CAPSULE 6 KILLED IN MUMBAI HOSPITAL BLAZE Mumbai: Six persons were killed and over 147 patients and visitors suffered injuries in a fire at a hospital on Monday evening. As many as 108 people, including patients, were trapped inside when the fire broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in Andheri. GOVT ANNOUNCES $1.4 BN ASSISTANCE TO MALDIVES New Delhi: With Maldives reeling under mounting Chinese debt, India on Monday announced a $1.4 billion financial assistance to the island nation and inked four pacts with it after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih held “successful” talks with an aim to reset ties. LOK SABHA PASSES TRANSGENDER BILL New Delhi: Amid noisy protests over the Rafale deal and Cauvery issue, the Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill seeking to empower the transgender community by providing them a separate identity. DENGUE CASES RISE TO 4,704 AS YEAR NEARS END New Delhi: Dengue cases in Delhi have mounted to 4,704 this year even with the onset of winter when conditions become unfavourable for the breeding of mosquito larvae, a municipal report said on Monday. PNS n BHOPAL/JAIPUR/RAIPUR A s three newly-elected Congress Chief Ministers took oath of office on Monday in back-to-back ceremonies, Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath announced a major gift for the debt-ridden farmers of the State. Loans of up to `2 lakh of the farmers will be waived with Nath signing a file to the effect within two hours of tak- ing charge. The move follows a promise by Congress presi- dent Rahul Gandhi during the poll campaign. After Nath signed on the file pertaining to waiving off farmers’ loans of up to `2 lakh, Principal Secretary, Farmers’ Welfare and Agriculture Development Department, Rajesh Rajora issued the loan waiver order. The order said: Madhya Pradesh Government has taken a decision to write off short- term crop loan of eligible farm- ers up to the limit of `2 lakh, as on March 31, 2018, from nationalised and cooperative banks. The promise of loan waiver is top priority for the three newly-elected Congress Government. On Sunday, ahead of his oath-taking cere- mony Ashok Gehlot had said that as promised by Rahul Gandhi his Government would act on loan waiver promise with 10 days of Cabinet for- mation. A host of Opposition lead- ers attended the three oath-tak- ing ceremonies of Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel as Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh respec- tively on Monday. However, BSP chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were con- spicuous by their absence. While Congress president Rahul Gandhi attended all the three events, other prominent Opposition leaders who attend- ed the events were former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh, HD Deve Gowda, Chief Ministers of few States includ- ing Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, former Union Ministers Sharad Yadav and Sharad Pawar amongst others. The absence of the Mamata, Mayawati and Akhilesh is significant because all three also skipped the unveiling of late DMK patri- arch Karunanidhi’s statute in Chennai on Tuesday. A section of the Opposition is unhappy over the fact that DMK chief Stalin suggested the name of Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister at the rally in Chennai on Tuesday. Former CMs and Uttar Pradesh rivals Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati who too were extended the invitations for the swearing-in skipped it though both of them have supported the Congress in the Hindi heartland States. Gehlot, Nath and Baghel’s predecessors — Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Raman Singh — also attended the swearing-in ceremonies at Jaipur, Bhopal and Raipur, accordingly. Besides Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former CMs of the State Kailash Joshi and Babulal Gaur were also present on the stage. Other prominent leaders who made it to celebrate the Congress’ return to power in Jaipur and a few of them in Bhopal included MK Stalin, Kanimozhi (DMK), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Dinesh Trivedi (AITC), Hemant Soren (JMM), Jiten Ram Manjhi (HAM), Babu Lal Marandi (JVM), PK Kunhalikutti (IUML), Badrudin Ajmal (AIUDF), Raju Shetty (Swabhimani Paksha), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Jose K Mani (KCM) and NK Premchandran (RSP). Rahul shared photographs from the swearing-in ceremony and of a bus in Jaipur in which top Opposition leaders were seen sitting with him. Continued on Page 6 STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI I n what could be termed as a major setback to the Indian National Congress, its former Lok Sabha member and senior Delhi Pradesh Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was on Monday convicted and sentenced to life term for “remainder of his natural life” in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case by a double Bench of the Delhi High Court which said the riots were a “crime against humanity” perpetrated by those who enjoyed “politi- cal patronage”. Expressing anguish, the High Court said though it was “undeniable” that it took over three decades to punish the accused in the case, it was important to assure the victims that despite the challenges faced by the court, “truth will prevail and justice will be done”. The case relates to killing of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar part-I area in Palam Colony in South West Delhi on November 1-2, 1984 and burning down of a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar part II. Continued on Page 6 STAFF REPORTER n NOIDA T wo children were killed and three others injured after a wall of a school build- ing collapsed on them in a vil- lage on Monday around 10 am at Khazan Singh KS Public School, a private primary school in Salarpur village under Sector 49 police station limits, police said. Taking a serious note of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an enquiry and directed officials of Gautam Budh Nagar district to ensure proper treatment to the injured. According to eyewitness, children were playing when a wall collapsed on them as a JCB collided with the school wall. Five school students identified as Akash, Naitik, Reshu, Bhupendra and Vievek, who were the victim, were rescued from the debris and rushed to a nearby hospital where Bhupendra (10) and Vivek (8) were declared brought dead while Akash, Naitik and Reshu are being treated. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ajay Pal Sharma and District Magistrate (DM) Brajesh Narain Singh met the families of the victims and took stock of the situation, offi- cials said. It is understood the school was being run a plot owned by one Amit Bhati. Police are try- ing to identify the people run- ning the school. A First Information report has been lodged at sector-49 police sta- tion and probe has been launched, a police official said. 3 Cong CMs take oath of office Sajjan gets life term in 1984 anti-Sikh riots HC asks Kumar, 5 other convicts to surrender before Dec 31 RAJESH KUMAR n NEW DELHI C hinese investment in India is as low as US $5 billion, but Chinese companies are executing projects of Indian entities pegged at a whopping $63 billion. A parliamentary panel has pointed to this “pro- jects export” by China without “bringing any actual invest- ment” and pushed for an immediate stress on invest- ments by Chinese companies in India. The Committee has also outlined the security implica- tions of Chinese projects say- ing they should be examined with circumspection on a sec- toral basis. The trade deficit between the two countries stand at nearly $52 billion. “While cumulative Chinese investments in India are sub- stantially low at round $5 bil- lion, the value of Indian pro- jects currently executed by Chinese companies is estimat- ed to be as high as $63 billion. China is engaged in project exports in India without bring- ing its own capital for invest- ment. Such a trend is not healthy for the overall growth of Indian economy,” said the parliamentary committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in its report. The report was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Committee pointed out that trade deficit with China is totally loaded against India. The factors which is responsible for this include non tariff barriers imposed by China to Indian goods and ser- vices, dumping of goods, lack of genuine investment profile on the part of China, security imperatives are some of the concerns which India faces on the matter. In its report, the Committee recommended that India should persuade Chinese companies to bring more investment into India rather than merely resorting to project exports. “The continuously ris- ing trade deficit which has increased to $52 billion in 2016-17 and is at present $63 billion is unsustainable and requires concrete steps to be taken for redressal,” it said. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhle, who appeared before the Committee, had submitted that there has always been a dif- ference between the Indian figures and the Chinese cus- toms statistics. “The Chinese calculate the data on calendar basis while India calculates on financial year basis. It is virtu- ally impossible to reconcile the figures. As far as the Indian Government data is concerned in the three previous financial years of 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, the deficit was $48.47 billion, $52.69 billion and $51.09 billion. In each case, the Chinese exports were around $60 billion and the Indian exports were in the range of nine billion to $10 billion. According to the Chinese cus- toms statistics, in that same period for 2014, 2015 and 2016 calendar years, the deficit was $37 billion; $44 billion and $47 billion,” the Foreign Secretary had submitted told the Committee. On the issue of Chinese ease of entry to Indian markets and project exports, the Ministry of External Affairs said the value of projects cur- rently under execution is esti- mated to be $63 billion. So while the cumulative Chinese investments in India are sub- stantially low which is about $5 billion, the project exports are substantial and the Government’s effort has essen- tially been to persuade the Chinese to invest into the country and not to utilise Indian capital by bringing pro- jects into the country. The Committee questioned as to why the Government has not been able to leverage with China the fact of a massive $80 billion market next door as to compel it to bring some degree of equity in the bilateral trade. PNS n NEW DELHI A fresh Bill to make the prac- tice of tripe talaq among Muslims a penal offence was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday with the provisions that a magistrate can offer bail after hearing the wife. The Congress-led Opposition described the provision for non-bailable arrests as harsh and tough on husbands. While the proposed law makes it a “non-bailable” offence, an accused can approach a magistrate even before trial to seek bail. In a non-bailable offence, bail can- not be granted by police at the police station itself. A provision has been added to allow the magistrate to grant bail “after hearing the wife”. Under the proposed law, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. The Government had cleared some amendments, including introduction of a provision of bail, to make it more palatable. Introducing the Bill, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said despite the Supreme Court striking down the practice of talaq-e-biddat (instant triple talaq) as unconstitutional, men were divorcing their wives on flimsy grounds and even via Whatsapp. Congress’ Shashi Tharoor opposed the introduction of the Bill, saying divorce cannot be made a penal offence and its provisions were against basic principles of the Constitution. Continued on Page 6 RAJESH KUMAR n NEW DELHI J ust two days after Congress leaders held a Press confer- ence saying no CAG report on pricing of Rafale jets has been shared with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the CAG has sent a draft report on Rafale deal to the Ministry of Defence for its comment. Highly placed sources said that the CAG has asked the Ministry of Defence to revert within four weeks on the draft report. The draft report was sent to the Ministry of Defence two weeks ago. However, the report is unlikely to be tabled in the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament. The controversy erupted over the CAG report on Rafale ever since the Supreme Court mentioned about this while giving clean chit to the Government. The senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the Public Accounts Committee chairman, accused the Government of misleading the apex court. “The Government lied in the Supreme Court that the CAG report was presented in the House and in the PAC, and PAC has probed it. The Government said in the Supreme Court that it (the report) is in public domain. Where is it? Have you seen it?” Kharge, alleged. Continued on Page 6 Two kids die under debris as JCB rams Noida school wall Lens on Dragon’s projects export sans funds CAG sends report on Rafale to MoD, seeks reply within 4 weeks (L-R) Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjit Singh GK, Nirpreet Kaur and Jagdish Kaur, whose family members were killed during 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa and others react after the Delhi HC convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity, acts against communal harmony in the riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment, in New Delhi on Monday Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer The riots were a crime against humanity perpetrated by those who enjoyed political patronage — Delhi High Court 1 2 1) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and party MP Jyotiraditya Scindia wave at the crowd during swearing-in-ceremony in Bhopal on Monday 2) Rajasthan CM Ashok Ghelot and his Deputy Sachin Pilot during the swearing-in ceremony at Albert Hall in Jaipur on Monday 3) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel being administered the oath of office by Governor Anandiben Patel in Raipur on Monday PTI Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav and other Opposition leaders on their way to Jaipur on Monday PTI Fresh Bill introduced in LS to make triple talaq penal offence Nath waives farmers’ loan up to ` 2 lakh, fulfils Rahul’s poll promise @TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneer Follow us on: www.dailypioneer.com } WORLD 13 THERESA REBUFFS GROWING CALLS FOR 2ND BREXIT VOTE OPINION 8 MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING SPORT 15 LIVERPOOL TO PLAY BAYERN IN UCL LAST 16 instagram.com/dailypioneer/ Late City Vol. 154 Issue 338 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN Established 1864 RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18 LUCKNOW,TUESDAY DECEMBER 18, 2018; PAGES 16 `3 WILDLIFE POACHING IS SERIOUS: YAMI 14 VIVACITY } Yogi: PAC to have three dedicated Mahila Bns PNS n LUCKNOW C hief Minister Yo g i Adityanath on Monday hailed the contribution of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) jawans in maintaining law and order and extending relief during natur- al calamities. Stressing the need of intro- ducing women personnel in the world’s biggest reserved police force, Yogi announced the cre- ation of three dedicated Mahila battalions besides raising a battalion in Shamli. The Chief Minister was addressing a function on the 70th Raising Day of PAC on the 35th PAC Battalion campus on Monday. Hailing the contribution of the PAC officers and jawans, Yogi said: “Your contribution and services has been recog- nised by everyone. Now more and more states, especially in north-east and northern regions, have sought your ser- vices both for maintaining law and order and for relief oper- ations after natural calamity.” “The PAC has an out- standing history of it’s 70-year- long contribution on every front. I feel proud to say that you all have shown your worth on each occasion. During nat- ural calamities, disasters or mishaps, PAC personnel have worked tirelessly until help was extended to the last victim. The force has a special identi- ty across the country for it’s professional skill and services,” Yogi said. The Chief Minister further said: “Be it festivals, fair, or any other gathering, PAC jawans have worked round-the-clock to ensure peace and order. Not only this, in adverse conditions like monsoons, PAC jawans have saved people in floods and also saved their belongings." Elaborating the importance of the PAC, Yogi said that PAC personnel had become a neces- sity not only on the law and order front but even when it was required to fight ultras or any given exigency. “The elite Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Special Task Force (STF) have majority of commandos drawn from the PAC as they are well trained to fight any attack against the Continued on Page 6
Transcript
CAPSULE6 KILLED IN MUMBAIHOSPITAL BLAZEMumbai: Six persons were killedand over 147 patients and visitorssuffered injuries in a fire at ahospital on Monday evening. Asmany as 108 people, includingpatients, were trapped inside when the fire broke out at ESIC KamgarHospital at Marol in Andheri.
GOVT ANNOUNCES $1.4 BNASSISTANCE TO MALDIVESNew Delhi: With Maldives reelingunder mounting Chinese debt, Indiaon Monday announced a $1.4 billionfinancial assistance to the islandnation and inked four pacts with itafter Prime Minister Narendra Modiand Maldivian President IbrahimMohamed Solih held “successful”talks with an aim to reset ties.
LOK SABHA PASSESTRANSGENDER BILLNew Delhi: Amid noisy protestsover the Rafale deal and Cauveryissue, the Lok Sabha on Mondaypassed a bill seeking to empowerthe transgender community byproviding them a separate identity.
DENGUE CASES RISE TO4,704 AS YEAR NEARS ENDNew Delhi: Dengue cases in Delhihave mounted to 4,704 this yeareven with the onset of winter whenconditions become unfavourable forthe breeding of mosquito larvae, amunicipal report said on Monday.
PNS n BHOPAL/JAIPUR/RAIPUR
As three newly-electedCongress Chief Ministers
took oath of office on Mondayin back-to-back ceremonies,Madhya Pradesh CM KamalNath announced a major giftfor the debt-ridden farmers ofthe State. Loans of up to ̀ 2 lakhof the farmers will be waivedwith Nath signing a file to theeffect within two hours of tak-ing charge. The move followsa promise by Congress presi-dent Rahul Gandhi during thepoll campaign.
After Nath signed on thefile pertaining to waiving offfarmers’ loans of up to ̀ 2 lakh,Principal Secretary, Farmers’Welfare and AgricultureDevelopment Department,Rajesh Rajora issued the loanwaiver order.
The order said: MadhyaPradesh Government has takena decision to write off short-term crop loan of eligible farm-ers up to the limit of `2 lakh,as on March 31, 2018, fromnationalised and cooperativebanks. The promise of loanwaiver is top priority for thethree newly-elected CongressGovernment. On Sunday,ahead of his oath-taking cere-mony Ashok Gehlot had saidthat as promised by RahulGandhi his Government wouldact on loan waiver promisewith 10 days of Cabinet for-mation.
A host of Opposition lead-ers attended the three oath-tak-ing ceremonies of AshokGehlot, Kamal Nath andBhupesh Baghel as ChiefMinisters of Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh, Chhattisgarh respec-
tively on Monday.However, BSP chief
Mayawati, Samajwadi Partypresident Akhilesh Yadav andWest Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee were con-spicuous by their absence.
While Congress presidentRahul Gandhi attended all thethree events, other prominentOpposition leaders who attend-ed the events were formerPrime Ministers ManmohanSingh, HD Deve Gowda, ChiefMinisters of few States includ-ing Andhra Pradesh andKarnataka, former Jammu &Kashmir Chief Minister FarooqAbdullah, former UnionMinisters Sharad Yadav andSharad Pawar amongst others.
The absence of theMamata, Mayawati andAkhilesh is significant becauseall three also skipped theunveiling of late DMK patri-arch Karunanidhi’s statute in
Chennai on Tuesday. A sectionof the Opposition is unhappyover the fact that DMK chiefStalin suggested the name ofRahul Gandhi as PrimeMinister at the rally in Chennaion Tuesday.
Former CMs and UttarPradesh rivals Akhilesh Yadavand Mayawati who too wereextended the invitations for theswearing-in skipped it thoughboth of them have supportedthe Congress in the Hindi
heartland States.Gehlot, Nath and Baghel’s
predecessors — VasundharaRaje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan,Raman Singh — also attendedthe swearing-in ceremonies atJaipur, Bhopal and Raipur,
accordingly. Besides ShivrajSingh Chouhan, former CMsof the State Kailash Joshi andBabulal Gaur were also presenton the stage.
Other prominent leaderswho made it to celebrate theCongress’ return to power inJaipur and a few of them inBhopal included MK Stalin,Kanimozhi (DMK), TejashwiYadav (RJD), Dinesh Trivedi(AITC), Hemant Soren (JMM),Jiten Ram Manjhi (HAM),Babu Lal Marandi (JVM), PKKunhalikutti (IUML),Badrudin Ajmal (AIUDF),Raju Shetty (SwabhimaniPaksha), Sanjay Singh (AAP),Jose K Mani (KCM) and NKPremchandran (RSP). Rahulshared photographs from theswearing-in ceremony and of abus in Jaipur in which topOpposition leaders were seensitting with him.
Continued on Page 6
STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI
In what could be termed as amajor setback to the Indian
National Congress, its formerLok Sabha member and seniorDelhi Pradesh Congress leaderSajjan Kumar was on Mondayconvicted and sentenced tolife term for “remainder of hisnatural life” in a 1984 anti-Sikhriots case by a double Bench ofthe Delhi High Court whichsaid the riots were a “crimeagainst humanity” perpetrated
by those who enjoyed “politi-cal patronage”.
Expressing anguish, theHigh Court said though it was“undeniable” that it took overthree decades to punish theaccused in the case, it wasimportant to assure the victimsthat despite the challengesfaced by the court, “truth willprevail and justice will be done”.
The case relates to killing offive Sikhs in Raj Nagar part-Iarea in Palam Colony in SouthWest Delhi on November 1-2,1984 and burning down of aGurudwara in Raj Nagar part II.
Continued on Page 6
STAFF REPORTER n NOIDA
Two children were killedand three others injured
after a wall of a school build-ing collapsed on them in a vil-lage on Monday around 10 amat Khazan Singh KS PublicSchool, a private primaryschool in Salarpur village underSector 49 police station limits,police said.
Taking a serious note of theincident, Chief Minister YogiAdityanath has ordered anenquiry and directed officials ofGautam Budh Nagar district toensure proper treatment to theinjured.
According to eyewitness,children were playing when awall collapsed on them as a JCBcollided with the school wall.Five school students identifiedas Akash, Naitik, Reshu,Bhupendra and Vievek, whowere the victim, were rescuedfrom the debris and rushed toa nearby hospital whereBhupendra (10) and Vivek (8)were declared brought deadwhile Akash, Naitik and Reshuare being treated.
Senior Superintendent of
Police (SSP), Gautam BuddhNagar, Ajay Pal Sharma andDistrict Magistrate (DM)Brajesh Narain Singh met thefamilies of the victims andtook stock of the situation, offi-cials said.
It is understood the school
was being run a plot owned byone Amit Bhati. Police are try-ing to identify the people run-ning the school. A FirstInformation report has beenlodged at sector-49 police sta-tion and probe has beenlaunched, a police official said.
3 Cong CMs take oath of officeSajjan gets lifeterm in 1984anti-Sikh riotsHC asks Kumar,
5 other convicts
to surrender
before Dec 31
RAJESH KUMAR n NEW DELHI
Chinese investment in Indiais as low as US $5 billion,
but Chinese companies areexecuting projects of Indianentities pegged at a whopping$63 billion. A parliamentarypanel has pointed to this “pro-jects export” by China without“bringing any actual invest-ment” and pushed for animmediate stress on invest-ments by Chinese companies inIndia. The Committee has alsooutlined the security implica-tions of Chinese projects say-ing they should be examinedwith circumspection on a sec-toral basis. The trade deficitbetween the two countriesstand at nearly $52 billion.
“While cumulative Chineseinvestments in India are sub-stantially low at round $5 bil-
lion, the value of Indian pro-jects currently executed byChinese companies is estimat-ed to be as high as $63 billion.China is engaged in projectexports in India without bring-ing its own capital for invest-ment. Such a trend is nothealthy for the overall growthof Indian economy,” said theparliamentary committee onExternal Affairs, headed byCongress MP Shashi Tharoorin its report. The report wastabled in the Lok Sabha onMonday.
The Committee pointedout that trade deficit withChina is totally loaded againstIndia. The factors which isresponsible for this includenon tariff barriers imposed byChina to Indian goods and ser-vices, dumping of goods, lackof genuine investment profile
on the part of China, securityimperatives are some of theconcerns which India faces onthe matter.
In its report, theCommittee recommended thatIndia should persuade Chinesecompanies to bring moreinvestment into India ratherthan merely resorting to projectexports. “The continuously ris-
ing trade deficit which hasincreased to $52 billion in2016-17 and is at present $63billion is unsustainable andrequires concrete steps to betaken for redressal,” it said.
Foreign Secretary VijayGokhle, who appeared beforethe Committee, had submittedthat there has always been a dif-ference between the Indian
figures and the Chinese cus-toms statistics. “The Chinesecalculate the data on calendarbasis while India calculates onfinancial year basis. It is virtu-ally impossible to reconcilethe figures. As far as the IndianGovernment data is concernedin the three previous financialyears of 2014-15, 2015-16,2016-17, the deficit was $48.47billion, $52.69 billion and$51.09 billion. In each case, theChinese exports were around$60 billion and the Indianexports were in the range ofnine billion to $10 billion.According to the Chinese cus-toms statistics, in that sameperiod for 2014, 2015 and 2016calendar years, the deficit was$37 billion; $44 billion and $47billion,” the Foreign Secretaryhad submitted told theCommittee.
On the issue of Chineseease of entry to Indian marketsand project exports, theMinistry of External Affairssaid the value of projects cur-rently under execution is esti-mated to be $63 billion. Sowhile the cumulative Chineseinvestments in India are sub-stantially low which is about $5billion, the project exports aresubstantial and theGovernment’s effort has essen-tially been to persuade theChinese to invest into thecountry and not to utiliseIndian capital by bringing pro-jects into the country.
The Committee questionedas to why the Government hasnot been able to leverage withChina the fact of a massive $80billion market next door as tocompel it to bring some degreeof equity in the bilateral trade.
PNS n NEW DELHI
Afresh Bill to make the prac-tice of tripe talaq among
Muslims a penal offence wasintroduced in the Lok Sabha onMonday with the provisionsthat a magistrate can offer bailafter hearing the wife. TheCongress-led Oppositiondescribed the provision fornon-bailable arrests as harshand tough on husbands.
While the proposed lawmakes it a “non-bailable”offence, an accused canapproach a magistrate evenbefore trial to seek bail. In anon-bailable offence, bail can-not be granted by police at thepolice station itself.
A provision has beenadded to allow the magistrateto grant bail “after hearing thewife”. Under the proposed law,giving instant triple talaq willbe illegal and void and willattract a jail term of threeyears for the husband.
The Government hadcleared some amendments,
including introduction of aprovision of bail, to make itmore palatable.
Introducing the Bill, LawMinister Ravi Shankar Prasadsaid despite the Supreme Courtstriking down the practice oftalaq-e-biddat (instant tripletalaq) as unconstitutional, menwere divorcing their wives onflimsy grounds and even viaWhatsapp.
Congress’ Shashi Tharooropposed the introduction of theBill, saying divorce cannot bemade a penal offence and itsprovisions were against basicprinciples of the Constitution.
Continued on Page 6
RAJESH KUMAR n NEW DELHI
Just two days after Congressleaders held a Press confer-
ence saying no CAG report onpricing of Rafale jets has beenshared with the PublicAccounts Committee (PAC),the CAG has sent a draft reporton Rafale deal to the Ministryof Defence for its comment.
Highly placed sources saidthat the CAG has asked theMinistry of Defence to revertwithin four weeks on the draftreport. The draft report wassent to the Ministry of Defencetwo weeks ago. However, thereport is unlikely to be tabledin the ongoing Winter Sessionof the Parliament.
The controversy erupted
over the CAG report on Rafaleever since the Supreme Courtmentioned about this whilegiving clean chit to theGovernment.
The senior Congress leaderMallikarjun Kharge, who isthe Public AccountsCommittee chairman, accusedthe Government of misleadingthe apex court. “TheGovernment lied in theSupreme Court that the CAGreport was presented in theHouse and in the PAC, andPAC has probed it. TheGovernment said in theSupreme Court that it (thereport) is in public domain.Where is it? Have you seen it?”Kharge, alleged.
Continued on Page 6
Two kids die under debris as
JCB rams Noida school wall
Lens on Dragon’s projects export sans funds CAG sends report onRafale to MoD, seeksreply within 4 weeks
(L-R) Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjit Singh GK,Nirpreet Kaur and Jagdish Kaur, whose family members were killed during 1984anti-Sikh riots, Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa and others react after theDelhi HC convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for criminal conspiracy,promoting enmity, acts against communal harmony in the riots and sentenced himto life imprisonment, in New Delhi on Monday Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer
The riots were a crime againsthumanity perpetrated by those
who enjoyed politicalpatronage
— Delhi High Court
1 2
1) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and party MPJyotiraditya Scindia wave at the crowd during swearing-in-ceremonyin Bhopal on Monday
2) Rajasthan CM Ashok Ghelot and his Deputy Sachin Pilot duringthe swearing-in ceremony at Albert Hall in Jaipur on Monday
3) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel being administeredthe oath of office by Governor Anandiben Patel in Raipur on Monday
PTI
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dalchief Sharad Yadav and other Opposition leaders on their way to Jaipur on Monday PTI
Fresh Bill introduced in LS to make triple talaq penal offence
Nath waives farmers’ loan up to `2 lakh, fulfils Rahul’s poll promise
@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:
www.dailypioneer.com
}
WORLD 13
THERESA REBUFFS GROWINGCALLS FOR 2ND BREXIT VOTE
OPINION 8
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
SPORT 15
LIVERPOOL TO PLAYBAYERN IN UCL LAST 16
instagram.com/dailypioneer/
Late City Vol. 154 Issue 338*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable
Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL
BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPURCHANDIGARH DEHRADUN
Established 1864RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18
LUCKNOW,TUESDAY DECEMBER 18, 2018; PAGES 16 `3
WILDLIFE
POACHING IS
SERIOUS: YAMI
14 VIVACITY
}
Yogi: PAC to have three dedicated Mahila Bns PNS n LUCKNOW
Chief Minister YogiAdityanath on Monday
hailed the contribution ofProvincial ArmedConstabulary (PAC) jawans inmaintaining law and order andextending relief during natur-al calamities.
Stressing the need of intro-ducing women personnel in theworld’s biggest reserved policeforce, Yogi announced the cre-ation of three dedicated Mahilabattalions besides raising abattalion in Shamli.
The Chief Minister wasaddressing a function on the70th Raising Day of PAC on the35th PAC Battalion campus onMonday.
Hailing the contribution ofthe PAC officers and jawans,Yogi said: “Your contributionand services has been recog-nised by everyone. Now moreand more states, especially innorth-east and northernregions, have sought your ser-vices both for maintaining lawand order and for relief oper-ations after natural calamity.”
“The PAC has an out-standing history of it’s 70-year-
long contribution on everyfront. I feel proud to say thatyou all have shown your worthon each occasion. During nat-ural calamities, disasters ormishaps, PAC personnel haveworked tirelessly until helpwas extended to the last victim.The force has a special identi-ty across the country for it’sprofessional skill and services,”Yogi said.
The Chief Minister furthersaid: “Be it festivals, fair, or anyother gathering, PAC jawanshave worked round-the-clockto ensure peace and order. Notonly this, in adverse conditionslike monsoons, PAC jawanshave saved people in floods andalso saved their belongings."
Elaborating the importanceof the PAC, Yogi said that PACpersonnel had become a neces-sity not only on the law andorder front but even when itwas required to fight ultras orany given exigency.
“The elite Anti-TerroristSquad (ATS), Special TaskForce (STF) have majority ofcommandos drawn from thePAC as they are well trained tofight any attack against the
Continued on Page 6
city 02LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018
PNS n LUCKNOW
Eleven persons were killed inseparate road accidents dur-
ing the last 24 hours.Four men were killed and
one was injured when a car inwhich they were travelling hita road divider on Ayodhya-Lucknow highway in Barabankidistrict early Monday morn-ing,.
Police said the accidenttook place due to low visibili-ty because to fog.
The injured person wasreferred to a hospital inLucknow.
In Sonebhadra district, atruck carrying labourers fellinto a ditch in Chopan area onMonday, killing four of themand injuring 40 others. Thetruck was on its way to Chopanfrom Robertsganj when thedriver lost control and thevehicle fell into the ditch.
The four deceased couldnot be identified yet, policesaid, adding that the injuredwere rushed to a hospital.
In a separate mishap, twomen and a minor were killedafter the motorcycle they wereriding on was hit by an uniden-tified vehicle at Barkhera areaof Pilibhit district on Sundayevening.
The deceased were identi-fied as Anil (27), Ajay (30) andShivam (15) who died on thespot.
Bahraich (PTI): A one-year-old girl was allegedlykilled by her mother during thetreatment of tuberculosisthrough occult practices inTajpur village under KotwaliNanpara police station areahere, officials said.
The locals alerted thepolice that Gita had killedher daughter Shivani by cut-ting her veins with a blade,deputy superintendent ofpolice Vijay Prakash Singhsaid on Monday.
Shivani was suffering fromTB and was being treated byher mother through occultpractices, Singh said, addingthat the body was sent for post-mortem which showed that thegirl was strangulated.
The woman, who has sincebeen arrested, has admittedthat she cut the veins of the girland then gaged her for sometime for curing her, accordingto Singh.
On the complaint of thefather of the deceased, a casewas registered against thewoman, the DySP added.
Lucknow (PTI): UttarPradesh government is prepar-ing a vision document and afour-point programme toimprove the quality of educa-tion in state governmentschools, Deputy Chief MinisterDinesh Sharma said here onMonday.
“To ensure quality educa-tion in the state, a vision doc-ument is being prepared andwork has started on a four-point programme — sukhi manshikshak (happy teachers),tanaav-mukt vidyarthi (ten-sion-free students), gunvatta-parak shiksha (quality educa-tion) and nakal-viheen pariksha(cheating-free examination),”the Deputy Chief Minister toldPTI on Monday.
Explaining the first point,sukhi man shikshak’, Sharma,who holds the Secondary and
Higher Education portfolios,said when the teacher was freefrom tensions, he or she couldimpart better education to thestudents.
“Prior to the formation ofthe BJP government in thestate, teachers had to facenumerous problems, includingdifficulties in getting theirfunds after retirement. Butnow the teachers can get their
entire post-retirement fund aday after their retirement,” hesaid.
Sharma, further said, nowteachers were not required torepeatedly visit departmentoffices for transfer related issuesas the process had been madeavailable online.
He also said the academicsession of UP Board schoolshad been shifted to July fromApril so that students of theboard could appear in compet-itive examinations and competewith the students of otherboards.
On the implementation ofNCERT syllabus in schools,Sharma said, “No one was ableto take this decision sinceIndependence. Not only did wetake the decision but also madethe textbooks available fromApril 1.”
PNS n LUCKNOW
By first fielding candidatesagainst probable al ly
Congress in the recentAssembly polls in threeCentral states and then beingconspicuous with theirabsence at the oath-takingceremonies of Congress ChiefMinisters in Madhya Pradeshand Rajasthan, regionalsatraps Samajwadi Party andBahujan Samaj Party havethemselves marred the possi-bility of a grand alliance forthe 2019 general elections.
Interestingly, after not-so-encouraging results in therecent Assembly polls, bothSamajwadi Party and BahujanSamaj Party tried to distancefrom the Bharatiya JanataParty and immediatelyannounced support to theCongress.
But by not attending theswearing-in ceremonies oftwo Congress Chief Ministerson Monday, the two regionalparties have probably given aclear message to the grand oldparty to come on their termsfor the grand alliance or else
they would remain aloof. While Mayawati has been
silent over not attending theswearing-in ceremonies in theHindi speaking states,Akhilesh chose to send hislone MLA in Madhya Pradeshto represent him at the func-tion.
“Mayawati has dreams ofbecoming prime minister incase of a hung Parliament in2019. Hence, instead of join-ing us to fight against theBharatiya Janata Party in therecent Assembly polls, shepreferred to align with anoth-er party — Janata Congress inChhattisgarh,” said UPCongress Committee generalsecretary Siddharth PriyaSrivastava.
“Akhilesh also wantsCongress to come under hisparty’s banner in the parlia-mentary poll akin to what wedid in 2017 Assembly poll inUP, as he planned to projectMulayam Singh Yadav as theprime ministerial candidate.But now, by distancing them-selves from the Congress inthe Assembly polls in threestates, both have a slice of real-
ity to analyse,” the UPCCgeneral secretary pointed out.
“In fact, the results ofrecent elections have upsetboth Samajwadi Party andBahujan Samaj Party more inUP than the Bharatiya JanataParty as leaders of both par-ties had targeted Congressfreely, hoping that it would beat their mercy in UttarPradesh. Even at a recentmeeting of opposition leadersover a grand alliance in Delhi,both Mayawati and Akhileshchose to give it a miss. Hencetheir absence from the oath-taking ceremonies did notcome as a surprise,” the UPCongress general secretarysaid.
