JOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

An easy way
to open
a Savings Account
online instantly

A C C O U N T

Open your account

in just 4 minutes

Access 250+ services

with the iMobile App

Get 100+ exciting

offers

Send ‘OPEN ACCOUNT’ to 86400 86400 on WhatsApp now.

Exciting offers from our partners:

and many
more

Disclaimer as at icicibank.com/instasave. Terms and Conditions of ICICI Bank and third parties apply. ICICI Bank is not responsible for third party products, goods, services
and offers. Nothing contained herein shall constitute or be deemed to constitute an advice, invitation or solicitation to purchase any products/services of third party.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES
TheIndianEXPRESS
WISHES ITS READERS
HAPPY DIWALI
THERE WILL BE NO EDITION OF
THE PAPER ON SUNDAY,
NOVEMBER 15, 2020
For news updates, visit
indianexpress.com
BUSINESS AS USUAL
BY UNNY
Ex-NC MLA stopped
from flying to Dubai,
govt to amend order
DEEPTIMAN TIWARY
& NAVEED IQBAL
NEW DELHI, SRINAGAR,
NOVEMBER 13
FORMER NATIONAL Conference
(NC) MLA Altaf Ahmad Wani
alias Kalloo was on Thursday
eveningpreventedfromflyingto
Dubai from Delhi International
Airport, with immigration offi-
cials reportedly informing him
that politicians from Kashmir
were not allowed to fly abroad.
Following the episode,
sourcessaid,theblanketorder—
issued in the wake of the abro-
Kamra says
not sorry,
contempt plea
filed in SC
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
ADAYaftertheAttorneyGeneral
granted consent for initiation of
criminal contempt of court pro-
ceedings against him over his
tweets on the
Supreme
Court and a
judge, stand-
up comedian
Kunal Kamra
said he does
KunalKamra retract
not intend to
his
tweetsorapol-
ogiseforthem.
Inaletteraddressedtojudges
and Attorney General K K
Venugopal,whichwaspostedon
Twitter Friday, Kamra said: “My
viewhasn’tchangedbecausethe
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
THE EDITORIAL PAGE
A JUSTICE LECTURE
Hopefully, SC listens to
itself— and stands up for
a stand-up comedian
PAGE 14
As owls face occult threat on Diwali,
Uttarakhand officials step up vigil
PAGE 1
ANCHOR
LALMANI VERMA
DEHRADUN, NOVEMBER 13
IT'S THE vehicle of Goddess
Lakshmi, whose blessings many
Indians seek on Deepawali.
Ironically, the festival of lights is
also when the owl is the most
threatened.
Every year around
Deepawali, these shy, mostly
nocturnal birds of prey are
trapped and hunted in large
numbers as tantriks, sorcerers,
and practitioners of black magic
UNPROVOKED FIRING BY PAK: ARMY
LoC flare-up: 5 securitymen among 9
dead; at least 6 from Pak Army killed
4 soldiers, BSF jawan, 7-yr-old killed; India targets terror
pads in retaliatory fire; Pakistan summons Indian envoy
KRISHN KAUSHIK,
NAVEED IQBAL
& ARUN SHARMA
NEW DELHI, SRINAGAR,
JAMMU, NOVEMBER 13
MARKING A sharp escalation of
hostilitiesalongtheLineofControl
(LoC) in north Kashmir, four sol-
diers,aBSFjawanandatleastfour
civilians, including a seven-year-
old boy, died in “unprovoked
ceasefire violation” by Pakistan,
Altaf Ahmad
Wani
gation of Article 370 in August
2019 — is being reviewed by the
government. Henceforth, politi-
cians from Kashmir would not
be prevented from flying abroad
unless there is any specific input
about their prospective involve-
ment in any anti-India activity
there, the sources added.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Kochhar assets attached by ED not
proceeds of crime: adjudicator
KHUSHBOO NARAYAN
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 13
IN A relief to former ICICI Bank
chief executive officer Chanda
Kochhar and her husband
Deepak Kochhar, the adjudicat-
ing authority under the
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA) has not
confirmed the attachment of
their assets, including a flat in
South Mumbai, by the
Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Duping poor minority students:
Jharkhand HC to hear plea for SIT
ABHISHEK ANGAD
RANCHI, NOVEMBER 13
THE JHARKHAND High Court
has listed for hearing this month
a petition urging it to take suo
motu cognizance of the findings
on aninvestigationbyThe Indian
Express, which revealed how a
nexus of middlemen, banking
correspondents,school staff and
government officials illegally di-
verted funds disbursed under
the Centre's pre-Matric scholar-
ship for poor minority students.
use them in occult sacrifice.
In Uttarakhand, whose
forests are home to many of the
more than two dozen species of
owl found in India, the Forest
Department has sounded a
statewidealertandofficialshave
increased their vigil to try and
foil poachers.
Leave of field staff have been
cancelled, they have been asked
to increase patrolling, and acti-
vate informers in and around
forests in order to detect suspi-
cious activity.
“Occultists perform certain
rituals withowlsonDiwali.They
also sacrifice the bird to appease
Goddess Lakshmi, with the su-
perstition that this would bring
DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA
officialssaid.Atleast“sixtoeight”
Pakistani soldiers were killed in
retaliatory fire, sources said.
The Armysaid in a statement
that “Pakistan initiated unpro-
voked ceasefire violations along
the LoC spread across multiple
sectors to include Dawar, Keran,
Uri and Naugam”, and used
“mortars and other weapons”.
“Pakistan deliberately targeted
civilian areas,” it said.
Sources said firing from
Pakistan began after the Army
LIGHT NIGHT
On the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya, on the eve of Diwali on Friday. Vishal Srivastav
Chanda
Kochhar
In a 798-page order, the act-
ing chairperson of the authority,
Tushar V Shah, said that assets
worth Rs 78.15 crore of Deepak
Kochhar, attached by the ED in
January, do not qualify as pro-
ceeds of crime under PMLA.
THE
SCHOLARSHIP
SCAM
Submitted by Advocate
Mohammad Shadab Ansari,
who practices in the High Court,
the plea also seeks directions
from the court for the state DGP
to constitute a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) com-
prising senior officers to probe
the scam. The court listed the
plea, emailed Wednesday by
Uttarakhand forests are
home to many owl species
them wealth and prosperity,” a
senior forest officer said.
“Occultistsalsoextractbones,
JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Money sent abroad
under LRS touches
pre-Covid levels in
Sept; a lot of it is gift
E
E X P L A I NE D
SANDEEP SINGH Coinciding
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13 with India
“eliminatedinfiltrationattempts
in the Keran sector” Friday REMITTANCESUNDERtheliber- ● slowdown
morning.“Owntroopsretaliated alised remittance scheme (LRS)
strongly causing substantial returned to pre-Covid levels in THE SHARP increase in
damage to Pakistan Army's in- September, reversing the trend outflows over the last
frastructure and casualties of previous months, during several years – $63.7 bil-
acrossthe LoC. Severalammuni- which outward remittances by lion between April 2014
tion dumps, FOL (fuel, oil and lu- resident Indians were severely and September 2020 –
bricant)dumpsandmultipleter- impactedbylockdownsincoun- has come at a time when
rorist launch pads have been tries around the world. India has witnessed a
damaged,” the Army said. Outward remittances by res- weak investment and
Sources told The Indian The Army said several ammunition and fuel dumps of the ident Indians hit a seven-month business climate.
ExpressthatthePakistanisoldiers Pakistan Army were damaged on Friday. ANI highof$1.65billioninSeptember
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 – and was more than the figures
for both September 2019 ($1.59 September. Remittances for the
billion) and March 2020 ($1.36 purposesofmaintainingrelatives
billion), when the pandemic be- and gifting in September 2020
gan to worsen, data from the weremorethaninFebruary2020
THE EDITORIAL PAGE Reserve Bank of India show.
Remittances in February
2020 were, however, higher at
and September 2019.
Remittances for purposes of ed-
ucationwere10percentlessthan
EXPANDINGFISCAL
SPACE
NEELKANTH MISHRA
$1.68 billion.
Money sent on account of
maintenanceof relatives,asgifts,
the figure of September 2019.
With restrictions still in place
in many countries, travel, which
PAGE 14 and to pay for education wit-
nessed a sharp recovery in
accounted for 37 per cent of total
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Eight hours later, farmers, govt agree
to ‘talk on’; Punjab waits for trains
organisations insisted that the Singh Tomar, Railway Minister
HARIKISHAN SHARMA new farm laws be repealed and Piyush Goyal and Minister of
& AVISHEK G DASTIDAR legalbacking beprovidedforthe State for Commerce & Industry
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13 minimum support price (MSP) Som Prakash — lasted nearly
mechanism. There was no eight hours, from around 10.30
THE TALKS betweenthe govern- breakthrough over the start of am to 6 pm. Tomar later admit-
ment and representatives of train services to Punjab either. ted to the media that a "consid-
farmer unions remained incon-
clusiveonFriday,withbothsides
refusing to budge from their re-
The meeting between 40-50
representativesof farmerunions
and three Union ministers —
erable gap" remained between
what the farmers wanted and
the government's stand.
spective stands but agreeing to Minister of Agriculture and According to sources, the
continuediscussions.Thefarmer Farmers’ Welfare Narendra CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
The ED is likely to challenge
the order before the appellate
authority. The Directorate had
provisionally attached movable
and immovable assets of
Kochhar, including the flat at CCI
Chambers, land, cash, and ma-
chineryatWindfarmProjectslo-
cated in Tamil Nadu and
Maharashtra.
The order of theadjudicating
authoritysaidthatthepossibility
of a trial taking time cannot jus-
tify ED's apprehension that the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Ranchi-basedAnsari,forhearing
on November 27.
Addressed to High Court
Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan, the
plea stated: “It is to bring to the
noticeof yourLordshipthat...The
Indian Express published an in-
vestigativereport...(onthe)large
scale of corruption and siphon-
ingof Minorityscholarshipfund.
In this embezzlement and si-
phoning of scholarship funds,
many government agencies/of-
ficials (at state level as well as
district level), schoolauthorities,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
claws, and feathers of owls and
sell them illegally,” the officer
said. “Usually, tantriks perform
suchritualsonthenightofDiwali.
The poaching of owls, therefore,
increases around Diwali.”
The officer said the
Department had increased its
vigil especially in forest areas
withtemples,andontheborders
of the state to check the entry of
poachers and smuggling of the
birds. Chief Wildlife Warden J S
Suhag confirmed that an alert
has been issued to field staff.
While the poaching of owls
especiallyaroundDeepawalihas
been flagged by wildlife conser-
vationists for over a decade now,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
New Delhi
 2 THE SECOND PAGE WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020

DOWNLOADAPP WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
■ VISUAL STORIES

■ DAILY BRIEFING
IISC RESEARCHERS DISCOVER FIVE NEW SPECIES OF VINE SNAKES

EXCLUSIVE
■ PODCASTS

WEB
■ CUSTOMIZABLE AteamofresearchersfromtheCentreforEcologicalSciencesoftheIndianInstituteofSciencerecently China proposes pullback,
NEWS EXPERIENCE discoveredfivenewspeciesofvinesnakesduringtheirstudyinvariouspartsofpeninsularIndia.Theteam
discoveredthatthecommongreenvinesnake(Ahaetullanasuta)inIndiawasacomplexofseveralspecies. death of 4 child workers, on-
Indian Express
★★★★★ ■4.6 line media under I&B ministry
TECH REVIEW NEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

APPLE IPHONE SURAJ PE In today’s episode, we discuss on how

12 MINI-REVIEW MANGAL BHARI China proposes to pull back troops along
the LAC, four children die while working in
The iPhone 12 mini is Who writes this stuff? bangle factories in Jaipur, and online media
SCANTHISQRCODETO solving a specific And why are we
DOWNLOADTHEAPP comes under the purview of I&B ministry
problem, that of size watching this in 2020?

FROM PAGE ONE

LoC flare-up
killedinIndianfiringincludetwo
Special Service Group comman-
dos.“NearlyadozenPakistanisol-
diers were also injured,” sources
said.
Late Friday, the Pakistan
Foreign Affairs Ministry said that
the“IndianChargéd’Affaireswas
summoned”toregisterPakistan’s
“strongprotest”over“ceasefirevi-
olations”inNeelumValley,Leepa
ValleyandBaghValley.Itsaidfour
civilians were killed and 12 oth-
ers seriously injured.
TheIndianArmyisyettooffi-
cially release the identities of the
foursoldierskilled.Whilethreeof
them died in the firing, a fourth
succumbed to injuries later.
The BSF said in a statement:
“SI Rakesh Doval of BSF Arty
Regiment deployed along LoC in
Baramulla,Kashmirlaiddownhis
lifeinlineofdutywhilePakforces
resortedtoceasefireviolation.DG
BSFandallranksof BSFsalutehis
supremesacrificeinserviceofthe
nation.”
Uri Sub-Divisional Police
Officer, Junaid Wali, told The
Indian Express that the civilian
victims include two men, a
woman and a child. They have
been identified as Afrar Ahmad
Jinder (7) from Gohallan, Toib
AhmadMir(36)fromSultandaki,
FarooqaBegum(35)fromBalkote
and Irshad Ahmad Gangyal (48)
from Kamalkote.
Officials said that a 26-year-
oldwomananda15-year-oldboy
were among 12 others injured in
the firing, and that the death toll
could rise as the condition of
some of those injured is serious.
Political parties in J&K con-
demned the loss of lives. The
National Conference expressed
“solidarity with the bereaved
families of civilians and soldiers”
and called for an immediate end
to cross-border shelling.
PDP spokesperson Suhail
Bukhari said “there is no way but
thatofdialogueandreconciliation
to achieve permanent peace and
prosperity”. People’s Conference
chairman Sajad Lone asked the
administrationtoprovidereliefto
affected families.
Apart from north Kashmir, at
leastsevenpeople,includingtwo
BSF porters, were injured in
Jammu's Poonch district as
Pakistani troops resorted to in-
tense mortar shelling and small
arms fire “without provocation”
in the Sawjian area. Sources said
the Army “retaliated befittingly”.
Thisyear,therehasbeenasig-
nificantescalationinceasefirevi-
olationsbyPakistan.Accordingto
official data, there have been
4,052 such incidents so far this
year--25percentmorethanthe
3,233 violations across 2019.
Theseincidentshavebeenris-
ingoverthelasttwomonths,with
394violationsinOctoberand128
sofarthismonth.BeforeFriday,at
least20civiliansandfivesoldiers
were killed in such incidents this
year.
Army sources have cited in-
creased infiltration bids in north
Kashmirasoneof thereasonsfor
a higher number of violations
aimed at providing cover to mili-
tants.Therearemorethan20ter-
ror launchpads across the LoC in
theKeranandMachhalsectorsin
north Kashmir, they said.
On October 26, The Indian
Expressreportedcommentsfrom
Lieutenant General B S Raju,
Commander of the Chinar Corps
(XV Corps), which is responsible
foroperationsalongtheLoC,that
there is “no desire on the part of
Pakistan to stop infiltration”. He
citedinterceptsofinfiltratorssay-
ingtheyare“unabletogo”butare
still being pushed to do so.
On October 23, Anurag
Srivastava, spokesperson for the
External Affairs Ministry, had re-
ferredtosuchceasefireviolations.
“Pakistan forces have continued
to engage in unprovoked cease-
fireviolations,oftenfromcivilian
areas,tosupportinfiltrationofter-
roristsacrosstheLoC,”hehadsaid.
Jharkhand HC
middleman, bank officials, etc.,
are involved.”
Thepleastateditis“pertinent
to mention here that in this cor-
ruption, Aadhaar card authenti-
cation is also misused by the ac-
cused persons and payments
were made to persons who are
not even students”.
Itpointedoutthatduetocor-
ruption, many “deserving poor
students” did not get the benefit
of the scholarship while many
“non-eligible persons” got the
amount.“Itisthereforerequested
that your Lordship may take suo
motucognizance...anddirectthe
registry to lodge a PIL so that the
case may be monitored,” Ansari
wrote in the plea.
Speaking to The Indian
Express,Ansarisaid“government
officials from top to bottom” are
allegedly involved in the “big
scam” that has “affected thou-
sands of poor students”. “It is
likely that the investigation will
be compromised, which is why I
approached the Honorable High
Court to intervene in the matter
sothateveryculpritiscaughtand
punished,” he said.
During its investigation, The
Indian Express matched entries
ontheNationalScholarshipPortal
(NSP) with beneficiary bank ac-
counts in the Public Finance
Management System (PFMS) to
findhowthedirectbenefittrans-
ferschemewasbeingderailedby
corruption -- despite checks like
Aadhaar cards and fingerprints,
and verification from school to
state level.
After this newspaper pub-
lished a series of reports from
October 31 on the scam, stretch-
ing from Jharkhand to Bihar and
also involving schools in Punjab
andAssam,theUnionMinistryof
Minority Affairs, which adminis-
ters the scholarship, decided to
ask the CBI to investigate.
Subsequently,policeinBihar's
Gaya registered an FIR, and the
CID in Assam arrested 21 people,
including four headmasters and
ateacher,onchargesoffraudand
forgeryafteraseparateinvestiga-
tion into the scam.
In Jharkhand, where Rs 61
crore was disbursed under the
scholarship for 2019-20, the
Dhanbad district administration
filed FIRs against more than 105
people,includingmiddlemenand
localofficials.A59-pageprobere-
portpreparedbyateamledbythe
Additional District Magistrate
(Law and Order) referred to the
findingsofTheIndianExpressand
quoted several suspects as nam-
ing state and district staff, school
authorities,andevensomepoliti-
cians.ThisPre-MatricScholarship
Scheme, launched in 2008, is
meanttohelpstudentsofminor-
ity communities, Muslims,
Christians,Sikhs,Parsis,Jainsand
Buddhists,fromfamilieswithan-
nual income below Rs 1 lakh.
LRS
OUTWARD REMITTANCE
UNDER LRS IN 2020
■ Remittance(US$Mn)
1,804 1,648
1,358
1,156
780.6
499
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
7 lakh, education-related remit-
tances funded by loans, will be
taxedat0.5percentforamounts
aboveRs 7 lakh.
Kochhar
assets are being concealed or
transferred.
TheEDinitscomplainthasal-
legedthatacommitteeheadedby
Chanda Kochhar sanctioned a
loan of Rs 300 crore to Videocon
International Electronics Ltd
(VIEL)in2009.Outofthisamount,
italleged,atleastRs64crorewas
transferred to NuPower
Renewables, a company owned
by Kochhar's husband on
September8,2009,adayafterthe
loan was disbursed by the bank.
However, the order of the ad-
judicating authority has termed
the transfer of Rs 64 crore from
Venugopal Dhoot's firm to
NuPower Renewables as a "gen-
uine business investment con-
templatedmuchaheadintimeof
sanction of the loan".
TheorderalsosaidthattheRs
300 crore loan to VIEL has been
repaidandtherehasbeennoloss
to ICICI Bank.
On a possible appeal by the
ED,legalexpertspointedoutthat
the post of chairman or judicial
memberattheappellatetribunal
has been vacant for the last one
year.
Owls
the Uttarakhand Forest
Departmenthasnorecentdataon
the problem.
In 2019, a total 138 incidents
of wildlife crime, including 47
casesofpoaching,wererecorded
inthestate,butnoneofthemwas
related to owls. This year, 88
wildlifecrimecaseshadbeenreg-
istereduntilOctober31,including
37 cases related to poaching, but
again, none of them were about
owls.
A forest officer in the
Haldwani range said that while
“there may be no specific regis-
tered cases of poaching of owls”,
the chances of poaching “defi-
nitely increase at the time of
JammuandKashmirwerefacing
problems. According to sources,
the farmer leaders objected to
Yadav's remarks, saying they
wanted a discussion with politi-
cians and not officials.
Asourcesaid,“Itdoesnotlook
like we will be able to run trains
immediately,eventhoughweare
ready."
SourcesattheCentresaidthey
wantedthePunjabgovernment's
assurance on "unhindered" train
movement to resume services,
not just the word of farmers.
“Neither in the meeting nor ear-
lierdidthestategovernmentgive
usanassurancethattrainservices
could resume uninterrupted,” a
topsourceintheRailwayMinistry
toldTheIndianExpress.However,
thePunjabgovernmenthasbeen
sayingthatthefarmersarenotob-
structing the railway tracks any
more.
Speaking to the media after
the meeting, Tomar said, “There
were talks for a long time. The
talks were fruitful, held in a cor-
dial atmosphere. Unke jo mudde
thhe, un par sarakaar ke vichaar
aur unke muddon mein nishchit
roop se kaafi doori thi (Certainly,
there is a considerable gap be-
tween what they want and the
government's stand). However,
we said that talks will continue,
and assured them that the new
farmlawswillnotaffecteitherthe
MSP or APMCs. Punjab will con-
tinue to have both."
Tomar added, "This time, the
procurement of kharif crops has
beenmanytimesmorethanear-
lier, and much more in Punjab.
Therefore, one should not have
doubts and mistrust."
A statement by the
AgricultureMinistrysaidthefarm
representatives were briefed
about "the reforms made in the
agriculture sector".
Train services in Punjab re-
mainsuspendedsinceSeptember
24, with the Railways citing “rail
roko” agitations against the farm
laws.TheRailwayshasrefusedto
resume goods trains either, say-
ing it would either operate both
Unfortunately, the order has not
beenreviewedbytheUTadmin-
istration since then."
Faesal had been detained by
immigration authorities on
August 14, 2019, ahead of taking
aflighttoIstanbulfromDelhi.The
reason given was “perception of
threat to public order due to his
activities”,basedonareportfrom
the J&K administration. He was
subsequentlyhandedovertothe
J&K Police, which detained him
underSection107oftheCrPC,fol-
lowed by the stringent Public
Safety Act.
Arequestwasthensenttoim-
migrationauthoritiestonotallow
any Kashmir politician, many of
whom served months under de-
tention, to fly abroad. Wani him-
self was released from detention
after six months, in February.
StillinDelhi,theNCleadersaid
he had faced no hassles securing
avisaandhadflowntoDelhifrom
Srinagar"withoutanyredflagsat
the airport". " I was travelling to
Dubaiformyniece'sengagement
onSaturday...Iwishthishadbeen
conveyed to me before I left
Srinagar because this has caused
unnecessary distress to my fam-
ily," Wani said.
Kamra
silence of the Supreme Court of
India on matters of other’s per-
sonal liberty cannot go uncriti-
cized. I don’t intend to retract my
tweetsorapologiseforthem.Ibe-
lieve they speak for themselves.”
“Iwishtovolunteerhavingthe
timethatwouldbeallottedtothe
hearing of my contempt peti-
tion… to other matters and par-
ties who have not been as lucky
andprivilegedasIamtojumpthe
queue.MayIsuggestthedemon-
etisation petition, the petition
challenging the revocation of
J&K’sspecialstatus,thematterof
the legality of electoral bonds or
countless other matters that are
moredeservingoftimeandatten-
tion,” he said.
“The Supreme Court of India
hasn’t yet declared my tweets
anything as of now but if and

Source: RBI
remittances in 2019-20, is yet to
recover – in September 2020, it
wasonly$358million,or21.7per
cent of the total.
As lockdowns shut most of
theworld–includingIndia'sown
nationwidelockdownthatbegan
on March 24 – and international
travel stopped almost entirely,
outwardremittancesfelldramat-
icallytojust$499millioninApril.
ByAugust,however,ithadrecov-
ered to $1.15 billion.
Over the last six years, remit-
tances by resident Indians has
shot up from $1.1 billion FY’14 to
$18.76billioninFY’20,drivenpri-
marilybyspendingontravel,ed-
ucation,maintenanceofrelatives,
and gifting. In FY’20, these four
heads accounted for outward re-
mittances of $17.3 billion, or 92
per cent of the total.
Between April 2014 and
September2020,residentIndians
have remitted $63.7 billion
abroadundertheRBI'sLRS.Under
the scheme, resident individuals
can remit up to $ 250,000 in a fi-
nancialyearundervariousheads
including current account trans-
actionssuchasgoingoverseason
employment, studies overseas,
emigration,maintenanceofclose
relatives, medical treatment, etc.
Resident Indians can also
transfer money for capital ac-
counttransactionsunderLRS,in-
cludingopeningforeigncurrency
accounts overseas with a bank,
purchase of property, and mak-
ing investments in units of mu-
tual funds and venture capital
funds, etc.
In her Budget this year,
Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman proposed to impose
a 5 per cent tax-collected-at
source on foreign remittances
with effect from October 1, 2020.
The tax is for foreign tour pack-
ages;otherremittancesaboveRs
Diwali”.
Mohan Singh Rawat, Range
Officer, Dehradun Zoo, said,
“People usually call me to ask
aboutprocedurestoadoptdiffer-
ent wild animals and birds in the
zoo. But before Diwali, most
callers ask about owls. I receive
seven-eightsuchcallseveryday.”
There are12 owls in the zoo,
three of which were adopted re-
cently by people who agreed to
payRs5,000annuallyforthebird.
Once an owl is adopted, the zoo
displaysthenameandaddressof
theadopteroutsidetheenclosure.
Lalit Prasad, a priest in
Haridwar, expressed dismay at
the idea of killing owls on
Deepawali. “Only tantriks sacri-
ficeowls,anditiswrong.Theowl
isthevaahanofGoddessLakshmi,
how can you appease Her by
killing it?” he said.
Farmers
farmerrepresentativesalsoraised
the issue of “step motherly treat-
ment”towardsPunjab,whichhas
been at the forefront of the
protestsagainstthenewlaws.All
railway services to the state, in-
cluding goods trains, have been
haltedformorethanamonth,af-
fecting the supply of essentials.
Therepresentativeswerepar-
ticularly concerned over the
changestolawsbypassingtheex-
isting Agricultural Produce
Market Committee (APMCs) or
mandis.
During the meeting,
Agriculture Ministry officials
madeapresentationlistingallthe
measures taken by the govern-
ment to raise farmers' incomes,
and assured that there would be
no change in procurement of
farm produce at MSP. Details re-
garding such procurement were
also shared.
Railway Board Chairman
Vinod Kumar Yadav, who was
present at the meeting, told the
farmer leaders that people with
train tickets for Punjab and
freight and passenger trains or
none at all.
The Union Food Secretary,
who is holding additional charge
of the Agriculture Ministry, had
on November 10 invited the
farmer organisations for a meet-
ing with Tomar and Goyal.
Ameetingheldlastmonthby
Agriculture Secretary Sanjay
Agarwalwiththemhadendedon
a stormy note.
Ex-NC MLA
Wani, who is a former MLA
fromPahalgham,wasbookedon
a Dubai-bound Vistara flight
along with his family members,
and was stopped at immigration
just before it was to leave from
Delhi airport at around 8 pm.
Sources said the airport au-
thorities told him about an order
against letting politicians from
J&Ktravelout of thecountry,and
advisedhimtogetspecialpermis-
sion from the Srinagar CID, even
as they allowed his family mem-
bers to take the flight.
Wani, who was among the
politicians detained on August 4,
2019, ahead of the scrapping of
special status for Jammu and
Kashmir,toldTheIndianExpress,
"Aftercheckingin,myfamilyand
Iweregoingthroughimmigration
when I was pulled aside and
asked to wait in a room." He said
immigrationofficialstoldhimaf-
ter a while that they had sought
permissionfromtheCIDofficein
Srinagartolethimtaketheflight.
"I believe the permission did not
come through, the officials cited
atechnicalityandsaidIcannotfly
outofthecountry.Later,someof-
ficersoftheJ&KPoliceintervened
andIwasallowedtoleavetheair-
port." A Home Ministry official
told The Indian Express, "The
matter is being sorted. The blan-
ket ban on travel of Kashmiri
politiciansisalsobeingreviewed.
It had come in the wake of Shah
FaesalattemptingtoflytoTurkey
right after the August 5 decision.
when they do, I hope they can
haveasmalllaughbeforedeclar-
ing them Contempt of Court,” he
said.
Meanwhile,twolawstudents
andagroupoflawyersmovedthe
Supreme Court, seeking con-
tempt action against Kamra for
“scandalising” and “lowering the
authority” of the court.
The plea was filed by law stu-
dents Shrirang Katneshwarkar
andNitikaDuhan,andadvocates
Amey Abhay Sirsikar, Abhishek
Sharad Raskar and Sattyendra
Vinayak Muley.
Adayearlier,AttorneyGeneral
Venugopal, responding to multi-
plelettersofrequest,hadgranted
his consent for initiation of con-
tempt proceedings against
Kamra, saying his tweets were
“not only in bad taste but clearly
cross the line between humour
and contempt of the court”.
Kamra posted the tweets
Wednesday, the day a vacation
bench of the Supreme Court
granted interim bail to Republic
TV editor-in-chief Arnab
Goswamiinanallegedabetment
to suicide case.
In their petition against
Kamra, the law students and ad-
vocates said: “The alleged con-
temnor has the following of 1.7
million people. The scandalous
tweets of the alleged contemnor
were seen by his followers and
many of them retweeted the
same... The petitioners thought
that the tweets published by the
allegedcontemnorscandalisethis
Hon’ble Court and further lower
the authority of this Hon’ble
Court.”
They contended that the
“tweets published by” Kamra
“are in such bad taste that an or-
dinary prudent man can gather
that the alleged contemnor has
scandalised... and further low-
ered the authority of” the court.
They said, “no law abiding citi-
zen of this country would toler-
ate such act...”

New Delhi

3 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
ALL 7 CASES TRANSFERRED TO CRIME BRANCH
Two more cases emerge against cop
arrested for ‘molestation’ in Dwarka
MAHENDER SINGH
MANRAL
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
INVESTIGATIONFOLLOWINGthe
arrest of a 35-year-old sub-in-
spector for allegedly molesting
five women has revealed that he
hadallegedlymolestedtwomore
women— onein March thisyear
andanotherin2018.Dwarkadis-
trict police have transferred all
seven cases to the Crime Branch
for further investigation.
According to police, the ar-
rested sub-inspector, Puneet
Grewal, was posted with the
Special Cell, but had been work-
ing with one of the DCPs (traffic
unit) in his personal section. He
was dismissed from service
once the allegations surfaced.
“Grewal was arrested last
89,400 EWS
flats to be
built by 2025
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
THE DELHI Urban Shelter
ImprovementBoard(DUSIB)has
decidedtoconstruct89,400flats
for slum dwellers and those
from the economically weaker
sections. The decision was taken
FridayinameetingchairedbyCM
ArvindKejriwal.Thegovernment
has set a deadline of 2025 for the
completionoftheproject,anoffi-
cial statement said.
The construction of the
89,400flatswillbe carriedoutin
three phases. In the first phase,
41,400flatswillcomeup,18,000
in second, and 30,000 in third.
DUSIB member Bipin Rai said
it was decided that the construc-
tionoftheEWSflatswillbecarried
outonthevacantlandoftheboard.
"Outof221acresoflandavail-
able with DUSIB, 115 acres is be-
ing considered at present for the
construction project. The use of
thelandavailablewiththeDUSIB
willbechangedbytheMCD,DDA
oranyotherauthorityconcerned,"
the statement added.
The deadline for the con-
struction of houses in the first
phase, estimated at Rs 3,312
crore, has been set at 24 months.
month when police started in-
vestigating the molestation
cases, which allegedly took
place on October 17 and 20. He is
in judicial custody,” said a sen-
ior police officer.
Police had started their in-
vestigation after one of the
women posted a video message
on social media on October 17,
alleging that a man driving a
grey Baleno harassed her when
she was cycling in Dwarka.
“During investigation, police
found four more women who
alleged they were molested by
him on the same stretch,” an of-
ficer said.
After his arrest, police found
during their investigation that
he had allegedly molested a
woman in 2018 in Dwarka.
“Police recorded the woman’s
statement a few days ago. She
Riot complaint names BJP MLA,
court seeks report from police
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
ADELHIcourthasdirectedpolice
tofileanactiontakenreport(ATR)
into a complaint accusing BJP
MLA Mohan Singh Bisht of lead-
ing a mob and throwing a petrol
bomb at a house during the
NortheastDelhiriotsinFebruary.
Metropolitan Magistrate
Rakesh Kumar Rampuri issued a
notice to police in the application
filed by Mohamad Mumtaz, the
owner of a chicken shop at
KarawalNagar.Hehadfiledanap-
plication through Advocate
SI Puneet Grewal was
posted with the Special
Cell, but had been working
with a DCP (traffic unit) in
his personal section
alleged that she was stalked by a
man in a grey Baleno several
times when she would come to
MLA Mohan
Singh Bisht
MehmoodPrachaaskingthecourt
todirectpolicetoregisterFIRbased
oncontentsof anapplicationthat
namesBishtand21others.
As per the complaint, on
February23,Mumtaz'sshopwas
setonfirebyriotersnamedinthe
complaint.Onthatday,afterfiling
an unnamed complaint with the
police, Mumtaz alleged he spot-
0-50 Good
the market area, and he would
pass lewd comments. An FIR
was registered, but apart from
the clue of the grey Baleno car,
police did not have any clue and
the investigation was pending.
After Grewal’s arrest, the
woman recently approached
police and informed them about
her case,” the officer said.
Police also found that he had
allegedly molested another
woman this year in the first
week of March when she was
going to the market. “Police have
so far recorded statements of
three complainants before a
magistrate under Sections 164
of the CrPC, and all of them have
alleged that he first tried to
strike a conversation with them
after stopping his vehicle and
then started passing lewd com-
ments. In two-three instances,
tedBishtaround10pmandheard
himgiveaspeechtoamobasking
them to "find and kill Muslims"
while the mob shouted, waving
pistols and swords in the air.
On February 25, around 7.30
am, Mumtaz named some per-
sonsinhiscomplaintforcarrying
pistols and hurling bombs at his
neighbourhood as rioters took
controlof terraces.Mumtaztried
toshootthevideobutwaspelted
withstonesbyrioters,healleged.
"After a little while, Bisht
came there along with his driver
andanotherpersonwhohadap-
plied a big tikka on his forehead.
As soon as they arrived the mob
ANAND VIHAR
Severe
405
AQI
PM: 2.5
0 500
51-100 Satisfactory
he also allegedly unzipped his
pants and touched his genitals
in front of them,” the officer
added.
The policeman’s arrest was
made when police scanned
CCTV cameras in the area and
spotted a grey Baleno, but dis-
covered that the registration
plate was partially covered with
a cloth. Police checked several
localities for the car in Dwarka,
while also scanning CCTV
footage from adjoining areas.
“After scanning footage from
over 200 CCTVs, they found
footage showing the car head-
ing towards Janakpuri. Police
then scanned other cameras and
found where he lives. They
reached his home and found the
car parked inside… It was regis-
tered in his wife’s name, who is
a teacher,” the officer said.
startedraisingtheslogan‘Mohan
Singh Bisht zindabad’, and Bisht
toldthemtofinishthetasksoon...
Then he entered the street lead-
ing the mob... Then the appli-
cant/complainant saw that Bisht
took a bomb from his henchman
and threw it at applicant/com-
plainant’shouse...thentheybroke
the lock of the door and entered
his house," the complaint read.
Bisht refused tocomment on
the allegations.
Mumtaz alleged rioters took
Rs 24 lakh in cash, 40 tola gold
and5kgsilverkeptinabagalong
with other items. The court was
toldpolicerefusedtoregisterFIR.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
SIRIFORT SHADIPUR DWARKA- SECTOR 8
Poor Very Poor Very Poor
298 356 342
AQI AQI AQI
PM: 2.5 PM: 10 PM: 10 500
0 500 0 500 0
101-200 Moderate 201-300 Poor 301-400 Very Poor 401-500 Severe
Fire tenders at key spots in Gurgaon
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
Despite the ban on firecrack-
ers, officials said there is still
Samriwal.
“We have cancelled leave of
GURGAON, NOVEMBER 13 scope for mishaps when people all our employees until
light diyas and candles. “We are November15andhavecreateda
The Gurgaon Fire Department going to remain on alert this freshrosterasperwhichperson-
has stepped up precautionary Diwali as well and have adopted nelwillworkinshiftsof 12hours
measuresacrossthedistrict,cre- certain precautionary measures insteadof theusual8-hourshifts
ating a new duty roster for per- under the guidance of Vinay that we have. In addition, we
sonnel and deploying fire ten- Pratap Singh, the commissioner havedeployedfivefiretendersat
ders at vulnerable spots to of the Municipal Corporation of differenttroublespotsinthecity
ensure any blaze that breaks out Gurugram,” said assistant divi- to ensure that help is at hand in
can be controlled in time. sional fire officer Satyawan case of any mishap,” he said.
All Gurgaon
govt depts to
go digital
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
GURGAON, NOVEMBER 13
ALLGOVERNMENTdepartments
in Gurgaon are likely to go digital
in the next one month, with the
Deputy Commissioner Friday
statingtheywillallbelinkedtothe
e-officeplatformbyDecember15.
“Inordertoincreasethespeed
of government work and main-
tain transparency,the district ad-
ministration has started work on
thee-officeplatform,”saidDeputy
Commissioner Amit Khatri.
“Thisplatformwillallowpeo-
ple to access information related
to the status of various files, and
allow people to work in both
Hindi and English,” said Khatri.
New Delhi

