cmyk
THE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIA
WEATHER
Max: 29 CO
Min: 26OC
Rainfall: 4.4 mm
ASTROGUIDE
Sobakrithu: Karthigai 15
Tithi: Sathurthy
Star: Punarpoosam
Rahukalam:
10.30 am to 12 noon
Yamagandam:
3 pm to 4.30 pm
PRAYERS
Fajar: 5.30 am
Zuhar: 1.00 am
Asar: 4.00 pm
Maghrib: 5.46 pm
Isha: 7.30 pm
Andhra opens dam
gate, amid friction
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh
irrigation officials opened
one gate of the
Nagarjunasagar Dam on
Thursday to meet the drink-
ing water needs of the state,
an official said, which led to
some friction with their
Telangana counterparts.
Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation)
C Narayana Reddy said that
AP officials had no option
but to open the gate to
release 3,000 cusecs of
water as Telangana has been
allegedly creating hindrances
over the past nine years.
Nil pending from Centre
to Karnataka: FM
Bengaluru: Union Finance
Minister Nirmala Sithraman
on Thursday said there is
“nothing pending” from the
Central government to
Karnataka and the National
Disaster Response Fund
(NDRF) for the drought relief
to the state, which is due, will
be decided once the high-
power committee decides.
Speaking to reporters, she
said because Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has been
Chief Minister of a state for
more than 10 years, he
knows what it is for states to
get their money in time.
SC: Kerala Gov can’t
‘rubber-stamp’ decisions
New Delhi: Kerala Governor
Arif Mohammed Khan's role
came under critical scrutiny
by the Supreme Court which
on Thursday quashed the
reappointment of Gopinath
Ravindran as the vice chan-
cellor of Kannur University
and said as the chancellor of
the state's universities he
cannot “merely rubber-
stamp” an action taken else-
where or endorse a decision
made by someone else. The
top court was critical of the
fact that the office of the
chancellor, who is authorised
to act in such matters, let the
state government make
“unwarranted intervention”.
COUNTER POINT
IAF to get 97 Tejas jets in massive deal Dominant diplomat Kissinger dies
PAWAN BALI | DC
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
Defence Acquisition
Council (DAC), headed by
defence minister Rajnath
Singh, on Thursday, gave
initial approval to acquisi-
tion proposals worth Rs 2.23
lakh crore including pro-
curement of 97 Tejas Mark
1A light combat aircraft and
156 Prachand light combat
helicopters to enhance the
operational capabilities of
the Indian armed forces.
Indian Air Force has
already ordered 83 LCA
Mark1A fighter planes and
their deliveries are expect-
ed to start in Feb-March
2024. This will take up the
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GDP LEAPS
ECONOMY GROWS 7.6%IN
SEPT. QUARTER
Showing the resilience in the economy, India's
gross domestic product (GDP) for the second
quarter of the ongoing financial year acceler-
ated to 7.6 per cent. In comparison, the GDP
growth stood at 7.8 per cent in the first quar-
ter of FY24 and 6.1 per cent in the last quar-
ter of the previous financial year.
■ REPORT ON PAGE 8
PM: Uplift poor,
youth, women
DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
Asserting that the four
biggest "castes" for him
are the poor, youth,
women and farmers,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Thursday said
that the upliftment of
these sections will make
India a developed nation.
At a virtual interaction
with the beneficiaries of
various Central schemes
as part of the govern-
ment's Viksit Bharat
Sankalp Yatra, Mr Modi
faulted the past dispensa-
tions for acting like “mai-
baap” of citizens and
allowing their develop-
ment initiatives to be
guided by their vote bank
considerations.
In his address, the Prime
Minister said his work in
the last 10 years has led to
people having immense
confidence in his govern-
ment.
During the event, the
Prime Minister also
launched an initiative to
increase the number of
Jan Aushadhi Kendras,
which sell medicines at
INDIA EXPECTS
ROAD MAP FOR
CLIMATE FINANCE
DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
India “expects a clear
roadmap to be agreed at the
Conference of Parties or
COP28 on climate finance,
which will be important for
delivering on the new col-
lective quantified goals”,
foreign secretary Vinay
Kwatra said at a special
briefing on Thursday as
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi left for Dubai to
attend the World Climate
Action Summit.
The Prime Minister will
deliver his address at the
opening session of the
World Climate Action
Summit on Friday.
“Besides his address to the
COP28, the Prime Minister
will also be participating in
three high-level side events,
of which two are being co-
hosted by India,” the for-
eign secretary said.
Mr Kwatra said: “The first
high-level event, which is
being co-hosted by India
and the UAE, is the launch
of the Green Credits Initi
ative. The Green Credits
Initiative is based on the
Green Credit Programme,
which was notified by the
ministry of environment.”
Mega `2.23 lakh crore deal
will include 156 Prachand
light combat heli-
copters besides 97
Tejas Mk 1A light
combat aircraft
number of LCA Mark 1A helicopters can take on the
with IAF to 180. enemy from desert of Thar
IAF is in critical need for to the icy mountains of
additional fighter aircraft Himalayas.
to replace the ageing MiG-
21 aircraft. around 98 per cent (worth
Of the 156 Prachand com- Rs 2.20 lakh crore) of these
bat helicopters approved, 66 capital acquisition propos-
are likely for the Indian Air als will be sourced from the
Force while the rest 90 domestic industry.
would be acquired by the DAC accored Acceptance
Indian Army. These attack of Necessity (AoNs) for
2 Hamas gunmen open fire
at Jerusalem bus stop, kill 3
subsidised
rates, from
10,000 to 25,000
after inaugu-
rating the land-
mark 10,000th
outlet at
AIIMS, Deoghar.
Mr Modi also launched
the Drone Didi Yojana,
which aims to provide
drones to 15,000 select
women self-help groups
between 2024–25 and
2025–2026 for providing
rental services to farmers
for agriculture purposes.
During his interaction
with the beneficiaries, Mr
Modi said the Viksit
Bharat Sankalp Yatra for
saturation coverage of
various Central govern-
ment welfare schemes has
generated huge enthusi-
asm among people. He
said some are describing
the government “raths”
(chariots), which are trav-
elling to all corners of the
country, as “Modi ki guar-
antee wali gaadi” (vehi-
cles carrying Modi's guar-
antees), while asserting
that the masses know that
he will fulfil all his
promises. ■ P4
FOREIGN OFFICE
As rain keeps lashing City, coastal
‘Concerned over areas prepare for cyclone effect
Pannun issue’
DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
The charges filed in a US
federal court linking the
accused, Indian national
Nikhil Gupta, with an
Indian government offi-
cial in an alleged plot to
murder “Khalistani” extr-
emist Gurpatwant Singh
Pannun, a US citizen, are
a “matter of concern” for
India and it was against
government policy (to
carry out such plots or kil-
lings), the Indian govern-
ment said on Thursday.
MEA spokesperson Ari-
ndam Bagchi said: “As
regards the case against
an individual that has be
en filed in a US court, alle
gedly linking him to an
Indian official, this is a
matter of concern. We ha-
ve said, and let me reiter-
ate, that this is also contr-
ary to government policy.”
He added: “As we have
informed earlier, during
the course of discussions
with the US on bilateral
security cooperation, the
US side shared some
inputs pertaining to the
To replace the
Indian Field Gun
(IFG), which has com-
pleted its service life,
AoN for procurement of
state-of-the-art Towed Gun
System (TGS) was approved
To push indigenisation
CHENNAI I FRIDAY I 1 DECEMBER 2023
WORLD | 7
Will it be 2-2 for BJP and Cong?
■ Madhya Pradesh may see BJP’s
Shivraj Chouhan retain power
VINEETA PANDEY
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
It appears two-all for the
Congress and the BJP in
the semi-finals of the elec-
tion match. The exit polls
in the five states have pre-
dicted a close contest
between the Congress and
the BJP in Madhya
Pradesh and an advantage
for the Congress in
Chhattisgarh and
Telangana. In Rajasthan,
the exit polls indicate the
continuation of the revolv-
ing door phenomenon,
with the exit of the
Congress and the BJP hav-
ing a strong possibility of
forming a government.
However, a hung
Assembly stares at
Mizoram, where the
incumbent MNF may score
well but not well enough to
form a government.
The Assembly polls in
Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan,
Telangana and Mizoram
are seen as a semi-final to
the big match — the Lok
Sabha elections in 2024.
NDTV’s poll of exit polls
suggested a win for the
BJP in Madhya Pradesh
and Rajasthan. The
Congress, it said, will get
Chhattisgarh and
Telangana while Mizoram
may get a hung Assembly.
In Mizoram, according to
the news channel, the MNF
might settle with 14 seats,
the ZPM can secure 17
seats and the Congress can
play a game changer in the
C’BAKKAM LAKE
nexus between organised
criminals, gun-runners,
terrorists and others. We
take such inputs serious-
ly, and a high-level inqu
iry committee has been
constituted to look into all
the relevant aspects of the
matter and necessary fol-
low-up action will be
taken based on the find-
ings of the inquiry com-
mittee… We can’t share
any further information
on security matters.”
The MEA spokesperson
further said: “The nexus
between organised crime,
trafficking, gun-running
and extremists at an inter-
national level is also a
serious issue for law
enforcement agencies to
consider. It is precisely
for this reason that a high-
level inquiry committee
has been constituted. We
will obviously be guided
by its results.” In a sensa-
tional turn of events late
on Wednesday night, the
US authorities had accus
ed an “Indian government
employee” based in India
of directing the alleged pl
ot to kill Pannun.
upgradation of 84 Su-30 MKI
Aircraft indigenously from
state owned HAL. The Su-30
fighter jets are the main-
stay of the Indian Air Force
with 260 of them in service.
The DAC further accorded
Acceptance of Necessity
(AoN) or initial approval
for procurement of two
types of anti-tank muni-
tions namely area denial
India look to go one up to
seal the series in fourth T20
state and is expected to win
7 seats.
Dismissing the exit poll
predictions, Telangana
chief Minister K.
Chandrashekhar Rao said
his party will be back with
a win on over 70 seats. “I
promise you, for those of
you who are friends of the
BRS and want KCR to
come back... I promise you
that on December 3, we are
coming back. We are com-
ing back with anywhere
above 70 seats,” he said.
In Madhya Pradesh,
where 230 seats are under
contest, five pollsters out
of nine projected the
Congress' win, but the
NDTV’s poll of polls sug-
gested a BJP win.
India Today-Axis My Poll
and India TV-CNX said the
BJP will be way above the
halfway mark of 116. While
India Today-Axis My Poll
gave the BJP 140–162, say-
ing Shivraj Singh
Chauhan hasn’t lost his
charm and remains the
most preferred chief minis-
ter, it gave 68–90 seats to
the Congress.
Similarly, India TV-CNX
predicted 140–159 for the
BJP and 70–89 for the
Congress. However, the
ABP News C-Voter polls
predicted a win for the
Congress, with the party
getting 113–137 seats and
the BJP 88–112.
Jan ki Baat played safe as
it predicted 102-125 for the
Congress and anything
between 100-123 seats for
the BJP. ■ P4
G BABU JAYAKUMAR &
D SEKAR | DC
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
Chief Minister M K Stalin
reviewed the preparations
made to tackle the situa-
tion arising out of Cyclone
Michaung bringing copi-
ous rains to northern
Tamil Nadu till December 5
by visiting the integrated
command and control cen-
tre at Ripon Building on
Thursday and chairing a
review meeting there,
besides issuing instruc-
tions for clearing water log-
ging in the city.
Stalin met members of
the Tamil Nadu Disaster
Response Force, stationed
at Ripon Buildings, and
told the authorities to
immediately look into the
complaints received at the
control centre, where he
himself attended a few calls
and spoke to the people.
His exhorting ministers
and other party leaders to
ensure that all inundation
in Chennai were cleared
without delay since most
parts of the city have gone
under a thick sheet of
water in the intermittent
rains since October 21 saw
munition (ADM) type-2 and
type-3, which are capable of
neutralising tanks and
armoured personnel carri-
ers and enemy personnel.
The top body on procure-
ment of military hardware
also cleared acquisition and
integration of automatic
target tracker (ATT) and
digital basaltic computer
(DBC) for T-90 tanks besides
approving another proposal
to buy medium range anti-
ship missiles (MRAShM)
for the Indian Navy.
The MRAShM is a light-
weight surface-to-surface
missile which will be a pri-
mary offensive weapon
onboard various Indian
naval ships. ■ P4
cmyk
SPORT | 9 TABLOID | 11
The period
of ‘pause’
Vol. 19 No. 246 Established 1938 | 20 PAGES| `3.00
■ Cong favoured in Chhattisgarh ;
Mizoram may see mixed verdict
5 STATES ASSEMBLY ELECTION EXIT POLL
TELANGANA 119 SEATS
India TV-CNX
BRS
31-47
INC
63-79
BJP
2-4
AIMM
5-7
T’GANA: ONLY
64% VOTE
Chanakya
Republic TV
22-31
46-56
67-78
58-68
6-9
4-9
6-7
5-7 L. VENKAT RAM REDDY I
DC
HYDERABAD, NOV. 30
RAJASTHAN 199 SEATS
INC BJP Oth Fewer voters turned up to
ABP News-C Voter 71-91 94-114 0 exercise their franchise in
the state Assembly polls
India Today - Axis 86-106 80-100 0 this year, with the
Election Commission of
Times Now ETG 56-72 108-128 13-21 India recording a turnout
of 63.94 per cent at the end
of voting at 5 pm on
MADHYA PRADESH 230 SEATS Thursday, lower than 73.2
INC BJP Oth per cent in 2018 and 69.5
per cent in 2014. The num-
Dainik Bhaskar 105-120 95-115 0 ber may rise further as
long queues were wit-
India Today-Axis 68-90 140-162 0-2
nessed at several polling
stations after 5 pm. The
Times Now-ETG 109-125 105-117 0
ECI will finalise the
turnout on Friday.
CHHATTISGARH 90 SEATS The counting of votes
INC Oth
BJP will take place on
December 3 and the
Times Now-ETG 48-56 32-40 2-4 results will be declared on
the same day.
India Today-Axis 40-50 36-46 1-5 There were 2,290 contes-
tants in the fray, includ-
ABP-C Voter 41-53 36-48 0-4 ing Chief Minister K.
Chandrashekhar Rao,
MIZORAM 40 SEATS ministers K.T. Rama Rao,
T. Harish Rao, TPCC chief
MNF ZPM BJP INC A. Revanth Reddy and
Republic TV-Matrize 17-22 7-12 1-2 7-10 BJP Lok Sabha members
Bandi Sanjay and D.
Times Now-ETG 14-18 10-14 0-2 9-13 Arvind.
The BRS has fielded can-
ABP News-C Voter 15-21 12-18 0 2-8 didates in all 119 seats...
■ P4
MONITORED AFTER
T. NAGAR FLOODS
N. RAVIKUMAR &
P.A. JEBARAJ | DC
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
With the release of 6,000
cusecs of water from
Chembarambakkam reser-
voir flooding T. Nagar and
West Mambalam through
the Mambalam canal, the
Chief Minister MK Stalin was at the Greater Chennai government is keenly mon-
Corporation’s Command and Control Centre to oversee the itoring the water level in
monitoring of the flood situation in parts of Chennai and the lake to avoid a repeat of
the preparations for Cyclone Michaung. —DC the 2015 deluge in the
city.
many leaders going around out water. The water resources
the city, overseeing the The rampant waterlog- department has reduced
operations. ging came handy for the the water release from
With an increase in possi- leader of opposition in the Chembarambakkam lake
bility of the severe depres- Assembly Edappadi K to 4,000 cusecs from 6,000
sion in the Bay of Bengal Palaniswami to point fin- cusecs to reduce the flood-
developing into cyclonic gers at the government and ing in T. Nagar and West
storm and moving towards wonder as to what was Mambalam where hun-
northern Tamil Nadu, done with the Rs 4000 crore dreds of corporation staff
arrangements have been spent on laying storm are working round-the-
made for opening 121 mul- water drains. He told clock to drain the rainwa-
tipurpose protection cen- AIADMK workers to pro- ter.
tres and 4,976 relief camps, vide relief to the affected Usually, rainwater from
including 162 in Chennai, people as the government these areas flows into the
apart from getting ready could not be expected to Adyar river through the
296 motor pumps to drain provide succour. Mambalam canal.
Connecticut (US), Nov. 30: Henry Kissinger, the
dominant US diplomat of the Cold War era who
helped Washington open up to China, forge arms
control deals with the Soviet Union and end the
Vietnam War but who was reviled by critics over
human rights, has died at the age of 100.
Kissinger, a German-born Jewish refugee whose
career took him from academia to diplomacy and
who remained an active voice in foreign policy into
his later years, died at his home in Connecticut on
Wednesday, his geopolitical consulting firm,
Kissinger Associates Inc., said.
Kissinger was at the height of his powers during
the 1970s in the midst of the Cold War when he
served as national security adviser and secretary of
state under Republican President Richard Nixon.
After Nixon's resignation in 1974 amid the
Watergate scandal, he remained a diplomatic force
as secretary of state under Nixon's successor,
President Gerald Ford. He was the architect of the
U.S. diplomatic opening with China, landmark U.S.-
Soviet arms control talks, expanded ties between Henry Kissinger
Israel and its Arab neighbors. Full story on ■ P7
 CITY
DECCAN CHRONICLE | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023 |CHENNAI
SHORT TAKES
Parents, students
protest functioning of
Chengalpet schools
amid heavy rains
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
While the schools in Chennai
and the neighbouring districts
of Thiruvallur and
Kanchipuram remained shut
due to heavy rains, the stu-
dents of Chengalpet district
were forced to go to schools in
the pouring rain. Parents
expressed resentment over the
district administration’s deci-
sion to keep the schools open
during rains. Students held
protests in the school premises
which were covered with mud
and water.
Due to a deep depression in
the Bay of Bengal, Chengalpet
district is receiving heavy
rains and most of the roads
were covered with water. Since
the meteorological depart-
ment predicted rains,
Chennai, Kanchipuram and
Thiruallur district adminis-
trations announced a holiday.
Since schools in Chengalpet
functioned, students came
with umbrellas and raincoats
on Thursday morning amid
the rains. Many parents
brought their children in two-
wheelers and auto-rickshaws,
afraid to send them alone.
They complained that stu-
dents’ health could be affected
as water stagnation every-
where may lead to breeding of
mosquitoes. Since rural stu-
dents would find it difficult to
travel to their schools, the par-
ents felt that declaring a holi-
day could be the correct deci-
sion.
At Thirukkazhukundram
government girls higher sec-
ondary school, students came
to the school whose premises
were filled with mud and stag-
nant water. They stood on the
mud and protested against the
decision to keep the schools
open.
Ponmudy appears
before ED in
mining case
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
Higher Education minister K.
Ponmudy on Thursday
appeared before the
Enforcement Directorate (ED)
officials at their city office in
connection with the charges of
irregularities against him on
red soil mining.
The ED raided the minister’s
house and the properties relat-
ed to him on July 17 and he
was summoned to the office
where he was questioned for
several hours. The officials
had claimed that several
incriminating documents
were seized from Ponmudy’s
house and other properties.
The questioning of the minis-
ter on Thursday is said to be
related to the documents
recovered from places connect-
ed to him.
The raids were carried out in
connection with a case filed by
the AIADMK government in
2012. The minister Ponmudy
was charged with issuing a
licence without following the
norms in the name of his son
and DMK MP Gowtham
Sigamani for illegal quarrying
of red sand.
The minister and his son
were charged with quarrying
more red soil than the permit-
ted level resulting in a loss of
`. 28 crore to the government.
During the raids by the ED,
unaccounted cash amounting
to ` 81.7 lakh was seized, along
with unexplained foreign cur-
rency mostly in British
pounds equivalent to about Rs
13 lakh from the residence of
Ponmudy.
OPS won’t use
AIADMK flag and
symbol
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
Former Chief Minister O.
Panneerselvam on Thursday
assured the Madras High Court
that he would not use the
AIADMK flag and symbol till
the final judgment on the peti-
tion of AIADMK general secre-
tary Edappadi K. Palaniswami
on their use.
Justice N. Sathishkumar, who
heard the petition of
Palaniswami seeking a direc-
tion to Panneerselvam not to
use the party flag and symbol,
accepted the assurance. He also
directed Palaniswami to bring
to the court’s notice if
Panneerselvam violated.
(Left) Despite NGT’s order that sewage water should not be allowed into lakes, it is released into Korattur lake every monsoon due to which the groundwater is getting spoilt and residents demand an
alternative solution immediately. (Right) Rainwater enters a church in Korattur area on Thursday.
T Nagar flooded after release of 6,000 cusecs of water
N. RAVIKUMAR &
P.A. JEBARAJ | DC
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
With the release of 6,000
cusecs of water from
Chembarambakkam reser-
voir flooding T. Nagar and
West Mambalam through
the Mambalam canal, the
government is keenly
monitoring the water level
in the lake to avoid a
repeat of the 2015 deluge
in the city.
The water resources
department has reduced
the water release from
Chembarambakkam lake
to 4,000 cusecs from 6,000
cusecs to reduce the flood-
ing in T. Nagar and West
Mambalam where hun-
dreds of corporation staff
are working round-the-
clock to drain the rainwa-
ter.
Usually, rainwater from
these areas flows into the
Adyar river through the
Mambalam canal. When
6,000 cusecs of water was
released into the Adyar
river, water started flow-
ing in the reverse direc-
tion through the
Mambalam canal and
flooded the T. Nagar and
West Mambalam areas.
Though the flooding in
the commercial area was
reduced due to the
decrease of water release
from Chembarambakkam
lake, the release of water
could not be kept at 4,000
cusecs or below since
heavy rains are forecast in
the coming days.
The Indian
M e t e o r o l o g i c a l
Department has warned
that the depression lying
over southeast Bay of
Bengal could gradually
intensify into a cyclonic
storm around December 3
and move northwest to
reach north Tamil Nadu
and
Pradesh.
south Andhra
In case of a storm
approaching north Tamil
Nadu, heavy rains will
result in high inflow of
water into
Chembarambakkam lake
which had reached its
near full capacity even
during the southwest mon-
soon.
On December 1, 2015, an
unprecedented quantity of
29,000 cusecs of water was
released into the Adyar
river, resulting in a deluge.
After the calamitous expe-
rience, the government
decided to release water
when the level in the lake
reached 22 feet, while the
Why lavish spending? Why
can’t weddings be slim and fit?
B. Vijayalakshmi
P
rime Minister Modi
on Sunday urged big
families to conduct
marriages on Indian soil
so that the money does not
leave our shores as the
country has been witness-
ing extravagant and glitzy
wedding seasons.
There is a surge in
spending on luxury and
out-of-the-box themed
weddings.
Live performances on
charter flights, themed
Situation in West Mambalam, T Nagar grim
T. SUDHEESH | DC
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
For the residents of West
Mambalam and T. Nagar,
the northeast monsoon
season is a time for pack-
ing and moving. They take
refuge in safer places
because rainwater from
the streets floods their res-
idences.
The end result is: no
power supply, no drinking
water for days. People
want to save their assets
and valuables before tak-
ing the risk of staying in
the inundated flat com-
plexes.
This season is no differ-
ent. As a result of the
heavy rain that lashed the
city on Wednesday, entire
stretches of West
Mambalam and T. Nagar
streets are flooded. The
residents are locked in
their apartments for the
last 24 hours, as the civic
body authorities are work-
ing on dewatering works,
employing heavy motor
pumps.
Uma Maheswaran, a res-
ident at Lakshmi Street,
said they have been with-
out power in their apart-
ment for the last 24 hours.
The situation is worse this
year, compared to last
year. We don’t know what
the purpose of construct-
ing all the stormwater
drains (SWDs) is. We
hoped that there would be
relief from annual flood-
ing hereafter because of
the SWDs. But the
situation has worsened
now. We can’t use the
w a t e r the house on Thursday
total capacity is 24
feet.
For the state government
officials, draining of water
in T. Nagar and West
Mambalam is a race
against time. If the
stormwater drains are
cleared and works to drain
the water at a quicker time
are completed before the
start of the heavy rains,
flooding of the area could
be prevented. But, the gov-
ernment will have to
increase the water release
from Chembarambakkam
very soon.
So, the government is
keeping a close eye on
Chembarambakkam and
officials are continuously
monitoring the water
viewpoint
receptions and game
nights make weddings
extravagant. The demand
for destination weddings
has increased because
families want a different
kind of wedding ceremo-
ny.
On the other hand, some
prefer sustainable wed-
dings where materials are
not wasted and return
gifts like saplings are
given to guests. Themed/
customised weddings are
Govt monitoring Chembarambakkam lake
Adyar River in full flow at Anakaputhu on Thursday.
as it has mixed with
sewage, he complained.
Streets like Govindan
Street, BRP Street, Subba
Reddy Street,
Ramakrishnapuram
Street, Rajaji Street and
Station Road Street in
West Mambalam are com-
pletely inundated. “Water
has not drained for the
last 24 hours. We are with-
out power. We have tried to
seek help from the local
authorities, Councillors
and Corporation officials.
But nobody has turned
up,” said a resident of
Ramakrishnapuram
Street.
V.S. Jayaraman, a senior
resident of Motilal Street,
T. Nagar, said he had left
level.
Kanchipuram Collector
Kalaiselvi Mohan inspect-
ed the lake on Thursday
and instructed the offi-
cials to monitor the level
round-the-clock. Water
was released on Thursday
from two of the sluice
gates and this is the first
time after December 2015
that two sluice gates have
been opened.
Residents along the
banks expressed fears over
the opening of two sluice
gates, and said the officials
could have drained more
water earlier as the water
level approached near
total capacity even
during the southwest
monsoon.
also picking up where
families want the decor to
be personalised. Couples
love to have weddings
reflecting their personal
style and taste.
With several wedding
planners offering bespoke
venues and hotel experi-
ences and micro-cuisines,
weddings have turned fat-
ter nowadays.
Weddings, considered a
major event in one’s life,
bring together families
and communities. But due
to rising affluence and liv-
ing standards of people
weddings have become
much more lavish.
Marriages comprise
elaborate ceremonies,
engagement events, photo-
shoots, bridal showers,
b a ch e l o r / b a ch e l o re t t e
parties, reception, grand
decorations, colourful
—DC
morning and shifted to
Chromepet as rainwater
entered the ground floor.
“I had to spend `. 4,000 for
moving the things and
` 400 to travel with my
family in a cab. Who is
responsible for our loss?
This situation unfolded as
a result of unscientific
construction of infra-
structure. They spend
crores in establishing
SWD lines across the city.
But what is happening on
the ground? People have to
leave their houses when it
rains. Many of the tenants
in our flat complex have
no option but to move out.
Or they have to endure
the situation without
power and drinking
water,” he says.
NDRF takes guard around Marakkanam
in face of Met department’s warning
DC CORRESPONDENT
VILLUPURAM, NOV. 30
Considering the weather
scenario, 50 National
Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) personnel have
been deployed in
Marakkanam and its sur-
rounding areas in
Villupuram district.
The meteorological
department has issued a
warning, indicating the
formation of a low-pres-
sure area in the Bay of
Bengal, with potential to
fairy lights and gourmet
food prepared by popular
chefs.
Social media has also
contributed to the grow-
ing trend of people
spending too much for a
wedding to showcase their
wealth and status to the
world.
Weddings are not only a
time for celebration and
enjoyment, but
also a key revenue genera-
tor for the hospitality
industry and for small and
big retailers who
cash in on the big fat
wedding business
boom.
It is time youngsters and
families realized that
the real meaning of a
wedding lies in the love
and commitment that the
couple share and not in
exorbitant spending.
B. Kannan, a resident of
Rangan Street, T. Nagar,
said there was knee-deep
water on the ground floor.
If the rainfall continues,
the situation will turn
worse in the area, he
added.
Uma Anandan, West
Mambalam Councillor,
said the Mambalam canal
was still brimming since
the Adyar river is also full,
as it is carrying water
released from the
Chembarambakkam lake.
So, the situation in
Mambalam is still grim. I
don’t know when we can
restore power because
people are scared. I have
been distributing food
packets for residents as
they are bound indoors
without power and water,
she said.
She also blamed
Metrowater for its shoddy
work that led to the pres-
ent situation. Metrowater
had broken many SWD
lines to re-lay the sewage
lines in the area. But they
have not completed the
work so far. That is one of
the main reasons
for the flooding, she
charged.
Minister Ma.
Subramanian told media-
persons after visiting the
flooded areas that Greater
Chennai Corporation
authorities were checking
where the water was com-
ing from in large quanti-
ties, as these areas do not
usually get not so much
water. Motor pumps
are being used to clear
the water from the streets,
he added.
intensify into a storm.This
development raises con-
cerns of further heavy
rains along the coastal
areas, particularly in
Marakkanam.Given
Marakkanam's vulnerable
coastal location, the mete-
orological department
emphasises the risk of
flooding in critical areas
such as the Ongur river
and Buckingham Canal if
heavy rains persist. In
response to this imminent
threat, 50 NDRF personnel
have arrived.
Honest auto driver returns bag
with passport, cash to passengers
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
An auto driver, who found
a bag with ` 1.4 lakh left
behind by his passengers
from Bangladesh,
returned it to them,
winning appreciation
from Tambaram
Commissioner of Police
A. Amalraj.
Ravi is a software engi-
neer who drives an
autorickshaw as a part-
time job. Three passen-
gers from Bangladesh
came to Chennai from
Dhaka by air and took
Ravi’s auto from the air-
port. They got down at a
private hospital at
Chromepet.
After sometime, they
realised that they had left
their bag containing
their passports and ` 1.4
lakh cash in the auto.
— N. Sampath
A flooded Thiruvalluvar street at SSM Nagar,
Alapakkam, near Perungalathur.
GCC tackles
water-logging
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
The Greater Chennai
Corporation (GCC) offi-
cials were on their toes
since Wednesday night
following water-logging
in most of the low-lying
areas in the city after
heavy rain.
In order to bolster the
effort, Chief Minister
M.K.Stalin visited the
Ripon building on
Thursday morning. He
asked the officials and
elected representatives to
visit their localities
and take up relief
work.
Hindu religious and
charitable endowments
minister PK Sekar Babu
and health minister Ma.
Subramanian were deput-
ed to oversee the situation
in various parts of the
city. In the morning,
Sekar Babu along with
mayor R Priya inspected
the SWD disposal point at
Elephant Gate police sta-
tion in Kalyanapuram.
The minister said that
Otteri Canal, Link canal,
Captain Cotton Canal,
Cooum Canal,
Kodungaiyur Canal and
others had been desilted
and water was flowing
through them unhin-
dered. ''Perambur and
Saidapet subway were
closed for a short dura-
tion and now all the sub-
He said he found a
bag containing cash
and passports left
behind by them and
asked for their
address to hand
over the bag
They rushed to the
Chromepet police station
to register a complaint.
While the police were
talking to them, one of the
passengers received
a call on his mobile
phone.
Ravi, who spoke at the
other end, said he got the
number since they had
paid the auto charge using
PhonePe. He said he found
a bag containing cash and
passports left behind by
them and asked for their
address to hand over the
bag.
The passengers, who
were astounded and
pg 2
—E.K.Sanjay
ways except for
Rangarajapuram subway
are open to traffic. People
who have been rescued
from low lying areas will
be provided with food and
shelter. Traffic police per-
sonnel have been
deployed to avoid traffic
snarls and we are
prepared to handle the
monsoon season,'' he
said.
Mayor Priya said that
areas in T Nagar were
flooded because of over-
flowing of the Mambalam
Canal. ''The area received
12 cm of rainfall. The cor-
poration employees
worked all night to drain
out water. Now the
Mambalam canal is also
receiving water. We got as
many as 160 complaints
from the residents on
waterlogging in the inte-
rior roads. At least 50
cases are addressed. All
main roads are now
dry and motorable,'' she
said.
GCC commissioner J
Radhakrishnan spear-
headed the dewatering
works in West Mambalam
area. He said that 16,000
workers with 491 motors
and additional 150 trac-
tor-borne motors were on
the field to address the sit-
uation. Health minister
Ma Subramanian
inspected several flooded
areas in Saidapet
and Mambalam areas.
happy, told him that they
were at the Chromepet
police station to complain
about the loss of their
handbag. Ravi said he
would come to the police
station to hand over the
bag.
He came to the police
station as promised and
handed over the bag in the
presence of the police.
The Bangladeshi passen-
gers found their cash and
passports in the bag. They
embraced Ravi and
thanked him.
When the police
enquired with Ravi, he
said he was working as a
software engineer and
driving an auto to earn
additional money.
When Commissioner of
Police Amalraj was
informed about the inci-
dent, he invited Ravi to
his office and honoured
him.
 STATE
DECCAN CHRONICLE | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023 | CHENNAI
pg 3

