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RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

Established 1864

Published From HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN VIJAYAWADA

*LATE CITY VOL. 4 ISSUE 152*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

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ANALYSIS 7MODI MAGIC & SILENT VOTERS OF U’KHAND

MONEY 8‘STATE-OWNED BANKS ON COURSE TOBOOK BETTER PROFITS NEXT FISCAL’

SPORTS 12PINK BALL

IN ‘GARDEN CITY’

NAVJOT SIDHU SAYS ‘PUNJAB TOOKAN EXCELLENT DECISION’

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in his firstinteraction with the media after his party received adrubbing from the Aam Aadmi Party said that this is a

politics of change. "I congratulate the people of Punjab for thisexcellent decision of ushering in a new system," he toldreporters. When asked how he can say that being theCongress president, he asserted that the people have chosenchange and they are never wrong. "The voice of the people isthe voice of God. We should understand with humility and bowto it," he added.

‘PADMA VIBHUSHAN, BHARAT RATNAFOR MAYAWATI, OWAISI’: SENA'S JAB

Aday after the BJP's record win in Uttar Pradesh, Shiv Senaleader and MP Sanjay Raut took a swipe at Bahujan SamajParty (BSP) leader Mayawati and All India All India Majlis-e-

Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, saying theyshould be awarded a Padma Vibhushan or Bharat Ratna for their"contribution" in BJP's victory. "BJP achieved a great victory. UPwas their state, still, Akhilesh Yadav's seats have increased 3 times,from 42 to over 125. Mayawati and Owaisi have contributed toBJP's win, so they must be given Padma Vibhushan, BharatRatna," Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

CBSE TERM-II BOARD EXAMS FORCLASS 10 AND 12 FROM APRIL 26

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Fridayannounced that the term-II board exams for Class 10 and12 will commence from April 26. Last year, the CBSE had

announced that board examinations for 2022 will be conductedin two terms. Term I exams have already been held, while theterm-II exams commence from April 26 for both classes. Whilereleasing the date sheets for term-II exams, the Board said onFriday that it has given a considerable gap between two examskeeping in mind that the schools were closed due to thepandemic.

ARMY CHOPPER CRASHES NEAR LINEOF CONTROL, AREA SNOWED OUT

An Indian Army Cheetah helicopter on its way to a team ofBorder Security Force personnel crashed near the Line ofControl or LoC in north Kashmir's Gurez Sector today. The

BSF personnel were unwell and the helicopter was on its way topick them up. The chopper crash took place near Gujran Nallahin Gurez Sector in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district. Itis very close to the Line of Control, officials said. The cause ofthe crash was not known immediately, officials said, adding thatthe pilot and co-pilot were in the helicopter. The officials furthersaid that the area is completely snowed out.

HYDERABAD, SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022; PAGES 12 `3

ALMANAC

Updated: March 11, 2022 5:00 PM

Forecast: Mostly sunnyTemp: 33

oc

Humidity: 36%Sunrise: 6:30 AMSunset: 6:21 PM

Month & Paksham:

Tithi: Navami: Mar 11 05:34 AM

to Mar 12 08:07 AM

Dashami: Mar 12 08:07 AM

to Mar 13 10:22 AM

Nakshatram:

Ardra: Mar 11 02:35 PM

to Mar 12 05:32 PM

Punarvasu: Mar 12 05:32 PM

to Mar 13 08:06 PM

Rahukalam: 9:28 AM to 10:57 AM

Yamagandam: 1:55 PM to 3:23 PM

Varjyam: 06:49 AM to 08:35 AM

Gulika: 6:30 AM to 7:59 AM

Amritakalam: None

Abhijit Muhurtham: 12:02 PM

to 12:49 PM

TTOODDAAYY

HYDERABAD WEATHER

TIMS paramedics awaitregular salary payment

PNS n HYDERABAD

The paramedics and securi-ty staffers at the TelanganaInstitute of Medical Sciences(TIMS) in Hyderabad arenot being paid regularly.

Speaking to ‘The Pioneer,’a staff member of the hospi-tal said that salaries werenever paid regularly. Thesalary for January was given

in the second week of Marchand February’s salary wasalso promised to be given inMarch but has not been paid.

The staffer said that to getsalaries the staff had to stageprotests inside the hospitaland after much pressure theadministration agreed to paythem salaries.

CM KCR indisposed, down with spondylosis

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao on Fridayunderwent medical examina-tions, after complaining ofweakness and pain in the leftarm and left leg.

The Chief Minister wasadmitted for a few hours atYashoda Hospital,Somajiguda. He returned to hisofficial residence later. Severaltests were conducted on him inview of heart stroke symptomssuch as weakness and left-hand

pain that he showed. The tests were conducted by

a team of doctors led by theChief Minister's personalphysician Dr MV Rao, ChiefCardiologist Pramod Kumar,and Chief of Medical ServicesDr. Vishnu Reddy.

Yashoda Hospital doctorsclarified that the ChiefMinister does not have anyheart-related problems. Theystated that KCR was diag-nosed with cervical spondylo-sis after several medical tests.

HC refuses to stay suspension of BJP MLAsPNS n HYDERABAD

The BJP MLAs, Raja SinghT., Raghunandan Rao M.,and Rajender Eatala, got ashock from the TelanganaHigh Court on Friday. TheHigh Court has refused togrant a stay on the suspen-sion of the BJP MLAs fromthe Telangana Assembly.

The BJP MLAs had filed apetition in the HC requesting

the HC to cancel the suspen-sion imposed on them by theAssembly till the end of thebudget session.

The BJP MLAs were sus-pended from the Assemblywhen they staged a protestagainst Finance Minister T.Harish Rao criticising theCentre and the government’sdecision to do away with theGovernor's Address duringthe budget session.

Harish Rao directly intro-duced the budget without theGovernor 's Address onMarch 7.

During Harish Rao’s budg-et speech, the BJP MLAsstaged a protest blocking hisspeech.

They also tore copies of thebudget as there was noGovernor’s Address.

PNS n HYDERABAD

TS Governor TamilisaiSoundararajan has responded atChennai about the TelanganaAssembly's budget session which isbeing held without the Governor'sAddress. She said that the Governor'sAddress did not mean that it was herpersonal speech. She said that theTelangana government had institut-ed new traditions in the Assemblyand asked how the governmentcould do away with the Governor'sAddress, saying that the House hadnot been prorogued.

India's 40.7L deaths due to Covidhighest in world, says LancetGovt terms it misinformed; says the methodology adopts data from newspapers

PNS n LONDON/NEW DELHI

India's estimated cumulative excessdeaths due to COVID-19 betweenJanuary 2020 and December 2021were the highest in the world at 4.07million, around eight times high-er than reported, according to anew analysis in the Lancet.

Responding to the findings, theUnion Health ministry on Fridaytermed the analysis speculativeand misinformed and said theauthors had themselves admitted toseveral methodology flaws andinconsistencies.

The study takes into account dif-ferent methodologies for differentcountries, the ministry said in astatement. For India, for example,data sources used by the studyappear to have been taken from

newspaper reports and non-peerreviewed studies, it said.

This model uses data of all causeexcess mortality (created by anoth-

er non-peer reviewed model) as aninput and this raises serious con-cerns about the accuracy of theresults of this statistical exercise, the

ministry said.The Lancet reported on

Thursday that excess mortalityrates due to Covid among Indianstates are not the highest in theworld, because of India's largepopulation, but the countryaccounted for around 22 3 per centof global excess deaths as ofDecember 31, 2021. The paper esti-mates excess mortality from theCOVID-19 pandemic in 191 coun-tries and territories from January 1,2020, to December 31, 2021.

Although reported COVID-19deaths in that period totalled 5 94million worldwide, the Lancetpaper estimates that 18 2 millionpeople died worldwide because ofthe COVID-19 pandemic,

Employees prefer ‘work fromanywhere' option to promotionPNS n HYDERABAD

Moolah counts, and whowould not want a promo-tion to get additional moneyand perks?

Hang on! The Covid pan-demic has changed every-

thing. Today, while employ-ers are taking revolutionarysteps to prioritise employees,most employees say that theywould prefer to work fromanywhere than get a promo-tion.

RBI asks Paytm to stopopening new accountsPNS n MUMBAI

The RBI on Friday asked PaytmPayments Bank to stop openingnew accounts amid "materialsupervisory concerns" observed inthe bank.

"Reserve Bank of India hastoday, in exercise of its powers,inter alia, under section 35A of theBanking Regulation Act, 1949,directed Paytm Payments Bank Ltdto stop, with immediate effect,onboarding of new customers," thecentral bank said in a statement.

The bank has also been direct-ed to appoint an IT audit firm toconduct a comprehensive systemaudit of its IT system.

Battle for India will be decidedin 2024, not in any state poll: PKKOLKATA: A day after the BJP's emphatic win in assembly elections infour states, poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday said the results willnot have any bearing on the next Lok Sabha elections as the "battle forIndia would be fought and decided in 2024 and not in any state elections. Bulldozing a resurgent rainbow coalition led by the Samajwadi Party,the BJP on Thursday stormed back to power in UttarPradesh and also retained Uttarakhand,

‘Accidental firing’ ofmissile into Pak;Centre orders inquiryPNS n NEW DELHI

A missile was fired accidental-ly from the Indian side into anarea in Pakistan earlier thisweek, the Defence Ministrysaid on Thursday,

Paytm PaymentsBank was

incorporated inAugust 2016 and

formally beganits operations in

May 2017 from abranch in Noida.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao with doctors at Yashoda hospital in Hyderabad

Using iPad and newspapers built pressure causing root pain

The study takes intoaccount differentmethodologies fordifferent countries, theministry said in astatement. For India,for example, datasources used by thestudy appear to havebeen taken fromnewspaper reports andnon-peer reviewedstudies, it said

2024, not aneasy election for

BJP, Congressfacing existential

issues

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after Oo Antava

SPORTS 11

CM has set newconventions inAssembly: Guv

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | MARCH 12, 2022

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Owaisi on UP poll resultsVICTORY OF ‘80-20'

PNS n HYDERABAD

AIMIM president AsaduddinOwaisi described the results ofUttar Pradesh assembly electionsas a "victory of 80-20" and felt thatsuch an atmosphere would con-tinue for many more years in thecountry's democracy.

Owaisi, whose party drew ablank in the UP polls, has saidthe AIMIM respects the peo-ple's verdict in the northernstate and continues to makeefforts to win people's confi-dence in the future.

The AIMIM would work hard

and remove its weaknesses in thefuture, he said, expressing confi-dence that the future would begood for AIMIM in UP.

"Political parties are scream-ing about EVMs to hide theirfailures. I had said in 2019 also,that the error is not of EVMs.The chip that has been put inpeople's mind, that is playing abig role," he said on Thursday.

"Success has definitely hap-pened. But, it is the success of80-20," he said, in an apparentreference to UP Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath's commentsabout "80-20" in the context of

Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.During a media conclave in

early January, Adityanath hadsaid that UP would see an "80percent versus 20 percent" con-test in the polls in what was per-ceived to be remarks about theMuslim population in the state.

"The 80 per cent supporterswill be on one side while 20 percent will be on the other. I think80 per cent will move forwardwith positive energy whereas 20per cent have always opposedand will oppose further...,"Adityanath had said during theevent.

Telangana Govt blocking probeinto narcotic biz, says RevanthPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana Governmentmust explain why it is object-ing to providing details of theprobe into drug cases to theEnforcement Directorate (ED),TPCC Chief Revanth Reddysaid here on Friday. Hedemanded that the govern-ment should reveal whom it istrying to protect. Revanth metthe ED Joint Director on Fridayand handed over a copy of theHigh Court order and a mem-orandum. Revanth had filed aPIL in the High Court request-

ing the court to ask the govern-ment to hand over the drugscase to the ED. Revanth said thatthe Chief Minister had said sev-eral times that there is no Gutka,Matka, illicit liquor and cardgambling in TS.

“I have been alerting inquiryofficials since 2017 regardingthis. The narcotic pandemic hasnow entered educational insti-tutions. IT Minister KTRamarao and GovernmentWhip Balka Suman had saidthat Hyderabad’s brand imagewill be destroyed if anyoneraises the issue of drugs.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Andhra Pradesh officialsskipped the GRMB meetingon Friday. This led to the 13thmeeting of the GRMB gettingpostponed.

GRMB Chairman MPSingh postponed the meetingdue to the absence of AP offi-cials. The meeting was sched-uled to be held at the JalaSoudha in Hyderabad.

Without any prior intima-tion, the GRMB andTelangana officials were keptwaiting till the last moment.

Irrigation Secretary askedthe Board to call a meetingonly after getting confirma-tion from officials of both thestates. He vented his ire overthe absence of AP officialsand their failure to inform theBoard.

GRMB meeting putoff as AP officialsfail to attend

I-T dept offices to be open on allSaturdays in March after FM’s rapPNS n NEW DELHI

Offices of the income taxdepartment across the countrywill remain open on allSaturdays this month afterUnion Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman directedthem to do so in order toresolve taxpayers' issues andgrievances, a senior officialsaid on Friday.

Sitharaman early this weekrapped the policy-makingboards of the I-T department(CBDT) and that for theCustoms and GST department(CBIC) during an event inBengaluru for allegedly notresponding to the grievances ofassessees.

While the Central Board of

Direct Taxes (CBDT) is theapex policy-making body forthe I-T department, theCentral Board of Indirect Taxesand Customs (CBIC) is thesame authority for the customs,central excise and the goodsand service tax department.

All offices of the I-T depart-ment up to the level ofPrincipal Commissioner ofIncome Tax will remain openon all Saturdays this month.This will start from tomorrow,March 12, a senior I-T depart-ment officer told PTI.

All the regional formationsof the department have alsopublished their respectiveemail IDs on their officialTwitter handles for taxpayers tosend suggestions and seek clar-ifications, the officer said.

Currently, Saturdays andSundays are off days for I-Tdepartment employees.

During a budget outreachprogramme between financeministry officials, the industryand trade bodies in Bengaluru

on March 7, Sitharaman pulledup CBDT and CBIC officialswhen a participant made cer-tain queries regarding varioustax aspects.

"I'm very curious to know ifthe CBIC and CBDT are here?Are you all engaging with yourown assessees? The questionswhich are being asked here arenot those questions where Iwant the secretaries of theMinistry of Finance to sit hereand explain. These are for theboards to be with yourassessees," Sitharaman said.

"I would now tell the CBDTand the CBIC to please keepyour Saturdays free, engagewith assessees and give them allthe clarifications required,"she said.

Time running out for KCR,says Gudur Narayana ReddyPNS n HYDERABAD

Senior BJP leader GudurNarayana Reddy has said thattime is running out for ChiefMinister K. ChandrasekharRao as the people are ready tosend him packing.

He said that due to theinnumerable mistakes and fail-ures in keeping promises KCRis losing public confidenceand that they are ready to votethe BJP to power in the state.

In a media statement onFriday, he pointed out that inthe last eight years KCR didnot keep the promises he hadmade during election cam-paigns.

“He failed to keep thepromise to make a Dalit theCM. He did not keep thepromise to provide 12 per

cent reservation to tribals andminorities. The promise toprovide 2BHK houses to thepoor also was not kept.Similarly, the promise of giv-ing unemployment allowancewas not kept. The CM failed toprovide jobs to youth. In fact,the Telangana movement waslaunched only to get jobs for

those eligible. The ChiefMinister promised to give onejob to each family during theTelangana movement butfailed to deliver,” NarayanaReddy said.

Moreover, the Chief Ministerfailed to come to the rescue ofpeople whenever they faced acrisis like the covid pandemic.Prime Minister Narendra Modiled the nation during the cri-sis and saved the country fromruin, he pointed out.

He alleged that the ChiefMinister has used the longrope given by the people ofTelangana to amass wealth forhis family and to bag covetedposts for his family members.However, the people ofTelangana are not so gullible togive him another chance in2023, he added.

Brahmotsavams: Celestial weddingperformed at Yadadri templePNS n HYDERABAD

The celestial wedding of SriLakshminarsimha Swamy tem-ple at Yadagirigutta was per-formed in Balalayam on Fridayamid rituals as a part of annu-al Brahmotsavams. YadadriLakshminarsimha Swamy tem-ple (Balalayam) was decked upwith colorful flowers and lightsfor the auspicious occasion.

The temple priests performedthe celestial wedding of SriLakshminarsimha Swamy at

Balalyam on abhijith lagnamuhurtham. Prior to the celes-tial wedding, the presiding deitywas brought to the place of theevent in a process on GajaVahana seva. Earlier,Endowments Minister A IndraKaran Reddy presented silkcloths and muthyala thalambrauto the temple authorities onbehalf of the state government.Special Secretary in CMOBhupal Reddy, Secretary toLegislative Assembly affairsNarsinga Rao, district Collector

Pamela Sathpathi and AlairMLA Gongidi Sunitha wereamong those attended the pro-gramme. The Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao was toattend the ceremony, but had tocancel his visit as he was indis-posed.

In the morning, TTD DeputyEO Ramesh Babu and TTDchairman’s wife Swarna LathaReddy presented a set of silkcloths for celestial wedding ofSri Lakshminarsimha Swamytemple during Brahmotsavams.

India’s 40.7L deaths...Continued from page 1

as measured by excess mortal-ity, over that period. This isaround three times higher thanpreviously estimated.

The documented deaths dueto Covid in India over that peri-od stood at around 4,89,000, thejournal says in the paperEstimating excess mortality dueto the COVID-19 pandemic: asystematic analysis of COVID-19-related mortality, 2020-21 .

Excess mortality measuresthe additional deaths in a giventime period compared to thenumber usually expected and isnot dependent on howCOVID-19 deaths are record-ed. For India, empirical assess-ment of excess mortality for 12states used data from the civil

registration system. For differ-ent months during the first andsecond waves of the COVID-19epidemic in the 12 states inIndia, total numbers of deathsfor those states during the cor-responding months were madeavailable, the peer-reviewedpaper reports.

Using the mean reporteddeaths during the same periodsin years 2018 and 2019, we wereable to generate excess mortal-ity rates for those Indian statesafter accounting for under-registration of mortality by thecivil registration system at thestate level, it notes. At thecountry level, the highest num-bers of cumulative excess deathsdue to COVID-19 were esti-mated in India (4 07 million [371-4 36]), the paper says.

TIMS’ paramedics...Continued from page 1

Even after the protest, noteveryone has got theirsalaries.

The staff also pointed outthat since July 2021 theirEmployee State Insurance(ESI) and Provident Fund(PF) is not getting credited totheir account.

Another staff member oncondition of anonymity said,“Earlier we were givenaccommodation on the hos-pital campus but after Covidcases started increasing, wehad to vacate and now we areliving in rented houses nearthe hospital.

With all these extraexpenses, if the administra-tion does not pay us on time,how will we survive? We arealso hearing rumours aboutrenovations in the hospital.All we ask from the admin-istration is our salary, ESI andPF before the works begin.”

CM KCR indisposed, down with spondylosisContinued from page 1

Doctors said the Chief Ministerhad been advised to rest for aweek.

Cardiologist Pramod Kumarsaid: "The CM told us he hadbeen tired for the past two days.This morning we went toPragati Bhavan to check that hisleft arm was aching. He cameto the hospital as per ourinstructions and underwentmedical tests. Angiogram testswere performed.

It turned out that there wereno blocks. Currently CM KCRis healthy. ECG and 2D echotests were also performed.Heart function is also good.Heart-related blood tests werealso performed. Those reportsare also normal. As there wereno problems with the heart,

MRI tests were also done on theneck and brain to find out whythe left arm was causing thepain."

The doctors said they alsodid other investigations whichthey routinely do every yearand results of all of those werenormal. Complete healthcheck-ups were being done forCM KCR every year in themonth of February. Doctorspointed out that due to his hec-tic schedule, involving travel, hefelt weak.

Dr M V Rao, CM's person-al physician, said, "As part ofthe preventive check-up, weadvised CM to come to thehospital and undergo tests.MRI scan of the brain and spinewere performed after theangiogram. Fortunately, KCRdoes not have any cardio prob-

lems. The MRI brain report isalso normal. There is slightspondylosis in the MRI cervi-cal spine. It comes with age.KCR mostly reads newspapersand also uses an iPad. Thiscaused neck pain moving it onto the left arm termed as rootpain. Neurologists are also ofthe same opinion. All kinds oftests were performed. All iswell. BP and sugar are undercontrol".

