A head of the upcoming Assembly election in Delhi, around 40-50 lakh people liv- ing in 1,797 unauthorised colonies in the national Capital will be given ownership rights. As per the Union Cabinet’s decision on Wednesday to legalise these unauthorised colonies, the ownership right will be given after payment of regularisation charge based on carpet area/plot size. For colonies on private land, the regularisation charge will be half of the charge on Government land. The rights will be con- ferred on payment of nominal charge based on carpet area/plot size. For colonies on Government land, the charge will be 0.5 per cent for less than 100 sqm, 1 per cent for 100-250 sqm and 2.5 per cent for greater than 250 sqm, of the circle rate of highest category of locality of the residential area surrounding the unau- thorised colony. Making the announcement after the Cabinet’s decision, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the Centre will bring a Bill in the Winter Session of Parliament beginning November 18 to this effect. Puri called it the most “far-sighted, progressive, revolutionary step” for Delhi since Independence. The Minister termed the move as a “Diwali gift” to the poor residents. The Cabinet decision does not apply to 69 affluent colonies such as Sainik Farms, Mahendru Enclave and Anantram Dairy. The decision is politically significant as unauthorised colonies, which account for a sizeable vote base, have been a key issue in Delhi and has fig- ured prominently in the man- ifesto of political parties in each election. The term of the Delhi Assembly ends in February. The proposed Bill is aimed at recognising general power of attorney (GPA), will, agreement to sell, purchase and possession documents. This will give a one-time relaxation to the res- idents of these colonies. The Bill will also provide for regis- tration charge and stamp duty on last transaction and also address the issue of income tax liability on account of less than circle rate charges. Puri also slammed the Arvind Kejriwal Government, accusing it of trying to “delay” the decision to grant people from low-income groups own- ership rights. Puri said the city Government had sought time till 2021 to give the inputs sought from it for taking the decision and added that the Modi Government decided to “take the initiative when it became clear that the Delhi Government will do nothing”. The DDA will lay down a simplified procedure for issuing conveyance deed and registra- tion of property and fix the boundaries of these colonies. There will be no penalty and external development charges (EDC). Multiple plots/flats holders will be charged on the rate applicable to area by clubbing all properties. Residents will have option to pay charge in three equal installments to be paid in a year. “Any person paying full amount in one installment will get the ownership rights imme- diately. Provisional rights will be given on payment of two installments, which will be converted to permanent rights after full and final payment. The late payment will attract simple interest at the rate of eight per cent per annum. Conveyance deed will be exe- cuted for residential purpose, irrespective of use,” the state- ment said. As per the existing regula- tions of 2008, the process of regularisation was to be coordinated and supervised by the Delhi Government. G iving a huge boost to the ailing Government tele- com companies BSNL and MTNL, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved their merger and announced a revival package of 68,751 crore. The Government will also provide 4G spectrum to the merged unit, pay their GST and other dues, and offer an attractive VRS scheme to employees above 50 years. “In case of BSNL and MTNL, the Government’s view is clear. These are strategic assets of India. The entire Army network is maintained by BSNL,” said Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, reiterating no privatisation of these two telecom companies. Prasad said that MTNL will be merged with BSNL soon and will operate as a sub- sidiary of BSNL. The package includes raising of 15,000 crore sovereign bonds to meet the immediate capital require- ment of both the companies, 4G spectrum allocation worth 20,140 crore, 29,937 crore for VRS covering 50 per cent of their employees, and 3,674 crore for goods and services tax that will be levied on allocation of radio waves. “The VRS package approved by the Cabinet will give eligible employees 125 per cent of income that they would have earned by serving the company till the age of 60 years. With this decision, we have taken care of the interest of lakhs of employees of these PSUs,” Prasad said. BSNL has around 1.68 lakh employees and MTNL around 22,000. “The VRS is voluntary; nobody can be forced to opt for it,” he said. The total debt on both the companies stood at 40,000 crore, of which half of the lia- bility is on MTNL alone which operates in Delhi and Mumbai. Both the companies have been demanding spectrum to start 4G services to remain com- petitive in the market. Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash said the spectrum will be allocated to both the com- panies administratively within a month. “The spectrum allocation to BSNL worth 14,115 crore will be in lieu of equity shares and about 6,295 crore for MTNL in lieu of preferential shares,” Prakash said. The Government will monetise MTNL and BSNL assets worth 37,500 crore over a period of three years. Both companies across India have land assets worth more than 3 lakh crore. “The assets primarily include land assets but also rental and leasing of their buildings. MTNL has around 29 retail outlets in Delhi alone,” Prakash said. T he Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar in a money laun- dering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), saying he cannot tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses. Justice Suresh Kait said the Congress leader was “entitled” for grant of bail as no material has been shown to indicate that he was a flight risk. Earlier in the day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi met Shivakumar in Tihar Jail and assured him of all support from the party. Sonia was accompanied by Congress general secretary Ambika Soni and Congress MP DK Suresh, who is also the brother of Shivakumar. Sonia had met former Finance Minister P Chidambaram when he was lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the INX Media case. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and ex-Chief Ministers HD Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah welcomed the High Court granting bail to the Congress leader. Kumaraswamy had met Shivakumar at Tihar Jail on Monday and said that the Congress leader was “bold” to fight “vengeance politics”. Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy, both Vokkaliga strongmen, have been bitter political opponents in the old Mysuru region, until they came together for the formation of the Congress-JD(S) coalition Government, after 2018 Assembly polls. T he two successive success- ful test firings of India’s most formidable and deadliest weapon BRAHMOS in its sur- face-to-surface configuration by the Indian Air Force (IAF) have come as a spectacular Diwali gift for the nation. “A direct hit on the target was achieved in both the cases. Firing of the missile has enhanced IAF’s capability to engage the grounds targets with pinpoint accuracy from a mobile platform,” an official said after the successful test-fir- ings at Trek Islands in Andaman & Nicobar on October 21-22. Even as New Delhi pre- pares to deal with any kind of exigency arising out of the swiftly evolving security sce- nario in India’s western periph- ery, the back-to-back success- ful test firings have boldly sig- nified India’s war preparedness. The successful tests have confirmed the precision guid- ed weapons’ capability to be swiftly deployed in any kind of terrain across India’s borders and over long distances. The missile has proved its impeccable accuracy, firepow- er and devastating capability to destroy any kind of land target over a distance of up to 300 km. The advanced air-launched BRAHMOS is also getting clos- er to be operationalised onboard the IAF’s frontline Su-30MKI. Together with the land-attack variant, which has been deployed with the IAF since 2014, BRAHMOS is going to be a true “game chang- er” in bolstering India’s military might manifold. F ive months after eliminating Zakir Musa, chief of Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind — a group affiliated with al-Qaeda — a joint team of security forces on Tuesday evening gunned down his successor Hamid Lelhari in Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. After the successful oper- ation, which was conducted on receipt of specific intelligence input about the presence of three terrorists in the area, the security forces identified the prize catch on Wednesday morning. Confirming the elimina- tion of one of the top com- manders in the Valley, the State police chief Dilbagh Singh at a Press conference announced, “The Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind terror outfit has been wiped out with the elimination of Hamid Lelhari.” He said, some elements who are overground workers are still there. They suddenly crop up and join terror ranks. But, as of now, the AGH has been wiped out from Kashmir,” he added. 30-year-old Lelhari was trapped by the security forces inside a house as they timely launched a cordon and search operation in the area without wasting precious time. I t took more than three months for the Congress leadership to appoint a new president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday. The seat had fall- en vacant after the death of three-time Delhi Chief Minister and two-term DPCC president Sheila Dikshit on July 20 this year. Subhash Chopra had ear- lier served as DPCC president for four years. Chopra, a three- time MLA from Kalkaji seat, had also served as the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly. Former BJP MP Kirti Azad has been made the chairman of Campaign Committee. W elcoming the Union Government’s decision to regularise unauthorised colonies in the national Capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Centre should speed up the process. Soon after the announce- ment made by the Union Cabinet, Kejriwal said the road map for the regularisation of 1,797 colonies was based on a proposal sent by the Delhi Government in July month. “The Centre has taken an important decision, it was a long pending decision and there should be no further delay,” Kejriwal said. While the most challenging task before the Government is mapping of these colonies which will be most likely done by land owning agency — the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). However, Kejriwal has advised to consider the map- ping work to be done by Geospatial Delhi Limited of Delhi Government. ❝ ❝ New Delhi: The Government on Wednesday hiked the min- imum support price (MSP) for wheat by 85 to 1,925 a quintal and for pulses by up to 325 per quintal. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The MSP is the rate at which the Government buys grains from farmers. PTI Detailed report on P10 New Delhi: In the biggest reform in fuel retailing sector in almost two decades, the Government on Wednesday relaxed norms for setting up petrol pumps, allowing non-oil companies to venture into the business — a move that could help private and foreign firms enter the world’s fastest-grow- ing market. At present, to obtain a fuel retailing licence in India, a company needs to invest 2,000 crore in either hydrocarbon exploration and production, refining, pipelines or liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. Companies with net worth of 250 crore will be allowed to sell petrol and diesel, subject to condition that they install facil- ities for marketing of at least one new generation alternate fuel such as CNG, LNG, biofu- els or electric vehicle charging within three years of start of operations, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar said. PTI Detailed report on P10 W ith the counting of votes for the by-elections, held on October 21 in four Assembly segments of Punjab, to be conducted on Thursday, all the prominent political par- ties in the State are claiming to have an upper hand. While the SAD-BJP com- bine are expressing confidence of winning all four seats, the ruling Congress is also con- vinced of keeping up its victo- ry march by winning all seats. SAD is contesting on two seats — Dakha and Jalalabad, in alliance with the BJP which has fielded its candidates on another to seats — Phagwara and Mukerian. Though unsure, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on the other hand, is also “hesitat- ingly” claiming to make a mark, at least in one of the seg- ment. The exit polls have also predicted two seats each for the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress, while giving none to the State’s principal Opposition party, AAP. The election officials claimed that all arrangements have also been put in place for the counting of votes for by- polls on Thursday, and the counting will begin at 8 am. Adequate security arrange- ments have also been made in and around the counting cen- tres, the official added. An overall turnout of 65.57 per cent was recorded in the by- polls for the for the four Assembly seats, for which a total of 33 candidates were in fray. The highest polling was witnessed in Jalalabad at 75.46 percent, followed by 71.64 per- cent in Dakha and 58.62 per- cent in Mukerian. Phagwara reserve seat recorded a voter turnout of 55.97 per cent. Continued on Page 4
around 40-50 lakh people liv-ing in 1,797 unauthorisedcolonies in the national Capitalwill be given ownership rights.
As per the Union Cabinet’sdecision on Wednesday tolegalise these unauthorisedcolonies, the ownership rightwill be given after payment ofregularisation charge based oncarpet area/plot size. Forcolonies on private land, theregularisation charge will behalf of the charge onGovernment land.
The rights will be con-ferred on payment of nominalcharge based on carpetarea/plot size. For colonies onGovernment land, the chargewill be 0.5 per cent for less than100 sqm, 1 per cent for 100-250sqm and 2.5 per cent forgreater than 250 sqm, of thecircle rate of highest categoryof locality of the residential area surrounding the unau-thorised colony.
Making the announcementafter the Cabinet’s decision,Union Housing and UrbanAffairs Minister Hardeep SinghPuri said the Centre will bring
a Bill in the Winter Session ofParliament beginningNovember 18 to this effect. Puricalled it the most “far-sighted,progressive, revolutionary step”for Delhi since Independence.
The Minister termed themove as a “Diwali gift” to thepoor residents. The Cabinetdecision does not apply to 69affluent colonies such as SainikFarms, Mahendru Enclave andAnantram Dairy.
The decision is politicallysignificant as unauthorisedcolonies, which account for asizeable vote base, have been akey issue in Delhi and has fig-ured prominently in the man-ifesto of political parties in eachelection. The term of the DelhiAssembly ends in February.
The proposed Bill is aimedat recognising general power ofattorney (GPA), will, agreementto sell, purchase and possessiondocuments. This will give aone-time relaxation to the res-idents of these colonies. TheBill will also provide for regis-tration charge and stamp dutyon last transaction and alsoaddress the issue of income taxliability on account of less thancircle rate charges.
Puri also slammed theArvind Kejriwal Government,accusing it of trying to “delay”
the decision to grant peoplefrom low-income groups own-ership rights. Puri said the cityGovernment had sought timetill 2021 to give the inputssought from it for taking thedecision and added that theModi Government decided to“take the initiative when itbecame clear that the DelhiGovernment will do nothing”.
The DDA will lay down asimplified procedure for issuingconveyance deed and registra-tion of property and fix theboundaries of these colonies.There will be no penalty andexternal development charges(EDC).
Multiple plots/flats holderswill be charged on the rateapplicable to area by clubbingall properties. Residents will
have option to pay charge inthree equal installments to bepaid in a year.
“Any person paying fullamount in one installment willget the ownership rights imme-diately. Provisional rights willbe given on payment of twoinstallments, which will beconverted to permanent rightsafter full and final payment.The late payment will attractsimple interest at the rate ofeight per cent per annum.Conveyance deed will be exe-cuted for residential purpose,irrespective of use,” the state-ment said.
As per the existing regula-tions of 2008, the process ofregularisation was to be coordinated and supervised bythe Delhi Government.
����� 45��,5�6+
Giving a huge boost to theailing Government tele-
com companies BSNL andMTNL, the Union Cabinet onWednesday approved theirmerger and announced arevival package of �68,751crore. The Government willalso provide 4G spectrum tothe merged unit, pay theirGST and other dues, and offeran attractive VRS scheme toemployees above 50 years.
“In case of BSNL andMTNL, the Government’s viewis clear. These are strategicassets of India. The entireArmy network is maintainedby BSNL,” said TelecomMinister Ravi Shankar Prasad,reiterating no privatisation ofthese two telecom companies.
Prasad said that MTNLwill be merged with BSNLsoon and will operate as a sub-sidiary of BSNL. The packageincludes raising of �15,000crore sovereign bonds to meetthe immediate capital require-ment of both the companies,4G spectrum allocation worth�20,140 crore, �29,937 crore forVRS covering 50 per cent oftheir employees, and �3,674crore for goods and services tax
that will be levied on allocationof radio waves.
“The VRS packageapproved by the Cabinet willgive eligible employees 125per cent of income that theywould have earned by servingthe company till the age of 60years. With this decision, wehave taken care of the interestof lakhs of employees of thesePSUs,” Prasad said. BSNL hasaround 1.68 lakh employeesand MTNL around 22,000.
“The VRS is voluntary;nobody can be forced to opt forit,” he said.
The total debt on both thecompanies stood at �40,000crore, of which half of the lia-bility is on MTNL alone whichoperates in Delhi and Mumbai.Both the companies have beendemanding spectrum to start4G services to remain com-
petitive in the market. Telecom Secretary Anshu
Prakash said the spectrum willbe allocated to both the com-
panies administratively withina month.
“The spectrum allocationto BSNL worth �14,115 crore
will be in lieu of equity sharesand about �6,295 crore forMTNL in lieu of preferentialshares,” Prakash said. TheGovernment will monetiseMTNL and BSNL assets worth�37,500 crore over a period ofthree years. Both companiesacross India have land assetsworth more than �3 lakh crore.
“The assets primarilyinclude land assets but alsorental and leasing of theirbuildings. MTNL has around29 retail outlets in Delhi alone,”Prakash said.
����� 45��,5�6+7�548��9:9
The Delhi High Court onWednesday granted bail to
Karnataka Congress leader DKShivakumar in a money laun-dering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate(ED), saying he cannot tamperwith the evidence or influencewitnesses. Justice Suresh Kaitsaid the Congress leader was“entitled” for grant of bail as nomaterial has been shown toindicate that he was a flight risk.
Earlier in the day, Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi metShivakumar in Tihar Jail andassured him of all supportfrom the party.
Sonia was accompanied byCongress general secretaryAmbika Soni and CongressMP DK Suresh, who is also thebrother of Shivakumar. Soniahad met former FinanceMinister P Chidambaram
when he was lodged in TiharJail in connection with theINX Media case.
Former Prime MinisterHD Deve Gowda and ex-ChiefMinisters HD Kumaraswamyand Siddaramaiah welcomedthe High Court granting bail tothe Congress leader.
Kumaraswamy had metShivakumar at Tihar Jail onMonday and said that theCongress leader was “bold” tofight “vengeance politics”.
Shivakumar andKumaraswamy, both Vokkaligastrongmen, have been bitterpolitical opponents in the oldMysuru region, until they cametogether for the formation ofthe Congress-JD(S) coalitionGovernment, after 2018Assembly polls.
����� 45��,5�6+
The two successive success-ful test firings of India’s
most formidable and deadliestweapon BRAHMOS in its sur-face-to-surface configurationby the Indian Air Force (IAF)have come as a spectacularDiwali gift for the nation.
“A direct hit on the targetwas achieved in both the cases.Firing of the missile hasenhanced IAF’s capability toengage the grounds targetswith pinpoint accuracy from amobile platform,” an officialsaid after the successful test-fir-ings at Trek Islands inAndaman & Nicobar onOctober 21-22.
Even as New Delhi pre-pares to deal with any kind ofexigency arising out of theswiftly evolving security sce-nario in India’s western periph-ery, the back-to-back success-ful test firings have boldly sig-nified India’s war preparedness.
The successful tests haveconfirmed the precision guid-
ed weapons’ capability to beswiftly deployed in any kind ofterrain across India’s bordersand over long distances.
The missile has proved itsimpeccable accuracy, firepow-er and devastating capability todestroy any kind of land targetover a distance of up to 300 km.
The advanced air-launched
BRAHMOS is also getting clos-er to be operationalisedonboard the IAF’s frontlineSu-30MKI. Together with theland-attack variant, which hasbeen deployed with the IAFsince 2014, BRAHMOS isgoing to be a true “game chang-er” in bolstering India’s militarymight manifold.
����������� �� 9
Five months after eliminatingZakir Musa, chief of Ansar
Ghazwat-Ul-Hind — a groupaffiliated with al-Qaeda — ajoint team of security forces onTuesday evening gunned downhis successor Hamid Lelhari inAwantipora area of SouthKashmir’s Pulwama district.
After the successful oper-ation, which was conducted onreceipt of specific intelligenceinput about the presence ofthree terrorists in the area, thesecurity forces identified the prize catch on Wednesday morning.
Confirming the elimina-tion of one of the top com-manders in the Valley, theState police chief Dilbagh Singhat a Press conferenceannounced, “The AnsarGhazwat-ul-Hind terror outfithas been wiped out with the
elimination of Hamid Lelhari.”He said, some elements
who are overground workersare still there.
They suddenly crop upand join terror ranks. But, as ofnow, the AGH has been wipedout from Kashmir,” he added.30-year-old Lelhari wastrapped by the security forcesinside a house as they timelylaunched a cordon and searchoperation in the area withoutwasting precious time.
��������������� 45��,5�6+
It took more than threemonths for the Congress
leadership to appoint a newpresident of the Delhi PradeshCongress Committee onWednesday. The seat had fall-en vacant after the death ofthree-time Delhi ChiefMinister and two-term DPCCpresident Sheila Dikshit onJuly 20 this year.
Subhash Chopra had ear-lier served as DPCC presidentfor four years. Chopra, a three-time MLA from Kalkaji seat,had also served as the Speakerof the Delhi Assembly. FormerBJP MP Kirti Azad has beenmade the chairman ofCampaign Committee.
to regularise unauthorisedcolonies in the national Capital,Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal said the Centre shouldspeed up the process.
Soon after the announce-ment made by the UnionCabinet, Kejriwal said the roadmap for the regularisation of1,797 colonies was based on a
proposal sent by the DelhiGovernment in July month.
“The Centre has taken animportant decision, it was along pending decision andthere should be no furtherdelay,” Kejriwal said.
While the most challengingtask before the Government ismapping of these colonieswhich will be most likely doneby land owning agency — theDelhi Development Authority(DDA).
However, Kejriwal hasadvised to consider the map-ping work to be done byGeospatial Delhi Limited ofDelhi Government.
New Delhi: The Governmenton Wednesday hiked the min-imum support price (MSP)for wheat by �85 to �1,925 aquintal and for pulses by up to�325 per quintal.
A decision in this regardwas taken at a meeting of theCabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs, headed byPrime Minister NarendraModi. The MSP is the rate atwhich the Government buysgrains from farmers. PTI
Detailed report on P10
New Delhi: In the biggestreform in fuel retailing sectorin almost two decades, theGovernment on Wednesdayrelaxed norms for setting uppetrol pumps, allowing non-oilcompanies to venture into thebusiness — a move that couldhelp private and foreign firmsenter the world’s fastest-grow-ing market.
