VIJAYAWADA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

www.dailypioneer.com

RNI No.APENG/2018/764698

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN HYDERABAD

*LATE CITY VOL. 4 ISSUE 14*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

MONEY 8MODI HOLDS TALKS WITH EU ONTRADE, COVID & GLOBAL ISSUES

ANALYSIS 7100 CRORE JABS: GOVTSYSTEM CAN DELIVER

SPORTS 11WEST INDIES VIRTUALLY KNOCK

OUT B’DESH BY 3 RUNS

}MOHAN BABU,VISHNU FIRST GUESTS

ON BALAKRISHNA'SSHOW

Page 12{

VVIIJJAAYYAAWWAADDAAWWEEAATTHHEERR

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated OCTOBER 29, 2021 5:00 PM

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Partly cloudyTTeemmpp:: 33/25HHuummiiddiittyy:: 64%SSuunnrriissee:: 6:13 amSSuunnsseett:: 05:45 pm

AALLMMAANNAACC

TTOODDAAYY

Month & Paksham:

Ashwin & Krishna Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Navami 14:42

Nakshatram : Ashlesha 12:51

Time to Avoid : Time to Avoid (Bad

time to start any important work)

Rahukalam : 9:08 am - 10:34 am

Yamagandam : 1:25 pm - 2:50 pm

Varjyam : 1:04 am - 2:41 am

Gulika : 6:17 am - 7:42 am

Good Time : (to start any important work)

Amritakalam : 11:10 am - 12:51 pm

Abhijit Muhurtham : 11:36 am - 12:22 pm

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

All arrangements have been madefor the Badvel by-election in Kadapadistrict on Saturday. The by-poll toBadvel reserved Assembly segment(SC) was necessitated due to the sud-den demise of sitting MLA from rul-ing YSRCP Dr Gunthoti VenkataSubbaiah in March.

There are around 15 candidates inthe fray but the main battle isbetween YSRCP candidate Dr.Dasari Sudha, widow of Dr Subbaiahand BJP's Panthala Suresh.

Though the BJP has no presencein that part of the State, the partydecided to jump into the fray. BothTDP and Jana Sena opted out as amatter of principle as the YSRCP hasfielded the wife of the deceasedMLA.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In view of the Covid situation,Andhra Pradesh Pollut ionControl Board (APPCB)Chairman AK Parida has urgedpeople to celebrate the Diwali fes-tival with green crackers, avoid-ing commercial crackers.

"Diwali is the festival oflights. It should be celebratedsafely by all people without noisepollution. Hence we request themanufacturers and sellers of fire-crackers to manufacture and sellonly green crackers. The stategovernment gave orders to cele-brate Diwali with only greencrackers in the wake of warningsfrom the central government thatthe third wave of the Covid isimminent. With a view to protect-ing the health of the generalpublic and to curb the spread of

pollution, the state governmentdirected that, bursting of the firecrackers on Diwali is restricted totwo hours i.e. from 8pm to 10pm.People should understand the

situation and cooperate with thestate government," Parida said.

These formulations of greencrackers, researched and devel-oped by experts at the Council of

Scientific & Industrial Research -National EnvironmentalEngineering Research Institute(CSIR-NEERI).

Commercial firecrackers emitlarge amounts of pollutants suchas barium, aluminum, potassiumnitrate, nitrogen oxide, and sul-phur dioxide. So, the CSIR-NEERI developed new formula-tions for green crackers whichemit very low levels of pollutants.Many of the manufacturers offirecrackers across the countryhave signed Non-DisclosureAgreement (NDA) with CSIR-NEERI for utilising the CSIR-NEERI's formulation of GreenFireworks.

These green fireworks have asmall shell size compared to nor-mal crackers.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy has directed the officials tomake use of the latest technologiesand ensure uninterrupted band-width internet is provided to everyDigital Library.

During the review meeting heldat his camp office on the progress

of works related to YSR DigitalLibraries here on Friday, the ChiefMinister directed the DistrictCollectors of Anantapur, Chittoor,Visakhapatnam, and East Godavaridistricts to pay special attention tothe construction of Digital Librariesin their respective districts.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh High Court thatwas hearing a lunch-motion peti-tion on Friday gave permission toAmaravati Parirakshana Samithito take up Maha Padayatra'Nyayasthanam to Deasthanam'starting November 1.

As the police denied permis-sion for the padayatra, theAmaravati JAC had moved theHigh Court. Government coun-sel argued that the padayatra willraise law and order situation inthe State.

SNV SUDHIRn VIJAYAWADA

While donations to the YSRCongress Party (YSRCP) witnesseda sharp decline in 2019-20, aTamil Nadu-based infrastructurefirm promoted by the family of JSekhar Reddy, who was once a spe-cial invitee to the TTD TrustBoard, emerged as the highestdonor to the ruling party in thatfinancial year. Out of the totaldonations of Rs 8.924 crore YSRCPreceived during 2019-20, TamilNadu-based JSR Infra DevelopersPvt Ltd alone donated Rs 2.5crore.

As per a report prepared andreleased on Friday by the Delhi-based Association of DemocraticReforms (ADR) based on the con-tribution reports submitted byregional parties to the ElectionCommission of India (ECI), theVellore-based J Sekhar's JSR InfraDevelopers Pvt Ltd had donated Rs2.5 crore on May 29, 2019, just daysafter the Assembly poll results wereannounced on May 23.

The donation was madethrough an RTGS transfer with acheque bearing No. 001956.Interestingly, YSRCP stood secondamong the regional parties in thecountry in 2019-20 to havereceived the highest single dona-

tion of Rs 2.5 crore from JSR Infra.Parties such as AAP and SP are

the other regional parties to havereceived the highest single dona-tion worth Rs 5 crore and Rs 2crore respectively.

Sekhar's appointment to theTTD Trust as a special invitee afterYSRCP came to power has snow-balled into a major controversy asit was questioned by theOpposition TDP.

The then TDP government in2016 removed J Sekhar Reddy asa member of the TTD followingthe seizure of huge cash and goldfrom his premises in Chennai bythe IT sleuths in a raid.

He was also arrested for tax eva-sion by the CBI, a few days laterand was given bail after spending87 days in jail.

However, in December 2020, aspecial CBI court closed all casesagainst Sekhar Reddy and five oth-ers for losses to the government tothe tune of Rs 247.13 crore by ille-gal conversion of demonetisedcurrency, citing a lack of evi-dence.

He was also a major donor of afacility 'Saptha Gopradakshi-nashala' that had come up in a 4-acre site at the Tirumala foothillswhere pilgrims can perform 'GoPradakshina'.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The political fireworks that wereignited a few days back withTelagana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao at TRS plena-ry meeting saying that he has beenreceiving requests from AndhraPradesh to start a political partyhere, refuse to die down.

A day after saying that there isno need for a new party and whynot KCR look at the option ofmerging back both the Telugustates, I & PR Minister PerniVenkataramaiah (Nani) onFriday said there is no politicalvacuum in Andhra Pradesh andhence no space for a new politi-cal party.

HC grantspermission forpadayatra

Sharp dip in donations toYSRCP, TDP in 2019-20n Industrialist Sekhar Reddy singlehighest donor for YSRCP

No space fornew party inAP, avers Perni

Rain dampens parties’ spiritsas Badvel goes to polls today

3,000 cops deployed for poll dutyPNS n KADAPA

SP Anburajan has said that over3,000 police personnel have beendeployed to the Bavel constituen-cy for conducting the by-election.

He said that two Additional

SPs, 15 DSPs, 50 CIs, 160 SIs, 320Head Constables and ASIs, 980constables, 300 home guardswere deployed to Badvel to con-duct the by-election peacefully.

1st phase: 4,530 DigitalLibraries by Jan next

This Diwali too, it’s 2-hour fireworks in AP

NGT stays Palamur-RRLift Irrigation schemeo Get forest, environmental clearances first, Tribunal tells TSML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD

In a set back to the Telangana Stategovernment which is keen to expe-dite the Palamur-Ranga ReddyLift Irrigation project, the NationalGreen Tribunal on Friday issued astay on the ongoing works of LiftIrrigation scheme.

The Chennai Bench of the NGTinstructed that the works shouldnot be taken up without Forest andEnvironmental clearances.

In its orders, the Tribunal notedthat full scale approvals for thePalamur-RR Lift Irrigation schemehave not been furnished beforethem and it felt the objectionsraised by Andhra Pradesh govern-ment were fair. It also said theresponse given by Telangana Stateto the objections raised by the APwere not satisfactory.

The NGT made it clear that theTribunal would allow work toprogress only after the process forseeking approvals from the Ministryof Environment and Forests wascompleted.

The Andhra Pradesh governmenthad raised its objections to the LiftIrrigation scheme taken up byTelangana, saying that there was noallocation of water for Palamur-RRunder the KWDT-I and KWDT-IIand it was not included in theSchedule 11 of the AP StateReorganisation Act, 2014. It filed two

affidavits that the construction ofPalamur-RR scheme would have anenvironmental impact on both theTelugu States.

It argued that as per the Schedule11, except Kalwakurthy andNettempadu, the remaining projectswere new and the Telangana govern-ment issued a GO on June 10, 2015to divert 90 tmc ft from Srisailamreservoir for the new ayacut underthe lift irrigation scheme. It represent-ed to the Tribunal that in the nameof the drinking water project, it wasconstructing an irrigation project.

The AP government alleged thatthe TS government dubiously andartificially divided the PalamurRanga Reddy LIS into two phases-

irrigation (83.9 tmc ft) and drinkingwater with evaporation losses(6.1tmc) to avoid legal scrutiny.

The water availability would haveto be determined by taking intoaccount allocations made underTribunal – II and projects underSchedule 11 and it would not beproper to go ahead with the Palamur-RR project without clarity on thewater availability, AP said in its affi-davit. Earlier in September, theNGT’s joint committee inspected theproject works and submitted a reportto NGT in October first week thatTelangana had taken up irrigationworks in PRLIS instead of the per-mitted drinking water componentworks.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao inspects the ongoing works of Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. (File photo)

2222

2

22

PNS n BENGALURU

Kannada cinema's reigning star and celebritytelevision host Puneeth Rajkumar, known forfilms such as Appu, "Veera Kannadiga" andMaurya", died here on Friday following amassive heart attack, hospital said. He was46.

Puneeth, who was known to be afitness enthusiast, was rushed toVikram Hospital after he complainedof chest pain following a two-hourworkout in the gym, doctors treatinghim said. He died shortly after.

He is survived by his wife AshwiniRevanth and two daughters Dhriti andVanditha.

Restless crowds of stunned fansmilled around the hospital complex asnews came in of the sudden death of theactor, the son of much loved matinee idolRajkumar who fast outgrew his father'sshadow to carve a place all his own in theKannada showbiz industry.

Puneeth's body will be kept at theKanteerava Stadium toenable the public topay their lastrespects, stateminister RAshoka toldreporters.

The 46-year oldSandalwood star was

rushed to thehospital after he

complained ofchest pain.

PM mournsactor

PuneethRajkumar:

‘Cruel twist offate, was no

age to go’

The eyes ofKannada actorPuneethRajkumar, whopassed away onFriday, wasdonated to adonation centre,named after hisfather lateRajkumar, locatedat NarayanaNethralaya.

A cardiologist’s view onPuneet Rajkumar’s deathPointing out that Puneet Rajkumar is the latest in

the list of celebrities maintaining great levels ofphysical fitness, and yet suffered a massive heartattack, Dr Sai Sudhakar, Chief InterventionalCardiologist Gleneagles Global Hospital, said thatthose who does great physical workout mustremember to balance their stress levels with otheractivities that soothe their mind and body.

Actor Puneet Rajkumarsuccumbs to ‘workout’Heart attacks toofrequent in RajKumar’s familyH

eart attacks have beendogging legendary

Kannada movie star RajKumar’s family, if the death ofhis son Puneeth Rajkumar atthe age of 46 is any indication.In fact, the well-built, tallPuneeth Rajkumar used toradiate a picture of health.Kannadigas have beenmourning Puneeth’s untimelydeath with shock and disbelief.Legendary Kannada movieactor and national awardwinner for singing, Raj Kumar,died of a heart attack at theage of 77. Recently, one ofPuneeth’s brothers, SivarajKumar, suffered a heart attackwhile working out in the gymand almost died, butprovidentially managed tosurvive. Doctors said thatSivaraj Kumar suffered a heartattack due to his heavyworkout at the gym.

From childstar to ‘Power

Star’ therewill never

be anotherlike him

- Page: 2

22

2

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, D.No. New 3-88, Old 3-22, Chandra Theatre, Gosala, Penamaluru Mandal, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh - 521 151, Executive Editor: Navin Upadhyay. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

vijayawada 02VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any

damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement before

responding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

EGG RATES

VIJAYAWADA 397

HYDERABAD 382

VISAKHAPATNAM 392

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀33..9977

`̀//110000

CHICKEN RATES

Dressed/With Skin `222

Without Skin `242

Broiler at Farm `121

`̀//KKGG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

As per the analysis of theDelhi-based Association ofDemocratic Reforms (ADR)released on Friday, out of the53 regional parties analysed,only two had submitted theirdonation reports to theElection Commission of Indiain the stipulated time period.As many as 28 other region-al parties have delayed theirsubmission by a minimum ofsix days to 320 days. There are23 regional political partiesthat have defaulted on thesubmission of their donationreports to the ECI during FY2019-20, till Friday.

Under Section 29C (1) ofthe Representation of People'sAct, 1951, political partiesare required to prepare areport providing details ofcontributions in excess of Rs20,000 from any person in a

particular financial year toavail 100 pc tax exemption.However, in FY 2019-20, ADR

found that seven regional par-ties have also provided detailsof donations received below

Rs 20,000 in their contribu-tion reports.

The total amount of dona-

tions declared by 27 regionalparties analysed, includingboth above and below Rs20,000, was Rs 233.686 crore,from 6,923 donations.

No donations have beendeclared by NDPP, DMDKand JKNC for FY 2019-20.

With regard to the totalamount of donations, ShivSena (SHS) leads with Rs62.859 crore from 436 dona-tions followed by AIADMK,which has declared receivingRs 52.17 crore from threedonations. AAP declaredreceiving Rs 37.37 crore thatis the third-highest amongstall regional parties. BJD andYSRCP have declared totaldonations of Rs 28.20 croreand Rs 8.924 crore respective-ly.

As much as 81.10pc of thetotal donations (Rs 189.523crore) were received by onlyfive regional parties.

Sharp dip in donations to YSRCP...Continued from Page 1

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy, duringhis last visit to Tirumala totake part in annualBrahmotsavams, inauguratedthe new facility.

A native of Gudur inNellore district P SivakumarReddy's donation was thesecond-highest donation toYSRCP after JSR Infra.Sivakumar Reddy donatedRs 1 crore on April 8, 2019.

Significantly, donations toboth the regional parties inthe State YSRCP and TDP

had dropped sharply in 2019-20 when compared to 2018-19; YSRCP's donationsdropped by at least 89 pc in2019-20.

YSRCP received only Rs8.924 crore as donationswhen compared to Rs 80.575crore the ruling partyreceived during 2018-19when in Opposition.

TDP's donations alsodropped by 90 pc in 2019-20.It received only Rs 2.606crore as donations in 2019-20whereas the Opposition partywhen in power received Rs26.179 crore during 2018-19.

The highest donation TDPreceived was Rs 1 crore onApril 1, 2019, from aChennai-based electoraltrust - Triumph ElectoralTrust.

Interestingly, despite wit-nessing the sharp decline inits donations, YSRCP stoodamong the top five partieswhich declared the highestdonations in 2019-20 alongwith Shiv Sena (SHS),AIADMK, AAP and BJD.

YSRCP received Rs 8.924crore through 47 donationsand DP Rs 2.606 crorethrough 36 donations.

BJP nominee doesn't hold even a small piece of landPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Thirty-two-year-old memberof the Bharatiya Janata YuvaMorcha (BJYM) PanthalaSuresh, the candidate fieldedby the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in the Badvel bypoll,hails from a humble back-ground. Suresh doesn't evenhold a small piece of land andhad declared only Rs 70,000 inassets or belongings.

Though he has a PAN card,he never filed IT returns as hisincome never reached thelimit for him to file the returns.Though former MLA fromBadvel K Jayaramulu is in BJP,the central leadership haspicked Suresh to contest. BothYSRCP candidate Dr DasariSudha and Congress nomineePM Kamalamma, who repre-sented Badvel from 2009 to2014, have declared goodnumber of properties.

A native of Pondalur villagein Penagalur mandal ofKadapa district, Suresh hadunsuccessfully contested fromRailway Kodur Assembly seg-ment in 2019 polls.

BJP announced its candi-date just a day before nomina-tions were to end on October

8. BJP State president SomuVeerraju said in a tweet thatthe BJP named the youthleader as its candidate tooppose dynastic politics and

family rule and public welfareas its motto.

With the BJP announcingits candidate, polling wasnecessitated despite both Jana

Sena and TDP announcing tostay away from the by-poll onmoral grounds as YSRCP hadfielded Dr Dasari Sudha, wifeof the deceased MLA .

Rain dampens parties’ spirits asBadvel goes to polls today...Continued from Page 1

Around 281 polling stationshave been kept ready for theby-poll and 148 have beenidentified as "critical."

Over 2,000 police person-nel, including Central armedpolice forces, have beendeployed in the constituency.The police personnel havealso conducted a march in theBadvel town on Friday tosend out a message to theelectorate to come out andvote without any fear.

The constituency has over2.16 lakh eligible voters andthe ruling YSRCP has put ina lot of efforts to motivate vot-ers to come in large numbersto improve the total poll per-centage to improve the major-ity of its candidate. However,

continuous heavy downpoursince Friday morning hasdampened the spirits ofYSRCP. They are jittery thatnot many voters would turnup to vote on Saturday. Thepolling will be held between7 am and 7pm.

YSRCP is aiming to getmore than one lakh majoritywhereas BJP is banking onTDP's vote bank and also theJana Sena support. BJP seniorleaders like party State unitchief Somu Veerraju,Daggupati Puarndeswari, for-mer minister, C AdinrayanReddy, Rajya Sabha members,GVL Narasimha Rao andCM Ramesh and partynational secretary SatyaKumar sweated it out in theground for a month inBadvel.

3,000 copsdeployed forpoll duty...Continued from Page 1

Apart from this, 15 pla-toons of Central forces(CISR, BSF, CRPF, ITBP,and SSB) were alsodeployed. The SP said that72 route mobiles, 36 strik-ing force personnel, and11 special striking forceteams were deployed toBadvel.

"All security arrange-ments have been made forthe Bavel by-pol,l" the SPsaid.

The SP warned oftaking stringent actionagainst those who try tocreate trouble in theconstituency.

This Diwali too, it’s2-hour fireworks...Continued from Page 1

These are produced with lessharmful raw materials, inaccordance with instructionsissued by the Supreme Court,and are made in a way thatsuppresses the dust when theyare burnt - thus reducingemissions.

They developed formula-tions for green flower pots,

sparklers and sound emittingcrackers etc., These greencrackers will emit 30pc to50pc less particulate matterpollution (PM), less soundand air pollution than tradi-tional crackers. These greencrackers will have a greenlogo and QR code for differ-entiation from conventionalcrackers for monitoring andtracking.

HC grantspermission...Continued from Page 1

Amaravati famers planned totake up padayatra fromAmaravati to Tirumala start-ing from November 1 toDecember 17 for 45 days tohighlight the demand forcontinuing the Capital city atAmaravati.

DGP Gautam Sawang onThursday wrote a letter toAmaravati ParirakshanaSamithi secretary GaddeTirupati Rao denying per-mission. He said the paday-atra would result in law andorder issues in the State andhence, the permission isdenied.

High Court on Mondaydirected the DGP to take adecision within three days onthe representation given bycapital region farmers seek-ing permission for 'padaya-tra' to Tirumala.

Farmers who gave theirlands for the capitalAmaravati have been oppos-ing the YSRCP government'sdecision to trifurcate theCapital. They have beenprotesting the decision sinceDecember 2019 and havenow announced a 'mahapadyatra'.

1st phase: 4,530 Digital Libraries...Continued from Page 1

He said the facilities shouldbe provided such that theselibraries are useful for Workfrom Home (WFH) condi-tions and youth preparing forcompetitive examinations.He instructed the officials tofocus on and ensure propermaintenance of the libraries.

The officials informed theChief Minister that 12,979Digital Libraries are being setup across the State in threephases of which the worksrelated to 4,530 will be com-pleted in the first phase byJanuary 2022.

The Chief Minister

instructed the officials tofocus on arranging comput-ers, printers, scanners, andother infrastructure facili-ties and added that to ensuredesktop computers, systemchairs, plastic chairs, fans,tube lights, iron racks, books,and magazines are arrangedin every digital library.

The Chief Minister saidthat Digital Libraries, includ-ing computer equipment ofphase-1, would be madeavailable by Ugadi 2022 anddirected the officials to pre-pare an action plan to com-plete phase 2 works byDecember 2022 and phase 3works by June 2023.

Actor Puneet Rajkumarsuccumbs to ‘workout’...

