P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday affirmed that his Government’s propos- al to suspend implementation of the farm laws for 18 months still stands as negotiations with agitating farmers to resolve the deadlock continue. In the all-party meet that he chaired before the presen- tation of the Union Finance Budget on Monday, the Prime Minister reiterated Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s comment that “he is a phone call away for the talks.” Even as the Government has offered to put the new laws in abeyance for 18 months, a dominant section of protesting farmers and Opposition parties are adamant on their repeal. The nine rounds of talks have failed to provide a break- through in the ongoing 56-days farmers’ protest on the outskirts of Delhi. The Budget Session may have heated discussion on farm laws, military face-off with China on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and eco- nomic situation post-Covid-19. On the “unfortunate vio- lence” in the national Capital on January 26, Modi was quot- ed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi that “law will take its own course”. As the Government held out the offer, a number of Opposition parties demanded more discussion on the laws. Joshi also said the Government is ready for dis- cussions on a range of issues that the Opposition wants. He said discussion will be taken up in the second half of the Budget Session. “During the all-party meet, PM Narendra Modi assured that GoI (Government of India) is approaching the farm- ers’ issue with an open mind. The PM said GoI’s stand is same as it was on January 22 - the proposal by the Agriculture Minister still stands,” the Parliamentary Minister said after the meeting. “He (the Prime Minister) reiterated what (Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh) Tomarji said — that he (the Agriculture Minister) is a phone call away for talks,” Joshi added. The meeting took place a day after 20 Opposition parties underlined their support of the protesting farmers — by boycotting the President’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament — and included a discussion on the Republic Day violence and, in particular, the incident at the Red Fort. Opposition parties con- demned the violence but also demanded an investigation into how “outside elements” had infiltrated the farmers’ move- ment. Joshi said the Prime Minister reaffirmed the impor- tance of smooth functioning of Parliament and comprehen- sive debates on the floor of the House. He added that “frequent disruptions mean smaller par- ties suffer as they can’t express themselves adequately.” Modi said that it is for the bigger parties to ensure Parliament functions smooth- ly, there are no disruptions and thus, the smaller parties are able to voice their views in Parliament. He highlighted the role India can play to further glob- al good in a many sectors and referred to the skills and prowess of “our peo- ple, which can be a force mul- tiplier to global prosperity,” said Joshi. W hile agitating farmers’ unions boycotted talks with the Supreme Court- appointed committee, as many as 17 farmers’ organisations from 11 States and Union Territories participated in the deliberations over the farm laws and the minimum support price. These groups are not the part of the ongoing protests by 41 unions at Delhi borders. This was the second round of deliberations between farm- ers’ organisations and the com- mittee members. The organisations from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh gave their frank views and detailed suggestions on the farm laws. According to the commit- tee, the farmers’ unions par- ticipated in the deliberations, given suggestions in details and expressed their viewpoints over the three laws. The third round of deliberations with farmers’ organisations will be held on February 3. The com- mittee has also invited com- ments, views and suggestions from the public and all stake- holders engaged in the agri- culture activities including dairying and fisheries on the three laws by February 20. The committee comprises agricultural economists Ashok Gulati and Dr Pramod Joshi, and Shethkari Sangathana pres- ident Anil Ghanwat. Another member BS Mann had recused from the committee following the pressure of farmers unions in Punjab. The Supreme Court had on January 12 set up the commit- tee to give a report to the court on the farm laws following con- sultations with all stakeholders. The Supreme Court had also stayed the implementation of three farm laws. The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha continues to protest at Delhi’s borders — Tikri, Singhu, and Ghazipur. P eeved over developments at the Ghazipur border site of farmers’ protest, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) on Friday re-launched its stir over the new farm laws, just a day after it had announced withdrawing its protest in Noida. BKU (Lok Shakti) chief Thakur Sheoraj Singh Bhati called on the union’s support- ers, who were camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida, to now reach Ghazipur border, where BKU members are stay- ing put. In a video message, Singh also appealed to BKU (Lok Shakti) supporters in western Uttar Pradesh to reach the farmers’ mahapanchayat that was convened in Muzaffarnagar. T he Supreme Court Collegium is understood to have withdrawn its approval to a proposal for the appointment of an additional judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice P V Ganediwala, as a permanent judge of the court following her two controversial verdicts in sexual assault cases. The decision was taken after the judge faced flak for her interpretation of sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a source said. Justice Pushpa Ganediwala recently acquitted a man accused of groping a 12-year- old girl’s breast because he did not make skin-to-skin contact and days earlier, ruled that holding the hands of a five- year-old girl and unzipping the trousers do not amount to “sexual assault” under the POCSO Act. On January 27, the Supreme Court stayed the Bombay HC order acquitting the man after Attorney General KK Venugopal said the order would set a dangerous precedent. A lmost a fortnight after its vaccine Covishield along with the Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin became part of India’s mega vaccination drive against Covid-19, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on Saturday said that it was hope- ful of launching Covovax — developed in partnership with American vaccine developer Novavax — by June this year. The US-based pharma firm’s Covid jab was found to be 89.3 per cent effective in a trial in the United Kingdom. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the world’s biggest vaccine maker, tweeted that they have already applied for local trials for the vaccine candidate in India. “Our partnership for a Covid-19 vaccine with @Novavax has also published excellent efficacy results. We have also applied to start trials in India. Hope to launch #COVOVAX by June 2021!” Poonawalla tweeted. Earlier this month, India began the world’s largest inoc- ulation drive after the drug regulator DCGI cleared Covishield and Covaxin. F ormer West Bengal Minister Rajib Banerjee, who recent- ly quit the Trinamool Congress, joined the BJP in Delhi on Saturday along with a few other leaders of the State’s rul- ing party after meeting senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP pres- ident JP Nadda is away in Tamil Nadu. The TMC leaders flew in here by a special plane. Banerjee and MLAs Prabir Ghosal and Baishali Dalmiya, who was recently expelled from the TMC, and former Howrah Mayor Rathin Chakraborty met senior central BJP leaders before they were inducted into the party. “They have joined the BJP,” party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said following the meeting. Former TMC MLA Parthasarathi Chattopadhyay and actor Rudranil Ghosh had also accompanied them on their visit to meet BJP leaders in the national Capital. BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy and Vijayvargiya arrived in Delhi with them. The TMC, which has been facing exodus of a number of leaders ahead of the Assembly election due in April-May, said that those who are leaving do not have long political history. Earlier in the day, Banerjee said he had a word with Union Home Minister Amit Shah who called him to Delhi. “After I resigned from the TMC, I received a call from the BJP leadership.... Amit Shah ji told me to come over to Delhi. He also requested me to pass on the information to five other important public figures who wanted to serve people in a better way to accompany me. “If I get an assurance on the State's development, if I get an assurance that I can work for the betterment of people, I will join the BJP,” he told reporters at the Kolkata airport. The TMC in West Bengal was on Friday rocked by a fresh bout of desertions as Banerjee quit the party and sev- eral other leaders rallied behind him, deepening the crisis in the party. A team of Delhi Police Special Cell on Saturday visited the blast site near the Israel embassy to collect more evidence as part of its ongoing probe. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) too reached the IED blast spot and inspected the area. The National Security Guard (NSG) has been roped in by the Centre to examine characteristics of the explosives used in the explosion. Investigators probing the blast near the Israel embassy have not come across any- thing concrete yet as most of the CCTV cameras near the site of the explosion were non- functional at the time of inci- dent, said the official police sources. A CCTV footage of the Israel embassy blast site obtained by the Special Cell team has revealed that a cab had dropped two persons who walked towards the spot near the embassy where the IED explosion took place on Friday evening. Cops have contacted the driver of the vehicle and sketches of the two people are being prepared “We have recovered some CCTV footage but have not obtained anything concrete yet as most of the CCTV cameras near the embassy are non- functional. The footage showed a vehicle moving suspiciously near the embassy just before the explosion,” said the source. It was claimed that the cab driver himself had called police, he has been identified and is being questioned and verifying his statements. F armers protesting at the three sites on Delhi borders held a day-long fast, between 9 am and 5 pm, as they observed “Sadbhavna Divas” to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Meanwhile, hundreds of farmers stayed put at the Ghazipur Border on Saturday morning, as more supporters poured in at the protest site on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad following which Delhi Police shut down NH-24 highway and all roads leading to Ghazipur border. Union Home Ministry temporarily suspended internet services in Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri borders and their adjoin- ing areas from 11 pm of 29 January to 11 pm of 31 January to “maintain public safety and averting public emergency” amid the farmers’ protest. Meanwhile, a second notice has been issued by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch to nine farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait. Delhi Police carried out raids in Punjab’s Jalandhar on Friday to arrest Jugraj Singh and Navpreet Singh who hoisted the Nishan Sahib flag at Red Fort on January 26. Meanwhile, 38 cases were registered till now in farmer’s rally matter and 84 persons have been arrested,” said police. B JP national president JP Nadda on Saturday said his party’s alliance with the AIADMK would continue for the Assembly elections, due in Tamil Nadu in a few months. Both parties would face the polls together, he said, address- ing a public meeting, his first in the run up to the Assembly elections expected in April or early May. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi facil- itated projects like the defence corridor for Tamil Nadu while the state was “ignored” during the Congress- led United Progressive Alliance regime.
that his Government’s propos-al to suspend implementationof the farm laws for 18 monthsstill stands as negotiations withagitating farmers to resolvethe deadlock continue.
In the all-party meet thathe chaired before the presen-tation of the Union FinanceBudget on Monday, the PrimeMinister reiterated AgricultureMinister Narendra SinghTomar’s comment that “he is aphone call away for the talks.”
Even as the Governmenthas offered to put the new lawsin abeyance for 18 months, adominant section of protestingfarmers and Opposition partiesare adamant on their repeal.
The nine rounds of talkshave failed to provide a break-through in the ongoing 56-daysfarmers’ protest on the outskirtsof Delhi.
The Budget Session mayhave heated discussion on farmlaws, military face-off withChina on the Line of ActualControl in Ladakh and eco-nomic situation post-Covid-19.
On the “unfortunate vio-lence” in the national Capitalon January 26, Modi was quot-ed by Parliamentary AffairsMinister Pralhad Joshi that“law will take its own course”.
As the Government heldout the offer, a number ofOpposition parties demandedmore discussion on the laws.
Joshi also said theGovernment is ready for dis-cussions on a range of issuesthat the Opposition wants. Hesaid discussion will be taken upin the second half of the BudgetSession.
“During the all-party meet,PM Narendra Modi assuredthat GoI (Government ofIndia) is approaching the farm-ers’ issue with an open mind.
The PM said GoI’s stand issame as it was on January 22 -the proposal by the AgricultureMinister still stands,” theParliamentary Minister saidafter the meeting.
“He (the Prime Minister)reiterated what (AgricultureMinister Narendra Singh)Tomarji said — that he (theAgriculture Minister) is aphone call away for talks,”Joshi added.
The meeting took place aday after 20 Opposition partiesunderlined their support ofthe protesting farmers — byboycotting the President’saddress to a joint sitting ofParliament — and included adiscussion on the RepublicDay violence and, in particular,the incident at the Red Fort.
Opposition parties con-demned the violence but alsodemanded an investigation intohow “outside elements” had
infiltrated the farmers’ move-ment.
Joshi said the PrimeMinister reaffirmed the impor-tance of smooth functioning ofParliament and comprehen-sive debates on the floor of theHouse.
He added that “frequentdisruptions mean smaller par-ties suffer as they can’t expressthemselves adequately.”
Modi said that it is for thebigger parties to ensureParliament functions smooth-ly, there are no disruptions andthus, the smaller parties areable to voice their views inParliament.
He highlighted the roleIndia can play to further glob-al good in a many sectors and referred to theskills and prowess of “our peo-ple, which can be a force mul-tiplier to global prosperity,”said Joshi.
�������������� 012��1345
While agitating farmers’unions boycotted talks
with the Supreme Court-appointed committee, as manyas 17 farmers’ organisationsfrom 11 States and UnionTerritories participated in thedeliberations over the farmlaws and the minimum supportprice. These groups are not thepart of the ongoing protests by41 unions at Delhi borders.This was the second round ofdeliberations between farm-ers’ organisations and the com-mittee members.
The organisations fromAndhra Pradesh, Gujarat,Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,Odisha, Tamil Nadu,Telangana, Uttarakhand and
Uttar Pradesh gave their frankviews and detailed suggestionson the farm laws.
According to the commit-tee, the farmers’ unions par-ticipated in the deliberations,given suggestions in detailsand expressed their viewpointsover the three laws. The thirdround of deliberations withfarmers’ organisations will beheld on February 3. The com-mittee has also invited com-ments, views and suggestionsfrom the public and all stake-holders engaged in the agri-culture activities includingdairying and fisheries on thethree laws by February 20.
The committee comprises
agricultural economists AshokGulati and Dr Pramod Joshi,and Shethkari Sangathana pres-ident Anil Ghanwat. Anothermember BS Mann had recusedfrom the committee followingthe pressure of farmers unionsin Punjab.
The Supreme Court had onJanuary 12 set up the commit-tee to give a report to the courton the farm laws following con-sultations with all stakeholders.The Supreme Court had alsostayed the implementation ofthree farm laws.
The Sanyukt Kisan Morchacontinues to protest at Delhi’sborders — Tikri, Singhu, andGhazipur.
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Peeved over developments atthe Ghazipur border site of
farmers’ protest, the BharatiyaKisan Union (Lok Shakti) onFriday re-launched its stir over the new farm laws,just a day after it hadannounced withdrawing itsprotest in Noida.
BKU (Lok Shakti) chiefThakur Sheoraj Singh Bhaticalled on the union’s support-ers, who were camping at theDalit Prerna Sthal in Noida, tonow reach Ghazipur border,where BKU members are stay-ing put.
In a video message, Singhalso appealed to BKU (LokShakti) supporters in westernUttar Pradesh to reach thefarmers’ mahapanchayat thatwas convened inMuzaffarnagar.
have withdrawn its approval toa proposal for the appointmentof an additional judge of theBombay High Court, Justice PV Ganediwala, as a permanentjudge of the court following hertwo controversial verdicts insexual assault cases.
The decision was takenafter the judge faced flak for herinterpretation of sexual assaultunder the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act, a source said.
Justice Pushpa Ganediwalarecently acquitted a manaccused of groping a 12-year-old girl’s breast because he did
not make skin-to-skin contactand days earlier, ruled thatholding the hands of a five-year-old girl and unzippingthe trousers do not amount to“sexual assault” under thePOCSO Act.
On January 27, theSupreme Court stayed theBombay HC order acquittingthe man after Attorney GeneralKK Venugopal said the orderwould set a dangerous precedent.
����� 012��1345
Almost a fortnight after itsvaccine Covishield along
with the Bharat Biotech’sCovaxin became part of India’smega vaccination drive againstCovid-19, Pune-based SerumInstitute of India (SII) onSaturday said that it was hope-ful of launching Covovax —developed in partnership withAmerican vaccine developerNovavax — by June this year.
The US-based pharmafirm’s Covid jab was found tobe 89.3 per cent effective in atrial in the United Kingdom.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO ofthe world’s biggest vaccinemaker, tweeted that they have
already applied for local trialsfor the vaccine candidate inIndia. “Our partnership for aCovid-19 vaccine with@Novavax has also publishedexcellent efficacy results. Wehave also applied to start trialsin India. Hope to launch#COVOVAX by June 2021!”Poonawalla tweeted.
Earlier this month, Indiabegan the world’s largest inoc-ulation drive after the drugregulator DCGI clearedCovishield and Covaxin.
������������� 012��13457
Former West Bengal MinisterRajib Banerjee, who recent-
ly quit the Trinamool Congress,joined the BJP in Delhi onSaturday along with a fewother leaders of the State’s rul-ing party after meeting seniorBJP leader and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah. BJP pres-ident JP Nadda is away inTamil Nadu.
The TMC leaders flew inhere by a special plane.
Banerjee and MLAs PrabirGhosal and Baishali Dalmiya,who was recently expelled fromthe TMC, and former HowrahMayor Rathin Chakrabortymet senior central BJP leadersbefore they were inducted intothe party.
“They have joined the BJP,”party general secretary KailashVijayvargiya said following themeeting.
Former TMC MLAParthasarathi Chattopadhyayand actor Rudranil Ghosh hadalso accompanied them ontheir visit to meet BJP leadersin the national Capital. BJPnational vice-president MukulRoy and Vijayvargiya arrived inDelhi with them.
The TMC, which has beenfacing exodus of a number ofleaders ahead of the Assemblyelection due in April-May, saidthat those who are leaving donot have long political history.
Earlier in the day, Banerjeesaid he had a word with UnionHome Minister Amit Shahwho called him to Delhi.