At present, to obtain a fuelretailing licence in India, acompany needs to invest �2,000crore in either hydrocarbon
exploration and production,refining, pipelines or liquefiednatural gas (LNG) terminals.
Companies with net worthof �250 crore will be allowed tosell petrol and diesel, subject tocondition that they install facil-ities for marketing of at leastone new generation alternatefuel such as CNG, LNG, biofu-els or electric vehicle chargingwithin three years of start ofoperations, I&B MinisterPrakash Javadekar said. PTI
With the counting of votesfor the by-elections, held
on October 21 in fourAssembly segments of Punjab,to be conducted on Thursday,all the prominent political par-ties in the State are claiming tohave an upper hand.
While the SAD-BJP com-bine are expressing confidenceof winning all four seats, theruling Congress is also con-vinced of keeping up its victo-ry march by winning all seats.
SAD is contesting on twoseats — Dakha and Jalalabad,in alliance with the BJP whichhas fielded its candidates onanother to seats — Phagwaraand Mukerian.
Though unsure, the AamAadmi Party (AAP), on theother hand, is also “hesitat-ingly” claiming to make amark, at least in one of the seg-ment.
The exit polls have also
predicted two seats each for theSAD-BJP combine and theCongress, while giving none tothe State’s principal Oppositionparty, AAP.
The election officialsclaimed that all arrangementshave also been put in place forthe counting of votes for by-polls on Thursday, and thecounting will begin at 8 am.Adequate security arrange-ments have also been made inand around the counting cen-tres, the official added.
An overall turnout of 65.57per cent was recorded in the by-polls for the for the fourAssembly seats, for which atotal of 33 candidates were infray.
The highest polling waswitnessed in Jalalabad at 75.46percent, followed by 71.64 per-cent in Dakha and 58.62 per-cent in Mukerian. Phagwarareserve seat recorded a voterturnout of 55.97 per cent.
Ahead of the Global Investorsmeet in Himachal Pradesh,
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakuron Wednesday said entrepre-neurs were the brand ambas-sadors of the State and couldplay a major role in attractinginvestments and it was vitalthat they give their wholeheart-ed support to make the Meetslated for 7th and 8th Novemberthis year at Dharamshala a suc-cess.
Presiding over the SilverJubilee Celebrations of Baddi-Brotiwala-Nalagarh IndustriesAssociation (BBNIA) held atBaddi in Solan district, Thakursaid the role of entrepreneurs inprogress and development of theState was vital. He said industriesin the State were not only pro-viding employment to the lakhsof youth of the State but werealso contributing to state exche-quer by way of taxes worthcrores of rupees. He said that the
Government was ensuring thatthe entrepreneurs get best envi-ronment to invest and run theirbusiness in the State.
The Chief Minister saidthat the State was now rankedtop amongst Fast MoversCategory in Ease of DoingReforms and the Single WindowMonitoring and ClearanceAuthority reflects strong com-mitment of the StateGovernment to ensuring effi-ciency, transparency, timelinessand accountability in providingservices to investors.
He said that BBNIA weremajor contributors in fast indus-trialisation of the State, addingthat the Government was ensur-ing to give priority to this areain strengthening infrastructure.He said that the four-laningwork of Pinjore-Baddi-NalagarhRoad would be expedited forfacilitating the entrepreneurs.
Thakur said that soon afterassuming office, he decided totake innovative steps aimed at
welfare of the people and devel-opment of the State, addingthat organising the GlobalInvestors Meet was one of suchdecisions. He said that the Stateoffers various incentives to theentrepreneurs such as pollutionfree environment, investorfriendly policies, responsive andaccountable administration. Allthese make Himachal Pradesh amost favoured destination forthe investors, he added.
The Chief Minister said tilldate MoUs worth �79 thousandcrore have been signed in theState, emphasising that investorscoming outside of State wouldnot be able to invest without theactive support of the local entre-preneurs as they would requiretheir support to do business inour state.He invited the entre-preneurs from the area to be partof the Global Investors Meet andthereby make their contributionin the development of the State.
Industries Minister BikramSingh Thakur said the state
government was committed toprovide all facilities to the entre-preneur to facilitate them toinvest in the state.
He said that the governmentwas laying special stress on ease
of doing business and the statealso has peaceful environmentand congenial industrial rela-tions.
He said that onlineapprovals were now being
accorded for giving time boundapprovals for 118 for facilitatingthe Investors.
President BBNIA SanjayKhurana urged the ChiefMinister to strengthen Baddi-B r o t i w a l a - N a l a g a r hDevelopment Authority so thatbetter infrastructure could becreated in the area.
Wednesday rejected as inade-quate the "paltry" MRU �85 perquintal hike in wheat MSPannounced by the Centre, say-ing it was not enough to evenmeet the increase in agricul-tural input costs.
Terming it a mere cos-metic measure that only paidlip service to the needs of thefarmers, the Chief Ministersaid the hike was insufficient toprovide even interim relief tothe beleaguered farming com-munity, leave alone to addresstheir long-term concerns.
He also flayed the centralgovernment over its failure toannounce the bonus of �100
per quintal which Punjab hadbeen persistently and repeat-edly demanding for post-har-vest management of stubble.This showed the total lack ofconcern on the part of theModi Government for the wel-fare of the farmers, who wereliving in pitiable condition,with many of them driven tosuicide across the nation, headded. The Chief Ministerpointed out that the latest MSPhike for Wheat did not meetthe State Government’sdemand for 50 per cent hikeover and above C2 (a compre-hensive cost, accounting for therentals and interest forgoneon owned land and fixed cap-ital assets over A2 + FL, whichcovers the actual paid out costsplus an imputed value of
unpaid family labour). The increase announced by
Centre did not meet the expec-tations of the distressed farm-ing community, nor was itadequate to address the root ofthe problem, as identified bythe Swaminathan Commission,said Captain Amarinder Singh,reiterating his demand for intoto implementation of theMS SwaminathanCommission’s recommenda-tions.The Modi Government,pointed out the Chief Minister,had also failed to ensure thepurchase of other crops atMSP to bring the farmers outof the vicious wheat-rice culti-vation cycle, which was deplet-ing the water table, besidesimpacting the incomes of thefarming community.
The poll results will be outon Thursday in Jatland-
Haryana, which witnessed amulti-cornered ballot battle in90-member State Assembly.
The polling held onOctober 21 had witnessed low-est ever voter turnout of 68.31per cent in last three decades inHaryana. Re-polling was heldat five polling stations in fiveAssembly constituencies eachin the state on Tuesday.
While most exit polls haveprojected a comfortable victo-ry for the ruling BharatiyaJanata Party, one has predicteda close fight between the BJPand Congress with theJannayak Janta Party likely toplay kingmaker.
“The counting of votes willbegin at 8 am. The electronicvoting machines (EVMs) andthe VVPAT paper trailmachines used in Monday’spolling are kept at 90 stron-grooms set up at 59 differentlocations in the state,” said anofficial of ElectionCommission.
A counting centre has beenset up in each of the 90Assembly constituencies andthere is an additional centre inGurgaon’s Badshahpur seg-ment, which had a larger num-ber of polling booths.
“Elaborate securityarrangements have been madefor safe custody of the EVMsand VVPAT machines at des-ignated strong rooms wherepersonnel of State Police andParamilitary forces are guard-ing the rooms round the clock,the EC official said.
Led by Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar, the BJPhad set a target of winning 75seats in the State, where theCongress is struggling to makea comeback. Several opinionpolls have predicted that theruling BJP will return to powerwith a brute majority by win-ning more than 65 seats out of90 seats.
This time, Haryanarecorded a low voter turnout of68.31 per cent, a sharp declinefrom 76.54 in the 2014Assembly polls. Of the totalvoters exercising their right tofranchise, 69.36 per cent weremen and 67.12 per centwomen.
Altogether, 1,169 candi-dates, including 105 women,entered the fray this time.
A total of 1.83 crore votersincluding 98.78 lakh males,85.12 lakh females and 252transgenders were eligible tovote in the polls.
In the 2014 Assembly polls,the BJP had improved its 2009tally of four to 47 (33.2 per centvote share), followed by theINLD with 19 (24.11 per cent)
legislators and the Congresscoming third with 15 (20.58 percent) seats against 40 in 2009(35 per cent).
This time, the politicalparties in the fray were BJP,Congress, Indian National LokDal-Shiromani Akali Dalalliance, JJP, Aam Aadmi Party,Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP),Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP)and Swaraj India.
The BJP, which is predict-ed by exit polls to retain powerin the state, seems to havereaped benefits by playing upthe nationalist issues besidesbeing helped by factionalism inCongress and division of INLD.After INLD split, the JJP cameinto existence last year.
The saffron party hadmade the nullification ofArticle 370 and nationalism amajor poll issues while theCongress and other oppositionparties had targeted the BJPGovernment over unemploy-ment, law and order and thecondition of farmers inHaryana.
Political observers say thatthe BJP had an advantage overother political parties after itsvictory on all the 10 Lok Sabha seats just a fewmonths back in Lok Sabhapolls, that too with handsomemargins.
Also, BJP was far ahead ofits arch-rival –Congress- asfar as campaigning at the grass-roots level was concerned.While the entire BJP leadershiptoiled hard to strengthen itscadre at grassroots, theCongress which faced deepleadership crisis in the statekicked off its campaign too late,they say.
Prime Minister NarendraModi, Union Home MinisterAmit Shah, Union DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh, party'sworking President JP Naddaamong other senior party lead-ers had held rallies in Haryana.
Prominent among thosewhose fate will be known onThursday include ChiefMinister Manohar Lal Khattar,former Congress CMBhupinder Singh Hooda, JJPleader Dushyant Chautala andINLD's senior leader AbhaySingh Chautala.
Haryana Ministers RamBilas Sharma, Anil Vij, CaptAbhimanyu, O P Dhankar,Kavita Jain, Krishan Bedi,Manish Grover among othersalso contested for the BJP. TheBJP also fielded TikTok starSonali Phogat and threesportspersons -- Babita Phogat,Yogeshwar Dutt and SandeepSingh.
Congress bigwigs in thefray were Randeep SinghSurjewala, Kiran Choudhary,Ranbir Mahendra and KuldeepBishnoi.
To provide 27 online citizensservices in the city, the
Chandigarh Smart City Limited(CSCL) has kicked off itsambitious e-governance project.
An agreement has beensigned withPricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC) by Chandigarh SmartCity Limited for implementa-tion of e-governance services.The completion time of the pro-ject is one year and it has beenkicked off to minimize manu-al intervention, ensure trans-parency, 24x7 excess to onlinecitizen services and publicgrievances by eliminating theneed of visiting theGovernment offices.
KK Yadav, Commissioner,Municipal Corporation ofChandigarh, who is also ChiefExecutive Officer, ChandigarhSmart City Limited held ameeting here on Tuesday tohold discussion on e-gover-nance project.
He said that the there willbe a total of 27 e-governanceservices out of which major e-governance services includes online building planapprovals, booking of commu-nity / banquet hall, onlinegrievance management, e-hor-ticulture services, online per-
missions & NOC, online waterand sewerage connections, inte-gration with property tax andintegration with birth and deathregistration among others.
The citizens will be able toaccess these services throughChandigarh Smart City LimitedWeb-portal and mobile appli-cations. Citizens can track thestatus of their applications any-time, anywhere, he said.
The Commissioner alsoadvised that single point of con-tact persons should be appoint-ed by each UT Department forenabling the data to the agencyon priority and the same will beapproved by the Head ofDepartment concerned.
He further directed that aSteering Committee comprisingof Additional Commissioners,Chief Architect, Officers fromNIC and SPIC and DeputyCommissioner, Chandigarhshould be formed to monitorthe progress as well as forapproval of formulated plan bythe agency M/sPricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC).
Regular meetings will beconducted in the office ofChandigarh Smart City Limitedand Municipal Corporationoverview the project. Thecompletion time of the projectis one year, he added.
As compared to Assemblyelections in 2017, these fourseats witnessed drop in votingpercentage this time.
The Congress and theSAD-BJP combine are beingseen as key contenders in thestate bypolls.
The bypolls are being seenas a litmus test for the accept-ability of Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh-led CongressGovernment’s programmesand policies during its tenurefor the last two and half years.The Congress is also seeing itas an opportunity to furtherconsolidate its position in theassembly by winning all theseseats.
The poll outcome wouldalso decide whether the SAD-BJP alliance and AAP couldstage a comeback in these by-polls.
The contest on the Dakhaseat was seen as keen one as theCongress fielded Capt SandeepSandhu, the political secretary
of the Chief Minister againstSAD nominee Manpreet SinghAyali. Both parties utilised alltheir resources to register vic-tory in this seat.
The importance of thisseat could also be gauged fromthe fact that the Chief Ministerhad himself held two road-shows in favour of Sandhuwho has been Singh’s trustedlieutenant, while the entireAkali leadership had canvassedin favour of Ayali.
On the polling day, a firingincident had also taken place inDakha in which one of Akaliworkers sustained bulletinjuries.
The Akali Dal had chargedthe state government withalleged “highhandedness” and“misuse” of official machineryto influence voters in this seat.
The Dakha seat fell vacantfollowing the resignation of for-mer AAP leader and notedSupreme Court lawyer H SPhoolka from the state assem-bly.In Phagwara (reserve), themain contest was betweenCongress candidate and formerIAS officer Balwinder SinghDhaliwal and BJP''s RajeshBagha. Besides, the AAP, BSPand the Lok Insaaf Party havealso fielded their candidates.
The Phagwara seat fellvacant after sitting MLA Som
Parkash was elected to the LokSabha from Hoshiarpur.
In Jalalabad, considered asan Akali bastion, there was astraight contest between SAD''sRaj Singh Dibipura andCongress'' Raminder SinghAwla. A former Congressleader Jagdeep Singh Kambojfought elections as an inde-pendent candidate.
The Jalalabad seat fellvacant after sitting MLA andSAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badalwas elected to the Lok Sabhafrom Ferozepur parliamentarysegment in the 2019 generalelection.
From Mukerian, the BJPhas fielded Jangi Lal Mahajan.The Congress nominee is InduBala, the wife of the lateCongress MLA Rajnish KumarBabbi, whose death necessitat-ed the byelection.
In the 2017 assembly elec-tions, while the SAD and theBJP had won Jalalabad andPhagwara seats, the Congressand the AAP had registeredvictories over Mukerian andDakha seats respectively.
In the 117-member PunjabAssembly, the Congress at pre-sent has 77 legislators.
The SAD has 13 MLAswhile the strength of AAP leg-islators is 19. The BJP and LIPhave two MLAs each.
on Wednesday said trainingof police personnel should bemade more professional sothat they can discharge theirduty in a better way whenthey go in the field.
Addressing the Policeofficers and Commandants ofHaryana Police Academy atMadhuban, he said that atpresent the changing scenario
of crime and criminals isbiggest challenge in civilizedsociety.
A good police trainingenables the police to facethese chal lenges in a professional and efficientmanner. He said that Policeheadquarter and theGovernment would provideall possible assistance for theavailability of resources inthe academy.
The Director General ofPolice also held discussions
with the in-charge of variousunits of the academy regard-ing professional police train-ing related priorities.
In an interaction with theofficers, Yadava said thattrainees in the academyshould be modernized bothlegally and physically.
If training is done effi-ciently, a policeman may beable to discharge his duties ina better way. He also sharedhis vision to improve thetraining level further.
����� )6�4,+8�:6
AGangster, an aide of gang-ster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria
was arrested in Jalandhar onWednesday. Three pistols, arifle, 161 live cartridges were alsorecovered from possession ofHarminder Singh alias Pehlwanalias Mannu Mehmapuria.Assistant Inspector General,Counter Intelligence (Jalandhar)Harkamalpreet Singh Khakhsaid police received a tip-off thatdreaded gangster Mannu alongwith his associate was headingtowards Bhogpur area in a carwith a huge cache of weaponsand ammunition.
Team led by InspectorPritpal Singh cordoned off thearea and asked them to sur-render but the accused openedfire at the cops.
Sammelan will begin on Friday.Being organised by IndianNational Theatre in collabora-tion with the Durga DasFoundation.
The music festival will behld in the auditorium ofStrawberry Fields High Schoolin Sector 26 here.
Some outstanding artistesfrom different parts of thecountry will be performinginformed Vinita Gupta, IndianNational Theatre’s Secretary.She added that this Sammelan
is being organized for all musiclovers and the entry will be free.
The first day of theSammelan on November 1,will feature vocal recitals bySawani Mudgal and RavindraParchure .
On the second day of theSammelan in the evening ofNovember 2, ChandrimaMajumdar will present SarodVaadan and RaghunanandanPanshikar will present a vocalrecital from 6 pm onwards.
On the concluding day ofthe Sammelan on November 3at 11 am in the morning,Shalmalee Joshi would pre-sent a vocal recital.
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The CBI on Wednesdaybooked former
Uttarakhand Chief MinisterHarish Rawat, his then Cabinetcolleague Harak Singh Rawat(now in the Cabinet headed bycurrent CM Trivendra SinghRawat) and CEO of Noida-based television news channelSamachar Plus, Umesh Kumarand unknown others foralleged attempts of horse trading and threatening dissident Congress MLAs in2016. The alleged bribery bidwas caught on tape by Kumarthrough his mobile phone.
The FIR follows aPreliminary Enquiry registeredby the agency on April 25, 2016when the then Government
under President's Rule referredthe horse trading allegations fora CBI probe.
The agency had sent thevideo of the conversationbetween the accused personson March 23, 2016 to theForensic ScienceLaboratory(FSL), Gandhinagarin Gujarat for examination.The FSL opined that there is no addition/dele-tion/insertion/tampering/mor-phing in the video files indi-cating that the recordings aregenuine.
The video purportedlyshowed the Congress leaderdiscussing money and officepositions in the Government towin back the support of disgruntled MLAs who hadcrossed over to the BJP so that
he could get back to power. Theeditor of the news channelhad allegedly arranged a meet-ing with Harish Rawat in theVIP lounge of DehradunAirport on March 23, 2016 andrecorded the conversation
between him and HarishRawaat by using his mobilephone. Kumar met HarishRawat to convey the demandsof Harak Singh Rawat includ-ing the post of Deputy CM, twodepartments and cash.
Recently, the UttarakhandHigh Court allowed the CBI togo ahead with it’s investigationin the case and lodge an FIRagainst Rawat after the agencysubmitted a report in a sealedcover on the findings of the PreliminaryEnquiry(PE).
The CBI has slapped
Indian Penal Code sectionrelating to criminal conspiracyand relevant provisions of thePrevention of Corruption Actincluding bribery.
During the PE, the CBIhad questioned Harish Rawatand Umesh Kumar.
The PE revealed that afterpassing of the Finance Bill onMarch 18, 2016 in theUttarakhand Assembly, dissi-dent MLAs of the Congressalong with members from BJPleft Dehradun by a charteredflight and shifted to Gurgaon.Umesh Kumar met Harak Singh Rawat, one of thedissdent MLAs. “During thismeeting, they entered into acriminal conspiracy for thepurpose of demanding gratifi-cation from Harish Rawat in
lieu of his supportto the CongressGovernment. Inpursuance of thecriminal conspira-cy, Harak SinghRawat asked UmeshKumar to meetHarish Rawat, thenChief Minister,Uttarakhand andconvey his demandfor the post ofDeputy CM, twodepartments andcash,” reads thecomplaint filed byDeputy SP of CBIRL Yadav onOctober 1 this year.The complaint isnow part of theFIR.
In a relief to the Uttarakhand TV jour-nalist Umesh Kumar, the Supreme
Court has stayed the criminal proceedingsin three cases lodged against him and oth-ers by the State police after the channelheaded by him last year conducted a sting operation allegedlyexposing corruption at the highest level.
The cases of extortion, cheating,forgery, criminal conspiracy and otheroffences under the Indian Penal Codewere lodged against Umesh KumarSharma and others this year. One of thecases dates back to 2007.
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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumaron Wednesday batted for full state-
hood for Delhi and also prohibition —an issue close to his heart — in the cityas his party Janata Dal (United) gearedup for contesting the Assembly pollshere due early next year.
Addressing workers of the JD(U),a BJP ally, Kumar also reiterated his demand for special status for Bihar, which theModi Government had earlier rejected.
“We have always been in favour offull statehood for Delhi. Like we want special status for Bihar, we havealways wanted statehood for Delhi,”Kumar said. He also demanded thatprohibition be implemented in Delhias his Government had done so inBihar.
“Prohibition is a very importantthing and it should be implemented inthe entire country. Why should it notbe implemented in Delhi? Alcohol is
such a bad thing that we banned it(sale and consumption) in 2016. Weimplemented prohibition on therequest of women. There has been adecline in domestic fight and law andorder has also improved,” he said.