From child star to ‘Power Star’there will never be another like himPNS n NEW DELHI

He was matinee iconRajkumar's son, of course, butPuneeth Rajkumar was alsothe "Power Star" who movedout of his father's long shadowsto glitter in the arclights asKannada cinema's most bank-able, highly paid actor. PuneethRajkumar was only 46 when hedied after a massive heartattack following a two-hourworkout in the gym, stunninghis legions of fans, colleaguesand political leaders left won-dering just how a young manso seemingly fit and healthycould have gone so soon, sosuddenly.

The talented, affable actor,who leaves behind his wife andtwo daughters, was popularlyknown as Powerstar for hisstrong performance in a num-ber of commercially-successfulKannada films. He was not justa star of films such as Appu butalso a celebrity television hostand the occasional singer too.The actor grew up under thetutelage of the late DrRajkumar, the legendaryKannada personality icon,beginning his career as a childartist.

Puneeth, the fifth and theyoungest child of the superstar,made his mark early in lifewith an extraordinary perfor-mance in Bhakta Prahaladawhere he worked with hisfather. He was also praised forhis performance in VasanthaGeeta and Bhagyavantha.

But it was Bettada Hoovu,where he played the role of ayoung boy Ramu who assists aresearcher to find a rare flower,that won Puneeth a nationalaward as the best child actor.A fitness enthusiast, Puneethwas a good badminton playerand was a regular at the gym.

On Friday also, he went tothe gym, according to doctors.After completing two hours ofwork-out, he developed severe

chest pain. He was rushed tothe hospital following the car-diac arrest but he could not besaved. As a leading man,Puneeth made his entry intoKannada film industry withthe 2002 feature Appu, themovie that brought him enor-mous success and fan follow-

ing, so much so that his follow-ers started calling him Appu.

His notable films includedAbhi, Veera Kannadiga,Mourya, Chakravyuha,Doddmane Hudga, Akash,Arasu, Milana, Jackie,Raajakumara and AnjaniPutra.

‘Great loss for Karnataka’Tributes pour in

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and several otherpoliticians paid tributes to the popular actor. Bommai said that

he was deeply saddened and that the death of Rajkumar was ahuge personal loss. "Shocked and deeply saddened as Karnataka'smost loved superstar #PuneetRajkumar is no longer with us. Ahuge personal loss and one that's difficult to come to terms with.Praying the Almighty gives the Rajkumar family and fans thestrength to bear this loss," he posted on Twitter. Former Karnatakachief minister Siddaramaiah said that Rajkumar had won the heartsof Kannadigas through his acting skills and that it was a great lossfor Karnataka. Son of matinee idol Rajkumar, Puneeth was fondlycalled ''Appu'' by his fans. He started his career as a child artistewith his father in the early 1980s. ‘Raam’, “Hudugaru’ and ‘AnjaniPutra’ are some of his memorable movies. He was last seen in“Yuvarathnaa’, which was released early this year.

To Be CrematedWith State HonoursK

annada actor PuneethRajkumar, who died at the

age of 46 at Bengaluru'sVikram Hospital on Friday,will be cremated with statehonours on Saturday,Manjunatha Prasad, thePrincipal Secretary toKarnataka Chief Ministerannounced on Friday, reportsnews agency ANI. Hiscremation will take place atthe Kanteerava Stadium inBengaluru. Puneeth Rajkumarhad been working out in agym when he suffered a heartattack; he was then taken tothe Vikram Hospital. ANIshared a tweet on Fridayevening about PuneethRajkumar's funeral that read:

Telugu film fraternitycondoles PuneethRajkumar's demiseHYDERABAD: Telugu filmpersonalities includingsuperstar Chiranjeeviexpressed anguish over thedeath of Kannada actorPuneeth Rajkumar followinga massive heart attack onFriday. Expressing shock overthe actor's death, Chiranjeeviin a tweet said, "Shocking,devastating & heartbreaking!#PuneethRajkumar gone toosoon. Rest in Peace! Mydeepest sympathies andtearful condolences to thefamily. A huge loss to theKannada/ Indian filmfraternity as a whole.Strength to all to cope withthis tragic loss!."

Nirmala SitharamanCondolences on the passing away of#PuneethRajkumar. A bright star. He had a longpromising career ahead. My condolences to hisfamily, his innumerable fans and followers.

Chiranjeevi KonidelaShocking, devastating & heartbreaking!#PuneethRajkumar gone too soon. Rest in Peace!My deepest sympathies and tearful condolencesto the family. A huge loss to the Kannada / Indianfilm fraternity as a whole.Strength to all to copewith this tragic loss!

Pawan KalyanWith a heavy heart ‘my dear brother ‘Puneeth’ Ipray to Almighty to take care of you in your finaljourney. My heartfelt condolences to Sri Shiva RajKumar, & Sri Puneeth’s family members.

"Shocked and deeply saddened as Karnataka'smost loved superstar #PuneetRajkumar is nolonger with us. A huge personal loss and onethat's difficult to come to terms with. Praying theAlmighty gives the Rajkumar family and fans thestrength to bear this loss!

MammoottyShocking and Heart breaking to know thatPuneeth is no more. It is a huge loss for the filmfraternity. My deepest condolences to Puneeth'sfamily and loved ones. RIP #PuneethRajkumar

Virender SehwagSaddened to hear about the passing away of#PuneethRajkumar . Warm and humble, his

passing away is a great blow to Indian cinema.May his soul attain sadgati. Om Shanti.

Radikaa Sarath KumarSometimes we don’t value the moment, till its gone#Appu #Puneethrajkumar #kannadafilmindustrycannot comprehend this at all.

Jagapathi BabuShocked and deeply saddened by the passingaway of one of the most loved actors in the IndianCinema, #PuneethRajkumar. Condolences to hisfamily, friends and countless fans.#RIPPuneethRajkumar

HansikaI just can’t process this!! Such a passionate,warm and humble human being !! this is sotragic . Deepest condolence to his family .may hissoul rest in peace #PuneethRajkumar

Dulquer SalmaanOne of the kindest and warmest Actors/gentlemen.Praying to the Almighty to give Puneeth Sirsfamily, friends and his ocean of fans the strengthto cope with this irreplaceable loss. #RIP#PuneethRajKumar #Gentleman #actor #loss#cannotunderstand #soyoung

Devi Sri PrasadHeartbroken He was such a Simple Down to earthMan frm a great Family! Always used 2 tell me abthow much he loved my Music His Mother &Family was so sweet n affectionate. Why suchthings happen to such good people!? Strength 2his Family R.I.P sir #PuneethRajkumar

Heart attacks too frequent...Continued from Page 1

After that, Sivaraj Kumarstopped exercising heavily.Sivaraj Kumar was 54 when hesuffered the heart attack. Hewas rushed to Vittal Mallyahospital and was providedtimely treatment and he sur-vived. On Friday, Puneethsuffered a severe heart attack

while working out heavily inthe gym. He was trying tomould his body to present thecharacter of a bodybuilder ina movie in which he wasgoing to act.

Puneeth’s gym videos thatwent viral indicate that he wasan exercise freak who spent alot of time working out heav-ily at the gym.

Continued from Page 1

He said Puneeth's last riteswill be performed with fullstate honours and the fam-ily will decide when it willhappen.

Later, a governmentorder said his last riteswill be performed at theKanteerava Studio wherehis parents' Dr Rajkumarand Parvathamma werecremated.

According to govern-ment sources, the last ritewi l l be per formed onSunday, as the familyawaits the arr iva l ofPuneeth's daughter, who isstaying abroad.

According to the hospi-tal, the actor was broughtto the hospital with a fam-ily doctor diagnosing thathe had had a heart attack."At the time of arrival tothe emergency, the patientwas nonresponsive and wasin cardiac asystole. Hence,immediate advanced car-diac life support measureswere initiated for resusci-tation... "The panel of med-ical experts extended allefforts to save him. Hewas declared dead at 2.30pm on 29.10.2021," readthe s tatement by DrRanganath Nayak, a cardi-ologist at Vikram Hospital.

Condolences at the deathof the actor, who began hiscareer as a child artistappearing in movies suchas "Thayige Thakka Maga"and "Bhag yavantha" ,poured in from politicalleaders, including PrimeMinister Narendra Modi,colleagues in the southernfilm industry as well asthose in Bollywood -- theirmessages echoing hislegions of fans grievingthe hero who had gone

too soon.Sharing a picture with

the actor and his family,the Prime Minister said, "Acruel twist of fate hassnatched away from us aprolific and talented actor,Puneeth Rajkumar. Thiswas no age to go. The com-ing generat ions wi l lremember him fondly forhis works and wonderfulpersonality. Condolencesto his family and admirers.Om Shanti."

Karnataka ChiefMinister BasavarajBommai was among thefirst to condole the death.

“A huge personal lossand one that's difficult tocome to terms with .Praying the almighty givesthe Rajkumar family andfans the strength to bearthis loss” he tweeted.

Bommai said the actorwas supposed to meet himon Friday to plan KannadaRajyotsava on November 1.

"But the destiny hadsomething else in store.Instead of meeting me, hewent somewhere else. Thisis extremely shocking," theCM told reporters.

After a stint as a childactor, Puneeth made hisdebut as a leading man inthe 2002 movie "Appu" andfollowed it up with a stringof successful movies ,including "Abhi" ,"Maur ya" , "Ajay" and"Arasu".

Puneeth was also a pop-ular celebrity host on tele-vision. He hosted the firsttwo seasons of "KannadadaKotyadhipat i " , theKannada vers ion ofAmitabh Bachchan's "KaunBanega Crorepati". He alsoemceed Colors Kannada'srea l ity show "Fami lyPower"

A cardiologist’s...Continued from Page 1

“Especially celebrities workunder extremely demandingcircumstances, and they mustensure their body is restedproperly to ensure it recuper-ates well,” the doctor said.

He said that recovery is asimportant as exertion. “Unlessthis balance is maintained,body tissues break down fasterthan expected causing moreharm than good. Those doingheavy physical workout mustundergo regular checkups forhormonal changes, becauseeven that could have a negativeimpact and lead to problemslike heart attack or a brainstroke,” Dr Sudhakar said.

He said that skipping mealsis the new fad for thosefocussing on losing weight ordoing workout to stay in prop-er shape. But, when you skipmeals, the body doesn't getenergy from food and it looksfor new sources of energy. Asa result, your metabolism startsconverting fat into energywhich can lead to health issueslike fatigue, kidney stress, lowblood pressure, fatigue, consti-pation and nausea.

No space fornew party inAP, avers...Continued from Page 1

Responding to TelanganaPCC chie f and MP ARevanth Reddy's tweet onNani ' s remarks onThursday on merging boththe Telugu states, the APminister said there is ap ol i t ica l vacuum inTelangana and hence newparties are coming upthere.

He gave the examples ofthe party launched byChief Minis ter YSJaganmohan Reddy's sisterYS Sharmila and a formerIPS officer joining BSP. Healso said there is anotherparty which is coming up.

He also found fault withKCR saying the TelanganaChief Minister had taken aU-turn on usage of waterfrom Dindi and Palamuru.He said in the guise ofusing water for drinkingpurposes, the Telanganagovernment has b eendiverting the water fromthat project for irrigation.

5 regional parties account for81.1% of donations in country

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh GovernorBiswa Bhusan Harichandanhas said that the NationalEducation Policy 2020 (NEP2020) is one of the importantpolicies brought out by theGovernment of India with afar-sighted vision to nurtureand orient the younger gener-ation of the country, in the pathof development.

He participated as chiefguest at the Symposium on‘Vision of NEP-2020 onresearch and extra-curricularparameters for holistic educa-tion’ organised by the NationalInstitute of Technology (NIT)Tadepallegudem, in virtualmode from Raj Bhavan onFriday.

Speaking on the occasion,Governor Harichandan saidthat the NEP-2020 is an inclu-sive framework focusing onrevamping the education sys-tem in the country with anobjective to achieve 100 percent Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER), in school education by2030.

The NEP 2020 emphasises

on the holistic and multi-dis-ciplinary education and devel-opment of future generationsas the country is movingtowards a knowledge economy

and society as more and moreyoung Indians aspire for high-er education, said theGovernor.

He further added that

despite the critical importanceof research, the research andinnovation investment inIndia, at the current time, isonly 0.69pc of GDP as com-pared to 2.8pc in the UnitedStates of America, 4.3pc inIsrael and 4.2pc in SouthKorea.

Governor Harichandanappreciated the steps taken bythe NIT Andhra Pradesh toorient its Ph.D. research schol-ars in this direction, since thepast one year.

Prof. C S P Rao, Director ofNIT, Tadepallegudem, said thesymposium on ‘Vision of NEP-2020 on research and extra-curricular parameters for holis-tic education’ held on Fridaywas one of the two symposiaorganised by the Institute aspart of the Conclave, under theumbrella of NationalEducation Policy (NEP) 2020.Directors of other NITs,Faculty, Staff and students ofNIT Tadepallegudem, also par-ticipated in the Symposium.

RP Sisodia, Special ChiefSecretary to Governor, alsoattended the programme fromRaj Bhavan.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP national president and for-mer Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu reiteratedthat the Jaganmohan Reddy-ledYSR Congress Party had noright to rule Andhra Pradeshfor perpetrating an 'unjust, cor-rupt and oppressive rule on thepeople.

Naidu appealed to all sec-tions of people and all like-minded parties and intellectu-als to come together in thestruggle against the ongoingatrocities. Jaganmohan Reddy'sleadership should be rejectedfor his party terrorism, arbitrarytaxes and manifold hikes in therates of sand, liquor, current,cement and petrol.

The TDP chief addressed apublic meeting in the KuppamAssembly constituency head-quarters town. He told thepeople that there was no gov-ernment in the recent knownhistory in the country thatimposed a tax on garbage.

The property tax would go up10 times if it would be increasedas per the government's plans.Farmers, students, construc-tion workers, women, youth

and all sections of society weresuffering greatly in the past twoand half years.

Naidu accused the police ofnot giving enough protection tohis public meeting. A YSRCPactivist was caught as he camewith stones and sticks to disruptthe meeting. Immediately thepolice appeared on the scene torescue the anti-social elementbelonging to the ruling party.The police were acting so arbi-trarily that they were connivingwith the ruling party at everystep. This became evident in theattack on the TDP nationaloffice. Just two to three police-men kept guard at his meeting.

The TDP chief told thepeople that he went to Delhiand asked the President ofIndia to act against the govern-ment-sponsored terrorism inAP. The TDP would not beafraid of false cases and illegalarrests. The intention of theYSRCP and the police was tointimidate all the TDP cadresso that the party would closedown in the State. But thatwould not happen as the TDPhad a long history of 40 yearsand it ruled the state for over22 years, he said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy has congratulated fivestudents of the State who haveachieved top ranks in All IndiaTrade Test (AITT) 2020Craftmen Training Scheme(CTS) National LevelExamination and announced Rs.5 lakh cash incentive and a job inline with their education inAPIIC.

D Manikanta achieved allIndia second rank in MechanicDiesel Trade, Mondi Satish, fifthrank in Electrician, N Kumari, allIndia sixth rank in Electronicsand Mechanical, M Bala PawanRaju, eighth rank inDraughtsman Civil and M.Roshan, ninth rank in MechanicR & AC. The Chief Minister haspresented mementos and hand-ed over certificates and tabs tothem. The Chief Minister also

congratulated Deputy TrainingOfficer Y Rajitha Priya for win-ning the Kaushalacharya Award2021 and announced a Rs 5 lakhcash incentive.

Industries, Commerce and ITMinister Mekapati GautamReddy, IT Electronics and

Communications PrincipalSecretary G Jayalakshmi,Employment and TrainingDirector Lavanya Veni, RegionalDirector A Venkateswara Rao,Joint Director GBalasubramanian and other offi-cials were present.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

In order to address theissues pertaining to mar-itime search and rescue (M-SAR) operations, the IndianCoast Guard organised aworkshop on Friday.Various stakeholders of theState and Central govern-ment participated in theworkshop. Presentation ofM-SAR, survival measuresof fishers at sea, and activ-ities of the Centre forStudies for the Bay of Bengalwere delivered in the work-shop.

Winching at sea by heli-copter and demonstration oflife-saving and communica-tion equipment was alsoorganised during the day-long workshop.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Former Union governmentSecretary EAS Sarma hasstrongly objected to theexemption of the mineexpansion project from themandatory requirement ofpublic hearing as a pre-con-dition for granting statutoryenvironment clearances.

Sarma wrote a letter to theUnion Minister forEnvironment, Forests andClimate Change BhupenderYadav, saying that the deci-sion is highly imprudent, asit violates the spirit of theEnvironment Protection Actof 1986. The notificationsissued under the Act, whichprovide for participatorydecision-making as a neces-sary component of the envi-ronment impact appraisalprocedure, Sarma stressed.

The decision seems tohave been motivated moreby the government's undueeagerness to promote theinterests of the mining com-panies, than for either safe-guarding the environment orfor protecting the interests ofthe local communities,Sarma commented.

The decision of the min-istry applies to the expan-sion of Iron, Manganese,Bauxite and Limestone min-ing projects, many of whichare located in areas inhabit-ed by the Adivasis and noti-f ied under the FifthSchedule to theConstitution, where thePESA and the Forest RightsAct are applicable. Boththese Central laws accordutmost primacy to the localAdivasi Gram Sabhas indecision-making.

NEP-2020 aims at revampingeducation system: Governor

72nd ‘TB Seal’ sale drive inauguratedVIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa BhusanHarichandan, inaugurated the 72

ndTB Seal sale campaign at a pro-

gramme held in Durbar Hall at Raj Bhavan on Friday. Speaking on theoccasion, Governor Harichandan said TB is preventable and the TBSeal sale campaign helps the authorities to raise funds for promotingvoluntary anti-TB work and provides an opportunity to every citizento contribute to the fight against this anti-human disease.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP politburo member VarlaRamaiah on Friday urgedChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy todemand the Central Bureauof Investigation (CBI) for adetailed re-investigation intothe YS Vivekananda Reddymurder case so as to nab thereal culprits.

Ramaiah told the ChiefMinister that the CBI com-pleted its investigation in acavalier manner without giv-ing details of the arrested per-sons and the mastermindsbehind them.

The people were sayingthat the CBI should not diluteits image by filing a non-seri-ous charge sheet by some lit-tle-known persons withoutfully cracking the murdermystery.

In a letter to Chief MinisterJaganmohan Reddy here, theTDP leader said that the CBIteam had been trying to washits hands of the case. The pre-sent CBI Director has beenknown for his integrity andcommitment.

Workshop on M-SAR held in Vizag

CM pats AITT toppers from AP

EPDCL CMDopens RT-DAS

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Refuting the news report pub-lished by a vernacular media,Minister for AgricultureKurasala Kannababu has clari-fied that the farmer’s suicidesregistered by the governmentand those stated by NCRB arecontradictory.

At a press conference here onFriday, Minister Kannababuslammed a section of media forfalsely interpreting the NCRBdata on farmers’ suicides.Although the NCRB clearlymentioned that the cause of thesuicides was not listed and gen-eralised it as farmers suicides, asection of media has been delib-erately trying to irk the govern-ment, stating that the numberof farmers suicides have beenincreased, said MinisterKannababu.

In the recent NCRB report, itwas given that 889 farmershave committed suicide during2020, but the three-man com-mittee had confirmed it as only225.The Minister stated that thecontradictions had been hap-

pening for a long while and saidthat the Commissioner ofAgriculture Department hadalready taken the issue to thenotice of DGP, as the policedepartment usuallyprovides the data tothe Centre. He saidthat the currentgovernment haddisbursed com-pensation to the466 families of thefarmers who com-mitted suicides, and wasabandoned by the previousTDP government.

He said that the governmentwas biased to farmer welfare,where in fact the farmers’ dis-tress has been addressed withvarious initiatives since the dayof forming the government,leading to a sharp fall in suicides.

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy had clear-ly instructed to provide imme-diate compensation to the fam-ilies of the farmers that commit-ted suicide and in this regardeach District Collector wasgiven a fund of Rs 1 crore.

Further, Minister Kannababucriticised TDP chief NChandrababu Naidu forterming Andhra Pradesh as

drug capital and defamingthe State. He reminded

that former TDPMinisters AyyannaPatrudu and GantaSrinivas Rao hadstated that ganjacultivation was

prevalent inVi s a k h a p a t n a m

region and took noaction in restricting it.

However, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy formed theState Enforcement Bureau(SEB) in 2019 and took strictmeasures. So far, almost 3 lakhkg of ganja was seized, over5,000 people were arrested and1,500 vehicles were been seizedby SEB.

Responding on the attack onChandrababu Naidu inKuppam, he said that YSRCPleaders have no reason to attackNaidu, as he was already defeat-ed by the people of Kuppam inlocal-body polls.

FARMERS’ SUICIDES

Kannababu slams ‘false’interpretation of NCRB data

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Chairman and ManagingDirector of Andhra PradeshEastern Power DistributionCompany Limited (APEPDCL)

K Santhosha Rao inaugu-rated the RT-DAS (Real-Time Data Acquisition sys-tem) control system onFriday. The new facility wasbrought as a part of ‘AzadikaAmrit Mahotsav’. PowerFinance Corporation Limited(PFC) is the nodal agency forthe scheme.

Speaking on the occasion,the CMD, APEPDCL, saidthat the project, which wassanctioned in December 2018,was completed in September2021 at a cost of Rs 4.80 crore.The RT-DAS has been imple-mented in 116 sub-stations of33/11kV capacity and 437feeders of 11 kV capacity thatwould cater to 36 IPDS townareas, he added.

