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JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

BREAKS DEADLOCK AFTER JUSTICE NARIMAN RETIREMENT SUNANDA PUSHKAR CASE

Collegium recommends 8 HC judges, Court clears Tharoor

advocate, to SC; 3 are in line for CJI
Process sacrosanct, says CJI Ramana, anguished over ‘speculation’ in media on recommendations
APURVA VISHWANATH
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THE SUPREME Court Collegium
headed by Chief Justice of India
N V Ramana Wednesday offi-
cially notified its recommenda-
tion of nine names for appoint-
ment as judges to the top court.
If the recommendations are
accepted, three more judges
couldbeaddedtothelineof suc-
cession for the CJI’s post — till
mid-2028 — including what
could be the first woman CJI.
As The Indian Express re-
ported Wednesday, Justice B V
Nagarathna of the Karnataka
High Court could become the
first woman CJI. The other two
on the list who could become CJI
are Justice Vikram Nath, Gujarat
High Court Chief Justice; and
Senior Advocate P S Narasimha.
However, all three are likely to
(Kerala High Court) and Bela M
Trivedi (Gujarat High Court) for
appointment as judges to the
apex court.
Thisalsoendsthe22-month-
long deadlock, days after Justice
Rohinton Nariman retired.
Justice Nariman, a member
of the Collegium since 2019, is
said to have put his foot down
that no consensus could
CJI Ramana -led Collegium cleared the names. Of them, (from emerge on the names unless
left) Advocate Narasimha, Karnataka HC judge Nagarathna the two most senior judges in
and Gujarat Chief Justice Vikram Nath could become CJI the all-India seniority list of
High Court judges, Karnataka
High Court Chief Justice Oka
have relatively short tenures. High Court Chief Justice Hima and Tripura High Court Chief
Besides these three names, Kohli, Sikkim High Court Chief Justice Akil Kureshi, were rec-
the Collegium has also recom- Justice J K Maheshwari, and ommended first.
mended Karnataka High Court Justices M M Sundresh (Madras All the nine names were
Chief Justice A S Oka, Telangana High Court), C T Ravikumar CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
in wife’s death, he says
long nightmare over
Charged with abetment to suicide, cruelty; defence argued
cause of death not clear yet, police took ‘adventurous’ route
ANAND MOHAN J
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
OVERSEVENyearsafterhiswife,
Sunanda Pushkar, was found
dead, a Delhi court on
WednesdaydischargedCongress
MP Shashi Tharoor in a case of
abetment to suicide and cruelty.
Special JudgeGeetanjali Goel
pronouncedtheorderatavirtual
hearing in which Tharoor was
present. The detailed order is
awaited.
Tharoor told the court that it
was “seven-and-a-half years of
absolute torture”. He later re-
Tharoor with Pushkar. He
says ‘kept faith in judiciary’
7 YEARS A CASE
JAN 17, 2014: Pushkar
found dead in a hotel.
JAN 1, 2015: FIR against
unknown persons on
charges of murder.
MAY 15, 2018: Tharoor
named in chargesheet
for ‘abetting suicide’.
AUG 31, 2019: Police ask
court to try him for
above, or “alternatively”
frame murder charges.
APRIL 12, 2021: Court
reserves order.

Taliban hold talks amid plans for ruling

leased a statement saying that
hisfaithinthejudiciaryhadbeen
“vindicated”andhis“longnight- “I would like to express my the police were absurd and pre-
mare” was over. humble thanks to Judge posterous. Even the most essen-

council; crack down on Jalalabad protest

“I have weathered dozens of
unfounded accusationsandme-
dia vilification patiently, sus-
tained by my faith in the Indian
judiciary, which today stands
GeetanjaliGoelforherordersto-
day, discharging me from the
charges levied by the Delhi
Police, which I have consistently
described as preposterous. This
tial ingredients of the offences
were not present in this case. All
the reports of various medical
boards...exoneratedhimfromthe
charges of homicide or suicide.

REUTERS & How India,

ASSOCIATED PRESS
KABUL, AUGUST 18
AT LEAST three people were
killed in anti-Taliban protests in
Jalalabad on Wednesday, wit-
nessessaid,asthemilitantgroup
tried to set up a government
and Western countries stepped
up evacuations of diplomats
and civilians.
More than a dozen people
were injured after Taliban mili-
tants opened fire on protesters
intheeasterncity,twowitnesses
and a former police official told
Reuters.
Witnesses said the deaths
took place when local residents
tried to install Afghanistan’s na-
tionalflag,adaybeforethecoun-
try’s Independence Day, at a
squareinJalalabad,some150km
from the capital on the main
road to Pakistan.
The Taliban have promised
Taliban released this photo Wednesday of talks with Karzai,
Abdullah and Haqqani leader Anas Haqqani in Kabul. AP
peace following their sweep into
Kabul, saying they will not take
revenge against old enemies
and will respect the rights of
women within the framework
of “Islamic law”.
But many Afghans remain
deeply sceptical, and the violent
response to Wednesday’s
protest could only fuel their
fears. Thousands are racing to
the airport and borders to flee
the country.
As the Taliban consolidated
power, one of their leaders and
co-founders, Mullah Abdul
THE FALL OF
vindicated.Inourjusticesystem,
the process is all too often the
bringsasignificantconclusionto
the long nightmare which had
Thechargesheetwaswithoutany
basis,” said Tharoor’s lawyer,
KABUL TO
US worked
punishment. Nonetheless, the enveloped me after the tragic Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa.
fact that justice has been done, passing of my late wife Pushkar was found dead in a
TALIBAN at last, will allow all of us in the Sunanda,” he said. suiteof aluxuryhotelinDelhion
WHAT IT MEANS the lines to family to mourn Sunanda in
peace,” he said.
“Ultimately justice has pre-
vailed... The charges levelled by
January17,2014.TheDelhiPolice
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
FOR INDIA
evacuate the
A SERIES
UNDERSTANDING
mission staff Riot-injured forced to recite
TALIBAN2.0
By M K Bhadrakumar PAGE11 SHUBHAJIT ROY
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
anthem: 3 policemen identified
AFGHANISTAN’S through a lie-detector test,
NEWRULERS AS TENSION mounted the night MAHENDER SINGH sources said.
ByNirupamaSubramanian P13 before the airlift of Indian diplo- MANRAL Thespecialinvestigationunit
mats and civilians from Kabul, NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18 of the Crime Branch questioned
the Indian establishment more than 100 police personnel
Ghani Baradar, returned to worked closely with the US for THE DELHI Police has identified and scanned a number of docu-
Afghanistan for the first time in the evacuation Tuesday. three of the policemen who al- ments, including duty charts of
more than 10 years. In New Delhi, the Ministry of legedly forced five men injured the policemen deployed from
A Taliban official said leaders External Affairs coordinated during the Northeast Delhi riots outsideduringtheriots.“Almost
would show themselves to the closely with the US embassy to lastyeartorecitethenationalan- after 17 months, police have ze-
world, unlike in the past when fly the Indians out of Kabul. them. The incident had been roed in on three policemen, and
they lived in secret. “Slowly, Sources said while External captured on video, with one of senior officers have been in-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Affairs Minister S Jaishankar those injured later dying. The Riots regrettable, no religion formed. A lie-detector test will
spoke to US Secretary of State threepersonnel,postedwiththe or community bad: Asthana be conducted on them after
AntonyBlinken, the cooperation Delhi Armed Police, will be put in visit to NE Delhi. PAGE3 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

In a thin slice of the job INTERIM ORDER was at a much deeper and oper-

SC lets women sit for ationallevelbetweenofficialson

market, wages up, but

the two sides.
NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign

NDA exam, says policy SecretaryHashVardhanShringla

Covid stress still looms

supervisedtheIndianside’scon-
tacts with the US, and at the op-

based on gender bias erational level, MEA Joint

E
ble-digit growth in salaries and Secretary(Pakistan-Afghanistan-
SANDEEP SINGH & wages,and four witnessedmore Iran) J P Singh remained in close
GEORGE MATHEW than 20 per cent year-on-year contact with US Charge d’
E X P L A I NE D

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18 growthintheJunequarter.These EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Towards AffairesAtulKeshap.TheCabinet

JOBSINmanysectorsof IndiaInc
for the quarter-ended June 2021
have seen a sharp rise in wages
and salaries, suggesting a revival
of sentiments and confidence in
a thin slice of the labour market.
While the entire economy
was hit hard by Covid-19 pan-
demic,April-June2021emerged
as the first quarter in the last five
thatshowedalarge-scalerevival
in wage expenses by listed com-
panies, reflecting upward revi-
sions and fresh hiring.
Data of 1,427 listed non-fi-
nancial companies collated by
theRBIandpresentedinits‘State
of the Economy’ report released
onTuesday, showsthatoutof 16
key sectors, 11 witnessed dou-
companies account for 86.8 per
cent of the market capitalisation
of all such companies.
There are, however, some
caveats.Expertspointedoutthat
the growth in thequarter-ended
June 2021 is over that in June
2020, when a large number of
companies had already cut their
wage bill following the pan-
demic hit on businesses. Also,
this data is related to listed enti-
ties, which are bigger and better
positioned to grow and tide over
the Covid stress.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
R VALUE BELOW 1;
ALSO IN KERALA, N-E
PAGE 8
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
OVER A year after its landmark
verdict granting permanent
commission to women officers
of the Indian Army serving un-
der Short Service Commission,
theSupremeCourt,inaninterim
order on Wednesday, allowed
women candidates to sit for the
National Defence Academy
(NDA)entranceexamscheduled
to be held on September 5.
Stating that the “policy deci-
sion”tobarwomenfromadmis-
siontotheNDA“isbasedongen-
der discrimination”, a bench of
Justices S K Kaul and Hrishikesh
Roy asked the government “to
take a constructive view of the
matter”, and referred to the
Secretariat was also involved in
gender the process.
● equality CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
COMING ON the heels of
its February 2020 order BUSINESS AS USUAL
to grant permanent com-
mission to women Short BY UNNY
Service Commission offi-
cers in the Army, this in-
terim order allowing
women candidates to sit
for the NDA entrance
exam is another step in
ensuring gender equality
in the forces.
court’sruling,onFebruary17last
year, allowing permanent
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

After 604 days in Saudi prison for an FB

post he didn’t make, 34-year-old is home
PAGE 1
ANCHOR
KIRAN PARASHAR
BENGALURU, AUGUST 18
AN AIR-CONDITIONING techni-
cian belonging to Udupi district
in Karnataka returned home
Wednesday after spending 604
days in a prison in Saudi Arabia
on charges of defaming the
Crown Prince and a community
on social media. Harish Begera,
34, faced life in prison or the
death penalty, before a probe by
the Udupi police found that im-
personators were behind the
post that landed him in jail.
A resident of Bijadi village,
Bangera was arrested on
December 22, 2019, in the Saudi
city of Dammam where he
worked.Thiswasthreedaysafter
he shared a Facebook post that
supported the Indian govern-
ment’sCitizenship(Amendment)
Act and plans for a National
Register of Citizens, drawing his
employer’s ire.
“I released a video apologis-
ing for sharing the post. I did not,
however, mention that it was
specifically for the post which I
had made, and later deactivated
my Facebook account,” Bangera,
who arrived in Bengaluru on
Wednesday morning, told The
Indian Express.
But soon, there was another
Facebook account, in his name,
where defamatory posts were
put up against Saudi Arabia’s
Crown Prince Mohammad bin
Salman and a community, lead-
ing to his arrest.
Back home in Udupi, his wife
Sumana M filed a complaint
with the district police, saying
Harish Bangera with his family on his arrival at Bangalore unknown persons had imper-
airport Wednesday. Probe in India helped clear him. Express sonated Bangera on Facebook.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

New Delhi
 2 THE SECOND PAGE
FROM PAGE ONE
Tharoor cleared
initially registered an FIR against
unknown persons on charges of
murder, on January 1, 2015.
Tharoor was later booked under
IPCSections498A(husbandorhis
relative subjecting a woman to
cruelty) and 306 (abetment to
suicide). On August 31, 2019, the
DelhiPoliceaskedaDelhicourtto
prosecute Tharoor for abetment
tosuicideor“alternatively”frame
murder charges against him.
Theprosecution,spearheaded
by Additional Public Prosecutor
AtulKumarShrivastava,hadsub-
mitted that while the post-
mortemexaminationopinedthat
thecauseofdeathwaspoisoning,
there were 15 ante-mortem in-
juries,between12hoursandfour
days old, indicating a scuffle.
Rebutting this, Pahwa had
saidthecauseof deathwasyetto
be established, although the po-
lice had taken an “adventurous
route” in its probe.
“There are rather reports
whichsayitwasneitherhomicide
nor suicide. A psychological au-
topsy was conducted. They
wanted to know the mental sta-
tusofthevictim.But,tilldate,they
are not clear whether she com-
mitted suicide or it was a homi-
cide,” he had said.
The prosecution had told the
court that the special investiga-
tionteamhadtoapproachtheFBI,
and the CFSL report “was not
right”.Inhisresponse,Pahwahad
said the prosecution had made
“an irresponsible statement by
claimingthattheCFSLreportwas
not right”. “None of the labs in
India say that alprax was found.
The FBI report stated that only
traces were found because she
was consuming one or two
tablets… this theory is in the air.
Itisonlyafigmentofimagination
of the prosecutor,” he had said.
Theprosecutionhadreliedon
a slew of Supreme Court rulings
to argue that the concept of cru-
eltyvaries,andmentaltortureand
abnormal behavior may also
amount to cruelty.
Citing three medical reports,
theprosecutionhadclaimedthat
the"causeofdeathwas...probably
Alprazolam poisoning”. "The
medicalreportshaveopinedthat
the poison was administered
through the oral route, however,
injectable route also cannot be
ruled out," Shrivastava had told
the court. The prosecution had
also relied on the statement of a
keywitness,NarayanSingh,who
was working as a domestic help
with the couple at the time.
According to Singh's statement,
the couple had big fights in the
daysbeforeherdeath.Theprose-
cution had cited statements of
Pushkar's friends and relatives,
and her mail recovered from a
harddisk,topointtoher“mental
status”.
Countering this, Tharoor’s
lawyer had told the court that
Pushkar'stweets“clearlyindicate
thatthedeceasedwasnothaving
any'suicidalideations'asissought
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tobeallegedbytheprosecution”.
Collegium recommends 9 names for SC
He had urged the court to bring
onrecordPushkar’stweets,aplea
which was rejected.
reported by The Indian Express
Kabul mission Wednesday.
Both sides communicated Earlierintheday,CJIRamana
overanencryptedmessagingsys- expressedanguishover“specu-
temona“real-timebasis”.Infact, lations” in the media about the
Keshap was in constant touch Collegium'srecommendations,
with the US base commander in andsaidhewas“extremelyup-
Kabul airport, so that the Indian set about it”.
convoy could be allowed in. Speaking at a farewell func-
The convoy, which moved at tionforJusticeNavinSinha,who
night, reached one of the gates of demittedofficeWednesday,the
the US-controlled technical sec- CJIsaid:“Theprocessofappoint-
tion of the airport. When it mentofjudgesissacrosanctand
reached that area, there was a has certain dignity attached to
huge crowd outside the airport. it. My media friends must un-
The Indians were told it was not derstand and recognise the
thedesignatedgateonthatdayto sanctityofthisprocess.Asanin-
access the airport. The US side stitution, we hold the freedom
askedtheIndianstogotoanother of media and the rights of indi-
gate,withasimplerandbetterac- viduals in high esteem. Today’s
cess to the airport. reflectioninsomesectionsofthe
The whole process was coor- media, pending the process,
dinatedbetweenDelhi,Kabuland evenbeforeformalisingtheres-
Washington over several mes- olution is counter-productive.
sages.Afterawaitforafewhours, Therewereinstancesofdeserv-
theIndianconvoywasredirected ing career progression of bright
to a particular gate. They were talents getting marred because
able to access the airport after of such irresponsible reporting
KeshapgotapprovalsfromtheUS andspeculation.Thisisveryun-
base commander. This was a fortunate and I am extremely
complicated process, because upset about it”.
some 20 vehicles were being re- The CJI placed on record the
routed from one gate to another “tremendous amount of matu-
of the technical area. rityandresponsibilitydisplayed
Once inside, the Indian con- by majority of the senior jour-
voy was taken to a patch from nalists and media houses in
wheretheIndianAirForceaircraft showingrestraintandnotspec-
couldbeaccessed.Andthere,the ulating on such a serious mat-
US side, which was already busy ter”. He said “such professional
transporting Afghan translators, journalistsandethicalmediaare
tried to ensure that the Indians therealstrengthoftheSupreme
were at ease.
Wages up, but Covid stress still looms
TheUSgovernment’scooper-
ation,sourcessaid,waskeytothe
evacuation of the Indian diplo-
mats and the civilians -- a testa-
ment to the close strategic part- Thesharpwageriseinlisted
nership between the two entitiesdoesnotmeanthepan-
countries.Jaishankar,whowasen
route to New York, also spoke to
Blinken about the situation.
demicstressonemploymentis
over, or treat there are no more
joblosses.AsTheIndianExpress
Accordingtosources,thisconver- reported on August 16, CMIE
sation played a role in facilitating data shows a disproportionate
the evacuation, and allowed the impact on better quality jobs.
IAF aircraft stationed in Kabul to Salaried jobs, at 76.5 million in
take off early Tuesday morning. July 2021, were 3.2 million less
Jaishankar said he “under- than in June, notwithstanding
linedtheurgencyofrestoringair- thebroadereconomicuptickin
port operations in Kabul. Deeply July.TheJulynumberisalso3.6
appreciate the American efforts millionshortof thepre-second
underway in this regard”. wave level of 80 million in
Thiscooperation,sourcessaid, January-March2021.
is “key” to future evacuation Some experts said the RBI
flightsaswell.Officialssaidwhen dataisindicativeofformalisation
theTalibanlauncheditsoffensive of the economy where larger
toseizeprovinces,theIndianem- companiesarebenefittingatthe
bassy staff in Kabul had sensed cost of companies in the
theywouldhavetoeventuallyva- medium and small scale indus-
catethepremisesandshutdown tries. “This trend of higher GST
the mission. An evacuation plan and revenue collection, rise in
too was prepared, sources in the earnings of listed entities and
security establishment said. now increase in salaries and
“We knew the Taliban would wages bill at these companies is
finally reach Kabul. We didn’t indicativeofthefasterpaceoffor-
knowtheywoulddoitsoquickly. malisation in the economy post
Whentheycapturedkeyareasin demonetisation,”saidanecono-
Kabul by noon August 15, alarm mist. The RBI data also shows
bellsranghere.Theexistingevac- thathiringinthemanufacturing
uation plan was of no use any- andservicessegmentsisimprov-
more since the Afghan govern- ing.TheEmploymentPurchasing
ment was absent,” an official Managers’Index(EPMI)suggests
posted at the mission said. thathiringhasacceleratedinthe
manufacturingsector.Although
the services sector still shows
contraction in July 2021, it has
improved from the June level.
Sources said while the mis-
sion compound is protected by a
contingent of the ITBP, the secu-
rityoutsideishandledbyAfghan
authorities.“Bylateafternoonon
August15,wecouldonlyseemen
in civilian clothes with guns out-
side.Wedidn’tknowiftheywere
Afghan forces or Taliban. But it
didn’t matter anymore. The ITBP
then deployed its own men and
strengthenedtheperimetersecu-
rity,” another official said.
Asthemissionstaffgrewanx-
ious,sourcessaidaunitwaseven
sent to scout for locations to land
a helicopter to airlift the staff to
theairport.Butitwasfoundtobe
not feasible, and also dangerous.
--WITHDEEPTIMANTIWARY
Taliban talks
gradually, the world will see all
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
‘MYHERITAGEISMYCREATIVEFOUNDATION’:BIBHUMOHAPATRA
“SinceIhavemovedtothewest,Ihavebuiltmyaestheticstructureonthatsolidfoundationofmyheritage.I
designforaglobalaudience,buttheinfluencesofmyOdiaheritageisalwayspresentasaguidingline,”the
fashiondesignersaid
PHONECOMPANIES’
‘RISK-AVERSE’PHASE
Not ready to move
beyond the foundation
laid by Steve Jobs
THE LIST
Justice A S Oka
Chief Justice, Karnataka
High Court
Justice Vikram Nath
Chief Justice, Gujarat
High Court
Justice J K Maheshwari
Chief Justice, Sikkim
High Court
Justice Hima Kohli
Chief Justice, Telangana
High Court
Justice B V Nagarathna
Judge, Karnataka High
Court
Justice C T Ravikumar
Judge, Kerala High
Court
Justice M M Sundresh
Judge, Madras High
Court
Justice Bela M Trivedi
Judge, Gujarat High
Court
P S Narasimha
Senior Advocate
Court in particular and democ-
racy in general... I expect all the
stakeholders to uphold the in-
tegrityanddignityofthisinstitu-
tion”.
WhileCJIRamanaissettore-
tire on August 26, 2022, those
INDUSTRY-WISE WAGES AND
SALARIES Y-O-Y GROWTH (%)
QUARTER ENDED Mar
-20
Textiles 2.1 -29.8 -19.2 -8.8
Auto and Ancillaries -13.2 -21.1
Metals and Mining -0.5
Consumer Durables 5.6 -13.1
Oil and Gas -3.9
IT 10.5
Source: RBI
Therevivalinsalariesandhiring
comes at a time when “the
course of the economy over the
month and a half gone by has
been altered by the slow retreat
of the second wave of the pan-
demic”, reaffirming the traction
thattheeconomyisgaining.
Amongthelistedcompanies,
though, the RBI report shows
that textiles as an industry saw
the salaries and wages grow by
37.7percentintheJunequarter,
theautoandautoancillarieswit-
nessed a 25.5 per cent jump.
Metals and mining and con-
sumer durables too saw them
grow by 22.6 per cent and 21.5
percentrespectively.ITindustry,
whichdidnotseeabigimpactof
theCovid-19pandemicoverthe
last15months,alsowitnesseda
jumpof16.4percentinitswages
ourleaders,”theseniorTalibanof-
ficial told Reuters. “There will be
no shadow of secrecy.”
Pressing ahead with their ef-
fortstoforman“inclusive,Islamic
government”, the Taliban have
been holding talks with former
President Hamid Karzai and
Abdullah Abdullah, a senior offi-
cial in the ousted government.
Mohammad Yusof Saha, a
spokesman for Karzai, said pre-
liminary meetings with Taliban
officialswouldfacilitateeventual
negotiationswithMullahBaradar.
Karzai and Abdullah met
Wednesday with Anas Haqqani,
a senior leader in a powerful
Taliban faction. The US branded
the Haqqani network a terrorist
group in 2012, and its involve-
ment in a future government
could trigger international sanc-
IN PICS
next in line for the top post, in
order of seniority, are Justices
U U Lalit, D Y Chandrachud,
SanjeevKhanna,BRGavaiand
Surya Kant.
JusticeNath,whoseparent
High Court is the Allahabad
HighCourt,islikelyto succeed
Justice Surya Kant in 2027. He
will have a tenure of just over
seven months, from February
9,2027,toSeptember24,2027.
JusticeNathhasbeenhead-
ing the Gujarat HC’s interven-
tiononthegovernment’shan-
dling of the pandemic, raising
questions on issues including
lackof hospitalbedsandavail-
ability of essential drugs. He
brought in the first-ever live
telecast of a courtroom,
streaming the hearings on the
Covid crisis on YouTube.
After he retires, Justice
Nagarathnaisslatedtotakeof-
fice as the first woman CJI. Her
tenure will last just over a
month, from September 25,
2027, to October 29, 2027. The
last time a CJI served such a
shorttenurewasinMay2004,
when Justice Rajendra Babu
served for just 29 days.
The daughter of former CJI
E S Venkataramaiah, Justice
Nagarathnapractisedcommer-
ciallawinBengalurubeforebe-
ing appointed an Additional
Judge of the Karnataka High
Court in 2008. She is currently
thesecondmostseniorjudgein
` June 2021 quarter. The 21.5 per
Jun Sep Dec Mar Jun
-20 -20 -20 -21 -21
0.1 37.7
-7.2 4.7 6.2 25.5
-2.3 0.9 14.6 25.3 22.6
-9.1 -3.6 4.1 21.5
-4.1 10.5 18.9 13.3 18.6
7.3 5.5 6.8 8.6 16.4
andsalariesinthequarterended
June 2021. “Expenses on wages
and salaries jumped way above
the increases posted in the five
precedingquarters,indicativeof
stepped-uprehiring.Listedcom-
panies in two sectors, viz., infor-
mationtechnology(IT)andauto
and ancillaries, constituted the
highestproportionoftotalwages
andsalariespaidbyalllistednon-
financial companies. Hiring ac-
tivitybythethreetopITcompa-
nies are showing signs of an
ebullient revival. In contrast, in-
terest expenses fell sharply, re-
flectingtheimpactofdeleverag-
ing,”saidtheRBIreport.
Even the hotel and tourism
segment—theworstsufferersof
the Covid pandemic — which
witnesseda35-40percentcon-
traction in wages between June
tions. Reuters quoted a senior
TalibanofficialsayingAfghanistan
may be governed by a ruling
councilandthatthemovement’s
supreme leader, Haibatullah
Akhundzada,wouldlikelyremain
in overall charge.
Meanwhile, videos from the
Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, a
stronghold of the Northern
Alliance militias that allied with
theUSagainsttheTalibanin2001,
appeartoshowpotentialopposi-
tionfiguresgatheringthere.It’sin
the only province that hasn’t yet
fallen to the Taliban.
Those figures include mem-
bers of the deposed government
--VicePresidentAmrullahSaleh,
who asserted on Twitter that he
isthecountry’srightfulpresident
and Defense Minister Gen.
BismillahMohammadi--aswell
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
THE SHOW WILL
NOT GO ON
For Bengal’s Jatra
artistes, Covid takes
away work, hope
the high court.
Justice Nagarathna, along
with Justice Oka, presided over
the Covid bench which made
several interventions. Justice
Nagarathna also recently
headedthebenchthatquashed
the25%domicilereservationin-
troduced in the National Law
School of India University,
Bengaluru.
Senior Advocate P S
Narasimha is slated to succeed
JusticeNagarathnaasCJI,andre-
main in the post from October
30, 2027, to May 3, 2028. The
only other instance of a direct
appointee serving as CJI was
Justice S M Sikri in 1971.
Justice Sikri, who was the
firstmemberoftheBartobeap-
pointed a judge of the SC,
headedthe13-judgebenchthat
delivered the landmark
Kesavananda Bharati ruling
which established the basic
structure doctrine in constitu-
tional law.
Narasimha, originally from
Andhra Pradesh, is the son of
Justice P Kodanda Ramaiah, a
former judge of the Telangana
HC (then High Court of Andhra
Pradesh). He has appeared in
severalimportantcases,includ-
ingtheRamJanmabhoomicase,
andwasappointedanamicusby
the Supreme Court in the BCCI
matterforresolvingdisputesre-
lated to cricket administration
in India.
2020 and March 2021, showed
anincreaseof4.3percentinthe
cent hike in salaries in the con-
sumerdurablessegmentinthe
June quarter indicates that the
sectorwhichfacedaslowdown
and sluggish wage bill is on the
comebacktrailwiththerevival
inconsumerspending.
Outof16keysectors,11sec-
torssawdoubledigitgrowthin
wages and salaries and not a
singleindustrysawcontraction
in the same. By comparison, in
thequarterendedMarch2021,
onlythreeindustrieswitnessed
doubledigitgrowthandtwosec-
torssawcontractioninthewage
outgo over the corresponding
periodlastyear.
The June 2020 quarter was
the worst hit and at least 10 in-
dustriesinthelistwitnessedcon-
tractionin wagesandsalariesas
companiesresortedtosalarycuts
andlay-offsinabidtosurvivethe
stresscreatedbythepandemic.
Thereportalsohighlightsthe
growthinearningsforthissetof
1,427 companies. It said that in
thequarterendedJune2021,net
salesofthesecompaniessurged
by57percentasagainstadecline
of34percentinApril-June2020
when the first wave raged, in
spite of anecdotal high-fre-
quencyevidencethatthesecond
wave took a bigger toll on rural
salesthanthefirstwave.
asAhmadMassoud,thesonofthe
slain Northern Alliance leader
Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Thousands of Afghans, many
of whom helped US-led foreign
forces over two decades, are des-
perate to leave the country.
About 5,000 diplomats, se-
curity staff, aid workers and
Afghans have been evacuated
from Kabul in the last 24 hours,
a Western official told Reuters
on Wednesday.
The evacuations by military
flights will continue around the
clock, he said, adding that clear-
ing the chaos outside the airport
was a challenge.
Jana Gana
takingtheirconsent,”aseniorof-
ficer said. As reported by The
IndianExpressearlier,whatmade
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Ground report from
Kabul and making sense
of the Afghan crisis so far
InaspecialIndianAirForceaircraft,India
evacuatedatotalof 130diplomatsand
around20Indians.Inthisflightwasalso
IndianExpress’AssociateEditorShubhajit
RoywhohadbeenreportingfromKabul.
the police task arduous was that
the location where the incident
took place on February 25 last
year, 66 Foota Road, was sur-
rounded by three to four police
stationareas,andpersonnelfrom
there too had been deployed to
control the riots.
“While scanning a video
recorded from afar, investigators
noticedthatoneofthepersonnel
was carrying tear smoke muni-
tions(TSM). Wheneveranyforce
goesoutfordeployment,person-
nel are issued TSM under their
namefromtheirunits.Theinves-
tigatingofficercheckedtheregis-
terofforcesfromoutsidethearea
toverifyentriesmadewhileissu-
ingTSMsthatday.Onthebasisof
thefootageandoneoftheentries,
they first identified a personnel
posted with the DAP. He was
calledinforquestioningandlater
his two colleagues were sum-
monedbytheSITtotheirofficein
Darya Ganj,” said an officer.
Theyouthcaughtonvideobe-
ingforcedtosingJanaGanaMana
as well as Vande Mataram and
who later died was identified as
Faizan,aresidentofKardamPuri.
He had died at hospital a day af-
ter his release from Jyoti Nagar
PoliceStation,wherehehadbeen
takenbypolice.Familiesoftwoof
the other men seen in the video
had told The Indian Express that
the video was shot at Kardam
Puri, on the evening of February
24.TheDelhi Police had deposed
before the Delhi High Court that
CCTV cameras at Jyoti Nagar
Police Station were not working
between February 24 and March
4 due to technical reasons, and
that there was no tampering in-
volved.
NDA exam
commission for women officers.
The court was hearing a plea
filed by Advocate Kush Kalra,
seeking directions to allow eligi-
ble women candidates to appear
for the NDA and Naval Academy
Examinations conducted by the
UnionPublicServiceCommission
(UPSC). The bench asked the
UPSC to issue a corrigendum in
keepingwithitsinterimdirection
and“giveduepublicitysothatthe
intent of the order is translated
into effect”. It, however, said that
admission of women candidates
will be subject to the final out-
come of the petition.
“Why are you continuing in
this direction? Even after Justice
Chandrachud’s judgment ex-
pandingthehorizonsandextend-
ingpermanentcommissioninthe
Armytowomen?...Wearefinding
it absurd,” the bench told
Additional Solicitor General
Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared
for the Ministry of Defence.
On February 17 last year, a
bench of Justices D Y
ChandrachudandAjayRastogidi-
rectedthegovernmenttoensure
that women Short Service
Commission officers are given
permanent commission in the
Army, including command post-
ings.
“Will the Army only act
when a judicial order is passed
and not otherwise,” Justice Kaul
asked. He said his impression
from the time he served in the
high court was that the Army
doesn’t believe in doing things
voluntarily, but acts only after a
judgment is passed.
Justice Kaul said that even in
thepermanentcommissionmat-
ter,theArmy“keptonopposing”,
and did not act till orders were
passed.Hesaid“theNavyandthe
AirForcearemoreforthcoming”,
while “the Army seems to have a
bias to not implement”.
Denyinganybias,theASGsaid
therearethreemodesforrecruit-
ment of officers into the Army --
NDA, Officers’ Training Academy
(OTA) and Indian Military
Academy (IMA), and women are
eligibleforentrythroughtheIMA
and OTA.
“Whyisco-educationaprob-
lem,” asked Justice Kaul, adding
that“theendeavouristopersuade
the Army to do things itself...
rather than us passing orders”.
WhentheASGsaiditwaspart
ofa“policydecision”,JusticeKaul
remarked that “the policy deci-
sion is based on gender discrimi-
nation”. “Even if it is a matter of
policy,youareallowingwomen’s
entry through two sources. Why
shouldyousaythatonemoread-
ditional source of entry is closed
forwomen?Itisnotjustagender
principlebutdiscriminatoryoth-
erwise too,” said Justice Roy.
The ASG said the NDA in-
volvesadifferentkindoftraining,
but the bench pointed out that
womenarenowbeingallowedin
combatrolestoo.Bhatisaidwhile
women fighter pilots were al-
lowed in the Air Force, only 10
branches in the Army had been
opened for them.
Saying that the Navy and Air
Force seemed more liberal in the
matter,thecourtsaid:“Themind-
set is not changing only. The
Solicitor General who was ap-
pearing before the high court in
thepermanentcommissionmat-
ter could not persuade the Army.
Thereafter, the Supreme Court
alsogavemanyopportunitiesbut
it did not materialise. In law also,
you did not regularise them. You
kept them for many years and
never gave permanent commis-
sion”.Thecourtaskedthegovern-
ment to “begin with some to-
kenism” and not to compel
judicial intervention all the time.
Stating that the court “may not
understandallintricate,technical
aspects of your structure”, the
bench said “you are better situ-
ated to appreciate that”. The re-
cruiters “must understand” the
broadprincipleofgenderneutral-
ity “and adapt it in the backdrop
of your peculiarities,” it said.
Meanwhile, sources in the
Army said discussions to allow
women into the NDA were on
even before the Supreme Court’s
interim order today. A senior
Army officer said the service
chiefs were already scheduled to
visittheNDAonAugust20“tore-
viewthetrainingandadministra-
tive arrangements for women
cadets”.The“discussiononinduc-
tionof womenthroughNDAhad
been ongoing and was finding
support among the leadership,”
saidtheofficer.“Additionalinfra-
structure to provide for women
cadetshasbeenapprovedearlier
and should come up in a time-
bound manner,” he said.
Back from Saudi
In October last year, local po-
lice arrested two brothers from
Moodbidri town in Dakshina
Kananda district, Abdul Huyez
and Abdul Thuyez, after their
probe found that the two had
created the Facebook accountin
Bangera’s name the same day as
he deactivated his profile.
According to police, they did it
out of anger over Bangera shar-
ing a post supporting the CAA
and NRC.
TheUdupidistrictpolicesub-
mitted a chargesheet within 10
days.SP,Udupi,NVishnuvardhan
told The Indian Express that the
chargesheet was translated and
shared with Saudi authorities
throughtheMEA.OnTuesday,the
Saudi authorities released
Bangera.
At Bengaluru airport
Wednesday, Bangera couldn’t
control his tears seeing his four-
year-old daughter after 19
months. “I was made to look like
a terrorist by posts that were
madebysomebodyelse.Myfam-
ily and I went through horrific
times,”hetoldTheIndianExpress.
“BeforeIwasjailedIusedtomake
videocallstomywifeanddaugh-
terthree-fourtimesaday.Ibarely
spoke to them after I was jailed.”
He added that he was always
confident he would get justice.
“ButIwasfreedonlyafterspend-
ing 604 days in prison.”
SP Vishnuvardhan said, “We
are happy Harish is back home.
The case against the accused is
under trial in the local court.”
FULLREPORTSON
www.indianexpress.com
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

3 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021 ASHOKVIHAR SIRIFORT SHADIPUR IHBAS S K Y WA T C H
Moderate Moderate Satisfactory Moderate
FORECAST: August 19
Generallycloudysky.
157 140 95 120 Verylightrain/
AQI AQI AQI AQI thundershowers
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EVENT FOR COMMUNAL HARMONY SLOGANS AT JANTAR MANTAR EVENT

No community or religion bad, Court pulls up police for not questioning

reporter seen ‘trying to incite’ people
says Asthana at NE Delhi visit was also launched at the event
ANANDMOHANJ
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
PEOPLE WHO disturb peace and
harmony should be identified
and punished according to law,
Delhi Police Commissioner
RakeshAsthanasaidWednesday
during a visit to Northeast Delhi,
which was hit by communal ri-
ots last year.
Asthana’scommentscameat
a programme, ‘Ummeed — a
step together, towards a better
tomorrow’, centred on the
themeof communalharmony.It
was his first visit to Northeast
Delhi after assuming charge of
police chief.
“I was not in Delhi Police
when the riots took place. But
being a police officer, it was very
sad for me to hear about it. I was
regrettable that this kind of
problemaroseinacitylikeDelhi,
wherepeoplehadalmostforgot-
ten riots. No community or reli-
gion is bad. People who follow
religion are not bad. But in every
community,therearesomepeo-
ple whom we call anti-social el-
Asthana felicitated head constable Ratan Lal’s wife Poonam
Bari and son Ram at the event. Lal had died during the riots
ementsandbecauseof them,the
atmosphere gets vitiated,"
Asthana said.
The programme was organ-
isedbytheNortheastdistrictpo-
lice at Shyamlal College. “We
should try to identify such peo-
ple in our society and punish
them according to the law.
Whatever peacehas been estab-
lished in this area, it is due to
such programmes. It was estab-
lished because of such people
whobelievethatviolencehasno
place in the society,” he added.
“Crime has no religion, and
only a few anti-social elements
spoil the social environment.
Such unscrupulous elements
need to be identified and dealt
with as per law,” he said.
The‘RatanLalMedalof Hope’
to commemorate Head
ConstableRatan Lal, who lost his
life while on duty during the ri-
ots. Police said this is meant to
instill values of peace and to-
gethernessinfuturegenerations
by awarding medals to students
whotakepartinessayanddraw-
ing competitions on the theme
of communalharmony,heldun-
derthebanner,NagrikBhaichara
Samiti. Poonam Bari, the wife of
lateRatanLal,wasalsofelicitated
by the police chief.
Asthana saidthatthough po-
lice are trained to tackle all sorts
of law and order issues, it cannot
be achieved without support
from society. “Being an impor-
tant link in information regard-
ing criminal activities, arrest of
criminalsormanagementof law
and order issues, public cooper-
ationisalwaysrequired,”hesaid.
Communal clashes had bro-
ken out in Northeast Delhi last
year where protests had been
going on against the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act. The riots left
53 people dead and more than
700 injured.
ADELHIcourthaspulledupDelhi
Police during the bail hearing of
PinkyChaudhary,presidentofthe
Hindu Raksha Dal being investi-
gated in connection with anti-
Muslim slogans raised at Jantar
Mantar, for not questioning a
YouTube channel reporter “seen
deliberately putting up leading
questions” to “incite” people.
AdditionalSessionsJudgeAnil
Antil reserved the order on
Chaudhary’santicipatorybailap-
plicationandextendedhisinterim
protection till Saturday.
Thejudge’sobservationscame
when advocate Vishnu Shankar
Jain, who appeared on behalf of
Chaudhary,arguedthattheinves-
tigating officer had improved his
case by relying on an interview
conducted by a YouTube news
channel,KhabarIndia,whichfea-
tured Chaudhary.
Theinvestigatingofficerofthe
casehadsubmittedatranscriptof
the 11-minute video featuring
Chaudhary at Jantar Mantar giv-
ing an interview to the reporter.
ASJ Antil said, "Have you
servednoticetothereporter?He
is seen deliberately putting up
leading questions. To incite them
and agitate him and say some-
thing. He is trying to incite them.
He must have been the first per-
son to be called."
The court also asked Jain
whether the words uttered by
Chaudhary in the video were in-
deed his client’s. Jain told the
court,"Myintentionwasnotvio-
lence… The wordings are mine.
If you see the whole video you
will see I am innocent."
Jain told the court his client
had not been named in the FIR
andhe"hasn’traisedanyslogans”.
“The IO has tried to improve
his case. He is looking at an inter-
viewgiventoanewschannel.The
police are going beyond the FIR,"
Jain told the court.
Jaintoldthecourtthatdespite
what has been allegedly said in
the11-minutevideo,acaseunder
IPC section 153-(A) (promoting
enmitybetweendifferentgroups
and doing acts prejudicial to
maintenance of harmony) is not
made out.
Jain relied on four Supreme
Courtjudgmentstostatethatun-
lesstheapplicant'sspeechincites
violence, he will not be booked
undersection153-A. "Imayhave
anextremeview,Imayhaveadif-
ferentview.IfIaminvolvedinvil-
ification and inciting violence,
then only I will come under the
purview," Jain told the court.
Additional Public Prosecutor
SKKain said: "If we readthe sec-
tion it is clear that it is promot-
ingenmitybetweendifferentre-
ligions".
"Two groups of people are
being incited by the accused.
This is against the country," the
prosecutor told the court.
On August 13, a court had re-
fused to grant bail to three men
arrested for raising slogans at
Jantar Mantar on August 8.

