CAPSULE NO DIESEL VEHICLES AT TUGHLAKABAD ICD: NGT New Delhi: Noting that Inland Container Depot at Tughlakabad (ICD/TK) here is causing air pollution, the NGT has directed it to phase out diesel vehicles within six months and asked it submit an action plan on the issue within a month. SC: SIX MONTHS TENURE MUST TO BECOME DGP New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday clarified its last year order on police reforms and said officers who have a minimum of six months tenure left in service can be considered for the post of director general of police (DGP). AYODHYA: LITIGANTS APPEAR BEFORE PANEL Faizabad: Twenty-five litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land case on Wednesday appeared before a Supreme Court-appointed panel as it began an attempt to resolve the dispute through mediation. B’DESH TO SHIFT ROHINGYA TO ISLAND NEXT MONTH Dhaka: Bangladesh said on Wednesday it would start relocating from April lakhs of Rohingya from overcrowded camps to a remote island vulnerable to extreme weather, despite the plan attracting considerable controversy. SUSHMA: CAN’T ACCEPT PULWAMA AS DESTINY New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said she conveyed to several countries post Pulwama attack that India will not escalate the situation with Pakistan but if there is any other terror attack from that country, then it will not remain silent. In an address at a think tank on Modi Govt’s foreign policy, she said Pakistan was worried that India would escalate the situation. DEEPAK KUMAR JHA n NEW DELHI T he Congress on Wednesday sealed its seat tie-up with Janata Dal (S) in Karnataka but the talks over the contentious seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar remained inconclusive among the mahagathbandhan partners amid hard bargaining by most of the constituents. The RJD is reportedly ready to offer 11 seats to the Congress out of 40 in the State, whereas the grand old party is insisting on 13-14 seats. Party sources said the meeting for the Bihar grand alliance could not reach at any conclusion as differences pre- vailed among partners like RJD, Congress, Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM), Vikashshil Insaan Party (VIP) and RLSP that quit the NDA and came into UPA couple of months ago. Sources said the RJD, which is playing as the Captain of the grand alliance, is determined to give one seat each to HAM and VIP and only 3 to RLSP against the demands of two each and four respectively. To accom- modate all including Left part- ners in the State, leaders opined in the meeting that Congress should be more accommodative and accept 11 seats. When asked about the out- come of the meeting, Tejashwi said there are no differences and all are determined to con- test and very soon the seats would be announced. In Karnataka, the Congress will contest 20 seats and the JD(S) 8 in the Lok Sabha polls as per the deal finalised. AICC sources said the seat-sharing deadlock was resolved at a meeting between Congress president Rahul Gandhi and JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali at Kochi in Kerala on Wednesday evening. As per the agreement, JD(S) will contest in Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Tumkur, Hassan, Mandya, Bengaluru North and Vijayapura. During a recent meeting with Rahul in Delhi, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda had scaled down his party’s demand and asked the national party to allot at least 10 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats to his party. The JD(S) had earlier demand- ed that it be given 12 seats. The JD(S) has already announced Gowda’s grandsons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna as candidates from the party bastions of Mandya and Hassan, respec- tively. While Nikhil is son of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, Prajwal is the son of Gowda’s elder son and PWD Minister HD Revanna. Meanwhile, the Congress announced its second list for UP and a few seats in Maharashtra. The Congress announced the candidature of former MP Priya Dutt from Mumbai North. Dutt was ear- lier reluctant to contest. Continued on Page 7 PNS n LUCKNOW W ith an eye to the formi- dable Dalit vote bank, Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday met Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, alias Ravan, at a hospital in Meerut where the latter was admitted a day earlier. The visit by the two top Congress leaders holds politi- cal significance as Chandrashekhar has been try- ing to make inroads into BSP’s Dalit vote bank, particularly in western UP. Speaking to the media after visiting Chandrashekhar, both Priyanka and Scindia said the Central and State Governments have failed to provide employ- ment to youths and if anyone dared to come on road to expose the failure, the BJP Governments got him arrested and put him in jail. Congress leaders accused the Government of misusing official machinery to suppress the voice of opponents. The visit by Priyanka and Scindia came a day after BSP chief Mayawati ended all spec- ulation about accommodating the Congress in the SP-BSP alliance and said her party would not join hands with the Congress in any State. On Tuesday, Chandrashekhar was taken into police custody for taking out a procession on cars and bikes without permission, thereby violating the model code of conduct in Deoband. He later took ill after which the authorities shifted him to hos- pital in Meerut. The Dalit leader challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced that if the Opposition did not field any potent candidate against Modi and his Cabinet colleague Smriti Irani, then he would field his own candidates to defeat the two. The unscheduled visit is being seen in political circles as an attempt to woo the Dalits in Uttar Pradesh and pit Azad against the BSP. Talking to reporters after Priyanka left the hospital, the Bhim Army chief maintained that he did not talk about pol- itics with the Congress leader during their meeting. “I got to know about it (Priyanka’s visit) from the media. She had come to enquire about my well being. I am not a political person...I am struggling for ‘bahujan samaj’. She had not come to talk about politics nor did she ask me any- thing political,” he said. Of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the State, the SP will contest 37 and the BSP 38, leaving three for the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and two for Sonia Gandhi (Rae Bareli) and Rahul (Amethi). PNS n GUWAHATI S teering clear of hurdles cre- ated by the controversial Citizenship Bill impacting Assam and other States in the North-East, the BJP has finalised its alliances in the region, setting a target of win- ning at least 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from the eight States. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav who is incharge of the North-East held a series of dis- cussions here on Tuesday till past midnight and sealed the alliances with the Asom Gana Parishad, Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), National People’s Party, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha. Madhav said, “BJP and AGP have decided to work together in the coming Parliament election in Assam to defeat Congress. Bodoland People’s Front will be the third partner in the alliance.” “We will together ensure that Congress is defeated in all the 14 seats of the State,” he added. The BJP leader will be holding a meeting with Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and leaders of the IPFT in Agartala. The alliances have been finalised under the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the BJP-led NDA’s political coalition with the regional par- ties of the region. “This alliance has the potential of winning not less than 22 out of 25 seats in the region and play an important role in seeing Modiji as the PM once again,” Madhav posted on Facebook. Earlier, last month the Citizenship Bill which seeks to give citizenship rights to minorities, particularly Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Christians, Budhists facing prosecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, had triggered protests in Assam and other parts of the north-East. Ending speculation, the AGP returned to the NDA fold and will fight the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the BJP, two months after breaking ties over the con- tentious Citizenship Bill. Continued on Page 7 PNS n NEW DELHI A s BJP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) go into an eyeball-to-eyeball con- frontation in West Bengal Lok Sabha poll campaign, the BJP on Wednesday urged the Election Commission (EC) to declare West Bengal as a “super-sensitive State” to ensure free and fair elections and demanded the deployment of Central forces at each polling booths. The TMC hit back saying that the BJP’s rush to the EC was on account its “fear” of los- ing all Lok Sabha seats in the State. In the high-stake battle, 42 constituencies of West Bengal would vote from April 11 to May 19, spread over seven- phase election schedule. The BJP has accused the ruling TMC of instigating violence and tampering with the demo- cratic process by not allowing it to hold its election rallies. The TMC has been claiming that that the saffron party was com- munalising the State politics and polarising the society. A BJP delegation, including Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda and party’s general sec- retaries Bhupender Yadav and Kailash Vijayvargiya met top officials of the poll panel and demanded special measures to ensure free and fair elections in the State. Briefing the media after the meeting, Prasad said, “We have requested the Election Commission that the State of West Bengal should be declared super-sensitive. And have also demanded that Central forces should be deployed at all polling booths in the State.” He said the party has also requested the poll panel to transfer those police officers whose electoral impartiality is questionable as well as the withdrawal of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar from election duty. Kumar was recently questioned by the CBI in connection with the Saradha scam. The BJP delegation also alleged that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi broke the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and complained to the poll panel regarding the same. “The party has requested the Election Commission to take action against Rahul Gandhi for levelling unverified allegations against the Prime Minister yesterday in Ahmedabad, where the model code of conduct is already in effect,” Prasad said. Continued on Page 7 PTI n NEW DELHI A day before crucial hearing in the case, the Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that documents filed by the petitioners seeking review of its Rafale deal verdict are “sensitive to national security” and those who conspired in photocopying the papers have committed theft and put the security in jeopardy by leaking them. The Ministry of Defence said an internal enquiry com- menced on February 28 and is in progress over the leakage of sensitive documents and it is of “utmost concern” to find out where the leakage took place. The affidavit filed by the Ministry said documents attached by the petitioners — former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie as also activist advocate Prashant Bhushan — relate to war capacity of combat aircraft and have been widely circulat- ed, available to the country’s enemy and adversaries. “This puts the national security in jeopardy. Without consent, permission or acqui- escence of the Central Government, those who have conspired in making the pho- tocopy of these sensitive doc- uments and annexing it to the review petition/ miscellaneous application and thereby com- mitting theft by unauthorised photocopying of such docu- ments relied in this regard... Have adversely affected the sovereignty, security and friendly relations with the for- eign countries,” said the affi- davit, filed by Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra. The affidavit assumes sig- nificance as Attorney General KK Venugopal on the March 6 hearing before a Bench head- ed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had alleged that the review petition was based on the documents which were stolen from the Ministry. Two days later, Venugopal claimed the Rafale documents were not stolen from the Defence Ministry and he had meant in his submission before the top court that the peti- tioners in their application had used “photocopies of the orig- inal” papers, deemed secret by the Government. The Ministry said secrecy was envisaged in various agree- ments that the Centre had entered into with France and others concerning matters of national security. It said even though the Centre maintains secrecy, Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan are relying on docu- ments annexed and “are guilty of leakage of sensitive infor- mation, which offends the terms of the agreements”. The Centre said those who have conspired in this leakage are guilty of offences under the IPC including theft by unau- thorised photocopying and leakage of sensitive official documents affecting national security. Continued on Page 7 Bihar grand alliance amorphous Hard bargaining on; K’taka deal finalised: Cong to fight on 20, JD(S) 8 BJP wants EC to declare Bengal ‘super-sensitive’ BJP wins NE poll partners, AGP back in Govt Rafale paper ‘theft’ jeopardises national security: Govt to SC Eyes to UP Dalit vote, Priyanka meets Ravan Mamata hits back, says BJP can’t win even 1 seat so it’s hiding behind EC Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra calls on Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, alias Ravan, at a hospital in Meerut on Wednesday PTI RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, RLSP Upendra Kushwaha, AICC in-charge for Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil and HAM (S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, leave after Bihar Mahagathbandhan leaders’ meet in New Delhi on Wednesday PTI BJP delegation comprising Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda, Bhupender Yadav, Kailash Vijayvargiya and others arrive to address the media after their meeting with the Election Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday PTI Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta and Phanibhushan Choudhury as they form an alliance ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019 in Guwahati on Wednesday PTI China again blocks UNSC’s terror tag on JeM chief Azhar PTI n UNITED NATIONS I n yet another setback to India’s bid to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a global ter- rorist, China on Wednesday put a technical hold on a pro- posal in the UN Security Council to ban him following the Pulwama terror attack. The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 44 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama, leading to a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan. The Sanctions Committee members had 10 working days to raise any objections to the proposal. The no-objection period deadline was sched- uled to end at 3 PM local time (New York) Wednesday, (12:30 AM IST Thursday). The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. The Committee makes its decisions by consensus of its members. All eyes were on China, which has in the past blocked India’s bids to get Azhar listed as a UN-designated global ter- rorist thrice. Earlier, the US said Masood meets the criteria to brand him as a “global terror- ist” by the UN and China’s opposition to the move to “update” the designation list goes against the interests of the US and China in achieving regional stability and peace. Several previous attempts by these three countries inside the UN Security Council were blocked by China, the all- weather ally of Pakistan. China, which is one of the five veto-powered members of the Security Council, so far has been asserting that there is not enough evidence against Masood to designate him as a global terrorist. Amid a mounting global outrage post Pulwama, the US, Britain and France hoped the Beijing would act wisely and would not oppose their move to designate Azhar as a global terrorist. Earlier US advised Beijing against putting hurdle that may disturb regional peace @TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneer Follow us on: www.dailypioneer.com } WORLD 12 UK SET FOR ANOTHER BREXIT VOTE TO RULE OUT NO-DEAL EXIT OPINION 8 KNOW YOUR HISTORY SPORT 15 JUVENTUS BEAT ATLETICO 3-0 IN CL instagram.com/dailypioneer/ Late City Vol. 155 Issue 71 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN Established 1864 RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2019-21 LUCKNOW, THURSDAY MARCH 14, 2019; PAGES 16 `3 DIFFICULT TO BE BLUNT: SOHA ALI KHAN 14 VIVACITY }
Transcript
CAPSULE
NO DIESEL VEHICLES ATTUGHLAKABAD ICD: NGTNew Delhi: Noting that InlandContainer Depot at Tughlakabad(ICD/TK) here is causing airpollution, the NGT has directed itto phase out diesel vehicleswithin six months and asked itsubmit an action plan on theissue within a month.
SC: SIX MONTHS TENUREMUST TO BECOME DGPNew Delhi: The Supreme Courton Wednesday clarified its lastyear order on police reforms andsaid officers who have aminimum of six months tenureleft in service can be consideredfor the post of director general ofpolice (DGP).
AYODHYA: LITIGANTSAPPEAR BEFORE PANEL Faizabad: Twenty-five litigants inthe Ram Janmabhoomi-BabriMasjid land case on Wednesdayappeared before a SupremeCourt-appointed panel as itbegan an attempt to resolve thedispute through mediation.
B’DESH TO SHIFT ROHINGYATO ISLAND NEXT MONTHDhaka: Bangladesh said onWednesday it would startrelocating from April lakhs ofRohingya from overcrowdedcamps to a remote islandvulnerable to extreme weather,despite the plan attractingconsiderable controversy.
SUSHMA: CAN’T ACCEPTPULWAMA AS DESTINYNew Delhi: External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said she conveyed toseveral countries post Pulwamaattack that India will not escalatethe situation with Pakistan but ifthere is any other terror attackfrom that country, then it will notremain silent. In an address at athink tank on Modi Govt’sforeign policy, she said Pakistanwas worried that India wouldescalate the situation.
DEEPAK KUMAR JHA n NEW DELHI
The Congress on Wednesdaysealed its seat tie-up with
Janata Dal (S) in Karnataka butthe talks over the contentiousseat-sharing arrangement inBihar remained inconclusiveamong the mahagathbandhanpartners amid hard bargainingby most of the constituents.The RJD is reportedly ready tooffer 11 seats to the Congressout of 40 in the State, whereasthe grand old party is insistingon 13-14 seats.
Party sources said themeeting for the Bihar grandalliance could not reach at anyconclusion as differences pre-vailed among partners likeRJD, Congress, HindustanAwam Morcha (HAM),Vikashshil Insaan Party (VIP)and RLSP that quit the NDAand came into UPA couple ofmonths ago.
Sources said the RJD, whichis playing as the Captain of thegrand alliance, is determined togive one seat each to HAM andVIP and only 3 to RLSP againstthe demands of two each andfour respectively. To accom-modate all including Left part-
ners in the State, leaders opinedin the meeting that Congressshould be more accommodativeand accept 11 seats.
When asked about the out-come of the meeting, Tejashwisaid there are no differences
and all are determined to con-test and very soon the seatswould be announced.
In Karnataka, the Congresswill contest 20 seats and theJD(S) 8 in the Lok Sabha pollsas per the deal finalised. AICC
sources said the seat-sharingdeadlock was resolved at ameeting between Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi andJD(S) secretary general DanishAli at Kochi in Kerala onWednesday evening.
As per the agreement,JD(S) will contest in UttaraKannada, Chikkamagaluru,Shivamogga, Tumkur, Hassan,Mandya, Bengaluru North andVijayapura.
During a recent meetingwith Rahul in Delhi, JD(S)supremo HD Deve Gowda hadscaled down his party’s demandand asked the national party toallot at least 10 out of the 28Lok Sabha seats to his party.The JD(S) had earlier demand-ed that it be given 12 seats.
The JD(S) has alreadyannounced Gowda’s grandsonsNikhil Kumaraswamy andPrajwal Revanna as candidatesfrom the party bastions ofMandya and Hassan, respec-tively. While Nikhil is son ofChief Minister Kumaraswamy,Prajwal is the son of Gowda’selder son and PWD MinisterHD Revanna.
Meanwhile, the Congressannounced its second list forUP and a few seats inMaharashtra. The Congressannounced the candidature offormer MP Priya Dutt fromMumbai North. Dutt was ear-lier reluctant to contest.
Continued on Page 7PNS n LUCKNOW
With an eye to the formi-dable Dalit vote bank,
Congress general secretariesPriyanka Gandhi Vadra andJyotiraditya Scindia onWednesday met Bhim Armychief Chandrashekhar Azad,alias Ravan, at a hospital inMeerut where the latter wasadmitted a day earlier.
The visit by the two topCongress leaders holds politi-cal significance asChandrashekhar has been try-ing to make inroads into BSP’sDalit vote bank, particularly inwestern UP.
Speaking to the media aftervisiting Chandrashekhar, bothPriyanka and Scindia said theCentral and State Governmentshave failed to provide employ-ment to youths and if anyonedared to come on road toexpose the failure, the BJPGovernments got him arrestedand put him in jail.
Congress leaders accusedthe Government of misusingofficial machinery to suppressthe voice of opponents.
The visit by Priyanka andScindia came a day after BSPchief Mayawati ended all spec-ulation about accommodatingthe Congress in the SP-BSPalliance and said her partywould not join hands with theCongress in any State.
On Tuesday,Chandrashekhar was takeninto police custody for takingout a procession on cars andbikes without permission,thereby violating the modelcode of conduct in Deoband.He later took ill after which theauthorities shifted him to hos-pital in Meerut.
The Dalit leader challengedPrime Minister Narendra Modiand announced that if theOpposition did not field anypotent candidate against Modiand his Cabinet colleagueSmriti Irani, then he would
field his own candidates todefeat the two.
The unscheduled visit isbeing seen in political circles asan attempt to woo the Dalits inUttar Pradesh and pit Azadagainst the BSP.
Talking to reporters afterPriyanka left the hospital, theBhim Army chief maintainedthat he did not talk about pol-itics with the Congress leaderduring their meeting.
“I got to know about it(Priyanka’s visit) from themedia. She had come toenquire about my well being. Iam not a political person...I amstruggling for ‘bahujan samaj’.She had not come to talk aboutpolitics nor did she ask me any-thing political,” he said.
Of the 80 Lok Sabha seatsin the State, the SP will contest37 and the BSP 38, leavingthree for the Ajit Singh-ledRashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) andtwo for Sonia Gandhi (RaeBareli) and Rahul (Amethi).
PNS n GUWAHATI
Steering clear of hurdles cre-ated by the controversial
Citizenship Bill impactingAssam and other States in theNorth-East, the BJP hasfinalised its alliances in theregion, setting a target of win-ning at least 22 of the 25 LokSabha seats from the eightStates.
BJP general secretary RamMadhav who is incharge of theNorth-East held a series of dis-cussions here on Tuesday tillpast midnight and sealed thealliances with the Asom GanaParishad, Bodoland PeoplesFront (BPF), IndigenousPeoples Front of Tripura(IPFT), National People’s Party,Nationalist DemocraticProgressive Party and theSikkim Krantikari Morcha.
Madhav said, “BJP andAGP have decided to work
together in the comingParliament election in Assamto defeat Congress. BodolandPeople’s Front will be the thirdpartner in the alliance.”
“We will together ensure
that Congress is defeated in allthe 14 seats of the State,” headded.
The BJP leader will beholding a meeting with TripuraChief Minister Biplab Kumar
Deb and leaders of the IPFT inAgartala.
The alliances have beenfinalised under the North EastDemocratic Alliance (NEDA),the BJP-led NDA’s political
coalition with the regional par-ties of the region.
“This alliance has thepotential of winning not lessthan 22 out of 25 seats in theregion and play an importantrole in seeing Modiji as the PMonce again,” Madhav posted onFacebook.
Earlier, last month theCitizenship Bill which seeks togive citizenship rights tominorities, particularly Hindus,Jains, Sikhs, Christians,Budhists facing prosecution inPakistan, Afghanistan andBangladesh, had triggeredprotests in Assam and otherparts of the north-East.
Ending speculation, theAGP returned to the NDAfold and will fight the LokSabha elections in alliance withthe BJP, two months afterbreaking ties over the con-tentious Citizenship Bill.
Continued on Page 7
PNS n NEW DELHI
As BJP and TrinamoolCongress (TMC) go into
an eyeball-to-eyeball con-frontation in West Bengal LokSabha poll campaign, the BJPon Wednesday urged theElection Commission (EC) todeclare West Bengal as a“super-sensitive State” to ensurefree and fair elections anddemanded the deployment ofCentral forces at each pollingbooths.
The TMC hit back sayingthat the BJP’s rush to the ECwas on account its “fear” of los-ing all Lok Sabha seats in theState.
In the high-stake battle, 42constituencies of West Bengalwould vote from April 11 toMay 19, spread over seven-phase election schedule. TheBJP has accused the rulingTMC of instigating violenceand tampering with the demo-cratic process by not allowingit to hold its election rallies. TheTMC has been claiming thatthat the saffron party was com-munalising the State politicsand polarising the society.
A BJP delegation, includingUnion Ministers Ravi ShankarPrasad, Nirmala Sitharaman, JPNadda and party’s general sec-retaries Bhupender Yadav andKailash Vijayvargiya met top
officials of the poll panel anddemanded special measures toensure free and fair elections inthe State.
Briefing the media after themeeting, Prasad said, “We haverequested the ElectionCommission that the State ofWest Bengal should be declaredsuper-sensitive. And have alsodemanded that Central forcesshould be deployed at allpolling booths in the State.”
He said the party has alsorequested the poll panel totransfer those police officerswhose electoral impartiality isquestionable as well as thewithdrawal of former KolkataPolice Commissioner RajeevKumar from election duty.Kumar was recently questionedby the CBI in connection withthe Saradha scam.
The BJP delegation alsoalleged that Congress chiefRahul Gandhi broke the ModelCode of Conduct (MCC) andcomplained to the poll panelregarding the same.
“The party has requestedthe Election Commission totake action against RahulGandhi for levelling unverifiedallegations against the PrimeMinister yesterday inAhmedabad, where the modelcode of conduct is already ineffect,” Prasad said.
Continued on Page 7
PTI n NEW DELHI
Aday before crucial hearingin the case, the Centre on
Wednesday told the SupremeCourt that documents filed bythe petitioners seeking reviewof its Rafale deal verdict are“sensitive to national security”and those who conspired inphotocopying the papers havecommitted theft and put thesecurity in jeopardy by leakingthem.
The Ministry of Defencesaid an internal enquiry com-menced on February 28 and isin progress over the leakage ofsensitive documents and it is of“utmost concern” to find outwhere the leakage took place.
The affidavit filed by theMinistry said documentsattached by the petitioners —former Union ministersYashwant Sinha and ArunShourie as also activist advocatePrashant Bhushan — relate towar capacity of combat aircraftand have been widely circulat-ed, available to the country’senemy and adversaries.
“This puts the nationalsecurity in jeopardy. Withoutconsent, permission or acqui-escence of the CentralGovernment, those who haveconspired in making the pho-tocopy of these sensitive doc-uments and annexing it to thereview petition/ miscellaneousapplication and thereby com-mitting theft by unauthorisedphotocopying of such docu-ments relied in this regard...Have adversely affected thesovereignty, security andfriendly relations with the for-eign countries,” said the affi-davit, f iled by DefenceSecretary Sanjay Mitra.
The affidavit assumes sig-nificance as Attorney GeneralKK Venugopal on the March 6hearing before a Bench head-ed by Chief Justice RanjanGogoi had alleged that thereview petition was based onthe documents which werestolen from the Ministry.
Two days later, Venugopalclaimed the Rafale documentswere not stolen from theDefence Ministry and he hadmeant in his submission beforethe top court that the peti-tioners in their application hadused “photocopies of the orig-inal” papers, deemed secret bythe Government.
The Ministry said secrecywas envisaged in various agree-ments that the Centre hadentered into with France andothers concerning matters ofnational security. It said eventhough the Centre maintainssecrecy, Sinha, Shourie andBhushan are relying on docu-ments annexed and “are guiltyof leakage of sensitive infor-mation, which offends theterms of the agreements”.
The Centre said those whohave conspired in this leakageare guilty of offences under theIPC including theft by unau-thorised photocopying andleakage of sensitive officialdocuments affecting nationalsecurity.
Continued on Page 7
Bihar grand alliance amorphous
Hard bargaining on; K’taka deal finalised: Cong to fight on 20, JD(S) 8
BJP wants EC to declare Bengal ‘super-sensitive’
BJP wins NE poll partners, AGP back in Govt
Rafale paper ‘theft’
jeopardises national
security: Govt to SC
Eyes to UP Dalit vote,Priyanka meets Ravan
Mamata hits back,
says BJP can’t win
even 1 seat so it’s
hiding behind EC
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra calls on Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, alias Ravan, at a hospitalin Meerut on Wednesday PTI
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, RLSP Upendra Kushwaha, AICC in-charge for Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil and HAM (S) chief Jitan RamManjhi, leave after Bihar Mahagathbandhan leaders’ meet in New Delhi on Wednesday PTI
BJP delegation comprising Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda,Bhupender Yadav, Kailash Vijayvargiya and others arrive to address the media aftertheir meeting with the Election Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday PTI
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta andPhanibhushan Choudhury as they form an alliance ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019 in Guwahati on Wednesday PTI
China again blocks
UNSC’s terror tag
on JeM chief Azhar
PTI n UNITED NATIONS
In yet another setback toIndia’s bid to designate
Pakistan-based terror groupJaish-e-Mohammed’s chiefMasood Azhar as a global ter-rorist, China on Wednesdayput a technical hold on a pro-posal in the UN SecurityCouncil to ban him followingthe Pulwama terror attack.
The proposal to designateAzhar under the 1267 AlQaeda Sanctions Committee ofthe UN Security Council wasmoved by France, the UK andthe US on February 27, daysafter a suicide bomber of theJaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)killed 44 CRPF soldiers inPulwama, leading to a flare-upin tensions between India andPakistan.
The Sanctions Committeemembers had 10 working daysto raise any objections to theproposal. The no-objectionperiod deadline was sched-uled to end at 3 PM local time(New York) Wednesday, (12:30AM IST Thursday).
The proposal was thefourth such bid at the UN inthe last 10 years to list Azhar asa global terrorist. TheCommittee makes its decisions
by consensus of its members.All eyes were on China,
which has in the past blockedIndia’s bids to get Azhar listedas a UN-designated global ter-rorist thrice.
Earlier, the US saidMasood meets the criteria tobrand him as a “global terror-ist” by the UN and China’sopposition to the move to“update” the designation listgoes against the interests of theUS and China in achievingregional stability and peace.
Several previous attemptsby these three countries insidethe UN Security Council wereblocked by China, the all-weather ally of Pakistan.
China, which is one of thefive veto-powered members ofthe Security Council, so far hasbeen asserting that there is notenough evidence againstMasood to designate him as aglobal terrorist.
Amid a mounting globaloutrage post Pulwama, the US,Britain and France hoped theBeijing would act wisely andwould not oppose their moveto designate Azhar as a globalterrorist.
Earlier US advisedBeijing againstputting hurdle that may disturbregional peace
@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:
www.dailypioneer.com
}
WORLD 12
UK SET FOR ANOTHER BREXITVOTE TO RULE OUT NO-DEAL EXIT
OPINION 8
KNOW YOURHISTORY
SPORT 15
JUVENTUS BEATATLETICO 3-0 IN CL
instagram.com/dailypioneer/
Late City Vol. 155 Issue 71*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable
Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL
BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPURCHANDIGARH DEHRADUN
Established 1864
RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2019-21
LUCKNOW, THURSDAY MARCH 14, 2019; PAGES 16 `3
DIFFICULT
TO BE BLUNT:
SOHA ALI KHAN
14 VIVACITY
}
city 02LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
PNS n LUCKNOW
Even when the campaignfor the first phase of LokSabha election is yet to
formally commence, the battlebetween political bigwigs hasbegun in the right earnest,that too on the digital platform.
On Wednesday, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, UttarPradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath and two formerChief Ministers — BahujanSamaj Party chief Mayawatiand Samajwadi Party presi-dent Akhilesh Yadav — tradedbarbs.
Akhilesh was among thefirst to be targeted by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi in aseries of tweets on Wednesday,calling for more voter participa-tion in the April-May generalelection. In response, the SPleader, one of PM Modi’ssharpest critics, added his owntwist to the appeal.
“I am delighted that the PMis appealing to the#MahaGathbandhan for#MahaParivartan (megachange). I also appeal to allIndian citizens to vote in large
numbers and choose a newPrime Minister,” jeered the for-mer Chief Minister.
In a series of tweets, ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath target-ed the SP president. “People ofUP will cock a snook at Bua andBabua alliance. Time forcasteism, nepotism and corrup-tion is over now and political-
ly vigilant people of UP willmake sure that anything multi-plied by zero results in zero.”
Akhilesh responded inHindi, “Mukhyamantriji, pleasetell us the meaning of cock asnook in Hindi and it will bebetter if you also perform it sothat the people also under-stand as to what they are expect-
ed to do.”In another tweet, Yogi said,
“The president of SamajwadiParty Akhilesh Yadav shouldcome out of the comforts ofhome and go to villages for firsthand knowledge of the situa-tion. If I reveal the truth thenAkhilesh will not be in a posi-tion to show his face in public.”
Mayawati also jumped intothe digital fray, questioning theclaim of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi that the ‘coun-try is in safe hands’.
In her tweet, the BSP chiefsaid, “The BJP should keep inmind that the country hasalways honoured the valour,courage and martyrdom of sol-diers. Why during the BJPregime, the nation is facingthreat to security and numberof martyrs has also gone up. Isthe country really in safe hands.”
The general elections will beheld in seven phases betweenApril 11 and May 19 and theresults will be declared on May23. All eyes will be on UP dur-ing and after the election as thestate sends the maximum num-ber of representatives to the LokSabha.
PNS n LUCKNOW
Uttar Pradesh HealthMinister and Bharatiya
Janata Party leader SidharthNath Singh asked whyCongress had made PriyankaGandhi Vadra the nationalgeneral secretary of the partywhen Rahul Gandhi and SoniaGandhi were holding the fort.
“Congress is in a dilemma.
It realised that two membersof the Gandhi family were notgood enough to ensure victo-ry for the party. Hence itbrought Priyanka and madeher national general secretaryof the party,” Singh said whileaddressing media persons inLucknow on Wednesday.
Reacting to Priyanka’sspeech at Congress WorkingCommittee meeting in
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) whereshe said that judicious votingwas patriotism in the truesense, Singh asked whetheraddressing a terrorist with ‘ji’was patriotism or questioningsurgical strike was patriotism.
“She should also clarifywhether squandering govern-ment money is patriotism?”Singh asked in an oblique ref-erence to the Enforcement
Directorate probe against herhusband Robert Vadra.
“People will give a befit-ting reply to Priyanka’s patri-otism by voting against theCongress, which has beenquestioning the valour ofIndian army jawans. She saidthat voting is patriotism andthe people will use that rightto show how patriotic theyare,” Singh said.
PNS n LUCKNOW
Samajwadi Party chiefAkhilesh Yadav on
Wednesday attacked theBharatiya Janata Party, sayingthat the real rashtra dharmawas to dislodge the saffronparty from power.
Akhilesh was addressing ameeting of Samajwadi Partyleaders in Lucknow.
“The BJP is controlled andguided by some hidden powerswith evil intention and theBJP treats the opposition lead-ers not as rivals but adversaries.Besides, the party misuses theofficial machinery on a massivescale in its pursuit of subvert-ing democratic institutions andconstitutional bodies for itsnarrow political ends,” the SPchief charged.
Akhilesh added: “The BJPleaders are masters in the art ofmanipulating the agenda anddeflecting public attention fromthe pressing issues.”
“The ruling party has setup multiple war rooms in thecountry that are used specifi-cally to weave lies and run mis-information campaigns againstrival parties. They have evenstarted the practice of callingnames, which is a clear mani-festation of their sense of inse-curity,” the SP chief alleged.
“Such propaganda and tac-tics of the BJP will never help
it win the confidence of thepeople and the real issues willultimately surface and domi-nate public discourse,” the SPchief hoped.
Akhilesh also targetedPrime Minister NarendraModi, saying: “The NDA(National Democratic Alliance)government has done nothingto clean the river Ganga in thelast five years, a promise he(Modi) made in the run-up tothe 2014 Lok Sabha election.Swachh Bharat campaign hasalso failed to make any impactacross the state.”
The SP chief pointed out,“The Modi-led National GangaCouncil did not meet evenonce in the last five years of theNDA rule between 2014-19. Atotal of 351 stretches of riversin India are now critically pol-luted, up from 302 in 2016.”