SHORT TAKES Nothing pending from Mass protest on cards

Tamil varsity Centre to Karnataka, says FM against KKNPP for not
signs MoU to Bengaluru, Nov 30 : Union adding that "alarmingly, Karnataka

teach Thirukural Finance Minister Nirmala

DC CORRESPONDENT
THANJAVUR, NOV. 30
Tamil Valar Maiyyam at Tamil
University here has entered
into a memorandum of under-
standing (MOU) with Malai
Kural Sangam for conducting
certificate and diploma courses
on Thirukural.
An international conference
on the topic 'Ever relevant
Thirukural' will also be con-
ducted in March 2024 in the
University. Dr.V.Thiruvalluv-
an, vice-chancellor, TU,
C.Thyagarajan, registrar, (in-
charge) Kurinjivendhan, direc-
tor, Tamil Valar Maiyyam,
Dr.Ilayapillai, dean, arts, and P.
Ravikumar, founder of Malai
Kural sangam which has taken
up the task of engraving
Thirukural in hills and moun-
tains, participated in the MOU
signing, said a university press
release issued here on
Thursday.
Sitharaman on Thursday said there
is "nothing pending" from the
Central government to Karnataka
and the National Disaster Response
Fund (NDRF) for the drought relief
to the state, which is due, will be
decided once the high-power com-
mittee decides.
Speaking to reporters here, she
said because Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has been Chief
Minister of a state for more than 10
years, he knows what it is for states
to get their money in time.
The state government can throw
out the allegations. He can send me
the letter and much before the letter
reaches me he can put it in social
media, the minister or the chief
minister. And I say not just this in
Bengaluru, I've even, two days ago,
when I was in Kerala, I said that,"
Sitharaman said in response to a
question on Congress government
here alleging delay in release of
Central funds to Karnataka.
The mangled remains of the vehicle at the accident site. —Zakeer Hussain "There is nothing pending from
our side for Karnataka, I'm a MP
from the state, I have a responsibili-
receives just 15 paise for every
rupee it contributes in tax."
Responding to a question on the
release of NDRF funds for drought
relief to Karnataka, Sitharaman
said, "For NDRF, there is a commit-
tee. The Home Minister looks into
it. I had Minister (Revenue Minister
of Karnataka) Krishna Byre
Gowda come and meet me. Even
there I explained to him saying the
money whichever is being decided
will be -- and the SDRF money is in
the hands of the state government
to spend."
Stating that it's not as if NDRF
money will not come, she said, "the
assessment team, the technical
team, they all came and made a
team assessment, they've submitted
to the high powered committee. The
moment the committee recom-
mends the money is going to come.
It is due to the state. Nobody's going
to stop it."
The Karnataka government has
declared 223 out of the total 236
taluks in the state as drought hit,
and the state government has been
repeatedly attacking the Centre for
recruiting local youth
M. ARULOLI I DC
TIRUNELVELI, NOV. 30
The local body representatives from
Radhapuram union in Tirunelveli dis-
trict on Thursday threatened to stage a
mass protest against the Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), for
allegedly failing its earlier promise of
recruiting local youth.
The elected representatives along with
people, led by Tirunelveli district pan-
chayat chairman Y.S.R.Jegadeesan, met
district collector K.P.Karthikeyan in the
evening and submitted a petition seeking
the district administration's interven-
tion in ensuring jobs for local youth at
the nuclear power project. Jegadeesan,
who is also a DMK functionary, told the
media that the KKNPP administration
has not fulfilled its promise of offering
jobs for the qualified youth in 27 villages
around the plant. ''Few youth from the
local villages working in the power plant
project are not directly recruited by
KKNPP but by the contracting compa-
nies as contract employees," said

