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THE ASIAN AGE

NATION| 4
NEW DELHI TUESDAY 23 APRIL 2024

WORLD| 6 DELHI AGE| 16

Shah expresses concern First migrant flight Alia prioritises mental
over Cong’s promise on to Rwanda will leave health post-delivery,
survey of all properties in 10-12 weeks: Sunak shuns social media
www.asianage.com RNI No. 57290/94, Regd No: DL-SW-05/4189/15-17 Vol. 31 No. 67 | 16 PAGES | `5.00

WINDOWS ■ Woos Muslims in UP with talk of triple talaq, hike in Haj quota

Congress to ‘snatch’ property of

people if it comes to power: PM
SHASHI BHUSHAN
NEW DELHI/ALIGARH,
APRIL 22
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi targeted the
Congress yet again on
Monday by reiterating
that it would “snatch
German racing driver Sophia away the property” of
Florsch poses on the red carpet Indians if it came to
ahead of the 25th Laureus power. Asserting that the
Congress believed in the
World Sports Awards gala in
politics of “appeasement”,
Madrid on Monday. — AFP
the Prime Minister
claimed this was the
Indians to now get
multiple-entry visas
“mindset of Maoists and
Communists”.
While speaking in
Rajasthan on Sunday, the
for Schengen zone
New Delhi: Frequent Indian
PM had used the “M”
word by saying that the
Congress believed that
travellers to Europe will now “Muslims have the first
be able to apply for multiple
entry Schengen visa of up to
right to the wealth of the
nation”. In Muslim-domi-
five years, with the nated Aligarh Lok Sabha
European Commission
effecting certain changes in
constituency in UP on
Monday, he changed tack
existing rules. European
and spoke of his govern-
Union’s ambassador to India ment's contribution for
Herve Delphin described the coming to the aid of
new visa regime as another Muslims, be it on “triple
step towards enhancing talaq”, “increasing the
people-to-people contact Haj quota” and making
between the two sides. “On
April 18, the European
Commission adopted specif-
ic rules on the issuing of
multiple entry visas to
BJP and RSS Court rejects Kejriwal plea,
Indian nationals, which are mobilise cadre
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief
minister Yogi Adityanath during an election campaign
rally in Aligarh on Monday.
◗ WHILE SPEAKING in
Rajasthan on Sunday,
the PM had used the ‘M’
word by saying that the
Congress believed that
‘Muslims have the first
right to the wealth of
the nation’.
visa rules “easier” for
Muslims to visit Saudi
Arabia for the pilgrimage.
Attacking the
Opposition in Aligarh, Mr
— PTI
Modi said” “The INDIA
alliance members are
hopeless, unwilling to
look towards the future.
They question why I
speak of a developed India
or making us the third-
largest economic power.
All they care about is
their family and power
greed.”
“Today, I must warn the
people of Aligarh and the
nation about the
■ Turn to Page 4
Cong urges EC
to take action
against Modi
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A Congress delegation President Droupadi Murmu confers the Padma Vibhushan on former vice-president
on Monday went to the M. Venkaiah Naidu in the field of public affairs during the Padma Awards 2024 ceremony
Election Commission
at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. ■ Report on Page 4 — PTI
(EC) with a complaint
against Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s con-
tentious speech
Rajasthan on Sunday
at Delhi Cong up Blow to Mamata as
where he mentioned one
in arms over
community is grabbing
the country’s resources.
The Congress said it LS candidates HC axes hiring of
25K teachers, staff
expects equal treatment
for all violators.
The Congress has filed
Kanhaiya, Udit
17 complaints with the BHASKAR HARI
EC against the BJP and
the PM’s comments. A
SHARMA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
■ Didi erupts, vows to move SC
■ Pay back salaries, orders HC
delegation of the party
including Dr Abhishek Almost a month
Manu Singhvi and before the Delhi polls
Gurdeep Singh Sappal on May 25, the RAJIB CHOWDHURI
that met the EC. Congress was hit by KOLKATA, APRIL 22
■ More on Page 3 internal strife over
the selection of candi- In a major blow to the
dates. The Delhi Trinamul Congress gov-
Congress workers are
up in arms over the
candidature of Udit
ernment amid the Lok
Sabha elections in West
Bengal, the Calcutta high
Raj from the North court on Monday can-
Mamata Banerjee

for bigger LS asks AIIMS to set up board

more favourable than the
standard rules of the visa
code that applied to date,”
an EU readout said.
Full report on Page 3
NIA raids 9 locations in
Srinagar in terror case
Srinagar: The NIA on
Monday carried out raids at
nine locations in Srinagar in
a terror conspiracy case.
The case relates to a terror
conspiracy involving plans
by terrorist organisations to
unleash violence in J&K by
using sticky bombs, IEDs
and small arms.
Full report on Page 4
Modi starts 2-day tour
of C’garh, MP today
Bhopal: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is scheduled
to make a two-day whirl-
wind tour of Chhattisgarh
and Madhya Pradesh from
Tuesday. Mr Modi would
hold a roadshow in Bhopal
on Wednesday. The BJP has
been winning the Bhopal
Lok Sabha seat since 1989.
Full report on Page 3
COUNTERPOINT
poll turnout ‘CM’s home-cooked food differs from diet chart’
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A lower turnout in more
than 90 of the 102 parlia-
mentary seats that went
to polls in the first phase
as compared to the pre-
vious Lok Sabha polls is
being blamed on the
scorching heat and
“complacency”, accord-
ing to the feedback
received by the party
leadership.
To make sure that vot-
ing percentage increases
in the upcoming phases,
the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) and the
Rashtriya Swayams-
evak Sangh (RSS) cadre
have activated their
machinery to increase
voting at polling booths.
The BJP leadership
has also asked its cadre
to make sure that the
maximum number of
people reach polling
booths by noon to beat
the heat. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has on
several occasions urged
the BJP cadre to make
sure that each polling
BHASKAR HARI SHARMA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
While declining Delhi
chief minister Arvind
Kejriwal’s plea for video
consultation with his doc-
tor in the presence of his
wife, a Delhi court on
Monday directed AIIMS
to constitute a medical
board to examine
whether he needs insulin
to check his blood sugar
levels and said the home-
cooked food that he was
consuming was different
from the diet chart pre-
pared by his doctor.
Special judge for CBI
and ED cases Kaveri
Baweja passed the order
Every soldier a ‘devata’ for Indians: Rajnath
Says Siachen capital of country’s ‘bravery, grit, heroism’; lays wreath wins Surat
YUSUF JAMEEL
SRINAGAR, APRIL 22
ROW OVER INSULIN
Arvind Kejriwal
which directed that all
necessary medical treat-
ment be provided to the
AAP supremo.
Mr Kejriwal had alleged
that he was not being
administered insulin in
jail leading to an “alarm-
ing” rise in his blood
sugar levels. In a letter to
Indians “bravery, grit,
heroism and determina-
tion”. He added: “Siachen
◗ THE COURT also
responded to a noncha-
lant remark by the AAP
leader’s lawyer that ‘Aam
aadmi aam nahi khayega
to kya mushroom
khayega?’. The judge
said mushrooms had
been prescribed by Mr
Kejriwal’s own doctor.
the superintendent of
Tihar Jail, he said that he
has been asking for
insulin every day and
that the AIIMS doctors
had never said there was
no reason to worry about
his diabetic condition.
The chief minister
■ Turn to Page 4
BJP opens
LS account,
unopposed
anniversary
“Operation Meghdoot”,
executed on the morning
of
West Lok Sabha con-
stituency.
The local Congress
leadership faced an
embarrassing situa-
tion when some party
workers shouted slo-
gans against the can-
didature of former
MP Udit Raj. As three
Congress candidates -
Mr Raj, former JNU
students union presi-
dent Kanhaiya
Kumar, and former
MP J.P. Aggarwal-
held a joint press con-
ference, some 60-odd
workers raised slo-
gans against Mr Raj.
Mr Raj won from
North West Delhi in
the 2014 elections as a
BJP candidate. He
joined the Congress
after the BJP denied
him a ticket in 2019.
■ More on Page 2
celled the appointment of
25,753 state education
department employees,
including teaching and
non-teaching staff,
recruited by the School
Service Commission in a
panel in 2016, over cor-
ruption issues.
A high court division
bench of Justices
Debangsu Basak and
Mohammed Shabbar
Rashidi passed the land-
mark judgment after
hearing the petitions into
the SSC cash for jobs
scam, being probed by
the Central Bureau of
Investigation and the
Enforcement Directorate.
It directed the job losers
to return their salaries to
the district magistrates
with 12 per cent interest
within a month.
The bench, however,
spared an employee,
Soma Das, a cancer
I am not talking
about the judges.
But I can speak on a
judgment. I chal-
lenge it because
nearly 26,000 candi-
dates mean 1.5-2
lakh families. Is it
possible to return
the salaries of eight
years of service?
— Mamata
Banerjee,
WB chief minister
patient, from losing her
job on humanitarian
grounds. Petitioners’
lawyer Firdous Shamim
said: “The HC cancelled
the entire 2016 panel.
Those who lost jobs
include secondary (Class
■ Turn to Page 4

booth across the country
registers 370 more votes
than the last polls. Mr
Modi has given the tar-
get of 370 seats for the
BJP and “400 paar” for
the BJP-led NDA.
“The voting percent-
age might have declined
overall in the first phase
but those who voted,
cast their vote for devel-
opment and Modi ki
guarantee,” a senior
BJP leader said.
■ More on Page 3
Defence minister Rajnath
Singh on Monday, prais-
ing Army jawans for their
valour, heroism, courage
and dedication and
supreme sacrifices made
for the nation, asserted
that every one of them
was like a “devata” (deity)
for their countrymen.
He also said while Delhi
was the political capital,
Mumbai the financial cap-
ital and Bengaluru the
tech capital of India,
Siachen was the capital of
is not an ordinary land,
but a symbol of India’s
sovereignty and determi-
nation”.
Mr Singh was address-
ing the officers and
jawans of the Army at
Siachen, the coldest Army
base of the world at an ele-
vation of 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
above sea level and often
referred to as the world's
highest battlefield. His
visit to Siachen comes a
week after the Indian
Army marked the 40th
of April 13, 1984, to pre-
empt Pakistan’s
“Operation Ababeel” to
gain control of the strate-
gic glacier area.
The defence minister
told the troops that he had
planned to celebrate the
Holi festival with them on
March 24, but he could not
go there from Leh due to
inclement weather. “I had
promised then that I will
soon visit Siachen and
meet our jawans who are
■ Turn to Page 4
AGE CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
The BJP registered its
first victory in the ongo-
ing Lok Sabha polls
when its Surat candi-
date Mukeshbhai Dalal
won the seat unopposed
after the Congress candi-
date’s nomination got
rejected and others with-
drew their nominations.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh interacts with troops during The state will go to the
a visit to Siachen base camp in Ladakh on Monday. — PTI polls on May 7.
“Hearty congratula-
tions and best wishes to

WEATHER
Max : 38OC
Israel’s military intelligence chief Surat Lok Sabha seat
candidate
Mukeshbhai Dalal for
being elected unop-
Shri