Rs 5L fine on Centre objects to police chief

three waste
to energy appointment being challenged
plants over EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
appointmentwaspendingbefore
any other court.
UPSC panel was formed for ap-
pointment of Delhi Police

air pollution
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18 ASG Sharma told the court Commissioner; and (iii) the cri-
thatasofnownosuchmatterwas teria of having a minimum
THE CENTRE Wednesday ob- pending. Central government tenure of two years has been ig-
jected to the filing of a public in- counsel Amit Mahajan also told nored,” the petition contends.
terest litigation (PIL) against the thecourtthatthedepartmentwas Submitting that the post of
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE appointmentofIPSofficerRakesh notawareofit.Thecourtaskedthe Delhi CP is akin to the post of
NEW DELHI, AUG 18 AsthanaasDelhi’sCommissioner counseltofindout,andsaiditwill DGP of a state, Alam has argued
of Police, and argued that it had continue the hearing next week. thatAsthanawasnotempaneled
THE DELHI Pollution Control becomea“business”of“so-called Asthana,a1984Gujarat-cadre by the UPSC as directed in the
Committee (DPCC) has imposed integrity keepers” to challenge officerandformerBSFDG,wason Prakash Singh case and also he
a fine of Rs 5 lakh each on three each and every appointment. July 27 was deputed to AGMUT did not have a residual tenure of
waste-to-energy(WtE)plantsand “Whatisthelocusof thepeti- cadreandgrantedanextensionof six months of service at the time
a construction and demolition tioner? This is essentially a PIL in serviceforaperiodofoneyearbe- of his appointment since he was
waste processing plant for con- a service matter which the yondhisdateofretirement,which to retire within four days. He has
tributing to air pollution. Supreme Court says ‘No’. There was July 31. He was also ap- also argued that Prakash Singh
The East Delhi Waste are any number of judgements pointed Delhi CP from July 27 till directions provide for a mini-
Processing Company Limited, and Prakash Singh (SC judge- July 31, 2022. mum of two years tenure but
which operates the WtE plant at ment) is on DGs. Delhi Police is Alam, a practising advocate, Asthana has been appointed for
Ghazipur, Delhi MSW Solutions controlled and operated in a dif- in the petition filed through ad- a period of only one year.
Limited,whichoperatesaplantin ferent mechanism altogether,” vocateBSBagga,hasarguedthat “That the High-Powered
the Bawana Industrial Area, and submitted Additional Solicitor the decision of the Ministry of Committee comprising the
Timarpur-Okhla Waste General (ASG) Chetan Sharma Home Affairs was in violation of Chief Justice of India, Prime
Management Company Limited, during the hearing of a petition the directions issued by Minister and the Leader of
which operates a plant on seeking quashing of Asthana’s Supreme Court in Prakash Singh Opposition, in its meeting held
MathuraRoad,havebeenordered appointment, inter-cadre depu- case and of the policy regarding on 24.05.2021, rejected the
to pay the environmental com- tation and extension of service. inter-cadre deputation of All Central government's attempt
pensation within 15 days. The division bench of Chief India Service Officers. to appoint the same IPS officer
As per the orders of the Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti “The impugned orders are in as the CBI Director on the basis
NationalGreenTribunal(NGT),of- Singh,afterhearingargumentsof clear and blatant breach of the of the ‘six-month rule’ as laid
ficials of the DPCC, the Central the counsel representing peti- directions passedbythe Hon'ble down in Prakash Singh. The ap-
Pollution Control Board (CPCB), tionerSadreAlam,saiditwillcon- Supreme Court of India in pointment of Respondent No. 2
and IIT Delhi inspected the three tinue the hearing on August 24. Prakash Singh case (i) to the post of Commissioner of
plants between September and While declining to issue a notice Respondent No.2 (Asthana) did Police, Delhi must be set aside
Octoberlastyear,andstackemis- on the petition, the court asked not have a minimum residual on the same principle,” the peti-
sionsandambientairqualitywere whether any matter against the tenure of six months; (ii) no tion argues further.
monitored.
At Ghazipur, the team found
thatlevelsofdioxins,furans,nitro-
genoxide,particulatematterand
hydrochloricacidwereaboveper-
Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
Pilani | Dubai | Goa | Hyderabad
missible limits. In terms of ambi-
ent air quality, the stations near
the plant recorded particulate Admission to
matterinexcessofprescribedlim-
its. At Bawana, levels of dioxins
Integrated First Degree Programmes
and furans were in excess in the for 1st semester 2021-2022 at Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad Campuses
stackemissions,whileparticulate Applications are invited from candidates who Admission will be made only on the basis of merit
matter at the nearby air quality have appeared in BITSAT 2021 and who fulfil the position as determined by candidate’s score in
monitoringstationsalsoexceeded eligibility criteria for admission to the Integrated BITSAT 2021.
prescribedstandards.AtOkhlaas first degree programmes, namely
well, components of stack emis- B.E.; M.Sc.; and B. Pharm. offered at its The last date to complete the application process
sions were found in excess of the campuses at Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad. Details along with the prescribed fee of ₹1000 is
permissible limits. of the programmes offered at the different 21st August 2021.
campuses, eligibility criteria and the distinctive Further details and application procedure are
While leachate treatment
features of the educational programmes such as available at the website:
plantsarefunctioningatGhazipur
Dual Degree and Practice School etc., are given at www.bitsadmission.com
andBawana,thevalueoftotaldis-
the website www.bitsadmission.com.
solved solids in the treated
leachate was found unfit for land Dean, Academic
disposal,thoughitwasbeingused Undergraduate Studies
for gardening. BITS Pilani
Allthreeplantsaregenerating
power below their capacity.
Waste-to-energy power genera-
tionatGhazipurwasonlyaround
3.45 to 8.75 megawatts (MW),
muchlowerthanthe powergen-
erationcapacityof12MW.Power
generation at Bawana (20 to 22.5
MW) was also found to be lower
than the capacity of 24 MW. The
Okhla WtE plant was generating
18.5 to 21.5 MW of power, less
than the capacity of 23 MW.
The DPCC had issued show
cause notices to all three compa-
nies earlier this year.
Theconstructionanddemoli-
tion waste treatment facility at
Bakkarwala was found without
adequate dust control measures.
Water sprinklers were not in-
stalled,whilesmoggunswerenot
operational.Uncoveredconstruc-
tion and demolition waste was
also found heaped at the site.

New Delhi

4 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
SAYS NAVY AVOIDING REPLIES TO POLICE QUERIES
HC denies anticipatory bail to senior
Indian Navy officer accused of rape
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
DECLINING TO grant anticipa-
tory bail to a Navy officer ac-
cused of rape, the Delhi High
Court has censured him for al-
leging that the woman had filed
the complaint to extract money
from him, observing that he was
requiredtoshowamorerespon-
siblebehaviourbeingaseniorof-
ficer of the armed forces. The
court also said the Navy was
avoidingrepliestopolicequeries
under his influence.
“The allegation she is doing
all this for money rather inflicts
With replicas of 17 monuments from across country,
Bharat Darshan Park to be inaugurated next month
ABHINAV RAJPUT
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THEBHARATDARSHANPark--a
mega-city park that has replicas
of 17 monuments built from
scrap--islikelytobeinaugurated
next month as the South MCD
has almost completed the con-
struction.
The park in Punjabi Bagh,
spreadover8.5acresandbuiltat
a cost of Rs 14 crore, has replicas
of monuments from across the
BRIEFLY
Manheldfor
firingatwife
NewDelhi:A27-year-old
manallegedlyfiredathis
wife in Outer Delhi’s
Mangolpuri area to take
back a police complaint
against him. The ac-
cused was identified as
Mohit, a resident of U-
Block in Mangolpuri.
“Monika (25), a resident
of the area, reached Raj
Park police station and
informed police about a
quarrel with her hus-
band,” a senior police of-
ficer said. When police
reached her home,
Mohit was found with a
firearm in his hand and
shewasraisinganalarm.
“The bullet missed her
and she was sent to the
hospital for medical ex-
amination,” DCP (outer)
Parvinder Singh said.
AAPagainst
“selling”
Novelty
cinemaland
New Delhi: The Aam
Aadmi Party leaders will
stage a protest at BJP
headquarters in DDU
marg against the NDMC
decision to “sell” the
NoveltyCinemalandata
“throwaway”priceofjust
Rs 34 crores. AAP will
gheraotheBJPheadquar-
terstoprotestagainstthe
decisiononWednesday,
said AAP leader Durgesh
Pathak. The standing
committee of North
MCD has given final ap-
proval to the proposal to
lease out 1,157-square
metrelandfor99yearsat
Rs34.75croretoaprivate
player. ENS
more pain to her injury,” said
Justice Yogesh Khanna in the or-
der, adding, “Can he be allowed
to play with her dignity on the
pretext he cohabited with her
just for fun and later claim she is
extortingmoneyfromhim.Such
allegations if not backed with
proof are rather insulting.”
In the case registered at the
Tilak Marg police station in June
2021, it was alleged that the ac-
cused, a Commander in the
Indian Navy, developed physical
relations with the woman in
December 2019 after promising
to marry her. It is alleged he later
allegedly refused to marry her,
and when the woman threat-
country, including Mysore
Palace,CharminarandKhajuraho
Temple,Gatewayof India,Konark
Temple, Nalanda ruins,
MeenakshiTemple,HawaMahal,
Hampi ruins, Victoria Memorial,
Sanchi Stupa, Gol Gumbaz,
Ajanta and Ellora Caves and
Junagarh Fort.
“Itisalmostcompleteandwe
arenowgivingfinishingtouches.
We are seeking appointments
from a union minister. Once he
finalisesthetiming,wewillinau-
gurate it next month,” Mayor of
In flu season, symptoms Unable to be treated in
spark some Covid fears Afghanistan, pregnant
SUKRITA BARUAH
woman has surgery here
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
WHILE COVID cases continue to
remain low in the city, many pa-
tients with symptoms indistin-
guishablefromthoseof thevirus
are testing positive for influenza.
SinceJuly,Covidpositivityrate
has remained around the 0.1%
mark. However, doctors say that
patients with Covid-like symp-
toms have been presenting
themselves in the last week.
“We’ve noticed many people
coming with high grade fever,
some respiratory symptoms like
throat pain, some nasal symp-
toms.Theseareindistinguishable
fromthoseof Covidandwewere
testing them for SARS-CoV2 but
the RT-PCR tests were reporting
negative results. After the nega-
tiveresults,we gotsomeof them
tested for influenza and found
them testing positive for in-
fluenza A and H3N2 subtypes.
This includes both out-patients
and a few admitted in the hospi-
tal,”saidDrKaranMadan,associ-
WERE DEPLOYED WITH ITBP
3 canines that served nation among those evacuated from Kabul
AMIL BHATNAGAR
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THREE CANINES deployed with
the Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) returned from Kabul after
being airlifted from the country
which has been taken over by
the Taliban.
The three dogs — Maya,
Bobby and Roobi — were
brought to the Air Force Station
Jamnagar in Gujarat by the IAF
C-17 aircraft that evacuated sev-
eral Indians.
ened to lodge a complaint
against him, he threatened to
upload her “nude photographs
and video recordings” on the in-
ternet. In June, the woman came
toknowhewasalreadyengaged
with another woman and had
now married her.
The accused in his bail plea
submitted that the woman was
“obsessedwithhim”andwished
toextractmoneyfromhim.They
were only friends, he told the
court. He also denied having en-
gaged in any physical relations
withher.The counselrepresent-
ing him also argued that there
was a considerable delay in reg-
istration of the case, and he
SouthMCDMukeshSuryansaid.
The theme of the park would
be ‘Unity in Diversity’, displayed
by iconic monuments and light-
ing, said standing committee
chairperson B K Oberoi.
He said the park has features
suchassmartilluminationforall
the monument replicas, a walk-
ingtrackof 1.5km,children’splay
area, landscaped waterfalls,
fountains,ponds,amphitheaters
for cultural events, and a food
court offering major cuisines of
India.
ate professor in the department
ofpulmonarymedicineatAIIMS.
Dr Puneet Khanna from
ManipalHospitals,Dwarkastated
that among patients with symp-
toms who have tested negative
forCovid,somehavetestedposi-
tive for H3N2 , H3N3, and in-
fluenzaBaswell.AtIndraprastha
Apollo Hospital, there have been
H1N1 cases too.
While doctors maintain that
riseininfluenzacasesthistimeof
the year is not unusual, fear of
Covid is raising an alarm .“We’ve
been seeing a rise in the last fort-
night and this is typically some-
thing we see at this time of the
year. The problem is that people
panicaboutwhetherthisisCovid
orflu.Mostpeoplearevaccinated
now in Delhi-NCR, but people
who have not completed their
vaccination are getting scared.
The annual influenza vaccine is
due around this time in August-
September,soitwouldbebestfor
people to go and get that vaccine
aswell,”saidDrMonikaMahajan,
director of Internal Medicine at
Max Healthcare, Saket.
On Wednesday, the dogs
reached ITBP’s Chawala Camp to
“familiar smells and sounds” af-
ter serving the country for three
years in Afghanistan.
Aspersources,thethreedogs
had been deployed as part of the
bomb detection squad for the
Indian Embassy in Kabul.
The dogs, aged between 5
and 6 years, would sniff objects
and areas to alert officials of any
possible threat.
ITBP officials said that the ca-
ninescarried outtheir dutywith
“bravery, professional compe-
IN THE CAPITAL
never contacted her after March
2021.
The court said that it is set-
tled law that the delay cannot be
usedasa“ritualisticformula”for
doubting the prosecution case
and noted that WhatsApp chats
show they were in contact till
May 18. “The prosecutrix even
filed the transcript of conversa-
tion dated 20.11.2020 between
her, her friend and the mother of
the petitioner to show the
mother of the petitioner knew
thepetitioner hadtoldherabout
prosecutrix and his intention to
marry her. Thus, the defence
taken by the petitioner that they
were only friends and he never
At the park in Punjabi Bagh. Renuka Puri
The project is inspired by
South MCD's other project,
‘Waste to Wonder Park’, in Sarai
KaleKhanwheresevenwonders
of the world have been installed
throughwasteandscrapmateri-
als,andisabigdrawamongpeo-
ple. Oberoi said that while the
restof theparkwouldbeinaugu-
rated, the replicas of Char Dham
-- Jagannath Puri,
Rameshwaram, Badrinath, and
DwarkaPuriwilltakesometime.
He said that the decision to
add more replicas came as the
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
A FOUR hour-long surgery was
conductedinaprivatehospitalin
thecapitaltoremoveapancreatic
tumour from a six-month preg-
nant woman, without moving
the foetus.
Thesurgerywasconductedat
Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj on
Fahima,who had come in from
Afghanistanwhereshecouldnot
get the requisite medical treat-
mentforhercondition.Ahospital
representative said that she re-
turned to the country last week
after being discharged from the
hospital.
According to the hospital, the
patienthadbeendiagnosedwith
pancreatic cancer when she was
five and a half months pregnant.
Waiting for the delivery before
surgicalmanagementwouldrisk
the spread of the cancer and
chemotherapy was not possible
due to her pregnancy, while sur-
CORONAVIRUS
made any promise to her or she
was obsessed or she is here to
extractmoneyfromhimappears
to be factually incorrect,” it said.
The bench also said that
while there is no doubt the
woman is educated, that does
not make her immune to cheat-
ing. “The facts do show the peti-
tioner and prosecutrix did have
suchrelationstokindleahopein
the prosecutrix that the peti-
tionershallmarryheratallcosts.
Itwasnotillogicalforhertothink
so. No doubt, the petitioner is a
senior officer in Indian Navy,
hence was required to show a
more responsible behavior than
theprosecutrix,”theorderreads.
civicbodyhadbudgetleftandthe
corporation wanted to add pil-
grimage sites of more states.
“Many people are not able to
visit all the four pilgrimages, so
we thought it would be good to
have Char Dhams as well,” he
said.
Earlier,areplicaof theGolden
Templebuiltintheparkwas“dis-
mantled” by members of the
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara
ManagementCommitteeasthey
felt it was against the tenets of
Sikhism.
gerywasmadechallengingbythe
advancedstageofherpregnancy.
Her tumour was removed using
the Whipple Procedure which,
whilecommonforthetreatment
of pancreatic cancer, is rarely
done on pregnant women.
“Thesurgerytook4hours.We
were able to perform it without
‘moving the baby’ and the post-
operativetestsshowedcomplete
tumour removal and a healthy
baby.Fahimahadasmoothpost-
operative recovery and was dis-
chargedafter7days.Inastandard
Whipple’soperation,weremove
canceroustumourtogetherwith
head of pancreas, remove part of
thestomach,smallintestine,gall-
bladder, bile duct, and lymph
nodesandreattachremainingor-
gans(allowingforthenormaldi-
gestion of food). This was a com-
plex procedure considering the
cancerous area and uterus were
veryclosetooneanother,”saidDr
Amit Javed, director of
Gastrointestinal Oncology, who
conducted the treatment.
VACCINATIONS IN
LAST 24 HOURS
1,57,311
"Seven-and-a-half years of absolute torture": Tharoor
From messages to
son’s statement —
stormy proceedings
defined Sunanda case
ANAND MOHAN J
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
WHEN A Special Judge at Rouse
Avenue court discharged Shashi
Tharoorinthecaseinvolvingthe
death of his wife Sunanda
Pushkar in 2014, the Congress
MPdescribeditas"seven-and-a-
half years of absolute torture".
For three years, Tharoor's
lawyer, senior advocate Vikas
Pahwa,andtheStateprosecutor,
Atul Kumar Shrivastava, have
been arguing on the point of
charge in the high-profile case,
which saw various twists and
turns.
Some of the key arguments
that took place between the two
lawyersduringhigh-voltagepro-
ceedings, during which they
rarely lost their cool and occa-
sionally paid complements to
each other:
AUGUST 20, 2019
The first hearing on the point
of charges took place at Rouse
Avenue court. Shrivastava
openedtheargumentsbystating
that"whilepost-mortemopined
the cause of death was poison-
ing, there were 15 ante-mortem
injuries which were 12 hours to
four days old and produced in a
scuffle”.
The prosecution also told the
court that Sunanda was upset
withherhusbandaftershefound
a message exchanged between
him and Pakistani journalist
Mehr Tarar.
AUGUST 31, 2019
The Delhi Police for the first
timeaskedthecourttoprosecute
Tharoor for abetment to suicide
or "alternatively" frame murder
charges against him. The prose-
cution had relied on three med-
ical reports and claimed that the
"cause of death was poisoning,
probablyAlprazolampoisoning".
Pahwa in turn said that in all
these years, "the cause of death
could not be determined and
they are going from one door to
another. We have to speak from
the evidence and not just in the
air."
The prosecutor had relied on
a statement by Pushkar's son,
Shiv Menon, statement to the
SDM, which read : "My mother
is a strong woman, she can not
commit suicide."
OCTOBER 17, 2019
Tharoor's counsel began his
rebuttaltotheprosecution,argu-
ing that "there was no evidence
to suggest cause of death”.
Pahwahadtoldthecourtthat
the prosecution "could not find
anything; they took a very ad-
venturous move".
Pahwa's main argument,
whichhewouldgoontoempha-
sise at multiple hearings, was
that "the reports suggest it was
neitheracaseof homicideorsui-
cide”.
Healsomovedanapplication
tence and fierce loyalty” to the
troops.
The dogs were responsible
for detecting many improvised
explosive devices (IEDs) and
managed to save the lives of not
only Indian diplomats but also
Afghan locals, officials said.
The organisation also hailed
the efforts of head constables
The dogs, aged between 5-6
years, would sniff objects
and areas to alert officials of
any possible threat. ANI
New Delhi
TOTAL CASES HOSPITAL BEDS
14,37,192 ICU BEDS
Cases Recoveries
Aug 17
Aug 18
38
36
30
76
Total 427* 14,11,688
seekingtobringPushkar'stweets
on record and submitted that
they"clearlyindicatethatthede-
ceased was not having any ‘sui-
cidal ideations’ as is sought to be
alleged by the prosecution”,
NOVEMBER 26, 2019
The hearings on bringing
Pushkar's tweets on record had
officially begun. Pahwa had told
the court that the Twitter ac-
count of the deceased was im-
portanttocheckthestateofmind
beforeherdeath,sincepolicehad
relied on the psychological au-
topsy report. He had said that
Pushkar's tweets were very im-
portant as they paint a different
picture to what the police were
alleging.
Shrivastava had opposed the
application terming it "vague"
andtoldthejudgethatTharoor's
application was like the Russian
Doll, because if it was allowed it
would be never ending.
JANUARY 30, 2020
The court dismissed
Tharoor'sapplicationtobringon
record Pushkar's tweets observ-
ingthathe"cannotinsistonadi-
rectiontotheProsecutiontofirst
obtain the document and then
supplyittohim.Whenthedocu-
mentsareinthepublicdomain".
MARCH 30, 2021
Following the lockdown and
restricted functioning of the
courts due to the pandemic, the
case began to move ahead.
Pahwa read out a statement
by Pushkar's son, which stated
that Tharoor "could not have
murderedhismotherashecould
nothaveevenhurtafly”.Thiswas
thefirsttimeMenon'sstatement
was read out in court detailing
therelationshipsharedbetween
TharoorandPushkar,thedifficul-
ties they faced and Menon's last
few days with his mother.
APRIL 20, 2021
Shrivastavatoldthecourtthat
the special investigation team
(SIT) in the case had to approach
the United States FBI because of
the previous government at the
timestatingthatthereportfrom
the central forensic science lab-
oratory (CFSL) was not correct.
Pahwa had rebutted this by
stating that the prosecution has
made "an irresponsible state-
ment by claiming that the CFSL
report was not right". "He is
doubting his own CFSL report,”
Pahwa said.
The judge hearing the case
also observed, "My question is
can the prosecution go only on
suppositions?"
Pahwa also informed the
court about the timing of the
CFSL report and the FBI report
and said the government had
changed by then. He added:
"How can he make such a state-
ment? That UPA Government
was there... What kind of argu-
ment is this? How can it be at-
tributed to someone?"
Kishan Kumar, Bijendra Singh
and Atul Kumar, and members
of the K9 wing, who handled
and supervised the three dogs.
"The dogs are very happy
now that they are back. They
seem to be joyful about the fact
that they are in familiar territory
with known smells, sights and
sounds.Theydidawonderfuljob
and made our troops very proud
with their dedicated work. We
hope they will continue to serve
us in their best capacity," said an
official. MayaisaLabradorwhile
Bobby is a Doberman and Ruby
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Total Vacant
16,611 16,309
3,571 3,457
*Total active cases
Deaths Tests
04
04
53,345
66,445
25,077 2,48,40,360
Ankit Gujjar
family seeks
CBI probe
into death
inside jail
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THE DELHI High Court
Wednesday issued notice to the
Centre,DelhiPoliceandTiharJail
authorities in a petition seeking
transferofprobeintothedeathof
29-year-oldgangsterAnkitGujjar,
who was allegedly murdered in-
side the jail earlier this month, to
the CBI.
While seeking a status report
from authorities, the court also
ordered preservation of CCTV
footage of the incident and listed
the case for hearing on
September2.Thepetitionfiledby
his mother, brother and sister
through advocates Mehmood
Pracha and Shariq Nisar alleges
that the authorities are trying to
“manipulatetheinvestigation”to
save and shield the culprits. The
conduct of authorities “un-
abashedly” has been in favour of
offendersandagainstthevictims,
it contends . The plea also seeks
security of the family members.
“The incident of murder of
the son of the petitioner has
been, whether actively or other-
wise,facilitatedfromthehighest
levels, with a view to perpetuate
fear amongst the prisoners,
which in turn helps their crimi-
nalextortionsyndicatewithsuch
blatant impunity,” the counsel
representing the family said in
the petition.
Anganwadi
centres to be
converted to
playschools
in Faridabad
SAKSHI DAYAL
NEW DELHI,AUGUST 18
MORE THAN 100 anganwadi
centres in Faridabad will be con-
verted into playschools in the
months ahead, with the admin-
istrationintendingtobegintrain-
ingof anganwadiworkersforthe
same next week onwards.
Earlier this year, Chief
Minister Manohar Lal Khattar
had announced that 4,000 such
centres will be converted to
playschools in Haryana.
In Faridabad, this task will be
completedinthreephasesbythe
Department of Women and
ChildDevelopment—40angan-
wadicentreswillbeconvertedin
the first phase, 35 in the second,
and 42 in the third. In this man-
ner,atotalof 117anganwadicen-
treswillbeconverted.“Fourdays’
training has already been given
to officers of the Women and
ChildDevelopmentDepartment
from August 9 to 12 at the local
Bal Bhavan. Anganwadi workers
will be given training from
August 23,” said Deputy
Commissioner Jitendra Yadav.
DistrictProgramOfficerAnita
Sharma said, “All Child
Development Project Officers
(CDPO) and supervisors of an-
ganwadi centres were already
given 15 days of training earlier
forconversionof anganwadicen-
tres into schools.... Anganwadi
workersandhelpers,meanwhile,
will be given training from
August 23, which will serve as a
guide for them in promoting
playschools in the district.”
belongs to the Malinois breed.
Thedogshavebeen described as
disciplined, professional and
have worked with “zero error”
during their time in Kabul.
The three dogs have been
trained at the National Training
Centre for Dogs (NTCD) Bhanu,
an elite dog training school in
Haryana's Panchkula.
All the canines trained at the
institute are deployed on rota-
tional basis as per requirement.
AfterMaya,BobbyandRoobien-
joytheirbreak,theywillbegiven
a fresh posting.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
JAL JEEVAN MISSION
BiharministerdisputesCentredata,
DELHI CONFIDENTIAL
flagshighernumberinstatescheme
HARIKISHAN SHARMA
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
BIHARWATERResourcesMinister
SanjayKumarJhaonWednesday
disputed figures reported by the
Centre on the Jal Jeevan Mission
(JJM)dashboard,sayingonly8.44
lakh tap water connections have
beenprovidedinBiharunderthe
HOME APPEAL
central scheme for rural house-
holds,andnot1.46croreasshown.
The rest of the tap water con-
MANSUKHMANDAVIYAwillonThursdayvisithishomestate nections, Jha said, were provided
Gujarat for the first time since taking over as the new Union undertwootherschemes,includ-
Health Minister. Mandaviya and his team expect significant ing Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal scheme
crowdsatthethreeJanAshirwadYatrarallies,whichheissched- which is run by the Nitish Kumar
uled to address. The organisers will have to keep a close watch governmentonitsownandwhich
on compliance with Covid-19 appropriate behaviour at the accounts for the largest chunk of
events. On Wednesday, the Health Minister posted a tweet in the total number.
Gujarati, requesting his supporters to strictly follow Covid-19 This is the first time a state —
appropriate behaviour at the rallies that he will be addressing. one ruled by the JD(U) in alliance
with the BJP — has disputed the
figures on the JJM dashboard.
SAFE HOME Reacting to The Indian Express
reportbasedondashboardfigures
INDIA’S EFFORTS to evacuate its citizens from Kabul has come thatsayBiharprovided1.46crore
in for praise, but another evacuation has won the hearts. On
Tuesday,threeK9dogswhosecuredtheKabulembassyforthree
years were brought back home in one of the evacuation flights India, Australia
Bihar Water
Resources
Minister
Sanjay
Kumar Jha
tap water connections to rural
householdsundertheJJMsinceit
beganin2019,Jhainatweetgave
the breakup of the connections
under different schemes.
“Thanks to vision of Hon CM
Shri @NitishKumar, 87% of Bihar
rural households have access to
cleantapwater.Thescheme-wise
breakup of tap connections pro-
vided in Bihar is as follows: 1. Har
Ghar Nal Ka Jal: 152.16 lakh; 2. Jal
Jeevan Mission: 8.44 lakh; and 3.
NRDWP: 2.32 lakh,” tweeted Jha,
who is also the national general
secretary of the JD(U).
TheBiharminister’sobjection
is significant as Bihar has the sin-
glelargestcontributioninthecen-
tral data. If Bihar’s numbers are
PEGASUS CONTROVERSY
GOVT & POLITICS 5
discounted, the national figure
will drop to 3.36 crore from 4.74
croreasreportedontheJJMdash-
board on Wednesday.
In his Independence Day
speech, Prime Minister Narendra
Modihadsaid:“Iamhappythatin
justtwoyearsofJalJeevanMission,
more than 4.5 crore families have
startedgettingtapwater.”
An email sent by The Indian
Express to the spokesperson for
UnionJalShaktiMinistry,seeking
aresponseonthedata,remained
unanswered till press time.
JhasaidtheBihargovernment
has provided tap water connec-
tions to rural households with its
ownmoney.“OurHarGharNalKa
Jalschemewasconceivedin2015
andimplementedfrom2016.The
state government has been run-
ning this scheme from its own
money. This has been possible
only due to personal monitoring
by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,”
he told The Indian Express.
HesaidtheBihargovernment
hasusedtheJalJeevanMissionin
lessthan5percentofruralwards
inthestatetoprovidethetapwa-
ter connections to rural house-
holds. “Under @jaljeevan_ Bihar
hasdoneworkin4,891wardsout
of a total of 1,14,651 rural wards.
1,346 wards taken up under the
erstwhile NRDWP. Remaining
1,08,414 wards covered under
state government’s Har Ghar Nal
ka Jal scheme,” he tweeted.
Tagging The Indian Express re-
port, he tweeted, “This is a re-
markable story! Giant vision of
CM Shri @NitishKumar of Har
Ghar Nal Ka Jal... has ensured 87%
of rural households in Bihar with
tap water connections – among
top 4 best states in India.”
AsourceinJalShaktiMinistry
saidtheCentrehasreleasedabout
Rs771croretoBiharundertheJJM
in the past two years, and that
Bihar’sperformanceisbetterthan
other states because it started
working on its own scheme well
before the launch of the JJM.
SC dismisses
Maharashtra
ex-minister plea
against CBI FIR
RejectsstategovtpleaagainstHCorder
allowingprobebythecentralagency
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THE SUPREME Court
Wednesday dismissed former
Maharashtra Home minister
Anil Deshmukh’s plea challeng-
ing the FIR registered by CBI
against him in connection with
theallegationsof corruptionlev-
elled by former Mumbai Police
commissioner Param Bir Singh.
A bench of Justices D Y
Chandrachud and M R Shah
junked Deshmukh’s appeal
against the July 22 order of the
Bombay High Court, which had
also turned down his prayer to
quashtheFIR,sayingthatnocase
for interference was made out.
Theapexcourtbenchalsore-
DESHMUKH SKIPS ED
SUMMONS AGAIN
Mumbai: Former
Maharashtra Home Minister
Anil Deshmukh on
WednesdayskippedEDsum-
mons served to him in con-
nection with a money laun-
dering and corruption case.
Deshmukh sentalettertothe
agency through his lawyer
saying the Supreme Court,
whilerefusinghiminterimre-
lief, granted him liberty to
seek remedy under the Code
of Criminal Procedure. ENS
fidence in state police. “Why in-
vestigation is ordered in the first
place? Because the state can't be

SC notice to Centre, Bengal

that landed at Hindon air base. They were taken to the ITBP jected a pleaby the Maharashtra trusted. If you say you still have
Chhawla camp on Wednesday. “These hero K9s have done an sign document to government against the HC or- to abide by 17A, that will defeat
outstanding job in securing the embassy. They report that all der allowing the CBI probe. the ends of justice. State govern-
boost naval ties
on plea against inquiry panel
three brave darlings are extremely happy to touch Indian soil Appearing for Deshmukh in mentwillnevergrantsanction.If
and come back to familiar sights, smells and sounds of our na- his petition challenging the state had to give sanction, it
tion,” said the ITBP. New Delhi: Chiefs of the Indian Bombay HC order, senior advo- wouldhaveinvestigatedthecase
and Australian navies on cate Amit Desai contended that in the first place,” Justice
VACCINATION OFFER Wednesday signed a guidance
documenttostreamlineinterac- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
monitored inquiry into the con-
troversy.
The bench turned down the
request with Justice Surya Kant
the CBI could not take up inves-
tigationwithoutpriorconsentof
Chandrachud said.
Rejecting the Maharashtra
ONAthree-dayvisittoIndia,COP26presidentAlokSharmahas tion between the two forces at NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18 Appearing for the Centre, observing that it “is only a pre- the state. He argued that the HC government'scontention,Justice
saidthatinordertogetasmanydelegatesaspossible toattend various levels. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta liminary exercise”. had only ordered a preliminary Chandrachud asked senior ad-
the COP26 meeting in Glasgow in November, the presidency The Navy said in a statement SUPREME COURT on termed the constitution of the The committee comprises enquiry,andsubsequentlyithad vocate Rahul Chitnis, who ap-
willprovidevaccinationtothosewhohavenotmanagedtoget that the signing ceremony for Wednesday issued notice on a committee “unconstitutional”. former Supreme Court judge to seek State sanction under peared for the state, “Normally
vaccinatedintheirhomecountriesandisworkingwiththeUN the ‘Joint Guidance for the plea to quash the July 27 notifi- Stating that he will assist the Justice Madan B Lokur and for- Section 17A of the Prevention of when FIR is filed, police has ju-
to ensure that this is done expeditiously so that the delegates Australia-India Navy to Navy cation of the West Bengal gov- bench on the point of constitu- mer Chief Justice of Calcutta Corruption Act before register- risdiction u/s 167 CrPC for all the
can travel. As a precaution, vaccinated delegates from red list Relationship’ document was ernmentsettingupatwo-mem- tionality, he said, “It is unconsti- High Court Justice Jyotirmay ing FIR. facts related. Police are bound to
countrieswillbequarantinedforfivedays,whileunvaccinated held via videconference be- ber panel to inquire into tutional is all I can say.” Bhattacharya. Additional Solicitor General take into consideration all facts.
delegatesfromthosecountrieswillbequarantinedfor10days. tween Navy Chief Admiral allegationsof useof Pegasusspy- Advocate Saurabh Mishra, The petition contended that Aman Lekhi, appearing for CBI, How can we draw a line that CBI
Karambir Singh, and Admiral ware for illegal surveillance. who appeared for the petitioner, “considering the seriousness of opposed this and said the in- willonlyinvestigateabuseof law
Michael J Noonan, Chief of Navy, A bench of Chief Justice of said the notification is being theissueandtheimplicationson quiry was based on High Court's withregardstoparticularfacts?”
Delhi, Dhaka sign disaster management MoU Australian Navy. India N V Ramana and Justices challenged on grounds of lack of the citizenry of the country as order and the power of the con- Justice Shah added that the
Australia and India, along Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose jurisdiction. He sought an in- well as its cross border implica- stitutional court to order inquiry “manner in which the postings
New Delhi: India andBangladesh benefited from the Disaster with the US and Japan are mem- issued notice to the Centre as terim order in the form of a stay, tions, the Pegasus controversy cannot be excluded or curtailed. were made are the subject mat-
havesignedanMoUforcoopera- Management mechanisms of bers of the four-nation well as the West Bengal govern- submittingthatthecommission warrants an in-depth investiga- The benchdid notagreewith ter for investigation”.
tion in the field of disaster man- each other and it will help in Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, ment, seeking their response,on had already issued a public no- tion. This cannot be carried out Desai’scontentionsandsaidthat The court also rejected the
agement, resilience and mitiga- strengthening the areas of pre- or the Quad, which has irked the plea filed by NGO Global ticeandproceedingshadstarted in a truncated and unconstitu- insisting on sanction under the argument that the CBI would
tion, the government said paredness,responseandcapacity China. The navies of the four Village Foundation. The bench and wondered why a state com- tional manner as is sought to be provision for FIR can defeat the need its consent. It said, “If you
Wednesday. “The MoU seeks to building in the field of disaster Quad nations will also partici- said the matter will be taken up mittee should continue while donebytheWestBengalgovern- ends of justice in a situation talk about consent, it will defeat
put in place a system, whereby management,” a statement from pate in the Malabar Naval on August 25 along with other the Supreme Court is already ment”. FULLREPORTON whereacourt isforcedtoordera the direction passed by the con-
bothIndiaandBangladeshwillbe the MHA said. ENS Exercise later this year. ENS pendingpetitionsseekingcourt- seized of the matter. www.indianexpress.com CBI probe owing to lack of con- stitutional court.”