The JD(U)'s alliance with the BJPhas remained confined to Bihar andit has been fighting polls on its ownoutside the State. The party is eyeingmigrant voters from Poorvanchal and
Bihar to make an impact in the citywhere the ruling Aam Aadmi Party,BJP and the Congress are key contenders. If people from Bihar stopworking even for a day, Delhi willcome to a standstill, Kumar said.
“Delhi is the national Capital andit belongs to the entire country. Peoplefrom various other cities reside here.People from Bihar reside here in
large numbers and they have a hugerole to play here. Earlier, they weremade fun of but now they say withpride that they are from Bihar,” he said.
Kumar urged his party workers totalk to people about how developmentwork has been undertaken in Biharand how the State has progressedunder his Government. “We haveimproved law and order situation inBihar and brought peace and harmo-ny in the State. We have worked forwomen's empowerment in Bihar,” Kumar told party workers. On a day when the Unioncabinet approved a proposal to grantownership rights to people living inunauthorised colonies in Delhi, Kumarurged party workers to start a cam-paign for regularisation of unautho-rised colonies. He also talked about launching a campaign for clean drinking water forDelhiites, just like his Government is running a campaign 'Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal’ inBihar.
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To provide relief to people of thenational Capital from high
tomato prices, the Ministry ofFood and Consumer Affairs onWednesday directed KendriyaBhandar, Mother Dairy andNational Cooperative outlets toreduce the prices by 3 per kg fromThursday.
The Ministry has also direct-ed cooperative Nafed to providemilled-tur dal at �82 per kg andTur dal at �80-85 per kg at 'no-profit no-loss' basis through Safal,Kendriya Bhandar and NCCF out-lets in the national Capital region.Mother Dairy, Kendriya Bhandarand cooperative NCCF were alsoasked to sell tur dal at �80-85 perkg through their retail outlets.
An official of the Ministry ofFood and Consumer Affairs saidthat the decisions were taken afterthe review of the prices of keycommodities at a high-level meet-ing, chaired by Consumer AffairsSecretary Avinash K Srivastava.
In case of pulses, the officialsaid Nafed has been asked to pro-vide milled-tur dal at �82 per kgto the Delhi government. These agencies will sell the buffer stockof pulses created by theGovernment. Tur dal rates in thenational Capital have crossed �100per kg, though the Governmentdata shows �97/kg on Wednesday.Besides, the Ministry has also prepared a list of wholesale sup-pliers of pulses so that they couldkeep an eye on hoardings. Therewere intelligence reports that thereis no shortage of pulses in thecountry and several wholesalesuppliers have stopped the supply
to disrupt the retail supply. This hasled to increase of pulses rate acrossthe country.
In case of tomato, MotherDairy has been directed to reducethe rates of all three varieties by�2-3 per kg from October 24, theofficial said.
The official further said theCentre has decided to boost thesupply of hybrid variety of toma-to in Delhi in the next few days.Hybrids have a longer shelf life andare of better quality. It wasinformed in the meeting thattransportation of tomatoes fromAndhra Pradesh was not feasible.
Tomato prices have shot up to�60-80 per kg in the national cap-ital and some other parts of thecountry due to rains in key grow-ing state of Maharashtra. In thecase of onion, prices have startedlowering at some places. EvenLasalgaon onion suppliers haveurged the Centre to lift curb onexport as the supply has beenimproved in the past few days.
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India on Wednesday launched anational protocol for enumeration
of the snow leopard, an elusivepredator found in high-altitudes,and exhorted the 12 range nations toaim towards doubling the populationof the mystic cats whose number isaround 7,000 world over.
Faced with habitation loss, preyreduction and poaching, there arejust 700 snow leopards left in India,mainly spotted in Himalayan regionsof Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu& Kashmir and Ladakh.
Addressing the inaugural sessionof the fourth steering committeemeeting of the Global Snow Leopardand Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP)programme here, UnionEnvironment Minister PrakashJavedkar on Wednesday said that anational protocol on Snow leopardpopulation assessment in India hasbeen finalized.
“Once we get a total count of thesnow leopards, each of the countrieswill then strive to double the popu-lation of this endangered wild ani-mal, which is immensely critical for
our ecosystem,” he said on the occa-sion of the International SnowLeopard Day on Wednesday.
Every year, October 23 is cele-brated to protect and conserve thesnow leopards and preserve thebeautiful wildlife of the Himalayas.
The Minister said, India will havea separate programme on snowleopards to include green pathwaysin the Himalayan region.
As many as 12 range countries,including China, Russia,Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia,
Pakistan, Krgyzstan, Nepal,Bhutan, Uzbekista andKazakhstan are participating inthe two-day steering commit-tee meeting being organized toassess the efforts being made toconserve the animal's habitatand curb poaching and illegalwildlife trade.
The Snow Leopard is fight-ing a battle of survival withonly 7,500 of them estimatedto have been left in the moun-tain ranges of Central Asia andSouth Asia, where they are fac-ing rising pressure due to habi-tat loss. Known to be amongthe top predators in the
Himalayan ecosystem, the animal islisted among the 'vulnerable species'in the IUCN Red List of threatenedspecies.
India is believed to have the thirdhighest population of snow leopards,after China and Mongolia, however,an exact count is not yet available.
Union Environment SecretaryCK Mishra said that the protocol hasbeen developed by the WildlifeInstitute of India (WII) and NatureConservation Foundation, in dis-cussion with the five Himalayan
States. With the guidance of the SPAIprotocol the snow leopard rangestates in India will be able to estimatedistribution and population of snowleopards and prey using uniformmethodology, such that estimatesfrom the different States are compa-rable and a national level estimatemay be achieved.
“ This protocol will inspire otherrange countries of snow leopardacross Asia to develop their countryspecific protocols”, said Mishra.
In 2017, at the InternationalSnow Leopard and EcosystemConservation Forum in Bishkek,the range country governments for-mally endorsed a plan to develop aglobal snow leopard populationassessment. The ambitious initiative,called PAWS (Population Assessmentof the World's Snow Leopards), aimsto produce a robust estimate of thethreatened cat's population statuswithin the next 5 years.
It is being overseen by theSteering Committee of the GlobalSnow Leopard & EcosystemProtection Program (GSLEP), whichis comprised of the EnvironmentMinisters of all twelve snow leopardrange states.
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Rejecting reports of clamp-down in Jammu & Kashmir,
a group of intellectuals and academicians in their report onthe State said things were normalin the three regions of the Statebut suggested confidence-build-ing measures to ensure equitabledevelopment of all regions andpeople.
“Overall Kashmir is goingthrough intense churning.Kashmiris across the board seekhealing from a corrupt, oppressive, social and politicalculture that has emerged inKashmir for the past 70 yearsand more intensely in the last 30years,” said the report submittedby the group to Union MinisterJitendra Singh.
It said the team could feel the
freedom in the air.“People of Jammu region
have welcomed the historic deci-sion of the Indian Parliament on5th and 6th August 2019 for set-ting aside of Articles 370, 35-A(of the Constitution) and allrelated provisions. Particularlythe victims of Article 35-A arejubilant as they see a normal lifefor themselves henceforth. Theyfeel that they have become likeany other citizen of the state andthe country. For these sections
of the society, independence wasachieved on 5th August 2019,”the report said.
However, it would be theresponsibility of the state and theCentre to provide a healingtouch to the already wrongedsections of society, it said.
Founded in 2015, the Groupof Intellectuals and Academicians(GIA) is a group of profession-al women and entrepreneurs,mediapersons and academi-cians committed to social justiceand nation-building.
Members of the team includeMonika Arora, advocate,Supreme Court; SonaliChitalkar, Assistant Professor,Miranda House (DelhiUniversity); Ritu Mathur,Assistant Professor, Zakir HusainCollege (Delhi University); andPoonam Bachheti, educationist.
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The Supreme Court onWednesday refused to set
up a special bench to urgentlyhear the pending petition ofthe Goa Government seekingresumption of construction ofa greenfield airport at Mopa inthe State.
A bench headed by ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi was toldby Attorney General K KVenugopal, appearing for theState Government, that theconstruction of the airport hasbeen stalled for the last ten
months and the petition of theState Government is pendingbefore the apex court.
“We are not in a position toconstitute a special bench now.Mr attorney, our present situation does not permit us todo this,” the bench, which alsocomprised justices S A Bobdeand S A Nazeer, said.
One of the lawyers appear-
ing for the firm, GMR GoaInternational Airport Limited(GGIAL), said that a benchheaded by Justice D YChandrachud has alreadyheard this petition partly andthe matter needs to be con-cluded at the earliest.
GGIAL had won the bidfor the airport under the build-own-operate and transfer(BOOT) scheme.
The bench asked thelawyers to request the presid-ing judge (JusticeChandrachud) “to release thematter”.
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ITBP chief SS Deswal onWednesday said India and
China have very good under-standing, and well understoodand agreed mechanisms toresolve all issues arising at theborder. Both sides patrol dis-puted pockets along the Line ofActual Control and the ITBPhas got trained 200 men andofficers in Mandarin (Chinese)language to facilitate bettercommunication with theChinese troops on the LAC.
The ITBP, guarding theLine of Actual Control (LAC)with China, has “enhanced” its
capacity to reach upto the farthest borderpoint and added 25border out posts inthe past five years toensure effective pre-paredness andpatrolling on thefrontier, he said.
Addressing reporters onthe eve of the 58th Raising Dayof the Indo-Tibetan BorderPolice (ITBP), Deswal said the“status quo” at the 3,488-kmLAC between India and Chinais maintained and that theparamilitary force is makingefforts to have “better capaci-ty” than the neighbour.
Asked about thenumber of incidentsof transgressions orincursions by theChinese PLA troopsin the recent past,Deswal refused to giveabsolute numbers but
said the Indian side is “asaggressive” as the Chinese.
“We are continuouslyincreasing border posts, wehave increased patrolling andin the last five years we havecreated 25 new border outposts or BOPs,” Deswal said,adding each BOP was a “com-pany level strength”, implyinghundred troops.
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Seeking to stem the discontent within thebeleaguered party due to the non-conduct of
the scheduled nationwide 10-day mass protestthis month against the Modi Government oneconomic issues, the Congress on Wednesdayannounced new dates for the protest.
A day after The Pioneer reported howtongues are wagging within the Congress circles as the protest slated to be held betweenOctober 15 and 25 at all levels did not take off,party general secretary KC Venugopal claimedthe programme had to be postponed because ofthe just concluded Assembly elections.
The protests will now be carried outbetween November 5th and November 15th, he
said. Questions were being raised over why the
Congress protests failed to take off even as theexit polls have predicted yet another poll debacle for the party in Haryana andMaharashtra.
The party had officially announced a monthago to undertake a massive protest betweenOctober 15 and 25 with the participation of partychief Sonia Gandhi, her predecessor RahulGandhi, former Prime Minister ManmohanSingh and top party leaders.
AICC insiders even pointed to the possibilityof the protest being 'sabotaged' by a section ofleaders midway during the poll campaign forAssembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra.
day visit to India beginningOctober 31 with an aim to fur-ther broadbase strategic ties inan array of key areas includingdefence and security.
Official sources saidMerkel and Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, in their wide-ranging talks, will particularlyfocus on giving a new momentum to the bilateral tiesby significantly scaling upcooperation in several sectors.
During her visit fromOctober 31 to November 2,
Merkel will also meet top executives of major Indiancompanies which are active inGermany.
The two sides are likely toexplore ways to further ramp-ing up ties in areas of defence,security, renewable energy,high technology, skill devel-opment, railways, education,water and waste managementand urban development,sources said. Modi and Merkelare also expected to deliberateon key regional and globalissues including the situation inAfghanistan, West Asia andKorean peninsula.
In June, Modi and Merkel
met on the sidelines of the G20summit in Japanese city ofOsaka and discussed ways toenhance cooperation in areaslike artificial intelligence andcyber security.
India and Germany havebeen strategic partners since2001. Both the countries havea mechanism of intergovern-mental consultations at thelevel of head of Governmentswhich allows for a compre-hensive review of cooperationand identification of fresh areasof engagement. India is amonga select group of countrieswith which Germany has sucha dialogue mechanism.
�&����"��� ���'(�����)�"�����!��-)����������(������������ ��������+��������0�'�� �*�����������Lucknow: The body of Hinduoutfit leader Kamlesh Tiwari,who was killed last week, had 15stab wounds and a bullet injurybelow his chin, according to apost-mortem report.
Tiwari, 45, was shot once onhis face and the bullet wasfound stuck below his chin. Healso had multiple injuries on hisface and neck, according to theautopsy report.
In order to serve justice inthe shortest possible time, UttarPradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath on Wednesday askedofficials to seek trial by a fast-track court of the main suspectsin Kamlesh Tiwari murder case.
Ashfaq Sheikh (34) andMoinuddin Pathan (27), thetwo men who allegedly killedhim, were arrested by theGujarat anti-terror squad (ATS)on Tuesday evening.
Adityanath on Wednesdayannounced immediate financial
help of �15 lakh to KamleshTiwari's wife and sanctioned ahouse for the family in Sitapurdistrict's tehsil Mehmoodabad,an official said.
Expressing satisfaction overthe arrest of the two men,Tiwari's family called for capitalpunishment.
"I am very happy with thearrest of the killers. Now, theyshould be hanged," victim'smother Kusum Tiwari toldreporters.
The Chief Minister direct-ed officials that the mainaccused should be tried in a fast-track court, a UP Governmentstatement said.
Tiwari, 45, was found mur-dered at his home in NakaHindola area of Lucknow lastFriday.
According to experts, itappears that the assailants firstfired at Tiwari. They apparent-ly tried to fire a second bullet but
it got stuck in the pistol.Tiwari was then repeatedly
stabbed with a knife and anoth-er pointed object, the post-mortem report indicated.
There were two knifewounds on the right side of thevictim's chest, seven woundscaused by some pointed objecton its left side, a cut on thethroat 6 cm below the chin, adeep wound mark on the neck,two wound marks on the leftshoulder, a wound mark on theback and another on the rightshoulder.
The police have alreadyrecovered the pistol and theknife allegedly used by thetwo men arrested Tuesday bythe Gujarat ATS near Shamlajion the State's border withRajasthan.
Preliminary interrogationrevealed that they committed thecrime "in retribution to the pur-ported statements by Tiwari", an
ATS release said in Ahmedabad.Sheikh, a resident of the
Limbayat area in Surat, used towork as a medical representa-tive. Pathan, a resident ofUmarwada, was employed as afood delivery boy.
"After committing thecrime, the duo went to Nepaland then started their journeyback to Gujarat after reachingShahjahanpur (in UttarPradesh).
"Since they ran out of cash,the accused duo contacted theirfamily members and acquain-tances for more money. Basedon technical and physical sur-veillance, they were eventuallytraced today evening," therelease said on Tuesday.
Six men, including threefrom Surat and one fromNagpur in Maharashtra, havealready been taken into cus-tody in connection with themurder case.
The Surat link came to lightafter the UP police found a boxof sweets, bearing the logo of“Dharti Sweets” located in theUdhna area of the diamond city,at Tiwari's home.
In a joint operation earlier,the UP police and the GujaratATS had arrested three othersuspects in Surat. They wereidentified as Mohsin Shaikh,Faizan and Rashid Pathan.
A local court late onTuesday night remanded thethree men, alleged to be con-spirators in the murder, to policeand later judicial custody for atotal of 14 days.
The UP ATS producedthem at the home of InchargeChief Judicial Magistrate SudeshKumar after flying them infrom Surat on transit remand.
Meanwhile, a team of theUttar Pradesh police landed inSurat on Tuesday to furtherprobe the killing. PTI
Bengaluru: As rains poundedthe regions battered by floodhavoc two months back,Karnataka Chief Minister BSYediyurappa wondered onWednesday whether the stars areto be blamed for nature's furyagain.
"There was downpour lasttime. It seems our stars are notgood," he said.
"Once again the Rain God(Varuna) is furious and ispounding many districts, sub-merging many villages. Deathshave taken place and vehicleshave been swept away," he toldreporters.
The heavy downpour inAugust this year in Karnatakaled to floods in 22 districts, lead-ing to the deaths of 84 people inrain related incidents.
About 5.5 lakh acres of landwere inundated, while crops inabout 2.3 lakh acres was com-pletely ruined.
About 1.5 lakh houses weredestroyed in August's flood andheavy rains.
Yediyurappa said he washolding discussions with the dis-trict authorities and video con-ferencing with them on provid-ing relief to the rain affected peo-ple. The Chief Minister saidwhatever support was extendedto the flood victims two monthsago would be provided to theaffected people this time also.
Belagavi, Bagalkote,Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Gadag,Hubballi-Dharwad, parts of
Mysuru, Kodagu andChikkamagaluru bore the bruntof heavy downpour once again.
Landslips were reported inmany places while vehicularmovement was hit in severalparts of the state.
At Gokak, the administra-tion toiled hard to remove ahuge rock in the MallikarjunaHills which rolled down andstopped just before it hit a majorsettlement of homes. Had itrolled its entire course, it couldhave severely damaged severalhouses, officials said. PTI
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Though Tamil Nadu is beingbattered by heavy down-
pour of northeast monsoon inthe last quarter of every yearsince 2015, the StateGovernment has failed to putin place an effective flood mit-igation system, according toformer bureaucrats who arespecialised in town planning.
The Indian MeteorologicalDepartment has forecast heavyrain in the State from October25 as part of the northeastmonsoon. But there is no fool-proof storm water drains inChennai or other major cities,if reports appearing in Tamilnews channels and local mediaare any indication.
The 2015 flood crippledChennai and surrounding
areas and claimed more than200 lives. Absence of stormwater drain was cited as one ofthe reasons for the flood whichravaged the metropolis foralmost three weeks. “Evennow, the general public are inthe dark about storm waterdrains. They cannot distin-guish between storm waterdrain and sewage drainage,”said Prof S Vincent, formerhead of Tamil Nadu StateCouncil for Science andTechnology. He had submittedan action plan to the ChennaiCorporation in 2009 itself tofortify the storm water drainsin the city. He had scanned theentire drain length with GPSand had pointed out the miss-ing links as well as the regionswhere the storm water drainsand sewage drains were mixedup. “It seems no concrete
action has been taken,” said DrVincent.
On Tuesday, ChiefMinister EdappadiPalaniswami convened a meet-ing of all government officialsto prepare an action plan tocounter any kind of floodswhich may pose threat to thecity. The 2015 flood had causedthe city Rs 26,000 crore accord-ing to officials in the StateSecretariat. But a recent reportby the Inter GovernmentalPanel on Climate Change hascome out with a report inwhich it is mentioned thatcoastal cities like Chennai andMumbai loss $6 billion peryear because of this recurringfloods.
The Tamil NaduGovernment said in a releaseon Tuesday that it has posi-tioned nearly 10,000 first
responders across the Stateand steps have been taken tostore the excess water. “TheGovernment has kept ready121 multi-purpose halls, 4768schools, 105 colleges, 2394marriage halls and communi-ty centers to accommodatethe victims of the flood,” saidthe release.
Chennai becomes the mostunwelcome of all places oncerain lashes out across the city.The roads get water logged andtraffic comes to a grinding halt.Deaths due to electrocution aregalore in the metropolis asTamil Nadu Generation andPower DistributionCorportaion’s live wires fallinto pools of water. For thenext few months, Chennaiturns into a forbidden land,according to KA Johnny, writerand commentator.
Union Minister and seniorBJP leader Raosaheb Danve
landed in trouble on Wednesdayafter a video — in which he isreportedly telling a Muslimgathering that no one wouldstop them from undertakingslaughter of cow progeny —went viral on social media.
Campaigning for his sonSantosh Danve who is con-testing the State Assemblypolls on a BJP ticket fromBhokardan in Jalgaon districtin Maharashtra’s Marathwadaregion, Danve is heard astelling a Muslim gathering:“For the first time when ban onthe slaughter of cow progenywas imposed and that too atthe time of Bakri-Id, somepeople from here came to meand told me they were notbeing allowed to slaughter theanimal as a sacrifice during thefestival. I told them: As long asRaosaheb Danve is there, noone will stop you from slaugh-tering”.
The video is of part of thespeech that Danve purported-ly delivered at the Muslim-dominated area of KatoraBazar in Bhokardan onOctober 19, the last day ofcampaigning for the StateAssembly polls held onOctober 21.
Danve is also heard saying:“there is illegal business of riceand sandalwood here (inBhokardan). Should I stop it?I can stop it in just one day”.
After the video went viral,Danve in a statement clarifiedthat the video had been “doc-tored” and he had not madeany statement relating to cowslaughter. "I would like to clar-ify that I have made no suchcomment regarding cowslaughter and the video that isbeing shared online is manip-ulated to convey a wrong mes-sage in the society," the min-ister said in his statement.
Meanwhile, one NiteshOza lodged a complaint withthe police at Sangli in westernMaharashtra against Danve. Inhis complaint, Danve allegedthat Danve had hurt the sen-timents of the Hindu com-munity and demanded that aFIR be registered against theminister for his purportedremarks.