Srivastava said that statefunctionaries and leaders ofthe party had conveyed toCongress chief Rahul Gandhithat l ike in the recentAssembly polls in Hindiheartland, the party shoulddistance itself from bothSamajwadi Party and BahujanSamaj Party, even if they wentfor an alliance in the parlia-mentary polls.
PNS n LUCKNOW
Rebel Cabinet minister andBharatiya Janata Party ally
in Uttar Pradesh, Om PrakashRajbhar, who is the chief ofSuheldeo Bharatiya SamajParty, has announced to holdprotest fasts against the failuresof the Yogi Adityanath govern-ment.The SBSP leaders led byRajbhar will start the fasts atdifferent places in the statefrom December 24.
“The BJP government hasfailed to fulfill promises madeahead of the Assembly electionsin 2017. This has forced us tostage protest and remind themabout their commitments. Weare an ally of the BJP, how willwe go before the people to seekvotes in the 2019 Lok Sabhapolls?” he asked.
Giving a long list of unful-filled promises of the BJP,Rajbhar said that the rulingparty had promised to providefree coaching to ScheduledCaste, and Scheduled Tribe stu-dents for taking civil servicesexams beside including MostBackward and most Dalits in thereservation quota.
Rajbhar said his party wouldnot demand a single seat fromthe BJP for the Lok Sabha pollsbut would press it to fulfill thepromises made ahead of 2017Assembly polls. He said that theBJP was trying to divide the stateon community and caste lines,Ram temple issue.
PNS n LUCKNOW
The Bharatiya Janata Partygovernment in Uttar
Pradesh is likely to face the ireof a united opposition duringthe brief winter session of statelegislature starting Tuesday.The government is set to facethe heat over poor law andorder situation, agrarian crisisand laxity in recruitment drive.
The government agendain the four-day session wouldbe to ensure safe passage of thesecond supplementary budget,to be tabled in Assembly onDecember 19, and its seekapproval the next day.
An all-party meeting wasconvened in Lucknow onMonday in which SpeakerHriday Narayan Dikshit andChief Minister Yogi Adityanathsolicited support from theopposition parties for smoothconduct of the House.
“The government is readyto discuss all issues that theopposition feels prudent for thedevelopment of the state,” Yogisaid in a statement issued afterthe meeting.
Meanwhile, oppositionparties held a separate meetingto chalk out their strategy. Theopposition leaders unanimous-ly demanded the extension ofthe winter session so thatimportant issues could beraised in the legislature.
“The government is afraidto face the legislature and thepeople. Hence, it has sum-moned a short winter session,”
said Congress Legislature Partyleader Ajay Kumar Lallu.
The Congress legislatorssaid that issues like Bulandshahrviolence in which an inspectorwas shot dead besides delay inpayment of cane arrears offarmers and corruption inrecruitment drive etc. were to beraised by the opposition duringthe session.
Official sources confirmedthat the second supplementarybudget would be tabled in theAssembly on December 19after the Question Hour.
As per the agenda, on theopening day, obituary refer-ences would be taken up as asitting BJP member, RamKumar Verma, of LakhimpurKheri had died recently. TheAssembly would be adjourned
for the day after paying condo-lence to Verma.
On December 19, the gov-ernment will table several ordi-nances and bills along with thesecond supplementary budget.The Assembly will pass the sup-plementary budget on December20 along with the bills.
On December 21, probablythe last day of the session, leg-islations will be taken up forhalf day and the rest of the daywill be dedicated for privatemembers’ bill.
However, leader of opposi-tion and Samajwadi Partymember Ram GovindChoudhury would be absent inthis session due to his healthproblem and the party hasnominated another leader inhis place.
PNS n LUCKNOW
Claiming that there wasno need of a JointP a r l i a m e n t a r y
Committee (JPC) probe intothe Rafale fighter aircraft dealas the Supreme Court hadconsidered all aspects beforegiving its order, Union HumanResource DevelopmentMinister Prakash Javadekarsaid on Monday that theCongress was making an issueout of it by spreading lies as itwanted the Rafale deal to becancelled even at the cost ofcompromising with the coun-try’s security.
“When the apex court hasheld that there is no irregular-ity in the deal then where is thequestion for a further probe.”Javadekar said while addressingmedia persons in Lucknow onMonday.
The Union minister’s pressconference was part of theBharatiya Janata Party’s mediablitzkrieg wherein 70 pressconferences were held acrossthe country, seven in UttarPradesh, to inform the peopleabout the Supreme Court ordergiving a clean chit to theNarendra Modi government inthe Rafale deal.
Javadekar questioned theopposition’s wisdom in askingfor a JPC probe into the Rafaledeal and said that they wereforgetting a basic fact that adebate was must before a JPCwas formed.
“The government is readyfor a discussion in Parliament.But the Congress is runningaway from it as it knows that itslies would come out,” he said.
Alleging that the Congresswas lying on the Rafale dealirregularities, Javadekar saidthat it seemed the Congress wasplaying into the hands of anti-national forces and trying to
play with security of the hecountry.
Without naming Pakistan,the Union minister said, “Ourneighbours are armed to theirteeth with modern weapons. Itis time we should get modernweapons also. The Congressfirst delayed the Rafale deal forseven years, from 2007 to 2014,and when the BJP struck a deal,it is again trying to block it,” hesaid.
“The apex court hasalready said that the rate of theaircraft is 20 per cent cheaperthan what the Congress waspurchasing in 2012. Besides,Anil Ambani’s company wasselected by the French compa-ny along with several others.The apex court has clearly saidthat there was no middlemaninvolved as it was a directagreement between two coun-
tries,” the Union HRD Ministersaid.
Javadekar also said thatthe first Rafale aircraft wouldbe delivered by March, 2019and the remaining within thenext two years.
When asked whether theBJP suffered politically due tosustained campaign byCongress, Javadekar replied inthe negative and said that thedefeat of the party in MadhyaPradesh, Chhattisgarh andRajasthan was due to localissues.
“Though in MP, our partygot five lakh votes more thanthe Congress and in Rajasthanboth parties had almost equalvote share,” he pointed out.
When asked about opposi-tion unity against the BJP in the2019 Lok Sabha polls,Javadekar said, “All zeros can-
not become heroes.”“Two opposition parties
— Samajwadi Party andBahujan Samaj Party — havealready boycotted the oath cer-emony of the new govern-ments in MP, Rajasthan andChhattisgarh. This exposes thetruth about opposition unity,”he said.
In reply to another ques-tion, Javadekar said the convic-tion of Congress leader SajjanKumar in a case related to the1984 anti-Sikh riots was a “jolt”for the party. He said that MPChief Minister Kamal Nathshould step down and facetrial for the massacre of Sikhsin 1984.
“The court should punishKamal Nath for Sikh genocidein 1984 after the assassinationof Prime Minister IndiraGandhi,” he said.
Lucknow (PNS): Liquor business-men from 40 districts of Uttar Pradeshwill take out a march in Lucknow onDecember 20 to protest against the newexcise policy for 2019-2020 fiscal.
Giving this information, LucknowLiquor Association (LLA) general secre-tary Kanhaiya Lal Maurya said the maindemand of liquor traders was renewal oflicences of their model shops without anycondition. “The Excise department is setto impose quota system in the sale ofliquor and it will affect our businessadversely as we do not get much commis-
sion from sale. The government has alsoreduced the time of opening of liquorshops in the last fiscal and it has alsoaffected sales. As a result, we have a hugestock of unsold liquor. If the licences ofshops are not renewed, we will sufferheavy losses,” he said. “By implementingquota system, liquor traders will beforced to push sale which is not possibleand it will again result in losses in busi-ness,” Maurya said.
Maurya said that liquor traderswould assemble at the park near Noveltytheatre in Lalbagh in the morning on
December 20 and take out a processionvia Lucknow Nagar Nigam building,Capitol theatre and later assemble at GPOpark in Hazratganj where a memoran-dum of demands would be submitted tothe officials. Hitting out at the state gov-ernment for opting a faulty policy in thelast fiscal that made liquor businessunprofitable and complex, Maurya saidthat the LLA had earlier petitioned theExcise Minister and senior Excise officialsand apprised them of the concerns anddemands of liquor traders.
The LLA office-bearer said that the
liquor traders used to do brisk businessfrom December 25 to January 1 everyyear, but due to the faulty excise policy,they suffered losses during this period inthe last fiscal. “The implementation of theexcise policy of the BJP government tooka time. Besides, the businessmen did notget supply as per demand and thisresulted in paucity of beer and IMFL inthe market. By the time things finallycame on track, the season for high salehad passed and we suffered losses. Wefear, we are going to face a similar fate thisyear,” he lamented.
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Javadekar: Cong playing
with nation’s security
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar addressing media persons at BJP state office in Lucknow on Monday. With him is BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey (right) Pioneer
UP Assembly’s winter
session begins today
Vidhan Sabha Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit (right), Chief Minister YogiAdityanath (centre) and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna at the all-party meeting convened on the eve of the winter session of state legislature, inLucknow on Monday Pioneer
11 killed inthree roadmishaps
SP, BSP mar chances
of grand alliance
SBSP to stageprotest fastagainst govt
UP govt working on four-point
education programme: Dy CM
Liquor traders to take out protest march on Dec 20
Principal beats up students for not wishing him ‘As-Salaam-Alaikum’, bookedShahjahanpur (PTI): A
case has been filed againstprincipal of a secondary schoolhere on Monday for allegedlybeating up students for notgreeting him with “As-Salaam-Alaikum”.
Principal Secretary andnodal officer of the district,Dimple Verma, on a visit tothe Bilhari Secondary Schoolin Tilhar area on Sunday wastold that principal ChandMian was demanding that hebe greeted with “As-Salaam-
Alaikum” and he would beatup those wishing him “goodmorning”, an official said.
“As-Salaam-Alaikum” is agreeting in Arabic whichmeans “Peace be upon you”.The greeting is a religioussalutation among Muslims.
Class VI studentPriyanshu, who met the offi-cer along with other locals,told her that since the childrenwere not being able to say “As-Salaam-Alaikum” they werebeaten up. He also showed
injury marks on his neck tothe visiting official, ChiefDevelopment Officer PrernaSharma said.
The student was sent formedical examination and thepreliminary inquiry reportwas handed over to BasicShiksha Adikari (BSA) RakeshKumar.
“Principal Chand Mianhas prima facie been foundguilty of the charges and sus-pended... further inquiry ison,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, Chand Mianhas rejected the allegationsand said that he was beingdefamed as part of some con-spiracy.
Mian has already beensuspended and now policehave lodged an FIR againsthim. station house officer ofTilhar, Ashok Pal, said, addingthat on the complaint ofPriyanshu’s mother Kamla,an FIR had been registered.
the successful arrangement ofYuva Kumbh on December 22and 23 at Smriti Upvan. It waspresided over by LucknowUniversity Vice Chancellor SPSingh and witnessed the pres-ence of District MagistrateKaushal Raj Sharma. The YuvaKumbh is a curtain raiser forthe Kumbh Mela which willkick off in January atAllahabad.
The LU Vice-Chancellor,who is also the president of theorganising committee, saidthat various committees hadbeen constituted for makingproper arrangements, whichincluded Swagat Samiti, AwasSamiti, Bhojan & JalpanSamiti, Photography andVideography Samiti, MediaSamiti, Parisar Swachhata andJansuvidha Samiti, ManchSanchalan Samiti andRegistration Samiti. He saidthat the meeting had beenorganised so that the membersof all the Samitis could getfamiliar with one another anda proper coordination could beestablished between theSamitis for better results. Hesaid that proper arrangementshad been made for lodging,
food and transport of all theyoungsters who were comingto attend the Kumbh from allparts of the country. Singh saidthat responsibilities had beengiven for it.
Earlier, the DistrictMagistrate also held a meetingwith different officials atCollectorate Sabhagar wherehe directed the officials of the
Lucknow DevelopmentAuthority to ensure that theSmriti Upvan ground wereevened out and the holes werefilled. He directed the officialsof the Jal Sansthan to ensurethat there were proper sewagefacilities and drinking waterwas available. LucknowMunicipal Corporation offi-cials were directed to keep the
premises clean and ensureregular fogging. The CMOwill hold medical camps andthe RTO was asked to makearrangements for the buses. Healso issued directions forensuring proper security andregulating traffic. The meetingwas attended by the adminis-trative off icials of the district.
Efforts underway to makeYuva Kumbh a success
DM Kaushal Raj Sharma during a meeting to review Yuva Kumbh preparations
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Even as some cops earnedpraise in the past for work-
ing with restraint in incendiarysituation, an act of a sub-inspector in Ashiyana haltedthe image-building exercise ofpolice brass. As per reports,sub-inspector posted at LDApolice outpost Ankit Tiwarireached near a petrol pump atPakri Ka Pul locality for inves-tigation into a case in whichtwo groups had clashed. Onfinding some youths busy inplaying ludo, Tiwari askedthem about the incident whichhad taken place two days back.One of the youths, identified asChhotu, who runs a kioskthere, expressed his ignoranceand then got busy in playing.This irked the cop to such anextent that he started thrashing
Chhotu in full public view andhowled at commuters andother shop owners when theytried to pacify him and askedhim not to beat the pan shop-owner. The S-I then left theplace in a huff.
Irked over the incident,scores of shop-ownersthronged Ashiyana police sta-tion demanding an actionagainst the errant cop. Later,inspector Brijendra Singhstepped into the scene andassured agitators of an action.
Contrary to Tiwari’s con-duct, sub-inspector ShivendraSingh posted in Vibhuti Khandpolice station had shownrestraint when a group of soz-zled youths had picked up ver-bal spat with the former on aparking-related issue in thearea on Saturday night.
Around 11 pm on
Saturday, Shivendra was busyin managing traffic to ensurethe smooth passage of fleetescorting the DGP OP Singhwhen he saw a few men violat-ing traffic rules near HotelSavvy Grand. Shivendrareminded the youths of trafficrules and that irked them badlyand they started howling athim. Later, a 59-second videoshowing the offenders man-handling Shivendra and evenbullying him went viral onsocial media on Saturday andpolice initiated an action. “Inthe video, one of the youths washeard saying how Shivendradared stop them. It was veryprovoking but Shivendra actedwith restraint and his conductwas appreciated by senior copstoo,” the police sources said.Police later had arrested one ofthe accused in this connection.
Felt ignored, S-I beats
up paan shop-owner
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Taking advantage of laxpatrolling at night, uniden-
tified miscreants decampedwith jewellery worth Rs 1 lakhand cash from a house inVrindavan Colony of PGIpolice station area. The inci-dent has exposed that the localpolice take SSP’s instructionson face value. In a three-hour-long crime meeting at ReservePolice Lines on Sunday, the SSP,Lucknow, had asked SHOs andother subordinates to ensurepatrolling at night to preventtheft incidents.
As per reports, ParulSrivastava of sector 6 ofVrindavan Colony is employedwith a private company andhad gone to Sonebhadra for an
office-related work. OnMonday, when she returnedhome, she found articles lyingstrewn across the floor in theroom of her house. When shechecked, she found ornamentsand cash missing. “I left the cityon December 8 and returnedon Monday. I was surprised tosee a new lock on the main gateof my house (number 5 of sec-tor 6 B, close to South Citypolice outpost). Somehow, Ientered the house and foundthieves had broken the almirahand locker inside it,” she toldpolice. Police are investigatingthe case.
In another incident inGosainganj, thieves made offwith Rs 10,000 and jewelleryfrom a house owned by Sriramof Gosainganj Bazaar locality
on Sunday night. Sriram andhis family members were fastasleep when thieves enteredtheir house after scaling theboundary wall and then theroof of the house. Sriram andhis family members wereshocked when they enteredthe room in the morning andfound the cash and ornamentsmissing. Police registered acase in this connection.
Interestingly, the SSP hadstressed on the need of inten-sifying patrolling at night andspecially in rural parts of thecity or in areas on the outskirts.The SSP had pulled up cops forfailing to curb auto and housetheft incidents in the state cap-ital and even had demanded anexplanation from some ofSHOs.
Cash, jewellery stolen from house
Cop injured
after being
hit by bike
Lucknow (PNS): Threeunidentified bike-borne miscre-ants hit a sub-inspector andgrievously injured him inKakori on Sunday afternoon.The police registered a case inthis connection on Mondayand investigations were under-way. Police are also investigat-ing if the miscreants had somecriminal motive in hitting thesub-inspector who was on offi-cial duty. The police officer isadmitted to Trauma Centre ofKGMU. Sub-inspectorShailendra Pandey is posted atNaka police station and left forIIM Road in connection withinvestigation into a case.Around 3 pm, when he reachedPower House crossing on IIMRoad, the miscreants came frombehind and hit the S-I’s bike. Asa result, the S-I fell down andsuffered serious injuries. Sensingpolice action against them, themiscreants fled the scene.
Police spokesman AKDwivedi said S-I’s family hadlodged a case in this connec-tion. “A case for reckless dri-ving, grievously injuring the S-I and other counts was regis-tered against the unidentifiedmiscreants,” he said. The policespokesman added the S-I’sfamily had not suspected of anyfoul play as yet. “Still the policeare investigating if the miscre-ants had any criminal motive inhitting the S-I’s bike or it wassimply an accident,” he said.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
With Christmas and NewYear celebrations round
the corner, people are lookingforward to enjoy new flavoursof turkey which forms thekey dish in traditionalChristmas festivity. Chefsacross the city admit that peo-ple are getting more adventur-ous in trying new flavours andturkey is much sought afterduring the time of festivitywith several take away ordersplaced for it.
Chef Balwinder Singh,who has been observing close-ly the preferences of the peo-ple, said that they had gradu-ated from having cold cuts ofturkey to the classical westernstyle it is served in, also Indianstyle in which it is cooked and
now a fusion style which hasboth the components of theIndian and western styles.Talking to The Pioneer, he saidthat with the serving of thecold cuts at high-end hotelsthe people of the city haddeveloped the taste for turkeyand realised that it tasted bet-ter than the normal chickenflavour.
“In the latest version whichwe have come up with is thefusion turkey with Asianflavours wherein it is cooked insuch a manner that the flesh isextremely soft. The whole birdis first soaked in an Asianbroth and spices which includegalangal, star anise and bay leaffor a full 24 hours. It is thencooked in the confit stylewhich is a French style ofcooking wherein the turkey is
immersed in oil and cookedovernight in the oven at a lowtemperature which makes itsflesh extremely soft and retains
the juices too. It is served withwhite fungi, light soya ginger,basil sauce, saute cabbage, pokchoi and chitaki mushrooms.”
He said that in the Indian stylethe turkey was soaked in but-termilk and marinated with theIndian spices which were thenormal tandoori masalas andthen served with mustard oil-infused baby onions. Headmitted that the western clas-sical remains the popularchoice among the city denizensfor turkey. “In the westernclassical style we rub the turkeywith butter and then roast it inthe oven, cover it with an alu-minium foil and then againkeep it for roasting. The but-ter that is rubbed between theskin makes it crisp and keepsthe juices inside tender.This isserved with Brussels sprouts,mushrooms, artichoke, broc-coli, asparagus and sauces suchas those of apple and cranber-ry,” he added.
New turkey flavours on the platter this Xmas
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Three persons, including atruck cleaner, were killed in
separate incidents of roadmishap in Itaunja and Bakshi-Ka-Talab police station area onMonday.
In Itaunja, 24-year-oldyouth Ramu and his acquain-tance Kanhaiya (45), both res-idents of Itaunja, were hit by atempo on the flyover in thelocality around 8 am onMonday. Both were rushed toa government hospital whereRamu was declared dead bydoctors. Kanhaiya, who hadalso suffered serious injuries,was rushed to Trauma Centreof KGMU where he was alsodeclared “brought dead”.
Police spokesman AKDwivedi said the police hadseized the tempo as the driverfled the scene after the accident.“Efforts to nab the tempo dri-ver are on,” he said. He addedthat the police had registered acase in this connection.
In Bakshi-Ka-Talab, Sunil(20) of Himachal Pradesh suc-cumbed to injuries he had suf-fered in a road mishap in thearea on Sunday night. Reports
said Sunil, a truck cleaner, wasgoing to have lunch at a dhabain the area on Sunday after-noon and was crossing theroad when he was hit by amotorcycle. He suffered seriousinjuries and was admitted to ahospital in Bakshi-Ka-Talabwhere he died around 9.30 pmon Sunday. “Police had regis-tered a case in this connection.The motorcyclist is untraceableand the police are trying toidentify him,” the policespokesman said.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
More than 500 residents ofthe prestigious Gangotri
Apartments of the AwadhVihar Yojana refused to takethe possession of their allottedflats complaining about smallparking space. HousingCommissioner AK Chauhanassured a delegation ofResidents’ Welfare Association(RWA) that the problemwould be sorted at the earliest.
They demanded an ade-quate and safe place for park-ing of their vehicles and saidit was the duty of the AwasVikas Parishad to makearrangements in that regardwithin its premises or to an
alternative site without charg-ing any fee.
The apartment is designedand owned by Awas VikasParishad on Sultanpur Road.The seven-floor apartmenthas 984 flats. Presently, 200flats are occupied while 184are still vacant. The housingproject was launched in 2010and allotments were made in2016. Interestingly, all resi-dents have registered theirproperty with the competentauthority of the Revenuedepartment after completinglegal formalities.
Now, the problem is thatthere is a provision to parkonly 384 vehicles in the park-ing lot located within its
premises. A sizeable numberof residents lodged a protestagainst the authorities aboutsmall parking space right fromthe day one, but parishadauthorities always ignoredtheir demand. The HousingCommissioner described thisproblem as serious and alsoconvened a meeting onTuesday to chalk out a broad-based strategy to find out asolution. He, along with thechief engineer, will visiting theapartment for inspection onWednesday aiming to settlethe issue. Life insurance agentAshish Mishra said residentswould not take the possessiontill the problem was not settled.
Police place barricades near the BJP office to stop roadside vendors who were protesting to press their demands in Lucknowon Monday Pioneer
Allottees refuse to take possession
Christ Church College organised a candle light service on Monday, proclaiming the advent of Christ. The theme was ‘TheDrummer’s Boy’. The choir sang melodious carols directed by principal of St Thomas School (Gonda) Enosh Chattree, with theassistance of Abhishek Masih and Abhishek Joseph. The choir consisted of children from classes 3-12. The highlight of theevening was the sand art by students Mehwash Parvez and Mohd Arafat Khan. The ‘Achiever Award for Excellence’ was givenaway to Salman Qazi, Sheen Phillips and Sara Moin for overcoming their weaknesses and achieving their goals. Pioneer
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Duped by his partner, acontractor called the 1090
control room on Sunday nightin a sozzled state and said thathe would kill five persons in afortnight sending the Lucknowpolice in a tizzy round thenight. Instantly, the Aliganjpolice were asked to work outthe case. After a long chase andputting miscreant’s numberon surveillance, a police team,led by Aliganj SHO, nabbedthe contractor on Monday.
SHO Fareed Ahmad saidthe accused, identified asShailendra Bahadur Singh ofVikas Nagar, called the controlroom around 11.55 pm onSunday. “When the controlroom employee took the call,Shailendra told him that hewas a resident of Aliganj andwould kill five persons in thedays to come,” SHO said.
He added the control roompassed the message to Aliganjpolice station. “We put thenumber on the surveillanceand tracked him down on
Monday. He owned up hiscrime and told the team thathis partner had denied share inprofit and so he was not in aright frame of mind,” the SHOsaid. He said Shailendra wasprobably in a drunken statewhen he made the call to 1090control room.
Meanwhile, two studentsof Lucknow University werearrested for fighting with oneanother at gate number 4 byHasanganj police on Monday.SHO Amber Singh said JeetuYadav, a BA II year student,had some dispute with SachinSingh, a BPEd II year student.“On Monday, both fought withone another and later Jeetuwhipped out a licensedrevolver and trained it atSachin. The revolver, which isin the name of Yadav’s father,was empty. We have challanedJeetu under Arms Act,” theSHO said. He added thatYadav’s father is in UP policeand presently undergoingtraining in Moradabad after hispromotion to the post of sub-inspector.
Duped by partner,
contractor threatens
to kill five persons
3 killed in separateroad accidents
Sunil (20), a truck
cleaner, was going
to have lunch at a
dhaba and crossing
the road when he
was hit by a
motorcycle
Lucknow (PNS): LESA hasrealised a sum of over Rs 3crore from over 60 commercialestablishments in the Old Cityduring night drives. LESA chiefengineer (cis-Gomti)Madhukar Verma said thenight drives were being carriedout only in the Old City areasand for commercial establish-ments.
He said they had renewedthe practice after 20 years toensure that owners of the com-mercial establishments werenot belittled. “We started thisdrive of realisation fromdefaulters on December 1 andin a fortnight’s time, we havecollected over Rs 3 crore.During this drive, electricityconnections are discontinuedand when the defaulters reportin the morning and submitpenalty, the connections arerestored. This is being done forall kinds of commercial estab-lishments whether small, medi-um or large. Notices are alsopasted on shops to inform theowners that power supply hasbeen disconnected,” heexplained. He added that theyhad chosen the night drivekeeping in mind the discomfi-ture of consumers in mind.
LESA realises `3 cr
from defaulters
during night drives
city 04LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018
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PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
The issue of electricity accessin the state was discussed in
a daylong seminar held inLucknow with professionalsfrom all the relevant sectors. Thediscussion was based on the dataavailable in public domain as
VISITDirector General MedicalServices (Army) Lt GenManomoy Ganguly visitedLucknow garrison sinceassuming the charge onNovember 6 last. He paidtributes to the brave AMCsoldiers, who made the supremesacrifice in their line of duty, in asolemn ceremony by laying a
wreath at Shraddhanjali, thecenotaph of war memorial atAMC Centre and College. Lt GenGanguly, who is an oncosurgeon, was on a three-day visitto Lucknow during which hevisited all medical establishmentsof Army, including AMC Centreand College, Command Hospital,Central Command and CommandDental Centre.
BUS CONDUCTOR FOUND DRUNK
A city bus conductor wasfound drunk on duty onMonday afternoon and wasimmediately taken off duty.That he was drunk was con-firmed after a breath analysertest. Managing director ofLucknow City TransportServices Arif Saqlain said theconductor found drunk wastaken off route and necessaryaction would be taken after theinquiry report was submitted.The bus (UP32 CZ8699) goingto Integral University fromCharbagh was checked atPolytechnic crossing around 2 pm.
REPERTWAHRRepertwahr Theatre Fest
will be held from December 20to 24. Organisers said that 20shows and more than 150artistes from across the coun-try would perform at the fest.In its ninth edition,Repertwahr plans to make amark with plays like ‘Jab KhuliKitab’, ‘Gazab Kahani’,‘Shikhandi’, ‘Item’ and ‘HelloFarmaish’. For stand-up com-edy, Gaurav Kapoor, RahulSubramanian, Abhijit Gangulyand Manik Mahna will bethere on the stage. The musi-cal section will include RaghuDixit, Anand Bhaskar,Madboy, Mink, Alif andDualist Inquiry.
XMAS CELEBRATIONSThe Assembly of Believers’
Church (Aliganj) had its‘Candle light service andChristmas tree celebrations’ atSt Michael School on Monday.It was one of the programmesfrom the series planned forChristmas celebrations in thecity. The evening started witha song, ‘Light of the world’. Thecongregation was enthralled tosee the choir entering thechurch holding candles in theirhands and singing varioussongs. The choir was directedby Oswin Moses and AnkurKumar. The main attraction
was a Nativity drama on thebirth of Jesus Christ by tiny-tots. The Christmas messagewas preached by BishopShailendra Das. Praise andworship was led by RohitFrancis along with MinakshiPriya and Sweta. The appear-ance of Santa Claus sent awave of excitement among thechildren. Morris Kumar prayedfor the people and extendedChristmas greetings.
ANTI-ENCROACHMENTDRIVE IN NAKKHAS
An anti-encroachmentdrive was carried out inNakkhas under the directions ofDistrict Magistrate Kaushal RajSharma. The drive was conduct-ed from Nakkhas to Haiderganjunder ACM-2. Nearly threetruckloads of material wasseized and Rs 50,000 recoveredas fine. The ACM-2 said PWDofficials were called to measurethe road and encroachmentswere removed from governmentland.
TRACK-LAYING WORK Lucknow Metro Rail
Corporation on Monday com-pleted the track-laying workfrom CCS Airport toMunshipulia station. The civilconstruction work in this 23-km corridor will end soon asLMRC is progressing at fullpace. One of the most diffi-cult works, which was expect-ed to be completed by nextmonth, was completed onMonday.
WORKSHOPVigyan Bharti’s social wing
Vibha Vani (UP) organised aworkshop on capacity buildingat Biotech Park, which conclud-ed late on Sunday. IITR direc-tor Alok Dhawan said therewas need for better collabora-tion between research institu-tions and grassroots voluntaryorganisations to find scientif-ic solutions to environment andother social issues. Manyorganisations also showcasedtheir work from which Amit
Singh Tomar from Jagvir PalSingh Tomar Shiksha Samitishared the benefits of the gov-ernment schemes like ‘BetiPadao Beti Bachao’.
ISMM-2018 CONCLUDESThe three-day
International Symposium onMolecular Medicine (ISMM-2018) completed at SGPGI onSunday. It was hosted by the
Department of MolecularMedicine and Biotechnology.The theme of the symposiumwas molecular diagnostic andtherapeutic strategies for dis-eases, including those relatedto kidney, cancer, neurologi-cal conditions, maternal andneonatal disorders and otherlife-threatening ones.Financial support for the sym-posium was provided by theUnion Ministry of HumanResource Development anddepartment of Science andTechnology. Head of thedepartment Dr Swasti Tiwarisaid that they had been iden-tified as a centre of excellenceby the Indian Council ofMedical Research. She alsoannounced the commence-ment of Masters in MolecularMedicine from the next aca-demic session. SGPGI direc-tor Dr Rakesh Kapoor encour-aged the need for more scien-tific efforts towards diseaseprevention. Dean Dr SK Misrasaid it was important to findeconomical ways for diagno-sis to make it accessible forunder privileged population.The sessions included talks ondiverse subjects such as kid-ney disease, oncology, neuro-biology, maternal and neona-tal health, immunology andnanotechnology. Eminentresearchers from India andabroad presented their cut-ting-edge research in the symposium.
well as the experience so far. Many civil society organ-
isations involved in electrici-ty distribution work, officialsfrom the energy sector andpeople involved in distributioncompanies joined the discus-sion. The workshop finallydecided to communicate withthe government and all stake-holders that a decentralised,mini-grid system would be amuch better way to solve theenergy access issue ratherthan going through the tradi-tional grid system. The work-shop also collectively decidedto look for the opportunitiesto establish a mini-grid inorder to create a model and toshow that it can be successful.
Sharing the discussion,
Ekta Shekhar, lead campaign-er of the Climate Agenda,said “The issue of electricityaccess does not remain con-fined to the ElectricityDepartment. On the contrary,all other departments shouldbe heard well which wereimpacted by the energy access,she said. For example theEducation Department runscampaigns to promote educa-tion as a fundamental right forall but the result of such a cam-paign also depends upon theenergy access for the people,”she added. “It was also decid-ed to communicate to thegovernment through all pos-sible channels in order tomake energy access an inclu-sive idea,” Ekta Shekhar said.
Issue of electricity access
discussed at seminar
SCHOOLSCAN
CITYBRIEFS
CANTTWATCHCops accompanying an anti-encroachment team at Nakkhas on Monday
EUREKA INTERNATIONALThe second day of the
four-day international edu-cational-cultural festival,‘Eureka International-2018’,organised by City MontessoriSchool, Anand Nagar campus,was exciting. With partici-pants from Sri Lanka,Bangladesh, Nepal and vari-ous states of India, the campuswas full of competitive spirit.
The competit ions weredesigned to encourage chil-dren to participate as much asthey could. The studentsshowcased their artistic skillsin collage, choreography andadvertising contests and alsodisseminated the colours ofunity in diversity in multime-dia. Earlier, the second beganwith a speech by CMS founderJagdish Gandhi.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n ALLAHABAD
In a hard-hitting attack on theCongress Party president,
Rahul Gandhi, the UP Ministerof Health and Family Welfare,Sidharth Nath Singh, said thatthe mud-slinging on the PrimeMinister, Narendra Modi, onthe Rafale aircraft deal withFrance was baseless and did nothave an iota of truth in it.
Addressing the press con-ference here on Monday,Sidharth Nath Singh, that theSupreme Court verdict on theRafale deal had set at rest thecontroversies hovering aroundit. The verdict was a slap on theface of the Congress, he added.
He questioned why theRafale deal was not completedduring the Congress regime on
June 27, 2012. He asked wasthere no middleman to com-plete the defence deal. TheModi government was soongoing to complete its five-yearterm and during its tenure sofar not a single finger wasraised as far as corruption wasconcerned.
He said that the Congresshad the DNA of corrupt prac-tices and the allegations onRafale deal were nothing butto defame the BJP govern-ment. Recalling corruptionduring the Congress regimeright from the Jeep scam in1940 to Bofors in the 80s andAugusta Westland submarinedeal, he reminded it of the oldadage, “If you point one fingerto any one three fingers willpoint at you.”
Minister lashes
out at Rahul
e-rickshaw drivers assemble at the office of Communist Party to raise their demands on Monday Pioneer
Students of SKD Academy (Vikrant Khand) performed on the occasion of PACFoundation Day at PAC 35 Battalion in Mahanagar. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathwas the chief guest at the programme. Around 150 students of SKD Academy gavea dance performance on ‘Jai Ganesha Deva’ and also performed ‘garba’.
PTI n LUCKNOW
The newly sworn-in ChiefMinister of Madhya Pradesh
Kamal Nath has a strong con-nect with the industrial town ofKanpur in Uttar Pradesh wherehe was born and also had hiseducation. Now that a “son ofKanpur” has become theMadhya Pradesh chief minister,the locals are celebrating bliss-fully along with the likes of hisclassmate RP Awasthi, a busi-nessman who runs a confec-tionary shop in Khalisi Lines.
