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THE ASIAN AGE

NATION| 3
NEW DELHI MONDAY 19 DECEMBER 2022

WORLD| 6 DELHI AGE| 11

Rahul sharpening ideological Nepal President grants Shah Rukh Khan’s humour
basis of Cong, working with 1-week time to parties for makes him the undisputed
Kharge as ‘jugalbandi’: Ramesh forming new government King Khan of Bollywood
www.asianage.com RNI No. 57290/94, Regd No: DL-SW-05/4189/15-17 Vol. 29 No. 301 | 16 PAGES | `5.00

WINDOWS
Members of the Jewish com-
munity celebrate Hanukkah by
lighting candles at Gateway of
India in Mumbai on Sunday.
— PTI
■ Opens `6,800-cr projects in 2 states ■ ‘Pope meet left huge impact’
Will target graft, end violence
as we develop N-E, says Modi
MANOJ ANAND
GUWAHATI, DEC. 18
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Sunday said that
his government was mak-
ing an honest effort to
eliminate corruption, dis-
crimination, violence and
vote bank politics, besides
showing the “red card” to
many obstacles that had
come in the way of devel-
opment for the entire
Northeast in the last eight
years.
Addressing a public
Govt’s focus
on Tripura’s
all-round
growth: PM
Agartala, Dec. 18: Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
on Sunday launched a
slew of development pro-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union home minis- jects in poll-bound
ter Amit Shah during the golden jubilee celebrations of Tripura, asserting that the
Messi powers Argentina to World Cup win
Lionel Messi (seen here celebrating his
side’s third goal against France) finally
won the biggest prize in soccer as
Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty
shootout Sunday at the Lusail Stadium in
Qatar to claim a third World Cup title
despite France’s Kylian Mbappé scoring
AAP asks Centre
the first hat trick in a final in 56 years.
Messi scored two goals and then another
in the shootout. Gonzalo Montiel scored
the clinching penalty kick as Argentina
won after a 3-3 draw. This was
Argentina’s first World Cup win since
1986. ■ Report on Page 8 — AP

New MLAs set to

take oath today in
Gujarat Assembly
Ahmedabad: The newly-
elected MLAs of the Gujarat
Legislative Assembly will
take oath on the first day of
the two-day session on
Monday, an official said.
Elections for the post of
Speaker and deputy speak-
er will be held on Tuesday.
Pro-tem speaker and senior-
most BJP MLA Yogesh Patel
will administer the oath to
the 182 MLAs in the first
session of the 15th
Legislative Assembly in the
state capital Gandhinagar
on Monday, secretary of the
Gujarat Assembly D.M. Patel
said on Sunday. On the sec-
ond day of the two-day ses-
sion on Tuesday, the new
members will meet to elect
the Speaker, he said. — PTI
Bhagwat to address
conference in Ujjain
New Delhi: RSS chief Mohan
Bhagwat will deliver the ple-
nary lecture at an conference
in Ujjain on December 28 on
creating an Indic discourse on
the sacrality of water with
scientific thought. The confer-
meeting to commemorate
the golden jubilee of the
North East Council in
Shillong, Mr Modi said:
“We are making honest
efforts to wipe out corrup-
tion, bias, nepotism, vio-
lence, the stalling of pro-
jects, and vote bank poli-
tics. But you know that
the roots of these diseases
run deep. So, we all have
to uproot it together.”
The Prime Minister,
knowing that football
fever has gripped the bor-
der state of Meghalaya
where elaborate arrange-
ments have been made to
watch the final of the
World Cup football on
Sunday night, said: “It’s a
coincidence that when
today there’s a football
World Cup final to be
held, I am here in
Shillong holding a rally in
a football field amid foot-
ball fans. There (in
Qatar), a football competi-
tion is on and here we are
on a development compe-
tition.”
He further said: “Today
the World Cup is in Qatar,
and we are cheering for
foreign teams, but let me
assure you that the day is
not far that we will host
such global sporting
events and our tricolour
will fly high, and we will
the North East Council in Shillong on Sunday. — PTI
Modi govt has established
peace in Northeast: Shah
Shillong, Dec. 18: Union
home minister Amit Shah
on Sunday said that the
during the past eight
years and laid out the
roadmap for the region’s
Narendra Modi govern-
ment has established
progress.
“The Northeast was
peace in the Northeast, known for violence and
which was once a militan- separatism but during the
cy-affected region. last eight years, rebel-
Addressing a public meet- lious incidents have come
ing on the occasion of the down by 70 per cent.
golden jubilee of the Attacks on security per-
North East Council (NEC) sonnel have also been
here in presence of the reduced by 60 per cent
Prime Minister, Mr Shah while civil casualties
said Mr Modi has visited have come down to 89 per
the region over 50 times cent,” he said. — PTI
cheer for our own team.” greatly benefiting from
The Prime Minister also this.”
recalled his visit to Her pointed out: “In the
Vatican City, saying: last eight years, several
“Last year, I went to outfits have left the path
Vatican City and met the of violence and followed
Pope. I invited him to
India, and that meeting
the path of peace. In coor-
dination with the state
has had a great impact on
me. We discussed how
governments, the
situation is continuously
unity of humanity is improving to see that
important for the human there is no need for the
race. We are pushing the AFSPA in the Northeast.”
politics of peace and He also attacked his
development, and the political opponents,
tribal community is ■ Turn to Page 4
“double-engine govern-
ment” is working hard so
that people of the north-
eastern state are benefit-
ted. Addressing a public
rally in the Vivekananda
Ground here, PM said that
the focus of the govern-
ment is on all-round devel-
opment of Tripura and the
projects launched will
give a fillip to the state’s
growth trajectory.
“Over 2 lakh poor fami-
lies are getting their own
homes today and the
majority of them are
mothers and sisters of
Tripura,” he said.
From the rally ground,
the Prime Minister
launched the “grih
pravesh” programme for
more than two lakh bene-
ficiaries under the
Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana — Urban and
Rural — schemes.
“Cleanliness became a
mass movement in the
last five years and, as a
result, Tripura emerged
as the cleanest among
small states of the coun-
try,” Mr Modi said.
Tripura bagged the top
rank among states among
the states having less
than 100 local bodies in a
survey conducted by the
Central government.
— PTI
why it’s allowing
high volume of
Chinese imports
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, DEC.18
AAP national convener
Arvind Kejriwal on
Sunday lashed out at the
Narendra Modi govern-
ment over the recent
face-off between Indian
and Chinese troops in
the Tawang sector of
Arunachal Pradesh, ask-
ing it to show “some
courage and respect” for
the country’s soldiers.
Addressing the party’s
national council meet-
ing, the Delhi chief min-
ister claimed that while
Chinese aggression is
increasing at the border,
the BJP-led Centre says
“everything is alright”.
He said that instead of
“punishing” China, the
Modi government was
“rewarding” Beijing by
allowing high volumes
of imports from the
country, even though
many Indian soldiers
put their lives on the
■ Turn to Page 4
Bihar BJP calls on
Nitish to resign,
make Tejashwi CM
‘Pay compensation for hooch deaths’
NAYYAR AZAD
PATNA, DEC. 18
Bihar BJP leader Sushil
Kumar Modi, a Rajya
Sabha MP, on Sunday
attacked Bihar chief min-
ister Nitish Kumar over
his refusal to pay com-
pensation to family mem-
bers of those who had lost
their lives due to their
spurious liquor consump-
tion in Chhapra.
Referring to the Bihar
Excise Act 2016, Mr Modi
claimed that the family
members of those who
died due to the consump-
tion of spurious liquor
could be considered for
compensation of `4 lakhs
each. “We met the family
members of those who
died after consuming poi-
sonous liquor. Most of
them are very poor and
have no source of income.
Nitish Kumar must show
◗ REFERRING TO the
Bihar Excise Act 2016,
Sushil Kumar Modi
claimed that the family
members of those who
died due to the con-
sumption of spurious
liquor could be consid-
ered for compensation
of `4 lakhs each
compassion for those peo-
ple and pay the compen-
sation immediately”, Mr
Sushil Kumar Modi said.
On Sunday, while criti-
cising Nitish Kumar for
his government’s failure
in implementing the
liquor prohibition law,
said that “Nitish Kumar
should resign immediate-
ly and make Tejashwi
Yadav chief minister of
Bihar”.
Mr Modi also accused
the Bihar government of
■ Turn to Page 4

Sukhu: No rift Cong to decide on

ence titled “SuJalam”, organ-
ised by the ministry of jal
shakti and DRI, will be held
from December 27 to 29 on
in Himachal
Cong, tussle Raj CM this week
the banks of the Shipra river.
Full report on Page 3
Delhi cops issue traffic
only over CM No anti-incumbency, says Gehlot
advisory ahead of stir
New Delhi: Delhi police on New Delhi,
Sunday issued a traffic advi- Dec. 18:
sory ahead of a ‘Kisan There is no
Garjana’ rally at Ramleela infighting
Ground here. According to within the
the advisory, the rally will Himachal
be organised by the BKS, an Pradesh
affiliate of RSS, on Monday C o n g r e s s Sukhvinder
from 11 am to 6 pm. and the Singh Sukhu
Full report on Page 2 “conflict” was only over
the chief ministership as
COUNTERPOINT there were three-four
claimants, newly sworn-
in CM Sukhvinder Singh
Sukhu has said, adding if
something were wrong,
there would have been a
“Rajasthan-like situa-
tion”.
He asserted that no
Congress legislator in the
state would defect to the
BJP and the party’s gov-
ernment was committed
to work for the people and
would fulfil the promise
of restoring the old pen-
AGE CORRESPONDENT ernment.”
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18 According
to Congress
While the Congress’s insiders,
high command struggles this week
to take a decision on the could be
leadership issue in crucial as
Rajasthan, the state gov- Ashok an impor-
ernment completes four tant meeting
Gehlot
years in office. Speaking on Rajast-
on the occasion, chief han is scheduled before
minister Ashok Gehlot
said that usually after
the Bharat Jodo Yatra
moves out of state. The
four years people start meeting will decide the
finding fault with the future of the chief minis-
government, but there is ter.
no anti-incumbency in In September of this
the state. year, the party high com-
Interacting with the mand wanted a leader-
media, Mr Gehlot said, ship change in the state
“There can be no bigger so that Mr Gehlot could
achievement than this. contest the election for
Even after four years, the the post of Congress pres-
people of Rajasthan are ident. A legislature party
not against the state gov- ■ Turn to Page 4
Navy inducts Mormugao, 2nd
indigenous stealth destroyer
PAWAN BALI
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
Adding to the country’s
maritime prowess,
Mormugao, the second
indigenous stealth guided
missile destroyer under
project P15B, was com-
missioned into the Indian
Navy on Sunday.
The commissioning of
the destroyer comes at a
time when China is try-
ing to occupy a larger
strategic space in the
Indian Ocean Region. INS
Mormugao has a displace-
ment of 7,400 tonnes and
is equipped to fight under
nuclear, biological and
chemical (NBC) warfare
conditions.
“India is one of those
countries whose interests
are directly linked to the
Indian Ocean. Being an
important country in this
After ED moves,
Baghel says he’s
‘ready for more’
Raipur, Dec. 18:
Amid the probe by
E n f o r c e m e n t
Directorate in the
alleged coal levy
scam and the arrest
of a few bureaucrats
and businessmen,
Chhattisgarh chief
minister Bhupesh
Baghel on Sunday
called the action
“vendetta politics”
and said he was pre-
pared for more such
moves by the Centre.
He also slammed
Defence minister Rajnath Singh with Goa governor P.S. the Bharatiya Janata
Sreedharan Pillai, chief minister Pramod Sawant, CDS Party-led Union gov-
Gen. Anil Chauhan, Chief of Naval Staff Adm. R. Hari ernment for not
releasing funds to
Kumar and other Navy officials during the commission-
Chhattisgarh, adding
ing ceremony of INS Mormugao at the Naval Dockyard he would not keep
in Mumbai on Sunday. — DEBASISH DEY silent over such
region, the role of our Rajnath Singh at the com- injustice to his state.
navy becomes more missioning ceremony at — PTI
important in its securi- the Mumbai Naval ■ More on Page 3
ty,” said defence minister ■ Turn to Page 4

