Published From VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARHBHUBANESWARRANCHI DEHRADUNHYDERABAD VISAKHAPATNAM

*Late City Vol. 2 Issue 331*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864 RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

www.dailypioneer.com

SPECIAL 7DEAR

DOCTOR

NATION 5‘FORCES IN J&K HAVE MANAGED TO

STOP INFILTRATION TO LARGE EXTENT’

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

VIJAYAWADA, SUNDAY OCTOBER 11, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

MONEY 6INDIA'S DIGITAL FOOTPRINT BIGGEST

STRENGTH FOR AI DEVELOPMENT: KANT

VIJAYAWADAWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated october 10, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Ashwin (Adhik) & Shukla Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Navami: 05:52 pm

Nakshatram: Pushya: 01:18 am

(Next Day)

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 04:25 pm – 05:53 pm

Yamagandam: 12:02 pm – 01:30 pm

Varjyam: 09:18 am – 10:54 am

Gulika: 02:58 pm - 04:25 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 06:54 pm – 08:30 pm

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:39 am – 12:25 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: ThunderstormTemp: 28/24Humidity: 80%Sunrise: 06.08 amSunset: 05.08 pm

OBTUSE ANGLE

More loan moratorium relief would bedetrimental, Centre tells Supreme CourtPTI n NEW DELHI

The Centre has told theSupreme Court that going anyfurther than the fiscal policydecisions already taken, such aswaiver of compound interestcharged on loans of up to Rs 2crore for six months morato-rium period, may be "detri-mental" to the overall eco-nomic scenario, the nationaleconomy and banks may nottake "inevitable financial con-straints".

The Union Finance Min-istry, through its additional sec-retary Pankaj Jain, filed the affi-davit in compliance of the topcourt's October 5 order askingit to place on record the K VKamath Committee recom-mendations on debt restruc-turing in view of Covid-19related stress on various sectorsas well as the notificationsand circulars issued so far onthe loan moratorium and

financial difficulties.Prior to this, the Centre

had told the top court that ithas decided to waive com-pound interest (interest oninterest) charged on loans of upto Rs 2 crore for a six-monthmoratorium period announceddue to the pandemic fromindividual borrowers in eightcategories - MSME, Educationloan, Housing Loan, consumerdurable loan, credit card dues,auto loan, personal loans toprofessionals and consump-tion loans.

The court, on October 5,had observed that the Centre'saffidavit did not contain nec-essary details and had askedthe Centre and the RBI to filefresh ones in the case.

In the fresh affidavit, theCentre referred to its variousfiscal policy decisions and theReserve Bank of India andexpressed inability in expand-ing the scope of reliefs alreadyprovided to different sectors.

"It is... submitted that whiletaking... decision and to sup-plement the earlier fiscal pol-

icy decisions under the 'GaribKalyan' and 'Aatma Nirbhar'packages entailing substantialfinancial burden, the respon-dent government has ratio-nalised the fiscal impact of thesame, and that going any fur-ther than what has been decid-ed and submitted to the hon'blecourt may be detrimental tothe overall economic scenario,and the national economy orthe banking sector may not beable to take the inevitablefinancial constraints resultingtherefrom."

The official said the Centre'sdecision with regard to thequestion of waiver of intereston interest to bear the burdenof compounding of interest inrespect of certain categories ofloans was taken in the largerpublic interest only in the spe-cific context of the pandemic,which is, by itself, an unprece-dented situation.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Education Minister Adim-ulapu Suresh on Saturdayreleased the EAMCET-2020results by announcing thenames of the top 10 rankersof both the engineering andagriculture stream.

The results can be accessedonline at sche.ap.gov.in.

Ironically, five of the top 10ranks in the engineeringstream were secured by can-didates from Telangana state.V Sainath from Visakhapat-nam secured first rank,Kumar Satyam from RangaReddy district bagged thesecond rank, G BhuvanReddy from YSR Kadapa dis-trict third, M Likhith Reddyfrom Ranga Reddy district TSfourth and C Koushal KumarReddy from Hyderabadsecured the fifth rank.

The sixth rank was securedby K Venkata Datta SaiHarsha from East Godavari,seventh and eighth ranks bySai Teja Varanasi and HardikRajpal from Ranga Reddydistrict respectively, ninth byK Krishna Sai from Srika-kulam and 10th by L Jitendrafrom Vizianagaram district.

In the agriculture andmedical stream G ChaitanyaSindhu and T Lakshmi SaiMaruthi bagged the top tworanks, followed by V ManojKumar from Chittoor, DVishnu Sai from Nellore andA Shubhang from RangaReddy district.

The sixth rank was securedby S Havish Reddy fromMedchal, followed by YLikitha from YSR Kadapadistrict, J Venkata Vinay fromKadapa, S Satyanarayanafrom Kurnool and M Rev-anth from Guntur district.

Scientist from AP goes missing PNS n BENGALURU

A 26-year-old scientist work-ing at the Bhabha AtomicResearch Centre has gonemissing for the past four daysfrom Yelwal in Mysuru.

According to his familysources, Abhishek Reddy Gullawent out on October 6 after-noon on his two-wheeler anddid not return to his roomsince then.

A native of Madanapalle inChittoor district of AndhraPradesh, Abhishek ReddyGulla had joined the BARC inMysuru about a year ago,fam-ily members told PTI.

The Administrative Officer-3 of BARC, Mysuru, T K Bose

had lodged a complaint withYelwal police on Thursday,based on which a case of miss-ing person was registered,police said.

In his complaint, Bose saidGulla, who was working asScientific Officer, has beenabsent from duty sinceSeptember 17. Police suspectthat the officer was allegedly

suffering from depression forquite some time.

On October 5, the officecontacted Gulla over thephone, and he told his superi-or that he would be joining theoffice on October 6 but he didnot turn up, Bose said.

Later the scientific officer'sneighbour, who is also anemployee of BARC, said hishouse was found unlockedand his two-wheeler also wasnot seen, Bose said in hiscomplaint and requested thepolice to trace him.

Alarmed by the sudden dis-appearance, the scientific offi-cer's friends started a socialmedia campaign on Saturdayto find him.

Jagan has left1 lakh workersjobless: NaiduPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Claiming that some of the ill-planned decisions taken bythe YSRCP Government hasleft over one lakh construc-tion workers without work inthe state, TDP supremo NChandrababu Naidu onSaturday said that troubles ofthe common man in AP weremultiplying by the day.

“The YSRCP regime's fail-ures and wrongdoings havebeen thoroughly exposed bythe Coronavirus relief mea-sures and also floods,” he said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Jana Sena president PawanKalyan on Saturday demand-ed that the Jagananna VidyaKanuka, launched on October8 by Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy withmuch fanfare, be called Modi-Jagananna Kanuka.

In a tweet on his official

Twitter account, PawanKalyan said that 60 percent ofthe scheme is being funded bythe Centre, while the govern-ment of Andhra Pradesh pro-vides only 40 percent of thefunds.

Earlier, the TDP describedthe scheme as the old wine ina new bottle. The BJP was alsocritical of the scheme.

A SHATTERED FAMILY'S CRY

Isn't there any space for personal dignity? n HC urged to stop release of RGV s 'Disha Encounter’

"Isn't there any space for per-sonal dignity?" This was thepoignant heart-felt cry of thefather of the veterinarianDisha, who was gang-rapedand murdered near Shadnagaron November 28, 2019, whenthe Telangana High Court dis-posed of a plea filed by himurging the court to stop therelease of a movie purported-

ly being made on her by film-maker Ram Gopal Varma, say-ing it is 'premature'.

Varma has already releasedthe trailer of the movie onsocial media platforms. Earlythis year, Varma hadannounced his decision tomake a film on the incident.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In a throwback to the sen-sational January 2018 pressconference addressed by foursenior judges of the SupremeCourt over allocation of casesby then Chief Justice of IndiaDipak Mishra, which hadraised serious constitutionalissues and the propriety ofmedia being the forum fordiscussing judicial matters, theAndhra Pradesh governmenton Saturday launched a no-holds-barred attack on theState High Court, a sittingjudge of the Supreme Court(and his kin) as well as Leaderof the Opposition in the StateN Chandrababu Naidu, whileimputing motives to the roster

of cases and interference fromthe apex court judge.

Claiming to “expose theshady side of the judiciary inmore ways than one in therecent past,” Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy wrote aletter, dated October 6, to ChiefJustice of India SA Bobde,accusing the AP High Court ofgoing way beyond its constitu-tional mandate to directly orindirectly cater to the interestsof former CM Naidu and theTDP.

Detailing elaborately thedecisions taken by the HCsince he came to power, Jaganclaimed that the examples'proved' that the judiciary in thestate was biased against hisregime. “It’s important to note

that one of the biased judges ofthe esteemed HC also went tothe extent of deliberately hid-ing details which amount to'conflict of interest' when asked

to preside over a case,” Jaganmentioned in the letter.

In his explosive letter to theCJI, Jagan recounted that afterhe assumed charge as CM, his

government began an inquiryinto the actions of the Naiduregime between 2014-2019.

Name Vidya Kanukaafter Modi, says Pawan

Five from TS among top 10engineering rankers in AP

TOPPERS ALL, THEY WISH TO SERVE C PRADEEP KUMARn VIJAYAWADA

As if in once voice, allthe EAMCET top rankersthat The Pioneer spoke tosaid that the ultimate goalwas to service the societyby obtaining higher edu-cation. While engineeringtop ranker V Sainath dis-closed that he would pur-sue Computer ScienceEngineering from IIT-Bombay, Gutti ChaitanyaSindhu, who topped theagriculture and medicalstream wants to clearNEET and go on tobecome a gynaecologist.

Sindhu said that shewas very confident about

the NEET and expected715 out of 720 marks, asper the NEET key. Shealso expected to be amongthe top ten rankers at theAll India level in NEETexam.

“I want to pursue MBBSin AIIMS, Delhi andbecome a gynaecologist,”she said.

Sindhu hails from adoctor family from Tenalitown in Guntur district— she is the granddaugh-ter of famous surgeon DrG Subrahmanyam, anddaughter of G KoteswaraRao, ENT surgeon and DrG Sudhar Rani, a gynae-cologist.

G CChaitanya SSindhu

V SSainath Kumar SSatyam

T LLakshmi SSai MMaruthi

Software giant Microsoft will let employees work from homepermanently if they choose to, US media reported on Friday, becoming

the latest employer to expand work-from-home provisions prompted bythe COVID-19 pandemic. US tech news website The Verge said mostMicrosoft employees are still at home as the health crisis drags on, andthe company doesn't expect to reopen its US offices until January of nextyear at the earliest. But when it does, workers can chose to work fromhome permanently with their manager'sapproval, although they will have to give uptheir office space. The Verge reported someemployees won't be eligible for remote-workarrangements, such as those who work inMicrosoft's labs or train other employees.

MICROSOFT TO LET SOME STAFFWORK FROM HOME PERMANENTLY

10 PRIESTS AT PADMANABHASWAMYTEMPLE INFECTED, NO ‘DARSHAN'

The government on Saturday said it will initiate steps to facilitate renewalof International Driving Permit (IDP) for citizens whose IDP has expired

while they are abroad. A draft notification has been issued by the Ministryof Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in this regard."The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notifica-tion...seeking comments and suggestions for amendment to CentralMotor Vehicles Rules, 1989 for facilitating the issuance of InternationalDriving Permit (IDP) for citizens whose IDP has expired while they areabroad," MoRTH said in a statement. It said thatit has come to its notice that in certain cases forthe citizens who are travelling abroad and in aforeign country, the IDP gets expired and there isno mechanism for its renewal while abroad.

Faced with criticism of governments' inability to prevent crimes againstwomen - which has come into sharp focus following the alleged gang

rape and torture of a 20-year-old Dalit woman in UP's Hathras last month- the centre has reminded state and UT governments of existing laws for"mandatory action by police in cases of crimes against women". In anadvisory issued Saturday the Home Ministry highlighted three sections ofthe Code of Criminal Procedure that deal with "compulsory registration ofFIR", completion of investigation (in relation torape) within 60 days and a mandatory medicalexamination, to be conducted with theindividual's consent, by a qualified medicalprofessional within 24 hours of receipt ofinformation of such a crime.

The famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala'sThiruvananthapuram has been temporarily closed for devotees till

October 15 as 12 staff members, including 10 priests, have testedpositive for coronavirus. "Daily pujas will be done by the 'tantri', but no'darshan' will be allowed," Padmanabhaswamy Temple's ExecutiveOfficer Ratheeshan IAS said, adding that the 'tantri' usually heads onlyspecial ceremonies, but he will fill in now because both the chief priestshave COVID-19. "The decision was takenafter two chief priests, eight sub-priestsand two guards at the Padmanabhaswamytemple tested positive for coronavirus.They all were asymptomatic", Ratheeshanadded.

INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCERENEWAL MADE EASY

CENTRE'S SOP REMINDER TO ALL STATES FOR RAPE CASES

AP Govt launches no-holds-barred attack on HCHC functioning against publicinterest, alleges Ajeya Kallam Vijayawada: Advisor to APGovernment Ajeya Kallam onSaturday alleged that the StateHigh Court, instead of actingimpartially, has been functioningagainst public interest. Kallam told reporters late onSaturday that the purpose ofaddressing the media was toreveal some information for thebenefit of public and to put fullstop to news being dished outon various TV news channels onthe Amaravati land scam. He cited the stay granted byJustice Somayajulu onAmaravati land scam and the

gag order in the case involving aformer advocate-general tojustify his comments against theHigh Court.The state government is of theview that a sitting judge of theSupreme Court (Kallam namedthe judge, but The Pioneer is notnaming him due to the gag orderbeing in force) is intervening inthese cases, he explained. Kalam revealed that the StateGovernment has lodged acomplaint regarding the recentorders by the High Court and allevidence has been submitted tothe CJI on October 8.2

2

2

2

22

Rahul attacksCentre over non-bullet proofvehicles for soldiers

5

Friends in Delhi, foes in AP

2

12

AN INSPIRATION

IN EVERY SENSE

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, Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

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.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020 vijayawada 02

EGG

RATES

` 53, 240 (10 gm)

` 3340

GOLD

` 62,900(1kg)

` 11700

VIJAYAWADA 529

HYDERABAD 515

VISAKHAPATNAM 522

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `55..2299

SILVER

VIJAYAWADA

BULLION RATES

`//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `215

Without Skin `244

Broiler at Farm `148

`//KKGG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

Blessed to get an opportunity to renderservice at TTD, says Jawahar ReddyPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The new Executive Officer ofTTD Dr KS Jawahar Reddyexpressed that he is blessed toget an opportunity to renderservices in the coveted post inthe divine abode of LordVenkateswara.

Speaking to media onSaturday Dr KS Jawahar Reddysaid he had completed hisstudies in Veterinary Sciencesat Tirupati. It's his long timewish to serve in the abode ofSri Venkateswara Swamy as hisardent devotee.

Earlier he climbed Tirumalatrekking the Alipiri footpath inthe morning. Following thetemple tradition, Dr Reddyhad darshan of Varahaswamyand later entered Srivari tem-ple through the Vaikuntamqueue complex.

The Additional EO AVDharma Reddy who held Full

Additional Charge as EO hand-ed over the charges to Dr KSJawahar Reddy atRanganayakula Mandapam.Later Dr Reddy also took oathas the Member Secretary ofTTD Trust Board.

Thereafter the new TTDEO along with family membershad Srivari darshan. Later theVedic Pundits renderedVedasirvachanam to the EO.He was presented TheerthaPrasadam and portrait of Lord

Venkateswara by AdditionalEO AV Dharma Reddy.

TTD JEO P Basant Kumar,JEO (Education and Health)Sada Bhargavi, CVSOGopinath Jatti, TTD boardmembers Siva Kumar,

Additional CVSO Siva kumarReddy, DyEO of Srivari templeHarindranarh, DyEO R-1Balaji, VGO Sri Manohar andothers were present.

Later the new ExecutiveOfficer Dr KS Jawahar Reddy,had darshan of Goddess SriPadmavathi Devi in the templeof Tiruchanoor on Saturdayevening. He was given a tradi-tional welcome on his arrival atthe entrance of the temple.After darshan of the presidingdeity, he was offeredprasadams.

Goldern Sathari donatedTTD Trust Board member

Krishnamurthy Vaidyanathandonated Rs.35.89lakh worthgolden Sathari to LordVenkateswara in Tirumalatemple on Saturday.

He has handed over thisSathari to Additional EO AVDharma Reddy in Srivari tem-ple.

India’s active Covid-19 cases below 9 lakhPTI n NEW DELHI

India's active Covid-19cases remained below thenine-lakh mark for a secondconsecutive day and nowconstitute merely 12.65 per-cent of the total caseload,the Union Health Ministrysaid Saturday.

The total Covid-19 recov-eries have gone nearly up 60lakh (59,88,822) now, fur-ther increasing the differ-ence with respect to theactive cases, it highlighted.

“There are 8,83,185 activecases of Covid-19 whichconstitute merely 12.65 per-cent of the total cases of thecountry. These are nearly1/8th of the total cases inthe country," the ministryunderlined.

"For the second day after

the active cases droppedbelow the 9 lakh mark aftera month, the progressivedecline continues," it said.

The national Covid-19recovery rate has progressedto 85.81 percent, it said.

A total of 82,753 patientshave recovered and dis-charged in a span of 24hours, whereas 73,272 freshinfections have been report-

ed during the period,according to the data updat-ed at 8 am Saturday.

As many as 18 states andUnion Territories haverecorded recovery ratesmore than the nationalaverage, the ministry said.

"This is the result of a col-laborative action by statesand UTs under the Centre'sstrategy of comprehensive

testing, tracking, quick hos-pitalisation and adherenceto the standard treatmentprotocol," the ministry said.

As much as 76 percent ofthe new recovered casesare observed to be concen-trated in 10 states and UTs— Maharashtra, Karnataka,Kerala, Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh,Odisha, Delhi, West Bengaland Chhattisgarh, the min-istry stated.

Maharashtra continuesto contribute the maximumwith more than 17,000 sin-gle-day recoveries.

The ministry said that 79percent of the 73,272 freshinfections registered in aspan of 24 hours are from10 states and UTs —Maharashtra, Karnataka,Kerala, Tamil Nadu,

Andhra Pradesh, WestBengal, Uttar Pradesh,Chhattisgarh, Delhi andOdisha.

Maharashtra is stillreporting a very high num-ber of new cases with morethan 12,000 infections, fol-lowed by Karnataka withnearly 11,000 cases.

Also, 926 fresh fatalitieshave been reported in aspan of 24 hours. Of these,nearly 82 percent are con-centrated in 10 states andUTs — Maharashtra,Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh,Delhi, Chhattisgarh, PunjabAndhra Pradesh andMadhya Pradesh.

More than 32 percent ofnew fatalities reported arefrom Maharashtra (302deaths).

Covid cases cross7.5 lakh in AP PNS n AMARAVATI

Confirmed cases of coron-avirus crossed the 7.50 lakhmark in Andhra Pradesh as5,653 infections wereadded afresh onSaturday.

The latestbulletin said6,659 patientsgot cured in24 hours end-ing 9 AM onSaturday andanother 35 suc-cumbed.

AP's Covid-19table now showed7,50,517 total positives,6,97,699 recoveries and 6,194deaths so far.

The number of active casesstood at 46,624, according tothe latest government bul-letin said.

In 24 hours, West Godavari

district added the highestnumber of 823 new Covid-19cases in the state, while EastGodavari and Chittoor report-

ed 706 each.Kurnool districtcontinued to

report the low-est numberof 119 newc a s e s .Prakasamdistrict sawsix freshfatalities and

C h i t t o o r ,five. East

Godavari andKrishna reported

four more Covid-19deaths each.

After 64.94 lakh sampletests, at the rate of 1,21,612 permillion population, the over-all infection positivity rate inthe state stood at 11.56 per-cent.

More loan moratorium relief...Continued from Page 1

Such fiscal policy decisionsare taken after an elaborateexercise of gathering of facts,careful assessment of thesefacts and considering variousalternatives, keeping in mindthe economic impact on finan-cial strength of stakeholdersand all other relevant factors,more particularly during the

pandemic when the global fis-cal scenario is equally badand the fact that it is uncertainas to till what date the presentglobal and national economicstress will continue, the affi-davit said. The Centre said thatthe recommendations of theKamath Committee have beenbroadly accepted by the RBIand the panel found "variableimpact of the pandemic across

several sectors, with varyingdegrees of severity and varyingnature of problems".

"A perusal of the entirereport would show that it isneither possible nor desirableto arrive at any one particularformula, whether sector-spe-cific or otherwise, to deal withthe stress situation arisingfrom the unprecedented pan-demic," it said.

Toppers all, they wish...Continued from Page 1

Dr Koteshwara Rao expressedhis joy over his daughter secur-ing the state first rank in EAM-CET. He said that since child-hood, Sindhu was an outstand-ing student.