“After I resigned from theTMC, I received a call from theBJP leadership.... Amit Shah jitold me to come over to Delhi.He also requested me to passon the information to fiveother important public figureswho wanted to serve people in a better way toaccompany me.
“If I get an assurance on theState's development, if I get anassurance that I can work forthe betterment of people, I willjoin the BJP,” he told reportersat the Kolkata airport.
The TMC in West Bengalwas on Friday rocked by a freshbout of desertions as Banerjee quit the party and sev-eral other leaders rallied behind him, deepening thecrisis in the party.
�������������� 012��1345
Ateam of Delhi PoliceSpecial Cell on Saturday
visited the blast site near theIsrael embassy to collect moreevidence as part of its ongoingprobe. The NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)too reached the IED blast spotand inspected the area. TheNational Security Guard (NSG)has been roped in by the Centreto examine characteristics ofthe explosives used in theexplosion.
Investigators probing theblast near the Israel embassyhave not come across any-thing concrete yet as most ofthe CCTV cameras near thesite of the explosion were non-functional at the time of inci-dent, said the official policesources.
A CCTV footage of theIsrael embassy blast siteobtained by the Special Cellteam has revealed that a cabhad dropped two persons whowalked towards the spot nearthe embassy where the IEDexplosion took place on Fridayevening. Cops have contactedthe driver of the vehicle andsketches of the two people arebeing prepared
“We have recovered someCCTV footage but have notobtained anything concrete yet
as most of the CCTV camerasnear the embassy are non-functional. The footage showeda vehicle moving suspiciously near the embassyjust before the explosion,” said
the source.It was claimed that the cab
driver himself had called police,he has been identified and isbeing questioned and verifyinghis statements.
Farmers protesting at thethree sites on Delhi borders
held a day-long fast, between 9am and 5 pm, as they observed“Sadbhavna Divas” to mark thedeath anniversary of MahatmaGandhi.
Meanwhile, hundreds offarmers stayed put at theGhazipur Border on Saturdaymorning, as more supporterspoured in at the protest site onthe Delhi-Meerut Expresswayin Ghaziabad following whichDelhi Police shut down NH-24highway and all roads leadingto Ghazipur border.
Union Home Ministrytemporarily suspended internet
services in Singhu, Ghazipur,Tikri borders and their adjoin-ing areas from 11 pm of 29January to 11 pm of 31 Januaryto “maintain public safety andaverting public emergency”amid the farmers’ protest.
Meanwhile, a secondnotice has been issued by theSpecial Investigation Team(SIT) of the Crime Branch tonine farmer leaders, includingRakesh Tikait. Delhi Policecarried out raids in Punjab’sJalandhar on Friday to arrestJugraj Singh and NavpreetSingh who hoisted the NishanSahib flag at Red Fort onJanuary 26.
Meanwhile, 38 cases wereregistered till now in farmer’s
rally matter and 84 personshave been arrested,” said police.
his party’s alliance with theAIADMK would continue forthe Assembly elections, due inTamil Nadu in a few months.
Both parties would face thepolls together, he said, address-ing a public meeting, his firstin the run up to the Assemblyelections expected in April orearly May. He said PrimeMinister Narendra Modi facil-itated projects like the defence corridor for TamilNadu while the state was“ignored” during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime.
All movies that are based on real life arefascinating to watch. There issomething about such films or for that
matter books that pull you. The characterstake you on their as it happened. The Digdirected by Simon Stone tells you the truthwhether Anglo-Saxons were barbaric orcivilised who were more than just aboutfighting and plundering.
Set in May 1939, as Europe lurchedtowards war, amateur excavator/archaeologistBasil Brown, hired to dig up the huge moundson Edith Pretty’s property in Suffolk, struckgold (literally). First, the movie tell you how hecame across the skeleton of an 88-foot shipdating to the Anglo-Saxon period. The nextphase was discovering the burial chamberwithin the ship, filled with a treasure trove ofalmost perfectly-preserved artifacts, made
from gold and garnet: a stunning helmet,shoulder clasps, a golden belt buckle. Prettylater, donated them to the British museum.
What makes this film brilliant is theperformance by Ralph Fiennes. It is almostdifficult to imagine that he is the same personwho played Voldermort or for that matterChristopher Marshall. Playing a Britishexcavator of 1930s, his transformation isamazing. He plays this role to perfection. Hegives an impressive that he perfectlyunderstated what was expected of him anddelivers on it. It is his expressions of hat giveyour imagination wings into how historyunfolded back then.
The other starcast do their bit. Anotheractor who is almost unrecognisable is LilyJamres. After playing the lead in Cinderella, asa fellow excavator on site, she is good. Thoughher role may not be something to rave abouther contribution as an actor fits the film.
Over all, The Dig is well-played, is visuallyappealing with a treasure hunt at the centre ofit all.
People in India will find it difficult to find a connection here ifyou don’t know anything about Hawaiian way of life. Still FindingOhana is interesting to watch since the locales are beautiful and
it is about treasure hunt even though it is of a different kind — notabout money but about what the Hawaiian culture, values, traditionand folklore is about. Those who love to know about different cultures,this one is right up alley even though it is told from the perspectiveof kids and teenagers.
Given that our world us shrinking, knowing and being aware ofother folklore besides our own is good. The fact that they have used aquest for long lost and buried treasure keeps one interest once you startwatching it.
For those wanting to know what Ohana means — it means family.There is plenty of fun with a mix of adventure, comedy, heartwarmingfamily moments, and a bit of teen romance. It is a movie about howfamily sticks together whatever the odds even if it means to shift fromone city to another. .�"� !���" ��
� How did you come on board forPrem Bandhan?
As it works for the others, I had toaudition for the role. For me, to get thisproject was tough. It was not easy for meto get into Balaji Productions even thoughI have done so many shows before. Onedoesn’t know where your audition will go.Will it get into the correct hands? But Iam lucky that my creative reached theright place since during the lockdown, onehad to give the audition from home andsend it. I got short-listed and was calledfor a mock shoot. I came on board. It has
been a dream come true.�How is it to work with Ekta Kapoor?
When I was finally offered this role,I was very excited to be part of the
production house. I was lookingforward to working with the teamand Ekta (Kapoor) ma’am. At thesame time, I was nervous. I hadheard so much about thisproduction house. There waspressure on me to give it my best.But once I joined, I found thatthe atmosphere is so relaxed.The team is so good. I just wantpeople to know that there isnothing to be scared of if onewants to work with them. I amblessed to be part of theteam.� What is the best part ofplaying Janki Singh?
The show is set inDarbhanga, Bihar. I too amfrom Patna. I can find aconnection with the role.There are way too manysimilarit ies betweenJanki and Chhavi. Takefor example, the wayparents raise their kidsin small towns –teaching relationshipsvalues, how tocompromise andsacrifice for others.To be able toidentify with Jankiwas not difficultand I could relatewith her. I loveplaying her.� How did youget into acting?
I actuallywanted to be asinger andcame toMumbai topursue acareer inthis field.
But as we know, fate had something elsein store for me. It all started with a realityshow that I was part of — India’s GotTalent Season 1 with my sister. At thattime, Sonali Bendre told me that since Ihad a nice face, why didn’t I try acting.This stuck with me. I thought to myselfthat if I managed to make a mark inacting, I could make a career as a singerlater. But I kept getting back-to-backshows as a lead. Slowly, I took to actingand now love playing different characters.� Is there a role that you loved playing?
It was that of Tara in Ek Boond Ishqon Life OK. Here, I played a tom boy andI loved it. Then there was one morecharacter, that of Prarthna Kashyap inLadies Special that aired on SonyEntertainment Television. I loved doingthis as well.� How did you get your first break?
My first break was for Ek Boond Ishq.It was co-produced by Saba Mumtaz. Itwas well-received and my lead characterwas appreciated.� What are your future plans?
I would like to be part of web shows.The OTT platforms are the future. As anactor one wants to grow. While I do getto play diverse roles, but if you get stuckhere, it becomes tough to break themould. I would love to do films as well. Iam hoping that I get the right roles to playhere. One doesn’t know; maybe Balaji maygive me an opportunity if they like mywork. But let’s see what the future holds.
Terming the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) leader Tarun
Chugh remarks on his “Armybackground” as reprehensible,Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh on Saturdayquipped, “what does the BJP orits leadership know of Armyhonour or the grace of thenational flag, in which thebodies of our Punjabi brotherscome wrapped from the bor-ders every second day?”
“We in Punjab know thepain of seeing the bodies of oursons and brothers, wrapped inthe national flag, come homeevery second day,” he said,adding the BJP clearly has noempathy or sensitivity towardsthe soldiers losing their lives toprotect India’s honour andintegrity. Neither Chugh norhis party could relate to theanguish of those very soldierson seeing their farmer fathersand brothers being beaten upand tear gassed while fightingfor their rights, said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Ministerslammed Chugh for deliber-ately spreading lies on an issuerelating to the honour of thebrave Indian soldiers fightingfor the safety and security of thenation at the borders.Lambasting the BJP nationalgeneral secretary over hisremarks on the ‘Republic Daygrace’, he said the BJP, whichhad systematically ripped theConstitutional fabric apart overthe past 6 years and mostnotably over the draconianFarm Laws, had lost all moraland ethical right to talk of thehonour of the R-day.
“What was wrong in mystatement that “maligning thefarmers (for the Red Fort vio-lence) could cause the moraleof the armed forces, 20% ofwhich is from Punjab, to godown? How does that amount
to insulting the Republic Daygrace and my own Army back-ground?” asked CaptAmarinder, hitting out atChugh for misleading the peo-ple with baseless allegations.
“What happened to thegrace of the R-day when theCentral Government, whichthe BJP leads, trampled overthe federal and Constitutionalrights of the states to unilater-ally bring in the FarmOrdinances without consultinganyone? Where is the grace inletting the poor farmers, whoare feeding you along with thebillion plus people of Indiaevery day, shiver out in the coldon the roads, with many ofthem dying out there?”, CaptAmarinder asked.
Reacting to Chugh’sunfounded accusations that hehad backed those who hadinsulted the tricolour at the RedFort, Capt Amarinder pointedout that far from supportinganyone involved in the RedFort violence in any way, “I wasamong the first to outright
condemn the violence and thedishonour to the symbol ofindependent India.”
Reiterating, however, thathe did not believe it was thefarmers who created the trou-ble, the Chief Minister point-ed out that it was miscreants,including BJP’s own supporters,who were seen inciting thetrouble at the historic Red Fortin the national Capital on theRepublic Day. He reiterated hisdemand for a thorough probeinto the incident to expose theconspiracy and unveil the role,if any, of any political party orany third country.
Terming Chugh’s unfound-ed allegations as a clear attemptto cover up his own party’s rolein the incident, and also in thesubsequent developments,including yesterday’s attack onpeacefully protesting farmers atthe Singhu border, the ChiefMinister said the BJP, in its des-peration to divert public atten-tion from the genuine plightand struggle of the farmers, wasresorting to all kinds of the-
atrics and lies.The Chief Minister also
came down heavily on the BJPleader over his remarks on thelaw and order situation in thestate. For months, the farmersagitated peacefully in Punjab,where some of them are evennow sitting in protest, withoutany trouble, he pointed out,adding that the BJP wanted tosee trouble in the state with aneye on next year’s Assemblyelections. “Why else wouldthey try to undermine thegrowing Pakistan and Chinathreats, and the increasingnumber of incidents ofweapons being smuggled intoPunjab through drones,” heasked, warning the ruling partyagainst compromising thenation’s safety and security forits own petty political gains.
SAD DEMANDS CENTRELAUNCH CRIMINAL
CASES AGAINST POLICEOFFICIALS AND
BJP GOONS WHOATTACKED FARMER
CAMP AT SINGHU
The Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) on Saturday demandedthe Central Governmentlaunch criminal proceedingsagainst Delhi Police officials aswell as BJP goons who indulgedin State terrorism by attackingthe farmer camp at the Singhuborder in Delhi besides beatingup Sikh youth mercilessly andinsulting their articles of faith.
Addressing a press confer-ence here, party senior leaderBikram Singh Majithia alsodemanded that since the DelhiPolice and BJP goons accom-panying them had committedhuman rights violations, chiefminister Capt AmarinderSingh should also registerappropriate cases against themand take follow up action. Hesaid the SAD would submit aformal complaint in this regard
to the chief minister and thatin case the latter still did nottake appropriate action in thematter it would be clear that hewas hand in glove with the BJP.
Majithia also announced athree member committee oflawyers, including AS Dharni,DS Sobti and Harry Bajwawould assist farmers whosehuman rights violations hadbeen violated and also releasedthree telephone numbers —98150 00026, 99145 91011 and78144 00060 to contact thelawyers for needed assistancefree of cost. He also announcedthat senior leader Jathedar TotaSingh had visited families oftwelve youth missing fromDharamkot and thatJeetmohinder Singh Sidhu andParambans Romana had visit-ed families of eight youth miss-ing from Talwandi Sabo. “Wewill render all needed assis-tance to these families alsobesides opening legal servicescells at Singhu and Tikri bor-ders”, he added.
Majithia also pointed outthat no action had been takenagainst Deep Sidhu and LakhaSadana besides a Kisan leaderwho had jointly played into thehands of the central govern-ment on Republic Day. TheAkali leader asserted that farm-ers were following democratictraditions to exercise their con-stitutional right to hold apeaceful agitation against thethree hated Agricultural laws.He said it was unfortunatethat the central governmentcould not stomach this agita-tion and tried to defame it bycalling farmers’ naxals, terror-ists, China and Pakistan spon-sored elements and now final-ly had started supporting phys-ical attacks on them. He saidfarmers would not be intimi-dated by such tactics and thatthe Kisan Andolan wouldemerge even stronger in thecoming days.
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Congress MP in the RajyaSabha, Partap Singh Bajwa
on Saturday urged PunjabChief Minister Capt AmarinderSingh to use all availablesources to trace over 100 farm-ers who have been “missing”since the January 26 tractorrally in Delhi.
Citing some media reports,Bajwa wrote to Capt Amarinder,saying “over 100 farmers fromthe state have been missingsince the incidents that occurredon January 26 in Delhi”. Therehas been no word to the fami-lies regarding their status or pre-sent conditions, claimed theRajya Sabha MP.
“I urge you to use all
resources available to the gov-ernment of Punjab to tracethese farmers and ensure theirreturn,” wrote Bajwa. “It isextremely worrying that Punjabifarmers have been detainedwith no information being
shared with their families orlawyers,” he added in his letter.
Citing the stone-peltingincident at Delhi’s Singhu bor-der on Friday, Bajwa, in a state-ment here, also urged the CMto deploy the Punjab police per-sonnel for the safety of protest-ing farmers at protest sites.
“We all witnessed the vio-lence that was unleashedagainst protesting farmers atthe Singhu border. It is quiteclear that our farmers are underthreat from various groupswho wish to malign theirpeaceful protests,” he claimed.“Given the present situation, Ifurther urge you to deployPunjab Police personnel imme-diately to ensure the safety ofour farmers,” he said.
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Reacting to the BJP attemptsof suppressing the ongoing
farmers’ movement with thehelp of their aides and ‘goons’,the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)taking a serious note of thematter has demanded fromthe Punjab government to pro-vide police security to thestruggling farmers, who hadbeen facing the heat of the BJPGovernment.
Addressing the media,AAP’s national spokespersonand Punjab unit co-inchargeRaghav Chadha said that theBJP ‘goons’ had been continu-ously attacking the farmers ofthe country from last few daysin a bid to intimidate them tovacate the protest sites. Hesaid that earlier the miscreantsbacked by BJP had threatenedand attacked the farmers withsticks at Ghazipur border andyesterday also, the BJP-RSSgoons, including several localBJP leaders, attacked the farm-ers, who had been protestingpeacefully from over last twomonths and pelted stones onthem at Singhu border in broaddaylight.
He said that through someof the photographs and videosthat had gone viral, the peopleinvolved in these incidentscame out to be office-bearers,councillors, local leaders andMLAs of the BJP, who alongwith their associates and goonshad attacked the peacefullyprotesting farmers, which wasintolerable and unjustifiable.“The continuous attacks on our‘annadatas’ from the last fewdays and the unfortunate inci-dent that occurred at the RedFort on January 26 has estab-lished the role of the BJP ofsuppressing the farmers’ move-ment. It has also proved theintention of the BJP, that theywill attack the farmers, intim-idate them and create distur-bance in the farmers’ move-ment. With this, there is a clearsafety and security threat to thefarmers,” he said.
Chadha said that underthis, the role of Delhi police hadalso been clear that they wereassisting and helping the BJPgoons by letting them enter theprotesting sites, not initiatingany action during the attackand facilitating them. He saidthat the Delhi police whodirectly report to PM Modi andHome Minister Amit Shah,was working at the behest ofthe BJP in inciting violence andgetting these attacks done bytheir goons. “Under such cir-cumstances, we cannot expectDelhi police to protect ourfarmers and thus with fullresponsibility, we demand
Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh to providepolice security to the farmers atall the borders,” he added.