Doctors had been monitor-ing his sugar levels every week.Doctors advised him to takerest for one week, use a cervi-cal belt, and keep BP and sugarunder control. Doctors did notrule out the summer impactdue to public meetings whichcaused him weakness.

Visuals of Chief Minister ona stretcher were shared even

though he walked to hospital.Doctors said that after

angiogram, there would beslight giddiness because ofwhich the Chief Minister wastaken on a stretcher.

KCR was accompanied byhis wife Shobha Rao, son andcabinet minister K. T. RamaRao, daughter and legislator K.Kavitha, nephew J SantoshKumar and other family mem-bers.

In view of the indisposition,KCR cancelled his visit toYadadri temple. He was sched-uled to participate in some rit-uals at Lakshmi NarasimhaSwamy temple.

The Chief Minister had alsoplanned a meeting to reviewthe arrangements for thereopening of the temple fordevotees later this month.

Employees prefer ‘work from...Continued from page 1

As per a survey by IT servicesfirm Ivanti, a whopping 71%of respondents said theywould prefer to work fromanywhere than get a promo-tion. Remote work, despite itspopularity, is a double-edgedsword, with 10% of respon-dents reporting a negativeeffect on their mental health.

The Everywhere Workplacestudy worked with global'future of work' experts andsurveyed over 6,100 officeworkers and IT professionalsto uncover employee senti-ments related to the past,present, and future of work.

The toll the pandemic hastaken on employees' mentalhealth has been significant,with 70% of IT womenrespondents reporting theirexperiences of negative effectsfrom remote work, versusonly 30% of male respondentsin the same group reportingnegative effects.

Additionally, manyemployees are feeling theeffects of losing personal con-nection with coworkers (9%)and being expected to worklonger hours than when inoffice (6%).

The report also showedthe further gender divide:56% of female respondents

said remote work had affect-ed their mental health nega-tively, compared to 44% ofmen. About 52% of womenreported having lost person-al connection with coworkers,compared to 47% of men.

Meghan Biro, founder andCEO of TalentCulture, said,"More men than womenreport being passed over fora promotion in this digital-first culture. Women, howev-er, are expected to worklonger hours, but have bene-fited the most overall fromthe flexibility that remotework brings. This shift inemployee experience cannotbe ignored”.

RBI asksPaytm to...Continued from page 1

"Onboarding of new cus-tomers by Paytm PaymentsBank Ltd will be subject to spe-cific permission to be grantedby RBI after reviewing reportof the IT auditors. This actionis based on certain materialsupervisory concernsobserved in the bank," it said.

Paytm Payments Bank wasincorporated in August 2016and formally began its opera-tions in May 2017 from abranch in Noida. In December2020, the RBI had barredHDFC Bank from launchingany new digital products orservices and issuing new cred-it cards till the lender resolvedrecurring tech issues.

CM has set...Continued from page 1

The Governor said thatMembers got a chance to dis-cuss issues facing the state afterthe Governor's Address. Butthe TS government broke theconventions of the LegislativeAssembly. She said that thegovernment had cancelled heraddress citing technical rea-sons and that as per conven-tion the Governor read thestatement prepared by thegovernment in the Assembly.

The Governor reiteratedthat she allowed the sessioneven though the governmentsaid that there would be noGovernor's Address.

‘Accidental firing’ of missile into Pak; Centre orders inquiryContinued from page 1

blaming the incident on a"technical malfunction" thatwas "deeply regrettable". "On 9March 2022, in the course ofroutine maintenance, a techni-

cal malfunction led to theaccidental firing of a missile.The Government of India hastaken a serious view andordered a high-level Court ofEnquiry," the Ministry ofDefence said in a statement. "It

is learnt that the missile land-ed in an area of Pakistan.While the incident is deeplyregrettable, it is also a matterof relief that there has been noloss of life due to the accident,"it added.

High Court refuses to staysuspension of BJP MLAsContinued from page 1

Speaker Pocharam SrinivasReddy suspended the BJPMLAs for the entire sessionimmediately after AnimalHusbandry Minister Talasani

Srinivas Yadav’s motion seek-ing suspension of the BJPMLAs. On the very next day,that is, on March 8, the BJPMLAs approached the HighCourt requesting the HC tocancel their suspension.

Battle for India...Continued from page 1Manipur and Goa, while ArvindKejriwal's AAP scripted a stellarvictory in Punjab, winning athree-fourth majority pulverisingits rivals. "Battle for India will befought and decided in 2024 &not in any state #elections Sahebknows this! Hence this cleverattempt to create frenzy around

2024, not an easy election for BJP, Cong facing existential issuesN

ot many in intellectu-al circles are able todigest the 'massive' win

registered by the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) in the five-state election touted as 'semi-final' to the 2024 GeneralElection. Most of the well-educated, so-called secularistsare puzzled to see huge victo-ries the BJP registered in UttarPradesh. Interestingly, the BJPhas swept all eight seats inLakhimpur Kheri, which wasthe centre of fury and outragein October after four famerswere run over by a car alleged-ly driven by Union MinisterAjay Mishra Teni's son, AshishMishra. The eight seats inLakhimpur Kheri are Palia,Nighasan, Gola Gokarnath,Sri Nagar, Dhaurahra,Lakhimpur, Kasta, and

Mohammadi.The horrific incident, in

which three BJP workers anda journalist also died, trig-gered furious criticism of theYogi Adityanath governmentand allegations that the rulingBJP was going soft on a mur-der accused because of hisfather's position. No one in theopposition camp could under-stand the logic behind hugevoting by women particular-ly Muslim women voting enmasse to BJP. Whereverwomen voters are high com-pared to male voters, BJP reg-istered impressive gains. Eventhe districts with sizeable pop-ulation of Jats, who were saidto be angry with BJP forbringing farm laws, yieldedpositive results to the YogiAdityanath-led BJP govern-

ment.Now political circles are

busy to find out whether thisresult would repeat in the2024 General Election infavour of BJP. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, well-versed in'mind games', has alreadystarted saying that the presentwin is a clear sign of what isgoing to happen in 2024.Although poll strategistPrashant Kishor has somedoubts over the PM's claimsand West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjeeruled out any such eventual-ity in 2024, most of the polit-ical parties in the country havestarted calculations about the2024 polls. Is it clear that theBJP has edge and it appearsthat the Congress would soonbecome extinct. Whether

Aam Aadmi Party will replacethe Congress or a front float-ed by the regional parties willtake the charge against theBJP? These are questions inthe minds of political parties.

Let me explain the arith-metic of Indian polls. Firstly,never in the past, states-levelpolitics have influenced theresults of the Lok Sabha elec-tion. Secondly, the resultsdeclared on March 10 areindicating increased anti-incumbency for BJP. It has lostheavily in almost all stateswhen compared to its 2019performance. That does notmean that it has no chance ofreturning power, but it is anuphill task for the BJP torecreate the same magic in2024. States like Uttar Pradesh,Bihar, Rajasthan and Punjab

will see a major decline in theseats for BJP in 2024. Withregard to south India, BJP hasnegligent presence in most ofthe states and the saffronparty has to depend on itsregional allies who will bewilling to give only single-digitseats in the election.

Another important aspect iswhile BJP is fast losing itsfriends, regional parties areincreasingly moving awayfrom the BJP. This is a dangerbell and BJP needs to take noteof it. Although regional par-ties have started feeling suffo-cated under Modi's rule, theyare very much sure that theycannot take on the mighty BJPalone and are waiting for anopportunity. Even more inter-esting thing that came out ofthe 5-state polls result is that

people are also waiting for astrong alternative. If they real-ly believe in a party, they areready to vote in favour of thatparty. It was indicated in theAssembly elections in Punjab,where political giants bite thedust in the AAP' revolution.

Virtually decimated in theAssembly elections, theCongress now faces a dualchallenge: an existential cri-sis and retaining its position asthe Leader of the Oppositioncamp. Now the road to the2024 polls for the Congress isgoing to get tougher as it is aparty that is "in the ICU" andcannot be revived in shorttime. The Congress is now leftin power only in Rajasthanand Chhattisgarh on its ownand is a junior player in thecoalition governments in

Maharashtra and Jharkhand.The Congress' electoral drub-bing has also had ripples in theopposition ranks. Previouslythe Congress had been cling-ing to the position of theLeader of the Oppositioncamp; now, it finds itself fac-ing threats from parties suchas the AAP and the TrinamoolCongress, which are likely tobecome more assertive goingforward.

Murmurs of discontent andtalk of "change" have alreadybegun in the Congress campwith some of the G-23 leaders,who had 'daringly' written toparty chief Sonia Gandhiseeking an organisationaloverhaul, voicing concernsover the massive electoraldefeat.

Poor poll strategies like in

Goa, where the Congress didnot align with others andwent alone hampering oppo-sition unity and dividingvotes, have cost the Congressand opposition parties heav-ily.

It is time for the Congressto realise that either it muststrengthen itself as an organ-isation to have that place inthe Opposition or step backand support those partieswhich have the capacity to beable to pull off victories in anelection. If the Congress failsto understand its situation, notmuch time is left to see'Congress-mukt Bharat'.

- Krishna PrasadResident Editor,

The Pioneer

hyderabad 03HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | MARCH 12, 2022

PNS n RANGAREDDY

A total of 256 complaints werereceived by SHE TeamsCyberabad from women victimsthrough WhatsApp, emails,Twitter, Hawkeye and by directwalk in. Action was taken on allthe complaints received anddisposed of on merits.

She teams Cyberabadreceived 17 cases of cheating &manipulation, 32 cases of harass-ment through social media, 22cases of following, 11 com-plaints of misbehaving and pass-ing comments, 3 cases of phoneharassment, 103 cases of stalk-ing, 25 cases of blackmail, 4 casesof sending obscene pictures, 2cases of touching and 22 othercases during January andFebruary this year. She teamsCyberabad officials said that 55

cases have been registered - 14criminal cases and 41 pettycases. They said decoy opera-tions were conducted at variousplaces and caught 70 personsperforming indecent acts. Atotal of 622 awareness pro-grammes were conducted and8,851 people were addressed,they added. Cyberabad SHETeam officials requested all thewomen suffering from teasing,

stalking or any other atrocityto approach the SHE teams bysending Whatapp messages tothe mobile No 9490617444 orcan directly call the respectiveSHE teams (Balanagar-9490617349, IT Corridor-9490617352, Madhapur-8333993519, Kukatpally-9493626811, Jagadgirigutta-9493624561, Miyapur-9491051421, Pet-Basheerabad-7901114137,Rajendranagar-7901114140,Shamshabad-9490617354,Chevella-9493625379) andShadnagar-9493624147 orDial 100 or send e-mail tosheteam.cyberabad@gmail.com, twitter: @sheteamcybd,facebook.com Woman &Children Safety Wing, insta-gram.com womenandchil-drensafetywingcybd.

PNS n HYDERABAD

GMR Hyderabad Interna tion-al Airport (GHI AL) on Fridayannounced it has won theAirports Council International(ACI) World's Airport ServiceQuality (ASQ) Award 2021.Hyderabad Airport (RajivGandhi International Airport)has been adjudged as the 'BestAirport by Size and Region' inthe Asia-Pacific region for2021, in its category of 15-25Million Passengers PerAnnum (MPPA) in the annu-al ASQ survey conducted byACI, GHIAL said in a releasehere. ACI World's globallyrecognised Airport ServiceQuality (ASQ) programme isthe world's leading airport

passenger service and bench-marking programme measur-ing passengers' satisfactionwhile they are travellingthrough an airport. The ASQsurvey is a measurement ofpassenger satisfaction, busi-ness performance, and airportservice quality. Speaking onthis achievement, GHIALCEO Pradeep Panicker said,"We are delighted to be recog-nised by our passengers as theBest Airport year after year inthe annual ASQ survey con-ducted by ACI. Since the onsetof Covid, we have implement-ed many new safe, secure andcustomer friendly tech driveninitiatives to make the passen-gers' journey through the air-port safe and seamless.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Coaching institutes are gettingready to join their anticipatedadmissions after state govern-ment's announcement on jobnotifications. They explain thatit has been a long time that stu-dents in this particular regionhave been awaiting job notifi-cations and it is their time nowto grab opportunities.

"There are different cate-gories of students preparing forexams such as individuals seri-ous in attempting to give theirbest and others who solelydepend on government notifi-cations. The second categorywould show interest and joinimmediately. We haven't hikedthe fee for these courses due topandemics and the fee alsodepends upon the courses,"says Babu, Shikara Academy forCompetitive Examinations.

Due to the pandemic allcoaching centers have noadmissions, but now due toCM's announcement, there willbe a large number of studentswho want to join the coachinginstitutions, he added. There

would be recruitment to 91,142vacant posts in governmentdepartments as announced bythe Chief Minister.

Aman Sidharth, HyderabadBranch Head of Vision IASInstitutions says, "We expect themajority of students enroll asthey would like to try their bestfor various categories. Last year

we had 450 students enrollingfor the courses in Hyderabadand 5,000 across India as wehave eight other centers.Students may get diverted fromthe current civil courses prepa-ration to State level jobs asTelangana announced vacan-cies list. "

Apart from State providingvarious courses on T-SAT,Telangana IT and IndustriesMinister KT Rama Rao askedMLAs to start coaching centersin their respective Assemblysegments to train unemployedyouths for the government jobsnotification and assured tosupport to these centers by theState government.

Hyderabad airportgets ACI-ASQ award

PNS n HYDERABAD

Vazir Sultan Tobacco CompanyLimited (VST) on Friday com-missioned 1 MW rooftop solarplants for its manufacturingunits. These solar plants willprovide about 25 percent of theCompany's energy needs. Thiswill result in stopping a total of1310 MT of carbon dioxideemissions. Energy generatedfrom these plants will be usedat the Corporate office,Azamabad factory and atToopran factory. "Solar energyis one of the cleanest forms ofenergy and we are proud toutilise it to service about 25 per-cent of our energy needs. Oursustainability efforts supportIndia's energy transition goals aswell as contribute towards envi-ronment sustainability. Wehave earlier used solar energyfor community benefit and havesince 2015 installed a total of2335 solar street lights in about80 villages/towns in Telanganaand Andhra Pradesh," saidAditya Deb Goo ptu MD, VSTIndustries Limi ted while inau-gurating the plant.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Health and FinanceMinister T Harish Rao, whileanswering questions from mem-bers in Assembly during ques-tion hour on Friday, gave detailsof KCR Nutritional Kit scheme.

The Minister and said thatthe government has identifiednine districts in the state wherethere is a problem of anemiaamong pregnant women andlactating mothers. The Kit willinclude all necessary nutritionsupplements needed for women.This scheme is to benefit about1.25 lakh women every year.The scheme will start fromApril. The programme will belaunched in Komaram BheemAsifabad, Adilabad, Bhupalpally,Bhadrachalam Kothagudem,Kamareddy, Vikarabad, Mulugu,Nagarkurnool and JogulambaGadwal districts.

"The existing KCR Kitscheme has led to a rapidincrease of deliveries in govern-ment hospitals. There has been

a 26% increase since 2014.Around 11 lakh kits have beendistributed since 2017. Thenumber of C-Section deliver-ies has also declined in thestate. We should encouragewomen to go for normal deliv-eries. The current delivery rateat government hospitals is 56%;we should aim to take it to 75%.The future of our childrendepends on the mother'shealth." said Harish Rao. Healso stated that Rs 407 crore

was allocated for setting up of22 maternal and child carecenters, while 16 have beencompleted, 8 are still in the for-mation stage. The governmenthas set up neonatal care cen-ters, pediatric ICU's andmaternal ICU's. Rao also spokeabout how the MaternalMortality Rate (MMR) hasdecreased in the state from 92to 63 and the Infant MortalityRate (IMR) has come downfrom 25 to 16.

Nutritional Kit scheme will benefit1.25 lakh women: Health MinisterThe scheme will be launched in several districtsin the state from April, says Harish Rao

Health Minister T Harish Rao speaking during the Assembly session on Friday

Coaching institutes anticipate moreadmissions post CM’s statement

There would berecruitment to91,142 vacant postsin governmentdepartments asannounced by theChief Minister

KTR sets rolling works worthRs 738.59cr in Uppal segmentNAVEENA GHANATE

n HYDERABAD

Municipal AdministrationMinister K T Rama Rao has saidthat welfare and developmentprograms are being implement-ed in the state irrespective ofcaste, creed or politics. TheMinister laid the foundationstone and inaugurated variousdevelopment works undertakenat an estimated cost of Rs. 738.59 crore in Uppal Assembly con-stituency under LB Nagar zone.

Ministers KTR andMallareddy inaugurated a mod-ern crematorium (Vaikuntadhamam) at Mallapur, themepark at Uppal and laid founda-tion stones for Uppal Flyoverworks, Sewerage Treatment Plant(STP) works at Nacharam, andStrategic Nala DevelopmentProgramme (SNDP) works atRamanthapur in Uppal on FridaySpeaking at a meeting organised atMallapur, the Minister said that the

city of Hyderabad has developeda lot in terms of flyovers, under-passes and burial grounds beingconstructed in the city ofHyderabad with the foresight ofChief Minister K ChandrashekarRao. Like the Jubilee HillsMahaprasthanam, 34 VaikunthaDamams at an estimated cost of Rs49.24 crore are setup and for theremaining 5, works are progress-

ing at various stages. To providepermanent solution to the floodproblems in the colonies 60 workswere being carried out at a cost ofRs 900 crore, of which 37 wereunder GHMC and which wouldbe completed by next monsoon.STPs are being constructed at anestimated cost of Rs 3,886 crore.He said that all steps have beentaken for the development of IT

in Uppal constituency and theShilparamam has also been set uphere. He said the new pensionswould be distributed from nextApril and funds had been allocat-ed in the budget. Infrastru ctureand development work will beundertaken in all governmentschools in the state through theMana Basti Mana Badi pro-gramme. The minister revealed

that from the next academicyear, English medium will beintroduced in governmentschools.

He said the city was headed tobuild one lakh houses in 111locations and 70,000 houses havebeen completed so far and theywill also be distributed to thedeserving poor after the comple-tion of the Assembly session.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The government of Telanganaon Friday announced sched-uled desludging of onsite toiletsin 142 Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) across the state.

Highlighting their commit-ment towards safeguardingenvironmental quality, publichealth, compliance withSwachh Survekshan protocolsand achieving 'ParisubramainaPattanalu' of the PattanaPragathi programme, the gov-ernment made the announce-ment. Telangana is the first statein the country to implementFaecal Sludge and SeptageManagement (FSSM) Policy.Treatment plants in all ULB'swill be set up and a scheduleddesludging will be done once inevery three years. "In a scenariowhere the larger part of thecountry is dependent upon

on-site sanitation systems,FSSM is essential to ensure citywide inclusive sanitation.Proper and timely desludging,along with safe disposal andtreatment are of prime impor-tance. Timely desludging ofseptic tanks will improve itstreatment efficiency. Whiletreatment plants are necessaryfor ensuring safe disposal andtreatment of faecal sludge, themaximum utilisation of theircapabilities can only be auc-tioned through regulardesludging" said Prof V SrinivasChary of the AdministrationStaff College of India (ASCI)Administra tive Staff College ofIndia (ASCI) has joined handswith Telangana government asknowledge partner to providesupport for training and hand-holding of ULB's to ensureproper planning, implementa-tion and monitoring.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand on Fridayinaugurated various stalls of thecity police installed at theNumaish. The stalls related toRoad safety awareness, SHETeams and anti-drug aware-ness.

"These stalls give an oppor-tunity to the citizens to get aninside look of the state of the arttechnology used by HyderabadCity Police for traffic manage-ment and the services offeredby various other wings of thecity police. People visiting theexhibition can have friendlyinteraction with the staff avail-able at the stalls and educatethemselves with road safetyand traffic rules," said CVAnand. While interacting withstudents, the CP shared hismemories of visiting Numaish

as a child and said that multi-ple visits are a must to do jus-tice to the fair. The HyderabadTraffic Police stall showcasedroad safety signs, laser speedguns, body worn cameras andother devices. A lot of com-muters were educated on thedanger of drug use and the ser-vices of SHE Teams.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Hyderabad Metro Rail passen-gers on Friday enjoyed a liveramp walk and fashion showorganised with a mission toacknowledge the age-old hand-loom textiles of Telangana andgenerate awareness about thecontributions of the local com-munity of weavers and crafts-men to this art.