Akhilesh further said thatseven of the world’s 10 mostpolluted cities were in Indiaand cleaning and sanitationefforts had been left to thelower castes. Against the back-drop of these facts, he urgedpeople to vote for a change.
The SP chief has beenattacking the BJP and PrimeMinister Modi almost on adaily basis, raising a myriad ofissues like farmers’ distress,growing unemployment, failedeconomy and poor law andorder in Uttar Pradesh.
PNS n LUCKNOW
In a sensational killing in RaeBareli, a spurned lover shot
a girl while she was exchang-ing jai mala during her mar-riage ceremony and laterended his life using the samefirearm on Tuesday night.
As per reports, Vijendra ofGhaziyapur hamlet ofBachhrawan in Rae Bareli hadbeen wooing a girl in hisneighbourhood and had eventhreatened her with dire con-sequences if she did not marryhim. To get rid of Vijendra, thegirl’s father fixed her mar-riage with a youth of Unnaoand the marriage ceremonywas fixed for Tuesday.
But things took an uglyturn on Tuesday night as thegirl exchanged jai mala withthe groom. Vijendra gate-crashed into the venue with adouble barrel gun. He firstfired from point blank range atthe girl and later shot himselfon the temple. Both wererushed to a nearby hospitalwhere doctors pronouncedthem dead upon arrival.
Meanwhile in Aligarh,Bhagwandevi (90), lived withher elder son in Gandhi Parkarea of Aligarh, who fell ill andwas hospitalised. Her daugh-ter-in-law attended on her sonat hospital and Bhagwan Deviwas left with her 18-year-oldgranddaughter at home. OnTuesday night, she heard somesound and when she checkedher granddaughter’s room, shewas shocked to see her in acompromising position with ayouth.
Embarrassed at beingcaught, the granddaughter,with the help of her lover,
strangulated Bhagwan Devito death. Later, when the policereached their house andquizzed the girl, she brokedown and confessed to themurder.
Elsewhere, in Shamli, mys-tery shrouded the death ofthree youths, whose bodieswere recovered with syringesstrewn around on Karnal-Meerut highway in Jhinjhanaarea on Wednesday morning.
On the basis of circum-stantial evidence, the policesuspect that the youths intheir mid-20s died of drugoverdose. The youths belongedto Kaithal, Haryana and one ofthe deceased was identified asSunil Kumar. The bodies weresent for autopsy.
Meanwhile in Deoria, acase of impersonation andcheating was registered againsta youth for duping a girl byconcealing his identity andmarrying her.
As per reports, Rizwan, amedicine trader, used to visitRamkola area of Kushinagarfor supplying medicines. Therehe came in contact with aYadav girl and Rizwan fraud-ulently gave out his name asAshutosh Rai to befriend her.After getting close to the girl,Rizwan convinced her to livewith him in Paschim Tolaarea under Barhaj police sta-tion of Deoria. The two hadbeen living in the area for thepast year and a half when thegirl came to know of his realidentity. She later registered acase with the police in thisconnection. During investi-gation, the accused even pro-duced fake documents to but-tress his fake identity.
A case was registeredagainst the accused under sec-tions 419 (cheating by person-ation) and 420 (cheating) ofthe Indian Penal Code and fur-ther investigations are under-way.
PNS n LUCKNOW
Bahujan Samaj Party chiefMayawati will hold an
important meeting with senioroffice-bearers of the party inLucknow on Thursday. She islikely to announce the BSP can-didates, including those forUttar Pradesh, later in theevening.
Mayawati had held meet-ings with state chiefs andnational level office-bearers ofthe party on Tuesday to give afinal shape to the list of candi-dates.
Earlier, Mayawati hadinstructed her party cadre tostrike a better rapport withleaders and workers of alliancepartner Samajwadi Party andRashtriya Lok Dal, saying thatthey could fulfil the dream of
BSP founder Kanshi Ram toform a government at theCentre only through bettercoordination among the threeparties.
The BSP chief said that forsome time, everyone shouldshed their differences and alsonot angle for petty gains andinstead work with full devotionand sincerity to defeat theBharatiya Janata Party andCongress candidates.
Sources in the BSP claimedthat Mayawati would also takefeedback from ground-levelofficer-bearers and co-ordina-tors before taking a final call onthe candidates on Thursday.Mayawati would also organisejoint meetings of the workers ofall coalition partners so that astrategy could be chalked out tofight the elections together.
Printed and Published by Vijay Prakash Singh for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226016 and Printed at Tin Tin Printech Pvt Ltd., C-33 Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow. Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110 002, Phone: 011-40110455. Communication Office: F-31, Sector 6, NOIDA, Gautam Budh Nagar-201301, U.P. Phone: 0120-4879800 & 4879900
Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any
damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Lucknow only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement before respond-
ing to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group’s will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.
REQUIRED
REQUIRED
CHANGE OF NAME
Congress in a dilemma: Sidharth Nath Singh
‘People will give a
befitting reply to
Priyanka’s patriotism
by voting against the
Congress, which has
been questioning the
valour of Indian army
jawans— Sidharth Nath Singh
Political bigwigs cross swords
Akhilesh: DislodgingBJP from power realrashtra dharma
Mayawati to meet senior
leaders of party today
Likely to announce candidates
Spurned youth kills girlduring jai mala, ends life
PNS n LUCKNOW
Disappointed at not gettingeven one seat from the
Bahujan Samaj Party-SamajwadiParty-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliancein Uttar Pradesh in the LokSabha election, some of theleaders of Communist Party ofIndia (Marxists) are of the viewthat all Left parties should fieldjoint candidates from at least 2-3 constituencies in the statewhile supporting the maha-gathbandhan candidates at otherseats.
The things will get clearafter the party leaders sit for ameeting on Friday.
“A meeting will be held atCPI-M office in Lucknow onFriday to decide the futurecourse of action. As of now, ourparty line is that we will supportthe mahagathbandhan candi-dates in the election despite notgetting even a single seat fromthe alliance,” a party leader of UPunit said. He disclosed thatthere were talks with left partieson fielding joint candidatesfrom some of seats. “Underthese conditions, the Left allies
are to decide if they will fieldtheir candidate or support themahagathbandhan candidate inthe election,” he said. He addedthat in any case
The sources said a meetingwith farmers’ wing of the CPI-M was attended by party leaderSubhasini Ali on Wednesday.“There is another meeting onFriday. In the meeting furthercourse of action will be decidedand will be shared with thenewsmen,” the sources said,adding that senior CPI-M) lead-ers’ talks with the SP supremodid not yield any result.
CPI-M favours fielding some
joint Left candidates in UP
Illicit gun unitunearthed
Muzaffarnagar (PTI): Oneperson was arrested and 22 pis-tols were seized from an illegalarms manufacturing unit here,police said on Wednesday. Theunit’s premises was raided onTuesday as part of a specialdrive to crackdown on illegalarms suppliers. SeniorSuperintendent of Police SudhirKumar said acting on a tip-off,a police team raided the facto-ry and seized 22 pistols and sev-eral unfinished pistols. He saidthe arrested person, Afzal,revealed that he had got ordersfor supplying arms which wereto be used during the elections.He is wanted in 15 cases.
Allahabad (PNS): With the arrest ofone miscreant a team of Naini police incollaboration with the crime branchclaimed to have worked out the case inwhich `7 lakh was looted from theemployees of Indraprastha Tent Cityrecently.
Giving details SSP Atul Sharmasaid that a sum of ̀ 1.42 lakh was recov-ered from him. The remaining cash waswith his three other accomplices whowere still at large, SSP Atul Sharma said.He said Indraprastha Tent City employ-ees Firoz Rana and Asif were returning
to Arail after withdrawing cash from thebank when some unidentified miscreantsdeprived them of `7 lakh. The teamarrested Dinesh Yadav, a resident ofNawabganj area, on being tipped off byan informer on Tuesday evening whilehis aide managed to flee.
Sharma said Yadav had confessedhe along with his associate, Bablu aliasKatku Pasi, and two other unidentifiedmiscreants were involved in the loot. Asmany as 10 cases had been lodged againstDinesh in Prayagraj and Pratapgarh dis-tricts. He had received `1.60 lakh from
the looted amount. Efforts were on toarrest Bablu and two others, SSP point-ed out.
Meanwhile, with the arrest of fivegoons, the Kareli police claimed to havebusted a gang of robbers when they wereapparently going to strike at a trader’shouse in Tulsipur locality. On beingtipped off by an informer, SHO Karelipolice station Vinod Kumar and his teamsurrounded the robbers at the Tulsipurtrisection on Noorullah Road on Tuesdaynight. After a brief chase five of themwere apprehended. They were identified
as Abu Bakar, his brother Abu Talha,Noor Alam, Gufran and MohammadFarhan. All of them were residents ofMariadih village in Dhoomanganj,Senior Superintendent of Police AtulSharma said. A .32 bore semi-automat-ic pistol, two countrymade firearms, 12live cartridges, a knife and iron rodbesides two motorcycles and some cashwere recovered from them. Duringinterrogation the accused revealed thatthey had planned to commit a robberyat a trader's residence in Tulsipur local-ity the same night.
Loot case: One arrested with `1.42 lakh
Eight killed inroad mishap
Lucknow: Tragedy hitDeoria when eight personswere killed and three wereinjured when their carrammed into a tree. Theinjured were shifted to hos-pital by the police.
According to reports, theaccident occurred on theDeoria-Rudrapur road late onTuesday night when the vic-tims were returning from amarriage function, circle offi-cer Varun Misra said. Thevehicle overturned after dash-ing into a tree. The victimsbelonged to Khorma village.Four of those who died on thespot were identified as Sachin(18), Bahadur (45), ShivPujan (70) and Dal Singar(68), while efforts were on toidentify the others who latersuccumbed in the hospital.
Two of the injured werereferred to the medical col-lege hospital in Gorakhpur.
In another mishapreported from Ballia, twomotorcycle-borne peopledied after they were hit by afour-wheeler coming fromthe opposite direction onTuesday evening in the Narhipolice station area.
The deceased have beenidentified as Awadh Bihar(35) and Awadhesh Ram(30).
PNS n LUCKNOW
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadavmet Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati
at her residence in Mall Avenue here onWednesday.
The meeting comes a day afterMayawati vowed that her party would nottie-up with the Congress in any state.Mayawati had made this announcementafter meeting top BSP leaders on Tuesday.
The alliance leader said both the par-ties were perturbed over the moves of theCongress in Uttar Pradesh, particularly afterthe launching of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asAICC general secretary (UP east).
Sources said the meeting of Priyankawith Chandrasekhar Azad Ravana whoheads the Bhim Sena, in Meerut onWednesday proved to be the last straw.
Sources said Priyanka has offeredChandrasdheakhar to contest as Congresscandidate from Nagina (SC) Lok Sabha con-stituency in Bijnor district. Though there isno official announcement so far, there arespeculations that Mayawati could contestfrom Nagina.
Samajwadi Party sources said ifChandrasekhar takes the plunge it will haveserious implication for both the SP and BSPin western UP, particularly the Lok Sabhaseats falling in Saharanpur and Meerut divi-sions.
“I have no credible data with me but I
can say with my ears to the ground thatChandrasekhar will make a big dent on theDalit and Muslim support base of the BSPand the SP. He may not win but he has thecapacity to ensure the defeat of the BSP-SPalliance candidates,” said a SP leader fromSaharanpur.
Bijnor has been a stronghold of the SPand the BSP. In the by-election to Noorpurassembly seat in May 2019, the SP candidatebacked by the BSP had wrested this seatfrom the BJP.
The alarm bells are also ringing forboth the SP and BSP as Muslims, particu-larly in west UP, are inclined towards theCongress and perceive the grand old partyas a credible alternative to stop the BJP jug-gernaut and prevent Narendra Modi frombecoming prime minister for the secondterm.
Chandrasekhar was arrested inDeoband in Saharanpur district on Tuesdayon charges of violation of model code ofconduct for taking out a procession with-out obtaining prior permission of the dis-trict administration. He was later shifted toMeerut and hospitalised.
It was the first meeting of AkhileshYadav with Mayawati in Lucknow that wasmade public after the two parties announcedtheir alliance here on January 12. The SPhas so far announced 11 candidates againstits quota of 37 seats while the BSP is yet tomake the beginning.
Akhilesh meets Maya
Lucknow (PTI): Exuding confi-dence that the voters of Uttar Pradeshwould deliver their “final strike” infavour of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elec-tion, Deputy Chief Minister KeshavPrasad Maurya said Wednesday thesaffron party would win more than 300seats across the country. “Not only thevoters of Amethi and Rae Bareli (theCongress bastions in UP), but voters ofUttar Pradesh will deliver a their finalstrike in favour of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in all the 80 Lok Sabhaseats and give an overwhelming major-ity to him,” Maurya told PTI in an inter-view here.
The main issues in this election willbe development, nationalism, eradicat-ing poverty, wiping out corruption, end-ing terrorism and making the countrynumber one in the world, Maurya saidin an interview. Describing the alliancestitched by the Samajwadi Party, BahujanSamaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dalas “opportunistic”, Marya said: “It is analliance with vested interests. It hasbecome redundant for the people as thepublic has made up its mind that insteadof voting for the SP and the BSP on castelines, it will vote for the BJP, which is toe-ing the line of development, nationalismand working to eradicate terrorism.”
DyCM: UP voters willdeliver ‘final strike’ inBJP’s favour in polls
city 03LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
UPSEE to be held on April 21
Lucknow (PNS): The UPSEE(Uttar Pradesh State EntranceExamination) which are conductedfor making provision for entrance tothe various engineering colleges willbe held on April 21 this year.
AKTU media spokespersonAshish Mishra, while talking to“The Pioneer”, said that the last datefor submitting the online applicationhad been extended from March 15to March 25 and the date for mak-ing changes in the application sub-mitted had been extended fromMarch 16 to March 28.
Mishra said that the studentcounselling would take place inthree steps and in the last phasewhen the seats were allotted, anoption of “institute sliding” wouldalso be given apart from “internalsliding”.
“We have also given the optionof seat withdrawal after the confir-mation in which the counselling feecould be returned to the student aftersubtracting the administrativecharges,” he added.
He said that the above men-tioned decisions were at a meetingpresided over by Vice-Chancellor,AKTU, Vinay Kumar Pathak and sawthe presence of coordinator VineetKansal, director, KNIIT, JP Pandey,director, IRC, Banda, SP Shukla,deputy coordinator SP Shukla andUPSEE convenor Sita Laxmi.
Mobile apps, toll-freenumber forvotersPIONEER NEWS SERVICE n
LUCKNOW
Three mobile apps and a toll-free number provided by
the Election Commission ofIndia on its website can be usedby denizens and political par-ties during the Lok SabhaElections 2019. Assistant dis-trict election officer AbhayKishore, while giving this infor-mation, said that those appswere “Suvidha”, “Sugam” and“C-vigil” which could be down-loaded and used for the specif-ic purpose for which they hadbeen designed.
He said that the toll-freenumber was 1950. “The com-mission has set up a NationalContact Centre and a toll-freeNo. 1950. Any citizen from anypart of the country can on thetoll-free in English or Hindiwith any query or complaint atany time of the day. Callers canenquire on subjects such aselections, voting dates, EPIC,electoral roll, online registra-tion and lodge a complaint bysimply dialling into the toll-freenumber. Not only this, execu-tives also make outbound callsfor educating the electors andspreading voter awareness,” hesaid.
It was pointed out that thefastest way to lodge one’s griev-ance was by visiting the onlineportal of Election Commissionof India.
“One can lodge both elec-tion and non-election-relatedcomplaints and will get theacknowledgement with an ID,”stated officials.
“The Integrated ContactCentre is operated on aNational Grievance RedressalSystem software. This softwareis a single window platform tomanage complaints and feed-back received through calls,emails, SMS and website accessin an integrated and time-bound manner. Callers mayconnect with the executives toregister a complaint and knowabout its status of receipt anddisposal as well as to givesuggestions and feedback atevery step of the way,” said offi-cials
ADM, Administration,said the training of the mastertrainers would take place onFriday at the ScientificConvention Centre in which150 master trainers would betrained by the state-level mas-ter trainers.
PNS n LUCKNOW
The ghost of Shrawan Sahumurder case came haunting
again to the Lucknow police asarrest of terminated sub-inspector Dheerendra Shuklafrom inside the Aliganj policestation premises kicked off acontroversy on Wednesday.
Shukla was arrested by ateam of Thakurganj police onTuesday night on a tip-off. Hewas staying, along with his fam-ily, at a residence of a police-man located inside the Aliganjpolice station premises for along time. Shukla was termi-nated from the services in theregime of then SSP ManzilSaini and was absconding sincethen. Present SSP KalanidhiNaithani had announced areward of Rs 15,000 on Shukla’sarrest in the recent past afterthe government asked to expe-dite the search of abscondingmiscreants.
Police spokesman AKDwivedi confirmed Shukla’sarrest and said the errant for-mer cop was sent to jail onWednesday. He said a hunt forother two terminated consta-bles Anil Singh andDheerendra Yadav was on. Thepolice spokesman refused to
share the information related toShukla’s arrest, the name of thepoliceman to whom the resi-dence was allotted.
Dwivedi said queries relat-ed to Shukla’s arrest were underprobe and the same could notbe shared to mediamen due tosome reservation.
Sources in Police depart-ment, however, disclosed thatShukla was staying at the resi-dence for a long time.
“The sub-inspectors andother officials with whomShukla had a good rapport sup-ported him and they did notdisclose Shukla’s whereaboutseven after the SSP, Lucknow,was seriously handling thecase,” they said.
They said there was a reg-ister at Reserve Police Lineskeeping the record of allinmates residing at residencesmeant for policemen.
“The Reserve Policeinspector is the immediateofficer who looks after theseaffairs. It is strange that thesame was not detected if Shuklawas living with his family at theresidence inside the police sta-tion premises,” they said. Theyadded that a monthly rent wasdeducted from the salaries ofthose living on state govern-
ment residence. “There are several cops
who did not get accommoda-tion and have to travel fromremote areas to their workplaces,” the sources pointedout.
With a full blown contro-versy coming to the fore, thepolice opted to pass the buck toavoid media queries. ASP,Trans Gomti, Amit Kumar saidThakurganj police arrestedShukla and so they would be inthe know if the residence wasallotted to Shukla. The SHO,Thakurganj, said his teamarrested Shukla from the gateof the premises in whichpolicemen live inside theAliganj police station.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
The newly-inaugurated North-South corridorhas become a blessing in disguise for food-
ies as they will be able to reach their favouritejoints lying close to the North South corridor.
The 23-km-long stretch covers a distancefrom CCS Airport to Munshipuliya and has allprominent restaurants, hotels, eateries coveredwithin the corridor.
The KD Singh ‘Babu’ stadium station hasopen-air restaurant and other restaurants thatserve authentic ‘Lucknawi cuisine’. Sachiwalayastation has Tundey Kababi and popular biryanishop which is at a walking distance from theMetro. “These restaurants are popular beyondthe city and tourists from across the countrywant to indulge in the lip-smacking dishes pre-pared by them. Tundey Kababi, for instance, isa local delicacy with an international reputationand everyone wants to dig into it if they havean opportunity,” said a member from theLMRC media incharge team.
Bigger hotels located at KD Singh ‘Babu’Metro station have their own in-house restau-rants and cafes that attract food lovers here.
LMRC staff added that popular restaurantssituated near Bhootnath Metro station offeredfood items that were sumptuous, yet moderate-ly priced.
“A popular restaurant located in the vicin-ity is a vegetarian’s delight and provides numer-ous options for vegetarian food lovers who feel
marginalised in a city famous for non-vegetar-ian food.
The corridor has 20 stations and the routecovers important destinations like airport,Charbagh and Badshah Nagar railway stations,Vidhan Sabha, Hazratganj, Lucknow Universityand Indira Nagar. The corridor also includes 3.5km of underground section from Hussainganjto Hazratganj,” they added.
PNS n LUCKNOW
In a tragic incident, four persons were killedwhen a container hit their bikes on Tuesday
midnight in Banthra police station area. Thecontainer driver fled the scene abandoningthe vehicle at the accident site fearing actionagainst him. Police are investigating the case.
As per reports, Jeet Bahadur (55) of Aurasin Unnao, along with his cousin Mahendra(30) and nephew Om Prakash, were return-ing home after visiting their relative’s housein Sandila of Hardoi. When they reachedKanni Kheda locality in Banthra, the contain-er laden with haystack hit the bike frombehind and ran over them. All the three werekilled at the spot. The container driver lostcontrol on the wheels and hit another bikeon which Gautam Rawat, along with his wife,of Nawabganj of Unnao, was returninghome. Gautam was killed on the spot due tothe heavy impact while his wife sufferedinjuries. The container hit some cyclists alsobefore it stopped on its own. The driver fledthe scene and the shop-owners and com-muters had started assembling at the scene.
The residents called the police and a teamreached the place. The victims were rushedto Lok Bandhu Hospital where all the fourwere declared brought dead. Police are hunt-ing for the absconding driver.
In another incident in Malihabad, twopersons were killed after an unidentified vehi-cle knocked down their bike from an oppo-site direction. Reports said Awadesh (45) and
his kin Gyan Kumar (25) of Hardoi had goneto Unnao where they had to attend a wed-ding function. Around 11 pm, they left fortheir home on a bike and were hit by anunidentified vehicle when they reached neara dhaba in Bhulbhula Kheda of Malihabad.Police had registered a case and are investi-gating the case.
FOUND DEADThe Bazaarkhala police recovered the
body of an unidentified man from a vacantplot alongside the Nadan Mahal Road (closeto a shop selling paints) on Wednesday.Reports said Shubham Rawat of Saadatganjwent to the plot to relieve himself around 10am on Wednesday and spotted the body. Heinformed the police and a team reached theplace. The police spokesman said an emptysyringe was recovered near the body. “Itseemed that the man was a drug addict andhe died of it. The autopsy will clear the causeof the death. The body bore no marks ofinjuries when the cops examined the same,”he said. The spokesman explained thatShubham was running a shop ont the NadanMahal road and the plot is located close tothe shop. The recovery of the body from avacant plot at one of the busiest roads in thearea surprised the residents. They also crit-icised the police for holding peace commit-tee meeting for photo opportunities and notkeeping a close vigil on the happenings. “Thebody remained lying till 10 am and the policehad no information,” they commented.
Terminated S-I arrested
from police station
SSP issues Metrotravel advisoryPNS n LUCKNOW
SSP Lucknow Kalanidhi Naithani onWednesday issued order to ban on
pointed/sharp objects, weapons and firearms,tools, spare parts, explosives, inflammableitems, harmful chemicals, decomposed bod-ies, human organs, skeletons, stinking items,meat and use of paan masala during Metrotrips. The travellers cannot carry pets withthem too. He said a strict legal action wouldbe taken against those nabbed with those itemsduring travel or inside the premises of Metrostations.
Earlier, he took a ride to the Metro trainand inspected the security arrangements atsome of the Metro stations.
Metro becoming a foodies’ delight
SHUKLA WASTERMINATEDFROM THESERVICES IN THEREGIME OF THENSSP MANZIL SAINIAND WASABSCONDINGSINCE THEN
Traffic police removing stickers and flags of parties at 1090 crossing in view of the coming elections on Wednesday Pioneer
Four killed as containerhits bikes in Banthra
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
There are range of sprinklers, hatsand face masks that one can see in
the shops which have propped up withthe festival of Holi which will be cele-brated shortly.
Sellers at these makeshift shopssaid that “pichkaris” in the shape ofsharks were selling well. “These sprin-klers cost Rs 250 and are being pre-ferred by small children. Apart fromthese there are usual “pichkaris” inmany shapes such as those of bottlesand cartoons which are also beinglapped up well,” they said.
Other popular items which are sell-ing well are the masks and hatswhich people can use while playingHoli.
“These masks are being wellreceived by customers and include facesof animals like lions and bear that canbe worn on the face at the time of play-ing Holi. This is an absolutely new itemwhich has come in the market. Themasks are worn to protect the face fromgetting spoilt by synthetic colours,” saidthe seller.
He said that they were sellingboth the synthetic and the herbalcolours but it was the herbal colourswhich were selling better than synthet-ic colours owing to the harmful and thehazardous effects of synthetic colourswhich had been highlighted several
times.“The new variety of the herbal
colours have come up are perfumedand available in six-coloured packs.
People are more aware about theharmful effect of the synthetic coloursand hence have purchased these herbalcolours,” he added.
city 04LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
More buses to clear
festive rush
Lucknow (PNS): UPSRTC man-aging director Dheeraj Sahu gaveinstructions that maximum busesshould run between March 17 andMarch 24 to facilitate passengersduring the festival of Holi.
Regional manager PK Bose saidthat in the Lucknow district a total of215 extra buses would be running tocater to the rush of the passengers.“We are expecting a good crowd onMarch 20 and 21 which will be most-ly coming from Delhi and will begoing towards Gorakhpur, Sultanpurand Azamgarh,” he said. The region-al manager said that the buses werebasically running from the Alambaghbus station and the Kaiserbagh busstation.
He said that several incentiveswere also being given to bus drivers,conductors and the men from thedepot who would work on all eightdays from March 17 to March 24.“The drivers who are working onseven days will be given Rs 2,100 andthose who work on all eight days willbe given Rs 2,800. The staff in theworkshop if it works for seven dayswill be given an amount of Rs 700 andthose who are working on all eightdays will be given Rs 850.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n
LUCKNOW
Aone-year-old leopard wasbrought to the Lucknow
Zoological Gardens fromKatarniyaghat on Wednesday.Lucknow zoo director RKSingh said that after the inci-dent of a 13-year-old girl beingkilled in the Kakraha range ofKatarniyaghat on March 6 thisyear, there was a lot of angerand resentment amongst resi-dents of the area.
“An extensive combingoperation was carried out bythe Forest department afterthe killing in which they founda cub in Laltupurwa village in
GROUP DISCUSSION
Amity School for Communication Enhancement andTransformation (ASCENT) organised an inter-institute group dis-cussion competition ‘Voice Your Opinion’ on Wednesday. Overhundred students from different institutes of Amity Universityparticipated in the competition. The winner of this competitionwas Baibhab Narayan Pal from Amity School of Engineeringand Technology (ASET) while Rajan Mishra from Amity LawSchool (ALS) finished a runner-up. The team trophy went toASET whereas ASAS bagged the runner–up trophy.
DEMONSTRATION
The second day of the field integration training witnesseda demonstration being organised on ‘Chemical Spill Management’.The aim of the demonstration was to bring all participants ona common platform and to make them understand the nuancesof countering a disaster of such a magnitude . The demonstra-tion provided a insight into various aspects, drills and measuresthat are required to be incorporated towards countering conta-mination caused in a large area due to chemical spill.
FELICITATED Author of
‘Madaripur Junction’Balendu Diwedi wasgiven Saraswat Sammanby the Indian LiteraryCouncil, Uttar Pradesh,at Lucknow Press Clubon Wednesday. Balenduis also working as the dis-trict minority welfareofficer in the service ofthe Uttar Pradesh gov-ernment. This pro-gramme was chaired byUttar Pradesh HindiSansthan executive pres-ident professor SadanandPrasad Gupta and BabaSaheb BhimraoAmbedkar NationalUniversity V-C professor Sanjay Singh was the chief guest.Madaripur junction is a socio-political satirical novel. Due to itspopularity, “Madaripur Junction” is not confined to the Hindilanguage but is also available in English and Urdu as well as Oriyalanguage. A popular company has shown interest in the publi-cation of the English translation too.
the same range which wasbrought to the LucknowZoological Gardens onWednesday,” he said.
The leopard was brought
Zoo gets a new member
to the zoo by divisional forestofficial Katarniyaghat, PiyushSrivastava.
Singh said that the leopardwas kept in the zoo hospitalunder the CCTV vigil.
“The health of the one-year-old leopard can be known onlyafter 24 hours of the vigil whichwill be kept on the animal.There was no sign of injury onthe body of the animal. Theanimal is not being able to par-take milk and the keepers aretaking all care of the animal,” hesaid.
Markets abound with Holi items
SCHOOLSCAN
CITYBRIEFS
CMSManish Rajani of City
Montessori School, GomtiNagar Campus I has beenoffered admission by the fivefamed universities of USA. Hehas also been awarded scholar-ship of US$ 1,00,000 by theUniversity of Cincinnati for theentire study period of four years.Manish has also been offeredadmission by the Arizona StateUniversity, The University ofKansas, Florida Institute ofTechnology and Illinois Instituteof Technology of USA.
Arts College students carried out a protest at the Lucknow University on Wednesday raising their voices against the lack ofseveral basic facilities and demands related to their courses Pioneer
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n ALLAHABAD
With the arrest of one miscreant a team ofNaini police in collaboration with the
crime branch claimed to have worked out thecase in which `7 lakh was looted from theemployees of Indraprastha Tent City recently.
Giving details SSP Atul Sharma said that asum of `1.42 lakh was recovered from him.
The remaining cash was with his threeother accomplices who were still at large, SSPAtul Sharma said. He said Indraprastha TentCity employees Firoz Rana and Asif werereturning to Arail after withdrawing cashfrom the bank when some unidentified miscre-ants deprived them of ̀ 7 lakh. The team arrest-ed Dinesh Yadav, a resident of Nawabganj area,on being tipped off by an informer on Tuesdayevening while his aide managed to flee.
Sharma said Yadav had confessed he alongwith his associate, Bablu alias Katku Pasi, andtwo other unidentified miscreants were involvedin the loot. As many as 10 cases had been lodgedagainst Dinesh in Prayagraj and Pratapgarh dis-tricts. He had received ̀ 1.60 lakh from the loot-ed amount. Efforts were on to arrest Bablu andtwo others, SSP pointed out.
FIVE ARRESTEDWith the arrest of five goons, the Kareli
police claimed to have busted a gang of rob-bers when they were apparently going to strikeat a trader’s house in Tulsipur locality. On being
tipped off by an informer, SHO Kareli policestation Vinod Kumar and his team surround-ed the robbers at the Tulsipur trisection onNoorullah Road on Tuesday night. After a briefchase five of them were apprehended. Theywere identified as Abu Bakar, his brother AbuTalha, Noor Alam, Gufran and MohammadFarhan. All of them were residents of Mariadihvillage in Dhoomanganj, Senior Superintendentof Police (SSP), Atul Sharma, said.
A .32 bore semi-automatic pistol, twocountrymade firearms, 12 live cartridges, a knifeand iron rod besides two motorcycles and somecash were recovered from them, Sharma said.During interrogation the accused revealedthat they had planned to commit a robbery ata trader's residence in Tulsipur locality the samenight. Cases were pending against Abubakarand Abu Talha at the Dhoomanganj police sta-tion. The accused would be questioned furtherto ascertain their involvement in other casesof loot and robberies in the district, the SSPadded.
POLICE PULLS UP SOCKSThe police has pulled up its socks for a
crackdown on history-sheeters, miscreantsand anti-social elements who might fomenttrouble during the polls. With the declarationof polling dates and the model code of conductcoming into force lists were being prepared andnotices would be sent soon to the history-sheeters as a preventive measure.
PNS n ALLAHABAD
The Allahabad High Courton Wednesday set aside
the no-confidence motionagainst Rekha Singh, chairper-son, Zila Panchayat, Prayagraj,as secrecy of voting was notmaintained while passing it.The bench comprising JusticesPKS Baghel and Pankaj Bhatiawhile allowing the petition ofRekha Singh also set asideappointment of another chair-person in her place.
The petitioner’s con-tention was that there was nosecrecy of the ballot papers orvotes, which could be verifiedfrom the videography and theCD of the proceedings pre-pared by the presiding officer.Also, format of the ballotpaper, over which the vote ofno-confidence motion hastaken place, was contrary tothe prescribed format as per
rule.It may be recalled here
that Rekha Singh was electedas Chairperson, ZilaPanchayat, Prayagraj (thenAllahabad) in the year 2016.She took oath in January 2016.There were total 92 membersof the Zila Panchayat,Prayagraj, including the peti-tioner. On October 1, 2018, 64members of the Zila Panchayatmoved a no-confidencemotion against the petitionerbefore the District Magistrate,who vide his order datedOctober 3, 2018 fixed October25, 2018 as the date for themeeting to consider the no-confidence motion. Thenotices were sent to the mem-bers by the District Magistrate.The District Judge, Allahabad,nominated the AdditionalDistrict Judge-II, Allahabad, asthe presiding officer to presideover the meeting of no-confi-
dence.On October 25, 2018, the
meeting of the members of theZila Panchayat was held toconsider the motion of no-confidence. In the said meet-ing out of 92 members, 51elected members of the ZilaPanchayat, including the peti-tioner, were present. Out of the51 members who were pre-sent, 48 had cast their votes infavour of no-confidencemotion, two members againstand one vote was rejected asinvalid.
The presiding officer onthe same day declared that theno-confidence motion hadbeen passed with the majori-ty by more than a half mem-bers of the Zila Panchayat,hence it was declared passed.Later on November 15, 2018,the state government appoint-ed Kesari Devi as the chairper-son, Zila Panchayat, Prayagraj.