4 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
BRIEFLY
Liftbanon
publicChhath
festivities:
DelhiBJPchief
NewDelhi:Delhi BJP chief
Adesh Gupta on Friday
asked the Arvind
Kejriwal led- Delhi gov-
ernment to honour the
religious sentiments of
people and lift the ban
imposed on performing
Chhath Puja at public
places and river banks.
Gupta's assertion comes
after the Delhi Disaster
Management Authority
(DDMA) Tuesday in-
structed officials to en-
sure that Chhath Puja is
not performed at public
places in Delhi this year
in view of the Covid pan-
demic. PTI
Fourarrested
forselling
firecrackers
Gurgaon: A day before
Diwali, four people were
arrested by Gurgaon
PoliceonFridayforselling
firecrackersinthedistrict.
A total of seven bags of
firecrackers and two car-
tonswereseizedfromthe
men,allofwhomwerear-
rested in the areas of the
Sector 18, Sector 10, and
Badshahpur police sta-
tions.
Manheldfor
17casesof
vehicletheft
Gurgaon: The anti-vehi-
cle theft staff of Palwal
Policehassolved17cases
of vehicle theft with the
arrest of one man, who
had been apprehended
with a stolen bike on
Thursday. Police said he
confessed to the other
cases of theft during his
one-day police remand.
A total of 12 bikes have
been seized from him,
and he has been sent to
judicial custody.
Twoheldfor
fraudinNoida
Noida: Two people have
been arrested for al-
legedly duping people
on the pretext of provid-
ing jobs and loans in an
operation run from
Ithum tower in Noida’s
Sector 62. Police said the
victims paid registration
fees to avail “job oppor-
tunities and loans”. "This
group started working in
anofficeonthe10thfloor
of Ithum Tower a month
ago. They would target
people from South and
Central India,” said an of-
ficer. A total of 21 mobile
phones,alaptop,12com-
puters and a sum of Rs
3000, have been recov-
ered from the office.
Efforts are underway to
arrest other persons in-
volved in the activity, po-
lice said. ENS
Suspended, Jamia Hamdard
V-C seeks UGC intervention
ARANYA SHANKAR
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
THEVICE-CHANCELLORof Jamia
Hamdard, Seyed Ehtesham
Hasnain,hasbeensuspendedby
the Chancellor following the de-
cision of the University Grants
Commission (UGC) to set up a
Fact Finding Committee (FFC) to
probe allegations of administra-
tive and financial irregularities.
However, Hasnain wrote a
letter to the UGC Chairman on
Thursday, saying, “...UGC may
kindly issue an order clarifying
that the letter issued by Mr
Hamid Ahmad purporting to be
the suspension order of the un-
dersigned and the appointment
order of Prof M A Jafri as Vice-
Chancellor is in violation of UGC
Regulations...”
The university’s sponsoring
body, Hamdard National
Foundation (HNF), had written
FESTIVE LIGHTS
Highrises in Noida Sector 75 lit up on the eve of Diwali, Friday. Abhinav Saha
Unable to get niece’s phone replaced, man sets
himself on fire inside mall in Rohini, hospitalised
SOMYALAKHANI
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
A 40-YEAR-OLD man set himself
on fire in a Rohini mall Friday af-
teramobilephoneservicecentre
allegedly refused to replace a
phone he had bought over a
month ago. Bhim Singh, an in-
verter repairman, sprayed petrol
from a bottle and set himself on
fire in front of the Oppo mobile
service centre at M2K mall in
south Rohini around 12.20 pm,
AQI sees dip, crackers Delhi wants neighbours to use
on Diwali expected to new technique to tackle stubble
make it much worse
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
DELHI’S AIR quality dipped
slightly Friday, with the wind
blowing from the northwest di-
rection, helping transport pollu-
tants caused by stubble burning
to the Delhi-NCR region.
On Thursday, the average air
quality index (AQI) for the city
was 314. On Friday, it dipped to
339—bothremaininginthe‘very
poor’ category. Of 36 monitoring
sites in Delhi, four — ITO, Anand
Vihar, Jahangirpuri and Bawana
— were severely polluted Friday.
“Airqualityispredictedtode-
teriorate and remain at the
higher-endofthe‘verypoor’level
intheabsenceofadditionalemis-
sions due to fireworks during
Diwali. The impact of stubble
burning on AQI is expected to in-
crease fromnegligibleto moder-
ate for the next two days.
Although the level of PM2.5 is
predictedtobeattheedgeof‘very
poor’ to ‘severe’, it is expected to
Express report dated Sep 20
to the UGC on August 12 enlist-
ing 29 alleged irregularities in-
cludingtakingunapprovedloans
resulting in incurred debt of Rs
14 crore, excess expenditure re-
sulting in a deficit of more than
Rs 45 crore, tampering with
minutesof meetingsof statutory
bodies and appointing faculty
without advertising for posts.
In an order dated November
10, UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain
said Hasnain was asked to re-
spond to the allegations, which
he did, and that a five-member
FFC was being set up.
policesaid.Heiscurrentlyunder-
going treatment at Baba Saheb
Ambedkar hospital.
DCP (Rohini) PK Mishra said,
"His statement was recorded at
the hospital. He said he pur-
chasedthemobileaboutamonth
agofromastorenearhishousein
Prahladpur.Hegaveittohisniece,
a school student, for her online
classes. After a brief period, the
phone malfunctioned."
MishrasaidSinghapproached
the service centre for replace-
mentonNovember6butwasde-
be much better, compared to the
pastfouryearsaroundtheDiwali
period with 0% firecracker emis-
sion scenario. Fire counts are de-
clining(1,447onThursday)...per-
centage share was 14%,” SAFAR
officials said.
The Central Pollution Control
BoardhasaskedallStatePollution
Control Board (SPCBs), Pollution
ControlCommitteesandRegional
Directorates of CPCB to conduct
ambientairqualitymonitoringat
two or three locations for two
weeks–sevendaysbeforeandaf-
ter Diwali — to study the impact
of pollutants.
The city’s air quality will start
improvingfromNovember15af-
ternoon onwards. “Moderate
easterlyboundarylayerwindsare
likely,withonlymarginalstubble
impact, provided there is no fire-
crackeremission.Isolatedrainfall
under the influence of a fresh
western disturbance by
November 16 is also expected.
These factors will help bring AQI
to the lower end of ‘very poor’ by
Monday,” SAFAR officials said.
On November 12, Chancellor
Hamid Ahmed in an order said
that “several files pertaining to
administrative and financial
matters have been taken away
by Prof Hasnain from the office
of the Registrar into his posses-
sion”. “In view of the above, I...
am pleased to place Prof Seyed
Ehtesham Hasnain...under sus-
pension, till further orders... as
he may influence/ coerce the
witnesses and tamper with ma-
terial records,” he wrote.
Hasnain denied the allega-
tions.“There is nothingwithme,
everything is in the office. UGC
hassetupafactfindingcommit-
tee, not an inquiry committee,
also because we have been in-
formingthemof irregularitiesby
HNF. The Chancellor’s appoint-
mentitself issuspectasitwasnot
as per rules. Even so, the
Chancellor has no power to sus-
pend till UGC makes a recom-
mendation,” he said.
clined, citing policy, by the com-
pany."Hefurtherspoketothema
few times but to no avail. Today
morning,hepremeditatedthatif
his request is not addressed, he
will set himself on fire," said
Mishra.
Police said that when the
service centre refused to enter-
tain his request, he went to the
parking lot where his two-
wheelerwasparked,putpetrolin
a bottle, and went back in to set
himself on fire.
Singh'swifePoonam(35)told
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
THE DELHI government will file
a petition with the newly cre-
ated Commission for Air
Quality Management (CAQM)
requesting it to direct neigh-
bouring Haryana, Punjab and
Uttar Pradesh to spray a bio-de-
composer developed by the
Indian Agriculture Research
Institute (IARI) to prevent stub-
ble burning.
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal said the Delhi govern-
ment'sexperimentwiththebio-
decomposer,whichcovered800
hectares (2,000 acres) of farm-
lands in the national capital, has
beensuccessful.Accordingtothe
Development Department, the
gross cropped area in Delhi is
around 34,750 hectares, out of
whichpaddyfieldscoveraround
5,848 hectares.
"I have with me the report
prepared by the scientists of the
Pusa Research Institute (IARI),
assessing the impact of the bio-
decomposer technique in 24 vil-
lages across Delhi. Many more
Bizman robbed at gunpoint near
IP Park, wife & friends take video
SOMYA LAKHANI
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
A QUICK stop en route to his
house in Rohini early Friday
morning took a turn for the
worse for a 39-year-old busi-
nessman as he was robbed at
knife and gun-point by three
masked men in a Maruti Swift.
The man was robbed of Rs
40,000, a watch, a gold chain, a
gold kada and two gold rings
near IP Park in Sarai Kale Khan.
No arrests have been made so
far.
Deputy Commissioner of
Police (Southeast) RP Meena
said, "Amit Arora, who has a
transport business, was on his
way from a party with his wife
and their two friends when he
stopped to relieve himself near
IP Park in Sarai Kale Khan
around 1.15-1.20 am. A white
Swift car stopped in front of his
car and three people stepped
CORONAVIRUS
IN THE CAPITAL
TheIndianExpress,"Heboughtthe
phone for his sister's daughter.
She is in class XII and needed a
phone for online classes. Her
mother passed away over a
monthago.Myhusbandwasvery
attached to her and before she
passed away, she had asked him
to take care of her daughter. He
bought the niece a phone for Rs
14,000."
She claimed that around 10
days ago, Singh accidentally
dropped the phone and it burst
into flames. "It's an expensive
Thegovtwillrequestthepaneltodirectneighbouringstatesto
sprayabio-decomposertopreventstubbleburning. Praveen Khanna
villages were covered but the re-
port looks at a sample.
According to the scientists,
around 70-95 per cent of the
stubble had decomposed into
manure within 20 days of being
sprayed by the bio-composer,"
Kejriwal said.
The contribution of biomass
burning in the city's PM2.5 lev-
els rose to 42 per cent on
November 5. According to data
from SAFAR, on November 13,
the share stands at 14 per cent.
"Now we havea solution and
there is no reason to not act.
The man was cornered
when he stopped to relieve
himself near IP Park in
Sarai Kale Khan
down and threatened him. One
put a gun to his stomach, an-
other brandished a knife and
robbed him."
A case of robbery has been
registered at Sunlight Colony
police station.
As Arora was being robbed,
his wife and their friends man-
phone for families like ours. This
disrupted the child's studies. She
hasn't been able to attend online
classes properly," said Poonam.
OnFridaymorning,Singhleft
for work as usual, his family said.
Poonam said that in the after-
noon,shegotacallfrompolicein-
formingherthatSinghwasinthe
hospital with burn injuries. "He
didn'ttellmehewasgoingtothe
service centre. When I spoke to
himinthehospital,hesaidhewas
fed up," said Poonam. The two
haveason,whostudiesinclassX.
Would the other state govern-
ments implement it or will peo-
plecontinuetosufferfrompollu-
tion?Thisisverycosteffectiveas
well.We had tospendonlyRs 30
per acre. The money required to
carry out spraying can be set
aside in the annual budget,"
Kejriwal said.
"The Delhi government will
formally file a petition in the
CAQM...and will put forward its
appeal for it to direct the other
states to implement the bio-de-
composer technique," CM
added.
aged to make a video from their
car, in which the friends can be
heard stopping his worried wife
from stepping out of the vehi-
cle. Towards the end of the
video, a friend says dial 100.
In his complaint to the po-
lice, Arora said, "The men
threatened to shoot me. One
put a gun to my stomach, the
other put a knife... I gave them
what I had."
In the complaint, he also
specified the vehicle number of
the accused.
DCP Meena said, "We have
the video shot by the victim's
friends. He has shared the vehi-
cle number but it doesn't men-
tion if it's Haryana, UP or Delhi.
We are accessing details of cars
with the four-digit number. We
have details of at least 15 such
vehicles from Delhi, and are ac-
cessing the rest." He said wit-
nesses are being examined, and
criminals of similar modus
operandi are being checked.
New Delhi
TOTAL CASES HOSPITAL BEDS
4,74,830 VENTILATORS
Daily cases Recoveries
Nov 12
Nov 13
7,053
7,802
6,462
6,498
Total 44,329* 4,23,078
‘HOPE TO CONTROL IN 7-10 DAYS’
Kejriwal links
Covid surge to
pollution, says
steps planned
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
ATTRIBUTINGTHEsurgeincoro-
navirus cases in Delhi to air pol-
lution, Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal Friday said his govern-
mentwilltake"manysteps"next
week to combat the situation.
Addressing a webcast,
Kejriwalsaidthegovernmenthas
drawnupthemeasurestobeim-
plemented to tackle the surge,
thoughhedidnotspellthemout.
"Corona cases are rising in
Delhi over the last few days. I
am also worried over this. We
are taking all necessary steps.
Next week, we will take many
more steps that we have al-
ready planned. I hope Corona
will come under control in the
next seven to 10 days," Kejriwal
said.
Coronacasesanddeathshave
been rising alarmingly in Delhi
over the last few weeks. On
Friday,thecityreported91deaths
and 7,802 new cases, with a pos-
itivity rate of 13.80%.
"The biggest reason behind
theriseincasesispollution.Delhi
had managed tocontrol the situ-
ation. Till about October 20, the
situation was under control. But
pollution has caused the spike.
There are other reasons too," the
CM said.
The increase in deaths has
No let-up in Delhi
cases, volunteers
fan out to enforce
Covid regulations
Delhi recorded 7,802 cases on Friday. Amit Mehra
ASTHASAXENA
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 13
DELHI HAS witnessed a surge in
daily new cases of Covid-19 for
thelastfewdays,with7,802cases
reported in the last 24 hours.
Surpassing Kerala and
Maharashtra in terms of daily
cases, the national capital is
among the top 10 states and UTs
reportingthemaximumnumber
of cases in the country.
On Thursday, Delhi reported
7,053 new Covid cases — more
than 5,537 in Kerala and 4,496 in
Maharashtra.
As per data shared by the
Union Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare on Friday morn-
ing,10statesandUTsaccountfor
about 80% of the 547 case fatali-
tiesrecordedinthelast24hours.
The highest fatalities have been
reported from Maharashtra,
which saw 122 deaths, followed
by Delhi which witnessed 104
deaths on Thursday.
On Friday, Delhi saw 7,802
new cases of Covid-19 and 91
deaths, taking the total number
of people infected with the dis-
easeto4,74,830andthedeathtoll
to7,423inthecity.Thedailypos-
itivityratetouched13.80%Friday.
Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group
medical director of Max health-
care,said,“Therearemultiplerea-
sons why cases are increasing in
Delhi-NCR. First and foremost is
people's behaviour, which is evi-
dent with markets being over-
crowdedandpeoplenotwearing
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Total Vacant
16,621 7,884
1,328 166
*Total active cases
Deaths Tests
104
91
60,229
56,553
7,423 53,78,827
CM Kejriwal addresses the
webcast Friday
deepenedtheworriesoftheDelhi
government which has main-
tainedthattheemergenceofnew
cases should not be considered
alarming as long as people re-
cover and the death count re-
mains low.
The decision of the govern-
ment to ease the restrictions in
markets, large gatherings and
public transport has also drawn
the ire of the Delhi High Court.
Markets in the city, where a high
prevalence of the virus has been
found by district authorities, are
witnessing heavy footfall, which
has brought cheer to businesses
after a long time.
The government informed
the Delhi HC on Thursday that it
will request Lt Governor Anil
Baijaltoconveneameetingofthe
Delhi Disaster Management
Authority(DDMA)onMondayor
Tuesday to review the situation.
Baijal heads the DDMA.
masksorfollowingsocialdistanc-
ing.Asimilarsituationhappened
inMumbaiatthetimeof Ganesh
Chaturthi. Secondly, with winter
setting in, and the month of
October being harsher as com-
pared to the previous year, the
virustendstospreadmoreinthe
colder temperature.”
Withanuptickinthenumber
of daily cases due to the festive
season,volunteersfromtheDelhi
governmenthavestartedvisiting
markets and crowded places to
createawarenessregardingCovid
appropriatebehaviour.According
to senior district officials, volun-
teersfromeachdistrictwillmoti-
vate people to wear masks and
follow social distancing rules.
“All marketplaces are
crowded and it is important for
everyonetounderstandCovidap-
propriate behaviour. We have
seen that several people...have
stopped wearing masks. As per
experts,thecasesareexpectedto
rise in November... Our team of
volunteers will be at all crowded
placestospreadawarenessabout
socialdistancingandCovid-19re-
lated queries,” said a senior dis-
trict official.
A high-level expert commit-
teeledbyNITIAayogmemberDr
VKPaulhadsuggestedthatDelhi
may witness up to 15,000 new
cases daily due to the change in
weather and the festival season.
DatasharedontheDelhigov-
ernment’s Corona App suggests
that there are 16,621 beds dedi-
catedforCovid-19patients,outof
which 8,737 (52%) are occupied.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
Grappling with the twin pandemic of Diabetes and Covid 19
What kind of problems do we en-
counter across the spectrum of dia-
betes patients?
It is once again that time of the year when
our attention focuses on diabetes. On the
occasion of World Diabetes Day on 14th
November 2020, it may be relevant to note
the significance of the day. World Diabetes
Day was first thought of in 1991, in re-
sponse to concerns about the evolving
health threat posed by diabetes. It is cele-
brated every year on 14 November, in hon-
our of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discov-
ered insulin along with Charles Best in
1922, in Toronto, Canada.
The biggest challenge encountered in
dealing with diabetes revolves around the
magnitude of the pandemic of diabetes. In
numerical terms, the number of diabetic
patients are increasing dramatically, com-
pounded by the fact that almost 50% re-
main undiagnosed. In addition their exists a
large pool of prediabetics, who would con-
vert to overt diabetes with the passage of
time.
The latest data published in the IDF Dia-
betes Atlas in 2019, shows that globally,
463 million adults are estimated to be cur-
rently living with diabetes. Without ade-
quate action to address this pandemic, it is
projected that 578 million people will have
diabetes by 2030, and that number will
jump to a staggering 700 million by 2045.
India as we know has been dubbed as
the diabetes capital of the world. India had
~ 77 million people with diabetes in 2019,
and that figure is expected to rise to 134
million by the year 2045. About one in
every two Indians (47%) living with dia-
betes are unaware of their condition, and
only about a quarter (24%) manage to
bring it under control, this despite the ad-
vances that have taken place in diagnosis
and therapeutics, and almost 100 years
since the discovery of insulin.
While global prevalence of diabetes in
urban areas is 10.8%, in rural areas it is
lower, at 7.2%. However, this gap is clos-
ing, with rural prevalence on the rise.
Why is the prevalence of diabetes on the
rise? The increasing prevalence of diabetes
in India and worldwide is driven by a com-
plex interplay of environmental and ge-
netic factors. In addition socioeconomic
and demographic factors also play an im-
portant role. This rise is largely due to an
increase in risk factors for diabetes, which
include rising levels of obesity, growing ur-
banisation and changing lifestyle (e.g.
higher calorie intake, increasing consump-
tion of processed foods, sedentary
lifestyles).
Diabetes is a disease of complications.
Diabetic kidney disease necessitating dial-
ysis and kidney transplantation, diabetic
eye disease leading to blindness, heart dis-
ease culminating in heart failure and pre-
mature death, brain strokes causing signif-
icant morbidity and disability, and diabetic
feet leading on to lower limb amputations,
results in frequent hospital admissions and
premature death.The quality of life deterio-
rates rapidly.
Another issue that challenges the man-
agement of diabetes, is a lack of awareness
among many populations about the risk
factors and symptoms of diabetes. Public
health awareness about diabetes as well
as training of health care professionals re-
garding management of diabetes, is essen-
tial.
The theme of this year’s world diabetic
day, is ‘Nurses Make the difference’, high-
lighting the crucial role that nurses play in
supporting people living with diabetes.
Furthermore, type 2 diabetes can often
be prevented and there is evidence to sug-
gest it can, in some circumstances, be re-
versed.This evidence must be used to raise
awareness about the prevention of dia-
betes, and to implement strategies for pre-
vention at the national level.
How has COVID-19 changed the sce-
nario for all of us?
At the very outset I would like to pay my
homage to the innumerable doctors, health
care professionals and others who have
10.3%
463
million
adults are living
with diabetes
worldwide
lost their lives in their valiant struggle
against COVID 19.
The pandemic of the novel corona virus,
severe acute respiratory syndrome corona
virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and diabetes are
closely interwoven. COVID 19 had raised
its ugly head in December of 2019, in the
Wuhan province of China. Whilst the
COVID 19 saga continues its relentless
march across the globe, diabetes too is not
one to be left far behind, as we have seen
when discussing the pandemic of dia-
betes.
In the majority of cases, 80%, the illness
runs a mild flu like illness. In 15% the ill-
ness can be severe, and can turn critical in
5%. It has been observed that 98% sur-
vive the flu like illness and 2% succumb to
their illness.
The most vulnerable population for
COVID 19 are those in the elderly age
group, those with diabetes, cardiovascu-
lar disease, asthma, hypertension and
Parkinson’s. A significant association with
worse outcomes is seen with these comor-
bidities. Research suggests that diabetes is
one of the most common comorbidities
among people infected with COVID-19.
How serious can the infection be in
diabetic patients, if they contract
COVID 19 virus & Why?
There are at least two mechanisms, both
endocrine pathways, by which SARS-CoV-2
virus, is thought to play a role in COVID 19
infection.
To gain entry into the target cells in the
lungs, the virus hijacks the endocrine path-
way, the angiotensin converting enzyme
receptor (ACE 2) expressed in the lungs as
well as the pancreas. High blood sugar up
regulates theACE2 receptor thus facilitating
the entry of the virus into the target cells.
Thus poorly controlled diabetes directly fa-
cilitates SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long stand-
ing high blood sugar down regulates the
ACE2 receptor, facilitating inflammatory
and damaging effects of the virus on the
target cells.
ACE2 on the pancreatic beta cells can
lead to a direct destructive effect on beta
cell of the cells that make insulin.This leads
to new onset of diabetes. Thus not only is
high blood sugar a risk factor for severe
COVID 19 infection, but severe COVID 19
8.1%
Diabetes is a
lifestyle disease which
can be life threatening. It is
a disease of complications.
The need of the hour
is to be aware about
diabetes and its effect
on Covid 19,
Dr (Col) Sudhir Tripathi,
speaks to us on
diabetes and covid 19.
infection may also cause diabetes.
Diabetics are more likely to contract
COVID-19 than people without diabetes,
because of defects in innate immunity.The
immune system is compromised in dia-
betes patients and as such they are suscep-
tible to a whole host of bacterial and viral
infections.
Diabetes has been established as a major
contributor to increased severity and mor-
tality in COVID 19 patients.The risk of a fa-
tal outcome from COVID 19 is upto 50%
higher in patients with diabetes than in
those who do not have diabetes. Compli-
cated cases of diabetes, are more suscepti-
ble to COVID 19.
The association between diabetes and
increased mortality and severity in COVID-
19 has been studied in a systematic review
and meta-analysis of 30 studies compris-
ing 6,452 patients.The study revealed that
diabetes was associated with increased
mortality, severity, and acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 pa-
tients. In this setting the risk increase as-
sociated with type 2 diabetes is greatest in
younger people.This is also true of type 1 di-
abetes, who present with ketoacidosis, and
require ICU admission.
Recommendations for people with
diabetes during COVID-19 on ways
to reduce risk for contracting COVID-
19 and curb the spread of disease:
GENERAL MEASURES
Establish and maintain strict per-
sonal hygiene: Wash hands every time
IDF estimates that there will
24%
be 578 million adults with
diabetes by 2030, and 700
million by 2045
Dr (Col) Sudhir Tripathi
Vice Chairperson & Senior Consultant,
Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism,
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
you come into contact with an out-of-home
item or place, regularly disinfect high-touch
surfaces in your home, and avoid touching
your face. Cough or sneeze into your elbow
or a handkerchief. Act as though you have
COVID-19 and could pass it on.
Minimize physical interaction with
others: Minimize contact with individu-
als outside your household. Secure a suffi-
cient amount of food, supplies and med-
ications to minimize trips to the market.
Have items home delivered if possible.
Seek routine medical care from
home: Use tele health and online phar-
macy options.
Minimize risks when out in public:
Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from
others. Wear a cloth mask or face cover-
ing.Adjust schedule to avoid busy times in
public places.Take advantage of dedicated
shopping times for vulnerable individuals.
Elderly people may have dedicated time
slots in departmental stores/malls.
Make work as safe as possible: Work
from home as much as you can. Look into
modifications in work procedures to keep 6
feet distance from others. Adjust your
schedule to avoid high-traffic times.Advo-
cate for flexible work options for high-risk
individuals.
SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR DIABETES
■ Your sugar control is important. Regular
monitoring can help avoid complica-
tions caused by high or low blood sugar.
You should aim to keep the blood sugar
within the targets set for you by your
doctor.
■ If you do show flu-like symptoms (raised
temperature, cough, difficulty breath-
ing), it is important to consult a doctor,
and seek medical support and treatment
immediately.
14
November
■ Any infection is going to raise your glu-
cose levels and increase your need for
fluids, so make sure you drink sufficient
amounts of fluids.
■ Make sure you have a good supply of
your diabetes medications be it tablets,
insulin, glucometer and their monitor-
ing strips, etc. Your medical supplies &
food supplies should last for a few
weeks if you need to be quarantined.
■ Ensure you know to manage a low sugar
state.
■ If you live alone, make sure someone
you can rely on knows you have dia-
betes as you may require assistance if
you get ill.
■ Maintain a regular schedule, avoid over-
work and have a good night's sleep.
■ Keep the contact details of your doctor,
health care provider and hospital readily
available in case you need them.
■ Healthy nutrition and home-based exer-
cise. It is important for people with dia-
betes to eat a healthy and balanced diet
to keep their blood glucose levels stable
and enhance their immune system.
■ Foods with a low glycaemic index (e.g.
vegetables, whole wheat cereals)
■ Avoid excessive consumption of fried
foods
■ Reduce consumption of foods high in
sugar, carbohydrates and fat
■ Choose lean proteins (eg. fish, eggs,
milk).
■ Eat green, leafy vegetables
■ Eat fruits-two or three servings a day
■ Regular physical activity is of great ben-
efit to the population at large and also
for people living with diabetes.
FINALLY A GLIMPSE INTO
THE FUTURE OF COVID 19
Modeling studies have lead to some inter-
New Delhi
5
ADVERTORIAL
■ 463 million adults (1-in-
11) were living with di-
abetes in 2019.The
number of people living
with diabetes is ex-
pected rise to 578 mil-
lion by 2030.
■ 1 in 2 adults with dia-
betes remain undiag-
nosed (232 million).The
majority have type 2 di-
abetes.
■ More than 3 in 4 people
with diabetes live in low
and middle-income
countries.
■ 1 in 6 live births (20 mil-
lion) are affected by
high blood glucose (hy-
perglycaemia) in preg-
nancy.
■ Two-thirds of people
with diabetes live in ur-
ban areas and three-
quarters are of working
age.
■ 1 in 5 people with dia-
betes (136 million) are
above 65 years old.
■ Diabetes caused 4.2
million deaths in 2019.
■ Diabetes was responsi-
ble for at least $760 bil-
lion in health expendi-
ture in 2019 – 10% of
the global total spent
on healthcare.
esting conclusions. The most likely projec-
tions incorporate social distancing added
onto seasonal change. We know that
SARS-CoV-2 can proliferate at any time of
the year, as we are experiencing across the
globe today.
It has been seen that short durations of
social distancing delay the peaks of COVID-
19, but result in high overall infection rates.
Longer durations of social distancing push
the peaks into the winter months and in-
crease the overall infection rate.
Intermittent social distancing may be
needed to keep case numbers in check un-
til vaccines are available or a sufficient
percentage of the population has been in-
fected, become immune, and herd effects
take over. Buying time now at the expense
of a future catastrophe, in the hope that
effective vaccines become available, a
Faustian deal!!!
The last and best words for COVID-19
predictions are probably those of Ebenezer
Scrooge, “Are these the shadows of the
things that Will be, or are they shadows of
things that May be?” Only time will tell.
ONE LAST MESSAGE TO ALL
READERS OF INDIAN EXPRESS
In these COVID times, with the twin pan-
demics of SARS-CoV-2 and diabetes, it is
essential that we realize the implications of
the serious and often fatal outcomes of
the two diseases. We know that diabetic
patients who develop COVID 19, are prone
to have a fatal outcome. On the other hand
non diabetics who develop COVID 19 in-
fection, are also likely to develop new onset
diabetes…a new type of diabetes, not
known hitherto fore.
During these days of restricted mobility
due to lockdowns and self quarantine in
patients with mild to moderate COVID 19,
it is important to stay focused on lifestyle
measures, physical activity and a healthy
balanced diet. Equally important is to pre-
vent depression and anxiety. Consider
meditation and yoga to circumvent the
stress of prolonged social distancing and
staying indoors. Take short active breaks
every day, follow an online exercise class,
walk even in small spaces and stand up to
interrupt sitting time every 30 minutes.
Until we have good means for preven-
tion, diagnosis, treatment and control of
SARS-CoV-2, I would advise caution.
SARS-CoV-2 is not like influenza. As
Jonathan Tempte, a researcher has said,
‘Respect influenza, but be scared of
SARS-CoV-2’.
Issued in Public
Interest by :
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

6 GOVT & POLITICS

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020

Nitish meets Governor, tenders Nadda names BJP

state in-charges,
DELHI CONFIDENTIAL
resignation; set to return as CM Muralidhar Rao
Scuffle at
to handle MP
PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA
PATNA,NOVEMBER13

DECKS WERE cleared on Friday

fortheformationofanewgovern-
ment inBihar with NitishKumar,
who is set to return as chief min-
ister, handing over to Governor
PhaguChauhantheresignationof
his ministry and the recommen-
dation to dissolve the state
404 PIC NOT FOUND Assembly, officials said.
The Governor accepted the
HOME MINISTER Amit Shah’s profile picture was temporar- resignation and asked Nitish to
ily removed from his Twitter account on Thursday, causing a continue as the caretaker chief
minor flutter in the ministry. The picture was removed on the ministertillthenewNDAgovern-
basis of a copyright claim, which Twitter later clarified was ment is sworn-in.
due to an inadvertent error. It also duly restored on the ac- Earlier,leadersallthefourcon-
count in its original form. stituents of the NDA – the BJP,
Nitish-led JD(U), former CM Jitan
Ram Manjhi's HAM(S) and
CELEBRATING ROOTS Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) –
had met informally at 1, Anney
WITH THE government celebrating Ayurveda Day on Friday, Marg, the Chief Minister’s official
South Block had instructed Indian embassies and high com- residence, where it was decided
missions to organise events to commemorate the occasion. that all the newly elected NDA
FromEthiopia to Germany and Finland to Bhutan, Indianmis- MLAs will meet on Sunday and
sions abroad organised online and offline programmes to talk formally elect Nitish Kumar as
about positives of ayurveda. External Affairs Minister S their leader.
Jaishankar took keen interest in the celebrations. “The meeting will start at
Nitish Kumar hands over his resignation letter to Governor
Fagu Chauhan, in Patna on Friday. ANI
12.30 pm on Sunday, where all
further decisions will be taken,”
Nitish had told reporters later.
He had also said the current
state Cabinet will hold its last
meeting in the evening where a
decision on the dissolution of the
assembly,thetenureofwhichex-
pires on November 29, will be
taken. “These formalities have to
be completed before the forma-
tion of a new government,” he
said.“TheCabinet'srecommenda-
tions will be forwarded to the
Governor, whose nod will be fol-
lowedbyotherstepsleadingtothe
formationof anewgovernment.”
SpeculationisrifethattheBJP
mightpushforanEBCoraDalitas
a Deputy CM.
Cong office
Patna: The Congress on Friday
declared its Bhagalpur MLA
Ajeet Sharma as the leader of its
legislature party in Bihar, while
Rajesh Kumar Ram, who repre-
sents Kutumba, has been made
the chief whip in the assembly.
Ameetingtonominatetheof-
fice bearers began before noon
and continued till late in the
evening with workers owing al-
legiance to different factions of-
tenindulginginfisticuffsandrais-
ing slogans against each other.
The announcement was
madejointlybyChhattisgarhCM
Bhupesh Baghel and Avinash
Pande, senior leader and chair-
man of the party’s screening
committee for the recently-con-
cluded Assembly elections, at
the BPCC headquarters here.
According to a release issued
by the BPCC, Kasba MLA Afaque
Alam has been made the deputy
leader of the CLP. PTI
LIZMATHEW
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER13
BJP PRESIDENT J P Nadda has re-
jiggedtheorganisation,givingre-
sponsibilities to the newly ap-
pointed office-bearers. P
MuralidharRao,whowasrecently
droppedasgeneralsecretary,was
givenchargeof keystateMadhya
Pradesh.
Newlyappointedgeneralsec-
retariesTarunChugh,CTRaviand
DPurandareswari,andtheparty’s
nationalvice-presidentBaijayant
JayPandahavebeengivencharge
of key states.
While Chugh has been given
charge of Jammu and Kashmir,
Ladakh and Telangana, Ravi, cur-
rentlyaministerinKarnataka,will
handle party affairs in
Maharashtra, Goa and Tamil
Nadu,whichgoestopollnextyear.
Purandareswari has been
given charge of Chhattisgarh and
Bengal,anotherpoll-boundstate
top on the party's priority list.
ArvindMenonandAmitMalaviya
have been named co-incharge of
West Bengal
Anotherseniorgeneralsecre-
tary Arun Singh, who has been
handlingOdisha,willnowhandle
party affairs in Rajasthan and
Karnataka.
Union Minister V
Muraleedharan, who has been
handling Andhra Pradesh along
withsecretarySunilDeodhar,has
alsobeenretained.Jharkhandand
Arunachal Pradesh will be han-
dledbyDilipSaikia,anewBJPgen-
eral secretary.
BJP’s national spokesperson
Sambit Patra has been given
chargeofManipur.Thisisthefirst
time Patra has been given such a
responsibility.FormerpartyMPC
PRadhakrishnanwillbeincharge
of Kerala, which goes to election
next year.
VinodSonkar,KaushambiMP

TOO MUCH ON PLATE

Odisha. Panda has been given and former head of BJP’s SC

Days after son’s arrest, Kerala CPM RURAL ELECTIONS

HC cites Bihar,
charge of poll-bound Assam and
Delhi.
Morcha has been given charge of
Tripura, and Balurghat MP

secy goes on leave on ‘health grounds’

THE MINUTE-TO-MINUTE programme of official "inspection"
ofageneralmanagerofazonalrailway,duetoretirethismonth,
hascausedaflutterinthebureaucracy.Theitineraryhadallma-
jor places of tourism interest, such as a 200-year-old temple,
museum, historical temple water body, relics from an old cap- SHAJUPHILIP
italcity,oneoftheoldestsurvivingamphitheatresinAsia.When THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
contacted, the officer said that while such an itinerary might NOVEMBER13
have been drawn by local officers, he carried out inspection as
is required, and only visited the temple. WITH LESS than a month left for
polls to local bodies, Kodiyeri
BalakrishnanonFridaytemporar-
ily stepped aside from his role as
BJP's Nishikant Dubey urges Bihar the CPI(M) Kerala secretary, days
after his son Bineesh’s arrest by
CM to amend liquor ban policy the ED in a drug-related money
laundering case in Bengaluru.
New Delhi: Days after the NDA's Kumar to amend the liquor ban However, the party attributed
victory in the Bihar Assembly policy in the state as it leads to Balakrishnan’s temporary exit to
polls, Nishikant Dubey, a BJP MP loss of revenue and increases health reasons.
from Jharkhand, on Friday re- corruption. After the weekly meeting,
quested Chief Minister Nitish PTI CPI(M) state secretariat in a re-
lease said, “As Kodiyeri
Balakrishnan required further
treatment, the secretariat ac-
cepted his plea for leave from the
role of party state secretary. A
Vijayaraghavan(centralcommit-
tee member and LDF convener)
KodiyeriBalakrishnan
woulddischargethedutiesof the
state secretary.”
Vijayaraghavan later told the
media that the decision was only
anarrangementwithinanorgan-
isation. “When a person is ailing.
There is nothing else…” he said.
However, the party did not ex-
plain why nobody was given
chargeofsecretarylastyearwhen
Balakrishnanhadgoneabroadfor
his treatment.
The politburo member has
beeninthethickofascandalafter
his son’s arrest. The ED widened
the scope of the probe into
Bineesh’s financial dealings.
Theissuehascomeasashotin
the arm for the Opposition
Congress and BJP, but CPI(M)
maintained that the party is not
connected in any manner with
Bineesh’s acts.
After the ED raid on Bineesh’s
premisesinKerala,theCPI(M)de-
cidedtostepupattackagainstthe
centralagency,sayingthattheBJP
was using the ED as a political
weapon against opponents.
However, Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayansoughttodistancehimself
from the raid, saying “it was not
right to comment on the raid
without realising about the evi-
dence in their (ED) possession”.
Inapartyplenumin2013,the
CPI(M)hadadoptedarectification
document, applicable to party
members and their families, urg-
ing party leaders to keep away
fromallshadyactivitiesandnotto
maintain links with tainted
persons.
asks Karnataka
poll panel to
finalise dates
Bengaluru: Citing the smooth
conduct of the Bihar Assembly
polls, the Karnataka High Court
has directed the state Election
Commission to finalise the
schedule for gram panchayat
elections within three weeks
and asked the state government
to provide funds for the polls.
A division bench headed by
ChiefJusticeAbhaySrinivasOkais-
sued the orders in a petition filed
by Congress leader K C Kondaiah
and others, seeking elections to
6,015grampanchayats—termsof
most of these gram panchayats
endedinOctoberandthoseofthe
others will end in November and
December. The bench cited the
conductof pollsinBiharafterthe
Karnataka government pointed
to the pandemic. ENS
However,thesurpriseentryin
the list is Muralidhar Rao, who
was dropped from Nadda’s team
announcedonSeptember26.But
Raohasnowbeengivenchargeof
MadhyaPradesh,acrucialstatefor
the BJP. Ram Madhav, also
dropped from the party chief’s
team, has not been given charge
of any state so far. Sources said
Madhav may go back to the RSS.
Dushyant Kumar Gautam, a
Dalit leader among the BJP gen-
eral secretaries, will be in charge
of Punjab, Chandigarh and
Uttarakhand. Former Union
MinisterRadhaMohanSingh,cur-
rently a vice-president in the or-
ganisation, will take care of party
affairsinUttarPradesh.SunilOza,
SatyaKumarandSanjivChaurasia
are secretaries in charge of Uttar
Pradesh.
Senior party leader
Bhupender Yadav, who handled
electionsinBiharandGujarat,will
continue to be in charge of these
states. Nadda has also retained
KailashVijayvargiyaasthegeneral
secretary in charge of West
Sukanta Majumdar has been
given charge of Sikkim.
NalinKohlihasbeenentrusted
with party affairs in Nagaland, M
Chuba Ao will be in charge in
Meghalaya, Mhonlumo Kikon in
Mizoram and Nirmal Kumar
Surana in Puducherry. A P
Abdullakutty, the newly ap-
pointed vice-president from
Kerala, will take care of party af-
fairs in Lakshadweep.
HimachalPradeshwillbehan-
dled by Avinash Rai Khanna,
AndamanandNicobarIslandsby
Satya Kumar and Haryana by
Vinod Tawde. Former Mahila
MorchachiefVijayaRahatkarhas
been made in charge of UTs
Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar
Haveli.
The BJP chief also appointed
Bhupender Yadav as general sec-
retary in charge of Kisan Morcha,
GautamforMahilaMorcha,Arun
Singh for OBC Morcha, Tarun
Chugh for Yuva Morcha,
Purandeswari for Minority
Morcha, C T Ravi for SC morcha
and Saikia for ST Morcha.

‘No one came to Nandigram’: TMC

outreach fails to cut ice with minister
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
KOLKATA,NOVEMBER13
THETRINAMOOLCongress(TMC)
APPEAL FOR IDENTIFICATION on Friday made an effort to nor-
malise ties with state transport
The general public is hereby informed that minister Suvendu Adhikari. But
an unidentified person about 50-55 years of the dissident leader hit out at the
age whose name, residence, and family is party, claiming that no one from
unknown had been found dead below C-3 the TMC visited Nandigram in
Flyover, Near Nand Nagri Masjid, Delhi. In Purba Medinipur district after
this regard, a vide has been registered with Cyclone Amphan in May caused
DD No: 81-A dated 09.11.2020 at PS massive destruction.
Nand Nagri, Delhi. Sincere efforts have The anti-land acquisition
been made by the local police to identify the movementinNandigramin2007
deceased person, but no clue has come to light so far. hadpropelledthepartytopower
The description of the UIDB is as under:
Suvendu
Adhikari
four years later.
Adhikari has been distancing
himselffromTMCforthepastsev-
eral months and organising pro-
grammeswithoutthepartybanner.
On Friday, political strategist
Prashant Kishor, who has been
hired by the ruling party for next
year’s Assembly elections, visited
Suvendu’s home in Contai and re-
portedlymethisfatherandMPSisir
Adhikari.Suvenduwasnotathome
and reportedly spoke to Kishore
overthephone.SourcesintheTMC
saidKishorofferedSuvenduanim-
portant party post. A close associ-
ate of the minister said, “Dada did
notcommitanythingtoKishor,and
he is not in the mood to minimise
hisdifferenceswiththeparty.”
Later, at a Kali Puja inaugura-
tioneventinNandigram,Suvendu
said,“NoonecametoNandigram
afterthecyclone.Ihavecomerun-
ningagainandagain,Ihavestayed
by your side.”

TMC, Gurung’s GJM conspired to

Sex: Male, Age: about 50-55 years, Height: 5'6”,
Complexion: Shallow, Built: Normal, Face: Long,
Wearing: Shirt-pant and barefoot.
If anyone has any information about his relatives, kindly
inform the SHO/Nand Nagri, Delhi. attack my convoy: Bengal BJP chief
E-mail : cic@cbi.gov.in
Ph.: 011-24368638, 24368641 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
SHO
Fax : 011-24368639
P.S. Nand Nagri, Delhi. KOLKATA, NOVEMBER 13
DP/412/NE/2020 Ph. No. 011-22585985, 22583307
STATE BJP president Dilip Ghosh
on Friday accused members of
the TMC and the Bimal Gurung-
led faction of the Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha (GJM) of
hatching a conspiracy to attack
him. Ghosh’s comments came a
day after stones were thrown at
his convoy in North Bengal's
Alipurduar district.
The BJP leader told reporters,
Dilip Ghosh
“The TMC has now joined hands
withforcesthatitoncebrandedas
anti-nationals.Therulingpartyhas
become desperate to win
Assembly seats in the Darjeeling
Hills,andisalsodistributingmoney
toincreaseitsinfluence.Yesterday’s
attackwaspre-planned.Thepolice
knewaboutit...”
Ghosh said such attacks
would not deter BJP workers
from organising movements
against the state government.
Referring to PM Narendra
Modi’s recent remark “maut ka
khel se mat nahi mil sakta (game
of death cannot get you votes)”,
thestateBJP chief said,“Adayaf-
ter... one of our activists were
killed in Purba Medinipur, and
my convoy was attacked. These
are telltale signs.”