He added the CaptainAmarinder had been providingpolice security to leaders, influ-ential people, even his advisors,OSDs, cronies and every secondperson, who were also coveredwith the same outside the stateas well. “When such people andeven Captain’s friends fromPakistan could get police secu-rity covers, even outside thehome states, then why can’tCaptain Amarinder Singh gov-ernment also provide security toall the farmers, their leaders whoare sitting on the Delhi bordersas per the threat perception,they are facing from BJP andtheir goons,” said Chadha.
Demanding immediatesecurity for the farmers,Chadha said that CaptAmarinder Singh should sendsecurity covers of Punjab policefor the farmers at all the bor-ders for their protection in thistime of need. Taking a dig atCaptain Amarinder Singh, theAAP leader said that Captainhad been rescuing the BJP ontheir attempts of suppressingthe farmers’ movement by giv-ing them clean chit and divert-ing the issue to outside agen-cies. “Captain is trying to savethe BJP on the attacks beingmade by their goons on thefarmers. Captain Amarindershould stop making frivolousstatements and playing dirtypolitics in such a sensitivetime,” he added.
‘EVEN CBI CAN’T ENTERA STATE WITHOUT PER-
MISSION,’ SAYS PPCCCHIEF SUNIL JAKHAR,RIDICULING DEMANDFOR DEPLOYMENT OF
PUNJAB POLICE ATDELHI BORDERS
Ridiculing the demand ofthe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
for deployment of PunjabPolice to protect the agitatingfarmers at the borders of thenational capital, PunjabPradesh Congress Committeechief, Sunil Jakhar, on Saturdaysaid even the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) cannotenter a state without permis-sion, and added that, in anycase, “Congress was not run-ning an anarchist governmentin Punjab like Arvind Kejriwalin Delhi, where street politicsby the ruling party had longreplaced real governance.”
The PPCC Chief was react-ing to AAP spokesman RaghavChadha’s statement asking thatPunjab Police be positioned atthe Delhi borders for the safe-ty and security of farmers fromattacks by alleged BJP goons,who he said had the protectionof Delhi Police.
“Don’t you know anythingabout the principles and rulesof police jurisdiction?,” thePPCC chief remarked, askingChadha to stop making amockery of the sensitive andgrave situation prevailing in thenational capital with his frivo-lous and senseless statements.“How can a state police forceenter Delhi or any other state,when even a central agency likeCBI has no such authority orjurisdiction?” asked Jakhar.Unlike the AAP government inDelhi, which clearly had noscruples about trampling thelaw in favour of political the-atrics and drama, the Congressgovernment in Punjab believedin following the rule of the law,he added.
Further taking a dig at theAAP leader, Jakhar asked “whydoesn’t your AAP governmentin the capital send out the DelhiHome Guards, who reportdirectly to the state govern-ment, to protect the farmers sit-ting at your doorstep?” “Andwith 66 MLAs spread aroundthe city, why don’t you help outthe farmers instead of wastingyour time giving advice to thePunjab government,” he furtherquipped.
Trashing Chadha’s com-ments on the protection pro-vided by Punjab Police to vari-ous leaders etc, Jakhar asked theAAP spokesperson if he knewmore about individual threatperceptions in Punjab than theChief Minister or his govern-ment. “Why don’t you leave thejob of running Punjab to uswhile you concentrate on man-aging the situation in Delhi,where all the problem is hap-pening?” Chadha is speakingnonsense, with no logic to hisbanter, said Jakhar. Everyoneknows who is toeing the BJPline, he added, pointing to thequick implementation of one ofthe Farm Laws in Delhi by theKejriwal government.
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With Himachal’s Pong wet-land witnessing a sharp
decline in mortality rate ofbirds due to outbreak of avianinfluenza-H5N1, State’s ForestDepartment has decided to goahead with the two-day longannual waterfowl count startingFebruary 1 at the water body.
As many as 4,986 migra-tory birds have fallen victim tothe deadly virus till now atPong wetland in Kangra dis-trict. A large number of nativebirds like crows and pigeonshave also died.
Following the detection of
bird flu at Pong Dam onJanuary 4, all kinds of humanand livestock activities werebanned in one km area aroundthe Pong lake which is declaredas alert zone (red zone) whilethe next nine km area wasdeclared a surveillance zone.
Earlier it was decided tosuspend the annual waterfowlcount for this year at Pong Dambut the Department will nowundertake the two-day censusexercise with the help of its ownfield staff on February 1 and 2.
Notably, the bird flu hasbeen reported for the first timeat Pong Lake, which hostsmore than one lakh wingedguests every winter season.
The migratory birds fromCentral Asia and Siberian reachPong Dam every year byOctober for their wintersojourn and stay till March.
“The daily fatality reportedat Pong Lake due to the bird fluis three-four birds now. The sit-uation is under control butconsidering the bird flu alert,the Wildlife division of theForest Department has decid-ed to conduct the annual water-fowl count through its own staffthis year. The wildlife expertsfrom the state or outside willnot be involved in the two-dayexercise,” said Rahul Rohane,Deputy Conservator of Forests,Wildlife Division, Hamirpur
while talking to The Pioneer.He said that the area of wet-
land is divided in 26 sections forthe census exercise and differ-ent teams would be deputed.The field staff would take all theprecautions. Earlier in mid-December, around 56000migratory birds of more than 50species were counted by thefield staff at the Pong Lake.”
Giving details of fatalitiesdue to bird flu at Pong, Rohanesaid that the total fatalities in 38species of migratory birdsstood at 4986. Of them, 90 per-cent deaths have been report-ed among Bar-Headed Goose,he added.
According to the census
exercise conducted in January2020, as many as 1,15,701 birdsof 114 species were recorded atthe Pong Dam Lake. The figureincluded 1,04,032 migratorywaterfowls of 60 species, 10,377resident water birds of 30species and 1,292 birds of 24
other local species.The Pong Lake had record-
ed an increase by 68 percent inthe number of Bar-HeadedGeese in 2020 as compared tothe previous year. The count ofBar-Headed Geese was 49,496 in2019-20 as compared to 29,443
in the 2018-19 census exerciseconducted in January everyyear. Other dominant speciesrecorded included NorthernPintail (12,881), Eurasian Coot(10,860), Common Teal (7,334),Common Pochard (3,988),Northern Shoveler (2,818),
Great Cormorant (2,121),Eurasian Wigeon (1,350) andRuddy Shelduck (1,028).
The Pong Dam, about 100kms from Dharamshala, isknown as Pong Reservoir, PongDam Lake and the MaharanaPratap Sagar. It was created in1975, by building the highestearth fill dam in India on theBeas river in the wetland zoneof the Shivalik hills.
The site is a well-knownwildlife sanctuary and one ofthe international wetland sitesdeclared in India by the Ramsar Convention. Thereservoir covers an area of60,610 acres and the wetlandportion is 38,700 acres.
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Haryana Government onSaturday said that the
internet services, except voicecalls will remain suspended in17 districts till 5 pm on Sunday.The Government officialspokesperson said that internetservices will remain suspend-ed in Ambala, Yamunanagar,Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal,Panipat, Hisar, Jind, Rohtak,Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri,Fatehabad, Rewari, Sonepat,Palwal, Sirsa and Jhajjar till 5pm on January 31.
Earlier, the State govern-ment had suspended mobileinternet services(2G/3G/4G/CDMA/ GPRS),all SMS services (excludingbanking and mobile recharge)
and all dongle services provid-ed on mobile networks, exceptthe voice calls, in 14 districts till5 pm on January 30. The sus-pension has been extended by24 hours till 5 pm on Saturday.
The spokesperson said thisorder is issued to prevent anydisturbance of peace and pub-lic order in the jurisdiction ofthese districts of Haryana andshall be in force with immedi-ate effect. Any person who willbe found guilty of violation ofaforesaid order will be liable forlegal action under relevantprovisions.
The suspension has beenordered under Rule 2 ofTemporary Suspension ofTelecom Services (PublicEmergency or Public Safety)Rules, 2017. All telecom service
providers of Haryana includingthe Head of BSNL (Haryanajurisdiction) are hereby direct-ed to ensure the compliance ofthis order.
The spokesman said thatthe State Government hasdecided to impose this sus-pension of internet services inorder to stop the spread of dis-information and rumoursthrough various social mediaplatforms, such as WhatsApp,Facebook Twitter, etc onmobile phones and SMS, forfacilitation and mobilisation ofmobs of agitators and demon-strators who can cause seriousloss of life and damage to pub-lic and private properties byindulging in arson or vandalism and other types ofviolent activities.
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The Chandigarh Press Club on Saturday con-demned the filing of multiple FIRs against
journalists including Mrinal Pande, RajdeepSardesai, Zafar Agha, Caravan group editors andpublishers, besides others. FIRs on various crim-inal grounds, including sedition, were lodged byMP Police, UP Police and in Delhi.
In a statement, Secretary General SaurabhDuggal said FIRs are based on the coverage andcomments the journalists made in respect of thefarmers protest rally in the capital on January26. The events that took place around the farm-ers rally on Republic Day were chaotic and infor-mation was not easily available.
The statement said there was clear intelli-gence lapse on the part of the various Centralagencies.
In these circumstances, to pin blame on thejournalists for being responsible for the violenceand disruption, is reprehensible.
Worse still is the attempt of the Police to sticksedition charges on the journalists using archa-ic laws. Various journalist unions, EditorsGuild of India and various press clubs across thecountry, including Press Club of India andMumbai Press Club, have also condemned fill-ing of FIRs against the journalists.
The statement said Chandigarh Press Clubdemands the immediate withdrawal of theseFIRs against the six journalists.
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Farmer leader Balbir SinghRajewal on Saturday alleged
there was a “conspiracy” by theGovernment and the BJP behindthe stone-pelting incident at theSinghu border, but said thefarmers would not indulge in anyviolence despite “provocation”.
He said he expects a recordgathering by February 2 at theborder points of Delhi, wherefarmers are protesting againstthe three recent agriculture lawsof the Centre, with a largenumber of people from variousstates turning up. “We havebeen holding a peaceful agita-tion at Delhi’s borders. Theagitation is peaceful today aswell,” Rajewal, the president ofthe Bharatiya Kisan Union(Rajewal), told reporters here.
He condemned the violencein Delhi on Republic Day andtermed it unfortunate. “Peoplein large numbers from Punjab,Haryana, Uttar Pradesh,Rajasthan and Uttarakhand arereaching the protest sites,”Rajewal said. “Possibly byFebruary 2, there will again be arecord gathering of people at theprotest sites,” he said, adding theagitation would remain peaceful.
Claiming that “local people”were with the farmers, Rajewalalleged those behind the Singhuborder incident were “BJP andRSS people”. “The governmentis trying to provoke us for vio-lence. We will not indulge in anyviolence. We are alert to preventany violence,” he further stated.Police had fired tear gas and
resorted to baton charge Fridayto break up a clash betweenfarmers and a large group ofmen claiming to be local resi-dents who hurled stones ateach other at the Singhu border,one of the main protest sitesagainst farm laws.
Talking about the violenceduring the farmers’ tractorparade on January 26, he saideverybody was “shocked” afterthe Red Fort incident. “We allwere shocked because we neverthought of it. The Red Fort is thecountry’s pride,” he said, addingthey never had any plan to headtowards the monument.Rajewal said that they withdrewthe tractor march which other-wise was to go on for 72 hours.
He also condemned theHaryana government for sus-pending internet services. TheHaryana government had sus-pended mobile internet ser-vices in 17 more districts in thestate until 5 pm of January 30 “toprevent any disturbance of peaceand public order”. The BKUleader also accused the govern-ment of trying to mislead peo-ple through false propaganda inorder to defame the ongoing agi-tation. Rajewal also appealed topeople who are joining the agi-tation at the Delhi border tokeep the protest peaceful and notto get provoked. He alsoappealed to the Centre to shunits “stubborn attitude” and with-draw the three new farm laws.On the next meeting with theCentre over the issue of farmlaws, Rajewal said they will cer-tainly go if called.
Chandigarh: Haryana VidhanSabha Speaker Gian ChandGupta on Saturday said thatCongress MLA from KalkaPradeep Chaudhary, who wasconvicted and sentenced forthree years of imprisonment ina 2011 case of rioting by a localcourt, Himachal Pradeshrecently, has been disqualifiedas a member of the Haryanalegislative assembly. Thisinformation has also been sentto the Election Commission ofIndia, he added.
Gupta said PradeepChaudhary representing theKalka Assembly Constituencystands disqualified from mem-bership of Haryana VidhanSabha from the date of his con-viction on January 14 in terms ofthe provision of Article 191 (1)(e) of the Constitution of Indiawith section 8(3) of the repre-sentation of the People Act,1951. Accordingly KalkaAssembly Constituency has fall-en vacant with effect fromJanuary 14 , he added.
A Panchkula basedadvocate said that thedisqualification provi-sion says that a personconvicted of anyoffence and sentencedto imprisonment fornot less than two yearsshall be disqualified from thedate of such conviction andshall continue to be disqualifiedfor a further period of six yearssince his release. However, if theSupreme Court stays the con-viction of the MLA, his mem-bership of the assembly will getrestored from that day. But therestoration of membership willnot be applicable if the high courtonly grants him bail, he added.
A Himachal court onThursday convicted and sen-tenced to three years in prisona sitting Congress MLA fromKalka constituency in analmost 10-year-old case ofassault and rioting. Fourteenothers too were convicted andsentenced for three years in thecase along with the MLA. The
court of JMIC,Jetinder Kumar,Nalagarh, in dis-trict Solan, alsoslapped a fine of Rs85,500 on the con-victs. The court,meanwhile, also
accepted the bail of all convicts.Chaudhary along with all oth-ers was present in the court-room when the verdict wasannounced.
The FIR registered atNalagarh police station datesback to 2011. On June 13,2011, all accused led an agitat-ed mob and put the dead bodyin the middle of road blockingthe traffic demanding a murdercase against the police person-nel. The mob turned violent,attacked police personnel andset at least two governmentvehicles on fire. An FIR wasregistered at PS Baddi. At thattime, Chaudhary was an INLDMLA from Kalka. In October,2019, he was elected on aCongress ticket. PNS
Chandigarh: Eight more peo-ple succumbed to coronavirus,taking the toll to 5609 inPunjab on Saturday, while theinfection tally rose to 1,73,084with 225 new cases, a healthbulletin said. There are 2184active cases and the number ofrecoveries rose to 1,65,291 as146 more patients recuperated,according to the bulletin.
Among the new 225 cases,SAS Nagar reported 38 infec-tions, Ludhiana 32, Bathinda 27and Jalandhar 26. Six criticalpatients are on ventilator sup-port, while 86 are on oxygensupport, the bulletin said. Atotal of 44,63,437 samples havebeen collected for testing so far,it said.
The Centre is going to tablea Bill in the Budget Session
of Parliament banning all pri-vate cryptocurrencies such asBitcoin in India and to dealwith the creation of a legislativeframework for an official dig-ital currency. The Reserve Bankof India (RBI) is exploring theoption of issuing a digital ver-sion of the rupee, which couldserve as the Central BankDigital Currency (CBDC).
The Bill, ‘TheCryptocurrency andRegulation of Official DigitalCurrency Bill, 2021’ is to betabled in the Lok Sabha Sessionas per the papers placed beforethe Parliament bulletins.
“To create a facilitativeframework for creation of the-official digital currency to beissued by the Reserve Bank ofIndia. The Bill also seeks toprohibit all private cryptocur-rencies in India, however, itallows for certain exceptions topromote the underlying tech-nology of crytptocurrency andits uses, said the purpose of theBill in the papers placed beforethe bulletins.
For the past six-sevenyears, including India manycountries were looking for theintroduction of the digital cur-rencies, when Bitcoin like cryp-to currencies started floodingin the World and their tradesbecame proffered in many sec-
tors. The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) is also exploring theoption of issuing a digital ver-sion of the rupee, which couldserve as the Central BankDigital Currency.
The proposed bill will pro-vide the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) with the necessary legalpowers to develop a centralbank-backed digital currency(CBDC), according toParliament Bulletin on the newBills to be placed before LokSabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Government wants topromote the use of blockchainacross various use-cases, thisbill is expected India’s entry theglobal race of digital currenciesor CBDCs while at the sametime banning “private” crypto-currencies like Bitcoin andEthereum among others.Recently China also bannedprivate operators in this field byregularising the governmentoperation on digital or crypto
currency.The Government’s deci-
sion to introduce TheCryptocurrency andRegulation of Official DigitalCurrency Bill, 2021 comes aweek after the RBI said it hadbegun exploring the possibili-ty of issuing and developing adigital currency or digitalRupee.
