EDIT BHOPAL | MONDAY | DECEMBER 25, 2023

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Justice without force is powerless;

force without justice is tyrannical.
— BLAISE PASCAL

FREE PRESS
FOR FREE FLOW OF TRUTH
Decoding BJP’s CM choices in heartland states
erational shift for the BJP. everyone with their choice of the change, to introduce new faces too.
Let us take the case of the ‘side- chief ministerial name — Vishnu and promote freshness in the par- In Rajasthan, where forward

Corruption is a Comment
lined’ leaders of the three states —
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasund-
hara Raje Scindia, and Raman
Singh. Madhya Pradesh was con-
Deo Sai — though Singh has been
accommodated as Speaker of the
Assembly.
This is not the first time that the
ty. Or is it a strategy to counter the
politics of social justice, a move
embraced by I.N.D.I.A bloc parties
like the Janata Dal (United) and
castes have prominence in poli-
tics, Bhajan Lal being a Brahmin
may have been one of the reasons
for his selection to lead the state;
non-issue for voters ÷ A L I Chougule sidered a no-hope state for the
BJP. But under Chouhan’s chief
ministership the BJP went on to
BJP central leadership has re-
placed prominent state leaders. A
few years ago, it had also sidelined
Congress as a counter to the BJP’s
politics of Hindutva? It is difficult
to fault political analysts who
the other reason is said to be that
he is a confidant of home minister
Shah. Political messaging to the

W
hen it comes to corruption, politicians every-

T
he choice of chief ministers
where are the same. Neither higher literacy for the states of Madhya
rates nor higher per capita incomes nor, for that Pradesh, Rajasthan, and
Chhattisgarh, where the
matter, socio-economic backgrounds of politicians seem to
Bharatiya Janata Party emerged
make a wee bit of difference. Politicians in southern states victorious in the recent Assembly
cannot claim the moral high ground against their elections, not only surprised
northern counterparts, notwithstanding the airs they many people in the BJP but also
might give themselves. Also, corruption cuts across par- confounded political analysts. It is
true that the party did not project
ties, with the Marxists no better at resisting the temptation a chief ministerial face in any of
to line their pockets as against their centrists and rightist the three states but fought the
rivals. The fact that the dubious role of no other than elections under collective leader-
Pinarayi Vijayan, the Marxist Chief Minister of the 100%- ship. But in all the three states,
post-election the BJP cast aside es-
literacy state, Kerala, is mentioned in multiple corruption
tablished and well-known leaders
cases, though nothing concrete has surfaced to directly and new leaders were selected to
link him, suggests that the business of politics invariably lead the governments. What does
leaves all its practitioners tarred with the same black it signify?
brush. Clearly, the choice of chief min-
isters has the unambiguous im-
Now, in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu the ruling print of the party’s central leader-
regime of Chief Minister M K Stalin was forced on the back ship, especially the power and au-
foot when a few months ago the Enforcement Directorate thority of Prime Minister Naren-
arrested V Senthil Balaji, Minister for Electricity, Prohi- dra Modi and Home Minister
Amit Shah. Does this indicate a to-
bition and Excise, on charges of money-laundering. The
tal control over the party of Modi
cash-for-jobs case pertained to the time he was the Trans- and Shah? The answer is obvious,
port Minister in the earlier AIDMK government. Three though there might have been
FIRs were lodged against him in 2018 while the ED regis- other considerations too, which
tered another case in 2021. It may not come as a surprise to includes the Modi-Shah duo’s
strategy for a return to power in
anyone that the ruling DMK leaders had taken the lead in 2024. As all the names were
accusing Balaji of corruption. Ironically, the same DMK surprises, there is a possibility
leaders led by Stalin now accused the Narendra Modi gov- of clear political plans behind
ernment of vendetta politics when the ED began to inves- each of them, which are for the
longer term for the party. The sec-
tigate the very charges they had labelled against Balaji
ond question is whether the shuf-
when he was with the AIADMK. Despite going right up to fle in leadership represents a gen-
the apex court for bail, Balaji and his wife continue to cool
their heels in jail, given the seriousness of charges against
the two.
Even as Stalin’s defence of Balaji failed to shield him
from the ED, another minister in his government was con-
victed last week for corruption. Senior cabinet minister
Questionable actions and unnecessary inaction
and a DMK functionary, K Ponmudy, was convicted by the
Madras High Court for possessing assets disproportionate
to his income. The case was launched when the AIADMK
Guest
win a surprisingly landslide victo-
ry. Collective leadership can be
given credit for the party’s im-
pressive performance, but a lot of
credit also goes to Chouhan and
his welfare schemes. Thus, the ob-
vious choice for the chief minis-
ter’s post was expected to be
Chouhan, still a popular leader
even after his 16-year-long stint as
chief minister. But the party’s cen-
tral leadership’s choice for Mad-
hya Pradesh was Mohan Yadav,
who belongs to the state’s domi-
nant OBC community.
In Rajasthan, the hold of two-
time chief minister Vasundhara
Raje Scindia over the party’s state
unit was so strong that after
sidelining her initially, the BJP
central leadership was forced to
acknowledge her clout and accom-
modate her supporters in ticket
distribution. She may not have
been a favourite for the chief min-
ister’s post but the party could not
afford to marginalise her com-
pletely. However, much against
expectations, the BJP chose first-
time MLA Bhajan Lal Sharma
over Scindia and other expected
names like Gajendra Shekhawat
and Diya Kumari.
In Chhattisgarh, also a no-hope
state for BJP, it was assumed that
former three-time chief minister
Raman Singh would get the job in
case the BJP won the election. But
Modi and Shah chose to surprise
on the ED and PMLA laws raises
an alarm over the abuse of law.
Former Supreme Court Justice
Sushil Kumar Modi for the deputy
chief minister’s post in Bihar, af-
ter winning the 2020 assembly poll
in which Sushil Kumar had cam-
paigned in a similar manner to
Shivaraj Singh’s campaign in
Madhya Pradesh. While he was
It is difficult to fault political analysts who have seen a
combination of both caste calculations and winds of
generational change to explain the choices BJP has
made to lead the governments in the three states
expected to be ‘accommodated’ in
the central cabinet, given his expe-
rience and loyalty to the BJP and
RSS, Sushil Kumar Modi was al-
most relegated to insignificance
and later sent to the Rajya Sabha.
His position in the party is now pe-
ripheral. Whether Shivraj and Va-
sundhara would meet the same
fate as Sushil Kumar remains to
be seen in the ‘era of surprises’
ushered in by Modi and Shah, but
it seems certain that their inde-
pendent stature has been weak-
ened.
Interestingly, the ‘sidelined’
leaders are much younger than 75,
the age that the Modi-Shah duo
has set for retiring from politics in
the BJP. The question that arises
is whether the BJP leadership is
deliberately sidelining experi-
enced leaders for a generational
rule imposed on numerous occa-
sions. Now the present central
government appears to have over-
have seen a combination of both
caste calculations and winds of
generational change to explain the
choices BJP has made to lead the
governments in the three heart-
land states.
For instance, Vishnu Deo Sai, a
tribal leader, has both ministerial
and organisational experience
and his selection is being consid-
ered as a sign of importance that
the BJP is trying to give to the
tribal community, which forms
about 30% of Chhattisgarh’s popu-
lation and 9% of the national pop-
ulation. It is also being seen both
as a symbolic extension of the elec-
tion of Draupadi Murmu as
India’s president and a commit-
ment to the state’s tribal con-
stituency. In Madhya Pradesh, it
is said, the choice of Mohan Yadav
as chief minister is aimed at tak-
ing the wind out of the Congress’
caste census platform: the move
demonstrates that OBCs are well
assimilated into the Hindutva so-
cial and cultural discourse. As an
OBC leader, he is also expected to
have an impact in UP and Bihar
methods are used for splits in case
of Shiv Sena and NCP. While there
is inaction by the Constitutional
Brahmin community in the Hindi
heartland was necessary, particu-
larly after an OBC chief minister
was selected in Madhya Pradesh
and a tribal leader in Chhattis-
garh. Since the Ram temple move-
ment in the 1990s, Brahmins in the
Hindi heartland have thrown
their lot in with the BJP. Their
large-scale desertion is said to
have played a significant role in
the erosion of the Congress in
north India.
While caste and community
seem to be the key motives behind
the BJP’s leadership choices in
each state, it is difficult to ignore
the centralised functioning of the
BJP under Modi and Shah, which
has become a party driven com-
pletely by the high command with
all decisions coming from the top.
This was evident earlier in the se-
lection of chief ministers in As-
sam, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat
and now in MP, Rajasthan, and
Chhattisgarh. The choices may or
may not have particular signifi-
cance for the 2024 election, but the
message is that the BJP will rely
overwhelmingly on Modi’s appeal,
issues like the Ayodhya temple,
the Article 370 verdict and the
caste balances and social engi-
neering that it has been working
on to win the Lok Sabha poll.
The writer is a senior independent Mumbai-
based journalist. He tweets at @ali_chougule
Parliament being more than one
year. An argument was made on
behalf of the then BJP MLAs for

government was in power and pertains to the time Pon- Column Deepak Gupta in his lecture on
Fundamental Rights two months
taken the previous governments
on this front within a short span of
authorities indefinitely, we call
ourselves the world’s largest and
revoking their one-year suspen-
sion from the state Assembly dur-
mudy was a minister in the Karunanidhi Government. ago asserted that some of the judg- nine and a half years. The only dif- an ideal democracy. We have wit- ing the MVA regime. Among the
The trial court acquittal was reversed by the High Court. ÷ Prateek Rajurkar ments were an attack on liberty ference between the previous and nessed many instances of Consti- reasons considered by the
and freedom. He recalled Justice the present governments is that tutional institutions and authori- Supreme Court for revoking their
Pointedly, the case was investigated and charges filed by Krishna Iyer's observation that the incumbent has not declared ties flaunting their loyalty to the suspension was that the represen-
the AIADMK government. The ED was at no stage in-

