cmyk
THE ASIAN AGE
www.asianage.com
WINDOWS
Bollywood actress Sanya
Malhotra during a promotional
event for her film Sam Bahadur
in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI
India envoy to US
heckled on a visit
to gurdwara in NY
New York: India’s ambas-
sador to the US, Taranjit
Singh Sandhu, offered
prayers at a gurdwara in
Long Island in New York on
the occasion of Gurpurab
where a group of Khalistani
supporters heckled him, but
they were escorted out by
members of the Sikh com-
munity. “Privileged to join
the local “Sangat”, includ-
ing from Afghanistan, at
Guru Nanak Darbar of Long
Island in celebrating
Gurpurab — listened to “kir-
tan”, spoke about Guru
Nanak’s everlasting mes-
sage of togetherness, unity,
& equality, partook langar,
and sought blessings for
all,” Mr Sandhu said in a
post on X on Sunday. — PTI
Full report on Page 4
Visa-free entry for
Indians in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia will
grant a 30-day visa-free
entry for Indian and Chinese
citizens from December 1,
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
has announced, joining
Thailand and Sri Lanka in
recent weeks to offer such a
facility to foreigners to pro-
mote tourism. — PTI
Full report on Page 3
Paul Lynch wins
Booker Prize 2023
London: Irish author Paul
Lynch’s Prophet Song was
named the winner of the
Booker Prize 2023, beating
London-based Indian-origin
author Chetna Maroo’s novel
Western Lane, in London. Mr
Lynch, 46, won for his novel
presenting a dystopian vision
of Ireland. — PTI
Full report on Page 6
COUNTERPOINT
WEATHER
Max : 24OC
Min: 13OC
RH: 65%
Rain: 20%
Forecast: Cloudy
ASTROGUIDE
Shubhakrut: Dakshinayana
Tithi: Karthika Bahula
Padyami till 2.08 pm
Star: Rohini till 1.34 pm
Varjyam: Shesha Varjyam
up to 7.11 am
Durmuhurtam: 8.45 am to 9.29 am
Rahukalam: 3 pm to 4.30 pm
SUNSET TODAY 5.24 PM
SUNRISE TOMORROW 6.54 AM
MOONRISE TOMORROW 6.56 PM
MOONSET TODAY 7.46 AM
NATION| 4
War against militancy not
over, will not back down
from fight: J&K DGP Swain
RNI No. 57290/94, Regd No: DL-SW-05/4189/15-17
■ PM attacks Congress, BRS ‘dynasts’ ■ Campaign to end today
BJP to ‘free’ T’gana from BRS;
send KCR, others to jail: Modi
BALU PULIPAKA
with agency inputs
HYDERABAD, NOV. 27
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Monday said it is
his party’s resolve to send
the corrupt leaders of the
Chandrasekhar Rao-led
party to jail, asserting
that the BJP will free
Telangana from the
clutches of the BRS.
Mr Modi, who addressed
election rallies at
Mahabubabad and
Karimnagar, said, “The
saffron party considers as
its responsibility to bring
Telangana out of the
clutches of the BRS...
whatever the scams KCR
(K. Chandrasekhar Rao)
was involved in here
would be probed by the
BJP government (if elect-
ed).”
The Prime Minister
promised to speed up
probe into the Delhi
liquor scam’s local angles
after the BJP comes to
power in Telangana.
“Whether it was delivery
of mobiles or money,
every aspect connected to
the scam will be brought
to light. We will also
investigate the corrup-
tion in irrigation projects.
All that loot by the KCR
family, and BRS leaders,
will have to be returned to
the people,” he declared.
The Prime Minister
EC stops aid to farmers in T’gana
Accuses state minister of violating model code over Rythu Bandhu
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
Unhappy over a given permission to the
Telangana minister vio-
lating the Model Code of
Conduct in the state, the
Election Commission on
Monday withdrew per-
mission given to the K.
Chandrasekhar Rao-led
Bharat Rashtra Samithi
government in the state
for disbursement of finan-
cial aid to farmers for rabi
Predator drone deal with
US likely by March 2024
New Delhi, Nov. 27: India
is looking at sealing a
landmark deal to procure
31 MQ-9B Predator long-
endurance armed drones
from the US under a gov-
ernment-to-government
framework by March
with the US Congress
expected to clear the sup-
plies in the next few
weeks, people familiar
with the matter said.
Amercian and Indian
government officials will
hold the final series of
negotiations on the pro-
curement after
Washington responds to
Tourists in traditional Indian “lehenga” pose for a photograph on the World Tourism
Day at Taj Mahal in Agra on Monday.
NEW DELHI TUESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Telangana BJP chief
and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and MP K. Laxman
during a roadshow in Hyderabad on Monday.
◗ THE PRIME Minister
promised to speed up
probe into the Delhi
liquor scam’s local
angles after the BJP
comes to power in
Telangana
gave the BJP in
Telangana one final push
ahead of the November 30
Assembly elections even
as he laid the groundwork
for the 2024 elections to
the Lok Sabha, making it
clear that it will be a Modi
government again at the
Centre, and the people of
Telangana can make the
most of it by ensuring a
double-engine sarkar.
Poll canvassing in
crops under the Rythu
Bandhu scheme.
The EC had earlier
state government to dis-
burse the rabi installment
during the election season
with the MCC in place
with some riders.
However, T. Harish Rao,
state minister of finance
and health and family
welfare, made a public
announcement during the
campaign, saying: “The
India’s letter of request
for the acquisition of
drones from US defence
major General Atomics,
they said.
India is procuring the
long-endurance “hunter-
killer” drones to crank
up the surveillance appa-
ratus of the armed forces,
especially along the LAC
with China. Though the
price of the drones will
be finalised in the negoti-
ation process, it is esti-
mated that the procure-
ment would cost around
$3 billion. — PTI
■ More on Page 4
WORLD| 6
Former US Prez Trump to
crack down on migrants if
he wins in 2024 election
— PTI
Telangana is in full throt-
tle as campaign ends on
Tuesday.
He warned that those
who betrayed Telangana’s
poor and youth will not be
spared by the BJP govern-
ment. “Our resolve is to
send the corrupt of the
BRS to jail.”
Mr Modi also took part
in a roadshow in
Hyderabad with people
lining up the 1.8 km route
in their thousands,
jostling for a glimpse of
the Prime Minister
amidst chants of “Modi
Modi Modi.”
The Telangana BJP,
jostling for space amidst a
pitched battle between
■ Turn to Page 4
disbursement will be
made on Monday. Even
before the farmers com-
plete their breakfast and
tea, the amount will be
credited into their
account.” Mr Rao is a BRS
candidate from the
Siddipet Assembly con-
stituency. His statement
came despite the state
government being warned
not to publicise the dis-
bursement as long as the
■ Turn to Page 4
With LS polls 5 months away, work in
full swing for Mandir opening Jan. 22
YOJNA GUSAI
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
With the Lok Sabha elec-
tions nearly five months
away, mega-preparations
are being planned for the
Ram Mandir inaugura-
tion in Ayodhya on
January 22 next year. Not
only a year-long series of
events are being planned
following the inaugura-
tion, the BJP has also
revamped its social media
campaign with an illus-
tration of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and BJP
president J.P. Nadda
— PTI
People angry with
BRS, no one wants
KCR’s return: Shah
Hyderabad, Nov. 27:
Union home minister
Amit Shah on Monday
claimed there was an
atmosphere of “anger”
against the ruling BRS in
Telangana and that the
people did not want the K.
Chandrasekhar Rao-led
government to come back
to power.
Mr Shah, who
addressed a public meet-
ing at Huzurabad, and
participated in road-
shows in Peddapalli and
Mancherial, said he
toured Telangana during
the poll campaign and
claimed that following an
atmosphere of “anger”
against the BRS govern-
ment, “no one wants the
KCR government to come
back to power”.
Attacking the BRS and
Congress over “parivar-
vaad” (dynasty) rule, Mr
Shah said if the people
elect the Bharatiya
Janata Party, the chief
minister will be made
from the backward class-
es. However, if they vote
for the BRS or Congress,
the CM will be from one
particular family. — PTI
■ More on Page 3
EC notice to K’taka
over ads in T’gana
New Delhi: The EC on
Monday issued a notice to
the Karnataka govern-
ment over alleged MCC
violation by placing gov-
ernment ads in Telangana.
“No permission was give
to the Karnataka govern-
ment to carry out such
advertisements,” it said.
■ More on Page 3
against the backdrop of
the grand temple. The
Ram Mandir is expected
to be one of the major
campaign planks of the
BJP in 2024, for which the
Opposition camp is rely-
ing on its numerical
strength and its demand
for “Jitni Abadi Utna
Haq”.
The Shri Ram
Janmabhoomi Teerth
Kshetra, the trust that is
overseeing the construc-
tion in Ayodhya, has been
regularly giving updates
from the construction site
through the social media
Israel, Hamas to extend truce for
2 more days, free more hostages
Tel Aviv, Nov. 27: Israel
and Hamas agreed to
extend their ceasefire for
two more days past
Monday, the Qatari gov-
ernment said, bringing the
prospect of a longer halt to
their deadliest and most
destructive war and fur-
ther exchanges of militant-
held hostages for
Palestinians imprisoned
by Israel.
The announcement,
made by Qatari foreign
ministry spokesman
Majid Al Ansary in a post
on X, came on the final day
of the original four-day
truce between the warring
sides. A fourth swap of
DELHI AGE| 16
Always tried to portray
Indian women as strong
characters: Rani Mukerji
Fireworks at an illuminated Golden Temple on Guru Nanak Jayanti in Amritsar on
Monday.
Manual drilling soon
to rescue Silkyara 41
PM’s secy, other top officials review tunnel ops
AGE CORRESPONDENTS
NEW DELHI/DEHRADUN,
NOV. 27
The vertical drilling from
the top of the Silkyara
tunnel, where 41 workers
have been trapped for the
last 15 days, progressed to
31 metres on Monday as a
team of rat-hole miners
arrived at the site to start
manual drilling horizon-
tally through the rubble.
Vertical and manual
horizontal drilling are the
two methods on which the
rescue efforts are being
focused at the moment.
Work on the other
options, such as horizon-
tal drilling from the
Barkot end of the tunnel,
is also underway as the
Prime Minister’s princi-
pal secretary P.K. Mishra,
Union home secretary
Ajay Kumar Bhalla and
Uttarakhand chief secre-
tary S.S. Sandhu also took
stock of the ongoing res-
cue operations.
Mr Mishra also spoke to
the trapped workers from
inside the tunnel and
enquired about their con-
dition. He asked them
whether they are getting
proper food or facing any
problem. “Please keep
◗ THE BJP has also
revamped its social
media campaign with an
illustration of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
and BJP president J.P.
Nadda against the back-
drop of the grand temple
and statements. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi,
the “star campaigner” of
the BJP, will be partici-
pating in the consecration
of the temple along with
the saints and seers, who
have been invited by the
trust. The construction of
◗ A FOURTH swap of
hostages for prisoners
under that deal was
expected later Monday.
Qatar, along with the
US and Egypt, has been
the key mediator in the
conflict between Israel
and Hamas.
hostages for prisoners
under that deal was
expected later Monday.
Qatar, along with the
United States and Egypt,
has been the key mediator
in the ongoing conflict
between Israel and
Hamas.
Israel has said it would
cmyk
Vol. 30 No. 282 | 16 PAGES | `5.00
— PTI
Principal secretary to the Prime Minister Pramod
Kumar Mishra reviews the rescue operation to extract
the 41 workers trapped inside a tunnel in Uttarkashi on
Monday.
resorted to as the
— PTI
auger
◗ P.K. MISHRA also
spoke to the trapped drill -- a corkscrew-like
device with a rotary blade
workers from inside the at the front end --which
tunnel and enquired drilled up to 46.8 metres,
about their condition. got busted as it hit several
He asked them whether hurdles on the way and
they are getting proper got entangled in a girder
food or facing any prob- in the debris.
A total of 86 metres have
lem to be drilled vertically to
your patience as all are prepare an escape pas-
working hard to evacuate sage. Pipes of 1.2 metres
you safely. It will happen in diameter have to be
soon,” he assured the laid vertically through
workers inside the tun- the top of the tunnel on
nel. which work began on
Manual drilling was ■ Turn to Page 4
Stalin unveils
V.P. Singh’s
statue, seeks
the Ram Mandir had been
one of the core poll
caste survey
promises of the BJP since G. BABU JAYAKUMAR
long and the party and the and D. SEKAR
RSS and its affiliates have CHENNAI, NOV. 27
been preparing for the
consecration ceremony in Demanding that a nation-
a big way. The RSS and wide caste survey along
other allied organisations with the delayed census,
have been reaching out to Tamil nadu chief minis-
people across the country ter M.K. Stalin said on
with invitations. Monday that the reserva-
The VHP, one of the tion for OBC, Scheduled
Sangh affiliates and the Castes (SC), Scheduled
flag-bearer of the Ram Tribes and minorities
Janmabhoomi move- should be implemented
ment, has engaged its properly and a commit-
units even outside the tee of members of
■ Turn to Page 4 Parliament should be
appointed to monitor it at
the national level.
Speaking at a function
in Kalaivanar Arangam
after unveiling a life-size
statue of former Prime
Minister V.P. Singh in
Presidency College here,
the CM said it was the
extend the ceasefire by first statue of the defend-
one day for every 10 addi- er of social justice who
tional hostages released. implemented the Mandal
After the Qatari Commission report pro-
announcement, Hamas viding for 27 per cent
confirmed it had agreed reservation for OBCs
to a two-day extension despite facing the risk of
“under the same terms.” losing his government.
But Israel says it Among the other
remains committed to achievements of Singh,
crushing Hamas’ military during his 11-month
capabilities and ending tenure as PM, were the
its 16-year rule over Gaza first steps taken for
after its October 7 attack bringing in the Right to
into southern Israel. That Information Act, Nation-
would likely mean al Rural Employ-ment
expanding a ground offen- Guarantee Act, Right to
sive from devastated Employment Act, Lok
northern Gaza to the Pal Act and a slew of elec-
south. — AP toral reforms, he said.
■ More on Page 6 ■ More on Page 3
 CITY
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
L-G dissolves panel
formed by AAP govt
New Delhi: Delhi lieutenant-
governor V.K. Saxena has
dissolved the standing com-
mittee constituted by the
AAP government for ensur-
ing the quality of investiga-
tion in criminal cases and
their prosecution, noting
that it was in “gross viola-
tion” of the 2014 Supreme
Court directions and subse-
quent guidelines of the
Centre. “Delhi L-G has dis-
solved the existing standing
committee constituted by
the AAP government for
ensuring the quality of inves-
tigation in criminal cases
and their prosecution, noting
that it was in gross violation
of the 2014 Supreme Court
directions and subsequent
guidelines of the Centre,” an
official from L-G office said
on Monday. Mr Saxena
approved the proposal for
its reconstitution with an
additional chief secretary/
principal secretary (home)
as chairman and principal
secretary (law) and director
(prosecution) as members.
Atishi asks DJB CEO
to fix water issue
New Delhi: Amid complaints
of contaminated water in
Delhi’s New Friends Colony
on Monday, water minister
Atishi directed the Delhi Jal
Board CEO to ensure the
resolution of the problem
within 48 hours. Delhi minis-
ter also asked the CEO to
submit a compliance report
on the matter. Exemplary
action would be taken
against officers to ensure
there is no laxity in the
future, Ms Atishi said. “It is
the responsibility of the DJB
to ensure that every resident
in Delhi gets clean and ade-
quate water. Hitting back,
Delhi BJP chief Virendra
Sachdeva said, “Mr Kejriwal’s
junior ministers Atishi and
Saurabh Bhardwaj are admit-
ting of dirty water supply in
Delhi and corruption in their
hospitals even though as a
part of political face saving
drive”.
Thief involved in 50
cases held in Dwarka
New Delhi: A notorious thief,
involved in more than 50
cases including vehicle theft
across the national capital,
was arrested from Dwarka
area, a crime branch official
said on Monday. The
accused identified as
Pramod alias Golu (34), a
resident of Bindapur area,
used to dismantle the vehi-
cles and further sold the
valuable parts to different
ragmen. The Special
Commissioner of Police
(Crime) Ravindra Singh
Yadav said that specific
information was received
that a desperate active auto-
lifter in the area of Dwarka
district would come near
Mohan Garden. Acting on
the inputs, a police team laid
a trap and the accused was
apprehended.
DU MAY PROVIDE
20% COURSES VIA
ONLINE PORTAL
New Delhi: The Delhi
University (DU) may provide
up to 20 per cent of its
courses through online
medium on the Swayam por-
tal. A proposal in this regard
will be placed before the
academic council during its
meeting scheduled for
November 30. According to
the proposal, colleges may
consider to provide up to 20
per cent of the total courses
being offered in a particular
programme in a semester in
online mode. This would
supplement the teaching-
learning process in the insti-
tute, the proposal said. The
proposal is expected to be
opposed by a large majority
of AC members who feel
that employment generation
at the university will be at
risk amid the push for online
learning, according to Maya
John, assistant professor,
Jesus Mary college. “Almost
90 per cent of the academic
council members will oppose
this proposal as it is an anti-
student and anti-teacher
move. Classroom teaching is
very important for many stu-
dents who come from differ-
ent backgrounds and this
will also impact the need for
teaching staff who will be
substituted by online learn-
ing on Swayam,” she said.
The proposal is in line with
the National Education
Policy (NEP) 2020 that aims
to achieve 50 per cent Gross
Enrolment Ratio (GRE) in
higher education by year
2035 with the help of
Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOCs) offered by
the Swayam platform. — PTI
Khalistani militant
Dalla’s 2 aides held
after brief gunfight
3 locals held for providing logistics
BHASKAR HARI SHARMA
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
Two sharpshooters of
internationally designat-
ed Khalistan Tiger Force
(KTF) terrorist Arshdeep
Singh alias Arsh Dalla,
who were tasked with
killing Punjabi singer
Elly Mangat and carrying
out terror strikes and tar-
get killings, were arrested
following a brief
exchange of fire with the
special cell of the Delhi
police near East Delhi’s
Mayur Vihar area.
Further, three more per-
sons who used to provide
logistical support were
also nabbed.
The duo accused were
identified as Rajpreet
Singh (25) and Virender
Singh (22). The trio who
used to provide shelter
and logistics were identi-
fied as Arpit, Sachin
Bhati, and Susheel
Pradhan. Seven pistols
along with 46 live car-
tridges, two hand
grenades, and a stolen
bike were recovered from
them.
It was revealed that
these operatives were
given the task by Arsh
Dalla to extort money
from Kavinder
Chaudhary, a local BJP
leader based in Haridwar,
and also revealed that
they are residing in
Delhi-NCR and procured
sophisticated weapons
and ammunition with
explosives to carry out
terror strikes and target
killings.
Following a tip-off, a
trap was laid. Rajpreet
and Virender, who were
riding a bike, were sig-
nalled to stop but they
opened fire.
“During the encounter,
five rounds of bullet were
fired by the accused, of
which two hit the bullet-
proof jacket of a sleuth.
In retaliation, the police
team fired six rounds.
During cross firing,
Virender sustained gun-
shot injury on his right
leg,” the police said,
adding that both the
accused were sent to LBS
Hospital for treatment
after the encounter.
On-duty cops
beaten, pistol
looted in Gzb
Ghaziabad/Noida, Nov.
27: Some Noida police
personnel have been
allegedly assaulted by
villagers in Ghaziabad
who also looted a service
weapon from them, offi-
cials said. Among those
injured in the attack
were two personnel of
the Noida Sector 63
police station who had
gone to Masauta village
in Ghaziabad on Sunday
in connection with a
probe, they said.
The attack took place
after an argument broke
out between the police
team, which was in a pri-
vate car, and some locals
at a culvert over letting
the vehicle pass.
“The locals attacked
the police team and two
personnel were injured.
A service pistol of the
personnel also went
missing from the spot,”
assistant commissioner
of police Naresh Kumar
said. — PTI
■ We are looking at more digital solutions, says Dial CEO
AI solutions for better IGI experience
New Delhi, Nov. 27: The
Delhi airport will be using
predictive analytics based
on artificial intelligence
as well as camera-based
solutions to improve oper-
ations at the airport,
which is witnessing rising
passenger traffic, accord-
ing to a top official.The
airport, which is also the
country's largest airport,
handles around 1,300-1,500
flights daily and expects to
have more than 70 million
passenger traffic in the
current fiscal ending
March 2024. Currently, it
has three terminals — T1,
T2 and T3.
“We are looking at more
digital solutions, which
can be IoT-based...
Artificial Intelligence-
based solutions... we will
be using predictive analyt-
◗ DURING THE gunfight,
five rounds of bullet
were fired by the
accused, of which hit
the bulletproof jacket of
a sleuth. In retaliation,
the police team fired six
rounds. During firing,
Virender sustained
injury on his right leg
During interrogation,
the accused admitted that
they were tasked to kill
Punjabi singer Elly
Mangat and a Punjab-
based gangster, Navdeep
Chatta. They attempted
the assassination in
October in Punjab’s
Bhatinda but failed as
Mangat was not available
at home. Chatta was sup-
posed to attend the court
at Muktsar Sahib where
they planned to kill him.
Their first task, howev-
er, was to eliminate
Paramjit Singh to avenge
Arsh’s brother’s suicide,
which they did in
January this year.
They had killed one
Paramjit Singh to
“avenge” Arshdeep's
brother’s suicide. In July,
they were assigned to fire
at Kavinder Kumar, a res-
ident of Haridwar in
Uttrakhand, as he was not
willing to pay extortion
money.
They were also directed
to eliminate a criminal
from Punjab, Navdeep
Chatta, who was sup-
posed to attend the court
at Mukthsar Sahib, they
said. Canada-based gang-
ster Arshdeep, a native of
Dala village in Moga, is
wanted by the NIA and
Punjab police.
He is accused of being
involved in many target-
ed killings that took place
in Punjab along with sup-
plying militant hardware
including RDX, IEDs, AK-
47 and other arms and
ammunition to modules
in the state after import-
ing them from Pakistan.
A red corner notice was
issued in May 2022
against him. In January
this year, he was declared
a designated terrorist by
the Union ministry of
home Affairs.
Doc gets bail in rape case, court
pulls up cop over ‘unfair probe’
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
A court here while granti-
ng bail to a doctor accused
of rape observed that the
evidence suggest that the
man and the alleged vic-
tim had a sexual relation-
ship on a “consensual
basis.” Slamming the
investigating officer (IO)
for not conducting a “fair
investigation,” the court
directed an enquiry
regarding the manner of
the investigation by a
higher officer.
Additional Sessions
Judge Dhirendra Rana
was hearing the bail plea
of the doctor, who was
accused of raping and
sodomising the com-
plainant on the pretext of
marriage on May 31 this
year.
Noting that the com-
plainant refused her inter-
nal examination, the
judge said there was no
medico-legal case to sup-
Passengers at Terminal 1 of the Indira Gandhi
International Airport in New Delhi.
ics for improved airport
operations,” Delhi
International Airport Ltd
(Dial) CEO Videh Kumar
Jaipuriar told a news
agency in an interview.
The Indira Gandhi
■ Min temp settles at 13.4 degree C ■ Airport operations affected
Delhiites breathe easy as
rain cleans air, cools city
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
Delhi and the national
capital region (NCR) on
Monday evening received
light rainfall, bringing
down the temperature lev-
els by a few notches.
However, Delhi’s air quali-
ty remained in the “very
poor” category.
In the morning, the air
quality index (AQI) hit 402
in the “severe” category
while in the evening it was
369 in the “very poor” cat-
egory. This rainfall has
brought much-needed
relief to the residents
struggling with poor air
quality for days.
The India meteorologi-
cal department (IMD) has
forecast a further drop in
temperatures by two to
three degrees in northern
India, signalling an inten-
sification of winters in
the days to come.
The weather department
has also predicted an
increase in fog in Delhi-
NCR, Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, and Punjab start-
ing from November 28.
IMD senior scientist R.K.
Jenamani said that the
weather in Delhi is cur-
■ AAP calls BJP’s allegation of DJB scam ‘political drama’
BJP smells scam in sewage projects
AVINASH PRABHAKAR
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
The BJP on Monday
alleged a scam in the ten-
dering process for upgrad-
ing sewage treatment
plants operated by the
Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and
demanded that chief min-
ister Arvind Kejriwal ten-
der his resignation imme-
diately.
Terming the allegations
as political drama, the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
said that “every day they
(BJP) allege a new scam,
but they don’t take any
action against any official
although they have all the
powers.”
Meanwhile, the DJB con-
tractors’ association went
◗ NOTING THAT the
complainant refused her
internal examination,
the judge said there was
no medico-legal case to
support the allegations
of rape and sodomy
port the allegations of
rape and sodomy.
He also underlined that
the court had directed the
investigating officer to
verify the complainant’s
antecedents and accord-
ing to the IO’s report, she
had earlier registered an
FIR against another man
with similar allegations,
the judge said.
The woman had also
lodged a complaint of
criminal intimidation,
criminal conspiracy,
wrongful restraint and
other penal provisions
against another person,
where the IO concerned
had filed a closure report,
the court noted.
It also noted that there
International Airport
(IGIA) is operated by Dial,
a consortium led by the
GMR Group.
Last year, during the
winter season, the airport
witnessed congestion,
Pedestrians at Kartavya Path amid drizzle in New Delhi on Monday.
rently cloudy and this will
continue for the next 12-18
hours. The maximum and
minimum temperatures
are expected to settle
around 25 degrees Celsius
and 12 degrees Celsius
respectively.
Sixteen flights heading
to Delhi on Monday
between 6.00 pm and 8.00
pm were diverted as rain
lashed the national capi-
tal. Out of the 16 flights, 10
were diverted to Jaipur,
Water supply to be hit in several
parts of city for next 2 days: DJB
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB)
on Monday said that
water supply in several
parts of the capital city
will be affected from
Wednesday to Thursday
due to a shutdown for
interconnection of the
water main at the
on a strike on Monday
over non-payment of dues.
Its general secretary,
Vinay Mangla, said and
claimed that around 1,150
contractors will halt their
was another FIR where
the complainant was an
accused.
Also, a key witness in
the case, who was report-
edly her friend, had regis-
tered an FIR for the
offence of rape against
another person, the court
said. “Therefore, the
antecedents of
complainant and her
the
friend are reflecting some-
thing else which is in con-
tradiction to her
allegations in the present
case.”
The court had in a
recent order noted that
the alleged victim also
filed a complaint against
the doctor before the
Delhi government
Mediation and
Conciliation Centre in
July 2023.
It said that she did not
mention rape
that complaint and the
in
matter was dismissed
because of her non-
appearance.
leading to long waiting
times for passengers.
The Dial chief said
measures, including
increasing the entry
points, were taken within
15 days of the congestion
that happened last year.
To ensure smooth pas-
senger movements and
improved operations, Dial
is upgrading to the system
of Airports Operations
Centre (APOC), which is
already being used by
some European airports
and uses predictive ana-
lytics.
Elaborating on APOC,
Mr Jaipuriar said that for
example, based on previ-
ous data, the system will
predict that at a particular
time frame, a certain num-
ber of footfalls is expected
at the airport. — PTI
three to Lucknow, one to
Ahmedabad, and two to
Amritsar.
In addition to this, a
Vistara flight from
Guwahati to Delhi was
also diverted to Jaipur due
to bad weather and air
traffic congestion at the
Delhi Airport, according
to the airline’s social
media handle. The humid-
ity levels in the national
capital oscillated between
100 per cent and 61 per
Keshopur drain and the
Peeragarhi Chowk.
The affected areas are –
Rohini Sector - 7, 8, 9, 11,
13, 22, 23 and 25,
Madhuban chowk,
Mangolpuri, Sultanpuri,
Paschim Vihar, Major
Bhupender Singh Nagar,
Mahavir Nagar, Krishna
Park, Janakpuri and their
adjoining areas.
work until payments are
made to everyone.
Addressing the media at
the party headquarters,
BJP national spokesper-
son Gaurav Bhatia
Visitors during the 42nd India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi
on Monday.
CJI: SC using tech to bring
courtrooms closer to people
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
Asserting that the judici-
ary has the potential to
play an extraordinary role
in increasing access to jus-
tice, Chief Justice of India
(CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on
Monday said the ingress
cannot be secured only by
crafting pro-people
jurisprudence in judg-
ments but requires active
progress on the adminis-
trative side of the court
like improving infrastruc-
ture and enhancing legal
aid services.
Speaking at the first
regional conference on
Access to Legal Aid:
Strengthening Access to
Justice in the Global
South, organised by the
National Legal Services
Authority (Nalsa) here,
the CJI said the challenge
for judges is not to do jus-
tice in the facts of the
individual case but to
institutionalise the
processes and look beyond
the immediate.
The CJI said the dis-
course about human rights
and access to justice has
historically been monopo-
— PTI
cent on Monday. The
weatherman has forecast a
partly cloudy sky for
Tuesday with the possibili-
ty of shallow to moderate
fog in the morning.
The city’s maximum
temperature was recorded
at 24.2 degrees Celsius,
two notches below the sea-
son’s average while the
minimum temperature
settled at 13.4 degrees
Celsius, three notches
below season’s average.
claimed the DJB invited
bids for the upgradation of
five sewage treatment
plants (STPs) in the city
and for the upgradation
and augmentation of
another five to increase
their capacity.
While the estimated cost
of the projects was around
`1,500 crores, they were
awarded to the contrac-
tors at an increased rate of
`1,938 crores, Mr Bhatia
claimed.
“Bids were invited and
tenders were awarded only
after cartelisation to
ensure that no honest con-
tractor gets the project.
This is worrisome, Mr
Kejriwal. You have com-
mitted one more scam,” the
BJP spokesperson claimed.
Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar with Chief Justice of
India D.Y. Chandrachud in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI
lised by voices from the
Global North (industri-
alised nations), which
makes such dialogues
unsuitable for application
in other contexts.
“Undeniably, it is imper-
ative to amplify the justice
needs of under-represent-
ed populations in our
respective countries. I am
certain that this confer-
ence will serve as a mean-
ingful point of departure
for engagement between
India and the 69 other par-
ticipating countries, with
whom we share a close
bond,” he said.
“The complexities of
law and process, inequali-
ty between citizens and
powerful adversaries,
judicial delays, and the
pg 2
4 MBA, LLB
students held
for running
narcotics biz
Noida, Nov. 27: Nine peo-
ple, including four uni-
versity students, have
been arrested for their
alleged involvement in
the supply of drugs to
college-goers and others
here, police said.
The police have seized
a variety of Indian and
foreign-origin drugs,
including marijuana,
cocaine, hashish,
MDMA, estimated to be
worth around `30 lakhs
in the black market.
The arrests have been
made by officials of
Sector 126 police station
as part of a crackdown
ordered by police com-
missioner Laxmi Singh,
deputy commissioner of
police (Noida) Harish
Chander said.
“It’s an ongoing crack-
down against narcotics
in which arrests and
seizures have been made
in Greater Noida in the
past. Now as part of the
same campaign, nine
people have been arrest-
ed by the Sector 126
police station officials,”
the DCP said.
“Four of them are stu-
dents — two enrolled in
MBA and two in LLB
programmes at a univer-
sity here. Narcotic sub-
stances like MDMA,
ganja, OG, have been
seized from their posses-
sion in large quantities,”
Mr Chander said.
“These accused, espe-
cially the four students,
were supplying the
drugs in institutions
and PGs. They procured
high-quality marijuana
from Shillong,” said the
DCP, flanked by addi-
tional DCP Shakti
Mohan Avasthy and ACP
Rajneesh Verma.
Police said they have
seized two electronic
weighing machines, 10
mobile phones, `3,200
cash, besides impound-
ing an SUV and two
motorcycles.
Those arrested have
been identified as
Akshay Kumar (32),
Rajan Singh (20),
Darshan Jain (21),
Aditya Kumar (21),
Satendra Srivastava (21),
Sagar Bajaj (22), Anit
Som (22), Apoorva
Saxena (28) and
Narendra Kumar (28),
the police said. — PTI
— PTI
belief that the system
works against margin-
alised communities are
among the various barri-
ers,” the CJI said.
Justice Chandrachud
said that during his
tenure as CJI, he has initi-
ated several initiatives for
access to justice and the
potent weapon in access to
justice is technology.
“We are using it to bring
the courtroom closer to
people. Online streaming
of proceedings has taken
the court to the hearts and
homes of people. It is
about creating court-
rooms where we make
everyone feel welcome,
people from diverse back-
grounds beyond caste,
gender, etc.,” he said.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
pg 3