A different Stalin
ADVERTORIAL

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has commendably managed the COVID 19 crisis and not
let it cloud his vision for social justice and economic empowerment
T
HEY SAY innovation cannot be possible without en-
couragement. Or young Selvan SS Madhav from
Thiruvarur would not have become the young sci-
entist that he is today.With his school closed during the
Covid-19 lockdown,the talented Madhav maximized his
online lessons,studying software programmes like Java,
Python, C, C++ and Kotlin. He developed a palm-sized
computer processing tool that drew the attention of
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. Known for his
commitment to developing a tech-enabled and inclusive
governance model, the latter pledged financial assis-
tance for Selvan’s higher studies and research.Today,the
young man has got work orders from outside the State
and has a neat little business of his own.
The State Government has been an equal enabler
for the dispossessed, unfortunate and devastated. In its
first budget,it has reduced the price of petrol by Rs 3 per
litre with a smart plan to make up for the resultant
deficit.Take the case of theAccident Insurance Scheme,as
part of which Stalin himself moved funds from the Chief
Minister’s Public Relief Fund to help the family of three
women who died when the ambulance they were trav-
elling in keeled over. Or the way he encouraged Samari-
tans like Ilaiyarani and gave Rs 25 lakh cash relief to fam-
ilies of doctors who died on the frontline of the ceaseless
battle against COVID-19.True to his promise to stand by
the common man, he has ensured scooters for the phys-
ically challenged in far-flung corners of the State and
sustainable housing options for the homeless.
In fact,the Chief Minister has been working over time
to deliver on all the people-friendly promises he made
before the elections. Soon after assuming power, he
swiftly moved to make five big changes to ameliorate
the lot of the pandemic-hit ---A Rs 2.07
crore Corona relief package to rice
scheme card-holders, reduction of milk
price by Rs 3 per litre, free bus travel for
women, a direct interface for last mile
connectivity through the “Chief Minis-
ter in your constituency” department
and the Chief Insurance Scheme in
private hospitals for treatment of
COVID-19.
But the granular micro-detailing and welfarist out-
look haven’t made him lose sight of the macro picture
or a future-ready vision. For the first time in India, he set
up an international panel of experts to advise him on
economic development and co-creating a sustainable
future. He has prioritized mega infrastructure projects,
oiled the economy by accelerating and incentivizing
MSMEs and developed solutions-based approaches in
water management, rural housing and power supplies.
The State Government is confident of a liveable index
M K Stalin, Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu
that guarantees that the State will be entirely slum-free
in 10 years. In fact, Stalin has established a responsive
matrix and aligned the Government’s development
policies with it, a bottom-up, participatory approach
rather than a top-down imposition of power.And as the
son of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi,he doesn’t let the
weight of his political legacy heave on his model of gov-
ernance.
CORONA WARRIOR : Tamil Nadu has been
among the worst-affected States, battling spiralling
COVID-19 cases in waves.This has compelled the State
Government to make difficult choices and devise cus-
tomized solutions that have actually
worked on the ground better than
other states. Apart from relief pack-
ages, the Government has stood by
Corona orphans with an adoptive ap-
proach. It will deposit Rs 5 lakh for
each child and pay the amount to
him/her with interest on attaining the
age of 18.The Government will bear
all the expenses of these children, including education
fees and accommodation,up to their graduation.This is
not a one-off scheme but will be monitored by district
level committees.
The Chief Minister has ramped up Corona care facili-
ties at most Government hospitals, adding 80,000 beds
with oxygen facilities and power units for uninterrupted
services, rolling out oxygen plants besides prioritizing a
nutrition programme for the recovered.
ECONOMY BOOSTERS: Stalin has factored in the
deeply divisive inequities in the economy in the post-
eventualities.Incentives have come in the form of paddy
depots,dry fields,raw materials and machinery.Buffering
these measures are irrigation projects,extension and re-
construction of river connection projects and a constant
crusade to leverage dam heights in neighbouring States
to maximise the benefits of shared water resources. Not
to mention free power for farmers to pump water into
their lands.The goal:125 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrain
production by 2021-22. Farmers will be empowered to
drive the RuralTransformation project.
CM AT THE DOORSTEP: The “Chief Minister in
your constituency”is already a big hit with a record num-
ber of redressal of petitions by all stakeholders. While
the Lokayukta is being revitalised and empowered,online
open access from anywhere will be enabled to ensure
that “any time, any place services” are made available.
The e-consumer service center called “Minnakam” has
notched up an enviable record of addressing grievances.
DIVERSITY CHAMPION: Inclusivity is just not a
Chepauk-Triplicane MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin hands over public
donations to CM MK Stalin
talking point but a reality inTamil Nadu.The Government
has in a first for India, given women equality in rights to
like tourism, a master plan for which is being drawn up family property. It is also working on their financial in-
TECH-AIDED GOVERNANCE for the first time.Harvesting the engineering talent of the
youth, the Chief Minister is bent on creating an en-
clusion, activating self-help groups and overall health
and well-being. It has recognised transgender people
abling ecosystem by focussing on high technology pro- and is providing them job-oriented skill training besides
■ Ungal Thokuthiyil Muthalamaichar: All the 4,57,645 petitions received jects such as aerospace, robotics and precision manu- welfare measures.
under the programme have been acted upon and 2,29,216 grievances facturing.As the Chief Minister said, “The ambition of And in a major reform in temple management, it has
redressed. our government is to elevate Tamil Nadu as an ease of established the Ministry for the Hindu Religion,which is
business-friendly state in South Asia and create a $20 freeing encroached shrine land and ensuring trans-
■ Union-State ties: A first of its kind advisory council to develop a Federal Fis-
trillion economy of by 2030.”The single window website parency in management. The DMK Government is tak-
cal Model with renowned experts on legislation involving revenue and tax- ing steps for all castes and women to become priests.
has been upgraded to cover 24 sectors. An industrial
ation (including GST). eco-system fund of Rs 500 crore is expected to fuel And following the path of social justice,the Chief Minis-
■ Fortifying Legislature: Archives and records will be digitised. emerging sectors such as electric vehicle manufacturing, ter has issued orders increasing the reservation of most
solar cell and wind turbine manufacturing,information backward classes, denotified communities, Muslims,
■ Land administration: The Government will undertake a modern survey of technology and electronic hardware manufacturing. Arunthathiyars andVanniyars.
the entire State utilizing Differential and Global Positioning System (DGPS). Stalin wishes to seize the opportunities presented by He has retained the portfolio of the Welfare of the
the Fourth Industrial Revolution and is revving up DifferentlyAbled himself,so that it has greater field pres-
■ Environment & Climate Change: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), arti- MSMEs so that they can add value to global supply ence and efficacy.
ficial intelligence, GIS and MIS based management systems will be used for chains.The MoU with General Electric to set up a Center TALENT POOL CREATOR: Besides announcing Rs 5
forest management and conservation. India’s first Integrated Environment of Excellence will develop technology to manufacture lakh grants for Olympians, the Stalin Government is al-
Monitoring Studio is coming up for forecasting air quality on real-time basis. advanced equipment for aircraft engines. ready working on providing a grooming-worthy ecosys-
FARMERS’ WELFARE: The Tamil Nadu Govern- tem for sportspersons.In a big push to the creative econ-
■ Edutech drive: High-tech laboratories will be set up in 1,784 Government
ment has indicated its commitment to uplift the lot of omy, Stalin has for the first time valued artists and
Middle Schools and smart class rooms will be established in 865 Govern- farmers by allocating a separate budget for agriculture intellectuals, protecting them from motivated litigation,
ment High and Higher Secondary Schools. and changing the nomenclature of the Department of opening libraries and providing grants and houses for
Agriculture into Department of Agriculture and Farm- award-winning writers.
pandemic age and believes thatTamil Nadu should attain and sectorally.It has envisaged industrial corridors,smart ers’ Welfare.The idea is to push agritech-enabled prac- Stalin has clearly left the personality cult behind
a stable growth.Development,he insists, should extend cities, highway networks, the ‘Singara Chennai 2.0’ pro- tices like soil testing and crop zoning to increase the area in politics and is focussing on a systemic overhaul that
to people of all groups.While bringing down the State’s gramme with world class urban infrastructure as its under cultivation and achieve a high productivity of not only cuts across party lines but will reset known
debt burden, the State Government has opted for data- pivot, mass rapid transit systems for Madurai, Tiruchi- foodgrains.And demonstrating the right spirit of coop- templates. COVID may have posed a challenge but he
based decision-making to increase performance effi- rappalli, Salem andTirunelveli districts and job-creating erative federalism, the Stalin Government has imple- has managed to work on other critical sectors as well.
ciency and transparency.The industrial policy diversifies projects at growth clusters. mented the Pradhan Mantri Fasal BimaYojana (PMFBY), Determined to be a worthy leader who has been
the infrastructure base ofTamil Nadu,both geographically It’s further mining prospects for new sunrise sectors which provides hand-holding support to farmers during forged by crises.

New Delhi

6 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Anurag Singh
Thakur during a Cabinet briefing in Delhi. Anil Sharma
REVIVAL PLAN FOR N-E AGRI MARKET OUTFIT
Cabinet nod to oil
palm scheme, focus
on N-E, Andaman
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18
THE UNION Cabinet on
Wednesdayapprovedtheimple-
mentationofNationalMissionon
EdibleOils–OilPalm(NMEO-OP)
— a new Centrally sponsored
schemewithaspecialfocusonthe
Northeast and Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. This comes less
than a week after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi mentioned in his
IndependenceDayspeechthatoil
palm has a huge potential in the
Northeast.
The Cabinet also approved a
revival package of Rs 77.45 crore
for revival of the North Eastern
Regional Agricultural Marketing
CorporationLimited(NERAMAC)
— a central Public Section
Enterpriseundertheadministra-
tive control of the Ministry of
Development of North Eastern
Regional (MDoNER).
Throughthis,thegovernment
said, “remunerative price to the
farmers of NER for their products
will be ensured” and it will help
NERAMACto“implementvarious
Make every effort to revive
Ganga...country’s future: HC
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, AUGUST 18
THEALLAHABADHighCourthas
said that the future of India to a
“largeextent”willdependonthe
well-beingoftheriverGanga,and
thatitis“imperativethateveryef-
fortshouldbemadetorevivethe
riverandmakeitpollution-free”.
Justices Ritu Raj Awasthi and
Dinesh Kumar Singh of the
court’s Lucknow Bench pointed
out that after being elected as
Prime Minister in May 2014,
Narendra Modi said that it was
his“destinytoserveMaaGanga”.
The court said that despite
being the “lifeline of the nation,
having been worshipped, pro-
vidingsustenancetoalargepop-
ulation, over the time the river
has become highly polluted”.
The court made the remarks
SC gives Centre 4 more weeks
to frame Covid relief norms
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THE SUPREME Court Monday
granted the Centre's application
for four more weeks to frame
guidelinesregardingcompensa-
tiontokinof thosewhodieddue
to Covid-19. The earlier deadline
set by the Court was August 15.
The relief was granted by a
Bench of Justices D Y
Chandrachud and M R Shah,
while directing the Centre to file
KODANAD ESTATE ROBBERY-MURDER
AIADMK protests against probe revival, Stalin says no political agenda
ARUN JANARDHANAN
CHENNAI, AUGUST 18
A DAY after Tamil Nadu Police
recordedfreshstatementsof one
of the main accused in the 2017
Kodanadestaterobbery-murder
case,theOppositionAIADMKon
Wednesdaystagedaprotestand
walked out of the Assembly
claiming that the DMK govern-
ment was reviving the probe to
falsely implicate its leaders.
Thepolicetookthestatement
of accused K V Sayan, who in
January 2019 made serious alle-
innovative plans” to promote
productsofNortheasternfarmers.
The government mentioned
thatthenewoilpalmschemewill
cost Rs 11,040 crore, of which the
Uniongovernment’ssharewillbe
Rs 8,844 crore. Through the
scheme,thegovernmentintends
to increase the productivity and
area of oilseeds and oil palm.
Atthemoment,around98per
centofcrudepalmoil(CPO)isim-
ported.
The government said in a
statement that due to the “heavy
dependenceonimportsforedible
oils,itisimportanttomakeefforts
for increasing the domestic pro-
ductionof edibleoilsinwhichin-
creasing area and productivity of
oilpalmplaysanimportantpart”.
It said that under the scheme,
it is proposed to cover “an addi-
tionalarea”of6.5lakhhectarefor
oilpalmtilltheyear2025-26and
therebyreachthetargetof10lakh
hectares. “The production of
Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is expected
to go upto 11.20 lakh tonnes by
2025-26andupto28lakhtonnes
by 2029-30,” the government
noted.
while dismissing a petition filed
by M/S Geo Miller & Co. Pvt. Ltd.,
which had moved court after its
bid for a project under the
NationalMissionforCleanGanga
(NMCG) in Uttar Pradesh was
turned down for not having met
thetechnicalqualificationcriteria.
The petition had alleged bias in
award of contract. The court said
that“thecourseofactionadopted
by the NMCG is well within its
poweranddoesnotcallforanyin-
terference by this Court”.
“Looking at the large public
interest involved, even if it is as-
sumedthattherehasbeensome
technical and procedural aber-
ration in awarding the contract
in favour of respondent No.4 but
since, same has been without
any malafide or arbitrariness,
public interest would demand
that such aberration is to be ig-
nored,” said the judges.
anaffidavitonthestepstakenby
it on other issues as directed by
the Court in a June 30 order.
Theseincludedframingof guide-
lines on death certificates, men-
tioning the exact cause of death,
and steps taken on the recom-
mendations of the XVth Finance
Commissionregardingsocialse-
curity and welfare measures in
the wake of Covid 19.
Seeking more time for the
National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA) to frame the
Covid compensation guidelines,
gations, linking the then chief
minister Edappadi K Panneerselvam said they will
Palaniswami to the robbery at
latechief ministerJJayalalithaa’s
800-acre tea estate. The allega-
tions were denied by
Palaniswamiandlaterbythepo-
lice.
Sayan's fresh statements
were recorded ahead of the next
court hearing on August 27.
On Wednesday, after
AIADMK and its allies staged the
walkout, Palaniswami and for-
mer deputy chief minister O
Panneerselvam told reporters
that their party will continue to
India decides to ratify Kigali
Amendment to Montreal Protocol
AMITABH SINHA
PUNE, AUGUST 18
FOLLOWING SIMILAR decisions
by the United States and China
in the past few months, India on
Wednesday decided to ratify a
key amendment to the 1989
ozone-saving Montreal Protocol
negotiated five years ago. The
Kigali Amendment, named after
theRwadancapital where it was
negotiated, enables the phase-
out of hydroflurocarbons, a set
of chemicals notorious for their
capacity to warm the planet.
The 2016 amendment was
seen as one of the most impor-
tant breakthroughs in the global
efforts to fight climate change,
because the HFCs, a set of 19
gasesusedextensively in the air-
conditioning and refrigerant in-
dustry, are known to be hun-
dreds, even thousands, of times
more potent than carbon diox-
ideintheirabilitytocauseglobal
warming. It is estimated that a
complete phase-out of HFCs by
2050 would prevent about 0.5
degreeCelsiusriseinglobaltem-
peratures by the end of this cen-
tury.
This important instrument,
Haryana govt
bans use of
expression
‘Gorakh Dhanda’
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 18
THE HARYANA government has
banned the use of “Gorakh
Dhanda”, a colloquial expression
that is generally used to describe
unethical practices.
The state government took
the decision acting on a request
by a delegation representing the
Gorakhnath community which
had met Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar earlier on
Wednesday.
A government spokesperson
confirmed that usage of the ex-
pression has been banned in the
statetoensurethatthefeelingsof
religious Guru Gorakhnath are
not hurt.
Gorakhnathwasan11thcen-
tury Hindu yogi of the Nath
Hindu monastic movement in
India. The Gorakhnath Math and
Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh are
named after him.
“Thedelegationrepresenting
theGorakhnathcommunitymet
thechief ministerandurgedhim
to ban the use of the expression,
saying it hurts the sentiments of
SaintGorakhnath.Acceptingtheir
request,theCMsaidthatasGuru
Gorakhnath was a saint, using
thiswordinanyofficiallanguage,
speech,orinanycontexthurtsthe
sentiments of his followers,” the
government spokesperson said.
the Centre said the matter re-
quired in-depth examination.
Promising that the exercise was
at an "active and advance stage",
the Centre said that an "acceler-
ated formulation" would result
in "undesired results".
On June 30, observing that
theNDMAhad“failedtoperform
itsduty”,theSupremeCourthad
directedittorecommendguide-
lineswithinsixweeksforexgra-
tia to family members of those
who lost their lives during the
Covid-19 pandemic.
protest against the move.
boycott the assembly session in
the coming days as well.
“Instead of working on the
pressing issues of the people of
the state, the DMK is targeting
opposition parties by abusing
power. We will resist this move.
Theyaretryingtorevivethecase
tocomeupwithfakeevidenceto
target us. That process has been
happening for the past few days.
We will not surrender before
such threats, we will fight it out
legally,” Panneerselvam said.
SourcesclosetoPalaniswami
E freeze women
consumersof HFCs.Accordingto
EXPLAINED
Ozone-saving a recent factsheet issued by
Natural Resources Defense
provisions Council (NRDC), a US-based en-
● vironmental organisation, and
The Energy and Resources
THE 1989 Montreal Protocol is not a climate agreement. It Institute (TERI), 122 countries
is instead aimed at protecting the earth from ozone-de- had ratified the Kigali
stroying chemicals like the chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, Amendment by the end of July.
that were earlier used in the air-conditioning and refriger- Under the Kigali amend-
ant industry. The widespread use of CFCs had caused a hole
in the Ozone layer of the atmosphere, which allowed some
ment, the United States, China
and India are in separate group
harmful radiations to reach the earth. These radiations of countries, with different time
were considered potential health hazards. schedules to phase out their
The Montreal Protocol led to the replacement of CFCs HFCs and replace them with cli-
with HFCs which do not destroy the Ozone layer. But they mate-friendly alternatives.
were later found to be extremely potent in causing global India has to reduce its HFC use
warming. So, the HFCs solved one problem, but were con- by 80 per cent by the year 2047,
tributing in a major way in another. while China and the United
But theses could not be eliminated under the original States have to achieve the same
provisions of Montreal Protocol which was meant to target by the year 2045 and
phase-out ozone-destroying chemicals only. The Kigali 2034 respectively.
Amendment enabled the Montreal Protocol to mandate India on Wednesday said it
the elimination of HFCs as well. will draw up a national strat-
egy for phase-down of HFCs by
the year 2023 in “consultation
therefore, is crucial to achieving hasalreadyrisenbyabout1.1de- with all industry stakeholders”.
the target of restraining the in- gree Celsius. It said that existing domestic
crease in global temperatures to The decision to ratify the laws that govern the imple-
2degreeCelsiusfrompre-indus- amendment was taken at a mentation of the Montreal
trial times. As pointed out by a meetingof theUnion Cabinet on Protocol would be amended by
recent report of the Wednesday. It comes close on the middle of 2024 to facilitate
Intergovernmental Panel on the heels of similar decisions by the HFC phase-down. India’s
Climate Change (IPCC), the aver- the United States and China, the reductions have to begin only
age temperatures of the planet world’s largest producers and after 2028.
Subhas Sarkar
Union minister
comments on
Tagore’s
complexion,
kicks up row
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
KOLKATA,AUGUST18
UNION MINISTER of State for
Education Subhas Sarkar on
Wednesday courted controversy
for making a comment about
Nobel laureate Rabindranath
Tagore’scomplexion,drawingflak
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti with her mother Gulshan Nazir from the ruling Trinamool
outside the ED office, in Srinagar on Wednesday. ANI Congress (TMC).
Sarkar, the doctor-turned-MP
from Bankura, said no one in
2nd time in 30 days, Tagore’s family, including his
mother, cradled him in their arms
whenhewasababybecausehewas
Mehbooba mother “dark-skinned”.Hemadethecom-
mentduringaninteractionwiththe
teachersofVisva-BharatiUniversity,
appears before ED
which was founded by the Nobel
laureate. He was at the institute to
attend a felicitation ceremony for
becomingaUnionminister.
ED had first first questioned her “All were fair-skinned in
BASHAARATMASOOD on July 17 in the case lodged after Tagore's family. Even
SRINAGAR,AUGUST18 theagencyallegedlyseizeddiaries Rabindranath Tagore was fair-
FORMER JAMMU and Kashmir
chief minister and PDP president
from associates of former
Mehbooba Mufti.
The diaries allegedly listed
skinnedinreality.However,there
are two types of fair skin tones.
Thosewhohaveayellowtint,and
Mehbooba Mufti's mother,
Gulshan Nazir, appeared before
theEnforcementDirectorate(ED)
many payments made out of the
CM’s discretionary fund.
Mufti later tweeted, “..The
thosewithareddishcomplexion.
Tagorehadthesecondtypeofskin
tone.Hismotherandothersinhis
inSrinagaronWednesdayincon- chronology is quite clear. The last familyrefusedtotakehimintheir
nection with an alleged money timeshereceivedasummonwas lap as he was dark-skinned. But
laundering case. when PDP boycotted the thatsamepersonbecameworld-
Muftiaccompaniedhermother Delimitation Commission fol- famous,” said the minister. Vice-
to the ED office, and later tweeted lowedbyanothersummonwhen Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty
that the Centre has “weaponized” I staged a peaceful protest on 5th was by Sarkar’s side when he
centralagenciesto"harassandpun- Augustcriticizingtheillegalabro- made the remark. The minister
ishpoliticalopponents". gation of Article 370.” was accompanied by local BJP
This was the second time PAGD spokesperson and leader Dhruba Saha.
Nazir, wife of late Mufti CPI(M)leaderMYTarigamistated “SubhasSarkarisnotawareof
Mohammad Sayeed, former thatthe“summoningof theaged history...This is a racist comment
Union Home minister and CM of wife of former union minister by and an insult to the icons of
the erstwhile state of J&K, was ED is a glimpse of coercive tactics Bengal,” said TMC leader and
questionedbythe central agency employed by the Central govern- Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek
in connection with the case. The ment to kill dissent". Banerjee.
said his office has sought an ap-
pointment with Governor
Banwarilal Purohit in this regard
on Thursday. Panneerselvam is
also likely to accompany him.
Chief Minister M K Stalin,
however, said in the assembly
that there was no political mo-
tive in the case.
“It was in our poll promises
thatwewillprobethecase.There
is no need for anyone to worry
StalinpaystributetoTelanganaandPuducherryGovernor about the probe. The heist, mur-
TamilisaiSoundararajan’smotherandCongressleaderKumari der and a number of deaths that
Ananthan’swifeKrishnakumariinChennai.Krishnakumari followed the incident raised
diedata HyderabadhospitalonWednesday. PTI doubtsinthemindofpublic.That
is why we made a promise that
New Delhi
IUML draws flak
over move to
students’ wing
Action taken after women leaders
filed sexual harassment complaint
SHAJU PHILIP
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
AUGUST 18
THE INDIAN Union Muslim
League (IUML) is facing criticism
over its decision to “freeze” the
statecommitteeof Haritha--the
women's wing of the Muslim
Students Federation (MSF), the
party's student organisation –
days after Haritha leaders com-
plained to the state women's
commission against some MSF
leaders.
On August 13, two Haritha
leadersfiledasexualharassment
complaint with the state
women's commission against
MSF state president P K Navas,
Malappuram district president
M Kabeer and district general
secretary V A Wahab. The MSF
leadersare alleged tohavemade
lewd remarks against the
women at the state committee
meeting in June this year.
The women firstcomplained
to the IUML leadership. With no
action taken, they then ap-
proached the commission.
Terming their action as “in-
discipline”,theIUMLonTuesday
suspended the state committee
of Haritha, after the women
leaders refused to withdraw
their complaint.
Taking on the IUML leader-
ship on Wednesday, MSF na-
tional vice-president Fathima
Thahiliya said Haritha leaders
werefacingpersonalattacksand
insults on social media.
“We are being hunted on so-
cialmedia.Itisreallysadthatthe
Working out finance plan
for developing countries:
COP26 president in India
ESHAROY
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
CONCLUDING HIS three-day
IndiavisitonWednesday,COP26
president Alok Sharma said that
he has requested the Indian gov-
ernment to consider raising am-
bitionsinemissionreductiontar-
getsandreiteratedthatadelivery
plan on finance for developing
countries is being put in place
ahead of the conference in
Glasgow later this year.
The President of the 26th UN
ClimateChangeConferenceofthe
Parties (COP26), on his second
visit to India this year, met new
environment minister
Bhupender Yadav for the first
time, apart from power minister
RK Singh, commerce and indus-
try minister Piyush Goyal as well
as finance minister Nirmala
Sitharaman. He said he has as-
sured the ministers that a deliv-
ery plan is being worked out.
TheIndiangovernmenthasso
far resisted increasing ambitions
aheadoftheCOP26thisyear,pre-
ferringinsteadtomeetalreadyset
ambitionsandtargets,andreiter-
atingseveraltimesthatitwilllook
at increasing ambitions during
the review process in 2023.
“Ihavereiteratedtheconsistent
ask that I have had with all coun-
we will bring all culprits to law,”
said Stalin. “It has no political
agenda. We will go ahead with
the probe as per judicial norms.”
Duringthe2017robbery,ase-
curityguardatthebungalow,Om
Bahadur, was murdered. His
body was found hanging upside
down from a tree withhis throat
slitandmouthstuffedwithcloth.
Later, Dinesh Kumar, a CCTV op-
erator at the estate, committed
suicide.
Sources in the investigation
teamsaidanothersecurityguard
whowasalsoattackedduringthe
robbery, Krishna Bahadur, is
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
IUML has decided to freeze the
Haritha state committee. We
hope the party will take an apt
decision after hearing the MSF
leaders facing sexual harass-
mentcharge.Don’tthinkthatwe
are alone. Why did they freeze
the Haritha committee alone?
What about the MSF, which is
facing the allegation,’’ she said.
Thahiliya said her “role
model is not E M S
Namboodiripad, but K R Gouri,
who fought against male domi-
nance (in the CPM)”.
Coming out in support of the
women, 11 district committees
of the MSF have written to the
IUMLleadership,urging themto
liftthe“freeze”onthestatecom-
mittee of the Haritha and to take
action against the MSF leaders
facing the allegation. The MSF
unit in the University of Calicut
resigned en masse in protest
against the party's action.
Defending the party's deci-
sion, IUML state general secre-
tary P M A Salam said: “They
(Haritha) took the issue to the
public when the party was try-
ing to find a solution... The dis-
pute between Haritha and MSF
was before the IUML The
women leaders should have
waitedfor ourdecision.Wehave
asked the MSFleaders toexplain
and a decision was proposed
within two weeks”.
“The party is adept at han-
dlingtheissue.TheHarithalead-
ers should not have resorted to a
standthathasgivenopponentsa
sticktobeattheIUMLwith,’’said
senior party leader and legisla-
tor M K Munner.
tries – firstly in terms of emission
reduction targets, so more ambi-
tious NDCs for 2030, net zero tar-
getsformid-centuryandhadadis-
cussionaroundfinance.It’sbecome
veryimportanttoreiteratethatde-
liveringonthat100billion(dollars)
ayearhasbecomeamatteroftrust
fordevelopingcountriesandweare
pushing forward in putting to-
gether a delivery plan on finance,”
said Sharma, addressing a media
roundtableattheresidenceof the
BritishHighCommissioner.
Sharma said that ministerial
colleagues from Germany and
Canadaareworkingwiththepres-
idencytosetoutadeliveryplan.
“AtCOP26,wewillalsohaveto
initiatediscussionsonpost2025fi-
nancing,”saidSharma,addingthat
tomobilisetrillionsofdollars,which
willberequiredtocreateclimatere-
silientstructuresaroundtheworld,
willrequireheavyinvestmentfrom
theprivatesector.
Bhupender Yadav extended
India’s full support to the UK for
COP26.“Indiabelievesthatclimate
actions must be nationally deter-
minedandstronglyadvocatesthat
thedifferentiationandoperational-
izationofflexibilityprovidedinthe
UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement
fordevelopingcountriesshouldbe
atthecoreofdecision-making.”
FULL REPORT ON
www.indianexpress.com
missing now.
After a police probe was
launched, Sayan, who is from
Kerala, was arrested and during
interrogation the role of C
Kanagaraj, a former driver of
Kodanadestate,surfaced.Onthe
day a lookout notice was issued
againsthim,Kanagarajwaskilled
inaroadaccidentatAttur,which
his family alleged was a planned
murder. On the same day, Sayan,
who was out on bail, also met
with an accident near Palakkad
inwhichhewasinjuredseriously
and his wife and daughter were
killed.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
On hillock for online
classes in Odisha
village, teen slips, dies
AISHWARYA MOHANTY
BHUBANESWAR, AUGUST 18
AT 3 PM on Tuesday, Andria
Jagaranga, a Class 8 student,
climbed up a small hillock near
hisvillagePandragudainOdisha's
Rayagadadistrictlikehehasdone
almosteverydayforthepastyear.
A spot on the hillock is the only
placewherehegetsInternetcon-
nectionforonlineclasses,heldin
the afternoon. Two hours later, a
friend of Andria's came rushing
totellhisfatherthathehadfallen
off a rock. By nightfall, the 13-
year-old was dead.
"It has been raining continu-
ouslyforthepastfewdaysandthe
rocks were slippery. He was sit-
tinginacorner,tryingtogetbetter
connectivity," Andria’s father
Narhari Jagaranga said. “Andria
was unconscious but breathing
whenwefoundhim.Wearranged
for a vehicle and took him to the
block hospital (20 km away). He
died while under treatment.”
After Andria cleared Class 5
from the village primary school,
his father, a village guard, en-
rolled him in a tribal residential
school in Cuttack, 450 km away.
ButAndriahadbeenhomesince
March last year when the school
shut following the lockdown.
“We had enrolled him at the
residential school because there
arenogoodgovernment schools
near thevillage...Hewasabright
student and we wanted him to
study well,” Narhari said.
Earning just Rs 1,800 a
month, Narhari, who owns a ba-
sicNokiaphone,couldnotafford
a smartphone for his son.
Andria's elder brother, a post-
graduation student at
BerhampurUniversity,arranged
Complete Gujarat: 9 arrested for
chaos in NE, ‘assault, extortion bid’
where’s on officials of wind park
govt: Cong EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THE NORTHEAST is seeing a
complete breakdown of law and
order in the Northeast on the
watch of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Home
Minister Amit Shah, the
CongressallegedonWednesday.
The party’s chief spokesman
Randeep Singh Surjewala re-
ferred to the Assam-Mizoram
border tensions, the situation in
Meghalaya and alleged Chinese
intrusion in Arunachal Pradesh.
“Chaos prevails and com-
plete breakdown of law and or-
der and Constitutional machin-
ery in North East under the
watchof PMandHM,”Surjewala
said on Twitter.
“Assam-
Mizoram clash-
police firing
continues. 7
died earlier.
War like hostil-
ities between
two States
ruled by BJP-
NDA.
Miscreants at-
tack the convoy
of Meghalaya
Governor.
Militants were
firing through
streets. Home
Minister of the
state has re-
signed. China
intruding into
Arunachal.
Where is the
Modi
Government,"
he said.
Curfew was
imposed in
Shillong and
mobile internet
services with-
drawn in at
least four dis-
tricts as vandal-
ism and arson
rocked the
Meghalayacap-
ital and nearby
areas on
Independence
Day during the
funeral proces-
sion of a former
militant, who
was killed in a
recent police
encounter.
It had been raining, says
Andria Jagaranga’s father
for a second-hand phone.
“I could barely manage to
recharge his Internet pack, but I
made some cuts because he was
keen on studying,” Narhari said.
Several children of the village
climbupthe200-metrehillockfor
classes, and after Andria's death,
their parents are hoping the gov-
ernment will find a way out.
District Magistrate-cum-
CollectorSKMishrasaidhewould
inquiry into Andria's death.
Rayagada District Education
Officer Purnachandra Baria said,
“Our team visited the village to-
day and met the parents... We
will work out an alternative so
that students don't have to take
such risks.”
Baria added that only around
20 per cent students across the
state were able to attend online
classes without problems due to
Internetissues.“TheInternetpen-
etrationinmostof theremotelo-
cations is very less... We have di-
rectedourteacherstosendstudy
material home to those students
whoarenotabletoattendclasses.
But during the pandemic, it has
been difficult,” Baria said.
The State Education
Department had also initiated a
home learning programme for
27,75,121 students of Classes 1 to
RAJKOT, AUGUST 18
THE GUJARAT Police has ar-
rested nine people for allegedly
assaulting,confiningandthreat-
ening staff and officials of the
Suzlon Gujarat Wind Park
Limited (SGWPL), and demand-
ing Rs 10 lakh from them to con-
tinue work on the sub-station
being developed by the com-
pany in Lakhpat taluka of Kutch
on August 16.
One person was arrested the
same day as the incident, while
eight residents of Bhadra Mota
villageinLakhpattalukawerear-
rested late on Tuesday. Dayapar
policeregisteredacaseforextor-
tion, assault and illegal confine-
ment on the basis of a complaint
filedbySGWPLassistant general
manager Amish Parik.
According to police, on
EXPRESS NETWORK 7
Punjab ex-DGP Saini arrested
in disproportionate assets case
SHO removed for assault on media
diateactionagainsttheerringpo-
BASHAARAT MASOOD lice officer,” J&K Police tweeted
SRINAGAR, AUGUST 18 Wednesday. Immediately after
the tweet, SHO Shergarhi Aftab
him in any case pertaining to any J&K POLICE on Wednesday took Ahmad was removed and at-
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE incidentduringhisservicecareer. action against a Station House tachedtotheDistrictPoliceLines.
CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 18 A top functionary of the Officer a day after police person- Tuesday's incident had trig-
Punjab Police said, “He was for- nel led by him assaulted over a gered anger among the journal-
THE PUNJAB Vigilance Bureau mallyarrestedinanothercasefor dozen journalists while they ists, with the Kashmir Press Club
arrested former DGP Sumedh having committed forgery in or- were covering the Muharram condemning it and demanding
Singh Saini on Wednesday night der to stall the process of attach- procession in Srinagar. strict action against the police of-
as he went to join an investiga- ment of house no. 3048, Sector “DGPJ&KDilbaghSinghtakes ficials involved. “Scores of media
5 studying in government and tioninconnectionwithadispro- 20-D,Chandigarh,bythecourtof serious view of undesirable be- persons were on Tuesday
aidedschoolsinthestate.Theto- portionateassetscaseregistered Special Judge Mohali. Saini has haviour with some media men thrashedbythepolicemenwhen
talnumberofstudentsuptoClass against him on August 2. Sumedh Singh Saini been claiming to be a tenant in in Srinagar yesterday. SSP they were performing their pro-
12 is estimated to be 53,78,657. Reports, which could not be the house after his retirement.” Srinagar directed to take imme- fessional duties...,” it had said.
A survey done by the confirmed, suggested Saini was PunjabVigilanceBureau(VB)
Education Department ahead of arrested by the VB in connection hadalsodirectedSainitosurren- had on August 2 booked Saini
commencement of the online with“freshFIR”relatingtoalleged der his passport and join the in- and six others in a corruption
classes showed that 56.16 per irregularities in “recruitment of vestigation within a week. and disproportionate case regis-
cent of all students had a TV at constables in Punjab Police”. Saini’scounselsaidtheformer teredatPhase-IVigilanceBureau
home, while 28.34 per cent had StatingthatSainiwasaZ-plus DGPhadgonetojointheprobein police station in Mohali.
smartphones and 52.39 per cent category protectee — “meaning thatcaseaspercourtorderswhen A1982-batchIPSofficer,Saini
ordinary phones. thereisnochanceofhisabscond- he was arrested. Terming the ar- was appointed DGP in 2012. He
Odisha School and Mass ing”, the Punjab and Haryana rest illegal, he added that accord- was removed from the post in
Education Minister S R Dash ear- High Court had earlier granted ing to a High Court order issued 2015 after protests erupted over
lier said that only 40 per cent of him interim anticipatory bail in lastyear,aseven-daynoticehadto a series of sacrilege incidents,
the students in the state had ac- the corruption case. The court be given to Saini before arresting and retired in 2018.
cesstogoodInternetconnectivity.
The recent Odisha economic
survey showed that of the total
51,311villagesinthestate,11,000
did not have mobile connectiv-
ity. The overall tele-density in
Odisha is 76.46 (per 100), com-
pared to the national average of
87.37. Internet subscribers per
100peopleinthestateare43.95,
and only 34.51 in rural areas.
Withnoofflineclassesforthe
pastoneyear,educationactivists
have been raising the issue of
lack of Internet connectivity, as
well as the hazards many face to
get a signal. Andriya's death
comes just days ahead of Union
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's
scheduled visit to the district.
Urging the government to
start thinking about reopening
schools, especially in remote lo-
calities where Internet accessi-
bilityisachallenge,theconvenor
of the Odisha RTE Forum, Anil
Pradhan, said, “Until schools re-
open, teachers should try and
conduct open classes. So much
money is being spent on online
education, but if the outreach is
negligible, it is of no use.”
FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
August 16, a group of men as-
sembled outside the gate of
Ashapur Farmhouse in Matana
Madh village, where executives
and employees of SGWPL have
put up, and prevented employ-
ees from going out for work.
When the Parikh went to the
gate to inquire, the mob started
hurling abuses.
“Theytoldusthatif ourcom-
pany wanted to work here and if
we wanted to live here, we have
topaythemRs10lakh,”Parikhis
quoted to have stated in the FIR.
SGWPL is a group company
of renewable energy major
Suzlon Group, which has in-
stalled hundreds of windmills in
Kutch district, mainly in Abdasa,
Lakhpat and Nakhtrana talukas.
A Suzlon executive said that
the company resumed work on
thesub-station
with the help
of police.
AGRA
New Delhi
 8 EXPRESS NETWORK WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021