In a related development,NCP’s Mumbai unit president
and party’s state spokespersonNawab Malik demanded thatDanve be arrested for advisingthe people to break the law.
“Danve is playing the reli-gious sentiments of the peopleby advising and encouragingthe people to break the lawagainst cow slaughter. Hence,the police should register anFIR and arrest him,” Malik said.
“On one hand, Muslimcommunity members are beingtargeted and mob lynched inthe name of cow slaughter. Onthe other, a minister is tellingMuslim community membersto undertake cow slaughter. Ifwe have such a Minister in ourmidst, we can realise what ishappening in the country,” theNCP spokesperson said.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu ChiefMinister K Palaniswami onWednesday said the State policeforce has come in for praisefrom Chinese authorities forproviding good security duringChinese President Xi Jinping'srecent visit here.
The Chinese authoritieswere "amazed" at the securityarrangements put in duringJinping's visit, he said.
The Chinese leader hadvisited Chennai on October 11and 12 to meet Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for their sec-ond informal summit at thecoastal town of Mamallapuram,located about 50 km fromhere.
Palaniswami said bothModi and Chinese authoritieshad appreciated the state policeforce for the security arrange-ments provided then. PTI
Bengaluru: Madikeri BJPMLA Appachu Ranjan on Wednesday demanded thatthe lesson on Tipu Sultan, thecontroversial 18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysore king-dom, be removed from text-books as it carries wrong infor-mation.
"The lesson on Tipu Sultancontains wrong information.
It should be removed. Ihave written to EducationMinister SSuresh Kumar thathe (Tipu Sultan) is not a free-dom fighter," Ranjan told PTIon Wednesday.
He said Tipu Sultan had a"history of plunderingandexpanding his kingdom" andrun his administrationinPersian language.
"Hence, he is not a freedomfighter," headded.
"I came to Bengaluru topersonally hand over the letterto the minister, but he is inBelagavi.
Once he comes here, I will give it to him with docu-ments and other proof, substantiating my claim," the MLA said. Ranjan alleged that Tipu Sultan hadconverted more than 20,000Christians and 10,000 Kodaguresidents. PTI
Kottayam: A nun, who filed arape case against Bishop FrancoMulakkal, has approached theNational and State Women'sCommissions besides theNational Human RightsCommission, accusing thepriest and his supporters of"harassing" her through variousonline platforms.
Acting swiftly, the KeralaWomen's Commission regis-tered a case on the basis of thecomplaint and directed thecyber wing of the Kerala policeto investigate the matter.
The commission observedthat the nun's complaint was"very serious" in nature anddirected the State police chiefand the cyber wing of Keralapolice to submit a report in 10days.
Chairperson of the KeralaWomen's Commission M CJosephine said no womanshould be harassed throughsocial media and directed policeto take strong action against theculprits.
In her complaint, the nunalleged the Bishop and his sup-porters were humiliating anddefaming her and her fellownuns who are witness in thecase through social media and
youtube channels."From the time the sexual
assault was reported, I havebeen subjected to extremehumiliation and intimidationsin various forms," the nun saidin her complaint to the NationalHuman Rights Commission.
She further alleged thatfrom the time the sexual assaultFIR was registered, she and herfellow nuns have been "sub-jected to the vilest forms ofcharacter assassination."
"Attempts have been madethrough church authorities andvarious church social mediaorganisations to spreadrumours against me and mycompanion sisters who are alsokey witnesses in the case.
False statements, imputa-tions and fabricated stories tar-nishing our reputation andcharacter are being systemati-cally spread through theYouTube channel, and webelieve Bishop Franco and hisgroup are behind this agenda,"she claimed.
The nun pointed out thateven after registering a caseagainst the said channel, sever-al videos were being circulatedpublishing her photograph andrevealing her identity. PTI
Srinagar: Defending the teamthat probed the Kathua rapeand murder case last year,Jammu & Kashmir police chiefDilbag Singh on Wednesdaysaid no witnesses were torturedand the court's directive of anFIR against the investigatingpolice officials would be fol-lowed.
The police chief 's com-ments came a day after aJammu court directed police toregister an FIR against sixmembers of the SpecialInvestigation Team (SIT),which probed the case of therape and murder of an eight-year-old in Kathua, for alleged-ly torturing and coercing wit-nesses to give false statements.
The court order is beingexamined and all necessaryaction will be taken, Singhtold reporters during a briefingabout an encounter in whichthree terrorists were killed inTral, south Kashmir.
He also made it clear thatevery FIR is not necessarilybased on facts. "Sometimes
there is an aim, motivation andthe Court's direction came andwe will see. We investigatethousands of cases. We havemore than 17,000 cases regis-tered every year.
"It does not mean that wepick up people and torturethem. So there are cases, high-profile cases, where peopleresort to this kind of actionsand reactions. We will certain-ly take action as per law andthere is nothing to worryabout,” he said.
The Jammu court washearing an application fromSachin Sharma, Neeraj Sharmaand Sahil Sharma, friends ofone of the accused, Vishal
Jangotra, who was subse-quently acquitted.
The court directed that anFIR be registered against thenSSP RK Jalla (now retired), ASPPeerzada Naveed, DeputySuperintendents of PoliceShetmbari Sharma and NissarHussain and Sub-InspectorsUrfan Wani and Kewal Kishore.It also asked the SSP (Jammu)to give a compliance report bythe next date of hearing onNovember 11.
Sources in the police forcesaid an application quashingthe lower court's order wouldbe moved before the Jammu &Kashmir High Court soon.
The Kathua rape and mur-der case ended with the con-viction of six people, includingthe main accused Sanji Ramand dismissed Special PoliceOfficers Deepak Khajuria andParvesh Kumar who were sen-tenced to life imprisonment.Three dismissed policemenAnand Dutta, Tilak Raj, andSurender Verma were sen-tenced to five years in jail. PTI
Jammu: The maiden Jammu &Kashmir Block DevelopmentCouncil (BDC) polls on Thursdaywill see 1,065 candidates in the frayacross 310 polling stations, withCongress, NC and PDP boycottingthe first electoral exercise afterabrogation of the special status.
There are 26,629 electors —8,313 women and 18,316 men —for the polls to elect chairpersonsof BDCs, officials said.
They said adequate securityarrangements have been made atthe polling stations, and for panch-es and sarpanches, who will vote inthe BDC elections.
There are 316 blocks in thestate, but the election will be heldin 310 as two are without electedpanches and sarpanches, and fourblocks reserved for women have nowomen candidates, the officialssaid. Ballot boxes will be used in theelection. They said 1,092 nomina-tions, including 853 Independents,were found eligible after scrutinyand withdrawal. Twenty-sevencandidates were elected chairper-sons in various BDCs unopposed,leaving 1,065 in the fray, the offi-cials said.
The highest number of candi-dates are in north Kashmir'sKupwara district (101) and the low-est in south Kashmir's Shopian (4).Congress, CPI(M), NationalConference (NC) and People'sDemocratic Party (PDP) are nottaking part in the elections whichare being held on party basis.
The Congress has announcedits decision to boycott the electionsciting "indifferent attitude" of thestate administration and continueddetention of its leaders in Kashmir.
There are 90 candidates inBaramulla, 82 in Jammu, 76 inRajouri, 74 in Doda, 72 in Kathua,58 each in Udhampur andBudgam, 44 in Kishtwar, 43 inRamban and 39 in Reasi, the offi-cials said.
Leh and Kargil districts togeth-er account for 74 candidates, 38from Kargil and 36 from Leh.Fivecandidates are in the fray fromSrinagar district.
There would be one pollingstation for one BDC, and accord-ingly, 310 polling stations havebeen setup in the state, one in eachblock where elections are to beheld, the officials said. PTI
Jammu: On the eve of the maiden Block DevelopmentCouncil (BDC) elections in Jammu & Kashmir, the state unitof Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of making a"mockery of democracy" by "forcing" the main oppositionparties to stay away from the electoral exercise.
The Congress along with the main regional parties —the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party— have boycotted the BDC elections citing indifferent atti-tude of the state administration and continued detention ofthe party leaders in the valley.
"Holding of elections to BDCs at this juncture and forc-ing the major opposition parties to stay away from the elec-tion is betrayal with the electorates and mockery of democ-racy," Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee(JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said.
He said this is the first such election in the history ofthe State and the country when only the ruling party is inthe contest. "The Government went ahead with the BDCelection that too on party basis without caring for the basicdemocratic, rich traditions and fundamental essence for elec-tions in the country. The entire opposition leaders weredetained for more than two months (in Jammu) and stillmost of opposition leaders in Kashmir are not permittedto move out," he said. Despite holding the elections on partybasis, no prior consultation was held with the political par-ties, he said, adding no attempt was made to make the atmos-phere conducive for the elections by setting the Oppositionleaders free. The Congress leader said the Govt has arbitrarilyforced these elections on the people against all basic normsof democracy by creating such an atmosphere and condi-tions for mainstream opposition parties so that they can stayaway from the election process. "Such kind of farce exer-cise has not added value to the democratic system besidesit has deprived the Panchayati Raj Institutions of the full ben-efits of 73rd Amendments when the entire constitution ofIndia stands applied to the state in the aftermath of the abro-gation of Article 370," he said. PTI
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Amid a prediction by anexit poll that the ruling
BJP would win 143 seats —just two seats short of a major-ity in the 288-memberMaharashtra Assembly, its allyShiv Sena on Wednesday wentto town, saying that it wouldbag more than 100 seats andthat its senior alliance partnerBJP would not be able toform the next Government inthe State, without its support.
A day ahead of the count-ing of votes in the StateAssembly polls, Shiv Sena MPand spokesperson Sanjay Rautsaid: “ The Shiv Sena will winmore than 100 seats (out ofthe total 288 seats in theState). Even if it wins morenumber of seats than us, theBJP will not be able to form aGovernment in the State with-out the Shiv Sena’s support”.
“The BJP had won 122seats in the 2014 Assemblypolls. It is but natural that theBJP wants to win more num-ber of seats than it had baggedlast time. Being in the seat ofpower, it (BJP) has addition-al wherewithal that gives itadditional advantage,” Rautsaid, while speaking to a lead-ing Marathi news channel.
Raut said that both theBJP and Shiv Sena had noalternative to each other andthe to saffron parties wouldform the next Government inthe State. “The question is
which of the two parities(Congress and NCP) wouldemerge as the principalOpposition party,” he said.
Reiterating that a ShivSena man would occupy thepost of the Chief Minister inthe State, Raut said: “Ourparty president UddhavThackeray has already saidthat a Sena’s man will be thenext Chief Minister of thestate. We have full confidencein his (Uddhav’s) leadershipand strategy. We all will tryout best to achieve his objec-tive".
Given that the BJP isexpected to have an upperhand in terms of numbers inthe new Assembly, Raut’sremarks are being seen asmere political posturing thananything else.
In the various exit polls —results of which came out onthe evening of October 21, thepollsters have predicted thatthe BJP-Shiv Sena alliancewould win anywhere from166 seats to 243 seats in theAssembly polls. The two exitpolls have given individualwinning tallies of the saffronalliance partners have saidthat while the BJP would winanywhere from 130 to 140 onits own strength, the ShivSena would win anywherefrom 70 to 113 seats.
In the 2014 polls, the BJPand Shiv Sena — which hadcontested separately — had on122 and 63 seats respectively.
Yasin Malik, who had escapedjudicial scrutiny in the case
related to the killing of four IAFpersonnel in 1990, appearedthrough video conferencing,after a long gap of 29 years, in aTADA court in Jammu onWednesday.
Four IAF personnel, includ-ing a squadron leader, RaviKhanna, were killed in the grue-some attack led by Yasin Malikon January 25,1990 in Rawalporaarea while 22 other personnelwere injured. Malik is currentlylodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail inconnection with terror fundingcase through the Pak HighCommission.
The next hearing in the caseis scheduled to take place onNovember 5th. Out of sevenaccused in the case, five wereproduced in the court and YasinMalik appeared via video con-ferencing. The seventh accused,Showkat Bakshi, currentlylodged in a Srinagar jail,remained absent. The Judgedirected that his appearance ismust in the next hearing.
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Srinagar: Normal life remainedaffected in Kashmir for the 80thconsecutive day on Wednesdaywith main markets shut andpublic transport off the roads,officials said.
Some shops opened for afew hours early in the morningin some areas, including in thecommercial hub of Lal Chowkin the city here, but downedtheir shutters around 11 am,they said.
The officials said mainmarkets and other businessestablishments were howevershut. Private transport was ply-ing and the number of vehicleswas higher than Sunday, lead-ing to traffic jams at variousspots in the city, they said.
Auto-rickshaws and a fewinter-district cabs were alsoseen plying in some areas of theValley, they added.
However, the other modesof public transport were off theroads. There was huge rush ofprivate vehicles in some areasof the city, including commer-cial hub of Lal Chowk andJehangir Chowk, causing mas-sive traffic jams in some areas,prompting authorities to pressin more police personnel to reg-ulate the movement of thevehicles, the officials said.
Internet services — acrossall platforms — continued to besnapped in the Valley, they said.
Schools and colleges wereopen, but students stayed awayas parents continued to keeptheir wards at home due toapprehensions about their safe-ty, the officials said. Whilelandline and postpaid mobilephone services have beenrestored across the Valley, allinternet services continue to
remain suspended since August5 when the Centre announcedits decision to abrogate Article370 of the Constitution anddivide the state into two unionterritories. Most of the top leveland second rung separatistpoliticians have been taken intopreventive custody while main-stream leaders, including twoformer Chief Ministers — OmarAbdullah and Mehbooba Mufti,
have been either detained orplaced under house arrest.
Another former ChiefMinister and sitting Lok SabhaMP from Srinagar FarooqAbdullah has been arrestedunder the controversial PublicSafety Act, a law enacted by hisfather and National Conferencefounder Sheikh MohammadAbdullah in 1978 when he wasthe Chief Minister. PTI
cured around 1.34 lakh boxesof apple from fruit growers insouth Kashmir under theMarketing InterventionScheme (MIS), officials said.
As many as 1,34,000 appleboxes have been procured fromFruit Mandi Batengoo inAnantnag district and Rs 2.50crores have been paid to fruitgrowers under recentlylaunched MIS under thedepartment of Horticulture,they said.
The basic objective of MISis to provide remunerativeprices to the farmers in case ofglut in production and fall inprices.
Officials said the depart-ment of Horticulture has alsodistributed 19 irrigationpumps and 20 tubewells worthRs 3.23 lakh to the orchardistsand emphasis is being laid onhigh-density plantation.
Out of 66,335 hectare landunder cultivation, 38,756.75hectares are under Kharifcrops and 26,279 hectares areunder Rabi crop, officials saidat a meeting chaired byAdvisor to Governor FarooqKhan on Tuesday.
Besides, 24,036.97 hectareshave been brought underpaddy cultivation, 10,676hectares under maize, 1,678hectares under pulses and1,454 hectares have beenbrought under oil seeds pro-duction in the district, theysaid. PTI
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Two overground workers(OGWs) of Hizbul
Mujahideen, including thebrother of top Hizbul terroristJehangir Saroori, were arrestedby the police in Jammu &Kashmir’s Kishtwar district,officials said.
As part of the ongoingoperation against terrorists andtheir supporters in the state,
police raided a place in Kishtwarhills and arrested the twoOGWs on Tuesday night, theysaid.
They have been identifiedas Abdul Kareen, brother ofHizbul terrorist Amin Bhatalias Jehangir Saroori, andDanish Naseer of Dacchan belt,they said.
12 terrorists and their sup-porters have already been arrest-ed as part of the operation. PTI
Wing Commander JagMohan (Jaggi) Nath of theIndian Air Force (IAF) isthe first of six Indian offi-cers to have twice been
awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC),India’s second highest war-time militarydecoration. For 11 years, the 90-year-oldWing Commander had the privilege to flythe famous Canberras, out of which, foreight years, he worked for the top-secret106 Squadron. He received his first MVCfor his role in reconnaissance missions overthe Aksai Chin and Tibet between 1960and 1962.
Even during the Sino-Indian War(October-November 1962), he regularlyflew over Tibet. The MVC citation says:“[He] fulfilled a number of hazardous oper-ations involving flying over difficult moun-tain terrain, both by day and night, inadverse weather conditions and in completedisregard of his personal safety.”
His missions proved immensely use-ful to learn about the Chinese militarybuild-up on the Tibetan plateau in the yearspreceding the 1962 war but unfortunate-ly, the political leadership refused tobelieve the hard evidence gathered duringhis sorties and draw logical conclusionsfrom the information gathered.
Nath’s conclusions were that in 1962,China had no Air Force worth the nameon the Tibetan plateau. The fate of theSino-Indian war could have been totallydifferent had India used its own AirForce but the then Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru and VK Krishna Menon,the Defence Minister, chose to ignore thefindings of the daring airman.
In an interview, the Wing Commandertold this writer: “If we had sent a few air-planes into Tibet, we could have wiped theChinese out and everything could have beendifferent in the 1962 war. The political lead-ership did not believe me that China hadno Air Force. Can you imagine what wouldhave happened if we had used the IAF at thattime? The Chinese would have never dareddo anything.” It is one of the greatesttragedies of India’s modern history.
The Wing Commander remembered:“The job of the 106 Squadron was to sur-vey these areas.” He recalled his first recon-naissance flight with 106 Squadron over theAksai Chin: “My Commanding Officer[later Air Marshal] Randhir Singh was onleave at that time, I was alone. I was briefedby the Western Air Command to go, findout from where the Chinese have come andtake photographs.”
One day, at the end of 1960, Air-ViceMarshal DAR Nanda, then IAF’s DeputyChief, told him: “You go and take picturesand I will send an escort with you.” AnotherCanberra escorted Nath to protect himwhile he was taking pictures of Daulat BegOldi (DBO) at the edge of the Aksai Chinin Ladakh.
Nearly 60 years after theevents, he is still very emotion-al: “I kept going down and sud-denly, I saw the Chinese there.I took photographs of theChinese soldiers all over theplace. I could have taken theirportraits. They were all around.”After he returned to Delhi, hewent straight to the office ofKrishna Menon with Nandaand in his words: “KrishnaMenon did not ask anything, hejust said ‘Did you see theChinese soldiers?’ I answered‘Yes Sir, I saw them’. ‘That’salright, you can go’.” Nath knewthat Menon later passed theinformation to Nehru. No reac-tion either.
On September 8, 1962, theDhola Post in the Tawang sec-tor was surrounded by some600 Chinese soldiers; the IndianArmy responded aggressively.Six weeks later, Mao’s LiberationArmy massively attacked the 7Infantry Brigade headquarteredon the Namkha chu (river). Thedebacle which followed is wellknown. What is not known isthe extent of knowledge the IAFhad about the People’sLiberation Army (PLA)’sdeployment and the absence ofthe Chinese Air Force in Tibet.
On October 11, 1962, anote by China’s Ministry ofForeign Affairs in Beijing wasgiven to the Embassy of Indiain China. It brings more lighton the reconnaissance workdone by the 106 Squadronbefore (and during) the war.
The Chinese note says: “Inthe night of October 10, 1962,an Indian aircraft intruded intoChina’s air space over the sub-urbs of Lhasa at 20.15 hours forreconnaissance and then flewnorthward along the Chinghai-Tibet (Qinghai-Tibet) highwayto Damshune [Damchung]where it made reconnaissancecirclings over a Chinese airfieldand then flew away in thedirection of India.”
Damchung, north of Lhasa,was the only airport used by theChinese in Tibet at that time; ithad no air defence.
The note from the ChineseMinistry of Foreign Affairscontinued: “The deep intru-sion of Indian aircraft intoChina for flagrant reconnais-sance over the capital city of,and an airfield in Tibet, wasobviously an action coordinat-ed with the current militaryattacks by the aggressive Indiantroops in the eastern sector ofthe Sino Indian border. TheChinese Government… warnsthe Indian side that it must giveserious thought to the graveconsequences of such increas-ingly frantic activities ofaggression.”
What to conclude? Chinahad no Air Force able to counterthe Indian reconnaissanceflights and no air defence ableto shoot down the planes. HadIndia extensively used its AirForce, what could have been dif-ferent? We would have proba-bly won the 1962 war.
One can also imagine thatcasualties would have been lesson the Indian side and more onthe Chinese. Further, the num-ber of Indian PoWs, who suf-fered for seven months in Tibet,would have been far less. TheLine of Actual Control wouldhave remained where it was inSeptember 1959 and the borderdispute with China would notbe as acute as today. TheShaksgam Valley would nothave been offered to China byPakistan in 1963. There wouldhave been no scar on India’s psy-che as there is today.
The fate of the Tibetanpeople would have certainlybeen different. In China, MaoZedong would have lost his joband perhaps no CulturalRevolution would have takenplace three years later. As aresult, China would have beencompletely different today.