SHORT
Bhujbal seeks Kunbi
TAKES
committee scrapping
Mumbai: Continuing his
tirade against the Maratha
quota protests, Maharashtra
minister Chhagan Bhujbal on
Monday said that he was
against blanket reservation
to the Maratha community
under the OBC category. He
demanded that the process
of issuing “Kunbi” caste cer-
tificates to Marathas should
be stopped and the panel
set up for studying the
demand of “Kunbi” certifi-
cate should be scrapped. Mr
Bhujbal has maintained that
he was not against reserva-
tion to Marathas but their
backdoor entry into the OBC
category. “The Maratha com-
munity can avail a separate
reservation. I am not oppo-
sed to it. My opposition is
against the ongoing practice
of obtaining Kunbi certifi-
cates by submitting fake or
forged documents,” he said.
His statement comes on the
backdrop of Maratha quota
activist Manoj Jarange-Patil
demanding that his entire
Like Thailand,
Indians can
visit Malaysia
without a visa
Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 27:
Malaysia will grant a 30-
day visa-free entry for
Indian and Chinese citi-
zens from December 1,
Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim has announced,
joining Thailand and Sri
Lanka in recent weeks to
offer such a facility to
foreigners to promote
tourism.
Mr Ibrahim said the
waiver was an addition-
al facility to the existing
visa exemptions cur-
rently enjoyed by Gulf
nations and other West
Asian countries, includ-
ing Turkey and Jordan.
However, Mr Ibrahim,
who is also the finance
minister, said the visa
exemption was subject
to top security screen-
ing, the official
Bernama news agency
reported.
“Initial screenings will
Stalin calls for nationwide caste census
■ Unveils statue of ex-PM V.P. Singh ■ Calls it ‘duty’ of ruling DMK to honour late ‘guardian of social justice’
G. BABU JAYAKUMAR
and D. SEKAR
CHENNAI, NOV. 27
Demanding a nationwide
caste survey along with
the delayed census, Tamil
nadu chief minister M.K.
Stalin said on Monday that
the reservation for Other
Backward Classes (OBC),
Scheduled Castes (SC),
Scheduled Tribes and
minorities should be
implemented properly and
a committee of MPs
should be appointed to
monitor it at the national
level.
Speaking at a function in
Kalaivanar Arangam after
unveiling a life-size statue
of former Prime Minister
V.P. Singh on the premises
of Presidency College on
Monday, the chief minis-
ter said it was the first
statue of the defender of
social justice who imple-
mented the Mandal
Commission report pro-
viding for 27 per cent
reservation for OBCs in
the country despite facing
the risk of losing his gov-
ernment.
The CM called it a “duty”
of the ruling DMK to hon-
our the late “guardian of
social justice”.
Among the other achiev-
ements of Singh, during
his 11-month tenure as the
Prime Minister, were the
first steps taken for bring-
ing in the Right to Inform-
ation Act, National Rural
Employment Guarantee
Act, Right to Employment
Act, Lok Pal Act and a
slew of electoral reforms,
he said.
The law making it
mandatory to print the
maximum retail price
(MRP) on the product
cover and consumer pro-
tection acts, setting up of a
As a way of paying
respect to leaders like
Singh, people had to put in
more toil to usher in reser-
vation in higher judiciary
and top jobs in the govern-
ment, he said, adding that
of the 89 secretaries in the
Union government, there
was none from the OBC
category, three from STs
and one SC while 85
belonged to the upper
castes. Only 72 of the 604
Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin, SP chief Akhilesh judicial appointments
Yadav and family members of former Prime Minister made between 2018 and
V.P. Singh during the unveiling ceremony of the latter’s 2023 went to OBC.
statue in Chennai on Monday. — PTI Reeling out more statis-
tics on the caste breakup
council between states, taken against all odds and in the higher echelons of
Bharat Ratna award to opposition, however, had the administration, he
B.R. Ambedkar and habi- not helped the OBCs to get said that of the 93 addi-
tats for Delhi slum all the benefits as educa- tional secretaries in the
dwellers were also some of tional institutions imple- Union government, 82
the other reforms that he mented OBC reservation were from the upper castes
brought in as prime minis- only after 2006, thanks to with none for the OBC and
ter, Mr Stalin said. the objection of a top offi- of the 274 joint secretaries,
Singh’s revolutionary cial in the University only 19 belonged to OBCs.
step on OBC reservation, Grants Commission. In 45 Central universi-
ties, OBC professors
formed only 4 per cent.
Reservation was not being
followed in admissions to
Central law universities in
Assam, Uttar Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and
Jharkhand, he said.
In its duty to uphold
social justice, the DMK
would never lag behind, he
said giving details on the
legal initiatives made by
his government after com-
ing to power that included
securing admission for
OBC candidates at the all-
India admission for med-
ical and dental courses
through a Supreme Court
order on July 27, 2021.
Among those who attend-
ed the unveiling function
were former Uttar
Pradesh chief minister
Akhilesh Yadav, V.P.
Singh’s wife Seetha
Kumari, son Ajaya Singh
and family members.

