 6.00 SILVER kg 37215.00 120.00  BRENT CRUDE $/barrel 69.24 0.25 

m
Mumbai: Merchant bankers EX
US $ 68.43 0.32  EURO 76.95 0.06  BRITISH POUND 90.02 0.36  UAE DIRHAM 18.67 0.09 

www.dnaindia.co
NEWS IN NUMBERS
73.74  $32.38 billion — Exports expected in March, the highest ever in any month, commerce minister Suresh Prabhu said

NIFT Y
69.25  0.25 
missed signing the resolution after SC
Share pricing as per Sebi formula will be expensive for airline’s lenders
IL&FS arm may lose 90% $/barrel 69.24
SENS 11643.95
MONEYEDIT
BRENT CRUD E
SBI Caps and Kotak Mahin- 38877.12 179.Jet 53 Air
 misses resolution 0.09  of `19K cr gross bad loans 
Will banks

US: FOMC minutes, inflation

 18.6 7 37215 .00 120.00
follow RBI’s
date, may fly towards NCLT DIRH AM SILVE R kg
minister Suresh
rate cut?
UAE
struck
D 90.0 2 down the RBI circular
Ateeq Shaikh collect Rs 697 crore from
LOSING SHIRT

6.00 
ateeq.shaikh@dnaindia.net those assets. We have also

0.36  31474 .00

month, commerce
 IFIN has external been able to get Rs 235

M
ost economists and Mumbai: IL&FS Financial crore from the recovery

GOLD 10 gram
exposure of Rs 10,656
bankers believe that Manju AB Services Ltd (IFIN) has a process,” said Sivaraman.

Anjul Tomar
crore; exposure to

dra Capital have been ap- BRIT ISH POUN

Reserve Bank of In- manju.ab@dnaindia.net gross non-performing as- IL&FS Group and its Showing confidence in
JET AIRWAYS

highest ever in any

dia’s (RBI) Monetary Poli- sets (GNPA) of around various entities is Rs improving the numbers, the
FLIGHT TO

for March to be released on

cy Committee (MPC) Mumbai: Bank-led resolu-  Shareholding 90%, possibly a record for senior executive said they

0.06 
NOWHERE 6,849 crore
would announce a rate cut tion for the full-service do- as on Dec 31, 2018 companies in its financial are not saying that this 90%

11.4 EURO 76.9 5

of 25 basis points today. mestic airline Jet Airways  Naresh Kumar bracket.  IFIN’s other current is to be forgotten.

the


,
The retail inflation is hov- will be the first casualty of Goyal “One of the things that assets are Rs 1,300 “The recovery efforts

cr
rch
 51.0%

Ma
ering around the comfort- the Supreme Court’s sweep- would have struck many of cr, making the total are on. There are enough

d in
able zone set by the cen- ing order quashing the Re-  you is that a company exposure Rs 18,805 cr opportunities to make sure


  ETIHAD Airways

0.32
orts expecte
tral bank. Though it rose serve Bank of India (RBI) 24.0% which reported GNPA of that we are able to recover.

3
to a four-month high of circular of February 12. Shares debt of banks was to be about 5% in March 2018 We will use the legal pro-

US $ 68.4
 Mutual Funds

Exp
2.57% in February, it re- The signing of the agree- converted into (has such a high GNPA lat- cess to recover in the form

fact files
3.55%

—
anjul.tomar@dnaindia.net pointed to scout for prospec- ion
mains lower than RBI’s ment to convert debt into er). I have heard double- of Insolvency and Bank-

1,500 cr
 FIIs 3.19%

bill
l
expectations. 11.4 crore shares at Re 1 was  digit GNPA, but 90% GNPA, ruptcy Code (IBC), one-

Net collection (2018-19) Target (2018-19) S $32.38

`

April 10
It has now come to light scheduled on Wednesday I am sure all of you would time settlement, even crim-

IL&FS arm may

 Insurance

WS IN NUMBER
that the MPC at its rate re-
view held during the Feb-
ruary 5-7 meeting consid-
ered a much bigger repo
rate cut than the 25 bps re-
(April 3, 2019). But now with
the court cancelling the cir-
cular, bankers are unable to
convert the debt into equity
or take over the shares of
Bankers had agreed to pump in Jet
through a bond issuance
sub-10% – Goyal’s
Companies say, it is unusual by any inal process, etc; multiple
2.14% standards that is the chal- ways of making the client
281.05  Public & Others lenge which we have to or borrower to come to the
Jan 1, 19 JET AIRWAYS (INDIA) 16.12% face,” said Uday Kotak, non- table. We can’t predict the
Share price on BSE in ` executive chairman, IL&FS, timeline over here. It’s go-

tive buyers for the belea- NE

duction (one bps is one- Naresh Goyal at Re 1. on Wednesday. Uday Kotak ing to be time consuming
hundredth of a percentage) Bankers are waiting for stake in Jet was slated Six months ago, on Octo- and long drawn process,”
that RBI eventually an- some clarity on the plan to be brought down to 251.10 ber 3, Uday Kotak-led man- Sivaraman said.

ine’s lenders
nounced. Ravindra Dhola- from both the government Apr 4, 19 agement took charge of ing the total exposure Rs At the group level, the
kia, part of the six-member and RBI. IL&FS group. 18,805 crore. total outstanding debt (fund
MPC, believed there exist- Lenders were getting stat- Updating on the last six As of March 2018, the based as well as non-fund

Rs lakh crore be expensive for airl

Jet defers March salaries
ed space for a substantial utory and regulatory per- us. We would be violating the months’ performance on gross bad loans were

13.6% Growth in direct tax

based) currently stands at
rate cut of about 50 to 60 missions when the SC order Supreme court order. With the resolution and recov- around 5.3%, which jumped Rs 99,354 crore.
bps as the central bank’s came on Tuesday and over- the RBI circular cancelled, ery processes undertaken to around 61.8% in Septem- Of this, Rs 48,470 crore is

b
headline inflation reported turned their plans. Now the we will be unable to convert by the management, N Si- ber 2018. fund-based debt in four

s
the sharpest correction. On airline may head to NCLT, the debt into equity, so the Shahkar Abidi interest. Jet has over 16,000 varaman, chief operating This further increased

Sebi formula will

holding companies, namely,

os
solution
the flip side, there are pal- where it will be auctioned majority shareholding in the a_shahakar@dnaindia.net employees on its payrolls. officer, said, “Group enti- to about 90% in December IL&FS, IFIN, IL&FS Energy

Euro Area: ECB to decide on gr

pable signs of stress and off or Etihad would need to airline continues to rest The lenders to the cash- ty’s recovery will be sub- 2018. Development Co Ltd (IED-

of `19K cr

strain in economic activi- come up with an offer. with Naresh Goyal,” said an- Mumbai: Jet Airways has strapped carrier had recently ject to the resolution pro- “As far as enforcement CL) and IL&FS Transporta-

New Delhi: A shortfall in guered domestic airline Jet per

ties and the growth de- “The situation is very other banker, who is part of now deferred the payment approved immediate funding cess and what kind of val- with the third parties is tion Networks Ltd (ITNL).

ing as
served a push. fluid now. Now the only hope the lenders’ consortium. of March salary to its em- of Rs 1,500 crore. uation are we able to real- concerned, the recovery Kotak also expressed

Jet Air misses reards NCLT

pric
What is now important seems to be Etihad buying “In the absence of the RBI ployees. Earlier, only The airline’s manage- ise and get the money process is on. But I still concern about the net

Total direct 11.38 Sha re

to see if banks will allow out Goyal’s shares. Heading circular the pricing of the the top management, ment said the employees back.” fear that we are staring at worth of the entities and
the rate cut transmission for NCLT will only delay the share will now have to fol- pilots and engineers will be updated on April 9. IFIN has an external ex- around 90% gross NPA, businesses of the group.

collection over last year

to customers to take place. process and ground the air- low the Securities and Ex- were affected due to the “In light of the current situ- posure of Rs 10,656 crore, which means that these “It would be reasonable
RBI’s rate cut in February lines,” said a banker change Board of India (Sebi) salary delays. ation, please note that sala- while the exposure to are difficult credits. We to assume that there is
had met with a lukewarm “We have not signed the pricing formula, based on Jet’s pilots have threat- ries for March 2019 will be IL&FS Group and its vari- have lent money, but they significant erosion in net
response from the banks, agreement. The signing was the six month average price, ened to go on strike from deferred,” Jet chief people ous entities is Rs 6,849 have defaulted on their worth, and in many cases

interest rate on April 10

reeling under the high cost scheduled for today, but now which will turn out to be April 15 if their salaries, that officer Rahul Taneja said in a crore. normal servicing. There’s there could be signifi-
of deposits. While the li- we cannot go ahead as the very expensive for banks,” have been pending since Jan- communication to the staff IFIN’s other current as- a portion of the credit, cantly negative net

the personal income tax col- Airways. Lenders are going MONEYEDIT
quidity conditions in the Supreme court can question the banker said. Turn to p2 uary, are not paid along with on Wednesday. Turn to p2 sets are Rs 1,300 crore, mak- which we have been able to worth,” he said.
market are vital in deter-

tax revenue
mining the extent of trans-
mission, the bad debt pile-
Canada’s Roadis, ADB slashes
Reliance buys AI-based chatbot NCLT: Govt

12.00
up has also nudged many
India’s growth retains power
LOSING SHIRT
banks to build in a margin

NIIF team up to firm Haptik in `700 crore deal

over their lending rates.

INSIDE
forecast to 7.2% to direct RBI

date, may fly tow

gaps
build $2 bn roads Ateeq Shaikh
New Delhi: Asian Develop- DNA Money Correspondent The start-up’s AI-based New Delhi: The Supreme

20.1% Target growth in direct tax

MARKETS

lection resulted in the union to pursue a resolution in 180 Will banks

ment Bank (ADB) has low- correspondent@dnaindia.net chatbot enables consumers Court’s order quashing Re-

ia.net
ateeq.shaikh@dnaind
ered India’s growth forecast

al
As poll fever rises, Kotak to interact with virtual serve bank of India’s (RBI)

 IFIN has extern 6

softens bearish call P2 for 2019-20 to 7.2% from 7.6% New Delhi: Mukesh Amba- agents and organisations February 12 circular will
DNA Money Correspondent estimated earlier due to mod- ni-promoted Reliance Jio through text and voice. For give the government discre-
correspondent@dnaindia.net eration in global demand Digital Services has ac- enterprises, Haptik’s solu- tionary power to issue a di-
COMPANIES
10,65
and likely shortfall in reve- quired 87% stake in artificial tions help in dealing with rection to the apex bank for

China: Data on inflation, exposure of Rs

Raymonds enters into real


Mumbai: Canada’s highway nue on the domestic front. intelligence (AI) start-up customer service and feed- referring a defaulting com-

S Financial
estate business P3 concessions manager Roadis For the just concluded fis- Haptik for a consideration of back, user engagement as pany to the National Com-

ow RBI’s
galore
and National Investment and cal (2018-19) also, ADB has Rs 230 crore. well as lead generation. pany Law Tribunal (NCLT)

Mumbai: IL&F crore; exposure its

to
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) cut the growth estimate to The transaction size, in- The team at Haptik will on case by case basis in pub-

days as earlier planned but foll

START-UP INC

(IFIN) has a
have partnered to create a 7% from 7.3% projected in cluding investment for continue to drive growth of lic interest, official sources

government closing the fi-

Big idea, bigger cheque P4 vehicle for investing $2 bil- December last year. growth and expansion, is es- the business, including the said.

mop-up in 2018-19
Services Ltd
lion (over Rs 13,800 crore) in “Growth slowed from 7.2% timated at about Rs 700 crore, INTELLIGENCE CALL enterprise platform as well The Supreme Court on
India’s road sector, the big- in fiscal 2017 to 7% in 2018, including Rs 230 crore as the as digital consumer assis- Tuesday quashed the RBI
and
ming as- IL&FS Group
gest such platform in the with weaker agricultural out- consideration for the initial  Reliance Jio Digital tants. It will also give a boost circular of last year that per-

gross non-perfor around

country. put and consumption growth business transfer for AI- will hold around 87% of to Haptik’s existing enter- tains to the provisions for

rate cut?
s is Rs
ST SMART The vehicle will make eq- curtailed by higher global oil based chatbot firm Haptik, the business prise-grade business, with referring the defaulter to the

vehicle sales for March to be

various entitie
uity investments in toll oper- prices and lower government the company said in a state- the company continuing to NCLT even on a one-day
PAVING THE  The rest will be held
ate transfer (TOT) projects expenditure. ment on Wednesday. build innovative AI solu- overdue. However, the SC

of
HIGHWAY
Will have to bring by Haptik founders and

A)
being brought out by Nation- “Growth is expected to re- On a fully diluted basis, tions for corporates globally, had upheld the constitution-

(GNP
employees

sets
al Highways Authority of bound to 7.2% in 2019 and Reliance Jio Digital will hold the statement said. al validity of Section 35AA

1,892 km
JET AIRWAYS 6,849 crore
new rules: Kant
a record for
India (NHAI) and also look at 7.3% in 2020 as policy rates around 87% of the business, Akash Ambani, director, of the Banking Regulation

Personal Income
acquiring concessions from are cut and farmers receive with rest being held by Reliance Jio, said, “This stra- Act, which empowers the

nancial year with the direct will await Reserve Bank of

90%, possibly
The government and Re- the existing road developers. Highways managed by Roadis income support, bolstering Haptik founders and employ- and expansion of the plat- tegic investment underlines Centre to act, either directly
serve Bank of India (RBI) José Antonio Labarra, across the globe domestic demand,” ADB ees through stock option form, with an addressable our commitment to further or by directing RBI to take

its financial current

4.67
will have to bring in a new chief executive officer, Road- said in its Asian Develop- grants. market opportunity of over boost the digital ecosystem action against defaulters.

and710 km Shareholding companies in  IFIN’s other

set of regulations to en- is, said in a statement, “This ment Outlook (ADO) 2019 This transaction enables 1 billion users in India, the and provide Indian users Section 35AA empowers

M
ost economists that
sure that borrowers repay agreement, which aligns released on Wednesday. Reliance Jio to leverage statement said. conversational AI-enabled the central government to

released on April 11; Balance

Manju AB
their debt on time follow- with our growth strategy, Roads the Canadian company This growth will reverse Haptik’s capabilities across In April 2016, Haptik had devices with multi-lingual authorise the RBI to issue

6.78 crore Tax returns filed in

as on Dec 31, 2018 1,300
assets are Rs
ing the Supreme Court strengthens our long-term manages in India two years of the declining various devices and touch- raised capital from Times capabilities. We believe voice directions to any banking

e  et bracket.
striking down an earlier commitment to India. NIIF is trend as reforms to improve points in the consumer’s Internet, which will exit the interactivity will be the pri- company or banking compa-

bankers believ manju.ab@dnaindia.n FLIGHT TO

rule of the monetary au- a partner that perfectly fits the investment climate take journey. The investment business as a part of this mary mode of interaction nies to initiate insolvency

Tax (Plus securities

things that
thority, Niti Aayog chief our profile given its commit- vestment opportunities. The effect, the ADO said. —PTI focus is on enhancement transaction. for Digital India.” Turn to p2 resolution process. —PTI

total
of In- “One of the cr, making the
executive Amitabh Kant ment to infrastructure invest- road network is a key ena-

tax mop-up at Rs 11.38 lakh India (RBI)’s revised frame-

 Naresh Kumar
said on Wednesday. With ment and the robust govern- bler for the Indian economy

Reserve Bank Poli- NOWHERE of 5 cr

Supreme Court striking
LENDING HELP RBI expected to cut repo rate 25 bps today, according to economists
ance standards it follows.” to grow and sustain its posi-

- have struck manyany exposure Rs 18,80

down (the February 12, Roadis is a wholly-owned tion as the fastest growing

Bank-led resolu
5.29
Goyal
2018 RBI circular on NPAs) subsidiary of the Public Sec- major economy in the world,

Inflation down, but

Mone tary
high rates pinch
as ultra vires, the issue

firms
tor Pension Investment

bai:
and this provides significant

would

of trade data for March to be

(RBI)
needs to be relooked by Board, one of Canada’s larg- upside potential for invest-

dia’s (MPC)
both the RBI and govern-
Mum 
est pension funds. With a

ervice do-
ments while creating value

51.0% a comp
transaction tax) last fiscal
you is that
ment to arrive at a new presence in six countries, for users.”

cy Committee rate cut tion for the full-s Airways ted GNPA of
regulation that will ensure Roadis manages 1,892 kilo- Earlier this year, NHAI

.4 cr 

that financial discipline metres of highways in ten had scrapped the bids re- Manoj Kumar India’s general election. the costs for farmers. World Bank data shows for Monitoring Indian Econ-

11
which repor
from borrowers should concessions, including 710 ceived for the second round It is also an immediate The facts are simple. In- that real interest rates in In- omy.