The required hardware andequipment feeder permittedterminal unit andMultifunction Transducers(MFTs) were installed for allthe 11 kV Feeders.

Exemption ofmine expansionfrom publichearing opposed

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The government has sanc-tioned three khadi clusters --two in Ponduru and one at

Tolapi village in Srikakulamdistrict. Rs. 2 crore is neededto establish each cluster.

The Central governmentwill contribute 90 percent of

the fund and the beneficiarieshave to spend the remaining 10percent. As part of the project,the government would providetraining to the workers in

weaving, designing and man-agement. During the trainingprogramme, the participantswill get Rs.300 per day asstipend.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

After decades of negligence, thedistrict administration hasfinally initiated steps to estab-lish road connectivity to all thevillages in the 11 RevenueTribal Agency mandals. Anaction plan has been drafted toprovide road connectivity toensure hassle-free travel for alltribal families in the Agencyarea. Even after 75 years ofIndependence, the majority ofthe tribal areas have no properroad facilities and the matterbecomes worse during emer-gency situations. Even the offi-cials and medical teams are hav-ing trouble reaching tribal areas,particularly in the remote areas.

During his pre-election

marathon padayatra, ChiefMinister Y.S. Jagan MohanReddy had assured the tribes-people that road connectivitywould be established coveringall the Agency villages. The gov-ernment is gearing up to fulfilthe promise.

A survey was conducted byTahsildars, MPDOs and divi-sional-level officials to identifyhabitations and villages.According to the data, the vil-lages need not only road con-nectivity, but power supply,post offices, bank branches,and hospital facilities also.

There are 11 revenue man-dals and 3,574 habitations in theAgency with a total populationof 6.50 lakh. The survey hasstressed on building roads to

1,839 habitations. According tothe latest survey, the officialshave proposed to lay 4,421 kmof roads. The district adminis-tration has set the goal to com-plete the road works by the endof 2025.

The survey has also stressedthe need for setting up otherfacilities including drinkingwater and power supply to allthe houses. Primarily, metalroads would be laid to all theidentified habitations underthe MGNREGS. There is nointernet connectivity in 110 vil-lage secretariats. The adminis-tration has proposed to providenet connectivity to the secre-tariats through fibre net con-nection from the nearest man-dal headquarters.

Steps to ensure road connectivity to all tribal pockets, finally

Three Khadi clusters sanctioned

Sidda thanksCM for Cabinetnod over AryaVysya bodiesPNS n ONGOLE

Former minister and YSRCPleader Sidda Raghava Raothanked Chief Minister Y SJagan Mohan Reddy forCabinet approval handingover the administration ofArya Vysya seva organisa-tions to the Arya Vysya com-munity people.

The Chief Minister hadtaken a historical decision tohand over the administrationof Arya Vysya seva organisa-tions to the people belongingto the same community. “Weare indebted to the ChiefMinister”, Raghava Rao said.

He said that the AryaVysya elders had donatedtheir properties worth croresof rupees to various sevaorganisations including SriVasavi Mata temples.However these propertieswere later incorporated in theendowment department.

The then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, on theadvice of the then minister KRosaiah, passed ordersentrusting the managementof Sri Vasavi Mata temples tothe Arya Vysya communitypeople. Since then the VasaviMata temples have received afacelift.

The Cabinet headed byChief Minister Y S JaganMohan Reddy approvedhanding over the manage-ment of Arya Vysya choul-tries, function halls, shop-ping complexes, and otherinstitutions to the peoplebelonging to the Arya Vysyacommunity. “This decisiontaken by Chief MinisterJagan Mohan Reddy is his-torical. The decision hasmade all the Vysya commu-nity people buoyant. Onbehalf of the Arya Vysyacommunity people, I thankChief Minister Y S JaganMohan Reddy”, he said.

Naidu calls YSRCPrule ‘unjust’, ‘corrupt’

TDP for re-lookinto Vivekamurder case

Scores oftouriststhronged thewaterfall at thefamous pilgrimcentreTrimukhaDurgadeviBhairava Konaat Kanigiri inPrakasamdistrict onFriday.

CHILLING OOUT

04VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021

PNS n GUNTUR

Home Minister MekathotiSucharita has reiterated that thegovernment is committed toprotecting the interests of farm-ers and that Rythu BharosaKendras were set up to provideall help to the farmers.

Prathipatu agriculture marketyard directors called on theHome Minister at her campoffice here on Friday. Speakingon the occasion, she said that fer-tilizers and pesticides were beingsupplied to the farmers throughRythu Bharosa Kendras.

The government aimed toextend all necessary help to the

farmers. She gave directives tothe agriculture market yarddirectors in this regard.

The Home Minister askedthe directors to ensure that the

farmers get remuneration fortheir agricultural produce.ZPTCs V Krishna Reddy,MPTCs, MPPs and YSRCPleaders were present.

PNS n GUNTUR

The construction of theMother and Child Care Unitin the Government GeneralHospital here will be complet-ed by one year with the coor-dination of Guntur MedicalCollege Alumni of NorthAmerica (GMCANA),Housing and District In-charge Minister CherukuvadaSriranganadha Raju has said.

Talking to the media hereon Friday along withCollector Vivek Yadav, he saidthat the government andGMCANA jointly had takenup the construction of the

Mother and Child Care uniton the premises of GGH. Asper the MoU, the govern-ment should construct theGround floor and three floorsand the GMCANA shouldconstruct the other threefloors.

The government completedthe ground floor at a cost ofRs 5.5 crore and the bills tothe contractors were alsocleared. The GMCANA hadcome forward to construct therest of the building.

The Collector discussedwith the GMCANA repre-sentatives the construction ofthe MCH works. A new MoU

would be signed in place ofthe old MoU in this regard ina few days, the minister said.

The Minister informed that

about 50 pregnant womencome to the GGH here everyday for delivery of which 18 to20 would be caesarean deliv-

eries. “If the Mother andChild Care Hospital buildingis constructed in the GGH,800 to 1000 beds will be avail-able for deliveries and gynae-cology related treatments. TheGGH in Guntur has becomea major hospital for the regionto provide treatment to vari-ous serious cases. Better treat-ment was provided toCoronavirus related blackfungus cases in the GGH``,the minister lauded. MLAsNamburu Shankar Rao, KilariRosaiah, and GGH hospitals u p e r i n t e n d e n tDr.Prabhavathi were amongthose who attended.

Badvel by-election: Pollingmaterial shifted to boothsPNS n KADAPA

Polling materials were shifted tothe respective booths amidheavy rain in the Badvel con-stituency on Friday morning.

Rajampet Sub-collector andReturning Officer for the by-election Ketan Garg supervisedthe distribution of polling mate-rials. Ketan Garg, joint collec-tors M Gauthami, SaikanthVarma and H M Dhyanchandramonitored the process at theBalayogi Gurukul School.

Talking to the media, KetanGarg said that despite the heavyrain, the polling materials wereshifted to all the polling stationson Friday. He said that all pre-cautions were taken to ensurethat rainwater doesn’t drenchthe materials. The polling staffwere instructed to follow theCovid protocols strictly duringvoting. “All is set to conductpolling for the Badvel Assemblyby-election in a peaceful man-ner,” he said.

Meanwhile, Superintendent

of Police K K N Anburajan saidthat restrictions were imposedin the constituency limits, whichwould be in place from 7 pm onFriday to 9 pm on Saturday. TheSP said that nine check-postswere set up at the borders andmassive checking of vehicles wasbeing carried out across the con-

stituency. He said that the movement of

non-locals was strictly prohib-ited in the constituency till thepolling ended. No private vehi-cle would be allowed to passthrough the constituency.Motorists were asked to takealternative routes.

The SP said that those whowanted to go to Nellore shouldgo via Rajampet and Renigunta.Those who want to go toKrishna and Guntur districtsshould go via Kurnool district.The travel restrictions would bein force till 9 pm on Saturday,he said.

PNS n ONGOLE

Prakasam District SP MalikaGarg has given away prizes tothe winners of an online photocaption contest.

The SP on Friday distributedprizes to Yandamuri Sauri(Chirala), GoraVenkataramana (Donakonda),Krishnadasu (Ongole), AjayKaruna (Markapur), Praizy(Valluru), Venkateswara Rao(Donakonda) and ChandaSivakumar (Donakonda). Thecontest, in which the partici-pants gave captions to the pho-tos posted on the social media(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram),was organised by thePrakasham police as part of the

Police Martyrs'Commemoration Week.

Speaking on the occasion,the SP said the photo captioncontest had received hugeresponse from the people of thedistrict. Many people expressedtheir belief in the PoliceDepartment and gratitude andrespect for their services andsacrifices through the com-ments, she said.

As part of the Police Martyrs'Commemoration Week, sem-inars and lectures were con-ducted in various places acrossthe district to make students ofvarious schools and collegesaware of the duties and servicesof police personnel. KandukurSub-collector Dr. Aparajit

Singh was the chief guest at aseminar organised at PrakasamEngineering College inKandukur.

The SP said that without thepolice, there would be no pro-tection for the people. Theirduties are very difficult, theywould not be able to celebratethe festivals like everyone elseand sacrifice many comfortsand even their lives for publicprotection, she added.

The Prakasam district policealso organised a police bandshow at the Chirala ClockTower Centre. During theevent, the band sang a varietyof patriotic songs, ballads, slo-gans and hymns accompaniedby musical instruments.

Plan to destroy ganja crop in 4,500 acres on AOBPNS n GUNTUR

The Andhra Pradesh govern-ment is drawing up plans todestroy ganja crop in 4,500acres on the Andhra-OdishaBorder (AOB) in coordinationwith the National InvestigationAgency (NIA).

Disclosing this to the mediaat a press conference on Friday,AP Madya Vimochana PracharaCommittee (MVPC) ChairmanV Lakshman Reddy said thatthe government was aiming tostop cultivation as well as smug-gling of ganja in the State.

He said that the AP police,with the cooperation of the NIA,would destroy ganja crops in4,500 acres in the AP-Odishaborder areas. The ganja crop isbeing cultivated on the hillocksand Agency areas at the border.

Lakshman Reddy said thatAndhra Pradesh was at 18thplace among states in ganja con-sumption in 2020. He said thatin 2021, the police seized 272tonnes of ganja across the state,arrested 5,415 ganja smugglersand registered 2,040 cases.

The Special EnforcementBureau (SEB), led by Vinit BrijLal, has laid special emphasis onthe Agency areas in fighting theganja menace. He said that sofar, 8,30,910 litres of liquor hadbeen seized while being broughtfrom the neighbouring states.The police and SEB officials hadalso seized 8,07,644 litres of illic-it liquor and destroyed2,30,48,401litres of fermentedjaggery wash meant to distilillicit liquor.

The police arrested 1,25,202people in connection with ille-gal transportation of liquor andregistered 1,20,822 cases againstthem. Lakshman Reddy saidthat 29,491 vehicles had been

seized for transporting ganjaand illicit liquor.

The MVPC chairman saidthat awareness programmeswould be organised onNovember 1 against the con-sumption of liquor in Kurnool.Cultural programmes, streetdramas, songs and poemswould be staged to create aware-ness among the people againstthe consumption of liquor.

Fifteen de-addiction centreswere set up and free treatmentwas being provided to theaddicts. He appealed to thepeople to give informationregarding illicit liquor and otherintoxicating substances bydialling the toll-free number14500.

MLC Dokka Manikya VaraPrasad called upon tribal peo-ple at the AP-Odisha border todestroy the ganja crop voluntar-ily. MLA Maddali Giridhar saidthat less than 10,000 familieswere involved in brewing illic-it liquor across the state. MayorKaviati Maohar Naidu and SEBSuperintendent ChandrasekharReddy also spoke.

SP gives away prizes to winners of online photo caption contest

Mother & child care unit at GGH in 1 year: Min

Govt committed to protectingfarmers’ interests: Sucharita

PD Act slapped on rowdysheeter of Jubilee HillsHYDERABAD: Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar on Fridayissued a Preventive Detention order against Guvvala Pavan Kumar (29),a notorious rowdy sheeter of Jubilee Hills Police station. According to arelease, Pavan Kumar is a resident of Erragadda and has been habitual-ly committing offenses including voluntarily causing hurt in the limits ofJubilee Hills Police Station along with his associates in an organisedmanner to make easy money and assert his dominance in the area.Jubilee Hills Police arrested Pavan Kumar on September 6, andremanded him to judicial custody. The Preventive Detention order wasexecuted on him on October 21 and he was lodged in Central Prison,Chanchalguda, Hyderabad.

Techie among three arrestedafter raid at brothel in HydHYDERABAD: The KPHB police nabbed three persons following a raidat a brothel in KPHB Colony on Friday. The arrested persons havebeen identified as B Raju, 52, Noor Pasha Khasimbi, 50 and BKrishna Reddy, 35. According to the police, based on a tip-off, a raidwas conducted at a house on road number 4 in KPHB Colony, wherefour persons, including two women, were found. Duringinterrogation, the officials learned that Raju had taken the flat on rentto run a brothel along with Noor Pasha Khasimbi. They also arrestedKrishna Reddy, a software engineer, who confessed to visiting theplace as a customer. The KPHB police arrested them, who wereremanded in judicial custody.

SHORT TAKES

PNS n HYDERABAD

Burglars struck at a residenceof a contractor on Road No.78 in Jubilee Hills late anddecamped with 45 tolas ofgold worth over Rs 20 lakh.

The owner of the house,identified as Rajasekhar, hadgone out of station with hisfamily about a fortnight agoafter locking the house.

After returning from thetrip, Rajasekhar and his fam-ily members found that thelock was broken and thegold ornaments were miss-ing. They lodged a com-plaint with the Jubilee Hillspolice.

45 tulas of goldstolen from homein Jubilee Hills

PNS n HYDERABAD

A person who was arrestedon charges of robbery andwas in the custody of theShankarpally police escapedon Friday. The person isidentified as Mohd ArshadKhan, 22, a resident ofShankarpally and native ofUttar Pradesh.

According to the police,Khan was arrested along withfive others by the Shankarpallypolice for robbing a person ofRs 27,500 and his mobilephone after waylaying his carand attacking him. The gangwas involved in seven casesregistered in Shankarpally,Vikarabad, Bhanoor,Kondapur and Mominpetpolice station limits, said thepolice.

The police said that Khanescaped right before he wasbeing shifted to the CentralPrison in Cherlapally. Khanhad asked the police to lethim use the bathroom andwhile in there, he removedthe window grill andescaped.

Man accused ofrobbery givescops the slip

Rachakonda Police seizeweed worth Rs 18.50 lakhPNS n HYDERABAD

Continuing the drive againstdrugs, the Rachakonda Policeseized 110 kg marijuana alongwith a transport vehicle andmobiles worth Rs 18.50 lakhfrom two inter-state drug ped-dlers on Friday.

In the morning hours ofFriday, acting on specificinformation, the sleuths ofSOT LB Nagar Zone, alongwith Abdullapurmet Police,apprehended two drug ped-dlers, identified as LumbaramSolanki, 24, and Kishna Ram,both from Rajasthan andseized the ganja, along with atransport vehicle and mobilephones and cash from them.

Their associates, Masada

Pedda Balanna, 32, the suppli-er from Visakhapatnam, andRasheed, 31, their receiverfrom Uttar Pradesh, areabsconding.

Solanki migrated toHyderabad about 15 years agoin search of livelihood andKishna about 9 years ago.They had worked in the city asdaily wage labourers in differ-ent shops in Shabad area bystaying in rented rooms.

About 5 years ago, Solankipurchased a mini transportvehicle, in which he transport-ed gutka from Karnataka toHyderabad and later sold hisvehicle to a known person,Mangilal of Rajasthan, whoused to work in a privatecompany at Kukatpally area,Hyderabad.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Cyberabad police officials onThursday registered five casesunder the NDPS act andapprehended six offenders.Officials said that two kgmarijuana was seized fromthe accused, 29 E-petty caseswere registered against con-sumers of gutkha and personsfound smoking in publicplaces. In a similar arrest,

Dundigal police apprehend-ed two persons who werefound in possession of hashoil on Friday. The accusedpersons – Kota Jaya Satya Sai,22 and Mohammed RayeesAli, 21 – are residents ofDundigal. The Police arrest-ed the duo based on a tip offand seized 110 ml of hash oilfrom their possession. Theduo was produced before acourt for custody.

‘KCR dreaming ofbecoming CM ofundivided AP’K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

TPCC president A RevanthReddy on Friday said thatChief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao might bedreaming of becoming theChief Minister of undividedAndhra Pradesh as hisAndhra Pradesh counterpartYS Jaganmohan Reddy will besent to jail by the CBI court.

To validate his allegation,Revanth Reddy said that thesilence of the TRS leaders onthe comments of AndhraPradesh Minister PerniVe n k a t r a m a i a h(Nani) spoke vol-umes. “Silencemeans the TRSis acceptingPerni Nani’sstatements,”he said.

The TPCCchief, who alsorepresents theMalkajgiri seat inthe Lok Sabha, saidthat YSRTP chief YSSharmila’s padayatra and PerniNani’s comments on reunitingthe two Telugu States are notunexpected developments.

“A conspiracy is beinghatched to unite the twoTelugu States by ramping upthe dispute over sharing ofwaters,” he said.

Revanth Reddy said that hedoesn't know where KCRwould contest from –

Bhimavaram or Bobbili – inthe next elections since bothKCR and Jagan are behavinglike ‘twins’.

Asking the people ofTelangana to ‘smash’ the con-spirators, he warned that suchconspiracies would never findacceptance.

The TPCC chief said theNational Green Tribunal(NGT) had stayed the con-struction of the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project onFriday stating that it has noenvironmental clearance. Hesaid that south Telangana will

face severe loss due tothe NGT stay.

He said thethen Congress

governmenthad issuedGO No. 72for the sur-vey of thePa l amu r u -

Ranga Reddyproject in

August 2013.“However, KCR

changed the project'sdesign and location fromJurala to Srisailam as he wasmore interested in commis-sions,” Revanth Reddy alleged.

“The Palamuru-RangaReddy project has not beencompleted even after six yearsalthough KCR had laid itsfoundation in June 2015 say-ing that it would be complet-ed within three years,” theTPCC chief reminded.

PNS n HYDERABAD

After witnessing a high-deci-bel campaign by the opposi-tion BJP and ruling TRS thatlasted about five months,Huzurabad voters will exer-cise their right to choosetheir next representative inthe State Assembly in the by-election to be held onSaturday.

Amidst unprecedentedbandobust arrangements anddeployment of Central as wellas State forces, Chief ElectoralOfficer Shashank Goel saidon Friday that all arrange-ments are in place for the by-election necessitated due tothe resignation of sitting MLAand former minister EatalaRajender after he fell outwith the TRS. Eatala laterjoined the BJP and wasnamed the saffron party’scandidate.

The constituency has over2.36 lakh voters who would beable to cast their vote between7 am and 7 pm in 306 pollingstations.

Though there are 30 candi-dates in the fray, it is expect-ed to be a straight contestbetween TRS candidate GelluSrinivas handpicked by ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao and BJP’s Eatala. Hopingto upstage them is Congresscandidate B. Venkat and therest.

In 47 of the 306 polling sta-tions, there are more than1,000 registered voters. Thepolling personnel have start-ed reaching their designatedpolling stations in five man-dals of the constituency fromFriday afternoon. Counting ofvotes will be taken up onNovember 2.

Shashank Goel said that 32micro observers, six engi-neers for inspection of EVMsand 20 companies of Centralforces besides about 2,000State police personnel havebeen deployed to ensuresmooth and fair polling.

Voters have to strictlyobserve Covid norms likewearing a face mask andmaintaining physical distance.

The CEO said theyreceived several complaintsfrom political parties aboutpoll code violations andaction was taken against someof them.The EC seized cashand goods worth Rs 3.5 crore,the CEO said, adding thatstern action would be initiat-ed against those offeringinducements to the voters.

All eyes onHuzurabad

Cyberabad Police register five cases under NDPS Act

PNS n HYDERABAD

The BJP MP from Nizamabad,Dharmapuri Arvind, has react-ed on the paddy issue askingChief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao to make itclear why the governmentwants farmers not to cultivatepaddy even though the CM hadassured that the TRS govern-ment will procure two croretonnes of paddy.

He made it clear that theCentre has stated in the letterthat it will not purchase par-boiled rice but not paddy. Hesaid that the Centre nowheresaid that it will not purchasepaddy, but had only said that itwill not purchase parboiled

rice.Arvind alleged that the state

government was behaving dic-tatorially on paddy cultivation.

Criticising ministers forblaming the Centre by showinga letter regarding paddy pro-curement, Arvind said that heis ready for an open debate onthe Centre’s letter to the State.

He asked the Chief Ministerto explain how much paddy theTRS government had exportedin the last seven years.

He said that the Centre hadasked the state to establishfood processing units as it isgives 80 per cent subsidy for it.The Centre had also asked thestate to set up rice bran oil unitsin the State, he said.