Kamal Nath, was born onJanuary 18, 1946 in a reputedfamily in Khalisi Lines ofMcRobertganj and had madeheadlines in politics also whenhe was here, Awasthi recalled.The new Chief Minister ofMadhya Pradesh has deep tieswith Kanpur which is alsoknown as the Manchester of theEast. The Kanpurites are takinggreat pride in the fact that theChief Minister belongs toKanpur, he said.
Awasthi said Kamal Nathdid his early schooling here andhe was his classmate. But soonhe left for the coveted DoonSchool and they lost touch. He,however, returned to Kanpurand completed his studies in lawfrom DAV College duringwhich they met each othermany times. Soon after gettingthe law degree, he left the cityand got active in politics and
since then they drifted apart,Awasthi said. HarprakashAgnihotri, the district presidentof Congress, said Kamal Nathcompleted his Bachelor ofCommerce from St. Xavier’sCollege, Kolkata before return-ing to Kanpur and got thedegree in Law from DAV.
Agnihotri added Nath wasan ambitious and forwardthinking person from his earlyage and always had an interestin the politics. He got the chanceto hear senior national leaders,top office bearers and senior col-leagues of Congress districtcommittee many times and hemet Sanjay Gandhi at the DoonSchool and became good friendwith him, Agnihotri said. Hewas very impressed with thevision and philosophy ofCongress, Agnihotri said.
As soon as the news of vic-tory of Congress in MadhyaPradesh came and Kamal Nath’schances of becoming the chiefminister started making rounds,the city folks started celebrationsover the success of the “son ofthe town”.
72-year-old Kamal Nathwas sworn in as the 18th chiefminister of Madhya Pradeshafter the Congress named thenine-time Lok Sabha memberfrom Chhindwara to head thestate Congress Legislature Party,following hours of hectic parleysheld by party chief RahulGandhi and party leaders.
Kanpur celebrates as ‘sonof town’ Kamal Nathtakes over reigns of MP
HC takes a
serious note
of allotment
of land by PMA
Allahabad (PNS): TheAllahabad High Court onMonday took a serious note ofthe allotment of land in theKumbh Mela by the PrayagrajMela Authority (PMA) andasked it to produce the provi-sions in this connection. Thebench comprising Justices PKS
Baghel and Prakash Padia sum-moned the policy regarding theallotment of the said land. Itwas alleged that there was mis-management in allotment ofmela land. The court passedthis order on a petition filed bySatya Om Sidhashram Samitiof Bulandshahr.
The petitioner had allegedthat its society was working forthe welfare of people at largeand moved an application forallotment of land in the Kumbhmela but its authority was notproviding it to it. The court,therefore, asked the melaauthority to produce the rele-vant provisions/policy inrespect of the Kumbh Melaland. The Court has fixedDecember 20 as the next dateof hearing in the case.
LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018 nation 05
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted pro-tection from arrest to a news channel journalistwho had allegedly conducted a sting operationon four ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) MLAs inOdisha. A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud andMR Shah also sought response from the OdishaGovernment on the plea of journalist RaviSharma seeking anticipatory bail and challeng-ing the order of High Court dated December 5.
“Having regard to the above position and hav-ing due regard to all the facts and circumstances,we direct that there shall be a stay of arrest in themeantime,” the Bench said.
At the outset, advocate Rahul ShyamBhandari, appearing for Sharma contended thatthe journalist was wrongly framed in the casesince he had conducted the sting operation againstthe four MLAs of BJD.
He said there is no absolute bar for grant ofanticipatory bail in the case where allegedoffences are under the Scheduled Caste andScheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Sharma was booked in the complaint caselodged by MLA Bijay Naik of Karanjia con-stituency under various Sections of IPC and pro-visions under the Act. In 2016, a regional newschannel had aired a sting operation in which fourBJD MLAs — Seemarani Nayak (Hindol); SusantBehera (Chhendipada); Bijay Naik (Karanjia) andAnam Naik (Bhawanipatna) were seen demand-ing money from an industrialist in lieu of pro-viding him facilities for setting up industries inthe State. PTI
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked theRajasthan Government to explain as to howsome videos of hate speech were uploaded onthe internet from Jodhpur jail premises byShambhu Lal Raigar, who is accused of hack-ing and burning alive a Muslim labourer fromWest Bengal.
The top court also sought response fromRaigar as to why he should not be transferredto Delhi’s Tihar jail or any other jail out ofRajasthan.
“Issue notice to the newly added respon-dent (Raigar), returnable on January 21, 2019.In the meantime, the State of Rajasthan shallfile its counter affidavit to these proceedings. The State shall, in particular,explain whether a video was uploaded fromwithin the jail premises by the newly addedrespondent and, if so, how that was possible,”said a Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud andMR Shah.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearingfor Gulbahar Biwi, wife of the victim who wasallegedly killed by Raigar in on December 6 lastyear, said that the accused has been continu-ously uploading videos of hate speech on theInternet and should be transferred to Tihar jailor any other prison outside the State. PTI
PNS n NEW DELHI
Union Cabinet on Mondayapproved increasing the allot-
ment of deposit free LPG connec-tions to poor under PM Ujjwalascheme, establishment of two newAIIMS hospitals in Madurai, TamilNadu, and Bibinagar in Telangana.Cabinet also approved a new four-lane 14 kilometre road bridge acrossriver Ganga in Patna in Bihar.
Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA) chaired byPrime Minister Narendra Modiapproved expansion of beneficiarieslist under PM Ujjwala Yojana torelease deposit free LPG connectionsto poor families so far uncovered.This is subject to fulfilling eligibili-ty norms and furnishing requireddocuments, said Petroleum MinisterDharmendra Pradhan, whileaddressing media along with LawMinister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Pradhan said people in sevencategories are identified for thisallotment of deposit free LPG cylin-ders to poor. “SC/STs households,beneficiaries of Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (PMAY) (Gramin),Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY),
Forest dwellers, Most BackwardClasses (MBC), Tea & Ex-TeaGarden Tribes, people residing inIslands / river islands, whose namesdid not appear in the SECC Iist,” saidthe statement issued by Government.
Cabinet approved the project forconstruction of a 5.634-km long newfour lane bridge in Patna across riverGanga, just 38 metres on upstreamside of the existing MG Setu. Theconstruction period for the projectis three and a half years and likely tobe completed by January 2023.
“This mega project is 14.500-kmlong and passes through Patna,Saran and Vaishali districts of Bihar.The project includes 5634-metrelong major bridge parallel to theexisting old MG Setu, 4 number ofVehicular Underpasses (VUPs), oneRail Over Bridge (RoB), 1580-metrelong one viaduct, 110-metre long oneflyover, 4 minor bridges, 5 numbersbus shelters and 13 road junctions,”said the statement. Cabinet alsosanctioned establishment of twonew All India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS) at Madurai, TamilNadu at a cost of Rs 1,264 crore andBibinagar, Telangana at a cost of Rs1,028 crore.
PNS n NEW DELHI
The three-day-long annualDGP’s conference to be
hosted by the Union HomeMinistry will start onDecember 20 at the site of thetallest statue of SardarVallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat.Militancy in Jammu &Kashmir, cross-border terror-ism and attempts to radicalise youth will top theagenda of the conference inau-gurated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.
Issues like clashes due tocommunal tension, circulationof communally sensitive newsand pornographic materialsthrough social media are alsoexpected to be discussed at thethree-day meeting, a UnionHome Ministry official said.
The top police officers ofthe country will be closeted for multiple sessions of dis-cussions on issues concerningthe country, including militancy in Jammu andKashmir, cross-border terror-ism, attempts to radicaliseyouth, Naxal menace and thesituation in the Northeast, theofficial said.
PNS n NEW DELHI
Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday
announced $1.4 billion finan-cial assistance to Maldives afterhe held extensive talks with itsvisiting President IbrahimMohamed Solih.
During the talks, the twosides vowed to deepen securi-ty cooperation in the IndianOcean Region.
The two countries alsoinked four pacts, includingone on visa facilitation besidesagreeing on maritime cooper-ation. “We held successful talksin a cordial atmosphere. Wevowed to strengthen ties,” Modisaid in his press statement, withSolih by his side.
Modi also said the securi-ty interests of the two countrieswere intertwined and both sideswill work together to furtherstrengthen cooperation in theIndian Ocean Region.
“We will not allow ourcountries to be used for activ-ities which can be harmful toeach other’s interests,” Modiasserted.
The Prime Minister saidIndia is extending $1.4 billionas budget support, currencyswap and line of credit for thesocial and economic develop-ment of Maldives.
“We want greater tradeties with Maldives. There areincreasing opportunities for
Indian companies in the islandnation,” he said.
On his part, Solih said thetwo sides agreed to strengthenmaritime security cooperationin the Indian Ocean regionthrough coordinated patroland aerial surveillance.
Solih arrived here onSunday on a three-day statevisit, his first foreign trip afterassuming the charge of the topoffice in the island nation amonth ago.
Modi had attended Solih’sswearing-in ceremony onNovember 17.
Earlier, External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj calledon Solih and discussed issuesof bilateral and regional con-cern. Relations between Indiaand the Maldives plummetedafter then President AbdullaYameen imposed emergencyon February 5 this year.
India had criticised hisdecision and asked his gov-ernment to restore the credi-bility of the electoral and polit-ical process by releasing polit-ical prisoners. The emergencylasted for 45 days.
The two sides signedAgreements/MoUs/JointDeclaration of Intent duringthe visit like Agreement on theFacilitation of VisaArrangements, Memorandumof Understanding on CulturalCooperation and MoU forEstablishing Mutual
Cooperation to Improve theEcosystem for Agribusiness;
A Joint Declaration ofIntent on Cooperation in thefield of Information &Communications Technologyand Electronics was alsosigned.
The two sides also agreedto work together to createinstitutional linkages and toestablish a framework of coop-eration in the areas of health,particularly cancer treatment,Mutual Legal Assistance onCriminal Matters, Investmentpromotion, Human ResourceDevelopment and Tourism.
Solih is accompanied byhis wife First Lady Fazna Ahmedand a high level delegation com-prising of Minister of ForeignAffairs Abdulla Shahid, Ministerof Finance Ibrahim Ameer,Minister of National Planningand Infrastructure MohamedAslam, Minister of Transportand Civil Aviation AishathNahula, Minister of EconomicDevelopment Uz Fayyaz Ismail,senior government officials, anda business delegation.
In an important gesture,Solih is staying in theRashtrapati Bhawan as a specialguest of President Ram NathKovind. “This demonstratesthe close ties between India andthe Maldives, and the warmthand mutual respect betweenthe two Governments, a releaseissued by Government said.
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Congress and BJP onMonday sparred over the
Rafale issue in both the Housesof the Parliament giving noticesof privileges against each otherin both the Houses for alleged-ly airing misleading statements.
The Congress gave noticesof breach of privilege in bothHouses of Parliament, demand-ing an explanation from theGovernment on why it pro-vided the Supreme Court“wrong” information on theRafale deal. The Congress gaveprivilege notices against theGovernment and law ministerRavi Shankar Prasad.
Soon the BJP also steppedup attack on Rahul Gandhiover the Rafale issue with threemembers of the ruling party inthe Lok Sabha moving a noticeof breach of privilege againstthe Congress president, alleg-
ing that he spoke “falsehood”and “misled the House” overthe fighter aircraft deal in hisspeech during a debate in July.
BJP MPs Anurag Thakur,Nishikant Dubey and SanjayJaiswal have sought actionagainst Congress president overhis speech during the debate onthe no-confidence motionagainst the Narendra ModiGovernment in Parliament’sMonsoon Session.
BJP has intensified its attackon Rahul following the lastweek’s Supreme Court verdictdismissing petitions seeking aprobe into alleged irregularitiesin the Rafale deal. The apexcourt had said there is no occa-sion to doubt the decision-mak-ing process in the procurementof 36 fighter jets from France.
Rahul has, however, stuckto his allegations of corruptionin the purchase and demand-ed a probe by a Joint
Parliamentary Committee(JPC). In their notice againstthe Congress leader, the BJPMPs quoted Rahul as sayingthat the UPA Government hadagreed to buy the aircraft at Rs520 crore per unit but when theBJP-led NDA Governmentsigned the deal, it cost Rs 1,600crores “by magic”.
“The above statement isentirely untrue... We categori-cally assert that the price com-parison given by Rahul Gandhiis a figment of imagination,incorrect and utter falsehood.It was an attempt to mislead theHouse,” they alleged in theirnotice. On the part of theCongress Leader of Oppositionin the Rajya Sabha GhulamNabi Azad sent the notice tothe chairman of the UpperHouse, Congress’ leader in theLok Sabha Mallikarjun KhargeKharge gave the notice in theLower House.
“I have given a breach ofprivilege notice against theGovernment and in particularagainst Law Minister RaviShankar Prasad as it was theLaw Ministry that gave the goahead for presenting the affi-davit before the SupremeCourt,” he said.
This is the first time that aGovernment has providedwrong information to theSupreme Court, he said.
“This is why our demandfor a Joint ParliamentaryCommittee (JPC) becomesmore relevant. We demandthat a JPC be formed to probethe theft in the Rafale deal,”Azad said.
“We have no faith in thisGovernment as it is misleadingthe Supreme Court by givingfalse information and is alsomisleading the people of thecountry,” he alleged.
The Congress, through its
notices, is demanding answersfrom the law minister on whythe government providedwrong information to theSupreme Court about the CAGreport on the Rafale pricingissue, he said.
Senior Congress leaderAnand Sharma alleged that theGovernment was guilty of com-mitting breach of privilege ofboth Houses of Parliament byclaiming that the CAG report onRafale aircraft pricing was pre-sented to the Public AccountsCommittee of Parliament.
PNS n NEW DELHI
Shortly after the sentencing of SajjanKumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, the
Government and the BJP on Monday tar-geted the Congress, saying no one had anydoubt on the Opposition party’s role in theriots and alleged that the Congress and itsruling Gandhi family were involved in a“cover-up”.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also tooka swipe at the opposition party for choos-ing Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, claiming that Sikhs con-sider him “culpable” in the violenceagainst the community. And BJP president Amit Shah alleged Congress “leaders andworkers went on rampage raising provocative slogans” and “murdering menin cold blood”.
Jaitley dubbed Kumar, who was con-victed by the Delhi High Court in a 1984 riots case and sentenced him toimprisonment for life, a “symbol” of theanti-Sikh “genocide” and said the countryhad never seen murders on a bigger scalethan this.
The decision may be delayed but atleast the process of justice has started, hesaid, hoping that there will be more ver-dicts as many cases are being heard on a
day to day basis. “It is an irony that the ver-dict has come on a day when a Congresschief minister, who is held culpable by the Sikh community, is taking oath,”Jaitley told reporters in an apparent ref-erence to Nath.
Shah said victims of 1984 riots had lostall hope of justice because those respon-sible for crime against them enjoyedpolitical patronage of Congress leadership,Shah alleged in his tweets.
The Delhi High Court’s conviction ofSajjan Kumar has once again assured thevictims that criminals of 1984 will not goscot free, he asserted.
“No one ever had any doubt onCongress’ role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.Their leaders and workers went on ram-page raising provocative slogans, rapingwomen and murdering men in cold blood.Yet no one was ever punished despite mul-tiple commissions and several eyewit-nesses,” Shah said.
The BJP chief thanked Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for setting up an SIT in2015 which, he said, started re-investiga-tion into several cases of 1984 pending forover three decades.
“I am grateful to the court, which hasdelivered its judgment, bringing relief tothe traumatised families,” he added.
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Lok Sabha on Mondaypassed a Bill seeking to
empower the transgender com-munity by providing them aseparate identity. TheTransgender Persons(Protection of Rights) Bill,2016, seeking to defineTransgenders and prohibit dis-crimination against them, wasintroduced in the Lok Sabhatwo years ago. It was passedwith 27 amendments amidprotests over the Rafale dealand Cauvery issue.
While their colleagues wereprotesting in the Well, fiveOpposition MPs, includingKakoli Ghosh Dastidar(Trinamool Congress) andBadaruddoza Khan (CPI-M),participated in the debate, ques-tioning the provisions of the leg-islation. The Opposition MPs,while participating in the debatereminded the Government thatthey are cooperating with thisbill due to its noble cause.
Presenting the importanceof the bill, Union Social Justice
and Empowerment MinisterThawar Chand Gehlot saidthe Bill was sent to the stand-ing committee and theGovernment has accepted 27amendments, requesting MPsto pass the Bill. Initiating thedebate on the Bill, Congressmember Shashi Tharoor saidthe bill was “flawed” and theminister should withdraw it.
“Defer consideration of thebill as it needs serious discus-sion. I request the minister towithdraw the Bill,” he said. Weneed to recognise Transgenders’identity” as it goes beyondmale and female, Tharoor said,adding the government has“blindly” borrowed the defini-tion of Transgenders. The Billalso fails to define discrimina-tion against Transgenders andthere is a need to redraft certainclauses,” he said.
Bartruhari Mahtab (BJD)said there was no clarity on theterm “self perceived genderidentity” and “how it will beenforced”. He said the defini-tion of Transgenders was notcomplete and that other terms
such as transmen andtranswomen were not defined.
Mahtab said there wereseveral laws in the country andit was not clear how theselaws, including the CompaniesAct would be applied to trans-genders. “Adequate attentionhas not been given in draftingthis Bill,” he maintained, addingthe government itself hasmoved 27 amendments.
Supriya Sule (NCP) said aTransgender commission atthe national level was notenough. “We are asking for awelfare board for Transgenders.They need equal rights,” shesaid, demanding a helplinenumber for the community.
The Minister said the objec-tives of the Bill includes pro-tecting interests of Transgenders,defining of the term‘Transgender’, to give themrecognition and setting up of anational Transgender council. “Along discussion has taken placeon this issue. It has also gone tothe parliamentary standing com-mittee. We have included sever-al of their suggestions,” he said.
ARCHANA JYOTI n NEW DELHI
Like last year, this time too,Public Sector Units (PSUs)
and Central GovernmentDepartments have intriguing-ly drawn a blank in qualifyingin any category for the presti-gious National Award 2018,announced on InternationalDay of Persons with Disabilities(PwD) on December 3.
The award is given everyyear by the Union Ministry ofSocial Empowerment andJustice to individuals and insti-tutions working for the welfareof the PwDs.
A total 16 institutions and56 individuals from the privatesector and a few States wereconferred with the award at anevent held to mark the day.
There were three categorieswhere nominations weresought from the PSUs andGovernment Departments too.
However, the fact that noneof its departments andNavratnas (PSUs) could meetthe criteria to clinch the bestemployer award under the cat-egory ‘Award for theOutstanding Wok in theCreation of Barrier-FreeEnvironment for the Persons with Disabilities,’speaks volumes of the long waythe Modi Government has togo to meet the aspirations ofthe sector such as ensuringenough jobs and inclusiveenvironment.
The Government haslaunched mega IndiaAccessibility Campaign to cre-ate universal accessibility env-iron for the sector.
In private sector,Karnataka-based IBM baggedthe award under the category‘Award for the OutstandingWok in the Creation of Barrier-Free Environment for the
Persons with Disabilities.’From the private sector,
Radhambika S on behalf ofSivavasu Electronics fromThiruvananthapuram, Keralabagged the award under thesegment ‘Award for BestEmployers and PlacementOfficer or Agency’.
In fact Madhya Pradeshstole the show with its districtSingrauli, Indore and NagdaMunicipal Corporations walk-ing away with the award
Similarly, no PSU and gov-ernment department wasfound to be inspiring enoughto be felicitated under the ‘bestemployee or agency’ categoryeven as EmploymentDepartment of the NationalAssociation for Blind (NAB)and R Hari, GM HumanResources of the Lemon TreeHotels Ltd bagged the awardunder the segment.
Tripura-based Abhoy
Misson and Mata BhagwantiChadha Niketan, Uttar Pradeshand Montfort Centre forEducation, MEGHALAYAwere felicitated for providingholistic comprehensive services to the persons withdisabilities in a comprehensivemanner.
Award for the ‘Best Districtin Providing RehabilitationService’ went to Thiruvallur(Tamil Nadu) Lucknow (UttarPradesh) while ‘Best StateChannelizing Agency ofNational Handicapped Financeand Development Corporation’award was given to KeralaState Handicapped PersonsWelfare Corporation
On the occasion, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, whoconferred the award, said the sector needs empathyand not sympathy and theawardees serve as the rolemodel to others.
PNS n NEW DELHI
The Government onMonday said the
Government was not dolingout funds to the private or pub-lic companies under the ‘Adopta Heritage: Apni Dharohar,Apni Pehchaan’, schemelaunched last year.
“No fund is given byMinistry of Tourism. The projectenvisages involvement of pri-vate/public companies /organi-sations and individuals to adoptmonuments, natural heritagesites and other tourist sites in thecountry, primarily under CSR,”said Minister of State (indepen-dent charge) for Culture, DrMahesh Sharma, in reply to aquestion in the Lok Sabha.
He said the scheme envis-ages development and mainte-nance of tourist amenities at her-itage sites and making themtourist friendly, to enhance
tourism potential and culturalimportance in a planned andphased manner. A political con-troversy had erupted in April thisyear after the news broke that theDalmia Bharat group signed anagreement with the Governmentto maintain Red Fort withOpposition accusing theGovernment of ‘handing overthe monument to private party.”
However, the Governmentsaid the project primarily focus-es on providing basic amenitiesthat include cleanliness, public
conveniences, safe drinkingwater, ease of access for tourists,signages, illumination, Wi-fietc. The MoU signed specifiesinstallation of one signage at themonument indicating thatmonument has been adopted byrespective firm/organisation,the Minister said.
He maintained that provid-ing basic facilities/amenities(e.g. drinking water, toilet blocks,facilities for physically chal-lenged, pathways, cultural noticeboards/signage, vehicle park-
ing, cloak rooms, etc.) to touristsvisiting centrally protected mon-uments and sites are the regularactivities undertaken by theArchaeological Survey of India.
Further, ArchaeologicalSurvey of India has identified100 monuments as “AdarshSmarak” for upgradation ofexisting facilities/amenities likeWi-Fi, cafeteria, interpretationcentre, brail signage, moderntoilets etc. on the basis of actu-al requirement and feasibilityon case to case basis.
Modi OK’s $1.4 bn
aid to Maldives
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih deliver a joint Press statement at HyderabadHouse in New Delhi on Monday PTI
1984 anti-Sikh riots: Jaitley,
Shah take swipe at Cong
Cong, BJP wage privilege notice war over Rafale
New Delhi: It took 13 roundsof diplomatic discussionsbetween India and China toresolve the face-off betweentheir militaries in Doklamlast year, according to a reportby a parliamentary panel.
The report by the com-mittee on External Affairstermed the Chinese intru-sion at Doklam as a “blatantbut unsuccessful attempt” tounilaterally change the statusquo at the India, Bhutan,China tri-junction in Doklam,seriously affecting India’ssecurity interests.
Complimenting the gov-ernment’s handling of the face-off, the committee said itremained concerned thatChinese infrastructure built“uncomfortably” close to thetri-junction has not yet beendismantled. The committee,headed by former Minister ofstate in External AffairsMinistry Shashi Tharoor, saidDoklam was not a sovereigntyissue for India as the disputedterritory was Bhutanese, butnevertheless it was major secu-rity challenge for New Delhi.
“The committee will liketo put on record their highestappreciation for the brave andtimely action of our securityforces which checked the PLA(Peoples Liberation Army)troops from continuing withtheir road construction activ-ity in South Doklam,” panelsaid in the report tabled inParliament on Monday. PTI
Lok Sabha passes Bill to
empower transgenders
DGP conference tofocus on cross-borderterrorism, J&K militancy
Dalmia Bharat Ltd. Red Fort (Delhi), Gandikota Fort (Andhra Pradesh)
Adventure Tour Operators Area surrounding Gangotri Temple &Trail to Gaumukh(Uttrakhand) Association of India
Mt. Stok Kangri Trek, Ladakh
Apeejay Park Hotels Jantar Mantar (Delhi)
Bliss Inns (V-Resorts) Suraj Kund ( Haryana)
Yatra Online Qutub Minar (Delhi), Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra) Leh Palace, Leh and Hampi (Hazara Rama Temple) Karnataka
MONUMENTS ADOPTED UNDER THE SCHEME SO FAR
AGENCY/MONUMENT MITRAS MONUMENT (STATE)
No Govt funding for adopt a heritage: Min
nation 06LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018
SAJJAN GETS LIFE...The High Court directed
73-year-old Kumar and otherfive convicts to surrender byDecember 31, 2018 and not toleave the city of Delhi. Sixaccused, including SajjanKumar, who was a Member ofParliament at that time, weresent for trial in 2010 and threeyears later, the lower courthad convicted five of theaccused but acquitted theCongress leader of all thecharges.
Deciding the appealsagainst acquittal of SajjanKumar, a Bench of justices SMuralidhar and Vinod Goelconvicted the Congress leaderfor offences of criminal con-spiracy and abetment in com-mission of crimes of murder,promoting enmity between dif-ferent groups on grounds ofreligion and doing acts preju-dicial to maintenance of com-munal harmony and defilingand destruction of a Gurdwara.
The Bench said theaccused in the case werebrought to justice “primarily onaccount of the courage and per-severance of three eyewitness-es” — Jagdish Kaur, her cousinJagsher Singh and NirpreetKaur. Jagdish Kaur’s husband,son and three cousins — KeharSingh, Gurpreet Singh,Raghuvender Singh, NarenderPal Singh and Kuldeep Singh— were the five killed in thecase. Nirpreet Kaur had wit-nessed the Gurdwara beingburnt down and her fatherbeing burnt alive by the ragingmobs, the bench also noted.
The Bench also upheld theconviction and varying sen-tences awarded by the trialcourt to former Congress coun-cillor Balwan Khokhar, retirednaval officer Captain Bhagmal,Girdhari Lal and former MLAsMahender Yadav and KishanKhokhar. The HC also convict-ed them for criminal conspir-acy to burn down residences ofSikh families and a gurdwara in
the area during the riots.The trial court in 2013
had awarded life term toKhokhar, Bhagmal and Lal,and a three-year jail term toYadav and Kishan Khokhar.
Following the HC verdict,life term of Khokhar, Bhagmaland Lal has been upheld andthe sentence of Yadav andKishan Khokar has beenenhanced to a 10 years in jail.
The Bench, in its judge-ment, observed, “While it isundeniable that it has takenover three decades to bring theaccused in this case to justice,and that our criminal justicesystem stands severely tested inthat process, it is essential, in ademocracy governed by therule of law to be able to call outthose responsible for such masscrimes. “It is important toassure those countless victimswaiting patiently that despitethe challenges, truth will pre-vail and justice will be done.”
The Bench noted that afterthe “horrific” mass killingswitnessed during the 1947 par-tition, the country again saw an“enormous human tragedy”when 2,733 Sikhs were “brutal-ly murdered” in a “communalfrenzy” that was unleashedbetween November 1-4, 1984following the assassination ofthen Prime Minister IndiraGandhi by her two Sikh body-guards on October 31. “Their(Sikhs) houses were destroyed.In the rest of the country toothousands of Sikhs were killed.A majority of the perpetratorsof these horrific mass crimes,enjoyed political patronage andwere aided by an indifferent lawenforcement agency,” it said.“The criminals escaped prose-cution and punishment forover two decades,” the courtsaid and went on to reverse theacquittal of Kumar by a trialcourt in 2013. In its 207-pagedecision, the HC said it took asmany as ten committees andcommissions for the investiga-tion into the role of some of the
perpetrators to be entrusted in2005 to the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI), 21 yearsafter the occurrence.
It said only after the CBIentered the scene, that the wit-nesses, represented by senioradvocate H S Phoolka, wereable to be assured and theyspoke up. “Admirably, theystuck firm to their truth at thetrial. This court is of the viewthat the mass killings of Sikhsin Delhi and elsewhere inNovember 1984 were in fact‘crimes against humanity’. Theywill continue to shock the col-lective conscience of society fora long time to come,” the courtsaid.
3 CONG CMs...The leaders in the vehicle
included Sharad Pawar, Stalin,Farooq Abdullah and SharadYadav. In a tweet, the Gandhiscion thanked the people of thethree States for believing in theparty and vowed that the StateGovernment will fulfil itsresponsibilities. While Gehlotwas sworn in as the ChiefMinister of Rajasthan, SachinPilot took oath as a CabinetMinister and the partyannounced that Pilot will be theState’s Deputy Chief Minister.Former Union Minister KamalNath took oath as MadhyaPradesh Chief Minister at a cer-emony attended by a galaxy ofleaders. Governor AnandibenPatel administered the oath ofoffice to 72-year-old Nath, wholed the Congress to victory inthe recently-concluded StateAssembly polls. Another frontrunner for CM face in MPJyotiraditya Scindia, formerMP Chief Minister and seniorCongress leader Digvijay Singh,Punjab Minister Navjot SinghSidhu, Puducherry CM VNarayanswamy, seniorCongress leaders AnandSharma, Raj Babbar and RajivShukla were among those whoattended the ceremony atBhopal. Late in the evening,
Baghel too was sworn in as theChief Minister of Chhattisgarhby Governor Anandiben Patel.MLAs TS Singh Deo andTamradhwaj Sahu, who werefront-runners for the CM’spost, were also sworn in asMinisters in the presence ofRahul Gandhi and ManmohanSingh. Others who made toRaipur after the change intime and venue due to rainwere Mallikarjun Kharge,Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot,Narayansamy, JyotiradityaScindia, Sidhu, FarooqAbdullah and Sharad Yadav.Congress won 68 seats in the90-member House. The BJP,which was in power in the Statesince 2003, bagged just 15 seatsin the elections.
CAG SENDS...The Congress has been
making allegations of corrup-tion in the 36 aircraft contractsaying Prime MinisterNarendra Modi favoured hisindustrialist friends by givingthem offset contracts worthover Rs 30,000 crore.According to CAG officials,once a CAG report is submit-ted to the President of India forapproval, the Governmentdecides on the date and time ofits tabling in Parliament. Aftertabling in Parliament, CAGreports are sent to the PublicAccounts Committee (PAC),which is headed by anOpposition leader, for evalua-tion. The CAG has been con-ducting an audit of the Rafaledeal for the last year and hasgone into its pricing, bids fromcompetitors and comparativepricing of other fighter jetsavailable globally.
YOGI: PAC TO...country. Recently, during theformation of State DisasterResponse Force (SDRF),majority of PAC jawans extend-ed their services,” the ChiefMinister pointed out Yogi didnot lose the opportunity to
attack his political rivals andaccused previous governmentsof overlooking the welfare ofthe force and for not extendingnecessary help to the PAC.“Those PAC battalions whichbecame non-active during pre-vious regimes have been re-activated after BJP came topower,” he added. Stressingthe need for bringing in womenin the world’s largest policeforce, Yogi said: “We will sooncome up with three dedicatedMahila Battalions in the stateand a separate PAC battalionhas also been cleared forShamli.” The Chief Ministerlater handed over awards toPAC personnel for their out-standing achievements insports or contribution in socialfield. Besides the ChiefMinister, the function was alsoattended by DGP OP Singh,ADG (PAC) RK Vishwakarmaand several senior officers.
FRESH BILL...The BJP has decried the
Congress for its allegedly retro-grade stand similar to the onetaken by the Rajiv GandhiGovernment on the controver-sial Shah Bano case in 1986. TheRajiv Gandhi CongressGovernment, elected in 1984,passed the Muslim Women(Protection on Divorce Act),1986. This law overturned theverdict in the Shah Bano caseand said the maintenance peri-od can only be made liable forthe ‘iddat’ period. Prasad said“improvements” have beenmade in the Bill and the law wasessential to help Muslim womenfacing the problem of instanttriple talaq. The magistratewould ensure that bail is grant-ed only after the husband agreesto grant compensation to thewife as provided in the Bill. Thequantum of compensation willbe decided by the magistrate, asper the Bill. The police wouldlodge an FIR only if approachedby the victim (wife), her bloodrelations or people who become
her relatives by virtue of hermarriage. Neighbours and oth-ers cannot lodge a complaintunder the proposed law.
The Bill will replace theOrdinance issued by theGovernment in September, thisyear. The Bill introduced andpassed in the Lok Sabha earli-er this year could not get pas-sage in the Upper House withthe Congress opposing “non-bailable arrest” provision in theBill. The fresh Bill will supersedean earlier Bill passed in the LokSabha and pending in the RajyaSabha. An Ordinance has a lifeof six months. But from the daya session begins, the Ordinancehas to be replaced by a Billwhich should be passed byParliament within 42 days (sixweeks), else it lapses. TheGovernment is at liberty to re-promulgate the Ordinance if theBill fails to get throughParliament. The offence ofinstant triple talaq will be “com-poundable”. Now, a magistratecan use his powers to settle thedispute between a husband andhis wife. This will happen onlywhen the wife approaches thecourt. Under a compoundableoffence, both parties have theliberty of withdrawing the case.
The proposed law wouldonly be applicable on instanttriple talaq or ‘talaq-e-biddat’and it would give power to thevictim to approach a magistrateseeking “subsistence allowance”for herself and minor children.A woman can also seek the cus-tody of her minor childrenfrom the magistrate who willtake a final call on the issue.
Citing details of instanttriple talaq cases, theGovernment had last weekinformed the Lok Sabha that tillnow 430 incidents of tripletalaq have come to the notice ofthe Government through themedia. Of these, 229 werereported before the SupremeCourt judgement, while anoth-er 201 came to the notice afterit.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
PTI n GUWAHATI
Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath
on Monday alleged that theCongress was involved in the1984 anti-Sikh riots and itshould accept the verdict of theDelhi High Court punishingparty leader Sajjan Kumar forhis role in it. The BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) leader alleged that the Congresshad a history of dividing peo-ple on religious and caste lines.
