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Editorial: A Financial career
Delhi HC denies urgent
listing of Kejriwal's plea
challenging arrest, remand
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high
court has denied an urgent
listing of the plea filed by
chief minister and AAP na-
tional convener Arvind Ke-
jriwal challenging his arrest
and custody in the case.
Kejriwal, who was arrested
by the Enforcement Direc-
torate on Thursday and was
sent to its custody till March
28, had sought an urgent
hearing in the matter, which
will now be listed on reopen-
ing on Wednesday.
Kejriwal's arrest came
hours after the Delhi high
court on Thursday refused
to grant him interim protec-
tion from any coercive ac-
tion by the ED in the money
laundering probe.
On Friday, the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) chief was pro-
duced before special judge
Kaveri Baweja, who permit-
ted his custody to the feder-
al agency after ED stressed
this was imperative to un-
ravel the complexities of the
alleged acts of money laun-
dering and corruption in the
case. “The accused is here-
by remanded to the custo-
dy of ED till 28.03.2024 for
the purposes of his detailed
and sustained interrogation
with respect to his role and
to unearth the remaining
proceeds of crime and for
confronting him with data
‘Why Cong became so helpless
& weak?’: Anurag Thakur's
jab on Arvind Kejriwal's arrest
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Union minister
Anurag Thakur on Saturday
lashed out at Arvind Kejri-
wal for continuing as Delhi
chief minister despite be-
ing arrested, calling it the
‘worst kind of politics’.
Referring to Sunita Kejri-
wal reading out the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) conve-
nor's message in a video,
Thakur said that the party
leaders are competing to
replace Kejriwal, whose
wife has also joined the
race, LN reported.
Thakur lashed out at the
opposition parties includ-
ing Congress for expressing
solidarity with Kejriwal, who
is currently in ED custody till
March 28.
"Why has the Congress
become so helpless and
weak? The Congress
should laud the ED for tak-
ing action in the case and
arresting the accused as
its leaders, including Ajay
Maken, had targeted the
AAP for the “scam”, PTI
quoted Thakur as saying.
‘Kingpin has been arrest-
‘GOVT REJECTS HINDUSTAN ZINC’S PLAN TO SPLIT FIRM’
NEW DELHI: The Mines Ministry has rejected a proposal by Vedanta group’s firm Hin-
dustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) to split the company into different entities, a top official on
Friday said. The government is the largest minority shareholder in Hindustan Zinc,
owning a 29.54 per cent stake in the company.
ucknow news
VOL. 18 | ISSUE NO: 204 | Sunday, 24 March 2024 | DAILY MORNING | Page 4 | Price Rs 1.00
Bourses rise for third session in row, Sensex rises over 190 pts A day after top court nudge, Ponmudy sworn in as min
Arvind Kejriwal has moved the Delhi high court,
challenging his arrest and the order of remand granted
by the trial court on March 22
retrieved from digital de-
vices and material seized
during investigation,” said
the judge in her order.
In his plea, Kejriwal con-
tended that his arrest and
remand were illegal and
that he was entitled to be re-
leased from custody imme-
diately, reported LN.
The case pertains to al-
leged corruption and money
laundering in formulating
and executing the Delhi gov-
ernment's excise policy for
2021-22 which was later
scrapped. Top AAP leaders
Manish Sisodia and Sanjay
Singh are in judicial custody
in the case.
Meanwhile, the AAP lead-
ers have asserted that the
Delhi chief minister will run
the government from jail.
Punjab chief minister and
AAP leader Bhagwant Mann
ed’: Anurag Thakur
Continuing his attack on
Kejriwal, the Union minister
said,"The kingpin has been
arrested and the one who
gave us wisdom on moral-
ity and honesty says he will
run the government from
jail."
Thakur noted how Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
had presented himself for
questioning when he was
the Gujarat chief minister.
“Modi asserted the suprem-
acy of law and came out
stronger,” he said.
Kejriwal, 55, was arrest-
ed by the Enforcement Di-
rectorate on Thursday after
two hours of questioning
by the agency. The arrest
told LN that permission will
be sought from the court to
set up an office in jail to run
the Delhi government.
Legal experts have sug-
gested that the law does not
prohibit anyone from head-
ing the government from
prison but Arvind Kejriwal
may face various difficul-
ties in discharging his duties
from there. "Kejriwal's arrest
does not change his status
as Chief Minister," consti-
tutional expert PDT Achary
said, adding, "whether he
can perform his function as
Chief Minister smoothly is
subjected to a jail manual."
"If a jail manual permits
such things, then it is ok;
otherwise, he has to get per-
mission from the court and
then the court has to give a
specific direction to jail offi-
cials," he said.
came after the Delhi high
court had denied him pro-
tection from coercive ac-
tion by the agency. A Delhi
court on Friday sent him to
ED custody till March 28.
On Saturday, Kejriwal has
moved the Delhi high court,
challenging his arrest and
the order of remand passed
by the trial court. His legal
team said that his plea in
Delhi HC stated that both
the arrest and the remand
order are 'illegal' and he is
entitled to be released from
custody immediately.
An immediate hearing
has been sought from the
Acting Chief Justice, prefer-
ably by Sunday, March 24,
LN reported.
Electoral bonds are ‘post-raid’
bribes to BJP govt: J. Ramesh
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Senior Con-
gress leader and MP Jairam
Ramesh on Saturday said
that the electoral bonds are
“pre-paid”, “post-paid” and
“post-raid” bribes, through
which the central govern-
ment had given Rs.3.8 lakh
crore in projects and con-
tracts to private companies
in exchange for Rs.2,004
crore in donations to the
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP).
Addressing a press con-
ference, the party repeated
the its 2019 election mani-
festo promise to scrap the
Electoral Bond Scheme and
replace it with a National
Elections Fund if it comes to
power in 2024.
In its 2019 manifesto,
the Congress promised to
scrap the “opaque” Electoral
Bonds Scheme and replace
it with a National Election
Fund, to which any person
could contribute and from
which funds would be col-
lected at the time of elec-
tions to recognised political
parties in accordance with
criteria laid down by law.
The Congress also had
said that it would ensure
that EVMs and VVPATs were
tamperproof and allocate
“substantially more” free air-
time on All India Radio and
Doordarshan to recognised
political parties in accor-
dance with the criteria laid
down by law.
Ramesh said that the rul-
ing party used four routes to
carry out the electoral bond
INDIA LOOKING AT
AFRICA FOR CRITICAL
MINERALS: MINES SECY
NEW DELHI: India is look-
ing at Africa for minerals,
including cobalt, and other
critical minerals, Mines Sec-
retary V L Kantha Rao said
on Friday. The country is
still engaging with Australia
for lithium blocks, he said.
Talking to reporters on the
sidelines of a function here,
the secretary said, “In Africa,
we are looking at Zambia,
Namibia, Congo, Ghana and
Mozambique for critical
minerals.” Critical minerals,
including lithium and cobalt,
are crucial for technology,
manufacturing and other
industries. Rao further said