Min: 23OC
RH: 19%
Rain: 0%
Forecast: Mostly Sunny
ASTROGUIDE
Shubhakrut: Uttarayana
Tithi: Chaitra Shukla Purnima
till 5.18 am (Wednesday)
Star: Chitta till 10.29 pm
Varjyam: Shesha Varjyam till
6.34 am; 4.35 am to 6.20 am
Durmuhurtam: 8.29 am to 9.19 am
Rahukalam: 3 pm to 4.30 pm
SUNSET TODAY 6.52 PM
SUNRISE TOMORROW 5.46 AM
MOONRISE TOMORROW 7.21 PM
MOONSET TODAY 5.15 AM
quits for failure over Oct. 7 attack
Jerusalem, April 22:
Israel’s Military
Intelligence chief Maj.
Gen. Aharon Haliva
resigned on Monday, tak-
ing responsibility for his
unit's failures during the
unprecedented October 7
Hamas attacks on the
Jewish state.
Gen. Haliva is the first
senior officer of the Israeli
Army’s general staff to
leave his position due to
the failures that led to the
A man walks past destroyed buildings in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on massive attack by the
Monday amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the
Palestinian militant
militant group Hamas. Israel pulled its ground forces from Khan Yunis on April 7 after organisation Hamas and
carrying out what it called a “precise and limited operation” at the Nasser Medical the subsequent war in
Complex, one of the biggest hospitals in the Palestinian territory. — AFP Gaza.
◗ GEN. HALIVA is the
first senior officer of the
Israeli Army’s general
staff to leave his posi-
tion due to the failures
that led to the massive
attack by the Palestinian
militant organisation
Hamas and the subse-
quent war in Gaza.
In his resignation letter
written in Hebrew, Gen.
Haliva said, “The
Intelligence Division did
not live up to the task we
were entrusted with.
Throughout my duties, I
knew that alongside
authority comes heavy
responsibility.”
The general said he
would like to “take respon-
sibility” for what hap-
pened on October 7 and
promised to do his best to
complete as many of the
war’s goals as possible.
Gen. Haliva also called
for the establishment of a
state investigative com-
mittee, “that can probe
and find out in a thor-
ough, in-depth, compre-
hensive and precise man-
ner all the factors and cir-
cumstances that led to the
difficult events”. — PTI
■ More on Page 6
posed,” Gujarat chief
minister Bhupendra
Patel posted on X.
The candidature of
Congress’ Nilesh
Kumbhani from the
Surat seat was rejected
on Sunday after the dis-
trict returning officer
prima facie found dis-
crepancies in the signa-
tures of the proposers.
As many as eight can-
didates, mostly
Independents and
Pyarelal Bharti of the
Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP), withdrew their
papers. The nomination
form of Suresh Padsala,
the Congress’ substitute
candidate from Surat,
was also invalidated.
 CITY
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
Vigilance dept refers
DJB staff case to ACB
New Delhi: The vigilance
department of the Delhi gov-
ernment has referred the
case of Ankit Srivastava,
who was engaged as a con-
sultant in the DJB, to the
Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Highlighting that Mr
Srivastava was engaged as a
consultant in DJB without
the approval of the L-G, the
vigilance department has
said that even though he
was removed from the post
of consultant, he continued
to be a member of the
WhatsApp group called
“Minister (Water) Group.” It
also came to the notice that
Mr Srivastava, while being a
member of said WhatsApp
group, was engaging in giv-
ing instructions to various
senior officials including
chief engineers and addi-
tional chief engineers and
was making policy decisions
even though he was a pri-
vate person and had no
locus standi in any matter,
said the vigilance depart-
ment.
Gogi gang member
shot dead in Alipur
New Delhi: A member of the
Gogi gang was on Monday
shot dead by four unidenti-
fied attackers in outer north
Delhi’s Alipur area, the police
said. Narender Malik received
six to seven bullet injuries
and was declared dead in
SRHC Hospital, they said.
“Prima facie, investigation
suggested that it is a matter
of gang rivalry as Narender
belonged to Gogi gang, but
we are investigating the mat-
ter from all the angles,” DCB
(outer north) Ravi Kumar
Singh said. At around 2 pm,
Malik along with Tarun and
Amit were sitting in a Tata
Ace vehicle in Dayal market,
when four men reached there
and opened fire indiscrimi-
nately, police said. According
to police sources, the four
men came on two motorcy-
cle, stopped behind the vehi-
cle and opened fire on Malik.
City cops celebrate
52nd Raising Day
New Delhi: The Delhi police’s
Police Families Welfare Society
(PFWS) celebrated its 52nd
Raising Day- ‘UPAAN’ at the
police headquarters. Sangita
Saxena, social worker and wife
of Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena was
the chief guest present at the
event. President, PFWS, Ritu
Arora, Ex-presidents, PFWS,
police officials, their families
and other revered guests were
present during the event. The
cultural evening was the culmi-
nation of a week long celebra-
tion conducted at various wel-
fare centres, all over Delhi. Ms
Arora also elaborated on how
these activities have helped
families of police personnel to
become independent and also
how the skill development has
led to better placement of
police family members in good
organisations.
NARENDRA KUMAR
PULLS OUT HIS NAME
FOR DY MAYOR POST
New Delhi, April 22: Rebel
AAP councillor Narendra
Kumar withdrew his nomi-
nation for the post of the
MCD deputy mayor on
Monday, days after he and
another contender, Vijay
Kumar, self-nominated for
the post, officials said here.
Last Thursday, after the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
declared its candidates for
the April 26 Municipal
Corporation of Delhi (MCD)
mayoral polls, fielding
Mahesh Khichi for the post
of mayor and Ravinder
Bhardwaj for deputy mayor,
its councillors Vijay Kumar
and Narendra Kumar filed
their nominations, indicat-
ing internal conflict in the
party. In the latest turn of
events, Narendra Kumar
withdrew his nomination
without citing any reason.
Denying any pressure from
the party to withdraw his
nomination, the councillor
said, “I have withdrawn my
nomination on my own.
There was no pressure from
the party.” On why he filed
the nomination papers ear-
lier against his party’s
choice and if there was a
conflict with the party,
Narendra Kumar did not
give any clear answer.
Earlier last week, AAP
termed the self-nomina-
tions by its councillors
“BJP’s tactic” to break the
party. Narendra Kumar is
the councillor of Ward-119
Manglapuri, while Vijay
Kumar represents Ward-192
Trilokpuri. The mayoral
polls will be held on April
26 at the Civic Centre.
— PTI
■ Workers protest against candidature of BJP turncoat Udit Raj
Internal strife erupts in Delhi
Cong over tickets to ‘outsider’
BHASKAR HARI SHARMA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
Almost a month before the
Delhi polls on May 25, the
Congress was hit by inter-
nal strife over the selec-
tion of candidates.
The Delhi Congress
workers are up in arms
over the candidature of
Udit Raj from Northwest
Lok Sabha constituency.
The Delhi Congress work-
ers hit out at the national
leadership for giving tick-
ets to “outsiders.”
The local Congress lead-
ership faced an embar-
rassing situation when
some party workers shout-
ed slogans against the can-
didature of former MP
Udit Raj.
As three Congress candi-
dates—Mr Raj, former
JNU Students Union pres-
ident Kanhaiya Kumar,
and former MP J.P.
Aggarwal—held a joint
press conference, some 60-
odd party workers raised
slogans against Mr Raj.
Mr Raj won from
Northwest Delhi in the
2014 elections as a BJP
candidate. He joined the
Congress after the saffron
party denied him ticket in
2019.
Congress will
record historic
victory in city,
says Lovely
New Delhi, April 22: The
Congress' Delhi chief
Arvinder Singh Lovely
on Monday claimed it
will record a historic
victory in the national
capital as he introduced
the party’s three candi-
dates for the Lok Sabha
elections. The Congress
has fielded Jai Prakash
Agarwal from Chandni
Chowk, Udit Raj from
North West Delhi and
Kanhaiya Kumar from
North East Delhi.
Mr Lovely said
Agarwal is not only a
former MP from
Chandni Chowk who has
served in both Houses of
Parliament but also a
former municipal coun-
cillor, deputy mayor and
president of the
Congress in Delhi.
Mr Raj, a former MP
from North West Delhi,
is also a prominent Dalit
leader who did a com-
mendable job in uplift-
ing the underprivileged
and developing the con-
stituency, he said.
Mr Raj won the 2014
Lok Sabha elections on a
BJP ticket from North
West Delhi.
Mr Kumar is a dynam-
ic young scholar from
the Jawaharlal Nehru
University and also
served as the students'
union president, Lovely
said.
All three candidates
will record historic vic-
tories in the elections,
he added.
The Congress is con-
testing the Lok Sabha
elections in an alliance
with AAP in Delhi. As
part of its seat-share
arrangement, the
Congress is contesting
from three seats while
AAP has fielded candi-
dates from four con-
stituencies in the
national capital. — PTI
Thief saved by locals
after contact with
live wire in Dwarka
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A 24-year-old man was
injured here after he
came in contact with a
high-tension line passing
over the terrace of a
house he was trying to
escape after theft, the
police said on Monday.
The accused, Sumesh
Kumar, was saved by the
residents of the house
after they found him
lying injured on the roof
on Saturday early morn-
ing and informed the
police, they said.
In a purported video
clip circulating on social
media, people can be
seen rescuing Sumesh by
wrapping him in a blan-
ket and taking him down-
Congress supporters protest during the introduction of
party’s Lok Sabha candidates J.P. Agarwal, Udit Raj out-
side the DPCC office in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI
Rajesh Rathore, a 2014 to 2019 and now I have
Congress worker, said “a
local leader” should have
been fielded from the con-
stituency.
“Several workers of the
Congress have gathered to
protest. We were expect-
ing that the party would
give the ticket to a local
leader who would give a
tough fight to the BJP,” he
said. In response, Mr Raj
alleged the protesters
were “not of sound mind”
and should be expelled
from the party.
“They are not of sound
mind. I was an MP from
AAP and BJP butt heads over landfill
fire; residents complain of breathing
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
After a major fire broke
out at the Ghazipur land-
fill site in East Delhi on
Sunday evening, a politi-
cal slugfest erupted on
Monday with the BJP
attacking AAP-led MCD
over the blaze which left
local residents gasping for
breath and racked with
other health issues.
Delhi Cabinet minister
Atishi said the incident
will be investigated to
ascertain its cause.
Delhi BJP president
Virendra Sachdeva visited
the site and charged it was
an example of “corrup-
tion” of the AAP govern-
ment.
“The Ghazipur garbage
dump is a direct example
of corruption by the
Kejriwal government.
They had promised to
SC nod to medical termination
of minor’s 30-week pregnancy
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
Taking note of “excep-
tional” circumstances,
the Supreme Court on
Monday permitted a 14-
year-old rape survivor to
undergo medical termi-
nation of her almost 30-
week pregnancy, saying
the welfare of the minor
was of ‘paramount
importance’. Exercising
its powers under Article
142 of the Constitution
which empowers it to
pass any order necessary
for doing complete jus-
tice in any case, a bench
comprising Chief Justice
D.Y. Chandrachud and
Justice J.B. Pardiwala
said, “Bearing in mind
the exigencies of the sit-
uation and the welfare of
the minor, which is of
stairs.
The incident took place
at Rajapuri in Dwarka's
Bindapur.
According to deputy
commissioner of police
(Dwarka) Ankit Singh,
two mobile phones were
discovered near Sumesh
on the terrace of the
house.
“Investigation revealed
that these phones were
stolen by Sumesh from
the neighbouring houses
in the vicinity. He has a
history of theft, having
been involved in 18 previ-
ous cases,” Mr Singh
said.
"It is suspected that
Sumesh came in contact
with the live wire while
he was trying to escape,"
he said.
become an outsider. They
have destroyed the party
and should be expelled,”
Mr Raj said and added
that he would win with a
huge margin.
Arvinder Singh Lovely,
the Congress Delhi unit
chief, however, said dur-
ing a press conference that
everyone in the party is
allowed to raise their
voice.
“The Congress is the
only party where everyone
is allowed to raise their
voice. This shows that
there is a lot of demand
Workers douse flames at the Ghazipur landfill site in
New Delhi on Monday.
remove this mountain of
garbage by 2023 but anoth-
er has risen here. This is
because of the MCD’s cor-
ruption. More than half of
the machines are non-
functional. Why were they
not repaired?” Mr
Sachdeva said.
“The causes are not nat-
ural, there is clear corrup-
tion behind this. It should
paramount importance
and her safety...we set
aside the judgement of
the Bombay high court.”
At the outset, the
bench, which took up the
plea as the first item,
observed, “We will allow
the medical termination
since she is 14-year-old
and it is a rape case. This
is an exceptional case.”
Setting aside the April 4
judgement of the
Bombay high court
declining permission for
termination of pregnan-
cy, the top court directed
the dean of the
Lokmanya Tilak
Municipal Medical
College and General
Hospital (LTMGH) at
Sion in Mumbai to set up
a team of doctors imme-
diately for aborting the
foetus.
Intense heatwave in east India to
continue for another 5 days: IMD
New Delhi, April 22: The
intense heatwave scorch-
ing large parts of east
India will continue for
another five days, the
India Meteorological
Department (IMD) said on
Monday.The ongoing spell
of heatwave, the second
this month, is broiling
parts of West Bengal,
Odisha, Jharkhand and
Bihar.
Heatwave conditions
have been prevailing in
Odisha since April 15 and
the Gangetic West Bengal
since April 17, according
to the MeT department.
In a statement, the IMD
said heatwave to severe
heatwave conditions are
expected in parts of West
Bengal, Karnataka,
Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar
Pradesh and Jharkhand
for Congress tickets,” he
said.
Mr Aggarwal said he is
not only a voter of the con-
stituency but also played a
major role in its develop-
ment and knows every
corner of the area.
“Chandni Chowk is the
heart of Delhi. I have a
very close relationship
with the people of the con-
stituency. I asked more
than 1,000 questions in the
House when the Congress-
led UPA (United
Progressive Alliance) gov-
ernment was in power at
the Centre as I spared no
effort in raising the issues
of Chandni Chowk and its
people in both Houses of
Parliament,” he said.
Mr Raj said he ensured
the all-round development
of the Northwest Delhi
constituency during his
tenure as an MP.
Mr Kumar, the Northeast
Delhi candidate, said, “We
have a positive agenda for
the elections.
Congress will implement
The
a MGNREGA (Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee
Act)-like scheme in all
seven constituencies of
Delhi to provide jobs to
youngsters.”
— PTI
be investigated and action
should be taken against
the guilty,” he added.
Meanwhile, Delhi mayor
Shelly Oberoi, who also
went to the site, said this
is not the time for politics.
She said that the MCD will
launch an inquiry into the
fire incident.
However, the officials
cited hot and dry weather
Soumya murder: SC notice
to convicts & govt over bail
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
The Supreme Court on
Monday agreed to exam-
ine the plea by TV jour-
nalist Soumya Viswana-
than’s mother against the
bail granted to four con-
victs who were serving
life imprisonment in the
2008 case of her daugh-
ter’s murder.
A bench of Justices Bela
M. Trivedi and Pankaj
Mithal issued notices to
the Delhi government and
the four convicts on a peti-
tion of the victim’s moth-
er Madhavi Viswanathan.
Advocate Amit Kumar,
who represented convicts
Amit Shukla and Baljeet
Singh Malik, opposed her
‘No heatwave in Delhi but temp
likely to hit 40°C in next 3 days
New Delhi, April 22: the
India Meteorological
Department (IMD) said
on Monday that Delhi
may not witness a
heawave yet but tempera-
ture likely to hit 40°C in
next three days
“There are no heatwave
conditions expected in
the upcoming days, but
Delhi’s temperature will
reach 40°Cin the next
three to four days,”
during the next five days.
High humidity could add
to people's inconvenience
in coastal Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Puducherry, Karnataka,
Atishi says ED lied about
CM’s insulin requirement
Kejriwal didn’t raise insulin issue with docs: Tihar officials
AGE CORRESPONDET
with agency inputs
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
Delhi Cabinet minister
Atishi Monday alleged
that the ED “lied” in court
about consulting special-
ists from AIIMS over
whether chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal, a diabet-
ic, needs insulin. Mr
Kejriwal had on Friday
moved a fresh plea seek-
ing consultation with his
physician for 15 minutes
every day and administra-
tion of insulin in jail.
Addressing a press con-
ference, Ms Atishi said,
“The ED lied in court and
said specialists from
AIIMS were consulted
and they have said that no
insulin is needed and
have also formulated a
diet chart for Kejriwal.”
"However, the diet chart
was not prepared by an
endocrinologist or dia-
betologist, but by a dieti-
cian. We all know that
dieticians are not MBBS
doctors. On the basis of
that diet cart, they have
been saying in court that
Mr Kejriwal does not need
insulin,” she said.
The Tihar administra-
tion had on Saturday
arranged a video confer-
conditions as the likely
trigger for the fire.
A wall made of tin pan-
els marking the boundary
of the landfillalso fell as a
portion of garbage broke
away. The several metres
long wall was erected on
the poultry market side.
“It has been 15 hours
since the fire broke out.
This smoke is not any
common smoke, it is very
poisonous. We are unable
to keep our eyes open due
to irritation and are expe-
riencing difficulty in
breathing,”
Ram Kumar from
Gharoli village, close to
the landfill, said. Several
residents said due to the
smoke they were not able
to send their children to
school. They accused the
MCD and the city govern-
ment of not taking any
action to give a better life
to them.
plea.
On February 12, the
Delhi high court suspend-
ed the sentence of Ravi
Kapoor, Amit Shukla,
Baljeet Singh Malik, and
Ajay Kumar and granted
them bail till the penden-
cy of their appeals chal-
lenging their conviction
and sentence.
Kapoor, Shukla, and
Malik were also convicted
in the 2009 Jigisha Ghosh
murder case and are still
in jail.
Soumya Vishwanathan,
who worked with a lead-
ing English news channel,
was shot dead in the early
hours of September 30,
2008, on Nelson Mandela
Marg in South Delhi while
she was returning home
Kuldeep Srivastava, sci-
entist and head of the
regional meteorological
centre in Delhi said.
He added that the new
western disturbance will
approach northwest
India but it will have no
impact in the capital.
The sky, therefore, will
stay clear in Delhi in the
coming week and there is
no prediction of rain as
well. — PTI
Goa, Kerala, West Bengal
and Bihar, it said.
Substantially high night
temperatures are likely in
east Madhya Pradesh on
April 22 and April 23. High
HC lists May 15 Kejriwal’s
plea against ED summons
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
The Delhi high court on
Monday listed for hearing
on May 15 chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal’s petition
challenging the summons-
es issued to him by the
Enforcement Directorate
(ED) in connection with
its probe into an excise
policy-linked money laun-
dering case. A bench head-
ed by Justice Suresh
ence of Mr Kejriwal with
specialists from AIIMS,
during which neither “the
issue of insulin was
raised by Mr Kejriwal,
nor was it suggested by
the doctors,” prison
authorities said.
“After a 40-minute
detailed consultation, Mr
Kejriwal was assured that
there was no serious con-
cern and was advised to
continue with the pre-
scribed medicines, which
will be evaluated and
reviewed regularly,” a jail
official said.
Court reserves order on bail
plea of Kavitha in excise case
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A Delhi court on Monday
reserved its order on the
bail application ofa
Bharat Rasthra Samithi
(BRS) leader K. Kavitha in
a corruption case linked
to the alleged Delhi excise
scam.
Special judge for CBI
and ED reserved the order
till May 2 after hearing
arguments on the applica-
tion from the counsels
appearing for the CBI,
which is probing the case,
and the accused.
The judge, meanwhile,
will continue hearing the
arguments on a similar
application filed by Ms
Kavitha in the alleged
scam-related money laun-
dering case being probed
by the ED.
Ms Kavitha is in judicial
custody in both the cases
lodged by the ED and the
from work in her car.
While granting relief to
the convicts, the high
court had noted that they
have been in custody for
14 years. The high court
had on January 23 asked
the Delhi police to
respond to the appeals
filed by the four convicts.
A special court had on
November 26, 2023, award-
ed two life terms to Ravi
Kapoor, Amit Shukla,
Baljeet Malik, and Ajay
Kumar under Section 302
(murder) of the Indian
Penal Code and Section
3(1)(i) (committing organ-
ised crime resulting in the
death of any person) of
the Maharashtra Control
of Organised Crime Act
(MCOCA).
night temperatures are
considered dangerous
because the body doesn't
get the chance to cool
down.
Increasing nighttime
heat is even more common
in cities because of the
urban heat island effect,
in which metro areas are
significantly hotter than
their surroundings.
The threshold for a heat
wave is met when the max-
imum temperature of a
weather station reaches at
least 40°C in the plains, 37°
in the coastal areas and
30° in the hilly regions,
and the departure from
normal is at least 4.5
notches. A severe heat-
wave is declared if the
departure from normal
temperature exceeds 6.4
notches. — PTI
pg 2
Kumar Kait granted time
to the AAP leader, arrest-
ed by the agency on March
21 after the high court
refused to grant him inter-
im protection from coer-
cive action, to file a rejoin-
der to the reply submitted
by the ED.
The counsel for the ED
argued that the petition
has become infructuous
as Kejriwal has already
been arrested in the
money laundering case.
Meanwhile, the Delhi
high court on Monday dis-
missed with costs a public
interest litigation by a
law student seeking
“extraordinary interim
bail” for Mr Kejriwal,
who is in judicial custody
in a money laundering
case stemming from the
alleged excise scam, call-
ing it "totally miscon-
ceived". The counsel for
the embattled AAP leader
also opposed the PIL,
asserting that Kejriwal
was capable of pursuing
legal remedy himself.
K. Kavitha
CBI. The CBI had arrested
the Telengana MLC and
daughter of former chief
minister K.
Chandrashekar Rao from
Tihar Jail, where she was
lodged after her arrest by
the ED in a money laun-
dering case stemming
from the alleged scam.
The CBI is probing
alleged corruption in the
formulation and execu-
tion of the AAP govern-
ment's excise policy, while
the ED is investigating the
money laundering aspect.
CBI to quiz
Newsclick
HR head in
Tihar Jail
AMRESH SRIVASTAVA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
The CBI will be question-
ing the ex-NewsClick
human resource depart-
ment head
Chakraborty in Tihar
Amit
Jail in connection with
its ongoing probe against
the news portal for the
alleged violations of the
Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act.
“Chakraborty will be
questioned as a “wit-
ness” on April 24 for two
hours in the afternoon
about alleged invest-
ments from US-based
Worldwide Media
Holdings (WMH) in the
company P.P.K.
NewsClick Studio Pvt,”
the officials said.
The officials further
said the central anti-graft
agency has received per-
mission from the special
court to question him in
Tihar on Wednesday.
In January this year, a
Delhi court had allowed
Chakraborty to become
approver in this case and
he was not named as an
accused in the FIR.
One of the sharehold-
ers in the company and
coordinator for funds
received from WMH,
Chakraborty is lodged in
Tihar Jail in judicial cus-
tody after his arrest by
Delhi Police Special Cell
on October 3 last year
under the provisions of
the UAPA, they said.
The CBI registered a
case against NewsClick
founder Prabir
Purkayastha, the compa-
ny PPK NewsClick
Studio Pvt, and others on
October 7, 2023, for
alleged violations of
FCRA, based on a com-
plaint from the Union
home ministry.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 3

SHORT TAKES
Cong pick firm to
fight poll from Sangli
Mumbai: The Congress has
failed to convince party
leader Vishal Patil to with-
draw his nomination as inde-
pendent candidate from the
Sangli Lok Sabha seat. The
deadline for nomination
withdrawal ended on
Monday. Voting will be held
for the Sangli seat in the
third phase on May 7. Mr
Vishal is the grandson of for-
mer Maharashtra CM
Vasantdada Patil. Shiv Sena
Uddhav Balasaheb
Thackeray Chandrahar Patil
is the Maha Vikas Adhadi’s
official candidate here. Mr
Vishal’s candidature has
made the Sangli seat a three
cornered battle between
him, Mr Chandrahar and sit-
ting MP Sanjaykaka Patil,
who is seeking the third
term as the BJP candidate.
“Now that Vishal Patil has
defied the party decision,
state Congress president
More entries, longer validity:
EU eases Schengen visa rules
Indian frequent travellers to have access to multi-year visa up to 5 yrs
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
European travel has now
been simplified for Indian
nationals, as the European
Union (EU) on Monday
announced a “more
favourable” Schengen visa
regime on Monday.
Under the new regula-
tions, Indian citizens can
now apply for multiple
entry Schengen visa with
longer validity.
UPSC Civil Services exam topper Aditya Srivastava on his return to his hometown at “Travel to Europe made
the Lucknow airport on Monday. — PTI easy. European Union
takes another step
towards enhancing people
BJP, RSS mobilise BJP: Opp doing
‘appeasement’
to people contact with
India. New Schengen visa
regime gives Indian fre-
quent travellers access to
social media platform X.
“On 18 April 2024, the
European Commission
adopted specific rules on
the issuing of multiple
entry visas to Indian
nationals, which are more
favourable than the stan-
dard rules of the visa code
that applied to date. This
new visa ‘cascade’ regime
for Indian nationals resid-
ing in India who apply for
Schengen (short-stay)
visas in India will provide
easier access to visas with
multi-year validity for
travellers with an estab-
lished travel history, if the
passport validity allows,”
the EU
statement.
said in a
◗ SCHENGEN VISAS
allow the holder to trav-
el freely in the Schengen
area for short stays of a
maximum of 90 days in
any 180-day period
to visas with multi-year
validity for travellers with
an established travel his-
tory.
“According to the newly-
adopted visa ‘cascade’
regime for India, Indian
nationals can now be
issued long-term, multi-
entry Schengen visas
During the validity period
of these visas, holders
enjoy travel rights equiva-
lent to visa-free nation-
als,” it added.
The changes in the visa
norms came in the context
of "strengthened" rela-
tions under the EU-India
common agenda on migra-
tion and mobility, which
seeks comprehensive
cooperation on migration
policy between the two
sides, it added.
Schengen visas allow the
holder to travel freely in
the Schengen area for
short stays of a maximum

It said this new visa “cas-

valid for two years after
having obtained and law-
fully used two visas with-
in the previous three
of 90 days in any 180-day
period. The visas are not
purpose-bound, but they
do not grant the right to
Nana Patole will soon
announce action against
him,” a party official said.
cadre to ensure politics as NDA multi-year visa up to five
years. Europe delivers on
the partnership,” EU
cade” regime for Indian
nationals residing in India
who apply for Schengen
years. The two-year visa
will normally be followed
by a five-year visa, if the
work.
The Schengen area con-
sists of 29 European coun-
to retain power
maximum turnout ambassador to India (short-stay) visas in India passport has sufficient tries of which 25 are EU
Man recces TMC AGE CORRESPONDENT
Herve Delphin said on will provide easier access validity remaining. states.

leader’s house, held NEW DELHI, APRIL 22

Kolkata: Kolkata Police

Special Task Force and the
detective department arrest-
ed a person from Mumbai
for purportedly conducting
recce around the residence
and offices of Trinamul
Congress leader Abhishek
Banerjee, an official said on
Monday. The person, identi-
fied as Rajaram Rege, tried
to call the TMC Diamond
Harbour MP and his PA after
getting their numbers, the
officer added. The IPS offi-
cer claimed that Mr Rege
had met Mumbai terror
prime accused David
Headley earlier, apart from
others. “Today our officers
arrested Rajaram Rege from
Mumbai. He had visited
Kolkata, stayed here, and
conducted a recce of TMC
MP Abhishek Banerjee’s
offices and residence. He
obtained his phone number
and that of his PA and tried
to call them,” he said. — PTI
BJD out with 7th
list for Odisha polls
Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s rul-
ing Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on
Monday released its seventh
list of candidates for the cru-
cial Assembly elections. As
many as five sitting MLAs
were dropped in the list.
BJD president and Odisha
chief minister Naveen
Patnaik announced the
names of candidates for six
more Assembly seats. In a
video statement, Mr Patnaik
informed that Tusharkanti
Behera will contest from the
Kakatpur seat, while Mahesh
Sahu from the Hindol
Assembly constituency.
Similarly, the party fielded
Sharada Prasanna Jena from
the Balikuda-Ersama seat.
With this, the BJD has
announced candidates for
141 seats out of a total 147
Assembly constituencies. In
the latest list, there are five
new faces out of the six can-
didates announced
by the BJD.
SC SEEKS BOSE
REPLY ON PLEA
‘Low voter turnout in Ph-1 due to heat’
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A lower turnout in more
than 90 of the 102 parlia-
mentary seats that went
to polls in the first phase
as compared to the previ-
ous Lok Sabha polls is
being blamed on the
scorching heat and “com-
placency”, according to
the feedback received by
the party leadership.
The Bharatiya Janata
Party leadership has now
asked its cadre to make
sure that the maximum
number of people reach
polling booths by noon to
beat the heat. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
has on several occasions
urged the BJP cadre to
make sure that each
polling booth across the
country registers 370
more votes than the last
polls. Mr Modi has given
the target of 370 seats for
the BJP and “400 paar”
for the BJP-led NDA.
“The voting percentage
might have declined over-
all in the first phase but
those who voted, cast
their vote for develop-
ment and Modi ki guaran-
tee,” a senior BJP leader
said, claiming that while
the margin between the
winner and the runner-up
will lessen but the party
Cong eyes Adhir grilled Bail violation if Mishra’s
revenues of over 2 cases son attending rallies: SC
temples and against him
mutts: Shah
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
RAIPUR, APRIL 22
Union home minister
Amit Shah on Monday
expressed concern over
the purported pledge
made by the Congress in
its poll manifesto to
make a survey of all
properties in the coun-
try if voted to power in
the ongoing LS polls.
Addressing a rally in
will surely score a hat-
trick this time. The leader
also said that “abki baar
400 paar” has given a
“feeling of complacency”
among the BJP cadre and
its voters. Coupled by the
“Ram Mandir zeal”, the
feedback, sources said,
suggests that many of the
BJP’s core voters did not
turn out at polling booths.
To make sure that voting
percentage increases in
the upcoming phases, the
BJP and the RSS cadre
have activated their
machinery to increase
voting at polling booths.
While the BJP is confi-
dent of winning at least
54 to 59 Lok Sabha seats of
the 102 that went to polls
in the first phase, feed-
back also suggests a
decline in Thakur and
Tyagi votes in western
Uttar Pradesh to the
state’s ruling BJP.
Eight Lok Sabha seats
in UP went to polls on
April 19, the first phase of
polling in western UP.
The feedback, it is learnt,
suggests that there is
nearly three per cent
decline of Thakur and
Tyagi votes, while almost
seven per cent decline in
the minority votes in
these eight seats as com-
pared to the last Lok
Sabha polls.
PRANMOY BRAHMACHARI
BERHAMPORE, APRIL 22
Berhampore Congress
candidate Adhir Ranjan
Choudhury was sum-
moned and questioned
by the cops at
Berhampore police sta-
tion in Murshidabad of
West Bengal on Monday
in two different cases
against him.
One of the two cases is
about an incident on
April 13 when Mr
Choudhury allegedly
Slamming the Oppo-
sition camp of pursuing
blatant appeasement
politics, anti-Hindu
agenda and joining
hands with anti-India
forces in desperation,
the BJP on Monday
claimed that the
Congress-led Karnataka
government’s action in
the murder of 23-year-
old Neha Hiremath, the
daughter of Congress
councillor Niranjan
Hiremath, is a clear
example of the state’s
ruling party’s appease-
ment politics. The BJP
claimed that the
Opposition is resorting
to such politics because
it has become evident
that the BJP-led NDA is
retaining power for the
second time in a row.
Citing the murder of
Neha, BJP spokesperson
Gaurav Bhatia claimed
that the Karnataka gov-
ernment is not taking
action due to the reli-
gion of the accused.
Fayaz, who allegedly
stabbed the victim, has
been arrested “Mr
Hiremath has stated that
he had given to police
names of eight persons
involved in his daugh-
ter’s murder but none of
them have been arrested
and that the CBI should
probe the case,” he said.
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
The Supreme Court on
Monday said if Union
minister Ajay Kumar
Mishra’s son Ashish
Mishra, one of the
accused in the Lakhim-
pur Kheri violence case,
has been physically
attending political events,
it would amount to viola-
tion of his bail condi-
tions.
On January 25 last year,
the SC had granted inter-
im bail to Ashish in the
2021 Lakhimpur Kheri
violence case in which
Cong seeks EC action on
PM over Raj rally remark
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A Congress delegation on
Monday approached the
Election Commission
(EC) with a complaint
against Prime Minister
Narendra Modi over his
“redistribution of wealth”
speech at a poll rally in
Rajasthan on Sunday,
alleging that a few ele-
ments in the PM’s speech
were deeply objectionable,
divisive, malicious and
targeted a particular reli-
gious community”.
The Congress said the
EC is on trial in this case
and it expects equal treat-
ment for all violators.
A delegation of the
party, including Abhishek
Manu Singhvi and
Gurdeep Singh Sappal,
met Chief
Commissioner
Election
Rajiv
Kumar and election com-
missioners Gyanesh
Kumar and Sukhbir Singh
Sandhu and filed 17 com-
plaints against the BJP
and the PM’s comments.
“He (the PM) had named
a community. He has
talked of religion blatant-
eight people, including
four farmers, were killed
in Tikunia in Lakhimpur
Kheri of Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of Justices
Surya Kant and P.S.
Narasimha made the
observation after advo-
cate Prashant Bhushan,
appearing for one of the
victims, alleged that
Ashish was attending
political events at an
event.
“If he is physically
attending, then it is defi-
nitely a violation,” the
bench observed orally.
During the hearing, Mr
Bhushan submitted that
A BJP delegation comprising BJP general secretary Tarun
Chugh, Anil Baluni and Om Pathak after meeting the
Election Commission of India in New Delhi.
ly; he has talked of com-
munal and community
blatantly,” Mr Singhvi
pointed out, adding that
the PM has linked it with
deprivation of resources
for the majority and gar-
nering a monopolisation
of resources by that
minority. Mr Singhvi said
Mr Modi also brought up
the Hindu imagery of no
less than the “mangalsu-
tra” in clear violation of
Section 123, the basic prin-
ciple of not allowing
incitement and inflamma-
PM starts 2-day whirlwind
tour of C’garh & MP today
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
BHOPAL, APRIL 22
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is scheduled to make
a two-day whirlwind tour
of Chhattisgarh and
Madhya Pradesh from
Tuesday to canvass for the
BJP for the ongoing gener-
al election.
Mr Modi is scheduled to
address three public meet-
ings in the equal number
of Lok Sabha constituen-
cies in Chhattisgarh dur-
ing his two-day state tour.
— PTI
tion of communal pas-
sions.
“We respect the office he
holds. He is as much our
Prime Minister as he is
your and of the BJP. The
higher the post he holds,
the more the obligation on
him to exercise restraint,”
Mr Singhvi observed,
while praying to him with
“folded hands to withdraw
these comments”.
The EC has issued circu-
lars with regard to the
utterances during poll
campaigns, he added.
BJP supporters during a public meeting of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in Aligarh on Monday.
Anti-Sanatan:
Nadda targets
Cong in C’garh
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
RAIPUR, APRIL 22
BJP president J.P. Nadda
on Monday termed the
Congress as “anti-Ram”
and “anti-Sanatan”.
Mr Nadda recalled that
the UPA government-led
by Manmohan Singh
had filed an affidavit in
the court calling Lord
Ram as a fiction and also
questioned the silence of
the Congress over Tamil
Nadu minister Uday-
nidhi Stalin’s offensive
remarks against the
Sanatan Dharma, com-
paring it with dreaded
diseases such as
“dengue and AIDS”.
Addressing three ral-
lies in Chhattisgarh, Mr
Nadda said the Congress
had spurned the invita-
tion for the consecration
ceremony of the Ram
temple in Ayodhya on
January 22 because of
the party’s concern for
its votebank.
“The Congress has
always been anti-Ram
and anti-Sanatan,”
the BJP president
asserted.
— PTI