Sensational loot case: Onearrested with `1.42 lakh
HC sets aside no-confidence
motion against Rekha Singh
LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019 nation 05
PNS n NEW DELHI
In a series of tweets, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi on
Wednesday reached out toprominent personalities,including his political adver-saries besides Bollywoodcelebrities, sportspersons, topbusiness leaders and membersof the media asking them toinspire citizens to vote in the2019 Lok Sabha elections.
With 29 tweets in aroundan hour, the Prime Ministertagged those like Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi,Trinamool Congress chiefMamata Banerjee, actorSalman Khan and Team Indiacaptain Virat Kohli.
“I appeal to @RahulGandhi,@ M a m a t a O f f i c i a l ,@PawarSpeaks, @Mayawati,@yadavakhilesh, @yadavte-jashwi and @mkstalin toencourage increased voter par-ticipation in the upcoming LokSabha polls. A high turnoutaugurs well for our democraticfabric,” reads one of the tweetsposted by PM Modi.
Samajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav responded toPM Modi’s tweet with a digurging people to elect a new
Prime Minister in the LokSabha election. “I felt happythat the Prime Ministerappealed to mahagathband-han (grand alliance) for maha-parivartan (grand change). Iwill also appeal to all Indian cit-izens to vote in large numbersand elect a new prime minis-ter,” Yadav said in his post.
The PM tweeted, “Dear@akshaykumar, @bhumiped-nekar and @ayushmannk, thepower of a vote is immense andwe all need to improve aware-ness on its importance. Thoda
Dum Lagaiye aur Voting ko EkSuperhit Katha banaiye.”
“My young friends@RanveerOfficial, @Varun_dvn& @vickykaushal09, manyyoungsters admire you. It is timeto tell them: Apna Time AaGaya Hai and that it is time toturn up with high Josh to a vot-ing centre near you,” he wrotepunning on the tag lines ofRanveer and Vicky’s recent hitsGully Boy and Uri.
In a tweet addressed toAmitabh Bachchan, Shah RukhKhan and Karan Johar that
punned on the tag line ofKabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham -It’s all about loving your parents— Modi wrote, “Urging@SrBachchan, @iamsrk and@karanjohar to creativelyensure high voter awarenessand participation in the com-
ing elections. Because...its allabout loving your democracy(and strengthening it). :)”
The Prime Minister alsotagged actors DeepikaPadukone, Alia Bhatt, AnushkaSharma, Ranveer Singh andVarun Dhawan among others
saying, “I am sure their messagewill have a positive impact onour citizens.
KJo responded saying, “Weas a fraternity are dedicated tothe cause of creating high voterawareness and will make sureevery endeavour is made tocommunicate the power ofvoting for a solid andDemocratic India! Jai Hind!”Aamir Khan and AkshayKumar also tweeted in agree-ment with the PM’s sentiment.
Prime Minister also namedbusiness leaders like AnandMahindra, Ratan Tata to ensure‘maximum participation in vot-ing.’ Modi even tagged crick-eters Sachin Tendulkar,Virendra Sehwag, VVSLaxman, Anil Kumble, singers
Lata Mangeshkar and ARRehman urging them toencourage citizens to vote.
“Dear @srikidambi,@Pvsindhu1 & @NSaina, Thecore of badminton is the courtand the core of democracy isthe vote. Just like you smashrecords, do also inspire arecord-breaking voter turnout.I request you to increase voterawareness & motivate youth tovote in large numbers,” readsanother tweet of PM Modi
The Prime Minister alsocalled upon media leaders toplay a vital role in the democ-racy. In his last message in thetweet series, the Prime Ministerurged the citizens to strength-en voter awareness across thecountry.
PNS n NEW DELHI
Popping pain medi-cines from your
local drug storeswithout consultinga doctor may helpyou get relief fromheadache, fever, or muscle painbut it can be dangerous to yourkidney’s health. Also, wrongdietary choices, stress, andimproper lifestyle habits maymake it difficult for the alreadyoverburdened excretory systemto remove toxins efficiently,leaving it exposed to healthproblems like kidney stone,renal failure, blood in urine,protein in urine, high urealevels and others.
These warnings amongothers have come from doctorsand health organisations againstthe backdrop of World KidneyDay 2019 marked on Thursdaywith a theme “Kidney Health
for Everyone Everywhere.”They not only called for earlytreatment to help prevent ordelay more serious health prob-lems but also adopting healthylifestyle to ensure health ofthis vital organ.
According to the NationalKidney Foundation, as many as3 per cent to 5 per cent of newcases of chronic kidney failureeach year may be caused by theoveruse of these painkillers.Once kidney disease occurs,continued use of the problem
drug makes it worse. “If you take OTC or pre-
scription medicines forheadaches, pain, fever, or colds,you may be taking a nons-teroidal anti-inflammatorydrug (NSAID). NSAIDsinclude popular pain relieversand cold medicines that candamage your kidneys if youtake them for a long time, orlead to acute kidney injury ifyou take them when you aredehydrated or your blood pres-sure is low,” said the US-basedNational Institute of Diabetesand Digestive and KidneyDiseases (NIDDKD).
So ask your pharmacist orhealth care provider if themedicines you take are safe to
use. In fact, opioids that aregiven to the patients withchronic kidney disease for painmanagement too couldincrease the risk of hospitali-sation and even death, as perthe new research that was pre-sented on Tuesday at theAmerican Heart Association’sEpidemiology andPrevention/Lifestyle andCardiometabolic Health
Scientific Sessions conferencein Houston.
The researchers had exam-ined electronic health recordsfor about 1,00,000 adults in aPennsylvania health care sys-tem and compared people withand without opioid prescrip-tions over a two-year period.
Regardless of their kidneyfunction level, people whofilled the opioid prescriptions
had about 1.5 times higher riskof dying or being hospitalizedthan those who did not have anopioid prescription.
The risks, however, weremore pronounced in peoplewho had worse kidney func-tion, said Dr Tessa Novick, thestudy’s lead author.
Dr Saurabh Pokhariyal -HOD Nephrology, ManipalHospitals at Delhi’s Dwarkatalked about latest advance-ment in the sector and that howover the last few years it hasbecome possible to do kidneytransplants across bloodgroups. “Recent advances intechnology and immunosup-pressive drugs that preventyour body from rejecting a
transplanted organ, have nowmade blood group-incompat-ible transplantation possible.”
Dr Partap Chauhan,Director, Jiva Ayurveda vouchedfor herb plants like PunanrnavaPalash, Gokshura, Gudduchiwhich can ensure kidneyshealthy for life while Head ofDepartment of Banaras HinduUniversity’s DravayagunavigyanVibhag KN Dwivedi batted forherbal formulations like NeeriKFT which is based on theseplants can be an alternate to dial-ysis to some extent. Dr ManojArora, senior consultant,Department of Nephrology,Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh,Delhi stressed on making sus-tainable long term healthy
lifestyle changes.Prof Vivekanand Jha from
the George Institute for GlobalHealth informed that were work-ing on developing an affordabledialysis machine that will bringdown the cost of dialysis.
Over 850 million peopleworldwide suffer from kidneydiseases--chronic in nature (2.4million deaths per year; 6thfastest growing cause of death)and acute (1.7 million deathsper year) while in India, theincidence rate of end-stagerenal disease is estimated to be229 per million population, andmore than 1,00,000 newpatients enter renal replace-ment therapy annually.
PNS n NEW DELHI
The BJP on Wednesday accusedCongress president Rahul Gandhi
and his sister Priyanka Vadra ofbeing involved in land deals allegingthat it was not only Robert Vadra butthe Congress president himself wasinvolved in what it called “family’scorruption package”.
As the poll campaign picked upwith the Election Commission (EC)announcing the poll schedule lastweek and Priyanka making her“maiden speech” from Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s home State ofGujarat, the political charges areturning sharper and direct.
The BJP alleged that it was notonly son-in-law (Robert Vadra) butRahul himself was involved in landdeals. While making the charges, theparty quoted agency and mediareports to substantiate its narrative.
Quoting a media report, UnionMinister and BJP leader Smriti Iranitold reporters that Robert Vadra is“merely a mask” in the controversialland deals and his brother-in-lawRahul Gandhi is the “real face”.
At a Press conference, Irani who
lost the Lok Sabha poll to Rahul fromAmethi Lok Sabha constituency inUttar Pradesh said, “The country hascome to know that the brother-in-law(Rahul) is also involved with his ‘jija’(Robert Vadra) in this family pack-age of corruption”.
Referring to the report, Iraniclaimed that Rahul and PriyankaVadra purchased land in a dealinvolving HL Pahwa, who was raid-ed by the Enforcement Directorate(ED), and Mahesh Kumar Nagar, whoalso had a role in land transactioninvolving Robert Vadra.
Pahwa, she said, was lent money byCC Thampi who is “friends” with con-troversial arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
The BJP leader claimed thatRahul’s opposition to a defence deal,an apparent reference to the Rafaletransaction, was due to his “financialand family” interests as he wanted arival company to bag the contract.
The Congress president shouldanswer about his relations with Pahwain these land transactions, Irani said.
She said Rahul’s interest in Rafaleissue indicates that he was piqued ashis alleged contact Bhandari lost thecontract for the Euro fighter.
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Election Commissionwill meet Chief Electoral
Officers and recently appoint-ed observers of all States andUnion Territories on Thursdayto brief them on provisions ofModel Code of Conduct. Theclosed door meeting will takeplace at Vigyan Bhawan. “It willbe first interaction with themafter announcement of the polldates,” EC officials said.
EC TO HOLD MEETWITH POLL OBSERVERS
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Congress on Wednesday hit backat the BJP for levelling graft allegations
against party chief Rahul Gandhi, sayingPrime Minister Narendra Modi andUnion Minister Smriti Irani were making“completely baseless” charges to divertattention from real issues such as “ram-pant joblessness” and “agrarian crisis”.
The BJP dragged Congress presidentRahul Gandhi and his sister PriyankaGandhi Vadra into alleged corruptioninvolving land deals, claiming theOpposition party known for “institu-tionalising” graft has now come to define“family corruption”.
Responding to the allegation, Congress’chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewalaasked if there was wrongdoing in the dealsthen why had the BJP not probed them inthe last five years. He claimed that facing“imminent defeat in the 2019 general elec-tions, and finding no answer to the ram-pant joblessness, agrarian crisis, econom-ic slowdown, all-pervading corruptionand social unrest, a frustrated ModiGovernment and its perpetually peevedUnion ministers like Smriti Irani, have losttheir balance and equilibrium”.
“The Prime Minister and his favouriteminister Smriti Irani are resorting to lev-elling completely baseless and false alle-gations,” the Congress leader said.Surjewala alleged that the BJP wants todivert people’s attention from real issues.
“Smriti ji has got so blinded by herdesire for revenge against Rahul Gandhialong with her mentor Narendra Modithat she is resorting to fake and false alle-gations as a diversionary tactic to givecover fire to the prime minister. But theyare never going to succeed,” he said.
Referring to a media report, Iraniclaimed that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra purchased land in a dealinvolving HL Pahwa, who was raided bythe Enforcement Directorate, and MaheshKumar Nagar, who also had a role in landtransaction involving Robert Vadra.
Irani told reporters that Robert Vadrais “merely a mask” in the controversialland deals and his brother-in-law RahulGandhi is the “real face”. Rejecting thecharge, Surjewala said on March 3, 2008,Rahul Gandhi purchased 6.456 acres ofland in Hassanpur Village, Palwal district,Haryana. The land was bought for a totalprice of `26,47,000, that was paid for bycheque, which is the equivalent of`4,10,006 per acre, he said.
On July 26, 2012, Rahul Gandhi gift-ed the 6.4 acres of land to PriyankaGandhi Vadra through a gift deed, reg-istered in the office of sub-registrar.They also paid stamp duty of `1,93,700on the registered gift deed, Surjewala said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on August 12,2014, gifted the land to Vipassana SadhnaSansthan, a not-for-profit spiritual organ-isation. Purchase of land was done byRahul Gandhi out of his own funds paidfrom his bank account. At no point oftime, this purchase of a small piece of landand consequent gift to a spiritual organ-isation has any connection with anyindividual, Surjewala clarified.
MUZAFFARPURSHELTERHOMECASE
ED attaches properties worth
crores of Brajesh Thakur
PNS n NEW DELHI
The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) has
attached immovable and mov-able properties consisting of 26plots of land, three vehicles,balance in 37 bank accountsand investments in mutualfunds and insurance policiesworth `7.3 crore of accusedBrajesh Thakur, owner of theMuzzafarpur shelter home inBihar where scores of minorgirls were allegedly raped andphysically assaulted.
Accused Brajesh Thakur isthe owner of NGO SewaSankalp Evam Vikas Samitiand his family members werealso involved in the function-ing of the voluntary organisa-tion. Thakur along with othermembers of Balika Grihallegedly raped girls, perpe-trated the crime of sexualabuse, sexual assault, physicalassault on deprived and aban-doned girl children, accordingto the CBI chargesheet.
ED probe underPrevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA) wasinitiated on the basis ofchargesheet filed by the CBIagainst 21 accused persons.
The chargesheet revealedthat the Girls Children ShelterHome in Muzaffarpur run bySewa Sankalp Evam VikasSamiti was found to be runningin a highly questionable mannerand several girls reported aboutviolence and sexual abuse.
“The shelter home (BalikaGrih, Muzaffarpur) was notimmune to rape, sexual abuse,sexual assault, physical assault
of the girls. During investiga-tion under PMLA, it has beengathered that Brajesh Thakurwas the de-facto owner of theBalika Grih run by the NGO inwhich abandoned girl chil-dren were given shelter there,the ED said in a statement.
Kumari Asha, wife ofBrajesh Thakur was ExecutiveMember of the NGO. Hugefunds were received by thisNGO from the Governmentand other sources which weremeant to be spent on welfare ofgirl children and others.
Investigation revealed thatfunds received by the NGOwere not utilised for the statedobjectives of welfare of thechildren. It has also beenrevealed that the funds receivedby the NGO were illegallydiverted/siphoned off foracquisition of properties andpersonal use by Brajesh Thakurand his family members.Documents gathered duringinvestigation revealed thatDonation from othersources/grant-in-aid from gov-ernment has been received tothe tune of `7, 57,48,820 dur-ing the financial years from2011-12 to 2016-17.
Investigation revealed thatfunds to the tune of`1,53,86,129 have been trans-ferred from the bank accountsof the NGO to the bankaccounts of Brajesh Thakurand his family membersincluding his son RahulAnand’s firm for acquisition ofhuge movable and immovableproperties and also for paymentof fees for medical education ofhis other son Mehul Anand.
Attached assets also includehuge cash deposits in the bankaccounts of Brajesh Thakurand his family members forwhich the accused could notgive any explanation, the agencysaid. Twenty six attached plotsof land numbering 26 plots ofland worth ̀ 6, 35, 81, 770, threevehicles valued at 28,70,512,mutual funds and insurancepolicies worth ̀ 17.27 lakh andavailable balance in bankaccounts to the tune of `48.77 lakh were attached, theagency added.
New Delhi/Lucknow: Cash worth over `1.64crore, Mont Blanc pens of `50 lakh, four luxu-ry SUVs and documents indicating benamiassets of `300 crore have been recovered dur-ing the I-T Department raids on premises linkedto a retired IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre,who served in top positions during Mayawati’schief ministership, officials said on Wednesday.
The taxman had swooped down on a dozenpremises linked to 1979-batch IndianAdministrative Service officer Net Ram after it
had “credible inputs” that the former topbureaucrat and his associates have made “accom-modation or bogus entries of about `95 crorefrom Kolkata-based shell firms” in the past,including in the post-demonetisation period.
They said after the over 26-hours longsearches, the department has recovered a totalof `1.64 crore in cash from three houses inLucknow and Delhi, while another `50 lakh isbelieved to be stashed in a bank locker, whichwill soon be opened. PTI
I-T recovers `1.64 cr cash, Mont Blanc pens
worth `50L after raids on retired UP IAS officer
WORLDKIDNEYDAY
Overusing painkillers; Consumingexcess salt; Not drinking enough water;Missing out on sleep ;Eating too muchmeat; Smoking; Diabetic andhypertension patients not checkingkidney function routinely
Adopt healthy lifestyle to keep kidney healthy: DoctorsCOMMON HABITS WHICH MAYDAMAGE YOUR KIDNEY
u The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) hasattached immovable andmovable propertiesconsisting of 26 plots ofland, three vehicles,balance in 37 bankaccounts and investmentsin mutual funds andinsurance policies worth`7.3 crore of accusedBrajesh Thakur
u Attached assets alsoinclude huge cash depositsin the bank accounts ofBrajesh Thakur and hisfamily members for whichthe accused could not giveany explanation
Rahul, Priyanka involved
in land deals, alleges BJP
BJP diverting attentionfrom real issues: Cong
Saffron party complains about RaGa, Priyanka to EC Rubbishes charges made against party chiefFacing imminent defeatin the 2019 generalelections, and findingno answer to therampant joblessness,agrarian crisis,economic slowdown,all-pervading corruption
and social unrest, a frustrated ModiGovernment and its perpetually peeved UnionMinisters like Smriti Irani, have lost theirbalance and equilibrium RANDEEP SURJEWALA
BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda, Bhupender Yadav, KailashVijayvargiya after their meeting with the Election Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday PTI
RAJESH KUMAR n NEW DELHI
Candidates planning to con-test the upcoming Lok
Sabha elections or Assemblypolls will have to mandatorilyreveal their Income Tax (IT)returns of the last five years,details of offshore assets andmandatory disclosure ofPermanent Account Number(PAN).
The disclosure will not belimited to the candidate, butalso cover the spouse, membersof the Hindu Undivided Family(if the candidate is a ‘karta’ orcoparcener) and dependents.
Earlier, a candidate had toonly declare the last IT return(for self, spouse and depen-dents) in Form 26. Details offoreign assets were not asked.Offshore assets means “detailsof all deposits or investments inforeign banks and any otherbody or institution abroad anddetails of all assets and liabili-ties in foreign countries”.
A candidate fighting an
election is required to file anaffidavit called Form 26, alongwith the nomination that fur-nishes information on herassets, liabilities, educationalqualification and criminalantecedents, if any.
According to the ElectionCommission (EC), withoutthese disclosures, the nomina-tion will be cancelled. Although,in the old Form 26, candidateswere expected to provide theirPermanent Account Number(PAN) along with that of theirspouse and dependents, it wasnoticed that many hadskipped this column.
The amended affidavitclearly states that it ismandatory to mention PANand “in case of no PAN, itshould be clearly stated ‘NoPAN allotted’”.
According to amendedform 26, candidates and polit-ical parties contesting the elec-tion will have to publicisetheir criminal records at leaston three different dates in
widely circulated newspapersand popular TV channels dur-ing the campaign period.
The candidates will have toinform parties about theirantecedents such as cases inwhich they have been convicted and cases pendingagainst them.
Candidates have to submitclippings of their declarationpublished in papers and partieshave to submit details about thenumber of such candidates ina State. The changes were madeto the Conduct of ElectionRules, 1961, at the EC’s behestafter it wrote to the LawMinistry on February 13 seek-ing amendments to Form 26for easier verification by theCentral Board of Direct Tax.
With 29 tweets in around an hour, the Prime Ministertagged those like Congress president Rahul Gandhi,Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, actor Salman Khanand Team India captain Virat Kohli
MODI TWEETS 29 TIMES FOR HIGH POLL TURNOUT
The Prime Minister also called upon media leaders to play a vital role inthe democracy. In his last message in the tweet series, the PM urgedthe citizens to strengthen voter awareness across the country
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Election Commission(EC) has given approval
for holding the upcomingGST Council meeting onMarch 19 to consider variousissues including the imple-mentation of lower GST ratesfor the real estate sector.
The next meeting will beheld through videoconfer-encing. Following theapproval from the EC, sourcessaid, notices have been sentfrom the GST CouncilSecretariat to States for the34th meeting of the Councilon March 19, they said.
The nod from the ECwas required as the ModelCode of Conduct has been inforce. The meet will be heldto discuss only transitionprovision and related issuesfor implementation of lowerGST rates for the real estatesector, the sources said.
EC gives nod
to hold GST
Council meet
Candidates must reveal IT returns of last 5 yrs: EC
ITreturns
o The disclosure will not be limited to the candidate, but alsocover the spouse, members of the Hindu Undivided Family (ifthe candidate is a ‘karta’ or coparcener) and dependents
o Earlier, a candidate had to only declare the last IT return (forself, spouse and dependents) in Form 26. Details of foreignassets were not asked
nation 06LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n
CHENNAI
Congress president RahulGandhi declared that his
party if voted to power in theensuing Lok Sabha election,would give the youth of thecountry `30 lakh each to set upbusiness enterprises and createjobs.
“Prime Minister NarendraModi gave Nirav Modi `35,000crore from the amount collect-ed by the banks as part ofdemonetisation from your par-ents. Nirav Modi took thatmoney and fled the country. Iam sure the youth in the coun-try are capable of competingwith China which is generating50,000 jobs in every 24 hours.We will give finance and neces-sary facilities to you to make ithappen,” declared Gandhi whileinteracting with students ofStella Maris College in Chennaion Wednesday.
The Congress President wasin a day long tour to Tamil Naduas part of his election campaignin the State and the interactivesession with the students of thecollege managed by the Sistersof the Institute of the FranciscanMissionaries of Mary was hisfirst stop. In an hour long ques-tion-answer session with the stu-dents, Gandhi said he wouldincrease to six percent the allo-
cation for education.To a question by one of the
students why he was silentabout the controversy regardinghis brother-in-law Robert Vadrawho was facing investigationfrom agencies like theEnforcement Directorate andIncome Tax department,Gandho said he was for anykind of investigation into thebusiness deals of Vadra. “But itshould not be a selective inves-tigation. All people facing alle-gations should be probed. Thisinclude Prime MinisterNarendra Modi too,” said theCongress president.
He said the Congress Partwas for ready to resolve the con-troversy associated with the
National Eligibility and EntranceTest (NEET), the qualifying testfor admission to undergraduateand post graduate medicalschools in the country. “We areflexible and are willing toaddress the concerns of TamilNadu,” said Gandhi while speak-ing to reporters after the StellaMaris College function.
Later in the day, RahulGandhi flew down toKanyakumari and kick startedthe election campaign of theUPA from the famous ScotChristian College Groundswhere thousands had gathereddespite the scorching heat.Leaders of all constituent partiesin the UPA, viz, the DMK, theCongress, the CPI(M), the CPI
, the VCK, Muslim League,MMK and fringe unites werepresent in the stage to welcomeRahul Gandhi.
Gandhi reminded the audi-ence that an ideological battlewas going on in the country.“While the forces led byNarendra Modi and the RSSwant to impose one language,one religion and one culture allover the country , we are of theview that no language or cultureis inferior to the ones they aretrying to promote. The BJP andthe RSS are out to destroy theTamil culture and languagewhich we will not agree underany circumstances. We willstand by the people of TamilNadu top protect and preservethis beautiful language and cul-ture,” said Gandhi who alsopointed out that all States wereunder pressure from theHindutwa forces.
M K Stalin, president of theDMK, said that after the LokSabha election , a new govern-ment under the leadership ofRahul Gandhi would take chargein New Delhi and preserve theplurality and secularist values ofthe country. “In the 2004 elec-tion, the DMK-led front hadswept the 40 seats in Tamil Naduand Puducherry. In 2019 we willrepeat the feat to make RahulGandhi the country’s PrimeMinister,” declared Stalin.
RAHUL DOUBLES THE BID
Promises `30L to each youth
Congress president Rahul Gandhi addresses during the formal launch of ‘UnitedProgressive Alliance (UPA)' campaign in Tamil Nadu from the Kanyakumariparliamentary constituency at Nagercoil on Wednesday PTI
Jammu: Seven missing per-sons, including six women, werefound and united with theirfamilies by the police in Jammu& Kashmir's Rajouri district, anofficial said on Wednesday.
Four of the missing womenwho hail from Thandapani,Kalali, Dabrote and Ghaluti vil-lages respectively were traced inManjakote area during the last24 hours and handed over totheir families after completion oflegal formalities, a policespokesman said.
These women were missingfor the past one month and inthis connection separate 'miss-ing person' reports were lodgedat Manjakote police station, hesaid.
Among the other twowomen, one reportedly kid-napped from Kakora villagerecently was rescued byManjakote police and handedover to her family, while theother one from Hasplote village,who went missing on December13 last year, was rescued fromThanamandi, the spokesmansaid. A Chhattisgarh resident,Vinod Kumar who had gonemissing in 2014, was finallytraced after a 5-year-long searchby Thanamandi police, thespokesman said. PTI
Seven missingpersons unitedwith their familiesin J&K's Rajouri TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI
Two months after she decid-ed to “take a break from
active politics”, former CongressMP from Mumbai Priya Dutt onWednesday did a U-turn andannounced that she would con-test the Lok Sabha poll fromMumbai north-central con-stituency.
Talking to media personshere, Dutt said: “If I have decid-ed to fight the elections, it is forthe future of my children. It is tosave democracy in the country.My party leadership told memany times that I should con-test the elections. I have takenthis decision after considerablethought".
Fifty two-year-old Dutt,who is the daughter of the lateactor couple Sunil Dutt andNargis, and sister of Bollywoodactor Sanjay Dutt, had earlierbeen elected twice to LokSabha— once from Mumbainorth-west constituency in 2005and for another term fromMumbai north-central con-stituency in 2009. She was how-ever, defeated by the BJP’sPoonam Mahajan from Mumbainorth-central constituency inthe 2014 LS polls by margin of1.86 lakh votes.
“I am happy that all myparty workers are with me. My
party workers are my strength.If I am considered a strong can-didate today, it is because of myparty supporters,” Dutt said.
It may be recalled that onJanuary 7, Dutt had announcedthat she would not contest the2019 Lok Sabha polls. “A coupleof months ago, I shared withHon’ble Congress President ShriRahul Gandhi that it was timefor me to take a break fromactive politics... I will not be con-testing the 2019 general elec-tions,” she had said in a detailedstatement issued to the media.
“When I agreed to enterelectoral politics in 2005, I wasclear that I would contest threeterms and step out for a while.There is more to life than poli-tics and I also wanted the free-dom to experience and exploreother aspects of my life too,” Dutthad said in her statement.
Dutt, who was removedfrom the post of AICC secretaryin October last year, had said:“There have been a lot of spec-ulations recently regarding my
contesting the 2019 Lok Sabhaelection, especially after therecent letter from AICC reliev-ing me of my duties as Secretary.Today I would like to makethings clear and express what Ifeel and why”.
“I never envisioned myselfonly being a politician or own-ing the permanent right to be theonly INC contestant from theNorth Central MumbaiParliamentary constituency,” shehad said.
“This constituency neverbelonged to my father, to me, orfor that matter to any one per-son; it belongs to the people whomake it. We come in and arechosen by the people as care-takers and must give opportu-nity for fresh and new ideas,” shehad said. Notwithstanding thepersonal reasons given by hernot to contest the Lok Sabhapolls, Dutt’s reluctance to con-test the polls had reportedlystemmed from her differenceswith current Mumbai Congresspresident Sanjay Nirupam, whofaces the charge of not taking theold timers into confidence whilerunning the city party unit.
Dutt met Congress presi-dent Rahul Gandhi during thelatter’s visit to Mumbai on March1. It was during this meeting,Rahul advised her to contest theelections.
Priya Dutt takes U-turn, says willfight election to save democracy
Ahmedabad: A Gujarat HighCourt judge on Wednesdayrecused himself from hearinga plea of Patidar communityleader Hardik Patel seeking astay on his conviction in a 2015rioting case.
The 25-year-old hadjoined the Congress at a partyrally in Gandhinagar onTuesday and expressed hisdesire to contest the Lok Sabhapolls. "Not before me," JusticeR P Dholaria said while recus-ing himself.
In July last year, a sessionscourt had sentenced Patel totwo years' imprisonment for
rioting and arson in Visnagartown in 2015, when the Patidarquota stir started gainingmomentum in the state.
Due to the conviction bythe court in Mehsana district'sVisnagar, Patel was barredfrom contesting polls, as perthe Supreme Court order.
Therefore, the Patidarleader had moved the highcourt seeking a stay on theconviction. Though the highcourt granted him bail and sus-pended his two-year sentencein August last year, his con-viction was not stayed by thecourt. PTI
Guj HC judge recuses himself fromhearing Hardik's rioting case
TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI
The BJP-Shiv Sena alliancewill launch formally its
campaign for the Lok Sabhaelections in the temple townof Kolhapur in westernMaharashtra on March 24,more than a month after theOpposition-NCP alliance-led“Mahagathbandhan” launchedits campaign for thepolls.
M a h a r a s h t r aChief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis and ShivSena president UddhavThackeray will address a jointrally at Kolhapur on March 24.A decision to this effect wastaken at a meeting betweenFadnavis and Uddhav onTuesday night.
Ahead of the joint rally tobe addressed by Fadnavis, thesecond-rung leaders of the
BJP and Shiv Sena will holdjoint public ral l ies atAmravati, Nagpur,Aurangabad, Nashik, Puneand Navi Mumbai betweenMarch 15 and 18.
The belated launch of itsjoint campaign by the two saf-fron parties is because of thedelay in the formalisation ofseat-sharing arrangement
between the BJPand Shiv Sena.
It may berecalled that after
months of posturing andcovert hard bargaining, theruling BJP and Shiv Sena onFebruary 18 came to a formalundertaking between themon forging an alliance to con-test the forthcoming LokSabha and State Assemblypolls in Maharashtra in thepresence of BJP national pres-ident Amit Shah and Uddhav.
BJP-Sena to start poll campaign from Mar 24
Mumbai: Senior Shiv Senaleader Sanjay Raut onWednesday said his party'salliance with the BJP was apolitical compulsion.
Speaking to a news chan-nel, the Sena's Rajya Sabha MPalso said that no party can winan absolute majority on itsown in the prevailing condi-tion in the country, which iswhy the BJP has to join handswith other parties in everystate.
He said the despite beingan ally, the Sena disagreeswith the BJP on several issues.
"We did not break thealliance in 2014, the BJP did it.
And four years later, the BJPchief had to come to Uddhavji saying we cannot reach therequired figure without yoursupport. Then Uddhav jithought about it and we decid-ed to give them anotherchance," he said.
"We disagree with the BJPon several issues like demon-etisation. Even the RBI was indisagreement because it wasnot in the interest of the coun-try. We will continue to dis-agree on such issues despiteour alliance. Being an allydoes not mean being a servantto them or surrendering beforethem," he added. PTI
Sena's alliance with BJP apolitical compulsion: Raut
LS POLLS
2019
T h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a m :Political parties in Kerala wereon Wednesday asked by the pollauthority to refrain from solic-iting votes in the name of LordAyyappa, the presiding deity ofSabarimala, in the coming polls.
Sabarimala had witnessedfrenzied protests over thewomen's entry issue after theCPI(M)-led LDF governmenthad decided to implement theSeptember 28, 2018 SupremeCourt verdict, allowing womenof all age groups to offer prayersat the hill shrine.
The parties must not usethe name of Lord Ayyappa forsoliciting votes and creatingdisharmony, Chief ElectoralOfficer Teeka Ram Meena toldan all-party meeting here.
"Sabarimala is a religiousplace. If somebody is using thename of a temple or a mosquefor soliciting votes, it is a clearviolation of the model code ofconduct," he said.
Meena said political partiesshould be responsible enoughto decide to what extent theyshould use the Sabarimala issueduring the campaign in theApril 23 Lok Sabha polls.
"I cannot ban any action bya particular political party. Icannot ask any political partynot to use the name of a parti-cilar religious institution.
But if anyone uses any pic-ture, poster, video of any reli-gious institution to solicit votes,it will be considered as an actagainst the model code of con-duct," Meena told mediaper-sons after the meeting.
The ruling Left DemocraticFront, Opposition Congressled United Democratic Frontand BJP took part in the meet-ing.
A political slugfest ensuedafter the poll authority alleged-ly gagged parties from raisingthe Sabarimala issue in the runup to the elections.
The BJP and Congress hadopposed the move, while theruling CPI(M) had backed it.
Meena said he had askedpolitical parties not to use thepictures, videos or statementswhich could create disharmo-ny as it was a violation of themodel code of conduct.
BJP state President P SSreedharan Pillai,who attendedthe meeting, said the CEO hadsaid "the Sabarimala issue mustnot be used to create hatred ordisharmony in society.
But we can use the issuerelated to the stand of the gov-ernment, police, atheists," Pillaitold reporters.
He also said political partiescan discuss Sabarimala duringcampaign in the manner theBabri Masjid, Ayodhya, TripleTalaq issues were being raised.
The BJP chief also said hisparty workers know the 'laksh-man rekha' while campaigningabout the Sabarimala issue inthe state.