the rules for auction of off-
shore minerals blocks are
being readied and that 10
offshore blocks would be
put on sale. The auction of
offshore blocks, he said, will
take place after the elec-
tions. Rao said the result
of the first round of auction
of critical minerals will be
out in 10 days. He further
said the lithium block in
Jammu and Kashmir that
was put on sale in the first
round will now be auctioned
in the third tranche as it re-
ceived only two bids. The
government had this month
launched the third tranche
of auction of critical and
strategic minerals.
scam. The first is ‘Chanda do
dhandha lo’ [give donations
and get business], the sec-
ond route is ‘theka lo ghus
do’, [take contracts and give
bribes], the third is ‘hafta
vasooli’ [extortion], and the
fourth is the usage of shell
companies, he added.
The BJP has patented this,
Ramesh claimed. He said
that the ED [Enforcement
Directorate], CBI [Central
Bureau of Investigation] and
the Income Tax [Depart-
ment] were sent to the com-
panies and to escape from
them, these companies
bought electoral bonds and
gave donations to the BJP,
Ramesh claimed.
Ramesh said that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
had promised to shut shell
companies within and out-
side the Parliament before
2014, but 16 shell compa-
nies donated Rs.419 crore
to the BJP, out of Rs.543
crore donated by shell com-
panies, according to the
recently released electoral
bond data.
“These included compa-
nies on a finance minis-
try high-risk watch list for
money laundering, compa-
nies donating crores within
months of their formation,
and companies donating
many multiples of their paid-
up share capital,” he said.
“Rs.551 crore in dona-
tions were given to the BJP
in exchange for Rs.1.32
lakh crores in contracts and
project approvals that were
provided by the Central or
BJP state governments
Haridwar LS seat: No qualms, fully support
Rawat, says Nishank over ticket denial
OUR CORRESPONDENT
HARIDWAR: Former Union
minister Ramesh Pokhriyal
Nishank who was recently
replaced by former Uttara-
khand chief minister Triven-
dra Singh Rawat as the
Bharatiya Janata Party can-
didate from the Haridwar
seat ahead of the upcoming
Lok Sabha elections has re-
futed the allegations of be-
ing a fence sitter saying he
has “no qualms”. Nishank
said that his major objective
was to ensure that the party
wins the elections with a “re-
cord margin”.
After Nishank’s name was
dropped, speculations were
rife that he has “remained
silent” in supporting BJP Ha-
ridwar candidate Trivendra
Singh Rawat.
Refuting the apprehen-
sions, Nishank said that he
is an “active party worker”
and the BJP has given him
“several important respon-
sibilities”.
Holding a media briefing
at the press club in Harid-
war,the two-time incumbent
Haridwar parliamentarian
Nishank said: “I am an ac-
tive ( party) worker... The
party has given me several
within three months after
the donation….Rs.62,000
crore in contracts and proj-
ect approvals were given
by Central or BJP state gov-
ernments, for which Rs.580
crore of postpaid bribe (in
the form of electoral bonds)
were given to the BJP with-
in three months,” Ramesh
claimed, as evidence of
both “pre-paid” and “post-
paid” bribery.
This would amount to 38
corporate groups allegedly
receiving a total of Rs.3.8
lakh crore in projects and
contracts in exchange for
Rs.2,004 crores in electoral
bonds donations to the BJP,
he said.
The Congress leader also
noted that 41 corporate
groups had faced a total of
56 ED, CBI and IT raids and
donated Rs.2,592 crore to
the BJP, of which Rs.1,853
crore was given after the
raids.
“The PM, who did not
important responsibilities
before and I abide by the
party high command’s de-
cision of replacing me with
Rawat in the ongoing parlia-
mentary election.”
“Since 1991, I have been
active BJP worker. I was
given assembly ticket from
Karanprayag, Thailisain and
Doiwala segments.I also
held the post of cabinet
minister in the then Kalyan
Singh-led Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment... held cabinet min-
ister portfolios in BC Khan-
duri-led state government,”
he said.
“I held the post of state
chief minister. Was made
BJP’s national vice-presi-
dent, have been Haridwar
parliamentarian twice... it
is (always) the party high
R.N.I. Reg. No.
want to give MSP a legal
status, have bribes legal
status – electoral bonds,”
Ramesh said and repeat-
ed the Congress’s demand
for a Supreme Court-moni-
tored inquiry into the allega-
tions of corruption through
the scheme and promised
a Special Investigation
Team (SIT) inquiry if INDIA
bloc came to power in the
upcoming Lok Sabha elec-
tions.
He also dismissed the
SBI’s plea before the Su-
preme Court that it would
require time until the end
of June, by which time the
Lok Sabha elections would
have been conducted, to
match the details of elec-
toral bond donors with the
parties they donated to.
Ramesh claimed that
two young Congress work-
ers had already produced a
code which could complete
this task, after the bank
submitted all the details of
command’s decision which
is taken in a broader per-
spective.I have no qualms
and the major objective is to
ensure that the party wins
Haridwar again and rest of
the four constituencies with
a record margin,” said Nis-
hank.
Rejecting the allegations
of him leaving electoral pol-
itics, he said: “I am neither
leaving Haridwar nor Ut-
tarakhand. I am still active
in mainstream politics, so I
urge my supporters and all
party workers to campaign
with dedication and reach
out to voters so that the
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi-led BJP achieves the
400 plus seats target,”.
He was accompanied by
Ranipur-BHEL legislator
electoral bonds, including
their ‘unique alpha-numer-
ic’ codes to the Election
Commission on March 21.
“It took only three lines
of Python code and less
than 15 seconds to match
the donors with political
parties, exposing the bra-
zen and ridiculous claim of
the SBI that it would take
months to provide the data
asked by the Supreme
Court,” the Congress leader
claimed. He added that any
citizen could do the same
using the documents avail-
able on the ECI’s website
and the code developed by
its workers.
The Supreme Court had
in February struck down the
Electoral Bonds Scheme as
arbitrary and asked the SBI,
which was responsible for
issuing these anonymous
bonds, to submit the details
of all the donations made
under this scheme to the
Election Commission.
Aadesh Chauhan, former
cabinet minister Swami Yat-
ishwaranand, district unit
president Sandeep Goyal,
Haridwar Lok Sabha in-
charge Love Sharma among
other leaders during the
event.
Nishank who has been ac-
tively working for his constit-
uency in the past two years,
said that the mass develop-
ment works carried out un-
der his tenure “will certainly
prove fruitful to Trivendra
Singh Rawat during the elec-
toral campaign.”
On delay in Congress
ticket allocation, Nishank
remarked that not much
impact will be visible wheth-
er Harish Rawat or his son
Virendra Rawat contest
from Haridwar constituency
as “BJP will win this time
again with record margin.”
Reacting to Nishank’s re-
marks, Congress state unit
spokesperson Anil Chaud-
hary said that he should first
answer why did the BJP drop
his name from the list.
“If he has done mass de-
velopment works as Harid-
war parliamentarian... he
should first answer why he
was denied party ticket.” he
said.
2 Lucknow, Sunday, 24 March 2024 Lucknow News (English Daily)