e Jet
crore as compared to the tar- work on stressed assets.
nce a  ETIHAD Airways
continue, he said. km in India alone. The other of TOT package in which New Delhi: Indian business- problem for the monetary dia’s retail inflation rate has dia went up to 6.2% in 2017 RBI is expected to cut the

would annou mestic airlin March 2018

countries include Mexico, Singapore-based Cube High- es are getting squeezed. As policy committee of the Re- dropped to below 3% from from 2.5% in 2012, while real repo rate by 25 basis points


‘Won’t intervene

s today. casualty of about 5% in

Brazil, Portugal and Spain. It ways was the highest bidder, economic growth slows and serve Bank of India (RBI), as more than 10% in 2013. In the rates fell in many other (bps) to 6% this week, a Reu-

24.0%
in matters of Jet’ also holds stake America’s but its bid was 14% short of inflation sinks they have lit- it decides whether to cut its same six-year period, bank Asian countries, including ters poll of economists

of 25 basis point is hov- will be the first t’s sweep-

Wind Energy Transmission the Rs 5,362 crore reserve tle ability to raise prices official benchmark interest borrowing costs for manu- China. showed. There is also con-

GNPA lat-
Civil aviation minister

out on April 12
Suresh Prabhu on Texas, a transmission line. price set by NHAI. without losing sales, and yet rate, and by how much, at a facturers and retailers have India’s economy lost mo- cern among government and

(has such a high

Wednesday ruled out any Anchored by the Indian Cube Highways, IRB In- they are getting almost no meeting on Thursday. declined only marginally by mentum in the October-De- central bank officials that

ion Cour
government, NIIF is a fund frastructure Developers and relief from borrowing costs “Had the borrowing costs about one percent from over cember quarter, reducing

the Supreme
commercial banks are not

Mutual Funds
The retail inflat comfort-
interference in efforts to
help cash-strapped Jet manager with a focus on in- Adani Group-Prakash As-

Re-
with lending rates remain- declined by 3-4 percentage 13%, business leaders say.


the annual rate of growth to passing through the RBI’s

doubl e-
er). I have heard GNPA,
frastructure and related sec- phaltings & Toll Highways ing high. points along with inflation, That means real interest 6.6%, the slowest pace in five repo rate cuts to borrowers.

ing the
Airways, saying that the
tors. NIIF creates invest-

3.55%
government should not be India Ltd had submitted The result: profit margins we would have made invest- rates have gone up in quarters. India’s dominant state-

get of Rs 12 lakh crore for

the

The central bank’s new ering around ing order quash

seen to be doing any kind ment platforms for interna- their bids of Rs 4,612 crore, get crushed. And that helps ments and created thou- last five years. Many New investment pro- owned banks are saddled
tional and Indian investors Rs 3,675 crore and Rs 2,718 to explain why companies sands of new jobs,” said Su- economists, includ- posals declined to 14- with massive bad debt and

was to be 90%
of deals to help an airline.

digit GNPA, but

5.43 crore Actual returns filed
by the cen- of India (RBI)
with a mandate to invest crore, respectively, for the are not confident enough to darshan Sareen, president ing Ravinder year low of $138.72 weak deposit growth, re-

Shares debt of banks

Against the backdrop of
equity capital in domestic second package. The bids significantly boost capital of the All India Manufactur- Dholoakia, a mem- billion in 2018-19, stricting their ability to lend.

able zone set

lenders set to take control

serve Bank  FIIs 3.19%

infrastructure. were invited in August 2018. spending or hire at a robust ers Organisation. ber of the RBI’s falling for the fourth “Interest rates will re-

of you would
of Jet Airways under a
NIIF managing director The maiden TOT package pace. Indian manufacturers pay MPC, have said straight year, ac- main elevated in India as the

ary 12. I am sure all

debt resolution plan, he

gh it rose
and chief executive officer bagged by the joint venture The rise in India’ real in- 12-14% bank lending rates that real rates in cording to data col- gap between deposits and

converted into
said banks are direct

tral bank. Thou high of circular of Febru the agree-

Sujoy Bose said, “The Indian of Macquarie and Ashoka terest rates - the comparison annually, he said, the highest India are too high. lected by the Cent- lending is widening due to

ual by any
stakeholders and are
dealing with commercial road sector has attracted sig- Buildcon had received a between the inflation rate among the emerging market India is also suf- e r falling saving rates in the

say, it is unus the chal-

nificant global capital over ‘bumper response’ and the and the rate people pay to economies. The government fering in comparison economy,” said Devindra
e
matters of the airline

of  Insurancies
The signing

the last two decades and will quote was 54% higher than borrow - will be a major pays a subsidy of 3-4 percent- to international Pant, chief economist at In-

to a four-month

0 cr partner
where the ministry would

2018-19. framework is expected to framework to resolve `1,50bad Etihad may cough

not like to intervene. continue to offer large in- the base price. headache for whoever wins age points to banks to lower rivals. Shaktikanta Das dia Ratings. —Reuters

rt debt into is
ary, it re- standards that
Compan

Corporate 6.71 by the people

2.57% in Febru
mains lower
expectations.
than RBI’s ment to conve at Re 1 was
11.4 crore
scheduled on
share s
Wednesday
2.14%
 Public & Others
lenge which
face,” said Uday
we have to
Kotak, non-
281.05 man, IL&FS,
The direct tax includes come in a few days time. debt of Rs 2,000 crore and up the money and increase
to pump in Jet Uday
to light But now with 16.12% executive chair
Income tax It has now come (April 3, 2019). Bankers had agreed AIRWAYS (INDIA)

6.71 rate re- lling the cir- issuanc e 1, 19 JET esday .

at its the court cance through a bond Jan in ` on Wedn
that the MPC are unable to Share price on BSE on Octo-
g the Feb- Six months ago,

3 crore More people to get tax

view held durin consid- cular, bankers into equity -led man- exposu
personal income tax and cor- Bankers have postponed above. DNA Money sub- ruary 5-7 meeti
ered a much
rate cut than
ng
had
bigger repo re-slated its shareholding.
10% – Goyal’s
stake in Jet was n to
the 25 bps re-
conve rt the debt
or take over
Naresh Goya
the share
l at Re 1.
251.10 s of
Post the Apr 4, 19
ber 3, Uday Kotak
agement
IL&FS group
took
.
charg e of ing the total
18,805 crore
As of Marc
.
h 20
the last six

poration tax. exemption in 2019-20 the date of inviting bids for ported in its April 4 toedition be brought dow
loans

resolution plan, Etihad’s

bps is one- waiting for Updating on gross bad
Bankers are

ST smart
duction (one on the plan rman ce on which
a percentage) some clarity mont hs’ perfo around 5.3%,
hundredth of and recov -
that RBI event
ually an-
from both the
gover nment
lar
March sahave fallen to ies the resol ution n to aroun
d 61.8% in S

Annual Growth Rate of Union Taxes (%) t deferswould

Dhola- sses undertake
While the corporate tax potential buyers to April 10 that the airline had missed Je stake
Ravin dra ery proce Si- ber 2018.
nounced. and RBI. gement, N in
six-member Lenders were
getting stat- be violating the by the mana This further
kia, part of the atory per-
us. We would
order. With operating in De
MPC, believed
there exist-
utory and regul SC order Supreme court cancelled, varaman, chief to about 90%
has over 16,000 “Gro up enti-
a substantial
collection stood at Rs 6.71
office r, said,
after resolutions for the re- signing the resolution after 12% with lenders being ma-
the lar interest. Jet 2018.
ed space for missions when the RBI circu its payrolls. will be sub-
50 to 60 ay and over- e to convert employees on ty’s recovery “As far as enfo
rate cut of about bank’s came on Tuesd we will be unabl Shahkar Abidi to the cash- ution pro-
plans. Now the into equity, so
the .net ject to the resol the third p
2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 (BE) 2018-19(RE) 2019-20 (BE) a_shahakar@dnaindia The lenders
al
bps as the centr reported turned their to NCLT , the debt g in the r had recen tly what kind of val- with the
holdin cess and rned,

lakh crore, personal income vival is yet to get the neces- the Supreme Court had
strapped carrie
jority shareholders.
ion head majority share conce
headline inflat airline may diate funding able to real-

‘Creditors’ rights
ction. On be auctioned nues to rest Airways has uation are we proce ss is on. s
B
the sharpest corre are pal- where it will airline conti Mumbai: Jet approved imme crore. the mone y
would need to l,” said an- the payment 1,500 ise and get fear that we
are
the flip side, there off or Etihad with Naresh Goya is part of now defer red of Rs

Taxes on Income and Expenditure 6.7 14.6 17.8 15.0 20.1 15.0 y to its em- manage- d 90% gro
stress and an offer. banker, who of March salar The airline’s back.” nal ex- aroun
tax took a beating last year. sary regulatory approval. struck down the RBI circular. pable signs of
“There is a lot of interest
come up with is very other employees th
mic activi- “The situation the lenders’ conso of the RBI
rtium.
ployees. Earli
er, only ment said the IFIN has an exter crore, which mean s
strain in econo April 9. diffic ult cr
and the growth de- now. Now the only hope “In the absen ce
the top mana gement, will be updated on posur e of Rs 10,656 to are
ties fluid g pricing of the engineers current situ- exposure y
Etihad buyin circular the pilots and “In light of the while the have lent mone

Corporation Tax 5.7 7.0 17.8 8.7 17.5 13.3

seems to be
The I-T department collected Bankers expect the bidding “The value of the airline is from investors. But everyone
served a push.

not disturbed’
s. Heading now have to
fol- due to the note that sala- and its vari-
What is now
important
out Goyal’s share delay the share will were affected ation, please IL&FS Group have defau lted
will allow will only Secur ities and Ex- delay s. for Marc h 2019 will be ous entiti es is Rs 6,849 norm al servicin
to see if banks mission for NCLT low the salar y ries
ground the air- of India (Sebi) have threat- chief people a porti on of
t
the rate cut trans place. process and change Board Jet’s pilots deferred,” Jet crore.
current as-
Rs 4.67 lakh crore against the process to be completed in its brand and the goodwill it will undertake due diligence
a
banker la, based on strike from Taneja said in IFIN’s other which we have
b

Taxes on Income other than Corporation Tax 8.5 21.5 19.8 26.9 26.9 17.2 to customers
to take lines,” said a d the pricing formu price, ened to go on es, that officer Rahul the staff crore, mak-
Febru ary signe h avera ge their salari tion to are Rs 1,300
RBI’s rate cut
in “We have not the six mont April 15 if communica sets
a lukewarm signing was out to be ng since Jan- . Turn to p2

at
which will turn have been pendi along with on Wednesday

e buys AI-baased ch
had met with agreement. The

The Supreme Court’s target of Rs 5.29 lakh crore in three weeks after the Expres- carries. In the National Com- which will take time. That is
the banks, today, but now for banks,” paid
response from high cost scheduled for very expensive Turn to p2 uary, are not
ahead as the
Taxes on Property and Capital Transactions -0.6 8.9 30.1 -7.9 -7.9 16.4 reeling under
of deposits.
the
While the li-
we cannot go
Supreme court
hes Relianc
can question
the banker said.

ADB slaswe
judgement on the Re- personal income tax. This sions of Interest (EOI) are pany Law Tribunal (NCLT),diits, why quidity condi

’s
tions in the

R
market are vital of trans-
oa
in deter- think Etihad is 00
ik in `7 cr or e de
Source: Annual Financial Statements, Union Budget, BE: Budget estimates, RE: Revised estimates nada We need good
Cavalue. ia’s gro wth
firm Hapt
t
mining the exten
Ind
serve Bank of India included Rs 11,000 crore on received. In the meantime, cannot get any forecastbet because they don’t
debt pile-
mission, the bad ed many
to 7.2% The start-up

(RBI) circular does not account of securities trans- banks have started provid- to find an investor NIIF outside team upthe
up has also nudg margin
banks to build
over their lendin
in a
to have
g rates.
to undertake due dili- New Delhi:
Asian Develop-
DNA Money Corres dia.net
correspondent@dnain
pondent
chatbot enabl
to interact
agents and
es
w
o

roads gence,” said a banker.

) has low- through text
an
ment Bank (ADBth forecast

$2 bn pro-
Amba -

build
Muke sh s, H
INSIDE ered India’s grow from 7.6% New Delh
i: enter prise
disturb the rights of action tax. rect tax collection target for returns were only 5.43 crore. tions in similar proportion,” ing emergency funding to Tribunal. MARKETS
The bidding for 2019-2 0 to 7.2%
r due to mod-
ni-pro
estimated earlie l demand Digital Servi in artificial
mote d Reliance
ces has ac-
Jio
tions help
customer serv
in

Kotak eration in globa in reve- quired 87%

stake back, user en
creditors to insolvency “The entire shortfall of Rs the past year was revised at This is mainly due to many pointed out the official. the airline to keep it afloat. cess will take three weeks and As poll fever rises, P2
softens bearish
call
“If the verdict was a day
DNA Money Corres dia.net
correspondent@dnain
pondent and likely short
nue on the dome
fall
stic front.
intelligence
uded fis- Hapti crore.
(AI) start-up
k for a considerat
ion of well as lead ge
The team a
continue to dr
For the just concl Rs 230
proceedings and would 62,000 crore is on account of Rs 12 lakh crore, up from the taxpayers filing their re- A taxpayer is a person Once the plan is approved, we COM hope to implement the later, we would have got the CALL
in-
PANIES Mumbai: Cana ger Roadis
da’s highw ay
cal (2018-19)
also, ADB
estimate to
has
The trans action size,
tment for
the business,
nds enters into real s mana the grow th ng inves enter prise pl
Raymo concession cut cted in cludi and expansion, is es-
estate business
P3
and National
Investment and INTELLIGENCE 7% from 7.3% proje growth , as digital co

bring in behavioural personal income tax. It is budget estimate of Rs 11.5 turns twice, mostly to make who has either filed I-T re- the banks will infuse Rs 1,500 resolution by June 30, that is approvals. The issue is about
) Rs 700 crore
Fund (NIIF year.
December last d from 7.2% timated at about crore as the tants. It will a
Infrastructure to create a Digital
have partnered ting $2 bil- “Growth slowe including Rs
230  Reliance Jio to Haptik’s
START-UP INC
l d 87% of
to 7% in 2018, for the initia will hold aroun prise-grade
vehicle for inves crore) in in fiscal 2017 consideration
fer for AI-
changes, making credi- harder to get people to pay lakh crore which represent- corrections. turn or in whose favour tax crore through a non-convert- within 180 days,” said a sen- converting 11.4 lakh shares at
ltural out- the business
Big idea, bigger
cheque P4 lion (over Rs
13,800 with weaker agricu n growth business transfirm Haptik, the compan
sector, the big- put and consu
mptio based chatbot be held build innov
India’s road in the r global oil said in a state-  The rest will
platfo rm iled by highe comp any ers and tions for cor
gest such curta nment the by Haptik found
tors more responsible for taxes than to make them file ed a growth target of 15%. ible debenture (NCD) issue.
.

According to the govern- has been deducted at source. ior banker ST SMART
of the consortium. Re 1. The price was decided
country.
The vehicle will toll oper-
uity investmen
ts in
make eq-
PAVIN
HIGHWAY
G THE
prices and lower gover
expenditure.
“Growth is expec ted to re-
ment on Wednesday
On a fully dilutewill hold
Reliance Jio Digita l
d basis , emplo yees the stateme
Akash A
Reliance Jio
(TOT) projects in 2019 and of the business,
their actions and inac- returns,” said a senior offi- The higher revised target ment, the taxpayers’ base The number of people un- The resolution proposal After Naresh Goyal, the by the circular which is now
tegic invest
trans fer boun d to 7.2% aroun d 87%
ate
out by Nation- as policy rates held by sion of the plat- i
being brought 7.3% in 2020 with rest being employ- and expan e our comm
Will have to bring 92 km of e ssabl

oft the airline, 1,8

Authority rs receiv ers and , with an addre the d
al Highways look at are cut and farmebolstering Haptik found option form oppor tunity of over boost
stock

tions, said M S Sahoo,

rt,

cial in the finance ministry. was seen as unrealistic by has gone up exponentially in der the taxable category is missed the necessary legal founder and
also

nullified,” said the banker.