KCR must explain why he wantsfarmers to give up paddy: Arvind

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021

IND

IA C

OR

NE

R HC refuses to quash ED summonsissued to Anil Deshmukh

The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected the plea by filed by former MaharashtraHome Minister Anil Deshmukh, seeking quashing of summons issued to him by theEnforcement Directorate (ED), asking him to appear before it in connection with a

case of alleged money laundering and corruption. The high court said that Deshmukhhad failed to make a case for quashing of such summons. It further said that the formerminister's plea did not merit an order tothe ED and the CBI, restraining themfrom taking any coercive action againsthim. The court, however, said thatDeshmukh, like any other commonlitigant had a right to approach theappropriate court seeking relief if heapprehended his arrest in the case.Thecourt also directed the ED to permitDeshmukh's lawyer to remain presentwithin "visible distance but not audibledistance" at the central agency's officeduring Deshmukh's questioning.

HC directs Aryan Khan to executepersonal bond of Rs one lakh for bail

The Bombay High Court on Friday said Aryan Khan, son of superstar Shah RukhKhan, shall be released on a personal bond of Rs one lakh with one or twosureties of the same amount. A copy of the five-page operative order was signed

by Justice N W Sambre on Friday afternoon. This would help Aryan Khan'sadvocates to secure his release from the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai,where he is lodged, by evening.Aryan Khan's advocates will nowtake the certified copy of the HCorder to the special court that ishearing the cases related to theNarcotic Drugs and PsychotropicSubstances (NDPS) Act, along withthe requisite documents andsureties. After verification, thespecial court will issue the releasepapers which would be handed overto the Arthur Road prison to secureAryan Khan's release.

Priyanka Gandhi offers prayers atPeetambara Peeth in MP's Datia

Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,arrived at Datia in Madhya Pradesh on Friday, where she offered prayers atShri Peetambara Peeth, a party leader said. Shri Peetambara Peeth is a

complex of Hindu temples and a famous 'shakti peeth' in the country. "PriyankaGandhi Vadra arrived here in aspecial plane to offer prayers at thefamous temple," Congress MLAfrom Sevdha constituency in MP,Ghanshyam Singh told PTI.Elaborate security arrangementswere put in place in view of her visitand devotees were barred fromentering the premises. The Congressleader is likely to leave for Lucknowfrom Datia later in the day, the partysources said. Legislative Assemblyelections in Uttar Pradesh will beheld early next year.

We stand vindicated, say farmunions as barricades are removedPNS n NEW DELHI

With the Delhi Police begin-ning to remove barricades attwo farmer protest sites -- Tikriand Ghazipur -- farm unionleaders on Friday said the movevindicates their stand that theynever blocked roads at the cityborder points.

Farmer leaders said any deci-sion to entirely clear both thecarriageways at the protest siteswill be taken by the SamyuktaKisan Morcha (SKM), anumbrella body of over 40farmer unions protestingagainst the Centre's farm laws.

They, however, said way willbe made for traffic to move inthe coming days.

The Delhi Police's decisioncomes days after a SupremeCourt hearing that saw farmerunions arguing that the policewere responsible for the block-ade at the city's borders.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)office-bearers said police andnot farmers had blocked roads,adding that they are being"reopened on the directions ofthe Supreme Court".

In light of the removal of bar-ricades at Ghazipur borderprotest site, BKU leader RakeshTikait said, “The future courseof the ongoing farmers' protestwould be decided by theSamyukta Kisan Morcha,which is leading the movementagainst the three farm laws.”

Senior farmer leader andSKM member Darshan Palsaid false allegations were beinglevelled against farmers thatthey have blocked roads, whichhave been rejected by us sinceday one.

Pal said at Singhu border,farmers have occupied the por-tion of road which is alreadyclosed for traffic due to con-struction of a flyover.

“Now, the exercise ofremoval of barricades by the

police clearly proves our pointthat it was the police that haveblocked roads and not thefarmers. We never created anyproblem. Any bottleneck fromour side will also be cleared fortraffic movement,” Pal told

PTI.Any decision to entirely clear

both carriageways of roads ormarch towards Delhi will betaken by the SKM, he added.

“So far, there is no call to goto Delhi. Any future course ofaction will be decided in ameeting of the Samyukt KisanMorcha,” Pal said.

Thousands of farmers havebeen camping at the three bor-ders points -- Tikri, Singhu andGhazipur -- protesting theCentre's three farm laws sinceNovember 26, 2020.

While the protesting farmershave been claiming that thethree laws enacted last year areagainst their interest, the Centrehas been saying these legisla-tions are pro-farmer.

The Delhi Police onThursday evening startedremoving the barricades andconcertina wires it had put inplace at the anti-farm lawsprotest site at Tikri Border onDelhi-Rohtak highway. Similaraction was initiated atGhazipur on the Delhi-UttarPradesh border on Fridaymorning.

Farmer leader and a repre-sentative of Rastriya KisanMajdoor Sabha, AbhimanyuKohar said the decision toremove barricades has vindicat-ed the farmers' stand and willease traffic movement at theborders.

“For the last 11 months, wehave been saying that farmersnever blocked roads as we aresimply protesting against farmlaws. Today we are provedright. It is good that traffic willnow be able to move at bor-ders,” Kohar said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

After the Delhi Police started removing barricades at the farmers'protest site in Ghazipur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Fridaysaid the three "anti-agriculture" farm laws would also be withdrawnsoon. "Only artificial barricades have been removed so far, soon thethree anti-agriculture laws will also be withdrawn. Hail AnnadataSatyagraha," he said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag'FarmersProtest'. The Delhi Police on Friday started removing thebarricades and concertina wires it had put in place at the anti-farmlaws protest site at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.Multiple layers of iron and cement barricades, and at least five layersof concertina wires were put up last year, and further strengthenedafter the January 26 violence this year during the farmers' protestagainst the three contentious farm laws. Deputy Commissioner ofPolice (east) Priyanka Kashyap said Friday, "The process ofremoving barricades on NH-9 has been started. The temporarybarricading is being removed to ease out vehicular movement.

Three farm laws will also be withdrawn soon: Rahul

PNS n NEW DELHI

India believes that for commonprosperity and security in theIndo-Pacific region there is aneed to evolve through dialoguea common rules-based orderthat respects sovereignty, terri-torial integrity and equality of allnations, External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar has said.

His remarks come amidgrowing global concern overChina's military muscle-flexingin the region.

Addressing the 4th Indo-Pacific Business Forum on

Thursday, Jaishankar said theIndo-Pacific reflects the realityof globalisation, the emergenceof multipolarity and the bene-fits of rebalancing.

"It underlines both our inter-

dependence and interpenetra-tion. As we speak of commongood and common efforts, it isnatural that this is addressedamongst other means, througha business forum," he said.

India sees the Indo-Pacific asa free, open and inclusive regionwhich embraces all in a com-mon pursuit of progress andprosperity, Jaishankar said.

It includes all nations in thisgeography and also draws oth-ers beyond who have a stake init, he said.

"India believes that our com-mon prosperity and security

requires us to evolve throughdialogue a common rules-basedorder for the region. Such anorder must respect sovereigntyand territorial integrity, interna-tional law as well as equality ofall nations," Jaishankar said.

"It envisages that countriesshould have access to the use ofcommon spaces on sea and inthe air that would require free-dom of navigation and over-flights, unimpeded commerceand peaceful settlement of dis-putes in accordance with inter-national law," he said.

Need rules-based order that respectssovereignty, territorial integrity: EAM

BEST driverinjured inaccident dies

Mamata parries question on herbeing in race for PM post in 2024PNS n PANAJI

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on Fridaydeflected questions aboutwhether she will be in the racefor the prime minister's post inthe next general elections.

"If I tell you everything rightnow what I will tell later?" shetold reporters while respond-ing to a question if she is run-ning for the country's top postin 2024.

Speculation is rife that afterher party TrinamoolCongress's resounding victoryin the West Bengal Assemblypolls earlier this year, Banerjeeeyes to take up a larger role innational politics prior to the2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The TMC supremo is on a

three-day visit to Goa fromThursday evening as her partyhas announced its decision tocontest the Goa Assembly elec-tions slated early next year.

When asked whether themotive behind her party TMC

contesting the upcoming Goapolls was part of larger plan ofthe next Lok Sabha elections,Banerjee said, "We will contestthe elections in 2024."

"We are transparent. Wedon't play hide and seek. Weare a transparent party," sheasserted.

When another journalistasked the same question,Banerjee said in a lighter vein,"Why don't you contest theelection for PM's post. You aremedia, you can also contest."

TMC's poll strategist forGoa elections, Prashant Kishor,had recently said the BJP willremain at the centre of Indianpolitics for the next severaldecades and the party will notgo anywhere irrespective ofwhether it wins or loses.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Fridayrefused to entertain a plea chal-lenging the Karnataka govern-ment's decision to restrict entryfrom Kerala at borders ofKasaragod and Mangalore only tothose having a negative RT-PCRreport saying there was no viola-tion of the fundamental rights ofpersons.

A bench of Justices LNageswara Rao and B R Gavaiobserved that COVID has not yetended and the conditions

imposed are not unreasonableand issued in the larger publicinterest.

The apex court said otherwisethere is no restriction on themovement of citizens from Keralato Karnataka.

The bench said the earlierrestrictions have been relaxed byKarnataka by issuing a revised cir-cular dated July 31, 2021, whichhad relaxed the requirement forRT-PCR test taken within 15 daysfrom the date of travel.

This was done in the interestof students, business profession-

als, and others, it said."The rights of movement of

individuals from the State ofKerala to the State of Karnatakais not restricted. There is no vio-lation of any fundamentalrights of persons inKasargod district to trav-el to Mangalore or otherparts of Karnataka.

Circulars issued by the State ofKarnataka cannot be interferedwith by this court in the interestof larger public health. Thereforewe see no reason to interfere," the

bench said. The apex courtgranted liberty to the peti-tioner to make a represen-

tation to the Karnatakagovernment on the

issue.Advocate Haris Beeran,

appearing for a Kerala MLA, sub-mitted that the people inKasargod depend on Mangalorecity for education, medicare, andother needs.

It was also his contention thattheir travel to Mangalore daily hasbeen inhibited by the circularsissued by Karnataka.

Beeran referred to the guide-lines issued by the Centre to thestates and Union Territories (UTs)which asked not to place anyrestrictions on the intra-state

movement of persons and goodsby air, water, or road.

The apex court was hearing anappeal filed by Manjeshwar con-stituency MLA A K M Ashrafchallenging the September 28order of the Kerala High Courtwhich had dismissed two pleaschallenging the Karnataka gov-ernment's decision to restrictentry from Kerala at borders ofKasaragod and Mangalore only tothose having a negative RT-PCRreport, saying the neighbouringstate was well within its powersto issue such directions.

Nationwideexpansion of PCV launched

PNS n CHANDIGARH

AAP national convenor ArvindKejriwal on Friday said if votedto power in Punjab in next year'sAssembly polls, his party will putan end to the "Inspector Raj",create a congenial atmospherefor industries to flourish andmake traders a partner in thestate's growth.

He also promised to clear thepending VAT refunds of tradersand businessmen in three-fourmonths and provide round-the-clock electricity to the indus-tries in the state if the AamAadmi Party (AAP) is voted topower.

Addressing a gathering oftraders and businessmen inBathinda on the concludingday of his two-day Punjab visit,the Delhi chief minister said,"Our goal is to create a prosper-ous Punjab and lead it towardsprogress. We will provide acrime-free and corruption-free

government."On the first day of his visit,

Kejriwal had met farmers inMansa. He had held a meetingwith the industry representativesin Ludhiana last month.

AAP's Punjab affairs in-charge Raghav Chadha, Leaderof Opposition in the PunjabAssembly Harpal Cheema, stateAAP president and MPBhagwant Mann and MLAAman Arora were present at theevent in Bathinda.

Kejriwal said the AAP workswith a clear intent.

"We will give you an honest

government in Punjab like inDelhi. We ended the InspectorRaj and the Raid Raj in Delhi,"he said.

Kejriwal said Punjab ChiefMinister Charanjit SinghChanni has also said he willmake traders a partner in thestate's growth and end the"Inspector Raj". "Why doesn't hedo it now? Because they do nothave the intent, their intentionis bad," he alleged.

"When we did so many thingsduring our 49-day stint in Delhi(AAP's first term in the nation-al capital), why can't Channi?This is why I say to copy theAam Aadmi Party is easy, butthe implementation is difficult,"Kejriwal said.

Responding to the concernsof some traders about thealleged "goonda tax", he saidafter coming to power, theAAP will ensure that traderscan run their businesses with-out any fear.

PNS n NAGPUR

The police on Friday detainedtribal leaders and sent back peo-ple who were staging a sit-inprotest against a mining projectat Surjagarh in Etapalli tehsil ofMaharashtra's Gadchiroli dis-trict.

Since the last five days, localsin the area have been staging adharna against the iron oremining project in Surjagarh,demanding cancellation of thelease granted to a private com-pany. According to the police,the locals were given permis-sion to hold a morcha and nota sit-in agitation.

Local tribals along with ZillaParishad member Sainu Gotaand member of ShetkariKamgar Paksh Ramdas Jaratehad launched an indefinite sit-in protest under the aegis of

'Surjagarh Paramparik IlakaGotul Samiti' on Monday.

Speaking to PTI, Gadchirolisuperintendent of police AnkitGoyal said some leaders at thedharna were detained and peo-ple were requested to leaveand they left.

"They were given permissionfor a morcha and not a dharna.However, they had been stag-ing a dharna for the last four tofive days. The police and districtcollector visited the spot andrequested protestors to with-draw the agitation," the officialsaid.

Maha: Tribal leadersdetained; peopleasked to withdraw

‘Will end Inspector Raj, maketraders partner in Punjab'

29 J&K childrenjoin Army Schoolunder OperationSadbhavana

PNS n PITHORAGARH (UKD)

Twenty nine students fromJammu and Kashmir wereenrolled for Classes VIII andIX at Gen BC Joshi ArmyPublic School here underOperation Sadbhavana onFriday.

As many as 26 boys andthree girls, who hail fromremote regions of Jammuand Kashmir, will pursuetheir studies at the school freeof cost under this initiative,Capt Kuldeep of the IndianArmy said.

The entire cost of theireducation will be met by theIndian Army, he said.

Operation Sadbhavana is agoodwill initiative undertak-en by the Indian Army tohelp the people of Kashmirjoin the mainstream of thesociety.

TIKRI AND GHAZIPUR PROTEST SITES INDO-PACIFIC REGION

REDUCING CHILD MORTALITY

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Health MinisterMansukh Mandaviya onFriday launched the nation-wide expansion of thePneumococcal ConjugateVaccine (PCV), and said itwill help reduce childhoodmortality by around 60 percent.

The Unionminister alsoreleased com-m u n i c a t i o nand awarenesspackages onthe vaccinewhich will beshared with allstates andunion territo-ries.

Speaking onthe occasion,he said it is forthe first time in the countrythat the PCV will be availablefor universal use.

Noting that pneumonia isa leading cause of deathamong children under theage of five globally and inIndia, he said, “Pneumoniacaused by pneumococcus isthe most common cause ofsevere pneumonia in chil-dren. In India, around 16 percent of deaths in childrenoccur due to pneumonia.The nationwide roll out ofPCV will reduce child mor-tality by around 60 per cent”.

Highlighting the impor-tance of healthy children in

any country's growth, pro-ductivity and development,Mandaviya said, “Childrenare the future of our countryand it is our responsibility toprovide them a healthy life.

"Mission Indradhanush,which was launched by theprime minister, is one suchendeavour in this regard.The vision of 'Sabko vac-cine, muft vaccine' by the

prime ministerguiding theCOVID-19 vac-cination pro-gramme hasensured that theeligible popula-tion gets accessto COVID-19vaccines acrossthe country,” hesaid.

The launch ofPCV will furtherensure healthy

growth and development ofour children, apart fromreducing child mortality, hesaid while congratulating allthe immunisation staff,health care workers and theofficials for their efforts in theroll out of this life-saving vac-cine.

While releasing the com-munication package for thevaccine, Mandaviya exhortedthat creating awarenessregarding the vaccine is avital component.

The objective of the vac-cine is to save the lives of ourchildren and this would bepossible if we run a success-

PNS n MUMBAI

A driver for theBrihanmumbai ElectricSupply and Transport (BEST)bus, who was injured in anaccident with a dumpertruck, died here on Friday, acivic official said.

Eight persons wereinjured, five of them serious-ly, on Wednesday when aBEST bus rammed into adumper truck in Khodadadarea of Dadar in centralMumbai.

Bus driver Rajendra Kale(52) died while undergoingtreatment at the civic-runSion Hospital in the morn-ing, while three injured per-sons, including bus conduc-tor, are in a critical condition,the official said.

SC refuses to entertain plea against Ktk govt's moveCURBS ON ENTRY OF CITIZENS FROM KERALA

main contenders were the fac-tion identified with MullahAbdul Ghani Baradar, domi-nant in Kandahar, and the oneheaded by the Haqqani fami-ly active in the Paktia, Paktikaand Khost provinces in easternAfghanistan close the Pakistan,as well as northwesternPakistan.

Media reportage as well asthe train of events are reveal-ing. Tolo News, a 24-hours-seven-days-a-week Afghannews channel, reported onSeptember 3, 2021, thatTaliban co-founder MullahAbdul Ghani Baradar (whoheaded the Islamist militia’spolitical office in Doha) wouldlead the Government-to-be inAfghanistan. It also said thatMullah Mohammad Yaqoob,Taliban co-founder MullahMohammad Omar’s son, andSher Mohammad AbbasStanekzai would hold seniorpositions in the Government.

As it turned out, it was notMullah Abdul Ghani Baradarbut Mullah MohammadHassan Akhund who was tohead the “caretaker”Government announced bythe Taliban on September 7,2021. Mullah Baradar wasnamed his deputy along withMoulavi Abdul Salam Hanafi,a prominent Uzbek member ofthe negotiating team. MullahMohammad Yaqoob got theDefence portfolio. Stanekzai

was marginalised and madeDeputy Foreign Minister, withAmir Khan Muttaqi, a nego-tiator at the Afghan-AmericanDoha peace talks, as ForeignMinister.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, son ofJalaluddin Haqqani, thefounder of the Haqqani net-work, got the key InteriorMinistry while MullahHidayatullah Badri receivedFinance, and Sheikh MoulaviNoorullah Munir and MullahKhairullah Khairkhwa,Education and Informationand Broadcasting respectively.All of them had “acting” pre-fixed to their designations as itwas a caretaker Government.Sheikh Haibatullah Akhaund-zada, it was said, would remainthe supreme leader, the ultimateauthority over the group’s polit-ical, religious and military affairs,that he has held since 2016.

The expansion announcedon October 19, which increasedthe Cabinet’s strength to 50,further reflected a balancing actbetween the Baradar andHaqqani factions, with thepossibility that the appointmentof Mullah MohammadIbrahim as Deputy Minister forInternal Security was a placa-tory gesture to the Baradar fac-tion, to which he belongs, asSirajuddin Haqqani has beenmade Interior Minister.

There have been, ofcourse, more visible signs of

factional conflict. MullahBaradar was reportedly hurton September 3, 2021, whenhis supporters clashed withthose of the Haqqanis inKabul and Khalil-ul-RahmanHaqqani reportedly punchedhim. Baradar disappearedafter the incident, triggeringspeculation that he had diedin the clash, but issued astatement on September 13dispelling the conjecture. Hereturned to Kabul in earlyOctober but the report that hehas refused to accept officialsecurity, and has brought hisown security staff fromKandahar, shows the depth ofmistrust and antipathy thatcontinues between his and theHaqqani factions.

The mistrust and antipa-thy are going to increase as theBaradar faction wants theAfghan Government to beinclusive and adopt a moder-ate stance on issues likehuman rights, particularly inrespect of women, while theHaqqani faction retains ahard-line approach. Mutualaccusations will fly if the econ-omy remains prostrate. Therewill also be violent challengesfrom terrorist outfits like theIslamic State of KhorasanProvince. The Taliban have abumpy road ahead.

(The author is ConsultingEditor, The Pioneer. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

IT’S TOUGH TERRAIN FOR THE CONGRESSSir — The Congress being the primeOpposition party, with the vast experi-ence of ruling the country for over fivedecades, is now naturally entrusted withthe responsibility to voice its due concernand draw the Government’s attention tothe latter’s Achilles heels in dealing withthe problems people face in various sec-tors, besides suggesting some pragmat-ic remedies as well. But for this to hap-pen, the party needs to keep its ownhouse in order in the first place.

The recent CWC meeting presided bythe interim president Sonia Gandhiactually came across as a damage controlexercise in this regard and which con-cluded sans any brouhaha against theexpectations harboured by the party’spolitical rivals as Sonia Gandhi succeed-ed in prevailing upon the sidelined G23leaders to fall in line with the party’s con-stitution by acceding to their longstand-ing demand for conducting the organi-sational elections including that of a full-time party president after the upcomingAssembly elections in the six States areover. Moreover, the interim presidentcalled a meeting of the party general sec-retaries and State-incharges along withUP Congress presidents on October 26,wherein she discussed the ‘Jan JagranAbhiyan’ with a view to strengthening theCongress's base.

Azhar A Khan | Rampur

ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUESir — In the forthcoming Conference ofParties (COP), the assistance that devel-oping countries such as India need formitigating carbon emissions, adapting toa warming world and insisting on a firm,transparent framework that lays outhow this can be met, will be the pointsof discussion. Thus, adopting the standthat a national deadline for net zero car-bon dioxide emissions is uncalled for,given its moral claim to a far greater shareof the remaining global carbon budget.