This is a reversal of theRBI’s position. Back inDecember 2019, RBI GovernorShaktikanta Das said that it wasvery early to speak on CBDCs.“Some discussions are goingon. Technology has yet not fullyevolved. It is still in very incip-ient stage of discussions and theRBI we have examined it inter-nally,” Das said. Indian cryptofounders are taken aback bythis news, but still hope that theGovernment will work with theindustry to ensure that there issome legality to their opera-tions going forward.
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Agroup of women weaversfrom Tharu tribe in the
northern buffer of DudhwaTiger Reserve in the Terairegion of Uttar Pradesh areweaving their dreams on loomsto churn out magnificentcolourful carpets (cotton dur-ries) and an array of grass-woven products.
Under the banner of TharuHath Karga Gharelu Udyog –a Self Help Group (SHG) ofthese tribal women fromLakhimpur Khiri district inUttar Pradesh have recorded asignificant increase in revenuesfrom sale of cotton carpets andhandmade wares made oflocally available Munj grasssuch as baskets for chapati,planters, fruit baskets, jew-ellery containers, table mat,paper weight, coasters, etc.
In 2019-20, they recordeda sale of Rs 2.08 lakhs with a netprofit of 80,000. However, thiswas not possible till a fewyears ago when these womenwere struggling with the tradi-tional looms which due toexcess moisture caused byflooding of the area duringmonsoons affected their outputand quality.
Timely technological inter-vention and funding supportfrom the Science for Equity,Empowerment andDevelopment (SEED) Divisionof the Central Department ofScience & Technology (DST)under the Union Science andTechnology Ministry has comeas a boon for the SHG, scalingup the production and ensurequality.
The World Wide Fund(WWF) implemented the tech-nology, reducing the inconve-nience caused to the womenand also increased the effi-ciency of operations with qual-ity production through a num-ber of ways.
It has also set up a centrefor production in terms oftechnological interventions,modification, and improvisa-tion.
WWF provided financialaid, implementing the tech-nology, fixing the base of thelooms. It also added a secondset of pedals in them, makingthem operable by two weavers,thereby reducing the produc-tion time of the durries and
weaving complex designs.Wooden shuttles used tra-
ditionally were replaced withfiberglass shuttles, which arelighter and more efficient.
Two pulley based designs -Garrari system and Rope rollersystem were designed to avoiddisruption of work continuitywhile adjusting the threadroller and durrie roller of theloom for getting a blank threadpanel to weave, said an officialfrom the Ministry.
Arti Rana, President ofthe Tharu Hath Karga GhareluUdyog at Gabroula village,said “We used to work in amakeshift structure earlier andwere never able to work dur-ing the rains.
Now with the productioncentre in place, the number ofworking days and our pro-ductivity has increased.”
As earnings had beengood, strength of the group hasswollen from a meagre ten topresent 2,600 women, major-ity of them hailing from near-by villages such as Goubrolla,
M a n g a l p u r v a ,Chandanchowki, Balera,Bendari and Dhusia in theLakhimpur Khiri district in UPamong 42 villages inside thetiger reserve.
They had been tradition-ally engaged in these handi-craft work which has nowbeen channelised commer-cially, augmenting their liveli-hood.
Though Carona inducedlockdown adversely impactedthe income, things have start-ed looking up again with mer-chandise worth of Rs 42,000already sold from November2020 to January 2021. Arti (42)said that TRIFED, a depart-ment of the Union TribalAffairs Ministry is their regu-lar buyer.
For its part, theGovernment has recognisedtheir work. The SHG was felic-itated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in 2016 andwas awarded the RaniLaxmibai Veerta Purankar ofthe State Government.
The CBI on Saturday arrest-ed a Deputy Director of
Employees’ State InsuranceCorporation (ESIC) fordemanding and accepting abribe of �50,000 from the com-plainant.
The arrest came after theCBI laid a trap against DarbaraSingh, Deputy Director (In-charge Regional Director),ESIC Regional Office, Jammufor demanding and accepting abribe of Rs 50,000 from thecomplainant in the matter.
A case was registered on acomplaint against the arrested
Deputy Director.The complainant, an
employee of a private firm hasalleged that his firm providessecurity services to differentprivate institutions. It was fur-ther alleged that the com-plainant came to know in themonth of December 2020 thata Notice has been issued to thefirm by ESIC, Regional Office,Shastri Nagar, Jammu. Knowingthis, the complainant and theowner, both visited the office ofESIC to meet the said DeputyDirector. During the meeting,the accused official of the ESICallegedly told the complainantthat their papers were not prop-
er and ESIC would impose apenalty of �23,90,850 on themif they would pay him a bribe
of �2 lakh, he can reduce thepenalty amount. After negoti-ation, it was told to pay the
bribe in four instalments of�50,000 each.
“The CBI laid a trap andcaught the accused red-handedwhile demanding and acceptinga bribe of �50,000 (as part oftotal bribe of �2 lakh). Searcheswere conducted at the premis-es of accused in Chandigarh,Mohali and Jammu which ledto recovery of cash of about �7lakh and documents related toproperties,” the CBI said in astatement.
The accused is being pro-duced before the Court ofSpecial Judge for CBI Cases,Jammu for further action, itadded.
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Congress on Saturdaylaunched a campaign titled
the ‘Naukri Do Ya DegreeWapas Lo’ (Give employmentor take back degrees) to sensi-tise the Central Governmentover the rising unemploymentacross the country.
The campaign will be takenacross the country by the grandold party’s students’ wingNational Students Union ofIndia (NSUI). Congress hasbeen raking up the unemploy-ment issue continuously andhas claimed as per governmentstatistics the unemploymentrate in the country is at thehighest in 45 years.
NSUI national PresidentNeeraj Kundan said that themain motive behind this cam-paign is to point out the reali-ty to a government that has nointerest in giving jobs to theyouth.
“We would be collectingfive lakh degrees of unem-ployed students. By this, abun-dant evidence will be providedto the Government which willbring out the reality of the CentralGovernment for hiding theactual data of unemployedpeople from the youth of thiscountry,” Kundan said address-ing the media at Congressheadquarters.
NSUI General SecretaryNagesh Kariyappa also saidthat youth empowerment andemployment-generation shouldbe the foremost duty of gov-ernment.
“Considering the facts, abig challenge in India is theabsence of decent work in theorganised sector for the gener-ation of youth.
As whatever theGovernment is presenting infront of the public is not thetruth, there is an indispensableneed to look into the fallencharacteristics of youthemployment,” he said.
At the launch, NSUI alsohighlighted that in 2014, theBJP had promised to generatemore than two crore employment opportunitiesevery year and now, this sumsup to 12 crores and failed toprovide the same.
“They betrayed the youthof the nation. According to thereport of the National SampleSurvey Office, the rate ofunemployment rose to 6.1 percent in 2017-18, which was 2.2per cent in 2011-12,” the NSUIchief added.
Congress said that theparty, besides raising the ongo-ing farmers’ protest and fallingeconomy in the Parliament, willalso raise the growing resent-ment within youths due to nojobs in the country.
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Consumer rights are “impor-tant rights” and non-man-
ning of posts and inadequateinfrastructure in district andstate consumer commissionsacross the country woulddeprive the citizens of redres-sal of their grievances, theSupreme Court has said.
The apex court said thiswhile hearing a plea that hasraised the issue of alleged inac-tion by governments inappointing the president, mem-bers and staff in the district andstate consumer disputes redres-sal commissions and the lack ofadequate infrastructure to runthese fora.
A bench of justices SanjayKishan Kaul and HrishikeshRoy said the issue raised in theplea is important but the peti-tioner, a law student, has fileda “very sketchy petition” and itdoes not show proper groundwork.
“We have given a thoughtto the matter and consider ittoo important an issue to bethrown out because of the lax-ity in collection of material andplacing the same before usand thus, consider it appropri-ate that the same should beconverted into a suo motuproceeding to enquire into theissue placed before us,” thebench said.
The top court appointedsenior advocate Gopal
Shankaranarayan and lawyerAaditya Narain as amicus curi-ae to assist it in the matter.
“We expect them to obtainthe requisite material, analysethe same and facilitate thedata to be placed before us andthus, consider it appropriate toissue notices to all the respon-dents before us, who would beable to show as to how manyposts are occupied, how manyare vacant and what is thenature of infrastructure whichhas been made available asconsumer rights are importantrights and non-manning ofposts and inadequate infra-structure would deprive citi-zens of a redressal of the griev-ances,” the bench said in itsorder passed earlier this week.
The apex court has postedthe matter for hearing onFebruary 22.
The plea filed before thetop court has sought directions
to the Centre, states and Unionterritories to fill up the vacantposts of presidents and mem-bers in the consumer com-missions, saying the “inac-tion” in making the appoint-ments is causing pendency ofcases and has led to violationof the right to a speedy disposalof cases.
The petition, while alleg-ing that directions passed byvarious high courts regardingfilling up of vacancies in dis-trict and state consumer com-missions have been “ignored”by the authorities concerned,has said there is a lack of prop-er infrastructure to run thesecommissions smoothly.
It has also sought a direc-tion to the authorities con-cerned to provide proper infra-structure and staff to the con-sumer commissions and file adetailed report regarding thisbefore the top court.
Tribunal (CAT), which adju-dicates service-related mattersof Government employees,has recused himself fromhearing a plea filed by IFS offi-cer Sanjiv Chaturvedi chal-lenging the civil servants’empanelment process.
Chaturvedi, who is work-ing as the Chief Conservatorof Forest at Haldwani,Uttarakhand, had in Februarylast year filed a case before thetribunal’s Nainital bench, chal-lenging the Centre’s 360-degree appraisal system forofficers of the level of jointsecretary and above and therecruitment of private sectorspecialists to governmentposts through lateral entry.
“Post the matter beforecourt number 2 on February1,” a bench comprising CATChairman L NarasimhaReddy and Member(Administration) MohdJamshed said in its orderdated January 22.
The CAT chief had lastmonth allowed a petition bythe Centre seeking transfer ofChaturvedi’s case from the tri-bunal’s Nainital bench toDelhi, saying “the matters ofthis nature have their ownimpact on the very function-
ing of the central govern-ment”.
Commenting on theorder, Chaturvedi’s counseland senior advocateSudershan Goel said the CATchief ought not to have passedthe order of transfer when heis in one-to-one litigationwith the applicant.
“Now, CAT Chairman LNarasimha Reddy has recusedhimself from hearing thismatter and transferred thiscase to another court -- courtnumber 2,” he added.
In March 2019, the CATchief had recused himselffrom hearing Chaturvedi’sthree other petitions citingsome “unfortunate develop-ments” and other reasons.
The Uttarakhand HighCourt had last month issuednotices to the Centre, theCAT chairman and the UnionPublic Service Commission(UPSC), among others, seek-ing their responses onChaturvedi’s plea.
Chaturvedi, a 2002-batchIndian Forest Service (IFS)officer of the Uttarakhandcadre, in his plea, mentionedexcerpts of an August 2017report by a parliamentarycommittee that found flaws inthe 360-degree appraisal sys-tem, also known as the multi-source feedback system, forcivil servants.
India needs to take specialmeasures to ensure econom-
ic security for people with lep-rosy as situations like the ongo-ing Covid-19 pandemic havejolted the ostracised communi-ty, making them rely merely onhandouts to survive, WHOgoodwill ambassador againstthe disease Yohei Sasakawa hassaid.
Like always, people withleprosy have been ignored dur-ing these trying times and notmany have come forward to
check on their well-being, saidSasakawa, who was awardedthe Gandhi Peace Prize in 2019for his fight against leprosy,especially in India.
“People affected by leprosyin India and many other coun-tries are often economically vul-nerable. Many are increasingly inneed after having lost theirsource of income because oflockdowns or restrictions onmovement associated with thespread of coronavirus. Indianeeds to take special measures todeal with this,” Sasakawa toldPTI.
Stating that India may haveintensified its vigil against leprosybut its efforts to trace cases in thehinterland, particularly people inthe mountain areas, are not suf-ficient, Sasakawa has rhetorical-ly stressed that the governmentshould bring leprosy-affectedpeople into the mainstream andget them treated.
“It is important to do moreto raise social awareness so thateveryone, whether they live inhard-to-reach areas or are notpart of mainstream society, haveaccess to diagnosis and propertreatment,” he said.
In their first telephonic con-versation, External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar and USSecretary of State AntonyBlinken on Friday resolved to"consolidate and expand" theIndia-US strategic partnershipand reaffirmed commitment topeace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a tweet, Jaishankar said itwas agreed to build on the "solidfoundation" of bilateral ties.
The Ministry of ExternalAffairs (MEA) said Jaishankarand Blinken appreciated therobust defence and security ties,growing economic engagement,productive healthcare collabo-ration and strong people-to-people linkages between the twonations.
In a tweet, Blinken said hewas delighted to speak toJaishankar and that they dis-cussed ways to seize new oppor-tunities and combat
shared challenges in theIndo-Pacific and beyond.
"I was delighted to speaktoday with my good friend@DrSJaishankar to discuss US-India priorities," he said.
"We reaffirmed the impor-
tance of the U.S.-India relation-ship and discussed ways we canbetter seize new opportunitiesand combat shared challenges inthe Indo-Pacific and beyond," hesaid.
The MEA said Jaishankarand Blinken agreed to worktogether to address global issues,including safe and affordablevaccine supply while recognisingthe challenges of a post-Covid
world."The external affairs minis-
ter and Secretary Blinkenexpressed their commitment toconsolidate and expand themulti-faceted strategic partner-ship," it said.
"They appreciated the robustdefence and security ties, grow-ing economic engagement, pro-ductive healthcare collaborationand strong people-to-people
linkages as its important pillars,"the MEA said in a statement.
It said Jaishankar andBlinken also reiterated theircommitment to peace and secu-rity, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.
The US Secretary of Statehas already indicated thatWashington will stand with theSouth Asian countries in theface of China's growing
assertiveness in the South ChinaSea region.
"Warm conversation withSecretary of State @SecBlinken.Congratulated him on hisappointment. Look forward toworking with him again. Agreed
that we could build furtheron the solid foundation of ourpartnership.
Also discussed our efforts atcombating the COVID-19 pan-
demic," Jaishankar tweeted.The Joe Biden administra-
tion began formal engagementwith top Indian leaders onWednesday with DefenceSecretary Lloyd Austin andNational Security Advisor JakeSullivan holding telephonic con-versation with their Indiancounterparts, Defence MinisterRajnath Singh and NSA AjitDoval.
Houston: A federal appealscourt on Friday ruled that theUS Government could resumeexpelling immigrant childrenwho cross the southern borderunaccompanied by a parent.
The US Court of Appealsfor the District of ColumbiaCircuit’s stay of a lower courtruling allows President JoeBiden’s administration toresume expulsions begun byformer President DonaldTrump under a public healthpolicy citing the Covid-19 pan-demic.
The appeals court issued astay that had been requested bythe Trump administration inNovember shortly after a fed-eral judge barred the practice.
All three judges on thepanel that issued Friday’s orderwere nominated by Trump,who enacted newly restrictivemeasures on immigrationthroughout his presidency. Thejudges are Gregory Katsas,Neomi Rao and Justin Walker.
Trump’s Republicanadministration institutedexpulsions early in the pan-demic, saying it had to restrictborder crossings to preventthe spread of the virus, thoughpublic health officials later saidthey were told to issue anorder allowing the expulsionsby former Vice President MikePence. Border agents conduct-
ed more than 180,000 expul-sions in just the last threemonths of 2020.
Immigration agencies havecontinued expelling most bor-der crossers — adults as well asparents and children together— in Biden’s first days. TheDemocrat has signaled he willroll back other Trump admin-istration policies restrictingimmigration, but his advisershave also said they are con-cerned about allowing allmigrants to cross the borderimmediately. It’s unclearwhether Biden will implementexpulsions of unaccompaniedchildren now.
At least 8,800 children wereknown to have been expelledprior to the federal court order.They included children asyoung as 9 who were deniedthe chance to request asylum orother protections under USLaw. Many children, including
some babies with their parents,were detained in hotels in bor-der states before being placedon deportation flights beforeanother judge barred that prac-tice.
The US Department ofHomeland Security did notimmediately comment, nor didthe US Department of Justice.
American Civil LibertiesUnion lawyer Lee Gelerntcalled the appeals court’s rulinga “temporary setback.” “Wewill continue to litigate this caseon behalf of these vulnerableunaccompanied children, whoare in need of protection andlegally entitled to apply for asy-lum,” Gelernt said in a state-ment.
