A s the voting for much- talked about and keenly contested Delhi Assembly elec- tions officially ended at 7.30 pm on Saturday, the exit polls by all the TV channels pre- dicted a clean sweep for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP appears set for an impressive win against the BJP which put out all its resources to check- mate the former. However, the exit polls predict a repeat of 2015 when a nascent AAP had decimated the BJP by winning 67 seats, leaving just three for the BJP. The Congress, which had scored “zero” then losing power after 15 long years unin- terrupted, appears to have repeated its pathetic perfor- mance this Delhi Assembly elections also according to the exit polls. The high voltage elections for the 70 Assembly seats that kick-started at 8 am on Saturday with a polling per- centage of just 4.33 at 9 am. According to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) voter turnout app, the total turnout in Delhi was recorded at 61 per cent till 10.20pm, a decline over the 2015 polls when a 67.12 per cent of the voters came out to vote. Meanwhile, as per the offi- cial data, the highest voter turnout was recorded in North East Delhi’s Mustafabad with a polling percentage of 66.29 per cent till 5 pm. Matia Mahal — in the Chandini Chowk Lok Sabha constituency — which witnessed numerous protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) bagged the second position with 65.62 per cent turnout. Another minority seat Seelampur was third with 64.92 per cent polling. The seat had also seen anti-CAA protests in December. District wise, North-east recorded highest 50.75 per cent of voting, while New Delhi recorded 40.63 per cent, the lowest among 11 districts in Delhi. As the clock ticked by, viewers were glued to TV sets to see the outcome of exit polls with India Today-Axis My India exit poll leading the race. India Today-Axis My India, which had predicted accurate- ly during 2019 general elections and even during the recently held Haryana Assembly polls, predicted a landslide victory for the AAP which is expected to win 59-68 seats. “The BJP will once again remain a distant second with only 2-11 seats. The Congress will not be able to win any seat,” the exit poll results showed. The Times Now-Ipsos exit poll predicted Kejriwal will retain his chair with the AAP winning 44 seats against 26 for the BJP. The Republic-Jan ki Baat survey gave the AAP 48-61 seats and the BJP 9-21 seats. The TV9 Bharatvarsh-Cicero predicted 54 seats for the AAP, 15 for the BJP and one for the Congress. Neta-India News exit poll predicts AAP: 53-57 seats, BJP: 11-17 and Congress: 0- 2 seats. ABP-CVoter exit poll stated that the AAP is likely to win 49-63 seats, BJP 5-19 seats, while the Congress 0-4 seats. Most exit poll results are consistent that the Congress, which had won zero seat in the last Assembly elections, will fare poorly this time also. As most of the exit polls have shown a clean sweep for the AAP, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Saturday said that all the exit poll results will prove false. He exuded confidence that the BJP would win not lesser than 48 seats. Polling has largely been peaceful in Delhi, which wit- nessed a communally charged campaigning amid anti-CAA protests, barring an incident involving Congress candidate Alka Lamba and an AAP worker in Chandni Chowk. Kejriwal has said he is hopeful that the AAP would form Government for the third time. The people of Delhi will vote based on the works done by the AAP Government, Kejriwal said after voting along with his wife Sunita and son Pulkit at a polling booth in Civil Lines area. T amil Nadu played host to a silent social revolution on Friday which scholars rate as more revolutionary in nature than the self-respect marriages of the 1950s. If the self-respect mar- riages, launched by EV Ramasamy Naicker (Periyar) hailing from the Mysore Province, were a message against the monopoly of the Brahmins in religious matters, Friday saw another person from Mysore performing a tra- ditional marriage which shat- tered the barriers to yet anoth- er male-dominated domain. When Vignesh Raghavan, a Chennai youth tied the nup- tial knots with Sushma Harini on Friday at Dakshin Chitra, a heritage museum in Chennai suburb, the priest who solem- nised the marriage was a woman and it took everyone by surprise. Till now no one had dis- cussed about the possibility of women priests solemnising marriages in spite of the fact that women pilots guard the skies of the country against possible intrusion from outside. The Pioneer had reported last year about all-women crew of Indian Coast Guard flying along the East Coast and Palk Straits as part of recce missions. As Vignesh and Sushma, a young lawyer, exchanged rings and garlands, Bramaramba Maheswari, vedic scholar from Mysore officiated as the priest and solemnised the marriage. The marriage venue reverber- ated with Vedic shloks and mantras recited by Maheswari. What made the event more striking was the pains taken by the priest to explain the mean- ing of each shlok and mantra to the couple as she moved on with the ceremony. “One should learn the mantras and shloks by under- standing their meaning. Then only it would be effective when you chant it,” Maheswari told The Pioneer after the marriage ceremony. She said there were 16 samskaraas (spiritual cul- ture) associated with human lives from birth to death. Friday’s marriage involved three steps, viz, Pani Grahanam (holding of hands), Kanya Pradaanam (transfer- ring the responsibility of the safety, security and welfare of the bride to the groom) and Shilaarohanam (ascending of life to the heights of marriage and togetherness from which there is no coming back),” said Maheswari while explain- ing the meaning of the shloks she recited. When Suresh Reddy, the bride’s father per- formed the kanya daanam, Maheswari remined the groom with a shlok that what was being done is Kanya Pradaanam and not just kanya daanam. F or the indefatigable women and dadis of Shaheen Bagh, who have been on an indefinite sit-in since December 15, 2019 to protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Saturday was the day to press the buttons to vote for Delhi Assembly elections. Facing lots of criticism for blocking Road number 13 connecting Kalindi Kunj to Mathura Road and Noida, the women ensured that their agitation continued unabated while they exercised their franchise. While women were away for voting, their places were taken by the men who had already voted to fill the gap. It continued throughout the day as women kept leaving the protest site to go to their respective polling booths to vote. It was a tactical move to ensure that everyone voted and the agitation was unaf- fected, they said. Shaheen Bagh saw a high turnout as the peo- ple could be standing in the queue to wait for their turn. While some of the women voted in the morning, others chose to get their fingers inked in the afternoon and the remaining in the evening. Mehzabeen Qureshi, a res- ident of Shaheen Bagh, who has been part of the protest ever since it started, had left the site to vote and then came back to continue with the part of the agitation. “I stayed at home to let other women in the house go out and vote. Now I have joined them here at Shaheen Bagh after voting. I voted today to secure democracy.” Zaheeda Khan, another resident of Shaheen Bagh, said, “The women here had decid- ed a day before voting that some of them would go out for voting in the morning, while others will stay back for chores. The others will go in the after- noon and then come back to the protest site. RNI Regn. No. CHHENG/2012/42718, Postal Reg. No. - RYP DN/34/2013-2015
contested Delhi Assembly elec-tions officially ended at 7.30pm on Saturday, the exit pollsby all the TV channels pre-dicted a clean sweep for theAam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Arvind Kejriwal-led AAPappears set for an impressivewin against the BJP which putout all its resources to check-mate the former. However, theexit polls predict a repeat of2015 when a nascent AAP had
decimated the BJP by winning67 seats, leaving just three forthe BJP. The Congress, whichhad scored “zero” then losingpower after 15 long years unin-terrupted, appears to haverepeated its pathetic perfor-mance this Delhi Assemblyelections also according to theexit polls.
The high voltage electionsfor the 70 Assembly seats thatkick-started at 8 am onSaturday with a polling per-centage of just 4.33 at 9 am.According to the ElectionCommission of India’s (ECI)
voter turnout app, the totalturnout in Delhi was recordedat 61 per cent till 10.20pm, adecline over the 2015 pollswhen a 67.12 per cent of thevoters came out to vote.
Meanwhile, as per the offi-cial data, the highest voterturnout was recorded in NorthEast Delhi’s Mustafabad with apolling percentage of 66.29per cent till 5 pm. Matia Mahal— in the Chandini ChowkLok Sabha constituency —which witnessed numerousprotests against the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA)
bagged the second positionwith 65.62 per cent turnout.Another minority seatSeelampur was third with 64.92per cent polling. The seat hadalso seen anti-CAA protests inDecember.
District wise, North-eastrecorded highest 50.75 percent of voting, while New Delhirecorded 40.63 per cent, thelowest among 11 districts inDelhi.
As the clock ticked by,viewers were glued to TV setsto see the outcome of exitpolls with India Today-Axis MyIndia exit poll leading the race.India Today-Axis My India,which had predicted accurate-ly during 2019 general elections
and even during the recentlyheld Haryana Assembly polls,predicted a landslide victory forthe AAP which is expected towin 59-68 seats. “The BJP willonce again remain a distantsecond with only 2-11 seats.The Congress will not be ableto win any seat,” the exit pollresults showed.
The Times Now-Ipsos exitpoll predicted Kejriwal willretain his chair with the AAPwinning 44 seats against 26 forthe BJP.
The Republic-Jan ki Baatsurvey gave the AAP 48-61seats and the BJP 9-21 seats.The TV9 Bharatvarsh-Ciceropredicted 54 seats for the AAP,15 for the BJP and one for the
Congress.Neta-India News exit poll
predicts AAP: 53-57 seats,BJP: 11-17 and Congress: 0-
2 seats. ABP-CVoter exit pollstated that the AAP is likely towin 49-63 seats, BJP 5-19 seats,while the Congress 0-4 seats.
Most exit poll results areconsistent that the Congress,which had won zero seat in thelast Assembly elections, willfare poorly this time also.
As most of the exit pollshave shown a clean sweep forthe AAP, Delhi BJP chief ManojTiwari on Saturday said that allthe exit poll results will provefalse. He exuded confidencethat the BJP would win notlesser than 48 seats.
Polling has largely beenpeaceful in Delhi, which wit-nessed a communally chargedcampaigning amid anti-CAAprotests, barring an incidentinvolving Congress candidateAlka Lamba and an AAPworker in Chandni Chowk.
Kejriwal has said he ishopeful that the AAP wouldform Government for the thirdtime. The people of Delhi willvote based on the works doneby the AAP Government,Kejriwal said after voting alongwith his wife Sunita and sonPulkit at a polling booth inCivil Lines area.
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Tamil Nadu played host to asilent social revolution on
Friday which scholars rate asmore revolutionary in naturethan the self-respect marriagesof the 1950s.
If the self-respect mar-riages, launched by EVRamasamy Naicker (Periyar)hailing from the MysoreProvince, were a messageagainst the monopoly of theBrahmins in religious matters,Friday saw another personfrom Mysore performing a tra-ditional marriage which shat-tered the barriers to yet anoth-er male-dominated domain.
When Vignesh Raghavan,a Chennai youth tied the nup-tial knots with Sushma Harinion Friday at Dakshin Chitra, aheritage museum in Chennai
suburb, the priest who solem-nised the marriage was awoman and it took everyone bysurprise.
Till now no one had dis-cussed about the possibility ofwomen priests solemnisingmarriages in spite of the factthat women pilots guard theskies of the country againstpossible intrusion from outside.The Pioneer had reported lastyear about all-women crew ofIndian Coast Guard flyingalong the East Coast and PalkStraits as part of recce missions.
As Vignesh and Sushma, ayoung lawyer, exchanged ringsand garlands, BramarambaMaheswari, vedic scholar fromMysore officiated as the priestand solemnised the marriage.The marriage venue reverber-ated with Vedic shloks andmantras recited by Maheswari.
What made the event morestriking was the pains taken bythe priest to explain the mean-ing of each shlok and mantrato the couple as she moved onwith the ceremony.
“One should learn themantras and shloks by under-standing their meaning. Thenonly it would be effective whenyou chant it,” Maheswari toldThe Pioneer after the marriageceremony. She said there were16 samskaraas (spiritual cul-ture) associated with humanlives from birth to death.
Friday’s marriage involvedthree steps, viz, PaniGrahanam (holding of hands),Kanya Pradaanam (transfer-ring the responsibility of thesafety, security and welfare ofthe bride to the groom) andShilaarohanam (ascending oflife to the heights of marriage
and togetherness from whichthere is no coming back),”said Maheswari while explain-ing the meaning of the shloksshe recited. When SureshReddy, the bride’s father per-
formed the kanya daanam,Maheswari remined the groomwith a shlok that what wasbeing done is KanyaPradaanam and not just kanyadaanam.
For the indefatigable womenand dadis of Shaheen Bagh,
who have been on an indefinitesit-in since December 15, 2019to protest against CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA),Saturday was the day to pressthe buttons to vote for DelhiAssembly elections. Facing lotsof criticism for blocking Roadnumber 13 connecting KalindiKunj to Mathura Road andNoida, the women ensuredthat their agitation continuedunabated while they exercisedtheir franchise.
While women were awayfor voting, their places were
taken by the men who hadalready voted to fill the gap. Itcontinued throughout the dayas women kept leaving theprotest site to go to theirrespective polling booths tovote. It was a tactical move toensure that everyone votedand the agitation was unaf-fected, they said. Shaheen Baghsaw a high turnout as the peo-ple could be standing in thequeue to wait for their turn.
While some of the womenvoted in the morning, otherschose to get their fingers inkedin the afternoon and theremaining in the evening.
Mehzabeen Qureshi, a res-ident of Shaheen Bagh, who
has been part of the protestever since it started, had left thesite to vote and then came backto continue with the part of theagitation. “I stayed at home tolet other women in the housego out and vote. Now I havejoined them here at ShaheenBagh after voting. I votedtoday to secure democracy.”
Zaheeda Khan, anotherresident of Shaheen Bagh, said,“The women here had decid-ed a day before voting thatsome of them would go out forvoting in the morning, whileothers will stay back for chores.The others will go in the after-noon and then come back tothe protest site.
�Were there anyapprehensions before takingup the role?
Yes, it was a big step for mesince I was replacing Esha whohas been playing Zara foralmost two years. I was nervousand excited at the same time. Idecided to take it up because itwas a new experience for me. �What preparations did youdo for the show?
I have to sometimes speakurdu and I have a Punjabiaccent so there are times whenAdnan or our director keep oncorrecting me about thepronounciation of certainwords. I also had to learn fewMuslim traditions like how towear a hijab. �With whom you sharecordial relations behind thescenes?
Everyone is lovely. But Ibond well with Ruksar. Weboth are Punjabi so that’s whywe resonate well.�How has your journey beenthus far ?
It has been a wonderfuljourney and I have evolved alot. When I signed my firstshow, Maharanapratap, I wasn’tmature enough. Back then, Ibelieved in exploring newopportunities and taking upwhatever project I was offered.I had done a couple ofhistorical shows after thatbecause audience appreciatedand loved me playing aprincess. I too enjoyed playingsuch roles. Then I moved todaily soaps and it was a bigshift. When I wasapproached forInternet Wala Love, Iimmediately said‘yes’ to it. I feltthat it wouldgive me a breakfrom the genrethat I wasdoing for so long. Also, I didn’twant to get typecaste. �You have done TV andfilms. What is the difference?
In TV, we shoot daily forlong hours. We get the scene aday before the shoot or even getscenes on the spot. But inmovies you get everything inadvance film. It gives youample amount of time to work
on your character. But in TVthere is no experimenting. Youjust have to go with whateveris happening. �Where do you find yourselfmost comfortable workingin?
I do not have anypreference. I would like towork in different mediums. Ifyou see my journey, I haveworked in TV and filmssimultaneously. I have had anamazing experience. However,I would now love to do theatre. �Has your journey to the topbeen easy?
Since I have always had mymother with me, the journeywas not that challenging. I aman introvert. But I have learnta lot as an actor. I have learntthe art of talking to peoplewhich means I am no longer anintrovert. �What is your successmantra?
No mantra as such. Mymother has been my biggestsupport. When she is with meI don’t have to worry aboutanything.�Any actor that you wouldlike to work with?
I adore Ranveer Singh andwould love to work with him. �A genre that you would liketo explore?
There is no particulargenre. I have always beenpassionate about movies so Iwould like to take up anyproject which would come myway.
Where super villainsand their villainy go,the racy violence, the
cranky pace of the motionpicture, the hard and fastchanging rules of survivaland, of course, the will to beon the top of the game, thattoo in style, dot the landscapeof crime and action.
In this one from theMarvel blockbuster outlet, allthis and more is attempted tobe doused in womanemancipation andempowerment through cattyfights and a troika coming outof the maze of male superdomwith a snazzy narrative and apsychedelic dive into thecrime world of old-world New
York.Marvel generally endears
and ensnares with its heroesand villains but this one ishyperly feminist and dealswith Joker’s girlfriend drivinga force of life that needs herown brand of killer instinct ina world where other supercrime bosses are after her lifein the absence of her loony,abusive, overpowering MisterJ who used to keep her on hertoes when he inhabited thespectrum.