New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020 GOVT & POLITICS 7
IkkJutt Jammu
declares itself
Cong joins talks for J&K DDC Navy Chief visits naval BJP suspends
ex-minister for
political party, polls; PAGD says contesting air station on Diwali eve anti-Rawat
letter to PM
says its goal
statehood to ‘protect political space’ EXPRESS NEWS

E
SERVICE LALMANIVERMA
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13 DEHRADUN,NOVEMBER13

EXPLAINED
ARUN SHARMA
JAMMU, NOVEMBER 13
NAVEEDIQBAL
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 13 WhyGupkarAllianceis NAVY CHIEF Admiral
Karamabir Singh visited the
THE UTTARAKHAND BJP Friday
suspendedformerministerLakhi

AHEAD OF the District THE CONGRESS on Friday formally

Development Council elections,
Jammu-based IkkJutt Jammu on
Friday declared itself a political
party and said its goal is a sepa-
rate Jammu state. The outfit also
called for bifurcation of the
Kashmir Valley into two Union
Territories — one of them for
Kashmiri Pandits.
“Our aim is to fight for a sep-
arate Jammu state for the politi-
calempowermentof itspeople,”
IkkJutt Jammu chairman Ankur
Sharmasaid.“Kashmirshouldbe
divided into two UTs without
any Assembly to reverse the
signsof genocideandtogivejus-
tice to minorities. How can they
returntoKashmirunlesswegive
themaprotectedterritorialzone
to live there,’’ he asked.
Sharma described the
People’s Alliance for Gupkar
Declarationas“agangof anti-na-
tionals who looted Jammu for
past 70 years’’ and said they will
be defeated in Jammu by IkkJutt
Jammu and not the BJP. “They
(BJP) are pushing anti-national
rants through them in Kashmir
toconsolidatetheirconstituency
here in Jammu,’’ he added.
“Idon’tconsiderpoliticalpar-
ties in Kashmir different from
separatists… militants,’’ he said.
He attributed the decision to
convert IkkJutt Jammu to a po-
litical organisation to “repeated
betrayal of Jammu” by BJP and
Congress.
joineddeliberationsforseat-sharing
among members of the People’s
Alliance for Gupkar Declaration
(PAGD) as the group met to discuss
the eight-phase District
Development Council (DDC)
elections.
TheNC,thePDPandthePeople’s
Conference(PC)arelikelytotakethe
majority of seats, with the others in
the alliance contesting in select ar-
eas.
DDCs will form the third tier of
governance in J&K with directly
electedmemberstothecouncils.The
elections to elect 280 council repre-
sentatives—14ineachdistrict—will
beginonNovember28alongsideby-
polls for over 13,000 vacant pan-
chayat and urban local body posi-
tions.
The decision to participate in
electoral politics was taken follow-
ing discussions both internally and
thenthroughjointconsultations,ac-
cording to PAGD leaders. People’s
Conference chairman and PAGD
spokesperson Sajad Lone told The
IndianExpressthatthedecisionwas
unanimous and necessary “to pro-
tect sacred spaces in democracy”.
Oncontestingtheelections,Lone
said: “The considered opinion was
that this is a sacred space and we
cannot leave this vacant. (It is) not
wisetostayaway,irrespectiveof the
outcome of the polls and the condi-
tions in which these polls are being
held.Thisspacedeservestobeoccu-
piedbytalented,skilledpeople,who
●
contestingtheelections Andaman and Nicobar
Command, the country’s first
Ram Joshi for “indiscipline”, two
days after he wrote to Prime
joint theater command, on MinisterNarendraModidemand-
FIRST, THE need to protect political space and not cede ground to the eve of Diwali and met its ing the removal of Chief Minister
BJP, which has made inroads in panchayats and urban local bod- troops stationed on the INS Trivendra Singh Rawat.
ies – mainstream parties did not contest these polls openly. Baaz. StateBJPpresidentBansiDhar
Second is the need to prove political representation in numbers, INSBaaz,aNavalAirStation Bhagat also issued a show cause
as PAGD wants to seek restoration of J&K’s pre-August 2019 sta- locatedatCampbellBayonthe noticetoJoshi,seekingaresponse
tus. The third key reason is, PAGD leaders believe it is critical to Greater Nicobar Island, is Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh during a visit to INS withinsevendays.Anunsatisfac-
have elected representatives in decision-making positions in among most significant bases Baaz at Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar Island. PTI tory reply or the lack of one may
this “era of disempowerment” so that these institutions are “not ofthecountry’smilitaryowing result in his expulsion.
used against the people”. toitslocationneartheMalacca Party state vice-president
Straits. “The geo-strategically It also provides aid to civil its operational preparedness Devendra Bhasin said that action
located Air Station, INS Baaz, authorities including for ca- andinfrastructureaspects,in- has been taken against Joshi for
know what they are fighting for. given space to function. “I do not overlookscriticalInternational sualty evacuation, humani- cludingreadinessinthepreva- the letter. In the letter, Joshi re-
“So there was unanimity meanspacewhenanMLAiselected SeaLanes”passingthroughthe tarian assistance and disaster lent security scenario. ferred to the Uttarakhand High
amongst us on the need to protect in future, but space that has to be Indian Ocean Region, the relief and search and rescue During the interaction Court’s recent order for a CBI in-
this political space.” shared with the bureaucracy and Indian Navy said in a state- missions, and serves as a with the personnel, Singh quiry against Rawat, based on al-
PDP’s youth wing president these newly elected members,” he ment. “supporting base for opera- “acknowledged their contri- legationsoffinancialimpropriety
Waheed-ur-Rehman Para said the said. Theairbase,theNavysaid, tional turn-around facilities bution in keeping the strate- byajournalist.TheSupremeCourt
idea of boycotting elections is anti- Stating that the polls will see a “supports operations of a of ships deployed in the gically important base oper- has stayed the High Court order.
thetical to mainstream politics, and mix of newcomers and established multitude of military aircraft, Nicobar Group of Islands”. ational at all times,” the Navy “The party has taken action
that “boycott as an act of resistance politiciansof theerstwhilestate,the which enable surveillance Singh was received by Lt said. The Navy Chief met per- against me out of frustration.... I
will not work in J&K anymore.” leaders also said this as a chance to over the Southern Bay of General Manoj Pande, sonnel from the Army, Air hadwrittenthatletterbecausethe
Stating that preservation of political supporttheirsecond-andthird-rung Bengal, South Andaman Sea, Commander-in-Chief of the Force, Coast Guard, General HC’srecentorder...isveryserious
spaceisperhapsthemostimportant leadership. Malacca Straits and the Andaman and Nicobar Reserve Engineer Force as and Rawat should be removed to
aspectofthesepolls,hesaid,“Itisim- A senior PDP member, who did Southern Indian Ocean”. Command,andwasbriefedon well as some civilians. ensure a fair inquiry,” Joshi said.
portant to regain control of institu- not wish to be named, said the BJP
tions. If the system is assaulting us, was counting on a boycott by main-
then we have to become part of the streamparties,and“contestingelec-
system to fight this.” tions is our checkmate to them”.
NC provincial president Party members also said that in the
(Kashmir) Nasir Aslam Wani said face of an unapproachable bureau-
thatreadingtheresultsofpanchayat cracy, it is important to have “work-
and ULB polls, which it boycotted, ers from among communities rep-
the party realised that “institutions resent them.”
cannot be left to those who do not While seat-sharing arrange-
understand it – they are not con- mentsbetweenthepartiesarebeing
nected to the ground, and they are worked out, they concur that this
not accountable to the people.” will largely be an election bereft of
Lone said the big question is much campaigning. The results will
whether these institutions will be be declared on December 22.

Registered Offce: Bombay House, 24, Homi Mody Street, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001 India
Tel.: 91 22 6665 8282 • Email: cosec@tatasteel.com • Website: www.tatasteel.com
CIN: L27100MH1907PLC000260
NOTICE
Extract of Standalone Financial Results for the quarter / six months ended on 30th September 2020 ` Crore
Particulars Quarter Quarter Quarter Six months Six months Financial
ended on ended on ended on ended on ended on year
30.09.2020 30.06.2020 30.09.2019 30.09.2020 30.09.2019 ended on
31.03.2020

Audited Audited Audited Audited Audited Audited

Total revenue from operations 16,361.98 9,338.78 14,871.18 25,700.76 30,962.50 60,435.97
Net Profit / (Loss) for the period (before tax and 2,949.17 (505.44) 1,891.37 2,443.73 4,335.27 8,314.56
exceptional items)
Net Profit / (Loss) for the period before tax
(after exceptional items) 2,940.00 1,553.46 1,888.79 4,493.46 4,291.94 6,610.98
Net Profit / (Loss) for the period after tax 2,204.87 1,193.27 3,837.81 3,398.14 5,376.80 6,743.80
Total comprehensive income for the period
[Comprising Profit / (Loss) for the period (after
tax) and Other Comprehensive Income (after
2,221.19 1,207.44 3,759.84 3,428.63 5,249.27 6,094.93
tax)]
Paid-up equity share capital [Face value
` 10 per share] 1,146.13 1,146.13 1,146.12 1,146.13 1,146.12 1,146.13
Reserves excluding revaluation reserves 73,416.99
Net Worth 79,020.99 76,091.94 76,838.12
Paid-up Debt Capital 18,029.50 12,296.78 13,066.91
Net Debt Equity Ratio 0.42 0.40 0.49
Basic earnings per share of ` 10 each (not
annualised) - in Rupees (after exceptional 18.80 9.98 33.00 28.78 46.05 57.11
items)
Diluted earnings per share ` 10 each (not
annualised) - in Rupees (after exceptional 18.80 9.98 33.00 28.78 46.05 57.11
items)

Extract of Consolidated Financial Results for the quarter/ six months ended on 30th September 2020 ` Crore
Particulars Quarter Quarter Quarter Six months Six months Financial
ended on ended on ended on ended on ended on year
30.09.2020 30.06.2020 30.09.2019 30.09.2020 30.09.2019 ended on
31.03.2020
Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Audited
Total revenue from operations 37,153.99 24,288.51 34,579.18 61,442.50 70,526.29 139,816.65
Net Profit / (Loss) for the period (before tax and
exceptional items) 2,205.10 (3,396.00) 27.02 (1,190.90) 1,830.03 3,520.33
Net Profit / (Loss) for the period before tax
(after exceptional items) 2,248.26 (3,337.64) (6.54) (1,089.38) 1,812.47 (231.72)
Net Profit / (Loss) after tax from Continuing
Operations 1,635.41 (4,609.17) 4,043.45 (2,973.76) 4,738.64 2,336.69
Net Profit / (Loss) after tax from Discontinued
Operations 29.66 (38.96) (741.14) (9.30) (722.30) (1,164.23)
Total comprehensive income for the period
[Comprising Profit / (Loss) for the period (after tax)
and Other Comprehensive Income (after tax)] 2,274.55 (9,631.00) 4,483.11 (7,356.45) 4,871.34 5,655.29
Paid-up equity share capital [Face value
` 10 per share] 1,144.95 1,144.95 1,144.94 1,144.95 1,144.94 1,144.95
Reserves (excluding revaluation reserves)
and Non controlling interest 72,742.95

Earnings per equity share (for continuing

operations):
Basic earnings per share ` 10 each (not
annualised) - in Rupees (after exceptional items) 13.07 (38.64) 35.71 (25.57) 41.45 22.02
Diluted earnings per share ` 10 each (not
annualised) - in Rupees (after exceptional items)
13.07 (38.64) 35.71 (25.57) 41.44 22.02
Earnings per equity share (for continuing and
discontinued operations):
Basic earnings per share ` 10 each (not
annualised) - in Rupees (after exceptional items) 13.23 (39.01) 29.25 (25.78) 35.14 11.86
Diluted earnings per share ` 10 each (not
annualised) - in Rupees (after exceptional items) 13.23 (39.01) 29.25 (25.78) 35.13 11.86

Note:
a) The above is an extract of the detailed format of Standalone and Consolidated results for the quarter/six months ended on 30th September, 2020 filed with the Stock
Exchanges under Regulation 33 of the SEBI (Listing and Other Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. The full format of the Standalone and Consolidated results for
the quarter/six months ended on 30th September, 2020 are available on the websites of the Stock Exchanges (www.nseindia.com/www.bseindia.com) and the Company's
website (www.tatasteel.com).
b) For the items referred in sub-clauses (a), (b), (d) and (e) of the Regulation 52 (4) of the SEBI (Listing and Other Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the pertinent
disclosures have been made to the NSE and BSE (www.nseindia.com/www.bseindia.com) and can be accessed on the URL (www.tatasteel.com).
T V Narendran Koushik Chatterjee
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director &
Managing Director Chief Financial Officer
Mumbai: November 13, 2020

New Delhi

8 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
BRIEFLY
ThelakeatLonar.
MAHARASHTRA
Meteorlake
declared
Ramsarsite
Nagpur: The meteor lake
at Lonar in Maharashtra’s
Buldhana district has
been declared a Ramsar
site,a conservationstatus
conferred by
International Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands.
The lake is part of Lonar
Wildlife Sanctuary. The
Lonarlake, situatedinthe
DeccanPlateau'svolcanic
basalt rock, was created
by the impact of a meteor
35,000 to 50,000 years
ago. The water in the lake
is highly saline and alka-
line, containing special
microorganisms like
anaerobes,Cyanobacteria
and phytoplankton. The
site also has 160 bird, 46
reptile and 12 mammal
species. ENS
MADHYAPRADESH
‘Computerbaba’
bookedincase
ofmanhandling
Indore: A fresh case has
been registered against
self-styled godman
Namdeo Das Tyagi for al-
legedly manhandling a
panchayat staffer before
the demolition of alleged
illegal construction at his
ashram near here, police
said on Friday. Tyagi (54),
known as Computer
Baba,isinjailafterhewas
arrested in preventive ac-
tionwhentheadministra-
tion was removing en-
croachment from
government land in
JamburdiHapsivillageon
Sunday. The “godman”
has been booked in a
freshcaseandformallyre-
arrested in jail. PTI
TAMIL NADU
Threeheldin
Maharashtra
forkillingfamily
Chennai: After a hot pur-
suit, three men allegedly
involved in the gunning
down of a man, his wife
and their son here were
nabbed in Maharashtra,
police said on Friday. The
killing was due to a matri-
monial dispute, they said.
Greater Chennai Police
Commissioner Mahesh
Kumar Aggarwal said a
special team of city police
personnel apprehended
them last night in Solapur
district of Maharashtra
with the help of their
counterparts. On
November 11, Chand (74)
his wife Pushpabai (68)
and their 40-year old son
Shital Kumar were found
deadwithbulletinjuriesat
their residence.
KARNATAKA
PTI
Journalistand
writerRavi
Belageredead
Bengaluru: Journalist and
writer Ravi Belagere died
after a heart attack on
Friday. Belagare (62) was
rushedtoahospitalbuthe
didn’t respond to treat-
ment,sourcessaid.Hewas
well known in Karnataka
for the popular Kannada
tabloid Hi Bangalore and
more than 70 literary
works including fiction,
translation, storytelling,
columns and biography.
Hewasalsoknown forhis
writings on the crime
world. He was a recipient
of several awards includ-
ing the Karnataka Sahitya
Academy Award. PTI
Jaishankar to represent India at East Asia Summit
SHUBHAJIT ROY
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Minister S
Jaishankar will Saturday repre-
sent India at the 15th East Asia
Summit (EAS), which provides a
platform for discussion on im-
portant strategic issues in the
Indo-Pacific region.
Last year, PM Narendra Modi
hadrepresented India at theEAS
in Bangkok, Thailand.
The virtual summit meeting
will be chaired by the Prime
Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen
XuanPhuc,andseeparticipation
from all the 18 EAS countries —
TN govt orders inquiry
against Anna University
V-C over ‘irregularities’
ARUNJANARDHANAN
CHENNAI, NOVEMBER 13
THE TAMIL Nadu government
Fridayorderedaninquiryagainst
AnnaUniversityVice-Chancellor
M K Surappa following com-
plaints of financial irregularities,
andmalpracticesinsemesterex-
aminations and re-evaluation.
The probe is to be headed by
retired high court judge Justice P
Kalaiyarasan and will be carried
out under provisions of Anna
University Act, 1978.
The V-C confirmed that he
had received a letter from the
governmentinthisregard.“These
are beyond my imagination. No
comments,” he said.
Accordingtothegovernment
order,the“allegationsareserious
in nature” and the report should
be ready within three months.
Theprobe,theordersaid,willin-
clude functioning of the univer-
sity, temporary appointments
and recruitments made in aca-
demic and administrative sides
and the revenue earned during
Surappa’s tenure.
Theprobewasorderedbased
on complaints by A Suresh, C
EX-MAJOR’S PLEA FOR DECLARING HIS INCARCERATION ILLEGAL
Delhi HC seeks reply from Army, Bail pleas of members of
BSF on arrest after court martial CFI, their driver rejected
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
THEDELHI HighCourthasasked
theArmyandtheBSFtofiletheir
replyregardingaquestionraised
in a case on whether a member
of theforce is to be arrested soon
after sentencing in a court mar-
tial or Summary Security Force
Court (SSFC), or whether it re-
quiresfurtherconfirmationfrom
an authority.
“Since the matters concern
the liberty of individuals, we are
concerned that the liberty
should not be curtailed, save by
a final order. Prima facie, it ap-
pears that the order under the
Army Act as well as BSF Act does
not attain finality till
confirmed/countersigned; be-
fore that the term of the punish-
ment of imprisonment cannot
be commenced,” the division
bench of Justices Rajiv Sahai
No more humiliation, Ayodhya to be Vedic city: Yogi
AVANEESH MISHRA
AYODHYA, NOVEMBER 13
ASAYODHYAcelebrateditsfourth
Deepotsava, creating a world
recordbylightingmorethan5.84
lakhearthenlamps(diyas)atone
place, Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanathsaidpeopleofthecity
hadsufferedalotof“injusticeand
humiliation” to get a grand Ram
temple built. He promised to put
Ayodhya on the map “as a Vedic
City”.
"Therehasbeenalotof injus-
ticeandhumiliationforAyodhya,
which gives salvation to both
birth and life. But now this will
not happen. Ayodhya will get its
long lost pride. We will make it
glorious on the world map as a
VedicCity,”Adityanathsaidinhis
address to Hindu sants and Ram
devoteesafterthesymboliccoro-
nation of Lord Ram amid chants
by priests.
Thechiefministersaidhisgov-
ernmentwouldre-establishevery
External
Affairs
Minister S
Jaishankar
10 ASEAN countries (Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia,Myanmar,Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam),Australia,China,India,
Japan, South Korea, New
Zealand, Russia and the United
States.
The meeting will discuss
ways and means to strengthen
the EAS platform and to make it
MK
Surappa
Varadharajan, Selladurai of Save
Anna University forum and R
Adhikesavan.
Surappa,formerdirectorofIIT
Ropar and honorary professor at
IIScBangalore,wasappointeddi-
rectly by Raj Bhawan. The ap-
pointment of a non-Tamil V-C—
Surappa hails from
Karnataka—was criticised by
some political parties.
Surappa triggered a row
when he introduced Bhagavad
Gita as an optional paper in one
of the technical streams.
Last month, the state govern-
ment publicly criticised Surappa
for applying for the Institution of
Eminence (IoE) tag. While the
government’s stand was that it
would affect the 69 per cent
reservationinthestate,itwasalso
miffed that the V-C did not con-
sult the state government before
applying for the status.
Endlaw and Asha Menon said in
an order.
The bench also said it is
deemed apposite to address the
question in the petitions pend-
ing before it “so that if any cor-
rective steps are required to be
taken,thesamearetakenimme-
diately before anyone else is de-
prived of liberty”.
The court had earlier noted
thatRegulation392(l)“prima fa-
cieappearstobeinconflict”with
Section153of ArmyAct,andsaid
it will consider whether it is li-
able to be struck down.
The order was passed in a
former Major’s plea for declar-
ing his 42-day incarceration ear-
lier this year, without confirma-
tion of the Summary General
CourtMartial’sfinding,asillegal.
He has also prayed that the
Centre and the Chief of Army
Staff and General Officer,
Commanding-in-Chief of
NorthernCommand,be ordered
CM Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel with
artistes dressed as Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman in Ayodhya:
a world record was created on Friday, with more than 5.8
lakh diyas lit. Vishal Srivastav
holyplaceinthecity.Thiswasthe
first Deepotsava festival since the
start of the construction of the
Ramtemple.Adityanathclaimed
that earlier people hesitated to
visit Ayodhya and there was a
timewheneventakingthename
of the city “was like an abuse”.
more responsive to emerging
challenges on its 15th anniver-
sary, an official statement from
the Ministry of External Affairs
said on Friday.
The leaders will also ex-
change views on issues of inter-
national and regional interest,
including the pandemic and co-
operationamongEASparticipat-
ingcountriestoachieveanexpe-
ditious and sustainable
economic recovery, an MEA
statement said.
The East Asia Summit is a
premier leaders-led forum for
discussions on importantstrate-
gicissuesinthe Indo-Pacific,and
a leading confidence-building
NCB questions Arjun Rampal
for 7 hours, arrests engineer
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 13
ACTORARJUNRampalwasques-
tioned by the Narcotics Control
Bureau (NCB) for over seven
hours on Friday in connection
with the seizure of banned
painkillers from his home in
Bandra West. The NCB had sum-
moned the 47-year-old actor to
explainwhyhewasinpossession
of opioiddrugTramadol.Rampal
left the NCB office in Ballard Pier
a few minutes past 6 pm.
Emergingfromthequestion-
ing, Rampal told mediapersons
that he had given the agency a
prescription. Possession of
Tramadol, a powerful painkiller,
is banned in India without a pre-
scription. An NCB official said
thattheagencywasverifyingthe
veracity of the prescription.
Meanwhile, the agency ar-
restedanengineer,anAustralian
national, who is a friend of
Agisilaos Demetriades, the
brother of Rampal’s live-in part-
ner Gabriella.
Paul Bartels is currently em-
ployed as an engineering man-
ager with a major international
construction contractor.
According to NCB, Bartels is al-
to pay him Rs 5 lakh in damages
for alleged violation of his fun-
damental rights.
In January this year, he was
foundguiltyonthree countsand
sentenced to three months rig-
orous imprisonment and placed
under close arrest on January 3
until February 14. The
Confirming Authority in March
confirmed the findings but re-
mitted the sentence.
In his petition, the ex-Major
has argued that the authorities
acted in violation of Section 153
of Army Act, which mandates
confirmation of any finding or
sentence passed by the General,
District or Summary General
Court Martial, and provides that
unless confirmed, it shall not be
deemed to be valid.
The Army argued that it had
acted in accordance with the
Regulation 392(I), which per-
mits custody soon after sen-
tencing.
AYODHYA DEEPOTSAV
Now, everyone wants to visit the
city, he added.
Intheevening,morethan5.84
lakhdiyaswerelitatRamkiPaidi
— a series of ghats on the bank of
the Saryu river — as the govern-
ment broke its own Guinness
worldrecordsetinpreviousyears.
mechanism in the region.
India strongly believes that
the ASEAN-led frameworks of
which EAS is an important part,
are at the core of the regional se-
curity architecture and need to
be strengthened further. India
sees EAS as a logical platform to
promote a free, open, inclusive,
transparent,rules-based,peace-
ful and prosperous Indo-Pacific
region, officials said.
At the 14th East Asia Summit
in Bangkok on November 4,
2019,PMNarendraModihadan-
nounced India's Indo-Pacific
Oceans Initiative (IPOI) aimed at
forging partnerships to create a
safe, secure, stable, prosperous
Actor Arjun Rampal arrives at the Narcotics Control Bureau
office in Mumbai on Friday.
leged to be a part of the conspir-
acy to procure drugs along with
Agisilaos, who was arrested by
the NCB in October for posses-
sion of drugs. Last week, as
Agisilaos was granted bail in the
case, the NCB took him back into
its custody after his name
croppedupintheallegedimport
of cocaineintoIndiaviacouriers.
“Bartels has been working in
Mumbai for the last few years
and is a friend of Agisilaos. He
knows Rampal through
Agisilaos. We are investigating
Bartels’ links with Agisilaos in
HELD ON WAY TO HATHRAS
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, NOVEMBER 13
A SESSIONS court in Mathura on
Friday rejected the bail applica-
tions of two members of
Campus Front of India (CFI) and
their driver, who were arrested,
along with a journalist, on their
way to Hathras to meet the fam-
ily of a Dalit woman who was al-
legedly gangraped and mur-
dered. The CFI is the students’
wing of the Popular Front of
India.
Atiq-ur-Rahman (25),
Masood Ahmed (26) and Alam
(26) are facing several charges,
including Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act (UAPA), sedi-
tion,promotingenmitybetween
differentgroupsongroundof re-
ligion and deliberate and mali-
cious acts intended to outrage
religious feelings, said police.
“The court today rejected the
bail applications of Atiq-ur-
Thousandsofvolunteersfromthe
Department of Tourism, the
Ayodhya district administration,
and the RML Avadh University lit
theearthenlamps.Adityanathan-
nounced that next year the ad-
ministration would aim to light
more than 7.51 lakh diyas.
Expressingadesiretoconnect
theeventwiththeentirecountry
and the world, Adityanath said
every Indian celebrates Diwali,
and every Sanatan Hindu con-
nects with the festival and
Deepotsava.
“Several generations ended
and they all had just one desire
thatiftheygettoseetheconstruc-
tion of Lord Ram's temple, their
life will be obliged...Till last year,
whenever I used to come to
Ayodhya, I used to come to con-
nect it with development works.
But there was always just one
voice that I should not talk about
work,butonlyconstructthetem-
ple in Ayodhya. PM Modi has ful-
filled that oath of the country,”
said the chief minister.
and sustainable maritime do-
main.
“India in partnership with
Australia and Indonesia organ-
ized the 4th EAS Conference on
Maritime Security Cooperation
on6-7February2020inChennai
to take forward our commit-
ments in the maritime security
domain. India hopes to organise
activities in partnership with in-
terested countries under IPOI,”
an official said, ahead of the
meeting.
India is a founding member
of EAS. The 18 members of the
EAS together represent 54% of
the world population and ac-
count for 58% of the global GDP.
Ganesh Sirsekhar
procuringdrugs,”saidtheofficer.
Bartels was summoned by
theNCBonThursdayandplaced
underarrest.Hewasproducedin
courtonFridayandremandedto
judicial custody. Before issuing a
summons to Rampal, the NCB
hadquestionedGabriellaforover
six hours each on Wednesday
and Thursday, following the
searchattheirhomeonTuesday.
Thesearchwaspromptedbythe
arrestlastweekof fourdrugped-
dlers and suppliers serving
clients working in the film and
television industries.
Rahman, Masood and Alam. On
Thursday, after hearing argu-
ment from both sides, the court
had reserved its order,” said Shiv
Ram Singh, government coun-
sel, Mathura.
The bail applications of
Rahman, Masood and Alam
weremovedtosessionscourtaf-
ter their bail pleas were rejected
in the lower court of Mathura.
All the four accused, includ-
ing journalist Siddique Kappan,
are presently lodged in the
Mathura district jail. Siddique
Kappan's bail application was
not moved has not been moved
to the local court of Mathura yet.
Kappan'shabeascorpusispend-
ing in the apex court and its next
hearing is on November 16.
OnOctober4,Mathurapolice
caught all four persons at Maant
toll plaza while they were on
waytoHathrasafterthe19-year-
old Dalit woman died.
The next day, the police
lodged a case against them.
Earlier in the day, Adityanath
visited the Ram Janmabhoomi
temple and prayedtothedeity of
RamLalla.Healsolaunchedaspe-
cialcovermadecollectivelybythe
state postal department and the
RML Avadh University. A small
filmontheDeepotsavaeventwas
alsoplayedbytheinformationde-
partment.
HesaidtheDeepotsavwasan
efforttocarryforwardtheconcept
of Ram Rajya, which he said was
asymbolofasocietywithoutdis-
crimination. .
Adityanath said Ram had to
sufferalotontheVanGamanPath
— the path that devotees believe
thedeitytookwhileonhiswayto
a 14-year exile — and added that
his government is now working
to improve facilities on the “Ram
Van Gaman Path”. Soon, people
willbeabletotravelfromAyodhya
to Chitrakoot in three-and-a-half
hours, he added.
Governor Anandiben Patel,
alsopresentattheevent,saidRam
was a symbol of Indian identity.
New Delhi
UP:Journalist
founddeadon
tracks,family
allegesmurder
2 cops booked; SHO says ‘clear suicide’
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, NOVEMBER 13
A 25-year-old journalist’s body
was found on a railway track in
Unnaodistrict’sCityKotwaliarea
on Thursday evening.
While the family of victim
Suraj Pandey accused Sub-
Inspector Suneeta Chaurasia
and constable Amar Singh of
killing him and throwing the
body on the track, the police
claimed that it was a suicide
case. No suicide note has been
found so far.
Unnao Superintendent of
Police (SP) Sureshrao A Kulkarni
Friday said all evidence points
towards suicide. According to
the autopsy report, injuries
found on the body appear to be
caused by a train, he added.
The police, however, have
lodged a case against Chaurasia,
Singh and a few unidentified
people on charges of murder,
criminal conspiracy and crimi-
nal intimidation. The case at the
City Kotwali station was regis-
tered on the basis of a complaint
by Suraj’s mother Laxmi Pandey.
The police have found evi-
dence that Suraj, who used to
work for a Hindi daily, and
Chaurasia were in regular touch
over the phone.
According to phone records,
Journalist reporting on
NREGA work ‘attacked’
by village head, sons
ASAD REHMAN
LUCKNOW, NOVEMBER 13
A 40-YEAR-OLD journalist was
assaulted,allegedlybythevillage
head and her sons, when he
went to report on MGNREGA
work at Dhaura village in
Lalitpurdistrictof Uttar Pradesh,
police said on Friday. Two of the
accused have been arrested.
Thefamilyof journalistVinay
Tiwari,aresidentof thesamevil-
lage, said he works for a local
news channel, Bundelkhand
Times TV, and contributes to
daily newspapers.
In a complaint to Jakhlaun
policestation,hisbrotheralleged
that Tiwari was assaulted by vil-
lage head Babita Mishra and her
three sons on November 7.
Speaking to The Indian
Express, Lalitpur ASP Brijesh
KumarSinghsaidTiwarihastold
police that the attack occurred
when he was taking photo-
graphs of MGNREGA work done
by machines instead of labour-
ers.
The police complaint, lodged
CM meets artisans, buys
products worth Rs 20,000
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, NOVEMBER 13
CHIEF MINISTER Yogi
Adityanath on Friday met local
artisans at his residence and
bought their products worth Rs
20,000 on the eve of Diwali.
A state spokesperson said
nine artisans from different dis-
tricts, among the hundreds sell-
ingtheirproductsattheMatiKala
FairinLucknow—beingorganised
by the Mati Kala Board under
MSME department—were “sur-
prised” by the CM buying “their
basketofproductsforRs20,000”.
“The artisans had gone to
thank the CM when he bought
their entire basket. The CM also
praised their craft, asked about
their family and offered them
sweets and gifts,” said the
spokesperson.
Thestategovernmentorgan-
ised the fair—an exhibition and
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Surajhadrecentlystartedcalling
her regularly, the police said,
adding that they had been in-
formed that Suraj wanted to
marry Chaurasia. The police of-
ficer was reportedly against this.
During the preliminary in-
quiry, Laxmi told the police that
her son came to know Suneeta
through his work. Suneeta used
to be the station officer of a
women’spolicestationinUnnao.
About five months ago, she was
moved to the Bihar station.
Laxmi claimed that Suneeta
had visited her house several
times. She alleged that on
Wednesday Amar Singh, who
wasSuneeta’sdriver,calledSuraj
and threatened him with dire
consequences.
On Thursday morning, Suraj
left home after receiving a call.
Around1pm,whenhecouldnot
be contacted, Laxmi informed
the police.
KotwaliStationHouseOfficer
(SHO) Dinesh Chandra Mishra
said Laxmi called him around 2
pm and informed that her son's
phone was switched off and he
was unreachable. The police
checkedhislastlocationthrough
his call records, and found the
bodyontherailwaytrack,around
1.5 kms from his home. “It is a
clearcaseofsuicide.Investigation
ison,”addedtheSHO.Noonehas
been arrested so far.
by Tiwari’s brother Sanjiv, read,
“On November 7, he was report-
ing MGNREGA work in the vil-
lage when Vivek Mishra,
Abhishek Mishra, Aryan Mishra,
and their mother Babita Mishra,
who is the village head, came
and started abusing him. They
assaultedhim.Whenmybrother
tried to escape, Vivek Mishra
fired with a revolver, and in fear,
Vinay lay on the ground. Then
they assaulted him with lathis
andtookawayhismobilephone,
motorcycle and Rs 900…
Meanwhile, the father of the
three reached the spot and said
he (Tiwari) should be killed.
After receiving information, I
reached the spot and also called
the emergency number... My
brother’s condition is serious.”
An FIR has been lodged
against the four accused under
IPC sections 394 (voluntarily
causing hurt in committing rob-
bery), 307 (attempt to murder),
323 (voluntarily causing hurt),
504 (Intentional insult with in-
tent to provoke breach of the
peace) and 506 (criminal intim-
idation).
Adityanath with the artisans
sale of clay artefacts—on the UP
Khadi and Village Industries
Board premises in Lucknow
from November 3 to 13.
According to a statement, more
than 50 lakh items were sold at
the fair. Quoting one of the arti-
sans, Hari Om Prajapati of
Gorakhpur,thestatementsaid,“I
cannot explain what this Diwali
has brought for us. It has revived
our traditional arts and given us
an experience which we are go-
ing to cherish for life.”
 9
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020

DEDICATES TWO INSTITUTES TO NATION

PM: Ayurveda knowledge needs to

be developed as per modern needs
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13

PRIMEMINISTERNarendraModi
on Friday underlined that tradi-
tional knowledge of Ayurveda
needs to be developed as per
modern needs and called upon
the country’s research institutes
to prepare courses on a par with
internationalscientificstandards.
“Being the premium Ayurv-
edic institute of the country, now
you and all of you have the resp-
onsibility to prepare courses on a
par with the international scien-
tificstandards,”thePrimeMinister
said,dedicatingtwofuture-ready
Ayurveda institutes to the nation.
ThesearetheInstituteofTeaching
&ResearchinAyurveda,Jamnagar
— conferred the status of Instit-
ution of National Importance by
an Act of Parliament —and Nati-
onalInstituteof Ayurveda,Jaipur.
ThePrimeMinisteralsocalled
upontheEducationMinistryand
UGC to explore new possibilities
with subjects such as Ayurveda
PhysicsandAyurvedaChemistry.
He stressed on the need to bring
the knowledge of Ayurveda “out
of books, scriptures and home
remediesanddevelopthisancient
knowledgeaspermodernneeds”.
PM ModigreetsWHODirector-GeneralGhebreyesusFriday. PTI
“AyurvedaisaheritageofIndia
whichextendstowell-beingofall
humanity…traditionalknowled-
geisnowenrichingothercountri-
esaswell.Today,thenationalpol-
icyofBrazilincludesAyurveda.Be
itIndo-USrelations,Indo-German
relations, cooperation related to
AYUSH and Indian traditional
medicinesystemisincreasingcon-
tinuously,”thePrimeMinistersaid.
He also pointed out the in-
crease in demand of Ayurvedic
products during the pandemic.
Director General of World
Health Organization Dr Tedros
AdhanomGhebreyesus,inavideo
message,praisedIndia’scommit-
ment to the evidence-based pro-
motionoftraditionalmedicinesto
achievehealth-relatedobjectives.
“Itisalsoamatterof greatpri-
deforeveryIndianthattheWHO
and now the Director-General of
WHOhasmadeaveryimportant
announcement;WHOhaschosen
IndiatoestablishitsGlobalCenter
forTraditionalMedicineandnow
workwillbedoneinthisdirection
for the world from India,” the
Prime Minister said.
Light a diya as salute
to soldiers, says PM
The Prime Minister on Friday ap-
pealed to the people to light a
‘diya’ as a “salute to soldiers”.
“This Diwali, let us also light a
Diya as a #Salute2Soldiers who
fearlessly protect our nation.
Wordscan’tdojusticetothesense
of gratitude we have for our sol-
diersfortheirexemplarycourage.
We are also grateful to the fami-
lies of those on the borders,” he
tweeted. After the Prime Minis-
ter’s appeal,the BJP urgedpeople
to post on social media photos
with ‘diyas’ for soldiers. PTI

In DRDO test, QRSAM achieves

direct hit on pilotless target aircraft
SUSHANT KULKARNI
PUNE, NOVEMBER 13
IN AN important step towards its
induction,theindigenouslydevel-
oped Quick Reaction Surface-to-
Air Missile (QRSAM) achieved a
direct hit on to a pilotless target
aircraft at medium range and al-
titudeinatestconductedbyDefe-
nce Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) on Friday.
The launch on Friday took
place from the Integrated Test
RangeatChandipurofftheOdisha
coastaround3.30pm.Itachieved
a direct hit on a Banshee pilotless
target aircraft at medium range
and altitude, DRDO said.
DefenceResearchandDevelo-
pment Laboratory and Research
Centre Imarat in Hyderabad;
Electronic and Radar Develo-
pmentEstablishment,Bangalore;
ResearchandDevelopmentEsta-
blishment (Engineers), Pune;
InstrumentsResearchandDevel-
opment Establishment, Dehra-
dun; and Integrated Test Range,
Chandipur, took part in the test.
DRDO said the test was a “major
milestone” achieved by QRSAM.
Officialssaidtheweaponssys-
tem elements have been manu-
facturedthroughpublicsectorun-
dertakings — Bharat Electronics
Ltd,BharatDynamicsLtdandpri-
vate player L&T. They added that
the missile system was fully in-
digenous with active radio fre-
quencyseekers,electro-mechan-
ical actuation systems sourced
from various industries.
Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh and DRDO chairperson Dr
G Satheesh Reddy congratulated
scientists after the test.
QRSAM is a short range sur-
face-to-airmissilesystem,prima-
rilydesignedtoshieldmovingar-
moured columns of the Army
from enemy aerial attacks. It has
a range of 25 to 30 km.

Four men
killed at liquor
shop in Bengal
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, NOVEMBER 13

FOUR PEOPLE were beaten to

death at a liquor shop in Jamuria
area of West Bengal’s Paschim
Bardhaman district in the early
hours of Friday.
The police have detained the
accused, who was identified as
SadhuKhan.Heissuspectedtobe
sufferingfrommentalillness,and
has been admitted to a hospital
under police observation.
Thevictimswereidentifiedas
Ambuj Mondal (45), Prasanta
Saha (56), Subodh Bauri (62) and
Kalia Bhunia (64). Three of them
were half asleep when Khan en-
tered the shop in Shibpur area
with an iron rod and attacked
them. When they started screa-
ming,localresidentsrushedtothe
spot and police were informed.
Khan then came out of the shop
and attacked another person.
When the police arrived, all
the four were lying in pools of
blood. They were rushed to a
hospital where they were de-
clared dead on arrival.

Couple, baby
daughter found
dead in Haryana
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
CHANDIGARH, NOVEMBER 13

A MAN, his wife and their one-

and-half-year-olddaughterwere
found dead at their rented house
in Tohana town in Haryana’s
Fatehabad district, with police
suspectingthathekilledthembe-
fore ending his life.
The incident came to light on
Wednesday night, SHO of Police
Station (City), Tohana, Inspector
Surendra said on Friday. “The
woman,ManjuDevi(32),andher
daughterwerefounddeadonthe
bed and as per the postmortem
report,theirdeathwascausedby
strangulation. The man, Sunil
Kumar(35),wasfoundhangingin
the storeroom,” the SHO said.
Preliminary probe indicates
that the man murdered his wife
andthechildbeforehanginghim-
selffromtheceiling,hesaid. Acase
hasbeenregisteredandinvestiga-
tionison,theSHOsaid.