UK’s Sunak to use soldiers to

WEATHER
Max: 23OC
Min: 9OC
RH: 56%
Rain: 10%
Forecast: Sunny
ASTROGUIDE
Shubhakrut: Dakshinayana
Tithi: Margasira Bahula
Ekadasi till 2.29 am
Star: Chitta till 10.26 am
Varjyam: 3.53 pm to 5.27 pm
Durmuhurtam: 12.35 pm to
1.19 pm; 2.47 pm to 3.30 pm
Rahukalam: 7.30 am to 9 am
SUNSET TODAY 5.28 PM
SUNRISE TOMORROW 7.09 AM
MOONRISE TOMORROW 3.33 AM
MOONSET TODAY 1.34 AM
sion scheme (OPS) for
government staff in the
first Cabinet meeting.
In an interview to PTI,
Mr Sukhu said: “We have
spoken to the finance sec-
retary. Under a strategy
we know from where we
have to generate money
and where we have to
invest. We have done the
work on introducing the
OPS and we will intro-
duce it in the first
Cabinet meeting.”
Asked about the expan-
sion of his Cabinet, he
said it will happen soon
and denied reports about
some MLAs lobbying for
ministerial berths.
After the Congress
wrested power from the
BJP in Himachal, win-
ning 40 of the 68 seats, the
party picked Mr Sukhu,
58, as its CM over some
other claimants to the
post. — PTI
■ More on Page 3
tackle UK Christmas strikes
London, Dec. 18: British
Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak on Sunday hit out
at trade unions for caus-
ing misery for millions
with “particularly cruelly
timed” strikes over the
Christmas holiday period
as the government
announced plans to use
around 1,200 troops to
cover for striking work-
ers to keep key services
going. There is a wave of
winter strikes planned
over the course of the
next few weeks, including
railway workers, health-
care workers, and border
Indian players celebrate their win over Bangladesh during the first Test match in security staff, who are all
Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Sunday. India won the first Test by 188 runs and take a demanding better pay
1-0 lead in the two-match series. ■ Report on Page 8 — PTI and working conditions.
hit at Christmas,” writes
Mr Sunak.
“Rail workers and bor-
der officers have been
offered deals that are fair
and affordable to taxpay-
ers. An increasing num-
ber of union members
want a deal. They are
tired of being foot soldiers
Rishi Sunak in (railway RMT union
Writing in “The Sun on chief) Mick Lynch’s class
Sunday”, Mr Sunak said war,” he said.
the workers have been The government has
offered “deals that are repeatedly warned that
fair and affordable” and giving in to union
accused the unions of demands for massive pay
unleashing a “class war”. rises will kick Britain
“The unions are causing into an “inflation spiral”,
misery for millions, with which in turn would hit
transport strikes in par- the poorest the hardest.
ticular cruelly timed to — PTI
 CITY
THE ASIAN AGE | MONDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2022 | NEW DELHI
IN BRIEF
Noida: 3 killed, 10
hurt as buses collide
New Delhi: Three people
died and 10 were injured
after a bus rammed into
another from behind on the
Noida-Greater Noida
Expressway here on Sunday,
police said. The crash took
place near Sector 157 under
Knowledge Park police sta-
tion area, they said. One of
the buses was stationary
and the other rammed into
it from behind. They were
headed towards Noida from
Greater Noida, a police offi-
cial said. “A bus was coming
from Shivpuri in Madhya
Pradesh and the other from
Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
After the collision at around
5 am, police teams were
rushed to the spot. Three
people died due to injuries,
while 10 were hospitalised
for treatment,” deputy com-
missioner of police (Greater
Noida) Abhishek Verma
said. The deceased were
identified as Kartik Trivedi
(18), a native of Pratapgarh,
Kamil (25) from Delhi and
Sheru (29) from Bhind in
MP, the police said.— PTI
Delhi air quality in
‘very poor’ category
New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality
was recorded in the “very
poor” category on Sunday
morning and the minimum
temperature in the city set-
tled at 6.2 degrees Celsius,
two notches below the sea-
son’s average.The relative
humidity was 87 per cent at
8.30 am, the meteorological
department said. According
to the Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB), the
Air Quality Index (AQI) of
the national capital stood at
315 at 9 am. An AQI between
zero and 50 is considered
“good”, 51 and 100 “satisfac-
tory”, 101 and 200 “moder-
ate”, 201 and 300 “poor”,
301 and 400 “very poor”,
and 401 and 500 “severe”.
The weatherman has fore-
cast a largely clear sky dur-
ing the day. The maximum
temperature is likely to set-
tle at around 24 degrees
Celsius. — PTI
Man learning car
hits kids, 3 injured
New Delhi: Three children
standing on a footpath were
injured on Sunday when a
man learning to drive a car hit
them near a school in north
Delhi’s Gulabi Bagh area,
police said. The incident took
place around 9 am, they said,
adding the driver has been
arrested. Gajender (31), a resi-
dent of Pratap Nagar, lost
control over the vehicle near
the Lilawati school and hit the
children who were standing
on a footpath, DCP (north)
Sagar Singh Kalsi said. All
three children, aged 10, six
and four years, are out of
danger, the DCP said.
According to police, Gajender,
a private loan recovery agent,
doesn’t have a driving licence
and was accompanied by one
Karan (27) during the time of
the incident. Gajender was
learning to drive the car with
the help from Karan and the
vehicle belongs to Karan’s
brother-in-law, it said.
HC REFUSES TO
ALLOW WOMAN
TO GO ABROAD
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
New Delhi: The Delhi high
court has refused to allow a
woman facing investigation
by the Serious Fraud
Investigation Office in a `738
crore matter to go abroad,
saying there was a clear non-
cooperation by her. The high
court, however, said if over
the next two months, the
woman fully cooperates with
the SFIO, the court is willing
to reconsider the issue of
allowing her to travel outside
India. Justice Prathiba M
Singh said : “As per the facts
of this matter as also the
statements made by the peti-
tioner to the authorities, it is
clear that there is non-coop-
eration by the petitioner.
Under these circumstances,
at this stage, the court is not
inclined to let the petitioner
travel abroad. However, over
the next two months, if the
petitioner fully cooperates
with the SFIO, the court is
willing to reconsider the
issue.” The court was dealing
with an application by
Pawanjot Kaur Sawhney
seeking permission to travel
to the UK for medical rea-
sons. The application was
filed by the woman in two
pending petitions seeking
stay of the operation of the
look out circular issued by
the SFIO on June 13 this year.
■ ‘AAP will certainly form government in Gujarat in 2027’
Winning 5 seats in Guj polls
was like milking an ox: CM
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
AAP National Convener
Arvind Kejriwal on
Sunday termed
“unprecedented success”
as
his party’s foray into
Gujarat, a BJP bastion for
years, and said winning
five seats there was as dif-
ficult as “milking an ox.”
Addressing the party’s
national executive and
national council meeting,
the Delhi chief minister
also asserted that the AAP
is sure it will dislodge the
BJP from power in
Gujarat and form its gov-
ernment there in 2027, as
it did in Punjab earlier
this year. The Aam Aadmi
Party had won five seats
in its latest campaign in
Gujarat with about 13 per
cent vote share.
“Recently someone told
me that I have retired
milking ox from Gujarat.
So difficult it was.
Everyone can milk the
cow, but we have indeed
milked the ox by winning
five seats and securing 14
Trafffic advisory AIIMS hacking: Cops seek info
issued for Kisan on China, HK-based IP address
Garjana rally
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
The Delhi police on
Sunday issued a traffic
advisory ahead of a
“Kisan Garjana” rally at
Ramleela ground.
According to the advisory,
the rally will be organised
by the Bhartiya Kisan
Sangh (BKS), an affiliate
of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS), on Monday from
11.00 am to 6.00 pm.
The BKS said that the
Kisan Garjana protest
march is being organ-
ised in Delhi to seek var-
ious relief measures for
the cultivators in order
to improve their condi-
tion.
As per the organisers,
about 50,000 to 55,000 peo-
ple are likely to partici-
pate in the gathering
through 700 to 800 buses
and 3,500 to 4,000 through
private vehicles.
The diversion points are
Maharaja Ranjeet Singh
Marg, Mirdard Chowk,
Minto Road, Ajmeri Gate,
Chaman Lal Marg, Delhi
Gate, JLN Marg, round-
about Kamala Market to
Hamdard Chowk,
Bhavbhuti Marg, and
Paharganj Chowk.
According to the adviso-
ry, traffic restrictions,
regulations, or diversion
may be imposed on
HC to hear pleas concerning ’20 riots today
New Delhi, Dec. 18: The
Delhi high court will on
Monday hear a batch of
petitions concerning the
2020 northeast Delhi riots
including those seeking
FIRs against several polit-
ical leaders for allegedly
delivering hate speeches.
The matter will be heard
by a bench of justices
Siddharth Mridul and
Talwant Singh.
Apart from seeking
action for the alleged hate
speeches in the backdrop
of the introduction of the
Citizenship (Amendment)
Act, 2019, petitions have
also sought other reliefs
which include setting up of
Dogs with their owners at Pet Fed, a popular pet festival
at the NSIC Ground in New Delhi on Sunday.
— PRITAM BANDYOPADHYAY
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal addresses the
11th national council meeting of the party in New Delhi
on Sunday.
per cent vote share in the
assembly polls,” Mr
Kejriwal said, as he con-
gratulated party workers
on the “achievement.”
Mr Kejriwal thanked the
people of Gujarat too for
reposing faith in his
party’s “vision and ideolo-
gy.”
“The Aam Aadmi Party
formed its government in
Punjab in its second foray
in the state. Don’t worry,
we will certainly form our
government in Gujarat
Ranjeet Singh flyover
from Barakhamba Road
to Guru Nanak Chowk,
from Minto Road to
roundabout Kamla
Market, Vivekanand
Marg, and JLN Marg
(Delhi gate to Guru
Nanak Chowk).
Other parts that may
also be subjected to simi-
lar regulations include
the roundabout Kamla
Market to Guru Nanak
Chowk, Chaman Lal
Marg, Ajmeri
towards Asaf Ali Road
Gate
and Paharganj Chowk
and roundabout
Jhandewalan, and Desh
Bandhu Gupta Road to
Ajmeri Gate on Monday
from 9.00 am onwards.
Commuters are advised
to avoid the mentioned
roads and stretches.
The advisory has
advised the commuters
going to New Delhi rail-
way station, Old Delhi
railway, Nizamuddin
railway station, and
ISBT to leave before time
to accommodate possible
delays on the route. It
said that commuters
should avail public
transport to help decon-
gestion of roads, park
their vehicles only at
designated parking lots,
and avoid roadside park-
ing as it causes hin-
drance to normal flow of
traffic.
an SIT, FIRs against police
officers who were allegedly
involved in the violence,
and disclosure of persons
arrested and detained.
The police has earlier
said that the investigation
into the riots has not
revealed any evidence till
now that political leaders
instigated or participated
in the violence.
On July 13, the court had
allowed several amend-
ment applications seeking
to implead various politi-
cal leaders as parties to
proceedings seeking FIR
and investigation against
them for allegedly deliver-
ing hate speeches leading
— PTI
also in 2027,” he added.
In 2017, the AAP had
contested 29 of 182 assem-
bly seats in Gujarat elec-
tions and 112 of 117
assembly seats in Punjab
elections.
While the AAP had suf-
fered a miserable defeat
in Gujarat then with all
its 29 candidates losing
their deposits, the party
had won 20 seats in
Punjab to become the
main opposition party in
the state.
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
The Delhi police’s
Intelligence Fusion and
Strategic Operations
(IFSO) unit has written to
the CBI, seeking details
from the Interpol about
the IP addresses of email
IDs from China and Hong
Kong in connection with
its probe into the AIIMS
server attack case.
The CBI is India’s nodal
agency for Interpol mat-
ters.
The attack on the
servers of AIIMS-Delhi is
suspected to have origi-
nated from locations in
Ex-MLA held for threat to blow up Parl gets bail
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
A Delhi court has grant-
ed bail to former Madhya
Pradesh MLA Kishore
Samrite who was arrested
for allegedly threatening
to blow up Parliament
over his “unfulfilled
demands”. Special judge
Vikas Dhull granted the
relief to the accused not-
ing that the threat to blow
off Parliament did not
result in any kind of
explosion or loss of life or
property and that the
investigation was already
complete in the case.
A parcel containing a
suspicious item related to
explosives, besides an
Indian Flag and a copy of
◗ COURT had earlier
issued notices to Anurag
Thakur, Sonia Gandhi,
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra, Manish
Sisodia and others, on
two impleadment applica-
tions in the matter.
to the violence.
The court had earlier
issued notices to Anurag
Thakur (BJP), Sonia
Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi,
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
(Congress), Delhi Deputy
Chief Minister Manish
Sisodia (AAP), and others,
on two impleadment appli-
cations in the matter.
More people stepping-up for gender affirmation surgeries
New Delhi, Dec. 18: How
does it feel to know that
your body does not belong
to you? Trapped, suffocat-
ing, frustrating!This is
how 25-year-old Nnyra, a
trans woman, felt for
almost 24 years till she
underwent a gender affir-
mation surgery that
helped her get a body she
could identify with.
Born as a male, Nnyra
was identified with gender
incongruence, in which a
person is in constant con-
flict with the sex he or she
is born in.
In gender incongruence,
one fails to identify with
the gender assigned to
them during birth.
‘Kejriwal doing
politics of
opportunism’
New Delhi, Dec. 18: The
Delhi BJP on Sunday
labelled the AAP as a
“sham party” and accused
the party’s national con-
vener and chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal of doing
“politics of opportunism”
in the garb of nationalism.
Delhi BJP working presi-
dent Virendra Sachdeva
said Mr Kejriwal boosts of
nationalism but his silen-
ce on Pakistan’s “indecent
and derogatory” remarks
against India in a UN
meeting is “politically
motivated”. When Mr
Kejriwal, who talks big
about nationalism, keeps
silent on Pakistan’s inde-
cent remarks towards
India at the international
stage in his party’s nation-
al convention, then it
becomes clear how hollow
his nationalism is, Mr
Sachdeva said. — PTI
◗ ATTACK AFFECTED
the hospital’s outpatient
and inpatient digital
services, including
smart laboratory, billing,
report generation
China and Hong Kong. A
senior police officer said
that further details have
been sought which can be
obtained from companies
in China and Hong Kong.
AIIMS, Delhi, faced the
cyber-attack on November
23, paralysing its servers.
A case of extortion and
cyber terrorism was regis-
tered by the IFSO unit of
the police on November
the Constitution of India
was received through
speed post at the
Parliament House on
September 16, 2022.
“In the facts and circum-
stances, having regard to
the fact that threat to blow
off Parliament House did
not result in any kind of
explosion or loss to life or
property, the period of
custody undergone by the
accused, the fact that the
investigation of this case
is complete and the
charge-sheet stands filed
and having regard to the
age of accused i.e. 59
years, the application
stands allowed and the
applicant is admitted to
bail,? the judge said.
In an order passed on
One impleadment appli-
cation was filed by petition-
er Shaikh Mujtaba Farooq
who has sought FIR for
hate speech against BJP
leaders Anurag Thakur,
Kapil Mishra, Parvesh
Verma and Abhay Verma.
The other application
was by petitioner Lawyers
Voice which has sought the
registration of hate speech
FIRs against Congress
leaders Sonia Gandhi,
Rahul Gandhi, and
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as
well as Deputy CM Manish
Sisodia, Aam Aadmi Party
MLA Amanatullah Khan,
AIMIM leader Akbaruddin
Owaisi and others. — PTI
◗ THESE INDIVIDUALS are
at conflict with their
parents, siblings, peers
and the society at large,
resulting in minority stress
and discrimination, which
lead to severe distress
These individuals are at
conflict with their
parents, siblings, peers
and the society at large,
resulting in minority
stress and discrimination,
which lead to severe dis-
tress.
“The condition has a def-
inite neurologic, genetic
and hormonal basis,” Dr
Richie Gupta, director and
HoD, Plastic, Aesthetic,
Suspected shooter of Lawrence
Bishnoi-Kala Jathedi gang held
New Delhi, Dec. 18: The
police on Sunday claimed
to have arrested a suspect-
ed shooter of the
Lawrence Bishnoi-Kala
Jathedi gang from the
Najafgarh-Kapashera
road here. On Saturday,
information was received
that a shooter of the gang,
named in several cases in
Delhi and Haryana, would
come to the Najafgarh
area for extorting money
from a businessman,
deputy commissioner of
police (special cell)
Pramod Singh Kushwah
said.
Later, police in a raid
arrested Arun Rana alias
Dhillu after a scuffle from
the Najafgarh-Kapashera
main road, opposite
Chopra Farms in
Bamnoli, along with a pis-
tol and five cartridges, he
said, adding that Rana is a
resident of Gurugram in
Haryana.
Rana along with Naresh
Sethi and Sachin Deshwal
alias Bhanja was part of a
plan to help their gang’s
leader Sandeep
Jhanjharia alias Kala
Jathedi escape from the
Haryana police’s custody
on February 1, 2020, police
said.
They said according to
25. Internet services were
blocked as per the
recommendations of the
investigating agencies.
The Computer Emerg-
ency Response Team
(CERT-In), Delhi cyber-
crime special cell, Indian
Cybercrime Coordination
Centre, Intelligence
Bureau, CBI, and
National Investigation
Agency are investigating
the incident.
The attack affected the
hospital’s outpatient and
inpatient digital services,
including smart laborato-
ry, billing, report genera-
tion, and the appointment
system.
◗ A PARCEL containing a
suspicious item related
to explosives, besides
an Indian flag and a
copy of the Constitution
of India was received
through speed post
at the Parliament House
on September 16
December 17, the judge
noted that the accused, a
former MLA from Lanji in
Balaghat, Madhya
Pradesh, was arrested on
September 19 and was in
the custody since then.
He noted that though the
CFSL report has opined
that the material recov-
ered from the parcel could
be used as an ?explosive?,
there is nothing on record
Union ministers Gen. V.K. Singh, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Kunwar Vikram Singh,
chairman CAPSI, during the launch of The Protector at the Security Leadership
Summit 2022 in New Delhi.
Reconstructive Surgery
and Gender Affirmation
Clinic at the Fortis
Hospital in Shalimar Bagh
here, told PTI.
Despite not getting sup-
port from the family mem-
bers and facing societal
stigma, Nnyra underwent
the gender affirmation
surgery to become a
female both in mind and
body.
She was put on feminis-
ing hormone therapy in
2020 and underwent
vaginoplasty, a procedure
by which her vagina was
constructed, in June.
She then underwent a
breast augmentation sur-
gery in August.
◗ ON SATURDAY,
information was
received that a shooter
of the gang would
come to Najafgarh area
for extorting money
the plan, first, Sethi
escaped from the custody
of the Haryana police on
December 30, 2019 from
the Safdarjung Hospital.
Thereafter, they pur-
chased over 20 pistols, a
pipe gun and three vehi-
cles for Jathedi escape,
police said.
On February 1, 2020,
Deshwal and Sethi got
information from Bhondsi
Jail in Gurgaon that
Jathedi will be taken to a
Faridabad court along
with four other criminals,
they said.
They deployed their
associates in the court to
keep a tab on Jathedi’s
movement. When the
police van carrying him
left the court for Bhondsi
jail, Sethi, along with his
11 associates, positioned
themselves on the
Faridabad-Gurug ram
road near Gawal Pahari
Hanuman Temple in
Faridabad in three vehi-
cles, police said.
They said around 3 pm,
BCAS carries out study to
ensure no chaos at airport
New Delhi, Dec. 18: The
Bureau of Civil Aviation
Security (BCAS) is con-
ducting a study to assess
whether there is enough
holding space for passen-
gers at the immigration
area of the Delhi airport,
according to a senior gov-
ernment official. The
ongoing study by the
agency, which is responsi-
ble for civil aviation secu-
rity, is aimed to ensure
that there is no congestion
at the immigration area
once international air
travel gains full steam
after being severely hit by
the coronavirus pandemic.
In recent weeks, domes-
tic and international pas-
to show that the accused
was capable of causing
any kind of explosion
remotely. He further noted
that the investigation of
this case was complete
and even the charge-sheet
has been filed on record.
The court granted the
relief on furnishing per-
sonal bond of Rs 1 lakh
with one surety of the like
amount with condition
that the accused will not
indulge in any similar
kind of offence in future
during the pendency of
this case and will not
extend any kind of threat
to the witnesses.
The prosecution had
opposed the bail applica-
tion, saying that the
accused had no respect for
“I felt suffocated in a
male body. Some morn-
ings, I would wake up and
feel like scratching my
skin off and just get rid of
the man's body. My par-
ents never understood
what I was going
through,” she recalled.
With time, Nnyra said as
she became vocal about
her identity, her relatives
and others were unable to
accept it.
“They took me to reli-
gious institutions and psy-
chiatrists as they felt I
needed to be cured of what
they considered a disease.
Finally, I decided to under-
go the procedure, which
was when I was asked to
pg 2
they stopped the jail van
and started firing indis-
criminately.
In an ensuing gunfight,
Sethi and Kapil suffered
bullet injuries, and the
person in-charge of the
jail van was also injured,
police said, adding that
they, however, escaped
along with Kala Jathedi
and another criminal
Dhan Singh.
Om Prakash and
Deshwal had arranged for
Rana’s stay in Delhi and
Haryana. After seven
months, Rana was arrest-
ed by the Dwarka district
police, they said.
In February, Rana was
granted bail by the Punjab
and Haryana High Court
in the Faridabad case on
the ground that he had to
care for his ailing father.
He started living with
Prakash and extorted
money from businessmen
to fund the gang, they said.
In February and March
2022, jailed gangster
Deshwal directed Rana
and Prakash to expand
gang’s activities in Delhi-
NCR, police said.
They used to share
details and mobilephone
numbers of businessmen
of Delhi-NCR with
Deshwal and as per his
sengers have been com-
plaining about congestion
at the Indira Gandhi Inte-
rnational (IGI) Airport
here that led to long
queues and waiting
hours. The situation has
improved now, with the
authorities putting in
place various measures,
including installing addi-
tional X-ray machines.
The government offi-
cial said that the BCAS is
conducting the study to
understand the immigra-
tion area at the airport
and whether there is
enough holding area for
passengers during the
immigration process.
— PTI
the law of country and
that the act done by him
was a threat to national
security.
The parcel also had 10
pages signed by Samrite
from which it was made
out that he was showing
dissatisfaction with the
policies of ruling govern-
ment and made 70 differ-
ent demands with a threat
to blow off Parliament
House on September 30,
2022 if his demands were
not fulfilled.
During probe, it also
came to light that the
accused has sent a similar
parcel to the Supreme
Court of India on Septe-
mber 19, 2022 and a sepa-
rate FIR has been lodged in
that regard, it said.
— G.N. JHA
leave the house. My jour-
ney so far has been very
difficult,” Nnyra said.
She said though her
struggle is not over after
the surgery as her body is
still balancing out the
interventions, she is at
peace with herself and
comfortable in her body.
As for 24-year-old Amrit,
he underwent the tedious
and almost a nine-year-
long procedure that
involved psychological
counselling followed by
hormone therapy and
mastectomy to remove the
breasts and finally, a flap
surgery in November to
give him the male organ.
— PTI
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | MONDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2022 | NEW DELHI
pg 3