But now that he is notthere, the Joker-free HarleyQuinn devises her ownscatterbrain combat plan tokeep you sometimesinterested, sometimes irritatedthrough the film which isactually quite a screech thatmay ultimately annoy you noends.
Having said that though,Margot Robbie and her
pigtailed appearance alongwith her female partners incrime define personalities onedge driving you mad toowith their antics soaked inviolence, deceit and me-firstconcoction.
This super villain, despitethe best effort, fails to draw inthe juice as most Marvelmovies do. It is not even aboutJoker but his catty, red lipstickbearing outlandish blondgirlfriend who has beenemancipated and has to floatin the upper echelons of thecriminal world edging outmale domination. Highpitched music, all over theplace voice-over to thestaccato visuals, fight scenesthat make you feel like thebird of prey and a female get-together that is highlyunstable is not the coolestidea of a blockbuster onemight say.
In order to truly understand,be involved and find aconnect with Shikara, the
latest movie directed by VidhuVinod Chopra, one has toundergo what the KashmiriPandits from the Valley wentthrough in the early 90s. As thecredits role at the end of themovie, this film is dedicated tohis mother Shanti Devi, who leftJ&K never to return.
One is surprised that thedirector took so long to tell astory on a subject that is so closeto home. However, the reel istotally removed from what reallythe Pandits from the Valley hadto endure when they left theirhomes — leaving everythingbehind them. The generations oflegacy, home and business. Theybecame refugees in their owncountry, the minute they crossedBanihal Pass. How they werelooked down upon by the rest ofthe people, how they had to pickup the pieces of their life andbuild it from scratch, has notbeen done justice to.
Shikara, sadly only gives atiny peek into what reallytranspired. Hence, even thoughthe subject is touching, there islittle that people not from theregion will find to connect.
Unleash the madness, sogoes the tagline for thisMohit Suri directed
Malang. The director who hasmovies like Aashiqui and itssequel and Ek Villain to name afew has kept to his true format —a love story where the hero is ona self-destructive path. In thisregard, Malang is no different,just the backdrop is different —Goa and its drug underbelly.
However, this is not the firstmovie with this setting. Thedirector could have chosen to tella different story. We aresomewhat tired of watching thehero wronged and walk therevenge path.
But not all is lost here. Thehero Aditya Roy Kapur is allbuffed up — six-pack abs andshirtless to boot; maybe he cangive our bhai a run of his money.Then there is Kunal Kemmu. Hehas definitely reinvented himselfin this film. As MichaelRodriguez, his performance isworth a mention since the actoris known to do comic roles withaplomb. Sadly, in an era wherecontent is hero, Malang doesn’thave much to offer.
‘Abhujhmaad Peace Marathon’held in Maoist-hit Narayapurdistrict. About 10,000 runnersparticipated in the race onSaturday
The 21-km half marathonrun started from High Schoolground in Narayanpur townand concluded near ITBP campin Basingbahar, a village inAbhujmaad jungles, InspectorGeneral of Police (Bastarrange) Sundarraj P informed.
It was the second editionof Abhujmaad peacemarathon organised jointly bypolice and the local districtadministration, which saw theparticipation of runners fromdifferent states of the countryand abroad, he said.
“The event was organisedwith an intention to invitepeople from outside Bastar tocome and explore this beauti-ful land and know more aboutthe vibrant tribal culture ofthe region”, he said.
Moreover, this kind ofevent also changes the myth
about the security scenario ofBastar. People from outside
Chhattisgarh come and seethe improving security situa-
tion in Bastar and efforts ofsecurity forces in establishing
peace and development in theregion, the IG asserted.
N a r a y a n p u rSuperintendent of Police (SP)Mohit Garg informed thatprizes worth over Rs 6 lakhwere distributed to the win-ners of marathon up to tenthpositions in both men’s andwomen’s categories.
In Men's category,Shankarman Thapa fromMeghalya secured topposition followed by Simonsfrom Kenya and Ramnarayanfrom Dallirajarhara(Chhattisgarh) in the second andthird place respectively, he said.
Similarly, in women's cat-egory, Alisa from Kenya stoodat the first place while DimpleSingh and Reenu, both fromUttar Pradesh, bagged secondand third position respective-ly, he added.
Cash prize of Rs 1.21 lakhwas given to winners in bothcategories.
Special cash rewards werealso given to five local menand women each who toppedthe table in the localAbhujmad resident category,the SP said.
STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR
With rains lashing acrossthe state for last two days,
the paddy procurement onminimum support price fromfarmers in the state has beenaffected triggering the issue ofadequate arrangement for stor-age and its protection.
Keeping this in view, Foodand Civil Supplies MinisterAmarjeet Bhagat inspected theprocurement centres at MandirHasaud, Khuteri and Rewa, underRaipur district on Saturday.
He assured the farmers thatthose who could not sell theirproduce will be issued token onceagain. All necessary arrangements
will be ensured. Food departmentsecretary Dr Kamalpreet Singhand MarkFed MD Shammi Abidihad accompanied minister.
Procurement centres man-agers’ stated that due to rains the
procurement has been affectedas paddy of farmers have beenkept stored in the centres withprotective cover. With weatherreturning to normal, the paddyprocurement will resume.
STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR
State of Chhattisgarh tooka big leap to ensure 100
days employment to theneedy family underMahatma Gandhi NationalRural EmploymentGuarantee Scheme (MGN-REGA) for financial year2019-20, standing second inthe country after Rajasthan.
State could ensure 100days employment to 2,28,976job card holder families. Inlast December, Chhattisgarhwas placed in fourth position.
Panchayat and rural devel-opment minister T. S. Singhdeoappreciated the departmentalteam for the good work andasked them to continue betterimplementation of scheme sothat the state remains withinthe top three positions, withtwo more months to go incurrent fiscal year.
As per information,from April 1, 2019 toFebruary 7, 2020 around22.43 lakh families were
given employment by creat-ing 10.80 crore man-days ofemployment, which includes5.46 crore man-days forwomen. Thus, the totalcreated man-days is 50.63%highest in last four years.Government of India hassanctioned 13 croreman-days labour budget forChhattisgarh. Thus, 83%employment generation hasbeen done as per currentfiscal year while 9.80 lakhworkers are still working
under the scheme.District wise,
Rajnandgaon district topswith 21,713 families followedby Bilaspur 19,530 families,Surajpur 18,264 families andKabirdham in fourth posi-tion with 16,251 families.
Panchayat and ruraldevelopment departmentsaid the strategy is to ensure100 days work for whichregular district wisemonitoring and review isbeing done.
STAFF REPORTER nKONDAGAON
Adifferently abled Sarpanchostracised from village,
was re-elected as Sarpanchbeating all odds, and to cele-brate the victory he organiseda community feast.
The incident is reportedfrom village PanchayatChichadi under BaderajpurJanpad Panchayat underKondagaon district. As perdetails, the differently abledDevi Ram Korram was electedas Sarpanch in last tenure. Hisfive-year tenure was not markedby any controversy. But a fewvillagers had called a meetingover payment of construction ofa toilet in which the sarpanchcould not attend. A few promi-nent persons of the village thenannounced to ostracise him andhis family from the village. Twotimes public announcementswere made in village not to giveprovision and even drinkingwater to his family from anysource in the village.
Village elderly headLachchu Ram Kashyap saidSarpanch Devi Ram haddelayed making payment of toi-let construction despite the con-dition that the payment would
be made within three days tothe villagers but it did not hap-pen. So he and his family wereostracised. A fine of Rs 7051was fixed if anyone talks, worksfor him at his residence or shop-keeper providing provision orproviding water for drinking.
Village shopkeeper Shivlalsaid no one was giving provi-sions to Devi Ram. He used tobring it from other village. Heused to bring water for drink-ing and other purpose fromvillage Lihagaon Panchayataround three kilometres away.
Even after being ostracised,Devi Lal facing uphill taskmustered two proposers, sup-porters to file his nominationpapers and fought for Sarpanchpost once again. The villagehad 564 electors and five candi-dates were in the fray. DeviRam Korram polled 200 votesand won the poll by 117 votes.
On his re-election, Devi Ramsaid even after being ostracisedfrom the village, he got blessingsfrom the villagers. Now, he wouldcontinue to serve the villagers fornext 5 years. He added keepingcorruption at bay, he had servedthe villagers. Few people hadconspired against him, to ensurethat he did not fight the Sarpanchelection again.
STAFF REPORTER nMAHASAMUND
On the occasion of‘Magh Purnima’ on
February 9, a day-longSirpur Mahotsav is beingorganised from 12.30 PM atthe renowned historicaland archaeological site ofSirpur.
Chief guest of thefestival will be tourism,food and civil supplies andconsumer protectionminister Amarjeet Bhagat.Excise, commercial tax andindustries minister KawasiLakhma will preside overthe function. Special guestswill be Mahasamund MPChunnilal Sahu and MLAs
of Mahasamund district.One the day of the
festival folk and culturalprogrammes will be held.Highlights will be Karmadance by village Beldih(Saraipali), Panthi dance byvillage Mudiyadih(Mahasamund).
Disha Natya Manch willstage drama of ‘Yug kiPukaar’, MahasamundGovernment Ashi BhaiGolcha Higher Secondaryschool students will presentfolk dances and AvinashVaani to present ‘RockBand’.
Different other folkdances and events will alsobe performed by differentgroups.
STAFF REPORTER nKONDAGAON
Farmers demandingextension of last date for
paddy procurement stagedChakkajam at Vishrampurivillage here on Saturday.
The protesters were laterpacified after gettingassurance from Tahsildar.
Notably, the state gov-ernment has fixed February15 as last date for paddy pro-curement. Fearing that thetime would not be enoughfor selling their paddy,farmers staged the protest.
Farmers alleged that dueto multiple-token systemthey had to face problem.Farmers coming fromvillages from far flungregions had to live under the
sky close to paddyprocurement centres forselling their paddy.
Farmers said that theywere also worried about thechanging weather and twodays back they had warnedTahsildar to start paddy pro-curement at Vishrampuri,but it didn’t happen.
Farmers during theprotest demanded thatpaddy must be procuredfrom every farmer compul-sorily. In case of non-avail-ability of new gunny bags,the paddy should also betaken in old gunny bags.
Later on, after gettingassurance from Tahsildarthey withdrew the protest.
STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR
Chhattisgarh Public ServiceCommission is holding prelimi-
nary examination PSC-2019 for 242posts through 268 examination cen-tres spread over 16 districts in state onFebruary 9. The examination isscheduled in two shifts, from 10.00AM to 12.00 PM for general studiesand from 3.00 to 5.00 PM for aptitude.
As per information, examinationcentres are at Surguja (Ambikapur),Baikunthpur, Bilaspur, Dhamtari,
As per details, the examinationis scheduled for 242 posts. There are15 posts for deputy collectors out ofwhich 7 are for general category andtwo are reserved for general categorywomen.
Out of total 30 posts, 5 posts arefor backlog filling, 10 posts for gen-
eral category and three for women.Similarly, there are 11 posts of finan-cial services officer and one foodofficer. Naib Tehsildhar and cooper-ative inspector have 30 posts eachwhile Janpad CEO and assistant landrecord has 19 posts each.
The differently abled includingblind candidates will get services ofassistant but they will have to pro-duce the medical board certificationand civil surgeon medical certificatebefore the authorities.
Army jawan from Meghalaya wins‘Abhujhmaad Peace Marathon’
Big leap for Chhattisgarh inMGNREGA implementation
Farmers stage ‘Chakkajam’over paddy procurementFood minister inspects
paddy procurement centresSirpur Mahotsav today
CG PSC prelims todayFour jail inmates to appear in PSC
Mahasamund: Four under-trial jail inmates of Mahasamund districtwill appear for preliminary PSC examination. They are Lakeshwar Sahu,Khemraj Nayak, Gaurishankar Kewat and Chaman Lal Jangde. All ofthem have been permitted by the trial court to appear for the examina-tion. All are in jail for serious crime. Khemraj and Lakheshwar hadapplied through jail administration to appear in the examination, whileGaurishankar and Chaman through their respective counsel hadapproached the court for the permission to appear in examination. JailorMukesh Kushwaha said all have been permitted to write the examina-tion. They will be taken in police security to the examination centres.
Ostracised Sarpanach reelected,organises community feast
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Despite several efforts by theElection Commission to
make people aware of checkingtheir names in the voters’ list,many voters in the nationalCapital returned like everyyear without casting their votesafter they found their namesmissing from the voters’ list onSaturday.
Anxious voters were seensearching their names in list atthe polling booths. Some ofthem also involved in scufflewith the officials posted their."I approached BLO (BoothLevel Officer) after I could notfind my name in the list andlodged my complaint," saidRinku Gupta, a DelhiUniversity student who lives inNehru Vihar area.
He further said "I exercisedmy votes in Lok Sabha electionheld last year. How my namecan go missing? And I am notalone but there are many whosenames are not in the list.
Election Commission shouldhave arranged alternatives sothat we could vote. I haveevery document to prove mynationality. How can we bedeprived of voting only becauseour names did not figure in thelist?"
Vishnu (35), a resident ofKalkaji said that he had voterID card but still denied by pollofficials from voting as hisname was not in the list.
"Why are we expected tocheck our names every year in
voter list? This is ridiculous.Denying someone to exercisehis vote is a crime and it vio-lates our fundamental rightsalso," he said.
Iftekhar Ansari and twomembers of his family all res-ident of Gandhi Nagar wereamong who could not casttheir votes as their names werealso missing from voter's list."We are very sad and aghastafter finding our names miss-ing. I shut down my shop andprepared to vote with familyand left with disappointedfinnaly," he said.
"I am the residents of thisarea my family is still livinghere. It is difficult for me tounderstand why my name ismissing the list," said ManjuNagar, a 45 years old womanafter she failed to cast her voteat Santnagar polling booth.
People reported similarcomplaints to poll officials inmany areas. ""I am feeling verydisappointed after being deniedto exercise my constitutional
right to vote. I have been vot-ing in every election whether itis assembly, MunicipalCorporation's or parliamentaryelections but suddenly myname has been cut from thelist," said Rohit Kumar, a resi-dent of Timarpur.
A booth level officer(BLO) at Gandhi Nagar saidthat many of the voters arecomplaining about their miss-ing names. "The commissionkept advising people to checktheir names and approachofficial if found names miss-ing but instead of doing thatthey keep arguing with ushere," he said.
Over 1.47 crore people areeligible to exercise their fran-chise in the polls that willdecide the fate of 672 candi-dates in 70 assembly con-stituencies, which are seeing atriangular contest among theruling Aam Aadmi Party(AAP), the opposition BJP andthe Congress. The votes will becounted on February 11.
With an aim to teach chil-dren the process of elec-
tion and its various aspects likeEVM (Electronic VotingMachine) and polling station,parents took their children topolling booths on Saturday towitness the festival of democ-racy.
Puneet Bansal, a business-man from Model Town said"My children are too young tounderstand the importance ofvoting but I took them so thatthey could understand theoverall process of voting".
People took their childrento polling booths to educatethem about the democraticsystem of the country. Many ofparents were seen briefingthem about importance of vot-ing and the difference betweenAssembly and parliamentaryelection. Several children onSunday while holding theirparents hands, went inside the
polling booth across thenational Capital to share the joyand satisfy their curiosity aboutthe electoral process.
The polling booths, deckedup with balloons and bannersof "festival of democracy", werea centre of attraction for thechildren. "My nine-year-oldson is very curious about theelection process. He was veryexcited and asked me manyquestions about the process.Although some of them werevery tough to answer but stillI tried to satisfy him," saidNaina Awasthi, who works atprivate firm.
While children were keen toknow about the functioning ofthe Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs), parents said they want-ed them to understand thenuances of the electoral systemand get a feel of how the demo-cratic process functions.
"I wanted to see the func-tioning of the Electronic VotingMachines (EVMs) to help me
understand the nuances of theelectoral system and get a feelof how the democratic processfunctions," said RameshSaukin, a 12 year child whoaccompanied his mother at
polling station at Timarpur.A few of the model polling
stations also had separate kids'zones to entertain the kids astheir parents went inside to casttheir vote.
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Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremoArvind Kejriwal on Saturday alleged that the
BJP has been mocking him ever since he recit-ed the 'Hanuman Chalisa' on a TV channel.
Taking to Twitter after casting his vote forthe Delhi assembly elections, Kejriwal sought toknow what kind of politics the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) is doing.
"Ever since I have recited the 'HanumanChalisa' on a TV channel, the BJP is constantlymocking me. Yesterday, I went to a HanumanTemple.