“It is a known fact that theCongress was involved in 1984riots. It should accept the (ver-dict of the) Constitutional insti-tution,” Adityanath said at apress conference here.
The Delhi High Court onMonday convicted the seniorCongress leader for conspira-cy to commit murder in the1984 anti-Sikh riots case andsentenced him to imprison-ment for life.
On the Bulandshahr vio-lence, the Chief Minister said
all those involved in the inci-dent would be arrested andpunished as per law.
“Law is equal for all. Lawwill take its own course. TheGovernment acted very swift-ly in the matter. All thoseinvolved will be arrested andpunished,” he said. There is nolaw and order problem in UttarPradesh and other BJP-ruledstates in the country,Adityanath claimed.
Violence broke out inBulandshahr town of UP onDecember 3 over alleged cattleslaughter, leaving a policeinspector and a youth dead asa mob went on a rampagetorching a police post andclashing with police, whichhad to open fire to control thesituation. Adityanath alsoattacked the Congress for notaccepting the Supreme Court’sorder on the Rafale deal.
Congess should accept courtverdict against Sajjan: Yogi
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a press conference inrelation to Rafale deal in Guwahati on Monday PTI
PTI n AHMEDABAD
In the wake of drought inparts of Gujarat, the State
Government on Mondaysought financial assistance of`1,725 crore from the Centreto carry out various reliefworks in the affected regions.
The demand was put for-ward before a central team vis-iting Gujarat since the lastthree days to assess the waterscarcity situation which hasarisen due to scanty rainfallthis monsoon, said AdditionalChief Secretary, revenue,Pankaj Kumar.
He said the nine-membercentral team, comprising offi-cials from various ministries,had visited Kutch, Morbi,Banaskantha, Patan andSurendranagar districts duringthe three-day tour.
The team Monday held ameeting with Chief SecretaryJ N Singh and other key off icials of the Gujarat
Government at Gandhinagarupon the completion of theirassessment tour.
Kumar told reporters theState Government’s estimatessuggests that a total of `2,902crore will be needed to carryout various relief works in thedrought-affected regions.
“We have so far declared3,367 villages of 51 taluka inthe state as drought affected.The central team had visitedf ive af fected distr icts during the last three daysand held a meeting with ChiefSecretary today,” Kumar toldreporters in Gandhinagarafter the meeting.
“Our estimates suggeststhat we would need `2,902crore in total to carry out var-ious relief works in affectedregions. Looking at the fundsavailable with us under SDRF(State Disaster Relief Fund)and norms governing it, wewould need additional `1,725crore,” said Kumar.
He said the team hadgiven a “positive response”on the demand of centralassistance of `1,725 crore putforward by the StateGovernment.
“This fund will be utilisedin paying input subsidies tofarmers, providing drinkingwater to people, for openingcattle camps, providing assis-tance to cattle shelters and todistribute fodder in affectedregions,” the IAS officer said.
He said the StateGovernment is “confident” ofgetting central assistance soon.
Gujarat had received just73.87 per cent of the averagerainfall this monsoon.
Kutch had received just26.51 per cent of average rain-fall, while north Gujarat got42.93 per cent, central Gujarat66.83 per cent, Saurashtra72.20 per cent and southGujarat got the highest of94.79 per cent, according toMet department figures.
Guj seeks `1,725 crore for
drought relief from Centre
TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI
As part of a busy scheduledrawn up for him during
his day-long visit toMaharashtra on Tuesday, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi willlay foundation stone forupcoming first-ever MetroCorridors in Thane district. Hewill also launch a housingscheme of 90,000 homes andalso perform “bhoomi puja” forPune Metro Rail Phase-3.
At Kalyan in the neigh-bouring Thane district, Modiwill lay foundation stone for theThane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metroand the Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander Metro corridor pro-jects to ease the transportationproblems in the two urbanpockets located in the MumbaiMetropolitan Region. He willalso launch a housing schemeof 90,000 homes for the poorsections of society at the samevenue, constructed under thePradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(PMAY).
Modi will later head to
Pune, where he will performground breaking ceremony forthe Pune Metro Rail Phase 3and address a public meeting.
Earlier in the morning, thePrime Minister would speak atthe Republic Summit organisedby Republic TV, a private newschannel.
Subsequently, Modi will hewill release a book entitled‘Timeless Laxman’ based on thelife and little known facets of thelegendary cartoonist, the late RK Laxman, at Raj Bhavan. Thebook has been penned by hisdaughter-in-law, Usha SrinivasLaxman. It may be recalled thatLaxman — best known for hiscreation The Common Manfor his daily cartoon strip, “ YouSaid it “You Said It” in TheTimes of India which started in1951—passed away at a Punehospital on January 26, 2015.
Modi, who will arrive inMumbai at 8 am on Tuesday,will wind up his day-long visitto Maharashtra after addressinga public rally at Pune late in theevening.
PM Modi to lay
base for Thane
Metro today
TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI
Six persons were killed and147 others injured late on
Monday afternoon after amajor fire broke out in the StateGovernment-run EmployeesState Insurance Corporation(ESIC) Kamghar Hospital at Andheri (East) in north-west Mumbai. A majority ofthose injured, who have beenadmitted to the various hospi-tals in the metropolis, werepatients and staffers.
Informed official sourcessaid that the toll might go upfurther as some of the injuredwere in a critical condition.
The fire was noticed nearthe operation theatre of thefive-storey hospital located atMarol locality of Andheri(East). Before long, the firespread to other floors strand-ing more 150 people in the fire-engulfed building.
As the fire spread in thebuilding, a few patients pan-icked and jumped out of thefourth floor window. They suf-fered fractures.
However, within minutesof the fire being reported, atleast 12 fire tenders, 15 watertankers and other specialisedequipment arrived on the sceneto battle with the blaze. The firebrigade used ladders to bring
down those trapped in thethird and fourth floors of thehospital building.
Leaping flames, coupledthick cloud of smoke, made therescue operation difficult forthe fire brigade personnel.After battling with the fire formore than three and a halfhours, the fire brigade extin-guished the blaze at 7.35 pm.
At around 8.30 pm, theofficials at the BMC’s disastercontrol room pegged the number of deaths at six andthose admitted to various hos-pitals at 147.
A majority of those rescuedhad suffered burn wounds. Ofthe injured, 19 were admittedto Cooper Hospital, Andheri(West), 39 to P ThakreyTrauma Hospital, Jogeshwari(East), 40 to Holi SpiritHospital, Andheri (East), 44 t0Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri
(East), three to HiranandaniHospital, Powai and two toSidhharth Hospital, Goregaon.
Initial reports said that thefire might have broken out inthe hospital building with aglass façade because of an elec-trical short circuit. The hospi-tal is located in the MIDC area,an industrial hub in north-westMumbai. Mumbai mayorVishwanath Mahadeshwar,who visited the mishap sitealong with senior civic officials,that the BMC would investigatethe cause of fire and strictaction would be taken againstthose guilty of lapses.
Meanwhile, thick clouds ofsmoke emanating from thefire-hit hospital travelled quitea bit, reducing the visibility inthe area and leading to peak-hour traffic jams in the areas ofthe neighbourhood.
The metropolis has wit-
nessed nearly ten fire mishapsduring the current year. In thefirst such mishap that tookplace on June 1, the fire br9okeout in the third and fourth floorof the six-storey Scindia Houseat Ballard Estate in downtownsouth Mumbai.
Twenty four hours later,another fire broke out at aleather company in Reay Roadin south-central Mumbai. Noinjuries were reported in themishap. On June 9, a massivefire broke out at PatelChambers at Fort in southMumbai. Two firemen wereinjured after a part of thebuilding collapsed due to fire.
On June 13, a major firethat broke out in the top floorsof a 34-storey building“Beaumonde Towers” where B-town’s reigning actress DeepikaPadukone lives, spread.However, two hours later, thefire fighters controlled the blazeand rescued 90-odd residentssafely. On August 5, a major fireswept through the RegionalTransport Office (RTO) atTardeo in south Mumbai herein the early hours of Sunday,gutting hundreds of docu-ments, licences, furniture, com-puters, printers and otheritems. There were no causali-ties or injuries in the mishap.
6 killed, 147 hurt in Mumbai hosp fire
LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018 nation 07
Amaravati: Cyclone Phethaibarrelled through coastalAndhra Pradesh on Monday,triggering heavy rains, uproot-ing trees and electric poles, andclaiming one life, officials said.
Train and air services were also disrupted because ofthe cyclone.
East Godavari district borethe brunt of the storm as itmade landfall near Katrenikonain the afternoon, forcing evac-uation of 20,000 people, who have been sheltered inrelief camps.
Howling winds that gustedup to 85-90 kmph uprootedelectric poles and trees inKatrenikona, Tallarevu andMalkipuram in East Godavari,disrupting power supply. No casualties were, however,reported.
A man named R DurgaRao aged 28 was killed when aloosened soil hurtled down ahillock following heavy rains inVijayawada city, according tosources in the state’s DisasterManagement Authority.
Krishna district Collector BLakshmi Kantham announcedan immediate relief of ̀ 50,000to the deceased’s family.
Deputy Chief Minister(Home) N China Rajappa iscamping at Bhairavapalem vil-lage in East Godavari district to oversee relief and rescueoperations.
The Real-TimeGovernance Centre (RTGS) atthe state secretariat said‘Phethai’ weakened into acyclone after making landfall.It moved towards Kakinada,
hitting the town with down-pour, before rolling towardsVisakhapatnam district, offi-cials said.
Chief Executive Officer ofthe RTGS Babu Ahamed saidpracautionary steps taken bythe authorities had minimiseddamage to life and property.
He said trees were uproot-ed in some 20 places and res-cue teams had cleared the
debris in 15.Spare electric poles were
kept ready, he said.The South Central Railway
cancelled and rescheduled sev-eral trains, while air traffic toand from the port city ofVisakhapatnam was hit by tur-bulent weather conditions.Some flights had to be can-celled or diverted toHyderabad. PTI
KHURSHEED WANI n SRINAGAR
The authorities on Mondaysealed off all roads leading
to headquarters of XV Corps inSrinagar to thwart separatistsplan to stage a protest demon-stration in the garrison areaagainst the spree of civiliankillings. Police detained twomain separatist leaders MirwaizUmar Farooq and Yasin Malikto foil their march towards thelargest cantonment in summercapital Srinagar.
The separatists had calledfor a protest demonstration infront of the office of the XVCorps Commander who com-mands the military operationsin the entire Kashmir Valley.The army had counselled thepeople against paying heed tothe separatists’ call. The pro-posed protest was part of 3-dayshutdown called by the sepa-ratists against the killing ofseven civilians in Sirnoo villageof south Kashmir’s Pulwamadistrict on Saturday. ThreeHizbul Mujahideen terroristsand an Army soldier were also
killed in the encounter. Thelocals blamed the securityforces for “target killings.”
Senior separatist leaderMirwaiz Umar Farooq defiedpolice restrictions on his man-sion in Nigeen area of Srinagaroutskirts and led a group of hissupporters to march towardsthe cantonment area. However,he was intercepted by a largecontingent of police, mostlymasked personnel, who took
him into brief custody after about of slogan-shouting.Before being whisked to policestation, Mirwaiz was allowedto address his supporters. Heblamed the state authorities forunleashing a reign of terror bykilling what he called innocentcivilians.
“After indiscriminatekillings, civilians are branded asover ground workers and ter-rorists which is preposterous in
itself, but what is worse is thatthis propaganda is used as ameans of endorsing and justi-fying the civilian killings byarmed forces. Delhi has over-played the terrorist, Pak proxyand instigators card and no oneis buying this narrative exceptsome people in India at whomit is aimed for electoral gains,”Mirwaiz said adding the worldsees for itself the ever-growinggraph of atrocities and mas-sacres of Kashmiris who areseeking peaceful resolution ofthe Kashmir dispute.
Another separatist leaderand JKLF chairman YasinMalik also detained by policeafter he tried to march towardsBadami Bagh cantonment inSrinagar. Reports said Malikalong-with his supportersincluding several womenassembled at Gaw Kadal local-ity to begin their march.
Eyewitnesses said as soonas Malik reached near Budshahbridge a police party swung intoaction and detained him. Policefired tear gas smoke shells todisperse the crowd.
March to XV Corps HQ foiled
VALLEY SHUTDOWN
Police personnel detain JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who was leadinga protest march against the civilian killings in Pulwama in Srinagar on Monday PTI
Cyclone Phethai kills 1 in Andhra
KESTUR VASUKI n BENGALURU
In a major attack on theCongress, the BJP on
Monday sought the resignationof Congress president RahulGandhi over the court rulingon the anti-sikh riots. BJP’sspokesperson Sambit Patra ina press conference in Bengalurudemanded the resignation ofRahul Gandhi and asked himto expel Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Kamal Nath from theparty. He said Kamal Nath’sname has cropped up alongwith affidavit and evidencesubmitted in a report to theNanavati Commission, Patraalso demanded that RahulGandhi should step down asCongress president.
“Rahul Gandhi shouldresign as Congress’ chief.Kamal Nath ji’s name crops upalong with affidavit and evi-dence in a report submitted toNanavati Commission,” he said.
“A man involved in anti-Sikh riots has been made theMadhya Pradesh ChiefMinister. Rahul Gandhi mustexpel him from the party,”Patra demanded.
Earlier in the day, theDelhi High Court convicted
Sajjan Kumar in a case relatedto the 1984 anti-Sikh riotsand sentenced him to lifeimprisonment. A fine of `5lakh was also imposed on him.The court had asked Kumar tosurrender before December31.The High Court reversedthe trial court verdict of 2013and sentenced Sajjan Kumarand five others in a case relat-ed to the killing of five mem-bers of a Sikh family in Delhi’sCantonment area in November1984, following the assassina-tion of the then prime minis-ter Indira Gandhi.
After her assassination byher Sikh bodyguards in 1984,around 3,000 people werekilled in anti-Sikh riots whenmobs targeted innocent people.
Former Union Ministerand senior Congress leaderKapil Sibal said in Delhi thatneither Sajjan Kumar — con-vict in the 1984 anti-Sikh riotcase — was given a ticket by theCongress, nor he does nothold any office. Refuting alle-gations against the Congressparty for saving the accused ofSikh massacre, Sibal said,“Sajjan Kumar wasn’t givenany ticket by our party and hedoesn’t hold any office.”
BJP asks Rahul Gandhito resign, demands Kamal Nath’s expulsion
1984 ANTI-SIKH RIOTS
SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA
Even as the BJP moved theCalcutta High Court for the
second time on Monday seek-ing reversal of the StateGovernment order denyingpermission to its Rath Yatra theparty leadership said it wasconsidering an “alternative”padyatra or long march if theRath Yatra continues to getmired by legal procedures.
“The party is considering apadyatra in absence of theRath Yatra (as proposed earli-er),” State BJP president DilipGhosh who on Monday led oneof the protest marchesdenouncing the TrinamoolCongress Government’s “bru-tal murder of democracy inBengal,” said.
He said “we are keeping all
options open. The legal battlewill continue in the court buta parallel struggle will resumeand continue on streets toawaken and unite the peopleagainst TMC’s dictatorship.”
The BJP plans multiple longmarches throughout the Stateparticularly along the proposedRath Yatra routes to be led bybigger leaders. The long march-es would be interspersed bylarge rallies to be addressed byPrime Minister Narendra Modiand party president Amit Shah,BJP sources said.
The BJP’s petition filed atthe Court of Justice TapabrataChakrabarty would be taken upfor hearing on Tuesday. In thepetition the party has soughtpermission for Rath Yatraspreferably on December 22, 24and 26, sources said.
The same Court had earli-er deliberating on a petitionfrom the saffron outfit direct-ed the State Government to sitwith the BJP leaders and dis-cuss the possibilities of theYatra and record the reasons ofits decision. The State took anadverse decision denying theYatra on grounds of law andorder and communal tension.It however allowed the BJP toorganise mass meetings to beaddressed by Modi and Shah.
Denouncing theGovernment’s decision seniorBJP leader and Union MinisterSmriti Irani said “we had askedfor a permission to take out aYatra to save democracy but theState Government denied per-mission proving the real con-dition of the State’s law andorder situation and showing
how the democratic systemworks in this State.”
Reposing faith in theJudiciary she said “we believein judicial system and havesupreme faith in it. But havingsaid that our struggle will con-tinue against the TrinamoolCongress as institution ofdemocracy has gone to dogs inthis State.”
Reacting sharply to theBJP’s demand for a Rath Yatrapermission TrinamoolCongress MP and ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee’snephew Abhishek Banerjee onMonday said “this is no RathYatra but an Asur Yatra (marchof the demons) in a seven starbus which has all the luxuriousamentias for those BJP leaderswho would ride it: often com-ing out of it o ignite commu-
nal tension and riots beforesleeping inside it to enjoy sevenstar luxury.”
Another senior TMCleader and Minister ParthoChatterjee said “this Yatrameans for nothing to the peo-ple of Bengal who will never beswayed by this communal exer-cise. It sounds attractive inspeeches but on ground the BJPand its Yatra will have noimpact in Bengal.”
The CPI(M) on the otherhand said much of the Yatrapolitics was a device of the twoparties to provide politicalmileage to each other. “Both ofthem rely on communal poli-tics and each one is comple-mentary to the other. ThisYatra politics is a part of it,” saidCPI(M) leader TanmoyBhattacharya.
BJP moves HC again, says padyatra ‘Plan-B’
Thiruvananthapuram: Fourtransgenders, who were deniedpermission to visit theSabarimala temple a day ago,on Monday got the sanction topray at the temple, said one ofthem.
Speaking to the media onMonday evening, Ananya saidthey approached a Kerala HighCourt-appointed top policeofficial here in the morning andinsisted that they wanted tovisit the shrine wearing sarees.
After meeting DirectorGeneral of Police A.Hemachandran, Ananya toldthe media in the morning thatthey had placed their demandbefore the DGP, and wished topray in the dress of their choice-- a saree.
“He (Hemachandran) hassaid he will check with theother two committee membersand get back to us and he alsoasked us to meet IG of PoliceManoj Abraham. Now we havegot the permission to pray atthe temple and we will besoon going for the darshan,”said Ananya.
If required, they wouldalso be given police protectionfor the darshan.
Ananya said they were sohappy that their efforts hadpaid off and with this, trans-
genders from now on couldfreely go and pray at theSabarimala temple.
On Sunday, the four-mem-ber transgender team, whocame from Ernakulam, wasstopped by the police atErumely, the first base camp ofthe temple town.
The police first told themthat if they change into men’sattire, they would be allowed.However, later the policerefused them the permission tovisit the Lord Ayyappa shrine.
Ananya said they were sub-jected to ridicules, threats andasked to return by the police.
From there, the team wentand complained to KottayamSuperintendent of Police, A.Harishankar.
On Monday, they arrived
in the state capital to meetHemachandran.
The Kerala High Court onNovember 27 had set up athree-member observer panelto oversee the Sabarimala pil-grimage season, after numer-ous complaints surfaced againstthe manner in which the policewere acting in the temple town.
Besides Hemachandran,the panel also consisted of P.R.Raman and S. Sirijagan, bothretired high court judges.
The temple town has wit-nessed protests by Hindugroups since the September 28Supreme Court verdict thatallowed women of all ages toenter the temple, includingthose hitherto banned girlsand women aged between 10and 50. PTI
Transgenders allowedto pray at Sabarimala
Chennai: Eighty fishing boatgroups were on Monday pro-vided with 200 ISRO developedsatellite enabled communica-tion devices by the Tamil NaduGovernment, that will providethem real-time alerts oncyclone and weather updates.
Chief Minister KPalaniswami distributed thegadgets to seven fishermenfrom Chennai, Nagapattinamand Kanyakumari engaged indeep sea fishing, marking theroll out of the devices, at theSecretariat here.
Touted as the Indian ver-sion of the American GPS(Global Positioning System),the NavIC (Navigation withIndian Constellation) enabledcommunication devices pro-vides fishermen with real-timeupdates.
The Indian RegionalNavigation Satellite Systemconstellation of eight satellites,named “NavIC”, provides posi-tion, navigation and timingservices over India and itsneighbourhood, according toISRO. A senior governmentofficial, when asked about the
features of the device, said thatthe gadgets are basically‘receivers’,which emit a beepsignal when alerts are received.
“The devices are the size ofa soap box and are Bluetoothenabled...The alerts can beaccessed by downloading theNavIC App in android
phones...The alerts will appearin Tamil,” he told PTI.
“These ISRO gadgets havebeen distributed free ofcost...There are also no recur-ring costs...These have to bemaintained properly,” he said,adding that the devices wouldcome in handy for those goingfor deep sea fishing.
During cyclone Ockhi lastyear, several fishermen wentmissing and the Tamil Nadu Government faced crit-icism that timely updates aboutthe storm was not communi-cated to them to enable themreturn home.
The State Government hadannounced in the 2018-19budget that the gadgets wouldbe provided to fishermenengaged in deep sea fishing. PTI
TN fishermen get ISRO gadgets for timely alertsJammu: The much-awaitedJammu ropeway project, aimedat boosting tourism in theState’s winter Capital, willundergo trial runs from onTuesday, officials said.
“The Jammu ropeway pro-ject is in full swing. The splic-ing of the main rope of Section-I (Mahamaya to Peer Kho) hasbeen completed by an interna-tional expert. The pre-com-missioning trial run of SectionI will start from December 18,”Managing Director (MD), J&K Cable Car Corporation,Shamim Ahmad Wani said on Monday.
Secretary, Tourism, RigzinSamphel visited the construc-tion site of the ropeway projectat Peer Kho here Monday andreviewed the progress of theongoing work.
He was briefed about theconstruction work in all thethree stations and informedthat landscaping work atMahamaya and Peer Kho wasunderway. The MD furthertold him that the engineeringwing has been asked to com-plete all pending works byDecember 31, officials said.
The secretary said the pro-
ject would go a long way inpromoting tourism in Jammuregion, giving a fillip to thelocal economy by creating jobs.
The 1.66-km-long cable carproject has two phases, firstfrom Bahu Fort to MahamayaPark and second fromMahamaya to Peer Kho over theTawi river, with a total length of1,118 metre, Wani said.
“The project is of greatimportance and is going to bethe biggest tourist attraction (inJammu) in coming days,” headded.
The cable car project wouldprovide people a high-qualitytourism experience with transportation facility, sight-seeing and entertainment, theMD said.
Planned in 1995, the pro-ject was to be operated fromBahu Fort to Mubarak MandiComplex initially. It was mod-ified and relocated later whenMubarak Mandi and Bahu Fort were declared as protect-ed monuments.
The Cable CarCorporation successfully conducted the trial run of thefirst phase of the project inApril. PTI
Jammu ropeway trial to begin today
MOHIT KANDHARI n JAMMU
The corridors of powerinside civil secretariat com-
plex in Jammu on Mondayreverberated with chants of‘Save Kashmir, stop killings ofinnocent kashmiris’ as group ofPDP lawmakers, along withtheir supporters, allegedly vio-lated Section 144 before storm-ing the seat of power.
The site of these PDP lead-ers roaming freely inside thebuilding and shouting slogansby standing outside the officesof advisors to the stateGovernor embarrassed seniorsecurity officers.
PDP lawmakers were also
heard shouting slogans againstthe Prime Minister NarendraModi, Home Minister RajnathSingh and Governor whileholding placards in their hands.
A large group of PDP lead-ers and their supporters hadearlier slipped inside the civilsecretariat complex before tak-ing out the protest march.
They were led by sittingPDP MLC Firduos Tak and for-mer MLA’s Aijaz Ahmed Mirand Yawar Mir. The PDP lead-ers were protesting against thekilling of protesters in Pulwamadistrict of south Kashmir dur-ing gunfight with terrorists.
The entire security gridpresent inside the civil secre-
tariat remained mute spectatorsand didn’t even prevented anyone from coming closer to theoffice premises of Advisors tothe Governor on first floor ofthe secretariat complex.
Slogan shouting PDP pro-testers moved across severalfloors without facing any resis-tance from security personnel.
After taking out the protestmarch Firduos Tak told mediapersons in front of the main civilsecretariat building, “I stronglybelieve the central Governmentis drawing a sadistic pleasure outof these killings in Kashmir andfulfilling the long desire of RSSand BJP”. “The desire andthirst of blood of Kashmiris”.
PDP protests inside civil secretariat
Protesters holding brooms shout slogans as they march to State Secretariat (Nabanna) demanding a liquor-free State inKolkata on Monday PTI
Trees face heavy winds as Cyclone Phethai barrels through coastal Andhra Pradesh, near Kakinada in East Godavari onMonday PTI
The Supreme Court’s recent judge-ment on a slew of petitions vis-à-vis the Rafale deal, envisaging thepurchase of 36 of these aircraftfrom a French company, will
hopefully alert the people about the recklesssloganeering that is currently on and the sillyattempts being made in some quarters toequate Rafale with Bofors.
At the moment, there is nothing in com-mon between the two, except that they bothrelate to defence procurement from foreigncompanies. There, the similarities end. In thecase of Bofors, there were specific allegationsthat this Swedish company paid kickbacks towin the contract and the payments were fullyestablished in respect of certain entities,including Ottavio Quattrocchi, a dear friendof UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and herlate husband Rajiv Gandhi. In respect toRafale, there are no such allegations of kick-backs or corruption; although the choice ofthe offset partner has been raised. In any case,the Supreme Court has categorically dis-missed the petitions filed before it for sever-al reasons, one of which is the vagueness ofaccusations.
On the other hand, just take a look at thekind of evidence of kickbacks that emergedin Bofors. Some part of these payments havebeen meticulously documented by the DelhiBench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal(ITAT) comprising RP Tolani and RCSharma. The tribunal tracked the money trailwith clinical precision and presented its find-ings in its order many years ago. Unlike thehumming and hawing and the vagueness ofthe allegations that are being hurled againstthe Government vis-à-vis the Rafale deal,there was clinching evidence of payoffs byBofors.
The tribunal noted that OttavioQuattrocchi, the Italian friend of SoniaGandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, remained inIndia from February 28, 1965, to July 29,1993, except for a brief interval from March4, 1966, to June 12, 1968. He was a certi-fied Chartered Accountant by profession,working with Snamprogetti, an Italianmultinational company, but “neitherSnamprogetti nor Quattrocchi had anyexperience of guns, gun-systems or anyrelated defence equipment.” Further,although the Rajiv Gandhi Governmentdeclared that suppliers should not haveagents, it entered into a consultancy agree-ment with a company called AE ServicesLimited in the UK on November 15, 1985.
This was done at the behest ofQuattrocchi. The most intriguing aspect ofthis contract was that Bofors agreed to paythree per cent of the total value of the con-tract to this company if it won the Indiacontract by March 31, 1986 (that is within137 days of the signing of the contract onNovember 15, 1985). And, lo and behold,the Rajiv Gandhi Government signed thecontract on March 24, 1986 — just a week
before the deadline set byBofors expired.
Once the contract wassigned, the Indian Governmentreleased the first tranche of pay-ments to Bofors on May 2,1986, which was equivalent to 20per cent of the contract.
Bofors promptly remitted$7.343 million on September 03,1986, to A/c No: 18051-53 of AEServices Limited at NordfinanzBank, Zurich, which was threeper cent of the advance paid. Thetribunal found that this remit-tance to AE Services was trans-ferred in September 29, 1986, toAccount No: 254.561.60W ofColbar Investments Limited inthe Union Bank of Switzerland,Geneva. On July 25, 1988, again,these funds were moved toAccount No: 488.320.60 X of acompany called WetelsenOverseas, SA, in the same bank.Thereafter, on May 21, 1990, themoney was further transferredto Account No: 123983 ofInternational InvestmentsDevelopment Company inGuernsey (Channel Islands).The ITAT said: “These accountsof Colbar Investments as well asWetelsen Overseas were beingcontrolled by OttavioQuattrocchi and his wife MariaQuattrocchi.”
But the most extraordinarydevelopment was that AEServices unilaterally announcedthat it would forego the rest ofthe commission due to it fromBofors, after the bribery scan-dal broke out in April 1987, andthe then Prime Minister RajivGandhi struggled to explain thedubious payoffs by Bofors.
In the final analysis, theITAT said 243 million Swedish
Kroners was pocketed byQuattrocchi and Win Chadha.But the most clinching linkbetween Quattrocchi, who gotthe kickbacks, and the Nehru-Gandhis came when formerPrime Minister ManmohanSingh got the UK Governmentto lift the freeze on Quattrocchi’sbank account which had beenimposed at the behest of the AtalBihari Vajpayee Government.This enabled Quattrocchi torun away with the loot.
As against this unimpeach-able evidence of kickbacksreceived by a close family friendof the Nehru-Gandhis, whenIndia bought field guns for itsArmy, the allegations regardingthe Rafale deal do not seem tohave any legs to stand on. TheSupreme Court has found itnecessary to comment on theinadequacy of the petitionsand on the excessive reliance onPress reports.
The court has said, “We findno reason for any interventionby this Court on the sensitiveissue of purchase of 36 defenceaircraft. Perception of individu-als cannot be the basis of a fish-ing and roving enquiry by thisCourt, especially in such mat-ters.” Again, while discussing theallegations regarding choice ofthe offset partner, the courtsaid, “mere Press interviews orsuggestions cannot form thebasis for judicial review by thisCourt…We do not find any sub-stantial material on record toshow that this is a case of com-mercial favouritism to any partyby the Indian Government….”
A critical issue raised inthe writ petitions related to thepricing of the aircraft. The
Chief of Air Staff was opposedto disclosure of price. Yet, thecourt noted that “despite thisreluctance, the material hasstill been placed before theCourt to satisfy its conscience”.The court said it had “exam-ined closely” the price detailsand said it would not carry outa comparison of price details“in matters like the present”and that there was need tomaintain confidentiality in thematter.
Significantly, the courtobserved that “adequate militarystrength and capability to dis-courage and withstand externalaggression and to protect thesovereignty and integrity ofIndia, undoubtedly, is a matterof utmost concern for the nation.The empowerment of defenceforces with adequate technolo-gy and material support is,therefore, a matter of vital impor-tance”. Therefore, the court feltthat the parameters of judicialscrutiny in such matters ofdefence procurement cannot bethe same as in judicial scrutinyof tenders and contracts.
Those who are making reck-less and unsubstantiated allega-tions about the Rafale deal needto absorb these lessons. Thiswriter has elaborated on theQuattrocchi money trail just toemphasise the kind of investiga-tion that is needed to make anallegation stick. Therefore, theattempt by some political partiesto claim that the Rafale deal isPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s‘Bofors moment’ is laughable.Sloganeering is no substitute forevidence.
(The writer is Chairman,Prasar Bharati)
For once, shuttler champion PV
Sindhu wasn’t tired of answering any
questions. For she had given a thun-
dering response to the one that had been
niggling her mind after a string of six sil-
vers in major finals this year. Why could-
n’t she convert her shots to a champi-
onship win? At the World Tour Finals this
Sunday, Sindhu decided she had had
enough of silver and boldly changed the
colour of her medal, remaining unbeat-
en through the week and taming her con-
temporaries, some of whom had been
her nemesis before. Predictably, she
slumped in relief after beating Nozomi Okuhara 21-19, 21-17. The win takes
her to world number 3 and is another milestone along the blazing path set
by her predecessor Saina Nehwal in a sport that has for long been consid-
ered the preserve of the East and Southeast Asian talent. Indians were never
considered too good enough to get to worldmark standards. In her initial games
and wins, even Saina Nehwal had admitted that while she worked on her
physical strengths and primed her core skill set, it was in the mind that she
had to win first and overcome the myth that her other Asian compatriots had
the greater endurance. Once she built her patience, focus and self-confidence
levels to do everything right, she could get out of her own mental trap. Sindhu
did that, too, at the Guangzhou championship. What stood out was that she
was as taut about her game as the opponent’s and was able to capitalise
on the little room that Okuhara gave, though they were very slim. Sunday’s
game saw a new Sindhu, one who matched her natural athletic ability, height
and smashes with a new-found aggression and power. She kept the oppo-
nent guessing about her moves, befuddling her with her strokes. She even
displayed a rare hunger and obsession, dismissing post-match highs and
emphasising that she would like to change the colour of her Olympics medal.
Most importantly, she cast aside her self doubts and stuck to the plan of
getting her point on merit than risk knee-jerk moves. That consistency of
tempo should stop critics from looking back at her matches so far to assess
where she can go now.
Due credit must be given to coach Pullela Gopichand for working on her stead-
fastly although every final victory that she missed compounded her performance
pressure. But the mentor knew that a historic title would change that perception
and kept the focus on working her latent ability to a winnable one. And Sunday’s
mega title put paid to a tidal wave of doubt. With this outing, Sindhu even took
home her biggest single-week pay cheque totalling ̀ 86.30 lakh and ramped up
her earnings of the year to `4.22 crore in 2018. And she is just 23 with a train
of endorsements. Badminton may not have the reach of tennis across the globe
but Sindhu sure has pitched herself close to the aura of illustrious women play-
ers and athletes of her time. A crowd favourite across age groups given her matu-
rity and reserve, Sindhu has the demonstrative potential too, given the frequen-
cy of title clashes lined up for her. And if she can deliver as she did on Sunday,
then she can surely emerge to be India’s millennial sports icon.
The world is warming up and its cli-
mate is going totally out of whack.
Extreme weather phenomena such
as the Kerala floods earlier this year are
wreaking havoc across the world, putting
people in harm’s way and could even sig-
nal the end of days as many religious
holy books predict. And here is the funny
thing — we have known about human-
ity’s impact on the planet for decades
now, we have physically seen the dis-
appearance of Himalayan glaciers and
huge chunks of ice the size of a small
Indian state break away from the
Antarctic ice shelf. Yet when it comes to doing something about them, the
solutions we know about appear impossible to implement. So every few
years global leaders and scientists sit down at a place to thrash out the
details on how to redress the crisis.