SHORT
New land policy in
TAKES
J&K anti-people: Mir
Srinagar: The new land poli-
cy in Jammu and Kashmir is
“anti-people and draconian”
and should not be imple-
mented, senior Congress
leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir
said on Sunday. Mr Mir, the
former J&K Pradesh Cong-
ress Committee president,
made these comments while
addressing booth-level dele-
gates at Damhal Khushipora
in the Anantnag district. The
remarks came in the wake of
land lease holders in J&K
being asked to return the
possession to the govern-
ment. “This indicates that
the land leased out decades
ago will have to be surren-
dered on the expiry of lease
which is being justified
under the garb of using the
same for development of
J&K Union territory, but the
law is anti-people, draconian
and should not be impleme-
nted,” Mr Mir alleged. — PTI
Telangana Congress
Sukhu: No rift in HP Congress, Rahul sharpening
‘conflict’ was only for CM post ideological basis
If something wrong, there would have been ‘Raj-like situation’: CM of party: Ramesh
New Delhi, Dec. 18: There
is no infighting within the
Himachal Pradesh Cong-
ress and the “conflict” was
only for chief minister-
ship as there were three-
four claimants, newly
sworn-in CM Sukhvinder
Singh Sukhu has said,
adding if something were
wrong, there would have
been a “Rajasthan-like sit-
uation”.
He asserted that no
Congress legislator in the
state would defect to the
BJP and the party's gov-
ernment was committed
to work for the people and
would fulfil the promise of
restoring the old pension
scheme for government
employees in the first cab-
inet meeting.
In an exclusive inter-
view with PTI, Sukhu
of chief minister. You can
see till now we have not
done the Cabinet expan-
sion. If something were
wrong, a Rajasthan-like
situation would have
occurred,” he said.
The Congress govern-
ment in Rajasthan led by
Ashok Gehlot faced a
rebellion by his then
deputy and state party
president Sachin Pilot and
some other MLAs in 2020.
Though the Congress
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan chief
managed to defuse the sit-
minister Ashok Gehlot during the state level exhibition
uation then, the two fac-
organised to mark the four years of the state govern- tions have been at logger-
ment in Dausa on Sunday. — PTI heads ever since.
Asked about the expan- MLA from Nadaun in Mr Sukhu targeted the
sion of his Cabinet, he Hamirpur district and the Opposition BJP over rep-
said it will happen soon son of a bus driver, was orts that some Congress
and denied reports about sworn in as the chief min- MLAs may join hands
some MLAs lobbying for ister on December 11. with it. “No Congress
ministerial berths.
After the
Agnihotri took oath as the
Congress deputy chief minister.
member will defect from
the party,” he asserted.
Dausa (Rajasthan), Dec.
18: Senior Congress
leader Jairam Ramesh on
Sunday said the Bharat
Jodo Yatra has ensured
that the Congress is now
setting the political nar-
rative in the country and
the BJP has been made to
play on a pitch prepared
by his party.
In an interview with
PTI on the yatra complet-
ing 100 days, Mr Ramesh
also said that Rahul
Gandhi is trying to sharp-
en the ideological basis of
the Congress and is work-
ing along with the party's
elected president,
Mallikarjun Kharge, as a
“jugalbandi” (together).
Asked whether the
party could undertake
another such yatra next
year, Mr Ramesh said, “I
would certainly love to
secretary in-
charge com-
munications
asserted
that through
the Bharat
Jodo Yatra,
Mr Gandhi has given a
new direction to the polit-
ical discourse and the
Congress has set the nar-
rative for the last 100 days.
“The Congress has been
applauded, criticised,
praised, reviled. What it
means is that we were on
the defensive, we were
always reacting to what
the BJP was saying or
what it was doing but
through the Bharat Jodo
Yatra I think we have suc-
ceeded to a very large
extent in being able to set
the terms of debate and
the narrative in the politi-
cal discourse,” Mr
Kamal Haasan
to take part in
Cong’s Bharat
Jodo Dec. 24
AGE CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
Top star and Makkal
Needhi Maiam president
Kamal Haasan on Sun-
day said he would take
part in the Bharat Jodo
Yatra led by Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on
December 24 in New
Delhi. MNM spokesper-
son Murali Appas told a
news agency that party
workers, led by their
leader Kamal Haasan,
would take part in the
Rahul Gandhi-led foot
march in the national
capital. “Our leader
made the announcement
addressing office-bear-
ers,” he said.
On Wednesday, former
RBI governor Raghuram
Rajan joined Mr Gandhi
in Rajasthan’s Sawai
Madhopur. Earlier, actor

infighting intensifies said, “We have spoken to

the finance secretary.
Under a strategy we know
Hyderabad: The intra-party
from where we have to
wrangling in Telangana
generate money and
Congress appears to have
where we have to invest.
intensified with as many as
We have done the work on
13 PCC members submitting
introducing the old pen-
their resignations on Sunday,
sion scheme and we will
protesting the remarks of
introduce it in the first
some senior leaders that
cabinet meeting.”
those who “migrated” to
Congress from other parties
wrested power from the The chief minister dis-
BJP in the hill state win- missed reports about
ning 40 of the 68 Assembly infighting within the
He said the people of the
state voted against malgo-
vernance of the BJP.
participate in a Porban-
dar (Gujarat) to Parshu-
ram Kund (Arunachal
Ramesh said.
He said the yatra has
had an “electrifying inter-
Swara Bhasker took
part in the foot march in
MP’s Ujjain. Actors
seats, the party picked Mr Congress state unit, but He said the country is Pradesh) Yatra but nal effect” on the organi- Pooja Bhatt, Amol
Sukhu, 58, as its chief admitted that there was facing various issues such whether we can do it next sation as well as on the Palekar, stand-up come-
minister over some other jockeying for the post of as unemployment and year and how we can do it external world of Indian dian Kunal Kamra, for-
claimants to the post, CM. inflation but the BJP is next year, it has to be dis- politics. mer Navy Chief Adm.
including state party chief “Conflict was for post, trying to divert people’s cussed and debated in He claimed that due to Ramdas have also
Pratibha Singh and it’s not party conflict. attention from the core appropriate party the yatra, the BJP is on attended the Yatra.
Mukesh Agnihotri. Three-four people were issue by using various forums.” the “back foot, disturbed The yatra will enter
Mr Sukhu, a four-time willing to occupy the post tactics. — PTI The Congress general and nervous”. — PTI Delhi on December 24.

Yogi: Before 2017, ‘vasooli’

got prominence. The
dissatisfaction of these lead-
ers is seen as directed
towards State Congress
president and MP A. Revanth
Reddy. Addressing reporters
here today, Former MLA E
Anil made an appeal to “sen-
ior leaders” to work together
and bring the party back to
power in the state. — PTI
Murder accused is
Amid probe by ED, Baghel was rampant in recruitment
says ready for more action Lucknow, Dec. 18: In a
veiled attack on
was prevalent in the state
before 2017 is known to
Raipur, Dec. 18: Amid anymore. Anticipating Samajwadi Party, Uttar all, the BJP leader said,
the probe by Enforce- reverses in the Assembly Pradesh chief minister adding, the moment any
ment Directorate in the polls (scheduled for late Yogi Adityanath on recruitment used to be
alleged coal levy scam next year) due to the Sunday said before 2017, announced, all the rela-
and the arrest of a few
bureaucrats and busi-
good governance of the
Congress government
the moment fresh recruit-
ments were announced,
tions in
“Mahabharata” used to
the

found hanging in jail nessmen, Chhattisgarh

Thiruvananthapuram: A 46-
year-old accused, who was
arrested for allegedly hack-
ing to death his live-in-part-
ner recently, was on Sunday
found hanging inside the jail,
the police said. A native of
Pathanamthitta, Rajesh was
arrested on December 15 for
hacking to death his live-in-
partner Sindhu (47) in broad
daylight near Vazhayila, it
added. “Officials found him
hanging inside the bathroom
of the jail here,” a senior
police official told PTI. He
was remanded by the court
and jailed at Thiruvanantha-
puram district jail at
Poojappura here. An investi-
gation is underway, officials
said. Sindhu was attacked
with a sharp weapon and
killed by Rajesh while she
was standing near a shop,
police had said. — PTI
chief minister Bhupesh
Baghel on Sunday called
the action “vendetta poli-
tics” and said he was pre-
pared for more such
moves by the Centre.
He also slammed the
BJP-led Centre for not
releasing funds to
Chhattisgarh, adding he
would not keep silent
over such injustice to his
state.
In an interview to PTI,
Mr Baghel, who complet-
ed four years in office on
December 17, said the
schemes of his govern-
ment were aimed at
strengthening the rural
economy and creating
self employment but
admitted there were sev-
eral poll promises which
are yet to be fulfilled.
“We welcome action
against corruption. But
if the action is politically
motivated then it is
wrong. Whenever I cam-
paigned in elections in
other states, raids were
conducted in Chhattis-
garh by the Central agen-
cies,” Mr Baghel said.
The ED has been prob-
ing a money-laundering
case linked to the alleged
levy of money on coal
and mining transporters
in Chhattisgarh.
It has arrested five per-
sons so far, including IAS
officer Sameer Vishnoi
and deputy secretary in
the CM’s office Soumya
Chaurasia.
“The BJP does not have
acceptability among the
people of Chhattisgarh
here, the BJP has roped
in Central agencies to
anyone who was owed
any favour would line up
appear for “vasooli”
(recovery).
harass and defame my for “vasooli”. Later, a zero-tolerance
government. Such acts He was addressing a policy was adopted
should not be done in programme held here for against crime and cor-
politics,” he asserted. the distribution of ruption, the CM said.
Hinting at the state appointment letters to He said now all the job
polls, he said these probe 1,395 lecturers and assis- processes are transpar-
agencies would become tant teachers. ent, ensuring selection
“more active in the com- The kind of discrimina- solely on the basis of
ing months” and claimed tion and corruption that merit. — PTI
he was “mentally pre-
pared for it”.
The 61-year-old fire-
brand Congress leader,
who has been vocal aga-
inst BJP and RSS leader-
ship, said he shares good
relations personally with
the Prime Minister,
home minister, finance
minister, defence minis-
ter and all Union minis-
ters.
“But it is my responsi-
bility to fight in the
interest of the state,” he
asserted. — PTI

Bhagwat set to
address meet in
Ujjain on water
sacrality Dec. 28
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18

Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat
will on December 28 deliver
the plenary lecture at an inter-
national conference in Ujjain
on creating an Indic discourse
on the sacrality of water and
juxtaposing it with scientific
thought.
The conference titled
“SuJalam”, organised by the
ministry of jal shakti and
Deendayal Research Institute
(DRI), will be held from
December 27 to 29 on the banks
of Shipra river.
The three-day conference
will have sessions on the con-
ceptual and circumstantial
challenges faced by the water
sector and the glorification of
the element of water in the
Indian knowledge system.
The conference will also
focus on the description of
water in folk traditions, social
customs and rituals and efforts
to prepare a compendium of
festivals related to water and
their scientific analysis.
Jal shakti minister Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat will inaugu-
rate the conference in Ujjain
on December 27. Mr Bhagwat
will deliver the plenary lecture
on December 28 and Madhya
Pradesh governor Mangubhai
Patel and civil aviation minis-
ter Jyotiraditya Scindia will
attend the valedictory func-
tion on December 29.
The conference is part of a
series of events titled “Suman-
galam”, which are aimed at
presenting the unique Indian
concept of securing the purity
of the five basic elements of
nature or “panchamahabhoo-
ta” — earth, water, fire, air and
space — and attaining a bal-
ance between those for the sur-
vival and sustainability of life
on earth.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | MONDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2022 | NEW DELHI
pg 4

■ ‘People don’t know full facts of e-tender, honeytrap scandals’

SHORT TAKES
Teen gangraped in
Maha village, 8 held
Palghar: A teenage girl was
allegedly raped by eight men
at a village in Palghar district of
Maharashtra, following which
the police have arrested all the
accused, an official said on
Sunday. Incident occurred dur-
ing the intervening night of
Friday and Saturday, in which
the accused raped the girl at
an unoccupied bungalow in
their beach village before tak-
ing her to the seashore, where
they again sexually assaulted
her, he said. A case of gang-
rape has been registered
against the accused at Satpati
police station, a spokesperson
of Palghar district rural police
said, adding that the victim
was around 16 years old. “In
her complaint lodged on
Saturday, the victim said that
her ordeal began at 8 pm on
December 16 that continued till
10 am next day, during which
accused took her to an unoccu-
pied bungalow in Mahim vil-
lage where they took turns to
rape her,” he said. — PTI
176 Covid cases, 5
fatalities in 24 hrs
New Delhi: With 176 fresh
cases, India’s Covid-19 tally
has climbed to 4,46,75,952
while the number of active
cases has declined to 3,552.
The death toll due to the viral
disease has gone up to
5,30,672 with five more fatali-
ties, including four reconciled
G-20 a chance to showcase
Overlooked scams of previous J&K tourism potential: L-G
BJP govt in MP’s interest: Nath
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
BHOPAL, DEC. 18
In a veiled threat to expose
the alleged scams of the
previous Shivraj Singh
Chouhan government,
Madhya Pradesh Congress
president Kamal Nath on
Sunday dropped hints that
he had chosen not to hype
the scandals in the inter-
est of state’s image when
he was the chief minister.
Mr Nath made the revela-
tion to the reporters here
while reacting to charges
made by a Cabinet minis-
ter in the present Shivraj
Singh Chouhan govern-
ment that BJP workers
were harassed during the
Kamal Nath government.
“You people do not know
the full facts of e-tender
and honeytrap scandals
(happened during previ-
ous Chouhan govern-
Narottam Mishra
You people do not know the
full facts of e-tender and
honeytrap scandals (hap-
pened during previous Chouhan
govt). But, I never wanted the
image of our state to be tarnished.
— Kamal Nath,
Congress leader
ment). But, I never wanted
the image of our state to
be tarnished. Instead of
doing such (vindictive)
politics, I thought it appro-
priate to focus on develop-
ment of the state”, Mr
Nath said, indicating how
he chose not to blow up
such scandals.
Mr Nath said he had
never indulged in vindic-
tive politics when he was
CM of the state. He also
said he had received com-
plaints against ministers
and even the CM (during
the Chouhan govern-
ment). But, he never
indulged in vindictive pol-
itics.
State urban development
minister Bhupendra
Singh had earlier alleged
that his family members
were harassed during the
Kamal Nath government.
Reacting to Mr Singh’s
charges, the Congress vet-
eran narrated how the
minister had approached
him when he was the CM
pleading him to retain his
government quarter to
ensure that his children’s
studies were not disrupt-
ed. Mr Singh was also a
minister in the Chouhan
government. “I allotted
the particular govern-
ment quarter to Nakul
(Mr Nath’s son, who is an
MP from Chhindwara in
Madhya Pradesh) to help
Mr Singh retain it. I did
not take away his govern-
ment quarter despite pres-
sure on me by my minis-
ters,” he said.
Mr Nath dared the state
government to institute a
judiciary commission or a
probe committee by the
speaker of state Assembly
to investigate harassment
of political workers in the
state. Congress veteran
and former chief minister
Digvijay Singh, who was
present at the news con-
ference, alleged harass-
ment of Congress workers
by the state government.
‘We all have to make our contribution to bring a positive change’
Jammu, Dec. 18:
Lieutenant Governor
Manoj Sinha on Sunday
said India's G-20
Presidency is an opportu-
nity for Jammu and
Kashmir to “showcase its
cultural richness and
tourism potential” across
the world and called upon
the youth and women
entrepreneurs to come
together for the purpose.
He also termed India's
Presidency of G-20 as a
unique opportunity to
showcase the potential of
“Ek Bharat Shreshtha
Bharat”.
Addressing the people of
the Union territory
through the 21st edition of
monthly radio pro-
gramme “Awaam Ki
Awaaz”, Sinha said the
India's G-20 Presidency is
an opportune moment for
Jammu and Kashmir to
“showcase its cultural
richness and tourism
Woman thrashed in
public for illicit affair
Ratlam, MP Dec. 18: A 30-
year-old woman was tied
using ropes, thrashed
potential”
on the
w o r l d
stage.
“ Yo u t h
c l u b s ,
w o m e n
e n t re p re -
Manoj Sinha
n e u r s ,
tourism entrepreneurs
and innovators need to
come together to show-
case vibrant and progres-
sive Jammu and Kashmir
during India's G-20
Presidency,” Sinha said.
He also invited sugges-
tions and ideas from the
citizens for the G-20
events to be conducted in
the Union territory.
Sharing his thoughts on
recently concluded “My
Town My Pride” cam-
paign, the lieutenant gov-
ernor said the urban con-
nect movement was cele-
brated as a festival of
vibrant urban local self-
governance.
"However, after her hus-
band and his family mem-
bers left the village, the
“Jan Bhagidari' is reflec-
tion of a progressive soci-
ety. It paves the way for
‘bottom-up' approach in
governance and helps us
formulate the policies as
per public needs. “My
Town My Pride” cam-
paign was aimed at ener-
gizing Urban Local Bodies
and directing develop-
ment efforts in urban
areas through community
participation,” Sinha
said.
He said awakening of
people's power in the
direction of inclusive
development is the first
step.
“We all have to make our
contribution to bring a
positive change in the
expansion of infrastruc-
ture facilities, cleanliness
campaigns, environmen-
tal protection, economic
activities and green space,
lake, river and heritage
conservation.” — PTI
Man held as
chopped body
of wife found
in Jharkhand