Poll sop leads to slowdown of

community should be given be conducted for all
Kunbi certificates under the tourists and visitors to
OBC category. Malaysia. Security is a
different matter. If there

Lightning strikes
kill 27 in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: At least 27
people have been killed in
multiple lightning strikes in
Gujarat as widespread
unseasonal rainfall battered
the state, damaging homes
and standing crops, officials
said on Monday. The light-
ning-related deaths occurred
in a span of 24 hours begin-
ning on early Sunday morn-
ing, they said. The rainfall
subsided on Monday which
saw only intermittent show-
ers at some places in the
state. As per the State Emer-
gency Operation Centre, so
far 27 people have lost their
lives after being struck by
lightning in different parts of
Gujarat. Most of the deaths
were reported in the districts
of Dahod, Amreli, Surendra-
are criminal records or
the risk of terrorism,
they will not be allowed
to enter,” he said.
“That comes under the
authority of the security
forces and immigra-
tion,” said the PM, who
is likely to travel to India
in the first half of next
year in reflection of the
growing upswing in
overall ties between the
two nations.
Malaysia is a member
of the 10-member Asean
or the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations
bloc, which is consid-
ered one of the most
influential groupings in
the region.
The 30-day visa-free
entry is also currently
enjoyed by eight Asean
countries. — PTI
paddy procurement in C’garh
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
RAIPUR, NOV. 27
The pledge by both the
Congress and the BJP to
increase the minimum
support price (MSP) of
paddy if voted to power in
Chhattisgarh in the just-
concluded Assembly polls
has led to the slowdown of
the procurement of the
grain in the state.
In rural Chhattisgarh, a
section of farmers have
chosen to wait for the for-
mation of the government
after December 3, when
the results of the polls
A volunteer distributes rotis to devotees during a “langar” on Guru Nanak Jayanti at will be declared, to sell
Motijheel Maidan in Kanpur on Monday. — PTI paddy to the government
following confusion over
the release of the differ-
◗ THE CONG has pledged
to hike the procurement
price of paddy to `3,200
per quintal if it retains
power in the state,
whereas the BJP has
promised to increase the
price to `3,100 per quintal
paddy at `2,640 per quin-
tal from the farmers.
The Congress has
pledged to hike the pro-
curement price of paddy
to `3,200 per quintal if it
retains power in the state
in the polls, whereas the
BJP has promised to
increase the price to
`3,100 per quintal.
The paddy procurement
began on November 1 and
will continue till January
of the government after
December three to sell
their paddy to the govern-
ment since they are con-
fused as to when the dif-
ference amount would be
released if they dispose of
their produce at the cur-
rent procurement price
now,” Nandan Dewta, a
farmer of Basna under
Mahasamund district in
east Chhattisgarh told
this newspaper.
He echoed views of
many farmers in other
parts of the state.
“No wonder, 11.60 lakh
metric tonnes of paddy
could be procured from
around 2.8 lakh farmers
by the state government
by November 24 as against
21 lakh metric tonnes of

‘Time to dump KCR’s car in garage’

nagar, Botad, Mehsana,
Kheda, Panchmahal, Ahme- ence amount if the mini- 31. paddy procured during
dabad, Bharuch and Devb- mum support price of “A section of farmers in the corresponding period
humi Dwarka, it said. — PTI paddy is hiked then. the rural pockets of in the last year,” a senior
The state government is Chhattisgarh have chosen state government officer

Congress and BRS have tacit pre-poll understanding, alleges Shah currently procuring to wait for the formation said.

DHANKHAR: BAPU G. RAM MOHAN RAO er, not vacant. The

MAHAPURUSH,
MODI YUGPURUSH
Mumbai: Vice-president
Jagdeep Dhankhar on
Monday described Mahatma
Gandhi as the “mahapurush”
of the last century, and
termed Prime Minister
Narendra Modi as the “yug-
purush” of this century.
“Mahatma Gandhi freed us
from the slavery of British
through satyagraha and non-
violence. India’s successful
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has taken us to a path
where we always wanted to
be,” Mr Dhankhar said. He
was speaking at the birth
anniversary celebrations of
Jain mystic and philosopher
Shrimad Rajchandraji. “I
want to tell you one thing.
The mahapurush of last cen-
tury was Mahatma Gandhi.
Narendra Modi is the yugpu-
rush of this century,” Mr
Dhankhar said. Mr Dhankhar
also unveiled a mural of
Shrimad Rajchandraji, who
was born in Gujarat in 1867
and died in 1901. He is
known for his teachings on
Jainism and his spiritual
guidance to Mahatma
Gandhi. “One thing is com-
mon between these two
great personalities, the
Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi, and PM
Narendra Modi. They have
reflected with respect to
Shrimad Rajchandraji,” Mr
Dhankhar said. “Forces
opposed to the growth of
this nation, forces that do
not digest the rise of this
country are coming together.
Whenever there is some-
thing good happening in the
country, they get into a dif-
ferent mode. This should not
happen,” vice-president
Dhankhar said. — PTI
HYDERABAD, NOV. 27
Union home minister
Amit Shah said that it was
high time that chief min-
ister K. Chandrashekar
Rao’s car, alluding to the
BRS’ election symbol, was
dumped to the garage,
once and for all. A step
towards this would be to
give a huge mandate to
BJP candidate Etala Raje-
ndar, Mr Shah told voters.
Mr Rajendar was a confi-
dant of Mr Rao but was
sacked last year. He
bounced back in the sub-
sequent bypoll.
“Ensure Rajendar’s
resounding win to send
across a loud and clear
message to Rao. Any vote
for Congress will eventu-
ally go to the BRS kitty. If
you wish to change the
Modi: Govt making all efforts
to rescue 41 trapped workers
AGE CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
HYDERABAD, NOV. 27
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on
Monday said the work-
ers stuck in the col-
lapsed Silkyara tunnel
in Uttarakhand needed
the prayers of everyone
in the country.
Speaking at a reli-
gious event here, Mr
Modi said the govern-
ment and various agen-
cies are doing their best
to get the workers stuck
in the collapsed tunnel
out but “nature was
throwing constant chal-
lenges”.
K’taka govt ads in T’gana Patnaik’s close
Congress, BRS and the
MIM are all family parties aide Pandian
and corruption is endemic
in family-run parties. A
code violation, rules EC joins ruling BJD
vote for them will give fil- AGE CORRESPONDENT ments of the Congress
lip to corruption and NEW DELHI, NOV. 27 government in the neigh- AGE CORRESPONDENT
appeasement politics,” Mr bouring state. BHUBANESWAR, NOV. 27
Shah said. The Election Commission The EC added that it has
Reiterating the party’s on Monday ticked off the given no permission to As anticipated, Odisha
promise, Mr Shah said a Congress-led Karnataka the Karnataka govern- chief minister Naveen
candidate from the government for its adver- ment to carry out such Patnaik’s former private
Backward Classes com- tisements in Telangana advertisements and the secretary V.
munity will be chief min- saying it violates Model act of the Karnataka gov- Karthikeyan Pandian on
ister if the party won the Code of Conduct (MCC) ernment is in violation of Monday formally joined
Union home minister Amit Shah during a roadshow in polls. He said that the BJP, which is in force in poll- the MCC. The EC has the state’s ruling Biju
Telengana’s Mancherial on Monday. — PTI on forming government, bound Telangana. directed the Siddaramaih Janata Dal (BJD),
would withdraw the four The EC said it has government to immedi- adding credence to the
government, vote for BJP. a tacit pre-poll under- per cent reservation for received complaints from ately stop all such adver- wide speculation that he
Voting for Congress and standing, Mr Shah Muslims and extend the the BJP and the BRS that tisements. It has also iss- would be the next-man-
the BRS will be a continu- claimed that the Congress quota to the SC, ST and BC the Karnataka governm- ued a show cause notice to in-command in the rul-
ation of family rule,” Mr would support Mr Rao to communities. ent has published adver- the secretary-in-charge of ing party after the CM.
Shah while addressing a become chief minister, The Union home minis- tisements in the Hydera- department of informa- Mr Pandian was
public meeting in who, as thanksgiving, ter also said that the BRS bad edition of various tion and public relations inducted into the BJD by
Huzurabad. would help Rahul Gandhi government was not cele- newspapers giving details on why disciplinary CM Naveen Patnaik in
Alleging that the become Prime Minister. brating Telangana of various welfare action should not be taken the presence of senior
Congress and the BRS had “The PM post is, howev- Liberation Day. schemes and achieve- against the bureaucrat. leaders of the party.
“We have to be very of the workers need to
careful in this rescue be given courage that
and relief operation. the whole country is
But we are determined with them, he said.
to safely bring every- He prayed that every
one out. The entire lamp lit in the “Dev
country is with the Diwali” and “Koti
stuck workers and we Deepotsavam” would
should pray for their bring light in the lives
safety and quick and of those trapped work-
safe rescue,” he said. ers at the earliest.
“When we are praying It has been 15 days
to God today and talk since the 41 workers
about human welfare, were trapped inside the
then we have to pray for Silkyara tunnel after a
all those worker broth- portion of it collapsed
ers who have been on November 12. The
trapped inside a tunnel rescue operation was
in Uttarakhand for the started soon after the
past two weeks,” he incident but the work
said. was delayed due to hur-
The family members dles in drilling.

CRPF plans final assault on Naxal bastions

AMRESH SRIVASTAVA
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
With an aim to dismantle
the strongest holds of
Maoists in Sukma and
Bijapur, the CRPF is metic-
ulously planning and
preparing itself for a final
assault in the deep interi-
ors of their bastions soon
amid their shrinking foot-
prints in Chhattisgarh.
The preparations include
the enhancement of opera-
tional efficiency, better
handling of IEDs, better
and reliable local intelli-
gence gathering, proficien-
cy in local languages and
knowledge of local topog-
raphy, sources in the secu-
rity establishment said.
The force is also coordi-
nating with the Chhattis-
garh police for joint opera-
tions and to upscale the
local intelligence network
in Naxal-dominated areas.
It is also evolving a fool-
proof strategy for an offen-
sive operation in
Chhattisgarh.
The decision was taken
in a recent meeting held
here at the force’s head-
quarter, where high offi-
cials discussed a thread-
bare discussion to evolve a
multi-pronged strategy for
◗ THE CRPF is also coordi-
nating with the Chhatti-
sgarh police for joint oper-
ations and to upscale the
local intelligence network
in Naxal-dominated areas
the final assault. They also
discussed the use of
drones for surveillance in
a better way, sources
added.
Encouraged with the suc-
cessful operations in Bihar
and Jharkhand, wherein
the Naxals have been prac-
tically thrown out of their
strongholds, CRPF offi-
cials had proposed an
aggressive offence to gain
an upper hand over them.
They also stressed on the
offensive operational tac-
tics with improved train-
ing for all the units, includ-
ing all the ground com-
manders to gain an edge
over them. The deploy-
ment of “sniper team” was
also discussed among the
main issues to upscale the
force’s capabilities.
The ground commanders
have also been instructed
to make more contacts
with local tribals and to
organise regular “civic
action programmes” to
win them over.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
pg 4

Boy attacked ‘108 times’ with

SHORT
Dalit woman in Guj
TAKES
thrashed by 2, dies
Bhavnagar: A 45-year-old
Dalit woman died on
Monday, a day after she was
allegedly thrashed by two
men angered by her
refusal to convince her son
to withdraw an old case reg-
istered against them by the
police under the Atrocities
Act in Bhavnagar city of
Gujarat, an officer said.
Gitaben Maru was allegedly
brutally thrashed with steel
pipes by the duo joined by
two accomplices near her
house on Sunday evening.
She succumbed to her
injuries on Monday morning,
deputy superintendent
of police R.R. Singhal said.
The accused duo had asked
Maru to convince her son to
withdraw the case against
them under Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribe
(Prevention of Atrocities)
Act, but she refused to
agree, he said, adding “We
had taken down Maru’s com-
plaint on Sunday night
before she breathed her last
and filed an FIR.” — PTI
Accused of thrashing
Dalit boy held in UP
Jaunpur: A man accused of
thrashing a 14-year-old
Dalit boy and forcing him to
geometry compass in Indore
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
BHOPAL, NOV. 27
A student of Class four
was attacked with a geom-
etry compass by three of
his classmates in a pri-
vate school in Indore city
in Madhya Pradesh,
police said on Monday.
The student was hit
with the geometry com-
pass “108 times” by three
of his classmates, a com-
plaint lodged by his
father in the local police
station said.
He was injured in the
attack and taken to the
local hospital where he
was given first aid treat-
ment, police said.
According to his father,
the incident occurred at
around 2 pm on
November 24. “I have
sought CCTV footage of
the classroom from the
India’s US envoy 7 students cheer India’s WC defeat, held
Sandhu heckled
at NY gurdwara
school authorities to
ascertain what led to the
fight between them. But,
the CCTV footage is yet to
be made available to me”,
police said quoting his
father.
State child welfare com-
mittee (CWC) chairper-
son Pallavi Porwal said
that the matter was
brought to her notice and
she asked the police to
probe it and submit a
report. “It is a shocking
incident. I have sought a
report from the police,”
she said.
She said the CWC would
counsel the children and
their parents and find out
if the kids were exposed
to video games showing
violent scenes.
Assistant commissioner
of police, Indore Vivek
Singh Chouhan said that
the medical examination
of the student was done.
India-US Predator deal by March 2024
Navy will get 15 Sea Guardian drones, Air Force, Army each to get 8 Sky Guardians
New Delhi, Nov. 27: India
is looking at sealing a
landmark deal to procure
31 MQ-9B Predator long-
endurance armed drones
from the US under a gov-
er nment-to-gover nment
framework by March next
year, with the US Congress
likely to clear the supplies
in the next few weeks,
sources said.
American and Indian
government officials will
hold the final series of
negotiations on the pro-
curement after Washing-
ton responds to India’s
Letter of Request (LoR) for
the acquisition of drones
from US defence major
General Atomics (GA),
they said.
India is procuring the
long-endurance “Hunter-
Killer” drones to crank up
the surveillance apparatus
■ Threatened us, chanted pro-Pak slogans: Non-local student
AGE CORRESPONDENT
SRINAGAR, NOV. 27
Seven students at an agri-
cultural sciences universi-
of the armed forces, espe-
cially along the Line of
Actual Control (LAC) with
China.
Though the price of the
drones will be finalised in
the negotiation process, it
is estimated that the pro-
curement would cost
around $3 billion.
People familiar with the
matter said New Delhi and
Washington would depute
their respective teams to
firm up the deal including
finalising the cost and
other nitty-gritties.
The aim is to seal the
deal by March next year,
they said.
As part of the laid down
process, the agreement
will be done between the
Indian government and
American authorities, and
Pentagon will convey to
General Atomics about
held on November 19.
The police sources said
that the accused face
charges under Section 13
of the UAPA and Sections
◗ NEW DELHI and
Washington would depute
their respective teams to
firm up the deal including
finalising the cost and
other nitty-gritties
the requirement of the
Indian armed forces, they
added.
It is understood that the
issue of India’s proposed
procurement of the
drones figured in the US
defence secretary Lloyd J.
Austin’s talks with his
Indian counterpart
Rajnath Singh in Delhi
earlier this month.
Asked at a media brief-
ing of the time of procure-
ment, Mr Austin said it
would be announced at the
right time.
“Well, again, you know,
we’ve — at the right time,
◗ THE ACCUSED face
charges under Section 13
dent at the Sher-i-Kashmir
University
of the UAPA and IPC
Sections 505 and 506
cultural
we’ll announce the (deal).
I think the government,
the officials in the govern-
ment are doing everything
necessary to make sure
that capability. India gets
that capability as quickly
as possible,” he said.
The Defence Acquisition
Council headed by Mr
Singh on June 15 accorded
the Acceptance of
Necessity (AoN) or initial
approval for the acquisi-
tion of 31 MQ-9B drones
from US under the foreign
military sale (FMS) route.
In June, both sides also
reached an agreement
under which the
American aerospace
major General Electric
will partner with
Hindustan Aeronautics
Ltd to produce jet engines
for Indian military air-
craft in India.
of Agri-
The “Sea Guardian”
drones are being procured
for the three services for
carrying out a variety of
roles including maritime
surveillance, anti-subma-
rine warfare and over-the-
horizon targeting.
While Navy will get 15
Sea Guardian drones,
Indian Air Force and
Army each will get eight
Sky Guardian drones.
The high-altitude long-
endurance drones are
capable of remaining air-
borne for over 35 hours
and can carry four Hellfire
missiles and around 450
kgs of bombs.
In 2020, the Indian Navy
had taken on lease two
MQ-9B Sea Guardian
drones from General
Atomics for one year for
surveillance in the Indian
Ocean. — PTI
War against
terror not
over yet in

drink urine in a village here
was arrested on Monday,
police said. Police have said
allegations of forcing the
boy Agnivesh to drink urine
have been found to be
untrue in preliminary investi-
gation. Sujanganj SHO Rohit
Kumar Mishra said police has
arrested Aditya Singh after
registering an FIR against
four persons, two of whom
are yet to be identified.
Agnivesh’s father Brijesh
Gautam filed a complaint on
Friday and police registered
the FIR on Saturday. The
accused have been booked
under sections 323 (volun-
tarily causing hurt), 504
ty in Jammu and
Kashmir’s Ganderbal dis-
Pro-Khalistan slogans chanted trict have formally been
arrested after they were
booked by the police
AGE CORRESPONDENT under Unlawful Activities
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27 (Prevention) Act, 1976 and
other provisions of the
Indian Ambassador to the law for “celebrating”,
United States Taranjit chanting objectional slo-
Singh Sandhu was on gans” and “threatening
Monday heckled and their non-local hostel
harassed by pro- mate” after Australia
Khalistan elements when defeated India in the
he went to a Gurudwara World Cup final match
at Long Island in New
York to offer prayers
there on the occasion of
Gurpurab.
Footage of the visit
Taranjit Singh Sandhu
505 and 506 of the Indian
Penal Code related to pub-
lic mischief and criminal
intimidation. If proved
guilty in a court of law,
the offence under Section
13 of the UAPA is punish-
able with imprisonment
for a term which may
extend to seven years, and
fine.
However, Ganderbal’s
superintendent of police
Nikhil Borkar said, “The
case is still under investi-
related to public mischief
and criminal intimidation,
the police sources said
gation and that some sec-
tions of the law could be
dropped and some others
added in the process,
depending upon the find-
ings of the police probe.”
The sources said that the
case against the seven stu-
dents was registered by
the police on a complaint
filed by a non-local stu-
The
Sciences
Technology (SKUAST).
complainant
&
alleged that these seven
students from the
University’s veterinary
sciences and animal hus-
bandry department
abused and threatened
him for supporting team
India. He also accused
them of chanting pro-
Pakistan slogans, causing
fear among the students
from outside J&K putting
up at an undergraduate
hostel of the SKUAST at
Shuhama in Ganderbal.
J&K: DGP
YUSUF JAMEEL
SRINAGAR, NOV. 27
Jammu and Kashmir
director general of
police Rashmi Rajan
Swain said on Monday
that the “war against
terrorism” in the Union
territory was not over
yet, and therefore, the
security forces couldn’t
drop their guard but
continue to fight.
“War ends only when
one side accepts defeat
and acknowledges the