The initiative has been a partof the collaboration betweenL&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad)Limited (L&TMRHL) and JDInstitute of FashionTechnology (JDIFT) underwhich a first of its kind 'BunaaiUtsav- Ek Ubharata Safar' isbeing celebrated at prominentlocations of Hyderabad MetroRail on 11th , 13th , and 20thMarch. Kickstarting this festi-val on Friday, the aspiring

designers of JD Institute ofFashion Technology presenteda string of Live Fashion Showsattired in Telangana signaturehandloom ensemble inside themetro trains running betweenJBS and MGBS followed bybetween Ameerpet and

Raidurg Metro Stations, and atthe concourse level ofAmeerpet Metro Station,much to the delight of metrorail passengers. The tradition-al fabrics used for the rampwere given a modern twist bythe students of JD Institute of

Fashion Technology, wherethey have adopted moderncuts and unique silhouettes tomatch the needs and choices ofthe common people. Speakingon this occasion, KVB Reddy,MD & CEO, L&TMRHL, said,"We are happy to host the

Bunnai Utsav conceptualisedby JDIFT with a vision to reju-venate the age-old handloomtextiles and local art ofTelangana state. Our passen-gers and visitors will witnessthis show and learn about therich legacy of the state'sweavers and craftsmen."

Nealesh Dalal, the Ma nag-ing Trustee of JD Institute ofFashion Tech nology, said,"We are happy to partner withL&T Metro Rail Hyderabad toroll out this unique event pro-moting our rich heritage ofhandloom culture. "

As part of the Bunaai Utsav,several live fashion showsalong with multiple work-shops will be organised atGalleria Mall Panjagutta andPremia Mall, Irrummanzil,Hyderabad on the 13th and 20th

March, respectively.

Bunaai Utsav: Fashion Show held in Hyd Metro CP inaugurates police stalls at Numaish

Hyderabad CP CV Anand at the inauguration of city police stall at Numaish on Friday

While interacting withstudents, the CPshared his memoriesof visiting Numaish asa child and said thatmultiple visits are amust to do justice tothe fair.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation (GHMC)has requested all traders to gettheir licences renewed beforeMarch 31, 2022. If renewedbetween April 1 and May 30, 25percent of the licence fee is to beimposed as penalty. Those whorenew licenses from May 31onwards will have to pay a 50 percent of fee as penalty. As per GO459 of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development(MA&UD) on implementationof Ease of Doing Business norms(EODB), a trade licence isrenewed automatically on pay-ment of renewal fee. The state-ment said if a trade is identifiedto be carried on without licence;a 100 percent penalty will beimposed, followed by a fine of 10per cent every month until thetrader obtains a fresh licence.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Confederation of RealEstate Developers'Associations of India(CREDAI), on Friday hostedthe first edition of CREDAITechCon '22 in Hyderabad.The all-day event deliberatedhow innovative technologicaladoption can script a newgrowth story for the Indianreal estate sector. The eventwitnessed participation ofmore than 200 developersfrom various parts of the

country besides CREDAINational Office Bearers.CREDAI National vice- pres-ident G. Ram Reddy andNarendra Kumar graced theoccasion. CREDAI TechCon'22 deliberated insightfulknowledge sharing panel dis-cussions & fireside chats onkey topics. G. Ram Reddy,national vice-president,CREDAI said, "There is nodoubt that the digital-firstapproach is becoming moremainstream for both develop-ers and homebuyers.

TS first in the country toimplement FSSM policy

Cyberabad SHE Teams received256 complaints during Jan, Feb

Rooftop solarplants launchedat VST

PNS n HYDERABAD

B Shafiullah, IFS, SecretaryTelangana MinoritiesResidential EducationalInstitutions Society hasannounced online applica-tions are now open till 4th ofApril. The eligible candidatesfrom Minorities (Muslims,Christians, Parsis, Jains, Sikhsand Buddhists) and Non-Minorities (SC,ST,BC &OCs) communities for freshadmissions in class V in 204TMR schools and inIntermediate 1st year in TMRJunior Colleges. It alsoincludes Centers ofExcellence and backlogvacancies in MinoritiesCategory in classes VI, VIIand VIII across the state ofTelangana for the AcademicYear 2022-23 throughEntrance Test. Further theSecretary TMREIS requestedthe parents and students toutilise this opportunity andsubmit an online applicationon or before April 4th fromany TMR institution in thestate, or Internet center.

TMREIS invitesapplicationsfor 2022-23

MANUU opensadmissionsfor distanceprogrammesPNS n HYDERABAD

Maulana Azad NationalUrdu University, Directo rateof Distance Education (DDE)has announced to offeradmissions in distance modecourses for January 2022,2021-22 session. Accordingto Prof Mohd RazaullahKhan, Director, "Admis sionsare being offered in MAUrdu, B.Com., Diploma inTeach English, Diploma inJournalism & MassCommunication, certificatein Proficiency in Urduthrough English and certifi-cate in Functional English forJanuary 2022 session." Thelast date for submission ofonline application form andpayment of fee is 31st March,2022. The University hasalso conducted lecture ongender and development.The Department ofEconomics in collaborationwith the Department ofWomen Education organizeda special online lecture.

CREDAI meet focuses ontechnology in Real Estate

Delegates at the CREDAI conference in Hyderabad on Friday

Traders asked torenew licencesby 31st Mar

New pensions will be distributed to the beneficiaries from April, the Minister says

Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao and others during the inauguration of Theme Park in Uppal, Hyderabad on Friday

Participants at the Fashion Show held in Hyderabad Metro train on Friday

04HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | MARCH 12, 2022

PNS nJAGTIAL

District Collector G Ravi onFriday urged the teachers topay attention to ensure cent percent results in the secondaryschool certificate (SSC) exam-inations. Jagtial district toppedin the SSC examinations for thethree successive years after theformation of the district.Former Collector A Sharathhad inspired the teachers andthe students to excel in the SSCexamination for three years.

Now, District Collector Ravihas now assigned the task ofensuring cent per cent resultsin the SSC examination to theteachers. He told the teachersthat the district topped in theSSC examinations for threesuccessive years.

Reviewing the preparednessof teachers and students thepublic examinations here, theCollector complimented theteachers for achieving 100 percent results in the past. The

public examinations could notbe held for two years becauseof pandemic. During this cur-rent academic year, the govern-ment has released schedulefor the SSC examination. Theexaminations would be held inthe second week of May.

In view of this, he directedthe teachers to hold specialclasses both in the morning

and evening for the 10th classstudents. The teachers shouldensure that the students honethe writing skills. He urged thestudents to focus on theirexaminations. It is importantfor the students to pass the 10thclass to pursue higher studies.

The Collector granted Rs 20lakh to provide snacks to thestudents during the special

classes. He directed the author-ities of the EducationDepartment to utilise the fundshe had granted and also thedonations from donors to pro-vide nutritious food to thestudents.

The Collector said he hadreceived reports that syllabuswas not completed in someGovernment Schools. He

directed the headmasters ofsuch school to ensure that thesyllabus is completed and revi-sion of the lessons begins. Theteachers, he said, should payspecial attention to studentswho are lagging in studies.

He asked the authorities ofthe Education Department toopen bank accounts for theschool selected under ManaVooru-Mandal Badi pro-gramme. All basic facilitieswould be provided to theschools under the programme.He suggested that the teachermotivate the students and sup-port personal developmentsof each and every student.

He regretted that the quali-ty of education in someGovernment Schools was poor.It was lamentable that the stu-dents of 8th class too cannotread Telugu fluently. He issueda subtle warning that actionwould be taken against thoseresponsible for the sorry stateof affairs in the schools.

Ensure cent per cent results in SSC exam: CollectorDistrict Collector G Ravi regrets that quality of education in some schools is poor

Jagtial District Collector G Ravi addressing a meeting in Jagtial on Friday

PNS n WARANGAL

Warangal police has arresteda couple in New Delhi on acharge of cheating a man tothe tune of Rs 1.17 crore. Thepolice said the couple werearrested in New Delhi onWednesday and brought toWarangal on a transit warranton Saturday.

Police Commissioner TarunJoshi told reporters on Fridaythat the police seized Rs 2.50lakh worth of gold ornaments,mobile phones and other itemsfrom the arrested couple. Thearrested are 38-year-old ResmiRavinderan Nair and her 41-year-old Bijju Madhavan. Theyhailed from Eranakulam inKochi district of Kerala State.

The couple, the police com-missioner said, had floated abogus firm, called PVRConsultancy Services, and col-lected money by promising 4to 8 per cent commission onthe investment made throughtheir firm. The Kerala policeregistered several cases againstthem. The couple, in a bid toevade the police, had shifted toDelhi. The Warangal police

swung into action when a cit-izen, Bathula Sairam, residentof Srinivas colony, lodged acomplaint with the police onJanuary 6, saying that he hadinvested Rs 1.17 crore througha mediator Gogula Srinvias.Srinivas is accused number 1in the case, the PoliceCommissioner said.

A special team was sent toDelhi and the couple werearrested. The suspects alleged-ly cheated several persons tothe tune of Rs 1.23 crore inHyderabad and also people of

Rs 5 crore in Visakahpatnam.Gangula Srinivas, who was

named accused number 1, isstill absconding.

The Police Commissionercomplimented AdditionalDeputy Commissioner ofPolice Vaibhav Gaikwad,Hanumakonda AssistantCommissioner of JitenderReddy, AssistantCommissioner of Police(cybercrime) Nandiram Naikand other police officers forinvesting the case and arrest-ing the suspects.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Congress MLA represent-ing Munugode, KomatireddyRajagopal Reddy, has demand-ed that Electricity Minister G.Jagdish Reddy should revealdetails of his assets before andafter 2014.

He said that the people ofTelangana have been keenlywatching who was lootingTelangana.

He asked Jagdeesh Reddy toexplain whether the charge ofchanging the plan of irrigationprojects for commissions istrue.

He added that TRS leaderswere criticising the BJP and theCongress and engaging in ille-gal acts.

Speaking to the media at theAssembly media point onFriday, Komatireddy RajagopalReddy said that the tenderprocess for the Naini Coal Block

was not done properly and thatthere were irregularities in theNaini Coal Mine tender process.

He said that he spoke in theAssembly asking the govern-ment to exert pressure on theCentre against allocating theassets of Singareni Collieries toprivate companies.

Demanding that the NainiCoal Mine tender processshould be done transparently,Komatireddy said that NainiCoal Mine will be a revenueresource for SingareniCollieries.

“It is painful that MinisterJagdeesh Reddy described me asa contractor. We spent moneyfor the sake of the Telanganamovement and did charitableactivities. We will expose theconspiracies of TRS leaders. Iam ready to resign my MLApost even now. Jagdeesh Reddymust contest from Munugodeor I will contest from Suryapet,”

he said and added that his fam-ily had suffered losses in busi-ness and that he had resigned hisminister post for the sake ofTelangana.

He said that TRS leaderswere trying to come to power athird time, but the Congress willblock their plans at any cost.

Komatireddy had alleged inthe House that the governmentis not behaving transparentlyregarding Singareni tenders.The government has been hand-ing over contracts to companies

it likes, he said.The government is demand-

ing that the Centre should notprivatise Singareni Collieriesand at the same time it is hand-ing over tenders in a mannerthat will make Singareni sufferlosses. He alleged that the gov-ernment had handed over ten-ders to a private company caus-ing a loss of Rs 20,000 crore.

He said that Congress mem-bers had spoken in the Housedemanding that the fourSingareni coal blocs should notbe privatised.He said that Rs20,000 crore of Singareni rev-enue will go to private entitiesif the coal blocs were privatised.

Komatireddy said thatJagdeesh Reddy had describedhim as a ‘contractor’ and ‘cheap’without naming him. He madeit clear that he and his brotherKomatireddy Venkat Reddywould have joined the TRS ifthey wanted contracts.

PNS nNIZAMABAD

District Collector C NarayanaReddy on Friday exhorted theDalit Bandhu beneficiaries tomake good use of the schemeto improve their living stan-dards. Speaking at a meetingat Sampally village underDichpally mandal, TheCollector stressed that thebeneficiaries select viableunits. He said the units to behanded over to the beneficia-ries would be finalised by theend of March. He stressed theneed to speed up the process.

The Collector interactedwith the beneficiaries fromSampally are GundaramBhojavva, Rajavva, PalleNiharika, Nanded Padma ata meeting in Sampally.Likewise, he interacted withthe beneficiaries fromNadipally at another meeting.

Dalit Bandhubeneficiaries advisedto make good use ofscheme

Warangal police arrest Kerala couplefor defrauding citizen of Rs 1.17 crThe suspects were arrested in Delhi on Wednesdayand brought to Warangal on a transit warrant

PNS n HYDERABAD

The University of Hyderabad(UoH) has announced criteriafor the Golden JubileeInterdisciplinary ResearchMedal for PhD in Chemistry,Life Sciences and MedicalSciences to be awarded from2024, the Golden Jubilee yearof the formation of theUniversity.

The medal will be for thestudents working in the areasof interfacial research regis-tered in the Schools ofChemistry, Life Sciences, andMedical Sciences as well as inthe external centres recog-nised by these schools andcovering fundamentalresearch in the areas ofChemistry/ Life Sciences/Medical Sciences and theirMedicinal/ Pharmaceuticalapplications. PhD candidatesfrom any new external centresto be added in the future to

the three Schools mentionedin the medal category, name-ly Chemistry, Life Sciences,Medical Science will becomeeligible for the medal in thesubsequent years.

The PhD thesis shouldcover at least two of thedefined areas from the abovementioned subjects. The PhDstudent must have at least one

chapter in the thesis that hasa collaborative interdiscipli-nary component whichpreferably should involve jointwork with a faculty from anyone of the other schools list-ed (other than the School inwhich the student is submit-ting his/ her PhD degree).

The interdisciplinaryresearch component shouldhave been published in a peerreviewed journal at the timeof thesis submission. The can-didate with the inter-discipli-nary work component pub-lished in the highest ImpactFactor journal will be givendue credit for the same.

"The institution of thismedal which is to be award-ed from 2024 is a wonderfulinitiative and is built on theinterdisciplinary nature ofeducation and research in theNational Education Policy(NEP) 2020,'' said Prof B JRao, Vice Chancellor, UoH.

UoH announces criteria for researchmedal in three PhD subjects

KCR was hospitalised after watchingresults of Assembly polls: KomatireddyPNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao had to behospitalised after watching theresults of the Assembly polls infive states on March 10, theCongress MLA representingMunugode, KomatireddyRajagopal Reddy, said here.

He said that there is a need tolaunch a movement like theTelangana movement to removeKCR from power. Komatireddyalso expressed unhappiness overthe Congress high command’schoice for the TPCC Chief’s post.Talking to journalists on Friday atthe CLP office, Komatireddy saidthat the Congress is not takingproper decisions in time.

How can the high commandgive the TPCC chief ’s post to aperson who came from the TDPwhich opposed the creation of

Telangana state, he asked. He saidthat they are maintaining silenceeven though the high com-mand made a wrong decision.

“We fought for Telangana, butthe high command gave keyposts to leaders who came fromthe TDP. What about people likeus continuing in the party for thelast 30 years? The high com-mand must give key posts to realCongress leaders and only thenthe party can survive inTelangana,” he said.Komatireddysaid that the high command,which took a decision on theTPCC chief ’s post, had enacteda drama later by taking theopinions of state leaders.“Whatis the need to give the TPCCChief ’s post to Revanth Reddy?Is it correct for the high com-mand to take the decision aftertaking opinion from XYZ? I haveno grudge against Revanth.

‘Jagdish Reddy must reveal his assets before and after 2014’

PNS n HYDERABAD

Agriculture Minister SingireddyNiranjan Reddy, during thedebate on the budget in theLegislative Assembly, on Fridaysaid that the Government ofIndia should take steps to estab-lish crop colonies across thecountry. 'All political partiesshould make this demand onbehalf of the farmers,' he said.He said The Central leadershiplacked proper vision and it isdamaging the image of thecountry. 'Which crops shouldbe grown in which area? TheCentre must decide how muchis needed,' he said. The UNOannounced that TelanganaRythu Bandhu and Rythu Bimaschemes were among theworld's greatest achievements.

Minister forestablishing‘crop colonies’

PNS n HYDERABAD

Income Tax officials havereportedly been conductingraids for the last two days onGVPR Engineers Limited atJubilee Hills.

According to sources, theIncome Tax officials hadreceived complaints of funds.

IT raids onengineering firm

‘Delay in landacquisition hitsPRLIS progress’PNS nNAGARKURNOOL

The delay in execution ofPalamuru-Rangareddy LiftIrrigation Project is due todelay in land acquisition,according to ExecutiveEngineer B Koteswar Rao.

In reply to a question, theExecutive Engineer said 400more acres are yet to beacquired for the project. Hedid not agree with the criti-cism that the quality ofembankment was poor. Theembankment works had notyet been completed. It wouldbe raised by a metre, he said.The contractor is tasked tomaintain the bund for fiveyears, he said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The day is not far when thecorrupt, dynastic rule of TRSled by Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao will bethrown out of power, BJPleader Bandi Sanjay Kumarsaid here on Friday.

"The BJP will not rest till itburies the Kalvakuntla family'srule in Telangana and estab-lishes a democratic Telangana.And that day is not far off,"Sanjay said while speaking ata felicitation function at thestate BJP headquarters on theoccasion of the completion ofhis two-year stint as the stateBJP chief.

Calling upon the people ofTelangana to support the BJP'sstruggle, Sanjay assured thatafter coming to power, the BJPwould provide quality educa-tion and free healthcare topeople.

Expressing gratitude toPrime Minister Modi, HomeMinister Amit Shah, BJPPresident JP Nadda andGeneral Secretary Santoshjifor reposing faith in him andentrusting the responsibility ofleading Telangana BJP, Sanjay

said he was proud to be in theBJP which is racing ahead.

Coming down heavily onChief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao, the BJPstate president said that peo-ple were fed up with KCR'srule as he was resorting togimmicks and not fulfilling thepromises he had made beforeelections.

"We stood by the peoplewho were in despair and wefought the TRS governmentfor not fulfilling its promises.In the last two years, we havetaken up programmes forfarmers, women, governmentemployees and the unem-

ployed. We have succeeded intaking Central schemes to thepeople. Many of us went to jailcarrying forward our mis-sion," Sanjay said.

The BJP leader saluted thethousands of BJP workers whohad been waging a relentlessstruggle braving imprison-ment, false cases and batoncharges in their fight againstthe government.

Sanjay said the BJP hadbeen fighting for a democrat-ic Telangana and to fulfil peo-ple's dreams.

"We are close to power. Weare able to win any electionthat we fight, regardless of the

money power and conspiraciesof the TRS. The people arewith us and they want a dou-ble-engine government inTelangana," he said.

He lashed out at KCR fortrying to malign the Centralgovernment and the BJP byexploiting the Telanganaregional sentiment, realisingthat the BJP is going to formthe next government in thestate.

"It only shows that thedownfall of the TRS hasreached its peak. That is whythe TRS is hiring electionstrategy agencies," he said.

Stating that the people arewith the BJP, Sanjayannounced that he will becommencing the second phaseof his padayatra, named 'PrajaSangrama Yatra,' from April14.

"We shall bury Kalvakuntlarule. We shall achieve a demo-cratic Telangana. We are readyto fight Bengal-type politicsand Taliban-Razakar rule. Weshall make the saffron flag flut-ter and the lotus bloom forev-er. I thank each and every BJPworker and leader who stoodby me," he said.

Days of KCR's dynastic rulenumbered, declares Sanjay

PNS n HYDERABAD

Mu nu go d e M L AKomatireddy RajagopalReddy criticised RevanthReddy's appointment asTPCC chief on Friday andfioud fault with the partyhigh command.

Howe ve r, R e v ant hReddy and SangareddyMLA T Jagga sung unitysong. They held a meetingat CLP office. The meetinglasted for 20 minutes.

However, both leadersdid not reveal the detailsof the meeting officially.