S
ince 2014, the Prevention of
volved either in investigations or in prosecution, though Money Laundering Act and
the ED is investigating a money-laundering case against the functioning of the En-
forcement Directorate have been
him for handing out sand mining licenses in return for
widely criticised. Given the num-
bribes. Dropped from the ministry following his ber of cases registered by the ED
conviction by the Madras High Court, Ponmudy can still and the consequent punishment
appeal in the Supreme Court against his conviction but meted out, this criticism appears
given the strong evidence of corruption he is unlikely to valid. No law has ever been doubt-
get relief. The High Court has sentenced him and his wife
ed for its misuse in the past 76
years like the PMLA. Even if the
to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 50 lakh. courts reveal the invalidity of the
Admittedly, the above two were not the only senior min- law or its provisions, the system of
isters in the Stalin regime embroiled in corruption amending it as required by the
force of the majority is detrimental
charges. Several more face accusations of illicit money-
to the Constitution and democracy.
making. Why, a couple of months ago Stalin himself and Any law misused as a weapon is fa-
the extended Karunanidhi family was accused of tal to equality, freedom, and the
amassing huge wealth over the years by none other than Constitution. The basic principle
his own finance minister. The audio tape of Palanivel Thi- of the law as “innocent until
proven guilty” has been replaced
agarajan’s allegations against the chief minister and his by the practice of “guilty until
family soon led to his transfer to a relatively insignificant proven innocent”. The segregation
ministry, though he protested that the tape was doctored of accused versus innocent seems
to cause trouble for him. Anyway, Stalin penalised him for to be based only on political align-
ment and not on legal provisions,
daring to speak what everyone in Tamil Nadu has known
hence the whole process remains
for long — which is that the Karunanidhi family has accu- political and not legal.
mulated enormous moveable and immoveable assets The increase in guidelines, com-
thanks to their long stints in power. If ordinary people ments and reviews by the courts
aware of the corruption of their leaders still elect them, the
fault lies with them, and not with the leaders. Though
fierce antagonists in politics, J Jayalalithaa or Karunanid- Alone, yet
hi shared a weakness for unearned lucre. Both D Raja and
Dayanidhi Maran as ministers in the Manmohan Singh not lonely!
government were at the centre of multiple corruption — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
scams. Therefore, to suggest that only voters in Bihar
continue to elect leaders corrupt leaders like Laloo
Prasad Yadav is wrong. For voters in the South too corrup-
I
f you think nobody loves
you, know for sure that
you are loved. The earth
tion is passe, a non-issue. Tamil Nadu is a case in point.
loves you; that’s why it is
Corruption is the common denominator of Indian politics.
Period.
holding you upright.
The love of the earth is its
FPJ Archives
INDIA 75 YEARS AGO
DECEMBER 25, 1948
gravitational force. The air
loves you; that’s why it
moves through your lungs
even when you are sleeping.
The Divine loves you very
dearly, deeply. Once you re-
alise this, you will never
feel lonely.
Someone's company
cannot fill your loneli-
ness. Even if it does, it
is very short-lived.
If you could be
comfortable being
alone for some
time, then you
GUIDING LIGHT
will not feel lonely.
If you enjoy being with
your Self, you will not be a
boring personality. If you
are lonely, then you can be
boring to others. And that
will make you more lonely!
Any company looks very
good from a distance.
Those who are in
company all the time look
for the comforts of solitude
and those who are in soli-
tude feel lonely and want to
be in company. Everyone is
looking for a perfect bal-
HYDERABADIS MUST CLOSE UP THEIR RANKS ance.
Hyderabad, December 24. Swami Ramanand Tirtha, President of From time to time, keep a
the Hyderabad State Congress, and members of his Working little distance from whom-
Committee met Pandit Nehru, for over an hour this afternoon and soever close to you. So
presented a comprehensive memorandum. sometime during the day,
bail is the rule and jail is an excep- Emergency formally. President's rulers rather than to the Constitu- tation of any constituency cannot
tion. Justice Gupta commented on rule imposed by this government tion. The central government was be left vacant for more than six
the merits of two Supreme Court in Uttarakhand and Arunachal reluctant to retain the ED chief. months. The caste validity of the
judgments, Zahur Ahmad Shah Pradesh in March 2016 and Janu- The Chief Justice of the Supreme MPs of Solapur and Amravati is
and Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary, ary 2016 respectively was struck Court is excluded from the selec- not yet decided although their
under the UAPA and the PMLA tenure is nearing an end. The then
Act respectively. Justice Gupta, Renaming or modifying the titles of statutes from the Union Law and Justice Minister
while setting out the conflicting Kiren Rijiju openly called some re-
facts regarding ED, referred to the colonial era won't meet the ends of justice. Laws and tired judges anti-India while criti-
fact that the reply given to the ED provisions need to be interpreted in a logical way cising the existing judicial system.
officers could be used as evidence A new practice of passing laws
as they were not police officers, without any discussions has
but on the other hand they were down by the courts. There has tion committee for selecting the emerged in Parliament, where
given all the powers of the police. been a 95% increase in registra- chairman of the Election Commis- laws are enacted on the strength of
Justice Gupta further asked, tion of offences under PMLA after sion despite the court's verdict. majority and not through debates
while the burden of proving the 2014, but the conviction rate has There can be no greater injustice and consensus in the legislature.
crime lies with the investigating not changed. Moreover, the trials than not to deliver justice when Renaming or modifying the titles
agency, while there is no require- are delayed. When the Supreme one is empowered to do justice. of statutes from the colonial era
ment to prove anything in the Court ruled in favour of the Delhi For the last two years, elections to won't meet the ends of justice.
PMLA, why is the case not settled government recently, the central local bodies have been indefinitely Laws and provisions need to be in-
in two or three months? Justice government amended the law in postponed without citing any terpreted in a logical way. Contro-
Gupta is of the opinion that if the its favour. During the MVA valid reason. The Election Com- versial raids by various investiga-
case is tried for 6-8 years, then the regime, the appointments of MLCs mission is a Constitutional body, tive agencies on journalists and
accused is definitely entitled to were kept in abeyance indefinitely but is still unable to explain the news media definitely raise ques-
bail and no one's fundamental by the Governor. After a verdict reasons for withholding Lok Sab- tions about an opaque and impar-
rights can be taken away under on the power struggle in Maha- ha by-elections. Elections to Chan- tial investigation.
any law. rashtra due to inaction by the drapur and Pune Lok Sabha seats
Previous governments were crit- Speaker, the second round of liti- that fell vacant due to the death of Prateek Rajurkar is a practising lawyer
icised by those today in power for gation arose which is sub judice in two Parliamentarians were not at the Bombay High Court, Nagpur
the Emergency and President’s a Writ Jurisdiction. Identical held despite the remaining term of Bench. Views are personal
LETTERS for PwDs, wheelchairs, permitting a
companion to accompany a blind/infirm
While watching both matches, one felt
there were no apparent chinks in the
TO THE EDITOR
voter, accessible toilets and adequate
signages explaining the process of voting
armour of the Indian team. The full credit
must go to the entire team and the
Disabled-friendly etc. All the above efforts are meant to coaching team for the outstanding show.
encourage voters to come to the polling That you cannot single out one or two
decisions by EC booth and have a secure ,comfortable and players in the wins, shows that it was a
sit for a few minutes and
meditate. Then you will not
feel lonely even when you
T he Election Commission is trying its best
to promote the principle of accessibility
and inclusivity in the elections and in this
pleasant voting experience. The
Commission has also introduced the home
voting facility, which PwD voters with a
total team’s achievement and that should
be the way to go and grow.
Deepak Odhekar
are alone. regard has issued a set of guidelines to benchmark disability of 40% may avail of.
One way to get over the
feeling of loneliness is to do
political parties, particularly advising them
not to use derogatory or offensive
While the guidelines represent a positive
step forward, it is essential to ensure their
Time is short for I.N.D.I.A
some service (seva) and be
useful to people around you.
The service you did will
language in the political discourse about
Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), and also
in their writings, outreach material or
effective implementation. The Election
Commission must monitor political
campaigns and take appropriate action if
W ith reference to the editorial ‘Big
ambition for I.N.D.I.A. bloc’ (Dec 21),
SP would leave I.N.D.I.A if BSP is asked to
bring a revolution inside political speeches. Political parties have parties violate these guidelines. As India join and Mamata Banerjee is not sure
you. been directed to provide a training module prepares for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, whether she would accommodate both Left
Every time you are lonely, on disability for party workers at all levels it is imperative that political parties and Congress in West Bengal. Each
you are just coming in of the political process, and appoint a embrace these guidelines and contribute to regional outfit wants to protect their home
touch with your own bound- nodal authority to hear complaints from building a more inclusive and respectful turf, and obviously so. But egos will have
aries. PwDs pertaining to usage of ableist political discourse. to be swallowed and some sacrifices made,
It is your limitation language. Parties should also include more Yash Pal Ralhan if this Opposition bloc is really keen on
and boundary that is PwDs at levels such as members and party dislodging the BJP from power in a few
the real cause of
your unhappiness.
workers to shed the attitudinal barrier of
the party and public and provide equal
Boost for women’s cricket months time. Time is running out.
Bal Govind
Just be grateful and
pray
peace. That
for
opportunities.
The EC is already providing facilities such
as location of polling station at the ground
T he two back-to-back victories of the
Indian women’s team over England and
Australia will go down in women’s cricket
Dear reader,
We are eager to know your opinions, comments and
suggestions. Write to editor.indore@fpj.co.in Using snail
very moment, you will start floor, Braille signage on the Ballot Unit of annals as historic. The wins should change mail? Send your letters to Free Press, Free Press House, 3/54,
smiling and however hope- EVM, construction of ramps with proper the attitudes and outlook of cricket fans Press Complex, AB Road, Indore 452008
less the situation is, you gradient, separate queues (priority entry) and authorities towards women's cricket.
will walk through it.
You cannot force enthusi- MIKA’S MATRIX
asm and confidence to come
back to you. When you feel
useless, use that time to be
prayerful and you will see
that you will gain back your
confidence and enthusiasm.
Whether it is extreme joy
or happiness or terrible
misery, there is a part of
every human being that re-
mains untouched by that.
Similarly, you can’t go on
mourning all your life...
Our wish should be that
whomever we meet be hap-
py and radiate happiness.