OVER 2022 BILL Chhattisgarh’s Kanker,

AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
The Supreme Court on
Monday sought the response
from the office of West
Bengal governor C.V. Ananda
Bose on a plea alleging inac-
tion in giving assent to the
West Bengal
Universities
(Amendment) Bill
2022, passed by
the state legisla-
ture in June 2022.
In 2022, the West
Bengal Assembly
had passed a bill C.V. Ananda
to replace the gov-
Bose
ernor with the
chief minister as the chan-
cellor of all the state-run uni-
versities. A bench of Chief
Justice of India D.Y.
Chandrachud and Justice
J.B. Pardiwala issued notice
to the principal secretary to
the governor and the Union
of India, returnable in four
weeks. “Issue notice, liberty
to serve the Central agency,”
the bench said. The SC was
hearing an appeal filed by
one Sayan Mukherjee against
a Calcutta high court’s order,
which stayed its own direc-
tions seeking response from
the governor on the issue
and said it would examine
the maintainability of the
petition. On September 12
last year the HC had sought
affidavits from the gover-
nor’s office on the PIL chal-
lenging his alleged inaction.
Mr Shah sought a clarifi-
cation from Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi as
to why his party wanted
to make a survey of all
properties in the coun-
try.
“Mr Gandhi must
explain why the
Congress wants to make
a survey of all proper-
ties in the country,” he
said.
His concern over the
issue comes in the back-
drop of a statement
made by Manmohan
Singh, when he was the
Prime Minister, that
minorities have the first
right over resources of
the country.
“The Congress got
upset when the Prime
Minister (Narendra
Modi) raised the issue,”
Mr Shah said.
The BJP has always
maintained that Dalits,
poor and tribals have the
first right over
resources of the country,
he said.
The Union minister
said that the Congress
eyed revenues of mutts
and temples in the coun-
try.
“Where will this
money go? Remember
Dr Manmohan Singh’s
words (on rights of
minorities over
resources of the coun-
try),” he told the
gathering.
pushed and slapped a
TMC worker. Bivan De.
Bivan and his other
TMC fellows.
The second case was
initiated against the
state Congress president
for allegedly pushing
some district Bharatiya
Janata Party leaders at
Murshidabad Medical
College & Hospital.
In Ph-2, BJP focuses on Nagaon
and Karimganj, woos Muslims
MANOJ ANAND
GUWAHATI, APRIL 22
In the second phase of
polling in Assam, the
focus of all parties rests
on two Muslim dominat-
ed Lok Sabha con-
stituencies - Nagaon and
Karimganj - where the
contest has become tri-
angular between the
BJP, the Congress, and
All India United Demo-
cratic Front (AIUDF).
The most interesting
part of the campaign
has been that even the
ruling BJP is seeking
the votes of Muslims for
its candidate. This is
obviously a reversal
from the party position,
as only a year back, the
BJP leaders had
announced that they did
eight lives were lost.
The apex court had
Ashish has been violating
the bail condition set by
He will address a public
meeting in Shakti under
He is scheduled to
address a public meeting
public meetings and hold
a roadshow in Madhya
relaxed the interim bail the top court, which said the Janjgir-Champa LS at Ambikapur under the Pradesh before winding
conditions imposed on he can only enter Uttar constituency and another Surguja Lok Sabha con- up his day’s visit to the
Ashish by the trial court Pradesh for trial. rally in Dhamtari under stituency in Chhattisgarh state on Wednesday night.
and had asked him not to “But he has participated the Mahasamund con- on Wednesday before Mr Modi is scheduled to
stay either in Uttar in various functions stituency in Chhattisgarh winding up his two-day- address a rally at
Pradesh or in Delhi dur- recently, distributing tri- on Tuesday. tour of the state. Bartuma falling under the
ing the period. cycles in Uttar Pradesh. I Mr Modi is scheduled to Mr Modi is scheduled to Sagar Lok Sabha seat in
The case relates to an do not know how this is spend the night on April leave for Madhya Pradesh the Bundelkhand region
incident of violence on being allowed, Mr 23 at Raj Bhavan in on Wednesday. He is of Madhya Pradesh on
October 3, 2021, in which Bhushan said. Raipur. scheduled to address two Wednesday.
not need votes from the the Bengal-origin com-
Muslim community. munity constituting its
In 2019, the BJP won largest chunk.
nine seats in Assam. It Though the CM
has now set a target of Himanta Biswa Sarma,
winning 12 out of 14 spearheading the BJP’s
seats in the ongoing Lok campaign, acknowl-
Sabha polls. edges the challenges in
About a year ago, these constituencies but
Assam chief minister remains optimistic
Himanta Biswa Sarma about clinching victory
had proclaimed that the in the both constituen-
party would never seek cies.
votes from the “Miya” or Nagaon — currently
the Bengal-origin held by the Congress —
Muslims. The “Miya” and Karimganj — by the
community is one of the BJP — have been wit-
three Muslim groups in nessing an intense cam-
the state; the other two paign by all the stake-
are the indigenous holders. The BJP has
Assamese Muslims and fielded Suresh Bora, a
the Hindi-speaking recent Congress defec-
Muslims. Together, tor, in Nagaon; while the
Muslims make up more Congress has put up its
than 34 per cent of the incumbent MP Pradyut
state’s population, with Bordoloi for the polls.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 4

SHORT TAKES
SC seeks Guj reply
on ex-babu bail plea
New Delhi: The SC on
Monday sought response of
the Gujarat government on
the bail plea of retired IAS
officer Pradeep Sharma in a
case of alleged illegal allot-
ment of government land for
monetary benefits during his
stint as the collector of Kutch
district. A bench of Justices
Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal
Bhuyan issued notice to the
Gujarat government return-
able in four weeks.
HC axes hiring of
25K teachers, staff
■ Continued From Page 1
■ India 4th largest military spender in 2023: Swedish report
Sipri: Conflicts push military
spending to ‘all-time high’
PAWAN BALI
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
India was the world’s
fourth largest spender
globally on military in 2023
at $83.6 billion amid ongo-
ing tensions with China
and Pakistan, said
Swedish think tank
Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute
(Sipri) report on Monday.
Ragpickers sort waste at a large dump on the World Earth Day in Guwahati on
Monday. — PTI
USA, China and Russia
were ranked top three in
military spending.
ninth consecutive year to
reach $2,443 billion in 2023,
an increase of 6.8 per cent
in real terms from 2022.
This was the steepest year-
on-year increase since
2009, led by the ongoing
war in Ukraine and the
escalating geopolitical ten-
sions in Asia and Oceania
and the Middle East.The 10
largest spenders in 2023 —
all increased their military
spending.
The biggest percentage
increase among this group
◗ UNITED STATES of
America, China and
Russia were ranked top
3 in military spending
◗ BIGGEST PERCENT-
AGE increase among this
group was in Ukraine. Its
military spending went
up by 51% to $64.8bn
around half of global mili-
tary spending in 2023.
US military spending
was $916 billion in 2023,
which was 2.3 per cent
categories in 2023 was for
“research, development,
test and evaluation”
(RDT&E).
China — the world’s sec-
ond largest military
spender — allocated an
estimated $296 billion to
the military in 2023, an
increase of 6.0 per cent.
China’s military expendi-
ture has risen consecutive-
ly for 29 years — the
longest unbroken streak
recorded by any country in
the Sipri military expendi-

NIA raids 9 places in J&K

9 and 10) and higher secondary Pakistan, which is facing was in Ukraine. Its mili- more than that in 2022. The ture database.
(Class 11 and 12) teachers as an economic crisis, tary spending went up by USA remained, by far, the “With military expendi-
well as Group C and Group D dropped to 30th position in 51 per cent to $64.8 billion, largest spender in the ture of $83.6 billion in 2023,
staff.” He added: “The HC also terms of military spending and it moved from 11th world, allocating 3.1 times India was the fourth

in terror conspiracy case

ordered a fresh recruitment globally in 2023, at $8.5 bil- largest spender in 2022 to more to the military than largest spender globally.
process that should start after lion from 24th rank in 2022. 8th largest in 2023. the second largest spender Indian spending was up by
the Lok Sabha polls and direct- Sipri said that the total The two largest spenders China. The biggest per- 4.2 per cent from 2022 and
ed the candidates, recruited by global military expendi- — the United States and centage increase among all by 44 per cent from 2014,”
the state government after ture increased for the China — accounted for the US military spending said Sipri.
expiry of the time frame of the
2016 panel, to return their
Central agency seizes digital devices, documents
entire salaries in four weeks.”
The HC judgment came after
AGE CORRESPONDENT
SRINAGAR, APRIL 22
EC nod to deal with K’taka Record 13L
it had ordered a re-evaluation of
the candidates’ optical mark The National bookings for
recognition (OMR) sheets of
the 2016 SSC recruitment exam-
ination in the scam. The re-
Investigation Agency
(NIA) on Monday raided
the homes and offices of
drought issue: Centre to SC Char Dham
evaluation found that the candi-
dates recruited through the
panel had been recruited ille-
what it alleged are the
“terror sympathisers” in
Kashmiri capital
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
the government to deal
with this question. I think
tive” of the fundamental
rights of the people of the
within 8 days
gally since they had been Srinagar. it will be done expeditious- state guaranteed under PRITHRAJ SINGH
recruited against blank OMR It claimed that incrimi- The Centre on Monday ly.” Articles 14 and 21 of the DEHRADUN, APRIL 22
sheets. nating materials includ- told the Supreme Court The A-G told the bench Constitution.
West Bengal CM Mamata ing digital devices and that the Election that the matter could be The plea said the state is The Char Dham pilgrim-
Banerjee erupted in fury over documents were seized Commission has given taken up next week. reeling under “severe age to Gangotri,
the judgment and found the during these raids at nine clearance to it to deal with “This should all be done drought”, affecting the Yamunotri, Badrinath
influence of the BJP in it while locations, but no arrests the issue raised by amicably… We are having lives of its people and for and Kedarnath is likely
addressing a TMC poll cam- were made. Security personnel stand guard during a raid by the Karnataka regarding a federal structure,” the the kharif 2023 season, to break past records as
paign rally at Chakulia in The agency said that the National Investigation Agency in Srinagar district on financial assistance for bench observed, while which starts in June and more than 13 lakh people
Raiganj of North Dinajpur. digital devices and other Monday. — PTI drought management in adjourning the matter. ends in September, a total have registered them-
Referring to Leader of the data recovered during the the state. On April 8, the apex court of 223 out of 236 taluks selves within eight days
Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s searches are being scruti- Jammu and Kashmir A statement issued by A bench of Justices B.R. had observed there not be a have been declared as of the start of the season
recent threat of a “bomb explo- nized to “expose and dis- police and the Central the NIA here added that Gavai and Sandeep Mehta “contest” between the drought-affected. As many on April 15. Uttarakhand
sion”, Ms Banerjee alleged: mantle the complete con- Reserve Police Force the premises of sympa- was hearing a plea filed by Centre and the state. as 196 taluks are cate- tourism department said
“Someone had talked about spiracy.” (CRPF) included “hybrid thisers and cadres of the Karnataka govern- The attorney-general and gorised as severely affect- it's a sign of record-
exploding a bomb, which is A spokesperson of the terrorists and these organisations were ment, seeking a direction solicitor-general Tushar ed and the remaining 27 as breaking flow of pilgrims
about snatching nearly 26,000 probe agency said that the Overground Workers also searched extensively. to the Centre to release Mehta, who were appear- moderately affected, it to the four shrines, as the
jobs. Mark my words, I will case pertains to “terror (OGWs)” linked with the “NIA teams cracked down financial assistance ing for the Centre, had told said. pilgrimage season will
fight for them whose jobs are at conspiracy” involving newly formed offshoots on these properties and from the National the bench they would seek “Cumulatively for kharif start on May 10.
stake now. They don’t need to various proscribed organ- and affiliates of pro- conducted elaborate Disaster Response Fund instructions in the matter. 2023 season, the agricul- Officials of the state
worry, lose hope and put life at isations and their off- scribed outfits such as searches this morning as for drought manag The petition has also ture and horticulture crop tourism department
risk. All of us are with you and shoots backed by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), part of its investigation in ement. sought to declare that the loss have been reported in informed that registra-
will fight as far as we can.” Pakistan. Jaish-e-Muhammad the case RC- Attorney-general R. Centre's action in not more than 48 lakh tion record for the 2023
She claimed: “I am not talking Those who premises (JeM), Hizb-ul- 05/2022/NIA/JMU, regis- Venkataramani, appearing releasing the financial hectares with the estimat- Char Dham pilgrimage
about the judges. But I can were raided by separate Mujahideen (HM), Al- tered by the anti-terror for the Centre, told the assistance for drought ed loss (cost of cultiva- was broken within seven
speak on a judgment. It is our NIA teams which were Badr and Al-Qaeda, the agency suo moto on the bench, “The Election arrangement as per the tion) of `35,162 crores,” days after the bookings
right and I challenge it because being assisted by the spokesperson said. 21st June 2022,” it reads. Commission has cleared NDRF is “ex-facie viola- the state’s plea said. started on April 15. More
nearly 26,000 candidates mean then 12.48 lakh pilgrims
1.5-2 lakh families. Is it possible have registered them-
to return the salaries of eight
years of service? Can those of
■ Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak given award posthumously selves through different
online portals as permit-
you who passed this judgment ted by the tourism
return your entire life’s earn-
ings at one go? All of you sur-
vive on government salaries,
vehicles and security. People
respect you, and so do we. This
Naidu, Mithun, Usha Uthup conferred Padma awards
AGE CORRESPONDENT, actor Mithun Chakraborty, For 2024, the President
department.
The pilgrims’ registra-
tion figure crossed 13
lakhs on Monday. It is
three times more than
order is illegal. We will move a NEW DELHI, APRIL 22 singer Usha Uthup, former
◗ V-P
P DHANKHAR, PM had approved conferment the 2023 figure, which
higher court against it. We have Uttar Pradesh governor Modi, home minister of 132 Padma awards, was four lakh in the first
another 10 lakh jobs ready.” Former vice-president M. Ram Naik and industrial- Shah and external affairs including two duo cases (in week. Speaking about the
She also pointed out: “There is Venkaiah Naidu, founder ist Sitaram Jindal were minister S. Jaishankar, a duo case, the award is high registration figures,
something which is neither of Sulabh International conferred with the Padma among others, were counted as one). Uttarakhand tourism
Mandir nor Masjid..it is a BJP Bindeshwar Pathak and a Bhushan. present at the function The list comprises five minister Satpal Maharaj
court where they adjudicate host of other prominent Vice-president Jagdeep Padma Vibhushan, 17 said that this season, too,
matters politically. If someone persons were conferred Dhankhar, Prime Minister neering, trade and indus- Padma Bhushan and 110 will witness massive pil-
sides with the BJP, he gets bail, with Padma Awards by Narendra Modi, Union try, medicine, literature Padma Shri awards. grims footfalls and is
for others it’s jail. This has President Droupadi home minister Amit Shah and education, sports, civil As many as 30 of the likely to break all past
become the state of affairs here. Murmu at a ceremonial and external affairs minis- service, etc. awardees are women and records of religious
It is not the fault of the judges. function held at ter S. Jaishankar, among The Padma Vibhushan is the list also includes tourism in Uttarakhand.
It is a trick of the Central gov- Rashtrapati Bhavan on others, were present at the awarded for exceptional eight people from the cate- “The registration fig-
ernment which places BJP peo- Monday. function. and distinguished service, gory of foreign- ures are an indication of
ple here so that they follow Bindeshwar Pathak, who Padma Awards, one of the Padma Bhushan for ers/NRI/PIO/OCI and the heavy pilgrim flow
whatever is drafted in the BJP was given the award the highest civilian hon- distinguished service of nine posthumous this season. We will wel-
office. What will you do to me? posthumously, Mr Naidu ours of the country, are President Droupadi Murmu confers the Padma Bhushan high order and the Padma awardees. come and accommodate
Will you punish me or make a and renowned conferred in three cate- on actor Mithun Chakraborty in the field of art during Shri for distinguished While almost half of the all coming for the Char
defamation case against me? Bharatanatyam dancer gories — Padma the Padma Awards 2024 ceremony at Rashtrapati service in any field. awardees were conferred Dham pilgrimage.
I'm ready. If you want to send Padma Subrahmanyam Vibhushan, Padma Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI The awards are on Monday while remain- Facilities are being
me to jail, I'm ready for that were conferred with the Bhushan and Padma Shri. various disciplines or art, social work, public announced on the eve of ing are likely to get them upgraded in all
also.” Padma Vibhushan, while The awards are given in fields of activities, viz.- affairs, science and engi- Republic Day every year. next week. respects,” he said.