She pursued her schooling atDr KKR Goutham school andlater her intermediate from SriChaitanya institutions. Hethanked the faculty and manage-ment of the institutions forgrooming Sindhu to secure toprank in the state. Agriculture andmedical stream second ranker TLakshmi Sai Maruthi tooexpressed her joy. She said thatthe faculty at the Narayana insti-tutions motivated and encour-aged her to overcome the psy-chological setback due to repeat-ed postponement of EAMCET.She dedicated her performanceto the institution. Lakshmi Saisaid that there was tremendoussupport from her parents whoprovided her a good environ-ment to prepare for the exami-nation during the lockdown. Shesaid that the institution hasorganised about 200 mock testsduring the lockdown. Lakshmi

Sai said that she was confident ofperforming well in the NEETand getting a seat in AIIMS,Delhi from where she wanted tobecome a Neurologist to servethe people especially the poor.

EAMCET engineering firstrank holder V Sainath creditedthe Sri Chaitanya for takingsuch good care of its students. Hesaid that the institute had con-ducted mock examinationsonline every week during thelockdown period till the exam-ination date.

He said that he wished to pur-sue Computer Science engi-neering from IIT-Bombay.When asked about his futurecareer plans he said that he hasnot decided yet. He said that forhis studies his family has relocat-ed from Srikakulam to Vizag andthere was immense supportfrom his parents and a healthyatmosphere at home for prepa-ration and studies. KumarSatyam too expressed his delighton securing second rank. He saidthat he is the son of a teacherfrom Bihar. After completing theClass X in Bihar, he joinedNarayana Institute in Hyderabadto pursue intermediate.

Five from TS among top 10engineering rankers in AP Continued from Page 1

In all, 1,85,936 candidates hadapplied for the AP EAMCET2020 (Engineering) that wasconducted on September 17, 18,21, 22, 23 and October 7. Of this,1,56,953 did write the paper and1,33,066 were deemed qualifiedat the rate of 84.41 percent. In theagriculture and medical stream87,652 candidates applied for theentrance exam conducted onSeptember 23, 24 and October25. Of this, 75,858 wrote the test

and 69,616 candidates weredeemed qualified (86.54 percent).The ranks were determined bygiving weightage of 75 percent onthe basis of EAMCET marks and25 percent on the basis ofIntermediate examination marks.In the engineering stream, atotal of 94,558 boys attended and79,030 qualified while a total of62,395 girls attended and 54,036qualified. In the agriculture andmedical stream, a total of 24,635boys attended, of whom 22,420qualified, while a total of 51,223

girls attended, of whom 47,196qualified. Minister Suresh con-gratulated Kakinada JNTU offi-cials for successfully organisingthe exam despite a pandemic rag-ing.

AP Higher EducationRegulation and MonitoringCommission, Justice V Isvarayya,APSCHE chairman Professor KHemachandra Reddy, highereducation, special chief secretarySatish Chandra, Commissioner,APSCHE vice chairmen andother officials were present.

Continued from Page 1

However, it was clear that,after the inquiry began, "a sittingjudge of the Supreme Courtstarted influencing the course ofadministration of justice in theState through the Chief Justiceof the AP High Court". This'influence', Jagan wrote, extend-ed over the roster for sitting ofthe judges and consequentlymade a difference in the trial ofcases against Naidu.

Jagan also complained in hisletter that “the threshold ofaccepting PILs ‘lowered’, andthere were specific instances ofcourt orders protecting TDP

interests. This amounted to the HC

granting immediate stay on anyFIRs lodged for investigation ofthe alleged Amaravati landscam, Jagan claimed. He namedcertain judges, one of whom, hesaid, ordered the shifting of TDPleader K Atchannaidu to a hos-pital within a week of his beinglodged in jail and then grantinghim bail in the ESI scam.

Jagan also cited the stay on theprocess of demolition of hous-es, though they are visibly and

demonstrably within the conser-vation zone, and the houses hav-ing been constructed withinthe Full Tank Level.

Another judge, Jagan wrote,is placed strategically in thejurisdiction of quash petitionhearings in criminal matters andalso WPs. He said that the con-duct of this Judge, in coming tothe aid of accused persons, sole-ly on account of considerationsof TDP affiliation, was question-able since it was he who hadgranted stay on proceedings in

the case in which 10 persons hadlost their lives. The same judgehad stayed the probe against anAssistant Secretary to the StateElection Commission, withoutassigning any reasons whatsoev-er, the Chief Minister’s letter tothe CJI said.

The letter also accused anoth-er judge of being very causticagainst government advocatesand claimed that he is trusted bythe Supreme Court judge. ThisHC judge, the Chief Ministerwrote, had granted stay on an

investigation into a crime regis-tered against a former advocate-general and 'a close confidante'of the Supreme Court Judge, onthe ground that the moneyinvolved in the transaction hadbeen repaid by the accused.

Another Judge, the ChiefMinister alleged, conducted actsof impropriety, because of hislack of ethical standards. Thisparticular judge did not mentionthat he had in the past renderedlegal services to an engineeringcompany and when a case cameup in his court, the judge did notrecuse himself.

Besides these specific charges,the Chief Minister claimed ani-

mosity of the High Courttowards his government andhimself. This, he suggested, wasproved by their accepting PILson 'frivolous' grounds like tap-ping of phones, prompted bysome media houses favourabledisposed towards TDP andNaidu.

Likewise, orders on otherPILs pertaining to arrest ofNaidu, alleging violation ofCovid-19 guidelines by MLAsbelonging to YSRCP, seekinginquiry into the Covid manage-ment procedures and otherswent against his Government,Jagan wrote in his letter to theCJI.

Jagan has left1 lakh workersjobless: NaiduContinued from Page 1

“No relief was provided tothe victims,” the former chiefminister alleged.

Addressing people's repre-sentatives and mandalincharges of Vizianagaram LokSabha constituency via video-conference, Naidu deploredthat in the past six months, con-struction workers have beenthrown onto the streets with nolivelihood and no help from theruling party. “Even the Covid-affected families are beingexploited and squeezed of theirmoney,” the TDP chief said.

He said that in the past, therulers used to compete in bring-ing development but now theYSRCP leaders were competingto harass and torture the peo-ple. “Only leaders of the YSRCPare capable of destroying devel-opment already achieved byprevious regimes,” Naidu said.

Isn't there any...Continued from Page 1

He apparently saw in the sad turn ofevents following the incident rich poten-tial for an intensely dramatic cinematicaccount of the entire happenings throughhis film titled 'Disha Encounter'. For, fol-lowing the rape-murder, the city police,facing public outrage, acted super fast,resulting in the deaths of the four accusedin an 'encounter' while they were help-ing the police in 'reconstructing the crime'.The 'dutiful' cops involved in the'encounter' (actuated by public demand)were accorded nothing short of civic wel-come, with huge mounds of petals beingshowered on them for their 'instant' jus-tice, amidst the heartburn of human rightsactivists and opponents of extra-judicialkillings. The SIT formed by the statepolice and the SC-appointed three-member panel made little headway inprobing these cases.

Disha's father has claimed in his pleathat Varma has made the movie without

seeking their consent. He said the film-maker is denting the honour of the fam-ily to make money and urged the govern-ment and also Varma to remove the trail-er from YouTube immediately.

The trailer has attracted 2.9 millionviews since its launch two weeks ago.According to the promo, the movie willbe released on November 26. The HCwhile disposing of the petition on Friday,said the petitioner needs to utilise theavailable remedies before him against theproducer. The court felt it cannot give anydirection even before the movie makersapproach the Censor Board for certifica-tion of the film. When contacted MAKMukheed, advocate for the petitioner, saidthey will be approaching the SupremeCourt and also file a suit in a Civil Courthere.

The petitioner named the Telanganagovernment, Cyberabad PoliceCommissioner, and Station House Officerof Shadnagar, CBFC, RGV Film Factoryand Ram Gopal Varma as respondents.

AP Govt launches no-holds...

The flowering courtshipbetween the YSRCongress and the BJP

has yielded the first dividendto the ruling party in Andhra.Its rebel MP K. RaghuramaKrishnam Raju has beenshown his place by ramping upthe pace of CBI's investigationsinto the Rs. 826 crore loanfraud case, and filing of an FIRon October 6.

The Narsapur MP hadbecome a thorn in ChiefMinister Y. S. Jagan MohanReddy's flesh by publiclyattacking his government overthe alleged desecration ofmany Hindu temples.Apparently, these complaintscut no ice with the saffronparty.

Now it would seem natural

if Jagan fast-tracks criminalcases against Telugu DesamParty leaders for their actionswhen N. Chandrababu Naiduwas the Chief Minister during2014-19. He has already wield-ed the axe against party'sdeputy leader in the AssemblyK. Atchan Naidu and threwhim behind bars on charges offavouring a private firm in amulti-crore ESI contract. Thenoose is tightening aroundother TDP leaders who hadpurchased lands in and aroundthe Amaravati Capital RegionDevelopment Authority forindulging in what Jagan haschristened as 'insider trading'.All these are a precursor to getat Naidu. Naidu's family con-cern Heritage Foods has beenin YSRC government's crosshairs for purchasing 14.22acres of land in Kantheru vil-

lage and re-designing theInner Ring Road to run along-side the plant. Jagan has tact-fully decided to hand over the`insider trading' case to theCBI. A case against Naidu ofillegally acquiring assets, filedby YSRCP leader LakshmiParvathi, is pending before theSpecial ACB Court. Jagan hasbeen emboldened to pursuethese cases as he enjoys theBJP's backing and shares the

common goal of punishingNaidu. Moreover, he is con-vinced that he spent 19months in jail because thecases against him were filed byNaidu's proxies.

At the core of this friendshipis also the BJP's anxiety tomake up for the exit of its twooldest allies - Shiv Sena andAkali Dal - and uncertainty ofits ties with the Lok JanshaktiParty after the death of Ram

Vilas Paswan. Also, it is pay-back time since Jagan has lentsupport whenever the BJP fellshort of numbers in the RajyaSabha.

Jagan's requirements are farmore urgent and not merely

political. They are personal tooafter the Supreme Courtordered fast-tracking of crim-inal cases filed against MPsand MLAs. Thirty one crimi-nal cases are pending againsthim. Filed by the CBI and theEnforcement Directorate, theycover a range of charges fromcriminal conspiracy, corrup-tion, criminal breach of trust,quid pro quo investment dealsto money laundering.

It would spell disaster for theruling party and for Jaganhimself if the courts deliveredadverse judgements. A similarfate would await his adversary,Chandrababu Naidu, if thecharges against him areproved. With the SupremeCourt putting its foot downagainst dragging on such cases,delivery of justice may beinstant.

Against this backdrop,Jagan's meeting with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi lastweek in the wake of two back-to-back meetings with HomeMinister Amit Shah onSeptember 23 and 24 werepolitically significant. Thesemeetings touched off specula-tion that (a) YSRC may jointhe NDA government (b)Jagan had urged BJP bosses torescue him from ED and CBIcases and (c) he had updatedthem about the 'insider trad-ing scam' of TDP leaders.Lastly, what raised eyebrowswere reports that he had com-plained to Modi about the dif-ficulties being caused by thejudiciary's interference even inadministrative matters.

Modi's response to the ideaof YSR Congress joining thecabinet can only be a matter of

conjecture until it translatesinto action. Logic dictates thatsince the NDA governmenthas only one non-BJP Minister- RPI's Ramdas Athawale -Modi would like to make itbroad-based. But, that wouldmean conceding the opposi-tion space in Andhra com-pletely to Chandrababu Naidu.

Jagan too cannot justifyjoining the Cabinet withoutwresting the Special CategoryStatus -- a promise he madebefore the elections and anissue over which he successful-ly goaded the TDP to get outof the NDA earlier. The twoparties ruling at the Centre andin Andhra must sort out theseout before entering into anyalliance.

Being friends in Delhi andfoes in Amaravati would looklike a sham. It would amountto pulling the wool over peo-ple's eyes unless the relation-ship is solemnised by YSRCbecoming a full-fledged NDApartner.

S NAGESH KUMARFormer Resident Editor,

The Hindu

The Narsapur MP had become a thorn in

Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's

flesh by publicly attacking his government

over the alleged desecration of many Hindu

temples. Apparently, these complaints cut

no ice with the saffron party

‘ALL ANDSUNDRY’ FRIENDS IN DELHI, FOES IN AP

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP official spokespersonPanchumarthy Anuradha onSaturday slammed the YSRCPleaders for 'forcing' volunteersand lower level staff to collectbribes from the poor beneficia-ries of all the governmentschemes in the State. She saidthat the volunteers have liter-ally turned into 'Vasool Rajas'(bribe collection agents), whoare squeezing money from theinnocent public for every ser-vice. They are collecting Rs5,000 for issuing a birth certifi-cate.

Addressing a press confer-ence here on Saturday, theTDP spokesperson said thatthe BC and Kapu women werebeing asked to pay a minimumof Rs 10,000 bribe during ver-

ification. "Their verificationwill be cleared only when thelocal YSRCP leaders give clear-ance. Volunteers were collect-ing an advance amount of

three months to sanction pen-sions to the beneficiaries underthe government schemes. Thistriggered much heartburn inKonaseema in East Godavari

district," she alleged. Anuradhadeplored that each DWCRAgroup was being forced toshell Rs 2,000 each as bribetowards sanctioning theirfunds. The DWCRA anima-tors, who supervise 40 to 50groups each, were under pres-sure from the YSRCP leadersto collect these bribes.

Anuradha accused theYSRCP leaders of looting andplundering public money bycommitting scams in everyscheme meant for the back-ward classes and weaker sec-tions. "Matsyakara Bharosawas launched on a grand scalebut eventually the YSRCP lead-ers were given rights on reser-voirs through auctions. Evenbenefits to tailors were beingpocketed by the YSRCP lead-ers," she lamented.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020 vijayawada 03

TTD Trust Board member Krishnamurthy Vaidyanathan donates Rs 35.89 lakh worth golden Sathari to Lord Venkateswara. Hehanded over the Sathari to Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy in Tirumala temple on Saturday

GOLDEN SSATHARI DDONATED

TDP BRANDS VOLUNTEERS AS ‘COLLECTION AGENTS'

n Anuradha accusedthe YSRCP leaders of

looting andplundering public

money by committingscams in every

scheme meant forthe backward classesand weaker sections

n Anuradha deplored that each DWCRA group was beingforced to shell Rs 2,000 each as bribe towards sanctioningtheir funds. The DWCRA animators, who supervise 40 to50 groups each, were under pressure from the YSRCPleaders to collect these bribes

VIDYA KANUKA WINS APPLAUSE

Oppn mud-slinging againstgovt, alleges Edu MinisterPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy is revamping the educa-tion sector, while Oppositionleaders are indulging in mud-slinging against the VidyaKanuka scheme, allegedMinister for EducationAdimulapu Suresh.

Addressing the media hereon Saturday, the minister saidthe scheme has been winningapplause across the country asit includes a pair of shoes twopairs of socks, school bags andwork books. He said neighbour-ing States are looking forwardto implement that scheme.

The Opposition termingJagananna Vidhya Kanuka asthe Central scheme is totallyfalse and baseless, he pointedout. The minister said that 18per cent of the State budget wasallocated for education sectorand added that Rs 69 crore wasallotted for school bags, Rs 72core for notebooks, Rs 67 crorefor shoes and socks and Rs 10crore for belts for all the studentsstudying in government schools.

He criticised TDP chief NChandrababu Naidu and others

for claiming that the schemewas being implemented withCentral funds. He said theChief Minister desired thatpoverty should not be animpediment to education,hence, launched the VidyaDeevena programme. He saidonly Rs 100 crore was theCentral grant while the Statewas bearing the remainingamount. He said that Naidu wasnot able to digest the fact thatJagan would remain the ChiefMinister forever.

He said the programme wasin tune with the aspirations ofBR Ambedkar. He said that thegovernment was ready for adebate on the issue and also

ready for inspection on thequality of the items distributedto the students.

He asked the opposition lead-ers if they had ever thought ofa scheme like Amma Vodi,which is the brain child ofChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy.

n Minister for EducationAdimulapu Sureshasked the oppositionleaders if they had everthought of a schemelike Amma Vodi, whichis the brain child ofChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy

n He said the ChiefMinister is committedto providing educationto all. He said peoplerealised the falsepropaganda against thegovernment and addedthat there wascelebrations across theState for the launch ofVidya Kanuka schemedespite Covid

RSS chief exhortspeople to donate bloodPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwatcalled upon the people tocome forward for blood dona-tion, which is a noble cause.The RSS AP region meetingwas held at Nutakki in Gunturdistrict on Saturday.

He launched the Rakt Sevamobile app of Seva Bharatiduring the meeting. He saidthat the application will helpneedy people to get theirgroup of blood and donateblood to save lives duringemergencies. He said that theRSS cadre of Andhra Pradeshare participating in the meet-ing and would discuss impor-tant issues.

Seva Bharati State secretaryKakani Prudhviraj said thatanybody, who needs blood,platelets and plasma canrequest through the app.

He said that the requester

would receive reply in threehours and if there was noreply, then the requester cancall 040-4821-4920 call centreand they will arrange theblood from donors.

RSS leaders BhupatirajuSrinivasraju, Dusi Ramakri-shna, Venu Gopal Naidu andothers participated in the mee-ting.

According to sources, RSS iswishing to strengthen its basein the State, hence, conductingthe regional meeting to drawstrategies to spread RSS ideol-ogy to attract the masses.

Show-causenotices servedon JC familyPNS n ANATAPUR

Within 24 hours of formerMP JC Diwakar Reddy creat-ing a scene in front of MiningDepartment's office here onFriday and warning the policeof serious consequences, offi-cials served notices on JCDiwakar Reddy's familymembers for indulging inirregularities in running themines.

Mining department'sdeputy director Ramana Raosaid that the JC family ownedtwo dolomite mines inMuchchukota village of thedistrict. The mines are beingrun in the names of JC's fam-ily members Sumana andBhramaramba.

Tenders to be called for fishing harboursPNS n AMARAVATI

Aiming to propel AndhraPradesh as a major destinationfor trade through the seas, theDepartment of Ports is plan-ning to invite tenders for fourfishing harbours in a fort-night. "We are taking up ten-dering for four fishing har-bours in the next week,"Andhra Pradesh MaritimeBoard (APMB) chief executiveNP Ramakrishna Reddy said.

The four fishing harboursare planned at Nizampatnam,Machilipatnam, Uppada andJuvvaladinne. Similarly, ten-ders are also expected for twoports Ramayapatnam andBhavanampadu while two

more greenfield ports are alsobeing planned at KakinadaSEZ and Machilipatnam. TheState government aims atincreasing the capacity of portsto 400 million tonnes by 2024.

According to RamakrishnaReddy, the current capacity ofthe state's ports stands at 100million tonnes. Following thetendering process for the fourfishing harbours in the firstphase, the government aims atmaking them available in twoyears' time.The governmenthas already approved thedetailed projects reports ofRamayaptanam and Bhavana-mpadu ports. It has alsoappointed consultants for theseprojects.

PNS n KAKINADA

East Godavari district policehave destroyed illicitly distilledliquor (arrack) worth Rs 59 lakhon Saturday, which was seizedover the past few months. Asmany as 23,476 litres of arrackwas destroyed in the presenceof East Godavari districtSuperintendent of Police AdnanNayeem Asmi and other policepersonnel at Peddapuram.

The bootlegged arrack wasdumped into a pit from plasticcontainers, pouches, drumsand other storage vessels,resembling a ceremonialdestruction. "Illicitly distilledliquor (ID liquor) is a majorproblem in East Godavari dis-trict as there is easy availabili-ty of water, sugar, jaggery andothers," said Asmi, about thesimple everyday ingredientsneeded to bootleg arrack.

Fed by the mighty Godavaririver, there is plenty of water inthe entire district runningthrough the extensive canalirrigation system built manyyears ago to cultivate paddy.According to police, arrackfermentation, transport andsale is widely prevalent in themandals of Peddapuram,Pithapuram and Prathipadu inEast Godavari.

"During the lockdown,unemployed persons took to

the business of illicitly distillingarrack," said a policeman.Bootlegging also spread its ten-tacles to Amalapuram sub-division, which was actually freeof arrack.

"Easy availability of waterfrom canals, substituting blackjaggery with sugar and using

ammonia and alum for quickfermentation, the accused pro-duced the banned product," hesaid. Similarly, easy availabilityof gas stoves enabled quick dis-tillation and other facilitieshave transformed the district onthe east of the Godavari into ahub of illicit liquor.

Governor recalls services of Viswanath PasayatPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Though Viswanath Pasayathailed from a zamindar family hehad fought for the weaker andunderprivileged sections of soci-ety by giving up his comforts forthe love of motherland, recalledGovernor Biswa BushanHarichandan. Pasayat had ren-dered his services as a socialworker, senior advocate andfreedom fighter, he lauded.