EVENTS TO WATCH
Dec 28 US Initial Jobless Claims data
Dec 29 Trade Balance, Foreign debt
and Infra output data
MONEY
Visa, agri, GSP likely to figure in India-US trade policy forum meet in Jan
Issues about visas, promoting agri trade and resumption of Katherine Tai will be here for a meeting with Commerce and
benefits under the American generalised system of preferences Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. "Both sides will discuss ways to
(GSP) are expected to figure in the meeting of India-US Trade increase trade and investments between the two countries during
Policy Forum in January, an official said. US Trade Representative the two-day meeting from January 13, 2024," the official said. BHOPAL | MONDAY | DECEMBER 25, 2023

BIZ BULLETIN
Mcap of 3 of top-10 firms
jump `70,312.7 crore
The combined market valuation of three
of the 10 most valued firms jumped Rs
70,312.7 crore last week, with Reliance
Industries emerging as the biggest
winner, amid volatile market conditions.
From the top 10 pack, Reliance
Industries, HDFC Bank and Hindustan
Unilever were the gainers, while Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS), ICICI Bank,
Infosys, State Bank of India, ITC, Bharti
Airtel and Life Insurance Corporation of
India (LIC) faced erosion to the tune of
Rs 68,783.2 crore. Last week, the BSE
benchmark declined 376.79 points or
0.52 per cent after a record-breaking
rally.
421 infra projects hit by
cost overrun of `4.40L cr
As many as 421 infrastructure projects,
each entailing an investment of Rs 150
crore or more, were hit by cost overrun
of more than Rs 4.40 lakh crore in
November this year, an official report
said. According to Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation (MoSPI),
which monitors infrastructure projects
worth Rs 150 crore and above, out of
1,831 projects, 421 reported cost
overrun and 845 projects were delayed.
"Total original cost of implementation of
the 1,831 projects was Rs 25,10,577.59
crore and their anticipated completion
cost was...Rs 29,50,997.33 crore, which
reflects overall cost overruns of Rs
4,40,419.74 crore (17.54 per cent of
original cost)," the ministry's latest report
for November 2023 said.
Office demand up 92% in
Oct-Dec in top 6 cities
Office space demand surged 92 per cent
during October-December period across
six major cities on better demand of
workspace from corporates and
coworking operators, according to
Colliers India. Real estate consultant
Colliers India report shows that gross
leasing of office space stood at 20.2
million square feet in the fourth quarter
of this calendar year from 10.5 million
square feet in the year-ago period.
Helped by strong demand during the
December quarter, the total leasing of
office space rose 16 per cent to 58.2
million square feet during the 2023
calendar year from 50.3 million square
feet last year.
20K sellers on Meesho
see 10 times jump in biz
Around 75,000 sellers achieved double-
digit growth while over 20,000 sellers
witnessed a 10-times jump in their
business on Softbank-backed e-
commerce firm Meesho, the company
said on Sunday. Meesho is the first
unicorn e-commerce firm to have
reported profit this year and it claims to
have maintained the profitability since it
first reported the performance in July.
AIK Pipes sets IPO price
at `89 per share
Pipe maker AIK Pipes and Polymers on
Sunday said it has fixed a price of Rs 89
per share for its Initial Public Offering
(IPO), which will open for public
subscription from December 26-28. The
initial share-sale is entirely a fresh issue
of 16.88 lakh equity shares and the
company aims to raise about Rs 15.02
crore from the IPO, AIK Pipes said in a
statement.
NABARD to hold
three-day agri expo
The National Bank for Agriculture and
Rural Development (NABARD) will hold a
three-day agri expo here to promote
products from over 50 farmer-producer
organizations (FPOs). The expo to be
held at Dilli Haat will see the
participation of FPOs from 21 states,
NABARD said in a statement.
HOP Electric eyes 3-fold
rise in sales in 2024
HOP Electric is targeting up to three-fold
rise in its annual sales in 2024 and is
preparing to launch an electric
motorcycle equivalent to the mass
market entry level bikes of conventional
engines to shore up volumes, according
to company Founder & CTO Rahil Gupta.
The company, which has two electric
scooters and an electric bike in its
portfolio, is also looking to raise around
USD 25 million next year to fund
production capacity expansion.
SIAM Cement BigBloc to
start ops at its unit soon
SIAM Cement BigBloc Construction
Technologies a joint venture between
Gujarat based BigBloc Construction and
Thailand’s Siam Cement Group (SCG)
expects commercial operation of its first
plant at Kapadvanj, Gujarat in the next
3-4 months. The joint venture company
will manufacture AAC Blocks and ALC
panels at the facility and will market its
products under the brand name ‘ZMART
BUILD’. —Agencies
PWC'S 2023 GLOBAL RISK SURVEY
FPIs POUR `57,300-CR IN EQUITIES No takers for rupee
payment for oil imports
IN DEC ON POLITICAL STABILITY
PTI / New Delhi
India's push for rupee to be used
Robust economic growth and steady decline in US bond yields also led to strong inflow of funds to pay for import of crude oil has
PTI / New Delhi change in the strategy of FPIs. not found any takers as suppliers
"India's market engine is revving: Strong have expressed concern on repa-
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have in- GDP growth exceeding estimates, coupled triation of funds and high trans-
jected over Rs 57,300 crore into the Indian eq- with a burgeoning manufacturing sector, actional costs, the oil ministry
uity markets this month so far owing to polit- paints a vibrant picture for investors, " told a parliamentary standing
ical stability, robust economic growth, and a Mayank Mehraa, smallcase manager and committee. actional costs associated with
steady decline in the US bond yields. principal partner at Craving Alpha, said. The default payment currency conversion of funds along with
With this, total investment by FPIs sur- Globally, the US Fed has signalled three for all contracts for import of exchange fluctuation risks," the
passed Rs 1.62 lakh crore this year. potential rate cuts next year, indicating the crude oil is US dollar as per the oil ministry told the parliamen-
Going forward, the New Year is expected to end of the rate hike cycle, which bodes well international trade practice. tary department related standing
witness declines in U.S. interest rates, and for emerging markets like India. However, in a bid to internation- committee.
FPIs are likely to increase their purchases in
2024, V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment TAKING LONG BETS
Bhuvan Rustagi, COO and Co-Founder, of
Per Annum & Lendbox, said that easing Fed
alise the Indian currency, the Re-
serve Bank of India on July 11,
The ministry, whose subimis-
sions are part of the committee's
Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, said. tightening, declining US treasury yields, and 2022 allowed importers to pay report which was tabled in Par-
According to the data, FPIs made a net in-
vestment of Rs 57,313 crore in Indian equities
`1.62L CR Total investment by
foreign investors in 2023 softening dollar.
Additionally, there were India-specific fac-
with rupees and exporters be
paid in rupee. While there has
liament last week, said Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC) has informed
in this month (till December 22). This was the tors that prompted FPIs to invest such as ro- been some success with non-oil that it incurred high transaction
highest monthly inflow by them in a year. vastava, Associate Director- Manager Re- bust economic growth, political stability, im- trade with a select few countries, costs as crude oil suppliers pass
This came following a net investment of Rs search, Morningstar Investment Research proved corporate earnings, and attractive rupee continues to be shunned by on the additional transactional
9,000 crore in October. India, said. valuations. oil exporters. costs to IOC." The RBI, it said, had
Before this overseas investors withdrew Also, the country's stable and robust econ- With regards to bonds, the debt market at- "During FY 2022-23, no crude last year permitted opening of ru-
39,300 crore in August and September, data omy, coupled with impressive corporate tracted Rs 15,545 crore during the period un- oil imports by oil PSUs was set- pee vostro accounts in the
with the depositories showed. earnings and a string of Initial Public Offer- der review. This came after receiving an in- tled in Indian rupee. Crude oil partner trading country.
The robust inflow from FPIs into the ings (IPOs), has attracted foreign investors to flow of Rs 14,860 crore in November and Rs Rs suppliers (including UAE's AD- "Payments for crude oil can be
Indian stock markets can be attributed to explore investment opportunities in India, he 6,381 crore in October, data showed. NOC) continue to express their made in Indian rupee, subject to
various factors. Primary among these are po- added. In terms of sector, FPIs were big buyers in concern on the repatriation of the suppliers' complying with
litical stability and positive sentiments pre- Vijayakumar said that the steady decline financial services and also showed interest in funds in the preferred currency regulatory guidelines in this re-
vailing in the Indian markets, Himanshu Sri- in U.S. bond yields has caused this sudden sectors like autos, capital goods, and telecom. and also highlighted high trans- gard," the ministry said.
Steel production
Mkts likely to remain range-bound Economic growth to boost grows 11% to
in holiday-shortened wk: Analysts corporate sector: Fitch Says India will be among world's fastest-growing
11.7 MT in Nov
PTI / New Delhi
PTI / New Delhi creased likelihood of a stable gov-
ernment at the centre. Addition- countries, with resilient GDP growth of 6.5% FY’25 India has registered an increase
Stock markets are likely to re- ally, with FPI holdings at a 10- of 11.4 per cent in its crude steel
main range-bound in this holi- year low and potential foreign PTI / Kolkata production at 11.7 million tonne
day-shortened week amid a lack buying in the debt market ahead (MT) in November this year, ac-
of any major domestic triggers, of India's inclusion in the JP Mor- Leading credit rating firm Fitch cording to World Steel Associa-
analysts said. gan Emerging Market Govern- Ratings expects that India's re- tion (worldsteel).