But much like a heroin addict who finds it impossible to go cold turkey
when the time comes to make tough choices, there is much hand-wring-
ing. Here is a truism, humanity is addicted to carbon and those of us who
can afford it love the good life. The use of air-conditioning, for example,
the very nature of which increases the local temperature even more, can-
not be begrudged by anyone who has seen a Delhi summer. Yet, as more
and more Indians can afford cooling, the irony is that they are participat-
ing in the warming of the planet. Therein lies the rub. How do you and how
can you deny the new middle-class in India their aspirations? Whether it
is an energy-inefficient car compared to a motorcycle or new consumer
durables such as a washing machine, do we say that this is not for you or
do we embrace low-cost manufacturing and agree that everyone should
have a level of equal access to modern conveniences?
So at Katowice, the hand-wringing continued. We know that we are in
the midst of a crisis but the crisis hasn’t hit as yet, or rather it has in fits
and starts. Sea level rises have not displaced millions till date but can politi-
cians increase the taxes on petrol beyond a point even if they realise the car-
bon implications of burning more petrol and diesel? Can any politician or
bureaucrat tell people that they should be judicious when they use their air-
conditioning? We tried that in India and elite liberals saw that as government
‘interference.’ After all the rich, whether they are nations or rich citizens, do
not want to pay the price of changing their habits. They would want air-con-
ditioning and car ownership restricted but not for themselves. So the result
at Katowice, where after 13 days of talking the only conclusion was that we
should try and prevent global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5C by 2030,
was far from ideal. By that time it may be too late to drive more change. The
global impact of a warmer world will be felt by all of us, rich and poor alike
although the latter will be harder hit. It is contingent upon politicians to under-
stand that they need to educate their people about the impact of climate change.
We might feel the impact of climate change in a sputtering manner right now
but by 2030 it might be too late.
Not far enough
Did the recently concluded climate talks inKatowice, Poland achieve anything at all?
Sindhu’s golden moment
End freebie culture
Sir — If the elections are foughtand won on the promise ofloan-waivers, free electricity orwater, subsidies or money in theform of enhanced pension,unemployment allowance with-out statutory restrictions by theever vigilant and hyperactiveSupreme Court or the ElectionCommission of India, we areheading for anarchy and emptycoffers with no funds for infra-structure, health or education.
While suicide, by the farm-ers or the distressed, remains acrime constitutionally, the self-appointed leaders of civil soci-ety and the secular-liberalspokespersons in the media cryfoul over the suicides and shed crocodile tears on suchcowardly acts. If India has toprogress morally, economicallyand physically, it would be pru-dent for the ElectionCommission and also the apexcourt to ban all such electoralpromises in letter and spiritwhich make people dependenton freebies and destroy workculture. The top court shouldalso summon the leaders of thenational political parties asking
for a time barred withdrawal ofthe reservation policy whichwas originally envisaged for alimited period of 10 years.
Jai Prakash GuptaAmbala
Stand united
Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Generational conflict”
(December 15). Victories inthree Assembly States ofMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarhand Rajasthan have come as ahuge morale booster for theCongress. And if the party wantsto further corner the BJP in the2019 general election, the expe-rience of the old guard will bemuch needed.
There is no denying the factthat both leaders, Jyotiraditya
Madhavrao Scindia and SachinPilot, played a pivotal role forthe Congress’ win in MadhyaPradesh and Rajasthan respec-tively, but the duo must bepatient so that they can be fur-ther groomed under the handsof the senior leadership. Moreunited the show they put up, thebetter it will be for them.
Bal Govind Noida
Unnecessary ruckus
Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “The Rafale soars”(December 15). The SupremeCourt’s dismissal of all petitionsthat sought a court-monitoredSIT probe in the Rafale deal hascome as a major blow toCongress president RahulGandhi who had been unneces-sarily raking up the issue.
The apex court said thatthere is nothing to doubt theprocess of decision-making inthe award of contract for thepurchase of 36 Rafale jets andthat there is no material toshow commercial favouritism.
After the top court’s cleanchit to the Modi Government, itwas expected of Rahul Gandhito stop his tirade against theGovernment and show magna-nimity by ending matters here.Regretfully, he decided to con-tinue with playing politics andhas again made demands for aJoint Parliamentary Committeeprobe.
It is laughable that some parties have been recklessly equating Rafale with Bofors. There is no
commonality between them except that both relate to defence procurement from foreign companies
People who used to callRahul Gandhi a pappushould know that he hasbecome a pappa (dad)now. He should marrysoon to become a pappa.
Union Minister—Ramdas Athawale
It's praiseworthy when ourarmed forces eliminate mili-tants but it pains wheninnocent civilians are killed.The Pulwama killing isunacceptable.
Congress leader—Ghulam Nabi Azad
As an artiste, I amincomplete. I alwaysthink how I can bring insomething new, in what-ever capacity I can with-in cinema
Actor—Shah Rukh Khan
India welcomes the reso-lution of the political situ-ation in Sri Lanka. It’s areflection of maturitydemonstrated by all polit-ical forces.
MEA spokesperson—Raveesh Kumar
S O U N D B I T E
L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R
An end to Constitutional crisis in Sri Lanka
This refers to the editorial, “Back on course”(December 17). As Sri Lankan President,Maithripala Sirisena's every action from the day
he tried to replace the democratically-elected PrimeMinister Ranil Wickremesinghe with the autocraticMahinda Rajapaksa went wrong because it was ille-gal. His very way of functioning was unconstitution-al. Rajapaksa had no moral authority to occupy thePrime Minister's chair. The sore point in this wholedrama was the point-blank refusal by Rajapaksa tovacate the chair as President Sirisena did nothing touphold democracy by reinstating Wickremesinghe whoenjoyed the confidence of the House.
At last, the month-long political crisis came toand end after a full Bench of the Supreme Court con-curred with the order given by the lower courts. Thishas left Sirisena with no other option but to restorethe democratically-elected Government headed by
Wickremesinghe. It is high time that Sirisena stopsswimming against the tide and follows the highest tra-ditions of democracy by allowing the presentGovernment to complete its term in the larger inter-est of the island nation.
KR Srinivasan Secundèrabad
AGAINST THEUNIMPEACHABLE
EVIDENCE OFKICKBACKS
RECEIVED BY ACLOSE FAMILY
FRIEND OF THENEHRU-GANDHIS,
WHEN INDIABOUGHT FIELD
GUNS FOR ITS ARMY,
ALLEGATIONSREGARDING THERAFALE DEAL DO
NOT SEEM TOHAVE ANY LEGS
TO STAND ON.THE COURT SAID
AS MUCH
The World Tour Finals win has put the shuttler inthe league of extraordinary sportswomen
On November 30, 2018, tens ofthousands of farmers con-gregated in the national cap-
ital to protest against their financialdistress arising out of non-remuner-ative price for their agricultural out-put and ever-increasing farm debtburden. They wanted a special ses-sion of Parliament to discuss theirproblems and demanded the pas-sage of two laws (i) to guaranteeMinimum Support Price (MSP) forall crops based on the recommen-dations of the National Commissionon Agriculture under MSSwaminathan (2006) and (ii) ‘one-time’ farm loan-waiver. Truly speak-ing, the enactment of both theselaws can be fiscally catastrophic. Tounderstand the implications, let us
look at how MSP is fixed and itsconnect with subsidy.
To incentivise food productionand to make it available at afford-able price to the target beneficiaries(mostly poor), the Governmenthad already directed State agencies,such as the Food Corporation ofIndia (FCI), to procure producefrom the farmers at MSP andarrange its supply through the pub-lic distribution system (PDS), at aprice much lower than the actualcost of procurement. The differen-tial amount was then to be reim-bursed to the agencies, as subsidy.
Under the National FoodSecurity Act (NFSA), beneficiariesare allowed to get five kg of cerealsper person, per month. Besides, 81crore people are provided wheat atthe rate of two rupee per kilogram,rice at the rate of three rupee perkilogram and coarse cereals at therate of one rupee per kilogram. Withlow sale price covering barely one-tenth of the cost and the NFSArequiring this network to supply anestimated 60 million tonnes of sub-
sidised grains per year, it entailed afood subsidy of `140,000 crore(2017-18). In addition, `35,000crore was to be spent on price sup-port for pulses and oilseeds.
With the inclusion of over adozen crops under the MSP andusing the methodology recommend-ed by Dr Swaminathan — viz 50 percent profit over cost of production(paid out expenses or A2 plus fam-ily labour) for its determination,which has already been implement-ed by the Government — during thecurrent year, expenditure on foodsubsidy is already expected to cross`200,000 crore.
But farmers want C-2 cost (inaddition to A2+FL, and this includesimputed cost of owned capital andowned land) to be used for calcula-tion of 50 per cent profit. This isillogical. They have already been pro-vided for return on owned land andcapital under C-2. To give profit overand above this would be fortuitous.
Yet, if the Government recalcu-lates on this basis, it will lead toeven sharper increase in MSP and
correspondingly, in food subsidy.On top of this, if the MSP, too, getsthe legal backing, implications willbe mindboggling.
Apart from covering farmers,who sell their produce to State agen-cies (for meeting requirements of thePDS), those selling their output in themarketplace will be entitled to claimreimbursement for the shortfall inrealisation (mandi price) vis-à-vis theMSP. Even subsistence/marginalfarmers, who produce food for self-consumption and, hence, have noth-ing to offer for sale, will qualify forreimbursement. In short, almost theentire food production of 285 milliontonnes (target for 2018-19) willcome under legally-protected MSP.
These reimbursements on foodsold/consumed outside NFSA/PDS,or over 200 million tonnes, willimpose an additional burden of atleast `100,000 crore (assumingshortfall of a bare five rupee per kgin market price vis-à-vis MSP). Thiswill be over and above `200,000crore currently being spent for dis-tributing 60 million tonnes under
the NFSA, plus the price support forpulses and oilseeds.
Going by the magnitude of loan-waiver promises being made to thefarmers in the States that have goneto polls in recent times, the secondlegislation for a one-time waiver tofarmers’ debt will cost the exchequermore than `200,000 crore. Already,the Centre is struggling to findresources for food subsidy under theNFSA with dues pending to the tuneof `200,000 crore to FCI. One shud-ders to think of a scenario wherebyit will be required to cough up anadditional amount of at least`300,000 crore next year, contingentupon passage of the two laws.
This will completely destabilisethe budget and play havoc with theGovernment’s fiscal consolidationdrive. Its ability to fund developmentworks, including investment in irri-gation, rural roads, markets et al, willbe seriously undermined. This willalso affect the farmers’ ability toincrease production and sell, leadingto a further drop in income. It willbe a case of giving from one hand
and taking from the other. A legally-backed MSP will be
suicidal. The Government shouldavoid treading this path. The gene-sis of low price realisation by farm-ers lies in them being forced to sellthe produce at notified agricultureproduce market committees. Theseare cartelised and mostly controlledby powerful traders who have con-nections with politicians and bureau-crats. They pay less to farmers andrake in moolah by selling their pro-duce to consumers at a high price.
Instead of using the taxpayers’money to compensate farmers (thatwill only help traders continue withtheir loot), the problem has to be tack-led at source. Focus should be to dis-mantle these cartels and invest heav-ily in establishing alternative platformsto enable them sell their produce.Removal of restrictions on exports andunencumbered foreign direct invest-ment in retail are other potent policyincentives that will help them realisebetter price. Will Modi crack the whip?
(The writer is a freelance journalist)
No salvation in shooting the reformist
LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018
THE GOVERNMENT MISLED THE SUPREME COURT TO
GET A MANIPULATED JUDGEMENT. WE DEMAND THAT
THE COURT IMMEDIATELY RECALLS ITS JUDGEMENT.
—SENIOR CONGRESS LEADER
ANAND SHARMA
IT IS FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE OR TO SAY
THAT YOU MISLED US OR YOUR ERROR WAS MALAFIDE
IN THE RAFALE AFFIDAVIT.
—BJP LEADER
SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY
POINTCOUNTERPOINT
If only the Supreme Court’s dis-missal of the petition seeking acourt-monitored probe into the
Rafale deal had come before the Stateelections, it can be conjectured that theresults might well have been differentfor the BJP, considering how minimalthe ‘swing’ in Madhya Pradesh andRajasthan was. For months, Congresschief Rahul Gandhi worked hard onbuilding his campaign on a web ofunsubstantiated allegations. This, tomake corruption the central electoralissue and to spite Prime Minister Modifor doing so in 2014. Sadly, voters’choice in the Hindi heartland reflect-ed that five years were long enough atime to grant absolution to theCongress as collective amnesia set in.The voters’ fury that was felt on 2G anda series of scams of the UPA-II reced-ed. The Lutyens’ clique of fixers,bureaucrats, bankers, cronies andmedia tried hard to undermine Modi’sinclusive agenda. But in hindsight, thesystemic rot is too deeply entrenchedin the body polity of the nation to weedit out in a single tenure.
Because, in contrast to previousregimes, the Modi Government deliv-ered more to the bottom 70 per centof the population through DirectBenefit Transfer and Ease of Livingparameters. So, if the Prime Ministeris not able to solve all of the nation’sproblems in five years, should we votefor those who created those very prob-lems over 70 years? Salvation does notlie in a change of regime; nor does thesolution lie in a disparate Oppositionuniting to ‘shoot the reformer’ forattempting to weed out a paralleleconomy, through a collective revivalof the old establishment brigade ofdynastic satraps, like the scam-taint-ed Yadavs, the DMK clan or the dis-proportionate assets-accused, likeBSP supremo Mayawati.
To deal with the deluge of disen-chantment, it’s time for Modi to inventa buoyant yet realistic narrative toaddress concerns of all sections of soci-ety that are seen moving away from theBJP’s fold — from farmers to first timevoters to the middle classes and thetraders. Modi must persist with anachievable sequel to the promise ofvikas, while admitting to some regimelapses and spell out a roadmap withstated timelines. However, in the long-term, India needs to make the much-required shift towards a non-agrarianeconomy to match with other develop-ing economies that are only 10 per centreliant on agricultural income. Thattransition has not happened yet. Whatthe voter now seeks with immediacy isredressal of economic woes instead ofcatchy sloganeering.
These may not be the best of timesto make prophecies about 2019 or toadmonish a ruling regime that isalready in corrective mode. For that,
Prime Minister Modi already has a bat-talion of Twitter economists who offerinstant expertise on how to course-cor-rect by the minute. We are aware thatissues on the socio-economic andpolitical front are riddled with muchdeeper complexities. Embedded with-in these contradictions are tectonicshifts in the offing that can alter India’spolitical architecture. While Modiremains the front-runner candidate for2019, despite the loss of three saffronbastions, popularity ratings betweenhim and his closest rival are steadilynarrowing, establishing the Congress asa natural fulcrum for any anti-Modigrand alliance.
So, one can only expect moreattrition and exodus in mainstreamparties while alliance partners of theBJP can be expected to make moreupstartish demands. Also, expecta-tions are high about a huge shift andshuffle in the BJP’s voter base that wasat its optimal saturation point in 2014.This is the time to woo back the corevoter base through speedy redressal oflivelihood issues. While local anti-incumbency in the three heartlandStates is not necessarily reflective ofa trend reversal at the national level,there are some inferences to drawfrom the just-concluded State elec-tions. The lifeline the BJP needs toinfuse is some instant economic deliv-erables, even if it means that fiscaldeficit figures exceed the target in anelection year. The Government mustgo for enhanced spending over thenext two months; announce income-support schemes along with farmloan-waivers in the interim in a bid forcompetitive populism; announce sub-sidies on fuel; cut interest rates andprovide tax relief to the citizens,especially the middle class.
Because, should it be Modi 2.0, hewill have all of five years to rectify fis-cal profligacy. The Centre needs to boostcapital spending. Even if it is at a deficitof 4.5 per cent of the GDP, it’s fine when
the objective is to push the growth rate.Spending on roads, affordable housing,construction, irrigation, rural electrifi-cation, broadband, farm producegodowns and cold storages and massrapid transit systems will help boostlabour-intensive sectors that createemployment. This will help yield socialand political dividends. So, the Centreshould hope that a pliant RBI Governoragrees to transfer excess reserves to theGovernment — this is much-needed tospend on growth and to fund MSMEsin order to ease sectoral distress.
With the industry’s reluctance tospend on capex, who else will spend ifnot the Government? So, if theGovernment of India’s investmentsaugment growth, that translates intohigher revenues, deficits would takecare of themselves. Because despiteachieving optimal targets in affordablehousing, rural electrification andModicare schemes, investing in publicand household assets alone has nothelped the ruling party’s electoralcause. This assumption is validatedthrough recent losses in the heartlandStates which came from the rural vot-ers, who account for about 74 per centof the electorate. Farm distress is anobstinate problem that has persistedsince decades with no magic wand.
As time is running out, in orderto win back support among India’s 263million farmers, even if as much asfour trillion rupees ($56.5 billion) inloans are written off in a bid at com-petitive populism, it is not unusual inan election year to resort to suchquick-fixes. This was the eventualityresorted to even by the previousCongress-led UPA, which waivedloans worth nearly 720 billion rupeesin 2008 that helped it return to powerin 2009. While the BJP-led NDA suc-ceeded in keeping food inflation low,this came at the cost of compromisingon farmers’ remuneration. However,income-support schemes, enhancingnon-agricultural employment, gener-
ating gainful urbanisation and fund-ing more employment-intensive pro-jects should be long-term solutions.
If the BJP-led NDA was beset withlegacy issues of policy paralysis, reck-less lending and mounting NPAs, thesuccessive regime, which could well beanother Modi-led Government, wouldalso inherit the negative legacies of thepresent regime. The worst of them isthat institutional heads did not adhereto the dharma of bureaucratic disciplineby resolving conflicts within closeddoors but took an adversarial stancewith the Government. This sent out sig-nals of erosion of the central authori-ty like the open revolt in the SupremeCourt, the CBI and the RBI as also theembarrassment of successive econo-mists resigning “for personal reasons.”The other inherent problem for the nextregime, though not a ‘legacy’ one, willalso be that despite retaining the leadin being the fastest growing economyat 7.3 per cent, India will need to accel-erate growth to nine per cent in futurefor any elected Government to fulfill itscommitment in jobs for all, which willremain the biggest challenge.
However, the current dilemma isthat if a large section of the BJP’s corevoter base remains anti-incumbent,where will incremental votes comefrom? Aside from redressal of farmersissues, 100 million millennials who willbe first-time voters are unenthused ascompared to first-time voters of 2014because of under-employment. Anddespite Modi’s best intent, triple talaq isunlikely to make Muslim women polit-ically beholden to the BJP, even as theminorities will continue to stay with sec-ular parties. It is because the perceptionof intolerance has become synonymouswith the regime. Despite major stridestaken by this Government in financialinclusion, the success of many social ini-tiatives has not got prominence. Falsenarratives have obscured achievements.
The other vital question is to whatextent will the BJP infuse nationalist
issues and concerns of migrant infiltra-tion, as dictated by its ideological par-ent, the RSS, or attempt a revival of reli-gious issues of the 1990s? A recent sur-vey showed that reviving the mandirmudda holds only 11 per cent tractionas issues of livelihood have gained pri-macy. Supportive evidence of this is thefact that the BJP fared badly in areaswhere Yogi Adityanath campaigned. Hehijacked the development narrativewith a parochial one, which showed adisconnect and apathy to livelihoodissues. The party, in its re-strategisingbid, is unlikely to switch track complete-ly to issues of faith, as man cannot liveby prayer alone. Only economic deliv-erables will convert to votes.
The BJP will enter the kurukshetraof 2019 with five brahmastras inhand: Its mascot Modi; powerful mes-saging being planned to undo misin-formation spread by Opposition; someanticipated quick-wins with a pre-pollspending spree on welfarism andputting more money into the hands ofrural voters and urban middle class;splurging on campaign spend with itshuge financial war-chest; and thecombined manpower resources of sixcrore karyakartas of the BJP-RSScombine, so as to fire on all fronts.
Let’s not forget that the Modi-Shahduo lost the crucial States of Bihar andDelhi three years ago only to resurrectby course-correcting fast enough toexpand the BJP’s national footprint into19 States before the recent loss of threeStates. Sadly, Governments in poweronly heed the voice of their voter whenon edge. The prospects currently maynot be one of ‘India shining’, reminis-cent of the negative associations with2004, but it will surely be an ‘India dim-ming’, should a politically and ideolog-ically incoherent “coalition of rivals”come to power in 2019, which wouldbe more disastrous. So think twice whyit must be Modi once more.
(The writer is an author andcolumnist)
A policy on MSP will be fiscally suicidal
Post the BJP’s electoral debacle in five crucial States, there will be more movementsamong mainstream parties. Prime Minister Modi has to script a powerful narrative
In all probability, the Government must not tread the path of giving legal backing to MSP. Already, it is struggling to find resources
for food subsidy under NFSA. An alternative path is to find platforms where farmers can sell their produce
analysis 09F I R S T C O L U M N
SHIVAJI SARKAR
UTTAM GUPTA
In the run-up to the 2019 poll, the country needsnot farm loan-waivers but pro-farmer policies
BINDU DALMIA
FOREIGNEYE
The UK’s bid to host the2020 UN climate changesummit should focusminds, not least on thecontradictions of anenergy policy thatcombines phasing outcoal with the promotion offracking. While the UNframework is essential, itcannot do the heavy liftingof cutting emissions,which will be done bynation states or not at all.
(The Guardian editorial)
HOPE AMIDCLIMATE TALKS
www.dailypioneer.com
Resurrect Indian
economy
The Indian economy will be in a cyclical phase of loan-waivers
now that the Congress has come back to power in three cru-
cial States. It is the banks, who hold people’s deposits, and
not the Governments that are an easy prey. But nobody seems to
be concerned about alleviating farmers’ distress logically. Then there
arises a problem of perception too. The present RBI Governor,
Shaktikanta Das, said that besides being a stakeholder, the
Government runs the economy and manages the financial institu-
tions. Das is correct to the extent that the Government manages
the institutions. This is the task bestowed upon the Government
by the people but it has to be as per people’s wishes and not as
the Government decides. People are rarely even consulted.
The economy is run and managed usually by entrepreneurs
and financial institutions. The Government is an institution that was
formed by the people to take care of issues of daily management.
Its role was that of a custodian and not the owner. Governments
that adhered to it, possibly the Atal Bihari Vajpayee did and to some
extent the United Front too, made the people happy. So, whichev-
er party forms the Government, it has to adhere to the basics and
should not gloat over the euphoria of numbers. People expect that
as custodians of their money and managers of institutions, the
Government must protect their wealth. Since 2014, seven States
have unveiled loan-waivers, totalling to nearly `182,802 crore.
Agriculture economist Ashok Gulati reckoned that in the run-up to
the general election, farm loan-waivers may touch `4 lakh crore
as other States are expected to join the fray. Let the nation also not
feel that sudden changes in the RBI will make the stock market
buoyant. The same happened in March 1992 which later opened
a can of worms — the Harshad Mehta stock scam. The present
move may come as a boost but the stock market is not really an
indicator of the economy. It is definitely not at present. The buoy-
ancy is often the result of behind-the-scenes operations.
Despite occasional gains, the value of the rupee remains volatile.
This needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as it results in an unsta-
ble economy, uncertain job markets, makes the investors wary
and the stock movement unreal. For much of this year, the Urjit
Patel-led RBI was seen resisting pressure as well as entreaties
from the Government, industry and financial firms to ease lend-
ing and capital norms for stressed public sector banks (PSBs),
particularly those under the prompt corrective action framework,
to open a special liquidity window for non-banking financial com-
panies with a precarious asset-liability position and to push the
flow of credit to small enterprises. Das has not spoken on any of
these specific issues that caused a strain in the relationship between
the Government and the RBI. Poll manifestoes of the five States,
too, were silent on these issues. Of course, voters do not under-
stand intricate issues. So, populism marked the electoral cam-
paigns in the states. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was right
in saying that populism does not help in the long-run. Political par-
ties practise it to get the numbers to form a Government. Ignoring
numbers of the finances causes the real problem. The industry,
the biggest defaulter in loan repayment, is also known to have with-
drawn the largest cash along with many other players before the
elections. Why? Everyone knows the answer.
So except for a cosmetic treatment, not much can be realised
and PSBs, who hold people’s deposits, are in severe crisis due
to NPAs. It is true that this Government did not proffer the boun-
ties. Their predecessors did. But once again, people have the prob-
lem of a cyclical nature of politics. So, if this Government is find-
ing it difficult, would the next Government not do it? Or would
they again play with people’s money to which no Government
has the right to lay their hands on? The sufferings of the people,
forget about mitigation, is mounting. The RBI was supposed to
raise interest rates to help the poor depositors, senior citizens,
women and the deprived Jan Dhan account holders. The rate rise
is required not just to help the depositors but to protect the nation’s
wealth. People’s money is not for the big corporates. The farmer
and MSMEs also have a claim to it.
Loan waivers create an unwanted culture. As elections
approached, farmers, who could repay loans, didn’t. The industry
willfully ignored its duty. Meanwhile, the Government is recapital-
ising banks with the taxpayers’ money. This is a vortex and the
only solution is to raise farmer incomes with a proper farm policy
in place. People need succour and protection. The year 2019 will
belong to those who can ensure relief and safety of banks. Yes,
the Government has been given the task to direct the economy but
it can’t run it. It has to fulfill its tasks without hurting the people,
their deposits or threatening to play with their wealth in the banks.
India needs pro-people, pro-farmer policies for livelihood creation.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
FARMERS’DISTRESS
DOCYARDDR VINEET TALWAR
Co- Director, medical oncology
RAJIV GANDHI CANCER INSTITUTE &
RESEARCH CENTRE, DELHI
Cure with ahealthy lifestyleMore than 1,300 patients die every day in India due to can-
cer. More than 70 per cent of these cancers are diagnosedin the population of age groups between 30 to 70 years.
Two new cancer cases are detected every two minutes at somepart of India. Pancreatic cancer is a disease of elderly, usual ageof diagnosis of majority of cases is around 60 years. The inci-dence of pancreatic cancer in India is 0.5 to 2.4 per 1 lakh menand 0.2-1.8 per 1lakh women. Lots of research is going on andrevolutionary drugs were discovered every day across the globe.But slight change was seen in survival rates of pancreatic can-cer over time since 1970.
DIAGNOSISMajority of pancreatic cancer cases are diagnosed in very
advanced stage because patients don’t tend to show any symp-tom specific to disease until much later, by the time of which thedisease has already spread to other organs in the body.
There aren’t any noticeable signs or symptoms in the earlystages of pancreatic cancer. Patients usually seek medical atten-tion in advanced stage with some nonspecific symptoms like jaun-dice, light-coloured stools, dark urine, pain in the upper or mid-dle abdomen and back, weight loss for no known reason, loss ofappetite and feeling very tired. The diagnosis of pancreatic can-cer requires CT scan, MRI, tumour markers, endoscopy and biop-
sy which are done at physician'sdiscretion after detailed clinicalexamination.
TREATMENTIf the cancer is at an early
stage, which is confined within thepancreas and has not spread to thelymph nodes or other areas of thebody, then surgery is the treat-ment of choice. Chemotherapy isa treatment of cancer by usinganti-cancer medicines which killcancer cells or stop them frommultiplying. When chemothera-py is used in addition to surgery,it is known as adjuvantchemotherapy. This aims to killany cancer cells which may havespread away from the primarytumour. However, in advancedstage, surgery will not be possible
and chemotherapy with the intent of symptom relief and main-taining quality of life is the only option.
SYMPTOMSPancreatic cancer often causes weight loss and weakness from
poor nutrition. These symptoms might be caused by treatmentor by the cancer itself. So meticulous diet plan with nutritionalsupplements, as prescribed by doctor, is a must. Exercising, stop-ping smoking might lower the risk of the cancer growing or com-ing back, but not proven. Support from friends and family, reli-gious groups, support groups, professional counsellors may berequired at some part of the treatment and follow up to cope upwith the stress of the patient.
There has been an increase in awareness and better med-ical facilities, but still there is a wide gap between survival ratesfor cancer patients between India and most countries. One plau-sible reason is that cancer in India is diagnosed in later stagesresulting in the treatment being complex and the probability ofbeating cancer at the root level also goes down. This could bedue to lack of awareness, sufficient information and socio-eco-nomic factors. Genetic constitution of an individual can’t bealtered. What can be altered, improved upon is health educa-tion. A healthy lifestyle includes active physical activity, keep-ing body weight in control. Eating more of natural foods, notindulging in smoking, alcohol and drugs are some modifiablerisk factors.
Pancreatic canceroften causes
weight loss andweakness frompoor nutrition.
These symptomsmight be caused
by treatment or bythe cancer itself.
Diet plan withnutritional
supplements, asprescribed by
doctor, is a must
pioneer THE PIONEER LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018 10
According to a study, workplace uncivilitiescan not only affect an employee's sleep but
also their partner's. When a person experiences rude, discourteous, impolitecolleagues at the workplace, they tend toruminate more about work at home. They
also face trouble falling asleep or may wakeup in the middle of the night
WorkplaceBlues
Statistics indicate thatIndia can avertabout 71% of an
estimated 6 lakh neonataldeaths each year if all moth-ers deliver at a healthcare facility, haveaccess to caesarean section services, safeblood and if special care for sick newbornsare available. Neonatal deaths take placewithin the first 28 days of life and accountfor 62% of all under-5 deaths in India.
An estimated 5 million women stilldeliver at home each year without anyskilled birth attendance, with half thebirths taking place in Uttar Pradesh andBihar alone. Globally, 2.9 million lives ofmothers and children can be saved by2030 by providing pre-conception careduring pregnancy, labour and delivery,care of the healthy newborn and help forsick newborns. The following points area must to remember after childbirth.
nWash hands with soap or use a handsanitizer before touching the baby.
nBe careful to support the baby’s headand neck.
nBreastfeed within an hour of birth.nEnsure that the baby is exclusively
breastfed for the first 6 months.nChild should be fed on demand or
at least 8 times in 24 hours.nAvoid feeding honey, water or
things other than breast milk.n Give the baby a sponge bath until
the umbilical cord falls off and the navelheals completely (1-4 weeks).
— Courtesy Heart Care Foundation of India
TIPTOP STUDYCENTRE
All of us want to get ridof yellow teeth for thatperfect smile. One can
go to a dentist but that canprove to be costly. When wewere children, my motherwould ask us to usea few home ingredi-ents that were read-ily available.
Most homeshave baking sodaand yes, it can beused for almostanything — fromcleaning toilets togetting rid of thatstain in yourfavourite dress orshirt to evenwhitening the teeth.
Take two-fourteaspoons of bakingsoda and add lemon juice tomake a paste. Depending onthe amount of baking soda, theadded liquid will differ. Apply
a liberal amount onto thetoothbrush and brush teeth fortwo minutes. Repeat theprocess a few times a week oruntil the desired results areachieved.
Believe it ornot rinsing themouth withcoconut oil forwhitening isageold. Prior tobrushing yourteeth, use a spoonto scoop an appro-priate amount ofcoconut oil up.Take one-and-a-half tablespoon ofcoconut oil andput it into yourmouth. Like themouthwash, swish
the liquid around for 10-15minutes. Spit out the oil andthen brush teeth. Repeat asnecessary.
We all want pearly white teethfor that picture perfect smile.
ROSHANI DEVI shares simpleand easy to follow home
remedies that will not only keepthem strong but also
disease-free
Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals host-ed the three-day conference on 20thannual meeting of the Asia-PacificAssociation of Pediatric Urologists(APAPU) which is being held in Indiafor the first time. The conference,organised by Apollo Institute ofPediatric Science saw participation ofmore than 320 delegates from 20 coun-tries. The event had deliberations andpresentations on new developments inthe field of pediatric urology, where thedelegates presented case studies andmedical papers to discuss new treat-ments. Over 100 cases with their longterm follow-up were also examined bythe specialists in a separate session.
Dr Sujit Chowdhary, ConsultantPediatric Urologist, Director- PediatricSciences, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitalsand Organising Chairman, APAPUsaid: “It is heartening to see such anenthusiastic participation from medicalprofessionals from all across the globe.
We have made all the efforts to benefitnew entrants as well as practicingPediatric Urologists, Pediatric Surgeons,Urologists and Pediatricians. Duringthe course of the conference intenseeducational exercises have been offered,covering both the practical and theoret-ical aspects of pediatric urology. Onceagain, we have come forward to play apioneering role in promoting the latesttechniques in paediatric treatment.”
DadiKaKehna
W A R M F O O D SDr Prathap Reddy and Dr Sujit Chowdharyinaugurates the 20th Annual Meeting of APAPU
DOTS
Arthritis, osteoarthritis& joint pains are a resultof inflammation. This
results in wear and tear of thecartilage leading to more pain.The number of knee replace-ments that took place in thecountry in 2017 stood ataround 1.5 lakh, up fromabout 80,000 in 2007. If the
number of hip, back andshoulder joint operations isadded to this figure, the totalnumber of joint surgerieswould be staggering. Thenumber of elderly, who livewith joint pain, for whateverreason, is several times of thenumber of people who opt forsurgery, to say the least.— Dr Prabhu Mishra, co-founder &
CEO, StemGenn Therapeutics
Surgery is a procedurewhereby the damaged
bone and cartilage is cutand an artificial joint isinserted made of metalalloys, plastic and poly-mers, new-age tested ther-apies like platelet-rich plas-ma (PRP). Stem-cells areusing patient’s stem cells torepair, stimulate regenera-tive properties and reduceinflammation of damagedtissue in case of injury, dis-ease or any other health-related conditions.
Instead of replace-ment, patients can opt forregeneration which usesthe healthy cells of thebody to heal injuries andcure backache, Arthritisand hip pain. When thebody has a limited reserve,it tends to lose its ability toregenerate healthy cellslimit recovery.
Under stem cell ther-apy, a few cells from thebody are taken and thencultivated to be later re-injected into the body in ahigher volume to replen-ish and boost body’sreserve. By helping thebody to repair and regen-erate cells and reduce
inflammation, the abilityto recover from variousinflammatory conditionsgoes up considerably.