Court rejects Kejriwal plea ‘Every soldier a Congress to ‘snatch’ property of

devata for Indians’
■ Continued From Page 1
alleged that the Tihar admin-
istration issued a “false and
misleading” statement under
“political pressure”. Delhi
minister Atishi shared Mr
Kejriwal’s letter on her X
handle. The chief minister
rejected the jail administra-
tion’s claim that the issue of
insulin was never raised by
him in his consultations with
the doctors.
“This is false. I have raised
the issue of insulin for 10
days, every day, multiple
times. I showed my high
sugar levels to every doctor
who came to see me. I showed
them that there were three
peaks in the sugar level every
day -- between 250-320,” he
said in his letter.
The court ordered the
AIIMS director to constitute a
medical board comprising an
endocrinologist/diabetolo-
gist to examine Mr Kejriwal.
The board will decide
whether he should be admin-
istered insulin and also take a
call on the diet and exercise
plan he needs to follow, the
court said. It said that there
should be no deviations from
the diet plan that was pre-
scribed by the medical
board.
In its order, the court said
the detailed list of food he
consumes “categorically
shows that the food items
which are being provided as
home-cooked food are quite
different from the diet pre-
scribed by his own doctor”.
The court also responded to
a nonchalant remark by the
AAP leader's lawyer that
“Aam aadmi aam nahi
khayega to kya mushroom
khayega?”. The judge said
mushrooms had been pre-
scribed by Mr Kejriwal’s own
doctor, whereas there was no
specific recommendation for
eating mangoes.
“This court is also unable to
fathom as to why the family
of the applicant has been
sending various articles
against his medically pre-
scribed diet, i.e mango,
sweets, aloo puri, etc”, the
judge said.
The court said it was appar-
ent that the jail authorities
have a well-developed infra-
structure for providing requi-
site health care to inmates.
“This court also finds itself
in agreement with the sub-
missions that the applicant
cannot be treated differently
from other inmates as the
laws/jail manual must apply
equally to all,” the judge
said.
The judge said the medical
board was further requested
to prescribe a diet and exer-
cise plan, if required, for the
applicant considering his
medical requirements and
relevant data regarding his
vital statistics. The medical
board may, as and when
required, also physically
examine the applicant in
jail," the judge said.
The judge asked the medical
board to submit its report to
the court at the earliest speci-
fying as to whether Mr
Kejriwal required insulin to
control his blood sugar levels.
The AAP chief's letter to the
superintendent comes a day
after the Tihar administra-
tion issued a statement stat-
ing they had arranged his
video conference with senior
specialists from AIIMS dur-
ing which neither “the issue
of insulin was raised by Mr
Kejriwal, nor was it suggest-
ed by the doctors”.
“I also showed them that my
fasting sugar level was in the
range of 160-200 every day.
Almost every day, I demanded
insulin. Then how could you
make such a statement that I
never raised the issue of
insulin?" Mr Kejriwal wrote,
contradicting the Tihar's
administration's statement
that the AIIMS doctors
assured that there was no
“serious concern” regarding
his sugar levels.
The Tihar administration,
in the statement, said senior
specialists from AIIMS pro-
vided consultation to Mr
Kejriwal during the video call
on April 20.
“After a 40-minute detailed
consultation, he was assured
that there was no serious con-
cern and was advised to con-
tinue with the prescribed
medicines, which will be eval-
uated and reviewed regular-
ly”, a jail official had said.
The video conference was
organised by the Tihar Jail
administration on a request
by the chief minister's wife,
Mrs Sunita Kejriwal. Apart
from a senior specialist from
the hospital, medical officers
of Tihar jail were also on the
call.
■ Continued From Page 1
bearing the brunt of bone-
chilling cold in their resolve
to protect the nation. Today, I
am glad to be with you here at
the world’s highest battlefield.
Indian citizens sleep freely as
your bravehearts remain
awake here and elsewhere
defending our borders.” He
distributed sweets to the sol-
diers and exchanged “belat-
ed” Holi greetings with them.
He told them: “You are the
nation’s pride. You are ready
to fire at the enemy but, at the
same time, take bullets on
your chest. Every Indian sol-
dier is not less than a devata
for us. You are the real heroes.
It is because of you that peo-
ple across the country sleep
without fear. Serving the
nation at such a place where
cold conditions freeze the
bones is something we greatly
acknowledge and are proud
of.”
Reiterating that the nation
will remain forever indebted
to the armed forces personnel,
the defence minister said it
was because of their sacri-
fices that every citizen feels
safe. “We are leading a peace-
ful life as we have an assur-
ance that our brave soldiers
stand steadfast at the borders.
In times to come, when the
history of national security is
written, the acts of bravery
and iron-clad will of our sol-
diers in the icy cold glacier
will be remembered with
pride. It will forever be an
inspiration for future genera-
tions,” he asserted.
Mr Singh, accompanied by
Army Chief Gen. Manoj
Pande, GOC-in-C Northern
Command Lt. Gen. M.V.
Suchindra Kumar, and GOC
14 Corps Lt. Gen. Rashim
Bali, said that the Centre
under the leadership of
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi was committed to serve
soldiers and take care of their
families and children.
A defence spokesperson in
Leh said Mr Singh, during his
visit, obtained a first-hand
assessment of the security sit-
uation in the Siachen Glacier
area and also interacted with
the soldiers deployed in the
extreme weather and tough
terrain conditions.
Before landing at a forward
post at an altitude of 15,100
feet, the defence minister
undertook aerial reconnais-
sance of the area, the
spokesperson said, adding he
was given a detailed brief on
the operational readiness in
the Siachen Glacier and the
security situation, after
which he discussed opera-
tional challenges with
the commanders on the
ground.
Mr Singh also laid a wreath
at the Siachen War Memorial
as a mark of tribute to the
bravehearts who have made
the supreme sacrifice, the
spokesman added.
people if it comes to power: PM
■ Continued From Page 1
dangerous intentions of the Congress
and the INDIA bloc. The Congress and
its allies have set their sights on your
hard-earned money and property,” he
said. The PM noted that Congress lead-
ers have openly declared that if they
come to power, they will investigate
everyone’s earnings and property,
even down to how much gold women
possess, how many FDs employees
have, and how much land farmers
own.
“They plan to confiscate property
and money as they see fit, based on a
survey they conduct. This is akin to
Communist ideology, which has
ruined many countries. Now, they
want to implement this policy in India.
They want to seize your hard-earned
money and property. These family-ori-
ented politicians have amassed vast
fortunes by looting the people. They
have never shared their wealth with
the poor. Now, they have their eyes on
the wealth of the people,” he said.
Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi and Samajwadi Party presi-
dent Akhilesh Yadav, he said: “When I
first came to Aligarh, I asked you to
lock away the factories of nepotism,
corruption and appeasement. You
locked them so tight that even the two
shehzaades can't find the key. Today,
I’m back to urge the people of Aligarh
and Hathras… You hold the key to a
better future and a Viksit Bharat. It's
time to rid our country of poverty, cor-
ruption, and dynastic politics.”
Accusing the Congress-SP of doing
politics of appeasement, he said:
“Parties like the Congress-SP always
practised appeasement politics and
never did anything for the political-
social-economic upliftment of
Muslims.”
Talking about several development
initiatives aimed at the uplift of vari-
ous sections of society, the PM noted
that he had requested the Crown
Prince of Saudi Arabia to increase the
Haj quota. “Today, not only has India's
Haj quota increased but visa rules
have also been made easier. The gov-
ernment has also allowed women to go
for Haj without Mehram,” he said.
Mr Modi said the Congress considers
it its birthright to plunder the wealth
of the people, loot the nation's assets.
“The Congress, which engaged in cor-
ruption in every defence purchase,
could never have built a defence corri-
dor here. But now, our UP is now
becoming a major hub of self-reliant
India, a self-reliant Army. Just a few
days ago, we exported the first batch of
BrahMos missiles to Philippines. In
the coming days, these lethal BrahMos
missiles will also be manufactured in
UP,” he said. Mentioning that once
bombs and shells rattled our borders
daily, but now all was calm, the PM
added: “Terrorist attacks and serial
blasts were routine, but not any more.
Under Article 370, separatists thrived
in J&K, but now they're silenced.”
“Curfews were a daily ordeal in
Aligarh, but not any more. Under the
SP government, riots, murders, and
gang wars plagued us. Today, under
Yogiji's governance, peace reigns, and
our sisters and daughters walk freely,
without fear,” he said.
The PM also spoke about several
development schemes that empower
both agriculture and farmers in the
area, and said: “The BJP has pledged
in its Sankalp Patra to establish spe-
cial storage clusters for potato, tomato,
and onion farmers, which will greatly
benefit the farmers of Aligarh and
Hathras.”
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

23 APRIL 2024

Lies, hate have no place

in election campaign
T
he extreme heat of a typical Indian summer has an extra fiery feel and
layer — of political slugfests, adding to the impact and sense of the rising
mercury, all around the country. Only one phase of the elections is done,
and the bulk of political confrontation is still ahead of us.
One has to, in this divided, opinionated, vituperative, and contentiously parti-
san mood, make a categorical assertion that would be applicable to every single
party, leader and individual — that neither lies nor hatred has any place in our
festival of democracy, the elections.
Understandably, as each party feels the stress of internal surveys, and perhaps
faced with the potential of performance being underwhelming, and less emphat-
ic, compared to their aspirations, desires, projections and one-upmanship, their
leaders try to push the pedal harder. However, parties and leaders, while mak-
ing their speeches, or their social media content, or various campaign pro-
grammes and advertisements, slogans, songs, statements, et al, must try to find
better arguments rather than their unacceptable rhetoric crossing the line of
control.
The ‘Lakshman rekha’ must be drawn at being civil, not pushing the interpre-
tation of truth too much, and not crossing the borders to a point where we hurt
sections of people and divide them, for the sake of votes.

BJP dominance in political LETTERS

One of the most controversial speeches in recent
The ‘Lakshman times has been delivered by Prime Minister
rekha’ must be Narendra Modi, targeting the Congress manifesto
on the issue of redistribution of wealth. All nations
drawn at being are socialist to some extent, and welfare is the main- SKILLS FOR YOUTH
civil, not pushing stay of manifestoes in all democracies. Hence, while In these times of divisive and
the interpretation a promise may be subject to rational tests of feasi-
of truth too much, bility, ability of pay from the exchequer given cer-
tain economic realities, including government's
and not crossing broad band of revenues and expenses, it should be
the borders to a used to create animosity.
point where we When Mr Modi said that the Congress wishes to
discourse sees adjustments Pitches to win a Members of Parliament in
confrontational politics it must
go to the credit of the
Congress to include, as part of
its five “guarantees”, the right
hurt sections of uphold its principle that minorities, read Muslims, third term in the 2023 winter session, to apprenticeship for every
expelling Rahul Gandhi,
people and divide have the first right to resources, and then went on to
say the Grand Old Party under Rahul Gandhi will power are notori- passed 65 per cent of the 221 diploma holder or college
them. dole out monies to “…those who have more chil- ously difficult: the new laws with less than graduate below 25. A one-
dren…”, and to those “…who have entered the coun- first five honey- three hours of discussion, year apprenticeship gives an
try illegally...”, it was a troublesome stance and choice of words by the BJP.
Given the stature of the leader, it was best avoidable. There are several other
Shikha Mukerjee moon years are a including the abrogation of
Article 370, triple talaq and assured first job along with a
routes to flaying the Congress manifesto, but dog-whistling an entire social distant memory the three farm laws, the stipend of `1 lakh a year. But
group with a bias-inducing allegation that would have repercussions is not and there is a BJP’s newfound faith in
acceptable, morally. buildup of frustra- consultative politics is estimates say just one per

I
Similarly, the Opposition is constantly targeting Mr Modi and his party with ntriguingly, the Bha-
allegations that are not true — that the saffron party wishes to change the ratiya Janata Party’s
Constitution if it wins a third term, that these would be the last elections or that dominance over the
reservations based on caste would be amended out of legal sanction, despite sev- political discourse by
eral disclaimers and denials — which is wrong. It is as wrong to try to create fear establishing the fra-
amongst people as hate. mes of meaning and the
The underprivileged sections of society, who have suffered for generations as order or even disorder of
the most vulnerable subaltern, should not be subject to a fear psychosis cam- things, including interpre-
paign from leaders and parties that must try to enhance their dignity, pride and tations and contexts, seems
confidence. Even after Mr Modi said that there is no question of changing the to be undergoing a not-so-
Constitution or removing reservations, the Opposition is trying to benefit subtle change. Instead of
unfairly ahead of the polls, which must be sternly condemned. telling the voters that there
Let all parties play it fair. You owe it to India, our democracy, and our people. is a singular order of things
And it starts with your speech. and the rest is irrelevant,
the BJP is reacting to the
relentless, consistent Oppo-
paigners and masterminds
of the BJP, Narendra Modi
and Amit Shah, have been
at pains to tell voters that
the Opposition attack is
unfounded, that a third
term for the regime would
usher in an end to democ-
racy and discarding the
existing Constitution.
There are, however, mis-
steps that the party has
taken, over nominations to
certain caste categories
and statements on reserva-
tions by the RSS that
tions or disap-
pointments over
the total 10 years.
tred around the danger to
the Idea of India as the
founding generation con-
structed it from the BJP
and the Sangh Parivar,
intent on establishing a
Hindu Rashtra, hollowing
out democracy and institu-
tionalising autocracy. By
reacting to the attack and
making a public declara-
tweaking the narrative to
nullify Opposition criti-
cism of the Modi govern-
ment as autocratic.
Pitches to win a third
term are notoriously diffi-
cult: the first five honey-
moon years are a distant
memory and there is a
buildup of frustrations or
disappointments over the
total 10 years. Unveiling
visions of “Viksit Bharat”
23 years down the road will
not obviously satisfy the
voter who is subsisting on
cent of people who enter the
workforce are apprentices. In
any modern economy, appren-
tices comprise between three
and four per cent of the work-
force. India is poised to reap
its demographic dividend for
at least another decade, as
youth will comprise 23 per
cent of the population in
2036, down from 27 in 2021.

Help seniorspay for health cover sition attack on its inten-

tions and actions. New
guarantees are popping out
appear to have queered the
pitch of the campaign. The
coverup may or may not
tion, a “Modi ki guaran-
tee”, that the Constitution
would not be changed, the
five kilogrammes of free
foodgrain every month.
Youth who joined up under
Lack of earnest skilling would
result in poor harvesting of
human potential.

T
he Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has decided that were never on the list. work, but its necessity sug- BJP is no longer dominat- the 2022 Agnipath scheme
to make it mandatory for insurance companies to offer standard health The two most significant gests that the BJP, despite ing the discourse; it is of short-term recruitment R. Narayanan
insurance policies to people aged 65 and above. While some non-life insur- are, first, the guarantee its organisation and mas- reacting to an alternative in the Army are preparing Navi Mumbai
ance companies have been offering life-long health insurance products to senior that the Constitution will terminds and backrooms, discourse. to plan for a future outside
citizens, the IRDAI’s new move will create a standard policy across the industry
for senior citizens.
not be rewritten and the
word “secular”, over wh-
has problems.
This may not be the same
The strength of the alter-
native discourse may or
the military as they near
retirement. Voters will
HOW MUCH FOR BJP?
The premium or the cost of the health policy, however, will continue to be ich controversy has raged as conceding that the Modi may not be reflected in the weigh these lived realities SURJIT BHALLA, a renowned econ-
decided by the insurance company on the basis of the risk profile of the person for decades between the government and the BJP final seat tally on June 4, against the “guarantees” omist and political analyst, antici-
who seeks to buy it. A `5 lakh health insurance policy for senior citizens, which BJP and the secular Oppo- are accountable to the vot- but its existence is undeni- made earlier and new ones pates that the ruling BJP may sur-
is available in the market, typically costs `30,000 to sition, will not be amended ers and the Opposition for able. The other issue on offered in 2024 by the Modi pass its 2019 poll performance in the
The health insur- `40,000 for a 65-year-old man. and erased. The other not everything that has been which the BJP’s reaction to government. ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha election. Mr
ance industry, in The cost of the insurance policy will increase quite guarantee, but never- said and done, it is, never- the Opposition is signifi- It is not just the steady Bhalla, whose new book How We
consultation with with the rise in the policyholder's age and hospital- theless a confirmation of theless a concession that cant is electoral bonds. It stream of denunciations Vote details the voter’s mindset, said
commitment, is on democ- seems almost conciliatory. suggests that the Oppo- from the collective
the Central and isation risk. The health insurance industry, there-
fore, in consultation with the Central and state gov- racy. The second guarantee From a party and a leader sition’s dogged pursuit — Opposition that is con-
Narendra Modi’s party could end up
winning 330-350 seats in the general
state govern- ernments, should devise a way to fund a part of the that has been added as the who declared in 2014 that Rahul Gandhi labelling it tributing to the pressure on election. But other estimates put this
ments, should cost of standard health cover provided to senior cit- election process unrolls is India would be liberated as extortion to the entirely the BJP to revise, modify figure much lower. The consensus
devise a way to izens through the exchequer. reservations and quotas for from the yoke of Congress personal attack by DMK and modulate its cam- seems to be that the BJP will not
This model will reduce the cost of the govern- tribals on the scheduled rule, recall the slogan leader and Tamil Nadu paign. After 10 years in manage to win 400 seats.
fund a part of the ment’s healthcare spending, while allowing an list. “Congress Mukt Bharat,” chief minister M.K. Stalin’s office, anti-incumbency Sankar Paul
cost of the stan- individual freedom to buy his or her desired health The chinks in the BJP’s the need to clarify, explain branding of Modi as and indifference are fac- Chakdaha, West Bengal
dard cover pro- product. armour are not all on and placate suggests a “Vasool (fund recovery) tors, especially as Phase 1
vided to senior Apart from allowing standard health insurance account of the ferocity and
multiplicity of a unified
climbdown. As examples of
how much more the BJP is
Raja” — has paid off proba-
bly because it has captured
of the seven-stage process
of the general election indi-
COUNSELLING ‘FAILURES’
citizens. policies for senior citizens, IRDAI has taken sever-
al steps that will be beneficial to the people. Now Opposition’s counter offen- committed to the voters’ attention to the cates voter turnout has WHILE THOSE from humble back-
insurers will have to cover pre-existing conditions, including severe illnesses sive. It is in trouble with its Constitution, Mr Shah in extent that clarifications been significantly lower grounds cracking the UPSC exams
like cancer and AIDS. vote banks among the the course of an interview and explanations are across the country, with an makes big news, spare a thought for
They will also have to offer premium instalment plans. Unlike in the past, Kshatriyas or the Rajputs, on television the day he strategically necessary to average decreases of four the failures who must have made all
there will be no cap on covering AYUSH treatments, including Ayurveda and a caste that is spread across filed his nomination in reassure some sections of per cent. kinds of sacrifices and efforts to clear
yoga, which will free the policyholder to opt for his or her favourite methodolo- several key states in the Gandhinagar, talked about the public. As polling for the next six these exams, but could not succeed.
gy. The industry regulator has also decreased the health insurance waiting peri- Hindi heartland. The assid- implementing the non-jus- The clarifications have phases proceeds, the Out of nearly 13 lakh candidates, just
od from 48 months to 36 months, which means all pre-existing conditions — uously cultivated tribals by ticiable Directive Princi- ranged from Mr Shah’s tweaks and adjustments in over 14,000 passed. There is some-
regardless of whether the policyholder has disclosed or not — will be covered the RSS Vanavasi Kalyan ples of State Policy as aggressive reaction that if the BJP’s campaign will be thing intrinsically wrong with an
after three years. Ashram as a vote bank are enshrined in Part IV such it was extortion, then the worth tracking. Will there exam where 99.9 per cent fail. Or is
also vocal in questioning as the ban on triple talaq electoral bond funding to be more unseen stumbling there? Nobody seems to be concerned
the BJP’s intentions on and its promise to bring in the Congress and other blocks? In campaign mode, about the fate and psychological
THE ASIAN AGE removing reservation quo- a Uniform Civil Code. Opposition parties was also the problem is that the damage to those who didn’t succeed.
tas. Whether a Narendra The 2024 Lok Sabha elec- extortion, and Nirmala leadership has to maintain The failures need counselling and
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR Modi government in its tion campaign of all the Sitharaman’s follow-up a steady flow of words on should be told that inability to pass
Editor Printer & Publisher third term will extinguish parties in the Indian that revisions would be everything, unlike in the UPSC exams does not mean the
reservations is not materi- National Developmental made to the electoral bonds Parliament where silence end of the road!
THE ASIAN AGE office is located at:
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: al; tribals are suspicious of Inclusive Alliance — the scheme after consultations or brevity is possible as a Anthony Henriques
(011) 23211124. what will happen in the Congress, the Left, the and reintroduced in the strategic retreat. Mumbai
Published and Printed on behalf of and for future. DMK, the Trinamul BJP’s third term.
◗ Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New In recent public speeches Congress, the Samajwadi For a party that railroad- Shikha Mukerjee is Every Monday the best letter of
Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301.
◗ London: Quickmarsh Ltd, 8th Floor, Block 2, Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NQ. and in one-on-one inter- Party the Rashtriya Janata ed the Opposition by sus- a senior journalist the week wins `500. Email:
RNI Registration number: 57290/94 views, the two major cam- Dal and others — has cen- pending a total of 146 based in Kolkata asianage.letters@gmail.com.

A
t a civil society meeting in Bengaluru last
week, the question was asked if a Hindu
Rashtra was on the horizon with a third
term of the Narendra Modi government impend-
ing. To see if it is possible, one must begin by ask-
ing what it is, and how Hindu Rashtra will be dif-
Aakar Patel ferent from what we have now.
Till 2008, after which it became it republic like
ours, Nepal was a Hindu Rashtra, the only one in
the world. Why was it a Hindu Rashtra? Because
executive power flowed from a Kshatriya
(Chhetri) King as prescribed in the Manu Smriti.
Nepal’s 1959 Constitution identifies the head of
state as someone who is an “adherent of Aryan
vert another person to his religion”. A citizen
may only “practice and profess his own religion
as handed down from ancient times”, meaning
no propagation was allowed, a principle still fol-
lowed in Nepal.
The ban on conversion was rephrased to close
the loophole surrounding the words “his reli-
gion” and the new text read: “No person shall be
entitled to convert another person from one reli-
gion to another”.
To conclude, Nepal was a Hindu Rashtra
because of three things. First, that rule was caste-
based through a hereditary Kshatriya; second,
this King had caste-based advisers in his court;
For this reason, it is difficult to see how it can
be replicated here. We do not even have the
hereditary King that Nepal did. But if this is not
Hindu Rashtra, then what are the BJP and RSS
talking about? Here we do not have a proper
answer because they have never defined it,
though they speak of it often. There is no draft or
charter or constitution of the RSS Hindu Rashtra
and what its laws would be and how they would
differ from the present. The reason is that their
only focus is on minorities.
A Hindu Rashtra of the type they speak of might
mandate by law that no non-Hindu can become
Prime Minister or chief minister, and only
namaz (in the National Capital Region in 2021),
hijab (in Karnataka in 2021), beef (since 2015),
bulldozers (across India now), talaq (in 2019) and
so on would also be something that we can see in
an exclusionary Hindu Rashtra.
So the question is, if we have already excluded
Muslims from political office by default, and if we
are already harassing our minorities daily
through laws, like Nazi Germany did and like
Pakistan did, then why do we need a Hindu
Rashtra or a change from the present set of laws?
The answer is that we do not. The present
Constitution and laws give us enough freedom to
apply discrimination against non-Hindus legally,

If India becomes culture and Hindu religion”.