The leaders, fearing cat-astrophic defeat for theparty in the next elec-tions in Telangana Satelike in Punjab, stressedthe need for unity in theparty.

A grand song for

unity in Congress

Gorati Venkanna, winner of the Sahitya Academy Award andnominated Member of Telangana Legislative Council received theaward in Delhi on Friday

PNS n HYDERABAD

Education Minister SabithaIndra Reddy said Englishmedium instruction would beintroduced as part of the ManaVooru-Mana Badi programmethat was launched by ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao on March 8.Under PhaseI, the programme would beimplemented in schools whichhave high student strength. Atotal of 9,123 schools with highstudent strength had beenidentified across the State, theMinister said.The governmentwill spend Rs 3, 497.62 croreunder Phase I for improvinginfrastructure and ensuringcomprehensive developmentof schools, she said, replying toTRS MLA Ravi ShankarSunke.The infrastructuredevelopment includes 12 dif-ferent components like toilets,drinking water supply, greenchalk boards, among otherfacilities, in the schools. Tomonitor the works being taken

up in the schools, a specialsoftware was introduced andofficials would be uploadingall the details of the works, theMinister said.

KITSW's 8 MechEngg studentsselected for jobsPNS n WARANGAL

Training and PlacementOff icer (TPO) andDepartment of MechanicalEngineering (ME), KakatiyaInstitute of Technology andScience, Warangal (KITSW)conducted campus place-ments through nation-widedrive by the MNC-JindalSteel Works (JSW) in a vir-tual mode, according toprincipal K Ashoka Reddy.

On the occasion, thePrincipal highlighted thatthere were six BTechmechanical engineeringfinal year students wereselected by the JSW with thepackage of 8 lakh perannum. Those selectedinclude A V SatyaRamanuja charyulu, J V SHithesh, E VamshidharReddy, G Sandeep, MKarthik Yadav and K Neeraj.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana State moved tothird rank in MaternalMortality Rate (MMR) afterKerala and Maharashtra.

According to the report,MMR in Telangana hasreduced to 56 and the MMRRate is 3.1% and the lifetimerisk is at 0.1%.

These findings were in thespecial bulletin released byMaternal Mortality in India bythe Registrar General of India.

"This is the visionary lead-ership of Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao.

Minister for Health THarish Rao congratulated toall the health workers for thisachievement. 'We will contin-ue to work on achieving mile-stones and making Telanganaa healthy state' tweeted HarishRao

Telangana in improvingmaternal healthcare services,

a special bulletin on MaternalMortality Rate (MMR) inIndia released by CensusCommissioner, Ministry ofHome Affairs, has rankedTelangana third after Keralaand Maharashtra for havinglowest number of maternaldeaths.

Telangana ranks 3rd inMaternal Mortality Rate

English as medium of instruction tobe introduced as part of MVMB

The government will

spend Rs 3, 497.62

crore under Phase I

for improving

infrastructure and

ensuring

comprehensive

development of

schools, she said,

replying to TRS MLA

Ravi Shankar Sunke.

nation 05HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | MARCH 12, 2022

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The Bombay High Court on Friday closed all arguments on the habeas corpus plea filedby NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik challenging his arrest by theEnforcement Directorate (ED), and said it will pronounce its order on March 15. Malik,

the minority development minister and NCP's chief spokesperson, was arrested by the EDon February 23 in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangsterDawood Ibrahim and his aides. Theminister was initially sent to the ED'scustody and subsequently remanded injudicial custody. A bench of Justices PB Varale and S M Modak reserved itsorder following extensive arguments byboth the parties that lasted over threedays, and said that the order will bepronounced on Tuesday (March 15).Malik's counsel, senior advocate AmitDesai, had earlier told the high courtthat the minister's arrest and thesubsequent remands were illegal.

HC to pronounce order on NawabMalik's habeas corpus plea on Mar 15

Keeping in view the improvement of the coronavirus situation across Odisha, thestate government on Friday announced to conduct the annual Matriculation (class10) Examination-2022 from April 29 to May 6 in offline mode. This was

announced by Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra through a video message where he saidthat the Matric Summative Assessment-II will be held on offline mode. Stating that it ismandatory for all students to appearin the examination, the chief secretarysaid that the evaluation of the Boardof Secondary Examination will bedone by three methods. As many as6.5 lakh students are expected toappear in the annual examination. Ithas been decided that students willappear in the SummativeAssessment-II in their own respectiveschools while teachers from otherschools will be engaged asinvigilators, the official said.

Odisha to conduct annual class 10board examination in offline mode

Justice Vipin Sanghi, the senior-most judge of the Delhi High Court, was on Fridayappointed as its acting chief justice as incumbent Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patelretires on Saturday. A notification issued by the Department of Justice in the Law

Ministry said Justice Sanghi has been asked to perform the duties of the office of thechief justice of Delhi High Court with effect from March 13 consequent upon theretirement of Justice Patel. JusticePatel retires on Saturday on the eveof his 62nd birthday. He wasappointed as chief justice of theDelhi High Court on June 7, 2019.Justice Sanghi was appointed as anadditional judge of the Delhi HighCourt on May 29, 2006 and wasconfirmed as a permanent judge onFebruary 11, 2008. While SupremeCourt judges retire at the age of 65years, the retirement age for highcourt judges is 62.

Justice Vipin Sanghi named ActingChief Justice of Delhi HC

Gujarat: Modi holds roadshow afterBJP victory in Assembly elections

BJP will return to power in Maha in2024 with full majority: FadnavisPNS n MUMBAI

Senior BJP leader DevendraFadnavis on Friday expressedconfidence that his party willreturn to the helm inMaharashtra with full major-ity after the 2024 assemblypolls as the state is "destined tosee change of power".

On the assembly poll resultsin four states - Uttar Pradesh,Uttarakhand, Manipur andGoa - where the BJP retainedpower, Fadnavis said "Modimagic" turned the much-hyped anti-incumbency intopro-incumbency.

The former Maharashtrachief minister, who was BJP'selection in-charge for Goa,was speaking to reporters atthe Vidhan Bhavan, state's leg-islature complex here, on hisreturn to Maharashtra.

"Maharashtra is now des-tined to see change of power.BJP will form its own govern-ment with full majority in2024," he said. The Shiv Sena,which was one of the oldestallies of the BJP, had forged an

unlikely alliance with the NCPand the Congress after the2019 Maharashtra polls toform the Maha Vikas Aghadi(MVA) government, after part-ing ways with the BJP over theissue of sharing the chief min-ister's post.

"The results in four stateshave once again proven thatPrime Minister NarendraModi is the only leader in thecountry. Uttar Pradesh has apopulation of 25 crore and inthe last 37 years, for the first

time, a party has retainedpower in the state... Modimagic turned the much hypedanti-incumbency into pro-incumbency," he said.

When asked about the BJP'snext goal, Fadnavis said,"Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) is the tar-get for us now. We want to res-cue the civic body from theclutches of corruption."

The Mumbai civic body iscurrently ruled by the ShivSena.

PNS n Ahmedabad

Prime Minister NarendraModi held a roadshow here onFriday, a day after the BJPstormed back to power inUttar Pradesh, and alsoretained Uttarakhand,Manipur and Goa.

Sporting a saffron cap, Modiwaved to people standing onboth sides of the road as hisopen car, decorated with flo-ral garlands, traversed the 10km distance from the airportto Kamalam, the state BJPheadquarters.

Gujarat Chief MinisterBhupendra Patel and stateBJP president C R Paatilflanked Modi as the vehiclepassed cheering crowds. Modiflashed the “V for victory” signas his supporters shouted slo-gans hailing him as a globalleader.

Many BJP workers joinedthe roadshow wearing saffron

turbans. Artistes performedclassical and traditional danceson stages erected on the roadside. Many posters dotted theroadshow route. There wasone congratulating Modi forOperation Ganga, underwhich Indian students strand-

ed in Ukraine were broughtback to the country. Peoplechanted slogans of “Modi,Modi” along the route whenthe PM's vehicle passed by.

The roadshow was seen asModi starting his campaign forthe Gujarat Assembly elections

scheduled in December.“In Gujarat, only BJP will

win. There is no scope forCongress or AAP here as thisis the home state of Modi,” aBJP worker said.

A woman BJP worker con-gratulated Modi for safely

bringing back Indian studentsfrom Ukraine. “A son of India(Modi) safely brought backthousands of sons and daugh-ters of the country from war-zone. He has come back toGujarat and we are happy towelcome him here,” she said.

Some students whoreturned from Ukraine werealso part of the crowd andhailed Modi and the Centralgovernment for their efforts tobring back the students.

Screens were put up on theroute to enable people towatch the roadshow progress.

“We are sure that BJP willemerge victorious in Gujaratalso when the elections takeplace in December,” formerchief minister Vijay Rupanisaid.

After reaching Kamalam,Modi held meetings with stateBJP leaders on the strategy forGujarat Assembly elections, aparty functionary said.

"The results in fourstates have onceagain proven thatPM Modi is the onlyleader in thecountry. UP has apopulation of 25crore and in the last37 years, for the firsttime, a party hasretained power inthe state,’’ he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Home Minister AmitShah Friday asked all states touse the data collated by theNational Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) for preparing theirannual crime control strategy. Healso said the NCRB data shouldhelp reduce the crime rate in thecountry by 20 per cent in nextfive years if it is made availableto the right people at the righttime, is kept in proper formatand if a system is adopted for itsproper analysis and manage-ment.

"The NCRB data should beused by all states for preparingtheir annual strategy for crimecontrol. It should be used in amulti-dimensional and multi-purpose way in crime control,"

he said, addressing the 37thfoundation day of the NCRBhere. The home minister saidanalysis of the NCRB datashould be made in all states, atDGP headquarters, district SPoffices, police stations. The data

should not be limited only to theIPS officers. Unless, the NCRBdata reach the police stationlevel, it is not going to help any-one, he said. "Only data can haveno results. There should beawareness about the data, analy-

sis of the data and its utilisation.The NCRB director should havemeetings with DGPs of all states,analyse the data and work onhow to implement them (theresult of the analysis). Thenonly there will be 100 per centusefulness of the data," he said.Shah, however, said the NCRBdata is classified only undervarious sections of the IndianPenal Code and not on the basisof social issues.

“Apart from looking throughthe IPC sections, there should besocial angles too. Why crimesincreased in draught hit areas orwhy many farmers engaged in dis-putes, leading to injuries and evendeaths in some cases. "If we see thedata only thro ugh the lens of IPCsections, there can be no solutionsto the problems of crimes. There

should be proper analysis of thedata patterns by the NCRB andBPR&D (Bureau of PoliceResearch and Development) sothat these analysis can be utilisedby the states by intervening onsocietal issues," he said. Shah saidit is very important to have allcrime data together, its properanalysis and dissemination tocontrol crimes. "A strategy canbe prepared when we have aproper analysis of the crimedata. A strategy can be madewhen we have a proper analysisof the challenges before us. Astrategy can be made when wehave proper data on theresources we have to fight thecrimes. A strategy can be madewhen we make a proper analy-sis of the gaps and it becomespart of the action," he said.

HM suggests proper analysis of NCRB data"The NCRB datashould be used by allstates for preparingtheir annual strategyfor crime control. Itshould be used in amulti-dimensional andmulti-purpose way incrime control," hesaid, addressing the37th foundation day ofthe NCRB here.

Goa: Cong, MGP's vote shareslumps; slight rise for BJP, AAPPNS n PANAJI

The vote share of the Congress,which won 11 assembly seats inGoa this time, plunged by near-ly five per cent as compared towhat it was in the previous elec-tion, while the BJP, whichretained power in the coastalstate, saw a marginal rise in it,the data shared by the ElectionCommission shows.

The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP), witnessed a slightincrease in its vote share in thestate, while the Maharasht rawa-di Gomantak Party (MGP), aregional party that declaredsupport to the BJP to form thenext government in the state

after the results, saw its voteshare dip by over three per cent.As per the data, the Cong ress'svote share slipped down from28.4 per cent in 2017 to 23.5 percent, but for the BJP, it went up

from 32.5 per cent to 33.3 percent. As per the poll results declared on Thursday, the BJP,which had fielded candidatesfrom all 40 assembly constituen-cies in Goa, won 20 seats.

27% winners in Uttarakhand facing criminal casesPNS n NEW DELHI

As much as 27 per cent of the70 candidates who have wonthe Uttarakhand assembly pollshave declared criminal casesagainst themselves, accordingto poll reforms advocacy groupAssociation for DemocraticReforms (ADR).

The ADR said theUttarakhand Election Watchand Association forDemocratic Reforms (ADR)have analysed the self-swornaffidavits of all the 70 winning

candidates. “Out of the 70winning candidates analysed in2022, 19 (27%) winning candi-dates have declared criminal

cases against themselves. Outof 70 MLAs analysed duringthe Uttarakhand Assemblyelections in 2017, 22 (31%)

MLAs had declared criminalcases against themselves,” theADR said. The poll reformsadvocacy group further saidthat 10 (14 per cent) winningcandidates have declared seri-ous criminal cases againstthemselves. The ADR saideight (17 per cent) out of the 47winning candidates from BJP,eight (42%) of the 19 winningcandidates from Congress, one(50 per cent) of the two win-ning candidates from the BSPand two (100 per cent)Independent winning candi-

dates have declared criminalcases against themselves intheir affidavits.

About five (11 per cent) outof the 47 winning BJP candi-dates, four (21 per cent) out ofthe 19 winning Congress can-didates and one (50 per cent)out of two Independent winnerhave declared serious criminalcases against themselves intheir affidavits, it said.

Out of the 70 winning can-didates analysed, 58 (83%) arecrorepatis. This number was 51(73%) in 2017.

PNS n LUCKNOW

Mayawati on Friday blamedthe “casteist media” for drivingaway Muslims from herBahujan Samaj Party and saidthe fear of a 'jungle raj' if theSamajwadi Party came topower made its other support-ers shift to the BJP.

Plummeting to its lowestever tally of winning only oneseat in the current UttarPradesh Assembly polls,Mayawati said it was themedia's aggressive propagan-da showing the BSP as the "Bteam of the BJP" that droveaway Muslims and anti-BJPvoters from it.

"This decision by theMuslims harmed the BSPbecause the party's supportersamong the upper castes, back-

wards and other communitieswere made to fear that the 'jun-gle raj' will return to UP againif the SP is elected to power.That is why these communitieswent to the BJP,” Mayawatisaid. “Lies like the BSP contest-ing elections not as strongly as

the SP were also spread. Thiswas widely publicized, whilethe truth is contrary becausethe BSP's fight with the BJP ispolitical as well as ideological,”she added, adding this alsotook away the anti-BJP Hinduvotes, too, from her party.

Mayawati says her supporters, fearing

‘jungle raj' if SP returned, voted for BJP

UP polls: MLA who did sit-ups,gave body massage winsPNS n LUCKNOW

A BJP MLA, who was seendoing sit-ups and giving amassage to a voter during theUttar Pradesh Assembly pollcampaigns, has retained hisseat, official results showed.

Bhupesh Chaubey fromRobertsganj constituency inSonbhadra district secured84,496 (or 40.29 per cent) ofthe total votes counted, defeat-ing his nearest rival, AvinashKushwaha of the SamajwadiParty (SP) by over 5,600 votes,according to the ElectionCommission website.

Kushwaha got 78,875 (or37.61 per cent) of the total 2.09lakh votes that were countedon the seat, according to theElection Commission. A totalof 10 candidates were in thefray for the Assembly pollfrom Robertsganj, including

Chaubey, who had won theconstituency election in 2017to become a first-time MLA.

The 47-year-old BJP MLAhad hogged the limelight dur-ing poll campaigns after hewas seen doing sit-ups holdinghis ears from the stage of anelection rally, in a bid to seek“forgiveness” of the voters ofhis constituency.

A few days later, while on adoor-to-door campaign, hewas seen giving a massage toan elderly voter, who wasapparently having a pain in hislegs and lower back. Chaubeyhad met him and applied oint-ment on his body.

While videos of both theevents went viral on televisionand social media, he alsobecame the butt of a joke witheven SP chief Akhilesh Yadavtaking a dig at the BJP in hisrallies over Chaubey's acts.

Covid: 9 newcases in Ladakh

PNS n LEH

Ladakh reported nine freshCovid cases that took theinfection tally to 28,153, offi-cials said on Friday. Thenumber of active cases standsat 75 -- 73 in Leh and two inKargil -- they said. The UnionTerritory has recorded 228Covid-related deaths -- 168 inLeh and 60 in Kargil, theysaid, adding that no fatalitywas reported on Thursday. Asmany as 22 patients werecured and discharged fromhospitals in Leh, taking theoverall recoveries in theUnion Territory to 27,850,officials said.

PNS n CHANDIGARH

Punjab Chief MinisterCharanjit Singh Channi onFriday submitted his resigna-tion to Governor BanwarilalPurohit following his party'sdrubbing in the assemblypolls.

The Channi-led cabinet,which met for the last time,recommended dissolution ofthe assembly, paving the wayfor the constitution of a newAam Aadmi Party-led legisla-ture.

“I have tendered my resig-nation to the governor,”Channi, who went to the RajBhawan to hand over his res-ignation letter to the governor,told reporters a day after theresults. The Congress wasrouted in the polls with AAPtaking 92 seats in the 117-member assembly, leaving itwith only 18 seats. The AAPsweep decimated the SAD-

BSP combine as well. Whilethe Shiromani Akali Dal gotthree seats, the BJP got twoand the BSP just one. Severalstalwarts, including Channi,Parkash Singh Badal andAmarinder Singh, were defeat-ed. Channi lost both the seatshe contested from. He wasdefeated by the AAP's LabhSingh Ugoke with a margin of37,558 votes from Bhadaur. Healso lost from ChamkaurSahib, where he was defeatedby the AAP's Charanjit Singhby a margin of 7,942 votes.

Punjab CM Channi submitsresignation to Governor

Errant Delhi Police personnel to pay double penaltyPNS n NEW DELHI

Delhi Police personnel who flouttraffic norms in the capital willhave to shell out double thepenalty, according to an officialorder. Additional Commissionerof Police (Traffic) Ajay KrishanSharma, in the order issued onMarch 2, said it has been observedthat some police personnel don'twear seat belt either while drivingthe government vehicle or occu-pying the front seat beside the dri-

ver. "All the police personnel besensitized towards this issue andbriefed that as per the amendedMotor Vehicle Act, there is pro-vision of double penalty for thetraffic violation committed by thepolice personnel. "Hence, all theofficers/men posted under yourcommand should be sensitizedand directed to adhere the trafficrules and regulations strictly toavoid penalty as well as embar-rassment to the department," theorder said. It also directed Traffic

Inspectors (TIs) to brief all pros-ecuting officers that the violatorsshould be dealt with according tothe provisions of MV Act andother relevant laws irrespective oftheir class and category. "If anypolice personnel either in uniformor driving government vehicle isfound violating traffic norms, heshould be prosecuted underappropriate provisions of the lawand provisions made under sec-tion 210B of the MV Act," theorder stated.

communities, but they shouldbe the leader ‘of ’ and ‘for’ allcommunities. The existingtrend is detrimental to thesurvival of a healthy democ-racy because politicians thinkonly for the next election,whereas statesmen think forthe next generation. Thus,there is an urgent need todemocratise the prevailingpractices of democracy.

The initiatives made bythe people of Mizoram, a tinyState in the North-east sand-wiched between Myanmarand Bangladesh, in this con-text are exemplary, laudableand of far-reaching conse-quences. The Mizo is a close-knit, casteless tribal societyhaving immense fellow-feelingand cooperation. Let us notwonder as to how a small Statewith nearly 14 lakh populationcan offer a solution to thiscause since our civilisationaldiscourse teaches us ‘Let wis-dom come from anywhere’. Infact, Mizoram was the firstState in the country to practicean even-and-odd number cabsystem in the 1990s, whichwas copied by the DelhiGovernment much later.