Education in
by Kerala and one reported
with sticks, and paraded woman returned and Sahibganj Dec. 18: A
by Maharashtra in the last 24
in public for allegedly started living in their man was on Sunday
hours. Active cases account

madrasas will
leaving her husband for vacant home," he said, arrested here after his
for 0.01 per cent of the total
another man in a village adding this angered vil- wife was found chopped
caseload, while the national
in Madhya Pradesh’s lagers who called her hus- into pieces, with body

be scrutinised
Covid-19 recovery rate has
Ratlam district, police band on Saturday. parts dumped in differ-
gone up to 98.8 per cent.
said on Sunday. Following He and seven other men ent areas of the district,
There has been a decrease of

in MP: Mantri
the incident on Saturday, allegedly tied the woman a police officer said on
56 cases recorded in the
the woman was admitted with ropes and thrashed Sunday.
active caseload in a span of
to a hospital and undergo- her with sticks and also The case, similar to the
24 hours.
AGE CORRESPONDENT ing treatment, an official paraded her in the vil- Shraddha Walkar mur-
BHOPAL, DEC. 18 said. Police officer lage. der in Delhi, has left the
Shivmangal Singh Sengar The woman was freed by locals in shock, he said.
Navy inducts Madhya Pradesh home said the woman had left a police team and admit- The victim, a 22-year-
minister Narottam Border Security Force personnel (brown uniform) and Pakistani Rangers (black uni- the home of her husband ted to the civil hospital old woman, was the sec-
Mormugao, 2nd Mishra on Sunday
ordered the district col-
form) takes part in the beating retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border post in
Amritsar on Sunday. — PTI
and started living with
another man sometime
from where she was
referred to the district
ond wife of 28-year-old
Dildar Ansari, the offi-
indigenous lectors to bring study
materials of madrasas
back. She was persuaded
by family members and
hospital
Sengar said.
in Ratlam, cer said. Local residents
spotted the victim's body
in the state under scruti- ■ ‘Current multilateral sources not up to task’ villagers to return to her A case has been regis- parts, which were being
stealth destroyer ny. husband but she was not tered against eight per- dragged by dogs, in

India pushes for new, dedicated

Talking to reporters
■ Continued from Page 1 here, Mr Mishra said
Dockyard. The ship is armed that it was brought to
with BrahMos surface-to-sur- his notice that objection-
face missiles, medium-range
surface-to-air missiles, indige-
nous torpedo tube launchers
able contents were being
taught in some
madrasas in the state. “I
willing, he said.
After she left the village
with another man, her
husband and his family
aid for biodiversity conservation members too shifted, the
police officer said.
sons, including the Boria area of the dis-
woman's husband, under trict, and the police were
relevant sections of the subsequently informed
Indian Penal Code (IPC) about the matter.
and further investigation
is on, he added. — PTI
The Sahibganj
Anuranjan Kispotta, said
18 pieces of her body
SP,

and 76mm super rapid gun

mount. Named after the his-
toric port city of Goa, the ship
is fitted with modern surveil-
lance radar that provides tar-
get data to the gunnery
weapon systems.
The ship has been designed
by the Indian Navy’s in-house
organisation, the Warship
Design Bureau and built at
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
“INS Mormugao is one of the
world’s most technologically
advanced missile carriers.
With over 75 per cent indige-
nous content, it is a testimony
to India’s excellence in the
design and development of
warships and a shining exam-
ple of our growing indigenous
defence production capabili-
ties. The warship will meet the
present and future needs of
our country as well as those of
our friendly countries across
the globe,” said the defence
minister.
have gone through it
(objectionable contents)
at a cursory glance. We
will ask the district col-
lectors to get such study
materials scrutinised
from the education
department to avoid
such unpleasant situa-
tions”, he said.
In August this year,
state culture minister
Usha Thakur appre-
hended that some ille-
gally-run madrasas in
the state might have
been used for human
trafficking and demand-
ed a probe against such
institutions. She had
recounted how office
bearers of the children’s
commission had found
some children were kept
in unhealthy environ-
ment in a madrasa in the
state and suspected that
it may be a case of
human trafficking.
New Delhi, Dec. 18: There
is an urgent need to create
a new and dedicated fund
to help developing coun-
tries successfully imple-
ment a post-2020 global
framework to halt and
reverse biodiversity loss,
India has said at the UN
biodiversity conference in
Canada’s Montreal.
It also said that conserva-
tion of biodiversity must
also be based on “Common
but Differentiated
Responsibilities and
Respective Capabilities”
(CBDR) as climate change
also impacts nature.
As the 196 parties to the
Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) finalise
negotiations for a post-
2020 Global Biodiversity
Framework (GBF)—a new
set of goals and targets to
halt and reverse biodiver-
sity loss—there have been
COP-15
repeated calls for the
inclusion of the CBDR
principle in finance-relat-
ed targets.
Addressing the stocktak-
ing plenary at CBD
COP15, Union environ-
ment minister Bhupender
Yadav said the successful
implementation of a post-
2020 GBF will depend on
the ways and means we
put in place for an equally
ambitious “Resource
M o b i l i s a t i o n
Mechanism”.
“There is a need to cre-
ate a new and dedicated
mechanism for the provi-
sion of financial
resources to developing-
country parties. Such a
fund should be opera-
tionalised at the earliest
to ensure effective imple-
mentation of the post-2020
GBF by all countries,” the
minister said.
So far, the Global
Environment Facility
which caters to multiple
conventions, including
the UNFCCC and UN
Convention to Combat
Desertification, remains
the only source of funding
for biodiversity conserva-
tion.
At CBD COP15, develop-
ing countries have been
demanding a new and ded-
icated biodiversity fund,
saying the existing multi-
lateral sources are not up
to the task of meeting the
requirements of the GBF.
Differences with rich
countries on the matter
had prompted representa-
tives from developing
nations to walk out of cru-
cial financing talks last
week. — PTI
Decision on Raj CM this week
■ Continued from Page 1
meeting was called for the
purpose, but the meeting
did not take place as sev-
eral MLAs came out in
open defiance. The entire
drama unfolded in the
presence of AICC obser-
vers Mallikarjun Kharge
and Ajay Maken. Later
Mr Gehlot had apologised
publicly for the rebellion.
In the follow-up, discipli-
nary proceedings were
initiated against three
MLAs and some action
against them is expected
in the coming days. Last
month, senior leader and
former deputy chief min-
ister Sachin Pilot had said
that a decision on the acts
of these MLAs should
come soon so that there is
clarity. Already upset over
the delay, the general sec-
retary in charge of
Rajasthan Mr Maken
resigned about a month
back. The party had to
appoint a new in-charge.
For his part, Mr Gehlot
is on overdrive to escape
the proverbial “sword of
Damocles”.
Last month Mr Gehlot
had called his challenger
Mr Pilot a “traitor”. Mr
Gehlot’s utterance had
evoked a sharp response
from the party leader
Jairam Ramesh. He asked
senior leaders to refrain
from public outbursts.
The eerie silence, bar-
ring a few incidences of
sloganeering in favour of
their respective leaders,
that prevailed in
Rajasthan was because
the Bharat yatra is travel-
ling through the state.
could be recovered so far.
“The accused commit-
ted the crime with fami-
ly members, who were
yet to be arrested,” the
SP said. Earlier,
Jagannath Pan, the offi-
cer-in-charge of Borio
Police Station, told PTI,
“On inspection, it was
found that the parts
were of a 22-year-old
woman, a resident of
Donda Pahar in Boria
area. Locals were left
aghast at the incident.”
Sub-Divisional Police
Officer (Sahibganj)
Rajendra Kumar Dubey
said some of the body
parts of the victim were
found in an abandoned
house in the district.
After an initial probe,
Ansari was arrested in
connection with the
murder, Dubey said,
without divulging fur-
ther details. — PTI

Bihar BJP calls on Why govt allowing Chinese imports?: AAP Modi: Will target graft, end
Nitish to resign, violence as we develop N-E
■ Continued from Page 1
line while fighting Chinese
troops.
make Tejashwi CM After the Assembly elec-
tions in Gujarat and
Himachal Pradesh and the
■ Continued from Page 1 civic body polls in Delhi,
hiding actual numbers. He said more than 100 peo- the AAP called a meeting of
ple had lost their lives due to consumption of poi- its national council to dis-
sonous liquor in the state. He added: “People told cuss expansion plans. At
our delegation that bodies were cremated without the AAP’s 11th national
post-mortem. The actual number is very high but council meeting, all elected
the state administration is hiding the facts and fig- representatives and key
ures from the people. In my assessment, more office bearers from various
than 100 people have lost their lives”. states discussed the party’s
The administration had earlier confirmed only pan-India expansion plan.
30 deaths. According to reports, many victims are Asserting that the AAP is
still undergoing treatment at various hospitals. the only party to become a
CM Nitish Kumar has been facing flak from the national party within 10
Opposition for his statements and the rising death years of its formation, Mr
toll. Kejriwal said, “We formed
Mr Modi said Mr Nitish Kumar’s earlier remark our government in Punjab
that “if someone drank spurious liquor would in our second attempt. We
die” caused hurt to people who lost their family will certainly form our gov-
members due to the hooch tragedy. Mr Kumar has ernment in Gujarat in
been adamant about not paying compensation. In 2027.”
the Bihar Assembly on Friday, he said that the City minister Gopal Rai
government cannot pay compensation to those said that the national coun-
who die consuming poisonous liquor in dry Bihar. cil meeting discussed
Villages under Mashrak police station have been national security, inflation,
the worst hit. After the ruckus in the Assembly, and unemployment and the
several police personnel were suspended. The party will submit its recom-
state government has also formed an SIT team to mendations to the Centre
investigate the matter. Reports suggest that the on these three issues.
Chhapra police has so far arrested 271 people, Mr Rai said: “Being a
including liquor mafia kingpin Anil Singh. national party, we have
During raids, 6,335 litres of liquor and 21 vehicles decided to expand our base
were also seized by the police. state-wise depending on the
Several hooch tragedies have taken place in political situation there and
Bihar after a ban was imposed on liquor in 2016. in the next six months our
According to the BJP, more than five lakh people aim will be to strengthen
have been arrested ever since the ban was formation of our state com-
imposed in Bihar. “The BJP is not against the mittees… We will focus on
liquor ban in Bihar. Our party wants the ban to be the states where elections
imposed in an effective manner”, Mr Sushil will be conducted.”
Kumar Modi said. At the national council
meeting, Mr Kejriwal said
Chinese aggression is a
very important issue that
has been causing pain to
every person in the country
for the last few days. “For
the last few years, China
has been carrying out
incursions. Indian soldiers
firmly fight against them
and even sacrifice their
lives in the line of duty. Yet,
for the past few years, we
have kept hearing about
China entering our territo-
ry.”
The Delhi CM alleged that
instead of retaliating, the
Modi government says
“everything is alright and
keep rewarding China” by
allowing an increase in
imports of Chinese goods.
Mr Kejriwal claimed that
in 2020–21, India imported
Chinese goods worth USD
65 billion. “Then China
again showed a much big-
ger eye (to India) and the
BJP government let the
import of Chinese goods
further increase to 95 bil-
lion dollars next year…
Don’t you have any respect
for our soldiers? Is there no
value of their lives? Show
some courage. China will
come to know its worth if
India stops imports.”
Mr Kejriwal appealed to
the nation to boycott
Chinese products. “They
say Chinese products are
cheap. We do not want
Chinese products, even if
they are cheap. We are
ready to buy made-in-India
products even if it costs us
double.”
He claimed that 90 per
cent of goods imported
from China can be pro-
duced in India. “But the
BJP-led Centre has created
such a situation that high-
net-worth people, who
could set up industries to
make in India and create
jobs for the country’s
youth, are leaving India.”
The AAP leader alleged
that over the past five to six
years, 12.5 lakh people have
left India because the
government does not let
them work here and sends
ED and CBI after them.
“They won’t catch the
thieves. Rather, they would
induct such people into
their party and give them
protection and ED and CBI
are sent after those who
want to work here honestly.
Fed up with this govern-
ment, high-net-worth indi-
viduals and businessmen
are leaving India.
“You are making Indians
run away from the coun-
try... You are inviting the
Chinese (to India) and offer-
ing them jhula (swing),” Mr
Kejriwal charged, adding,
“Have some shame.”
He also hit out at the
Central government over
rising inflation and unem-
ployment, accusing it of
having no intention to
bring relief to the masses.
The Delhi CM said while
people are fed up with ris-
ing inflation and unemploy-
ment under the BJP gov-
ernment at the Centre, the
AAP government in Delhi
has shown that inflation
can be contained and jobs
can be created. He claimed
that his government has
created 12 lakh jobs over
the past five to seven years,
while the AAP dispensa-
tion in Punjab under chief
minister Bhagwant Mann
has given appointment let-
ters to 21,000 people within
seven months of taking the
helm.
Mr Kejriwal claimed that
the inflation rate at the
national level is 7.4 per
cent, while in Delhi it is the
lowest at 4 per cent due to
the various free-of-charge
facilities, including elec-
tricity and water, provided
by the AAP government to
people in the national capi-
tal.
“There is a report on
inflation by the Centre.
Inflation is highest in the
BJP-ruled states. It is eight
per cent in Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat,” he said, adding
that only an “honest
party like the AAP” needs
to be in power to control
inflation.
The Delhi CM claimed
that AAP is the vehicle to
bring change and make
India a nation where
nobody fights over religion
and caste.
■ Continued from Page 1
saying:
“Political parties that had gov-
ernments for a long time had the
mindset of ‘divide’ for N-E. We
have come with the mindset of
‘divine’. Be it different communi-
ties (or) regions… we are removing
all divisions. Not borders of dis-
putes, we are building corridors of
development in the Northeast.”
The PM also elaborated on how
his government had increased the
air connectivity in the region.
“Before 2014, only 900 flights a
week were available in the
Northeast, and now it’s up to 1,900
flights,” he said, adding that better
air connectivity was helping the
Northeast’s farmers through the
Krishi Udan Yojana.
Launched in August 2020, the
Krishi Udan Yojana scheme aims
to assist farmers in transporting
agricultural products, on both
national and international routes,
so that it improves their value real-
isation.
The PM, during his visit Sunday
to poll-bound Meghalaya and
Tripura, inaugurated and laid the
foundation stone of projects worth
`6,800 crores. The projects encom-
pass a wide array of sectors,
including housing, road, agricul-
ture, telecom, IT, tourism and hos-
pitality. In Shillong, the Prime
Minister participated in the golden
jubilee celebrations of the North
Eastern Council. The PM also
inaugurated, dedicated and laid
the foundation stone of multiple
◗ POLITICAL PARTIES that had
governments for a long time
had the mindset of ‘divide’ for
N-E. We have come with the
mindset of ‘divine’. Be it differ-
ent communities (or) regions…
we are removing all divisions.
Not borders of disputes, we
are building corridors of
development in the Northeast
projects worth over `2,450 crores in
Meghalaya. He dedicated the 4G
mobile towers to the nation, of
which more than 320 have been
completed and around 890 more are
under construction.
Mr Modi also inaugurated new
campus of IIM Shillong at
Umsawli, Spawn Laboratory at
Mushroom Development Centre, 21
Hindi libraries and Shillong-
Diengpasoh Road to provide better
connectivity to new Shillong satel-
lite township and decongest
Shillong. He also inaugurated four
other road projects across three
states — Meghalaya, Manipur and
Arunachal Pradesh.
From Shillong, the Prime Minister
flew to Agartala where he addressed
a public gathering at Swami
Vivekananda ground on Sunday and
was due to inaugurate some projects
and lay the foundation stones for a
few other projects worth over `4,350
crores. The PM will also launch the
“Grih Pravesh” programme for ben-
eficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana (both urban and rural).
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | MONDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2022 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