An Sustainability
EDITORIAL
A Financial career
For many years of my early life, a visit to the bank was like
Stephen Leacock’s short story, ‘My Financial Career’. The
bank with its tellers, cashiers, snooty bank managers et
al, truly intimidated me. It was a place of serious business
where lives could be shaped. The acceptance or refusal of EVEN AS INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS STRIVE HARD TO SAVE WATER IN BENGALURU, THE USE OF RO
a loan could alter destinies, alleviate or prolong troubles,
rekindle or dash hopes. PURIFIERS IS PLAYING THE SPOILER BY WASTING A HUMONGOUS AMOUNT OF WATER
Bank managers too were revered folk and a career in the Bengaluru mega city, with
banking system was aspirational for the masses. But a lot an extent of 800 square ki-
has changed for this group of professionals. lometres and population of
The forward march of growing financial inclusion has around 10 million, is located
meant the popping up of hundreds of bank branches across on a basin divide forming a
the country. And with it, has come the onslaught of relent- part of the Ponnaiyar river
less work pressures, sales targets, and unforgiving work catchment (435 sq km ) in
schedules. the east and Arkavathi river
Except for the top job at PSBs or private banks, the major- (365 sq km) catchment of
ity of the staff are overworked, undertrained, and constantly Cauvery Basin in the west.
stressed. It’s quite routine for me to receive calls from the Its peri-urban activities
managers and senior staff of my various banks. spread beyond 30-35 km
If you have any savings accruing, briskly comes the call from its peripheral parts
about new investment schemes. Phone the manager for and the 300-350 sq km
some information or advice, pat comes the advice to put green belt around it has vir-
money into flexi-FDs. A recent incident of a bank manag- tually disappeared. The city
er harassing me with multiple calls, texts, and WhatsApp has no water resource of
messages, all within an hour’s time, got me irritable but its own, except the 66,400
also thinking. hectare metre (23.45 thou-
As I complied with the lady’s wishes (before curtly in- sand million cubic feet,
forming her that such behaviour is unbecoming of a bank TMC) rainwater it receives
manager), I couldn’t deny the sheer desperation in her en- when there is normal annu-
deavours. It’s normal for bank employees now to request, al monsoon rainfall of 830
persuade, even plead with customers to “help” them out by millimetres.
investing in a scheme or opening a new account. Of this, nearly 17,500
Bank officials are more salespersons today than banking hectare metre (6.18 TMC) or
professionals, selling everything from government policies 25 per cent of annual rain-
to mutual funds and insurance, that has been mounted on fall is the precious surface
their usual work responsibilities. run-off that flows through
There are about 1.54 million The Indian bank the stormwater drains called
bank employees in India, divid- employee is rajakaluves.
ed equally between public and constantly stressed These have now become
private banks, and include staff with unrealistic the perennial flow path for
in payment and small finance targets, toxic work untreated and / or partially
banks. environments, and treated urban wastewater /
There are an additional 95,000 steadily declining sewage / and other dispos-
employees in Regional Rural mental health; Not only als. The natural topographic
Banks (RRB). As I brooded over are banking employees features and the drainage
the plight of the hapless banker, I extremely stressed, characteristics were once
also recalled the viral video from there is also a growing congenial for uninterrupted It is the moral responsibility of every citizen to use the available precious water resources judiciously
June last year, of a senior em- incidence of suicides flow of stormwater. have come up along the soil of 2-3 metre thickness flow of nearly 17,500 hect- requirement;
When mining of
ployee abusing and screaming at among them The effects of urbanisa- length and breadth of the over thick clayey saprolite are metres of rainwater Conserve, protect and free
groundwater resources
his juniors over a virtual call. tion have played a devil’s city. In the Ponnaiyar catch- have all together prevented during the period of normal from pollution the precious
is in full-swing, attempts
A quick search throws up alarming statistics. Not only role in the city! Disposal of ment, the mushrooming water from infiltrating. Fur- annual rainfall can serve storm water of 17,500 hect-
for groundwater recharge
are banking employees extremely stressed, there is also urban waste pollutes the of apartment complexes ther, unaltered part of the about 2.5 million people at are metre (6.18TMC) of Ben-
measures remain
a growing incidence of suicides among them. A steady groundwater, surface water and high towered buildings parent rock between imper- 140 litres / head / day, if ac- galuru;
meaningless
stream of incidents of bank employees resorting to death and atmosphere. Original are with no assured water vious clayey saprolite above tion is taken to protect from Effectively implement
by suicide due to work pressure have been surfacing from stormwater drains have source during the lean sea- and the massive rock body pollution and degradation, rooftop rainwater harvest- fresh public borewells!
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Kerala, and others. been tampered, encroached son. Dry weather persists for at around 300 metres be- and used judiciously. ing in all the houses and The authorities are trying
After the suicide of a woman banking professional in and grossly reduced both longer than before. low the surface, form a con- The stormwater drains, buildings, which exceed to overcome the water scar-
2021, the Kerala Human Rights Commission ordered a in width and depth. Many There is a strong contrast fined zone, largely with no which are now the perenni- 100 square metres of roof city on a war-footing, more
probe into “stressful work conditions” of bank staff. of the 1st and 2nd order in the geomorphological, rainwater infiltration. al flow path for sewage and top; and Treat 70 per cent so now that the posh apart-
More banks mushrooming everywhere may have eased streams have disappeared geological, geo-hydrologi- The water, whatever may other urban discharges, can- of the sewage / wastewa- ment complexes in the Pon-
access to financial tools, but it has also thrust unrealistic on ground. cal, pedological and even have been tapped through not now sustain the storm- ter generated in the city up naiyar catchment part of the
KRAs (key result areas) on the employees. News reports The centuries old lakes climatological features be- borewells in that part, is water load of even short du- to potability level after ter- city are facing the brunt.
abound of bank staff being called into work on holidays and with cascading effect con- tween the Vrishabhavathi accumulated before and rations. tiary-level treatment. The These neighbourhoods
weekends to meet targets. structed by the erstwhile stream system of Arkavathi during the process of chem- But the scenario is such cumulative impact of these rely mainly on groundwater
The sector is further hit by a high attrition rate because rulers across the natural catchment in the west and ical weathering. This ‘long- that during rainy days, measures would meet the from the borewells deep-
frankly, who would want to work in a toxic environment, and stormwater drains to con- the dominant Hebbal and stayed static water resource’ stormwater, along with the water requirement of 14 er than 300 metres, which
therefore, job jumps happen easily in lieu of meagre pay serve water, serve the irri- Koramangala-Challaghatta under ‘confined conditions’, urban sewage and other million people in Bengalu- have become defunct or are
hikes. gation and domestic needs (KC) valley systems of Pon- which has been extracted discharges, flood the valley ru, without any dependence on the verge of becoming
According to a study by recruitment company, Team- during lean season and as naiyar river catchment in the continuously over the past zones / low-lying areas, and on groundwater. Had these unusable. The authorities
Lease, frontline attrition continues at 30-40 per cent with groundwater recharge struc- east in Bengaluru. two decades through count- the buildings or any other suggestions been discussed shoulder treat the only avail-
almost every major private bank witnessing surging em- tures have now become the While the structurally less borewells, has either structure present there. at an appropriate level and able source of water whatev-
ployee churn. The report added that employment in the repositories of untreated trained steep to moderate become dry or is on the Bengaluru is susceptible to measures taken for imple- er stored in the major lakes
BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) sector is and / or partially treated ur- rock cut course of the Vr- verge of becoming dry. the vagaries of rainfall. mentation, probably there like of Ulsoor, Hebbal, Yele
under “tremendous pressure”. ban sewage / wastewater ishabhavathi channel sys- Many builders and land- Rainfall has been erratic would not have been any cry Mallappa Shetty, Agara, Bel-
At an event last year, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Gover- discharges. tem with its prime tributary owners, not looking into the in recent years. El Nino has for water scarcity as now be- landur, Vartur, up to tertiary
nor Shaktikanta Das also commented on the high attrition Bengaluru is no more a ‘Nagarbhavi-Thorai’ flows ground condition of such been a matter of concern ing largely heard! level, bring it on to potable
at private sector banks and mentioned that the central city of those highly glorified southerly and south-wester- places, have got borewells to the people and the ad- Immediate solutions Peo- level in a fool-proof manner
bank was closely monitoring the issue. lakes. Small water bodies ly, the flow systems in the drilled even beyond 300- ministrators concerned. The ple are feeling the brunt of and supply.
There has been a growing clamour for a 5-day work week have vanished. Many me- predominant Hebbal and 350 metres. They have not weather phenomenon may summer from mid-February Even if people hesitate to
for bank employees. The government’s nod was anticipated dium and large lakes have KC valleys of the Ponnaiyar struck water or the little vol- be recurrent and people itself. Both the southwest use such water for domestic
ahead of the model code of conduct (MCC), but may now been irretrievably reduced catchment are easterly and ume they managed to tap may feel the pinch of water and northeast monsoons purposes, it can serve other
come in post-Lok Sabha elections. At present, both private in extent due to human gentle over a raised plateau into was short lived. scarcity in each El Nino year. failed during the year 2023. demands. It is the moral re-
and public sector banks work on the first and third Satur- encroachments and solid like topography. In contrast to the Ponnai- El Nino sometimes go on Each year, when summer sponsibility of every citizen
days of the month. waste dumping. The poten- The drainage system of yar part of the catchment, for 4-5 successive years months approach, there to use the available precious
But given greater digitisation, the 5-day work week has a tial lakes are heavily silted. Hebbal and KC valleys are the hydrogeological char- and may result in a drought. is naturally a public outcry water resources judiciously.
strong case. Working hours though may be increased by 45 Original designed reservoir characteristically broad, acteristics of the gneissic More than a decade ago, hy- for water. But the authority When mining of groundwa-
minutes to accommodate the new work regime. capacity of each of the exist- shallow and unstable. The aquifers between the right drogeologists KC Subhash concerned investigates to ter resources is in full-swing,
In some other good news, government bank employees ing lakes have been highly gneissic rocks in the Pon- bank of the south-flowing Vr- Chandra and GV Hegde, af- overcome the problem only attempts for groundwater
are also scheduled to get a 17 per cent rise in salaries after reduced. naiyar catchment, which ishabhavathi River and the ter an intensive hydrogeo- through certain temporary recharge measures remain
the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and bank unions signed The natural landscapes have undergone intense western fringe of intrusive logical study, had made the measures like supplying wa- meaningless.
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the 12th bipar- are altered beyond any- chemical weathering since granite, has been a better following suggestions to the ter through tankers! The city should protect
tite settlement in December 2023. body’s imagination! There the geological past are al- water-yielding zone. But the authorities in 2011, 2012, The quality of water needs and conserve as much
Hiring in the banking sector will still require ramping up are no old spatial gardened tered to clayey ‘saprolite’ to continued indiscriminate ex- 2014 and 2015: to be evidently tested when stormwater as possible and
and training of the workforce will be non-negotiable to re- villas. The most desired ave- a thickness of about 25-30 traction of groundwater re- Prevent and plug the en- the source is not known! adopt rooftop rainwater har-
lieve the pressure on current employees. And while banks nues have disappeared. No metres from the land sur- sources beyond the annual route leakage and transmis- Ironically, while the ground- vesting. Limitless expansion
must make earnings and sales, the management can’t ig- adequate space is left for air face at 885 metres above recharge over a period has sion loss of 30-40 per cent water source in the city aqui- of the city only aggravates
nore the mental and physical health of the employee. to circulate. the mean sea level. made the groundwater ‘not of Cauvery River water get- fers has already hit the rock the problem of water avail-
The apartment complexes The concrete urban cover a sustainable resource’. ting pumped to Bengaluru bottom, suggestions from ability and resource man-
and multi storeyed buildings followed by clayey laterite The precious stormwater for meeting the city water some corners are to drill agement.