‘Startups should
Three killed as van collides ty also. There's nothing pending.
Well if the state doesn't send me the
required paper, I will keep waiting
for the paper to send it. I can't send
delay in release of drought relief
funds, as per NDRF norms.
The FM further said, for the north
Karnataka farmers, she has asked
Jegadeesan, who added that recruitment
too was stopped since 2018.
Complaining that the KKNPP adminis-
tration conducts recruitment process

have perseverance head-on with truck in Salem

to succeed’
G.SRINIVASAN I DC
THANJAVUR, NOV. 30
Startups should have persever-
ance and resilience to start an
industry and make it success-
ful, said Dr.S.P.S.Aruldas, CEO,
Gnanam School of Business
here on Thursday.
Speaking at a Cauvery delta
region startup and stakehold-
ers meetup here, he said that
innovation and product sale
are other key factors for start-
ups to succeed. "There is a dif-
ference between a startup and
a businessman. Startups
should not aim at money mak-
ing but make an idea of prob-
lem solving successful. That is
how startups like Flipkart etc
came into being,'' he said.
The meetup was organised
jointly by Startup TN and
Periyar
Maniammai
TBI at Periyar
Institute
Technology (PMIST). Aruna,
of
Salem, Nov 30: Three per-
sons were killed and one
injured in a head-on colli-
sion involving a pick-up van
and a parcel truck at
Vazhapadi in the district on
Thursday, police said. All
three men travelling in the
pick-up van coming to
Vazhapadi from Chennai
died on the spot, a senior
police official said.
They have been identified
as driver M Praveen Kumar,
27, of Villupuram district,
Cybercrime police probe
fraud worth `32 lakh
SANJEEVI ANANDAN I DC
KRISHNAGIRI, NOV. 30
and K Sudarshan, 40, and A
Prakash, 52, of Vellore dis-
trict.
The parcel truck was com-
ing in the opposite direction
and proceeding to Attur. Its
driver S Pechimuthu
Pandian of Tirunelveli dis-
trict, who was injured in the
leg, has been admitted to
Vazhapadi Government
Hospital, police said.
"The accident took place
on the Salem-Chennai
bypass road near Vazhapadi
early this morning. The van
was completely damaged in
the impact of the crash," the
police official said.
Upon being informed,
Deputy Superintendent of
Police P Harisankari and
team rushed to the spot and
extricated the bodies from
the mangled van. They
removed the damaged vehi-
cles and restored traffic in
the area.
Vazhapadi police have reg-
istered a case. —PTI
Ooty Short Film Fest set to be unveiled today
B. RAVICHANDRAN I DC
money, without authorisation of
the Accountant General. So that's
the truth behind any allegation, the
allegation without facts in them,"
the Rajya Sabha member from
Karnataka added.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had
last month alleged that the BJP-led
Union government has burdened
our state by not releasing funds for
61 Centrally sponsored schemes
across 23 departments, and slashing
Karnataka's tax share, resulting in
a Rs 45,000 crore loss since 2020.
To add to that, Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman, who suppos-
edly represents Karnataka in the
Rajya Sabha, decided not to approve
the Rs 5,495 crore special grant that
was promised, he had posted on 'X',
the ITC group to come and procure
stock that is there with them, so
that immediately some money can
go into the hands of the farmers.
"Even that team has come."
Nirmala today visited a 'Jan
Aushadi Kendra' on Subedar
Chatram Road here.
Noting that the Prime Minister
dedicated to the nation the land-
mark 10,000th Jan Aushadi Kendra
at AIIMS, Deoghar in Jharkhand,
the FM said, all over the country
Jan Aushadi Kendras are steadily
becoming popular among families.
Particularly the middle class and
also the poorer sections are getting
better informed that the same med-
icine equally effective is available as
a generic medicine drug. —PTI
only in Hindi and English, the protestors
demanded recruitment tests in Tamil
too.
The local body representatives also
complained that the nuclear power plant
was not properly spending its CSR funds
for the development of villages around it
and demanded that the district collector
should intervene in the issue and ensure
that the CSR spending should be done
through the district administration.
Though Jegadeesan, who led the
protests, did not comment on the con-
struction of the Away From Reactor
facility (AFR) for the permanent storage
of spent fuel, some of his aides in the
group said that without allaying the fear
of the local villagers, KKNPP should not
commence the construction of the spent
fuel facility at Kudankulam.

The Krishnagiri police

with lucrative income.
Govindaraj joined the
scheme and paid over Rs
12 lakh in many instal-
OOTY, NOV.30

The three-day Ooty Short Film

CEO,of Periyar TBI said that
the objective of the meetup was
to promote Cauvery delta
region as a destination for
startups. It is also to facilitate
collaboration and knowledge
sharing among stakeholders in
the Cauvery delta region of
Thanjavur, Tiruvarur,
Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and
Mayiladuthurai districts.
Abrar, managing director,
YES, Thanjavur said that inno-
vation is key for startups. He
also stressed the need for data
collection. A.P.Arul James
Edwin Thambu, founder and
MD of Tamil Nadu Agro
Tourism Network corporation
ltd Rahul, Project Lead,
Startup TN, Tirunelveli, and
P.Karuppannan, Project associ-
ate, Startup TN and
A.Guhaneswaran, secretary,
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, Thanjavur also spoke.
recently launched a ments to various bank
cybercrime investigation, accounts, only to realise
registering two cases that he was
involving victims of cheated.
cyber fraud who were Illayaraja, a resident of
promised regular income Anna Nagar in Hosur of
through part-time jobs. Krishnagiri, also fell into
The first victim was the trap and invested over
identified as Govindaraj Rs 19 lakh. Both
(37) of K. Motur in Govindaraj and Illayaraja
Poochampalli taluk of received no returns for
Krishnagiri. The petition- the investment.
er working in a private Suspicion arose when
company received a mes- attempts to contact the
sage on his WhatsApp, provided number proved
which promised a job futile.
festival-2023, organised by the
Nilgiris Film Club (NFC) to pro-
mote short films, will get under-
way on December 1, at the 137-
year-old Assembly Rooms the-
atre, which is an iconic symbol
of art promotion here. For quite
a few years, the dawn of
December is also the new dawn
for short film makers as this hill
station provides the much-need-
ed platform for the movie mak-
ers to screen their short films
and to plan for the big screens.
P. Parameswaran, general man-
ager of NFC, said the Ooty Short
Film festival is being organised
with an objective to educate and
expose the Indian audience and
next generation to the worldwide
classical and contemporary cine-
ma. The festival is also aimed to
educate countrymen on the art
of filmmaking, visual literacy, to
raise awareness and to provide
public access to these film treas-
ures and also to create avenues
to boost local economy through
art tourism in the hills. This
venture is also an attempt to
Local talents add spice to film fest
B. RAVICHANDRAN I DC
OOTY, NOV.30
Adding some local flavour
and spice, about half-a-
dozen short films, pro-
duced by local movie-mak-
ers, entered the Ooty Short
Film Festival fray to show-
case the cinema talents in
the hills of Nilgiris.
' N e y a y a m a
Aniyayamma', a nearly
half-an-hour short film
entertainer, directed by
local talent R. Vishu nar-
rates the shopping trip of a
father and his son on a pea-
ceful Sunday morning that
takes an unforeseen
detour, unravelling into a
poignant exploration of es-
sential human needs. As
the day unfolds, the duo
finds themselves entangled
in a heated dispute that
ultimately
unveils a beautiful and
profoundly touching mes-
sage about life’s fundamen-
tal necessities. Vishu, hail-
ing from Coonoor near
here, said that it took near-
ly seven days to shoot his
film in challenging loca-
tions. ''Short film making
gives the new entrant a
perfect foundation to learn
and hone the skills to be at
the creative best,'' he noted.
'Gangster”, directed by
Nilgiris-based Aaryan, is
an action short film based
on how a youngster and his
friends with his father who
is a retired gangster try to
regain their spot in the
business. “Alli”, directed
by Noorul Hassain, runs
for 6 minutes. This capti-
vating short film embarks
on a journey in a world
where dreams are con-
fined, following the jour-
ney of a determined tribal
girl who dares to defy tra-
dition and discovers the
true power of knowledge.
“Kalikaala”, directed by
Sarath Shayaak, is a 12
minute movie on “Don’t
spoil girls life by the wrong
gossips”. '1:5' directed by a
local Badaga film maker
Karakorai Devarai deals
with whether reservation
in employment is right or
wrong.
The next three days will
give an opportunity for the
movie-goers to get a top-
tier cinematic experience
with films screened on a
grand 70mm screen and
surround sound to explore
the short films from
diverse countries, offering
a global perspective on sto-
rytelling and filmmaking.

IMD forecasts expose the upcoming generation

cyclone in Bay
of Bengal
around Dec 3
Bhubaneswar, Nov 30; Though the
India Meteorological Department
(IMD) on Thursday issued a forecast
stating that a cyclonic storm is likely
form over the southwest Bay of
Bengal around December 3, it did not
indicate on its possible impact on
Odisha.
The IMD said the impact of the pos-
sible cyclone could be assessed only
after formation of a depression in the
sea on Friday.
"The path of the possible cyclone
and other parameters could be esti-
mated only after formation of the
depression. Therefore, we have not
told anything on the impact on Odisha
or any other place in the coast," IMD
to independent and alternative
film practices to create more
awareness on these types of
movies with a short duration of
running time to appreciate the
alternative film aesthetics and
related skills and technologies.
This short film festival is a
'Global cinematic extravaganza"
in Ooty, a popular tourist desti-
nation. This edition is set to
unite filmmakers, enthusiasts,
and industry professionals on a
global scale. Filmmakers from
diverse corners of the world,
including India, Iran, Spain,
France, USA, Pakistan, Turkey,
and many more, are showcasing
their brilliant creations and pre-
DIG-Vellore Range M.S. Muthusamy praised and senting an array of remarkable
rewarded Assistant Inspector Apsal for properly short films, Parameswaran
writing and maintaining the documents in the District noted.
Police Control Room at Vellore District Superintendent Yoga, a member of the Ooty
Police office. SP N.Manivannan was also present. short film festival committee,
—K.Senthil Nathan said ''This year we have received
170 entries for the Ooty festival.
But, the jury selected 80 short
films drawn from 28 countries.
For many aspiring talents in the
arena of film making, this type
of festival will give them an
opportunity to showcase their
film making and creativity skills
to move to the next level,' he
added.
''Ek Dum Kadak’ from India,
directed by Samridhi, which por-
trays about a wedding anniver-
sary is the shortest film with a
duration of 1 minute 43 seconds,
“Lost” another short film from
India directed by Rajesh centred
around a story in the kitchen
runs for a duration of 2 min-
utues 52 seconds. 'Lost In
Harmony', another Indian short
film directed by Sanjeev, is an
experimental musical short, ven-
tures into the realm of non-ver-
bal storytelling through the
medium of music and visuals.
Devoid of dialogues, the narra-
tive hinges solely on a poignant
musical score intertwined with
compelling imagery. 'Raie
Manta', a short from France
directed by Anton Bialas which
runs 29.38 minutes, is a frag-
mented portrayal of three char-
acters in search of poetic and lib-
erating openings in a muzzled
and gradually authoritarian city.

Yogi Babu shines in a tale of humour and humanity

scientist Umashankar Dash said.
Das also made it clear that there was
no warning for Odisha coast for next
four days. There is also no warning for
fishermen for Odisha coast, he said.
Meanwhile, the IMD in a special bul-
letin said Wednesday's well-marked
ANUPAMA
SUBRAMANIAN Movie review ly from the characters'
interactions, and it's pep-
bers Priyanka, Vinodhini,
and Muthukumar deliver
low-pressure area over southeast Bay pered with light-hearted, convincing performances,

of Bengal and adjoining south
Andaman Sea moved west-northwest-
wards and lay over southeast Bay of
Bengal. It is likely to move west-north-
westwards and intensify into a depres-
sion over southeast Bay of Bengal dur-
ing the next 24 hours, the national
weather agency said.
"Continuing to move further west-
northwestwards, it would intensify
gradually into a cyclonic storm over
southwest Bay of Bengal around
December 3," the IMD said, adding
that thereafter it would move north-
westwards and reach north Tamil
Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh
coasts around the early morning of
December 4 as a cyclonic storm. —PTI
I
n Kuiko, debut director
Arul Chezhian, who
previously co-wrote
Aandavan Kattalai, pres-
ents a heartwarming nar-
rative set against the back-
drop of rural life. The film
revolves around the seem-
ingly mundane yet pivotal
role of a freezer box in the
lives of villagers, particu-
larly impacting protago-
nists Malayappan and
Thangaraj.
The story unfolds in a vil-
lage near Vellore, with
Thangaraj (Vidaarth), a
cricket enthusiast and
KUIKO
CAST: Vidaarth, Yogi
Babu, Ilavarasu,
Priyanka
Direction: Arul
Chezhian
RATING: 3.8/5
erstwhile teacher, facing a
twist of fate. His simple
plan to watch an IPL match
in Chennai is upended
when his uncle, the benev-
olent money lender
P a n b a z h a g a n
(Muthukumar), tasks him
with delivering a freezer to
a remote hillside village.
This errand turns into an
extended stay as
Thangaraj awaits the
return of Malayappan
(Yogi Babu), a Saudi
Arabia-based cameleer, for
his mother's funeral. The
ensuing events take a hum-
orous turn as Malayappan
grows sentimentally
attached to the freezer box.
Director Arul Chezhian's
keen observations of rural
life are evident in his sto-
rytelling. He captures the
essence of his characters -
simple, naive individuals,
whose engaging and rooted
performances make the
audience invested in their
lives. The film's humor is
organic, springing natural-
satirical moments.
Yogi Babu stands out,
elevating the comedy the
moment he appears on
screen. His character's
unexpected romantic arc,
including a delightful
Tamil rendition of "Kuch
Kuch Hota Hai," adds a
unique charm to the film.
Vidaarth portrays
Thangaraj with a natural
ease, while Ilavarasu
shines as Calculator Sha-
nmugham, the crafty mid-
dleman in village transac-
tions.
Supporting cast mem-
contributing significantly
to the film's fabric.All oth-
ers in the cast chip in their
bit.
The cinematography by
Rajesh Yadav enhances the
narrative topnotch, provid-
ing a visually appealing
portrayal of village life.
Complementing the visu-
als is Anthony Dasan’s
soulful background score.
Kuiko stands out as a
must-watch film, offering a
blend of humor, emotion,
and a deep dive into the
simplicity of rural
life.
 NATION
DECCAN CHRONICLE | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023 | CHENNAI
pg 4

SHORT
Odia girl becomes
TAKES
1st Aide-De-Camp
Bhubaneswar: Manisha Padhi,
an Odisha girl currently serv-
ing as a Squadron Leader in
the Indian Air Force, has
97 Tejas, 150 copters: Govt Shah-led panel clears `1,658-cr
clears `2.23L-cr arms deal Joshimath reconstruction plan
FROM PG 1
To replace the Indian Navy Day to be celebrated at DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
tance will be provided
from the recovery and
◗ IN JANUARY, cracks and
fissures had appeared on
appeared on houses and
on the ground in

Sindhudurg sea fort in Dec. 4

been appointed as India’s
first woman Aide-De-Camp
(ADC) from the Indian Armed
Forces. Mizoram governor Dr
Hari Babu Kambhampati
appointed Manisha Padhi, a
2015 batch Indian Air Force
officer, as India's first woman
ADC on Wednesday. The
governor has shared a video
of appointing the Lady Air
Force Officer to the key post
on his ‘X’ handle. “Hearty
congratulations to Sqn
Leader Manisha Padhi for
being appointed as ADC to
the governor of Mizoram.
Sqn. Leader Manisha is India’s
first woman IAF officer to be
appointed as ADC to the
governor in the country. My
best wishes to her and may
she excel in the sector with
the expertise she has earned
Field Gun (IFG), which
has completed its service
life, AoN for procurement
of state-of-the-art Towed
Gun System (TGS) was
approved. TGS will
become a mainstay of
artillery forces of Indian
Army. The AoN was also
accorded for 155 mm nub-
less projectile for use in
155 mm artillery guns
which will enhance lethal-
ity and safety of the pro-
jectiles.
DAC also approved amen
dment in the Defence
Acquisition Procedure
(DAP) 2020 whereby now,
in all categories of pro-
curement cases, mini-
mum 50 per cent of
indigenous content shall
be in the form of material,
DC CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI, NOV. 30
The iconic Sindhudurg
fort in Maharashtra is all
set to host the Navy Day to
be held on December 4.
Twenty warships and 40
aircrafts, including renow
ned models like MiG 29K,
LCA Navy and MARCOS,
will be major attractions
of this event.
This is the first time that
the Indian Navy will be
organising a mega event
away from any major
naval station. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi,
the chief guest for the
event, will also unveil the
reconstruction window of houses and on the ground Joshimath, which prompt-
The Centre on Thursday the National Disaster ed the authorities to evac-
approved a `1658.17 crores Response Fund (NDRF). in Joshimath, which uate a large number of
life and achievements has recovery and reconstruc- The Uttarakhand govern- prompted the authorities people especially those liv-
been created. tion plan for Joshimath in ment will provide `126.41 to evacuate a people to ing in the worst-hit Sunil,
Maharashtra chief min- Uttarakhand, which was crores from its State relief centres Singdhar and Marwari
ister Eknath Shinde on affected by landslides and Disaster Response Fund areas of the town to tem-
Thursday visited Malvan ground subsidence earlier (SDRF) towards relief Joshimath expeditiously, porary relief centres.
and took stock of the this year. assistance and `451.80 it said. Scientific and technical
preparation works for the The decision was taken crores from its state budg- The recovery plan for institutions studying land
event. ON the Navy Day, by a high-level committee, et, including land acquisi- Joshimath would be subsidence in Joshimath
the Indian Navy will dis- which was headed by tion costs for resettlement implemented in three in a report made public in
play its operational Union home minister of `91.82 crores. years, following best prac- September attributed the
prowess and capabilities Amit Shah, according to Under the leadership of tices, Build Back Better crisis to the hill town's
through an ‘Operational an official statement on Prime Minister Narendra (BBB) principles, and sus- location on a slope over
Demonstration’ covering Thursday. Modi, all technical agen- tainability initiatives. morainic deposits or loose
a spectrum of naval oper- The committee approved cies under the guidance of Thereafter, Joshimath will sediments, population
ations. The spectacle will the recovery and recon- the National Disaster emerge as an excellent pressure, construction of
include 20 warships and struction plan of `1658.17 Management Authority example of ecological sus- multi-storey buildings and
40 aircraft, comprising crores for Joshimath, the (NDMA) were put into tainability, the statement the absence of a system
MiG 29K, LCA Navy and statement further said. action, and they helped said. for proper disposal of
MARCOS. In addition to Under this plan, `1079.96 the state government pre- In January this year, water coming from the
this, there will also be crores of Central assis- pare the recovery plan for cracks and fissures had upper reaches.
combat beach reconnais-

Blasphemous
over the years," the governor components and software grand statue of sance and assault demos

Will it be 2-2 for

wrote on his ‘X’ handle. that are manufactured in Chhatrapati Shivaji by the Marine
India. For the purpose of Maharaj at Rajkot-Malvan Commandos of the Indian