This also takes care ofthe problems associatedwith surgery. Some areprone to vein thrombosisor blood clots after surgery.But stem cell therapy usespatient’s resources and nonew object or material isinserted, the chances ofreaction are done awaywith.
For people who haveknee Arthritis, the mostinvasive treatment is totalknee replacement. Doctorsare also testing otherinjectable therapies,including PRP, hyaluron-ic acid and steroids.
There is a long recu-peration period in case ofjoint surgery which is also
associated with unbearablepain. There is a completerehabilitation process. Instem cell therapy, there isno such requirement andthe diet is fairly simple.
Consumers whodecide to try stem celltreatments for achy kneesshould research theirdoctor and the specificson the stem cell treat-ment. It's crucial to askthe clinic where the stemcells come from and ifthey will retrieve themfrom your own bonemarrow or fat tissue, or ifthey will come fromdonors. Donor cells andtissues to be tested forcommunicable diseases.There is no consensus onwhich source is best, butmost doctors use stemcells from fat or PRP.
The best way forward is tocombine medication and phys-ical therapy. Some tips to alle-viate pain & stiffness, and man-age symptoms are as follows:nApplying heating pads andice packs can provide sometemporary relief from the pain.nSome people are also advisedto use mobility assistancedevices such as canes or walk-ers, which can help in takingpressure off the sore joints. nTry simple physical activitysuch as brisk walking, aerobics,cycling, and swimming.nOpt for methods that requireyou to avoid taking painkillers.For those with acute arthritis,cold or hot fomentation canhelp.nAim at losing excess weight
as this will take away the pres-sure from the joints. A healthyweight will also reduce some ofthe existing symptoms. n Consume a diet rich inantioxidants, such as freshfruits, vegetables, and herbs, toreduce inflammation. Avoidfried and processed items,dairy products, and high intakeof meat as far as possible.
— Dr Maiya
Some general symptoms of Arthritis include pain, tender-ness and stiffness around joints, reduced movement andfunction, inflammation, redness, and weakness in the
muscles. While there are over 100 different types of arthritis,each with various causes and treatment methods, osteoarthri-tis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common.
— Dr M Udaya Kumar Maiya, medical director, Portea Medical
SYMPTOMS
OSTEO-ARTHRITISAlso called degenerative joint dis-
ease or degenerative arthritis,osteoarthritis (OA) can affect any joint,but most often the ones in the knees,hips, lower back and neck, small jointsof the fingers and the bases of the thumband big toe. In this condition, there isa breakdown of cartilage which leads topain, swelling and problems in movingthe joint.
In the absence of timely treatment,the condition can become worse, caus-ing bone or cartilage to chip off and floataround in the joint. OA is more com-mon in people older than 65.
However, some other risk factorsinclude excess weight, an injury, overuse
of the joint, weak muscles, and familyhistory of the condition.
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITISRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an
autoimmune disease in which the body'simmune system attacks the joints cre-ating inflammation that causes the tis-sue lining the inside of these joints tothicken. Over time, this leads to swellingand pain in and around the joints.
If not detected in a timely manner,the condition can cause damage to thecartilage and the bones leading to jointdeformity. RA mostly affects joints of thehands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees, andankles. It is also called a systemic dis-ease because it affects the cardiovascu-lar or respiratory systems as well.
— Dr Maiya
TYPES OF ARTHRITIS
The firm but flexible connec-tive tissue called cartilage in
the joints protects the latter byabsorbing the pressure andshock created during anymovement. Arthritis is causedwhen there is a reduction in thenormal amount of this cartilagetissue.
The causes of this condi-tion can range from age-relat-ed wear and tear to chronic
infection, severe injury or lackof nutrients. While arthritismost commonly develops inadults over the age of 65, it canalso occur in children, teens,and younger adults.
Studies indicate that womenare more prone to developingthis than men because they havea high erythrocyte sedimentationrate (52.07 per cent) andRheumatoid Factor (13.08 percent).
— Dr Maiya
CAUSES STEM CELL THERAPY VS SURGERY
JOINING
Winter is tough on Arthritis but acombination of medication and physicaltherapy helps to alleviate pain andstiffness. PIONEER HEALTH reports
THE
CARE TIPS
HAZELNUTS: Hazelnuts make a tasty snack and are a greataddition to many dishes. When a person includes them in
a balanced, calorie-controlled diet, the nuts also provideseveral health benefits.
Eating plenty of dietary fiber encourages regular bowel move-ments and helps prevent constipation. Hazelnuts are rich inantioxidants, which are compounds that protect against the oxi-dation of cells. They reduce the extentof cell damage from free radicals.Hazelnuts contain the antiox-idant Vitamin E. Someresearch suggests that vit-amin E may help shieldthe body from types ofcell damage linked tocancer. Hazelnuts may helpto promote a healthy heart.Eating hazelnuts may help to easeinflammation. Because of high levels of vitamin E, manganese,thiamine, folate, and fatty acids, a diet supplemented with hazel-nuts can help keep your brain sharp and working at its best, mak-ing hazelnuts excellent brain foods. Unless a person has an aller-gy, there are few risks to adding hazelnuts to the diet. They areversatile and make an easy snack.
Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi,recently organised Dental Health Utsav — ‘DelhiSmiles 2018' in its campus, with an aim to
create a much-needed awareness for dental healthcare.The Utsav deliberates on various issues related to oralhealth. The five-day long Utsav comprised free dentalcheckup, dental health awareness through novelexhibits and lectures. The theme of this year's event is‘Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body’ mainly displayed with innovative exhibits and demonstrations isopen for public display. The event was inaugurated by speaker, Delhi Vidhan Sabha Ram NiwasGoel and Health Minister of GNCT of Delhi, Satyendar Jain, secretary, Department of Health andFamily Welfare, GNCT of Delhi, Sanjeev Khirwar and other eminent personalities.
SLIMLINE
Every year, as the winter approach, NorthernIndia grapples with alarming dip in the airquality. Primary sources of pollutants include
exhaust emission from Delhi NCRs millions ofmotor vehicles, crop burning in neighbouringregions and local construction dust. These parti-cles or particulate matter, is what turns clean airinto smog.
Particles in the air can reduce visibility andcontribute to acid rain, which can damage vege-tation. The particles can also discolor buildings,but the primary concern with particulate matteris what it can do to the human body. With air qual-ity taking a serious dip and the increase in PM2.5particles in the ambient air, it is important tounderstand the effectiveness of the masks you arewearing when it comes to filtering out particlesas tiny as 1/4th of a hair strand.
There are several ways to help reduce expo-sure to air pollution, and it is essential to followthe advice of your local health authority or anational health agency. In general, the best wayto protect yourself from air pollution is to try toavoid exposure, such as by staying indoors in cleanair during periods of poor outside air quality.However, for officegoers, staying indoors is notan option and the daily commute to work is whenthe exposure to particulate matter is the highest.
Consumers have a variety of anti-pollutionrespirators in the market today and some of themmaybe worse than helpful if people are falsely reas-sured and spend more time outside using a maskwhich doesn’t work.
One basic precaution is to use respiratory pro-tection to helpreduce exposure tothe particulate mat-ter in air pollution,although no respira-tor eliminates expo-sure completely. Tohelp reduce expo-sure to airborne par-ticulate matter, it isvery important toselect an approved respirator and to follow the fit-ting instructions and user instructions carefully.
Some of the factors that you need to checkbefore you select your respirator are:nOpt for a National Institute for OccupationalSafety and Health (NIOSH) approved N95 or ENapproved Filtering Facepiece (FFP) 3 respiratorsfor 95 per cent and above filtration of PM 2.5particulate matter.nA respirator marked FFP1 and FFP2 have afiltering efficiency of 80 per cent and 94 per centrespectively and can be used when the air qual-ity is not severe or very poor.n Loose-fitting masks (like gauze or surgical orcomfort masks) are not considered respiratorsand do not provide much benefit in reducingexposure to airborne particles, because of thegaps that are present due to the loose fitn Look out for the TC number on your respi-rator to find a genuine N95 respirator. Everyauthentic N95 (NIOSH approved) respirator willhave a TC number which, when entered on theNIOSH website, will show you the certificateissued for that product.nThis respirator may be stored and re-used pro-vided it is still in good working condition. If thisrespirator becomes damaged, soiled, or breath-ing becomes difficult, replace the respirator.n If you wear spectacles, opt for a respirator witha valve and which is designed to prevent fogging.
Taking the right precautions during hoursof exposure is the first step towards protectingyourself from the pollutants. Ensure that whenyou are choosing the respirator for yourself, youcheck for the genuine certificates and markingsand the respirator that you use should fit snug-ly on the face without leaving any gaps.
The writer is an expert at 3M India
BREATHEEASY
VINAY PATHAK shares tipson ho0w to pick the
right anti-pollutionmask to beat thewinter smog
ARTHRITIS
money 11LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018
BAJAJ AUTO LAUNCHES NEW PLATINA 110 AT `49,197New Delhi: Bajaj Auto said on Monday it has launched the updat-
ed version of Platina 110 bike, priced at `49,197 (ex-showroom Delhi).The new version comes with various features like anti-skid braking sys-tem and tubeless tyres as standard fitment. “The Platina 110 now joinsthe highly successful existing Platina 100 ES to offer a premium optionto 100cc consumers,” Bajaj Auto president Motorcycle Business Eric Vassaid in a statement. The model already comes with spring-on-spring sus-pension with Nitrox gas charged shock absorbers to absorb jerks from alltypes of roads.
GOOGLE MAPS TO SHOW AUTO-RICKSHAW ROUTES, ESTIMATEDFARES FOR DELHI COMMUTERS
New Delhi: Commuters in the national capital can now view auto-rick-shaw routes as well as fares on Google Maps app, tech giant Google on Mondaysaid. “Starting today, commuters in Delhi will be able to see a new publictransport mode in Google Maps — auto-rickshaws. By selecting this modeof transport, commuters will be able to view suggested routes for the rideas well as the estimated auto-rickshaw fares,” Google said in a statement. Thenew feature will reflect fares based on the official fare model shared by theDelhi Traffic Police, it said. This feature will be available in the Google Mapsapp on the Android devices. The idea is to incorporate one of most com-monly used modes of public transport in Google Maps and share transpar-ent information about the price of journey, Google Maps product manag-er Vishal Dutta said.
GOVT MAY SKIP FARM LOAN WAIVER AHEAD OF '19POLLS:REPORT
Mumbai: Despite the electoral reverses in key states faced by the rulingBJP, the Union government is unlikely to announce any large farm loan waiv-er or fiscal sops ahead of general elections, Credit Suisse said on Monday.The agricultural distress is impacting 200 million workers and can cause polit-ical churn and policy experimentation, leading to uncertainties in times ofthe ongoing economic slowdown, the foreign brokerage said in a report. Therehas been speculation over steps the government takes for the agri sector inwake of BJP losing Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh andRajasthan, with some reports suggesting a farm loan waiver would be aroundthe corner before the general elections next year. “We do not expect any newlarge farm-loan waivers or other fiscal sops in the run up to elections,” thereport said. The report comes days after a group of economists includingformer RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, pitched for doing away with farmloan waivers. The agri distress-induced uncertainties come at a time of eco-nomic slowdown and there will be cuts to GDP growth estimates for FY20,which currently stand at 7.5-7.8 per cent, it said. On the upcoming elections,it said in the last two decades, there have not been visible impact on mar-ket direction because of such exercises.
BUSINESS CORNERGovt’s pressure on RBI to
hit financial stability: S&P
PTI n SINGAPORE
Indian government’s “sus-tained and intense” pressure
on the RBI could “undermine”the hard-fought improvementsin the banking system over thepast few years as well as thelong-term financial stability inthe country, S&P GlobalRatings warned on Monday.
In particular, S&P GlobalRatings views as credit negativethe circumstances leading tothe recent resignation of RBIGovernor Urjit Patel.
“We await any changes tobanking system regulation atthe next RBI board meeting inJanuary 2019,” said the agency,days after Patel resigned asGovernor of Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) amid talk of a face-off with the government overautonomy and independence ofthe central bank.
At this time, it sees nomaterial change in the centralbank’s level of independence,especially with regards to itsadoption and implementationof prudent policy.
“The RBI has traditionallyshown greater independencethan many regional peers, and
a robust institutional culture.But sustained and intenseexternal pressure from theIndian government risks erod-ing these settings over time andcould also undermine the long-term financial stability in thecountry,” said S&P.
This is particularly a riskbecause the central bank wasfocusing on four R’s —Recognition, Recapitalisation,Resolution, and Reform — torestore the health of the finan-cial sector, it said.
“In our opinion, the RBI’sactions in recent years havematerially improved account-ability and transparency inthe banking system, since assetquality reviews were intro-duced by former governorRaghuram Rajan. However,this is off a low base and con-tinues to face headwinds,” itsaid.Recognition of stressedassets significantly improvedfollowing the RBI's circular onFebruary 12, 2018, which elim-inated previous schemes forrestructuring.
“In our opinion, this sim-plified recognition and asso-ciated provisioning for stressedassets,” the agency said.
Recapitalisation has con-tinued for both public and pri-vate sector banks.
“We note that more needsto be done to recapitalise pub-lic sector banks in general. Inour view, the RBI's PromptCorrective Action to rebuildcapitalisation at distressedbanks is appropriate given thefundamental issues these banksface,” said S&P in a report onthe Indian banks.
Resolution of stressedassets is likely to occur withinthe next 12-18 months, par-ticularly given the new bank-ruptcy framework and courts."We view this system as a pos-itive step to reduce the timeand potentially increase recov-eries associated with stressedassets.”
“We believe the restrictionson the RBI's authority toreform governance of publicsector banks as a weakness inits mandate. The central bankhas demonstrated a willingnessand ability to reform gover-nance at private sector banks,which we see as a healthycheck-and-balance that sup-ports accountability andrenewal of leadership."
S&P said its assessment ofIndia's banking system con-tinues to factor in its relative-ly weak governance and trans-parency.
Global Ratings views development as credit negative
DeMo slows down India’seconomic growth: RajanPTI n NEW DELHI
Demonetisation slowed down India'seconomic growth at a time when the
world economy was growing and itimpacted the GDP significantly, formerRBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said.
Rajan said he has seen studies whichreaffirm that banning of high value cur-rency notes in late 2016 impacted India'sgrowth significantly.
“I think the net impression is that it(demonetisation) had a significant effecton our growth. And now, I have seenstudies which reaffirm that. It hasslowed down (our growth).
“...the world (economy) was grow-ing faster in 2017, we slowed down,”Rajan told NDTV news channel in aninterview. The growth was not onlyimpacted due to demonetisation but alsobecause of implementation of Goods andServices Tax (GST), he said.
In 2017-18, the Indian economygrew by 6.7 per cent. “That was the twinblow of demonetisation and GST (thatimpacted India's growth). And beforeanybody accuses (me) of being anti-GST,it's a good idea in the longer run, but ithas short term teething effect,” Rajannoted.
When asked if he was asked toimplement demonetisation during histenure as the RBI Governor, Rajan saidhe was asked for his opinion on banninghigh value currency notes from the sys-tem, which he thought was a “bad idea”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in atelevised interview on November 8,2016 had announced to ban the ̀ 500 and
`1,000 currency notes from the systemaimed at curbing black money, fake cur-rency and terror funding, among others.
Rajan headed the Reserve Bank forthree years - from September 2013 toSeptember 2016.
Expressing his views further on theGST, the former RBI Governor said thatthe reformist tax system could have beenimplemented in a much better manner.
On whether GST should have onerate rather than five different slabs, hesaid it is a matter of debate.
“In my view, which is an alternativeview, once you do it, you find out theproblem then you start fixing it one byone. So, this (teething problem) wasinevitable,” Rajan said.
On fraudsters list, Rajan said that it(report) had a list of the largest frauds.
“I’m unaware of where those casesstand....The reason I'm worried is if onegets away with immunity then othersmay follow,” he said on the list of fraudcases he had flagged to the PrimeMinister's office. He also said that adefaulter is different from a fraudster. “Ifyou start putting defaulters in jail thennobody will take any risk,” Rajan added.
In September this year, Rajan in anote to Parliamentary panel had said thata list of high profile case related to bank-ing frauds was sent by him to the PMOfor a coordinated action.
In the note to Chairman of EstimatesCommittee Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajanhad said that the size of frauds in thepublic sector banking system has beenincreasing, though still small relative tothe overall volume of NPAs.
London: British actor-comedian DavidWalliams has said he was starstruck byJennifer Aniston while working on Netflixfilm “Murder Mystery”. The 47-year-oldcomic said he initially had no idea what tosay to the “lovely” Hollywood star, report-ed Contactmusic. “She is a dream. I was sostarstruck because she’s so, so famous. I waslike, ‘Oh my God, it’s Jennifer Aniston. Whatdo I say to her?’ But she’s so charming andlovely,” Walliams told Heat magazine. The“Britain’s Got Talent” star revealed hisfriends were hoping that he may start dat-ing Aniston during the filming. “Some ofmy friends were saying, ‘You should go out with her’ but I think it would be a bit of a come-down from Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux. I wouldn’t wish that on her,” he said. “Murder Mystery”also stars Adam Sandler.
Carey enjoys playing ‘unlikeable’ characters
Los Angeles: Actor Carey Mulligan says“unlikable” characters attract her. The 33-year-old actor, who has received rave reviews for herperformance in “Wildlife” in which she playsan unsympathetic 1960s wife and mother,believes the negative aspects of her charactermakes her more realistic. ‘’I kind of lean intothe unlikable things. Because we all have slight-ly crap aspects to our personality, as much aswe try and pretend that we don’t, and that’s whatmakes us real human beings.“So I didn’t real-ly think about whether Jeanette was likable ornot. I suppose that’s why it came as quite a shockwhen people started shouting at me in Q&As,”Mulligan told The Hollywood Reporter’s‘Awards Chatter’ podcast.“Wildlife”, directed byPaul Dano, also features Jake Gyllenhaal.
GLOBE TROTTING
North Korea warns on US sanctions
AFP n SEOUL
Nuclear-armed North Koreacondemned the United
States over its latest sanctionsmeasures, warning Washington’sapproach could “block the pathto denuclearisation on theKorean peninsula forever”. Aftera rapid diplomatic rapproche-ment this year that culminatedin the Singapore summit inJune between North Koreanleader Kim Jong Un and USPresident Donald Trump,progress has stalled in talks onPyongyang’s nuclear arsenal.
In Singapore the two mensigned a vaguely-worded state-ment on denuclearisation, buthave since disagreed on whatit means. Now Pyongyang isdemanding sanctions reliefand condemning US insis-tence on its nuclear disarma-ment as “gangster-like”, whileWashington is pushing tomaintain the measures againstthe North until its “final, fullyverified denuclearisation”.
Washington last weekadded three senior NorthKorean officials to those sub-ject to sanctions over humanrights abuses, including ChoeRyong Hae, who has been
considered a right-hand manto Kim.
In a statement carried bythe official KCNA newsagency, the North said Trumphad repeatedly expressed hisdesire to improve relationswith Pyongyang, but the USState Department was “bent onbringing the DPRK-US rela-tions back to the status of lastyear which was marked byexchanges of fire”.
DPRK is the acronym forthe North’s official name.
In recent months high-ranking US politicians includ-ing Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo had “almost everyday slandered the DPRK out ofsheer malice”, added theSunday statement by the pol-icy research director of the for-eign ministry’s Institute forAmerican Studies.
Using sanctions and pres-sure “to drive us into giving upnuclear weapons” would be the“greatest miscalculation”, itadded, and would “block thepath to denuclearisation on theKorean peninsula forever”.
A second summit betweenTrump and Kim — whoexchanged personal insultsand threats of war throughout
2017 — is expected to be heldnext year, with the US leaderfacing criticism over theplanned talks since NorthKorea has taken few concretesteps to abandon its nuclearand ballistic missile pro-grammes.
Pyongyang has long said itneeds the weapons to deter apossible US invasion, and hasspent decades developingthem, at a heavy cost in bothresources and the impositionof multiple sets of UN, US, EUand other sanctions.
But on Monday its nuclearassets were conspicuous bytheir explicit absence fromcoverage of the seventhanniversary of the death ofKim’s father and predecessorKim Jong Il, on whose watchPyongyang carried out its firsttwo nuclear tests.
Alongside extensive cov-erage of commemorativeevents across the country, theRodong Sinmun newspaper,the mouthpiece of the rulingWorkers’ Party, published alengthy editorial lauding KimJong Il’s efforts to secure a“firm military assurance forpeace and prosperity”. A yearearlier, the same newspaper
praised his “immortal feat” inbuilding a “Juche nuclearpower state”.Its front page wasdominated by a large picture ofsoldiers and officials includingKim paying their respects at hisfather’s mausoleum, a sprawl-ing palace on the outskirts ofthe capital.
It was the leader’s firstpublic activity in two weeksafter visiting a shoe factory inWonsan earlier this month.
Trump played down hopesFriday for any imminent dealto persuade Pyongyang to giveup its nuclear arsenal but healso expressed optimism, say-ing North Korea’s economy has“wonderful potential” and thatKim “sees it better than anyoneand will fully take advantage ofit for his people”.
In actions required byCongress, his administrationsaid last week it would seizeany US assets of the three offi-cials for suppressing freedomof speech.
Such restrictions may havelittle effect on individuals inone of the world’s most closedcountries but have symbolicimpact as North Korea seeksgreater acceptance by theUnited States.
Men with school-age daughters less likely to be sexist: StudyPTI n LONDON
Having a daughter makesmen less likely to hold tra-
ditional attitudes towards genderroles, a trend that became par-ticularly pronounced whendaughters reached school-age, astudy has found. Researchersfrom the London School ofEconomics and Political Science(LSE) analysed the effects ofbecoming the parent of a daugh-ter on both men and women. Arepresentative sample of parentsfrom a survey spanning twodecades in the UK between1991 and 2012 were assessed onwhether they supported thenotion of the ‘traditional malebreadwinner’, with the wife as ahomemaker.
Researchers found strongevidence that having daughtersdecreases fathers’ likelihood tohold traditional attitudes towardsgender roles, a trend that becameparticularly pronounced whendaughters reached school-age.They found that father’s likeli-hood to support traditional gen-der roles typically declined byeight per cent when their daugh-ters were in primary school andby 11 per cent when their daugh-ters reached secondary school.
Comparatively, the effect of
having a daughter on mother’sattitudes was not significant,confirming findings from pre-vious studies that having adaughter affects men andwomen differently. In addition tochanges in attitudes amongstfathers, the authors found behav-ioural change occurred, as par-ents of school-age daughterswere less likely follow a tradi-tional gender division of work.
While researchers do notdirectly test the underlying rea-sons for their findings, theynote that instead of the changeoccurring at the time of the birthof their daughter, the significantattitude change occurs in fathersaround the time their daughtersreach school age. This coin-cides with the period wherechildren experience a strongersocial pressure to conform to
gender norms, researchers said.“Through parenting, fathers ofdaughters may develop a betterunderstanding of women’s andgirls’ disadvantages in society,resulting in a significant shift intheir attitudes towards gendernorms,” researchers said.
Mothers, on the other hand,hold less traditional attitudes tostart with and appear to be lessaffected by parenting daughters.This may be because they ‘havealready been exposed to situa-tions of disadvantage first-hand,’researchers said. “Traditionalattitudes towards gender rolescan be a barrier to achieving gen-der equality inside and outsidethe workplace, so our evidencethat such attitudes can changeover time is very encouraging,”said Julia Philipp, a PhD candi-date in LSE.
Leaked video shows Pak minvowing to ‘protect’ Saeed PTI n LAHORE
ousness on combating terrorism,his junior interior minister hasvowed to “protect” Mumbaiattack mastermind Hafiz Saeedand his party in a leaked video.The leaked video showedMinister of State for InteriorShehryar Afridi talking to theMilli Muslim League (MML)leaders and when his attentionwas drawn towards non-regis-tration of Saeed’s party by theElection Commission (ECP) asa political party due to the USpressure and the ECP’s plan todeclare it a terrorist organisation,the minister said: “We will not letthis happen.”
“As long as we (the PakistanTehreek-e-Insaaf) are in the gov-ernment all those including HafizSaeed who are raising voice forPakistan and righteousness, weare with them,” Afridi said,adding “this is our belief.”“Irequest you to come to theNational Assembly and seewhether we are supporting thosewho on the right path or not,” hetold them. Saeed was declared aglobal terrorist by the US and the
UN after the 2008 Mumbaiattack and was put under housearrest in November 2008 butfreed by a court some monthslater. He carries a USD 10 millionAmerican bounty on his head forhis role in terror activities.
India has been demandingPakistan not only to arrest theLeT founder and try him in theMumbai attack case but also pun-ish all those involved in this car-nage. In the leaked video, anMML leader said the high courtordered the ECP to register theMML as a political party but thetop election body said that it hadcome to know that the US haddeclared MML a terrorist organ-isation. On this, the ministerassured that “this will not happen
in the Imran Khan’s govern-ment.” Saeed launched the MMLin August 2017 with a so-calledmission to implement the ideol-ogy of Pakistan in accordancewith the 1973 Constitution.
In April, the US placed theMML on its list of foreign terrororganisations for its links with theLashkar-e-Taiba.
The interior ministry hadwritten to the ECP recommend-ing not to register the MML as itis an off-shoot of Saeed’s Jamat-ud Dawah, which has beendeclared as a foreign terroristorganisation by the US in June2014. The JuD is believed to bethe front organisation for theLashkar-e-Taiba which is respon-sible for carrying out the 2008Mumbai attack that killed 166people.The MML contested gen-eral elections on the platform ofthe “dormant” political entityAllaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT),which was registered with theECP.
The Supreme Court inSeptember last permitted theJuD and its arm Falah-e-InsaniyatFoundation (FIF) to continuetheir relief and charity work in thecountry.
AFP n RIYADH
Saudi Arabia on Mondayslammed as “interference”
US Senate resolutions over itswar in Yemen and critic JamalKhashoggi’s murder, warningthat the move could haverepercussions on its strategicties with Washington. TheRepublican-controlled Senatevoted on Thursday to endAmerican military support fora Riyadh-led war in Yemen,and separately held CrownPrince Mohammed bin Salmanresponsible for Khashoggi’skilling. The largely symbolicvote dealt a fresh warning toPresident Donald Trump, whohas staunchly backed the Saudiregime in the face of intenseglobal outrage that analystssay has left the kingdom diplo-matically weakened.
“The kingdom condemnsthe latest position of the USSenate that was based onunsubstantiated allegations andrejects the blatant interferencein its internal affairs,” the for-
eign ministry said in a state-ment released by the officialSaudi Press Agency.
On the Yemen measure,which more broadly attacks thepresident’s prerogative tolaunch military action, 49Democrats or their allies votedin favour, along with sevenRepublicans, while anotherthree Republicans abstained.
The Senate also approveda resolution condemningKhashoggi’s murder and callingCrown Prince Mohammed binSalman, Saudi Arabia’s de factoruler, “responsible” for it.The
Saudi ministry warned thatthe kingdom would not toler-ate any “disrespect” of its rulers.
This position by the USSenate sends the wrong mes-sages to all those who want tocause a rift in Saudi-US rela-tionship,” the ministry said.
“The kingdom hopes thatit is not drawn into domesticpolitical debates in the US toavoid any... significant negativeimpact on this importantstrategic relationship.” A dayafter the Senate vote, Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo againdefended US ties with SaudiArabia on national securitygrounds, saying the kingdomwas a bulwark against commonfoe Iran. The Senate resolutionacknowledged the US-Saudities were “important” but calledon Riyadh to “moderate itsincreasingly erratic foreign pol-icy”.
“Prince Mohammed andSaudi Arabia, even prior tointroduction of the Senate res-olution, were discovering thatthe Khashoggi killing had
weakened the kingdom inter-nationally and had made itmore vulnerable to pressure,”said James Dorsey, a Middle East expert at the S.Rajaratnam School ofInternational Studies inSingapore.
The resolutions cannot bedebated in the House ofRepresentatives before January,and would likely be vetoed inany case by Trump. But theSenate votes send a strongmessage to the White Houseover anger on both sides of theaisle towards Riyadh.
Khashoggi, a Saudi con-tributor to the WashingtonPost, was killed on October 2shortly after entering the king-dom’s consulate in Istanbul inwhat Riyadh called a “rogue”operation.
The murder has tarnishedRiyadh’s international reputa-tion, and Western countriesincluding the United States,France and Canada have placedsanctions on nearly 20 Saudinationals.
Saudi slams US Senate vote as ‘interference’ China, Pak andAfghan sign MoU to cooperate oncounter-terrorismPTI n BEIJING
China, Pakistan andAfghanistan have agreed to
cooperate on counter-terrorismand coordinate to call on theTaliban to return to the negoti-ating table and to move ahead theAfghan-led and Afghan-ownedreconciliation process, theChinese Foreign Ministry saidMonday. On December 15, StateCouncillor and Foreign MinisterWang Yi attended the secondChina, Afghanistan and Pakistantrilateral foreign ministers’ dia-logue in Kabul where aMemorandum of Understanding(MoU) on counter-terrorismwas signed between the threecountries, Foreign MinistrySpokesperson Hua Chunyingsaid here.
Wang met Shah MahmoodQureshi and SalahuddinRabbani, his Pakistani andAfghan counterparts respective-ly as the three sides agreed to usethe existing dialogue mecha-nism to enhance coordinationand promote cooperation, Huasaid.
“It is important for the threeparties to enhance counter-ter-rorism cooperation and toenhance communication tomove forward the trilateral coop-eration,” she said. The three sideswill coordinate to call on theTaliban to return to the negoti-ating table, Hua said. The threecountries will seize the opportu-nity and move ahead the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliationprocess with Afghanistan playingthe primary role, she said. It wasdecided that Afghanistan andPakistan will further improvetheir bilateral ties and engage inmore sound interactions andresolve their differences throughfriendly consultations and avoidhurting bilateral ties, Hua said.
Pakistan welcomes new round of talks
between the US, Taliban in UAE
PTI n ISLAMABAD
Pakistan on Monday wel-comed a new round of talks
sponsored by it between theTaliban and US officials, in theUnited Arab Emirates, in anattempt to end the bloodshedin neighbouring war-tornAfghanistan. Pakistan ForeignOffice spokespersonMohammad Faisal said onTwitter that the latest round oftalks were being held in theUAE.
He also said Pakistanalong-with the internationalcommunity and other stake-holders was committed to
peace and reconciliation inAfghanistan to end the 17-yearwar. “Along with internation-al community and other stake-holders, Pakistan is committedto peace and reconciliation inAfghanistan. Talks are beingheld in the UAE. We hope thiswill end bloodshed inAfghanistan and bring peace tothe region,” Faisal tweeted.
The Taliban on Mondaysaid that they were holding“another” meeting with USofficials in the UAE, which alsoinclude representatives of SaudiArabia, Pakistan and the UAE.
According to diplomaticsources, Pakistan had helped in
arranging the direct talksbetween the US and Taliban,creating a ray of hope for endof conflict, after US PresidentDonald Trump wrote a letter toPrime Minister Imran Khan,earlier this month, formallyseeking Islamabad’s help inarranging the talks withTaliban.
US special peace envoyZalmay Khalilzad, reportedly,already held two rounds oftalks with Taliban leaders inQatar. This is the second timethat Pakistan has arrangeddirect talks between the US andTaliban representatives after asimilar initiative fell apart after
an open meeting in 2015 at thehill resort of Murree, nearIslamabad. Khan, after takingoffice in August, had made itclear that Pakistan wanted toestablish peaceful ties with allits neighbours. Trump had ear-lier this year accused Pakistanof doing nothing despite takebillions of dollars from the US.Washington had also suspend-ed millions of dollars in mili-tary aid to Islamabad.
In one of the America’slongest war, the US has spentover USD 1 trillion inAfghanistan since the coalitionforces ousted the Taliban in2001.
Pak releases Indian prisoner after 6 yrsPTI n ISLAMABAD
Pakistan on Monday releasedIndian prisoner Hamid
Nihal Ansari, who wasdetained by the country’s intel-ligence agencies in 2012 andsubsequently sentenced tothree years’ imprisonment by amilitary court in 2015 for pos-sessing a fake Pakistani identi-ty card. Ansari, a 33-year-oldMumbai resident, was lodgedin the Peshawar Central Jailafter being sentenced by themilitary court on December 15,2015. His three-year jail termended on December 15, 2018but he was not able to leave forIndia as his legal documentswere not ready.
On Thursday, the PeshawarHigh Court gave the federalgovernment a month deadlineto complete his repatriationprocess.
“Ansari is being releasedupon completion of his sentenceand is being repatriated to India,”Pakistan Foreign OfficeSpokesperson MohammadFaisal said. He claimed thatAnsari was an “Indian spywho had illegally enteredPakistan and was involved inanti-state crimes and forgingdocuments.” Ansari went miss-ing after he was taken into cus-tody by Pakistani intelligence
agencies and local police inKohat in 2012 and finally inreply to a habeas corpus peti-tion filed by his mother, FauziaAnsari, the high court wasinformed that he was in cus-tody of the Pakistan Army andwas being tried by a militarycourt.
He entered Pakistan fromAfghanistan, reportedly tomeet a girl he had befriendedonline. A two-judge PeshawarHigh Court bench, comprisingJustice Roohul Amin andJustice Qalandar Ali Khan, onThursday heard an appeal filedby Ansari through his lawyerQazi Muhammad Anwar.
Anwar informed the benchthat both the Ministry ofInterior and authorities ofprison, where he was lodged,were completely silent about hisrelease and deportation toIndia.
PTI n COLOMBO
Sri Lankan PresidentMaithripala Sirisena, who
lost badly in his tussle for powerwith Ranil Wickremesinghe, isnot ready to bury the hatchetwith the triumphant PrimeMinister, saying they do not seeeye to eye on a number ofissues, including on the releaseof LTTE political prisoners. Anembarrassed Sirisena, whosecontroversial actions plungedthe island nation into anunprecedented political turmoilfor nearly two months, rein-stated Wickremesinghe as PrimeMinister on Sunday, after sack-ing him on October 26 andappointing ex-presidentMahinda Rajapaksa in his placeand also dissolving Parliament,some 20 months early.