Russia, China veto US-proposed immediate ceasefire

Russia and China on Fri-
day vetoed a US-sponsored
UN resolu - tion calling for
“an immedi - ate and sus-
tained ceasefire” in the Is-
rael-Hamas war in Gaza to
protect civilians and enable
humanitarian aid to be deliv
- ered to more than 2 million
hungry Palestinians. The
vote in the 15-member Se-
curity Council was 11 mem -
bers in favour, three against
and one abstention.
Before the vote, Rus - sia’s
UN Ambassador Vassily
Nebenzia said Moscow sup
- ports an immediate cease-
fire, but he questioned the
language in the resolution
and accused US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken
and US Ambassador Linda
Thomas-Greenfield of “mis-
leading the international
community” for “politicized”
reasons.
Earlier, US Ambassa - dor
Linda Thomas-Greenfield
said she was optimistic that
the new, tougher draft res-
olution would be approved
Friday by the 15-member
council.
The draft being put to a
vote “determines” which is
a council order “the imper-
ative of an immediate and
sustained cease-fire,” with
no direct link to the release
of hostages taken during
Hamas’ Octo - ber 7 attack
on Israel, which was in the
previous draft.
But it would unequivo-
cally support diplomatic
efforts “to secure such a
cease-fire in connection
with the release of all re-
main - ing hostages.” Rus-
sia’s deputy UN ambas - sa-
dor Dmitry Polyansky said
Moscow will not be satis-
fied “with anything that
doesn’t call for an imme-
diate ceasefire,” saying it’s
what US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken is pressing
for and what “every - body”
wants.
Lucknow News (English Daily) Lucknow, Sunday, 24 March 2024 3

Hepatitis B: ‘Illness to Wellness’, ILBS to generate

InBrief
DIVE INTO HOLI FUN: CELEBRATE WITH SONY YAY!
TOONS IN COLORFUL STYLE

awareness & end discrimination against patients

LUCKNOW: Ever wondered how you can celebrate the
festival of colours with your favourite toons? Dodge those
pichkaris like Naruto and prank your friends with gulaal just
like Honey Bunny. Grab your water guns, fill your buckets
with colours and let’s find out how you can celebrate Holi OUR CORRESPONDENT tive. Shiv K Sarin, Director & ing on doctors for treatment
with the craziest bunch in town - the Sony YAY! toons. This Hepatitis B infects over 40 Chancellor, ILBS, and Dr. at later stage.
Holi, team up with the OG Jholers as you plot who should NEW DELHI: The ‘Illness to million people in India and Arti Ahuja, ExSecretary, Min- Anil Rajput, Chairperson,
be the target of your colour filled buckets. Can you imag- Wellness’ initiative, a nation- most patients continue to istry of Labour & Employ- ASSOCHAM National CSR
ine what pranks would they pull? Honey and Bunny would al campaign aimed at gener- suffer as the society large- ment, Government of India, Council, said, “Anil Rajput,
definitely outsmart others with water balloons filled with ating awareness on various ly remains weighed down expressed grave concerns Chairperson, ASSOCHAM
mud. Popat is sure to ‘accidentally’ spill gulaal on you, mind and body conditions by misconceptions related at the discrimination faced National CSR Council, said,
turning you into a walking rainbow. This Holi, get ready for and providing holistic and to the disease. In order to by Hepatitis B patients and “The ‘Winning Over Mother’s
even more goofy pranks, surprise attacks with colours and broad stakeholder engage- highlight the state of Hepa- spoke about the need to with Hepatitis with Hepatitis
laughter that erupts like fireworks! Holi just got way cooler ments- with the overall ob- titis B patients and the lack ensure vaccination and B’ (WOMB) initiative is an
with ninja-themed water tag. Imagine your backyard trans- jective of promoting healthy of awareness about the dis- importance of information extremely important step
formed into an obstacle course. With this Naruto Shippu- living, in collaboration with ease, ILBS in association dissemination through per- to raise awareness about
den-inspired game of water tag, you and your friends will the Institute of Liver and with Illness to Wellness, sistent efforts to end the the transmission of hepa-
dodge, duck, and dive like real ninjas, soaking each other Biliary Sciences (ILBS), has organised an awareness shame associated with the titis B from mother to child
with those pichkaris. Let Naruto’s ninja way lead your cel- embarked on a mission to session in which they em- disease. and eliminate the stigma
ebrations and find out who will be the last ninja standing. spread awareness about phasized on how they are Dr. Ahuja also said that in towards these mothers. It healthcare awareness. liver on the desired goals in
ADD A HEALTHY TWIST TO HOLI: MAKE ALMONDS prevention and control of working towards allaying India, the focus is more on helps in bolstering our ef- I have always been of the due course of time. I am sure
YOUR GO-TO FESTIVE SNACK motherto-child transmission fears, overcoming stigmas treatment and less on pre- forts of creating a world in firm view that when aware- this initiative will achieve its
LUCKNOW: During this festive occasion, exchanging gifts of viral hepatitis through its and dispelling myths about ventive aspects and citizens which most of the diseases ness campaigns focus on objective of alleviating pain,
and relishing delicious meals with loved ones are cherished ‘Winning Over Mothers With the disease. should focus on staying could be either eliminated drawing from the collective suffering and dogmas in the
traditions. However, amidst the festivities, it's crucial to ex- Hepatitis B’ (WOMB) initia- During the session, Dr. healthy instead of depend- or controlled by preventive synergies, they always de- society.”