Covid R-value drops

below 1, including in
Kerala, N-E states
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
AFTER BREACHING the value of
one in the first week of August,
the R number, which reflects
how rapidly the pandemic is
spreading, has been steadily
ebbing in the country including
Kerala and some northeastern
states, according to researchers.
The R-value between August
14-16, calculated by the re-
searchers, now stands at 0.89.
If R is less than one, it means
the number of newly infected
peopleislowerthanthenumber
of infected people in the preced-
ing period and the disease inci-
dence is going down.
“India'sRhasfallentoaround
0.9,” Sitbara Sinha of the Indian
Institute of Mathematical
Science, who is leading the re-
search, told PTI, citing their data.
The R-value of Kerala, which
hasthehighestnumber of active
cases in the country, is now be-
low one, signalling a relief to au-
thorities who have been strug-
glingtobringdowntheinfection
levels in the state.
central team to review the
Covid-19 situation in the state.
The minister said the Centre
has allocated Rs 267.35 crore to
the state to strengthen its health
infrastructure and will also pro-
vide1.11crorevaccinesinAugust
and September.
There are 4,98,630 people
under surveillance in various
districts of the state.
Kerala, which recorded the
firstCovidcaseinthecountry,re-
ceived accolades for effectively
handling the first wave, but the
stategovernmenthasbeenunder
criticism after the second wave.
Thenortheasternstatesseem
to have finally come out of the
second wave, Sinha said.
TheR-valuefor Maharashtra,
another state which has a high
numberof cases,is0.89,thedata
shows. Himachal Pradesh con-
tinues to have an R-value of
above one, although it reduced
in the last few days, while Tamil
Nadu and Uttarakhand still have
R very close to one, Sinha said.
TheReproductionnumberor
R refers to how many people an
infected person infects, on aver-
age. In other words, it tells how
TRACKING THE SECOND SURGE
Nod for Justice Chanda Samajwadi
MP booked
535 NEW CASES: 36,574
DAYS SINCE
PANDEMIC
BEGAN
DAILY DEATHS
542
ACTIVE CASES: 3,65,240
TOTAL VACCINATION: 56,06,52,030
TOTAL DEATHS
4,33,061
WEEKLY CFR
1.19%
OVERALL CFR
1.36%
as HC permanent judge
Mamata had earlier conveyed her objection to the proposal
for sedition
over Taliban
remarks
reassigned from his bench, cit- Collegium for appointments to
APURVA VISHWANATH ing a “likelihood of bias”. High Courts, which comprises
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18 During the hearing for re- Justices U U Lalit and A M PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
cusal of the judge, Banerjee had Khanwilkar apart from the CJI, SAMBHAL, AUGUST 18
THE SUPREME Court Collegium statedthatthejudgecouldbebi- also notified that it has approved
headed by Chief Justice of India ased as the government had op- proposals to appoint six addi- SAMAJWADI PARTY MP
TESTS TODAY: 19,68,607 | TOTAL TESTS: 50,03,95,690
N V Ramana on Wednesday no- posed the proposal to appoint tional judges of the Karnataka Shafiqur Rehman Barq has been
WEEKLY POSITIVITY: 1.88% | OVERALL POSITIVITY: 6.46% tified its decision confirming him as permanent judge since High Court as permanent judges bookedforseditionfollowinghis
Justice Kausik Chanda, addi- he was an “active member” of of that court. The six judges are recent remarks allegedly de-
STATES REPORTING MOST CASES tional judge of Calcutta High the BJP. Justices Sanjay Gowda, Jyoti fending the Taliban’s takeover of
STATE NEW ACTIVE WEEKLY TOTAL Court, as permanent judge of In a letter to Chief Justice Mulimani, Nataraj Afghanistanandequatingitwith
CASES CASES POSITIVITY VACCINATION that court. (Acting) Rajesh Bindal, Rangaswamy, Hemant India’s own freedom struggle,
The decision was taken at a Banerjee's counsel Sanjay Basu Chandangoudar, Pradeep Singh police said on Wednesday.
■ Kerala 21,427 1,78,133 14.77% 2,49,66,778
meeting of the Collegium on had said that the Chief Minister Yerur and Maheshan HewaschargedunderIndian
■ Maharashtra 5,132 58,069 2.72% 5,07,52,443 August 17. had earlier “conveyed her objec- Nagaprasanna. Penal Code section 124A (sedi-
■ Tamil Nadu 1,797 20,083 1.19% 2,73,89,694 In June, West Bengal Chief tions and reservations” about FortheTelanganaHighCourt, tion)followingacomplaintfrom
Minister Mamata Banerjee had JusticeChanda’sconfirmationas the Collegium recommended BJP leader Rajesh Singhal on
■ Andhra Pradesh 1,433 15,944 2.22% 2,56,21,816
toldtheHighCourtthatthestate permanent judge, and so there appointment of six district judi- Tuesday, Superintendent of
■ Karnataka 1,365 21,292 0.97% 3,54,72,593 had objected to the proposal to was “reasonable apprehen- cialofficers and amember of the Police Chakresh Mishra said.
appoint Justice Chanda as a per- sion… of bias”. Eventually, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Following registration of the
STATES REPORTING MOST DEATHS manent judge. Justice Chanda Justice Chanda recused from as judges. Those recommended case,BarqonWednesdaysaidhe
was caught in the eye of a polit- hearing the case. are judges Sree Sudha, C was quoted out of context and
STATE TODAY’S TOTAL WEEKLY OVERALL ical storm in West Bengal when Justice Chanda has a tenure Sumalatha, G Radha Rani, M wrong charges have been lev-
DEATHS DEATHS CFR CFR Banerjee sought that the case till 2036 as a judge of the High Laxman, N Tukaramji, A elled against him. “I am with the
■ Kerala 179 19,128 0.64% 0.55% seeking re-evaluation of the Court. Venkateshwara Reddy and ITAT policies of India,” he said.
■ Maharashtra 173 1,38,912 2.48% 2.20% Nandigram election results be On Wednesday, the member P Madhavi Devi. TheMPhasbeenalsobooked
undersections153A(promoting
■ Odisha 65 7,139 4.71% 0.73%
enmity between different
■ Tamil Nadu
■ Karnataka
31
22
34,610
37,061
1.58%
1.44%
1.35%
1.27%
Coordinating with
Centre on 200
France evacuates 21 groups) and 295A (outraging re-
ligious feelings), Mishra said.
Besides Barq, two others —

Indians from Kabul

Earlier this week, Union
Health Minister Mansukh
Mandaviya, visited Kerala with a
Note:DataasonAug18;vaccinationnumbersasofAug17.Deathsincludethosefrompreviousdays.
“efficiently” a virus is spreading.
A smaller R value indicates Bengal residents in Mohammad Muqueem and
Chaudhary Faizan — have been
the disease is on a decline.
Andhra to give kids Afghanistan: CM Afghanistan.
bookedunderthesesections,the
officer said. Following the

pneumonia vaccine EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

KOLKATA, AUGUST 18
SREENIVAS JANYALA WEST BENGAL Chief Minister
HYDERABAD, AUGUST 18 Mamata Banerjee Wednesday
said her government is coordi-
TWO DAYS after schools reopened across Andhra nating with the Centre to ensure
Pradesh, the state government on Wednesday de- thereturnof morethan200peo-
cided to administer pneumococcal conjugate vac- ple from the state stranded in
cines to children and test students with symptoms Afghanistan.
for Covid-19. Health department officials also re- She said the residents are
viewedCovidprotocolinschools.Themovecomes from Kalimpong and Terai and
aspartofpreparationsforananticipatedthirdwave. were working in Afghanistan.
Deputy Chief Minister A Krishna Srinivas, who “Thechief secretarywillwrite
alsoholdsthehealthportfolio,saidthegovernment totheMinistryof ExternalAffairs
isfocusingonvaccinatingschoolteachersandstaff. to bring them back,” she told re-
Meanwhile, officials said there were 17,218 ac- porters. She said, "We must first
tive cases; the recovery rate was at 98.45 per cent look after the safety of Indians.”
whiletheoverallpositivityrateis1.94percent.The Askedif theCentreshouldre-
positivityrateislessthanthreein visit the immigration policy in
10districtsandrangesfrom3to6 light of the humanitarian crisis
per cent in three districts. In an- in Afghanistan, she said: “It is a
ticipationof athirdwave,oxygen sensitiveissueandamajorpolicy
plants will be set up in all private decision. The MEA is monitoring
hospitalswithmorethan50beds the crisis situation. I shouldn't
by September 10. comment on it now.”
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
THE FIRST evacuation flight by
France from Kabul included 21
Indian nationals deployed to
provide security at the French
embassy in the Afghan capital.
External Affairs Minister S
JaishankarhadTuesdaythanked
hisFrenchcounterpartJean-Yves
Le Drian for evacuating the
Indian nationals from Kabul to
Paris, in the backdrop of the
Taliban capturing power in the
Afghan city.
"The first French evacuation
flight from #Kabul yesterday in-
cluded 21 Indian nationals: the
elite Gurkhas who were ensur-
ing the security of the French
Embassy," French Ambassador
to India Emmanuel Lenain
tweeted Wednesday.
He said France has been ac-
tivelycoordinatingwithIndiaon
developments relating to
Min
“Asdiscussedincallbetween
@JY_LeDrian
Min@DrSJaishankar, France co-
&
ordinates actively with India on
#Afghanistan, especially at
#UNSC,” Lenain said.
After his telephonic conver-
sation with Le Drian, Jaishankar
said the evolving situation in
Afghanistan was discussed.
“Discussed the evolving sit-
uation in Afghanistan with
Foreign Minister @JY_LeDrian.
We will continue to coordinate
in the UN Security Council.
Thank him for evacuating 21
Indian nationals from Kabul to
Paris,” Jaishankar tweeted.
The Taliban swept across
Afghanistan this month, seizing
control of almost all key Afghan
towns and cities in the country
following the withdrawal of the
US forces from the country.
IndiaTuesdaycompletedthe
evacuationofallitsdiplomatsand
other staff members from Kabul.
Sambhal MP's remarks,
Samajwadi Party workers
Muqueem and Faizan posted
material on social media in sup-
port of the Taliban, according to
the FIR.
Responding to questions
from reporters on Monday, Lok
SabhamemberBarqhadsaidthe
Taliban wanted to free their
countryanditwasAfghanistan's
internal matter. The MP had said
that when India was under
British Rule, the entire country
fought for independence.
Theremarksdrewsharpcrit-
icism from Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath. In the
statelegislativecouncil,thechief
minister on Tuesday slammed
the opposition MP.
Speaking to reporters on
Wednesday, Barq said, “I have
not given any such type of state-
ment, and this is wrong.
Whatever be the policy of my
country, I will be with it.”

NORTH CENTRAL RAILWAY, PRAYAGRAJ BJPMLASLAMSJD(U)

TENDER NOTICE
For and on behalf of President of India, the Sr. Divisional Electrical Engineer MLCFOR AFGHANISTAN
(General) North Central Railway, Jhansi invites open tenders through online
(E-Tendering) for the following work - EVACUATIONREMARKS
Repairing Contract of Electric pump of Jhansi division for
Description Patna: BJP MLA Haribhushan
a period of two years.
Tender value Rs. 2695192.55 Thakur on Wednesday tried to
Earnest money NIL counter JD(U) MLC and former
Cost of tender NIL Rajya Sabha member Ghulam
Document RasoolBaliyawi’scriticismof the
Tender No. JHS/ELG/W/T-03/2021-22 Centre — for carrying out evacu-
Completion period Two years (24 months) ations on “religious lines” from
Closing date of Afghanistan — by saying that
09/09/2021 (at 15:00 Hrs)
tender
Date & time of
“such thoughts can bring an-
opening of tender 09/09/2021 (at 15:30 Hrs) other Partition-like situation in
In case the date of tender opening happens to be a holiday or technical problem in the country”.
website, the tenders shall be opened on the next working day in the same manner. “Indian government has
The complete information along with tender document of above E- Tender is beendoing its jobbutsomepeo-
available in website on https://www.ireps.gov.in up to 15.00 Hrs. on the due date
of tender opening.
ple keep thinking in terms of
Tenderer will submit the tender online up to 09/09/2021 (at 15.00 Hrs.) complete vote politics...those who have
details & for submission of tenders can be seen in Indian Railway website problems should visit
http://www.ireps.gov.in 930/21 (SP) Afghanistan to understand how
North central railways www.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in @CPRONCR good India is,” Thakur said. ENS

New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
BRIEFLY
UTTAR PRADESH
Complaint
againstRam
templetrust
Lucknow: Mahant
Dharam Das of the
Nirvani Akhada in
Ayodhya has accused the
members of the Ram
Janmabhoomi Teerth
Kshetra Trust, which is in
charge of the construc-
tion of a Ram temple in
Ayodhya, of “betraying”
peopleandRamdevotees
“by committing fraud”
whilepurchasinglandfor
the temple, and alleged
that donations had been
misused. The mahant on
Wednesday demanded
that religious leaders in
Ayodhya be given the re-
sponsibility of running
the shrine. The police,
however, have not regis-
tered an FIR. ENS
MAHARASHTRA
HCinterimbail
toRajKundrain
2020case
Mumbai: The Bombay
HighCourtonWednesday
granted interim protec-
tionfromarrestforaweek
to businessman Raj
Kundrainacaseregistered
by the Mumbai cyber po-
lice in 2020. The case was
based on a complaint al-
leging that certain online
platforms had published
obscene videos as part of
their web series. Kundra,
who is behind bars in a
similar case related to
adult films filed by the
Mumbai police crime
branch, approached the
HCafterthesessionscourt
rejectedhispre-arrestbail
plea earlier this month.
ENS
TRIPURA
HCjunkspleato
staycaseagainst
5TMCleaders
Agartala: The High Court
of TripuraWednesdayre-
jected a plea to stay the
ongoing investigation
against five Trinamool
Congress leaders, includ-
ing the party's national
general secretary
Abhishek Banerjee and
Bengal education minis-
ter Bratya Basu, for al-
legedly obstructing the
police from doing their
duty during a visit to
Khowai on August 8.
Hearingapetitionfiledby
TMC leader Subal
Bhowmik, Chief Justice
Akil Kureshi said the po-
lice can continue investi-
gating the case. ENS
ODISHA
KIITceremony
honoursMata
Amritanandamayi
Bhubaneswar: The
Kalinga Institute of
Industrial Technology
(KIIT) in Bhubaneswar
has conferred an hon-
orary degree, D. Litt.
(Honoris Causa), on spir-
itual leader Sri Mata
Amritanandamayi Devi.
Thedegreewasbestowed
upon her virtually as part
of the deemed-to-be uni-
versity’s17thannualcon-
vocation ceremony last
Saturdayinrecognitionof
her “great contributions
in the field of spirituality,
education, environmen-
tal issues, humanitarian
efforts, love and compas-
sion”. ENS
EXPRESS NETWORK 9
Rape case against Marandi adviser; months after his plea for CBI probe against CM
the 20-year-old woman lodged and later a writ petition in The FIR against Tiwary was “properly”, he later started “sex- casteist expletives. He said a 15-year-old tribal
ABHISHEK ANGAD
RANCHI, AUGUST 18
a complaint in Argora Police
Station on August 16.
Supreme Court, seeking a court-
monitoredCBIprobeinarapeal-
registered under IPC sections
376 (1) (rigorous imprisonment
ually harassing” her. She com-
plained that the rape occurred
No arrest has been made yet.
Maranditoldthemedia:“The
girlwhowasstudyingatTiwari’s
house was sent before the Child
Marandi, Jharkhand’s first legation against Jharkhand CM of 10 years for rape), 354A (sex- on the rooftop of the house on Hemant Soren government is Welfare Committee.
JHARKHANDPOLICEhasbooked
BJPleaderBabulalMarandi’spo-
CM, claimed a “conspiracy” be-
hind the FIR.
Hemant Soren.
InJune,Tiwaryhadalsowrit-
ual harassment), among others
andundertheSC/ST(Prevention
March 20. She stated that the
same evening, Tiwary allegedly
suppressinganissueinwhichhe
himself isanaccusedandTiwary
The father of the 15-year-old
girl has also written to the
liticaladviserSunilTiwaryforal- The development comes ten to Jharkhand Chief Secretary of Atrocities Act). sought her forgiveness saying is an intervenor in that case… Chairperson, SC/ST Commission
legedlyrapingadomestichelpat months after Tiwary, a former and DGP, claiming that a “false” According to the FIR, the 20- that he “committed the act in a This government is acting in a statingthatherdaughterwas“il-
his residence in March last year. journalist,filedanintervenorap- case could be registered against year-oldcomplainantstatedthat drunken state”. The woman also conspiracy, with malicious in- legally” taken by police and sent
The FIR was registered after plication in Bombay High Court, him following the applications. while Tiwary initially behaved alleged that Tiwary had used tent and irresponsibly…” to the CWC.
Goa minister now d½fÄff´f³f
spars with MLA »fOÞ I e I f ³ff¸f ªf³¸fd°fd±f ¹fû¦¹f°ff VffSedSI A³¹f
A½fÀ±ff
Panaji: With scheduled
Assembly polls looming, rifts ´fcªff 21.08.2002 8th d½fI »ffa¦f ´fc¯fÊ°f: A³ff±f
seem to be emerging in the Goa ³fe»f¸f 11.05.2001 8th À½fÀ±f ”
unit of BJP. Days after his spat
with his Cabinet colleague
Aaªf»fe 23.02.2001 7th À½fÀ±f ”
Micheal Lobo, Housing and °fe³f A³ff±f »fOÞ dI ¹fûÔ WZ °fb À½fÀ±f, ÀfbaQS ³füI Se ¹ff ½¹f½fÀ±ff I S³fZ ½ff»fZ ´fPÞZ-
Transport minister Mauvin d»fJZ »fOÞ IZ ¨ffdWEÜ dªf³fI e Af¹fb 30 ÀfZ Ad²fI ³f Wû AüS ³¹fc³f°f¸f ¸ffdÀfI
Godinho has had a run-in with Af¹f 25,000 WûÜ Af½fZQ³f ¸fZÔ A´f³ff ´fcS f ´f°ff, ¸fû¶ffB»f ³fa., ´fPÞfBÊ, ³füI Se ¹ff
Alina Saldanha, BJP legislator
from Cortalim, a constituency
½¹f½fÀ±ff I f ¶¹füSf, ´fdS½ffS I f ´fc¯fÊ ¶¹füSf A½fV¹f d»fJZÔ, ªfûdI I f¹ffÊ»f¹f õfSf
Godinho represented earlier. Àf°¹ffd´f°f I S½ff¹ff ªffE¦ffÜ Af½fZQ³f d½fÄff´f³f IZ ´fiI fdVf°f Wû³fZ C´fSfa°f 15 dQ³f
On Tuesday, Godinho said IZ AaQS-AaQS d³f¸³fWÀ°ffÃfSe IZ I f¹ffÊ»f¹f ¸fZÔ ªf¸ff I S½ffEÜ ¨f¹fd³f°f Af½fZQI
Saldanha had done no work I û ÀffÃff°I fS I e d°fd±f ½¹fd¢°f¦f°f °füS ´fS ¶f°ff Qe ªffE¦feÜ ÀffÃff°I fS IZ Àf¸f¹f
Cortalim and projects she inau- ¨f¹fd³f°f Af½fZQI C´fSû¢°f Àf·fe QÀ°ff½fZªfûÔ I e ¸fc»f ´fid°f IZ Àff±f d³f²ffÊdS°f Àf¸f¹f
gurated were started while he ½f À±ff³f ´fS C´fdÀ±f°f WûÜ
represented the constituency.
Af½fZQ³f WZ °fb Àfa´fIÊ ÀfcÂf
On Wednesday, Saldhana hit
back, saying Godinho was “inse- dªf»ff ¶ff»f ÀfaS Ãf¯f BÊI fBÊ, Óf«fS
cure” and in 20 years that he
represented Cortalim, he was
¶ff»f ·f½f³f, ³fªfQeI »f§fb Àfd¨f½ff»f¹f,
¦fbø ¦fif¸f SûO, Óf«fS
never interested in its 01251-252797,
development. ENS DCPSJHAJJAR@GMAIL.COM
4274/Hry
OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGE (HQs): DELHI
AUCTION NOTICE
The following condemned articles lying at District Courts, Delhi will be auctioned on "as is where is basis" on
25.08.2021at 02:30 PM in Room no. 135, Conference Hall, Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-110054:-
S.No. Name of item Reserve Price
1. 01 Ford lkon Car bearing no. DL ICJ 6542 Rs. 25,000/-
2. 05 MarutiOmni Vans bearing no. DL ICJ 0346, DL ICJ 347, DL ICJ 0348, DL Rs. 40,000/- for each Vehicle.
ICJ 0349, DL ICJ 0350
3. 01 Maruti Esteem bearing no. DL 2CQ 0002 & 01 Ambassandor bearing Rs. 25,000/- for each Vehicle.
no. DL ICJ 03625.
4. 69 nos. Water Coolers Rs. 2,000/- for each 150 Ltr.
Rs. 1,000/- for each 40 Ltr.
5. 69 no. ROs Rs. 400/- for each 15 LPH RO
Rs. 900/- for each 50 LPH RO
6. MS Items Rs. 2,53,110/ -
7. Wooden Items Rs. 9,270/-
8. 04 Photocopier Machines Rs. 2,000/- for each machine
9. 39 Photocopier Machines, 34 Trolleys, 07 Stabilizers and 03 Fax Machines Collectively at Rs. 2,36,100/ -
10. 16 Photocopier Machines Rs. 2,000/- for each machine
11. 05 Photocopier Machines Rs. 4,000/- for each machine
12. 24 Steel Almirah, 119 Wooden type cushion chairs, 54 Revolving Chair, 75 Collectively at Rs. 1,00,539/-.
Steel chairs,12 Heat Convector, 16 Hot case, 53 Steel Table, 92 Wall Clock,
06 Sofa Set (Three-seater), 14 Desert Cooler, 34 Computer Table, 18 Steel
Bench, 03 Bookcase/shelf, 11 Wooden Stool, 04 Wooden Side Rack/Table,
47 Pair Shoes, 94 Pair Socks, 82 Pair Chappal, 206.4 meters Pant Cloth,
388.5 meters Shirt Cloth
Further, 15 nos, old Paper Shredder Machines, Broken toys, Wheel Chairs and 13 nos. old Fax Machines
will be auctioned as scrap.
The participants will have to deposit Rs. 5,000/- in cash (Rupees Five Thousand only) as refundable security
along with his/her photocopy of Identity proof in the Care Taking Branch, Room no. 305, Tis Hazari Courts,
Delhi in between 11:00 A.M to 01:00 PM on 23.08.2021. The bidder will also carry the original photo Identity
proof at the time of depositing of Security amount for verification purpose. If the said amount in not deposited
before the bid, the participant will not be allowed to participate in the auction proceeding. Further, the
bidder/participant must have a valid government registration certificate to dispose off such e-waste goods
(photocopier machines, fax machines & stabilizers) or to recycle them in an environment friendly way. Those
who do not possess said registration certificate will not be allowed to participate in the auction proceeding.
The articles mentioned at S.No. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 Paper Shredder Machines, Broken Toys and 13 Fax
Machines lying in Tis Hazari Court Complex, Delhi will be shown to the eligible bidders/participantson
23.08.2021 between 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM. The articles mentioned S.No. 4, 5, 8 & Wheel Chairs lying in
Dwarka Court Court Complex, Delhi will be shown to the eligible bidders/participants on 24.08.2021 between
11:00 PM to 12:00 PM. The articles mentioned at S.No. 6 & 7 lying in Rohini Court Court Complex, Delhi will
be shown to the eligible bidders/participants on 25.08.2021 between 11:00 PM to 12:00 PM.
In the auction, the total auction price will be collected from successful bidder on the fall of hammer and he/she
would be under legal obligation to remove the condemned articles from the Court premises. The participants
may visit the official website www.delhicourts.nic.in for other relevant information. The auction shall be
subject to other terms and conditions which may be announced on the spot.
(GIRISH KATHPALIA)
PRINCIPAL DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGE (HQs),
DELHI
DIP/SHABDARTH/0249/21-22
New Delhi
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

10
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

WORDLY WISE
Inflation is taxation without
legislation.
— Milton Friedman

FOUNDED BY
Guardian of the House
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
To restore prestige of Parliament, take steps to ensure
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
independence and impartiality of Speaker

A STICKY PROBLEM Arvind P Datar

RBI must carefully chalk out path of policy normalisation,
THE DISTURBING SCENES that we have wit- urgent public importance. In the latter case, to any select committee. It is significant that
be mindful of upside risks to inflation

I
nessed in several state assemblies were
NTHESTATEof theEconomyreportreleasedonTuesday,economistsattheReserve sadly repeated in this year’s Monsoon
Bank of India (RBI) appear to be rather optimistic about the trajectory of inflation Session of Parliament. Over the last two
decades, paralysing Parliament has become
going forward, downplaying the threat of price pressures building up in the econ-
the standard operating procedure of every
omy. The report notes that the “recent upsurge has peaked and the worst is be- Opposition party.
hind us”, adding that inflation “is likely to stabilise during the rest of the year”. Recently One can safely predict that the Winter
released data does seem to corroborate the view that inflation at both the wholesale and Session of 2021 and all the coming sessions
retail level has peaked. Data released on Monday shows that the Wholesale Price Index of Parliament will also be “washed out”.
(WPI) cooled for the second straight month, falling to 11.2 per cent in July, down from The decline in the functioning of India’s
Parliament — and state assemblies as well
12.1 per cent the month before. Similarly, data on retail inflation released last week also
— is caused by one primary reason: The
showed that the consumer price index (CPI) had moderated to 5.6 per cent in July, after lack of independence and impartiality of
breaching the monetary policy committee’s (MPC’s) upper threshold of 6 per cent in the the Speaker.
previous two months. Till now, the MPC has also justified the stance of monetary policy Our Constitution, after extensive de-
on grounds that the uptick in inflation is transitory in nature, and is likely to abate as sup- bate, adopted the Westminster model of
ply-side disruptions ease. However, inflation may well prove to be sticky on the down- governance. Members of Parliament were
side. Price pressures may build up in the economy during the second half of the year, granted the same powers, privileges and
immunities that were enjoyed by the
making it difficult for the MPC to continue to justify its current policy stance.
House of Commons. In the Lok Sabha, as in
The decline in inflation at both the wholesale and retail level is in part driven by lower the United Kingdom, the Speaker is the
food inflation. At the wholesale level, the primary food index was at the same level as it supreme authority; he has vast powers and
was a year ago, while at the retail level, the food price index eased to 3.96 per cent in July, it is his primary duty to ensure the orderly
down from 5.15 per cent the month before. Even core inflation has moderated at the re- conduct of the business of the House. Every
tail level. However, worryingly, segments such as transport and communication, educa- textbook of constitutional law points out
the two essential qualities of a Speaker:
tion and personal care, all have seen an uptick. Part of this can be traced to higher fuel
Independence and impartiality. GV
prices. The pass through of higher commodity prices — RBI’s own surveys suggest that Mavalankar, the first Speaker, observed:
firms “expect to pass on the cost burden to the consumers in Q2 by increasing selling “Once a person is elected Speaker, he is ex-
prices” — along with demand-side pressures which are likely to surface towards the sec- pected to be above parties, above politics.
ond half of the year as household demand recovers, suggest that inflation may well con- In other words, he belongs to all the mem-
tinue to remain elevated. bers or belongs to none. He holds the scales
of justice evenly, irrespective of party or
So far, the RBI has treaded cautiously, sidestepping calls to review its policy stance,
person”. Pandit Nehru referred to the
mindful of the consequences of premature tightening. While it continues to attach pri- Speaker as “the symbol of the nation’s free-
macy to reviving growth, considering that inflation remains elevated, it must carefully dom and liberty” and emphasised that
chalk out the path towards policy normalisation. Even as the withdrawal of its accom-
Speakers should be men of “outstanding
modative measures is likely to be gradual — in line with evidence that a durable eco- ability and impartiality”. MN Kaul and SL
nomic recovery is taking shape — the central bank must be mindful of the long-term Shakdher, in their book Practice and
costs of ignoring inflation. Procedure of Parliament, refer to him as the
conscience and guardian of the House. As
the principal spokesperson of the Lok
Sabha, the Speaker represents its collective
Sadly, over the last decade
and more, an impartial and
independent Speaker is an
oxymoron. Indeed, it should
be made mandatory that the
Speaker ought to resign from
his party and his sole
allegiance must be to the
Constitution and to
maintaining the dignity of
the House. The present
practice of the Speaker
continuing to be an active
member of the ruling party
has the inevitable result of
his refusing to allow any
debate or discussion that
may be essential in national
the minister has to make a statement or ask
for time to make a statement later. Speaker
Mavalankar observed that if something is
very grave and affects the country, the
House must pay attention to it immediately.
Indeed, the supremacy of Parliament is em-
phasised by Article 75(3) of the
Constitution: “The Council of Ministers shall
be collectively responsible to the House of
the People”.
Several judgments on the anti-defec-
tion law have been rendered by the
Supreme Court. A common factor that
shows up in these rulings is the blatant,
partisan conduct of speakers in state as-
semblies. Sadly, over the last decade and
more, an impartial and independent
Speaker is an oxymoron. Indeed, it should
be made mandatory that the Speaker
ought to resign from his party and his sole
allegiance must be to the Constitution and
to maintaining the dignity of the House.
The present practice of the Speaker con-
tinuing to be an active member of the ruling
party has the inevitable result of his refus-
ing to allow any debate or discussion that
may be essential in national interest but
may embarrass the ruling party. This in-
evitably leads to constant disruption of
Parliament by the Opposition. Indeed, a
Speaker who continues to be a member of
the ruling party is like an umpire being ap-
pointed by the batting side.
The persistent disruption of Parliament
causes extensive damage not only to the
prestige of the House but also frustrates the
primary function of any legislature: The re-
sponsibility to make laws for the good gov-
ernance of the country after careful debate
and deliberation. Every law enacted is,
therefore, said to represent the “wisdom of
Parliament”. One cannot forget that some
of the finest speeches have been made dur-
the Chief Justice of India has also high-
lighted the deleterious effects of no discus-
sion taking place even when important bills
are being passed.
However, the most dangerous conse-
quence is the vastly increased powers that
the executive — the bureaucracy — begins
to command by default. In 1951, a nine-
judge bench of the Supreme Court (In Re
Delhi Laws Act Case) held that essential leg-
islative functions cannot be delegated to
the bureaucracy; law-making must remain
the domain of the legislature. This consti-
tutional mandate is now increasingly and
consistently being violated by issuing rules
and notifications that have far-reaching
consequences. The new rules on informa-
tion technology and electronic commerce
are clear instances of changes that should
have come about by a parliamentary law.
And worse still is the power given to the
executive to issue retrospective notifica-
tions — a step unknown to any civilised
democracy.
The separation of powers is part of the
basic structure of our Constitution. If
Parliament ceases to be relevant, the foun-
dation of our democracy will progressively
get weaker. It is, therefore, imperative that
the Speaker of every legislature resigns
from his party to honour his constitutional
obligation of independence and impartial-
ity. For example, in 1967, late N Sanjiva
Reddy resigned from his party when he be-
came the Speaker.
This must be accepted as the primary
responsibility of every ruling party, both
at the Centre and in each state, and made
into a constitutional convention. Indeed,
the option is a binary: Either allow
Parliament and state legislatures to de-
scend into terminal decline or make the
Speaker truly independent and let

NORTHEAST WARNING
voice.
It is the Speaker’s duty to decide what
issues will be taken up for discussion. He
has the sole discretion to permit an ad-
Government should take note of the signals of unease, journment motion to be tabled or to admit
address it through politics and policy a calling attention notice, if the issue is of
interest but may embarrass
the ruling party. This
inevitably leads to constant
disruption of Parliament by
the Opposition.
ing debates on controversial legislation in
all parliamentary democracies.
The stalling of parliamentary proceed-
ings has led to the passing of important bills
in several sessions without any discussion.
In this session, not a single bill was referred
every legislature perform its constitutional
function of deliberating on matters of pub-
lic importance and passing laws after
proper debate.
The writer is a senior advocate

I
NDEPENDENCEDAYSAWabreakdownof lawandorderinShillonganditsadjoin-
ing regions. Some people attacked police after a former ultra, Cherishterfield
Thangkhiew, died on August 13 following an encounter. Thangkhiew, associated
with the HNLC, an insurgent group banned in 1991, had surrendered in 2018 and

THE FUTURE IS FEMALE

was leading a “retired” life when police shot him, allegedly when he attacked his pur-
suers. Though HNLC is hardly a force now, the police believe that the outfit, and
Thangkhiew,werelinkedtorecentlowintensityblastsinMeghalaya.GiventhattheHNLC
and its politics of ethnic separatism has few takers in Meghalaya, Thangkhiew’s death
may have provided a trigger for anger against Conrad Sangma’s administration — be it on
account of its Covid mismanagement, or failure to end coal mining.
Women have skills 21st century workplaces need, companies must let them lead
The Shillong violence is a wake-up call. It comes three weeks after six policemen were
killed on the Assam-Mizoram border — a fresh incident of firing was reported on Tuesday. Navya Naveli Nanda and Samyak Chakrabarty
InNagaland,anxietyisbuildingupoverthefailuretoconcludethepeacedealapartfromslip-
ups in Covid management. The Northeast has a long history of governance failures widen-
ingfaultlinesandleadingtodivisiveethnicmobilisationsandviolence.Thepasttwodecades, WOMEN COMPRISE 48 per cent of India's and are demanding “smart generalists”. fied” for aspiration roles due to their profi-
population. Yet, barely a fraction of them Two broad realities need to immediately ciency in new-age soft skills and the visible
however,havebeenrelativelypeaceful.TheCentrenegotiatedpeacedealsorceasefireagree-
are empowered to become active drivers of change. First, women from lower income finesse in their conduct. While one cannot
ments with insurgent groups and state governments started to consolidate the tenuous India’s economic growth. In a landscape communities at scale only get access to job blame employers for demanding so, it be-
peaceandundertakemajordevelopmentprojects,includingroads,bridgesandelectrifica- where AI is set to take over human intelli- opportunities that require limited applica- comes essential to build a mechanism
tion. Now, a shadow is forming over this narrative of hope. The administration has been gence, many reports including one by the tion of their creative and emotional intelli- which enables seekers from less privileged
swift and successful in containing the violence, but these localised events do point to inse- World Economic Forum indicate that some gence. Their vision and aspirations need to backgrounds to be at par.
curitiesontheground.Thegovernmentneedstorecognise,andbesensitiveto,thenumer- of the sought-after skills for the 21st cen- Organisations must see the be broadened. Second, women are only be- Corporates and, more specifically, male
ous fault lines that shape ethnic, regional and political relations in the region. tury workplace include emotional intelli- immense value that women ing “accommodated” in workforces to proj- leaders in positions of power must make an
gence, creative problem solving, critical could add due to their ect equality on paper, but are rarely consid- active effort towards creating equal oppor-
The NDA government has been proactive in undertaking development projects in the
thinking and storytelling. If you think about ered for leadership roles especially in tunities and a secure environment. But that
Northeast—since2014,theoutlookhasshiftedfromLookEast,a1990s’formulationof the it, these are actually innate abilities that
proficiency in the most conventional SMEs that actually create ma- should not be out of charity or to project a
thenPrimeMinisterPVNarasimhaRao,toActEast.IthelpedtheBJPexpanditselectoralfoot- many women are proficient in. While traits sought-after non-technical jority employment. diverse workforce. It should be because or-
print in the region. While the BJP’s political outreach through the North-East Democratic such as empathy, compassion and sensitiv- skills. This approach, we A multi-stakeholder approach needs to ganisations see the immense value that
Alliancehasbeensuccessful,itsexclusivistagendahasgivenanewlifetothepoliticsof po- ity that women are gifted with are per- believe, will make it a win- be adopted to ensure that gender, type of women could add due to their proficiency
larisation. For instance, the promotion of the CAA-NRC resulted in mass mobilisations that ceived as “weak”, they are actually strengths college and income background does not in the most sought-after non-technical
that leaders should equip themselves with win for women job-seekers put any woman with a dream at a disad- skills. This approach, we believe, will make
seemedlikeathrowbacktothedaysoftheAssamagitation.Inthebestinterestoftheregion, as well as employers. Just
to solve problems in today’s work world. To vantage. It should be easy for women from it a win-win for women job-seekers as well
governmentsneedtoeschewtheemphasisonsingularidentitiesandpromoteapoliticsof perform roles as homemakers and moth- getting a job is not enough, lower-income groups to aspire to be finan- as employers. Just getting a job is not
inclusion. That’s the warning from Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, and now Meghalaya. ers, many of them leverage these skills on cial analysts, AI and ML (machine learning) enough, we need to see more women in
we need to see more women
a daily basis. Why can’t we then create a experts, copywriters, product managers, positions of power and that can only hap-
mechanism to train them to apply these in in positions of power and entrepreneurs or CEOs. pen if women are recognised and enabled
a workplace context? that can only happen if Unemployability is a looming socio-eco- for their strengths and not for them acting

FOR THE LOVE OF SUDOKU For the youth in India in general, our ed-
ucation system primarily trains us in tech-
nical skills and academic knowledge -- even
women are recognised and
enabled for their strengths
nomic and humanitarian crisis. A key con-
tributing factor is the inequity in high qual-
ity exposure. Youth and women from elite
“like men”.