The 1962 Constitution defines Nepal as an “in-
dependent, indivisible and sovereign Hindu
state” and repeats the formulation of the King as
three, that there is no religious freedom and
propagation is banned.
Here Nepal was and is more honest than India.
Our Constitution through Article 25 says that the
Hindus can hold certain offices. We should con-
sider here that though we have no such law, it is
not required. There is no Muslim chief minister
in this country, that no Muslim has ever served a
while still pretending to be pluralist, democratic
and secular. There appears to be no particular
advantage or benefit that we get in officially
changing our constitutional and legal state from

a Hindu Rashtra, being Aryan and Hindu. The Raj Sabha, or gov-
erning council, includes the head Brahmin (Bada
Gurujyu) and the officiating priest (Mool
right to freely propagate religion is a fundamen-
tal right, but across India’s states are laws which
also make religious propagation a criminal
full five-year term as CM in any state, besides
Jammu and Kashmir, and of course there has
never been a Muslim Prime Minister in India.
a secular state to a Hindu Rashtra.
So, then what can we expect from the third
term, if it should come? I must recount a reply,

will there be any Purohit).

Nepal’s 1990 Constitution defines the country as
being "multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, democratic,
independent, indivisible, sovereign, Hindu and
offence. Therefore, the right exists mostly on
paper.
Nepal was only to this extent a Hindu Rashtra.
No other parts of the prescribed caste hierarchy
This type of Hindu Rashtra can also adopt some
other discriminatory aspects against its religious
minorities. Germany in the 1930s adopted a set of
laws that prevented inter-marriage between com-
most likely apocryphal, given by the poet Ahmed
Faraz, when someone asked him the classic ques-
tion: “Yoon hi chalta raha to kya hoga?” (What
will happen if things continue in this fashion).