The Governor was the chiefguest at the 108th birth anniver-sary celebrations of the lateViswanath Pasayat, a legendaryfigure in the freedom movementand an eminent jurist, held inCuttack on Saturday, through avideo conference from the RajBhavan here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion,the Governor said ViswanathPasayat was inspired by the callgiven by Mahatma Gandhi andthe sacrifices of freedom fight-ers and played an active role inthe revolt against the British rule.The Governor said Pasayat willalways be remembered fordefending the rights of freedomfighters, who were put in jail by

the British. As the editor of'Adhunika' newspaper, Pasayathad highlighted the struggle forfreedom and inspired people tojoin the movement, theGovernor recalled.

The Governorsaid Pasayatwill always beremembered fordefending therights offreedomfighters, whowere put in jailby the British

Low pressure tointensify intodepressionPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The Cyclone Warning Centrein Visakhapatnam has issuedan alert for squally conditionsand light to heavy rainfall inmost places for the next threedays, owing to the likelihood ofa low pressure in the Bay ofBengal intensifying into adepression.

"Squally wind speeds reach-ing up to 40 to 50 km and gustsup to 60 km are likely over cen-tral Bay of Bengal, off AndhraPradesh and Yanam coasts,"said an official. Similarly, theBay of Bengal sea will be roughin general and very rough overwest central and adjoiningnorth west and south westernparts on Sunday and Monday.

The cyclone warning centreadvised fishermen not to ven-ture into the sea for the nextthree days.

Covid ravages aqua farmers in Godavari regionPNS n BHIMAVARAM

The Coronavirus pandemic andthe consequent lockdown tocurb it wreaked havoc with thelivelihood of hundreds of aqua-culture farmers in the East andWest Godavari districts.

With the outbreak of the pan-demic and the ensuing lock-down, supply chains froze andlogistical arrangements werecrippled, leading to no buyers forthe ready crop of grown upVannamei (whiteleg) shrimp.Dharapureddy Satyanaryana, 60,a shrimp farmer from Kalla vil-lage in West Godavari district,said that he had spent Rs 6 lakhon a pond spanning an acre.

"When my crop of shrimp wasready for harvest and sale, Covidpandemic struck an irreparableblow. There was nobody to buyit," Satyanarayana said and addedthat he had to sell off his two-

wheeler and some land to repaythe debt, and has now resortedto selling vegetables for his living.

Aquaculture in this part of thecountry is a complex businesswith multiple steps involved,and along with the rags-to-rich-es stories, there also are a num-ber of riches-to-rags stories.Aquaculture farmer and localYSRCP leader Talluri Raj Kumarsaid it costs up to Rs 1 lakh to dig

up an acre and transform it intoa shrimp pond, which is thenfilled with one lakh hatchedseed (young Vannamei shrimp)for feeding, culturing and grow-ing their size to command a goodprice.

"Once you release the youngprawns in the pond, then startsthe four-month-long labour ofattending to the shrimp, and car-ing for it like an infant... it

demands all the attention of thefarmer," he said. The processinvolves high expenditure run-ning up to Rs 6 lakh per acre, asthe farmer has to very carefullyadminister minerals, probiotics,sanitisers, maintain oxygen leveland take several other steps tonurture the shrimp, he said.

"After the first 30 days, we netsome shrimp every week tocheck their health, and meetexperts for advice," he said. Tomeet all this huge expenditure,many farmers pledge their agri-cultural land or other assets tobuy shrimp feed, medicines andothers necessities to culture theprawns on credit with a promiseto repay after a bumper crop.

Even after a farmer clears allthese hurdles, the next step is tosell the shrimp to a companywhich buys, packs and exportsshrimp. This is where the pan-demic hit Satyanarayana hard.

With the sudden clampdown, hefound no takers to buy hisshrimp. Even if someone wasready, there was no transporta-tion because of the lockdown.

"Because of Coronavirus, Icould not even catch my prawns.Within five days of the lockdown,factories shut down. By then, avirus started killing my shrimp,"he rued. Satyanarayana triedfrantically to find a buyer andfound one only on the sixth dayof his efforts, offering just Rs 150for 50 count shrimp that is 50shrimps weighing 1 kg. Biggershrimps results in

In the past six months, therewere many Satyanarayanas in theWest Godavari and EastGodavari districts, which haveseen a large-scale conversion ofpaddy fields into prawn ponds,altering the centuries-old agricul-tural practices of the local peo-ple.

Women exhorted to joinstruggle for AmaravatiPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Exhorting women to take part inlarge numbers in the massiverally, which will be taken out onSunday and protests across theState on Monday, Women JointAction Committee convener VDurga Bhavani opined that peo-ple will not remain mute spec-tators if their constitutional rightswere violated.

Along with the members ofthe women JAC, she addressedthe media at the AmaravatiParirakshana Samiti office hereon Saturday. Squarely blamingthe police for showing discrim-ination towards the agitation forthe capital city of Amaravati,Durga Bhavani said that policewould give permission for theYSRCP meetings but they do notgive permission for their meet-ings on the pretext of Covid-19.

She said that they would takeout rallies peacefully and protestseven if they do not give permis-

sions. "Let them file cases againstus, we are ready," she said. Co-convener Sunkara Padmasrideplored that Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy is tryingto provoke regional hatred in thename of three capitals.

When 29,000 farmers gavetheir land for the capital city, theministers and the MLAs aredownplaying it. She said that itwas highly deplorable that theChief Minister had changed hisopinion on the capital citythough he had agreed to it ear-lier. She demanded that minis-ters take back their derogatoryremarks against the agitators.There is no protection for Dalitsin the YSRCP rule in the State,she said.

TDP VijayawadaParliamentary segment womenpresident Chennupati Usha Raniasked the Chief Minister as tohow many universities hebrought to the State after assum-ing power.

Illicitly distilled liquor is a majorproblem in East Godavari district asthere is easy availability of water,sugar, jaggery and others," said EastGodavari district Superintendent ofPolice Adnan Nayeem Asmi

DGP flags off ‘CancerAwareness Run’ in VjaPNS n VIJAYAWADA

DGP Gautam Sawang flaggedoff the ‘Cancer AwarenessRun' at Benz circle onSaturday. The run was organ-ised in association with GraceCancer Foundation. TheAndhra Pradesh police alsotook part in the event and theDGP claimed that the run wasone of the biggest eventsattended by citizens.

The DGP said that aware-ness is a key part of cancertreatment and this initiative isaimed at creating awarenessamong people about health,fitness and a balanced diet,which play a key role in pre-venting cancer. Cancer shouldbe traced early, treating earlymaking everyone healthy. Theevent was attended by YSRCPleaders, along with police offi-cers.

Policemen destroy bootleggedarrack in East Godavari district

‘Extend Vidya Kanuka to deserving pvt schools’ PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh Private UnaidedSchools ManagementAssociation demanded that thegovernment provide JaganannaVidya Kanuka scheme to the stu-dents studying in the privateschools holding white rationcards. They stated that the privateschools were facing severe hard-

ships due to Corona and soughtthe government to postponerenewal of schools for one yearand further to provide aid to staffof private schools.

APPUSMA state secretary KTulasi Vishnu Prasad lamentedthat majority of private andunaided schools shut down in theState due to Coronavirus out-break and appealed to the gov-

ernment to help the managementand staff during the crisis. APPrivate Schools Association statehonorary president V SundarRao sought the government todivide private schools into threecategories namely Corporate,Budget and Semi-Budget andsought financial aid to semi-bud-get schools and exclusion ofbudget schools fee structure.

Police destroy illicitly distilled liquor (arrack) worth Rs 59 lakh in East Godavaridistrict on Saturday

DGP Gautam Sawang flags off ‘Cancer Awareness Run’ in Vijayawada on Saturday

Bangladeshinational heldPNS n HYDERABAD

Uppal police arrested aBangladeshi woman and herhusband for indulging inhuman trafficking and run-ning a prostitution racket onSaturday.The accused wereidentified as Moyna Akter, aBangladesh national and herhusband Gunda Anjaneyuluhailing from Nalgonda dis-trict.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020 telangana 04

Bathukamma sarees distribution in Adilabad district on Saturday

ALL SSMILES

PNS n HYDERABAD

The fight for victory in by-elec-tions for Dubbak Assemblyseat is going to be differentquoting the precedents of can-didates losing the polls bank-ing on sympathy wave in therecent political history, say thepolitical analysts. The electionfever has caught not only thepoliticos but also the people ofthe state as Dubbak is going toby-elections on November 3.

The election was forced onthe state due to death of sittingMLA Solipeta Rama LingaReddy. The TRS has fieldedSolipeta Sujata from the seat,while the BJP has announcedRaghunandan as its candidate.The Congress has fielded for-mer minister late CherukuMutyam Reddy's son - SrinivasReddy.

All parties contesting the by-elections have taken the victo-ry in Dubbak seat as a matterof prestige. The TRS has beenmaintaining upper hand inDubbak right from the begin-ning as the constituency is sur-rounded by other constituen-cies like Gajwel, Siddipet andSircilla, termed as strong bas-tions of the TRS. Earlier,Congress party leader lateCheruku Mutyam Reddyemerged as a strong leader inthe seat.

On account of the latestdevelopments, BJP's contes-tant Raghunandan replacedthe Congress contestant as theTRS's strong rival. Raghuna

ndan, who contested from theseat twice earlier unsuccessful-ly is marching ahead of theTRS and Congress in his cam-paign trail. The TRS has field-ed Ramalinga Reddy's widowSujata to cash in on sympathywave, besides the local candi-date factor.

Will the sympathy wave work? Generally, the sympathy

factor works in elections.But, there are instanceswhen the sympathy factorfailed to translate into votes.Congress has fielded familymember of its deceasedML A Kist are ddy f romNarayanakhed in the past.The TRS has fielded BhupalReddy f rom t he s e at .Upsetting Congress calcula-tions, Bhupal Reddy rompedhome t rouncing

Kistareddy's family mem-ber in the elections. TheCongress received a majorelectoral blow as the TRScandidate got elected with ahuge margin of votes.

In less than two years of theTRS coming to power, by-election to the PalairAssembly constituency wasforced by death of CongressMLA Ramreddy VenkatReddy, former minister, dueto ill-health. The Congressgave ticket to his widowSucharita Reddy. The TRShas f ielded TummalaNageswara Rao, who becamea Minister in the TRS Cabinetby virtue of his membershipof legislat ive council.Tummala got elected with amajority of over 47,000 votesfrom Palair seat. If the sym-pathy factor has to work, at

the two places the Congresscandidates should have beenelected to the State Assembly,but that was not the case. Theby-elections to Dubbakbrought to the fore sympathyfactor again. The TRS candi-date is likely to lose the by-election if the same Palair andNarayanakhed trend were tocontinue.

The TRS leaders are alsoworried over the precedents.However, the TRS has strongcadres locally. Moreover,Finance Minister T HarishRao is shouldering the respon-sibility of ensuring Sujata'svictory in Dubbak. Whetherthe people of Dubbak vote forsympathy factor or give theirvote to Opposition leaderswill be known on November10, when the counting of voteswill take place.

Will sympathy factor alsowork in favour of TRS?

DUBBAK BY-POLL

Generally, thesympathyfactor works in elections.However, thereare instanceswhen thesympathyfactor failed to translateinto votes

PNS n HYDERABAD

Union Minister of State forHome Affairs G Kishan Reddyon Saturday visited the AIIMSMedical College and Hospitalat Bibinagar of Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district. TheUnion Minister was welcomedby AIIMS Director Bhatia andDistrict Collector AnitaRamachandran. After plantinga sapling in the premises ofAIIMS, Kishan Reddy held ameeting with the authorities toreview the progress of theongoing construction anddevelopment works.

On the occasion, KishanReddy reminded how as amark of respect to their ser-vices, the Narendra Modi gov-ernment has showered flowerson frontline Corona warriors-healthcare workers, sanitationworkers and instilled confi-dence in them. The govern-ment has also made availableto the doctors an insurancecover of Rs 50 lakh, the UnionMinister said. He asked thestate government to hand overthe Bibinagar NIMS buildingto the AIIMs and askedBhongir-Yadadri districtCollector AnithaRamachandran to initiate stepsin this regard.

"Last year, the medical col-lege started with 50 studentsand 63 students joined in sec-ond year. However, the Centrewill facilitate the Bibi NagarAIIMS to have 750 medical, 200para-medical, 300 PG students,300 senior residents and about800 nursing staff," the Ministersaid. He said that already theyhave appointed 150 nurses andOP Block will start functioning

within three weeks.The Union Minister said

that if an additional 10 acres ofland can be allotted, a RuralHealth Care Unit will be start-ed, which will also functionunder the supervision ofAIIMS. AIIMS Director DrBhatia said hostel facilitieshave to be arranged for themedical college students beforethe second batch arrives. Healso pointed out that, OPD ser-vices which were suspendeddue to corona would berestored within three weeks,and interviews for doctors andnurses were already held.

Kishan Reddy also said thatthe AIIMS Super SpecialtyHospital would be made avail-able to the people of Telanganain the next two to three years.He recalled that as part ofPrime Minister NarendraModi's ambition to extend the

services of AIIMS, which arepreviously limited to only Delhi,to other states, a new AIIMSHospital and Medical College isbeing set up at Bibinagar ofYadadri- Bhuvanagiri district inthe state.

In response to the clarioncall given by the PrimeMinister, the Minister calledupon the people of the twoTelugu states to take part in the"People's Movement" (JanAndolan) during this festiveseason to fight the Coronapandemic by maintainingsocial distance, washing handsclean, and wearing face masks.He said the Center is ready todevise all kinds of facilities inAIIMS and requested the stategovernment to extend theircooperation. Kishan alsolaunched the official website ofAIIMS Medical College duringthe visit.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Pradesh CongressCommittee (TPCC) ElectionCommission CoordinationCommittee chairman MarriShashidhar Reddy and itsConvener G Niranjan onSaturday alleged that themanner in which it isapproaching the GHMC elec-tions, the state governmentlacks a vision and a plan. Theadministration proved itselfincompetent and unprepared,they alleged.

Speaking to the media onSaturday, Shashidhar Reddyand Niranjan said that theelections to GHMC are duebefore February 2021. Thestate government stated lastyear when the TelanganaMunicipalities bill was enact-ed that there would be a newGHMC Act. Nothing hasbeen done so far, they point-ed out.

“During the monsoon ses-sion last month, the presentact was amended but elec-tion-related issues were nottouched. Now it is being saida new act will replace theexisting GHMC Act. We hadpointed out that the reserva-tion of wards carried out lasttime in 2015 was fixed to suitthe ruling TRS party,” theyalleged and said that the SCand ST and Women reserva-tions, which had to be doneon the basis of the 2011 cen-sus, was faulty and donearbitrarily.

Ward-wise BC enumera-tion was tailored to suit theinterest of the ruling partyand hence the reservationsdone on its basis was alsowrong, the alleged.

Kishan asks govt to hand overBibinagar NIMS to AIIMS

Kishan Reddy also said that theAIIMS Super Specialty Hospitalwould be made available to thepeople of Telangana in the nexttwo to three years

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy in Hyderabad

PNS n HYDERABAD

Officials of the AndhraPradesh State Road TransportCorporation (APSRTC) aretrying to break the stalematewith their Telangana counter-parts over the issue of "parityof distance" to be able toresume bus operations to theneighbouring State.

The standoff on the issue haslasted for some time with theTelangana RTC asking theAndhra Pradesh side to reducethe volume of its operations inTelangana space, while main-taining that it would notincrease volume of its AndhraPradesh-bound buses. Thetalks, which were held in thisregard earlier this week turnedfutile.

The RTC officials of both thestates did not budge an inch

during the talks. The Telanganaauthorities insisted that theAPSRTC should scale down itsnumber of route KM to 1.61lakh km to provide the levelplaying field for the RTCs.The AP authorities left themeeting saying that they would

consult their MD and take adecision at the next meeting.The Wednesday's meeting wasthe fourth in the series ofmeetings held to resolve theimbroglio.

Prior to the lockdown, theAPSRTC used to run its buses

in Telangana up to a distanceof 2.64 lakh km. Therefore, itis arguing to run the buses upto the same distance. Moreover,it wanted Telangana State RTCto increase the number ofroute KMs to be operated.

However, the TSRTC is not infavour of this proposal. Thetransport undertakingexpressed its inability toincrease the route km as it isalready running under losses.At the recent third round oftalks, the APSRTC officialsscaled down a bit to run thebuses up to a distance of over2.08 lakh km and wanted theTSRTC to reciprocate.However, the idea was notacceptable to it.

The TSRTC is asking theAPSRTC to give informationabout to what extent theAPSRTC would be able to cur-tail operation of its buses inTelangana. Therefore, theAPSRTC officials left the meet-ing to consult their MD on theissue. They promised to returnto the negotiating table in twodays with new proposals.

Impasse over TS-AP inter-state bus servicesThe standoff onthe issue haslasted for sometime with theTSRTC askingthe AP side to reduce thevolume of itsoperations inTelanganaspace

PNS n HYDERABAD

Last month, Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao directedofficials to ensure registrationof non-agricultural land hold-ings, including apartments,plots and individual houses,which are not registered so far,within 15 days so that theycould be hosted online.

He asked the officials ofMunicipal Administration andPanchayat Raj departments toensure that all land related prop-erties under their jurisdiction getregistered and hosted onlinebefore the 15-day deadline set bythe government. He directedthem to complete the exercisebefore the Dharani portal, con-ceived as a one-stop solution to

land related transactions,becomes operational.

However, the process of reg-istering non-agricultural proper-ties in towns and cities is goingon at snail's pace. The document-ing of properties is not 20 percent accomplished because of thecomputer server problems andfield level problems like non-availability of house owners.The state government has

deployed VROs and MEPMAresource persons to reach the tar-get. On an average, each employ-ee is not able to document morethan 20-30 houses. On accountof the delay, at many places dis-trict Collectors are personallysupervising the activities.

Currently, the officials havebeen documenting propertiesthat have property tax assess-ment number. However, theofficials also insist on document-ing those properties that are yetto be issued the assessmentnumber. In municipal corpora-tions, the documentation wasbelow 20 per cent. In manymunicipalities, the progress ismore or less the same, up to 15-20 per cent of the properties havebeen documented.

Survey of non-farm propertiesgoing on at snail's pace

Govt lacksvision andplan: Cong

PNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao set an example for allothers by enlisting details of hisproperties at his residence inErravalli of Markook mandalof Siddipet District onSaturday, when the village sec-retary approached him to dis-charge his duties. The ChiefMinister gave all the details ofthe properties to the govern-ment employee in a one-on-one interview in Erravalli.

P Sidheswar, the village sec-retary then entered all thedetails that the Chief Ministergave to him about his residenceincluding the photograph intothe Telangana State NonAgriculture Property Book(TSNPB) App. Speaking on theoccasion, the Chief Minister

said that the government isrecording details of all fixedassets of all citizens and theirfamilies to protect them, andprovide security to their prop-erties.

"This is the first ever effortanywhere in the country toregister every property in vil-lages and towns of the State.

Passbooks will be issued fornon-agricultural propertiesjust like the agricultural passbooks," he said. He further saidthat the initiative of theTelangana government willremain in the annals of the his-tory of the country when itcomes to protection of non-agricultural assets. The ChiefMinister called upon all the cit-izens to come forward and reg-ister their assets like he did.Gajwel Area DevelopmentAuthority (GADA) SpecialOfficer, Mutyam Reddy wasalso present.

Gathering informationabout non-farm assets is ahuge exercise going on in thecountry and maintained thatpattadar passbooks would begiven to non-agricultural prop-erties too.

KCR leads by example,enlists details of his properties

PNS n HYDERABAD

Congress MP from BhongirKomatireddy Venkat Reddyon Saturday addressed a letterto Chief Minister K Chandrasekha Rao to pass a resolutionagainst the Central govern-ment's farm laws in the specialAssembly session to be con-vened on October 13. "TheTelangana Congress willextend its full support to thestate government in theregard. The Chief Ministershould rethink and abolishLRS as it became a huge bur-den to the poor," he said.

In his letter, the MP said,"The Central government'sfarm laws will show negativeeffect on the farmers. They willexperience huge losses. TheCongress party is opposing the

Farm laws, which are againstthe farmers' interests. Already,Congress ruled state govern-ments passed resolutions intheir respective Assembliesagainst the Centre's moves. Iurge the Telangana state gov-ernment to pass the resolutionagainst the Centre's Agri laws.The Congress will extend itsfull support in the Assembly ifit introduces resolution againstit."

Rethink on LRS,Cong MP urges govt

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana BJP Chief BandiSanjay Kumar on Saturdayalleged that Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao is trying toamend the GHMC Act to facil-itate a section of people to con-test the civic polls. He allegedthat Chief Minister is harmingthe interests of Hindus.