Nanda is co-founder, Nimaya & Project

Maki Kaji gave puzzlers all over the world an obsession though most large companies do not give and not for them acting institutions and privileged backgrounds are Naveli; Chakrabarty is co- founder, Nimaya
as much importance to degrees any longer ‘like men’. far more likely to be considered as “quali- and X Billion Skills Lab
that continues to have a grip on them

I
T WAS IN 1984 that Maki Kaji first came across a now-familiar grid-based puzzle.
Atthetime,itwentbytheratherdullnameof Number Place. Kaji,who spotted the
puzzle’s hit potential, renamed it Sudoku — derived from the Japanese sentence
“Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru (numbers should be single)”, which also doubled up
as an instruction to puzzlers. The “Godfather of Sudoku”, as he eventually came to be
AUGUST 19, 1981, FORTY YEARS AGO
known as, died at his home in Tokyo on Monday at the age of 69.
The origins of Sudoku are hazy, although manyhistorians believeit to be the direct de- OPPOSITION WALKOUT Monetary Fund (IMF) had insisted on a and were comprehensive.
wage freeze and a ban on strikes in the
scendant of a puzzle known as Latin Squares (named thus in the 18th century by Swiss
mathematician Leonhard Euler). The versionthat Kaji discovered is believed tohave been
THEOPPOSITIONWALKEDoutof LokSabha
for the second consecutive day on Tuesday
country for grant of a Rs 5,000 crore loan
sought by India. The minister refused to
ATTACK ON TAMILS
created by a retired American architect known as Howard Garns, possibly in the ’70s. following the Speaker’s refusal to allow an disclose the terms and conditions of the FEELING CONCERNED AT reports from
While Kaji didn’t technically invent the puzzle, he can be credited with refining it into adjournmentmotionontheallegedmisuse loan at this stage as it would be “prema- Colombo, the government has decided to
the brain teaser that would soon spawn its own devoted following and highly competi- of official machinery in the Garhwal poll. ture” to do so. make a statement in Parliament on attacks
Immediatelyafterquestion-hour,almostthe on the people of Indian origin in Sri Lanka.
tive tournaments all over the globe.
For Kaji had instantly spotted what gave the puzzle universal appeal. Despite appear-
entire opposition got up to ask the Speaker
about the fate of the motion tabled by
ASSAM TALKS The government took the decision after
studying the latest reports from the Indian
ances,itrequiresabsolutelynomathematicalabilityfromitssolversand,unlikeinacross- JyotirmoyBasuofCPM.TheSpeakersaidthat CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS and HighCommissioninColombo.Thesereports
word puzzle, even the ability to “read” (numbers, in this case) is not a requirement. It had thesubjecthadcomeupfordiscussioninthe the Assam agitation leaders on Tuesday are stated to have painted a fairly alarming
the potential to be the next Rubik’s Cube, because all it required was logic. Kaji knew that Business Advisory Committee and that he resumed their unending search for a solu- picture of the situation in which the people
Japan,anationwhichwatchesbrainteaser-basedTVshowsduringprimetime,wouldlap would find a way to discuss the matter. tion to the foreign nationals’ issue. The four ofIndianorigin,mostlyTamils,havebecome
All-Assam Students Union and the All- thetargetof violence.NewDelhialsoseems
itup.Sudoku,firstpublishedinJapaninthemagazineNikoli,quicklybecameanationalob-
session, although it wouldn’t become a global phenomenon until 2004, when The Times IMF LOAN Assam Gana Sangram Parishad leaders de-
clined to say anything about the nature of
to be worried about the fate of the 1964
Sirimavo-Shastriagreementwhichgoverns
ofLondonpublishedapuzzle.Yearslater,inaninterview,KajidescribedSudokuasa“treas- THE UNION FINANCE Minister, R discussions with officials led by Cabinet thegrantofcitizenshiptoTamilsinSriLanka
ure”,addingthathewasdrivenbythe“excitementof solvingit”.Asentimentthatwillres- Venkataraman, denied on Tuesday in the Secretary C R Krishnaswamy Rao expect andrepatriationtoIndiaofthosewhocannot
onate with the millions who still rack their brains over a fresh puzzle everyday. Rajya Sabha that the International that the talk centred on concrete points be granted citizenship.

New Delhi

11
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
THE IDEAS PAGE
Understanding Taliban 2.0
The upheaval in Kabul needs to be seen in the context of radical realignments in the region
and the transformations within the Taliban
M K Bhadrakumar
REGIMECHANGESAREcapriciousevents,since
therearemanyvariablesinplay.Itexplainstheir
mystique.ThelatestoneinAfghanistan,thirdin
the past two decades, is no exception. The
Mujahideen takeover in 1992 was a preor-
dained event choreographed by the United
Nations, which slipped out of its hands. The
1996 Taliban takeover was like a slow-motion
talkie with Ahmad Shah Massoud simply dis-
appearing from Kabul without a fight. Last
Sunday’s dramatic developments lead to a
sense of deja vu.
However, there are major differences, too
—three,inparticular.Unlikepreviousoccasions,
the Afghan state structures are largely intact,
which was highlighted by the Taliban’s dra-
maticpressconferenceinagrandsetting,with
chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, within
48 hours of their march into Kabul.
Second, the regime change is still playing
outsedatelyanditmaytakedaysorevenweeks
before its final contours emerge in the form of
atransitionalgovernment.Therearesignsthat
the victor is amenable to persuasion to accept
a consensual outcome.
Third,andmostimportant,unlikethepre-
vioustwooccasions,theinternationalcommu-
nity,especiallyregionalstates,ismidwifingthe
transition. Again, the victor is willing to take
help from the world community to assist in a
sweeping national reconciliation that accom-
modates the widest possible swathe of opin-
ion in that hopelessly fragmented country.
Settingasidegreat-gameimpulsesinnewCold
Warconditions,bigpowersareconstructively
engaging the Taliban.
Truly,itisincomprehensiblewhyIndiashut
its embassy in Kabul. A great opportunity was
at hand to plough a new Afghan policy inde-
pendent of American tutelage. The only plau-
sible explanation for such unseemly hurry to
retrenchcouldbethatthegovernmenttakesa
zero-sum view that if Pakistan has a sense of
triumphalism, then India must be the “loser”.
But we were never really such one-dimen-
sional people previously. We had a profound
understanding of the Afghan nation’s ethos,
traditions and culture and their enduring af-
fection toward India.
ThenPrimeMinisterNarasimhaRaodidn’t
have an iota of doubt that India shouldn’t lose
time to launch a conversation with the
Mujahideen groups (“Peshawar Seven”)
notwithstanding their close association with
Pakistan. Suffice to say, the Indian narrative is
deeply flawed. We are riveted on archaic no-
tionsof“strategicdepth”andregardtheTaliban
as a plaything of the Pakistani establishment.
Our perspective on the Taliban movement re-
mainsunchangedfromthebriefperioditheld
power in Kabul. And, alas, our erroneous as-
sumptionsleavenoscopetoaccommodatethe
compellinggroundrealitythatTalibantodayis
largely an indigenous movement with roots
runningextensivelyinAfghansociety.Indeed,
through the past two decades in political
wilderness,Talibanhastransformedintoanin-
crediblydiversemovementthatmadeinroads
into all communities and ethnic groups.
Equally, the Indian establishment refuses
toacknowledgewhateventheWesternworld,
leave alone regional states, accepts: Pakistan’s
political economy is undergoing a profound
M S Sahoo
THEINSOLVENCYandBankruptcyCode,2016
(IBC) is a noble law because it relieves stress,
be it of a company, a limited liability partner-
ship, a proprietorship or partnership firm or
anindividual.However,thediscussionhereis
limited to companies as provisions of the IBC
relatingtoindividuals,exceptinrelationtoper-
sonal guarantors to corporate debtors, are yet
to come into force. It is based on generalisa-
tions though there are notable exceptions.
Forreasonssometimesunderthecontrolof
a company and at times beyond its control, it
may experience stress, that is, is unable to re-
paythedebtintime—implyingthatithasas-
setslessthanclaimsagainstit.Elementaryeco-
nomics tells us that when a company has
inadequate assets, the claim of an individual
creditormaybeconsistentwithitsassetswhile
claimsofallcreditorsputtogethermaynot.In
suchasituation,creditorsmayrushtorecover
their claims before others do, triggering a run
on the company’s assets. They recover on a
first-come first-served basis till the assets of
the company are exhausted, bleeding it to
death. This is a negative-sum game.
The IBC provides for reorganisation that
prevents a value-reducing run on the com-
pany.Itaimstorescuethecompanyifitsbusi-
ness is viable or close it if its business is unvi-
able, through a market process. In case of a
rescue,thecompanyisreorganisedasagoing
concern. The claims of creditors are restruc-
transfigurationanditincreasinglyregardsgeo-
economicsastheleitmotifofitsregionalstrat-
egy.Whyandhowthisishappeningmakesan
epoch-making story of change. But the Indian
elitedoggedlyrefusestotakenoteofitlestthey
would need to respond to it as a responsible
neighbour. Political exigencies apparently de-
mandthatitisadvantageoustobestuckinthe
old gyre and keep turning and turning.
Comparedtothe1990s,theTalibantodayis
unrecognisable.ThevacationoftheirKabulem-
bassiesbySaudiArabiaandtheUAEbearselo-
quent testimony to it. The Sheikhs held the
Taliban in a pernicious grip in the 1990s, but
the latter holds Saudis and Emiratis at arm’s
lengthnow.NoneotherthanMullahKhairullah
Khairkhwa, a close associate of Mullah Omar
and one of the original Taliban members who
launchedthemovementin1994(interiormin-
ister, governor of Herat, etc. during their
regime), stated in front of TV cameras a fort-
night ago that Wahhabism is a deviant belief
and“therehasneverbeensuchabelief”among
Afghans and “we (Taliban) do not have the
same connection (with Saudi Arabia) as be-
fore”.TherehavebeennoTalibanvisitstoSaudi
Arabia for years now. The Taliban is asserting
its traditional Islam and Shariah.
TheSaudiandEmiratiintelligencefunded
theTalibanandmanipulatedittosettlescores
with Iran in the 1990s. Remember the disap-
pearanceof11Iraniandiplomatsfromthecon-
sulate in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998 in an intelli-
gence operation for which the Taliban was
blamed?Talibsarewisernowabouttheways
of the world, exposed to the metropolis and
havediversifiedexternalrelationsintheWest
and East alike, and are hankering for legiti-
macy. This is in sync with Pakistan’s priorities
A shorter haircut
Timely use of IBC can help minimise and even avoid losses for creditors
tured, which may be paid to them immedi-
ately or over time. In case of closure, the as-
setsofthecompanyaresold,andproceedsare
distributed to creditors immediately as per
thepriorityrule.TheIBCentruststherespon-
sibilityof reorganisationtofinancialcreditors
as they have the capability and the willing-
nesstorestructuretheirclaims.Theyarelikely
to rescue a company having a going concern
surpluswhichalignstheinterestsofthecom-
pany and of financial creditors, making it a
positive-sum game.
Where the company does not have ade-
quateassets,realisationforfinancialcreditors,
througharescue,mayfallshortoftheirclaims.
Suchshortage,incommonparlance,isknown
as haircut. About a year ago, Ghotaringa
Minerals Limited, and Orchid Healthcare
Private Limited caught media attention. They
togetherowedRs8,163croretocreditors,while
they had absolutely no assets when they en-
tered the IBC process. There was no hair to be
cut. In comparison, there are cases (Binani
Cements) which have yielded a zero haircut,
in addition to rescuing the company.
Perhapstherelevantquestionis:Whydoes
theIBCprocessyieldazerohaircutinonecase
and100percentinanother?Itdependsonsev-
eral factors, including the nature of business,
businesscycles,marketsentiments,andmar-
ketingeffort.It,however,criticallydependson
atwhatstageofstress,thecompanyentersthe
Suffice to say, the Indian
narrative is deeply flawed.
We are riveted on archaic
notions of ‘strategic depth’
and regard the Taliban as a
plaything of the Pakistani
establishment. Our
perspective on the Taliban
movement remains
unchanged from the brief
period it held power in
Kabul. And, alas, our
erroneous assumptions leave
no scope to accommodate
the compelling ground
reality that Taliban today is
largely an indigenous
movement with roots
running extensively in
Afghan society.
IBC process. If the company has been sick for
years,anditsassetshavedepletedsignificantly,
the IBC process may yield a huge haircut or
even liquidation. The companies, which have
beenrescuedthroughIBCtillMarch2021,had
assetsvaluedat,onaverage,22percentof the
amount due to creditors when they entered
the IBC process. This means that the creditors
were staring at a haircut of 78 per cent to be-
ginwith.Onethirdof thesewerenotevengo-
ingconcerns.TheIBCprocessnotonlyrescued
thesecompanies,butalsoreducedthehaircut
to 61 per cent for financial creditors.
Ahaircutistypicallythetotalclaimsminus
theamountofrealisation/amountoftheclaims.
Butthisformulationmaynottellthecomplete
story.Therealisationoftendoesnotincludethe
amount that would be realised from equity
holding post-resolution, and through the re-
versalofavoidancetransactionsandtheinsol-
vencyresolutionofguarantors—personaland
corporate. It also does not include realisations
made in other accounts (recovery of about Rs
8,000 crore incidental to resolution of Essar).
TheamountofclaimoftenincludesNPA,which
may be completely written off, and the inter-
estonsuchNPA.Itmayincludeloansaswellas
theguaranteeagainstsuchloans.Theseunder-
statethenumeratorandoverstatethedenom-
inator,projectingahigherhaircut.
Should a haircut be seen in relation to
claimsofcreditorsortheassetsavailable?The
C R Sasikumar
too and is of momentous significance as a
pointertowardwhattoexpectinAfghanistan.
This needs explaining.
All evidence shows Pakistan is persuading
theerstwhileNorthernAlliancetojoinabroad-
based, inclusive transitional set-up with the
Taliban as the immediate priority. The signals
lookgood.Meanwhile,thecoordinatinggroup
comprising Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah
andGulbuddinHekmatyarisenroutetoDoha,
acting as a bridge for the non-Taliban political
forces (not only from the Northern Alliance)
who were marginalised by Ashraf Ghani and
his corrupt clique. The statements from
Moscow and Washington suggest that this
process will gain traction.
To be sure, our diplomats will be eager to
return to Kabul, reopen the embassy and
launch a conversation with the new ruling
elites and contribute to regional efforts to sta-
biliseAfghanistaninthelong-terminterestsof
regional security and stability. There is an im-
perativeneedtostopviewingAfghanistanasa
sub-plot of India’s Pakistan policies.
TheparanoiaincertaincirclesinIndiaabout
the “spillover” from Afghanistan is unwar-
ranted.TheTalibanhasanexclusivelyAfghan-
centricagenda.Theyareold-fashioned“nation-
alists”. It is simply inconceivable that once
ensconced in power, Taliban will play a subal-
ternroletoanyregionalstate.Onthecontrary,
Taliban’s “Afghan-ness” will inevitably surge
asarobustsenseofindependenceand“strate-
gicautonomy”instatecraft.Theywillbeinter-
ested in friendly relations with India.
The writer, a former diplomat, headed the
Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan division
in the MEA
former may not be realistic as the claims are
often inflated. The latter may make better
sense because the market offers a value in re-
lation to what a company brings on the table,
not what it owes to creditors. The IBC max-
imisesthevalueofexistingassets,notofassets
which probably existed earlier.
The IBC enables and facilitates market
forces to resolve stress as a going concern
where resolution applicants, who have many
options for investment, including in stressed
companies,competetoofferthebestvalueand
such value matches the expectation of finan-
cial creditors, who have many options for re-
covery as well as resolution. If the best value
offeredbythemarketisnotacceptabletocred-
itors, the company is liquidated.
In addition to rescuing the company, the
IBC realises, of the available options for credi-
tors,thehighestinpercentageterms.Itisatool
in the hands of stakeholders to be used at the
right time, in the right case, in the right man-
ner. They should use it in early days of stress,
when value of the company is almost intact,
and close the process quickly before value re-
cedes further to minimise or even avoid hair-
cuts. Post disposal of the pre-IBC legacy mat-
ters,as“recent”stresscasesaredealtwith,the
haircutswouldperhapsbepleasingtotheeye.
The writer is Chairperson, Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Board of India
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
“Those American officials from successive administrations who contributed
to this two-decade-long folly have a lot to answer for. The United States of
America, for once, should hold itself to account.”
Opposition needs
to look within
Itisnotgovernment,butCongress-orchestrated
disruptionof Parliamentthatdisrespectsmandate,
underminesdemocraticvalues
Pralhad Joshi
THE OPPOSITION needs to introspect and
play a constructive role in Parliament. The
recently concluded monsoon session was
the capture of democracy by a few
Opposition members. Parliament is meant
for debates and discussions, with decisions
based on majority. The government has a
comfortable majority in both the Houses,
yet all parliamentary work, except on se-
lected subjects, was stalled, putting at risk
the well-established parliamentary ethos
and etiquette.
Throughoutthesession,thegovernment
approached the Opposition through the
businessadvisorycommittees(BACs)ofboth
Houses,theChairpersonof theRajyaSabha,
Speakerof theLokSabhaanddifferentmin-
isters, including the Minister of
Parliamentary Affairs. The government
agreedtodiscussalltheissuessuggestedby
theleadersofvariouspoliticalparties,includ-
ing the state of the economy, rising prices of
essentialgoods,farmers’issues,Covid-19and
vaccination management, etc. But the
Opposition did not allow discussion on any
issue, except Covid-19 and vaccination.
The BACs of both Houses allocated time
to discuss and pass more than 25 Bills.
However, due to the irreconcilable attitude
of the Opposition parties, 22 Bills were
passed by both Houses without the ex-
pected and desired debate, except the
105th Constitution Amendment Bill. The
leader who orchestrated all this is blaming
the Prime Minister for not building con-
sensus and for denying the Opposition the
opportunity to raise issues of national im-
portance.
Complaining about the use of military-
gradesoftwaretohackintodeviceswhilenot
allowing the Minister of Information and
Technologytomakeastatementonthesub-
jectontheflooroftheRajyaSabhaonJuly22
isequallyunfortunate.Thesituationwasfur-
ther aggravated when a copy of the state-
ment was snatched from the minister and
wastornandthrownatthechair.OnAugust
4, due to the deplorable conduct of some
Oppositionmembers,theRajyaSabhachair-
manwasleftwithnooptionbuttodirectsix
MPs to withdraw from the services of the
House for the rest of the day. On that very
day, one Opposition MP broke the glass of
the Rajya Sabha chamber’s locked door,
therebyinjuringasecurityofficer.OnAugust
10, the Opposition created complete chaos
in the Rajya Sabha. Some members jumped
onatableandshoutedslogans,disregarding
parliamentary norms.
Theunelectedworkingpresidentofana-
tional party, who has ignored repeated in-
ternaldemandsfortheelectionofafull-time
president, is talking about the promotion of
democratic values. The public can tell who
makes issues out of non-issues and turns
Parliament into a museum by not allowing
fruitful debate. Let the working president of
the Indian National Congress herself intro-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
RIGHT MOTIVES
THISREFERSTOthearticle,‘Reasontore-
member’ (IE, August 18). The author has
rightly pointed out both the sides of cel-
ebratingPartitionHorrorsRemembrance
Day.Thetimingofitsannouncement,af-
termorethansevendecadesofIndia'sin-
dependenceandinthecontextoftheup-
comingUPassemblyelections,showsits
realintent.Perhapsthetimehascometo
changetheelectionsysteminIndiafrom
First Past the Post to Proportional
Representation, to put an end to this di-
vide-and-rulepoliticalculture.Theirony
is that this change can only be made by
the people elected through the current
systemwhichmakestheperpetratorsof
this political culture the representatives
of the people.
H Upadhyay, via email
GROUND REALITIES
THISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Ungraceful
retreat’ (IE, August 18). It is heart-
wrenchingtoseethemiserablesituation
andthegrimconditionof thecitizensof
Afghanistan. While sympathising with
Afghan civilians, I agree with the US
President Joe Biden's decision of troops
withdrawal. Nation-building was never
the motive. If someone needs to be
blamed for the crisis, it should be the
GovernmentofAfghanistan.TheUSpro-
videdlogistics,armoury,artilleryandair
supporttotheAfghandefenceforces.But
these resources were mishandled and a
huge amount of capital went into the
New Delhi
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
— DAWN
spectanddecidewhoisunderminingdem-
ocratic values.
There have been instances in the past
whenBillswerepassedwithlittledebateor
no debate during the UPA government, but
at least the Opposition members never
dancedontablesandsnatchedpapersfrom
ministers.TherewereprotestsinParliament
regarding corruption allegations but they
neverwenttotheextentofthemanhandling
of security personnel.
The party which claimed to follow the
ideals of B R Ambedkar never gave him his
due.Thispartyensuredhisdefeatinthefirst
LokSabhaelectionsin1952andwasnotable
to get him elected as one of the 296 initial
members of the Constituent Assembly.
Everyone knows how much importance
SubhasChandraBoseandSardarPatelwere
given by INC and its governments.
Apartywhichhasusedreligionandcaste
forpoliticalbenefitistalkingaboutinclusive
growth and equity-based justice, when, for
thesakeofvotes,theynullifiedaprogressive
equity-based judgement in the Shah Bano
case, which gave the right to alimony to
Muslim women.
The country has not forgotten how INC
and its leaders even put the judiciary in
jeopardy by ensuring the supersession of
three justices of the Supreme Court — J M
Shelat, A N Grover and K S Hegde. A N Ray
was made CJI on April 25, 1973, a day af-
ter the Supreme Court judgement in the
Kesavananda Bharati case outlining the
basic structure doctrine of the
Constitution. All three judges who were
superseded were part of the majority
judgement.
India has administered more than 55
crorevaccinedosestoitscitizenssofar—the
highest in the world — despite misinforma-
tion about the vaccine and its efficacy being
spreadbytheprincipaloppositionparty.The
party contributed to the creation of vaccine
hesitancy among the people.
In 2014, when NDA took over from UPA,
the Indian economy was ranked 10th in the
world and now it is the sixth-largest econ-
omy in the world. But, according to the INC
working president, the Indian economy is
not expanding and developing.
The government of the day has so far
transferred more than Rs 1.50 lakh crore, as
part of the Kisan Samman Nidhi initiative,
directlytothebankaccountsof smallfarm-
ers and is still being called “anti-annadata”
by the INC. They allege that the farm laws
are draconian, but without pointing out a
single flaw in them.
Highways are being constructed in
India at the rate of 37 km per day now as
against 9 km per day during the UPA
tenure, but the government is still being
criticised for having hollow slogans in-
stead of tangible achievements. It is clear
who believes in hollow slogans and who
delivers tangible results.
Autocratic people themselves are disre-
spectingthemajorityviewinParliamentand
not allowing the government to discharge
its functions as per the mandate bestowed
onitbythepeople.Isitnotautocratictobring
the majority opinion to a standstill?
The writer is Union Minister of
Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines,
Government of India
IDEAS
ONLINE
ONLY IN THE EXPRESS
● FEARANDANXIETYIN
HONGKONG:
HARI KUMAR
● WHYKERALA MODEL
HASFAILEDTO
HANDLECOVID:
ANOOPANTONYJOSEPH
www.indianexpress.com
pockets of the Afghan leaders.
Tushar Anand, Patna
THIS REFERS TO the editorial,
‘Ungraceful retreat’ (IE, August 18).
While there can be no two opinions
about the ugly US role in Afghanistan,
the world must not lose sight of the
significant US contribution in the war
against terrorism. It might have gone
into Afghanistan like a blinded bully
because of the 9/11 tragedy, but its in-
tervention in 2001 definitely put ter-
rorism back by at least a couple of
decades. The US exit may be ungrace-
ful but it serves their national inter-
ests. India needs to be clear-eyed in
her response.
H N Bhagwat, Chiplun
 12 CLASSIFIEDS & TENDERS
Classifieds
PERSONAL
I,UNESH SAIFI S/o RIAZUDDIN
R/o C-21, OKHLA VIHAR, JAMIA
NAGAR, SOUTH DELHI, NEW
FRIENDS COLONY, DELHI
110025 have changed my name
to MOHD UNESH SAIFI
0070750576-1
I,Sushil Parihar R/o-694, Sector-
37,Faridabad-121003 have
changed my minor son name
from Lavansh Parihar to
Luvansh Parihar.
0070750564-1
I,Suresh Bansal,S/o Barumal
Aggarwal,R/O BE-52,Second &
Third-Floor, Shalimar
Bagh,Delhi-110088,have
changed name to Suresh
Kumar Aggarwal.
0040580948-8
I,Shubham Gupta,W/O-Shri
Shivam Gupta,R/O-E-8 E-
block,Model Town-2,Delhi-
110009,have changed my
name to Shivanshi Gupta.
0040580968-2
I,Satbir Singh Nagi S/o Avtar
Singh R/o B-28, Sector-27,
Noida, UP, have changed my
name to Satbir Singh, for all
purposes.
0040580936-1
I,SURESH SHARMA S/O
RAMCHANDER R/O
1442/26,GALINO.3,WEST RAM
NAGAR,SONIPAT-131001.HAVE
CHANGED MY NAME TO
SURESH KUMAR.
0040580948-6
I,Rekha, W/o Yogesh Kumar,R/o
F-3232, Malerna Road, Adarsh-
Nagar
Ballabgarh,Faridabad,have
changed my name to Rekha
Devi.
0040580948-2
I,Rameshwari Negi,W/o
No.14900836K HAV Ranjit Singh
R/o,Flat.no-60F,Pocket
A/2,LIG-Flat,Mayur-Vihar
Phase-3,Delhi-96,have
changed my name to
Rameshwari Devi,for,all
purposes.
0040580968-5
I,Rakesh Kumar Mahajan
S/O,Krishan Chand R/O, GH-14,
Flat.No-888, Paschim
Vihar,New Delhi-110087,have
changed my name to Rakesh
Mahajan.
0040580954-1
I,RIYA MODI,W/O DHEERAJ
MODI,R/o-FLAT.NO.01081,
TOWER-3, MAHAGUN
MYWOODS,GH-04,SEC-16C,
GREATER NOIDA WEST,
GAUTAMBUDH-NAGAR,UTTAR
PRADESH-201301,Changed my
name toRIA ARORA.
0040580968-8
I,Purinma Kumari alias
Purnima Kumari W/o Yogendra
Kumar R/o.H.No.426, Sector-
18,Faridabad have changed
my name to Poonam Dubey.
0040580948-3
I,Pranay Daroch,S/o Amar Jit
Daroch R/o-316,Nitikhand-
3,Indirapuram
Ghaziabad,Uttar Pradesh-
201014,have changed my
name Parney Kumar Daroch to
Pranay Daroch,for all,future
purposes.
0040580940-2
I,PRITI PAL D/O.CHANDER PAL
ADD-19/520,DDA FLATS
MADANGIRI ,SOUTH DELHI-
110062,Changed my name to
PREETI PAL.
0040580940-6
I,PRAMJEET KAUR SODHI W/O
RAVINDER KANDH R/O
8698,ROSHNARA ROAD,DELHI-
110007.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO PARAMJEET KAUR.
0040580948-9
I,Neeru Gambhir,W/o Shri Kapil
Kumar Gambhir,R/o B6-
2303,Cleo County,GH-
05,Sector-121,Noida,Gautam
Buddha-Nagar,Uttar Pradesh-
201301,hereby declare that I
am also known as Reema
Gambhir.Both names are one
and the same person.
0040580948-7
I,Naveen Kumar,S/o-Satyapal
R/o 124,Auchandi
Road,Village-Bawana, Delhi-
110039,have changed my
name to Naveen Sehrawat,for
all purposes. 40580968-4
I,Jaspreet Kaur Negi W/o Satbir
Singh Negi R/o B-28, Sector-27,
Noida,UP, have changed my
name to Jaspreet Kaur,for all
purposes. 40580936-2
I,Manju Daroch,W/o Amar Jit
Daroch,R/o 316, Niti-khand-
3,Indirapuram
Ghaziabad,Uttar Pradesh-
201014,have changed my
name Manju to Manju
Daroch,for all,future
purposes. 40580940-4
I,Indira Rani,W/o Surender
Singh Siwach R/o
H.No.349,Sector-56,Gurgaon
(Haryana)-122011,have
changed my name to Indira
Siwach. 040580940-7
I,Hitherto known as Rocky
Sachdeva,S/o S.C.Sachdeva
R/o-H.No.196,3rd-
Floor,Gali.No.10,Maniram-
Mandir Marg,Bholanath-
Nagar,Shahdara
Delhi-110032,have changed
my name and shall hereafter
be known as Rohit
0040580940-8
I Aarti Sharma W/o Dheeraj
Sharma R/o F1U-25,
Pitampura, Delhi-110034 have
changed the name of my
minor son from Dev Sharma to
Arnav Sharma for all
purposes.
0040580978-1
I,Hitherto known as Rocky
Sachdeva,S/o
S.C.Sachdeva,R/o-
H.No.196,3rd-
Floor,Gali.No.10,Maniram-
Mandir Marg,
Bholanath-Nagar,Shahdara
Delhi-110032,have changed my
name and shall hereafter be
known as Rohit
0040580954-5
I,Dalip Kumar alias Dilip
Tiwari,S/o Sachida Nand Tiwari
R/o D-78, Dabua-Colony,
Faridabad,have changed my
name to Dilip Kumar Tiwari.
0040580948-5
I,Bal Bahadur Sahi,S/o-Sh
Shyam Bahadur,R/o Pipal Wali
Gali Harola,Sector-5,Noida,U.P.
-201301,have changed my
name to Bhola Vikram
Shahi,for all,future purposes.
0040580968-3
I,Amar Jit Daroch,S/o Krishna
Ram,R/o 316,Niti-khand-
3,Indirapuram Ghaziabad,Uttar
Pradesh-201014,have changed
my name Amar Jit to Amar Jit
Daroch,for all,future purposes.
0040580940-3
I,ANOUSHKA JALAN,D/O
SIDDHARTH JALAN R/O-W-8/7
LANE.NO-W-8,WESTERN
AVENUE COUNTRY CLUB,SANIK
FARM,HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO ANUSHKA JALAN.
0040580940-5
I,ANJU RANI,W/O VIKRAM
SINGH,R/o G-56,AAKANSHA
APARTMENT, ABHAY-KHAND-3,
INDIRAPURAM,GHAZIABAD,
UTTAR PRADESH-
201014,changed my name to
ANJALI CHAPRANA.
0040580968-7
I, Vikas Raghav S/O Chander
Bhan, R/o 13/6-C, Block -13,
Pocket-B, LIG, MIG Flats, Ashok
Vihar Phase III, North West
Delhi-110052. Declare that
Name of My Father has been
wrongly written as Chander
Raghav in my 10th Class
Certificate No- 780913, 12th
Class Certificate No- 0912394 .
The actual name of My Father
is Chander Bhan, which may be
amended accordingly.
0070750559-1
I, Shagun Singh W/o Rohan
Mukherji R/o C-94, Sector-50,
Noida(U.P.) have changed my
Name from Shagun Shivpal
Singh to Shagun Singh for all
future purposes.
0040580932-1
I, Saurabh Sharma S/O Satish
Sharma, R/o 2nd Floor 318 A, S
Block, Panchsheel Park,
Malviya Nagar, South Delhi-
110017 , have changed the
name of my minor Son Aarav
Sharma aged about 2 Years and
He shall hereafter be known as
Yuvraaj Sharma .
0070750560-1
I, Sangeeta Mondal,W/o Titu Roy
R/o-WZ-558,Padam-Basti,
Nangal Raya, N.Delhi-46,have
changed my name to Sangeeta
Roy for all purposes.
0040580940-10
I, SANJEEV PRASAD NARAIN
SINGH, S/o Late Mr. R.P.N.
Singh, R/o 354, NILGIRI
APARTMENTS, ALAKNANDA,
NEW DELHI – 110019, am also
known as Sanjeev P. N. Singh.
That Sanjeev Prasad Narain
Singh is my full name
0040580996-1
I,Laxmi Hooda,W/O-Shri Anil
Kumar,R/O-D-92,Yadav
Nagar,Delhi-110042,declare that
my name Laxmi Hooda wrongly
written in my daughter’s passport
but my actual name is Laxmi Devi.
0040580968-1
I, S RESHMA, spouse of NOOR
AHMED SYED resid ent of SMQ-
383, Airforce station, Hindon,
Ghaziabad, U.P.-201004 have
changed my name from S
RESHMA to SYED RESHMA vide
affidavit dated
16/08/2021before NOTARY
GHAZIABAD
0070750422-1
I, Poonam Chopra,W/o Rakesh
Malhotra R/o F-335-A,
Mansarovar Garden, New
Delhi-110015,have changed my
name to Sakshi Malhotra.
0040580940-9
I, PRITI PAL D/O.CHANDER PAL,
ADD-19/520,DDA FLATS
MADANGIRI ,SOUTH DELHI-
110062, Changed my name to
PREETI PAL.
0040580954-3
I, Nikhita Abrol W/o Prateek S.
Abrol, R/o 51, Matri Apartment,
Sector-9, Rohini,Delhi-110085
after marriage have change my
Name from Nikhita Arora to
Nikhita Abrol.
0040580973-1
I, Megha Sharma R/o 33-B, 4 th
Floor, Street No. 3,Old Arjun
Nagar, Delhi-110051 have
changed myminor son’s name
from Rudhra Seth to Rudhra
Sharma for all future purposes.
0040580934-1
I, Leena Gulati, Daughter of Late
Col. Jaiant Gulati & Mrs Saroj
Gulati, hadchanged my name
from Ms Leena Gulati to Mrs
Leena Arora after marriage
in1987 for all future purposes.
0040580976-1
I, Indira Rani W/o Surender
Singh Siwach R/o.H.No.349,
Sector-56, Gurgaon (Haryana)-
122011, have changed my name
to Indira Siwach.
0040580954-4
I, Harshpreet Singh S/O Ishwar
Singh, R/o 326 A, Aashiyana,
Opposite Aashiyana Thana
Lane, Sector- K, L D A Colony,
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh-
226012, have changed my name
and shall hereafter be Known
as Harsdeep Singh.
0070750581-1
I, Anita W/o Anil Kumar, Qtr No
425/02 Banna Singh Enclave,
Shankar Vihar, Delhi Cantt-
110010, have changed my name
from Anita Devi to Anita for all
future purposes
0040580930-3
I, I.misbah amber, W/o Dominic
savio Bosco,R/o Y-21A DDA-flat
new ranjeet nagar,new delhi-
110008,Changed my name to
Misbah amber
0040580954-6
I Tarun Kumar F/o Jasleen kaur
R/o C6A 83C Janakpuri Delhi-
110058,have changed my minor
daughter name to Jasleen
Sansanwal
0040580929-1
I Surinder Kumar S/o-Mohan Lal
Mahajan R/o-H.No.G-208,
Naraina Vihar, Delhi have
changed my name to Surinder
Kumar Gupta for all purposes.
0040580995-1
I Surbhi Jain W/o Vipul Jain R/o
E-1/31, Sector-7, Rohini, New
Delhi-110085, have changed my
namefrom Surbhi Jindal to
Surbhi Jain for all future
purposes.
0040580994-1
I Sonu, S/o Shri Ram R/o Jaildar
Patti, Village Sondh,
Palwal,have changed my name
to Sonu Sharma.
0040580948-1
I Sitaram Chohan S/o Chothu
Ram R/o Valmiki Road Shastry
Nagar, Ward No—29,
Ratangarh, Churu, Rajasthan-
331022, have changed my name
to Sitaram Kamma
0070750577-1
I Saleem alias Mohammad
Saleem alias Mohammad
Salim S/o Mohd Hameed R/o
H.No.C-563, New Seemapuri,
Delhi-110095 have changed my
name to Mohd Saleem for all
purposes.
0040580930-1
I SONU KUMAR S/O PREM RAJ
R/O-261, NEAR AGANWADI,
MUJERI(81), FARIDABAB-121004
HAVE CHANGED MY NAME TO
SONU PERMANENTLY.
0070750566-1
I Mohd Younus Khan S/o Abdul
Hafiz R/o Bhagwan Garhi,
Manzur Garhi, Aligarh, Uttar
Pradesh-202001, have changed
my name to Mohd Yunus
0070750583-1
I SITARAM SINGH F/O Shailendra
kumar Rakesh. My date of birth
is 03-01-1946, wrongly
mentioned in my son service
documents record. So my
original date of birth is 14-08-
1946. As per Aadhaar and
Affidavit.
0050182752-1
I Rakesh Kumar S/o Late Sh.
Babu Lal R/o F-71, Punjabi
Basti, Baljeet Nagar, Near
Nepali Mandir, Patel Nagar
S.O., Central Delhi, Delhi-110008
have changed my name to
Rakesh Sharma for all
purposes.
0040580930-2
I Pitun Dubey S/o Mihilal Dubey
R/o H.No.426, Sector-18,
Faridabad have changed my
name to Pitun Kumar Dubey.
0040580948-4
I Kritika Asopiya D/o Rajendra
Kumar Asopiya R/o 10, Caps
Town Pigdambar, Pigdambar,
Indore, Madhya Pradesh-
453331, have changed my name
to Pooja Asopiya
0070750578-1
I DEOMUNDAR DEVI M/O
Shailendra kumar Rakesh. My
date of birth is 02-05-1950,
wrongly mentioned in my son
service document record. So
my original name DEVMUNDAR
DEVI and date of birth 13-02-
1948.as per Aadhar & Affidavit.
0050182748-1
I,Aditi Srivastava D/O, Sanjay
SrivastavaR/O, EA-35, Ramesh
Veena Bhagwa Inder Puri Delhi-
110012 changed my name to
Aditi Sritanjay.
0040580954-2
I,Amit Kumar,S/o Sh.Satya
Narayan Prasad,R/o.Flat.No-
1101.T/7, M3M-Merlin,Sector-
67,Badshapur,Gurugram,
Haryana-122101,have changed
my minor daughter’s name,From
Deveshi Kumar(DOB-25-03-2021)
to Demira,for all purposes.
0040580968-6
I,Amarjeet Singh,S/o S.Manmohan
Singh R/o.WZ-
128,Plot.No.167,Vishnu-
Garden,New Delhi-110018,have
changed my minor daughter’s
name,from Simar Kaur Vasudeva
to Simar Kaur.
0040580940-1
I,Tarun Kathuria,S/o-Late Sh.
Chander Bhan Kathuria,R/o-
146,Neelgiri Apartments,
Plot.No-45,Sector-9,Rohini,
Delhi-110085,have Lost my
Property File including Sale
Deed,Conveyance Deed,
Possession Letter,Allotment
Letter,Payment Receipts,Tax
Receipts Etc.Finder Contact.-
Tarun Kathuria @8290368784
0040580954-11
I Banarsi Devi W/o Rajpal Singh
R/o 126/128 Ahir Mohalla
Nangloi Delhi 110041 have
changed my name from
Banarshi to Banarsi Devi and
correct Date of Birth is
26/08/1964 instead 28/06/1965.
0040580227-4
I Rajpal Singh S/o Hari Singh
R/o 126/128 Ahir Mohalla
Nangloi Delhi 110041 have
changed my name Rajpal to
Rajpal Singh for all purpose.
40580442-6
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE
“Public at large is hereby informed that
Be it known to all concern that my
client Sh. Rohtash Singh S/o Late Sh. my clients Shri Anil Sharma S/o Late Shri
Ved Ram R/o E-729, Gali No. 5, Lala Ram Sharma and Smt. Poonam
W/o Shri Anil Sharma both R/o House
Pappu Colony, Sahibabad,
Ghaziabad-201005 has completely No. 239, N Block, Phase-I, New Palam
severed his relation with his Son Vihar, Gurgaon-122017 have debarred
namely Sonu Kumar and his wife Kum
Kum as they are out of control of my
and disowned their son named Dev
Kumar Bhardwaj, his wife Monika
Client. My client also disowned and Sharma and their children. My clients
debarred and disowned all of them from
debarred them from all his movable
and immovable properties. My client getting any rights in any Properties/
Assets, movable or immovable which
shall not be responsible for any act of
belongs to my clients, because my
Sonu Kumar and his wife Kum Kum in
future in any manner and if anybody clients having no concern or relation with
all of them in future. In case any
deals with them, he/she will do on his
person(s) dealing with said Shri Dev
own risk and responsibility.
Sd/- Rishabh Bansal Advocate
Kumar Bhardwaj and his wife Monika
Sharma in any manner, he/she
D-5464/2019 himself/herself stands responsible for the
418, Patiala House Courts, Delhi-110001
same and in future my clients have no
concern/ relation with all of them.”.
Sd/- (M. C. Sharma)
''IMPORTANT''
PUBLIC NOTICE Advocate
CH. NO. 183-A, PATIALA HOUSE
COURTS, NEW DELHI-110001 Whilst care is taken prior to
Be it known to all that my client
Shri Rajinder Singh S/o Shri
acceptance of advertising
copy, it is not possible to verify
Kishan Lal R/o C-5/8, Yamuna its contents. The Indian
ViIhar, Delhi-53, is purchasing a Express (P) Limited cannot be
property no. C-2/322, Third held responsible for such
Floor, Yamuna Vihar, Delhi-53 contents, nor for any loss or
from its owner Shri Rajesh damage incurred as a result of
Kumar S/o Late Mukand Lal, if transactions with companies,
PUBLIC NOTICE
anyone has any interest in the associations or individuals
To be known to all that my client Sh. Puran advertising in its newspapers
said property or has any
Chand son of Shri Rattan Chand R/o WZ –H or Publications. We therefore
/39/2, Uttam Nagar , New Delhi one of co- objection, he/she may contact
owner of property bearing H-38, admeasuring with me/my client to raise his/her
recommend that readers
make necessary inquiries
145 sq. Yds. Khasra No. 87/13, village Hastal, objections within seven days, before sending any monies or
Block-H, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi and my
failing which, it will considered
original documents like G.P.A Aagreement entering into any agreements
and Receipt executed by Prithvi Singh Son of no objection(s) from all corner. with advertisers or otherwise
Sh. Ganeshi and other previous document has Sd/- Kanti Prasad (Advocate) acting on an advertisement in
been lost and not traceable and in this regard F-401, Karkardooma courts, any manner whatsoever.
missing report (MCR) Dated 20/10/2001
Delhi-32.
logged in the P.S. East Uttam Nagar (now
Bindapur P.S.) New Delhi.
Any person(s) claiming any right interest,
having any objection may write contact with GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF
above named person at above address phone
9711422002, within 7 days from the date of
publication of this notice. The person claiming
any right, interest , objection with respect to
ENGINEERING, KEONJHAR
this property can personally inform to the (Formerly Orissa School of Mining Engineering [Degree Stream],Keonjhar)
above named person, thereafter any claim KK-60
and objection will be treated as null and void. At : Jamunalia, P.O.: Old Town, Dist., Keonjhar, Pin: 758002 (Odisha)
Sd/- A.KUMAR & ASSOCIATES, ADVOCATE
S.No.216,Transport, Auth Web: www.gcekjr.ac.in / Mail id- principal@gcekjr.ac.in
Bulg,Janakpuri,New Delhi -110058
Advertisement No.: 705 Date: 13.08.2021
REGULAR RECRUITMENT OF PROFESSOR & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR FOR
PUBLIC NOTICE GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, KEONJHAR
THE PUBLIC AT LARGE IS INFORMED
THAT MY CLIENTS SH. SUSHIL JOSHI S/O Applications in prescribed format along with details of qualification, experience and contribution to profession/
SH. SHIVNANDAN JOSHI AND SMT. UMA
JOSHI W/O SH. SUSHIL JOSHI BOTH
research are invited from Indian Nationals for the recruitment to the posts of regular faculty positions
RESIDENT OF H.NO. 70, BLOCK-F, NEAR (Professor & Associate Professor) in the various departments of the Institute. The details of the number of
H.B. PUBLIC SCHOOL, LAXMI PARK,
NANGLOI, WEST DELHI, DELHI 110041 posts including required qualifications, eligibility criteria, scale of pay, Application Form and other general
HAS DISOWNED HIS SON NAMELY SH.
PRAKASH JOSHI S/O SH. SUSHIL JOSHI
information are available at the Institute website www.gcekjr.ac.in. The last date for the receipt of
RESIDENT OF H.NO. 70, BLOCK-F, NEAR applications at GCE, Keonjhar is 28.09.2021 during office hours by Speed Post/Registered Post only. A copy
H.B. PUBLIC SCHOOL, LAXMI PARK,
of the complete application form along with all Annexures is also to be sent to the mail id
NANGLOI, WEST DELHI, DELHI 110041
AND DEBARRED HIM FROM ALL OF THEIR
MOVABLE AND IMMOVABLE PROPERTIES recruitment@gcekjr.ac.in. The Institute will not be responsible for any postal delay. The qualifications,
FOREVER, AS HE IS DISREGARDING, eligibility criteria, experience and publications etc. as on the last date of submission of Application only will
MISBEHAVING, CREATING NUISANCE
AND NOT PAYING ANY MAINTENANCE TO be considered. Incomplete application or applications received after the last date will not be considered. The
MY CLIENTS. HE IS RESTRAINED TO
ENTER INTO PREMISES OWNED BY MY Institute reserves the right to fill- up or not to fill-up the post advertised or alter the number of posts advertised
CLIENTS. IF ANY PERSON DEALS WITH
or even to cancel the entire selection process without assigning any reason thereof.
HIM, MY CLIENTS WOULD HAVE NO
CONCERN WITH THE SAME. Principal
Sd/- (VIJAY DATT GAHTORI)
Government College of Engineering Keonjhar
ADVOCATE
OFFICE: M-8, NEAR SBI, WESTERN WING,
TIS HAZARI COURTS DELHI
OIPR- 14088/11/0001/2122
PUBLIC NOTICE
Public at large are informed that my client
Mr. ANIS AHMED, S/O LATE SULTAN
AHMED R/o 4101, URDU BAZAR, JAMA
MASJID, DELHI-110006 is the owner/
occupier/ in active possession of/ holder
of/ having authority and control over built-
up properties bearing municipal numbers
4075 TO 4082 OLD NO- 5418 TO 5429
URDU BAZAR, JAMA MASJID, DELHI-
110006. Anybody dealing in the said
properties in Any-manner-whatsoever
from or through someone other than my
client or without due authorization from
my client shall do so at his/ their own risk,
costs and consequences. My client shall
not be responsible for any third party
negotiations/ dealings/ transactions etc.
with respect to the above-said properties.
Sd/-
MASHOOD UL HAQ
ADVOCATE
Ch. No. C-78, C. L. Joseph Block,
Tis Hazari, Delhi-54
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is notified for the information of
General Public that my clients (1)
Sh. Jatinder Nath Suri (2) Sh.
Kishan Dev Suri (3) Sh. Ramesh
Suri (4) Sh. Anil Suri and (5) Smt.
Sushma Suri are the co-owner of
property bearing No. 3456, Gali
Kartar Singh, Arya Pura, Subzi
Mandi, Delhi- 110007. If anyone
having any objections regarding
the ownership of my clients in
respect of the above said property,
they may raise objections/claim
before my clients within 15 days
from the date of publication of this
public notice.
Sd/- Daleep Kumar Singh
(Advocate)
C-104, C.L. Joseph Block,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi- 110054
Mob.: 9811661920
PUBLIC NOTICE
Be it known to all that my clientess Smt. Gora
Devi @ Leela Devi W / o Late Sh. Deepak Kumar
R/ o Plot No. 33, Block No. R3B, , Mohan Garden,
Uttam Nagar, New Delhi- 110059 do hereby
declare that due to dis-obedience by her sons Mr.
Raju S/o Late Sh. Deepak Kumar R/o 26/2, CVD
Line, Sadar Bazar, Delhi Cantt, Delhi-110010 and
Mr. Sunil S/o Late Sh. Deepak Kumar R/o Plot
No. 33, Block No. R3B, Mohan Garden, Uttam
Nagar, New Delhi-110059, my clientess
disinherited, debarred and dis-own her both son's
Mr. Raju and Mr. Sunil, from all of her movable
and immovable assets/properties. She has
severed/ceased all her relations with them
afterward, hence anyone dealing with them be
doing so at his/her own risk and consequences
and my clientess shall not be responsible for the
same in any kind or in any manner.
Sd/-
RAHULGAUR (Advocate)
Ch. No. 498-A, Western Wing
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi-110054
PUBLIC NOTICE
My client Smt. Neelam Sakhuja W/o
Late Shri Subhash Seghal R/o TA-55,
Om Vihar, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi-
110059 has severed all relations and
debarred their son Mohit Seghal and her
two daughter namely (1) Nisha Dhawan
W/o Kamal Dhawan (2) Heena Kapoor
W/o Amit Kapoor from all movable and
immovable properties due to
disobedience. My client will not be
responsible for their any acts/deeds.
Sd/-
R.K. Bachchan
(Advocate)
850 Lawyers' Chambers, Dwarka
Court Complex, Sector-10,
Dwarka, New Delhi-110075.
Mobile: 9868431579
PUBLIC NOTICE
Be it known to the public at large that
(1)Mohd. Intzar R/o D-530/ B -1, Near
Golden School, Sector 11, Vijay Nagar,
Ghaziabad, U.P., Mob. No.
9911811542, (2) Mohd. Istikhar , Mob.
No. 9899621121(3)Mohd. Aijaz Mob.
No. 8178710077 and (4) Mohd. Afzal
Mob. No. 9899627721, All sons of
Mohd. Ashfaq (2) to (4) resident of
1728, Gali Akhare Wali, Hauz Sui
Balan, Jama Masjid, Delhi 110006 are
joint owners of (1) Shop bearing private
No. 7 forming part of property bearing
No. 1015, Gali Kumharan, Bazar Chitli
Qabar, Jama Masjid, Delhi 110006, (2)
shop situated at Mazanine portion
forming part of property No. 2375/X
measuring 214 Sq. Yds situated at
Kucha Mir, Hashim, Bazar Chitli Qabar,
Jama Masjid, Delhi and stairs leading to
mazanine Floor and (3) property
bearing No. 1728, ward No. X, Gali
Imali Wali, Hauz Sui Walan, Bazar Chitli
Qabar, Delhi and Property bearing No.
A-83 situated at Village Wazirabad,
Delhi by virtue of Hiba pronounced by
their father Mohd. Ashfaq on
13.04.2009 and declaration executed
on 03.06.2009. My aforesaid clients are
also joint owners of properties (1)
property measuring 35 sq. yds situated
at First Floor of property forming part of
property No.1728 Ward No. X, Gali
Imali Wail, Hauz Sui Walan, Bazar Chitli
Qabar, Delhi (2) Property bearing No. A
- 157 and A-158, both situated at Village
Wazirabad, Delhi and (3) a flat situated
at 3rd floor of property bearing No. D -
530/B- 1, Near Golden School, Sector
11, Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad , U.P. by
virtue of Hiba pronounced by their
mother Mst Naseem Begum on
25.12.2010 and a Declaration to this
effect was executed on 10.02.2011. My
clients are in possession of aforesaid
properties. Anybody, who so ever,
having right, title and interest in
aforesaid properties of Mohd. Ashfaq
and Mst Naseem Begum may contact
my clients detailed above within fifteen
days from the date of publication and in
case no claim is made it shall be
presumed that none has any right , title
and interest in aforesaid properties.
Sd/-
M. N. JHA
ADVOCATE
Seat: opp. Treasury,
Tis Hzari Courts, Delhi-54
New Delhi
 E EXPLAINED
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