difference at all? constitutional monarchical kingdom". It restates

the “Aryan-ness” and “Hinduness” of the King.
The Raj Sabha was now called Raj Parishad and
the Mool Purohit excluded though the Bada
Gurujyu remained.
The 1959 Constitution had no religious freedom
as such and “no person shall be entitled to con-
and caste-based discriminations as required by
the texts were applied to the State in Nepal and
they could not have been. It would have gone
against the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and every single modern law and practice
that gives individuals liberty and equality and
freedom.
munities. In India, after 2018, seven BJP states
have passed laws that also criminalise marriage
between Muslims and Hindus. German laws
excluded Jews from citizenship, and India has of
course adopted the CAA excluding Muslims.
Many of the things India has done, especially
since 2019, with targeted laws and policy on
Faraz’s reply was: “Darr to is baat ka hai ke
kuch bhi nahin hoga, yoon hi chalta rahega”
(The real fear is that nothing will happen: That
what is around us will continue).
The writer is the chair of Amnesty
International India. X: @aakar__patel
 WORLD
THE ASIAN AGE | TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024 | NEW DELHI
SHORT
IRANIAN GROUP IN
TAKES
SAUDI FOR UMRAH,
1ST TIME IN 9 YRS
Dubai: The first group of
Iranian pilgrims in nine years
made its way to Saudi Arabia
on Monday for the umrah, or
minor pilgrimage, Iran’s offi-
cial news agency reported.
Iranian media had said in
December that Saudi Arabia
had lifted restrictions on
Iranians wanting to perform
umrah but flights were delayed
until now due to what Tehran
called “technical problems”.
POLAND READY TO
HOST NATO NUKE
WEAPONS: PREZ
Warsaw: Poland’s president
says the NATO member would
be ready to host the nuclear
weapons of the military
alliances’ other members in
response to Russia moving its
nuclear weapons to neighbor-
ing Belarus.
President Andrzej Duda made
the comments in an interview
published on Monday.
“If there were a decision by
our allies to deploy nuclear
weapons within the nuclear
sharing also on our territory in
order to strengthen the securi-
ty of NATO’s eastern flank, we
are ready,” Duda said.
DENMARK: TENDER
FOR BIGGEST WIND
FARM OPENED
Copenhagen: The Danish
Energy Agency on Monday
launched its biggest tender for
the construction of offshore
wind farms, aimed at produc-
ing six gigawatts by 2030 —
more than double Denmark’s
current capacity.
Offshore wind is one of the
major sources of green energy
that Europe is counting on to
decarbonise electricity produc-
tion and reach its 2050 target of
net zero carbon production, but
it remains far off the pace
needed to hit its targets.
Denmark’s offshore wind
parks currently generate 2.7
gigawatts of electricity, with
another one GW due in 2027.
EGYPT RECLAIMS
3,400-YEAR-OLD
STOLEN STATUE
Cairo: Egypt welcomed home a
3,400-year-old statue depicting
the head of King Ramses II
after it was stolen and smug-
gled out of the country more
than three decades ago, the
country’s antiquities ministry
said on Sunday.
The statue is now in the
Egyptian Museum in Cairo but
not on display. The artefact will
be restored, the ministry said.
The statue was stolen from
the Ramses II temple in the
ancient city of Abydos in
southern Egypt more than
three decades ago. The exact
date is not known, it is specu-
lated that the piece was stolen
in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
FOUR GERMANS
CAUGHT MARKING
HITLER’S B’DAY
Berlin: Four Germans were
caught laying white roses in
the memory of Adolf Hitler at
the house where the Nazi dicta-
tor was born in western
Austria on the anniversary of
his birth, and one gave a Hitler
salute as they posed for photos,
police said.
Hitler was born on April 20,
1889, in Braunau am Inn. After
lengthy wrangling over the
future of the house where he
was born, work started last
year on turning it into a police
station. Police in Upper Austria
province said the four Germ-
ans — two sisters and their
partners in their 20s and early
30s — went to the building on
Saturday to lay white roses.
‘JIHADISTS’
KIDNAP 110
PEOPLE IN MALI
Dakar: Suspected jihadists in
central Mali are holding more
than 110 civilians they abduct-
ed six days ago.
Three buses carrying the
civilians were stopped on
April 16 by “jihadists”, who
forced the vehicles and the pas-
sengers to head towards a for-
est between Bandiagara and
Bankass, a local group of asso-
ciations said.
Bandiagara associations had
on Friday published a state-
ment condemning the “persist-
ence of terrorist attacks”, the
“growing numbers of dis-
placed” people in towns and
“the lack of action by the
armed forces”.
Israel intel chief resigns 66K Indians became US
citizens in ’22: Congress
over Oct. 7 terror attack
Gen. Haliva calls for establishment of a probe committee
Jerusalem, April 22:
Israel’s military intelli-
gence chief Major General
Aharon Haliva resigned
on Monday, taking respon-
sibility for his unit’s fail-
ures during the October 7
Hamas attacks on the
Jewish state.
Haliva is the first Gen-
eral of the Israeli army’s
general staff to leave his
position due to the fail-
ures that led to the mas-
sive attack by the Pales-
tinian militant organisa-
tion Hamas and the subse-
quent war in Gaza.
In his resignation letter
written in Hebrew, Haliva
said, “The Intelligence
Division did not live up to
the task we were entrust-
ed with. Throughout my
duties, I knew that along-
side authority comes
heavy responsibility.”
The General said he
would like to “take respon-
sibility” for what hap-
pened on October 7 and
promised to do his best to
complete as many of the
war’s goals as possible.
Haliva also called for the
establishment of a state
investigative committee,
“that can probe and find
out in a thorough, in-
depth, comprehensive and
precise manner all the fac-
tors and circumstances
that led to the difficult
events”. At the same time,
Haliva in the letter
expressed his high appre-
ciation for the perform-
ance of the Military
CHINA HAILS
MUIZZU AMID
FRAUD CLAIMS
Beijing/Male, April 22:
China on Monday con-
gratulated
President
Maldives
Mohamed
Muizzu’s People’s
National Congress
(PNC) which
secured an absolute
has
majority in Sunday’s
Parliament polls and
expressed its willing-
ness to deepen the “com-
prehensive strategic
cooperative partner-
ship” between the two
countries.
Muizzu-led PNC won 68
out of 93 seats in
Sunday's polls and its
coalition partners
Maldives National Party
(MNP) and Maldives
Development Alliance
(MDA) won one and two
seats, respectively,
which is more than two-
thirds of the
Parliament, landing the
party an easy superma-
jority with the power to
amend the Constitution.
Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman
Wang Wenbin told a
media briefing here that
Beijing wants to con-
gratulate the Maldives
on the successful parlia-
ment election
“China stands ready to
and
work with the Maldives
to carry forward tradi-
tional friendship,
expand exchanges and
cooperation in various
fields.” Meanwhile, the
NGO, Transparency
Maldives (TM), urged
the authorities
address allegations of
vote buying in the just-
to
concluded parliamen-
tary election. TM called
on all actors to address
the problem of vote buy-
ing and lack of cam-
paign transparency. It
expressed concern over
the “amendments
brought on Election Day
to two administrative
areas. — PTI
POLITICAL | PLOT
How Covid-19 study turned poisonous
Beijing, April 22: The hunt
for the origins of COVID-
19 has gone dark in China,
the victim of political
infighting after a series of
stalled and thwarted
attempts to find the source
of the virus that killed
millions and paralysed the
world for months.
The Chinese govern-
ment froze meaningful
domestic and internation-
al efforts to trace the virus
from the first weeks of the
outbreak, despite state-
ments supporting open
scientific inquiry, an
Associated Press investi-
MIRACLE BABY RESCUED FROM DEAD MOTHER’S WOMB
abreen Jouda came into the world seconds after
S her mother, father and sister left it. Their home
was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Saturday. When
emergency responders learned that Sabreen al-
Sakani was 30 weeks pregnant, they rushed her body
to the Kuwaiti Hospital, and medical workers per-
formed an emergency cesarean section. After cheat-
ing death, Jouda (seen above) lies in an incubator in
the Emirati hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip.
Intelligence Directorate’s
personnel in the war.
Confirming Haliva’s res-
ignation, the Israel
Defence Forces (IDF) said,
“In a decision with the
Chief of Staff and with
the approval of the
Minister of Defence,
Major General Aharon
Haliva will conclude his
role and retire from the
IDF after appointing a suc-
cessor through an orderly
and professional process.”
“The Chief of Staff
thanked Major General
Russia claims 2nd gain
in two days in Donetsk
Moscow, April 22: Russia
said on Monday its forces
had taken control of the
village of Novomykha-
ilivka 40 km southwest of
the Ukrainian city of
Donetsk, the second
advance it has announced
in two days.
However, Ukraine’s Gen-
eral Staff said in its regu-
lar morning report that
Kyiv’s forces continued to
hold back Russian attem-
pts to advance near the
village.
Russia’s defence min-
istry said its Southern
group of forces had fully
taken Novomykhailivka
“and improved the tacti-
cal situation along the
front line”.
On Sunday Russia said it
had taken control of the
settlement of Bohdan-
ivka, further to the north.
Bohdanivka lies north-
east of Chasiv Yar, a
strategic town located on
high ground which, if cap-
tured, could open up the
way for Russia to advance
on several “fortress
cities” in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian gains, if
confirmed, underline the
urgency for Ukraine of
taking delivery of more
than $60 billion in new US
military aid that the
House of Representatives
approved on Saturday. It is
expected to be approved
this week by the Senate
and signed into law by
President Joe Biden.
Ukrainian
Volodymyr
President
Zelenskyy
urged Washington on
Sunday to quickly turn
the bill into law and pro-
ceed with the actual trans-
fer of weapons, saying
long-range arms and air
defence systems were top
priorities. The Kremlin
said on Monday that the
new US aid would not
change the situation on
the front lines. — Reuters
Chinese govt froze efforts to trace the origins of coronavirus
gation found. That pattern
continues to this day, with
labs closed, collaborations
shattered, foreign scien-
tists forced out and
Chinese researchers
barred from leaving the
country.
The investigation drew
on thousands of pages of
undisclosed emails and
documents and dozens of
interviews that showed
the freeze began far earli-
er than previously known
and involved political and
scientific infighting in
China as much as interna-
tional finger-pointing.
— AP
Aharon Haliva for his
service over 38 years in
the IDF, during which he
contributed significantly
as a fighter and command-
er for the security of the
state,” it said.
Meanwhile, reacting to
the MI Chief's resignation,
Opposition Yesh Atid
Party member, Vladimir
Beliak, in a post on X
demanded the immediate
resignation of Prime
Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.
“The IDF Intelligence
●
THE CRUX OF U.S. AID TO UKRAINE
After six months
of wrangling in
the US Congress,
a $61 billion aid
package to Ukraine
is expected to be
approved this
week.
● Kyiv still
faces manpower
Ukrainian President Volodymyr
shortages on the Zelenskyy (L) awards the “Golden
battlefield. Star” order to a fallen serviceman's
● Questions also relative in Kyiv on Monday. — AFP
linger over the
● Moscow has had the battlefield
strength of its
fortifications along advantage since capturing
Avdiivka, a long-time bastion
a sprawling,
1,000-km front line. town in the eastern Donbas
● The Kremlin said
U.S. aid would not
alter Russia's
upper hand on the
front lines and
would result in
more
Ukrainian
deaths.
Assets seizure a bad
precedent: Moscow
Moscow, April 22: Any
move by the United States
to seize frozen Russian
assets would be illegal,
set a dangerous precedent
and be challenged in
court, the Kremlin said
on Monday, promising
that it would retaliate.
The US House of
Representatives on Satur-
day passed a $95 billion
legislative package pro-
viding security assis-
tance to Ukraine, Israel
and Taiwan that included
a measure for the poten-
tial transfer of seized
As early as January 6,
2020, health officials in
Beijing closed the lab of a
Chinese scientist who
sequenced the virus and
barred researchers from
working with him.
Scientists warn the will-
ful blindness over coron-
avirus origins leaves the
world vulnerable to anoth-
er outbreak, potentially
undermining pandemic
treaty talks coordinated
by the World Health
Organization set to culmi-
nate in May.
At the heart of the ques-
tion is whether the virus
DRONES, ROCKETS
HIT U.S. TARGETS
Baghdad: US forces in
Iraq and Syria faced two
separate rocket and explo-
sive drone attacks in less
than 24 hours, Iraqi secu-
rity sources and U.S. offi-
cials said on Monday, the
first reported after a near
three-month pause.
At least one armed
drone was launched at the
Ain al-Asad air base that
hosts US troops in the
western Iraqi province of
Anbar, a U.S. official said.
That followed five rock-
ets fired from northern
Iraq towards U.S. forces at
a base in Rumalyn in
remote northeastern
Syria, on Sunday
There were no reports of
casualties or significant
damage. — Reuters
Directorate head was wise
to resign. A state inquiry
committee must be estab-
lished without delay. The
Prime Minister must
resign immediately,
regardless a state inquiry
committee,” he wrote.
While several senior offi-
cials have accepted
responsibility for the fail-
ures of October 7 when
about 1,200 Israelis were
killed and close to 250 peo-
ple taken hostages,
Netanyahu has evaded
responsibility. — PTI
region, in February.
● Russians are now
bearing down on
Chasiv Yar, which is
located on high
ground. If lost,
it could be a
big blow for
Kyiv.
Russian assets to
Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Group
of Seven (G7) major pow-
ers are discussing the
possibility of using some
$300 billion of sovereign
Russian assets, frozen in
the West, to help fund
support for Ukraine.
“This is a breakdown of
all foundations of the eco-
nomic system,” Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Pes-
kov told reporters. “It is
an encroachment on both
state holdings and private
property.” — Reuters
jumped from an animal or
came from a laboratory
accident. A US intelli-
gence analysis says there
is insufficient evidence to
prove either theory, but
the debate has further
tainted relations between
the US and China.
Unlike in the US, there is
virtually no public debate
in China about whether
the virus came from
nature or from a lab leak.
In fact, there is little pub-
lic discussion at all about
the source of the disease,
first detected in the cen-
tral city of Wuhan.
Washington, April 22: A
total of 65,960 Indians offi-
cially became US citizens,
making India the second-
largest source country for
new citizens in America
after Mexico, according to
the latest Congressional
report.
An estimated 46 million
foreign-born persons
resided in the United
States in 2022, approxi-
mately 14 per cent of the
total US population of 333
million, according to
American Community
Survey data from the US
Census Bureau.
Of these, 24.5 million,
about 53 per cent, report-
ed their status as natu-
ralised citizens.
In its latest US
Naturalisation Policy
report of April 15, the
i n d e p e n d e n t
Congressional Research
Service in the fiscal year
2022, a total of 969,380
individuals became natu-
ralised US citizens.
Individuals born in
Mexico represented the
largest number of natu-
ralisations, followed by
persons from India,
Philippines, Cuba, and the
Dominican Republic, it
said.
Based on the latest avail-
able data, CRS said in
2022, as many as 128,878,
Mexican nationals
Donald Trump
HISTORIC HUSH
MONEY TRIAL
KICKS OFF
New York, April 22:
Donald Trump engaged
in a multi-layered con-
spiracy of fraud, lies
and cover-ups, prosecu-
tors said on Monday dur-
ing opening arguments
in the first ever criminal
trial of a former US
president.
Assistant District Atto-
rney Matthew Colangelo
said Trump falsified
business records to buy
the silence of porn star
Stormy Daniels over a
2006 sexual encounter
that could have impact-
ed his 2016 presidential
bid. “This case is about a
criminal conspiracy and
a cover-up,” Colangelo
told the jury of New
Yorkers in a Manhattan
courtroom.
“It was election fraud,
pure and simple.”
Trump, 77, dressed in a
dark blue suit and blue
tie with an American
flag pin on his lapel, sat
at the defense table
flanked by his lawyers,
staring straight ahead as
the prosecutor delivered
his opening remarks.
The case poses sub-
stantial risks to the
Republican presidential
candidate coming less
than seven months
before his November
election rematch with
Democratic President
Joe Biden.
Prosecution witnesses
are expected to include
Daniels and Trump’s
former fixer Michael
Cohen, who arranged
the alleged
money” payment to the
“hush
adult film actress.
“Trump did not commit
any crimes,” Todd Blan-
che, one of his attor-
neys, said in his opening
statement. — AFP
Crucial initial efforts
were hampered by bureau-
crats in Wuhan trying to
avoid blame who misled
the central government;
the central government,
which muzzled Chinese
scientists and subjected
visiting WHO officials to
stage-managed tours; and
the UN health agency
itself, which may have
compromised early oppor-
tunities to gather critical
information in hopes that
by placating China, scien-
tists could gain more
access.
— AP
pg 6
became American citi-
zens. They were followed
half.
As of the end of FY2023,
by Indians (65,960), the
Philippines (53,413), Cuba
USCIS had approximately
408,000 pending naturali-
(46,913), the Dominican sation applications, down
Republic (34,525), Vietnam from 550,000 at the end of
(33,246) and China (27,038).
According to CRS as of
FY2022; 840,000 at the end
of FY2021; and 943,000 at
2023, a total of 2,831,330
foreign-born American
the end of FY2020.
In FY2023, 823,702 LPRs
nationals were from India, submitted naturalisation
which is the second applications. The number
largest number after of individuals who have
Mexico's 10,638,429. recently applied for citi-
Mexico and India are fol- zenship remains well
lowed by China with below the estimated popu-
2,225,447 foreign-born
American nationals.
lation of 9 million LPRs
who were eligible to natu-
However, as many as 42
per cent of the India-born
ralise in 2023. The per-
centage of foreign-born
foreign nationals living in
the US are currently ineli-
individuals who are natu-
ralized varies by several
gible to become US citi- factors, including country
of origin.
zens, the CRS report said.
As of 2023, as many as
290,000 India-born foreign
nationals who were on
Immigrants
Honduras,
Venezuela, Mexico, El
from
Guatemala,
Green Card or Legal Salvador, and Brazil have
Permanent Residency the lowest percentages of
(LPR) were potentially eli- naturalized foreign-born,
gible for naturalisation. while those from Vietnam,
CRS said in recent years, the Philippines, Russia,
some observers have Jamaica, and Pakistan
expressed concern over have the highest.
USCIS processing back- To be eligible for natu-
logs for naturalisation ralisation, an applicant
applications. must fulfil certain eligibil-
Although there contin- ity requirements outlined
ues to be a backlog of nat- in the Immigration and
uralisation applications Nationality Act. The
since FY2020 the agency requirements generally
has reduced the number include being a lawful per-
of applications pending
completion by more than
manent resident (LPR) for
at least five years. — PTI
UK deportations
plan in 10 weeks
London, April 22: British
Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak on Monday
announced that the first
flight with illegal
migrants will take off for
Rwanda in 10 to 12 weeks
come what may and
claimed that all the prepa-
ration has been made for
the process once the long-
delayed legislation passes Rishi Sunak
through Parliament.
Stressing that he would
not be giving out sensitive WET WIPES WITH
operational detail during
a Downing Street brief- PLASTIC FACE
ing, the British Indian
leader revealed that char-
tered commercial flights
SALE BAN IN UK
have been booked, an air-
field has been identified London, April 22: Wet
and hundreds of escort wipes containing plastic
officials trained to fly out will be banned from being
the first set of migrants sold in the UK following
to Kigali while their asy- legislation to be tabled in
lum claims are processed. Parliament soon, the
The press conference British government
came as the government announced on Monday, as
said Parliament will be the world as Earth Day.
sitting overnight on
UK environment secre-
Monday for as long as it tary Steve Barclay said
takes for the controver- the department for envi-
sial Safety of Rwanda Bill ronment, food and rural
to pass through all its affairs (DEFRA) will
stages to become law. The table the legislation for
bill, which seeks to pre- England before Parlia-
vent legal challenges by ment’s summer recess in
declaring Rwanda a safe July. The devolved
country in law, has faced regions of Northern
hurdles due to the House Ireland, Scotland and
of Lords demanding Wales are expected to fol-
amendments some- low on with their legisla-
thing Sunak blamed on tion later. — PTI
the Opposition Labour
Party.
“No ifs, no buts, these later than we wanted but
flights are going to
Rwanda,” Sunak told
reporters. “The first
flight will leave in 10 to 12
we have always been clear
that processing will take
time. I can confirm that
we have put an airfield on
weeks. Of course, that is standby,” he said. — PTI
PML-N performs
well in byelections
Islamabad, April 22: The
ruling Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N)
got the lion’s share in the
key by-elections by win-
ning at least two National
and 10 provincial assem-
bly seats, according to
unofficial results on
Monday.
By-elections were held Iranian President Ebrahim
on Sunday on 21 National Raisi (L) met Pakistan PM
and provincial assembly
seats amidst tight securi-
ty and suspension of cel-
lular and internet servic-
es in specific districts of
Punjab and Balochistan.
Shehbaz Sharif in
Islamabad on Monday.
The two leaders agreed on
efforts to eradicate terror-
ism, months after cross-
border violence. — AFP
Two seats each of the
National Assembly in
Punjab and
Pakhtunkhwa and one
Khyber- NAWAZ’S HEALTH
seat in Sindh, while
twelve seats of the Punjab
VISIT TO CHINA
Assembly and two each of Islamabad: Three-time
K hy b e r- Pa k h t u n k h w a former Pakistani premier
and Balochistan assem- Nawaz Sharif will
blies were up for grabs. embark on Monday on a
Major political parties five-day personal visit to
including the PML-N, the China, where he will
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf undergo a medical check-
(PTI)-backed Sunni up. This will be 74-year-
Ittehad Council (SIC) and old Sharif ’s first interna-
the Pakistan Peoples tional visit after he
Party (PPP) participated returned to Pakistan in
in the by-polls. — PTI October last year. — PTI
 NEW DELHI | TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024
quick Sustaining 7% growth is
BITES feasible: MPC member
INDICATORS % New Delhi, April 22:
Sensex 73,648.62 0.77
Nifty 50 22,336.40 0.86
S&P 500* 4,989.98 0.46
Dollar (`) 83.37 0.13
Pound Sterling (`) 102.92 0.97
Euro (`) 88.80 0.19
Gold (10gm)* (`) 71,445▼1,361 1.87
Brent crude ($/bbl)* 86.82 -0.54
IN 10-Yr bond yield 7.191 -0.034
US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 4.658 0.043
* As of 8:30 PM IST
Pavna inks pact
with Ola Electric
for EV parts
Steel and automotive player
Pavna Industries has signed an
agreement with EV player OLA
Electric to supply auto compo-
nents, marking an entry into
the domestic EV sector. As
part of the pact, it will provide
auto components like ignition
switches and latches to OLA
Electric across its manufactur-
ing plants in India from its
manufacturing unit at Aligarh
in Uttar Pradesh, Pavna
Industries said.
Flipkart Ventures
calls applications
from start-ups
Flipkart Ventures, the invest-
ment arm of e-commerce
Flipkart, on Monday invited
applications for its accelerator
programme. As part of the
Flipkart Leap Ahead (FLA)
programme, selected start-ups
will receive equity investments
between $200,000 and
$500,000. Announcing the
third cohort of FLA, the firm
said the programme aims to
accelerate the growth journey
of early-stage start-ups.
Iffco to offer
Nano Urea Plus
from May 1
Indian Farmers Fertiliser
Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) on
Monday will begin production
of the ‘Nano Urea Plus’ fertilis-
er this week and its commer-
cial sale from May 1. Nano Urea
Plus is a new version of nano
urea meant for meeting crop
nitrogen requirements at criti-
cal growth phases. The produc-
tion of Nano Urea Plus will
begin at IFFCO’s three plants,
each with the capacity to pro-
duce 2 lakh bottles every day.
Vodafone Idea’s
FPO subscribed
6.36 times
Telecom operator Vodafone
Idea’s `18,000 crore further
public offering (FPO) received
huge response on the final day
of bidding and got subscribed
6.36 times as per last data
released by the stock
exchanges. Qualified institu-
tional buyers category got sub-
scribed 17.56 times, non-institu-
tional portion got subscribed
4.13 times while retail individ-
ual investor portion remained
undersubscribed at 0.92 times.
Printed & Published by
K. Sudhakar on behalf of
Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited.
Printed at BFL Infotech Ltd, C-9 Sector
3, Noida-201301. Published at 219, N D
Tiwari Bhawan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Marg, New Delhi-110002.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter, RNI
Registration number 30074/09,
Air surcharge Re 1. © All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or
in part without written permission of
The Editor,
Financial Chronicle ® is prohibited.
Favourable monsoon, higher farm productivity key factors 185 NEW FUND
Sustaining the economic
growth momentum of 7
per cent in 2024-25 and
beyond is feasible on the
back of favourable mon-
soon, higher farm produc-
tivity and improved global
trade, RBI Monetary
Policy Committee (MPC)
member Shashanka Bhide
said on Monday.
During 2023-24, the econ-
omy is likely to record a
growth rate of near 8 per
cent on account of good
performance of manufac-
turing and infrastructure
sectors.
Bhide said that in the
long-term, the need for
productivity improveme-
nts will remain the key
factor to achieve food
price stability.
On headwinds, Bhide
said one area of concern
is the global environment.
“The slow pace of recov-
Irdai cuts moratorium on health policies to 5 years
FALAKNAAZ SYED
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
Insurance regulator
Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of
India (Irdai) said health
insurance companies can-
not reject claims on any
grounds once an active
health insurance policy's
moratorium period ends,
according to the revised
Irdai (insurance product)
Regulations 2024 that have
come into force.
All health insurance
policies will now have to
offer a moratorium of five
Reliance Industries reports
`69,621 cr net profit in FY24
New Delhi, April 22:
Reliance Industries Ltd
(RIL) on Monday reported
an almost flat March quar-
ter net profit, while its
annual earnings hit a
record high on the back of
a recovery in its core oil
and petrochemicals busi-
ness and sustained
momentum across the
consumer-facing telecom
and retail businesses.
The oil-to-telecom-and-
retail conglomerate’s con-
solidated net profit stood
at `18,951 crore, or `28.01
per share, in January-
March quarter of the 2023-
24 fiscal compared to
`19,299 crore, or `28.52 a
share, a year ago, accord-
ing to a company’s stock
exchange filing.
The profit was, however,
higher quarter-on-quarter
when compared to `17,265
crore in Oct.-Dec. period.
For the full fiscal FY24,
Reliance posted a record
net profit of `69,621 crore
as compared to `66,702
crore earnings in the pre-
ceding financial year.
Reliance also became the
first Indian company to
hit `10 lakh crore
turnover in FY24 when
revenue from operations
rose 2.6 per cent from
DIVINE | ROUTE
Spiritual tourism witnesses a spike speeds, disruptions
New Delhi, April 22:
Indians are travelling
more frequently, with
searches for spiritual des-
tinations like Ayodhya,
Ujjain and Badrinath soa-
ring, according to a report
unveiled on Monday.
The MakeMyTrip India
Travel Trends Report,
which dives into travel
behaviours based on insig-
hts from its base of over
100 million active annual
users, reveals that since
2019, there has been a 25
per cent increase in num-
ber of people taking more
than three trips a year.
This surge in travel is
fuelled by a growing inter-
est in spiritual journeys.
Searches for spiritual
tourism witnessed a 97 per
cent increase in 2023 com-
pared to 2021, according to
the report.
OFFERINGS GET
`66,364 CRORE
IN 2023-24
● THE INVESTMENTS in
market infrastructure,
modernisation of mar-
kets for agricultural com-
modities to help improve
supply response to
changing demand condi-
tions would also reduce
the price spikes.
ery in global demand on
one hand and supply
chain disruptions on the
other hand, if the ongoing
geopolitical conflicts are
not resolved quickly, (it
will) pose significant chal-
lenges in terms of demand
as well as input prices.
“We should also be pre-
pared for minimising the
adverse impact of extreme
weather events on out-
put,” he said.
Asked what is the long-
term solution for high
years. In the earlier regu-
lations, the moratorium
was of eight years.
Similarly, the waiting
period to cover your pre-
existing diseases such as
diabetes, hypertension etc
has been cut down to three
years from four years.
This means, your insur-
er will pay your hospitali-
sation claim for your pre-
existing diseases if you
have paid premiums con-
tinuously for three years.
The Insurance
Regulatory and
Development Authority of
India has asked insurers
`9.74 lakh crore in 2022-23.
The oil-to-chemicals
(O2C) business posted a
rise in profitability annu-
ally as well as sequential-
ly, while retail business’
earnings rose on new
store openings despite
lower footfalls. The firm
saw telecom revenues
soar as it outpaced compe-
tition in subscriber addi-
tion and data traffic.
Mukesh Ambani, chair-
man and managing direc-
tor of RIL, said all seg-
ments of business have
posted a robust financial
and operating perform-
ance. “This has helped the
company achieve multiple
milestones. I am happy to
share that this year,
Reliance became the first
Indian company to cross
the `1 lakh-crore thresh-
old in pre-tax profits,”
Ambani said. — PTI
Searches for Ayodhya, Ujjain and Badrinath soaring
Users flag lower net
Tier-2 and tier-3 cities, in
particular, are witnessing
a surge in searches for
destinations with reli-
gious significance.
Searches for Ayodhya
soared by a 585 per cent in
2023 compared to 2022, as
per the report. Similarly,
Ujjain and Badrinath, saw
search increases of 359
per cent and 343 per cent,
respectively.
food prices, Bhide noted
that one aspect of high
food inflation in recent
years has been the impact
of weather conditions on
perishable commodities.
According
although such
to him,
price
spikes may be short-term,
their impact is significant.
As many have pointed
out, Bhide said processing
and preservation of com-
modities that help in their
storage would be a part of
the solution in the longer
● TREATMENTS under
systems like ayurveda,
yoga, naturopathy,
unani, siddha, and
homeopathy will
receive coverage up to
the sum insured with-
out any cap.
to design products specifi-
cally for senior citizens,
students, children and
pregnant women.
They will also have to
create a separate channel
to address the claims and
grievances of senior citi-
MACQUARIE GROUP
LAUNCHES PALTFORM
FOR EV FINANCING
Mumbai, April 22:
Australia’s Macquarie
Group launched on
Monday an electric vehi-
cle (EV) financing plat-
form for India that will
focus 95 per cent of its
$1.5 billion investment on
electrifying fleets of com-
mercial vehicles.
The platform, called
Vertelo, will offer financi-
ng, fleet management and
charging infrastructure
solutions, its chief execu-
tive Sandeep Gambhir
said at the launch.
The remaining 5 per
cent of investment will go
towards charging infra-
structure and other
requirements.
Macquarie had previ-
ously said it would launch
an EV financing platform
along with the United
Nations’ green climate
fund (GCF) targeting ini-
tial investments on elec-
tric buses, shared fleets
and charging infra.
Vertelo will buy up to
2,000 electric cars from
Tata Motors over the next
3 years, and up to 2,000
electric buses each from
electric buses makers
JBM Auto and Eka
Mobility over the next 3 to
5 years, it said. — Reuters
● INSIGHTS FROM its
base of over 100 mil-
lion active annual
users, reveals that
since 2019, there has
been a 25 per cent
increase in number
of people taking
more than three
trips a year.
The report also finds
that weekend getaways
continue to be a favourite,
with Jim Corbett National
Park witnessing a 131 per
cent rise in searches in
2023 as compared to 2022.
Hill stations like Ooty
and Munnar are also pop-
ular choices, especially for
those from the southern
part of the country.
The report also sheds
term, just as the supply-
side measures that help
raise crop resistance to
adverse weather.
While noting that the
investments in market
infrastructure, moderni-
sation of markets for agri-
cultural commodities to
help improve supply resp-
onse to changing demand
conditions would also
reduce the price spikes, he
said. “In the long-term,
the need for productivity
improvements will rema-
in the key factor to achie-
ve food price stability.”
The economist observed
that inflation has rema-
ined above the policy tar-
get for several countries.
“There are also differenc-
es in growth conditions,
with some countries expe-
riencing significant slow-
down while some experi-
encing positive momen-
tum,” he said. — PTI
zens.
The new norms allow
insurers to offer premium
payment in instalments
for the convenience of pol-
icyholders.
Treatments under sys-
tems like ayurveda, yoga,
naturopathy, unani, sid-
dha, and homeopathy will
receive coverage up to the
sum insured without any
cap.
Policyholders with bene-
fit-based policies can file
multiple claims with vari-
ous insurers, enhancing
flexibility and options,
state the new regulations.
Plain gold jewellery exports up 61%
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, APRIL 22
Exports of plain gold jew-
ellery surged 61.72 per
cent to $ 6,792.24 million in
FY24 as compared to $
4,199.96 million in FY23.
“Total gold jewellery
(plain and studded jew-
ellery), which saw a 10.47
per cent decline between
April 2023 to Sept. 2023,
rebounded strongly in the
latter half of the year,
Mfg. seeks women apprentices
New Delhi, April 22: There
has been a significant
increase in demand for
women apprentices in the
manufacturing sector, as
factories are increasingly
adopting gender-agnostic
recruitment practices, a
sharp departure from tra-
ditional hiring norms and
underscore the industry’s
commitment to fostering
inclusive work environ-
ments.
According to staffing
company TeamLease, in
the past 8-10 months, there
has been a remarkable
five-fold surge in demand
for young women who
have completed class 10/12
light on international tra-
vel preferences, as Dubai,
Bangkok, and Singapore
remain the top three most
searched destinations,
while London, Toronto,
and New York hold the
fort for long-haul travel.
According to the report,
there is a growing interest
in off-the-beaten-path
locations, as searches for
destinations like Hong
Kong, Almaty (Kazakhst-
an), Paro (Bhutan), Baku
(Azerbaijan), Da Nang
(Vietnam), and Tbilisi
(Georgia) have all seen sig-
nificant growth in 2023.
Moreover, family travel
bookings are booming,
with the report a 64 per
cent surge in 2023 com-
pared to 2022. Solo travel
recorded a 23 per cent
growth in bookings dur-
ing same period. — PTI
New Delhi, April 22:
Asset management
companies (AMCs)
floated 185 NFOs mobil-
ising `66,364 crore in
2023-24, marking a 6.5
per cent increase from
the previous year,
amidst growing interest
of retail investors and
significant uptrend in
broader markets.
This was higher than
`62,342 crore garnered
by AMCs through 253
new fund offerings
(NFOs) in 2022-23.
“The financialisation
of savings in India is
currently underway,
signifying a growing
recognition among
investors that investing
in financial assets is
integral to building
wealth,” Fyers Resea-
rch said in a report.
As India’s growth nar-
rative gains momentum
and investment oppor-
tunities expand, many
unlisted companies
seek capital market
support. This trend
bodes well for investors
seeking growth oppor-
tunities and aspiring to
participate in the long-
term journeys of these
companies, it added.
As per the FYERS
report, the Jan.-March
period of 2024 saw the
highest number of
NFOs at 63 with the
fund mobilisation
totalling `22,683 crore.
This was followed by
the October-December
period of 2023, when
AMCs introduced 49
NFOs and mobilised
`16,093 crore.
The NFOs were float-
ed to capitalise on mood
of investors and attract
investments. — PTI
● THE INCREASE in
plain gold jewellery
exports may be attrib-
uted to the pragmatic
foreign trade agree-
ments by the Govt.
achieving a growth of
46.91 per cent,” as per the
data of the gems and jew-
ellery export promotion
council (GJEPC) .
Gross export of total
to be appointed as appren-
tices, reflecting a shifting
landscape in India’s work-
force dynamics.
The surge in demand for
women apprentices is pri-
marily driven by the
booming sectors of auto,
electric vehicle, electron-
ics, and phone manufac-
turing. “This surge is
New Delhi, April 22:
Despite India’s low-cost
and expanding internet
accessibility, a recent sur-
vey found that over half of
internet users are dissat-
isfied with data speeds
and experience connec-
tion issues.
About 70 per cent of
these users expressed the
desire to switch service
providers, the survey
said.
According to the annual
broadband survey by
LocalCircles, 86 per cent
of users in India primari-
ly connect to the internet
at home via fiber, broad-
band, DSL, or fixed-line
connection.
However, more than half
of these users, 56 per cent,
reported connection dis-
ruption or lower speeds
Sensex jumps
560 points on
global trends
RAVI RANJAN PRASAD
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
The Sensex gained 560.29
points or 0.77 per cent for
the second consecutive
session to close at
73,648.62 on positive global
cues and all round buying
after last week’s sharp
decline.
The Nifty-50 also gained
189 points or 0.86 per cent
to close at 22,336.40.
“The Nifty index opened
sharply higher on
Monday, boosted by strong
global cues and a decrease
in tensions between Iran
and Israel,” said Neeraj
Sharma,
(Technical
analyst
and
Derivatives Research),
Asit C Mehta Investment
Interrmediates.
“Global equities were
mostly higher on Monday
as a relief rally was
underway as geopolitical
risks subsided and as
investors reversed some of
their more defensive posi-
tions. Focus shifted to
earnings reports from
large companies across
the globe,” added Deepak
Jasani, head- Retail Resea-
rch, HDFC Securities.
Fall in crude oil, gold,
bond price and rupee get-
ting stronger against US
dollar boosted equity
assets leading to all round
buying said analysts.
“On the domestic front,
hope of normal monsoon
and above expected direct
tax collection added fuel
to the market sentiments.
PSU banks witnessed
fresh buying today follow-
ing the news that the
Centre may disinvest
minority stakes in five
public sector banks
(PSBs) if they fail to com-
gold jewellery (both plain
and studded) for the FY
2023-24 grew 16.75 per cent
to $11,230.18 million over
the comparative figure of
$9,618.8 million for FY23.
The UAE in FY24
emerged as a significant
market registering a gro-
wth of 107.2 per cent to
reach $4,528.6 mn compar-
ed to $2,185.6 mn in previ-
ous year. UAE and Bahr-
ain accounted for over 85
per cent of India’s plain
anticipated to lead to a sig-
nificant increase in the
representation of women
apprentices, reaching up
to 40 per cent by the end of
the year,” said Sumit
Kumar, chief strategy offi-
cer at TeamLease Degree
apprenticeship.
Approximately 70 per
cent of women under
apprenticeships in the
manufacturing sector hail
from rural and semi-
urban areas, indicating a
significant opportunity
for empowering women in
these regions through
skill development and
vocational training pro-
grams. — PTI
than what they were
promised or paying for.
The survey, which gath-
ered insights from over
70,000 broadband and
fiber consumers across
the country, revealed that
39 per cent of respondents
said that the “speed
received is much lower
than what we are paying
for”, while 47 per cent
claimed that it took over
24 hours for their service
provider to resolve their
complaints.
The study by
LocalCircles said the
income generated by tele-
phone and landline servic-
es or fixed voice services
in India is expected to
decrease at a compound
annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 4 per cent from
2023 to 2028. — PTI
pg 7
● GLOBAL EQUITIES
were mostly higher on
Monday as a relief rally
was underway as
geopolitical risks
subsided and as
investors reversed
some of their more
defensive positions.
ply with the minimum
public shareholding
(MPS) norm by raising
fresh capital from the
market in a year,” said
Siddhartha Khemka, head
- Retail Research, Motilal
Oswal Financial Services.
All the sectors ended the
session higher with Nifty
PSU Bank index and
Pharma being the leaders.
The broader market also
rallied in tandem with
BSE mid-cap index up 0.93
per cent and BSE small-
cap index up 1.26 per cent.
All round buying led to
market participants get-
ting richer by over `4.40
lakh crore as BSE’s mar-
ket cap rose to over
`397.86 lakh crore from
over `393.45 crore.
However, buying mainly
came from domestic insti-
tutions and retail invest-
ors. Domestic institutions
were net buyers of equi-
ties worth `3,542.93 crore
while foreign portfolio
investors were net sellers
by `2,915.23 crore.
gold jewellery exports.
“The increase in plain
gold jewellery exports
may be attributed to the
pragmatic foreign trade
agreements by the Govt.
The implementation of
India-UAE CEPA couldn’t
have come at a better time,
especially when the indus-
try faced challenges with
economic downturns in
major export markets,”
Vipul Shah, chairman,
GJEPC, said.
TOYOTA LAUNCHES
NEW VARIANT OF
SUV FORTUNER
MICHAEL GONSALVES
PUNE, APRIL 22
Japanese automaker
Toyota on Monday
announced the launch of
a new variant of its
rugged seven-seat SUV
called the Fortuner
Leader Edition.
Toyota has not
announced the price,
experts said the prices for
the Fortuner Leader
Edition to be slightly
higher than the standard
Fortuner 4x2’s `35.93
lakh-`38.21 lakh price tag.
“The Fortuner Leader
Edition is crafted to ele-
vate its bold style state-
ment with more add-on
features, while imparting
an unparalleled sense of
power and distinction,”
said Sabari Manohar –
vice president, Sales-
Service-Used Car
Business at Toyota
Kirloskar Motor.
The Fortuner Leader
Edition features a dual-
tone exterior with a black
alloy wheels and front
and rear bumper spoilers.
The Fortuner Leader
Edition is powered by a
2.8-litre diesel engine that
produces 201 BHP and 420
Nm (MT) / 500 Nm (AT).
The engine is mated
with either a 6-speed man-
ual or a 6-speed automatic
transmission. The SUV is
available in three exterior
dual-tone colours.
 TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024 | THE ASIAN AGE | NEW DELHI