The budget, which represents the esti-mated volume of future emissions thatwill allow global average temperature riseto be kept within safe limits — well below

2°C or 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement— must be “shared by all countries.”India, it points out, will again rely on itshistorical energy poverty, underdevelop-ment and low per capita emissions toconvince the world that a net zero targetis incongruous with the present reality.

Krishnan Ramani | Calicut

AN EMERGING HUB OF INVESTMENTSSir — Having lived in Uttar Pradesh since1978, I found the recent development inthe State monumental and outstanding.With the Delhi Metro almost touchingGhaziabad in UP, we can see Noida,Vaishali are just at a stone’s distance fromthe Capital. Uttar Pradesh has achievedvarious milestones of development in thelast four-and-a-half years. Making itsmark as a frontrunner in sustainable,equitable and inclusive growth, the StateGovernment not only successfully han-dled the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also converted the dis-

aster into an opportunity by pursuing thegoal with greater force and fast growthmomentum.

The Government’s model of COVIDmanagement has been acknowledged notonly in the country but also globally. UPwas a backward State and it was a crimecenter but with the BJP taking over, thesituation has changed drastically. And,now the State is moving towards a mile-stone of achievements and that changedthe entire State drastically. With vastdevelopment and a harmonious law andorder situation, more and more foreigninvestments are coming into the Statebecause of the amenable condition here.As we would like to see, the current teamis going to continue for a further period.We can witness a backward State becom-ing a booming State.

MR Jayanthi | Coimbatore

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021

06

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Will a bitterly divided Taliban be able to deliver an orderly Government,especially in the wake of the factional feuds intensifying since Aug-Sept?

THE MISTRUST AND ANTIPATHY

ARE GOING TOINCREASE AS THE

BARADAR FACTIONWANTS THE

GOVERNMENT TOBE INCLUSIVE AND ADOPT A

MODERATE STANCEON ISSUES LIKEHUMAN RIGHTS

WHILE THEHAQQANI FACTIONRETAINS A HARD-

LINE APPROACH

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

HIRANMAY KARLEKAR

Puneeth Rajkumar (1975 – 2021) was anIndian actor known for his versatile act-ing in Kannada films. His jubilant face

and kind nature were well known in both hisreel and real life. His sudden death at a veryearly age of 43 years is shocking and heart-breaking. It leaves his family, friends, fansand well-wishers in grief. Rajkumar made anearly debut in the film industry. It would befair to say that he grew up on sets as hemade his debut in films as a six-month-old

infant — a cameo appearance in PremadaKanike (1976). Most of his earlier films hadhis father Rajkumar, play his on-screen fatheras well. He ended his childhood appearanceswith the action film Parashuram.

Fondly known as ‘Power Star’ and‘Appu’, Puneeth's first lead role cameopposite Rakshita in Appu (2002). He actedin about 29 movies and won many awards,including State awards and Filmfare awards,among others. Many people in the Indianfilm industry are passing away at a veryyoung age. This shows that the Indian filmindustry urgently needs to imbibe practicesthat help the artistes manage stress andother issues that become the cause of pre-mature death. A good lifestyle, among otherpositive habits, should be incorporated notonly by the actors but everybody. It is truethat death is inevitable, but that does notmean one should indulge in practices thatmake us leave behind our loved ones wayearlier than we should.

Madhu PV | Secunderabad

Gone too early, Power Star

Bumpy road aheadfor Afghan Govt

Will the Taliban beable to provide sta-bility and peace toAfghanistan? The

deep fault lines within, that arenow apparent, warrant the ques-tion. Time was when the Ameer-ul-Momineen (Commander ofthe Faithful) Mullah MohammadOmar’s word was law for theTaliban. Nevertheless, there werefactions within the Islamist mili-tia, which emerged in 2015 whenit came to be known that MullahOmar had died on April 13, 2013,but the fact was kept a secret andMullah Akhtar Mansour wasrunning the organisation in hisname. Mansour, who becamethe successor in July 2015, waskilled by a US drone strike onMay 21, 2016, following whichSheikh Haibatullah Akhaundzadabecame Ameer-ul-Momineen.

The continuing factional tus-sles intensified sharply duringthe exercise in Government for-mation that followed the Taliban’stakeover of Afghanistan, withcapital Kabul falling to it onAugust 15, 2021. The first indica-tion of this was the fact thatZabiullah Mujahid, Taliban’s chiefspokesman, announced a caretak-er Government with 33 Ministersas late as September 7, 2021. Theneed to reconcile conflictingclaims for shares of ministerialberths clearly made for the delay,which was over three weeks. Theargument that the Taliban werenot ready with a list of minister-ial nominees because they couldnot anticipate their lightning vic-tory, will not wash. Their peacetreaty with the US, signed onFebruary 29, 2021, which came inthe midst of their violently extend-ing their sway over progressivelywider chunks of Afghan territory,was widely regarded as paving theway, wittingly or unwittingly, fortheir not-so-distant accession topower in Afghanistan. This andthe fact that they themselves wereconfident about victory, shouldcertainly have prompted them tohave the blueprint for aGovernment and a list of poten-tial Ministers ready — particular-ly when Pakistan was regularlyproviding them with guidance.

It is now clear that the Talibanhad neither such a list nor a blue-print for governance ready. Hencethe factional struggle in which the

SOUNDBITEAfter April 1, 2022,no farmers or farmlabourers in Punjabwill die by suicidedue to crop failure.This is my promise.

Delhi Chief Minister— Arvind Kejriwal

Today we are seen as a socialmedia company.But in our DNA, we are a company

that builds technology to connect people.

Facebook CEO— Mark Zuckerberg

Instead of savingmoney for yourdaughter's weddingday, save it for hereducation and pre-pare her for herself.

Actor— Samantha

I reiterate that theAryan Khan drugcase is completelybogus. The kidswere deliberatelyframed in this case.

NCP leader — Nawab Malik

Shutting the criticsdown? No, never.That's the world ofsport. When youride the highs,

you've got to ride the lows.

Australia batsman

— David Warner

The Congress party was in the driver’s seat in Punjab’s politics when CharanjitSingh Channi, the party’s Dalit face, was appointed the Chief Minister just lastmonth. Apparently, the picture has changed over the last few weeks and the

grand old party’s Punjab prospects might need a booster shot to get back on course.The two main reasons causing worry to the grand old party are former Punjab ChiefMinister Captain Amarinder Singh and AAP national convener and Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal, and the latter seems ready to harvest all the electoral benefits aris-ing out of the prevailing political atmosphere. While the BJP’s significance in theState is pretty limited — its vote share declined from 8.21 per cent in 2007 to 5.4

per cent in 2017 — the Captain, who has met UnionHome Minister Amit Shah thrice since tendering hisresignation, can render heavy damage to theCongress prospects as he is said to enjoy consid-erable influence over Jat farmers. Punjab’s poli-tics has lately been driven by personal prospects;earlier Navjot Singh Sidhu was acting like an“unguided missile” and now the Captain hasbecome a wounded lion who’d give it all to makethe Congress pay for “humiliating” him. Further,Kejriwal, who’s on a two-day visit to Punjab, hissecond visit to the State this month in the run-up

to the Assembly elections early next year, has already fortified his party’s positionafter it emerged the second-largest party in the 2017 Assembly elections.

Clearly, it’s all against the Congress in Punjab and how its leaders attempt to pro-tect one of the only three party-ruled States is the synopsis of Indian politics. Justlike Ayodhya is the launchpad of Uttar Pradesh’s political spectrum, farmers have becomethe epicentre of Punjab politics and Kejriwal is playing just the right strings. His cur-rent Punjab visit too has freebies, this time only calculated ones. Making a bold promise,he said on Thursday: “After April 1, 2022, the farmers and labourers in Punjab willnot be forced to commit suicide due to crop failure. This is my promise and Kejriwaldoes what he says.” He also promised to make agriculture profitable, of course ifvoted to power. With the Congress in a confused state and the farmers’ agitation head-ing into its first anniversary, the AAP’s electoral prospects in Punjab have increased.But whether it translates into storming the fort remains to be seen.

Apushback is discernible from the judiciary against the inappropriate use of the dra-conian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967. The State banking on UAPA toarrest and charge anyone with terrorism is facing a sustained legal challenge. On

Thursday, the Supreme Court granted bail to a Kerala youth held under UAPA since 2019for Maoist links, saying mere association with or support to a terror organisation, theCPI-ML (Maoist) in this case, is “not sufficient” to prove the offence. The “intention offurthering the activities of a terrorist organisation” is missing, the court pointed out. TheNIA court, which originally gave bail to the accused, did not prima facie find any evi-dence in the charge sheet showing this “intention”. The Kerala High Court, which setaside the bail order, did not record this prima facie finding, the Supreme Court observed.Giving bail in UAPA cases is a cumbersome affair as the court has to satisfy itself that

there are reasonable grounds to believe that the chargeof terrorism against the accused is prima facie nottrue. In this case, both the NIA court and the apexcourt came to that conclusion. It is not often that sucha conclusion comes about. A prima facie analysis teststhe judge’s perspicacity to weigh evidence filed bythe prosecution and defence. That is possible morein civil cases than UAPA cases because the evidencein the former is mostly documentary. Moreover, aSupreme Court judgment in 2019 said that a courtcannot go into the merits of a case or scrutinise theadmissibility of evidence when deciding on bail.

As a result, in most cases, bail is ruled out. In the case of Stan Swamy, who wasold, not in good health, hardly a flight risk and where the court had the power to placeenough restrictions on him, bail was still not granted. One can only hope the courtfound a prima facie case against him. The pushback began in a startling case of judi-cial activism this June when the Delhi High Court gave bail to three student activistson the ground that protests, like inflammatory speeches and roadblocks, were notterrorist acts under UAPA. The court rejected the prosecution case built around WhatsAppmessages and statements of witnesses who later turned “approvers” and said thattough penal laws could not be applied to ordinary protests which should be dealt withunder ordinary criminal laws. The Supreme Court did not intervene in the High Courtbail order while not treating it as a precedent. The court rightly felt the issue had “pan-India ramifications” and it had to “decide” on the “many questions involved” for the“good of the entire country”. The judiciary has so far been restrained in ensuring thatdraconian provisions, arbitrarily used, do not come in the way of granting bail to theaccused. That is changing. It is time to hold the State to higher standards and disal-low it to get away with questionable prosecutions.

Fair play

Farming for votesThe situation has turned against the Congress in Punjab and the AAP looks to take advantage

PICTALK

People shop for Diwali items in a fair at the Blind Relief Association, in New Delhi Ranjan DDimri || TThe PPioneer

The State’s tendency to charge anyone under the UAPA is facing sustained legal challenge

100 crore jabs: Govtsystem can deliver

I WILL NOT FORGIVE ANY OFFICIAL OF THE

DISTRICT, POLICE OR THE PWD WHO IGNORES

WHAT MY PEOPLE SAY.

—UTTAR PRADESH DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER

KESHAV PRASAD MAURYA

A GOVERNMENT OFFICER IS SUPPOSED TO WORK AS

PER RULES AND REGULATIONS, NOT ACCORDING

TO THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE BJP.

—SAMAJWADI PARTY SPOKESPERSON

ABDUL HAFIZ GANDHI

The record must not lull us into a sense of complacency. The warlike effort must continueso that there is no possibility of the pandemic striking back in the form of a third wave

The world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7°C of heating,”said UN Secretary General António Guterres. “There is a highrisk of failure of COP26.” That’s the global climate summit that

meets every five years to plot a course away from climate disas-ter. And it really isn’t looking good. COP26 starts on October30 inGlasgow but much that should already have happened has not hap-pened. The draft texts are only half-done due to the pandemic. NeitherChina’s President Xi Jinping nor President Vladimir Putin of Russiais even showing up. This meeting is the last chance to keep aver-age global temperature below +1.5°C. That target was adopted atthe last summit in Paris in 2015. Reaching that Paris goal, how-ever, would require a 45 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emis-sions by 2030. That’s not unthinkable if we treated this as an exis-tential emergency but the grim fact is that we have never yet man-aged to cut global emissions at all. “We are not going to get to a45 per cent reduction,” admitted a UN official, “but there must besome level of contributions on the table to show the downward trendof emissions.” Why would a conference full of highly educated, wellinformed and mostly well-intentioned people behave like this? They’renot wicked people, and almost all of them do know the truth. Theyjust cannot afford to get too far ahead of the people they lead. A

majority of citizens in almost every country worry about global heat-ing, but dramatic change isn’t possible because it hasn’t reachedtheir ‘pain threshold’ yet. That phrase acquired its political mean-ing during the American war in Vietnam.

The idea was that a gradually escalating US bombing campaignwould make the North Vietnamese government stop trying to reunitethe country by force when the damage to North Vietnam reached its‘threshold of pain’. ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’ lasted three years,but it never did find the Hanoi regime’s pain threshold. Similarly, theaccumulating damage to people and property done by various sortsof wild weather has not yet reached the population’s pain thresholdanywhere except for a few low-lying island countries that are alreadyclose to going underwater. On our current track, we will irrevocablycommit to +1.5°C by 2029 or 2030, but the time lag with CO2 meansthat the immediate effects of even that abject failure might not besevere enough to shock a critical mass of people into action. So,what can usefully be done while we wait for the heating to reach ourcollective pain threshold? The best hope at the moment is the GlobalMethane Pledge, whose supporters promise to cut their methane emis-sions by 30 per cent by 2030.Methane has accounted for at least athird of the warming so far, but it allows for a quick partial fix fortwo reasons. It stays in the atmosphere a far shorter time than CO2- eight years instead of 200 - so emission cuts show quick results.And one source of methane in particular is cheap, low-hanging fruit:the fossil-fuel industry. Just stop flaring unwanted gas and fix all theleaks in almost 3 million km. of gas pipelines, and the 30 per centcut is a done deal. Not only that, it will practically pay for itself, sinceyou can burn the saved methane. It will produce carbon dioxide, ofcourse, but that’s a 200-year problem and we need results now. Almostforty countries have already made the methane pledge. We could evendelay +1.5°C down into the 2030s, and something else might turnup by then. Grasping at straws, perhaps, but what’s the better option?

(Gwynne Dyer’s new book is ‘The Shortest History of War’.The views expressed are personal.)

The biggest beneficiary inthe festive season,Dussehra to Diwali par-

ticularly in north India, is themarketer. A significant numberof them especially the sweetsand garment dealers earn asmuch in a few days as in theentire year. The colourfullydecorated, well-lit markets andmakeshift shops attract buyerswith special offers, discountsand incentives stimulating thecustomers’ shopping urge. Thechoicest items in the shoppinglist are apparels, upholstery,linens, kitchenware. Manybook a new vehicle or home. Areflexively parsimonious per-son also buys something tan-gible on these ‘auspicious’ days.The buoyant spending goes ontill the New Year, and beyond.

The tendency of indis-criminate buying leads to accu-

mulation of unwanted goods,machinery and equipment inan already diminishing resi-dential, commercial, govern-ment and industrial spaces.“Thrift was never more neces-sary in the world’s history thanit is today,” said the noted USbanker Francis H. Sisson. Ourage and times warrant exercis-ing utmost thrift in any addi-tional purchases for multiplereasons.

Thrift or frugality is not aderogatory term;being frugaldoesn't mean going by the low-est price or compromising onquality; it doesn't mean depriv-ing oneself of pleasures of lifeeither. Thrift is the habit ofprocuring goods and servicesonly when necessary, and in arestrained manner, avoidingwastage and extravagance.Frugality empowers one to

devote resources to a cause thatis worthwhile and meaningful.By observing frugality, youbring your money under yourcontrol.

Kitchen items like mixer-grinder, coffee maker, doughkneaders; medical equipmentlike blood pressure or sugarlevel devices, etc. often pro-cured on an impulse remainidle for years and are eventu-ally discarded or handed overfor repair, never to be dulybrought back.

Purchases are at timesmade as status symbol irrespec-tive of utility. There are exam-ples of government officesprocuring scientific equipmentat enormous cost that werehardly or never used, for anyreason, thus entailing colossalwastage apart from blockingprecious space. A 2016 CAGreport on National HealthMission deplored that life-sav-ing equipment like blood stor-age units, ultrasound and X-raymachines worth crores ofrupees remained unutilisedsince skilled manpower to runthe advanced machines wasnot in place. In fact, the dispos-al of the unwanted materialsitself turns out to be a formi-dable problem. Apart fromoccupying precious spaces,such junk creates negative,counter-productive vibes. The

message is loud and clear:before you buy something,consider whether you actual-ly need it.

In an era when many old-sters hardly have childrenaround, they can bank ontheir savings to meet theirnecessary needs of productsand services. Here is a take foryoungsters: espouse frugalityfrom early years. Concretesavings provide not only acushion to meet unforeseenfinancial needs but also feelingof security, a dire need of theaged. To promote a savinghabit in a planned way as inbanks (rather than under themattresses) among people atlarge, World Savings BankInstitute (WSBI) has beensponsoring World Savings (orThrift) Day annually onOctober 31 since 1925 (in

India it is celebrated onOctober 30). Through formalsavings not only the younggenerations find themselvesin a ‘socially and economical-ly safe environment’ but suchfunds do contribute to devel-opment agenda of the nations.

On the flip side, emphasison savings can create imbal-ances. Mark the massive foodgrains being dropped into theocean or elsewhere because theprocurement was far in excessof storage facilities, or cookedfood items stored in refrigera-tors being thrown out as theycould not be consumed intime. Apropos also of manygrandparents who grew up inpoverty and whose savingsaccounts usually remainedunknown to their kith and kineven posthumously and ulti-mately their hard-earned

deposits were appropriated bybankers in absence ofclaimants.

On the other extreme isthe younger generationunmindful of BenjaminFranklin’s precept, “beware oflittle expenses; a small leak willsink a great ship”. They prefera lifestyle of spending to theextent their wallets or creditcards permit, an addiction ofsorts. After making every onea debtor in developed coun-tries, the plastic money king-pins now have eyes set on highsalaried Indian youth. Forevery 100 persons at a work-place in metro cities there are150 credit cards - not a goodsign. It is time for us to takestock of how much do we actu-ally need in our life time vis-à-vis our resources, and howmuch to store for the future.

Thrift is the habit of procuring goods and services only when necessary and in a restrained manner, avoiding wastage and extravagance

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021

07

www.dailypioneer.com facebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

FIRSTCOLUMNWHY THE COP26 ISN’T

LIKELY TO DELIVER

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

How much to spend, and how much we must save

HARISH BARTHWAL

The writer is a blogger andwrites on social and healthissues. The views expressed

are personal.)

GWYNNE DYER

ALOK RANJAN

Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin arenot even showing up for the conference

October 21, 2021 was a momen-tous day when India achievedthe remarkable figure of 100crore (onebillion) vaccinations.

Next to China this is the highest in theworld and it has been made possible byuntiring coordinated efforts over the last10 months. The whole exercise of vacci-nation has been done in a campaignmode. The credit for this must, undoubt-edly, go to the political will from the topat the Center and the States and the effortput in by the entire Government systemwith its civil service and health careadministration providing the leadershipand the healthcare workers taking care ofthe last mile delivery.

We got off to a slow start in Januaryand there was also the debatable issue ofvaccine--maitri whereby around six croredoses were exported to other countries.However, the drastic second wave ofCoronavirus sent the entire country intoa state of shock bringing forth the real-ization that the only way out was to vac-cinate the eligible population with bothdoses at the earliest possible to preventfurther disaster through the third wave.

Accordingly, the Prime Minister gavea clarion call for vaccinating the entireadult population by December 31.Initially, the progress was slow and therewas a lot of cynicism about India’s abili-ty to achieve this ambitious goal. Therewas the policy issue of vaccine being pro-cured by the States which led to a lot ofproblems and the policy was revised tohave the procurement done byGovernment of India. This was indeed avery positive policy amendment withoutwhich this 100-crore figure would neverhave been realized.

There were a lot of people whodoubted the capacity of the governmentsystem to deliver. Concerns were raisedabout the availability of vaccines, thetransportation of vaccines to the remotestareas, the existence of a cold chain, theavailability of trained vaccinators, theactual conduct of the vaccination, therecord keeping, the wastage of vaccinesand many other similar issues. No doubt,delivering vaccine to every part of thecountry was by no means an easy task andrequired high level coordination, teamspirit, motivation, inspiration, decisionmaking, communication and leadershipat all levels.

The vaccine manufacturers had to begiven the demand well in time so that theycould augment their facilities and sched-ule their production accordingly. Theyhad to be given necessary financial assis-tance from the Government and a mech-anism developed where payment forvaccine bought could be made on time sothat there is no disruption in the flow.Thereafter the existing cold chain andother infrastructure used for the massivechild immunization programmeshad tobe made ready to receive and handle theCovid vaccines.