“But we hope the Bidenadministration will not makeongoing litigation necessaryby rescinding this illegal poli-cy created by the Trumpadministration.” AP
phone with Pakistan’s ForeignMinister Shah MahmoodQureshi and discussed theaccountability of convicted ter-rorists responsible for the bru-tal murder of American jour-nalist Daniel Pearl, according tothe State Department.
Pearl, the 38-year-oldSouth Asia bureau chief for TheWall Street Journal, wasabducted and beheaded whilehe was in Pakistan investigat-ing a story in 2002 on the linksbetween the country’s power-ful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.
State DepartmentSpokesperson Ned Price saidon Friday that Blinken rein-forced America’s concern overPakistan Supreme Court’s rul-ing acquitting Pearl’s killers.
“Blinken and Qureshi dis-cussed how to ensure account-ability for convicted terroristAhmed Omar Saeed Sheikhand others responsible for thekidnapping and murder ofAmerican journalist DanielPearl,” Price said in a readoutof the call.
In addition, Blinken and
Qureshi discussed the impor-tance of continued US-Pakistancooperation on the Afghanpeace process, support forregional stability, and thepotential to expand our tradeand commercial ties, Pricesaid.
The Pakistan ForeignOffice said in a statement thatthe two leaders discussed“recent developments in theDaniel Pearl case” and Qureshi“underscored that it wasimportant and in the mutualinterest that justice is servedthrough legal means.”
Qureshi congratulatedSecretary Blinken on assuminghis office, underscoringPakistan’s commitment to forg-ing a comprehensive partner-ship with the United Statesbased on the convergence ofinterests on a whole range ofissues, it said.
Qureshi told Blinken thatpeace in Afghanistan througha negotiated political settlementwas one of the fundamentalconvergences between the twocountries.
He said it was essential tohave a reduction in violenceleading to the ceasefire and towork towards securing aninclusive political solution inAfghanistan.
United Nations: The UN coun-terterrorism chief is urgingcountries to repatriate the27,000 children stranded in amassive camp in northeasternSyria, many of them sons anddaughters of Islamic Stateextremists who once controlledlarge swathes of Iraq and Syria.
Vladimir Voronkov told aninformal meeting of the U.N.Security Council on Friday that“the horrific situation of thechildren in Al Hol (camp) is oneof the most pressing issues in theworld today.” The 27,000 chil-dren “remain stranded, aban-doned to their fate,” vulnerableto be preyed on by IslamicState enforcers, “and at risk ofradicalisation within the camp,”
he said. Al Hol, the largestcamp for refugees and dis-placed Syrians in the country, iscurrently home to almost 62,000residents, according to U.N.Humanitarian officials.
More than 80 per cent arewomen and children, manywho fled there after Islamic Statemilitants lost their last Syrianstronghold in 2019. There are anumber of other camps in thenortheast as well.
Voronkov said there arechildren from 60 countries inthe camps who are the respon-sibility of their member states,not of Syria or the groups thatcontrol the camps. Kurdishfighters are guarding Al-Holand other camps as well as thou-
sands of Islamic State fightersand boys in prisons.
He said a number of coun-tries — including Russia andKazakhstan that convened thevirtual meeting — “have col-lectively repatriated nearly 1,000children and their family mem-bers.”
Voronkov said the experi-ences of the returnees are beingcompiled “and what we seethus far is that fears of securityrisks have been unfounded.”The executive director of theU.N. Counterterrorism Centerstressed that children “must betreated primarily as victims” andyoungsters under the age of 14should not be detained or pros-ecuted. PTI
Moscow: Russian police haveissued a strong warning againstparticipating in protestsplanned for Sunday to call forthe release of jailed oppositionleader Alexei Navalny, theKremlin’s most prominent foe.
The warning comes amiddetentions of Navalny associatesand opposition journalists anda police plan to restrict move-ment in the center of Moscowon Sunday. Navalny was arrest-ed on January 17 after flyingback to Russia from Germany,where he had spent five monthsrecovering from nerve-agentpoisoning.
His detention sparkednationwide protests one weekago in about 100 cities; nearly4,000 people were reportedarrested.
The next demonstration inMoscow is planned forLubyanka Square. The FederalSecurity Service, which Navalnyclaims arrange to have him poi-soned with a Soviet-era nerveagent on behalf of the Kremlin,is headquartered in the square.
The Russian governmenthas denied a role in the 44-year-old’s poisoning.
The city police departmentsaid much of central Moscowfrom Red Square to Lubyankawould have pedestrian restric-tions and that seven subway sta-tions in the vicinity would beclosed on Sunday.
Restaurants in the area alsoare to be closed, and the icon-ic GUM department store onRed Square said it would openonly in the evening. AP
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Berlin: Germany says drug-makers will deliver at least 5million doses of coronavirusvaccines to the country in thenext three weeks.
The Health Ministry sayson Twitter that Germany hasalready received 3.5 milliondoses in the past five weeks andadministered 2.2 million shots.
Health Minister JensSpahn says the new figures fordeliveries from Pfizer,Moderna and AstraZenecawere “good news after a diffi-cult start.” Germany has giventhe first shot to about 2.2% ofits 83 million population.Nearly half a million peoplehad received both shots bySaturday. It’s recommendedthe second shot be given 21 to28 days after the first. AP
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Washington: As the Bidenadministration considerswhether it should pull remain-ing US Troops out ofAfghanistan in the comingmonths, some fear for the fateof an American who could beleft behind: an abducted con-tractor believed held by aTaliban-linked militant group.
On the one-year anniver-sary of Mark Frerichs’ abduc-tion, family members and othersupporters are urging the Bidenadministration not to withdrawadditional troops without theNavy veteran being releasedfrom captivity. Frerichs wasabducted one year ago Sundaywhile working in the countryon engineering projects. U.S.Officials believe he is in thecustody of the Haqqani net-work, though the Taliban havenot publicly acknowledgedholding him.
“We are confident that he’sstill alive and well,” his sister,Charlene Cakora, said in aninterview with The AssociatedPress. “We don’t have anythinking that he’s dead or that
he’s injured.” For U.S.Diplomats, Frerichs’ captivity isa piece of a much larger geopo-litical puzzle that aims to bal-ance bringing troops home,after a two-decade conflict,with ensuring regional peaceand stability.
Biden administration offi-cials have made clear that theyare reviewing a February 2020peace deal between the UnitedStates and the Taliban, con-cerned by whether the Talibanare meeting its commitment toreduce violence in Afghanistan.
The Trump administra-tion, which had made therelease of hostages anddetainees a priority, endedwithout having brought homeFrerichs, who is from Lombard,Illinois. He is one of severalAmericans the Biden adminis-tration is inheriting responsi-bility for, including journalistAustin Tice, who went missingin Syria in 2012, as well as USMarine Trevor Reed andMichigan corporate executivePaul Whelan, both of whom areimprisoned in Russia. AP
Unknown miscreants havevandalised, broken and rippedfrom the base a statue ofMahatma Gandhi in a park inthe US state of California,evoking a strong responsefrom India which sought athorough investigation andappropriate action againstthose responsible for the“despicable act.”
The 6-ft tall, 650-pound(294 kg) bronze statue ofGandhi, in the Central Park ofthe City of Davis in NorthernCalifornia, appeared to havebeen sawed off at the anklesand half its face was severedand missing, local DavisEnterprise daily reported.
The vandalised statue ofMahatma Gandhi was foundby a park employee in the early
hours of morning of January27, the police said.
The statue is beingremoved and will be stored ina safe place until it can be eval-uated, said Davis City coun-cilman Lucas Frerichs.
Investigators are stillunsure of when exactly thestatue was torn down or whatthe motive may have been, TheSacramento Bee reported. PTI
Rohingya Muslim refugees toan island in the Bay of Bengalon Saturday, ignoring callsfrom human rights groups fora halt to the move.
The 1,466 Rohingya whohad been living in the sprawl-ing refugee camps of Cox’sBazar were sent Saturday toBhasan Char, an island specif-ically developed to accommo-date 100,000 of the 1 millionRohingya who have fled fromneighbouring Myanmar. Thatfollows 1,776 refugees whomade the trip on Friday.
The relocations began inDecember and have been crit-icised by human rights groups,who say many of the refugeesare being forced to moveagainst their will.
Prime Minister SheikhHasina and her government
have denied that and said therelocations will continue.
Bangladesh has said that ultimately it is up toMyanmar to take the refugeesback and has called on theinternational community toput pressure on Myanmar’sGovernment to ensure theirsafe return.
More than 1 millionRohingya have fled waves ofviolent persecution in theirnative Myanmar and are cur-rently living in overcrowded,squalid refugee camps in Cox'sBazar district.
“My people and relativescame here earlier. They said itis better here. So, we came,”Aman Ullah, a Rohingyarefugee, said Saturday after hisarrival on Bhasan Char.
Another said he came vol-untarily. “We were asked tocome. And we came here at ourown will,” said MohammedNuruddin.
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Thiruvananthapuram:CMPinarayi Vijayan will inaugu-rate on February 1 a three-dayvirtual global conclave thatseeks to lay down the roadmapfor Keralas long-term devel-opment by factoring in per-spectives from top economists,industry leaders, administra-tors and planners amid achanged world order due toCOVID-19.
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SpiceJet on Saturday said itwill start 20 new domestic
flights, including 16 servicesthat will be connecting Jaipurto various cities of the country.
The remaining four flightswould be on the Kolkata-Pakyong route and Delhi-Dehradun route, said the airline’s press release.
All 20 new flights wouldbe started in February, it stat-ed.
Jaipur would be connect-ed through 16 new flights tovarious cities such asDehradun and Surat, it said.
Shilpa Bhatia, ChiefCommercial Officer, SpiceJetsaid, “There can’t be a bettertime to launch multiple flightsto connect this picturesqueand historical city with othermajor cities owing to the per-fect weather conditions fortravel and tourism.”
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Pause on price hike of petroland diesel continued on
Saturday for the third day in arow after rising consecutivelyon Tuesday and Wednesdayincreasing pump prices forboth auto fuels by 60 paisa perlitre in Delhi.
With price on hold, petrolcontinued to be available atnew record high of Rs 86.30 alitre in Delhi while diesel wasat Rs 76.48 per litre.
Across the country as wellthe fuel prices remained atWednesday’s level. In Mumbai,petrol is priced at Rs 92.86 alitre while in Chennai its is atRs 88.82/l and in Kolkata Rs87.69/l. Diesel on the otherhand is at Rs 83.30 a litre inMumbai, Rs 81.71 in Chennaiand Rs 80.08 in Kolkata.
Though firm global crude
and product price is the reasonfor the increase in retail priceof petrol and diesel.
it is interesting to note thateven though crude has beenhovering just over $55 a barrelfor some time now, OMCshave gone in for both a pausein price of auto fuels as wellincrease in its retail prices onconsecutive days.
Informed sources said thatoil companies may be buildingbuffer on retail price of petroland diesel to prevent any sharpprice increase of governmentdecided to further raise exciseduty on the two products tomobilise addition al revenue.
Crude price have remainedfirm for last few weeks in wakeof unilateral prod uction cutsannounced by Saudi Arabiaand a pick up in consumptionin all major economies globally.
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Public sector Satluj Jal VidyutNigam Ltd (SJVNL) on
Saturday said it was awardedanother mega hydropower pro-ject in Nepal through interna-tional bidding, includingChinese companies.
SJVNL Chairman andManaging Director Nand LalSharma said that the Nepalesegovernment has allotted 679MW Lower Arun HydroElectric Project located in theSankhuwasabha and Bhojpurdistricts.
It will generate 3,561 mil-lion units per annum.
The Investment Board ofNepal at its meeting on January29, chaired by Prime MinisterK.P.Oli, awarded the project tothe SJVNL.
Expressing deepest grati-tude to the Prime Minister,Sharma said the project would
be completed in a time-boundmanner.
He said the projects beingdeveloped by SJVNL in Nepalwould result in overall devel-opment and boost mutual eco-nomic growth in India andNepal.
Earlier, SJVNL was award-ed the construction of 900MW Arun III hydroelectricproject and 217 km long 400kV associated transmissionsystem.
With addition of the LowerArun Hydro Electric Project,SJVNL’s portfolio now stands at8,960.5 MW.
SJVNL’s present installedcapacity is 2,016.51 MW andaims to be 5,000 MW compa-ny by 2023 and 12,000 MWcompany by 2030, a company’sstatement said.
The company also has apresence in the field of energytransmission.
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The BSE has become thecountry’s first exchange to
complete deliveries of Goldmini contracts under BSE-BISIndia Good Delivery Standardon its commodity derivativesplatform on January 29, 2021.
Even though the BSE hadlaunched India’s first ‘options ingoods’ contracts on gold miniand silver kg based on spotprices in June 2020, these con-tracts were delivered using ser-ial-numbered gold barsapproved by the LondonBullion Market Association(LBMA). The Gold mini‘options in goods’ contractsdelivered on Saturday weredelivered based on BSE-BISIndia Good Delivery Standardsin alignment with “Make inIndia” and “AtmanirbharBharat” initiatives.
Commenting on this mile-stone, Sameer Patil, ChiefBusiness Officer, BSE, said,“The deliveries and acceptance
of Indian refined gold in allBSE gold contracts will encour-age greater involvement bydomestic market players andwiden the array of acceptablegold for delivery of Bullion.”
The exchange executeddelivery of Gold mini to thetune of more than Rs 49 lakhsin the Gold mini ‘Options inGoods’ framework at theexchange designated vault inAhmedabad, Gujarat. Therefined gold delivered on theexchange platform was pro-duced by Parker PreciousMetals LLP.
In addition to these refiner-ies, M D Overseas Pvt. Ltd.,Augmont Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.and Sovereign Metals ltd. arealso empanelled by BSE todeliver serial-numbered goldbars on the exchange plat-form.The BSE’s ‘options ingoods’ contracts have provedextremely beneficial and costefficient for jewellers, bulliondealers and other physical mar-ket participants.
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The Centre has lined up anintensive legislative agenda
with over 20 bills for the BudgetSession of Parliament whichbegan on January 29.
A major portion of the leg-islative agenda would includeintroduction and passage ofseveral economic bills that aimat carrying the reform agendaof the government.
Among the bills lined upfor consideration during theBudget session of Parliamentinclude legislation’s coveringdelicensing of country’s elec-tricity distribution sector,amendments to CompetitionCommission of India andPFRDA legislations, creation ofnew development financialinstitution, ban on privatecryptocurrencies.
These would be besides theFinance Bill 2021-22 thatwould form part of bulk ofbudget proposals made byFinance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on February1.Among the economic legis-lations is the CCI Amendment
Bill that aims to carry out cer-tain essential structural changesin the governing structure ofthe CCI including expansion ofCCI activities across India byopening Regional Offices.
The other bill to be intro-duced during Budget Sessionwill be the Pension FundRegulatory and DevelopmentAuthority (Amendment) Bill,2021 that proposes to amendPFRDA Act allowing for sep-aration of NPS Trust fromPFRDA while also strengthen-ing the institution.
The government will alsointroduce the National Bankfor Financing Infrastructureand Development (NaBFID)Bill, 2021 to set up a newDevelopment FinancialInstitution (DFI) as a provider,enabler and catalyst for infra-structure financing and as theprincipal financial institutionand development bank forbuilding and sustaining a sup-portive ecosystem across thelife-cycle of infrastructure pro-jects.
Another bill would beCryptocurrency and
Regulation of Official DigitalCurrency Bill, 2021 that willcreate a facilitative frameworkfor creation of the official dig-ital currency to be issued by theReserve Bank of India.
The Bill also seeks to pro-hibit all private cryptocurren-cies in India, however, it allowsfor certain exceptions to pro-mote the underlying technolo-gy of cryptocurrency and its
uses.The government will also
introduce the Mines andMinerals (Development andRegulation) Amendment Bill,2021 that would carry forward
reforms in the sector allowingfor better regulations thatattract investment and removedcumbersome processes andclearances.
Yet another economic leg-
islation would be introductionof the much delayed Electricity(Amendment) Bill, 2021 thatproposes to de-license the dis-tribution business and bring incompetition, appointment of
member from law backgroundin every Commission,strengthening of APTEL,penalty for non compliance ofRPO, prescribing Rights andDuties of Consumers.
it looks forward to a growth-oriented budget for FY22which ensures demand gen-eration. According to SanjayAggarwal, President, PHDChamber of Commerce andIndustry, “Going ahead welook forward to a vibrantgrowth-oriented budget whichensures a great support todemand creation in the econ-omy with lower interest ratesfor consumers and business-es.”
Besides, Aggarwal saidthe industry body expects thebudget to reduce compliancesfor Micro, Small, and MediumEnterprises (MSMEs) vis-a-visease of doing business at theground level.
He also cited the need forthe budget to lower the taxregime to increase personaldisposable income whichwould be instrumental inrejuvenating the economicgrowth trajectory in the com-ing times.