19 DECEMBER 2022

Pak an irritant, keep eye

on key adversary China
T
he United States has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
call for cessation of hostilities and pursuing the path of diplomacy
to end the Ukraine war. The views of the US and the West may be
different when it comes to India buying loads of Russian oil at dis-
count, but they have been consistent in lauding India’s intent in calling for
an end to Ukraine hostilities first.
The world still believes the personal equation between Mr Modi and
Vladimir Putin might have a bearing on bringing about an end to a war
that has gone on for 10 months and is affecting all major economies while
enriching only the military-industrial complex as the West dispenses
weapons into the conflict in defence of Ukraine.
India’s opposition to war, consistent with the conciliatory stand of the
apostle of peace considered the father of the nation, is well known enough
though India did intercede militarily 50 years ago in the liberation of
Bangladesh. Extraordinary as the circumstances prevailing then were, it
suited India strategically as there was one less border to feel tense about.
In the next half century, India may have had to engage with Pakistan in
Siachen in 1999 and in more recent times to
LETTERS
Russian oil sanctions and
Pakistan foreign contend with China’s belligerence and its con-
minister Bilawal tinued transgression and encroachment in pur-
Bhutto’s response to suit of its territorial ambitions. Even then,
external affairs India’s aversion to war has always guided its ‘LOWER’ THAN THOU
foreign policy.
minister S. It is in this context that the noise Pakistan has

the Great Global Divide

Jaishankar bringing been making at the UN in most recent days Last week saw an
up Pakistan giving must be evaluated. It is risible that some lead- exchange of scathing
shelter to the terrorist ers must think it is time to keep reminding the salvos between India and
world periodically that Pakistan is a nuclear-
mastermind Osama armed country. While the world fears over the Pakistan at the UNSC
bin Laden was security of those nuclear deterrence assets, the Moreover, the tight mon-
meeting. The Pak foreign
India and China, two
contemptible latest round of sabre-rattling by the PPP leader etary policy by the US
Shazia Marri was as pointless as it was futile in of the world’s largest Federal Bank has pushed minister, Bilawal Bhutto
arguments between India and Pakistan.
Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s response to external affairs Indranil Banerjie oil importers badly
scalded by the huge
up the value of the dollar,
causing huge problems for
Zardari’s comments trig-
minister S. Jaishankar bringing up Pakistan giving shelter to the terror- the rest of the world as gered massive protests
rise in oil prices in
ist mastermind Osama bin Laden was contemptible. Mr Jaishankar may
2022, have been
their currencies have fall- across the country. Amid
have used the Osama peg to bring out irrefutable links to Pakistan as a en. Imports, including oil
state that has been known to sponsor terror aimed at neighbours like buying Russian oil in and food, have suddenly intense protests against
India and Afghanistan. never before become more expensive Mr Zardari’s objection-

O
Over time, India has heard much at the UN from Pakistani representa- n December 5
tives. Many of the references to the Kashmir issue are old hat as they date this year, the
back to about 75 years. In its current state, the UN is a body that is power- Western pow-
less to do anything about the world’s conflicts. But Pakistan has been ers slammed
known as a past master at the art of using the forum to rave and rant. India the gates shut
may ignore much of it as white noise associated with UN debates, but the on sea-borne Russian oil
reference made last week to India’s Prime Minister in relation to Osama exports and imposed puni-
was shocking. tive sanctions on its sale to
The ground realties are influenced by action and not words. Pakistan other countries. Any
may fulminate in verbal aggression, but China is the adversary that is country buying oil from
tensing up the border, even opening a new front with the biggest of the lat- Russia below an arbitrari-
est skirmishes occurring on the Arunachal border. That is where India’s ly set cap of $60 per barrel
military preparedness will be tested and that is where India’s focus must would be penalised, the
lie. concerned companies
sanctioned and tankers
carrying Russian crude
denied insurance and
finance. The idea is to
squeeze Russia’s revenues
Building fences with states’ help from hydrocarbon sales
while at the same time
ensuring that its oil does
tonic shift in global
geopolitics. It is because
this move vastly exacer-
bates several existing and
growing fault lines across
the globe. This is the first
cause of serious strain on
the existing global
order.
The nine set of sanctions
on Russia, including the
freezing of over $300 bil-
lion worth of Russian for-
eign currency and gold
assets by Western govern-
ments in February this
year, the clampdown on
technology and other
exports, have effectively
cut off Russia from the
rest of Europe, perhaps
from all of the West. It is as
quantities. Several
European nations too
continue to do so.
was the last nail in the cof-
fin of Russo-European
trust.
Pushed to the wall,
Russia believes it is fight-
ing a war of survival in
Ukraine and has been
forced to strengthen its
anti-Western associations.
The result is the emer-
gence of the Russia-China
combine, which today
constitutes the nucleus of
a nascent world power
bloc. How this new power
centre will evolve and
and external debt servic- able remarks on PM
ing costs have risen to
unbearable levels. Modi, a local BJP leader
Russia, as a result, in UP Manupal Bansal on
instead of being isolated,
has found new supporters Saturday said he would
the world over, even if give `2 crore as reward
most are in no mood to to anyone beheading Mr
take sides yet or to jump
onto the Russia-China Zardari. Isn’t this state-
bandwagon that has just ment in bad taste just
got going.
What is certain however like the remark made by
is that most countries will the Pak FM?
keep their options open
especially when it comes
Sankar Paul
to business. For instance, Chakdaha, West Bengal
a recent Nikkei report
said that the Asean mem-
COLOURED PERSPECTIVE
bers have actually
increased exports to
Russia after the Western TO DIVERT public attention from

G
ood fences make good neighbours,” said English poet Robert Frost. not altogether stop so that
It’s very true of individual neighbours. Countries have, however, prices do not spiral out of
proved that thick and strong boundary walls are not the exact way control and precipitate a
to keep good neighbourly relations; something like a line would do global catastrophe.
between two peoples who have, in the course of time, become part of two On the face of it, these
countries but share a common past and hope for a shared future. And sanctions do not appear to
boundaries keep changing. be earth-shattering. After
India has a couple of difficult neighbours which, together with it, once all, the Western powers
made one of the biggest nations on earth. Three quarters of a century is a have a long history of pun-
long enough period for its peoples to bring down the artificial walls and ishing nations deemed
look forward to a journey together. Unfortunately, that option is not open recalcitrant or trouble-
to India as the porous borders bring only infiltrators; not friends and some. The West has used
brothers. Hence, the second option is to build strong fences and keep them sanctions of one sort or
thusly. the other against several
Union home minister Amit Shah would want the governments of the bor- countries in recent times,
der states in the east to be part of the Government of India’s efforts to build including Iran (for not
those strong fences. It has so far been the job of the Union government, ending its nuclear
which has been meeting its commitment using various agencies such as weapons programme),
the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Venezuela (for its hostility
the defence forces. Mr Shah would now want the state governments to also to the United States) and
do part of the job. He wants state governments of West Bengal, Bihar, now Russia for invading
Odisha, Jharkhand and Sikkim to equally share the responsibility with Ukraine.
the BSF in protecting the international borders of the country in the Several other countries
region. The state governments should proactively help the BSF to build its and entities have been
infrastructure so that border security can be beefed up, he has told them. sanctioned from time to
Some chief ministers have complaints about the Union government and time. China has been tar-
the BSF and also issues amongst themselves. Mr Shah has proposed a geted time and again and
mechanism to settle them. It is a welcome move when the Union govern- in the latest round, US
ment acts in the spirit of cooperative federalism. Securing the borders can companies have been
undoubtedly be one such move. But it should not be a burden, especially banned from supplying
in the financial sense, on the states. advanced semiconductors
to China. Last week, even
a director of an Indian
company was sanctioned
by Washington for “mate-
rial support” to a North
THE ASIAN AGE Korean animation studio.
Bangladesh’s Rapid
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR Action Battalion (RAB)
Editor Printer & Publisher
continues to be under US
THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: sanctions for “gross
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: human rights abuses”.
(011) 23211124. The list is long and sanc-
Published and Printed on behalf of and for tions a favoured tool.
◗ Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New
This time, however, the
Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301.
◗ London: Quickmarsh Ltd, 8th Floor, Block 2, Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NQ. sanctions imposed on
RNI Registration number: 57290/94 Russia could presage a tec-
if a second Iron Curtain
has descended across
Europe 33 years after the
last one was torn down.
One result of this is the
coalescing of Russian and
Chinese interests. China
too has been bristling
against the Western
moves, particularly by the
United States, which has
challenged Chinese
expansionism in Asia, its
attempts to build a high
technology economy by
stealing Western technolo-
gy and open aim of bring-
ing down America’s world
dominance.
Increasingly cut off from
Europe, with which
Russia has been trying to
integrate ever since the
disintegration of the
Soviet Union, Moscow is
now looking to life with
new allies and the cre-
ation of a new geopolitical
power bloc. At the time of
the dissolution of the
Soviet Union, Russia had
been promised by the
Western powers that the
Cold War was genuinely
over and that Nato would
not expand eastward at
the cost of Russian strate-
gic interests. That
promise was never kept
and one nation after
another in Eastern
Europe was gradually
swallowed up by Nato,
which by the beginning of
this year had reached
Ukraine, the last stop
before Russia itself. This
what its consequences
could be is not clear at this
juncture but geopolitically
speaking, it is back to the
future, and a not very
bright one at that.
A second set of strains
on the global order have
emerged due to the impact
of recent Western deci-
sions on the rest of the
world. As the West gets
tougher and tougher in
the pursuit of its strategic
goals, the rest of the world
suffers. Most countries,
the emerging economies
in particular, have been
badly singed by Western
financial actions in recent
years.
Western sanctions on
three of the world’s top oil
producers — Russia, Iran
and Venezuela — have
steadily pushed oil prices
to extreme levels, hurting
the balance of payments of
most countries and stunt-
ing their growth as well.
Not surprisingly, the lat-
est sanctions on Russian
oil have seen many non-
Western nations rushing
to Russia to buy oil on
offer at discounted prices.
India and China, two of
the world’s largest oil
importers badly scalded
by the huge rise in oil
prices in 2022, have been
buying Russian oil in
never before quantities.
Several European nations
too continue to buy oil
from Russia even after the
sanctions.
sanctions kicked in. The
same is true of a major
economy like India.
Not surprisingly, Russia
continues to rake in for-
eign exchange. One report
said Russia’s current
account surplus more
than doubled to $225.7 bil-
lion in January-
November, up from $108.6
billion in the same period
last year. The oil sanc-
tions are unlikely to work
as more and more coun-
tries are lining up for
cheaper Russian oil. This
trend will intensify as the
world’s economic condi-
tion worsens.
The Western sanctions
on Russia sparked by the
Ukraine war signal a turn-
ing point in the global
geopolitical order. It could
also be the start of desper-
ate times. For, history sug-
gests punitive actions by
the Western powers have
often backfired. One
notable example is the
Treaty of Versailles,
which was forced down
Germany’s throat after its
defeat in the First World
War. The harsh terms of
that treaty devastated
Germany, stripped
German pride, and paved
the way for the rise of
Adolf Hitler and his Nazi
Germany.
The writer is an inde-
pendent commentator
on political and security
issues
the Tawang incident, the govern-
ment has found refuge behind
Deepika Padukone’s saffron dress.
What a shame that a government
elected to serve the people is busy
“changing clothes” of the film fra-
ternity. What business does a gov-
ernment have if a song is pic-
turised by an actress wearing a saf-
fron costume? Haven’t we seen so
many scenes that depict “babas” in
saffron getup? The so-called
upholders of religion didn’t see
anything objectionable there.
Probably, the “problem” is not the
colour of the bikini but the pres-
ence of Shah Rukh Khan, because
it is that fact alone that has helped
them politicise the matter.
Syed Abdul Monim
Navi Mumbai
REVISIT PROHIBITION
IT IS UNFORTUNATE that more
than 70 people have died in Bihar
after consuming country liquor. It
is often observed that, wherever
prohibition is implemented, it has
encouraged bootlegging. Bihar
chief minister Nitish Kumar has
said “jo piyega woh marega” and
has also declined to give any com-
pensation to the families of
deceased persons. It may be a cor-
rect step, but there is no harm in
reviewing the prohibition policy.
However, strict action should be
taken against the bootleggers.
D.B. Madan
New Delhi
`500 for the best letter of the
week goes to Shalini Gerald
(Dec. 18). Email:
asianage.letters@gmail.com.

F
or Western hegemony to continue, Russia
must be defeated in Ukraine. But the oppo-
site outcome seems to be emerging. Europe
is now speaking in two voices. First, a cho-
Saeed Naqvi rus of unity against Russia’s “unprovoked inva-
sion” of Ukraine. Second, Germany, France and
some others leaking self-serving blueprints of a
Wide Angle new order.
A change in the world order means gains and
losses. The United States and the West will, soon-
er or later, lose their dominance. The tools used to
advance their control of the world order will now
be employed to stall the decline: such as accelerat-
As Germany was an enemy of the Western allies
in the two world wars, a degree of anti-German
prejudice was passed on everywhere, even in the
schools in former colonies, such as India. A great
deal of the prejudice was drawn from war movies,
of great escapes, clever spies, in each one of which
the Germans were the butt of malicious humour.
During the Cold War, Germany receded as an
issue but surfaced again once the Soviet Union col-
lapsed in 1991-92. What was the need for Nato? On
a visit to Finland, Margaret Thatcher was point-
edly asked: “The Soviet Union no longer exists.
What then is the need for Nato and for Britain’s
causes of Operation Desert Storm is to this day
shrouded in mystery. In a routine conversation
with Ms Glaspie, Saddam Husain complained of
Kuwait encroaching on Iraqi oil-bearing land.
Wikileaks made public the memo Ms Glaspie sent
to the state department based on her conversation
with Saddam Husain. “The US government takes
no position on Iraq’s border dispute with Kuwait”.
This is on record. Was Saddam guilty of moving
into Kuwait assuming that the “US took no posi-
tion” on the dispute?
It turns out it wasn’t a story relevant to West
Asia alone, Mrs Thatcher and President George
in Baghdad. It was the global media, exactly the
one being used brazenly since the beginning of the
Ukraine war.
Peter Arnett of CNN beamed the war in real time
from the terrace of Al-Rashied Hotel in Baghdad.
This was the first time a war was brought live into
the world’s drawing rooms. This was to become a
great resource for mobilising public opinion ac-
ross the globe. By the same token, it had the power
to divide the world, pit one group against the
other. Just one telecast of Desert Storm divided
the world into two inimical and sets of audiences
— the triumphant West and a defeated, humiliat-

America’s dream ing Nato’s eastward expansion.

Lord Ismay, Nato’s first secretary-general, had
succinctly outlined the alliance’s purpose: to keep
nuclear arsenal?”
“We still have a problem in the Middle East”, she
retorted. Informed circles in London and
Bush, Senior, drummed up an international
“Coalition of the Willing” to oust Saddam from
Kuwait. With the Soviets out of the way, it was
ed Iraq — which had the sympathy of the entire
Muslim world. Some of this stimulated antipathy
gave a shot in the arm to Muslim terrorism.

world order needs the Soviet Union out of Europe, the Americans in Washington began to touch on the German ques- said then wars would now not be between the “In 1990, at the closing stage of the Conference on
and the Germans down. In a lucid opening state- tion in a new context. The Soviet Union’s collapse West and East, they would be between North and Security and Cooperation in Europe Summit in
ment to the media on European security issues, was cause for celebrations in the West, of course, South. Is Ukraine an exception? Paris, US secretary of state James Baker warned
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov used but the fall of the Berlin Wall led the West to take France’s President Francois Mitterrand, who the US President that the CSCE might pose a

Russia, Europe to Lord Ismay’s quote to explain his understanding

of the Ukraine conflict.
“What is happening now is nothing short of
be on their knees
returning to the alliance’s conceptual priorities
from 73 years ago. Nothing has changed,” he said.
Nato wants to keep the Russians “out”, the
American dream of keeping not just Germany but
the whole of Europe “down”. Mr Lavrov was par-
ticularly severe: “The US has in fact already
enslaved the entire European Union.”
note alarmingly of a reunified Germany.
A reunified Germany may be tempted to seek a
greater role in the post-Soviet world order. This id-
ea must not be allowed to germinate. It was to nip
it in the bud that Operation Desert Storm was
launched in 1991. It was ostensibly to free Kuwait,
which Saddam Husain had occupied. Had he mis-
read a signal from April Glaspie, the US ambas-
sador in Baghdad?
A key event (or non-event) cited as one of the
probably understood the real game, initially
refused to be part of the “coalition” being put
together by the two Anglo-Saxon cousins. In
Baghdad I realised how Mitterrand had gauged
the “coalition” intentions correctly. During mili-
tary action there were two separate briefings: one
for American journalists, another for the British.
The rest of the world press twiddled their thumbs.
The other key instrument the West uses to con-
trol the post-Soviet world order was inaugurated
threat to Nato. It revealed the US mindset”, said
Mr Lavrov. By persisting with Nato’s expansion
from 16 to 32 states, James Baker’s intellectual
descendants are averse to anything resembling
the CSCE becoming a genuine bridge between
East and West. The pursuit is for war to avert the
end of Western hegemony.
The writer is a senior journalist and
commentator based in New Delhi
 WORLD
THE ASIAN AGE | MONDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2022 | NEW DELHI
IN
Tunisian Oppn
BRIEF
asks Prez to quit
Tunis: Tunisian opposition fig-
ures called Sunday for the presi-
dents resignation after disas-
trous parliamentary elections in
which less than 9% of voters
cast ballots. The mass voter dis-
avowal was a dramatic develop-
ment for the country that was
the birthplace of the Arab Spr-
ing uprisings against autocratic
leaders a decade ago and the
only one to emerge from that
upheaval with a democratic poli-
tical system. The elections Satur-
day were meant to replace and
reshape a legislature that Presi-
dent Kais Saied dissolved last
year.
Israel deports
activist to France
Jerusalem: Israel on Sunday
deported a Palestinian lawyer
and activist to France, claiming
he has ties to a banned militant
group, drawing a rare condem-
nation from the French govern-
ment. The expulsion of Salah
Hammouri underscored the frag-
ile status of Palestinians in
Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem,
where most hold revocable resi-
dency rights but are not Israeli
citizens. It also worsened a
brewing diplomatic spat with
France, which had repeatedly
appealed to Israel not to carry
out the expulsion.
Iran urged to free
top actor over stir
Paris: Celebrities and rights gro-
ups called on Iran on Sunday to
free actor Taraneh Alidoosti, one
of the most prominent figures
yet arrested in its three-month
crackdown on protests. Alid-
oosti, 38, was arrested on
Saturday, official media said,
after making a string of social
media posts supporting the
protest movement including
removing her headscarf and con-
demning the execution of pro-
testers. The unrest was sparked
by the September 16 death in
custody of Mahsa Amini, 22,
whom the morality police
accused of violating the Islamic
republic's strict dress code for
women. Iran blames the USand
other “enemies” for trying to
destabilise the country
by fuelling the
demonstrations.
No clear winner in
Fiji vote counting
Suva: Fiji's tumultuous general
election ended in a cliffhanger
Sunday, with two rival ex-coup
leaders failing to win a clear
majority and needing to woo a
kingmaking minor party to
secure power. Incumbent Prime
Minister Frank Bainimarama’s Fiji
First party and an opposition
coalition led by Sitiveni Rabuka
were both projected to secure
26 seats in the 55-seat legisla-
ture, according to a Fijian
Election Office tally. Fiji has
been upended by four coups in
the past 35 years, and many on
the streets of its capital, Suva,
had hoped in vain for a smooth
election.
India, Lanka launch
ferry service
Colombo: Sri Lanka and India
will start a passenger ferry serv-
ice next month between
Kankesanthurai port in Jaffna
district and Pondicherry, accord-
ing to media reports. Ports,
Shipping, and Civil Aviation
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva
said arrangements were made to
start the ferry service in mid-
January next year, Colombo
Page reported. The minister said
the Indian government had
extended consent for the serv-
ice, Daily Mirror reported.
Indian held for
killing wife, kids
London:The male suspect being
questioned by UK police in con-
nection with the murder of an
Indian nurse and her two chil-
dren has been charged with
three counts of murder and will
appear in court on Monday. Saju
Chelavalel, 52, known locally as
the husband of the deceased
nurse Anju Asok, was charged
by Northamptonshire Police on
Saturday night with the murder
of 35-year-old Asok, six-year-old
Jeeva Saju and four-year-old
Janvi Saju. The police also con-
firmed the cause of death for all
three victims as asphyxiation.
Our thoughts continue to be
with the family of Anju, Jeeva
and Janvi, who we are deter-
mined to seek justice for, said
Detective Inspector Simon
Barnes, the Senior Investigating
Officer in the case. Sarah Powell,
head teacher at Kettering Park
Infant Academy where the two
children went to school, said
they were “devastated” by the
news of the deaths. Tributes
have continued to pour in
for the deceased, with
flowers and notes left near
the family's home
in Kettering.
TERRORIST ATTACK
IN PAKISTAN KILLS
4 POLICEMEN
Peshawar, Dec. 18: Four
Pakistani police officers
were killed and another
four critically wounded
Sunday when suspected
militants attacked a
police station in the
country's volatile north-
west, police said.
The suspects used
grenades and automatic
weapons on the station
in Lakki Marwat district
before fleeing the scene
overnight, said Nawaz
Khan, an officer of the
targeted police station.
Khan said police on
duty retaliated and
called for reinforcement
before the attackers,
their ammunition appa-
rently exhausted, fled
the scene before help
arrived. Police were
searching for the attack-
ers. No group immedi-
ately claimed responsi-
bility for the attack, but
previous attacks on
police in the district
have been claimed by
Pakistani Taliban, also
known as Tehreek-e-
Taliban Pakistan, TTP.
Last month, militants
ambushed a routine
police patrol, killing all
six policemen in the
vehicle in the Dadewala
area of the Lakki Mar-
wat district. The Paki-
stani Taliban claimed
responsibility for the
Dadewala ambush. The
militant group is sepa-
rate but allied with the
Afghan Taliban. —AP
7 IRAQI POLICE
KILLED IN I.S.
ATTACK: POLICE
Kirkuk, Dec. 18: At least
seven members of Iraq's
federal police were killed
Sunday during an attack
near Kirkuk in the coun-
try’s north, where rem-
nants of Islamic State
group jihadists are
active, police and gov-
ernment sources said.
A bomb blast initially
targeted a truck trans-
porting the men. It was
followed by “a direct
attack with small arms”,
near the village of Cha-
lal al-Matar, a federal
police officer who attrib-
uted the assault to IS,
told on condition of ano-
nymity. No group imme-
diately claimed resp-
onsibility for the attack.
“An assailant has been
killed and we are looking
for the others,” the offi-
cer said, adding that two
policemen were also
wounded in the attack.
In Baghdad, an official
from the Ministry of
Interior confirmed the
attack, saying seven pol-
ice, including one officer,
were killed.
IS group seized large
swathes of Iraqi and
Syrian territory from
2014, declaring
“caliphate” where they
a month's
ruled with brutality
before the jihadists’ def-
eat in late 2017 by Iraqi
forces backed by a US-led
military coalition. The
US-led anti-IS coalition
continued a combat role
in Iraq until December
last year, but roughly
2,500 American soldiers
remain in the country as
trainers.
— AFP
UN draft deal to Arak considered ‘Drink of companionship’, used with meals
save nature ready Palestinian reviving Christmas ‘spirit’
Montreal, Dec. 18: With
U.N. negotiations on a
new global deal to protect
nature in their final 48
hours, China on Sunday
released a proposed text
that will shape any agree-
ment on conserving the
world's wild places and
species.
The presidency of the
Montreal summit is held
by China, which is
responsible for releasing
the draft text, based on
the last two weeks of
negotiations, as the best
compromise for parties to
discuss going forward.
Ministers from nearly
200 governments now
need to hammer out the
details by Monday.
Policymakers hope this
can provide a framework
to conserve nature
through 2030 similar to
that which began with an
international pact to
limit planet-warming car-
bon emissions struck in
Paris in 2015.
The text, containing 23
12 killed in Afghanistan UK not to budge
tanker blast in tunnel on nurses’ salary
37 injured at landmark tunnel, toll could rise, says Taliban
Kabul, Dec. 18: An acci-
dent in the landmark
Salang alpine tunnel that
connects Afghanistan’s
capital to its north killed
at least 12 people and
injured dozens, authori-
ties said on Sunday.
Thirty-seven people
were injured in the acci-
dent in Salang Tunnel,
located about 90 km (56
miles) north of Kabul,
according to Qari Yusuf
Ahmadi, deputy
spokesperson for the
Taliban-run administra-
tion.
“The Islamic Emirate
expresses its deepest con-
dolences to the families of
the victims and ... it also
calls on all relevant agen-
cies to make more and
serious efforts to prevent
the recurrence of such
terrible incid-
ents,”Ahmadi said.
Local broadcaster Tolo,
citing the Ministry of
Public Works, said a fuel
truck had overturned and
caught fire in the tunnel
on Saturday night.
The blaze had been
extinguished on Sunday
but the tunnel was closed
to traffic and casualties
could rise, according to
the Ministry spokesper-
son. — Reuters
Sweet visit
Pope Francis greets children and staff of the Santa Marta Dispensary, which is dedi-
cated to helping infants in need, during a private audience at Paul-VI hall in the
Vatican on Sunday.
Nepal Prez fixes 1 week for govt
Kathmandu, Dec. 18: Nep-
al’s president on Sunday
called on the country's
political parties to try to
form the new government
within a week after last
inconclusive
national election.
The ruling alliance, led
by the Nepali Congress
party of Prime Minister
Sher Bahadur Deuba, and
the main opposition Nepal
Communist Unified Mar-
xist-Leninist (UML) party
need the support of small-
er groups to form a new
government.
Nepal, a country of 30
million people that is
squeezed between China
targets, reflects consen-
sus on protecting 30% of
land and coastal and
marine areas by 2030, a
target informally known
as 30-by-30. This has come
to be seen as a landmark
goal for efforts to protect
nature.
However, the 30-by-30
target does not contain a
global goal and makes
limited mention of the
ocean, which could leave
international waters
unprotected.
Financial mobilization
has remained another
key sticking point at the
talks, and the draft puts
forward allocating $200
billion per year for con-
servation initiatives - a
target seen as critical for
the successful implemen-
tation of any deal.
Developing countries
were pushing for half of
that - $100 billion per year
- to flow from wealthy
countries to poorer
nations.
— Reuters
Doctors collect the bodies of victims in a fuel tanker explosion in the Salang Tunnel
through the Hindu Kush mountains, north of Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday.
Pak clerics visit Kabul for talks
Islamabad, Dec. 18: A dele-
gation of Pakistani clerics
will travel to Afghanistan
this week to hold talks
with Afghan officials to
end the cross-border hos-
tility in southwestern
‘PRACHANDA’ CALLS DEUBA, WISHES
TO BECOME NEPAL’S NEXT PREMIER
Kathmandu, Dec. 18:
Pushpa Kamal Dahal
‘Prachanda’, the chair-
man of the CPN-Maoist
Centre, has met Nepal
Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba and
reportedly expressed his
desire to become the
country's new premier, as
the two leaders discussed
and India, has seen ten
government changes since
the abolition of 239-year-
old monarchy in 2008.
FESTIVE | JOY
Beit Jala (West Bank), Dec
18: In a small distillery
just outside Bethlehem in
the Israeli-occupied West
Bank, a clear liquid drips
out of a copper pot still
into a stainless steel bar-
rel, ringing like church
bells. Every year with the
start of Advent, which
arrives shortly after the
end of the grape harvest,
Nader Muaddi prepares a
new batch of arak, an
anise-flavoured spirit. The
drink, which turns milky
white when mixed with
water and ice, pairs per-
fectly with Levantine cui-
sine, particularly mezze
and grilled meats.
“Arak is used to bring
people together around a
meal, to share conversa-
tion, to strengthen rela-
tionships, and that's what
we do around the holiday
season,” Muaddi said. “So,
it’s not only the spirit of
Palestine, it’s our
Christmas spirit.”
Arak was first produced
in Iraq more than a thou-
sand years ago and is con-
Chaman border region,
authorities said on
Sunday.
The four-member delega-
tion will hold meetings
with officials from the
Afghan ministry of
— AFP
how to take the ruling
coalition forward and
form the next govern-
ment. The meeting on
Saturday assumes signifi-
cance as President Bidya
Devi Bhandari is consid-
ering calling the political
parties to put forward
their claims to form the
next government. —PTI
The political instability
has hit economic growth
and spooked investors.The
ruling alliance secured
PREMIUM DRINK
● ARAK, is an anise-flavoured
spirit. The drink, which turns
milky white when mixed with
water and ice, pairs perfectly
with Levantine cuisine,
particularly mezze and grilled
meats.
● TRADITION has largely
continued in
neighbouring
countries like
Lebanon and Syria,
of registered Palestinian
he said, it ended for businesses are small or
Palestinians when
medium in size, said Adel
home distilling Hodali, treasurer of the
became prohibited Bethlehem Chamber
under British and
then Jordanian rule.
sidered the oldest distilled
spirit. Historically, fami-
lies across the Levant pro-
duced their own wine and
arak, which they would
share with guests visiting
during Christmas.
Christians make up a
small fraction of the
— AP
defence and key Taliban
leaders in Kandahar and
Kabul, the Chaman dis-
trict administration was
quoted as saying by The
News International news-
paper. — PTI
N. KOREA FIRES
2 MISSILES THAT
CAN HIT JAPAN
Seoul, Dec. 18: North
Korea test-fired a pair of
nuclear-capable ballistic
missiles with a range of
striking Japan on Sun-
day, in a possible protest
of Tokyo’s adoption of a
new security strategy to
push for more offensive
footing against North
Korea and China. The
launches also came two
days after the North clai-
med to have performed a
key test needed to build
a more powerful inter-
continental ballistic mi-
ssile designed to strike
the US mainland. The
two missiles travelled at
a maximum altitude of
550 kilometers accord-
ing to the South Korean
and Japanese govern-
ments. — AP
136 seats in the election,
two less than the required
majority of 138 in the 275-
member House of Repres-
entatives. The UML and
its allies won 92 seats.
A statement from Pre-
sident Bidhya Devi Bha-
ndari's office said: “Any
member of the House of
Representatives, who can
command the majority
with the support of two or
more parties” should
stake a claim for being
appointed as PM by 5 p.m.
on Dec. 25. “We will dis-
cuss about government
formation under our lead-
ership,” Nepali Congress
party said. — Reuters
More than
95%
● ARAK was first produced in
Iraq more than a thousand years
of Commerce. ago and is considered the oldest
distilled spirit.
Palestinian population in before it turned into vine-
the West Bank, Gaza and gar, said Muaddi. While
East Jerusalem. Many live that tradition has largely
in Bethlehem, the tradi- continued in neighbour-
tional birthplace of Jesus, ing countries like Leba-
and its immediate sur- non and Syria, he said, it
roundings. ended for Palestinians
Making arak was a way when home distilling
to repurpose leftover wine became prohibited under
London, Dec. 18: The
British government is
“resolut” it will not budge
on nurses' pay, senior
minister Oliver Dowden
said on Sunday, ahead of
a planned second nation-
wide walkout by the pro-
fession over an average
pay offer of 4% while
inflation runs at more
than 10%.
An estimated 10,000
nurses in the state-funded
National Health Service
in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland plan to
walk out again on
Tuesday after staging str-
ikes on Thursday in pro-
test over the pay increase
they have been offered.
“We will be resolute in
response to this because
it will be irresponsible to
allow public sector pay
and inflation to get out of
control and we owe a
wider duty to the public
to make sure we keep our
public finances under
control,” Dowden told the
BBC's Sunday With Laura
Kuenssberg.
The Royal College of
Nursing union, which
says its members' real
term earnings have fallen
Qatar warns EU
over graft probe
Doha, Dec. 18: Qatar on
Sunday condemned a cor-
ruption investigation by
Belgium and the suspen-
sion of its access to the
EU parliament, saying it
could “negatively” impact
relations and natural gas
supplies.
A statement issued by a
Qatari diplomat singled
out Belgian authorities
for criticism and insisted
that “inaccurate” infor-
mation had been used.
Eva Kaili, a Greek MEP,
is one of six people
arrested after raids that
uncovered at least 1.5 mil-
lion euros ($1.6 million) in
cash. The money was
allegedly linked to a Gulf
state, and the EU parlia-
ment last week suspended
Qatar's access to the insti-
tution.
“The decision to impose
such a discriminatory
restriction that limits dia-
logue and cooperation on
Qatar before the legal
process has ended, will
negatively effect regional
and global security coop-
ANC MEETS TO ELECT RAMAPHOSA,
OR MKHIZE IN TIGHT ELECTION RACE
Johannesburg, Dec. 18:
Voting to elect a new
leader of South Africa's
ruling party was to get
underway late Sunday
afternoon, with the race
tightening between Pres-
ident Cyril Ramaphosa
and his former health
minister Zweli Mkhize.
Ramaphosa, 70, is
expected to be confirmed
in the role that opens the
way to being head of
state, despite a damaging
cash-heist scandal and
vociferous internal oppo-
sition. But observers said
the race looked closer
pg 6
by 6% in the last decade,
has called for a pay rise of
5% above the RPI rate of
inflation, which stood at
14% in November.
Its leader Pat Cullen
said on Friday that unless
ministers "start playing
ball by taking part in
meaningful negotiations"
over pay, nurses would
continue to take action.
"Governments have had
every chance to act but
they have chosen to turn
their backs on us," she
said. Dowden said nurses'
pay was recommended by
an independent pay rev-
iew body, which had det-
ermined that nurses
would receive a minimum
rise of 1,400 pounds, equ-
ating to about 4% on aver-
age.
Britain is facing a wave
of industrial action this
winter, including rail and
postal services as well as
healthcare. Ambulance
staff in England and Wa-
les are planning to strike
on Wednesday and on
Dec. 28, and Border Force
staff working in passport
control are also walking
out in periods over
Christmas. — REUTERS
eration, as well as ongo-
ing discussions around
global energy poverty and
security,” said the diplo-
mat. “We firmly reject the
allegations associating
our government with mis-
conduct,” the statement
added.
“Qatar was not the only
party named in the inves-
tigation, yet our country
has been exclusively criti-
cised and attacked.””We
have observed this week's
selective condemnation of
our country with great
alarm,” the statement
said.
Belgian prosecutors
said they had been inves-
tigating EU parliament
corruption for more than
a year before the raids
and arrests of the past 10
days. “It is deeply disap-
pointing that the Belgian
government made no
effort to engage with our
government to establish
the facts once they
became aware of the alle-
gations,” said the diplo-
mat. — AFP
than expected, with local
media reporting party
delegates from several
provinces shifting sup-
port to Mkhize.
More than 4,000 dele-
gates are to cast their bal-
lot to appoint seven top
leadership roles, includ-
ing party president,
deputy president, chair
and secretary general in
Johannesburg. “We're
seeing Ramaphosa mov-
ing from enjoying a com-
fortable lead. It's up in the
air right now,” independ-
ent political analyst Pearl
Mncube said. — AFP
British and then
Jordanian rule.
According to Muaddi,
licensed arak factories
eventually gave up on the
distillation process entire-
ly in an effort to reduce
costs and increase profits,
compromising its quality.
“When the quality of
arak went down, people
deserted it,” he said.
Among Palestinians, it
developed a bad reputa-
tion as “a drink for drunk-
ards”.
But for Muaddi, who
grew up in the United
States among Arab diaspo-
ra communities, arak was
at the centre of every feast
and fete.
“It’s the drink of com-
panionship,” he said.
When he returned to the
West Bank in 2007, he was
spending so much on pur-
chasing high-quality arak
from Syria and Lebanon, a
friend quipped that he
should consider making
his own — a challenge he
took on in 2010.
— Reuters
 MONDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2022 | NEW DELHI
quick Sunrise sectors stay
BITES bullish on hiring plan
INDICATORS % AMBANI’S NEW
Sensex 61,337.81 -0.75
Nifty 50 18,269.00 -0.79
S&P 500* 3,852.36 -1.11
Dollar (`)
Pound Sterling (`)
82.86
100.77
-0.12
-1.31
Euro (`) 88.21 -0.36
Gold (10gm)* (`) 54,194▲87 0.16
Brent crude ($/bbl)* 78.89 -2.86
IN 10-Yr bond yield 7.281 0.013
US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 3.499 0.046
* As of Friday/Saturday
Foreign funds
invest `10,555 cr
in December
Foreign investors continued
their positive momentum and
have injected a net `10,555
crore in Indian equities so far in
December amid stabilisation in
oil prices and moderating US
inflation. Going forward, FPI
flows are expected to be
volatile amid equity markets
worldwide witnessing increase
in volatility as global central
banks reiterate their intent to
keep policy rates high for an
extended period.
IIFCL sanctions
20 projects to
port projects
State-owned IIFCL has sanc-
tioned `8,244 crore loans to
about 20 projects to help add
836 million tonnes per annum
(MTPA) of ports capacity,
which is one-fourth of India’s
total cargo volumes, a top
company official said.
India’s total port capacity is
about 2,600 million tonnes per
annum. Of this, 12 major ports’
cargo handling capacity stood
at 1,598 MTPA as of March
2022.
Sebi keeps close
vigil on MCX’s
tech transfer
As top commodity exchange
MCX races against time to
move its trading technology
from erstwhile promoter 63
Moons, Sebi is keeping a close
vigil on mock trading sessions
and the transition process. In
the meantime, the matter has
reached Madras HC with an
investors group seeking a Sebi
probe into the exchange with
regard to the “integrity and
competence of technology” to
be adopted by MCX.
Centre plans to
auction 6 mine
blocks in Jan.
The government plans to put
on sale next month six mineral
blocks in the states of Odisha
and Rajasthan. Of these six
blocks to be auctioned, three
are bauxite mines and three
are limestone blocks. The three
bauxite blocks — Ballada,
Kutrumali and Sijimali — and
two limestone mines —
Garramura and Uskalabgu — in
Odisha are virgin blocks,
according to a latest report by
the mines ministry.
Printed & Published by
K. Sudhakar on behalf of
Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited.
Printed at BFL Infotech Ltd, C-9 Sector
3, Noida-201301. Published at 219, N D
Tiwari Bhawan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Marg, New Delhi-110002.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter, RNI
Registration number 30074/09,
Air surcharge Re 1. © All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or
in part without written permission of
The Editor,
Financial Chronicle ® is prohibited.
„ Green power, telcos, auto hold promise
SANGEETHA G.
CHENNAI, DEC. 18
While massive layoffs
have shaken tech startups
and companies in the big
tech space, some sunrise
sectors are actively hir-
ing. Some action on the
job front was witnessed in
manufacturing and auto-
motive sectors.
Electric vehicles and
renewable energy are two
sunrise sectors that have a
large hiring potential.
“Compared to the
January-March quarter,
hiring in this sector is up
35 to 40 per cent in the
December quarter. The
government sops for the
purchase of electric vehi-
cles, production-linked
incentives scheme for
automotive and auto com-
ponent manufacturing
and the overall push
towards electric mobility
have seen hundreds of EV
manufacturers increase
their workforce,” said
Aditya Narayan Mishra,
the chief executive officer
of CIEL HR Services.
According to him, apart
from electric vehicle man-
ufacturers, battery pro-
ducers and charging
infrastructure players are
also hiring. Research and
development initiatives of
these segments are
attracting talent.
According to manpower
consulting firm Team-
lease Services, charging
stations have been active-
ly hiring since the third
quarter of FY22 and they
are expected to create
10,000-12,000 jobs in top
cities.
Renewable energy is
INDIAN BANKS MULL
RUPEE TRADE WITH
BANGLADESH
New Delhi, Dec. 18: Banks
are looking at the possi-
bility of initiating rupee
trade with Bangl-adesh
and African countries
like Egypt as part of an
exercise to make rupee an
international currency,
sources said.
The overseas trade in
rupee would safeguard
the external sector from
fluctuation in the forex
market.
India imported goods
worth $3,520.83 million
from Egypt, of $1,004.24
million from Algeria and
$2,725.08 million from
Angola in the last finan-
cial year.
As far as Bangladesh is
concerned, the import in
the last year from the
neighbouring country
stood at $1,977.93 million,
according to the data pro-
vided by the commerce
ministry.
Currently rupee trade
arrangements are with
Russia, Mauritius and Sri
Lanka through Special
Rupee Vostro Account
(SRVA).
Indian banks have
already opened SRVA
with banks of these three
nations, operationalising
the rupee trade arrange-
ment. — PTI
All hotels have sold out rooms for winter season
HAPPY | TIME
Hotels back to pre-Covid yearend biz drive markets this week
New Delhi, Dec. 18: The domestic
hospitality industry is gearing up
to make the most of full-fledged
Christmas and New Year celebra-
tions this time around after two
years of washout by the pandemic,
with rooms at many hotels and
resorts already sold out.
As people seek to make up for the
winter holidays lost to Covid-19,
destinations like Karjat, Lonavala,
Vizag, Dharamshala, Udaipur,
Manali and Gir are witnessing good
demand, apart from traditional
popular places like Goa, Kerala and
Shimla.
“The year-end festive season looks
very positive and this year appears
to be one of the best years so far for
the hospitality sector,” Apeejay
Surrendra Park Hotels managing
director, Vijay Dewan said in an e-
mailed response.
He further said, “All our hotels are
gearing up for sold out spaces along
with high occupancy in rooms. This
year we have lined up some great
FUTURE PERFECT
Electric vehicles and
●
renewable energy are two
sunrise sectors that have a
large hiring potential.
● Apart from electric vehi-
cle manufacturers, battery
producers and charging
infrastructure players are
also hiring.
● Research and ● With the advent of 5G, the
development initia- telecom sector too will be in
tives in electric vehi- a position to offer technolo-
cles and battery mak- gy jobs and provide relief to
ers are also attract-
people laid off from tech
ing talent. companies.
another sector that is see-
ing a lot of action.
“In the solar and wind
energy space, several jobs
are up for grabs. Hiring is
robust for design, project
management, installation,
commissioning, quality
assurance and proposal
engineering in this sector.
The PLI scheme for solar
PV modules also has boos-
ted manufacturing jobs.
Compared to the March
quarter hiring has incre-
ased by 20 per cent in the
December quarter,” he
said.
The PLI scheme in the
automotive sector as well
as the buoyant automobile
sales during the festive
period has energized hir-
ing in the sector. In auto-
mobile hubs like Tamil
Nadu and Gujarat, 15 to 20
per cent increase has been
witnessed in the ongoing
quarter.
With the advent of 5G,
the telecom sector too will
be in a position to offer
Exporters seek easy credit, Micro loans up 11% to `71,916 cr
power waiver in Budget
New Delhi, Dec. 18:
Exporters have sought
support measures like
waiver of electricity duty
and easier availability of
credit in the forthcoming
Union Budget to boost the
country’s outbound ship-
ments.
According to exporters,
the finance ministry
needs to provide reason-
able funds to the depart-
ment of commerce not
only for the Remission of
Duties and Taxes on Exp-
orted Products (RoDTEP)
scheme reimbursement
but also for export promo-
tion and other initiatives.
Under the RoDTEP, vari-
ous central and state
duties, taxes and levies
imposed on input prod-
ucts, among others, are
refunded. They have also
suggested certain tweaks
in customs duties and
availability of credit at
affordable rates to boost
exports and create jobs.
Mumbai-based exporter
and chairman of The
Bombay Textile Research
Association S.K. Saraf
said exports are key driv-
ers to promote the coun-
try’s economic growth
and the Budget should
address issues being faced
by the sector.
Global factors, FIIs to
events during Christmas and New
Year’s which the guests missed out
during the last two years due to the
pandemic.”
Mahindra Holidays & Resorts
India managing director and CEO
Kavinder Singh, “If you really look
at it this year, this Christmas and
New Year will be the first proper
Christmas-New Year after 2020...if I
were to look at December occupan-
cy, in some of our resorts we have
FMCG BRAND
‘INDEPENDENCE’
EYES FOOD BIZ
New Delhi, Dec. 18:
Billionaire Mukesh
Ambani-led Reliance
will rival FMCG food
businesses of ITC, Tata
Consumer Products Ltd
and Adani Wilmar with
launch of brand ‘Indep-
endence’ for staples,
processed foods, bever-
ages and other daily
essentials, analysts
said.
Reliance Consumer
technology jobs and pro- Products Ltd (RCPL),
vide relief to people laid
off from tech companies.
While fund-starved tech
the newly set up FMCG
arm of Reliance Retail
Ventures Ltd (RRVL)
start-ups were seen laying last week made a foray
off their employees in into staples with launch
massive scale, some of the of brand Independence
start-ups which were able
to secure private equity
funds have not shied away
from hiring. Facility
in line with announce-
ment Ambani had made
at the company’s annu-
al shareholder meeting
Management firm, Unify earlier this year.
is one such start-up. It has The launch is only in
announced plans to Gujarat, possibly on a
recruit about 10,000 people pilot testing basis, and
over the next 12 months. has indicated that prod-
“Sebi plans to fast-track ucts would be afford-
the clearance of IPO docu- ably priced. Post devel-
ments in seven days. This opment of the brand, it
would encourage several will be rolled out natio-
companies to go public nally. It will be “compet-
and secure capital.
Further, once the simpli-
ing with Adani Wilmar
in edible oil, grains and
fied labour laws become
effective, hiring will get a
pulses; Patanjali Foods
in biscuits, edible oil,
boost. While the global atta; Parle and
recession and interest Britannia in biscuits;
rate hikes will have an Tata Consumer in puls-
impact on the job sce- es, packaged water; and
nario, there are sectors ITC in atta, biscuits,”
which are looking up,” Nomura said. — PTI
said Misra.
New Delhi, Dec. 18:
Microfinance loans in the
country grew by nearly 11
per cent to `71,916 crore
during the second quarter
of the current fiscal,
industry data showed.
Micro loans worth
`64,899 crore were dis-
bursed during the same
period a year ago.
In terms of volume, a
total of 1.81 crore loans
were disbursed during Q2
FY2022-23, as against 1.85
crore loans in Q2 FY2021-
22, as per the latest report
“The Budget should pro- by Microfinance Insti-
vide a mechanism for tutions Network (MFIN).
waiver of electricity duty According to the MFIN
for the units that are
exporting more than 50
Micrometer Q2 FY2022-23
per cent of their produc-
tion. Manufacturer expor-
ters who are exporting
more than 50 per cent of
their production should
Henkel re-enters consumer space
be granted a script equiva- New Delhi, Dec. 18:
lent to 2 per cent of their German consumer goods
exports to compensate for firm Henkel, which has re-
these handicaps that exp- entered the consumer
orters suffer. This com- market in India after
pensation cannot be seen around a decade, is bet-
as an incentive,” he said. ting on the beauty seg-
Exports provide high ment in which it is work-
quality employment, and ing to build a holistic hair
promote induction of solutions portfolio, a com-
technology, quality con- pany official said.
sciousness and infrastruc- With the consolidation of
ture development, he said. its consumer business at
“My dream Budget wo- the global level, led by a
uld be the one that makes successful merger of
exports as an engine of beauty care, laundry and
growth of the economy,” home divisions, Henkel
he added. — PTI foresees a powerhouse of
no space for even a single room
available in December because peo-
ple have all booked up.”
Even in 2021, he said the Christ-
mas and New Year celebrations we-
re marred after the outbreak of the
Omicron variant of the Covid-19,
which continued beyond January.
Now, Singh said, people are going
to Coorg, Gir, Shimla, Manali
beyond the usual destinations like
Goa, while some are even travelling
abroad to places like Singapore and
Dubai.
There is a very high level of occu-
pancy in the southern side, he said,
adding that in the western region
locations like Alibaugh and
Lonavala are already full.
“It’s a very, very big momentum
now in December and January,
aided by the holiday season, and
years of not being able to spend
time in this period of the year with
your loved ones, and that is really
aiding the momentum in December
and January,” Singh said. — PTI
Centre’s direct tax collection
rises 26% to `13.63 lakh cr
MADHUSUDAN SAHOO
NEW DELHI, DEC. 18
Aided by tax deducted at
source (TDS) and healthy
corporate advance tax
mop-up, the gross direct
tax collections have
grown 26 per cent to over
`13.63 lakh crore so far
this fiscal.
After adjusting for
refunds, the net direct tax
collection so far this fis-
cal stands at `11.35 lakh
crore, which is about 80
per cent of the full-year
Budget target, an official
government data showed
on Sunday.
With the robust tax
mop-up, it indicates that
the economy rebounded
from pandemic lows with
the rise in earnings of
both companies and indi-
viduals.
As the tax on corporate
and individual income
makes up for direct taxes,
Listed realty firms’ debt cost drops
RAVI RANJAN PRASAD
MUMBAI, DEC. 18
Despite repo rate hikes,
the average cost of debt
for the top listed real
estate companies is at its
lowest since the pandem-
ic, according to report.
The cost of debt for the
listed developers dipped to
8.14 per cent in the second
quarter of FY23 from 9.64
per cent in the fourth
quarter of FY20.
Despite the back-to-back
repo rate hikes in 2022, the
average cost of debt for
the top eight listed realty
players is at its lowest
since the pandemic, said a
report by real estate con-
report, the country’s
microfinance loan portfo-
lio stood at over Rs 3 lakh
crore at end-September
2022, serving 6.2 crore
unique borrowers with 12
crore loan accounts.
“The overall microfi-
nance industry currently
has a total gross loan port-
folio (GLP) of `3,00,974
crore as on September 30,
2022... an increase of 23.5
per cent year-on-year over
`2,43,737 crore as on
September 30, 2021,” the
report said.
Of the total micro loans
outstanding, the largest
share of 37.7 per cent is
held by 13 banks, amount-
international bestsellers
hitting the Indian market,
said Kartik Kaushik,
country head, Henkel
Consumer Brands, India
and South Asia Export.
Henkel has introduced
hair colourant brand
Schwarzkopf in the con-
sumer segment and also
plans to launch another
brand TAFT in India in
the near future. “Hair
colour is just the begin-
ning of the India journey.
The goal is to build a holis-
tic hair solutions portfo-
lio,” Kaushik said.
New Delhi, Dec. 18: The
domestic equity market
would focus on global
trends and foreign fund
trading activity this week
amid lack of any major
trigger at home, analysts
said.
“This week won’t bring
any significant cues, so we
may see a tussle between
bulls and bears. Because
the US market is current-
ly experiencing the sec-
ond wave of selling follow-
ing the Federal Open
Market Committee meet-
ing, its direction will con-
tinue to be crucial.
“Due to the fact that FIIs
were net sellers for a sig-
nificant portion of
December, institutional
flows will be another cru-
cial trigger,” said Santosh
Meena, Head of Research,
Swastika Investmart Ltd.
the Budget had estimated
direct tax collection of
`14.20 lakh crore this
financial year, higher
than the `14.10 lakh crore
collected last fiscal (2021-
22).
The gross collection of
direct taxes (before
adjusting for refunds)
stood at `13,63,649 crore
compared to `10,83,150
crore in the correspon-
ding period of the preced-
ing financial year, regis-
tering a growth of 25.90
per cent.
“The net direct tax col-
lection of `11,35,754 crore
(as on 17.12.2022) includes
corporation tax at
`6,06,679 crore (net of
refund) and personal
income tax including
Securities Trans-action
Tax (STT) at `5,26,477
crore (net of refund),” it
said adding, the refunds
worth about `2.28 lakh
crore have been issued
sultancy firm Anarock
Property Consultants.
The eight listed players
— Sobha, Puravankara,
Prestige Estates, Brigade
Enterprises, Mahindra
Lifespace Developers,
Godrej Properties, DLF
and Macrotech Develo-
pers — have consistently
reported their cost of debt
in investor presentations.
The listed players per-
formed well during the
pandemic, with their sales
share rising from 16 per
cent in FY20 to 23 per cent
in FY21. This was instru-
mental in reducing their
debt. The net debt of these
developers is down to
`20,800 crore by end of Q2
ing to `1,13,565 crore.
NBFC-MFIs are the sec-
ond largest provider of
micro-credit with a loan
amount outstanding of
`1,10,418 crore, account-
ing for 36.7 per cent of
total industry portfolio.
The average loan dis-
bursed per account during
the quarter stood at
`40,571, up by around 12
per cent against the same
quarter of financial year
2020-21.
Among others, small
finance banks (SFBs) have
a total loan amount out-
standing of `50,029 crore,
constituting a share of
16.6 per cent. — PTI
According to Kaushik,
there is a “bull run” for
hair solution products in
India and the growth tra-
jectory is high.
“The idea is to create a
structured distribution
network for B2C and then
get into these cutting-edge
products. We are an inter-
national powerhouse of
global brands,” the official
said.
“All the global brands at
some time or another,
depending on which stage
the market is, we intend to
get them,” he said. — PTI
Ajit Mishra, VP, techni-
cal research, Religare
Broking, said, in absence
of any major event, cues
from global indices, espe-
cially the US, would rem-
ain on participants’ radar.
The European Central
Bank and Bank of Eng-
land followed the US
Federal Reserve in increa-
sing policy rates and giv-
ing hawkish commentary,
sending equities tumbling
world-wide last week.
Past week, the Sensex
declined 843.86 points or
1.36 per cent, while the
Nifty shed 227.60 points or
1.23 per cent.
Lack of major triggers
will push the domestic
market to follow its global
peers this week, said
Vinod Nair, Head of Res-
earch at Geojit Financial
Services. — PTI
pg 7
till December 17, 2022, a
growth of 68 per cent
over the year-ago peri-
od,” it said.
The advance tax collec-
tion for the first, second
and third quarters of the
current fiscal at Rs 5.21
lakh crore showed a
growth of 12.83 per cent.
This includes corporate
tax at `3.97 lakh crore
and personal income tax
at `1.23 lakh crore.
“There has been a
remarkable increase in
the speed of processing
of income tax returns
filed during the current
fiscal, with almost 96.5
per cent of the duly veri-
fied ITRs having been
processed till December
17. “This has resulted in
faster issue of refunds
with almost a 109 per cent
increase in the number of
refunds issued in the cur-
rent financial year,” it
said.
FY23 — lower than the
pre-pandemic levels. It
was `24,500 crore by Q4
FY20 and had risen signif-
icantly to `42,900 crore by
the end of Q3 FY21.
Analysis of the financial
data of the top listed play-
ers reveals that with the
rise in sales revenue, their
average cost of debt has
reduced from 9.64 per cent
in Q4 FY20 to approxi-
mately. 8.14 per cent in Q2
FY23.
RERA implementation
and the IL&FS fiasco had
coupled with the econom-
ic downturn to create a
funding crunch in the
Indian real estate sector
from 2016-19.
JSPL TO INVEST
`7,930 CR UNDER
PLI SCHEME FOR
SPECIALTY STEEL
New Delhi, Dec. 18: Jindal
Steel and Power Ltd
(JSPL) will spend `7,930
crore under the PLI
scheme for specialty steel
to manufacture eight
types of high-end alloy in
the country, its managing
director Bimlendra Jha
said.
JSPL is one of the quali-
fiers of the government’s
production linked incen-
tive (PLI) scheme which
aims to increase the out-
put of value-added steel
using new age technolo-
gies in the domestic steel
sector.
On December 9, the gov-
ernment announced the
selection of 67 entries
with an investment poten-
tial of `42,500 crore under
the scheme. The proposed
investments are expected
to generate 70,000 job
opportunities and add 26
million tonnes of speciali-
ty steel capacity in the
country.
When asked about the
share of JSPL in the said
investment amount, Jha
replied, “Our commit-
ment to the PLI scheme
(for specialty steel) will be
around `7,930 crore.”
JSPL through sub-
sidiary company Jindal
Steel Odisha has submit-
ted the highest number of
entries to manufacture
eight types of specialty
steel products, he said.
Sharing the details of
the grades, Jha said the
company will make “HR
coil, sheets and plates API
GR which find applica-
tion in sectors like oil and
gas”. The high tensile
sheets which the compa-
ny would be manufactur-
ing under the PLI scheme
are used in structural
grade fabrication and aut-
omobile industry, he said.
Grades like auto-GR
steel AHSS and cold
rolled and coated prod-
ucts are used by the auto
sector, while the tin mill
products are used in the
tin and food processing
industry. — PTI
 Arabian N ghts
● ARGENTINA ● AUSTRALIA ● BELGIUM ● BRAZIL ● CAMEROON ● CANADA ● COSTA RICA ● CROATIA ● DENMARK ● ECUADOR ● ENGLAND
●FRANCE ● GERMANY ● GHANA ● IRAN ● JAPAN ● KOREA REPUBLIC ● MEXICO ● MOROCCO ● NETHERLANDS ● POLAND ● PORTUGAL