New Delhi
 10 EXPRESS NETWORK
Classifieds
PERSONAL
I , Goldy S/o Yogesh Kasera R/o
29 Deelip Marg Sailana Ratlam
Madhya Pradesh-457550. have
changed my name and shall
hereafter be Known As Dhruv
Kasera. 0070720946-1
I , Kartik Krishnan S/o A.
Krishnaswami R/o P 2/3,
Tarapore Enclave, Near Nangal
Devat Village, Vasant Kunj,
South West Delhi-110070. have
changed the name of my minor
son Advait Krishnan aged
about 10 Years and he shall
hereafter be known as Advvait
Krshnan. 0070720943-1
I,Nishtha Bhilwara,D/o Kishore
Bhilwara R/o.Flat no.1,Inder
enclave,Rohtak-Road,
Paschim-Vihar,Delhi-87 state
that I am also known as
Nishtha D/o.Kishori Lal ,both
are names of same person.My
correct name is Nishtha
Bhilwara D/o.Kishore
Bhilwara,for all future
purposes. 0040555211-2
I, Uma Shankar Yadav R/O
Khasra No-323/268, Ground
Floor, Gali No-4/5, Mukand Pur
Part-2, Libas Pur, Delhi-110042,
have changed my minor son
name from Suraj Yadav to
Varun Yadav.
0070720950-1
I, Tasleem S/o mohammad
murtaza,Add-1485, pahari
rajan chitli qabar jama masjid,
Delhi-110066,changed my
name to Mohammad Tasleem.
0040555186-2
I, Sunil Padinjarekuttu Antony
S/o Antony R/o.House No.1-
2,Pocket-5,Sector-25,
Rohini,Delhi-110085,have
changed my name to Sunil
Antony. 0040555186-6
I, Seema Sawhney,D/o-Sh.
K.D.Sawhney,W/o-Sh.
C.M.Anand,R/o House.No.1082,
GH-14,Paschim Vihar,New
Delhi-110063,have changed my
name to Seema Anand for
all,future Purposes.
0040555211-3
I, SHIVANI, D/O.BEER SINGH,
ADD-H, 631/16, SARASWATI
COLONY SEHATPUR
FARIDABAD, SECTOR-91
HARYANA-121003,changed my
name to SHIVANI SINGH,
permanently. 0040555186-4
I, No-9112254M L/NK Mohd
Jabbar S/o Abdul R/o VPO-
Rajpur Kamila, TEH-Nowshera,
Distt-Rajouria, J&K-185151, in
my service record my son`s
name has been written as Asid
Ali instead of Mohd Asid.
0040555224-1
I, Mohammad Sameer Zaidi ,S/o
Nafees Ul Hasan R/o-65,
,Bulandshahr Road,Avas vikas-
colony Hapur,have changed
my name to Sameer Zaidi.
0040555211-1
I, Kuldeep Uppal s/o Late
Jagdish Kumar Uppal, R/o A-45,
GF, Ramprastha, Sahibabad,
Ghaziabad, UP-201011 have
changed my name to Kuldeep
Kumar Uppal, permanently
0040555108-2
I, KARTAR SINGH,S/O
MANTHOORI SINGH,R/O H.NO-
116,BANK-COLONY MANDOLI-
EXTN.DELHI-
110093,havechanged the name
of my minor son RAMAN(aged-
15-years)and he shall hereafter
be known as RAMAN KUMAR.
0040555186-8
I, Rajesh Gupt,S/o K K Gupta,R/o
Rz-m308/A, Raj Nagar part-
II,Gali no-5,M-BLOCK,Delhi-
45,changed my name to Rajesh
GUPTA,permanently.
0040555186-7
I, Jessica Munjal D/o Sh.
Tavinder Singh Munjal, R/o H-
86, Second Floor, Phase-1,
Ashok Vihar, Delhi-110052,
have change my name to
Jessica Kaur for all purposes.
0040555108-1
I, Jasbir Kaur D/o Joginder Singh
W/O Hardev Singh Dalip R/O
3304, Ranjit Nagar, Near Pusa
Gate, New Delhi-110008, have
changed my name and shall
hereafter be Known As
Kulwant Kaur. 0070720962-1
I, Indu Gupta W/O Sanjay Gupta
R/O-H.NO-769, Sector-9,
Gurgaon Haryana-122001,have
changed my name to Indu
0040555186-1
I, Divya D/o Hakikat Rai
Sabharwal R/o 161-162,1st-
floor,Pocket B-6, Sector-8,
Rohini,Delhi-110085, have
changed my name to Divya
Sabharwal. 0040555186-5
I, DINESH KUMAR YADAV S/O-
DHARAM SINGH YADAV, ADD-
WZ-314, SHAKURPUR
VILLAGE,DELHI-
110034,changed my name to
DINESH YADAV, permanently.
0040555186-3
I Subhash Dhyani S/o Leela
Nand Dhyani R/o D-201, Apex
Green Valley, Sector-9 Vaishali,
Ghaziabad U.P-201010 have
changed my name to Subhash
Chandra Dhyani.
0040555109-1
I Kapil S/o-Sh.Tekan Sharma R/o
H.No.40-41, Block & Pocket, E-
18, Sector-3, Rohini, Delhi-85
have changed my name to
Kapil Sharma for all
purpose.That Kapil & Kapil
Sharma is the one and same
person. 0040555115-1
I Ashok Kumar S/O, Shri Gaja
Nand Bari R/o A-3/ 108 Nand
Nagri Delhi 110093 have
changed my name to Ashok
Bari for all purposes.
0040555113-1
I , Bhavika Gupta D/o Vidhu
Shekhar Gupta R/o C1302
Sunrise Green Jaipuria, Ahinsa
Khand 1,Near Bikanerwala
Jaipuria Mall, Indirapuram,
Ghaziabad,Uttar Pradesh-
201014. have changed my name
and shall hereafter be Known
As Bhavikaa Gupta.
0070720940-1
FLAT FOR SALE
3 BHK 2nd floor kalkaji extension
nehru enclave 7/8. 79829-32169,
98726-61509
LOST & FOUND
I, Dhruv Madan,S/o Mahender
madan,R/O-151 &-152 capital-
apartments,dwarka,sector-1a
pocket-6 nasirpur,new delhi-
45,have lost my original-
certificate class-10th year-
2015,Rollno-8199263,CBSE-DEL
HI. 0040555186-10
I have lost dda flat property file
no f14(281)71lab,h230 naraina
new delhi with all documents
including demand cum
allotment letter, possession
letter fir 721853/2020 return if
found to sanjeev sharma
9711140499 0040555111-1
LOST & FOUND
LOST MY ALL ORIGINAL
DOCUMENTSAGAINST MY
FLAT No - 203, GOLF
APARTMENT,SUJANSINGH
PARK, NEW DELHI :
ORIGNALFLAT BUYERS
AGREEMENT,POSSESSION
LETTER,PAYMENTRECEIPT,
NDMCMUTATIONLETTERAND
ALL OTHER RELATED
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
FINDERMAYCONTACT: VIJAY
KUMARAGGARWALS/O LATE
SHRI JAI PRAKASH, FLAT No.
203, GOLF APARTMENT,
SUJANSINGHPARK, NEW
DELHI-110003 # 9810201984
PUBLIC NOTICE
PUBLIC AT LARGE IS HEREBY INFORMED
THAT MY CLIENT SHRI RAVI KUMAR @
RAVI SAPRA R/O B-3, NEHRU ROAD,
KRISHNA REVENUE, MEERUT, U.P.-250003,
HAVE CANCELLED THE NOTARISED G.P.A.
& S.P.A. (DATED 11.08.2020) AND
REGISTERED WILL DATED 24.08.2020
DONE IN FAVOUR SHRI SUNEET KUMAR
VERMA, R/O B-4/216A, KESHAV PURA,
LAWRENCE ROAD, KESHAV PURAM, NEW
DELHI-110035, IN RELATION TO HIS LAND
MEASURING 1 BIGHA 2 BISWA, OUT OF
KHASRA NO. 43/5 (1-02), SAMEYPUR,
DELHI-110042. MY CLIENT SHALL NOT BE
HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ACTS AND
TRANSACTION DONE BY SHRI SUNEET
KUMAR VERMA IN RELATION TO THE
ABOVE MENTIONED LAND/ PROPERTY.
Sd/- (GAURAV KAJLA)
ADVOCATE
D/396/2008
CH. NO. T-1D, TIS HAZARI COURTS,
DELHI-110054.
PUBLIC NOTICE
BE IT KNOWN TO ALL that my clients
Sh. Ravinder Nath Rakheja S/o Late
K.B. Rakheja and Smt. Sudha
Rakheja W/o Sh. Ravinder Nath
Rakheja both R/o J 101-102, Kirti
Nagar, New Delhi-110015, through
this Public Notice, hereby disowns
their son Kushaal Rakheja from
inheriting their all movable or
immovable properties. Henceforth my
clients shall have no concern or
connection whatsoever with their said
son and anybody dealing with Kushaal
Rakheja shall be himself/herself liable
for the acts, deeds and things done by
him and my clients shall not be
responsible, in any manner
whatsoever, for the misdeeds, if any,
done by their above named son.
Sd/- VINEET BAHL
Advocate
Chamber No. 108, W. Wing,
Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-54
OTAKHB MNSHBD
Otakhb mnshbd hr gdqdax fhudm
sg`s ,H G`qdmcq` Oq`s`o Rhmfg
R/N K`sd F.R Bg`tcg`qx, Q/N-
567/134 @m`mc M`f`q I`hk
Qn`c Ktbjmnv 226005 &
oqdrdmskx qdrhchmf `s- L-1078,
rdbsnq-L @rgh`m` bnknmx j`m-
otq Qn`c Ktbjmnv 226012.
hmsdmcr sn bqd`sd ` bg`qfd uhy.
lnqsf`fd enq `u`hkhmf `
kn`m/Bqdchs e`bhkhsx eqnl Rs`sd
A`mj ne Hmch`, Q@BOB BNCD
04491 Ktbjmnv, enq oqnodqsx
knb`sdc `s Rdbsnq- L, Gntrd
Mn- L-1078 @rgh`m` Bnknmx
J`motq Qn`c Ktbjmnv. Sgd
`kknsldms kdssdq hrrtdc nm
11/05/2001 hm e`untq ne Lq.
G`qdmcq` Oq`s`o Rhmfg hr
lhrrhmf `mc shkk c`sd sgd `kkns-
ldms cnbtldms hr mns cdonrhs-
dc vhsg `mx a`mj nq ehm`mbh`k
hmrshstshnmr enq `u`hkhmf ax
`mx bqdchs e`bhkhsx. (EHQ
knffdc nm c`sdc - 14-10-2020
Bnlok`hms Mn- 465041/2020)
`mc nm sgd a`rhr ne k`lhm`sdc
nqhfhm`k shskd cddcr ne oqnodqsx
knb`sdc `s Rdbsnq- L, Gntrd
Mn- L-1078 @rgh`m` Bnknmx
J`motq Qn`c Ktbjmnv. sgdx
`qd vhrg sn bqd`sd bg`qfd
`u`hkhmf ` kn`m/Bqdchs e`bhkhsx
eqnl Rs`sd A`mj ne Hmch`,
Q@BOB BNCD 04491
Ktbjmnv, `mx odqrnm g`uhmf
`mx bk`hl nm r`hc oqnodqsx
l`x bnms`bs vhsg Lq.
G`qdmcq` Oq`s`o Rhmfg R/N
K`sd F.R Bg`tcg`qx, Q/N-
oqdrdmskx qdrhchmf `s - L-
1078, rdbsnq-L @rgh`m`
bnknmx j`motq Qn`c Ktbjmnv
226012. & `krn vhsg Rs`sd
A`mj ne Hmch`, Q@BOB BNCD
04491 Ktbjmnv. vhsghm 15
c`xr eqnl otakhb`shnm ne sghr
mnshbd.
G`qdmcq` Oq`s`o Rhmfg
Qdrhchmf `s - L-1078,
Rdbsnq-L @rgh`m` Bnknmx
J`motq Qn`c
Ktbjmnv-226012
ADMISSION
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
PUBLIC NOTICE
My clients Shiv Shanker S/o Late
Sh. Atibal R/o 185/6, Ambedkar
Nagar, Haiderpur Dehli -110088
declares that their Son Santosh
Kumar & his Wife Sapna Devi & their
children are not well behaving with
my Client. Therefore my clients
disinherited, disowned and severed
all relations with them. They will
have no right in moveable &
immoveable properties of my client.
Whosoever deals with them, shall
do so at his/her own risk.
Sd/-
Narendra Kumar Sharma
(Advocate) Enrl. No. ID-D/1587/2010
Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-110088
Public Works Department Government Resolution Number CAT-2017/C.R.8/Building-2, Government of Gujarat
Dated 12th April, 2017. Narmada Water Resources, Water Supply and
FORM-1 Kalpasar Department
Tender Notice No. 06 of 2020-21
Government of Maharashtra
Public Works Department ONLINE Tender is Invited for the work of
(1) Repair & Up gradation of section offices under water resources
North Mumbai (P.W.) Division, Andheri
investigation sub division no-1, Ahmedabad (Himmatnagar Section,
Telephone No. 022-26231964
Modasa Section, Palanpur section) under National Hydrology
E-Tender Notice No. 15(2020-21.) Project.
E-mail address : northmumbai.ee@mahapwd.com Telephone/Fax Number :- 26231964/26205788 (2) Repair & Up gradation of section offices under River gauging sub
E-TENDER for the following work in B-1 Form is invited via online e-tendering system from Valid Registered
division, Vadodra (Vadodra section) under National Hydrology Project
Contractor by the Executive Engineer, North Mumbai (P.W.) Division, Andheri (w), and Mumbai-58 on behalf of
(3) Repair & Up gradation of section offices under River gauging sub
Government of Maharashtra. Tender Documents are downloaded from Government of Maharashtra portal
division, Navsari (sub division office Navsari, Navsari section,
https://mahatenders.gov.in Right to select or reject is reserved by Executive Engineer, North Mumbai (P.W.) Division,
PUBLIC NOTICE
Andheri (w), Mumbai-58. Tender with condition is never accepted. Vansda section, Dharampur section) under National Hydrology
My client Mona Katyal hereby states
that her husband Sh Sunil Katyal R/o Project.
RZ F/1 349 A, FF, Mahavir Enclave,
Sr. Name of Work Estimated
No. Cost Rs. (4) Repair & Up gradation of section offices under River gauging sub
New Delhi-45 has passed away on
division, Rajkot (Junagadh section, Dhrol section, Morbi section,
10/07/2016. She had requested to 1 Housekeeping Services & Cleaning premises including grass cutting levelling as required in the 95,70,702/-
Supertech Ltd to transfer the booked
campus of Govt / Resi Qrts @ Bandra (E) (Area Under Sub Dn No. 1) (Solid waste management Rajkot section) under National Hydrology Project
flat No. 1501, Socrates 2, Czar Suits,
Plot No. GH-02, Sec - Omicron-1 and treatment) For (12Month) (5) Repair & Up gradation of section offices under River gauging sub
Greater Noida, in the name of Mona division, Bhavnagar (Una section, Savarkundla section, Vallabhipur
Katyal & her son Aditya Katyal. If
2 Providing Monthly housekeeping Services at Kalanagar Guest House Bandra (E) Mumbai For the 42,37,971/-
anybody had any objection he/she year (12 Months) section, Talaja section) under National Hydrology Project
may contact Mr. Vaibhav Mittal at
The Executive Engineer, North Mumbai (P.W.) Division, Andheri (W) Reserves right to Accept or Reject any (6) Repair & Up gradation of section offices under River gauging sub
Supertech Ltd, E Square, Plot No- division, Bhuj (Sub division office Bhuj, Mandvi section, Nakhtrana
C-2, Sec- 96, Noida, within 15 days offer. Conditional offers will not be accepted.
of this notice being published. All registered contractor should note section) under National Hydrology Project.
For Mona Katyal W/o Late Sh. Sunil Katyal. E-Tender Submission Date- 18.11.2020 to 02.12.2020 by The Executive Engineer, W.R.l. Division, Ahmedabad. Last Date of
Sd/- Sumit Kumar (Advocate)
New Delhi, (M) 9911247063 E-Tender Opening Date 03.12.2020 Online Tender submission: 07/12/2020 up to 12.00 Hrs. Subsequent
Sd/- addendum and corrigendum will only be published on
No.EE/NMD/5764 of 2020 Dy. Executive Engineer, www.nprocure.com. Website and it will be bound to all the bidders.
Office of the Executive Engineer, North Mumbai (P.W.) Division,
North Mumbai (P.W.) Division, Andheri (West), Mumbai For further details contact to this office during office hours. Detailed
Tender Notice can also be seen on www.nprocure.com,
Dadabhai Road, Near Bhavan's College,
Andheri (West), Mumbai-400058. www.nhp.mowr.gov.in. and www.statetenders.com
Date :- 10.11.2020 DGIPR 2020-21/1233 No.INF/ABD/956/2020
Details of the Tender Notices of
S.C Railway can be seen on our
website : www.scr.indianrailways.gov.in
TENDER NOTICE No.72/2020
PUB/0938
dt.13.11.2020
SUPPLY OF STORES ITEMS.
e-ProcurementTender Notice
The following Tenders have been
floated online.Tenderers are requested
to visit the website www.ireps.gov.in
and submit their offers online. The
Tender Description, Qty, EMD, SD may
be seen in website. Offers submitted
manually will not be accepted. Offers
by post will not be entertained. Tender
Closing time is 14.30 hrs of the Due
date of the Tender. "For all indigenous
offers, EMD will be accepted only via
o n l i n e sys te m a s ava i l a bl e o n
www.ireps.gov.in."
Tender No. Short Description
45.20.1052 24V(8Vx3cells)
30.20.3591 Guide Bush Acetal
30.20.1039 Thermoplastic
polyester
16.20.1274A 3Yearly overhauling
kit
33.20.3650 Equalising stay
33.20.1189 Brake disc
Note:- Due dates ofTender Opening:
SL.No.01 on dt.07.12.2020. SL.No.02
on dt.09.12.2020. SI. No.03 & 04 on
D t . 10 . 12 . 2 0 2 0 . S I . N o. 0 5 o n
d t . 11. 1 2 . 2 0 2 0 . S L . N o . 0 6 o n
dt.14.12.2020.
Corrigendum
Tender No.56.20.5047 Brief.Desc. All
gear drive; Due on 17.11.2020 is
postponed to 26.11.2020.
Beside above mentioned tenders there
are other tenders having value below
Rs. 25 lakhs. For details, please visit
Railway website above.
Principal Chief Materials Manager/
Secunderabad
A1258/20
For further tender conditions /
details and for downloading the
tender documents,
Please visit website at
http://www.ireps.gov.in or 83811/HRY
www.scr.indianrailways.gov.in
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020 11

New Delhi
 12 UJVN Limited
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
^maVr¶ {dkmZ {ejm Ed§ AZwg§YmZ g§ñWmZ nwUo
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH PUNE

(An Uttarakhand Govt. Enterprises)

H.O. “UJJWAL” Maharani Bagh, GMS Road,Dehradun.-248006
Telephone-0135-22763808 Fax 0135-2763508
UJVNL CIN No. U4101UR2001SGC025866 Website: www.ujvnl.com On this day in 1971, we passed out from the Indian Military Academy
R.O. No.:739 Date: 13.11.2020 and went straight into war. Some of our colleagues laid down their
e-Tender Notice
lives during that war, while others did so during the other challenges
Office of the Executive Engineer (E&M), Maneri Dam, Maneri, faced by our Armed Forces in subsequent years. Today, we pay homage
Uttarkashi invited online bid from interested parties. Brief summary of to our colleagues from the three Services who did not complete the
tender is given below: journey with us.
Tender No. 05/EE(E&M)/Maneri Dam/2020-21 INDIAN ARMY
Name of work : Annual operation and routine maintenance contract of
Sirror Irrigation lift scheme at Heena, Uttarkashi
Estimated cost : ` 826835.00 (excluding taxes)
Date of availability of bid document on website : 17.11.2020 at 10:00 hrs.
Last date of submission of bid on website : 14.12.2020 at 17:00 hrs.
For fuller & further details, kindly visit e-procurement portal
http://uktenders.gov.in.
Executive Engineer (E&M) 2/Lt M P S 2/Lt R M Brig B S
“AVOID WASTEFUL USE OF ELECTRICITY” Chaudhary Naresh Shergill
Capt Vijay Anand, Maj Mandeep Bains, Lt M K Bakshi, Col P S Bedi, Government of Jammu and Kashmir
Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.
Capt P P Bhat, Capt R P S Brar, Lt Col V V Chandorkar, Lt Col Avinash
(Joint venture of Govt of Haryana and Ministry of Railways) Chandra, Maj Gen A K Dugar, Maj Bhargava Dutt, Maj P R Ganguly, SHER-I-KASHMIR INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL
REQUIREMENT OF OFFICE SPACE ON RENT AT GURUGRAM Capt H S Garcha, Col Raju George, Brig D K Ghosh, Col A J S Jassal,
SCIENCES SOURA, SRINAGAR, KASHMIR
Maj Harish Chander Jaswal, Lt Col P Jayakumar, Lt Col G N Jha, Lt Col
Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation H D Kandpal, Maj M S Kanwar, Lt Col V K Kapoor, Col V K Khanna, Department of Materials Management (Imports Section)
(HRIDC), is a joint venture Company of Government of Maj V C Kohli, Col S N Kumaria, Lt Col S K Lakara, Col Roshan Lal, E-mail: ammoimports@skims.ac.in
Haryana and Ministry of Railway, having its Project Office Brig Shyam Lal, Lt Col A D Maini, Lt Col B M Machaya, Maj P S
Fax: 0194-2403404
at Plot No. 143, 5th Floor, RailTel Tower, Sector-44, Malhotra, Maj A K Manchanda, Maj P P S Mann, Lt Col T J Mathews,
Kanhai Village, Gurugram-122003. Lt Col A C Mehra, Maj D R S Mehta, Col N S Mehta,SM, Col C D EXTENSION
Mishra, Lt Col S N Mukherjee, Cadet M S Naidu, Col Anil Nakra, Col
HRIDC requires about 5000 to 6000 square feet area S K Nangia, Lt Col Rajiv Narayan, Col Ashok Nayyar, Lt Col A Subject: Extension to the eNIT No. SIMS -324-NIT 14
for office use on rent approximately within 02 kilometer Prabhakar, Maj N C Raizada, Lt Col T A S Raj, Col A K S Rane, Col K P (Imports) 2020 dated 01.10.2020 (Tender ID
(approx.) from RailTel Tower, Sector-44, Kanhai Village, Ramesh, Col Jaganath Rao, Lt Col R S Ruhil, Lt Col O P Sah, Maj 2020_SKIMS_105893_1) regarding Supply of
Gurugram-122003. Willing Persons/Agencies may kindly Ratneshwar Sahi, Brig S G Saincher, Maj D S Sanga, Brig Rakesh
Saxena, Maj Vijay Sethi, , Maj A K Sharma, 2/Lt D B Shivane, Maj Laparoscope Surgical Instruments for the
contact on Phone No. given below or on above address
with their proposal within 07 days. Details of proposal can Anoop Singh, Lt Col Dilbagh Singh, Cadet Himmat Singh, Lt Col Department of General & Minimal Invasive
Jagmohan Singh, Lt Col Jatinder Singh, Capt George Soraya, Brig Surgery SKIMS.
also be sent on email at horc.spv@gmail.com. Deepak Sud, Brig V S Sukhdial, Lt Col V A Thomas, Lt Col Avinash
For General Manager/Project Tiwari, Maj S C Tomar, Capt Shakti Uniyal, Col T G Varghese, Brig D S The NIT is hereby extended as per following schedule:
HRIDC, Gurugram Virk, Lt Col Sushil Virmani
INDIAN NAVY Last Date of Submission 19.11.2020 upto 4.00 P.M.
Ph. No. +91 6350475788
Lt Cdr A S Aujla, Cdr Ajai Chaddha, Lt Cdr V K S Chandele, Lt Cdr R D of Online Bids
83804/HRY +91 8800550624 Joshi, Capt Pradeep Kochhar, Cdr George Kunnenkeril, Lt Cdr J R R
Reddy, Sub Lt Vijay Sarathi
Date of Opening of 21.11.2020 at 12.30 P.M.
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library INDIAN AIR FORCE Technical Bids
Teen Murti House, New Delhi 110011 An AVM Robin Baruah,Gp Capt Ranjan Bhattacharya, Wg Cdr Dhawale,
Gp Capt Surendran Damodran, Wg Cdr A K Khanna, Wg Cdr Ghana Further amendments if any, shall be uploaded separately.
Autonomous body under Ministry of Culture Shyam Mitra, Wg Cdr Ved Prakash, Wg Cdr A K Sharma, Wg Cdr
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library(NMML) is developing Museum on Inderjeet Singh, Flt Lt Konda Lakshman Umesh Sd/-
Prime Ministers in the Teen Murti complex. No. SIMS-324-eNIT 14 (Imports)
We pray for eternal peace for the departed souls and for strength for
2020-3539-45-5661-63
Asstt. Materials
NMML invites E-bids for the following: their families to bear the loss.
RFP No RFP Dated: 11.11.2020
Management Officer,
39 NDA AND 48 REGULAR IMA COURSE ASSOCIATION
MOPM/RFP/2020/006V2 Supply of Hardware & Software of Indoor SIMS-5662 SKIMS
Positioning System based Audio Guide MARTYRS OF CISF ON 14TH NOVEMBER
MOPM/RFP/2020/ 07 Execution of Galleries for all Exhibits of Museum CISF proudly remembers the
on Prime Ministers supreme sacrifice of these
The last date for submission of e-bid is 5th December, 2020 up to 17.00 hrs brave-hearts. On this day, they
(IST).
For more details please visit website www.tenderwizard.com/NMML,
laid down their lives at the
altar of duty while fighting
SFª¹F ¶FFÕ ÀFaS ÃF¯F ÀFd¸F°Fe, LØFeÀF¦FP
www.eprocure.gov.in. and http://nehrumemorial.nic.in/e-tenders.html with the LWE outfits. Their ÀFa¨FFÕX³FFÕX¹F ¸FdWXÕXF E½Fa ¶FFÕX d½FIYFÀF d½F·FF¦F, LXØFeÀF¦FPX
davp 09142/11/0001/2021 courage and bravery would B³ýiF½F°Fe ·F½F³F, ¶ÕXFGIY 01, dõ°Fe¹F °FÕX, ³F½FF SXF¹F´FbSX, AMXÕX ³F¦FSX (LX.¦F.)
HC/GD P N CT/GD K R
remain an abiding source of QcSX·FF¿F IiY¸FFaIY 0771-2234192, 2234188 (Fax) email: dirwed@nic.in
inspiration for the force. The
CHATERJEE ARJUN force will remain eternally
IiY¸FFaIY/6336/¸F¶FFd½F/AFBÊÀFe´FeEÀF/20-21 SXF¹F´FbSX dQ³FFaIY:- 11/11/2020
BIOM BACHELI BIOM BACHELI indebted to them for their
14-11-2012 14-11-2012 noble deed.
ÀFc¨F³FF
dIY¾FûSX ³¹FF¹F (¶FFÕXIYû IYe QZJSmXJ E½Fa ÀFaSXÃF¯F) Ad²Fd³F¹F¸F 2015 °F±FF d³F¹F¸F 2016 IZY ´FiF½F²FF³FûÔ IZY
A³FbÀFFSX dIY¾FûSX ³¹FF¹F ¶FûOÊX ¸FZÔ ÀFF¸FFdªFIY IYF¹FÊIY°FFÊAûÔ °F±FF ¶FFÕXIY IY»¹FF¯F ÀFd¸Fd°F ¸FZÔ A²¹FÃF °F±FF ÀFQÀ¹FûÔ IYF ¨F¹F³F IYSX
IiY¸F¾F: ¶FûOÊX E½Fa ÀFd¸Fd°F IYF ¦FNX³F/´Fb³FʦFNX³F dIY¹FF ªFF³FF W`XÜ BÀF WZX°Fb d³F²FFÊdSX°F AWÊX°FF/A³FWÊX°FFAûÔ IZY ´FiIYF¾F ¸FZÔ ´FFÂF AF½FZQIYûÔ
ÀFZ dQ³FFaIY 30/09/2020 °FIY ÀF¸FF¨FFSX ´FÂFûÔ °F±FF ½FZ¶FÀFFBÊMX www.cgstate.gov.in E½Fa www.cgwcd.gov.in
IZY ¸FF²¹F¸F ÀFZ AF½FZQ³F AF¸FadÂF°F dIY¹FZ ¦F¹FZ W`XÜ IYF¹FFÊÕX¹Fe³F ÀFb¨F³FF IiY¸FFaIY 5304/¸F¶FFd½F/AFBÊÀFe´FeEÀF/20-21 SXF¹F´FbSX dQ³FFaIY
14.10.2020 IZY ¸FF²¹F¸F ÀFZ AF½FZQ³F ´FiF´°F WXû³FZ IYe Aad°F¸F d°Fd±F dQ³FFaIY 31.10.2020 IYe ¦FBÊ ±FeÜ
CXöY d½FÄFF´F³F ¸FZÔ CXnZdJ°F AF½FZQ³F ´FiF´°F WXû³FZ IYe Aad°F¸F d°Fd±F ¸FZÔ ½FÈdð IYSX dQ³FFaIY 30/11/2020 IYe ªFF°Fe
W`XÜ ¾FZ¿F d³F¹F¸F ½F ¾F°FZÊ ¹F±FF½F°F SXWZX¦FeÜ
WXÀ°FF/-
(dQ½¹FF CX¸FZ¾F d¸FßFF)
ÀFa¨FFÕXIY
¸FdWXÕXF E½Fa ¶FFÕX d½FIYFÀF d½F·FF¦F E½Fa
ÀFd¨F½F SXFª¹F ¶FFÕX ÀFaSXÃF¯F ÀFd¸Fd°F
84943 AMXÕX, ³F¦FSX, ³F½FF SXF¹F´FbSX (LX.¦F.)

GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER
MECHANICAL HOSPITAL AND CENTRAL HEATING DIVISION SRINAGAR
Telefax: 0194-2496089, E-mail ID: xenmhchdk@yahoo.in
Gist of e-tender
IYF¹FFÊÕX¹F, ÀFa¹FböY ÀFa¨FFÕXIY E½Fa A²FeÃFIY NIT No: MHCHD/TS/2020-21/190/e-Tendering, Dated: 12.11.2020
·FFSX°F SX°³F À½F. ßFe AMXÕX d¶FWXFSXe ½FFªF´FZ¹Fe À¸FÈd°F¾FFÀFIYe¹F For and on behalf of the Lt. Governor, J&K UT e-tenders are invited from Registered OEM (Original
d¨FdIY°ÀFF ¸FWXFd½FôFFÕX¹F Equipment Manufacturer)/OEA (Original Equipment Assembler) or their Authorized dealer/Authorized
Representative for the below mentioned work:
ÀFa¶Fð d¨FdIY°ÀFFÕX¹F, SXFªF³FFaQ¦FFa½F (LX.¦F.) Name of Work Est. Cost. Cost of Earnest Time of Position of
(Rs. in Lacs) T/Doc. Money Completion AAA/Fund
IiY¸FFaIY/´Fi. ÀMXe½FOÊX/2020/8824 SXFªF³FFaQ¦FFa½F, dQ³FFaIY:- 11/11/2020 (in Rupees) (Lacs of Rs.) (in Days)
1 2 3 4 5 6
d³Fd½FQF AF¸FaÂF¯F ÀFc¨F³FF ½F¿FÊ 2021-22 Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of 59.50 1000 1.19 45 Available
Two (02) no. 320 KVA of D.G set along with AMF
·FFSX°F SX°³F À½F. ßFe AMXÕX d¶FWXFSXe ½FFªF´FZ¹Fe À¸FÈd°F ¾FFÀFIYe¹F ¸FZOXeIYÕX IYFGÕZXªF Panel , Cement Concrete Foundation AMC for
Three years at Govt. District Hospital, Kulgam.
AÀ´F°FFÕX, SXFªF³FFaQ¦FFa½F IZY CX´F¹Fû¦F ¸FZÔ AF³FZ ½FFÕXe d½Fd½F²F ÀFF¸F¦Fie ½F A³¹F ÀFF¸Fd¦Fi¹FûÔ IZY IiY¹F Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of 59.50 1000 1.19 45 Available
½F¿FÊ 2021-22 WZX°Fb Ad²FIÈY°F d½FIiY°FFAûÔ, ´Fid°FdâX°F RY¸FûÊ ½F B¨LbXIY ÀFaÀ±FFAûÔ ÀFZ d³Fd½FQF Two (02) no. 320 KVA of D.G set along with AMF
Panel , Cement Concrete Foundation AMC for
(·FF½F´FÂF) À´FeOX ´FûÀMX, ´FaªFeIÈY°F OXFIY õFSXF d³F¸FjF³FbÀFFSX AF¸FadÂF°F dIY¹FF ªFF°FF W`XÜ Three years at Govt. District Hospital, Shopian.
d³F¹F¸FûÔ ½F ¾F°FûÊ E½Fa IiY¹F IYe ªFF³FZ ½FFÕXe ÀFF¸Fd¦Fi¹FûÔ IYe ÀFc¨Fe AFdQ IYF Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of
Two (02) no. 320 KVA of D.G set along with AMF
59.50 1000 1.19 45 Available

A½FÕXûIY³F IYF¹FFÊÕX¹F ÀF¸F¹FF½Fd²F ¸FZÔ dIY¹FF ªFF ÀFIY°FF W`XÜ Panel , Cement Concrete Foundation & AMC for
Three years at Govt. District Hospital, Pulwama.
1 d³Fd½FQF ´Fi´FÂF ¸Fc»¹F (½FF´FÀFe A¹Fû¦¹F) 1000/- ÷Y. Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of 59.50 1000 1.19 45 Available
2 A¸FF³F°Fe SXFd¾F 80000/- ÷Y. Two (02) no. 320 KVA of D.G set along with AMF
Panel , Cement Concrete Foundation & AMC for
nf{k.kkapy fo|qr forj.k fuxe fyŒ
vYidkyhu bZ&fufonk lwpuk
3 d³Fd½FQF RYF¸FÊ d¶FIiYe dQ³FFaIY ´FiIYF¾F³F dQ³FFaIY 01.12.2020 ´FiF°F: 10.30 ¶FªFZ ÀFZ Three years at Govt. District Hospital, Kupwara.
CIN:U31200UP2003SGC027460
vYidkyhu bZ&fufonk lwpuk
d°Fd±F ÀFZ Qû´FWXSX 5 ¶FªFZ °FIY IYÃF IiY. 26 Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of
Two (02) no. 320 KVA of D.G set along with AMF
59.50 1000 1.19 45 Available
fof'k"Vhdj.k laΠMhohoh,u,y & ,e,e /
4 d³Fd½FQF ´FiF´°F dIY Aad°F¸F d°Fd±F dQ³FFaIY 04.12.2020 A´FSXF³WX 3 ¶FªFZ °FIY Panel , Cement Concrete Foundation & AMC for
Three years at Govt. Sub-District Hospital, Sopore.
3058 & 2020 % tuin & tkykSu esa 33/11
dsŒohŒ midsaæ fi.<kjh ls 33/11 dsŒoh
Z5Ô d³Fd½FQF JûÕX³FZ IYe d°Fd±F dQ³FFaIY 04.12.2020 ÀFa²¹FF 4 ¶FªFZ IYÃF IiY. 28 ¸FZÔ midsaæ ,V rd 33 dsŒohŒ fyad ykbZu dk
WXÀ°FF/- 1. Downloading of Bids: The NIT Consisting of qualifying information, eligibility criteria, specifications, Bill fuekZ.k dk;Z fctusl Iyku esa VuZdh vk/kkj
of quantities (B.O.Q), Set of terms and conditions of contract and other details can be seen from the ij djk;s tkus gsrq] /kjksgj jkf'k % #Œ
ÀFa¹FböY ÀFa¨FFÕXIY E½Fa A²FeÃFIY departmental website www.jktenders.gov.in from 13 .11.2020 (18.00 hrs) and can be downloaded from
1]52]000/& ] fufonk [kqyus dh fnukad %
·FFSX°F SX°³F À½F. ßFe AMXÕX d¶FWXFSXe ½FFªF´FZ¹Fe À¸FÈd°F 16.11.2020 (18.00 hrs).
05-12-2020 ] fufonk 'kqYd % #Π5]900/&
2. Uploading: The bidders shall deposit their bids in electronic format on the above web site from
¾FFÀFIYe¹F d¨FdIY°ÀFF ¸FWXFd½FôFFÕX¹F ÀFa¶Fð d¨FdIY°ÀFFÕX¹F 17.11.2020 (10.00 hrs) to 01 .12.2020 (15:00 hrs ) in two (02) covers. ¼th-,l-Vh lfgr½A fufonk 'kqYd dsoy
84937 SXFªF³FFaQ¦FFa½F (LX.¦F.) 3. Opening of Bids: The bids received upto due date and time shall be opened on 02 .12.2020 at 14.00 hrs v‚uykbu] DVVNL, Agra dh osclkbZV
or any date convenient to the Department. www.dvvnl.org ds ek/;e ls gh Lohdkj
No: MHCHD/TS/5762-73 Sd/- fd;k tk;sxkA fooj.k ds fy, —i;k fufonk
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF PRISON Date: 12.11.2020
DIPK-8998
Executive Engineer,
MHCHD, Srinagar
çi= /;kuiwoZd i<+ ysA mijksä fufonk
fnukad 04-12-2020 dks le; 13%00 cts rd
PRISON HEAD QUARTER: v‚uykbu viyksM dh tk ldsaxh ,oa
NEAR LAJWANTI GARDEN CHOWK fu/kkZfjr fnukad 05-12-2020 dks lka; 16%00
cts [kksyh tk;sxhA fufonk çi= mŒçŒ
JANAK PURI : NEW DELHI 'kklu ds bZ & çks D ;ks j eS a V iks V Z y
https://etender.up.nic.in ij viyksM dh
F.21(13)/ND(697)/Tender for AMC of R.O, Dessert Coolers tk;sxh] tgk¡ ls fufonk çi= MkmuyksM fd;k
etc./2020-22/CDN 0003612445/2621-22 Dated: 09.11.2020 tk ldrk gSA
Tender ID No. 2020_CJT_196523_1 v/kh0 vfHk0, ¼lkŒçŒ½&1
9897/v/khŒvfHkŒ¼lkŒçŒ½&1/vkxjk/foKkiu fnukad 12&11&2020
e-TENDER NOTICE jk"Vª fgr esa fctyh cpk;as
For and on behalf of the President of India, Open e-tender nf{k.kkapy fo|qr forj.k fuxe fyŒ
(online procurement website http://govtprocurement. vYidkyhu bZ&fufonk lwpuk
CIN:U31200UP2003SGC027460
delhi.gov.in) are invited for Repair Work and Replacement of vYidkyhu fufonk vkea=.k lwpuk ¼bZ&fufonk½
Parts of Dessert Coolers, Drinking Water Coolers, Refrigerator v/kksgLrk{kjdrkZ }kjk rhu Hkkxksa esa çfrf"Br
and R.O. Systems installed at various locations of Prisons ,oa ;ksX; dk;Znk;h laLFkkvksa / vkiwfrZdrkZvksa
Deptt., GNCTD for the period of two years from the date of issue ls fuEu dk;Z gsrq fufonk 'kqYd / /kjksgj
/kujkf'k ,oa bZ&fufonk fnukad 01-12-2020
of rate contract (Extendable upto three months). The NIT has dks vijkgu 1%00 cts rd bZ&VsaMj iksVZy
been uploaded and available alongwith terms and conditions https://dvvnl.org / https://etender.up.nic.in
and detailed specifications. All the tenderers participating in ij çkIr dj vijkgu 4%00 ctas ls [kksyk
e-tendering and should have a Digital Signature / Smart Card tk;sxkA ¼1½ fuŒfoŒlaŒ 46/2020&21&
and should apply online before the Last Date and Time. foHkkxh; iksy fuekZ.k bdkbZ flej/kk tuin
>k¡lh ij 30000 cksjh vksihlh lhesaV dh
Estimated Cost of Work : Rs. 18 Lakhs vkiwfrZA ¼2½ fuŒfoŒlaŒ 47/2020&21&
Date of release of tender : 09.11.2020 foHkkxh; iksy fuekZ.k bdkbZ Mh&lsUVj
through e-procurement tykyiqj tuin vyhx< ij 10000 cksjh
website vksihlh lhesaV dh vkiwfrZ A ¼3½ fuŒfoŒlaŒ
48/2020&21&foHkkxh; iksy fuekZ.k bdkbZ ]
Last date/ Time of receipt of : 01.12.2020 at 11:30 A.M. ;equk cSad ikoj gkml d‚yksuh] vkxjk ij
tenders through 30000 cksjh vksihlh lhesaV dh vkiwfrZA
e-procurement solution ¼4½ fuŒfoŒlaŒ 49/2020&21&foHkkxh;
iksy fuekZ.k bdkbZ ] flej/kk tuin >k¡lh ij
Date of on line opening of : 01.12.2020 at 12:00 Noon
8-5 ehVj yEcs 36]000 ux ihŒlhŒlh iksyks
Pre-qualification bids dk fuekZ.k dk;Z A ¼ —i;k foLr`r tkudkjh]
Date of on line opening of : 01.12.2020 at 03:00 PM d s f y ; s w w w. d v v n l . o r g , o a
http://etender.up. nic.in ij ns[kas A gSYi
Price bids (Tentative)
ykbZu & 1800 & 180 & 3023
Sd/- v/kh0 vfHk0, foŒtkŒeŒ(foŒ)] vkxjk
Superintendent-II : PHQ 1899/foŒtkŒeŒ(foŒ)/vkŒ/Vh-2 fnukad 13&11&2020
DIP/Shabdarth/0430/20-21 Tihar, New Delhi jk"Vª fgr esa fctyh cpk;as