The CPI(M), however, saidthe BJP wants to focus on theSabarimala issue alone as theparty lacked any other topic todicuss in the polls.
"We are not against any reli-gious institutions. The BJP,which talks about faith, hadasked the devotees not to giveofferings to devaswom boardtemples, thus paving the way fortheir destruction.
Our focus will be high-lighting the failures of the ModiGovernment at the centre,"CPI(M) leader AnathalavattomAnandan said. PTI
Itanagar: The Income Taxdepartment has deployed 116additional officials across sevenNortheastern States to monitorelection expenditure of candi-dates and flow of black moneyduring the Lok Sabha pollprocess, official sources said onWednesday.
The Principal ChiefCommissioner of Income Tax ofNorth East Region (NER),Kavita Jha, has deputed theadditional manpower of 116 I-T officers and inspectors to theDirectorate of Income Tax(Investigation).
These 116 officials wouldjoin the existing 41 posted in 112districts of the region.
The NER investigation wingon Tuesday issued orders fordeployment of the 157 officialswho will spread over sevenstates - Arunachal Pradesh,Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya,Mizoram, Nagaland and
Tripura, the sources said.Chief Electoral Officers
(CEOs) of these states havebeen officially intimated aboutthe deployment.
"The deployment is underdirections of the ElectionCommission of India (ECI) tothe Central Board of DirectTaxes (CBDT) in a bid to throt-tle the flow of black money toinfluence elections," a sourcesaid.
Lok Sabha elections wouldbe held in various phases inthese seven states beginningApril 11. Of the states,Arunachal Pradesh would alsogo for sumultaneous Assemblypolls on that day.
The IT sleuths would mon-itor movement of large sum ofcash or other items suspected tobe used for bribing voters andconduct independent enquiryfollowing information or com-plaint against any person.
They would also verify affi-davits declaring assets and lia-bilities filed by the candidatesbesides their election relatedexpenses.
"Banks are also required topass on information about with-drawal of more than Rs 10 lakhto the nodal officer of theDirectorate, SubhrajyotiBhattacharjee, additional direc-tor of Income Tax(Investigation), NER," the sourcesaid. The Directorate has alsoactivated Air Intelligence Unitsat all airports in the Northeastand would monitor movementof cash or valuables.
State authorities and policeare also required to report move-ment of suspicious cash to the I-T authorities. Principal Directorof Income Tax (Investigation) forNER, Sanjay Bahadur has issuedinstructions for heightened sur-veillance and intelligence gath-ering during elections. PTI
Parties cannot seekvotes in the name ofLord Ayyappa: CEO
Patna: Former Bihar chief min-ister Jitan Ram Manjhi onWednesday said he was infavour of Congress presidentRahul Gandhi becoming thenext prime minister in theevent of opposition"Mahagathbandhan" coming topower after the Lok Sabhapolls.
Before leaving for NewDelhi, where he is scheduled totake part in deliberations onseat-sharing among the con-stituents of Bihar GrandAlliance, the Hindustani AwamMorcha (HAM) president dis-missed reports that his partywas likely to get only "one ortwo" seats in the state, whichhas 40 Lok Sabha constituen-cies.
"The NDA has made it
clear that it would contest thepolls with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi as its face. TheMahagathbandhan or the UPA,call it by whatever name, madeno such announcement sincethere is a general consensus thatit should be decided after polls.
"This has not been withoutprecedence. Elections are oftenfought without parties oralliances projecting a face. Butif you ask me about my per-sonal opinion, I feel that RahulGandhi should take the topjob," Manjhi told reportershere.
His statement could beseen as a move to placate theCongress, after having ruffledmany feathers in the party withhis recent claim that his four-year-old outfit had a following
greater than that of the nation-al party and, as such, deservedto get a share in the Lok Sabhapolls.
The former Bihar chiefminister, however, dismissedreports which have suggestedthat his party was unlikely to getmore than two seats, saying "alltop leaders of theMahagathbandhan are yet to sitacross the table. Speculations atthis stage are no better than awild guess". "This is the firsttime when we will discuss ourrequirements before the topleadership of the Congress. I donot know whether RahulGandhi will be present at any ofthe meetings. May be he will. Ifnot, AICC in-charge ShaktisinhGohil will certainly be there,"Manjhi said. PTI
Vadodara: A footpath-dweller inGujarat's Vadodara allegedly tiedthe leg of her toddler daughterwith a rope in a bid to preventher from rushing onto the roadso that she can enjoy her after-noon nap, the act which broughther under police scrutiny.
The nomad woman, hold-ing one end of the rope in herhand and tying another to thefoot of the girl, was spotted onthe footpath near an apartmenton Jetalpur road here on March10, police said on Wednesday.
An activist from the cityclicked their photos and post-ed them on the social media,inviting attention of an NGOwhose members visited thespot and questionned thewoman about her act. PTI
Footpath woman
ties toddler's
leg with rope to
enjoy siesta
I want Rahul Gandhi to
become next PM: Manjhi
Ajmer (Raj): Accusing theModi Government of "politi-cising" actions of defenceforces , R ajasthan ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot onWednesday claimed 15 sur-gical strikes took place dur-ing the Congress rule, but thethen dispensation nevertalked about it.
He said former primeministers Jawaharlal Nehruand Indira Gandhi had madehuge contributions for thenation, but the Modi gov-ernment has never high-lighted the same and insteaddefamed the Gandhi family.
"The countrymen areinnocent. They think thatPrime Minister NarendraModi got the surgical strikes
done, but 15 surgical strikeshave taken place earlier.Under the Congress rule,surgical strikes took place15 times, but it was never saidthat such action has takenplace," Gehlot told reportershere.
He said it was not a stan-dard thing (on part of thegovernment) to highlightsuch developments.
"Modi became the primeminister and satellites werelaunched by ISRO, but it waspresented as if the satelliteswere launched only in hisrule. It took years for formerprime minister Indira Gandhito make ISRO and hundredsof satellites were launched,"the Congress leader said. PTI
116 additional I-T officers deployedin poll-bound Northeastern States
Jaipur: Six people, including acouple, were killed and fourinjured in two separate roadaccidents in Rajasthan onWednesday, police said.
A speeding pick-up van fellinto a road-side pit inPipalkhunt area of Pratapgarhdistrict killing four members ofa family. Three others wereinjured in the incident, they said.
The deceased were identi-fied as Shamim Ahmad (55), hiswife Sadikul Nisha (50), theirdaughters Khushi (13) and Kaif(11).
In Chittorgarh district, adumper hit a motorcycle leavingRamlal Jat (55) and KannuSuthar (15) dead on the spot.Another man who was travellingwith them on the motorcyclewas injured, police said. PTI
6 killed in
two road
accidents in
Rajasthan
15 surgical strikestook place under Cong rule: Gehlot
LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019 nation 07
PNS n NEW DELHI
Even as Pakistan has so fardenied that its F-16 was
shot down on February 27 byIndia, Defence MinisterNirmala Sitharaman said theIndian forces know the identi-ty of the Pakistani pilot. His F-16 was hit by WingCommander AbhinandanVarthaman’s Mig-21 Bison onthat day.
The Pakistani pilot waskilled after he was reportedlybeaten up by locals when heejected and landed in PakistanOccupied Kashmir (POK) in acase of mistaken identity. Thepilot reportedly later died in thehospital. However, Pakistancontinues to deny the twin lossof F-16 or its pilot.
Making this assertion dur-ing a security conclave hostedby a private television channelon Tuesday, Sitharaman hadsaid the Indian military knows the identity of thePakistani pilot but refrainedfrom giving details.
She said Pakistan will notadmit to the twin losses of itsF-16 het and the pilot just likeit never admitted the “sacri-fices” of its regular soldiers dur-ing the 1999 Kargil war. She
also questioned as to whyPakistan did not allow mediaaccess the terrorist trainingcamps targeted by the IAF inBalakot on February 26. Sheraised this query as claimsacross the border were raisedby the strikes and only a fewtrees were hit.
Fielding queries aboutAbhinandan’s well being, whowas released two days after hewas captured by Pakistan whenhe ejected and landed in POKon February 27, she said thepilot’s josh was high when shemet at the hospital here.
She lauded the bravery ofthe IAF pilot and said he was tortured.
He reportedly underwentacute mental harassment in thePakistan Army’s custody.Sitharaman said the IAF pilotshowed “admirable courageand patience.”
She also said Abhinandanis not negative for goingthrough the mental torture.
When what Abhinandanfelt asked about the dogfightbetween India and Pakistan,Sitharaman said he was cool-headed and maintains that hewas just doing his duty. Hebore no malice againstPakistan.
New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Wednesday pulled upthe Assam Government fornot being sincere enough indeporting illegal migrants fromthe State, observing the situa-tion has gone too far andbecome a joke.
The apex court gave vent toits ire while dealing with the
functioning of the foreignerstribunals and the problem of“external aggression” faced bythe state due to influx of illegalmigrants. A Bench of ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi and jus-tices Deepak Gupta and SanjivKhanna also questioned theAssam Government whetherthe foreigners tribunals and the
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on clarified its last year orderon police reforms and said officers who have a minimum of sixmonths tenure left in service can be considered for the post ofDirector General of Police (DGP). A Bench headed by ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi said the recommendation for post of DGPby the Union Public Service Commission and preparation of theappointment panel should be purely on the basis of merit.
The apex court passed the verdict on a modification plea filedby former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh. PTI
PTI n NEW DELHI
The Congress on Wednesdayreleased its second list of 21
candidates for the Lok Sabhaelections, fielding party’s UttarPradesh unit chief Raj Babbarfrom Moradabad, formerUnion Minister SriprakashJaiswal from Kanpur, ex-Homeminister Sushil Kumar Shindefrom Solapur and Priya Duttfrom Mumbai North-Central.
The second list has named16 candidates from UttarPradesh and five fromMaharashtra.
Other significant namesinclude Kisan Congress chiefNana Patole from Nagpur, for-mer Union minister MilindDeora from Mumbai South,Sanjay Singh from Sultanpurand Savitri Phule, who joined
the party after quitting BJP justdays earlier, from Bahraich(SC). There could be a contestbetween Patole and NitinGadkari in Nagpur, from wherethe Union Minister is the sit-ting MP.
With this, the Congress hasdeclared 27 candidates from
the electorally-crucial UttarPradesh. Significantly, the partyhas fielded Phule fromBahraich, Rakesh Sachan fromFatehpur, Kaisar Jahan fromSitapurm, and Omwati DeviJatav from Nagina, just daysafter they joined the Congress.
The party has also former
UP Minister Zafar Ali Naqvifrom Kheri and former UPChief Minister KamlapatiTripathi’s grandson LaliteshPati Tripathi from Mirzapur.
Others from UP named inthe list are — Manjari Rahifrom Misrikh (SC),Ramashankar Bhargava from
Mohanlalganj (SC), RatnaSingh from Pratapgarh, ParvezKhan from Sant Kabir Nagar,Kush Saurabh from Basgaon(SC), Pankaj Mohan Sonkarfrom Lalganj (SC), andBhagwati Prasad Choudharyfrom Robertsganj (SC).
Actor-turned politician RajBabbar, who had lost fromGhaziabad in the last LokSabha elections, will be con-testing from Moradabad for thefirst time.
Interestingly, Priya Dutt, aformer MP, had earlierannounced that she will notcontest the polls and had written to Gandhi, whoreportedly asked her to fightthe election.
Namdev Dalluji Usendiwill contest from Gadchirolli-Chimur, Maharashtra.
Raj Babbar, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Priya Dutt among 16 probables from UP, Maha
New Delhi: Air India announced itis suspending its flights on Delhi-Madrid and Delhi-Birminghamroutes from March 16 till furthernotice due to “operational reasons”.
As Pakistan has kept itsairspace closed since February 26due to the Balakot air strike byIndian air force, Air India’sexpenditure on flights to Europeand the US have significantlyincreased. In a tweet, the nationalcarrier said, “Due to operationalreasons, the following Air Indiaflights are suspended with effectfrom March 16, 2019, till furthernotice.” The airline then said thatAI135 Delhi-Madrid flight andAI136 Madrid-Delhi flight would besuspended. PTI
New Delhi: The SC has askedthe Delhi Government toexplain as to why the electric-ity connection of only 692industrial units, running ille-gally in residential and non-conforming areas, was dis-connected when it was statedearlier that around 30,000 suchunits had been closed down. ABench of Justices Arun Mishraand Deepak Gupta observed itappeared figure given earlierwas of 30,000 industrial unitswhich were stated to havebeen closed down by authori-ties. PTI
LS polls: Cong announces 2nd list
KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n CHENNAI
In a late night development onTuesday, the Tamil Nadu
government transferred theinvestigation of the PollachiSex Scandal to the CBI.Though the government hadentrusted the investigation tothe Crime Branch-CriminalInvestigation Department, itdecided to handover the probeto the central agency followingwidespread outcry and demandfrom various political parties.
Tamil Nadu Police hadarrested four persons alleged tobe the kingpins behind thescandal in which hundreds ofwomen and girl students fromvarious parts of the State weretrapped by the accused fromsocial media sites and luredwith offers of marriage. Thevictims were subjected to abuseand were filmed by the preda-tors . The video clippings wereused by the accused for black-mailing the victims and extort-ing money from them.
“This is a criminal case inwhich the ruling party mem-bers from south west TamilNadu too figure. More than 200women have been trapped bythe flesh traders,” charged M KStalin, president of the DMKwhile addressing the electionrally of the UPA at Nagercoil inKanyakumari district onWednesday.
Meanwhile PollachiJayaraman, deputy speaker,Tamil Nadu LegislativeAssembly, approached the elec-tion Commission alleging thatthe the DMK and other oppo-sition parties were dragging hisname into the controversy withan eye on the Lok Sabha polls.
Air India suspends Delhi-Madrid, Delhi-Birminghamflights from March 16
India aware of identity ofPak F16 pilot: Sitharaman
BJP wins NE poll...From Page 1
Three AGP Ministers --Atul Bora, Keshab Mahantaand Phani Bhusan Choudhury-- took charge of their oldrespective departments afterChief Minister SarbanandaSonowal, who had not accept-ed their resignation letters,invited the AGP to join theGovernment.
The AGP-BJP alliance forthe Lok Sabha poll was ham-mered out in a meeting herebetween BJP national generalsecretary Ram Madhav, AGPpresident Atul Bora, NEDAconvener Himanta BiswaSarma and BJP State PresidentRanjit Kumar Dass, along withothers, that ended past mid-night. “After discussion, BJPand AGP have decided to worktogether in the comingParliament election in Assamto defeat Congress,” Madhavhad said on Twitter.
“Announced it at Guwahatiin d presence of Himanta BiswaSarma of BJP and Atul Boraand Keshav Mahanta of AGP.BPF will be d 3rd partner in dalliance,” he tweeted.
Assam Finance MinisterHimanta Biswa Sarma said the
seat sharing agreementbetween the three parties hasbeen finalised and a formalannouncement will be made onMarch 16 from New Delhiafter a meeting with BJP chiefAmit Shah.
The Bodoland People’sFront (BPF) had on Tuesdayannounced its MLA and StateCabinet Minister Pramila RaniBrahma as the only candidatefor the Lok Sabha polls fromthe sensitive Kokrajhar seat.
Talking to reporters aftersealing the alliance, Bora saidboth the former allies hadjoined hands again to “defeatthe Congress”. On January 7this year, the AGP had with-drawn its support to the BJPGovernment in Assam inprotest against the Centre’sdecision to go ahead with theCitizenship (Amendment) Bill.
At a joint media addressafter the meeting, Sarma, Boraand Dass said the two partieswill resolve their differencesover the Bill by consultationand consensus.
“The two parties decidedthat as the new Citizenship Billwill come in the new LokSabha and both BJP and AGPwill get time, the two partnerswill discuss how to sort out the
differences and safeguard theinterest of Assam. As of today,the BJP is firm in its stand andwe do not want the AGP alsoto change their position. Wewill discuss it in the next twomonths,” Sarma said.
“Our stand on theCitizenship (Amendment) Billremains the same since the JanaSangh days and there is noneed to review it. The people ofAssam and India know what isthe stand of the BJP on the Bill,”he added. Bora too said thatthere were some issues andthose would be sorted out ami-cably through discussion.
“We now fully convincedthat the three parties will beable to defeat the Congress inthe election. In the comingdays, the misunderstandingand the clash over theCitizenship Bill will be resolvedthrough consultation and con-sensus... We kept our commit-ment and now there is no Bill,”he added.
Asked about the chargedanimosity between groundworkers of two parties in the lasttwo months, Sarma said: “Thereare difficulties as the AGP andthe BJP fought separately in thepanchayat polls. There is astrain in our relation during the
last two months, but we have acommon a goal to defeatCongress.” He added that Dassand Bora will jointly address theworkers of the BJP and the AGPat various places in Assam fromThursday.
“I think that the two lead-ers’ presence will motivate theground level workers in the dis-tricts and we will be successful.There are of course problemsand we have discussed it,”Sarma said, without elaborat-ing further.
The senior BJP leaderasserted that the people ofAssam gave their mandate to allthe three parties of the alliancein 2016 and there should not beany issues on that. “We willcomplete this term smoothly.From now on, BJP State pres-ident Ranjeet Dass and AGPpresident Atul Bora will holdfrequent talks to avoid anydifferences. We have reached afirm conclusion that we have torun the Government and givea very good governance to thepeople,” Sarma said.
Talking about Tuesdaynight’s meeting, Dass said theywere given the example of theShiv Sena and the BJP formingan alliance despite havingsevere differences.
“Here in Assam, we don’thave any clash. It was just anideological issue regarding theCitizenship Bill. We will settleour differences over CABthrough dialogue in comingdays... We will for sure win 12seats,” he added. On Mondaynight, the AGP MLAs hadheld a discussion over realign-ing with the BJP, but the meet-ing remained inconclusive.They went into a huddle againon Tuesday night and decidedto go ahead with the alliance.
The AGP was bitterly criti-cal of Prime Minister NarendraModi over the Citizenship Billthat sought to grant Indian citi-zenship to various non-Muslimminorities from Bangladesh,Afghanistan and Pakistan, whofled religious persecution intheir countries, after six years ofresidence in India even if theydid not possess any documen-tary proof. The AGP called it a“communal” piece of legislationaimed at settling BangladeshiHindus in Assam which, itclaimed, was detrimental to theinterests of the indigenous peo-ple. The BJP-AGP-BPF alliancehad defeated the Congress in the2016 assembly polls, bringing toan end its unbroken stint of 15years in power.
Rafale paper...
From Page 1“These matters are now a
subject of an internal enquirywhich has commenced onFebruary 28 and it is current-ly in progress. In particular, itis of utmost concern to theCentral Government to findout where the leakage tookplace so that in future thesanctity of decision makingprocess in governance is main-tained,” said the affidavit, whichwill come up for perusal beforethe apex court on Thursday.
The review pleas were filedagainst the December 14 ver-dict dismissing all the pleasagainst the deal procured byIndia from France. TheCentre asserted that Sinha,Shourie and Bhushan are using“unauthorisedly accessed doc-uments” with the intention topresent a selective and incom-plete picture of internal secretdeliberations on a matter relat-ing to national security anddefence and have been used bythem with an intention to mis-lead the court.
“The documents present-ed by the petitioners are failingto bring out how the issueswere addressed and resolvedand necessary approvals of thecompetent authorities taken.The selective and incompletepresentation of the facts andrecords by the petitioners areintended to mislead this courtinto deriving wrong conclu-sions which is very damagingto National Security and pub-lic interest,” it said.
It said that documentsrelied in petition belong to aclass “in which the Governmentof India is entitled to claim priv-ilege under Section 123, 124 ofthe Indian Evidence Act”.Section 123 states that no one
should be permitted to give anyevidence derived from unpub-lished official records relating toany affairs of the State, exceptwith the permission of the offi-cer at the head of the depart-ment concerned, who shall giveor withhold such permission ashe thinks fit.
Section 124 states no pub-lic officer should be compelledto disclose communicationsmade to him in official confi-dence, when he considers thatthe public interests would suf-fer by the disclosure.
The affidavit said the doc-uments unauthorisedly pro-duced by petitioners areexempt from disclosure underRight to Information Act andas such petitioners have noauthority whatsoever to pro-duce it “before the court with-out the explicit permission ofthe Government of India,Ministry of Defence”.
The Centre said since theyhave illegally and unauthorisedlyproduced the privileged docu-ments, it has become imperativeto seek the removal of thesepapers from the court record.The Government on March 6hearing had also threatenedThe Hindu newspaper with theOfficial Secrets Act for publish-ing articles based on them andalso contempt of court. Violationof the Act, entails maximumpunishment of up to 14 years,while the contempt law attractssix months jail as also a fine ofRs 2,000. The Hindu publishinggroup Chairman N Ram onMarch 6 had said nobody wouldget any information from thenewspaper on the confidentialsources who provided the doc-uments. Ram had said thosedocuments were published inpublic interest as the details ofthe Rafale deal were withheld orcovered up.
From Page 1Slamming the BJP for urg-
ing the poll panel to declareWest Bengal “super sensitiveState”, Chief Minister and TMCsupremo Mamata Banerjee onWednesday alleged the saffronparty was trying to hide behindCentral forces as it can’t winany seat in the State.
“What is the reason behinddemanding that all booths bedeclared sensitive in the State?This is an insult to the peopleof Bengal.
The BJP can’t win a singleseat in West Bengal. That iswhy they are trying to hidebehind the Central forces,”Banerjee told reporters inKolkata. Mockingly advisingthe BJP to deploy one para-mil-itary personnel behind everyvoter, she said even then theTMC will emerge victorious inall the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the
State.“How are they preparing
the list of sensitive booths?Since we are fighting (BJPpresident) Amit Shah and(Prime Minister) NarendraModi, Bengal is being targeted.The Election Commissionshould act impartially,” theTrinamool Congress chief said.
On the BJP’s demand that amedia observer be appointed forBengal, Banerjee alleged that itis the saffron party that is try-ing to control the media at thenational level. “Never ever theTMC has tried to control themedia. The media is free andfair in Bengal. The demand forappointing a media observer isactually an insult to the peopleof the State,” she said.
The BJP is spreading fakenews in the State and across thecountry, the Chief Ministeralleged.
BJP wants EC to declare Bengal...
Bihar grand alliance
amorphous
From Page 1Other candidates from
Maharashtra include formerUnion Minister SriprakashJaiswal from Kanpur and sittingMP Savitri Phule, who recent-ly quit the BJP and joined theCongress.
Present in the Bihar seat-sharing meeting were RJDleader Tejaswai Yadav, CongressBihar General SecretaryShaktisinh Govil, HAM presi-dent Jitan Ram Majhi, VIPchief Mukesh Sahni and RLSP
supremo Upendra Kushwaha. The Congress second list of
Uttar Pradesh includes seniorleaders Raj Babbar. Babbar hadwon against Dimple Yadav, thewife of Samajwadi Party chiefAkhilesh Yadav in the by-elec-tion to the Firozabad seat in2009. But in the 2014 generalelections, he lost to VK Singhfrom Ghaziabad.
With this, the Congress hasdeclared 27 candidates from theelectorally-crucial Uttar Pradesh.The other significant namesinclude Kisan Congress chiefNana Patole from Nagpur andformer Union minister MilindDeora from Mumbai South.
The other key names in theCongress second list includetwo new entrants to the party.BJP rebel Savitri Bai Phulewould be contesting fromBahraich, the seat she won in2014. Kaiser Jahan, who rep-resented Sitapur in the LokSabha in 2009, has been field-ed from the same seat, whichshe lost to the BJP’s RajeshVerma in 2014. Jahan, who atthe time was with Mayawati’sBahujan Samaj Party, joined theCongress after her expulsion.
Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, ayoung leader seen as close toPriyanka Gandhi Vadra, is con-testing from Mirzapur. Tripathi
was a Congress legislator since2012, who lost the 2017Assembly election in which theBJP had a resounding victory.
Left out of the alliance, theCongress is contesting all 80seats. The party also plans tobuild its base in the State,where it has been in a shamblessince the 2014 elections.Congress chief Rahul made itclear that his sister Priyanka,who was inducted into activepolitics last month, has beentasked with building up theparty from the grassroot level.So is Jyotiraditya Scindia, whohas been put in charge of west-ern Uttar Pradesh.
Apex court says it has ‘become a joke’
Cops having min 6 months tenure leftshould be considered for DGP post: SC
SC pulls up Assam Govt for not beingsincere enough in deporting illegal migrants
Srinagar: Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman MirwaizUmar Farooq was willing to cooperate with any investigation, butaccusing him of terror funding was “ridiculous and political vendet-ta”, its former chairman and executive member Abdul Gani Bhatsaid on Wednesday. The Hurriyat Wednesday held an emergencymeeting at party headquarters in Rajbagh here where it discussedthe present political scenario, especially the summoning of its chair-man to Delhi by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). PTI
CBI to investigate
Pollachi sex scandal
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq ready to cooperate withprobe but don’t accuse him of terror funding: Bhat
Priya Dutt Raj Babbar Sriparakash Jaiswal
PNS n JAMMU
A37 year old civilian wasshot dead in cold blood
by terrorists outside his houseat Pinglina village in southKashmir’s Pulwama districton Wednesday.
His gruesome killing sentshock waves in the entireneighbourhood after initialreports claimed that the ter-rorists had gunned down anarmy jawan, currently visitinghis home, on leave.
The deceased, identifiedas Showkat Ahmed Naik, sonof Mohd Yousuf Naik, was
declared a deserter by theArmy in September 2018after he failed to turn up aftertaking a three day leave.
Showkat,according tosources, was enrolled in theTerritorial Army on January15 last year and went toJammu & Kashmir LightInfantry on March 21.
"He went on three daysleave on September 14 andnever returned. Followingthis, he was declared a desert-er on September 17". Armyinformed that he was techni-cally a civilian after beingdeclared a deserter.
Civilian shot dead
by terrorists in
J&K’s pulwama
Guwahati: The OppositionCongress and organisationsopposed to the Citizenship Billcriticised the Asom GanaParishad (AGP) on Wednesday,saying it had betrayed the peo-ple of Assam by realigningwith the BJP just before the LokSabha polls for its greed forpower.
The Congress, the AllAssam Students' Union(AASU) and the Krishak MuktiSangram Samiti (KMSS) saidthe AGP owed an answer thepeople on its stand on theCitizenship (Amendment) Bill,and vowed to continue theirmovement against it.
The AGP had severed tieswith the BJP-led Governmentin Assam in January to protestthe Centre's decision to goensure the controversial bill'spassage in the Lok Sabha.
However, the bill, whichseeks to provide Indian citi-zenship to non-Muslims fromBangladesh, Pakistan andAfghanistan after six years ofresidence in India, could not bepassed in the Rajya Sabha. It isset to lapse on June 3 when theterm of the present Lok Sabhaends.
The alliance was finalisedin a meeting on Tuesdayamong BJP general secretary
The alliance was
finalised in a meeting
on Tuesday among
BJP general
secretary Ram
Madhav, AGP
president Atul Bora
and others that
ended post midnight
Greed for power behindAGP's move: Congress
Kolkata: Trinamool Congressleader and former Kolkata mayorSovan Chatterjee on Wednesdaydenied reports that he is joiningthe BJP and asserted that canardswere being spread against him bya quarter. "I received no offerfrom any political party to join tillnow. These reports are baselessand I don't want to even react tothem. But I am really hurt theway canards are being spreadagainst me deliberately,"Chatterjee said.
Ex-Kolkata Mayordenies reports
Bengaluru: The Congress willcontest 20 seats and JD(S) eightin the Lok Sabha polls inKarnataka under a deal finalisedby the two ruling coalition part-ners on Wednesday after weeksof haggling.
The deal was hammered outat a meeting between Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi andJD(S) secretary general DanishAli at Kochi in Kerala thisevening, the JDS said.
The Lok Sabha constituen-cies that JD(S) will contest areUttara Kannada,Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga,Tumkur, Hassan, Mandya,Bengaluru North andVijayapura.
JD(S) tweeted about theconstituencies from where itscandidates will be contestingfrom, on its official twitter han-dle.
"@INCIndia @JanataDal_Sseat sharing for Karnataka#LokSabhaPolls2019 is con-firmed. 20 for Congress and 8for JDS," Karnataka PradeshCongress President DineshGundu Rao said.
JD(S) had won Hassan andMandya Lok Sabha seats in the2014 general election. TheCongress had bagged nine andBJP 17. However in the bypolls,the BJP had yielded the Bellaryseat to Congress.
During a recent meetingwith Rahul Gandhi at NewDelhi, JD(S) supremo H D DeveGowda had scaled down hisparty's demand and asked thenational party to allot at least 10out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats.
The JD(S) had earlierdemanded that it be given 12seats to contest, banking on two-third, one-third formula adopt-ed in ministry formation andallocation of posts of heads ofstate-run boards and corpora-tions.
According to party sources,JD(S) bagged Tumkur seat aftera hard bargain as the grand oldparty had decided not to cedethe constituencies where theparty has a sitting MP to theregional partner. PTI
JD(S), Congclinch deal
Ram Madhav, AGP presidentAtul Bora and others thatended post midnight.
Leader of Opposition inAssam Assembly DebabrataSaikia of the Congress said theAGP has "shamelessly" joinedhands with the saffron party,knowing well that the bill willbe enacted if the BJP retainspower at the Centre.
"The greed for power pre-vailed over the responsibilitiesof the AGP. By joining handswith the BJP once again, theparty betrayed the people ofAssam," Saikia said.
The bill, if enacted, willnullify the Assam Accord,which was also signed byleaders of the AGP, but theparty is "not bothered aboutsuch crucial factors", he toldreporters.
Clause 6 of the AssamAccord of 1985 seeks to provideconstitutional, legislative andadministrative safeguards toprotect, preserve and promotethe cultural, social, linguisticidentity and heritage of theAssamese people.
"In my opinion, this is themost repulsive instance ofopportunism and hypocrisy inpolitics," Saikia said.
The Congress, on the otherhand, has stayed true to theinterests of the people of Assamby playing a pivotal role inthwarting the bill in the RajyaSabha, he claimed.
"I am confident that thepeople of Assam will give abefitting reply to the unholyalliance," he added.
With the country approaching theGeneral Elections, one rarelycomes across good news.
However, the “transformative” reforms,soon to be undertaken by the Ministry ofDefence, are an encouraging sign that a fewthings in India are changing. According toPTI, the idea is “to make the 1.3 million-strong force leaner and meaner as well asenhance its combat capabilities.”
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharamanhas approved the first batch of reforms,which include relocation of 229 officersfrom the Army headquarters to operationalpostings, reorganisation of the ArmyHeadquarters and the setting up of newwings for vigilance and human rightsissues. Particularly interesting is the creationof a post of Deputy Chief of the Army Staff(Strategy) or DCOAS, which will deal withmilitary operations, military intelligenceand operational logistics. Then there willbe a new information warfare wing “inkeeping with the needs of the future bat-tlefield, hybrid warfare and social mediareality.”
The Modi sarkar finally realised that thewar of tomorrow will be “hybrid”— “unre-stricted warfare” in Chinese terminology —and primarily needs a change of mindset.The Chinese understood this long back. In2003, China’s Central Military Commissionapproved the concept of “Three Warfares”— one, the coordinated use of strategic psy-chological operations; two, overt and covertmedia manipulation; and three, legal war-fare designed to manipulate strategies,defence policies and perceptions of the tar-get audience abroad.
Further, on November 23, 2015,Chinese President Xi Jinping announced anew plan to completely change the face ofthe People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Apartfrom the three traditional Services (GroundForces, Air Force and Navy), a Rocket Forceand more importantly a Strategic SupportForce were set up.
Remember the Doklam incident of2017, where India won a battle on the ridgein western Bhutan by not allowing Chinato change the status quo and build a strate-gic road near the trijunction betweenSikkim, Tibet and Bhutan? But Delhi lostanother battle. That of the legitimacy of itsclaim. While everyone in India applaudedthe forces, which prevented the construc-tion of the road, Delhi was unable to artic-ulate the background of the standoffalthough it had strong legal and historicalarguments. At the same time, the Chineserepeatedly quoted a 1890 Conventionbetween Great Britain and the Manchus.The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministryof Foreign Affairs in Beijing vociferouslymanaged to convince the Indian mediaposted in Beijing that it was a valid basisfor the Chinese action at the trijunction.
The fact that in 1890, the main stake-holders, Tibet and Sikkim and Bhutan, were
not even consulted, made it an“unequal” treaty without valid-ity (in any case, the survey ofthe trijunction was done onlyseveral decades after the agree-ment was signed).
The Convention of 1890proved to be of no use to theBritish as Tibet never recog-nised it; this eventually ledLondon to directly “deal” withLhasa, send the Younghusbandexpedition there in 1904 andopen the doors to the tripartiteSimla Convention betweenBritish India, Tibet and Chinasitting on an equal footing in1914. Since India did not objectto the argument behind the1890 Convention, it meant thatthe subsequent treaties signedwith the Tibetans, particularlythe Simla Convention and theborder agreement (defining theMcMahon Line) in 1914 wouldhave no validity; as a resultIndia would lose its definedborder in the Northeast.