I) and income suppo ees throu gh mark et and provi
India (NHA in India, the
new rules: Kan
ssions from ed by Roadis nd,” ADB
acquiring conce developers. Highways manag domestic dema Develop- grants. 1 billion users conversati
n enables
the existing road Labarra, across the globe said in its Asian ) 2019 This transactio age statem
ent said.
k had devic
es w
Re- (ADO to lever 2016, Hapti
t and io ment Outlook esday. Relia nce Jio s capabilitie
chairperson of Insolven- The direct tax collection many in the government. the past four years with the expected to further decrease and regulatory approvals by his wife Anita were forced 71to Even after the SC verdict,
The governmen José Anton In April

0 km
India (RBI) officer, Road- ilities across al from Time
serve Bank of chief executive released on Wedn Haptik’s capab and touch- raised capit will exit the
interactiv
in a new ent, “This will reverse es Inter net, which
will have to bring to en- is, said in a statem This growth various devic of this mary
mo
which align
s an company the declining point s in the
consu mer’s ess as a part
two years of for Digita
cy and Bankruptcy
agreement,
showed a growth of 13.6% As many as 6.78 crore tax number of return filers al- as anyone earning up to Rs 5 a whisker, as it did on the day resign from the airline’s
Roads the Canadi
the bankers had put up a brave
set of regulations repay th strategy, ms to improve tmen t busin
wers
with our grow long-term manages in India trend as refor ey. The inves ent transaction.
sure that borro take journ
debt on time follow- gthen s our the inves tment climate focus is on enha ncem
their stren is said. —PTI
to India. NIIF
25 bps today
me Court commitment effect, the ADO
Board of India (IBBI). over last year as against the returns were filed during most doubling in a short lakh will not have to pay in- Supreme Court quashed the Board last month, decks front saying that the resolu-
ing the Supre r ctly fits es. The
cut repo rate
an earlie perfe tuniti
striking down a partner that its commit- vestment oppor a key ena-
tary au- ected to rk is
rule of the mone chief
LP RBI exp
our profile given - road netwo

tion is on course and that EOIshigh rat

my
LENDING HE
tructure invest the Indian econo
thority, Niti Aayog Kant ment to infras n- bler for
“In view of this judge- target of 20.1% for 2018-19. In the last year. However, the time. “This has, however, not come tax during the current controversial February 12 were cleared for a new inves-
wn,6.but
robust gover in its posi-
executive Amita . With
bh
ment and the to grow and susta t growing
it follows.”

tionbydo
esday ance standards the fastes
said on Wedn ed tion as in the world,

be fla
striking a wholly-own

will In
me Court Roadi s is major econo my

ment, a bank-creditor the Interim Budget, the di- number of people who filed resulted in higher tax collec- financial year 2019-20. circular that mandated a tor. There are talks that its called April
Supre des significant
ary 12, the Public Sec-
down (the Febru on NPAs) subsidiary of tmen t and this provi inves t-
ar Inves tial for Wor
2018 RBI circul issue tor Pension upside poten farmers.
the Canada’s larg- creating value the costs for that re
as ultra vires, Board, one of a ments while al election. simple. In-

now needs to ask itself

ed by funds. With for users.” India’s gener The facts are dia we
needs to be relookgovern- est pension year, NHAI immediate ion rate has
and six countries, Earlier this Manoj Kumar It is also an dia’s retail inflat 3% from from 2
both the RBI presence in kilo- bids re- the monetary
ment to arrive
at a new
Roadis mana
ges 1,892
had scrapped
the problem for dropped to below2013. In the rates
ensure ays in ten second round Indian business- ittee of the Re- 10% in
when it should initiate

Baring to acquire 30% stake in NIIT Tech

that will s of highw d for the New Delhi : policy comm more than Asian
regulation metre ceive
g squee zed. As India (RBI), as period, bank
including 710 ge in which

GST: Service
same six-year

Indiabulls AMC to buy

discipline concessions, of TOT packa Cube High- es are gettin serve Bank of China
that financial . The other th slows and er to cut its for manu-
from borrowers
should
km in India alone Mexico, Singapore-b
ased economic grow it decides wheth borrowing costs ers have Ind
highest bidde
r, they have lit- mark interest and retail

the proceeding and justi-

de inflation sinks official bench
continue, he said. countries inclu ways was the a facturers marginally by
ment
and Spain. It 14% short of raise prices how much, at declined only
Brazil, Portugal America’s but its bid was tle ability to rate, and by from over
cemb
‘Won’t intervene crore reserve sales, and yet .
also holds stake smission the Rs 5,362 without losing ng on Thursday costs about one percent the a
of Jet’ almo st no meeti wing leade rs say.
in matters . g “Had the borro ess

fy itself why it is initiat-

Tran price set by NHAI IRB In- they are gettin wing costs 13%, busin
Wind Energ y on line. ays, 3-4 percentage s real interest
6.6%
ter , a trans missi Cube Highw relief from borro declin ed by That mean quar
minis with inflation,
Civil aviation Texas the Indian Developers and rates remain- have gone up
in

cos can opt for

u on Anchored by frastructure with lending points along invest- rates
Suresh Prabh NIIF is a fund p-Prakash As- would have made thou- last five years.
Many
gover nment,
ing or not initiating the
out any Adani Grou ing high. margins we
Wednesday ruled a focus on in- Toll Highways The result: profit
created economists, inclu
d-

three commercial assets

efforts to manager with related sec- phaltings & ments and
interference in Ltd had subm
itted And that helps jobs,” said Su- Ravinder
ed Jet frastructure
and get crushed. sands of new ing
help cash-strapp invest- India Rs 4,612 crore
, companies n, president a mem-
g that the NIIF creates their bids of to explain why enough to darshan Saree Manufactur- Dholoakia,
proceeding in case of a Airwa ys, sayin tors. inter na- and Rs 2,718 dent RBI’s
for are not confi of the All India ber of the
government shoul kind
d not be ment platforms investors Rs 3,675 crore boost capital
n ctively, for the significantly ers Organisatio
n.
MPC, have
said
seen to be doing airline.
any tional and India to invest crore, respe at a robust facturers pay
ate ge. The bids spending or hire Indian manu real rates in
with a mand second packa rates that

NIIT TECHNOLOGIES
composition
New Delhi: Funds affiliated
an

default. This will bring held by members of families of deals to help rop of al in domestic in August 2018. bank lending high.
India are too

digital bet
equity capit were invited pace. ’ real in- 12-14% the highest
Against the backd control package
The rise in India arison annually, he said, India is also
suf-
take infrastructure. The maiden TOT venture et
lenders set to a mana ging director d by the joint rates - the comp amon g the emerging mark fering in comparison
under NIIF bagge terest t
of Jet Airways
in behavioural changes with Baring Private Equity of NIIT founders Rajendra
tive officer and Ashoka inflation rate gover nmen
economies. The 3-4 percent- to inter natio
nal
plan, he and chief execu of Macquarie between the
Share price on BSE in ` people pay to
debt resolution “The Indian ed a of
direct Sujoy Bose said, con had receiv the and the rate pays a subsidy rivals.
said banks are ted sig- Build be a major s to lower
1425 has attrac respo nse’ and w - will point s to bank
and are road sector ‘bumper borro age

Ateeq Shaikh
stakeholders whoever wins
among the creditors, Dual Advantage Commer- Asia (BPEA) will buy about
higher than
Pawar and Vijay Thadani.
l capital over headache for
commercial nificant globa quote was 54%

by April 30
dealing with es and will
„„Funds affiliated with matters of the
airline
try would
the last two decad large in- the base price.
continue to
offer

making them more re- ateeq.shaikh@dnaindia.net cial Asset Fund that focuses 30% stake in mid-sized IT 1349.50 Vijay Thadani, vice chair-
where the minis
not like to interv
ene.

1300 BPEA will buy about

sponsible for their ac-
tions and inactions,” he
said. IBBI is a key insti-
tution in the implemen-
tation of the Code. Ac-
cording to Sahoo, the
pressure of non-per-
forming assets has light-
ened due to behavioural
change among debtors
and creditors that has
been due to the Code.
Bring ATF under
GST: Prabhu
Aviation turbine fuel
(ATF) should be brought
under the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) re-
gime as it will ensure a
level playing field for the
domestic airline indus-
try, civil aviation minis-
ter Suresh Prabhu said.
Mumbai: Indiabulls Asset
Management Company
(AMC) is looking to acquire
three commercial properties
in as many Tier-1 cities in
India and at least one of
these deals is likely to
close soon, said a source
close to the development.
Pune, Chennai and
Bengaluru are the cities
where the company is evalu-
ating mid-range commercial
real estate assets.
Once the acquisition is
finalised, this would be the
third such deal by the com-
pany under its Indiabulls
distress call
only on commercial assets
in Tier-1 cities to get a regu-
lar rental income and capi-
tal appreciation as returns
on investment.
This is their fourth fund
in the realty space, but first
such fund in the commer-
cial segment. “The com-
pany continues to ac-
quire commercial real
estate assets of a smaller
scale in the range of Rs 200
crore to Rs 500 crore,” said
an executive.
Through this fund, Indi-
abulls AMC is looking to cre-
ate a portfolio of Rs 2,000
crore of commercial spaces.
Monetisation of assets to bring in Rs 5K cr annually, salaries are pulling BSNL down, he says
services firm NIIT Technolo-
gies from NIIT Ltd and other
promoter entities for about
Rs 2,627 crore, as per a regu-
latory filing.
The deal will also trigger
an open offer under which
BPEA will make an offer to
the public shareholders of
NIIT Technologies for pur-
chasing up to 26% additional
shareholding -- taking the
total deal value to up to Rs
4,890 crore.
In a late night filing to
BSE on Saturday, NIIT Tech-
nologies said, funds affiliat-
ed with Baring Private Eq-
uity Asia (BPEA) have
1175
1050
925
882.05
800
Apr 2, 18 Apr 5, 19
signed definitive agreements
to buy about 18.85 million
shares of the company (ap-
proximately 30% sharehold-
ing) from NIIT Ltd and other
promoter entities at a price
of Rs 1,394 per share.
“The aggregate consider-
18.85 million shares at a man and managing director
price of Rs 1,394/share at NIIT Ltd, said BPEA’s as-
sociation will support the New Delhi: The tax depart-
„„The deal will also existing management team ment has given service pro-
trigger an open offer in capturing the opportuni- viders with a turnover of up
ties in an increasingly digi- to Rs 50 lakh time till April
„„This will take the total tal world. 30 to opt for the composition
deal value to up to Rs In another development, scheme and pay 6% Goods
4,890 crore
NIIT Technologies said it will and Services Tax (GST).
acquire Hyderabad-based The option to pay GST at
WHISHWORKS IT Consult- a reduced rate of 6% would
ation for the purchase of ing, a move that will strength- be effective from the begin-
shares from promoter enti- en the former’s digital capa- ning of the financial year or
ties is estimated to be ap- bilities. It also signed a de- from the date of obtaining
proximately Rs 2,627 crore,” finitive agreement for selling new registration during the
it added. its entire 88.99% stake in Esri financial year.
This includes about 14.4 India Technologies Ltd to En- Service providers opting
million shares of NIIT Ltd vironmental Systems Re- for the composition scheme
and about 4.3 million shares search Institute, Inc. —PTI can charge a lower tax rate
of 6% from customers, as
against the higher rates of 12
and 18% for most services
under GST.
In a circular, the Central

BSNL can manage its expsenses till June: CMD

He said input costs
should be competitive
for any sector and the
ministry has been of the
strong view that the fuel
should be brought under
the GST regime. Differ-
ent rates of taxes in
states push up the price
of ATF, he said. “Each
state has a different tax.
Due to this, the refuel-
ling cost completely
changes. We feel that it
should be done. I hope
the GST Council takes a
call on that and we are
pursuing this with the
council continuously. We
will work on it that avia-
tion fuel should also be
brought under GST for
predictability and for
level playing field.”
Mansi Taneja
mansi.taneja@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: Ailing state-run
telecom player BSNL expects
Rs 5,000 crore revenues an-
nually from the planned as-
set monetisation of its land
and buildings and does not
see any problem in manag-
ing the expenditure till June.
The asset sale is part of
the revival plan being consid-
ered by the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT).
“Under BSNL’s revival
plan, the government is con-
sidering allotment of 4G
spectrum to BSNL and offer-
ing a lucrative VRS which
will be given to the willing
employees. Laying off em-
ployees is not at all under
consideration,” BSNL chair-
man and managing director
Anupam Shrivastava told
DNA Money.
The asset monetisation is
also being considered active-
ly by the government, he
said. According to BSNL’s
own estimates, once real es-
tate monetisation plan is
given a green signal, it will
bring in a minimum of Rs
5,000 crore revenues, he said.
BSNL, which has a huge
employee base of 1.76 lakh,
was unable to pay salaries
for February on time. Its
private-sector rivals, on the
other hand, have around
20,000-25,000 people on each
of their payrolls.
“The worst is behind us.
The silver lining is that the
decline in revenues has
stopped; it has started look-
The worst is behind us. The silver lining
is that the decline in revenues has
stopped... Only Reliance Jio and BSNL
have been adding users and increasing their
market share. The focus is back on revival
—Anupam Shrivastava
ing towards North. Only Reli-
ance Jio and BSNL have been
adding users and increasing
their market share. We are
seeing positive signs. The fo-
cus is back on the revival of
BSNL through various meas-
ures,” Shrivastava said.
According to a report by
the Telecom Regulatory
Board of Indirect Taxes and
Customs (CBIC) said suppli-
ers who want to opt for com-
position scheme would have
to file Form GST CMP-02 by
Authority of India (Trai), the 7.2 lakh new landline connec- selecting ‘Any other supplier
market share of BSNL has tions were provided in last eligible for composition levy’
increased from 9.44 % in fiscal with 80,000 in March latest by April 30, 2019.
March 2018 to 9.76% January itself. Also, around 90,000 Businesses which apply
2019. Between December and new broadband connections for new registration may
March, the company has were also given by BSNL last avail the said benefit in
achieved two million monthly month, according to num- Form GST REG-01 at the
average gross connections. Its bers from BSNL. time of filing application for
total new gross connections DoT has already asked registration.
were 2.1 crore in the last Trai for its views on allot- AMRG & Associates part-
financial year. ment of 4G spectrum to ner Rajat Mohan said, “Nu-
It also leased out BSNL without auction. merous service providers
about 13,500 towers If employee expenses are tried to file this intimation
till date to other op- rationalised by various opting composition scheme
erators, which mechanisms including VRS recently but were denied due
brought in additional and support by the govern- to a legal embargo. Now with
revenue of about Rs ment, we will be a dividend this clarification, GSTN
676 crore last fis- paying company, Shrivasta- would start accepting the in-
cal. Around va said. timations soon”. -PTI
 c mpanies
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
In brief
Coal import rises
8% in Apr-Feb
India’s coal import
increased by 7.8% to
212.11 million tonnes in
the April-February
period of FY19, a report
said. This comes at a
time when the
government is looking
at relaxing the timeline
for the 1 billion tonne
coal production target it
had set earlier for Coal
India (CIL), which
accounts for over 80%
of the domestic coal
output.
PFS, USICEF team
up for solar biz
Infrastructure finance
company PFS has joined
hands with the US-India
Clean Energy Finance
(USICEF) to leverage
funds for solar projects
in India. It is an
innovative facility
which presents PFS
with an opportunity to
finance and deploy high-
impact development
projects which can
contribute in achieving
India’s distributed
energy target of 40 GW
by 2022.
AL eyeing CIS
countries
Commercial vehicle
major Ashok Leyland
(AL) is looking to set up
more assembly plants
overseas, including the
CIS region and African
ASHOK LEYLAND
Share price on BSE in ` 170
150
148.10 130
110
90
87.65 70
Apr 2, 18 Apr 5, 19
countries, as part of
plans to scale up its
global operations, a top
company official said.
The company is banking
on its new range of
medium and heavy
commercial vehicles
and light commercial
vehicles (LCVs) to help
it enter new regions
beyond its traditional
stronghold.
Cairn’s legal cost
nearly triples
British oil firm Cairn
Energy plc has seen its
cost of fighting an
arbitration against the
Indian government
imposing retrospective
tax nearly tripling in
2018 even as it lost
investments and tax
refunds pending final
award. Cairn in its
latest annual report said
administrative expense
towards Indian tax
arbitration has risen to
about Rs 158.4 crore in
2018 from about Rs 56
crore in 2017.
e-way bills of cos
not in sync: GST
GST officers have
started seeking
clarification from
companies whose tax
payments did not match
with the e-way bills
generated, as revenue
authorities start
matching supplies data
to check tax evasion,
sources said. It has
come to the notice of tax
officers that some
transporters are doing
multiple trips by
generating only a single
e-way bill.
bitter pill
Domestic pharma firms continue to recall drugs `18K cr in Voda-Idea rights issue
DNA Money Correspondent
correspondent@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: The voluntary
drug recalls by the domestic
drug manufacturers in the
US market continues, ac-
cording to the US Food and
Drug Administrations (FDA)
enforcement report.
Last week, FDA in its en-
forcement report found Au-
robindo Pharmaceuticals,
Macleods Pharmaceuticals,
Heritage Pharmaceuticals,
Hetero Laboratories and Lu-
pin have recalled drugs due
to various reasons.
Lupin’s US arm Lupin
Pharmaceuticals Inc has ini-
tiated a Class III voluntary
recall of 3,200 bottles of tes-
tosterone topical solution, 30
mg/1.5 ml in 110 ml bottles
Deal wins to drive IT Q4 results
Infosys, TCS and HCL Tech are expected to post strong revenue growth despite higher rupee
Soumonty Kanungo
soumonty.kanungo@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: As India Inc. gears
up for the corporate earn-
ings, the information tech-
nology (IT) sector is poised
for healthy fourth-quarter
earnings on the execution of
deal wins in the recent past,
according to analysts.
This week, two IT biggies
Infosys and Tata Consultan-
cy Services (TCS) will an-
nounce their March quarter
earnings on April 12, fol-
lowed by Wipro on April 16.
According to stock-broking
firm Nirmal Bang, Nifty IT
index outperformed Nifty by
a modest 160 basis points (bps)
in the March 2019 quarter. Do-
mestically, the sentiment was
bolstered by the view that the
current NDA government will
come back to power in the gen-
eral elections.
“The cumulative outper-
formance of Nifty IT by ap-
prox. 2,400 bps over Nifty in
the past 15 months has priced
in the modest acceleration in
revenue growth of select
companies in both FY19 and
FY20. Stock price perfor-
mance has also been bol-
stered by the strong capital
return to shareholders. On an
industry aggregate basis, we
believe growth would acceler-
‘Equipment finance biz Hero Moto pips Honda in two-wheeler sales race
to slow during elections’
S
rei Infra’s, chief man-
aging director, He-
mant Kanoria, spoke
about the company’s
performance in FY19,
stressed accounts and
equipment finance busi-
ness among others in
an interview with
Swati Khandelwal
of Zee Business.
Edited Excerpts:
„„ Have you been
able to meet the tar-
gets of FY19 and how
promising FY20 can be for
Srei Infra?
We expected growth in
our equipment and project
financing business in FY19
and were successful in main-
taining the target. In short,
FY19 has ended on a good
note. Though the IL&FS is-
sue led to a slowdown of our
disbursement in the third
quarter, the equipment fi-
nancing business noticed a
growth in the fourth quarter.
In fact, it was our strategic
decision to be slow on dis-
bursement as focused on im-
proving return on equity
and profitability. We were
able to end this quarter in
the same way but will be able
to share the figures only af-
ter the results are out.
The first quarter of FY20
will remain slow due to elec-
tions. The new government’s
- whosoever comes to power
– investment strategy to-
wards infrastructure and the
projects will be out by June
2019. Thus, things will depend
on it but the running projects,
specifically, state government
projects, will continue as it is.
We will finalise our strategy
in accordance with the
strategy of the new
government.
„„Update us on
stressed assets
as well as the
available as-
Foreign investors may pump in
Aurobindo Pharma, Macleods Pharma, Hetero Labs and Lupin have recalled drugs
on account of the defective
container as repetitive com-
plaints were received indi-
cating pump was not work-
ing. On the other hand, Het-
ero Labs, Aurobindo Phar-
ma along with its group
company Aurolife Pharma
and Macleods Pharma have
160bps 1.5-2
Rise in Nifty IT index over
strong
benchmark Nifty in fourth
footing
quarter
ate a tad vis-à-vis FY19. Much
of this expectation is largely
built into the significant out-
performance that Nifty IT
index has shown in the past
15 months,” Nirmal Bang
said in a research report.
According to the report,
there could be some modest
disappointment in store on
both revenue and margin
fronts, especially in 2HFY20,
because of slower economic
growth in the US, Europe and
China. Other issues like con-
cerns over demand from
global BFSI sector because of
a flattening yield curve; po-
tential softening of demand
from manufacturing sector
due to tariff imposed by the
US on Chinese goods and po-
tential softening in pricing,
both in digital and legacy ser-
vices, consequent to pressure
from customer spends.
The report also said that
unlike in the past when
fourth quarter tends to be
relatively weak, as customers
get into their budgeting cy-
set quality situation of
the company?
There is a continuous im-
provement in stressed assets
and our non-performing as-
sets (NPA) has come down
substantially. We also
declared the same
in the last quarter.
In fact, NPAs are
improving each
quarter and went
for a realisation
for the problematic
stressed assets.
In 30 years, we have de-
veloped a process to repos-
sess the equipment and re-
sale them. Interestingly,
several construction compa-
nies like buying repossessed
equipment. Thus, we face
minimal losses on this
front. When it comes to in-
frastructure assets then we
have worked on the stressed
account and recovered a lot
from our clients and provi-
sioned certain accounts,
where recovery was not pos-
sible. However, we also work
on the provisioned account
because provisioning
doesn’t mean the asset is
under stress. They are pro-
visioned in accordance with
the guidelines issued by the
regulator. We work on the
asset to revive it and in-
initiated a recall of hyper-
tension drugs Valsartan,
Valsartan and Amlodipine
combination and Losartan
tablets from the US market
after FDA analysis found
traces of potential human
carcinogen in the active
pharmaceutical ingredients
QoQ revenue growth
expected in TCS, Infosys
and Wipro in CC terms
NIFTY IT
16500
15923.05
15600
14700
13800
12900
12707.10
12000
Apr 2, 18 Apr 5, 19
cle, it expects almost all com-
panies to show a reasonably
healthy growth on quarter-
on-quarter (QoQ) basis driv-
en by execution of deal wins
in the recent past. Among
Tier-1 companies, it expects
1.5-2% QoQ revenue growth
in case of TCS, Infosys and
Wipro in constant currency
(CC) terms, while HCL Tech-
nologies and Tech Mahindra
would clock 3-4% growth.
Mindtree and Persistent Sys-
tems are likely to show
crease cash flow from them.
In the same way, we ap-
proach clients and make ef-
forts to turn that asset into
a performing one.
„„ Tell us about your bor-
rowing portfolio and the
current cost of funds?
We never go for asset lia-
bility majority mismatch in
our borrowing portfolio.
This is the reason we never
faced liquidity issues at our
end. We lend after matching
the liability side where we
only go for long-term borrow-
ing. This is a reason that the
recent crisis didn’t have any
impact on us because we had
a perfect book in the tenure.
„„You were in the process
of unlocking the equip-
ment finance business.
What happened to it and
what is your growth tar-
get for that business?
A: Last year, we wanted to
bring an initial public offer-
ing (IPO) of the equipment
business, but cannot do due
to the market conditions.
Later, demerger of the equip-
ment financing business was
announced in the month of
January, so that, it gets listed
directly. Srei Infra share-
holders will directly get the
stocks of the equipment
business. However, regula-
tory approvals are needed
for the purpose and we have
submitted applications for
the purpose. It will take time,
six-nine months, and we are
expecting that we will be
completed by FY20 so that
Srei Equipment gets listed
directly. This will enable
them to raise equity di-
rectly from the
market and meet
its capital re-
quirements by
directly access-
ing the market
and the inves-
tors.
(API) of these drugs.
A total of 11,05,085 bottles
of Losartan Potassium tab-
lets, manufactured by Hetero
Labs Limited, are having an
ongoing nationwide Class II
recall due to deviation in
current good manufacturing
practices, as trace amounts
of cancer-causing impurity,
N-nitroso-N-methyl-4-amin-
obutyric acid (NMBA) de-
tected in the API.
A class III recall is a situ-
ation in which use of or ex-
posure to a violative product
is not likely to cause adverse
health consequences. On the
other hand, a class II recall is
a situation in which use of or
exposure to a violative prod-
uct may cause temporary or
medically reversible adverse
health consequences or
1.9%
% Appreciation in rupee
against the dollar may
lead to marginal decline
in Ebit margins
growth of 2.6-2.7% QoQ.
“While TCS was a stand-
out performer among the
large companies in terms of
organic revenue growth in
FY19, we see slightly slower
growth for it in FY20. For
most other large companies,
we see a modest acceleration
in organic growth in FY20.
This view is driven by the
stronger order inflow over
the course of FY19,” the re-
port added.
In another research report
New Delhi: Hero MotoCorp
stretched its lead to around
20 lakh units over rival and
erstwhile partner Honda in
two-wheeler sales in 2018-19
amid a slowdown in the do-
mestic market.
In the fiscal year ended
March 31, the homegrown
two-wheeler major sold
78,20,745 units as compared
to 59,00,840 units sold by
Honda Motorcycle and Scoot-
er India (HMSI), according to
the latest sales figures issued
by the companies.
In the fiscal 2017-18, Hero
MotoCorp sold 75,87,130 lakh
units, while HMSI sold
61,23,877 units. Thus, Hero’s
lead over HMSI increased by
19,19,905 lakh units in FY19
Arcil infuses `20 cr to revive
ailing Malwa Industries
New Delhi: Leading asset
reconstruction company Ar-
cil has revived Ludhiana-
based ailing denim manufac-
turer Malwa Industries with
last-mile funding towards
working capital needs to the
tune of Rs 20 crore, after ac-
quiring over Rs 500 crore of
the company’s debt.
Malwa Industries is one
of the few integrated denim
manufacturers in the coun-
try with all activities from
spinning to garment under
one roof in India’s cotton
belt Ludhiana.
Arcil acquired more than
97% of Malwa Industries’
total debt of Rs 550 crore
from a consortium of five
lenders between FY18 and
FY19 to fast track the revival.
It is now in the process of
acquiring the remaining out-
standing debt, a top Arcil of-
ficial said.
The company has a mar-
quee client base spread
across global markets in-
cluding Levi’s, US Polo As-
sociation, H&M, Deben-
where the probability of se-
rious adverse health conse-
quences is remote.
Aurolife Pharma LLC, a
step-down subsidiary of Au-
robindo Pharma, has initi-
ated a Class II voluntary re-
call of a total of 1,45,237 bot-
tles of Valsartan tablets.
Macleods Pharma, USA,
has also initiated a similar
voluntary recall of 9695 bot-
tles of Losartan Potassium
and hydrochlorothiazide
tablets after they were de-
tected of NDEA traces. An-
other domestic pharma com-
pany, Heritage Pharmaceuti-
cals, has initiated Class II
voluntary recall of 11,888
units of prescription-only
Etomidate injection, USP 20
mg/10 ml (2 mg/ml) 10 ml
single-dose vial.
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019 I daily news & analysis
by Kotak Institutional Equi-
ties, it said March is a season-
ally weak quarter for IT com-
panies, yet it expects a steady
quarter with strong growth
from Infosys, TCS and HCL
Technologies. However, mut-
ed performance from Wipro
and Tech Mahindra is expect-
ed as growth will be led by
the ramp-up of large deals
won by companies over the
past two quarters.
On profitability, the Kotak
report said that earnings be-
fore interest and taxes (Ebit)
margin will decline margin-
ally on a sequential basis due
to 1.9% appreciation of the
rupee against dollar and tal-
ent constraint-led increase
in cost structure in the US.
“Profitability perfor-
mance will be a key focus
area. Benefit from the strong
deal flow and increasing
digital deal sizes will be off-
set to some extent with slow-
er spending growth in budg-
ets in FY2020. We expect
slower growth from the
banking vertical for the in-
dustry in FY2020E. We ex-
pect Infosys, HCL and Tech
Mahindra to grow faster in
FY2020E. Stock returns for
IT companies can be muted
from here after a strong per-
formance in the past 12
months,” it further added.
as compared to 14,63,253
units in FY18.
Hero said it has been able
to keep sales higher during
FY19 through forays into
premium motorcycle seg-
ment with the launch of the
‘Xtreme 200R’ and the fast-
growing 125cc scooter seg-
spinning off debt
„„Arcil acquired more
than 97% of Malwa
Industries’ total debt of Rs
550 crore between FY18
and FY19
„„Malwa Industries
have a marquee client
base globally
hams, United Colors of Ben-
etton, Killer, Pepe and Jack &
Jones.
During peak performance
in FY06, Malwa Industries
with 20 million metres per
annum (MMPA) capacity
New Delhi: Foreign inves-
tors are likely to invest
around Rs 18,000 crore in the
rights issue of Vodafone
Idea, which includes a major
chunk from promoter Voda-
fone Group, sources said.
The company’s Rs 25,000
crore rights issue will open
on April 10. “Vodafone Idea
had approached the govern-
ment for FDI approval. The
proposal has received clear-
ance from Cabinet. It is ex-
pected that Rs 18,000 crore
during the rights issue will
come from foreign sources,”
an official said.
Any foreign funding
above Rs 5,000 crore requires
Cabinet approval. The Cabi-
net had on February 28
cleared the company’s FDI
proposal.
09
Marriott’s senior exec
to join Hilton soon
Ashish K Tiwari
t_ashish@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: The India opera-
tions of NYSE-listed global
hospitality major, Hilton,
has picked up another sen-
ior executive, Dhruv Hoon,
from its main competitor
Marriott International’s In-
dia office.
According to multiple in-
dustry sources, the vice-
president for Marriott’s ho-
tel development in the Asia
Pacific, Hoon is set to as-
sume a similar role at Hil-
ton’s India office.
“Hilton is working on
building its India portfolio
and has now got him (Hoon)
to head its development and
related activities in this re-
gion. He has been with Mar-
riott for long now and will
join Hilton very soon,” said
a hotel industry source.
This move comes a little
over a year after Hilton
brought on board
Navjit Ahluwalia as
its senior vice presi-
dent and country
head - India. In his
tenure of over 13
years, Ahluwalia
was the man respon-
sible for giving Mar-
riott a strong
foothold in
the Indian
hospitality
stretching lead
„„In the fiscal year
ended March 31, the
homegrown two-wheeler
major sold 78,20,745
units
„„In the fiscal 2017-18,
Hero MotoCorp sold
75,87,130 lakh units
ment with Destini 125, be-
sides existing models.
On the other hand, HMSI,
which had declared its ambi-
tion to be the number one
two-wheeler maker in India
by 2020 overtaking Hero, said
the challenging and disrup-
tive second half of 2018-19
reached a turnover of Rs 204
crore and Ebirda of 31%
compared to industry lead-
ers’ Ebitda margins of
around 25%.
Arcil CEO and MD Vinay-
ak Bahuguna said, “We recog-
nised the need for additional
working capital for the ramp-
up of the business and there-
after we injected last mile
funding towards working
capital requirement to the
tune of Rs 20 crore.” Our re-
structured debt is a mix of
vanilla debt, hybrid instru-
ments, and equity, which bal-
ance well the serviceability of
the business and our return
expectation, Bahuguna said.
Arcil also provided an ad-
equate moratorium for repay-
ments to the company to al-
low it some breathing space
and wrote off the unsustain-
able portion of the debt.
“Moreover, promoter Ri-
shi Oswal, who is a veteran
in the textile industry, was
keen to work hard to turn
around the company,” Bahu-
guna said. —PTI
The promoter sharehold-
ers -- Vodafone Group and Adi-
tya Birla Group -- have reiter-
ated to the board that they in-
tend to contribute up to Rs
11,000 crore and up to Rs 7,250
crore respectively, amounting
to a total of Rs 18,250 crore, as
part of the rights issue.
While Vodafone Group’s
entire funding will be con-
sidered as a foreign invest-
ment in the rights issue, Adi-
tya Birla Group may also
new journey
With over 20 years
of hospitality industry
experience under his
belt, Hoon has been with
Marriott International for
almost 12 years
market.
With over 20 years of hos-
pitality industry experience
under his belt, Hoon has
been with Marriott Interna-
tional for almost 12 years. He
could not be reached for a
comment on the new career
move. When contacted Ahlu-
walia did not comment on
Hoon’s appointment either.
Queries mailed to Marriott
International remained un-
answered at the time of go-
ing to print.
Globally Hilton operates
17 brands across 5,685 hotels
in 113 countries. However, its
hotel portfolio in India com-
prises just 19 properties
across Hilton, Conrad,
DoubleTree by Hilton
and Hilton Garden Inn
hotels. With the inten-
tion of beefing up its
India portfolio, Hilton
has been sprucing up
its India team post-
Ahluwalia’s
appoint-
ment last
Dhruv Hoon
year.
significantly wiped off the
two-wheeler industry growth
of first half.
HMSI cited issue such as
increased insurance premi-
um in September 2018 damp-
ened festival sentiments, and
pre-festival stock buildup
was converted into high in-
ventories for the two-wheel-
er industry. The company
said it had re-aligned sup-
plies with domestic demand
to correct inventories and
support its dealer partners.
In FY19, Pune-based Bajaj
Auto maintained its position
as the third biggest two-wheel-
er maker in India with sales
of 42,36,873 units as against
33,69,334 units in the previous
fiscal, a growth of 26%. —PTI
Everstone to
buy majority
stake in
Sahyadri Hosp
New Delhi: Private equity
player Everstone Group will
acquire a controlling stake
in Sahyadri Hospitals Ltd,
Maharashtra’s leading hos-
pital chain, for an undis-
closed amount, according to
a release.
Pune-headquartered
Sahyadri Hospitals operates
five tertiary care and three
secondary care hospitals
with 750 beds across Pune,
Nashik and Karad areas. In
a release on Sunday, Ever-
stone said it has signed an
agreement to buy a control-
ling stake in Sahyadri Hos-
pitals.
“The combination of pri-
mary and secondary capital
outlay is expected to increase
the bed-count significantly
in the next five years,” the
release said.
Everstone would leverage
its significant healthcare ex-
pertise and experience to
grow the overall business,
Everstone Group CEO Sa-
meer Sain said. —PTI
route funds from its foreign
entities, sources said.
The board of directors of
Vodafone Idea on March 20
cleared the planned Rs
25,000-crore rights issue at a
price of Rs 12.50 per equity
share, a steep 61% discount
to the prevailing market rate.
In a regulatory filing, the
company had said the rights
entitlement ratio has been
fixed at 87 equity shares for
every 38 shares held by eligi-
ble shareholders of the com-
pany on the record date, that
is April 2, 2019.
According to Citi Re-
search, the successful com-
pletion of the capital raise
would be positive for the
company as it could strength-
en the balance sheet, remove
going concern risks. —PTI
08
Monday
April
2019
Ahmedabad
www.dnaindia.com
SWIMMING
makes ‘B’ standard for 2019 FINA World
Championships and 2020 Tokyo Olympics after
clocking 08:07.99s in 800m freestyle at Thai-
land Age Group Championships in Bangkok
ATHLETICS Ethiopia’s Tebalu Zawude Heyi (2hr 8min 37sec) & Alemu Megertu (2hr 22min 52sec) win men’s & women’s races in Rome Marathon 10
BALL GAME
IPL playoff
venues to be
finalised today
Finalising venues for
the IPL Playoffs along
with decision to float
fresh tenders for various
sponsorship and servic-
es will be finalised at the
Committee of Adminis-
trators (CoA) meeting in
New Delhi on Monday.
The meeting will also be
attended by three office
bearers – acting presi-
dent CK Khanna, acting
secretary Amitabh
Chaudhary and treasur-
er Anirudh Chaudhry.
As per agenda of the
meeting, it is learnt that
Chennai and Hyderabad
are in the reckoning for
hosting the play-off and
eliminator matches
while the final will be
played in Mumbai. The
operational details of
mini Women’s IPL is
also expected to come up
for discussion.
Amir’s World Cup
selection in doubt
Mohammad Amir’s
World Cup selection
was thrown into uncer-
tainty after captain Sar-
faraz Ahmed expressed
concerns over the expe-
rienced left-arm pacer’s
inability to take wickets
in ODIs. “When your
main strike bowler is
not taking wickets regu-
larly obviously it causes
concern to the captain,”
Sarfaraz told a televi-
sion channel. Since the
Champions Trophy fi-
nal at the Oval in 2017
when he produced a
match-winning spell of
3/16, Amir, 26, has taken
only five wickets in 14
ODIs including going
wicketless in nine of
them. “I can’t say
whether he (Amir) will
be in the World Cup
squad or not but our
minds are clear about
our plans and when the
squad is announce eve-
ryone will know,”
Ahmed added.
Women’s U-23
squads named
Harleen Deol, Sushree
Dibyadarshini and Devi-
ka Vaidya will lead the
India Red, India Green
and India Blue teams, re-
spectively, at the U-23
Women’s One Day Chal-
lenger Trophy to be
played in Ranchi from
April 20 to 24.
Squads: India Red: Har-
leen Deol (C), R Kalpana
(WK), S Meghana, Ridhi-
ma Aggarwal, Ruzu
Saha, Tejal Hasabnis, CH
Jhansilakshmi, Renuka
Chaudhary, Tejaswini
Duragad, Arundhati
Reddy, Shanti Kumari,
Devyani Prasad, Suman
Meena
India Green: Sushree
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Dakshini, Renuka Singh,
Akshaya A, S Anusha
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ya (C), Nuzhat Parween
(WK), Shefali Verma,
Simran, Tanushre
Sarkar, Prativa Rana,
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Kanwar, C Pratyusha,
Simran Dil Bahadur,
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Bhagat, Indrani Roy
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India’s Kushagra Rawat
Capitals punish Challengers no end
Kohli & Co suffer sixth straight defeat; Rabada’s 4/21 restricts hosts to 149/9; Captain Iyer hits 67 to steer Delhi to 4-wicket victory
Match No. 20
Bengaluru: There was no
end to Royal Challengers
Bangalore’s woeful run this
IPL as the Virat Kohli-led side
suffered its sixth straight de-
feat while Delhi Capitals
played like a unit to win by
four wickets here on Sunday.
RCB batsmen found the go-
ing tough after being invited
to bat first and could only
manage 149/8 in the stipu-
lated 20 overs.
With the ball not coming
on to the bat, Kohli scored
almost a-run-a-ball before
hitting two sixes late in his
innings, consuming 33 balls
for his 41. Had it not been for
Kohli and Moeen Ali’s contri-
butions, RCB would have
been in deep trouble. Ali hit
an 18-ball 32.
South Africa paceman
Kagiso Rabada (4/21) ac-
counted for four RCB bats-
men to lead Delhi’s bowling
attack, which also comprised
Chris Morris (2/28), Axar Pa-
tel (1/22) and Sandeep Lam-
ichhane (1/46).
Shreyas Iyer, then, played
a captain’s knock, making a
50-ball 67 to guide Delhi Capi-
tals to a comfortable win,
bringing their IPL campaign
back on track.
Iyer anchored the chase
with some crucial partner-
ships as Delhi overhauled the
target with 7 balls to spare.
Iyer smashed eight fours
and two sixes in his knock that
helped Delhi grab the fifth
place in the points table, snap-
ping a two-match losing streak
where they lost to Kings XI
Punjab and Sunrisers Hy-
derabad in the last two games.
Chasing 150 to win, Iyer
forged a 68-run partnership
with opener Prithvi Shaw (28)
after Shikhar Dhawan was
dismissed by Tim Southee in
the third ball of the innings.
KXIP
Match No. 22, Venue: PCA IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Live on Star Sports 1, 2, 1 Hindi, 8pm
Teams look to return to winning ways
KXIP: Lying fifth in the
points table, KXIP
will look to return to
winning ways. Kings
XI hope for Chris Gayle to
retun to form and others
have to shoulder
responsibility
Sarfaraz
Khan
KXIP’s leading scorer with 165 runs has found touch and can look
dangerous. But, he has to contend among other things, off-spinner
Nabi who SRH’s most successful bowler with 7 scalps
Played: 12, KXIP: 3, SRH: 9
Pitch Report: Pacers
usually have a good
outing here
7
Punter Point:
KXIP: 11/10,
SRH: 8/11
I don’t celebrate wickets, I celebrate wins, says MI sensation Joseph
DNA Correspondent
sports@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: IPL’s latest debu-
tant, Alzarri Joseph, is a man
of few words. The 22-year-old
from Antigua just believes in
his bowling performances
speak loud for him.
After taking the best ever
IPL bowling figures 6/12 in
3.4 overs that helped Mumbai
Indians defeat Sunrisers Hy-
derabad by 40 runs on Satur-
day night, the right-arm
pacer told his captain Rohit
Sharma that he did not cele-
brate wickets but wins.
In a brief interview for
iplt20.com Sharma asked his
match-winner: “When you
talk of Caribbean players,
there’s a lot of excitement.
You seem to be very quiet. You
BADMINTON
wins Malaysia Open final against countryman
Chen Long to claim his first major title in two
years. The world No. 16 smashes his way back to
victory with a 9-21 21-7 21-11 score
Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer in action during his knock of 67 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru on Sunday —BCCI
DC’s Kagiso Rabada (C) celebrates in Bengaluru on Sunday —BCCI
Six meter
12 5 7
England all-rounder Ali
came to the crease and sud-
denly batting looked easy. He
pulled and drove with ease. Ali
spoilt Ishant’s figures, hitting
him for a six and a four. —PTI
VS SRH
SRH: Top-heavy SRH seek
Team to sort their middle-
News order woes, which fell flat
against MI. While pacers
have been decent, spin duo of
Rashid Khan and Mohammad
Nabi have been impressive in
middle overs
Key Mohammed
contest Nabi
Weather Report: Thunder-
storm in the afternoon should
clear by the time match starts
Watchability quotient: (1-3: Forget it;
4-7: If there is nothing else to watch;
8 and above: try not to miss it)
MI captain Rohit Sharma (L) takes selfie with man of the match Alzarri
Joseph after their win in Hyderabad on Saturday —BCCI
just want to go through your
work in the middle. You don’t
get excited too much when
you take wickets. You just
want to keep it cool and calm
and focus on the job at hand...”
Chinese ace Lin Dan
802
HOW THEY STAND
TEAM M W L T P NRR
KKR 5 4 1 0 8 1.058
CSK 5 4 1 0 8 0.159
SRH 5 3 2 0 6 1.000
MI 5 3 2 0 6 0.342
DC 6 3 3 0 6 0.131
KXIP 5 3 2 0 6 -0.094
RR 5 1 4 0 2 -0.848
RCB 6 0 6 0 0 -1.453
Smith’s 73* in vain as Knights crush Royals
Match No. 21
DNA Correspondent
sports@dnaindia.net
Jaipur: Openers Sunil Nar-
ine and Chris Lynn negated
whatever tricky situation the
pitch posed to share a 91-run
stand and power Kolkata
Knight Riders to an eight-
wicket win over Rajasthan
Royals here on Sunday.
With this win, KKR move
to the top of the table with
eight points and pip Chennai
Super Kings on a better net
run rate.
After restricting RR to
139/3, KKR reached the tar-
get in the 14th over losing
both Lynn and Narine. While
Lynn, who was lucky when
an inside edge off Dhawal
Kulkarni hit the bail but it
did not dislodge off the
groove. Lynn completed his
half-century while Narine
fell three short of it.
To which, Joseph, whose
figures were also the best by
an IPL debutant replied brief-
ly: “I don’t celebrate wickets,
I celebrate wins. My aim isn’t
just to take wickets but win
‘Reality is no one has
taken responsibility’
Bengaluru: Helplessness was
palpable when Virat Kohli
spoke after his side’s sixth
straight defeat this IPL season.
“We thought 160 would be com-
petitive, but we kept losing
wickets at regular intervals, so
I wanted to take the game deep.
Even 150, had we held on to our
chances, would’ve been diffi-
cult for them. We need to grab
those chances, can’t give ex-
cuses every day,” said Kohli
post match.
“We just weren’t good on
the given day. That’s the
whole story of RCB this sea-
son,” he said in dejection.
Kohli, who took 33 balls for
his 41 runs after largely going
a-run-a-ball, said he had no
option to play in that fashion.
“The wicket was tough.
When AB got out, I had to an-
chor the innings. Stoinis was
good, Akshdeep was good too. RCB’s Virat Kohli reacts as he walks
n zone When one senior batsman back to the pavilion after being
No. of runs Virat 20 matches, the second most by a gets out, it’s important for the dismissed on Sunday —AFP
Kohli has scored single player against any opponent other senior to anchor. I
against Delhi in the IPL. Suresh Raina’s 803 wasn’t happy getting out at your chances better. Shreyas
Capitals (or Delhi Daredevils as runs against Mumbai Indians the stage, could’ve made 25-30 made 67, he was dropped on
they were known until last year) in tops the list more for the team if I was eight. You never know,
still there till the end, but felt could’ve come into the game
SCOREBOARD 160 was a good score.”
Talking about poor field-
that time.”
Looking forward, Kohli
RCB vs DC, Match No. 20, Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru; Toss: DC, elect to bowl ing of his side which has now said his side needs to needs
RCB R B 4/6 SR DC (tgt 137) R B 4/6 SR dropped 15 chances, Kohli relax and accept whatever
P Patel c L’chhane b Morris 9 9 1/0 100.00 P Shaw c Nath b Negi 28 22 5/0 127.27 hinted pressure is playing in comes “in front of us”.
V Kohli c Iyer b Rabada 41 33 1/2 124.24 S Dhawan c Saini b Southee 0 1 0/0 0.00 players’ mind. “There’s nothing more you
de Villiers c Ingram b Rabada 17 16 1/1 106.25 S Iyer c Chahal b Saini 67 50 8/2 134.00 “When the mind is clut- can tell the team. We’ve asked
M Stoinis c Tewatia b Patel 15 17 0/1 88.23 C Ingram lbw b Ali 22 21 2/1 104.76 tered, you wouldn’t be able to the boys to take responsibili-
M Ali st Pant b Lamichhane 32 18 1/3 177.77 R Pant c Southee b Siraj 18 14 2/0 128.57 focus on the chances that ty. It hasn’t happened so far,
come your way. When you and that’s the reality. Need to
A Nath c Pant b Rabada 19 12 4/0 158.33 C Morris c de Villiers b Saini 0 3 0/0 0.00
P Negi c Pant b Rabada 0 1 0/0 0.00
T Southee (not out) 9 9 0/0 100.00
A Patel (not out)
R Tewatia (not out)
4 1 1/0 400.00
1 2 0/0 50.00
have clarity, you can take play expressive cricket.” —PTI
MD Siraj lbw b Morris 1 5 0/0 20.00 Extras (LB 5, W6, NB1) 12
Y Chahal (not out) 1 1 0/0 100.00 Total (for 6 wkts, 18.5 ov) 152 (8.07 runs per over) Orange cap Purple cap
Extras (LB1, W3, NB1) 5 Fall of wickets: 1-1 (S Dhawan, 0.3 ov), 2-69 (PP Shaw,
Total (for 9 wkts, 20ov) 149 (7.45 runs per over) 8.2 ov), 3-108 (CA Ingram, 13.1 ov), 4-145 (SS Iyer, 17.3 David Warner Kagiso Rabada
Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Patel, 1.6 ov), 2-40 (de Villiers, ov), 5-145 (CH Morris, 17.6 ov), 6-147 (RR Pant, 18.2 ov) (SRH) (DC)
5.6 ov), 3-66 (Stoinis, 10.4 ov), 4-103 (Ali, 14.3 ov), 5-133 Bowling: T Southee 2-0-24-1 (W2), N Saini 4-0-24-2 (W1,
279 11 wickets
(Kohli, 17.1 ov), 6-137 (Nath, 17.3 ov), 7-138 (Negi, 17.6 NB1), Y Chahal 4-0-36-0 (W2), P Negi 3-0-27-1 (W1), Md
ov), 8-142 (Siraj, 18.6 ov) Siraj 1.5-0-14-1, M Ali 4-0-22-1
runs
Bowling: I Sharma 4-0-31-0 (W1), C Morris 4-0-28-2 Result: DC win by 4 wickets Jonny Bairstow (SRH)  262 Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB) 9
(W1, NB1), K Rabada 4-0-21-4 (W1), A Patel 4-0-22-1, S Man of the match: Kagiso Rabada Shreyas Iyer (DC)  215 Shreyas Gopal (RR) 8
Lamichhane 4-0-46-1
SCOREBOARD
RR vs KKR, Match No. 21, Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, Toss: KKR, elect to bowl
RR R B 4/6 SR KKR (tgt 140) R B 4/6 SR
A Rahane lbw b Krishna 5 7 1/0 71.42 C Lynn c Midhun b Gopal 50 32 6/3 156.25
J Buttler c Gill b Gurney 37 34 5/1 108.82 S Narine c Smith b Gopal 47 25 6/3 188.00
S Smith (not out) 73 59 7/1 123.72 R Uthappa (not out) 26 16 1/2 162.50
R Tripathi c Chawla b Gurney 6 8 0/0 75.00 S Gill (not out) 6 10 0/0 60.00
B Stokes (not out) 7 14 0/0 50.00 Extras (LB8, W3) 11
Extras (LB5, W4, NB2) 11 Total (for 2 wkts, 13.5 ov) 140 (10.12 runs per over)
Total (for 3 wkts, 20 ov) 139 (6.95 runs per over) Fall of wickets: 1-91 (Narine, 8.3 ov), 2-114 (Lynn,
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Rahane, 1.1 ov), 2-77 (Buttler, 11.5 10.5 ov)
ov), 3-105 (Tripathi, 15.4 ov) Bowling: D Kulkarni 3-0-31-0 (W1), K Gowtham 1-0-22-0,
Bowling: P Chawla 4-0-19-0, MP Krishna 4-0-35-1 (W2, J Archer 3-0-14-0, S Gopal 4-0-35-2, S Midhun 2-0-27-0
NB2), S Narine 4-0-22-0 (W1), K Yadav 4-0-33-0, H Gurney (W1), B Stokes 0.5-0-3-0 (W1)
4-0-25-2 (W1) Result: KKR win by 8 wickets
KKR’s Chris Lynn during his knock of 50 against RR on Sunday —
­ BCCI Man of the match: Harry Gurney
Earlier, Australian bats- for his involvement in the Sawai Mansingh stadium, runs from the next 10 overs
man Steve Smith scored an infamous ball-tampering the runs were a premium as with Smith scoring the bulk
unbeaten 73 to anchor Ra- scandal in South Africa, hit the ball did not come on to the of the runs. Rajasthan Royals
jasthan Royals innings. seven fours and one six in his bat easily. were immediately at the
Smith struck his first half unbeaten knock. He shared The stadium was also en- backfoot as soon as the match
century of this IPL season 72 runs in 10.4 overs with gulfed by a sandstorm before started as Rahane was
after the home side were in- opener Jos Buttler (37) for the tie but the match started trapped leg before wicket by
vited to bat on a tricky track. the second wicket after cap- on time. Prasidh Krishna when the