13
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
explained, please write to explained@indianexpress.com

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TOTAL VACCINATED IN INDIA (at least one dose)

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13,96,174 AFTER ROLLING effortlessly to power, the
Who’s who in the Pakistan-sponsored fundamentalist movement that is now in power in Kabul
Talibanfacethehardscrabbleofgive-and-take
politics,andappeartobeinnegotiationstoac-
0 commodate several interests within the fac- T H E N E W R U L E R S
Aug 8
LAST 10 DAYS (daily) Aug 17
tions and tribes, and in the ecosystem that
helped and supported them — Pakistan’s se-
curity establishment is a main part of this — HAIBATULLAH AKHUNDZADA I ~60
and even their “enemies”. SUPREMELEADER
TOTAL DOSES COVISHIELD COVAXIN
Baradar, likely new head
Moreclericthanfighter;seenasaconsensus-builderamongthe

55,47,30,609 87.4% 12.5% Going by the signals emerging from the

Taliban.WasnamedleaderinMay2016afterthemovement
confirmedthedeathofMullahAkhtarMuhammadMansour,
huddlesinKabulandDoha,wherehigh-rank- thesuccessortofounderleaderMullahMuhammadOmar.
(Sputnik V's 6,64,698 doses ingTalibanleaderscampedfornearlyadecade HaibatullahAkhundzadaisfromKandahar.
for the talks with the US, Mullah Abdul Ghani
not represented in pie) Baradar, the number two in the organisation ABDUL GHANI BARADAR I ~53
and in-charge of its political wing, is likely to POLITICALLEADER
DOSES ON AUG 17 59,21,421 head the new government. Oneofthefounderleadersofthemovement;powerful,
He arrived from Doha in Kandahar, and longtimelieutenanttoMullahOmar;commandsa
AUG 16: 88,73,501 (1ST DOSE: 71,22,059; 2ND: 17,51,442) participatedinthefirstpressconferenceofthe sizeablefollowingamongtherankandfile;waschief
new regime earlier this week. negotiatorfortheTalibanattheDohatalksandsigned
Thesupremeleader,orAmirulMomineen, theagreementwiththeUSSpecialRepresentative.
INDIA ACTIVE CASES 3,67,529 MaulviHaibatullahAkhundzada,maynottake
Illustrations: Suvajit Dey
part in government directly. There was talk
duringtheDohadiscussionsaboutanIranian-
5,00,000 style Supreme Leader, and if that post is cre- MILITARY COMMANDERS
ated in the new Afghan set up, Akhundzada
could be the likely choice for it.
Mullah Baradar belongs to the Popalzai
2,50,000 Pashtuntribe,andisknownasaco-founderof
4,02,188 the Taliban along with Mullah Muhammad ZABIULLAH MUJAHID, SHER MOHAMMAD ABDUL SALAM HANAFI,
3,67,529 Omar, the first Amir. Omar, of the Hotak tribe, AGE NOT KNOWN ABBAS STANIKZAI, 60 AGE NOT KNOWN
issaidtohavebeenextremelyclosetoBaradar, ■ Chiefspokesperson; ■ Chiefnegotiatorat ■ Negotiatorand SIRAJUDDIN HAQQANI, MULLAH MUHAMMAD
0 which means brother, a nickname that the mysteriousvoiceofthe Doha;ledday-to-day memberoftheTaliban 48, DEPUTY LEADER YAQOOB, 31, DEPUTY
LAST 10 DAYS Amirgavehim.Baradarwasdesignatedunder Talibanforatleasta talkswiththe officeinDoha;some- ■ SonofJalalauddin LEADER
Aug 8 Aug 17 UNSC 1272 in 2001 and remains on the list. decadebeforehe Americansbefore timesbriefedreport- Haqqaniandleaderof ■ Backedbythe
Note: The August 17 figures in these graphs are based on the government updates on August 18 In2010,BaradarwasdetainedbytheISIas revealedhimselfbefore MullahBaradar ers,wasthefirstTali- theHaqqaninetwork; formidablepedigreeof
hehadbeguntorespondtooverturesforpeace camerasatanews appearedonthescene banleadertoannounce hasledmuchofthe beingthesonofMullah
talksfrom then President Hamid Karzai, afel- conferenceinKabulon aftersomeprogress adealinearly2020;of Taliban’srecent Omar,butconsidered
INDIA TOTAL CASES 3,22,85,857 low Popalzai. Karzai was anything but Tuesday. hadbeenmade. Uzbekorigin. militarypush. muchlessdogmatic.
Source: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, updated at 11 pm on August 18 Pakistan’sman,andthroughhisyearsinoffice
anduntilmonthsago,wasvocalabouttherole
of the Pakistan military in the conflict.
T H E O L D T A L I B A N
Vaccine protection waning, Baradarspenteightyearsinincarceration,
and was released only when the Trump

suggest three CDC studies

AdministrationlaunchedtalkswiththeTaliban
in2018.Heheadedthenine-memberTaliban
team that negotiated with US Special
RepresentativeZalmayKhalilzad—theywere
THE US Centers for Disease Control news briefing on Wednesday. thetwosignatoriestotheDohaAgreementlast
and Prevention (CDC) released three Citing the data, federal health offi- year, by which the US agreed to withdraw its MULLAH MUHAMMAD JALALUDDIN HAQQANI WALI AHMED MULLAH MOHAMMAD KHAIRULLAH
studies on Wednesday that federal of- cialsoutlinedaplanforAmericanswho troopsonconditionthattheTalibanwouldnot OMAR ■ Founderofthe MUTTAWAKIL FAZL KHAIRKHWA
ficials said provided evidence that receivedthetwovaccinestogetbooster shelteral-QaedaorISIS,andwouldholdnego- ■ FounderofTaliban Haqqaninetwork, ■ Foreignministerand ■ Deputydefence ■ Talibaninterior
booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech shotseightmonthsafterreceivingtheir tiationswithotherAfghanstoarriveatapolit- andleaderofits1996- alignedhimselfwith bestknownfaceof ministerofTaliban; minister;partof
and Moderna coronavirus vaccines second doses, starting September 20. ical settlement to end the war. 2001government. Taliban;died2018. firstTaliban regime. wasinGuantanamo. ‘GuantanamoFive’.
would be needed by all Americans in But some scientists were deeply It is unclear if Baradar has now made his Photos: AP, Reuters, The NYT, FBI handout; Text: The NYT, AP, Reuters
the coming months. sceptical of the new plan. peace with Pakistan, which hand-held the
But some experts said “These data support Taliban through the talks. But if he becomes
the new research did not giving additional doses of the head of the new government, he is likely Guantanamo Bay detainees who were cap- The Haqqani network is a militant entity mentforwhatseemedtobenegotiationsabout
support the decision to vaccine to highly im- to be more independent minded than the tured in the months after the Taliban were allied with the Taliban but is distinct from it, government formation. Also present were
recommend booster munocompromised per- Pakistani security establishment — the Army ousted,andwhowerereleasedinMay2014in andisclosestofallthegroupswithinTalibanto Abdullah Abdullah, who led the High Peace
shots for all Americans. sons and nursing home and ISI — would like. exchange for the US soldier Bowe Berghdal, Pakistan’sISI.Ithasfoundpermanentshelterin Councilofinthepreviousgovernment,andfor-
Taken together, the
studiesshowthatalthough
PAPER residents, not to the gen-
eralpublic,”saidDrCeline A scion and two veterans
who was captured by the
Haqqani network.
Pakistan’sNorthWaziristan,
andhasstronglinkswithal-
mermujahideenleaderGulbuddinHekmatyar.
Ifaccommodated—itisunclearwhatroles
thevaccinesremainhighly
effective against hospital- CLIP Gounder, an infectious
disease specialist at
Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, the 31-year-
oldsonof MullahOmarandoperationalhead
Khairkhwa is Popalzai
too,andwasinteriorminis-
T F
K
HE ALL OF
ABUL TO
Qaeda. theymightseek—KarzaiandAbdullahwould
beusefultotheTalibaninbuildingbridgeswith
izations, the bulwark they Bellevue Hospital Center ofthemilitarywingoftheTaliban,wouldlikely ter in the previous Taliban Others in the mix western nations. The ageing Hekmatyar may
NEW RESEARCH and a former adviser on
provide against infection
with the virus has weak- the pandemic to the ad-
be an important figure in the new dispensa-
tion. He did not pitch himself hard when the
regime; Fazl, who belongs
to the Durrani tribe, was TALIBAN Two members of the
Talibanhavehadahighpro-
looktooldfriendPakistanforaseatinthebus.

ened in the past few months. ministration. leaderoftheTalibanwasbeingchosenin2016; deputy defence minister. file during the Doha talks: A possible Hazara presence
It’s unclear whether the decline in Boosters would only be warranted he may now claim a place in the new set-up. Sher Mohammad Abbas Iran’s outreach to the Taliban in recent
protection against infection is the re- if the vaccines were failing to prevent Yaqoob was not in the Taliban delegation Haqqani claimant Stanikzai,whoranthepolit- months, and its covert support to the Taliban
sult of waning immunity, a drop in people from ending up hospitalized for talks with the US, or for the intra-Afghan Itisunclearif Sirajuddin ical office of the Taliban in fightback against the US, could mean that the
precautionslikewearingmasks,orthe with Covid-19, she said. talks. But he was part of the Rehbarishura, the Haqqani will emerge from Doha since 2012, and newdispensationmayhaveHazara—whoare
rise of the highly contagious Delta “Feeling sick like a dog and laid up Taliban’sleadershipcouncilthatisalsoknown the shadows to become an ZabiullahMujahid,thewell Shia — representation.
variant—oracombinationof allthree. in bed, but not in the hospital with se- astheQuettashurabecausesomeof itsmem- official part of the new dis- known chief spokesman A large contingent of the erstwhile pro-
“We are concerned that this pat- vere Covid, is not a good enough rea- berswerebasedinthatcityinPakistanafterthe pensation, but he will re- who first revealed his face India Northern Alliance, made up mainly of
tern of decline we are seeing will con- son,” Dr Gounder said. previousTalibanregimewasoustedin2001. main a critical factor in the
W HAT IT MEANS
only on Tuesday in Kabul. TajikandHazara,flewtoIslamabadontheday
tinue in the months ahead, which “We’llbebetterprotectedbyvacci- Two other names that have cropped up in determining its decisions FOR INDIA Thenthereistheyoung- Kabul fell — indication that they want to be
could lead to reduced protection nating the unvaccinated here and recentweeks—includinginreports,flatlyde- and actions. He inherited A S E R I E S est Haqqani brother, Anas, partnersinthenewgovernment.Twomento
againstseveredisease,hospitalization around the world.” niedbytheIndiangovernment,thatclaimeda theleadershipof theHaqq- whohasbeenthepublicface watch in this delegation are Mohammed
and death,” Dr Vivek Murthy, the sur- meeting with External Affairs Minister S aninetworkfromhisfather of theHaqqaninetwork.He Mohaqiq, an ethnic Hazara and former mu-
geon general, said at a White House THE NEW YORK TIMES Jaishankar—areMullahKhairullahKhairkhwa Jalaluddin,hasbeenadesignatedterroristun- led a Taliban delegation on Wednesday in a jahid from Mazar-e-Sharif, and Mohammed
and Mullah Mohammad Fazl. derUNSCresolution1272since2007,andcar- meeting with former President Karzai and Karim Khalili, also Hazara and former vice-
Bothmenare54,andwereamongthefive ries a US reward of $ 5 million on his head. membersofthedeposedAshrafGhanigovern- president during the Karzai presidency.

THIS WORD MEANS: FORTIFIED RICE

Adding micronutrients to rice: how, why, and how much

HARIKISHANSHARMA
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
IN HIS INDEPENDENCE DAY speech, Prime
MinisterNarendraModiannouncedthefor-
tification of rice distributed under various
government schemes, including the public
distributionsystem(PDS)andmiddaymeals
in schools, by 2024.
What is rice fortification?
TheFoodSafetyandStandardsAuthority
ofIndia(FSSAI)definesfortificationas“delib-
eratelyincreasingthecontentofessentialmi-
cronutrientsinafoodsoastoimprovethenu-
tritionalqualityoffoodandtoprovidepublic
health benefit with minimal risk to health”.
In other words, rice fortification is a
process of adding micronutrients to regular
rice. The micronutrients are added keeping
in mind dietary requirements.
Varioustechnologiesareavailableforrice
fortification,suchascoatinganddusting.For
ricefortificationinIndia,‘extrusion’isconsid-
ered to be the best technology. This involves
theproductionoffortifiedricekernels(FRKs)
from a mixture using an extruder machine.
Thefortifiedricekernelsarethenblended
with regular rice to produce fortified rice.
How does the extrusion technology to
produce FRK work?
In extrusion technology, dry rice flour is
mixedwithapremixof micronutrients,and
water is added to this mixture. This mixture
then goes into a twin-screw extruder with
heatingzones,whichproduceskernelssim-
ilar in shape and size to rice. These kernels
are dried, cooled and packaged for use. FRK
has a shelf life of at least 12 months.
AsperguidelinesissuedbytheMinistryof
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribu-
tion, the shape and size of the fortified rice
kernel should “resemble the normal milled
rice as closely as possible”. According to the
guidelines,thelengthandbreadthofthegrain
should be 5 mm and 2.2 mm respectively.
But why is rice fortification needed?
Indiahasveryhighlevelsof malnutrition
among women and children. According to
the Food Ministry, every second woman in
thecountryisanaemicandeverythirdchild
is stunted. India ranks 94 out of 107 coun-
tries on the Global Hunger Index (GHI),
whichputsitinthe‘serioushunger’category.
Fortification of food is considered to be
oneof themostsuitablemethodstocombat
malnutrition. Rice is one of India’s staple
foods,consumedbyabouttwo-thirdsof the
population. Per capita rice consumption in
India is 6.8 kg per month. Therefore, fortify-
ing rice with micronutrients is an option to
supplement the diet of the poor.
What are the standards for fortification?
Under the Ministry’s guidelines, 10 g of
FRKmustbeblendedwith1kgofregularrice.
According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg of forti-
fied rice will contain the following: iron (28
mg-42.5mg),folicacid(75-125microgram),
and vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).
Rice may also be fortified with zinc (10 mg-
15mg),vitaminA(500-750microgramRE),
vitaminB-1(1mg-1.5mg),vitaminB-2(1.25
mg-1.75 mg), vitamin B-3 (12.5 mg-20 mg)
and vitamin B-6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kg.
Does fortified rice have to be cooked
differently?
PM Narendra Modi announced the
scheme on August 15 PTI
The cooking of fortified rice does not re-
quireanyspecialprocedure.Thericeneedsto
be cleaned and washed in the normal way
before cooking. After cooking, fortified rice
retainsthesamephysicalpropertiesandmi-
cronutrient levels as it had before cooking.
What is India’s capacity for fortification?
AccordingtotheMinistry,nearly2,690rice
millshaveinstalledblendingunitsforproduc-
tionoffortifiedrice,andthecurrentblending
capacitystandsat13.67lakhtonnesin14key
states.FRKproductionhasgoneupfrom7,250
tonnesto60,000tonneswithin2years.
Existingricemillsneedtobeupgradedto
fortificationfacilities.Thecostoftheupgrade
variesfrommilltomilldependingonthevol-
ume of fortified rice produced. According to
the Ministry, an investment of around Rs15-
20 lakh would be required to upgrade a rice
mill of operating capacity 4-5 tonnes/hour.
What will be the cost of fortification?
The Ministry estimates that the cost of
producingFRKwiththreemicronutrients—
iron,folicacid,andvitaminB-12—willcome
to around Rs 0.60 per kg. This cost will be
sharedbytheCentreandthestates.Thegov-
ernment will pay this cost to rice millers.
How can a beneficiary identify that she is
getting fortified rice and not regular
rice?
Fortified rice will be packed in jute bags
with the logo (‘+F’) and the line “Fortified
with Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12”
mandatorily printed on the pack.
Has the government distributed
fortified rice earlier?
In 2019-20, the Ministry launched a
centrally sponsored pilot scheme,
‘Fortification of Rice and its Distribution
under PDS’, for three years with a total
budget outlay of Rs 174.64 crore. The pilot
scheme focuses on 15 districts in 15 states
— Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar
Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Telangana,
Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh.
According to the Ministry, six states, in-
cluding Maharashtra and Gujarat, have
started distributing fortified rice as part of
the pilot scheme, with approximately 2.03
lakhtonnesdistributeduntilJune2021.Four
more states are expected to start by
September.
Has any other country tried this?
According to the Ministry, seven coun-
tries have mandated rice fortification — the
UnitedStates,Panama,CostaRica,Nicaragua,
Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and the
Solomon Islands.