Bourses rise for third session India’s outlook for next

ercise caution against overindulging in unhealthy Incorpo-
rating a handful of almonds
into your diet during this time

in row, Sensex rises over 190 pts

can enhance taste as well as

fiscal looks +ve: FinMin

provide essential health ben-
efits, ensuring a balanced
and enjoyable celebration. OUR CORRESPONDENT
Almonds, rich in 15 essential
nutrients like vitamin E, mag- MUMBAI: Benchmark equi- OUR CORRESPONDENT
nesium, protein, riboflavin, ty indices Sensex and Nifty
and zinc, are renowned for closed higher for the third NEW DELHI: The Finance
their ability to provide numerous health benefits, including straight session on Friday, Ministry on Friday said with
supporting heart health, managing weight, and regulating following gains in index ma- an uptick in private invest-
blood sugar levels. Incorporating these powerhouse nuts jors L&T, ITC and Maruti ment and inflation trending
into Holi celebrations can elevate the festivities. Whether and a record rally in the US down, India’s outlook for the
presented as gifts, incorporated into traditional recipes, markets after the Federal next fiscal looks positive. The
or enjoyed as snacks, almonds symbolize prosperity and Reserve indicated three rate Monthly Economic Review
well-being. Their delicious taste and satisfying crunch en- cuts this year. also said that inclusion of
hance the flavors of various Holi dishes, from sweet gu- However, a massive selloff Indian bonds in Bloomberg
jiya to savory almond chaat. Moreover, gifting almonds in IT and tech stocks kept bond index from January
expresses good wishes for health and happiness. By em- indices under pressure and 2025 should bolster inflows.
bracing almonds in Holi festivities, everyone can enhance restricted the rise after Ac- Sensex basket, Sun Pharma, cent, and teck fell by 1.47 It said robust investment mates of India closer to 8 per progressive employment
the joy of the occasion while embracing a healthier lifestyle. centure lowered its revenue Maruti, IndusInd Bank, Titan, per cent. activity is driving growth cent, the ministry said. outlook will help the Indian
LULU MALL'S MEGA EVENT DRAWS CROWDS WITH forecast for the sector for ITC, Tata Motors, Larsen & Accenture on Tuesday amid a steady rise in con- “On the whole, India looks economy close the current
COMEDY, MUSIC, AND MORE fiscal 2023-24, traders said. Toubro and JSW Steel were lowered its revenue forecast sumption. “The continued positively towards the dawn financial year on a positive
LUCKNOW: Lulu Mall, the renowned shopping destination After falling in early trade, the major gainers. for fiscal year 2024 due to focus on public investment of FY25,” the review said. It note.
in Lucknow, leaves no stone unturned in making every fes- markets staged a smart re- On the other hand, Infosys, global uncertainty and weak seems to have crowded in said increased demand for “There are headwinds like
tival memorable. However, this time, it decided to entertain covery. Wipro, HCL Technologies, client spending on consult- private investment,” said the residential properties in tier- indications of hardening
the public not just with one, but with several programs The 30-share BSE Sen- Tata Consultancy Services, ing services. It now sees February edition of the re- 2 and tier-3 cities augurs well crude oil prices and global
during the festive occasion of Holi. The festivities included sex climbed 190.75 points Tech Mahindra and Bajaj full-year revenue growth to view by Department of Eco- for furthering construction supply chain bottlenecks to
a stand-up act by the famous comedian Apoorva Gupta, or 0.26 per cent to settle at Finserv were among the lag- be between 1-3 per cent, nomic Affairs. activity. Non-farm employ- trade. Nonetheless, India, on
DJ Jaad's DJ bonanza, and various other entertaining pro- 72,831.94. However, a sharp gards. In the broader mar- down from the earlier projec- The National Statistical ment has revived, improving the whole, looks forward to a
grams. Customers indulged in their favorite foods at the correction in IT and tech ket, the BSE smallcap gauge tion of 2-5 per cent. In Asian Office (NSO) has revised up- the capacity to absorb the la- bright outlook for FY25,” the
food stalls, while also enjoying ample entertainment. Lulu stocks limited the rise. During jumped 1.06 per cent, and markets, Seoul, Shanghai wards the GDP growth esti- bour leaving agriculture. monthly review said.
Mall and Fever FM collaborated to organize this splendid the day, it jumped 474.43 the midcap index climbed and Hong Kong settled low- mate for current fiscal to 7.6 “The ascent of manufac- It said India’s inflation
evening. The event took place from 5 PM to 10 PM, with ac- points or 0.65 per cent to 0.38 per cent. er, while Tokyo ended in the per cent from 7.3 per cent. turing sector employment is outlook for the upcoming
tive participation from the customers. Comedy, DJ music, 73,115.62. The NSE Nifty ad- Among the indices, tele- positive territory. India grew above 8 per cent expected to be marked by months is positive. Core
and various artistic activities left no room for dull moments, vanced 84.80 points or 0.39 communication jumped European markets were for three consecutive quar- upscaling of enterprises and inflation is trending down-
making the evening truly memorable. Mr. Sameer Verma, per cent to 22,096.75. On a 2.28 per cent, consumer trading on a mixed note. Wall ters, reaffirming its position sunrise sectors emerging as wards, indicating a broad-
General Manager of Lulu Mall, said that Holi is a festival weekly basis, the BSE bench- discretionary rallied 1.20 per Street tapped fresh record as a standout performer catalysts for generating qual- based moderation in price
of mutual harmony, where we forget everything and only mark climbed 188.51 points cent, commodities (1.11 per peaks on Thursday. Foreign amid sluggish global growth ity employment,” it added. It pressures. The pick-up in
celebrate happiness. Lulu Mall has always cared about the or 0.25 per cent, and the cent), healthcare (1.17 per Institutional Investors (FIIs) trends. Various agencies said strong growth accom- summer sowing is likely to
joy of its customers. Therefore, this time, we doubled the Nifty went up by 73.4 points cent) and industrials (1.17 offloaded equities worth Rs echo a similar sentiment re- panied by stable inflation help reduce food prices, it
dose of laughter and music for the customers, ensuring or 0.33 per cent. From the per cent). IT declined by 2 per 1,826.97 crore on Thursday. vising the FY24 growth esti- and external account and added.