Earlier, on last Friday, theEconomic Survey 2020-21suggested that economic
recovery would be supportedby a supply-side push fromreforms and easing of regula-tions, push to infrastructuralinvestments, boost to themanufacturing sector throughproductivity-linked incentiveschemes, recovery of pent-updemand for services sector,increase in discretionary con-sumption subsequent to roll-out of the vaccine and pick upin credit, given adequate liq-uidity and low interest rates.
Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman wouldpresent Budget 2021-22 inParliament on Monday.
Saturday said the countrywould witness revival of ‘ani-mal spirits’ of private enter-prises with the economy stag-ing a ‘V-shaped’ 11 per centgrowth in the next fiscal yearbeginning April.
The Economic Survey2020-21 presented inParliament on Friday expectsthe growth rate to reboundsharply from an estimatedrecord contraction of 7.7 percent in the current financialyear on account of the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic.“I think next year with an
11 per cent growth rate, that isanticipated. Private sectormoves in when they seeopportunities,” Subramaniansaid when asked about therevival of ‘animal spirits’ in pri-vate investment.
The expression ‘animalspirits’ was coined by cele-brated economist JohnMaynard Keynes to refer toinvestors’ confidence in takingaction in terms of investment.
Subramanian, the leadauthor of the EconomicSurvey, also made a case forstrong counter-cyclical mea-
sures to encourage privateinvestment. Observing thatthere are business cycles in theeconomy and there are peaksand troughs, he said, when theeconomy is doing really well,private sector is also doingvery well and it’s time for thegovernment to step back andconsolidate its fiscal position.
“But when the economy isnot doing well, it’s in a trough,the private sector therefore isnot doing very well, the voidthat is left on consumption,investment etc, the govern-ment moves in and fills thatvoid,” he told PTI in an inter-view.
jump in its December quarterconsolidated net profit to Rs5,498.15 crore, helped by ajump in core income butexperienced a surge in badassets from its retail loans.
On a standalone basis, thesecond largest private sectorlender by assets showed a19.12 per cent rise in the post-tax profit to Rs 4,939.59 crorefor the reporting quarter, upfrom Rs 4,146.46 crore in theOctober-December 2019period.
Its core net interestincome grew 16 per cent to Rs9,912 crore, on the back of a
13 per cent growth in domes-tic advances, while the the netinterest margin came at 3.67per cent as against 3.57 percent in the precedingSeptember quarter and 3.77per cent in the year-ago peri-od.
The non-interest incomeexcluding the treasury incomecame at Rs 3,921 crore asagainst 4,043 crore.
The reported gross non-performing assets ratio was at4.38 per cent.
But would have been 5.42per cent if not for theSupreme Court order askingbanks not to classify non-pay-ing loan accounts as NPAsafter the end of the loanrepayment moratorium.
iron ore to allow greater avail-ability of this critical input forthe domestic steel industry atcompetitive prices.
In the wake of a pick up inglobal steel demand, andIndian iron ore getting export-ed to countries such as China,the domestic ore prices havealso shot up, almost doublingto over Rs 4,000 per tonne fromlevels of Rs 2,000 per tonnebetween June to December,2020.
Sources said that a pro-posal to increase export dutyon iron ore is being activelyconsidered by the finance min-istry that may considerannouncing the changed levyin Budget 2021-22.
A 30 per cent export dutyis levied currently on iron orehaving Fe (iron) content above58 per cent. Sources said thismay be increased 5-10 percent or more to prevent itsexport to markets that are will-ing to pay more to hoard theore for future use and maximise
their gains.Though the pro-posal is to increase the levy,sources said the governmentmay also look to bring all cat-egories of ore under the exportduty structure as was availableearlier.A higher levy is expect-ed to prevent the export of ironore, tame prices and improveavailability of this raw materi-al to the domestic steel indus-try that can supply the mater-ial at competitive prices for thegrowing requirement from theinfrastructure sector.
Along with a surge in orepricing, steel prices have alsoincreased by almost 50 per centin the last few months. Benchmark Hot-rolled coil priceshave increased by 46 per centto Rs 52,000 per tonne inNovember as compared to Rs37,400 per tonne in July thisyear. Rebar TMT, which isused in the housing and con-struction sectors, had touchedRs 50,000 a tonne.
With demand for steelpicking up as infrastructureactivity picks up pace in thecountry, higher prices havebecome a big deterrent toinvestments.
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New Delhi: At a time when real-ty sector is feeling the pinch ofCovid-induced economic slow-down, Saya Gold Avenue hand-ed over the keys to over 101 flatowners of the project in
Indrapuram on the eve ofRepublic Day Jan 2021. “SayaHomes is committed to bring joyand add luxury to its customer’slife and in the coming days, weare looking forward to offeringpossession to more buyers,” saidSaya Homes MD Vikas Bhasin.
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Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes areEngland's X-factor players in the
forthcoming four-Test series againstIndia, says wicketkeeper-batsman JosButtler.
Archer, Stokes and opening bats-man Rory Burns were rested forEngland's tour of Sri Lanka and reachedIndia early, before the rest of the squad.They began practice on Saturday evenas the rest of the team is in quarantineand will begin its practice from February2.
“He [Archer] is certainly an X-fac-tor player. Fantastic to have Jofra backin the side. He will be excited for the bigseries in India,” said Buttler during a vir-tual interaction with the media onSaturday.
“I think we have a few guys who cando quite amazing things with the ballobviously. James Anderson and StuartBroad are two of the best seam bowlersto have ever played the game. Jofra obvi-ously is a huge X-factor. Ben Stokes istruly a pretty good X-factor player,” hesaid.
Buttler backed the England andWales Cricket Board’s (ECB) policy ofrotating players for the India series, say-ing that England have a hectic sched-ule and living in the bubble can be hard.
“We are very fortunate to playcricket and do the job we love. Havingsaid that we find it challenging to bespending time away fromour family. Being in quar-antine and locked up inhotels can be tough.Thought ECB has beenforward-looking for us asan England group, so torotate players,” added Buttler.
“At times there is frustration becauseyou want to see your best players onshow all the time. (But) it is just not pos-sible with the amount of cricket andamount of time spent in bubbles to keeppeople healthy doing that. It is impor-tant to look after yourselves. With somuch uncertainty, I find it tough,” hesaid.
Buttler, who is vice-captain of theEngland white-ball team, will returnhome after the first Test and will latercome back to India to join EoinMorgan's side for the five-match T20Iand three-match ODI series. That willbe followed by the Indian PremierLeague (IPL).
Asked if it will be taxing tobe playing too much of white-ball cricket, Buttler said theseries against India isimportant as it will bringtogether players and pre-pare the team for the 2021T20 World Cup, which isscheduled to be played inIndia in October.
“I think forus and the T20team lookingahead tothe T20
WorldCup, we
are goingwith our blue-
print of the 50-overWorld Cup (whichE n g l a n dw o n ) ,where wehad a very settled
team going into thattournament. Guys were playingtogether for a long period oftime and I think that was a hugeplus for us going into thattournament,” he said.
“The T20 side, we haven’t
had that time together, so it is impor-tant for us to play together as a groupand get familiar with roles. To playtogether as a side against a brilliant teamlike India in the conditions we face inthe world cup is the perfect preparationfor that tournament,” added Buttler.
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The BCCI will not be con-ducting its premier first-class domestic tourna-
ment Ranji Trophy for thefirst time in 87 years as the par-ent body opted for the VijayHazare Trophy as per the wish-es of majority of the stateunits.
The BCCI will also hostthe U-19 National One Daytournament for the VinooMankad Trophy and theWomen’s national 50-overtournament as per a letter sentby BCCI secretary Jay Shah tothe state units.
While BCCI president
Sourav Ganguly and secretaryShah were keen to have theblue riband tournament thatpays the maximum match fee(Rs 1.5 lakh per game approx)for the players, it is understoodthat a two-month long bio-bubble even for a truncatedtwo-phased Ranji Trophy intimes of the COVID-19 pan-demic wasn’t feasible.
“I am extremely happy toinform you that we are goingto conduct the Senior Women’sOne Day tournament simulta-neously with the Vijay HazareTrophy and follow it up withVinoo Mankad Trophy Under-19. This has been decidedafter having received your
feedback on the domestic sea-son 2020-21,” Shah wrote a let-ter to state units, which is inpossession of PTI.
It is understood that BCCIwill probably follow the samegroupings and bio-bubble forthe Hazare Trophy that willstart next month.
The BCCI during its AGMhad decided that players will becompensated in case there is atruncated season and withplayers missing out on RanjiTrophy match fees, treasurerArun Dhumal clarified that thepremier domestic cricketersof the country will be takencare of financially.
Agreeing with his secre-
tary's view, Dhumal said thatthe decision to cancel RanjiTrophy this season was takenafter taking every stakeholderinto confidence.
“We took feedback fromthe players, selection commit-tee, state associations. It wasfelt that 2020 is already goneand rather than having twoRanji events in the same calen-dar year, it is better to go forwhite-ball cricket,” Dhumalsaid.
“That way we could havesomething for junior cricketand women considering theimportance of of Women’sWorld Cup and U-19 WorldCup next year.
“Rather than having onetournament, we thought tohave events in different cate-gories,” said Dhumal, addingthat players will be duly com-pensated for not playing RanjiTrophy this season.
Shah in his letter alsospoke about how difficult itwas to plan out the domesticcalendar for the season in thepost COVID world.
“As you are aware, we havelost a lot of time and conse-quently, it has been difficult toplan the cricket calendar onaccount of the precautionsthat are necessary for the safeconduct of the games,” Shahwrote.
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Premier all-rounder Ben Stokes, pacer JofraArcher and reserve opener Rory Burns on
Saturday had their first training session at theChepauk after successfully completing six daysof hard quarantine, while other members of thesquad cleared their second COVID-19 test.
The trio were not a part of the Sri LankaTest series with Stokes and Archer being rest-ed for workload management purpose whileBurns skipped the previous tour due to thebirth of his first child.
The trio had reached India earlier thantheir colleagues and having already clearedtheir three RT-PCR tests could hit the nets onSaturday.
“The first group of players - Archer,Burns and Stokes - will practice each morn-ing for the next three days. They are limitedto a two-hour session,” England’s media man-ager Danny Reuben informed.
“The entire England touring party receivedtheir second PCR COVID-19 test yesterday. Allresults returned negative results,” he added.
The full England squad is scheduled tostart its training from February 2 ahead of theseries opener against India, starting February5 here.
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Australia head coach JustinLanger’s intense “micro-
management” coaching stylehas apparently not gone downwell with a lot of players evenas the former opener termedthe insinuations as somethingthat “couldn’t be further fromtruth”.
The f issures in theAustralian camp have comeout in the open after an under-strength India came back frombehind to hammer Australia 2-1 in their own den.
According to a report inthe ‘Sydney Morning Herald’quoting multiple sources closeto the Australian set-up, someplayers are apparently nothappy with Langer’s manage-ment style because of hisintensity and mood swings.
The report suggested thatLanger is no longer able tocope up with demands ofbeing a three-format coach.
“Dressing-room sourcessay that over a gruelling sum-mer, Langer’s managementstyle wore thin with some
players, who on top of havingto live in a bubble for monthson end say they have becomedrained by his intensity andmood swings,” the SMHreported.
“...Some senior players arefrustrated at the atmosphere inthe team being brought downby the coach’s shifting emo-tions and what they see as toomuch micro-management.They say that has extended tobowlers being bombardedwith statistics and instruc-tions about where to bowl atlunch breaks including duringthe fourth and final Testagainst India at the Gabba,"the report further read.
Langer, however, refutedthe claims that his relationshipwith players had soared.
“Couldn’t be further fromthe truth,” adding that “lead-ership isn’t a popularity con-test.”
“If players just want some-one to tickle their stomachs allthe time then I’m not doingmy job.
“It’s actually the oppositeof what happens. I never talk
about statistics to the bowlers,ever. I don’t go to any of thebowlers' meetings. That’s whatthe bowlers’ coach is meant tobe doing,” he said.
“I don’t do any of that. Inever, ever, ever speak to anyof the bowlers about any ofthat sort of stuff. And thelearnings of the last fewmonths are I should startlooking at that more."
Langer still has 18 monthsleft in his contract and the 50-year-old former left-handedopening partner of MatthewHayden said he has no prob-lems with his workload.
“There are stresses to thejob. It’s a big job,” he said.
The report further statesmany Australian current teamplayers now have developed anaffinity for assistant coachAndrew McDonald, who theyfeel is more approachable.
“Players believe Langermeans well and respect hislegacy in the sport but somehave turned more and more toassistant coach AndrewMcDonald for support becausethey increasingly don’t know
where they stand with theboss,” it read.
“During the Brisbane TestLanger ordered a player not topersist with a habit of jamminga toasted sandwich in hispocket to eat on the field.”
“...The coach’s headmaster-like manner and difficultycoping with pressure was inthe summer increasinglyincompatible with a team con-sisting largely of experiencedplayers in their late 20s or 30s.”
But Langer defended thedecision, saying such a habitwas unacceptable from anational cricketer as the teamwas in pursuit of a Test matchvictory over a side like India.
“You’re walking on againstIndia, we're trying to win aTest match and one of ourplayers walks on with a toast-ed sandwich in his hand,”Langer said.
“I spoke to (the player)about it at length yesterday. Isaid, 'How do you reckon itlooks, mate?’ Is that not some-thing I should say?” he saidwithout divulging the name ofthe player.
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Aformidable Tamil Naduteam with oodles of expe-
rience in its rank and file willhave a head-start over anunheralded Baroda whichshrugged off the off-field con-troversies to set up a promisinggrand finale of the SyedMushtaq Ali T20 tournamenton Sunday.
The Tamil Nadu side withright blend of youth and expe-rience under Dinesh Karthik,has hardly looked in any sort oftrouble since their group stageencounters with dominatingvictories while chasing.
Baroda, under their battle-hardened stand-in captainKedar Devdhar, had won someone-sided matches but also acliff-hanger against Haryana inthe quarter-final where VishnuSolanki hit a last-ball heli-copter shot to win the match.
Baroda’s performance ismore praiseworthy after theirpremier batsman DeepakHooda stormed out after hisdifferences with skipper KrunalPandya, who also had to leaveafter his father's death.
Tamil Nadu was also in aspot of bother in the quarter-final against Himachal Pradeshbut some big-hitting byShahrukh Khan and a com-posed knock by Baba Aparajithsaw them through.
Veteran K B Arun Karthikthen played a beautiful knockof 89 against Rajasthan to takehis state to the final.
Opener N Jagadeesan (350runs) tops the run-scorers listwhile his opening partner CHari Nishaanth's form hastapered off after a bright start.
Skipper Karthik hasn’tplayed a big knock but has beena stabilising influence in themiddle-order during trickyrun-chases.
Shahrukh will be eager toimpress talent scouts in whatwill effectively be his lastchance before the IPL auctionsnext month.
Lanky left-arm spinner RSai Kishore (8 wkts so far) willhave to play a big role onSunday along with leggie MAshwin and Aparajith, who hasbeen more than useful with hisoff-breaks.
M e d i u m - p a c e r sMohammed Mohammed andR Sonu Yadav have playedtheir parts but Tamil Naduthink-tank might be tempted todrop a misfiring Aswin Crist,who came in for SandeepWarrier and bring GPeriyasamy into the playing XI
For Baroda, a title triumphwill mean their third nationaltrophy in shortest format.
And for that to happen,burly opener Devdhar, thehighest run-getter for the teamwith 333 runs. Will have toscore big again.
Apart from Devdhar,Baroda will relay on one-downSolanki, who pulled off a lastover heist against Haryana inthe quarter final. He, however,failed to make an impact on the
semi-final and will be keen toadd to his tally.
The Baroda team manage-ment will be more than happythat Kartik Kakade has roaredback to form and that gives themiddle order a strong look.They can continue to open withNinad Rathva, so that he canput pressure on Tamil Nadubowlers, with Smit Patel com-ing down the order.
Also, Babashafi Pathan,will be another important cogin their wheel, with both thebat and ball
Baroda’s impressive paceduo of Atit Sheth and LukmanMeriwala, will try to makeearly inroads. Meriwala pickedup three wickets in the semi-final but conceded some runstowards the end, something hewould be keen to change.
However, the duo would beup against a formidable TNbatting line up, and hence thechallenge would be muchmore.
The role of the spin trio ofleft-arm spinners BhargavBhatt, Ninad Rathva and offieKartik Kakade, will also be vitalin the middle overs and indeciding the match’s fate.
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Virat Kohli remained thehighest-placed Indian
batsman at fourth positioneven as Cheteshwar Pujararose a rung to sixth in the lat-est ICC Test rankings issuedon Saturday.