The former Australia cap- tain Ajinkya Rahane was out The home side were 56/1 at scoreboard read just 5. But-
tain, who returned to com- cheaply for 5 in the second halfway stage but increased tler hit a couple of fours in
petitive cricket last month over. the scoring rate at the back the fourth over bowled by
after serving one-year ban On a slow track at the end of the innings to add 83 Krishna. —With PTI inputs
the game for my team.”
Meanwhile, speaking to the
first game. So I just wanted to
go out and put all my effort We want to win as many games
as possible at the start: Rohit
media, Joseph described his into this team.
record-breaking bowling ef- “The score doesn’t really
fort on his IPL debut as “unbe- matter. I just go out and put
lievable”. “Unbelievable. It’s a my best foot forward. You get Hyderabad: Traditionally a slow starter, Mumbai Indians
great start. I don’t think I the information from the first skipper Rohit Sharma says he wants his team to win most
could have asked for anything ball so you know what varia- of its initial matches this IPL season, as some of his play-
better. So I will really cherish tions you need to use.” Joseph ers will leave for World Cup preparations at the back-end.
this moment,” said Joseph. said the Hyderabad pitch was “We want to win as many games as possible at the start
Defending 136/7, Joseph not the best one for shot-mak- because we know how hectic it gets in the end. A few of the
wreaked havoc with the ball to ing. “The pitch wasn’t the guys leaving for the World Cup doesn’t help either,” Shar-
bundle out Sunrisers for 96. easiest to play on. So 136 from ma said after his team’s victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad
Joseph claimed the wickets of 120 balls, we knew we were in Saturday night. “We don’t want to be a team who starts off
dangerman David Warner, Vi- for a game if we take some poorly.” Sharma was in awe of debutant Alzarri Joseph,
jay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, early wickets,” he said. who took 6/12. “It was a sensational bowling effort from
Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Stating that his sole aim is Alzarri, to bowl like this in first game. He’s come in with
Kumar and Siddharth Kaul to to help his side win the IPL a lot of confidence from the CPL and he’s carrying it here,”
hand Mumbai Indians their crown, Joseph said: “I play Sharma said. “We didn’t bat well to start with, kept losing
third win from five games. for. I play for wins. It’s a good wickets and we knew after a few overs that it wasn’t a 170-
Asked what was going on feeling but I want to win this 180 pitch. The pitch was under covers for a day, it was rain-
his mind before his debut tournament,” he said. ing as well and the wicket was a bit sticky,” he said. —PTI
match, he said: “It was my  —With PTI inputs
 sP rt
www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
Hot on Heels
Playoff-hungry
Nets topple Bucks
Joe Harris sank the go-
ahead three-pointer with
84 seconds left as the
Brooklyn Nets’ playoff
push got a boost with a
133-128 win over the Mil-
waukee Bucks on Satur-
day. The Nets used a bal-
anced attack to beat the
shorthanded Bucks as
eight players scored in
double figures. They
also drained 19 three-
pointers. Brooklyn im-
proved to 40-40 on the
NBA season to move
into a tie with the Orlan-
do Magic for sixth place
in the Eastern Confer-
ence standings.
Kumar appointed
Haryana coach
Haryana Steelers said
Rakesh Kumar, one of
India’s most decorated
Kabaddi players, as the
franchise’s head coach
ahead of the Pro Kabad-
di League season. Kumar
was the most expensive
player in the inaugural
edition of the league,
where he was picked up
by the Patna Pirates as
the team’s captain for
the season. He has
played 55 matches in the
PKL, earning 260 points
through the first five sea-
sons of the league and
this will be Kumar’s first
coaching stint.
Football league
irked by racism
Angry English Football
League chiefs have con-
demned a fresh outburst
of alleged racism in sev-
eral matches this week-
end. Championship side
Brentford confirmed a
season-ticket holder was
arrested following a
claim of abuse by Derby
midfielder Duane Holm-
es in Saturday’s 3-3 draw
at Griffin Park. Wigan,
also in the second tier,
have reported a sicken-
ing message was sent to
wing-back Nathan By-
rne on social media to
the police.
Malaysian golfer
dies in hotel room
Malaysian professional
golfer Arie Irawan has
died at the age of 28 in
China where he was
competing in the Sanya
Championship. A PGA
Tour statement said
Irawan was found dead
in his hotel room on the
resort island of Hainan
on Sunday morning.
“Early indications his
death was from natural
causes. The coroner has
not completed his re-
port,” the PGA Tour
statement said.
1 leading the list of most
2 goals including 2 late goals to
3 Barcelona’s Luis Suarez (bottom) celebrates his goal with teammates
Send in your answers to
sportsdna@gmail.com. Names
of the first 10 winners will be
published tomorrow
Sathiyan secures WC
berth after finishing 6th
Yokohama: India’s G Sathi-
yan booked a berth at the
World Cup after finishing
sixth in the ITTF-ATTU
Asian Cup in positions 5-8
match here on Sunday.
Sathiyan, who had
stunned world No. 14 Chun
Ting Wong of Hong Kong on
Saturday, couldn’t produce
his best against the 17-year-
old Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese
Taipei, who notched up a 11-4
11-8 11-8 14-12 win to finish
fifth.
Despite the defeat in the
positions match, Sathiyan
sealed a spot at the World Cup
to be held in Chengdu, China,
from October 18 to 20.
Fresh from his recent title
Back in national reckoning after long absence,
Of Harjeet’s
rise, fall &
second chance
Rutvick Mehta
rutvick.mehta@dnaindia.net
Mumbai: A day after the
memorable night of Decem-
ber 18, 2016, when India lifted
the 2016 Men’s Junior Hock-
ey World Cup at home, a
photo of captain Harjeet
Singh sleeping while clutch-
ing the trophy went viral on
social media.
The soft-spoken boy, all of
20 then, said he never wanted
to part ways with the trophy,
the same kind of attachment
he felt while playing hockey
for his country.
But life isn’t always a sweet
dream, as Harjeet would soon
wake up to realise.
Promoted to the senior na-
tional set-up to test the Pun-
jab youngster’s mettle, Har-
jeet couldn’t replicate the
spark he showed while lead-
ing the India colts.
The midfielder was not
only dropped from the squad
but also pushed into oblivion
barely months after he
turned into Indian hockey’s
overnight sensation.
Out of the national team’s
periphery for more than a
year, Harjeet’s fall was as
steep and dramatic as his rise.
On Sunday, however, he
took the first step towards
climbing the long ladder
once again. Harjeet has been
named among the 60 proba-
bles for a month-long senior
men’s national training camp
to be held in Bengaluru from
Monday. The list will be
pruned to 33 after a selection
trial on April 20.
For now, though, the
23-year-old Harjeet is happy
just to be back in the national
reckoning.
“It has been a long wait,”
Harjeet told DNA from Delhi,
pumped about heading to the
Sports Authority of India
centre in Bengaluru.
“I’m really happy to be
given another chance. It has
been more than a year that I
have waited for this. Now I’m
excited to go back,” he added.
Atletico see red as Messi, Suarez fire Barca
during their match against Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou —AFP
barcelona also insulted referee, fumes Simeone
Gerard Pique (L) confronts Diego
Costa after his red card —AFP
win at the Challenge Plus
Oman Open, the world No. 21
Lin seemed far superior than
the 26-year-old Indian.
The left-hander was at his
usual best and quickly took
the first game. Sathiyan man-
aged a few more points in the
next two games but Lin, ex-
ploiting the angles well,
mounted the attack to put
pressure on the Indian.
The world No. 28 Indian
could have taken a game from
the Taipei’s No. 2 paddler as
he had two game points in the
fourth set, but the wily teen-
ager pocketed it to push
Sathiyan, who is competing
in his first Asian Cup, to the
sixth spot. —PTI
I’d look at photos from those (WC) days and
feel good about myself. Just staring at those
photos would instill so much positivity in me
Difficult to handle lull
after WC euphoria
Patience can come at a pre-
mium for any aspirational
young sportsperson, let
alone one who has tasted in-
stant fame.
Hailing from Kurali, a
small district in Mohali, Har-
jeet grew up in a humble
background, with his father a
truck driver.
The kid took a liking to
hockey, while the talent was
groomed at the famed Surjit
Academy in Jalandhar. His
promising hockey career be-
gan to take shape, and it shot
to life during the 2016 Junior
World Cup when Harjeet
quenched the thirst of the
country’s hockey fans by
leading India to a World Cup
triumph in Lucknow.
The shy boy made head-
lines everywhere — of his
rags to riches tale, of him
making tea for his team-
mates, of him being the soul
of a successful squad.
Why, there was even a Pun-
jabi movie made based on his
life, titled Harjeeta, which
released in May last year.
However, the noise around
him quickly made way for an
eerie silence.
“I found all that a bit too
difficult to handle,” Harjeet
said. “I had won a World Cup
not too long ago, and soon I
was also out of the team and
nowhere near the radar.
“People started talking,
from within my close circle
and even outside. Log bolte
the, ‘Harjeet kab khelega wa-
pas?’ (People would talk,
‘when will Harjeet play
again?’). I found that really
hard to deal with,” he added.
That’s when the words of
33
4
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone cursed his side’s bad luck
with refereeing decisions in games against Barcelona after Diego
Costa was sent off. Costa was shown a straight red card in the
28th minute for a verbal outburst at referee Jesus Gil Manzano,
who said in his report that the striker had made a derogatory
comment about his mother. “I asked the referee if what he said
was so bad because we have seen Barca players do the same
thing, saying things right in the referee’s face and they did not get
sent off, they got away with it,” Simeone said. “If Costa really said
what the referee claims he did then he was correctly sent off, but
we must be doing something wrong as we have had seven players
sent off in 11 games.”
Arsenal upbeat about top 4 despite loss
Everton: Unai Emery said
Arsenal remain in control of
the race for Champions
League qualification after
another disappointing away
performance saw his side
lose 1-0 at Everton on
Sunday.
Phil Jagielka, only
drafted into Everton’s
starting line-up at the
last minute, scored
the game’s only goal as
Arsenal extended their
wretched record as the only
club in the top four divisions
of English football not to
have kept a clean sheet on
their travels this season.
But Arsenal boss Emery,
while conceding his team
had played badly, tried to re-
main positive in the after-
his beloved
World Cup-win-
ning coach and axed sen-
ior national coach, Harendra
Singh, echoed in his ears.
“Harendra sir used to tell
us, ‘Joh bhi hamare haath
mein nahi hai uske baare
mein socho mat’ (‘Don’t think
about things that aren’t in
your control’). So, after a
point, I realised there was no
point in thinking about what
people talk about me,” Har-
jeet said.
Finding comfort in
past glory
What also helped Harjeet was
reliving his glory days to find
some solace in darkness, like
merely staring at that image
where he is hugging the
World Cup.
“Whatever I achieved in
the past, like with the junior
team, I would think about it,
look back at those days. I
would just look at photo-
graphs from those days and
feel good about myself. Just
staring at those memorable
photos would instill so much
positivity in me,” he said.
Despite being upbeat,
there was a fear that Harjeet
might go the Unmukt Chand
way, another junior World
Cup-winning captain who
was touted as the next big
thing in Indian cricket but
has since faded away.
“Yes, sometimes I would go
into a negative space of mind,
thinking why am I not making
the cut. Pata nahi tha ki aisa
bhi ho sakta hai (I didn’t know
things could go this way). But
then I realised that is life. I
would think, kabhi toh mauka
milega (I’ll get a chance some
day),” Harjeet said.
n zone
No. of goals Lionel Messi
has scored in La Liga,
goal-scorers this season. He is fol-
lowed by Luiz Suarez with 20
Messi and Suarez have now
scored 4 of Barcelona’s last 6
salvage a 4-4 draw at Villarreal in
their previous game
did you know?
Lionel Messi has won 335
matches in La Liga, the most
by any player in the league
math at Goodison Park.
“I think generally we are
well. I don’t think; ‘today we
lost and we are very bad’. It
was a bad result, not a good
performance today, but we
are fourth,” Emery
said after the game.
“Before, I knew it
was going to be diffi-
cult. After this result,
I am thinking the
same,” the Arsenal
boss added.
Everton had already
threatened from one of Lucas
Digne’s long throw-ins before
the full-back delivered the
set-piece that led to Jagiel-
ka’s opening goal on 10 min-
utes. —AFP
Stopwatch: Everton 1 (Jagielka
10) bt Arsenal 0
Junior Hockey WC-winning skipper talks about dealing with instant fame
Barcelona: Barcelona in-
creased their La Liga lead to
a commanding 11 points after
Lionel Messi and Luis Su-
arez scored late goals in a 2-0
win over 10-man Atletico Ma-
drid on Saturday.
“We know that that we
have taken not one, but two
steps (toward the title),” Su-
arez said.
Second-placed
Atletico played one
man down for more
than an hour after Die-
go Costa earned a di-
rect red card in the 28th
minute, when the refer-
ee said the Spain striker in-
sulted him with expletives
for not calling an alleged
foul.
Suarez finally beat goal-
keeper Jan Oblak with a
curling shot from outside
the area that went in off the
post in the 85th minute. Mes-
si added a second goal a min-
ute later.
Messi and Suarez have
fueled Barcelona’s quest to
defend their league title all
season long. Messi leads the
competition with 33 goals,
n zone
1
No. of shots Arsenal attempted in the first half, their fewest
in the first half of a Premier League game since May 2016
against Manchester City
Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey (R) vies with Everton’s Idrissa Gueye —AFP
11
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019 I daily news & analysis
mother to tell her that my
starte People
name is back in the list, she
was relieved and happy, and
withi d talki so was my father.
even n my clo ng, from “They told me,
outsi se cir
‘Thoda dhyaan rakh
‘Harj de. Log cle and ke khel na, dobara
eet ka bolte mauka mila hai
b khe the, (you’ve got another
wapa l
s?’ ega
chance, play careful-
ly now). Don’t let it go
waste’. My mother, fa-
ther and brother all told
me the same thing, ‘Forget
whatever has happened in
the past and begin a new jour-
ney’,” Harjeet said.
Working on his game at
Frequent talks with the Surjit Academy over the
Harendra would also reinstill past year, Harjeet promises to
his belief. be back fitter, a more refined
“I spoke to Harendra sir a player and eager to start a
month ago, and he told me, fresh chapter while not bask-
‘Keep working hard, you will ing in the glory of his illustri-
come back’,” Harjeet said. ous old one.
New opportunity,
“Whatever mistakes I have
made before, I don’t want to
fresh chapter repeat them,” Harjeet said.
However, not everyone “It’s a new chapter for me,
around him was as opti- and it will be a little different
mistic as him and his for- for me this time because I’ve
mer coach. been out for a year. So, I feel
“My family was really wor- it might be a bit difficult for
ried. They do not know much me as things might have
about hockey, and they changed.
couldn’t understand why “But what hasn’t changed
their son was kept out of the is my love for hockey, and
team,” Harjeet said. that will help me adjust to it,”
“But now when I called my he added.
This picture of captain Harjeet Singh sleeping with the 2016 Junior Hockey
World Cup trophy went viral on social media after India lifted the trophy
‘Need to establish potential in trials’
A total of 60 probables have been named for the senior men’s
national camp which begins at the Sports Authority of India centre
in Bengaluru on Monday. Apart from Harjeet Singh, his junior Indian
teammates Santa Singh, Vikramjit Singh, Dipsan Tirkey, Manpreet
(Junior) and Armaan Qureshi, who were not part of the previous
national camp, too have been selected. “While most of the senior
players from the previous 33 core probable group have made it to
this list, they are aware that they need to establish their potential
during the trials to ensure they are picked in the final list of
players, who will stay on till May 5,” said Hockey India’s high
performance director David John. “No one’s place in the team
is guaranteed and this group is highly competitive with some
fresh young talent who are expected to add depth.”
the wall at camp nou
followed by Suarez with 20.
Both also scored late goals on
Tuesday to salvage a 4-4 draw
at Villarreal.
Barcelona, who have also
reached the final of the Copa
del Rey, increased their chanc-
es of a domestic double with
seven rounds remaining.
Atletico needed a win to real-
istically keep alive their
title chances in the
league and salvage a
disappointing sea-
son. Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid (C) is presented a Barcelona jersey as
Manchester Unit-
ed manager Ole Gun-
he visited Camp Nou to watch the Catalans beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 in their
La Liga match on Saturday —twitter/@FCBarcelona
nar Solskjaer watched
the match in person, before
the Spanish club visits Old
Trafford on Wednesday for
the first leg of their Champi-
ons League quarterfinal.
Pep calls quadruple
bid ‘impossible’
Barcelona, however, had a
difficult time in making good
on its extra man.
“We improved in the sec-
ond half. We were threaten- London: Manchester City
ing their area but their goalie manager Pep Guardiola in-
Oblak was incredible,” Bar- sisted completing a quadru-
celona coach Ernesto Val- ple of trophies is still “al-
verede said. —AP most impossible” for the
Stopwatch: Barcelona 2 (Suarez English champions despite
85, Messi 86) bt Atletico Madrid 0 progressing to the FA Cup
final with a 1-0 win over
Brighton on Saturday.
Gabriel Jesus’s solitary
early goal was enough as City
failed to hit top gear against Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus
the Seagulls, but still
stretched an incredible run
to 22 wins in 23 games.
(R) is tackled by Brighton’s Martin
Montoya in London —AFP
Guardiola’s men will re- possible to win the quadru-
turn to Wembley to face ei- ple,” said Guardiola. “Sur-
ther Watford or Wolves on viving in this stage of the
May 18 for what they hope competitions is already a
will be the chance to clinch miracle.
the first ever domestic treble “Still we are there. That’s
in English football history. why it’s incredible what
City trail Liverpool by two these players have done.
points in the Premier League “Every game we lose play-
title race but have a game in ers but that is normal when
hand and retained the League you play a lot of games. We
Cup in February. are going to try until the end
But ahead of the first leg every game.”
of their Champions League Brighton were left to rue a
quarter-final at Tottenham controversial decision not to
on Tuesday, Guardiola in- send off Kyle Walker just af-
sisted it will still require a ter the half-hour mark for a
“miracle” to claim all four clash with Alireza Jahan-
trophies. bakhsh. —AFP
“I will announce you Stopwatch: Manchester City 1
something. It is almost im- (Jesus 4) bt Brighton 0
 08
Monday
April
2019
Ahmedabad