New Delhi

14 THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
TOPOFTHE
WORLD
Aleksandar Vucic
SERBIA
Presidentdares
Twitter:‘Delete
myaccount!’
Belgrade: Serbia's auto-
cratic leader Aleksandar
Vucic challenged Twitter
onTuesdaytoclosehisac-
count like it did with
DonaldTrump's,aftersev-
eral media outlets under
his control were labeled
state-affiliated by the so-
cial media site. “I can't
wait for them (Twitter) to
close my account so I be-
come another Trump in
the world,” Vucic said.
TwitterinJanuarydeleted
the account of the former
US president because of
the risk of further incite-
ment of violence after his
supporters stormed the
USCapitolonJanuary6af-
ter he lostthe presidential
election. AP
VATICAN CITY
Popeurgesto
getvaccinesfor
thegoodofall
Vatican City: Pope Francis
issued an appeal on
Wednesdayurgingpeople
to get inoculated against
Covid-19, saying the vac-
cinescouldbringanendto
thepandemic,butneeded
to be taken
everyone.”Thanks to
by
God's grace and to the
work of many, we now
havevaccinestoprotectus
from Covid-19," the pope
said in a video message
made on behalf of the
nonprofitUSgrouptheAd
Council and the public
health coalition COVID
Collaborative.”They grant
us the hope of ending the
pandemic,butonlyifthey
are available to all and if
we work together.”
REUTERS
MALAYSIA
Kingwantsnew
premiertoface
confidencevote
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's
king will name a new
prime minister as soon as
possiblebuttheappointee
will have to face a confi-
dence vote in parliament
to prove his majority, the
palace said in a statement
Wednesday. Muhyiddin
Yassin resigned as prime
minister on Monday after
conceding he had lost his
majorityinparliamentbut
remainscaretakerpremier
untilasuccessorisnamed.
In a statement, the palace
saidtheprimeministerap-
pointed by the king must
table a motion of confi-
dence in parliament as
soon as possible to prove
“legitimately that he has
the majority”. REUTERS
400 people booked for harassing, Hong Kong police arrest four US health officials call for
molesting Pak YouTuber girl
M ZULQERNAIN
LAHORE, AUGUST 18
LAHORE POLICE have booked
400 people who allegedly ha-
rassed andmolested a YouTuber
girl on Pakistan's Independence
Day at the historic Minar-i-
Pakistan, officials said.
The police got into action fol-
lowing the videos of her harass-
mentandmolestationthatwent
viral on social media with calls
to Prime Minister Imran Khan
and Punjab Chief Minister
Usman Buzdar to take action
against the culprits.
The incident took place on
August 14 when hundreds of
youngsters were celebrating
Independence Day at Azadi
US steps up airlift: Kabul safe passage open
Pentagon says in talks with Taliban to
accelerate the pace of the evacuation
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, AUGUST 18
THE TALIBAN have agreed to al-
low “safe passage” from
Afghanistan for civilians strug-
gling to join a US-directed airlift
from the capital, President Joe
Biden’s national security adviser
saidTuesday,althoughatimetable
for completing the evacuation of
Americans,Afghanalliesandoth-
ers has yetto be worked out with
the country’s new rulers.
Jake Sullivan acknowledged
reports that some civilians were
encounteringresistance—“being
turned away or pushed back or
even beaten” — as they tried to
reachtheKabulinternationalair-
port.Buthesaid“verylargenum-
bers” were reaching the airport
andtheproblemoftheotherswas
being taken up with the Taliban,
whose stunningly swift takeover
ofthecountryonSundayplunged
the US evacuation effort into
chaos, confusion and violence.
Pentagon officials said that
after interruptions on Monday,
the airlift was back on track and
being accelerated despite
weather problems, amid regular
communication with Taliban
leaders. Additional US troops ar-
rivedandmorewereontheway,
with a total of more than 6,000
expectedtobeinvolvedinsecur-
ing the airport in coming days.
The Pentagon
Wednesday that senior US mili-
said
tary officers at the Kabul airport
are talking to Taliban command-
ers in the capital about Taliban
checkpoints and curfews that
have limited the number of
Americans and Afghans able to
enter the airport.
JohnKirby,thechiefPentagon
spokesman, told reporters that
Navy Rear Adm Peter Vasely is
communicating with Taliban
British lawmakers
slam Johnson, Biden
REUTERS
LONDON, AUGUST 18
BRITISH LAWMAKERS vented
their anger on Wednesday at
Prime Minister Boris Johnson
and US President Joe Biden over
the collapse of Afghanistan into
Taliban hands, calling it a failure
of intelligence, leadership and
moral duty.
Speaking at an emergency
session of parliament, recalled
fromitssummerbreaktodiscuss
Afghanistan, Johnson said the
Talibanwouldbejudgedontheir
actions,nottheirwords,afterthey
sought to convince the world
they would not seek revenge.
But, barely a minute into his
opening address, Johnson faced
a critical interruption from a
member of his own
Conservative Party.
Johnson, who attempted to
head for a holiday on Saturday
only to return as the Taliban
closed in on the Afghan capital,
was accused of “careless leader-
ship” by opposition Labour
leader Keir Starmer. “There's
been a major miscalculation of
the resilience of the Afghan
forces and staggering compla-
cency from our government
about the Taliban,” Starmer said.
students for ‘advocating terror’ Covid-19 booster shots
Chowk near Minar-i-Pakistan in
Lahore.
In the videos, hundreds of
young men can be seen throw-
ingthegirlintheairforfun,drag-
ging her, tearing her clothes and
molesting her.
“After the videos went viral
on Tuesday, the police ap-
proached the girl on the order of
the high-ups and persuaded her
toregisterFIR,”aseniorpoliceof-
ficialtoldPTI.Hesaidthegirlwas
still traumatised and broke into
tears while narrating what had
happened to her on
Independence Day.
ShesaidintheFIRthatsheand
six other members of her
YouTube channel visited Azadi
Chowktorecordavideoclipofthe
Independence Day celebrations.
NATO SET TO HOLD
EMERGENCY MEETING
ON AFGHANISTAN
Brussels: NATO Secretary-
GeneralJensStoltenbergsays
he will chair an emergency
meeting of foreign ministers
from the 30-nation military
alliance on Friday to discuss
developmentsinAfghanistan.
Stoltenberg tweeted on
Wednesday that he has con-
vened the videoconference
“to continue our close coor-
dination and discuss our
common approach on
Afghanistan.” AP
commanders in an effort to fur-
ther accelerate the pace of the
evacuation,whichfacesanAugust
31 deadline set by President Joe
Biden, even as thousands of
American citizens and others
scrambletogetoutofthecountry.
Kirbysaidthatoverthepast24
hoursabout2,000people,includ-
ing 325 American citizens, have
beenflownoutoftheKabulinter-
nationalairporton18flightsbyUS
Air Force C-17 transport planes.
The spokesman said the
Biden administration is consid-
ering its options for dealing with
a separate but related problem
— the abandonment by Afghan
securityforcesof anarrayof mil-
itary equipment, weapons and
aircraft that have fallen into the
hands of the Taliban or other
militant groups around
Afghanistan.
“We don't, obviously, want to
see our equipment in the hands
of those who would act against
ourinterestsortheinterestsofthe
Afghan people and increase vio-
lence and insecurity inside
Afghanistan,” Kirby said.
Labourleader KeirStarmer
on Wednesday. UK Parliament/AP
Former Conservative prime
minister Theresa May also asked
howBritaincouldhavesomiscal-
culatedthestrengthoftheTaliban.
“Was our understanding of the
Afghangovernmentsoweak?...Or
didwejustfeelthatwehavetofol-
low the United States and hope
that, on a wing and a prayer, it
would be all right on the night.”
Tom Tugendhat, a in negotiations between the
Conservative lawmaker and
chairman of parliament's
ForeignAffairsSelectCommittee
who served in Afghanisan, told
the chamber, “To see (Biden) call
intoquestionthecourageof men
I fought with, to claim that they
ran,isshameful.Thosewhohave
neverfoughtforthecoloursthey
fly should be careful about criti-
cising those who have.”
“Theytoremyclothesandmo-
lested me. They dragged and
tossedmeupintheairforfun.They
also beat my team members, and
usedabusivelanguage,”shesaid.
She alleged that during the
incident, her cell phone, a gold
ring and cash worth PKR
150,000 were snatched as well.
The police officer said with
thehelpof videofootagethesus-
pects will be arrested soon.
There were reports on social
media that the girl was carrying
an Indian and Pakistani flag to
use them for her TikTok video
clip in connection with the
IndependenceDayof bothcoun-
tries. Someone from the crowd
objected,leadingtotheincident.
The police however did not
confirm this. PTI
Taliban fighters patrol Kabul's Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood on Wednesday. AP
Body parts found
in landing gear
of flight from
Kabul: US officials
THE NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON, AUGUST 18
THE US Air Force acknowledged
Tuesday that human body parts
were found in the wheel well of
an American military C-17 cargo
planethattookflightamidchaos
at Hamid Karzai International
Airport in Kabul.
Air Force officials have not
said how many people died in
theepisodeMonday,butsaidthe
service was investigating “the
lossof civilianlives”asacrowdof
Afghans,desperatetoescapethe
country after their government
collapsedtotheTaliban,climbed
onto the plane’s wings and fell
from the sky after it took off.
A harrowing video of the
episode, recorded by the Afghan
newsmedia,hascirculatedaround
the world, instantly making the
horrific scene— of Americanmil-
itarymightflyingawayasAfghans
hungonagainstallhope—asym-
bolofPresidentJoeBiden’sretreat
fromAfghanistan.
Baradar’s rise charts Taliban’s long road back to power
KATHY GANNON
WASHINGTON, AUGUST 18
THE TALIBAN’S top political
leader, who made a triumphal
return to Afghanistan this week,
battled the US and its allies for
decades but then signed a land-
mark peace agreement with the
Trump administration.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
isnowexpectedtoplayakeyrole
Taliban and officials from the
Afghangovernmentthatthemil-
itant group deposed in its blitz
across the country. The Taliban
say they seek an “inclusive,
Islamic” government and claim
they have become more moder-
ate since they last held power.
But many remain skeptical,
and all eyes are now on Baradar,
whohassaidlittleabouthowthe
JESSIE PANG
HONG KONG, AUGUST 18
HONG KONG police said on
Wednesday four students were
arrested for “advocating terror-
ism” after their student union
passed a motion last month
mourning the death of a 50-
year-old who stabbed a police-
man before killing himself.
Police have said an officer
wasstabbedfrombehindonJuly
1, while on duty with other po-
licemenpreventingprotestgath-
erings on the anniversary of the
former British colony's return to
Chinese rule in 1997.
The man then stabbed him-
self in the chest with the knife
anddiedlaterinthehospital.The
Afghan woman ex-footballer tells
players to burn kits, delete photos
IAIN AXON
LONDON, AUGUST 18
THE FORMER captain of the
Afghan women's soccer team
has urged players to delete so-
cial media, erase public identi-
ties and burn their kits for
safety's sake now that the coun-
try is again under Taliban rule.
Copenhagen-based Khalida
Popal told Reuters in a video in-
terview on Wednesday that the
militants had killed, raped and
stoned women in the past and
female footballers were scared
of what the future might hold.
Theco-founderof theAfghan
women'sfootballleaguesaidshe
had always used her voice to en-
courageyoungwomen“tostand
strong, to be bold, to be visible”
but now she had a different
message.
“Today I’m calling them and
telling them, take down their
names, remove their identities,
take down their photos for their
safety. Even I'm telling them to
burn down or get rid of your na-
groupwillgovernbuthasproven
pragmatic in the past.
Baradar’s biography charts
the arc of the Taliban’s journey
from an Islamic militia that bat-
tled warlords during the civil
warinthe1990s,ruledthecoun-
tryinaccordancewithastrictin-
terpretation of Islamic law and
then wagedatwo-decade insur-
gency against the US.
Baradar is the only surviving
Taliban leader to have been per-
sonally appointed deputy by the
late Taliban commander Mullah
Mohammed Omar, giving
Baradar near-legendary status
within the movement. And he is
more far more visible than the
Taliban’s current supreme
leader, Maulawi Hibatullah
Akhunzada, believed to be in
hiding in Pakistan.
On Tuesday, Baradar landed
in Kandahar, the birthplace of
A student of Hong Kong
University (centre) is
escorted by police officers
after a home search. AP/PTI
policeman, 28, suffered a punc-
tured lung, but survived what
Secretary for Security Chris Tang
described as a terrorist act.
Shortly after theattack,a few
MEANWHILE
FACEBOOK SAYS MAY NOT LIFT BAN ON TALIBAN
Facebook has said it may not lift its ban on the Taliban even if the United States stops impos-
ing sanctions on the group, which has rapidly taken control of Afghanistan. “We would have
to do a policy analysis on whether or not they nevertheless violate our dangerous
organizations policy,” Facebook’s vice president of content policy Monika Bickert said.
People line up at a Taliban checkpoint on the road leading to
the French embassy in Kabul on Tuesday evening. NYT
tional team uniform,” she said.
“And that is painful for me, for
someone as an activist who
stoodupanddideverythingpos-
sible to achieve and earn that
identity as a women's national
team player.”
Popal said soccer had en-
abled women to take a strong
stand for their rights, and to defy
those who would have them si-
lenced. “They are so afraid. They
are worried, they are scared, not
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
helped found the Taliban
in 1994. File
the Taliban movement he
helped found in the mid-1990s,
ending 20 years of exile.
Baradar, who is in his early
50s, was born in the Uruzgan
province.Like otherswhowould
eventually become Taliban lead-
ers,hejoinedtheranksoftheCIA-
andPakistan-backedmujahideen
to fight against the Soviet Union
dozen members of the Hong
Kong University student union
passed a motion, since with-
drawn,tocommemoratethe50-
year-old’s death and “appreci-
ate” his “sacrifice.”
The union's campus office
hassincebeenraidedbynational
security police and the univer-
sity has severed ties with the
union and banned about 30 stu-
dents who signed the motion
from entering its premises.
“The motion is very shock-
ing,” Senior Superintendent
Steve Li told reporters.
“It tried to rationalise and
glorify terrorism,” Lisaid,adding
that it “encouraged people to at-
tempt suicide” and it did not
align with “our moral stan-
dards.” REUTERS
New Delhi
only the players, but also the ac-
tivists... they have nobody to go
to, to seek protection, to ask for
help if they are in danger,” she
said of the situation now. “They
are afraid that any time the door
will be knocked. What we are
seeing is a country collapsing.”
A spokesperson for FIFA said
the world soccer body shared
“concern and sympathy with all
those affected by the evolving
situation”. REUTERS
duringitsoccupationofthecoun-
try that ended in 1989.
In the 1990s, the country slid
into civil war, with rival mu-
jahideen battling one another
and carving out fiefdoms.
In 1994, Mullah Omar,
Baradar and others founded the
Taliban, which means religious
students. Their unsparing inter-
pretation of Islam unified their
ranks and set them apart from
thenotoriouslycorruptwarlords.
Duringthegroup’s1996-2001
rule,thepresidentandgoverning
council were based in Kabul. But
Baradarspentmostof histimein
Kandahar, the spiritual capital of
the Taliban, and did not have an
official government role.
The US invaded Afghanistan
after the 9/11 attacks. Baradar,
Omar and other Taliban leaders
fled into neighboring Pakistan.
Baradar was arrested in
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK, AUGUST 18
US HEALTH officials Wednesday
announced plans to dispense
COVID-19 booster shots to all
Americansto shore up theirpro-
tection amid the surging delta
variant and evidence that the
vaccines’ effectiveness is falling.
The plan, as outlined by the
director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
and other top authorities, calls
for an extra dose eight months
after people get their second
shot of the Pfizer or Moderna
vaccine. The doses could begin
the week of September 20.
“Our plan is to protect the
American people, to stay ahead
of this virus,” CDC Director Dr
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
From exile in UAE,
Ghani says left
Kabul to prevent
bloodshed, is in
talks to return
AGENCIES
KABUL, AUGUST 18
AFGHAN PRESIDENT Ashraf
Ghani,speakingfromexileinthe
United Arab Emirates, said on
Wednesday that he had left
Kabul to prevent bloodshed and
denied reports he took large
sums of money with him as he
departedthepresidentialpalace.
Ghani has
been bitterly
criticised by
former minis-
tersforleaving
the country
suddenly as
Taliban forces Ashraf
entered Kabul Ghani
on Sunday.
“If I had
stayed, I would be witnessing
bloodshed in Kabul,” Ghani said
inavideostreamedonFacebook,
his first public comments since
it was confirmed he was in the
UAE.
Afghanistan's ambassadorto
Tajikistan Mohammad Zahir
Aghbar has accused Ghani of
stealing $169 million from state
funds and has called on interna-
tional police to arrest him.
Media reports said he “sup-
ports the talks” between the
Taliban and former President
HamidKarzaiandthathewas“in
talkstoreturn”homeafterfleeing.
Earlier on Wednesday, the
UAE said it has accepted Ghani
andhisfamilyfor“humanitarian
considerations.”
Islamic scholars
to decide role of
women: Taliban
Kabul: Senior Taliban leader
Waheedullah Hashimi has said
that the role of women in
Afghanistan, including their
right to work and education and
how they should dress, would
ultimatelybedecidedbyacoun-
cil of Islamic scholars. “Our
ulema (scholars) will decide
whether girls are allowed to go
to school or not,” Hashimi said.
“That is up to them.” REUTERS
Karachi in 2010 in a joint raid by
the CIA and Pakistan’s countert-
errorism forces.
At the time, he had been
making peace overtures to
Afghanistan’s then-President
Hamid Karzai, but the US was
bent on military victory and it
appeared that Pakistan wanted
to ensure control over any polit-
ical process. Baradar’s removal
empowered more radical lead-
ers within the Taliban who were
less open to diplomacy.
In his first comment afterthe
capture of Kabul on Sunday,
Baradar acknowledged his sur-
prise, saying that “it was never
expected that we will have vic-
tory in Afghanistan”.
“Now comes the test,” he
said. “We must meet the chal-
lengeof servingandsecuringour
nation, and giving it a stable life
going forward.” AP
Rochelle Walensky said.
Health officials said people
who received the single-dose
Johnson & Johnson vaccine will
also probably need extra shots.
Buttheysaidtheyarewaitingfor
more data.
Top scientists at the World
Health Organization bitterly ob-
jected to the US plan, noting that
poor countries are not getting
enough vaccine for their initial
rounds of shots.
“We’re planning to hand out
extra life jackets to people who
already have life jackets, while
we’re leaving other people to
drown without a single life
jacket,” said Dr. Michael Ryan,
the WHO’s emergencies chief.
WHO officials have long
called for vaccine equity and
“solidarity” among countries.

15 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
SENSEX: 55,629.49 ▼ 162.78 (-0.29%) NIFTY: 16,568.85 ▼ 45.75 (-0.28%) NIKKEI: 27,585.91 ▲ 161.44 HANG SENG: 25,867.01 ▲ 121.14 FTSE: 7,160.27 ▼ 20.84 DAX: 15,919.62 ▼ 2.33
‘ACTUAL PAT FOR FY20 ALMOST HALF OF THE NEGATIVE `60K CR PROJECTION’
‘Grosslyinflated’:PowerMinonFY21
discomlossestimatesof`90Kcrore
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18
STATE-OWNEDPOWERdistribu-
tion companies (discoms) posted
losses of Rs 32,898 crore in FY19-
20, the Power Ministry said in a
statement on Wednesday in re-
sponse to estimates that pegged
the losses at Rs 60,000 crore for
FY20andaboutRs90,000crorefor
FY21.TheMinistrysaidalossesti-
mate of Rs 90,000 crore for state
discoms in FY21 was “grossly in-
flated”. The NITI Aayog had also
used the estimate in its report on
thepowerdistributionsectorpub-
lishedinAugust.
“...actualPATfigureforFY2020
is almost half of the negative ~Rs
60,000 crore projected by Icra for
FY2020, thereby indicating that
MARKETS WATCH
RBI REPORT
‘Unicorn listings
bring in new era’
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,AUGUST18
WITHTHErecentdebutIPOof-
ferings by Indian unicorns
making waves, the Reserve
Bank of India has said “a new
erahasclearlybegun”and“an-
othergrowthimpulseisignit-
ingfinancialmarkets”.
“These IPOs of new age
companies arrive as bullish-
ness about India mounts, es-
peciallyaroundIndiantech.In
fact, India’s tech boom has
beenlongawaited,withstrong
global and domestic appetite
forwhatarewidelybelievedto
be world class businesses in
thepipeline,”thecentralbank
said in its “State of the
Economy”report.
“2021 could well turn out
to be India’s year of the IPO,”
theRBIsaid.“Theselistingsco-
incide with a broader rush by
Indian companies to tap the
marketandtheFOMO(fearof
missingout)factordrivingin-
vestors,whichhavetakenthe
benchmark indices to
records,” it said.
However,itsaidthisexplo-
sion of interest in these com-
panieswillonlybesustainedif
they are able to convert inno-
vative ideas into metrics such
asbreakingevenatthelevelof
earningsbeforeinterest,taxes,
depreciationandamortisation
BRIEFLY
HDFCBankcards
Mumbai: HDFC Bank MD-
CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan
saidthebankwillregainand
grow its credit card cus-
tomermarketshareandrev-
enue market share. FE
OMObyRBI
NewDelhi:TheReserveBank
said on Wednesday it will
conductanopenmarketop-
erations(OMO)topurchase
governmentsecuritiesof Rs
25,000 crore on August 26,
undertheG-secAcquisition
Programme (G-SAP 2.0).
WTOreport
London: The global mer-
chandisetradeiscontinuing
itsrobustrecoveryfromthe
shockoftheCovid-19pand-
emic, according to the
WTO’s Goods Trade Baro-
meter, which hit a record
high in its latest reading is-
sued on Wednesday. PTI
T-mobilebreach
Bengaluru: T-Mobile US Inc
said Wednesday a probe
into a data breach revealed
thatpersonaldata,including
socialsecuritynumbersand
driver’slicenseinformation,
of over 40 million former
and prospective customers
was stolen. REUTERS
the Icra estimations of even
FY2020 are significantly flawed.
Icrahasfurtherbuiltupthelosses
for FY2021 on their erroneously
estimated figures of FY2020 by
adding another Rs 30,000 crore
duetoCovid,”theMinistrysaid.It
didnot,however,provideanydata
on actual losses for discoms in
FY21. The Ministry said Icra may
have assumed that a Rs 30,000-
crore increase in discom dues to
creditors between March and
December 2021 reflected addi-
tional losses for discoms noting
thattheincreasewasactuallyare-
sultof cashflowproblems.
“As a result of the above erro-
neousprojectionsbyIcra, theloss
figures of Rs 90,000 crore for
FY2021 seem to be grossly in-
flated,”thepowerministrysaid.
Icra said its estimate of net
The BSE in Mumbai. File
(EBITDA) level without ex-
pensing business develop-
ment costs, followed by cash
flows and profits. “The jury is
still out. Investors will closely
scrutinisetheirstories,”itsaid.
As per the report, markets
regardthemas‘conceptstocks’
becausetheyflouttheexisting
conventions — they have nei-
ther made profits nor issued
any guidance on ever getting
to profitability. There are al-
ready warnings of systemic
risks to financial stability that
monetary policy authorities
should not ignore as the uni-
cornIPOpartygetsgoing.“The
burstingofthedotcombubble
in 2001 showed that many
start-upscouldgobust,butrisk
management practices have
changed to diffuse this risk
over many newcomers. And
thosethatsurvivecangoonto
become the Googles,
FacebooksandAmazonsofthe
future,”itsaid.
Full report on
www.indianexpress.com
5TH MEETING OF BRICS INDUSTRY MINISTERS
Goyal: Horizon of NDB should be
expanded to strengthen social infra
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18
COMMERCE MINISTER Piyush
Goyal Wednesday called for the
NDBtoexpanditshorizonstofund
service delivery in the education
and health sectors besides fund-
inginfrastructureandindustryde-
velopment.
The New Development Bank
Minutes show US Fed split
over jobs, bond-buying
REUTERS
WASHINGTON,AUGUST18
US FEDERAL Reserve officials felt
the employment benchmark for
decreasing support for the econ-
omy“couldbereachedthisyear,”
but had not yet been satisfied, as
per minutes from the US central
bank’s meeting last month.
“Mostparticipantsanticipated
thattheeconomywouldcontinue
to make progress toward those
goals”andthatthestandard“cou-
ld be reached this year,” said the
minutes of the July 27-28 meet-
ing, released on Wednesday.
Fed officials said they still had
faith in the economic recovery
E
E X P L A I NE D
Aimingto
● cut losses
THE GOVERNMENT is
aiming to cut commercial
lossesintherangeof12-15
percentandreducethedif-
ference between the aver-
age cost of supply and av-
erage revenue realised to
zero by FY25.
losses of Rs 56,000 crore for FY20
wasbasedoncontinuedhighdis-
tribution losses for discoms and
thattariff revisionshadremained
mutedoverthepastthreeyears.
“We would able to reconcile
our estimated loss figures for
‘Recovery broad-based, India
Inc credit outlook at positive’
A broad-based recovery is on for India Inc currently, said
Crisil Ratings, while upgrading its credit quality outlook
to ‘positive’ from the earlier ‘cautiously optimistic’
>2.5x Rise in credit ratio,
which illustrates
the number of upgrades to
downgrades, in first four
months of the ongoing fiscal,
against 1.33 times in second
half of FY21
28 Sectors that are set to
witness a recovery in
demand back to pre-pandemic
levels by end of FY22; for the
remaining ones, demand will
be upwards of 85% of
pre-pandemic level
Survey details: Crisil studied 43 sectors,
excluding financial sector, accounting for 75%
of overall `36 lakh crore in outstanding debt
Locker norms: Bank liability
to be 100 times annual rent
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18
THE RESERVE Bank of India (RBI)
on Wednesday released revised
guidelinesforhiringoflockersun-
derwhichtheliabilityofbankswill
be limited to 100 times its annual
rent in case of fire, theft, building
collapseorfraudsbyemployees.
As per the revised norms,
which shall come into force from
January 1, 2022, banks will be re-
quired to incorporate a clause in
the locker agreement prohibiting
thehirerfromkeepinganythingil-
(NDB) is a multilateral develop-
ment bank aimed at funding sus-
tainable development projects in
the BRICS nations. It has commit-
ted funding to a number of major
infrastructureprojectsinIndia,in-
cluding the Mumbai Metro rail
andmanyrenewableenergyproj-
ects, besides a $1-billion emer-
gency assistance loan for eco-
nomicrecoverypostCovid-19.
“ThehorizonofNDBshouldbe
US Federal Reserve Chair
Jerome Powell. Reuters file
evenastheDeltavariantfuelleda
riseinCovidcases,andcontinued
laying plans for eventual end of
the central bank’s monthly pur-
chases of Treasury bonds and
mortgage-backed securities. Fed
ChairJeromePowellmayprovide
information in remarks at next
week’s Jackson Hole conference.
FY2020 with the loss estimates
for FY2020 reported by the
Ministry of Power only after de-
tailed accounts prepared by PFC
(Power Finance Corporation) are
available. It would be especially
important to look at the regula-
tory assets and grants booked by
thediscomsforFY2020,”Icrasaid
in an official statement. Discoms
can book regulatory assets for
costsincurredinaparticularfiscal
allowing them to lower overall
losses for a fiscal with a view to
recovering those costs from con-
sumers in the future.
The Ministry had noted that
through the true-up mechanism,
discoms would beable torecover
lossesduetochangeinconsump-
tionpatternsduetothepandemic
throughtariffsinsubsequentyears
andthatIcrahadalsonotedthisin
FACTORS THAT DROVE
REVISION IN OUTLOOK:
■ Strong economic growth
both domestically and globally
■ Estimate that domestic
demand will be buoyant even if
a third wave materialises
Source:
Crisil
Ratings/PTI
Revised norms shall
come into force from Jan 1
legalorhazardousinlockers.
The instructionswillbe appli-
cabletonewandexistingsafede-
positlockersandthesafecustody
of articles facility with the banks.
Banks would also need to adopt
themodellockeragreementtobe
framed by IBA. Banks will have to
putinplaceaBoard-approvedpol-
icy outlining the responsibility
owed by them for any damage to
thelockersduetotheirnegligence.
expanded and resources be uti-
lized for strengthening social in-
frastructure,especiallyforfunding
service delivery in education and
health sector, besides promotion
of infrastructure and industrial
sector,”Goyalsaidatthe5thmeet-
ingof BRICSindustryministers.
He added the vision of an
AatmanirbharBharatwas“engag-
ing with the world with a spirit of
competitiveness.”
itsreport.“Totheextentthatsuch
revenue losses claimed by dis-
coms are approved by the SERCs
(State Electricity Regulatory
Commissions)underthetrue-up,
the incremental revenue gap of
discomswouldbelowerthanthe
Rs30,000croreestimatedbyIcra,”
theratingsagencysaidaddingthat
any compensation by state gov-
ernments by way of subsidies or
grants could also result in lower
bookedlossesfordiscoms.
The Cabinet, in June, an-
nounced a Rs 3.03 lakh crore in-
centive-based scheme to
strengthen financial position of
discoms. The government is aim-
ingtocutcommerciallossesinthe
rangeof12-15percentandreduce
the difference between the aver-
agecostofsupplyandaveragerev-
enuerealisedtozerobyFY25.
Oil bonds aim to ‘insulate’ customers:
Experts see ‘scope for fuel cess cuts’
SUNNYVERMA
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18
THE GOVERNMENT’S argument
thatitcannotreducetaxesonfuel
duetotheburdenofpastoilbonds
is not convincing and the Centre
has the wherewithal to provide
relief to consumers from high
pricesofpetrolanddiesel,econo-
mists said. Congress leader
and former Finance Minister
P Chidambaram told The Indian
Express that Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman has pre-
sented a “hollow argument” as
subsidies were financed through
borrowings by the UPA govern-
ment, and there is scope for the
present government to provide
relief to consumers.
“What the FM has argued
doesn’tmakeanysense.Theyhave
collected more than Rs 15 lakh
crore in last five years from taxes
(onfuel).Thisisabsolutetreachery
to say that prices cannot be re-
ducedduetoburdenofoilbonds.If
theydonotwanttoreduce(taxes),
theyshouldsimplysaythatwewill
notreduce,”saidachiefeconomist
Cong deregulated fuel,
leading to global impact
on local prices, says Puri
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18
THEGOVERNMENTis“sensitive”
towards the prices of the petro-
leum products and is taking all
possiblestepstoaddresstheissue,
UnionPetroleumandNaturalGas
Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said
on Wednesday, and blamed the
Congress for the current trend of
hike in petrol and diesel prices.
If state governments want,
theycanlowerthepricesofpetrol
and diesel, as a state did so re-
cently, he said in a press confer-
ence at the Delhi BJP office.
GOLD
`46,328
Note:Gold,silverratesatDelhispotmarket;goldper10g,silverper1kg; Crudeoil(Indianbasket)asonAugust 17,2021
Economy normalising LPG dearer
towards pre-Covid by `25; 2nd
hike in as
activity levels: Birla
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,AUGUST18
THEECONOMYisrapidlynormal-
ising towards pre-Covid activity
levels even as uncertainty exists
aboutmutationsandrepeatedin-
fection waves, Aditya Birla Group
chairmanKumarMangalamBirla
saidonWednesday.
“Uncertainty about virus mu-
tations and repeated infection
waveshasnotgoneaway.Yet,one
gets a strong sense that there are
moresilverliningstotheeconomic
scenariotodaythanatmostpoints
during the pandemic,” he said at
the annual general meeting of
group firm UltraTech. “Economic
indicatorsshowthattheeconomy
isalsorapidlynormalisingtowards
pre-pandemicactivitylevels.”
According to him, the fiscal
stance clearly seems to be poised
foranaccelerationofgovernment
“Whetherthegovernment
borroweddirectlyor
borrowedthroughits
surrogates(oilcompanies),
theeffectisthesame”
P CHIDAMBARAM
FORMER FINANCE MINISTER
with a bank who did not want to
benamed.
Sitharaman said on Monday
that “the Government of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi is today
paying for the oil price reduction
donebytheUPAin2012-13”.“Look
at their trickery,” she said, noting
thatthepreviousgovernmenthad
cut taxes on fuels but left the cur-
rentgovernmentwithoilbonds.
Beforefuelpriceswerederegu-
lated, petrol and diesel as well as
cooking gas and kerosene were
soldatsubsidisedratesduringUPA
rule. The then government issued
oil bonds totalling Rs 1.34 lakh
croresinlieuof subsidy.
Chidambaramsaid:“TheFM’s
argument is a hollow argument
andbetrayscolossalignorance. If
shehadconsultedanyeconomist,
she would have understood that
The Congress government in
2010 deregulated prices of petrol
and diesel, meaning there would
be a local impact of international
rates,hesaid.“TheCentreimposes
excise tax on petrol and diesel,
whilestatesimposeVATonit.We
use this excise money to fund
schemes ...,” he said. Puri said the
Congress government, before
2014, issued oil bonds of Rs 1.34
lakh crore to control prices of
petrol and “passed on theirprob-
lem to us.” He said the figures on
oil bonds presented by it were
“flawed” and challenged the
Congress to ask states ruled by it
toreduceVATonpetrolanddiesel.
New Delhi
RUPEE
`74.24
Aditya Birla Group chairman
Kumar Mangalam Birla. File
capex in the coming years, espe-
cially in relation to the National
Infrastructure Pipeline projects.
Alongside, there are very strong
signals of a pick-up in the private
sectorcapexcycle,hesaid.
Birla said the three factors of
cyclical upswing, conducive pol-
icy impulses and an improving
globalbackdrop are likelyto align
themselves to position India for a
virtuous cycle of growth and in-
vestmentsinthemediumterm.
thesubsidyonfuels(givenbythe
UPA)wasfinancedbyborrowing.
Whether the government bor-
rowed directly or borrowed
throughitssurrogates(oilcompa-
nies), the effect is the same. In ei-
ther case, the interest burden has
tobebornebythegovernment.If
she has the courage, the FM
shouldsaythatthesubsidyonfu-
els given by the UPA to lessen the
burdenontheconsumerwasnot
justifiedatthattime.IdaretheFM
to say that.”
He said government has the
scope to provide relief to con-
sumers. “Government’s greed for
money has led it to impose huge
cesses on petrol and diesel which
are cruel and oppressive. There is
scopetocutthecessesandgivere-
lief to the consumer. Since people
are crying for relief, they must be
givensomerelief,”hesaid.
Economists said the oil bonds
wereissuedtoinsulateconsumers.
“In the past when oil prices
were over $120 a barrel, the oil
bonds were issued to minimise
impactonconsumersandkeepoil
marketing companies profitable.
If that was not done, the retail
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
OIL SILVER
$68.92 `62,131
International market data till 1900 IST
many mths
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,AUGUST18
THE PRICE of domestic cooking
gasLPGwasonWednesdayhiked
by Rs 25 per cylinder, the second
straightmonthofincreaseinrates.
The rates were hiked by Rs
25.50 per cylinder on July 1. Non-
subsidised LPG rates too were
hiked on August 1 by the same
proportion,withsubsidisedcook-
inggaspricesbeingraisednow.
Subsidised LPG in Delhi now
costs Rs 859 per 14.2-kg cylinder,
accordingtoapricenotificationby
oilcompanies.
Monday’s hike in subsidised
LPG price has taken the total rate
hike since January 1 to Rs 165 a
cylinder. The price of domestic
cooking gas has more than dou-
bledinlastsevenyears.
prices would have been much
higher at that point in time. It
wouldhaveledtohigherinflation,
lowerdisposableincomeforcon-
sumers, affecting consumption
andgrowth.Lowergrowthinturn
wouldhaveledtolowertaxcollec-
tions.Itisdifficulttosay,whichde-
cisionwasoptimal.Butthisishow
consumers were insulated,” said
DK Pant, chief economist and
head-publicfinance,IndiaRatings
andResearchPvtLtd.
“Whatyouneedtolookatthe
government’s aim is to minimise
losses, but the loss minimisation
should not be at the cost of wel-
fare loss of general population,”
Pant said.
The Centre hiked the excise
dutyonpetroltoRs32.98perlitre
inMay2020fromRs19.98perlitre,
and on diesel to Rs 31.83 from
Rs15.83.
The Centre’s revenue from
taxes on crude oil and petroleum
products jumped 45.6 per cent in
2020-21toRs4.18lakhcrore.Excise
duty on petroleum products
jumped over 74 per cent year-on-
yeartoRs3.45lakhcrorein2020-
21,accordingtogovernmentdata.
16 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021

Government of Odisha
E-mail ID- sectcrb_2006@yahoo.co.in
Tel/Fax- 0671-2301751/2302751
1st Corrigendum to Bid Identification No.
B-310
CCE.Ctc.(R&B) 13/2021-22
Tender Reference - CCE.Ctc.(R&B) 13/2021-22
The Bid availability period and Date of opening of the tenders have been
modified as follows:-
Sl. Bid Bid Availability Revised Bid Bid opening Revised
No. Identification period as per Availability Date as per opening
No. Tender Notice period Tender Notice Date
1 CCE.Ctc.(R&B) 18.08.2021 to 26.08.2021 to 03.09.2021 at 13.09.2021
13/2021-22 16.00 Hours of 16.00 Hours 11.00 Hours at 11.00
02.09.2021 of 09.09.2021 Hours
Further details can be seen from the website http://tendersorissa.gov.in.
Sd/- P.K. Pradhan
Chief Construction Engineer
Cuttack (R&B) Circle
OIPR-34012/11/0020/2122

NORTH CENTRAL RAILWAY, PRAYAGRAJ

E-Tender Notice No.: CM-1/Saini./ Assistant Commercial Manager,
Pay & Use Toilet/SKB/2021 E-Tender Notice NCR, Prayagraj
Date: 16.08.2021
Following e-tender on prescribed tender forms are invited by the Senior
Divisional Commercial Manager, Divisional Railway Manager's Office, North
Central Railway, Prayagraj on behalf of President of India.
1 e-tender No. 79/2021
Contract of Normal Pay & Use Toilets at Shikohabad
Name of work and
2 Station
Railway Station (PF-01/02 & in Circulating Area) on
operation and maintenance (O & M) basis.
3 Period of Contract Three Years
Minimum Reserved L/Fee
4 Rs. 3,98,677.00
of Contract for 03 years
Minimum Reserved L/Fee
5 Rs. 1,24,010.00
of Contract for 01 years
6 Earnest Money Rs. 12,400.00
7 Cost of Tender Form Rs. 1,180.00
Time & Date for the
8 At 15:00 hrs. on 13.09.2021
opening of tender
E-Tender forms shall be available on
Website & Notice where www.ireps.gov.in upto 13:00 hrs on 13.09.2021
9 the full detail of tender from the date of opening of the e-tender. The e-tender
can be seen Notice can also be viewed on Railway's website
www.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in 925/21 (P)
North central railway www.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in @ CPRONCR

Sr. NAME OF OLD NATURE OF WEBSITE OF NODAL

No. BOARD REFERENCE/ CORRIGENDUM THE BOARD OFFICER/CONTACT
CORP./AUTH NIT NO. CORP./AUTH DETAILS/EMAIL
1. HAFED 2021_HBC_182817_1 , 2021_HBC_182818_1, TENDER CANCELLED 0172290520
2021_HBC_182819_1, 2021_HBC_182820_1,
www.hafed gov.in hafed@hry.nic.in
DUE TO ADMINISTRATIVE
2021_HBC_182821_1, 2021_HBC_182822_1, REASONS
2021_HBC_182823_1, 2021_HBC_182824_1,
2021_HBC_182825_1, 2021_HBC_182827_1,
2021_HBC_183027_1, 2021_HBC_183031_1,
2021_HBC_183033_1, 2021_HBC_183035_1,
2021_HBC_183036_1

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in 4280/HRY

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER,

GENERATION DIVISION USHP-I, SUMBAL (Kangan)
(Email id: xenesumbal@gmail.com)
e- NIT No: GDS/01 of 2021-22 Dated: - 16-08-2021
For and on behalf of the Managing Director, J&K Power Development Corporation, sealed bids (Two Cover) valid for 180
days, accompanied with earnest money in the shape of DD/ CDR/FDR/BG from any Nationalized/Scheduled Bank @ 2% of the
estimated value pledged to the Accounts officer with Chief Engineer, Generation Wing, Kmr, JKPDC are invited from OEM/
Registered firms/ Contractors having sufficient experience of the relevant job
S. Description Estimated Amount of Cost of tender Time of
No cost (Lacs) EMD Documents completion
(Rs) Rs. Non
Refundable)
1. Restoration of Unit-II of 2x11.3 MW USHP-I, Sumbal 80.83 161600 2000.00 45 days

CRITICAL DATES
1. Date of Issue of tender notice 16-08-2021
2. Period of downloading of bidding documents. 18-08-2021 to 01-09-2021
JOINT SECRETARY, J&K SPORTS COUNCIL 3. Bid submission start date 18-08-2021
POLOGROUND SRINAGAR 4. Bid submission end date 01-09-2021
E-mail ID: jointsecretarykashmir89@gmail.com 5. Date & time of opening of Bid (Online). 02-09-2021
e-NIT No. 05 of 2021-22 1. The complete bidding process in two cover will be online. Cover 1 contains techno commercial bid and cover 2 contains price bid.
DATED: 16.08.2021 The bid document along with EMD, DD and all other required documents shall be uploaded online and also shall be submitted in
the office of Superintending Engineer, Generation Circle-II, JKPDC, Bemina Srinagar and same will be considered for technical bid
For and on behalf of the Joint Secretary J&K Sports opening. Due to non operation of treasury in JKPDC the Cost of tender document in original shall be submitted in the office of
Superintending Engineer, Generation Circle-II, JKPDC, Bemina Srinagar by or before bid submission end date.
Council, e-tender are invited from the reputed manufac- 2. Bid documents can be seen at & downloaded from the website www.jktenders.gov.in. The bid documents contain Qualifying
turers and registered Agencies for fixation of rate con- criteria for the bidders, specifications, Bill of Quantities, terms & conditions and other details.
The following documents are to be uploaded along with the bid; otherwise the bid will be liable for rejection.
tract of Hiring of Event Management Services for the year i) DD on account of cost of tender document (Pledged to CP&AO Kangan).
ii) Prescribed EMD (i.e 2 % of estimated value).
2021-22: iii) Copy of Registration certificate.
S.No. Particulars Cost of Tender Document iv) Copy of valid GST Registration Certificate.
Authority reserves the right to: -
1. Fixation of rate contract for Rs 2000/- i) Increase / Decrease the quantity of material.
ii) Reject any or all bids without assigning any reason thereof.
Hiring of Event Management Sd/- Executive Engineer
No GDS / 552-60 Generation Division USHP-I
Services for the year 2021-22 Dated 16-08-2021 Sumbal
DIPK-2709

Date of Publishing of tender 16.08.2021 from 02.00 P.M.