BLITZCRICK
● Chennai Super Kings
● Delhi Capitals
● Gujarat Titans
● Kolkata Knight Riders
● Lucknow Super Giants
● Mumbai Indians
● Punjab Kings
● Rajasthan Royals
● Royal Challengers Bengaluru PAGE

SEASON-17 ● Sunrisers Hyderabad

8

OH! YASHASVI
ORANGE POINTS TABLE
Teams P W L N/R Points Net RR
RR 8 7 1 0 14 +0.698
Virat Kohli, KKR 7 5 2 0 10 +1.209
RCB 379 SRH 7 5 2 0 10 +0.914
CSK 7 4 3 0 8 +0.529
Travis Head,
SRH 324 LSG 7 4 3 0 8 +0.123

Riyan Parag,
RR 318 Jaiswal’s entertaining ton & Sandeep’s 5/18 help RR win GT
MI
DC
8
8
8
4
3
3
4
5
5
0
0
0
8
6
6
-1.055
-0.227
-0.477
Jaipur, April 22: Yashasvi
Jaiswal scored a hundred PBKS 8 2 6 0 4 -0.292
PURPLE as table-toppers Rajasthan RCB 8 1 7 0 2 -1.046
Royals defeated Mumbai
Indians by nine wickets in
their Indian Premier
Jasprit
Bumrah, MI
Yuzvendra
13 League match here on
Monday.
Sandeep Sharma
grabbed a maiden five-
CSK look to turn
13
tables on Giants
wicket haul to help
Chahal, RR Rajasthan Royals restrict
Mumbai Indians to 179/9.
Harshal Patel,
PBKS 13 Following a rain inter-
ruption, RR completed the
chase of 180 with eight C. SANTHOSH KUMAR
balls to spare. Regaining CHENNAI, APRIL 22
ACTION TODAY
his form, opener Jaiswal
short takes finished as RR’s top-scor- Revenge is a dish best
er with 104 off 60 balls. served cold, but Chennai
Earlier, Trent Boult Super Kings have an
Kohli fined 50 per (2/32) dismissed Rohit opportunity for payback
cent of match fees Sharma (6) in the first immediately when they CSK VS LSG
over, while Sandeep (5/18) take on Lucknow Super FROM 7.30 PM,
S tar batter Virat Kohli was on
Monday fined half of his
match fees for showing dissent
claimed the wickets of
Ishan Kishan (0) and
Suryakumar Yadav (10) in
Giants at the M. A.
Chidambaram Stadium
here on Tuesday. Just
LIVE ON STAR SPORTS

towards umpire’s decision dur- successive overs to reduce
ing Royal Challengers MI to 20/3 after they opted
Bengaluru’s match against to bat.
Kolkata Knight Riders. Kohli But Tilak Varma weath-
was given out after the he was ered the storm and
caught off a waist-height full- slammed three sixes and
toss delivery Harshit Rana dur- five fours en route to his
ing RCB’s one-run loss to KKR 65. He got fine support
at the Eden Garden’s on Sunday. from Nehal Wadehera (49
The star batter, who made 18 from 24 balls) as the duo
off seven balls, was standing put on 99 runs from 52
just outside the crease at that balls for the fifth wicket.
moment. Earlier, Yuzvendra
Kohli left the field an agitated
man after having an animated
discussion with the on-field
umpire.
Chahal entered history
books with 200 dismissals
in their clash. Coming
back after an injury lay-
The frustrated Kohli knocked
the waste-bin located near away
team dressing room in anger.
off, Sandeep (5/18)
claimed three of his five
wickets in a terrific final
over while also account-
ing for Varma.
Marsh out of IPL due With their top-order
blown away without any
to hamstring injury resistance for the second
time this season by
three days after suffering cost them dearly. Moeen,
an unexpected mauling at who had replaced a strug-
the hands of Super gling Daryl Mitchell, is
Giants, Chennai will be likely to keep his spot in
banking on their fortress, the playing XI.
Chepauk, to turn the CSK had to tinker with
tables in the return fix- their batting line-up in
ture. the last two games to
There’s not much sepa- accommodate Ajinkya
Rajasthan Royals bowler Sandeep Sharma (left) celebrates the dismissal of Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar rating the teams in the Rahane who was carrying
Yadav in Jaipur on Monday. Rajasthan Royals won by nine wickets. — AP league standings as they a niggle.
both have eight points in “We wanted to try and
seven games and remain use Ajinkya’s skills in the
SCOREBOARD
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma c Samson b Boult 6, Ishan
PLAYERS NOT HAPPY WITH strong contenders for the
playoffs. Chennai, who
have won just one game
on the road this season,
power play. That’s why he
went up to open the bat-
ting and Ruturaj moved to
No.3. Now Ajinkya is
Kishan c Samson b Sandeep 0, Suryakumar Yadav c Powell
b Sandeep 10, Tilak Varma c Powell b Sandeep 65,
Mohammad Nabi c&b Yuzvendra Chahal 23, Nehal Wadhera
c Sandeep b Boult 49, Hardik Pandya lbw Avesh 10, Tim
IPL’S IMPACT PLAYER RULE will be relishing the
prospect of their upcom-
ing three home matches,
back to full strength now.
Whether the order will
change now..we will wait
David c Parag b Sandeep 3, Gerald Coetzee c Hetmyer b New Delhi, April 22: Axar Australia great David viewing it as a golden and see,” said CSK bat-
Sandeep 0, Piyush Chawla not out 1, Jasprit Bumrah not out Patel believes that his bat- Warner feels the ‘Impact opportunity to catapult ting coach Michael
2. Extras (lb-1, w-9) 10. Total (for 9 wickets in 20 overs) 179. ting position has been Sub’ rule has diminished themselves back into the Hussey.
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-6, 3-20, 4-52, 5-151, 6-170, 7-176, 8- affected by ‘Impact the role of an all-rounder top two. Hussey also said the
176, 9-177. Player’ rule while to some extent from T20 In their previous game team was not concerned
Bowling: Trent Boult 4-0-32-2, Sandeep Sharma 4-0-18-5, Mukesh Kumar wants it cricket. “Well, the game is against Lucknow, CSK got about opener Rachin

A ustralia all-rounder Rajasthan, MI were strug- Avesh Khan 4-0-49-1, Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-31-0, abolished if there isn’t evolving, right. So I think off to a decent start, but Ravindra’s form. “He’s
Mitchell Marsh has been gling at 52/4 at one stage. Yuzvendra Chahal 4-0-48-1. some meaningful alter- people are just trying dif- they managed only 62 batting well in the nets
ruled out of the ongoing IPL due But Varma and Nehal Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal not out 104, Jos Buttler nate help for the bowlers ferent things. If you got runs in the next 10 overs, and taking care of his
to a hamstring injury, Delhi Wadhera (49) fought their b Chawla 35, Sanju Samson not out 38. Extras (lb-1, nb-1, w- but Sourav Ganguly 15-16 people on the bench, also losing four wickets preparation. Sometimes
4) 6. Total (for one wicket in 18.4 overs) 183. you just need a little bit of
Capitals head coach Ricky way through adversity to thinks that in a 12-a-side you know you want to along the way. Their
Fall of wicket: 1-74.
Ponting confirmed on Monday. deliver the goods for Bowling: Hardik Pandya 2-0-21-0, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-37-0, game, only the best all- maximise as much as you inability to hit bound- luck to go your way,” he
Marsh had already flown back Mumbai Indians, putting Nuwan Thushara 3-0-28-0, Gerald Coetzee 2-0-25-0, rounders will survive. can. Is the game going to aries in the middle overs said.
home on April 12 to get a con- on 99 runs for the fifth Mohammad Nabi 3-0-30-0, Piyush Chawla 4-0-33-1, Tilak Axar, who sees himself change a lot in the next 10 when spinners Ravi While Matheesha
sultation with Cricket wicket at the Sawai Varma 0.4-0-8-0. as an all-rounder admit- years? It probably will,” Bishnoi and Krunal Pathirana remains
Australia’s medical team and is Mansingh Stadium. ted that because of the Warner said. Pandya were operating Chennai’s most potent
currently recuperating in However, MI lost wickets rule, his batting position Pacer Mukesh Kumar hurt them in the final weapon with his toe-
Perth. in heap on either side of Afghanistan batter ting the decision over- has been affected. feels the rule is an unfair analysis. crushing yorkers, the
With the 32-year-old expected their fifth-wicket stand to Mohammad Nabi in the turned in his favour via “Whosoever is making one for bowlers as there is Despite Mahendra new-ball pair of Deepak
to lead Australia in the T20 post the lowest total for all eighth over to reach the DRS. the rules, they are think- no respite even if you get Singh Dhoni hammering Chahar and Tushar
World Cup in the West Indies teams batting first at this milestone. Kishan was guilty of ing that everything will four batters out quickly. an unbeaten 28 off only Deshpande were ineffec-
and the United States in June, venue in this season. Looking to get on top playing away from the work as per batter’s con- “With 12 players, even if nine balls and Moeen Ali tive in the power play.
the pull out from IPL makes Varma produced his sec- early on and against Trent body without any move- venience. Obviously, it four wickets are down the hitting three successive Lucknow’s formidable
sense. “I don’t think he'll be ond fifty of the season Boult, Rohit Sharma (6) ment of the feet as the ball has been difficult (for the next player is not scared sixes to raise the tempo at opening duo of Quinton
coming back. There’s a certain whereas Wadhera missed perished in the first over took the edge to settle in bowlers). According to of getting out or making the death, CSK’s total of de Kock and K. L. Rahul
cut-off point with replacement out on his milestone by after skying a catch to Samson’s gloves. me, it’s difficult but obvi- the team stable, they 176 proved to be modest appeared imperious
players. Cricket Australia were one run. Sanju Samson. Sandeep created further ously you will have the come and play their shots. for Lucknow to chase it against the pace duo,
keen to have him at home to This was after Chahal MI slipped further when issues for MI when he opportunity as well that So either the nature of down. effortlessly amassing 54
start his recovery process, and became the first bowler in comeback man Sandeep took out Suryakumar you can perform well in tracks should be changed Chennai captain runs within the initial six
we sent him back as soon as we IPL history to have com- had Ishan Kishan (0) edg- Yadav (10) from the equa- that situation, if you have or 12 should not be Ruturaj Gaikwad overs before seamlessly
could,” Ponting said. pleted 200 wickets, ing one behind to Samson, tion, getting him caught the skills then how you allowed,” Mukesh said. acknowledged that their weaving together a centu-
accounting for with the RR skipper get- by Rovman Powell. — PTI can use them,” Axar said. — PTI middle-overs slowdown ry partnership.

FA | CUP SAID
GUKESH CREATES HISTORY
WHAT THEY
HUMPY 2ND Congratulations to

MAN UNITED EDGE IN WOMEN’S

@DGukesh for becoming the
youngest challenger. The
@WacaChess family is so

PAST COVENTRY TO Indian GMwins Candidates, youngest ever challenger for world title CANDIDATE proud of what you have
done. I’m personally very
proud of how you played and
handled tough situations.

SET UP CITY FINAL Toronto, April 22: India’s

17-year-old Grandmaster
D. Gukesh scripted history
London, April 22: Manchester by winning the Candidates
United recovered from an aston- Chess Tournament here to
ishing collapse to beat Coventry on become the youngest ever
penalties in an FA Cup classic on challenger to the world
Sunday, setting up a second title, bettering a record
straight final against Manchester created by the legendary
City. Erik ten Hag’s men won the Garry Kasparov 40 years
shootout at Wembley 4-2, with ago.
Rasmus Hojlund scoring the Gukesh played out an
decisive spot kick after the teams easy draw with American
were level at 3-3 following extra Hikaru Nakamura in the
time. 14th and final round to fin-
The game perfectly encapsulated ish with nine out of a pos-
a chaotic season for Ten Hag’s sible 14 points in the tour-
men, who are well off the pace in nament that is held to
the Premier League. decide the challenger to
There was no hint of what was to the world champion.
come when United coasted into a 3- The triumph entitles
0 lead against their second-tier Gukesh a clash against
opponents in the London sun- reigning world champion
shine, with goals from Scott Ding Liren of China in the
McTominay, Harry Maguire and last quarter of the year.
Bruno Fernandes. The Chennai-based teen
But they have made a habit of bettered Kasparov’s
tossing away leads in recent record by quite a distance
weeks. Second-half strikes from as the Russian great was
Ellis Simms and Callum O’Hare 22 when he qualified in
gave the 1987 FA Cup winners hope 1984 to clash with compa-
and Haji Wright levelled from the triot Anatoly Karpov.
penalty spot deep into stoppage “So relieved and so
time, capping a scarcely credible happy. I was following this
comeback. — PTI crazy game (between
Fabio Caruana and Ian
Nepomniachtchi), and
Published by K. Sudhakar for and on behalf then I went for a walk with
of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited at my second (Gregorz
Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Gazevsky), I think that
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110
helped,” Gukesh said after
002. and Printed by him at BFL Infotech
winning.
Limited, C – 9, Sector – III, Noida – 201301.
Editor – Kaushik Mitter,
Gukesh also won a cash
RNI Registration number 57290/94
award of 88,500 Euros
(approx `78.5 lakh). The
Price in Nepal - Nep.Rs. 20.00 per copy.
total prize fund of the
● Gukesh became
only the second
Indian after the great
Viswanathan Anand
to win the
prestigious
tournament. Five-
time world champion
Anand’s triumph
came in 2014.
Grandmaster D. Gukesh during his Round 14 match against Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura of USA at the FIDE
Candidates 2024 chess tournament in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday.
Candidates was 5,00,000
Euros. He became only the
second Indian after the
great Viswanathan Anand
to win the prestigious
tournament. Five-time
world champion Anand’s
triumph came in 2014.
Needing at least a draw,
Gukesh gave nothing away
to Nakamura, a clear sig-
nal that the teenager is
ready for the big stage and
is going to be the next
biggest star in the chess
world. The black pieces
did not matter much as
Nakamura was at sea in
the Queen’s Gambit
Accepted and did not find
any ways to pursue play-
ing for an advantage.
Gukesh won a pawn and
Nakamura had to find the
path to equality in the
ensuing rook and opposite
coloured Bishops
endgame. The game lasted
till move 71 but the result
was never in doubt.
With Gukesh ending on 9
points, all eyes were on the
match between American
Caruana and Russia’s
Nepomniachtchi.
“...those 15 minutes were
probably the most stress-
ful of this entire tourna-
ment, I was watching the
— PTI
commentary for sometime
and then me and Gajevsky
(his trainer) went for a
walk and then my father
came running,” Gukesh
revealed.
“Obviously the support
system is huge, coming to
my team I would not like
to take their names but
they know how grateful I
am to them.” — PTI
Toronto, April 22: Indian
grandmaster Koneru
Humpy delivered the
goods when it mattered,
defeating erstwhile joint
leader Tingjie Lei of
China to finish second
on a superior tiebreak in
the women candidates
tournament here.
Zhongyi Tan of China
expectedly topped the
tables after settling for a
draw with Anna
Muzychuk of Ukraine.
The real story of the
day was R. Vaishali, who
scored her fifth victory
on the trot at the
expense of Kateryna
Lagno of Russia to tie
for the second spot
before finishing fourth
on tiebreak.
Tan finished with 9
points in all, 1.5 points
clear of the nearest
rivals Humpy, Lei and
Vaishali who all finished
second to fourth respec-
tively. Aleksandra Gor-
yachkina finished fifth
on seven points, a full
point ahead of Lagno. At
the half-way stage,
Humpy was languishing
at 2.5 points out of seven
games but came up with
a splendid effort to score
five points from the last
seven games, a score
matched by Vaishali
who was even worse at
2.5 out of nine. — PTI
Enjoy the moment.
— VISWANATHAN ANAND
chess legend
India is exceptionally proud
of @DGukesh! Gukesh’s
remarkable achievement at
the Candidates in Toronto
showcases his extraordinary
talent and dedication. His
outstanding performance
and journey to the top
inspires millions.
— NARENDRA MODI
Prime Minister
What a triumph, @DGukesh!
The youngest ever to win the
FIDE Candidates — at only
17! Your journey from here
leads to the World Champio-
nship, and we’ll be with you
at every move. Go make his-
tory! #FIDECandidates.
— SACHIN TENDULKAR
cricket great
GUKESH WINS THE CANDI-
DATES!! The future is here.
It's today. 22.04.2024 a date
to remember It's going to be
Ding Liren vs Gukesh, World
Chess Championship 2024.
— TANIA SACHDEV
Indian Grand Master
What an evening
Congratulations to Gukesh
and special award for both
Fabi, Ian for their incredible
performance today. One of
the most interesting games I
ever saw. Bravo, REAL
FIGHTERS, for giving it all.
Most important, more than
anything in chess in fact Full
respect.
— VLADIMIR KRAMNIK
Former world chess champion
glam sham
Remembering
Eva Evans
11 >>
ESHA LOHIA
Amidst the election
fervour, one aspect
often overlooked is
the physical and mental
strength required for politi-
cians to navigate the strenu-
ous long hours of poll cam-
paigning. While public
speeches, rallies, and
debates dominate the scene,
behind the scenes, many
Indian politicians are adher-
ing to strict workout
regimes and diet routines to
maintain their energy levels
and remain super fit – phys-
ically, mentally, and emo-
tionally. While their sched-
ules may be packed with
political meetings, speeches,
and travels, many politi-
cians are prioritising their
health.
FITNESS FREAKS
Many politicians prefer
brisk walking or jogging as
it allows them to clear their
minds and often serves as an
opportunity for outdoor
interactions with people.
Supriya Sule (54), an MP of
the Nationalist Congress
Party alternates between
cycling, yoga and brisk
walking. She simply grabs
her helmet and goes out
cycling with or without
sneakers. You can spot her
walking, jogging or cycling
back from Marine Drive to
her home on Peddar Road in
Mumbai after a long day.
One can’t talk about walk-
ing without mentioning
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi and his famous
Bharat Jodo Yatra. Walking
25-km daily, sprinting and
doing push-ups occasionally
in between the yatra, put the
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi (53) in the spotlight.
Suraj Singh Thakur, an
AICC delegate and former
State President Youth
Congress & NSUI, Mumbai,
PM Modi does yoga daily PHOTO: PTI
delhi
THE AGE TUESDAY | 23 APRIL 2024
Pooja to
groove with
Jr NTR?
In Janhvi Kapoor’s
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy loves to play football PHOTO: X high-octane action drama
Devara, for a special song
NETAS
B.V.S. PRAKASH
THE ASIAN AGE
Glamdiva Pooja Hegde is reportedly in
talks to do a special number in the
SWEAT
much-anticipated action thriller Devara, in
which she is rumored to match dancing
moves with one of Indian cinema’s top
PHOTO: X
dancers, Jr NTR. “Pooja is one of the hot
contenders for the racy number, and she
could clinch the deal,” says a source, who
adds, “Pooja has pan-India appeal and also
IT OUT
brings in her Bollywood experience. Hence,
the NTR-Pooja chartbuster is on the cards,”
he adds.
“She looks fit and gorgeous as well, and she
is bound to create ripples in special numbers,
and it would be an ideal comeback for her
after a brief lull in Tollywood,” he says.
Despite their gruelling election campaign schedules, Actually, Pooja played the love interest of the
many politicians are focusing on their fitness levels by Nandamuri family scion in Arvinda
Sametha Veera Raghava, and their onscreen
hitting the gym, going on marathon runs, doing yoga, Supriya Sule loves chemistry received loads of appreciation. “If
Pilates, cycling, swimming, and brisk walking regularly to walk and cycle they come together again on screen, it would
be magical,” he concludes.
says, “During Bharat Jodo SUPERFIT NETAS
Yatra, Rahul Gandhi used to MEANWHILE
have dry fruits to munch on • PM NARENDRA MODI
Does Yoga and Panchtatvas
during tea breaks. Some
people were unable to • CONGRESS LEADER RAHUL GANDHI JR NTR’S
catch up with his brisk Goes swimming, scuba diving, cycling, walking and
walking during the plays badminton, taekwondo TURNS
yatra at times. He
(Gandhi) keeps
• TELANGANA CM REVANTH REDDY
Does gym workouts and is an avid footballer
HEADS
his volunteers
• NCP MP SUPRIYA SULE
WITH `7.5
and party mem- Daily cycling and brisk walking
bers’ fitness in CR WATCH
check along • UNION MINISTER SMRITI IRANI
with his own.” Regular yoga, gym workouts
Jr NTR made
Rahul Gandhi • UNION MINISTER KIREN RIJIJU heads turn as
is a trained Gym workouts, running, national-level athlete he touched down
scuba diver and • SHIV SENA MP Dr. SHRIKANT SHINDE in Mumbai, gear-
loves cycling. Daily gym workouts ing up for his
“He has a dedi- Bollywood debut
cated gym work- badminton player and has a seven events across eight in War 2. But it
out routine for at black belt in Aikido. Beyond cities in just 36 hours wasn’t just his arrival that
least two hours fitness, he maintains a strict requires immense mental caught attention; it was the
whenever time diet. and physical strength. eye-catching wristwatch
permits him Yoga holds a special place PM Modi routinely walks on adorning his arm that stole
from his in Indian culture, and many the track of Panchtatvas the show. The Richard Mille time-
busy sched- politicians swear by its ben- and practices breathing piece, reportedly worth a staggering `7.5
ule,” he says. efits including Prime exercises daily. crore, exuded luxury as Jr NTR confidently
Gandhi is a fit- Minister Narendra Modi strutted out of the airport.
ness freak. A great (73). To be able to attend TURN TO PAGE 10
 Tuesday 23 April 2024 10