New Delhi
New Delhi
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

14
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
WORDLY WISE

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Don't judge a man by his opinions, but what
his opinions have made of him.
— GEORG CHRISTOPH LICHTENBERG

A calibrated package
FOUNDED BY
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
Government’srestraintiscommendable,butitis
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
importantthatnominalGDPgrowthpicksupstrongly

A JUSTICE LECTURE Neelkanth Mishra

Highestcourtdoeswelltounderlinewhatitshoulddo.Hopefully, THETHIRDPACKAGEconfirmssomepatterns has chosen to target this problem indirectly, Income taxes, both personal and corporate,
intheCentralgovernment’sfiscalresponseto throughasharpincreaseinthebudgetforur- should be more back-ended this year than
itlistenstoitself —andstandsupforastand-upcomedian thepandemic.First,thespendingiscalibrated, ban affordable housing. normal. When people/firms paid their ad-

G
as seen in the continued expansion of the
RANTING INTERIM BAIL within a day to Arnab Goswami in a 2018 suicide MGNREGAbudget,whichreceiveditssecond
abetment case, Supreme Court Justice DY Chandrachud correctly described extension,giventhatthree-fourthsoftheear-
the responsibility of the apex court: “Forget Arnab Goswami for a moment, lier expanded budget had been used up by
weareaconstitutionalcourt…If weasaconstitutionalcourtdonotlaydown October, and supply was falling short of the
law and protect personal liberty, then who will?” Yet the disheartening impression will not still-strong demand for jobs. On the other
hand,thefreegrainsprogrammewasnotex-
goaway:Thatintheextraordinaryalacrityitshowedinthismatter,whileturninganunsee-
tendedbeyondNovember,astheeconomyis
ingeyeandinattentiveeartoothercasesthatinvolvepersonallibertyandfreeexpressionof now more or less fully open, and the risk of
citizensforweeksandmonths,thecourtitselfsingledoutGoswami.JusticeChandrachudwas abject hunger is lower.
right, again, to say that “If we don't interfere in this case today, we will walk on a path of de- Second,themeasuresaredesignedtomax-
struction”andthatamessagemustbesenttohighcourts.Initsmannerandtiming,Goswami’s imisetheeconomicimpactof fiscalspending,
arrest reeked heavily of political vendetta. And yet, what is also glaringly evident is that the likethevariouscreditguaranteeprogrammes,
wheretheflowstriggeredbytheguaranteeare
SupremeCourthasnothelditself toitsownhighstandardinseveralothercasesof citizenvs
several times the potential fiscal cost. The en-
state,rangingfromhabeascorpuspetitionsinKashmir,todetentionsmadeonflimsycharges hancementoftheloanthresholdoftheemer-
ofseditiontotheslappingofdraconianlawsonjournalistsfornootherapparentreasonthan gencycreditlineguaranteeschemeforstressed
thattheyweredoingtheirjob.Theordealof KeralajournalistSiddiqueKappan,forinstance, sectors like tourism in this package should
arrestedonhiswaytoHathrasinthewakeofthegangrapeanddeathofayoungwoman,and help, even if such a move earlier in the year
charged under UAPA, continues to seek its day in the apex court. may have had a bigger impact.
Third, the selection of some schemes and
ThesingularurgencytheSChasshowninthecaseof theRepublicTVchief,whoblusters
rejection of others hint at leakage deterrence
away each night as a megaphone of those in power, who gets virtually the entire Union beingimportantforthegovernment.Takethe
Cabinettoshedtwittertearsforpressfreedom,fitsadismalpattern.Ascrutinybythisnews- problem of urban poverty and joblessness.
paper of 10 cases involving free speech that came before the SC since January revealed that The still-elevated demand for MGNREGA
in cases where the court upheld that right or gave relief, the state and the petitioner argued work is a sign of distress in rural areas, and it
on the same side — there was no relief to the petitioner in six cases where the state was the isnothardtoimaginethatsimilarif notmore
severe pain would exist in urban areas. After
defendantandobjected.Incidentally,ornot,thentoo,oneofthefirstcasesinwhichthecourt
all,citiessawharsherlockdowns,moreinfec-
granted relief was filed by Goswami, seeking quashing of FIRs filed in connection with a TV
tions and deaths and more activities that got
show. Moreover, the apex court presides over the routine flouting of its guidelines for cases restricted;inruralareas,otherthaneducation,
of sedition. Be it the arrest of 19-year-old Amulya Leona in Karnataka for merely raising slo-
therewaslittleelsethatneededtobeorcould
gans,toarrestsmadeacrossstatesofotheranti-CAAprotestors,numerousremandordersby bestopped.Noteveryonehadtheoptiontoor
magistrates have stated no reasons and asked no questions about clear and immediate in- went back to their villages.
citement to violence, a necessary requirement for the charge of sedition. It is not that the government is not aware
of this problem. However, there are no
Now, Attorney General KK Venugopal has sanctioned contempt proceedings against
schemesthatcantargettheurbanjoblessand
stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for tweets seen as baiting the court in their criticism of its poor without significant leakage or selection
responseintheGoswamicase.TheSCmustlosenotimeinrejectingtheAG’srecommenda- errors. Paycheque protection programmesin
tion. In times when spaces for free expression seem imperilled, when the court has invited thedevelopedworldfacedsimilarchallenges,
disquieting questions about giving the executive the benefit of the doubt, it must not add to and emerging evidence of fraud in these
thattheimpressionthatit’snotabletotakeajoke.LetKamratweet,letthehighestcourtget schemes is not a surprise; that those govern-
ments still went ahead with them was per-
back to fulfilling the role so eloquently underlined by Justice Chandrachud.
hapstominimisetheoverallmacroeconomic
pain even if some of the money was misdi-
rected or stolen. Unsure of whether an urban
One must also note that the
strong revival in economic
activity is also improving the
fiscal condition of the central
as well as state governments.
Even on somewhat
conservative assumptions,
the Centre’s gross tax
receipts could grow 19 per
cent year-on-year in the
second half of the financial
year (October to March), as
against a 22 per cent decline
in the first half. A large part
of this growth is driven by
fuel taxes, which could
increase more than 60 per
cent in the second half:
Growth in taxes excluding
The expansion of the Production-Linked
Incentives (PLI) scheme to 10 new sectors is a
resultofthesuccessthusfarofthePLIscheme
forhandsets.Evenasoneawaitsthedetailsof
schemesforthenewsectors—toseehowthe
incentives to firms are balanced with longer-
termbenefitstotheeconomyandhowpolicy
steersclearoflobbyistswhileatthesametime
working alongside the industry — the choice
of sectors and the timing of the move are en-
couraging.Fiscalspendingonthiswouldonly
start next year, in our view.
That leaves us with around Rs 1 lakh 20
thousandcrore(orabout0.6percentof GDP)
of stimulus in the third package, of which 40
percentistoclearthelong-standingarrearsof
fertilisercompanies.Thecumulativefiscalin-
terventionisnow2.2percentof GDP,closeto
the3percentofGDPofstimulusthatwascon-
sidered necessary earlier in the year.
Is it sufficient? Forecasts for economic
growth this year are now being revised up,
though full-year GDP may still fall 7 per cent
inrealterms.Quiteabitof theGDPlossinour
view is “water under the bridge”, like the rise
in the government deficit, and the “did not
earn, but also did not spend” impact on wage
earnersduringlockdowns.Onceadjustedfor
that, the fiscal intervention appears to be in
the right ballpark, but in reality may still be
falling short, particularly as the fiscal meas-
ures include repurposing of expenditure,
meaning that the state and central govern-
ments have also cut spending elsewhere.
Onemustalsonotethatthestrongrevival
ineconomicactivityisalsoimprovingthefis-
calconditionoftheCentralaswellasstategov-
ernments. Even on somewhat conservative
assumptions, the Centre’s gross tax receipts
could grow 19 per cent year-on-year in the
second half of the financial year (October to
March),asagainsta22percentdeclineinthe
first half. A large part of this growth is driven
byfueltaxes,whichcouldincreasemorethan
60percentinthesecondhalf:Growthintaxes
excluding that may be about 12 per cent.
vancedtaxesinJuneandSeptember,theiras-
sessment of full-year income would have
beenfarlowerthanitisnow.Infact,profitsfor
companies in the BSE500, which account for
a third of corporate tax collections, are up
strongly in the September quarter itself.
Fiscal stress should ease for the states too,
ascentraltransfersaccountformorethanhalf
of states’ revenue receipts. Growth in states’
owntaxesislikelyimprovingtoo,likefromal-
cohol, fuels and real estate, which are all see-
ing a recovery in volumes.
Even if one assumes a significant shortfall
in disinvestment proceeds and non-tax rev-
enues,theCentralgovernmentshouldbeable
togrowspendingby7percentthisyear,imply-
inganaccelerationfromthe1percentdecline
in expenditure in the first half. However, like
mostlargeorganisations,stateandcentralgov-
ernmentsareunlikelytobeabletodevisenew
schemes to spend this money with just four
months to go. We believe three responses
wouldbedesirableoncebureaucratsarecon-
vinced that the growth in tax receipts is not
temporary.
First, a recalibration of borrowing needs
this year, which could provide some relief to
the bond markets. Second, clearing overdue
payments,particularlybystategovernments
— the Centre’s decision to clear fertiliser ar-
rears is a step in this direction. This by itself
could provide a stimulus to the economy.
Third,andmostimportant,wouldbeforstate
and central governments to build in a stimu-
lus in next year’s budget.
One must appreciate the restraint in
“spendingotherpeople’smoney”,atendency
most regimes find hard to resist. But it is
equally important that nominal GDP growth
picks up strongly to keep government debt
sustainable, create space for government
spending on defence, education and health,
and perhaps as importantly, to absorb the
large balance-of-payments surplus that can
only be brought down with stronger domes-
tic demand.

TEJASHWI’S SPECTRES
MGNREGA could be implemented cleanly, ThisdoesnotimplyorneednominalGDP
and even if so, what its impact would be on that may be about 12 per growthtojumpsharply,thougheventhatmay The writer is co-head of APAC Strategy and
rural-urbanmigration,theIndiangovernment cent. be possible given the low base last year. India Strategist for Credit Suisse

RJD leader fought spiritedly and lost narrowly. His

unsubstantiated allegations undermine his own achievements

R THE ROADS NOT TAKEN

JD CHIEF TEJASHWI Yadav’s questioning of the verdict after an election that
theYadav-ledMahagathbandhanfoughtspiritedlyandlostnarrowly,makes
him look like a sore loser. The NDA won 0.1 per cent votes and 15 seats more
than the Mahagathbandhan in the 243-seat assembly. Elections can be won
and lost with narrow margins — famously, in the 2008 Rajasthan assembly elections that
theCongresswon,itsstatechief,CPJoshi,losthisseatbyasinglevote.Yadavwoulddowell
Pakistan has not used its geographical advantage to become a trading nation
to take a leaf out of Joshi’s book, who gracefully accepted the defeat, instead of casting
doubts on the Election Commission’s conduct of the poll exercise and summoning spec- Khaled Ahmed
tres of a stolen election.
Yadav’scontentionthattheMGBwasrobbedofawin,andthattheresultswouldhavebeen A HIGHLY regarded senior ex-police officer of
differentbutforthelargenumberofpostalballotsthatweredeclaredillegal,isnotborneout Pakistan, Tariq Khosa, writing in Dawn in July
byfacts.IntheHilsaseat,whichtheRJDcandidatelostby12votes,andthenumberof postal 2018 (‘The Mess We’re In') stated: “First,
ballots rejected was 182, the EC accepted the request for a recount of postal ballots. In an- Pakistan must stop harbouring a massive in-
other 10 seats, where the victory margins were less than a thousand votes but higher than security complex. As a nuclear state with the
world’ssixth-largestarmy,weshouldbecon-
the invalid postal ballots, four seats were won by NDA candidates and the MGB won four.
fident and end our garrison-state mentality
The fact is that the EC has conducted a free and fair electoral exercise which also saw a large andconstantworryingaboutsurvival.Rather,
turnout despite the extraordinary circumstances created by a public health emergency. we should be a trading nation that takes ad-
The disappointment in the RJD ranks is understandable. The MGB, enthused by the exit vantageofitsgeographiclocationforeconomic
polls, was expecting to notch an easy win. Yet, eventhough he was notable to seize the sev- prosperity. Second, there is no doubt in my
eraldiscontentsagainsttheNitishKumargovernmentandcarveoutavictory,TejashwiYadav mindthattherelevantstakeholdersinthestate
securityestablishmenthavefinallyundertaken
has made a political mark. Through his energetic campaign, he succeeded in drawing the
to end support for erstwhile militant jihadi
nation’s attention and has emerged as a leader to watch. He has also made a beginning to- groups that was given on account of some
wardsreinventingtheRJD,whichhasbeenlabelledastheMuslim-Yadavoutfit,asapartywith strategiccompulsionsthatarecounterproduc-
amoreencompassingagendaandslogan,onethatpitchesawiderpoliticaltent.Yadavshould tive in the present milieu.”
now build on these substantial gains and prepare to be the effective and vigilant opposition Not long ago there was talk of India and
Pakistancooperatingeconomicallytofacilitate
that people of Bihar can count on to keep their government on its toes.
extra-regionalconnectivity.AnIranianpipeline
was poised to cross into Pakistan for onward
connectionwithIndiaandanothergaspipeline
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN
fromTajikistanwasalsodestinedtoreachIndia
throughPakistan.IndiahadrequestedPakistan
to allow it to ply its trade with Afghanistan
througharoad-linkinPakistan.Butinvariably
This Diwali will be lit up with the knowledge that friendship Pakistan’s“strategic”inclinationwasnegative,
and family, art and community, will make it through based on the fear of domination and its anti-
status quo thinking vis-à-vis Kashmir. Add to
China, India’s largest trading
partner — $94 billion both
ways — has to use the
roundabout route through
Southeast Asia to transport
its goods. Yet, Pakistan is on
the verge of changing its
identity from a war-fighting
nation to a trading one. But
if it continues to view India
Control and putting Pakistan under pressure.
FightingwarswithIndia,Pakistanhasfor-
gottentolookatitselfasastrategically-located
state — not for fighting wars, but for conduct-
ing trade. Such is the hostile environment in
the region that this advantage has been con-
vertedintodisadvantage.Indiahasbuiltawall
separatingPakistanfromitself andPakistanis
currentlyintheprocessofwire-fencingitslong
westernborderwithAfghanistanandIran,the
DurandLine.Whenyoubuildwallsinsteadof
roadsyoucan’tprogresseconomicallyandin-
stead focus on fighting wars with unrealistic
military budgets that affect the well-being of
the population. The military paradigm has
been made permanent by the acquisition of
nuclear weapons in competition with India.
But Pakistan will soon become a trade ar-
tery for China through the China Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC). Its status as a con-
nection between China and the Gulf
economies is quite clear but the lateral func-
tionofthisroad—intheeastIndiaandthewest
Afghanistan—isnotclearalthoughIndiatrades
withAfghanistanandCentralAsiaandwould
like to use Pakistan’s territory to make this
moreviable.China,India’slargesttradingpart-
ner — $94 billion both ways — has to use the
roundabout route through Southeast Asia to
be achieved.
In October 2008, a World Bank official in
Islamabad said the Bank was ready to lend
Pakistan $2.25 billion for a trade and energy
corridor. He could have added the Iranian-
Pakistan-India(IPI)pipelinetotheabove“proj-
ects of peace” but for the complex tripartite
negotiationsgoingonabouttheIPI.Butamuch
more important thing happened during
President Asif Ali Zardari’s meeting with the
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in
New York in 2012. The report said: “The two
met on the sidelines of the 63rd United
Nations’ General Assembly session and an-
nounced mutual agreement on a number of
vital business-related issues. On top of every-
thingelsecamePakistan’sagreementtoallow
Indians an overland access to Afghanistan.”
Pakistan and India have missed many op-
portunities to become “normal” neighbours.
Unlike India’s praiseworthy option of trading
withChinawhichitconsideredarival,Pakistan
never traded with India which led to much
smuggling that benefited no one in Pakistan.
Recently, after the Pulwama incident, it
stoppedeventhebordertradewithIndiathat
causeduntoldhardshiptothePakistanipopu-
lationinSindh.Clearly,IndiaandPakistan—as
nuclearpowers—mustoptfornormalisation

L
IGHTHASSTRUGGLEDtofindawayinto2020,whichwasspentbymostofhuman- thatthedisturbanceinAfghanistanwhichled with fear, the new identity of transportitsgoods.Yet,Pakistanisontheverge throughtradeandtraderoutestomakeSouth
to America’s longest war embroiling Pakistan a trading nation with a ofchangingitsidentityfromawar-fightingna- Asia a prosperous region.
ity in a battle with an invisible virus. And yet, here we are, at a bend in the year that
in international terrorism, and you have the tiontoatradingone.Butifitcontinuestoview
always means Diwali. A festival of homecoming, but what might that mean when current scenario of confrontation with an ag- prosperous population will India with fear, the new identity of a trading The writer is consulting editor,
somanymonthshavebeenspentathome,barricadedagainstthevirus,longingfor gressive India asserting itself on the Line of not be achieved. nation with a prosperous population will not Newsweek Pakistan
thecompanyofothers?Afestivaloflights,butwhatcoulditstandforwhenmortalityisadaily
reminder?Theanswerliesinhumanresilience—ourabilitytoreimagineourlives,andreach
out to others.
Thecoronaviruspandemichasthrownusthatchallenge,andwehaverisentomeetit,with
technology,scienceandsocialdiscipline.Byupendinglives,ithasalsounderlinedourinter- NOVEMBER 14, 1980, FORTY YEARS AGO
connectedness and shared destiny. The experience of disease and death is not new to hu-
manity; and it is a valuable reminder of the risks of human hubris on a struggling planet. It GOVT VS JUDICIARY Gandhi, Shiv Shanker, Law Minister, has de- cause of their extensive nature but also in
has also made most of us do a Marie Kondo on our lives, and separate the indispensables THE GOVERNMENT IS likely to seek an mandedof CJIYVChandrachudthatthegov- view of the supply of the latest jet fighters
from the excesses. For most of us, what survives that reassessment are the essentials: amendment to the Constitution to do away ernment should have the right to transfer a and ground-to-air missiles by China. These
with consultations with the Chief Justice of judge from one HC to another. developments come in the wake of Zia re-
Friendshipandfamily,beautyandart,lovebutalsocommunity.Whenthousandsofmigrant
India on the appointment of high court fusing to quit and indefinitely postponing
workers struggled with destitution during the months of lockdown, an army of ordinary judges. The amendment may also empower PAK ARMY EXERCISE restoration of democratic rule.
people reached out with food, shelter and transport. This Diwali, less brash and less noisy the government to change the conditions of ARMY EXERCISES CURRENTLY being held in
thanthelast,willbelitupwiththeknowledgethatsuchempathyispossible.Thatthehome, service of judges. Under Article 217 of the Pakistan are the biggest since General Ziaul FARMER AGITATION
whichisnowschoolandofficeandkitchenrolledintoone,canalsoexpandedbyimagining Constitution, “consultation with the Chief Haqassumedpowerin1978.Pakistanarmy’s AGOODSTRAINrammedintoanothergoods
thelivesofothers.TheteenpattipartywillmovetoZoom,thepileofgiftswillbeshorterand Justice” is necessary before the government twocorpsareparticipatingintheseexercises, train between Nasik and Odha as the com-
the prayers more humble. appoints a HC judge or changes his condi- one in the Lahore sector and the other in the munication network at several places in
tions of service. There are nearly 65 vacan- Sialkotsector.The1978exerciseswereof bat- Nasik district remained crippled because of
Finally, we will light a lamp, even in these darkest of times, because what else does
ciesof judgestovarioushighcourts.Themat- talion level, and those in 1979 were also not the farmers’ agitation. There is tension in vil-
darkness ask us to? To slightly adapt Leonard Cohen’s words, “Light the lamps that still ter has come to a head following a deadlock on such a large scale. This is the season for lagesalongkeyhighwaysasthefour-day-old
can be lit/Forget your perfect offering/ There is a crack, a crack in everything/ That’s how between the government and the CJI over army exercises in Pakistan but informed agitation began to spread to neighbouring
the light gets in.” the transfer of judges. Backed by Indira sources attach importance to them only be- areas.

New Delhi

15 THE IDEAS PAGE
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
Talking down to America
Democrats have abandoned predominantly white working class, are too focused on centralised
solutions. Both bode ill for progressive politics in a divided nation
Anush Kapadia
PROGRESSIVESAROUNDTHEworldcelebrate
the passing of the Trump presidency. Donald
Trumpintroducedadeeppoisonintothepub-
licdiscoursebylegitimatingracialhatredand
fear. He cynically weaponised the US’s deep
historical wounds for political gain, gamely
assisted by a Republican Party devoid of any
scruplesaveclingingtopoweratallcosts.But
the narrowness of Joe Biden’s victory has left
progressivesinnodoubtastothescaleoftheir
task. What direction will progressive politics
take in America?
Thenarrownessof thevictorymeansthat
weneedtodiagnosetheprogressives’malaise.
First,theDemocraticPartyelitehastragically
abandoned the predominantly white work-
ingclassandindeed,treatthelatterwithcon-
tempt.ThusaCNNelectionanchorderisively
refers to working people as “Johnny Lunch
Bucket”. This election was won in metropoli-
tan suburbs where white-collar workers,
many being racial minorities, turned their
back on the racist, misogynist incumbent.
These suburbanites, service sector workers
with middle-class aspirations, form the bulk
of the Democrats base along with working
peopleof colourandyoungpeoplemobilised
by activism. But unlike the latter, these sub-
urbanites are hardly a stable force and shift
betweenbothparties,oftenonculturalissues.
They are no replacement for the solidly
Democratic and now-lost union base.
The liberal establishment — in the me-
dia, the universities, and the business world
dominated by finance — did not conceal its
contempt for the white working class whom
they see as parochial, locked in an anti-mod-
ern racism. Yet many white working people
in what Michael Moore called the Brexit
States, voted twice for Barack Obama before
throwing their anti-establishment anger be-
hind Trump before switching back to Biden.
The liberal elite’s stereotyping of the white
working class as irretrievably racist (Hillary
Clinton’s “a basket of deplorables”) is actu-
ally a dodge. It enables them to avoid their
own failings in addressing America’s altered
economy and shifting class structure. White
working-class racism is, of course, a reality,
but it is also in large measure a reaction to
elite disdain.
And there is a geography to that disdain.
Elites, white-collar workers, and minorities
reside for the most part in cities within red
(Republican) states or along the blue
(Democrat)coasts.Theexpansionofurbanar-
eas in the tech/research urban economies of
Houston and Dallas (TX), Atlanta (GA),
Phoenix (AZ), and Durham (NC) — southern
states—outsidethecoasts,is,alongwithsub-
stantialminorityturnout,inlargemeasurere-
sponsible for putting Biden in the White
House as independents flipped. Yet much of
America remains rural, poor, and white, and
these voters are given special privilege by the
American political system.
With the Electoral College (EC) is com-
posed of representatives from a particular
state, and each state is given two senators ir-
respectiveof itspopulation,thefactthateach
P Raman
SEVERAL BOOKS HAVE been written to criti-
ciseformerprimeministerJawaharlalNehru’s
handling of India-China relations. Most such
critiquescameafterNehru’sdeath.Duringhis
lifetime, Nehru was his best defender. On the
131st birth anniversary of India’s first prime
minister, let us look at the way he tackled the
China debate in Parliament on the eve of the
first border war and its aftermath.
Parliamentary records show that six
decades ago, Nehru gave full opportunity to
the Opposition to grill his government. This
was amid the 1962 debacle when Chinese
troops launched an all-out attack on the
northernborders.Asacommittedparliamen-
tarian, Nehru sat through the debates and
replied to the members on behalf of both the
defence and foreign ministers. In 16 months
between August 16, 1961, and December 12,
1962,Nehru,whoalsoheldtheforeignaffairs
portfolio,madeasmanyas32statementsand
interventions in Parliament on China. He
spokeover1.04lakhwordsontheIndia-China
border dispute, running into well over 200
printed pages.
The government under Nehru did not ar-
gue that free debates on the floor of
Parliament would hamper war efforts. As
many as 165 members spoke during the Lok
Sabha debate on Chinese aggression
(November 12-14, 1962). Opposition mem-
bers assailed the government for lack of mil-
itary preparations. Nehru was present
throughout. He repeatedly assured the
state’saverageruralpopulationis35percent,
wellabovethenationalaverageof25percent,
meansthattheseruralvotershavedispropor-
tionaterepresentation.Wyoming(population
5,80,000) sends has as many Senators as
California,(population39.5million).Thissub-
stantial skew lies behind the coastal elite’s
scornfortheEC—theyseeitasdisenfranchis-
ing them.
Thisisthesecondelementof theprogres-
sive malaise: Their focus on centralised solu-
tionstothecountry’sproblems.Nodoubtthe
EC could use updating. Yet progressives miss
the message of the EC’s design: There is no
America, only the United States. The illusion
created by the singularity of the office of the
president,fuelledbyanationalmediastaffed
by cosmopolitan elites, is that there is some
political entity called “America”. All nations
are imagined communities of course, but
some are more imagined than others. There
mightbeaculturalandevenaneconomicen-
titycalledAmerica,butnodirectlyelectedpo-
liticalunitcorrespondstothisname.Thepres-
ident is not directly elected by a popular
national vote. America is not a political con-
stituency;itscomponentstatesare.Thepres-
idential election is not one but 50 different
elections because American is irreducibly a
federation.
TheEC’sdesignindicatesthatthebasicpo-
litical unit is not the individual voter but the
individual state, each complete with its own
flag, constitution, and state supreme court.
Each state can raise its own income tax and
setsitsownrulesforregisteringcorporations.
Needlesstosay,therearesubstantialnational
componentstotheAmericanstateformation
thathavegrownovertimeandbeensubjectto
heated debate, including a civil war. But the
netresultistremendouspotentialpolicyspace
for individual states.
Rather than leverage this federal space,
Americanprogressivesunswervinglyfocuson
the presidency and the federal government.
As such, they can only read the EC as an ar-
chaicinstitutionsulliedbythehistoricalcalcu-
lationsof ex-slave-owningstates.Yettheout-
rage that meets the fact that Democratic
presidential candidates lose even while win-
ning “the popular vote” misses the point. It
labours under the illusion of a unified,
American constituency utterly ignoring the
fact that the route to federal power lies
When Opposition asked
...NehruansweredthequestionsonChinainParliament
members that he would place “every scrap”
of paper on the border issue before the
House. Compare this with the last (2020)
monsoon session, when the government
objected to the Opposition demand for de-
bates on the Ladakh face-off. Neither the
Prime Minister nor the foreign minister
came to the House. As a result, the whole
China debate was reduced to a monologue
by the defence minister.
RangedagainstNehruinthosedayswere
oppositionstalwartslikeHemBarua,NathPai,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, N G Ranga, Balraj
Madhok, H V Kamath, Acharya Kripalani,
Frank Anthony, Mahendra Pratap Singh,
Brajraj Singh, Maniram Bagri and Mahavir
Tyagi. In those Satyayuga days of Indian
democracy,theysoughtandgotthedetailsof
thewarpreparationsandprogressofthetalks
with foreign governments.
NehrucameundersevereattackintheLok
Sabha on November 8, 1962, for India’s sup-
port for China’s admission to the United
Nations. “It is not a question of our likes and
dislikes,” the PM explained. “It is a question,
which will facilitate Chinese aggression and
misbehaviour in future.” When P K Deo
soughtanassurancethattherewillnotbeany
moretalkswiththeChineseuntiltheyendag-
gression, the PM said: “I want freedom of ac-
tion. I say, first of all, that nothing can happen
withoutthisHousebeinginformed.Secondly,
weshouldagreethatnothingshouldbedone
which, in the slightest degree, sullies the ho-
The liberal establishment —
in the media, the universities,
and the business world
dominated by finance — do
not conceal their contempt
for the White working class
whom they see as utterly
parochial, locked in an anti-
modern racism. Yet many
White working people in
what Michael Moore called
the Brexit States, voted twice
for Barack Obama before
throwing their anti-
establishment anger behind
Trump before switching back
to Biden. The liberal elite’s
stereotyping of the White
working class as irretrievably
racist (Hillary Clinton’s “a
basket of deplorables”) is
actually a dodge. It enables
them to avoid their own
failings in addressing
America’s altered economy
and shifting class structure.
White working-class racism
is of course a reality, but it is
also in large measure a
reaction to elite disdain.
nourof India.Fortherest,Iwantafreehand.”
(Lok Sabha August 14, 1962).
During the Lok Sabha debate on
December 5, 1961, on Chinese incursions,
Swatantra Party members insisted the gov-
ernment scrap the Five-Year Plans and divert
the resources to the border. Nehru said: “If I
get together all engineers and others and
dump them in Ladakh what are they to do
there?” Next day, he told Congress’s Sushila
Nayar: “If we scrap the Five Year Plans, we
scrap India, surrender to China.” Fifty-three
yearslater,NarendraModiscrappedthefive-
yearplansandendedupinasteadyfallofGDP,
manufacturingandexportsforthenextthree
years in succession.
Nehrualsohadadigattheright-wingMPs
criticalofhis“inaction”onKashmirtoprevent
thetakeoverofPOK.Henarratedaless-known
episode on how Ladakh was almost lost to
Pakistaniinvadersin1948-49.HetoldtheLok
Sabha on August 14, 1962: “The route to
Ladakh, the Zoji La pass, was captured by the
Pakistanis...Our army did something which
deserves to be recorded in the annals of war-
fare, that is, they went up to Zoji La Pass with
tanks and drove out... the Pakistanis out of a
large part of Ladakh.”
On May 3, 1962, Nehru also revealed in
Rajya Sabha that towards the end of 1960, he
hadmadeasurprisevisittoMurreeandPindi
in Pakistan to meet President Ayub Khan. “I
thoughtImightdiscussthisChinesequestion
with president Ayub Khan... I showed them
C R Sasikumar
through the states.
This is why the US Senate is almost more
like the General Assembly of the United
Nations than the upper house of a unified
polity. The Senate has to confirm every ap-
pointmentthepresidentmakes,evenherown
cabinet. Even though it has grown over the
years,federalpowerismeanttobeextremely
limited, the checks-and-balances system al-
mostgearedforgridlockpreciselysothatreal
powerdefaultsbacktothemostsalientpolit-
ical unit, the states.
Part of the progressive’s focus on central
power is the legacy of the civil rights move-
ment,wheretheappropriatetacticwastouse
thepowerof thefederalgovernmenttobring
recalcitrant states into line with modern val-
ues. But over the years this morphed into a
moralisation of what ought to be merely tac-
ticalsothatprogressiveequalscentralandre-
gressive equals devolved powers. What was
true only for the cause of civil rights became
cemented into the progressive imagination
more generally. Tactically limited in this way,
progressives lost out to conservatives who
played both state and federal politics.
Theinverseimpulsebecametrueforpoor
andworking-classwhitesinthestates,sothat
anything coming out of the federal govern-
ment was read as an imperialist imposition
bydistantelitesevenif itwassomethinggen-
erallybeneficiallikehealthcare.This,ofcourse,
is how the grammar of right-wing populism
was formed.
What progressives ought to realise is that
in a deeply divided nation, there can be no
centralised solutions that do not entail one
half of the nation imposing its views on the
other.ByinsistingthatallroadsleadtoDC,pro-
gressivesparticipateintheirowntypecasting
as elitist, top-down centralisers. By harping
on about the archaic nature of the EC, they
miss the opportunity to fully leverage
America’ssubstantialfederalism.Thesolution
tonationaldivisionanddiversityistoletpeo-
ple arrive at their own solutions at the state
level. With purported liberal states striking
down pro-worker resolutions, and so much
worktodoaroundpolicereform,progressives
ought to perhaps start by making blue states
great again.
The writer is assistant professor, Department
of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay
ourconfidentialmapsastowherewethought
the Chinese were and where we were, and
asked what position of the Chinese was on
theirsideoftheborder.”Pakistan’sforeignsec-
retary “said he knew nothing about those
matters at all”. In theRajya Sabha (August 22,
1962), Nehru elaborated: “Whatever our dif-
ferenceswereonKashmir,Ithoughtitwould
be advantageous to have a uniform policy
with regard to the Chinese aggression...”
Soonafter,herevealedhissecrettalkswith
Ayub Khan, the bad news came from Peking
on May 4. The two countries had decided to
holdnegotiationstosettletheborderdispute
between China and the Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir. In his reply to the Rajya Sabha de-
bateonAugust22,1962,Nehrusaid:“Itisvery
surprisingthatPakistanwhichisachampion
standard-beareragainstCommunismshould
now try to club with China.”
A look at the 60-year-old parliamentary
proceedings sheds light on the kind of delib-
erative democracy at work in the early years
of therepublic.Debateswerelongandwind-
ing and the government side did not rush
through with bills and resolutions. Unlike to-
day,thePMmadeitapointtoputoff otherof-
ficialappointmentstobepresentintheHouse.
As against this, during the last monsoon ses-
sion,theincumbentprimeministerwaspres-
ent only on the first and last day.
The writer is a senior journalist who covered
Parliament from 1978 for national dailies
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
“In the final analysis, the ultimate justification of Hong Kong affairs will always
be in China's hand. There is only a certain while for Hong Kong opposition to
collude with outside forces, and whoever stirs up the trouble will pay equally
heavy price.”
Love that
finds a way
DDLJwasspot-oninitsconfidenceinpost-
liberalisationIndianlove.Itspowerliesinthe
encounteritstagesbetweentraditionanddisruption
Amrita Dutta
MYBESTFRIENDandIfirstwatchedDilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge in a rundown single-
screen cinema. We were 15 and defiant, a
littletornbetweenMTVandantakshari,but
quite certain that our destiny was to leave
this sleepy town where films arrived six
months late and to outgrow homes that
were bewildered by our desires. The love
story of Raj and Simran spoke to us, as it did
to so many more who were a part of that
mixed-up cultural moment, though it has
beenbitterlycriticisedsinceasacopoutof a
glorious Hindi film tradition of rebellious
love. Twenty-five years later, it more than
survives a rewatch, and draws us again into
its circle of charm, with its memorable mu-
sic and dialogues, and its insistence on the
madness of love (pyaar hota hai deewana
sanam). Is it a regressive film? DDLJ, of
course, takes a sanskari turn for the worse
in its final 45 minutes, but is that the only
interesting question to ask of this iconic
film? That might be a bit like condemning
Jane Austen for the deep regard in her nov-
elsforproperty,reasonandorder,atthecost
of missing her tartness and wit.
The corpses of star-crossed lovers are
littered across Hindi cinema; only about
seven years before Raj-Simran manage to
catch that train, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak
(1988) had ended in a bloody reinstate-
ment of clan honour. But releasing four
years after liberalisation of the economy
fractures the Nehruvian consensus by in-
jecting desire, money and speed into our
bloodstream, DDLJ refuses to walk that
path. It steps into a different world, where
the young will not stand to be sacrificed,
but are willing to strike a pragmatic deal —
on their own terms. Even the actors look
far from classic romantic protagonists.
SRK’s Raj, who struggles throughout the
film to keep his shirt tucked in; Kajol’s dark,
unibrowed Simran, who can be bewitch-
ing one moment and ordinary as the girl-
next-door, nose buried in a book, the next;
who is both the sexy towel-wrapped
gamine dreaming of love, and the dutiful
daughter praying to god. Most touchingly,
it’s her mother (Farida Jalal in a glowing
role) whose kindness creates a safe space
for both these selves.
The power of the film lies in the en-
counter it stages between these contradic-
tions, between tradition and disruption, an
idealised des and a Europe that can no
longer be stereotyped as evil, and between
romanticloveandfamily—andtellsus,with
that irreverent Shah Rukh Khan chuckle,
that it’s possible to have them both. It had
its parallel in the country we were becom-
ing,whichneededbothnewmoneyandold,
entrepreneurial spark and social capital.
Much of the misreading comes from
scanning stories for messages and morals
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
HEALING MINDS
THISREFERSTOthearticle,'Ayearof be-
ingafraid'(IE,November13).Theauthor
isright:Thereisamassmanufacturingof
fears and their subsequent exploitation
by the media, governments and other
vestedinterests.Thishasmadeourplanet
difficult to live in. Mental and emotional
problemsspikedduringpandemic.Need
of thehouristoprioritisementalhealth.
Mohsin Ilahi, Kulgam
NITISH’S TASK
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘What
Nitish Needs’ (IE, November 13). The
BJP’s surge and Congress’s decline are
the reasons because of which Nitish
Kumar will become the chief minister
of Bihar for the fourth term – not be-
cause of his work as chief minister. As
has been rightly pointed out, Nitish
Kumar should ruminate and find a way
to connect with the voters in the next
fiveyearsorelse,BJPmightdominatein
the next election and this term will
surely become Nitish Kumar’s last.
Yash Sinha, Vadodara
WELL DONE, IPL
THISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Gamewill
goon’(IE,November12).Itisremarkable
thatIPLmatcheswereplayedinahighly
competitivespiritevenwhentherewere
no viewers on scene to applaud. Many
matches had an exciting finish. The five
wins of Mumbai Indians in eight years
were the result of both strong backing
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
— GLOBAL TIMES, CHINA
to determine “whose side” a film is on,
when cinema is far roomier, and will often
resist such rigidities. The film slides into a
politically incorrect plea to tradition but
also repeatedly pits young desire against
outdated custom. “Are you really going to
marry a person you have never met?” is a
question Simran is made to ponder, again
and again. I would argue that DDLJ is also
the education of patriarch Baldev Singh,
who comes off as a misguided man who
has shut himself and his family in an arid,
niras caricature of Indian-ness -- and not
an unblemished authority figure. Like most
love stories, DDLJ takes the side of pleas-
ure. Baldev Singh’s high-minded suspicion
of the Western lifestyle is undercut by the
delight in Simran and Raj’s journey through
gleaming Europe. There is an “official”
stance against pre-marital sex being sinful
for Indians, but quite a few transgressions
play out in a song of intoxication — and a
fake bedroom scene, the most intimate in
the film, that imagines this illicit desire, be-
fore pulling back Raj and Simran into the
folds of “Indian-ness”.
Perhaps, then, a film is not only the flag
that it appears to wave, or the sermon it
readily spouts, but also the longing that
makes it turn (palat) to look at forbidden
love.Yearslater,Sairat(2016)wouldaskdev-
astating questions of the radical promise of
eloping for love, given the emotional vio-
lence it wreaks on lovers — and of the pos-
sibility of love in a caste-wrecked society.
Though DDLJ’s spirit is more accommoda-
tive, by spurning the so-called revolution-
ary trope of lovers running away, Raj pulls
thefilmintointerestingdirections.Thema-
cho men go off to hunts. To win his dul-
haniya, Raj makes friends with his sasural,
and especially its women, by entering the
kitchen, grating carrots, helping them pick
saris — a kinder version of what the Indian
bahuisordainedtodo.ThisisSRKathisbest,
as writer Paromita Vohra has often argued,
creating a fluid space of identities, allowing
formischief andtransgression,andshaping
a masculinity that is in dialogue with
women, that is confident enough to drape
a dupatta and break into dance. It does not
stay the course, and the film degenerates
into a 1980s film in the final minutes.
DDLJ was spot-on in its confidence in
the power of post-liberalisation Indian
love, which has, since then, bent many
rules to make space for pleasure. For a priv-
ileged but not insignificant minority, that
moment opened the doors to possibilities
of living together and pre-marital sex, to
marriages that cross communities and lan-
guages. Like many others, I have watched
this quiet transformation in my own fam-
ily, though marriage, itself, remains a pa-
triarchal institution run on the emotional
and sexual labour of women — and de-
fended against incursions of caste and re-
ligion. That’s the conservatism that the
film, like many of us, eventually commits
to. But it offers a beguiling promise that a
changing culture need not have a schizoid
split at its heart. The discontents of liber-
alisation have exposed that promise, and
that is, perhaps, where our disappoint-
ments with DDLJ too lie.
amrita.dutta@expressindia.com
IDEAS
ONLINE
ONLY IN THE EXPRESS
● THE NEHRU WE SHOULD
NEVER FORGET:
RAJ KANWAR
● WESTERNBIASIN
SCIENCE:ANINDYASARKAR
ANDSM AHMED
www.indianexpress.com
from the owners for the team’s well be-
ing and the leadership skill of Rohit
Sharma.Hesucceededincreatinganen-
viable team spirit.
Y G Chouksey, Pune
THISREFERSTOtheeditorial,'Gamewill
go on' (IE, November 12). We have seen
international cricket in England during
the pandemic and cricketers became
used to the bio-bubble and how to play
withoutfansintheground.ButasIPLre-
mains the biggest cricket league in the
world, it is always an eagerly awaited
tournamentinthecricketcalendar.Itwas
ahugechallengeforBCCItoconductthey
IPL outside India smoothly and they did
a great job.
Bal Govind, Noida