Guru of the Sikhs and the

(intentional insult), and 506
(criminal intimidation) of the
IPC and sections of the
SC/ST Act,
the SHO said. — PTI
showed pro-Khalistan ele-
ments shouting at Mr
Sandhu over the killing of
pro-Khalistan extremist
Hardip Singh Nijjar in
founder of Sikhism )
Guru Nanak’s everlasting
message of togetherness,
unity and equality, par-
took langar (community
5 of family end
life over financial
crisis in K’taka
Tumakuru (Karnataka),
Nov. 27: Five members of
12-yr-old girl among 2 trampled futility of bloodshed.
Therefore, our fight
against terrorism will
to death by elephants in Assam continue till the scourge
of terrorism in all its
forms is uprooted,
notwithstanding our suf-
MANOJ ANAND fering some losses at

Tirth yatra yojna

Canada in June this year
and also over an alleged
meal) and sought blssings
of all,” he said on social
a family were found
dead in Sadashivanagar
GUWAHATI, NOV. 27 3 elephants including calf die times,” he said, while
speaking to reporters

launched in Punjab
Dhuri (Punjab), Nov. 27: On
the birth anniversary of Guru
Nanak Dev, the Punjab gov-
ernment on Monday
launched the “Mukhya Mantri
Tirth Yatra Yojna” under
which elderly people of the
state would be sent on pil-
grimage free of charge on
trains and buses. AAP
national convener Arvind
Kejriwal, who attended the
launch event along with
Punjab chief minister
Bhagwant Mann, said the
state government would
bear the expenditure for the
pilgrimage. “Today is a pious
day. It is the birth anniver-
sary of Guru Nanak Dev. On
this day, I am happy to note
that the Mukhya Mantri
Tirath Yatra Yojana for elder-
ly people started in Punjab,”
Mr Kejriwal said. — PTI
plot to kill another pro-
Khalistan
Gurpatwant
extremist
Singh
Pannun in the United
States, even as other Sikh
devotees accompanying
the Indian envoy tried to
restrain these elements.
The Indian envoy was
seen turning sharply
away and walking on
ahead unruffled as the
pro-Khalistan elements
continued their tirade.
The Indian envoy made
no reference to the
unpleasant incident later
and chose to focus on the
festive spirit of the occa-
sion. “Privileged to jon
the local sangat (congre-
gation) including from
Afghanistan at Guru
Nanak Darbar of Long
Island in celebrating
Gurpurab—listened to
kirtan (devotional verses)
spoke about (the first
media platform X.
Mr Sandhu received a
warm welcome at the
Hicksville Gurdwara
against the perceived
notion of opposition from
Khalistanis. A few nui-
sance makers tried to
heckle him but were
escorted out by members
of the Sikh community,
sources said.
On the occasion, the
gurudwara members and
officials honoured and
felicitated the Indian
Ambassador.
Earlier, in a separate
tweet Mr Sandhu said,
“Guru Nanak Dev ji’s
timeless message of
equality and universal
oneness in the well-
known Shabad of Guru
Ravidass”, as he paid his
respects at Sri Guru
Ravidass Temple in New
York on Saturday.
here in a suspected case
of a suicide pact, police
said on Monday.
Financial problems
and alleged harassment
by money lenders are
believed to be the reason
behind the extreme step
taken by the deceased.
Police have filed a case
of murder and abetment
to commit suicide
against seven people
including the deceased
couple — Gharib Sab
(46) and wife Sumaiya
(33) — for strangling
their children Hazira
(14), Mohammed Subhan
(11) and Mohammed
Muneer (9) on Sunday
evening.
The other accused are
Khalandar, his daughter
Sania, son Shahbaz,
their neighbour
Shabana and her daugh-
ter Sania. — PTI
In what has become a mat-
ter of concern, two per-
sons, including a 12-year-
old girl, were trampled to
death by wild elephants in
two separate incidents in
Assam’s Tinsukia and
Goalpara districts.
It is significant that this
has come within a week
when four people, includ-
ing a woman and two chil-
dren, were crushed by a
herd of elephants in
Karbi Anglong district on
November 23.
The first incident was
reported from Tinsukia’s
Doom Dooma area, where
a minor girl was killed by
an male elephant when
she was returning home
from a religious event.
Divisional forest officer
of Tinsukia district
Mriganka Bora said, “We
did patrolling in that area
on Saturday, hours before
after hit by goods train in WB
AGE CORRESPONDENT
KOLKATA, NOV. 27
Three elephants includ-
ing a calf died after a
speeding goods train hit
them in the Dooars of
West Bengal on Monday
morning.
In a surprising move,
the state forest depart-
ment has initiated a
process to seize the entire
the incident happened at
1:30 am in midnight.”
“The elephant was not a
part of the herd and,
unfortunately, we did not
notice it. The other family
members managed to
escape the attack but the
minor girl could not run
fast,” he said.
The second incident
train for the accident.
At around 7 am, a herd
of elephants was crossing
the railway tracks near
gate number 126 of the
West Division of the Buxa
Tiger Reserve.
The accident took place
after the Siliguri-bound
freight train dashed them.
Three tuskers were
found dead beside the
tracks.
took place in Goalpara’s
Tengabari area, in which
a 40-year-old woman acci-
dentally came in front of a
wild elephant in early
hours on Monday, and was
trampled to death.
The deceased woman,
identified as Saharbhanu
Nessa, was a resident of
the Tengabari area.
after paying obeisance at
Srinagar’s historic
Chatti Padshahi gurud-
wara on the Guru Nanak
Jayanti.
He said the question of
the J&K police retract-
ing from the ongoing
fight against militancy
and terrorism does not
rise. “It will go on and go
on with the resolve to
eradicate terrorism
which is the most direct
asymmetric threat to the
security of the citizens.”
Replying to the ques-
tion if the incidence of
infiltration from across
the Line of Control
(LoC) and International
Border (IB) with
Pakistan in J&K has
increased in the recent
past, the DGP said, “It
may go up at some point
and come down at the
other.”

Manual drilling soon Poll panel stops aid to BJP to ‘free’ T’gana from BRS;
to rescue Silkyara 41 farmers in Telangana send KCR, others to jail: Modi
■ Continued from Page 1
Sunday as a second option to
reach the stranded labourers.
The drilling of vertical
escape passage that began on
Sunday continued on Monday
as well despite water gushing
in the borewell. According to
the officials at the ground,
despite the growing appre-
hension about oozing water
and boulders coming on the
way to the vertical escape
passage, the work was going
on unhindered.
They also said the rescue
team was able to de-water the
bore. “We were able to de-
water the borewell in time as
more than 30 metres of
drilling is completed.
Although small boulders and
other minor obstacles are
coming in the way, drilling is
moving ahead as per our
expectations even as every
possible effort is being made
to resume the manual excava-
tion of the horizontal passage
well,” additional secretary of
the ministry of road trans-
port and highways Mahmood
Ahmed said. He is heading
the rescue operation at
Silkyara.
“The broken blades of the
auger machine have been
fully retrieved. There were
some obstacles while retriev-
ing the broken part, but the
damage has been fixed”,
National Disaster
Management Authority mem-
ber Lt. Gen. Syed Ata
Hasnain (Retd) said.
“Now, the manual drilling
technique will be employed
by today evening with the
help of Indian Army engi-
neers, rat miners, and other
technicians,” he further
added.
A total of 86 metres have to
be drilled vertically to pre-
pare an escape passage. Pipes
of 1.2 metres in diameter
have to be laid vertically
through the top of the tunnel
on which work began on
Sunday as a second option to
reach the stranded labourers.
“Around 32 metres of verti-
cal drilling has been done by
SVNL. RVNL is working on
another pipeline which will
become a vertical ‘lifeline’
and it has been inserted up to
75 metres. The estimated
depth is around 86 metres,”
Gen. Hasnain said.
He further said that the gov-
ernment was fully committed
to the safe rescue of all 41
workers who have been
trapped in the tunnel since
November 12.
When asked about the time-
line, the NDMA member said:
“It is very difficult to suggest
any timeline for the comple-
tion of rescue operations.
Once the manual digging
starts in the evening, we will
be able to say something
tomorrow morning.”
He noted that manual dig-
ging may face some obstacles.
“Once we are able to over-
come them, progress will be
fast,” the NDMA member
said, adding that, however,
“we cannot give any esti-
mate” for completion of the
rescue operation. Gen.
Hasnain said that both pri-
vate and public agencies were
involved in the rescue opera-
tions.
■ Continued from Page 1
MCC was in place. Telangana goes
to the polls on November 30. The
EC said the “no objection” was
granted to the state government
for the Rythu Bandhu scheme
based on the premise that it was
an ongoing scheme and rabi
instalments were disbursed in
October-January in the past five
years.
The EC had laid down five condi-
tions while giving permission for
the disbursement of money. The
EC had said no new beneficiary
should be added to the list, there
should not be any publicity of the
scheme or any function should be
held for the disbursement of
funds, no political functionary
should be involved in the process
of disbursement and as far as pos-
sible direct electronic transfer of
the cash component should be
done, and no distribution of
cheques.
“The commission has observed
that T. Harish Rao, minister of
finance and health and family wel-
fare, Government of Telangana …
has not only violated the provi-
sions of MCC... but also conditions
laid down as above by publicising
the release under the scheme, and
thereby disturbed the level playing
field in the ongoing election
process,” the EC said in a letter to
the state chief electoral officer
while informing it about its deci-
sion to withdraw permission.
“The commission has directed
that the permission granted vide
its letter dated November 25, 2023
for disbursement of rabi season
instalment under the ongoing
Rythu Bandhu scheme during cur-
rency of the MCC shall stand
withdrawn immediately and there
shall be no disbursement under
the scheme till the Model Code of
Conduct in the state of Telangana
ceases to apply in all its form,” the
letter added.
The EC asked the state chief
electoral officer to convey its deci-
sions to the state government and
the compliance report taken
should be submitted to the com-
mission by 3 pm on Monday.
The Congress Party attacked the
BRS over the EC’s order alleging it
was a result of its “irresponsible
and self-serving” approach. In a
post on X, AICC general secretary
K.C. Venugopal said: “Due to the
irresponsible and narrow self-
serving approach of the BRS and
Harish Rao, under the instruc-
tions of his boss KCR, the EC has
denied permission for the dis-
bursement of the Rythu Bandhu
installments. The money is the
right of the farmers and it is what
they deserve for their year-long
hard work. When this money is
supposed to be released any time
between October and January, it
was the BRS’ desperation, which
compelled them to make such irre-
sponsible statements. Yet another
sin committed by the BRS, which
will not be forgiven by the farmers
of Telangana.”
However, BRS leader K. Kavitha
slammed the Congress for lodging
a complaint with the EC accusing
it of “dirty politics”. She said the
scheme was not an election prom-
ise and an ongoing one. “Dirty pol-
itics of Congress has once again
surfaced. They are delaying the
payment of Rythu Bandhu, which
is an ongoing payment. It is not an
election promise. It is not a new
programme that is made for the
elections,” she said.
■ Continued from Page 1
the BRS and the Congress,
received a much-needed last-
minute boost during the three
days Mr Modi addressed a
series of public meetings in the
state beginning Saturday.
The PM too appeared to have
warmed up to using more and
more Telugu phrases in a bid to
connect with the people, and
making a personal request ask-
ing them to visit every home
and convey “Modi’s namaskar”
to families who could not
attend the meetings to receive
his salutations in person.
Though Modi also did speak
about the Congress and cau-
tioned the people not to elect it
— “in a bid to get rid of one dis-
ease (BRS), do not acquire
another (Congress)” — was his
advice to people along with a
reminder that where ever
Congress has been in power, as
is also the case with the BRS in
Telangana, administration and
law and order have suffered. He
said Congress and BRS were
alike, and if people vote for
Congress, then it would mean a
vote for BRS.
Work in full swing for Mandir opening Jan. 22
■ Continued from Page 1
country, urging Hindus to par-
ticipate in the event by watch-
ing the “pran pratishtha” cere-
mony. The BJP had often
accused the Congress of delay-
ing the resolution of the Ram
Mandir issue, which had been
pending in the courts until the
SC gave its judgment in 2019.
“There is no guarantee that
they (Congress MLAs) will not
go BRS. Saara bikao maal
bazaar mein hain. If you do not
want KCR, then do not vote
Congress or they will come
back to power through the
backdoor,” Mr Modi said. Both
parties are synonymous with
corruption, dynastic and
appeasement politics, some-
thing the BJP is not, he added.
The solution before
Telangana is to elect the BJP
which will give the state its first
CM from the backward classes
community, he said.
The one major theme and tar-
get of Mr Modi’s attack was the
BRS, and its president and chief
minister K. Chandrashekar
Rao and members of his family.
On Monday, at both his meet-
ings, Mr Modi talked about how
“KCR promised Neellu,
Nidhulu, Niyamakalu (water,
funds, jobs), but only delivered
Kanneellu, Mosalu,
Nirudyogulu (tears, deceit,
unemployed),” hitting the BRS
on its major plank on which the
struggle for Telangana state-
hood was based on.
Though the LS polls are still
some months away, the BJP
leaders have been highlighting
the issue during the campaign
rallies of the ongoing Assembly
polls in five states. Union home
minister Amit Shah raised the
issue recently during a cam-
paign rally in Telangana,
where he ann-ounced that the
Mr Modi appeared to dig deep
into his arsenal as he sought to
rubbish Mr Rao’s 10 years of
rule of Telangana. “KCR,” the
PM said, “is driven by supersti-
tion and as a result, had the
Secretariat demolished. His
superstitious beliefs are such
that someone whispered in his
ear, ‘if Modi’s shadow falls on
you, then all your dreams will
be destroyed’. Since then, he
never came to the airport to
meet me.” He then asked: “Can
KCR who is so superstitious do
anything for Telangana that
has technology, and youth with
modern thoughts?”
Mr Modi also recalled his ear-
lier statement that “KCR came
to meet me in Delhi after realis-
ing the increasing strength of
the BJP. He has been trying to
make friendship with the BJP
for long. But his overtures were
rejected as the BJP will never
do anything against the wishes
of the people of Telangana.
After that the BRS has become
hollow and these days, its own
leaders are criticising it. And
now, the BRS never leaves an
opportunity to abuse me.”
BJP will ensure free visits to
the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya for
all residents of Telangana if
the saffron party was voted to
power in the coming Assembly
elections. The senior BJP
leader also alleged that the
Congress hindered and delayed
the construction of the Ram
temple for the last 70 years.
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

28 NOVEMBER 2023

Manipur problem should

be tackled in its entirety
M
anipur Chief Minister N. Birendra Singh’s statement on Sunday that
his government is at an advanced level of talks with an underground
militant organisation based in Imphal and a peace treaty will be
signed soon with it is a welcome development, but it hardly addresses
the wider and deep issues the strife-torn border state faces now. The people in the
state and in the country should not allow it to be used as ruse for the Chief
Minister to escape responsibility for what has happened in the state since May 3
on his watch nor should it stop them from holding him accountable.
There are several underground organisations that belong to both the Meitei
and tribal Kuki communities in the state, and several of them are under obliga-
tions of the conditions of the tripartite Suspension of Operations agreement
signed by the Union government, state government and the insurgent groups. Mr
Singh has not named the organisation but suggestions are that the Imphal-based
organisation which is in talks with the government represents the Meitei com-
munity. Talks with these groups had started long back but it was for the first time
after the clashes broke out between two communities on May 3 that they made
some progress.
While every single step towards lasting peace in the state is welcome, attempts
to cover up the serious shortcomings of the state government that could under-

The politics of governors: LETTERS

mine peace in the long run should not be lost sight
While every single of. The minority Kuki-Zo community has been cry-
step towards lasting ing foul over the alleged partisan attitude of the
state government and an organisation which repre-
peace in the state is sents them on November 15 issued a two-week ulti- UNTIMELY SORTIE
welcome, attempts matum to the Union government that it will go Prime Minister Narendra
to cover up the seri- ahead with its plan to set up a self-governed admin-
ous shortcomings of istration in the state, irrespective of recognition
from the Centre, if their demands are not met in two
the state govern- weeks. There are reports that Kuki members of the
ment that could state Assembly belonging to the ruling BJP com-
undermine peace in plain of step-motherly treatment of the community
How Centre tackles states The governor CPI(M)-led-LDF govern-
Modi performed an adven-
turous feat on Saturday
when the people of
Rajasthan were voting. He
ment. Mr Khan can be ide-
the long run should byInstead the BJP government in the state. becomes an office of undertook a sortie on the
of seeking ways to build bridges between
not be lost sight of. the two estranged communities in the state and Parsa divided loyalties when
ologically opposed to the
Communists but an experi- Tejas aircraft in Bengaluru.
forge ways for lasting peace, the government
appears to be travelling in the opposite direction. It
Venkateshwar the ruling parties at
the Centre and in the
enced politician should
know that he should not
However, he preferred to
makes little or no effort to go into the reasons why the strife began in the first Rao Jr interfere in the democratic do this at a time when a
state are opposed to
place, leave alone attempting a heart-to-heart discussion as suggested by Union
each other.
process of governance. The rescue team is struggling
home minister Rajnath Singh. governor is not a class
It may be recalled that the sound of the gun and screams of violence have not monitor nor a teacher to
day and night without
stopped in the state. Instances of kidnapping and gunfight are reported from var- correct the biases of the sleep to save the precious