Period of Downloading of
documents
Bid submission start date
Bid submission end date
(online documents)
Date & time of opening of Bids
(online)
16.08.2021 from 02.00 P.M.
to 30.08.2021 upto 04.00 P.M
18.08.2021 from 10.00 A.M.
30.08.2021 upto 4.00 P.M.
31.08.2021 after 11.00 A.M.
or subsequent date in the
office of Joint Secretary, J&K
Sports Council, Pologround
Srinagar

The tender documents along with other Terms and

Conditions of the NIT and relevant documents can be
downloaded from the website http://jktenders.govt.in.The
tender shall be uploaded in electronic format on the web-
site http://jktenders.govt.in. The bidders shall have to
upload scanned copies of all necessary documents like
CDR/PAN/GST Number/ Demand Draft/ (Tender Fee)/
Registration Certificate duly renewed. The cost of ten-
der documents shall be deposited in the J&K Bank
bearing Account No.: 0067010200000029, IFSC Code:
JAKA0Street, Branch: H.S.H. Street. The cost of tender
document is non-refundable.
Sd/-
No. SC/JSK/EVN-I/ 346-49 Joint Secretary,
Dated: 16.08.2021 DIPK-2688 J&K Sports Council

New Delhi
 17 CALENDAR/ SPORT
Indians on podium in 4x400m
mixed relay at junior Worlds
NIHAL KOSHIE
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
LESS THAN a month ago, Barath Sridhar
was nursing a ligament injury in his left
ankle which put his participation in the
World U20 Championship in doubt. In
June, the 18-year-old from Viluppuram
district in Tamil Nadu tested positive for
Covid-19 and missed nearly a month of
practice.
Sridhar made it to Nairobi despite a
medical doctor telling him he would have
to sit at home. Physios at the national camp
in Patiala strapped his ankle and worked
their magic to get him on the plane. The
coaches managed his workload smartly.
Sridhar didn’t run the 4x400m mixed
relay heats but the Indian team manage-
ment in Nairobi placed their faith in him
for the final. He pushed his body to the
limit, unmindful of aggravating an injury
to give the Indian team a solid start.
Sridhar in Lane 3 began the baton-run
for India which would end with a bronze
medal for the 4x400 metres mixed relay
team at the junior world championships.
From Sridhar to Priya Mohan, from Priya
to Summy and from Summy to Kapil, the
surge of this young Indian team that left
the Jamaicans trailing in fourth place gave
track and field another famous moment to
cherish less than a fortnight after Neeraj
Chopra’s historic javelin gold at the Tokyo
Olympics.
The timing of 3:20.60 of the junior team
wasn’t way off the mark set by the senior
squad at the Tokyo Olympics (3:19.93).
An abridged schedule in Nairobi made
it tougher for those participating in multi-
ple events. The six-day event was
crunched into five days at the 11h hour.
World Athletics said the change was ne-
cessitated because of ‘the impact of Covid
on teams travelling and logistics of mov-
ing vital equipment around the world’.
The final tested the will and physical
conditioning of the two women in the
team. Priya and Summy were running
their third 400 metre race of the day, after
the women’s individual heats and the
qualification round of the relay.
“The first race was ok, but after that the
physiotherapist helped us a lot to recover.
We went to the hotel and had a nice lunch
and then we prepared our minds,” Priya,
who has qualified for the individual final,
said.
Close contest
Priya helped the team nose into third
place, Summy maintained the spot and at
CROSSWORD 4512
ACROSS
1 Italian man of affairs
(8)
5 Some of them may enjoy an
Austen novel (4)
9 Mean to be secure
(5)
10 Many an employee is a student
(7)
11 It’s prepared to bring back
capital growth
(4-8)
13 Lets us riot and fight
(6)
14 Start to dismount
(3,3)
17 Meanwhile their tin mine
collapses (2,3,7)
20 A priest making money in
Egypt (7)
21 He’s landed in Scotland
(5)
22 Pull backward
(4)
23 Single reed blown in the wind
(8)
SolutionsCrossword4511:Across:1Loathsome,8Agape,9Battery,10Anchor,11
Aegean,12Gardener,15Integral,18Letout,20Tailor,21Admiral,22Clean,23
Displayed.Down:2Orate,3Tether,4Stranger,5Earned,6Washing,7Bearfruit,11
Armistice,13Rolledup,14Striker,16Ground,17Attila,19Usage.
JUMBLED WORDS
Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto
therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget
theanswerforthegivenquip.
Livingishaving________andsharingthemwithfriends-TreyParkerandMattStone(3,3,5)
PYAOS CELDDU
OYNNS ALLOPW
and Matt Stone
Answer: Living is having ups and downs and sharing them with friends - Trey Parker
SOLUTION: SOAPY, SONNY, CUDDLE, WALLOP
(FROM LEFT): India’s quartet of Kapil, Priya Mohan, Summy and Barath Sridhar
finished third in the final of 4x400m mixed relay. Express
Javelin throwers
enter final
New Delhi: In javelin throw, Kunwer
Ajai Singh Rana and Jay Kumar both
qualified for the final. Rana threw the
spear to 71.05m while Kumar cleared
70.34m. The javelin final will be held
on Friday. PTI
one point nearly got past the Polish ath-
lete in second place.
Kapil, running the anchor leg, was on the
shoulder of the Nigerian and Polish teams
with 200 metres to go. Though the top two
surged ahead in the final stretch, Kapil must
be credited for not losing steam and keep-
ing the Jamaicans at bay. Kapil said after the
race that he was going all out and not just
trying to hold onto third spot. “In my mind,
I was trying to win gold,” he said.
On an emotional day for the team,
Sridhar’s mind went back to the time
when he injured his ankle because he was-
n’t used to training regularly on a synthetic
track. “In Ambattur, I train with my coach
Pugezhendhi on a mud track which is just
200 metres long. So when I came to the na-
OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson
DOWN
1 New cost of baby furniture
(4)
2 Coloured lights set in glass
(7)
3 Normal departure
(7,5)
4 Assessor breaks a rule after five
(6)
6 Reconstructed Roman country
house (5)
7 A machine to tune with skill
(8)
8 He works in the stock market
(6,6)
12 Took off for hurried round trip
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong
(8)
15 That’s what you think
(7)
16 Girl has the French rising
temper
(6)
18 Temple ornament
(5)
19 An entrance I’d turn in at
(4)
DifficultyLevel2s
Instructions
TosolveaSudokupuzzle,
everydigitfrom1to9
SUDOKU 4568
mustappearineachofthe
nineverticalcolumns,in
eachoftheninehorizontal
rowsandineachofthe
nineboxes.
DifficultyLevel
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;
3s=Medium;4s=Hard;
5s=VeryHard;6s=
Genius
tional camp, I got injured running on a syn-
thetic track. The curve of the 200 metres
track is smaller compared to a 400 metres
track and that also takes time to get used
to,” Sridhar said.
The biggest take away from the first day
of the U20 championship is India’s proven
bench strength ready to graduate to a
higher level, a good sign with three major
senior competitions - including the world
championships - lined up for next year.
“Since we have not won a medal in ath-
letics ever (at the Olympics), the whole
thought was ‘that we have done every-
thing but we can’t win a medal’. And with
Neeraj showing that you can win a medal,
youngsters have self- confidence.
Otherwise, we always felt that ‘are we
missing something’ which other countries
have. This (Chopra’s gold medal) has re-
moved a huge mental block from Indian
athletes,” Athletics Federation of India
president Adille Sumariwala said from
Nairobi.
This edition of the junior world cham-
pionships, however, has a depleted field.
Some of the top nations have pulled out,
including the United States, Britain,
Germany, Australia and Japan. But for a na-
tion starved of medals at major champi-
onships for years, every podium finish calls
for celebration.
Thiem to
miss rest of
season with
wrist injury
REUTERS/AP
NEW YORK, AUGUST 18
AUSTRIA'S DOMINIC Thiem will not defend
hisUSOpentitleafterhavingtopulloutofthe
hardcourtmajorwithawristinjury,theworld
number six said on Wednesday. Thiem, who
suffered the injury in June at the Mallorca
Open and was also forced to skip the grass-
court major at Wimbledon, said on Twitter
that he will miss the rest of the 2021 season.
“The past six months, I've been following
the medical advice, wearing the wrist splint,
doing exercise to stay in shape... but then last
week I hit a ball during training and started
to feel some pain again,” said the 27-year-
old. “After some tests, they (thedoctors) said
my wrist needs more time, so we've all
agreed on being conservative and to give my
wrist some time to recover... It has been a
tough decision but I know this is what I have
to do.” This is the second straight year that
the defending champion at Flushing
Meadows has withdrawn from the event af-
ter Rafa Nadal skipped the 2020 edition due
to concerns over the coronavirus.
The US Open runs from August 30 to
September 12.
Wildcard for Venus
Two-timechampionVenusWilliamswill
be back at the U.S. Open after being given a
wild card Wednesday into the Grand Slam
tournament.
The 41-year-old Williams has won seven
major titles, including victories at Flushing
Meadows in 2000 and 2001. But with her
current WTA ranking of No. 112, she has
fallen outside the top 104 who received di-
rect entry into the women's main draw.
Williams hasn't missed the U.S. Open
since 2006, when she was sidelined by a left
wristinjury.Shereachedherlastmajorsemi-
final there in 2017.
CoCo Vandeweghe, who also reached
those semifinals, also was awarded a wild
card by the U.S. Tennis Association. The for-
mer No. 9-ranked American has battled in-
juries and is currently No. 160.
AmericanteenagersCatyMcNally,Hailey
Baptiste and Katie Volynets also received
women's wild cards, along with 20-year-old
Emma Navarro, the NCAA champion at
Virginia, and Ashlyn Krueger. Krueger, 17,
won the USTA Girls’ 18s national champi-
onship to earn a wild-card spot.
On the men’s side, 20-year-old
Americans Jenson Brooksby and Brandon
Nakashima were rewarded for their strong
summers with wild cards.
SOLUTION SUDOKU 4567
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
Ronaldo set to stick
around to spearhead
Allegri 2.0 mission
REUTERS
ROME, AUGUST 18
CRISTIANO RONALDO has been linked
with a host of clubs this summer but he
seems set to stay put at Juventus, tasked
with an even more important role in re-
vitalising the Italian giants. Be it a return
to boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, a move
Ronaldo's own mother suggested was a
possibility, or another shot at the English
Premier League with Manchester United,
the 36-year-old has been subject to much
transfer talk.
This week, Italian newspaper Corriere
dello Sport reported Ronaldo's agent Jorge
Mendes has offered his star client to
English champions Manchester City,
while Spanish TV show El Chiringuito
claimed a return to Real Madrid could
happen.
After Juve stuttered to a fourth-placed
finish last season and were knocked out
at the last 16 stage of the Champions
League, Ronaldo, in the twilight years of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has
his career, could be forgiven for seeking ruled out the possibility of the club
pastures new, to better his chances of fur- re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo. Reuters
ther silverware before retiring.
But, as yet, no such move has materi-
alised, with Real coach Carlo Ancelotti dis- nine successive Scudetti, Juve looked well
tancing himself from the man who won set to make it 10 titles in a row under the
four Champions League winners medals tutelage of rookie coach Andrea Pirlo.
in the Spanish capital."Cristiano is a Real
Madrid legend and he has all my love and
While Pirlo lacked managerial experi-
ence, he understood the demands of the
respect," Ancelotti tweeted on Tuesday. "I club, having won four league titles with
have never considered signing him. We Juve as a player between 2011 and 2015,
look forward." and was expected to bring a more attrac-
Ronaldo therefore appears likely to re- tive brand of football to the team.
main at Juve as they look to win back the Allegri's five seasons at the helm from
Scudetto from Inter Milan, with last sea- 2014 to 2019 brought five league titles,
son's top goalscorer in Serie A the focal four Coppa Italia wins and two runners-
point of the club's title tilt once again. up finishes in the Champions League.
New coach Massimiliano Allegri, back However, Juve decided after winning
at Juve for a second spell in charge, has in the 2019 Scudetto at a canter that it was
fact called on Ronaldo to offer even more time to evolve from Allegri's effective but
this season. "Ronaldo is an extraordinary often unattractive football towards a more
player and an intelligent guy," Allegri told progressive style.
a news conference last month. "We talked Two unsuccessful attempts to do that
as we talked with other players and I told later, after Maurizio Sarri and Pirlo both
him that it will be an important season, lasted one season each, Juve are back
he will have a completely different and where they started.
greater responsibility than three years According to reports in Italian daily La
ago. "He can’t just be a goalscorer, I expect Repubblica, upon his departure in 2019,
him to take responsibility as the man he Allegri told Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli
is, given we have a lot of younger players to move Ronaldo on, as his large wages
in the team. and influence on the side was holding
"I can only imagine the difficulties that them back.
have been here over these two years." But Ronaldo has remained as Allegri
gets back to work on what he started,
Change of heart where he will instead look to the veteran
Coming into last season on the back of superstar to take his young team forward.
DAY TODAY BY PETER VIDAL
ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20) LIBRA (Sept 24 - Oct 23)
It's part of your Everything is up for
character to be an grabs. The question
individual, to strive is, how do you
to raise yourself respond when
above the common herd. This is associates seem so terribly out
why today’s stressful planetary of sorts? Do you rush in and
alignment, which will be so offer tea and sympathy? Or do
difficult for many lesser people, you attempt to solve the
will be wonderfully stimulating underlying problems?
for you. Whatever course you choose,
please be consistent.
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21)
You’ve been SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 22)
sweeping a number You can play your
of problems under cards either way.
the carpet, as is your Even in your possible
right. But neither have you absence from work,
come to terms with the professional alterations are
challenging situations which afoot and personnel changes
have been forced upon you, mean that very soon you will be
especially those resulting from working with new colleagues.
home improvements and All of you must reconsider your
family complications. Such worldly ambitions, and one
omissions must be may have to be dropped.
remedied now.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 - Dec 22)
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Try taking a leap
If there’s any time forward in time to
left, then enjoy the the point two weeks
calm before the from now when
storm. Today is one some sort of fresh start will be
of those times when family required at work. Think
members are liable to blow up, now about how you would
taking you completely by handle such an eventuality and
surprise. Yet any personal try and establish your priorities.
problems should be quickly After all, it is time for a change,
resolved, partly because your isn’t it?
intuitions are functioning to
CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
the full.
By now you should
CANCER (June 22 - July 23) be aware of the exact
You’re in one of scale of a financial
those old catch-22 problem and its
situations, and precise cost. Hopefully, all that
whatever you say or is involved is a minor
do, close associates are still overpayment or excess charge
going to feel ignored or on a purely mundane
slighted. You must realise that commitment. At work, you’ll
this bad feeling has more to do do best by thinking about your
with their own frustrations tasks first, rather than
than with any failings on assuming that you know
your part. everything already.
LEO (July 24 - Aug 23) AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
You obviously need Do your best to
to take the initiative maintain good
if you are both to relationships and be
maintain the ready to meet
momentum you have already opportunities as they arise, no
built up and keep control of the matter how difficult and
situation. One word of awkward partners are
warning, though: do not blame determined to be. Background
partners or colleagues for activities are working to your
problems that are nothing to advantage, as will soon become
do with them. patently apparent.
VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sept 23) PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
The last thing you The choice is not
want to do today is strictly between
push your luck. jaw-jaw and war-
You’re ambitious, it’s war, as the old saying
true, but a ferocious lunar goes. It may be best to combine
aspect makes this a poor day to the two. After all, there are
take risks, and that’s an battles to be fought on all fronts
understatement. Stick to tried with resolve and
and tested plans and chart a determination. Your position is
safe course through all the better precisely because
troubled waters. partners can be so uncertain.
New Delhi
 18 SPORT
BRIEFLY
Aditisetfor19th
Majorstart
Dundee: Set to compete in her 19th
Major, Indian golfer Aditi Ashok will
play alongside American Brittany
Altomare and
Korea's Sung
Hyun Park when
sheteesupatthe
AIG Women's
Open at
Carnoustie on
Thursday.
The 23-year-old, who missed an
Olympic medal by a whisker, has
played the most Majors by an Indian.
When sheteed atthe ANAInspiration
earlier this year, she equalled Anirban
Lahiri's record of 16 Major starts, but
by making the field in the Women's
KPMG, the Evian and now the Open,
she has extended her record to 19.
Women have five Majors each year,
whilemenhavefour.LikeLahiri,sheis
also from Bengaluru and has been on
the LPGA, the women's equivalent of
the PGA Tour, since 2017. And, like
Lahiri,sheisalsosearchingforherfirst
LPGA title. She has admitted that it is
one of her goals, but with age on her
side, there is a lot of time.
Englandrecall
Malan,dropSibley
forthirdTest
London: England on Wednesday re-
calledbatsmanDawidMalanandalso
added seamer Saqib Mahmood to
their squad, apart from dropping
struggling opener Dom Sibley, for the
third Test against India. England have
kept injured pacer Mark Wood in the
15-man squad, hoping that he will be
fitforthethirdTest starting August25
at Leeds but left out Zak Crawley.
India are leading the five-match se-
ries 1-0 after winning the second Test
at Lord's by 151 runs. Malan is re-
turning to the Test squad for the first
timeinthreeyears.HelastplayedTest
cricket in August 2018 in England's
victory over India at Edgbaston.
"Dawid Malan deserves his opportu-
nity in the Test arena. He has a lot of
experience across all formats and, if
called upon, I am confident that he
can come and do well on his home
ground," England head coach Chris
Silverwood said.
MeganSchutt,Jess
Jonassenoptoutof
Indiaseries
Melbourne: The Australian women's
team'sseasonedcampaignersMegan
Schutt and Jess Jonassen have opted
out of the upcoming multi-format
home series against India due to var-
ious reasons. The tour, starting
September 19, involves three ODIs,
three T20Is and one Day-Night Test.
While pace spearhead Schutt has re-
quested the selectors to not consider
her for selection due to personal rea-
sons, spin bowling all-rounder
Jonassen will miss the assignment af-
ter suffering a bone stress injury in
her tibia. She is ranked world num-
ber in the ODIs. Another notable ab-
sentee from the 18-member squad is
Belinda Vakarewa, who is also skip-
ping the series due to personal rea-
sons. The uncapped Maitlan Brown,
who was part of the squad against
New Zealand last year, has returned
after a long layoff due to a hamstring
injury. Gettingtheirfirstnationalcall-
ups are Stella Campbell and Georgia
Redmayne.
AGENCIES
If you only focus on strengthening, you’ll have a shorter career: Prabhakar
SHAMIKCHAKRABARTY
KOLKATA, AUGUST 18
MANOJ PRABHAKAR has become the bowl-
ingcoachforDelhicricket,inchargeof theen-
tire set-up – senior, junior and women. In an
interviewwithTheIndianExpress,theformer
India all-rounder spoke about his plans and
also,thecurrentIndianfastbowlingresources.
Excerpts:
Q: Your earlier stints as Delhi coach
lacked continuity. What will be your
vision and focus now?
A:ThebiggestproblemforDelhicricketis
that we have talent but they aren’t being
utilised properly. Earlier, the way it used to
work, if you were playing for Delhi, then 50
per cent of those players were ready to play
for India. (But) in the last 10-15 years, we
played the Ranji Trophy final only twice –
2007 and 2017. If a team has good support
staff,itgrowsinconfidence.Iftheirshortcom-
ingsareaddressedproperly,playersimprove.
This is what I told (Delhi and District Cricket
Associationpresident)RohanJaitleyjiandhe
has shown faith in me.
Q: Is it a case that now there’s no proper
transition for Delhi cricketers from age-
group to senior level?
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How Rahul turned the corner
His coach Jayaraj
explains the mental
transformation and
hours of sweat in
honing the technical
tweaks that helped the
opener sparkle in the
Tests in England
SANDIPG
AUGUST18
WATCHING HIS ward KL Rahul repel James
Anderson and chums in Trent Bridge and
Lord’s rolled back the years for his coach
Samuel Jayaraj. “It's the same way he used to
batwhenhewas16-17.Hisbattingwassofull
ofjoy.”Morethantherunshehasputonboard,
or the finesse of his technique, it’s the “joy in
hisbatting”thatthecoachalwayslooksoutfor
in his student. It's a trait especially savoured
because of the context. "It (when he was out
of the team) was the most negative or useless
I have been ever in my life. There was a lot of
fakesympathythrownatme,"Rahulhadsaid
inaRedBullshow."Ididn'tknowwhenIwould
beplayingformycountryagain,willIgetback
my position?"
By joy, the coach means he is batting with
a “free and clear mind”. Of all the virtues that
have shone on Rahul, it’s the clarity of mind
that has dazzled the brightest.
Whenthosearoundhimhavestruggledto
decidewhichballtoleaveandwhichnotto,or
whichstroketoplayandwhichnotto,orwhich
bowler to take on and which not to, or when
to bide time and when to counter-punch,
Rahul has mostly batted like a pre-pro-
grammed batting machine, his responses to
every situation precise and definite, his body
languagecalmandcollected.“Thereisnocon-
fusion in his head,” he says.
In the past, by his own admission, Rahul
has at times looked confused. The confusion
that stemmed from too many choices. “I felt
that I could play two or three different shots
for every given ball even in red-ball cricket,”
Rahul explained his failing to Dinesh Karthik
inapost-dayinterview.Theconfusionthatde-
rivedfromashortageofruns.Betweenhislast
two hundreds, Oval 2018 and Lord’s 2021, he
had gone 14 innings without a hundred and
just one half-century. The confusion that
popped up from self-doubts.
The remedy was simple. “Mind perform-
ance,”hiscoachsays.Ahigh-notesynchronisa-
tionof mindandmuscle.“Beyondastage, es-
peciallyatthelevelinwhichheplays,it’smore
about the mind than technique. So mind per-
formancewasthechief pointwediscussedin
our conversations, how to train your mind to
performinasituation,howtoreachthatstage
whenyouaredoingeverythingintheperfect
way. If you have control over your mind, you
can have control over your shots,” he says.
Rahul has a whole range of strokes, from
classical to post-modern. But since he was
playingoneshottoomany,hehadlesscontrol
over his shots. “I realised I had to learn to con-
trol sometimes when the going gets tough or
when the wickets are challenging, or playing
against good bowlers when the ball is swing-
ing, you need to hold back some of the shots.
Those were the things I tried to work on or
thosewerethelearningsfromwhenIwasfail-
inginTestcricket,”heexplainedtoSkySports.
Mind performance kicked in again. It be-
ganwithaconsciousefforttoleavemorede-
liveriesoutsidetheoff-stump,especiallyearly
intheinnings.It’sinstinctiveforbatsmen,es-
pecially for stroke-makers like Rahul, to feel
bat on every ball. But with the ball seaming
andswinginglateinEngland,itwasaself-de-
structive tendency. Worse was the dilemma
to leave or not to leave, one thatafflicted him
in the previous tour to England. Leave is per-
haps a shot (or no-shot) that requires the ap-
plication of mind than any other shot.
A: Talent needs to be nurtured properly.
Forafastbowler,speedisimportant.Butifyou
can’t work on different variations, you don’t
progress.Thisiswhatwehavetolookinto,like
youhavetomixswingwithspeed.Justrelying
on speed can make you erratic. What I have
learntasacricketer,ifIcanteachevensomeof
that to the youngsters, I think the Delhi team
will touch the peak again.
Q: What is your brief as the bowling coach
for Delhi cricket?
A:TheentirebowlingdepartmentinDelhi
cricketwillbeundermycharge;senior,junior,
women. If I see a bowler doing well at U-19
level, he can be fed to our Ranji team. Then,
we have the U-19 women’s World Cup next
year and I will like to see at least two-three
DelhiplayerspickedfortheIndianteam.Ihave
time to groom them.
Q: Someone like Navdeep Saini, who is
injury-prone and has fallen off the radar a
bit, what will be your work process with
him?
A: In 2017, when Ishant Sharma was
droppedfromtheIndianteamandIwasDelhi
coach,thewayItrainedhim...Ishantwashav-
ingsometechnicalproblemsforoveraperiod.
Hisshoulderwasdropping,hiswristposition
wasn’tcorrect.Seethewayhehasbeenbowl-
ing now and spot the difference.
KL Rahul has a whole range of strokes, from classical to post-modern.
Change of guard, change of fortune
IN ENGLAND last tour, KL Rahul was
moving back and across to cover the
off-stump so that he could cover the
line of the ball delivery and leave the
ball more frequently. It was a remedial
measure against his tendency to get
lured into outgoing deliveries and edge
it behind. But he overreached by going
too far across, which resulted in the
head falling over, making him more
vulnerable to nipbackers.
He hit the training ground running, and
it’s where JayarajsensedRahul hasrediscov-
eredhisjoyinbatting.“Hewouldjustpractice,
practice, practice, hundreds and thousands
of balls a day. He was like that 16-17 year-old
boy again, the guy who ate, drank and slept
cricket,” he says, before adding: “Wait, he
even snacked cricket.”
The difference was there to be seen. As
muchastheshotsheplayed,itwasaboutthe
shotsthatheabstainedfrominthisseries.He
curbed his expansive drives, the audacious
flicks, the on-the-rise square drives, the un-
necessary pokes and stabs outside the off-
stump. Discipline and judgement were the
catchwords. For instance, en route to the
Lord’s hundred, he barely played a stroke in
the first session. At one stage, he was just 18
off 95 balls.
Discipline is a difficult but contagious
virtue. Once a facet of the game is disciplined,
it flows to other aspects of the game too. So
evenifheisdeeplyentrenchedatthecrease,he
doesn’tlooktoattackneedlessly.Theresult:In
10inningsinthe2018tour,hefaced450deliv-
eries.Infourinningsalone,hehassoaked388
balls.Thecoach,thoughpointsout:“Likeinhis
younger days, a very patient batsman.”
Back in Delhi cricket as bowling coach,
Manoj Prabhakar plans to work on
technical details, training methods and
variations to make improvements.
Navdeep played for Delhi in 2017 when I
was the coach. After that, we didn’t meet. If I
getachancetoworkwithhim,Iwilldefinitely
help him out. Rhythm is very important for a
fast bowler. If it’s disturbed, injuries creep in.
If you want to play Test cricket regularly, you
havetochangeyourthoughtprocessalso.It’s
important to know when to give more than
100percentandwhentobowlatyour80per
cent.Ifyouthinkaboutbowlingeverydelivery
at140kph-plus;it’snoteasytomaintainthat.
I have seen some big bowlers picking up in-
hibited. The Indian Express®
HE HAS reduced his back and
across trigger movement this time
around. He has opened up his
stance and his backfoot is already
across. The trimmed movement
furnishes him with more balance
and a stabler head position. The
front-foot too moves a touch
across, but not too far across so that
he is forced to bring the bat around
his front pad.
The technical tweaks
Throughout his career, Rahul has been
pronetoalteringhisstance,back-liftandtrig-
ger movements. At the start of his career, he
used to press forward in his trigger move-
ment, but in England in 2018, after being
hounded by out-swingers, brought about by
hispenchanttodriveanythinghalf-volleyish,
he began to move back and across more
prominently. It made him susceptible to the
nip-backers. In the same duration, he exper-
imented with the pick-up point of his bat. In
the incipient years, the bat used to face the
first slip, but in his second tour to Australia,
the bat used to come down from the line of
the off-stump. As his troubles continued, he
began to hold it over the middle-stump,
maybeamovetoensurethathewas notget-
ting far too across.
In England, and before that in the Ranji
Trophy,hehasreducedhistriggermovement.
He has fractionally opened up his stance, the
back foot is slightly across, and the front foot
does not move too far across. At the finishing
point of the trigger movement—before he
commits to either foot depending on the
length—both feet are more or less parallel to
juries(bowlingthatway).Navdeepcanbe
abigweaponforIndiainthecomingdays,
becauseheisgood.Butheneedstolearna
few things and gain some experience (to
reach the next level).
Q: Why are fast bowlers these days so
injury-prone?
A: A lot of them don’t have ground fit-
ness and rather work on gym/health club
fitness. So, they are more into strengthen-
ingexercisesattheexpenseof endurance.
And injuries come thick and fast. This is
something we need to teach our young-
sters, that if you only focus on strengthening,
youwillhaveashortercareer.IplayedforIndia
for 12 years and never got injured.
Q: For the majority of youngsters these
days, focus is primarily on the Indian
Premier League (IPL) and/or white-ball
cricket rather than Test cricket. So, do you
agree that training methods should be
different as well?
A: You need a good run-up and action to
start with followed by developing variations.
Modern-daycoachingforyoungfastbowlers
can’t solely be top of off-stump. You have to
developagoodslowerdelivery.Yousawhow
many slower deliveries were bowled in the
Lord’s Test. Also, you need to learn the art of
bowling reverse swing early in your career.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
AP
IN HIS early days, the Karnataka
batsman was a bit more upright in his
stance. The movement was
comparatively minimal too. KL Rahul
would press forward a bit while the
backfoot shuffled across a touch. It
was a relatively safe method until he
reached England, where the
outswingers began to hound him. As a
reaction, he began to move more back
and across in his trigger movement
each other. The reduced trigger movement
gave him more balance; his head doesn’t fall
over. It allowed the bat to come through a
straightline,andheisn’tforcedtoplayaround
his front pad.
He elaborated the change to Karthik: “I
have tried to keep my initial movement as
smallaspossibleandtryanddoitattheright
point so that I am ready before the ball is de-
livered. That's something that I really prac-
tisedveryhardatinthetrainingsessionsand
nets. It is to get into the ready position at a
precisetime,youdon'twanttodoittooearly
or late on it.” He changes his trigger move-
ment according to the pitch too. In Trent
Bridge, he moved less across than he had at
Lord’s because there was extra bounce and
he was looking to play beside the line of the
ball.Lord’swasslowerandlessbouncy,sohe
was looking to get behind the line more of-
ten,andhencemovingaweebitmoreacross.
Jayarajdoesnotdwellonthetechnicalas-
pects of the game they had worked together.
“Doyouwantthewholeworldtoknowabout
thechangeshehadmade?Ican’ttellyou,”he
says bluntly before he emphasises again: “I
just look for one thing in his batting.”
Whether there is joy in his batting.
Even for Tests these days, players are be-
ingpickedfromtheIPL.So,youhavetogroom
young cricketers with an eye to white-ball
cricket also.
Q: What do you attribute this upsurge in
Indian fast bowling to – a four-pronged
pace attack?
A: What the current Indian pace unit has
done,opponentshesitatetolayoutgreen-tops
even in their backyard. To a large extent, this
upsurgeisdowntotheIPL.Theexposureithas
giventoouryoungfastbowlers,wehavebeen
reaping the rewards.
(Jasprit) Bumrah is a product of the IPL.
(Mohammed) Shami’s improvements have
happened there also. (Mohammed) Siraj as
well. They get some top-class coaches in the
IPL, which has contributed to their develop-
ment.AndVirat(Kohli)deservescredit.Hehas
changed the fitness level of our team.
Q: So many players at U-19 level bowl at
140kph, but the majority of them fade
out. Why?
A:Theyneedtobegroomedproperly.Yes,
they need to think about their cricket to get
better; that banking solely on pace is not
enough.Buttheyshouldhaveacleardirection
also.Alotdependsonhowtheyarebeingcap-
tainedandcoached,whilemakingthetransi-
tion from junior level to first-class cricket.
New Delhi
Jhingan to play
in Croatia’s
top tier
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
SANDESH JHINGAN will become the first
India international footballer to play in the
Croatiantop-tierleaguePrvaHNLafter com-
pleting a move from ATK Mohun Bagan to
HNK Sibenik.
Named India's footballer of the year last
month, the 28-year-old is already in Croatia
and watched Sunday's home win against
Hrvatski Dragovoljac.
"We expect good things from him as we
have followed him on different platforms
where we were able to see his past perform-
ances," said Francisco Cardona, CEO of HNK
Sibenik."Although we know the adaptation
process might take him a few weeks, we are
confident that with his quality and leader-
ship, he will become an important member
of the team. "He made a very good impres-
sion on the staff and fans of the club when
he was watching the last home game from
the stands. He showed passion and energy
for the team," Cardona added.
Jhingan was excited to have the opportu-
nity to move to HNK Sibenik in the Prva HNL
in Croatia. "I think I am at a stage of my ca-
reer where I really want to test myself in the
highest-level possible and I think this is the
perfect platform for me. As I have said, it has
been my desire to play in Europe and I have
taken up this "A big thank you to the head
coachMarioRosasandtheownersandman-
agement for giving me the opportunity to
come here. I cannot wait to get going and
look forward to giving 100 percent at every
given opportunity," Jhingan added.
Revival road
Founded on December 1, 1932, HNK
Sibenik returned to the premier division
last season under a new management. The
club finished sixth in the league, just two
positions below qualification to European
competitions. The club is located in Sibenik,
the Dalmatian region of Croatia, a city with
breath-takingfortressesprotectingitforcen-
turies and a beautiful Cathedral of St. James,
includedontheUNESCOWorldHeritageList.
"We are very happy that Sandesh is with
us.Weknowhewillhelpusachievethegoals
thatwehavesetforourselvesduringthesea-
son. His stint here will help him grow as a
player and person,' said HNK Sibenik coach
Mario Rosas. The Spanish coach was all
praise for Jhingan's decision to move out of
his comfort zone."We hope that he will con-
tinue tobean examplefor Indian footballers.
Hehasdemonstratedhisambitionandcom-
petitivenessbywantingtogetoutof hiscom-
fort zone and show what Indian footballers
are capable of," said Rosas.
Sandesh Jhingan completed a move
from ATK Mohun Bagan to Croatian
club HNK Sibenik. SandeshJhingan/ Twitter
COACHING STAFF UPDATE
■ Former India opener Wasim
Jaffer has been appointed chief
coach of the Odisha cricket team.
Jaffer would replace Rashmi
Ranjan Parida.
■ Former Mumbai middle-order
batsman Amol Muzumdar has
been appointed head coach of the
Mumbai senior team in place of
Ramesh Power. The latter has
moved on to take charge of the
Indian women’s cricket team.
■ Tamil Nadu have roped in former
India off-spinner M
Venkataramana as head coach of
their senior team, replacing D Vasu.
■ Former state team captain
Mukund Parmar has been
appointed Gujarat Ranji team
coach, replacing Sairaj Bahutule.
■ Former Delhi coach KP Bhaskar
has taken charge of the Goa Ranji
team, replacing Dodda Ganesh.