Two die as car falls

from boat into river
Berhampore: A car, about to
be ferried on a boat, fell into
Bhagirathi river leaving a
couple dead in Murshidabad
of West Bengal on Thursday.
The deceased were Subhojit
Sarkar (26) and his wife
Sumana Sarkar (22). They
were inside the car after
driving the vehicle on board
to the boat from the ferry
ghat to cross the river in
Lalbagh. Their one-year-old
daughter and three family
members, who had travelled
calculation of Indigenous
content, cost of Annual
Maintenance Contract
(AMC)/Comprehensive
Maintenance Contract
(CMC)/After Sale Service
shall be excluded. Also,
the DAC has taken deci-
sion to further encourage
start-ups/MSMEs partici-
pation in the defence
ecosystem. For all pro-
curement cases with AoN
cost upto Rs 300 crore, reg-
Uplift poor, youth,
on this occasion.
A 43 feet statue of
Chhatrapati Shivaji has
been erected at Rajkot-
Malvan sea shore of
Sindhudurg. Also an art
gallery depicting Shivaji’s
istered MSMEs and recog-
nised start-ups will be
considered for issue of
Request for Proposal
(RFP) without any stipula-
tion of financial parame-
Navy.
The other major attrac- row: NIT on
early winter
tions include a perform-
BJP and Cong?
ance by the Naval Band,
continuity drill and horn-
pipe dance by the SCC
cadets. off amid row
ters, which can further be DC CORRESPONDENT
relaxed with approval of SRINAGAR, NOV. 30 FROM PG 1 However, with close polls plus the NDTV’s
Defence Procurement contests here, other par- overall average predict a
Board (DPB) for AoN cost The NIT Srinagar has Interestingly, MP’s high- ties like the BSP and the victory for the Congress.
upto Rs 500 crore on case- been closed for early win- est circulation newspa- Rashtriya Loktantrik The India Today-Axis
to-case basis. ter vacations in the after- per, Dainik Bhaskar, had Party are going to play My India Polls has pre-
math of unrest among the a completely different an important role in gov- dicted 40–50 seats for the
students triggered by a take. The only print ernment formations. The Congress here and 36–46
‘blasphemous’
media post.
social

The management of the

institute located in
group to conduct exit
polls said the BJP in MP
will not even cross the
halfway mark and will
India Today-Axis My Poll
has predicted 86–106 for
the Congress and 80–100
for the BJP, while the
for the BJP.
It said incumbent chief
minister Bhupesh
Baghel remains the pre-

women, says PM Modi

in the car with them till the
ferry ghat, were standing on
the boat. Subhojit however
forgot to switch off the car
engine and mistakenly
pressed the accelerator
which moved the vehicle
from the boat to the river.
The boat also capsized with
the couple’s daughter and
three family members but
the four were rescued alive
by the villagers quickly.
Later the car was pulled out.
FROM PG 1
For this, he needs their
blessings, Mr Modi said,
underscoring that the pro-
gramme will identify
everyone left out of wel-
fare schemes aimed for
them and that he will
ensure their saturation
used to consider them-
selves mai-baap of the
people. Therefore, even
after decades of
Independence, a large sec-
tion of the population was
deprived of basic facili-
ties,” Mr Modi said.
Claiming that more than
half the population had
Srinagar’s Hazratbal area
has instructed all stu-
dents to vacate hostels
with immediate effect.
“Pursuant to declaration
Modi said that contrary to of winter vacation for stu-
that, his government is dents w.e.f. 30.11.2023 …all
reaching out to the mass- hostel boarders (boys and
es to enrol them for vari- girls) are instructed to
ous welfare measures. vacate the hostels with
He said that the earlier immediate effect”, reads a
governments were driv- circular signed by the
en by political calcula- Dean Students Welfare.
tions and votebank con- The campus had earlier
siderations. this week witnessed
get around 95–115 seats,
while it gave the
Congress a better chance
with 105–120 seats.
In Rajasthan, where
voting took place for 199
Assembly seats out of 200
and the target at present
is 100, seven out of ten
exit polls have indicated
a BJP government for-
mation. It appears that
in-fighting between
Congress chief minister
Ashok Gehlot and Sachin
other parties will bag ferred choice for the
9–10 seats. Jan ki Baat chief minister's post.
has predicted 100–122 for Dainik Bhaskar has
the BJP, 62–85 for the given 46-55 to the
Congress and 14–15 for Congress and 35-45 to the
others. Dainik Bhaskar BJP.
has predicted 98–105 for Telangana, with 119
the BJP, 85–95 for the seats, is witnessing a tri-
Congress and 10-15 for angular fight between
others. the BRS, the Congress
In Chhattisgarh, where and the BJP. All exit polls
there are 90 Assembly predicted higher chances
seats, though the poll- for the Congress to form
sters have played safe by a government in the
terming it a close con- state. But for TV9

Teacher held over

coverage in the coming lost faith in earlier gov- “Therefore, the people protests by a vast majori- Pilot may cost the party test, the numbers favour Bharatvarsh, others
years. “A voice is emerg- ernments as people had to never used to trust the ty of students over the dearly, as Mr Gehlot may the Congress marginally. claimed that the

harassment of girl
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha
police on Thursday arrested
a teacher of an English medi-
um school in Sambalpur dis-
trict for allegedly sexually
harassing a Class IX girl stu-
dent. According to
Sambalpur Sub Collector,
Puspanjali Panda, a police
complaint was lodged
against the teacher by the
school principal following
which the cops took him into
custody. The accused teacher
was identified as Arun Kumar
Joshi. “Following the com-
plaint, police inspectors of
Khetrajpur and Bareipali
police stations visited the
school on Thursday and
spoke to the victim and
school authorities. I have
spoken to the complainant
and legal action will be taken
against the accused as per
the due procedure,” said
the sub-collector.
ing from people across the depend on middlemen and announcements of such posting of “blasphemous” not be able to break the The halfway mark in the Congress is expected to
country that Modi's guar- had to run around offices mai-baap governments. material online by a non- revolving door phenome- state Assembly is 46. All easily cross the halfway
antee begins from where to seek any benefit, Mr We have changed this.” local student. non in the state. nine out of nine exit mark of 60 seats.
people's expectations
from others end,” he
said.
In his remarks after
interacting with the
beneficiaries, Mr
Modi said Bharat is
neither going to stop,
nor tire as the people
have resolved to
make the country a
developed nation.
“In various corners
of the country, there
is such enthusiasm
for the yatra and
there is a reason for
it... People have seen
Modi and his work in
the last 10 years and
therefore, they have
immense confidence
in the government
and its efforts…
People have also seen
that period when
past governments

AT 63.94% VOTER
TURNOUT, TS STARES
AT 10-YEAR LOW
FROM PG 1
The Congress contested
118 seats and left one seat
to its ally, CPI, while the
BJP contested 111 seats
and left eight seats to
Jana Sena. The AIMIM
put up candidates from
nine seats in Hyderabad.
While the voting exer-
cise was largely peace-
ful, there were some
minor clashes and scuf-
fles reported from multi-
ple constituencies.
Election officials took
immediate action to
clamp down on such inci-
dents, in coordination
with district administra-
tions.
Officials said that most
disturbances were clash-
es between BRS and
Congress workers,
reported from polling
booths in Jangaon,
N a g a rk u r n o o l ,
Kamareddy, Ibrahim pat-
nam, Miryalguda,
Kothagudem and Palair
constituencies. In all
instances, police caned
the clashing workers to
control the situation.
On the day, the ECI was
approached by Congress,
which filed multiple
complaints of poll viola-
tion against BRS leaders.
Among those who were
charged by the Congress
were MLC K. Kavitha,
who called on people to
vote for the BRS and car
symbol in a sound byte
after casting her vote,
and minister A.
Indrakaran Reddy, who
went to his polling sta-
tion in Nirmal wearing a
BRS scarf that promi-
nently displayed the
party’s symbol.
The BJP also
approached the ECI com-
plaining about the police
being “silent spectators”
to alleged electoral mal-
practices by representa-
tives of the BRS at
polling stations.
State BJP chief G.
Kishan Reddy, in a com-
plaint, alleged that the
police were allowing
BRS leaders to move in
groups of 100-200 people
and attacking BJP
cadres when they com-
plained about it.
In Bodhan town of
Nizamabad, BRS and
Congress leaders
clashed, prompting
police intervention. In
Khanapur village of
Ibrahmipatnam con-
stituency, the police
lathi-charged clashing
BRS and Congress work-
ers. Some party workers
were also detained.
 NATION
DECCAN CHRONCILE | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023 | CHENNAI
pg 5

SHORT
Terrorist killed in
TAKES
Pulwama gunfight
Srinagar: A terrorist has
been killed in a gunfight
with the security forces in
the Kashmir Valley’s south-
ern Pulwama district. At
least, two terrorists are
believed to have been holed
up in Pulwama’s Aarihal vil-
lage following the security
forces moved in to launch a
cordon-and-search-opera-
tion on Thursday. “The
encounter is underway. One
terrorist has been neu-
tralised,” a police official
said, adding that the slain
man’s identity is being
ascertained. The Army and
the CRPF on specific input
about the presence of mili-
tants in the village, 35-km
from capital Srinagar.
Meanwhile, the J&K police
claimed that a module of
proscribed Lashkar-e-
Tayyaba (LeT) and its “off-
shoot” The Resistance Front
(TRF) operating from the
Tutigund forest area in the
Handwara region.
Govt calls all-party
meet Dec. 2 ahead
of Winter Session
New Delhi, Nov. 30:
Ahead of the Winter
Session of Parliament,
the government has con-
vened a meeting of floor
leaders of political par-
ties in the Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha on Saturday.
The Winter session of
Parliament begins on
December 4 and will have
15 sittings till December
22, during which it is
expected to consider key
draft legislations, includ-
ing three bills to replace
the criminal laws.
Parliamentary affairs
minister Pralhad Joshi
will hold the meeting on
Saturday which is expect-
ed to be attended by sen-
ior leaders, including
defence minister Rajnath
Singh and commerce
minister Piyush Goyal.
Currently, 37 bills are
◗ THE REPORT of the
ethics committee on the
‘cash-for-query’ allega-
tions against TMC MP
Mahua Moitra will be
tabled in Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha during the ses-
sion. The House will have
to adopt the report before
the expulsion recom-
mended by the panel
comes into effect.
Also, the three key bills
which seek to replace the
Indian Penal Code, Code
of Criminal Procedure
and the Evidence Act are
likely to be taken up for
consideration during the
session as the standing
committee on Home has
already adopted the three
reports recently.
Another key bill pend-
ing in Parliament relates
CBI tightens noose on TMC leaders
Raids premises of TMC MLA, councillors; `35L cash, valuables worth lakhs seized
RAJIB CHOWDHURI and
PRANMOY BRAHMACHARI
KOLKATA/BERHAMPORE, NOV. 30
A day after Union home
minister Amit Shah
attacked the ruling
Trinamul Congress over
corruption in West
Bengal, the CBI raided
Domkol TMC MLA Zafikul
Islam’s house and 10 pri-
vate colleges in
Murshidabad in the teach-
ers’ recruitment scam and
recovered around `35
lakhs in cash and valuable
jewelry worth several
lakhs.
Mr Islam, who is also the
administrator of the TMC-
ruled Domkal
Municipality, was not at
Rahul: Raj-like health plan if
Congress wins 2024 LS polls
home during the raid that
began at around 8 am. Till
reports last came in, the
raids were still being con-
ducted. The wads of cash
and jewelry were seized
from his house on
Thursday afternoon.
“I am in Kolkata to
attend the winter session
of the Assembly. But I
asked my family to cooper-
ate with the CBI,” Mr
Islam said.
“I am innocent. The cash
is the proceeds of the sale
of my land and properties.
My colleges have govern-
ment affiliation. The CBI
is harassing me for my
proximity to our party
MLA Manik
Bhattacharya,” he
◗ THE CBI conducted
another raid at tutor
Sajol Ansari’s house in
Burwan of Murshidabad
and in Coochbehar
claimed.
Mr Bhattacharya, one of
the main accused in the
scam, has been in jail after
his arrest by the ED last
year. The CBI also raided
and searched two TMC
councillors’ houses in
Kolkata in connection
with the same scam. One
of them is Debraj
Chakraborty, husband of
folk singer-turned TMC
MLA of Rajarhat-
Gopalpur Aditi Munshi.
He is the councillor of
ward number 7 and also a
member, mayor-in-council
of the Bidhannagar
Municipal Corporation.
CBI.” Mr Dasgupta, whose
house at Patuli in Kolkata
was also searched, said,
“CBI asked me questions
The other is Bappaditya about Partha Chatterjee
Dasgupta of ward number (the former education
101 of the Kolkata minister now in jail) and
Municipal Corporation. took my ITR and mobile
Mr Chakraborty, like Mr phone.”
Islam, was also not at
home in Teghoria
when the CBI reached
there in the morning.
He later came and took
the CBI inside the
house.
Mr Chakraborty
said, “Nothing was
found in the search. I
shared details of my
income tax returns
(ITR) and bank
accounts with the

ASI gets 10 days to

file Gyanvapi report
Varanasi: The Varanasi dis-
trict court on Thursday gave
10 more days to the
Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) to complete and
submit a scientific survey
report of the Gyanvapi com-
plex. Taking up the plea of
the ASI seeking three addi-
tional weeks to submit the
report, district Judge A.K.
Vishvesh said he hoped that
the ASI would complete the
pending in Parliament of
which 12 are listed for
consideration and pass-
ing, and seven bills for
introduction, considera-
tion and passing.
The government also
plans to present the first
batch of supplementary
demands for grants for
the year 2023-24.
The report of the ethics
committee on the “cash-
for-query” allegations
against Trinamul
Congress MP Mahua
Moitra will be tabled in
to the appointment of the
chief election commis-
sioner and election com-
missioners.
Introduced in the
Monsoon Session, the
government had not
pushed for its passage in
the Special Session of
Parliament amid protests
from the Opposition and
former chief election
commissioners as it seeks
to bring on a par the sta-
tus of the CEC and ECs
with that of the Cabinet
secretary. — PTI
Wayanad, Kerala, Nov. “...If you have money,
30: Congress leader you can always get treat-
Rahul Gandhi on ment in a good hospital,
Thursday hailed the you can always go to a
healthcare programme fancy hospital and get
for the poor initiated by treatment but if you are
the Rajasthan govern- poor and you get cancer
ment, saying if the party or a relative gets cancer
secures power at the or you get heart disease
Centre post the 2024 Lok or your relative gets
Sabha polls, similar ini- heart disease, then you
tiatives will be rolled out really basically your life
nationwide. is over,” Mr Gandhi said.
Mr Gandhi highlighted He said that the Union

FIR against 12 BJP MLAs in WB

task on time and would not the disparity in health- government should pri-
ask for more time, according care access, noting that oritise providing
to counsel for the Hindu side those with financial affordable healthcare to

for ‘insulting’ national anthem

Madan Mohan Yadav. The
court fixed December 11 as
the next date of hearing in
the matter, Mr Yadav said.
The court was hearing the
ASI plea moved on Tuesday
seeking three more weeks
for submitting the survey
report of the Gyanvapi
mosque complex, saying it
needed more time for the
assimilation of information
generated by different
experts. — PTI
DC CORRESPONDENT
KOLKATA, NOV. 30
West Bengal Leader of
Opposition Suvendu
Adhikari and 11 other
Bharatiya Janata Party
MLAs have been booked
in an FIR by the police for
allegedly insulting the
national anthem, sung by
chief minister Mamata
MLAs, in the Assembly.
The FIR was initiated at
the Hare Street police sta-
tion in central Kolkata on
Thursday after parlia-
mentary affairs minister
Sovandeb Chattopadhyay,
finance minister
Chandrima Bhattacharya
and TMC deputy chief
whip Tapas Roy lodged a
complaint against the
means can access quality
treatment in big hospi-
tals, while those lacking
financial resources face
significant challenges
when dealing with ill-
nesses like cancer or
heart disease.
Addressing the audi-
ence after the inaugura-
tion of a new block at a
private hospital in
Sulthan Bathery, located
within his Lok Sabha
constituency, Wayanad,
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi poses for a selfie during
the poor as a fundamen-
a programme in Wayanad, Kerala, on Thursday. — PTI
tal guarantee to its
the former Congress you have money you can people.
president said that the always get treatment in a "I think at the national
biggest victims of med- good hospital,” the level we need to rethink
ical tragedies are often Wayanad MP said. the way we think about
poor people and stressed He said having finan- healthcare and I think
the need for a reevalua- cial means allows access one of the guarantees
tion of healthcare at the to quality treatment in that the national govern-
national level. big hospitals, but for ment should think about
“I travel around India those lacking resources, giving its people is
quite a lot and I notice facing illnesses like can- healthcare at really low
that the biggest victims cer or heart disease can cost, especially to the
of medical tragedies are essentially bring their poor people.
poor people. Because if lives to a halt. — PTI

SARMA UNVEILS
Banerjee and other the dozen Bharatiya Janata
Trinamul Congress Party MLAs.