T
ious parts of the state with a disturbing regularity. The central paramilitary he post of the
forces and the Army are worried that the thousands of guns and lakhs of rounds g o v e r n o r
of ammunition that have been stolen from police stations could land in the wrong remains a consti-
hands and every must step must be taken to retrieve them. The state government, tutional anom-
however, has never taken the issue with the seriousness it warranted, and secu- aly. The gover-
rity experts would blame those arms for the continued gunfight in the state’s vil- nor is supposed to head the
lages now. executive of the state in the
It is time the Union government told the rulers in state that peace is not a tar- same manner as the
get that can be achieved in a piecemeal way; a government must be able to look President is the head of the
at the problem in its entirety. Without such a vision, and action that follows it, executive at the Centre.
talks of peace agreements should be seen as nothing but diversionary tactics. The President is an elected
executive, chosen through
Get tunnel workers out safely
the two Houses of
Parliament and the state
legislatures.
The governor, however,
N
o set of people could have elicited more sympathy from 140 crore Indians is appointed by the
as the 41 miners stuck inside the Silkyara-Balkot tunnel. It is tragic that President. But the func-
while each dawn of day — which they may have experienced only vague- tions of the governor in the
ly within the dark caverns of a Uttarkashi tunnel — brought them rays of hope state are the same as that
about rescuers breaking through, the end of daylight in the terrain above just of the President. Article 53
dashed them. vests the executive power
In the 16 days since the horror cave-in occurred at dawn on Diwali day, the
efforts of men above have been focussed on getting them out alive, and in rea-
of the Union in the
President and Article 154
sonable shape. But the problems encountered in cutting through rock have been vests the executive power
so bewildering that progress has been excruciatingly slow even as rescue efforts of the state with the gover-
were shut down occasionally with the rock and debris proving too hard to crack nor, and Article 174 says:
even for the rotor blades of auger machines. “There shall be a council of
A typically Indian rescue effort has been gathering pace over a fortnight but, as ministers with the Prime
we suspected, it took a while for them to borrow expertise from abroad. And now Minister at the head to aid
with stop-start horizontal drilling delaying things, vertical drilling is being and advise the
resorted to, with the anxieties it is bound to engender about a possible roof col- President…” Article 163
lapse with the eco-fragile mountain being subjected to heavy vibrations. says: “There shall be a
With Army and Air Force personnel joining in along with rat-hole miners with council of ministers with
experience of working in confined spaces, manual horizontal digging is the chal- the chief minister at the
lenge still being taken on. While logic would posit that the horizontal route would head to aid and advise the
be the best way in for rescue pipes, the delays have led to resorting to alternate governor…” There is a pro-
methods in the hope that the rescue could be sooner than anticipated. vision for the impeach-
If there is one thing the Establishment should not have done was to publicise ment of the President in
all kinds of rescue deadlines that have only piled on more misery on the trapped Article 61. There is no sim-
workers. It is another matter that the hazardous task of widening the highway to ilar provision for the gov-
Yamunotri while lopping off 20 kms of road journey by way of the tunnel is part ernor.
of the modernisation process that the ecologically sensitive Himalayan land- We know that the
scape is being subjected to. President’s authority is
A single tunnel collapse should not stop a larger project that should be benefi- nominal and real power
cial to people. The point is such development work must be undertaken after due lies with the Prime
consideration to the most scientific methods and safety norms in civil construc- Minister and his or her
tion. India’s famous jugaad to cut costs may prove expensive in terms of lives. We party which has a majority
must learn to put more value on Indian lives. in the Lok Sabha. Though
the President appoints the
governor and the governor
holds his/her office at the
THE ASIAN AGE pleasure of the President,
the fact is the governor is
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR
nominated by the ruling
Editor Printer & Publisher party at the Centre. And
the governor is beholden to
THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: the Prime Minister and the
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone:
ruling party. In political
(011) 23211124.
Published and Printed on behalf of and for terms, the governor is an
◗ Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New agent of the Centre and of
Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301. the Prime Minister in the
◗ London: Quickmarsh Ltd, 8th Floor, Block 2, Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NQ. state. We have been talking
RNI Registration number: 57290/94
too piously about how the
governor is a constitution-
al head and he or she has to
fulfil constitutional duties.
The governor becomes an
office of divided loyalties
when the ruling parties at
the Centre and in the state
are opposed to each other.
The Congress, in its long
years in power at the
Centre, set a precedent of
using the governor in con-
fronting the state govern-
ments run by other politi-
cal parties. The Bharatiya
Janata Party has been fol-
lowing in the footsteps of
the Congress, and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s
government has left no
stone unturned as it were
in sending governors to
states ruled by other par-
ties with the plain inten-
tion of harassing them.
The governors of Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal
and Punjab and the lieu-
tenant-governor of the
National Capital Territory
of Delhi have been doing
their best to frustrate the
state governments under
the DMK, Left Democratic
Front (LDF), the All-India
Trinamul Congress
(AITMC) and the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP).
It would be naïve to expect
the Narendra Modi gov-
ernment to play fair
when the rulebook can be
used to play foul. The
long-term solution would
be to change the mode
of appointment of gover-
nors, but there is every
possibility that move can
end up in a rigmarole of
rules as in the appoint-
ment of the election com-
missioners, the Lok
Pal and the director of
the CBI, which remain
unsatisfactory.
The Supreme Court ver-
dict of November 10 in a
case filed by the Punjab
government against its
governor, Mr Banwari Lal
Purohit, said that the gov-
ernor cannot withhold
assent to bills passed by
the state legislature indefi-
nitely. But it is quite an
embarrassing situation
when state governments
have to approach the
Supreme Court against
governors. When the
Supreme Court held that
the lieutenant-governor of
Delhi cannot veto the state
legislature, then the Modi
government brought an
amendment in Parliament
overturning it. What the
Supreme Court has to say
about the supremacy of
elected legislatures against
unelected governors is
commonsensical and unex-
ceptionable, but the Modi
government will find ways
to subvert the judicial
view.
The parties in power at
the Centre tend to think
and act with an imperial
mindset. It was so with the
Congress governments, it
was so with the non-
Congress governments of
the Janata Party, the
National Front, the United
Democratic Front and the
BJP. The headiness of rul-
ing a vast country like
India is perhaps under-
standable, but not forgiv-
able. India cannot be gov-
erned from Delhi, and this
was the theme song of the
BJP when it was confined
to state governments.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi was a prominent
anti-Delhi voice when he
was chief minister of
Gujarat. It is the BJP gov-
ernments in the states
which used to berate the
governors appointed by
the Congress when it was
in power at the Centre. Mr
Modi is only repeating all
the political sins that
he used to accuse the
Congress of in violating
the spirit of federalism.
Kerala governor Arif
Mohammed Khan, who
has now become an ardent
right-wing politician,
should have known better
than to use the office of
governor as an obstacle in
the functioning of the
state government. Tamil
Nadu governor R.N. Ravi
has expressed his opposi-
tion to the ideology of the
DMK and to Dravidian pol-
itics, and this bias plays a
role in his withholding
assent to bills, especially
with regard to appoint-
ment of vice-chancellors of
universities in the state. It
is quite clear that the
Tamil Nadu governor
would want to appoint
right-wing vice-chancel-
lors. But that would be
misusing the powers of the
governor because the
universities in the state
are funded by the state
government.
There was a similar con-
frontation when then West
Bengal governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar wanted to use
his power as governor to
appoint vice-chancellors in
the state.
It is a fact that every
party in power, whether in
the states or the Centre, is
appointing vice-chancel-
lors to universities who
believe in the party’s ideol-
ogy. So, the BJP appoints
Hindutva-leaning vice-
chancellors in all Central
universities, and in the
states where the party is in
power. The erstwhile
CPI(M)-led Left Front gov-
ernment in West Bengal
had appointed leftist vice-
chancellors to the univer-
sities in the state. It can be
criticised, but that is the
imperfect way that democ-
racies work. So, if the state
governments want to pass
a bill in their legislatures
vesting the power of
appointing vice-chancel-
lors in the state govern-
ment, then they are justi-
fied. But unelected gover-
nors can’t be allowed to
have their way to carry out
the ideological biases of
the party in power at the
Centre.
The writer is a Delhi-
based commentator and
analyst
lives of 41 men trapped in
the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel
in Uttarakhand. This state is
ruled by his own party, but
the men have endured
uncertainty for more than
12 days now. Could the PM
not have visited the spot at
least for a day and extend-
ed his moral support to
one of the most strenuous
and dangerous rescue
operations of all time?
Tharcius S. Fernando
Chennai
CLIMATE TREE LOSS
TROPICAL AND subtropical forests
are more vulnerable to temperature
rise than their temperate counter-
parts as well as vegetation in polar or
desert regions. According to a study
by Arizona University, with rising
temperature the mechanism of cap-
turing sunlight goes under stress. A
longer exposure to sunlight beyond
40ºC may permanently damage the
leaves, leading to leaf loss.
Deforestation must be stopped, espe-
cially in our subcontinent. The
Amazon rain forest has already start-
ed showing the fragmentation of
canopy.
Arka Goswami
Durgapur, West Bengal
PIONEERING WOMAN
JUSTICE M. FATHIMA BEEVI, who
passed away on Thursday, broke the
proverbial glass ceiling to become the
first woman judge of the Supreme
Court. Her journey in law wasn’t with-
out challenges, as she navigated
through a traditionally male-dominated
profession and her achievements in the
field paved the way for countless aspir-
ing women to pursue careers in the legal
field. Her legacy extends beyond the
courtroom, leaving an indelible mark
on the societal fabric of the country.
R. Sivakumar
Chennai
Every Monday the best letter of
the week wins `500. Email:
asianage.letters@gmail.com.

F
or 50 years, India has not changed the
composition of the Lok Sabha
(through what is called delimitation).
Enormous power is in the hands of the
individual who is chosen to increase or
decrease a region’s share of seats. The orders
Aakar Patel “have the force of law and cannot be called in
question before any court” and cannot be
modified. Recent events have returned delim-
itation to prominence, and women’s reserva-
tions in Parliament and the state Assemblies
“shall come into effect after an exercise of
delimitation is undertaken”.
It is unclear who this person is at the
moment. The last chairperson, retired judge
Nadu’s 40 MPs and Karnataka’s 28 MPs and
Rajasthan’s 25 MPs.
In the 50 years since the last time the Lok
Sabha’s seats were increased, Kerala’s popu-
lation increased by 56 per cent but
Rajasthan’s by 166 per cent. Tamil Nadu’s by
75 per cent but Haryana’s by 157 per cent.
That the southern populations should not be
punished for their effective implementation
of family planning by allocating more power
to the north is a meaningful argument, but it
is also a fact that the northern MP represents
many more Indians than the southern one
and that also seems unfair. Bihar’s 40 and
UP’s 80 MPs each represent on an average 30
Reservation Act giving women one-third of
all Lok Sabha seats is now law, meaning that
delimitation will have wider impact than
merely geographical. That should not, how-
ever, deceive us and the problem will remain.
What is to be done?
Not acting would seem in violation of the
Constitution. Article 82 (‘‘Readjustment after
each census”) reads: “Upon the completion of
each census, the allocation of seats in the
House of the People to the states and the divi-
sion of each state into territorial constituen-
cies shall be readjusted by such authority
and in such manner as Parliament may by
law determine”.
One of the outcomes that long campaign
sought to achieve was parity between the
states with an eye on delimitation. The link
between the census and delimitation was sev-
ered or, more accurately, suspended after
that. In the 1980s and 1990s, while we con-
ducted the census and the numbers showed
the growing disparity in population sizes,
there was no delimitation exercise.
The Atal Behari Vajpayee government in
2002 kicked the can down the road for a quar-
ter century, to the census in 2031 (actually the
“first census after 2026”).
When will that be? We do not know. For the
first time since 1880, no census was conduct-

When will India Ranjana Desai, left the job in 2022 and was
given another sinecure (at the Press
Council), but her name continues to be on the
lakh Indians, while the average Kerala MP
represents 17 lakh, the average Tamil Nadu
MP 19 lakh.
Note the words “each census”, and the
absence of movement on this for 50 years is a
festering problem. Till 1972, the process was
ed as should have been the case in 2021. The
reason given was the Covid-19 pandemic, but
that is over and there is no sign of a census
Election Commission’s website. The difference in Lok Sabha seats between adhered to. The 494 Lok Sabha seats of the yet (or for that matter the CAA law, which
conduct its next Let us examine the key issue related to
delimitation, which is the difference in popu-
lation sizes in our states. Andhra Pradesh’s
states had existed because of a difference in
population size, but each MP represented
about the same number of Indians. Today,
1950s went up to 522 in the 1960s and then 543
in the 1970s. At this time, as our numbers
above show, while the representation across
was also to be implemented “after the pan-
demic”).
Assuming the census is held soon, the gov-

census? And then total fertility rate, the average number of

children born to a woman, is 1.7, while that of
Bihar is 3. India is now at a replacement rate
of around 2, and in a few decades our popula-
this is no longer the case.
There are meaningful and legitimate argu-
ments on both sides and when the delimita-
tion commission sits, it will be under pres-
states was even, there was a recognition that
the South was doing much better and that
there was a need for the State to promote fam-
ernment will have to do some deft manage-
ment of perceptions. And it is not easy to see
how, given the reality of the disparity and the
ily planning, especially for the North. enormous shift over the last 50 years, this can