Worried about theunhealthy and corrupt prac-tices prevailing in the politicallandscape of the State duringelectioneering, the churches ofMizoram and NGOs, namelythe Young Mizo Association(YMA), Mizo HmeichhiaInsuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP,

an association of women) andMizo Upa Pawl (MUP, anassociation of senior citizens)entered into a dialogue in2005 and, after several roundsof threadbare discussions,resolved to reform and makeit more democratic. It gavebirth to the Mizoram People’sForum (MPF) in 2006 forconceptualising and imple-menting public-driven elec-toral reforms. The key featuresof these reforms are that theMPF members accompanycandidates and party workersdoor to door to prevent thepurchase of votes and distrib-ution of largesse. Only about4-10 people are allowed dur-ing the door-to-door cam-paign, and candidates andparties are not allowed toorganise feasts during electionsto lure voters. The MPF pro-vides a common platform in alllocalities to all candidates forsharing their manifesto, andthe local public listens to themand can even question themduring open sessions.Volunteers of the MPF fixposters and flexes of the can-didates and parties, about fourbig ones and 20 small ones, ineach locality to avoid excessiveuse of election material.

The MPF volunteers, andnot party workers, help votersto locate their rolls in the voterlist to avoid campaigns in theneighbourhood of pollingbooths and to ensure peace-ful elections by avoiding alter-

cations. The MPF volunteerstake rounds of the localities,especially at night duringelections, to ensure that can-didates and parties strictlyadhere to these norms. Thenames of candidates andpolitical parties found want-ing in respect of these normsare made public through thecommon announcement sys-tem owned by the YMA witha view to defaming them anddamaging their electoralprospects. Even written com-plaints are launched with theState Election Commissionagainst the defaulters.

These measures keep a tabon the expenditure and keepelections within the reach ofcommon man. This systemhas been religiously practisedsince 2006 during all parlia-mentary, Assembly and localbody elections. Kudos to MPFvolunteers for extending self-less service to strengthendemocratic practices in theState. Can this experiment bereplicated, scaled up andstrengthened by NGOs andsocial organisations in otherparts of the country for prac-tising healthy democraticnorms? After all, democracyis an organic system that canonly evolve and prosper byreinventing it time and again.

(The author is the Vice-Chancellor of the CentralUniversity of Punjab,Bathinda. The views expressedare personal.)

OPPN MUST RISE TO THE OCCASIONSir — Abraham Lincoln said that democ-racy means ‘Government of the people,by the people and for the people’. ThePunjab poll results proved this concepttrue when the AAP got a thumpingmajority. India is the biggest democra-cy and the US is the oldest, and there isno need for an Election Commission inthe US as people follow self- discipline.Moreover, the ingredients of a matureddemocracy include no place for caste,creed, religion, favouritism, nepotism,corruption, and so on. Here nationalissues such as employment, inflation,health care and education take the cen-tre-stage.

In Punjab and UP, the margins of vic-tory are substantial and both theGovernments can easily implement theirpolicies, which is a happy development ina democratic country. The results, how-ever, are cause of concern for the SP inUttar Pradesh and Akali Dal in Punjab.Finally, the common man is getting torealise the importance of his/her vote.These elections will have a direct impacton the parliamentary elections in 2024.It is in the interest of Opposition partiesto frame a strategy for putting up a toughfight against the BJP so that there is noTINA (there is no alternative) factor then.

Yash Pal Ralhan | Jalandhar

MOST INDIAN STUDENTS SAFELY BACKSir — Thousands of Indian students, whowere stuck in Ukrainian cities followingthe Russian invasion there, have safelyreturned home. By March 8, almost allstranded Indians had been evacuatedfrom Ukraine. The last batch of theIndians stuck in Ukraine, from Sumy, hasalso been evacuated to safety in neigh-bouring Poland, Romania and Hungary.The return was made possible by thetimely support of the Russian andUkrainian Governments and we, as anation, are thankful to them. Morethan 18,000 Indians have been broughtback by special flights as of March 9.

The number of Indians airlifted by75 special flights totalled 15,521 whilewide-bodied IAF jets flew 12 missions

to bring back 2,467 passengers. TwoIndians, Naveen from Karnataka andChandran Jindal of Punjab, died in thecourse of the war. While Naveen was avictim of the shelling by the Russianmilitary, Jindal died due to physicalstrain after suffering a stroke. Now,however, the student returnees stare atan uncertain future regarding theircareer in India as the majority of themcannot afford the education fee whichruns into more than `1 crore comparedto the few lakhs in Ukraine.

Bhagwan Thadani | Mumbai

NATO MUST SAVE RUSSIA’S NEIGHBOURSSir —After the dissolution of the erst-while Soviet Union, 15 new independentnations emerged after 1990. One of themwas Ukraine. All these 15 countries werenever traditionally part of Soviet Russia.Rather, after the Russian Revolutionbetween 1920 and 1945, they wereforcibly annexed to the Union’s territo-ry. That is, these countries were neverRussian by heart. The result was that as

soon as even a small wave of opennessstarted flowing across Russia, the so-called ‘perestroika’ and ‘glasnost’ policiesbecame immensely popular underMikhail Gorbachev. These 15 provincesthus became independent.

President Putin wants to see themback into the Russian fold; that is whyUkraine has been made the first target.If it succeeds, the next target will beMoldova. But Russia can never attackthree of these countries: Estonia, Latviaand Lithuania because all three took Natomembership in 2004 itself. Therefore,Nato should without delay grant thegroup’s membership to the rest of thecountries, except Belarus, so that theycan be saved from the evil eyes of Russiaand their freedom and democracy canbe protected. If that does not happen, thedictatorial Putin will take over all of themone by one.

Jang Bahadur Singh | Jamshedpur

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Distinct from the poll malpractices seen elsewhere in the country, this tinyState is a shining example of electoral reforms for others to emulate

THE KEY FEATURESOF THESE REFORMS

ARE THAT THE MPF MEMBERS

ACCOMPANY PARTYWORKERS AND

CANDIDATES DOORTO DOOR TO

PREVENT THEPURCHASE OFVOTES. ONLY

ABOUT 4-10 PEOPLEARE ALLOWED

DURING THE DOOR-TO-DOOR

CAMPAIGN

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

RAGHAVENDRA P TIWARI

Trinamool Congress chief MamataBanerjee has averred that the BJP existsat the Centre because there is no alter-

native to it. She has even said the TMC isthe only alternative to BJP, and the UPA nolonger exists. But TMC’s presence is limit-ed only to West Bengal, though her state-ment about the non-existent UPA is closerto the truth. Going by her “no alternative”logic, the same applies to States where non-BJP Governments are in power. The samelogic also applies when a non-BJP

Government exists at the Centre. Mamatais under the illusion that she has won thewhole of India by staging a comeback topower consecutively for three terms.

Disintegration of the Janata Partygave rise to the birth of regional parties.Barring the BJP, all other constituents of theerstwhile Janata Party still remain region-al parties. The regional parties lack nation-al interest as their paramount concernshover round their States. Ahead of the LokSabha elections, all regional parties comeunder one umbrella and try to cobble up amajority to form the Government. If theyfail in their endeavour, they go back to theirStates. But the BJP has evolved a nation-al stature as it has pursued both nationaland State interests. The Congress is virtu-ally facing extinction. If Mamata thinks thatthe TMC is an alternative to BJP, she is living an illusion.

KV Seetharamaiah | Bengaluru

TMC an alternative to BJP?

The Mizoram way tobettering democracy

Perhaps the most influen-tial statement aboutdemocracy in moderntimes was made by for-

mer US President AbrahamLincoln on November 19, 1863,when he said democracy is a‘Government of the people, by thepeople and for the people’. Arobust, zero-error, all-encom-passing electoral mechanism ismandatory for electing aGovernment competent andcommitted to practising this veryessence of democracy in a truesense. Lincoln’s statement alsoimplies that any citizen from anysocio-economic spectrum, “hav-ing skills and mindset”, has theright to become a public repre-sentative. Unfortunately, this isunthinkable today. In fact, theexisting political ecosystemdemotivates and eventuallydebars a common man frombecoming people’s representa-tive. Two contributing factors tothis situation that retrogradedemocracy are the soaring cost ofelections and the yardsticks usedfor candidate selection.

These days, it is beyond thereach of common man to thinkof contesting even panchayat ormunicipal elections on ever-soaring cost considerations.Additionally, the selection ofcandidates is purely on the basisof caste and community consid-erations which demean anddevalue the essence of democra-cy. A very dangerous trend hasemerged where only a leaderfrom a particular community isbelieved to articulate and repre-sent the aspirations of that com-munity and is perceived bona fideto become the leader of thatcommunity. In contrast, democ-racy demands, especially in adiverse demographic setup likeours, that any sincere personskilled enough to represent peo-ple from across communities andfaiths can become their leader.The current situation, instead ofaggregating, is polarising com-munities and is contrary to thecivilisation traits of an enlight-ened society. Moreover, suchpractices create caste- and com-munity-based leadership (politi-cians) rather than statesmen.

Of course, democracy shouldfacilitate leadership from all

The AAP’s broom has swept the Punjab Assembly election and registered a mod-est performance in Goa. It already is the ruling party in Delhi. But a lot more impor-tant than what it has achieved is what it aspires for — it’s solidly on course to hav-

ing a much wider national footprint. This year alone, the hitherto fledgling party has plansto test electoral waters in six States — Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat,Uttarakhand and Punjab. The Punjab super-victory, especially, is super-sweet for the partyas it proved to be a giant killer and felled stalwarts like former Chief Ministers Parkash

Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh, sitting CMCharanjit Singh Channi and Punjab PCC president NavjotSingh Sidhu along the way. The Punjab win has broughtit on a par with the Congress in terms of leading StateGovernments. The Congress is now left in power onlyin Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh on its own and is a juniorplayer in the coalition Governments in Maharashtra andJharkhand. The Congress’ existential crisis has deep-ened since the AAP is emerging as a viable option forthe Opposition camp and is on the cusp of being recog-nised as a national party.

However, Arvind Kejriwal must remember that withgreat power comes great responsibility. The Punjab result has shown that people are look-ing for a change and for an Opposition party which can talk on governance issues, whichmeans that the AAP’s star is on course to touch its zenith. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elec-tions, it won four seats — all in Punjab. In 2019, it could bag just one, again in Punjab.But just see the spread of its influence just three years later — 92 seats in the 117-mem-ber House. So far, Kejriwal’s main grouse has been that Delhi is the National Capital Territoryand not a full State, which means that it lacks control over police, public order and landin the city. With Punjab in its kitty as a full-fledged State, this argument will not standanymore. Another peculiar challenge any Government in Punjab faces is that it is a bor-der State and, therefore, has a distinctive set of problems. However, it’s making the rightnoises so far. Chief Minister-elect Bhagwant Mann said in his victory speech that he wouldtake oath in the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh instead of the Raj Bhavan,and that Government offices would no longer house pictures of the Chief Minister.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, fighting to save Ukraine’s sovereignty with his back to the wallagainst the Russian invasion, has realised a fundamental truth. The United Statesmay have only hastened President Vladimir Putin’s attack by its unceasing provo-

cation and followed it up with economic and social sanctions against Russia, but theNato leadership that it influences is unwilling to allow entry to Ukraine. Zelenskiy did nothide his disappointment: “I have cooled down regarding this question a long time agoafter we understood that ... Nato isn’t prepared to accept Ukraine. The alliance is afraidof controversial things, and confrontation with Russia.” That more or less puts paid tohis dreams of being the most eastern representative of the military organisation. He hasanother disappointment in store for him. The European Union, too, is not exactly excit-ed to fast-track membership for Ukraine. He is, thus, cut from any short-term relief interms of formally associating his country with either of the two groupings. The mini-mum he can now expect from Fortress Europe is subsidised arms and food and care-fully monitored entry of Ukrainian refugees. Zelenskiy should now watch how Nato assuagesestablished European countries like Sweden and Finland which, worked up over blatant

Russian aggression, are indicating they want to joinNato. Finland has bad memories of the erstwhile SovietUnion. It has an 800-mile border with Russia that makesit always worry about its sovereignty. Immediately afterthe Russian invasion, they dropped their longstandingmilitary neutrality by extending military aid to Ukraine.

They, like Ukraine, are among Nato’s EnhancedOpportunity Partners — the next best thing to beingmembers. While Ukraine is cold-shouldered by Europefor shallow action to fight corruption, Finland andSweden are considered sophisticated economies withstable political systems. How Nato deals with the three

admission requests will determine how effective, or partial, Europe is in countering pres-sure from Russia. A double whammy for Zelenskiy is western European leaders reject-ing Ukraine’s appeal to fast-track its European Union membership. The EU says in onevoice that it has sympathy for Ukraine but that in the face of opposition from France,Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, it cannot process the membership right away. Estonia,Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland impressed upon the EU in Ukraine’s favour, butin vain. Though EU is sitting on the application since 2008, it now argues that it can-not “open an accession procedure with a country at war”. They worry that Ukraine,with its alleged corruption and precarious economic situation, if admitted to EU, mayfollow Poland and Hungary, which are charged with being democracy-deficit, or Bulgariaand Romania, accused of lingering corruption. The EU, which fast-tracked member-ships of Bulgaria and Romania earlier, does not want to be hasty again. That is why ithas also kept pending applications of six Balkan states — Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia. Of course, in Ukraine’s case,Russia’s unpredictability is the real reason.

Double trouble

On firm footingSo far, so good. But the AAP must now workharder and be ready for greater responsibility

PICTALK

Girls indulge in some Holi spirit outside a college, in Agra PTI

Nato and the EU are not overly excited about granting membership to Ukraine

Our Governmentwill complete theprocess of delimitation ofwards.

Maharashtra Minister— Chhagan Bhujbal

Nothing’s final

yet…but I hope

either Deepika

Padukone or Alia

Bhatt portray me

in my biopic.

Olympic medallist

— Mirabai Chanu

SOUNDBITE

The leadership

President

Zelenskiy has

shown is

remarkable…

incredibly brave

Ukrainian people.

US Secretary of State

— Antony Blinken

This Budgetstands for continuity, to provide a tax predictableregime.

Finance Minister— Nirmala Sitharaman

After seven years

of war, people

in Yemen need

protection and

peace.

Actor— Angelina Jolie

tions, the voters were silent andless votes were also polled. In thefourth assembly election the votepercentage was 65.56 and in fifthelection it came down to 62.5. Thevoting percentage of women was68.72 but in fifth assembly electionit came down slightly to 67.2. Formen it was 61.11 per cent in 2017and in 2022 it increased to 62.6 percent. But it is also clear that thewomen voted in large number forBJP in the hills as most of the seatswent to the BJP. The win of BJP’sShaila Rani Rawat from Kedarnathwas also exceptional as she wonthis seat despite several odds.Most of the candidates of BJP inhills and plain areas could retaintheir seats second time due toModi magic. In Dehradun andPauri district BJP won all theassembly seats.

Contrary to the exit poll pre-dictions that it would be a tiebetween BJP and Congress andthe independents will have a rolein government- making, the moodof the voters proved them wrong.The Congress candidate HarishRawat lost with a big margin ofvotes and this defeat has put anend not only to his political ambi-tions and career but also on thefuture of Congress. However, hisdaughter Anupama Rawat wonfrom Haridwar seat.

The voting trend in 2022 isindicative of the fact that thoughthe BJP won the majority votes italso lost almost nine seats whichshows annoyance of the voters

towards the individual candidates.The failure of the BJP to maintainstability despite the huge mandateof fifty-seven seats reflected thatthe political culture of inductionof mid-terms chief ministers(three chief ministers in a span offour and half years) has notchanged which was not appreciat-ed and its margin of victory camedown from fifty-seven seats toforty-eight seats. The internalstrife, unrest and struggle forpower in the BJP which allowedleaders like Dr. Harak SinghRawat, Yashpal Arya and others tojoin Congress was also not cher-ished by the voters. As these andothers leaders have been changingtheir loyalties very frequentlytherefore, the voters not onlyrejected some of them but alsotheir manipulative tactics. In thiselection BJP captured almost allthe seats in Garhwal Hills and onlylimited seats were won byCongress. UKD associated withUttarakhand’s creation since the1970s could not open its account,the BSP just got only one seat andNirdalayee which included rebelsfrom BJP also got 2 seats. TheYamunotri seat went to the BJPrebel. BJP leaders like ChandanRam Das registered a win fromBageshwar for the fourth time.The rebel leaders of BJP whojoined Congress could not retaintheir seats or the seats of theirwards like Anukirti Gusian, thedaughter-in-law of the rebel leaderDr. Harak Singh Rawat, lost from

Lansdown seat. This clearly indi-cated that there was no anti-incumbency and people not onlyliked Modi’s style of governancebut also voted for Modi.

It was also a mandate forpolitical stability, implementingdevelopmental promises and per-formance without any pressure.Though the problems of unem-ployment, basic facilities, migra-tion, unproductive agriculturestill exist but the developmentplans like Chardham road project,railway projects, development ofKedarnath Puri and vision forfuture of Uttarakhand’s develop-ment as a perfect hill state madeall the difference.

Though there is no denyingthat with a majority Government,people’s hopes for long cherisheddreams of holistic development ofhill areas have again revived butthe loss of election by PushkarSingh Dhami has also raised theissue of chief minister and pres-sure politics. The challenge is towork in a time bound manner toachieve Modi’s developmentalagenda. But the big question iswhether the new Governmentwould be able to changeUttarakhand’s work culture byworking compassionately for hillareas development? Would therebe any shift or policy preferencesfor hill areas. Without proactiveministers and bureaucracy thesilent majority which voted forModi for another five years mayturn the tables again.

Modi magic & silentvoters of U’khand

OUR DIFFERENCES OVER DISPUTED BOUNDARY

AND THE RECENT SETBACKS IN TIES SHOULD

NOT IMPACT OVERALL SINO-INDIAN RELATIONS.

—CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER

WANG YI

INDIA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA IS GOING

THROUGH A DIFFICULT PHASE AFTER BEIJING

VIOLATED CERTAIN BORDER AGREEMENTS.

— EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER

S JAISHANKAR

The voters were silent but they changed the political scenario by votingfor Narendra Modi’s developmental agenda

Throughout the recorded history of mankind there are several ref-erences to technological marvels and breakthroughs. They havecome in the form of building constructions, weapons of war-

fare and handling of water flows and other sectors. The evidencesare available from the Andesregion, rivervalleys such as Tigris/Euphratesor Indus/Ganga, Yangtze area in China and more. Be it the Inca civ-ilization, the Egyptian pyramids or Indian temples, there are many tech-nological marvels. Some of them are yet waiting to be fully decipheredand replicated. The unique thing about all these experiences isthat mostof them could not replicate themselves. There was no continuum, andit came to an abrupt break, illustratively, some of the features of thetemple architecture of peninsular India are still fully to be explained.How pyramids came up without any current evidence of cranes remains

a marvel. How these powerful intellectual traditions came to an endis not known. But come to an end they did. The unique feature of thepresent’industrial revolution’ is not only that it has a technological base,but that revolution is a continuing one and has gradually spread tomore areas. It is not only continuous and continuing but the spreadis widening and deepening. That is what makes the technological dimen-sion of this industrial revolution a unique one in human history. Havingsaid that, the current technological revolution needs to be understoodstill more thoroughly. It has often meant faster, diversified and con-stant upgradation. It has given rise to a whole new technological exper-tise. An expertise which is required not only at the operational endwhere more and more people are covered but at other levels also.The other levels includean almost continuous upgradation of technol-ogy. Of this the mobile phone is a good example. Ever sofrequentlythe technology reaches a new thre shold and the commands becomemore complex or simple. Whichever way one looks at it, they keepchanging. This simply means a technology is impacting every daylives on a continuous basis almost everywhere.

Its not possible to ignore this process because even in one of itsmanifestations, let us say digitalization - it has been adopted as a gov-ernance instrument almost universally. This leaves the technological-ly uneducated individual not just in the backwaters, but in wilderness.The person can attract clauses of legislation in areas wherethey maynot simply have the ability or opportunity to adopt or even upgrade.It may need access to resources, of purchasing aninstrument for whichhe may not even have the capacity. When daily living is itself a mat-ter of doubt because of deficiency of resources available at an indi-vidual level, what can be the hope of looking at technological litera-cy let alone technological upgradation? Concerns like the one out-lined above need to be flagged as important policy concerns whichneed to be built into the larger civil society debate. Excessive admi-ration and observation of technological compulsions may create divi-sions in the society which will ultimately need a response. However,it is much better to anticipate them. The above narrative amongst otherthing, intends to focus on an urgent need of policy realignment andrefocussing of the protocols of progress. This has become more evi-dent during the pandemic experience. There are several country casesfrom South Sudan to Singapore which needed to understood to ensurethat the evolutionary growth of the human race continues to be moreuniform and manageable. The way to do it would be by creating aholistic vision of a composite technological future.