16 THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
TOPOFTHE
WORLD
In the school near the
city of Culiacan. Reuters
MEXICO
ElChapo’s
childrenbuild
makeshiftschool
THE CHILDREN of former
drug lord Joaquin “El
Chapo” Guzman helped
build a makeshift school
near the Mexican city of
Culiacan for families who
have no access to online
classes during the coron-
aviruspandemic,residents
said. El Chapo is now serv-
ing a life sentence in a US
prison.Someofhischildren
are following in his foot-
stepsandhaverisenupthe
ranks of the Sinaloa cartel.
Esmeralda Quinonez, a
community leader in an
impoverished settlement
north of Culiacan, said
someofElChapo’schildren
contacted her to enquire
about what they needed
most, and put up a school
in just days. “Thank God,
the children of El Chapo
heard about the situation
here and showed solidar-
ity,”shesaid. REUTERS
NETHERLANDS
GovtbansNew
Year’sEve
fireworks
A YEAR overshadowed by
thecoronaviruspandemic
will not go out with the
usual bang in the
Netherlands after the
Dutch government an-
nounced Friday it is ban-
ning the sale and use of
mostfireworks.NewYear’s
Eve in the Netherlands is
traditionally celebrated
with fireworks, with peo-
ple pouring out of their
homesaroundmidnightto
ignite rockets and fire-
crackers.However,itisalso
one of the busiest days of
theyearforhospitalstreat-
ing people injured by the
pyrotechnics.Thefirework
ban aims to ease the bur-
densonhospitals. AP
CROATIA
Ex-PMSanader
jailedforparty
slushfunds
FORMER CROATIAN PM
IvoSanaderwassentenced
on Friday to eight years in
prison for creating slush
funds for his conservative
HDZ party by taking
money from public com-
panies via a marketing
agency. Sanader denied
corruption charges in the
caseandisexpectedtoap-
peal his conviction to a
highercourt.Itwasaretrial
ofacaseforwhichSanader
was already jailed for nine
years in 2013 but whose
verdictwasannulledbythe
Supreme Court on proce-
duralgrounds. REUTERS
HE WAS CONVICTED IN 1981 OF KILLING 13 WOMEN, AND THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF 7 OTHERS
Peter Sutcliffe, killer known as the ‘Yorkshire Ripper,’ dies at 74
ERIN MCCANN
LONDON, NOVEMBER 13
PETER SUTCLIFFE, who was con-
victedofkilling13womenandat-
temptingtomurdersevenothers
inayearslongspreethatlednews-
papers to call him the Yorkshire
Ripper, died Friday. He was 74.
Sutcliffe’s death was an-
nounced by Britain’s Prison
Service, which said he had un-
derlying health conditions and
had tested positive for the coro-
navirus. A coroner will investi-
gate the cause of death.
He was convicted in 1981 in
the murders of 13 women over
the course of five years in north-
ern England and given a life sen-
Microsoft: Russian, N Korean hackers target
vaccine work in countries including India
FRANK BAJAK
BOSTON, NOVEMBER 13
MICROSOFTSAIDithasdetected
attempts by state-backed
Russian and North Korean hack-
ers to steal valuable data from
leading pharmaceutical compa-
nies and vaccine researchers.
It said in a blog post Friday
thatmostof theattacksinrecent
months were unsuccessful, but
providednoinformationonhow
many succeeded or how serious
those breaches were.
Chinese state-backed hack-
ers have also been targeting vac-
cine-makers,theUSgovernment
said in July while announcing
criminal charges.
PROTESTS, CLASHES IN PERU AMID POLITICAL CRISIS
At a protest in Lima, Peru, on Thursday. Peruvians protesting the abrupt ouster of President Martin Vizcarra clashed on the
streets of Lima on Thursday night with riot police, who fired teargas to disperse the crowds. The clashes, and other more
peaceful protests in the capital and other cities, are piling pressure on a fragmented Congress and the new government of
Manuel Merino. Vizcarra, a politically unaffiliated centrist who is popular with voters, was ousted on Monday in an
impeachment trial over allegations he received bribes. Reuters
UK PM Boris Johnson’s Brexit
‘brain’ Cummings set to resign
SARAH YOUNG & GUY
FAULCONBRIDGE
LONDON, NOVEMBER 13
DOMINIC CUMMINGS, British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s
most powerful adviser, will step
down by year-end, reducing the
sway of Brexit hardliners as
Johnson tries to recast his pre-
miership after a series of coron-
avirus failures.
Cummings, who master-
minded the 2016 Brexit referen-
dum vote and Johnson’s 2019
landslide election win, told the
BBC that he wanted to be largely
redundant by the end of this
year, once Britain has left infor-
mal membership of the
European Union.
TheexitofJohnson’spresiding
right hand man marks one of the
most significant changes to the
Prime Minister’s inner circle to
date:Cummingswascastbysome
asJohnson’s“brain”—afigurewho
wieldedpivotalinfluence.
AcommittedBrexiteer,hewas
seen by European diplomats as a
hardline influence on Johnson
over Brexit and the proponent of
MadmanTheory—areferenceto
tence for each, the maximum
permitted. The murders, which
occurred from 1975 to 1980,
gripped the public and authori-
ties, and the lengthy investiga-
tion was “a source of consider-
able embarrassment to the
police,” The New York Times
wrote at the time.
Sutcliffe was interviewed by
the police several times during
their investigations in the 1970s.
Hisarrestcameafterhewasfound
withfakelicenseplatesonhiscar.
He confessed to the murders,
many of which were carried out
from behind with a hammer and
knife. A jury of six men and six
women convicted him.
“He ruined so many lives,”
Richard McCann, the son of
Thecompanysaidina
blogpostthatmostof
therecentattackswere
unsuccessful,butgave
noinformationonhow
manysucceeded
Microsoft said most of the
targets — located in Canada,
France, India, South Korea and
the United States — were “di-
rectly involved in researching
vaccines and treatments for
Covid-19.” It did not name the
targets but said most had vac-
cine candidates in various stages
of clinical trials.
DominicCummings
mastermindedthe2016
Brexit referendum voteand
Johnson’s 2019electionwin
ex-US president Richard Nixon’s
attempt to convince the Soviet
Union that he was irrational dur-
ing the Cold War.
Cummings, 48, educated at
Oxfordandmarriedtothedaugh-
ter of a baronet, scorned the
Britishpoliticalestablishmentand
hurledbarbsatreportersandcab-
inet ministers alike.
TheBBCcitedanunidentified
senior Downing Street source as
saying that Cummings would be
“out of government” by
Christmas. Another unidentified
source told the BBC that
Cummings“jumpedbecauseoth-
erwisehewouldbepushedsoon”.
Peter Sutcliffe in 1978. AP
Sutcliffe’sfirstknownvictim,told
Sky News. “He will go down as
oneofthosefiguresfromthe20th
The company identified one
of the state-backed hacker
groups as Fancy Bear, the
Russian military agents who
Britain’s National Cyber Security
Centre said in July were behind
such intrusion attempts. Two
others were North Korea’s
Lazarus Group and a group
Microsoft calls Cerium.
Most of the break-in efforts
involved attempts to steal the
login credentials of people as-
sociated with the targeted or-
ganisations. The Lazarus Group
posed as job recruiters while
Cerium targeted spear-phish-
ing emails that masqueraded as
missives from World Health
Organisation representatives,
Microsoft said.
E
E X P L A I NE D
Borislooks
tochange
● course
WITHPRESSUREmountingto
strikeapost-Brexittradedeal
withtheEU,theresignations
of twohardlineBrexiteersin
PMBorisJohnson’sinnercir-
cleseemtoindicateachange
inhisBrexitstrategy.Johnson
hadsofarclaimedthattheUK
wasequippedtohandleano-
dealBrexit.Butwiththeecon-
omyhavingsuffereddueto
thepandemic,anduncer-
taintyoverapotentialtrade
dealwiththeUSafterTrump’s
electionloss,reportssaythat
Johnsonistryingharderto
strikeapactwiththeEU.
“Rumours of me threatening
toresignareinvented,rumoursof
measkingotherstoresignarein-
vented,”CummingstoldtheBBC.
Johnson, himself one of the
leaders of the 2016 Vote Leave
campaign, is trying to clinch a
last-minute post-Brexit trade
deal with the EU. REUTERS
centuryinthesameleagueIsup-
pose as someone like Hitler.”
McCann’s mother, Wilma
McCann,waskilledOct.30,1975.
Others would follow in a reign of
terror as police focused on mis-
takenleadsandahoaxrecording
they thought was from the killer.
A 1981 report into the police
investigation’s failings was re-
leased under the Freedom of
Information Act in 2006. Known
as the Byford report, for the offi-
cial who wrote it, it cited a “curi-
ous and unexplained lull” in
Sutcliffe’s criminal activities be-
tween1969and1975.Thereport
concluded that it was “highly
improbablethatthecrimesinre-
spectof whichSutcliffehas been
charged and convicted are the
The blog post coincided with
an appearance by Microsoft
presidentBradSmithataninter-
national forum calling on na-
tions to protect health care facil-
itiesfromcyberattacks.Thisyear,
the Paris Peace Forum is taking
place online.
Optimism about a Covid-19
vaccine has grown since phar-
maceutical giant Pfizer an-
nounced earlier this week that
preliminarydatashoweditsvac-
cine to be 90% effective.
At the same time, coron-
avirus cases are surging. In the
US, deaths per day have soared
morethan40%overthepasttwo
weeks to an average of more
than 1,100, the highest level in
three months. AP
Pak bans online
payments to
Indian electronic
media: report
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
KARACHI, NOVEMBER 13
THE PAKISTAN government has
asked Pakistani banks to imme-
diately ban online payments
from the country for subscrip-
tions to electronic media con-
tent from India, according to a
report on Friday.
Thedecisionwastakenbythe
Cabinet on November 9, Dawn
newspaperreported,addingthat
the banking authorities had also
been asked to submit a compli-
ance report to the State Bank of
Pakistan, the central bank of the
country, by November 13.
“We are in receipt of a letter
from the cabinet division,
Government of Pakistan,
wherebytheyhaveinstructedus
to stop different modes of pay-
ments, includingcreditcards, for
subscribing(to)Indiancontentin
Pakistan, including Zee5 video-
on-demand service,” according
to a State Bank of Pakistan circu-
lar.“Itisadvisedtoensuremetic-
ulous compliance of aforemen-
tioned instructions,” it added.
only ones attributable to him.”
One by one, the report listed
theotherwomenwhowerekilled
by Sutcliffe: Emily Jackson in
January1976;IreneRichardsonin
February 1977; Patricia Atkinson
in April 1977; Jayne McDonald in
June1977;JeanJordaninOctober
1977; Yvonne Pearson and Helen
Rytka in January 1978; Vera
Millward in May 1978; Josephine
Whitaker in April 1979; Barbara
Leach in September 1979;
MargueriteWallsinAugust1980;
and,inNovember1980,Jacqueline
Hill, a college student who would
haveturned21onthedayhewas
sentenced. Some of the women,
whorangedinagefromtheirteens
to40s,weresexworkers.
Peter William Sutcliffe, who
TRUMP CONTINUES ATTACK ON VOTE COUNT
Bidenclincheswinin
Arizona,paddinghis
ElectoralCollegelead
HomelandSecurityofficialscontradictTrump’sfraudclaims
THE NEW YORK TIMES
NOVEMBER 13
US PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden
has narrowly won Arizona, cap-
turing the state’s 11 electoral
votes and strengthening his
Electoral College margin as
President Trump continues to
make baseless attacks on the
vote counts favouring Biden.
Biden, whose margin in
Arizonaiscurrentlyabout11,000
votes, or 0.3 percentage points,
is the first Democratic presiden-
tial candidate to carry the state
since Bill Clinton in 1996. Four
years ago, Trump won the state
by 3.5 percentage points.
The Arizona victory brings
Biden to 290 electoral votes, 20
more than the 270 required to
take the White House.
Trump has blamed election
fraud for his loss, and his cam-
paignhasfiledlawsuitsinArizon
and other states in a bid to over-
turnresults,buthasmostlybeen
dealt setbacks.
Trump’s claimswere directly
contradicted by a group of fed-
eral, state and local election offi-
cials, who issued a statement on
Thursday declaring flatly that
the election “was the most se-
cure in American history” and
that “there is no evidence” any
voting systems were compro-
mised.
The statement by a coordi-
nating council overseeing the
voting systems used around the
country, never mentioned
Trump by name. But it
amounted to a remarkable cor-
rective to a wave of disinforma-
tion that Trump has been push-
ing across his Twitter feed.
The statement was distrib-
uted by the Department of
Homeland Security’s
CybersecurityandInfrastructure
Security Agency, which is re-
sponsible for helping states se-
cure the voting process.
Appeals court rules Harvard did not
discriminate against Asian Americans
YOSHITA SINGH
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 13
A US appeals court has upheld a
District Court ruling that
HarvardUniversity’sadmissions
processdidnotviolatecivilrights
law or discriminated against
Asian American applicants.
A report in The Harvard
Crimson said judges for the First
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled
Thursday that the University’s
admissions processesdid not vi-
olate civil rights law.
The ruling affirmed a holding
by District Court Judge Allison
Burroughs,whohadalsofavoured
Harvard’s defence after a three-
week-long trial in October 2018.
The Crimson report said that
First Circuit judges Jeffrey
HowardandSandraLynchwrote
in their opinion that Burroughs
“correctly decided several key
components of the case, includ-
also used the surname Coonan,
was born June 2, 1946, in West
Yorkshire, according to the
Byford report. He left school
at 15 and worked a series of
odd jobs.
He served much of his sen-
tence at a psychiatric hospital
and was moved to Frankland
prison, in northeast England, in
2016, The Associated Press
reported.
“It is difficult to find words
that are adequate in my judg-
ment to describe the brutality
and gravity of these offenses,”
the judge, Leslie Boreham, said
on the day of his sentencing. “I
express the hope that, when I
have said life imprisonment, it
will mean precisely that.” NYT
New Delhi
Biden and Harris now have 290 Electoral College votes.
Trump and Pence have secured only 217 so far. Candidates
need at least 270 to win the presidential race. AP
China finally congratulates
Biden, Harris for their win
Beijing: China on Friday shed its
initial hesitation and congratu-
lated US President-elect Joe
Biden and his deputy Kamala
Harris for their election victory,
saying Beijing respected the
choice of the American people.
“We respect the American
people’s choice and we extend
congratulations to Biden and
Harris and we understand that
the result of the US presidential
Trump bans US investment in
Chinese military-linked firms
Beijing: US President Donald
Trump has stepped up a conflict
with China over security and
technologybybarringAmericans
frominvestingincompaniesthat
USofficialssayareownedorcon-
trolled by the Chinese military.
The Chinese government ac-
cused Washington of misusing
national security as an excuse to
hamper competition and
warned Friday that Trump’s or-
der would hurt US and other in-
“Harvard did not engage in
racial balancing,” the ruling
said. Reuters
ing that Harvard did not engage
in racial balancing and that the
university considered race-neu-
tral alternatives”.
Harvard spokesperson
Rachael Dane said that the uni-
versity welcomed the ruling.
“Today’s decision once again
finds that Harvard’s admissions
policies are consistent with
China denies stopping
Indian ship with Australian
coal from leaving port
KJM VARMA
BEIJING, NOVEMBER 13
CHINA ON Friday denied that it
has restricted an Indian ship
carrying Australian coal from
leaving its port following com-
plaints of inordinate delay in
permitting the vessel from un-
loading cargo leaving its 23-
member crew stranded.
The ship, Jag Anand, carrying
a huge consignment of
Australian coal to China has
been stuck at Jingtang port
since June, with the crew mem-
bers seeking immediate relief
as the vessel remained in queue
since its arrival.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
electionswillbedetermined fol-
lowing the US laws and proce-
dures,”ChineseForeignMinistry
spokesman Wang Wenbin told
a media briefing here.
China initially hesitated to
congratulate Biden after incum-
bent President Donald Trump
refused to concede.
Trump's four years in power
wereoneof thetheworstphases
in China-US relations. PTI
vestors worldwide.
The impact of Thursday’s or-
derwasn’timmediatelyclearbut
it could add to pressure on com-
panies including telecom equip-
ment giant Huawei and video
surveillance provider Hikvision
that already face US export bans
and other sanctions.
It is Trump’s first major ac-
tion toward China since he lost
his reelection bid to challenger
Joe Biden. AP
Supreme Court precedent, and
lawfully and appropriately pur-
sue Harvard’s efforts to create a
diverse campus that promotes
learningandencouragesmutual
respect and understanding in
our community,” she said, ac-
cording to the Crimson report.
“As we have said time and
time again, now is not the time
to turn back the clock on diver-
sity and opportunity.”
Students for Fair Admissions
had first sued Harvard in 2014
and its President Edward Blum
said he was “disappointed” by
the First Circuit ruling.
“Our hope is not lost,” Blum
said in the written said in the
written statement. “This lawsuit
isnowontracktogouptotheUS
Supreme Court where we will
ask the justices to end these un-
fair and unconstitutional race-
based admissions policies at
Harvardandallcollegesanduni-
versities.” PTI
Their plight has been high-
lighted by the National Union of
Seafarers of India, International
Transport Workers Federation
(ITF) and the International
Maritime Organisation, accord-
ing to ITF-Asia Pacific Region.
Asked about the ship and its
stranded crew, Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Wang
Wenbin said, “As far as I under-
stand, this Indian shipping ves-
sel has been berthed near
Jingtang port since June.”
“China has never restricted it
from leaving. The freight for-
warderdoesnotwanttoadjustthe
plans for the vessel due to com-
mercialinterestswhichisthereal
causeofthesituation,”hesaid. PTI
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
AHMEDABAD
Factory blast: NGT orders Rs 15 lakh
compensation for kin of each victim
SOHINI GHOSH
AHMEDABAD, NOVEMBER 13
THE NATIONAL Green Tribunal
(NGT) on Friday ordered a com-
pensation of Rs 15 lakh each to
the families of 12 persons killed
in the chemical factory blast
that led to the collapse of a tex-
tile godown in Ahmedabad on
November 4.
The principal bench of the
tribunal gave the directive, tak-
ing suo motu cognizance of The
Indian Express report, and con-
stituted a six-member commit-
tee to probe the incident and
submit a report.
The state government’s
compensation of Rs 4 lakh each
action taken report must be
submitted within a month.
The tribunal, which took up
the case over virtual proceed-
ings on November 11, directed
the chemical factory owner to
deposit an amount of Rs 5 crore,
minus the statutory compensa-
tion or ex gratia already paid to
the affected, if any, with the
District Magistrate,
Ahmedabad, within 10 days,
that is by November 21.
In case the unit fails to pay,
“the amount may be recovered
from the assets of the unit, if
any, within one month, failing
which this amount be de-
posited out of the state funds
with liberty to recover the same
from the unit or the erring offi-
talised will get Rs 5 lakh each.
The six-member committee
formed by the NGT will be
headed by former judge of
Gujarat High Court and former
chief justice of Delhi HC, Justice
(retd) BC Patel. It will conduct a
fact-finding inquiry, by visiting
the site within seven days and
prepare a report.
Among the injured, 10 are
still undergoing treatment in
hospital.
The tribunal noted that
prima facie it “appears to be fail-
ure of the statutory regulatory
regime” under various legisla-
tions such as the Water Act, the
Air Act, the Environment
(Protection) Act, Manufacture,
Storage and Import of
EXPRESS NETWORK 17
TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE Day after testing positive for
255 CASES: RECOVERED: 81,15,580 Covid, 26-year-old doctor dies
87,28,795 DEATHS: 1,28,668
DAYS SINCE
PANDEMIC
BEGAN TESTS: 12,31,01,739 | DOUBLING RATE: 135.85**
RAAKHI JAGGA
19 response and procurement
committee,DrRajBahadurSingh
Thereare5,771activecasesof
the disease at present. They in-
LUDHIANA NOVEMBER 13 said, "Two X-rays of the doctor, clude17criticalpatientswhoare
takenwithinashortspanof time, onventilatorsupport,and153on
A 26-YEAR-OLD resident doctor showed huge differences”. oxygen support.
posted at Guru Gobind Singh GGSMCH principal Dr Rajiv On November 10, Dr TL
Medical College and Hospital Sharma said that medical frater- Parmar,aformerprincipalof the
(GGSMCH) in Punjab's Faridkot nity was in shock as the young FaridkotMedicalCollege,diedof
diedFriday,lessthan24hoursaf- doctor had no Covid symptoms. Covid-19 at private hospital in
KEYSTATES TOTAL SURGEIN 7-DAYAVG DOUBLING ter he was tested positive for “Contact tracing is on. His pri- Patiala, within two days of being
TOWATCH CASES 24HOURS GROWTH* TIME** Covid-19.Thedoctor,whohadno mary contacts will be quaran- admitted there. "His daughter,
■ Maharashtra 17,36,329 4,496 0.27% 263.22 symptomsof thecoronavirusin- tined,” Dr Sharma said. daughter-in-law and grandchil-
■ Kerala 5,08,256 5,537 1.23% 58.38 fection, went for a test Thursday Theyoungdoctorwasamong drenhavetestedpositiveandare
■ Delhi 4,67,028 7,053 1.64% 43.80 after he developed gastritis and the 17 Covid-19 fatalities re- in isolation," said Dr Harish
vomited. portedinPunjabinlast24hours, Malhotra, Civil Surgeon, Patiala.
■ West Bengal 4,20,840 3,856 0.96% 74.74 The Vice-Chancellor of Baba taking the death toll in state to Punjab health secretary
■ Karnataka 8,55,912 2,116 0.29% 251.12 Farid University of Health 4,428 even as 738 fresh cases of Hussan Lal recently indicated
Sciences (BFUHS) and profes- infection took the state's tally to that the positivity rate has been
* Compounded Daily Growth Rate over last 7 days ** Calculated over 7-day growth
sional adviser to Punjab’s Covid- 1,40,605. on the rise over past few days.
CASE FATALITY RATIO POSITIVITY RATE DAILY IN, DAILY OUT
7 DAYS EARLIER:

1.49
7 DAYS EARLIER:

7.29
DETECTED TODAY

44,879 Booked for not wearing a mask, vendor

to the kin of the deceased was
handed over on Friday.
The four-member bench of
the tribunal also directed that a
physical inspection must be
conducted in the Pirana-Piplaj
area where the incident took
place within seven days and an
cers. The amount of Rs 4 lakh al-
ready announced will be ad-
justed in the amount to be paid
under the above direction,” the
tribunal directed.
Families of the deceased
persons will get Rs 15 lakh each,
while those injured and hospi-
Hazardous Chemical Rules,
gets bail, court says ‘lower strata suffered’
NOW: NOW: RECOVERED TODAY:
1989 (The 1989 Rules) and the 1.47 7.09 49,079
Chemical Accidents Deaths as a ratio of Positives against Becoming sick vs
(Emergency, Planning, positive cases (in %); number tested recovering; more Municipal Corporation (BMC) ment with civic officials.
Preparedness and Response) indicator of progress (in %); indicator of recoveries for 14 days EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE had been carrying out a drive to Inhisbailapplicationsubmit-
in averting deaths the spread of disease may signal the peak
Rules, 1996 (The 1996 Rules) MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 13 ensure that masks are being ted through lawyer RF Jaiswal,
DataasonNovember12,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealth,ICMRandstates.Oftendailynumbers
and the Disaster Management includedatafrompreviousdays.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareindicative,notdefinitive worn byresidents andsocialdis- Koresaidhisfamilydependedon
Act, 2005. A SESSIONS court granted bail to tance is being maintained. The his livelihood and the arrest
a 20-year-old vegetable seller FIR stated that on October 31, would severely affect them.

Absconding IPS officer, Northeast monsoon shows

whowasbookedfornotwearing Jagdisha Kore, a resident of “Due to the continuous lock-
MAHOBA BUSINESSMAN DEATH amaskinpublicandallegedlyob- Matunga,whosellsvegetablesat down, the lower strata of society
structing civic officials. The court Shivaji Park in Dadar, was found has suffered a lot and due to
observedthatthe“lowerstrataof in public without a mask. poverty, the aforesaid incident

two others declared signs of revival, relief for TN society” has suffered a lot due to
the Covid-induced lockdown.
Accordingtotheprosecution,
officials of the Brihanmumbai
Kore said he had agreed to
pay a fine of Rs 200, but police
had claimed that he and another
might have occurred… No crim-
inal antecedent has been
demonstrated against the appli-
person had gotten into an argu- cant,” the court said.

proclaimed offenders ANJALI MARAR

MANISH SAHU
LUCKNOW, NOVEMBER 13
A LOCAL court in Lucknow
Friday declared suspended
Mahoba SP Mani Lal Patidar and
two other policemen pro-
claimed offenders as they have
been absconding in the death
caseof 44-year-oldbusinessman
Indra Kant Tripathi. The other
twopolicemenareSHOof Kabrai
police station Devendra Shukla
and constable Arun Kumar
Yadav.
"After the accused remained
absconding,wemovedthecourt
seekinganordertodeclarethem
proclaimed offender. The court
today did so… We are conduct-
ing raids to trace all three per-
sons," said the investigating of-
ficer of the case, Additional
Superintendent of Police,
Mahoba, Ashutosh Mishra. He
added the court notice will be
pasted at the residences of the
three accused.
Patidar is from Rajasthan,
whileShuklaandYadavarefrom
Jalaun and Etawah districts.
The Allahabad High Court
had last week dismissed
Patidar's writ petition seeking
quashing of an FIR against him
and interim stay on his arrest.
Tripathiwasfoundwithabul-
letinjuryonhisneckinsidehiscar
onSeptember8,adayafterheac-
cused Patidar of corruption and
criminal intimidation in a video.
His brother Ravi Kant got an FIR
lodged against Patidar and three
others,includingShukla,accusing
them of extortion. The other two
accused are local businessmen
Suresh Soni and Brahmdutt.
PUNE, NOVEMBER 13
AFTER A delayed onset followed
bysubduedactivity,theNortheast
monsoonhasfinallyshownsome
signs of revival over the southern
peninsular region.
Two consecutive streams of
easterly winds have turned the
wintermonsoonactive.TheIndia
Meteorological Department
(IMD) warned of heavy rain ac-
companiedbythunderandlight-
ning across Tamil Nadu, Karaikal,
Puducherry, coastal Andhra
Pradesh,KeralaandLakshadweep
till November 18.
“Atroughineasterliesinlower
levels is likely to affect the south-
ernpeninsulafromNovember15.
Fairly widespread rain is forecast
during the next four to five days,”
read the Met department's fore-
cast issued on Friday.
Sincethemiddleofthisweek,
monsoon activity had picked up
in parts of Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These
stateshadotherwisenotreceived
anysignificantrainsinceOctober
28,whenthenortheastmonsoon
arrived over the peninsula.
More than any other state,
rainfall associated with the
Northeast monsoon is crucial for
TamilNadu,whichreceives70per
cent of its annual rain between
October and December.
But IMD’s rainfall data be-
tween October 1 and November
12 suggests that Tamil Nadu
recorded 50 per cent, Kerala
recorded 65 per cent and
Lakshadweep reported 37 per
cent of the season’s rainfall since
October1andremainedthemost
raindeficientinthepeninsula.As
onNovember11,thewholeofthe
Southern peninsula remained 7
per cent short of normal rain for
the season. The IMD had forecast
below normal rainfall in this sea-
son over extreme southern parts
of Tamil Nadu. One of the drivers
for subdued rain was the La Nina
conditions, prevailing since early
August.
“During years when La Nina
conditions prevail, the Northeast
monsoon remains below nor-
mal,” explained a senior meteor-
ologist from National Weather
Forecasting Centre, New Delhi.
LaNinaisthecoolerthannor-
mal sea surface temperatures
recorded along the east and cen-
tralPacificOcean.Itinfluencesthe
rainfall over India.
Other subdivisions in the
south—Rayalaseema, interior
Karnataka and coastal Andhra
Pradesh, remain in the normal
rainfall category, but the rainfall
continuestobedeficientbetween
3 to 10 per cent this season.

Bru migrants HARYANA STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION

BAYS NO. 67-70, SECTOR-2, PANCHKULA-134154

in Tripura
Website: www.hssc.gov.in
ANNOUNCEMENT

seek ST, FINAL RESULT FOR THE POST OF JUNIOR ENGINEER

(CIVIL) FOR AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT, HARYANA

residence
AGAINST ADVT. NO. 06/2016, CAT NO. 30.
On the basis of Written Examination, Scrutiny of Documents and
Interview Viva- Voce for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil),

certificates Agriculture Department, Haryana, Against Advt. No. 06/2016,

DEBRAJ DEB
AGARTALA, NOVEMBER 13
AS TRIPURA prepares to resettle
Bru migrants from Mizoram, an
umbrellaorganisationof thedis-
placed community has sought
immediate issuance of
Scheduled Tribe and permanent
residence certificates asa formal
recognitionof theirdomicilesta-
tus.
TheBrushavebeenlodgedin
relief campsof NorthTripuradis-
trict since October 1997. In
January, the Centre signed an
agreement to resolve the crisis,
announcingaRs600-crorepack-
age for the resettlement of over
33,000 migrants.
Bruno Msha, the general sec-
retary of Mizoram Bru displaced
peoplesForum(MBDPF),inalet-
ter to Tripura Chief Secretary
Manoj Kumar this week, de-
manded issuance of ST and per-
manentresidencecertificatesfor
the Brus.
Tripura had approved 15
spots for resettling the Bu mi-
grants on September 19 after a
series of discussions involving
Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath and
Chief Secretary Kumar.
While some of the rehabili-
tation spots are still contested,
either by the migrants or the lo-
cal residents, the Bru commu-
nityleadershaveproposedafew
alternativespots.Thesespotsare
still under discussion.
The letter by the MBDPF
comes after a series of protests
over the last ten months by the
Kanchanpur Nagarik Suraksha
Mancha and Mizo Convention—
two local ethnic forums of North
Tripura—against the resettle-
ment of the Brus. On September
29 Msha wrote to Home
MinisterAmitShah,sayingthese
organizations were creating
communal misunderstanding.
The Brus have been
lodged in relief camps
of Tripura since 1997
Category No. 30, the Commission has finalised and declared the
result. The result has been shown Roll No. wise and category wise
and the marks secured by the last selected candidate in each cate-
gory have been shown in the bracket.
Advt. No. 06/2016, Cat. No. 30, Junior Engineer (Civil) (Total 02
Posts)
EBPGC (02 Posts)
6163000050 6163000113
(165)
EBPGC WAITING
6163000146
(157)
CRITERIA ADOPTED FOR SELECTION
1) WRITTEN EXAMINATION ............................... 200-MARKS
2) INTERVIEW/VIVA -VOCE ............................... 25-MARKS
Total: 225 - MARKS
Note:
1. While every care has been taken in preparing and uploading the
result, possibility of in advertent/technical errors cannot be ruled
out. The Commission reserves the right to rectify the same later on.
2. The result is also available on the website of HSSC i.e,
www.hssc.gov.in
Sd/-
Under Secretary
for Secretary,
Haryana Staff Selection Commission.
Dated: 12.11.2020
HARYANA STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION
BAYS NO. 67-70, SECTOR-2, PANCHKULA-134154
Website: www.hssc.gov.in
ANNOUNCEMENT
FINAL RESULT (EBPGC) FOR THE POST OF TABLA
PLAYER FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT,
HARYANA AGAINST ADVT. NO. 11/2017, CAT NO. 03.
lncontinuation of earlier notice dated 10.06.2019 and on the basis
of Written Examination, Scrutiny of Documents and Socio-econom-
ic criteria for the post of Tabla Player, School Education Dopartment,
Haryana Against Advt. No. 11/2017, Category No. 03, the
Commission has finalised and declared the result. The result has
been shown Roll No. wise and category wise and the marks secured
by the last selected candidate in each category have been shown in
the bracket
Advt. No. 11/2017, Cat. No. 03, Tabla Player (Total 23 Posts)
EBPGC (03)
1117030026 1117030191 1117030296
(39.00)
CRITERIA ADOPTED FOR SELECTION
1) WRITTEN EXAMINATION ............................... 90-MARKS
2) INTERVIEW/VIVA -VOCE ............................... 10-MARKS
Total: 100 - MARKS
Note:
1. While every care has been taken in preparing and uploading the
result, possibility of in advertent/technical errors cannot be ruled
out. The Commission reserves the right to rectify the same later on.
3. The result is also available on the website of HSSC i.e,
www.hssc.gov.in
Sd/-
Under Secretary
for Secretary, Haryana Staff Selection Commission.
Dated: 12.11.2020
83794/HRY

New Delhi
 E EXPLAINED
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

18
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
explained, please write to explained@indianexpress.com

SIMPLY PUT QUESTION &ANSWER

CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD

INDIA ACTIVE CASES

550,000
484,547
US and climate, after Trump
President-elect BidenhassaidtheUSwillrejointheParisAgreement,fromwhichtheTrumpadministration
hadexited.Whatistheagreement?WhatchallengeswilltheUSfaceinundoingTrump’sclimatelegacy?
484,547
533,787 the Delhi-based Council on Energy,
500,000 AMITABH SINHA Environment and Water (CEEW).
PUNE, NOVEMBER 13 “And he re-injected the denial of science
intothepublicdiscourseonclimatechange,”
THE ANNUAL climate change conference Ghosh said.
LAST 10 DAYS wasin session inMarrakesh,Morocco,when
Nov 3 Nov 12 results of the 2016 US Presidential election What happens now?
450,000 came in. The victory of Donald Trump, sur- WithBiden assuming thePresidency, the
prising at the time, came as a shock to a ma- US is expected to go through another round
Note: The Nov 11 figure in this graph is based on the government update on Nov 13 jority of the participants at the conference. of policy reversals on climate change. A re-
Some of the veteran climate activists, men turn to Paris Agreement is almost certain.
and women who had worked for years to Shortly after his victory became clear on
INDIA TOTAL CASES WORLD TOTAL CASES makeaglobalagreementtocurbgreenhouse November 4, Biden announced that his ad-
8,728,795 53,045,087 gas emissions a reality, were unable to hold ministration would rejoin the Paris
their tears. Agreement “in exactly 77 days”, a reference
Source:MinistryofHealth&Family Source:JohnsHopkinsUniversity, On his campaign trail, Trump had de- to his date of inauguration, January 20.
Welfare,updatedat11pmonNov13 updatedat11pmonNov 13 scribed climate change as a “hoax”, and had Unlike the process of exiting the Paris
promised to walk out of the landmark Paris Agreement, which takes a year to formalise,
Agreementthathadbeenfinalisedjustayear the rejoining is not going to take long.
earlier. Trump delivered on his promise Interestingly, the US exit from the Paris
within six months of his presidency. Many Agreementhadbecomeformalthesameday

Structure of a protein that

of his other decisions during the presidency, that Biden emerged victorious.
oncoalandcleanenergy,werealsoseentobe “Assuming that Joe Biden sends a letter...
deeply detrimentalto theclimateobjectives. A sign outside a polling station in North Carolina in October. Reuters stating that the US is rejoining the Paris

helps coronavirus replicate: With Trump set to make an exit from the
White House on January 20 next year, the
part of his legacy to be undone first is his cli-
USwouldhavehadtoreduceitsemissionsby ing a 2015 order mandating the US federal
Agreement on January 20, the rejoining
would automatically become effective 30
daysafterthat.NofurtherUSorinternational

which drugs can block it? mate policy. President-elect Joe Biden has
publicly stated that the United States would
seek to rejoin the Paris Agreement as soon
as he assumes office, possibly the same day.
What is the Paris Agreement, and what
was to be the US role?
The 2015 Paris Agreement seeks to keep
the rise in global temperatures to within 2°C
compared to pre-industrial times, a target
thatcannotpossiblybeachievedwithoutthe
active participation of the United States. The
USstillisthesecondlargestemitterof green-
house gases in the world, after China.
The US, under Barack Obama, had prom-
ised to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by
26-28% by 2030, compared to a 2005 base-
Illustration of SARS-CoV-2’s envelope protein E in a bundle of five line, as part of its commitment to the Paris
helixes, with grey water column inside. MIT Agreement. The US emissions were around
theirpeakin2005,withmorethansevenbil-
liontonnesof carbon dioxide-equivalentbe-
CHEMISTS AT the Massachusetts (NMR) spectroscopy for two months. ing emitted. In the absence of any targeted
Institute of Technology have deter- They found that the part of the E pro- reduction, the emissions have come down
mined and described the molecular tein assembles into a bundle of five only marginally since then. In 2018, the last
structure of a protein found in SARS- helices.Thehelicesremainlargelyim- year for which emissions data is available,
CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that mobile within this bundle, creating a the US had emitted more than 6.6 billion
causes Covid-19. They have reported tight channel. tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent.
their findings in the journal Nature At one end of the channel, the re- TheParisAgreementtargetmeantthatthe
Structural and Molecular Biology. searchers identified several amino
at least 1.5 billion tonnes in the next one
decade, and hopefully more after that. But
since it walked out of the Paris Agreement, it
iscurrentlyundernoobligationtoachievethis
target. This seriously undermines the ability
of the Paris Agreement to meet its objective.
But what is even more crucial is the abil-
ity of the US to mobilise climate funds, par-
ticularly from private corporations, which is
key to achieving the 2°C target. Hundreds of
billionsof dollars—someestimatesputthese
figures at trillions of dollars — in climate fi-
nance is required every year to enable the
transitions towards a low-carbon economy.
Theabsenceof theUSasakeyfacilitatorfrom
this process has been a huge setback.
What was the impact of the Trump
administration’s moves on issues
relating to climate?
It was not that the US under Trump only
turned itself away from the Paris Agreement
commitments.Severalof theotherdecisions
that Trump took as President, ostensibly to
promote domestic jobs and spur economic
activity, were seen as directly promoting the
fossil-fuel industry, which would result in an
increaseinemissions.Theseincludedrevers-
government agencies to reduce their own
greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in ten
years, compared to 2008 levels.
The New York Times recently published a
list of over 100 decisions of the Trump ad-
ministration that weakened existing envi-
ronmentallaws,andeasedemissionsrestric-
tions on industry.
The US had played a pivotal role in the fi-
nalisationof theParisAgreement,asitdidnot
liketheKyotoProtocol,thepreviousinterna-
tional climate arrangement, and had never
become part of it. Even the Paris Agreement
was very delicately balanced. There are sev-
eralissuesregardingitsimplementationthat
arestillnotsettled.TheUSdecisions,coming
astheydidwhenParisAgreementwasbarely
managing to stand on its own, emerged as a
major threat to the climate objectives.
“The biggest damage President Donald
Trumpdidtothefightagainstclimatechange
was to remove the trust between major
economies. The Paris Agreement had care-
fully created the conditions for slowly re-
building trust and was resting on founda-
tions that needed strengthening. Instead,
Trump weakened and removed those foun-
dations,” said Arunabha Ghosh, who heads
approvals are required. The United States
would later need to submit a revised
National Determined Contribution (a new
climate action target, like the 26-28 per cent
reduction it had earlier promised). That
would not need to be done right away,”
MichaelGerrard,directorof theSabinCentre
for Climate Change Law, said in an email.
How far will rejoining help?
Rejoining the Paris Agreement is the eas-
ier part. Biden is likely to have a tougher job
in trying to re-establish trust in the United
States for its climate actions.
“In these past four years, much has hap-
pened in the world outside the US. For ex-
ample,inIndia,solarelectricityisalreadythe
cheapest electricity in the market, when the
sun is shining. And going by the prices dis-
covered in recent tenders, it seems that the
price of round-the-clock renewable electric-
ity will be competitive with the price of elec-
tricity in coal in about two years. The United
Statesneedstoquicklycatchup,anddemon-
strate its climate leadership through action,
and not just through words,” said Ajay
Mathur, director general of the Delhi-based
The Energy and Resources Institute.