The main factor which hasled to losing the battle of infor-mation is the lack of a HistoricalDivision in the Ministry ofExternal Affairs (MEA). Whilethe Ministry of Defence getsready to undertake boldreforms, the MEA seems lethar-gic (at least for an external eye).It is difficult indeed to imaginetoday the MEA looking at itsfailure and taking initiative toreform its functioning; it seemsbeyond the capacity of themandarins of South Block.
In May 2016, a parliamen-tary committee on foreignaffairs had suggested expanding
the manpower in the IndianForeign Service (IFS), provid-ing lateral entry into the IFS andorganising a separate exam forthe service. All this is fine, butwhat about reviving the defunctHistorical Division?
How can a modern State,which wants to be a “GreatPower,” function without aHistorical Division to whichthese types of issues (such as thehistorical background of the tri-junction) can be referred forclarifications and advice, isbeyond comprehension.
In the early years afterIndependence, the Nehru gov-ernment established aHistorical Division with S.Gopal (President SarvapalliRadhakrishnan’s son) as its firsthead. Shivshankar Menon, aformer foreign secretary andnational security advisor, in abook review of Gopal’s CollectedEssays explained: “For reasonsI find incredible and incompre-hensible, the Historical Divisionwas wound up by the MEA inthe nineties … some of our pre-sent difficulties may indeed bedue to a lack of memory.”Today, the MEA has just aBoundary Cell headed by aLieutenant Colonel, while itshould be looked by a JointSecretary-rank officer (or maybe a Major General with inti-mate ground knowledge of theboundary).
Why was the HistoricalDivision closed in the firstplace? It seems that in the1990s, an all-knowing diplomatbelieved that it was not neces-
sary. Is there a resource basetoday with the will and thecapacity to tackle such a thornyissue today?
For the Ministry ofDefence, the best would be toforget about the MEA andreorganise itself to bring togeth-er all historical records in awell-organised manner (a placewhere documents would beavailable when required foroperations, public informationor other purposes), while keep-ing a strict classificationprocess.
To keep these records, theMinistry would have to employa team of professional histori-ans, recruited through lateralentry and who would be giventhe necessary security clearance(with the punishment it entailsif the rules are bent …for illic-it photocopies for journalists“seeking the truth”). This movewould allow a centralisation ofall the historical records kept indifferent MOD departments.The Directorate of History andRecords (or whatever namethe Office is given) would makehistorical documents or notesavailable to the DCOAS(Strategy) or any other officerrequiring them.
It would have an addedadvantage, the MEA may beable to wake up and decide torecreate its Historical Division.This “reform” could greatlyenhance the capacity of thedefence forces to fight thehybrid war of tomorrow.
(The writer is an expert onIndia-China relations)
Which is the biggest problem that the
next government that will take power
by the end of May face? This is a mul-
tiple-choice question unfortunately. Will it be
the precarious situation on the border with
Pakistan? Will it be the massive trade deficit
with China? Will it be the state of the Indian
environment? Or the crisis in Indian agricul-
ture? And lastly, could it be that of mass youth
unemployment? No matter what happens in
the elections and whosoever gets the hot seat,
the next government will have its hands full
the day it is sworn into office. The last two crises are the most pressing ones
though, because they directly impact the mood of voters and are interlinked.
The agrarian crisis is at a level born out of modern farming and food chains,
which have made land more productive and subsistence farming even more mar-
ginal. As a result, more and more young people, the children of farmers and
farm labourers, want to enter the workforce but find far too few jobs compati-
ble with their skill set. At the same time, increasing levels of manufacturing and
software automation are causing job numbers to shrink further.
While Opposition politicians will use these numbers as a stick to beat up
their rivals in power, they should realise one important fact. This is not a crisis
unique to India, youth unemployment is off the charts in many countries across
the world, in developed and developing economies. Fixing this will not just take
a national effort but a coordinated global push. And innovative new solutions
will have to be found. For example, should a “Universal Basic Income”, like that
initiated by Finland, be followed? The rationale is that if people know that they
are getting a decent level of income, they can focus their energies on doing some-
thing creative and economically worthwhile. But the question arises whether India
can afford such a scheme? The other crucial fact that is becoming increasing-
ly clear in some of the job surveys that have been released is the fact that India’s
higher education system is also broken. Many young men and women have
qualifications but cannot get jobs, in no small part due to their qualifications not
being worth the paper they are printed on. Poor language and social skills are
the biggest problem of all. In many other parts of the world, such as in France,
the issues around youth unemployment have driven thousands of people on to
the streets. India has so far been spared mass protests and while election sea-
son will pass off peacefully, the fact is that by May-end India will have another
batch of freshly-minted graduates with fancy degrees but with few jobs. How
long can any government keep them off the streets? And the problem is men-
acing. India’s unemployment rate rose to 7.2 per cent last month, up from 5.9
per cent in February 2018, according to data compiled by CMIE.
Now that poll rhetoric dominates news
and views spaces, three women lead-
ers attempted to reset the agenda of the
General Elections and rewire priorities with their
forceful and impactful stands — Congress gen-
eral secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata
Banerjee. Priyanka sounded the poll bugle from
Gujarat, the home turf of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, in an impassioned speech on
the state of the nation that is being poisoned
insidiously with hatred, the institutions where democratic processes are being
undermined, the real issues of livelihood that are being subverted to realise the
obsession with giganticism and how the awareness of the simple power of choice
could help the voter rewrite his/her own destiny. One is left wondering why Priyanka,
who has effortless magnetism, charisma, oratory skill and charm, is not used
more frequently and visibly by the Congress now that roadshows have picked
up steam. Her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi may have worked
the cadres, led them through electoral tests and stabilised the party but it is Priyanka
who can rouse the masses with equal non-chalance and determination. In Gujarat,
she proved how she could take on Modi in the optics department, counter his
abrasive muscularity with a quiet grace — she did not once name Modi but attacked
his brand of divisive politics — and energise her grassroots workers in a state
that Rahul claimed as his moral victory during the Assembly elections. Choosing
to wear a tricolour wristband, she packed a fistful of intentions that would metaphor-
ically be a counter to the BJP’s fury over Pulwama and Balakot. In fact, she neu-
tralised the bigness of Modi’s image as a deliverer by putting back the sordid-
ness of joblessness, women’s rights and farmers’ plight on the agenda. She even
mentioned the sacrifices of everybody in nation-building, subsuming the Pulwama-
Balakot high as part of collective martyrdom and inspiration and eased her way
as a strategic counter-weight in the debate on the priorities of the new Lok Sabha.
She made social harmony saleable. And she stayed away from Rafale, know-
ing that issue wouldn’t sell any longer and immediately question the Congress’
priorities on the country’s defence needs. If she continues to do this frequent-
ly, electioneering would not seem a one-sided affair or a pointless bluster.
Of course, what Priyanka could not do was change Mayawati’s mind with
her discourse. The BSP leader has disallowed any respectable accommodation
of the Congress in the mahagathbandhan by refusing to share seats with it in
any state. It would be wrong to assume that Mayawati is miffed about seat-shar-
ing glitches in Madhya Pradesh. She has bigger concerns about firming up her
party base, which has no MP and just 19 MLAs in Uttar Pradesh. With a slip-
ping Dalit votepie in states, she knows she cannot afford further dilution. So she
is being honest when she argues that past experience has taught her that in shared
seats, the Congress loyalist vote doesn’t shift 100 per cent to the caste con-
tender but splits while the “instructed” Dalit vote goes to the partner. She needs
UP seats to stay relevant. And lest anybody think that she could conveniently
switch sides post verdict, she renewed her commitment to stay with the Samajwadi
Party (SP) and tame the BJP far more successfully in UP in unison. That is a
power tool which works for her. TMC’s Didi has set her own workable strate-
gies. Knowing that women make half of the country’s electorate and having aggres-
sively pushed the women’s reservation Bill as MP at one time, she has appor-
tioned 41 per cent of her party tickets to women candidates and fielded them
from key constituencies, blunting the edge of the Opposition. Sagaciously, she
has relied on star power from Tollywood and a widow of a murdered MLA to
turn the tide in seats that the BJP is betting on furiously. In a country where women
only make 12 per cent of MPs, Mamata has shown why change in discourse
can come only when women seize political power decisively enough. Come May
and we would know if the three indeed wrested the narrative.
Women set agenda
Priyanka’s call to real issues, Mayawati’s no-Cong dealand Mamata’s gender politics set off cross-currents
Measuring the Indian economy is challenging. Butmultiple surveys are emphasising a crisis
Be demanding
Sir — March 15 or WorldConsumer Rights Day is celebrat-ed to promote, protect andrespect consumers. But howmany of us are aware or reactive?Customers don’t complain andsilently drift to competitorsbecause they believe companieswill not address their complaintsand think it is too much of a has-sle following up.
Also we are not exacting indemanding standards. We donot raise a hue and cry if the bal-ance shows incorrect weight whilebuying vegetables but questionthe dealer if we suspect incorrectreading by a few milligrams whilebuying gold. In other words, thecustomer is worried about theaccuracy of the weighing scaleonly when he is picking up a highvalue product. As buyers we havegot to be equally discerning if wewant companies to deliver on ourterms. Companies say “customeris the king” but instead of delight-ing him, they are just glossingover inadequacies with their salespitch. The customer requires re-orientation both at corporateand individual levels.
TS KarthikChennai
Cong must reconsider
Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Test of democracy” (March12). The Election Commissiondid well to delink the Jammu andKashmir Assembly election fromthe parliamentary one to avert asensitive situation from slippingfurther. In fact, a single con-stituency like Anantnag will wit-ness voting on three different days
because the security blanket can-not be too thin. Therefore, Jammuand Kashmir politicians shouldnot ascribe motives to theElection Commission for this.
Coming to the BJP’s cam-paign and the ElectionCommission’s order banning theuse of defence forces in videosand pamphlets, the ruling partycannot go overboard with theBalakot strike except crow about
its alertness on national security.The BJP knows it has defaulted onmany issues like providing jobsand easing farmers’ distress andis, therefore, invoking the Balakotstrike in different ways as it notonly evokes patriotism and pas-sion but is a very emotional issuefor voters. The Congress, whichhas revived itself thanks to thethree big wins in the Assemblyelections last year, is still nowhere
close to achieving majority on itsown. Hence, it must reconcile totaking the support of like-mind-ed parties or alliance partners toprop up a national alternative. Insuch a scenario, when Congresschief Rahul Gandhi is not on avery strong footing, it makes allthe more sense for him to acthumble before allies and getdesired results. All is not lost forthe mahagathbandhan partiesyet. What they need to do is comeout with a clear alternative nar-rative against the ruling BJPparty at the earliest. It’s indeedgoing to be one of our mostintensely fought elections.
Bal GovindNoida
Test of smart choices
Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Test of democracy” (March12). Voters are smart and specif-ic in terms of their choices andthey know who could handle thenation better. Using our right tovote wisely, we can ensure aloyal and prudent governance.
If we want to win the battle of information or perception like China, then we need
to restore the Historical Division in the MEA or let MOD set up a comparative cell
They are still talking and talk-ing about mahagathband-han, we already have ours inplace in the North East andthe rest of the country
BJP general secretary— Ram Madhav
People of the country want tobeat Amit Shah and Modi ji. IfJJP, AAP and Congress fightin Haryana, the BJP will loseon 10 seats in Haryana. RahulGandhi ji consider this.
AAP leader—Arvind Kejriwal
I don't have any animosity towardshim (Modi). He isn’t able to seethe beauty of the world. I thought II should show some affection. Igenuinely feel love for the man.
Congress president—Rahul Gandhi
S O U N D B I T E
L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R
Keep the focus on bread and butter issues
This refers to the editorial, “Test of democracy” (March12). As a democracy (and as the world’s largest at that),India has shown a lot of resilience to surmount diffi-
culties during its journey since Independence. Our “trystwith destiny” goes on in the inexorable march of time. Itis a tribute to our genius that we assert ourselves as mas-ters of our destiny with universal franchise and regard thewhole tribe of politicians as our surrogates and not mas-ters. Whenever authoritarianism or autocracy raises its uglyhead, we do not allow it to grow and supplant democra-cy. Fortunately, democracy has taken root in our land toresist the tyrannies of majority rule. We have enough checksand balances in place to prevent the democratically elect-ed government from acting undemocratically.
The fact that people take part in elections so over-whelmingly, often with great discernment, is a testamentto their abiding faith in democracy. The multiplicity of polit-ical parties is proof that there is space for different shadesof political ideologies and opinions in our polity. In the forth-
coming elections, the focus should be on issues that affectthe lives of people. Under no circumstance, should the realbread-and-butter issues be eclipsed for “manufactured”agenda. It is important that conscious and concerted effortsare made by the Election Commission and others to ensurethat money and muscle power are reduced to the mini-mum to secure the sanctity of the ballot.
They set me up in collegetogether. It was a funnysight...Amrita Singh makingmy bed! And Saif Ali Khanputting the bulb in the lamp.I cherish that!
Actor—Sara Ali Khan
Peace still non-negotiable
ENCOURAGE INCREASED VOTER PARTICIPATION IN
THE UPCOMING LOK SABHA POLLS. A HIGH TURNOUT
AUGURS WELL FOR OUR DEMOCRATIC FABRIC.
—PRIME MINISTER
NARENDRA MODI
I AM DELIGHTED THAT PM IS APPEALING TO THE
#MAHAGATHBANDHAN FOR #MAHAPARIVARTAN. I
ALSO APPEAL TO CITIZENS TO CHOOSE A NEW PM
—SAMAJWADI PARTY LEADER
AKHILESH YADAV
POINTCOUNTERPOINT
In a significant speech early this year, PakistanPrime Minister Imran Khan talked aboutinculcating peace and enhancing trade with
India. He also claimed that if India took one stepforward, Pakistan would take two. However, inthe same speech he mentioned that peace wouldbe feasible only after the Kashmir issue wassolved. This linking of the Kashmir issue withpeace talks has exposed his double standards.And like Kargil after former Prime MinisterVajpayee’s visit and Pathankot after PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s visit, Pakistan-trainedterrorists carried out an attack at Pulwama andhurled a powerful grenade at a Jammu bus standon March 7. Again, on February 24 to be pre-cise, he requested his counterpart Modi to “givepeace a chance” and proclaimed that he wouldtake immediate action if India provided “action-able intelligence” on the Pulwama attack ofFebruary 14 in which 40 Indian soldiers weremartyred. Islamabad also approached the UnitedNations to “defuse tension” between India andPakistan.
India handed over a dossier with evidenceof Pakistan’s involvement in the terrorist act inPulwama. Islamabad took some token actionagainst terrorist outfits it hosted to neutraliseworld opinion and on March 8, Khan reiterat-ed that no terror group would be permitted tocarry out activities in other countries fromPakistan. Nonetheless, Islamabad is not trustwor-thy as in the past it has launched several cleans-ing operations with fancy names like OperationAl-Mizan, Rah-e-Haq, Sher-e-Dil, Zalzala, Koh-e-Sufaid and at present Operation Zarb-e-Azbwith no discernible dip in terrorism. In fact, ithas allowed blacklisted terror groups to scatter,lie low, regroup and re-emerge with new iden-tities. The Pakistani military establishment,which endorses such groups as they lend it astrategic heft, has even categorised them as“good” and “bad” terrorists. So outfits whichcarry out terrorist attacks in India andAfghanistan under the instructions of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are considered “good”terrorists and given full protection and assistance.Action is taken only against those terrorist out-fits that disobey the ISI, have no use for it or havedared to carry out attacks in Pakistan.
Observers claim that such clampdowns aresuperficial and taken because of utmost pressurefrom the international community and theFinancial Action Task Force (FATF), which mon-itors terror funding and disqualifies errantcountries from receiving recuperative aid andloans from world bodies. Pakistan is passingthrough a grave economic crisis; its foreignreserve is at its lowest ebb and it has requestedthe International Monetary Fund (IMF) for abailout package. The FATF has given Pakistanmore than 15 conditions to comply with, includ-ing smashing the jihadi factory, by May or elserisk getting blacklisted. In that case, neither theIMF or World Bank can sanction a bailout pack-age.
The Pakistani Army-controlled ISI has cre-ated a big infrastructure to support diverse ter-rorist outfits and carry out proxy wars in Indiaand Afghanistan as they are an important partof Islamabad’s foreign policy. Hence it will be
imprudent to assume that Pakistan willshun the path of terrorism so easily.
A strong lobby in India emphasis-es that both India and Pakistan shouldtry to sort out differences throughpeaceful negotiations. The activistsalso mention that war is not a solution.However, they forget that Pakistanwas created on the basis of the failedtwo-nation theory and both the coun-tries have already fought three majorwars, excluding an undeclared war atKargil. Besides these wars, there arenumerous skirmishes and limited mil-itary conflicts between both the coun-tries. These hostilities have created a lotof suspicion and animosity in the rul-ing elite as well as in people. Pakistandoesn’t believe in giving up the fight,bleeding India with several cuts ratherthan striking a mammoth blow.
In the past, several attempts weremade for restoring peace, especially atthe Shimla, Agra and Lahore summits.Few confidence-building measures likeborder trade, the Delhi-Lahore Bus ser-vice and Friendship Express (SamjhautaExpress) were also tried but all effortsmiserably failed as ISI-sponsored ter-rorism continued unabashedly. Indiahas always yielded ground, havingalready surrendered vast areas ofKashmir in 1947-48 and returning theHaji Pir Pass in 1966. The Indus WaterTreaty of 1960 is disproportionately infavour of Pakistan. Delhi had givenmore such concessions in the past butIslamabad never reciprocated or miti-gated its hostility. It always took ourkindness as our weakness; hence, wemust understand that there can be nofriendship with Pakistan.
The terrorist organisations, besidesISI, also have a strong public supportin Pakistan, claiming legitimacythrough social and charitable institu-tions. Ousted President PervezMusharraf mentioned in an interviewthat the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)tried to assassinate him twice but hecould not take action against it as theISI was using the organisation for
anti-India activities. In his recentremarks, he even implied that thePakistani Army was fully seized of thePulwama attack. If the Jaish can attemptan assassination of the ruling President,who in turn could not take punitiveaction despite full knowledge of theplot, then it speaks volumes about theISI’s stranglehold on the region as awhole.
The pacifists also point out thatgeographically Pakistan is a neighbourand as its location cannot be altered,India should try to inculcate friendship.However, they overlook that Islamabadis diabolically against India and wantsto split the country by abetting terror-ist outfits in Kashmir and assistingsecessionist elements of Khalistan.
India must respond to Pakistanwith firmness and determination andshould not become a victim of its bul-lying and blackmailing strategies.Worse, it uses conventions and agree-ments to suit its own narrative. So whileKhan does not talk about the ShimlaAgreement, he talks about the defunctUN resolution. Pakistan has conve-niently forgotten the Shimla Agreementas it clearly mentions that both sideswould not use force on the LoC whilePakistan has been regularly infiltratingterrorists and using fire power there.
Pakistan has already surrenderedsome areas of Kashmir to Beijing for theChina Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) that passes through Gilgit,Baltistan and PoK. Given China’s ter-ritorial imperialism, this has added acomplex layer to the imbroglio.Peaceniks also allege that India does nottreat Pakistan equally. However, thecontention doesn’t hold as India hassigned several agreements with Pakistanas equals. It has never interfered in theinternal affairs of its neighboursthrough covert ops while Pakistan isconstantly needling India.
The pro-dialogue lobby must com-prehend that Pakistan has an obsessionwith claiming parity with India with-out realising differences in size, gover-
nance and other markers. When Indiasigned a nuclear deal with US, Pakistanalso tried its best to sign the treaty.Islamabad, without considering pastrecords, raised objections to India’smembership of the Nuclear SuppliersGroup (NSG). It is also obstructingIndia’s permanent membership in theUN Security Council. There are sever-al other fields where Islamabad is try-ing to maintain uniformity with India.Pakistan watchers claim that the coun-try’s economic condition has deterio-rated because of excessive expenditureon defence forces.
The all-powerful Pakistan Armyhas over time given false hope to themasses that funding covert operationswas worth it as they would help itsnatch the whole of Kashmir from Indiaand merge it with Pakistan. Hence therecan be no negotiations with Pakistan onKashmir. Khan’s offer of peace talks aresimply to curry favour with the FATF,IMF and world community. Second,Indian security forces have killed topterrorist leaders under Operation AllOut and successfully eliminated a largenumber of their support agents underOperation Cordon and Search. Theinfiltration of Pakistani hardcore terror-ists is under control due to strict vigilat the borders. At present ISI wants tohave peace for some time so that theterrorist outfits can be strengthened.
The arguments for enhancing peo-ple to people contacts, trade and cul-tural exchange have been already triedwith no result. Now India must adopta stern approach towards its westernneighbour and after the pre-emptive,non-military airstrikes at Balakot, beready to take retributive action shouldanother terrorist hit happen on our side.India should continue isolating Pakistanso that it cannot wriggle out from theclutches of FATF without making con-siderable changes in its policy of assist-ing terrorist outfits.
(The writer is member, UnitedServices Institute of India, and Institutefor Defence Studies and Analyses)
India must continue isolating Pakistan so that it cannot wriggle out from theclutches of FATF. We must force a change in its policy of assisting terrorist outfits
analysis 09
Look beyond
anti-terror ops
SUDHANSU R DAS
India lacks quality human resources to collect ground level intelligence and
neutralise intermittent attacks
JAI KUMAR VERMA
THE PAKISTANIARMY-
CONTROLLED ISIHAS CREATED A
BIGINFRASTRUCTURE
TO SUPPORTDIVERSE
TERRORISTOUTFITS AND
CARRY OUTPROXY WARS IN
INDIA ANDAFGHANISTAN AS
THEY ARE ANIMPORTANT PARTOF ISLAMABAD’SFOREIGN POLICY.
HENCE IT WILL BEIMPRUDENT TOASSUME THAT
PAKISTAN WILLSHUN THE PATHOF TERRORISM
SO EASILY
India bombed Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Balakot training camp
inside Pakistan in a meticulously planned early dawn opera-
tion and avenged the deaths of 40 Indian elite soldiers. India
has so far lost 5,000 soldiers not in war but in fighting
Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the Kashmir valley. It has let
3.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits become strangers in their homeland
and has paid a heavy price for its shabby Kashmiri policy. It
had got three decades from 1950 and 1980 to de-radicalise
Kashmiri youth and maintain the natural demographic compo-
sition in Kashmir. Even after the air attack, the fundamentalist
controlled Pakistan government will continue to instigate
Kashmiri youth in order to divert people’s attention from core
nal strife and lack of economic growth. Its army will raise more
training camps again and silence the sane voices in Pakistan.
So, what should be the preparedness for India from now
onwards?
First of all, our intelligence agencies should own the
responsibility of security lapses for the horrific Pulwama attack,
killing of innocent Amarnath pilgrims, the dastardly assault on
the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and Parliament. India lacks
quality human resources to collect ground level intelligence to
neutralise intermittent attacks on security personnel and inno-
cent people. Recruitment to intelligence agencies and internal
promotion in those agencies should be made on the basis of
pure merit since the nation’s safety cannot be compromised at
any cost.
Second, India should train the entire Army along the lines
of the tough Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which was raised in
1962 soon after the China war. We can’t blame the Army for
corruption in various purchases, recruitment and in buying
armaments. Army people are the products of Indian families
and educational institutions. The government should have
revamped educational institutes by now in order to fill the
shortage of morally and physically strong people.
Third, any political or religious leader, if found covertly or
overtly planting radical thoughts in the minds of the youth,
should be booked instantly. There is a need for a state-of-the-
art method for speech monitoring of radical ideologues.
Schools run by them tacitly should be monitored closely. Any
religious community, which is not compatible with the liberal
philosophy of Indian religions, should be watched.
Unfortunately, all of our political leaders almost block the
process of de-radicalisation as they keep an eye on consolidat-
ing votebanks. The nation pays a heavy price for this brand of
politics. De-radicalisation should start not only in Kashmir but
in other parts of India with simultaneous greater integrative
processes that stem alienation.
The disproportionate change in India’s demographic com-
position is not happening spontaneously. It is being done in a
planned and systematic manner in border districts around
Pakistan and Bangladesh as every party relies on immigrants
of every hue to shore up votebanks. Settlers from contiguous
states, be they Hindu or Muslim, disrupt the local economy
and socio-cultural ethos.
Further, there has to be a severe crackdown on the terror
financing industry. The Government should not show any
mercy to those elements who want to push a potentially strong
Kashmir economy and culture into the stone age. The new
generation in Kashmir does not want to be hired for terrorism
but wants peace, family life and jobs. Kashmir has world-
famous handicrafts, a strong horticulture market and a healthy
tourism sector. People there do not want this economy to van-
ish into smoke. Besides, its talented youth make for an incredi-
ble human resource in the country with their scientific tem-
perament. A sensible handling of the Kashmir issue is the need
of the hour. The Supreme Court has rightly directed State
Governments to prevent violence against Kashmiri youth after
the Pulwama attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, has
said the fight is against terrorism and not against Kashmiris.
The government should pinpoint the religious ideologues who
suppress the sane voices in Kashmir and hold them hostage to
their beliefs.
The country has to create the right environment and set
admirable governance standards so that vulnerable people can
earn their bread with self-respect, which is the core strength of
any country. Both India and Pakistan should internalise that
sound socio-economics is the key to growth and prosperity.
Both the nations are victims of greedy politico-global traders.
The United NationsEnvironment Assembly(UNEA), that got under way
on March 11 in Nairobi, put the spot-light on the chemical productionindustry of the world and how it isset to severely undermine globalenvironmental conditions. On thefirst day, the UNEA delivered awake-up call to the world that theglobally agreed target of minimisingadverse impacts of chemicals andwaste by 2020 is all set to be missedthanks to the rapid growth of the sec-tor making it the world’s secondlargest manufacturing one. Thisdoes not bear good news for coun-tries across the world and more so forfast-growing economies like India.
According to the GlobalChemicals Outlook report, chemicalproduction across the world will dou-ble by 2030. This clearly means thatthe countries must find ways inwhich this spiralling volume is con-trolled before the very same chemi-cals seep into our precious ecologyand start impacting our food cycleand endanger our flora and fauna.Currently, the world has the capac-ity to produce 2.3 billion tonnechemicals and according to theWorld Health Organisation (WHO)estimates, already 1.6 million liveshave been lost in 2016 due to diseasesrelated to chemicals. With dangerousconsequences such as these, it is hightime that growing economies, partic-ularly India, focus on replacing thechemicals with more eco-friendlyalternatives.
The efforts in the direction ofreining in the chemicals in our liveswas initiated strongly in 2015 whenthe world collectively adopted theSustainable Development Goals(SDGs) — seventeen of these goalsrelate to chemicals and waste man-agement. In fact, SDG Target 12.4
specifically mandates that “by 2020,achieve environmentally-soundmanagement of chemicals and allwastes throughout their life cycle, inaccordance with agreed internation-al frameworks, and significantlyreduce their release to air, water andsoil in order to minimise theiradverse impacts on human healthand the environment.” But given ourintrinsic dependence on these chem-icals and the almost lax regulationsgoverning their production, usageand disposal, one cannot help butobserve that the impact on our envi-ronment is going to be grave indeed.
To understand the very gravityof the issue, one must refer to the
assessment by UNEP and theInternational Council of ChemicalAssociations in 2018, which showedthat there were 40,000-60,000 chem-icals being commercially used glob-ally. And 6,000 of them account for99 per cent of the total volume.Despite a global agreement reachedat high-level UN conferences and sig-nificant action already taken, envi-ronmental scientists continue toexpress concern over the lack ofprogress towards the sound manage-ment of chemicals and waste. Thelaxity in the matter is evident by theabundant growth in the sector unin-hibited by a meaningful controlmechanism and framework.
To make matters worse as of2018, more than 120 countries didnot implement the globally har-monised system of classification andlabelling of chemicals.
Against this background, thestark threats of chemical productionand their use are too real and seri-ous to be ignored. Moreover, statis-tics show that developing economiesare logging the highest consumptionof these chemicals in spite of the fact
that these countries are already suf-fering from poor monitoring andregulations. How this can be allowedis too difficult to fathom.
The fact that chemical produc-tion and consumption are shifting toemerging economies, in particularChina, is alarming to say the least.The Asia-Pacific region is projectedto account for more than two-thirdsof global sales by 2030. Cross-bordere-commerce pertaining to the chem-ical industry is growing at 25 per centannually. This is expected to fuel thegrowth which will be highest in Asia,with China estimated to account foralmost 50 per cent of global chemi-cal sales by 2030. These develop-ments are taking place in total dis-regard for the international efforts tocontrol the chemical industry.
India in particular has uniqueenvironmental conditions, whichare already very much burdened bythe expanding population and highair pollution levels. Given this, Indiacannot afford a chemical pollutionfiasco and must set up stringent reg-ulations that can control prevalence.The government must revisit the laws
governing the production and dis-posal of chemicals in India. Focusmust also be laid on how the by prod-ucts of chemical production arehandled without compromising theenvironment. India must also checkthe content of heavy metals in thevarious categories of chemicals asthese eventually find their way intonature, especially ground watertables, and directly impact humanhealth.
The chemical industry needs toturn over a new leaf and thanks toadvancements in science and tech-nology, developed countries acrossthe world are now leaving harmfulsubstances out of manufacturing.This is encouraging responsible pro-duction and accountable consump-tion. For this to take place in Indiathe government must educate peo-ple about the ill effects of chemicalsand highlight the role of nature-friendly alternatives. This alone canhave a huge impact on saving theenvironment from a disastrousonslaught.
(The author is an environmental journalist)
The gathering storm of chemical cloudsDeveloping economies are logging the highest consumption in spite of the fact that these countries are already suffering from poor
monitoring and regulations. India must revisit policies to avoid poisoning of our natural resources
KOTA SRIRAJ
LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
www.dailypioneer.com
F O R E I G N E Y E
What seems to subvert theintention of the web has beenits capture by the attentioneconomy, in which theinterest of the public becomesthe only measure of success,however much damage thismay do to the public interest.The underlying protocols ofthe web, and its ability to linkcontent of every kind fromeverywhere into an apparentlyseamless whole, emergedfrom a largely benevolentacademic atmosphere. Theyseemed to be animated byvalues...In the last 30 years,we have learnt that they werenot. (The Guardian editorial)
TANGLED WEB
F I R S T C O L U M N
money 10LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
PTI n MUMBAI
Indian bourses onWednesday looked beyondglobal market uncertain-
ties to continue their unabatedrally for a third day in a row,with the Sensex and the Niftylogging gains led mainly bybanking and energy stocks.
The 30-share BSE indexended 216.51 points, or 0.58per cent, higher at 37,752.17.The broader NSE Nifty closedwith gains of 40.50 points, or0.36 per cent, at 11,341.70.
In the Sensex pack,IndusInd Bank rallied 4.15 percent. Other gainers included YesBank, Bajaj Finance, HDFCBank, SBI, Bajaj Auto, RIL, HCLTech, HDFC and ICICI Bank —rising up to 3.67 per cent.
On the other hand, BhartiAirtel emerged as top loser with4.08 per cent fall on the Sensexlist.
Other major laggards wereVedanta, Sun Pharma, TataSteel, ONGC, Tata Motors,NTPC and Coal India — shed-ding up to 3.48 per cent. OnSensex, 13 stocks closed withgains and 17 saw losses.
Among the main reasonsbehind the market rally are sus-tained foreign fund inflowsand strengthening rupee,according to analysts.
On a net basis, foreigninstitutional investors (FIIs)
bought shares worth a net of`2,477.72 crore on Tuesday,provisional data available withBSE showed.
Strengthening gains, theIndian rupee on Wednesdayfurther appreciated by 17 paiseto close at 69.54 against the USdollar.
Besides, experts believethat markets have started antic-ipating a better performance bythe ruling NDA government inthe upcoming general elec-tion, helping investors developrisk appetite.
However, global investorsremained jittery over uncer-tainties around Brexit develop-ments. The global market weak-ness also had its impact onIndian equities, though in a lim-ited sense as metal, pharma and
teck sector stocks saw sell-off.Sectorally, the BSE bankex,
finance, realty and energy real-ty indices surged up to 1.42 percent. BSE telecom, metal,power, teck and healthcareindices ended in the red, losingas much as 2.60 per cent.
Of the 19 sectoral indices,13 ended in the red and 6closed in the green.
The broader markets, how-ever, underperformed bench-marks with BSE mid-cap indexfalling 0.43 per cent and small-cap shedding 0.31 per cent.
The market breadth wastilted in favour of sellers as1,656 stocks declined and 1,077advanced. While, 155 scripsremained unchanged.