"The steering of car is in thehands of MIM. Chief Ministeris trying to get the votes of asection of people in GHMCelections and is convening theAssembly for the sake ofMuslim votes. Why Muslimsneed reservations?," he ques-

tioned and asked whether KCRwill give BC status to minori-ties. After staying in homequarantine for over 20 days,Bandi Sanjay on Saturdaydirectly went to have darshan

of Kondagattu AnjaneyaSwamy. On the occasion, hecalled upon the Hindus tounite and give a befitting replyto KCR in GHMC elections. Hedemanded the Chief Minister

to convene Assembly session todiscuss the problems of the pri-vate teachers, lecturers, unem-ployed youth, and farmers.

Stating that the Centre gavereservations to poor in uppercastes, Sanjay alleged that KCRgovernment is not sending thefile, which seeks 12 per centreservations to STs, to theCentre. However, KCR is try-ing to give BC status to minori-ties. He asked the people toidentify the secret pact betweenMIM and TRS. He alleged thatCM suggested the farmers pro-duce super fine paddy, howev-er, he cultivated non-super finepaddy types in his farm house.

Harish: Youth in

favour of TRS

TRS, MIM in secret pact, alleges Bandi Chief Minister istrying to get thevotes of asection ofpeople in GHMCelections, saidBandi Sanjay

PNS n SIDDIPET

Finance Minister T HarishRao said that youth are themain force in TRS.Addressing the youth, whojoined TRS in Siddipet onSaturday, the Minister saidyouth were coming forwardto support the party ahead ofby-election. Stating that theyouth would support TRS,which had credibility, heslammed both Congress andBJP. To support youth, theSiddipet MLA said that theyhave set up governmentfunded coaching centres toprovide free coaching to theyouth who are aspiring forgovernment jobs. Severalyouth from Timmakkapallyand Anajpaur villages in Raipolemandal have joined in TRS.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Narayana students have con-tinued their victorious streakin AP-Eamcet 2020 results bysecuring State top ranks like2,2,4,4,7,7,8 & 9. They havesecured a total of 45 ranks intop 100 ranks and 181 ranksin top 500, 336 ranks in top1000. Managing Director ofNarayana Group Dr Sindhuraand Director Sharani said thatthe results prove the fact thatonly Narayana can producesuch top results.

Dr Sindhura said that it hasalways been the endeavour ofNarayana to mould the stu-dents to face all competitiveexams confidently so that they

could emerge as global leadersin their chosen fields. Meticulous academic planning ofNarayana is the reason why thestudents are coming out in fly-ing colours in almost all theNational and Internationalcompetitive examinations. TheExecutive Director of Narayana, PuneethKothapa congrat-ulated the students on theirsuccess and thanked the teach-ers and parents.

Narayana studentsshine in AP Eamcet

TRS intensifies

voter enrolmentPNS n KHAMMAM

The TRS party has intensifiedvoter enrollment for theensuing Khammam-Nalgonda-Warangal graduate's con-stituency MLC election inKhammam. The cadres andleaders have been makingdoor to door visits to enrollvoters. Transport MinisterPuvvada Ajay Kumar andRythu Bandhu Samithi statepresident and MLC PallaRajeshwara Reddy wereaddressing the party workersat awareness meetings inerstwhile Khammam.

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020

Four prison officials inKerala have been boo kedafter a man arrested in a

ganja case allegedly died incustody and the post-mortemreport indicated torture, asenior police official said.The post-mortem report ofShameer (32), who died at theThrissur Medical Collage onOctober 1, revealed that he hadmultiple injuries, sources said.He was admitted there aftercomplaining of uneasiness. "We have registered a case against fourprison officials who were posted at the Covid First Line TreatmentCentre on the day he was admitted. The investigation is on," theofficial told PTI. Shameer, his wife and two others were arrestedhere on September29 with 10 kg of ganja, which they had allegedlyprocured from Andhra Pradesh. A local court had remanded allthe accused on September 29 and they were taken to the CFLTC atAmbilikala here. "When he was brought to the CFLTC, there wasan injury in his face and it was recorded. He showed violentwithdrawal symptoms. He was taken to the general hospital onSeptember 30 from where he tried to escape, after which thedoctors referred him to the medical college," a senior jail official said.

The Swimming Federation ofIndia (SFI) on Saturdaylaunched a video campaign

to highlight the key guidelinesof the Standard OperatingProcedure (SOP) issued by theSports Ministry, ahead of thereopening of pools. Theguidelines, including regulartemperature checks and sanitisation, will be posted on SFI'ssocial media handles and will beshared with parents and swimmers across various centres. TheNational body has also communicated to all the state units to ensureimplementation of the SOPs as their top priority and work with thestate governments and local authorities to facilitate activities toresume on October 15 outside containment zones. Last month, theMinistry of Home Affairs (MHA) had announced the reopening ofpools used for training of sports persons across the country. "Theseguidelines are sacrosanct and we have encouraged all State Unitsand Swimming Centres in the country who train competitiveswimmers to ensure these SOPs are implemented while they plan toresume training on top priority," SFI secretary general Monal Chokshisaid.

SFI’s campaign to highlight keyguidelines of SOP as pools reopen

The Maharashtra unit ofthe BJP on Saturdayannoun ced its support

for a token fast to beobserved by variousreligious bodies on October13 to demandreopening of temples in thestate amid the COVID-19pandemic. In an officialstatement, the party's stateunit chief Chandrakant Patil said, "The state government has givenpermission to open liquor shops, restaurants and beer bars,but has kept temples and other religious places closed formore than seven months." The BJP has decided to extend its support to the token fast, which will be undertaken by heads of variousreligious bodies on October 13, Patil said. "We have asked our partyworkers to join the cause in their respective districts. The agitationwill be held outside temples across the state," he added.Earlier in August, the saffron party had staged "ring the bell" agitation across the state, demanding reopening of places of wor ship,which have remained shut for over seven months in light of thepandemic.

Around 50 members ofSikh community havetaken out a protest rally

in the citycondemning the allegedassault of a Sikh man andpulling off his turban bypolice during a BJP marchto the state secretariat atHowrah in West Bengal.The rallyists shoutedslogans in Bengali on Fridaynight demanding an explanation from Chief Minister MamataBanerjee about the October 8 incident involving the 43-year-old Sikh man Balwinder Singh from whom a loaded pistol wasrecovered by police during the BJP Yuva Morcha rally to thestate secretariat on October 8. "CM Mamata Banerjee please explainwhy the turban of a Sikh has been pulled by your police. You shouldexplain or leave the chair," the rallyists chanted on Central Avenuenear Esplanade Crossing. The rallyists also carried posters with thesame demands written on it. "We are aggrieved over the way amember of our community has been treated by the lawmakers. Wedemand punishment of the cops who committed such act," SurinderSingh, one of the protesters, said, adding aggrieved membersof the community in city assembled to voice protests and theydon't belong to any political party.

Rally to protest alleged assault on Sikh man

INDIA CORNER

Man held in ganja case dies incustody; prison officials booked

BJP backs religious bodies'token fast for opening of temples

PNS n SRINAGAR

The situation along the LoC inKashmir is under control andsecurity forces have been ableto stop infiltration to a largeextent so far this year, a topArmy officer said here onSaturday.

Corps Commander of theArmy's Srinagar-based ChinarCorps, Lt Gen B S Raju, saidthe number of militants whoinfiltrated into this side of theLine of Control (LoC) so farthis year was less than 30.

“The situation on the LoC isunder control. Few ceasefireviolations are taking placewhich Pakistan is using to aidin infiltration, but in thoseareas too, the situation has beenbrought under control," Lt GenRaju said here.

"We have been able to stopinfiltration to a large extent thisyear. Last year, about 130 mil-itants had infiltrated, but thenumber this year is less than 30which is very less,” he said.

He was speaking toreporters on the sidelines of apassing-out-cum-attestationparade of 301 youths from theunion territory at the Jammuand Kashmir Light InfantryRegimental Centre at Rangrethon the outskirts of the city here.

The senior Army officerexpressed hope that the inter-nal situation in the valleywould become better becauseof less infiltration.

He further said anti-mili-

tancy operations in the valleywere continuing and militantsbeing neutralised by securityforces.

“This morning, a foreignterrorist and a local were neu-tralised (in an encounter inKulgam). We have seen thatwherever we neutralise a for-

eign terrorist, the areabecomes peaceful. Peace hasbeen established to a largeextent in the areas of Pulwamaand Shopian because of theoperations in the last two-three months,” he said.

The corps commander saidthe recruitment of new mili-

tants had decreased in the lastsix months, but picked upagain in the last month or so.

“But, I see a ray of hope asseveral terrorists who hadtaken up the path of violencehave surrendered. We do notshare details about it, but it isa good indicator,” he said.

He said while the problemin south Kashmir was moreserious than north, overallthe situation there was under

control.Asked about the number of

militants at the launch padsacross the LoC, he saidaccording to intelligenceinputs, there were about 250-300 militants there.

“But we have been able tostop them despite their contin-uous attempts (to infiltrate),”he added.

Lt Gen Raju said the secu-rity forces have been workingon a surrender policy for mil-itants so as to help themreturn to the mainstream.

“We have been working ona policy for surrender and wehave sent our recommenda-tions, but, as of now, the pol-icy has not been formalised.But, even in the absence of anypolicy, we have a system inwhich we own anyone whocomes back,” he said.

‘Forces in J&K have managed tostop infiltration to large extent’

PNS n SRINAGARThe Army on Saturday expressedhope that the Summary ofEvidence, a step before a possiblecourt martial, in July's Amshipuraencounter in South Kashmir'sShopian district would concludesoon and take the case to the nextstage. Corps Commander of theArmy's Srinagar-based ChinarCorps, Lt Gen B S Raju said theArmy had begun the Summary ofEvidence as some wrongs werecommitted during the encounter

at Amshipura on July 18 in whichthe Army claimed that threemilitants were killed. “We havealready shared the basicinformation (in the case) that theinitial court of inquiry has beenconcluded and we have seensome wrongs committed. On thebasis of that, we have ordered theSummary of Evidence which isgoing on and we hope itconcludes soon so that we gointo the next stage,” Lt Gen Rajusaid. He was speaking to

reporters on the sidelines of apassing-out-cum-attestationparade of 301 youths from theUnion territory at the Jammu andKashmir Light InfantryRegimental Centre at Rangreth inthe outskirts of the city here. TheArmy had initiated a Court ofInquiry into the case after socialmedia reports indicated that thethree men were from Rajouridistrict in Jammu and had gonemissing at Amshipura. The probewas completed in a record four

weeks and Summary of Evidencewas initiated. The families of thethree men from Rajouri whoworked as labourers in Shopianhad also filed a police complaint.The police also conducted aninquiry into the case and onSeptember 30, IGP, Kashmir, VijayKumar said the DNA samples ofthe victims had matched withtheir families. On October 3, thebodies of the trio were exhumed and handed over totheir families.

Shopian ‘fake' encounter, says Army

PNS n NEW DELHI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhion Saturday attacked the gov-ernment over provision ofnon-bullet proof vehicles forsoldiers, while spending Rs8,400 crore to procure aircraftfor Prime Minister NarendraModi.

"Is this justice?" he asked onTwitter along with a video ofa purported conversationbetween soldiers being trans-ported in non-bullet proofvehicles. "Our jawans are beingsent in non-bullet proof trucksto get martyred and a Rs 8,400crore aircraft is brought for thePM! Is this justice," he said ina tweet in Hindi. The video

shows a conversat ionbetween soldiers objecting totheir transportation in a non-bullet proof vehicle, whiletheir seniors were using bul-let-proof vehicles.

They also complained thatby doing so their lives werebeing compromised and theauthorities were playing with

their and their families' lives.Gandhi had earl ier

attacked Modi over theacquisition of VVIP aircraftand wondered how manythings could have beenbought for the soldiers sta-tioned in Siachen-Ladakhborder in the amount spenton the planes.

Rahul attacks Centre over non-bullet proof vehicles for soldiers

Last year, about 130militants had infiltrated,but the number thisyear is less than 30,said Corps Commanderof the Army's Srinagar-based Chinar Corps

PNS n MUMBAI

Despite summons, RepublicTV's Chief Financial Officer(CFO) did not appear beforethe Mumbai police onSaturday to record his state-ment in connection with theTRP manipulation racket, say-ing the channel hasapproached the SupremeCourt in the case, a senior offi-cial said. Shiva SubramaniyamSundaram, the channel's CFO,against whom summons hadbeen issued on Friday, alsorequested the police not torecord his stamement sayingthe top court's hearing isscheduled within a week, the

official said. However, SamBalsara, chairman and manag-ing director of Madison Worldand Madison Communications appeared before thecrime branch on Saturday torecord his statement, he added.

"However, he did not appearbefore the probe team. Heinformed the police that thechannel has approached theSupreme Court and that therewill be a hearing on the mat-ter within a week. Citing this,he requested the police not torecord his statement," the offi-cial said. The CIU of thecrime branch is investigatingthe fake Television RatingPoints (TRP) racket case.

Republic TV's CFO failsto appear before cops

PNS n DHARAMSALA

Tibetan spiritual leader DalaiLama on Saturday congratulat-ed the executive director of theUN World Food Programme,a day after the organisationwon this year's Nobel PeacePrize.

The Dalai Lama in a letter toDavid Beasley said the awardis recognition of the organisa-tion's vital role in reducinghunger in the world.

The World FoodProgramme (WFP) was hon-oured for its efforts to combathunger, for its contribution tobettering conditions for peacein conflict-affected areas and

for acting as a driving force inefforts to prevent the use ofhunger as a weapon of war andconflict.

The Rome-based organisa-tion has been feeding people insome of the world's most dan-gerous and precarious places,with the coronavirus pandem-ic seen pushing millions more

into hunger."Through its actions to

address poverty, hunger andmalnutrition, whether theyarise due to conflict or natur-al disasters, the WFP is bring-ing help to the most vulnera-ble and needy. It brings peaceand comfort where often there

is only desperation," the DalaiLama said. "The NobelCommittee's honouring ofWFP is also a reminder to allof us of our responsibility to dowhat we can to narrow the gapbetween rich and poor," hesaid. He also expressed hisgratitude to members of theWFP for their tremendoushumanitarian work. "As thecurrent global health crisisreminds us, threats to thewhole human family have to beaddressed by us all, since we allwant to be happy and free fromsuffering. "Hunger and pover-ty can only be eliminated onthe basis of international coop-eration.

Time to narrow rich-poor gap: Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama in aletter to David Beasleysaid the award isrecognition of theorganisation's vital rolein reducing hunger

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court hasagreed to hear the plea of a20-year-old woman against adepartmental inquiry orderedby the Chhattisgarh govern-ment into her legal guardian,a senior IPS officer, alleged-ly marrying her biologicalmother despite being alreadymarried.

The woman claimed this“outrageous acts” of the stategovernment is an "attempt tosettle scores" with her father,the legal guardian, and dis-robe her and her deceasedbiological mother of theirdignity.

After hearing senior advo-cate Mahesh Jethmalani,appearing for the woman, abench of Justices AshokBhushan and M R Shahissued a notice and grantedan ex-parte stay on theinquiry proceedings.

“Application for filing thepetition without disclosingthe identity of the petitionerno.1 (woman) is allowed.Issue notice. In the meantime,no proceedings shall takeplace in pursuance of com-munication dated August 14,2020,” the bench said.

Woman seeksinquiry into herlegal father'smarriage

PNS n BHOPAL

The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) on Saturday expressedconfidence that it wouldemerge as a "kingmaker" bywinning at least 10 out of the28 Assembly seats in MadhyaPradesh, where bypolls wouldbe held on November 3. Theparty currently has two MLAsin the Madhya PradeshAssembly, whose effectivestrength has come down to 202after the death of three MLAsand resignations by 25 others.

"We are going to win at least10 seats out of the 28, wherebypolls would be held. With

these wins, we are going toemerge as kingmaker. We willcertainly play a crucial role in

forming the next govern-ment," state BSP chiefRamakant Pippal told PTI."The ruling BJP needs to winnine of these seats to enjoymajority (116) on its own inthe House. But some surveyshave predicted that it cannotwin more than four seats," hesaid. But as 28 seats are cur-rently vacant, the BJP present-ly enjoys majority in the Houseon its own, he added. "On theother hand, the oppositionCongress needs to win all 28seats to reach the majority

mark. But it is next to impos-sible," the BSP leader said.

He alleged that both the par-ties have fielded turncoats andthe voters were upset with it.

"The voters are looking atthe BSP as an alternative. Wealready have two MLAs in theHouse," Pippal said. "The BSPhas fielded 27 candidates andwe will soon nominate our lastcandidate for Bada Malheraseat shortly, Pippal said.

Meanwhile, according to theBSP sources, party supremoMayawati is expected to tourthe Gwalior-Chambal region,where by-elections to 16assembly segments will be held.

Will emerge as ‘kingmaker': BSP

PNS n NEW DELHI

The experimental antibodycocktail which US PresidentDonald Trump received whenhe tested positive for COVID-19 offers benefits against thenovel coronavirus infection,according to a new study in ani-mal models which providesmore evidence of the clinicalpotential of the therapeutic.

While earlier studies hadshown that the cocktail of twoantibodies targeting the coron-avirus spike protein could beused to neutralise the pathogen,scientists from the Americanbiotechnology companyRegeneron noted that furtherresearch in multiple animalmodels is needed to test theeffectiveness of the formulation.In the current study, publishedin the journal Science, theresearchers tested REGN-COV2 in rhesus macaques,which manifest mild COVID-19 symptoms, and in goldenhamsters, which show symp-toms that are much more severe,including rapid weight loss.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Bharat Biotech, which hadsought DCGI's nod for con-ducting phase-3 clinical trialsof its COVID-19 vaccine can-didate, has been asked to sub-mit complete safety andimmunogenicity data of theongoing phase-2 trial, besidesproviding some clarifications,before proceeding for the nextstage. The vaccine candidate -- 'Covaxin' -- is being indige-nously developed by the BharatBiotech in collaboration with

the ICMR. According to offi-cials, the Hyderabad-basedvaccine maker applied to theDrugs Controller General ofIndia (DCGI) on October 2,seeking its permission to con-duct phase-3 randomised dou-ble-blind placebo-controlledmulticentre trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The firm in its applicationsaid that the study would cover28,500 subjects aged 18 yearsand above and would be con-ducted in 19 sites -- includingDelhi, Mumbai, Patna and

Lucknow -- across 10 states. According to sources, the

phase-2 trial of the Covaxin isgoing on and the second doseis yet to be given to volunteersat some sites. "The companypresented phase-3 clinical trialprotocol along with interimdata of phase 1 and 2 clinicaltrials," an official said.

The subject expert commit-tee (SEC) at the Central DrugsStandard ControlOrganisation(CDSCO) delib-erated on the application onOctober 5.

PNS n LAFAYETTE

Ripping tarps from alreadydamaged roofs and scatteringdebris piled by roadsides,Delta inflicted a new roundof destruction on Louisianaas it struck communities stillreeling after Hurricane Lauratook a similar path just sixweeks earlier.

Delta hit as a Category 2hurricane, with top winds of100 mph (155 kph) but rapid-ly grew weaker. By earlySaturday, it dwindled to atropical storm with 60 mph(95 kph) winds.

Still, forecasters warned ofdanger from storm surge andflash floods across much ofsouthwestern Louisiana andparts of neighboring Texas.Mississippi also got its fairshare of rain overnight.

Delta made landfall Fridayevening near the coastal townof Creole — a distance of onlyabout 15 miles (24 kilome-ters) from where Laura struckland in August, killing 27people in Louisiana. The ear-lier storm damaged nearlyevery home and building inLake Charles, Louisiana. Pilesof moldy mattresses, sawed-up trees and other debris stilllined the streets. “I'm in abuilding right now with atarp on it and just the soundof the tarp flapping on thebuilding sounds like someonepounding with a sledgeham-mer on top of the building,“Hunter said as he rode out thestorm downtown.

PNS n UNITED NATIONS

A new report estimates that 29million women and girls arevictims of modern slavery,exploited by practices includ-ing forced labour, forced mar-riage, debt-bondage anddomestic servitude.

Grace Forrest, co-founder ofthe Walk Free anti-slaveryorganisation, said Friday thatmeans one in every 130women and girls is living inmodern slavery today, morethan the population ofAustralia. “The reality is thatthere are more people living inslavery today than any othertime in human history,” shetold a UN news conference.

Walk Free defines modernslavery “as the systematicremoval of a person's freedom,where one person is exploitedby another for personal orfinancial gain,” she said.

Forrest said the global estimateof one in 130 women and girlsliving in modern slavery wasmade based on work by WalkFree, the International LabourOrganisation and theInternational Organisation forMigration, both UN agencies.

“What this report has shownis that gender stacks the oddsagainst girls from conceptionthroughout their lives," shesaid. According to the report,titled “Stacked Odds,” womenaccount for 99 per cent of allvictims of forced sexualexploitation, 84 per cent of allvictims of forced marriage,and 58 per cent of all victimsof forced labour.