After
www.dnaindia.com

Nimrat Kaur is having a blast in Casablanca, where she’s filming Homeland finale. “People
Mumbai on are loving and the culture is close to ours. Language is a problem, as most speak in Arabic or
French,” says the actress, who gets homesick on days. “I miss my food, friends and Mumbai
Nimrat’s mind and can’t wait to come back,” she adds. Nimrat will be back during a break from the shoot,
around end-April, “I’ll get back to shooting in June. I look forward to coming back for a bit.”

ArtistEs first
RUMOURS AROUND TOWN

SRK offered Pari’s role similar for Ranveer

Inspector Ghalib to Alia’s? Only they will get credit in the music videos
launched by the actor’s record label

R
anveer Singh recently
launched his
independent record
label IncInk with
filmmaker-musician Navzar
Eranee. The actor announced
that his passion project will
strive to discover future
superstars of the music
world and showcase them to
a global audience. Soon, they
dropped their first music
video titled Zeher and
presented young rapper
Kaam Bhaari to India. When
Zeher was uploaded on
streaming platforms, it didn’t
have Ranveer’s credit. It just
focussed on Kaam Bhaari as
he was the creator of the
music. So, it became obvious
that the Gully Boy hero
was putting artistes at the
forefront.
“Ranveer is using his
superstardom to bring focus
to these raw musicians of
our country. Even in the
music video, he didn’t sing,
but just did a cameo strategi-
In Bhuj: The cally, so that more people dis-
cover the track and watch
Pride Of India, Kaam Bhaari. It’s incredible
Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti plays an to see the focus on talent and Ranveer Singh
Alia Bhatt the entire music industry has
important character noticed this,” revealed a
— of a femme fatale

P
music industry source.
Shah Rukh Khan
ost the success of Akshay Kumar-starrer
Kesari, in which she had a small role,
Heena Rehman —
Parineeti Chopra has two new projects who works for the Ranveer is using his superstardom to bring focus to these raw
lined up. While she has replaced Indian Government musicians of our country. Even in Zeher’s music video, he didn’t
Shraddha Kapoor in ace shuttler Saina
A source sing, but just did a cameo strategically A source

I
t seems the debacle of Zero has got Shah Rukh Khan
rethinking about his career. Earlier this year, he opted out
of Saare Jahaan Se Accha, the biopic on astronaut Rakesh
Sharma. While there’s no official announcement of the
Nehwal’s biopic, the Namaste England actress
will reportedly play a spy in Bhuj: The Pride Of
India, starring Ajay Devgn.
A source tells us that Pari’s role will be on
the lines of Alia Bhatt’s character from Raazi.

superstar’s next movie, it is reported that he might act in a
web series, which he will also produce for an international
streaming platform with whom he has inked a lucrative deal.
Meanwhile, among the several scripts that he’s said to be
Salman takes
“Parineeti plays an important character — of a
femme fatale Heena Rehman — who works for
the Indian Government and passes information
about Pakistan’s attack plans,” says our

reading, one of them is reportedly Madhur Bhandarkar’s
Inspector Ghalib. The gritty action drama revolves around
the sand-mining mafia. The Indu Sarkar director has
allegedly approached SRK to play the title role.
on land mafia
informer, adding, “This is similar to what
Alia did as Sehmat in the Meghna Gulzar
directorial.” Given that Alia continues to win
laurels for her performance, it remains to be
seen how Pari pulls it off.

in Dabangg 3
 

‘We are always

teasing each other’ A
fter Hrs was the first to report that unlike
the first two installments, Dabangg 3
owes its inspiration to real life. Even
though Salman Khan has begun filming
as Chulbul Pandey in Maheshwar (the jurisdic-
Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan talk about tion of his grandfather, Abdul Rashid Khan as
DIG of the then Indian Imperial Police), the new

reuniting on screen after a decade with Good News movie is based on exploits of the former cop
from his tenure in North Indian cities like
House of Pixels Noida and Ghaziabad.
A source privy to the screenplay reveals that
this Prabhudheva directorial sees supercop
Chulbul Pandey take on the land mafia. “Some
years ago, land-grabbing by the mafia, who had
political clout and financial muscle, made
headlines. This particular police officer had
taken on them, knowing the implications of
their political connections,” says our informer,
adding, “How this cop dealt with the land
mafia is the basis of the story of
Dabangg 3.”

Salman Khan

khushi and
Janhvi fight
over clothes!
T
he Kapoor khandaan “Khushi is righteous and
is known for their even for sharing clothes,
mad cap histrionics she is like, ‘You can’t take
and bonding. them without asking me’.
Kareena Kapoor Khan Producer Boney Kapoor Otherwise there is no ri-
and late superstar actress valry but this taking each
Akshay Kumar Sridevi’s kids Janhvi other’s’ clothes without
The best part Kapoor and Khushi telling is a big issue. But
about working Kapoor are almost she is my fashion censor.
inseparable. While Janhvi She has the best sense of
Nayandeep Rakshit ‘Working with and emotions for all ages.”
with Akshay is that made her foray into Bolly- fashion from us all.”
Akshay is fun’ he doesn’t waste

A
kshay Kumar and
Kareena Kapoor
Khan have not
only been part of
several successful projects
but also share an amazing
equation off screen.
When we spoke to both
of them recently, they
opened up about their
camaraderie.
Bebo is all smiles about
pairing up with Akki
again. She says, “Akshay is
one of the most dedicated
and disciplined stars that
we have. We haven’t worked
in a film for the longest
time and now Good News is
happening. It’s an exciting
project for us to be a part
of. It has the right humour
Ask her how he is on the
sets and pat comes the
response.
“Working with him is
always fun. The best part
is that he doesn’t waste
time. So, we go on set, wrap
up and I can head home to
be with my son, Taimur,”
she laughs.
Contd on P13
wood last year, Khushi is
time. So, we go on still preparing herself for
the big launch. Recently,
set, wrap up and the Dhadak heroine shot
I can head home to an episode for the second
season of Feet Up With the
be with my son, Stars in which she
Taimur revealed the biggest rea-
son behind her fights with
Kareena Kapoor Khan, her younger sibling.
actress
Janhvi also spilled
some beans about the fun
and active WhatsApp
group that consists of all
the Kapoor cousins. She
shared what actually goes
down in that group and
how each one of them is a
different character in their
own right.
Khushi Kapoor and Janhvi Kaooor

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.)

Contd from P12
‘Our equation has
remained the same’
‘akshay’s extremely
loving and
well-mannered’
Kareena feels that Akshay
has evolved a lot since their
last film together, Kambak-
kht Ishq (2009). “He has
grown fantastically as an ac-
tor. If you see in the last few
years, it has been higher
than anybody else. It’s also
because of the way he func-
tions. But otherwise, he’s
hardly changed as a person.
He’s extremely loving and
well-mannered.”
‘Working with Kareena
has been a lovely
experience’
Akshay, too, heaps praises
on his co-star. The
National Award-winning
star smiles, “I’ve done many
films with Bebo and her sis-
ter Lolo (Karisma
Kapoor). In my entire
career, I’ve done around 12-
13 films every year. That’s
quite a lot. Most of them
have been hits. It has always
been lovely working with
Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan
them. But I have never done
a full-length feature film
with Kareena after she got
married. This is the first
time. But nothing has
changed.”
‘We have a lot of
fun banter’
Akki shares that his friend-
ship with the Kapoor sisters
has lasted for over two dec-
After
Etc daily news & analysis
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019
13
Sushant-Shraddha
get mementos from shoot
S
ajid Nadiadwala’s Chhichhore, which had its
last shooting schedule in Mumbai, wrapped up
yesterday. Director Nitesh Tiwari and team
ended it with a song shoot that had all the
eight actors led by Sushant Singh Rajput and Shrad-
dha Kapoor in it. The track was filmed over five days.
On their last day, the chhichhoras of the movie were
given a token of appreciation from the production
house’s marketing team. A source from the sets says,
“The goodies majorly consisted of souvenirs and
customised diaries. They were given certificates for
completing the shoot along with a few utility items
that included personalised hoodies, bookmarks, sip-
pers and laptop sleeves. Lastly, the most special
item was the slam book in which all the actors
had penned down their thoughts about each oth-
er. These were not luxury products but memen-
tos which they will keep with them.
ades now. “Whenever we
meet — whether it’s on a film
set or an awards night — our
equation has remained the
same. We are extremely fond
of each other. Bebo and Lolo
tease me about the amount
of money I’m making and I
tease them about having a
flat in every building in Ban-
Sushant Singh Rajput The hamper that was given to the actors Shraddha Kapoor
dra. That’s our fun banter,”
he laughs.

pick your brain crossword hidato Baby Blues

Down (5)
1 A theatre or 19 Acrid (7)
concert hall 20 Intensity or
- “do one” might (5)
anagram ? (5) 21 Pranks (5)
2 To do with 23 Direct path (7)
sight (7) 24 Move rest-
4 Bloody (4) lessly (6)
5 Hateful (6) 25 Brood of
6 Keyboard pheasants (3)
instrument (5) 27 Inspire anew
7 Song of the (5)
past (5) 28 Sports groups
9 Psychic power (5)
(3) 30 Flower part (5) The Pajama Dairies
12 Freezing 32 Small casks
mixture (7) (4)
14 Curved line (3) 33 London,
16 Head wrap (5) Midland and
17 Look fixedly at Scottish (3)

Across ornamental shapes (7) 29 Please your ___ and plague

3 Eskimo home (5) 15 Desert haven (5) your heart ? (3)
8 Expert (5) 18 Shed tears (3) 31 Alleviated (5)
10 Drily amusing (5) 19 Small basket for berries (6) 32 Sounded a bell (7) The goal of Hidato is to fill the grid
11 Superlative suffix (3) 21 Gold coin of England (7) 34 Shoelace tip (5) with consecutive numbers that
12 ___ McDermott : Australian 22 Milky gem (4) 35 Little devil (3) connect horizontally, vertically, or
paceman of not so recent 23 A wild pig (4) 36 Burning gas (5) diagonally from first to the last
24 Pretended or concocted (7) 37 Retract (5) number in the grid. The first and last
past ? (5)
26 Complete fool (6) 38 Hoard (5) numbers of a puzzle and some other Tina’s Grove
13 Art of clipping shrubs into
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.
20 Average; 22 Good; 24 Wow!

Tinkersons
crossword

trace, trice
solutions

sudoku

farce, fierce, race, react, recite, rice,

hidato

create, erect, face, facet, fact,

care, cart, cater, cite, craft, crate,
acre, cafe, CAFETERIA, carafe, carat,

spellathon

Marjorie Orr
Your year ahead will be a time when cutting corners and going for easy fixes won’t work. You’ll need to work hard and be conscientious. With
IF IT’S YOUR perseverance you will gain the respect of the people who really matter. Your positive approach will be infectious so you’ll persuade others to join in.
BIRTHDAY TODAY Money will be up and down so saving when you have surplus will be a good idea. Success will come towards the year end and beyond.

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO VIRGO

Mar 21 - Apr 20
You will be more protective of
those around at work or out in
the community. And the more
you give, the more everyone
will think you are absolutely marvellous.
You will also be questioning yourself about
what you are doing with your life at the
moment, and where you really want it to go
in the future. Give yourself time to reflect
and make decisions. You may have to sort
through various different alternatives
before you reach a satisfactory answer.
Apr 21 - May 20
It’s a very upbeat day when you
will want to communicate on a
much broader scale. There may
be messages coming in from
abroad or from a distance away. You need
an escape route from dreary mates or
restrictive chores. You want pals as well
as lovers now, nothing too intense or
claustrophobic will do. You do hold strong
views about certain matters but need to
remember that what is true for you may
not necessarily be true for someone else.
May 21 - June 21
Your emotional responses will
be more intense today. Influential
people will be drawn into your
orbit, but you need to tread softly
and not say everything you think. Maybe you
are resentful about old obligations, whether
over cash or other matters. Perhaps it
reminds you of the influence which others
hold over you. You need to keep reminding
yourself that you can’t be an island unto
yourself. There will always be ties, promises
and agreements which have to be honoured.
June 22 - July 23
Try not to get unsettled if
things are not going precisely
as you want. You will tend to
react over-quickly to things,
hearing slights where none exist. It’s a fact
of life that what we most dislike about
ourselves is usually what we most dislike
in other people. Instead of blaming close
mates you can choose to see them as a
mirror. Understand yourself, come to
terms with what may not be as bad as you
think, and your interactions will improve.
July 24 - August 23
Other people may be
demanding a lot of you, so
watch you don’t end up feeling
resentful. Don’t let them push
you too much. Where fitness and health are
concerned, you are in a phase when you will
be aiming to regenerate your body. If you do
have ailments then you will find that giving
them prompt and sensible attention from
trusted professionals and sound remedies
will result in improvements. Ignoring them
and hoping for the best just will not work.
Aug 24 - Sep 23
You want to be flamboyant, to
be in the spotlight. Clearly not a
day to be keeping your feelings
to yourself. So go flirt, have
fun, play games with loved ones. Forget
routine chores and duck out if you feel an
order coming your way. Your attitude to
lovers will be intense. If you have started a
new romance recently, it could be someone
who is not entirely good for you. You can’t
live with them and you can’t live without
them.

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 This is a good day to be You may be saying things to You will be very charming as Try not to overreact to other If you are around others too You may be dashing around
Orr self-protective and retreat into others in a way they don’t long as everything goes your people’s comments at the much, you’ll end up being different people, trying to sort
a private place, preferably at entirely understand. You don’t way, otherwise your stubborn moment. Sometimes you can subjected to their demands so out what they think about
with your
home. So much the better if come to any conclusions before side may show through. If you get yourself worked up about you might as well do what you things, getting confused as a
queries at you can manage to take the day off. But you speak, words just flow out like a flood. feel concerned about money, you can blame want to do for yourself. You’ll be surprised result. But at the end of it all you’ll be able
things that are not as important as you are
afterhrs@ even if you’re at work, you need some Whereas if you could stand back and be a Pluto which makes you think you aren’t doing making them out to be. Try to give yourself in the quiet moments how inspiration to come to your own judgements. Then
dnaindia. kind of protective niche where you can bit more sensible about things, it would well. Whereas in fact if you just push harder, some space to just wind down and be a bit suddenly hits you about things that seemed when the moment comes you’re ready to
net push away awkward people and hassles. help enormously. You have to watch a you could turn your situation around very more at peace if you possibly can. This could to have no answer. If you are feeling jangled say, “This is what’s going to work for the
www. You ’re in a long phase of transforming tendency to come across as self-righteous nicely. It’s well worth your while pushing be the right time to aim for any of the roads maybe you need to back away from certain future and where to commit my energy”.
star4cast. your inner emotional life. Slowly but surely or dogmatic in discussions. It’s not so yourself into doing boring paperwork. Once to personal enlightenment and development, people. You are susceptible to picking up Try not to live so much in your hopes for
com you want to move away from old patterns much what you say sometimes as the way you have that organised, you’ll be able to whether through yoga, psychological gloomy vibes which are nothing to do with the future that you forget to enjoy what you
of relating and behaving. you say it. Lighten up. Be less intense. spend with a clear conscience. understanding or even astrology. you. Find time to re-centre yourself. already have.