Stock indices may also face ment Bond Index, may provide silient economic growth will During January-November,
volatility during the week amid some stability to the INR," Jiten- boost demand of the corporates. the country's production was 12.1
the monthly derivatives expiry Stock indices may also dra Gohil, Chief Investment In its latest research report on per cent higher year on year (y-o-
on Thursday. Equity markets
face volatility during the Strategist, Kotak Alternate Asset 'India Corporates: Sector Trends y) at 128.2 MT, the global body said
would remain closed on Monday Managers Limited said. 2024', Fitch said that this is a se- This is despite a challenging in its latest report.
for Christmas. week amid the monthly Analysts said markets were on quel to the robust performance of global backdrop and the cumula-
"This week, as global cues re- a record-setting spree for a while the corporates in 2023 and will off- tive impact of the recent mone- During Jan-Nov, India's
derivatives expiry on
main sparse due to the Christmas and have been in an overbought set weakness from slowing tary tightening, it said. production was 12.1%
holiday, domestic market dy- Thursday zone, so hiccups were expected in growth in the key overseas mar- Sectors like cement, electricity
namics are expected to steer sec- the form of profit-taking and kets. Rising demand and easing and petroleum products are ex-
higher y-o-y at 128.2 MT
tor and stock-specific move- points or 0.49 per cent. hence concluded the week with input cost pressure should boost pected to witness a strong
ments," Santosh Meena, Head of
Research at Swastika Investmart
The decline in the markets
came after a record-breaking ral-
declines following seven consecu-
tive weeks of gains.
margins of the corporates in the
next financial year, Fitch said.
demand with high-frequency
data in 2023 sustained well above
The global steel production in
November was at 145.5 MT, 3.3 per
Ltd, said. With limited cues, the ly where both the benchmark eq- "As we enter into the holiday Fitch said that with strong do- pre-COVID pandemic levels. cent up over same month in 2022.
December F&O expiry could in- uity indices Sensex and Nifty hit mood, we expect markets to re- mestic demand growth, it is ex- Fitch said that India's improv- The world output rose marginally
ject volatility into the markets, their all-time high levels on De- main range-bound with stock- pected that India will be among ing infrastructure will also boost by 0.5 per cent to 1,715.1 MT in
Meena added. cember 20. specific action this week," Sid- the world's fastest-growing coun- steel demand. Slowing down in January-November 2023, world-
Last week, the BSE benchmark "While India's equity market dhartha Khemka, Head - Retail tries, with resilient GDP growth the US and the Eurozone is likely steel said.
declined 376.79 points or 0.52 per valuation is expensive, they may Research at Motilal Oswal Finan- of 6.5 per cent during the fiscal to moderate growth of the IT serv- China produced 76.1 MT steel
cent and the Nifty dipped 107.25 remain elevated due to the in- cial Services Ltd, said. 2024-25. ices. in November, up 0.4 per cent over
November 2022. It produced 952.1
MT in January-November,
NaBFID MD Rajkiran Rai G Increasing exports, reducing imports higher 1.5 per cent y-o-y.
In November, Japan's output
fell 0.9 per cent to 7.1 MT, while
bats for re-introduction of new way ahead for patriotism: Gadkari the overall production was 2.8 per
cent lower at 80 MT during Janu-
ary-November 2023.
S4A-like debt recast scheme The aim of my life is to
stop import of petrol and
PTI / New Delhi money we save will go to the poor.
That is why we have introduced
The US produced 6.6 MT steel
in last month and 73.9 MT in the
PTI / Mumbai Increasing exports and reducing alternative fuels like bio fuel. Re- eleven-month period of 2023.
imports is the new way ahead for diesel, says Gadkari duction in imports and increase Russia produced 6.4 MT in No-
National Bank for Financing In- patriotism and "swadeshi", and it in exports is the way forward for vember and 70.2 MT in January-
frastructure and Development's will be a "new freedom" for India "Till this import is not stopped, patriotism and swadeshi," he as- November 2023. South Korea's
(NaBFID) managing director Ra- when not a drop of petrol or diesel terrorism will not stop across the serted. production stood at 5.4 MT in No-
jkiran Rai G has said there is a is imported, Union Minister Nitin world. The aim of my life is to stop Gadkari said the size of the au- vember and 61.3 MT in the 11-
need to re-introduce the Scheme Gadkari said on Sunday. import of petrol and diesel. I con- tomobile industry in India was Rs month period of 2023.
for Sustainable Structuring of Addressing the 'Sagar sider it to be a new freedom for In- 7 lakh crore when he took over (in In November this year, Ger-
Stressed Assets (S4A) scheme to Manthan 2.0' event, the Union dia when not a drop of petrol and 2014) and now it was Rs 12.5 lakh many produced 2.7 MT, Türkiye
help infrastructure finance in the
future.
which it was brought and how it
was used. And now, we are talk-
Minister of Road Transport and
Highways also said stopping the
diesel is imported into the coun-
try," he said.
crore, adding the sector gives em-
ployment to 4.5 crore people.
produced 3 MT, and Brazil 2.7 MT.
Worldsteel represents steel pro-
Rai said at present, there is not ing in a totally different context," import of petrol and diesel was "The import bill for petrol and It is the industry that gives ducers, national and regional
a single asset calling out for such Rai told PTI, pushing for the in- linked to arresting terrorism in diesel stands at Rs 16 lakh crore highest GST to state governments steel industry associations, and
help but it is essential to get a fa- troduction of the S4A scheme. the world. now. If we reduce this import, the and the Centre, he added. steel research institutes.
cility which will enable "rightsiz- The veteran banker who joined
ing of debt" and make it more sus- the National Bank for Financing
tainable. He also said that given
the present system, no entity can
exploit the S4A scheme by in-
Infrastructure and Development
(NaBFID) after heading state-run
Union Bank of India, said there
Steady near 4% CPI view key for policy change: MPC member Bhide
dulging in things like the ever- was a huge pile of NPAs which INFORMIST / New Delhi target is important," Bhide told Bhide says adequate buffers on sector growth were more moder-
greening of loans. the banking system was saddled Informist in an email interview. both the monetary and fiscal ate in Jul-Sep. According to him,
The RBI had introduced the
S4A scheme in 2016 and ended in
with back then, whereas the same
was not the case now. NPAs were
For any change in policy, data
must support that the projected
"There has been a decline in infla-
tion rate, but there have also
sides are required to ensure sta-
ble policy. A mechanical move-
lower inflation, amid a lattice of
domestic and external triggers, is
February 2018. Debt was split into also arising out of court orders, CPI inflation rate is consistently been upward price pressures on ment in interest rates is less rele- more important than loosening
sustainable and unsustainable delays in environmental clear- close to the Reserve Bank of In- the food inflation front." vant considering the growth and monetary policy.
based on cash flows under the ances for projects, cancellation of dia's 4% target, says Shashanka In the quarters until December inflation shocks of the past two "For services on the supply
scheme, which was focused on mines etc, he said, adding that the Bhide, an external member of the 2024, India's CPI inflation is ex- years, he says. side and private consumption on
corporate loans and also had a banking system used the scheme central bank's Monetary Policy pected to come down to the RBI's The minutes showed Bhide the demand side, both domestic
threshold above which an to delay the recognizing a non- Committee. 4% target only once, in Jul-Sep, noting that while growth in the and external triggers, including
account could qualify. performing asset and make provi- "At this point, getting the infla- before picking up again in Oct- manufacturing sector had lower inflation rate would help
"We need to see the context in sions accordingly. tion rate to be aligned with the Dec. zoomed, services and agriculture faster expansion," Bhide said.
‘Govt took many pro-active steps to control prices of food items’ Green shoots visible on
PTI / New Delhi "Today, India has become the
fastest growing large economy.
that 140 new price monitoring
centres have been set up to keep a corporate lending side, says
Food and Consumer Affairs Min- Going forward, we will keep in- close watch on wholesale and re-
ister Piyush Goyal on Sunday
noted that the Centre has taken
flation under check and also en-
sure economic growth," Goyal
tail prices of essential commodi-
ties. "Today, prices are being
Kotak Mahindra Bank director
many pro-active steps in last few said. Retail inflation inched up to monitored at 550 (consuming) PTI / New Delhi
years to control retail prices of a three-month high of 5.55 per centres on a daily basis. This
food items and said the govern- cent in November driven by helps in insulating consumers Green shoots are beginning to
ment will keep inflation under higher food prices, according to from price rise," Goyal said. become visible as far as invest-
control while ensuring country's latest official data. In the last two years, he said, ment cycle is concerned led by
economic growth. The retail inflation based on when the entire world witnessed government spending in the in-
He was addressing an event, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) very high inflation, especially in frastructure sector, Kotak
organised by the ministry here, was at 4.87 per cent in October. 6.83 per cent. the food items, India was able to Mahindra Bank whole-time di-
to celebrate National Consumers Inflation had been declining On steps taken by the central control inflation through pro-ac- rector Shanti Ekambaram said.
Day. since August when it touched government, Goyal highlighted tive fiscal and monetary policies. "I think the last 18 months
have been very good on the con-
sumer credit side but you are be- Asked about RBI's tightening
ginning to see green shoots even norms for unsecured consumer