ISRO achieves major milestone in reusable

they couldn't resist joining in the fun.
AI SKILLS COULD BOOST SALARIES OF WORKERS
IN INDIA BY MORE THAN 54%: REPORT
Poll fervour hits
NEW DELHI: Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.
com company, today released new research showing that
e-commerce platforms: launch vehicle tech with landing experiment
when artificial intelligence (AI) is fully harnessed, workers
in India with AI skills and expertise could see salary hikes
Parties’ merchandise sizzles OUR CORRESPONDENT said. Based on the observa-
of over 54%, with workers in IT (65%), and research and OUR CORRESPONDENT their respective websites. tion from RLV-LEX-01, the
development (62%) enjoying the highest pay increases. To The NaMo merchandise BENGALURU: ISRO an- airframe structure and land-
better understand emerging AI usage trends and skilling NEW DELHI: Political fer- website, for instance, boasts nounced a significant ad- ing gear were strengthened
needs in workplaces, AWS commissioned Access Part- vour has permeated even an extensive range of prod- vancement in reusable to tolerate higher landing
nership to conduct a regional study, titled “Accelerating AI the realm of e-commerce ucts including T-shirts, mugs, launch vehicle technology loads, it said.
Skills: Preparing the Asia-Pacific Workforce for Jobs of the in India, with merchandise notebooks, badges, wrist- with the successful RLV The mission was accom-
Future”. Over 1,600 workers and 500 employers were sur- related to various political bands, keychains, stickers, LEX02 landing experiment plished by Vikram Sarabhai
veyed in India. On top of significant salary increases, 97% parties becoming hot com- magnets, caps, and pens on Friday. Conducted at 7:10 Space Centre (VSSC) along
of workers in India expect their AI skills to have a positive modities. From BJP’s lotus adorned with slogans such am in Karnataka’s Aeronau- with the Liquid Propulsion
impact on their careers, including increased job efficiency on dream catchers to AAP’s as ‘Modi ka parivar,’ ‘Phir ek tical Test Range, Chitradu- System Centre (LPSC) and
and career advancement. 95% of workers in India indicat- logo on vintage maritime baar, Modi sarkar,’ ‘Modi ki rga, this marks the second the ISRO Inertial Systems
ed a keen interest in developing AI skills to accelerate their clocks and Congress’ signa- guarantee’, and ‘Modi hai toh milestone in the series. Unit (IISU). ISRO chairman
careers, and this interest transcends generations. 95% of ture dupattas, these online mumkin hai’. Following last year’s RLV- mous mode,” it said. steering system, ISRO said. S Somanath congratulated
Gen Z, 96% of Millennials, and 93% of Gen X workers want platforms offer a plethora of Despite the news agency’s LEX-01 mission, RLV-LEX-02 The winged vehicle, called It added that this mission the team for the flawless
to acquire AI skills, while 90% of baby boomers — a demo- election-themed products. attempts to seek a response showcased the autonomous Pushpak, was lifted by an successfully simulated the execution of this complex
graphic usually contemplating retirement — say they would Simply enter the name from Amazon India and Flip- landing capability of the re- Indian Air Force Chinook approach and high-speed mission.
enrol in an AI upskilling course if it was offered. of the desired political par- kart on this trend, responses usable launch vehicle, even helicopter and was released landing conditions of RLV re- On the success of the
IT STOCKS DECLINE AFTER ACCENTURE LOWERS ty into the search bar of an from both platforms were from off-nominal initial con- from 4.5 km altitude. After turning from space. landing experiment, VSSC
REVENUE FORECAST FOR FY24 e-commerce website, and a not received. However, one ditions upon release from a release at a distance of 4 km The winged body and all Director Dr S Unnikrishnan
NEW DELHI: IT stocks ended lower on Friday after tech gi- diverse array of merchandise of the suppliers of these mer- helicopter, stated the Ben- from the runway, Pushpak flight systems used in RLV- Nair said through this re-
ant Accenture lowered its revenue forecast for the sector ranging from flags to pen- chandise to e-commerce galuru-based space agency. autonomously approached LEX-01 were reused in the peated success, ISRO could
for the 2023-24 fiscal. Shares of LTIMindtree fell by 3.01 dants to pens will populate platforms revealed that Lok “The RLV was made to un- the runway along with cross- RLV-LEX-02 mission after master the terminal phase
per cent, Infosys declined by 2.98 per cent, Wipro skidded the page. This trend initially Sabha elections witnessed a dertake more difficult ma- range corrections. It land- due certification/ clearanc- maneuvering, landing and
by 2.73 per cent, and HCL Technologies dropped 2.46 per emerged during the 2019 surge in online sales of such neuvers with dispersions, ed precisely on the runway es. Hence, reuse capability energy management in a
cent on the BSE. Tata Consultancy Services dipped 1.53 polls when e-commerce items. correct both cross-range and came to a halt using of flight hardware and flight fully autonomous mode,
per cent, L&T Technology Services went lower by 1.40 per platforms became go-to des- “Previously, our supplies and downrange and land on its brake parachute, landing systems is also demonstrat- which is a critical step to-
cent, and Tech Mahindra lost 1.33 per cent. During the early tinations for campaign mer- were directed to physical the runway in a fully autono- gear brakes and nose wheel ed in this mission, ISRO wards the future.
trade, IT stocks declined by up to 6 per cent, dragging the chandise and accessories, shops, but with the shift to-
benchmark equity indices lower. The BSE IT index ended 2
per cent lower. Recovering early lost ground, the 30-share
a representative from an
e-commerce platform said.
wards online retail, it only
made sense to adapt,”
HP: To build pressure on Cong govt, 3 Individual MLAs resign
BSE Sensex ended 190.75 points or 0.26 per cent higher at “When everything is sold the supplier commented. SHIMLA: Mounting fresh on Friday. contested the 2022 Assem- their cross-voting in the Ra-
72,831.94, and the NSE Nifty advanced 84.80 points or 0.39 online, why not this and it is Furthermore, the supplier pressures on the Congress The MLAs though have al- bly elections as BJP rebels. jya Sabha election for Harsh
per cent. “While most sectors experienced gains, the IT re- the sellers who put it on our noted that merchandise as- government—already in ready come close to the BJP But after the formation of the Mahajan (BJP), the indepen-
mained in the red due to subdued guidance from Accenture, platforms and the e-com- sociated with the BJP and trouble, three independent but could not have joined Congress government they dents have taken a stand
a major global IT player,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, merce websites have to just Congress remains among MLAs— who had severed the party formally without had supported Chief Minister against the Congress. On
Geojit Financial Services. Accenture on Thursday lowered check it follows the proto- the highest-selling items, relations with the ruling Con- quitting from their seats. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Friday, three MLAs accom-
its revenue forecast for fiscal year 2024 due to global un- col,” she said. Notably, some although the full impact of gress and voted for the BJP Thus they apparently chose Now that the CM was fac- panied by the BJP MLAs and
certainty and weak client spending on consulting services. political parties themselves election fervour is yet to be candidate in Rajya Sabha, to take this extreme step to ing a revolt of six Congress also Leader of opposition
It now sees full-year revenue growth to be between 1-3 per have actively participated in realised, as this reflects only resigned from the member- prepare the ground for their MLAs, who stand disqual- Jairam Thakur, reached the
cent, down from the earlier projection of 2-5 per cent. selling such merchandise on the preliminary trend. ship of the state Assembly joining the BJP. All three had ified from the House after state Assembly.
4 Lucknow, Sunday, 24 March 2024 Lucknow News (English Daily)

Kejriwal remanded to 6-day ED custody BJP’s alliance talks

with BJD over,
MY LIFE IS DEDICATED TO THE COUNTRY. I WILL KEEP ON SERVING THE NATION EVEN IF I AM BEHIND BARS: KEJRIWAL’S FIRST REACTION AFTER ARREST
OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief

Minister Arvind Kejriwal was
sent to six-day Enforcement
Directorate (ED) custody by
a Delhi court in connection
with the liquor policy linked
money laundering case.
The Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) supremo will remain
in custody of the probe agen-
cy till March 28. He will be
produced before the court
at 2 pm on March 28. He
was arrested amid high-dra-
ma from his residence last
night by a team of ED offi-
cials who questioned him
for nearly two hours.
Earlier on Friday, seeking
10-day custody of Arvind
Kejriwal, the Enforcement
Directorate told the court
that Delhi Chief Minister
was the “kingpin of the li-
quor policy scam’’ even as
the AAP supremo argued
that there was no “direct
evidence” linking him to the
case.
In his first reaction while
being taken to the court,
Delhi CM Kejriwal said in
Hindi: “My life is dedicated
to the country. I will keep on
serving the nation even if I
am behind bars.’’ He was
responding to a question by
reporters while he was be-
ing taken to the court by the
ED. A day after his arrest,
Kejriwal was produced in
the trial court shortly after he
withdrew from the Supreme
Court his plea against his
arrest by the probe agency
in the excise policy-linked
money laundering case.
During the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) national conve-
ner’s remand hearing, the
ED told Special Judge Ka-
veri Baweja at the Rouse
Avenue court that Kejriwal
received several crores of
rupees as kickbacks from
the ‘South Group’ for formu-
lating and implementing the
Delhi Excise Policy 2021-
22. Appearing for the ED,
Additional Solicitor General
ASV Raju said Arvind Kejri-
wal was the key conspirator
and had demanded Rs 100
crore from some accused
from the ‘South Group’ for
contesting the Punjab elec-
tions.
The law officer told the
court that the money trail
showed that Rs 45 crore
“kickback” used in the Goa
elections came from four
hawala routes. The AAP
chief was produced before
the court around 2 pm amid
tight security on and around
the court premises. ASG
Raju said the AAP is not an
individual but a company,
and every person respon-
sible for the conduct of the
company will be held re-
sponsible.
The probe agency said Vi-
jay Nair, AAP’s former com-
munication head, acted as
the middleman between
South Group and the AAP.
Arvind Kejriwal “took ad-
vantage” of being the chief
minister of Delhi to facilitate
money laundering by the
AAP, which is a “major ben-
eficiary” of the proceeds of
crimes generated in the al-
leged liquor scam case, the
ED claimed on Friday.
The probe agency claimed
in its remand papers that
“Arvind Kejriwal was in-
volved in the conspiracy of
formulation of the excise
policy 2021- 22 to favour
certain persons and also in-
volved in the demanding of
kickbacks from liquor busi-
nessmen in exchange of
favours granting in the said
policy.”
It informed the court it
has recorded the state-
ments of various people
engaged in the election
campaign-related activi-
ties of the AAP during the
Goa polls and it was found
that “cash payments were
made to them for work like
survey workers, area man-
agers, assembly managers
etc”.
The agency claimed
these charges were also
corroborated by one of the
candidates of AAP for Goa
elections of 2022 who said
he received funds for elec-
tion expenses “in cash”
from the AAP volunteers in
Goa.
The ED, for the first time
in the about two year old
probe, said the AAP was
the “major beneficiary of
the proceeds of crime gen-
erated in the Delhi liquor
scam”. “In this manner,
AAP has committed the of-
fence of money laundering
through Arvind Kejriwal and
the offences thus are cov-
ered by section 70 of the
PMLA,” the ED said.
The federal agency said
that as the national con-
venor and member of the
national executive, Kejriwal
was “ultimately responsible
for the funds being used in
the election expenses in-
cluding their generation”.
Kejriwal, it alleged, was
“not only the brain behind
the AAP but also controlled
its major activities”.
It said kickbacks were
allegedly generated by the
‘South Group’ members,
that includes arrested BRS
leader K Kavitha and some
others, and a part of these
were “used” in the Goa
election campaign of the
AAP. The agency said Ke-
jriwal “wilfully disobeyed”
nine summons issued to
him to join this probe and
when his statement was re-
corded under the PMLA on
Thursday, he did not “reveal
the truth nor gave correct
facts.”
It said the agency wants
his custody to unearth
the remaining proceeds
of crime generated in the
case and that he needs to
be interrogated with oth-
er accused and witnesses
“involved in the kickbacks
given by the South Group to
the AAP and its leaders.”
AAP leaders Manish Siso-
dia and Sanjay Singh are in
judicial custody in the case.
Kejriwal’s name has been
mentioned multiple times
in the charge sheets filed
by the ED. Senior Advocate
Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
who appeared on behalf of
Kejriwal, said this is the first
time in the history of India
that a sitting chief minister
has been arrested.
The power of arrest is not
equal to the need of arrest
and there was no neces-
sity of arresting this man,
he said. “Please don’t look
at remand as a routine ex-
ercise... it requires applica-
tion of significant judicial
mind... larger issues of de-
mocracy involved,”
Singhvi said. Lawyer
Vikram Chaudhari, who is
also representing the Delhi
chief minister, told the court
that the “ED has become
judge, jury and executioner”
decides to go solo
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: After a few
rounds of recent discussions
with the Biju Janata Dal
(BJD), the BJP has decided
to go solo in the coming Lok
Sabha and Assembly elec-
tions in Odisha, state party
president Manmohan Samal
said on Friday.
Talks on pre-poll alliance
were being held between
the ruling BJD and the Op-
position BJP for the past few
days. “Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) will fight this election
alone in all 21 Lok Sabha
and 147 Assembly seats
to create a developed India
and a developed Odisha un-
der the visionary leadership
of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to fulfil the hopes, as-
pirations and aspirations of
four and a half crore Odiyas,”
Samal said in a post on X.
Earlier this week, Union
Home Minister Amit Shah
had said in Delhi that BJP
national president J P Nadda
will take a final call on the
alliance with the BJD. Samal
also thanked BJD president
and Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik for his party’s sup-
port to the BJP-led NDA gov-
ernment at the Centre on
various issues for the last 10
years.
“We feel that the states
that have dual engine gov-
try, make extensive develop-
ment and accelerate welfare
work for the poor,” he said.
The BJP’s decision came
after a meeting in Delhi
where Odisha party leaders
managed to convince cen-
tral leaders that an electoral
alliance with the BJD would
be against the BJP’s interest.
The BJP state president also
claimed that many of the
welfare schemes of the Modi
government are not reaching
the grassroots level, and the
poor people of Odisha failed
to get the benefits.
“We have concerns on
many issues related to Odi-
sha identity, Odisha pride,
and interest of the people
of Odisha,’’ Samal said in
the post on X in Hindi. Wel-
coming the move to go solo,
BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi
posted on X, “Excellent, im-
mensely grateful.’’ The BJD
and the BJP were in alliance
for around 11 years between
1998 and 2009 and fought
three Lok Sabha and two As-

A day after top court

ernments across the coun- sembly elections together.
AS SUMMER LOOMS

Water storage in country’s

NOIDA: Authorities issue
nudge, Ponmudy Holi guidelines, GNA makes
key 150 reservoirs at just 38% sworn in as min special water arrangements
OUR CORRESPONDENT

OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: As summer ap-
proaches, data reveals that
the live storage capacity of
India’s 150 main reservoirs
is currently at a mere 38 per
cent of their total capacity.
The figure is lower than the
average of the past decade
for the same time period.
Bengaluru, among other cit-
ies, is already facing a water
deficit of approximately 500
million litres per day (MLD),
with the city’s demand be-
ing 2,600 MLD.
According to the Central
Water Commission’s week-
ly report, Karnataka and
several other states have
recorded lower storage lev-
els compared to the same
period last year. In Benga-
luru, out of 14,000 bore-
wells, 6,900 have dried up.
The city’s water bodies are
either encroached or have
dried up.
The city’s water require-
ment is 2,600 MLD, of
which 1,470 MLD is sourced
from the Cauvery River and
650 MLD from borewells,
as stated by Karnataka
CM Siddaramaiah. Other
states, including Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya
Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan,
Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhat-
tisgarh, Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana (two combined
projects in both states), and
Tamil Nadu, have also re-
ported lower storage levels
compared to last year.
The total live storage ca-
pacity of these 150 reser-
voirs is 178.784 billion cubic
metres (BCM), accounting
for about 69.35 per cent of
the country’s total live stor-
age capacity estimated at
257.812 BCM, as per offi-
cial data. The reservoir stor-
age bulletin on Thursday re-
ported that the live storage
available in these reservoirs
is 67.591 BCM, which is 38
per cent of their total live
storage capacity.
However, during the same
period last year, the live stor-
age available was 80.557
BCM, with a decade’s aver-
age of 72.396 BCM.
Therefore, the current live
storage in these 150 reser-
voirs is 84 per cent of the
storage during the same
period last year and 93 per
cent of the average storage
over the past decade.
The bulletin stated: “The
overall storage position in
the country is lower than the
corresponding period last
year and also falls short of
the average storage over the
past ten years for the same
period.”
The Southern region,
which includes states like
Andhra Pradesh, Telanga-
na (two combined projects
in both states), Karnataka,
Kerala, and Tamil Nadu,
monitors 42 reservoirs with
a total live storage capacity
of 53.334 BCM.
As of the Reservoir
Storage Bulletin dated
21.03.2024, the total live
storage available in these
reservoirs is 12.287 BCM,
which is 23 per cent of their
total live storage capacity.
This represents a de-
crease compared to the
storage levels during the
same period last year (39
per cent) and the average
storage over the past ten
years (32 per cent).
Thus, the current storage
levels in the Southern re-
gion are lower than those
observed during the same
period last year and also fall
below the average storage
over the past ten years.
NOIDA: The Gautam Bud-
dh Nagar district admin-
istration and police have
released guidelines ahead
of the Holi festival to be cel-
ebrated on March 25.
These guidelines have
been set keeping in mind
the safety of people and
the enforcement of model
code of conduct, officials
OUR CORRESPONDENT stated. As per administra-
tion, organising Holi pool
CHENNAI: Senior DMK leader K Ponmudy was on Friday parties within residential
sworn in as Minister by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, a day societies is prohibited, and
after the Supreme Court’s nudge. Ponmudy, who had been rain dance events require
convicted in a disproportionate assets case by the Madras prior permission from au-
High Court on December 19, 2023, and subsequently lost thorities.
his position, has now resumed his role as the Tamil Nadu With the strict implemen-
Minister for Higher Education, three months later. tation of the code of con-
The oath of office and secrecy was administered to Pon- duct, the police are adopt-
mudy by Ravi at a modest ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. The ing a vigilant approach.
event was attended by Chief Minister M K Stalin and several “The administration is cre-
other ministers, including Udhayanidhi Stalin and Ma Sub- ating awareness among
ramanian. Ponmudy was entrusted with the higher educa- people to celebrate a safe
tion portfolio, which was temporarily overseen by Backward Holi and cooperate with
Classes Minister R S Rajakannappan. Rajakannappan has police and officials to main-
now resumed his previous role overseeing the Khadi and tain law and order during
Village Industries Board. the enforcement of model
In the past, R Gandhi also managed the Khadi subject, in code of conduct ahead of
addition to his Handlooms and Textiles portfolio. Following Lok Sabha elections 2024,”
Ponmudy’s conviction in December, there was a reshuffling a senior administrative of-
of portfolios. The swearing-in of Ponmudy as Minister sig- ficial emphasised. Mean-
nifies the resolution of a dispute between Stalin and Ravi. while, the Greater Noida
Authority has arranged spe-
cial water supply services
for Holi.
The Authority will provide
water thrice on the day
of Holi on March 25, with
scheduled timings from 7
am to 9:30 am, 12 pm to 4
pm in the afternoon, and 7
pm to 9 pm in the evening.
“Water will be supplied
even under special circum-
stances if the concerned
officers allow it.
For this, operators of all
tankers have been instruct-
ed to remain vigilant. If
there is any complaint or
problem in water supply
from the authority, then
special mobile numbers
have also been issued for
this,” Greater Noida Author-
ity said in a statement.

IGIA Police arrest taxi driver for theft

OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The IGI Airport
Police team has arrested a
taxi driver responsible for the
theft of valuables from a pas-
senger’s purse. Information
regarding the incident was
relayed to the police through
a complaint lodged at the IGI
Airport Police Station.
The arrested accused has
been identified as Rajesh
Shrivas (34), son of Govind
Das, residing in Gram Ganj,
Post Garauli, Mahoba, Uttar
Pradesh. According to the
Police, the incident trans-
pired on Wednesday when
the complainant, a resident
of Pune on a business trip
to Delhi, realised her purse
was missing upon reaching
Terminal 3 of IGI Airport. The
purse contained valuable
belongings and essential
documents, including her
passport, Indian rupees, Dir-
hams, and jewelry. The com-
plainant promptly lodged
an E-FIR detailing the theft,
prompting an immediate
investigation by the airport
police. The Delhi Police team
led by Inspector Vijender
Rana and under the super-
vision of ACP of the IGI Air-
port meticulously scrutinised
CCTV footage obtained from
the airport premises and Ho-
tel Prithvi Place, where the
complainant was accommo-
dated.
Through this examina-
tion, it was revealed that the
complainant’s purse was
not stolen at the airport but
remained in her possession
when she entered a taxi from
the hotel. Subsequent inves-
tigation and technical surveil-
lance enabled the identifica-
tion and apprehension of the
taxi driver.
Stalin had previously requested Ravi to induct Ponmudy as
a minister and assign him higher education on March 13. DELHI METRO SERVICES DGCA SLAPS 80 LAKH
However, the Governor declined, stating that Ponmudy’s NOT AVAILABLE TILL NEW DELHI: Aviation watch-
conviction was merely suspended, not annulled. This led 2.30 PM ON HOLI dog DGCA on Friday im-
the DMK administration to approach the Supreme Court. NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro ser- posed a fine of Rs 80 lakh on
The Supreme Court, after hearing the case, expressed grave vices will begin from 2.30 pm Air India for violations.
concern over Governor Ravi’s refusal to reinstate Ponmudy, on the day of Holi on March
even after his conviction was suspended. 25, officials said on Friday. Owner, Publisher,
The court ordered him to resolve the issue within 24 The services on non-termi- Printer Jamil Ahmad, 5,
hours. The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice D Y nal stations will be available Shahanajaf Road (Bheri
Chandrachud and comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and much later as the operations wali Kothi) Lucknow.
Manoj Misra, noted that Ravi was defying the court’s order. start from terminal stations Printed at National
They questioned how the Governor could claim that rein- at 2.30pm. “On the day of Art Press 207, New
stating Ponmudy would be against constitutional morality. the Holi festival, on March Hyderabad, Lucknow.
They warned that if they did not receive a response by the 25 (Monday), Metro services Published from 5,
next day, they would issue an order directing the Governor will not be available till 2.30 Shahnajaf Road (Bheri wali
to act in accordance with the Constitution. pm on all lines of the Delhi Kothi) Lucknow.
Metro including Rapid Met- Editor
RBI BOARD REVIEWS DOMESTIC ECONOMIC ro/Airport Express Line,” the Shabana
SITUATION & OUTLOOK DMRC said in a statement.
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) central board Metro train services will thus Mobile: 9450364562
E-Mail:
on Friday reviewed the domestic economic situation and start at 2.30 pm from termi- jamilindia@gmail.com
outlook, including the challenges posed by the global finan- nal stations on all lines on LucknowNews1@gmail.com
cial market volatility. March 25.