14 www.dnaindia.com I twitter.com/dna I epaper.dnaindia.com I facebook.com/dnaindia
snapshot
I have full faith
in my farmers:
TRS’ Kavitha
Sitting TRS MP K Kavitha
I have full faith in my
1 farmers. The 179
farmers entered the
fray for the April 11 Lok
Sabha elections as a mark of
protest, alleging that the rul-
ing TRS had failed to ensure
Minimum Support Price for
turmeric and red jowar
The farmers who
2 are protesting and
contesting are sup-
porters of the BJP and the
Congress. Let them be in the
fray. Farmers in general are
benefiting from the state’s
welfare schemes like Rythu
Bandhu
Wait till results. You
3 will get to know. The
TRS swept recent
assembly polls and will
win handsomely in the Lok
Sabha polls as well
4
Out out 17 parlia-
mentary constituen-
cies, we will win 16
while AIMIM will bag one
seat. When I was leaving
home, I told my family that
I will be busy with elections
and won’t be available for
the next 20 days
After polling, I have
5 to be with my son.
I also have to be
with my father. Honestly,
we haven’t talked for the
last 15 days as I am in my
constituency. But he be-
lieves that the development
agenda of this nation needs
to change
Prince William goes undercover with British spies
London: Prince William
has spent three weeks on un-
dercover work placements
with Britain’s security and
intelligence agencies to gain
a first-hand understanding
of the role they play in com-
batting terrorism.
The 36-year-old second in
line to Britain’s throne de-
scribed the experience of
working with the MI5, MI6
and Government Communi-
cations Headquarters (GC-
HQ) as a humbling one, while
the GCHQ said the royal had
worked exceptionally hard
during his internship.
“William worked excep-
tionally hard to embed him-
self in the team and comfort-
Gym faces penalty Man withdraws $10mn to see it ‘Some people want
for ‘discrimination’
against the disabled
Guwahati: In a path-break-
ing judgement on making
services accessible to persons
with disabilities in the state,
the Gauhati High Court has
imposed penalties on a gym
and the Assam government
for discrimination against
such a person.
Gauhati HC Judge Ujjal
Bhuyan, last month, ordered
a prominent gym here and
the Assam government to pay
Rs 50,000 each as penalty in a
2011 writ petition filed by Ar-
man Ali, Executive Director
of National Centre for Pro-
motion of Employment of
Disabled People (NCPEDP)
against inaccessible, disa-
bled-unfriendly services.
According to the case his-
tory, Ali had applied for a
membership with the gym in
2011. On realising his disabil-
ity, the gym demanded as con-
dition for membership doc-
tors certificates from both his
physician as well as an ortho-
pedician. The gym also sub-
jected him to a rigorous work-
out in an attempt to discour-
age him, during which he was
also put through humiliation
and ignominy by members of
the staff and other users,
Ali’s petition stated.
“I was almost treated like
an untouchable and they used
all tactics to discourage me.
The final straw was their of-
Our idea is to come together ... into a
new party that better reflects the
eurosceptical views that unite us...
Now is our chance to unite the
country once and for all
—Matteo Salvini, Italian Deputy PM
‘Vote to Cong will give rise NGT slaps `100-cr fine
on Andhra over mining
to terrorism & Naxalism’
Votes given to TRS will strengthen hands of Owasi, warns UP CM Adityanath
Hyderabad: Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi Adity-
anath on Sunday said that a
vote given to the Congress in
the Lok Sabha elections
would only strengthen terror-
ism, naxalism and separatist
forces and obstruct develop-
ment. Likewise, votes given to
the ruling Telangana Rashtra
Samithi in Telangana would
strengthen the hands of Asa-
duddin Owasi, heading the
party’s ally AIMIM and his
brother, he said.
In contrast, if voters chose
BJP, under the leadership of
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, they could be assured
that the party-led government
would ensure the country’s
comprehensive development,
prosperity and establish India
as a superpower, he said.
Casey Larson of the US soars through the air during a trial jump at the second stage of the 67th four hills ski
jumping tournament in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany — AP
ably held his own amongst
some highly skilled analysts
and operators. His Royal
Highness asked some prob-
ing questions and demon-
strated a real grasp of our
mission,” the head of coun-
ter-terrorism operations at
GCHQ, an anonymous post,
to finish my career’
fer of a month-long condi-
tional membership with
charges equivalent to an an-
nual membership,” Ali said.
Referring to the Persons
with Disabilities (Equal Op-
portunities, Protection of
Rights and Full Participa-
tion) Act 1995 and its succes-
sor, Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Act 2016, which
have equal opportunities and
non-discrimination as its ful-
crum, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan,
in his order, also made a refer-
ence to Section 29 of the
RPWD Act, which casts a
duty on appropriate govern-
ments to conduct, encourage,
support or promote aware-
ness campaigns and sensiti-
sation programmes to ensure
RPWD were protected.
Justice Bhuyan also di-
rected the Assam govern-
ment to ensure that all offic-
ers and employees of the So-
cial Welfare Department un-
dergo trainings in terms of
Section 39 of the 2016 Act.
 — PTI
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Peddapalli, Telangana, on Sunday — PTI
Addressing a public meet-
ing at Peddapalli in support
of BJP’s candidate, S Kumar,
Adityanath said both Con-
gress and TRS are with the
‘anti-nationals’.
He alleged that both par-
ties were supporting activi-
catch me
brief history
Prince William’s attach-
ment comes after his
grandmom, Queen
Elizabeth II, celebrated
GCHQ’s centenary
this year with a visit to
its ex-top secret base,
Watergate House, London
said in a statement.
William, the Duke of Cam-
bridge, undertook his work-
place attachments last month
and concluded his mission on
Saturday. “Spending time in-
side our security and intelli-
gence agencies, understand-
ing more about the vital con-
Abuja: Nigerian billionaire
Aliko Dangote, known as Af-
rica’s richest man, told a fo-
rum in Ivory Coast on Satur-
day how he once took $10
million in cash out of the
bank just to look at it and get
it into his head that this was
real money, not just figures
on paper.
“When you’re young your
first million is important, but
after, the numbers don’t
mean much,” Dangote, a
manufacturing tycoon with a
range of companies span-
ning cement to flour, told the
Mo Ibrahim forum in Abid-
jan. “One day, I cashed 10 mil-
lion, put them in the boot of
not any more people walk through several kilometres of snow-covered valley to fetch drinking water
In a J&K village, a glass of water means treading snowy track
Doda: Braving the lurking
threat of avalanches and at-
tacks by wild animals, wom-
en in some villages of this
mountainous district of
Jammu and Kashmir tread
several-kilometre snowy
track deep inside the forest to
fetch drinking water from a
natural source for daily use.
Nearly 100 families living
on the slopes of three ham-
lets — Ganori, Kuthal and
Naik Mohalla of Kahara
tehsil — are considering boy-
cott of the upcoming Lok
Sabha elections to lodge their
protest against the “failure”
of the administration to pro-
ties which are dangerous’ to
national security. “The re-
cently released Congress
manifesto certifies it while
AIMIM is known for its anti-
national statements and
acts,” he said, asserting that
the alliances of these two par-
tribution they make to our
national security, was a truly
humbling experience,” he
said. Staff at the security and
intelligence agencies “work
in secret, often not even able
to tell their family and
friends about the work they
do or the stresses they face”,
he said, adding that the coun-
try owes them deep gratitude
for the difficult and danger-
ous work they do .
According to Kensington
Palace, William learned
about risks to the UK’s na-
tional security and economy
and also observed counter-
terrorism teams analysing
intelligence and carrying out
investigations.
Aliko Dangote
my car I put it in my room. I
looked at them and thought
‘now I believe I have money’
and took it back to the bank
the next day,” he told his audi-
ence. Anecdotes aside, Dan-
gote said that the two most
promising sectors for Afri-
Ganori, Kuthal and Naik Mohalla of Kahara tehsil may boycott the LS polls
vide drinking water facility
to them over the past seven
decades. “We have no other
option but to put our lives at
ties with all of them would
only ‘create a serious threat to
the security of the country as
well as Telangana.
He accused the previous
Congress-led UPA govern-
ment of “serving biryani” to
terrorists and saidthe Modi
government on the other
hand, has shown resolve ‘with
bullets’ in dealing with terror
attacks. “The BJP leadership
has shown that only bullets
can be the answer to terror-
ists, he said. Adityanath also
alleged that the UPA govern-
ment ‘failed’ the armed forces
by not allowing them to act
(against terrorists) and said
the hands of the scientists
were ‘tied’, unlike under the
Modi government when they
showed their prowess by de-
veloping the A-Sat. —PTI
As BJP chants Phir ek baar...,
Cong pitches on Nyay theme
Saswat Panigrahi
saswat.panigrahi@dnaindia.net
New Delhi: With just four
days to go for the first phase
of the Lok Sabha elections,
the ruling BJP and the main
Opposition party Congress
on Sunday unveiled their
publicity campaigns – the
campaign themes and cam-
paign slogans. While ‘Phir
ek baar Modi sarkar’ (Modi
government once again) is
the BJP’s campaign slogan,
the Congress’s campaign
slogan reads ‘Ab Hoga Nyay’.
NYAY is also the acronym
for the Congress’s proposed
minimum income guaran-
tee scheme Nyuntam Aay
Yojana, promised in its man-
ifesto. The BJP’s campaign
song is ‘Chalo phir ek baar
ham Modi Sarkar banate
hain, chalo milkar saath aae
desh ko badhate hain (Let’s
elect the Modi government
again, let’s come together to
help the nation moving for-
ward). The party has not
disclosed who has penned
the lyrics for the song.
Nyay, anyay mitaneke
liye utha ek tufan hun. Mein
Hindustan hun. Ab hoga
nyay. (Justice is a cyclone to
end the injustice. I am India.
Now there will be justice).
This is the campaign song of
the Congress. While well-
known Bollywood lyricist
Javed Akhtar penned the
ca’s future were agriculture
and new technologies. But he
advised young African entre-
preneurs not to get carried
away by the first flush of suc-
cess. “Often in Africa we
spend our projected incomes.
There are ups and downs” in
business, he warned.
Dangote said he regretted
the customs and administra-
tive problems that hamper
business development thro-
ughout the continent.
As an example he cited the
difficulties his cement group
faces in exporting to Benin
from Nigerian factories 40
kilometres from the border. 
 — AFP
risk to fetch water from the
natural fountain under the
foothills of snow-peaked
mountains deep inside the
second
front
page
Ahmedabad I Monday, April 8, 2019 I daily news & analysis
New Delhi: The National
Green Tribunal has slapped
an interim penalty of Rs 100
crore on the Andhra Pradesh
government for inaction to
prevent illegal sand mining
in the state.
A bench, headed by NGT
Chairperson Justice Adarsh
Kumar Goel, directed the
chief secretary of Andhra
Pradesh to forthwith prohibit
all unregulated sand mining.
The green panel said it is the
duty of the government to
provide complete protection
to the natural resources as a
trustee of the public at large.
“Moreover, even a policy
to give free sand as welfare
measure cannot justify un-
regulated mining unmindful
of impact on environment. If
in the course of mining, dam-
age is caused, the same must
be recovered from such viola-
tors. Authorities cannot avoid
their duty under the environ-
mental law to restore the
damage which is a duty to
Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Sunday
lyrics for the Congress’s
campaign song, the cam-
paign video has been filmed
by popular director-produc-
er Nikkhil Advani. Advertis-
ing firm Percept Edge is the
agency behind the cam-
paign. Senior BJP leader
and Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley released the party’s
campaign slogan, campaign
song, at BJP’s central office
in Delhi, while giving a
glimpse of the party’s cam-
paign theme. The BJP is
scheduled to release its man-
ifesto on Monday.
Jaitley, the head of par-
ty’s Publicity Committee,
said BJP’s campaign is
largely themed around four
aspects.
“First, the nation wants a
government which can re-
ally work. The Modi govern-
ment took the reins of the
country in 2014, an era of
Congress’s corruption and
Bengaluru: Karnataka CM
HD Kumaraswamy on Sun-
day said a section of people
wanted to “finish him off po-
litically” by defeating
his son Nikhil Ku-
maraswamy in the
Mandya Lok Sabha
constituency.
Reflecting the
widening cracks in
the ruling coalition,
Kumaraswamy said he
was relying “only on the
JD(S) MLAs, MLCs and the
sitting member of parlia-
ment L R Shivarame Gowda
Troubled waters
Shah Nawaz Mir,
panchayat member of
Ganori-Kusharthawa,
said despite several
pleas to political
representatives and
the civil administration,
nothing has been done to
provide water supply to
the villages.
forest,” middle-aged Kulsu-
ma Begum of village Ganori
told PTI. Begum, along with
three other villagers, had a
narrow escape six years ago
future generations,” the
bench said, in a recent order.
The tribunal directed the
state government to deposit
Rs 100 crore ‘environment
compensation’ with the Cen-
tral Pollution Control Board
within a month.
It also constituted a com-
mittee comprising Central
Pollution Control Board, Min-
istry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change
(MoEF&CC), National Insti-
soon successfully altered the
political culture,” he said.
“Second, while emphasis-
ing the fact that the nation
wants a honest government,
the BJP campaign theme
will highlight how the Modi
government has worked for
all sections of society,” Jait-
ley said.
“Third, it will highlight
the decisiveness of the gov-
ernment on the issues of
development and national
security. It will further em-
phasise that only a strong
leadership can take decisive
actions,” he said.
“Fourth, there is a need
for a decisive leader and ma-
jority government,” the Fi-
nance Minister said. “The
elections will be a fight be-
tween a cohesive govern-
ment of PM Modi and chaos
and mahamilawat offered by
the Opposition,” Jaitley
said.
(in Mandya).”
The CM also said he did
not depend on the alliance
partner, Congress in Man-
dya. “Some Congress
leaders are working
and some are not
working (in Man-
dya), but I am not
upset with that.
There is a sec-
tion out to finish me
off by defeating Nikhil
Kumaraswamy. However,
they don’t have the support
of the locals there,” Kumar-
aswamy alleged. — PTI
when she came under an ava-
lanche while collecting water
from the fountain. “I have
nightmares and shiver with
fear whenever I think of that
frightful incident. So many
years have passed, but still I
have to visit the spot every-
day to collect the water for
our survival,” she said. Re-
calling the incident, Begum
said she and others were col-
lecting water when suddenly
an avalanche struck from the
mountain burying them.
“Luckily we got timely
help and were rescued from
the snow after four hours and
airlifted to Jammu for spe-
tute of Mines, Dhanbad, IIT
Roorkee and Madras School
of Economics to undertake
environment damage assess-
ment within three months
and furnish a report to this
Tribunal. “The chief secre-
tary may also prepare a re-
port about the particulars of
the licences granted for sand
mining in the whole state of
Andhra Pradesh and estimat-
ed amount of sand extract-
ed,” the tribunal said. — PTI
100 of 360
nabbed Indian
fishermen
released: Pak
Karachi: Pakistani officials
on Sunday said they will re-
lease the first batch of 360
Indian prisoners detained for
fishing illegally in the coun-
try’s territorial waters in the
Arabian sea. Prison official
Munir Ahmed said that 100
prisoners will travel by train
under police guard to the
eastern city of Lahore before
being handed over to Indian
authorities at the Wahga bor-
der crossing Monday.
Pakistani and Indian mar-
itime agencies frequently ar-
rest each other’s fishermen
on charges of illegal fishing.
The detainees often languish
in prison until such goodwill
gestures are shown from ei-
ther side. Pakistan’s foreign
ministry has said the remain-
ing Indian prisoners will be
released this month. These
fishermen form the first
batch of 360 Indian prisoners
Pakistan has announced to
set free in four phases this
month. The released prison-
ers were taken to the Karachi
Cantonment Railway Station
under heavy security, where
they boarded the Allama
Iqbal Express for Lahore, The
Express Tribune reported.
From Lahore, they would
be taken to the Wagah Border
for handover to the Indian
authorities, it said. — PTI
We are doing it as
a goodwill
gesture and hope
India will reciprocate.
Another 100 will be rele-
ased in the second phase
on April 15 and in the
third phase on April 22,
another 100 will be freed
Mohammad Faisal,
Pak Foreign Office spokesperson
cialised treatment.” Raveesa
Bano, 18, a student, said, “We
live here dangerously by de-
fying possible death every
day, especially during the
winter when there is heavy
snowfall and the wild ani-
mals remain on prowl.” She
said centrally-sponsored
Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and
Open Defecation Free (ODF)
slogans sounds good but a lot
needs to be done to uplift the
living standards of the peo-
ple, especially those living on
the hills. “We too have
dreams ... To have running
tap water in our homes,”
Bano said. — PTI