Cyber risks biggest threat faced by Indian organisations
PTI / New Delhi
Cyber risks are cited as the biggest
threat faced by Indian organisa-
tions with 38 per cent of respon-
dents feeling highly or extremely
exposed to it, says a survey.
With this, cybersecurity has
jumped two spots from number
three to number one on the risk
radar when compared to the 2022
Global Risk Survey, the PwC's 2023
Global Risk Survey- India edition
stated.
PwC said the final results of the
survey are based on 3,910 survey re-
sponses from Business and Risk
Management leaders (CEO, board,
risk management, operations, tech-
nology, finance, audit) across 67 ter-
ritories providing their views on
the status and direction of risk in
their organisation. 163 Indian or-
ganisations were a part of this sur-
vey.
Other digital and technology
risks are also top concerns for busi-
ness leaders in India (at 35 per cent).
To address the challenges,
Indian organisations are making
bold investments in cybersecurity
with more than half of the respon-
dents planning to invest in cyberse-
curity tools (55 per cent) and AI, ma-
chine learning and automation
technologies (55 per cent) in the
next 1-3 years, according to survey
findings.
To back these investments, 71
per cent of Indian organisations are
gathering and analysing cyberse-
curity and IT data for risk manage-
ment and opportunity identifica-
tion. Globally 61 per cent of the or-
ganisations are doing the same.
in the investment cycle," she
told PTI.
The government focus on in-
frastructure development in the
last three years has created
space for capital expenditure by
the private sector as well.
"I think it is moving from in-
frastructure led by government
spending to capex although in a
small way but I think that is go-
ing to build up," she said.
credit, she said, whenever the
regulator perceives excess, they
do so. NBFC and fintech have
been aggressive on lending
small ticket unsecured loan in
the last 6 to 12 months.
"They just put out the caution
to say you need to provide for
more capital...banks are looking
very stable even now when you
look at the small ticket," she
said.
 Muddappa becomes most-decorated motorsports athlete
CHENNAI,: Ten-time national drag racing champion Hemanth Muddappa became the most-decorated motorsports athlete with an
unprecedented dozen titles after remaining unbeaten in top two classes to emerge a double champion in the MMSC-FMSCI Indian
National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship here on Sunday.He made it a sweet double emerging triumphant in both the Unrestricted
Class and the 1051 to 1650cc class in the fourth and final round at the Madras International Circuit (MIC) at Irungattukottai near here.
SPORTS
BHOPAL | MONDAY | DECEMBER 25, 2023