Apart from Kohli (862)and Pujara (760), Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (748)is the other Indian batsman inthe top-10, hanging on to the
eighth spot.Pujara moved up one
place to sixth, while wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pantand star opener Rohit Sharmaremained static on the 13thand 18th spots respectively.
New Zealand captainKane Williamson (919) con-tinued to lead the battingcharts, with the Australianduo of Steve Smith (891) andMarnus Labuschagne (878)rounding up the top three
while England skipper JoeRoot (823) retained the fifthspot.
Among the bowlers, veter-an spinner RavichandranAshwin (760) and pace aceJasprit Bumrah (757) retainedtheir eighth and ninth spotsrespectively.
Pat Cummins (908) con-tinues to lead the chart fol-lowed by England pacer StuartBroad (839) and NewZealand's Neil Wagner (835).
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The BCCI doesn’t even feel the need to current-ly look at a back-up overseas venue for host-
ing the next IPL with the COVID-19 situationimproving in India, its treasurer Arun SinghDhumal said on Saturday.
Dhumal, who is also on the IPL GoverningCouncil, told PTI that the board is confident thatit would be able to host the 2021 edition of thelucrative league at home unlike the previous edi-tion, which was held in the UAE due to the pan-demic.
He also spoke on getting the crowds back tostadiums partially, the BCCI's move to not goahead with Ranji Trophy this season, India's tri-umph in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination forplayers and women's cricket.
“We are working on having the IPL in Indiaand we are hopeful that we would be able to organ-ise it. We are not even thinking of a back up alsoat this point in time, we are wanting to do it here.
“India is probably safer than UAE at this point.Hopefully, the situation remains stable and keepimproving and we will have it here,” said Dhumal.
The UAE is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases while there has been a sharp decline inIndia.
England’s dashing wicketkeeperJos Buttler on Saturday said the
top players of world cricket won’tfeature in every series going aheadas they focus on their mental well-being in a world scarred by theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Playing the game while living ina bio-bubble has forced Buttler toonly focus on his “short-term goals”at the moment.
“You want your strongest teamout every time, but unfortunately,that doesn’t seem possible at themoment,” Buttler said during avirtual media conference.
His comments made it clearwhere the team stands on
Jonny Bairstow being rest-ed for the first two Tests
of the upcom-ing four-match seriesa g a i n s tIndia.Buttler sup-
ported the Englandand Wales Cricket
Board’s (ECB)’s rotation policy dur-ing their twin tours of Sri Lanka andIndia.
While his complete focus in onupcoming series, he may not featurein the last two matches and maycome back for the white ball leg, asBairstow is set to join the teambefore the third Test.
“It’s certainly a challenge butpeople around the world are goingthrough tough situations. The pan-demic has had people whose worldhas been turned upside down and weare very fortunate to play cricket anddo our job that we love,” Buttler said.
“Having said that you do find itchallenging having to stay awayfrom your families, being in quaran-tine and locked up in hotels. ECB hasbeen forward thinking in rotatingplayers for this series.
“At times, it’s frustrating as youwant to have best players on theshow all the time but it’s not possi-ble with the amount of time that onespends in a bio bubble. You can’texpect people to keep doing that,” hesaid during the conference organisedby ECB for Indian journalists.
2020 was not an easy year. The Covid-19 pandemic was devastating, andvery frustrating for all of us. We wereall mostly stuck at home and whilethat was inconvenient, there is no
doubt that it was absolutely necessary at thatpoint. The year is behind us now. That saidthings are not really in the clear still, as thescare and the threat are both strong. So goingforward we must hold on to some valuablelessons that 2020 has taught us and learn tonavigate life keeping those close.
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Instead of relying on highly processedfoods that are stripped of nutrients, tradition-al diets celebrate eating home cooked food.With home cooked food we rarely go wrongas everything right from the ingredients to theseasonings to the method of cooking areunder our control — so we can make sure toput just nutrients rich food on our plates andin our body. Lockdown proved to be the per-fect opportunity for us to begin emulating theway our ancestors ate — home cooked food —and also take a good look at our grandparents’cookbooks and begin making and eating thoserecipes that have been handed down to usover the years. Lack of nutrients is often a bigreason for people feeling hollow and unhappy.Our forced captivity made us realise that wefelt happier and healthier eating this way andthis actually proved to be a blessing in dis-guise. We got used to, eating like this. Thismust continue.
One thing is clear: good immunity is alifesaver. Even though we can’t feel or see ourimmunity, we can’t take its pulse or its tem-perature. But we all know that it is working24/7 to keep us safe and prevent sickness. Theaim for all of us all though the pandemic wasto get an immunity system as tough as nails— a real fighting machine! And we kept on itscase all the time. Going forward too, we mustboost it on a daily basis taking help from bothtried and tested modern as well as Ayurvedicprinciples. Continued chasing of immunityshould now become a part of our DNA andlifestyle. And that’s just how we must live andeat. (See box 1)
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I am a big fan of the cliche: ‘Old is gold’and during the pandemic we all realised that alot of solutions lie in our past, in our age oldtraditions, and that focussing on the old, tra-ditional rules of eating can actually save notjust our body but our soul too. In the absenceof conventional remedies we all depended onalternate, time tested and proven methods tokeep us safe and healthy. And they stood us ingood stead. Be it turmeric for busting theinflammation, amla for scoring immunityboosting vitamin C, lemon water to keep thebody alkaline and free form disease, giloy fordetoxification, or ashwagandha to stay saneand happy… This was specially good for ourchildren, as captive at home, this turned outthe right time for them to get them used toour old habits and way of living and make
them a part of their habit system. Going for-ward too, I hope this way of living is hopefullyhere to stay and we will continue our faith init. (See box 2)
������������� �������������� ����2020 quickly spiralled into multiple
entwined crises — public health, economic,food crises — worldwide. It also brought forthwith even more emergency the fact that weare worldwide, in the midst of a climate emer-gency too. In anything this pandemic (wheremost of us faced shortages for the first time inour life) reminded us that we need to takesustainability seriously, do more consciouseating for the good of the planet, and wasteless food and other resources.
Also for a good part of last year we allmanaged with less — less food, less variety,less options, and learnt, even if the hard waythat we ‘can’ manage with less. Our relianceon highly processed, packaged foods camedown substantially too. Most importantly welearnt that eating this way is actually good forus. So a lot many of us will hopefully will notgo back to the ‘eat max’ (read more and morejunk) way of living we followed earlier andcontinue to eat in a way that is good not justfor us but also for the planet.
������������������� �����������������This lesson is actually in tandem with the
greatest gift of the pandemic: the gift of realis-ing the benefits of slowing down. With literal-ly nowhere to go, for either work or fun,home became the centre (in fact the only)point of our being and this delivered lots offabulous paybacks.
Instead of succumbing to mindless eatingof heat-and-eat foods, or munching takeawaysin front of the television, a lot many familiesembraced the community aspect of traditionaldiets where people used to eat with each otherand really enjoyed their food. This one stepalone can help us lead a healthier, happier,disease free life. And hopefully we will contin-ue with it.
���������������� ���������������� ��Imagine this scenario: you are sitting in
the sun on a lazy Sunday afternoon, chompingguavas smeared with rock salt leisurely, lettingyour mind wander, minus any agenda, minusany pressing next pending job weighing,stressing you down. And while you are eatingthis vitamin C packed, immunity boostingfruit, and feeling good about life generally,unknown to you, all this time your subcon-scious mind is at work too — it is keying insignals to your mind that life’s good and thatyou are eating healthy and taking care of yourhealth. So basically there is an autonomousautosuggestion (all good, all good) happeninghere, which is releasing good hormones, andstrengthening you from inside, both physio-logically as well as mentally. We all were privi-leged to experience many such beautiful daysand moments during the pandemic when wewere stuck at home. (See box 3)
The writer is a Delhi-based weightmanagement consultant, nutritionist and
author of Don’t Diet! 50 Habits ofThin People, Ultimate Grandmother
Psychological safety in theworkplace is felt when man-agers and peers do not
penalize a person or think theyare not good enough, just becauseof a mistake made by them. In anenvironment that is consideredpsychologically safe, people don’tmock others or appear as show-stoppers, creating hurdles for theones asking for help, feedback orinformation, to slow them down.In a safe culture, asking questionswithout a fear of retribution isacceptable and welcomed, whichleads to confident teams that cantake risks for a better future ofthe company.
In today’s world, driven bytechnology and uncertainty, amajor part of organizations’ suc-cess depends a psychologicallysafe atmosphere, ensured by themanagerial personnel. It isimportant for managers to createa culture of psychological safetyfor their teams.
When beginning to developand manage large teams, the lead-ers must be able to foster opencommunication and conversa-tions that can promote mutualengagement and enhance levels ofcognitive safety in the organiza-tion at large.
In the absence of the cultureof questioning and cognitiveresilience, employees tend to con-sider peer and managerial pres-sure to be more than a transac-tional issue at work. They startviewing these situations as athreat to their position at thecompany. In turn the team startsto focus on the negative conse-quences of not obeying theirmanagers. This results in lack ofcreative thought, as the employ-ees are fearful of developingthinking practices of innovationand bringing new ideas on thetable.
As the team starts to grow innumber, it is important to devel-op a culture that looks beyondcompetence of the team mem-bers. The managers need to buck-le up and put robust practices in
place including regular feedback,development of effective rela-tions, setting a proper incentivestructure and development of asupportive work environment.Without these elements, theteams tend to lack the attitude forhigh performance and collabora-tion. A positive mental and emo-tional state psyche is conducive todeveloping trust and a sense ofbelonging in the organization.The role of managers at this junc-ture is to inspire the teams to beresilient and motivated.
While CXOs and venturefounders develop the strategy anddirection of the company, thegroundwork has to be done bythe skip and subordinate man-agers. Team members look up totheir immediate and skip man-agers rather than the CXOs forpsychological and cognitive secu-rity. When the teams feel thattheir managers have made theworkplace psychologically safe, itleads to better collaboration andperformance. Such a culture isnot just good for business butalso good for the employee’shealth and morale.
���� ���������� ��������Managers must be open
minded to acknowledge there aresome tasks or situations that may
not make the team members feelengaged or comfortable. In suchconditions, the team membersmay not voice out concernsand/or share new thoughts. Byunderstanding the way to build
trust withing teams, managerscan proactively address the issuesthat trigger fear in the employeesand can pave the way for a moretrust-oriented and collaborativework environment. Managers
must establish forums whereteams can feel comfortable to talkabout difficult situations, withoutworrying about any conse-quences.
Managers must put technolo-
gy to use for anonymous andgenuine employee feedback. It isa good strategy that can helpmanagers understand where theteam stands in level of engage-ment and passion for their workand workplace. The data collectedfrom the employee feedback canbe quickly analysed to get valu-able insights. However, mostteam members believe thatemployee feedback is only anannual formality, which will notlead to any action taken by thecompany. Hence, managersshould take the initiative to orga-nize regular pulse checks that canreveal the reasons, if any, forcracks in engagement for theemployees. It can help the man-agers pinpoint pain-issues anddevelop an action plan forimprovement.
Establishing a culture of trustbetween the teams and variousmanagerial levels stems from theability to practice mutual respectby not always blaming others forthings going wrong but alsointrospecting about one’s ownactions. It is a common under-standing that people workingwith each other have a need forsocial acceptance and inclusion asmuch as respect for their compe-tence and validation of their abili-ties. The managers and subordi-nates should be able to ask andgive open feedback in a non-defensive manner, enabling posi-tive reinforcement to reaffirmwhat is going well and take pre-ventive measures to avoid anyfuture negative impact, which canbe overcome by transparent feed-back. A model of openness isimportant across all tiers of theorganization in order to buildtrustworthy relationships at theworkplace.
The next element to demon-strate authenticity, vulnerabilityand credibility at the workplace isto embrace conflict. Every differ-ence of opinion does not have tocarry a negative undertone. Anyconflict between teams and man-agers must be accepted as a part
of the way things are conductedbetween peers. By embracingconflict, the leaders and man-agers get a chance to deepen theirunderstanding of people, expressempathy and figure out necessaryinterventions by actively listeningto them. This approach leads toan acceptable and executablewin-win outcome.
Reinforcing positive behav-iours highlights achievementsmore than failures by avoidingpremature blaming and criticism.Often managers are not able toview problematic behavioursobjectively. They tend to focusmore on the drama in the situa-tion rather than the facts andissues that need solutions. Nottoo long ago, managers used toask employees to leave their per-sonal problems at home.However, today in the age of themillennials, the managersencourage the teams to sharepersonal challenges and also helpthem figure out ways to combatthem. Today, managers are quitereceptive and want their execu-tives to share aspects of theirpersonal lives, if that can makethem more effective at work.Imagine a situation where a man-ager is having a team meetingand the details of the data to bediscussed have been sharedbeforehand. If the data shows thebusiness of the manager’s divi-sion is declining, he and the teamare quite vulnerable. So ratherthan defending the reasons forthe business to have declined andpulling away a motivated team,it’s better for the managers toaccept being vulnerable, exposetheir weakness and share thechallenge to recover the businessand in-turn the team’s reputation.Being vulnerable in the work-place can lead to more trust,transparency and respect.
An excerpt from ManagingLarge Teams: Overcoming Skip
Level Frictions and ExecutiveIsolation by Rishi Kapal, published
by SAGE Publications India
We moved withbaby, bedding andall our bags fromthe balmy beachesof Goa to Dubai
this week. The plan for the moverswas meticulously chalked out toavoid any human contact. Ourfamily of three drove to the airportto avoid a taxi. Even our toddlersported his navy blue PPE kit untilthe moment we reached our desti-nation, which for the next fewmonths was deliberately chosen tobe located in a socially distanced farflung suburb of Dubai. Our reloca-tion — clearly adapted to the pre-sent times — had been pushed bya year because of the pandemic too,and it was one that we finally exe-cuted when circumstances couldnot wait any longer.
With the pandemic stretchinginto its second year, many familieswill need to take similar tough deci-sions about mobility. These wouldlikely be plans that were put on holdsince March 2020 — family reloca-tions, a member of the family trav-eling out station for work, familyoutings. It has not been easy on fam-ilies to stay shut for a year. Whiledecisions for offices and schools tore-open (or not) have gained plen-ty of attention, there is precious lit-tle information if and how shouldthe family — the single most impor-tant societal unit — open up.
In the first year of the pandem-ic, much of the discussions werearound rules to stay away from theCovid-19 virus by socially dis-tancing and shutting down institu-tions. As we gradually gatheredmore scientific information aboutthe virus, rules for keeping safe alsokept changing to which familiesneeded to adapt. In the meantimethe virus killed millions, pulled
down the global economy, partic-ularly affecting the poor.
Even if 2021 will be the year ofthe vaccine, it will take a while forhumanity to be vaccinated. At leastuntil the end of 2021 we still haveto continue to keep safe, even iffatigued by the sameness of the sit-uation. However, given that wehave some more information aboutthe virus, in 2021 families can alsoadapt better to living with the virus
for the next lap of the marathon.Below are some changes that we arelikely to see this year as families are‘opening up’ cautiously.
Shorter quarantine period ofat-risk family members: ‘At-risk’individuals are those who were orthink they were exposed to theCovid-19 virus even if they have nosymptoms. All of last year in mostparts of the world, it was recom-mended that ‘at-risk’ individuals
need to quarantine themselves fora minimum of 14 days. Millions offamilies stood up to the challengeto separate and give care to a fam-ily member quarantined within aseparate room of their homes. Myteam at Sustain Labs built a 22 floorpublic quarantine facility in July2020 for at-risk individuals livingin crowded homes, so many innumber that they came in evenbefore we had completed the pro-
ject. However some of the majorconsequences of the 14-day rulewere family separation and incomeloss, which also led to at-risk fam-ily members choosing to not quar-antine at all. For such reasonsrecently, in countries such as Francequarantine for at-risk individualshas been reduced to 7 days and inGermany for 10 days, rather thanthe 14 day period. Increasingly anat-risk family member quaran-tines for 5 days, then does the RT-PCR test on the 6th day, self isolatesfor another 2 days, does a secondRT-PCR test on the 9th day. If bothRT-PCR tests are found to be neg-ative when results are out on the10th day then the family memberends the quarantine period.
Distance from people notspaces: A few governments havestarted to give their citizens moreautonomy about socialising, with ashift from closing down shops, bars,public benches to encouraging citi-zens to meet fewer people no matterwhere. For example Canada alreadyadvises to think “fewer faces, small-er groups, shorter time together andbigger spaces”. Japan too advocates toavoid “the three Cs”: Crowding,Close-contact settings and Confinedspaces. Increasingly family outingswill take place in public spaces thatare vacant or with scant people.Parks, gardens, beaches are safewhen vacant while when crowdedthey are fraught with danger ofcatching the virus. Increasingly fam-ilies are getting the hang of it. Insteadof convoluted rules about who can seewhom, and where and how, familiesare following simple principles of‘family only’ outings.
Increased focus on ventila-tion: Last year when my team atSustain Labs transformed severalvacant buildings in to hospitals and
quarantine facilities for Covid-19patients, we ensured that everybuilding be vetted for proper ven-tilation. As Covid-19 is a respira-tory disease the importance ofgood ventilation was paramount.
In fact, good ventilation isalso crucial to stop the spread ofthe virus. By the end of 2020, it wasfound that the virus could remainairborne for longer times andtravel further distances than orig-inally thought. It was found thatthe spread of Covid-19 may there-fore occur via airborne particles inindoor environments even beyondthe 2m range encouraged by initialsocial distancing recommenda-tions. As the science of this con-tinues to evolve and we can not besure how long and far the virus canbe airborne, it has been advised toprefer the outdoors to indoors.Many families have resorted toenjoy outings in the outdoors.
Indeed for families in 2021, thebasics are likely to remain thesame — avoiding meeting withnon-family members, wearingmasks before stepping out of home,avid hand-washing and sanitisingany items being brought in.However, there is likely to be moremobility given shorter quarantineperiods and increased focus onstaying within the family even inpublic spaces and choosing wellventilated places for outings. As forrelocating countries, I can sayfrom experience that let that planwait a year more if possible!
The writer is CEO of SustainLabs and Adjunct Professor atSciencesPo Paris. She is also a
columnist and author of the 2019bestseller Indian Instincts —
demic is a global andunprecedented human cata-strophe affecting every sphere oflife, including economic, social,political, and most important-ly education. The rapid trans-mission has upended the dailylife very quickly and in a waynever seen before. In India,with the announcement of lock-down, educational institutionshave been closed. This suddenand unprecedented lockdownhas posed many parallel chal-lenges to the students and theirparents.
Educational institutionsacross the world are adoptingthe online teaching mode tobridge the gap and to com-pensate the huge deficit ininstruction hours. According toan estimate of the UnitedNations Educational Scientificand Cultural Organization(UNESCO 2020), 320 millionlearners enrolled in primary,secondary or tertiary educationare affected owing to disruptionof unplanned lockdown.
As per estimates using themost recently released NationalSample Survey (NSS, 2017-18,75th round) data on socialconsumption on education,about 72 per cent students areliving in rural area and only 60per cent are attendingGovernment schools. However,a greater degree of “digitaldivide” in terms of availability,accessibility and usabilityamong the households is preva-lent in India. Only 9 per centof the households have accessto both computer (i.e. devices,such as laptop, desktop com-puter, notebook, tablet, palm-top or a similar handhelddevice) and internet.
Further, this is acute in thedisaggregated level such asacross the Indian States,between rural-urban popula-tion, among different socio-religious and economic classes.This is 4 per cent in Bihar, 3.8per cent in Odisha, 3 per centin Jharkhand, and 4 per cent inMadhya Pradesh. They are atthe bottom while Delhi (35%),Goa (25%), Kerala, Nagalandand Mizoram (21% each) arethe best performer in terms ofhousehold’s access to comput-er and internet. Only 4 per centrural households have access todigital infrastructure compared
to 20 per cent in urban areas. Students from socio-eco-
nomically marginalised com-munities such as STs, SCs andpoorer sections of the societysuffered the most due to thepresent crisis because theyhave disproportionally lowaccess and ability to use the dig-ital devices. Hence, thesealready deprived sections havebeen eventually lagging behindand adding themselves to theexisting socio-economic dividein India. We find that only 3.7per cent, 4.2 per cent and 1.6per cent of STs, SCs and low-est income group householdsrespectively have access to dig-ital devices and internet. Thegirls bear the brunt of thepandemic due to their addi-tional burden of households’chores given the existing prob-lems of higher son preferencein Indian society and theirhigher school’s dropout rate.This has connection withincreased child labour, childmarriage, early pregnanciesand a plethora of other devel-opmental issues. These haveadverse life-long and intergen-erational impacts on educa-tional attainment, health andnutritional outcome.
Apart from other environ-mental and contextual factorslike access to improved waterand sanitation, regular andnutritious food in adequatequantity is prerequisites forharmonious development ofchildren. Children with betternutritional outcome performbetter in educational achieve-ment and other non-cognitiveactivities. According to mostrecently released (on December12, 2020) National FamilyHealth Survey (NFHS-5),2019-20 factsheet for 22 Statesand UTs, the under-five childmalnutrition has increased inmajority of the States duringthe period 2015-16 to 2019-20.The Comprehensive NationalNutrition Survey (CNNS,2016-18) provides informa-tion exclusively on nutritionalstatus of school-age children.Using CNNS-2020 we esti-mated that 23 per cent and 22per cent school-age (5-10 years)children are thin and stunted,respectively.
Covid-19 has disruptedthe food availability and socialprotection system and has
given rise to food insecurityacross the globe. The WorldFood Programme (WFP, 2020)projected that the number ofpeople facing food insecuritywill be doubled globally due toCovid-19 by the end of 2020.Unfortunately, Global HungerIndex (GHI) 2020 ranked India94 out of 107 countries whichcome under serious hungersituation. India’s position isbelow Pakistan, Nepal,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The unplanned lockdownand the closure of schools haveled to non-continuation of reg-ular feeding to the school-children through the Mid-DayMeal (MDM) scheme. Thisscheme is the largest schoolfeeding and supplementarynutrition programme in the
world, feeding approximately100 million children and mostof them are from marginalisedcommunities attendingGovernment schools up toClass VIII. Thus, school closureposes additional shocks to thefamilies and their childrenhaving already affected withfood insufficiency and nutri-tional deficiency. Apart fromeliminating hunger, the MDMscheme also addresses otherhealth related issues ofmicronutrient deficiency anddeworming which has signifi-cant positive effect on schoolenrolment, attendance, learn-ing outcome, retention, andgender and social equity.
The lockdown has also hitthe umbrella Integrated ChildDevelopment Services scheme
that has affected the children aswell as the pregnant and lac-tating mothers.
The current Covid-19 cri-sis is a major setback in India’sprogress toward the achieve-ment of SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs),i.e. universal and equitable edu-cation, good health and well-being; and zero-hunger. Wecan find a more precariousfuture disparity in child healthand nutrition and knowledge-gap among haves and have-nots.Children from disadvantagedsections are left in limbo in mul-tiple ways due to their resourceconstrained capabilities.
It was expected but unfor-tunately no special attentionhas been given to address thesedisruptions from the Central
Government’s $250 billion“Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package”.Some States implement homedelivery of meals/dry ration tostudents but there remainsmuch more scope for suchinitiatives. Strengthening thedigital infrastructure via pro-visioning of digital devices(mobile, tablet, computer, etc.)for the needy-learners andmaking internet and broad-band or Wi-Fi services as uni-versal public goods while syn-ergising panchayats and har-nessing the capabilities of thecommunity could be otheroptions to narrow down thesocio-economic and digitaldivide in India. Any negli-gence in this regard wouldhave serious consequences onchildren’s education and health
outcome in future. In the timeof present crisis, direct inter-ventions, social protection, anduniversalisation of food safetyprogrammes, i.e. PDS in Indiaare urgently needed. For along-term sustainable solutionto malnutrition problem, apartfrom other contextual factorswe need to recognise the agri-culture and nutrition linkagesand should promote diversifiedlocal food and nutrition sensi-tive agriculture productionwith proper procurement anddistribution policy.
(Pratap C Mohanty teaches at Dept of Humanitiesand Social Sciences, IITRoorkee, and Mukesh Kumar isa senior PhD Fellow at thesame department)
-���� ���������� ��������' ���������������� The period between the two world
wars witnessed the emergence ofnew nation states in Europe and Asia.The main concern of these countrieswas to get political independence.India after Independence re-estab-lished its strong social, economic,religious and emotional connec-tions with Saudi Arabia.
India-Saudi bilateral relationsbecame stronger and cordial whenKing Saud visited India in 1955 andagreed to shape their relationshipbased on the mutual coexistence andcooperation. Since then, there havebeen several visits by higher author-ities and officials over the period ofyears that continue to boost bilater-al relations to a greater height.Economic policy of liberalisation andprivatisation in India and quest ofSaudi for the crude oil market are theprime reasons that bind them togeth-er for catering their mutual require-ments. The Indian Government iskeenly interested to attract foreigninvestments in India as its intentionreflects in the policies of the IndianGovernment in relaxation of doing“ease of business” and in FDI poli-cies in India. However, the gulfcountries, particularly Saudi Arabia, could be an attractive strategic part-ner in developing Indian economy by investing in differenteconomic sectors.
On the other hand, for Saudipoint of view, India has been andwould be the future market for oil,etc. As per the trend and views ofeconomists, the Indian economywould rise over the next couple ofdecades which will generate thedemands for oil and according to theMinistry of Petroleum and NaturalGas, it is expected to rise by 130 percent by 2040. Saudi Arabia, on theother hand, has been transformingits oil-based economy to knowledge-based economy which requires high-
ly skilled professionals. Besides, India has been produc-
ing a large number of educated pro-fessionals and skilled workers whohave been substantially contributingto the development of Saudi Arabia.To pursue the Vision 2030 — todevelop a diverse economic area tofacilitate more investment and busi-ness — Prime Minister NarendraModi during his visit in 2016 reiter-ated India’s intentions to worktogether with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is expected to be animportant market for Indian goods,particularly precious stones, agri-cultural and pharmaceutical prod-ucts, etc.
India-Saudi economic ties showtremendous growth over the periodof time. According to Ministry ofExternal Affairs, Government ofIndia, bilateral trade during 2019-20was worth of $33.07 billion. India’simports from Saudi Arabia reached$26.84 billion and exports to SaudiArabia were worth $ 6.24 billionwhich accounted an increase of12.18 per cent over last fiscal year.According to Ministry of Investmentof Saudi Arabia, there are 476 regis-tered Indian companies. It clearlyindicates the perpetuity of India-Saudi bilateral relations. Both coun-tries have strengthened not only itseconomic ties but culturally also theyhave come closer. The IndianMuslims have cultural and emotionalties with Saudi Arabia. Islamic relicsand monuments that Indian Muslimsaspire to visit are boosting its tourismsector. Presence of more than 2.5million Indians in Saudi Arabiawhich is considered the largest expa-triate community in the Kingdom isthe living ambassadors for culturalexchange.
Mostly Indians learn Arabic lan-guage within a short period of timeto communicate with local people. As
per the study, Indians are relativelythe most preferred communityamong the expatriates not only fortheir expertise in their respectivefields but also for a sense of disci-pline, law abiding behaviour andpeace-loving nature.
The contributions made byIndian communities for the devel-opment of Saudi Arabia have always
been appreciated by the SaudiGovernment. Keeping in view thecontribution of expat Indians, irre-spective of their religions, the SaudiGovernment treats every Indianexpats equally like its own citizen.Even during pandemic the SaudiGovernment did not discriminateanyone on the basis of their nation-ality and religion etc despite know-
ing the fact that the bulk of initialaffected Covid patients were Indianexpat workers.
India-Saudi mutual respect canbe gauged from the fact that KingAbdullah was invited as Chief Gueston India’s Republic Day and SushmaSwaraj attended as the Guest ofHonour in “Janaderiyah the NationalFestival of Heritage and Culture” of
Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Modihas become the first Indian who hasbeen conferred with Saudi Arabia’shighest civilian honour. On theother hand, as strong friends of SaudiArabia, External Affairs Minister SJaishankar, National Security AdviserAjit Doval, along with the MinorityAffairs Minister Mukhtar AbbasNaqvi, were present at the SaudiNational Day Celebration in Delhi inanother example of manifestation ofthe strong India-Saudi ties andshows the growing closeness betweenIndia and Saudi Arabia.
Both Saudi Arabia and India areundergoing unprecedented trans-formations internally whether it beSaudi’s Vision 2030 programmewhich aims to global investmentpowerhouse, Neom City Project, arevolution in urban living vision, orIndia’s move towards achieving itsvision of five trillion economieswith its flagship initiatives of “Makein India, Start-Up India, Smart Citiesand “Digital India” etc, thereby theyare creating countless opportunitiesfor their counterparts. Further, Indiahas an enthralling entertainmentindustry; in the present scenario therise of entertainment industry in theKingdom will surely attract Indianmarkets providing ample job andbusiness opportunities. India-Saudirelations, however, is based not onlyon the import and export of com-modities but also on mutual coexis-tence, cooperation and respect. Withthe diversified future and strongdetermination to work together,both Saudi and India will amaze theworld with the positive transforma-tions heading towards the elongatedmutual friendship and ties to thehighest pinnacle.
(The writer is an educationist andfaculty member of King Abdul AzizUniversity, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
Man is a thinking being. They keepbreeding and entertainingthoughts nonstop. They may be
in response to external stimuli, or theones arising out of in-store impressions.Mind even flirts around with assumedthoughts and keeps entertaining them forlong. During the 24 hours in a day, it isbarely for 45 to 50 minutes of deep slum-ber that mind is at rest. Even duringdream stage, mind keeps entertainingthoughts picked up during waking stagein recent or distant past. Not to say any-thing about waking state. Supposedlyevery being attends to somewhere close tobetween sixty and seventy thousandthoughts every day. Mind is not at resteven while one is apparently idling. Thishuman predicament is beautifully por-trayed in a couplet by late Maithili SharanGupta, a famous Hindi poet. This, hewrote describing Laksman’s state of mindwhile guarding alone Lord Rama and hisconsort Sita, sleeping at the dead of nightin a fierce jungle, during their fourteenyears of exile.
“Koi pasa narahne par bhi janmanmaun nahi rahta; Ap-apki sunta hai wahaap-apko hi kahta.” Its literal translationcomes out as: “Even if nobody is around,
mind is not at rest, It keeps listening andspeaking to itself.”
This way, invariably mind remainsloaded with a massive crowd of thoughtsand feelings, ordinarily difficult to con-tend with ease. Out of that massive crowd,some of the thoughts, as well as feelingslead to action. Not all thoughts translateinto action. The weaker thoughts die out.But every action is necessarily precededby a thought. And it goes without sayingthat thinking and feeling hold the key toall actions on our part. Evidently, thecharacter, content, and intent of thethought and feeling will define the qualityof our efforts and thereby fruits of actions.
What if the thought-crowd occupyingthe mind becomes unruly, which invari-ably remains the case with most of us?Consequently, mind becomes restive. Itthen begins aimlessly wandering hitherand thither, and usually gets lost in theunwieldy thought crowd. It loses its senseof purpose and direction. Caught up inthis bind, mind loses the sense of alertnecessary to invoke one’s faculty of dis-criminate intelligence for due diligence onaccount of attention deficiency, and withobvious consequences.
But, how to ensure picking up quali-
tative and well-intended thoughts, worthyof leading to happy ending? It calls forpurifying our mind of all inconsequentialand undesirable thought imprints. But forwhich, mind will be short of the spaceand time necessary for meaningful appli-cation. The irony, however, is that a disor-derly mind caught up virtually in animpregnable dense jungle of thoughts,hosting untamed wild thought-animals,by itself cannot find a way out. Even oth-erwise, standing on a plane, which hostsproblems, it is not easy to find a way out.
Guru: Here comes the role of a Guru,who first enlightens you with the mirrorimage of what you are. He then shows theway forward to steer clear of the mentalmesh and create ground for restoring itsorderly functioning. Following which, heleads you through a step-by-step processto acquire the state of Yoga.
Yoga: Let us now have a look at 8-foldpath to Yoga as suggested by Patanjali. 1. Yama: Self-restraint from all delusion-ary temptations, & unbecoming conduct. 2. Niyama: Subjecting oneself to a set ofmoral discipline. 3. Asana: Subjecting oneself to a regularphysical exercise regime to ensure physi-cal fitness and agility of body. Followingwhich, one could adopt a posture suited
to effortlessly pursue dhyana.4. Pranayama: A set of breathing exercisethat helps body-mind coordination andensures mental agility. 5. Pratyahara: Senses are made to with-draw attention from the outer-world andturned inwards. 6. Dharana: Training the mind to getfocused to wherever attention is paid. 7. Dhyana: It is a state of being when oneis able to effortlessly maintain unbrokenfocus on what is targeted. In fact, the tar-get becomes a part of one’s awareness. 8. Samadhi: State of being, arrived at afterdropping all contents of mind, when theseer, seen, and the seeing become oneseamless awareness.
Preparing for dhyana: Before medi-tation is taken up, it would be desirable tofirst create a favourable inner climate.That calls for consciously acknowledginginescapable realities. Dhyana does not callfor trying hard to concentrate. But follow-ing the process, concentration powerdevelops over a period of time.