(The writer is a management consultant. The views expressed are personal.)

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | MARCH 12, 2022

07

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FIRSTCOLUMNTOWARDS A COMPOSITE

TECH EVOLUTION

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

ANNPURNA NAUTIYAL

Technology impacts life anywhere and everywhere

THE VOTERSPROVED WRONG

EXIT POLLPREDICTIONS

THAT IT WOULDBE A TIE

BETWEEN THEBJP AND

CONGRESS.FORMER

CONGRESS CHIEFMINISTER

HARISH RAWATLOST BY A BIG

MARGIN OFVOTES AND THISDEFEAT HAS PUT

AN END NOTONLY TO HIS

POLITICALAMBITIONS AND

CAREER BUTALSO ON THE

FUTURE OFCONGRESS IN

THE STATE

(The writer is Vice-Chancellor, HNBGarhwal University,Srinagar, Garhwal,

Uttarakhand. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) has done a Delhiin Punjab. It swept the

Delhi Assembly elections in2015 winning 67 seats of the 70seats. Cut to 2022, it won morethan 90 of 117 seats in Punjab.In the process, it ended thetwo-party (SAD and Congress)dominance in the northernState by emerging as the thirdalternative. AAP convenor andDelhi CM Arvind Kejriwalannounced to go national,buoyed also by two seats with6.67 per cent vote share in Goa.It has made an entry intoGujarat and trying to get afoothold in Uttarakhand andUP. AAP’s big win in Punjab isalso an indication of India’schanging political landscape.

With Congress havingweakened significantly, it isthe regional parties like AAP,

TMC and DMK that are halt-ing the BJP juggernaut. Led byDelhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal, the 10-year-old partyis already bringing significantchange, and later this year, itwould be interesting to keep aneye on itsvote share in Gujarat,the home state of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi. Themain challenger for the BJP isnow AAP.

Promise of better publicservices, good quality schoolsand hospitals, which got theAAP two consecutive terms inDelhi, remained the consistentcampaign theme for Kejriwal’sparty in Punjab. Caught in amulti-cornered contest alongwith Congress and theShiromani Akali Dal, Kejriwalhad unveiled a 10-point‘Punjab Model’, drawn from itsmodel of governance in Delhi,

and assured the voters of cre-ating a new-age, prosperous,and forward-looking Punjab.

The emergence of AAP inPunjab is an indication that thepeople there are fed up withthe binary of the Akali Dal andCongress that has dominatedits politics for decades, ever

since the state was formed. Itwants to give the AAP a chanceto tackle its many woes. It doesnot want the elderly, do-noth-ing, Captain Amarinder Singhin another configuration. Itrejects the noisy, Pakistan/Khalistan-loving Navjot Sidhu,and the sudden emergence ofChristian-Sikh CharanjitSingh Channi. It would notcountenance the corruptBadals yet again.

The AAP victory hasbrought it closer to attain thecoveted status of a ‘nationalparty’. The criteria to becomea national party includes bag-ging at least 6 per cent of validvote share in any four or morestates in Lok Sabha or stateassembly elections. Kejriwal’sparty got 54 per cent voteshare in the last Delhi assem-bly elections. It currently has

42.01 per cent vote share inPunjab and 6.677 per cent voteshare in Goa. In Uttarakhand,AAP so far has 3.32 percentvote share and just 0.34 per centin Uttar Pradesh. It did notcontest in Manipur. Apart fromBJP and Congress, TrinamoolCongress, CPI(M), CPI,Bahujan Samaj Party andNationalist Congress Party arethe other ‘recognised’ politicalparties in India.

AAP has had a roller coast-er ride with a meteoric rise inthe 2014 parliamentary pollsbut nosedived in the 2017assembly elections. It won 20seats with a vote share of 23.7per cent in the last assemblyelections, but didn’t announcea chief ministerial candidate.The silence sparked specula-tions that Arvind Kejriwalwanted to become the Punjab

chief minister. However, thistime around, the party did notrepeat the mistake. It declaredits Sangrur MP, BhagwantSingh Mann, a popular Sikhface in the Malwa region, as itschief ministerial candidate.

AAP learned from its pre-vious mistakes in Punjab whenit was hesitant to put faith inlocal leaders. In 2016, itremoved its State presidentSucha Singh Chhotepur overcorruption allegations. Theparty’s attempt to remote-con-trol the state from New Delhifailed in 2017, where it wasrestricted to 20 MLAs in the117-State assembly. AAP hascome a long way since.

The party’s splendid per-formance is going to create rip-ples that could lead to realign-ments at the national level too.Political observers see it as an

endorsement of Kejriwal as aprospective national leaderagainst Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. The spectac-ular win in Punjab could makeKejriwal shift his focus toGujarat which is going forpolls later this year. AAP hasalready made considerablegains in the civic elections in Gandhi Nagar and Surat last year.

AAP, ruling in Delhi forthe past seven years, has comewith a model of governance(Delhi Model) that encom-passes its policies and pro-grammes including free powerand water supply, free bus trav-el for women and fighting cor-ruption. Political experts feelthat AAP will make its presencein some more states on freewater, free power and free bustravel in the coming elections.

The spectacular win in Punjab could make Arvind Kejriwal shift his focus to Gujarat, which is going to polls later this year

Punjab win catapults AAP to the national level

(The writer is a senior journalist with The Pioneer.

The views expressed are personal.)

RAJESH KUMAR

VINAYSHIL GAUTAM Elections in Uttarakhand havealways been a subject of intensedebate, speculation and surpris-es. The defeat of the chief minis-

ter’s face of the two national partiesPushkar Singh Dhami of BJP and HarishRawat of Congress is not only shockingbut also indicates that besides their overconfidence and working style there wasa general rejection of the voters.

If one compares this election with thefourth assembly election the differencewas that the fifth election was not foughtby BJP on any face but Prime MinisterNarendra Modi was the only face thatallowed a landslide victory which no exitpoll could predict.

The 2017 election was unusual in thehistory of Uttarakhand’s elections as tillthen BJP or Congress could hardly man-age to form the government without thesupport of other parties because theylacked majority votes. Moreover, beforethe fourth election the margin of winningand losing between BJP and Congressalways used to be less than 2 per centwhich drastically increased as the BJPwith a vote share of 46.5 per cent meanta clear-cut edge over Congress whosevote share remained 33.5 per cent only.

Interestingly, in 2012 when Congresssecured 33.79 per cent vote it could cap-ture only 32 seats and formed the govern-ment with the help of PDF. In 2007 BJPformed the Government with a vote shareof 29.59 per cent and Congress was leftbehind at 26.91 per cent. It clearly showsthat up to 2012 the difference of 2 to 3 percent allowed BJP or Congress to form thegovernment and this left scope for polit-ical bargains with independents or othersmaller regional parties. But the fourthelection put an end to this instability bygiving a huge margin of votes for BJP. Thevoters were silent but they changed thepolitical scenario by voting for Modi’sdevelopmental agenda highlightedthrough Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas.

This time BJP’s impressive win inUttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand clearlyindicates that Modi’s magic has not van-ished and it still has great appeal to peo-ple throughout India. Sabka Saath SabkaVikas and Sabka Viswas and Sankalp SaySiddhi Tak acted as a magic pill for thevoters. In UP and Uttarakhand histori-cally, the governments always changedevery five years due to anti-incumben-cy factor but in 2022 the repetition of theBJP Governments in both the states isunprecedented. It indicates that there wasno anti-incumbency but pro-incum-bency. In UP the magic of Modi and Yogiboth have lured the voters. However,despite this,Puskar Singh Dhami failedto bloom.. Besides, Dhami did not gettime to prove his worth as he wasinducted very recently as chief ministerand his time and energy was wasted morein appeasing the rebels rather than con-verting promises into actions.

In Uttarakhand’s fifth assembly elec-

HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | MARCH 12, 2022 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

The Securities AppellateTribunal (SAT) has disposed ofDish TV India Ltd's plea againsta Sebi order that directed thecompany to disclose the resultsof its annual general meeting(AGM) that was held onDecember 30, 2021.Sebi, in its order on Monday,

directed the satellite televisionbroadcaster to disclose resultsof the AGM within 24 hours.The regulator had also issued

show cause notices to the company and its directors.While Dish TVhad approached the SAT, it failed to get any relief within the shorttimeline. "We do not find any reason to stay the prima-facieobservations given by the WTM (whole-time member) in theimpugned order as these are only prima-facie observations and arenot findings," SAT said in its order passed on Wednesday."We,however, direct the appellants to file an appropriate reply on orbefore March 20, 2022, to the show cause notice. The WTM willthereafter decide the matter after giving an opportunity of hearing tothe appellants within four weeks thereafter. The appeal is disposedof," it added.The tribunal noted that Dish TV has already disclosedthe voting results of the AGM to both the stock exchanges -- BSEand NSE. Consequently, the challenge of this direction by thecompany in this appeal has become "infructuous".

SAT dismisses Dish TV's appealagainst Sebi order

Japan's top automakerToyota will scale backdomestic production

over the next three monthsbecause of a supply crunchin chips and other partsthat have slammed theglobal auto industry.Toyota Motor Corp. will cutback vehicle production inJapan by about 20per cent

in April, by 10per cent in May, and 5per cent in June, compared towhat was planned, spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto saidFriday.Under a “recovery plan,” Toyota had raised production targetsstarting in April to catch up on lost production caused by partsshortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.“Soproduction will still be at a high level,” said Hashimoto. “We willcontinue to do our best to deliver vehicles to our customers as soonas possible.”The topic of production came up in recent talks betweenmanagement and workers to address “the hardships” at productionlines and suppliers, according to Toyota.The numbers may still change, as conditions remain fluid. Toyota didnot give specific numbers or other details.Toyota, which makes theCamry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, produced 2.88million vehicles in Japan last year. When including group companies,truck maker Hino and smaller car maker Daihatsu, production totaled3.89 million vehicles in Japan. Globally, Toyota, Hino and Daihatsuproduced about 10 million vehicles.

Toyota scales back Japanproduction over chips, parts

The European Union threatened to crack down on an agreementbetween Google and Facebook parent Meta for online displayadvertising services, saying Friday that the deal may breach the

bloc's rules on fair competition.The EU's competition watchdog openeda probe into a 2018 pact involving the participation of Meta's “AudienceNetwork” in Google's “Open Bidding” programme. The EuropeanCommission, the EU's executive arm, said the deal may be part of aneffort to exclude ad tech services that compete with Google's OpenBidding programme— which would harm publishers and consumers.“If confirmed by our investigation, this would restrict and distortcompetition in the already concentrated ad tech market, to thedetriment of rival ad serving technologies, publishers and ultimatelyconsumers,” European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestagersaid in a statement Friday. The United Kingdom has launched its owninquiry into the agreement between Google and Meta.

Google, Meta face EU probe intopossible competition breach

PNS nMUMBAI

Strengthening economic recov-ery and stable financial metricswill help state-owned bankshave stable earnings during thenext financial year, aided by thegradual unwinding of regula-tory forbearance through theyear, according to a report.

Fitch Ratings in the reporton Friday also said privatesector banks are better placedto reap the benefits of recoveryand will continue to increasetheir market share both incredit as well as deposits.

Noting that regulatory for-bearance has suppressed state-owned banks' immediate cap-ital requirements by deferringrecognition of stressed loans,the report said private banksare most competitive on thisfront, too.

The report expects earn-ings and profitability of banksto recover next fiscal on theback of falling loan impairmentcharges that improved to 1.2per cent in H1 of FY22, from1.7 per cent a year ago, becauseforbearance will limit freshloan impairments.

Asset quality pressure willease on the back of improvingrecoveries from impairedloans, while earnings are sup-

ported by adequate pre-provi-sion profit of 3.6 per cent inH1, up 10 basis points againsta year ago, thanks to stable netinterest margins and operatingcosts.

But, waning forbearance islikely to pressure profitability,and average operatingprofit/risk-weighted assets willremain commensurate withbanks' current earnings andprofitability scores, the reportsaid.

On the other hand, earningsof private banks should contin-ue to outperform state-ownedbanks, supported by higherpre-provisioning income

buffers and more profitableloan mix along with greaterdiversification of income base.

However, any rise in loanimpairment charges after for-bearance unwinds should besomewhat offset by robust loangrowth and rising fee incomeamid steady cost/incomeratios, it warned.

The banking market isfocused on traditional banking,as reflected in the high share ofloans at 55 per cent of assets,it said.However, it added thatover-reliance on interestincome can lead to earningvolatility should the bad loansratio rise.

The report also points outthat the greater income diver-sification at private banks part-ly mitigates this risk.

Retail loans at 25 per cent ofsector loans are driving creditgrowth amid low-risk appetitefor corporate and SME loans,although the agency expectscorporate credit growth toresume as the economy recov-ers.

Banks' risk profiles andfinancial performance areclosely linked to loan under-writing quality, given theirconventional business modelsand high reliance on interestincome.

Surplus liquidity and anaccommodative interest rateregime since 2020 have alsohelped the financial systemnavigate challenges, but banks'business and revenue genera-tion can face renewed pressureif stress becomes a bindingconstraint on their modestloss-absorption buffers, partic-ularly at state banks. Yet, itexpects moderate growth amideasing risk aversion in 2022.

Private banks and SBI arebetter positioned as reflected intheir lower impaired loansratios and credit costs, followedby Bank of Baroda and CanaraBank.

‘State-owned banks on course tobook better profits next fiscal’

PNS nMUMBAI

Amid heightened concernsover the impact of the Russianinvasion of Ukraine on theIndian economy, ChiefEconomic Advisor V AnanthaNageswaran on Friday saidprudent budget assumptionsfor FY23 will ensure that themacro-fundamentals will beable to hold-up in the near-term.

Nageswaran, who joined asthe CEA days ahead of thebudget presentation, said theassumptions on growth andrevenue mop-up are prudentbecause they internalise theprevailing uncertainties.

" . . . Barring prolongeduncertainties with respect tothe oil price and geopoliticaldevelopments, the macro-fun-damentals should be able towithstand the near-termshocks emanating from thesedevelopments," Nageswaransaid at an event.The CEA didnot specifically mention thewar on Ukraine initiated byRussia over a fortnight ago, orits impact on oil prices whichtouched a 14-year-high ofover USD 140 per barrel. Itcan be noted that Indiaimports 85 per cent of itscrude, and is exposed to themovements in global prices.

At a time when some ana-

lysts have already downward-ly reviewed their estimates onthe country's growth,Nageswaran said the impact ofthe on-going developments onIndia's GDP growth, inflation,monetary policy and curren-cy will have to be assessed"depending on the duration"of the current uncertaintiesand how they influence theenergy prices.

"All these things are stillevolving and it will be too pre-mature to draw definitiveconclusions. We need toremain prepared, vigilant inorder to address any contin-gency that would arise fromthe global developments," hesaid.

"It must be a matter of

comfort to all of us that tosome extent the Governmentof India, knowing and beingaware that it is operating in anenvironment of extremeuncertainty either due to thepandemic or due to otherfactors, has been conservativein the manner in which it hasprepared the budgets overthe last two years," he added.

The academic-turned-pol-icymaker said after two yearsof the pandemic-induced cri-sis, the country was looking torev-up on the growth enginein the new fiscal, after beingfortunate to have a limitedimpact of the third wave of thepandemic. However, tensionson the geopolitical front tookover soon.

‘Budget assumptions prudent,will help macro-fundamentals’

Nageswaran, who

joined as the CEA

days ahead of the

budgetpresentation,

said the

assumptions on

growth and revenue

mop-up are prudent

because they

internalise the

prevailing

uncertainties.

PNS nRIYADH

An oil refinery in SaudiArabia's capital, Riyadh, wasattacked by drone, causing asmall fire that did not causeinjuries or affect supplies, theenergy ministry said Friday.

The statement did not spec-ify where the drone strike waslaunched from. There was noimmediate claim of responsi-bility.

The kingdom's oil facilitieshave been a target of Yemen'sHouthi rebels in the past. TheIranian-backed Houthisclaimed responsibility for ashocking attack in 2019 at theAbqaiq oil processing facilityin Eastern Province, whichtemporarily knocked out halfthe kingdom's daily produc-tion.

The ministry statement,published by the state-runSaudi Press Agency, wasreleased shortly after mid-night Friday and said the attacktook place around 4:40 a.m. on

Thursday.The ministry said such

attacks not only target SaudiArabia, but also the securityand stability of energy supplyto the world.

Saudi Arabia has beeninvolved in Yemen's civil warsince 2015, fighting against theHouthis who overran the cap-ital of Sanaa and ousted thegovernment there from power.Despite seven years of fightingand war, the Houthis remain in

control of Sanaa and much ofnorthern Yemen.

The war in Yemen has killedtens of thousands of people,both fighters and civilians,and spawned the world's worsthumanitarian crisis. Manymore have been internally dis-placed.Around 13 millionYemenis are headed for starva-tion due to a protracted civilconflict and a lack of fundingfor humanitarian aid, the UNfood agency has warned.

Saudi oil refinery attackedby drone, sparking small fire

PNS n NEW DELHI

Tata group firm TitanCompany on Friday said itssubsidiary has inked a pact toacquire 17.5 per cent votingrights in US-based GreatHeights Inc for USD 20 mil-lion (around Rs 152 crore).

TCL North America Inc(TCLNA), a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of the company, hassigned a stock purchase agree-ment with Great Heights Incfor subscription of shares withvoting preferred stock in thecapital stock of Great Heights,the jewellery and watch makersaid in a regulatory filing.

As per the pact, TCLNAwould hold up to 17.5 per centvoting rights in Great Heights,it added. "This is a strategicinvestment that will provideTitan a ring-side view of thefast growing Lab GrownDiamond (LGD) and Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) sectors,"the company stated.

Titan Company'sarm to acquire17.5 pc stake inGreat Heights Inc PNS n NEW DELHI

Drug firm Strides PharmaScience on Friday said itssubsidiar y has receivedapproval from the US healthregulator to sell colchicinetablets, used for the treat-ment and prevention of gout,in the American market.

Singapore-based StridesPharma Global Pte, a stepdown wholly-owned sub-sidiary of the company, hasreceived approval from theUnited States Food & DrugAdministration (USFDA) tomarket the product, StridesPharma Science said in a

statement.The company's product,

which reduces inflamma-tion and other symptoms ofgout, is therapeutical lyequivalent to TakedaPharmaceuticals' Colcrystablets.

According to IQVIA MATJanuary 2022 data, the USmarket for colchicine tabletsUSP, 0.6 mg is stood ataround USD 85 million.

Strides said the productwill be manufactured at thecompany's faci l ity atBengaluru and will be mar-keted by Strides Pharma Incin the US market.

Strides Pharma unit getsUSFDA for generic product

PNS n NEW DELHI

Growing trees outside forests(ToF) presents a significantenvironment and economicopportunity in India, but thereis a need for shifting of incen-tives to protect existing treesoutside forests besides improv-ing research around native treespecies, according to a lateststudy by WRI India.

The study, which analysed16 national and 30 state-levelpolicies and schemes forexpansion of ToF in six states,suggested developing land-scape-level restoration strate-gies and plans, improving theenabling environment to moti-vate farmers and other practi-tioners to protect and expandToF systems.

The study analysed incen-tives implementation inGujarat, Karnataka,Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab,and Telangana to identifyenabling conditions that canspur ToF expansion as well asbarriers that impede imple-mentation.

After unveiling the study,Niti Aayog Vice ChairmanRajive Kumar said in a state-ment that around 29.38 millionhectares of land in India haspotential for scaling ToF sys-tems, as estimated by the ForestSurvey of India in 2019.

While incentives on theirown cannot achieve ToF goals,they are instruments that canplay a pivotal role as a power-ful policy lever, he said.

According to the study

Farmers highlighted the lack ofincentives for protecting exist-ing ToF systems and promot-ing traditional ToF practices

with native tree species.Such native systems are

prioritized by women andother marginalized people who

are dependent on these multi-purpose trees for food, fuel-wood, fodder, and non-timberforest produce (NTFP), it said.