SPORTS DIGEST SPANISH LEAGUE 1st Differently Abled Sports Awards

Karan, Divya take T2 air pistol trials
NEW DELHI: Karan Sehrawat of Haryana and Divya TS
of Karnataka emerged victorious at the men’s and
women’s 10m air pistol trials (T2) here on Sunday,
concluding the new season’s first two national selection
trials for rifle and pistol.
10-man Atletico edge past Sumit Antil, Sheetal
Devi declare best male
and female athlete
Sevilla to end mini-slump
The international season begins early in 2024, when the
Indian rifle and pistol squad heads to Jakarta, Indonesia, NEW DELHI freestyle swimmer Murlikant
to take part in the Petkar, who won gold at the
Asian Olympic World record holder, world 1972 Paralympics, was also ho-
qualifying event champion and 2020 Paralympic noured with the Lifetime
for which the Games gold medalist Javelin Achievement award. The Indi-
teams have been BARCELONA thrower in the F64 category an Blind Chess team, which
already Sumit Antil, and recent Arjuna won gold and multiple medals
announced. Ten-man Atletico Madrid Awardee and double Asian at the Hangzhou Para Games,
Olympian Saurabh edged Sevilla 1-0 at home
Chaudhary on Saturday to ensure it
extended his good entered the Spanish
run to a second league winter break still
day, topping the in touch with the front-
men’s 10m air runners.
pistol T2 The game in Spain’s cap-
qualifications with ital was originally sched-
a world-class score uled for September but
of 586. He was was postponed due to a
followed by his forecast for bad weather.
senior Olympian Halftime substitute Mar-
Gurpreet Singh cos Llorente made an im-
who shot the same mediate impact by scoring
score but had seven lesser inner 10s than Saurabh. just a minute after the
Three Haryana shooters took the final three qualifying restart. Atletico then de- Para Games gold medallist won the Major Dhyanchand
spots, with Aditya Marla and Sehrawat finishing sixth fended with poise while archer Sheetal Devi, won the Team of the Year award pre-
and seventh, while eventual runner-up Shiva Narwal playing a man down for coveted Best Male and Best Fe- sented by the hockey wizard’s
claimed the eighth and final spot with a 583.They the final 20 minutes after male athlete crowns at the 1st son and former Hockey World
turned the tables in the final, however, denying Saurabh substitute Caglar Soyuncu Differently Abled Sports Cup winner Ashok Kumar
a repeat of his T1 win on Saturday. received a direct red card Awards, here. Dhyanchand.
Sehrawat played the perfect final as he led throughout in the 70th.”When you Sumit, who threw the Javelin Addressing the gathering
the 24-shot decider with his opponent giving a scare come off the bench you al- 73.29 meters in the recent Dhyanchand said, “I am hon-
only after the 20th shot, getting within just 0.1. That ways try to give your team Asian Para Games in oured to be a part of today’s
was the closest he would get as Karan took the title something extra,” en-point lead over Atletico control of a long ball from been on the field for four Hangzhou, China for his world memorable event to honour
with a final score of 243.0 to Shiva’s 242.6. Llorente said. “We only and Barcelona one round Koke Resurrección before minutes. record mark and Sheetal Devi, our special athletes. These
Jaismine, Arundhati ease into quarters had winning on our before the competition he finished off a rebound Atletico defender Reinil- who won two golds and a silver award functions are there to
GREATER NOIDA: 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze minds. Now it is time to reaches its halfway point. of his own pass to beat do Mandava went on as a at the same Games in Com- encourage our athletes who
medalist Jaismine (60kg) and former youth world disconnect and then we Atletico had been in a bit goalkeeper Marko Dmitro- late substitute in his first pound Archery, were among give their best for our country
champion Arundhati Choudhary (66kg) registered are right back at it.” Real of a slump after winning vic. Soyuncu was sent off appearance since needing 250 nominations received from in their respective fields. I con-
victories on the Madrid and surprise pack- just one of its previous for a dangerous tackle on surgery to repair a torn as many as 20 federations in 23 gratulate all the special
third day to age Girona are at the top of four league games. Lucas Ocampos after the right-knee ligament in award categories.India’s first athletes and the federations
enter the the standings with a sev- Llorente used exquisite Turkey international had February. paralympic gold medallist and who have worked so hard.
quarter-finals of
the ongoing 7th INTER BEATS LECCE JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS’ CAPTAIN SUNIL KUMAR SAYS
Elite Women’s
National Boxing
‘DEFENDER REZA MIRBAGHERI
Championships
at the GBU
Indoor Stadium.
Osimhen sent off for WAS DETERMINED TO RAID FOR US’
Representing
SSCB, Jaismine showcased her experience as she secured
a commanding 5-0 victory over Thongam Kunjarani Devi
of Manipur in the round of 16 bout. Jaismine will now
Napoli in loss at Roma CHENNAI

face Poonam Kaithwas of Maharashtra in the ROME Roma broke the The Jaipur Pink Panthers
quarterfinals.Meanwhile, the former youth world deadlock 10 minutes pulled off a gripping 25-24
champion Arundhati went head to head against Amita Victor Osimhen followed later when attempts victory over Tamil Tha-
of All India Police. Arundhati’s skillset and power-packed his contract renewal with by Sardar Azmoun laivas in the Pro Kabaddi
punches were on display as she secured a 5-0 victory in Napoli in the worst and then Stephan El League Season 10. The
the bout. The boxer will be now up against Komalpreet possible way as he got sent Shaarawy were teams were locked at 22-22
Kaur of Punjab in the quarterfinals. off in a 2-0 defeat at Roma in charged down but the with three minutes to go on
Serie A on Saturday. latter turned into an the clock when the Panthers
Ram Charan joins Indian Street Premier Defending champion assist for Pellegrini, sent the defender Reza
League as Hyderabad team owner Napoli ended the match who fired the home Mirbagheri for a Do-or-Die
MUMBAI: “RRR” star Ram Charan on Sunday said he with nine men as Matteo Tuesday. side ahead. raid and he changed the
has joined the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) as the Politano was also red-card- The tension was high at Osimhen renewed his game for his team.
owner of team Hyderabad. The ISPL is India’s first tennis ed shortly before Lorenzo the Stadio Olimpico with contract earlier Saturday Speaking about sending in
ball T10 cricket tournament that will be played inside a Pellegrini scored the open- both coaches booked for to 2026 and was eager to cel- Reza for the raid, the Jaipur
stadium.The er. Romelu Lukaku sealed dissent in the first half ebrate with a goal but, in- Pink Panthers Captain
inaugural the match for Roma, which amid a large number of stead, he received a second Sunil Kumar said, “Only let’s send him for the raid the turning point of the
edition will moved up to sixth, a point fouls and protests. It was of yellow card in the 86th, 13 myself, Reza and Ankush since he was showcasing match. The Thalaivas’ de-
feature 19 high- above Napoli and three little surprise when Poli- minutes after his first were on the mat before the confidence.” fence unit played very well,
intensity points below fourth-placed tano was shown a straight booking, and was sent Do-or-Die raid. We were Sunil further added, “Our but our defenders also stood
matches, Bologna. red card in the 66th minute off.Roma doubled its tally thinking of bringing in a team made a great tall.”
boasting a line- Napoli was looking to for kicking out at Nicola in stoppage time when raider instead of Reza, but comeback in the match. The Jaipur Pink Panthers
up of six teams bounce back from a 4-0 hu- Zalewski after having his Lukaku combined with he told me that he’s confi- Reza Mirbagheri pulled off a clinched the victory on the
- Hyderabad, miliation at home to Frosi- jersey tugged by the Roma Evan Ndicka to finish off a dent about attaining a raid couple of brilliant Super back of 11 tackle points in
Mumbai, none in the Italian Cup on midfielder. counterattack. point. Then our Coach said Tackles. His raid point was the game.
Bengaluru,
Chennai, Kolkata, and Srinagar. Ram Charan made the
announcement about joining the ISPL on his official X
EXPANDING, INNOVATING AND INSPIRING Zhejiang overpowers Beijing 125-107 in CBA
page.”Excited to announce my ownership of Team
Hyderabad in the Indian Street Premier League! Ultimate Kho Kho revolutionizes traditional sport JINAN When Beijing lost its key scorer Zou
Yuchen with an injury in the last
“Beyond cricket, this venture is about nurturing talent,
fostering community spirit, and celebrating street BHUBANESWAR Kho into a global sport. The Zhejiang Lions cruised past the period, Sun remained hot with his
cricket’s essence. Join me as we elevate Hyderabad’s With the thrill of last year’s Beijing Royal Fighters 125-107 in the shots to ensure the victory for Zhe-
presence in the ISPL, crafting memorable moments and As the exhilarating kickoff blockbuster season still echo- Chinese Basketball Association jiang.Sun scored a game-high 28
igniting passion,” the actor wrote in the post. to Season 2 of the Ultimate ing, Niyogi also shares the key (CBA) League. points and made 10 assists, while
Kho Kho League approach- changes shaping this new Zhejiang took control of the first Hu Jinqiu grabbed eight rebounds
EPL has its first female referee as es on Sunday, Tenzing chapter in the league. India’s half, with Sun Minghui scoring 18 for Zhejiang. Liao Sanning bagged
Rebecca Welch handles Fulham-Burnley Niyogi, the CEO and first-ever professional Kho- points to help it lead at 68-56, reports 21 points for Beijing.Also on Satur-
LONDON: The English Premier League has its first league commissioner, un- Kho league revamped the in- Xinhua.After Beijing started the day, the Tianjin Pioneers defeated
female referee and Burnley manager Vincent Kompany veils the extraordinary digenous game of Run & Chase third quarter with a 5-0 run, Zhe- the Fujian Sturgeons 106-91, and
called it a “milestone moment” on Saturday.Rebecca journey of transforming an popularly called Kho Kho in a jiang had its 8-5 run and continued Shenzhen Aviators nosed out the
Welch controlled Burnley’s 2-0 win at Fulham.Kompany indigenous gem like Kho completely new avatar. the momentum in the quarter. Ningbo Rockets 108-103.
spoke to Welch
at fulltime. BHOPAL SPORTS
“I wanted to
congratulate her
because it’s a
big moment,”
he said. “It’s fair
Arera Cricket Academy defeats Akira Cricket State Equestrian Academy
to say that it’s a
milestone
moment and
may there be
Academy in the Mushroom Senior Cricket Cup wins gold, silver in sub
more, and the best thing will always be when someone
is judged on merit. “But you have to have a first and
this is it, so well done (to her) and I’m happy to be part
OUR STAFF REPORTER
Bhopal
junior category
of this moment.” Welch was applauded by spectators as
she emerged from the tunnel at Craven Cottage. Arera Cricket Academy OUR STAFF REPORTER medal with Jaiwant
She previously made history when she refereed an FA defeated Akira Cricket Bhopal Nawele (on horse Astrid
Cup fixture in 2022 and a second-tier Championship Academy by 6 runs, while Louk) and Aradhaya Singh
match in 2021. Welch has already worked as a fourth Central Strikers Indore se- Madhya Pradesh State (on horse Astrid Rocke-
official in the Premier League in November. cured a victory over Equestrian Academy won teer) leading the charge.
Bhopal Masters by 76 runs medals in equestrian com- Jaiwant Nawele also won
Liverpool defender Tsimikas injured in Mushroom World Mas- petition held at State individual bronze medal.
after colliding with Klopp ters and Seniors Cup In the Sub Jun-
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas broke Cricket tournament or- ior Group 1
his collarbone when he collided with Jurgen Klopp on ganised by the Sports Club Jumping catego-
the sideline during the English Premier League game of Bhopal. ry, MP State
against In the first match be- Equestrian Acad-
Arsenal on tween Arera Cricket emy won silver
Saturday. Academy and Akira medal. The win-
Tsimikas Cricket Academy, Akira ning team in-
was won the toss and chose to cluded Shanskar
challenged bowl. Arera posted 144 Rathore (on
by Arsenal runs, losing 9 wickets in Chandni), Krish-
forward 20 overs with Ayan scor- na Gour (on
Bukayo ing 44, Rajveer 21, Ranvir Amara) and Di-
Saka and 20, Naman Prajapati 15 vya Raj Singh
stumbled and Madhur scoring 14 (on horse Aiza-
into Klopp, runs. Tanishk Yadav took two 18 overs. Jitendra con- 103 runs in 17.1 overs. De- an).
who fell on Gaurav Dhakad took 3 wickets each for Arera. tributed 66 runs, Akshay vendra Singh Parihar The Academy’s
top of him.The game ended 1-1 and Klopp said wickets for Akira while Naman Prajapati was Shrivastav 44, Rajesh scored 21, Suraj Bagora thoroughbred
Tsimikas’ collarbone was “definitely broken” adding he Akash claimed 2 wickets named the Man of the Kanojiya 28 and Rajesh and Sameer Mirikar horses outshone
will be “out for a long time.” Klopp was OK after the and Piyush, Sankalp, and Match. Soni scored 13 runs. added 18 runs each, and in the competi-
35th-minute incident.Arsenal led after four minutes Mukul took one wicket In another match within Laxman Sonkar took Amitabh contributed 10 tion, leaving be-
through Gabriel. Liverpool replied in the 29th when Mo each. In response, Akira the Masters Group, Cen- three wickets for Bhopal runs. Sheikh Saadik took hind the Em-
Salah hit his 151st Premier League goal to move up to Cricket Academy scored tral Strikers faced Bhopal Masters, while Atul Khare three wickets while Tan- bassy team that
10th on the list of the competition’s top scorers.Arsenal 138 runs in 19.5 overs with Masters. Central Strikers, and Vikram claimed two may took two for Central Equestrian Academy in comprised warm blood
stayed top of the standings, one point ahead of second- Shubham Sharma scoring having won the toss, chose and one wicket respective- Strikers. Jitendra Likhar Bengaluru on Sunday. horses. The Embassy’s
placed Liverpool. 35, Prakhar 26 and to bat first and scored 179 ly. In reply, Bhopal Mas- was declared Man of the The Sub Junior Group 2 team secured third place in
Sankalp 28. Naman and runs, losing 6 wickets in ters were bowled out for Match. Dressage team won gold the competition.
 England’s Tom Curran loses appeal
SPORTS BHOPAL | MONDAY | DECEMBER 25, 2023
SYDNEY: English all-rounder Tom Curran’s appeal to have his four-match ban overturned for intimidating an
umpire during a recent Big Bash League match has been dismissed. Cricket Australia had charged Curran on
Thursday with a level-three offence under clause 2.17 in the code of conduct following an incident that occurred
during the Sydney Sixers’ team warm-up before its match against the Hobart Hurricanes on December 11.