the buzz Delhi Age

NETAS

PHOTO: X (BHARAD)
SWEAT
Shashi Tharoor works out in the gym
IT OUT PHOTO: TWITTER X
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 MANY POLITICIANS HE (RAHUL GANDHI)
PRIORITISE A KEEPS HIS VOLUNTEERS
POLL TOLL CONSISTENT FITNESS AND PARTY MEMBERS’
During election campaigns, the demands
REGIMEN AND HEALTHY FITNESS IN CHECK ALONG
on politicians escalate exponentially. DIET TO STAY ENERGISED
WITH HIS OWN.”
Long hours, constant travel, irregular AND FIT FOR HECTIC AND
sleep patterns, and high stress levels can STRENUOUS SCHEDULES.” — SURAJ SINGH THAKUR,
take a toll on their physical and mental — NALIN S KOHLI, former State president Youth Congress
well-being. Nalin S Kohli, national BJP national spokesperson and NSUI, Mumbai Rahul Gandhi practises Aikido with a Sensei
spokesperson of BJP, says that with non-
stop activities that get heightened during levels — from the political leaders, volun- SPORTSMEN SPIRIT
elections, the demands of campaigning teers to the electorate. Kohli says, “With
add on to all political functionaries at all the constant travelling across different Many politicians are avid sports enthusi-
destinations, sticking to regular meal asts. From cricket to badminton, playing
Photo: Instagram

times can be challenging, impacting sleep sports provides them with not only a
schedules. Often politicians resort to physical workout but also a recreational
power naps during journeys to recharge. outlet to unwind and relieve stress.
Hydration is key to combating the strain Some even participate in marathon runs
on vocal cords during speeches. Many pri- and cycling events to promote fitness
oritise a consistent fitness regimen and awareness.
healthy diet to stay energised and fit for Telangana Chief Minister Revanth
hectic and strenuous schedules.” Reddy is an avid football player and once
threw a challenge to ‘KTR’ (KT Rama
GYM-TIME FOLKS Rao) for a fitness challenge on the football
Rijiju plays a friendly football match field. Reddy regularly plays football and
For those who prefer a more structured training himself at a gym. With an in- hits the gym every week. Kiren Rijiju
approach, hitting the gym is a popular built gym in his official residence, Kiren played tennis, volleyball and was an ace
choice. However, it gets neglected when Rijiju, Cabinet Minister of Earth javelin thrower. Rijiju is currently quite
high-pressure situations like elections Sciences and Food Processing Industries active in sports and fitness. Senior
mount stress on their shoulders, light takes out time from his busy schedule to Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor
workouts are adopted for muscle relax- stay fit and often posts his workout videos loves cricket and regularly hits a six, on
ation. Personal trainers are often on social media. Kiren along with the cricket, political and literary fields.
employed to customise workout plans Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Travelling between cities makes politi-
based on individual goals and fitness lev- Anurag Singh Thakur launched the Fit cians face cultural and climate changes.
els. Shiv Sena two-time MP Dr Shrikant India Freedom Run 3.0 in October 2022. So, diet becomes crucial in such cases.
Eknath Shinde (37) is a fitness enthusiast. Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Smita Nanda, a registered dietician, says,
As the life of a politician involves a rigor- Irani is yet another politician who values “Adequate amount of complex carbohy-
ous amount of travel, Shinde focuses on her fitness. She even took it to Instagram drates makes one active, allowing
saying, “DIET ki salah ke do prakaar — healthy fat to be part of the routine. They
ADEQUATE AMOUNT mehnat bhaut but no chamatkar. Bidu should carry some healthy, easy and on-
OF COMPLEX wazan kam kar .. fit reh fat mat ho re, the-go drive snacks to munch on like
anda kha baingan kha bread mat kha re. roasted foster fox nuts (makhanas) and
CARBOHYDRATES MAKES
Ben wazan kam kar … diet kar kissi ko roasted millets. They should club the
ONE ACTIVE, ALLOWING pata nahi chalega.” Irani captioned this intake of fruits with some protein source
HEALTHY FAT TO BE PART witty message on a photograph of herself to sustain for a longer period.”
OF THE ROUTINE.” with Bollywood actor Jacky Shroff. Irani She further adds that traditional sattu
— SMITA NANDA, believes in hard work, practises yoga and drink can also be a on-the-go snack as it
Smriti Irani shares her workout session registered dietician goes to the gym to stay fit and healthy. is rich in protein and fiber.

ACCORDING TO

BECKHAM GOES TO COURT BRITISH TABLOID THE

SUES ACTOR MARK WAHLBERG FOR ‘FRAUDULENT CONDUCT’
Football legend David
Beckham is suing
Hollywood actor Mark
Wahlberg, alleging that he has
suffered a £8.5million loss in a
deal with the actor’s fitness
brand F45. According to a Sun
report, Beckham’s firm, DB
Ventures Ltd., alleges that the
sports icon was “duped” into
working with the gym group
F45. (He had agreed to be the
firm’s global ambassador.)
SUN, BECKHAM’S
COMPANY DB
VENTURES LTD (DBVL)
IS CLAIMING THE
AMERICAN ACTOR
The Mark Wahlberg with length what it lacks in “DUPED” THE
Investment Group (MWIG), and merit.” Earlier, Beckham and FOOTBALL LEGEND
other F45 founders Adam golf star Greg Norman, who INTO WORKING WITH
Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch are also had a bone to pick with F45, AUSTRALIAN GYM
also under fire. Beckham is had tried to make a joint com- GROUP F45.
claiming that he lost the huge plaint, but were advised to sue BECKHAM HAD
sum when stocks he was separately. Beckham and
promised were withheld until Wahlberg became close friends
APPEARED IN SEVERAL
after share prices plummeted. when the football legend and F45 SOCIAL MEDIA
Wahlberg and his co-defen- his wife Victoria moved to the POSTS PROMOTING
dants have dismissed charges of latter’s Beverly Hills neigh- THE BRAND,
“fraudulent conduct” and say bourhood in Los Angeles in HOWEVER, THOSE
the complaint “tries to make up 2007, the Sun report added. POSTS HAVE SINCE
BEEN DELETED.

glam sham
ia Beck h am ’s
Victor
st one b irth day
mile
The celebration
turned into a Spice
Girls reunion
Celebrated fashion design-
er Victoria Beckham’s 50th
birthday bash turned into a
Spice Girls reunion, delighting
fans worldwide. Joined by Geri
Halliwell-Turner, Emma
Bunton, Melanie Chisholm,
and Mel B Brown, the girls
rocked to their hit track Stop at
Tuesday 23 April 2024 11
Delhi Age
SID SRIRAM
Remembering
Eva Evans SHINES AT
The TikTok star, creator of COACHELLA
Club Rat, dies at 29
TikTok star Eva Evans, creator of the web comedy series Club
Rat on Amazon Prime Video, has passed away at 29. Eva’s sister
He makes a historic
Lila Joy announced the heartbreaking news on Instagram, shar-
ing a poignant tribute. “Yesterday my family received
debut, featuring the
news that our sweet, fabulous, creative, caring,
hilarious Eva, my beautiful sister, has died. After Tamil devotional song
24 hours, I still find myself in a constant cycle of
denial and acceptance,” Lila wrote. She Thiruppugazh
expressed a desire for Eva’s presence to articu-
late the depth of their loss, promising more Sid Sriram, the first South Indian artist to
reflections soon. Eva’s impact extended perform at Coachella, made history with his
beyond her series; her vibrant presence on captivating rendition of Thiruppugazh, a Tamil
TikTok and Instagram garnered her a devotional song, dedicated to Lord Murugan.
dedicated following. Tributes poured Sharing the moment on Instagram, Sid
in on social media, reflecting on expressed gratitude for the opportunity, reflect-
her brilliance, warmth, ing on his journey from a young boy to a glob-
and irreplaceable al performer. With his groundbreaking
spirit. performance, Sid not only showcased
the richness of Tamil devotional music
but also bridged cultural boundaries,
putting Tamil religious songs on the
global map. His seamless blend of
Carnatic and R&B music left a last-
ing impression, marking a signifi-
cant milestone in his illustrious
career and paving the way for
future artists to showcase their
cultural heritage on prestigious
international platforms like
Coachella.
As Sid shared on Instagram,
“If you had told 9 year old
SID me that I’d close my
@coachella set with
SHOWCASED THE
the Thiruppugazh
RICHNESS OF TAMIL my mother had
DEVOTIONAL MUSIC AND just taught me,
BRIDGED CULTURAL BOUNDARIES, I probably
PUTTING TAMIL RELIGIOUS SONGS would’ve
ON THE GLOBAL MAP. HIS SEAMLESS chuckled and
BLEND OF CARNATIC AND R&B MUSIC went back to
LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION, MARK- day dream-
ING A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN HIS ing. Fast for-
CAREER. IT PAVED THE WAY FOR ward to 2024,
ARTISTS TO SHOWCASE CULTURAL first ever
HERITAGE ON PRESTIGIOUS South Indian
INTERNATIONAL STAGES artist to play the
LIKE COACHELLA. festival.”
off the web
VARUN AND
NATASHA
CELEBRATE
BABY SHOWER
A ctor Varun Dhawan
and his wife Natasha
Dalal celebrated their baby
shower surrounded by
Oswald’s, a private members’ friends and family, includ-
club in London. ing Mira Rajput. Glimpses
David Beckham captured the from the event surfaced on
moment on video, showcasing
the quintet flawlessly syncing
social media. Natasha,
glowing in a white floral
their iconic dance routine. off-shoulder dress, cradled
Victoria, sharing the video, her bump, while Varun
exclaimed, “Best night ever! looked dapper in a white t-
Happy Birthday to me! I love shirt layered with a blue
you all so much! floral shirt. The couple
#SpiceUpYourLife.” posed happily with friends
The star-studded affair also in the heartwarming snap-
saw the presence of celebrities shots, shared by a fan club
like Tom Cruise, Eva Longoria, with the caption, “Pictures
and Salma Hayek-Pinault, mak- from Natasha’s baby
ing it an unforgettable night. shower.”
 C M Y K C M Y K

Friday 18 Tuesday 23 April 2024 13

lifestyle Delhi Age

muscles and Achilles tendons, as well

Tips for a gradual as regular stretching to maintain

flexibility, especially before and after

GIVE YOUR
Studio, Mumbai, says, “Feeling workouts.
exhausted regularly, despite adequate One effective exercise recommended by
sleep, may be attributed to nutrient DGOU involves standing on a step with
deficiencies. Fatigue has been associat-
ed with lacking essential nutrients like
iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin
B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridox-
return to fitness one heel off the edge and the other foot
raised, using a handrail or wall for sup-
port if necessary. Push up onto your
toes, hold for two seconds, then lower the

ENERGY
ine (vitamin B6), folate (vitamin B9), vita- foot. Aim to repeat this movement 15
min B12, vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin),
Before diving back into intense physical times for each foot, ideally performing
vitamin C and magnesium. Ensuring a bal-
anced diet with these nutrients is crucial for
activity, it’s crucial to heed advice from the exercise three times a day.
Signs of a strained Achilles tendon
overall energy levels.” orthopaedic experts on safeguarding the include pain above the heel and inflam-
mation, known as Achilles tendonitis. If
LIFESTYLE FIX Achilles tendon from strain or rupture you experience these symptoms, it’s cru-
cial to take a break from the activity

A BOOST
If you are the kind of
person who feels low on
energy all the time, there
could be several issues
that need to be addressed
Chronic stress, anxiety, or depression can significantly Regenerating after a peri- even worse, rupturing the Achilles ten- causing discomfort, reduce its intensity,
impact energy levels. Lack of physical activity can result od of inactivity, especially don — the body’s thickest and strongest or switch to lower-impact alternatives.
in decreased energy levels and overall fatigue. “Consume during the winter months, tendon, which links the calf muscles to Ignoring warning signs could lead to a
a well-rounded diet with a mix of carbohydrates, pro- requires a cautious approach, par- the heel bone. rupture, particularly during activities
teins, healthy fats, and vitamins. Drink enough water ticularly if you’re The German Society for Orthopaedics involving sudden movements like
throughout the day to maintain optimal bodily functions. gearing up for a running regimen or and Trauma Surgery (DGOU) emphasis- sprints, jumps, or abrupt changes in
Opt for small, frequent meals to maintain steady blood other sports activities. Neglecting to es the importance of easing into direction.
sugar levels. Irregular eating patterns can contribute to gradually increase the intensity can physical activity and suggests incorpo-
energy fluctuations. High sugar content can cause ener- heighten the risk of straining, or rating exercises to strengthen the calf — DPA
gy spikes followed by crashes. Incorporate regular exer-
cise into your routine. Ensure time for relaxation and
activities you enjoy,” says Dr. Sangeeta Tiwari, clinical PSYCHO-LEGAL COUNSELLING
nutritionist at Artemis Lite, NFC.
Navigating sexual
Caught in the marriage trap
STAY HYDRATED

Maintaining proper hydration is essential for sustaining

energy levels. Daily biochemical reactions result in
water loss through urine, stools, sweat and breathing.
Dehydration occurs when the fluid intake doesn’t com-
pensate for these losses, leading to lower energy levels
and reduced concentration. While the 7-8 glasses of
water guideline is common, individual hydration needs
vary based on factors like weight, age, sex and activity
levels. Pay attention to signs like thirst, fatigue, dizzi-
ness, and headaches, as they may indicate dehydration. If
your urine is colourless or pale yellow you are close to
adequate hydration; again coffee, tea are diuretics and
will misleadingly reflect as pale urine. The bottom
line is drinking a few sips of water every 20-30
minutes, apart from during and right after your
meals will ensure optimum hydration.
“Excessive caffeine intake, commonly found in cof-
fee and energy drinks, may provide a temporary energy
health challenges
threat to take away custody of the child may Looking at individual concerns and contemplating the
Should I stay in my intolerable marriage, or leave? That’s a dilemma be just an impulsive threat. But if you are liv- range of choices available for shaping a satisfying future
which many wives face. Here, we consider a specific case ing separately, it should be taken seriously, as
there are more chances of the case reaching
the courts. However, you, as the natural moth-
er, are in a safe position, as the child is still an
infant cannot be separated from you.
As far your decision regarding marriage is
concerned, you are the best judge of your life
and relationship prospects.
The unpredictable behaviour of your hus-
band may change if he develops an attach-
ment to the child. The same applies to your
mother-in-law. If you think you have the guts
and tolerance to handle your husband’s

‘‘
boost but can lead to increased tiredness the following
day. Too much caffeine can disrupt sleep patterns con-
tantrums and un-predictable behaviour, fac-
tor that into your decision. If you can take Q eMxype3r1ie-ynecairn-gold husbearnecdtilies
tributing to fatigue. “Research indicates that reliance on challenges in your career, that could indicate dysfunction, with his erections
caffeine to combat morning fatigue may create a cycle of a good chance of success in personal life, in a lasting only a minute. His
poor sleep followed by excessive caffeine consumption, a matter of time. medical reports indicate sperm
vicious cycle. While moderate consumption of coffee and If you are not willing to go to the courts mobility at 18%, sperm count at
caffeinated beverages like green tea, black tea, black yourself, then wait and watch what your hus- Dr D. NARAYANA REDDY 17%, and testosterone levels at
coffee (maximum 2-3 cups daily) can be benefi- band does, then make the appropriate 2.24 ng/ml, all below normal
cial, it is advisable to avoid energy drinks response. In any case, ensure that your deci- ranges. The doctor has
due to their high stimulant and sugar con-
tent. Why not begin the day with a few
sion is not influenced by the advice of third
parties, including your parents. Q Imaamn aw4it5h-yeaar-ol1d2-ymeaarrr-oieldd prescribed Enew Plus Caps and
Addyzoa. Is his condition
dry fruits and local or seasonal fruits,” daughter. My wife and I have treatable? Considering our
BINDU GOPAL RAO says Harchandrai. had a normal married life, and desire to conceive, should we

Persistent low energy levels RESET AND RECHARGE Q. bI uhtavcoenbceeeinvemdalarrteie, danfodrnsoewvehnayveeaarss,ix- DR VRUSHALI REDDY’S advice
As a part of a series on
our daughter was born in the
first year of our marriage. I used
wait for treatment, or explore
alternative options like artificial

can result from various fac-
tors, such as insufficient
sleep, poor nutrition, lack of exer-
cise, stress, or underlying medical
conditions like anaemia or thyroid
problems. Determining the exact
cause usually requires a thorough
medical evaluation. However, you can
help yourself by making some changes
to your lifestyle. Experts weigh in.
SLEEP, NUTRITION, BALANCE
Adequate and good-quality sleep is vital for overall
health, as it enables crucial processes like the release
of growth hormones and cell repair. Most people
wake up feeling refreshed and energized after a
night of quality sleep. While individual sleep needs may
vary, we generally require at least seven hours for opti-
mal health. Insomnia, characterised by difficulty falling
or staying asleep, can stem from various causes such as
menopause, medical conditions, stress, poor sleeping
environments, or excessive mental stimulation.
Bhavna Harchandrai, celebrity fitness trainer,
bestselling author, proprietor, Fitness Fundas
M
month-old baby boy. I have come to realise any thoughts must be racing through Psycho-legal Counselling, to masturbate frequently and insemination or adoption?
To improve energy levels, incorpo- that my husband was a pampered child. He your head — your husband’s behav- we are offering case still have a strong interest in it.
rating regular physical activity has behavioural problems and terrible iour, your career prospects, your par- studies and advice. This is in addition to having You have written about two
into your routine is crucial. tantrums. He is very aggressive, stubborn, ents’ standing in society and the fear of los- Readers’ questions will regular intercourse with my problems — Erectile
Exercise can boost endorphin lev- impulsive and reckless. At times he can be ing custody of your child. This must be psy- also be answered by w if e . M y p e n i s s i z e i s a v e r a g e , Dysfunction and Infertility.
els, promote better sleep, and very good. But he’s unpredictable. chologically draining, causing you much VRUSHALI REDDY, but I have noticed that without a Unless your husband is unable
enhance overall stamina. “Prioritise I have tolerated his behaviour for years, as I agony and preventing you from concentrat- M.Phil; LL.M, Clinical condom, I ejaculate quickly. I to penetrate you vaginally,
regular exercise as it boosts endor- was brought up with traditional values and ing on anything. Psychologist & Legal Advisor, ROSHNI also experience frequent these problems are not neces-
phins and helps regulate energy levels. hail from a high-profile political background. Your mother-in-law’s influence on your hus- Counselling Centre (RCC). Email your nocturnal emissions if I don’t sarily interconnected. The
Incorporating short bursts of physical I fear that if my marriage breaks up, it may band is an example of a common cause of queries to: r e d d y v r u s h a l i 2 4 d c @ engage in intercourse or causes of the erection problem
activity throughout the day can also combat affect my parents’ image. Indian marital conflicts. Not maintaining g m a i l . c o m . Names will be kept masturbation regularly. need to be determined, as it can
midday slumps and enhance alertness. Eating After our baby’s birth, my husband has boundaries among relatives often leads to the confidential. Ad d i t i o n a l l y , I h a v e d e v e l o p e d often be managed more easily
a balanced diet rich in whole foods, lean proteins, become very possessive about the child, and breakdown of marriages. an interest in same-sex than infertility. You haven’t pro-
and complex carbohydrates is pivotal for sustained ener- he seems to be acting according to the dic- activities. I am concerned about vided the results of the blood
gy levels. These nutrient-dense choices provide a steady tates of his mother, who is controlling his PSYCHO-LEGAL SOLUTIONS: t h e i m p l i c a t io n s . tests, and the semen analysis
release of energy and prevent spikes in blood sugar, ulti- behaviour. He picks a fight with me over If you say you are successful in your career Words of Wisdom report is not detailed enough.
mately reducing fatigue,” says Dr. Manjusha Agarwal, small issues, and threatens to take custody of and not bothered about money and properties, You seem to have too many Sperm count is typically mea-
senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Global Hospitals, the child. you will have to decide on what to prioritise: problems: Bisexual (more sured in “millions per milli-
Parel Mumbai. Career-wise, I’m doing better than my towards homosexual) orienta- liter” rather than as percent-
Finding ways to prioritise self-care activities such as husband. Money, status, position — I have all ❶ Your peace of mind tion, Premature ejaculation and ages, and sperm morphology
gentle exercise, mindfulness practices, and adequate rest
becomes essential in navigating the day-to-day chal-
of these.
I don’t want to go to court, but I’m confused
❷ The child’s overall development in the pres- A mistake is an accident. a fetish for masturbation. Your
psycho sexual status need to be
has not been mentioned.
Consult a Reproductive
ence of both parents
lenges presented by persistent fatigue. And if nothing — should I stay in the marriage or leave?
❸ Your parents’ standing in society
Cheating and lying are analysed in depth before any Medicine specialist for further
seems to work, do not hesitate to seek medical help. After Please suggest the best course of action for not mistakes, they are worthwhile suggestion can be evaluation of your husband’s
all, being energetic is something that is non-negotiable. me. ❹ Your own career offered. Consult a sexologist in hormone levels and treatment
(Names and identities have been kept confidential). intentional choices. person. options.
If you and your husband live together, the
 Tuesday 23 April 2024 25
14

coffee-break Delhi Age

CALVIN AND HOBBES|Bill Watterson Dennis the Menace

DOONESBURY|Garry Trudeau

B.C.|Johnny Hart hocus focus

UP AND RUNNING|Gray and Shack

BLONDIE|Dean Young and John Marshall

jumble

ANDY CAPP |Reg Smythe