Sirisena was left with noother option following two sep-arate decisions by the SupremeCourt, which nullified his illegalmoves. Addressing the membersof his United National Front,Sirisena, 67, reiterated that hedoes not like Wickremesinghe,despite having to reappoint himas the Prime Minister, ColomboGazette reported.
He said that there were sev-eral issues between him andWickremesinghe, 69, since 2015.He accused Wickremesinghe ofabusing his powers as PrimeMinister before Wickremesinghewas sacked in October.
Sirisena claimed thatWickremesinghe even usurpedsome powers of the President. Heaccused Wickremesinghe of fail-ing to follow his instructions notto arrest monks and members ofthe military, the report said. ThePresident insisted that if mem-bers of the Sri Lankan militaryare to be arrested for committingwar crimes, the Liberation Tigersof Tamil Eelam members andtheir supporters overseas must
also be arrested for the same.Sirisena also said that if the for-mer LTTE (Tamil Tiger) cadresare to be released on the basisthey are political prisoners thenthe military officers in prisonmust also be freed.
President Sirisena’s primeministerial appointee Rajapaksaled the military campaign tocrush the Tamil Tiger rebels in2009 when he was the presidentof Sri Lanka.
He said he andWickremesinghe differed onseveral differences since 2015.Sirisena said he offered to reap-point Wickremesinghe as theprime minister as he respectsparliamentary traditions anddemocracy.
“A statement I made to saythat I would not appointWickremesinghe as PrimeMinister is a personal view ofmine. That is my personal polit-ical view, but as a leader whorespects Parliamentary tradi-tions and democracy, I decidedto invite Wickremesinghe andoffered him the premiership, thePresident said. President Sirisenaclaimed that the power to namea Prime Minister is vested withthe Executive President accord-
ing to the Constitution.“Considering the request of the117 MPs, they being the major-ity in Parliament and I being acivilised leader who respectsParliamentary democracy andtraditions, I agreed with theirdecision,” he said.
Ex-strongman Rajapaksaresigned from the post onSaturday, a day after the apexcourt refused to stay anothercourt order restraining himfrom acting as the prime min-ister. Meanwhile, Prime MinisterWickremesinghe said abolishingthe executive Presidency andbringing about a political solu-tion will be part of the agendaof his new Government. In aspecial statement after beingappointed as Prime Minister,Wickremesinghe said that dis-cussions are ongoing with anumber of political parties inrespect to abolishing the execu-tive Presidency.
“We will have discussionswith the Tamil National Alliance(Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party)and Janatha VimukthiPeramuna to bring about apolitical solution in which all cit-izens can live in harmony in aunitary state,” he said.
Sirisena yet to bury the hatchet withtriumphant PM Wickremesinghe
A supporter of Sri Lanka's reinstated prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe cheersduring a rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Monday. AP
world 13LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018
Malaysia files criminal charges against SachsAP nn KUALALUMPUR
Malaysia filed criminalcharges against
Goldman Sachs and two for-mer executives on Monday fortheir role in the alleged multi-billion-dollar ransacking ofstate investment fund 1MDB.
Attorney General TommyThomas said the governmentis seeking several billion dol-lars in fines from GoldmanSachs for breaches of securi-ties laws that involved it mak-ing false and misleading state-ments to investors.
He said his office willseek prison sentences of up to10 years for the formerGoldman executives, RogerNg Chong Hwa and TimLeissner, who is married tomodel Kimora Lee Simmons.Malaysian and U.S. prosecu-tors allege that bond salesorganized by Goldman Sachsfor 1MDB provided one of themeans for associates of formerMalaysian Prime MinisterNajib Razak to steal billionsover several years from a fundthat was ostensibly set up toaccelerate Malaysia’s econom-ic development.
The scandal, first report-ed by Sarawak Report and theWall Street Journal, resulted inNajib and his ruling coalitionlosing power in a historicelection defeat earlier thisyear. Najib himself is facingcorruption charges.
He has said that morethan $700 million that movedthrough his bank account wasa political donation from theSaudi royal family, but U.S.prosecutors say it came from1MDB, of which Najib was thetop official. U.S. legal filingsthat are part of a JusticeDepartment civil case torecover assets bought with1MDB funds allege the moneywas used to f inanceHollywood films and spent on
luxuries such as diamond jew-elry for Najib’s wife, a yacht,artworks and high-end prop-erties.
Goldman Sachs deniedany wrongdoing in responseto Malaysia’s criminal charges.“We believe these charges aremisdirected and we will vig-orously defend them and lookforward to the opportunity topresent our case,” bankspokesman Edward Naylorsaid in a statement. “The firmcontinues to cooperate with allauthorities investigating thesematters.”
Thomas said $2.7 billionwas stolen from three bondsales organized by subsidiariesof Goldman Sachs. The invest-ment bank, he said, received$600 million in fees for orga-nizing the bond deals, whichwas several times higher thanindustry norms.
Leissner and Ng conspiredwith Najib associate Low TaekJho, a key architect of theentire 1MDB fraud, to bribeMalaysian government offi-cials to use Goldman Sachs asthe arranger of the bond deals,according to Thomas. Theyand Goldman Sachs knewthat the money would bestolen, he said.
“Having held themselvesout as the pre-eminent glob-al adviser/arranger for bonds,the highest standards are
expected of Goldman Sachs,”the attorney general’s state-ment said.
“They have fallen far shortof any standard. In conse-quence, they have to be heldaccountable.” Prosecutors planto seek fines “well in excess”of the amount allegedly stolenbecause of the severity of theviolations of Malaysia’s laws,Thomas said.
Leissner, who headedGoldman’s operations inSoutheast Asia, last monthpleaded guilty in the U.S. tomoney laundering conspiracyand conspiring to violate for-eign bribery laws after theJustice Department chargedhim, Ng and Low in relationto the 1MDB scandal.
Ng was arrested inMalaysia in early Novemberand Low, also known as JhoLow, remains at large. He haspreviously maintained hisinnocence in statements via alawyer.Malaysian police saidin July that Low had fledMacau to an unknown desti-nation.
Before facing criminalcharges, Low became wellknown in the New York Cityand Los Angeles club scenes.
In 2012, he threw a lav-ish 31st birthday bash attend-ed by Leonardo DiCaprio,Kim Kardashian and othercelebrities.
Truce in Yemen’s Hodeida due to start today after new clashesAFP nn DUBAI
Aceasefire in Yemen’s bat-tleground port city of
Hodeida and its surroundingswill start on Tuesday, a UN offi-cial said, after renewed fightingthreatened the hard-wonaccord struck in Sweden.
The deal announced onThursday between Yemen’sSaudi-backed government andthe Huthi rebels included an“immediate ceasefire” inHodeida, whose Red Sea portserves as a crucial gateway forhumanitarian aid.
The UN official, whorequested anonymity, told AFPthat the delay to the halt in hos-tilities until midnight (2100GMT) on Monday was neces-sary for “operational reasons”.
Yemen’s Foreign MinisterKhaled al-Yamani, who ledthe government’s delegationto the peace talks, also toldstate-run television late Sundaythat the ceasefire would beginat midnight Monday.
Residents in Hodeida andthe surrounding areas havereported fierce fighting and airstrikes in recent days, as clash-es continued between Saudi-backed government forces andthe Iran-aligned Huthis. Atleast 29 fighters, including 22
Huthi rebels, were killed onSaturday night in Hodeidaprovince, a pro-governmentmilitary source told AFP.
Two Hodeida residentsreached by telephone told AFPthat they could hear intermit-tent clashes to the east andsouth of the city on Monday.
A pro-government mili-tary official said that therewere sporadic clashes, addingthat a fire erupted in one of thefactories in the east of the citydue to strikes on Sunday night.Doctors Without Borders(MSF) voiced alarm about “thecontinuous fighting” inHodeida.
The medical aid groupsaid its teams on the groundwere treating victims of gun-
shots, shelling and air strikes,urging warring parties “torespect the presence of civiliansand health infrastructures”.
UN envoy Martin Griffithssaid on Sunday that the UNwas working with both sides toensure the ceasefire accordwas “implemented timely andproperly”.
The truce is supposed tobe followed by the withdrawalof fighters from Hodeida with-in days on both sides.
A prisoner swap involvingsome 15,000 detainees isplanned and a “mutual under-standing” was reached to facil-itate aid deliveries to Yemen’sthird city Taiz — under thecontrol of loyalists but besiegedby rebels. The two sides also
agreed to meet again in lateJanuary for more talks to definethe framework for negotia-tions on a comprehensive peacesettlement.
Impoverished Yemen hasbeen mired in fighting betweenthe Huthi rebels and troopsloyal to President AbedrabboMansour Hadi since 2014.
The war escalated in 2015when a Saudi-led militarycoalition stepped in on the gov-ernment’s side.
The conflict has sincekilled nearly 10,000 people,according to the World HealthOrganization.
But some rights groupsbelieve the toll to be far high-er. UN chief Antonio Guterreswarned Sunday that “muchworse” lay in store for theimpoverished country in 2019unless its warring parties strikea peace deal and head off ahumanitarian crisis.
Severe food shortagesmean that a high number ofYemenis have been dying in“very dramatic circumstances”,Guterres told a news confer-ence in Doha.
Diplomats said Guterresmay propose a surveillancemechanism comprising 30 to40 observers.
AFP nn NABLUS
Israeli forces destroyed thehome of a Palestinian
accused of killing two Israelis,in an army raid that triggeredclashes overnight Monday, anAFP journalist said.
Three people were injuredby rubber bullets, officialPalestinian news agency Wafasaid. Hundreds of soldiers sur-rounded the house in a suburbof Tulkarm in the north of theWest Bank, the AFP journalistsaid. The army destroyed thewalls of Ashraf Naalwa’s home
on the ground and first floors ofthe house, before withdrawingon Monday morning.
The Israeli military did notimmediately comment on theoperation. Naalwa, 23, was killedby the Israeli army last Thursday
after a two-month manhunt.He was accused of killing
two Israeli colleagues in anindustrial zone near the north-ern West Bank Jewish settlementof Barkan.
The Palestinian Islamistmovement Hamas claimedNaalwa as one of its fighters.Speaking at a cabinet meetingon Sunday, Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahusaid he had ordered “the accel-eration of the demolition of ter-rorists’ homes” in the wake ofthe recent wave of attacks. Late
Sunday, Israeli ministers gaveinitial approval to a bill thatwould allow the army to movefamily members of Palestinianattackers to a different WestBank location. EducationMinister Naftali Bennett,whose Jewish Home factionwas behind the bill, said itwould help deter would-beassailants.
“The terrorists havestopped fearing us,” he said ina statement, noting that the jus-tice ministry opposes the pro-posed legislation.
US conducts sixairstrikes againstextremists inSomalia, 62 deadJohannesburg(AP): The USmilitary says it has carried outsix airstrikes in the Gandarshearea of Somalia which killed atotal of 62 al-Shabab extremistrebels. In a statement issuedMonday, the US military’sAfrica Command said it car-ried out four strikes onDecember 15 in which 34 peo-ple were killed and two moreon December 16 which killed28.
All the air attacks were inthe Gandarshe coastal areasouth of the capital,Mogadishu, it said. No civilianswere injured or killed in theattacks, it said. All six strikeswere carried out in close coor-dination with Somalia’s gov-ernment, it said.
The airstrikes were “con-ducted to prevent al-Shababfrom using remote areas as asafe haven to plot, direct,inspire, and recruit for futureattacks,” it said.
Al-Shabab uses parts ofsouthern and central Somaliato plot and direct extremistattacks, steal humanitarian aid,extort the local populace tofund its operations, and shelterradicals, said the statement.With these attacks, the U.S. mil-itary has carried out at least 46airstrikes so far this year againstal-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida and Africa’s most activeIslamic extremist group.
Al Shabab controls parts ofrural southern and centralSomalia and continues to stagedeadly attacks in Mogadishuand other cities.
The US airstrikes havepicked up dramatically sincePresident Donald Trump tookoffice and approved expandedmilitary operations in the Hornof Africa nation.
Airstrikes also target asmall presence of fighterslinked to the Islamic Stategroup.
UK PM to warn against ‘damage’ of 2nd Brexit voteAFP nn LONDON
Prime Minister TheresaMay will on Monday warn
MPs against supporting a sec-ond referendum, saying itwould do “irreparable dam-age” to British politics. “Let usnot break faith with the Britishpeople by trying to stageanother referendum,” she isexpected to tell parliament,according to extracts fromher speech released byDowning Street.
“Anther vote... would doirreparable damage to theintegrity of our politics,” shewill say, adding that a secondvote “would likely leave us nofurther forward”.She will warnthat another referendumwould also “further divideour country at the very
moment we should be work-ing to unite it”.
Britain voted to leave theEuropean Union in a referen-dum in 2016 and is set to leaveon March 29 next year,although May is struggling toget parliament to accept adivorce agreement she struck
last month. May has facedcalls for a second referendumto resolve the impasse but hasargued that this would betraythe 2016 result and under-mine public confidence inpolitics. Campaigners for areferendum said May’s com-ments on Monday showed
that the idea is being takenseriously.
“A new public vote wouldbe different from the referen-dum in 2016 because we nowknow more about what Brexitmeans,” said Margaret Beckett,an MP from the main oppo-sition Labour Party and“People’s Vote” supporter.
“Any effort to force Brexitover the line without checkingthat it has the continued con-sent of the British people willonly reinforce divisions,” shesaid. Dozens of MPs from allthe main parties also supporta second referendum, as doformer prime ministers JohnMajor and Tony Blair.
There have also beenreports that government offi-cials are considering giving
the public a vote. May hasdelayed a crucial vote by MPson the draft Brexit deal untilnext month, leaving the polit-ical scene in limbo.
If parliament fails toapprove the text, Britain willcrash out of the EuropeanUnion regardless — a prospectthat experts warn could leadto serious trade disruptionand trigger a financial crisis.
But former foreign secre-tary Boris Johnson, a leadingBrexit campaigner, said any-one considering a second ref-erendum was “out of theirminds”. “A second referen-dum would provoke instant,deep and ineradicable feelingsof betrayal,” he wrote onMonday in his weekly columnin the Daily Telegraph.
Singaporean Gay man winsright to adoptsurrogate sonSingapore (AFP): A gaySingaporean man Monday wonthe right to adopt a child hefathered via a surrogate in theUnited States, in a landmark courtruling for the conservative city-state. While Singapore is affluentand modern in many ways, atti-tudes towards homosexuality areroutinely criticised as outdated.Gay marriage is not permitted andsex between men remains illegalunder a law that dates from theBritish colonial era, although it israrely enforced.
In the latest case, the man —who is in a long-term relationship— first enquired about adoptingin Singapore but was told a homo-sexual couple was unlikely to getpermission.
He found a surrogate in theUnited States who agreed to carryhis child for US$200,000.Surrogacy is effectively banned inSingapore. A son was born and isnow five years old.
The man, a 46-year-oldpathologist who has not been iden-tified, brought the boy back toSingapore and applied to formal-ly adopt him, in the hope of secur-ing him Singapore citizenship. Adistrict judge rejected the initialapplication in December last year.But he appealed to Singapore’sHigh Court, which ruled in hisfavour. Delivering the verdict,Chief Justice Sundaresh Menonsaid that “the evidence has demon-strated to us that it is very muchin the interests of the child that theadoption order be made”.
Paris (AFP): The French gov-ernment is set to rush tax cutsand a rise in the minimumwage through parliament in abid to end the “yellow vest”protests which appear to bewaning after a month of dis-ruption.The measuresannounced a week ago byPresident Emmanuel Macronwill be discussed at a cabinetmeeting on Wednesday and putto the National Assembly andthe Senate for votes beforeChristmas, officials said.
But in the meantime, theprotesters must dismantle theirroad blocks, Interior MinisterChristophe Castaner saidMonday, warning that “we can’tcontinue to paralyse the Frencheconomy. Prime MinisterEdouard Philippe has acknowl-edged that the concessions,worth some 10 billion euros($11.3 billion), would meanFrance will breach the publicdeficit cap of 3% of grossdomestic product set by EUrules.
“We accept that there willbe a small increase in thedeficit because of more rapidtax reductions,” Philippe said inan interview in the financialnewspaper Les Echos onMonday.
“But we are careful withgovernment spending, and weare taking a series of measurestouching on businesses andspending worth some four bil-lion euros. That should allow usto hold the deficit at about 3.2%for 2019,” he added.
A planned reduction inthe corporate income tax ratewill be restricted next year to
companies with a turnover ofless than 250 million euros.France repeatedly failed tokeep its budget deficit under 3percent until 2017, and thedeficit for next year was origi-nally forecast to be 2.8% ofGDP. “We have made mis-takes. We haven’t listenedenough to the French people,”Philippe also said, speaking ofthe month-long grassroot “yel-low vest” movement that hassparked nation-wide demon-strations, along with trafficblockades and destruction ofmotorway toll booths.
The Vinci motorway com-pany, which operates some4,400 kilometres (2,700 miles)of roads, on Monday said dam-age had cost it “tens of millionsof euros”, with at least sixbuildings torched, 15 toll sta-tions destroyed, and 33 vehicleswrecked.
Arson attacks continuedovernight with two moremotorway toll stations set onfire in southern France, nearBeziers and Manosque, officialssaid. Pre-Christmas sales have
also been badly hit with theNational Council ofCommercial Centres reportinga drop of two billion euros inshopping, with businessesunlikely to make up the short-fall by December 25.
“We have understood themessage sent by the Frenchpeople: They want us to gofaster when it comes to improv-ing purchasing power and theywant to be associated to thedecision-making process,”Philippe added.
The prime minister specif-ically said he would considerone of the main demands madeby protesters who have calledfor citizen initiated referen-dums, on the Swiss model.
“I don’t see how we couldbe against the principle of it.Referenda can be a good toolin a democracy, but not onevery issue or under whatevercircumstances,” Philippe said.
The president of theNational Assembly RichardFerrand said Sunday he wasready to see the referendumissue debated.
AFP nn BANGKOK
The Philippines’ Catriona Graywas named Miss Universe
2018 in a competition conclud-ing Monday in Bangkok, bestingcontestants from 93 other coun-tries and delighting her homenation. Gray wore a sparkling reddress she said was inspired by avolcano in the Philippines as shewas handed the crown to thedelight of a roaring crowd thatgenerally favored Southeast Asiancontestants.
The 24-year-old singer andmodel said she wore red because“when I was 13 my mom said shehad a dream that I would winMiss Universe in a red dress.” Shesaid her mom cried when theysaw each other after she won thecompetition, the 67th MissUniverse pageant.
Gray edged out first runner-up Tamaryn Green of SouthAfrica and third-place SthefanyGutierrez of Venezuela. She suc-ceeds Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters ofSouth Africa. In the Philippines,pageants are a popular attraction,and Gray’s countrymen watchingthe televised contest cheeredwildly and jumped for joy whenshe was declared the winner.Celebrations were especiallybuoyant in Oas town in thenortheastern province of Albay,from which Gray’s Filipina moth-er hails.
According to Gray, hergown’s design, with its lava colourand appearance, was influencedby Albay’s iconic Mayon Volcano.Gray’s father is Australian, and shewas born and grew up in Cairns,Australia. She studied at theBerklee College of Music inBoston in the United States. Theoffice of Philippine President
Rodrigo Duterte was quick tocongratulate the winner.
Gray is the fourth Filipina tobe named Miss Universe.“Ms Gray truly made the entirePhilippines proud when shesashayed on the global stage andshowcased the genuine qualitiesdefining a Filipina beauty: confi-dence, grace, intelligence andstrength in the face of tough chal-
lenges,” he said in a statementfrom the presidential palace. “Inher success, Miss Philippines hasshown to the world that womenin our country have the ability toturn dreams into reality throughpassion, diligence, determina-tion and hard work.”
An early round of question-ing touched on the issue of drugs,a controversial issue in the
Philippines where Duterte’saggressive ‘war on drugs’ hastaken thousands of lives, many inwhat critics charge were extraju-dicial executions.
Duterte raised even morecontroversy when he recentlyjoked that he smoked marijuanato deal with his busy schedule ofmeetings with other Asian lead-ers at a regional summit.
Asked what she thoughtabout legalising marijuana, Graysaid: “I’m for it being used formedical use, but not so for recre-ational use. Because I think if peo-ple will argue, then what aboutalcohol and cigarettes? Everythingis good but in moderation.”
This year’s Miss Universecompetition included the first-ever transgender contestant,Angela Ponce of Spain. She saidin a video presentation that it wasnot important for her to win butwas more important for her “tobe here.”
One of the few controversiesof this year’s contest involved MissUnited States, Sarah RoseSummers, seeming to mock con-testants from Cambodia andVietnam over their English lan-guage skills. Summers apolo-gized.
The finale was again hostedby Steve Harvey who infamous-ly announced the wrong winnerin the 2015 contest. Harvey jokedbriefly about the incident inexchanges with contestants andsaid: “You all can’t let that go” and“I’m still here.”
The theme of this year’spageant was “EmpoweredWomen” and was judged byseven women including formerpageant winners, businesswomenand a fashion designer.
Catriona Gray named Miss Universe 2018
Newly crowned 2019 Miss Universe Catriona Gray, of Philippines, waves during thefinal of 67th Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday. AP
Israel army destroys Palestinian attacker’s home
Paris govt set to rush throughconcessions for ‘yellow vests’
U.S. police and Border Patrol hold a line as members of an inter-faith group, showing support for Central American asylum-seekers who arrived in recent caravans and calling for an end to detaining and deporting immigrants, pray during a protest in SanDiego, as seen from across the border wall in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday (Dec. 10, 2018). The agents arrested dozens ofprotestors for trespassing as they tried to approach the border wall, and one person for assaulting an officer. AP/ File Photo
LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018
Actress RADHIKA MADAN, whohas bagged the Most PromisingNewcomer award, says she feelsmotivated to work harder to enter-tain people through herwork. Radhika won thetrophy at Star ScreenAwards for her debut actin Vishal Bhardwaj'sPataakha.“I didn't expect it. Itjust happened. Itmotivates me towork even harderto entertain moreand more people,and give my 200per cent. I gavemy heart and soulto Pataakha,Radhika said. “It didn't do com-mercially well, butto be acknowl-edged for that...it speaks alot,” addedthe actress.
Actress YAMI GAUTAM has beennamed the goodwill leader ofSuper Sniffers campaign initiatedby TRAFFIC India along withWorld Wildlife Fund India (WWF).As part of the campaign, a bandof specially-trained dogs, whowith their handlers and the forestdepartment, willcombat wildlifecrime by help-ing collect con-crete evidenceagainst wildlifepoachers andsmugglers.“Wildlife poach-ing is a serious issue. A moreorganised way and tactics areneeded. That's exactly whatSuper Sniffers programme doesby training these amazing dogswho are trained to expose suchactivities with training that's givento them,” Yami said.
Before opening the final chapter,Game of Thrones makers will betreating fans with a reunionepisode. But actor JASONMOMOA says he won't be a partof the special episode.HBO channel confirmed thenews of the specialepisode, but it won't air onthe network. It will onlybe available as part ofthe complete serieshome video box set,which will packageall eight seasonstogether.Asked if he willmake an appear-ance in thereunion episode,Momoa said, “Idon't think so.”The final seasonwill arrive in Aprilnext year.At the moment,Momoa is riding highon success of his super-hero film Aquaman.
‘Winning awardsmotivates me’
‘The fact that theAmerican musicianBeyonce performedat Isha (Ambani’s)pre-wedding
celebration,Yeh koichoti baatnahin hai(It's not aminorthing). Idon't think
anyone but Mukeshand Nita Ambanicould manage this.For me, they are likea part of my family. Idon't look at them asa separate family.’—Lata Mangeshkar
No GOT reunionfor Jason Momoa
vivacity 14
Play and day-boarding schools,creches and cognitive therapies arenot just for kids anymore. Your pet
has every right to evolve as such, con-sidering that they have an equal claim
on your companionship. If Petfed, thelargest pet festival in India, was any-
thing to go by, then pet care and man-agement in our city has become a dis-
cipline in itself with allied developmentsin grooming, fashion, diet and personal-ity development.
Festival organiser Akshay Guptadecided to host the festival with the objec-tive of getting all pet owners together andaddress shared concerns on a commonplatform. “Except for community parks,there is hardly a space where dogs andtheir owners are allowed any activity.There is an event for everything includ-ing art, music, food and theatre but there’snothing for pets who people our homesin quite a number,” said Akshay.
He listed some of the elements whichwere a new addition to this edition. Forinstance, there was a para-military sportssection, where professional dog trainersimparted skill techniques to both thecanines and their proud owners withslides and obstacle courses. “Dog’s got tal-ent” had the furry friends surprise visi-tors with their unique abilities. Accordingto a US organisation committed to sav-ing pets, 2019 will be the year of plugged-in pets, alternative pet therapies and petswho eat more like their owners.
COGNITIVE THERAPIESOne of the stall owners from
Pawwsome Wellness, that aims to workon cognitive therapies for dogs, anger andaggression issues, biting and misbehav-ing, depression and anxiety, said that histrainers work on behavioural problems indogs through mind games and activities.“Just like humans need attention whenthey are dealing with some personalissues, dogs do too, perhaps more thanus. They need as much attention and loveas a kindergarten kid. We have workedout play routines whereby the dog gets
rewarded with his favourite food on com-pleting the feat assigned to him,” saidNandita Sikka, ceo of the company.Though there has been talk of dogdepression, how does one identify aber-rant behaviour? Said she, “Earlier, therewere very less conversations around theissue. But today, people do notice thechanging tendencies in their pets andfind ways to improve them by eitherspending more time with them or tak-ing some medical care.”
It is very important to spot age-relat-ed cognitive decline that affects yourdog’s behaviour. For example, your dogmight take longer to learn new things,or his short-term memory might suffer.Experts suggest to look out for symp-toms like a change in personality, suchas becoming grouchy or aggressive orperhaps an increased need for attention.Also look for forgetful behaviour andrule-breaking habits. Some ways toengage their minds would be to start anew training programme, rotate his toys,provide puzzles for him to play with orplay games such as hide-and-seek.
A study of the US market showed thatof respondents who use health-related
pet tech, nutrition apps (47 per cent), vet-erinary telemedicine (46 per cent) and fit-ness trackers (31 per cent) top the list oftools they use to improve, maintain andkeep track of their pets’ health. Forty percent are interested in getting pet-moni-toring cameras.
YOUR PET NEEDS SPACE TOOTopdog, a luxury resort for dogs, is
into creating spaces for dogs in the man-ner that you do up your child’s room.“We have luxury rooms, activities cen-
tre and entertainment arena. We alsoprovide veterinarian clinics, behaviourconsultancy and medical help for dogs.People bring their pets when they are onvacations just like a child’s boot camp.Some of them bring their pets for daycare while they at their respectiveworkplaces. There are also a third kindof people who bring their pets for train-ing and skill upgradation,” said VikramSharma, co-founder of the company.
BRING A STRAY HOMEAdoption of stray dogs is redefining
the contours of the pet market. Akshayhighlighted how the trend was picking upin Mumbai specifically. “Mumbaikarsnow understand that no matter what thebreed, every dog is as good if you trainit and keep it well. I have encouragedinteraction between stray dogs andprospective owners at this festival, just letthem be and bounce off their vibes. Theyfind out that they are as affectionate, less-maintenance, adapt to the given climateand culture easily,” he added.
ORGANIC FOODOrganic and healthy diets are in.
“Owners share the same kind of food withtheir companions, of course, with manda-tory tweaks to suit their bio-rhythms.Packaged food is out, home-cooked is in.And should you be pressed for time, thereare vans specialising in home feed fordogs.”
THE LOOK BOOKWhile pet salons have been around
for some time, their clothes and acces-sories have gotten an upgrade. Luxury petwear by Tannvi showcased glossy andglamorous hand-stitched clothes andhand-made beauty accessories. “Rarely doowners want to leave their pets at homealone. If they are taking them out so often,they also feel the need to make them lookgood and stylish,” said Akshay.
Other alternative pet therapies pop-ular with pet owners include aromather-apy, reflexology and naturopathy. Morethan a quarter of pets have been treatedwith mobility-related therapies such asmassage, physical therapy, even acupunc-ture. And though the festival was a two-day affair, it has opened up the need forus to be more humane to the animalsaround us. Photo: Pankaj Kumar
Racial justice. Obstruction of justice.Social justice. The JusticeDepartment. Merriam-Webster has
chosen “justice” as its 2018 word of theyear, driven by the churning news cycleover months and months.
The word follows “toxic,” picked byOxford Dictionaries, and “misinforma-tion,” plucked by Dictonary.com.
Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’seditor at large, said that “justice” consis-tently bubbled into the top 20 or 30lookups on the company’s website, spik-ing at times due to specific events but alsoskating close to the surface for much of theyear.
While it’s one of those commonwords people likely know how to spell anduse correctly in a sentence, Sokolowskipointed to other reasons that drive searchtraffic. Among them is an attempt to focusa train of thought around a philosophicalproblem, or to seek aspirational motiva-tion. Such well-known words are oftenamong the most looked up every year,including those that are slightly abstract,including “love,” he said.
The designation for “justice” camesoon after President Trump’s one-time
fixer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced tothree years in prison for crimes thatincluded arranging the payment of hushmoney to conceal his boss’ alleged sex-ual affairs. He told a judge he agreed timeand again to cover up Trump’s “dirtydeeds” out of “blind loyalty.”
It also came ahead of a Senate vote onthe “First Step Act,” a criminal justicereform bill with broad bipartisan support.Earlier in the year, Kim Kardashian Westnot once but twice paid a White Housevisit on Trump to discuss prison and sen-tencing reform. Sentencing for drugcrimes, treatment for opioid addiction, aloosening of cannabis laws, a Tesla probe,the Mueller investigation into the Trumpcampaign: Justice will remain top ofmind into the new year.
“These are stories that connect to theculture and to society across races, acrossclasses,” Sokolowski said. “We get this wordthat filters in.”
That includes Twitter in a big way.
Often, when Trump tweets about theDepartment of Justice, he uses simply“Justice.” On August 1, when he tweetedhis wish for then-Attorney General JeffSessions to stop the Mueller investigation,searches spiked significantly. Trumpreferred to “obstruction of justice,” a sep-arate entry on the Merriam-Webster site,prompting a lookup increase of 900 per-cent over the same date the year before.
Searches for “justice” throughout theyear, when compared to 2017, were up 74per cent on the site that has more than 100million page views a month and nearly halfa million entries, Sokolowski said. To beword of the year worthy, an entry has toshow both a high volume of traffic and asignificant year-over-year increase inlookups — as opposed to, say, a word thatmerely buzzed or felt lofty, he said.
“We are not editorialising. We lookedat our data and we were ourselves sur-prised by this word,” Sokolowski said.“This is a word that people have beenthinking about for this entire year.”
The word “justice” comes from Latin,unlike a lot of the more emotional wordsthat rose in Old English. Old English didhave “law,” “fair” and “right,” but never“justice,” in reference to a system of laws.
“It’s not a coincidence that it comesfrom the 12th century, which immediate-ly follows the Norman conquest. When theNormans invaded England they broughttheir language, Old French, which wasbasically the then-modern version ofLatin. They brought their system of gov-ernment and laws and imposed them onthe people they conquered, and that’s whyall of the legal language in English todayis Latin, just like the word justice,”Sokolowski explained. “It took the impo-sition of a system of laws to bring us theword justice.”
One rule breaker: “witness,” a wordwith a purely Old English start.
Other words that experienced lookupspikes this year: “maverick” (Sen. JohnMcCain died); “respect” (Aretha Franklindied); “excelsior” (Stan Lee’s signature bat-tle cry. He died); “pissant” (A radio hostdescribed Tom Brady’s daughter thatway); “pansexual” (Janelle Monaedescribed herself that way); “laurel”(Remember laurel vs. yanny?); “feckless”(What Samantha Bee called Ivanka Trump,combined with a pejorative that beginswith “c?); “epiphany” (The title of a BTSK-pop song that dropped this year);“lodestar” (used in reference to McCain inthe anonymous New York Times op-edidentified as coming from inside theTrump administration); and “nationalism”(At an Oct. 22 rally in Texas, Trumpdeclared himself a nationalist).
—AP
It’s a digital world. As we lookaround technology today, it’s fair tosay that the pace of innovation is
quite impressive. With the advent ofautonomous driving, drones, connect-ed homes, facial recognitions and vir-tual and augmented reality, today’syouth cannot even imagine a time with-out social media or such gadgets.
However, there are some impend-ing challenges that are surfacing in thelight of environmental and technolog-ical developments today, or so does his-torian Yuval Noah Harari highlight ashe spoke at the 12th edition of thePenguin Annual Lecture that conclud-ed on Sunday.
The author of the book, Sapiens: ABrief History of Humankind, talkedabout the new challenges of the 21stcentury.
He stressed on the importance ofglobalism over nationalism that coun-tries need to work together on to solvenational-level problems as “they do notoccur in isolation.” He said that in thewake of current technological develop-ments, humans are growing next tobecoming gods.
Talking about the technologicaladvancements, he said, “What technol-ogy is doing or will be doing in thetwenty-first century is upgradinghumans into gods. This is the big storyof our era and I mean this in the mostliteral sense possible. We are nowbeing transformed into gods in thesense that AI and bio-technology willsoon give us abilities which ancientmythologies ascribed to the gods, espe-cially the ability to create life.”
He also pointed out that how infuture we will need to learn aboutdesigning and manufacturing life be itof plants, animals or humans. “Themain products of the 21st century econ-omy will not be textiles, vehicles orweapons but bodies, brains and minds.If this happens, it will be the greatestrevolutions since the beginning of life,”he said.