In 1965, Pakistan wouldperhaps have thought twicebefore venturing into OperationGibraltar to create insurgencyagainst Indian rule in Jammu &Kashmir, ultimately resulting inthe Indo-Pakistan War of 1965.Three years later, India learnt itslesson that the Air Force can beuseful…and by that time, therewas a more decisive Chief of AirStaff (Marshal of the Air ForceArjan Singh). It is when Nathwas awarded his second MVC.But sadly, history can’t berewritten.
Sir — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)chief Amit Shah seems to have ahand on the pulse of the voters. Hisprediction — that his party will winhands down in Maharashtra —seems to be as good as that of fourout of six pollsters, who are givingthe saffron combine more than 200seats. If the exit polls are anythingto go by, though they are knownto be wrong in the past, DevendraFadnavis, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s handpicked ChiefMinister, is due for a second com-ing. Fadnavis had already set therecord of becoming the first ChiefMinister in Maharashtra to com-plete a full five-year term in near-ly 50 years.
That said, if the results indeedreflect the exit polls, the more sig-nificant takeaway is for theOpposition. Rarely in recentIndian democratic history has theelectoral contest been as one-sided as it is now. A strongOpposition party at the Centrecan certainly change the waypolitics is being played out in thenational theatre. The BJP couldhave faced a tougher Oppositionheaded by a strong national party.And the Congress, too, could
have enjoyed a more assertive roleand a larger maneuvering spacein the Opposition bloc. Manyparties would have dared not dis-count the Congress’ ability to takeon the BJP in these tough times.
J Akshobhya Mysuru
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Sir — In a landmark decision thatwill bring great changes in thesocial milieu, the Assam Cabinethas decided to deny Governmentjobs to people with more than two
children. It may be recalled thatin September 2017, the AssamAssembly had passed the“Population and WomenEmpowerment policy of Assam,”which specified that candidateswith two children would be eli-gible for Government employ-
ment and the existingGovernment staff were to strict-ly follow the two-child familynorm. Assam Finance MinisterHimanta Biswa Sarma, who waspushing for the population poli-cy to be adopted, recently said,“While the State’s populationrose by 46 lakh from 2.66 crorein 2001 to 3.12 crore in 2011, apreliminary analysis has shownthat it has increased by one crorein 16 years between 2001 and2017. This increase is not onlyalarming but also unacceptable.”
The alarming increase in pop-ulation was due to the early mar-riage in communities living in char(riverine), tea gardens and tribalareas. Girls in these areas marrybetween 14 and 16 years, whileboys have been found to be mar-rying between 16 and 20 years.Thus, the reason for the alarmingincrease in population being earlymarriage, the Government muststrictly implement existing rules toforestall early marriage amongpeople. Taking a cue from Assam,the Central Government, too, canimplement this idea.
India is booming but its children are starving.Here is a remarkable tolerance of inequity andhuman suffering. Despite the spectacular
strides made in economic growth and the techno-logical boom, the country still continues to strug-gle to attain freedom from hunger. It is bearing wit-ness to a triple burden of malnutrition — the coex-istence of undernutrition, micronutrient deficien-cies and overnutrition.
India has slipped from 95th rank in 2010 to102nd in 2019 on the Global Hunger Index (GHI),with the increase in prevalence of wasting (lowweight for height) among children under five con-tributing the most to the country’s poor perfor-mance. Over a longer-term horizon, the fall in thecountry’s rank is sharper: From 83rd out of 113countries in 2000 to 102nd out of 117 now. Indiais the lowest ranked South Asian country, evenbehind Pakistan, which is ranked 94th.
India accounts for more than three out of 10stunted children globally, largely owing to a lackof good quality food, poor care and feeding prac-tices, inadequate water, sanitation and health ser-vices. Other than increased susceptibility, thechronic impact of long-term malnutrition inhuman and economic terms is well-known.Undernourishment is highly damaging to childrenand overshadows their childhood, impairs theirmental and physical development and damages thecountry’s economic prospects.
Malnutrition threatens a child’s physical as wellas mental well-being for many years to come. Formany children, chronic malnutrition begins in thewomb, with 20 per cent having a low birth weight.As 90 per cent of our brain develops in the firsttwo years of birth, the quality of nutrition duringthis stage determines the long-term physicalhealth, learning ability and future productivity.Undernourishment can lower a child’s IQ, increasethe risk of diet-related non-communicable diseasessuch as diabetes and heart diseases and reduce pro-ductivity.
Proper sanitation facilities are essential to pre-vent child infections on account of related ailmentslike diarrhoea and pneumonia, which impair nutri-ent absorption. Fortification of staple food vehi-cles such as flour, salt, oil and milk is now beingseen as a crucial component for tackling food andnutrition security as well as child malnutrition.Since several staple foods produced, procured andconsumed in the organised sector are not easilyamenable to fortification, the Government mustmandate the use of fortifiable commodities in allits food-based schemes, including the Mid-DayMeal Scheme (MDMS) in schools, the IntegratedChild Development Services (ICDS) and the PublicDistribution System (PDS).
The full impact of the various interventionscan be amplified if we adopt a multi-sectoral andintegrated approach looking at maternal and infanthealth, water and sanitation, poverty alleviation,and behavioural change communications as inter-related challenges.
No country has ever succeeded in reducingpoverty without having the active engagement ofthe Government in creating the proper conditionsand opportunities for individuals to rise frompoverty. As author Pallavi Aiyar has written in herexcellent book Smoke and Mirrors: An Experienceof China, “if born rich, it is better to be Indian, ifborn poor, it is better to be Chinese.”
Studies have shown that malnutrition and
hunger impede children’s ability to graspeven basic skills and they fail to devel-op to their full cognitive potential. Eventhough India has a host of schemes tofight hunger, structural deficiencies haveleft a large number of poor in the coun-try at a risk of malnourishment.
There is also growing evidence of thebenefits to mother and infant if breast-feeding is initiated within one hour ofbirth. This ensures skin-to-skin contact,which is important in preventinghypothermia and establishing the bondbetween the mother and baby. It alsoreduces a mother’s risk of post-partumhaemorrhage, one of the leading causesof maternal mortality.
Contemporary research has con-firmed the crucial importance of nutri-tion in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.The nutrition provided in the periodbetween conception and the child’s sec-ond birthday is critical for its optimumcognitive and physical development.Breastfed infants are more likely tohave better physical and mental health,well into adulthood.
Much less investment is required tomaintain adequate nourishment forchildren than is required to repair bro-ken children. A package of basic mea-sures — including programmes toencourage mothers to exclusively breast-feed their children for up to six months,fortifying basic foods with essential vit-amins and minerals and increased cashtransfers targetted at the poorest fami-lies — can turn the tide.
Fortification of staple food vehiclessuch as flour, salt, oil, and milk is nowbeing seen as a crucial component fortackling food and nutrition security aswell as child malnutrition. Since sever-al staple foods produced, procured andconsumed in the organised sector are noteasily amenable to fortification, theGovernment must mandate the use offortifiable commodities in all its food-based schemes, including the MDMS, the
ICDS and the PDS.The tragedy is that India produces
enough food to meet the needs of itsentire population and has at its dispos-al arable land that has the potential toproduce food surplus for export. Yet, itis unable to feed millions of its people,especially women and children. As youtrudge through the mire of anyGovernment-run food auction yard orwholesale food market, you will find pilesof supposedly fresh produce lying every-where, rotting in the sun and competingwith mangy dogs and scampering micefor attention. A lack of education on post-harvest practices often results in poorquality control and food being damagedduring handling. One of the majorways of enhancing food security in Indiais by simply controlling wastage andthrough better processing and recycling.
Imagine a land mass greater thanChina. Now imagine that land is onlyused to produce food. Then suppose allthe crops and produce from those 2.5 bil-lion acres are not eaten and left to rot.Imagine all of that — and you get an ideaof the amount of food the world wastesevery year. It is almost a third of theworld’s total food supply.
The Food Corporation of India(FCI) was set up in 1964 to offer impe-tus to price support systems, encouragenationwide distribution and maintainsufficient buffer of staples like wheat andrice but its performance has been woe-fully inadequate, in comparison to theneeds of the country. Around one percent of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) gets shaved off annually in theform of food waste. The FCI has neitherthe warehouse capacity nor the manpow-er to manage this humongous stockpileof foodgrains.
Every year, the Government pur-chases millions of tonnes of grain fromthe farmers to ensure that they get a goodprice for their produce, for numerousfood subsidy programmes and to main-
tain an emergency buffer. The cruel truth,however, is that most of the produce isleft out in the open, vulnerable to rainand attacks by rodents or stored inmakeshift spaces, covered by tarpaulinsheets, thus increasing the chances ofspoilage. Several countries are nowusing metal grain silos to guard againstfungus attacks on the grain stock.
Added to the wastage of food, thereis a depletion of precious resourcesinvolved in its production. According tothe United Nations, India is estimated touse more than 230 cubic kilometres offresh water annually, for producing fooditems that will be ultimately wasted. Toput this into context, this amount of wateris enough to provide drinking water to100 million people every year. Besidesthis, nearly 300 million barrels of oil usedin the process are also wasted.
Reforming the faltering PDS whichsupplies subsidised grain to the poor andmodernising other areas, such as com-puterisation of outlets and satellite con-trol over the movement of transport vehi-cles can go a long way in plugging theleakages of foodgrains for the poor.
In recent years, numerous initiativesand interventions have been undertak-en by the Government and local andinternational actors to target food lossand wastage across the agriculturalvalue chain. The Government is seekingto streamline and modernise agricultur-al value chains, through reformation ofthe PDS to reduce the waste associatedwith the distribution and storage of grain.
India needs to mobilise large-scaleinvestments in cold storage methods,refrigerated transport and other modernlogistics to modernise its food supplychain. Apart from this a strong will bythe political class to act and an imagina-tive thinking on the part of the policy-makers are needed.
(The writer is Member, NITI Aayog’sNational Committee on Financial Literacyand Inclusion for Women.)
Every environmentally-con-scious Indian is aware of thethreat that plastics pose to nat-
ural habitats. Our streets, mountains,lakes, oceans, rivers and even sew-ers are clogged with this non-degrad-able material that does not get recy-cled fast enough, even as more andmore of it continues to be pushedinto the environment. Though we arewell aware of its detrimental effects,yet it is still the most favoured “go to”item for consumers and manufactur-ers alike.
Quite clearly, environmentalconcerns take a back seat over con-venience and bottom lines. What elsecan explain the fact that despite thenumerous bans initiated against itsuse over the years, plastic continues
to pervade every aspect of our lives?Though the recent effort of the
Government to end single-use plas-tic is one more welcome step,whether it will succeed in its objec-tive of dissuading the common manfrom it is anybody’s guess. Yet, if theGovernment’s ambitious plan ofdoing away with single-use plasticworks, it may actually pave the wayfor much larger restrictions on theuse of all types of plastic.
This weaning away is vital as thescale of plastic proliferation and theharm that it does to the environment,especially to the marine ecology ismind-numbing. The equivalent of atruckload of plastic enters the oceanevery single minute. Once in themarine environment, plastic breaksinto smaller and smaller pieces andaccording to studies, there are an esti-mated 50 trillion plastic particles inour oceans today. These are ofteningested by marine animals, who,then die horribly painful deathsbecause, of it. In response to grow-ing public concern over convention-al plastics, many companies are
swapping single-use plastics derivedfrom fossil fuels with bio-basedplastics that are made from renew-able resources like corn, potatoes,rice, soy, sugarcane, wheat, and veg-etable oil instead of non-renewablepetroleum-based resources. Bio-based plastics are made by creatingplastic polymers from these materi-als, through either chemical or bio-logical processes.
Though these are often erro-neously promoted as biodegradable
or compostable, the fact is that theseplastics are as difficult to biodegradeor recycle as conventional plastic.
One again, corporate profitabil-ity is taking the lead over environ-mental responsibility and concerns.The Government, too, seems to be atsea when it comes to pinning downthe exact sources of plastic prolifer-ation. Due to this ambiguity, even theincidence of the recently-banned sin-gle-use plastic is now steadily creep-ing up.
The plastic pollution crisis willonly be resolved when companiesthat profit from single-use plasticdeclare a state of “peak plastic” andcommit to urgent reductions in theamount of single-use disposablepackaging units they sell. An obvi-ous first step is immediately elimi-nating unnecessary and excessivepackaging, such as coffee capsules.Firms will also need to adopt a pub-licly available, comprehensive plan toinvest in new ways to bring productsto consumers in reusable and refill-able packaging that is durable, afford-able and more responsibly pro-duced. Many diverse reuse and refilloptions exist currently and withinnovation, more could be devel-oped. Fundamentally, companiesalso need to reimagine their businessmodels based on the recognition thatwe cannot continue to produce dis-posable packaging that is used forseconds but pollutes our planet forgenerations.
India must script a re-use revo-lution that will eventually transcendborders and set international bench-
marks in reducing, reusing and recy-cling. As a priority, the Governmentmust first call for the reduction ofunits sold in single-use packagingand at the same time encourageinvestment in solutions focussed onreusing, refilling and so on, that arenot dependent on disposables.
Ultimately companies need torethink how products are deliveredto the consumer and this is what theGovernment must facilitate. In tran-sitioning from throwaway plastic,India must visualise replacing virginplastic with non-toxic. Recycled andrecyclable plastic only has a limitedrole in addressing the plastic over-production problem. However, thereis no silver bullet, one-size-fits-alloption for new reusable or refillablepackaging that will be applicable toevery company, product or geogra-phy. Therefore, it is pertinent that fastmoving consumer goods (FMCG)firms and retailers urgently prioritiseinvestment into the delivery of reuseand refill options.
In the biggest reform in fuelretailing sector in almost
two decades, the Governmenton Wednesday relaxed normsfor setting up petrol pumps,allowing non-oil companies toventure into the business - amove that could help privateand foreign firms to enter theworld's fastest-growing market.
At present, to obtain a fuelretailing license in India, acompany needs to invest �2,000 crore in either hydro-carbon exploration and pro-duction, refining, pipelines orliquefied natural gas (LNG)terminals.
Companies with a networth of �250 crore will beallowed to sell petrol and diesel
subject to condition that theyinstall facilities for marketing ofat least one new generationalternate fuel such as CNG,LNG, biofuels or electric vehi-cle charging within three yearsof start of operations,Information and BroadcastingMinister Prakash Javadekarsaid here.
The retailers will necessar-ily have to set up 5 per cent ofthe total outlets in rural areaswithin five years, he said whilebriefing reporters on the deci-sion taken by the CabinetCommittee on EconomicAffairs (CCEA) headed byPrime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The new policy will bringin more investment and give afillip to 'Ease of DoingBusiness'. It will boost directand indirect employment in thesector. Setting up of more retailoutlets (ROs) will result inbetter competition and betterservices for consumers," he
said.The Government had last
set fuel marketing conditions in2002 and the review now isbased on the recommenda-tion of a high-level expertcommittee.
The move will facilitateentry of global giants such asTotal SA of France, SaudiArabia's Aramco, BP Plc of UKand Trafigura's downstream
arm Puma Energy.Total in partnership with
Adani Group had in November2018 applied for a license toretail petrol and diesel through1,500 outlets. BP too hasformed a partnership withReliance Industries to set uppetrol pumps, but is yet tomake a formal application.
While Puma Energy hadapplied for a retail license,
Aramco was in talks to enterthe sector.
State-owned oil market-ing companies — Indian OilCorp (IOC), Bharat PetroleumCorp Ltd (BPCL) andHindustan Petroleum CorpLtd (HPCL) — currently ownmost of 65,554 petrol pumps inthe country.
Reliance Industries, NayaraEnergy— formerly Essar Oil—and Royal Dutch Shell are theprivate players in the marketbut with limited presence.Reliance, which operates theworld's largest oil refining com-plex, has less than 1,400 outlets.
Nayara has 5,344 whileShell has just 160 pumps.
BP plc of UK had a coupleof years back secured a licenseto set up 3,500 pumps but has-n't yet started doing so. It isnow venturing into the busi-ness with Reliance with plansto scale up Reliance's presentnetwork strength to 5,500.
"The entities seeking mar-ket authorization for petroland diesel are allowed to applyfor retail and bulk authoriza-tion separately or both," an offi-cial statement issued on CCEAdecision said.
The companies have beengiven flexibility in setting up ajoint venture or subsidiary formarket authorization.
"In addition to conven-tional fuels, the authorizedentities are required to installfacilities for marketing at leastone new generation alternatefuel, like CNG, LNG, biofuels,electric charging, etc.
At their proposed retailoutlets within 3 years of oper-ationalization of the said out-let," it said.
"An individual may beallowed to obtain a dealershipof more than one marketingcompany in case of open deal-erships of PSU oil marketingcompanies but at different sites."
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Mumbai: Equity indices foundfirmer ground on Wednesday,led by IT, finance and autostocks, as investors trackedcorporate results amid mixedcues from global markets.
After swinging over 330points in a choppy session, the30-share BSE Sensex ended94.99 points, or 0.24 per cent,higher at 39,058.83. It hit anintra-day high of 39,196.67and a low of 38,866.08.
The broader NSE Niftytoo advanced 15.75 points, or0.14 per cent, to settle at
11,604.10.HCL Tech was the top
gainer in the Sensex pack, ris-ing 2.93 per cent, ahead of itsquarterly results.
Infosys rebounded 1.16per cent after a massive sell-offin the previous session follow-ing a whistleblower complaint.
On the other hand, BhartiAirtel, Vedanta, ONGC, RIL,Kotak Bank and Yes Bank shedup to 3.59 per cent.
"Markets largely remainedpositive throughout the day ledby selective buying in large capsnamely in banking and ITstocks. Auto and consumerstocks witnessed some resur-gence on expectation that the
worst-case scenario is factoredin the stock prices.
"Due to corporate tax cut,Q2 earnings growth is better,however market will review theoutlook for revenue growth toassess any potential for re-rat-ing," said Vinod Nair, Head ofResearch, Geojit FinancialServices.
Sectorally, BSE auto, IT,consumer durables, power,FMCG, teck and financeindices rose up to 1.18 per cent.
On the other had, BSEtelecom, oil and gas, energy,realty, industrials, capital goodsand metal indices tumbled upto 3.04 per cent.
Broader BSE midcap indexended marginally lower, whileBSE smallcap index advanced0.25 per cent.
Global equities were cau-tious after British PrimeMinister Boris Johnson lost thecrucial Brexit bill timetablevote on Tuesday, leaving indoubt his vow to exit theEuropean Union by the end ofthe month.
Elsewhere in Asia, bours-es in Shanghai, Hong KongTokyo and Seoul endedmixed.Markets in Europe werealso trading on a choppy notein their respective early deals.
Meanwhile, the Indianrupee appreciated marginally to70.92 against the US dollarintra-day.
Brent crude futures, theglobal oil benchmark, fell 0.85per cent to USD 59.19 per barrel. PTI
New Delhi: The Governmenton Wednesday hiked the min-imum support price for wheatby �85 to �1,925 a quintal andfor pulses by up to �325 perquintal.
A decision in this regardwas taken at a meeting of theCabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA),headed by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.
The MSP is the rate atwhich the Government buysgrains from farmers.
"In a move to increasefarmers' income, the Cabinethas increased the MSP of rabi(winter-sown) crops for thecurrent year," Information andBroadcasting Minister PrakashJavadekar told reporters afterthe meeting.
The CCEA has approved�85 per quintal hike in wheat
MSP to �1,925 per quintal forthe 2019-20 rabi crop, up from �1,840 per quintal lastyear.
Barley MSP has also beenincreased by �85 to �1,525 perquintal from �1,440 per quin-tal last year.
To encourage cultivation ofpulses, the support price ofmasoor has been increased by�325 to �4,800 per quintalfrom �4,475 per quintal lastyear.
Similarly, the MSP forgram has been hiked by �255
to �4,875 per quintal for thisyear from �4,620 per quintallast year.
Among oilseeds, rape-seed/mustard MSP has beenincreased by �225 to �4,425 perquintal for 2019-20 rabi cropfrom �4,200 per quintal during2018-19.
The minimum supportprice for safflower has beenhiked by �270 to �5,215 perquintal from �4,945 per quintal last year.
The MSP for rabi cropsannounced for this year is inline with the recommendationof the Government's farm priceadvisory body CACP.
Wheat is the main rabicrop, sowing of which willbegin next month.
The crop will be marketedfrom next April onwards. PTI
New Delhi: Shares of Infosyson Wednesday bounced back,rising over 1 per cent, after amassive sell-off in the previoussession on concerns over awhistleblower complaintagainst the company's top exec-utives.
The scrip closed the day at�650.75, up 1.16 per cent on theBSE. During the day, it jumped2 per cent to �656.40.