Delinking a vaccine from intestine disorder

The protein, called the envelope acids that may attract positively
proteinE,playsakeyroleinthevirus’s charged ions such as calcium into the
ability to replicate itself channel. They believe
and stimulate the host that the structure they
cell’s inflammation re- have described is the
sponse. The researchers closed state of the chan- StudyfindsIndia’srotavirusvaccine,Rotavac,notassociatedwithcommondisorder.Whyisthisimportant?
said that if ways could be nel. The researchers now
devised to block this hope to determine the condition. Intussusception is considered a However,thattrialwith6,799infants(includ-
pathway of the virus, it structure of the open ANURADHAMASCARENHAS common surgical emergency in children, ing those given a placebo) was not large
may help reduce the PAPER state, which should shed PUNE, NOVEMBER 13 sometimesinvolvingobstructionoftheintes- enough to detect a small increased risk of in-
pathogenicity of the
virus and interfere with CLIP light on how the channel
opens and closes. IN A number of countries, studies have asso-
tine which can be fatal if not treated.
Previous studies have associated various
tussusception.Hence,thisnewstudywasun-
dertaken and an Indian Intussusception
viral replication, The researchers also ciated vaccination against rotavirus with a rotavirus vaccines with a risk of intussuscep- Surveillance Network was set up.
In the MIT study, the NEW RESEARCH found that two drugs — smallriskofanintestinaldisorder,calledintus- tion,researchersnoted.StudiesfromAustralia, “The Rotavac vaccine was not proven in
researchers investigated amantadine, used to susception. A new study has now found that England,Mexico,Singapore,andtheUSStates terms of its association with intussusception
the binding sites of two drugs that treat influenza, and hexamethylene the rotavirus vaccine Rotavac, produced in showedanincreaseintheriskofintussuscep- when it went into the programme because
block the channel used by the enve- amiloride, used to treat high blood India, was not associated with intussuscep- tion by a factor of 2.6 to 8.4 in the 21 days af- the vaccine was only evaluated in 4,500 vac-
lope protein E. These drugs bind pressure — can block the entrance of tion in Indian infants. ter any dose of Rotarix vaccination. Studies cinated children, which is not enough to give
weakly, however, and they would not the E channel. However, these drugs “An incredible team worked in across 31 from Australia and the US showed that a signal for safety,” Dr Kang said.
beeffectiveinhibitorsof theEprotein. only bind weakly to the E protein. If hospitals for four years to deliver these data,” Rotavac, licensed in 2014. Bharat Biotech RotaTeq vaccination was associated with an
The study’s senior author, Mei stronger inhibitors could be devel- said Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Christian increaseintheriskofintussusceptionbyafac- Findings, and importance
Hong, has a lab that specialises in oped, they could be potential drug Medical College Vellore, who led the study, tor of 2.6 to 9 in the 21 days after vaccination. From April 2016 through June 2019, 970
studying the structures of proteins candidates to treat Covid-19, the re- published in the New England Journal of ofIndia'sDepartmentofBiotechnology.Itwas infants with intussusception were enrolled,
embedded in cell membranes. When searchers said. Medicine. licensed by the Drugs Controller General of Intussusception in India and 589 infants who were 28 to 365 days of
the pandemic began earlier this year, “Even when the pandemic is over, India in early 2014 and was introduced in AccordingtoDrKang,thereisnotenough age included in the case-series analysis. The
Hong and her students decided to fo- it is important that our society recog- Rotavirus and intussusception phases in the National Immunisation backgrounddataabouthowcommonthisdis- relativeincidenceofintussusceptionafterthe
cus on one of the SARS-CoV-2 pro- nisesandremembersthatfundamen- Rotavirusisthemostcommoncauseofse- Programmestartedin2016.Rotavacisanoral, order is in India. “There are studies that show firstdosewas0.83inthefirst7days,and0.35
teins, and eventually chose the E pro- tal scientific research into virus pro- verediarrhoealdiseaseinchildrenworldwide. live attenuated vaccine that contains a natu- it happens in 1 in about 5,000 children nor- in the next 14 days. Similar results were ob-
tein. It is made of bundles of several teins or bacterial proteins must According to the World Health Organization rallyoccurringstrain of rotavirus.Itis admin- mallywithoutthevaccinebutthesearebased served after the second and third doses. “The
helical proteins. continue vigorously, so we can pre- (WHO) and UNICEF, diarrhoea-related dis- istered in a three-dose series at 6, 10, and 14 onaverysmallnumberofcases,”DrKangsaid. results of our postmarketing active surveil-
Theresearcherswereabletoclone emptpandemics.Thehumancostand easesaccountformorethan1in10under-five weeks of age. Two studies have shown a general incidence lance study, which studied children vacci-
andpurifytheEproteinintwo-and-a- economic cost of not doing so are just deaths. Rotavirus accounts for 37% of diar- Intussusception is a sliding of one part of of 18 intussusception cases per 100,000 in- nated after the vaccine was introduced into
half months. They then analysed it too high,” Hong said in a statement. rhoea-related deaths, and 5% of all deaths in the intestine into another, and is common in fantsand20casesper100,000Indianinfants. theNationalImmunisationProgramme,pro-
with nuclear magnetic resonance Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology under-five children globally. children (1 in 300 in Vietnam; 1 in 2,000 in In a 2014 phase 3 trial before Rotavac was videevidencethattherewasnoadversesafety
InIndia,RotavacwasdevelopedbyBharat theUS)withoutacause.Inadults,thereisusu- licensed, the vaccine had an efficacy of 56% signal associated with this vaccine in the
BiotechincollaborationwiththeGovernment ally a reason like a tumour or other intestinal against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. Indian population,” Dr Kang said.

TheimportanceofministerSuvenduAdhikari—toTrinamool&BJP
SANTANU CHOWDHURY
KOLKATA, NOVEMBER 13
SUVENDU ADHIKARI, former Trinamool
CongressMPandnowaministerinMamata
Banerjee’sCabinetinWestBengal,hasbeen
sending out signals that he is drifting away
from the party leadership. On November
10, he held a rally in Nandigram during
which no party banner was displayed, and
he was not referred to either as a Trinamool
leader or as the Transport Minister. In a
cryptic message to the party leadership,
Adhikarisaid,“Seeyouinthebattlefield.See
you on a political stage. I am not scared.”
Allthishasfuelledspeculationabouthis
possible exit from the party, either by float-
ing his own party or by defecting to the BJP.
Who is Suvendu Adhikari?
Formerly a Congress family, the
Adhikaris of East Midnapore joined the
Trinamool Congress after Mamata formed
the party in 1998. Suvendu is the son of
three-term MP Sisir Adhikari, who was
Union Minister of State for Rural
Development in UPA-2. Suvendu himself
has been an MP in UPA-1 and UPA-2. In
2007, Suvendu, then an MLA, spearheaded
the anti-land-acquisition movement in
Nandigram that eventually helped the
Trinamool Congress dislodge the 34-year
Left Front government in 2011.
In 2009, Suvendu Adhikari defeated
CPM strongman Lakshman Seth in Tamluk
by1.73lakhvotes.In2014,hewasre-elected
to Lok Sabha. In 2016, he won the
Nandigram Assembly seat and was made
Transport Minister.
InSeptember2014,theCBIinterrogated
Adhikari in the Saradha chit fund scam. He
was also seen in purported footage of the
Narada scam.
Why is he important in Bengal politics?
Adhikari is a grassroots leader who con-
nectswiththepeopleinruralBengal,helped
Suvendu Adhikari, Transport Minister,
has sent out signals that he is upset
with Trinamool leadership. File photo
byhisstraightforwardspeecheswitharural
Bengali accent. The people’s movement he
ledturnedEastMidnaporeintoaTrinamool
bastion.Heplaysakeyroleforthepartyin16
Assembly seats in East Midnapore,and also
in seats in West Midnapore, Bankura,
Purulia, Murshidabad and Malda districts.
As party observer for Murshidabad and
Malda districts, he has weakened the
Congress by causing defections and helped
capture civic bodies one by one.
Following the BJP’s victories in 18 of the
42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in 2019,
AdhikariwasmadetheTrinamoolCongress
in-charge of Assembly bypolls a few
months later. He helped secure victory in
all three bypolls including in Kharagpur
Sadar, West Bengal BJP president Dilip
Ghosh’s constituency.
Why is he drifting apart then?
Trinamool leaders said Adhikari has
started distancing himself from the party
onaccountof theriseof AbhishekBanerjee,
party MP and Mamata’s nephew. Abhsihek
has been given more responsibilities in
party management, which has reportedly
upsetAdhikariwhohadscriptedtheparty’s
growth in several districts,
Adhikari has been skipping party pro-
grammes and Cabinet meetings — a
Trinamool organisational meeting in
Kolkata in March, and a government pro-
gramme on International Indigenous
People’sDayinJhargramonAugust9,when
he was participating instead in a private
programme in the same district.
On October 19, Adhikari spoke at a pro-
grammeinNetai,Jhargram,andstressedthat
moreattentionneedstobegiventothepeo-
ple’sconcerns.“WhenIcamehere,manyvil-
lagers told me they are unhappy. Villagers
spokeaboutnon-cooperationfromasection
of elected representatives. I will look into
whethertheallegationistrueorfalse,”hesaid.
How could his alienation impact his
party and its rivals?
If Adhikari remains inactive in the run-
up to the 2021 Assembly polls, the
Trinamool Congress will face a challenge in
many seats where he wields his influence.
Thepartywillalsostruggletofindareplace-
ment for Adhikari in East Midnapore.
No one outside the Adhikari family can
match Suvendu’s charisma. Suvendu’s fa-
ther Sisir Adhikari is in his third term as MP.
Two other sons are in politics — Dibyendu
Adhikari is the MP from Tamluk and
Soumyendu Adhikari isthe chairmanof the
Contai municipality. The Adhikaris also
chair various committees and workers’
unions. Any weakening of the Trinamool
base in East Midnapore will provide the BJP
with a new opportunity to make inroads in
the Trinamool bastion.
Adhikari's absence from party activities
in Murshidabad and Malda, on the other
hand, can potentially divide Muslim votes,
which are traditionally behind the
Trinamool. This too can only help the BJP.
Adhikari’s absence will also hurt the
Trinamool Congress in strategising for the
elections. Since the exit of Mukul Roy in
2017,SuvenduhasbeentheTrinamool’sgo-
to man during elections.

New Delhi

19 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
‘REVISED & IMPROVED’ VERSION OF 2013 POLICY, SAY OFFICIALS
Newcybersecuritypolicynext
month;tofocusonIDtheft,fraud
National Cyber Security Coordinator’s office, with Ministry of Electronics & IT, giving it a ‘final shape’
AASHISH ARYAN
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
INDIA’S NEW cyber security
policy — which is likely to rede-
fine various aspects of identity
theft and financial fraud, and
ways to prevent them — is in the
final stages of deliberations and
all set to be launched next
month, senior government offi-
cials told The Indian Express.
The new policy has been in
the works for more than a year,
and will be a “revised and im-
proved” version of the policy of
2013, officials said.
“The 2013 rules were more
along the lines of guidelines
rather than a policy. It just de-
fines the various challenges that
were before us then, rather than
AMID COVID-19
‘Business optimism rises on govt
measures during festive season’
Supported by various government and RBI measures to
boost consumption demand amid the festive season,
business optimism witnessed a rise in the ongoing
quarter, a Dun & Bradstreet survey said
Why is it important: The improvement in the optimism level
amongst businesses in the manufacturing sector emanates
from the surge in demand as more economic activities were
allowed under ‘Unlock 4.0 and 5.0’
BRIEFLY
PetronetQ2
PATat`927cr
NewDelhi:PetronetLNGLtd
reported a profit after tax
(PAT) of Rs 927 crore for the
quarter ended September
30,2020,risingoverthepre-
ceding quarter’s PAT but
falling over the year-ago
quarter’sRs1,103crore. ENS
Zomatoraises
$195mn
New Delhi: Info Edge said
Friday its investee com-
pany Zomato has raised
$195 million (about Rs
1,455.4 crore) in funding
from six investors includ-
ing Luxor, Kora and
Steadview, valuing the on-
linefoodorderingplatform
at $3.6 billion. “Zomato Pvt
Ltd has closed a primary
fundraise of USD 195 mil-
lion from six different in-
vestors...The transactions
valued Zomato at a post-
money valuation of $3.6
billion,” Info Edge said in a
regulatory filing.
Comments from Zomato
couldnotbeelicitedimme-
diately. PTI
Turkeyfines
Google
Istanbul: Turkey’s
Competition Authority has
fined Google and its parent
company Alphabet 196.7
million Turkish liras ($25.5
million) for allegedly abus-
ingitsmarketdominancein
online searches. AP
PatnaCustoms
chieftakesover
NewDelhi:NishithGoyal,IRS
officer of 1988 batch, has
taken charge as Chief Com-
missioner, Customs (Preve-
ntive)Zone,Patna,thejuris-
diction of which covers
Bihar,Jharkhand,UttarPrad-
esh and Uttarakhand. ENS
SENSEX: 43,443.00 ▲ 85.81 NIFTY: 12,719.95 ▲ 29.15 NIKKEI: 25,385.87 ▼ 135.01 HANG SENG: 26,156.86 ▼ 12.52 FTSE: 6,311.12 ▼ 27.82 DAX: 13,091.41 ▲ 38.46
AMID VARIOUS SECURITY CONCERNS
■Overthepastfew months,
thecentralgovernmenthas
askedtelecomcompanies
toundertakean
‘informationsecurityaudit’
tocheckforany
vulnerabilitiesintheir
networksystems,apart
frombanningChineseapps
citingsecurityconcerns
definitive dos and don’ts or
what is a crime and what is not.
The new policy will make all
those aspects clear,” a govern-
ment official said.
The National Cyber Security
Coordinator’s office, the nodal
authority, has received feedback
Tata Steel in talks to Sensex ends Samvat 2076
sell Dutch business with 11.22% gain, Nifty up 9.8%
to Sweden’s SSAB
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,NOVEMBER13
IN A move that will help delever-
age its balance sheet, Tata Steel
saidFridayithadinitiateddiscus-
sionswithSSABofSwedenforthe
sale of its Dutch business, includ-
ing IJmuiden steelworks.
The company said it had also
commenceddiscussionswiththe
supervisory board and board of
management of Tata Steel
Netherlands so that the process
wouldmovetothenextstagethat
would include due diligence and
stakeholders’consultations.“The
companyiscommittedtodeploy
Industry associations, G20 strikes debt pact
BUDGET 2021-22
experts asked to to help low-income
submit ideas by e-mail nations hit by virus
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 13
THEGOVERNMENTwillconduct
virtual pre-Budget consultation
for the Union Budget 2021-22,
where industry associations,
trade bodies and experts can
send their suggestions to a ded-
icated e-mail which would be
soon be communicated.
The Budget is typically pre-
sentedonFebruary1,thesecond
half of Parliament’s winter ses-
sion.Theconsultationswouldbe
made more participatory and
democratic by taking it closer to
the general public.
“The government has launc-
hed a micro-site (online portal)
on MyGov platform which will
go live on 15th November 2020
to receive ideas for the budget,”
the Centre said in a statement.
Thesesubmissionswillbeexam-
ined by the ministries and de-
■Accordingtoa
governmentofficial,the
2013rulesweremorealong
thelinesof guidelinesand
definedthevarious
challengesratherthan
definitivedosanddon’tson
thecriminalaspects.The
newpolicywillmakeall
thoseclear,thepersonsaid
from experts and Ministries, and
is now in the process of giving
the policy a “final shape” with
the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology.
“One of the problems that
has been brought up several
times during meetings over the
46.2 The Dun & Bradstreet Composite Business Optimism
Index during October-December, rising 57.4 per cent
over third quarter of 2020.
Quarterly survey of
executives: 350 chief
executive officers and
managing directors were
covered during September and
October as part of the quarterly
survey of business
expectations
Other factors that supported
business sentiment:
■ Fall in active cases of
Covid-19 infected persons
■ Improvement in recovery rate
Services sector subdued: Optimism of
respondents in services sector remained
subdued and lower than the industrial sector
across all parameters
Goodweek
onmultiple
proceedsof anystrategicrestruc-
turingtowardsadditionaldelever-
aging of the balance sheet,” the
statement said.
The company also said that it
had initiated the process to sepa-
rate Tata Steel Netherlands and
Tata Steel UK business. This is be-
ing done because Tata Steel will
pursueseparatestrategicpathsfor
theNetherlandsandUKbusiness
in the future.
SSAB also issued a statement
about holding discussions with
the Tata Steel for a potential deal
intheNetherlandsbusiness,how-
ever, it indicated that the discus-
sionswerepreliminaryandnode-
cision had been reached yet. FE
MICRO-SITE TO GO
LIVE ON NOV 15
■ The government said
it has launched a
micro-site (online
portal) on MyGov
platform which will go
live on November 15 to
receive ideas for the
Budget, which will be
examined by the
concerned ministries
and departments
partments concerned.
“If required, individuals may
be contacted on the email/mo-
bile number provided at the
time of registration to seek clar-
ification on their submissions.
The portal will remain open un-
til November 30,” the govern-
ment statement added. FE
past few months in the rise in
identity theft and financial
fraud. We have to have strong
checks and balances in the area
so that innovation is not threat-
ened but the user is also not
taken for a ride,” a senior
official, who had attended these
meetings, said.
On August 15, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi had an-
nounced that the new policy
would be launched soon.
Over the past few months,
the Centre has asked telecom
companies to undertake an ‘in-
formation security audit’ to
check for any vulnerabilities in
their network systems, apart
from banning Chinese apps cit-
ing security concerns.
On September 16, the central
government set up an “expert
Response onoptimismindices:
■ Volumeof sales: 53% expect
rise
■ Net profits: 40% expect rise
■ Sellingpriceof products:
81% expect no change, 12%
expect rise, 7% expect fall
■ Orderbookposition: 43%
expect improvement
■ Inventory levels: 24% expect
a hike
■ Sizeof workforce: 15%
expect a rise, 77% expect no
change, 8% expect decline
Source: Dun &
Bradstreet/PTI
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER13
REGISTERING MODEST gains on
Friday, domestic equity markets
closed the Hindu calendar
year Samvat 2076 with strong
momentum. While the 30-share
BSESensexrallied4,384.94points,
or 11.22 per cent, in the year, the
Nifty50attheNSEsoared1,136.05
points, or 9.80 per cent.
With banking and finance
stocksholdingtheirgroundsamid
mixedglobalcues,theSensex,on
Friday,ended85.81points,or0.20
per cent, higher at 43,443. The
broaderNiftyrose29.15points,or
0.23percent,tocloseat12,719.95.
OnSaturday,thedayofDiwali,
markets will have a special one-
REUTERS
PARIS/TOKYO/WASHINGTON,
NOVEMBER13
THE UNITED States, China and
other G20 countries on Friday
agreedforthefirsttimeonacom-
mon approach for restructuring
government debt as the coron-
avirus crisis leaves some poorer
nations at risk of default.
The agreement came as
Zambia said it would not pay an
overdue Eurobond coupon by
Friday’s deadline, putting it on
tracktobecomeAfrica’sfirstpan-
demic-era sovereign default.
Major creditors will be expected
to follow the joint guidelines
agreedbytheG20,whichlaysout
how debt deemed to be unsus-
tainablecanbecutorrescheduled.
International Monetary Fund
(IMF) Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva called the
framework a historic achieve-
ment, while telling G20 officials
committee” under the National
Cyber Security Coordinator to
study revelations, as reported by
The Indian Express, that a
Shenzen-based technology
company with links to the
Chinese government, and the
Chinese Communist Party, is
monitoring more than 10,000
Indian individuals and organi-
sations in its global database of
“foreign targets.
The Broadcast Engineering
Consultants India Limited
(BECIL), a public sector under-
taking under the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting,
has been tasked with selecting
agencies to provide training and
skill development in cyber se-
curity and forensics to employ-
ees at the central and state level
over the next three years.
RECEIPTS OF THE CENTRE FROM PSUs HAVE BEEN ON THE DECLINING TREND IN RECENT YEARS
Govt asks CPSEs to pay higher dividends
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
HARD-PRESSED FOR funds, the
central government has asked
the companies owed by it to de-
sistfromofferingjustmandatory
‘minimumdividend’toit,anddip
into even their accumulated re-
serves to boost the payout this
fiscal. The directive comes at a
time when their profits have
plunged and cash balances have
shrunk due to the pandemic.
“CPSEs are advised to strive
paying higher dividends taking
intoaccountrelevantfactorslike
profitability,capexrequirements
with due leveraging, cash/reser-
ves and net worth,” the
Department of Investment and
Public Asset Management (DI-
PAM) noted in an office memo-
hour Muhurat trading session to
markthestartingofSamvat2077.
In the Sensex pack, Bajaj
Finserv was the top gainer on
Friday, rising 3.32 per cent, fol-
lowed by Tata Steel, ICICI Bank,
Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, SBI and
UltraTech Cement. Meanwhile,
Bharti Airtel, L&T, HDFC twins,
TCS, Tech Mahindra and M&M
were among the major laggards
in the Sensex, losing as much as
2.04 per cent.
Meanwhile, the rupee halted
its four-session losing streak on
Friday, settling with a marginal 2
paise gain at 74.62 to the
American dollar.
Attheinterbankforexmarket,
the rupee opened at 74.63 a dol-
lar and witnessed an intra-day
high of 74.47 and a low of 74.71.
“Let’s be very frank
here. We are not out
of the woods. This
crisis is not over. We
need further
support through
debt reliefand
through fresh
financing.”
KRISTALINAGEORGIEVA
MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMF
“Let’s be very frank here. We are
notoutof thewoods.Thiscrisisis
notover.Weneedfurthersupport
through debt relief and through
fresh financing.”
GOLD
`50,425
Note: Gold, silver rates at Delhi spot market; gold per 10 g, silver per 1 kg; Brent crude as of 2200 IST
After a positive Sept, exports
slip in Oct; imports down 11.53%
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13
MERCHANDISE EXPORTS
dropped5.12percentinOctober,
going back to a trend of negative
growth after a short spurt in
September.
Exports in October were
recorded at $24.89 billion, com-
pared with $26.23 billion in the
correspondingmonthin2019,ac-
cording to data shared by the
Ministry of Commerce and
Industry on Friday.
Thedropwasprimarilyonthe
back of a decline in shipments of
products such as petroleum (-
52.04percent),gems&jewellery
(-21.27percent),leathergoods(-
16.67 per cent), electronic goods
(-9.36 per cent) and engineering
goods (-3.75 per cent).
Imports, too, declined 11.53
per cent to $33.61 billion in
October from the same period
last year. The country’s trade
deficit, meanwhile, narrowed to
$8.71billionfrom$11.75billionin
October 2019.
Themajorcommoditygroups
that showed a negative trend of
SomeCPSEshavealsobeenaskedtoundertake
sharebuyback,asmandatedbythenewrulesfor
companies thathavenetworthof over`2,000crore
andcashandbankbalanceof over`1,000crore
randum dated November 9. It
also asked profitable companies
to pay dividend on quarterly ba-
sis, instead paying the interim
dividendforfullyearinFebruary-
March. “Reserves can also be
used (by the CPSEs) to pay divi-
dends,” DIPAM Secretary Tuhin
Kanta Pandey told a TV channel
on Friday.
Thegovernmenthasalsoask-
ed 8-9 central public sector en-
terprises (CPSEs) to undertake
buybackof theirsharesasperthe
new rules that mandated each
publicsectorundertakingwitha
E
E X P L A I NE D
● factors
A GOOD set of quarterly
numbers, the US
election results, positive
news on the Covid-19
vaccine development
and the sustained flow
of investor money led to
an impressive week for
the domestic markets.
The Aatmanirbhar
Bharat 3.0 package, an-
nounced by the govern-
ment on Thursday, is
expected to support
this trend.
New Delhi
RUPEE
`74.62
‘Services exports fall 1.4% in Sept’
Mumbai: Services exports in
September fell 1.4 percent to
$17.29 billion, data from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
showed on Friday. The serv-
ices exports (receipts) in
September 2019 stood at
$17.54 billion.
Services imports (or pay-
ments) also dropped 8.7 per
growth in imports in October in-
clude transport equipment (-
56.32percent),petroleumprod-
ucts (-38.52 per cent), electrical
and non electrical machinery (-
15.55percent),coal,cokeandbri-
quettes (-6.5 per cent) and or-
ganic and inorganic chemicals
(-2.87 per cent).
According to Federation of
Indian Export Organisations
(FIEO) president Sharad Kumar
Saraf, though monthly exports
have been negative, there are
signs of revival as both order
booking position and the
manufacturing PMI for
September have risen.
net worth of over Rs 2,000 crore
and cash and bank balance of
overRs1,000croretoexercisethe
option.
Dividend receipts of the
Centre from CPSEs have been on
a declining trend in recent years,
mainly due to reduction in the
Centre’sstakeinmanyprofitable
companies via disinvestment.
While the Budget estimate for
thecurrentfiscalis anambitious
Rs 65,747 crore, only Rs 10,000
crore has been received this far.
Dividends from CPSEs are a
major part of the Centre’s non-
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
OIL SILVER
$42.80 `62,542
International market data till 1900 IST
cent to $10.14 billion as
against $11.10 billion in the
year-ago month, as per the
RBI data on international
trade in services.
Cumulatively,theservices
exports stood at $100.97 bil-
lion during April-September
2020 and imports were
$58.98 billion. PTI
“Gradualliftingof lockdowns
acrossthecountryhas alsoledto
the increase in manufacturing
PMI to its highest level in over a
decade,” he said.
Calling the decline in exports
“nominal”, Saraf attributed the
drop in shipments mainly to
“huge”containershortagesanda
hike in sea freight, which he said
hasupsetexportsparticularlyfor
those exporters who have nego-
tiated on CIF (cost, insurance,
freight) or C&F (cost and freight)
basis.“Besides,farmers’agitations
in some of the hinterland states
have affected exports during
October,” he added.
tax receipts, with surplus trans-
fer from the RBI and telecom
spectrum receipts being other
major components. In FY20,
CPSE dividends were just Rs
35,000crore,muchbelowthere-
visedestimateof Rs48,256crore,
as per Controller General of
Accounts data.
Reserves and cash surplus
usuallyconsistof capitalreserves
(to offset capital losses), securi-
ties premium reserve (can be
usedtobuybackshares),general
reserves(canbeusedforanyuse-
ful purposes including dividend
or working capital) and surplus
cash (can be used for dividend).
Unlike surplus, reserves are ear-
markedforspecificpurposesand
are usually parked in term de-
posits of various maturities and
currentaccounts,besidesmutual
funds. FE
 20 CALENDAR WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis

CROSSWORD 4276
ACROSS
1 Unnecessarily detailed design
of sewer’s working (10)
6 Combined nations look into
pre-Christian era (4)
10 An air of sanctity (5)
11 Dancer all bare in confusion (9)
12 Wild cat’s leap subdues (8)
13 Fittingly test (3,2)
15 Give help to one easily duped
we hear (7)
17 Something special
encountered if you go straight
down (7)
19 Original place for holding races
every four years (7)
21 One giving a talk - on the
radio? (7)
22 What pacifists have but don’t
DOWN
1 She has them shortened to a
degree (4)
2 Call for action? (6,3)
3 It provides a measure of one’s
spirit (5)
4 One in argument re a debt
unsettled (7)
5 Arrives with bread and drink
(5,2)
7 Ordinary people from Italy (5)
8 Secures rent for one of a group
of shops (5,5)
9 Taken by those who are sick
and tired of work? (4-4)
14 Police chief’s last resort? (3,2,5)
16 It is brought in to resist on the
other side (8)
18 Reconciliation officer who
DAY TODAY BY PETER VIDAL
ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20) LIBRA (Sept 24 - Oct 23)
Long journeys and If money appears to
spiritual adventures be in short supply
are favoured. Plus, if the reason may lie in
you are setting out to recent
tackle legal questions or mismanagement, but the
concerned with higher underlying causes seem to
education in any shape or stretch way back to the distant
form, you should do well. You past and a host of attitudes to
will benefit from the Moon's finances that were
helpful location, whatever your unfortunately foisted upon you.
precise circumstances. You’ll soon have a chance to
make your own way.
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21)
You may look back SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 22)
over the past week It seems that loved
and consider that ones are now ready
you have really done to move forward but
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson rather well, all things you occupy an
considered. An absence of important role in their affairs
stressful planetary aspects and must be ready to confer
today and tomorrow gives you your approval, support and
some space to rest. In fact, you blessing. As far as your own
can benefit from a wonderfully affairs are concerned, make
romantic relationship between money matters your priority.
Venus and Neptune. Perhaps you actually need to
make more money.
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)
The signs are that SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 - Dec 22)
warring factions The Moon cruises
have now settled into a highly
their differences. If promising position.
peace has broken out, you will Thus, by the time
be able to take advantage of the you wake up, the vague
fact that this is an optimum traumas of recent days should
time for holidays, adventures be a thing of the past and you’ll
and long-distance journeys. be free to enjoy the weekend in
Hopefully, you are free to peace. You could even pick up a
exploit such opportunities. bargain or make an unexpected
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
profit.

use (5) works behind the scenes? (4- You could be in for a CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
24 Plenty of room for classy 2,3) working weekend. You may have
Picasso design (8) 20 To lead such a life is simple - Not, perhaps, in the difficulty making
27 Fears to be converted to and hard (7) formal sense of sense of the world
traditional English food (5,4) 21 This is the simple bit (7) carrying out paid employment, today. Perhaps the
28 The head examiners may read 23 Coarse jargon used in various more in that you’ll be pursuing odd things that people say
them (5) languages (5) chores that are leading towards will seem to lack meaning - or
29 The advantage of keenness 25 Where the retired gardener some important long-term the facts will be at variance
(4) may be found working? (2,3) goal. It’s not just a matter of with what you had come to
30 A country unable to exercise 26 See the key goes to the agent doing what you want, either, expect. But that’s often the
self-control (10) (4) but of helping other people case at this point in the
with their plans. lunar cycle.
SolutionsCrossword4275:Across:1Stardom,5Pumps,8Overtaken,9Tea,10
Mean,12Multiple,14Patron,15Broody,17Electricstorm,18Oslo,21Cos,22No LEO (July 24 - Aug. 23) AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
regrets,24Desks,25Everest.Down:2Ave,3Date,4Makeup,5Puncture,6 The emphasis is still Your planetary ruler,
Metaphors,7Shapely,11Actresses,13Portends,14Pierced,16Tierce,19Onset,20 very much on what Saturn, has
Ague,23Eve. can only be benefited from a
described as long series of
partnership or joint interests. harmonious aspects, which
You have a very great deal means that you should be in a
JUMBLED WORDS DifficultyLevel5s
indeed to gain from a number of relatively strong and secure
SOLUTION SUDOKU 4292

new associations and personal position. At any rate,

Instructions connections. But it may be next circumstances are on your side,
Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, week before you can really see mainly because you can stick to
therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 the full picture. your guns.
SUDOKU 4293

theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe
Adiscoveryissaidtobeanaccidentmeetinga______-AlbertSzent-Gyorgyi(8,4) VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sept 23) PISCES (Feb 20- Mar 20)
nineverticalcolumns,in The Sun and At the moment, you
eachoftheninehorizontal Mercury are still are restricted by old
EASEL ACIDDN rowsandineachofthe helping you clear up ties and obligations,
nineboxes. a number of but don’t over-
personal uncertainties. You dramatise things. You are a
may let others make the first master of disguise, able to
AFIRR PAMPER DifficultyLevel
move and don’t try to force change your manner and
intensely personal issues. ‘Go appearance, and it is a simple
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; with the flow’ as the modern enough matter for you to slip
3s=Medium;4s=Hard; mystics say, and see what out of trouble. One minute
- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi 5s=VeryHard;6s= happens. You never know - you you’re here, the next you’re
Answer: A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind Genius may have your eyes opened. miles away.
SOLUTION: LEASE, FRIAR, CANDID, MAPPER