PM SHRI SCHOOL Kissinger’s ties with

PLAN IN ASSAM
DC CORRESPONDENT
GUWAHATI, NOV. 30
Assam chief minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma on
Thursday launched the PM
Shri School scheme to devel-
op 264 schools, aligning
with the new education poli-
cy. Informing that these
schools will have modern
infrastructure, discovery-ori-
ented teaching, and leader-
ship roles, Mr Sarma said
that the state government
has chosen these schools for
development, marking a sig-
nificant milestone in Assam's
education sector. He said,
“With the blessings of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi we
have commenced the launch
of these schools which will
be equipped with modern
infrastructure.” Mr Sarma
reiterated, “These schools
will also impart a discovery-
oriented way of teaching
and provide leadership to
nearby schools in encapsu-
lating the full spirit of NEP.”
It is significant that PM Shri
school is a centrally spon-
sored scheme intended to
develop more than 14,500
schools across the country
and more than 20 lakh stu-
dents are expected to be
direct beneficiaries.
BJP blames Raut for vandalism
of ex-Mumbai mayor’s vehicle
DC CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI, NOV. 30
Bharatiya Janata Party
MLA Nitesh Rane on
Thursday alleged that peo-
ple sent by Shiv Sena (UBT)
leader Sanjay Raut had ran-
sacked the car of former
Mumbai mayor Datta Davli,
who was arrested for
allegedly abusing chief
minister Eknath Shinde in
a public meeting. MLA
Sunil Raut, brother of
Sanjay Raut, refuted the
allegations and said that Mr
Rane does not need to be
given any importance.
Mr Davli’s car parked out-
side his house at
Kannamwar Nagar the
Vikhroli area was ran-
sacked by unknown people
on Wednesday evening.
Mumbai police said that
they have registered a case
against four unidentified
people for vandalising
the car.
After the incident, Sanjay
Raut said that the attackers
were ‘Namard’ (ipotent) and
they were sent by their
leader. Without taking any
leader’s name, he said, “The
attackers were namard. If
they had guts, they would
not have ran away after
damaging the car. They
were sent by their leader
and if they were ‘mard’
(potent), they would have
stayed there and taken the
responsibility. After we
came to know about the
incident, our people were
going their and they would
have dealt with the
attackers.”
However, Mr Rane said
that he suspected that the
Raut brothers were behind
the attack because of their
local rivalry with Mr Dalvi.
“Both Sanjay Raut and
Sunil Raut have old grudge
against Mr. Dalvi and they
got the opportunity to
express their anger yester-
day. I have a strong doubt
that the men who attacked
Mr Dalvi’s car were sent by
the Raut brothers,” he said.
Sunil Raut said that there
is no substance in Mr
Rane’s claim. “After the
incident, we went to police
station and lodged the com-
plaint. If we were behind
the attack, we would not
have gone to the police.
India spanned decades
Washington, Nov. adviser and secretary Kissinger duo based
30: Henry Kissinger, of state. on the declassified
the veteran American In September 2020, tapes, Gary J. Bass, a
diplomat who died at the New York Times professor of politics
the age of 100, was carried an opinion and international
known for his disdain piece based on the affairs, explained how
towards India’s lead- then newly declassi- the full content of
ership in the 1970s fied trove of White these tapes revealed
and even had used House tapes that pro- how “US policy
racist and misogynist vided “startling evi- toward South Asia
language for the then dence of the bigotry? under Mr Nixon was
Prime Minister Indira voiced by then influenced by his
Gandhi. President Richard hatred of, and sexual
On Wednesday, when Nixon and Kissinger, repulsion toward,
the centurion died in his national security Indians.”
his Connecticut home, adviser in the 1970s. “For decades, Mr
he left behind a che- Replying to a ques- Nixon and Mr
quered legacy. From tion by Mr Nixon, the Kissinger have por-
his first visit to India piece described how trayed themselves as
in October 1974 to the Kissinger sweepingly brilliant practitioners
one in March 2012, Mr explained: “They of realpolitik, run-
Kissinger, termed as a (Indians) are superb ning a foreign policy
statesman by many, flatterers, Mr that dispassionately
had reconciled to President. They are served the interests of
India’s rise and as masters at flattery. the United States. But
many believed, had They are masters at these declassified
become a votary of subtle flattery. That’s White House tapes
stronger US-India how they survived 600 confirm a starkly dif-
ties. years. They suck up — ferent picture: racism
Mr Kissinger’s ties their great skill is to and misogyny at the
with India started in suck up to people in highest levels, cov-
the 1970s when he was key positions.” ered up for decades
in the US administra- Detailing such insid- under ludicrous
tion both as the ious exchanges claims of national
national security between the Nixon- security.

J&K POLICE WILL CRACK WHIP ON SOCIAL MEDIA HATE

YUSUF JAMEEL
SRINAGAR, NOV. 30
Amid the row over a social
media post viewed as blasphe-
my against Islam’s Prophet, the
Jammu and Kashmir police has
said that it will investigate thor-
oughly if the statements are
being issued by various politi-
cal leaders with the ulterior
motive to stir up trouble and
destroy the hard-earned peace
in the Union territory.
“It is a matter of investigation
whether the statements —
responsible or irresponsible —
are part of freedom of expres-
sion and dissent or a conspira-
cy or a collusion with certain
elements to further increase
the circle of violence,” said
DGP Rashmi Ranjan Swain
while replying to a reporter’s
query about the recent state-
ments of former chief minister
and People’s Democratic Party
president Mehbooba Mufti and
some other Opposition politi-
cians.
 EDIT
DECCAN CHRONICLE | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023 | CHENNAI
pg 6

Subhani

1 DECEMBER 2023

After US files ‘plot’ charges,

India needs to come clean
T
he cat is out of the bag now. An indictment in a Manhattan court
says an Indian may have orchestrated a plot to kill a Sikh sepa-
ratist and Khalistan sympathiser that was foiled by an US govern-
ment agency.
The suspicions over involvement in some way of the Indian government
behind a conspiracy to assassinate a foreign citizen, in this case
Gurupatwant Singh Pannun who is a dual US-Canadian citizen on US soil,
puts at risk the close India-US ties that have been built up in the most
recent past.
With an Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, extradited out of the Czech
Republic to the US, in the centre of the storm, plausible deniability in a
possible covert operation has also evaporated. With the matter in court,
extensive details like an advance paid in US dollars for the “hit”, with the
plot becoming traceable to a retired central forces police officer, may be
out in the open soon.
It is not as if official India was not aware of this as the issue of attempted
extrajudicial killing, going back to last June when the Indian was extra-
dited, may have been brought to the attention of the highest in the land by
the US, which had also shared intelligence inputs with Canada in the mat-

The Silkyara lesson: Can LETTERS

ter of the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a gurd-
wara car park in Canada.
India was goaded into action as a high-power committee had just been set
up to go into US concerns over planned extraterritorial killings by agents
acting on behalf of the Indian state. But the plot thickened with the alleged
REAL HEROES
assignment being offered to an undercover officer of the US Drug It is heartening that all 41

we unite to fight crises?

Enforcement Agency and the ensuing indictment. India would have to be tunnel workers were res-
at its convincing best to explain that the action contemplated was not offi- cued after nearly 17 days of
cially sanctioned. being trapped. It is not
The New York indictment comes as an acute embarrassment for a coun-
try that may have protested loudly that it does not indulge in assassination only the efforts of the res-
of inconvenient people. Rebels and separatists threatening the sovereign- The existence of first step towards calamity. cue teams but also the will
ty of a country are not necessarily targets like militants and terrorists who The other impediments to power, determination, and
leave themselves open to such action by any country’s security forces.
too many aims is success include dissipation
another recipe for cooperation of the trapped
Until now, India may have had a passing association with covert acts by
its intelligence agents and the people they may employ in such handiwork. Indranil Banerjie disaster... In
of purpose, a failure to stay
the course and callousness workers for 17 days which,
But now it appears the country may have more to answer for if, indeed, the India, one or laaparvahi, as it is along with prayers, con-
facts laid out in the charges in the New York court are backed by evidence known in Hindustani. The
to merit a conviction.
fundamental latter is perhaps this coun- cern and love of the peo-
India was able to brush away similar charges made by Canada as that problem is the try’s worst enemy after cor- ple, that saved their lives.
country has not gone beyond its Prime Minister airing them on the floor of multiplicity of ruption. Disasters, both nat- Human labour and love
Parliament. But, till now, there have been no charges filed by the Royal tasks taken on by ural and man-made, contin-
proved better than sophis-

W
Canadian Mounted Police against specific persons who may have been hen the res-
involved in the killing of Nijjar, who was another vociferous proponent of cuers tun-
Khalistan and was, like Pannun, was designated as a terrorist by India. nelling into
At stake in what may be protracted rounds of backdoor diplomacy may the blocked
be far more explaining any suspected clandestine action to get rid of Sikh Himalayan
separatists. India must convince the US that it is a trustworthy ally which tunnel at Silkyara in Uttara-
has been receiving much attention from the West regarding commitments khand’s Uttarkashi region
to assistance towards its security in the face of threats from China’s domi- broke through to the 41
nant position in the region and defence acquisitions that must diversify trapped workers on
away from Russian supplies because of current geopolitical scenarios. Tuesday evening, the pre-
To come clean on the subject and state its case lucidly on the tensions and dictable nationwide elation
threat created by breakaway forces would be in India’s best interests and relief that followed was
towards securing its strategic ties with the US and the West. bolstered by the realisation
that the country could still
get its act together on occa-
Guidelines for governors vital sion and not always floun-
der in confusion and incom-
petence as it has so often
B
y allowing the government of Kerala to amend its petition against done during moments of
the governor holding back bills passed by the Assembly, the crises in the past.
Supreme Court has opened the question as to whether it must con- For the millions of citizens
sider framing guidelines for a governor to reserve bills for the considera- fixated on the rescue drama
tion of the President of India. The court’s decision comes in the wake of the played out on television
Kerala governor forwarding to the President seven of the eight bills which news channels moment by
have been pending with him for durations which vary from two years to moment for 17 seemingly
three months. unending days, the rescue
Article 200 of the Constitution mandates that the governor “shall reserve was a gratifying national
for the consideration of the President, any bill which in the opinion of the event. It was also an exam-
governor would, if it became law, so derogate from the powers of the high ple of the power of the col-
court as to endanger the position which that court is by this Constitution lective will, and proof of the
designed to fill”. In practice, state governments would recommend to the efficacy of a single-minded,
governor to seek the opinion of the President if the bills are related to top- concerted approach to prob-
ics referred to in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. Both these lem-solving.
appear to be have sound constitutional backing but the governors taking While most praise
the Rashtrapati Bhavan as an alibi to delay signing the bills is beyond the deservedly went to the 24
scope of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has recently put paid to the “rat hole miners” and the
attempts by some governors to denigrate the spirit of the Constitution by National Disaster Response
holding back bills for a period of their choosing. The court has categori- Force (NDRF) personnel
cally ruled that the powers vested with the governor of a state “cannot be responsible for the final
used to thwart the normal course of lawmaking by the state legislatures" breakthrough, no less note-
and reiterated that “in a parliamentary form of democracy, real power worthy was the involve-
vests in the elected representatives of the people”. It is time the Supreme ment of a plethora of other
Court removed the very scope for covert and overt attempts to diminish agencies, including the
the importance of the state legislatures and restored their paramountcy Prime Minister’s Office
with respect to lawmaking. Framing guidelines for the governors to act on (PMO), which was oversee-
the bills passed by legislatures will be a step in that direction. ing the entire operation, the
Army, the Indian Air Force,
the State Disaster Response
DECCAN CHRONICLE
Force, ONGC, various
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR experts and an Australian
Editor Printer & Publisher rescue consultant. The most
R. MOHAN remarkable aspect of this
Resident Editor
DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at: collective effort was the ab-
Chennai: SP 3 Developed Plot, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600032. Phones: (044) 22254750, sence of crossed wires, pur-
222547451 poses or intent. They were
Coimbatore: No. 2/22 Sengalipalayam Road, N.G.G.O. Colony Post, Kurudampalayam Village, all unified by the single
Coimbatore-641022. Phone: (0422) 2231255, 2231256
Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad 500 003. Phone: (040) 27803930-4. Fax: (040) objective of rescuing the
27805256. trapped tunnel workers, no
Visakhapatnam: Survey No. 1/3A Beach Road, Near Kailasagiri Ropeway, Sector-9 MVP Colony, matter what it took. In the
Visakhapatnam - 530 017. Phones: (0891) 2552333/2552334, Fax (0891) 2755285 end, this approach worked
Vijayawada: No. C 3 & 4, Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.). Phones: (0866)
brilliantly.
2555284/ 2555287, Fax (0866) 2555234
There are lessons to be
Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry 533125. Phones: (0883) 2417208, 2417618
Anantapur: Thapovan Colony, Bangalore Bye-Pass Road, Anantapur 515004. Phones: (08554) 276903, learnt from the success of
Fax: 08554-276904 this rescue mission, those
Nellore: Survey No. 527/2, Burranpur Village, Venkatachalam (M), Chemudugunta Panchayat, Nellore.
Phone: (0861) 2348581/ 82, Telefax (0861) 2348580 that will fortify us against
Karimnagar: H .No. 1-21-12/1, Cheralabhutkur Road, Mugudhumpur Village, Karim Nagar - 505186 and help tackle future disas-
Phone : 9121181123 ters. These lessons could
also serve as a guide in con-
fronting the major national
challenges crippling our
democracy such as poverty,
malnutrition, social con-
flicts, insurgencies and so
on.
The foremost in the list is
the need for single-minded-
ness of purpose. Too often
crisis managers fail when
the endgame is not clearly
identified. At Silkyara, it
was simple: the safe extrica-
tion of all trapped workers.
In other situations, the aim
might not be so clear-cut,
and it might require a good
leader to articulate the prob-
lem and knit all available
resources towards solving
it. The success of legendary
world leaders such as Josef
Stalin, Winston Churchill
and Frankin D. Roosevelt
during World War II is testi-
mony to the importance of
focused resolve. Each of
them clearly identified the
enemy, articulated a goal
and rallied their country-
men towards the fulfilling of
that overwhelming objec-
tive.
In contrast, the American
leadership during the 1960s
failed to identify what exact-
ly the US was fighting for in
Vietnam, why Communism
in a backward Asian coun-
try was a threat to
American citizens and why
young Americans should
die fighting a war they did
not understand. The result
was widespread confusion
within the United States, a
divided polity and a verita-
ble youth revolt.
Predictably, the war was
lost even though military
objectives were being met.
While an enlightened lead-
ership inspired by single-
mindedness of purpose is a
necessary condition for suc-
cess, it is not sufficient. The
effective leader also needs to
combine resources, skills
and the collective will. This
was much in evidence at the
Silkyara operation as it is in
every successful response to
a crisis.
During the Second World
War, the leaders of Britain,
United States and the Soviet
governments and
the leadership.
Union could mobilise their
entire populations to con-
tribute to the war effort:
young men went to the
frontlines, while others
manned factories producing
war material, women came
forth to work at the assem-
bly lines and even children
learnt to cope with those
hard times. Every effort was
geared towards feeding and
maintaining the war
machine against Nazi
Germany and Imperial
Japan.
In India, the genius of
Mahatma Gandhi succeed-
ed in mobilising the collec-
tive will of Indians against
their colonial masters. He
converted a faltering middle
class Independence move-
ment into an enormous, all-
encompassing revolt that
carried with it the middle
class, the workers as well as
peasants from the remotest
parts of the country. This
collective proved unstop-
pable.
Mrs Indira Gandhi in 1971
achieved a similar feat by
uniting the country against
Pakistan’s depredations in
its eastern wing. The coun-
try rallied behind her call to
liberate Bangladesh despite
severe hardships, limited
resources and the threat
from a powerful superpow-
er. Six years later, the coun-
try once again united, this
time against her and the
repressive state of political
“Emergency” she had
imposed on the nation.
Most failed states in recent
history have one thing in
common: the failure to
establish a common unify-
ing national vision. Thus,
countries such as Somalia,
Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria,
Haiti, Pakistan, Myanmar,
South Sudan and others
remain at perpetual boiling
point with frequent out-
breaks of extreme violence
and attendant mass dis-
tress. The failure to main-
tain collective resolve is the
ue to recur with depressing
regularity with no solution
in sight. This endless cata-
logue includes the annual
winter haze over North
India, the regular floods in
many parts of the country
that submerge fields and the
fortunes of countless people,
the indifference to corrup-
tion, development projects
that drag on for years, and
much more. There is sadly
no will or single-minded-
ness to confront such
endemic challenges.
The existence of too many
aims is another recipe for
disaster, the best examples
of which come from mili-
tary history. Hitler’s war
was doomed the moment he
took on the Soviet Union in
the East as well as the Allied
forces in the West. In India,
one fundamental problem is
the multiplicity of tasks
taken on by governments
and the leadership. In this
milieu, there is a tendency
of prematurely ticking off
achievements even when
they are half-completed.
One such example is the
well-intentioned but flag-
ging Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan against civic filth.
The country today stands
divided, fractious, plagued
by conflicting ideas and
objectives. Millions of peo-
ple remain in poverty while
many more are doomed to a
half existence marked by
malnutrition and back-
wardness. The country’s
environment is degrading
at an alarming rate as an
ever-growing population
sucks out every natural
resource in the race to sur-
vive and prosper. Caste, eth-
nic, communal and econom-
ic fault lines have cleaved
communities. These consti-
tute a crisis no less pressing
the one which we managed
to successfully confront at
Silkyara. Will the country
come together to rescue all
those trapped in our dark-
ness?
The writer is an
independent commentator
on political
and security issues
ticated machines. The rat-
hole miners who used the
under the supervision of
our army and refused to
accept any compensation
for the work as it was to
save their countrymen are
the real heroes. They have
set an example for every-
one in the country through
their bravery, selfless and
dedicated service expect-
ing nothing in return.
M.C.Vijay Shankar
Chennai
GREAT ESCAPE
Man, machine, and prayers saved 41
workers in their miraculous escape
from the jaws of death. Team leader
Munna Qureshi and his brave min-
ers helped rescue the workers
trapped in the tunnel. The rescue
operation was a grand success after
one of the most challenging and dan-
gerous operations taken up in India.
A jubilant mood prevailed outside
the tunnel since morning when the
rescue teams announced that the rat-
hole miners, had broke through.
There was light at the end of the
tunnel.
C.K.Subramaniam
Chennai
GUJARAT HC TRASHES PIL
Dubbing it a "wholly misconceived
PIL", a Division Bench of Gujarat
High Court rejected a litigation seek-
ing a ban on the use of loudspeakers
in mosques during azaan. India is a
democratic country where people fol-
low different religions. Different
kinds of flowers beautify a bouquet.
In the same way, having various reli-
gions make India beautiful. All citi-
zens should live together with loving
and supporting each other. United we
stand divided we fall.
Tauqueer Rahmani
Chennai
Mail your letters to
chennaidesk@deccanmail.com

T
he surge in respiratory illnesses in China is
once again in the news. Since mid-October
2023, there had been an increase in influen-
za-like illnesses — compared to the same
Chandrakant period in the previous three years. In mid-
November 2023, the Chinese government had offi-
Lahariya cially reported an increase in cases of respiratory
illnesses, mainly in children but also in some other
high-risk age groups. These respiratory illness
cases have been attributed to seasonal influenza
viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae — a type of bacte-
ria; respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and also to
China have reported that no unusual or novel
pathogens have been detected. Though there has
been a general increase in respiratory illnesses, no
unusual clinical presentation has been reported.
The experts believe that this surge is also due to
the arrival of the winter season, when an increasing
trend in respiratory illnesses is expected. Then, the
co-circulation of respiratory viruses makes chil-
dren and adults with comorbidities prone for clini-
cal disease. Two pathogens which are being report-
ed — Mycoplasma pneumoniae and RSV — are
known to affect children more than adults, which
ed restrictions — the circulation of common and
locally circulating viruses was restricted and popu-
lations were not exposed to those viruses. As people
were not exposed, they had not developed immuni-
ty against all those viruses. Then, when all restric-
tions are removed and mobility increased, people
are being exposed to multiple viruses in one go and
are getting infections. Once a major share of people
get exposed to those pathogens, the transmissions
would slow down.
In the time ahead, this situation may start a dis-
cussion around whether people should get another
ing in India.
Therefore, it is always worthwhile to protect from
all respiratory viruses. Irrespective of which respi-
ratory illness or virus is involved, general preven-
tive measures should be followed in these settings,
where increase in such illnesses is reported. The
preventive measures include getting age-appropri-
ate recommended vaccinations; staying home when
ill; keeping a distance from people who are ill; get-
ting tested and medical care as needed; ensuring
good ventilation in all homes and workplaces.
Winter is a common time for respiratory illnesses

Flu-like illnesses’ SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19).