"Today, BJP leaders are saying that the tem-ple has turned impure by his visit. What kind ofpolitics is this? God belongs to all. God blesseseveryone, including those in the BJP," Kejriwaltweeted in Hindi.
On Friday, Kejriwal along with his wifeoffered prayers at the famous Hanuman Templenear Connaught Place. Earlier this week, the AamAadmi Party (AAP) national convener had saidhis reciting the 'Hanuman Chalisa' has hurt lead-ers of the BJP. During an election rally in Delhion February 4, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath had said, "Now Arvind Kejriwal hasstarted reciting the 'Hanuman Chalisa'. In com-ing days, you will see Owaisi reciting the same.This will certainly happen."
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Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal on Saturday said
he is hopeful that the AamAadmi Party would formGovernment for the third timein Delhi.
The people of Delhi havevoted on the basis of workdone by the AAP Government,Kejriwal said after voting alongwith his wife, Sunita and son,Pulkit at a polling booth in theCivil Lines area.
"Voted along with my fam-ily, including my first-time voterson. Urge all young voters tocome out to vote. Your partici-pation strengthens democracy,"Kejriwal tweeted.
Pulkit said he felt goodafter voting for the first time. Hesaid whoever people choose
will become the chief ministerof Delhi when asked if hisfather will be the CM again.
In the morning on Twitter,Kejriwal appealed to women togo to vote and take men of theirfamily along. "Must go to vote.Special appeal to all women. As
you take care of your family,there is another responsibilityon your shoulder which is ofcountry as well as Delhi.
"All women must vote andalso take men of your family forit. You also must discuss withmen who they should vote for,"
Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.Counting of votes will take
place on February 11. Kejriwal'sdeputy Manish Sisodia, who iscontesting election fromPatparganj constituency, saidpeople must vote for good edu-cation of their children.
On being asked whetherShaheen Bagh would be anissue in this election, Sisodiasaid when those people whoraised it strongly went to votetoday, they voted in favour ofgood education for their chil-dren, sidelining this issue.
Hundreds of people, includ-ing women and children, havebeen protesting since December15 at Shaheen Bagh against theCitizenship Amendment Actand the National Register ofCitizens.
Over 1.47 crore people areeligible to exercise their fran-chise in the polls that willdecide the fate of 672 candidatesin 70 assembly constituencieswhich are seeing a triangularcontest among the ruling AamAadmi Party (AAP), oppositionBJP and the Congress.
The enthusiastic first timevoters reached polling cen-
tres on Saturday to exercisetheir franchise across thenational Capital, saying thatoverall development is the onlyissue they are expecting thenext Government to do.
Nitu Sharma (19), a resi-dent of Model Town said "Ivoted in the name of develop-ment. "The ruling party hasdone a good job in Delhi andtransformed educational andhealth infrastructure and Ihope it will continue to do thesame," she said.
"We want the Governmentand candidates to work fordeveloping our areas. We wit-ness waterlogged roads everyyear and also some of these arestill in dilapidated condition,"said Mayank Tyagi who livesin Burari.
"The residents of Burari arefacing issues related to sanita-
tion. I want candidate to resolvethe issue after winning. Also,women safety and betterdrainage system are some theissue that also need to be takencare of," said Aditi, a residentof Burari.
The fate of 672 candi-dates will be decided in 70assembly constituencies,which are seeing a triangularcontest among the ruling AAP,the opposition BJP and theCongress. The votes will be
counted on February 11.There are 1.47 crore peopleeligible to exercise their fran-chise in the polls
Ankur Manchanda, a sec-ond year Delhi University stu-dent said that he has voted first
time this year. "I was apathet-ic towards all political dramabut this year I thought to votefor the candidate who cantaken care the interest of peo-ple here in Delhi. There are lotsof problem and need to beaddressed.
Tanya Jain of PermanandColony said that she believedthat the present Governmentcan create employment foryouths of Delhi.
Kejriwal's son Pulkit saidhe felt good after voting for thefirst time. When asked if hisfather will be the chief minis-ter again, he said whoeverpeople choose will become theCM.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra'sson Rehan said public transportshould be more affordable forstudents.
Polling for the 70 seats ofDelhi Assembly began at 8 amon Saturday amid tight securi-ty. The votes will be counted onFebruary 11.
Minister Smriti Irani onSaturday traded barbs onTwitter after the AAP leaderissued a "special appeal" towomen voters and asked themto discuss with men as to whocould be the right choice forvotes.
Irani, a BJP leader and LokSabha MP, took a swipe atKejriwal, asking if he does notconsider women capableenough to decide for them-selves who to vote for.
"Must go to vote. A specialappeal to all women. As youtake care of your family, thereis another responsibility onyour shoulder which is of thecountry as well as Delhi. Allwomen must vote and also takemen of their family for it. You
also must discuss with menwho will be the right choice (forvotes)," Kejriwal tweeted min-utes before the polling forelecting the Delhi assemblybegan.
Irani retorted, "Don't youconsider women so capablethat they could decide them-selves who to vote for?" She also
used a hashtag, projecting himas anti-women.
Kejriwal soon hit back ather, saying the women of Delhihave decided who to vote for.
"And this time in Delhi,women have decided theirfamily's choice for votes. Afterall they have to run theirhousehold," he added.
appeared to have tilted towardsthe ruling dispensation led byChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.The voters also appearedinclined towards AAP's mainchallenger Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP). Lower and middle grouppeople rooted for AAP where-as upper middle class and therich backed BJP albeit reluc-tantly, as they were said to bevoting for BJP leadership andnot for the local BJP leaders.
People were unhappy withMunicipal corporations con-trolled by the BJP and anotherfactor which harmed the BJPwas the Union Budget thatfailed to offer anything sub-stantial for the honest taxpayers.The fence sitters ran into the lapof AAP while Shaheen Baghfailed to impact other parts ofthe national Capital includingNew Delhi Lok Sabha seat thathouses 10 Assembly seats.
Voters hardly discussedabout 'National' issues - abro-gation of 370, Citizenship(Amendment) Act and con-struction of Ram Mandir.
In Kasturba Nagar con-stituency -congress's candidateAbhisehk Dutt was quite popu-lar as locals are happy with hiswork as local municipal coun-cilor.
Talking to The Pioneer,Saurabh Kaushal in KasturbaNagar constituency - 54 said thatDutt visits us quite often and isactive in RWAs. "He is our rep-resentative in government.Issues pertaining to installationof CCTVs, street lights or beau-tification of parks , have benetaken care of by him," saidKaushal.
Delhi's voters appeared sureabout their choice for the gov-ernment in Delhi. Smog, Crime,Traffic Jams, Untreated Sewage,Water logging, Encroachment,
Unchecked Migration,Overloaded hospitals, PublicTransport, Lack of School andCollege seats are importantissues for which Delhiites casttheir votes.
In Delhi Cantonment, vot-ers were seen supportingCongress candidate SandeepTanwer. Same was the case inKarol Bagh, Sadar, (ShaheenBagh -Jamia) Okhla, East ofKailash, Lajapat Nagar, Dwarka,Jasola Vihar , Matiala, KasturabaNagar, where majority of peoplewere with AAP and willing tobeing AAP back.
Another important factorwhich has harmed BJP is theUnion Budget as the Uniongovernment has failed to offeranything substantial has deci-sively shifted the fence sittersinto AAP,
Tapan Thakur, en employ-ee of IT firm, residing in East ofKailash said that Delhi is at tran-sition mode where current gov-ernment has work on basicnecessities, like education,health, but lot has to be done oninfrastructure also," said Thakur.
While many of few havebelieved that Arvind Kejriwalgovernment has done good sofar, there are many voters whobelieve that structural reformof governance model willbecome subject matter of elec-tion discourse, be at Nationallevel, state or at municipallevel and Delhi being theCapital of India will have tocross the three levels to gainvoters' trust in governmentformation.
Aditya Sahay, a resident inSouth Extension, and a govern-ment employee said, "AAP isgood in education and healthbut sanitation and supply of safeclean water is important issuesin Delhi."
Adding furthermore onDelhi governance through par-liament structure, Sahay said,"AAP has involved general pub-
lic with it. And when a commonpeople is become the part of gov-ernment, he feels connectedwith confidence."
Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazar ,Jhandewalan, voters have comeout to practice their vote.
In Karol Bagh constituency,very few voters showed theirsupport to BSP while majority ofthem were clapped for the AAPas primary education andhealthcare services to theirwards keeping them mentallyand economically relieved andsatisfied.
Sujata Devi, a resident inSadar Bazar and worker in Delhigovernment hospital said thatDelhi government has favoredus with free water/electricityand DTC travel. "Every day, Itravelled GB Pant from Sadar,earlier, I used to pay 2000-2500Rs per month in DTC however,now, amount is my saving nowbeside the cost of water/elec-tricity,"
Delhi's current epicenterhas also witnessed warmedresponse of the voters.
In Jasola Vihar, SukhdevVihar, people came out in sup-port of Aam Aadmi Party andBJP both because of metro con-nectivity and Mohalla clinics.
"We are happy with BJP inCenter and AAP in Delhi, aspublic hearing are held withAAP government and we havebeen involved as citizen in townplanning," said Rohit Khurana,a resident of Jasola Vihar.
Manish Tiwari, a resident inDwarka sector 21said that themultiplicity of authorities hascrippled Delhi's functioning andit is financially unviable to main-tain two, three power centerswith overlapping responsibili-ties." "With one set ofAdministrative Officials takingorders from Centre, DelhiGovernment, MunicipalCouncil may save time andmoney and will favor to gover-nance more," said Tiwari.
devolution of powers to the SriLankan Tamils as he took uptheir cause with the visitingcounterpart of the island nationMahinda Rajapaksa. Modi saidhe was confident that the SriLankan Government willrealise the expectations ofequality, justice, peace andrespect of the Tamil peoplewithin a united Sri Lanka as perits constitution.
After holding wide-rangingtalks with Rajapaksa, Modisaid the issue was discussedwith an “open mind” andhoped that the Tamil reconcil-iation process would be takenforward by Colombo.
The two leaders also delib-erated on several key issues likebolstering anti-terror cooper-ation, expansion of trade andinvestment ties, implementa-tion of joint projects in SriLanka and resolving the long-festering fishermen issue witha “humane approach.” In hiscomments, Rajapaksa thankedModi for his Government’s‘neighbourhood first policy’and the priority he attaches toties with Sri Lanka.
On the long-pending Tamilissue, Modi said it will be nec-essary to implement the 13thamendment of the Sri Lankan
Constitution. The 13th amend-ment provides for devolution ofpower to Tamil community inthe neighbouring country.
“We held a discussion withan open mind on issues relat-ing to reconciliation in SriLanka. I am confident that theGovernment of Sri Lanka willfulfill the expectations of the Tamil people for equal-ity, justice, peace, and respectwithin a United Sri Lanka,”Modi said.
“It will be necessary toimplement the 13th amend-ment of (Sri Lankan)Constitution and take forwardthe reconciliation process at thesame time,” he said.
India has been urging SriLanka to implement the 13thamendment which wasbrought in after the Indo-SriLankan agreement of 1987which envisaged devolution ofpowers to the Tamils.
Rajapaksa’s five-day visit toIndia assumes significance ashis tenure as Sri Lanka’sPresident from 2005 to 2016saw expansion of China’s foot-prints in the Indian Oceanisland nation, triggering con-cerns in India.
The Chinese influence inSri Lanka covers infrastructuredevelopment including theconstruction of theHambantota sea port there,growing investment, econom-ic aid and trade. Moreover, Sri
Lanka in the last few years isfavouring the Chinese overthe long-standing ally Indiathereby causing concern in
New Delhi.The growing ties between
Sri Lanka and China, moreover,signifies Beijing’s clout in the
countries located on the rim ofthe strategically importantIndian Ocean region whereIndia is the key player. Also,
the growing maritime prowessof China and its increasingpresence in the Indian Oceanregion in the last ten to 12 years
is also posing a challenge toIndia’s strategic interests.
In this backdrop, Modisaid “stability, security andprosperity in Sri Lanka is inIndia’s interest, but also in theinterest of the entire IndianOcean Region,” in his mediastatement. He said India hasbeen a “trusted partner” in SriLanka’s development and willcontinue to assist the countryin its journey for peace anddevelopment.
Calling terrorism a majorthreat facing the region, Modimentioned about the ‘EasterDay terror attacks’ in Sri Lankalast year and asserted that bothcountries will expand cooper-ation to deal with the challenge.
“We both countries havefought this problem firmly.There were painful and barbaricterrorist attacks on Easter Dayin Sri Lanka in April last year.These attacks were not only ablow to Sri Lanka, but also tohumanity. In our talks, we dis-cussed furthering our anti-ter-ror cooperation,” Modi said.
Rajapaksa said a part of thediscussions centred aroundensuring security for both the countries, andexpressed gratitude to India forhelping his country in coun-tering terrorism.
“India is our closest neigh-bour and long-standing friend.The close historical links haveprovided solid foundation to
our ties,” Rajapaksa said. Indiahad announced a financialassistance of USD 450 millionto Sri Lanka, including USD 50million to fight terrorism, dur-ing the visit of the country’sPresident Gotabaya Rajapaksain November last year.
Referring to the fishermenissue, Modi said both sides havedecided to adopt a humanitar-ian approach in dealing with it.“It directly affects the livelihoodof the people of both countries.Therefore, we agreed to con-tinue to adopt a constructiveand humanitarian approach indealing with the issue,” he said.
The Prime Minister saidthe history of India-Lanka rela-tionship has been woven withcountless threads like culture,religion, art and language.
Rajapaksa, elder brotherof Sri Lankan PresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa, arrivedhere on Friday on a five-dayvisit, his first overseas tour afterbeing appointed as prime min-ister of the island nation inNovember last year. After hisofficial engagement in Delhi,Mahinda Rajapaksa will travelto Varanasi, Sarnath, BodhGaya and Tirupati.
In the morning, the SriLankan Prime Minister wasgiven a ceremonial welcome atthe Rashtrapati Bhavan. Earlier,External Affairs Minister SJaishankar called on the SriLankan Prime Minister.
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With the last two Sessions ofParliament dubbed to be
most productive in recent twodecades, the Rajya Sabha hasdone an analysis of its QuestionHour that has revealed that 75per cent of the members in249th Session (Monsoon) and65 per cent in 250th Session(Winter) got opportunities toraise starred questions duringthe last two Sessions.
As per the analysis done onthe directions of Chairman MVenkaiah Naidu, sources inParliament said 660 starredquestions, including 375 listedfor 25 question days during the249th Session and 285 listed for19 question days during the250th Session were taken suc-cessfully and amongst allAIADMK member A VijayKumar of AIADMK raised thehighest number of 13 starredquestions during the last twoSessions at Upper House. VijayKumar was the lead question-er during the 249th Sessionwith seven questions to hiscredit and was in second posi-tion during the 250th Sessionwith six questions. Dr SantanuSen of Trinamool Congresswas the lead questioner withseven during the 250th Session.
Sources said the RajyaSabha Secretariat conductedan analysis of the participation
of the Members in theQuestion Hour during the249th and 250th Sessions afterNaidu sought to know thedetails regarding the extent ofopportunities that membersget to raise questions.
The analysis of 660 starredquestions, including 375 listedfor 25 question days during the249th Session and 285 listed for19 question days during the250th Session revealed that 75per cent and 65 per cent of theMembers got opportunities toraise starred questions during the last two Sessionsrespectively.
With the DeputyChairman of Rajya Sabha and13 Union Ministers from theUpper House not submitting
notices of Questions, an effec-tive strength of 226 Memberswas considered for the analy-sis. 177 members raised ques-tions during the 249th sessionand 146 during the 250th.
It is revealed that about 7per cent of the Membersaccounted for about 25 per centof the total 660 Questions list-ed during the two Sessionswhile about one third Membersaccounted for about 75 per centof the total Questions listed.During the 249th Session, 49Members did not raise anyStarred Question while thisnumber was 80 in case of the250th Session.
Lead questioners during thelast two Sessions combinedinclude A Vijay Kumar of
AIADMK with 13 questions, fol-lowed by Harnath Singh Yadavof BJP with 11, Dr Santanu Senof TMC (10), Dr Banda Prakashof TRS (9), Shri Ram NathThakur of BJP (9), Shri AmarShankar Sable of BJP (9), DrVinay P Sahasrabuddhe of BJP(9), Dr L Hanumanthaiah ofCongress (8), KanakamedalaRavindra Kumar of TDP (8) and V Prabhakara Reddy ofYSRCP (8).
Sasikala PushpaRamaswamy of AIADMK withseven questions was in thelead among the 25 womenMembers of Rajya Sabha.
Among the prominent andactive Members in Rajya Sabha,Vijay Goel of BJP got to raisefive Starred Questions, Rajeev
Chandrashekhar of BJP-5,Binoy Viswam of CPI-5, KKRagesh of CPM-5, PL Punia ofCongress-5, Anil Desai of ShivSena-5, Dr T Subbirami Reddyof Congress-5, Rakesh Sinha ofBJP-5, Tiruchi Siva of DMK-4,MV Rajeev Gowda ofCongress-4 and Digvijay Singhof Congress-2.
Congress members AhmedPatel and Abhishek ManuSinghvi, TMC memberSukhendu Sekhar Roy, Vaiko ofMDMK and Prof. Manoj Jha ofRJD got one question eachlisted against them.
About 100 Members ofRajya Sabha gave about 200notices of starred questionsper day out of which 25 werepicked by lottery. Of these, 15were listed subject to norms ofacceptability as Starred andthe remaining as unstarredquestions. Each Member isallowed to submit a maximumof seven notices per day.
“Question Hour is animportant Parliamentaryinstrument for the members toseek accountability of theGovernment for the policiesand programmes and theirexecution. 15 starred ques-tions are listed per day and theyare picked up by lottery fromthe notices for questions givenby the members. A membercan give only up to sevennotices per day,” sources inParliament said.
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ABrazilian air force planehas evacuated an Indian
from the novel coronavirus-hitWuhan along with a group ofBrazilian citizens even as 15 stu-dents from Kerala who returnedhere from China were allowedto go home by doctors as noneof them had symptoms of thedeadly disease.
In Maharashtra too, six per-sons including a Chinese nation-al who were admitted to hospi-tals in the State for possible expo-sure to the virus have tested neg-ative, State Health MinisterRajesh Tope said on Saturday.Since January 18, a total of 35patients were admitted to isola-tion wards at hospitals inMumbai, Pune, Ahmednagarand a few other cities.
Diplomatic sources said onSaturday that the Indian has dis-embarked from the plane inPoland. Brazil has said that twoof its military planes flew toWuhan, epicentre of the out-break, to rescue its citizensstuck in the city.
No other detail is availableso far about the evacuatedIndian citizen. India has evac-uated more than 640 of its cit-izens from Wuhan besides sevenMaldivians and has also main-tained that if the Imran KhanGovernment makes any officialrequest to it is also open toprospect of evacuating around500 Pakistani nationals strand-ed in Wuhan. The Pakistan
Hundreds of stranded
Pakistani students in Wuhanhave made desperate pleas to theImran Khan Government toevacuate them from China’sworst-affected Hubei province,urging his administration totake a leaf out of India’s book.But the Pakistan PM has refusedto do so to show solidarity withChina, where the latest deathtoll from the deadly virus hasjumped to 723 with the con-firmed cases soaring to 34,598.
Meanwhile, the 15 studentsfrom the state who returned toKochi from China were allowedto go home by doctors as none
of them had symptoms of thenovel coronavirus (nCoV)infection, officials said onSaturday. However, their sam-ples have been collected fordetailed lab testing, they said.
Before allowing them toleave the KalamasseryGovernment medical collegehospital, doctors advised themto remain home quarantined for28 days, officials added.
The students who werestranded in Hubei province ofChina following the outbreak ofthe deadly coronavirus hadlanded at the Cochin
International Airport Limitedhere on Friday night.
They had undergone ther-mal screening for the infectionat the airport before being takento the hospital in five sterilisedambulances. Hospital authoritiesdismissed reports that the stu-dents were admitted to the iso-lation facility set up in the hos-pital. The students travelled toBangkok from Kunming Airportand then took an Air Asia flightto reach at 11 pm on Friday.Relatives of the students hadreached the airport but they werenot allowed to meet them.
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To help assess the progressmade in cities through var-
ious initiatives and empowerthem to use evidence to plan,monitor their performance,two Assessment Frameworks,viz. Ease of Living Index (EoLI)and Municipal PerformanceIndex (MPI) 2019 have beenlaunched by the Ministry ofHousing & Urban Affairs.
Both these indices aredesigned to assess quality of lifeof citizens in 100 Smart Citiesand 14 other Million PlusCities. With the MunicipalPerformance Index 2019, theMinistry has sought to assessthe performance of munici-palities based on five enablersnamely Service, Finance,Planning, Technology andGovernance which have beenfurther divided into 20 sectorswhich will be evaluated across100 indicators. This will helpMunicipalities in better plan-ning and management, fillingthe gaps in city administration,and improving the liveability ofcities for its citizens.
The key objectives of theEase of Living Index includesgenerate information to guideevidence-based policy making;catalyse action to achieve broad-er developmental outcomes
including the SDG; assess andcompare the outcomes achievedfrom various urban policiesand schemes and obtain theperception of citizens abouttheir view of the services pro-vided by the city administration.
EoLI 2019 will facilitate theassessment of ease of living ofcitizens across three pillars:Quality of Life, EconomicAbility and Sustainability whichare further divided into 14 cat-egories across 50 indicators.
According to the Ministryof Housing and Urban Affairs,all participating cities haveappointed nodal officers whoseresponsibility is to collect andcollate the relevant data pointsfrom various departments bothwithin and outside of the ULBand upload the same alongwith supporting documents inthe exclusive web portaldesigned for this purpose.
Officials said the Ministryhas made several provisions forproviding assistance to cities inthis process of collection, col-lation and uploading of data.For the first time, as part of theEase of Living IndexAssessment, a citizenPerception Survey is beingconducted on behalf of theMinistry (which carries 30 percent of the marks of the Ease ofLiving Index).
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Chief Justice of India SABobde on Saturday said the
time is ripe to devise a com-prehensive legislation whichcontains “compulsory pre-liti-gation mediation” that wouldensure efficiency and reducethe time of pendency for par-ties as well as courts.
Speaking at the 3rd editionof an international conferenceon ‘Arbitration in the Era ofGlobalisation’, Justice Bobde said a robust “arbitrationbar” is critical to the develop-ment of institutional arbitrationin India as it would ensureavailability and accessibility ofpractitioners with knowledgeand experience.
Justice Bobde said onSaturday arbitration plays anessential role in the globalinfrastructure of internationaltrade, commerce and invest-ment and as an integral mem-ber of the global communityand a trading and investmentgiant, how India engages withinternational arbitration hasimportant ramifications oninternational trans-boundaryflows of trade, commerce andinvestments as a whole.
“The pre-institution medi-ation and settlement as men-tioned in the CommercialCourts Act would pave the wayfor many more institutions to
emphasise on the need of pre-litigation mediation consider-ing its very many benefits.
“I think the time is ripe todevise a comprehensive legis-lation which contains com-pulsory pre-litigation media-tion and a remedy for thebiggest drawback in a media-tion agreement that is to say theunenforceability of an agree-ment arrived at a mediationwould ensure efficiency andalso reduce the time pendencyfor parties as well as the courts,”he said.
While talking about India’srole in international arbitration,Justice Bobde said, “In recenttimes, globalisation has led tothe dramatic growth in cross-border transactions involvingIndia, which has led to anincreasing demand for cross-border arbitration. This has
resulted in establishment oftransnational practices to dealwith growing quantum andcomplexity of matters.”
He added arbitration wasnot meant to mirror litigation.“The time-consuming methodsof long oral arguments, longwritten submissions and a ref-erence to precedence are boundto bring about the same effectin arbitration as it is done in lit-igation,” he said.
Justice Bobde said in the21st century, the “global andeconomic integration, filled bytechnological innovations,enhanced communication andaffordable transportation” havesharply reduced the relevance ofnational border for trade com-merce and economic activities.
“I do agree that the glob-alisation seems to stay.Exponential growth of trans-boundary interactions neces-sitates formation of complexregulatory frameworks, includ-ing provision of effective andefficient methods of disputeresolution.
“Yet attempts to resolveinternational commercial orinvestment disputes in juris-diction-tethered-state-forumshave met with little success.This void has been successful-ly plugged by various alternate methods of disputeresolution, in particular inter-national arbitration.
Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump has fired twoofficials who had testifiedbefore the Congressional com-mittee during the impeach-ment process by the House ofRepresentatives, three daysafter he was acquitted by theSenate of all charges.
The two officers are theGordon Sondland, the USambassador to the EuropeanUnion, and Lieutenant ColonelAlexander Vindman, a Ukraineexpert on the National SecurityCouncil of the White House.
Both Vindman andSondland were key witnessesduring the impeachment hear-
ings by the Democrats-con-trolled House ofRepresentatives.
“I was advised today thatthe president intends to recallme effective immediately as(the) United StatesAmbassador to the EuropeanUnion,” Sondland said in astatement on Friday.
Hours before Vindmanwas escorted out of the WhiteHouse security officials, hisattorney said: “LTC Vindmanwas asked to leave for tellingthe truth.”
“There is no question in themind of any American why thisman’s job is over, why thiscountry now has one less soldierserving it at the White House,”Vindman’s attorney, DavidPressman, said in a statement.
“His honour, his commit-ment to right, frightened thepowerful,” Pressman added.
The White House did notcomment on the dismissal oftwo impeachment-related offi-cials.
The White House also firedLt Col Yevgeny Vindman, twinbrother of Vindman. The twoworked at on the NationalSecurity Council of the WhiteHouse. PTI
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Manchester (US): White Househopefuls Bernie Sanders andPete Buttigieg — riding neck-and-neck in the polls ahead ofthe next Democratic primarycontest — come under sus-tained attack on the debatestage from rivals seeking tochallenge Donald Trump inNovember.
Buttigieg, a former mayorof South Bend, Indiana who at38 is a fresh face on the nation-al stage, defended himselfagainst charges of inexperi-ence and, in a dig at Sanders,urged Americans to elevate anominee who will “leave thepolitics of the past in the past.”
The 78-year-old leftistSanders, eyeing the moderateButtigieg as his possible chiefadversary, aimed his own shots
at his far younger rival in theManchester, New Hampshiredebate — casting him as thecandidate of Wall Street.
“I don’t have 40 billionaires,Pete, contributing to my cam-paign,” Sanders said.
Buttigieg and Sanders fin-ished atop the pack earlier thisweek in Iowa’s chaotic caucus-es, and both hope to renew theperformance Tuesday in NewHampshire, as the DemocraticParty seeks to pick a challengerto Trump in November.
But Sanders, a veteran sen-ator calling for “political revo-lution,” was in the firing linefrom several rivals, includingformer vice president and fellowseptuagenarian Joe Biden whobranded his policies too radicalto unite Americans. AFP
1 ��!������ ����234�����!����& ������ �&����5���� �&���'����'�� ��� ������� ��������� �46�789Beijing: An American womanand a Japanese man became thefirst foreigners to have diedfrom the new coronavirus inChina as the death toll jumpedto 723 in the country with theconfirmed cases soaring to34,598, health officials said onSaturday.
The American citizen diedin Wuhan, the US embassyhere said on Saturday, the firstconfirmed foreign death fromthe outbreak.
“We can confirm that a 60-year-old US citizen diagnosedwith coronavirus died atJinyintang hospital in Wuhan,China on February 6,” a USembassy spokesman said.
“We offer sincerest condo-lences to the family for theirloss,” Hong Kong-based SouthChina Morning Post quotedthe spokesman as saying.
The New York Timesreported that the person was awoman and had underlyinghealth conditions, citing twopeople familiar with the mat-ter.
The Chinese ForeignMinistry said earlier that 19foreign nationals in China havebeen confirmed to have con-tracted the virus and undergo-ing treatment in hospitals.
Two of them were dis-charged after recovery, theministry said without disclos-ing details. Earlier reports saidthat four Pakistanis and twoAustralians contracted thevirus.
Though the US woman isofficially stated to be the firstforeigner to have died due tothe coronavirus, a Japaneseman hospitalised in Wuhan
with pneumonia has also died,the Japan’s foreign ministryannounced in Tokyo.
The Ministry citingChinese medical authoritiessaid on Saturday the man in his60s, was possibly infected withthe coronavirus but due todifficulties in diagnosing thedisease his death had beenattributed to viral pneumonia.
His cause of death was givenas viral pneumonia, it added.The man is potentially the firstJapanese to have died fromcoronavirus, it said. Eighty-sixdeaths were reported in main-land China with 3,399 freshcases from 31 provincial-levelregions, the country’s NationalHealth Commission said onSaturday. PTI
Hong Kong: Hong Kong onSaturday began enforcing amandatory two-week quarantinefor anyone arriving from main-land China, a dramatic escalationof its bid to stop the deadly newcoronavirus from spreading.
The vast majority of peoplecrossing the border are expect-ed to self-quarantine and willface daily phone calls and spotchecks by officials, with up to sixmonths in prison for thosefound in breach of the isolationperiod. Authorities hope theprospect of quarantine will vir-tually halt cross-border trafficwhile allowing the city to remainstocked with food and goodsfrom the mainland. AFP
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Paris: Five British nationalsincluding a child have testedpositive for the new coronavirusin France, the health ministersaid Saturday, adding that theyhad all stayed at the same skichalet.
France has now detected atotal of 11 cases of the novelcoronavirus, and the new “clus-ter” is centred on a Briton whohad returned from Singaporeand stayed in Contamines-Montjoie, near Mont Blanc inthe French Alps, HealthMinister Agnes Buzyn said.
“They show no serioussigns” of a life-threatening infec-tion added Buzyn, herself a doc-tor.
The Briton at the centre ofthe new cases is now in Britainand was not counted among theFrench tally, she told a pressconference.
In addition to the fiveBritons who have tested positivefor the virus, six other Britonsstaying in the same chalet in lateJanuary were also hospitalisedfor observation, the ministersaid. Authorities in France and
Singapore are now trying tocontact people who came intoclose contact with the initiallyinfected Brit, she said.
He was on a business tripand had stayed at a hotel for anevent with 94 other foreigners,according to senior health offi-cial Jerome Salomon whoattended the press briefingalong with Buzyn.
Other “clusters” havebeen identified in Malaysiaand South Korea around peo-ple who attended the sameevent, he said. AFP
Bangkok: A Thai soldierremained holed up in a shop-ping mall Saturday after gun-ning down at least 17 people,emergency services said, in anattack relayed throughFacebook posts.
The attack in the north-eastern city of NakhonRatchasima began late in theafternoon at an army barracks,police told AFP.
Three people were killed— among them at least onesoldier — when Sergeant-Major Jakrapanth Thommaopened fire.
“He stole an army vehicleand drove into the town cen-tre,” police Lieutenant-Colonel
Mongkol Kuptasiri. Localmedia reported the gunmanseized weapons from the armyarsenal before embarking ona shooting spree in the centreof the town.
In a fast-moving incident,authorities could not confirmlocal media reports the gun-man had taken up to 16hostages.
There were “17 deaths, 14wounded” late Saturday, saidan unnamed spokespersonfrom Bangkok’s ErawanCenter — the dispatch centrefor emergency services acrossthe country. Video and pho-tos circulating online relayedpanicked scenes on a main
road in the city - which is bet-ter known as Korat. Peoplefled while at least one fireroared and what appeared tobe the sound of automaticgunfire filled the air.
The gunman also postedphotos of himself and wroteseveral posts on his Facebookpage including “should I sur-render” and “no one canescape death”.
In one Facebook video —since deleted — the assailant,wearing an army helmet,filmed from an open jeepsaying, “I’m tired... I can’tpull my finger anymore” andmaking a trigger symbol withhis hand. AFP
/!������ ��(����� ���2����&��!������ Paris: The French military says
operations by French and Malianforces have killed 30 more extrem-ists in Africa’s Sahel region inrecent days, amid stepped-upefforts to combat jihadist groupsin the area.
Two airstrikes Friday involv-ing one of France’s first armeddrones killed some 20 militants inthe restive border zone whereMali, Niger and Burkina Fasomeet, according to a French mil-itary statement.
Earlier in the week, twoFrench commando operationskilled about 10 others in the bor-der zone where extremists groupsincluding Islamic State in theGrand Sahara operate, the state-ment said.
The French military said
France’s Barkhane force in theSahel region worked closely withMalian forces on the operations,and did not report any casualtiesamong French or Malian troops.
The military action came afterFrance announced plans Feb. 2 todeploy 600 additional soldiers toits Barkhane force, raising thenumber of troops there to 5,100.Most of the new troops will beconcentrated on the three-borderzone, the epicenter of the fightagainst jihadist groups.