Regeneron'scocktail mayoffer protectionagainst Covid

29m women victimsof modern slavery

Bharat Biotech asked to submitph 2 data of its Covid vaccine

Delta drenchesLouisiana,Mississippi

"Our jawans are beingsent in non-bullet prooftrucks to get martyredand a Rs 8,400 croreaircraft is brought forthe PM! Is this justice,"

VIJAYAWADA |SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020 money 06

Ampere Electric said on Fridaysaid that mobility startupBounce has ordered for 3,000

Ampere scooters on the platformas part of the initial roll out of itspartnership with the company. TheEV maker, which is part of theGreaves Cotton, in a release, alsosaid it is seeing an increaseddemand in retail and fasteradoption of its scooters in the rideshare and last-mile deliverysegments on the back of its tie-up with the platform. Significantly,post Covid, Bounce, which is into partnership with Ampere for morethan two years now, has transitioned all its offerings to electricsolutions. "We are thrilled to partner with Bounce as we facilitate theinitial order of 3,000 Ampere e-scooters. Ampere along with Bounce isenabling safer and affordable shared mobility solutions for ride sharecustomers and this fresh order will help them expand their marketreach," said P Sanjeev, Chief Operating Officer at Ampere Electric.

MONEY MATTERS

Mobility startup Bounce placesorder for 3,000 Ampere scooters

The issue price for thesovereign gold bond hasbeen fixed at Rs 5,051 per

gram of gold, the ReserveBank of India (RBI) said in astatement on Friday. TheSovereign Gold Bond Scheme2020-21-Series VII will beopened for subscription fromOctober 12 to October 16."The nominal value of the bondbased on the simple averageclosing price for gold of 999

purity of the last three business days of the week preceding thesubscription period...works out to Rs 5,051 per gram of gold," the RBIsaid. It further said the government, in consultation with the RBI, hasdecided to offer a discount of Rs 50 per gram less than the nominalvalue to those investors applying online and the payment against theapplication is made through digital mode.

Gold bond issue price fixed at Rs 5,051 per gram of gold

PNSn NEW DELHI

India's digital footprint marksits biggest strength for AIdevelopment, and establishedplatforms like Aadhaar, UPIalong with massive digitalinfrastructure create a "uniqueopportunity" for this futuristictechnology to be leveraged toenhance transparency andimprove governance, NITIAayog CEO Amitabh Kantsaid on Friday.

Speaking at the closing ses-sion of RAISE 2020 Summit,Kant said India optimally lever-aging Artificial Intelligence(AI) to solve its developmen-tal challenges will not only leadto a societal transformationwithin, but will also benefitother nations in the world, whoface similar issues.

"Data lies at the core ofdevelopment of AI technolo-

gies. India's digital footprint isits biggest strength for AIdevelopment," he said.

Noting India's digitalprowess - humongous amountsof data generated at "cheapestpossible cost", rising smart-phone penetration and rapidadoption of digital modes of

payment -- Kant said, "India'sdigitisation efforts throughplatforms such as Aadhaar,UPI, GST, public finance man-agement system and digitalinfrastructure has created aunique opportunity for AI tobe leveraged to increase trans-parency and improve gover-

nance". India's resolve to suc-cessfully leverage AI to solvevarious developmental chal-lenges will not just transformthe lives of 1.4 billion popula-tion here, but, in fact, also holdsout a promise for billions ofpeople across the world, whoare moving from poverty tomiddle class.

"Actually, when India solvesusing AI for people of India, it

is not solving for 1.4 billionpeople of India but for the next7 billion people of the worldwho are moving from povertyto middle class," he said.

Kant further said that India's'National program on AI' willbe dedicated towards the right-ful use of the technology insolving societal problems.

"...therefore, we will ramp upour computing facilities... wewill take big leap forward inquantum computing and wewill, in a very big way, skill ourpeople...for AI world of tomor-row," he said.

AI for social empowermentcan define new era of co-oper-ation and prosperity, thus ush-ering the next level of progress.

"We are still in the AI'spring', we are still at its begin-ning era. And this summithas cemented India's positionin AI world," he said.

India's digital footprint biggeststrength for AI development: Kant

India optimallyleveraging ArtificialIntelligence will notonly lead to a societaltransformation within,but will also benefitother nations in theworld, he said

PNSn NEW DELHI

The Finance Ministry onFriday said that public sectorbanks (PSBs) have on-board-ed about 1.5 crore customerson digital payment modes injust 45 days of launch of the'Digital Apnayen' campaign.

The campaign, aimed atencouraging customers to usedigital banking channels, waslaunched on August 15 underthe aegis of the government'sDigital India initiative.

"Pushing digital paymentadoption further with the#DigitalApnayen campaign!Started on 15th Aug'20, DFS'scampaign has already onboard-ed >1.58 Cr. Custome rs andhas resulted in deployment of50k PoS, >3L QR codes & 18kBHIM Aadhaar pay devices injust 45 days," Department ofFinancial Services said in atweet. Under the campaign,banks were asked to on-boarda minimum 100 new customers

including merchants and finan-cial inclusion account holders byeach branch on digital paymentmode. Banks were also advisedto consider reward and recog-

nition programme for theirbranches and business corre-spondents and other field func-tionaries for promoting thecampaign.

PSBs on-board 1.5 cr accountholders on digital payment modes

PNSn NEW DELHI

Amazon Prime Video servesmany Indias and caters to thecountry's many storytellingcultures rather than focusingon just one language, top exec-utives of the streaming servicesaid as they announced theirnew line-up for the upcomingfestive season.

The slate of nine films,announced on Friday, includesVarun Dhawan-Sara Ali Khan'sCoolie No 1 , RajkummarRao-Hansal Mehta' Chhalaang, Bhumi Pednekar's Durgavatias well as Tamil film SooraraiPottru' starring Suriya, Telugufilm Middle Class Melodiesand Malayalam drama HalalLove Story . The curated offer-

ing, like the previouslyannounced slate of movies thatincluded Gulabo Sitabo andShakuntala Devi in June, willbypass a theatrical release andpremiere directly on the ser-vice. Theatres have been shutin India since March due to thecoronavirus pandemic but areset to open from October 15with a stringent set of dos and

don'ts. "As a service, we'vealways been talking about themany Indias that we serve. Weprogramme for many lan-guages, Gaurav Gandhi, direc-tor and country general man-ager, Amazon Prime VideoIndia, said.

Amazon Prime Video hasbeen able to take language filmsin different territories, not only

giving them a worldwide mar-ket but also introducing them tonew audiences, he said.

For us, customers acrossthose languages are superimportant and it's not just at thelanguage level of content butalso from the point of access toour service, the UI (user inter-face). A couple of years ago, welaunched Hindi, Tamil andTelugu user interfaces. So from

our point of view, we pro-gramme for the many, manyIndias, and not just one lan-guage or the other, Gandhisaid. Giving an insight into theperformance of previous Indianfilms released by the service, hesaid they were watched in over4,000 cities and towns andinternationally in over 180 countries within a shortperiod.

‘We serve many Indias, many storytelling cultures’Amazon Prime Video has been able to takelanguage films in different territories, not onlygiving them a worldwide market but alsointroducing them to new audiences, saidGaurav Gandhi, Amazon Prime Video India

PNSn NEW DELHI

Labour Minister SantoshGangwar has affirmed the gov-ernment's commitment toempowering children, sayingending child labour is a prior-ity for it.

"The children are future ofthe nation, as such it is ourresponsibility to empowerthem by initiating appropriatesteps," Gangwar said whilespeaking at a meeting ofCentral Advisory Board on'Child and Adolescent Labour'through video conference onThursday, as per a statement bythe ministry.

The minister expressed gov-ernment's sincere commitmentto end child labour, which hesaid is a priority.

Gangwar alerted againstpossibility of increase in inci-dence of child labour in viewof the adverse effect ofCOVID-19 on the economy.He, therefore, called for suit-able action in this regard.

The minister also elaborat-ed on some of the steps taken

by the government towardsremoving child labour.

This include the game-changer amendment in ChildLabour Law in 2016 so thatchildren below the age of 14 areprotected from work in anyprofession or process, and ado-lescent children between the

age of 14 and 18 are protectedagainst employment in haz-ardous industry, the statementsaid. Gangwar also said thatthe NCLP is working well forrehabilitation of child labour.

He said the stipend has beenincreased from Rs 150 to Rs400 per month and is beingpaid into the account of chil-dren through Direct BenefitTransfer (DBT).

A PENCIL (Platform forEffective Enforcement for NoChild Labour) portal has alsobeen started for marking atten-dance online and implement-ing stipend payment system.

Gangwar also called forworking on mission mode forrehabilitation of children, espe-cially in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Ending child labour is govt’s priority’ Gangwarexpressedgovt'scommitmentto end childlabour, whichhe said is apriority

PNSn NEW DELHI

India can become the artificialintelligence (AI) capital of theworld because of the talentpool and complex problemsthat it has, and a policy frame-work for the technology canaccelerate development, TataSons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Friday.

He said AI can shape thefuture and direction of thecountry.

"India clearly has the poten-tial to become the AI capital ofthe world. The reason I say thisis not just because I am here inIndia and I love India and soon. We are in a sweet spotwhere we have talent and akind of complexity that only AIcan solve," Chandrasekaransaid while speaking at RAISE

Summit.He said if India is able to

solve the problems using AI,then the solutions can spreadto developing as well as devel-oped nations.

"For the coming decade tobe India's decade, to my mindthere are two challenges. Onthe one hand, solving theaccess challenge to make every

service like healthcare, educa-tion available to every citizenirrespective of the place wherethey live..." Chandrasekaransaid.

The other challenge is toprovide meaningful and pro-ductive futuristic jobs for thevast population of India, headded. "Right now the globaldigital economy is in fact head-ed towards a splintered future.

That will limit the scalabilityand potential of entire platformeconomics because of issuesrelated to data governance.

"Solving for data gover-nance, specifically what shouldbe the global standard for dataresidency -- localisation, priva-cy and security -- are veryimportant steps for our longterm success. I think develop-ing a policy framework willaccelerate development of AIand AI based solutions in a sig-nificant way," Chandrasekaransaid."This means our visionshould not be centred aroundsoftware professionals and datascientists and other white col-lar workers. But our visionshould include farmers, truckdrivers, shopkeepers, teachersand everyone else,"Chandrasekaran said.

PNSn NEW DELHI

Exports of agri-commoditiesrose by 43.4 per cent to Rs53,626.6 crore in the first halfof the current fiscal notwith-standing the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the UnionAgriculture Ministry said onSaturday.

Farm exports stood at Rs37,397.3 crore during theApril-September period of the2019-20 fiscal, it said.

In September 2020, agriexports rose by 81.7 per centto Rs 9,296 crore from Rs

5,114 crore in September2019. "The consistent andconcerted efforts of the gov-ernment to boost agricultur-al exports are bearing fruit asdespite of the on-going

COVID-19 crisis, the exportof essential agri commoditiesfor the cumulative period ofApril-September, 2020 hasincreased by 43.4 per cent toRs 53,626.6 crore," the min-istry said in a statement.

Positive growth was record-ed in export of groundnut (35per cent), refined sugar (104per cent), wheat (206 percent), basmati rice (13 percent) and non-basmati rice(105 per cent) during theApril-September of this fiscalfrom over the year-ago, itsaid.Furthermore, balance of

trade during April-September2020 was significantly positiveat Rs 9,002 crore as againsttrade deficit of Rs 2,133 crorein the said period, it added.

To boost agri exports, thegovernment announcedAgriculture Export Policy,2018 which inter-alia providesfor cluster-based approach forexport-centric farming of cashcrops like fruits, vegetables,spices, etc. whereby clusters forspecific agri products are iden-tified across the country andfocused interventions are car-ried out in these clusters.

PNSn NEW DELHI

California-based IT companySalesforce plans to add 5.48lakh direct jobs in India innear future and sees the coun-try has potential to become thesecond largest in terms ofGDP, a top official of thecompany said on Friday.

Salesforce chief data evan-gelist Vala Afshar while speak-ing at the Raise summit saidthat indirectly the companywill create 13 lakh jobs inIndia.

"I think the impact of mycompany in India alone isgoing to create billions of dol-lars in incremental GDP. Weare going to create 1.3 millionnew jobs indirectly with ourcustomer and partner ecosys-tem but directly we are goingto add 548,000 new jobs in thenear future," Afshar said.

Salesforce is estimated tohave market capitalisation ofaround USD 240 billion.

"In the next couple of yearswe are committed to training250,000 students. Education iskey to reducing digital divide,"Afshar said at the summit.

More than 79,000 stake-holders from academia, theresearch industry and govern-ment representatives from 147countries participated in thesummit that held duringOctober 5-9, according to theMinistry of Electronics andInformation technology.

Afshar said that India willsoon be the world's mostadvanced connected society.

He said that data is going tobe key to the artificial intelli-gence economy which is thereason that India is poised tobe a super power when itcomes to AI. He said India has60 crore unique users connect-ed to the internet and has anopportunity in the next 5-6years in the world to be USD6 trillion consumer spendpower in India.

PNSn KOLKATA

Several trade bodies haveurged the Centre to set up aregulator to deal with the ris-ing freight charges, amid theproblem of container shortagesthat exporters are facing.

Engineering ExportPromotion Council of India(EEPC) claimed that shippinglines are demanding highfreight charges as inward traf-fic from different countries,particularly from China, hasdeclined for which theexporters are required to paya higher amount for outbound

consignments."Imports from China have

fallen and the liners haveincreased freight rates. Noshipping company likes to sailempty after delivery of exportconsignments," Sanjay Budhia,chairman of CII national com-

mittee on exports and imports,told PTI. He said all theexporters across the countryare facing this problem.

"This is leading to a situationwhere cargo is lying at ports.We urged the government toset up a shipping regulator tocontrol the freight rates,"Budhia said, adding thatexports have started to pick updespite the coronavirus crisis.

After contracting for sixmonths in a row, the country'sexports grew by 5.27 per centto USD 27.4 billion inSeptember.

PNSn NEW DELHI

Realty firm Gaurs Group onSaturday reported a marginal5 per cent fall in sales bookingat Rs 401 crore during July-September, despite demandslowdown in the housing mar-ket due to the COVID-19pandemic.

The group reported salesbooking of Rs 421 crore in thesecond quarter of 2019-20.

"We are known for thetimely delivery and quality ofour projects, and the namethat we have earned over theyears helped us get phenom-enal results. We were able tocontain the downfall whichwas 37 per cent in Q1 to just

4.8 per cent in Q2,” saidManoj Gaur, MD, GaursGroup. "Impeccable market-ing strategies coupled withappropriate use of digital mar-keting helped us to handle thetough market situation," hesaid. "The queries and walk-ins have recovered back to thepre-COVID-19 times. We areabout to launch two new pro-jects at Yamuna Expresswayduring Navratras," Gaur said.

The company is bullishabout growth prospects inthe Yamuna Expresswayregion, driven by infrastruc-ture development likeInternational Airport and theupcoming Film City in thevicinity.

The campaign, aimed at encouragingcustomers to use digital banking channels,was launched on August 15 under the aegisof the government's Digital India initiative

Salesforce to add5.48 lakh directjobs in India

Gaurs Group clocks

Rs 400 cr sales bookingIndia can be AI capital: Chandrasekaran

Policy framework forthe technology canacceleratedevelopment, saidTata Sons ChairmanN Chandrashekaran

Trade bodies urge Centre toset up shipping regulator

PNSn NEW DELHI

Mortgage lender HDFC Ltd'sCEO Keki Mistr y onSaturday said the "worst isbehind us" and the econom-ic recovery has been fasterthan expected. Stating thatthe December quartergrowth could outperform theexpansion logged in the cor-responding quarter a yearago, Mistry said that theIndian economy has shownits resiliency.

Benign interest rate regimewill continue going forwardand that rates will go uponly after economic activitygathers more pace and infla-

tion pressure rises, Mistry,vice chairman and CEO,HDFC Ltd, said at an onlinedialogue organised by theAll India Management Association (AIMA). He, however,said that interest rates havebottomed out.

Farm exports stood atRs 37,397.3 croreduring the April-September period ofthe 2019-20 fiscal, thegovernment said

Agri exports rise 43.4 pc in Apr-Sept: Govt

‘Economic recoveryfaster than expected’

special 07VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020

No matter how sick one feels, butjust when we enter a doctor’s clin-ic and spot the man in a whitecoat festooned with a stethoscope,

all the pain seems to disappear. Such hasbeen our faith in the doctors who are con-sidered nothing less than a God in a coun-try like ours. The pandemic seems to havehighlighted the importance of doctorseven more, not that they were consideredany less before.

However, what can’t be ignored is thefact that around 515 doctors have sacrificedtheir lives in the fight against COVID-19.The question here is why? Perhaps becauseour fragile healthcare system could havedone nothing much to save them, becausethis is how unprepared we were in the fight,to say the least.

Not only doctors, but several nurses andother healthcare workers have fallen preyto the disease, may be because they didn’thave proper safety gears. Whatever the rea-son may have been, the loss in itself is hugeand terrible.

Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder-Director,Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, tells youthat the scariest part is that more than 2,500family members of the doctors have losttheir lives too.

“Doctors have been at the frontline ofthe fight against COVID and it’s no won-der that more than 500 doctors have beenmartyred during this war. The scarier partis more than 2,500 family members of thedoctors have lost their lives because the doc-tors had got the infection home. TheGovernment has put healthcare at the bot-tom of its priority for a long time and noelection in India has been fought withhealthcare as the main agenda, contrary tothe Western countries like the US, UK andthe European countries where healthcare isthe biggest election manifesto in every polls,”Bajaj says.

He adds that the National HealthService has been the topic of every electionthat has happened in the UK. “The Obamacare bill was the biggest issue in the last elec-tions, which the Republicans had fought on.Healthcare has been the biggest issue in allof the countries but in India. TheGovernment has really disregarded it com-pletely and the healthcare expenditure inGDP in India is lower than each and everycountry in the world. It’s worse than coun-tries like Cambodia too. So, nobody is pre-pared and the poorest of the poor goes toprivate healthcare facilities and they haveto sell their houses and lands to accesshealthcare. Supply chains were completelybroken when pandemic hit. TheGovernment doctors especially had towork without masks, PPEs and that’s howthey got the infection. The infection loadwas very high because they were seeing somany patients continuously. That’s whythere were so many lives lost,” he explains.

So, the blame, he says, is completely onthe Government. “They are never ready tofight any health challenge. They have out-sourced it conveniently to private health-care. The Government needs to reconsid-er its priorities and work on the health sec-tor a lot by increasing the expenditure, makesure that the Government healthcare facil-ities are as good, if not better than the pri-vate. We need to protect our doctors andnurses because each doctor treats hundredsand thousands of patients. One loss of adoctor's life is a huge loss for theGovernment as it spends crores on one doc-tor’s training to treat patients. And, if we losea doctor at the prime of his life, it’s a big lossto the entire community. So, we need to pro-tect them by ensuring good quality masks,PPEs and well-equipped infrastructure. Wealso need to ensure that there are sufficientdoctors so that one doctor doesn’t have towork 24X7 and gets enough time to rest inbetween to rebuild his immunity, which isof utmost importance today,” Bajaj tells you.

Commandar Navneet Bali, NationalConvener, AHPI, tells you that since thepandemic has broken out a huge shift hasbeen witnessed in the healthcare sector.“Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out,a huge shift is witnessed in the private aswell as public healthcare sector. Manyorganisations came forward to help and alsomany companies started manufacturingventilators which helped in fighting the pan-demic to a great extent. Surely we need todo better as far as the healthcare infrastruc-ture is concerned. We also need more work-force. Hence, the recently launched two-yeardiploma courses by the Government aremuch appreciable as our country needsmore specialised healthcare workers,” hesays.

Saving ourselves from this virus andtaking care of ourselves and our familymembers in order to reduce the burden onthe healthcare workers, he says, is one of thebest ways to convey our regards and tothank them. “Wearing a mask is a must.Remember, our careless attitude has beenone of the reasons behind the increasingfatalities. Our society needs to learn sever-al things at different levels. Since the out-break, we have even come across reportspeople misbehaving with doctors andassaulting them. This is unfortunate andmakes us think that a lot has to be done evennow to acknowledge the valuable contribu-tion of our doctors and pay them muchneeded respect. This is not the first time wehave witnessed a pandemic, but now is thetime to learn from the past and present aswell and be prepared for the future,” Bali tellsyou.

Dr P Venkata Krishnan, Consultant —Internal Medicines, Paras Hospital,Gurugram, tells you that if the infrastruc-ture was in place, we could have been ableto save the lives of a lot of doctors. “A lotof doctors could have been saved, if ourhealthcare system was in place. Our health-care infrastructure lacks many things. Firstand foremost, the cost of our healthcare ser-vices is very low as compared to the othercountries. Secondly, the Government hadnot put adequate precaution for doctors.The Government should have asked thedoctors above 55 years of age at theGovernment hospital to not to come onactive duty till the disease is completelyunderstood. Third, there were not enough

protective gears available for doctors at thefrontline. That’s why many Governmentdoctors got affected in the course of the dis-ease. The Government should providesocial and financial security to the doctors,who are actively on the line of duty.Hospitals suffered huge losses during thelockdown, forcing many doctors to comeoutside and earn. As a result, the healthcareprofessionals got the blow of the pandem-ic directly on them and as a result a lot oflives have been lost,” he tells you.