“The Brexit woes addedvolatility in the market but the
euphoria in domestic environ-ment supported the indices tostand positive. Domestic infla-tion continue to undershootRBI’s target level while weakindustrial growth increasedthe prospects for further actionfrom RBI. On the global front,the defeat of Theresa May’s lat-est version of Brexit deal is cre-ating uncertainties in UK’seconomic growth while havenasset like gold inched higher,”said Vinod Nair, head ofresearch at Geojit FinancialServices Ltd.
Retail inflation jumped toa four-month high of 2.57 percent in February, and industrialgrowth slipped to 1.7 per centon account of manufacturingsector slowdown, according tolatest data.
Global crude benchmarkBrent crude futures rose 0.33 percent to USD 66.89 per barrel.
Asian markets retreatedon Wednesday after two daysof gains. Hong Kong’s HangSeng fell 0.39 per cent,Shanghai Composite Index wasdown 1.09 per cent, Korea’sKospi dropped 0.41 per cent,and Japan’s Nikkei ended 0.99per cent lower.
Similarly, in the Eurozone,Frankfurt’s DAX slipped 0.05per cent. Paris CAC 40 rose0.32 per cent and London’sFTSE was up 0.04 per cent inearly deals.
Sensex, Nifty log 3rd straight gains;
bank stocks show the way
Gold rises on increased buying byjewellers, firm trend overseas
New Delhi (PTI): Gold prices on Wednesday rallied by`235 to ̀ 33,385 per 10 gram in the national capital on increasedbuying by local jewellers amid a firm trend overseas, accord-ing to the All India Sarafa Association. Silver too advanced by`130 to `39,710 per kg on increased offtake by industrial unitsand coin makers.
Traders said gold prices surged due to fresh buying by localjewellers. Besides, the metal crossing USD 1,300 an ounce markoverseas influenced the sentiment here. Globally, gold was trad-ing higher at USD 1,304.31 per ounce while silver traded mar-ginally lower at USD 15.43 an ounce in New York.
New Delhi (PTI): The National CompanyLaw Appellate Tribunal on Wednesday reservedits order on a petition by Reliance Communica-tions which has approached the tribunal seekingthe release of income tax refunds to clear dues ofEricsson. Lenders of RCom opposed the plea.After hearing both the sides, the NCLAT benchheaded by Chairperson SJ Mukhopadhyayreserved the order in the case.
Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal appearing for AnilAmbani-led Reliance Communications appealedfor payment to be made to Ericsson from the trustand retention account held by SBI under whichassets of telecom firm have been mortgaged.
Senior lawyer Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearingfor SBI, argued for rejection of the RCom’s appeal,contending that it would lead to outgo of publicmoney for settling payment of a private party. Hesaid that RCom asset monetisation deal failedbecause Reliance Jio refused to take responsibil-ity of past dues of the Anil Ambani-led firm beforethe DoT and hence it was not liable to make pay-ment on behalf of RCom. RCom has been askedby both the Supreme Court and the NCLAT topay ̀ 550 crore to Ericsson. The company has paid`118 crore to Ericsson and if it fails to pay the restof the amount its chairman Anil Ambani may haveto face jail term for the contempt of court order.
NCLAT reserves order on RCom plea to release funds
PTI n NEW DELHI
Baba Ramdev’s PatanjaliAyurved has increased its
bid value by around ̀ 200 croreto `4,350 crore for bankrupt-cy-bound Ruchi Soya, and therevised offer is likely to be con-sidered by lenders soon.
Adani Wilmar, whichemerged as the highest bidderin August last year after a longdrawn battle with Patanjali,has withdrawn from the raceciting delay in completion ofthe insolvency process.
“We have revised our bid to`4,350 crore from earlier offerof `4,160 crore. We are readyto bail out Ruchi Soya whichhas biggest infrastructure forsoyabean. It’s a national asset,”Patanjali spokesperson SKTijarawala said.
He said the decision wastaken in the interest of all thestakeholders, including farmersand consumers.
The Committee of Creditors(CoC) could meet next week toconsider the revised offer ofPatanjali, sources said.
In December 2017, Indore-based Ruchi Soya Industrieswas referred for the CorporateInsolvency Resolution Process.Shailendra Ajmera was appoint-ed the resolution professional(RP) by NCLT on the applica-tion of creditors StandardChartered Bank and DBS Bankunder the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code.
Ruchi Soya has a total debtof about `12,000 crore. Thedebt-ridden firm has manymanufacturing plants and itsleading brands include Nutrela,
Mahakosh, Sunrich, Ruchi Starand Ruchi Gold.
In December last year,Adani Wilmar had written tothe RP regarding significantdelays in resolution process,leading to deterioration of theassets.
Adani Wilmar had saidthe process was getting delayedas Patanjali moved NationalCompany Law Tribunal(NCLT) Mumbai, challengingthe lenders’ decision.
Patanjali Ayurved hadapproached NCLT challengingthe decision of Ruchi Soya’slenders to approve AdaniWilmar’s `6,000 crore takeoverbid. Patanjali group came sec-ond with around `5,700 crorebid, including the infusion ofabout `1,700 crore in the edi-ble oil company.
Ramdev’s Patanjali raises bid value
to `4,350 cr to take over Ruchi Soya
Pvt manufacturingfirms posted 24.9%growth in net profitin Q3: RBI
Mumbai (PTI): The pri-vate companies in manufactur-ing sector posted a 24.9 per centgrowth in net profit in theOctober-December quarter ofthe current fiscal on annualbasis, benefitting from lower taxprovisions, the RBI said onWednesday. The analysis is basedon the performance of privatecorporate sector during the thirdquarter of 2018-19 drawn fromabridged financial results of 2,703listed non-government non-financial (NGNF) companies, itsaid. “The manufacturing sectorcontinued to record stronggrowth in net profits, benefittingfrom the lower tax provisions inQ3:2018-19,” the RBI said whilereleasing the latest data on per-formance of the private corporatebusiness. The companies posteda net profit of ̀ 77,500 crore in thethird quarter of the fiscal com-pared to `57,800 crore in theyear-ago period. Their profitwas `71,900 crore in the July-September quarter of 2018-19.However on the sales front,demand conditions in the man-ufacturing sector weakened onyear-on-year basis. “This mod-eration was observed mainly intextiles, iron and steel, motorvehicles and other transportequipment industries whereassales growth improved for con-sumer-driven sectors such asfood product and beverages, andpharmaceutical,” the central banksaid. T
Los Angeles: Love triangle rumorsinvolving Irina Shayk, BradleyCooper and Lady Gaga continue topersist despite the latter denying herrelationship with the "A Star Is Born"director is more than platonic. A newtabloid story has now suggested thatthe Russian supermodel has given herboyfriend an ultimatum to choosebetween her and the “A Star is Born”actress.Gaga and Cooper’s Oscarsperformance of their song, “Shallow,”from “A Star is Born,” had everyonetalking. There have been some com-ments about how Shayk is reacting to the off-screen performance of her boyfriend and the actress.Now, a new rumor claimed that Cooper and his girlfriend have gotten into an argument aboutthe issue.According to the tabloid report, a source asserted that Shayk is “angry” over everyonefor talking about how “hot” Cooper and Gaga look together, especially after their Oscars perfor-mance.It had reportedly come to a point where Shayk had asked Cooper to choose between herand Gaga, according to this supposed insider. The source also added that the singer tried to man-age the situation by sending an email to the Russian model, explaining to her that she would neversteal someone’s man. Shayk didn’t reply to Lady Gaga’s email, according to the source. The Russianmodel reportedly told Cooper that she would “kick him to the curb” if he didn’t choose one womanover the other.This rumor has been debunked by Gossip Cop. The outlet reached out to reps ofboth Cooper and Gaga, and they confirmed multiple times that the relationship between the two“A Star Is Born” co-stars is purely professional. One reason why these rumors persist is that bothCooper and Gaga took their respective roles in “A Star Is Born” very seriously. A source recentlytold Us Weekly that the two actors have “insane chemistry” and “really got into their roles whenfilming.” Gaga’s performance in “A Star Is Born” helped her land her very first best actress nomi-nation at the Academy Awards, and her "Shallow" helped her score her first Oscars win. The song“Shallow” also reached the top spot on Billboard Hot 100, which is something the singer hasn’tbeen able to achieve since 2011, Entertainment Weekly reported.
GLOBE TROTTING
Washington (PTI): The firstperson to set foot on Mars is like-ly to be a woman, NASAAdministrator Jim Bridenstine hassaid. While Bridenstine did notidentify a specific person, he saidthat women are at the forefront ofthe US space agency’s upcomingplans. Asked if a woman will go tothe Moon for the first time,Bridenstine said “The answer isabsolutely. In fact, it is likely to be
a woman, the first next person onthe Moon.” “It is also true that thefirst person on Mars is likely to bea woman,” Bridenstine said duringa recent interview on the scienceand technology radio talk show“Science Friday.” NASA recentlyannounced that it will have its firstall-female spacewalk at the end ofthe month, when astronauts AnneMcClain and Christina Koch willget to float around in space.
India, US to Pak: Address global
concerns on cross-border terror
PTI n WASHINGTON
India and the United Stateshave asked Islamabad to
“meaningfully address” theinternational community’s con-cerns on terrorism, includingthat emanating from acrossthe border from Pakistan.
The concern was raised inan statement by the IndianEmbassy here after ForeignSecretary Vijay Gokhale andhis American counterpartUnder Secretary of State forPolitical Affairs David Haleheld Foreign OfficeConsultations here at the StateDepartment, nearly a monthafter the Pulwama terror attack.
“Both sides calledon Pakistan to meaningfullyaddress the concerns of theinternational community onterrorism, including cross-bor-der terrorism,” the statementsaid. Tensions between Indiaand Pakistan flared up after asuicide bomber of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM) terror group killed 40Central Reserve Police Forcepersonnel in Kashmir’sPulwama district on February14. India has provided a dossierto Pakistan, detailing the roleof JeM in the Pulwama terrorattack. India has also said thatPakistan has failed to take anycredible action against JeMand other terrorist organisa-tions, which continue to oper-ate with impunity fromPakistan.
On Monday, Gokhalecalled on US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo and they agreedthat Pakistan must take “con-certed action” to dismantleterrorist infrastructure anddeny safe haven to all terrorgroups on its soil.
Gokhale and Hale alsoreaffirming their commitmentto the Indo-US StrategicPartnership and they reviewedthe progress made since thefirst Ministerial 2+2 meetingheld last September and dis-
cussed ways to further expandcooperation. While coopera-tion in the Indo-Pacific regionformed an important part oftheir deliberations, they alsodiscussed counterterrorismcooperation and a range ofglobal and regional issues ofmutual interest, including thecurrent situation inAfghanistan, North Korea, Iranand Venezuela, the StateDepartment said in a readoutof the meeting.
“They affirmed the vitali-ty of the US-India strategicpartnership and the impor-tance of joint leadership tostrengthen the rules-basedorder in the Indo-Pacificregion,” the State Departmentsaid, amidst China increasing-ly flexing its muscles in theregion.The Indo-Pacific is abiogeographic region, com-prising the Indian Ocean andthe western and central PacificOcean, including the SouthChina Sea. Beijing asserts near-
ly all of the South China Sea asits territory, while Taiwan, thePhilippines, Brunei, Malaysiaand Vietnam all claim parts.During the meeting, Gokhaleand Hale affirmed their sup-port for increased coopera-tion to include advancing ini-tiatives undertaken as part ofthe 2+2 Ministerial Dialogueprocess.
“Recognising that the USand India share complemen-tary visions for the Indo-Pacific, they agreed to deepencooperation toward their jointgoals in the region, including inconjunction with other Indo-Pacific partners,” the StateDepartment said.
According to the IndianEmbassy, Gokhale and Haleexchanged views on buildingconvergence in the Indo-Pacificand agreed to work with eachother and regional partners topromote inclusivity, stability,peace and prosperity in theregion.
Pompeo: China is blockingdevelopment in SCS PTI n WASHINGTON
The US has accused Chinaof blocking the ASEAN
members accessing more thanUSD 2.5 trillion in recover-able energy reserves in theSouth China Sea by illegalconstruction activities.
China claims almost all ofthe South China Sea.Vietnam, Phi l ippines,Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwanhave counter claims over thearea.
“China’s illegal island-building in internationalwaterways is not simply asecurity matter. By blockingdevelopment in the SouthChina Sea through coercivemeans, China prevents theASEAN members fromaccessing more than USD 2.5trillion in recoverable energyreserves,” Pompeo said in hisaddress at CERAWeek inHouston Tuesday night.
To contrast , the USGovernment promotes ener-g y security for thoseSoutheast Asian nations, he
said in his address to one ofthe largest gathering of glob-al energy leaders. “We wantcountries in the region tohave access to their own ener-gy.
We want to help them.We want to create partner-ships. We want transparenttransactions, not debt traps.We explore responsibly,” hesaid.
But, China does not playby that same set of rules, he
alleged. “Its values are sim-ply different. You see that inplaces as diverse as Africa,where they often ship in theirown labour, creating jobs forChinese workers rather thanfor those in the local econo-my,” he said. “It’s using thedebt trap which I referred tojust a moment ago to putthese countries in a placewhere it is not a commercialtransaction, it’s a politicaltransaction designed to bringharm and political influencein the country in whichthey’re operating,” Pompeosaid.
“And we all know thestory in Russia,” he said. Itinvaded Ukraine to gainaccess to oil and gas reserves.
It in turn deprivedUkraine of the possibility ofdeveloping those resourcesfor itself and using itspipelines and its networks tobring energy to its own peo-ple. Rather, it uses thosepipelines to put pressure –political pressure – on thepeople of Ukraine, he alleged.
Cardinal GeorgePell gets 6 yrsin prison forchild sex abuseMelbourne (PTI): CardinalGeorge Pell, the most seniorVatican official to be convicted ofsex abuse to date, has been sen-tenced to six years in prison by anAustralian court for the “callous”assault of two choirboys in the late1990s. A former senior adviser toPope Francis, Pell, 77, was foundguilty by a jury in December lastyear.
The County Court ChiefJudge Peter Kidd, while deliveringthe sentence, described Pell’s abuseof two choirboys in the sacristy atSt Patrick’s Cathedral inMelbourne as “a brazen and
forcible sexual attack on the vic-tims”. “There was a clear rela-tionship of trust with the victimsand you breached that trust andabused your position to facilitatethis offending,” the chief judge said.
“The brazenness of your con-duct is indicative of your sense ofauthority and power in relation tothe victims,” he said. The chiefjudge said Pell’s abuse had had a“significant and long-lastingimpact” on the wellbeing of one ofhis victims, whom he referred toas J.
The chief judge said he did nothave the benefit of a victim impactstatement from his other victim,referred to as R, who died of aheroin overdose in 2014 andnever reported the abuse.“However on the basis of J’saccount at trial I am able to sayyour offending must have had animmediate and significant impacton R,” Kidd said.
“Whilst it is not possible forme to quantify the harm caused,or articulate precisely how itimpacted on R in the long run, Ihave no doubt that it did in someway.” Pell will serve a minimum ofthree years and eight months in jailbefore he will be eligible for parole.“I will impose a shorter non-paroleperiod than I otherwise wouldhave been inclined to impose inrecognition in particular of yourage, so as to increase the prospectof you living out the last part ofyour life in the community,” thechief judge said.
Qureshi: Pak facing‘challenging situation’along western andeastern frontiers PTI n ISLAMABAD
Pakistan was facing a “chal-lenging situation” on the
westen frontiers withAfghanistan as well as the east-ern front with India, ForeignMinister Shah MehmoodQureshi said on Wednesday.Addressing the BusinessLeaders Summit in Islamabad,he said, the topmost priority ofthe Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) government is to revi-talise the cash-strapped coun-try’s economy. But Qureshisaid the country faced chal-lenging situation on its westernand eastern borders, Geo Newsreported.
“We have a challengingsituation on the western frontin Afghanistan and we have asituation brewing on the east-ern front. You saw what hap-pened in the last few dayspost-Pulwama,” he said, refer-ring to the recent tensionsbetween India and Pakistanafter the February 14 terrorattack carried out by a suicidebomber belonging to thePakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Both India andAfghanistan have blamedIslamabad for not doingenough to curb terrorism andallowing terror groups operat-ing in Pakistan to carry outcross-border attacks. On rela-tions with India, Qureshi said,Prime Minister Imran Khanhad offered a hand of friend-ship towards New Delhi afterassuming office.
“Prime Minister Imranreaffirmed that Islamabad willtake two steps if New Delhitakes one. Pakistan wants tosolve issues with India throughnegotiations,” he was quoted as
saying by the report. The for-eign minister said that the rul-ing PTI’s economic team hastaken many steps for econom-ic uplift of the country duringthe first six months of thegovernment.
“The government is takingsteps to create investmentopportunities in the countryand these steps have alreadypaid the dividends,” hesaid.“When Prime MinisterKhan came into power sixmonths ago he inherited a lotof challenges, including cor-ruption and other socio-eco-nomic ills, which had to beovercome.”“PTI has been elect-ed on the agenda of change andthe people will see a change bythe end of the tenure of the pre-sent government,” Qureshi said.
The priorities of the gov-ernment are clear. The gov-ernment’s leadership is veryclear on its priorities. “We donot have Swiss bank accountsand Canadian passports,” hesaid.Speaking about businessopportunities, he said the gov-ernment plans to makePakistan a hub of business andinvestment in the region.
Sikh Americans urge India not to let tension
with Pak to impact Kartarpur Corridor work
Washington (PTI): Sikh-Americans have urged the IndianGovernment to ensure that thework on the landmark KartarpurCorridor is not impacted by thetension between India and Pakistanin the aftermath of the Pulwamaterrorist attack.
Tensions between India andPakistan flared up after a suicidebomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed killed 40 CRPF per-sonnel in Jammu and Kashmir’sPulwama district on February 14.India launched a counter-terroroperation in Balakot on February26. The next day, Pakistan Air
Force retaliated and downed aMiG-21 in an aerial combat andcaptured its pilot, who was hand-ed over to India on March 1. A del-egation of eminent Sikh-
Americans from various parts ofthe US, gathered in WashingtonDC on Tuesday to present a mem-orandum to the Indian Embassyhere. The delegation, under the
banner of California-based UnitedSikh Mission, also met nearly halfa dozen lawmakers, including twoSenators and Congressman GregPence, elder brother of the US VicePresident, Mike Pence, urgingthem that the US play a role a rolein ensuring peace in the region.
Leaders of various Sikh organ-isations including SikhsPAC fromIndiana, Gadhar MemorialFoundation from Oregon, SikhSEVA from Virginia, Sikh ReligiousSociety from Illinois, Let’s Share aMeal from New Jersey and thosefrom various gurdwaras formedpart of the delegation.
PTI n COLOMBO
The Sri Lankan Governmentappeared to be at loggerheads
over the country’s representationat the 40th session of the UNHuman Rights Commissionwhere a resolution to address thehuman rights concerns in theisland nation will be taken up nextweek. Colombo is once againunder international pressure toimplement fully the measuresidentified by the UNHRC in 2015to address human rights concernsafter the United Kingdom andGermany on Tuesday tabled a res-olution at the UN body in Geneva.
The UN rights office calls forinternational investigations intoalleged war crimes and encouragesmember states to prosecute SriLankans suspected of war crimesin accordance with universal juris-diction principles. The resolutionwhich Sri Lanka is expected to co-sponsor was also endorsed byCanada, Germany, Montenegro,North Macedonia, the UnitedKingdom and Northern Ireland.There is a clear division within thegovernment over its representationand the approach as was evidentin Parliament on Wednesday. The
leader of the House of Parliamentand senior minister LakshmanKiriella probed if PresidentMaithripala Sirisena was sendinghis own delegation to attend theUNHRC sessions .
An announcement fromSirisena said that he was sendinghis own men as part of the gov-ernment delegation. Sirisena andPrime Minister RanilWickremesinghe, who are fromdifferent political parties, are at log-gerheads over governance. InOctober last year Sirisena sackedWickremesinghe in a movedeclared unconstitutional by theSupreme Court. The prime
minister was later restored after theapex court intervened. The gov-ernment has come under firefrom the main opposition foragreeing to co- sponsor the reso-lution.
The government’s defencehas been that this strategy will pre-vent international war crimes alle-gations being continuously levelledagainst Sri Lankans throughstrengthened ownership of theimplementation process. Kiriellaasked Mahinda Samarasinghe, aSirisena loyalist who had beennamed as a member of the teamto Geneva, if Sirisena was sendinghis own men.
College entrance exam cheaters exploited rules for disabled studentsWashington (AP): A collegeentrance exam policy aimed athelping students with disabil-ities was exploited to enablecheating in what is beingdescribed as the biggest schooladmissions scandal ever pros-ecuted by federal authorities,according to court papers madepublic Tuesday.
At least 50 people werecharged in the scheme, whichincluded not only cheating onthe admissions tests but alsobribing coaches to gain admis-sion for students into eliteschools. Among the defen-dants were actresses FelicityHuffman and Lori Loughlin.
A federal affidavit madepublic Tuesday details allega-tions of test administratorsbeing bribed “to allow a thirdparty to facilitate cheating” onthe ACT and SAT exams. Thedocument says that in somecases, that involved providinganswers, correcting answersafter the fact or having some-one else pose as the student totake the test.
The College Board, whichruns the SAT, and ACT Inc.provide accommodations forstudents with medically docu-mented disabilities that caninclude giving students extratime to complete the test orallowing them to take it aloneunder the supervision of aproctor.
Both organizations are nowdefending the integrity of theirtesting process. The CollegeBoard said it has seen anincrease in disabilities accom-modations request in recentyears as more students haveopted to take its exams. “TheCollege Board has a compre-hensive, robust approach tocombat cheating, and we workclosely with law enforcement aspart of those efforts.
We will always take allnecessary steps to ensure a levelplaying field for the over-whelming majority of test tak-ers who are honest and play bythe rules,” the nonprofit said ina statement. The court docu-ments revealed how some
Building collapses in Lagos,many casualties fearedLagos (AFP): A three-storeyresidential building collapsedWednesday in a densely-pop-ulated part of Lagos, and localmedia said there could bemany casualties, includingschoolchildren. The Nigeriannews station Channels TVreported that a primary schoolwas located on the top floor ofthe building, “with pupilsfeared killed and otherstrapped.” The collapse occurredin the Itafaji area of LagosIsland.
A spokesman for theNigerian emergency services,
Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmedthe incident. “I can’t give youthe details for now. Our teamsare on the ground, the situationis confused,” he told AFP.
Building collapses are trag-ically common in Nigeria,where building regulations areroutinely flouted. In September2014, 116 people, 84 of themSouth Africans, died when asix-storey buil ding collapsed asa celebrity televangelist, JoshuaTB, was preaching.
An inquiry found thebuilding had been built illegallyand had structural flaws.
Nairobi (AFP): A quarter of allpremature deaths and diseasesworldwide are due to manmadepollution and environmentaldamage, the United Nations saidWednesday in a landmark reporton the planet’s parlous state.
Deadly smog-inducingemissions, chemicals pollutingdrinking water, and the acceler-ating destruction of ecosystemscrucial to the livelihoods of bil-lions of people are driving aworldwide epidemic that ham-pers the global economy, itwarned. The GlobalEnvironment Outlook (GEO) —a report six years in the makingcompiled by 250 scientists from
70 nations — depicts a growingchasm between rich and poorcountries as rampant overcon-sumption, pollution and foodwaste in the developed worldleads to hunger, poverty and dis-
ease elsewhere.As greenhouse gas emissions
continue to rise amid a prepon-derance of droughts, floods andsuperstorms made worse byclimbing sea levels, there is a
growing political consensus thatclimate change poses a future riskto billions. World leaders in2015 came up with the Paris cli-mate deal, which saw each nationpromise action to cut emissionsin a bid to limit global temper-ature rises to 1.5C (2.7Fahrenheit).
But the health impacts ofpollution, deforestation and themechanised food-chain are lesswell understood. Nor is there anyinternational agreement for theenvironment close to coveringwhat the Paris accord does forclimate. The GEO compiles alitany of pollution-related healthemergencies. It said that poor
environmental conditions “causeapproximately 25 per cent ofglobal disease and mortality” —around 9 million deaths in 2015alone.
Lacking access to cleandrinking supplies, 1.4 millionpeople die each year from pre-ventable diseases such as diar-rhoea and parasites linked topathogen-riddled water andpoor sanitation. Chemicalspumped into the seas cause“potentially multi-generational”adverse health effects, and landdegradation through mega-farming and deforestation occursin areas of Earth home to 3.2 bil-lion people.
Climate change will intensifyextreme heat waves: Study
Los Angeles (PTI) Climatechange will not only increase theworld’s average temperature butalso intensify extreme heat wavesthat are harming people andwildlife even no, scientists warn.Climate change is often talkedabout in terms of averages — likethe goal set by the Paris Agreementto limit the Earth’s temperatureincrease to 2 degrees Celsius,according to the review of over 140
scientific studies published in thejournal Physiology. Summertime
is quickly becoming a deadly sea-son for life on Earth,” said ProfessorJonathon Stillman from SanFrancisco State University in theUS. Heat waves have already pro-duced striking images of massmortality in animals, from thebleached skeletons of corals acrossswaths of the Great Barrier Reef tothe deaths of horses duringAustralian summers, researcherssaid.
First person on Mars likely to be a woman: NASA chief
Sri Lankan government divided onUN rights body representation
Environment damage behind 1 in 4 global deaths: UN
world 12LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
PTI n LONDON
Aday after British PrimeMinister Theresa May’s
Brexit divorce bill was reject-ed in a bruising 149-votedefeat, MPs will return to theHouse of Commons onWednesday to vote on whetherto prevent the UK’s exit fromthe EU by March 29 withoutany deal in place. The latestmotion to try and avert achaotic no-deal Brexit, whichwould see Britain crash out ofthe 28-member economic blocwithout any transition phase,follows a rejection of May’swithdrawal agreement 391 to242 despite a final push by herto try and convince hard-Brexiteers that the concessionsshe had won to the controver-sial Irish backstop clause wouldnot see the UK tied to the EUrules indefinitely. Speakingmoments after yet anotherParliament defeat over Brexiton Tuesday night, May saidthat MPs would have to decidewhether they want to delayBrexit, hold another referen-dum, or whether they “want toleave with a deal but not thisdeal”.
She made her own oppo-sition to a no-deal Brexit veryclear, warning of “potentialdamage to the Union thatleaving without a deal coulddo”. The motion to be voted onWednesday reads: “This Housedeclines to approve leavingthe European Union without awithdrawal agreement and aframework on the future rela-tionship on 29 March.”
In an unusual move aimedat curbing further dissentbetween the various warringcliques within her ownConservative Party, Mayannounced that her party MPswill be given a free vote on themotion and not be whipped to
vote in any specific way by thegovernment. It reflects thedeep divisions that linger with-in her party over the issue.
While some hard-Brexiteers such as formerCabinet minister BorisJohnson are in favour of a no-deal exit, there is unlikely to bea majority for it in Parliament.The Opposition Labour Partyhas been demanding no-dealbe taken off the table formonths now. If no-deal isrejected, MPs will then vote onThursday on delaying Brexit byextending Article 50 – thelegal mechanism that takesthe UK out of the EU. Thiswould have to be ratified by theEU and the length of extensionwill become the next focus onboth sides.
However, how the EU willreact to an extension requestremains unclear at this stage,given that it is preparing for itsown EU elections towards the
end of May. The EU side hasexpressed dismay at the agree-ment being rejected by Britainfor a second time since the lastvote in January and said itwould need “a credible justifi-cation” before agreeing to anyextension. Unless agreed oth-erwise, Britain leaving the EUby March 29 remains thedefault Brexit option by law.
With that in mind, the UKgovernment on Wednesdayalso unveiled plans for tradeacross borders under such ascenario. As a temporary mea-sure, most imports into the UKwould not attract a tariff in theevent of a no-deal Brexit, theUK’s Department forInternational Trade (DIT)announced. Under a tempo-rary scheme, 87 per cent ofimports by value would be eli-gible for zero-tariff access – upfrom 80 per cent at present.Tariffs would be maintained toprotect some industries,
including agriculture.The government also
announced it will not intro-duce any new checks or con-trols, or require customs dec-larations for any goods, mov-ing from across the borderfrom Ireland to NorthernIreland if the UK leaves the EUwithout a deal. The decision todrop all checks to avoid fric-tion at the UK’s land borderwith the EU will be temporarywhile longer term solutions arenegotiated, the DIT said.
The move comes amid ahectic week in politics atWestminster, when MPs havea flurry of crucial decisionsbefore them that would deter-mine Britain’s future with theEU.
Although she managed toconvince about 40 Tory MPs tochange their mind since herhistoric 230-vote defeat on theBrexit withdrawal agreementin January, May failed to get it
through the Commons finishline.
The Irish backstop, aninsurance policy designed tomaintain an open border onthe island of Ireland betweenUK territory Northern Irelandand EU member-state – theRepublic of Ireland – provedinsurmountable in the end,despite some “legally bind-ing” changes May hoped wouldbe enough for the second voteon the agreement this week.
The March-end deadlinekicked in when the UK trig-gered Article 50 of the LisbonTreaty following a referendumin favour of Brexit by nearly 52per cent to 48 per cent in June2016. Unless MPs are able torule out leaving by March 29without any exit strategy oragreed terms, the UK is set tocrash out of the bloc leading todeep uncertainties for busi-nesses relying on cross-borderarrangements.
London (PTI): OppositionLabour Party leader JeremyCorbyn has demanded a gen-eral election after embattledPrime Minister Theresa May’ssecond major parliamentarydefeat on the Brexit, saying shemust let the people decidewho should lead them into thenext phase of the UK’s divorcedeal with the EU.
He also pledged that hisparty would vote against a no-deal Brexit outcome inWednesday’s vote and sig-nalled that he would contin-ue to press for a customsunion with the 28-memberEuropean Union.
“The prime minister hasrun down the clock and theclock has been run out on her,”
the 69-year-old leader said inthe House of Commons.
“It’s time that we have ageneral election and the peo-ple can choose who their gov-ernment should be,” Corbynsaid on Tuesday after May suf-fered a humiliating 391 to 242
defeat when her Brexit dealwas rejected by Parliament fora second time.
In January, May’s Brexitplan was rejected by the MPswith a 230-vote margin. Butdespite Corbyn’s call for freshpoll, the party is understoodto not have immediate plans tocall for a vote of no confidencethat could precipitate whatwould be the third generalelection in four years.
The UK went to polls lastin June 2017.
The opposition will ini-tially focus on opposing nodeal – which is expected to bedefeated on Wednesday – andbelieves that an extension tothe March 29 deadline isinevitable because more time
is needed to negotiate analternative, the Guardianreported.
But Corbyn made nomention of a second referen-dum – which the party is the-oretically committed to sup-porting if it cannot secure ageneral election – in hisremarks after the vote, andhardly referred to it in his ear-lier speech in the Commonsdebate, it noted.
“If this deal narrowlyscrapes through tonight – Idon’t think it will – we believethe option should be to goback to the people for a con-firmatory vote on it,” Corbynsaid, suggesting there is littlesign that Labour will reactivatethe idea soon.
UK set for another major Brexit vote to rule out no-deal exit
Corbyn demands general polls
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to lawmakers in parliament, London, Tuesday, and a pic (below) showsArtist KayaMar, anti-Brexit remain in the European Union supporter, holds a placard during a protest outside the House of Parliament inLondon, Wednesday. European Union officials on Wednesday criticized the U.K. Parliament for rejecting a Brexit deal for a secondtime as the bloc prepared for a chaotic, cliff-edge departure. AP
Guaido vows to oust Maduro
AFP n CARACAS
Venezuela’s oppositionleader Juan Guaido vowed
Tuesday to take NicolasMaduro’s place in the presi-dential palace “very soon,” asthousands of people took to thestreets of Caracas to protest.“We need an office to work in,so very soon, and when wehave the armed forces totally onour side, we’ll go to find myoffice there in Miraflores. Verysoon,” Guaido told supporters,who chanted back: “Yes, youcan!” Demonstrators bangedpots and sounded car horns atthe protest in a square in theeast of the capital. Many wavedlarge banners calling onMaduro to go.
“The situation is very dif-ficult, we are hoping that thisgovernment will change. We’vehad enough of this chaos!” saidone of the demonstrators,Miguel Gonzalez.
“With courage andstrength I asked you to believein yourselves, that Venezuelawould emerge from the dark-ness, that the end of theusurpation is very close,” saidGuaido, who is recognized asinterim president by more than50 countries. Venezuela’s stateprosecutor, Tarek William Saab,meanwhile told reporters hewould place Guaido underinvestigation for “his allegedinvolvement in the sabotage ofthe Venezuelan electricity sys-tem.” It is the first governmentmove against the US-backedGuaido since his return toVenezuela last week after defy-ing a travel ban to visit sever-al allied South American lead-ers. Maduro has blamed a dev-astating multi-day blackoutplaguing Venezuela on US“sabotage” in the form of anelectromagnetic attack on thecountry’s main hydroelectriccomplex. But critics have longpointed the finger at the gov-ernment for failing to maintainthe power grid.