Lack of quality plantingmaterial, continuing ambigui-ties regarding permits for har-vest and transit of farm-growntimber across state lines, andpoorly developed value chainswere highlighted by stakehold-ers as disincentives preventingfarmers from taking up ToFsystems.

Moreover, lack of attentionto tree tenure dissuaded tenantfarmers and women from prac-ticing ToF interventions, thestudy said.

"Based on our study, we rec-ommend reorienting incen-tives to protect existing ToF,promoting traditional ToF

models, and improvingresearch and extensions ser-vices around native treespecies," it said.

The reoriented incentivescan include targeted provi-sions for women and margin-alized groups (e.g., ScheduledCaste and Scheduled Tribe)that are often the primarypractitioners and beneficiariesof traditional ToF systems.

Implementing certificationstandards for farm-grown tim-ber can address transit-relatedchallenges. Promoting partic-ipation of NGOs and researchorganizations through grants orinclusive governance modelscan provide farmers with thenecessary technical assistancefor successfully implementingToF systems.

Need to reorient or shift incentives to protect, promote trees

PNS n NEW DELHI

Automobile dispatches fromfactories to dealerships acrossthe country declined 23 percent in February, as varioussupply-side challenges, includ-ing semiconductor shortage,and rise in vehicle prices dueto the implementation of newregulations continued toimpact demand scenario,industry body SIAM said onFriday.

Wholesales of domestic pas-senger vehicles, two-wheelersand three-wheelers declined23 per cent to 13,28,027 unitslast month, compared with17,35,909 units in February2021.

Overall, passenger vehicledispatches in February 2022declined six per cent to2,62,984 units, compared with

2,81,380 units in the samemonth of last year.

Passenger cars wholesalesstood at 1,33,572 units lastmonth as compared with1,55,128 units in February2021. However, utility vehicledispatches increased to1,20,122 units as against1,14,350 units in the sameperiod of last year.

Sales of vans, however,declined to 9,290 units lastmonth, compared with 11,902units in February 2021.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Jindal Steel and Power Limited(JSPL) on Friday said it will paya dividend to investors forfinancial year 2021-22 andaims to become net debt-freein the upcoming financial year."JSPL has declared an interimdividend of Re 1 per equityshare i.e. 100 per cent on theface value for the Financial Year2021-22," JSPL said in a state-ment.The record date for theinterim dividend is Saturday,March 19, 2022, JSPL said.

JSPL Managing Director VR Sharma said the companyhas reduced its overall debtfrom a peak of Rs 46,000 croreto below Rs 11,000 crore, andnow it aims to become netdebt-free in the upcomingfinancial year.

JSPL declaresinterim dividend forFY22

Automobile dispatches dip 23 pcin February on supply issues

PNS n BANGKOK

Shares fell Friday in Asia asuncertainty over the war inUkraine and persistently highinflation keep their sway overmarkets.

Hong Kong fell 3.6% andTokyo was 2.4% lower.

Investors are fretting overhow the world economy maystruggle with price pressuresand slowing growth.

A plan to revoke Russia'smost favoured nation tradestatus over its invasion ofUkraine added to unease overthe economic repercussionsof the deepening conflict aftertalks between foreign minis-ters of the two countriesfailed to show any concreteprogress.

President Joe Biden plansto announce the changeFriday, according to a sourcefamiliar with the matter whospoke on the condition ofanonymity to preview theannouncement.Pressure hasbeen building in Washingtonto revoke what is formally

known as “permanent normaltrade relations” with Russia,allowing the US and allies toimpose tariffs on Russianimports.Tokyo's Nikkei 225index was down 625.66 pointsat 25,064.74 by midday andthe Hang Seng in Hong Kongshed 751 points to 20,139.07.

Asian shares sink as war,inflation hold sway on markets

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government is planningto soon file the final papersfor LIC IPO with marketregulator Sebi, which willprovide details about theprice band, discount forpolicyholders and retailbuyers, and the actual num-ber of shares to be put onthe block, an official said.

The government ispresently in the wait-and-watch mode because of themarket volatility inducedby the Russia-Ukraine warand will decide on the tim-ing of the initial publicof fer ing (IPO) of LifeInsurance Corporation(LIC).

"We have got the approvalof the DRHP and the nextstep would be to file theRHP, which will give detailsof the price band and theactual number of shares.We are watching the situa-tion, and soon we will takea call on the timing of theshare sale," an official toldPTI.LIC had, on February13, filed the draft red her-ring prospectus (DRHP) forLIC IPO. Earlier this week,Sebi gave approval to thedraft papers, paving the wayfor the share sale.

Govt to file finalpapers for LIC IPOwith Sebi soon

TREES OUTSIDE FORESTS

Writtenanddirec

ted by AcademyAward-winning

filmmaker JaneCampion, The Power of

the Dog, is regarded as afilm that is mesmerising,astonishing, and nothingshort of a masterpiece.The film certainly has itall. A unique storyline,fierce acting, and stun-ning filming location

make it a perfect leadcontender for the 2022

Oscars.The Power of the Dog was entirely

filmed in New Zealand, although themovie is set in the open spaces of rural

Montana in 1925. Campion had initiallythought she would make the film inMontana, or somewhere similar in the US orCanada, however, Campion was encouragedto consider New Zealand, her home country,which has an incredibly experienced crew as

well as a diversity of landscapes. “On thesecond day of sniffing around the SouthIsland, which I know well, I was taken to aproperty near the Hawkdun Ranges area inCentral Otago. I fell in love with it. It’s soremote and it’s 360 degrees empty with anamazing hill range behind it that felt veryatmospheric,” says Campion.

“Ultimately, shooting in New Zealandwasn’t a compromise, it was the best choicefor us.” – Jane Campion.

Here are top 5 filming locations of ThePower of Dog:

” Herndon Railway Station & SaltLake City Hotel Exterior

The scene where George picks up his par-ents at the train station was filmed at themagnificent Dunedin Railway Station.Opened in 1906, this ornate Flemish-Renaissance-style building is one of theSouth Island’s most prominent architecturallandmarks.

” Herndon, Montana | Oamaru

The scenes in the fictional town ofHerndon, Montana, were filmed in Tyne andHarbour Streets at Oamaru & VictorianPrecinct. This neighborhood in Oamaru &harbour has preserved many 19th-centurybuildings constructed in local white lime-stone and is famed for the local Steampunkcommunity.

” Snow Picnic, Queenstown Hill |Queenstown

In The Power of the Dog, not long afterthey’re married, Rose and George are aloneon a hillside where she teaches him a fewdance steps. This filming location isQueenstown Hill, located overlooking thecity of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu, withCecil Peak as a backdrop.

” Bannockburn Sluicings, Cromwell| Central Otago

The Bannockburn Sluicings are a spectac-ular landscape of cliffs and pinnacles thatremain from large-scale water blasting dur-ing the 19th century search for gold. Thescene in The Power of the Dog where Petergoes on a solo ride and comes across a dis-eased cattle carcass was filmed here, near thetown of Cromwell.

” Burbank Ranch – Home Hills,Oturehua | Central Otago

A rural property below the HawkdunRanges in Central Otago was used as the setfor Burbank Ranch. The property backs ontothe Oteake Conservation Park and is com-plete with vast, soulful plains, craggy, tus-sock-clad hills, and sturdy mountain rangesas backdrop. There is no wonder thisscenery appealed to Campion as the coun-try-western setting for The Power of the Dog.

locations of Oscar-nominated

film The Power of the Dog

Decades ago, SASiddiqui made amove to

Hyderabad, all the wayfrom Allahabad. He started

selling pens in this city! Itwas his first-ever major shift,

not knowing how it turned sopermanent. It made him think thateven without any step-by-stepguide, one could make a livelihoodfor himself.

“The Deccan Pen Stores is proba-bly one of the oldest pen manufac-

turers in the whole country. Webegan our shop in the lanes of Abids

in 1928. My father was a farmer beforethis, so the store today is very holy for us.What began as door-to-door sales laterturned into a manufacturing hub whereeven the Britishers shopped to take backsovereigns to England,” tells the son.

The dimensions of the city had a hugeimpact on the family, and as soon as theystarted to expand their lives here, theyfound Hyderabad to be a more stimulat-ing city than ever. No stress, no morefeelings of getting too overwhelmed —the man behind this just gave a treasureof pens, alongside the facility to repairold ones too.

“Once he saw that the Nizams had

established a uni-versity of theirown, he won-dered why notbegin a dealershipin pens as therewould soon be astudent communitywho would begin toread and write. Trueto his foresight, studentscame in large numbersand there was a hugedemand for ink pens. His firstsale was a leather bag full of pens that hehad brought from Kolkata, but later, he

slowly began a dealership with 2-3 pencompanies outside India, setting up thefirst pen shop in 1928,” the son explains.

Siddiqui Sahab found himself in themiddle of a Nizami city, where he couldsee himself as a novice businessmanthanks to one person’s quaint town, nowknown as Prayagraj. In this sprawlingmetropolis, he capitalised on pens and,in a way, became the baadshah of it. Noteven knowing initially whether the citywould be a good fit or not, or whether hewould even survive here or not, he wenton to make profits from a pen. The shoptoday has three branches in Hyderabad.

“One of the most peculiar qualities ofour family is perseverance. It is also thebackbone of the company. Without thisquality, how would we survive the down-fall of fountain pens, severe debts, and apandemic that has taken the lives of

three store employees?” heinquires.

Since they had a lotof royal patronages,

the shop was fre-quently visited

by the Nizamsand theEnglishmen. S ASiddiquiwasadamantabout onething that

the royalsshould not in

any way bedisturbed by the

kids around, sothe men sitting at

the windows wouldhelp the students in doing

small chores like refilling the inkand changing the pen nibs. By the late

1930s, they had employed their firstEnglish-speaking salesman to attend tothe Britishers who frequented the shop.The expert never examined this marketbefore, but little did he know that hisskills will etchhis name in thepages of history,especiallywhenever onewants to goback to the oldpages ofHyderabad city,and therethey’ll find theDeccan PenStore. For thenext 20 years,Siddiqui man-aged the storesinglehandedly.He passed awayin 1958, leavingbehind sevenchildren. Hiseldest son,Kaleem AkhterSiddiqui, wasonly 17 at thetime he tookover the legacythat his fatherleft behind!From theWaterman pens to Parker, you name itand the store has it all. They also have alarge variety of use and throw penswhich are commonly used today. Most ofthe pens are stored inside glass cup-boards. While some pens are as cheap asRs 120, the most expensive one is pricedat Rs 1,34,000! With no beforehand plan-ning, S A Siddiqui moved to the city ofNizams and turned it into an adventur-ous yet memorable ride for all of us.

Recalling the times offountain pens in Hyd

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SaturdayMarch 12, 2022

n these post-pandemic times,focusing on health and well-ness has become a priority foreveryone. When it comes tofocusing on wellness, it’s pru-

dent to explore opportunities forexperiences that help you disconnectfrom the distractions of modernurban life and lifestyle, the hustle andbustle, and pollution. To go back tothe pristine natural surroundings toreconnect with yourself or your innerbeing. Ever heard about yoga and fit-ness retreats yet? These retreats offera wide range of wellness-oriented ser-vices and value propositions thatsurely help you to not only rejuvenatebut also be a newer version of your-self! If you are someone who is insearch of a destination to createsolace and mind-body connectionamidst the lap of nature, check outthese superlative, famous wellnessretreats around you.

1. Yoga Sutra Retreat by VigyanYoga at Deer Park Institute Bir,Himachal Pradesh: This Yoga Sutraretreat, curated by Vigyan Yoga, is inthe middle of the pristine Himalayansurroundings of Bir, HimachalPradesh. This yoga retreat will notonly leave you amazed by nature’ssurreal beauty, but it will also helpyou understand and decode how toincorporate Patanjali’s Yoga Sutrasinto your life in order to achieveexcellence, peace, and bliss. this

retreat, they offer you an opportunity toexperience the yogic life through yogapractise and contemplation. Each dayincludes yoga asanas, pranayama, medi-tation, yoga Nidra, pranayama, simpli-fied yoga philosophy, and more to helpyou arm yourself with the hidden secretsof your mind, body, and soul throughinformation that is logical, practical, andeasy to understand. If you are someonewho is an avid enthusiast of yoga, thisVigyan Yoga retreat is the best option toplan your trip from March 20 to March28, 2022.

2. Amal Tamara Retreat, Kerala-Located in Kerala: Amal Tamara retreatand wellness centre is considered to bethe hub of Ayurvedic wellness and pro-motes the concept of ‘ChikitsaChatushpada’, where they believe thephysician, the patient, the therapist, andthe medicine itself must all work in syn-ergy. Their mission is to bring traditionalAyurvedic concepts into the new-agemodern life and to strike the perfect bal-ance between contemporary Ayurvedaand wellness while prioritising visitorcomfort. The Retreat believes in provid-ing a holistic healing experience, helpingyou to focus on your body’s natural abili-ty to heal, renew, and rejuvenate yourself.

3. Naad Wellness: Located on the out-skirts of India’s national capital, NaadWellness is the perfect getaway to comeand leave behind the busy and pollutedlife of Delhi. This wellness centre is acombination of 3 ancient traditions, i.e.,

Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy; itsmajor services include herbal massages,acupuncture, hydrotherapy, nutritionalcounseling, cleansing routines, andnaturopathic treatments. The place alsooffers you rooms with beautiful gardenviews and cuisine that includes fresh,seasonal, locally sourced, and producedfruits and vegetables according toAyurvedic principles, healing and spafacilities that include guided medita-tion, therapeutic yoga, Yogic kriyas,acupressure, acupuncture, colonhydrotherapy, massages (Swedish,Balinese, and reflexology), and lotsmore.

4. Soukya, Bengaluru: Soukya isthe world’s first holistic health andwellness centre that practises anintegrative treatment approachcombining a plethora of differenttraditional, time-tested, and natur-al systems of medicine likeAyurveda, Homeopathy, Yoga,Naturopathy, and other comple-mentary therapies. The centreprovides supportive treatmentfor cancer and other complexmedical conditions, rejuve-nation, anti-aging, detoxifi-cation, and effective de-addiction programmes aswell. It is accredited byNABH-accreditedAyurveda,Homeopathy, Yoga,and Naturopathy.

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trea

ts

Discover the top 5 filming

Standing true to their commitment to showcas-ing diverse content, aha, with their latest origi-nal web series, Qubool Hai?, is all set to

tackle an issue that continues to plague our soci-ety — child marriages. The teaser was alsoextremely well-received, with Sania Mirza, ShobuYarlagadda (Producer, Arka Media Works), NandiniReddy (Director, Oh Baby), and VijaylakshmiGadwal (the Mayor of Hyderabad), showing theirsupport for the cause and the project. Created byPranav Pingle Reddy and directed by UmairHasan, Faiz Rai, and Pranav Reddy, Qubool Hai isalso a story of many firsts — first time a youngcrew has shot in the bylanes of the Old City andthe first time a web series has captured theGanga-Jamuna tehzeeb of Hyderabad.

10

Hyderabad Saturday March 12, 2022

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

l Rishi Singh l Kamakshi Bhaskarla l Ishwarya

l Ishika Roy

l Bhavana l Madhu l Sravani

l Shreshtha

l Jyoesna l Ayesha

l Charu l Kavital Chandanal Aruna

l Kusum

l Dominic

what’s brewing?

PAR

TY

Ph

oto

s b

y S

V C

ha

ry

One of the biggest bridal wed-ding, fashion, and lifestyleexhibitions, Hi-Life Brides,

Hyderabad edition, took off onFriday at HICC Novotel. The eventwill go on until March 13.

HI- LIFE BRIDES

MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha inaugurated the second edition of Business Women Expo-2022, India’s largest women-owned busi-

ness expo, BWE-2022, featuring novel and disrup-tive businesses and their products, at HitexExhibition Centre. Over 150 women entrepreneursfrom across India are showcasing their productsat the event.

WOMEN IN BIZ

11

Hyderabad Saturday March 12, 2022 tollywood

SuperstarPrabhas,who has

worked inblockbuster hitswith a dollopof high-octaneaction, says hewanted tomove awayfrom hisactionimage anddo some-thing differ-ent andthat’s howhis latestreleaseRadheShyam, alove story,happened to

him.The

Baahubali starsays Radhe

Shyam also has asprinkle of thrillerand is India’s firstfilm with retro visu-

als, dresses, and colour mix.In a candid conversation

with IANS, during the pro-motion of the film in theCapital, Prabhas revealedwhat enticed him to take upRadhe Shyam, which alsostars Pooja Hegde.

“I wanted to do some-thing different not likeaction, action, and action...I wanted to do somethingdifferent so that I could dosome experiments more inthe future. So, we thoughtwe'd do a love story orsomething different. I heard3-4 scripts and planned todo this,” said Prabhas, whois the first south Indian starto receive a wax sculptureat Madame Tussaud’s waxmuseum.

The 42-year-old actorhopes that the film lives upto the expectations.

“The promos and makingvideos got good responseand finally after three dif-ferent dates finally it’s get-ting released so hope it

works,” he said.Written and directed by

Radha Krishna Kumar,Radhe Shyam is a periodromantic drama, whichrevolves around the story ofVikramaditya, a palmistwho is conflicted betweendestiny and his love forPrerana, played by Pooja.

Does Prabhas in personal life believe in palmistry and astrology?

“I never followed any-thing like that. We haveheard many stories... In myfamily also we had heardmany stories... This palmisttold me that this is going tohappen and all my unclesaid ‘he’s going to be bigwhen I was born’ but Inever followed any palm-istry or astrology.”

“We have a rich culturein astrology in India but Inever followed,” said thepan-India star, who wasranked second in Times’Most Desirable Men for theyear 2017 and twelfth in

2018.Prabhas has previously

done two romantic filmssuch as Darling and Mr.Perfect.

Asked about whatattracts him towards theconcept of romance, hesaid: “So, I did two roman-tic love stories in Teluguwhich I had good actionimage then also I did thatand it worked very well...It’s called Darling and Mr.Perfect.”

“So, after Baahubali andSaaho, we thought better go with a love story with asmall budget and I couldn’tget a proper script thenSaaho happened. For RadheShyam, we took a lot of careand drama.”

Added the actor: “We cansay it’s a love thriller also ina way and with grandueraand first time in Indian-cinema — retro. We, neversaw Indian cinema withretro visuals or dresses orthe colour mix.”

Don’t want to doonly action: Prabhas

uch to thedelight ofmovie buffs inAsifabad, theKumuramBheem theatre

is officially open fromFriday in Asifabad. Thetheatre being the only onepresent in Asifabad hascreated excitementamong local people whoare looking forward towatching movies as asocial experience alongwith their families andfriends.

The theatre is ownedby SHG women (ZS) in ajoint venture with PictureTime Digiplex, which isan endeavor to bringworld class digital cinemaexperience to the peopleof rural India. The theatrewas kicked off withPrabhas starrer Telugu

movie Radhe Shyam thatsaw people of the villagethronging to catch aglimpse of the movie.

Taking to twitter,Additional CollectorKumuram BheemAsifabad, Varun Reddysaid that this was a first ofits kind venture in the vil-lage and that he himselfwas excited to see the the-atre kicking off on Friday.

“The #KumuramBheem(KB) Theatre went livetoday with #RadheshyamThe only #movietheatre of#Asifabad is proudlyowned by #SHG women(ZS) in #JointVenturewith #PictureTime #SHGwomen of #Asifabad wel-comes you to#KBTheatre. Enjoy the#movie. #RuralCinemas#Entrepreneurship,”Varun wrote.

SHG women run theatre

in Asifabad opened

m

outh India’sbiggest musiclabel ‘LahariMusic’ is forayinginto film produc-tion under the

banner — ‘Lahari FilmsLLP’, which as teamed upwith Venus Enterrtainers’for Kannada’s acclaimedactor Upendra’s next pan-India project.

The makers promise amovie with unique story-line, which will be made inKannada, Hindi, Teluguand Tamil languages.

G Manoharan, Chairmanand Managing Director of‘Lahari Music Group’ andSrikanth KP, Proprietor of‘Venus Enterrtainers’ con-veyed that they have beenlooking for an opportunity

to invest in a homogenouspan-India project for a longtime now.