He also spoke about the possibili-ty of an escalation in war and violencewith the advent of new kinds of war likea cyber war. However, warning thatwars are not a thing of past, he alsopointed out that even though over thepast few years, violence and wars havedeclined drastically and statistically,deaths by suicides are higher than
deaths by violence, crime, wars and ter-rorism.
He called human stupidity as themost powerful forces in history. “It takesa lot of wise people to make peace, butit is sometimes enough to have just onefool in order to start a war,” he said.
He talked about the industrial rev-olution of the 19th century that hadresulted in the creation of a massivenew class — the urban working class,the proletariat. He predicted that withthe new Artificial Intelligence revolu-tions in the 21st century, there will beyet another class emerging — theunworking class or the “Useless class.”The class will be useless from the eco-nomic and political purview.
He went on to talk about climatechanges that can endanger the survivalof humankind and our ecosystem. Heemphasised that people should take onmore responsibility and urged humansto not play ‘Gods of the Planet Earth.’He urged the audience to choose wise-ly and to stay relevant by reinventingthemselves continuously.
He said that while an AI revolutionis yet to take place, climate change hasalready become of the major challengesto take over. “We need two extremelydifficult things — global cooperationand eco-friendly technology. We needto understand that no nation can stopclimate change by itself.”
He added, “The truth is that theonly way to stop climate change is tostop economic growth, something thatno country or almost no governmentwill agree upon.”
The lecture has previously seenBollywood actors Priyanka Chopraand Amitabh Bachchan as their speak-ers.
Historian and writer YUVAL NOAH HARARI talksabout how due to current developments nations needto work harmoniously on the challenges that they face.By TEAM VIVA
‘Technology is upgrading
humans to gods’
Merriam-Webster haschosen 2018’s word ofthe year, driven by thechurning news cycle over months
justicecalls
When
One of the reasonsthat drives searchtraffic for the wordis that it attempts
to focus onthoughts around a
philosophicalproblem or seek
aspirationalmotivation
From day-boarding to grooming salons, behavioural consultancy clinics toshifting towards more organic products, Indians are treating their pets justlike their kids and creating an all-inclusive space for them, says TEAM VIVA
BE NICE TO
YOUR DOG
‘TODAY, OWNERS SHARE
THE SAME KIND OF FOOD
WITH THEIR FURRY
FRIENDS, OF COURSE, WITH
MANDATORY TWEAKS TO
SUIT THEIR BIO-RHYTHMS.
PACKAGED FOOD IS OUT,
HOME-COOKED IS IN’
LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018 sport 15
AFP n SYLHET
Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell delivered a career best4-28 before Shai Hope struck a half-century as West
Indies crushed Bangladesh by eight wickets in theirTwenty20 series opener on Monday.
West Indies raced to 130-2 in just 10.5 overs afterCottrell and his fellow pacers bowled out Bangladeshfor 129 runs in Sylhet.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan scored 61 off43 balls for the home side but could not stave off athumping defeat.
Hope accelerated the West Indies' run chase with55 off 23 balls that included six sixes and three fours.
Victory never looked in doubt as he struck spin-ner Mehidy Hasan for three sixes and a four in just thesecond over of the innings, yielding 23 runs.
Spinner Mahmudullah Riyad dismissed Hopeafter medium pacer Mohammad Saifuddin broke a 51-run opening stand with Evin Lewis, who fell for 18.
But Nicholas Pooran and Keemo Paul ensured WestIndies cruised to their target, with quickfire innings of23 and 28 respectively.
Cottrell andfellow pacerOshane Thomasearlier chokedBangladesh, whoopted to bat first, atthe start of theirinnings.
O p e n e r sTamim Iqbal andLiton Das, as wellas Soumya Sarkar,all fell for single-figure scores toshort-pitch deliv-eries.
I n - f o r mMushfiqur Rahimwas run out forfive, leavingBangladesh on 48-4 before six overs of
batting power play had elapsed.Shakib put on two small partnerships of 25 and 30
respectively with Mahmudullah Riyad and Ariful Haqueto lift the side briefly.
Paul wrapped up Bangladesh's innings with 2-23.The West Indies are hoping a series win will end
their Bangladesh tour on a positive note after losingtheir Test and one-day international series 2-0 and 2-1 respectively.
"Very good win but it's only one game," skipper CarlosBrathwaite said.
"We have started with a win before and then goneon to lose the series in recent times. So, it's important tobe respectful of the opposition."
Bangladesh and West Indies play the remaining twoT20 internationals of the series in Dhaka this week.
AFP n WELLINGTON
New Zealand opener Tom Lathamflayed Sri Lanka's bowlers with
an unbeaten 264 on Monday beforethe tourists' top order failed again,leaving them on the verge of aheavy first Test defeat in Wellington.
Latham walked off to a standingovation at the Basin Reserve aftercarrying his bat and helping NewZealand to 578, a commanding first-innings lead of 296.
Seamers Tim Southee and TrentBoult then combined to remove SriLanka's top order, reducing them to20 for three at stumps on day three.
Boult dismissed DanushkaGunathilaka on three, while Southeesnared Dimuth Karunaratne for 10and Dhananjaya de Silva for a duck,taking his tally for the match to eight.
The pair, along with short-ballspecialist Neil Wagner, will be rel-ishing the prospect of having two fulldays to attack Sri Lanka's misfiringbatting line-up.
But the day belonged to Latham,who added steadily to his overnighttotal of 121, offering no chances tothe frustrated Sri Lankans.
It was the sixth best Test score bya New Zealander and the highest thisyear by a batsman from any nation.
His innings, which lasted morethan 11 hours, also continued a hor-ror run at the Basin Reserve for SriLanka, where they have now con-ceded double centuries to four NewZealanders.
‘ENJOY THE MOMENT'Latham said he always believed
he was capable of producing sucha performance but it was pleasingto achieve it on the internationalstage.
"These innings don't comearound too often, so you have toenjoy the moment when they do,"he said.
New Zealand skipper KaneWilliamson helped the Black Capsreach their imposing total with asparkling 91, while Ross Taylor and
Henry Nicholls both reached 50.Lahiru Kumara was the pick of
a Sri Lanka attack that struggled ona flat wicket, taking four for 127.
Taylor was dismissed for 50 inthe first over of the day after fail-ing to add to his overnight score,thanks to a sharp catch fromDimuth Karunaratne.
Henry Nicholls also went for 50after lunch trying to take on spin-ner Dilruwan Perera.
BJ Watling followed withoutscoring when he tucked his batawkwardly under his arm as heducked a Kumara bouncer and theball clipped it on the way through.
Colin de Grandhomme scoredthree sixes during an aggressiveinnings but fell on 49 attempting tobludgeon a fourth.
PTI n JAIPUR
Once a sought-after property,Yuvraj Singh faces the risk of
going unsold at the 2019 IPL auctionhere on Tuesday with the fran-chisees factoring in the availability offoreign players in a World Cup year.
Yuvraj, who fetched a record `16crore deal in his prime, was boughtby Kings XI Punjab for his base priceof `2 crore at the auction heldbefore the last edition. While ChrisGayle repaid the faith KXIP posed inhim with a fruitful season, Yuvrajcould not set the house on fire, man-aging just 65 runs in eight games. Nowonder the team decided to releasehim.
The 37-year-old, who last playedfor India in June 2017, has put him-self in the `1 crore base price brack-et this time alongside other cappedIndians — Wriddhiman Saha,Mohammed Shami and Axar Patel.
In fact, no Indian figures in thehighest base price of `2 crore amonga pool of 346 cricketers set to gounder the hammer.
The nine players in the `2 crorebracket are Brendon McCullum,
Chris Woakes, Lasith Malinga, ShaunMarsh, Sam Curran, Colin Ingram,Corey Anderson, Angelo Mathewsand D'Arcy Short.
Teams are also likely to chaseexperienced overseas players such asDale Steyn, Morne Morkel, JonnyBairstow and Alex Hales,who have put themselves inthe `1.5 crore category.Indian all-rounder JaydevUnadkat, who was boughtfor `11.5 crore byRajasthan Royals, will alsofeature in the same bracket.
A total of 70 players can bebought at the auction with 20 slotsavailable for the foreign players.
India Test regulars l ikeCheteswar Pujara and Ishant Sharmahave also thrown their hat into thering with base prices of `50 and ` 75lakh respectively.
Alongside the big names, a hostof uncapped Indian players will beup for grabs with some of themexpected to turn millionairesovernight.
Keeping the hectic schedule inmind leading up to the World Cupin England from May 30 to July 14,
Australian stars like Aaron Finch andGlenn Maxwell have opted out of theauction. Though dates and venue arenot yet announced, the IPL is expect-ed to run from the last week ofMarch to mid-May.
Since the World Cup will begintwo weeks after the IPL, ithas raised questions onthe availability of theAustralian players who willbe named in the squad forthe showpiece. The samegoes for England players
who will be required to report to theWorld Cup preparatory camp in themiddle of the IPL.
The teams will go into the auctionwell aware of the players' availabili-ty. With `36.20 crore, KXIP will havemaximum money to spend, followedby Delhi Capitals (`25.50 crore),Rajasthan Royals (`20.95crore), Royal ChallengersBangalore (`18.15 crore),Kolkata Knight Riders(`15.20 crore), MumbaiIndians (`11.15 crore),Sunrisers Hyderabad (`9.70crore) and Chennai SuperKings (`8.40 crore).
AFP n MADRID
Lionel Messi continued hissublime form by netting his
31st La Liga hat-trick asBarcelona thrashed Levante 5-0to regain their three-point leadat the top of the table.
The 31-year-oldArgentinian arrived in Valenciahaving scored two free-kicks inlast weekend's derby thumpingof Espanyol. He took his goalstally for the season to 20 after avirtuoso display, while also tee-ing up Luis Suarez's 35th-minuteopener and Gerard Pique's latefifth.
Barca were under pressureafter Atletico Madrid and sec-ond-placed Sevilla had bothmoved level on points with theCatalan giants.
But after resting his key starsfor their final ChampionsLeague group-stage matchagainst Tottenham in midweek,coach Ernesto Valverde saw hisrefreshed side cruise to a thirdstraight league win without con-ceding a goal.
"At the beginning it was dif-ficult, they squeezed us and hada chance that hit the woodwork,"said Valverde on Sunday.
Levante started the gamebrightly and visiting goalkeep-er Marc-Andre ter Stegen wasforced into an early save byGhanaian Emmanuel Boateng.
But Barca did not take longto start moving through thegears, with Messi curling widefrom long range before testingOier Olazabal in the Levantegoal with a free-kick.
Just seconds after Boatenghammered a left-footed strikeagainst the crossbar, the reign-ing Spanish champions brokethe deadlock as Messi jinkedthrough a mesmerised homedefence and picked out Suarezwho volleyed home.
But Levante, who had endedBarcelona's dreams of goingthrough last season's La Ligacampaign unbeaten with aremarkable 5-4 victory in thepenultimate game, came close toa quick response as Jose LuisMorales fired over.
The match was all but endedas a contest when Messi boredown on goal two minutesbefore half-time and drilled lowinto the net.
"I'm happy to have wonhere, because last year we cameand they put five goals past ushaving gone the whole seasonunbeaten, so we knew about thedanger of Levante and it was amatch we had marked out,"added Valverde.
He wasted little time afterthe restart to add his second inthe 47th minute, sweeping homeJordi Alba's clever cutback,before completing his treble
with a simple tap-in from ArturoVidal's square pass on the hourmark. Messi has scored fivegoals in two league games sincefinishing only fifth in the votingfor the Ballon d'Or earlier thismonth.
A bad evening for Levanteworsened with 14 minutes toplay, as left-back Erick Cabacowas sent off for a reckless lungeon Ousmane Dembele. Centre-back Pique added further glossto the scoreline in the 88thminute, rampaging forward tocollect Messi's pass, before keep-ing his cool and rolling the ballhome.
AFP n NYON
Liverpool will take on fellow five-time winners Bayern Munich in thelast 16 of the Champions League,
while Jose Mourinho's strugglingManchester United face French giantsParis Saint-Germain.
Holders Real Madrid were pairedwith Ajax in Monday's draw in Nyon asthe Spaniards attempt to lift the trophyfor the fifth time in six seasons, whileLionel Messi and Barcelona will playLyon.
Both Liverpool and Bayern have arich tradition in the competition, eachwinning it five times and Liverpool werebeaten finalists last season.
Liverpool are the current form sideof the two and sit top of the PremierLeague while Bayern, under new coachNiko Kovac, have been far short of theirown high standards in the Bundesligathis season.
"That's the team ofthe hour, the leagueleaders in England, theyare playing really goodfootball, very physical,really stepping it up.We are looking forwardto it," Bayern sporting director HasanSalihamidzic said of the tie withLiverpool.
"A tough cookie, but that's some-thing to look forward to as a player."
RONALDO AWAITSPep Guardiola's Manchester City
take on German side Schalke 04 whileAtletico Madrid, beaten finalists in 2014and 2016, come up against CristianoRonaldo and Italian heavyweightsJuventus.
"A very difficult match, with fewgoals," Juve vice-president Pavel Nedvedpredicted.
"No doubt Cristiano is the man ofthe Champions League, he has alwaysshown that, with goals and victories. Ourteam is very strong and we can be calmand confident."
Bundesliga leaders BorussiaDortmund will meet Tottenham Hotspurfor the second season in a row, havingfaced each other in last year's group stage,while Roma meet two-time formerchampions Porto.
"We've already met them(Tottenham) twice. A strong opponent,
the chances are at 50-50. The team hastop players. We are also strong, it will beinteresting," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sky.
Meanwhile, United go into a firstever meeting with PSG trailing PremierLeague leaders Liverpool by 19 pointsfollowing Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Anfield,and face a formidable task against a sidefeaturing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe —the world's two most expensive players.
Lyon coach Bruno Genesio says histeam can draw on their group stage dis-plays against City — a 2-1 win and 2-2draw — ahead of their clash with five-time European champions Barca.
"We'll need to pull off two big per-formances, in the first leg and in thereturn, but we can do it. We did it againstCity," said Genesio.
"It's tough. They are a team that Lyonhas already played against but never beat-en. Barca are more experienced andstronger but over two matches anythingis possible," Gerard Houllier, who holdsan advisory role at the French club, toldRMC Sport.
Teams that finished in second placein the group stage will host the first legson February 12/13 and 19/20 with thereturn matches scheduled for March 5/6and 12/13.
APOORVA SETS NATIONAL RECORDNew Delhi: Ultra runner Apoorva Chaudharycreated a national record by completing 176.8 kmin the women's 24-hour event at the NEB 24 HourStadium Run held here under the aegis of AthleticsFederation of India. Apoorva, the 28-year oldrunner from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, broke theprevious national record of 175.4 km registered inthe name of Meenal Kotak. Competing in just herthird ultra-marathon race, Apoorva also becameonly the fourth Indian woman to run more than 100miles (160 km) in 24 hours after Meenal, HemaSaini (172.3 km) and Aparna Choudhary (169.2km).
PRO TENNIS LEAGUE LAUNCHEDNew Delhi: Indian Davis Cupper Saketh Myneniand Arjun Kadhe will feature in the newly launchedPro Tennis League, which will also seeparticipation of a few formers players such asVishal Uppal and Ashutosh Singh. As it's an off-season for all professional players, Myneni andKadhe will also earn some money by playing fortheir respective teams — Stag Babolat Yodhas andRaisoni Achievers — respectively. Vishnu Vardhan,Vijay Sundar Prashanth, current national championSiddharth Vishwakarma, Sidharth Rawat, JeevanNedunchezhiyan and Sriram Balaji are otherprofessional players to be seen in action. The eight-team league, starting on Tuesday, will conclude onSaturday.
MILIK SCORES IN NAPOLI’S WIN Milan: Arkadiusz Milik scored a stoppage-timegoal to snatch a 1-0 win for Napoli at Cagliari onSunday and prevent his team's Serie A title hopesfrom diminishing even further. Milik had seen a lateeffort saved on Tuesday as Napoli was eliminatedfrom the Champions League at Liverpool but hecurled in a free kick in Sardinia to prevent the weekfrom going from bad to worse for his club. "I'mhappy for Milik because he's a hard-working lad, areference point for the group," Napoli coach CarloAncelotti said. "He's someone who always workswith great focus and knows how to manageeverything both in hard times and in better ones.
SEVILLA TO PLAY LAZIO IN EUROPANyon: Five-time champion Sevilla has been drawnto face Lazio in the last 32 of the Europa League.Sevilla, which has won all five of its titles since2006, is in second place in Spain and Lazio is fifthin Serie A. Arsenal landed another long trip and willplay BATE Borisov in the first leg in Belarus aftergroup games in Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Napoli andInter Milan will only have to cross the Italian borderinto neighboring countries for games againstZurich and Rapid Vienna, respectively. Chelsea, the2013 champion, is at Malmo and Celtic will hostValencia in the first leg.
FERRARI TO MARK EXHIBITIONMaranello: Formula One legend MichaelSchumacher will be honoured by Ferrari with aspecial exhibition to mark his 50th birthday onJanuary 3, the Italian team confirmed on Monday.Schumacher — a seven-time Formule One worldchampion — suffered severe head injuries in askiing accident five years ago and has not beenseen in public since. The 'Michael 50' exhibition inthe Ferrari Museum in Maranello will be run inassociation with the Keep Fighting Foundationlaunched two years ago by the Schumacher family.
Agencies
SINGLES
Liverpool draw Bayern as
Utd face PSG in CL last 16
UCL R16 FIXTURES
12 February & 6 March
Manchester United (ENG) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Roma (ITA) v Porto (POR)
13 February & 5 March
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) v BorussiaDortmund (GER)
Ajax (NED) v Real Madrid (ESP)
19 February & 13 March
Lyon (FRA) v Barcelona (ESP)
Liverpool (ENG) v Bayern München(GER)
20 February & 12 March
Schalke (GER) v Manchester City (ENG)
Atlético Madrid (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
(All kick-offs 1:30 am IST)
Messi hat-trick
restores Barca's lead
Latham strokes epic 264 as SL face defeatHIGHEST SCORES BY NZ PALYER IN TESTS
Score Batsman Opponent Venue Season
302 Brendon McCullum India Wellington 2013-14
299 Martin Crowe Sri Lanka Wellington 1990-91
290 Ross Taylor Australia Perth 2015-16
274* Stephen Fleming Sri Lanka Colombo 2002-03
267* Brayn Young Sri Lanka Dunedin 1996-97
264* Tom Latham Sri Lanka Wellington 2018-19
Faisel Features
Cottrell, Hope guideWI to crushing win
Will Yuvraj find a buyer at auction?
FASTEST FIFTY IN T20 INTERNATIONALSBALLS PLAYER MATCH VENUE DATE
12 Yuvraj Singh India vs England Durban 19/09/2007
14 Colin Munro New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Auckland 10/01/2016
16 Shai Hope Bangladesh vs Windies Sylhet 17/12/2018
Faisel Features
Manchester United's David De Gea, centre, follows the ball during the English Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield AP
Holders Real Madridwere paired with Ajaxin Monday's draw inNyon as the Spaniardsattempt to lift thetrophy for the fifthtime in six seasons
LUCKNOW | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2018 sport 16
PTI n PERTH
Australia were on course fora series-levelling win in thesecond Test after another
below-par batting performancefrom India undid the good workdone by their bowlers on day fouron Monday.
Chasing 287 on a testing sur-face, India were 112 for five atstumps with skipper Virat Kohli's(17) dismissal in the 20th over ofthe second innings dealing a mas-sive blow to the away team'shopes.
The last specialist pair ofHanuma Vihari (24) and RishabhPant (9) were in the middle whenstumps were drawn and they willhave to bat well in the first sessionon day five for India to have anychance of scoring the remaining175 runs.
The ordinary batting effort came aftera sensational performance from pacerMohammad Shami, who took a career bestsix for 56 in Australia's second innings tobring India back into the contest.
Shami removed the set Usman Khawaja(72) and Tim Paine (37) to trigger a battingcollapse that saw Australia being all out for243 after the duo batted out the entire morn-ing session.
At tea, India were reeling at 15 for two
and following the break it got worse for thevisitors as they lost wickets in a bunch.Murali Vijay (20) and Virat Kohli (17) added35 runs for the third wicket before thingswent into a downward spiral.
Kohli was the first to go, with Lyoninducing him forward and the batsmanedged it to slip as the Australian playersbroke into celebration.
Two overs later, Lyon (2-30) got an offbreak to jump off the rough and Vijay was
bowled going for a drive as India werereduced to 55-4.
Ajinkya Rahane (30) came outplaying his shots and took on the bowl-ing with two fours as well as a six. Heput on 43 runs for the fifth wicket withVihari as India started thinking of atleast taking the fight into day five.
But it was not to be, as Rahane hita drive straight to point off JoshHazlewood (2-24) and India plungedto 98-5.
Earlier before tea, KL Rahul (0)played another indecisive stroke andwas bowled off Starc on the fourth ballof the second innings. The biggermoment came when Hazlewood hadCheteshwar Pujara (4) caught behindoff a faint edge in the fourth over toleave India leaning on Kohli onceagain.
This was after a fiery spell fromShami brought India back into the
game. Post lunch, Australia collapsed ina heap as they lost five wickets for 15 runsin the space of eight overs.
Shami was the wrecker-in-chief, taking4-26 after lunch, as his express pace com-bined with short stuff bamboozled theAustralian lower order.
Skipper Paine was the first go, unableto negotiate sharp bounce and gloving toKohli at second slip.
Fit-to-bat Aaron Finch (25) came out tobat next, but lasted only one ball, clipping
down leg side and caught behind. Shami wason a hat trick for the second consecutive Test,but missed out.
An over later though, using the secondnew ball, he got rid of Khawaja with anoth-er sharp rising delivery to pick his fourthfive-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Eight balls later Jasprit Bumrah (3-39)got rid of Pat Cummins (1), bowled off adelivery keeping too low.
Lyon (5) hit out and took Australia past200, but Shami knocked him over in simi-lar fashion to the rest as he picked his bestfigures in Test cricket.
The last wicket pairing of Mitchell Starc(14) and Josh Hazlewood (17 not out) frus-trated the Indian team though, and added36 golden runs for the 10th wicket, takingthe lead past 280. In the morning session,Australia reached 190-4 at lunch.
PTI n MUMBAI
Former champions Mumbai claimedthree points against Baroda after
their four-day Elite Group A game endedin a tame draw at the Wankhede Stadiumon Monday.
The only interest left when play com-menced was whether Baroda, who con-ceded a 29-run lead on Sunday, couldskittle out the hosts and 41-time cham-pions cheaply in the second innings andgive themselves enough time to force anoutright victory.
But that was not to be as Mumbai,who resumed at 20 for two, lost the wick-et of captain Siddhesh Lad very earlybefore the remaining batsmen ensuredthat Baroda did not come back into thegame.
Although the other first inningscenturion other than Lad, Shreyas Iyer(30), too, departed before lunch, thelower middle order held fort and tookMumbai to 307 for seven, an overall leadof 336, before declaring the inningsclosed.
Play was then called off with Baroda
not commencing their second innings.In the Mumbai second essay,
Shubham Ranjane (64 in 105 balls)Eknath Kerkar (56 not out in 115 balls)and Shivam Dube, who struck a brisk 76in 60 balls studded with 7 sixes and threefours, got the major portion of the runs.
Baroda got one point from the drawnencounter.
Meanwhile, at Nashik, Saurashtradefeated hosts Maharashtra by 5 wickets.
For Saurashtra, slow-left armorthodox bowlers DharmendrasinhJadeja grabbed seven wickets inthe second innings as he wreakedhavoc on the Maharashtra bats-men.
While chasing, Saurashtra losthalf their side, but eventuallyromped home.
At the Karnail Singh stadium in NewDelhi, Vidarbha hammered Railways by118 runs with Aditya Sarvate taking sixwickets to bowl out Railways for 124 intheir second essay.
While Karnataka took three points astheir game ended in a tame draw againstGujarat on the basis of the first innings
lead at Surat.
PUNJAB-TN MATCH ENDS DRAWMOHALI: Punjab gained three points as TamilNadu held firm for a draw on the final dayof the Elite Group 'B' match.
Faced with a massive deficit of 264 runs,the visitors saw skipper Baba Indrajith (93),Dinesh Karthik (74) and Vijay Shankar (51not out) get among the runs to defy thePunjab bowlers and finish the day at 383
for 6.The result meant Tamil Nadu,
now on 12 points, is almost out ofcontention for a berth in theknockout phase.
Punjab also has the samenumber of points, but has played
one game less.Five teams from Group 'A' and 'B' put
together will advance to the quarterfinals,based on the number of points accrued.
On a track that was easier to bat as thegame wore on, the Tamil Nadu batsmenmade sure the home side did not get theopening they were seeking in the quest fora win and also six points.
In other Group 'B' matches, Himachal
Pradesh outclassed Andhra Pradesh by aninnings and three runs in Atmar to gainseven points while the Bengal-Hyderabadencounter ended in a draw.
TRIPURA TROUNCE GOA AGARTALA: Tripura hammered Goa by 10wickets in their Elite Group C game.
Tripura were in command from the firstday and it took them less than an over tochase the 8-run target on the final day andadd seven points to their kitty.
Following on Goa batsmen, barringSuyash Prabhudessai (65), faltered againstHarmeet Singh (3-46) and M B Mura Singh(3-55).
Goa began from their overnight scoreof 113/3 but Prabhudessai ran out of part-ners and could not take the side to chal-lenging total.
The target was easily overhauled byTripura.
Meanwhile, at the Palam ground in thenational capital, Services grabbed 7 pointsas they overcame Assam by 10 wickets.
For Services, pacer Diwesh Pathania (5-56) picked his second five-wicket haul of thematch and ended the game with a 10-wick-
et haul.Chasing 72 for an outright win, Services
openers Nakul Verma (39 not out) andNavneet Singh (31 not out) took the sidehome with ease in 18.1 overs.
And at Lucknow, Jharkhand took threepoints after their match against UttarPradesh ended in a draw.
NAGALAND SALVAGE DRAWJORHAT: Pacer Ishwar Chaudhary grabbeda six-wicket haul as Sikkim thrashedMizoram by 105 runs in their Plate Groupfixture.
In Dehradun, Nagaland's Arbar Kaziproduced a strong rearguard fightback with157 not out in an unbroken 137-run sev-enth wicket partnership with NiteshLohchab (44 not out) to salvage a drawagainst group leaders Uttarakhand.
This was Uttarakhand's first draw afterfive successive wins as they had to settle forthree points on basis of their first inningslead.
Needing two wickets to seal the win onthe final day, Sikkim bundled out Mizoramfor 236 in 74.5 overs to seal their third winwith two sessions to spare.
Lyon, Hazlewood leave India in agony
Australian players congratulate Nathan Lyon, centre, after he dismissed Indian skipper Virat Kohli on the fourth day of second Test at Optus Stadium in Perth AP
Virat Kohli reacts after getting caught at slip by Usman Khwaja off Nathan Lyon during the fourth day ICC
PTI n PERTH
The onfield verbal duel between rivalcaptains Virat Kohli and Tim Paine
has been one of the talking points of thesecond Test but Australia pacer JoshHazlewood Monday played it down, say-ing it was done in good spirits.
"I think it was all good fun, it's quitecompetitive out there as you know andthere's going to be words from time totime but it was all in good spirits,"Hazlewood said.
"I don't think we read too much intoit, we go about our work as we see fit andthe Indians can do what they like. Wecontrol what we control and our behav-iour is what we control. We'll worryabout that and let everything else takecare of itself."
It worked out well for Australia inthe end as Kohli was dismissed for 17in the second innings as India crashedto 55-4 in their chase. But, Hazlewoodsaid Australia was not targeting a sin-gle batsman.
"No definitely not. I probably see(Cheteshwar) Pujara as the big wicketas far as when I'm bowling, the glue thatholds them together I think. He's bat-ted the most balls this series and scorednearly the most runs.
"I see Pujara as a big wicket andAjinkya Rahane as well. So the Nos 3,4, 5 as the key wickets and we see it abit unstable in the other parts of theorder. Certainly not all the focus is onVirat Kohli," he said.
Australia were on course for aseries-levelling win after reducing Indiato 112-5 at stumps on day four, butHazlewood said there were still somework to do for them for another homevictory.
"I didn't go to the UAE, so it feels abit of a long time between wins, butthere's still a lot of work to do tomor-row. Anytime I'm playing in Australiawe feel pretty confident, especially thebowlers feel very confident in getting 20wickets and a result," he said.
"Last year, we got there four timesout of five, so we are feeling pretty con-fident. It's just putting that into practicemore often than not this summer," headded.
PTI n PERTH
Warring captains Virat Kohli andTim Paine on Monday resumed
their verbal duel, forcing on-field umpireChris Gaffaney to warn both the play-ers on the fourth morning of the secondTest between India and Australia.
During the 71st over bowled byJasprit Bumrah, the respective captainswere seen exchanging words after Kohlidecided to field close to the non-strik-er and Gaffaney had to step in.
"You're the one that lost it yesterday.Why are you trying to be cool today?"Paine told Kohli.
"Come on, play the game. You guysare the captains. Tim, you're the captain."
Paine replied: "We're just having aconversation. There's no swearing ...Keep your cool Virat."
Kohli said something which could-n't be picked up by the microphones.
A couple of balls later, the warringduo almost came close to chest bump-ing when the India skipper walked infront of Paine while he was completinga run.
Kohli later appeared to plead hiscase to square-leg umpire KumarDharmasena as Paine and UsmanKhawaja continued to extend Australia'ssecond-innings lead.
"I reckon it's a sign Kohli is startingto lose it," former Test bowler DamienFleming said on SEN radio.
India commentator SanjayManjrekar wasn't too pleased withKohli's behaviour but former Australianskippers Ricky Ponting and MichaelClarke said they had no issue with theverbal exchange between the two cap-tains and that no line has been crossedso far.
Tensions had flared-up towards theend of day three with Kohli and Paineexchanging verbal volleys as the gameheaded for a nail-biting finish.
Kohli, Paine resume verbal duel
PTI n PERTH
Injured Prithvi Shaw was on Monday ruledout of the entire Test series against
Australia with the BCCI replacing theyoung opener with Mayank Agarwal.
Shaw had suffered a left ankle injurywhile attempting a catch in a practicegame against Cricket Australia XI.
The 19 year old from Mumbai hadscored 66 in that game in Sydney.
"The All-India Senior SelectionCommittee has named MayankAgarwal as his replacement," saida BCCI release.
With KL Rahul failing terri-bly in two Tests, the team man-agement may hand Test debutto 27-year-old Agrawal, whoplays for Karnataka.
Rahul scored 2 and44 in Adelaide butmanaged 2 and 0 inPerth, where Indiaare staring at a
defeat on the final day.Agarwal who has played 46 first class games,
scored 25 and 53 for his Ranji side against Gujaratin his last match.
The selectors have also added all-rounder Hardik Pandya to India'ssquad for the third and fourth Test tobe played in Melbourne and Sydneyrespectively.
The third Test is scheduled tobegin in Melbourne from December26.
INDIA'S SQUADVirat Kohli (captain), M Vijay,KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara,
Pacer Mohammed Shami onMonday said India missed a trick
in not playing a full-time spinner ona pitch where Australia tweakerNathan Lyon has already baggedseven wickets.
"The team management makesthese decisions. We can't do anythingabout it. We had one spinner whodidn't bowl badly. (But) If you ask me,I feel there should have been a spin-ner, but these things depend onyour management," said Shami.
"After such a long time we havean Indian pace attack where all thebowlers are fast and are bowling goodlines and lengths. Four years ago weweren't even this experienced. Youmust have seen the difference in ouraccuracy from four years ago."
India lead the four-match series1-0 after their 31-run win in theopening Test at Adelaide.
"It helps a lot to have a goodbowler at the other end, who has thesame mentality as you and is keep-ing things tight.
"This keeps the pressure up, andsometimes you don't even realisewhen the game turns your way. Thebowler at the other end is sometimesjust as important," he added, heap-ing praise on the fast-bowling unit.
Talking about his career-bestspell, the pacer said, "I always try tobowl a good line and length. Rest isup to your luck, how many wicketsyou get or not. Your approach has tobe good. If you are playing Test crick-et, you have to focus on your line andlength. You will get the wickets auto-matically.
"Sometimes when you have along partnership, you have to wait,especially on a wicket like this wherewe were beating them again andagain. It wasn't as if we were bowl-ing bad balls, but even on bowlinggood lengths we were not gettingwickets. As soon as we got a wicketthe momentum changed and weused it."
‘There should have been a spinner’
Mohd Shami holds up the ball after claiming 5wickets in Australia's second innings AP
MUMBAI, PUNJAB GRAB 3 POINTS
‘Verbal duel wasin good spirits’
INDIA’S SUCCESSFUL RUN-CHASE IN AWAY TEST
Score Overs Opponent Venue Season
406-4 147 West Indies Port of Spain 1975-76
264-3 78.4 Sri Lanka Kandy 2001
258-5 68.3 Sri Lanka Colombo 2010
233-6 72.4 Australia Adelaide 2003-04
200-5 74.4 New Zealand Dunedin 1967-68
INDIA’S HIGHEST FOURTH INNINGS SCORES IN 2018
Score Overs Opponent Venue Target
345 94.3 England The Oval 464
184 69.4 England Southampton 245
162 54.2 England Birmingham 194
151 50.2 South Africa Centurion 287
135 42.4 South Africa Cape Town 208
** India lost all five Tests
Faisel Features
MOST WICKETS IN AWAY TESTSIN A CALENDAR YEAR FOR INDIABowler Year M Wkts Best
Mohammed Shami 2018 10 42 6-56
Anil Kumble 2006 9 41 6-78
Erapalli Prasanna 1968 6 39 6-94
Jasprit Bumrah 2018 8 39 5-54
Ishant Sharma 2011 9 38 6-55
FAISEL FEATURES
Mumbai’s Shivam Dube plays a shot against Baroda PTI