Guaido, 35, is seeking tocapitalize on public anger overthe blackout, which has piledmisery on a population suffer-ing years of economic crisis andshortages of food and medicineunder Maduro. The youthfulopposition chief — locked in apower struggle with Madurosince declaring himself interimpresident on January 23 — hasbranded the socialist leader a“usurper” over his re-electionin May, widely dismissed asneither free nor fair.
Outlining the case againstGuaido, Saab said the opposi-tion leader had disseminated aseries of messages that have“stoked violence.” “At thismoment he appears as one ofthe intellectual authors of thiselectrical sabotage and is prac-tically calling for a civil war inthe middle of this blackout.”
The US kept up the pres-sure on Tuesday, with its spe-cial envoy on the crisis, ElliottAbrams, saying Washingtonwould soon impose “very sig-nificant additional sanctions”on institutions doing businesswith Maduro’s government.
It has already targeted agrowing list of individuals andcompanies linked to theMaduro government, includingstate oil company PDVSA.
Prompted by Guaido’s urg-ing, the opposition-dominatedNational Assembly declared a“state of alarm” on Monday topave the way for the delivery ofinternational aid, 250 tons ofwhich has been stuck for amonth at Venezuela’s borderswith Colombia and Brazil.
However, with Madurocontrolling the military andsecurity services — which arecurrently preventing aid fromentering the country — he hasno means of enforcing it.Maduro used the military tobegin distributing food, waterand other assistance in sever-al districts on Tuesday.
Marshalled by securityforces, crowds formed impa-
tient lines at water trucks insome areas, as they waited to fillcontainers. But tensions wererunning high amid the short-ages. “I saw people lining upfor a kilogram of rice, and theshopkeepers had to fire shots inthe air to keep the lines undercontrol,” Alberto Barboza, 26,told AFP in the oil capitalMaracaibo. “I heard a lot ofshooting,” said Barboza, addingthat a local bakery and a tireshop were looted. The black-out has left millions withoutrunning water. Many peoplelined up to buy bottled water inCaracas supermarkets, butmost are reduced to desperatemeans — besieging fountainsin public parks and any avail-able water sources around thecapital.
Maduro had called forarmed grassroots groupsknown as “colectivos” to hitback against what he calledattacks encouraged by the USagainst the country’s electricalgrid. “The time has come foractive resistance,” he said in aspeech late on Monday. Theopposition argues the colec-tivos have been armed by thegovernment and act as militia.Critics say such groups werebehind the death of seven peo-ple on February 23 when theopposition tried in vain tobring US-supplied food andmedicine across the borderswith Colombia and Brazil.
Power has been restored tosome areas since the weekendbut service has been intermit-tent and the power often dropsout. Businesses and schoolsremained shuttered on Tuesdayon Maduro’s orders, as theyhave been since the blackoutbegan.
As the situation worsened,US Secretary of State MikePompeo announcedWashington is withdrawing allits remaining personnel fromthe US embassy in Caracas. Allnon-emergency staff wereordered to leave on January 24.
... as thousands of Venezuelans protest
National Assembly President Juan Guaido greet supporters during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday. AP
Ethiopia to send plane’s black
box abroad, as grief grows
Hejere (AP): The black boxfrom the Boeing jet thatcrashed and killed all 157 peo-ple on board will be sent over-seas for analysis but no coun-try has been chosen, anEthiopian Airlines spokesmansaid Wednesday, as much of theworld grounded or barred theplane model and grieving fam-ilies arrived at the disaster site.
In an interview with TheAssociated Press, AsratBegashaw said the airline has “arange of options” for the dataand voice records of the flight’slast moments. “What we cansay is we don’t have the capa-bility to probe it here inEthiopia,” he said. An airlineofficial has said one recorderwas partially damaged.
The Boeing 737 Max 8aircraft crashed six minutesafter takeoff Sunday, killing all157 people on board. The dis-aster is the second with a Max8 plane in just five months.While some aviation expertshave warned against drawingconclusions until more infor-mation on the latest crashemerges, much of the world,including the entire EuropeanUnion, has grounded theBoeing jetliner or banned itfrom their airspace.
Ethiopian Airlines, widelyseen as Africa’s best-managedairline, grounded its remainingfour 737 Max 8s. That leavesthe United States as one of thefew remaining operators ofthe plane. “Similar causes may
have contributed to bothevents,” European regulatorssaid, referring to the Lion Aircrash in Indonesia that killed189 people last year. Otherstook action on Wednesday.Lebanon and Kosovo barredthe Boeing 737 Max 8 fromtheir airspace, and NorwegianAir Shuttles said it would seekcompensation from Boeingafter the low-cost carriergrounded its fleet.The US-based Boeing has said it has noreason to pull the popular air-craft from the skies and doesnot intend to issue new rec-ommendations about the air-craft to customers. Boeing’sCEO Dennis Muilenburg alsospoke with President DonaldTrump and reiterated that the737 Max 8 is safe, the compa-ny said. Its technical team,meanwhile, joined American,Israeli, Kenyan and other avi-ation experts in the investiga-tion led by Ethiopian authori-ties. The Federal AviationAdministration also backed
the jet’s airworthiness and saidit was reviewing all availabledata. “Thus far, our reviewshows no systemic perfor-mance issues and provides nobasis to order grounding theaircraft,” acting FAAAdministrator Daniel K. Elwellsaid in a statement. “Nor haveother civil aviation authoritiesprovided data to us that wouldwarrant action.” Some aviationexperts have warned that find-ing answers in this crash couldtake months.
An Ethiopian pilot whosaw the crash site minutes afterthe disaster told the AP that theplane appeared to have “sliddirectly into the ground.” Asrat,the Ethiopian Airlinesspokesman, told the AP thatthe remains of victims recov-ered so far were in freezers andthat forensic DNA work foridentifications had not yetbegun. The dead came from 35countries. The airline has iden-tifying them should take fivedays.
Afghan journalist hurt in bombing,10 troops killedKabul (AP): An Afghan jour-nalist who has long receiveddeath threats was seriouslywounded in a bombing in thecountry’s south, while in thewestern province of Farah, theTaliban stormed an army check-point and killed 10 soldiers,officials said Wednesday.
Also in Farah, a local offi-cial was gunned down outsidehis home on Wednesday, a coun-cilman said. The attacks were thelatest violence in war-tornAfghanistan even as the Talibanand the US concluded anotherround of negotiations held inQatar, with both sides reportingprogress in the talks.
Radio and TV journalistNesar Ahmad Ahmadi waswounded when a sticky bombattached to his car exploded ashe was heading to work inHelmand province. Omar Zwak,the governor’s spokesman, saidthe attack happened on Tuesdayin Lashkar Gah, the provincialcapital. Ahmadi had a leg woundand was transferred to Kabul forfurther treatment, thespokesman said.
He runs the Sabahoon radiostation and is also a reporter forSabahoon TV in Helmand. Noone immediately claimedresponsibility for the attack inHelmand, the Taliban heart-land. Afghan journalists areoften targeted in attacks. In January, the Afghan JournalistSafety Committee said in itsannual report that it had record-ed a total of 121 cases of violence
against journalists and mediaworkers in 2018. It also said17 journalists and media work-ers were killed last year, onceagain placing Afghanistan asthe world’s most dangerouscountry for journalists.
The InternationalFederation of Journalists and itsAfghan affiliate condemned theattack on Ahmadi in Helmandand called for an immediateinvestigation.
In the attack in westernFarah province, the Talibanstormed an army checkpointalong the main highway inGulistan district on Tuesday,killing 10 soldiers, said AbdulSamad Salehi, a member of theprovincial council.Reinforcements were sent andthe area was retaken and broughtunder control but five or sixother troops remain missing,Salehi added. Talibanspokesman Zabihullah Mujahidclaimed responsibility for theattack in Farah. On Wednesday,also in Farah, Mohammad SalimFarahi was shot and killed nearhis home in the provincial cap-ital, Farah city. He was an engi-neer and the head of the publicworks department, said Salehi.Despite intensified negotiationsbetween the US and the Talibanto end the 17-year was inAfghanistan, the insurgents havebeen carrying out near-dailyattacks across the country, main-ly targeting the government andsecurity forces and causing stag-gering casualties.
Women greatly outnumberedby men in political powerAP n UNITED NATIONS
When it comes to politicalpower, women are total-
ly outnumbered by men,accounting for less than 7 percent of the world’s leaders andonly 24 per cent of lawmakers,according to the latest statistics.UN General AssemblyPresident María FernandaEspinosa told delegates to theCommission on the Status ofWomen on Tuesday that therehas been a “serious regres-sion” in the political power ofwomen across the world inrecent years.
According to statistics fromthe Inter-Parliamentary Unionreleased last week, the per-centage of female elected headsof state dropped from 7.2 percent to 6.6 per cent — 10 outof 153 — from 2017 to 2018.The percentage of female headsof government dropped from5.7 per cent to 5.2 per cent —10 out of 193 — in the same
period. “Despite some positivemovement, the overwhelmingmajority of government leadersremain male,” said GabrielaCuevas Barron, head of theInter-Parliamentary Union.
In parliaments, the globalshare of women increased bynearly one percentage pointfrom 2017 to 2018, to 24.3 percent. But Cuevas said at a newsconference that it took 25 yearto get to that figure, from 11 percent in 1995. “That’s why we
believe we need to encourageparliaments to have affirmativeaction,” she said. PhumzileMlambo-Ngcuka, the executivedirector of UN Women, calledthe current environment “notthe most enabling for womento rise.”
“We also have pushbackright now, which contributes tothe slowing down of womenwanting to contest for office,because it is brutal,” she said,citing political violence, verbalabuse, and abuse on socialmedia that female candidatesand politicians face in manycountries.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said UNSecretary-General AntonioGuterres “called on us to pushback against the pushback — sowe just have to be stronger inpushing back against the push-back ourselves.” Women mustbe “change-makers,” she said,because national and globalinstitutions were “made formen and by men.”
Seoul passes emergency bills to fight air pollution
Seoul (AFP): SouthKorea’s parliament passedemergency measures onWednesday to tackle the“social disaster” of air pollu-tion, after the country sawrecord levels of pollution ear-lier this month. The measuresinclude the mandatory intro-duction of air purifiers inschools and day care centres,and access to an emergencyfund to help tackle the issue.
The country’s poor airquality has become a seriouspolitical problem for Seoulamid growing public discon-tent that the government is notdoing enough, with manySouth Koreans blaming Asianneighbour China for the poorair quality.
The eight new bills desig-nate air pollution as a “socialdisaster”, meaning the gov-ernment can use state fundsand conduct extraordinarycountermeasures to tackle it.
They also encourage the
purchase of liquefied petrole-um gas (LPG) cars, whichemit less air pollutants thandiesel and gasoline-poweredvehicles and were previouslyonly available for taxis, rentalcars and disabled drivers.
China is the world’sbiggest polluter and accordingto the International EnergyAgency uses coal to generatearound three quarters of itsenergy. Air quality in SouthKorea, the world’s 11th largesteconomy, is generally better.
But the concentration offine dust particles has surgedin recent weeks and reached arecord high in Seoul on March5, prompting the governmentto advise people to wearmasks, use public transporta-tion and avoid walking out-side. Seoul has already passedsome measures in a bid toimprove its air quality, includ-ing shutting down five ageingcoal-fired power plants lastyear.
UN General Assembly President MaríaFernanda
LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019usp 13
The Data Acquisition Centre forFlow Meters in Delhi Jal Board
(DJB) Head Quarters in New Delhi,was recently inaugurated by the DJB’svice chairman, Dinesh Mohaniyaalong with senior officers of the organ-isation.
With 10 WTPs, 120 primary reser-voirs, 192 tappings, and more than 600secondary reservoirs, DJB has a hugewater network within Delhi. For com-plete water audit of such a huge net-work, flow meters are required. Theproject aims to carry out completewater audit, starting from outlet ofWTPs up to the consumer’s end. DJB
has started the work of installation offlow meters at Inlets and Outlets of pri-mary and secondary reservoirs andvarious tapings across Delhi. The pro-ject of installation of these meters isdivided into two stages i.e. PrimaryWater Audit and Secondary WaterAudit. In the first stage, water supplyis carried out by installing flow metersat outlet of all WTPs, tappings and inletof all primary reservoirs. The workundertaken during the first stage hasalready been completed where approx-imately over 360 flow meters have beeninstalled.
In the second stage, the flow
meters will be installed at the outlet ofall primary reservoirs, tappings, inletand outlet of secondary reservoirs.Under the second stage, over 2700 flowmeters will be installed along with itsfive year’s operation and maintenance.This is one of the biggest project allacross the world under this segment.
To monitor this data, DJB hasestablished the Data AcquisitionCentre which will provide real timedata of more than 3000 strategic dis-tribution nodes. The measurement ofwater quantity and pressure at strate-gic points such as outlets of water treat-ment plants, rising mains, Inlet/Outlets
of primary and secondary reservoirsand pumping stations will be easilyavailable. This centre is also capable togenerate automatic reports /graphs asper the requirement. The system shallhelp in analysis of the data of waterbeing supplied to the citizens of Delhiand other critical hydraulic parametersfor strengthening the water networkacross Delhi. It can also be utilised forremote monitoring on the web enabledplatforms. Daily report generationshall be available to the concerned per-sonnel for analysis and solving theproblems faced in various areas of thecity.
In an attempt to strengthenthe democracy and to sensi-
tise the youth to participate inthe electoral procedure withenthusiasm, the ElectionCommission of India (ECI)has introduced ElectoralLiteracy Clubs (ELCs) in col-leges, institutions and univer-sities. Recently, the chief elec-toral officer (CEO) of Delhi, DrRanbir Singh, inaugurated theELC of Netaji SubhasUniversity Of Technology(NSUT) in Dwarka.
The inauguration ceremo-ny also saw the presence of therewarded Para Athletic VikasDagar, who has been nominat-ed as an icon for PwD for theSouth West district forAccessible Election. Dagar, haswon 41 medals in variousnational and international
championships and was wel-comed by the District ElectionOfficer, (South West), RahulSingh.
The SDM, Kapashera,SDM, Dwarka the SDM,Najafgarh SDM, Vasant Vihar,and SDM, Election, South
West, along with other digni-taries were also present duringthe function.
The CEO, Delhi, briefedthe students about the variousaspects of ELC and emphasisedon the role of the students in theempowerment of the democra-
cy for a better future of thecountry. He encouraged thestudents to create awareness onhow every vote matters and forthe youth to make informeddecisions. in addition hestressed upon ethical andinformed voting.
As the world celebrated theInternational Women’s Day
on March 8, exchanging mes-sages on the social media, TheBridge India, a social consultingfirm, marked the day by host-ing a panel discussion on‘Gender Equality and the Roleof Women in Changing Shapeof the Country’.
The discussion, held at theRadisson Blu hotel in Delhi,underlined how gender equal-ity has been influencing thesociety. The panelists for the dis-cussion included Ira Singhal,IAS; Rakesh Jinsi, change man-agement facilitator for corpo-rates and NGOs; Lalitha S,human rights activist; VijaySingh, head (CSR) PI Industries,along with the transgenderhuman rights activist, SimranShaikh. The participating dele-
gates included people represent-ing NGOs, corporates, govern-ment and the social sectors.
“The role which the home-maker performs if not superior,is equal to what we are doing. Ifthe male is bringing food ontothe table, the lady of the houseis doing a far more superior jobof putting that food on the tableto good use. Unless and until thesociety does not accept and givethat respect back to the womanfor what she is doing, and whatshe is supposed to be doing, nochange can be brought about”,said Rakesh Jinsi.
Simran commented, “It isnot compulsory to celebrateonly women today, it is alsoimportant that you celebrate thefeminity within you and that iswhy everyday is a woman’s dayaccording to me.”
The India TourismD e v e l o p m e n t
Corporation Limited(ITDC), the public sectorundertaking under theaegis of Ministr y ofTourism, organised a ses-sion on ‘Empowerment ofWomen throughSpirituality’, at its flagshipinstitute—Ashok Instituteof Hospitality and TourismManagement (AIHTM).The experiential session onthe theme was conductedby Brahama Kumaris
through the implementa-tion of yoga techniques tostrengthen the metaphys-ical self.
The practical approachreflected on the essence ofmeditation as unveilingthe path to self-realisa-
tion, to be happy andhealthy. Emphasis wasgiven on how spiritualitycomes from within andwhat is the importance ofthe same in today’s fastpaced time. The partici-pants were also given prac-tical understanding of thepower mediation and howmaking it a part of dailylives can change ourlifestyle. The session alsohelped in enlightening theconsciousness for thepower of positivity and
self-reliance through selfdiscipline, meditation andthat we should alwaysbelieve in ourselves.
The session wasattended by Piyush Tiwari,Director (Commercial andMarketing), ITDC; PradipDas, Director Finance,ITDC; Anita Bimal,Principal, AIHTM, andgeneral manager (HRD),ITDC among other seniorofficials, women of theorganisation and studentsof AIHTM.
Ajoint venture between BhartiEnterprises, one of India’s
leading business groups, andAXA, one of the world’s largestinsurance companies, the BhartiAXA Life Insurance, announcedthat the company has hired10,000 insurance advisors andhas added 50 new branches in thecurrent financial year.
The aggressive expansiondrive is part of the company’soverall strategy to strengthen itsoperation and enhance distribu-tion footprint across the country.The company registered 33 percent rise in advisor hiring to38,000 agents during 2018-19 asagainst 28,638 insurance advisorsas on March 31, 2018. The com-pany added 50 new branches totake an enhanced distributionnetwork of 236 branches pan-India in the current financialyear, up by 27 per cent over 186branches as on March 31, 2018.
“We have embarked uponour most aggressive expansiondrive in the recent years. We planto create a large pool of produc-tive agents, strengthen our exist-ing advisor base and reach out toevery nook and corner of thecountry. This will strengthenour distribution bandwidth andhelp in new customer acquisi-tion,” said Vikas Seth, managingdirector and chief executive offi-cer, Bharti AXA Life Insurance.He further added that the com-pany is focusing on Tier-II andTier-III for branch expansionand insurance agent hiring andit plans to continue its expansionspree in the next financial yearwith a focus on profitable growth.
Seth further pointed out thatthe company continues to focuson traditional products, agentproductivity, cost-efficiency andchannel and distribution diver-sification for pursuing its growthaspirations in times to come.
INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY WITH YOUTH PARTICIPATION
Bridge India addressesgender equality
Bharti AXA LifeInsurance on anexpansion spree
The managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Dr Mangu Singh, wasrecently conferred with the degree of 'Doctor of Literature' by Dr KN Modi University, Tonk,Rajasthan, in recognition of his inspirational leadership and pioneering strategies which havebeen fundamental to the rapid growth and unprecedented success of DMRC.
Walk towards health with GAIA
From a cosmetic engineer to an entrepreneur, DOLLY KUMAR, the founder and director of CosmicNutracos, shares her journey of building a wellness brand in India with GURUDATTA JHA
p How did the idea of GAIA come toyou?I was a cosmetic engineering, a profession-al, for the better part of my life. I builtmany cosmetic brands in India, but it waswhen I realised that no brand was address-ing health and wellness, I followed my call-ing to start the journey as an entrepreneur.I started Cosmic Nutracos about 10 yearsago and under this umbrella, GAIA wasthe first healthcare brand. Though thereis Kellogg’s which sells breakfast cereal,Twinning which is selling tea, Britanniawhich is selling healthy biscuits, butthere is till date, no umbrella brandwhich talks of health as a whole. It was alsoimportant since the health and wellnesssegment was growing as a category andcustomers were demanding these types ofproducts. There was a huge vacuum in themarket and GAIA helped in filling thisgap.
p What makes your brand differentfrom the others?I believe that our products deliver on ourpromise of health. They are low on car-bohydrates and sugar but high on proteinsand anti-oxidants. The key is to maintainquality and this is strictly taken care ofsince we do not compromise on the rawmaterials used in all our products. Toadhere to the standards, we even importraw materials like oats from Australia.Under GAIA we have three sub categories.The GAIA Light if for the diabetic andweight watchers since it is sugar free;GAIA Sport addresses the needs of theyounger generation in terms of energyproducts and GAIA Organic is anothersegment which offers spices like car-damom, cloves and so on. It is also
important to note that GAIA Organic isthe only organic brand that has been cer-tified by the government’s departmentwhich assesses food quality. We have ourown manufacturing plants for healthfood products, cosmetics, and skin care.The formulations are developed by ourresearch and development team and wehave very well integrated all operationsfrom going to marketplace, to a strongback-end team.
p How has adoption of the brand beenso far?We understand that educating the customersabout the brand is crucial. We reach out tothe end consumers in innovative ways.Almost 70 per cent of our marketing bud-get is for digital and social media. Apart fromthis, we conduct walkathons, marathons andalso organise park and gym activities everyweekend across the country. These activi-ties are done early in the morning where wehave seen that the consumers are morereceptive to learning about health. Thoughthese activities are not to increase sales butit is a very good brand building exercise.
p What are your growth plans?GAIA is now a pan India brand and we area zero debt company with no funding.GAIA has grown at 79 per cent year-on-yearfor the last 10 years. For the first five years,we struggled with distribution and sales butI am proud to say that today, we have over200 distributors and 20,000 retailers. We arenow focusing on exports and opening upthe international markets. We have alreadybeen doing very well in Nepal and Bhutanand have recently launched the brand inDubai while plans for Bangladesh areongoing.
The Joint Secretary, Ministry ofInformation and Broadcasting,
Vikram Sahay and the DirectorGeneral, Publications Division,Sadhana Rout, inaugurated the IndiaPavilion at the London Book Fair,recently. The Fair is being held in theLondon Olympia from March 12 to14. The India Pavilion lays specialfocus on the 150th birth anniversaryof Mahatma Gandhi. It displays thedigital version of the ‘CollectedWorks of Mahatma Gandhi,’ apartfrom various other titles on culture,
history and folklore of India. Aninteractive, digital media experienceon life and times of MahatmaGandhi, Statue of Unity and othermajor achievements of India is alsoavailable at the Pavilion. A seminaron ‘Making of the Collected Worksof Mahatma Gandhi’, print and elec-tronic versions, will also be organisedduring this fair. The additional direc-tor general, BOC, Ravi Rama Krishnaand senior officials of the IndianHigh Commission in London werealso present on the occasion.
SCOPE Think Tank met and decided to hold a mega PSU EconomicSummit in the first quarter of 2020. A steering group has been formedwhich will prepare the blue print for the same. The former CabinetSecretary, Ajit Seth, was the chief guest and Prof (Dr) YRK Reddy,delivered a lecture on economy and corporate governance during thismeet. The chairman of SCOPE and CMD, MMTC, Ved Prakash, the DG,SCOPE, Dr UD Choubey, participated in the meet along with a selectgroup of about 40 members of the Think Tank.
Bringing the prominent brands of food andthe hospitality industries from India and the
rest of the world, the premier annual event ofthe India Trade Promotion Organisation(ITPO), AAHAR 2019 is attracting crowds inNew Delhi. Being held from March 12-16 atPragati Maidan, the 34th edition of AAHAR haswitnessed 560 participants from India andabroad. The fair actively shares the latest con-sumer trends, concerns, new innovations andtrade avenues. It is committed to the develop-ment of environment-friendly technologies,and providing business delegates with high qual-ity products and services. Offering new oppor-tunities for exports, the event also offers aninsight into the operational and food safety con-cerns and innovations to become energy-effi-cient, finding budget-friendly raw materials toboost productivity, while still aiming for greaterprofitability. The event was jointly inaugurat-ed by Paban K Borthakur, chairman and man-aging director of the Agricultural and ProcessedFood Products Development Authority(APEDA) and Deepak Kumar, the executivedirector of ITPO. Present on the occasion wereVK Macker, president of Food and HospitalitySupport Association of India (FHSAI), RajendraMittal, senior representative from Association
of Resource Companies for Hospitality Industryof India (ARCHII), Hema Maity, the generalmanager of ITPO and other senior governmentofficials.
Speaking on the occasion, Deepak Kumarinformed that the fair has elicited participationfrom countries including China, Denmark,Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Indonesia, Israel,Japan, Malaysia, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Spain,Turkey, USA, UK, Ukraine and the UAE.AAHAR features a wide range of food products,machinery, F&B equipment, hospitality anddécor solutions, and confectionary items and soon. He said that AAHAR is an excellent plat-form for trade promotion and business net-working for all the stakeholders including topechelons of the hotel and hospitality industry.
The fair has been organised with the sup-port of the Ministry of Food ProcessingIndustries, APEDA, and apex industry associ-ations like ARCHII, Hotel and RestaurantEquipment Manufacturers Association of India(HOTREMAI), All India Food ProcessorsAssociation (AIFPA), Food and HospitalitySupport Association of India (FHSAI),Federation of Indian Food and HospitalityIndustry (FIFHI) and Forum of Indian FoodImporters (FIFI).
‘AAHAR’ kicks off in Delhi
Delhi Jal Board to use flow meters for audit
REMEMBERINGGANDHI IN LONDON
The Secretary (Fertilisers), Chhabilendra Roul, recently paid a visit to the NationalFertilisers Limited’s Nangal Unit to observe the urea manufacturing process. TheCMD of NFL, Manoj Mishra, showed the secretary the Energy Saving Project ofthe unit along with the Research and Development Agri Farm which houses aMicro Soil Testing laboratory.
The CMD of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), Dr MRavi Kanth, on the occasion of International Women's Day, stressed on the themeof ‘Balancing for Better', in all aspects of life to ensure health, happiness and self-respect. Five ‘Nari Shakti Awards' were announced for outstanding contribution bywomen employees for 2019.
Harness the power of yoga for empowerment
LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019vivacity 14
Enjoying the success after LukaChuppi, actor KARTIK AARYAN isaware that he needs to be morecareful about his choices in thefilm industry now. When asked about how would hedescribe his journey so far, he
said, “It was quite toughbecause there was a lotof pressure post thesuccess of Sonu...People were waiting to
see what I'mgoing to do next.I am sure somewere also wait-ing to see mefall on my face
(laughs).Thankfully, LukaChuppi haspassed all thetests.”About co-stars,he said, “Ifthere is a two-
hero film, my co-star would beRanbir Kapoor.His choice of films
make me envy him.”
Relationshipsover work: Demi
‘I think itis difficultto be bluntin today'stime. Wecelebratefreedom ofexpression
and speech, but forthe people, who dospeak out, we don'tseem to have muchtolerance. At leastin case of socialmedia, becausewhen you saysomething, you endup offending a lot ofpeople. Even at averbal level, it couldturn into violence.This is worrying.’—Soha Ali Khan
Actress DEMI MOORE says shehas changed her life and shiftedher priorities over the time.Moore said she has shifted herpriorities to refocus on her healthand the people around her in thelast seven years.“My relationships are moreimportant, and what I docomes second,” she said.She no longer looks out-wards for validation.“What does it matterwhat anyone thinks?”she said. “Nothing isthat bad.”This new outlook cameafter “my health tookme down,” Mooresaid, referencing her2012 collapse at herhome. The mother ofthree was hospitalisedafter the incident andentered a rehabtreatment for addic-tion and an eatingdisorder.
Filmmaker ROHIT SHETTY, saidthat unless the Bollywood has aworldwide market like theHollywood, one should notexpect hugebudgets foraction films.Talking aboutcorrelationbetween budgetand market, hesaid, “I think wehave the access to skill, com-puter graphics and other tech-nologies. But we don't have thebudget for them. We do not getthe required budget because wedon't have the market. I see noreason to compare us toHollywood.”
‘I’m envious ofRanbir’s choices’
Arecent research studyrevealed that approxi-mately 40 per cent ofapparel purchasedonline are returned or
exchanged. For most customers, thetop reason was the cloth’s poor fit.Well, shopping comes with a lot ofproblems. But there’s one that rulesthem all — choosing the perfectsize. For instance, for some brands,a woman could be size 10 but size12 for some others. How is she sup-posed to decide her perfect fitonline?
Hence, consumers aren’t satis-fied or confident about the fitsunless they try on a garment. Theend result? Lost profits, increasedlabour and shipping costs, wastedinventory, logistical nightmares,frustrated customers, and a failureto take advantage of online services.
Initially, it was noticed thatwhen parents would get garmentsstitched for their child as per theirsizes, in order to save the efforts, thesame garment would be passeddown to the next sibling. This iswhen it was noticed that the rangeof body dimensions did not varytoo much. Set of people’s sizing didnot vastly differ from each other.This paved a way for the creationof the ‘Standard Sizing’ apparel,which has henceforth evolved as acommon methodology for sales inthe US, UK and Europe today. It isa suitable option which is cost-friendly for the makers and conve-nient for the buyers.
However, the sizing charts
could indeed be confusing when itcomes to choosing them online.Well, now it is India’s turn to be onthe sizing chart and create its ownstandard size for apparel.Researchers say that setting up theIndian chart will not just help theconsumers but the Indian textileindustry as a whole.
The ‘India size’ specifications
will require a lot of data andinsights to prepare a final chart ofstandard sizes. With the onset ofconvenience shopping, this couldbe a welcome move for the Indiantextile industry since consumershifts and mindsets are towards itstangent. The industry will be fur-ther benefitted through the B2Btrade, as our partners are becom-
ing more aware of their end cus-tomers’ needs. Since such a studyhas never been done before, itbecomes imperative to finally ascer-tain the magnitude of textile con-sumption in India. It will help theindustry to project better forecastsand thereby improve overall sectorgrowth.
The entire process of determin-
ing sizing sets will begin with a‘Mass Measurement Movement’by noting down sizes of peoplefrom across the country. This willinclude — (i) Horizontal torso,including the shoulder, neck, bust-line, rib-cage waist, upper hip andlower hip measurements; (ii)Vertical torso, including the back,waist to shoulder length, shoulder
to bust length, waist to bust lengthand the two waist-hip lengths’measurements; (iii) Sleeve mea-surements; (iv) Height measure-ments.
It will be a mammoth task butonce completed, the analysis col-lected during this process will be agold mine of knowledge and data.High-level machinery would beemployed to craft a standardisedsize-chart that will lead to well-fit-ting clothes extended to bothoffline and e-marketplaces for cos-tumers to choose.
Post measurements, the sizeswill have to be grouped into the‘same bracket’ ranges so as to markthe number variations and devia-tions. On the basis of that, the cat-egories are further sub-grouped tocreate a standard size that wouldaccommodate two ranges.
Well, the best part about theexercise is that once the standardsize charts are finalised, they willpositively affect a variety of sectors,ranging from sub-divisions of theapparel industry (fitness, casual-wear, party-wear) to diverse oneslike aerospace, because the collect-ed data would be useful for theirproducts and services being offeredto Indians.
However, it is indeed wonder-ful that India will soon get itsstandard size chart, carving a wayfor million Indian consumerswho get baffled up when the sizechart showing the UK, US andEurope’s sizes pop up on onlineshopping sites.
Breaking the myth about eco-friendly materials, and alsoemphasising the need for util-
isation of green fabrics, FDCI’s LotusMake-up India Fashion Week set outto give a message on sustainable fash-ion.
The ramp set in the green back-ground with elements of flora andfauna, the show featured collectionby designers Rina Dhaka, SahilKochhar, Shalini Jamesand Samant Chauhan.The show reconciledsustainability with thefashion industry, ethicsand responsibility withbeauty, luxury andcomfort with styleand elegance, shat-tering the myth ofsustainable clothingby being boxy, styl-ishly-textured, andfashionable whilehighly breathable.
“FDCI is forg-ing ahead to takefashion on agreener path with ageneration of new-age eco-warriors.Sustainability and con-scious consumption isthe need of the hour,”said FDCI presidentSunil Sethi.
Designer RinaDhaka’s ideologybrought in the colourof blood, which hasalso been historical-ly associated to sac-rifice, danger and
courage. She described red as thecolour of passion and drama.“Red attracts the most attentionand is associated with strongemotions such as love andanger. And black is thecolour of mystery. It is onewhich speaks in many dif-ferent forms. It is truly upto us what we choose tokeep and what do we wantto let go.” She presentedcowl necks, big shoulderand sleeves, asymmetricalskirts, checks and distortionof lines and patterns with oldtribal prints through
Bandhej. For her, “Floralsare no longer sweet, mix
and match is thecharm.”
Designer ShaliniJames’s designs wereinspired byChitrakoot , anancient forestedhill in MadhyaPradesh, oftencalled the hill ofwonders. With thefabric from the eco-
friendly Liva, made fromwood sourced fromFSC-certified forests,James presented a paletteof dark, mysterious for-est colours in naturaldyes like jackal brown,peacock blue, berry red,
acai green and a sultryindigo — reminiscentof river Mandakinisnaking through the for-
est on a moonlit night. In
this collection, the resist-dyeingand block-printing techniques of
Bagru, in Rajasthan, come to lifewith new innovations and
design inputs, bringingtogether a sensuous inter-play of deep forest hues, awild mating of foliageprints, and the lush tex-ture.
Designer DikshaKhanna’s collection titledHadith, a desert storm,
was inspired by the mys-terious, narrow bylanesserpenting through Dohaand Oman, as imagined
in yellowing historybooks, conveying thatthere is more than whatmeets the eye.
The designer inter-preted this through theprism of Zari, mixing itwith Khadi and Denim. It
was an intriguing mix of theancient and the uber-mod-ern, the pockets of bygoneeras in the urban centres.
Traditional costumes andnuances were interpreted
in the shapes and detailing within theandrogynous range, sharply contrast-ed by unusual textile. Through cro-cheted patchwork textures, crossstitch embroideries and decorativeelements, embodying the heady trea-sures found in the bustling bazaars,the collection had a spice colourpalette, with denim given a glam-orous makeover, flavoured with asensuality that reflects the spirit ofthe millennial Arabian woman,speaking her mind.
It is after six to seven years of goingthrough several hurdles and facingabundant struggle in casting the actors
that filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia couldfinally give life to his forthcoming roman-tic-comedy Milan Talkies. Inspired by thesmall town boys of Malegaon, the film fea-tures another love saga set in Uttar Pradeshduring the time when single screen theatreswere still prominent and film print in cir-culation.
Tigmanshu says that it was his daugh-ter who pushed him to make this film, whichcould be something ahead from gangstersand without a political context.
The Saheb Biwi aur Gangster directorapprises us that he started writing the scriptin 2010-2011, while he was still shooting forPaan Singh Tomar. That’s why the film is alsoset in that period when there were prints intheatres. He feels that due to digitisation,suddenly, the romance of cinema has gonemissing. He had to show the projectors andrelated equipment in the film. Tigmanshusays, “The film is a tribute to old, singlescreen theatres and the classics.”
The director explains that the film fol-lows the story of a boy who works in theprojection room at a single-screen cinemaand aspires to become the biggest filmmak-er in the country. Trouble ensues when hefalls in love with a girl whose relatives aredetermined to keep them apart.
He says, “The boys from Malegaon aresuch jugaadus that they have put a cameraon the cycle to make a trolley out of it. I mustsay jugaad pe duniya chalti hai. They pro-ject local issues in their films and are expertsat helping students cheat in exams. Theymake money through it and then make filmsin their own style. They did a remake ofSholay as Malegaon Ke Sholay, completelytwisted storylines with a small budget.”
Tigmanshu, who doesn’t usually showhis comic side to the world through hisfilms, says that he wanted to reveal it thistime.
When it comes to making a romanticdrama, he strongly feels that there’s alwaysa conflict attached to every love story. Andbecause all kinds of differences — “ameeri,gareebi, religion or class” — have alreadybeen shown, he chooses a real story. He says,“There’s a film inside a film.”
The director feels that the entire processof filmmaking is very stressful. “It’s not easyto make a film, especially if you try and cre-ate the kind of films which I make,” he says.
Well, the director recently stated, ‘I did-n’t join Bollywood to work with stars.’Talking about what he means by that, headds that it’s because of what kind of actorshis scripts demand. “It is on whatever thescript demands and also its budget. I am notagainst working with big stars but I am morein favour of working with actors who focuson their acting skills rather than maintain-ing their profiles,” says he.
The director also recently quoted, “I amdestined to struggle despite proving mypotential.” Explaining what he meant by that,he says, “If you want to make films whichare regular, commercial films, then you real-
ly don’t have to struggle hard. I am very par-ticular about making the ‘Tigmanshu-style’films, thodi alag type ki kahaniya. To makesuch a kind, you are meant to struggleinspite of all the success you have.”
Indian cinema has evolved both in agood and a bad way over the years, feelsTigmanshu. He says that commercial cin-ema has changed so much today as after2001, so many new directors have come inthe industry who are shaping it in their ownunique ways.
“The change started coming in since the2000s. New breed of directors came toMumbai from different parts of the coun-try. They came with their personal storiesand experiences. They changed the phaseto commercial films from formula filmswhere the stories were typical. The actress-es would only cry or dance. No one couldhave thought of a film like Dangal 15 yearsago.”
(The film releases on March 15.)Photo: Pankaj Kumar
The introduction of the ‘Indian standard size’ for apparel will not only boost online shopping, but also the country’stextile industry as a whole. By TEAM VIVA
ONE CHART FOR ALL
THE ENTIREPROCESS OF
DETERMININGSIZING SETS WILL
BEGIN WITH A MASSMOVEMENT BYNOTING DOWN
SIZES OF PEOPLEFROM ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. THIS WILLINCLUDE
HORIZONTAL TORSO,INCLUDING THE
SHOULDER, NECK,BUST-LINE,
RIB-CAGE WAIST,UPPER AND LOWER HIP
MEASUREMENTS
National Award-winning filmmaker TIGMANSHU DHULIA tells AYUSHI SHARMA that hislatest venture Milan Talkies is a tribute to old, single-screen cinema and the classics
‘There is a comic
side to me’
Day one of the Lotus Make-up India Fashion Weekcommenced with breaking myths around sustainable clothing and showcasing boxy, breathable and stylishlytextured collection
A ramp of innovationsBy Samant Chauhan By Rina Dhaka
By
Dik
sha
Kha
nna
By
Sha
lini J
ames
sport 15LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
AFP n TURIN
Cristiano Ronaldo made amockery of Atletico Madrid'svaunted defense, and then
mocked its coach as well.Ronaldo scored a hat trick
against the normally resilientSpanish side to send Juventus intothe Champions League quarterfi-nals with a 3-0 win as theBianconeri fought back from a two-goal first-leg defeat.
The former Real Madrid play-er outjumped Atletico's defendersto score a header in each half andthen converted a late penalty for hisfirst hat trick since joining Juventusin the summer - and just when theyneeded it most.
He celebrated at the final whis-tle by mimicking the obscene ges-ture Atletico coach Diego Simeonemade after the Spanish side's sec-ond goal in the first leg - having thefinal say against a rival he so oftendefeated as a Real Madrid player.
Simeone was fined 20,000euros ($22,500) by UEFA forimproper conduct and it remains tobe seen whether Ronaldo will face
a similar punishment.It was Ronaldo's eighth hat
trick in the Champions League,moving him level with Barcelona'sLionel Messi and demonstratingwhy Juventus paid Real Madrid 112million euros (then $131.5 million)for the Portugal star who has dom-inated the competition in recentyears.
It was the first time Juventuscame back from a two-goal defeatin the first leg.
"Maybe that's why Juventussigned me," Ronaldo said. "To helpit do things that it had never donebefore. This result is a great pushfor the future, we're strong and weshowed it."
The 34-year-old Ronaldo haswon the Champions League fivetimes, including in four of the lastfive seasons.
Without him, Madrid waseliminated by Ajax last week.
However, Ronaldo had onlyscored one goal in the competitionfor Juventus until Tuesday.
"It would have been strange ifRonaldo's Champions League sea-son ended with only one goal,"
Juventus coach MassimilianoAllegri said. "Juventus signed himfor nights like this and tonight hemade the difference."
For Atletico, it was moreheartache in the competition in theyear the final is being held in itsWanda Metropolitano Stadium -and more pain caused by Ronaldo.While at Madrid, Ronaldo helpedbeat Atletico in two ChampionsLeague finals.
He has also now scored 25goals against Atletico in his career.
"He's the best in the world,"Simeone said. "We suffered, ashappened to them in the first leg.They're through and that's right.They deserved it ... Maybe I didn'tmanage to transmit to my playerswhat we needed."
Manchester City is alsothrough to the final eight after rout-ing Schalke 7-0 to progress 10-2 onaggregate.
Juventus thought it had takenthe lead less than three minutes intothe game but VAR confirmed thatRonaldo had fouled Atletico goal-keeper Jan Oblak before GiorgioChiellini fired in the rebound.
Italy forward FedericoBernardeschi was handed a startinstead of Paulo Dybala forJuventus, and he responded byputting in a cross from the left forRonaldo to head in at the far postin the 27th minute. Bernardeschialso had several chances to extendJuve's lead - notably with an auda-cious overhead kick in the 35thminute which flew narrowly over.
Ronaldo went close againshortly before halftime when heagain outjumped everyone butheaded Leonardo Spinazzola's crosswide of the right post.
Ronaldo did get the secondgoal three minutes after the break.Joao Cancelo put in a cross fromthe right and although Oblakclawed Ronaldo's header out fromunder his crossbar, goal-line tech-nology confirmed the ball hadcrossed the line.
Juventus went all out attack andgot the decisive third goal four min-utes from time. Bernardeschi wasnudged over in the penalty area andRonaldo converted the resultingspot kick to send the home fanswild.
AFP n MANCHESTER
Pep Guardiola says Manchester Citydon't fear any team in the
Champions League after they poweredinto the quarter-finals with a 7-0 routof hapless Schalke on Tuesday.
City had snatched two late goals towin the first leg 3-2 and they made themost of that fightback with a ruthlessdemolition job at the Etihad Stadiumto clinch a 10-2 last-16 aggregate vic-tory.
Sergio Aguero's penalty opened thescoring in the 35th minute and theArgentine forward netted again soonafterwards before Leroy Sane, who alsocontributed three assists, struck againsthis former club.
Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva,Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus all scoredafter the interval to complete City'sbiggest home win in the ChampionsLeague.
Guardiola's side, who lifted theLeague Cup in February, remain oncourse for an unprecedented quadru-ple, sitting one point ahead of Liverpoolat the top of the Premier League beforethis weekend's FA Cup quarter-final atSwansea.
"After the first goal we played at agood level. We were serious and we didthe job," Guardiola said.
"In the last 15 minutes of the firsthalf and in the second half we wereincredible. We were playing quick,dynamic in the transitions and wescored goals."
This emphatic victory was thejoint-biggest ever Champions Leagueknockout stage win but won't lingerlong in the memory given Schalke'stotal lack of resistence.
Twice a Champions League winneras Barcelona boss, Guardiola claimedthis week that City are "teenagers" in thecompetition compared to the moreestablished European powers.
They have never won theChampions League, with their best per-
formance a semi-final appearance in2016 under Guardiola's predecessorManuel Pellegrini.
But City are one of the favouritesto claim the trophy after Real Madridand Paris Saint Germain crashed outand, on this evidence, Guardiola'splayers are up for the challenge of show-ing they are more mature than hebelieves.
"When I say we are a teenager teamit doesn't mean we are not going tofight," Guardiola said.
"The 'teenagers' have passion anddesire, they are not scared. We are goingto try.
"I won it twice but I lost seventimes. People say you have to win (thetrophy), but in one game you can loseagainst these incredible top sides. Wewill see how far we will get."
Amid reports he is in danger ofbeing sacked, Schalke boss DomenicoTedesco admitted it was the worst resultof his reign.
"I'm extremely disappointed. Wefell apart. It was the worst we've hadhere since I was coach," he said.
"Of course it hurts. It's difficultwhen you lose 7-0 to stand here. Thenext couple of weeks are going to be dif-ficult."
AFP n INDIAN WELLS
Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiberstunned Australian Open cham-
pion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 onTuesday, claiming his first career winover a World No 1 player to reach thefourth round of the ATP Indian WellsMasters.
Serbian superstar Djokovic wasplaying his first tournament since lift-ing a record seventh title inMelbourne, taking his tally of GrandSlam victories to 15.
He had won eight of nine priormeetings with Kohlschreiber, butcould find no answer to the 39th-ranked veteran, who had come upempty in 11 prior attempts to beat atop-ranked rival.
"It's a very special moment,"Kohlschreiber said.
"Of course, playing the top guysis always a big pleasure, but most ofthe time they beat you."
In match that resumed afterrain stopped play just one game in onMonday night, Kohlschreiber saidthe warmer daytime conditions suit-ed him better, and Djokovic agreed.
"I liked my chances more at nightagainst Kohlschreiber," Djokovicsaid.
"Completely different conditionstoday: Ball bounces much higher.
"Obviously he uses his spin verywell. I wasn't playing well. One ofthose days," added Djokovic, whosedefeat came on a day the women'sdraw lost it's top two seeds — worldnumber one Naomi Osaka and num-ber two Simona Halep.
"I congratulate him for playingtactically really well and getting meout of my comfort zone," Djokovicsaid.
"He deserved to win."After dropping the first set,
Djokovic displayed his frustration bybanging his racquet against his footuntil it crumpled. The fit of pique didnothing to improve his fortunes asKohlschreiber opened the second setwith a break.
Two wayward forehands and adouble fault from Djokovic helpedKohlschreiber to another break for a5-2 lead.
Then it was Kohlschreiber's turnto show some nerves as a string of fourerrors, including a double fault, gaveDjokovic a break back.
He made no mistake on his sec-ond chance, however, firing a sideline-skimming forehand to seal the mile-stone win on his first match point.
Kohlschreiber will face France'sGael Monfils for a place in the quar-ter-finals.
Djokovic will try to regroup forthe Miami Masters after the abruptend to his bid to win a record sixthIndian Wells title and match RafaelNadal's record of 33 Masters 1000titles.
NADAL SPEEDS THROUGH World number two Nadal
stayed on track to improve thatnumber as he swept past ArgentineDiego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-1 toreach the last 16.
Nadal took his record againstthe World No 26 to 7-0 in emphat-ic style, never facing a break pointin a match lasting an hour and 16minutes.
"I think I played a very solidmatch. I did a lot of things well,"Nadal said. Nadal, a three-time win-ner of the Indian Wells title, nextfaces Serbian qualif ier Fi l ipKrajinovic, who ousted 14th-seed-ed Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2.
Fourth-seeded Roger Federereased through with a 6-3, 6-4 vic-tory over friend and fellow SwissStan Wawrinka.
Federer took his record to 22-3 over Wawrinka, a former worldnumber three who is climbing backup the rankings in the wake of dou-ble knee surgery.
Federer next faces Britain's KyleEdmund, who beat Macedonianqualifier Radu Albot 6-3, 6-3.
AFP n INDIAN WELLS
World number oneNaomi Osaka crashed
out of Indian Wells onTuesday, routed by BelindaBencic on a day that saw sec-ond-ranked Simona Halepsent packing, too.
Bencic, ranked 23rd inthe world, defeated Osaka 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious WTApremier mandatory event,where Osaka won her firsttour title last year.
That marked the start ofa remarkable rise that includ-ed Osaka's first Grand Slamtitle at the US Open. She fol-lowed that with an AustralianOpen crown that sent her tonumber one.
But she never found her
feet against Bencic, whosecrisp groundstrokes and pre-cise service game propelledher to victory in 66 minutes.
"I didn't play that well,"Osaka said. "Honestly, at atime like this with that score-line, I would usually feelvery depressed and sad. ButI feel pretty good right now,because I tried my best andI don't really have any regrets.
"She was just playing sowell ... There wasn't anythingthat I could do in that situa-tion."
Bencic, who turned 22on Sunday, is back on the riseafter a string of injuriesstalled a career that hadexploded with two preco-cious WTA titles in 2015.
Bencic —who beat fourtop-10 players on the way to
the title in Dubai last month,her first trophy in four years -- next faces fifth-seeded CzechKarolina Pliskova, who downedAnett Kontaveit 7-6 (10/8), 4-6, 6-2.
The victory over Osakacame in "very high" in her listof big wins.
"I mean, she's the numberone player in the world. Shewon everything in the past cou-ple of months.
"I played, I think, a greatmatch. I'm really happy withmyself.
"I'm very confident withmy game right now. I'm hittingthe ball well. So just thingsworked out for me."
Osaka's defeat capped ablack day for top seeds in thecombined WTA-ATP Mastersevent, with men's world num-ber one Novak Djokovicstunned by 39th-rankedPhilipp Kohlschreiber.
The women's field lost itstop two seeds as Romania'sHalep, the 2015 Indian Wellswinner, fell to Czech teenagerMarketa Vondrousova 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
AFP n PARIS
Paris Saint-Germain shookoff their Champions League
hangover and resumed theircanter towards another Frenchtitle on Tuesday as they cruisedto a 4-0 win in Dijon.
Marquinhos, KylianMbappe, Angel Di Maria andEric Maxim Choupo-Motingscored PSG's goals in their firstouting since their disastrousexit from the ChampionsLeague in the last 16 at thehands of Manchester Unitedlast week.
The result left ThomasTuchel's team 17 points clear ofLille in second place, and theystill have a game in hand.With a French Cup semi-finalto come next month, a domes-tic double remains a possibil-ity, but any celebrations herewere low key for a club whosepriority has long been Europe.
The PSG squad had beengiven three days off in the wakeof their 3-1 home reverseagainst United, which eliminat-ed them from the ChampionsLeague on away goals, thethird season running in which
they have gone out in the last16.
A Dijon side battling toavoid relegation were the idealopponents for PSG here, withthe visitors going ahead insideseven minutes whenMarquinhos headed homefrom a Di Maria corner.
The PSG line-up featuredjust four changes from lastWednesday's ChampionsLeague game, with GianluigiBuffon and Thilo Kehrer drop-ping out along with the bannedDani Alves and injured JulianDraxler.
Mbappe got the secondshortly before half-time,bundling in a Layvin Kurzawacentre from close range for his25th league goal of the cam-paign.
The World Cup-winningstriker later hit the woodwork,but that was after Di Maria hadcurled in a free-kick five min-utes into the second half.
Choupo-Moting came offthe bench to wrap up the winin stoppage time from aThomas Meunier cross, as hegot his first goal since his debutfor the club in September.
CRISTIANO’S COMEBACK Ronaldo scores record eighth Champions League hat-trick as Juventus seal historic comeback against Atletico to cruise into quarters
IT WAS RONALDO'SEIGHTH HAT TRICK IN
THE CHAMPIONSLEAGUE, MOVING HIM
LEVEL WITHBARCELONA'S LIONEL
MESSI ANDDEMONSTRATING
WHY JUVENTUS PAIDREAL MADRID 112
MILLION EUROS FORTHE PORTUGAL STAR
BENCIC, RANKED23RD IN THE
WORLD, DEFEATEDOSAKA 6-3, 6-1 TO
REACH THEQUARTER-FINALS
WTA PREMIEREVENT
Djoker topples; Rafa,
Federer advance
CITY SHOW NO MERCY
Osaka, Halep crash out of Indian Wells
PSG RESUMEWINNING STREAK
Naomi Osaka reacts after losing a point against her opponent AP
sport 16LUCKNOW | THURSDAY | MARCH 14, 2019
HARSHIT BISHT n NEW DELHI
Considered as gone on theback of series of disappoint-ing results in limited overs
games in last year and half, defend-ing World Champions pull out ahistoric series win against India forthe first time in ten years by beat-ing World Cup favourites India by35 runs in the final game of fivematch series at the Feroz Shah Kotlastadium in New Delhi onWednesday.
Batting first, courtesy of bril-liant hundred by Usman Khawaja,Australia posted 272 runs on theboard asking India to chase 273 towin series in the skipper's home turfbut it turned out to be an off dayfor India's top order and world'snumber one batsman, who failed toentertain his local crowd by playingmemorable innings before he wascaught behind by Alex Carey in13th over of his going to IPL team-mate Marcus Stoinis delivery. Hescored 20 off 22 balls and at the timeof his dismissal India scoreboardwas reading just 68 runs.
However it was not just Kohliwho failed to perform in his localground, two another Delhi boysShikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Panttoo had an off day in the business.
It was a lot expected fromDhawan, who came after scoringcareer best 143 runs in last game,but his stay at crease couldn't lastlong and the left hander was the first
to go after getting caught behind for12 runs.
While seen as Dhoni's deputybehind wickets, Delhi's formerRanji skipper Pant welcomedZampa by hitting six of the very firstball of his spell but was sent backto pavilion by Lyon after he wascaught at slip by Ashton Turner
managing run a ball 16.At the top only Rohit Sharma
managed to get some runs but his56 run innings came off 89 balls,which is in complete contrast to hisreputation of an explosive limitedover batsman.
He was sent back by Zampa inthe 29th over after Carey did a bril-
liant work behind wickets to removehis bails before he could manage toreturn back into the crease. Andthree balls later, Ravindra Jadeja wasalso stumped for duck leaving Indiato struggle at 132 for 6.
And just when it was lookinglike, it 's all over for India,Bhuvneshwar Kumar (46 off 54
balls) and Kedar Jadhav (44 off 57balls) tried to get something out ofnowhere. The duo added 91 of 103balls and blossom up India's hopeof an astonishing comeback butBhuvi's dismissal in the last ball of46th over was a major setback. Andwith Kedar's sensational catch atboundary line by Maxwell of the
immediate next ball. Any hopes ofIndia's comeback was virtually dis-mantled.
The remaining two batsmencould only add 13 runs and Indiawas all out in the last ball of thegame and series.
While this win will boostAustralia's confidence going intothe World Cup, where they willcompete for the defence of theirrecord fifth title. It is a harsh real-ity check for Virat Kohli and hisboys just before cricket's biggestextravanga.
This series defeat will hurtmore because of the fact that Indiawas in stern control after winningfirst two ODIs and were looking fora series sweep but the mightyKangaroo's made a sensationalcomeback and did what it looked asan absolute impossible after firsttwo games.
Earlier, after winning toss andelecting to bat first, riding on bril-liant hundred by in form UsmanKhawaja and his 99 runs partner-ship for second wicket with Peter
Handscomb, Australia posted 272runs on the board for the loss of 9wickets.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar turnedout to be most successful bowler forIndia picking 3 for 48, along withShami and Jadeja also grabbing twowickets each.
While for Australia, AdamZampa was the wrecker in chiefwith three wickets for 46 runs andtwo wickets were each shared by thethree pacers Cummins, Stoinis andRichardson.
PTI n NEW DELHI
India's head coach Ravi Shastri says Hardik Pandya and KL Rahulneeded "the rap on their knuckles", referring to the duo's sexist com-ments on a popular TV show.
Pandya and Rahul were in the eye of a massive storm followingtheir sexist comments on 'Koffee With Karan' in January.
"Pandya and Rahul needed the rap on their knuckles. They wouldhave learnt a lot from what happened, which is good," Shastri toldMirror Now.
"You are bound to makemistakes and you are boundto be punished at times butthat's not the end of theworld. Such experiences justhelp players to come backstronger, harder and wiser," hesaid.
The TV show was airedon January 6. In the show,Pandya and Rahul talkedabout their relationships,crushes, favourite movies,actors and actresses. Pandyaboasted about hooking up with multiple women and even spoke abouthow open he is with his parents on the matter.
Shastri was asked about the differences in opinion between theBCCI and the team over partners of cricketers travelling with themon long overseas tours. "The players know if it is going to affect theirperformances they will take the decision accordingly. When you seethe amount of time they spend away from home, you got to be prac-tical there. "But yes, if it is big event like a world cup or a big tourna-ment where you need the boys to be absolutely focused 24x7 then it'sdifferent but otherwise — this day and age you got to be practical andbe a little open minded."
PTI n NEW DELHI
India's Dipa Karmakar willlook to secure an Olympic
berth with "some good perfor-mances" at back-to-back ArtisticGymnastics World Cups in Bakuand Doha, beginning onThursday.
Dipa had claimed a Bronzeat the vault event of the ArtisticGymnastics World Cup inCottbus, Germany in November2018, to make a strong bid forher Olympic qualification.
It was Dipa's first appearanceafter recovering from a kneestrain, which had spoilt herchances at the Jakarta AsianGames, where she missed thevault final and also had to pullout of the team event.
However, she recovered intime to secure a third-spot fin-ish at Cottbus, keeping alive herchances of Olympic qualification.
Although Dipa skipped theWorld Cup in Melbourne(February 21-24), she is now eye-ing good outings at the twoWorld Cups - Baku (March 14-17) and Doha (March 20-23).
"This time the Olympic qual-ifications is through severalroutes including the World Cups.I want to explore all possibleroutes to increase my chances forthe 2020 Olympic qualificationsand my confidence has risenafter winning a medal at theWorld Cup in Germany lastyear," Dipa had said.
"I hope to produce somegood performances andprogress towards the Olympics,"added the gymnast fromAgartala, who had vaulted herway to a fourth place finish atthe Rio Olympics.
The two upcoming tourna-ments are part of an eight-event qualifying system for the2020 Tokyo Olympics, underwhich the gymnasts will makethe cut based on the their topthree scores.
However, the run-up to thetwo events was shrouded inuncertainty for Dipa with theSport Authority Of India (SAI)not clearing the trips eventhough the GymnasticFederation of India (GFI) hadsent her entry to FIG in time.
On March 5, SAI clearedher and coach BisweswarNandi's trip for the two WorldCups and they left forAzerbaijan last Tuesday.
Nandi had made it clear thatnothing less than a Gold will dofor his ward.
PTI n BENGALURU
Indian men's hockey team vice-cap-tain Surender Kumar on
Wednesday said the upcoming SultanAzlan Shah Cup will be a goodopportunity for youngsters to testthemselves ahead of the qualifyingtournaments for 2020 Olympics.
India will be fielding a youngsquad at the 28th Sultan Azlan ShahCup with the likes of Hardik Singh,Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit, NilakantaSharma, Sumit Kumar (Junior),Gurinder Singh, Simranjeet Singhand Gurjant Singh, among others.They have shown tremendous poten-tial after making their internationaldebut with the senior team.
"The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hasalways been a great platform to testyoungsters and see how they adapt tointernational standards. Their expe-rience will grow ahead of the major(2020 Olympic Games qualifying)tournaments we play this year," saidSurender.
"Some of these players have donevery well at the FIH ChampionsTrophy and 2018 Men's World Cupand carry a lot of confidence. And wehave been speaking to them regular-ly about handling pressure especial-ly in situations when we are one goaldown or two goals down. Their
good show will only be beneficial forour team in the lead up to the 2020Olympic Games in Tokyo," he added.
The Malaysia-bound team hasbeen going through the grind in soar-ing summer heat at the SportsAuthority of India campus here.
Surender said the team felt thattraining in the afternoon will helpthem acclimatise to the weather inIpoh, where the temperature willhover around 34-36 degrees whenIndia play their matches.
"It will be just about the sameconditions in Ipoh but maybe a bitmore humid," said the vice-captain.
Speaking about India's chances inthe tournament, starting on March23, with Malaysia, Japan, Korea,Canada, Poland in the fray, Surenderemphasised that their goal is to winthe gold.
"The goal is to win gold but wewon't be going into the tournamentthinking of the final. We will have togo step-by-step. Our first match iswith Japan and then Korea, and it'simportant to start well," he said.
The Haryana-born Surenderbroke into the national scene in 2016when he was picked for the seniormen's camp after a successful outingin the Hockey India League (HIL).
Since then, there has been nolooking back for Surender. With his
consistent performances in the back-line, he has earned a name for him-self.
He credits his growth in the teamto compatriot Rupinder Pal Singh.
"Rupinder Pal guided me a lotduring our days at Hockey IndiaLeague and always egged me on say-ing I will get a chance in the nation-al camp if I played well in HIL.
"Even when I came into thecamp in 2016 ahead of the SultanAzlan Shah Cup he guided me a lotin terms of handling pressure andhow to carry on despite mistakes wemight commit during matches,"Surender recalled.
His turning point, however, wasafter the Asia Cup 2017 in Dhakawhen the coaches advised him toimprove on his speed, footwork andtackling.
"After the Asia Cup, coaches toldme where I was going wrong and theytold me my movement was a bit slowand I needed to improve my speedand tackling. I worked a lot on thislast year ahead of the FIH ChampionsTrophy.
"The Indian team works with thebelief that our defence needs to besolid and solid defence can wintournaments. This belief automatical-ly brings a sense of responsibility," the24-year-old said.
PTI n KOLKATA
Rishabh Pant's ascendancy asIndia's premier Test wicketkeep-
er has not made Wriddhiman Saha"insecure" even one bit as he does-n't believe that he is in competitionwith the Delhi glovesman.
Saha, one of India's more tech-nically accomplished keeper, hasrecently made a comeback forBengal in the Syed Mushtaq AliTrophy after being out of competi-tive cricket owing to shouldersurgery last year.
In the interim, young Pant hasmade an impression with the bat,scoring Test hundreds in Englandand Australia.
Had the long lay-off and Pant'semergence made him insecure?"Not at all. I was not insecure.Being a sportsman you always runthe risk of getting injured. The aimwas to be fully fit and returnstronger," Saha, who scored 306 runsin 11 Mushtaq Ali Trophy games,told PTI in an interview.
Sceptics have cast doubts thatPant's batting ability could make ainternational comeback difficult forthe Bengal stumper but Saharemains unfazed.
"I was out with an injury.Rishabh grabbed his chance andscored runs on a consistent basis.Now my aim is to get back to formand try to make a comeback in theIndian line-up. That's purely myfocus and I have stressed before andI want make it clear that there is nocompetition with Rishabh," saidSaha, who has scored 1164 runs in32 Tests with three hundreds and anaverage of 30.63.
He has been a very safe batsmanwithout being too flamboyant but he
does understand that versatility is apre-requisite at the elite level.
"Nowadays, it's all about beingversatile. Keepers have to bat too,"states Wriddhiman, who has scoreda hundred and two half-centuries onhis T20 comeback.
In fact, his best performanceshave come whenever he has openedthe innings. The normally introvertkeeper said that he wouldn't mindopening the innings if the SunrisersHyderabad team management giveshim that opportunity.
"Of course, I would love to openin the IPL but the decision is total-ly up to the team management. Ihave returned after so many months.So this IPL has an added signifi-cance," said Saha, who has a centu-
ry for Kings Xi Punjab in the 2014IPL final against Kolkata KnightRiders.
His is a style of batting suitswhen he gets to play more deliver-ies.
"In the first few matches, I bat-ted down the order. When I came onto the crease, there were a few oversleft. So I had no time to settle andhad to play big shots. Twice, I wasrun-out. I am satisfied with my per-formance but yes it can always bebetter."
Once the IPL is over, the biggerbattle will start as Saha in all likeli-hood will have to again fight for thesecond wicketkeeper's slot for theinaugural World Test Championshipmatches in the West Indies.
AFP n MELBOURNE
Sebastian Vettel said Wednesday thatFerrari have "tried to turn the page"
after being dominated by Mercedes in2018 and their new car "feels good"ahead of the season-opening AustralianGrand Prix.
The German four-time worldchampion was speaking as the newFormula One season officially launchedwith all 20 drivers taking part in a first-of-its-kind public meet-and-greet withfans in the heart of Melbourne.
"For the whole team we have triedto turn the page," Vettel told the thou-sands of fans who turned up for aglimpse of their heroes in the city'sFederation Square.
"We had some weaknesses here andthere last year and we have tried to fixthose and do much better," he addedafter the drivers arrived by boat on theYarra River, signed autographs andposed for pictures with the event livestreamed on Formula One's socialmedia channels.
"The team is on track and the carfeels good," he said of his Ferrari, whichwas fastest in pre-season testing and isthe bookmakers' favourite going intoSunday's race. Sports-mad Melbournehas hosted the season-opening GrandPrix every year, bar two, since 1996.
"I love it here. There's a great ener-gy and it gets better through the week,"said Mercedes' five-time world cham-pion Lewis Hamilton, who was beatenby Vettel to the chequered flag at theAlbert Park circuit last year.
After losing out to the Germanagain in the second race of the seasonin Bahrain, the Englishman roared backto sweep to the 2018 drivers' champi-onship by winning 11 of the remaining19 grands prix.
The 2019 calendar features a gru-elling 21 races, with the sport celebrat-
ing its 1,000th Grand Prix later in theyear in China.
The new launch event was a chanceto interact with fans, said Formula One'scommercial manager Sean Bratches.
"The passion, knowledge andenthusiasm of the Melbourne crowddeserved a special thanks and this iswhy we decided to organise the first-ever season launch event in the histo-ry of the sport," he said.
"It's vital that we put them at theheart of everything we do, and thisevent provides us with a platform toengage with fans not just locally but alsoglobally."
Australia break India’s winning streak in ODIs by defeating Virat & Co by 35 runs and complete stunning turn-around to win series 3-2
AUSSIES HAVE THE LAST LAUGH
Shastri: Pandya, Rahul needed the rapon their knuckles
DIPA EYES
OLYMPIC BERTH
Neither am I insecure nor do I havecompetition with Rishabh: Wriddhiman
Vettel says Ferrari feeling good as
new Formula One season launches
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup a litmus test for youngsters: Surender
NEW DELHI: India vice-captainRohit Sharma completed 8000runs in ODI cricket during the fifthand series-deciding match againstAustralia on Wednesday.The 31-year-old Rohit completedthe milestone in his 206th ODIappearance and is joint third fastestto the milestone along with formerIndia captain Sourav Ganguly.Both have taken 200 innings toreach 8000-run mark with thefastest being current India skipperVirat Kohli (175 innings) followedby South Africa great AB de Villiers(182).Rohit scored 56 off 89 balls on theday before being stumped offAdam Zampa's delivery. He nowhas 8010 runs in 206 ODIs with 22hundreds and 41 half-centuries.