THE ASIAN AGE | MONDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2022 | NEW DELHI

● QATAR ● SAUDI ARABIA ● SENEGAL ● SERBIA ● SPAIN ● SWITZERLAND ● TUNISIA ● UNITED STATES ● URUGUAY ● WALES
pg 8
Great goals

Richarlison’s
acrobatic strike
T he most acrobatic goal of
the tournament came
from Brazil’s Richarlison. A
Vinicius cross with the out-
side of his right boot was
controlled by Richarlison
with his left foot, before he
spun around and leapt to
score with an outrageous
mid-air volley with his right. Argentina players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out against France. Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Kylian Mbappe reacts during the final.

LION-EL KING!
Salem’s stunner
shocked Argentina
A stunning
goal to
produce the
most stun-
ning result
as Saudi
Arabia upset
Argentina 2-
1 in their
o p e n e r.
Salem Al-
Dawsari
t u r n e d
sharply in the box before he
Messi wins World Cup Argentina edge France on penalties
shifted the ball past a third Doha, Dec. 18: Lionel Messi
and then, with Leandro saved his best for last on Argentina 3 CUP CHAMPS
Paredes lunging at him, Sunday, bringing the cur-
drilled an unstoppable shot tain down on his World (Lionel Messi 23-p, 108;
into the top far corner. Cup career by finally land- Angel Di Maria 36) (Last 10 editions)
ing the one major title that 2022 ARGENTINA
has eluded him. France 3
In the end, the greatest (Kylian Mbappe 80-p, 81, 2018 FRANCE
player of his generation, 118-p) 2014 GERMANY
possibly of all time, bowed
Argentina defeated France 2010 SPAIN
out with victory in
4-2 in a penalty shoot-out.
arguably the greatest 2006 ITALY
World Cup final of them Maria repeatedly down the
all. left flank. And when Di 2002 BRAZIL
It was a perfectly scripted Maria drew a foul from
farewell for the 35-year-old Ousmane Dembele inside 1998 FRANCE
Argentine captain, playing the area on 21 minutes, 1994 BRAZIL
Wout’s equaliser in what he has said will be
his fifth and final World
Messi stepped up to coolly
fire his team into the lead 1990 WEST
against Argentina Cup tournament. with a nerveless penalty, GERMANY
Messi was a beacon of his 97th international goal 1986
Itechnique
t wasn’t spectacular and it
didn’t take extraordinary
but Wout
calm amid frequent out-
breaks of pandemonium at
the Lusail Stadium as
and his 12th in World Cups.
Messi was buried under a
mountain of Argentine
ARGENTINA

Weghorst’s equaliser in the Argentina twice squan- team-mates in the celebra-

11th minute of injury time dered winning positions, tions that followed but he HIGHEST
was a moment of high eventually taking the title was soon back on his feet SCORERS WE’RE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!
drama. The Dutch got a free- on penalties after the game tormenting France.
kick five metres outside the finished 3-3 in extra-time. After a period of
IN CUP
HISTORY EXCLAIMED MESSI ON THE STADIUM
penalty area and Weghorst Before kick off, Argentine dominance, MICROPHONE AFTER HIS TWO GOALS AND

poked the ball in. Argentina’s raucous sup-
porters had roared their
appreciation as a giant tel-
Ramos’blistering evision screen played a
tribute to the late Diego
left-foot strike Maradona, with clips of
I t was a his legendary goal against
16
Messi produced a delight-
ful flick to send Julian
SUCCESSFUL SHOOTOUT SPOT-KICK HELPED
Alvarez racing into space ARGENTINA WIN THE TITLE.
down the right flank.
Alvarez found Alexis MIROSLAV
Mac Allister who in turn KLOSE, MESSI GETS THE GOLDEN BALL
picked out Di Maria who GERMANY (2002-14)

15 L
big deci- England at the 1986 World made it 2-0. ionel Messi on Sunday won the Golden Ball for the
sion to Cup. It looked like the party best player at this year’s World Cup after leading
l e a v e That was all the inspira- was starting early as a Argentina to victory in the final against France.
Cristiano tion Messi needed as he set subdued France Messi scored twice in the final in Doha, taking his tally
Ronaldo on about delivering struggled to get into of goals at the tournament to seven, and also scored in
the bench Argentina their first World the game. RONALDO, BRAZIL the shoot-out. Kylian Mbappe came second to Messi for
and in his Cup title in 36 years. Then suddenly out (1994-2006) that award but did win the Golden Boot for the tourna-
place start Maradona had also of nowhere Kylian ment’s top scorer with eight goals. Luka Modric came
the 21-year-
old Ramos. But the selection
choice proved inspired with
Ramos putting Portugal
inspired that 1986 win,
helping Argentina recover
after they gave up a 2-0 lead
before defeating West
Mbappe scored
twice in a minute
with less than 10
minutes remain-
14
GERD MULLER, WEST
third in the running for the best player after helping
Croatia finish third.
Meanwhile, Argentina's Emiliano Martinez took the
Golden Glove for the World Cup's best goalkeeper, while
ahead in the 17th minute Germany 3-2. ing to turn the his compatriot Enzo Fernandez, 21, was named the best
with a blistering left-foot Eight years ago, Messi game on its head. GERMANY (1970-74) young player.

13
strike on the turn from the had cut a forlorn figure, Still Messi
tightest of angles. finishing on the losing side would not be
as Argentina slumped to a denied.
Chavez’s free-kick 1-0 extra-time loss to
Germany at the Maracana JUST FONTAINE,
MBAPPE JOINS HAT-TRICK CLUB
vs Saudi Arabia
G
Stadium in the 2014 World eoff Hurst said he had enjoyed a “good run” after
Cup final. FRANCE (1958) France’s Kylian Mbappe became just the second

T
13
here have That defeat left Messi player after the England great to score a hat-trick
been very staring at the possibility of LIONEL MESSI SAVED HIS BEST FOR LAST, BRINGING THE in a World Cup final. Hurst had stood alone for 56 years
few long-range joining German legend CURTAIN DOWN ON HIS WORLD CUP CAREER BY FINALLY as the only player to score three goals in the showpiece
goals at this Karl-Heinz Rummenigge LANDING THE ONE MAJOR TITLE THAT HAS ELUDED HIM. match, with his treble central to England’s 4-2 extra-
World Cup and as the only man to captain In extra-time he tested IN THE END, THE GREATEST PLAYER OF HIS GENERATION, LIONEL MESSI, time win over the then West Germany at Wembley in
not many from his country to defeat in two France goalkeeper Hugo POSSIBLY OF ALL TIME, BOWED OUT WITH VICTORY IN 1966. But his feat was equalled on Sunday when
free-kicks. World Cup finals. Lloris with a rasping shot
ARGENTINA Mbappe’s treble helped France fight back from 2-0 down
ARGUABLY THE GREATEST WORLD CUP FINAL.
It soon became apparent as he attempted to drag (2006-22) and then 3-2 behind at the Lusail Stadium as the final
Published by K. Sudhakar for and on on Sunday, however, that Argentina to victory by 3-2. Wild celebrations fol- bling in the shoot-out -- he finished level at 3-3 after extra-time before Argentina
behalf of Deccan Chronicle Holdings
Limited at Jawaharlal Nehru National
Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Marg, New Delhi 110 002. and Printed by
him at BFL Infotech Limited, C – 9, Sector
Messi had no intention of
taking up membership of
that unwanted club.
Within minutes of the
kick off, Messi was into his
sheer force of will.
Then in the second peri-
od of extra-time, the little
magician struck again.
Lautaro Martinez’s shot
lowed but still France were
not beaten.
Argentina substitute
Gonzalo Montiel conceded
a late penalty in extra-time
famously missed a penalty
in the 2016 Copa America
defeat to Chile — he dis-
pelled it immediately as he
rolled home Argentina’s
12 12
Pele, Kylian
prevailed in a penalty shoot-out that capped a dramatic
match.
“Many congratulations to Mbappe, whatever happens
I’ve had a great run!,” Hurst tweeted after Mbappe
scored his third goal and second from the penalty spot.
– III, Noida – 201301. opening kick. From there
rhythm, demanding pos- was parried by Lloris and and Mbappe stepped up to Brazil Mbappe, But although the France striker was on target again
Editor – Kaushik Mitter,
session and conducting Messi, anticipating the make it 3-3 from the spot. his World Cup fate was left (1958-70) France when the match went to penalties, it was Argentina who
RNI Registration number 57290/94,
traffic with his customary rebound, jabbed home the Yet if there was any in the hands of his team- won 4-2 in the shoot-out.
Price in Nepal - Nep.Rs. 20.00
grace, picking up Angel Di finish from close range for chance of Messi crum- mates. — AFP (2018-22)
per copy.

OVERACHIEVERS YOUNG GUNS FALLEN GIANTS

Hits & M
orocco became the first
African side and the first
Arab team to reach the semi- A
clutch of young
players have
announced them- C
ristiano Ronaldo left the
pitch in tears after
Morocco ended his World

Misses
finals of a World Cup. And it was no
fluke. Walid Regragui's men, ranked
22nd in the world, beat Belgium and
drew with Croatia on the way to top-
Lionel Messi and Kylian ping their group before dumping
Mbappe have dazzled at 2010 champions Spain and Portugal
the World Cup in Qatar, out of the tournament.
while Morocco caught the Roared on by tens of thousands of
selves on football’s Cup dream. Neymar equalled
biggest stage in Qatar, Pele’s record haul of 77 goals
and already look like for Brazil but watched in agony
they belong. Manchester as his side lost to Croatia on
City forward Julian penalties in the quarter-finals.
Alvarez has already The Brazil great said he was
SUPERSTARS SHINE scored four goals while “psychologically destroyed”.
Portugal’s Goncalo

L
imagination of a continent fans and supported across Africa ionel Messi and Kylian Ramos smashed a hat-
on their run to the semi- and the Arab world, they came up Mbappe have certainly lived trick in a 6-1 win against EARLY EXITS
finals. But the host nation short in the semi-finals, losing 2-0 to up to their stellar billing. Switzerland after being

flopped badly, Germany
made a swift exit and
Cristiano Ronaldo discov-
ered he was no longer an
automatic pick for
Portugal. We look at the
hits and misses from a
month-long festival of
football.
Puerto Rican singer Ozuna (top left) performs
with Iraqi singer Rahma Riad (right) and US-
Nigerian singer Davido (top right) before the
start of the World Cup final on Sunday. — AFP
France, but they have broken new
ground. Japan shocked Germany
and Spain to top their group before
losing on penalties to Croatia in the
round of 16. South Korea underlined
the progress Asian football is mak-
ing by beating Portugal to qualify
from their group but came unstuck
against Brazil in the knockout.
The forwards took the battle for
the Golden Boot down to the wire.
Messi, 35, though lacking his for-
mer pace, has shown an uncanny
knack to turn on the style at key
moments, highlighted by his daz-
zling run to set up Julian Alvarez
for the third goal against Croatia
in the semi-finals.
Q
brought in to replace atar came into the World Cup with high
Ronaldo. England pair hopes as reigning Asian champions but
Bukayo Saka and Jude left their own party embarrassingly early.
Bellingham caught the They became only the second home team to
eye along with Dutch crash out of a World Cup in the group stage
Cody Gakpo, while after South Africa in 2010, losing all three of
Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol their matches and scoring just once. Four-time
enjoyed an outstanding winners Germany were also humiliated, exiting
tournament. at the group stage for the second straight Cup.