the delimitation? tion will begin to contract. However, 29 states

and Union territories are already below 2. It
is the other seven that raise the national
average.
Fifty years ago, the 85 MPs from UP (plus
Uttarakhand) represented 10 lakh citizens
each, and so did Kerala’s 20 MPs and Tamil
sure because whatever action or inaction is
chosen, someone will remain dissatisfied and
disgruntled.
Perhaps the exercise will be delayed indefi-
nitely, especially because the census needs to
be conducted first and it has inexplicably
been put off. Also, because the Women’s
Readers will be familiar with the infamous
actions taken by the Indira Gandhi govern-
ment during the 1975-77 Emergency and
many will also be familiar with the wide-
spread family planning advertisements that
continued on Doordarshan and in print till
the end of the 1980s.
be done without an open and frank conversa-
tion with the people, something that has not
begun and, knowing the style of our leader, is
not expected to begin.
The writer is the chair of Amnesty
International India. Twitter: @aakar__patel
 WORLD
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
SHORT
TURKEY DETAINS
TAKES
98 OVER ALLEGED
MILITANT LINKS
Ankara, Nov. 27: Turkish
police on Monday detained 98
suspects over alleged links to
the outlawed Kurdistan Worke-
rs Party (PKK) militant group,
most of them on a charge of
spreading PKK propaganda on
social media.
The interior ministry said the
suspects were detained in
simultaneous operations acro-
ss 18 provinces. The PKK took
up arms against the Turkish
state in 1984 and more than
40,000 people have been killed
in the conflict.
UK COP GUILTY OF
MISCONDUCT FOR
MIMICKING INDIAN
London, Nov. 27: A police offi-
cer from northern England has
been found guilty of gross mis-
conduct by a disciplinary tribu-
nal for mimicking the Indian
accent of a woman who had ca-
lled the West Yorkshire Police
call centre to report a hate cri-
me. Patrick Harrison was fou-
nd guilty after a misconduct
hearing last month, and the
panel concluded that he would
have been dismissed had he not
already resigned. The incident,
which occurred in November
last year, involved a phone call
with a complainant —named
only as “SA” — who overheard
the PC mimicking her.
BORDER GUARD
POSTS BACK IN
NORTH KOREA
Seoul, Nov. 27: North Korea is
restoring front-line guard posts
that it had dismantled during a
previous period of inter-Kore-
an rapprochement, South Kore-
a’s military said on Monday,
after animosities spiked betwe-
en the rivals over the North’s
recent spy satellite launch.
The two Koreas previously di-
smantled or disarmed 11 of the-
ir guard posts inside their hea-
vily fortified border, called the
Demilitarised Zone, under a
2018 deal meant to ease front-
line military confrontations.
But the deal is now in danger of
being scrapped.
POPE RECEIVES
ANTIBIOTIC IV FOR
LUNG PROBLEM
Vatican City, Nov. 27: Pope
Francis, who is suffering from
lung inflammation, is in “good
and stable” condition, receiv-
ing antibiotic therapy intra-
venously. As a result, it will
limit his activities for the next
few days in order to conserve
his strength, the Vatican said
on Monday.
Vatican spokesman Matteo
Bruni said in a statement that a
CT scan carried out at a Rome
hospital on Saturday excluded
pneumonia but had detected
inflammation in the pope’s
lungs that caused breathing dif-
ficulties.
FRENCH TEACHER
BEHEADING: SIX
TEENS IN COURT
Paris, Nov. 27: Six teenagers go
on trial behind closed doors on
Monday in connection with the
beheading of French history
teacher Samuel Paty in 2020, a
murder that shocked the coun-
try.
The teacher had shown his
pupils caricatures of the
Prophet Mohammad in a class
on freedom of expression,
angering some Muslim par-
ents. Most Muslims avoid
depictions of prophets, consid-
ering them blasphemous.
A 13-year-old girl at the time
allegedly told her parents that
Paty had asked Muslim pupils
to leave the room before show-
ing the caricatures.
SIERRA LEONE
ATTACKERS HELD,
CURFEW EASED
Abuja, Nov. 27: Sierra Leone’s
President said most leaders of
attacks on the nation’s main
Army barracks and prisons
had been arrested and normal-
cy had returned across the cou-
ntry after a 24-hour curfew was
relaxed to a lockdown.
The attacks early on Sunday
morning surprised residents
and security forces in the West
African nation and raised fears
of a possible coup in a troubled
region. But “most of the leade-
rs” of the attacks now have
been arrested and “calm has
been restored”, President Juli-
us Maada Bio said. Residents in
the capital city of Freetown
were awoken by sounds of
heavy gunfire.
Israel, Hamas agree to extend NZ to abandon
anti-puffing laws
truce by two days, says Qatar
Total 58 hostages freed by Hamas, 117 prisoners by Israel in three days
Gaza, Jerusalem, Nov. 27:
Mediator Qatar said on
Monday a deal had been
reached to extend a truce
between Israeli and Ham-
as forces in Gaza by two
days, continuing a pause
in seven weeks of warfare
that has killed thousands
and laid waste to the
Palestinian enclave.
“An agreement has been
reached to extend the
humanitarian truce for an
additional two days in the
Gaza Strip,” a Qatari for-
eign ministry spokesper-
son said in a post on social
media platform X.
Hamas also said it had
agreed a two-day extensi-
on to the truce with Qatar
and Egypt, who have been
facilitating indirect nego-
tiations between the two
sides.
“An agreement has been
reached with the brothers
in Qatar and Egypt to ext-
end the temporary human-
itarian truce by two more
days, with the same condi-
tions as in the previous tr-
uce,” a Hamas official said
in a phone call.
Before the statements,
the head of Egypt’s State
Information Service, Diaa
Rashwan, had said an ext-
ension agreement was clo-
se and would include the
release of 20 Israeli hosta-
ges from among those sei-
zed by Hamas during its
Oct. 7 assault on southern
Israel. In exchange 60
Palestinian prisoners held
in Israeli jails would be
freed, he said.
The initial truce was due
to end on Monday night.
BIDEN TO MISS
COP28 CLIMATE
CONFERENCE
Washington, Nov. 27:
President Joe Biden will
miss the latest UN clima-
te summit in Dubai, af-
ter two years of attend-
ing the talks in hopes of
highlighting US leader-
ship, a US official said
on Sunday.
Some 70,000 people, in-
cluding national leaders
and Pope Francis, are
expected at COP28 as it
opens on Thursday, in
what could be the largest
United Nations climate
summit ever.
Schedules released by
the White House for Bid-
en and Vice President
Kamala Harris showed
neither heading to Dub-
ai this week.
Biden’s engagements
include a trip to Colora-
do to highlight US inve-
stment in wind energy, a
meeting with the Presi-
dent of Angola and the
lighting of the national
Christmas tree.
A US official confirm-
ed that Biden was not pl-
anning to attend COP28
this week or during a
second window close to
the end of the talks on
December 12. He was
speaking on condition of
anonymity. — AFP
MORE ROHINGYA
LEAVE B’DESH
REFUGEE CAMPS
Dhaka, Nov. 27: An in-
creasing number of Roh-
ingya people are leaving
refugee camps in Bangl-
adesh with their childr-
en, taking to boats in se-
arch of a better life as
hopes fade of returning
to Myanmar or being re-
settled, and camp life
gets tougher.
Nearly one million me-
mbers of the Muslim mi-
nority from Myanmar
live in bamboo-and-plas-
tic camps in the Bangla-
deshi border district of
Cox’s Bazar, most after
fleeing a 2017 military
crackdown in Myanmar.
“A few years ago, these
boats mostly carried yo-
ung males,” said Chris
Lewa, director of the
Arakan Project that
helps refugees, referring
to small boats that set off
from the Bangladesh
and Myanmar coasts,
usually bound for
Southeast Asia.
“A large number aboa-
rd are entire families,
parents with children,
and sometimes extended
families.” Rohingya tra-
ditionally take to sea in
Oct., at the end of the
rainy season. — Reuters
Avihai Brodetz hugs his children Ofri (C), Yuval (R), and Oria at the Schneider Children Medical Centre in the Israeli
city of Petah Tikva after their release by the Palestinian Hamas group and (right) a Palestinian prisoner hugs his
mother after being released from an Israeli jail, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
With the release of 11
Israeli hostages expected
on Monday, negotiations
remain ongoing for the
release of 33 Palestinians,
Rashwan added.
The truce agreed last
week was the first halt in
fighting in the seven wee-
ks since Hamas attacked
Israel, killing 1,200 people
and taking about 240 host-
ages back into Gaza, acco-
rding to Israeli tallies.
In response to that
attack, Israel has bom-
barded the enclave and
mounted a ground offen-
sive in the north. Some
14,800 Palestinians have
been killed, Gaza health
authorities say, and hun-
dreds of thousands dis-
placed. — Reuters
Graft: Imran in judicial remand
Islamabad, Nov. 27: A
Pakistani accountability
court on Monday sent Imr-
an Khan on a 14-day judi-
cial remand in a corrupti-
on case, rejecting the req-
uest of the country’s anti-
graft body for extending
the jailed ex-prime minis-
ter’s physical remand.
Judge Muhammad Bash-
ir of the Islamabad Acco-
untability Court presided
over the hearing of the Al-
Qadir Trust corruption
case held at the Adiala jail
in Rawalpindi, where
Khan is currently jailed,
The Express Tribune new-
spaper reported.
Khan had moved the
Supreme Court for bail in
the corruption case in wh-
ich the jailed former PM
and his wife are accused of
receiving land worth
billions of rupees as a
bribe from a real estate
Meta spokesman put on
wanted list by Moscow
Moscow, Nov. 27: Russia
has added the spokesman
of US technology compa-
ny Meta, which owns Fac-
ebook and Instagram, to a
wanted list, according to
an online database main-
tained by the country’s
interior ministry.
Russian state agency
Tass and independent
news outlet Mediazona
first reported that Meta
communications director
Andy Stone was included
on the list on Sunday, wee-
ks after Russian authori-
ties in October classified
Meta as a “terrorist and
extremist” organisation,
opening the way for possi-
NEW | WINNER Paul beat UK-based Indian-origin author Chetna Maroo’s ‘Western Lane’
Lynch’s Prophet Song wins Booker Prize
London, Nov. 27: Irish
author Paul Lynch’s “Pro-
phet Song” was named the
winner of the Booker Pri-
ze 2023, beating London-
based Indian-origin auth-
or Chetna Maroo’s debut
novel “Western Lane”, at a
ceremony in London.
Lynch, 46, won for his
novel presenting a dystopi-
an vision of Ireland in the
grips of totalitarianism,
something the author des-
cribes as “an attempt at
radical empathy”.
Set in Dublin, “Prophet
Song” tells the story of a
family grappling with a
terrifying new world in
which the democratic
MISSILES FROM HOUTHIS LAND NEAR U.S. WARSHIP
ATTACKERS WHO HELD ISRAEL-LINKED TANKER SEIZED
Armed assailants seized and later let go of a tanker
linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen on Sunday
before being apprehended by the United States Navy,
officials said. Two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-
controlled Yemen then landed near a US warship aiding
the tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
3 MEN OF PALESTINIAN
DESCENT SHOT, 1 NABBED
Police have arrested a sus-
pect in the shooting of
three young men of
Palestinian descent who
were attending a
Thanksgiving holiday gath-
ering near the University
of Vermont campus.
Suicide blast kills 2
Peshawar, Nov. 27: At
least two civilians were
killed and 10 injured in a
suicide bombing by a spli-
nter group of the banned
Pakistani Taliban terror
group targeted a convoy of
security forces in Pakista-
n’s restive Khyber Pakht-
unkhwa province.
An explosives-laden two-
wheeler hit the security
tycoon, according to a
media report.
The Ali-Qadir Trust case
is about the settlement of
190 million pounds, about
Rs 50 billion, which the
UK’s National Crime Age-
ncy sent to Pakistan after
recovering the aforesaid
amount from a Pakistani
Kyiv inflicting losses
on Moscow, says Nato
Brussels, Nov. 27: Nato se-
cretary general Jens St-
oltenberg said on Monday
that Ukraine was inflicti-
ng major losses on Russia.
“Of course we would
like the Ukrainians to lib-
erate as much territory as
ble criminal proceedings
against Russian residents
using its platforms. The
norms they are used to
begin to disappear. “I was
trying to see into the mod-
ern chaos. The unrest in
Western democracies. The
problem of Syria — the
implosion of an entire
nation, the scale of its
refugee crisis and the
West’s indifference,” said
Lynch, who won the
$50,000 literary award.
“Prophet Song” was the
bookies’ favourite to win
this year’s Booker Prize
and makes Lynch the fifth
Irish author to win the
prestigious prize after Iris
Murdoch, John Banville,
Roddy Doyle and Anne
Enright. “From that first
CHINESE DIPLOMAT IN UN
FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS TALKS
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi
will visit New York this week
to hold a United Nations
Security Council meeting on
the Israel-Hamas conflict,
Beijing’s foreign min-
istry said on
Monday.
forces convoy on its way to
Bannu from the North
Waziristan district near
the Azad Mandi in Bannu
Cantonment on Sunday,
the military’s media wing
said. The bombing killed
two civilians and injured
three security personnel
and seven civilians, the
Inter-Services Public Rel-
ations said. — PTI
property tycoon.
Khan, being the prime
minister then, instead of
depositing in the national
treasury, allowed the busi-
nessman to use the amou-
nt to partly settle a fine of
about Rs 450 billion impo-
sed by the Supreme Court
some years ago. — PTI
possible, as quickly as
possible, but though the
frontline has not moved,
Ukrainian forces have
been able to inflict heavy
losses on the Russian
invaders,” Stoltenberg
said. — AFP
interior ministry's data-
base doesn’t give details of
the case. — AP
Paul Lynch
knock at the door, ‘Prophet
Song’ forces us out of our
complacency as we follow
the terrifying plight of a
— AFP
AS THE Islamic
Republic of Iran,
we want and expect...
that the crimes of the
Zionist regime against
the Palestinian people
will be stopped
completely.
—NASSER
KANANI,
Iran’s
foreign
ministry
spokesman
NAWAZ APPEALS
HEARING PUT OFF
TILL TOMORROW
Islamabad, Nov. 27: The
Islamabad High Court on
Monday adjourned until
Wednesday the hearing of
appeals of Pakistan’s for-
mer prime minister Naw-
az Sharif against his con-
viction in two cases of cor-
ruption. Sharif, 73, had
challenged in the Islama-
bad High Court (IHC) his
sentences in the Avenfield
property and Al-Azizia
cases in which he was con-
victed in 2018.
Chief Justice Justice Aa-
mer Farooq and Justice
Miangul Hassan Aura-
ngzeb heard the appeals
on Monday. — PTI
IRAN ADDS
DESTROYER TO
CASPIAN FLEET
Tehran, Nov. 27: Iran’s
navy on Monday added a
destroyer capable of lau-
nching cruise missiles
to its Caspian Sea fleet,
state media reported.
The 1,400-ton Deilaman
destroyer, named for a
town in north of Iran, is
95 metres (312 feet) long
and 11 metres (36 feet)
wide and is able to laun-
ch torpedoes while trav-
elling at 30 knots (56
kph, 35 mph), the state-
owned IRNA news agen-
cy said. Deilaman can
detect more than 100 tar-
gets, including vessels,
drones, helicopters, sub-
marines and aircraft,
simultaneously. — AP
woman seeking to protect
her family in an Ireland
descending into totalitari-
anism. We felt unsettled
from the start, submerged
in — and haunted by — the
sustained claustrophobia
of Lynch’s powerfully con-
structed world,” said Can-
adian novelist Esi Edugy-
an, the chair of the Booker
Prize 2023 judging panel.
Lynch received his trop-
hy from Sri Lankan aut-
hor Shehan Karunatilaka,
last year’s Booker winner
for “The Seven Moons of
Maali Almeida”, at the
awards ceremony held at
Old Billingsgate in
London. — PTI
Wellington, Nov. 27: New
Zealand’s incoming con-
servative government
will jettison world-leadi-
ng measures to stub out
smoking, new Prime Min-
ister Christopher Luxon
confirmed on Monday, in
a move described by
health campaigners as a
“huge win for the tobacco
industry”.
Unveiled under former
prime minister Jacinda
Ardern, the so-called “ge-
nerational smoking ban”
aimed to prohibit the sale
of cigarettes to anyone
born after 2008.
Praised by public health
experts and anti-smoking
advocates, a suite of near-
identical measures were
recently announced in
the United Kingdom.
But after being sworn in
on Monday, Luxon confi-
rmed New Zealand would
scrap the laws before they
came into effect, citing
fears of a flourishing
black market.
The new Prime Minister
conceded the tax revenue
from ongoing cigarette
sales would also generate
welcome revenue for the
government, but stressed
it was “not the motivation
for doing it.” Anti-smok-
ing group Health
Coalition Aotearoa — the
PIO ex-MP wins
Oz Senate seat
Melbourne, Nov. 27: Dave
Sharma, who became the
first Indian-origin law-
maker in Australia’s Pa-
rliament in 2019, will re-
turn to politics after his
win in the New South Wa-
les Liberal Senate race.
Sharma, 47, will replace
ex-foreign minister Mari-
se Payne, who has retired
from the Senate. Sharma,
who represented the Syd-
ney seat of Wentworth
until his defeat at the 2022
election, beat former New
South Wales minister An-
drew Constance, a frontr-
unner backed by Opposit-
ion Leader Peter Dutton.
In a vote by the New So-
uth Wales (NSW) Liberal
Trump to crack
down on migrants
Washington, Nov. 27:
Donald Trump has vowed
to intensify his crackdo-
wn on immigration if he
returns to the White Ho-
use and has left the door
open to resuming his
most controversial policy
— family separations at
the US-Mexico border —
but key allies who could
join a new Trump admin-
istration as immigration
enforcers are wary.
Five former Trump offi-
cials and conservative all-
ies told Reuters that even
as Trump weighs harsher
anti-migrant measures,
they are concerned about
implementing a new ver-
sion of the 2018 “zero tol-
erance” policy that separ-
ated thousands of childr-
en from their parents at
the southwest border.
They said they worry
about a repeat of the wid-
espread public backlash
provoked by the original
policy. “The family sepa-
ration that resulted from
the zero tolerance caused
an uproar in the country,”
said Tom Homan, a for-
mer Trump immigration
official who could join a
second administration.
Merriam-Webster’s
word of ’23 authentic
New York, Nov. 27: In an
age of deepfakes and post-
truth, as artificial intelli-
gence rose and Elon Musk
turned Twitter into X, the
Merriam-Webster word of
the year for 2023 is authen-
tic. Authentic cuisine. Au-
thentic voice. Authentic
self. Authenticity as arti-
fice. Lookups for the word
are routinely heavy on the
dictionary company’s site
pg 6
Maori name for New
Zealand — said the policy
backdown was an insult
to the country.
“This is a major loss for
public health, and a huge
win for the tobacco indus-
try, whose profits will be
boosted at the expense of
Kiwi lives,” the group has
said in a statement.
Luxon said the cigarette
ban would create “an
opportunity for a black
market to emerge, which
would be largely
untaxed.”
The legislation, sched-
uled to start later this
year, was designed to alm-
ost immediately reduce
the number of people
using tobacco products.
While the number of
adults smoking in New
Zealand is already rela-
tively low at just eight per
cent, the previous govern-
ment had envisioned a
future where the country
was completely smoke-
free.
As well as the steadily
increasing age limit, the
new law would have
slashed the number of
retailers able to sell tobac-
co products to a maxi-
mum of just 600 nation-
wide, a massive drop from
the current figure of
6,000. — AFP
Party members, Sharma
defeated Constance 251-
206 in the final ballot.
Sharma, who served as
Australia’s ambassador
to Israel from 2013 to 2017,
was backed by the moder-
ates within the party.
Asserting that taking
over from former Senator
Payne was a privilege, he
said, “I would like to tha-
nk the party members for
the opportunity to hold
the Albanese government
to account over its many
missteps and wrong deci-
sions, and to fight for the
many households across
NSW struggling to deal
with Labor’s cost-of-living
crisis.” — PTI
EX-PREZ HINTS
AT EXPANDED
ROLE FOR ARMY
Washington, Nov. 27:
Campaigning in Iowa this
year, Donald Trump said
he was prevented during
his presidency from usi-
ng the military to quell
violence in primarily De-
mocratic cities and stat-
es. Calling New York City
and Chicago “crime
dens”, the front-runner
for the 2024 Republican
presidential nomination
told his audience, “The
next time, I’m not waiti-
ng. One of the things I did
was let them run it and
we’re going to show how
bad a job they do. Well, we
did that. We don’t have to
wait any longer.” — AP
“The best way to do it,
rather than deal with all
that chaos that comes
with it, is to keep them in
a residential centre toget-
her and have their hear-
ings together.” — Reuters
but were boosted to new
heights throughout the
year, editor at large Peter
Sokolowski told The
Associated Press.
“We see in 2023 a kind of
crisis of authenticity,” he
said ahead of Monday’s
announcement of this ye-
ar’s word. “What we reali-
se is that when we ques-
tion authenticity, we value
it even more.” — AP
 NEW DELHI | TUESDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2023
quick Global pharma aims to
BITES cut use of China’s APIs
INDICATORS % London/Hyderabad, Nov.
Sensex 65,970.04 -0.07
Nifty 50 19,794.70 -0.04
S&P 500* 4,559.34 0.06
Dollar (`) 83.37 -0.024
Pound Sterling (`) 104.47 0.17
Euro (`) 90.94 0.09
Gold (10gm)* (`) 61,370▲298 0.49
Brent crude ($/bbl)* 79.98 -0.74
IN 10-Yr bond yield 7.272 0.019
US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 4.465 -0.02
* As of 8:30 PM IST
Amazon India to
hire people with
learning disability
Amazon India has launched a
programme, Aurora, to lever-
age the talent of individuals
with learning disabilities and
provide employment to them.
The e-commerce rolled out a
pilot of the programme with a
non-profit Mumbai-based
organisation Sol ARC in har-
nessing the talent of a batch
of young adults in its delivery
stations in Hyderabad, Delhi,
Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai,
Amazon India said.
Blue Dart plans
expansion with
40 new outlets
Logistics firm Blue Dart
Express has expanding its net-
work with the inauguration of
40 new franchisees and com-
pany-owned retail outlets.
With this expansion, the com-
pany increased its footprint
with over 100 new stores this
year. Blue Dart managing direc-
tor Balfour Manuel said, “the
move aims not only to enhance
customer convenience but also
to fortify last-mile logistics in
remote corners of the country.”
True North set to
foray into private
credit space
Homegrown private equity
fund True North announced a
foray into private credit, joining
a slew of other entities which
have started dabbling in this
space. The firm said it had set
up a fund in 2022, and has
already raised over `1,000
crore and to close the fund by
the end of the year. The busi-
ness christened “True North
Private Credit” will build on the
capabilities by the firm over
the last two decades.
MapmyIndia to
raise `500 cr via
new equity sale
MapmyIndia board has
approved the company’s plan
to raise `500 crore, the compa-
ny said. CE Info System, which
operates under the brand name
of MapmyIndia, will need to
seek shareholders’ nod and
other statutory approval before
fundraise through equity dilu-
tion. The company said the
board has approved constitu-
tion of a committee for all
matters relating to the
fundraising through QIP.
Printed & Published by
K. Sudhakar on behalf of
Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited.
Printed at BFL Infotech Ltd, C-9 Sector
3, Noida-201301. Published at 219, N D
Tiwari Bhawan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Marg, New Delhi-110002.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter, RNI
Registration number 30074/09,
Air surcharge Re 1. © All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or
in part without written permission of
The Editor,
Financial Chronicle ® is prohibited.
Big pharma’s move likely to benefit Indian pharma firms
27: Drugmakers are seek-
ing to limit their reliance
on Chinese contractors
who produce drugs used
in clinical trials and early-
stage manufacturing, a
move that is benefiting
rivals in India, according
to industry exe-cutives
and experts.
China has for nearly 20
years been the preferred
location for a range of
pharmaceutical research
and manufacturing serv-
ices due to the low cost
and speed offered by con-
tract drugmakers there.
That relationship large-
ly held firm despite a US-
China trade war and sup-
ply chain havoc experi-
enced by other industries
during Covid. But increas-
ing tensions with China
have prompted more
Western governments to
recommend that compa-
nies “de-risk” supply chai-
ns from exposure to the
Gold price likely to hit `64,000 by 2023 end
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, NOV. 27
Gold prices climbed to a
six-month high of $2018 in
the international market
on Monday. Gold is expect-
ed to make a new historic
high of $2,100 per ounce
before the end of this year
and Indian prices too may
touch a new high of
`64,000 per 10 gm.
The gold prices moved
up to $2018 per ounce from
the previous closing of
$2002 as the dollar index
Sebi regulation will Beijing bourse restricts major stock sale
help fractional realty
New Delhi, Nov. 27:
Market regulator Sebi’s
decision to allow the set-
ting up of small and medi-
um REITs will help regu-
late and propel the growth
of a new-age investment
avenue called fractional
ownership of rent yield-
ing real estate assets,
according to industry
players.
Real estate technology
platforms facilitating fra-
ctional ownership of rent-
yielding properties wel-
comed the Sebi decision to
regulate fractional owner-
ship in the real estate
market, which is still at a
nascent stage in India.
Proptech platforms such
as YOURS, ALYF, hBits,
and WiseX are helping
investors in having frac-
tional ownership of pri-
marily office and luxury
holiday homes assets.
The Sebi board approved
amendments to REITs
(Real Estate Investment
Trusts) Regulations, 2014
in order to create a regula-
tory framework for the
facilitation of Small and
Medium REITs (SM
REITs), with an asset
value of at least `50 crore
vis-a-vis minimum asset
value of `500 crore for
existing REITs.
Welcoming the move,
Shravan Gupta, founder
and chief executive offi-
cer of YOURS, a platform
for fractional ownership
NEW | REALITY
US begins talks on securing AI systems
Washington, Nov. 27: The
United States, Britain and
more than a dozen other
countries unveiled what a
senior US official
described as the first
detailed international
agreement on how to keep
artificial intelligence safe
from rogue actors, push-
ing for companies to cre-
ate AI systems that are
“secure by design.”
In a 20-page document,
the 18 countries agreed
that companies designing
and using AI need to
develop and deploy it in a
way that keeps customers
and the wider public safe
from misuse.
Asian superpower.
That is leading some
biotech companies to con-
sider using manufactur-
ers in India to produce
active pharmaceutical
ingredient (API) for clini-
cal trials or other out-
sourced work.
“Today you’re probably
not sending an RFP
(request for proposal) to a
Chinese company,” said
Tommy Erdei, global co-
head of healthcare invest-
ment banking at Jefferies.
“It’s like, ‘I don’t want to
know, it doesn't matter if
they can do it for cheaper,
weakened to 103.20 level.
“The dollar has been
under tremendous pres-
sure since the last infla-
tion numbers came in.
The market has been spec-
ulating that the US
Federal Reserve would go
for a pause in the interest
rate hike, though the rate
could probably happen
only in the first or second
quarter of 2024,” said Ajay
Kedia, managing director,
Kedia Commodities.
On Multi Commodity
Exchange (MCX), the gold
of luxury second homes,
said the Sebi initiative to
regulate SM REITs and
real estate fractional own-
ership segment is a posi-
tive and necessary step.
“The guidelines proposed
by Sebi are crucial for for-
malising the sector,
instilling investor faith,
and addressing the com-
plexity of Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) securities
issuances,” Gupta said.
Sebi’s move to put a reg-
ulatory framework on
fractional ownership of
real estate is a strong tes-
tament to trust of the reg-
ulator on this new-age
investment avenue and it
further reinforces our
belief on the model, said
Shiv Parekh, founder and
chief executive officer,
hBits.
The Sebi board approved
a regulatory framework
for SM REITs that pro-
vides for the structure,
migration of existing
structures meeting cer-
tain specified criteria,
distribution norms and
valuation of assets. — PTI
Consultations revolve around protecting AI from potential misuse
The agreement is non-
binding and carries most-
ly general recommenda-
tions such as monitoring
AI systems for abuse, pro-
tecting data from tamper-
ing and vetting software
suppliers.
Still, the director of the
US Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security
Agency, Jen Easterly, said
it was important that so
many countries put their
names to the idea that AI
systems needed to put
safety first.
“This is the first time
that we have seen an affir-
mation that these capabili-
ties should not just be
● INDIA’S LARGEST
contract develop-
ment and manufac-
turing organisations
have this year seen
increased interest
and requests from
Western pharma
companies.
I’m not going to start put-
ting my product into
China’.”
Dr Ashish Nimgaonkar,
the founder of Glyscend
Therapeutics, a US-based
biotech firm, said, “all of
the factors over the years
have made China a less
attractive option for us.”
Nimgaonkar said that
when Glyscend issues an
RFP later in the develop-
ment stage of the medi-
cines it has in trials,
Indian contract develop-
ment and manufacturing
organisations (CDMOs)
would be preferred over
opened at `61,643 per gm
from the previous closing
of `61,350 per 10 gm.
In the Indian market, a
weak rupee, a forecast
about a warmer Noember,
and inflation worries have
supported the gold price
movement. In MCX, gold
had made a high of `61,845
per 10 gm in May this year.
Silver too moved up to
$24.82 on Monday. Apart
from the support for pre-
cious metals, the base
metal push and gold-silver
ratio also have been help-
Beijing, Nov. 27: The
Beijing Stock Exchange
has de facto implemented
a new policy that prevents
major shareholders of
companies listed on its
bourse from selling stock,
worried that such sales
could douse a long-desired
rally, three people familiar
with the matter said.
The bourse, launched
two years ago, was set up
to help facilitate funding
for innovative small com-
India’s engineering exports
to UK grow 60% in October
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, NOV. 27
Engineering exports to
the UK saw a 60.3 per cent
year-on-year jump in Oct.
2023. The US, UAE, and
Germany are some of the
other markets where
Indian exports grew.
Indian engineering exp-
orts to as many as 18 coun-
tries out of 25 top destina-
tions globally recorded
positive growth in the
month of Oct. 2023.
Exports to the UK saw a
60.3 per cent growth to
$302.5 million, while at
$342.7 mn, engineering
goods exports to Germany
were higher by 20 per
cent. The value of engi-
about cool features and
how quickly we can get
them to market or how we
can compete to drive down
costs,” Easterly said, say-
ing the guidelines repre-
sent “an agreement that
the most important thing
Chinese ones.
Four of India’s largest
CDMOs - Syngene, Aragen
Life Sciences, Piramal
Pharma Solutions, and
Sai Life Sciences - said
they have this year seen
increased interest and
requests from Western
pharma companies.
Top executives said some
customers want to add
India as a second source,
in addition to China, for
manufacturing. Others to
leave China and even mak-
ing requests to originate
supply chains in India.
The full benefit for these
Indian manufacturers will
not be immediate, said
Peter DeYoung, chief exe-
cutive officer of Piramal
Pharma Solutions. It will
take time for treatments
in early development to
make it to the market,
when contracts would
become more lucrative for
outsourcing firms like his,
he said. — Reuters
ing silver prices. In the
Indian market, silver
opened at `75,015 per kg
on MCX from the previous
close of `73,800.
“Silver prices are expect-
ed to make a new record of
over 78,000 per kg before
the end of this calendar
year. Similarly, the gold
also may see a historic
high of $2100 per ounce in
the international market
and `64,000 per 10 gm in
the Indian market before
December-end,” said
Kedia.
panies, dubbed “little
giants”, but had lan-
guished due to lack of
investor interest.
But the market’s bench-
mark 50 Index has surged
46 per cent this month on
the back of recent meas-
ures by authorities. These
include lowering the
required amount of funds
an investor must have in
their stock account to
invest, improving trading
mechanisms and encour-
neering exports to the US
in Oct. 2023 was $1391.5
million, up 2.2 per cent
against $1,361 mn in Oct.
2022. Engineering exports
to the UAE rose 2.9 per
cent to $348.6 mn.
China, Italy, Singapore,
and Indonesia were amo-
ng the countries that saw
a decline.
Overall, engineering ex-
ports grew 7.2 per cent to
● THE AGREEMENT
is the latest in a
series of initiatives
by governments to
shape the develop-
ment of AI, whose
weight is increasing-
ly in industry and
society at large.
that needs to be done at
the design phase is securi-
ty.”
The agreement is the lat-
est in a series of initia-
tives - few of which carry
teeth - by governments
around the world to shape
E-BUSES TO MAKE
UP 13% OF NEW
BUS ORDERS IN
TWO YEARS
New Delhi, Nov. 27:
Electric buses are exp-
ected to account for up
to 13 per cent of new
bus sales by FY2025, rat-
ing agency ICRA said
on Monday.
Many state Electric
Vehicle (EV) policies
have announced specif-
ic targets and timelines
for e-bus adoption,
thereby creating a road
map for electrification,
it noted.
“ICRA foresees elec-
tric buses (e-buses) to
be at the forefront of
India’s electrification
drive, with the segment
expected to witness
healthy traction going
forward,” it said in a
report.
According to the
report, it expects gov-
ernment subsidies and
evolving technologies
to play a role in further
reducing the capital
costs involved in e-
buses. The e-bus pene-
tration levels improv-
ing consistently to 7 per
cent in FY2023, it said.
The government has
sought to spur e-bus
adoption through bid
aggregation under ten-
ders floated by Converg-
-ence Energy Services
Limited (CESL).
With the enhanced
volumes under these
tenders, there was good
participation by the ori-
ginal equipment manu-
facturers in the tenders,
even without subsidies
on offer in the second
tender, ICRA stated.
The demand aggrega-
tion by CESL is expect-
ed to support the e-bus
volumes as subsidies
get gradually phased
out, ICRA said. — PTI
● THE BOURSE was set
up to help facilitate
funding for innovative
small companies,
dubbed “little giants”,
but had languished
due to lack of
investor interest.
aging mutual funds to par-
ticipate in the market.
A “major shareholder”
is one with a stake of 5 per
$8,094.20 mn from $7,550.69
mn in Oct. 2022. However,
cumulative engineering
exports for April-Oct.
2023-24 were down by 1.61
per cent as they declined
to $61.63 bn from $62.63 in
the year-ago period. As
many as 26 out of 34 engi-
neering panels saw posi-
tive year-on-year gro-wth,
while 8 panels saw nega-
tive growth.
“The biggest contributor
to this decline has been
the metal sector specifi-
cally iron and steel which
conceded a 20 per cent
decline in October 2023
compared to the same
period last year," said
EEPC India chairman
Arun Kumar Garodia.
the development of AI,
whose weight is increas-
ingly being felt in indus-
try and society at large.
In addition to the United
States and Britain, the 18
countries that signed on to
the new guidelines
include Germany, Italy,
the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Poland,
Australia, Chile, Israel,
Nigeria and Singapore.
The framework deals
with questions of how to
keep AI technology from
being hijacked by hackers
and includes recommen-
dations for models after
appropriate security test-
ing.
— Reuters
S&P raises India’s
economic growth
forecast to 6.4%
FC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 27
With the growth momen-
tum gradually offsetting
headwinds from high food
inflation and weak expo-
rts, global rating agency
S&P Global Ratings on
Monday raised India’s
gross domestic product
(GDP) growth projection
to 6.4 percent from 6 per-
cent earlier. “We have
revised up our projection
for India’s GDP growth for
fiscal 2024 (ending in
March 2024) to 6.4 per
cent, from 6 per cent, as
robust domestic momen-
tum seems to have offset
headwinds from high food
inflation and weak expo-
rts,” the rating agency
said.
However the esitmates,
a shade higher than other
international agencies.
The IMF, World Bank,
ADB, and Fitch expects
India’s GDP to expand 6.3
per cent in the current fis-
cal. Even the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has
projected GDP growth at
6.5 per cent for current as
well as next financial year.
The Indian economy grew
7.2 per cent in the 2022-23
fiscal year ended March
2023 and the real GDP rose
7.8 per cent year-on-year
in the June quarter, up
from 6.1 per cent in the
March quarter.
However, it cut the
growth estimates for the
2024-25 to 6.4 per cent,
from 6.9 per cent, as it exp-
ects growth to slow on a
higher base, subdued
global growth and lagged
impact of interest rate
hike.
To reign in inflation, the
RBI had hiked benchmark
cent or more and is
required to make a public
filing with the relevant
stock exchange before sell-
ing shares, according to
rules for China’s bourses.
The Beijing exchange
has been rejecting those
filings, said the people
who were not authorised
to speak to media and
declined to be identified.
The bourse said that it
was closely monitoring
trading to ensure normal
SEMBCORP INKS
DEAL TO ACQUIRE
WIND MILLS IN
INDIA, CHINA
New Delhi, Nov. 27:
Sembcorp Industries on
Monday announced that
it has signed two separate
agreements to acquire 428
MW of wind power assets
in India and China for 200
million Singaporean dol-
lar (about `1,247 crore).
With this acquisition,
the Sembcorp now has a
balanced portfolio of 3.7
GW of renewable assets,
comprising 2.25 GW of
wind and 1.45 GW of solar
assets. Last year, it anno-
unced the acquisition of
Vector Green to add 583
MW of renewable assets
in India.
The Singaporean energy
company, backed by state-
owned investor Temasek
Holdings Pte, under its
wholly-owned subsidiary,
Green Infra Wind Energy
Limited (GIWEL), has
signed an agreement with
Leap Green Energy.
The GIWEL will acquire
from Leap Green Energy,
100 per cent of the share
capital in two special pur-
pose vehicles (SPVs) for
an equity consideration of
approximately 70 million
Singaporean dollars. The
SPVs own 228MW of oper-
ational wind assets in
Madhya Pradesh, Maha-
rashtra and Rajasthan,” it
said. — PTI
pg 7
● THE INDIAN economy
grew 7.2 per cent in the
2022-23 fiscal year and
the real GDP rose 7.8
per cent year-on-year
in the June quarter, up
from 6.1 per cent in the
March quarter.
interest rates by 250 basis
points since May last year.
The apex bank has held
the repo rate steady at 6.5
per cent since February.
In its Economic Outlook
for Asia Pacific, S&P also
said growth this year and
the next is on track in
emerging market econo-
mies with solid domestic
demand. “Fixed invest-
ment has recovered con-
siderably more than pri-
vate consumer spending
in India,” it said.
In India, there was a
transitory spike in food
inflation in the July-Sept.
quarter, but it appears to
have had little effect on