On November 22, WHO had taken note of the situ-
ation and as part of international Health regulation,
outbreak in China
requested additional epidemiologic and clinical
information, as well as laboratory results from
these reported clusters from Chinese authorities.
This is when it received global attention. The Indian
explains why there are more cases in children.
The respiratory illnesses have been a reality since
antiquity but Covid-19 has brought renewed atten-
tion. In fact, since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic
and after the lifting of the related restrictions, the
rise in viral illnesses and change in seasonality has
been seen in many countries across the world. The
shot of the Covid-19 vaccines. The short answer is
no. With current knowledge, there is no scientific
rationale in getting another Covid-19 vaccine shot
for any age group. The current surge is being
caused by other pathogens — different viruses and
bacteria than the SARS-CoV2. Then, current scien-
tific evidence supports that two shots of the Covid-
and more attention should be paid during that peri-
od. Eating healthy, sleeping for six to eight hours in
a day, regular physical activity and getting treat-
ment for pre-existing illnesses are right approaches.
Taking a leaf from the pandemic period — with
such respiratory illnesses, there is a real challenge
of misinformation. Therefore, we as a society must

no real cause for government also held a meeting on November 26,

2023, to conduct risk assessment and analyse the
preparation for any future eventuality. This was a
routine and standard process and not a reason to
concern in India worry or be concerned about.
The reports from China have indicated the cur-
rent surge has been built up on an increase in out-
patient consultations and hospital admissions of
children due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae since May
2023. The cases of RSV, adenovirus and influenza
virus have spiked since October 2023. Officials in
flu season has changed in many countries and RSV
related infections are more commonly being
reported. As of now, there is no reason to worry for
India or any other country either. Even before the
current surge of respiratory illnesses in China, in
much of 2023, many children and adults in India
reported episodes of flu-like illnesses, in which the
symptoms had lasted longer than usual.
A broader and scientific explanation for this phe-
nomenon is the concept of “immunity debt”. In the
last three to four years — due to the Covid-19 relat-
19 vaccine in settings with high natural infections
continue to provide protection from severe Covid-
19. There is no need for another Covid-19 vaccine
be more careful and avoid passing on any unveri-
fied information. The government should provide
regular, timely and reliable information.
shot in the foreseeable future. The current surge of respiratory infections in a
Respiratory viruses have always been around us,
and our body mostly fights them off without our
even knowing. However, environmental factors
few cities of China appears to be a seasonal trend
and a localised phenomenon. Considering there is
no novel virus involved, it is unlikely to be a risk for
such as air pollution burden our immune system, other countries.
which makes our body more prone to respiratory
infections. Then, there is a major change in season- Dr Chandrakant Lahariya is a senior physician
ality of respiratory viruses across the world, includ- and health policy expert based in New Delhi
 WORLD
DECCAN CHRONICLE | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023 | CHENNAI
Two Hamas
gunmen open
fire at Jerusalem
bus stop, kill 3
Jerusalem, Nov, 30: At
least three Israelis were
killed and six others injured
when Palestinian gunmen
opened fire at a bus stop
here, breaking an uneasy
peace in the city since the
outbreak of the current
round of violence in the
region.
“At around 7.40 am (local
time) two Palestinian gun-
men got out of a vehicle on
Weizman Street at the main
entrance to the capital and
opened fire at people at a
bus stop”, the police here
said.
Three persons were killed
and six wounded, two of
them seriously, in a terror
shooting attack at the
entrance to the city, police
and medics said.
Two off-duty soldiers and
an armed civilian in the
area are said to have
returned fire, killing the two
terrorists.
Videos circulating on
social media platforms show
a handful of people waiting
at the bus stop starting to
run away in different direc-
tions as the two gunmen
start firing indiscriminate-
ly.
Truce extended by
a day at last minute
Jerusalem, Nov. 30:
Israel and Hamas agreed
at the last minute on
Thursday to extend their
cease-fire in Gaza by
another day. But any fur-
ther renewal could prove
more daunting since
Hamas is expected to set a
higher price for many of
the remaining captives.
International pressure
has mounted for the truce
to continue as long as pos-
sible after nearly eight
weeks of Israeli bombard-
ment and a ground cam-
paign in Gaza that have
killed thousands of
Palestinians, uprooted
Henry Kissinger,
secretary of state
under Nixon, dies
Washington, Nov. 30:
Former Secretary of
State Henry Kissinger,
who dominated foreign
policy as the United
States extricated itself
from Vietnam and broke
down barriers with
China, died on
Wednesday. He was 100.
With his gruff yet com-
manding presence and
behind-the-scenes manip-
ulation of power,
Kissinger exerted uncom-
mon influence on global
affairs under Presidents
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford, earning
and
both vilification and the
Nobel Peace Prize.
Decades later, his name
still provoked impas-
sioned debate over for-
eign policy landmarks
long past. Kissinger’s
power grew during the
turmoil of Watergate,
when the politically att-
uned diplomat assumed a
role akin to co-president
to the weakened Nixon.
No doubt my vanity was
piqued, Kissinger later
wrote of his expanding
influence. But the domi-
nant emotion was a pre-
monition of catastrophe.
A Jew who fled Nazi
Germany with his family
in his teens, Kissinger in
his later years cultivated
the reputation of respect-
ed statesman, giving
speeches, offering advice
to Republicans and
Democrats alike and man-
aging a global consulting
business. He turned up in
President Donald
Trump’s White House on
multiple occasions. But
Nixon-era documents and
tapes brought revelations
many in Kissinger's own
words that sometimes
cast him in a harsh light.
Never without his
detractors, Kissinger
after he left government
was dogged by critics who
argued that he should be
called to account for his
policies on Southeast
Asia and support of
repressive regimes in
pg 7
Israel’s internal security
agency, Shin Bet, named the
two attackers as brothers
Murad Namr, 38, and
Ibrahim Namr, 30, from East
Jerusalem. “The pair were
Hamas members and previ-
ously jailed for terror activi-
ty”, the agency said. Footage
showed that the two were
armed with an M-16 assault
rifle and a handgun.
A police search of the
vehicle found large amounts
of ammunition. Police were
searching the area to rule
out any additional attack-
ers.
Medics with Magen David
Adom ambulance service
that reached the site of the
attack declared a 24-year-old
woman dead at the scene,
while an elderly man and a
woman among the eight oth-
ers injured were declared
dead at the hospital. Two of
the wounded were listed in
serious condition.
The bus stop was the scene
of a deadly bomb attack
almost exactly a year ago.
Thursday’s attack came
shortly after Israel and
Hamas agreed to extend the
ceasefire for a seventh day.
— PTI
more than three-quarters
of the population of 2.3
million and led to a
humanitarian crisis.
Israel has vowed to
resume its offensive once
the cease-fire expires.
And the talks appear to
be growing tougher, with
Hamas having already
freed most of the women
and children kidnapped
during the deadly Oct. 7
attack on Israel that trig-
gered the war. The mili-
tants are expected to make
greater demands in
return for freeing scores
of civilian men and sol-
diers. — AP
Henry Kissinger
CHINA HAILS
‘OLD FRIEND’
KISSINGER
Beijing, Nov. 30: China
on Thursday hailed the
late Henry Kissinger as an
“old friend”, paying trib-
ute to a diplomat central
to establishing ties
between Beijing and
Washington.
In China, he is granted
the sobriquet of “old
friend of the Chinese peo-
ple” for his part in estab-
lishing ties back in the
1970s and helping bring
the country out of its
Mao-era isolation.
And as US-China ties
have plummeted in recent
years, the elder statesman
— who visited the country
more than 100 times —
became seen by many as
emblematic of a more
genteel, friendly time in
Washington-Beijing rela-
tions.
— AFP
Latin America. For eight
years first as NSA, later
as secretary of state, and
for a time in the middle
holding both titles K i s s i -
nger ranged across the
breadth of major foreign
policy issues. He held the
first shuttle diplomacy in
the quest for Middle East
peace. He used secret
channels to pursue ties
between the US and
China, ending decades of
hostility. — AP
 CHENNAI | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023
quick
BITES
INDICATORS % the economy, India’s gross
Sensex 66,988.44 0.13
Nifty 50 20,133.20 0.18
S&P 500* 4,550.58 0.00
Dollar (`) 83.39 -0.07
Pound Sterling (`) 105.63 0.02
Euro (`) 91.17 0.30
Gold (10gm)* (`) 62,534▼71 0.11
Brent crude ($/bbl)* 84.14 1.25
IN 10-Yr bond yield 7.281 0.029
US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 4.297 0.026
* As of 8:30 PM IST
Tata Tele in pact
with Truecaller
for caller ID
Tata Tele Business Services
(TTBS) has collaborated with
Truecaller for a verified busi-
ness caller ID solution for its
enterprise customers. The
partnership aims at providing
an additional layer of identity,
credibility, and spam preven-
tion. “We aim to empower
businesses with a secure com-
munication solution that opti-
mises operations,” said Tata
Teleservices senior vice presi-
dent (product) Vishal Rally.
Dixon Tech’s arm
to make Xiaomi
smartphones
Electronic manufacturing serv-
ices firm Dixon Technologies’
arm Padet Electronics will
manufacture Xiaomi smart-
phones at Noida factory. Padet
Electronics has set up a new
factory at an investment of
`256 crore with annual produc-
tion capacity of 2.5 crore units
per annum. “This association
will leverage our execution and
Xiaomi’s expertise in business
ecosystem,” said Dixon execu-
tive chairman Sunil Vachani.
Bharat Coking
begins washery
at Madhuband
Bharat Coking Coal Ltd
(BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal
India, has announced the initia-
tion of commercial operations
at its 5 million tonnes per
annum Madhuband washery. It
will improve the local supply of
washed coking coal to the steel
sector and cut imports. This
initiative aligns with the goal of
import substitution by aug-
menting the supply of indige-
nous washed coking coal at
competitive prices.
Walmart arm
grants $1.2 mn to
livelihood prog.
Walmart Foundation had
announced a grant of $1.2 mn
(`10 cr) to the Transform Rural
India Foundation to support
livelihoods of 15,000 women
rural farmers in Uttar Pradesh.
The grant will be used in a
two-year project that will focus
on creating ten self-sustainable
women-led farmer producer
organisations and a platform
for women farmers to strength-
en and diversify their liveli-
hoods, the foundation said.
Printed & Published by
K Sudhakar on behalf of Deccan
Chronicle Holdings Limited. Printed &
Published at Deccan Chronicle Presses
situated at SP-3 Developed Plot,
Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter, RNI Reg. No.
TNENG/2008/25473 Air surcharge Re 1.
© All rights reserved. Reproduction in
whole or in part without written per-
mission of The Editor, Financial
Chronicle ® is prohibited.
India remains the fastest-growing major economy compared to China
India’s Q2 GDP expands 7.6%
MADHUSUDAN SAHOO
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
Showing the resilience in
domestic product (GDP)
for the second quarter of
the ongoing financial year
accelerated to 7.6 per cent.
In comparison, the GDP
growth stood at 7.8 per
cent in the first quarter of
FY24 and 6.1 per cent in
the last quarter of the pre-
vious financial year, the
government data showed
on Thursday.
However, India remained
the fastest-growing major
economy as compared to
China as its GDP growth
in the July-September
quarter this year was 4.9
per cent.
Reacting to the growth of
the economy, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
said that the GDP growth
numbers for Q2 display
the resilience
strength of the Indian
and
economy in the midst of
Output of eight key infra sectors grows 12.1% in Oct.
FC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 30
The output of eight key
infrastructure sectors
rose by 12.1 per cent in
October 2023 against 0.7
per cent expansion in the
year-ago period, accord-
ing to the official data
released on Thursday. All
the sectors except for fer-
tiliser recorded healthy
production growth in the
month under review.
The core sector (coal,
crude oil, natural gas,
refinery products, fer-
tiliser, steel, cement and
electricity) growth in
September was 9.2 per
APPRENTICESHIP
FINDS FAVOUR IN
IT, ITES COMPANIES
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
IT/ITES companies have
seen a 250 per cent annual
increase in apprentice
headcount, which helps
them lower the cost of
their workforce.
The spike in hiring in
the IT/ITES industry has
been steadily growing
month-on-month as the
industry prioritises
apprenticeship engage-
ment for its potential to
lower the cost of its work-
force, create a talented
pool, and cultivate staff
loyalty and retention.
According to Quess
Corp, there has been over
250 per cent annual
increase in apprentice
headcount in the IT/ITES
space. Moreover, about 79
per cent of employers in
IT/ITES industries fore-
see an increase in appren-
tice intake in the coming
months.
Duration of these
apprenticeship pro-
grammes were 6 months
to 1 year, depending on
complexity of job.
Organisations prefer one
year duration while IT
companies are comfort-
able with six months.
The IT industry priori-
tised apprenticeship
engagement for its poten-
tial to lower the cost of its
workforce, create a talent-
ed pool, and cultivate staff
loyalty and retention.
BFSI and IT/ITES were
the top industries employ-
ing apprentices in the
past year.
Interestingly, 75 per cent
of apprentices engaged in
BFSI and IT sectors com-
plete training and are
considered for full-time
employment.
“The IT space in India
has seen a drop in head-
count and fresher intake
due to global tensions.
However, apprentice hir-
ing has picked up sub-
stantially in the past
year,” Girija S, vice presi-
dent, Quess Corp said.
such testing times global-
ly. “We are committed to
ensuring fast paced
growth to create more
opportunities, rapid eradi-
cation of poverty and
improving ‘ease of living’
for our people,” Modi fur-
ther said.
Commenting on the Q2
GDP numbers, chief eco-
nomic advisor V Anantha
Nageswaran said that the
government is focussing
on capital expenditure,
which is leading to
improve the quality of
spending in the country.
“The fiscal management
cent. Coal, steel, cement
and electricity produc-
tion recorded double-
digit growth. The output
growth of eight sectors
was at 8.6 per cent in
April-Oct. 2023-24 against
8.4 per cent in the year-
ago period.
Meanwhile the central
government’s fiscal defi-
cit widened to `8.04 lakh
crore in April-Oct. from
`7.02 lakh crore in April-
Sept., touching at 45 per
cent of the full-year bud-
get estimate of `17.87
lakh crore. The fiscal
deficit in April-October
2022 was 45.6 per cent of
the target for 2022-23,
Microsoft to be observer on OpenAI board
San Francisco, Nov. 30:
Microsoft will take a non-
voting, observer position
on OpenAI’s board, chief
executive officer Sam
Altman said in his first
official missive after tak-
ing back the reins of the
company on Wednesday.
The observer position
means Microsoft’s repre-
sentative can attend
OpenAI’s board meetings
and access confidential
information, but it does
not have voting rights on
matters including electing
or choosing directors.
Microsoft chief execu-
PVR Inox plans to invest Tata Tech makes stellar debut,
`500 cr for 150 screens m-cap touches `53,315 crore
Mumbai, Nov. 30: The
country’s largest multi-
plex operator PVR Inox
will open 150 screens in
the next fiscal with an
investment of about `500
crore, a top company offi-
cial has said.
The company, which
opened a six-screen luxu-
ry cinema at Maison Inox
here on Thursday, already
runs 118 screens across 23
properties in the megapo-
lis.
Overall, including its
property in Colombo, it
operates 1,711 screens at
359 properties across 114
cities.
Applications include production of batteries, solar panels, chips
NEW | USES
Google uses AI to mimic 2mn materials
London, Nov. 30: Google
DeepMind has used artifi-
cial intelligence (AI) to
predict the structure of
more than 2 million new
materials, a breakthrough
it said could soon be used
to improve real-world
technologies.
In a research paper pub-
lished in science journal
Nature on Wednesday, the
Alphabet-owned AI firm
said almost 4,00,000 of its
hypothetical material
designs could soon be
made in lab conditions.
Potential applications
for the research include
the production of better-
performing batteries,
● PRIME MINISTER
Narendra Modi said
that the GDP growth
numbers for Q2 dis-
play the resilience
and strength of the
economy in the
midst of such test-
ing times globally.
also remains on track,
while tax buoyancy of
close to Q2 underlines
strong revenue perform-
ance in the current finan-
cial year,” he said, adding
that bank credit has been
witnessing double-digit
growth since late 2022,
while headline and core
retail inflation drops fur-
ther.
As per the National
Statistical Office (NSO)
data, the real GDP or GDP
at Constant (2011-12)
Prices in Q2 2023-24 is esti-
mated to attain a level of
`41.7 lakh crore, as
according to data
released by the Contr-
oller General of Accou-
nts (CGA) on Thursday.
For the third month in
a row, the fiscal deficit
was lower compared to
the year-ago period, com-
ing in at `1.02 lakh crore
in October, down 26 per-
tive officer Satya Nadella
had said earlier that gov-
ernance at the ChatGPT
maker needs to change.
OpenAI announced a
new initial board last
week that consists of for-
mer Salesforce co-chief
executive officer Bret
Taylor as chair and Larry
Summers, former US
treasury secretary. Quora
chief executive officer
Adam D’Angelo, who was
part of the board who
fired Altman, also stayed
on for the new one.
Taylor said on X, former-
ly Twitter, that he intend-
We are planning to add
150 more screens at an
investment of around
`500 crore next fiscal,
Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, exec-
utive director, PVR Inox.
On the Maison Inox, he
said normally a screen
required an investment of
` 5 crore but given that it's
a luxury collection and
comes with the first
attached bar (Gastby Bar),
the per screen cost is
about `7 crore.
“Given the response to
our first screen in Sri
Lanka, we are planning to
have more properties
there,” Bijli said. — PTI
solar panels and computer
chips.
The discovery and syn-
thesis of new materials
can be a costly and time-
consuming process. For
example, it took around
two decades of research
before lithium-ion batter-
ies, today used to power
everything from phones
and laptops to electric
vehicles, were made com-
mercially available.
“We’re hoping that big
improvements in experi-
mentation, autonomous
synthesis, and machine
learning models will sig-
nificantly shorten that 10
to 20-year timeline to
against `38.7 lakh crore in
Q2 2022-23, showing a
growth of 7.6 per cent as
compared to 6.2 per cent in
Q2 2022-23. Besides, the
nominal GDP or GDP at
Current Prices in Q2 2023-
24 is estimated at `71.66
lakh crore, as against
`65.6 lakh crore in Q2 2022-
23, showing a growth of
9.1 per cent as compared
to 17.2 per cent in Q2 2022-
23, the NSO data showed.
“The GDP at Constant
(2011-12) Prices in April-
September 2023-24 (H1
2023-24) is estimated at
`82.11 lakh crore as
against `76.22 lakh crore
during the corresponding
period of previous year,
showing a growth of 7.7
per cent in H1 2023-24 as
against 9.5 per cent in H1
2022-23,” it showed.
“The manufacturing sec-
tor grew 13.9 per cent
Q2FY24 after seeing a con-
traction of 3.8 per cent in
Q2FY23, while the con-
struction sector grew 13.3
cent year-on-year (YoY).
In October, the central
government’s total exp-
enditure was down 14 per
cent YoY at `2.75 lakh
crore, with capital expen-
diture down 15 percent at
`56,296 crore. The capex
for April-October at `5.47
lakh crore.
For the first seven
months of 2023-24, the
government’s total spe-
nding stood at `23.94
lakh crore, 12 per cent
higher than the same
period last year. Total
receipts, meanwhile, we-
re up 15 per cent YoY in
April-Oct. at `15.91 lakh
crore.
ed to “step away and leave
the oversight of OpenAI
in the good hands of board
colleagues” when transi-
tional tasks have been
completed.
The new OpenAI board
is on a search for new
members with expertise
in safety, technology, and
policy.
OpenAI investors are
unlikely to get a seat on
the non-profit body’s
board, sources said.
Microsoft has committed
to invest over $10 billion
into OpenAI and owns 49
per cent of the company. It
RAVI RANJAN PRASAD
MUMBAI, NOV. 30
Tata Technologies initial
public offering made a
bumper debut on bourses,
as `500-equity shares list-
ed at 140 per cent premi-
um at `1,200 and gained
further to a high of `1,400
on both NSE and BSE.
The Tata Group’s first
listing after almost two
decades finally closed on
the first day at `1,314 on
BSE gaining a whopping
162.85 per cent and at
`1,313 on NSE.
Tata Technologies mar-
something that's much
more manageable,” said
Ekin Dogus Cubuk, a
research scientist at
DeepMind.
DeepMind’s AI was
trained on data from the
Materials Project, an
per cent in the same peri-
od, up from 5.7 per cent in
Q2FY23. While agricul-
ture, livestock, forestry &
fishing industry grows 1.2
per cent in Q2FY24, down
from 2.5 per cent in
Q2FY23,” the data showed.
Meanwhile, the output of
eight key infrastructure
sectors jumped 12.1 per
cent in October 2023
against 0.7 per cent expan-
sion in the year-ago peri-
od, according to the offi-
cial data.
“Four of the eight core
industries witnessed dou-
ble-digit growth in
October 2023, including
electricity, coal, cement
and steel,” said Aditi
Nayar, chief economist of
ICRA.
“We expect the second-
half growth to moderate.
The full year GDP num-
bers have got a fillip after
today’s figures,” said
Upasna Bhardwaj, chief
economist, Kotak
Mahindra Bank.
The Centre’s gross tax
revenue in April-Oct.
recorded a growth of 14
per cent, while net tax
revenue was up 11 per
cent over the same peri-
od. Divestment, however,
continues to lag, at just
`8,000 crore.
The corporate tax col-
lections was broken in
October as they were
down 13 per cent YoY at
`30,686 crore. Income tax
collections rising 31 per
cent to `69,583 crore. For
April-Oct., growth in cor-
porate and income tax
collections were 17 per
cent and 31 per cent,
respectively.
● THE NEW OpenAI
board is on a search
for new members with
expertise in safety,
technology, and policy.
OpenAI investors are
unlikely to get a seat
on the board.
did not immediately
respond to requests for
comment.
Mira Murati, who had
been OpenAI’s chief tech-
nology officer and was
briefly named interim
chief executive officer
ket cap crossed `50,000
crore on the very first day
of trading and stood at
`53,314.99 crore at the
market close.
Gandhar Oil’s equity
shares of `169 price listed
at `295.40, a premium of
74.79 per cent and touched
● IN A research
paper published in
science journal
Nature, the AI firm
said almost 4,00,000
of its hypothetical
material designs
could soon be made
in lab conditions.
international research
group founded at the
Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory in
2011, made up of existing
research of around 50,000
already-known materials.
The company said it
Ultra-luxury
home sales up
250% in 2023
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, NOV. 30
Sales value of ultra-luxu-
ry homes surged 247 per
cent in 2023 to date
against the whole of 2022
with over 90 per cent of
the deals happening in
Mumbai. Mumbai also
saw the highest number of
property registrations in
November.
In 2023, the top cities saw
sales of 58 ultra-luxury
homes priced over `40
crore. However, in 2022
only 13 ultra-luxury
homes were sold.
The cumulative value of
the 58 ultra-luxury homes
sold in 2023 was approxi-
mately `4,063 crore
against `1,170 crore worth
of homes in 2022, marking
a growth of 247 per cent,
said Anarock Group.
Mumbai accounted for
53 deals, Delhi-NCR sold
four homes, and
Hyderabad one. Of the 53
deals in Mumbai city, at
least 3 were for price tags
above `200 crore, and 7
deals were closed for
between `100 - 200 crore
each.
At least two ultra-luxury
homes in Delhi-NCR were
sold for above `100 crore
each. In 2022, Mumbai had
seen sales of 11 homes and
Delhi-NCR sold 2 homes.
Apartments remained
the preferred property
type for high net worth
individuals (HNIs) as of
58 deals, 53 were for apart-
ments, and the remaining
five were bungalows.
At least 79 per cent of
the total deals were con-
cluded by businessmen
and 16 per cent by senior
professionals from across
various sectors.
after Altman’s ouster, is
once again the company’s
chief technology officer.
OpenAI’s co-founder
Greg Brockman, who fol-
lowed Altman out of the
company, would return as
president.
OpenAI’s chief scientist
Ilya Sutskever will no
longer be part of the
board. He had joined in
the effort to fire Altman
but later signed an
employee letter demand-
ing his return.
"I harbor zero ill-will
towards him," Altman fur-
ther said. — Reuters
a high of `344. Gandhar
Oil shares finally closed at
`301.50 gaining 78.40 per
cent over the public issue
price. Gandhar Oil’s mar-
ket capitalisation stood at
`2,950.78 crore.
Third IPO of Fedbank
Financial Services made a
lackluster debut as `140
equity shares listed at
`137 and later gained
day’s high of `148 and low
of `133.15 before the final
close at `140, making a flat
debut.
Fedbank Financial’s
market cap stood at
`5,165.40 crore.
would now share its data
with the research commu-
nity, in the hopes of accel-
erating further break-
throughs in material dis-
covery.
New materials typically
take a bit of time before
they become cost-effective,
said Kristin Persson,
director of the Materials
Project. “If we can shrink
that, it would be consid-
ered a real breakthrough.”
Having used AI to pre-
dict stability of these
materials, DeepMind said
it would now focus on pre-
dicting how easily they
can be synthesised in the
lab. — Reuters
pg 8
● APARTMENTS
REMAINED the pre-
ferred property type
for high net worth indi-
viduals (HNIs) as of 58
deals, 53 were for
apartments, and the
remaining five were
bungalows.
Politicians and Bollywood
celebrities accounted for
the remaining 5 per cent.
“The emerging genera-
tion of young and affluent
individuals are investing
their wealth in ultra-luxu-
ry properties.
and Suhana Khan have
Even
celebrities like Alia Bhatt
invested in flats and farm-
land respectively,” said
Ashwin Chadha, chief
executive officer, India
Sotheby’s International
Realty.
Meanwhile, Knight
Frank India found that
property registrations of
ultra-luxury homes in
Mumbai city went up to
1,14,464 since January
2023.
In the month of
November, the ultra-luxu-
ry homes saw the highest
number of registrations
in 11 years, 9,548 property
registrations were record-
ed and they contributed
`697 crore to the state gov-
ernment revenues.
ULTRATECH TO
BUY KESORAM
CEMENT BIZ FOR
`5,380 CRORE
Bengaluru, Nov. 30:
India’s UltraTech Cement
said on Thursday it will
buy the cement business
of Kesoram Industries in
an all-stock deal valued at
`5,379 crore ($645.41 mil-
lion), in a move to add
heft to its hold in the
southern part of the
country.
As a part of the deal,
UltraTech will issue one
share for every 52 shares
of Kesoram and give
UltraTech ownership of
two integrated cement
units in southern Indian
states of Karnataka and
Telangana.
The deal implies an
offer price of `173.15 per
share, a 24.2 per cent pre-
mium to Kesoram’s last
close.
Market leader UltraTech
is looking to boost its
capacity ambitions in a
highly competitive Indian
cement sector, months
after smaller peer
Ambuja Cements, owned
by billionaire Gautam
Adani, bought a majority
stake in Sanghi
Industries.
“UltraTech already has
one of the best brownfield
potential in industry. This
deal, if it does go through,
would be additive to that
and help cement its capac-
ity to lead over others,
even as other players with
larger ambitions ramp
up,” said Satyadeep Jain,
research analyst at Ambit
Capital.
The transaction, expect-
ed to be completed within
9-12 months, will provide
the company "the oppor-
tunity to extend its foot-
print in the highly frag-
mented, competitive and
fast growing Western and
Southern markets in the
country, UltraTech said.
The proposed transac-
tion will accelerate
UltraTech’s path to
achieving its stated goal
of 200 million tonne per
annum capacity in India,
it added. — Reuters
 GAMES
DECCAN CHRONICLE | CHENNAI | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023
SHORT TAKES
Hockey girls rout
Canada in opener
Santiago, Chile: The Indian
team made a resounding start
to its FIH Women’s Junior
Hockey World Cup campaign
by securing a commanding 12-0
victory over Canada here. Annu
(4th, 6th, 39th minute), Dipi
Monika Toppo (21st), Mumtaz
Khan (26th, 41st, 54th, 60th),
Deepika Soreng (34th, 50th,
54th), and Neelam (45th) were
the goal scorers for India on
Wednesday.
India began the match with an
attacking approach, and swiftly
secured an early advantage as
Annu scored two early goals
through penalty corners.
Despite taking a two-goal lead,
India persisted with their
aggressive style, maintaining
pressure on Canada. However,
they were unable to find more
goals in the opening quarter as
it ended 2-0 in their favour.
India will next lock horns with
Germany on Friday. — PTI
Eight jr boxers in
semis at Worlds
New Delhi: As many as eight
boxers secured a medal after
progressing to the semifinals on
day six of the IBA Junior World
Boxing Championships 2023 in
Yerevan, Armenia on Thursday.
Extending their phenomenal
run at the tournament, six out
of the seven junior girls made
their way into the semifinals.
The two gold medallists from
the Asian junior boxing champi-
onships — Pari (50kg) and
Nidhi (66kg) — won their quar-
terfinal bouts with identical
unanimous 5-0 wins against
Muller Micaela of Romania and
Kao Chun Ai of Chinese Taipei
respectively.
Payal (48kg) scored a comfort-
able 5-0 win over Doherty
Lauren of Ireland, while Amisha
(54kg) outperformed Kim Jiae
of South Korea for a unanimous
decision win.
The Asian junior silver medallist
Neha Lunthi (46kg) was tested
by Hizouskaya Anhelina of
Belarus before she emerged
victorious with a 4-1 split deci-
sion win.
Prachi (54kg), on the other
hand, had to work hard against
Kazakhstan’s Seiitkhankyzyc
Panar. She secured a 3-2 split
verdict. — PTI
Panghal, Thapa
sail into Last 4
Shillong: World Championships
runner-up Amit Panghal (51kg)
and 2021 Asian Champion
Sanjeet (92kg) continued their
impressive run as 12 SSCB box-
ers secured semifinal spots at
the Men’s National Boxing
Championships here on
Thursday. Six-time Asian
Championships medallist Shiva
Thapa, representing Assam,
also progressed to the last-four
stage.
Panghal dominated the pro-
ceedings throughout and ulti-
mately won the bout comfort-
ably in a unanimous decision
against Mohammad Aarif of
Jammu and Kashmir.
He will next face Ankit of RSPB
in the semifinals.
Up against 2018
Commonwealth Games bronze
medallist Naman Tanwar of
RSPB, Sanjeet was at the top of
his game as he controlled the
bout and played from a dis-
tance, landing hard punches
throughout to register a win
with a unanimous decision in
the 92kg quarter-final.
Sanjeet will take on All India
Police’s (AIP) Vicky in the semi-
finals. — PTI
Harman to lead in
5-Nations tourney
New Delhi: Ace drag-flicker
Harmanpreet Singh will lead a
24-member Indian hockey
squad in the 5-Nations
Tournament, scheduled to be
held in Valencia, Spain from
December 15 to 22. The squad
is a mix of youth and experi-
ence, with Sumit and Amit
Rohidas being named vice-cap-
tains for the tour.
The tournament, which will
serve as a preparatory event
ahead of the 2023-24 Hockey
Pro League season, will see
India play against Spain,
Germany, France and Belgium.
The goalkeeping department
will see the return of Suraj
Karkera to the squad, with stal-
wart PR Sreejesh and Krishan B
Pathak expected to do bulk of
the work under the bar. — PTI
Squad: Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh,
Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj
Karkera. Defenders: Jarmanpreet
Singh, Jugraj Singh, Amit Rohidas,
Harmanpreet Singh (c), Varun
Kumar, Sumit, Sanjay, Nilam Sanjeep
Xess. Midfielders: Yashdeep Siwach,
Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta
Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher
Singh, Rabichandra Singh
Moirangthem. Forwards: Mandeep
Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh,
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Karthi
Selvam, Dilpreet Singh, Akashdeep
Singh.
FOURFRONT
India look to go one up to seal the series in fourth T20
Raipur, Nov. 30: India’s
young bowling unit,
which has been under
the pump, will look to
better its death overs
performance while util-
ising Glenn Maxwell’s
absence to its advantage
in the fourth T20
International against
Australia here on
Friday.
India’s second-string
attack did not paint a
good picture of itself by
not defending 40-plus
runs in the final two
overs in the third match
which the Australians
won while chasing a
daunting 223-run target.
There is a possibility of
a minor tweak in the
Indian line-up after
Prasidh Krishna gave
away 68 runs in four
overs, including 21 in
the final over.
Deepak Chahar is back
in the T20 mix and his
ability to move the new
ball should be consid-
ered for his inclusion in
the playing XI along
with death overs special-
ist Mukesh Kumar, who
is back after one-match
break.
Both Prasidh and
Avesh Khan lack variety
and innovation as they
keep pitching the ball at
the same length. Both
bowl in late 130s or early
140s but consistently
pitch it back of the
length and the nature of
Indian tracks make it a
cannon fodder for bat-
ters.
Also not being able to
use variations like con-
ventional or wide york-
ers has been the undoing
of these bowlers who
also didn’t execute slow-
er deliveries properly.
In the batting line up,
Shreyas Iyer’s comeback
means only Tilak Varma
looks a candidate who
could be benched as five
others — Yashasvi
Jaiswal, Ruturaj
Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan,
skipper
Yadav
Rinku
and
themselves.
Suryakumar
Singh
finisher
select
India will also look to
exploit the absence of a
marauding Maxwell
who pulled off a heist of
sorts to singlehandedly
bring Australia back
into the five-match
series with a win in a
last-ball finish in
Guwahati.
But the hosts will
fancy their chances with
Maxwell, and other
influential players such
as Steve Smith and
Adam Zampa not figur-
ing in the playing XI
here, having left for
home after a long stay in
the country where they
won their sixth World
Cup title recently.
Cricket Australia (CA)
released many of its top
players including
Maxwell midway into
the series keeping in
mind their workload and
fitness ahead of the T20
World Cup.
The Suryakumar
Yadav-led second-string
India are smarting from
a classic Maxwell
innings, and the home
team bowlers will be
relieved that he will not
walk out to bat at the
Shaheed Veer Narayan
Singh Stadium. Like in
Guwahati, dew could
again have a say on a
December evening in
this part of the world.
— PTI
Rohit, Virat were crying in dressing room: Ash
Chennai, Nov. 30:
Skipper Rohit Sharma and
star batter Virat Kohli
were in tears in the dress-
ing room following India’s
heartbreaking loss to
Australia in the recent
ODI World Cup final in
Ahmedabad, veteran off-
spinner Ravichandran
Ashwin said.
Australia beat India by
six wickets on November
19 in the final to win a
record sixth ODI World
Cup title.
After the loss, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
visited the Indian dressing
room and tried to cheer
up Rohit and Kohli.
But Ashwin said the
dressing room witnessed
some heartbreaking
scenes.
“Yes, we were feeling the
Captain Suryakumar Yadav (left) with bowler Mukesh Kumar during the second T20
in Thiruvananthapuram. The onus will be on NextGen bowlers to perform during the
fourth T20 match against Australia in Raipur on Friday.
Rohit skips white-ball leg,
Surya, Rahul are captains
New Delhi, Nov. 30:
Rohit Sharma’s request to
the BCCI for a break from
white-ball cricket in
South Africa despite
being offered T20 captain-
cy has been accepted,
while Jasprit Bumrah has
been named his deputy for
the two Tests starting
December 26. Virat
Kohli’s request for a break
from limited-overs games
too has been accepted as
Suryakumar Yadav and
KL Rahul will lead the
national team in T20Is
and ODIs respectively.
However, it is under-
stood that Hardik Pandya
is no longer an automatic
choice for T20 captaincy
in the T20 World Cup next
year if Rohit decides to
play the shortest format.
“Rohit has been offered
T20 captaincy but he is in
UK on a holiday and
wants an extended break
after four months of gru-
elling season till end of
the World Cup. But as cap-
tain, he has the highest
respect for the dressing
room and if he agrees to
lead India in T20 World
Cup, he will lead,” a BCCI
source said.
After the T20 World Cup
in 2022, Rohit had actually
been reluctant to play the
pain. Rohit and Virat were
in tears, (and) seeing it felt
bad. Anyway, (it was) not
meant to be. This team
was an experienced side,
(and) everyone knew what
to do,” he told former
cricketer Subramaniam
Badrinath on his YouTube
channel.
Although India failed to
emerge successful in the
World Cup, Kohli and
Rohit lit up the event up
with their explosive bat-
ting.
Ashwin heaped praise on
Rohit, both as a batter and
leader. “If you take a look
at Indian cricket, every-
body will be telling you
that MS Dhoni is the best
captain. (But), Rohit
Sharma is an outstanding
person, (and) he under-
stands every single player
SQUADS FOR SOUTH AFRICA TOUR
TTests: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal,
Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan
(wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra
Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar,
Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Prasidh Krishna.
TT20Is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad,
Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Shreyas
Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra
Jadeja (vc), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep
Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar,
Deepak Chahar.
 ODIs: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma,
Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (c, wk),
Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar,
Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh
Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar.
shortest format as he
focused on 50-over cricket.
Interestingly, most of
the players selected for
ODIs don’t feature either
in Tests or T20Is.
Only three players have
been selected in all three
squads — Shreyas Iyer,
Mukesh Kumar and
Ruturaj Gaikwad. Axar
Patel has been dropped
from the T20 squad and
Ravindra Jadeja is the
new T20 vice-captain.
KL TO KEEP WICKETS
The national selection
committee, on expected
lines, has not included
India captain Rohit Sharma (left) and Virat Kohli during
the presentation ceremony after the World Cup final
against Australia in Ahmedabad on November 19. — AP
in the team,” he said.
“He knows the likes and
dislikes of each of us and
has a great understanding.
— PTI
Kona Bharat in the Test
squad as KL Rahul will
now don the big gloves in
the Test matches.
Rahul as keeper also
opens two middle-order
slots — for Shreyas Iyer
and Gaikwad — in the
Test lineup. It is under-
stood that Mohammed
Shami has a chance to get
fit before the Test series
starts late in December.
Shami’s injury isn’t very
serious at the moment and
hence he has been kept in
the squad.
Prasidh Krishna has
been kept as his cover just
in case. — PTI
He puts in the effort to
know each player person-
ally,” he reckoned.
Ashwin played just a
UGANDA QUALIFY
FOR T20 CUP AS
ZIM ELIMINATED
Paris, Nov. 30: Uganda
will make their first
appearance at a cricket
World Cup next year
after qualifying on
Thursday for the T20
tournament to be hosted
by the West Indies and
the United States.
A nine-wicket win over
Rwanda secured Uganda
second place in the
African regional quali-
fying event, joining
Namibia at the 2024 T20
World Cup while elimi-
nating Zimbabwe from
contention.
Uganda bowled
Rwanda out for just 65
and knocked off the
runs in 8.1 overs to
record their fifth win in
six matches in
Windhoek.
Qualifying hosts
Namibia sealed their
spot on Tuesday with a
58-run win over
Tanzania, ensuring they
will play at a third con-
secutive T20 World Cup.
Zimbabwe, who lost to
both Namibia and
Uganda, will miss out
for the second time in
three editions.
They did not partici-
pate in the 2021 show-
piece after the ICC sus-
pended Zimbabwe’s
membership because of
government interfer-
ence.
Zimbabwe also failed
to reach the last two 50-
over World Cups. Their
recent absence in India
cost them the chance to
qualify for the 2025
Champions Trophy.
— AFP
BEN UNDERGOES
SURGERY AHEAD
OF INDIA SERIES
London, Nov. 30:
England captain Ben
Stokes has undergone a
successful surgery on
his left knee in a bid to
stay fit for the Test
series in India, begin-
ning January next year.
The 32-year-old star all-
rounder was unable to
bowl in the final three
Ashes Tests against
Australia this year and
only featured as a batter
at the recent World Cup
in India, with his body
unable to cope with the
rigours of bowling.
He had announced ear-
lier this month that he
would undergo surgery
after the World Cup.
“In and out. Under the
(knife emoji) done.
Rehab starts now,”
Stokes wrote on his
social media handles
with a picture of himself
on crutches outside
London’s Cromwell
Hospital.
The five-match Test
series in India begins on
January 25 in
Hyderabad. The
England team is expect-
ed to fly out to the UAE
for a warm-up camp two
weeks before reaching
India.Last week, Stokes
announced that
would not be available
for the 2024 Indian
he
Premier League to man-
age his workload and fit-
ness. — PTI
game in the entire World
Cup, India’s opener
against Australia in
Chennai, finishing with
figures of one for 34.
Asked why Rohit didn’t
include him in the playing
XI for the final, he backed
the skipper saying it’s not
easy to change the win-
ning combination.
“As far as I playing the
final is concerned, the
team combination and all
is secondary. Firstly, it’s
about empathy, (and) I
keep stressing it a lot.
“It’s like standing in
someone else’s shoes and
looking at things from
his/her perspective. Had I
been in Rohit’s shoes, I
would have thought 100
times about altering the
(winning) combination,”
he said. — PTI
CHAMPIONS | LEAGUE
United on brink of
exit, Arsenal cruise
Paris, Nov. 30:
Manchester United are
facing elimination from
the Champions League in
the group stage after
squandering a two-goal
lead to draw 3-3 with
Galatasaray in Istanbul
on Wednesday, while
Arsenal and
Eindhoven secured quali-
PSV
fication for the last 16.
Three-time European
champions United needed
a win in Turkey, against
opponents who beat them
at Old Trafford last
month, in order to keep
qualification for the
knockout rounds in their
hands.
Erik ten Hag’s side
appeared in control when
Alejandro Garnacho’s
early opener was followed
by a stunning strike by
Bruno Fernandes on 18
minutes.
Hakim Ziyech pulled
one back with a free-kick,
only for Scott McTominay
to restore the visitors’
two-goal advantage early
in the second half.
Yet Galatasaray were
again given hope when
another Ziyech free-kick
was fumbled into the net
by United goalkeeper
Andre Onana, and the
hosts equalised thanks to
a brilliant 71st-minute
strike by Kerem
Akturkoglu.
United have now con-
ceded 14 goals in five
European matches and
this result, combined
with FC Copenhagen’s 0-0
draw away to already-
qualified Bayern Munich,
leaves the Premier
League side bottom of
Group A with one game
remaining.
In order to go through
they must now beat
Bayern at home next
month and hope
Copenhagen and
Galatasaray draw.
GUNNERS HIT SIX
Arsenal’s form in Europe
this season has been in
stark contrast to that of
United, and the Gunners
romped into the last 16
with a 6-0 demolition of
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard celebrates after scoring
against Lens during the Champions League Group ‘B’
match at the Emirates Stadium in London on
Wednesday. Arsenal won 6-0.
I-LEAGUE | FOOTBALL
PLAYERS APPROACHED FOR
MATCH MANIPULATION: AIFF
New Delhi, Nov. 30: The
All India Football
Federation (AIFF) on
Thursday revealed that
several I-League players
were recently approached
for “match manipulation”
and promised to investi-
gate the matter. AIFF
President Kalyan Chau
bey did not elaborate on
how they received the
information, which play-
ers were approached and
who contacted them but
insisted that the federa-
tion is committed to save
the integrity of the game.
“We have received infor-
mation of multiple
approaches to our play-
ers. We will thoroughly
examine the incidents,
investigate, and take all
necessary action,”
Chaubey said in a state-
ment.
“We are committed to
protecting our players
and our beautiful game
and will not tolerate any
attempts of this nature to
put the players and the
game at risk,” he said.
The 2023 I League sea-
pg 9
THE RESULTS
Galatasaray 3
(Ziyech 29, 62, Akturkoglu
71)
Manchester United 3
(Garnacho 11, Fernandes 18,
McTominay 55)
Bayern Munich
FC Copenhagen
0
0
Sevilla 2
(Ramos 24, En-Nesyri 47)
PSV Eindhoven 3
(Saibari 68, Gudelj 81-og,
Pepi 90+2)
Arsenal 6
(Havertz 13, Jesus 21, Saka
23, Martinelli 27, Odegaard
45+1, Jorginho 86-pen)
Lens 0
Real Madrid 4
(Rodrygo 11, Bellingham 22,
Paz 84, Joselu 90+4)
Napoli 2
(Simeone 9, Zambo
Anguissa 47)
Sporting Braga 1
(Djalo 51)
Union Berlin 1
(Gosens 42)
Benfica 3
(Joao Mario 5, 13, 34)
Inter Milan 3
(Arnautovic 51, Frattesi 58,
Sanchez 72-pen)
Real Sociedad 0
Salzburg 0
Lens in London.
Mikel Arteta’s side were
five goals up at the break
with Kai Havertz, Gabriel
Jesus, Bukayo Saka,
Gabriel Martinelli and
Martin Odegaard all net-
ting.
Jorginho completed the
scoring from a late penal-
ty as Arsenal gained
revenge for their 2-1
defeat by Lens in France
last month.
Arsenal have scored 12
goals without reply in
winning their three home
matches in Group B and
have now wrapped up top
spot ahead of PSV, who
are also through.
The Dutch side,
European Cup winners in
1988, produced a superb
comeback to triumph 3-2
away to Sevilla and put
themselves out of sight in
second place. — AFP
— AP
son began in October and
more than 40 matches
have already been played
in the 13-team competi-
tion.
“We will also continue
to strengthen our institu-
tional capacities to not
only counter such threats
but also educate our play-
ers and officials on how to
recognise, respond to, and
report incidents of this
nature,” said Chaubey.
The AIFF said it has
taken serious note of the
matter and reiterated its
zero-tolerance policy
towards any activity that
impacts the integrity of
its competitions or other-
wise brings the game of
football into disrepute.
Regd. No. TNENG/2010/35692
Printed & Published by K. Sudhakar on
behalf of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited
and Printed at Deccan Chronicle Presses
situated at SP 3, Developed Plot,
Industrial Estate,
Guindy, Chennai - 600 032.
RNI Registration No: TN ENG/2005/14987
Ph Nos: 22254747, 22254748, 22254750,
22254751
Editor: KAUSHIK MITTER
 SPECIAL
DECCAN CHRONICLE | FRIDAY | 1 DECEMBER 2023 | CHENNAI
OTHER STORIES
Dental college
crosses 10,000
publications
milestone
Chennai: Saveetha Dental
College, Saveetha Institute
of Medical and Technical
Sciences is celebrating the
achievement of 10,037 pub-
lications, underscoring its
commitment to cutting-
edge research, integrated
into both undergraduate
and postgraduate studies.
The top spot in the Scopus
database for publication
numbers underscores the
impact of research at
Saveetha Dental College.
With an impressive 70,615
citations, a H-Index of 130
in Scopus, and 41,895 cita-
tions with a H-Index of 102
in WOS, coupled with a
cumulative impact factor of
15,164.94, the college is
proud of its achievement.
As many as 29 faculty from
the college are in top 2%
scientists worldwide pub-
lished by Stanford
University in 2023 with 26
recognised among the top
dental researchers in India
by Careers 360’s top 1,000
dental researchers.
Partnerships with interna-
tional funding facilitate the
exchange of knowledge,
emphasising the commit-
ment to innovation.
SINGAPORE AND ZURICH WORLD’S
MOST EXPENSIVE CITIES THIS YEAR
Hong Kong: Singapore and
Zurich tied for the world's
most expensive city this year,
followed by Geneva, New York
and Hong Kong, the
Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU) said as it cautioned that
the global cost-of-living crisis
was not yet over.
On average, prices have
risen by 7.4% year on year in
local currency terms for over
200 commonly used goods and
services, a drop from the
record 8.1% increase
last year but still “significant-
ly higher than the
trend in 2017-2021,” it said in a
report.
Singapore regained the top
TAYLOR SWIFT IS SPOTIFY’S
MOST-STREAMED ARTISTE
Los Angeles: It’s her, hi —
Taylor Swift is Spotify’s
2023 most-played artiste.
According to Spotify
Wrapped, Swift was 2023’s
most-streamed artiste
globally, raking in more
than 26.1 billion streams
since Jan. 1. That means
the pop powerhouse has
dethroned Puerto Rican
reggaetón star Bad Bunny,
who held the coveted title
for three years in a row
beginning in 2020. He’s in
the number two slot in
2023, followed by The
Weeknd in third, Drake in
fourth, and regional
Mexican musician Peso
Pluma in fifth.
It’s not such bad news for
Bad Bunny, however: his
2022 album “Un Verano
Sin Ti” was Spotify’s most-
streamed album for the
second year in a row, rak-
ing in 4.5 billion global
streams. In that category,
Taylor Swift’s
“Midnights” trails in sec-
ond, with SZA’s “SOS” in
third. All three albums
were released last year.
Miley Cyrus’ empower-
ment anthem “Flowers” is
Spotify’s most-streamed
song of the year with 1.6
million streams globally.
“Kill Bill” by SZA is the
of the rankings for the ninth
time in the past eleven years
due to high price levels across
several categories.
The city state has the world's
highest transport prices,
owing to strict government
controls on car numbers. It is
also amongst the most expen-
sive for clothing, groceries
and alcohol.
Zurich's rise reflected the
strength of the Swiss franc
and high prices for groceries,
household goods and recre-
ation, it said. Geneva and New
York tied for third
place, while Hong Kong was
fifth and Los Angeles
in sixth.
pg 10
on Spotify Wrapped
should come as no sur-
prise — they’re featured
prominently across the
streaming service, includ-
ing on its highly influen-
tial playlists, in addition
to boasting loyal, dedicat-
ed fanbases. For independ-
ent artistes who may
appear on an individual
listener’s Wrapped,
accessing a top spot on the
global list would require
billions of streams. Miriam Adelson, wife of late tycoon Sheldon Adelson,
According to Business to lead family purchase of majority share in NBA team.
Insider, artistes make
around $.003 and $.005 per
stream, though Spotify
itself does not pay per SANDS CASINO FAMILY
stream. Instead, they pay
per “streamshare,” a fig-
ure that is determined by TO BUY MAJORITY SHARE
Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour” on May 5. According to Spotify
Wrapped, Swift was 2023’s most-streamed artist globally, raking in more than 26.1
adding up how many
times music owned or con-
trolled by a particular
rights holder is streamed,
IN DALLAS MAVERICKS
billion global streams since Jan. 1, 2023. —AP divided by the total num- Las Vegas: Dallas Governors,” said the
second most-streamed artiste on the platform, fol- been a banner year for the ber of streams in the mar- Mavericks owner Mark statement released by the
song of the year, while lowed by Drake and coun- song, which also stayed ket it is streamed in each Cuban has entered into Adelson and Dumont fam-
Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” try star Morgan Wallen. atop the Billboard Hot 100 month. an agreement to sell a ilies.
BTS member Jung Kook Wallen’s “Last Night” was for 16 weeks, tying Luis Last month, Spotify majority stake in the Patrick Dumont,
featuring Latto’s “Seven,” the most streamed song, Fonsi & Daddy Yankee announced a new policy NBA franchise to the fam- Miriam Adelson's son-in-
and Eslabon Armado and and his full-length “One feat. Justin Bieber’s regarding royalty pay- ily that runs the Las law, is President and
Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Thing at a Time” was the “Despacito” for the title of ments, eliminating pay- Vegas Sands casino com- Chief Operating Officer
Sola” came in third, fourth most streamed-album. second-longest reign in ment for songs with less pany, it was announced of the Las Vegas Sands
and fifth, respectively. On Tuesday, Apple Music the Hot 100’s 65-year histo- than 1,000 annual streams Wednesday. The deal company.
In the U.S., Swift’s domi- announced Wallen’s “Last ry. starting in 2024. could be completed in the Cuban said almost a
nance continued — she Night” topped its global That the biggest artistes, — AFP coming weeks. year ago he was interest-
was the most streamed song chart in 2023. It has globally, earned top spots The agreement would be ed in partnering with
in the valuation range of Sands. He has been a pro-
$3.5 billion, according to a ponent of legalizing gam-
NAPOLEON CONQUERS BOX OFFICE IN FRANCE person who spoke to AP
on condition of anonymi-
ty because that detail was
not being made public.
bling in Texas, an issue
that didn't make it out of
the state Legislature in a
biennial session that
Paris: Ridley Scott's film its first week of release in hat frowning at passen- ly unworthy of its poorly Cuban would retain con- ended earlier this year.
“Napoleon” has stormed France, ahead of “Hunger gers at metro stations crafted subject, the biopic trol of basketball opera- The 65-year-old Cuban,
to the top of the French Games” with 370,275 tick- across Paris. with Joaquin Phoenix tions in the deal. who just announced he
box office ratings, figures ets sold and now into the But many critics in offers no point of view, The company controlled was leaving the popular
showed on Wednesday, second week of its release. France have been less neither on the man, nor on by Miriam Adelson, business TV program
despite sometimes savage New films come enthusiastic about the the myth,” added the left- widow of casino magnate “Shark Tank” after a 16th
reviews from critics in out in France every film made by a British wing Liberation for good Sheldon Adelson, season next year, rose to
France who took aim at Wednesday. director and shot original- measure. announced earlier it was fame quickly after buying
historical inaccuracies The film “Napoleon”, ly in the language Le Monde was more selling $2 billion of her the Mavericks in 2000.
and the portrayal of the originally shot in English, of its old cross-Channel nuanced, noting it is also a shares to buy an unspeci- Dallas was one of the
emperor. is being shown in France enemy. portrait of Napoleon's fied professional sports worst franchises in pro
One person in three who both in the English with “Ridley Scott's latest film complex relationship with team. It revealed sports in the 1990s, but
went to the cinema in subtitles and dubbed makes Napoleon into his wife Josephine, played Wednesday that the team turned into one of the
France over the last week French versions, giving gloomy and mediocre by Vanessa Kirby. was the Mavericks. best under Cuban, with a
went to see the film star- viewers the choice character,” stormed a It said that Scott super- “The families are tar- lot of help from star for-
ring Joaquin Phoenix between languages. recent commentary in the imposes the “emperor's geting closing of the ward Dirk Nowitzki —
which features massive It has also been the sub- right-wing Le Figaro daily. love life onto his feats on transaction by year-end, now a member of the
battle scenes, according to ject of a massive promo- “Such sabotage is part of a the battlefield, leaving subject to the satisfaction Basketball Hall of Fame
the weekly CBO figures. tional campaign with logic that demeans and aside the political ques- of customary closing con- and the leader of the team
Some 7,64,000 tickets posters of Phoenix in ridicules,” it added. tion.” ditions and approval of that won the 2011 NBA
were sold for Napoleon on Napoleon's iconic bicorn “Clumsy and deliberate- — AFP the NBA Board of championship.