NOTICE BOARD CORPORATE ASSOCIATE DIARY E V E N T S, H O N O U R S

INAUGURATION-DRDO
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh recently inaugurated the Anti
Satellite Missile Model, in presence of Minister for Road Trans-
port and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Secretary DD RD &
Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy.
AGREEMENT- AAI
CS Tewari, DGM (BD), AAI and R Dembla, CFO, CHIAL signed an
agreement for providing SKYBOOKS360, in the presence of IN
Murthy, Chairman (CHIAL)/Member (Ops), AAI and AK Pathak,
Member (Planning), AAI.
DONATION-SBI
SBI Bank’s Chairman Dinesh Khara and Vijuy Ronjan, CGM,
New Delhi Circle, recently donated an ambulance to Ravi
Kalra, Founder, “The Earth Saviors Foundation” NGO.
GAIL has recorded a 13% increase in Turnover to Rs. 13,611
crore vis-a-vis Rs. 12,060 cr in Q1 FY21 while Profit before
Tax (PBT) increased to Rs. 1,551 cr as against Rs. 356 crore
in Q1 FY21. The Profit after Tax (PAT) increased to Rs. 1,239
crore in Q2 vis-a-vis Rs. 256 cr in Q1 FY21. Both physical as
well as financial performance of the company improved
across all major segments in Q2. After relaxations in the
lockdown imposed due to pandemic COVID-19 in Q1 & with
the resumption of economic activities, the volumes picked up
in all segments of the company to normal levels in Q2 FY21
resulting in increase in the profit as compared to Q1 FY21.
NHPC successfully restored 100 MW UNIT#2 of its 300
MW Chamera-II Power Station located in Chamba District,
Himachal Pradesh & has successfully synchronized with
the Northern Grid. Final Tests & Synchronization activities
were successfully carried out in-house by the team of
NHPC Engineers. NHPC through its in-house
competencies accomplished the task despite various odds
and once again proved its worth in the area of Testing &
Commissioning of Hydropower Units. The Unit was
restored overcoming all hurdles & multiple challenges
faced amidst COVID-19 outbreak.
SAIL has introduced ‘Shorter Working Period Scheme’ for
facilitating its employees with a better work-life balance. The
Scheme, effective from 1st November, 2020, is applicable for
all regular employees up to mid-management level. Under
the Scheme, employees up to E-7 grade can opt from
various shorter working hours options like 3 days a week,
every alternate day, four hours every working day or half of
the working days in a month with a variable pay structure.
The employees availing of this Scheme will be able to retain
facilities and benefits, including HRA/accommodation,
medical benefits and other perks, as per the Scheme.
AAI The only Airport of Tripura, Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport,
Agartala is soon going to have a New Integrated Terminal
building. As the existing terminal building was saturated and
there was no further scope of expansion, AAI has undertaken
the work for New Integrated Terminal Building at an estimated
cost of ?438 Cr. The terminal has been designed to process
1000 domestic and 200 international passengers during
peak hours making the annual handling capacity of 3.0
million passengers. More than 90% of project work is
completed and New Integrated Terminal Building of AAI’s
Agartala Airport is scheduled to be ready by the beginning of
next year - 2021.
NHSRCL, in collaboration with CEDP training institute
¸FWFSFáÑ ¾FFÀF³F
ÀFF½FʪFd³FI ¶FFa²FI F¸F d½F·FF¦F, d¨F´FTc¯F
BÊ-I F¹FÊ´Fi¯FFÕeAa°F¦FÊ°F BÊ-d³Fd½FQF ÀFc¨F³FF Ii . qx (BÊ-d³Fd½FQF) ÀF³F sqsq-sr
(ÀFbd¾FdÃF°F ¶FZS ûªF¦FFS Ad·F¹Fa°FFI dS°FF)
DOPPW The Union Minister of State (I/C) Development of ÀFF½FʪFd³FI ¶FFa²FI F¸F (ÀFF.¶FFa.) d½F·FF¦F, d¨F´FTc¯F WZ (QcS ²½F³Fe Ii . qstvv-svsyqw) ¸FWFSFáÑ ¾FFÀF³FF¨¹FF ÀFF½FʪFd³FI ¶FFa²FI F¸F JF°¹FFI OZ ¹Fû¦¹F °¹FF
North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, ÀFbd¾FdÃF°F ¶FZS ûªF¦FFS Ad·F¹Fa°FF JFÕeÕ I F¸FFaI dS°FF ¶F-r ³F¸Fb³¹FF°FeÕ d³Fd½FQF ´Fi¯FFÕeõFSm (AFG³FÕFB³F) ¸FF¦Fd½F¯¹FF°F ¹FZ°F AFWZ . ÀFQS¨Fe AFG³FÕFB³F BÊ-d³Fd½FQF
Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, ÀFc¨F³FF www.mahapwd.com and www.mahatenders.gov.in ´FûMÊ Õ ½FS°Fe C´FÕ¶²F AFWZ .
Me´F : ¹FF d³Fd½FQZ¸F²¹FZ EIc ¯F r °FZ rs I F¸FZ ÀF¸FFd½Fá AÀFc³F AFG³FÕFB³F d³Fd½FQF d½FIi e ½F d¶FO ´Fie´FSm ¾F³F dQ³FFaI sq.rr.sqsq ÀFI FTe rq.qq °FZ
Dr Jitendra Singh said that under the able leadership of Prime dQ. qx.rs.sqsq SûªFe ÀFF¹FaI FTe ry.qq ´F¹FË°F ÀFaIZ °FÀ±FTF½FS C´FÕ¶²F AFWZ . ¹FF d³Fd½FQZ¸F²FeÕ ÀFa´Fc¯FÊ ¸FFdW°Fe JFÕeÕ ÀFaIZ °FÀ±FTF½FS C´FÕ¶²F
Minister, Narendra Modi, the Department of Pensions & I ø ³F QZ¯¹FF°F AFÕZ Õ e AFWZ : www.mahatenders.gov.in
Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) is trying to make the ªFF.Ii . ÀFeE¨FOe/E¶Fe/MeÀFe/xrwz
pensioners “Atamnirbhar” by promoting the Digital Life I F¹FÊI FSe Ad·F¹Fa°FF ¹FFa¨FZ I F¹FFÊÕ ¹F, À½FFÃFSe/-
Certificate for pensioners which can be given from the d¨F´FTc¯F ÀFF. ¶FFa. d½F·FF¦F, d¨F´FTc¯F, I F¹FÊI FSe Ad·F¹Fa°FF
S°³FFd¦FSe-urvqqv. (qstvv) svsyqw d¨F´FTc¯F ÀFF.¶FFa. d½F·FF¦F, d¨F´FTc¯FI dS°FF
comfort of one’s home also. Earlier due to difficulties faced dQ³FFaI : rq.rr.sqsq OeªFeAF¹F´FeAFS/sqsq-sqsr/rssx
by the pensioners in submitting the Life Certificate because of
COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has relaxed the DELHI JAL BOARD : GOVT. OF N.C.T. OF DELHI
existing timeline for submission of Life Certificate from 1st OFFICE OF THE CHIEF WATER ANALYST (W&S)-I
November, 2020 to 31st December 2020, MoS said.
WATER WORKS WAZIRABAD, DELHI-110054
PRESS NIT No- 08 (2020-21)
NFL maintained sustained production and supply of urea
NIT Name of Work Estimated Earnest Date of release of Tender in Last date/ Time receipt
from its Nangal and Bathinda Plants amidst “Rail Roko” No. Cost Money e-procurement of Tender through
crisis in Punjab. The efforts of the company are being (Rs.) solution e-procurement solution
appreciated. 8 S/I/T of FMS at Chandrawal Job Work 596000/- Tender Id: 2020_DJB_196544_1 25-Nov-2020 up to
Water Works No.-II Publish Date 12:15 PM
10-Nov-2020 01:00 PM onward
IRCTC partnering with KTDC, has launched a bouquet of tour NIT along with all terms & conditions is available on DJB website https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in
packages within Kerala. These packages, primarily aimed to
ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) Sd/-
encourage domestic tourism within the state are being Advt. No. J.S.V. 226 (2020-21) CHIEF WATER ANALYST (W&S)-I
offered from various cities across the state. The packages
“STOP CORONA - WEAR MASK, FOLLOW PHYSICAL DISTANCING & MAINTAIN HYGIENE”
exclusively use the luxurious properties of KTDC at all exotic
locations to explore the greenery, serene beaches, HIMACHAL PRADESH
backwaters and other natural beauties of Kerala at a very PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
pocket-friendly price. The packages of varying durations e-Procurement Notice
from 2 to 5 nights are attractively priced starting from Rs. INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)
5,030. These packages will be using a fully sanitized vehicle 1. The EXECUTIVE ENGINEER, HPPWD DIVISION, DEHRA, DISTT. KANGRA H.P. on behalf of Governor of H.P. invites the
On-line Bids on item rates, in Electronic Tendering System, in 2 Cover System for the undermentioned works from the eligi-
for the tour having been specially designed to make the ble and approved Contractors/Firms registered with HPPWD Department.
tourists feel completely at ease. Sr. Name of Work Estimated EMD Cost of Eligible
No. Cost Tender Class of
Contractors
REC Its corporate communication team was recently 1 Construction of Executive Engineer Office building at Rs. 1,25,23,383/- Rs. 1,57,800/- Rs. 5000/- Class- A &B
recognized as one of the 'Top 30 Corporate Communication Dehra Tehsil Dehra District Kangra (HP). (Sub Head:-
Construction of Building portion, including water supply &
Teams' in India by Reputation Today. The nominations were Sanitary installation and Rain Harvesting Tank, Septic
Tank for 100 Users with Soakpit )
evaluated on set parameters like team responsibilities, team
2 C/O Balance work of 4 Nos Type-II qtr for the staff of Rs. 48,85,239/- Rs. 81,000/- Rs. 2000/- Class- B&C
budgets, award-winning campaigns & so on. Notably, this is Assistant Distt. Attorney at Dehra Distt. Kangra (SH: C/O
the second successive yr when the power sector behemoth Building portion i/c w/s & S/1 and C/O rain water
Harvesting tank).
has featured on the list. Other major organizations that were 3 Implementation of Performance Based Maintenance con- Rs. 43,34,758/- Rs. 72,600/- Rs. 2000/- Class- B &C
recognized were Coca Cola, TVS, Adani, Wipro etc. tract (PBMC) for the Routine Maintenance of road JKTP
Sapri to Panhar road Km 0/0 to 22/000, Jawalamukhi
Chamba Pattan road Km 0/0 to 7/00 and Jawalamukhi to
POWERGRID has posted a PAT of Rs. 3,094 cr & Total Dehra raod Km 0/0 to 1/0 for the year 2020-21. (SH:
ROFD i/c R/walls, clearance of Cross Drainage work,
Income of Rs. 9,831 cr on a consolidated basis for Q2FY21. Repair of pot holes, side drain & Parapets, Maintenance
of road singnage Km. 30.000 (Annexure-A, Period-1)
On a standalone basis, the Company posted PAT & Total
4 Performance Based Routine Maintenance of Dehra to Rs. 35,50,943/- Rs. 60,800/- Rs.1500/- Class- B & C
Income of Rs. 3,117 cr & Rs. 9,890 cr respectively for
Jawali, Kaloha Pragpur Nehranpukhar Dhaliara
Q2FY21, an increase of about 23% & 8% respectively with Dadasiba Sansarpur Terrace, Bankhandi to Paisa road
ad Bankhandi Bassa Mehwa Guard road in Distt. Kangra.
respect to the corresponding period of FY20. For six-month (Period-1)
period (H1FY21), the PAT & Total Income on consolidated 5 Construction of Banchallian road (SH:-Construction of Rs. 28,80,297/- Rs. 57,700/- Rs. 1500/- Class- C&D
R/wall at RD 2/340 to 2/500, Drain with edge wall & CC
basis are Rs. 5,142 cr & Rs. 19,648 cr respectively, which Pavement 2/200 to 2/300 & 2/420 to 2/500 and GSB, G-
are about 1% & 6% higher with respect to the corresponding II at RD 2/0 to 2/500)

MoU-AAI
Reena Rai, GM (Engineering), AAI and KS Bandyopadhyay,
CGM, NVVN signed a MoU to explore alternative solutions for
generating green energy at airports, in presence of other officials
of AAI, NTPC and NVVN.
(Thane), recently organized Hotel Management training for
14 candidates from the villages of Thane district under its
Income Restoration Program for project affected
households. These candidates have completed their
classroom training and will now pursue their six-months-
long job training in a reputed Hotel in Andheri, Mumbai. While
digitally interacting with the participants, the Managing
Director, NHSRCL, Achal Khare said “India is a young
country and our youth must work towards acquiring skills
so that they can become Atmanirbhar and also contribute to
nation building. NHSRCL is committed to provide skill
development trainings in various disciplines and help young
minds improve their employment opportunities.”
period of FY20, while on standalone basis, the PAT & Total
Income are Rs. 5,097 cr & Rs. 19,511 cr respectively,
registering a growth of 3% & 6% respectively.
Russian Embassy in India Recently, a meeting of the SCO
Heads of State Council took place via videoconference. It
was attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of India
Narendra Modi, among many other Heads of States.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin chaired
the meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council. The leaders
discussed the current state & priority goals of SCO
activities in the context of the dominant global political and
economic processes.
2. Availability of Bid Document and Mode of Submission: The Bid document is available online and bid should be submit-
ted in online mode on website https://hptenders.gov.in.
Bidder would be required to register in the web-site which is free of cost. For submission of bids, the bidder is required to
have Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) from one of the authorized Certifying Authorities (CA). “Aspiring bidders who have
not obtained the user ID and password for participating in e-tendering in HPPWD may obtain the same from the website:
https://hptenders.gov.in. Digital signature is mandatory to participate in the e-tendering. Bidders already possessing the dig-
ital signature issued from authorized Cas can use the same in this tender:
3. Key Dates:
1. Date of On-line Publication 19.11.2020 1000 Hrs.
2. Document Download Start and End Date 19.11.2020 1000 Hrs. upto 04.12.2020 1800 Hrs.
3. Bid Submission Start and End Date 19.11.2020 1000 Hrs. upto 04.12.2020 1800 Hrs.
4. Physical Submission of EMD and Cost of Tender Document 05.12.2020 upto 1030 Hrs.
5. Date of Technical Bid Opening, Evaluation of 05.12.2020 1130 Hrs.
Technical Bid followed by Opening of Financial Bid
For terms and conditions kindly refer to website of the department.
On behalf of Governor of Himachal Pradesh
Sd/-
4368/HP -HIM LOK SAMPARK- Executive Engineer, HPPWD Division Dehra, Distt. Kangra, H.P.

New Delhi

21 SPORT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
Even Australia can’t fill the Kohli void
India captain missing three Tests may be an advantage on the field, but Cricket Australia and broadcasters are counting losses
SANDIP G
NOVEMBER 13
VIRAT KOHLI skipping the last three Tests of
the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to attend the
birth of his child might go down as the most
famous, if not the most discussed, paternity
break in the history of the game. It has no
doubtrenderedtheseriespoorer,andswung
the pre-series odds massively in Australia’s
favour. But it’s not just the neutrals who are
mourning, the Indian captain would be
dearly missed by the broadcasters, a testa-
ment to his brand, stature and fan following.
Good news for Fox
Cricket Australia has a complicated dis-
tributionof cricketrightstobroadcasters.Fox
Sports, a paid channel, will telecast the
white-ball leg while the free-to-air Channel
7 will televise the Test series. The pink-ball
Test in Adelaide, though, will be shown on
both channels. It implies that Fox Sports will
have 11 days of cricket with Kohli, 6 of which
are exclusive, while Seven gets non-exclu-
sive five days. Given the proclivity of pink-
ball Tests ending in less than four days, they
might even get less of Kohli. Fox Sports CEO
Steve Crawley, according to The Australian,
considers it an accidental coup. “To have
those six games beginning November 27 ex-
clusiveonFoxCricketisamassivethingforus
and our greatest ever challenge and our
greatest ever triumph already to have him
(Kohli) exclusively,” he said.
Understandably, Channel 7 is gutted. The
Australianhasheadlinedit“BabyBombshell”
for Seven. Kerry Stokes, chairman of Seven
West Media that owns Channel 7, blasted
Cricket Australia in an interview with The
Age: “The company paid a lot of money - a
recordamountof money-foraquality prod-
uct and that hasn’t been delivered to us, and
norhavetheyofferedusanythinginreturnto
make up for what they haven’t delivered,”
hesaid.Inthebackdropisanalreadystrained
relationship between 7 and CA. Kohli’s ab-
sence would widen the cracks.
‘Special One’ in Adelaide
The Adelaide Oval is a special venue for
Kohli, his first Test hundred arrived at this
ground, in the next visit he struck back-to-
back centuries, and in the third he registered
Rafiq stands by racism
allegations
London:FormerYorkshireoff-spinnerAzeem
Rafiq stood by his allegations that he faced
racism during his time at the county club as
investigation into his claims has begun.
Rafiq's allegations are being investigated by
the legal firm, Squire Patton Boggs.
The29-year-oldRafiq,whoisof Pakistani
origin, had told ESPN Cricinfo about how he
was "bullied and targeted" because of his
race and alleged that Asian players were
sometimesreferredtoas"Pakis"or"elephant
washers" and told to "go back to where you
came from".
InastatementissuedonFriday,Yorkshire
CountyCricketClubsaid:"Wehavetakenthe
claims made by our former player, Azeem
Rafiq, very seriously and a full investigation
conducted by Squire Patton Boggs, an inde-
pendent law firm, began in September."
"I have spoken out about the racism I
facedbecauseIdon'twantkidstogothrough
whatIdid,"Rafiq,whohaslaunchedaCrowd
Justice page to help cover his legal costs, said
in the statement. "I want to see kids start-
ing off their journey in cricket in a culture of
acceptance and respect, where they are
judged on their talent and not on their cul-
ture and identity." PTI
SHAHID JUDGE
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 13
ONE OF Great Britain’s most celebrated
athletes Nicola Adams accepted the invita-
tion to feature in one of the country’s most
popular reality television shows, Strictly
Come Dancing. But the two-time Olympic
gold medallist boxer – whom Indian read-
ers may remember as the one who
stopped Mary Kom’s run in the semi-final
at London 2012 – had an unprecedented
request ahead of the show’s 18th season.
The 38-year-old, an openly gay athlete,
asked the show to pair her up with a same-
sex partner.
Strictlyisadanceshowinwhichcelebri-
ties are paired up with choreographers to
competeagainstoneanother.TheBBC,who
broadcast the show, agreed to Adams’ re-
quest and paired her up with Russian cho-
reographer Katya Jones (who won the 2017
edition). However, the decision was criti-
cized by viewers. But a month into the sea-
Vol. LXXXIX No.4 Regd.No. DL-21046/03-05 R.N.I. No.506/57. Printed and Published by R.C. Malhotra on behalf of The Indian Express (P) Limited and Printed at The Indian Express (P) Limited Press, A-8, Sector-7, Noida - 201301 and Published at The Indian Express (P) Limited, Mezzanine Floor, Express Building, 9 & 10,
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002. Editorial office: The Indian Express (P) Limited, Mezzanine Floor, Express Building, 9 & 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: 0120-6651500. Advertising office: The Indian Express (P) Limited, B1/B, Sector - 10, Noida - 201301. Phone: 0120-6651291.
Chairman of the Board: Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor: Raj Kamal Jha, Editor: Unni Rajen Shanker, Editor (Delhi): Rakesh Sinha ** **Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act. Copyright: The Indian Express (P) Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part,
Virat Kohli is set to take paternity break after the first Test. File
a victory that set the tone for India’s first Test
series triumph in Australia. In between, he
also has a World Cup ton against Pakistan
here. Now, he would play a pink-ball Test at
this iconic ground. Hence, it would be a
blockbuster, screams an article on The
Advertiser with the headline
“The Special One”. “South Australia is
poised to cash in on superstar Indian captain
Virat Kohli’s decision to play the first Test in
Adelaide before dropping out…” South
Australia Cricket Association CEO Keith
Bradshaw is quoted as saying in The
Advertiser that Kohli’s absence for the re-
mainder of the series will turn the Adelaide
Test “into an even bigger blockbuster as fans
(would) clamour to get a glimpse of the bril-
CA-turned umpire Pathak makes an impression
DEVENDRA PANDEY
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 13
R ASHWIN remembers Paschim Pathak
storming towards him with a purposeful
look in an IPL game. Ashwin was writhing in
pain with a nerve pull from the back and he
thought Pathak might be sternly telling him
to get off the field and stop wasting time. “I
too was getting angry as he approached me.
But he turned all soft, “Are you feeling okay?
Is the body fine? And as soon as I said yes, he
left,” Ashwin tells with a laugh on his
YouTube show. “I like his hairstyle; I like his
approach.”
He was a chartered accountant who got
bitten by the umpiring bug. Just like Ashwin,
Pathak’s long hair and approach has caught
everyone’s eyes, social media has called him
Rockstarumpire,andsomehavetermedhim
DJ umpire.
"I received lots of messages from my
friends and people whom I know. People
talked about my hair style but it's nothing
new. I have been growing myhair for the last
two years now, even in domestic cricket I
stood with my long hair," Pathak told The
Last waltz for Nicola owing to Corona
Olympic boxing legend sparkled on stage as Strictly Come Dancing's first same-sex pairing before partner tested positive
son, Jones tested positive for Covid-19, and
the duo was forced to exit the competition.
STRICTLY PRECAUTIOUS
The show’s protocols, according to the BBC,
includes each pair forming a bubble and
performing in front of a socially distanced
audience. “Each pair of dancers will form a
‘close contact cohort,’ which can be used in
the TV industry by people who need to
work closely together and break social dis-
tancing rules in order to do their job. They
must be regularly tested.”
Inthelatesttest,despitebeingasympto-
matic, Jones tested positive and she, along
with Adams were put into mandatory 14-
day isolation.
“Nicola Adams and Katya Jones are to
leave Strictly Come Dancing after Katya
tested positive for Covid-19,” the BBC said
in a statement. “Katya is asymptomatic and
they are now self-isolating separately. This
sadly means they will no longer be able to
take part.”
Adams meanwhile, took to social media
liant stroke-maker under lights.”
Family centre-stage
Whereas most of the articles in the
Australian media pertained to losses and
gainsforthebroadcasters andcricket associ-
ations, The Australian’s columnist Gideon
Haigh dwelled into the rationale behind
Kohli’sdecision.“Hewishestobeanattentive
husband as well as an attendant father, to be
with Anushka in the final stage of the preg-
nancy and in the first bloom of motherhood.
There may be something else at work, too, to
dowithKohli’sownsupremelyexactingpro-
fessional standards,” he writes.
The impending fatherhood, Haigh feels,
could have diluted some of his famed inten-
Indian Express.
Pathak has an old-school approach to
umpiring. He likes to bend while standing
behind the stumps.
It's an old school of thought which be-
lieves that such a stance helps umpires to
focus better. He recalls how he had read by
a famous quote about how cricket is a sport
where everyone bends, including the um-
pire.
"The line stuck to me. If you see in
cricket everyone has to bend at some point
of time. The bowler has to bend while
bowling, fielder bends once he takes a start
and batsman too bends at stance. So even
I bend while standing behind stumps. It
helps me a lot in terms of concentration,"
he added.
The questions about his hair doesn’t sur-
prise him but he has been also asked
whetherhegetsboredstandingthereallday.
“Many have asked me that. I say, no not at all,
I love this game. Time just flies once we are
inside the field,” Pathak says.
In the 90’s, he had enrolled himself in the
academy of Ramakant Achrekar, the man
who had taught Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod
Kambli among others.
SHAKING A LEG
Adams (R) paired up with Russian
choreographer Katya Jones. Twitter
without prior written permission is prohibited. The Indian Express ®
‘DIDN’T EVEN THINK ABOUT NOT STAYING ON TOUR’
What Aussie cricketers had to say about Kohli’s decision
MASSIVE PUNCH: CLARKE
Former Australia captain
Michael Clarke told Sky
SportsRadiothatthenews
is a “massive punch in the
face for Test cricket.” He
said that he would have
flipped the international fixtures to en-
sure Kohli was available for the Tests in-
stead of the suite of white-ball matches
preceding them. “We’ve changed every-
thing else, why not? I would have. If you
care aboutTestcricketand if youhadthat
choice, for sure you would’ve found a
way,” he remarked.
“DISAPPOINTING” FOR WAUGH
Steve Waugh admits he
was a bit surprised. “I’m a
little bit disappointed he’s
not going to be there, and
a bit surprised. This was
reallyshaping upas oneof
the key series of his whole career after
he’s achieved just about everything. But
obviouslyfamilycomesfirst,”hetoldAFP.
Waugh struck a parallel to the last
time India toured Australia. “It's a bit like
a couple of years ago when India won
without (David) Warner or (Steve) Smith
in the side.”
sity levels. “He aims for peak physical and
mental proficiency in everything he does…
Part of Kohli may have feared he could not,
under the circumstances, achieve in his
Australian tasks the degree of clarity and im-
mersion to which he is accustomed to,” he
says. It would be interesting to see how par-
enthood would affect Kohli’s career, Haigh
dwells.“Cricketandmarriagehavecoexisted
peacefullyinhislife;cricketandchildrenwill
be harder to reconcile,” he says.
Hammer blow for CA
In The Australian, Robert Craddock says
it would be a “colossal hammer blow” for
Paschim Pathak had enrolled to be
coached by the late Ramakant
Achrekar, Tendulkar’s coach but he
made his mark as an official. BCCI
In the latest test, despite being
asymptomatic, Jones tested
positive and she, along with
Adams were put into
mandatory 14-day isolation.
to express her disappointment. “I’m ab-
solutely gutted my Strictly journey has
ended so soon, I had so much more to give
and so many people to win this for! But I
just want to say a huge thank you to
@Mrs_katjones for being the best dance
partner anyone could ask for. Team #out-
sidethebox.”
ADAMS COMES OUT
According to The Guardian, Adams had
come out to her mother when she was 14,
and it was well known that she was gay
when she became the first ever woman to
win an Olympic gold in boxing at the 2012
Olympics, and later defended her crown at
SCOTLAND REACH EURO FINALS
Scotland reached their first European Championship finals
since 1996 after a 5-4 penalty shootout win in Serbia with the
match ending 1-1 after extra time in Belgrade on Thursday. PTI
BORDER’S INSIGHT
AllanBorderadmittedthat
theideaof leavingatourto
witness a birth simply
wouldn’t register among
the playing group in his
era.“Itwassomethingthat
was never discussed. If you happened to
be on tour with the Australian cricket
team, you didn’t even think about not
staying on the tour. I’m not sure when
(that mindset) changed. But certainly
now, there’s not many guys who won’t
leave a tour or not go on a tour because of
the impending birth of children.
CAN’T BE COMPLACENT: LANGER
Kohli’s absence would
soothe a major headache
for Australia head coach
Justin Langer. “Are we
happyhe’snotplaying?It’s
like taking Dustin Martin
outof Richmond,isn’tit?”saidLanger,re-
ferring to the champion Australian Rules
footballer.Headded,duringavirtualpress
conference: “I’ve also got respect for him
in the sense that he’s made this decision.
He’s a human being like all of us.” But it’s
not like Australia have already pocketed
the series, Langer warns.
Australia’s $300 million Test summer. “It’s a
massiveboosttoAustralia’shopesof reclaim-
ing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but losing
the game’s No.1 drawcard is a crushing dis-
appointment for CA administrators and
broadcasters Fox Sports and Channel 7,” he
writes.
ButCAbossNickHockleymaintainedop-
timism and labelled the series “one for the
ages.” Despite Kohli’s absence, he is hopeful
of a closely-fought series. “You've got a good
number of players from both sides who
playedthelastseriesinAustraliawhichIndia
won. There’ll be a huge amount to play for,”
he told Radio Station SEN.
The 44-year-old Mumbai
umpire has umpired in IPL
previously as well but hasn't
become a social-media curiosity
as he has this year. Asked if any
cricketer lauded his hair style,
he politely says, "no".
But the reality about his talent hit home
when he faced some quality bowlers in the
maidans of Mumbai. The curiosity about the
game though pushed him towards cricket
law books and he plunged into it.
One day, he asked his neighbour Sriram
Kannan, a Mumbai Ranji Trophy player, how
to pursue a career in umpiring.
He found out that Mumbai Cricket
Association(MCA) gave chancesto peopleto
take up umpiring every year; that they just
havetopassthewrittenandpracticalexams.
Next day, Pathak landed at the MCA prem-
isesandenrolledhimself inthenextseason’s
umpiring classes.
"I wanted to be a cricketer but soon I re-
Rio2016.Thefeatsledhertobeingawarded
thetitlesMemberof theOrderof theBritish
Empire (MBE) and Officer of the Order of
the British Empire (OBE) respectively.
On September 6 however, she took to
her Twitter account to make clear that she
wasn’tbisexual.“I’mlesbiannotbi,justsay-
ing,” she wrote.
Her sexuality has never openly been
criticized, and she has been revered for her
athletic performances in the country. The
onlytime, allegedly,that therewas anycrit-
icism was when she asked for a same-sex
partner before competing in Strictly.
MAKING OF TEAM ‘OUTSIDE THE BOX’
In an interview with The Guardian, Adams
said of her request: “I guess it’s just break-
ing those boundaries and showing peo-
ple that it’s OK. It’s not such an uncom-
mon thing: professional dancers dance
with people of the same sex all the time;
you dance in a nightclub with your
friends. I just wanted to break down the
thing of it being a big deal when it’s not
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
add new IPL
teams: Dravid
BRIEFLY
Enough talent to
New Delhi: Former India captain
Rahul Dravid believes that IPL is
"ready for expansion" in terms of
number of teams without compro-
mising on the quality as well as quan-
tity of talent available in the country.
The views of Dravid, who is now the
director of National Cricket Academy
(NCA), were echoed by Rajasthan
Royals co-owner Manoj Badale, who
felt that a nine-team IPL in 2021 is
"definitelypossible"."IfeelIPLisready
for expansion in terms of talent, if you
look from talent perspective. There
are a lot of talented players who are
not getting an opportunity to play."
Dravid said during the virtual launch
of Badale's book 'A New Innings',
which he co-authored with former
English cricketer Simon Hughes. PTI
Prajneshadvances
intoquarterfinals
Cary: PrajneshGunneswaranprevailed
overtoughnutJackSockinthreesetsto
sailintothequarterfinalsoftheAtlantic
TireChampionships,anATPChallenger
event, in Cary. The 4th-seeded south-
paw beat the former top-10 American
6-7 (3) 6-2 7-6(5) in a tight round two
contest, which lasted almost three
hours. . Prajnesh,ranked146,nextfaces
BrazilianqualifierThomazBellucci. PTI
UnitedStateswarns
Wadaaboutfunding
Toronto: The United States warned
the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) to keep out of its sovereign
affairs on Thursday, refusing to re-
move the threat of pulling funding
from the body unless reforms it de-
mands are enacted.Both WADA and
U.S. officials expressed the need for
cooperation and dialogue during a
virtual Foundation Board meeting
but it was clear WADA is taking the
threat seriously, saying it had pre-
pared two budgets for 2021, one that
includes U.S. funding and another
that does not. REUTERS
alisedthatit'snotmeantforme.Iwasalways
goodatstudies,somyfamilyneverpressured
me.Ibecameaprofessionalumpireaftergiv-
ingan exam in MCA andlater cleared allum-
piring exams under BCCI in 2008. Since um-
piring was my passion, I stopped my CA
work," Pathak says.
The 44-year-old Mumbai umpire has
umpired in IPL previously as well but hasn't
become a social-media curiosity as he has
this year. Asked if any cricketer lauded his
hair style, he politely says, "no".
His sister created his Instagram account
which has a few hundred followers. Not a
tech person, Pathak says he did enjoy the
brief limelight he received.
Dubaihad its behavioural challenges too,
in particular the bio-bubble for umpires but
Pathakisthankfultothearrangementsmade
by the Indian board.
They were given private beach access,
designated areas where they access to meet
other umpires.
When not working as an umpire, Pathak
helps his wife who is also a chartered ac-
countant. Pathak hopes that in the times to
come, his umpiring skills would be talked
about more rather than his hair.
really a big deal.”
BBC BACKING
Lastyear,a one-off danceroutineonStrictly
between Johannes Radebe and Graziano Di
Prima, both professional dancers, allegedly
resulted in nearly 200 complaints.
However, once criticism following the
decision of pairing Adams and Jones to-
gether started to come in, the BBC made it
clear that it will stand by the decision.
“Strictly Come Dancing is an inclusive
show and is proud to have featured same
sex dancing amongst the professional
dancers in group numbers in previous se-
ries,” the BBC said in a statement.
“We have stated, in the past, that we are
open to the prospect of including same sex
pairings between our celebrities and pro-
fessional dancers, should the opportunity
arise.NicolaAdamsrequestedanall-female
pairing, which we are happy to facilitate.
The show is first and foremost about dance,
the sex of each partner within a coupling
should have no bearing on their routine.”
22
‘Country needs a long term strategy to fight
problems like diabetes and COVID.’
In today’s New Normal, how dangerous is
it to be diabetic along with COVID-19?
The data and research so far have shown that
people with diabetes and other related health
problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular dis-
eases are more prone to poor outcomes resulting
from COVID-19 infection.
There are various aspects to the relationship be-
tween COVID 19 and diabetes. Are people with di-
abetes more prone to contract COVID 19? Seems
unlikely. However, if someone with diabetes does
become affected by COVID19, then the risk of seri-
ous outcomes is higher than in those without dia-
betes, although not all patients with diabetes have
bad outcomes,
One major aspect is the presence of other dis-
eases that often coexist with diabetes, often called
“comorbidities”. Diabetes goes hand-in-hand
with obesity, hypertension, heart disease and kid-
ney disease. The presence of these associated
problems increases the risks for poor outcomes.
Each of these can individually impact the outcome
- a combination of these makes it much worse.
Since the risk of getting severe COVID is higher
in diabetes, it follows that the chances of some-
one with diabetes needing hospitalization are also
higher. The level of diabetes control (as judged by
the HbA1C – a measure of three months blood
glucose- and blood glucose level itself) at the time
of admission correlates with outcomes. The poorer
the diabetes control at admission, the greater the
chances of requiring oxygen or ICU. Therefore the
need for instituting good sugar control cannot be
over-emphasized.
Unfortunately, it is human psychology that peo-
ple tend to ignore the long term impact of diseases
They often don’t bother about control of diabetes,
as the long term impact on eyes, kidney, heart
seems remote and distant. The new normal has
changed this attitude greatly. People are now
forced to monitor and manage diabetes even in
the short term, because of the scare of COVID
Moreover, COVID infection itself causes spikes in
blood sugar levels. It may also be the case that
drugs administered may be causing the sugar
flare-up There is a possibility that the virus may
actually induce new onset diabetes, but that is still
not firmly established.
Many patients, after they contracted COVID,
have discovered that they are diabetic. They did
not know before the infection. A lot of patients
who came to me have found this recently. This em-
phasizes the need for regular blood glucose checks
in otherwise healthy people, especially if they have
a family history of diabetes or are obese.
So should a person go for another round
of checkup for his other vital organs post
his recovery such as lungs etc?
After recovery, a patient can go for a check-up if
the symptoms persist. Post-COVID syndrome can be
challenging in some patients. It has been seen that
diabetes may not even settle for weeks, even after
COVID subsides. I am treating patients who are
still recovering from the sugar spike that hap-
pened during COVID, two months after the infec-
tion had subsided.
How big is the problem of diabetes in In-
dia?
India has seen a spectacular increase in the
number of diabetes patients in recent decades. Di-
abetes is now prevalent across the urban and rural
regions in the country.Thankfully, the gap between
the number of rural diabetic patients and urban
diabetic patients is still huge. In urban areas, we
see the problem being more prevalent because of
lifestyle challenges. Everyone is in a hurry- the
wrong kind of food is often gulped down, there is
no time to exercise, and stress is a part of daily life.
Car drivers are a classic example of a lifestyle
problem. Car drivers are an important part of our
society. They work across sectors, businesses etc.
They are often from tier two towns and cities,
where they live a healthy and agile life, until the
day of their employment. Once on the job, they
suddenly become sedentary.As a result of long sit-
ting hours, they have irregular food habits. They
may have erratic sleeping hours due to their na-
ture of work. They eat irregularly and as a result,
rapidly gain weight and tend to develop diabetes,
all of a sudden.
This year’s World Diabetes Day theme is
COVID HAS LED TO AN
INCREASE IN HOME BASED
CARE FOR DIABETES, WHICH
I EXPECT WILL CONTINUE
AFTER THE PANDEMIC.
In a candid conversation, Dr Ambrish Mithal,
Chairman & Head - Endocrinology & Diabetes,
Max Healthcare (pan Max), said that India needs to
find ways to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and
NCDs to fight pandemics like COVID in the future.
“The Nurse and Diabetes”. How relevant
has the education and training of nurses,
healthcare professionals about diabetes
and COVID-19 have become in today’s sce-
nario? How will it help diabetic patients?
Answer. I would say that the fight against dia-
betes has to be a team effort that includes educa-
tors who are trained for spreading awareness. But,
unfortunately, we lack an appropriate number of
health care professionals, including doctors, para-
medics, educators, nurses and other related med-
ical staff.
In many countries, nurses play a vital role in dia-
betes education. They teach patients testing for
blood glucose, administration of insulin doses,
managing low blood sugar reactions, etc. In India,
the same job is taken over by nutritionists who are
trained to be diabetes educators. Diabetes educa-
tors in India therefore play a dual role -- they advise
on all the above, along with detailed diet plan-
ning. Although there has been some focus on de-
veloping this cadre of late, we are still woefully
short of adequate number of diabetes educators.
Nurses in India are usually in short supply, and are
mostly needed for care of critical and hospitalised
patients.
Managing diabetes is a team effort. Unless the
patients are empowered to take care of their dia-
betes, we will never achieve our goals. This em-
powerment can only happen if patients are im-
parted extensive counselling about their disease
management. Indian doctors are already under
pressure for time, and are unable to justice to this
aspect of diabetes management. For diabetes care
standards to improve in this country, it is imperative
that hospitals, health care machinery in India and
the government should invest in training diabetes
educators. This will improve the overall diabetes
management scenario in the country and increase
employment opportunities too.
Moreover, if one takes a cost-benefit analysis,
he will find that the employment of these educators
How does diabetes
impact COVID?
■ People will diabetes get more severe
forms of infection
■ Their chances of adverse outcomes are
much higher
■ People who keep their diabetes well
controlled are protected to a large degree
■ Older people with diabetes of long
duration, are particularly at risk
■ Those who have other conditions like
high BP, heart disease, kidney disease
along with diabetes are the most
vulnerable
will actually complement the job of doctors in India
and greatly enhance the efficiency of hospitals. I
would recommend that every doctor involved in
chronic care have one or two nutritionists or educa-
tors in their team. In every organization I have
been a part of, I have tried to emphasise this and
have helped to train a large number of educators
through the years.
Women in our society have a special
place. How can women play a leading role
in our fight against COVID-19 and dia-
betes?
Professionally, women in the field of endocrinol-
ogy in India are doing exceptionally well at every
level and often provide leadership to the field. The
same can be said of the fight against COVID. How-
ever, on the home front, it is true that women usu-
ally control the kitchen and hence control the
quality of food to all family members. They can,
therefore, bring change by introducing healthier
How does COVID
impact diabetes?
■ COVID aggravates blood sugar, diabetes
worsens
■ In severe cases, COVID can cause high
blood sugar
even in those who are not diabetic!
■ Use of steroids, which are essential in
many cases of COVID, can cause major
spikes in sugar
■ Insulin may be needed to control the
sugar- temporarily.
■ High blood sugar may persist for a few
weeks after COVID settles
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
dietary options. This can greatly enhance our abil-
ity to fight COVID and diabetes in general.
Can a person have both type 1 and type 2
diabetes at the same time or later in his
life? Does it happen when type 1 develops
into type 2 or vice versa or both? Please
explain.
Type 1 relates to insulin deficiency caused by
destruction of insulin producing beta cells by a
virus or autoimmunity and Type 2 means that the
person has both insulin resistance and insulin defi-
ciency. In Type 2, beta cells continue to produce in-
sulin for a long time, but the insulin is unable to
act on the cells. Later, the insulin producing cells
give up, there is progressive decline in insulin secre-
tion, and diabetes develops. Type 2 diabetes is
the common variety of life style related diabetes
that has seen an exponential rise in India.Type 1 di-
abetes typically occurs in children and insulin is
always needed for treatment.
We also witness exceptions. We have now seen
that Type 1 diabetic patients can also be over-
weight. Insulin resistance can develop as an addi-
tional feature. So one can say some elements of
type 2 can creep into Type 1. Similarly slowly
evolving forms of Type 1 diabetes, that may mimic
Type 2 diabetes, can be seen in middle age and el-
derly at times.
To ensure people are safe all the time
from COVID-19, what precautions do you
suggest to people having diabetes?
First and foremost, well-controlled patients of
diabetes can withstand COVID-19 infection fairly
well. We have seen when the lockdown began,
people suddenly got to spend more time with fam-
ily and inevitably feasting on food followed. In-
take of sugar rich, fat rich food increased and
overeating became the norm. This resulted in
weight gain and worsening of sugar control. Many
forgot to monitor their blood sugar levels com-
pletely for several months.
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
ADVERTORIAL
OUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO
ENSURE THAT ALL
PEOPLE WITH DIABETES,
REGARDLESS OF
THEIR LOCATION, HAVE
ACCESS TO SPECIALIST
ADVISE IF NEEDED.
I recommend a few steps:
First, don't stop testing and monitoring your
sugar levels. Second, make sure you're following
the same routine as prescribed by your doctor.
Maintain that routine and live a disciplined life,
even when you are under quarantine or a lock-
down.Third, almost all COVID 19 infection spreads
through indoor and not outdoor transmission.
Outdoor activities like solitary walks while wearing
a mask are quite acceptable. Do not, therefore,
stop your walks if you enjoy them- provided the
pollution allows you to!
Fourth, do not stop your medication. Keep at
least one month of stock of insulin and other re-
lated medicines with you. Fifth, be in regular con-
tact with your doctor. It is usual for people call
their doctors only when there is an emergency -- for
example when they contract COVID. This is mak-
ing the job harder for doctors. Many doctors are
now available via video conferencing and through
a host of other online tools.
What is going to be the future of dia-
betes in a post COVID era?
Answer. COVID-19 pandemic is more than a
pandemic. It is a syndemic of infectious and non-in-
fectious disease. It preferentially impacts those
who are suffering from non-communicable disor-
ders (NCD) like diabetes, hypertension and heart
disease. In this sense, syndemics allow us to recog-
nise how political and social factors drive, perpet-
uate, or worsen the emergence and clustering of
diseases.
This means that while viruses will come and go,
but we cannot deal with future pandemics any
better if we do not have a long term strategy to
reduce NCD prevalence. A healthy society will
have lesser number of affected patients. A popula-
tion with 5% diabetes prevalence will have much
better chances of dealing with COVID type situa-
tion effectively than one which has a prevalence
of 20%. This pandemic should therefore lead to a
rebooting of our NCD programs as well, which
may need out of the box thinking at the policy and
national level.
We need to bring in technologies that facilitate
and enhance remote consulting. In our case, at
the onset of COVID infection, we started communi-
cating with our patients through emails, SMS and
calls. It took time but patients have now under-
stood the entire process. So a usual process is
that patient takes the appointment and sends the
data to us. A team of doctors or doctors then
analyse that data, prepare summary note for the
senior doctor. The senior doctor then takes consul-
tation online/ on a video call with the patient.
There can be many such models that people are
using successfully. It allows access to patients
from far and wide without making the trek to the
doctor’s office, which is often in a distant city.
As a result of COVID, we will also see home care
increase significantly. Hospitals and health sys-
tems will have to evolve to deliver such care es-
pecially to the elderly and vulnerable. These are
some of the things we are going to witness in the
post COVID era. The pandemic has propelled soci-
ety towards adopting these norms.
Is there a cut-off for a patient or a stan-
dard set of symptoms to go and check-in
to the hospital?
There is no such cut-off. Generally, older pa-
tients with a variety of problems and associated
challenges may seek hospital care. In the case of a
younger patient, if the person is showing symp-
toms which can lead to grave consequences, he
should go for hospital care.
Issued in Public Interest by
https://t.me/AllNewspaper2020 https://t.me/AllNewspaper2020 https://t.me/AllNewspaper2020

Want to get these Newspapers Daily at earliest

1. The Hindu

2. All Newspaper2020

3. आकाशवाणी (AUDIO)
Type in Search box of Telegram @AllNewspaper2020

And you will find a Channel named ALL NEWS PAPERS

join it and receive daily editions of these epapers at the

earliest.
Or you can tap on this link:

https://t.me/AllNewspaper2020

https://t.me/AllNewspaper2020 https://t.me/AllNewspaper2020 https://t.me/AllNewspaper2020