underlying inflation
dynamics. “Still, headline
inflation remains above
the RBI’s target of 4 per
cent, suggesting it will be
a while before the rate
cycle turns, S&P said.
“The lingering inflation
risks are keeping central
banks occupied. The gov-
ernment plans to expand
fiscal policies in several
countries could compli-
cate central banks’ policy-
making,” S&P said.
market order.
The so-called window
guidance, where direc-
tives are made orally with-
out written documents, is
aimed at protecting the
rally, the sources said.
One noted that without
the guidance, the share
price surge “could prompt
institutional shareholders
to reduce their holdings
which could knock the
index down again.”
— Reuters
INDIA TO LOWER
BARRIERS FOR
AFRICAN EXPORTS
New Delhi, Nov. 27: The
commerce ministry is
working to address issues
related to non-tariff bar-
riers and market access
for domestic products in
sub-Saharan African
countries like Nigeria,
Ethiopia, Ghana and Gulf
nations to boost India's
exports, an official said.
The official said meet-
ings have been held with
Indian missions of the
sub-Saharan African
countries with which
India has significant
bilateral trade.
The major trading part-
ners of India in that
region in 2022-23 were
South Africa (total trade
$18.9 billion, exports $8.5
billion); Nigeria ($11.85
billion, exports $5.15 bil-
lion); Togo ($6.6 billion,
exports $6 billion), and
Tanzania ($6.5 billion,
exports $3.93 billion).
The other countries
were Mozambique ($5 bil-
lion, exports $2.5 billion);
Angola ($4.22 billion,
exports $621 million); and
Kenya ($3.4 billion,
exports $3.2 billion).
“A virtual meeting with
Indian Mission of top 10
countries (bilateral trade-
wise) in sub-Saharan
African region was held
in September to discuss
the overall economic and
commercial relations
with those countries,
export performance and
non-tariff barriers which
are acting as impedi-
ments to bilateral trade
and enhance exports,” the
official said.
The ministry has asked
exporters to focus on
potential key sectors to
boost exports.
— PTI
 GAMES
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2023 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
Aditi wins second
golf title of year
Marbella, Spain: Star Indian
golfer Aditi Ashok dished out a
bogey free final round after a
stunning back nine to win the
Andalucia Costa del Sol Open
de Espana tournament for her
second title of the season here.
Aditi’s final round of 66 with a
back nine of 5-under 31 saw her
finish at 17-under as she beat
Anne Van Dam (68) of the
Netherlands by two shots on
Sunday.
It was Aditi’s second win of the
season and fifth of her career
on the Ladies European Tour.
She began the 2023 season
with a win in Kenya in the first
event of the year and ended it
with another trophy here in the
last event.
It was an impressive week for
Aditi, who had finished fourth
at the Tokyo Olympics, as she
shot 69-68-68-66 at Real Club
de Golf Las Brisas. “It started
out slow, I was missing a lot of
birdies for the first six to eight
holes. I hit it close on seven,
after that I felt like I still had a
chance. Initially, it felt like I was
two shots away the whole time.
I’m glad it picked up on the
back nine,” said Aditi. — PTI
Sagar and Sachin
cruise at Nationals
Shillong: Commonwealth
Games silver medallist Sagar
and World Youth champion
Sachin packed a punch as they
advanced in the Men’s National
Boxing Championships here on
Monday. Railways pugilist in the
92-plus category, Sagar, winner
of silver at the 2022
Birmingham Commonwealth
Games, hardly broke a sweat on
way to vanquishing
Uttarakhand’s Shubham Singh
with the referee stopping the
contest in round one.
Sagar will take on Services’
Satish Kumar in a Round-of-16
match on Tuesday.
Services’ Sachin, the 2021
World Youth gold medallist,
was on a roll in the 57kg class
from the opening round itself
against Punjab’s Vishal Kumar.
His relentless, power-packed
punches were too strong for
Vishal to handle. Sachin com-
fortably finished the bout with
a unanimous 5-0 win. He will
face Rajasthan’s Roshan Saini in
the round of 16 on Tuesday.
Reigning World Youth champi-
on in 63.5kg category Vanshaj,
representing Services, also
dominated the bout against
Ashish of All India Police. — PTI
Harman takes
Punjab to final
Chennai: India’s Asian Games
winning skipper Harmanpreet
Singh scored a brace, guiding
Punjab to the final with a com-
fortable 5-1 win over Karnataka
in the 13th Senior Men’s
National Championship here on
Monday. Harmanpreet hit the
target in the 39th and 44th
minutes after midfielder
Shamsher Singh (4th) opened
the account for Punjab in the
second semifinal. Sukhjeet
Singh (13th) and forward
Akashdeep Singh (45th) were
the other goal-scorers for
Punjab. Karnataka’s lone goal
came from B. Abharan Sudev
(18th). Punjab will take on
neighbours Haryana in the title
clash after the latter defeated
hosts Tamil Nadu 4-2 through
the shoot-out. Haryana and
Tamil Nadu were locked at 1-1
after the regulation 60 minutes.
India forward Abhishek scored
in the 41st minute to hand
Haryana the lead, which was
neutralised by BP Somanna at
the stroke of the hooter to take
the match into shoot-out. In the
shoot-out Sanjay, Rajant,
Abhishek and Joginder Singh
found the target, while goal-
keeper Pawan made some cru-
cial saves to secure the win for
Haryana. — PTI
SL sports minister
says life is at risk
Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Sports
Minister Roshan Ranasinghe on
Monday claimed that his “life is
at risk” for “highlighting cor-
ruption” in the country’s chaot-
ic cricket administration and if
anything happens to him, then
President Ranil
Wickremesinghe and his chief
of staff should be held respon-
sible. Addressing Parliament,
Ranasinghe said
Wickremesinghe is trying to
frame him for political
vengeance and using false facts
related to a vehicle.
The minister said a vehicle
imported by him was seized by
the authorities under the pre-
text of tax manipulation to
frame him on false charges.
“Is this the reward I get for
highlighting corruption in crick-
et. I took action based on audit
reports,” Ranasinghe said,
referring to his move to appoint
an interim committee to run the
Sri Lankan cricket administra-
tion. — PTI
RIGHT ON TARGET Titans
appoint
Gill as captain
India aim to seal series as Tilak looks for quality batting time
Guwahati, Nov. 27: The
stylish Tilak Varma
wouldn’t mind some
quality batting time
before his possible exit
from the playing eleven
as the Indian team aims
to take an unassailable
lead in the third T20
International against
Australia here on
Tuesday.
Shreyas Iyer, who was
given a week’s rest after
the World Cup final, will
join the squad for the
last two games in Raipur
and Bengaluru, taking
vice-captaincy duties
from Ruturaj Gaikwad.
That effectively means
that Iyer will walk into
the playing XI and there
is a strong possibility
that he will replace
Tilak. The replacement
has more to do with com-
bination rather than
form. After near-flaw-
less batting perform-
ance in back-to-back
games, the new-look
Indian team would like
to keep its foot firmly on
the pedal on a Barsapara
Stadium track that has
traditionally been a bat-
ting belter. And there is
no reason to think that
the 22-yard strip is any
different this time also.
The 40,000 spectators,
expected to fill up the
stands, would expect a
run-feast from the tal-
ented Indian batting
unit, which would want
to add to the 36 bound-
aries and 24 maximums
it has collectively hit
across the two games.
For Australia, some of
their senior players like
Steve Smith, Glenn
Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis
and Adam Zampa have
been in India for nine
weeks and fatigue is
showing. They need con-
siderable rest before
their next assignments.
All the four will play in
Big Bash League next
month. For Smith, the
Pakistan Test series
would be his next inter-
national assignment.
India’s top-order has
ticked all the boxes with
Yashasvi Jaiswal,
Ruturaj Gaikwad and
skipper Suryakumar
Yadav hitting at a half-
century each.
Ishan Kishan, showing
no signs of rustiness
even after spending
nearly five and half
weeks on the World Cup
bench, has got two half
centuries under his belt.
Rinku Singh, with two
superb rear-guard
knocks, has consolidat-
ed his status as designat-
ed finisher in this for-
mat and is slowly ensur-
ing a permanent No.6
slot for him in this bat-
ting order ahead of the
T20 World Cup.
However, Tilak, who
has not missed any of
India’s last 12 T20
Internationals, is in a
tricky place as he bats
No.5 and he faced just 12
deliveries in the last two
games. — PTI
SHASTRI BELIEVES INDIA Minnows Tripura shock
CAN WIN 2024 T20 CUP champions Saurashtra
Mumbai, Nov. 27: Former
head coach Ravi Shastri
firmly believes that India
will be a “serious chal-
lenger” in the next year’s
T20 World Cup due to a
strong nucleus in the
shortest format but
reminded that rising to
the occasion in knockout
games is a must to
emerge triumphant.
It has been more than a
week since Australia
trumped India, in what
turned out to be a one-
sided final in
Ahmedabad, with the
country’s cricket fraterni-
ty still reeling with the
outcome.
Shastri said India have
found a nucleus of young
players ahead of next
year’s T20 World Cup, to
be played in the
Caribbean and the USA
from June 4. “It was
heartbreaking but a lot of
our guys will learn, the
game moves on, and I see
India winning a World
Cup very soon,” Shastri
said.
“It might not be a 50-
overs (one) that easily
because you have to
rebuild the side but 20-
overs cricket, the very
next one India will be
very serious challenger
Jaiswal tries to crack his
shots and play fearlessly
Thiruvananthapuram,
Nov. 27: Talented India
opener Yashasvi Jaiswal
is learning the ropes fast
and has been trying to be
fearless, which is evident
from his boundary-laden
25-ball 53 against
Australia in the second
T20 International here.
The 21-year-old right-han-
der struck nine fours and
two sixes during his
knock to give India a rol-
licking start.
He shared 77 runs with
Ruturaj Gaikwad (58) for
the opening stand before
getting out in the sixth
over. India posted a mam-
moth 235 for 4 and restrict-
ed Australia to 191 for 9 for
a 44-run win.
“It was really special for
me. I was trying to play all
my shots, be fearless, take
bowlers on. I was fully
sure with my decisions,”
Jaiswal said after the
match on Sunday.
“I have been told by (cap-
tain) Surya (Kumar
Yadav) and (coach) VVS
(Laxman) bhai to express
myself. I always think of
how I can improve myself
around experienced play-
ers and nothing else. Still
learning.”
Jaiswal, who was named
Ravi Shastri
because you have got the
nucleus. This is a shorter
format of the game. Your
focus should be on that.”
With the presence of
impact players such as
Hardik Pandya,
Suryakumar Yadav, and
Jasprit Bumrah, India
have a strong T20 core.
Shastri admitted that it
still hurts to recall that
India did not deliver in
the final. “Nothing comes
easy — even the great
man Sachin Tendulkar
had to wait (for) six World
Cups to win one. You
don’t win (a) World Cup
(easily), to win a World
Cup you have got to be
damn good on that big
day,” Shastri said during
the registration launch of
the Indian Street Premier
League here. — PTI
India captain Suryakumar Yadav arrives at the airport
in Guwahati on Monday, ahead of the third T20I match
against Australia.
player-of-the-match, said
he was working on
improving his fitness
level as well as mental
strength.
“I really worked on my
fitness and play shots. I
feel the mental stuff is
more important in this
level. Try to get better
each and every day,” said
the youngster, who made
his India debut this year.
He has played two Tests
and 10 T20 International
matches so far.
Asked about his mix-up
Bengaluru, Nov. 27:
Experienced Indian bats-
man Cheteshwar Pujara’s
presence did not help
Saurashtra as a gritty
Tripura humbled the
defending champions by
148 runs in their Group A
match of the Vijay Hazare
Trophy here on Monday.
Fifties by Bikram
Kumar Das (59 off 76
balls), Sudip Chatterjee
(61 off 93 balls) and
Ganesh Satish (71 off 74
balls) fuelled Tripura to a
challenging 258 for 8.
Veteran left-arm pacer
Jaydev Unadkat led
Saurashtra’s bowling
with a five-wicket haul
(5/35).
In reply, Saurashtra
could only muster 110
before getting bowled out
in 31.4 overs as part-timer
Joydeb Deb grabbed a
fifer (5 for 15).
WARRIER
WRECKS BENGAL
Pacer Sandeep Warrier
grabbed four wickets
(4/23) as Tamil Nadu bun-
dled out Bengal for a pal-
try 84 in a Group E match.
Tamil Nadu stumbled
through rocks before
reaching the target in 19.1
overs losing five wickets.
Tilak Varma
SURYA ALWAYS
SUPPORTS US,
SAYS PRASIDH
Thiruvananthapuram,
Nov. 27: Suryakumar
Yadav’s leadership phi-
losophy is very similar
to his T20 batsmanship
— uncomplicated and
that’s what is helping
the younger brigade per-
form, feels team’s lead-
ing pacer Prasidh
Krishna. Prasidh him-
self has got a lot of back-
ing as he came back
strongly in the second
game.
Asked about
Suryakumar’s captaincy
style, Prasidh replied,
“It shows in the way he
(Suryakumar) bats —
very similar in his cap-
taincy as well. He trusts
his players, backs all of
— PTI
us to do what we want to
with Gaikwad in the first do and he’s there right
T20I in Visakhapatnam, behind us to support if
which led to the latter’s there’s anything going
run-out, Jaiswal said, “It wrong.”
was my mistake. I went to Rohit Sharma is
him and said sorry. known to give a lot of
(Marcus) Stoinis was freedom to his players
between me, I was sure and his MI teammate is
but then not sure. I made no different.
the wrong call. “That has been the
“I accepted that it was a name of the game and
mistake and it happens. then that’s the word
Rutu bhai was humble around freedom, go and
and said in the gym that execute your plans out
next time we are running, there and everyone
we will take secure sin- trusts each other in the
gles.” — PTI team,” he said. — PTI
THE RESULTS
● Group A: ■ Tripura 258/8 in 50 overs (Bikram Kumar Das 59,
Sudip Chatterjee 61, Ganesh Satish 71; Jaydev Unadkat 5/35)
beat Saurashtra 110 in 31.4 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 24; Joydeb
Deb 5/15, Mura Singh 2/13). ■ Mumbai 324/5 in 50 overs (Jay
Bista 144, Suved Parkar 57, PY Pawar 41) beat Railways 298/9 in
50 overs (Upendra Yadav 102, Vivek Singh 95; Mohit Avasthi
4/53, Tushar Deshpande 3/62).
● Group B: ■ Maharashtra 255/8 in 40 overs (Om Bhosale 82,
Ankit Bawane 82, NS Naik 47; Darshan Nalkhande 5/34) lost to
Vidarbha 261/5 in 39.1 overs (Atharva Taide 60, A. Mokhade 61,
Harsh Dubey 56 not out, SB Dubey 62 not out; AN Kazi 3/29).
● Group C: ■ Delhi 143 in 36.3 overs (Ayush Badoni 100,
Vidwath Kaverappa 3/25, Vasuki Koushik 3/19, Vysakh
Vijayakumar 2/27) lost to Karnataka 144/4 in 27.3 overs
(Devdutt Padikkal 70, Manish Pandey 28 not out).
● Group D: ■ Rajasthan 211 in 48.3 overs (Abhijeet Tomar 50,
Mahipal Lomror 33; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/30, Kartik Tyagi
3/38, Nitish Rana 3/59) beat Uttar Pradesh 151 in 41.5 overs
(Priyam Garg 46; Rahul Chahar 5/41).
● Group E: ■ Bengal 84 in 23.4 overs (Sandeep Warrier 4/23, T
Natarajan 2/20) lost to Tamil Nadu 85/5 in 19.1 overs (N
Jagadeesan 30; Mohammad Kaif 2/12). ■ Madhya Pradesh 177 in
26.5 overs (Akshat Raghuvanshi 62, Rajat Patidar 31; Siddharth
Kaul 4/41) beat Punjab 89 in 18.4 overs (Arshad Khan 3/9,
Kumar Kartikeya Singh 3/20, Venkatesh Iyer 1/11).
PADIKKAL POWERS
Vasuki Koushik (3/19)
KARNATAKA
shared six wickets equally
Middle-order batter among themselves as
Devdutt Padikkal made a Delhi were bowled out for
fluent 70 off 69 balls as 143.
Karnataka chased down Ayush Badoni single-
144 without much fuss to handedly led their batting
beat Delhi by six wickets with an unbeaten 100 off
in a Group C match. 106 balls that contained 12
Earlier, pacers Vidwath fours and four sixes.
Kaverappa (3/25) and — PTI
IPL | 2024
New Delhi, Nov. 27:
Gujarat Titans on
Monday appointed
Shubman Gill as their
captain for the 2024 sea-
son of the Indian Premier
League (IPL) following
Hardik Pandya’s decision
to move back to Mumbai
Indians.
The Gujarat Titans will
receive `15 crore from MI
for the all-cash trade deal
apart from a hefty undis-
closed transfer fee, a part
of which will also go to
the cricketer.
Once Pandya’s exit was
sure, 24-year-old opener
Gill was an obvious cap-
taincy choice, having got
the coveted ‘orange cap’
in the last season with 890
runs, second to only Virat
Kohli’s all-time record of
973. “I am delighted and
proud to assume the cap-
taincy of Gujarat Titans
and thank the franchise
for their trust in me to
lead such a fine team. We
have had two exceptional
seasons and I keenly look
forward to leading the
team with our exciting
brand of cricket,” Gill
said in a statement.
Pandya, on his part,
took to ‘X’, formerly twit-
ter to express his emo-
tions.
“This brings back so
many wonderful memo-
ries. Mumbai. Wankhede.
Paltan. Feels good to be
back,” Pandya comment-
ed on ‘X’ on a video
depicting his entire jour-
ney for Mumbai Indians.
GT Team Director
Vikram Solanki acknowl-
edged Pandya’s contribu-
tion to the team’s success
in then last two seasons.
“As the first captain of
Gujarat Titans, Hardik
Sinner steers Italy
to Davis Cup title
Málaga (Spain), Nov. 27:
Italy won the Davis Cup
for the first time since
1976 as Jannik Sinner
crushed Alex de Minaur
6-3, 6-0 to seal a 2-0 win
over Australia on Sunday
in Malaga.
The world number four
clinched victory in the
second singles rubber
after Matteo Arnaldi dug
deep to beat Alexei
Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the
opening clash.
Sinner, who remarkably
beat top-ranked superstar
Novak Djokovic twice in
one day on Saturday as
Italy eliminated Serbia,
secured his country’s sec-
ond title against Lleyton
Hewitt’s 28-time winners
in style.
“I felt quite good today
... this is a really impor-
tant win for me, the whole
team and Italy together,”
said Sinner.
“This is something dif-
ferent, really special,
because you don’t play for
yourself, you play for the
whole team.”
the
The Italian demoralised
scampering De
Minaur with a relentless
The Italian team members celebrate with the trophy
after defeating Australia in the Davis Cup final in
Malaga, Spain, on Sunday.
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pg 8
Shubman Gill
Pandya has helped the
franchise deliver two fan-
tastic seasons that result-
ed in winning one IPL
championship and one
appearance in the final,”
Solanki said.
“He has now expressed a
desire to return to his
original team Mumbai
Indians. We respect his
decision and wish him all
the very best in his future
endeavours,” the former
England batter further
added.
THRILLED TO WELCOME
BACK HARDIK: MI
Mumbai Indians owners
Nita Ambani and Akash
Ambani both termed
Pandya’s return as a
“happy homecoming”.
“We are thrilled to wel-
come Hardik back home!
It’s a heartwarming
reunion with our
Mumbai Indians family!
From being a young
scouted talent of Mumbai
Indians to now being a
team India star, Hardik
has come a long way and
we’re excited for what the
future holds for him and
Mumbai Indians,” Nita
said. — PTI
performance, overpower-
ing him with vicious
ground-strokes to the
delight of the majority of
the packed Martin
Carpena arena.
Sinner had won each of
the five prior meetings
between the pair and the
world number 12 came no
closer this time, brutally
dismantled in 81 minutes.
Australia’s wait for a
Davis Cup trophy goes on,
with their last coming in
2003, but Italy, who last
reached a final in 1998,
celebrated wildly when
De Minaur went wide to
end the tie.
On Saturday Italy were
on the verge of elimina-
tion, but Sinner saved
three match points
against Djokovic to force
a deciding doubles clash.
“Yesterday we were one
point away from being out
and now we can celebrate
winning, I think we can
all be very, very happy,”
said Sinner, after ending
Italy’s 47-year wait, the
third-longest gap between
titles in Davis Cup histo-
ry.
— AFP
— AP