Recently, the Centre has said thatthere is no database of deceased doctors, DrAmitabha Ghosh, Senior Consultant —Internal Medicines, Columbia AsiaHospital, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon, has a take

on that. “I don’t have an idea about whatthe Centre has said in view of the deceaseddoctors list. But if such a comment has beenmade and if its true, then its unfortunate,”he opines.

In order to improve our healthcareinfrastructure, he says, the annual budgetallocated should be increased. “Then onlywe will be able to provide more manpow-er and implement things in a more system-atic way,” Ghosh adds.

Dr Anand Bansal, Medical Director,Action Group of Hospitals, tells you thatinstead of playing the blame game, it is hightime that we should focus on that no morelives are lost in this fight.

“It is unfortunate that we lost many of

our doctors in this fight against pandemicbut instead of blaming, we surely need tointrospect and work for a solution collec-tively. The need of the hour is to ensure safe-ty and security of our doctors and also pro-vide best treatment facilities to get rid of thisinfection as soon as possible. They shouldbe provided PPE kits, good quality masksand a favourable working environment totreat patients . Also society should learn torespect doctors’ instructions andGovernment guidelines and stop living inoblivion,” he asserts.

Infrastructure, he says, is prime inhealthcare, especially when it comes to pri-vate sector apart from beds and propermedication there should be enough space

to cope with other needs of the hospital.Take for example if a doctor is serving ina private hospital and is not able to go backhome, then there should be proper spaceand arrangements for them to take rest andstay overnight in hospital. Also thereshould be subsidies for life saving equip-ment used in hospitals like ventilators andtesting kits. The Government should pro-vide ventilators at very economical costs;plasma donation should be rewarded andencouraged widely across the society.“Remember, pandemic outbreaks nevercome with alarms, all we can do is takelessons from history, and work with a holis-tic approach,” Bansal says.

The least we can do for all the frontline

workers is to show respect and considerthem as soldiers, if not more. “They are alsofighting our country’s enemy in order tosave our lives while putting theirs at risk.Government should ensure their safety,security and reward them for their work.Society should learn to respect them. Therecent unfortunate news reports about vio-lence with doctors during the lockdownwere disappointing and heartbreaking; oursociety also needs to learn at large. Stay athome as much as possible, follow social dis-tancing and wear a mask in public places.Saving ourselves from this virus will alsoadd to our doctors’ respect and will be asmall token of our love towards them,”Bansal tells you.

DEAR DOCTORAccording to the list put out by IMA, at least 500 doctors have lost their lives in the fight againt COVID-19. Theunfortunate event raises many questions as to who is to be blamed for the loss. MUSBA HASHMI speaks todoctors and experts who analyse the situation and tell you if these could have been saved

NNooww yyoouu ccaann wwrriittee ttoo uuss aatt aaggeennddaappiioonneeeerr@@ggmmaaiill..ccoomm

This week be careful of wishful thinking. You are adreamer who sees only beauty, outward attraction andexcitement. Things will boomerang if you continue tostay in your dreams and fantasies. Stay away from badhabits and bad company. Resist any temptations.Professionally, you are likely to take your business intoa partnership where you will experience understanding,harmony and big motives between two people. Theseed sown now will blossom into a tree of appreciation.On the personal front, you are rich by heart and yourpocket, too. The week just reminds you to appreciatethe sensual, luxurious side to life that often makesliving more pleasurable. You believe in quality overquantity. Learn to enjoy a full and joyful life.

Lucky number 2Lucky colour PinkLucky day Sunday

ARIES March 21-April 19

This week your health will be at its best. You willexperience harmony in your thinking and personality. Youwill be calm, friendly and will support others. You giveother people their space and are tolerant of their needs.You can create a safe and trusting environment for themand become their influence. This demonstrates a level ofsoft control and persuading others to your way ofthinking. On the career front, long time challenges will bemet. You will be focussed on what you need to do. Inthis process, you will regain your self-confidence. On thepersonal front, you beam with happiness and enjoy therelationships. Your dreams have become reality andrelationships will find a new meaning. Married coupleswill experience a stronger bond.

Lucky number 12Lucky colour PeachLucky day Tuesday

TAURUS April 20-May 20

Let go of all the past worries and live in the moment.This week depression, isolation and insecurity are likelyto cause harm. Try to keep these away from you. Yourpositive mindset will not only help in making you asuccessful person but also stay in great health. Thisweek avoid red colour. On the career front, you arelikely to discover a skill which was unknown to you allthese while. With a new week, you are set on a newpath, realising your potentials and weaknesses. Thosewho are looking to start their career may have to trainyourself to specialise in one field. On the personal front,you tend to lose your temper at the slightestprovocation and this will affect your relationships withyour family and friends.

Lucky number 17Lucky colour GreyLucky day Saturday

GEMINI May 21-June 20

This week you will take life as it comes and not beworried about anything. Be cautious in your diet andcheck unhealthy eating habits, as it may take a toll onyour health. You may face health issues like weight gain,lethargy and low stamina. Whatever you want to indulgein, don’t compromise on health. Exercise regularly to beon a good track. This week on the career front, work willpick-up speed. It will be important for you to keep yourbalance in every possible way. Seniors will have highexpectations of you. Don’t get nervous. Yourcommunication is your tool, use it for everyone’s good.On the personal front, you are optimistic. Yournetworking with people is strong. You will enjoyfulfillment in relationships. With your partner’s emotionalsupport, you will feel protected.

Lucky number 18Lucky colour SilverLucky day Wednesday

CANCER June 21-July 22

This week you are filled with imagination and feelphysically comfortable. The negativity of the past is fadingaway and will enjoy high stamina and creativity. You arelikely to work hard with a lot of enthusiasm to fulfill yourdreams. New interests will draw your attention. Yourpractical approach will lead you to success.Professionally, work plans held up due to obstacles willstart opening up with fruitful results. This week you canafford to take the risk as you shall find takers for yourplans. Your past investment of money and energy willstart showing dividends now. You will be able to dojustice to your professional and personal responsibilities.Married couples will enjoy marital bliss. Couples stayingseparately are likely to settle their disputes amicably.

Lucky number 11Lucky colour BeigeLucky day Sunday

VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 22

You are being careless when it comes to your health andwill soon suffer the consequences as well. You need toavoid stress and anxiety this week. Relax and take advicefrom a health professional. Health is the greatest wealth,therefore, take time out for yourself. Make a resolution thatyou will do some kind of physical exercise for at least 30minutes. Professionally, cards indicate a good message foryou. Your partner and you have a perfect understanding ofprofessional matters and work for the same motive.Balance and determination are the keys to your success.On the personal front, your critical and analytical nature isat its peak. This may cause conflict in your love life. Letyour partner grow. Give them a chance to expressthemselves.

Lucky number 13Lucky colour BrownLucky day Saturday

LIBRA Sep 23-Oct 22

This week your health needs attention. Avoid any kind ofphysical and mental stress. The balance between body,mind and soul is required at this time. Some externalnegative forces are working against you. You may feelhelpless as something comes to a sudden end, and youfeel as if you are being attacked or backstabbed bysomeone. On the career front, work is satisfactory andyou are happy about it. New opportunities and newcreative plans are indicated. New projects are likely toopen up in front of you. On the personal front, you mayfeel suffocated with no scope of self-expression in love.Those who are looking for love should have patience.Those facing a rough time in married life should adoptthe right attitude towards your marriage and partner.

Lucky number 8Lucky colour MagentaLucky day Friday

SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 21

There is a sparkling and refreshing factor in yourpersonality that makes you a distinct person this week.Your courage and risk-taking ability will open up newareas in life. You feel healthy and fearless. You have theenthusiasm to experience, to discover and enjoy life.You believe in yourself and follow your heart. Believe inyourself and have no room for fear. Career-wise, youwill notice growth in your profession. You will attainthe highest potential in your life, reaching a state ofrenewal and new beginnings. Your emotional strengthis your greatest tool to win all challenges in life, bepersonal or professional. Support of near and dearones is on the cards. Have blind faith in yourrelationship.

Lucky number 6Lucky colour PurpleLucky day Friday

AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18

You tend to think with your heart, rather than your mind.You may lack rationality but you are highly intuitive. Youare nurturing and caring for others’ needs. Women arelikely to suffer from hormonal problems, thyroid ormenopausal issues. If that be the case, get yourselfchecked and take medication before it aggravates. On thecareer front, your personal value system and what youbelieve will bring you the ultimate fulfillment andhappiness in your life. An appraisal or a very lucrativeoffer in on the cards. Try to look for opportunities thatmake you feel satisfied and are aligned with your values.You have to do what feels right to you. The week is goodfor your emotional happiness as well. The ultimatesatisfaction of a long-term relationship is indicated.

Lucky number 14Lucky colour GreenLucky day Thursday

PISCES Feb 19-March 20

This week you need to listen to your body with great careand compassion. Half of the problems will get sortedwith a positive attitude. If you are having health issueslike back pain, low energy, or any other problem, do takecare. Revisiting your spiritual rituals is on the card. Itmight be helpful to give you the time and space to getinsight that might be healing for you. Career-wise, youseem to be in an offbeat mood and not satisfied in yourcurrent job, this is the right to switch the job. Prepareyour resume, do research work, which company needyour profile and prepare yourself for the interview. Youare very sensitive and emotional this week. Even a smallmatter could make you cry. Your mood swings, over-demanding nature could make your partner irritated.

Lucky number 15Lucky colour Sky BlueLucky day Thursday

CAPRICORN Dec 22-Jan 19

This week you may find yourself ignoring your health. Youconsider pleasures in simple traditions and rituals. Youneed to listen to your body and understand what you arefeeding it. Pay attention to any health related needs andtake timely action. Home-made remedies will help you inhealing. Other modes of healing could make a big hole inthe pocket. For the past few weeks, your focus wasmainly on your financial security. On the career front, youwill need to adapt to the existing set of beliefs that arealready in place, instead of being innovative. Personally,this is the time to value the relationships and understandthat every bond in life has its meaning. If required, takehelp from a psychotherapist or a spiritual mentor towhom you turn for wisdom.

Lucky number 20Lucky colour MauveLucky day Monday

LEO July 23-Aug 22

This is a good week for you. You are quick, mentally andphysically, and filled with anticipation. Those sufferingfrom an ailment will recover fast. This is the time toindulge in mental activities of all kinds, includinglearning, exploring, and researching. On the professionalfront, you are filled with fresh energy and feel like an avidlearner and an excellent student. This will lead you tolearn various skills. You could prove a smart salespersonfor the company. With your skills, you have achievedsome unexpected target for the company you areworking with. Your appraisal is likely. On the personalfront, the time seems to be favourable. Those already in arelationship, it is possible that it will deepen and becomebetter.

Lucky number 19Lucky colour WhiteLucky day Tuesday

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22-Dec 21

YYOOUURRWWEEEEKK

AHEADMADHU KOTIYA

sundaymagazine

tarot 8THREE THINGS CANNOT BELONG HIDDEN: THE SUN, THE

MOON, AND THE TRUTH— BUDDHA Vijayawada, October 11, 2020

Many a times a counsellor has tobear with unpleasantmoments. Taking it as a part

of professional hazard, he has to digestit all without any sense of rancour ordispleasure. There are people whoremain stuck to their own delusionarydream perceptions, not keen to lookbeyond in search of a better option ifany. Some of them even lack the will togo on their own. Such people wish tobe vetted by some others. So, theymeet a counsellor, but not to seek hon-est opinion. They rather try to puttheir idea in the consultant’s mouth,and just wish confirmation. They can’tdigest if an honest consultant ever triesto make them aware of truth. Suchpeople vent out their frustration onthe consultant.

Recently, I had to digest unsavouryremarks made by such a person, whichgot communicated by a dear friendwho had introduced him to me. Thisman wanted resolution to some of hisconcerns: “Sir, although I was finan-cially and otherwise quite comfortablewhile in USA, but had to bear with fre-quent job changes — six career changesin four years. I could not bear with

social environment either. So, I quit myjob in a state of desperation, with theintent to build up my career here in mynative country. Almost a year has gonebye, and I am yet to find a job. Whendo I get a job and where? Recently, Iliked a girl, but she doesn’t seem to becoming around, as she is stuck to herold boyfriend. I am not able to getalong with my parents either. Pleaseshow me the way.”

Well, everybody comes to thisworld with their own Karmic carryoverfrom the past, which they have to bearwith. A look into your chart revealsthat you are running Venus dasha,which being 2nd lord identified withearning, is posited in the 10th houseidentified with career. So, your careerhas to go strong. But then Venus iscombust, and occupies the constella-tion owned by Moon conjunct Mars,both tenanted in a movable sign. So,you were due for frequent careerchanges, so long as the sub-periods ofplanets occupying movable signs wereoperative. That often proved emotion-ally upsetting. Those sub-periods beingover, you may have long tenure now.But ‘change being your nature’, you

can’t stick to a job for long. In so far asbeing ignored by a girl already in rela-tionship with someone else is con-cerned, how can you expect from herto submit to your asking? About yourcareer prospects, it is expected to flour-ish in a foreign land, and so, you mayhave to seek a job abroad once again.

The problem with you, however, isthat you seem to be stuck to your ownself-assumed delusionary perceptions,quite distant from ground reality, com-ing as it may as both the luminaries areplaced adverse to mischievousNeptune. You won’t look beyond for areality check. You won’t acknowledgetruth on its first appearance. You ratherprefer to pursue your dream percep-tions on hope against hope till pushedto the wall. Given the present direction— the progressed Sun placed adverseto natal Neptune, this attitude is play-ing out to its full.

You are born in an Aries lagna, afiery and a movable sign, with its lordMars in debilitation, which is conjunctmind signifying Moon in a watery signand in another movable sign Cancer.That, in the first place, reflects yourimpulsive, aggressive, irritable, impa-tient, intolerant and a domineering

nature. You wish to live in a demand-ing mode. In fact, ‘my way or highway’seems to be your approach. Second,you wish to be always in the lead, andresent subordination, even of yourseniors. Third, you are rash and jumpinto action without applying properforethought. You apply your mind onlywhen you land into problem. Fourth,you are emotionally volatile, and so getover-exercised even on trivial issues,.

Intelligence signifying Mercury isplaced adverse to erratic Rahu, whichmakes you restless, often engaged inconflicting thoughts. Consequently,you fail to look at issues in hand objec-tively. The result is there to see. Youmust remember that the world doesn’tnecessarily move to your asking. Youneed to work upon your fault lines,particularly inter-personal relationshipskill, otherwise it will be difficult to getalong with any, and hold on to anyrelationship for long either.

The man did not like being shownhis mirror image, and hence his out-burst.

The wwriter iis aan aastrologer, vvastu cconsultant and sspiritual ccounsellor. CConnect wwith hhim aat

Tel: 991-111-99818037273/9871037272Email: bbharatbhushanpadmadeo@gmail.com

ASTROTURFBHARAT BHUSHAN PADMADEO

Madhu Kotiya is a tarot card reader, spiritual healer, and Founder, MShezaim Institute of Tarot and Divination. Contact details: madhu@indiatarot.com, www.indiatarot.com, M: 9873283331

Learn to bear with the truth

TEAM AGENDA DESK > NAVNEET MENDIRATTA, CONSULTING EDITOR | H LAYOUT AND DESIGN > SATISH CHANDRA JAKHMOLA, SENIOR EDITOR (CREATIVE)

sundaymagazine

10Introspect to sanitise your mind

Introspection is the best way to recogniseour imperfections. By meditation and

ethical virtues, we can lead a godly life

F R O M T H E I N S I D E

Our diversity is ourstrength. What a dulland pointless life it

would be if everyonewas the same

— Angelina Jolie

Sambhavna

is back

Vijayawada, October 11, 2020

Don’t we love to be entertained.What started many thousandsof years ago as cave art andguttural sounds around anevening fire has now become

much more refined as endless series of con-tent to see on YouTube, Netflix, Amazon,and the like. We have a near infinity ofbooks that we can read both digitally andphysically. We have so many TV channelsto choose from that many of us feel likegiving up during the selection process itself.And, if you wanted a quick fix, you can gocheck out the latest gossip on one of theWhatsApp groups you are in or just go toTikTok, make one choice and then let theapplication take it from there.

Being 46 and having grown up in NewDelhi, entertainment for me, when in myteens, consisted of reading the newspaperin the morning and, after that, mostly ofvisiting someone’s house and enjoying play-ing some board or card games there. Thedays of cable TV, smartphones and thecapability to see whatever I wanted, when-ever I wanted to, was still quite a few yearsaway.

Look around you for a second. If youare affluent enough, and at home, chancesare there is a TV, with a remote, nearbysomewhere and that you are in possessionof at least one smart mobile device. You aretherefore just one or two button clicks awayfrom choosing whatever form of entertain-ment you want, right from the luxury ofwherever you are sitting right now.

DEMOCRATISING CONTENT CREATIONWe are what we eat and breathe, but we,

usually, become what we see. Our brainslove learning and we are all sponges whenwe sit in front of our chosen entertainmentmedium. Be it a print newspaper or an elec-tronic medium. We enjoy knowing aboutothers and, in turn, we desire to tell otherswhat is happening to us.

Technology has made things much easi-er. Any one of us, with enough drive, candecide to become an Instagram influencer, aYouTube celebrity or a TikTok personality.No need to purchase an expensive camerarig or procure and learn how to operate avery complex video editing software. Justusing a smartphone, you can do whateveryou wish.

The near ubiquitousness of mobiledevices and the availability of free or reallycheap software for the same has allowed foruser generated content (UGC) like neverbefore. Furthermore, platforms such asYouTube and TikTok allow for the distribu-tion of such content in a very easy manner.You can even take steps on those, and other,platforms to market the content and makesure that it gets the desired number of eye-

balls on it. At one point, people needed tobuild bridges and buildings to be remem-bered. Now, all you need is an Instagramaccount. If you are an author you can publishand print books on demand. If you are anartist you can go to a website like Etsy and,suddenly, the whole world is your oyster.

EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY, INFLUENCERSAND MARKETING

A good word from someone you knowgoes a long way. Content aggregation plat-forms know this. Most applications andecosystems are now designed with recom-mendation engines in mind. You are toldwhat your friend watched or what someoneelse experienced so that you can be catal-ysed into taking a similar decision.

Apps and platforms are designed withliking content in mind so that everyone canbe a critic. We are provided with the abilityto share our experiences and this data isharvested, accumulated and shown to thecrowd in a, supposedly, averaged sense. We,as a part of the crowd, are then influencedby this data that we are shown. Would younot go to a place that had a higher Zomatorating than a lower one? Wouldn’t yourather buy that brand of clothing that theYouTuber you had subscribed to spokeabout? Be careful to separate the wheatfrom the chaff though. You need to have anunderstanding as to which endorsementwas paid for and which was not.

Chances are quite good that the firstfew entries you see on Zomato or Googleare there because someone paid for them toget that top billing. Entertainment and con-tent ecosystems similarly also allow foraudience targeting. Advertisers and pro-moters can choose data sets that includeyou based on your geography, your maritalstate, your economic status, your earlierpurchasing activity, the list only goes onand on.

Additionally, content is now being cre-ated, keyworded and headlined in ways thatare engineered to grab our attention.Something gossipy or scandalous is alwaysmore likely to get hits. After all, why shouldone create content that only thousands willsee when you can create something else thathundreds of thousands may be interested inso that you can get a higher rating or moread revenue from the same? Creating con-tent that can go viral is the holy grail formost marketing companies today.

DATA DRIVEN CONTENT CREATION ANDPROMOTION

When Netflix started, they only shippedDVDs that were created by others. Evenwhen they started streaming content, theyhad no choice but to license the same fromother film and TV studios and related pro-

duction companies. But Netflix understoodthat, if they wanted to remain masters oftheir own destiny, then they needed theirown catalog of content. Since Netflix hadbeen shipping discs and streaming for a bitof time now, they had access to a lot of data.Data that we consumers had given them. Allthe shows we saw, that we stopped and neverwent back to, the genres of content that weconsumed more than others, all gave Netflixa lot of valuable information about ourbehaviour as consumers.

Using this data, they figured out thatactor Kevin Spacey and director DavidFincher would be a great sellable combina-tion for their viewers. They also realised thata lot of people liked political dramas. Thus,the US episodic version of House of Cardswas conceptualised and executed. As thenumbers had suggested to them, it was ablockbuster hit for Netflix.

Big data technologies are also being usedby platforms like Facebook, YouTube andTikTok in order to promote content that theythink we will like. Clearly, it is in their bestinterest to have us glued to our screens con-suming as much content, as is possible, fromthem. So, they pattern match what we see,what our friends see, what others, as a groupsee, and then provide recommendations tous. If you have not wanted to leave yourscreen and, at some point, noticed that whatstarted as a two min viewing session for you,became a two hour marathon, then you canrest in peace with the knowledge that thealgorithms and the artificial intelligence (AI)and machine learning (ML) models that theprogrammers have created, are doing theirjob pretty well.