The duo also expressedtheir excitement aboutUpendra being on boardfor the yet-to-be-titledmovie. Speaking on theoccasion, Upendra said, “Ilook forward to this excit-ing collaboration throughthis Pan India film and Iam sure the audience willlove this thought-provok-ing cinematic experience. Idedicate this film to theIndian audience, who hecalls ‘praja prabhu’(Upendra considers hisfans to be the king/majestyof his life).”

Details on the upcomingpan-India movie will beout soon.

s

uring a mediainteraction atthe CriticsChoiceAwards,Samantha Ruth

Prabhu stated that shehas been overwhelmedwith the kind ofresponse she has beenreceiving for her specialsong Oo Antava fromPushpa: The Rise.

“I cannot explain thekind of love people areshowering on me. I did-n’t expect Oo antava tobe such a hit pan-India,”Samantha said.

The Rangasthalamactress stated, “Not justTelugu audiences, peo-ple around the country,have forgotten the othermovies I have done, butrecognise me for OoAntava now.”

Samantha RuthPrabhu’s first specialsong Oo Antava Mamahas broken multiplerecords, creating many

as well. Her appearancein Devi Sri Prasad’smusical compositionstood as one of thehighlights for AlluArjun and RashmikaMandanna-starrerPushpa: The Rise.

Samantha hadearlier statedthat she wasreluctant tosign theitem song,but AlluArjun anddirectorSukumarbelievedthat the songwill turn outto be a sensa-tion. Now thatthe actress isquite happy atthe kind ofattention Ooantava hasearned for her,she credits AlluArjun andSukumar.

People haveforgottenmy otherworks afterOo Antava:

Samantha

Agent locksrelease date

oung andpromisinghero AkhilAkkineni andstylish makerSurender

Reddy’s high-budgetstylish and actionthriller Agent, co-starring MalayalammegastarMammootty in amighty role, is cur-rently being shot inHyderabad.

On Friday, themakers haveannounced theatri-cal release date ofthe movie. Agentwill be hitting thescreens worldwidegrandly on August12, three days aheadof IndependenceDay. Since the filmwill have patrioticelements,Independence Day isan ideal time for therelease. Moreover,the movie will havea 4-days long week-

end, as August 15happens to be aMonday.

Akhil will be seenin an action-packedrole in Agent and itwill feature a wholenew side of him.The announcementposter presents himin a never-seenbefore fierce avatar,as he appears hold-ing a machine gunin his hand. He isbeing referred to as‘The Wild One’ forhis way of tacklingthings.

Mammootty tooplays a powerful rolein the movie. Anewbie SakshiVaidya isplay-

ing the leading ladyopposite Akhil inthe film billed to bea spy thriller.Vakkantham Vamsihas provided storyfor the film beingproduced byRamabrahmamSunkara under AKEntertainments andSurender 2 Cinema.

Sensational com-poser Hip HopThamizha scoresmusic, while RasoolEllore cranks thecamera. NationalAward winnerNaveen Nooli is theeditor whileAvinash Kolla is theart director.

Ajay Sunkara,Pathi Deepa

Reddy arethe co-

produc-ers ofthe film.

d

y

Popular producer KK Radhamohanis presently making a wholesomefamily entertainer with young and

talented hero Aadi Saikumar playing thelead role. Phani Krishna Siriki is makingdebut as director with this Production No10 of Sri Sathya Sai Arts which is in start-ing stages of production.

Meanwhile, the team welcomes actressDigangana Suryavanshi on board to playthe lead actress opposite Aadi Saikumar inthe movie. Digangana who is part of someinteresting projects in Telugu and Hindihas got a meaty to perform in this yet tobe title flick.

The film has some young and talentedtechnical team handling different crafts.RR Dhruvan provides music, while SatishMutyala cranks the camera. Giduturi Satyais the editor of the movie, while LakshmiRadhamohan presents it. KolikapoguRamesh is the art director and fights aretaken care by Rama Krishna.More detailsof the project will be revealed soon.

Digangana

Suryavanshi

joins Aadi

Saikumar’s

nextLahari Films LLP, Venus Enterrtainers

team up for Upendra’s pan-India project

PTI n AUCKLAND

Veteran batter Ross Taylor willturn out for the New Zealand

XI against Netherlands in Napiernext week to get some

game-time before he bidsfarewell to internation-

al cricket in his finalODI series later thismonth.

Paul Wisemanwill lead thecoaching staff andwill be supportedby Auckland pace

bowling coachAzhar Abbas and

former BLACK-CAPS wicket-keeper

BJ Watling.Watling has been

working in the NDcoaching network for the

past couple of seasons andwas head coach for ND Athis season.

Taylor was ruled out ofthe Plunket Shield match

on Friday for the Central Stags forbeing a COVID-19 'householdcontact'. The 38-year-old will turnout against the touring Dutch atMcLean Park in the second one-day warm-up match on March 19as well as the one off T20 onMarch 21.

"I'm looking forward to gettingdown to Napier and playing on

one of my favourite grounds inMcLean Park," Taylor said.

"It's a great opportunity to getsome time in the middle aftermissing the latest round of thePlunket Shield and it will also beuseful to have a look at the tour-ing team ahead of the ODI series.

"I'm looking forward to shar-ing the dressing room with some

new and younger faces who I hopeI can help by passing on someknowledge," he added.

The New Zealand XI faceNetherlands behind closed doorsin two one-day matches at Napieron March 17 and 19 followed bya one-off T20 on March 21.

The BLACKCAPS then takeon the Netherlands in a T20I onMarch 25 at McLean Park followedby three ODIs, at MountMaunganui's Bay Oval on March29 and Hamilton's Seddon Park onApril 2 and 4.

"The Netherlands are an everimproving side and they'll be rel-ishing the chance to take on a Testplaying nation," Taylor said.

"They have a few familiarplayers from the New Zealanddomestic scene who I'm sure willbe valuable to them in terms ofunderstanding the conditions Weknow they'll play with plenty ofpride and expect them to be agood challenge," he added.

sports 12HYDERABAD | SATURDAY | MARCH 12, 2022

PTI n JAIPUR

Rajasthan Royals haveannounced two additions

to their coaching staff ahead ofthe much anticipated IPL 2022season. The franchise has wel-comed Sri Lankan legendLasith Malinga as their new fastbowling coach and has alsoonboarded Paddy Upton in anew role of Team Catalyst.

The 38-year-old T20 WorldCup-winning captain Malinga,who led his country to the 2014ICC T20 World Cup trophy,will be working during theupcoming season with the tal-ented group of pacers presentwithin the Royals' set-up.Renowned as one of the bestlimited overs bowlers ever,Malinga will oversee the prepa-ration of bowling strategies inthe build-up and during theseason, while also acceleratingthe development of the youngbowlers by imparting his

knowledge and expertise ofT20 cricket.

During a career thatspanned over 17 years, theright-arm fast bowler repre-sented Sri Lanka in 340 match-es across the three formatsand picked up 546 wickets. Inthe Indian Premier League, heonly represented one team -Mumbai Indians - for whom hegrabbed 170 scalps in 122matches.

PTI n KARACHI

Australia captain Pat Cummins announced theplaying XI for the second Test, and also con-

firmed that leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson will makehis long-awaited Test debut against Pakistan onSaturday.

Swepson first toured with Australia's Testteam five years ago, now he has been included topartner Nathan Lyon on a pitch that is expected toaid spinners.

Swepson will replace seamer Josh Hazlewood,who has been left out of the team after playing justone Test into his comeback from his strained Ashescampaign.

Speaking on Swepson's inclusion captainCummins said that the leg-spinner is "pumped" tobe part of the playing XI in the second Testagainst Pakistan and he is absolutelyready.

"He's pumped and to be honest,we're all pumped for Swepo," said PatCummins as stated by ICC.

"It's been a long time runningdrinks over the last couple of years, buthe is absolutely ready. He hasbeen a huge part of the squad,even though he hasn't beenplaying. So we're reallyexcited to see him get achance," he added.

The first Test endedin a draw with both theteams getting four pointseach in the ICC WorldTest Championshiptable.

Australia XI:David Warner,Usman Khawaja,M a r n u sLabuschagne, SteveSmith, TravisHead, CameronGreen, AlexCarey, MitchellStarc, Pat Cummins(c), Nathan Lyon, MitchellSwepson.

PTI n BENGALURU

Chasing an elusive interna-tional hundred for 28months now, Virat Kohli

would hope for a turnaround athis 'spiritual home' when Indiatake on an under-prepared andinjury-hit Sri Lanka in the sec-ond Test, with the actionunfolding under flood lights,here from Saturday.

Interestingly, the last timeKohli reached a three-figuremark, it was a 'Pink Ball' gamein which India thrashedBangladesh by an innings and46 runs in Kolkata, back inNovember 2019. He had scored136 back then.

The former India skipperhas taken strike in 28 inningssince then but a Test hundredhas remained elusive. The 33-year-old has got a 50-plus scoreonly six times with highestbeing a knock of 79 againstSouth Africa in Cape Town inJanuary this year.

Now he is returning to theM Chinnaswamy stadium, avenue which he knows like theback of his palm as he has ledhis IPL side Royal ChallengersBangalore here (RCB) for adecade. That comforting famil-iarity with the conditions mayalso help.

KOHLI VS TOUGH TIMESA colossus that he has

developed into in world crick-et, expectations are always highfrom the star Indian cricketer,who is perhaps enduring themost challenging phase of hiscareer and not just in purecricketing terms.

Kohli's run-in with theestablishment and the subse-quent removal from the leader-ship role in ODIs may haveadded pressure but he canbreath easy since in Sri Lanka

he faces a bowling attack, whichhardly has the wherewithal totrouble the Indian batters intheir own den.

Kohli had got a start evenin the Mohali Test but could notmake full use of that. It's notthat he is not batting well. Heis still striking the ball with easeand that trademark fluency isalso there but lapse of concen-tration at times is becoming hisundoing.

Fatigue that creeps in witha punishing schedule and agecould be factors and the lack ofconfidence due to noise sur-rounding him outside the crick-et grounds is also somethingwhich is perhaps affecting hisbatting.

Batting against a below-average Sri Lankan attack in acomparatively small ground isactually a perfect opportunity tocome out of the lean patch in-front of capacity crowd that has

always egged him on.

TEAM COMBINATIONSince it is a pink ball con-

test, either a fit-again spin all-rounder Axar Patel or pacerMohammed Siraj could replaceJayant Yadav in the playing XIbecause both have the ability tocause more damage in aDay/Night game.

Jayant did not do anythingspecial in Mohali. Even whenthe Sri Lankans were struggling,he went wicket-less in his 17overs across the two innings.

Axar, in his last Pink ballTest, had wreaked havoc withhis under cutters inAhmedabad against England,taking 11 wickets in that con-test.

He even opened the attackin the second England innings.

However, if grass is left onthe pitch then Siraj would be abetter option for skipper Rohit

Sharma.Any more change to the

playing XI is unlikely eventhough it will be interesting tosee if HanumaVihari is givenanother chance tobat at numberthree. Rohit hadsaid that it is not cer-tain that the slotwould remain withVihari.

SRI LANKA'SSTRUGGLE

Their resourcesalready not goodenough to challengethe talent in theIndian squad, SriLankans will be withoutpacer Lahiru Kumara,who has been ruled outdue to a hamstring injury.

But since pacerDushmantha Chameera

has also been ruled out due toan ankle injury, ChamikaKarunaratne will replace him inthe visiting playing XI.

Dinesh Chandimal is alsolikely to play as PathumNissanka, who was a better per-former last game, is also out dueto an injury.

Skipper DimuthKarunaratne will have to lead

from the frontand producesomething

out of theordinary to

ensure that theydo not meet the same

fate as that in the series-opener. He had gotstarts in both inningsbut could not convert.

Also, veteranslike AngeloMathews have toshow a bit morestomach for fight.

While the bat-ters, at least foundruns, intermittently,the Lankan bowlerscut a sorry figure.

Pacer Suranga Lakmal,playing his last series, was theonly one among the sixbowlers, who managed aneconomy of under-4 runs.Others were pretty expensivewith every Indian batter goingafter them, especially RishabhPant (96) and Ravindra Jadeja(175).

LAST HOME TEST IN 2022It will be the last Test match

on home soil for team India in2022. There are seven moreTests in the current WTC cycleafter the Lankan series. Theteam will travel to Bangladeshfor a two-match series andthen Australia will arrive for afour-Test rubber in 2023.

The one Test of the lastyear's England tour is still to beplayed away. India need to winall these matches, if the teamhas to qualify for the WTCfinal.

For both Sri Lanka andIndia, it will be their fourthDay-Night Test and both sharesimilar record of two wins anda defeat each.

PTI n BENGALURU

India vice-captain JaspritBumrah feels that cricketers

need to make a few "mentaladjustments" going into a'Pink Ball' Test but definingone set parameter for that isnot possible since all threeday-night games they haveplayed in the past were in var-ied conditions.

India are gearing up fortheir fourth day-night Testagainst Sri Lanka, havingplayed against Bangladeshon a seaming Eden Gardenstrack, versus Australia on abouncy Adelaide Oval surfaceand with England on aMotera rank turner.

Bumrah said they arestill learning how to approachpink ball games.

"As professional crick-eters, we need to adjust asquickly as possible. The pinkball looks different whilefielding. It comes earlier (trav-els faster) than what you per-ceive. In a Test match, ballswings more in the morningsession.

"But in the afternoonsession, the ball may notswing much. And then in theevening, it can swing more, allthese small points (are beingdiscussed)," Bumrah said dur-ing the pre-match virtualmedia interaction.

"We have not playedmany pink ball matches andwhatever we have played,they were all in different con-ditions, so no parameter canbe set (on adjustmentsrequired). "Sowhatever little experience wehave gathered and the feed-back we have taken, we aretrying to work on thosethings," the fast bowler added.

Bumrah also revealedthat they had an optionalpractice session with pink balleven during the Mohali Test.

In India's previous pink-ball games, the pitches onoffer were of different of vari-ety. "We are not used to field-ing, bowling and batting withthe pink ball. You don't playpink ball cricket. When youfield under lights, whatadjustments you have tomake. We are still new in thisformat."

Bumrah said it dependson an individual how difficultor easy it is to make thosemental adjustments.

Asked if India will gowith three spinners or seam-ers, Bumrah said unless theyassess the pitch for one finaltime, he can't talk about thecombination.

"We have had a look atthe surface. Today is the daywhen we assess it and thendecide what combination weneed. We will make a planand back that."

It is expected that sinceAxar Patel, who has beenadded to the squad, mayreplace Jayant Yadav, keepingin mind the conditions.However Bumrah did notdisclose if that is beingplanned for the game.

"Axar was part of thesquad in the previous seriesalso. He has added a lot ofvalue to the squad. He hascontributed a lot. He offers alot with both ball and the bat.He was injured, so now whenhe is fit, he jumps back.

"There will be discus-sion what combination wewant to go with. He is animportant player for ourteam."

Bumrah stated in anassertive tone that KuldeepYadav, who has been releasedfrom squad, has not beenkicked out.

"He has not beendropped. He was in bubble forlong and has not been home.Since his chance to play thisgame was minimal, he hasben rested so that he canspend time with his familybefore the IPL.

"Players well-being isimportant since staying inbubble is not easy, keepingthat in mind, in that aspect,he has been rested. Wheneverhe gets opportunity, he will dowell."

Bumrah also laughed offqueries about RavindraJadeja's workload in MohaliTest where he scored 175 notout and snared nine wickets.

Can he (Jadeja) be rested?"I don't see any player to

sit out after such a goodgame. He would want toreplicate that performanceand contribute more."

PTI n HAMILTON

India's under-performing top-orderwill be keen to display way more

intent to bring the team's campaignback on track when it squares offagainst a dangerous West Indies in thethird league game of the ICC Women'sWorld Cup here on Saturday.

Currently placed fifth after ademoralising 62-run loss to NewZealand, India would like to get backto winning ways as back-to-back defeatcan cause loss in momentum, especial-ly when they are playing one game afteranother on the bounce.

The likes of Smriti Mandhana,Mithali Raj, the young Yastika Bhatiaand all-rounder Deepti Sharma were allcriticised for not getting a move-onagainst New Zealand in India's chase of261 and despite Harmanpreet Kaur's62-ball-71, the team ended up beingoutplayed by 62 runs.

It is understood that Shafali Verma,despite her 'blow hot, blow cold' form,will be back in the playing eleven, andwould be expected to lend pace to

innings, something which YastikaBhatia failed to do in the previous game.

The Indian batters played out aninexplicable 162 dot balls, equivalent to

27 overs, in the last game against WhiteFerns and the match was as good asover when they scored only 50 off thefirst 20 overs.

Head coach Ramesh Powar wasvery blunt and critical of the team'sshow on the eve of the game against thelikes of Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin,and Anisa Mohammed.

"I think it was one of those dayswhere things didn't go our way andhonestly I was also surprised with theway we batted for 20 overs. (But) if youlook back (at the) last six games,which we have played against NewZealand, we were executing our planswell," Powar told reporters ahead oftheir game.

Mithali, playing her last tourna-ment, has been in very poor form andeven Mandhana has looked scratchyputting a lot of pressure on the likes ofPooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana.

No wonder, coach Powar made it

clear that he want the seniors to acceptmore responsibility.

"I think it is the pressure, I think ofthe World Cup but I don't want to giveany excuses. This is the right time to putyour hand up and put up the perfor-mances, because we have been trainingfor last six months," Powar was verycurt. "We have been to England,Australia, we have been to New Zealandearly, so we have got every practiceopportunity which was needed, so it istime as a group to stand up and deliv-er," one could gauge the irritation in hisvoice. One of the poor call by NeetuDavid-led selection committee hasbeen non-inclusion of opening batterS Meghana, who showed a lot of sparkin her comeback ODI series againstNew Zealand.

She was middling the ball well andunfortunately didn't make the cut in theWorld Cup squad, which was pickedmuch earlier.

AP n ST. JOHN'S (ANTIGUA)

Late-bloomer Nkrumah Bonner'scareer-best century anchored West

Indies to a 62-run lead against Englandon an attritional third day of the first testat Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

The home side batted all day to over-turn a 109-run deficit, and Bonneralmost endured, too. He was out just twoovers from stumps for 123 after almost10 hours at the crease.

The West Indies, in reply toEngland's 311, resumed on 202-4 andreached stumps at 373-9. On a sluggishpitch on which it was hard to bowl and

bat, the West Indies eked out only 171runs from the day's 90.1 overs.

Bonner made his test debut just overa year ago, but at 33 has been making upfor lost time.

He absorbed England's pressurewith ease and rode considerable luck.During the day, he was dropped on 73,survived umpire's calls on 102 and 112,and got an out overturned on review on121.

His overnight stand with JasonHolder finished early on 79, but Bonnerfound regular partnerships with the tailto frustrate England. Bonner shared 73with Joshua Da Silva, 44 with Kemar

Roach, and 46 with VeerasammyPermaul. Holder added only two to hisovernight score before trying to leave

Ben Stokes but edging behind on 45.Stokes, who barely bowled in the Ashesbecause of injury, finished the day com-mitting 28 overs, his most in an inningsin six years.

Holder's wicket was the only oneWest Indies conceded in the morning,despite England taking the new ballinstantly.

Worrying for England, seamer MarkWood bowled one over and left withoutbowling again because of an elbowinjury.

Da Silva was out after lunch, lbw tospinner Jack Leach after two hours, 88balls and one boundary.

Alzarri Joseph was dismissed for 2by Craig Overton and England's hopeswere up.

But just as in the first session, earlywickets were followed by incrediblysustained defense from the West Indies.

Bonner and Roach scored at practi-cally one run per over until Roach hit acouple of fours off England captain JoeRoot.

They passed England's total in themeantime and Bonner went to tea on 98.

He earned his second test century inhis 10th test straight after tea with asweep to the boundary off Leach. Hejumped into Roach's arms.

No set parameters for kindof adjustments required in'Pink Ball' Tests: Bumrah

Pink ball in ‘Garden City’

Indian batters need to raise their game against WI

Cummins announcesplaying XI for 2nd Test

Bonner century anchors West Indies to 62-run lead

Taylor to play 2 matches for NZ XI against Netherlands Malinga joins RajasthanRoyals as fast bowling coach