Barkhane has been operatingin the region since 2014. FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macron andthe leaders of the G5 Sahel group— Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso,Niger and Chad — launched anew plan last month to fightjihadists in the area. AP
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Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel onSaturday fired a government official whose con-gratulating of a state governor elected with afar-right party’s help angered Merkel’s coalitionpartners.
Christian Hirte, a member of Merkel’sChristian Democratic Union who was the gov-ernment’s commissioner for the formerlycommunist east and a deputy economy min-ister, tweeted that he resigned after Merkel toldhim he could no longer do the job. Merkel’sspokesman, Steffen Seibert, confirmed his dis-missal.
Hirte’s departure is the latest fallout fromthe shock election Wednesday of pro-businesspolitician Thomas Kemmerich as governor ofthe eastern state of Thuringia. The far-rightAlternative for Germany, or AfD, enabled it bysupporting him in a vote in the state legisla-ture — as did the regional branch of Merkel’s
CDU, against the wishes of its national lead-ership.
Kemmerich’s acceptance of AfD’s votesappalled left-leaning parties and many in hisown center-right camp. Merkel called his elec-tion “inexcusable.” The politician from the smallFree Democrats announced the day after he waselected that he planned to step down, thoughit isn’t yet clear when that will happen orwhether the state will hold a new election.
Hirte, a deputy leader of the CDU’sThuringia branch who sits in the national par-liament, had congratulated Kemmerich on his“election as a candidate of the center,” tweet-ing that it showed the state had voted out itsprevious left-wing government, and making nomention of AfD’s role. The center-left SocialDemocrats, Merkel’s junior partners in heroften-tense national governing coalition, saidHirte couldn’t stay in his job. AP
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Tehran: Iran’s supreme leaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei saidSaturday that the Islamicrepublic must become strongenough to ward off the“enemy’s threats” and preventa war.
Khamenei also said Iranhad a strong air force despitedecades of US pressure andsanctions on the country sincethe 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“We must become strongso that there will not be a war,become strong so that enemy’sthreats will end,” he told a
gathering of air force com-manders and staff.
“We do not want to threat-en anyone... This is to preventthreats, to maintain the coun-try’s security,” he added in aspeech aired on state televi-sion.
Tensions escalatedbetween Tehran andWashington after a January 3US drone strike killed topIranian general QasemSoleimani in Baghdad.
Iran retaliated days laterby firing a wave of missiles at
American troops stationed inIraq. Its defence forces hadbeen braced for US retaliationwhen they shot down aUkraine International Airlinesflight a few minutes after take-off from Tehran on January 8.
“Our Air Force, which hadno right to & couldn’t evenrepair parts of aircrafts (beforethe revolution) now buildsplanes,” Khamenei was quotedas saying on his English-lan-guage Twitter account.
“Sanctions are literallycrimes, BUT they can be
turned into opportunities,” headded.
In 2018, the United Stateswithdrew unilaterally from alandmark nuclear deal withIran and began reimposingsanctions as part of its “max-imum pressure” campaign onthe country.
Top EU diplomat JosepBorrel visited Tehran last weekon a mission aimed at lower-ing tensions over the Islamicrepublic’s nuclear programme,which has been crumblingsince the US withdrawal. AFP
Peshawar: The Pakistani Talibanhas confirmed that one of its keyleaders and another member ofthe group were killed in a clashwith security forces inAfghanistan.
In a statement published bythe SITE monitoring groupFriday, the Tehreek-e-TalibanPakistan (TTP) said SheikhKhalid Haqqani, who served onthe group’s consultative counciland had been a deputy leader,had been killed January 31.
Haqqani’s close confidantQari Saifullah Peshawari wasalso killed in the clash that tookplace inside Afghanistan duringa “mission”, a senior PakistaniTaliban leader told AFP.
Afghan security forces
declined to comment, and it wasnot immediately clear what typeof mission Haqqani may havebeen on. Haqqani was notthought to be related to theHaqqani network, which is alsoaffiliated to the Afghan Taliban.
Both Islamabad and Kabulhave long accused each other ofallowing militants to shelter inthe border regions and launchbloody attacks that threatenregional stability.
Pakistan has been battling ahomegrown Islamist insurgencyfor over a decade, with thou-sands of civilians and securitypersonnel dying in extremistattacks, especially after the TTPbegan their campaign of vio-lence in 2007. PTI
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Niamey: At least 11 civilianshad been killed in two separateattacks in Niger, which is strug-gling to contain a wave ofjihadist violence, officials saidSaturday.
In one attack on Friday,members of the Islamist groupBoko Haram killed six civiliansin Bosso district in the southeastregion of Diffa bordering Chadand Nigeria, a local official toldAFP.
Four members of the samefamily were among those killed,said the official.
Officials in Bosso districtconfirmed the attack, but saidfive people had been killed.
In a separate attack in thesouthwestern region of Tillaberi,
which borders Mali, four armedmen on two motorbikes openedfire on workers in the village ofMolia, killing four people, aregional official told AFP.
That attack took place lateon Thursday.
The use of motorbikes isbanned in the region.
The attacks were just the lat-est in a surge in violence in theWest African country.
Niger’s Diffa and Tillaberiregions are vulnerable toincreasingly deadly incursionsby the jihadists based in north-ern Nigeria. According to anofficial toll, three attacks inDecember and January, allclaimed by Islamic State, havekilled 174 soldiers. AFP
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Addis Ababa: UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres onSaturday said it was “unac-ceptable” South Sudan’s war-ring parties had yet to makepeace as a deadline approach-es for the rivals to join forcesin government.
President Salva Kiir andrebel leader Riek Machar havefailed to break a deadlock overkey terms of a power-sharingagreement with just two weeksuntil they are to form a unitygovernment.
The pair have alreadymissed two previous dead-lines to settle their differencesand enshrine a lasting peace toput an end to six years ofbloody civil war that has left380,000 people dead and mil-lions more in dire poverty.
“Think about your people,respect your people, you havenot the right to continue theconfrontation when your peo-ple are suffering so much,”Guterres told reporters inAddis Ababa ahead of anAfrican Union summit.
“It is your moral and polit-ical responsibility to put an endto this and to find the agree-ments that are necessary tomake South Sudan enter intoa normal life.”
Kiir and Machar signed apeace deal in September 2018,pausing the bloodshed thaterupted in 2013 when thepresident accused his formerdeputy of plotting a coup.
They agreed to cometogether in a coalition in Maythe following year, howeverdisputes over territory andsecurity arrangements doggednegotiations and the deadlinewas missed, followed by anoth-er six months later.
In November, the pairwere given 100 more days toresolve these sticking points as
fears grew that the tenuousceasefire could be derailed if abreakthrough was notachieved.
But progress has beenpiecemeal as the new February22 looms nearer.
“It is for me totally unac-ceptable that we are again clos-ing to a deadline ... And thereis no agreement on a numberof issues,” Guterres said.
“It is time for the SouthSudanese leaders to agree tocooperate, and to deserve thewonderful people they have.”
A UN rights commissionon South Sudan warned Fridaythat violence was on the rise inparts of the country, and thatefforts to unify armed factionsunder the terms of the peaceagreement were faltering. AFP
said the Central government isplugging the loopholes in theGood and Services Tax (GST)with the use of technologyand is working towards eightper cent growth rate.
She also said micro, smalland medium enterprises(MSMEs) can make a com-plaint if banks deny them loanswithout reason.
Sitharaman was here toexplain the Budget proposals totraders, industrialists, econo-mists and the media.
According to her, duringthe last three months the GSTcollections have exceeded �1lakh crore.
She said at the GSTCouncil, State FinanceMinisters had said that owingto loopholes tax revenue is notincreasing and now that isbeing plugged.
The GST collections dur-
ing November and December2019 were about �1,04,000crore and �1,03,000 crorerespectively and in January itwas �1,11,000 crore, said AjayBhushan Pandey, RevenueSecretary.
According to Pandey, theGovernment is taking variousmeasures like use of data ana-lytics, data from Income Tax fil-ings, exports and imports andidentify where taxes are notbeing paid.
Pointing out that there areabout 1.20 crore entities regis-tered under GST, he said redflag reports are prepared everymonth and SMS messages aresent to those on whom red flagreports are made.
Pandey said if the tax paidand the tax due difference islarge than the taxpayers andalso tax officials are notified.
“This has resulted in high-er tax collections,” he said.
According to him, the gov-ernment will continue to usetargeted approach and also use
data analytics and artificialintelligence.
When asked about thepending GST dues of �4,000crore to Tamil Nadu,Sitharaman said it would besetting in two months and thedue is not targeted at the statealone.
On bringing petrol anddiesel under GST regime shesaid the GST Council consist-ing of state Finance Ministershave to decide on that and oncethey agree then it would bedone.
Pandey also said once theFinance Bill is passed byParliament the governmentwill put out the procedure to befollowed under ‘Viwad SeVishwas’ scheme for settlingpending direct tax issues.
He also said where the taxdepartment of the governmenthas filed an appeal against thetaxpayer then that would bewithdrawn.
Queried about the new taxslab rates that would turn Indiafrom a saving economy tospending economy, Sitharaman
said that an earning individualwith additional money on hishands can decide what to dowith it and the governmentneed not guide his savingsthrough tax deductions.
According to her, it is justeight days since the Budget for2020-21 was presented. It willtake some time to see whetherdemand boosting measuresstated in the Budget would giveresults.
Earlier addressing thetraders and industrialists,Sitharaman said micro, smalland medium enterprises(MSMEs) can complain ifbanks deny them loans withoutreason.
Sitharaman said if thebanks are denying loans with-out reason then the MSMEscan send a complaint to thespecial centre to be announcedshortly.
She said a copy of thecomplaint should also be sentto the concerned bank manag-er. Sitharaman said the foreign
exchange reserves are at a highlevel as the fundamentals aregood. On her long Budgetspeech, Sitharaman said thatofficials had worked hard tocome out with proposals for allsections of society.
Stressing that the macroeconomic fundamentals aregood Sitharaman said the focusis on creating assets and invest-ing in infrastructure.
Earlier banks resorted to“phone banking for loan dis-bursal” lending to “uncles andbrother-in-laws” which result-ed in high non-performingassets (NPAs).
“It took four years for us toset right the NPAs,” she said.
Sitharaman said lessonshave been learnt on how to pre-vent such a situation again.
She said the governmenthas not resorted to uselessspending. The government hasdecided to create assets invest-ing in infrastructure.
She said public expenditureshould go for infrastructure.
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Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Saturday
told micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSMEs) to makea complaint if banks denyloans without reason.
Explaining the proposalsin the Union Budget 2020-21presented by her in Parliamentrecently to traders and indus-try here, Sitharaman said if thebanks are denying loans with-out reason then the MSMEscan send a complaint to thespecial centre to be announcedshortly.
She said a copy of thecomplaint should also be sentto the concerned bank man-ager.
Sitharaman said the for-eign exchange reserves are ata high level as the fundamen-tals are good.
On her long Budgetspeech Sitharaman said that
officials had worked hard tocome out with proposals for allsections of the society.
Stressing that the macroeconomic fundamentals aregood Sitharaman said ourfocus is on creating assets andinvesting in infrastructure.
Earlier banks resorted to“phone banking for loan dis-bursal” lending to “uncles andbrother-in-laws” which result-ed in high non-performingassets (NPAs).
“It took four years for us toset right the NPA,” she said.
Sitharaman said lessonshave been learnt on how toprevent such a situation again.
She said with responsibil-ity the government has notresorted to useless spending.The government has decidedto create assets investing ininfrastructure.
She said public expendi-ture should go for infrastruc-ture.
have emerged leaders amongUnion territories across allparameters for national e-gov-ernance service delivery assess-ment (NeSDA), according to anofficial report released hereon Saturday.
The assessment is donebroadly for four categories –Union territories, remainingstates, union territories andcentral government ministrieswebsites.
Haryana and Rajasthan arethe leading states in the assess-ment under the “remainingstates” category comprising 18states.
Among the north-east andhill states, Nagaland has got thefirst rank with its service por-tal having an average compli-ance of more than 45 per centto the criteria assessed across allseven parameters, includingease of use, end service deliv-ery and content availabilityamong others, according tothe report released by Ministerof State for Personnel JitendraSingh at the 23rd National e-governance Conference here.
The conference, which isbeing jointly organised by theDepartment of AdministrativeReforms and Public Grievances(DARPG), Government ofMaharashtra and the Ministryof Electronics and InformationTechnology, was attended byvarious senior functionariesof the state and central gov-
ernment, including V Srinivas,Additional Secretary, DARPG.
The website of the CentralBoard of Direct Taxes (CBDT)under the finance ministry isthe winner under the assess-ment of central ministry ser-vice portals category. Whereas,the ministry portals of health& family welfare, and humanresource have emerged leadersacross “all parameters”, thereport said.
The NeSDA frameworkprimarily assessed all the ser-vice portals (state/UT and cen-tral ministry service portals) onseven key parameters, namelyaccessibility, content availabil-ity, ease of use, informationsecurity & privacy, end servicedelivery, integrated servicedelivery and status & requesttracking.
The framework covers sixsectors, namely finance, labour& employment, education,local government & utilities,social welfare (including agri-culture & health) and environ-ment (including fire) sectors.
Giving details of the assess-ment of the Union territories,it said data related to Andamanand Nicobar Islands,Lakshadweep, Chandigarh,Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveliand Pondicherry werereviewed.
Of these, the portal ofAndaman and Nicobar Islandshas been adjudged first on thefour parameters, viz., accessi-bility, content availability, easeof use, and information secu-rity and privacy, the report said.
the fourth generation Japanmodel of off-road vehicleSuzuki Jimny at the Auto Expohere with an aim to assessresponse of Indian customers.
The four-wheel drive vehi-cle powered by a 1.5 litre petrolengine, has power of 75 kW/6000 rpm and torque of 130Nm /4000 rpm enabling it to
negotiate difficult terrains, thecompany said.
Speaking about SuzukiJimny, MSI Managing Directorand CEO Kenichi Ayukawasaid:”The vehicle has been
showcased at the Auto Expo toassess response of the Indianconsumers to the product.”
“Jimny has been devel-oped on the basis of thoroughresearch, assessing the expec-tations and requirements ofprofessional users,” he added.
With its compact designand off-road capabilities, thevehicle speaks volumes aboutSuzuki’s engineering capabili-ties, he added. Suzuki sells theJimny across 194 countries.
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China continues to be animportant seafood import
market, given that the worldsmost populous country has anincreasing presence of upperand middle classes who arekeen on healthy food, expertssaid at the 22nd IndiaInternational Seafood Show(IISS) here.
The marine food industry,though, must wake up to thefact that ‘new retail’ is thetrend fast replacing ‘online’,where Chinese e-commercegiant Alibaba is building aretail ecosystem,innovativelyblending online and offlinechannels in a unified way fea-turing the consumer at the cen-tre in unexpected ways, a tech-nical session of the February 7-9 summit here noted.
All the same, one should bewary of over reliance on Chinaas a partner in seafood trade,the speakers pointed out whiledeliberating on the topic“Prospective Markets &Regulatory Environment”.
Carson Roper, SeafoodIndustry Consultant, France, inhis talk on ‘China and Farm-Raised Shrimp’, said that theEast Asian country is a majormarine products market thatremains largely untapped.
Projections say that Chinawill continue to feature amongthe worlds top 11 seafood mar-kets, he observed in the pre-sentation that focused on howChina impacts global seafoodtrade and consumption.
Roper spoke earlier as well,
starting the session with a pre-sentation on ‘Country andBrand Loyalty: An explorationof successful (and not success-
ful) national and corporateseafood marketing initiatives.
The other speakers wereLee Chee Wee of SingaporesAquaculture Innovation Center(on ‘Live shrimp transporta-tion), Christopher Priddy,International RelationsSpecialist, USFDA, India(Overview of FDA regulationsfor seafood) and R M Mandlik,Deputy Director-Marketing,MPEDA (Importing countryregulations and its impact ontrade). The session was mod-erated by CN Ravisankar,Director of Central Institute ofFisheries.
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The Central government willhelp the seafood sector in
all possible ways to make Indiathe number one exporter,Union Minister of State forCommerce and Industry, SomParkash, said on Saturday.
In his address at the 22ndIndia International SeafoodShow, organised by the MarineExports DevelopmentAuthority (MPEDA) here, hesaid: “There is an urgent needto make India the prime pro-ducer of seafood, going upfrom the fourth position.
“The government is willingto address the problems facedby the sector in achieving pro-duction and export targets
without compromising onquality and environment.When this happens, it wouldcontribute to the country’soverall economic developmentbesides improving the employ-ment opportunities. At present,the sector provides employ-ment to about 14.5 million peo-ple,” Prakash said.
The Minister asked theMPEDA to prepare and submita memorandum, listing thesector’s requirements.
Seafood ExportersAssociation of India PresidentJagdish V. Fofandi said thatPrime Minister Narendra Modishould take up the issue thatseafood exporters face withthe European Union, duringhis upcoming visit.
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Drug firm Cipla on Saturdaysaid it has acquired four
brands from Wanbury Ltd tostrengthen its presence in thewomen’s health segment.
While Cipla did not pro-vide any financial details of theacquisition, as per a regulato-ry filing by Wanbury, it hasreceived up to Rs 88.60 crorefor the sale of the brands toCipla.
Cipla has acquired thefour brands namely CPink,CDense, Productiv andFolinine to further strengthenits presence in the women’shealth segment, Cipla said in afiling to the BSE.
The nutraceutical prod-ucts, to be sold under the 4umbrella brands, wouldaddress various health needsfor conditions arising due tonutritional deficiencies orinsufficiencies, it added.
This includes supplementssuch as multivitamins, multi-mineral and antioxidants foradolescent girls, pregnant andlactating women, women goingthrough menopause and formale and female reproductivehealth, Cipla said.
“We are focused onstrengthening our play in thewomen’s health segment byamplifying our four-decadelong presence in this category.Through this newly acquiredportfolio, we shall be cateringto a wide range of patientneeds including nutritionaldeficiencies, bone health andsexual health” Cipla Head IndiaBusiness Nikhil Chopra said.
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With the framing of the newNational Textile Policy
under process, textile secretaryRavi Capoor will pay a one-dayvisit here on February 12 to takesuggestions and opinions fromcaptains of industry.
Though most problemshad already been discussed atthe higher level, including withPrime Minister Narendra Modiin December last year, issuesremained to be resolved,Confederation of Indian Textile
Industry (CITI) Chairman TRajkumar told reporters here.
All textile-related associa-tions across Tamil Nadu,Kerala,Andhra Pradesh andKarnataka, particularlyweavers,have been invited toparticipate in a session with thesecretary so that they can get asolution to their problems,Rajkumar said.
On the textile scenario, hesaid the Indian textile industrywould be able to cash in on theslowdown in the sector inChina, which was facing the
coronavirus problem.Inquiries have already start-
ed coming in from countriesdoing business with China, hesaid, adding that the Indian tex-tile industry, if tapped early, canincrease the business at least by25 to 30 per cent.
Rajkumar said it was essen-tial to increase production levelof man made fibre and filamentfrom the current level of fourbillion kgs to 12 billions toachieve the textile business size of 350 billionUSD by 2025.
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With the export of its firstparcel of IMO 2020
grade Very Low Sulphur FuelOil (VLSFO) from Kochi toSingapore, Bharat Petroleumhas become the first oil mar-keting company to export thiscleaner shipping fuel from thecountry.
The tanker MT Alnic MCcarrying the first parcel of 15TMT VLSFO to Singapore wasflagged off by Cochin PortTrust Chairperson MBeenafrom the Cochin Port onFriday, a BPCL press releasesaid here on Saturday.
Stringent InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO)standards aimed at preventingpollution from marine andshipping operations are re-shaping the marine fuels land-scape and the global cap on sul-phur content for general ship-ping stands reduced from 3.50per cent wt to 0.50 per cent wteffective January 1, 2020, it said.
P Murali Madhavan,Executive Director (KochiRefinery), BPCL, who was pre-sent, said VLSFO is an IMO2020 compliant marine fueland in view of emerging mar-ket for VLSFO, Kochi Refinerystarted production fromDecember 2019.
“We also started supplyingVLSFO to the tankers calling atKochi from then. VLSFO isproduced mainly using the
vacuum residue of low sulphurcrude oils with suitable blend-ing streams.
“Now that the globaldemand is increasing, we haveentered into exports of VLSFO,after saturating indigenousdemands. The first export thatwas flagged off today alsomarks the first export from thecountry by any Oil MarketingCompany in India,” he said.
Top BPCL officials includ-ing K Suresh Nair, ExecutiveDirector (Supply ChainOptimisation), MR SubramoniIyer, Chief General Manager(Operations), A MohanlalMenon, Chief GeneralManager (Engineering &Advisory Services), NChandrasekar, GeneralManager (Oil Movement &Stock) and V R Rajan, GeneralManager (Technology) werepresident.
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America is India’s preferred trade and business part-ner in its journey to become a USD 5 trillion econ-
omy by 2024, the country’s new envoy to the US TaranjitSingh Sandhu has said.
Addressing a gathering of American business com-munity at a reception hosted in his honour by US-IndiaStrategic and Partnership Forum on Friday, Sandhu saidthat the potential for cooperation between the UnitedStates and India is limitless.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has setthe goal for India to grow from a USD 3 trillion econo-my today to a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024 and a USD10 trillion economy by 2030.
“In this journey, Prime Minister Modi has made itclear that the US is a preferred partner for trade and busi-ness,” said the country’s new ambassador to the US.
“The relations between our governments has founda new momentum, getting its energy from the warmfriendship between our leaders.
US President (Donald Trump) and our PrimeMinister (Modi) have met four times last year,” he said.
New Delhi: Mahindra & Mahindraon Saturday said Anand Mahindrahas acceded the request of theboard to continue as executivechairman till November next year.
The board of directors of thecompany have unanimouslyrequested Anand Mahindra to con-tinue as the executive chairman tillhis original term of appointment asapproved by the shareholders of thecompany that is up to November 11,
2021, the company said in a BSE fil-ing. As per the SEBI guidelines, hehad to step down from his execu-tive role from April 1, 2020.
“In deference to the wishes ofthe Governance, Nomination andRemuneration Committee(GNRC) and Board, AnandMahindra has acceded to therequest to continue as the ExecutiveChairman till his original term ofappointment. PTI
New Zealand exorcised the ghost of anightmarish T20 whitewash with aseries-clinching 22-run victory
against India in the second ODI on Saturdayas the visitors paid the price for poor shotselection.
Revenge as they say is a dish best servedcold and on a chilly Auckland night, NewZealand defended a total of 273 by restrict-ing India to 251 in 48.3 overs taking anunassailable 2-0 lead in the three-matchseries.
The victory also completed a hat-trickof ODI wins for the Black Caps starting fromtheir World Cup semi-final win inManchester last year.
The win was more creditable as regu-lar skipper Kane Williamson along with topbowlers Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson wereunavailable.
New Zealand’s 6 foot 8 inch debutantKyle Jamieson (2/42 and 25 off 24 balls) gotthe Player of the Match award for his all-round show.
“I’m impressed with how we finished.We let things slip away from 197-8 to 270plus in the first half but came back strong-ly with the second half of our batting. Wewere in trouble with the bat, but Saini andJadeja played really well, as did Shreyas,”skipper Virat Kohli said at the post-matchpresentation.
In fact the skipper felt that ODIs are lessrelevant in a T20 World Championship year.
“ODIs aren’t too relevant this yearcompared to Tests and T20s, but to find peo-ple who can play that way under pressureis a big revelation for us and a big plus.”
Ravindra Jadeja (55 off 73 balls) alongwith Navdeep Saini (45 off 49 balls) raisedvisions of pulling off an improbable win witha 76-run partnership, which ended in vain.
Tim Southee despite running temper-ature (2/41 in 10 overs) was brilliant withthe new ball as his incutter got rid of ViratKohli but it was poor shot selection from aset Shreyas Iyer (52) and Kedar Jadhav (9)in the middle overs did cost India dearlyafter the inexperienced pair of MayankAgarwal and Prithvi Shaw had a second suc-cessive poor day.
Earlier, in-form Ross Taylor produceda rearguard act with an unbeaten half cen-tury to rescue New Zealand to a competi-tive 273 for eight in 50 overs.
Taylor scored 73 not out (74 balls, 6fours, 2 sixes) — his 51st half-century — andput on 76 off 51 balls for the ninth wicketwith Jamieson to lift the hosts from 197-8to a competitive score.
Opener Martin Guptill smashed a run-a-ball 79 to give the Black Caps a good startbut they lost seven wickets for 55 runs tolook down the barrel at one stage.
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Sparkling hundreds from BabarAzam and Shan Masood put
Pakistan in command againstBangladesh on the second day ofthe first Test at Rawalpindi onSaturday.
Azam scored a career bestunbeaten 143 for his third suc-cessive hundred in as manyTests — fifth of a burgeoning career— while openerShan Masoodmade 100 as theypulverised a hap-less Bangladesh attack at Rawalpindistadium.
At close, Azam was still battingwith Asad Shafiq on 60, piling agonyon the visitors during their unbroken137-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Masood said he and Azam havedone their jobs.
“We have batted our way to take
the team in a strong position and hope thatthe remaining batsmen come and score sothat we can build a good lead,” said
Masood, who hailed Azam as worldclass.
Pakistan lead Bangladesh’s firstinnings total of 233 by 109 runs withsix wickets intact.
Since his fighting century againstAustralia at Brisbane (104) inNovember last year, Azam hasnotched 102 not out and 100 not out
against Sri Lanka in two Tests — mak-ing this his fourth hundred in five Tests.
In between he missed a hundred atAdelaide by a mere three runs.
But it could have been an early exitfor Azam had Ebadot Hossain notdropped him off Islam at long-off whenhis score was only two.
That lapse cost Bangladesh dear-ly as Azam added an invaluable 112 for
the third wicket with Masood, who alsoknocked his third Test century — second insuccessive Tests.
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Defending champions India areoverwhelming favourites to win a
record fifth U-19 World Cup title heretoday but a tough fight is expected fromfirst-timers Bangladeshin an all-Asian final.
If the India squadfor the 2018 edition hadthe likes of Prithvi Shaw and ShubmanGill, who have expectedly gone on toplay for the senior team, the exploits ofopener Yashasvi Jaiswal, spinner RaviBishnoi and pacer Kartik Tyagi in thecurrent edition have made themovernight stars.
Irrespective of what happens intoday’s final, India have reinforced thefact that they are undisputed leaders atthe under-19 level and the cricketingstructure the BCCI has developed isworking better than any other board inthe world.
India, who walloped arch-rivalsPakistan by 10 wickets in the semifinalon Tuesday, will be playing their sev-enth final since 2000 when they liftedthe trophy for the first time.
Heading to the mega event, Indiacolts played about 30-odd games in dif-ferent part of the world. To get used tothe South African conditions, theyplayed a quadrangular series beforethey played their World Cup openeragainst Sri Lanka.
In the final, India run intoBangladesh, a team which too hasreaped the benefits of meticulous plan-ning since their quarterfinal loss at the2018 edition.
Though the Priyam Garg-ledIndian side got the better of them in the
tri-series in England and Asia Cup lastyear, Bangladesh have always come upwith a fight and fielding coach Sharmaexpects it would be no different today.
“They are a very good side. Thereis a lot of mutual respect. I can tell youthat,” he said.
Considering it is their maidenfinal, it is a bigger game for Bangladesh.If they win, it will be a sweet revengeagainst the sub-continental giants,who have found a way to tameBangladesh at the senior level in closefinals.
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Smriti Mandhana struck a sublime half-centuryas India finally produced a good batting display
to record a seven-wicket win over Australia here onSaturday, keeping their hopes alive for a place in thefinal of the women’s T20 tri-series.
Australia posted 173 for 5 courtesy a 57-ball 93from Ashleigh Gardner and Meg Lanning’s 22-ball37 after India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur elected tofield at the Junction Oval.
India then overhauled the target in 19.4 overs,largely due to opener Shafali Verma’s 49 off 28 ballsand Mandhana’s 55 off 48 balls.
With the win, India moved to the second posi-tion in the points table, behind England. The win-ner of the final league match between Australia andEngland today will decide the finalists for the titleclash on February 12.
After two failures, sixteen-year-old Shafali gaveIndia a flying start with her innings containing eightfours and a six. Her senior opening partnerMandhana on the other hand anchored the case witha solid knock comprising seven fours.
After Shafali was caught by Nicola Carey offEllyse Perry’s ball, Jemimah Rodrigues came into thecrease and made a quickfire 19-ball 30, studded withfive hits to the fence.
Her innings was cut short when she holed outto Alyssa Healy off Megan Schutt’s delivery in the13th over.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 not out off 20balls) then joined Mandhana and added 42 to takeIndia close to the target. Mandhana was trappedLBW by Carey in the 19th over. Harmanpreet andDeepti Sharma (11 not out off 4 balls) then took theteam to a resounding win.
Earlier, Gardner sent the ball across the fence11 times and blasted three sixes in her 57-ball inningsto emerge as the top-scorer for Australia.
�� �������'��Veteran pacer Dale Steynhas been named in the South Africa squadfor the upcoming three-match T20I seriesagainst England. He returns to internation-al cricket after nearly a year’s absence hav-ing fully recovered from a recurring shoul-der injury.
The 36-year-old has already expressedhis desire to feature in this year’s T20 WorldCup, feeling his experience of 15 years ininternational cricket can come in handy tolead the Proteas quicks in Australia.
Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada con-tinue to be rested and will no longer be apart of the remainder of England’s tour.
The squad, to be led by Quinton deKock, is capped off with the maiden call-ups of batsman Pite van Biljon and seam-er Sisanda Magala. However, Magala’sselection is conditional upon the passing ofa fitness test that he will have to take aheadof the first match in East London next week.Squad: Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks,Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen,David Miller, Pite van Biljon, DwainePretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Jon-JonSmuts, Beuran Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi,Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala, Bjorn Fortuin,Dale Steyn, Heinrich Klaasen. IANS
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Sydney Sixers were crownedBig Bash League champions
for a second time on Saturdayafter Melbourne Stars fell shortduring the run-chase in a rain-affected match that capped anear two-month competition.
Chasing 117 to win a gamereduced to 12 overs, GlennMaxwell’s Stars could only man-age 97 for six as they suffered a
second finals defeat in a rowafter imploding against theMelbourne Renegades last year.
“It’s fantastic, it was an enter-taining game of cricket,” saidSixers captain Moises Henriquesafter the 19-run win at theSydney Cricket Ground securedtheir second title and first sincethe inaugural season in 2011-12.
“The wicket played prettywell after so much rain. Welldone to the ground staff and
congratulations to the Stars ona great season.”
It was remarkable the matchwent ahead with Sydneydrenched by torrential rain fortwo straight days, which only letup as the final was due to start,with the game getting underwaymore than an hour late.
Unlike most otherTwenty20 events around theworld, no finals reserve day isbuilt into the BBL structurewhich would have meant theSixers claiming victory as thehost team if no play was possi-ble.
Nathan Lyon (2-19) andSteve O’Keefe (2-27) were thepick of the Sixers’ bowlers afterthey made 116 for five in theirinnings, spearheaded by impres-sive opener Josh Philippe's 52.
“The boys can hold theirheads up high, we’ve had agreat year,” said Maxwell."Unfortunately we let ourselvestonight, but they can be proud.Two finals in a row. We’ve beenextremely consistent. Onwardsand upwards to next year.”
������!�� Roger Federer andRafael Nadal attracted whatorganisers said was a worldrecord crowd for a tennis matchwhen they played an exhibitionevent in the Cape Town Stadiumon Friday.
The organisers said anaudited attendance of 51,954beat the 42,517 who watchedFederer play Alexander Zverevin Mexico City last November.
“To have 51,954 people inattendance at a tennis match, Inever thought I’d be apart ofsomething like that,” saidFederer. “It’s not something you
dream about. Federer won 6-43-6 6-3 in a match in which theplayers had to contend with cool,windy conditions in the stadiumthat was built for the 2010 foot-ball World Cup.
“It’s an amazing crowd, anamazing stadium,” said Nadal,who was making his firstappearance in South Africasince playing here as a junior.
Earlier in the day, Federerand his doubles partner billion-aire Bill Gates beat Nadal andSouth-African born comedianTrevor Noah in a match withmore flexible rules. AFP
New Zealand’s debutant pacer KyleJamieson has called his maiden inter-
national game surreal after he won theman-of-the-match in their 22-run win.
“Pretty surreal. You kind of grow updreaming of these moments. Get your firstcap and hope to make an impact and toplay some sort of role in helping us firstto get to a total and then restrict a prettygood batting line-up is very pleasing. Andto have a series win tops it all,” he said onSaturday. Talking about his 76-run part-nership off 51 balls with Taylor, Jamiesonsaid,”Firstly, we were just trying to get tothe 50 overs. We had plenty of time andthat made it pretty simple.
“It was just about getting through that50 overs and then my role became abouthow do I get Ross on strike and what enddo we attack and what total do we needto get to and we ended up getting a littlebit more because we kind of extended awee bit, which was good. Pretty simplefrom Ross!”
He then took a brace including PrithviShaw as his first wicket. Later he bowledNavdeep Saini who was playing the res-cue act with Ravindra Jadeja late in theIndian innings.
“The debut wicket (was more specialthan the runs). I think hitting the six wasa bit of a bonus. My role is to bowl andtake wickets and restrict runs. To get thatfirst one under the belt is quite special. ButI think being able to perform that role, mycore role, is special to me.”
�������� India pacerNavdeep Saini lamented hisdismissal at a crucial juncturewhich resulted in team’sseries-conceding defeat in thesecond ODI on Saturday.
Saini’s 76-run partner-ship for the eighth wicket withRavindra Jadeja kept India inpursuit of a 274-run target butthe former’s dismissal crushedteam’s hopes.
Saini had smacked KyleJamieson for a six but wasbowled in the next ball.Skipper Virat Kohli was evenseen asking Saini to stay clamafter he hit the ball out of park.
“I will regret when I goback and see the video. If Ihadn’t got out, maybe theresult could have been differ-ent. Will regret that I took itso close and maybe couldhave gotten closer,” Saini saidat the post match conference.
“We felt the wicket was
flat and if we could stay till theend, the match could go close.So we were trying to con-tribute as much as possibleand take the match to the end.Jadeja had told me that if youget a boundary ball hit it.Otherwise take singles or
doubles, try to keep patienceand we can take the game tothe end.”
Saini was seen battinglong in the nets pre-matchand it paid off as he scored 45off 49 balls, including fivefours and two sixes. The pacer
said it is important for thelower order to contributeruns for the team’s cause.
“It is a good thing that thelower order is performinglike this. If everyone per-forms, it is called a teameffort. If batsmen cannotscore, bowlers should. Ifbowlers are not taking wick-ets, fielders should help. It isa team, after all.
“I was thinking that I gotto bat after a long time. Assoon as I hit the boundary, Iwas in shock. Wow, the ball iscoming really well off my bat,I thought. Among the supportstaff, Raghu (throw downspecialist) helps me with bat-ting and is always encourag-ing me to do well. Even inhotel, he keeps telling me thatI bat well and should do bet-ter. He keeps motivating meand always talks about mybatting,” he said. PTI
Looking at the frequent outbreaks ofstubborn virus and food-related aller-gies and illness, there is no doubt thatan un-wellness pandemic is engulfingus. And the sad part is that while we
see this happening — to us and to everyonearound us — there really isn’t much that we cando about it, except worrying and cribbingabout it, maybe!
Well, the good news is that a lot of this ispreventable by a simple tool at our disposal —just changing what we plate. Focussing on scor-ing right nutrition and safe food is the onlysolution. All you need to is to follow a simplefive-point plan to add health to your diet.
���������������My get healthy philosophy is clear and sim-
ple: if we focus on nutrition, rest everythingwill fall in place, automatically.
When our diet is loaded with empty foods,which are low on nutrition (that is, the basicvitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymesthat our body needs) then sustenance does nothappen. I define sustenance as not just filling ofthe stomach with the required calories, butwith nutritional satiety. And without suste-nance, there is no satisfaction, without whichthe urge to continue eating continues. It is thatoften familiar feeling of eating without beingable to stop when we should, and the gnawingutterly uncontrollable avalanche of cravingsthat rule our food choices!
Secondly, unless we are nutritionally fit, wewon’t function at our optimum — and that is areal deal breaker. For example, you may be at arisk for anaemia, one side effect of which isconstant fatigue. And this will interfere withyour ability to exercise, which will lead toweight gain.
Similarly if you are a fan of low or no carbdiets and restrict cereals excessively in yourdiet, you may not get enough B vitamins,which are essential for fat metabolism in thebody. Result: more fat deposition. Yes, that’show diets that restrict carbs too much fall flat!
� �������������������It’s a sad fact that science, sometimes does-
n’t discover knowledge, it “constructs” it, andthen the marketers market it smartly. And wecan’t just wish away this reality. Apparently, thesugar industry in the US paid three very influ-ential scientists in the 1960s to play down thelink between sugar and heart disease and pro-mote saturated fat (SF) as the devil instead.Thankfully, sugar is back to being the devil andsaturated fat is being exonerated.
Also, there is no way to making sense ofthe constant yo-yoing of what research says andthen unsays. A theory that may appear righttoday may be debunked tomorrow. It happenedwith milk, eggs, coconut oil, ghee, to name afew, making all of us bonafide food schizos.
So what does one do? For one, we mustunderstand that nutrition is an ever evolvingscience, and facts change at breakneck speed.So read the ‘breaking news’ but take it with a
pinch of salt; use it only as a guiding light notgospel. Read all sensational headlines (like soand so extract will help you dodge Alzheimer's)objectively and apply the principle of commonsense before following them. For example, aresearch says that wine is good for our heart,but that does not mean that you must begindowning a glass or two everyday! Maybe, it isthe exercise that you are doing in the morningand the two fruits you are snacking on that arekeeping your heart in the pink of health, and itdoesn’t need any extra help.
Too much information can often do moreharm than good. Listen to your gut feel, andthe golden rule of moderation — no food isbad per se, it is only bad in excess — and youwill be fine.
������������������������� ��There are enough red flags about processed
foods to convince anyone who values his healthto go off them. According to the World HealthOrganisation, processed foods are to blame forthe spike in chronic disease around the world.Multiple studies have found correlation withhigher incidence of heart disease, diabetes,depression and even early death with moreintake of processed foods.
The reason is simple — they come pack-aged with a deadly cocktail of chemicals, andway too much of sugar and salt, all of whichwreak havoc inside the body. They leave youshort on fibre and antioxidants. Plus they areaddictive as they are designed clearly to attackthe reward centre of the brain (and not really toprovide you nutrition) — and that is always abad thing.
Plus, giving up processed “diet” food is abig part of this strategy to knock off weightsuccessfully. I have seen people up their calo-ries intake and yet lose weight just by goingclean! The explanation is simple. When peopleeat minimally processed foods, they producemore of the hormone that suppresses appetiteand less of the hormone that causes hunger.Translated in simple terms, this means thatwhen you eat more processed foods, your bodychemistry works in a manner that makes youeat more, even if you are trying not too. Resultobviously is loss of control and yes, weightgain. And if you can put a lid on the consump-tion of junk and processed then your hormonescan be tipped in the favour of weight loss.
����� � ������������ ������In 2015, high lead concentration and traces
of MSG were found in a batch of a brand ofinstant noodles in Uttar Pradesh. The regulato-ry authorities asked for a recall of that batchand a clamour for banning it began. A surveyconducted by the Kolkata-based All IndiaInstitute of Hygiene and Public Health (underthe Health Ministry) in 2016 had found pres-ence of 5 toxins in the soft drinks packaged inPET (polyethylene tereph-thalate) bottles.These harmful metals — antimony, lead,chromium, cadmium and a compound DEHP(Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) — apparently
leech in from the PET bottles. Now think of allthat we consume out of the PET bottles and thesheer number is enough to raise an alarm.
Why is it scary? you would ask. Accordingto the World Health Organisation (WHO), leadand cadmium are two of the top ten chemicals
of “major public health concern” andcan have serious consequences for
our health, particularly children.Lead exposure affects thebrain and central nervoussystem, causing mentalretardation and behaviouraldisorders at high level ofexposure. Cadmium attacksthe kidney, skeletal system
and the respiratory systemand is a known carcino-
gen. The other three:
chromium, antimonyand DEHP can also be
harmful. While, chromi-um is needed by the bodyin very small amounts, an
overdose has been associ-ated with lung, nasal, and
sinus cancer. Antimony maylead to problems with the lungs, heart, stomachpain, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach ulcers,and DEHP (EU had banned and classified it asa reproductive toxicant a while back) is associ-ated with adverse effects on the liver, kidneysand the reproductive system.
Even the humble bread, that many of us eatalmost on a daily basis was in the eye of thestorm because of the dangerous, cancerousadditives (potassium bromate and potassiumiodate) found in multiple brands. Plus, there isthe omnipresent danger of consuming multipletoxins like acrylamide, BPA or bisphenol A anddiacetyl (found in something as ubiquitous andconsidered healthy as pop corn) found inprocessed foods.
In India, right now we don’t have any lawsbanning anything, even known harmful addi-tives. So the onus is upon us to steer clear ofthem. We can always try and replace PET bot-tles for storing (and selling) everything withtime-tested and traditional alternatives such asglass or even earthen pots/bottles! Giving upmay not be practical option for a lot of us, con-sidering the way we all live today, rationingthem in the diet is only the next best.
� �� ����� Meat is an important part of a balanced
diet, there is no denying that. In fact, somenutrients and our body’s protein requirementoften demands that we incorporate it in ourdiet. That said what one needs to be super care-ful about its overload.
Eating meat may be good for us, but toomuch of this can be bad too. Especially if youare consuming unsafe meat. The science issolid on the fact that there is a huge costinvolved in eating cheap meat. “Overuse ofantibiotics in animal farms endangers us all as
it multiplies drug resistance in the environ-ment,” explains author and CDDEP DirectorRamanan Laxminarayan.
This, in fact, has been proven beyonddoubt. Antibiotic use in animals can over timepromote the development of hard-to-treatantibiotic-resistant superbugs that make peoplesick. So we are, slowly but steadily, becomingan antibiotics resistant race. The concerns overthe use of antibiotics for more growth promo-tion (read higher production) in farm animalsis serious and the threat to public health fromthe overuse of antibiotics in food animals isvery real.
Source your meat and eggs carefully. Toprevent antibiotic resistance, avoid antibioticmedications unless absolutely necessary; eatless meat (or give it up entirely) to help reducedemand and buy from small, organic farmswhich raise antibiotic-free animals. It’s not easy,but then catching (and being apart in spread-ing) a superbug and becoming antibiotics resis-tant is a far scarier prospect by any stretch.
������ �������You can thrive on good food, if it is safe.
According to Ayurveda, the best kind is themilk that is absolutely fresh from the cow, stillwarm. But as that is not really an option any-more (unless there’s a cow in your backyardwho you are feeding organic pasture), we needto cover other bases to ensure that the milk wedrink is not adulterated.
This is important. The immediate effect ofdrinking adulterated milk can be gastroenteritisvomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps, but thelong term effects are known to be far moreserious. These adulterants are hazardous andcan cause irreversible damage to the organs.Detergents in milk cause food poisoning andgastrointestinal complications. Other syntheticcompounds cause impairments, heart prob-lems, cancer and even death. The high alkalinelevel of milk can damage body tissue too.Caustic soda harms the mucosa of the foodpipe, especially in kids.
So how does one check if milk is adulterat-ed? The NDDB (National Dairy DevelopmentBoard) website mentions that it has a kit withwhich you can do some simple tests at home.Check it out. Meanwhile some simple tests youcan do on your own are:
To check for extra water in milk, place adrop on a shiny, polished slanting surface. Milkleaves no trail behind but if water is added to ityou will find a white trail behind the drop.
For starch (wheat flour etc), add a drop ofiodine solution (easily available in medicalstores); formation of blue colour indicates adul-teration. For detergent, just mix equal amountsof water and milk and shake for five minutes.Appearance of lather indicates presence ofdetergent.
— The writer is a Delhi-based weight man-agement consultant, nutritionist and author of
Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People andUltimate Grandmother Hacks
Ifind most people today find age-ing to be a malady, seekingsolutions in jars and bottles,
potions and lotions of promises oftimeless youth and beauty. If therewere such a remedy, believe me, thediscoverer would have become amulti-billionaire ten times over!
Ageing is something that affectseveryone in today’s world. I find thateven the late 35 year olds start wor-rying about ageing, little realisingthat their worry itself could lead toa stray wrinkle here or there.
So where lies the answer to age-less beauty? Is it in the use of neverending beauty products? Or in thenew age injectables like Botox andthe miracles of plastic surgery andfillers?
How does one find the answerto the elixir of youth and eternalglowing skin?
My answers would perhaps beconservative. Not that I complete-ly believe that the old age rishis andmunis had flawless skins and did notage while meditating in the jungles,but to a very large extent it definite-ly makes me ruminate about theirlifestyles.
Many years ago, when I was incollege, my mother had organisedfor a group of people to visitIndonesia on an educational andcultural tour. A certain ProfessorBendre who was heading the JJSchool of Art at that time alsoaccompanied her with his wife.Mrs Bendre must have been in her50s and looked no more than to bein her late 20s! Except for her gray-ing hair, her dusky skin was flawlessand taut. Her timeless beautyremains ingrained in my mind todate. The secret to this was perhapsthe simple diet that she followed —she only ate fresh fruits, dry fruit
and juices.I have travelled quite extensive-
ly in my younger years and metpeople from various walks of life.Once I met a young 92 year oldColonel, retired from the Kumaonregiment. He had a perfect eye sight,walked straight and did all his dri-ving and gardening himself. He wasa living legend of sorts and passedon very recently at the age of 102!His secret, as he shared, was medi-tation in the morning, breakfast ofa king, lunch of a prince and din-ner of a pauper. Although that didnot stop him from having his twowhiskies every evening! He enjoyedbeing one with nature, potteringaround in his herb garden, planti-ng his favourite rosemary,chamomile, lettuce, etc. At 102, thatwas quite an achievement.
So besides my natural reme-dies, I always tell people (whocome asking for suggestions to slowthe ageing process) to follow a sim-ple lifestyle, eat simple, exercise,destress, stop worrying, meditateand of course follow a regularskin and hair care programme.
We abuse our bodies andminds so much that we spend dou-ble the amount of time trying tofind solutions to undo the damagewe have already done.
The other day, I was sitting
with the chairman of a well knowndomestic airline whose skin lookedcompletely dehydrated. As I wastrying to offer solutions to theproblem, I noticed that his exquis-ite chamber overlooked a plush
green expanse of never endingtrees and beautifully trimmedbushes and the rarest of the flow-ers. There was a huge window tooverlook this but no balcony tobreathe in the fresh air. Hydrating
your skin with fresh air and keep-ing it away from the maladies of airconditioning is so important.
So to make things easier for you,the answer to ageless youth andbeauty is a combination of goodhealth, simple diet, exercise, lessstress and a regular skin care pro-gramme which would mean takingcare of ones skin from an early age.
I am astounded at motherswho tell their daughters at 13 to notbother about their skin as now wasnot the time. I know for sure that thesame mothers 10 years down wouldrun to dermatologists to find a fixfor their daughters’ acne markssince that might affect the marriageproposals.
Skin care must be a lifestyle justlike brushing your teeth in themorning which we are taught to dofrom the age of 2 years. Infact, youwould be surprised to know that a5 minutes of skin cleansing, toningand moisturising routine takes youa long way as to what our skin willlook like later in the day.
Lots of fresh raw food, plenty ofwater, regular exercise, sleep,destressing whenever you get thetime to do so, regular skin care,meditation is what will define howyou are going to look like at 90.
The writer is a nature care,beauty expert
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Bungalow number 13 onBarakhamba Road is radiatinglove these days. Painted redhearts on its old-world yellowfaçade attract many a curious
looks from the passerbys, tempting themto pause and take a look at what secrets thebuilding holds inside.
This is the space where Péro, India’sleading clothing design label, is showcas-ing an episodic exhibition presenting thepractice of Péro, titled Time for Love. Theshowcase commemorates the tenthanniversary of Péro.
From the characteristic edge of fabricwoven on looms from all corners of thiscountry to the silhouette and story of everygarment passing through numerous hands— there is love, labour and time — theessential ingredients of Péro-making. AnIndia Art Fair Parallel event, the showcaseis an experience of detail where the prin-ciple artwork is the becoming of a Péro gar-ment over 42 days, made with love, overtime.
As we gather our first impressions ofthe showcase, we speak to Aneeth Arora,textile and dress maker and the founderof the brand. Excerpts from our conver-sation:
����������� ��I felt it was time that people under-
stood what goes into the making of a Pérogarment. Even though it looks like a sim-ple white garment, there is a lot that goesinto making one. We do everything byhand. Once the garment is off the machine,every seam is hemmed on both sides.Thereafter, details are added. The buttonsare handmade, the labels are hand embroi-dered… So, the idea is just to celebrate timeand see what comes out when you are actu-ally giving time and love to something.
The atmosphere here is very edgy, veryshiny and it’s a very personal thing. Wehave always felt that even though we arein the world of fashion, we never reallywere a part of it. This is because our wayof looking at things is very different.Fashion is all about change and pace. Forlong, we didn’t realise that we were spend-ing so much time on what we were mak-ing, still trying to be a part of that world.The environment here is a symbol of that.It’s a showcase of how within this glam-orous environment, this humble dresswoven in so many regions of India stillholds a place of its own. This is exactlywhat people have loved us for!
�� ��������� ���Revival is a big word. I wouldn’t say it
is a conscious attempt, but our philosophyis such that we work with age-old tech-niques. We are very old school in the kindof things that we do and when we do workwith those techniques, it brings backnostalgia. That is when people think it isrevival. I am just enjoying the old schooltechniques and using them in our clothes.
To me, revival is when you do some-thing over and over again and other peo-ple start following suit. Soon, you have alot of people working on the craft and it isno longer lost. It happened with jamdani.The first season we used it, there were veryfew weavers doing it — at least not in this
very fine cotton. We lost the order that sea-son, because we could not weave therequired fabric. You see, it takes a weavera week to weave 3 metres of that fine cloth.We tend to use a lot of fabric when we makea flared garment. Eventually, we used it inthe next season. Suddenly, there was thiswave and there were almost 300 weaversweaving jamdani and people started call-ing this revival. For me, it was the fabricthey found which was still in the market.
����� ������������� ���At NID, they taught us how to docu-
ment the process well. And that is onething that really stayed with me. From dayone, we have been keeping a copy of everyfabric, every button, every trimming thatwe have ever made. That was my way ofdocumenting it. And now, I am using 10years as an excuse to look at our archives,document each thing and show it to peo-ple. You feel the evolution when you seeit all in its entirety.
We are using this opportunity to doc-ument it all digitally as well as physically,making note of each of our collaborations.We turn 10 this June 13. And that is when,we will close our archives.
���������� �In these 42 days, we will slowly unbox
all that we have so painstakingly storedover the past decade and reveal ourarchives. Every day we will open and reveala new segment. We will look at the primeelements of Péro — like the buttons thatpeople identify us with or the hearts or thedolls. We will assign a room each to theseelements — like the dolls of Péro, the heartsof Péro, button of Péro, textiles of People— and invite people to see our world.
���� � �� ��������Initially, when we thought of doing
things together, it was a collaborationbetween a fashion label and Art Fair. Buteventually they realised that what we dois also a kind of art. So we thought of thisshowcase. Just like an artist works on hisinstallation or art, we have our peopleworking on each and every piece thatcomes out of Péro. Each of our garmentis unique like any other art piece.
Unlike the usual Péro event, which isall fun and frolic, this event is a very quietone. Visitors can clearly see that it is aboutunderstanding quality and time investedin it. And that is what makes everyone,including ourselves, pause.
����� �������������������We do it all the time. If you look at the
showcase garment, you will notice that thesleeves are Spanish and the yoke remindsyou of a kediyu from Gujarat. Péro is all
about mixing — we mix fabrics, we mixtechniques, we also mix cultures.
I always give the example of anangrakha. In India, you look at it as an eth-nic garment because you know the con-text. But when it goes overseas, you see it
as a wrap. Perhaps to be worn as an over-lay with a pair of jeans and T-shirt. So welike to put the same piece out for peopleto interpret it in their own way. We are notemphasising on the fact that it is an Indiansilhouette. Because it is mix of a lot ofthings, it is an angrakha with a Europeanlace. The moment you put a garment out-side its context, people look at it different-ly.
������������ �� ���This is the other part of our messag-
ing. When you spend so much on apiece… so much that when you own it, itbecomes like an heirloom. You take careof it. And because you own that beautifulpiece, you don’t want more. And when youdo give it to someone else, you also reducethe demand for that person.
That’s what we say about our clothes.When you own, let’s say, 10 of our beau-tiful couture pieces, you don’t feel the needto own more. Because we are not about fastfashion. And when people see a piece andthey see that someone has spent time onit, they do not want to discard it and thatis where sustainability comes, where wereduce fashion waste. You may spend morebut you are really investing in quality andtime.
Down one country with thedeparture of Britain, the
European Union’s main goal is to secure to futureof the union. Among the mostimportant tasks for the EU arethe requirement of the hardwork for building a new eco-nomic relationship betweenthe bloc and its ex-member,and enlargements of the bloc byincluding more members.
The European Union hasalready linked any access to itsmarket for British productsdirectly to the access that EUboats will be given to UKwaters, the bloc’s chief nego-tiator said on February 3. EUnegotiator Michel Barnierunderscored the difficulties ofthe trade negotiations withBritain ahead for the rest of theyear when he highlighted thesmall but emblematic fisheriesindustry, which was a key issuein the protracted Brexit talks inthe UK too.
Barnier told France Interradio that “there will be notrade deal with the British ifthere is no reciprocal accessdeal for our fishermen”. “Wewill negotiate access to theBritish territorial waters forEuropean fishermen at thesame time that we negotiateaccess to European markets forBritish fisheries products. Ihope I make myself clear.”
Overall, the EU is willingto grant the UK the fullest pos-sible access to its lucrativemarket of some 450 million
consumers but only if Britainabides by EU standards on suchthings state aid, social legisla-tion or environmental protec-tions.
British Prime MinisterBoris Jonhnon has already
indicated he does not want tomake a binding commitmentto remain in line with EU law,saying it was an essential prin-ciple in the move to walk awayfrom the Union.
The official break-up came
last Friday and Johnson hassaid he wants a trade andcooperation deal by the end ofthe year, a time frame whichthe EU has called unrealistic.
As for expansion, EU’sexecutive has proposed a new
system for adding members ina move made all the moreurgent by French objections toopen enlargement talks withtwo Western Balkan nations.
The EuropeanCommission hopes the stream-
lined rules will avoid furtherdelaying the start of accessionnegotiations when aspiringmembers to what is now the27-country bloc have met theconditions for such talks.
European Commission
President Ursula von der Leyensaid on February 5 that the pro-posal was a “good message” toNorth Macedonia and Albania,who were both desperatelydisappointed when their hopesfor the swift commencement ofaccession negotiations wererebuffed in October. And per-haps crucially, France acknowl-edged that the proposal wasgood, “a significant change, abig step in the right direction.”
“This is a major elementthat allows positions to move— not only France’s position,”said a top official at the Frenchpresidency, who asked not to beidentified in accordance withElysee customary practices.
The EU is hoping that abreakthrough for Albania andNorth Macedonia can be foundin March. The bloc also has amajor Western Balkans summitplanned for May.
There are worries that ifthe EU doesn’t open its arms,then several countries in thestrategically important Balkanregion could pivot instead toRussia and China. For a blocthat’s just lost the diplomaticand geopolitical clout ofBritain, that could be a hard pillto swallow.
“EU enlargement is aWIN-WIN situation,” von derLeyen said in a tweet.
Enlargement is especiallycontentious in some capitals inthe EU over such issues as cor-ruption and the rule of law.
North Macedonia and
Albania were left aghast whentheir hopes of starting acces-sion talks late last year weredashed, with France insistentthat the enlargement processwas revamped first. Both aspi-rants voiced their initial satis-faction at the developments.
“This renewed approachwill result in a double victoryin the coming weeks: openingnegotiations together in anadvanced process,” NorthMacedonia Foreign MinisterNikola Dimitrov said in a writ-ten statement.
And Albania’s actingForeign Minister Gent Cakajsaid the expectation is thatmembership negotiationswould commence this yearand that the country wouldcontinue its “reforms and thefundamental transformationin line with the new method-ology.”
He added that the EU hasits sights on the “stability,development and democrati-sation of the Western Balkansin general.”
The EU hasn’t added amember state since Croatiajoined in 2013. It started outwith six nations in 1958 andlost its first member state whenBritain pulled out last weekend.
Over the past dozen years,as first the financial and thenthe migration crisis hit the con-tinent, the appetite for takingin new, poorer nations hasdwindled.
(Culled from AP reports)
����.��1���������������2�����������������,����Brexit is finally done. At the
end of January this year, theBritish Prime Minister, BorisJohnson, signed the agreementfor country’s withdrawal fromthe European Union (EU).Thishas taken the country to thepath of a full Brexit for whichpeople have been waiting formore than three years. Johnsonhailed this as a “fantasticmoment” for Britain. Whilereleasing the exit agreement, hesaid, “We can now move for-ward as one country… with agovernment focused upondelivering better public ser-vices, greater opportunity andunleashing the potential ofevery corner of our brilliantUnited Kingdom, while build-ing a strong new relationshipwith the EU as friends and sov-ereign equals.”
Queen Elizabeth duly gaveher approval for the agreement.Hence, starting from the floorof Parliament to the court of theroyalty, Johnson has received aclear “go ahead” for the Brexit.This signals that Britain is onthe road to build a new future,with a new identity. It’s allabout asserting its sovereigntyin a unique manner.
With the UK finally leav-ing the EU on January 31, thecountry has now entered an 11-month transition period withthe EU. During this entireperiod, the country effectivelyremains within the legal ambitof the Union. Hence, it has tofollow the rules of the customsunion, single market and restof the organisations of the EU.But strikingly, the UK is nomore a part of the politicalinstitutions of the EU.
However, since the Britons’vote to exit the EU in June2016, the nation has continuedto defy the gloom and doompredicted by the Remainers.But the moot point is whyBrexit is good for Britain.Simply speaking, Britain will beable to assert its control over itsborders again. It does not needto bother Brussels again andagain. But then deserting theUnion may put pressure onBritain to identify and set a newrelationship with all its mem-bers. And many of these mem-bers may not cooperate the wayit did in the past during itsmembership to the EU.
After the withdrawal agree-ment, the first priority forJohnson was to ink a pragmatictrade deal with the EU. This isbecause, he wants as muchaccess as possible for the UKgoods and services to the EUmarket. Otherwise, this will
have a negative impact both onthe commoners and the trad-ing community across thecountry. But this time, thecurrent British Governmenthas underlined the fact that thecountry must leave the customsunion, single market and theEuropean Court of Justice(ECJ). In fact, leaving the ECJwould eventually mean puttingan end to overall jurisdiction ofthe court over Britain.
Meanwhile, Johnson hasset his vision for a trade dealwith the EU. While doing thishe has underlined the fact thatthere is no need for the UK tofollow the rules set by Brusselsregime. What he wants is aCanada-style free-trade deal
with the EU. Or else Britain willget back to the withdrawalagreement. But the EU officialshighlight such a deal as veryambitious one for which alevel playing field is required.Around the same time, theLabour Party is putting pres-sure on the government andsaying that Johnson’s ideologyhas trumped common sense.Further, Labour leader JeremyCorbyn said that the PM riskedtrade and investment if hekept undermining collectiveagreements. But then theOpposition is missing the veryvital point that only to comeout of the stranglehold of theEU, the Brexit is done. Its onlypurpose is to stay out of tenta-
cles of the Brussels and save thecountry as much as possiblefrom the collective burdens ofthe Union. The existing EU-Canada deal, the import tariffsof most of the goods havebeen eliminated between thetwo. But customs and VATchecks are applicable to thesegoods. When it comes to flowof services such as banking, itis restricted between Canadaand the EU. But it is very cru-cial for the UK. Johnson is alsoindicating that he might reverthis country to the WTO termsif the EU leaders refuse to offera Canada-style framework. Sofor him, “The choice is emphat-ically not ‘deal or no deal’. Thequestion is whether we agree a
trading relationship with theEU comparable to Canada’s —or more like Australia’s. Ineither case, I have no doubt thatBritain will prosper mightily.”
His confidence is wellplaced. Equally he must beaware of the fallout of the exitfrom the Union after decades ofbonding. Political gimmicks arefine. While encountering reali-ty, Johnson’s high-handed stylemay irk many, including theones who voted him to powerafter leaving the labour camp.
What happens next willcertainly be evoking moreinterest and controversy in theyears to come. Many critics feelthat Britain leaving the EU mayencourage some other nations
to follow suit. And this canhappen through specific refer-endums of their own to safe-guard particular interests anddemands. Else some countrieswithin the EU may ask for tai-lor-made deals of their own.That is how the future of theunion might be affected.
However, untangling fromthe EU would be a long andarduous process. When pro-Brexiteers are talking tough onthe migration from other EUmember countries, they mustnote the fact that nearly 1.2million Brits are also workingin other member nations whomight face a number of hassles.Leaving behind the EU andmaking a new road map is dif-
ficult. Apart from issues relat-ed to migration, following theEU rules and directives inregard to competition poli-cies, subsidies, social protectionand the environment may cre-ate trouble for the UK.
Though the Brexit is final-ly done, Johnson has to stick tothe transition period that hehas underlined in the with-drawal agreement. Preciselyspeaking, it is too little time fora complete withdrawal fromthe EU. For all these, the rest ofthe 27 members of the Unionhave to come together and theUK must cooperate with them.
Aprofessor of Philosophy came theother day looking for what lies instore of his habitually errant
daughter’s destiny. In his opening state-ment he said: “My teenaged daughter iserratic, haughty, and impulsive, andcould offend anybody with her causticremarks. She is in the habit of rebukingall socially accepted norms. Her behav-iour is causing us worry. Sir, on theadvice of a friend who has been follow-ing your column for a long time, we arereaching out to you to seek answers toour questions.”
“However, before a reading of herhoroscope, I request you to please dispelmy doubts over the efficacy of astrology.How can planets’ gravitation pull, so dis-tant from earth, affect our lives, and thattoo reflecting varied ways on differentpeople. How can imaginary division ofzodiac influence our life pattern? In aworld, subject to continued change everymoment, how can a being’s destiny bedefined in finite terms? And if the wholecourse of life is bound by a predefinedtrajectory, what then would be left in thehands of a human being? Is it possible tochange one’s attitude through consciousefforts?” he asked
Well, the planets are not to be seenjust as physical objects moving in thecosmos influencing us with their gravi-tational force. It will be worth mention-ing here that a planet needs to be seen asan energy ball — as marker of energystream passing through a particularregion with that planet in the centre. Azodiac sign is again marked with a clus-ter of energy emitting stars grouped in aparticular formation. And the energystreams marked with a particular planetor a zodiac sign would vary from thoseidentified with other planets.
Having exposure to various disci-plines of Indian philosophy, you wouldknow that energy streams excited fromthe primordial source, following acourse of progressive evolution, eventu-ally manifested into a world of name andforms. So, all form existences in theworld are rooted to the energy orchestraof the cosmos, all sourced to a singulari-ty — the primal source.
Here again, it has been scientificallyestablished that energy particles emerg-ing from a common source are in imme-diate and intimate connect with the rest.So, looked at in energy frame, the wholeworld is framed as a unified organism.
This fact of life has been highlighted inthe Kathopanishad through themetaphor of inverted Ashvata treestanding for the whole world. Here Iquote the observations of an Australianphysicist Paul Davies: “For a naive, theworld is a collection of objects. For aquantum physicist, this world is aninseparable web of energy patterns,where no individual component has areality independent of the entirety,included in that entirety is the observer.”
It, thus, comes out that any changeat one end of the cosmos, its reverbera-tions would get carried over far andwide. And we know that all energy ballsin the cosmos are ever on their move.Seen with reference to earth, which ismoving at a great speed, almost 30 kmper second, the energy flux excited inthe cosmos, would vary widely everymoment. Being a part of the largerworld, we can’t evade the influence ofthat continual cosmic change.
Efficacy of astrology is thus estab-lished, as it is premised on energy map-ping of the cosmos at the time of one’sbirth. That reflects upon the basic frameof mind one is born with, which throwslight on the probable trends of life. That,however, is subject to three variables —Kaala, Patra and Samaya.
Kaala speaks of the overall environ-mental condition. Patra reflects uponthe personality trends with all thechanges that it would have undergone sofar. Samaya here stands for probabledestiny indication. So, a being is notfully bound by destiny indicators. Buthow we respond to energy changes inthe cosmos, depends on us. This iswhere the power of freewill comes intoplay, and which applied rightfully, canhelp bring about the desired changethrough conscious efforts.
To sum up, astrology allows enoughof scope to change the course of destiny.Remember, energy serves as a double-edged weapon — if used rightfully, it canbe productive, and when misused mayturn self-defeating. All that is needed isto exercise one’s power of freewill to self-reflect upon one’s own inherent trends,identify and acknowledge the fault lines.Having known thus, one could makeconscientious choice to make amendswith the help of educative inputs.
The discussion continues... 3������ ���� ������������������������������������
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