Yes, we as consumers may be gettingwhat we want, but, there is an ugly side to ittoo. We are now susceptible to filter bubbles.This is when a platform, in filtering contentthrough to us that they think we will like,only promotes content to our immediateattention that closely matches what we hadconsumed in the past. In doing this, we havethe risk of going into a filter bubble. A bub-ble where we only see what reinforces whatwe saw before and hardens what philoso-phies we may hold. In not being showing adiversity of content, and in us choosing notto search for it, we now have the risk ofgoing deeper into a rabbit hole that we maybe in. We become more prone to see onlyour side of an argument and not see theother side, though the other side may be inexactly the same position as we are.

This becomes an endless feedback loop.The more we see something, the more theplatforms show it to us, the more they pro-vide information to the creators that thesomething we saw is what we want and themore, new, closely matching things are creat-ed in turn to feed our demand.

CHANGING REALITYOf late, newer forms of immersive enter-

tainment experiences like augmented reality(AR) and virtual reality (VR) have startedemerging. AR and VR are still in theirnascent stages. As these technologies andplatforms develop, how will we adapt tothem, sociologically speaking? What sort ofcontent will we create for them? Will welook at them simply as ways to augment ourcurrent entertainment experiences? Gamesand simulations that straddle the digital andreal worlds, perhaps making a Minecraftbuilding inside your house or looking atyourself virtually trying on a new lipstickwhen you visit Sephora. Or, will we usethese technologies in ways that tangiblybenefit us as a whole? Using them one cancreate 3D digital art and edifices impossiblein the real world. We can attend collegewith friends and go on vacations with fami-ly just as they were right next to us. Will wegive up the real world as we know it andaccept a digitally enhanced version of thesame? Or will we be creative and drivenenough to make both the real and thedigital worlds as beautiful as we can inlockstep?

THE FUTURESimply put, the future is what we make

of it. We, as consumers of all that is present-ed to us, make active choices, every secondof every day. These choices matter. Even ifwe are not paying attention, the machinesare. As are the people that read the reportsgenerated by the machines and take deci-sions on how to give us more of what wedesire.

Yes, we may be knowing, sentient beings.However, we can also be addicts and slavesto our desires. We can choose to consumesomething just to pass our time. Or we canchoose to create something new, somethingof value. Both of value to us and to others.Something that we create, not just becausewe desire the celebrity or the money, butbecause we know that in our creating it andin others viewing it, both parties derivesome wholesome benefit from what exists asthe end product. Technology should belooked at as a vehicle that we can choose todrive wherever we wish. So please be carefulof what you do with that vehicle. There aremany paths ahead for our individual andcollective journeys that we can choose from.Let us try to head in directions that bring ustogether, that make us happier, and thosethat we can look back at proudly many gen-erations later.

The writer is a technologist, entrepreneur,and artist. As the CEO of TSN Group, Inc., he

is currently working on a new, safer socialnetworking solution

Creating content that can go viral is the holy grail for most marketing companies today, writes RAJA SAHI,

as he advocates careful consumption of what is being thrown at us in the name of entertainment

FILTER BUBBLE AGE OF THEFILTER BUBBLE AGE OF THE

WE AS CONSUMERSMAY BE GETTING WHAT

WE WANT, BUT, THERE ISAN UGLY SIDE TO ITTOO. WE ARE NOW

SUSCEPTIBLE TO FILTERBUBBLES. THIS IS WHEN

A PLATFORM, INFILTERING CONTENT

THROUGH TO US THATTHEY THINK WE WILL

LIKE, ONLY PROMOTESCONTENT TO OUR

IMMEDIATE ATTENTIONTHAT CLOSELY MATCHES

WHAT WE HADCONSUMED IN THE PAST.IN DOING THIS, WE HAVETHE RISK OF GOING INTO

A FILTER BUBBLE

11

sundaymagazine

spirituality 10Vijayawada, October 11, 2020

EVERY MORNING, I DO 10 MINUTESOF MINDFULNESS, WHERE I DOMEDITATION, AND I USE THAT IN

COMPETITION AND EVERYDAY LIFE— TOM DALEY

HIDDENSOULSPRAMOD PATHAK

The one word that describes the global response to coro-navirus pandemic is kerfuffle. As confusion, chaos,and cacophony still reign supreme, the considered

response is drowned in the din. It is ironic that the humanmind is still clueless about a plausible solution to the prob-lem, our reactions largely replicating that of the experimen-tal pigeon in a Skinner’s box. Psychologist BF Skinner in hisfamous operant conditioning experiments on learning hadplaced a hungry pigeon in an apparatus he had designedand hence it is called the Skinner’s box. The box was sodesigned that there is a button on one side which whenpecked by the pigeon would give a food pellet with a tin-kering sound. But pigeons are not supposed to peck but-tons so the animal has to learn the response. However, itwas first important to lead the animal to the button and forthis Skinner devised a mechanism called successive approx-imation. Thus, for every move towards the button, the ani-mal would be rewarded with a food pellet so that it is ableto reach to the button in due course. Interestingly, it alsomade the pigeon acquire a superstitious behaviour, that is,it would link reward with the move it made in the processof reaching the button. So if the button is on the left andthe animal takes two steps left and gets a food pellet it wouldrepeat the move thinking that food pellet came as a resultof taking those steps to the left. Similar is the global humanresponse to the pandemic. Everyday one new solution isbeing suggested, and as weird as injecting sanitisers or drink-ing a few drops of Dettol mixed in water. Despite world levelagencies of health, like WHO and others, which spend bil-lions of dollars on health care research, pointing out thatthe virus can be deactivated by simple soap solution andcan be kept at bay by cloth masks. Unfortunate, but theresponse is a large scale trial and error exercise, a kind ofsolutioneering rarely seen before. The trillion dollars’ phar-ma industry is helpless and the all knowing medical frater-nity befuddled as governments all over are trying to dealwith it with a heavy handed bureaucracy imposing extremelaws. Rather than administrate, there is need to innovate.But amid all this Kerfuffle, the thing that has been provedbeyond doubt is that the grandmother’s prescriptions hadmuch more science behind them than what medical sciencetouted. Interestingly, many such prescriptions are workingtoo, while so-called well researched medical solutions arenot. In these corona times when there are too many ques-tions and too few answers, we now realise how and why ourspices exports in ancient times made the subcontinent theprosperous Golden Bird. While corporate hospitals are charg-ing a fortune from the Corona patients, the medicines pro-vided are largely desi but for those strong antibiotics andantiviral drugs that work less and damage more. It is timewe reconsidered our views on these home made potionswhich form a part of what the west calls alternate medicine.In fact, we must question why this nomenclature “AlternateMedicine” after all when they are working in many cases.

Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed publicspeaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com

Though God is one, and isomnipotent, omniscient andomnipresent, we, small souls, are

important to Him. After all, we areparts of Him. (The Gita 15.7) This factnever changes, i.e. God always remainsthe whole and we continue as partsonly. This is the Cosmic Design, andthis is how it can be.

We are aware that God creates,keeps it functioning till the time of dis-solution comes and, then. He activates“pralaya” and the material creation aswe see it now is no longer there. Theseare the major activities of God. Then,He is always busy in doing His duties,which are many. In Bhagawad Gita, Hemakes it quite clear that His eyes, ears,etc. are pervading all. (13.13)

Then, He is privy to everything wethink of. As a matter of fact, God andus, individual souls, only know ourinnermost secrets; nothing is unknownto God. (13.2) Then comes the rewardpart. All prayers made by whoever areresponded to in an appropriate man-ner, which God and God alone decides.No prayer is ever wasted. (2.40) Godmust respond but not necessarily theway we want. I have prayed all of mylife, but God has invariably given mewhat turned out to be highly beneficialto me, whereas my prayers were forsomething else, which were not in myfavour. By the way God is never adebtor; He doesn’t have to be.Remember whatever we see is ownedby Him only; we only get to use themas ordained by our karmaphalas.

God guides if prayed to. There isa catch here though. One must havebecome purified enough to be able toreceive God’s guidance. Similarly, Godhelps when prayed to. There is a differ-ence here also; we must deserve His

help. God supports His devotees as onlyHe can, being omnipotent. Don’t wealways need support from others? IsGod not the best choice? Besides guid-ance, God also gives intuitions tothose connected with Him and are ableto receive God’s communication. Godsometimes forgives our earlier indiscre-tions if He decides that justice will beserved better that way. However, it mustbe remembered that God alwaysupholds “dharma” and will do nothingagainst it. Does God not incarnate tore-establish dharma? (4.7-8)

Only God can give peace. He, whocan really protect, is the one who cangive peace. God is that person. Goduses human beings as His instru-ments, as He famously used Arjuna inthe Mahabharata. However, the respon-sibility lies with the Lord only. Toadvanced devotees God begins torespond. Finally, God liberates thebest devotees from the painful cycle ofbirth and death.

Those, who haven’t traversed thespiritual path, have no idea what theyare missing. The quality of life for them

will be ordinary at best, while a com-mon man may assume that whateverhe has achieved is the best possible.How wrong one can be, ask a devotee.In the material world things are chang-ing in many ways like this virus sud-denly appeared, though this is rare, i.e.once in a hundred years. We need God’shelp to navigate through life right now.

Therefore, let us get started, if notalready; let us connect with God.There are three stages in our relation-ship with God. The first is to pray forgetting out of trouble or for gettingsomething material. The next stage isto do some rituals, normally not withmuch love for God. The third and thefinal stage is to do spiritual practiceswith love for God. He is always avail-able. We, all, are important to Him, nomatter how many we are. We will neverbecome zero, being parts of God,therefore, we will always be of conse-quence. No one should ever lose hope,even though feeling lost. God is wait-ing for us to make contact, to link.

Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reachedat spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com

Doctors often prescribe amedication called corti-sone to reverse inflam-mation and swelling ofsome bodily organs.

However, doctors caution to use itonly sparingly as over time, cortisonehas the effect of breaking down thebodily organs. It ultimately weakensparts of our body. Organs start hav-ing trouble. Thus, instead of keepingthe body strong, over time we aremaking weaknesses in the body. Wemay only use cortisone prescribed bythe doctor for extreme circum-stances, but what scientists and doc-tors have come to realise is that weproduce our own natural cortisol inthe body. We have hormones such asadrenaline and cortisol which arereleased when we are in fear. Thesehormones give the body the fight orflight reaction. It either gives thebody a burst of strength to fight offa threat to our lives, or to give us thespeed to run faster to escape apredator. These are useful hormonesfor survival. However, in moderntimes, we no longer face threats suchas running away from large ele-phants, lions, bears, unless in a jun-gle. Instead, we react to problemsthat are not life threatening withsame fight or flight hormones.

Since people do not know howto deal with problems in a calm way,they deal with them with anger.When angry, we are releasing thecortisol and adrenaline hormonesinto our system. When we stay in anangry state for a long time, the cor-tisol rushing through our systembegins to cause damage to ourorgans just as prescribed cortisonecan do when administered too fre-quently to the body. We are causingproblems to our physical body,which is supposed to remain sturdyand strong for the work that ourmind needs to do to help our soul goback to God.

Similarly, the cortisol in thebody affects the mind. When angry,it keeps our attention focused onnegativity. Instead of focusing on thetrue purpose of life which is to knowGod, we are focused on the problemsof the world.

There are many ways our misdi-rected attention distract us fromfocusing on God. The saints exhortus to live as if we were godly. By dailymeditation and cultivating ethicalvirtues, we can lead a godly life.

How can we purify our mind andinculcate ethical virtues in ourlife?

Self introspection is a chiselingtool for us. If we are a clay sculpture,

self introspection is a chisel bywhich we can smooth our roughedges and imperfections so we canbe the masterpiece God intended usto be. The imperfections are not justfor the sake of beauty. The imperfec-tions are the flaws that the mind usesto keep us from returning to God.The imperfections are the weakness-es we have in which the mind winsover the soul.

For example, if we have theimperfection of anger, the minduses that to its advantage to keep our

mind engaged in thoughts of gettingeven with someone, feeling hurt bysomeone, feeling injustice, or want-ing to seek revenge. All thesethoughts occupy our mind and donot let it be calm. When we areangry, we become absorbed in thereason for the anger, and we feelupset over what someone has doneto us. We ruminate in our mindswhat happened and we obsess overwhat to do about it. Some peopledwell on their thoughts of anger fora few moments and some people

carry their anger over years. Thinkof how much of our lifespan isspent in anger. Then think of whatbetter use we can make of our timeby meditating or remembering God.Self Introspection shows us whetherwe are wasting our time with uselessanger, or whether we can make bet-ter use of the time by sitting with astill mind and remembering God.The choice is ours to make. Selfintrospection helps us to make thecorrect choice.

Another example of how wecan use the tool of self introspectionto help us progress spiritually is toweed out greed. Greed keeps usengaged in wanting more and moreof the world. The mind finds thiseasy to use as a way to keep us fromfinding God. The world has nodearth of offerings that instil in usa desire to have more and more.

Ego is another imperfection thatthe mind uses to its advantage. Itmakes us think too much of our-selves instead of thinking aboutGod. Ego makes us think we areintelligent, beautiful, rich, powerful,and gifted and hence better than oth-ers. It makes us forget God. We mayeven think we do not need God. Weforget that God is the giver of anygifts we have. When we forget God,the mind fills us with the thoughtsof ourselves. We start thinking moreabout our wealth, our beauty, ourintelligence, and our talents. Insteadof stilling our mind in meditation,our mind thinks about its vast king-dom of gifts and dwells on them. Wemay even begin to hurt others whodo not have the gifts we have. Then,we begin thinking about not onlyhow great we are but also howinsignificant everyone else is. Themind is happy that it has distractedus. If we recognise this imperfectionthrough the process of introspection,we can overcome ego and gainhumility. When we gain humility inlife, we are like an empty cup wait-ing to receive God’s gifts. Then, theLight will pour forth and we can shiftour awareness to the regions ofLight within us.

Therefore, we may have receivedthe grace to have a connection to theLight and Sound of God but we needto be careful and vigilant in ourintrospection to sanitise our mind ofany imperfections that it may use todistract us. In this way, we can makechoices that will lead us back to God.We can then choose the soul byswitching our attention to absorptionin God to enjoy the bliss and eter-nal ecstasy that awaits us withinthrough the practice of meditation.

The writer is a spiritual leader

The CoronaKerfuffle

SANITISE YOUR MIND

We are important to GodNo matter what our numbers, being a part of God himself, we willalways be of consequence to God, writes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI

Music can be healing, energising, reflective, contemplative, expanding, andrewarding in many ways. Try it to discover its benefits, says NANDAN GAUTAM

By daily meditation and cultivating ethical virtues, we can lead a godly life,writes SANT RAJINDER SINGH as he explains the need for introspection

The bigger than the creation of sound, iswhy living beings prefer some soundsto others. Why do one set of frequen-

cies feel sweeter than another? And how is itpossible that just a few notes placed togetherin a specific way can bring tears to our eyes?Studies have shown that cows produce moremilk when they are listening to music. Andnot just any music. In one study, Beethoven’sPastoral Symphony and Simon & Garfunkel’sBridge Over Troubled Water were theirfavourites!

Shakespeare was not a scientist, nor amystic. But he understood human beings -their characters, their motives and the pas-sions that drove them. He had tremendousinsight into human psychology. He knewthat music was deeply connected to the veryessence of the soul. Another revealing fact isthat the Sama Veda, written around 1200BC, (considered to be the Rig Veda set tomusic) combined text and philosophy withmelodic and rhythmic motifs. And LordKrishna himself states in Chapter 10, Verse22 of the Bhagvad Gita “I am the Sama Vedaamongst the Vedas…”. The ancient onesknew the power of music.

Why look to others and ancient texts forproof that music can heal and transformus… It’s obvious that music can move us,transport us to another dimension. Music isas essential to humans as our own breath.People say music is a language but there isone essential difference — languages pointto something else. They refer to somethingoutside of the words. Music refers to itself. Ithas no inherent meaning other than whatwe ourselves perceive. The C Major chord isa happy sound. The C Minor is a sadder,more melancholic sound. Rag Yaman is ahappy raga. Malkauns raga creates a sense oflonging or sadness. But if one were to askwhy, there is no answer. There is simply nological reason why a certain combination ofnotes should make us happy and another

make us sad. Even though there is no logicalreason for this, does not make it untrue.

Could this be in fact a ‘proof ’ of that factthat we do have something intangible like asoul? So far science has not been able to seeit nor capture it or measure it. But then, norhas science been able to measure happiness,joy, a sense of peace or bliss. Children whostudy some form of music in school havebeen found to perform much better in allthe other subjects. So we have empirical evi-dence that music is highly effective in notonly calming us but even sharpening ourother areas of the brain. And yet when weattempt to get the exact formula for whichnotes can heal us or be therapeutic to us —emotionally and physically, it’s impossible.

People are not machines. They areunique. What is pleasing and relaxing forone person may not be for another. So thebest way to actually find the truth aboutsomething is not to find the absolute truthbut to find ‘your own’ truth. This may lookillogical because truth should be common toall. But as often as it is, it also isn’t. To findout if anything works, one has to try it. Yoga

has been tremendously effective in helpingpeople with back problems and depression.But if you’re searching for a definite proof,you may not find it.

Music can be healing, energising, reflec-tive, contemplative, expanding, and reward-ing in many ways. But the only way to dis-cover this is to try. Experiment. The nexttime you are upset, sad or angry, instead ofcalling your friend and complaining aboutwhat is wrong, try listening to Mozart’s 40thsymphony. Or try playing the RagaMalkauns by Rashid Khan, a melancholicbut haunting piece that can literally trans-form your sadness into meditation. If you’refeeling depressed try listening to Rag Rasiyaby the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar. Andif you’re feeling lonely or alone try ‘Au Lait’or ‘If I could’ by the Pat Metheny Group. Atthe end of the song, you may have madepeace with your loneliness and gotten a littlebit closer to what the true nature of yoursoul is — oneness.

The writer is a Baku-based writer and composer. Hismetaphysical novel The King of the Sea, comes with a

two-album soundtrack

Music therapy for soul

IF WE RECOGNISE THEIMPERFECTIONS THROUGHTHE PROCESS OFINTROSPECTION, WE CANOVERCOME EGO AND GAINHUMILITY. WHEN WE GAINHUMILITY IN LIFE, THEN, THELIGHT WILL POUR AND WECAN SHIFT OUR AWARENESSTO THE REGIONS OF LIGHTWITHIN US

She is known for her straightforwardattitude and doesn’t believe in sugarcoating things at all. Not to mention

her passion towards whatever work shetakes up, be it playing her true self in BiggBoss or Shah Turkan in Razia Sultan orMahua in Gudiya Humari Sabhi PeBhari of late.

Meet Sambhavna Seth, an actor,dancer and also a vlogger, who is creatingwaves on social media with her YouTubechannel, Sambhavna Seth Entertainment.that has recently reached the 1Mmilestone.

Ask Seth of what attracted her to playMahua and she is quick to reply — thequirkiness and lots of shades in thecharacter.

“Mahua is neither a negative nor apositive character. There are many shadesto it. This was one of the reasons that Isaid yes to the role. Also I haven’t donea comedy show before, so I got to dosomething different in this show. Thecharacter does have grey shades but thenthere’s a reason behind it, otherwiseMahua is a very good and loving person,”she tells you.

The role, she says, gave her space tonot just act but also show her groovymoves with a pinch of comedy.

“I have only played out and outnegative roles till date. Mahua wassomething different and I wasvery excited to play it,” sheadds.

During Corona, this isSeth’s first outing and herexperience, she says, hasbeen good.

“One can’t just staycooped up in his house.Yes, things are not toogood, but then we don’thave an option. Coronais for real and it canhappen to anyone anywhere. In such a situation,there are only two options— one, l ive with theconstant fear of catchinginfection and two, takeprecautions and face things.But this doesn’t mean one has to goout for no reason. We have to acceptthe fact that this virus is not goinganywhere till the mid of 2021atleast. Hence, we can’t live with theconstant fear. Also, work is just asimportant,” Seth explains.

Apart from her work in theindustry, what earned Seth muchlove and fame is vlogging. Somuch so that she is often stoppedby her fans on road to click apicture or two.

“I call myself an accidentalvlogger. Vlogging was not on mycards at all, it was my husbandAvinash, who encouraged me to

take this up. And once I stepped into this,there was no looking back. It has becomea hobby now,” she tells you.

It is because of vlogging, she says, thatshe is able to showcase her true self andchange people’s perspective towards her.“I was misunderstood for all these years.It was only when I started vlogging thatI was able to show people how actuallySambhavna is. The audience got to knowabout the real me. The way peopleperceived I was, did bother me a lot. Itfelt bad when people said somethingnegative about me,” she says.