Vaccination centers had to be setup

SUCH A VAST AND COMPLEXGOVERNANCE

EXERCISEINVOLVING

COORDINATION ATVARIOUS LEVELSIS A HUGE TASK

AND DUE CREDITMUST BE GIVENTO THE ENTIRETEAM TO HAVE

ACHIEVED IT. THEPRIME MINISTER

HAD RIGHTLY SAIDTHAT VACCINATION

WOULD HAVE TO BE CARRIED

OUT IN THEELECTION MODE

at thousands of points so that thecitizen does not have to travel farto get vaccinated. Then the hugearmy of vaccinators had to betrained in such a short time. Thereafter duties were assigned toemployees and officers to runthese centers and ensure hassle freevaccination.The problem was farmore acute in the rural areaswhere the basic infrastructure isnot of the same level as the cities.The entire exercise was managedthrough a Cowin portal developedby the national health authoritythrough which you could fix yourappointment for vaccination andalso get the certificates. Therewas some debate about the useful-ness of Cowin for those not hav-ing access to internet facility butthe issues were ironed out and theresult is that 100 crore vaccinationshas been reached.

Such a vast and complex gov-ernance exercise involving coordi-nation at various levels is a hugetask and due credit must be givento the entire team to have achievedit. In my 38 years of experience asa civil servant the only exercise thatcanbe a parallel to this is the con-duct of nationwide elections. ThePrime Minister had rightly saidthat vaccination would have to bedone in the election mode. Just likeelections all arms of the govern-ment had to work together to makethis vaccination possible. Itrequired a lot of daily coordinationbetween Government of Indiaand the State Government.Thereafter the leadership had to be

given by the political executive atthe state level and prompt decisionmaking by the policy planners likethe Secretary and Director. Finally,it was the district where actiontook place under the leadership ofthe District Magistrate and theChief medical officer.

The last-mile delivery wasmade possible by the health work-ers including Asha and Anganwadiworkers. In rural areas vaccinationhad to be taken to the door step ofthe people. I could witness atremendous sense of enthusiasmamongst all concerned with thevaccination process. My personalexperience of vaccination was alsovery good as I found that the vac-cination centers were being man-aged very efficiently with full cour-tesy and protocol. There was vac-cine hesitancy in quite a few peo-ple and a lot of communication wasrequired to convince the citizens tocome forward for the vaccination.The point I want to make is thatvery often people have a negativeperception about government offi-cers and employees.

This vaccination drive hasshown the entire government sys-tem in positive colors. The entiresystem has risen to the occasion inresponse to the challenge of thepandemic in a most professionaland effective manner. To a largeextent the government must takethe blame for not being able toanticipate the coming of the secondwave and then not being able torespond adequately to it. There wasa definite failure to provide oxygen,

ICU beds and medicines during theheight of the second wave.However, with the success of thevaccination so far, the govern-ment system has been able toredeem itself to a large extent.

The battle is not over and themomentum has to be continued tomeet the target of vaccinating theentire adult population byDecember 31. We must celebrateattaining the 100 crore figure butit must not lull us into a sense ofcomplacency. The war-like effortmust continue so that there is nopossibility of the Pandemic strik-ing back in the form of a thirdwave. There are lessons to bedrawn from the success story ofvaccination for the future overhaulof the public health system whichis in urgent need of being modern-ized and upgraded.

The Center as well as the Stateswill have to focus on spending alarger portion of their expenditureon health care. More Doctors,nurses and paramedics are requirednecessitating the opening of moreeducational institutions to cater tothis demand. District hospitalsneed to be converted into centersof excellence and primary healthcare centers made operational.The pandemic has exposed thepoor State of health infrastructurein the rural areas which needs tobe addressed on priority. The suc-cess of the vaccination drive hasshown that this is possible and thesame leadership, team spirit andmotivation are required to trans-form the public health sector.

(The writer is formerChief Secretary,

Government of UttarPradesh. The views

expressed are personal.)

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021 Money 08

oney atters

TCI Q2 net profit rises two-fold to Rs 76 crT

ransport Corporation of India (TCI), the country's leading integratesupply chain and logistics solutions provider, has reported a two-fold

rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 76.16crore for the quarter ended September. Thecompany had posted consolidated net profitfrom ordinary activities after tax of Rs 37.27crore in the year-ago period, TCI has said in afiling to BSE. The consolidated income of thecompany during July-September periodincreased to Rs 828.06 crore over Rs 703.45crore in the year-ago period. "The demand for

our coastal and rail multi-modal end-to-end solutions witnessedmomentum enabling customers to save on their carbon footprint.

InfoBeans acquires EternusSolutions for Rs 130 croreI

ndore-based IT company InfoBeans Technologies on Friday announced100 per cent acquisition of Eternus Solutions for a total consideration of

Rs 130 crore. The amount is payable over a period ofthree years. Pune-based Eternus Solutionsfounders Jitendra Tanna and Shreyas Merchantwill become part of Infobeans management.The acquisition takes InfoBeans to an annualrevenue run rate of Rs 300 crore, the companysaid in a statement. "InfoBeans has beenaggressively building its own Salesforceconsulting practice for the last two years andthis acquisition fits well in its growth strategy by bolstering its presence inthe Salesforce ecosystem," Infobeans president Mitesh Bohra said.

Dr Reddy's Q2 net profitjumps 30 pc to Rs 992 crD

rug major Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Friday reported a 30 percent jump in its consolidated net profit to Rs 992 crore for the

quarter ended September 30, 2021, onaccount of robust sales in all markets. The company had posted a net profit of Rs762.3 crore for the corresponding periodof the previous financial year, Dr Reddy'sLaboratories said in a regulatory filing.Itsconsolidated revenue during July-September 2021 stood at Rs 5,763.2crore. It was Rs 4,896.7 crore in the year-

ago period, it added. "I am pleased with the improvement in thefinancial performance across our businesses.

KFC, Sapphire Foods' IPOto open on Nov 9T

he initial share-sale of Sapphire Foods India Ltd, which operatesKFC and Pizza Hut outlets, will open for public subscription on

November 9. The three-day initial publicoffering (IPO) will conclude on November11, according to the red herringprospectus (RHP). The initial share-salewill be entirely an offer-for-sale (OFS) of17,569,941 equity shares by promotersand existing shareholders. As a part of theOFS, QSR Management Trust will sell 8.50lakh shares, Sapphire Foods Mauritius Ltdwill offload 55.69 lakh shares, WWD Ruby Ltd will divest 48.46 lakhshares and Amethyst will offer 39.62 lakh shares.

Transportation programme forTata Starbucks women staff T

ata Starbucks on Friday said it has launched the WomenTransportation Program for its female employees in India that

provides a seamless commute facility tosafely travel back home post night shifts.This programme provides women partnerswith a chauffeur-driven car, enabled with aGPS tracking system and equipped withother safety measures for anyemergencies, the company said in astatement. This programme, which islaunched across Mumbai and Bangalore

covering a few stores, will be extended to a few more routes in thecoming years, it added.

PNS n ROME

Prime Minister Narendra Modion Friday met President of theEuropean Council CharlesMichel and President of theEuropean Commission Ursulavon der Leyen here and held anextensive discussion coveringtrade and investment ties, cli-mate change, COVID-19, glob-al and regional developments.This was Prime Minister Modi'sfirst official engagement after hearrived here to participate in theG20 Summit where he willjoin other leaders in discussionson global economic and healthrecovery from COVID-19, sus-tainable development and cli-mate change.

“Official engagements inRome begin with a productiveinteraction with @eucopresi-dent Charles Michel and@vonderleyen, President ofthe @EU_Commission. Theleaders discussed ways toenhance economic as well aspeople-to-people linkagesaimed at creating a better plan-et,” Prime Minister's Officesaid in a tweet.

After their meeting,

Ministry of external Affairs(MEA) spokesperson ArindamBagchi said that they held“extensive discussion” on anumber of key issues.

“Deepening ties betweenIndia and EU! PM @naren-dramodi met EuropeanCouncil President CharlesMichel @eucopresident &European CommissionPresident @vonderleyen. Anextensive discussion coveringtrade & investment ties, climatechange, COVID-19, global &

regional developments,” Bagchisaid on Twitter.

After the meeting, EuropeanCommission President Leyensaid it was “good to meet”Prime Minister Modi.

“Good to meet @naren-dramodi. Our strategic agendais on the right track. We agreedthat our trade negotiators willstart to work.

We‘ll deepen our coopera-tion on climate including oninnovation & technologyLooking forward to cooperat-

ing in the Indo-Pacific#EUGlobalGateway,” she saidon twitter. The 15th India-EUsummit, held in virtual modein July 2020, was attended byPrime Minister Modi,European Council PresidentMichel and EuropeanCommission President Leyen.

In 2020, India was the EU's10th largest trading partneraccounting for 1.8 per cent ofEU's total bilateral trade ingoods. India-EU bilateral tradein goods in 2020 was valued atEuro 65.30 billion.

India-EU bilateral relationsdate back to the early 1960swith India being amongst thefirst countries to establishdiplomatic relations with theEuropean EconomicCommunity in 1962.

The first India-EU Summittook place on 28 June 2000 inLisbon. The relationship wasupgraded to a ‘StrategicPartnership' during the 5thIndia-EU Summit held in 2004in The Hague.

The 27-member EU is apolitical and economic bloccomprising 27 member stateslocated primarily in Europe.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India and other countries,which are big emitters ofgreenhouse gases, should reachthe net-zero carbon emissionstarget by 2050 together, formerdeputy chairman of erstwhilePlanning Commission MontekSingh Ahluwalia said onFriday.

Addressing a virtual eventorganised by economic thinktank ICRIER, Montek furthersaid each country should putforward its reduction in carbonemission trajectory consistentwith development objectives.

"India and all other bigemitters should reach net-zerocarbon emission by 2050together," he said.

Net-zero emissions meanthat the world is not addingnew emissions to the atmos-phere.

He also said technologicaldevelopments now make itpossible for India to offer a net-zero trajectory, including peakemissions in the next decadeand then reduce them to net-zero over time.

"Adopt approach, which is

trajectory-based, and acceptthe fact that developed coun-tries should reach net-zeroearly while developing coun-tries can reach net-zero later,"Montek said.

Also, speaking at the event,Ajay Shah, research professorof business, Jindal GlobalBusiness School, said, "Tofinance climate actions, weneed a decentralised modelwhere resource flows go tostate and local governmentsrather than to just the centralgovernment".

Manjeev Singh Puri, distin-guished Fellow and on theadvisory board of TERI, saidIndia will be taking some of the

world's largest climate actionsin the years to come.

Recently, India had under-lined that the target of achiev-ing net-zero emissions by 2050should be based on the prin-ciple of equity, with develop-ing countries peaking later,given their respective sustain-able development paths, whiledeveloped countries shoulddo a Net-Minus.

Recently, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hadstressed that emissions mustfall by half by 2030 and reachnet-zero emissions no laterthan 2050 to reach the 1.5Celsius goal of the ParisAgreement.

PNS n RANCHI

Dalmia Cement will set-up a2 million tonne plant atJharkhand's Bokaro at anestimated cost of Rs 577crore, Jharkhand governmentsaid on Friday.

The Jharkhand govern-ment has ensured allotmentof land for the cement plant,a statement from the stategovernment said.

The cement maker hadexpressed commitment inthis regard during theJharkhand Industrial andInvestment Promotion Policy(JIIPP) 2021 in New Delhi onAugust 28, launched by ChiefMinister Hemant Soren.

"The Jharkhand govern-ment has made available 16acres land for the project tothe company at Balidih inBokaro as per theMemorandum ofUnderstanding within thetimeframe and lease deedhas been executed.

Dalmia Cement toset up Rs 577 croreplant in Bokaro

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government has approved8.5 per cent rate of interest onemployees' provident fund forthe 2020-21 fiscal, a sourcesaid.

Just ahead of Diwali, this isa good news for over five croresubscribers of the EmployeesProvident Fund Organisation(EPFO). The 8.5 per cent rateof interest on provident funddeposits for the last financialyear was decided by the EPFO'sapex decision making body

Central Board of Trustees(CBT) headed by Labour

Minister in March this year.A source said on Friday,

"The rate of interest on EPFfor 2020-21 has been ratifiedby the Ministry of Financeand now it would be credit-ed into the accounts of overfive crore subscribers."

In March last year, theEPFO had lowered interestrate on provident funddeposits to a seven-year lowof 8.5 per cent for 2019-20,from 8.65 per cent in 2018-19.

The EPF (EmployeesProvident Fund) interest rateprovided for 2019-20 was

the lowest since 2012-13,when it was brought down to8.5 per cent.

The EPFO had provided8.65 per cent interest rate toits subscribers in 2016-17and 8.55 per cent in 2017-18.The rate of interest was slight-ly higher at 8.8 per cent in2015-16. It had given 8.75per cent rate of interest in2013-14 as well as in 2014-15,higher than 8.5 per cent for2012-13. The rate of interestwas 8.25 per cent on provi-dent fund in 2011-12.

Govt approves 8.5 pc interest rate on EPF for FY'21

PNS n MUMBAI

Equity benchmark Sensextanked 678 points on Friday,tracking losses in index majorsReliance Industries, Infosysand HDFC Bank amid a weaktrend in global markets.

The 30-share index plunged677.77 points or 1.13 per centto end at 59,306.93. Similarly,the NSE Nifty fell 185.60points or 1.04 per cent to17,671.65.

Tech Mahindra was the toploser in the Sensex pack, shed-ding over 3 per cent, fol-lowed by NTPC, IndusIndBank, Kotak Bank andReliance Industries.

On the other hand,UltraTech Cement, Tata Steel,Maruti, Titan and Dr Reddy'swere among the gainers.

"The domestic market con-

tinued to witness selling asenergy and private bankstocks remained under pres-sure following dull global sen-timents," said Vinod Nair,Head of Research at GeojitFinancial Services.

European markets opened

weak even as the ECB decid-ed to keep policy ratesunchanged despite the infla-tionary pressure. US futureswere trading in red followingslow GDP growth and disap-pointing earnings from techgiants, he noted.

Sensex slumps 678 pts;Nifty ends below 17,700

PNS n NEW DELHI

Trader's body CAIT on Fridaysaid it estimates Chineseexporters to suffer businesslosses worth Rs 50,000 crorethis Diwali season due to itsboycott call. The Confederation of All India Traders(CAIT) also expects that con-sumers may spend about Rs 2lakh crore during the Diwalifestival sale period. "Like pre-vious year, this year too CAIThas given a call of 'boycottChinese goods' and it is cer-tain that China is going to suf-fer a business loss of about Rs50,000 crore in terms of stop-page of import of chinesegoods by Indian traders,"CAIT stated.

CAIT Secretary GeneralPraveen Khandelwal said a recentsurvey conducted by the body'sresearch arm in 20 'distributioncities' showed that so far noorders for Diwali goods, fire-crackers or other items have beenplaced with Chinese exporters byIndian traders or importers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Unfazed by the challengesposed by the COVID-19 pan-demic, Swedish companiesintend to double their invest-ment in the next two years inIndia, according to the 13thBusiness Climate Survey (BCS).The BCS, titled 'TowardsSustainable Growth', is con-ducted annually since 2008 bythe Swedish Chamber ofCommerce India (SCCI), alongwith the Embassy of Sweden inIndia, the Consulate General of

Sweden in Mumbai andBusiness Sweden.

It attempts to understand the"confidence of Swedish compa-nies in India, to identify theobstacles and how they can bereduced".

"In the past five years (2015-20), companies report that theyhave invested in total USD 2billion in India. In the comingtwo years (2021 and 2022),Swedish companies report thatthey will invest close to USD 1billion in India," according tothe survey report, underscoring

Swedish companies' intent todouble the investments over thenext two years. This year, thequestionnaire was sent to 210Swedish companies establishedin India. Out of these, 190responded, rendering aresponse rate of 90 per cent.

According to the survey'sfindings, in the coming year,"80 per cent of the companiesproject their revenues toincrease significantly (34 percent) or slightly (46 per cent)".

"This has starkly changedwhen compared with our inter-

im survey in May 2020, whereonly 28 per cent of respondentsprojected their revenues wouldincrease over the coming 12months," it noted.

Besides assessing the level ofgreen transition and innova-tion ecosystem in the country,the survey also takes intoaccount the increase in jobopportunities and representa-tion of women in the work-force in India as one of the "keyfactors" influencing businessdealings between the twonations.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Kolkata-based FMCG majorEmami Ltd on Friday report-ed a 56 per cent jump in con-solidated profit after tax at Rs185.25 crore in the secondquarter ended September onthe back of higher revenueand cost optimisation mea-sures.

The company had posted aconsolidated profit after tax ofRs 118.45 crore in the secondquarter last fiscal, Emamisaid in a regulatory filing.

Consolidated revenue fromoperations during the second

quarter stood at Rs 788.84crore as against Rs 734.82crore in the year-ago quarter,it added.

Emami said its board ofdirectors in a meeting held onFriday has declared paymentof 400 per cent interim divi-

dend at Rs 4 per equity shareof Re 1 each fully paid-up forthe financial year 2021-22.

During the latestSeptember quarter, the com-pany said,"Demand trendsremained steady for most ofour brands despite a high basein the previous year."

Modern trade grew by 31per cent, while e-commercecontinued its robust rungrowing by 2.2 times, Emamisaid adding in Q2 FY22, e-commerce business increasedits contribution "by 210 basispoints to 4 per cent of thedomestic revenues."

PNS n CHENNAI

The board of steel wheelsmanufacturer Wheels Indiahas cleared a further capitalexpenditure of Rs 37 crore toenable serve the globaldemand in the constructionequipment and wind mill seg-ments, a top official of thecompany said on Friday.

The fresh capex is in addi-tion to the Rs 99 crore whichthe city-headquartered com-pany had already planned atthe beginning of the year,

according to its ManagingDirector, Srivats Ram. "Wehave cleared a further capex ofRs 37 crore to enable serviceglobal demand in the con-struction equipment and windmill segments. At the begin-ning of the year, the companyhad planned a capex of Rs 99crore this is in addition tothat...", he told reporters.

The increase in the capitalexpenditure was driven bydemand which has been inexcess of what expected, hesaid.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Central Board ofDirectors of the RBI onFriday reviewed the currentdomestic and global eco-nomic situation and chal-lenges. The board also delib-erated upon possible mea-sures for addressing theemerging challenges, theReserve Bank of India (RBI)said in a release.

The 591st meeting of theboard was held under theChairmanship of GovernorShaktikanta Das. His tenureas the Governor has beenextended by three years up toDecember 2024.

"The board also congratu-lated the Governor on hisreappointment," the centralbank said. According to therelease, the board also dis-cussed the working of sub-committees of the centralboard and activities of a fewCentral Office Departments,including the nationwide sur-vey among bank customers

PNS n NEW DELHI

Purplle, an e-commerce plat-form for beauty products, onFriday said it has raisedaround Rs 555 crore (USD 75million) in a funding roundled by private equity fundKedaara at an enterprise val-uation of Rs 4,662 crore (USD630 million).

The company will use thefund to grow six to eighttimes in the next five yearsthrough both organic andinorganic business develop-ments, Purplle.com co-founder and CEO ManishTaneja told PTI.

Existing investors SequoiaCapital and Blume Ventures

also participated in the fund-ing round.

"We are at a GMV (grossmerchandise value) run rate ofRs 1,200 crore. We want tokeep growing at close to 70-80per cent year-on-year in thenext foreseeable future. Wewill invest in the growth.

"We will invest in the peo-ple and at the same time buildprocesses and systems andtry to build Purplle as aninstitution and not anothercompany. We will invest intechnology," Taneja said.

He said the company willinvest in inorganic growth byinvesting in brands. "We havebeen acquisitive at small lev-els in the past four years.

PNS n NEW DELHI

GAIL (India) Ltd, the nation'slargest natural gas utility, onFriday reported more thandoubling of its net profit in theSeptember quarter after itagain started making moneyon gas marketing.

Net profit of Rs 2,862.95crore, or Rs 6.45 per share, inJuly-September, was 131 percent higher than Rs 1,239.67crore, or Rs 2.75 a share, in thesame period last fiscal, accord-

RBI boardreviewseconomicsituation

Wheels India clears additionalcapex of Rs 37 cr: MD

Swedish firms to double India investment

CAIT pegs Rs50,000 cr losses toChinese exportersthis Diwali

Emami reports 56 pc rise inQ2 profit at Rs 185 crore

Purplle closes Rs 555-cr

funding round led by Kedaara

GAIL net profitdoubles in Q2

Modi holds talks with EU ontrade, COVID & global issues

India, other countries shouldreach net-zero target by 2050

CARBON EMISSIONS

9

what’s brewing?Vijayawada | Saturday October 30, 2021

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

omedian andactor KumailNanjiani, whoplays aMarvel super-hero called

Kingo in theupcoming MCUfilm Eternals, hassaid that he is ahuge fan ofHindi film stars

and grew upwatchingBollywoodmovies.

Nanjiani saidthat he is a “mas-sive” fan of

Bollywood and hasseen Bollywood

movies “my wholelife”.

“My favourite starshave been Shah Rukh

Khan, Aamir Khan andShammi Kapoor. I haveseen many pictures of allthese. Mr AmitabhBachchan. That’s adream come true! That’sdreaming too big!” headded.

It is fitting then thatNanjiani’s character Kingoin Eternals is hiding as aBollywood superstar andthe actor had to learnelaborate dance moves,something that did notcome naturally to him atall. The actor told a newsagency, “The dancesequence — that was whatI was most nervous aboutbecause I’m not really anatural dancer so I tookfour months of dancelessons to learn how to doit.” Meanwhile, Eternals,which is a Chloe Zhaodirectorial, has evokedmixed critical reception,and the film, thus far, isthe worst-reviewed MCUfilm to date. The film alsostars Richard Madden,Salma Hayek, AngelinaJolie, Gemma Chan, LiaMcHugh, Brian TyreeHenry, Lauren Ridloff,Barry Keoghan, Don Lee,Gil Birmingham, HarishPatel, and Kit Harington.