WIN BY 8 WICKETS IN ONE-OFF WOMEN’S TEST FIRST TEST AGAINST PROTEAS FROM DEC 26

India record maiden Virat, Rohit sweat it

out as life moves on
Test win over Australia
Playing more than one Test at home for the first time since 1995, there was hardly a
While Kohli, who came back from London after a short break
with family, joined the training after half an hour, Rohit did
look a bit more relaxed after shutting himself off for three
weeks. The two batted in different nets and centre practice
moment when the team put a foot wrong While India scripted the biggest win for any team
strip, and also faced throwdowns for more than an hour
by margin of runs against England, their first-ever triumph over Australia in 11 Tests now
CENTURION or left-arm bowler
has ensured more entries in the column of ‘matches won’ compared to ‘matches lost’.In 40 for you).” The
Tests, India now have seven wins and six defeats, while 27 have been drawn It has now been more than skipper was fine
a month since the forget- with anything as
table World Cup final but it the former skipper
MUMBAI still hurts like hell. already started his
However, Rohit Sharma knocking at other
It was a befitting end to In- and Virat Kohli are two nets.
dia Women’s first ‘home battle-hardened profes-
season’ of Test cricket in 28 sionals who know that it’s
Ashwin could
years as they recorded a important to move on as miss out again
historic maiden victory they sweated it out in com-
over a venerable Australia panionable silence. Against a four-
in the one-off Test here on There’s a 31-year jinx in In- pronged pace at-
Sunday. dian cricket having missed tack comprising
On the final day, India out on a Test series win in Kagiso Rabada,
produced their best both the ‘Rainbow Nation’ and Lungi Ngidi, Mar-
with the ball and bat to in the twilight zone of their co Jansen and
thwart a spirited Aus- careers, both would want Indias Virat Kohli with coach Rahul Dravid possibly Gerald
tralian resurgence, first to achieve which no other during a practice session PTI Coetzee, it is un-
sparking a collapse in the Indian teams could. likely India will
visitors’ ranks to snaffle There was hardly any
the remaining five wickets conversation between
for 28 and then knocking them even when they took
off a meagre target of 75 short breaks in between.
without much ado to script Unlike the World Cup nets
an eight-wicket win. Indian players pose with the trophy after winning the one-off Test cricket match against Australia, in Mumbai, Sunday PTI when there was a mix of
Smriti Mandhana (38 not both focus and laughter,
out) and Jemimah Ro- triumph over Australia in ets in the first 45 minutes the only sound that made
drigues (12 not out) em- 11 Tests now has ensured of the day and concede the you sit up and take notice
braced each other in a more entries in the column game to India. was that of the red leather
warm hug when the objec- of ‘matches won’ compared Pooja Vastrakar began colliding with the
tive of beating a world- to ‘matches lost’. the damage by trapping willow.Coach Rahul
dominating side was ac- In 40 Tests, India now Ashleigh Gardner for sev- Dravid had a hawk eye on
complished, bringing back have seven wins and six en in front of the wickets, centre nets as KL Rahul
memories of India’s defeats, while 27 have been and Rana tiled the game in put his pads on quickly.
shushed reaction in 2008 in drawn. India’s favour when she With Kona Bharat not
Australia when MS India’s dominating show struck twice to remove even bothering to don the
Dhoni’s side beat the hosts warrants the attention of Annabel Sutherland (27) big gloves during the first
and made a statement by the game’s custodians to and Alana King (0). hour, one had no doubt
not indulging in any pas- ruminate over more ‘home’ Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who would keep wickets.
sionate celebrations. Tests in future since such who was unlucky to have The first to enter the
India Women’s stuck to games have only been few not got any success on the nets, Rohit and young
the promise of playing and far between.If the win third day when she got a Yashasvi Jaiswal were
breakthrough nearly seen taking turns while Indias batter Rohit Sharma during a warm-up session ahead of the
Harmanpreet’s spell on third day was thrice, cleaned up Kim facing Jasprit Bumrah, first Test cricket match PTI
Garth (4) for her first wick- Shardul Thakur for five
turning point: Sneh Rana et in the innings. deliveries each before com- After some time, King lessen their batting depth

S
kipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s spell on the third evening Gayakwad then bamboo- ing in for next round.How- Kohli walked out of the and hence, Shardul could
was the turning point. Kaur brought herself on after zled Jess Jonassen (9) with ever, the signature Rohit main arena and padded up once again pip Ravichan-
Australia’s resurgent batting display kept India on a delivery that turned into came to fore when he slog for the throwdown nets dran Ashwin in the pacer-
the field for a large part of the third day and dismissed the left-hander sharply swept Ashwin deep into where Rohit and Jaiswal friendly conditions where
Tahlia McGrath (73) and Alyssa Healy (32), after they had and crashed into middle the grass embankments. would join in a few min- underlying moisture is ex-
reduced the first-innings deficit of 187 runs and taken a and leg, with the last recog- One knew that nothing has utes.”Tujhko pehle jana ki pected due to forecast of
slender lead of 46 runs. nised Australian batter changed as per Rohit the main jaaon (You will go heavy showers on Day
“We were not thinking much and wanted to stay in the nearly toppling over on opener is concerned. first or should I go),” Rohit 1.But Shardul will be the
present. Harmanpreet’s two wickets were the turning her front foot.Australia India Womens skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana
point,” Rana told the media after India’s maiden win over were bundled out for 261 in pose for a photo AFP
Australia in Tests when asked about the turning point in their second innings, hav-
the match. Rana seconded India captain Kaur in ing scored a moderate 219
acknowledging that head coach Amol Muzumdar had a in their first essay after It’s not even a blip: Healy