While vlogging is not everyone’scup of tea, Seth feels that it is not thatdifficult. However everything has its prosand sons.

“If you are showing your true self inyour vlogs than vlogging is not tough.The challenge comes in when people tryto act differently in front of the camera.But yes, now people come to my houseand at my shoots, even during thepandemic I have people waiting outsidemy building. It becomes a bit difficult tostop them and ask them not to. Peoplerecognise me whenever I am out on theroad and come to meet me. It does feelthat our lives are quite public but then it’sfine. It is because of their love that I amhere. And it is much better from the dayswhen people didn’t know me and spokerubbish about me. Now they atleastknow me and love me for who I am,” shesays.

She tells you that out of dancing,acting and vlogging, dancing comesnaturally to her and vlogging is where herheart is.

“I am a born dancer. I can dance withmy eyes closed. Dancing comes easy to

me. Even on the sets of GudiyaHumari Sabhi Pe Bhari, there was no

assigned choreographer. They justplayed the song and I started

dancing. As far as acting isconcerned, it doesn’t come

naturally to me, but ifothers can do it, I can doit too. A dancer candefinitely be a good

actor, but an actor is notalways a good dancer. And

vlogging is something verynew to me, but I enjoy doing

it. I switch on the camera andstart talking, that is all. So both

dancing and vlogging actuallycome naturally to me,” she tells you.

For all those aspiring vloggers,Seth has a piece of advice to share.

“Be true to your self. Don’timitate others, it wont help you inthe long run. Come up with youroriginal content. Be inspired frompopular vloggers but don’t becomeone if you don’t want it from all yourheart,” she tells you.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020 films & tv 11

Sambhavna is back

Plan Your Day

Amazon Prime Video on October 9 announced a brand new slate of nine highly-anticipated movies that will premiere directly on the streaming service.Spanning five Indian languages, the diverse line-up features titles such as

Coolie No 1 starring Varun Dhawan (Judwaa 2, Street Dancer 3D) and Sara AliKhan (Simmba), Chhalaang starring Rajkummar Rao (Trapped, Stree) and NushratBharucha (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety), Durgavati starring Bhumi Pednekar (ShubhMangal Savdhaan, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha), Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja(Kannada) starring Aravinnd Iyer, Middle Class Melodies (Telugu) starring AnandDevarakonda, Maara (Tamil) starring R Madhavan, and Manne Number 13(Kannada) starring Varsha Bollamma (Bigil), Chetan Gandharva (Melody) alongwith previously announced Zakariya Mohammed’s Halal Love Story (Malayalam)and Suriya starrer Soorarai Pottru (Tamil). The movies will premiere exclusively onPrime Video within 2020 and will be available in more than 200 countries andterritories worldwide.

The new slate follows the successful launch of the first wave of direct-to-service premieres of 10 films across five languages, which led to Amazon PrimeVideo expanding its footprint in India with viewership for these movies comingfrom over 4000 cities and towns, across the country. Viewership titles in languagessuch Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam received more than 50 percent viewershipfrom customers outside the home states, with customers from Lucknow, Kolkata,Pune and beyond streaming Penguin, Ponmagal Vandhal, Law, French Biriyani,Sufiyum Sujatayum, CU Soon V and Nishabdham. The movies were also streamedand enjoyed by TV audiences in 180 countries and territories, allowing Indianfilmmakers to reach a wider audience through Prime Video’s global presence. Hindititles Gulabo Sitabo & Shakuntala Devi emerged as the two most watched moviessince the launch of Prime Video in India. Gulabo Sitabo and Shakuntala Devi werealso the most watched Hindi movie on Prime Video globally!

“Gripping content transcends geographical boundaries. The audience arealways on the look-out for great entertainment, and good content will always findan audience. The resounding success of our first wave of direct-to-service moviepremieres is a testament to that. This further reinforces our commitment to offeringour customers a selection of riveting movies, cinematically produced, across a widerange of genres and languages,” Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content,Amazon Prime Video, India, said.

After a hiatus, SAMBHAVNA SETH is back on TV with &TV’s Gudiya

Humari Sabhi Pe Bhari. She speaks with MUSBA HASHMI about her role,

YouTube channel and how has her life changed after she started vlogging

HOME THEATRE

GINNY WEDS SUNNY Netflix *ing: Yami Gautam, Vikrant Massey,Suhail Nayyar, Rajiv Gupta, Ayesha RazaMishraRated: 5.5/10

If one is looking for a movie that is notthought provoking or makes one to anintrospection, then Ginny Weds Sunny is

the perfect film to watch. Sit back and enjoythe lighter moments that it touches upon —Punjabi people who believe that there areonly two things that they have to call theirown — emotions and paneer.

Directed by debutant Puneet Khanna,Ginny Weds Sunny is sweet, peppy and funfor most of the time. Other times, there isconfusion — whom to marry. Definitely abig problem for our hero played by VikrantMassey (Sunny) who is desperate to getmarried so that he can open his restaurant.Go figure this one out and unravel it. Butthen, the film is set in Delhi-NCR. Peopleliving here will understand the dilemma, ourprotagonists face.

While the film has a few drawbacks,there are plenty of laughs. Take this forexample. Ginny’s real name is PrincessSimran — not that she is from the royal

family. But they are Punjabis and what morecan be expected of them Or the Jonty WedsRimpi sign or the fun interaction betweenRajiv Gupta (Sunny’s father) and AyeshaRaza Mishra (Ginny’s mother). Theirdialogues are funny and entertaining.Unfortunately, their screen presence islimited and hence one doesn’t get to seemuch of their rather great performance here.

Massey and Gautam are brilliant as well.Though Ginny’s character lacks theconviction she wants to portray. She says shedoesn’t need a man in her life, but she wantsto get married. She gets angry when she feelsthat Sunny has betrayed her, yet when he isall set to marry another, she wants to marryhim. And which man spends an entire daywith a woman, when he is getting marriedto another the next day? But then the titleof the movie gives the entire plot away. Noguesses what happens in the end despite thetwists and turns.

The soundtracks and the songs arepeppy and one will hum them for the nextfew weeks and Mika and Badshah’s SawanMein Lag Gayi Aag is bound to be playedby almost all DJs in the coming weeks.

Overall, the movie is a lightentertainment.

— Shalini Saksena

Peppy and fun HUBIE HALLOWEENNetflix*ing: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, JulieBowen, Ray Liotta, Rob Schneider, JuneSquibbRated: 5/10

Since Halloween is an alien concept forus here in India, we really don’tunderstand what the hullabaloo is all

about. But that doesn’t mean we don’tunderstand how big this is world over withsome of the witchery magic ending up in ourbackyard.

Most of us have grown up listening tostories about how people were executedbetween 15th and 18th centuries.

We have also heard of Salem,Massachusetts, US, a town for its witch trials.Now, bring the two together and one hasHubie Halloween even though it is not onetill October 31. Why would the makers wantto release the movie at least three weeks in

advance, makes one scratch one’s head.The sad part is that the movie is sad for

the most part. Imagine a grown 40-something man, still continues to be bulliedand not just by people his age but kids too.

Why? Because of his way of talking orbecause he is too nice or because he getsspooked easily? Apparently, it is all three. Butif one can get past this, Hubie Halloween isa nice, sweet and funny film to watch.

Sandler with his funny accent,sometimes difficult to follow what he issaying is entertaining as he rides through theSalem streets ducking things that are thrownat him by people and kids alike.

For most part, one will end laughing tillsomething happens to make you cringe. Butthese are far between and one can enjoySandler’s goofiness and part stupidity.

While nothing here is original, nobodysaid that stupidity can’t be funny and makeone laugh.

— Shalini Saksena

Nice, sweet & funny

‘Proud of what I have achieved thus far’KRITI VERMA, a GST Inspector with Mumbai who was last seen in BiggBoss 12 and given the Young Achiever Award by Dadasaheb Phalke FilmFoundation Award, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA how she ended upon TV, her association with #vocalforlocal and upcoming projects

nHow did you get into TV?I love watching the Roadies

Xtreme show. My job inMumbai meant that I was ableto go for an audition with myfriend. Everyone, since I was achild, would tell me that Iexuded confidence. I am alsohealth conscious and work outbut am not a fitness freak.People think that Roadies is allabout being fit but this is notthe case. One just has to followa healthy lifestyle. What theshow is looking for is howconfident one is and the 360-degree dimensional personality.This made me an idealcandidate for the show.nFrom a GST Officer to BiggBoss 12. How did thathappen?

Bigg Boss 12 was offered tome after Roadies Xtreme. Inthat show, I was the mostpopular contestant. That ishow the Bigg Boss teamcontacted me. I saw no reasonto turn it down. After all, it isa Salman Khan show. I am surethere are very few people whowould turn down theopportunity to be part of ashow where he is the host.nHow have the two showschanged your life?

The shows have definitelychanged my life for the better.Before I was on TV, I was aGST officer and the girl nextdoor. People in theneighbourhood don’t recogniseyou apart from those withwhom you work. After thesetwo shows, people on the streetstop and acknowledge me andgreet me and shower so muchlove and warmth sometimes itis overwhelming. I get giftsfrom people (fans). nWas it tough to be in frontof the camera for the firsttime?

It was not that tough. I havealways been a confident person.I used to participate in extra-curricular activities in school.I represented India in Pakistanat the International Theatre andDance Festival. Facing thecamera was not as challenging.nYou are a GST officer andBigg Boss as a show isdifferent. Was it tough toperform for the House and yetbe within the ambit fit for anInspector?

My being a GST Inspectoractually helped me when I wasin the House. I was clear whenI entered the show that I wouldnot compromise on thereputation that I have tomaintain because I am aGovernment servant primarily.I have to at all times uphold mydignity and dignity of my

office. The GST was introducedin India right before I enteredRoadies Xtreme. Because ofthat people came to knowmore about GST, the rules andhow it works. There was anarticle in a newspaper thatsaid that I have taken GST ona national level. This made meproud.

nWhat was your family’sreaction when you told themyou would be on TV?

Actually, my family hasalways been supportive ofwhatever I have wanted to do.They were proud when Ibecame a GST Inspector.Almost 32 lakh people took thisexam and only 3,000 werechosen. I was one of them. Myparents were thrilled for me.Doing a TV show was a featherin cap. Due to my popularity,people now recognise myparents too. They are happythat I have met Salman Khanand Rannvijay Singh.nDo your colleagues see youin a different light now?

I have not changed. I amthe same with my friends. I ama grounded person. But peoplewho don’t know me, think thatI am a celebrity. But that is notthe case. Of course, fans sendme gifts or just land up to geta selfie at the office address.People at the office smile andlook at me a bit differently.nIs it difficult to do your jobwhen you are out in the field?

Sometimes, it does. It doesbecome difficult to do thework that I am supposed to.Bigg Boss as a format is sodifferent for the other shows onTV. Also, it is not alwayspossible to get leave to be onTV. My department has beenvery kind to me but it is not fairto keep asking for leave all thetime. I try to either push thework over the weekend or doit after office hours.nHow did you get associatedwith #vocalforlocal?

I take pride in being anIndian. I support Indianproducts and services. Thisinitiative is taking things on amuch larger platform to thepublic. This is a great app andeach Indian must subscribe toit.nAre there any upcomingprojects?

I have signed a film as alead. The shoot was to begin inApril but now it has beenpostponed for November-December. I have done a webseries as well. There is a musicvideo that I am part of. Thelockdown has put things on aslow burner but things will getback on track soon.

I call myself anaccidental vlogger.Vlogging was noton my cards at all,it was my husband

Avinash whoencouraged me totake this up. And

once I stepped intothis, there was no

looking back. It hasbecome a

hobbynow

Life in a cattle shed...This generation cannot even imagine how

I spent my childhood. My father passed awaywhen I was just four-and-a-half years old. Iwas born in a village near Jammikunta wheremy father was working as a gumasta. We werefour kids, all aged below 5 when my fatherpassed away.

We then moved to the village of my father’selder brother — Ambala near Hasanparthidistrict in Telangana. He too passed awaywithin a year and we moved to my maternalgrandparents’ village Qila Shahpur. Since wedidn’t want to live with them, Ramulu, mysenior, who later became the DG, was kindenough to offer us shelter. He moved his cat-tle from the shed and offered it to us to livein. We stayed in that cattle shed for a coupleof years.

Earning Rs 1 per month...My mother, Radhamma, was an agricul-

tural labourer who was paid two anas (12paise) per day. My village is an enlightenedone. The youth there started a library —Jaihind Grandhalaya. When I was in Grade3, I used to mingle with the elderly and edu-cated people. They knew I came from a poorfamily and that I had no money. They offeredme a job — I had to open the library afterschool and manage it till sunset. I was paidRs 1 a month that was later raised to Rs 2 permonth. I would give 50 paise to my mother.Since we had no money to buy rice or curdor milk, we would grind jowar and consumeit with water along with green chilli every day.

Where it all began...When I was about nine years old, I and a

few of my friends would sneak into our vil-lage landlord’s residence to catch a glimpse ofthe radio they had. In 1953, possessing a radiowas considered a symbol of luxury in India.The landlord’s wife got angry when she sawus and she shooed us away. We ran away, fear-ing reprimand. However, I felt humiliated bythe turn of events and vowed to achieve someawe-inspiring success. For me, education andwealth (synonymous to recognition andreward) were the only rational weapons withwhich to avenge this hostility — not againstindividuals but circumstances.

For the lady who once shooed me away, Ibecame ‘Lakshmanna’ after I went to the USand started earning. After her husbandpassed away, her house was put on sale andI bought it at a higher price. That gave meimmense satisfaction. I set up a poultryfarm on that land and handed it over to mybrother. While I was returning from theUS, I brought back radio-cum-taperecorder and gifted to that lady.

Mother sold wedding sareefor my education...

I stood second in Class VII exams in mydistrict. I then went to Warangal for my highschool, but Rs 14 was the tuition fee. Mymother sold her wedding saree for Rs 20 tofund my education. Although I was eligiblefor scholarship, it would come only at the endof the year. I didn’t get admission into anyhostel. For three months, my headmaster fedme and recommended a BC boy to an SChostel. I lived there for three months andmoved to my hostel after I received my schol-arship. I was the first person studyingbeyond Class X in my family.

Studying in OU...I came to Hyderabad in 1963 to take

admission in the Osmania University engineer-ing college. I had to deposit Rs 374 as the fee.The same year, Nehru announced a scholar-ship scheme for engineering and medical stu-dents. I borrowed Rs 400 from our village trea-surer on 2 percent interest, to be repaid onceI received the scholarship. Since I had very lit-tle money, I had no place to live. One of my

family members came forward to help me. Ilived with 14 other members of the family ina 10x10 house at Musheerabad. I used to wakeup at 3.30 am to get ready and walk to OsmaniaUniversity as I had no money to pay the busfare. In December, I got the scholarship — Rs970, and I moved to the university hostel.

The second person in AP toget an education loan...

I initially wanted to do Law becauseNehru and Gandhi too had studied it, but myschool teacher scolded me for even thinkingabout it, since I was a topper in mathemat-ics. So I ultimately took up engineering andthe subject helped me broaden my vision. Iwanted to go to the US and earn more, so thatpeople in my family and the village will recog-nise me. Before the end of even the firstsemester of the third year, I had written toabout 100 foreign universities. I got a posi-tive response from four varsities, two-and-a-half years before I completed myengineering, which was the first-of-its-kind in the country.

In my final year, I applied toall trusts in India for scholar-ship. The Nizam Trust grant-ed me Rs 5,300 travel schol-arship. But I need moremoney. So I walked into theSyndicate Bank nearMoazzam Jahi Market, inshabby clothes and no moneyin my pocket but armed with anadmission paper and markssheet.

Starting a journey with Rs 20...

The bank manager, Mr Purohit, noticed meand asked me what I wanted. He looked atme and asked if I had Rs 20 with me. Ithought he was asking for a bribe. I didn’thave any money with me. He asked me tocome back with the Rs 20. I borrowed Rs 20from my friend and returned to the bank. Themanager then asked the cashier to open anaccount on my name with Rs 20 as depositand immediately deposited Rs 5,000 in myaccount. I was the second person to get aneducation loan in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Was paid more than anaverage Indian...

During my second semester in Masters, Iapplied for several jobs in the US. Again, Igot four positive responses. Those days, get-ting a job call for Indians in the United States

wasn’t very easy. I was offered $10,000per year by a German company.

The average pay then was $7,500to $7,800 per year. I was offered

more because of my educa-tional brilliance.

‘Lucky'Lakshmaiah…

People would call me‘Lucky’ not Lakshmaiah. I

finished my Masters in 11months and started the job.However, the very first day of

my job, I began askingmyself if this was what I

wanted to do for the restof my life. I’m dif-

ferent, I needed

money but I wanted to do something differ-ent. After working for nine years, I returnedto India to help the people in my country tothe best of my ability and joined politics, afield that brought its own set of hardships.

Being called the Poultry man... In 1975, I came in touch with one C

Madhava Reddy, an MP from Adilabad. Hewas encouraging people to set up industriesand provide jobs to people here. For the firsttime in India, an egg powder plant was setup by them in Karimnagar. It’s a good con-cept and you are generating more jobs. I wasinspired by the concept. We started a poul-try unit and started supporting some poul-tries. Later, I developed hatchery business inundivided Andhra Pradesh. It generatedmany jobs for the young and the poor. I wascalled the ‘poultryman of India’.

Many firsts...My political journey too was not so easy.

It took me some time to find success. Initially,I used to go from office to office to get a tick-et to fight elections. I was discouraged,pulled down but I stood firm. Now, I havemany firsts to my credit in politics such as themassive Jala Yagnam, which successfullybrought water to around 2.2 million acres ofland with a total project outlay of $12 billion.

The construction of a 28-mile long irriga-tion tunnel, the longest in the world, imple-mentation of a second-highest lift irrigationscheme, and building of the first rubber damin Asia are a few of my accomplishments.Women empowerment initiatives like thefounding and promotion of the Rural WomenCooperative Bank resulted in great financialsecurity among rural women.

Marriage and family...My marriage was completely arranged. I

got married when I was in my fourth year ofengineering from Osmania University. Myfirst child was born when I was in my finalyear of engineering. I left for the US whenhe was just over two years old. My sons andI share a friendly relationship; its the sameeven with my grandchildren. It’s more of afriendly relationship than that of a father andson. My elder son, Ramakrishna, and his wifeare into IT. My younger son, Murali Krishna,is into IT, he had a love marriage. She con-tested the by-election in Cheriyal in 2014.Now they are in the US.

Tech-savvy and travelenthusiast...

I was the first among Indians toown a calculator (a table type). I wasamong the first five people inHyderabad to have an Internet connec-

tion. I also like to travel. In 1975, I tookmy wife, Aruna, to Russia in a chartered

flight. I have toured the globe.

Running in the Tulip Gardenwith the wife

I took my wife to Tulip Gardens inAmsterdam in 1985, where a popular songwas filmed on Amitabh Bachchan andRekha, and we too ran like them between therows of tulips (laughs). We have been all overthe world and I travel now and then with myfamily.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 11, 2020

AN INSPIRATION IN EVERY SENSE

Ponnala Lakshmaiah is an inspirationin every sense of the word. Steelyresolve, single-minded, extraordinaryforward-thinking ability, academicbrilliance, sagacity, a down-to-earthattitude, and unflinchingdetermination to excel and to neverstoop before anyone defines him. Ina political career that spans over fourdecades, Ponnala has many firsts tocredit. Coming from an unimaginablypoor background, his life is a storyof struggle, sacrifice and success.From being the second person in APto avail an education loan to inspiringthe Raja Rammohun Roy Foundationto fund his autobiography, a rareprivilege that only three Telugupeople have had so far, Ponnala hasmade his mark. In a free-wheelingconversation with The Pioneer's K RAMYA SREE, the former TPCCpresident opens up about hischildhood, struggles, education,family, politics, and more...

12

Ponnala and his wife Aruna

The extended family of Ponnala From left: Ponnala couple with elder son Ramakrishna, daughters-in-law Uma Devi, Vaishali and younger son Murali Krishna

Ponnala with his wife Aruna during their early years of marriage

Young Ponnala

Nine-year-old Ponnala with the youth who set up Jaihind Grandhalaya

Describe yourself in three words:Humane, concerned, and committed

What do you dislike the most in otherpeople: Ego and arrogance.

Favourite holiday destination: Manhattan.I always spend at least three days when Igo there.

What are you most inspired by: Thoughts

like “why I cannot be the best”, “Whysociety cannot allow everyone to have thebest of their life” and “Why somebody isless privileged and others moreprivileged”.

Favourite film: Rojulu Marai. That was myfirst film and I went to Warangal to seeRajendra Prasad, President of India, whocame to watch the film.

Do you plan to pen a book: My biographywill be out soon. It is in the works. Also, adocumentary is being made, which willfeature all my work.

What do you do in your leisure period:I'm fond of music. I enjoy anything that ismellifluous — ranging from Mukesh,Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor to JagjitSingh. R

AP

ID-F

IRE