On the National StockExchange, it rose 1 per cent toclose at �650.35.
Shares of Infosys onTuesday plummeted nearly 17per cent, marking their worstintraday fall since April 2013,
wiping �53,451 crore off itsmarket valuation.
A complaint by a groupthat calls itself 'EthicalEmployees' of Infosys hasalleged CEO Salil Parekh andCFO Nilanjan Roy wereindulging in "unethical prac-tices" to boost short-term rev-enue and profits.
The IT services giant onTuesday said it is investigatingthe anonymous whistleblowers'claims.Meanwhile, leadingexchange BSE on Wednesdayasked Infosys to explain why itdid not make a disclosureabout the whistleblower complaint. PTI
Mumbai: The Indian rupeerose 3 paise to close at 70.91against the US dollar onWednesday amid lack of trig-gers and geopolitical uncer-tainties.
Easing crude oil pricespropped up the local unit,though fresh capital outflowscapped the gains, forex traderssaid.
Trading in emerging marketcurrencies was subdued afterBritish Prime Minister BorisJohnson lost the crucial BrexitBill timetable vote.Besides, mar-kets are also awaiting fresh cueson the potential US-China tradedeal, they added.At the inter-bank foreign exchange, therupee opened lower at 71.01then fell to 71.03 against thegreenback. PTI
New Delhi: Telecom operatorReliance Jio recorded over 2.5times higher average datadownload speed of 21 megabitper second in September 2019,compared to its closest competitor Bharti Airtel,according to data released by the sector regulator Trai.
Bharti Airtel networkrecorded average downloadspeed of 8.3 mbps inSeptember. It was followed byVodafone with 6.9 mbps andIdea Cellular with 6.4 mbpsdownload speed.
Both Vodafone and IdeaCellular have merged theirbusinesses but their network integration is still on. PTI
New Delhi: Gold prices onWednesday rose �177 to�38,932 per 10 gram in thenational capital on strongerrupee and firm global trends,according to HDFC Securities.
Silver also gained �290 to�46,560 per kg. In the previoustrade, it had closed at �46,270
per kg.Gold closed at �38,755per 10 gram in the nationalcapital on Tuesday.
"Spot gold for 24 Karat inDelhi was trading higher by�177 on stronger rupee andfirm global prices," HDFCSecurities, senior analyst —commodities, Tapan Patel said.
The ongoing festivaldemand may keep gold pricesfirm with rise in jewellery con-sumption, he added.
In the international mar-ket, gold was trading up at USD1,493 per ounce, while silverwas also trading in the green atUSD 17.57 an ounce. PTI
Mumbai: The Government should overlookpolitical expediencies, instead prioritise itsspending to meet the needs of a struggling econ-omy, engineering major Larsen & Toubro saidon Wednesday.
The Government is delaying payments, lead-ing to pressure on working capital, the man-agement of the engineering major said, addingit cannot "afford" such a situation.
"The Government has to prioritise allocationof funds to projects and contractors and also itsvendors. It is very important that the Governmentspend is not confined to political ends, but divert-ed towards economic ends," chief financial offi-cer R Shankar Raman told reporters whileannouncing the second quarter numbers.He wasreplying to a specific question on what can bedone to revive the tottering growth. PTI
������������ ������������#��� �'����� ���' ������ �New Delhi: Markets regulatorSebi has begun its probe intoalleged non-disclosure ofprice-sensitive information byInfosys' management and alsocorporate governance lapses inthe wake of serious allegationslevelled by a whistleblower,while it is also examining pos-sible insider trading in thecompany's securities.
Sources said the regulatorhas already asked the stockexchanges to collate tradingdata of Infosys' shares as well asabout derivative positions.PTI
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Dropping for the fourthconsecutive month, invest-
ments through participatorynotes (P-notes) in the Indiancapital market stood at �76,611crore at the end of September.
P-notes are issued by reg-istered foreign portfolioinvestors (FPIs) to overseasinvestors who wish to be partof the Indian stock marketwithout registering themselvesdirectly after going through adue diligence process.
Investments through P-notes have been continuouslydeclining since June, accordingto the latest data from marketsregulator Sebi. The total valueof P-note investments in theIndian markets — equity, debt,and derivatives — declined to�76,611 crore till September-end, from �79,088 crore atAugust-end, showed the data.
At the end of July, theIndian capital market saw atotal inflow of �81,082 crore viaP-notes, a fall as compared to�81,913 crore till June-end.The investment had stood at�82,619 in May.
In July, the board of Sebihad approved a proposal torationalise the framework forissuance of P-notes — aninstrument once very popularwith foreign investors.
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The International MonetaryFund (IMF) sees Indian
economic growth reboundingto around 7 per cent in the nextfinancial year, supported bymeasures like monetary policy stimulus and corporateincome tax cuts.
“We see the Indian econo-my rebounding from our pro-jected 6.1 per cent growth thisfiscal year to something like 7per cent in the next fiscal year(2020). We see the factors thatwill support growth, includingmonetary policy stimulus,working their way through thepipeline,” Jonathan Ostry,Deputy Director, Asia PacificDepartment at the IMF, toldreporters.
The recent tax cuts,Government's progress inaddressing lingering weakness-es in the financial sector andmeasures to support growth sec-tors as seen as factors under-pinning growth in the nearterm, Ostry said. Talking aboutthe slowdown in Indian econ-omy in recent quarters, he said:“indeed (it) took many of us bysurprise, including the IMF.
"There wasn't a single causefor the slowdown… there weremany different causes at workincluding corporate and regu-latory environmental uncer-tainties, the stresses in the
non-bank financial sector,(and) stresses in the rural sec-tor, among others," he said.
Asked about the RegionalComprehensive EconomicPartnership (RECP), whichIndia is reportedly cautious tosign as the multi-lateral tradepact negotiations are widelyexpected to be concluded in thecoming months, he underlinedthe importance of having ser-vices included in the free-tradepartnership agreement.
Much greater attention tointegration type issues is essen-tial to sustain growth in southAsia, he said, adding "Thisneeds to include not only goodstrade, but more importantlyservices trade — which couldprovide a substantial engine ofgrowth for India and othersouth Asian economies goingforward,” said Ostry.
There is a need to takesteps to invigorate the deliber-ation process and structuralreforms more generally because
India has a potential enor-mous demographic dividendover the next couple of decadesthrough which about 150 mil-lion people will be entering theworkforce, he pointed out.
“We consider services as animportant source of growthand productivity to enhanceinvestments in the periodahead,” he underlined.
India's success in the ser-vice sector has been especiallyremarkable as its share of theworld's information and com-munication technologies ser-vice exports almost tripled ina decade, from 6.3 per cent in2000 to 17.8 per cent in 2010,recording the largest increaseglobally for the sector, accord-ing to the IMF report.
“This performance wasstrongly associated with anemphasis on tertiary educationand a low degree of regulationof the sector,” said the region-al economic outlook 'Asia andPacific — Caught in ProlongedUncertainty: Challenges andOpportunities for Asia, releasedhere on Wednesday.
Asked for comments aboutthe reported relocation of UScompanies out of China amidstthe trade tension with theUnited States, Ostry said a keyconcern in this trade tensionhas been the undermining ofthe global supply chains andglobal technology chains.
IT major HCL Technologieson Wednesday posted a 6.9
per cent rise in its consolidatednet profit to �2,711 crore for theSeptember 2019 quarter, andraised its revenue growth fore-cast to 17 per cent for 2019-20.
The company, which hadregistered a net profit of �2,534crore in the year-ago period asper the Indian AccountingStandards (IndAS), has alsoannounced a bonus share offer.
Its revenue from opera-tions grew 18 per cent to�17,527 crore in the quarterunder review, from �14,860crore in the year-ago period.
The company has raised itsrevenue growth outlook to 15-17 per cent for 2019-20 from itsprevious forecast of 14-16 percent topline growth in constantcurrency terms. HCLTechnologies’ board has declareda dividend of �2 per share. It hasalso announced a bonus shareoffer under which one bonusshare will be given for everyshare held. The proposal is sub-ject to approval of shareholdersand regulatory nods.
“HCLites have deliveredyet another outstanding quarterwith a 20.5 per cent year-on-year growth, translating to amore than 14 per cent industryleading organic growth. Oursharp focus on pricing and costlevers over the last 6 months
have helped deliver a solidEBIT (earnings before interestand tax) of 20 per cent,” said CVijayakumar, president andchief executive officer, HCLTechnologies. In dollar terms,the net profit grew 5.5 per centto USD 376.2 million for theSeptember 2019 quarter, whilerevenue surged by 18.4 percent to USD 2.48 billion as com-pared to the year-ago period, asper the US Generally AcceptedAccounting Principles (GAAP).
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Indian Bank onWednesday reported over atwo-fold rise in net profit at�358.56 crore for theSeptember quarter. The state-owned lender had posted a netprofit of �150.1 crore in theyear-ago quarter. Total incomeincreased to �6,045.32 crore forthe September quarter, from�5,129.16 crore in the sameperiod last year, the bank saidin a regulatory filing.
Asset quality remained sta-ble with the gross non-per-forming assets (NPAs) mar-ginally rising 7.20 per cent ofthe advances as on end-September 2019, as against 7.16per cent by September 2018.However, net NPAs declined to3.54 per cent of the advances atthe end of second quarter of thisfiscal, from 4.23 per cent in theyear-ago period. The bank’s
provisioning for bad loans andcontingencies declined to�909.36 crore for the quarterunder review, from �1,004.3crore in second quarter of2018-19. Provision for badloans too declined to �720.90crore for the July-Septemberquarter, from �752.47 crore inthe year-ago period.
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JSW Steel on Wednesdayreported a 21.51 per cent jumpin its consolidated net profit to�2,536 crore for the quarterended September 30. Thedomestic steel major had clockeda consolidated net profit of�2,087 crore in the correspond-ing period of the previous finan-cial year, JSW Steel said in a BSEfiling.
The company’s total incomedropped to �17,728 crore, com-pared with �21,608 crore in theyear-ago period. However, itstotal expenses during the quar-ter fell to �17,025 crore, against�18,583 crore a year ago.
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HDFC Life InsuranceCompany on Wednesday post-ed 7.5 per cent rise in stand-alone net profit to �308.69crore for the second quarterended September 30. The com-pany’s net profit in the year-agoperiod stood at �286.98 crore.
Total income of the insur-ance firm rose to �8,661.56crore from �7,902.10 in thesame quarter a year ago, HDFCLife said in a regulatory filing.The asset under the manage-ment of insurance firm rose to�1.3 lakh crore.
“We have delivered strongperformance across all keymetrics and have continued tosustain our profitability.Despite a challenging macro-environment, we have grownby 35 per cent on individualweighted received premium,compared to industry growthof 11 per cent,” HDFC LifeInsurance Managing DirectorVibha Padalkar said.
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Non-banking financialcompany Muthoot CapitalServices has reported 34.6 percent decline in standalone netprofit to �14.02 crore for the sec-ond quarter ended September.The company had profit of�21.42 crore in July-Septemberquarter of 2018-19, MuthootCapital Services said in a state-ment. However, the total incomerose to �145.02 crore for the sec-ond quarter this fiscal as against�132.14 crore in the year-agoquarter. The company disbursedtwo-wheeler loans amounting to�463.2 crore and had a total dis-bursement of �487.8 crore dur-ing the quarter, it said.
In an appalling tragedy, 39people were found dead on
Wednesday near London in acontainer of truck, which camefrom Bulgaria, and police havearrested the driver of the vehiclefor questioning.
Essex Police said they werecalled by the local ambulanceservice on Wednesday earlymorning after the discovery atWaterglade Industrial Park atEastern Avenue in Grays area ofEssex, south-east England.
British Prime Minister BorisJohnson said he was “appalled bythis tragic incident” and UKhome secretary Priti Patelexpressed shock at the discoveryin Twitter statements.
While there is no confirma-tion of the nationalities of the vic-tims, officials said the truckcame from Bulgaria and enteredthe UK via Holyhead port in
Wales on Saturday.According to Essex Police,
early indications are that 38adults and one teenager havedied, with no information of anysurvivors.
Essex Police Chief
Superintendent Andrew Marinersaid officers were trying to iden-tify victims as their enquiriesremain ongoing after the arrestof the 25-year-old driver fromNorthern Ireland.
He said: “This is a tragicincident where a large numberof people have lost their lives.Our enquiries are ongoing toestablish what has happened. Weare in the process of identifyingthe victims, however I anticipatethat this could be a lengthyprocess. “We have arrested thelorry driver in connection withthe incident who remains inpolice custody as our enquiriescontinue,” he said.
A police cordon remains inplace at the industrial estatewhere the discovery was made.
“I am receiving regularupdates and the Home Officewill work closely with EssexPolice as we establish exactlywhat has happened. My thoughtsare with all those who lost theirlives and their loved ones,” Britishpremier Johnson said.
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Hong Kong authorities onWednesday withdrew an
unpopular extradition bill thatsparked months of chaoticprotests that have since mor-phed into a campaign forgreater democratic change.
Secretary for Security John
Lee told the semi-autonomousChinese territory’s legislaturethat the Government sus-pended the bill because it hadresulted in “conflicts in society.”
In order to clearly spell outthe Government’s position, “Iformally announce the with-drawal of the bill,” Lee told law-makers. Pro-democracy law-
makers immediately tried toquestion him, but he refused torespond.
There are no signs that thewithdrawal of the bill willdampen the protests, now intheir fifth month.
The rallies have snowballedinto the city’s biggest politicalcrisis in decades, expanding todemands for universal suffrageand an investigation into alle-gations of police abuses, mostrecently including the sprayingof a mosque and bystanderswith high-pressure blue-dyedwater from an urban assaultvehicle.
The long-expected scrap-ping of the bill was overshad-owed by the drama surround-ing the release from a HongKong prison of the murder sus-pect at the heart of the extra-dition case controversy.
Chan Tong-kai, who com-pleted a separate sentence formoney laundering, toldreporters after his releaseWednesday that he wished toturn himself in to authorities inTaiwan, where he’s wanted forkilling his pregnant girlfriend,Poon Hiu-wing.
Taiwan announcedTuesday that it was willing tosend a delegation to bringChan back to the self-ruledisland for trial, but Hong Kongrejected the offer, saying thesuspect should be allowed to flyunaccompanied to turn himself in.
The controversy is rootedin the unwillingness of HongKong to recognise the legiti-macy of the legal bodies inTaiwan, which communistleaders in Beijing consider abreakaway province.
European leaders were decid-ing whether to postpone
Brexit and for how longWednesday, while PrimeMinister Boris Johnson’s eyesturned towards a snap generalelection.
In tense parliamentaryvotes on Tuesday, Johnson wonpreliminary backing for thedivorce deal he agreed with theEU, which would have seenBritain leave the bloc onOctober 31.
But, in a fresh twist to thedivorce saga, MPs also reject-ed his bid to curtail parlia-mentary scrutiny of the bill andrush it through in a matter ofdays. European CouncilPresident Donald Tusk hasrecommended that EU’s 27other member states grant a
flexible extension until January31, 2020 — to be cut short ifBritain ratifies the deal beforethen.
But the decision on howlong a prolongation will lastwill fall to member state lead-ers, many of whom would pre-fer a shorter delay to keep thepressure on Westminster toapprove the deal quickly.
Ireland’s prime minister,Leo Varadkar, told Tusk in acall that he supports theJanuary 31 date, but Germanand, especially, French officialsare talking in terms of a muchshorter timeline.
“If it’s a question of push-ing back the date by two orthree weeks, to give MPs inLondon a chance to ratify,then it’s not really a problem,”German foreign minister HeikoMaas told RTL television.
Beijing: China on Wednesdayrejected a media report that itis drawing up a plan to removeHong Kong’s beleaguered ChiefExecutive Carrie Lam, describ-ing it as a “political rumourwith ulterior motives”.
Foreign MinistrySpokesperson Hua Chunyingrejected the report by London-based Financial Times, whichclaimed that China plans toreplace Lam with an interimchief executive.
“It was a political rumourwith ulterior motives behind it,”
Hua told the media here whenasked for her reaction to the FTreport.
It was not clear yet whetherChina is playing down thereport as Lam’s resignation is aprime demand of the pro-democracy protestors. Beijinghad also declined to permitLam to withdraw the contro-versial extradition bill, whichsparked the protests. The billwas withdrawn on Wednesdayby the Hong Kong governmentin the local legislature in bigwin for the protestors. PTI
New Delhi: US Space agencyNASA has once again failed totrace Chandrayaan 2’s Vikramlander on the lunar surface.
A NASA spacecraft clickedphotos of the landing site ofVikram earlier this month, butcouldn’t capture the lander.
A NASA scientist said thespacecraft failed to traceVikram because of two reasons— one, Vikram is located out-side the area the US agencyphotographed, second, becauseit’s lying in a shadowed part ofthe moon.
On July 22, the �978-croreChandrayaan-2 was launchedinto space by India’s heavy liftrocket GeosynchronousSatellite Launch Vehicle-MarkIII (GSLV Mk III) in a textbook style.
The Chandrayaan-2 space-craft comprised three segments— the Orbiter (weighing 2,379kg, eight payloads), Vikram(1,471 kg, four payloads) andPragyan (27 kg, two payloads).
After five earth-boundorbit raising activities,Chandrayaan-2 was insertedinto the lunar orbit. OnSeptember 2, Vikram separat-ed from the orbiter. It made ahistoric landing attempt onSeptember 7.
According to NASA,Vikram attempted a landing ona small patch of lunar highlandsmooth plains betweenSimpelius N and Manzinus Ccraters.
This event was India’s firstattempt at a soft landing on themoon. IANS
Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Ministry onWednesday welcomed a recent dealbetween Turkey and Russia aimed atkeeping Kurdish forces away from Syria’sborder with Turkey.
“Iran welcomes any measure thatwould honour territorial integrity andnational sovereignty of Syria,” Xinhuaquoted the Foreign Ministry SpokesmanAbbas Mousavi as saying in a statement.
Iran regards the deal as a “positivestep to restore stability and tranquility tothe region”, he said.
“We hope that this agreement wouldaddress Turkey’s security concerns as wellas Syria’s territorial integrity and nation-al sovereignty,” he added.
On Tuesday, Russian and Turkishpresidents agreed their forces to jointlypatrol parts of northern borders of Syria.
Under the deal, Russian militarypolice and Syrian border guards will alsofacilitate the withdrawal of Syrian Kurdishforces from the Turkish border. IANS
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Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrivedin Baghdad on Wednesday, as chaos
swirled along the Turkey-Syria border andIraqi leaders chafed over reports the USmay want to increase the number oftroops based in Iraq at least temporarily.
Esper has said that under the currentplan, all US troops leaving Syria will go towestern Iraq and the military would con-tinue to conduct operations against theIslamic State group to prevent its resur-gence in the region. He later added that thetroops would be there temporarily untilthey are able to go home, but no time peri-od has been set. He said on Wednesday thatthe US has no plans to leave those troopsin Iraq “interminably.”
Iraq’s military, however, said onTuesday that US troops leaving Syria andheading to neighboring Iraq do not havepermission to stay in the country, even as
the American forces continue to pull outof northern Syria after Turkey’s invasion ofthe border region. Esper said Wednesdayhe plans to talk with Iraqi leaders about thematter.
Meanwhile, Russia and Turkey reachedan agreement on Tuesday that woulddeploy their forces across nearly its entirenortheastern border to fill the void left byPresident Donald Trump’s abrupt with-drawal of US forces. It was unclear onWednesday what that means for US forces.
Trump ordered the bulk of the approx-imately 1,000 US troops in Syria to with-draw after Turkish President Recep TayyipErdogan made it clear in a phone call thathis forces were about to invade Syria topush back Kurdish forces that Turkey con-siders terrorists.
The pullout largely abandons theKurdish allies who have fought the IslamicState group alongside US troops for sev-eral years.
People have usually confined them-selves to conventional ideas for
gifting on Diwali — most commonexamples being soan papdi andchocolates. However, it’s time forsome change. From protein-basedcookies, e-vouchers, cufflinks andaccessories to handcrafted sweets andeco-friendly hampers — there arenewer options available to celebrateyour valuable bond this festive sea-son.
!)"% #$�!!��- �%) �%�Diwali means sweets, and a pil-
ing up of kilos. But then, you canmake health and festivities go handin hand. Rather than a sugar rush onecan pick up a special gift box byMyprotein which contains bakedprotein cookie, protein brownie andprotein flapjack and a mini-shaker.The protein cookie is a vegan-friend-ly treat with added dark chocolatechunks. The brownie is another treatwith 22.5 g protein mixed with thegoodness of chocolate, making it anideal on-the-go snack.
For those who are nuts, there isalways California walnuts whichoffer a perfect blend of nutrition andsweetness every festive celebrationdeserves. Walnuts provide an excel-lent source of plant-based omega-3fatty acid and a handful of walnutsalso offers 4 gm of protein along with2 gm of fibre.