Eternals releases onNovember 5.

ctors Kajol, MahiraKhan, Nora Fatehi,Urvashi Rautela,NawazuddinSiddiqui, SunnyLeone among others

were clicked at the recentlyheld Filmfare Middle EastAchievers Night in Dubai.

The award night saw per-formances by the likes ofNora Fatehi and Sunny Leone,among others. The functionalso honoured some of thebest artists from Indian andPakistani films. AyushmannKhurrana, whose wife Tahirawas present at the event, was

honoured with theEntertainer Of The Decadetrophy and Tahira took homethe Most Aspiring Filmmakerhonour.

The event also saw theattendance of Shruti Haasan,singers Tulsi Kumar, Shaan,Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam

among others. Pakistani actorSajal Aly, who shared screenspace with late actor Srideviin Mom, was also present atthe event. The glamorous cer-emony was held at TheMeydan Hotel in Dubai.

Dubai: Kajol, Nora, MahiraKhan light up award night

inger-song-writer ZaynMalik andsupermodelGigi Hadidhave report-

edly parted ways after along relationship. Thecouple welcomeddaughter Khai HadidMalik in September2020.

Multiple sourcesshared that the couple isno longer together.“They are not togetherright now. They are bothgood parents though,”shared a source with themagazine. Meanwhile,Gigi’s representativestold the publication,“Gigi is solely focusedon the best for Khai. Sheasks for privacy duringthis time.”

Hours before thereport of their break-upemerged, Zayn issued astatement on Twitterwhere he spoke about a“private matter.” Thestatement came afterreports in TMZ suggest-ed that Zayn hadallegedly hit Gigi’smother Yolanda Hadid,and Yolanda was consid-ering filing a policereport against the ex-One Direction member.

“This was and stillshould be a private mat-ter but it seems for nowthere is divisiveness anddespite my efforts torestore us to a peacefulfamily environment thatwill allow for me to co-parent my daughter in amanner in which shedeserves, this has been

‘leaked’ to the press,”wrote Zayn.

He added, “I amhopeful though for heal-ing for all involved withthe harsh words sharedand more importantly Iremain vigilant to pro-tect Khai and give herthe privacy shedeserves.”

Zayn and Gigi firstsparked romancerumours in 2015 butsoon after Gigi appearedin Zayn’s singlePillowTalk. They con-firmed their romance asthey appeared on thecover of Vogue in 2016.The couple parted waysin 2018 but reconciledin 2019. During thelockdown of 2020, thecouple confirmed Gigi’spregnancy.

ctor PriyankaChopra shareda month-oldvideo of actorand comedianVir Das on

Instagram. In the video,Vir took a dig at peoplewho mock Indians fordoing choreographedsteps to music. He says,that now, everyone onInstagram and TikTok isdoing the same thing.

In the video, Vir can beheard saying: “Thinkabout this for a second.For years, Bollywoodsongs were shot in crowd-ed places, tourist destina-tions. So we Indianswould go to these crowd-ed places and suddenlystart doing choreographedsteps to music and do lipsynching and everybodyincluding some Indiansare like, ‘What is up withthese Indians?’ Now yearslater all you do onInstagram and TikTok ishead to crowded placesand do choreographedsteps lip synching songsthat you never sang. You

aren’t original. Priyankashared the video and said,“Speak the truth [laughingemoji].” Many peoplecommented on the videoagreeing with him, whilesome said that Vir’s con-tent is not real. One fancommented: “I fullyagree.. Have been tellinthis for a while.” Whileanother one said: “@vir-das so on point man!!!!!!!!Amusing hypocrisy.”

Slamming Vir’scontent one personwrote: “unoriginal.just like remixes ontiktok”

Earlier this year,Vir’s Netflix show,Vir Das: For India,got nominated inthe comedy seg-ment atInternationalEmmy awards.

At thattime, he hadsaid: “Ithought it wasa joke, this can’tbe real. Then mymanagement confirmedthe news. It took a whileto sink in because anIndian comic has neverbeen nominated before,and especially stand-upcomedy has never beennominated, forget Indianor not. Usually, it’s the

series which get nominat-ed in that category.”

Vir started his career instandup comedy, and latermoved to Hindi cinemastarring in films like DelhiBelly, BadmaashCompany, and Go GoaGone.

Vir Das attacks Bollywood

mockers, PC agrees

A

S

AZayn Malik and Gigi Hadid part ways

C

Eternals' KumailNanjiani grew up

watchingBollywood films

he right kind offood, exercise, andsleep is all taken forhealthy living. Notonly do we live afitter physical life, it

goes a long way in keeping ourmental health in check too.Emphasising the same wasCelebrity Nutritionist and Nourish

Genie Pooja Makhija, who high-lighted the “5 hacks of keeping ourbody fit and healthy includingDiet, Exercise, Water, Sleep andEating smart.”

“One should follow a particulardiet based on their lifestyle. Toremove disease from the root, oneshould control their diet. We can

change how we feel with just a fewhealthy changes in our eatinghabits. Eat what suits your body inproper portions. Portion control isthe key to a good diet. Indian dietis one of the best in the world.Indian thalis are best in nutritionand taste,” said Makhija about theneed for good food habits and a

healthy diet in life. The nutritionist also added that

exercise is not only about hittingthe gym. “Exercise means anyphysical activity — walking withyour friend or walking your dog.Exercise is not only for weight loss,it also helps in getting good skin,mental fitness, and rejuvenating

your body. Do any exercise youenjoy,” said she.

She also explained the impor-tance of water in our life, saying,“Water is life. Drinking adequatewater, that is, at least two to threelitres a day, is extremely importantto detox your body. It flushes outbacteria and aids in digestion too.

A correct 7-8-hour sleep perday is a must for the properfunctioning of one’s body. Ithelps reboot our physique andprepares us for the next day.”

Makhija spoke to members ofthe Young Ficci LadiesOrganisation via a virtual meetthat was moderated YFLOchairperson Deepthi Reddy.

here has been arise in thedemand forsuperfoods mar-ket globally. Withthe impact of thepandemic on

immunity and health con-sciousness, people areincreasingly investing intheir health, providing vari-ous growth opportunities.Superfoods refer to nutrient-rich food items that are ben-eficial for maintaining goodhealth and wellbeing. Theycontain high amount ofminerals, vitamins, fibers,antioxidants, fatty acids, etc.These food items help inmaintaining good hearthealth, boosting immunity,enhancing metabolism,improving energy levels, andreducing the effects of agingand come with many otherproperties.

With the festive seasoncoming up, there is anexpected increased demandfor the adoption of super-foods, especially since thereis a greater number of peo-ple who are conscious abouttheir health and the foodthey eat.

Keeping this in mind, wehave Supreem Pharma acompany that achieved aturnover of Rs. 68 crore lastfinancial year. Their growthtoo has seen over 20%turnover and profitabilityover the last five years, fol-lowing which they launchedtheir consumer productrange ‘Supreem SuperFoods’. Their core productsinclude healthy appetisersand supplements made ofnatural ingredients and canbe used as an alternative tonutrition supplements. TheirSuper Food products are allhomegrown, medicallybacked with expertise fromSupreem pharmaceuticals,and made of natural ingredi-ents which are free from anyside effects. S.N. Rao,Founder, and Chairman,Supreem Super Foods, talksto us about the rise in super-foods, their benefits, andmore.

What made you investin superfoods?

Food loaded withVitamins, minerals, fibers,and antioxidants is consid-

ered a superfood. They arebeneficial for health andwell-being.

In our B2B business,which is already known farand wide, we make thesevitamins, minerals, fibres,and antioxidants. Ourindustry runs for the well-

being of people.Taking into consideration

the above, Supreem enteringthe Superfoods market wasan obvious choice.

Did you see a lot ofpotential in this areaof nutrition?

Yes, we do see a lot ofpotential, mainly because ofpeople's changing lifestyle,more incidents of lifestyle-related diseases, and becausepeople from all walks of lifeare becoming health con-scious.

Furthermore, a lot ofawareness is being createdby the manufacturers.

Simultaneously the nutri-tional value of food is com-ing down on account of sev-eral factors, including envi-ronmental changes. So peo-

ple are looking for a healthi-er alternative.

How are superfoodshealthier than vitaminsupplements?

Nutrient-rich food is con-sidered to be especially ben-eficial for one's overall

health. Superfoods areloaded with vitamins, min-erals, fibres, antioxidants,because of exceptionalnutrient density in certainitems available in nature.Whereas, vitamins are onlya subset.

Normally, vitamins areavailable in our country astablets, capsules, syrups, etc.It makes the person takingthem feel like a patient.

This is a reactive behav-iour after a deficiency isdetected. Consuming super-foods is a proactive behav-iour, taken in a form that isconvenient and enjoyablelike snacks, gummies,drinks, sachets, etc.,

How are superfoodsdeveloped at Supreempharma?

Ingredients for superfoodswere always available atSupreem. We studied theproducts of our customers,polished the idea, added fur-ther value by carrying outvarious studies, studiedinternational trends/brands,discussed with scientistsboth domestically and inter-nationally, worked withother companies to knowtheir best products, collabo-rated and the result wasSupreem Superfoods.

Are superfoods morepopular today thanbefore the pandemic?

The pandemic clearlyrevealed that good immuni-ty helps ward off the disease.Immunity also helps youremain healthy.

This awareness was thefocal point of several discus-sions in the media andsocial media. Pre-Covid, theimmunity market grew from15 to 20%, and post-pan-demic, it is expected to grow30%.

How is the generalresponse to super-foods? Which agegroups seem to preferthem more?

The nutrition industry (ofwhich superfoods are acomponent), is growing 9%annually internationally, and17% in India. It's a 4 billionUSD market in India andwould touch 12 billion USDby 2027. So the potential ishuge.

The response from allquarters has been excellent.The day our website wentlive, we were flooded withorders. Supreem has super-foods for all age categoriesbut the primary audiencegroup is 30-55 years and thesecondary target audience is15-29 & 56-70 years, forboth men and women.

Superfoods that ensure a

super healthylifeT

S.N. Rao, Founder, and Chairman, Supreem Super Foods

SHREYA SRIKONDA SHIKHA DUGGAL

n a career span-ning over 25 yearsin the IndianNavy,Commander

Sudarshan Chakrapani hascommissioned two sub-marines (INS Sindhuvir andSindhuvijay) in the thenSoviet Union and command-ed a missile corvette. Analumnus of The NationalDefence Academy andDefence Services StaffCollege, he has held impor-tant staff appointments inPort Blair (Andaman &Nicobar Islands), Mumbai,and New Delhi that gave hima ringside seat to observe thegeopolitical and strategicchanges happening in Indiaand its neighbourhood.

He is a postgraduate inDefence Studies fromMadras University and hasdeveloped expertise in strate-gic affairs and geopolitics,especially on China andPakistan and Maritimeissues, is known for his

videos on Geopolitics on hisYouTube channel#ChaxSimplifies. Now a manof such stature, who’s livedon the edge all his life, choseto retire and relax in theNizamian city of Hyderabad.Everybody grows up dream-ing of that one place or cityto happily retire in, afterdecades of hard work. Theman from Agra built hiscomfy nest in Hyderabadand he tells us why.

He begins by telling usabout the various placeshe grew up, studied, andworked in: “I have a veryclose association with allfour of the southernstates.

I was born in Agra,did my schooling inVijayawada, and continuedmy schooling in Bellary,and then finished it inDharwad, which are cities inKarnataka. I went on toNDA after that, joined thenavy, was posted inVisakhapatnam for 9 years,and also lived in Cochin for2-3 years. I lived in Chennaifor a while, and for the past14 years, I’ve lived in

Hyderabad! There’s nosouthern state I don’t have abond with.”

The commander says hefeels a strong connectionwith Hyderabad.

“In any city, you can feellike anout-

sider ifyou don’t speak the languageor partake in the customs.But in Hyderabad, you arenever an outsider. The citymakes you feel at home, allthe time, and you reallydon’t need to get worked upif you’d get along with the

people. They’re sowarm!”

He states this as thereason why he settled in

Hyderabad. He speaks of the main,

striking difference he noticedin Agra and Hyderabad, say-ing, “People in Hyderabadare not very aggressive.They’re more accepting andwilling to forgive any youdo - this does not happenin Agra. People fromAgra are more aggressiveand particular abouthow things ought to bedone. We’re possiblynot as forgiving.”

The commander has

lived in the city of Destiny,Vizag, for almost a decade,shares with us some of hisfondest memorie: Little sec-tions of his memories oflooking at Visakhapatnamfrom the air, while going ona hang glider and spendingthe night on a beach.

“There’s a stretch of whitesand off the side of RKPuram beach, lined withcasuarina trees. It’s a beauti-ful, clean spot- I’d go thereoften with friends, or withmy wife. One time, wepitched a tent and stayed thenight! These are my fondestmemories from the city,” herecalls.

Speaking of things thatremind him of Hyderabad,he says, “Two or three things— Ajith, the legendary villainfrom Hindi movies.Secondly, the Charminar.Thirdly, this is probably theonly city that has such ablend of the old city and thenew city. Hyderabad hascome full circle. The cityoriginates from Golconda,and then it moved and cameto Charminar. Then it movedagain, and got toSecunderabad. After inde-pendence, it came to thePunjagutta, King Koti- nowit has moved further andgone back to Gachibowli-closer to Golconda! The cityhas seen development on allfour sides, and now it’s backto where it started.”

After retirement, the com-mander went on to work in awhole new workplace! “Fromthe Navy, I started in Satyamcomputers. I was managingpeople in the Navy, and Iwent on to manage people inSatyam Computers. I had tomake the coders make thembetter at their job. Satyambecame Tech Mahindra, andsince I retired, I’ve thorough-ly been enjoying myself. I domotivational speeches, andhelp people understand howthey can do their jobs better.I also coach Btech and MBA

students.” He noticedduring this period

that Telugu peoplehave brilliant

minds, butthey’re not sogood atputtingtheir pointacross.They end

up mess-ing it up ininterviews

becausethey’re unable

to presentthemselves in a

manner thatwould get them rec-

ommended or selected.He says, “I try to fill this gap.I could make a difference inpeople’s lives, and that makesme very happy.” Speakingabout what he really dislikes,he says that he hates howHyderabadis drive! “I don’tknow what happens to the‘Telugu bidda’ on the road.He becomes a different per-son altogether! But there’s noroad rage, fortunately. If youhit someone or he hits you,he will just look at you andsay ‘light lelo ji’”, he laughs.“A house has 4 walls, but

home is where I amhappy. Where I belong.Despite whatever goeson in my life, I can

enter my home andall my troubles justvanish. Hyderabad

is that home tome,” he c

oncludes ona warmnote.

ANCHORED IN

Hyderabad

I

T

5 mantras to a healthier body

SaturdayOctober 30, 2021

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

In any city, youcan feel like an outsider

if you don’t speak thelanguage or partake in the

customs. But in Hyderabad, youare never an outsider. The citymakes you feel at home, you

don’t need to get worked up ifyou’d get along with the

people. They’re sowarm.

Scoreboard

TTeeaamm MMaattcchheess NNRRRR PPooiinnttss

EEnnggllaanndd 2 +3.614 4

AAuussttrraalliiaa 2 +0.727 4

SSoouutthh AAffrriiccaa 2 +0.179 2

SSrrii LLaannkkaa 22 -00..441166 22

WWeesstt IInnddiieess 33 -11..559988 22

BBaannggllaaddeesshh 3 -1.069 0

Group A

TTeeaamm MMaattcchheess NNRRRR PPooiinnttss

PPaakkiissttaann 2 +0.738 4

AAffgghhaanniissttaann 1 +6.500 2

NNaammiibbiiaa 1 +0.550 2

NNeeww ZZeeaallaanndd 1 -0.532 0

IInnddiiaa 1 -0.973 0

SSccoottllaanndd 1 -3.562 0

Group B

Scoreboard

pointstable

WEST INDIES (BATTING) BANGLADESH (BOWLING)

Nicholas Pooran (40) Shoriful Islam 4 (20, 2wkt)

Roston Chase (39) Mahedi Hasan 4 (27, 2wkt)

Jason Holder (15) Mustafizur Rahman 4 (43, 2wkt)

Total 142 (7 wickets, 20 overs)

BANGLADESH (BATTING) WEST INDIES (BOWLING)

Liton Das (44) Jason Holder 4 (22, 1wkt)

Mahmudullah (31) Akeal Hosein 4 (24, 1wkt)

Soumya Sarkar (17) Ravi Rampaul 4 (25, 1wkt)

Total 139 (5 wickets, 20 overs)

AFGHANISTAN (BATTING) PAKISTAN (BOWLING)

M. Nabi (35) I. Wasim 4 (25, 2wkt)

G. Naib (35) S. Khan 4 (22, 1wkt)

N. Zadran (22) S. Afridi 4 (22, 1wkt)

Total 147 (6 wickets, 20 overs)

PAKISTAN (BATTING) AFGHANISTAN (BOWLING)

In progress..

Total

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | OCTOBER 30, 2021

WWHHEENN PPEEOOPPLLEE TTAAKKEE PPAACCEE OOFFFF TTHHEE BBAALLLL,, YYOOUU’’VVEE GGOOTT TTOO WWAAIITT FFOORR TTHHEE BBAALLLL.. WWHHEENN TTHHEERREE’’SS PPAACCEE OONN IITT,, TTHHEENN YYOOUU CCAANN SSIITT OONN IITT —— DDAVID WWARNER

PTI n NEW DELHI

Rohan Jaitley defeated senioradvocate Vikas Singh by a

massive margin to be re-elect-ed as president of the Delhi andDistricts Cricket Association(DDCA) while former state

Chief Minister late SahibSingh Verma’s youngest sonand first-class player SiddharthVerma claimed the secretary’spost.

Siddharth defeated the cor-ruption-tainted Vinod Tiharafor the position. The countingconcluded well after Thursdaymidnight.

Gautam Gambhir’s mater-nal uncle Pawan Ghulati will bethe new treasurer of DDCA.

Former BCCI acting pres-ident CK Khanna’s wife ShashiKhanna retained her vice-pres-ident’s post.

For the president’s post,

Jaitley got 1658 votes whileSingh could only get 662.

It was the second time thatSingh encountered a humiliat-ing defeat for the president’spost. Last time, Singh had lostto senior journalist RajatSharma.

However, the biggest upsetwas Verma, who fought as anindependent candidate andupstaged the notorious Tiharaby 618 votes.

PTI n DUBAI

Australia opener DavidWarner has highlighted

the importance of having a“stable base” while batting onthe slow wickets of the UAEafter roaring back to form witha belligerent half-century.

The 35-year-old was backto his explosive best with a siz-zling 42-ball 65 in the seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka inthe T20 World Cup onThursday.

Warner had dismissed thetalk over his form as “quitefunny” as he felt he had notplayed enough cricket afterbeing sidelined by SunrisersHyderabad in the IPL.

He reiterated the same on

Thursday and revealed whatworked for him and AaronFinch against Sri Lanka.

“I think people who criti-cize me know exactly what I’mabout. For us it was reallyimportant to have a nice stablebase, and seeing Finchy plays t r a i g h tdown theground andthat niceback cut, that’snice and still. Itmeans you’rewatching the ball. Itmeans your weightis going throughthe ball.

“It’s the sameprocess withmyself. You’ve got

to have a nice stable base onthese wickets. When peopletake pace off the ball, you’ve gotto wait for the ball. Whenthere’s pace on it, then you cansit on it,” said the southpaw.

Warner had also practisedon synthetic wickets going intothe game.

“The curators havedone an unbeliev-able job to havethem up for 12weeks now, but youneed to sometimes

go back to a little bitof basics and gettingbat on ball and just

doing your normaldrills and get

your feetdancing.

PTI n PARIS

India’s double Olympicmedallist P V Sindhu cruised

into the quarterfinals of theFrench Open badminton tour-nament with a straight-gamewin over Line Christophersenof Denmark in the women’ssingles second round here.

Sindhu, seeded third, pre-vailed 21-19 21-9 overChristophersen, ranked 24th inthe world, in 37 minutes lateThursday night.

The reigning world cham-pion will face eighth seedBusanan Ongbamrungphan ofThailand in the quarterfinalson Friday.

Sindhu had beatenBusanan at Denmark Openlast week.

Men’s doubles pair ofSatwiksairaj Rankireddy andChirag Shetty, seeded fifth,also beat MR Arjun and DhruvKapila 15-21 21-10 21-19 in anall-Indian clash to reach thequarterfinals.

The duo will meet fourthseeded Malaysian pair of AaronChia and Soh Wooi Yik next.

Men’s singles playerSourabh Verma, however,bowed out of the competitionafter losing 12-21 9-21 toJapan’s Kenta Nishimoto in thesecond round.

On Thursday, youngLakshya Sen had sailed intothird round of the Super 750event with a comfortable winover Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.

PTI n DUBAI

New Zealand pacer AdamMilne, who was drafted

into the squad in place of injuredLockie Ferguson, is eager tomake the most of his rich veinof form in the ongoing T20World Cup, including in theSuper 12 match against Indiahere on Sunday.