A
key role to play in their strong performances.”As electing to bat.India were ustralia’s first-ever loss to India in the one-off
Harmanpreet said, he had an important role in the team. supreme with the bat women’s Test is not even a “blip” and next year’s
He has been a very experienced player and all his inputs again as they made 406 in T20 World Cup in Bangladesh remains their
have been good,” Rana said. the first essay to also ultimate goal, said captain Alyssa Healy on Sunday.
record their highest total The eight-wicket win was India’s first-ever triumph over
‘positive cricket’, weath- over England last week ever against Australia in Australia in 11 Tests.
ered all mini storms along saw the emergence of new Tests. “Probably not even a blip,” Healy told media after the
the way and largely dictat- Test stars in Jemimah Ro- Shafali Verma cracked match when asked where does this defeat leave her side
ed terms against fancied drigues, Shubha Satheesh the first ball of the in- given their dominant record.
opponents in Australia and Renuka Singh Thakur, nings for four but Garth “It is a format where we are not overly familiar with
and England.In fact, there the one against Australia produced a peach to find conditions.” Healy said Australia’s squad has undergone a
was no disparity in Team witnessed the 20-year-old an outside edge off her lot of change but they are comfortable with where they
India’s clinical perform- Richa Ghosh arriving at bat, caught by skipper are currently placed.”Within our group, we are really
comfortable with where we are at and sort of the
Indian players Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal during a
ance in the two home Tests the scene with 52 on debut. Alyssa Healy, for the first practice session PTI
played on different sur- On the fourth day morn- breakthrough of the in- progression that we are on and where we we want to get
faces here at the ing, Indian spinners ruled nings.Beth Mooney to moving forward,” she said. asked his younger fourth pacer and if one
Wankhede Stadium and at the roost as the trio of Sneh dropped a sitter off Gard- opening partner goes by nets, Mukesh Ku-
the DY Patil Stadium Rana (5-2-9-2), Rajeshwari ner to give Richa Ghosh (4) fell in the first over. Mooney 33; Sneh Rana 4- Indian player Jasprit Bumrah bowls who wants the sen- mar, although a few yards
against England, consider- Gayakwad (1.4-1-0-2) and (13) an early reprieve Rodrigues and 63, Harmanpreet Kaur 2- during a practice session PTI ior to take strike. lesser in pace than Prasidh
ing they were playing at Deepti Sharma (3-2-5-0) when the batter was yet Mandhana then complete 23, Rajeshwari Gayakwad One of the throw- Krishna, bowled good
home for the first time in teamed up to wreck havoc to open her the task. 2-42) lost to INDIA 406 & As the skipper was in the down specialists channels and beat the bat a
almost a decade. on the Australian resist- account.Ghosh went on BRIEF SCORES: AUS- 75/2 in 18.3 overs (Smriti midst of his first stint, in Dayanand asked his skip- lot of times.
While India scripted the ance. Australia, looking to to add 51 for the second TRALIA 219 & 261 all out Mandhana 389 not out, walked Kohli and had a per, “Dada aapke liye Prasidh though bowled
biggest win for any team build on their slender lead wicket with Mandhana in 105.4 overs (Tahlia Mc- Jemimah Rodrigues 12 not brief chat with coach kaunsa bowler rakhein, his back of length deliver-
by margin of runs against of 46 runs, collapsed spec- (38 not out off 61 balls, Grath 73, Ellyse Perry 45, out; Kim Garth 1-19, Ash- Dravid as he watched Ro- right arm ya left-arm ies, which didn’t trouble
England, their first-ever tacularly to lose five wick- 6x4s) after Shafali Verma Alyssa Healy 32, Beth leigh Gardner 1-18) hit’s batting. (Should I keep right-arm most of the batters.

STARC ON TURNING DOWN PUT DOVE STICKER ON BAT AND CSK CEO KS VISWANATHAN SAYS DESERT VIPERS ALL-ROUNDER
MULTIPLE IPL FORTUNES SHOES FOR BOXING DAY TEST ARYAN LAKRA SAYS

Prioritizing international
cricket has helped my game
SYDNEY
Senior Australian seamer
Mitchell Starc has admitted
that he had in the past
turned down multiple lucra-
tive offers from the Indian
Premier League (IPL) to pri-
oritise his international ca-
reer, which has “helped”
him in improving his game.
Starc has been roped in by
two-time winners Kolkata
Knight Riders for a
record Rs 24.75 crore
during the auction last
week, and it would be his
first stint in the tourna-
ment since 2015.Starc said
that the break during the
IPL allowed him to recharge
himself and stay fit for the
international assignments.
“Juggling one cricket
schedule is hard enough,
let alone when there’s
two in a relationship.
So, I’ve always spent
that time away from
cricket with Alyssa
or time with family
and recharging my
body for being as
fit and as ready as I can for
Australian cricket,” he was
quoted .”I don’t regret any
of it. I think it’s certainly
helped my Test cricket. The
money is always nice and
certainly was this year, but
I’ve always prioritised in-
ternational cricket, and I
think that’s helped my
game.” Starc’s last outing in
the IPL was with
Royal Chal-
lengers Banga-
lore, the only he
has represented
in the competi-
tion till date.
ICC rejects Usman MS will start working ‘Want to replicate Azam
Khawaja’s request in the nets soon Khan’s style in my game’
CHENNAI And, probably in another DUBAI humble beginning playing
MELBOURNE Declaration of Human ten days, he will also start school cricket went on to
Rights: “All human beings KS Viswanathan, the CEO working in the nets. With Making an impactful inter- captain the UAE U16 and
Ahead of Australia’s Box- are born free and equal in of Chennai Super Kings the season set to start national debut is not a U19 squads including the
ing Day Test match against dignity and rights. They (CSK), said legendary around March 22, we are privilege too many crick- one that participated in the
Pakistan a the MCG, the are endowed with reason wicketkeeper-batter and planning for a camp in eters can boast of but 2020 ICC U19 World Cup,
International Cricket and conscience and should skipper MS Dhoni will Chennai by the Aryan Lakra made his where he played a crucial
Council (ICC) has rejected act towards one another in start working in the nets first week of presence felt when he role in their
veteran opener Usman a spirit of brotherhood.” soon as part of preparation March,” scored 84 on his ODI debut qualification.Just as he
Khawaja’s request to put a “Khawaja checked the for IPL 2024. against USA in August, was to transition into the
dove sticker on his bat and logo with Cricket After captaining CSK to 2022. senior national team, he
shoes during the match. Australia and the Aus- IPL 2023, their fifth cham- The Desert suffered a setback. “I was
As per a report in The tralian Cricketers Associa- pionship win, Dhoni un- Vipers have ac- supposed to make my de-
Sydney Morning Herald, tion ahead of the MCG Test derwent a left knee quired the services but for the senior team
Khawaja trained at the and received no surgery in Mumbai after of all-rounder Aryan against Ireland in early
MCG wearing logos of a objection from having issues with it dur- Lakra for season 2 2021 but I tested positive
black dove holding an either body. ing the tourna- of the DP for. This delayed my debut
olive branch during But a rejection ment, espe- World In- by about 16 months but I
Australia’s prac- of his appli- cially re- ternational eventually had the oppor-
tice session. The cation ar- stricting League T20 tunity to make my ODI de-
logo was on his rived from his move- after finishing but against USA where I
right shoe and the ICC on ment as runners-up did well and 11 days later, I
also on the Sunday morn- while in the inaugu- made my T20I debut
back of ing,” said the running ral edition against Singapore. I also
his report. between the of the went on to play for UAE in
bat.The wickets. tourna- the ICC Men’s T2o World
logo on the Viswanathan also ment.The Cup in Australia later that
bat was ac- said CSK may start left-arm- year,” said the 22-year-old
companied its preparatory camp in spinner- Aryan Lakra who has his
by a refer- Chennai in the first week cum- roots in Haryana,
ence to Ar- of March. left- India.Aryan believes the
ticle One “He is doing well now. He hand- DP World ILT20 provides a
of the Uni- has started his rehab and batsman massive platform for
versal is working in the gym. who made a young players like him.