��� ��")# �Gifting jewellery has been a
trend but customers are now movingtowards pieces which are trendier andmore practical. The silver brooch byMia (Tanishq) is perfect for thewoman who has a quirky side andisn’t afraid to think out of the box andtake risks.
For men. what can be better thana pair of cufflinks by Corneliani?Made of brass and silver and in a var-ied of shapes like rectangle, oval andround.
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The gifting market inIndia is estimated to soar to$30 billion in thenext four yearsout of which$400 millionwould be digital gifts.With everyone becom-ing tech-savvy, it is not surprisingthat the gifting trend is movingtowards digital. So one can go beyondtraditional gifting of physicallywrapped mementos and sweets thatare now a passe’ to personalised anddigitised gifting.
GyFTR, an e-gift company offersdigital gift vouchers to facilitateinstant gifting and redemption. Suchgift cards enhance the recipient’sexperience as they have an elementof freedom of choice.
�&"�"��% �Chocolates have been the most
usual gift during festivities but FabelleExquisite, the home-grown luxurychocolate brand from ITC Ltd, isacclaimed for creating an unparal-leled experiences. They have limitededition Fabelle Trinity - TrufflesExtraordinaire range which bringsalive the cycle of life represented bythe creator, nurturer and destroyer ina box of unique handcrafted truffles,each representing a concept.
�"�22)# $��3�#4��#&�,! )�While Diwali hampers are usual
but it is eco friendly ones which are
the need of the hour. The ones byCrowne Plaza have wines, gourmetfood items, roasted dry fruits,flavoured teas, beautiful Ganesha idolsets and designer candles and diyas,
all of which do not add to thepollution overload. They have
curated five hampers namedaround the precious stones —
Emerald, Sapphire, Pearl, Opaland Topaz to suit various
preferences andpockets.
The hamperscurated by Chambers at
Taj Mahal answer severalneeds. There is one for kids, an
exclusive organic hamper, Season’sGreetings and Festive Surpriseamong others. These include an
array of culinary gifts, handcraftedcandles, limited edition accessories,luxury beauty essentials, exotic crys-tal ware, writing instruments byMont Blanc, cufflinks and premiumstoles by Taj Khazana and muchmore. From silver plated Ganeshidol, to beautifully presentedSwarovski Champagne tulips andlatest edition Apple Watch Series Vto Forest Essentials Soundarya 24kGold Kit and the finest balsamicpearls, this royal hamper is a dreamencapsulated in a box this Diwali.
%)�+ �!��-�1 �For the travel junkie, what bet-
ter gift than being allowed to take offon the Diwali weekend? Shoes onloose, a travel company can createsome special memories to fascinat-ing travel destinations recommend-ed by the company includingEurope, Bali, Dubai and Thailand.The best part? The best-discountedoffers do not end with the festivaland are on till October 27.
When Brand India isabout wellness, sustain-ability, luxury, crafts-
manship why are Indians unableto leverage it soft power?” ques-tioned fashion designer Ritu Beriand added, “Be it Basmati,coconut or haldi, where is theglobal branding of India-authen-tic treasures? Why can’t Indiansstake claim to their glorious her-itage?”
She explained that luxurywasn’t looked upon as a goodterm for several years. Initiallywhen she started The LuxuryLeague Symposium, four yearsago, people didn’t understandwhat it meant. “However, today,with all the arts and cultureinvolved, the concept of luxuryhas evolved. People are open toit. The Government’s policiesnow respect and regard arts andcraft. I think there is a huge rev-olution and we are really evolv-ing,” added Ritu.
Areas like fine dining, per-sonal care, electronics, luxurytravel and jewellery have seenincreasing revenues and areexpected to grow by 30 to 35 percent over the next three years.Spending on luxury cars hasalso risen upto 18 to 20 per cent.Even the luxury beauty productsmarket has witnessed a fast-paced growth.
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The first session was a mas-terclass on the all-inclusive cor-relation of fashion, beauty, well-ness and grooming. Speaking atthe session, panelist ChinarStudio, design director ChinarFarooqui, said that finding like-minded consumers wasn’t diffi-cult for her luxury products.“People who responded wereusually a set of artists, skilledcraftspersons, designers andthose who knew the value of artsand craft. Of course, it didn’t
come as easily. It was extremelyorganic and gradual. We didn’taim at numbers but the demandonly grew with an increase in thenumber of people recognisingthat such products have a qual-itative edge and are made to suittheir preferences better,” saidshe.
For designer Rina Singh,comfort is the new luxury, espe-cially when it comes to clothing.It is something that you cannotsurvive without. She explainedfurther, “So luxury clothingshould be meaningful and soul-ful. It is something that can beinspired by even your grand-mother’s wardrobe, which hasevery kind of old jewellery anddesigns, even though the origi-nals are not preferred today.That is luxury — a couture con-cept, deep rooted in the past andthe very own rich Indian heritageof textiles.”
Most brand makers todayrealise that the consumers’approach is that when they actu-ally come across their own pre-ferred and quality-like product,they are ready to splurge on it.Gaurav Jai Gupta, textile andfashion designer, talked abouthow a change in the outlook ofdesign has transformed the def-inition of luxury. “Earlier, it wasonly about Western fashion indesign schools. Today, it hasbecome more about finding anIndianness to the designs andgiving them an aesthetic touch.We just need to hear our ownvoice,” he said.
Well, for UK-based celebri-ty hairstylist Dar, luxury is “tolook good everyday of your life.And this is very much evidentwhen people fly to London forhaircuts.”
Akcelina Cvijetic, England-based wellness expert, said thatgood health is the only luxuryone should have. “When yourouter world seems less chaotic,
you live a luxurious and health-ier lifestyle. Today, we have for-gotten the art of what it means tobe a human being. Stress andanxiety have become our great-est friends. Hence, I would liketo point out that mindfulness isimportant rather than becomingmanic,” she said and demonstrat-ed it by saying one thing — ‘Ihave to do this work’ — in twodifferent tones — one, hurried-ly with anxiety and tension andtwo, in a slower pace with a bitmore satisfaction and calmnessin her voice. She showcased thedifference between working withanxiety and working with a calmand peaceful mind which impactour level of productivity. Pointingtowards morning hours, she saidthat they are a golden period forhuman beings and could be oneof the greatest lux-ury anyone canafford.
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At the secondsession, panellistsdiscussed why arewe as a nationpresenting to theworld throughour culturaltourism, thecharm of localc o m mu n i t i e s ,traditions, folk-lore, arts, spacesand our values.
Speaking atthe session,VijaiVardhan, addi-tional chief secre-tary, Departmentof Tourism,Government ofHaryana, point-ed towards howtourism is yetanother factor thatdetermines the quali-ty of luxury that we, asa country, can offer. “I was sur-
prised to see a huge man-madepond in Kurukshetra, which isknown as the Brahmasarovar —unknown and undiscovered. It isa huge area where many saintsand sages from various parts ofthe country come and live. Youwill be surprised to know howthese people, who do not comefrom the upper echeleons ofsociety, reside there for days andmonths. They never live in anyhotels or resorts, but prefer theashrams where they prepare theirown food and survive on theirown,” he said and added that afew kilometres near Kurukshetra,there is also the Geeta UpdeshSthal, where Lord Krishna gavethe sermon in Mahabharata.“Even that has never been pro-moted as a tourist destination.There is a light and music showthat takes place at the sight,depicting an episode from theepic too,” said he as he pointedout a few other monuments andheritage sites in the state whichhave not yet been completelyexplored.
So now the challenge for theHaryana Government, Vardhanpointed out, was about how topromote such spots, makingthem a brand and opening for thepeople.
Lal Tyabji added that today,people no longer want to look atdead monuments, the walls ofwhich are stained with people’snames or paan splotches. “Theywant to see the live country andthat is where the tangity of artsand craft comes in.Encouraging them to look atsuch monuments is itself mak-ing them in the light of luxu-ry. Tourism could be onething that can make theBrand India big,” she said andadded that luxury is nolonger the preserve of theroyals but have much moreto it today, when even theusual public can have it.
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National Award-winning actress and film-maker Konkona Sen Sharma says she
loves to watch and share films at film festi-vals because she feels the audience compris-es pure movie-lovers and she belongs to that“film-watching” community.
Konkona was present at Jio MAMI 21stMumbai Film Festival with Star, whereSeema Pahwa’s directorial debut RamprasadKi Tehrvi, which features her, was screened.
“I have been attending MAMI from evenbefore I shifted base to Mumbai. I was soyoung then, I would come here with friends,sit in a bus and run around to watch filmsfrom one venue to another. I love film festi-vals because I feel that I belong to the film-watching community. These people, stand-ing in long queues and watching films oneafter another, are the true film-lovers,”Konkona said.
She added, “They do not care aboutbox-office numbers and other commer-cial aspects. What matters to them is thestory and other creative aspects of a film.So whenever I attend any film festival, Ifeel the vibe of a community that lovesfilm for film. That is how even I start-ed loving films. I just hope that theyoungsters are getting the opportu-nity to watch world cinema throughthe film festival,” said the actress.
The film screened at Jio MAMIunder the Spotlight section, and thecast and crew got a chance towatch it along with the audience.Konkona said the audience madethe film special.
“I watched the film with theaudience for the first time and it wasso exciting to see their reaction.They laughed and sniffed, reactingto specific scenes and it was fun.Also this is an audience of true film-lover. They are here to watch thefilm because they are movie buffs,”said Konkona.
Sharing her experience ofworking with veteran actress-turned-director Pahwa,Konkona said: “Seema ji is abrilliant and experienced sto-ryteller, so all the actors felt weare in good hands. The filmhas all the great actors of the
business, and I was initially intimidated. Iwanted to run away seeing such brilliant tal-ents! But then Ma (her mother is the iconicactress-filmmaker Aparna Sen) said that youcannot just stick to your comfort zone. Youhave to push yourself to grow as a performer.So, I finally started shooting and that tensiongot eased.”
“I have always carry some nervous ener-gy at the beginning of my projects, whetherit has been a new film or my directorialdebut,” shared the actress who has appearedin films such as Mr and Mrs Iyer, Page 3,Omkara, Luck By Chance, and Wake Up Sid.
Konkona recently travelled to BusanInternational Film Festival with AlankritaShrivastava’s forthcoming film Dolly Kitty AurWoh Chamakte Sitare, and has lately alsoworked with celebrated female filmmakers
such as Meghna Gulzar, AlankritaShrivastava, and Tanuja Chandra infilms such as Talvar, Lipstick UnderMy Burkha and A Monsoon Daterespectively.
“Over the last few years, I haveonly been working with female
filmmakers and I can say that isa positive change. When we
went to Busan and the screen-ing of Dolly Kitty Aur WohChamakte Sitare took place,we were quite surprised tosee how the Korean audi-ence was relating to a storythat is set in India. Duringthe interactive session,they were also askingpointed questions andthat made us understandthat the audience wasfeeling connected withthe story.”
Dolly Kitty Aur WohChamakte Sitare featuresKonkona with BhumiPednekar, and is set in
Delhi. “I think there is acommonality among
women worldwide. Whether theyare rich or poor, married or unmar-ried, or they come from a rich coun-try, the lives of women are all thesame. They have a common thread,something that is relatable. I believeour film got appreciation at film fes-tivals because of that,” said theactress.
There is a saying in Arabic whichmeans ‘The one who has health,
has hope. And the one who hashope, has everything’. To save theworld, we need to save humans andto save humans, we need to takecare of their health. In this way, theconcern for protecting humanhealth is the concern to save theworld.
The question is how are we ful-filling our responsibilities towardsprotecting human health.According to World HealthOrganisation's report, situation inmany nations of the world isextremely shocking. One of themajor threats that the world hasbeen facing is of malnutrition.According to United Nations, everyyear in India, nearly 10 lakh chil-dren below the age of five years diebecause of it.
Each state of India has formu-lated its own strategy to deal withhealth-related challenges, especial-ly malnutrition eradication. Theenormity of this challenge inChhattisgarh is way more as com-pared to the other states. OnNovember 1, Chhattisgarh would
complete 20 years of formation.Around 43 per cent of the land wascovered in forest while naxalismposed as a major challenge. Tilldate, major chunk of the populationliving in remote areas of the statedo not have access to the basic facil-ities. This is the reason why mal-nutrition took a monstrous shapein the state.
Approximately 41.50 per centof the girls and women of age 15 to45 years are anemic. It is evidentthat most of these people belong totribal communities and BPL cate-gory. If we recall the quote — ‘mal-
nutrition is a kind of epidemic’, wecan fathom the seriousness of thesituation. State Government hasmarked the indicators of health-related challenges in Chhattisgarhand has started implementing thestrategic action plan. Initial resultsof this action plan has turned outto be extremely promising. Newgovernment of the state has taken‘Gadhbo Naya Chhattisgarh’ as itsmotto, which means — ‘we will cre-ate new Chhattisgarh’. All kinds ofmeasures are being taken to achievethe goal of providing basic facilitiesto even the remotest area.
With the aim of makingChhattisgarh malnutrition-free,Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel, onthe occasion of 150th anniversaryof Mahatma Gandhi ji, launchedfive new schemes simultaneously,which includes four schemesdirectly related to nutrition andhealth. New government hasrevised the previously existing PDSsystem and transformed it intoUniversal PDS-APL System. Underthe new system, every section of thesociety will be provided nutritiousfood.
Every basic facility, lack ofwhich has been included in the listof major threats by WHO, is beingprovided effectively by the govern-ment under Chief Minister Haat-Bazaar Clinic Scheme and ChiefMinister Urban Slum HealthScheme, thus minimising thethreat. Objective of the former is toprovide health facilities to even thelast person living in remote area,especially tribal regions of thestate. Under this scheme, govern-ment mobile clinic facility is pro-vided in weekly haat-bazaars,wherein check-up, treatment andmedicines along with regular healthservices are provided. Before the
launch of this scheme at state-level,it was started as a pilot project intribal areas.
Despite the sufficient avail-ability of government and privatehospitals, ultramodern equipment,buildings, qualified doctors andtrained health workers in the state,a major part of Chhattisgarh hasbeen waiting for the ray of hope forgood health. And this is the part,where soul of the state resides.Finally the time has come, when thesoul of the state will be illuminat-ed.
(The author is IAS commissioner, Public Relations,Chhattisgarh.)
The Frankfurt Book Fair came to anend on October 20. It saw partic-
ipation of nearly 7,500 exhibitorsfrom 109 countries. Norway was theGuest of Honour country this year.
National Book Trust of India,which has been participating since1970 and has the rare distinction ofpresenting India as the Guest ofHonour country at the fair twice (in1986 and 2006), had a very rich andengaging participation this year too.
NBT, India had put up a collec-tive exhibit of more than 200 titles of32 Indian publishers and also hadVigyan Prasar as co-exhibitor. Thebooks of the collective exhibit weredonated to the library of the Consulate
General of India, Frankfurt for furtheruse for the local readers.
The NBT, India delegation hadmeetings and interactions with near-ly 45 delegates representing 25 coun-tries including Chief ExecutiveOfficers, Managing Directors andother senior professionals from pub-lishing houses, International BookFair Authorities, International BookTrade Journals, Rights Agencies,International Book Distributors.
The three-member delegationfrom NBT, India led by its Chairman,professor Govind Prasad Sharma,included Kumar Vikram, Editor andProject Head, and Mayank Surolia,Deputy Director.
Ever y year All IndiaConference of Intellectuals
(AICOI) recognises the ser-vices of imminent and illustri-ous Indians who have made sig-nificant contribution towardsmankind following the princi-ples of humanism, national-ism, peace and by setting highethical standard in their chosenfields.
In this context, the execu-tive committee of AICOI hasunanimously chosen CA Shweta
Pathak, vice chairperson, ICAI,for the prestigious and covetedDelhi Ratan Award for her out-standing contribution as womenempowerment/social activist,in an award ceremony during40th AICOI Annual Conferenceon Sunday at India InternationalCentre (IIC).
The conference will beattended by a large number ofeminent diplomats, dignitaries,bureaucrats, journalists andinvitees from pan India.
AICOI, extends a warmwelcome for her participationand congratulated her for heroutstanding achievements inher chosen field.
The organisation is in exis-tence for last four decades. It isa non-governmental organisa-tions committed to promotenationalism, humanism, peaceand brotherhood without anydistinction of caste, creed,colour, gender or religiousbelief.
�What are the facilities on offer fororganising a wedding?
Jamaica offers scenic beauty, gracioushospitality and excellent infrastructure asthe destination opens its arms for Indianweddings looking for exotic destinations.Jamaica Tourist Board is committed to sup-port and facilitate Indian weddings.
�How are you encouraging Jamaica as awedding destination?
Jamaica has won The World TravelAwards’ designation as The World’s LeadingWedding Destination in 2014, 2016 and2017, and the country consistently ranksat the top in wedding and honeymoon des-tination. Jamaica’s landscape provides theideal backdrop for couples and newlywedslooking to create romantic memories.With its jagged coastline of thick foliagethat opens to breath-taking waterfalls andidyllic secluded beaches, the destinationoozes romance. With many flights tochoose from, it is easy to get to Jamaica.Gather your friends and family in Jamaicato make a joyful noise as you solidify yourunion with your loved one. Tying the knotwith your partner is one of the most excit-ing adventures of your life. Let us help makethis happy time your fondest memory.
�What are the different kinds of settingson offer for holding a wedding?
With its many years as world’s top des-tinations for romance, every facet ofJamaica’s tourism infrastructure is experi-enced in satisfying the needs of couples (forweddings, honeymoon and romantic vaca-tion). Blessed with year-round moderatetemperatures, Jamaica’s hotels, resorts, vil-las and guest house, match the needs ofevery couple, and their guests. There arewedding planners who take care of everydetail and offer packages that range from,free for the basic arrangements to as elab-orate and luxurious as the couple’s dream.Couples can marry after 24 hours afterarriving in Jamaica, providing prior appli-
cation has been made and approved, for amarriage license to the Ministry of Justice.
�What are the special activities inJamaica that make it an ideal destinationfor honeymoon?
Paint your picture of romance inJamaica. While on their honeymoon toJamaica, couples can choose from diverseJamaican experiences for a perfect roman-tic retreat. Nature adventures are amongJamaica’s top attractions, couples can takea guided hike or serene raft ride to viewspectacular settings of natural beauty,including cascading waterfalls.
A relaxing river ride on Martha BraeRiver (Montego Bay), allows couples to sitback and enjoy the sight and sounds ofchirping birds, leaves rustling in the windand cascading waterfalls as they relax ona three-mile bamboo raft ride, driftingalong this serene tree-lined stretch ofwater, piloted by a raft captain.
Romantic dinner for two: perched onvolcanic cliffs above the blue waters ofPristine Cove, makes the couples enjoypanoramic views, soothing cool breezes,
majestic sunsets and new Caribbean cui-sine at Rockhouse restaurant (Negril).
Open air pampering: Enjoy a couple’smassage, along with the warm Caribbeanbreeze, the sight of blue skies and the soundof waves caressing the shore.
Nature Adventures: Take a guided hikeup Reach Falls (Port Antonio) for a blendof adrenaline rush and gorgeous setting —the lush green scenery of Montane Forest,a waterfall cascading down a rock face intoa refreshing emerald river pool. A trip intothe Blue Mountains (Kingston) reveals lush,
mist-filled hills creating a dreamy andmajestic ambience.
Getaway Sail: Take a one-mile voyageto the one-of-a-kind Pelican Bar made ofpalm branches set in crystal clear watersnear Treasure Beach on the shores ofJamaica.
Rainforest Adventure: Fly throughthe air, zipping through tropical rainforests at Mystic Mountain. Cool offtogether with a slide into the pool withviews of Ocho Rios and the Caribbean Seabelow.
Sunset Catamaran Ride: Take a roman-tic sunset cruise, sip rum punch as the sunmakes it way colourful towards the hori-zon.
Get into the Rhythm of Jamaica: Enjoylive music on Negril’s Seven Mile Beach andWest End. Monday and Saturday nightsheat up with live reggae show at BourbonBeach.
With all the above and much more,make your adventure truly memorable bysharing it with your better half. Nothingmakes the bond of love stronger than a tan-
dem kayak down the river or a horse ridethrough the mountains. In Jamaica, we spe-cialise in turning big dreams into roman-tic realities.
�In between the wedding functions,what are some of the more interestingplaces that the tourists can visit or activ-ities that they can engage in?