Initially named as a travel-ling reserve, Milne was draftedinto the squad after Fergusonwas ruled out of the showpieceowing to a calf tear and wasexpected to play in the team’stournament opener againstPakistan on Tuesday.

However, on reaching theground, he was told to sit outbecause the team was still wait-ing for the ICC to approve himas an injury replacement.

“Yeah, I definitely feel likethis has been the best period ofconsistent cricket I’ve had in along, long time,” Milne, who hasbeen in splendid form playing inthe Big Bash League, VitalityBlast and the Hundred, toldreporters. “I’d love to make the

most of it and continue to usethis period to develop and per-form really well at a high level.I’m excited to hopefully make adifference with the ball in thesegames here and really prove thisperiod has been influential forme,” he added.

The 29-year-old, whoplayed for Mumbai Indians inthe recently concluded IPL, feelshe could have added to NewZealand’s performance in thefive-wicket loss against Pakistan.

“I think if you’d looked at theway the pitch played throughoutthe course of the IPL, the fasterguys that had been able to hit thewicket hard and create someuneven bounce had causedsome problems for the batters,”he said.

PTI n BELGRADE

Asian champion Sanjeet(92kg) defeated Russia’s

Andrei Stotskii in a thorough-ly entertaining contest to enterthe pre-quarterfinals, while Akash Kumar (54kg) gota walkover into that stage on agood day for Indians at theAIBA Men’s World BoxingChampionships here on Friday.

Akash advanced after hisGerman opponent Omar SalahIbrahim fell ill and gave hima walkover here on Friday. Hewill face Puerto Rico’s PaganCaleb Tirado in the last-16stage.

“His opponent did notshow up for the weigh-in thismorning as he was sick.Something like what happenedto us in Varinder Singh’s case. Inthat case, we suffered, today wegained,” India HighPerformance Director SantiagoNieva told PTI.

Varinder had to pull out ofhis 60kg category bout due tohigh fever but he tested negativefor COVID-19.

Sanjeet put up quite a showin the 4-1 win over Stotskii, whowas not a pushover by anymeasure.

The Indian, however, wasthe more attacking of the two,at least in the first two rounds.

Sanjeet displayed someflamboyance to go with hisskills, dropping his guard com-

pletely to taunt Stotskii on morethan one occasion.

The two exchanged blowsbut also smiled frequently ateach other, fighting at a languidbut engaging pace.

Late last night, AkashSangwan (67kg) recorded aconfident 4-1 victory againstGerman pugilist Daniel Krotterto also enter the pre-quarterfi-nals. The 21-year-old will squareoff against Cuban boxer KevinBrown.

In a late night bout, NishantDev (71kg) will square offagainst Mauritian Merven Clair,also looking to secure a pre-quarterfinal berth.

On Saturday, five-timeAsian medallist Shiva Thapa(63.5kg) will be in action along-side three other Indians. Thapawill fight Sierra Leone’s JohnBrown in the round of 32.

Sumit (75kg) will take onTajikistan’s Abdumalik Boltaev,while Sachin (80kg) will openagainst American RobbyGonzales. Both these bouts arealso round of 32 contests.

Govind Sahani (48kg) willcompete in the pre-quarterfinalsagainst Georgia’s SakhilAlakhverdovi.

The gold winners at theshowpiece will walk away witha prize money of USD 100,000.

The silver medallists are tobe given USD 50,000, and bothbronze-medallists will be award-ed USD 25,000 each.

PTI n SHARJAH

Defending championsWest Indies kept alivetheir slender hopes of

making the semifinals whilevirtually knocking Bangladeshout of the T20 World Cupwith a narrow three-run winhere on Friday.

Asked to set a target forthe third consecutive time inthe tournament, West Indiesposted 142 for seven with

Nicholas Pooran’s 40 off 22balls being the highlight oftheir innings.

The wicketkeeper batterhit four sixes and one four.

Roston Chase (39), mak-ing his T20 internationaldebut, was the other chief con-tributor with the bat.

In reply, Bangladesh couldmanage 139 for five in 20overs as all West indiesbowlers picked one wicketeach.

With no points from threematches, Bangladesh are outof the tournament, while WestIndies can still sneak into thesemifinals, provided they wintheir remaining matches andother results go in their favour.

Bangladesh began thechase on a poor note, losingopeners Mohammad Naim(17) and Shakib Al Hasan(9), who was limping, in thefirst six overs. But graduallypicked up the momentum

with wicketkeeper batter LitonDas (44 off 43) taking the ini-tiative.

West Indies, l ikeBangladesh, were sloppy inthe field and the two-timechampions were also guilty ofmissing as many as three runout opportunities.

With 50 need off the lastsix overs with six wickets inhand, skipper Mahmudullah(31 not out) and Das lookedto be in control, converting

ones into twos while also hit-ting boundaries regularly.

Dwayne Bravo (1/36) pro-duced a conducive 17th over,giving away just three runs. Inthe first ball of the penultimateover, he was hit for a six byMahmudullah but the veteranall-rounder proved his mettleby getting rid of danger-manDas in his final ball.

Needing 13 of the lastover, Mahmudullah failed toclear the boundary even oncedespite being dropped by sub-stitute Andre Fletcher in thefourth ball to bring down theequation to four off the lastball.

But Andre Russell (1/29)bowled a gem of a final deliv-ery full outside the off stump,denying Mahmudullah anychance to free his arms to seala close win for West Indies.

Earlier, Pooran hit foursixes and one four while Chase(39) was the other chief con-tributor with the bat.

Aware of West Indiesstruggle against spin,Bangladesh skipperMahmudullah handed the ballto off-spinner Mahedi Hasan(2/27) to open the innings,putting pressure on theCaribbean team.

After a few overs of pace,bringing back spin in the fifthover paid immediate divi-dends with Hasan getting thebig wicket of Chris

Gayle (4) as Bangladeshgave away just 29 runs whilepicking two wickets in thePowerplay.

In his next over, right afterhe put down Chase of hisbowling, Hasan snaredShimron Hetmyer’s (9) wick-et.

Kieron Pollard (14 notout) and Chase tried to repairthe innings before the skipperretired ill in the 13th over.

The reasons for his walk-ing out at that stage were notclear but he came back in thefinal over to hit a last ball sixafter seven batter of his sidewere packed off.

In the very next ball,Andre Russell (0) was run outwithout facing a ball as thingswent from bad to worse for theWest Indies.

Then on West Indies gotsome rub of the green whenChase was dropped once againby Hasan at deep mid-wicketbefore Bangladesh missed astumping opportunity againstPooran.

The momentum slightlychanged in the West Indiesfavour as Chase and Pooranplundered 14 runs off the15th over.

Pooran continued theassault as he hammered ShakibAl Hasan for back-to-backsixes. 2Jason Holder toopitched in with an unbeatenfive-ball 15.

PTI n DUBAI

Skipper Mohammad Nabiand Gulbadin Naib’s unbeat-

en knocks in a splendid rear-guard action steeredAfghanistan to a competitive147 for six against Pakistan ina Super 12 Group 2 match ofthe T20 World Cup, here onFriday.

Afghanistan were gaspingat 76 for six in the 13th over asPakistan’s expansive attackdominated the proceedings butNabi (35) and Naib (35) seizedthe momentum with their big-hearted effort under pressureand prevented it from becom-ing a one-sided contest.

They added 71 runs in 7.1overs with 43 coming in the lastthree overs.

It all started when theycreamed 21 runs from the 17thover bowled by Hasan Ali.Together they hit 10 bound-aries.

However, initially ShaheenAfridi’s probing yorkers, HarisRauf ’s variation and the controlof Imad Wasim and Shadab

Khan tested the batters ofAfghanistan, who opted to bat.

Pacer Afiridi created pres-sure on Afghan batters straight-away with his toe-targetingfiery first over and left-armspinner Wasim followed thatup with another tight overupfront.

The dot-ball pressure gotthe better of Hazratullah Zazai(0), who went after Wasimand ended up giving a catch toHaris Rauf.

Mohammad Shahzad (8)lifted Afridi’s overpitched ballin the cover region to get thefirst boundary of the team butcould not clear the mid-on oneball later to start his walk backto the dug out.

Realising that it will be dif-ficult to score off Afridi, formerskipper Asghar Afghan (10)and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (10)targeted Wasim and collected17 runs from his next over,both hitting him for a six each.

However, Afghan’s stay wascut short by Rauf while Gurbazwas sent back by Hasan Ali.

Really important to have stable base on these wickets: Warner

O T H E R S P O R T S

Warner does a Ronaldo, jokinglyremoves coca cola bottlesPTI n DUBAI

Star Australian opener DavidWarner did a Cristiano

Ronaldo during the ongoingT20 World Cup here as heremoved Coca Cola bottlesplaced in front of him duringa press conference for a briefwhile.

Just before the start of thepress conference after he guid-ed Australia to a seven-wick-et win over Sri Lanka here on

Thursday, Warner grabbed thetwo soft drink bottles lying infront of him and said with asmile, “Can I remove these?Though I have to put it there.”

“If it’s good enough forCristiano, it’s good enoughfor me. That’s right,” he addedwhile putting the two bottlesback.

Ronaldo’s act of removingthe soft drink during aEuropean Championshipspress conference reportedly

cost the global beverage gianta whopping USD 4 billion.

The footage of Warnerremoving the bottles attractedconsiderable social mediaattention but any financialfallout is not known yet.

A well-known fitnessenthusiast, Ronaldo set asidetwo Coca-Cola glass bottleswhich lay in front of him dur-ing a press conference ahead ofPortugal’’s opening Euro matchagainst Hungary.

Milne hopeful of makinga difference for his teamagainst India

Sindhu enters quarterfinals Boxing World C’ships: Sanjeet, Akash Kumar Rohan Jaitley to retainDDCA presidency

AF SCORE 147 AGAINST PAKISTAN

WEST INDIES VIRTUALLY KNOCK OUT B’DESH BY 3 RUNS...Stay alive in World Cup

12

tollywoodVijayawada | Saturday October 30, 2021

SHIKHA DUGGAL

f you’ve seen the recentlyreleased Telugufilm Most EligibleBachelor starringPooja Hegde andAkhil Akkineni,you would havenoticed the very

charming KamakshiBhaskarla. Though a smallrole, Kamakshi, who is aformer doctor, was one ofthe catalysts in the Telugufilm’s plotline. Says Dr.Kamakshi, “Winning thetitle of Miss Telangana atfirst and representing thiscity at the same time, was aproud feeling. It was myparent’s desire that I pursuea medical profession andbecome a doctor. Butthroughout, I longed to bepart of the cinema industrysomeday.” Refuting thenotions of how a small-town girl cannot be a partof the entertainment frater-nity without any references,she went on to do somecredible roles in many ofthe famous blockbusterTelugu movies like Ma OoriPolimera, Rowdy Boys, andto her surprise, at themoment, she has manyOTT projects lined up.Qubool Hai on aha videoand an untitled projectcoming up on Disney+Hotstar are some ofthem.

The doctor-turned-actresssays she wasraised in avery hum-ble andconserv-ativemid-dle-

class home. Albeit being a‘well-settled woman’ in theeyes of society, she wantedto aim higher than whatsocietal norms dictated toher. “After finishing myMBBS in 2017, I started ona journey that would chal-lenge me and make me thewinner of the Femina MissIndia Telangana 2018 title,and one of the finalists atFemina Miss India 2018.My hard work, patience,and healthy respect towardsrisk were my biggest aids;now, I want to make mymark on the silver screen. IfI were to describe myself, Iwould say I’m someonewho shows perseverance inevery hardship. Many times,this was my only savinggrace in the stereotypicalenvironment I was raisedin. I identify as a secularhumanist. I strongly believein empowering othersbecause I think the ultimatemeasure of success will bethe ability to touch andtransform other people’slives. We rise by lifting oth-ers. Storytelling is one ofthe huge plat-forms toinfluencepeopleand

it’s one of the biggest rea-sons why I chose this field,”she adds.

When we asked abouther deep inclinationtowards Telugu cinema, shementions, “Initially, Ithought of exploring anysouth-Indian cinema, butlater I decided upon Teluguonly, since it is my mothertongue. I had no godfatherin this industry, so I startedwith my theatre course. Ihave recently done a trilin-gual movie namedPriyuralu and I really likedthe way how the directorturns any controversial top-ics into a quality narrative.In these waking times, it isso important to addresssocial themes through cine-ma. The interesting turn inthe movie was the story fol-lowing a young girl who, asa child is avictimof

an extramarital relationship,and unknowingly getsinvolved with a marriedma. The film is all abouther journey in finding asolution to the rut she findsherself in.”

The former MissTelangana firmly feels it isimportant to bring theemotions and desires ofwomen to the forefrontthrough cinema, to showthe double standards of thissociety. She also dreams ofbeing an accomplishedactor with a varied andwide spectrum of roles toher name. She alwaysadored yesteryear actressesSoundarya, Suhasini, andShobana and loved them forthe wider roles they por-trayed. All her work, fromthe beginning, has been toserve this dream of hers!Continuing further, shesays, “Whatever roles Ichoose, I'm least botheredabout the trolling that fol-lows. Most Eligible Bacheloropened my doors to bigproduction houses. It was a

part of good visibility forme as an actress, to

show my mettle.Even though I

wasn’t playingthe lead, Istillabsorbedthe char-acter well.

Peopledid

notice me. Still, I wantnobody to presume that Iam ‘only’ open to support-ing roles because I ammuch more than just a sup-porting actress in a big-ticket cinema.”

While filming all thesebig-budget movies, theactress further reveals oneof her fondest memoriesfrom the sets: “We wereshooting at midnight in theoutskirts of the city forRowdy Boys and it was bit-ing cold. I was supposed towear denim shorts, but thedirector was so consideratethat the moment I finishedmy shot, he would enurethat the gigantic lights wereswitched on so I would feelwarm. Instead of runningfor consecutive takes, SreeHarsha Konuganti prioritis-es an actor’s comfort.”

When Kamakshi stoodup for a cause, because ofwhich she was beaten up bysome miscreants in the city,she never knew she’d comethis long. The title-holderof a prestigious beautypageant had to be deter-mined this way and she fur-ther voices her opinion onhow a French beautypageant was sued by anactivist for discriminatorycriteria.

“It may sound hypocriti-cal, but when I won thepageant and finished mymodeling, it felt this isn’tmy cup of tea. This was themajor reason for me towithdraw my name fromTime’s Talent. Yes, there arecertain standards for abeauty pageant, however, Ifeel it should be focusedmore on the internal beautyof an individual. To see itspragmatic side, when therewas a time, women werenot even allowed to comeout of their homes andtoday are voicing theiropinions out from suchplatforms. It gives them anidentity.” All geared up forher role in Aha’s upcomingshow Qubool Hai, you willsee the actress performingall the action sequences onher own! “It is a story aboutchild marriages that are

happening in the oldcity of Hyderabad, I

will be playing therole of an inves-

tigative journal-ist who is on

a mission tostall these

mar-riages,”shesignsoff.

KAMAKSHI BHASKARLA'S

I

uperstarRajinikanth onFriday success-fully underwenta procedurecalled Carotid

ArteryRevascularisation, torestore blood sup-ply to the brainand he is recov-ering well, a hos-pital that is treat-ing him inChennai said.The actor is recov-ering well and islikely to be dischargedin a few days, said a topofficial of the KauveryHospital.

The top Tamilstar was admit-ted onOctober 28,“followingan episode ofgiddiness”.

“He wasthoroughlyevaluatedby theexpertpanel ofdoctors

and was advised to undergoCarotid ArteryRevascularisation,” said DrAravindan Selvaraj, co-founder and ExecutiveDirector, in a statement.

“The procedurewas performed

successfullytoday (October29) and he isrecoveringwell. He islikely to bedischargedfrom the hos-

pital after a few days,” DrSelvaraj added.

Rajinikanth, who wasawarded the DadasahebPhalke Award on Thursday,had tweeted that he hadwatched his yet-to-be-released movie 'Annatthe'with his grandson onWednesday.

Last year, Rajinikanthdecided against taking amuch-awaited politicalplunge citing his healthcondition.

At that time, Rajinikanthsaid the doctors had

advised him that fluctu-ating blood pressure

would affect histransplanted kid-

ney.

e know thatNandamuriBalakrishna is set tohost a talk show foran OTT platform,and fans have been

eagerly awaiting the show’spremeire. Titled Unstoppable,the talk show will premiere onNovember 4 on Aha Video.

While it was earlier reportedthat megastar Chiranjeevi andRam Charan would grace theshow for its maiden episode,the two have not shot for theshow yet.

Instead, Balakrishna willbegin the first episode withManchu Mohan Babu. Thesenior actor and his all family

members including ManchuVishnu have shot for the pro-gram. Balakrishna will extractsome unknown facets and factsfrom his guests.

As we know, Balakrishnalent his support to Vishnu inthe recently held MAA elec-tions, where Vishnu won as thepresident.

outh starSuriya, who isgearing upfor the releaseof his upcom-ing court-

room drama Jai Bhim,has been working foralmost 24 years, andsays he has seen hisshare of highs and lows.

The actor credits hisfans and audiencesfor standing by himand putting theirtrust in him.

While talk-ing abouthow JaiBhimwasoneofthe

most challenging filmsof his career, Suriya said,“It’s been close to 24years that I have beenworking in the industry.We have seen a lot ofhighs and lows, but myfans and movie lovershave always stood byme.”

He added: “They’vereally had a lot of

trust and theyhave put in a lotof belief in me.This trust that

they have placedupon me has built

a beautiful rela-tionship between me

and them.I only want to give

back this love by doinggood films.”

Adding further tothe experience ofworking in Jai Bhimand his role as advo-cate Chandru, Suriyaadded: “This film isnot in my comfort

zone. It does notfall into the lay-out or pattern or

sketch thatany of my

previous films were. Thewhole pattern, story-telling, or the actorsinvolved, the emotionsin it, will be a littleintense. It’s not justentertainment, but itwill definitely move andimpact you.”

“The recall factorafter watching this film,I’m sure, will be remem-bered for a long time. Itis definitely a hugeresponsibility but a goodone to take on. I justwant to deliver betterfilms for my audience.”

Jai Bhim is a thought-provoking story basedon true events that hap-pened in the 1990s inTamil Nadu. It is writtenand directed by Tha. Se.Gnanavel and featuresSuriya in the lead alongwith Prakash Raj, RaoRamesh, RajishaVijayan, Manikandan,and Lijo Mol Jose in piv-otal roles.

Jai Bhim has beenproduced by Jyotika andSuriya under the bannerof 2D Entertainment.

Co-produced byRajsekarKarpoorasundarapandian, it has music by SeanRolden.

Jai Bhim will be avail-able on Prime Video onNovember 2.

Suriya: Have seen a lot ofhighs and lows in my career

ne of Indian cine-ma’s most successfulfilmmakers — SSRajamouli and thecountry’s largest cin-ema exhibitor PVRhave entered into a

first of its kind association of alltime for the highly-anticipatedaction drama RRR featuringRam Charan, NTR Jr, AjayDevgn and Alia Bhatt, sched-uled to release on January 7,2022, world over.

For the first time in the histo-ry of world cinema, the largestmultiplex chain operator —PVR has decided to alter itsbrand identity and logo to themovie name RRR. Starting

today, PVR will now be referredto as ‘PVRRR’. Announcing thesame, filmmaker SS Rajamouliand Ajay Bijli – Chairman andManaging Director PVR Ltdhave unveiled the new ‘PVRRR’logo in front of the gatheredmedia and spoke about thisunique and never-heard-beforemovie association.

Post the logo unveil, the PVRteam launched the special‘PVRRR promo’ which will beplayed in all PVR multiplexchains across the country.Media personnel were taken infor a huge surprise, as they wit-nessed a special teaser of India’sbiggest action-drama ‘RRR’.Needless to say, the impressive

teaser was highly appreciated bythe media fraternity with whis-tles, cheer, and uproar.

Commenting on the initia-tive, Ajay Bijli, Chairman andManaging Director, PVR Ltd,said, “‘RRR is one of the biggest,most expensive, and greatlyanticipated movies of 2022. Weare proud to be associated withthis larger-than-life spectacle,

helmed by SS Rajamouli andconsidered to be yet anothergame-changer in the moviebusiness. I am sure this initia-tive will be able to generategood buzz for RRR and buildhuge anticipation among themovie buffs.”

Echoing the same sentiment,Mr. SS Rajamouli added, “I amreally happy that theatres are

reopening, as I believe themagic of cinema is trulyenjoyed in theatres. We arehappy that RRR will be releas-ing in cinemas in January nextyear and to announce the samewhat better way to associatewith PVR which is nowPVRRR.” Set in pre-indepen-dence India, the film is a fic-tional take on the younger daysof celebrated freedom fighters,Komaram Bheem and AlluriSeetharamaraju. The biggestmulti-starrer of India features,Ram Charan, NTR Jr alongwith Ajay Devgn, and AliaBhatt. The project is helmed bySS Rajamouli, who was also themastermind behind the record-breaking Baahubali series.

PEN Studios bagged the the-atrical distribution rights acrossNorth India and has alsobought worldwide electronicrights for all languages.

S

Mohan Babu, Vishnu firstguests on Balakrishna's show

Rajini undergoes surgery,to be discharged soon

SW

O

PVR is now PVRRR!

HER BRAINBEAUTY DEFINED BY