A temperate year-round climate,adventure-packed activities, swoon-worthyscenery, rich culture, and a romanticrhythm. Jamaica specialises in wide rangeof experiences to please the couple andguests of every age. They can kickstart theadventures at Blue Lagoon or discover theamazing treasures of Dunn’s River Falls,climb the tropical forest till the peak ofMystic Mountain or explore Jamaica’sinnerworld at Green Grotto Caves. What’smore? They would love to sail up the coast-line or snorkel over the Caribbean reef atMontego Bay Marine Park. The surrealbeauty of Glistening Waters’ LuminousLagoon, a naturally glowing night-timeattraction, is sure to awestruck the guestswith illuminated memories of experienc-ing a wedding in Jamaica while enjoyingthese rich tastes amidst the rustic elegantatmosphere and unique cultural reggaevibe.
�Are there any special hotels which areideal for honeymooners?
This Caribbean island, with countlessintimate settings, is for the couples whodream of enchanting island with sultry sun-sets, magical moonlit nights and lazymornings. It has the best five-star hotels,luxury beach resorts and charming bou-tiques at exotic locales. Round Hill Hoteland Villas, The Caves, Sandals RoyalPlantation, Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall,Sandals Montego Bay, Hotel Riu Palace, aresome of the best all-inclusive resorts inJamaica. If you are looking for a place oflove, happiness, and adventure, then Jamaicashould be your next destination.
tricks in UEFA ChampionsLeague action on Tuesday asManchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and TottenhamHotspur all recorded big vic-tories.
Bayern Munich alsolaboured to win in five-goalthriller on a night whichbrought 30 goals in eightgames, a third of which werescored by Premier Leagueclubs.
Sterling’s three goals came11 minutes apart in the sec-ond half as Pep Guardiola’sCity thumped Atalanta 5-1 atthe Etihad Stadium to main-tain their perfect record inGroup C.
The Italians had earliertaken the lead from RuslanMalinovskyi’s 28th-minutepenalty, but they were soonoverrun and remain withouta point in their debut cam-paign.
Sergio Aguero equalisedfrom a Sterling assist and theArgentine scored a penalty toput City ahead before thebreak. Sterling then took over,although City finished with 10men as Phil Foden was sentoff late on.
“I should have had four.Riyad Mahrez put me throughand I was looking to put oneon a plate for him. But I wentthrough and should have fin-ished it,” Sterling admitted toBT Sport.
City’s will seal a place inthe last 16 if they win away toAtalanta next, as nearest rivalsShakhtar Donetsk andDinamo Zagreb played out a2-2 draw in Ukraine earlier.
Yevhen Konoplyanka andBrazilian substitute Dodo net-ted for Shakhtar, withDinamo’s goals coming inbetween from Dani Olmoand a Mislav Orsic penalty.
Compared to Sterling,Mbappe took a sluggish 22minutes to score his threegoals in PSG’s 5-0 romp awayto former European Cup run-ners-up Club Brugge inBelgium in Group A.
Mauro Icardi scored twicefor the French champions,who were without the injuredNeymar but had Angel DiMaria in exceptional form —the Argentine set up fourgoals.
According to sports sta-tisticians Opta, the last play-er to come off the bench andscore a hat-trick in theChampions League wasSpaniard Joseba Llorente forVillarreal in 2008.
“I wanted to start and Ithought I was going to start,but the coach made his choiceand I had to accept it. I alsowanted to show that it’s diffi-cult to get by without me,”Mbappe told French broad-caster RMC Sport.
PSG have a maximumnine points, are yet to concedea goal in Europe this seasonand will be through to the last16 with a win at home to Clubnext month.
RED STAR THRASHINGMeanwhile, there was a
welcome win for MauricioPochettino’s Tottenham, whocrushed Red Star Belgrade 5-0 in north London, threeweeks on from their 7-2humiliation at the hands ofBayern Munich at the same
venue.Captain Harr y Kane
scored twice for Spurs eitherside of a Son Heung-minbrace and an Erik Lamelagoal as they moved up to sec-ond place in Group B on fourpoints.
“We know we have had atough run of results and thatwas the perfect way torespond,” said Kane.
LEWANDOWSKI AGAINThey remain five points
behind group leaders BayernMunich, for whom RobertLewandowski bagged two ina 3-2 win at Olympiakos thatmaintained their perfectrecord.
The Pole has 18 goals thisseason and 58 careerChampions League goals —only Cristiano Ronaldo,Lionel Messi, Raul and KarimBenzema have more.
Youssef El Arabi gaveOlympiakos the lead, butLewandowski’s brace eitherside of half-time changed thegame and Corentin Tolissofired in a magnificent thirdbefore Guilherme pulled oneback.
DYBALA’S DOUBLEMaurizio Sarri praised
Juventus for not losing theirheads as Paulo Dybala’s quick-fire second-half double res-cued a come-from-behind 2-1 win over LokomotivMoscow in their Group Dclash in Turin on Tuesday.
The Italian championshad trailed the Russians with13 minutes to go in theAllianz Stadium after AlekseiMiranchuk had put the visi-tors ahead after half an hour.
But Dybala pulled thehosts level on 77 minutes andadded a second two minuteslater to keep Juventus oncourse in Group D with sevenpoints after three games.
Sarri’s side had drawnwith Atletico Madrid andbeaten Bayer Leverkusen 3-0in the last two games.
Atletico also have sevenpoints, after beatingLeverkusen 1-0 in Spain on
Tuesday, with Lokomotivthird with three points.
“It wasn’t an exceptionalday, we play every three days,
so a less brilliant day,”saidformer Chelsea boss Sarri.
Cristiano Ronaldo missedthe chance for another recordof scoring against a 34th dif-ferent Champions Leagueclub.
“I’m very happy, I reallyneeded two goals like this,”said Dybala.
“It was a difficult gamebut tonight you could reallysee the level of experience ofour team. We always remainedcalm until we finally scored.”
The Argentine was sub-stituted after his double to anovation from the home crowd.
REAL EDGE GALATASARAYReal Madrid came away
from Istanbul with three cru-cial Champions League pointson Tuesday with a 1-0 awaywin at Galatasaray thanks toa first-half Toni Kroos goaland Eden Hazard’s threateningcreativity.
Pressure on coachZinedine Zidane will be alle-viated after Madrid had beenbeaten in their first Europeangame by PSG, before theyhad to fight back from 2-0down at home to Club Bruggeto snatch a point in their sec-ond match of the campaign.
The thirteen-timesEuropean champions arrivedin Istanbul needing a winagainst motivated opponentsbacked by passionate and
noisy supporters.Zidane said on Monday
he was ‘bothered’ by rumoursof his imminent replacementin the Madrid hot-seat, and hepaced the touchline with ahaunted look at times in theTurkish capital.
Belgian star Hazard shoneand it was a clever cut-backfrom him that provided Krooswith a shot on goal, and hissnap-shot was deflected pastgoalkeeper Fernando Muslera,who kept the visitors at bay forthe rest of the proceedings.
Karim Benzema was alsobusy but curled two shotswide when he might havedone better.
Captain Sergio Ramoswas colossal at the heart of theReal defence with an everpresent contribution despitehis every touch being round-ly booed.
Behind him Belgium‘keeper Thibaut Courtois kepta cool head when stoppingseveral Turkish attempts onhis goal notably with effortsfrom Florin Andone andYounes Belhanda.
Hazard hit the crossbarafter cutting round Musleralate on and was swiftly subbedby Zidane.
Madrid now has fourpoints in three games whileBrugge have two andGalatasaray one after threegames.
Clad in his captain’s navy blue blaz-er, Sourav Ganguly on Wednesdaypromised a “corruption-free, same-
for-all BCCI”, a philosophy that, he said,guided his tenure as India skipper from2000 to 2005.
Elected unopposed to the top positionin the world’s richest cricket Board, thebespectacled 47-year-old also gave enoughindications that he would run the show theway he wants and is unlikely to be influ-enced.
“I will do it the way I know, I will doit the way which I feel is best for the BCCIwith no compromise on credibility.Corruption-free and same for all BCCI.That’s the way I led India and that’s the wayI will take this organisation forward,” saidthe man with more than 18,000 interna-tional runs under his belt.
Hard to miss at his maiden press inter-action after taking charge was the Indiablazer that he was wearing.
“I got it when I was captain of Indiabut I did not realise that it is so loose. But
I decided I will wear it,” he said as scribeschuckled.
He will be at the helm for nine monthsbecause the Supreme Court-mandatedreforms require a cooling off period aftera six-year run as an office-bearer. Gangulyhas already been Cricket Association ofBengal Secretary and President.
Ganguly couldn’t help but recall thetime he took over as team captain.
The sport’s integrity was in tatters thatyear after the 2000 match-fixing scandaland Ganguly was handed the responsibil-ity of resurrecting it.
Resurrection is once again what isrequired after three years of administra-tive limbo, incidentally also caused by cor-ruption — the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scan-dal.
Ironically, Mohammed Azharuddinwas at the centre of the 2000 scandal andwill now be his Board colleague asHyderabad Cricket Association President.The two former teammates hugged eachother after Wednesday’s meeting.
“Coincidentally, fortunately or unfor-tunately, there was a similar situation when
I took over as captain and captained Indiafor six years,” Ganguly said referring to,what are widely considered, the dark daysof Indian cricket.
“It’s a similar sort of a situationwhere things need to be brought back toplace, reforms need to be done, hugeamount of money to be paid to state asso-ciations so it’s a lot of work,” he added.
Laying down his immediate priorities,Ganguly said a call to current skipper ViratKohli is in order.
“Virat Kohli is the most importantman in Indian cricket, we will listen tohim. I will speak to Virat Kohli tomorrow,we will support him in every possible way,whatever he wants,” he said.
“We are here to work for Indian crick-et. We will do that to the best of our abil-ity,” he added.
He reiterated his commitment toimproving the domestic cricket structure.
“The structures are there, the tourna-ments are there. In the last three years thematches have doubled actually. When Iplayed for Bengal and some of my col-leagues played for the other states therewere about 1000 games to be played at.Now there are 2000 games between statesand the affiliates.
“So we have to account for it. We haveto make sure the best tournament in thecountry is competitive, and it remainsimportant to everyone now because that’swhere you get the Kohli’s and MS Dhoni’s,Ajinkya Rahane’s and Rohit Sharma’s ofIndian cricket,” he said.
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BCCI President Sourav Ganguly onWednesday called Virat Kohli “the
most important man in Indian cricket”and promised the captain all possible sup-port to make his life “easier and not dif-ficult”.
After taking charge as the BCCI boss,Ganguly said he will be speaking to theIndian skipper on Thursday to discuss theway forward.
“I will speak to him tomorrow(Thursday). He is the most importantman in Indian cricket as captain of India.I look it at that way. So we will have aword with him and as I said we will sup-port him in every possible way, he wantsto make this team the best in the world.It has been a great team to be honest with
the way they have played in the last threeto four years,” said Ganguly.
Ganguly said he will also sit with theteam management which also includeshead coach Ravi Shastri.
“It will be a proper discussion andeverything will be mutually discussed butbe rest assured, we are here to make theirlife easier, not make their life difficult.Everything is on the basis of perfor-mance,” the BCCI president was clear.
“Performance is the most importantthing and will decide the future ofIndian cricket. Virat is the most impor-tant man in the entire context. We willsupport him, we will listen to him. I havebeen a captain myself so I understand.Mutual respect will be there, opinions anddiscussions will be there and we will dowhat is best for the game.”
����� 9 ��+
Former India captain SouravGanguly on Wednesday took
charge as the BCCI president, easilythe most high-profile name to head theworld’s richest cricket board that hasbeen mired in administrative turmoilfor the past three years. The 47-year-old Ganguly was officially entrustedwith the task of heading Indian crick-et for the next nine months at theBCCI’s General Body meeting here,ending a controversial 33-month reignof the Supreme Court-appointedCommittee of Administrators (CoA).
His appointment as the BCCI’s39th President was finalised last week.He succeeds C K Khanna, who was theinterim head of the Board since 2017.
“It’s an honour that I have beenasked to take this role. It’s a new startfor the BCCI,” said Ganguly, clad in hisIndia blazer which was given to himduring the time he served as India cap-tain.
“I find myself in a position whereI can make a change and it’s a chal-lenge,” he added.
In the meeting that was also areunion of sorts for some of thefamiliar faces associated with theboard before the CoA’s institution,Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s sonJay Shah was made the secretary.
During his tenure, Ganguly willlook to coordinate with old guard suchas former President N Srinivasan andex-Secretary Niranjan Shah, whosechildren are now part of the BCCI.
Mahim Verma of Uttarakhandbecame the new vice-president.
Former BCCI president and cur-rent junior finance minster AnuragThakur’s younger brother ArunDhumal became the treasurer whileKerala’s Jayesh George took the jointsecretary’s position.
“It’s a very young group. We willhave to do a lot of hard work to under-stand what’s been going on. Therehave been no AGMs, no workingcommittees in the last three years, sowe have no idea how it has been done.We will take note of everything,”Ganguly said.
����� ,9��+�
Rohit Sharma has become thethird India batsman to reach
the top 10 of ICC rankings in allthree formats after a memorableseries against South Africa inwhich he donned the new role ofTest opener.
Rohit emulated captain ViratKohli and retired opener GautamGambhir as his knock of 212 inthe third Test in Ranchi helpedhim advance 12 places to 10thposition in the ICC Test PlayerRankings.
Ajinkya Rahane’s knock of116 in Ranchi has helped himequal his career-high rank offifth place, achieved earlier inNovember 2016. He remains thethird-best Indian batsman interms of Test rankings after Kohliand Cheteshwar Pujara.
With Mayanka Agarwal in
����� 9 ��+�
India skipper Virat Kohli’s work-load could be a topic of discussion
while Rishabh Pant could have pro-lific Sanju Samson for cover duringthree T20s when the selection com-mittee picks the squad for theupcoming series against Bangladeshhere today.
Kohli has featured in 48 out ofthe 56 games India have playedacross formats since October 2018.However, the selection committeewill leave it on Kohli to decidewhether he needs a break or contin-ue playing.
There is expected to be seriousdiscussions about rookie Mumbaiall-rounder Shivam Dube, whomight replace an injured HardikPandya for the all-rounder’s slot, pri-marily based on his big-hittingprowess.
Apart from the three-match T20series which starts in New Delhi on
November 3, followed by matches atRajkot and Nagpur, Bangladesh willalso play two Tests as a part of theWorld Championship in Indore andKolkata.
Samson, who recently hit a dou-ble hundred for Kerala in the VijayHazare Trophy, is expected to comein but only as second option to Pantfor the time being.
“There is no harm if bothRishabh and Sanju are there in theteam. They have played together inIPL also. Rishabh has had limitedsuccess in shorter formats but he isa long-term investment and weneed to persist with him,” a BCCIofficial privy to developments inselection committee said.
“At the same time, Sanju is aplayer with game-changing abilities.Keeping World T20 in mind, theteam management needs to checkother options also as everyone knowsthat it’s time to look beyondMahendra Singh Dhoni,” the sourceadded.
With Kohli not there in thesquad, Samson is being seen as aback-up batsman but it will be inter-esting to see if Manish Pandeyretains his place in the squad thatplayed against South Africa.
Mumbai all-rounder Dube hasnow pipped Vijay Shankar as the sec-ond choice all-rounder in the short-est format, based on big-hittingprowess.
It is unlikely that the famed wristspin duo of Kuldeep Yadav andYuzvendra Chahal will get a look inas Rahul Chahar and WashingtonSundar are set to get another oppor-tunity.
K L Rahul, after his good showin Hazare Trophy, is likely to retainhis place in the side.
Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawanhas been horribly out of form but theselectors might continue with himfor one more series.
In case there is a question ofdropping Dhawan, Mayank Agarwalcould be a choice as reserve opener.
Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Sainiand Khaleel Ahmed are expected tobe the three frontline pacers.
����� �548��9:9�
KL Rahul hit 88 (111 balls, 6 fours, 1 six)and shared a century partnership with
fellow opener Devdutt Padikkal (92) topower Karnataka to a nine wicket overChhattisgarh and into the final of theVijay Hazare Trophy here on Wednesday,where it will face Tamil Nadu, which beatGujarat by five wickets in the other semi-final.
Chasing 224 for victory, the hostromped home in 40 overs as Rahul andPadikkal and then Mayank Agarwal (47, 33balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes) toyed with theChhattisgarh attack.
For Chhattisgarh, Amandeep Khare(78, 102 balls,4 fours) held fort and SumitSureshrao Raikar (40, 37 balls, 1 four, 2sixes) helped cause with some late hittingbefore the innings ended in the final overat 223.
While Kaushik finished with 4 wickets,Mithun (2/44), offie K Gowtham (2/30) andleggie Pravin Dubey (2/43) were among thewickets.
In the Tamil Nadu-Gujarat encounter,the Dinesh Karthik led side chased down the
rival’s 177 for 9 in a game reduced to 40overs due to a late start owing to overnightrain and a wet outfield, with an over tospare, thanks to an enterprising half-cen-tury by the talented M Shahrukh Khan.
Gujarat couldn’t recover from the earlyloss of their batting mainstays-Parthiv Pateland Priyank Panchal and could only make 177for 9 in 40 overs.
Dhruv Raval was the top-scorer with 40while Axar Patel (37) and tail-ender C T Gaja(24) were the other important contributors.
For Tamil Nadu, medium-pacer MMohammed with 3 for 33 was the best bowler,while Washington Sundar, R Ashwin and leg-gie Murugan Ashwin (1/33) and T Natarajanscalped a wicket each.
In reply, Abhinav Mukund (32, 65 balls,3 fours), who has been in good form in theleague phase and Dinesh Karthik (47, 47 balls,5 fours) steadied the ship.
However, the loss of three quick wicketsput Tamil Nadu under pressure beforeWashington Sundar (27 not out, 43 balls, 2fours) and the young M Shahrukh Khan (50not out, 46 balls, 3 fours, 3 sixes) took the teamhome in style, winning with an over to spare.
The final will be played tomorrow.
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BCCI president SouravGanguly needs no intro-
duction but the four otheroffice-bearers who were elect-ed unopposed here onWednesday do. Following isthe synopsis of their journeyin cricket administration.
Jay Shah, (secretary): The31-year-old is the youngestoffice-bearer in the BCCI.Jay, who is Home MinisterAmit Shah’s son, has been with
the Gujarat CricketAssociation (GCA) since2009. He was elected GCAjoint-secretary in September2013.
Arun Singh Dhumal,(treasurer): He too hails froma political family with hiselder brother Anurag Thakurcurrently being a Minister ofState (Finance and Corporateaffairs). Thakur was removedas BCCI president in January2017. Dhumal, 44, served asvice-president of Himachal
cricket body, HPCA between2012 and 2015 when Thakurwas its president.
Dhumal also led a three-member ad-hoc committeewhich was formed to runHPCA in the wake of Lodhapanel recommendations toreform Indian cricket. He alsohas the experience of repre-senting HPCA in the BCCI.
Jayesh George, (joint sec-retary): The 50-year-old hasyears of experience in cricketadministration, having beenpart of Kerala CricketAssociation (KCA) as its sec-retary, joint secretary, treasur-er and most recently the pres-ident. He has been part of theKCA since 2005.
Mahim Verma, (vice-president): His father P CVerma has served as secretaryof the Cricket Association ofUttarakhand (CAU). Mahim,45, himself was CAU’s joint-secretary for 10 years untilSeptember when he was elect-ed the association’s secretary,soon after the body got BCCI’srecognition.
$��������,�!� � �#��!#'���� � �� �� !7 �,��� � ����BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said thematter of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s future in inter-national cricket will be addressed but vowed toaccord the two-time World Cup winning captainrespect during his tenure.
Ganguly said he doesn’t now what is inDhoni’s mind but promised that a player of hisstature will be given respect.
“It depends on him. You know champions don’tfinish quickly. I don’t know what’s in his mind andwhat he thinks about his career. So we will deal withthat you know,” he said.
“He is one of the greats of the game and Indiais proud to have MS Dhoni over a period of time.If you even sit down and take a note of what hehas done, you say, ‘Wow, MS Dhoni’,” Ganguly said.
Legends of the game have often had uncere-monious exits and Ganguly knows it more thananyone else how it feels to fight speculations andcriticism.
“Till I am around, everybody will be respect-ed and that doesn’t change,” he added. PTI
��� �0��� $ED��)���� �� �����1D��$ ���18th position, India have finishedthe series with five batsmen in thetop 20.
Rohit’s player of the serieseffort of 529 runs helped himmake huge strides from 44th placebefore the series. The ‘Hitman’ hasheld a career-high ranking of sec-ond in ODIs (in February 2018)and seventh in T20Is (November2018).
Kohli has been number one inall three formats while Gambhirhas been at the top in Tests andT20Is and eighth in ODIs.
Fast bowlers MohammadShami and Umesh Yadav haveended the series with their high-est-ever rating points tally. Shamiis on 751 points and only one placebelow his career-best ranking of14th achieved in March 2018,while Yadav is on 624 points,three below his best of 21st in July2016.)���� �����������,��� ���#��-����'����� �� ���� ������������ �$�
