The lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted supply chains. One crucial chain is delivery of information and insight — news and analysis that is fair and accurate and reliably reported from across a nation in quarantine. A voice you can trust amid the clanging of alarm bells. Vajiram & Ravi and T he Indian Express are proud to deliver the electronic version of this morning’s edition of The Indian Express to your Inbox. You may follow The Indian Express’s news and analysis through the day on indianexpress.com JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SINCE 1932
Transcript
The lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak has
disrupted supply chains. One crucial chain is delivery of
information and insight — news and analysis that is fair and
accurate and reliably reported from across a
nation in quarantine.
A voice you can trust amid the clanging of alarm bells.
Vajiram & Ravi and The Indian Express are proud to deliver the
electronic version of this morning’s edition of The Indian Express
to your Inbox. You may follow The Indian Express’s news and
analysis through the day on
indianexpress.com
JOURNALISM OF COURAGESINCE 1932
DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
SMITANAIRSATTARI (GOA),OCTOBER22
AT PAL village in Goa’s Sattaritaluka,afamilyisdistraught.Thepandemic and its aftereffects—reduced earnings, an uncertainfuture — had already put themthrough great hardship. A bro-ken mobile phone was seem-ingly the last straw. OnOctober15, their 16-year-old son wasfoundhanging in thehouse.
The father,whodrives a pri-vate bus, says his son, a Class 10studentof agovernment schoolinthevillage,usedasmartphoneto attend his online classes. OnOctober 11, the phone screenbroke,buttheboykeptittohim-self, telling his mother only acoupleof days later.“Wehad been struggling for
monthssoeveryonewasinabadmood.Whenhetoldhismotheraboutthephone,shesaiditcan'tberepairedimmediately,andhethrew a tantrum.When I camebackfromwork,hegotintoanar-gumentwithmeand Iheldhimbyhiscollar.Hestoppedmesay-
ing,‘Ihaveonlyoneniceshirt’.Heremoved his shirt, put it on ahanger and toldme I could beathim.Bythen,Ijustcouldn’t,”saysthefather.“IthentoldhimIonlyhaveRs
500withme and need it to buyrice. I askedhim towait for fourdays for me to arrange theRs2,000heneededtorepair thescreen,”headds.Since the pandemic began,
money has been tight— the fa-ther used to earnup toRs700 aday, but the lockdown had lefthim with no income for fourmonths. Since July, he is back atwork,butonlyearnsRs500,that
tooongooddays.Themother, a beneficiary of
theGrihaAadharScheme,awel-fare scheme for homemakers,said she hadn't received anymoney since the lockdown, ex-cept for a one-time payment ofRs 1,500 during GaneshChaturthi. The grandmother, abeneficiary of the DayanandSocial SecurityScheme forwid-ows, too hadn't got anymoneyformonths.A government officer con-
firmed the payment has beenstalledduetothestate’sdepletedcoffers. On Tuesday, however,
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PAGE1ANCHOR
Theteenager’snotebook;hewasaClass10student
Pandemic, distress, a broken phone: Howa family in Goa lost their 16-year-old son
THE BJP promised “residents ofBihar” free vaccination againstCovid-19 in its Bihar assemblyelection manifesto releasedThursday, drawing sharp reac-tions fromOpposition parties,most of which said it was “ap-palling” that a vaccine to fightthepandemicwasmadebeingapoll agenda.Defending its announce-
ment,theBJPsaidit’sapledgeona public health issue. Releasingthe party manifesto in Patna,UnionFinanceMinisterNirmalaSitharamansaid:“Aftercrossingall the stages, there are at leastthreevaccinesthathavereachedthelaststage,andareonthecuspofproduction.Afterthis, if scien-tific people say this vaccine isfine, production can take place.Our production capacity, be-causeofthegovernment’sinter-vention, isvery large.”“So when the clearance
comes from scientists, our vac-cineproductionwillbeatsuchalevel that whatwe are promis-ing, everyone in Biharwill get a
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KAUNAINSHERIFFMNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
THEBJPannouncementpromis-ingfreeCovid-19vaccinationforall inBiharaspartof its electionmanifesto has taken severalstatesbysurprise.Especially,sinceuntilnowthe
vaccine conversationbetween the Centreand the states wasaround identifyingwhoshould receive itonaprioritybasis.So the announce-
mentofafreevaccineas an election promise singlingoutonestateaddsapoliticaltwist
to a subject — Covidmanagement— thathassofarbeenlargelyframedbycooperativerather than competi-tivefederalism.Statesaretryingto
figure out what theimplications are. Many see this
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MANOJCG&RITIKACHOPRANEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
THE BJP’S promise to providefreeCovid-19vaccinetothepeo-pleof Bihar,made in itselectionmanifestoThursday, triggeredapolitical row with the RJD,Congress and other Oppositionparties slamming the party, ac-cusing it of politicising thepan-demic and playing on the fearsof thepeople.Reacting sharply to the BJP
promise, the RJD said, “Coronavaccine belongs to the country.ItdoesnotbelongtotheBJP.Thepoliticaluseofthevaccineshowsthat they have no option but tosell the fear of the disease anddeath. The people of Bihar haveself-respect,theydonotselltheirchildren’s future for a few pen-nies,” the RJD posted on itsTwitterhandle.Its senior leader and Rajya
To buy or not to buy: Why thiscomes as a surprise to states
PRABHARAGHAVANNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
DR REDDY’s Laboratories onThursdaysaidithad“isolated”itsdata centre servicesafter a cyberattack. The Hyderabad-headquartered drugmaker re-portedthedatabreachdaysafteritreceivedregulatoryapprovalstoconducthumantrialsof aCovid-19 vaccine candidate developedbyaRussianresearchinstitute.“In the wake of a detected
cyber-attack,wehaveisolatedalldata centre services to take re-quired preventive actions,” DrReddy's told the Bombay StockExchangeonThursday.“Weareanticipatingallserv-
pact on our operations due tothis incident,” Mukesh Rathi,Chief InformationOfficer of thecompany, said.The attack, the exact nature
ofwhichisnotyetpublic,hasre-portedly also forced the firm totemporarily shut down opera-tionsatitsmajormanufacturingfacilities across the world.Pharmaexperts said this isnec-essarytominimisetheimpactofabreachof cyber security.Besides India,DrReddy’shas
manufacturing facilities in theUnited States, United Kingdom,MexicoandChina.IthasresearchanddevelopmentfacilitiesintheUS, theUK, theNetherlands andIndia.Thecompanyhas29globaloffices invariouscontinents.In response to an email sent
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MOHAMEDTHAVERMUMBAI,OCTOBER22
ADAY afterMaharashtrawith-drew“generalconsent”giventothe CBI to probe cases in thestate, Home Minister AnilDeshmukh Thursday describedtheagencyas“professional”butsaid “there is a doubt in theminds of many that it may beused forpoliticalpurposes”.Deshmukh reiterated that
the state withdrew consent toensure that “the agency is notused for political purposes inMaharashtra”, adding that theCBI had earlier been referred toas a “caged parrot” by theSupremeCourt.
“WeallknowthatinthepastCBI has done enquirieswithouttaking approval from theMaharashtragovernment...evennow, there is a TRP case that isbeing investigated byMumbaiPolice...a similar case has been
registered in UP, and it is possi-blethatduetopoliticalpressurestheCBIcouldtakeupthiscaseaswell,”Deshmukhtoldreporters.The HomeMinister was re-
ferringtotheongoinginvestiga-tion byMumbai Police, whichhas alleged that three channels,including Republic TV, wereprimafacieinvolvedinmanipu-latingTRPs.OnTuesday, theCBItookoveracaseregisteredbyUPPoliceagainst“unknown”chan-nels and persons over allegedfudgingof TRPs.“Everybody knows that
TAKINGAsignificantsteptoeasevisacurbsputinplacetocontaintheCovidoutbreak, thegovern-ment on Thursday said that allforeigners, except those in thetouristcategory,willbeallowedtoenter thecountry.Thedecision to openupwill
also cover all Persons of IndianOrigin (PIO) and OverseasCitizens of India (OCI), it said.SinceMarch, only certain cate-gories of OCI card holders andforeignerswereallowedtoenterthecountry.A senior official told The
Indian Express that the latestmove is aimed at fully openingthe economy “eventually” sothat international trade andcommerce can be resumed “ona full scale”.“The government has been
gradually liberalising visas forforeigners andOCI cardholdersthroughout the pandemic pe-riod. It is inkeepingwith the in-tent to fully open the economyeventually. If we intend to re-sume international trade andcommerceonafullscale,wewillhavetoallowforeignerstocomeinevenaswemaintainallCovidprotocol,” theofficial said.“The decision on restoring
thevisaregimetopre-pandemictimewillbetakeninduecourse,dependingonthesituation,”theofficial said.In a statement, theMinistry
ofHomeAffairs (MHA)saidthat“thisdecisionwillenableforeignnationalstocometoIndiaforvar-ious purposes such as business,
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ARANYASHANKAR&RITIKACHOPRANEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
INAdramatic twist in theongo-ing tussle between DelhiUniversityVice-Chancellor (V-C)YogeshTyagiandProV-CPCJoshi,theunion government snubbedTyagi onThursday, declaringhiscontentiousappointmentstotheRegistrar’spostasinvalid.The Ministry of Education
(MoE) also instructedDU tonotact on Tyagi’s orders until hejoined office after submitting amedical fitness certificate“issued by the competent au-thoritywhotreatedhim”.Joshi would continue to act
astheheadof theuniversityun-til then.Joshi and Tyagi had gone
head-to-head onWednesdayover the appointment of a newRegistrar—afaceoffthatresultedin the unprecedented situation
of threepeoplebeingappointedRegistrarinthecourseoftheday.Tyagihasbeenon leaveever
since hewas admitted toAIIMSon July 2 under “emergencymedicalcondition”.Thegovern-ment had given Joshi charge ofV-C on July 17 until Tyagi re-sumedoffice.Theordersignalsthegovern-
ment’sunhappinesswithTyagi.Sources said theMinistry is up-set at not having been officiallyinformed of the V-C's absencefromoffice.“Hehasn’tbeenattendingof-
fice, and till two days ago hewasn’t fit enough to attend theParliamentary Committee’s
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Govt intervenes in DUrow, snubs V-C, junkshis order on Registrar
Row in Nepalafter R&AWchief meetsOli, partyseeks details
YUBARAJGHIMIREKATHMANDU,OCTOBER22
NEPAL’S EMBATTLED PrimeMinister, K P SharmaOli, cameunder fresh attack Thursday, in-cludingfromthreeformerPrimeMinistersandhisownpartylead-ers, for meeting Indian R&AWchief Samant KumarGoelwith-outkeepingtheminthe loop.Calling it “improper” and
“objectionable”, former PrimeMinisters Pushpa Kamal DahalPrachanda,whoisalsoexecutivechairman of the ruling NepalCommunist Party, JhalanathKhanal and Madhav KumarNepal, former Deputy PrimeMinisters Bhim Bahadur RawalandNarayan Kaji Shrestha heldseparate groupmeetings, andsometooktosocialmediatocrit-iciseOli. Theyaskedhimtopro-videdetailsof themeetingwiththeR&AWchiefthatlastedmorethantwohours, almost tillmid-nightWednesday.Goel and team had flown
toKathmanduonaspecialflight.They were said to have alsomet Leader of Opposition
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MAHARASHTRADECISIONTOWITHDRAW ‘GENERALCONSENT’
Took step to ensure CBI is not usedfor political purpose: Home Minister
Surprise to statesas the first indication that theCentrewillprocure thevaccine-- or vaccines -- at rates it negoti-atesandstatesmaythenbeaskedtopurchasetheirownstocks.This is reinforced by the fact
thattheNationalExpertGrouponVaccineAdministration–part ofthe Centre’s Covid task force --madeitclear,initsveryfirstmeet-ing, that states should not charttheir separatepathways forpro-curement.Also,significantly,minutesaf-
ter the statement made byFinance Minister NirmalaSitharaman, BJP IT cell’s AmitMalviya tweeted: “Like all pro-grams, Centrewill provide vac-cines tostateatanominal rate. Itis for the stateGovts to decide iftheywanttogiveitforfreeoroth-erwise.Healthbeingastatesub-ject,BiharBJPhasdecidedtogiveitfree.Simple.”Itisn'tsosimple.OncetheBJP
– ruling both in Patna and theCentre–hasannouncedfreevac-cinesforallinBihar,fewstateswilltake a contrary stand. Indeed,within hours, ChiefMinisters ofTamilNadu,whichhas electionsnext year, and of BJP-ruledMadhyaPradeshannouncedfreeCovid-19vaccination.Morestatesare expected tomake their an-nouncements.For the Centre to assure free
vaccineacross thenation, itmayhavetobebroughtundertheflag-ship Universal ImmunizationProgram(UIP),undertheNationalHealthMission,andtheprogramwillhavetobeextendedtotheen-tireadultpopulation.The UIP is a fully funded
vaccinesareprovidedforninedis-eases at the national level:Diphtheria, Pertussis (whoopingcough), Tetanus, Polio,Measles,Rubella, a severe formof child-hood Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B,andMeningitis & Pneumonia.Regionally,andinselectendemicdistricts, free vaccines are pro-vided for threemore diseases:Rotavirus diarrhoea,Pneumococcal Pneumonia, andJapaneseEncephalitis.Bringing Covid into this list
willneedwork.Said an expert, who has
workedcloselywith thegovern-ment and has been part of theNationalImmunizationTechnicalAdvisoryGroup:“Thispandemicisthefirsttimethatanentireadultpopulation is a target. Today’sstatementispolitical.Butforittobe translated intopolicy and forthe adult population to be in-cluded in theUIP,modalities onpricing have to beworked outwiththestates.”Responding to the BJP’s an-
nouncement,HealthMinisterTSSinghDeo fromCongress-ruledChhattisgarh reflected theviewsof many states: “We have notbeen told anything by theGovernment of India about thepurchaseof the vaccine. It is notanissueifwe(states)areaskedtopay.Ifwehavetopay,wewill...butvaccines should bemade avail-ableinproportiontothepopula-tion.Avaccinecannotbeassuredforaparticularstate.TheElection
Commission should take cog-nizanceof thisannouncement.”Today’s announcement also
comeswhen the expert vaccinegroup is exploring multiplemechanisms including advancemarket commitments as hasbeendone byUS andEuropeancountries.The view in the government
isthat“realisticprices”ofthevac-cinewill be available onlywhentheyareclearedbyregulators.“Anyindicativepriceforasin-
gle dose or double dose vaccinebecomes aplausible figure oncethe vaccine has been able todemonstrate its safety and effi-cacy.Once that isdonebymulti-ple vaccines, priceswill declineanddeclinedrastically.Thereforewecannothazardaguessofhowmuchtheoutgowillbe(until,pos-sibly) July,” Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushan hadsaid. The Centre is actively incommunication with privatehealth care providerswhohavesaidtheyarereadytovaccinateattheirhospitals.
Visasconferences,employment,stud-ies, research, medicalpurposes, etc”.“The Government has now
decided tomakeagraded relax-ationinvisaandtravelrestrictionsformorecategoriesofforeignna-tionalsandIndiannationalswhowish to enter or leave India.Therefore, ithasbeendecidedtopermitallOCIandPIOcardhold-ersandallotherforeignnationalsintending to visit India for anypurpose,exceptonaTouristVisa,”thestatementsaid.Thosewhoareeligiblecanen-
ter the country through autho-risedairportsandseaport immi-gration checkposts, theMinistrysaid. “This includes flights oper-atedunderVandeBharatMission,Air Transport Bubble arrange-ments or by anynon-scheduledcommercialflightsasallowedbytheMinistryof Civil Aviation.Allsuchtravellerswill,however,havetostrictlyadheretoguidelinesoftheMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfareregardingquarantineandother health/Covid-19matters,”thestatementsaid.Under thegraded relaxation,
theGovernmenthasalsodecidedto restorewith immediateeffectall existing visas, except those inthe electronic, tourist andmed-icalcategories.Freshapplicationsneed tobesubmitted in someofthecategories.“Ifthevalidityofsuchvisashas
expired, fresh visas of appropri-ate categories can be obtainedfrom IndianMission/Posts con-cerned.Foreignnationalsintend-ingtovisitIndiaformedicaltreat-mentcanapplyforaMedicalVisaincludingfortheirmedicalatten-dants,”thestatementsaid.The Government had sus-
pendedvisas of all foreigners onMarch 11,with the last interna-tionalflightlandinginthecountryonMarch 23. A day later, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi an-nounced the nationwide lock-down. Since then, theGovernment has relaxed, inphases, restrictions on entry offoreigners andOCI cardholders.Its last order in August had al-lowed a certain category of for-eigners, including those arrivingfor business ormedical reasons,toenter Indiathroughairbubble
arrangements with countriessuchas theUS, theUK,GermanyandFrance.For OCI card-holders, the
Governmentfirstannouncedre-laxations onMay22. Followingthis, the Government allowedcharteredflightscarryingforeign-ersforspecificbusinesspurposestoarriveinthecountry.
Maharashtrawere taken away from them.Hence,we took adecision to re-scindthegeneralconsentgiventoCBI,”Deshmukhsaid.Thestate’srulingalliancepart-
ner Shiv Sena said the decisionwas taken to “protect the rights”of the state following “interfer-ence” by national investigativeagenciesinthepastfewmonths.“Ifsomeoneisusingthepow-
ers of investigative agencies likeCBI, ED to harass and defamestates that are ruled bynon-BJPparties, then suchadecisionhastobetakentoprotecttherightsofthe state,” said SanjayRaut, ShivSenaMP.Rautsaidstateagenciesareca-
pable of conducting any probe.“WheneverMumbai Police startinvestigating any case, and theycome to the final conclusion, acase is registered in other statesandthecentralagenciestakeoverthecaseandenterthestate.Howlongwill this last?Theinvestiga-tive agencies inMaharashtra arecapableofconductinganyprobe,”Raut said. BJP spokespersonMadhav Bhandari, however, al-leged that the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government was“scaredthatitsownwrongdoingswillbeunearthed”bytheCBI.Onallegationsofinterference
in the state's police work,Bhanadari said: “This is the gov-ernmentthatrewardedthepoliceofficerwhohadgivenpermissionto theWadhawanbrothers (ac-cused inthePMCscam)totravelduringlockdown.Theofficerwasgivenaplumposting.Oneshouldlearnfromthisgovernmentabouthowtointerfereinpolicework.”OnWednesday,anoteissued
by the stateHomedepartmentstated:“Inexerciseofthepowersconferredbysection6oftheDelhiSpecialPoliceEstablishmentAct,1946, the government ofMaharashtra herebywithdrawsthe consent accorded to theMembers of the Delhi SpecialPolice Establishment videGovernmentOrder...dated22ndFebruary1989....”The CBI is governed by the
Delhi Special PoliceEstablishment Act thatmakesconsent of a state governmentmandatoryforconductinginves-tigationinthatstate.SincetheCBIhasjurisdictiononlyoverCentralgovernment departments andemployees, it can investigate acase involving state governmentemployeesoraviolentcrimeinastate only after the governmentconcernedgivesconsent.
(WITHINPUTSFROMVISHWASWAGHMODE)
Dr Reddy’sto confirmwhether it had shutdownproduction operations, aspokesperson said the companyhad “no further comments” toaddtoitsstatementtotheBSE.Pharmaceutical industry ex-
perts said data breaches atpharmacompaniesoftenturnedout to be “serious and critical”events that called formeasuressuchashaltingproductionwhilethebreachwasanalysedandse-curityissueswereplugged.Pharma firms rely on the in-
tegrityofdatatoensurethequal-ityoftheirmedicines,theexpertssaid. Intheeventof abreach,op-erations are stopped until thecompanies can be certain thattheir data remain secure and re-liable. “At the end of the day,whateverdrugsyouconsumearedependentonthequalityofdatabasedontheregulatorynormorGMP(goodmanufacturingprac-tices)requirement–whetheritisa batch release, pharmacokinet-icsdata,ordatarelatedtothema-terial used in the drug,” said A
Vaidheesh, formermanagingdi-rector and vice president-SouthAsia at GlaxoSmithKlinePharmaceuticals.“There is a lot of information
thatgoesintothemanufacturingof adrug,andif thatdata iscom-promised, it becomesdifficult toreleaseanydrug...Criticalprocessparameters(CPP)inpharmaceu-ticalmanufacturingarekeyvari-ables affecting the productionprocess.Henceprotectionofdataiscritical,”Vaidheeshsaid.An executive at an Indian
pharmacompanysaidoncondi-tionofanonymity:“Overthelast10-15years,pharmaceuticalcom-panieshaveshiftedmostof theirdocumentationandmanufactur-ing process data to the digitalspace,which leaves theirmanu-facturing operations vulnerabletocybersecurityissues.”Dr Reddy's had told BSE on
Saturdaythat ithadreceivedap-proval from theDrugControllerGeneralofIndia,thecountry'stopdrugregulator,toconductmid-tolate-stage clinical trials for theSputnikVCovid-19vaccine can-didate developed by theGamaleya Research Institute inMoscow.The firm is expected toconduct phase 2/3 trials onaround1,500participantsacross10sites,aseniorgovernmentoffi-cialtoldTheIndianExpress.
DU rowmeetingonSC/STwelfare.Hisor-ders will be valid once he re-sumes duty officially,” a seniorofficer told The Indian Express.Before the government inter-venedonThursdayevening, thepower tussle had intensified,with Tyagi issuing orders oust-ing Joshiwith immediateeffect.
Joshiwas replaced byGeetaBhatt, a member of the BJP-backed National DemocraticTeachers’ Front and a leadingmember of the Group ofIntellectuals&Academics,whichhad issued a report stating theDelhiriotswereallegedlyorches-trated by “Jihadis” and “UrbanNaxals”. The report was laterturned into abookpublishedbyGarudaPrakashan.TheDURegistrar’s office re-
mained double locked onThursday. Sources said bothop-posingcampshadlockeditlateatnight. OnWednesdaymorning,just hours before an ExecutiveCouncil (EC)meetingwas tobe-gin, P C Jha was made theRegistrarreplacingSumanKundu,atTyagi’sbehest.Joshi, however, deemed the
appointment “illegal” as hehadnotmadeit–andaskedJhatova-catetheoffice.KunduchairedtheECmeetingastheRegistrar.Bynight,athirdperson,Vikas
Gupta, had been appointedRegistrarbytheECunanimously.Accordingly, on Thursday
morning,Joshisignedanofficeor-der as the Pro V-C announcingthat Gupta had joined as theRegistrar.Hourslater,however,Tyagire-
movedJoshi.“Inpursuanceofthepower vested with the Vice-Chancellor... I appoint DrGeetaBhatt, Director, Non-CollegiateWomen’sEducationBoard,asProVice-Chancellor, University ofDelhi, in place of Professor P CJoshi...with immediate effect tillfurtherorders... This be reportedto the Executive Council,” Tyagiwrote, on thebasis ofwhich Jhaissuedanofficialnotification.Later in theday, Bhatt issued
anofficeorderquashingJoshi’sor-der appointing Gupta as theRegistrar. She said theorderwas“inviolationoftheorders”issuedby theV-C and “without any ju-risdictionandlawfulauthority”.Bhattwrote:“It isanabuseof
process of law stipulated in theDelhiUniversityAct,StatutesandOrdinances. Therefore, the saidimpugned order datedOctober22andanyothersuchorders/no-tifications/minutesissuedbythethen Pro Vice-ChancellorProfessorPCJoshiwhicharecon-trary to theDelhiUniversityAct1992andordersoftheCompetentAuthority of the UniversityProfessor YogeshK Tyagi, Vice-Chancellorarenullandvoid.”Interestingly, theMinistry's
letteronThursdaywasaddressedtoGupta,andnotJha.TheMinistrywrote: “...It has
beenbroughttothenoticethatanotificationofchargeofRegistrarwas issuedon21.10.2020morn-ing even before the workinghours of theUniversitywithoutactiveknowledgeof theProf. PCJoshi who is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor having chargeVice-Chancellor at present as per thestatuteoftheuniversityandanat-temptwasmadetoblockthecon-duct of ExecutiveCouncilmeet-ingscheduledon21.10.2020andfunctioningof theUniversity bytheActingRegistrarappointedbyProf. Yogesh Tyagi, who is onleave.”Theletterwentontostatethat Tyagi's orderswouldnot bevalidunlessheofficially joinsof-ficeaftersubmittingamedicalfit-ness certificate, and that Joshiwould act as V-C until then. “Itmaybe ensured that admissionprocess, recruitment and aca-demic activities in the light of
present Covid situationmaybeconducted unhindered as perschedulewithoutanydelay,”thelettersaid.
Row in NepalSher Bahadur Deuba, formerPrime Minister BaburamBhattarai and Madhes-basedleaderMahantha Thakur sepa-ratelyduringtheirnearly24-hourstayinNepalwherethereisfreshpoliticalturmoil.TheR&AWchief’svisit,ahead
ofIndianArmychiefGeneralMMNaravane’s scheduledvisit nextmonth, comes at a timewhenIndiaandNepalareattemptingtorepair ties, severely strained fol-lowing escalationof thebound-arydispute andNepal’s publica-tion of a map this summer toinclude areas of the Indian stateof Uttarakhand. Prachanda, it islearnt, told his followers thatthoughhehas the responsibilitytokeepthepartyunityintact,Oli’s“misdeeds”may compel him totake the government to task.“Suchameeting,keepingthe
partyandtheministryconcernedin absolute dark, calls for an ex-planation from the PrimeMinister,”Prachandatoldagath-eringthatincludedtwoministers.Khanal andMadhavNepal, it
islearnt,alsosaidsuchameetingbetweenthePrimeMinisterandtheR&AWchief“inaclandestinemannerwas detrimental to na-tionalinterest”.Meanwhile, the Prime
Minister andNCP central secre-tariat member Narayan KajiShresthawantedtoknowthena-tureofGoel’svisit–ifitwasinper-sonalorofficialcapacity–andtheagendaofthediscussionwiththePrimeMinister.BhimBahadurRawal, former
GoaChief Minister Pramod Sawanttweeted that “despite financialconstraints”,thegovernmenthasdecidedtoreleaseRs45.29croreto over 1.7 lakh beneficiaries ofboththeschemes.North Goa SP Utkrisht
Prasoon said, “The suicide is re-latedtoamobilephonethatwasnotrepaired.Theboywas16yearsold.Wefirstdeterminedthecauseof death -- asphyxia causedduetohanging.Wearealsoinquiringwithhisschoolteachersandoth-ers to ensure the circumstances.Statements of parents have al-readybeentaken.”The school headmaster con-
firmedtoTheIndianExpressthatclasseswerebeingheldonline.His class teacher is still in
shock. Of his 59 students,morethanhalf attend classes on theirphones— and the 16-year-oldwas one of them. “He was afriendly child... completed hishomework andwas respondingto online lessons. He even gotgood marks in a test we con-ductedrecently,”hesays.Studentswereallowedtovisit
schoolif theyhaddoubtstoclearorneededhelpwithworksheetsgiven during online hours. Theboy, the teacher said, hadvisitedschooltopickabooktheweekhedied.“Hewouldcometoschoolifhe had doubts to clear, but henever told us about hismobilephone. If we had known, wewouldhave told him itwas ok,”theteachersays.Back at the 16-year-old’s
home,thefathersaysthatdespitetheirhardships,henevercutcor-ners when it came to his chil-dren'seducation. “Butwehardlyhave any incomenow... the ex-penseshaveonly increasedafterthelockdown.Still,wehavebeentryingourbestbecauseeducationis very important.My youngersonhasn’t attended any classessinceweonlyhadonephonebe-tween the two boys and theirclassesclashed.”Henowworries forhis other
two children— an 18-year-olddaughter anda12-year-old son.Thedaughter had enrolled for anursing course before the lock-down. “Her total course fee is Rs5 lakh, of which the EducationDepartment gives Rs 2 lakh.Tomorrow if her education getsstalledduetolackofmoney,whatwill happen?What if she doessomethingsimilar?WhatdoIdothen?”hesays.The mother says she lost a
bow injury and a severe backproblem.Heusedtotellmetoquitdriving, that hewill join ITI andworkafterClass12.”He says he knows of several
familieswhoaregoingthroughasimilar situation. “The govern-ment says studyonline, but canpoorpeople affordphones? Thegovernment should pauseschoolingforayeariftheycannothelpthepoor.”Hesayshisheartacheswhen
he thinksof his son’s lastwords.“WhenIwasleavingforworkthenextmorning, he said, ‘Hitmenowifyouwant,youmaynotgetachanceintheevening.’”Aroundmid-day, the father emptiedhisbus at Bicholimbus stopand re-turnedhome, after someone inthefamilycalledtoinformhimofhisson'sdeath.
FULLREPORTSONwww.indianexpress.com
FROMPAGEONEFree vaccine for all Bihar residents
Opp parties slam politics over pandemic
free vaccine. This is the firstpromise in our sankalp patra.With responsibility,we are as-suring thepeople of Bihar thatallofyouwillgetafreevaccine,”shesaid.Oftheelevencommit-mentsinthemanifesto,thefirststates: “TheNDAgovernmentin Bihar has set an example inthefightagainstCorona.Itisourpromise that thatwhen a vac-cine for Covid is available afterclearance from ICMR, everyBiharresidentwillbegivenfreevaccination.”The Opposition RJD and
CongresshitbackattheBJP,say-ing it is “appalling” tomake avaccine against theCovidpan-
demic a poll issue. ManojKumar Jha, Rajya Sabhamem-ber of RJD said, “I am shocked.In awelfare state, promising avaccine for a pandemic, if it ispartofanelectionmanifesto, itshowsthelevelofdeteriorationintheirthinking.”TheBJPdefendeditsprom-
ise.“Idonotunderstandwhyitis becoming a controversy.Healthisapartofpublicpolicy,and all political partiesmakepromisesonpublicpolicies.Justlike some parties promisingfarmloanwaiver,weareprom-isingtokeepthepeopleinBiharsafe,” Bhupender Yadav, BJPgeneral secretary in-charge of
Bihar, toldTheIndianExpress.“How to fight against the
pandemic is our pledge to thepeopleofBihar.Wearenotsay-ing it’sonlyforthepeoplewhovote for us. It’s for everyone inBihar.Wewillseethateverycit-izeninBihargetsitfreeofcost,”Yadavsaid.Speaking at the Idea
Exchange programme of TheIndian Express Thursday,Information andBroadcastingMinister Prakash Javadekarsaid: “If the vaccine comes, itwillbe for theworldandforallof India, not just for one state.Partygivesamanifestowithin-tended programmes… that
programme of government,somebody has to subsidise. Ifthe government tries to sub-sidise,it’sadifferentquestion…Let the vaccine come, theneverystatewillhelpitscitizensdifferently.”On the health sector, the
manifestostates,“Itisourcom-mitment that ten thousanddoctors, fifty thousand para-medical staff, and in total onelakhpeoplewillgetjoboppor-tunities in the health depart-ment.Withthis,thesecondAI-IMS in Bihar in Darbhangagiven by the PrimeMinisterwill be operationalisedby2024.”
Sabha MPManoj Kumar JhasaidtheBJP’sdecisiontomakesuch a promise in its electionmanifestowasanindicationofthe deterioration in its think-ing. He criticised the an-nouncement, saying itamounts to “zindagi bachanekeliyebhichunavisaudebaazi(seeking votes even to savelives)”.Addressing a press confer-
ence in Patna, Congress com-munication department headRandeep Surjewala said thepandemiccannotbeatopicfortheBJPto“lie”and“makefun”of thepeopleof Bihar.“When lakhs of migrants
fromBiharwerewalkingbackto thestatewithouteven foodandwater… The sameNitishKumar and Sushil Modi hadsaid theywill not let themen-ter the state. And today, onceagain, they aremaking fun ofthepeopleofBiharandalsothepeople of the country... WhatwasthesituationinBihardur-ing the lockdown?Over 1000people have died. Is NitishBabu bothered about it? IsSushilModibotheredaboutit?And those central ministerswhoarenowcoming toBihar,didtheypayanyattentionear-lier... BJP... you can lie... even
Nitish Babu had called youbadkajhootaparty ...butdon’tmakefunofthepeopleofBiharandthepeopleofthecountry...Wetakestrongexceptiontoit,”hesaid.“GOI just announced
India’s Covid access strategy.Kindly refer to the state-wiseelection schedule to knowwhenyouwillgetit,alongwithahoardof falsepromises,”for-merCongresspresidentRahulGandhi tweeted.ChhattisgarhChiefMinister
Bhupesh Baghel said the BJP’spromisemeant that people ofotherstateswillhavetopayforthevaccine.“NDAmanifesto says free
vaccineforBiharis.Thisisapollpromise BJP & JDU havemade… they are politicisingthehealthofcitizenswithvac-cineelectionism.Withthispollpromise, the BJP has impliedthat the citizens of other non-electionstateswillhavetopayfor thevaccine,”hesaid.CPM general secretary
Sitaram Yechury called it a“brazenviolation”oftheModelCode of Conduct by theFinanceMinisterwho,hesaid,was seeking to influenceBihar’s electorate with thepromiseof freeCovidvaccina-
tion.He said itwas the centralgovernment’sresponsibilitytoprovide the vaccine to allIndians. He said the ElectionCommission of India was re-fusing to take suomotu cog-nizance of the BJP announce-ment.Targeting the BJP and the
Prime Minister, CPI generalsecretaryDRajasaid,“Vaccine-for-vote politics is dirty, dubi-ousanddishonestpolitics.ThepeopleofBiharwillgiveabefit-tingreply. ItshowsthattheBJPisdesperateandisjitteryaboutthe outcome of the polls. Andwhat about people in otherstates? And if people of Biharvote against the BJP, will theynot give vaccines to people ofBihar.”Similar views were ex-
pressed by former J&K ChiefMinister and NationalConference leader OmarAbdullah.“WilltheBJPbepay-ingforthesevaccinesfromtheparty treasury? If it’s comingfromthegovernmenttreasurythen how can Bihar get freevaccineswhile the rest of thecountryhastopay?Thereissomuchwrongwith thisblatantpopulism that shamefully ex-ploitsCovidfears,”hetweeted.TheAAPtooquestionedthe
BJP announcement: “Whatabout non-BJP ruled states?Indians who didn't vote BJPwill not get free Covid vac-cine?”.Sources in the Election
Commission,however,saidtheBJP's promise of freeCovid-19vaccineforthepeopleofBihardoes not violate the ModelCodeof Conduct.Askedwhether the prom-
ise could be construed as un-dueinfluenceasmentionedinthe Commission's guidelineson a poll manifesto, sourcespointed to Section 123 of theRepresentation of the PeopleAct that states “declaration ofpublic policy or a promise ofpublic action” cannot be seenasundue influence.The EC is learned to have
takenthisstandonacomplaintreceivedduringtheLokSabhaelections last year against theCongress’s NYAY scheme thatguaranteedminimumincomeof Rs 6,000 per month, or Rs72,000ayear,for25crorepeo-ple.TheECguidelinesonman-ifestostatethatpoliticalpartiesshouldavoidmakingpromisesthat vitiate the purity of theelectoral process or exert un-due influence on the voter toexercise their franchise.
CLARIFICATIONS & CORRECTIONS
PAGE7THE ARTICLE ‘It’s not a referendumonModi, absolutely not’ men-tioned incorrectly that CPI leaderKanhaiyaKumardidnot say any-thing followingUmarKhalid’s arrest over theDelhi riots. In a state-ment accusing the government of stifling dissent, two days afterKhalid’sarrest,Kanhaiyahadmentionedthestudentactivistamongseveral others arrested. The article also said Kanhaiya had finishedthirdinthe2019LokSabhaelectionscontestingfromBegusaraiseat.Hehadcomesecond.Theerrorsare regretted.
22.10.20,PAGE1
THE PHOTOGRAPH of women in aMumbai local trainwas incor-rectly attributed to Ganesh Shirsekar. The photograph is by AmitChakravarty. Theerror is regretted.
New Delhi
3THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,OCTOBER23,2020
THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
FORMER JNU student UmarKhalidhastoldaDelhicourtthathehasbeenkept insolitarycon-finementbyTiharJailauthoritiesfor several days, and askedwhyhewasbeingpunished.Khalidwas produced before
Additional Sessions JudgeAmitabh Rawat alongwith co-accused JNU student SharjeelImaminconnectionwithaUAPAcasefiledinconnectionwiththeNortheast Delhi riots, when hemade these submissions. Thecourt has now summoned thejailsuperintendenttoappearbe-fore itonFriday.When the hearing began,
Special Public Prosecutor AmitPrasad, appearing for DelhiPolice, moved an applicationseeking30days judicial custodyof Khalid and Imam. ASJ Rawat,however, informed Prasad thathewasunwellandsincehecouldnot lookat thecase files,hecan-not grant the request for exten-sionof their judicialcustody.As the court fixed the next
dateofhearing,Khalid’scounsel,Trideep Pais, said he has beenraisinghishandforsometimeashewantedtosaysomething.When the court granted
Khalid permission to speak, hetold the court, “Your honour... Iam aware that you have passedan order onOctober 17 saying Iwould be given adequate secu-ritycoverandwillbeabletocon-tinuewithmyroutinedaytodaywithout any discrimination.However, for the last three-fourdays, I havenot been allowed tostepoutofmyjailcell, it’spracti-cally solitary confinement.Nobodyisallowednearmycell…Noone isallowedtotalk tome. Iwanted to justbring this toyournotice because this is in contra-
ventionofyourorders.”Khalidthentoldthecourtofa
visit by a jail superintendent re-centlywhenhewasletoutfor10minutes. He said, “In themorn-ing, the jail superintendent vis-itedme and I pointed out thatwhat is happening is absolutelynotrightandthisisthegrievanceI have. The superintendent as-suredme that I (jail cell) shouldbe opened.Whenhewas there,(it)was opened for 10minutes.Thenheleftand…Ihavenotbeenallowed outside ever since. Thisis solitary confinement, I havealso not beenwell for the pastthreedaysandnotbeenallowedtowalk...asmycomfort.Ineedse-curitybutsecuritycannotbethatIcannotstepoutatall.Thisislikea punishment, why am I beinggiventhispunishment?”Khalidalsotoldthecourtthat
hewas not allowed to speak di-rectly to the judge during videoconferencing hearings by jailstaff:“Iwouldalsolikeyoutotelljail staff to unmuteme.Whentheywantedtospeaktoyou,theywerenotunmutingmeandsaidthatunlessanduntilajudgeasksyoutounmute,wecan’tallow.”ASJ Rawat directed jail staff
sitting beside Khalid to appearbefore thecameraand toldhim,“Iftheinmatewantstosaysome-thing then inform the court andcall the jail superintendent to-morrow.”
ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI, OCTOBER22
ADELHIcourtdismissedthebailapplicationof formerAAPcoun-cillorTahirHussaininthreecasesrelatedtotheNortheastDelhiri-ots, observing that hewas a sit-ting AAP councillor at the timeoftheriotsand“usedhismusclepower and political clout to actasakingpininplanning,instigat-ing and fanning the flames ofcommunal conflagration”.Theobservationsweremade
by Additional Sessions JudgeVinod Yadav in an order onThursday, in which he agreedwith Special Public ProsecutorManoj Choudhary’s argumentthatTahirclaimingparitywithco-accusedwhoareenlargedonbailwas“illogicalbecausetheroleas-signedtohiminthemattersisto-tally different and distinct fromrestof theco-accusedpersons”.ASJYadav,inhisorder,wrote,
position(beingsittingcouncillorof thearea fromtheAamAadmiParty)anditisprimafacieappar-ent that he used his musclepowerandpoliticalclouttoactasakingpininplanning,instigatingand fanning the flames of com-munal conflagration. Therefore,at this stage, I find that there isenoughmaterial on record topresume that the applicantwasverywell present at the spot ofcrimeandwasexhorting riotersofaparticularcommunityandassuch, he did not use his handsand fists, but rioters as ‘humanweapons’,whoonhisinstigation
couldhavekilledanybody.”Drawing parallels with the
PartitionandDelhiriots,thecourtsaid, “It is common knowledgethatthedrearydayof24.02.2020saw parts of Northeast Delhigripped by a communal frenzy,reminiscentofcarnageduringthedays of Partition. Soon, the riotsspread like wildfire across thesmoke-greyskylineoftheCapital,engulfingnewareasandsnuffingout more and more innocentlives. TheDelhi riots 2020 are agapingwound in theconscienceofanationaspiringtobeamajorglobal power. The allegationsagainst the applicant are ex-tremelygraveinnature.”Tahir’s lawyer, senior advo-
cateKKManan,hadargued thatTahir“hasbeencaughtinapolit-icalcross-fireandtheallegationslevelledagainsthimarenothingbutapoliticalblamegametoma-lign his image”.Manan argued,“There is no evidence bywayofeven a single video or CCTVfootage to prove the applicanthad participated in the riots orcauseddamage toproperty.”The court, however, did not
agreewith his submissions andsaid,“Eveniftherewerenodirectactsofviolenceattributabletotheapplicant, he cannot shy awayfromhisliabilityunderprovisionsof the sections invoked againsthim,particularlyonaccountofthefact that his house/building be-camethehub/centrepoint forri-oters and rabble-rousers to un-leash theworst communal riotssincePartitioninDelhi.Thespreadofriotsonsuchabigscaleinsuchashort time isnotpossiblewith-outapremeditatedconspiracy.”“Atthisstage, Iamreminded
ofafamousEnglishsayingwhichsays that ‘when you choose toplay with embers, you cannotblame thewind to have carriedthesparkabittoofarandspreadthe fire’. So,when the applicantis at the receiving end now, hecannot pass the buck by simplytakingapleathatsincehedidnotparticipate physically in the ri-ots, he has no role to play in theriots. It is prima facie apparentthat the applicant abused hismusclepowerandpoliticalclouttofomentcommunalviolenceinthearea,” theorder read.
Kept in solitaryconfinement in jail,Khalid tells court
UmarKhalidwassent tojudicial custodyonSept24
NORTHEASTDELHIRIOTS
SAKSHIDAYALGURGAON,OCTOBER21
A MONTH after students ofclasses IX toXII inHaryanawerepermittedtovisitschoolstoseekguidance fromteachers, officialsfrom the educationdepartmentand government schools inGurgaon said attendance hasseenariseasaresultofincreasein"confidence of parents and stu-dents". However, theymaintainthatthe"output"ofstudentswillincrease only when physicalclassesresume.TheHaryana government is
yettoannounceadecisiononre-suming classes for students ofclassesIX-XII,whichwaspermit-tedbytheCentrefromOctober15.At the Government Senior
SecondarySchoolinChakkarpur,for instance, the number of stu-dents is up from44 on day 1 to"around200"asofnow.ThetotalstrengthofstudentsinclassesIX-XIIattheschool is1,100."Wehad44studentsvisiting
the school on the first day,withthe number increasing to 60 bythe secondweek. It has been in-creasingeveryday.Moststudentscoming are from the boardclasses. Inclass IX,barely20stu-dents comedaily.Most of thesestudentshavedoubts in science,mathsandEnglish.InclassXIItoo,studentsfromthesciencestreamarecomingmore,"saidprincipalAnjanaDhingra."Therehasnotbeenanysitu-
ationyetofanyteacherorstudenthavingtobesentbackbecauseofCovidsymptoms.Theconfidenceofparentsandstudentsisincreas-ingdaily;weexpectthenumberswill continue to rise in the com-ingdays,"shesaid.At the Government Senior
Secondary School in Nathupur,principal Manju Ahlawat said
"35-45"ofthe650studentsinthehigherclassesarecomingtocon-sultteachersdaily:"Thenumberislowbutitishigherthanwhatitwas in the initial days…Ouron-lineclassesarealsocontinuingsi-multaneously."According to data compiled
among students of class X onboth days,with 6 per cent visit-ing schools on day 1 and 8 percentonday2.While3percentofstudentsof class IXsoughtguid-anceonbothdays, the figure in-creased from4per cent to 5percent for students of class XI andfrom5per cent to 8per cent forstudents of class XII. Officialsfromtheeducationdepartment,however, said no data has beencompiled of attendance in thedaysthathavefollowed."Compared to before, the
number of students who arecoming has increased.We arecontinuing tomake efforts fromourendtoencouragestudentstocomeforward.Wehavetostepupefforts in this direction now asthere is no guaranteewhen thispandemicwill end, and there isvery little time left for the aca-demicyeartofinishandexamstocommence,"saidDeputyDistrictEducationOfficer,KalpanaSingh.Shesaidtherealdifferenceto
the "output" of studentswill bemadeonlywhenphysicalclassesresume: "Childrenwhowere inthehabitof learningintheclass-roomarehavingaproblemkeep-ingupinonlineclasses.Thereare10-15%who are doingwell, butthe others are facing issues. In aclassroom,wecanensurethestu-dent focuses on the lesson andthereissomegrowth."
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
A37-YEAR-OLDmanwhoposedas a businessman and NGOownerwasarrestedforallegedlyraping three foreignnationals inJaipurandDelhi lastmonth.Thewomen, aged25-28, live
in the UK and came to India inDecember.Theysaidtheymettheaccused, Rupak Chatterjee, onFacebookandwererapedinsideahotel.PolicesaidChatterjeeisin-volvedinmultiplecasesofcheat-ingandsexualassault.Lastmonth,thethreewomen
went to a police station inDelhiand filed complaints againstChatterjee.Twoofthewomenal-leged theywere raped in Jaipurwhile the third claimed shewasrapedinaKarolBaghhotel.Theircomplaintswere transferred toJaipurPoliceandDelhiPolice.In a complaint by one of the
womentoKarolBaghpolicesta-tion on September 15, sheclaimed shewanted towork for
anNGOandthoughttheaccusedwouldhelpher. Theymet at herhotel in Karol Bagh and the ac-cusedallegedlyrapedher.A senior police officer from
Delhi said, “She had recentlycome to India and couldn’t goback because of Covid. Shewastryingtofindworkhereandmettheaccused.”Of the other two complaints
transferredtoJaipur,onewasreg-istered inWest district and an-other in South district. Thewomenallegedtheywererapedlastmonth in Jaipur. They saidthey have knownChatterjee formonths andwereworkingwithhim.OnSeptember17,FIRsundersections of rapewere registeredbyJaipurPolice.PradeepMohanSharma,DCP
(West Jaipur), said, “Theaccusedhas cheated a lot of women. Hetold themhe sold ethnic prod-ucts.We found there are othercases registered against him inJaipur andDelhi...We searchedforhimforweeksandfoundthathe’shidinginMumbai.”
TahirHussain
Man held for ‘raping’3 women from UK
Tahir denied bail, court sayshewas in ‘powerful position’
ANANYATIWARINEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
THE IDEA of protest in desig-natedspacesisantitheticaltotheidea of democracy, JNU profes-sor Nivedita Menon said at apress conference to discuss theright toprotest, Thursday.Swaraj India's Yogendra
Andolan BezwadaWilson, co-founder of the United AgainstHate groupNadeemKhan, andauthorArundhatiRoywerealsopresent.Speaking about the recent
Supreme Court judgement,whichdirectedauthoritiestoactagainst indefinite protests suchas the one at Shaheen Baghagainst the CitizenshipAmendmentAct,andsaidpublicspaces cannot be occupied in-
definitely, Menon said, “To sayprotest in designated spaces isantitheticaltotheideaofdemoc-racy... That protests must besafelymuseumised is a parodyof democracyandanextremelyproblematic interpretation bythe Supreme Court of whatprotest means in a democracyandwhatthevalueofprotestis.”TheOctober7SCjudgement
had said: "Democracy and dis-sent go hand in hand, but then
the demonstrations expressingdissenthavetobe indesignatedplacesalone".Yadav said that getting per-
mission to protest at a site likeParliamentStreetwasnearlyim-possible."Howcanthejudiciarybe oblivious to how thingswork?"heasked.Wilson,mean-while,saidhehadarighttoraisehis voice as a citizen and thisvoice "should not be equatedwithdissent, buta right".
‘Protests in allotted areas against democracy’
Month on, schoolsin Gurgaon reportbetter attendance
DELHI GOVERNMENT employ-eeswillgeta"specialcashpack-age" in lieu of the Leave TravelConcessionFare for the2018-21block to boost consumptionaheadof the festive season.Thegovernmentsaidemploy-
eesentitledtobusinessclassair-farewill get Rs 36,000, followedby Rs 20,000 for thosewho areentitledtoeconomyclassairfare,andRs 6,000 as LTC for employ-eesentitledtorail fare.“In the viewof Covid-19 and
nationwidelockdown,whichhascreatedadisruptionof thetrans-port and hospitality sector, theDelhi government has observedthatanumberofitsemployeesarenotinapositiontoavail theleave
travelconcessionfarefortravelinthe current block of 2018-21. Tocompensateandincentivisecon-sumption by theDelhi govern-ment employees, therebygivingaboosttoconsumptionexpendi-ture,thegovernmenthasdecidedthatcashequivalentofLTCwillbegiven to its employees if an em-ployeeoptsforit,”astatementis-suedbythegovernmentsaid.Employeeswillalsobegivena
“special festival package” of Rs10,000asanadvanceonsalaryfor
only for non-gazetted employ-ees, but now itwould be appli-cable tobothgazettedandnon-gazetted employees, officialssaid. Employees will get a pre-loadedRuPaycardof thevalue.“The oneway to give a boost
toexpenditureandconsumptionis to givemoney to people. This,wehope,isgoingtogivethecity'seconomicactivity,whichhassuf-feredmorethanthenationalav-erage, amuch needed boost. Itwill also help out employees,many ofwhomhave seen otherfamilymembers lose their jobs,”aseniorgovernmentofficialsaid.Delhi's tax collection has
takenamassivehit,andthegov-ernmentisbankinguponabusyfestive season to help improvethesituationontheground.
4THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,OCTOBER23,2020
THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
ANANYATIWARINEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
RESIDENT DOCTORS of NorthMCD-run Hindu Rao andKasturba Gandhi hospitalsprotested at Jantar MantarThursday, demanding paymentof their salaries that have beenstalled forover threemonths.“KasturbaGandhihospital is
oneofthebiggestmaternitycen-tres.Wehavebeentreatingmanynon-Covidpatients, and there is
suchabacklog.Aswearen’tearn-ing,wehavehadtoborrowfrompeople.We are doing our duty,anditisourrighttobepaid,”saidresidentdoctorDrUma(30).Dr Neha Singh (27), a resi-
dentdoctor fromthesamehos-pital, said, “This irregular pay-ment of salaries is not new – ithasbeengoingonforyears.Howdo they expect us tomanage inDelhi without salaries? Eventhoughwehavegotonemonth’ssalary,basicexpendituresaresohigh.Wewant apermanent so-
lution to thisproblem.”Resident doctors at Hindu
Raohospital havebeenprotest-ingsinceearlySeptember,whileKasturba Gandhi hospital doc-tors joinedmid-October.President of the Hindu Rao
RDA, Abhimanyu Sardana, toldTheIndianExpress thatnon-aca-demic resident doctors, whosecontracts are renewedevery 44days, are worried about losingtheirjobs.“Theadministrationisthreatening to not renew con-tracts of many such doctors —
around 50 — whose term ex-pired during this period... It hasalso said salarieswill bepaidbyDecember,”heclaimed.NorthMCDMayorJaiPrakash
toldThe IndianExpress, “Wehavemetthedoctors twice inthepast8-10days.At first, theyagreed tocall off the strike oncewe paidthemamonth's salary, but they
wentbackonthepromise.Thisisafundingcrisis.TheDelhigovern-ment refuses togive fundsand isasking to takeover thehospitals,which is not a solution… Itwilltakeus two-threemonths for usto find a solution but theymustmeetushalfway.Wecannothavedoctorsforgotheirduties.”Onallegationsmadebydoc-
tors on receiving threats of con-tract termination, Prakash said,“Therehavebeennosuchthreats.”AAP’s Sultana Abad, North
MCD councillor from Jama
Masjid ward, who was at theprotest, told The Indian Express:“TheDelhi government is readyto take over hospitals from theMCDs. TheMCDs say the Delhigovernmentdoesnotgivefundsbut that is a lie; there is nothingbutcorruption in theMCD.”Delhi Congress chief Anil
Chaudhary, also at the protest,said:“Doctorsfromvarioushos-pitals are on strike and havecometothestreets.Thesituationis serious, and theCongresswilljoin their fight.”
Cash package for Delhi govtstaff ahead of festive season
OVERLAST14DAYS
SHIVAMPATELNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
AIR QUALITY in Delhi over thepast14dayshasbeenbetterthan10NCRcitiesandtownsinUttarPradesh,HaryanaandRajasthan.The daily average air quality
index(AQI)datafromtheCentralPollution Control Board (CPCB),analysed by The Indian Express,showsthe14-dayaverageAQIofDelhiwas256asofThursday.ThiswasmuchlowerthantheaverageAQIs of UP’s Baghpat, Meerut,Ghaziabad,Muzaffarnagar andGreaterNoida,whichwereintherange of 271-305; Haryana’sBallabhgarh, Faridabad, Jind andPanipat, intherangeof261-273;andRajasthan’s Bhiwadi,whichwas 300. At 242, onlyGurgaon’s14-day average AQI was lowerthanDelhi’s.Thenumberof ‘verypoor’ air
days—AQIbetween300and400— was also higher in 10 NCRtowns as compared to Delhi,which had just 1 in the past 14days. UP’s Baghpat had seven‘very poor’ air days, highestamong 10NCR towns analysed.Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi was thesecond highest with six suchdays, followed by Panipat andMuzaffarnagar,with fiveeach.High levelsof airpollution is
witnessed every year in Delhi-NCR fromOctober until aroundFebruary, as a result of local
sources of emissions, stubbleburning inPunjabandHaryana,and unfavourablemeteorologi-cal conditions suchas lowwindspeedand lowtemperatures.UnionEnvironmentMinister
Prakash Javadekar had recentlysaid the issue of air pollution isnot of Delhi alonebut that of anairshedthatcoversNCRareasofUP, Haryana and Rajasthan. Anairshedcanbedescribedasage-ographical regionwhich sharesacommonflowof air.Pollution control boards of
airqualityintheirareas,includingmechanised sweeping and fre-quentwater sprinklingon roads,dust control measures at con-structionsitesandnightpatrollingtocheckindustrialemissionsandwasteburning.Fifty teamsof theCPCBarealsoconductingregularinspections to keep a check onpollutingactivitiesinDelhi-NCR.Haryana State Pollution
ControlBoardmember secretarySNarayanan said the reasonbe-hind higher AQI in Panipat andBallabhgarh is local as road-sideconstructionactivitieswerehap-peningnear air qualitymonitor-
ing stationsuntil recently. “Thereis no reason for air quality to beworsethanDelhi...Wehaveissueddirectionstotheregionalofficertotakeactionandstoptheactivities;otherwise,monitoring stationsprovideabiasedpicture,”hesaid.Praveen Kumar, Noida re-
gional officer of theUPPollutionControl Board, said teamsof theboardanddistrictadministrationarekeepingastrictvigilongroundto prevent polluting activities:“Wearetakingallmeasurestoen-surelocalsourcesofemissionsdonotincrease—ensuringindustriesuseonlypermissiblefuels,mech-
anisedsweepingandwatersprin-kling andnot allowing any con-struction activitywithout anti-smogguns.”Delhihaslargelybeenthefo-
cus of the annual winter-timefight against air pollution. Butover the past fewyears, the cityhas been able to takemeasureswhich other NCR towns couldnot.Thisincludesbanninguseofdiesel generator sets for a thirdyear in a row October 15 on-wards,underdirectionsfromthe
Supreme Court-appointedEnvironment Pollution(Prevention and Control)Authority (EPCA).Haryanahasbeenstruggling
tobanDGsets forasecondyear,as the government informedEPCA last week that around14,000residentsofGurgaonandFaridabadwillnotgetelectricityif gensets arenot allowed. EPCAhad asked for an affidavit fromHaryana, giving time schedulesofwhencoloniesdependentonDG setswould be connected totheelectricitygrid.OnThursday, EPCAmember
SunitaNarainsaid,“EPCAhasre-ceived communication fromgovernmentthattheyarefinalis-ing deadlines and getting affi-davits from builders. CM hascalledameetingtomorrowtofi-nalise the deadline, whichwillthen be given to EPCA.Wewillthenrespond.”UPhadalso struggled toban
gensetslastwinterinGhaziabadand Noida. However, KumarThursdaysaidthebanisinplaceinbothcities thisyear.Delhi’saverageAQIworsened
in the ‘poor’ category Thursdaywithareadingof296,higherthan256 onWednesday. A forecastfrom the Centre’s Systemof AirQualityandWeatherForecastingandResearch (SAFAR) said, “It isforecastthattheairqualitywillbe‘poor’tomarginally‘verypoor’onOctober23and24.”
A viewofRajpathatnoononThursday.AmitMehra
‘Up to Centre,states to dotheir bit oncrop burning’
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
DECLININGTOpassanyorder inan application seeking immedi-atemeasures to prevent stubbleburning in Punjab, Haryana andUttar Pradesh in thewakeof theCovid-19 outbreak, the DelhiHigh Court Thursday said theSupreme Court has taken cog-nizanceof thematter and itwasfor the Centre and states to “dotheirbit”now.The division bench of Chief
Justice D N Patel and JusticePrateek Jalan took note of thependency of thematter in theapexcourtandtherecentSCor-derof constitutingacommitteeof Justice (retd.)MadanB Lokurinthematterpertainingtoissuestubbleburninginneighbouringstates,anddisposedoftheappli-cationpendingbefore it.During the hearing,
Additional Solicitor GeneralChetan Sharma pointed to anews item about the effect ofCovid-19onpatients’ lungs andsaidhundreds of people are go-ingbacktohospitalsduetostub-bleburning.Justice Jalan observed, “The
Supreme Court has taken cog-nizance…nowyou all also per-suade the Union to do what ithas todo.”
HC asks Google, FB to remove picsof woman posted without consentSOFIAHSANNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
THE DELHI High Court has di-rected Google and Facebook toremove “objectionable” imagesof awoman thatwas uploadedbymultipleusersontheirsocialmedia platforms without herconsent—includingbyaformerschoolmate in Delhi who hadtravelled to the UKwhere shewas studying and allegedly as-saultedhera fewyearsago.Thecourtalso ruled that it is
necessary for socialmedia sitesto take all effective measuresavailable to ensure that childpornographic content is nothostedontheirplatforms.Itsaidthatpolicewill identifythosere-uploadingtheoffensivecontentin Indiaandtakeaction.Thewoman,now24,hadap-
proached the High Court seek-ingdirectionsforremovalof the“objectionable photographs”fromvariousplatforms.Theplat-formshadallegedly failed to re-movetheURLs,morethan50innumber, forwarded to them bythewoman, she told thecourt.In her plea, thewoman said
she had become “very close
friends”withaboyatherschoolin Delhi in 2012, when shewas16yearsold. Thepleadescribedtheir relationship as “abusive”andstatedthathecompelledhertosendintimatephotographstohim, and later emotionallyblackmailedher.She stated in the plea that
even after she ended the rela-tionship,theaccusedcontinuedto pursue her, even visiting theUK a few years ago, when helanded at her residence andphysicallyassaultedher leadingtoa localpolicecomplaint.The plea stated that the ac-
cused pleaded guilty before aMagistrate Court in the UK in2017 andwas restrained fromcontactingherbyanymeansandbarred from entering the city,
where she was living, for twoyears.In October-November 2019,
the plea stated, thewoman be-came aware that the accusedhadpostedherpicturesonsocialmedia platforms followingwhichanFIRwasregisteredwithCyberPolice inDelhi.In July this year, Facebook,
which owns Instagram, andGoogle, which owns YouTube,told the court the URLs havebeen removed, but the picturescontinued to surface on theInternetthroughothermultipleusers. “This brought into sharpfocustheproblemofpreventingcirculation of identified objec-tionable material on the plat-forms operated on the net,”JusticeVibhuBakhrusaid in theorder.Observingthattheplatforms
wouldberequiredtotakedownor remove unlawful content onreceiving information about it,thecourtsaidthe issuealsowaswhether Instagram andGoogleare required toensure that suchchildpornographic(CP)materialisnothostedontheirplatforms.Thecourt referred toSection20of the POCSOAct andRule 11ofthePOCSORules, 2020.
“Given the statutory frame-work, itwould be necessary fortheintermediariestotakeallef-fective measures that may beavailable with them to ensurethattheCPcontentisnothostedon their platforms. The respec-tiveaffidavitsfiledby(Instagramand Google) also indicate thatthey are using ArtificialIntelligenceandothertoolstore-move the offending contentfromtheirplatforms,” theorderstated.Observing that the “offend-
ingmaterial” relating to thepe-titioner fallswithin thescopeofsexually explicitmaterial relat-ingtoachild,thecourtaskedpo-liceagenciestoforwardthemtothe National Crime RecordsBureau(NCRB),thenodalagencyfor the online cyber reportingportal.“TheNCRBshall alsouse the
protocols available in terms ofthe Memorandum ofUnderstanding entered intowith NCMEC (National Centrefor Missing and ExploitedChildren)orotherwise tonotifythe offendingmaterial in orderthat the same can be actionedand removed from other plat-formsaswell,” theorder stated.
Woman, daughter held for assaulton Faridabad head constable
‘WE WANT PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM’
Docs of MCD-run Hindu Rao, Kasturba hospitals protest at Jantar Mantar
Thecourtalsoruled it isnecessaryforsocialmediasites totakealleffectivemeasuresavailabletoensurethatchildpornographiccontent isnothostedontheirplatforms
51-100 Satisfactory 101-200 Moderate 201-300 Poor 301-400 VeryPoor 401-500 Severe
DWARKA-SECTOR8Very Poor
0
374AQIPM:10
396AQIPM:10
246AQIPM:10
DJBV-CseeksPuri’sinterventiontorecoverduesNewDelhi: DelhiJalBoard(DJB) vice chairmanRaghavChadhaThursdaysought Union housingand urban affairs minis-ter Hardeep Singh Puri’sintervention in recover-ing dues worth over Rs216 crore from DelhiDevelopment Authority(DDA)andCentral PublicWorks Department(CPWD).ChadhatoldPuriduringameetingthattheDJBisplanningtoexpandoperations and bringtechnological advance-ments and that releasingdues owed to the DJBwould help in takingthesesteps.
Defamationcase:WarrantagainstMishraNewDelhi:ADelhi courthas issued bailablewar-rants against BJP leaderKapilMishra for his non-appearance before thecourtinadefamationcasefiled by AAPMLA ImranHussain. Accordingtothecomplaint, the accusedpersons including BJPMLAs Vijender Gupta,Manjinder Singh SirsaclaimedHussain had in-dulged in corruption andhad given permission tocuttreesinDelhiaftertak-ing an amount of Rs 23crore.
GurgaoncollectsRs17LinGRAPfinesGurgaon: Inthefirstweeksince the GradedResponse Action Plan(GRAP)cameintoforceinGurgaon, theMunicipalCorporationofGurugram(MCG)haspenalisedover80 violators, collecting asum of more than Rs 17lakh.Mostpenaltieshavebeen imposed on thoseindulginginactivitiesthatleadtoflyingofdust,with52peoplebeingcumula-tively finedRs13 lakh.
Minor ‘raped’byneighbourNewDelhi:A16-year-oldgirlwasallegedlyrapedbyher neighbour inSoutheast Delhi onThursday. The accused isalso suspected to bemi-nor and his age is beingverified.Theaccusedandthe victim have knowneach other for over threeyears. Police said the ac-cusedallegedlyrapedthegirl near her house andthrashedher.Thegirlsus-tained injuries and wasadmittedtoanearbyhos-pital for treatment.
HCorderonhoardingsNewDelhi:TheDelhiHighCourt on Thursday heldthat immovable struc-tures erected to hold andsupporthoardingswouldqualify as ‘buildings’ andwouldbeliabletobesub-jectedtopropertytax.ENS
TWODAYS after a head consta-ble of Faridabad Police was al-legedlystabbedandbeatenwithrodsandsticksbyagroupofpeo-ple while hewas on beat duty,police have arrested a womanandherdaughter for thecrime.According topolice, the inci-
dent took place on Tuesdayevening, when head constableManojhadgonetoRajivColonyto
investigate a complaintmadebyVedPrakash,aresidentofthearea.“Hestoppedinfrontofashop
to ask for directions and, whilehe was speaking to a personstandingontheroadside,hesawthat a woman at the shopwasopenlyhandingabottleof illegalliquor to a customer,” said SubeSingh, PRO of Faridabad Police,adding that the head constablealso saw thewoman’s two sonsillegally transferring gas fromlargecylindersintosmallerones.“The head constable man-
agedtoclicksomepicturesofallthis and alsomade a call to thepolice station, but thewoman’sdaughter alerted the others tothis fact and screamed that hehadtakentheirpictures,”hesaid.Intheminutesthatfollowed,
police said “7 to 8men” rushedtothespotandattackedtheheadconstablewithaknife aswell assticks and iron rods, and seizedhis phone. “Both women havebeen sent to judicial remand for14days.Probeisbeingconductedtonabothers,” saidthePRO.
New Delhi: Two women pick-pocketswerearrestedbypolicefor allegedly stealingRs50,000froma62-year-oldmannearanATM booth in South Delhi’sTigri.Policesaidtheaccused,Renu
(36) and Jyoti (34), hail fromMadhyaPradeshandtargeteld-erlypeopleoutsideATMboothsand banks. The victim is a resi-dentof SangamVihar.Police said theyare involved
in 5 other cases of theft andsnatching inDelhi.ENS
THE JANATA Dal (United) onThursday also announced itselection manifesto inPatna, separate fromitsalliance partner BJP,with a focus on entre-preneurshipandtechni-cal education for theyouths of Bihar, and fi-nancial assistance forgirls who graduateschool and college.Called‘SaatNishchay2’,theman-ifesto camewith a tagline thatread, “Poore hote vaade, ab hainaye iraade.”While the BJP manifesto
speaks of creating 19 lakh jobs,andtheopposition’s10lakhgov-ernment jobs pitch has beengenerating attention, the JD(U)manifesto does not put a num-ber of job opportunities but fo-cuses on issues like better tech-
nical education. Under “YuvaShakti” for instance, themani-festosays,“Arrangementforbet-ter technical educationwill bedonewhichwill help in betterjobopportunities...”
On the other bigconstituent that JD(U)has wooed over theyears, the party haspromised benefits forwomen entrepreneurs.“Forwomen,toincreaseentrepreneurship, aspecial schemewill be
broughtwhereenterprisessetupby themwill get loansupto5lakhupto50percent,andupto5lakhinterestfeewaived,”themanifestosays.Thepartyhasalsoannounced
cashassistanceforunmarriedgirlstudents. “To encourage highereducation, unmarriedwomenwhocrossthe‘inter’stagewillget25,000 rupees and those whograduate higher educationwillreceive50,000rupees.”
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPATNA,OCTOBER22
SENIOR BJP leader and BiharDeputy Chief Minister SushilKumarModiThursdaysaidthathe has tested positive forCovid-19 and has been admit-ted to AIIMS in Patna. The BJPleader saidhe intends tohit thecampaign trail soon in poll-boundBiharandallhisparame-ters are “perfectlynormal”.“Tested positive for
CORONA.Allparametersperfectlynormal.Started with mildtemp.No temp.for last 2days.AdmittedtoAIIMSPatnaforbettermonitoring.CTscanoflungsnormal.Willbebacksoonforcam-paigning,”hetweeted.
Nearly35ofSushilModi’sstaffhavealsobeentestedforthecoro-navirus and their reports areawaited.Thetweetcomesadaybefore
PM Narendra Modi enters thesceneinthepoll-boundstatewithback-to-back rallies in Sasaram,Gaya and Bhagalpur districts.BiharCMNitishKumar,whohadshared the daiswith his deputyfour days ago in Bhojpur, testednegativeandwillcampaignwithPMModiinthethreedistricts.
PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAPATNA,OCTOBER22
LJP PRESIDENT Chirag PaswanThursdaycautionedtheBJPthatBihar Chief Minister NitishKumarmightdoavolte-faceandre-alignwith Lalu Prasad’s RJDwhich he had dumped a fewyearsago to return to theNDA.Paswan also alleged that
Kumar, who heads the JD(U),“conspired”tomaketheBJPfighton less than157 seats, thenum-ber it hadcontested in2015, andpointedoutthatNitishhadagreedto field his party’s candidates inonly101constituencieswhenhewas contesting in alliancewithLalu,his“politicalguru”.“Inthelastassemblypolls,re-
spected@NitishKumar becametheChiefMinisterwiththebless-ings of respected@laluprasadrjdwhom he ditched and againgrabbedthechairwiththebless-ings of the PrimeMinister”, hetweeted. “Mayhenot again rushtowards@laluprasadrjd, seekingrefuge, after receiving the bless-ingsof@narendramodi.”Paswanhasvowedtoensure
the defeat of the JD(U), but hasbeenswearingbyhis loyalty to-wardsModiandtheBJP.
REMINDING PEOPLE of theMuzaffarnagarriotsof2013inhisfirst publicmeeting in the stateahead of theAssembly by-elec-tions,UttarPradeshChiefMinisterYogiAdityanathonThursdaysaidin Bulandshahr that hehas kepthispromiseofimprovinglawandordersituationinthestate,andnoonewillnowwilldaredisrespect“our sisters and daughters ofwesternUttarPradesh”.Neitherwill therebearepeat
oftheexodusseeninKairanaandKandhla following the riots, norwill youths such as Sachin andGaurav have to “sacrifice them-selves”,hesaid.SachinandGaurav’smurders
in August 2013 had allegedlysparked the riots inMuzaffarnagar.Adityanath on Thursday ad-
dressedback-to-backpublicgath-erings in Bulandshahr, Amroha,andTundla, among the seats go-
ingtobypollsonNovember3.Referring to Congress leader
Rahul Gandhiwithout naminghim,Adityanathslammedtheop-positionparty for its outreach tothe family of Kerala journalistSiddiqueKappan,who,alongwiththreeCampusFrontof India(CFI)members,wasarrestedbyUPpo-lice onway tomeet theHathrasvictim’s family and has beenbooked under UAPA. Kappan'swife had met Rahul onWednesdaytohandoveramem-orandumseeking justice for herhusband.Adityanath said: “Youmust
haveseenthatyesterday,aformerCongresschiefwenttomeetthoseassociatedwith PFI, which hasbeen consistentwith its role inflaring tension. The Congress issympathetictowardssuchpeople.Even the Samajwadi Party andotherpartiesaresympathetic to-wardssuchpeople–thesepeoplewanttodividethecountryonthebasis of language, caste and reli-gion,whilewebelieve in ‘SabkaSathSabkaVikas’.”
FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com
SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,OCTOBER22
A WEEK after it parted wayswith the Congress-led UnitedDemocratic Front as a fallout ofan intra-partypowerstruggle, afaction of the Kerala Congress(M) led by Jose KManiwas for-mally inducted into the rulingLeft Democratic Front onThursday.Jose KMani is a Rajya Sabha
memberandhadbeenengagedin a party feudwith rival leaderP J Joseph after the death ofKC(M)veteranKMManiin2019.The red carpet entry of the
Mani-led factionof the regionalChristianparty,whichhas swayin central Kerala, demonstratesthehighstakesrulingCPI(M)hasin theupcomingelections to lo-cal bodies this year andAssembly elections next year. Itmay be recalled that IndianNationalLeague(INL),asplintergroup of Congress ally IndianUnionMuslimLeague,couldbe-comeanLDFallyonlyin2018af-terwaiting outside the political
front for24years.AfterameetingoftheLDF,its
convenerAVijayaraghavan toldthemediathatthefaction’sentryinto the LDF is a historical deci-sion in the state’s politics. “ThiswouldweakenUDF.Theaccept-anceofLDFamongvoterswouldgo up. Activists from other par-tieswouldalsomovetoLDF.Thedecision has heightened theprospectsofLDFretainingpowerinthenextAssemblyelections.”Vijayaraghavan said Jose is
joiningtheLDFunconditionally.“All LDF constituents, includingNCP, have supported Jose fac-tion’sentryintotheLDF.Thede-cisionwouldhelpLDFmakema-jor gains in the coming civicbodyelections,”hesaid.TheLDFhasnot initiatedthe
seat-sharing exercise as it maytriggerfreshtroublesforthepo-litical front.
DIPANKARGHOSEPATNA,OCTOBER22
EVEN AS the Opposition hasraisedthepitchinBiharoverun-employment, with ChiefMinisterial candidate TejashwiYadavpromising10lakhgovern-ment jobs in the first cabinetmeeting if thealliancecomes topower, the BJP manifesto alsokept the focus on the issue,promising19 lakh jobsover fiveyears. At least four points of an11-point ‘sankalppatra’heldthepromise of job creation acrosssectors such as farming, educa-tion, andhealth.Themanifesto also says that
it will take advantage of thebooming IT business in India,anddevelopBiharasan IThub.
A large chunk—10 lakh—ofthe 19 lakh job opportunitypromisecomesfromthepromiseof developing farmer producerorganisationsupplychains.Inthefarmingsector, theBJP
has also promised acquiringpulses, apart from paddy andwheat, onMSP.The BJP has promised a big
micro-financing push forwomen.“ThroughtheNDAgov-ernment 1.2 crorewomenhavehad light enter their lives from10lakhself-helpgroups. It isourcommitmentthatthroughthesegroupsandmicro-finance insti-tutionsand50,000croremicro-finance, we will make 1 crorenewwomen self-dependent,”themanifestosays.
FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPATNA,OCTOBER22
WITHLESSthanaweektogoforthefirstphaseofpollinginBihar,police in Patna claimed to havearrestedamanaftertheIncome-TaxDepartmentseizedRs8lakhfromavehicleonthepremisesofthestateCongressheadquartersonThursday.Congress in-charge of Bihar
ShaktisinhGohildeniedtherewasan I-T raid on the party office.“Somebodywas caught on theroad leading to theofficewithRs2lakh.Therewerethreeotherper-sons carrying Rs 2 lakh each...AnyonecancometotheCongressoffice.Wedon’t knowanything
had asked for details of themoneygiventocandidatesoftheCongress, and that the partywouldsupplythat information.“The I-T Department has
asked us to furnish howmuchmoneywe are giving to each ofour candidates. We are in the
middle of preparing for RahulGandhi’srallyonFriday.Wehaveassuredthe I-TDepartment thatwewillprovidetheinformation.Wehavenothingtohide.”Gohilallegedthatwithdefeat
staring it in the face, theBJPwas“frustrated”. “Theyhavedeniedpermission for Rahul Gandhi’schoppertolandinPurneawhereasthere areno such restrictionsonthePrimeMinister, BJPpresidentJ PNaddaorRajnath Singh. Thisshowstheirfrustration,”hesaid.TheRJDpostedonTwitter in
Hindi: “Papers are getting de-stroyedinafireinthesecretariat.Income-Tax has started raidingOpposition parties. Are you un-derstanding? This is what ac-ceptingdefeat looks like.”
NDACONSTITUENTSRELEASEMANIFESTOES
BJP promises 19 lakh jobsin farm, education, health
For JD(U), focus on technicaleducation, financial aid for girls
DECISION2020BIHAR
Kept promises; nomore riots, exodus:Adityanath at rally
RALLYINGWITHINNORMSPRIMEMINISTERNarendraModi'smessageofcautionduringthe festive season seems tohavepouredwater over theBJP'sgrandrallyplansinpoll-boundBihar.WiththemassivecrowdinTejashwiYadav's ralliesbecominga talkingpoint, theNDAhad taken permission for huge rallies in Sasaram, Gaya andBhagalpuronFriday.However,followingthePrimeMinister'smessage to the nation on Tuesday, reminding people abouttheneedforphysicaldistancingandotherCovid-relatedpro-tocols, theorganisershadto issuenewguidelines.Thecrowdstrength has nowbeen reduced to 5,000-6,000 and peoplewillnotbeallowedtostandatthevenues.ThecentralBJP, it islearnt,hasgivenstrict instructionsthat largecrowdswithoutphysicaldistancingwould“annoy”thePrimeMinister.
HEAT ON COOLING OFFFORMERBIHARDGPGupteshwarPandeyhad causeda flut-teramonthagowithhisdecisiontoleavetheIPSandjointheJD(U) justbeforetheAssemblyelections.Althoughthemovedidnotworkout forPandey, ashedidnotget a ticket to con-testelections,theElectionCommissionislearnttohavetakennote of the development. The poll watchdogmay revive itsproposaloncoolingoff period forcivil servantskeenonjoin-ingpolitics.Thisproposalwas firstmadebytheCommissionin2012,butitdidnotevokeapositiveresponsefromthegov-ernmentthen.Atthattime,theECwantedatwo-yearcoolingoff period. It's likely that thepollpanelmaywrite to thegov-ernmentagainonthe issue.
BUSY CANVASSINGWHEN THE Congress released itsmanifesto for Bihar elec-tionsonWednesday,theparty'sstateunitchief,MadanMohanJha,wasmissing.AlsoabsentwasCLPleaderSadanandSingh.ItturnedoutthatJha,whoiscontestingtheMLCelectionfromDarbhangateachers'constituency,forwhichvotingtookplaceon Thursday, was busy in some last-minute canvassing ofvotes. Singh's sonShubhanandMukesh is theCongress can-didate fromhis seat,Kahalgaon, andhewasbusycampaign-ing there. Singh is not contesting this timeand thepartyhasfieldedhis son.
NewDelhi: BiharMLC electionstofourgraduateandfourteacherconstituencies registered an in-creasedvoter turnout Thursdayfrom 56.33 per cent in 2014 to60.58 per cent, the ElectionCommission said after pollingwasover.Total number of electors in
thegraduate’sconstituencywas4.06 lakhand the teacher’s con-stituencywas40,631.Thursday turnout is signif-
icant given that there havebeenapprehensions about thepandemic affecting theturnout for the upcomingAssembly elections. Bihar’sfirst phase of voting will takeplace on October 28. ENS
CX. ´fi. ´ffUSX MÑf³Àfd¸fVf³f IYfSX´fûSXZVf³fd»f. BÊ-d³fdUQf Àfc¨f³ff ÀfÔ. 48-BÊÀfeMXeÀfe/¸fbSXf./2020-21 BÊ-M`¯OS,¨ffS ¸ffW I e U`²f°ff WZ°fb, Qû ·ff¦fûÔ ¸fZÔ,·ff¦f-1 U ·ff¦f-2 A²fûd»fdJ°f dUUS¯fIZ A³fbÀffS Af¸fÔdÂf°f dI ¹ff þf°ff W`Üd³fdUQf ´fif~ Wû³fZ/Jû»fZ þf³fZ I f dQ³ffÔIU Àf¸f¹f Ii ¸fVf: 25.11.2020, 14.00¶fþZ EUÔ 26.11.2020 14.00 ¶fþZ W`ÜIiY¸ffaIY: 1. IYf¹fÊ IYf ³ff¸f: 132IZ .½fe. C´fIZ ³Qi, ·fû´ff S ûO dþ»ff¸fbþµR S³f¦fS ´fS d³f¹fÔÂf¯f I Ãf ·fU³f IZdUÀ°ffS WZ°fb þf³f´fQe¹f d³f¸ffʯf I f¹fÊÜd³fdUQf ´fi´fÂf BÊ-´fiû¢¹fûS¸fZÔM U`¶fÀffBMhttp://etender.up.nic.in ÀfZ WeÀUeI fS dI ¹fZ þf¹fZÔ¦fZÜ Cö d³fdUQf ÀfZÀf¸¶fd³²f°f dUUS¯f ¹f±ff °fI ³feI edUdVfáeI S¯f, I f¹ffÊUd²f, ²fSûWS SfdVf,d³fdUQf ´fi´fÂf I e »ff¦f°f B°¹ffdQ EUÔ dI Àfe´fiI fS IZ ÀfÔVfû²f³f, ´fdSU°fʳf, Vfbdð ´fÂfW Z°fb http://etender.up.nic.inA±fUf www.upptcl.org ´fS»ffgd¦f³f I S ZÔÜ WÀ°ff/-A²feÃf¯fAd·f¹f³°ff dUôb°f þf³f´fQ ´ffSXZ¿f¯f¸f¯OX»f CX. ´fi. ´ffUSX MÑf³Àfd¸fVf³fIYfSX´fûSXZVf³f d»f. ¸fbSXfQf¶ffQ kSf¿MÑ dW°f¸fZÔ d¶fþ»fe ¶f¨ff¹fZÔl ´fÂffaI : 1075 dQ.22/10/2020
NAVEEDIQBALSRINAGAR,OCTOBER22
LEADERS OF the seven-partyPeople’s Alliance for theGupkarDeclaration in Jammu andKashmir areworking to give thegroupaformalstructureaheadoftheir “constitutional battle” forrestoring to people “the rightsthey had before 5th of August2019”.Thealliancewilllikelyhavean
executivecouncilconsistingofthechairperson, a vice-chairperson,generalsecretaries,achiefcoordi-nator, a chief spokesperson,spokespersons from individualparties,andanoffice-bearerfromeachparty.SeveralsourcestoldTheIndian
Expressthatthereisbroadconsen-susthatNationalConference(NC)president FarooqAbdullah, themostseniorleaderinJammuandKashmir,shouldheadthealliancestructure, and People'sDemocratic Party (PDP) chiefMehboobaMufti and People'sConference leader Sajad Lone
shouldhave important roles.NCvice-president Omar Abdullahwilllikelybepartofthecoregroupof thealliance.At the firstmeetingof the al-
liance onOctober 15, leaders oftheNC,PDP,People’sConference,CPI(M), and Awami NationalConferencereiteratedtheircom-mitment to the GupkarDeclarationofAugust4,2019,anddiscussed giving their groupingformal shape. TheCongress and
CPIwerenotpresent,buthaveex-tended their support to the al-liance.Themeetingwasattendedby
Farooq and Omar Abdullah,MehboobaMufti,SajadLone,MYTarigamiofCPI(M),andMuzaffarShah of the ANC among othermainstreamleaders.Themeetingresolvedtoseektherestorationofthe special status of J&Kas it ex-isted before the constitutionalchangesofAugust5lastyeartook
siondocument for thealliance isalso in themaking, forwhich allpartieshavebeenaskedtosubmittheirinputs.“The previous meetings
wheredifferentparties came to-gether were in the absence ofMehboobaji,soassoonasherde-tention was revoked (late onOctober13evening),weallcametogether. However,what shapethealliancetakeswillbedeliber-atedinthenextmeeting,”theNCMP from Anantnag, HasnainMasoodi,toldTheIndianExpress.The CPI(M)’s Tarigami said
“discussion are takingplace anddetails of howthe alliance fightsthe constitutional changes ofAugust 5will be thrashedout inthenextmeeting”.Thealliancewill likelyhavea
commonheadquarters for its of-fice-bearers.OnAugust4lastyear,the signatories to the GupkarDeclaration– sonamedbecausethey met at the residence ofFarooqAbdullahatGupkarRoadin Srinagar – had vowed to “de-fendidentity,autonomyandspe-cialstatus”of J&K.
Kashmir partieswork to give allianceformal shape, Farooq could be head
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESRINAGAR,OCTOBER22
ELECTIONS TO the LehAutonomousHillDevelopmentCouncil (LAHDC) recorded justover 65 per cent voting in itsfirst poll since the Union terri-tory of Ladakh was carved outof theerstwhilestateof Jammuand Kashmir. The electionswere conducted amid tensionswith China in the Ladakhregion.Of the 30 seats in the
LAHDC, 26 members are di-rectly elected while four arenominated.Therewere94can-didates, including26eachfromthe BJP and Congress, 19 fromthe AAP and 23 independents.The AAP is contesting polls inLadakh for the first time.Constituted in accordance
with the Ladakh AutonomousHill Development Council Act,1995, thiswasthesixthelection
to the council. A public holidaywas declared within the Lehdistrict to facilitate voting, re-sults forwhichwill bedeclaredonOctober 26.Leh Deputy Commissioner
Sachin Kumar told The IndianExpressthatthepollingprocesswas conducted smoothly in all294 polling booths of thedistrict.Thehighest voting—83per
cent — was witnessed in theSku-Markhaareawithonly719registered voters, and the low-est voting percentage wasrecordedinlowerLehwhere48per cent of over 11,000 voterscast their ballot. The LadakhParliamentary constituency iscurrently represented by BJPMP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal.In the last council, BJP held amajority with 18 councillorsrepresenting the party, whilethe Congress held five and twoseats were represented by theNational Conference.
65% voting in Lehhill developmentcouncil elections
2+2DIALOGUE
SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
USSECRETARYof StateMichaelR Pompeo and Secretary ofDefenseMarkTEsperwilljointlycallonPrimeMinisterNarendraModi during their visit to IndiaonOctober26and27.Theywill also have separate
bilateralmeetingswithExternalAffairsministerSJaishankarandDefenceministerRajnathSingh,apart fromholding the Indo-US2+2ministerialdialogue.“The 3rd India-US 2+2
salient regional and global is-sues,” MEA spokespersonAnuragSrivastavasaidThursday.He said the discussions in
the previous two dialogues—heldinNewDelhi inSeptember2018 and Washington DC inDecember2019—haveenabledbothsidestoprogress thebilat-eral relationship andstrengthen the institutionalframework for cooperationacross all sectors.“India and US have a com-
prehensiveglobalstrategicpart-nershipwhichincludespolitical,securityanddefence,economic,commercial, technology and
people to people contacts. Wehaveregulardialogueforvariouslevels to discuss ongoing bilat-eralcooperationandtoexchangeviews on developments in theregion,” thespokespersonsaid.Inhis secondAsia trip in less
thanamonth, Pompeowill alsovisit Maldives, Sri Lanka andIndonesia.“Looking forward tomy up-
coming trip to India, Sri Lanka,Maldives,andIndonesia,forpro-ductive conversationswith ourfriendsandpartners,andtheUS-India 2+2Ministerial Dialoguewith Defence Secretary MarkEsper and our Indian counter-parts,”Pompeotoldreportersata news conference inWashingtonDConWednesday.Each stop, he said, will includediscussionsona“broadrangeofbilateral topics”.Discussionswillalsoinclude
howtheycancooperatetomain-tain a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, he said. “I'm sure mymeetings will also include dis-cussionsonhowfreenationscanwork together to thwart threatsposed by the ChineseCommunistParty.”
Pompeo, Esper to meet Modiduring India visit next week
PMNarendraModi
Ajit Pawarunwell,doctorsadvise rest
ARUNSHARMAJAMMU,OCTOBER22
THE J&K government hasamended Article 226 (2) of theJammu and Kashmir CivilService Regulations for a provi-sion to retire at any time anygovernmentservantinthepub-lic interest after he has com-pleted22years of service or at-tained48yearsof age.To identifydeadwoodin the
administration,anotificationis-suedbythegovernmenthasalsoprovided a time schedule, say-ing an exercise to review per-formance will be initiated foreach government servant after
completion of 22 years of serv-ice or attaining 48 years of ageand any time subsequently asmayberequired.The changes follow direc-
tions from Lt Governor ManojSinha, sourcessaid, addingthatthis has been done as earlierprovisions empowering thegovernment toprematurely re-tireanemployeeonthebasisofnon-performance, misbehav-iour and bad conduct were“very vague”. As a result, allthosewhowereretiredprema-turelymanaged to rejoin serv-ice followingcourtorders, theyadded. Following the amend-ment, the UT service regula-tionshavenowbeenbroughtat
par with those followed at theCentre, they said.The appropriate authority
will now have to give eitherthree months prior notice orthreemonthsofallowancetore-tireanyemployee,accordingtoanotification issued by FinancialCommissioner Dr Arun KumarMehta.Itclarifiedthattheorderwill
notbeapplicabletothosework-ing on posts included inSchedule II of theseRules.The Administrative
Department has tomaintain aregister of staff who are due toattain 48 years age or complete22years of service, thenotifica-tion said, adding the register
should be scrutinised at the be-ginning of every year by nomi-nated officers and review theperformanceof employees.To ensure a review, the
amendedregulationsprovideforthe formation of an internalcommittee in each departmentcomprising the administrativesecretary,concernedheadofde-partment, and two senior offi-cers tobenominatedby thead-ministrative secretary.The broad criteria to be fol-
lowedbythereviewcommitteewhile reviewing the perform-ance of employees should betheir fitness/competence andtheir utility for the purpose forwhich theyareemployed.
9 MADRAS (TRAVANCORE)All ranks of TRAVANCORE TERRORSpay homage to Major SS Gahlawat, SCwho made the supreme sacrifice whilefighting terrorists in Surankote (J&K) onthis day in 1997. We salute his bravedeeds on the 23th Anniversary of hismartyrdom. You will always remain asource of inspiration for all of us.Commanding Officer & All Ranks9 MADRAS (TRAVANCORE)
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTORTOMO RIBA INSTITUTE OF HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES (TRIHMS)(SOCIETY UNDER THE GOVERNMENT OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH)
Roll Advt. No. TRIHMS-67/2017(Vol-II) Dated Naharlagun the 14th Oct, 2020Interview will be held in the office of the Director (TRIHMS), Naharlagun on 19th & 20th November, 2020 at 10:00 hours onwardsfor recruitment of the following posts.I. Dean-cum-Principal - 1 (one) post.II. Faculty and SR/JR:
III. Pay scale
1. Eligibility criteria as per NMC norms.2. All interested candidates need to send the CV and copies of relevant documents to [email protected] or hard copies of
application alongwith documents may be submitted to the OSD (HR) TRIHMS on or before 16th November,2020.3. All candidates have to bring their original documents and a set of extra copies of the same at the time of the interview.4. Any variation in the number of vacancy, if any shall be notified in the institute's website latest by 16/ 11/ 2020For further details please visit www.trihms.org or contact Dr. B.V.S Murthy, OSD (HR) at Mobile No. 9612484018. Email ID:[email protected]
Sd/- (Dr. Moji Jini)ARN/13538-39 Director (TRIHMS)
SI. No. Department No. of postsProfessor Associate
(i) Dean : Rs. 1,44,200- 2,18,200 (EP level-14) plus special pay of Rs.5000
+ NPA per month and otherallowances as admissible +free furnished accommoda-
tion
(ii) Professor : (a) Rs. 1,44,200- 2,18,200 (EP level-14) for appointment onregular basis(b) Consolidated pay of Rs. 2,50,000/- (Rupees two lakh fifty
thousand) only for appointment on contract basis in respectof persons who are above 65 years
(iii)Associate Professor : Rs. 1,23,100- 2,14,100 (EP- level-13)(iv)Assistant Professor : Rs. 78,800- 2,09,200 (EP level-12) + NPA per month and other
allowances(v) Senior Resident : Rs. 91,000/- per month fixed and 5% increment in subsequent
year and other allowances
(vi)Junior Resident Rs. 79,180/- fixed.* (Non medical faculty - No NPA)
J&K govt employees can now be retiredafter 22 years of service, 48 years of age
NITI Aayog panel for reformsin urban planning education
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
APANELconstitutedbytheNITIAayogThursdaywilllookintoin-troducing reforms in the urbanplanningeducationsystem.The 14-member advisory
committee,headedbyNITIAayogVice-ChairmanRajivKumar,willreview theurbanplanning edu-cationsysteminIndiaandexam-ine the availability, demand andsupply of qualified urban plan-
ners inthecountry.NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh
Kant and secretaries of threeministries—Housing andUrbanAffairs, Higher Education andPanchayati Raj—are among themembersof thecommittee.Anorder said the committee
will “review the current urbanplanning education system inIndiaintermsofmulti-disciplinar-ity, curriculumandrelated issuesatgraduateandpostgraduatelev-elsinthecontextofthechallengesposedbyrapidurbanization...”
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE,OCTOBER22
MAHARASHTRADE-PUTY ChiefMinisterAjit Pawar, who hasbeen unwell since afew days, has beenadvised rest by doc-tors. While he hastested negative forCovid-19, hewill re-main in home quar-antine as a precau-tionarymeasure,saidfamilymembers.The Deputy CM
will attend officialmeetings, includingthose of the statecabinet, via video-conferencing for thenext fewdays.Pawar, who re-
centlyvisitedrain-af-fected areas in PuneandSolapurdistricts,had complained ofweakness. He con-sulted doctors at aMumbai-based su-per-specialty hospi-tal, said sources.
“Pehle do-crore rozgar de dete, toh 19 lakhka jumla nahin dena padhta (Had youkept your promise of providing 2 croreannual jobs earlier, there wouldn’t havebeen any need for a fresh promise of19 lakh jobs.”)
●@INCBihar tweeted
907LIKES,314RETWEETSIN8HOURS
22.3KLIKES,3.5KRETWEETSIN1HOUR
PM @narendramodi tweeted: “Will have the opportunity to be amidst brothersand sisters of Bihar tomorrow. Will address rallies in Sasaram, Gaya and Bhagalpur.Will present the NDA’s development agenda and seek the public’s blessings forthe alliance.”
●PMModi ahead of arrival in Bihar
AVISHEKGDASTIDARNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
EVENAStheOppositioninBihartriestomaketheplightofmigrantworkersanelection is-sue, outflow from the state is continuing—most‘clone’trains,whichtheRailwaysisrun-ningtocleartherushoncrowdedroutes,arefromBihartobigcities inotherstates.The concept of clone trainswas okayed
originatingstationsinBihar,suchasDanapur,Patna,Muzaffarpur, Katihar, Rajgir, Jaynagar,Chhapra,DarbhangaandSaharsa,areamongthosethrowingupthehighestdemand,todes-tinationslikeSurat,Delhi,Ahmedabad,Amrit-sar,BengaluruandSecunderabad.Clonetrainsto these destinations are runningwith104-134percentoccupancy,asperdatareviewedbyTheIndianExpress.Onthesameroutes,theyarereturningwithmuchloweroccupancy.“Itwasinitiallythoughtthatmigrantswho
Out of the 40 clone trains running so far,around24areon these routes. In addition tothis,thefestivespecialservicespostNovember15fromBihararealsobookedout.“Fortyspecialtrainshavebeenintroduced
asclonesof trainswith longwaitlists.Theav-
erage occupancy of these trains in the pastseven days is around 85 per cent,” said aRailwayspokesman.The approximately 16 other clone trains
areonroutesbetweenDelhiandVaranasi,Goa,LucknowandBengaluru.Notablyabsentfromthe list so far are clones betweenGorakhpurandMumbai andPune—a route that sawahugenumberofShramikSpecialsbringinginstrandedmigrantsduringthelockdown.EvenfromBihar, the list has no train connectingMaharashtrasofar.Theclonetrainsaremostlymadeof12air-
conditionedthree-tierandfournon-ACsleepercoaches.Bydesign,theyarefasterthanthereg-ulartrainstheyarecloningandrunwithfewerstoppages. In fact, theyrunaheadof the traintheyclone.ThesearemostlyHumsafarExpressrakes, premium innaturewith amarginallyhigher ticket cost. Bookings canbemade10daysinadvance.Post the lockdown,Railwayshasbeenre-
sumingservices inacalibratedmanner.Asofnow, 668 trains have returned to tracks onroutes with traditionally heavy demand.Additionally, 412 festival special trains havebeenintroducedtorunforafewdaysaroundDiwaliandChhath.
BIHAR:HIGHEREDUCATION
SANTOSHSINGHDINARA,OCTOBER22
IT’SANunusual situation forRajendraSingh.AnRSSworker forthepast37years,heis thistimecontestingonanLJPticket—thebiggestamongtheeightBJP leadersdoingso.The54-year-old crossed over after theDinara con-stituencywenttotheJD(U)’ssittingMLAandScience andTechnologyMinister JayKumarSinghintheNDAseat-sharing.Considered themanbehindtheBJP’svic-
toryinJharkhandinthe2014LokSabhapolls,RajendraSinghwaseventoutedastheparty’schiefministerialfaceforBiharinthe2015elec-tions.WhilethathopehadendedashelostthepollsfromDinara,hehadstillgotover62,000votesandwasmadethestatevice-president.However, in thewake of the LJP’s last-
minutedecisiontoleavetheNDAinBihar,andits fulsomepraise for theBJP since, the linesareblurred.OneoftherecentpostsonSingh’sFacebook was an advice by a supporter:“Lojapa Bhajpa ekke huawe, jhansamein naaaiyah,abkiRajendraBhaiyakejitaiyah (LJP and BJP are thesame, don’t get confusedaboutit.Thistime,ensurevic-toryofRajendraSingh).”Singh’s campaignmes-
sage is a variation of theBJP’s poll line in the LokSabha elections inWestBengal lastyear,where itssilent surge had taken theTrinamoolCongressbysurprise—“Chupchaapbunglachhaap(quietly,voteforthehouse,theLJPsymbol)”,Singh’spitchgoes.The leader says BJP andRSSworkers are
supportinghim“ontheirown”. “It isbecauseof our long association... It is verydifficult toshedthepartyyouhavegrownupwith.”BelongingtoGauravillageinRohtas,Singh
was known to be a quiet, largely backroomleaderof theRSStillhewasmadetheorgani-sation sectretary of the Jharkhand BJP andcametobeknownasAmitShah’sman.Learningalessonfromthe2015loss,when
notmany knewhim inDinara, Singh is thistimegoingdoortodoor,“irrespectiveofcaste”.HerefrainsfromattackinghisJD(U)rival.WhiletheRajputvotesmightgetsplitbe-
tweenSinghandJayKumaroftheJD(U),Singhis expected to get the substantial non-YadavOBC, EBC and Scheduled Caste includingPaswan vote. One such villagewith a largenumberofthelatterisKhairihi.Ifitscementedroads stand out, so do the open drains thatcriss-crossthem.ChiefMinisterNitishKumar’s
much-toutedSaatNischay(SevenResolutions)include ‘GaliNali (drains in lanes)’ and ‘Nal Jal(waterintaps)’.Asfour-wheelersstruggletonegotiatethe
drains, Neeraj Shah says Saat Nischay areworthless. “Where is thewater in the taps?Thisschemeisadenofcorruption.”Shahisun-employed, likemanyyouth inKhairihi.Mostvillagersareshare-croppersormigrantwork-ers.Some130peoplereturnedduringthelock-downbutnonestayedbacktocasttheirvote.SaysNarendra Pathak, “Why shouldwe
vote for Jay Kumar, who barely visits us?...Rajendra Singh shares our joys and sorrows.HealsohelpedtreatmentofCovidpatients.”Yes,theysawelectricity,roadsunderNitish,
him ‘AmitabhBachchan’ after themega star.However, at school they registered himwronglyas ‘Amita’, andnowfatehas lefthimwithoutajobdespitegraduation,hesays.
This is why RJD leader TejashwiYadav’spromiseof10lakh jobs is so at-tractive,villagerssay.At the village
schoolinKund,thereis enthusiasm for
Tejashwi’s promise of payparity forover4.5 lakh“Niyojit(contract)”teachers.
Mandal, an old partyworker known in thearea, isbankingonYadavvillageslikePipra.Sporting a scarf with photos of the RJD
symbol, RakeshSinghYadav, a student, says,“ItseemsTejashwiwillbecomeCMthistime).”JD(U) candidate JayKumar’s best hope is
areaswithRajputs,OBCKushwahasandsomeEBCbelts. He tells voters, “Recallwhat Biharhad15yearsago.Therewerenoroads,noelec-tricity.”Hedoesn’tmentionRajendraSingh.SundaramKumar,associatedwiththeBJP’s
farmercellinRohtas,saysthereisnocontradic-tion in them supporting Singh against allyJD(U). "Our ideologueDeendayalUpadhyayaoncesaidifthepartydoesnotfieldagoodcan-didate, it is the jobofworkerstorectify it.Wearedoingpreciselythat."
DINARA
WALIAHMADKISHANGANJ,OCTOBER22
SHAFEEAhmadisnostalgic, reminiscinghisdaysatInsanSchoolinKishanganj.Foundedin1966byeducationistandPadmaShriSyedHassan, the school attracted students fromBihar and Uttar Pradesh. “Syed Bhai choseKishanganj becausehewanted to bring theMuslimcommunityoutofeducationalback-wardness,”saysAhmad,50.Morethanhalf-a-century later, the institution is not even ashadowof itspast.“Apartfromfundcrunch,thereareadministrativeissues,”saysAhmad.At 57.04%, illiteracy in Kishanganj still
stands far below the national average of77.7%.Meanwhile, evenas itgrewintoade-greecollege, InsanSchoolhaslostaccredita-tionof theBihar School ExaminationBoardanditsstudentsappearforboardexamsun-derdifferentschools.Thedegreecoursesareoffered under Maulana Mazharul HaqueArabicandPersianUniversity, Patna.In 2013, Kishanganj saw another ray of
hopewhen, in the backdrop of the SacharCommitteereport, theUPAgovernmentap-proved a study centre of Aligarh MuslimUniversity (AMU) inKishanganj. Thecentrewas the resultof yearsof protests.However,likeInsanSchool,theAMUcen-
tre too is struggling. Still functioning fromatemporarybuilding,itisfacingafundcrunchaswellaslegalissuesover224.02acresgivento itby theBihargovernment.Says AMU-KDirector Dr Hassan Imam,
"TheUPAgovernmentapprovedRs136croreand released Rs 10 crore.We have not re-ceivedanygrant since then."In 2018, the National Green Tribunal
(NGT) raised a red flag over land allotted tothecentrenear theMahanandariver.Even AMU-K’s courses have been cur-
tailedinrecentyears.Whileitstartedoutof-feringMBA and B.Ed courses, the NationalCouncilforTeacherEducation(NCTE)haltedtheB.Ed course in2018, saying the institutehadnot takenprerequisiteapproval.
TheAIMIM,which ishopingKishanganjwillbeitsspringboardintoBiharpolitics,saysAMU-K is one of their main poll issues.Qamrul Hoda, who won the KishanganjAssemblybypoll last year, says, “TheCentreand state have deliberately kept the regionilliterate,usingSeemanchalasavotebank.”The five Vidhan Sabha seats under
Kishanganj will see a contest between theAIMIM,JD(U)andMahagathbandhan.Whilethe JD(U) has re-fielded sitting MLAsMujahid Alam from Kochadhaman andNaushadAlamfromThakurganj, also in theraceisAIMIMstatepresidentAkhtar-ulIman.Mujahid,wholookssettowinagain,says
the Nitish Kumar government is doing itsbest to revive theAMU-Kcentre. “BiharandAMUhavefiledanappealwiththeNationalMissionforCleaningGangaovertheNGTor-der.Wehavealso filedapetitionagainst theNCTEorder,”hesays,addingthatshouldthesite not get clearance, a JD(U) governmentwouldsanctionanalternative site.ShafeeAhmad,whosawtheInsandream
dwindleandnowworksasa librarianat theAMU-K Centre, hangs on to hope. “Insaanschoolwasaprivateinitiative,"henotes,"buttheKishanganj centrehas thebackingof aninstitution likeAMU."
RITIKACHOPRANEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
FOR A state that has had a predominantlyyoungelectorateforatleastthelasttwoelec-tion cycles (31% in the 2015 Assembly, and24.61%inthe2019LokSabhaelectionswereunder the age of 30), higher education inBihar remains neglected. According to thelatest edition of the All India HigherEducationSurvey(AISHE), releasedin2019,Bihar’sGrossEnrolmentRatio (GER) standsat13.6%, the lowest in thecountry.AISHE is theonlynational surveyon the
statusof highereducation in thecountry.Foreveryhundredyoungsters intheage
groupof18to23years,only13arepursuinghighereducation inBihar,asper thesurvey.This ismuch lower than the national aver-ageof 26.3%.Even neighbouring Jharkhand has a
higherGER,of 19%.Thenumbersareevenworseforwomen
as their enrolment ratio stands at 12% asagainst 15% for men. The poor access tohighereducationamongstwomeninBiharis also reflected in its Gender Parity Index(female:male ratio in higher education),which stands at 0.79, the lowest in thecountry.Of theroughly16lakhstudentsenrolled
problem— too few higher education insti-tutions inthestate.Therearejustsevencol-leges in Bihar per lakh eligible population(youngsters in the18 to23year age group),which isalso the lowest in thecountry.Whatmakesmatters worse is that this
figure has remainedunchanged for the lastsix years. Bihar has figured at the bottomsince2011.Forcomparison,thecollegedensityinthe
entire poll-bound state is less than that ofDelhi, a city-state, which has eight collegesperlakheligiblepopulation.Thenationalav-erage is 28 and Karnataka has the highestnumber of colleges (53) per lakh eligible
population.Also, the boom in the private education
sector,whichhas contributed to improvingthe country's GER, seems to have bypassedthe state. Bihar, which has 33 universities,doesn'thaveasingleprivatestateuniversityorprivatedeemeduniversity.Few institutions of higher education
thatranksloweronthis front inthecountrywith an average enrolment per college of1,875students.The student-faculty ratio (calculated as
total number of students divided by totalteachers in the state) is yet another front inhigher educationwhere Bihar ranks last inthenationaltally. Ithasastudent-teacherra-tioof61forhighereducationpursuedinthedistanceandregularmode.Thenationalav-erage is26.This is a parameter onwhich the state’s
performance has deteriorated over the lasteight years, according to the AISHE data. In2012-13, the ratio stoodat53.
Young voters, but under mostheads, a poor report card
Lowest incountry inyouth inhighereducation,numberof colleges, highest student-faculty ratio
Chup chaap bunglachhaap: Veteran BJPhand’s new LJP pitch
The picture of a univ: AMUKishanganj centre flounders
Formerhomeministerdeadafter infectionHyderabad: Senior TRSleader and formerHomeMinister of TelanganaNayaniNarasimhaReddydiedhereonThursday.Hewas 76. Reddy, whoserved as the first HomeMinister of Telangana af-ter its formation in 2014,had been undergoingtreatmentataprivatesu-per-speciality hospitalhere forpost-Covid com-plicationswithlungdam-age and the end came at12.25am,hospitalsourcessaid.Reddy,aseniortradeunion leader inHyderabad,hadplayedanactiveroleintheseparateTelangana agitation. Hewas elected to theLegislative Assembly inundivided AndhraPradeshforthreetermsin1978, 1985 and 2004.Reddy had served as aminister in thegovern-ment of late Y SRajasekharaReddywhenTRS, then an ally ofCongress, joined thegov-ernment in2004. PTI
NNReddy
BRIEFLY
UTTARPRADESH
Illegalarmsfactorybusted,1heldinHathrasHathras: The police onThursdayclaimedtohavebusted an illegal arms-manufacturingfactoryinHathrasfollowingthear-rest of amanandseizureof over a dozen firearmsalongwith ammunition.Thepolicehaveseized14pistols of .315bore, threerifles, including two of.315 bore, and three un-finishedpistolsofvaryingcapacities from the unitbesides equipment andrawmaterial, police said.Kanchan,alocal,whohasbeen booked earlier inover half a dozen cases,has been arrested,HathrasSPVineetJaiswalsaid. PTI
MADHYAPRADESH
Claimingtobe‘goddess’,womanaxessonPanna:Inasuspectedcaseof human sacrifice, awomanallegedlyaxedher24-year-old son to death,claiming that she felt likeagoddess,atKohnivillagein Panna district onThursday,policesaid.Theincident took placearound 4.30 am, whenSuniabai Lodhi,who is inher 50s and claimed thatshe felt like a goddess attimes, felt the samewayandattackedhersonwithanaxe, saidArunSoni, in-charge of Panna Kotwalipolice station. The policehave arrested thewoman. PTI
MAHARASHTRA
25injuredaslightningstrikesvillageinThaneThane:At least 25peoplewereinjured whenlight-ning struck a residentialareaatUmbarmalivillageinMaharashtra’s Thanedistrict,anofficialsaidonThursday. During heavyrains in Thane onWednesday evening, ahouse in the localitywascompletely destroyedwhile some adjoininghouses also suffereddamages, regional disas-ter management cellchief Santosh Kadamsaid. PTI
FATFREVIEWOFSPOTONGREYLIST
SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
INDIAONThursday pushed forPakistantoremainonParis-basedglobalwatchdogFinancialActionTask Force's (FATF)Grey List say-ingIslamabadhadaddressedonly21ofthe27actionitemsonterrorfinancingandmoneylaunderingissuedtoitbytheagency.Pakistan's spotonthe listand
itsprogresswithrespecttotheac-tion items is being reviewedat aplenarysessionoftheFATF,whichbeganonOctober21andissched-uledtoendonOctober23.Respondingtoquestions,MEA
official spokesperson AnuragSrivastavasaidonThursday,“FATFhaswell laid out standards andprocedures...Afteracountryisputonalist,anactionplanisgiventoitandthecountryconcernedisex-pected to fully complete the ac-tion planwithin the stipulatedtime.Thosefoundwantinginim-plementing their obligations areheldaccountableandsubjectedtoappropriate action.”“ItisunderstoodthatPakistan
has addressed only 21 actionitems so far out of the total 27pointFATFActionPlan...Asiswellknown,Pakistancontinuestopro-videsafehavens toterroristenti-ties and individuals andhas alsonot yet taken any action againstseveralterroristentitiesandindi-
viduals including those pro-scribed by the UNSC such asMasoodAzhar,DawoodIbrahim,Zakir-ur-Rahman Lakhvi,”Srivastava added. The FATFhadplacedPakistanonthegreylistinJune2018andissuedtheplan.InAugust, seeking towriggle
out of the grey list, Pakistan im-posed financial sanctions on 88banned terror groups and theirleaders,including26/11Mumbaiattackmastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, JeMchiefMasoodAzhar andunder-worlddonDawoodIbrahim.
FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com
PAKISTANHASbeenun-der theFATF’s scrutinyfor the last twoyears.Withhalf adozencom-mitments leftunfulfilledunder theagency's actionplan, itwouldhope togetoutof the list soon.Delhi,however,wouldwantIslamabadtostayontheGreyList—thatwouldpressureonPakistan totakemoreactionagainstterrorgroups.
Spoton listmeansmorepressureE●EX
PLAINED
MEA:Pakhasnot completedaction items
PM addresses Bengal on Puja: Respectwomen of India like you respect Durga
DIPANITANATHPUNE,OCTOBER22
EVERYYEAR, during the festiveseason, Ramnagar in Varanasibreaksfromthepresentandstepsback 200 years. Led by the erst-while ‘maharaja’ of Banaras, thetownhostsa31-dayRamnagarkiRamlila, inwhich the entire epicplaysoutalmostinrealtimeinlo-calitieswithnamessuchasLanka,AshokVatika andAyodhya, andaroundapondcalledGanga.The Ramlila was started by
MaharajaUditNarayan Singh in1830, and its organisers pridethemselvesonthefact that ithasneverbeendisrupted.Notevenin1962,whenIndiaandChinawereatwar,was theRamlila stopped,says Kunwar Ishaan, nephewofthe present ‘maharaja’, AnantNarayanSingh.“Ithadcontinuedwith the lantern lights coveredwith leaves so planes could notspotthemfromabove,”hesays.Until, this year, a virus came
along. Thepandemichas shrunkthegrandspectacle—the largestmovingdramaticperformanceinIndia— toa readingof Tulsidas’sRamCharitManas ina temple inJanakpuri, the paternal homeofSitaintheRamayana.“Wewere thinkingof differ-
ent ideas on how to save theRamlilafromthepandemic.Thethird Rajkumari, Krishnapriya,evenwrotealettertotheCMandthe PMO to allow the broadcastof a film on the RamnagarRamlilaaswellasastreamingonDoordarshan of the 15-minuteevening aarti, but shegot no re-ply,” says Ishaan.The earliest reference to
RamnagarkiRamila is foundina
lithographofJamesPrincepfrom1834. A colonial administrator,whowaswith theBenarasMintbetween 1820 and 30, Princepwrote, “Five or six spots in thetownbecomeannually this sea-son, the scene of a RamLeela…TheRajah of Benares, orhisestateatRamnugur,conductsthe performance in a very com-pletemanner: really thewholeRamayana is read through in thecourse of twenty or thirty days,andwhateverincidentsarecapa-bleofbeingacted,ordisplayed,aresimultaneouslyexhibited.”The Ramnagar Ramlila has
proudlyresistedchangeandpre-served much of its old form.Performances are held in thegrowingdarknessof theautumnevening,withoutelectriclightsormikes,andphotographyisnotal-lowed. Cellphones are switchedoff and anyonewho breaks therule is pulled up. The palaceguards keep watch over thecrowds.The‘maharaja’andhissis-ters, thethree ‘maharajkumaris’,attendtheRamlilaonelephants.But this year, the regalia is
missing. “Nobodyelse ispresent.The district administration had
said that only100peoplewill beallowedduetoCovidprotocol,buthowdoesonedecidewhothe100should be? There are nemis orholymen,whohavealwaysbeenapartoftheRamlilafromthetimethefirstchaupaiisrecitedandun-til the last aarti is performed...Therewasnowayyoucanallowonly100people,”saysIshaan.Every year, the ‘Kashi ma-
haraja’ also crosses theGanga toChitrakoot,foranotherRamlila—onewhich has been performedformore than 470 years and isconsideredtheoldestinIndia.InChitrakoot,theBharatMilap
—thescenethatcelebratesthere-union of Rama and Lakshmanwith Bharat and Shatrughan—used tobeheld in a large field. Itwill now be performed on the50x50 sq ft terrace of AyodhyaBhavan, a hall in amarketplace,withafewsanitisedandmaskeddevoteeswatching. “This is thefirsttimethekingwillnotbecom-ing.ThisRamlilaisnotthesame,”says PanditMukundUpadhyay,organiser of the Shri ChitrakootRamleelaSamiti inVaranasi.
FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com
Covid brings 200-yr-oldRamlila to halt in Varanasi
SHARINGDURGAPuja greetingsinBengali on theoccasionof thefirst day of the puja – Shasthi –PrimeMinisterNarendraModionThursday asserted that theCentre’s vision of AtmanirbharBharat (self-reliant India) willgrow in strength from WestBengal and said thatwomen inthe countrymust be given thesamerespectpeoplehavefortheGoddess..Inavirtualaddresstothepeo-
ple, live-streamed in all 294Assembly constituencies of thestate,Modimadeanappealtothepeople to adhere tophysical dis-tancing norms and wear facemaskswhiletakingpartinthefes-tivities inaneffort tokeepupthebattle against theCovid-19pan-demic.He said: “In the21st century,
ourvisionofAtmanirbharBharat– or self- reliant India – willstrengthen from the land ofBengal.Wehave to takeBengal’sculture, pride, progress tonewerheights.Weareensuring speedydevelopment for the people ofBengalthroughvariousschemes.We are doing everything to re-duce problems of the people ofthe state and improve theirlifestyle.”“Wehave adopted the vision
of Purbaday to develop easternIndia.WestBengalhas toplayan
ZonalCulturalCentreinSaltLake,where aDurgaPuja is organisedby the BJP. The PrimeMinister,whowasaddressingfromthena-tional capital, virtually inaugu-ratedthePuja.BJP leaders Kailash
Vijayvargiya, Mukul Roy andUnion minister Babul Supriyowereamongpresentatthevenue.Theaddresswasprecededbycul-turalprogrammesandarenditionofaRabindranathTagoresongbySupriyo,whoisalsoasinger.
Noting that Durga is wor-shipped as a symbol of ‘Shakti’(strength),Modi saidhis govern-ment is consistentlyworking fortheempowermentofwomen.He cited decisions such as
openingJanDhanaccountsfor22crorewomen,givingsoftloanstothemunder theMudra Yojana,launching Beti Bachao-BetiPadhaoinitiative,grantingperma-nent commission towomen inthearmed forces, andextendingmaternity leave from 12 to 26weeksandsaid,“wehavetakenanumberofstepsfortheirempow-erment”.The PrimeMinister said al-
India anewcolour.Weare cele-brating Durga Puja in times ofCovid-19 (and) devotees haveshown exemplary restrain. Thenumber of peoplemight be lessbutthegrandeuranddevotionarethe same; thehappiness and joyarestillboundless.ThisistherealBengal.“Thereissuchpowerindevo-
tionthereitseemsthatIamnotinDelhi but today I am presentamongallofyouinBengal.”
MEA: Over3,800 ceasefireviolations byPak this year
Kerala Bishops council:No change in Churchstand, Pope didn’t justifysame-sex marriage
New cooks on menu: 52-year run ends,Rlys to exit Parliament canteens, kitchens
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
PAKISTAN’S TROOPS have re-sorted tomore than 3,800 inci-dents of unprovoked ceasefireviolations along the Line ofControl (LoC) in Jammu andKashmirthisyearandevensup-ported smuggling of arms andnarcoticsubstances,theMinistryof External Affairs (MEA) saidThursday.MEA spokesperson Anurag
Srivastava said Pakistan's forceshavecontinuedtoengageinun-provokedceasefireviolations,of-ten in civilian areas, to supportinfiltration of terrorists acrosstheLoC.“Thisisaclearviolationofthe
2003 ceasefire understandingbetweenthetwosides.Thisyear,till date, Pakistani forces havecarriedoutmorethan3,800un-provoked ceasefire violations,”Srivastava said at a mediabriefing.Srivastava added that there
havealsobeenattemptstodroparms and ammunition close tothe LoC under the garb of civil-ianactivity.“Wehavealsowitnessedthat
Pakistan's aid and abetment tocross-border terrorism, smug-gling of arms and narcotic sub-stances have spilled over to theInternational Boundary includ-ing,throughusageofdronesandquadcopters,”hesaid.Srivastava said such viola-
tionsareregularlyhighlightedtoPakistan through diplomaticchannels and at the regularDGMO- (Director General ofMilitaryOperations) level talks.
WESTBENGAL
Indigenous stealthcorvette INS Kavaratticommissioned into Navy
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
CHIEFOFArmy Staff GeneralMMNaravane on Thursday com-missioned the Anti-SubmarineWarfare stealth corvette, INSKavaratti, into the Indian Navy.INSKavaratti isthelastinthese-ries of four Anti-SubmarineWarfare Corvettes built for theNavy by Garden ReachShipbuilders and EngineersLimited (GRSE), Kolkata, a lead-ingshipyard,underProject28.Thetimelineof theP28class
of ships built by GRSEwas syn-chronisedtofactorintheuniqueindigenisationefforts,accordingtoa release.Special high strength war-
ship-grade steel type DMR 249
A, was indigenously developedfortheseships’construction.INSKavaratti and INS Kiltan are thefirst twomajorwarships in thecountry to have the unique fea-ture of superstructuremade ofCarbon Fiber CompositeMaterial.
After HC order,giant screensand mobile appsfor devotees
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEKOLKATA,OCTOBER22
AFTER THECalcuttaHigh Courtorder banned visitors’ entry toDurga Puja pandals, organisersmadelast-minutechanges.Giantscreenswereinstalledoutsidethepandals for “darshan” (glimpse)andvirtual“pushpanjali”(ritualofoffering flowers to god)will bearrangedfordevoteestotakepartfromhome.Puja organisers also installed
loudspeakersinthevicinityofthepandalstoplaymantrasforthelo-calresidents.“We will organise virtual
pushpanjali throughZoom. Thiswill alsohelpus to connectwithpeople staying in foreign coun-tries,includingtheUSandtheUK.Also,wewillplaythemantrasonloudspeakers, so thatpeople canoffer pushpanjali at home,” saidSubir Das, a member ofBhawanipore 75 Pally PujaCommittee.Evenbeforecourtrestrictions
were in place, Kolkata's SantoshMitraSquarePujacommitteehaddecided to livestreamall rituals.“Keeping thepandemic inmind,wehaddecidedtorestrictvisitors'entryandmadeallarrangementsaccordingly.We couldn't haverisked anyone's life,” said SajalGhosh,committeesecretary.Organisers of Jodhpur Park
Sarbojaninhavecutdownontheirbudgetandinstalledtheidols in-side a community hall. All theireventswillbelivestreamedongi-antscreensacrossastretchofonekilometre.
SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,OCOBER22
ADAYafterPopeFranciswasfea-turedinadocumentary,purport-edly endorsing same-sex civilunions, Kerala Catholic BishopsCouncil (KCBC)onThursdaysaidthereisnochangeintheChurch'sstandonsame-sex.Italsosaidthat“reports that the Popehad justi-fied the same-sexmarriage arebaselessandmisleading”.Whilebeinginterviewedfora
documentary,whichpremieredat the Rome Film Festival onWednesday, the Pope had pur-portedlystatedthat“homosexualpeople have the right to be in afamily.TheyarechildrenofGod.”Hereportedlysaidinoneofhis
sit-down interviews for the film,“Whatwehave to have is a civilunion law; that way they arelegallycovered.”The Pope’s comments have
evokedmixedresponsefromtheCatholic Church, but theVaticanhasnot deniedhis endorsementof thesame-sexcivilunions.TheKCBCisanorganisationof
CatholicbishopsinKeralabelong-ingtoritesofSyro-Malabar,Latinand Syro-Malankara Churches.Syro-Malabar Church headCardinalGeorgeAlencherryisthepresidentofKCBC.
Bishop Joseph Pamplani,chairmanof KCBC'smedia com-mission, said, “Pope Francis hasnot adopted any stance that de-niestheChurchteachingsonsex-ualmorality.”KCBC spokesperson Fr Jacob
Palakkappalli said, “TheCatholicChurchhas not diluted its standonfamilylifeandhomosexuality.TheChurchdoesnotmakeexhor-tationsaboutmarriageandfamilylife throughdocumentaries. ThePopehad taught in thepast alsothat those in the LGBT categoryare childrenof Godand theyde-serve special care and love. TheChurchisof thestandthatsame-sex inclinations shouldbediffer-entiatedfromsame-sexacts.”TheCatholicChurchdoesnot
recogniselivingtogetherofsame-sex persons asmarriage. Somecountrieshadacceptedsuchrela-tions as civil union. The Churchhastakenaseriousnoteaboutthepastoralworkamongpeople liv-inginthatmanner,KCBCstated.
ALOCAL court in Jhalod has ex-tendedbyfourdaysthepolicere-mand of four accused in the al-leged contract killing of Jhalodcouncillor and BJP leaderHirenPatel,inastaged“hit-and-run”in-cidentonSeptember27.Earlier, theywere remanded
tosevendaysinpolicecustodyonOctober15.The district police produced
thefouraccused—IrfanPada,AjayKalal, Sajjansinh Chauhan andMohammed SamirMujawar—beforethelocalcourtviavidecon-ferenceonThursday, seekingex-tensionofremandonthegroundsthat the accusedwere “uncoop-erative”intheprobeandpoliceareyet to trace the vehicle thatwasusedtomowdownPatel.Thepoliceremandapplication
also cited that the remandwasneeded as two absconding ac-cused— ImranGudala and IrfanBasti — were yet to be appre-hended.OnThursday,15councillorsof
JhalodMunicipality submitted amemorandum to Dahod SPHiteshJoysar,seekingsecurity,cit-inga“threattotheirlife”.Theyhadhanded the memorandum toDeputy SP Paresh Solanki onWednesdayevening.
Court extendsremand of fouraccused in BJPleader ‘murder’
AVISHEKGDASTIDARNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
AFTER52yearsof feedingIndia’slawmakers, the IndianRailwaysis set to exit the canteens andkitchensofParliamentcomplexbynextmonth tomakeway fora new agency to feedParliamentarians.Northern Railway, which
provides the catering arrange-mentinallfood-servingfacilitiesinParliamentHouseEstate—thecanteens, annexe, library build-ing, various pantries — has re-ceived a communication fromtheLokSabhaSecretariat,askingit to vacate the premises andhandoverallequipment,suchascomputers, printers, furnitureandthelike,andrecallall itsstaff
byNovember15.Officials in Parliament and
Railways confirmed the devel-opment andsaid that asper the
latest proposal, Indian TourismDevelopment Corporation(ITDC), which runs the AshokaHotel, is set to take over the
catering job. Food served inParliamenthasbeenhighlysub-sidised tokeep the tariff low fortheMPs,Housestaff,andvisitors.Usually a committee ofMPs
oversees the catering arrange-ments in Parliament. However,the committee for the currentLokSabhahasnotyetbeencon-stituted. Officials said the deci-sion has been finalised at thelevelof theSecretariatadminis-tration.More than 100 Northern
Railway staff – cooks, servers,kitchen staff and others – areposted in Parliament. DuringHousesessions,around75addi-tional personnel from IndianRailway Catering and TourismCorporation (IRCTC) are de-ployed as reinforcement. TheRailways had a sanctioned
strengthof 417cateringstaff fordeployment inParliament.Usually the committee of
MPs, alongwith the Parliamentadministration,decidestheratesand items of food served inParliament canteens of variouscategories. However, NorthernRailway is paidwhatever cost itincurs from the Ministry ofFinance through Parliament.Officialssaidtheannualrevenuefrom Parliament catering is tothe tuneof Rs15 toRs18crore.Officialsmaintainedthatthe
move to get an alternative toRailways for catering for MPshad been contemplated evenduring the UPA tenure, whenMeira Kumarwas the Speaker.“There have often been qualityissueswith the railway food,” aParliamentofficial said.
A SPECIAL court Thursday re-jectedtheinterimbailpleaof83-year-old Jesuit priest and tribalrights activist Stan Swamy, ar-rested thismonth in the ElgaarParishad case. Swamyhad filedthe interim bail application onmedical grounds, citing his ageandhealthcondition.Swamy was arrested on
October 8 by the NationalInvestigationAgency(NIA)fromRanchi, Jharkhand, andbroughtto Mumbaithe next day.The agencydid not seekhis custodyand filed asupplemen-tarychargesheetagainst himand sevenothers. Swamy has been in jailsince.Lawyer Sharif Shaikh, repre-
sentingSwamy,submittedtothespecial court that Swamy is suf-fering fromParkinson’s diseaseandwasnotabletoevensignthevakaltnamaduetoitatthetimeofhisproductionbeforethecourtbytheNIA.Opposinghisbailplea,theNIA
had submitted that hewas "try-ing to take anunduebenefit" oftheongoingpandemic.The chargesheet against
Swamy claims that he was amemberof theCPI(Maoist)andreceived funds for its activities.Ithadalsoreferredtohisworkaspartof thePersecutedPrisonersSolidarityCommittee.Swamy,inhis statement, had said that hisworkchallengingindiscriminatearrests of thousands of youngAdivasislabelledas"Naxals"wasthe reason hewas being impli-cated.The NIA has also submitted
that while the committee'sguidelines recommend consid-eringthegrantof interimbail toundertrials above 60 years ofage, it cannot be granted me-chanically.The court rejected the plea,
thedetailedorderofwhichisyettobemadeavailable.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,OCTOBER22
JOURNALIST PRASHANTKanojia, arrested in August for“promotingenmity”throughhistweets, was released Thursdayafter the Lucknowbench of theAllahabad High Court grantedhimbail.The bench of Justice Attau
RahmanMasoodi, while grant-ingbailtoKanojia,saidheshouldfileanundertakingthathewon'tseek any adjournment on thedates fixed for presenting evi-dence.“Theapplicant(Kanonjia)shall remain present before thetrialcourtoneachdatefixed,ei-therpersonallyorthroughcoun-sel, and that the applicant shallremainpresentinpersononthedatesfixedfortheopeningofthecase, framing of charge andrecording of statement,” thecourt'sorder stated.OnAugust17,anFIRwasreg-
istered against Kanojia atLucknow'sHazratganjpolicesta-tiononacomplaintfiledbySub-InspectorDineshKumarShukla.As per the FIR registered by
thepolice, Kanojia had tweeteda post on Hindu Army’s Sushil
Tiwari that was morphed andwith intention to malign thefameof Tiwari”.After Kanojia was granted
bail,hislawyersaidtherewasan-other FIR registeredagainst himinMayatAshiyanapolicestationin Lucknow for another tweet.“Though the court has grantedbail in both the cases, the orderfor theAshiyanaonehasnotyetbeen uploaded. On August 19...hewastakenonremandforboththecases,”shesaid.The court order issued on
Wednesdaymentionedthatthecounsel for the accused appli-canthassaidthatchargesheetinthe present case has alreadybeen filedand there isnopossi-bilityof theapplicanttamperingwiththeevidenceorinfluencingtheinvestigationinanymanner.Also, that the applicant has as-suredthatheshallnotindulgeinthe act of posting tweets thatmayhurtthesentimentsofpeo-pleoranyspecificgroup.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
ADELHI court has sent back thecriminaldefamationcasefiledbyformer Minister of State forExternalAffairsMJAkbaragainstjournalist PriyaRamani to a spe-cialMP/MLAcourt thathasbeenhearingthematterfortwoyears.AdditionalChiefMetropolitan
MagistrateVishalPahujahadsaidonOctober13:“Therehasbeendi-rections from the SupremeCourt…Thiscasehastobeplacedbefore theDistrict and SessionsJudge for further directions. ThiscourtwilldealwithcasesagainstMP/MLAs.”District and Sessions Judge
SujataKohli passed theorder onwhether thecasecouldcontinuebefore Additional ChiefMetropolitanMagistrate VishalPahuja.OnNovember2,thenextdate of hearing, Akbar’s counsel,senioradvocateGeetaLuthra,willmakeherrebuttal toRamani's fi-nalarguments.Hearing in the case began in
October 2018 under ACMMSamarVishal,whopresidedovertheproceedingsuntilOctober25,2019,whenexamination-in-chiefofdefencewitnesseswereunder-way.Hewaslatertransferred,andACMMPahujabeganhearingthematter fromNovember21, 2019,whenRamani's cross-examina-
tionhadcometoanend.Heheardthefinalarguments
ofbothsides.Aftertwoyearsofhearing,the
casewas in its last stageswhenACMM Pahuja—of the specialMP/MLA court at RouseAvenueDistrictCourt—saidthathecannolonger hear thematter. He saidthiswasnotacaseagainstanMPorMLA—itwasacasefiledbyanMP—andmustbetransferred.This,hesaid,wouldbe in line
withthedirectionoftheSupremeCourt, and a February 2018 ad-ministrative order of the HighCourtOnOctober14,DSJKohli,hear-
ing arguments of the two sides,cautioned that consequences ofthetrialcontinuingwithoutjuris-diction canbe “verydangerous”because the entire proceedingscanbeconstruedvitiatedandthetrialdenovo(anew).Ramani had levelled allega-
tions of sexualmisconduct andharassment against Akbar,whosuedher.He resignedas aUnionministerinOctober2018.
Deaths as a ratio ofpositive cases (in %);indicator of progressin averting deaths
Positives againstnumber tested
(in %); indicator ofthe spread of disease
Becoming sick vsrecovering; more
recoveries for 14 daysmay signal the peak
POSITIVITY RATE DAILY IN, DAILYOUT
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE,OCTOBER22
THE INTERNATIONAL AIDSVaccine Initiative (IAVI), a non-profitscientificresearchorgani-sation dedicated to addressingurgentglobalhealthchallenges,and Serum Institute of India onThursday announced an agree-ment with Merck, a a scienceandtechnologycompany,tode-velop SARS-CoV-2 neutralisingmonoclonal antibodies (mAbs),co-inventedby IAVIandScrippsResearch,asinnovativeinterven-tions to address the Covid-19pandemic.Theagreementbuildsonthe
advanced antibody discoveryand optimisation expertise ofIAVI and Scripps Research,gainedfromyearsofexperienceinHIV,neutralisingantibodyre-searchanddevelopment,andonMerck’s and Serum Institute’ssignificantcapabilitiesindesignand scale-up of acceleratedmanufacturing processes formAbproduction.Theglobalde-
velopment plan is being led bythe three organisations in part-nership.If the potent and broadly
cross-reactiveSARS-CoV-2neu-tralisingantibodycandidatesbe-ingadvancedthroughthispart-nership are shown to beefficaciousinclinicaltrials,eitheras a single antibody or a poten-tial combination of both candi-dates,Merckwill leadcommer-cialisation of the effort indevelopedcountries.The Serum Institute has a
track record of more than 50years in developing affordablemedicines and is the world’slargest producer of vaccines.Serum Institutewill lead globalmanufacturing aswell as com-mercialisation in low andmid-dle-low-income countries, in-cluding India.“Weareacutelyawareof the
tremendous potential formon-oclonal antibodies tobeused inCovid-19 response. By combin-ing the scientific achievementsof IAVI and Scripps Researchwithourpartners’development,
manufacturing,anddistributionexpertise, we are hopeful thatthis partnership will result inglobally accessible antibodiesthat are available to allwho canbenefit from them,” saidMarkFeinberg, president and CEO ofIAVI, in a statement released onThursday.BelénGarijo,vice-chairofthe
executive board and DeputyCEO, Merck, as well as CEOHealthcare,said,“TogetherwithIAVI and Serum Institute, welook forward to demonstratingthepotentialapplicationofthesemonoclonal antibodies in themanagementof Covid-19.”“Iamextremelypleasedthat
wehave joined forceswith IAVIandMerck in the fight againstCovid-19with theaimof devel-opingmonoclonalantibodiesforglobal access... I am confidentthatweandourpartners areona productive path thatwill leadto a much-needed, globallyavailabletoolforCovid-19treat-ment and possibly prevention,”said Adar Poonawalla, CEO ofSerumInstitute.
AMITSHARMAMEERUT,OCTOBER22
A SUB-INSPECTOR (S-I) postedatapolicestationinBaghpathasbeen suspended for “keeping abeardwithoutpermission fromthe authorities concerned,” aseniorofficersaid.Aninquiryhasalso been initiated againstIntesarAliforallegedly“notpay-ingheedtonoticesservedthricefor flouting the statepolice uni-formnorms,” theofficeradded.Ali has been serving in
Baghpat for thepast threeyearsand was at present posted atRamala police station. “My re-quests for keeping a beard arepending in the offices of the SPandtheIG(Meerutzone)forthe
pastoneyearbutnodecisionhasbeen taken yet. I am hopeful ofgettingapositiveresponseinthisregardsoon,”Ali toldTheIndianExpressonThursday.Baghpat SP Abhishek Singh
said, “Ali was served a show-cause notice for flouting thestatepoliceuniformnormsear-lier too, but he did not deem itfit to follow the rules. His ac-tions (of flouting norms) comewithin the purview of indisci-pline,whichcannotbetoleratedintheforces. Ihavealsoorderedan inquiry in this connection,”said Singh.As per the Act and Rules of
theUttarPradeshPolicemanual,barringSikhs, noone is allowedtokeepabeardwithoutpermis-sion fromseniorofficers.
In UP, sub-inspector issuspended over beard
IAVI, Merck, Serum Institute tojointly develop Covid antibodies
ELGAARPARISHADCASE
Spl courtrejects StanSwamy’sbail plea
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,OCTOBER22
MORETHAN30membersof theKarni Sena were stopped andtaken intocustodybythepoliceinAzamgarhwhileontheirwayto Ballia to participate in a pro-grammeorganisedinsupportofDhirendra Pratap Singh, mainaccused in theBallia firing case,onWednesday.According to the police, the
group, led by Karni Sena’s stateunit president Sandeep Singh,hadplannedtogatheroutsidetheBallia DistrictMagistrate's (DM)office in support of DhirendraPratap and also local BJP MLASurendraSingh,whohadbackedthemain accused, claiming thatthelatterhad“openedfireinself-defence” as it was a “kill or get
killed”situationthen.Surendra Singhwas earlier
summonedbytheBJPstatelead-ershipthatdisapprovedofhisre-marks defending themain ac-cusedinthecase.Whilethepartyhas sought an explanation fromtheMLA,sourcessayBJPnationalpresident JP Nadda has alsowarnedtheparty’sUPchiefoverthe conduct of Surendra Singh.TheKarniSenahasnowwarnedthat if the BJP takes any actionagainst MLA Surendra Singh,theywouldboycott theBJP.“The stepwas takenwith the
lawandorder situation inmindand preventive arrests weremade.Theyhadcomefromdiffer-entdistricts.Wearrested33per-sons under Section 151 of CrPC.They were later released by amagistrateafterfilingabond,”saidAzamgarhSP(Rural)Siddhartha.
HAMZAKHANJAIPUR,OCTOBER22
THERAJASTHANHighCourthasstayed proceedings by a CBIcourtagainstformerUnionmin-isterArunShourieandothers ina case pertaining to the sale ofLaxmi Vilas Palace Hotel inUdaipur in2002.Hearingthecase,JusticeVijay
Bishnoi ordered “that the trialcourt shall not proceed againstthe petitioners pursuant to theimpugned order till further or-ders”.TheHighCourtalsocalledfor records of the case from thetrial court and listed thematterforhearingafter threeweeks.Appearing through video
conferencing, Shourie said theprocess of disinvestment ofLaxmiVilasHotelhadbeenchal-lengedtwicebythesamepersonbeforetheDivisionBenchof theRajasthan High Court, but wasdismissed both times—in 2002and2006.Hesaidthatwhiledismissing
the petitions, the High Courtmade“specificobservationsthatnomaterialhasbeenplacedthatfixationofreservepriceofshareswasarbitrary”.
Shourie also argued that thetrial court, without providinghimahearing,hadmadecertainobservations alleging that he isof "dual character".Hesaidthatwhileasubordi-
nate courtmust follow the lawlaiddownbysuperiorcourts,thetrialcourtwhilepassingtheim-pugnedorderhadfailedtokeepinmindthespecificobservationsmadeby theHighCourt.Appearingfor JyotsnaSuriof
Bharat Hotels Limited, whichbought Laxmi Vilas Hotel in2002, senior advocate P PChaudhary said the CabinetCommittee on Disinvestmentchaired by then primeministerAtalBihariVajpayeehadtakenadecision to accept the recom-
mendations of DisinvestmentCommittee,followingwhichthedisinvestment of Laxmi VilasHotelwascarriedout.Chaudhary termed the CBI
court’s order as illegal and saidBharat Hotels Limited offered abidofRs7.52croreforLaxmiVilasHotel, which was 25 per centabovethereserveprice,followingwhichitsbidwasaccepted.Additional Solicitor General
of IndiaSVRajutoo“strenuouslysubmitted”thattheorderpassedbythe trial court “isnot liable tobe sustained in the eye of law”.He said theCBIhas filed closurereportstwiceinthematterwithdetailed reasons forwhy no of-fence ismadeoutagainstanyofthe persons named in the FIR.
Special CBI Court Judge PooranKumar Sharmahad rejected theCBI's application to file a closurereportintheinvestigationintothesale of LaxmiVilas PalaceHotel.RejectingtheCBI’spleathatithadnotfoundanyevidencetolaunchprosecution, Judge Sharma saidthat prima facie it had beenproved that the accused hadabusedtheirpoststocausealossRs 244 crore to the governmentof India in the sale of the hotel.The CBI court had also directedthedistrictadministrationtotakepossessionof theproperty.
LAXMIVILASSALECASE
ArunShourie
PrashantKanojia
PriyaRamaniandMJAkbar
StanSwamy
HC stays trial against Shourie, others
Surat:A28-year-oldnurseserv-ing in theCovidward inNavsaricivil hospital allegedly died bysuicide after leaving a five-pagenoteaccusingher seniorsof ha-rassment,police said.Megha Acharya was found
hanging at her house inNavsariwhere she was living with herparents onWednesday night.Shewasmarriedandhasaone-year-oldson.Thedeceased’ssisterTanvika
Hingrajiya said: “Shewasmen-tallyharassedbyherseniorsanditwasbecomingunbearable forher. This forced her to take thedrastic step.Wewant police tocarry out a free and fair investi-gation and find out the culpritsresponsible forherdeath.”Vejalpor police sub-inspec-
tor SF Goswami said: “In hernote,sheaccusedtwoofhersen-iors of not giving her an off formedical check-up. She hasclaimed that shewas discrimi-nated and was not even givenscheduledoff fromduty.” ENS
Nurse dies bysuicide, noteaccuses seniorsof harassment
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESURAT,AHMEDABAD,OCTOBER22
RETIREDINCOMEtaxofficialandvice-president of BharatiyaJanataParty(BJP)Suratunit,PVSSarma,onThursdaysatinproteston the roadoutsidehishouse inPiplod area of Surat after the in-come tax (I-T) department con-ductedsearchesonhispremisesaswellaspremiseslinkedtohiminSurat,ThaneandMumbai.Thesearcheswereheldthree
days after he tweeted abouttransactions by a jewellerybrand on the night when de-monetisationwasannouncedin
come tax officer for 18 yearssince 1990 had taken VRS fromin 2007 to join the BJP is also inchargeoftheparty'sinformationtechnology (IT) cell.Sarmawhosat inprotest for
After I-T dept searches, Surat BJPleader protests outside his residence
Vice-presidentofBJPSuratunitPVSSarma. Express
Allahabad HC grantsbail to journalistheld over his tweets
SAGARRAJPUTMUMBAI,OCTOBER22
THE MUMBAI Police have in-formeditspersonnelandstaffthattheir salary accounts are beingtransferred from Axis Bank toHDFCBank.With 50,000 salaryaccounts,Mumbai Policewas ahigh-valuecustomerofAxisBanksince 2003. The annual policesalarybillinthestaterunsuptoRs3,000crore.In 2015, theOpposition took
on the then chief ministerDevendra Fadnavis for renewinga five-year contract with AxisBank as hiswife Amruta held aseniorpositioninthebank.Whencontacted,JointCommissionerofPolice(admin)RajkumarVhatkarsaid, “The decision was madepurelyonmerit.”According to police sources,
personnelwere informedabouttheshifttoHDFCandaskedtoco-operate with bank employeeswhowould visit them individu-allytoeffectthetransfer.
“Wehavebeenasked to sub-mitourdocumenttobankofficialsinordertoopenanaccount;how-ever,wehavenotbeentoldwhenthey will start depositing oursalaries into our new bank ac-counts,”apoliceofficialsaid.Sources in the department
said the contract of handlingsalaryaccountsofMumbaiPoliceaswellashomedepartmentstaffworking for thepolice forcewaswithAxis Bank in2003. In 2015,theagreementwasrenewedandextendedtoJuly31,2020.
Mumbai Police to transfer salary accountsof all personnel from Axis to HDFC Bank
Akbar defamationcase against PriyaRamani sent backto same judge
BALLIAFIRING
Karni Sena members ‘backing’accused stopped in Azamgarh
AMILBHATNAGAR&SOMYALAKHANIGHAZIABAD,OCTOBER22
DAYSAFTERover230residentsofa Ghaziabad village, who areValmikis,saidthattheyconvertedto Buddhism, UP Police onThursdayfiledanFIRagainst“un-known persons" for allegedly“spreading false rumours aboutreligiousconversion”.MembersoftheValmikicom-
munityinKareravillagesaidthatthey converted to Buddhism inthe presence of RajratanAmbedkar, great-grandnephewof Dr BRAmbedkar, onOctober14.OnThursday,anFIRwasfiledat Sahibabadpolice station afteracomplaintwasreceived froma22-year-old “social worker”,MontuChandel.TheFIRhasbeenfiled under IPC Sections 153-A(promotingenmitybetweendif-ferentgroupsongroundsof reli-gion,race,etc)and505(whoevermakes,publishesorcirculatesanystatement, rumourorreport).The FIR states, “Some un-
known persons and organisa-tionsspreadfalserumoursaboutreligious conversionof 230peo-ple. The certificates issued in itsconnectionbearnonameandad-dress and there is no date of is-suance,noristherearegistrationnumber. Anyone's name can bewritten on it. There has been an
attempttoflarecaste-basedten-sions as per a criminal conspir-acy...”RajratanAmbedkar said cer-
tificateswere issued to236peo-ple by The Buddhist Society ofIndia, founded in 1955 by DrAmbedkar. The certificates bearthe signatureof Rajratan,who isthe organisation's trustee-man-ager, and Bhadant AryaNagarjunaSurai Sasai, chairmanof Dr Babasaheb AmbedkarMemorialCommittee.Hesaid,“Howcantheysayre-
ligious conversion in Karera onOctober 14 is a rumour? I waspresentthere.ThereisaFacebookLivevideoof theevent; therearephotographs of the event.Whatisthebasisof thisFIR?”Sahibabad circle officer
KeshavKumar said, “We are in-vestigating the allegations. Thecertificatesonlybearthedateofconversion. The allegation thatthe documents are not authen-tic will be investigated. No ar-rests have been made in thematter so far.”Pawan, a resident of Karera
village, who used towork as ahousekeeping supervisor at anapartmentcomplexuntilMarch,had coordinated theOctober 14event.DenyingallegationsmadebyChandel,hesaidthatreligiousconversion did take place onOctober14, FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com
Days after Dalits took upBuddhism, they face FIRfor conversion ‘rumours’
THE WRONG DOSEBymakingvaccineamanifestopromise,BJPinBihargivesaself-servingresponsetoagravepublichealthemergency
ELECTIONMANIFESTOESARE notusuallyknownforprudenceortheirmeas-ureduseof language.Yet, even intimeswhenpoliticalpartiesplaytosen-timentsandraisefalseexpectationswithoutcompunctionintherun-uptopolls, the BJP’smanifesto promise for the Bihar assembly elections is re-markable.Itspromiseof freevaccineagainstCOVID-19toevery“Biharwasi”
is not just another instance of poll populism— it’s an attempt tomanipulate the anxi-etiescausedbythemost lethalpandemictohaveravagedtheworld inmorethanacen-tury.Unionministerof finance,andseniorpartyleader,NirmalaSitharaman’sannounce-ment—“thepeople of Biharwill get vaccination for freeonce theproduction in India ison a large scale. This is our first poll promise asmentioned in themanifesto”— reeks ofdesperation,andshowstheBJPtobecavaliertothedemandsofscienceorrequirementsof administrativeprotocols, and to theneed to respond to the stress sufferedby societyin thepast10months in largeandcompassionateways.Sofar, theCentreandstateshavedoneagoodjobinpullingtogetherforCOVIDmanage-
mentandhavelargelyinsulatedtheprocessfrompolitics,whilesharingbestpractices.Inthepastmonth,PrimeMinisterNarendraModi,hiscabinetcolleaguesandthegovernment’smed-ical research agencies have indicated that a policy todeliver the vaccine is in theworks.Negotiationsareonwithvaccinemanufacturers;pricediscoveryisweeks,ifnotmonths,away,giventhatnocandidatehasclearedthefinalhurdleyet.GivenIndia’spopulation,thegovern-mentneedstosecureareasonablepriceformaximumpublicsafety;it isexpectedtobefreeforvulnerablesections,subsidisedforothersandtheprivatesectorisalsobeingropedin.UnionHealthMinisterHarshVardhanhas,rightly,cautionedthatthefirstlotmaynotbeavailabletoeveryoneandhintedat the rudimentsof aprioritising strategy focusingonhealthworkersandpeoplewithco-morbidities.Conversationsoverothercriticalissueslikethecostofacold-chaininfrastructuretotransport,storeanddistributethevaccineareatanincipientstage—earlyreports indicate thatCOVID-19vaccineswill need tobestoredat temperatures lower thanthoseofMMRandother traditional vaccines suchas theBCG.Howwill resourcesbemo-bilised?Willitinvolvetheprivatesector,andinwhatcapacity?Suchquestionsareinextrica-ble fromthoseof equityandtransparency invaccinedistributionandrequirediscussion.Tothrowthecomplexmatterintothehustleandbustleofelectioneering,makingthevaccineapollsop,isaruderuptureinaconversationthathasonlyjustbegun.BJP leaders’argumentthatthis is theequivalentof a“loan-waiver”announcement is
specious, at best. Unlike a targeted poll sop, a COVID vaccine affects the entire popula-tion,notjustasection;itiscriticaltothehealthof individualsandthecommunity.Singlingoutonestateasabeneficiary justbecause it isgoingtovote isbadscience,badpolitics—andplainwrong.
PUSHING THE BOUNDARYPope’s remarksonsame-sexcivilunions illustratehowworkof tolerancecansometimesproceedwithoutconfrontation
POPEFRANCISHASbecomethefirstpontiff toendorsesame-sexcivilunions.Evenifenormouslysignificant,thismaynotbearadicalbreak—theRomanCatholic church’s positions on homosexuality as “deviant” behaviour andmarriage as a sacramental union possible only between “a man and awoman”remainunchanged.ButformillionsofhomosexualCatholics,who
thepopeacknowledged“havea right tobe ina family”, his remarks inanewdocumen-tary film open up a breathing space. For the church, it is a nudge to bend the arc of itspractice toamoreexpansiveandaccommodatingviewof gay life.Pope Francis’s tenure as pontiff has been near-revolutionary, and equally polarising.
Hehassoughttoclaimdivinegraceforeveryone,includingatheists;hehasofferedprivatesuccour toa trans-coupleandcalled formercy forwomenwhochose tohaveabortions;hehaspitchedthechurch intothedebateoverclimatechange,andcalledpollutionasin.AsArchbishopofBuenosAires, too,hehadadvocatedalegalshieldforsame-sexcouples,evenwhilebeingopposedtohomosexualmarriage.Sometimes, it is lawsthatpushsoci-eties towardsdisruptive change; sometimes, institutionshave to catchupandacknowl-edge shifts that have already takenplace.While homosexuality,with its defiant critiqueof theheterosexual “norm”,unsettlesall shadesof conservativeattitudes, the ideaof theindividual’s inviolablerighttodeterminetheirdesires isnolongerpossibletovilify inthemodernworld.Thepope’sremarksareapragmaticacceptanceofthat.Theyalsoillustratehowtheworkoftolerancecansometimesproceedwithoutabrasiveconfrontation—sim-plyacknowledgingpeople,withall theirdifferences,as“childrenofgod”canopendoors.Despite a low-guilt pre-colonial history of sexual desire, India has only just about
taken the first steps in this battle for acceptance. A decades-longmovement culmi-nated two years ago in a landmark Supreme Court decision that decriminalised ho-mosexuality.Therearepetitions intheDelhiHighCourt thatseektoexpandtheSpecialMarriageAct to includemarriagesof same-sexcouples. If thecourtshavebeenhardtowinover, thestruggle foracceptance inreligious institutionsandfamilies isgoingtobestiffer. For India, with a sizeable Christian population, the pope’swordswill send outamuch-neededmessageandblunttheedgeofprejudiceformanymore.Forthatalone,it is immenselywelcome.
FASTER IN IPLPacehasbeenall theragethis season, changinggames,
mockingpatternsandpredictions
ADELIVERY THAT South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje bowled clocked156.22kmph,thefastestacross13editionsoftheIndianPremierLeague.At that speed, a batsman has around 0.4 seconds to react, the time ittakes to blink. In the same spell, against Rajasthan Royals, he touched155.21kmphand154.74kmph, the secondand third fastest in IPLhis-
tory. The strapping South African is not alone in the pace race. His compatriot, KagisoRabada,andEnglandbowlerJofraArcherhavebeenbowlinginexcessof150kmph.JaspritBumrahandLockieFerguson, too,have revveduptheirpaceandhostilityquotients.The numbers, though, are inadequate to capture the essence of fast bowling. Few
thrills incricketcancomparetothesightofatearawayfastbowlerrunningintobowl.ButT20 had hitherto never truly appreciated genuine pace. Bowlerswhoweremasters oftaking the pace off the ballwere considered superheroes. For pace, even extremepace,needs some guile to be effective. There is only a finemargin for error. The IPL batch of2020havemarriedpacewithdisciplineandsmarts.Pace can induce terror, collapse, indecision, even fear for life. Evenbatsmen likeVirat
Kohli andSteveSmith,whousually seemtohave somuch time towork in, are suddenlysoshortof timethat theyare induced intomaking last-minutedefensiveadjustmentsormistakes.Itcanchangegamesinaninstant—lastSunday,KolkataKnightRiders’FergusondemolishedSunrisers in a single spell of sustainedhostility. Fast bowlerswere expectedtostruggle,consideringtheheatandslownatureof thesurface.Butthat’swhatpurepacecando. Itmakesamockeryofpredictionsandpatterns.
WHATDOESINDIA’Spoliticaleconomylooklikeintheaftermathofaseriesofhigh-profileeconomic reforms that the NarendraModigovernmenthasundertaken?Theeconomiceffectsofthesereformswillplayoutoverthelong run. This piece is not an economic as-sessmentofthesepolicies.Itisareflectiononthe political economy of theModimodel,whichisnowacquiringsystematiccontours.First, broadly speaking, macro-eco-
nomicstabilitymatters.But,politically, thegovernment remains convinced that infla-tioncarriesseriouspolitical risks.This isgo-ingtoremainacornerstoneofmacropolit-ical economy.Second, the relativebargainingpowerof
capital in relation to labourwill continue toradically favour capital. This has been thetrend for the last two decades. In emergingeconomies,therewillbearacetothebottomas far as sensible protections for labour go.Indonesia has, like India, gutted labour pro-tections.Thepreviousregimeof labour lawswasdeeplybrokenand it servedneither thecauseof capitalefficiencynorlabourprotec-tion.So,itispoliticallypointlesstodefendthestatus quo. Politically, itwas easy to portraythe small section of the economy that hasprotected labourasanaristocracy impedingtheprogressofotherexcludedlabourratherthanasabulwarkagainstcapital.Butthemi-grantlabourcrisisthrowsupanotherpuzzle.The degree of hardship inflicted onmigrantlabour is still not showing up in any seriouspoliticalbacklash.Oneexplanationisthepol-iticsof faith—likedemonetisation,thispun-ishmenthasnotdeeplybrokenfaithinModi.Buttheremaybesomethingdeeper:Thatmi-grantlabourhasbeenalwayssoradicallydis-enfranchisedinpoliticaltermsthattheyhavelittle faith that any alternative dispensationwouldhavedonebetterforthem.Sonopolit-ical strikeagainstModi.Third, inagriculture, theproblemissim-
ilar to labour—anyposition that simply in-volvesdefending thestatusquo losespolit-ical support.Whetherornot thesebillswillresult ingreaterprosperityfor farmers isanopenquestion. Itdependsonthefollow-up.The political consequences of the agricul-ture bills are far-reaching in a state likePunjab whereMSP is very significant. Butthe political effects will be largely concen-trated in a few states like Punjab and
Haryana. Infact, forthosenot inagriculture,the bills strengthen the government’s re-formist credentials. Ideologically, it is noteasy for the Congress tomount an opposi-tion to thebills, because theirpolicieswereheaded in the same direction, even if theymighthavebeenmorenuanced.Also,noth-inginthebillsprecludesthestatefromcon-tinuingwithMSP. So, thewhole argumentwill turn on convincing affected farmers ofthe government’s intentions. The events inPunjab could yet spiral into a crisis if nothandledwell. But there is little evidence ofanational opposition to thebills.Fourth, state-capital relations. State and
capital relationswill remain very politicallycosy. Insignificantsectionsof Indiancapital,thereisadeepcommitmenttotheHindutvaproject. The government understands thatcontroloftheinformationorderrequirescon-trol of capital; so it will superintend it.Corruptionwill bemore structural ratherthantransactional.Thishastheadvantageofbeingabletomobiliseallthenecessaryfunds,andyet at the same timegiving the impres-sion that transactional corruptionhas comedown.Therearethreeareasofdiscretionthatwill continue tobe thesubjectof state-capi-talnegotiations.First, there isnoevidencetosuggestthatthechannellingofcreditwillnot,atthemargins,continuetobedirectedtothefavourite players. The Insolvency andBankruptcyCodewasagoodlegislation.But,asUrjitPatelarguedinOverdraft, thegovern-mentundermineditsownlegislation,largelyit seems so that it could still exercise discre-tion. So the political economy suggests thatwe are not going to seemajor financial sec-tor reformssoon.WithAtmanirbharBharat,there ismorescopefornegotiationontariffsindifferentsectors.Itwillbeinterestingtoseeif thesenegotiationsaregovernedbyaneco-nomicorapoliticaleconomylogic.Finally, this government is comfortable
withgreaterconcentrationofcapital.Thear-gumentthatthereisaneedtocreatenationalchampionswho can leverage scalewill beusedtojustifythedominanceoftheAmbanisovertheIndianeconomytoapointthatisun-healthy.Butcanthisnexusbeconvertedintoapoliticalnarrativeofcorruption?Thisisgo-ing to be difficult. In the previous anti-cor-ruptionmovement,themediawascomplicitin the campaign and it acquired plausibility
becauseofexistinghigh-profiletransactionalcorruption. Structural corruption will beharder toconvert intoapoliticalnarrative.Fifth,thereisadeepeningofthenewwel-
fare state. Interestingly, theModi govern-ment’sfocushereisonsixof thenewindica-tors that the Oxford Multi-DimensionalPovertyIndexusestosupplementtraditionalindicators of health and education. Cookingfuel,water,sanitation,electricity,housingandassets. These schemes have several politicaladvantages. These are vital initiatives. Theytargetwomen,andarevisible.Therealques-tioniswhetheroutcomesaretranslatingintoresults. For instance, theUjjwalaYojanawasquite successful in reaching its target of thenumber of newconnections. But, accordingto government data, per capita cylinder useunder the scheme in 2019was 3.28 refills,suggestingthatthegapbetweenthenumberof connectionsandtheusageyouwouldex-pect based on those connectionswas verywide.But theseare thesixschemes tomon-itorclosely.Weneedmoreobjectivescrutinyof theseschemesof thekindMGNREGAwassubject to under UPA. But a lotwill dependuponwhether thegovernmentnarrativeonthese schemes canbe counteredwith somerealevidencethattheseschemesarenotde-livering. From a political point of view, thechallengewillbethatwhilesomeofthegov-ernment’sclaimsmayturnouttobeinflated,willtheshortfallbesufficienttodemonstrategovernment failure?Finally, there is the political economy of
federalism that has come under immensestrainbecauseof GSTand thegovernment’sencroachingonthestate’srightsinrecentleg-islation.Buttheblunttruthisthat,inthefinalanalysis,thepotencyofthisfaultlinedependsonthestates.If theBJPwinsBiharandBengal,thepotentialof significant revolton federal-ismissueswilldiminish.Despite economic headwinds, it has not
beeneasytousetheeconomyasapointwithwhichtoattacktheModigovernment. Ithasstill positioned itself as a breaker of the sta-tus quo. The oppositionwill have to thinkmore intelligently about the political econ-omy of protest to counter the newpoliticaleconomyof reform.
Thewriter iscontributingeditor,TheIndianExpress
State and capital relationswill remain very politicallycosy. In significant sectionsof Indian capital, there is adeep commitment to theHindutva project. Thegovernment understandsthat control of theinformation order requirescontrol of capital; so it willsuperintend it. Corruptionwill be more structuralrather than transactional.This has the advantage ofbeing able to mobilise allthe necessary funds, andyet at the same time givingthe impression thattransactional corruptionhas come down
FOUNDED BY
RAMNATH GOENKA
B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L
§ §
THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,OCTOBER23,2020
WORDLYWISEHope isnever silent.
— HARVEY MILKTHEEDITORIALPAGE
ArpanaCaur
NOT MERE PLOT NUMBERSByrelocatingNationalMuseumandIGNCA,weare lettinggoofourhistory,heritage
IN A RECENT newspaper article, I read howarchitectural plans for the “other buildings”undertheCentralVistaRedevelopmentproj-ect—after theParliament—arebeing read-ied, which includes the Indira GandhiNational Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) andNationalMuseum.SinceMarch, I havebeen reachingout to
the government to express concerns of theartistcommunityontherelocationofthetwocultural centres thathaveplayedsuchacru-cialroleinthepromotionofartinindepend-entIndia.Theircentrallocationattractshun-dreds of art lovers, who can just saunter inafterawalkintheIndiaGatelawns.Icallthemthemai-baap of Indian artists andmovingthemwouldsnatchtheseawayfromus.Myownrelationshipwiththesetwoin-
stitutions goes back several years, when Iwas around eight and used to stay onCurzonRoad. Iwouldlookforwardtoweek-endoutingswhenmymother (Ajeet Cour)would take me boating at India Gate, fol-lowed by a children’s film at Sapru Houseor a visit to the National Museum to viewartefacts that introducedustotherichher-itage of India. This was the 1960s, whenDelhi was still uncongested and innocent.As a child, I was fascinated by the sheermagnificence of the National Museum, itsround building with pillars, circular corri-dors and sculptures. You entered like you
wereenteringatempleof art.Thecharmofits magical courtyard, with life-size sculp-tures and high-ceiling galleries, has notworn off with time. I have seen visitors of-feringflowerstothelyingVishnuinthecor-ridor,othersmarvellingatthelife-sizedKaliandKuber sculptures near the entrance.Ihavebeentherethousandsoftimes,but
Istillenterwithasenseofwonder.IwillneverforgetthebusloadsofschoolstudentsIinter-actedwithwhenIwasexhibitingmyNanaksin digital form early this year. Its collectionhas also inspiredmuch of my ownwork—from the Chola bronzes to the starvingBuddhasculpture fromTaxila. I have turnedtotheminiatures inits famedgalleriessoof-ten,ashavesomanyotherartists.Forme,itistheKohinoorofmuseumsin India.It is the samewith IGNCA, which was
Kapila Vatsyayan’s vision, who recentlypassedaway.ShehadconceivedofMatiGharwithsomuchaffection,andIamsureitwouldhave hurt her to seewhat is being plannednow.Ihaveparticipatedinseveralexhibitionsof women artists here, including one dedi-catedtoNirbhayain2014.Themajesticvenuehashostedsomanyliteraryfestivals—mem-orable exhibitions like “Kaal” (1991) andSatishGujral’s retrospective(2017).Theideaofusingthespaceforofficebuild-
Molshree tree — andwe don’t know howmanyofthemwillberazed.Thearchitectin-chargeof theprojecthasstatedthatmanyofthese trees haveoutlived their lives— that’sthe first time I amhearingof something likethat.We know of trees that have lived forhundredsofyears—lookattheBodhitreeinAnuradhapura(SriLanka)andBodhgaya.Under the new plan, the IGNCAwill be
shiftedtoanotherlocation,whiletheNationalMuseumwillmovetoNorthandSouthBlock,which is a high-security area and so intimi-dating. Our attempt should be to bring artclosertopeople,nottakeitfurtherawayfromthem.Thefootfallsareboundtobenegativelyaffected.Asartists,wearealsoconcernedthatmostofthecollectionisnotdocumentedand,therefore, there is no guarantee that every-thingwillbeshiftedsafely.InMarch,justafterthelockdown,theland
uselawswerechangedfrompublicandrecre-ationalto“office”. It’s importanttoacknowl-edgethisisalsoacultural landwithtwoma-jor art institutions. During one of themeetingsof architects I attended inMarch, Iwasratherappalledthatthesebuildingswerementioned as mere plot numbers. Thesemeanmuchmore to us. They belong to theartists andby letting themgo,weare lettinggoofourarthistoryandheritage.
Caur isa leadingcontemporaryartist
The idea of using the spacefor office buildings ispreposterous. There aremore than 600 trees at theIGNCA — including Delhi’soldest Molshree tree — andwe don’t know how many ofthem will be razed. Thearchitect in-charge of theproject has stated that manyof these trees have outlivedtheir lives — that’s the firsttime I am hearing ofsomething like that. Weknow of trees that havelived for hundreds of years— look at the Bodhi treein Anuradhapuraand Bodhgaya
ENCOUNTERS IN APAFTERAFAIRLY long spell, newsof bloody“encounters” between the police and ex-tremists have started emanating fromTelanganadistrictsofAndhraPradesh.Thepolice headquarters in Nalgonda con-firmed two encounters in the district, re-sulting in thedeathof fiveNaxalites, in thelast fortnight.Thetwoencountersoccurredwithin an interval of a week — the first atMatchineellaBavi10kmfromNalgondaonOctober 5 and the second at Suryapet onOctober 13. Three persons died in the firstencounterandtwostudents in thesecond.An attempt was made by Express NewsService to find out the facts behind these
instant “face-to-faceclashes”anddiscoverthe reasons behind the re-emergence ofthe encounter phenomena. But the effortmet thesameend, figurativelyspeaking, asthe Bhargava Commission that inconclu-sivelywoundup itsenquiry intopoliceex-cesses in the state two years ago.
HOSTAGE RELEASEAMEMBEROFtheparliamentarycommis-sion inTehran,which isproposingthecon-ditions for the release of the Americanhostages, said itwouldprobablyannounceits termsonSundayandif theUSmetthem,thecaptivescouldbe freedonMonday.Theprediction, which was greeted with cau-
tion by diplomats here, came fromHojatoleslam Moussavi Kho’ini, one o fsevenmembersof thespecial commissionset up by the Majlis (parliament) threeweeks ago. “Probably in theMajlis sessionon Sunday ,” Hojatoleslam told Reuters.
IRAQ CONSOLIDATESIRAQI INVADERSBATTLINGagainst snipersanddug-inmachine-gunnersconsolidatedtheirgriponthewar-ravaged Iraniancitiesof Abadan and Khorramshahr. Iranadmitted for the first time that Iraqiunits had seized locations withinKhorramshahr, capturing the city’s prisonand a city bridge.
OCTOBER 23, 1980, FORTYYEARSAGO
New Delhi
11THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,OCTOBER23,2020
WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“US efforts to cut Iran off from the rest of the world in the midst of the pandemicare cruel. So is Iran’s refusal to release political prisoners.” —NEWYORKTIMESTHE IDEASPAGE
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Priscilla was alwaysconscious of the injustice ofapartheid, but it hit her in adeeply personal way whenthe beloved home that hadbeen in their family for threegenerations was bulldozedafter Westcliff was declared aWhite area under thenotorious Group Areas Act.They later realised that aprecious family heirloom —a photograph of hergreat-grandfather withMahatma Gandhi — waslost somewhere in the rubbleof the destroyed home
FORANYONEWHOwishes tounderstandthe complex interplay of nutrition, foodsystemsandfarmers’welfare, the insightsshared by PrimeMinister NarendraModion World Food Day are a crash courseworth taking.One of themost important highlights
fromthe speechwas the focuson thepro-ductionofmillets,alsonowknownas“nu-tri-cereals”.Givingexamplesofnutri-cere-als like jowar, bajra and ragi, PMModialsoshared how the Food and AgricultureOrganisation(FAO)hasendorsedIndia’scallfordeclaring2023asthe“InternationalYearofMillets”. He spoke at length about howthegovernmentisincentivisingtheproduc-tionofnutri-cerealstoincreasetheintakeofdiverseandnutritiousdiets, improve theiravailabilityinmarketsandbringbenefitstosmall andmedium farmers, who are themaincultivatorsof coarsegrains.The threemajormillet crops currently
growinginIndiaarejowar(sorghum),bajra(pearlmillet)andragi(fingermillet).Alongwiththat,Indiagrowsaricharrayofbio-ge-netically diverse and indigenous varietiesof “smallmillets” like kodo, kutki, chennaand sanwa. Major producers includeRajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra,GujaratandHaryana.High indietary fibre,nutri-cereals are
a powerhouse of nutrients includingiron, folate, calcium, zinc, magnesium,phosphorous, copper, vitamins and an-tioxidants. They are not only importantfor thehealthygrowthanddevelopmentof children but have also been shown toreduce the risk of heart disease anddia-betes in adults.Usuallygrownbysmallandpoorfarm-
ersondry, low-fertile,mountainous, tribalandrain-fedareas,millets aregood for thesoil,haveshortercultivationcyclesandre-quire less cost-intensive cultivation. TheseuniquefeaturesmakemilletssuitedforandresilienttoIndia’svariedagro-climaticcon-ditions.Moreover, unlike rice andwheat,millets are not water or input-intensive,makingthemasustainablestrategyforad-dressing climate change and building re-silientagri-foodsystems.In the 1960s before the Green
Revolution,milletswereextensivelygrownand consumed in India. Indian Council ofAgricultural Research data shows that ba-jraconstitutednearly46percentofthecropproduction as opposed to 13 per cent forriceinthekharifseason.Similarly,chickpeastood at 42 per cent for the rabi seasonagainst ameasly 4.3 per cent for wheat.With the Green Revolution, the focus,rightly so,was on food security and high-yieldingvarietiesofwheatandrice.Anun-intended consequence of this policywasthegradualdeclineintheproductionofmil-lets. Unfortunately, millets were increas-ingly seen as “poor person’s food” in con-trast to the consumer perception aroundmorerefinedgrainslikericeandwheat.The
cost incentives provided via MSPs alsofavouredahandfulof staplegrains.In parallel, India saw a jump in con-
sumer demand for ultra-processed andready-to-eat products, which are high insodium, sugar, trans-fats and even somecarcinogens. This needwas againmet byhighly-refinedgrains.Contrarytothepop-ular belief, this phenomenonwas not re-stricted to urban areas.With the intensemarketingofprocessedfoods,eventheru-ral population started perceiving mill-processed rice andwheat asmore aspira-tional.Thishasleadustothedoubleburdenofmothersandchildrensufferingfrommi-cronutrient deficiencies and the astound-ingprevalenceofdiabetesandobesity.To address this situation, a multi-
pronged strategy has been adopted forthe promotion of nutri-cereals by theModigovernment.The first strategy from a consumption
and trade point of viewwas to re-brandcoarsecereals/milletsasnutri-cereals.Asof2018-19,millet production had been ex-tendedtoover112districtsacross14states.Second,thegovernmenthikedtheMSP
of nutri-cereals,which cameas abigpriceincentive for farmers. Aswe compare thedata onMSPs for food crops from2014-15against 2020,we see that theMSP for ragihas jumped awhopping 113 per cent, fol-lowedbybajraandjowarat72percentand71 per cent respectively.MSPs have beencalculated so that the farmer is ensured atleast a 50 per cent return on their costofproduction.Third,toprovideasteadymarketforthe
produce, theModi government includedmillets inthepublicdistributionsystem.Fourth, theMinistry of Agriculture &
Farmers’WelfareisrunningaRs600-crorescheme to increase the area, productionand yield of nutri-cereals. With a goal tomatchthecultivationofnutri-cerealswithlocal topography and natural resources,thegovernmentisencouragingfarmerstoalign their local cropping patterns toIndia’s diverse 127 agro-climatic zones.Provision of seed kits and inputs to farm-ers,buildingvaluechainsthroughFarmerProducer Organisations and supportingthemarketabilityofnutri-cerealsaresomeofthekeyinterventionsthathavebeenputinplace.Andfinally,theMinistryofWomenand
ChildDevelopmenthasbeenworkingattheintersectionofagricultureandnutritionbysetting up nutri-gardens, promoting re-search on the interlinkages between cropdiversityanddietarydiversityandrunninga behaviour change campaign to generateconsumerdemandfornutri-cereals.As the government sets to achieve its
agenda of amalnutrition-free India anddoubling of farmers’ incomes, the promo-tionof theproductionandconsumptionofnutri-cereals seems to be a policy shift intherightdirection.Insteadofworkinginsi-los,thismulti-ministerialpolicyframeworkis a strategic move towards building anAtmanirbharBharatwhichresonateswiththe global call for self-sufficiency and sus-tainabledevelopment.Forourpart,wecanbeginthe janandolanbytakingsmallstepstowards choosing healthier foods, whicharegoodfortheenvironmentandbringeco-nomicprosperitytoour farmers.
“TELLMYPEOPLEthatIlovethem.Theymustcontinuethefight.Mybloodwillnourishthetree that bears the fruits of freedom.” ThesewerethelastwordsofSouthAfricanfreedomfighter SolomonMahlangu, recorded byhislawyerPriscillaJana,beforehewashangedonApril6,1979.Mahlangu’swords,whichbecamearally-
ingcryinSouthAfrica’sfreedomstruggle,arethe opening words of Jana’s biography,Fighting forMandela (2016). In the introduc-tion of the book, she describes her utter de-spairthatdespiteworldwideprotestsandpe-titions from the United Nations andinternational leaders, the apartheid regimewent on to execute the youngman. Priscillaspentthenightbeforetheexecution,prayingandweepingwithMahlangu’s family.When we received news of Priscilla’s
South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. Bestknownasahumanrightslawyer,shewasalsoan underground operative for the AfricanNationalCongress(ANC),amemberofSouthAfrica’s first democratic parliament, SouthAfrican ambassador to theNetherlands andIreland, Deputy Chairperson of the SouthAfricanHumanRightsCommissionandanac-tivist forchildren’srights.I lovedPriscillaasa family friendandad-
miredherasacourageoushumanrightsac-tivist. She transcended ethnic, religious andpolitical boundaries and carved a uniqueplace in South Africa’s pantheon of anti-apartheidheroes.Priscilla was born Devikarani Priscilla
Sewpal intheWestvillesuburbofDurbanonDecember5,1943.Aftershecompletedhighschool in Durban, Priscilla’s father, HansrajSewpal, wanted her to studymedicine inScotland, but Priscilla’s independent, somewould say stubborn, temperamentwas al-ready evident. Shedemanded to go to India.Her fatherwas in regular correspondencewith Indira Gandhi aftermeeting her on apassing visit to Durban in 1942. He sent atelegram toher asking for help. In Priscilla’swords:“Myeducationwasthusarrangedper-sonallybyIndia’s futureprimeminister.”In1963,PriscillatravelledtoIndiatostudy
atSophiaCollegeforWomeninBreachCandy,Mumbai.Sheconfessestofeelinglikeanalien:“I hadn’t come tomy roots after all. I wasn’tgoingtofit inandbeacceptedhereanymorethanIhadbeeninSouthAfrica. IwasneitherfromtheWestnortheEast.”Despite feelingsof displacement, shemade good friends inIndiaandledanactivesociallife.ShemetandfellinlovewithafellowSouthAfricanstudent,RegJana,andmarriedhimsoonaftertheirre-turnhome in 1965. Thenewlymarried cou-plemadetheirhomeinJohannesburgsuburb,Lenasia,designatedfor Indians.The 1970s saw the rise of the Black
ConsciousnessMovement and PriscillawasoneofthemanyyoungSouthAfricansdrawninto its orbit. She attended ameeting ad-
dressedbythecharismaticSteveBiko,arisingpoliticalstarwhopreachedunityamongblackpeople. “I listened to his definitions andwasamazed. All of us there in that hallwere op-pressed and suffering. Therewasnoneed tofumblewith our identities. Indians likemecouldtotallybeapartof this.”Priscillawas always consciousof the in-
justiceofapartheid,but ithither inadeeplypersonalwaywhen the beloved home thathadbeenintheirfamilyforthreegenerationswasbulldozedafterWestcliffwasdeclaredaWhiteareaunderthenotoriousGroupAreasAct. They later realised that aprecious fam-ily heirloom— a photograph of her great-grandfather withMahatma Gandhi —waslost somewhere in the rubble of the de-stroyedhome.Priscillasawhermother’sspiritdestroyed
mydaughter.”Thisishowmymother-in-lawAlbertina Sisulu introducedme to Priscilladuringmyvisittomyfuturein-lawsinMarch1986.FromthetimeWalterSisuluwasincar-ceratedonRobbenIslandinJuly1963untiltherelease of Jongumzi Sisulu inMarch 1990,therewasalwaysat leastonememberof theSisulufamilyinprisonordetentionthrough-out the tumultuous 1980s. Priscilla repre-sentedthemall.I took issuewith the title of Priscilla’s bi-
ographybecausealthoughshefamouslyrep-resentedNelson andWinnieMandela, theSisulus,Mbekis and other prominent politi-cal families,manyof thepeoplesheactedforwerestrugglinganddestitute.Priscillafoughtferociouslyfortherightsofherclients.Shehadnoqualmsaboutconfrontingthesecuritypo-liceandshepaidaheavyprice for it. In1979,shewasservedwithaBanningOrder,aperni-cious restriction that prevented the bannedperson fromattending large gatherings andforcedthemtoreportperiodically toadesig-natedpolicestation.Thatdidnotstopherfromcontinuingherworkaspoliticalrepressionin-creasedinthe1980s.
One day, Priscilla arrived at her office tofindafive-month-oldbaby.Priscillawasrep-resentingthebaby’sfather,PopoMolefe,oneoftheaccusedinoneofthemajortreasontri-alsof1980.Destituteandontherunfromthesecuritypolice,themother,PhindaHashe,hadleft thebabywithPriscilla indesperation.Bythe timeMolefewas released from jail afterfouryears, heandPhindawereno longer to-gether.RecognisingthatlittleTina(namedaf-ter Albertina Sisulu) was so attached toPriscillaandherhusband, thebiologicalpar-ents allowed her to remainwith Priscilla.Whenshewas16,TinawasformallyadoptedandbecameAlbertina JanaMolefe, in touchwithallherparentsandacceptingofhercom-plexhistory.Tinagrewuptobeanaccomplishedyoung
womanwho opted for a diplomatic career.One of Priscilla’s proudest moments wasTina’s marriage, a few years ago, to FrankChikane, the son ofMoss Chikane,whohadbeenoneof theco-accusedwithMolefe.ThecouplemarriedaccordingtoHinduritesbyapriestbroughtfromIndiabyPriscilla.Isatnextto Phindawho spoke about howproud shewas of Tina and appreciative of the wayPriscillahadraisedher.Ofcourse,therewasasenseof loss—butalsoof immense loveandgenerositybetweenthetwomothers.AsIsatinthatroom,heavywiththehisto-
riesof painand lossexperiencednotonlybyPriscillaandPhinda,butalsomanyofthefor-mer activists andpolitical prisoners presentthere, I felt that Tina and Frank, the two ac-complished youngAfricans,whose parents,bothadoptedandbiological, had suffered somuch,representedatriumphoverthetraumaofthepastandthebestofanewSouthAfrica.Priscilla Jana continued to speak truth to
powerinpost-apartheidSouthAfrica.Shede-cried the fact that SouthAfrica continues tobe one of themost unequal countries in theworld.Aswegrieveherdeparture,allwecansay isHamba kahle, qhawe lamaqhawe. (Gowell, hero of heroes).May she rest in peaceandherlegacyliveon.
Sisulu,awriter,humanrightsactivistandpoliticalanalyst, is theauthorofWalterand
AlbertinaSisulu:InOurLifetime
AN ANTIDOTETHISREFERSTOthearticle, ‘Theansweris fraternity’ (IE October, 22).Understanding the significance of theword “fraternity” becomes evenmoreimportant in the current scenario—re-pletewith communal issues andvitriolagainst fellow citizens. One needs tosearchforcommongroundandperson-alitieslikeKabirandMeerabai,whotran-scendedthenarrowboundariesof theirtimeandshunnedconstructsofreligionorcastewhichdividepeople.
SarthakSonwalkar,Ujjain
TOO LENIENTTHISREFERSTO the article, ‘The fault isnot in our stars’ (IE, October 22).Whilethe depiction of our society in its truecolours is righton themark, thebenefitof thedoubt given toBollywoodstars istoogenerous.
BShubhada,via email
DIGITAL JUSTICEThisreferstothearticle, ‘Nosoftwareforjustice’ (IE, October 22). Technology isshapingeveryaspectofourlives.Noarmof the government can shy away fromadopting technological solutions to tra-ditional and contemporary challenges.The judiciary in Indiawasmeasured intheadoptionof technology in its every-dayfunctioning.Ittookapandemictore-alisethepotentialofinexpensivewidely-useddigitalcommunicationtoolstohear
NO REFORMTHISREFERSTOtheeditorial, ‘On largerstage’ (IE, October 22). Itmaybenotedthat the Punjab farmbills offer little intermsof reforming themarkets. If it re-allywants to support farmers andwintheargumentontheissue,theCongressgovernmentshouldmakethe function-ingof themandis transparent andnon-exploitative. A legally-enforceableMSPwon’t precludedistress sale unless theCentreandthestatesworkintandem.
SSPaul,Nadia
LETTERS TO THEEDITOR
THETRUECHARACTERof astate isperhapsbestexposedby its choiceof enemies. In itslatest strike, the entire might of the statehas converged on an 83-year-old Jesuitpriest,whohasdevotedhis life tostrugglingwith themostoppressedamongthe Indianpeople — the Adivasis — against corporateandstatepower.Thegovernment leavesnodoubtaboutwho itdespisesand fears.Andwho it standswith.Father Stan Swamy has been jailed, af-
ter investigation, first by the Pune police,and thenby India’spremier counter-terrortask force, the National InvestigationAgency,ongravechargesof treasonandter-ror, of being a Maoist, being actively in-volved in violent Maoist enterprises, andreceiving its funds, part of a larger sinisterMaoist Bhima-Koregaon conspiracy.Anticipating his arrest, he recorded a
statement two days before the policepicked him up.What is happening to him,he reflects, is not unique. Prominent intel-lectuals, lawyers, writers, poets, activistsand student leaders have been arrested —all for one reason. That they publicly dis-sentwith thepoliciesof thegovernment. “Iam happy to be part of this,” he declares,because “I amnot a silent spectator”.All those who know him are struck by
thestubbornandsteely strengthof convic-tion of this ageing priest, his indomitablecourageandhis love for thepoor.Oneofhis
influences is the Brazilian CatholicArchbishop Helder Camara, who said,“WhenIaskwhytheyarepoor, theycallmea communist”.I met him two years earlier, as part of a
solidaritydelegationduringajourneyof theKarwan-e-Mohabbat to Jharkhand, shortlyafter he had first been raided and investi-gated for thisconspiracybythePunePoliceinAugust2018.WemethiminBagaicha, thecentre near Ranchi he had established forresearch and trainingAdivasi youth.Hespoketousofhisworkandstruggles.
Jharkhand, he said, is a rich land compris-ing of very poor people. From coal to gold,wehaveit.Thosewhoexploit Jharkhandre-turnenriched,buttheAdivasiresidentsonlybecomeevenmorepauperised.Hehascare-fully documented the monstrous profitsmade by big corporations, and the ines-timablepricethatpeopledependentontheland and forests pay. “If you have sensitiv-ity anda conscience,” he said, “youhavenooptionbut to takesideswith thosewhoaresuffering, and resisting.”He spoke of the manner in which land
was acquired at dirt prices for the Adanipower plant in Godda, and how the bull-dozers destroyed the standing crop. AdaniPower signed in 2016 an agreement withBangladesh to build a 1,600 MW powerplant inGodda. Jharkhand. The coalwouldbe imported from Adani’s mines in
Australia. He told us how environmentalclearances were hastily rammed through,farmers did not get their due and howforestswere ravaged.It is adversaries as powerful as these
that Swamy and the young Adivasis, whohestands inunflinchingsolidaritywith, arefighting. Is it a surprise then thathe is seenasadangerousenemyof thisgovernment?Inhiswordstous, “If youquestionthis formofdevelopment,youareanti-development,which is equal to anti-government, whichisequal toanti-national.Asimpleequation.This is why the government calls me aMaoist, although IamcompletelyopposedtoMaoistmethods, andhavenothing todowith them”.It is not just Swamy.He researchedand
found that large numbers of Adivasi andDalit youthhadbeen jailed for years, againcharged as Maoists — in Jharkhand, therewere more than 3,000. They had foughttheir illegal and brutal displacement, butby peaceful means, and by appealing to arangeof constitutionalprovisions, laws,andtheSamata judgmentof theSupremeCourtthat theownerof the landwillbetheownerof minerals therein, all of which the gov-ernment had disobeyed. With SudhaBhardwaj, he co-convened the PersecutedPrisoners Solidarity Committee and filed apetition in the JharkhandHighCourt seek-ing their release. Both of them are now in
jail, with little prospect of an early release.Join the dots.In the first raid onhis centre, around40
police-persons overran his green campus.They spent threehours searchinghis smalland sparsely furnished room and confis-catedhis laptop,phone,musiccassettesanddocuments.Thenextday, localnewspapersannouncedthathewaspartofaplottomur-derPrimeMinisterNarendraModi.Thesec-ondroundwasbypersonnelof theNIA,whointerrogated him for 15 hours. After his ar-rest,hewas flowntoPune.Hewassent intoa crowded jail, unmindful thatwithhis ageand illnesses, he would be especially vul-nerabletoCOVID-19.At83,hisbodyhasbe-gun to show the ravages of age and a life ofausterity.Parkinson’sdiseasehasset in.Hishand trembles as he picks up a cup. But hisspine—bothphysicallyandmetaphorically— is upright andunbending.In the video he recorded before his ar-
rest, hedeclaredquietly, “I amready topaythe price, whatever it is.” In another coun-tryoranother time,hewouldbeanationalhero, celebrated as a rolemodel for youngpeople.He isolder thantherepublicwhichhe fights to defend. For him, the love of hiscountry and the love of his religion is thelove of its poorest people.
THENUMBERof active casesof coro-navirusinfectioninthecountryisnowmorethan3lakhlowerthanthepeakthat was reached in the middle ofSeptember.Thetotalis7.15lakhactivecases now; at its peak, it had crossed10.17 lakh. There havebeen only five dayssince September 17when new infectionsdetected have ex-ceeded the number ofrecoveries.Wednesday saw
one of the biggest de-clines in active cases.About 56,000 newcases were detectedwhilealmost80,000patientswerede-claredtohaverecovered.Almost half this reduction has
comefromMaharashtra,wheretheac-tive cases have declined fromover 3lakhtolessthan1.6lakhnow.In relative terms, the biggest drop
has happened in Andhra Pradesh
whichhasseenitsactivecasesgodownby almost 70% in the last one-and-a-halfmonths.Thestatehadmorethanone lakhactivecases in the firstweekofSeptember,whichhassteadilycomedowntojustabout32,000now.Forthe
last oneweek, AndhraPradesh has been con-tributing less than4,000caseseveryday,abig improvement fromthe days itwas report-ingover10,000newin-fectionsdaily.Inthelastoneweek,
active cases have de-clined in everymajorstate except Delhi and
West Bengal. EvenKerala, the fastestgrowing state right now, has seen asmalldropintheactivecasesinthelastweek. Bihar,whichhas sloweddownconsiderablyinthelastone-and-a-halfmonths, has also seen a slight rise intheactivecasesduringthistime.
AMITABHSINHA
Maharashtra drives steep fallin active cases across country
CORONAVIRUSCOUNT
COVID-19PATIENTSwhohave vertebral fracturesare twice as likely to diefromthedisease, accord-ingtoastudypublishedinthe Endocrine Society’sJournal of ClinicalEndocrinology &Metabolism.Vertebralfracturesoc-
curwhen thebonyblockin the spine collapses.Whilevertebral fracturesare typicallycausedbyosteoporosis, such fracturescan lead toseverepainanddeformity,theyareprevalent inCovid-19patientstoo—andcan influencedisease out-comes,theresearcherssaid.The researchers studiedX-rays of
114Covid-19patients,anddetected thoracic verte-bralfracturesin35%.Thesepatientswere older andmore affected by highbloodpressure andheartdisease. Theyweremorelikely to need ventilatorsand twice as likely to diecompared to thosewith-out fractures. The deathratewashigherinpatients
these fractures, and the researcherssuggestedthatanevaluationshouldbeperformed inCovid-19patients at thetimeofhospitaladmission.
SOURCE:ENDOCRINESOCIETY
PAPERCLIP
NEWRESEARCH
Vertebral fractures in Covid-19patients double risk of death
OVER THE last sixmonths, the benchmarkSensexandNiftyregainedmostof thelossesthey had taken in February andMarch. Butonekeysector—banking—continuestotrailsignificantlyatthestockmarkets.Whileit isoneof thekeysectorsthathasnotyetrecov-eredto itspre-Covid levels,does it throwupan investment opportunity, or is there adeeper issue thesector is suffering from?
THEUNDPERFORMANCE:OnWednesday,the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchangeclosed at 40,707, which is almost the samelevelasthe40,723ithadclosedatonJanuary31. Among the sectoral indices, several sec-tors have gonewayabove their January lev-els.WhileITandhealthcareindicesareupby38%and41%respectively,theTeckindexisup26 per cent. Several other sectoral indicessuch as auto, FMCGand consumerdurablesarewithin6%oftheirJanuary31closinglevel.The two big underperformers are the
Whyarebanks lagging inperformance?Barring sectors that catered to essential
goods and services, the pandemic and thelockdown hit all other sectors of the econ-omyinvaryingproportionsbetweenMarchand June.While the relaxation in the lock-downledtorevivalofeconomicactivityandconsumptiondemandacrossvarioussectorsbeginningJune-July, theimpactof thestrin-gent lockdown has beenmuch deeper onsmall businesses, newenterprises, jobsandincome levels of both the salaried and theself-employed.Many feel it is going to hurtthebanksover thenextcoupleof quarters.The six-monthmoratorium allowed by
the RBI ended on August 31, and that willmean borrowerswhowere shielded frompaying their EMIswill nowhave to resumethemonthly repayments.With businesseshit, jobslost,andincomelevelsshrunk,mar-
ketexpertsfearthatbanksmaywitnessariseindelinquenciesandnon-performingassets(NPAs)inthequarterendingDecember2020.This fear is keeping investors away from
banks. In fact, the share of equity allocationbymutual funds to the banking sector hasdeclined from 24.4% in February 2020 to17.8% inSeptember.TheCEOof a largemutual fundsaid that
asconcernsremainoverarise inNPAs, fundmanagers have not been putting freshmoney intobanksandare instead investinginsectorssuchasIT,pharmaandtechnology.Thereductioninfreshallocationof fundsby
institutional investors has kept the sharepriceof banksundercheck.
But, is thereawindowofopportunity forinvestors?In January, the price-to-earning (PE) ra-
tio for the Sensexwas 25.6; in October, it isaround29.Thismeans that theSensex isal-readytradinginamoreexpensivezonethanit was in January. By contrast, while the PEratio of thebank indexat BSE stoodat 32 inJanuary, it is currently hovering around 21.Thismeans that the PE ratio of the bank in-dexisstillmuchlowerthanitwasinJanuary,
orthatthestockpriceofbanksislowerinre-lation to their earnings, and hence there ispossibilityof a rise in their shareprice.Fundmanagers feel thatwhile there are
someconcernsonaccountofNPAs, thesec-tor isundervaluedandthrowsupanoppor-tunityforinvestors.WhiletheCEOofalead-ingfundhousesaidthatsmartinvestorshavestarted taking a position in banking stocksand sector specific schemes, several fundhousesareadvising their investors to investin sectoral funds focusingonbanks.“WebelievethatSIPs(systematicinvest-
ment plans) should be started in sectorswhichareundervalued.Atthispointintime,we believe the banking and infrastructurespace is undervalued and hence, investorswitha3-5-yearhorizonshouldconsiderSIPsinsuchfunds,”saidSankaranNaren,EDandCIOat ICICIPrudentialAMC.It is also important to note that if and
when the NPAs start rising, there will be atrendwhere good bankswill get separatedfrom thosewith aweaker quality of assets.Thatwill result in a rise in the sharepriceofbetter-runbankswith better quality assets.There is a broader sense among fundman-agersthatifoneinvestsingoodbanksforthenext two to three years, there is a high pos-sibilityof goodreturnsbeingmade.
Whatelseshould investorsconsider?The credit growth for scheduled com-
mercial banks has been under pressure forsometimenow.HavingalreadyslippedintosingledigitsbeginningAugust2019,itweak-enedfurthersincethepandemicandimpo-sitionof lockdown,asbankshavebeentread-ingverycautiouslyas towhothey lendto intimesofeconomicdistress.ForthemonthofAugust2020,theyear-on-yearcreditgrowthslowedto6%,thelowestsinceOctober2017,when itgrewby5.9%.Experts say, however, that this can’t re-
main low forever andwill eventually riseoverthenextfewquarters.Andwhenitdoes,therewill be fastergrowth forbanks.WhileabitofNPAsispartofthebusinessof
banking, it is important tonotethat investorsshouldnotbasetheirinvestmentdecisiononlyonNPAs.Whentheeconomyrevivesandstartswitnessing private sector investment, thebankingsectorwillbeoneof thebiggestben-eficiaries. Investorsmustbecareful,however,abouttheirdirectstockpickingandlookfortheones that are adequately capitalised, have astrong retail bookandhave traditionallyhadsustainedlowerlevelsofNPAs.
12WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,OCTOBER22
A FACTION of the Kerala Congress (Mani),ledbyparty founderKMMani’s son JoseKMani,becameapartnerof theCPM-ledLeftDemocratic Front (LDF) on Thursday, aweek after it had broken away from theCongress-led United Democratic Front(UDF).Theswiftdecisiontotakeinthefac-tionledbyJose,aRajyaSabhaMP,wastakeninviewofupcoming localbodyelections.All this also continues a decades-long
trendoftheKeralaCongresssplitting,thenewgroups splitting again, andmerging. Eachsuch eventhas given rise to local satraps inCentral Kerala,where theparty’smany fac-tionswieldtheirinfluence.
All the KC groupsThe Kerala Congress was founded in
1964fromasplitintheCongress.Followinga scandal in 1963, Chief Minister R SankarremovedHomeMinister P T Chacko, who
diedin1964.FifteenofChacko’scolleaguesledbyKMGeorge toppled Sankar in ano-confidence motion. George and RBalakrishna Pillai formed Kerala Congresswith the backing of MannathPadmanabhan, giving the upper casteHindu Nair community a foothold in theprimarilyCatholicparty.The first cracks in Kerala Congress de-
velopedover leadership in1977, followingGeorge’sdeath. Pillai parted ways withMani, launched KC(B), andmoved to theLeft. In 1979, Mani pulled away with P JJoseph to formKC (Mani).Mani joined theLDF government in 1980, but toppled it in1982, shifting to UDF. By then, Josephwaswith the Congress. Later (1982-87), theMani,PillaiandJosephgroupswouldallbeintheUDF.Infact, in1985,allthreemergedback into Kerala Congres, but in two yearsJosephandManiwouldsplitagain.Pillaire-mainedwithJosephuntil1989,whenhere-vivedKC(B). In1989,JosephlefttheUDF;in1991,he teamedupwithLDF.ThenextsplitwasinKC(M),whenMani
loyalistTMJacobformedKC(Jacob)in1993.In the 1990s, P C Thomas, son of the lateChacko, emerged as a prominent figure intheMani camp, but differences arose asMani sought to promote his son. Thomas,then a Lok SabhaMP,was ousted from theparty in 2001; he formed Indian FederalDemocraticParty(IFDP)andwentontobe-comeaminister in theNDA.In2003,PCGeorgesplitwithJosephand
formed KC (Secular). Two years later,Thomasmergedhis IFDPwithKC(Joseph).Bythen,GeorgehadwoundupKC(Secular)andreturnedtoMani’sKC(M).TheMani and Josephgroupsmerged in
2010, after Joseph ending his two-decadelinkswith the LDF. But, within the Josephcamp, P C Thomaswas against themergerand formed KC (Anti-merger)with ScariaThomas,andcontinuedwithLDF.Later,theyrespectively formed KC (Thomas) and K C(Scaria Thomas). P C Thomas eventuallymovedtoNDA,andScariaThomastoLDF.In2016, formerMPFrancisGeorge, son
of the late K M George, floated KC
(Democratic),andjoinedLDF.Meanwhile,PC George parted ways with Mani andformed Kerala Janapaksham (Secular).Following KMMani’s death, Francis re-turnedtotheJosephcamp,whileafewoth-erskeptKC(D)alivewithinLDF.
Christian party & dynastsExcept for a few leaders from theNair
community,allKCfactionshavebeendomi-nated by Christian leaders, particularlyCatholics, their vote bankbeing farmers ofKottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam andPathanamthitta.Splitshaverestrictedthefac-tionswithin the boundaries of their con-stituencies,which in turnhas limited theirpoliticalintereststonursingandretainingtheseats.ThishelpssomeKCleadersweatheranypoliticalturmoilduringanyelection.Dynasty rule is evident in all KC groups
except the Joseph faction;most splits havehappenedhappenedoverdenialof seatsorpoststoprominentleadersortheirprotégés.Jose KMani’s bid to take control of the
partyafterhisfather’sdeathlastyearledto
arevolt,andnowasplit. In2001,PCThomaswas ousted from theMani group after hequestionedthepromotionof Jose,whobe-came anMP in 2009while his father re-mained anMLA. AfterMani’s death, therewas abid to give thebypoll ticket to Jose'swifeNisha.KC(B) hasbeen reduced to a father-son
affair after Balakrishna Pillai handed overthereinstosonKBGaneshKumar.Afterthedeath of TM Jacob in 2011, his son AnoophastakenoverKC(Jacob).AfterthedeathKNarayana Kurup, who represented theHinduNair section, his son N Jayaraj tookover and is now a legislator with the Josefaction. KMGeorge’s son Francis too hadfloated KC (Democratic), but has now re-turnedto the Josephgroup.
The split & afterIn the dispute between the Joseph and
Jose groups, both sides have claimed sup-portof theKC(M)rankand file, but, Josephis themore popular and influential leader.After Jose raisedhis revolt, the Joseph side
hasseenmoreseniorleaderssuchasFrancisGeorge, Johny Nelloor and Joseph MPuthusseryjoiningtheUDF.Thefirsttestoftheir cloutwouldbehowmanyseats theirrespectivenomineesgetfromUDFandLDFin thecivicbodyelections.Jose has been often blamed for lack of
political acumen, although he is planningtoridehis father’spopularity.Pala, theseatnurturedbyKMManifordecades, issignif-icantforbothLDFandUDF.TheincumbentMLA,Mani C Kappan, of LDF partner NCP,has said hewould not surrender it. To se-cure his future, Jose faces the challenge ofnotonlygettingtheticketbutalsowinningtheseat.TheCPM’sdecisionwouldbecru-cial andcouldpossiblygo in favourof Jose,considering thestakes involved.By roping in the Jose faction, the CPM
hopestowinmoreseatsfromCentralKeralaandretainpowerin2021,buckingthetrendof alternate governments. Crucial to thiswouldbe Jose’s ability tobring theKCvotebank to LDF, considering that its voters aretraditionallypro-UDF.
Should you invest in bank stocks?Thebankingsectorhasnotyetrecoveredfromthepandemicblow.Istherestillaninvestmentopportunity?WhileconcernsoverNPAsremain, fundmanagersbelievethesectorholdsoutpromiseinthelongterm
MOHAMEDTHAVERMUMBAI,OCTOBER22
THEMAHARASHTRAgovernmenthaswith-drawn“general consent” given to theCBI toprobecasesinthestate.Thismeansthecen-tralagencywillhavetogetconsentfromthestategovernment for every case it registersinMaharashtra.
egoriesofcases.TheAnti-CorruptionDivisioninvestigatescasesagainstpublicservantsun-derthecontrolof thecentralgovernment, in-cluding those inpublic sector undertakings;cases against public servantsworkingunderstategovernments,whichhavebeenentrustedtotheCBIbythestate;andseriousdepartmen-tal irregularitiescommittedbytheabove.The EconomicOffencesDivision investi-
gates financial crimes, bank frauds,moneylaundering, illegalmoneymarketoperations,andgraft inPSUsandbanks.TheSpecialCrimesDivisionhandlescases
of conventional nature such as offences re-lating to internal security, espionage, nar-cotics, antiquities, murders, dacoities/rob-beries, and cheating amongothers. It is thisunit that has taken over the Sushant SinghRajputcase.
WhathasledtoMaharashtra’sdecision?The state government waswary about
the Special Crimes Division taking over theprobe into the alleged scamover televisionratingpoints(TRP)beinginvestigatedbytheMumbai Police. On Tuesday, the CBI tookoverasimilar case registeredbyUPpolice.Maharashtra Home Minister Anil
Deshmukh said the state government be-lieved the CBI was a professional and pre-mier investigating agency, but felt it couldact under political pressure. One reason forthestate’sanxietywasthewayinwhichtheSushantSinghRajputcasewastakenoverbytheCBI.
CantheTRPcasestillgototheCBI?Oneof the grounds for handing over the
RajputcasetotheCBIwasthatMumbaiPolicehadn’tregisteredanFIR(becausetheinvestiga-tionpointed to suicide). This cannot apply intheTRPcase,inwhichMumbaiPolicehasreg-isteredanFIRandarrestedeightpersons.Republic TVArnabGoswami Editor-in-
Chief had earlier approached the SupremeCourt to transfer the probe to the CBI. TheSupremeCourt, however, asked him to ap-proachtheBombayHighCourt. Infuture,iftheSupremeCourt asks theCBI to take over theMumbaiPoliceinvestigationintotheTRPcase,thestategovernmentcannotrefuse.However,theSupremeCourtwillhavetobeconvincedaboutthereasonswhytheCBIshouldtakeovertheMumbaiPolicecase.
WhataboutkeycasesbeingprobedbythetheNationalInvestigationAgencyandtheEnforcementDirectorate?TheNIAhas jurisdiction across the coun-
tryanddoesnotneedspecialpermissionfromstate governments. This iswhy theNIAwasable to take over the BhimaKoregaon casewithoutthestate’sconsent.
TheED is probing themoney launderingaspectoftheirrigationscam,inwhichDeputyCMAjit Pawar faces allegations. Thiswill notbe impactedbythestategovernment’s latestdecisionas theEDconducts its probesunderthePMLAandFERAAct,whiletheCBIdrawsitspowers from the Delhi Police SpecialEstablishmentAct.
HowwillthisimpacttheCBI’sday-to-dayfunctioning?Thedecisionwill increasework for both
theCBIandthestategovernment.EverytimetheCBI catches any central government em-ployee takingabribe, itwill need to seekap-provalfromtheMaharashtragovernmentbe-fore registering a case. The Maharashtragovernment toowill be burdenedwith ap-provalrequests.In a recent judgment (Ramesh Chandra
SinghandanothervsCBI),however,theCalcuttaHighCourthadobserved:“Thecourt isof theviewthatthecentralgovernment/CBI’spowerto investigate andprosecute its ownofficialscannot be in anyway impededor interferedbythestateeveniftheoffenseswerecommit-tedwithintheterritoryof thestate.”
WhatMaharashtramovemeans for CBI probes
@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to [email protected] EXPLAINED
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SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,OCTOBER22
THEKERALApoliceonThursdayregisteredacaseagainstseniorBJPleader and former MizoramGovernor KummanamRajasekharanandothersinacom-plaint of financial cheating al-legedly involvinghis formerper-sonalassistant.Thecasewasregisteredonthe
basis of a complaint by C RHarikrishnan, a native ofAranmulainPathanamthittadis-trict. The complainant said thatRajasekharan’s former personalaide,Praveen,andanotherpersonnamed Vijayan had allegedlypocketedRs28.75lakhbyprom-ising tomakehimapartner in abusinessventure.Thepolicehaveregisteredthe
FIR under IPC Sections 406 and420,arraigningPraveenasthefirst
accusedandRajasekharanas thefifth.OthersnamedintheFIRarePraveen’s business partnerVijayan, hiswife Krishaveni andBJPNRIcellchairmanHarikumar.Callingthecasepoliticallymo-
tivated,Rajasekharansaid,“Idonotknowanythingaboutthefinancialdealings. The police have regis-tered theFIRagainstmewithoutconductingapreliminaryprobe.”According to the FIR,
HarikrishnanhadgivenRs35lakhto Praveenwhen Rajasekharanwas theGovernor. As theprom-ised venture did materialise,Harikrishnandemandedhis in-vestment back, but Praveen and
hispartnerVijayan,ofKollamkodeinPalakkad,allegedlyfailedtore-turntheamount.According to the complaint,
Harikrishnan approached BJPleaders for a mediation.Subsequently, the complaintstates, theduoreturnedRs6.25lakh,ostensiblyat theinterven-tion of BJP NRI cell chairmanHarikumarandother roundsofmediation.Harikrishnan,inhiscomplaint,
saidhewasapproaching thepo-licesincePraveenandVijayanre-fused to return the remainingRs28.75lakhdespiterepeatedinter-ventionsoverthelasttwoyears.Rajasekharan said, “The
CPI(M)istryingtopoliticallycap-italise the issue... The proposedventurewas envisaged tomakepaper cottonmix, as a substitutefor plastic. As it is pro-environ-ment,Ihaveonlyencouragedtheconcept–Ihaven’taskedanyonetoinvestmoney.”
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, OCTOBER22
TWODOCTORSfromJawaharlalNehruMedicalCollege (JNMC),who were asked to leaveAligarhMuslimUniversity,havebeencalledbackafter twodaysof termination.One of the doctors, Dr
AzeemMalik, had earlier toldThe Indian Express that the FSLreport in the Hathraswoman’scaseheld“novalue".Hehadal-leged that he andhis colleaguewere “terminated” becausethey spoke to themedia aboutthe crime.Along with Dr Malik, Dr
Obaid Haque’s appointmentwas also rejected by the hospi-tal. Dr Haque had attested thewoman’smedico-legal report.On Thursday, AMU
spokesperson Omar Peerzadasaid: “As per requirement putforwardby theCMO in-charge,Dr Malik and Dr Haque havebeen called back to offer serv-icetothehospital.Wearegoingthrough challenging times be-causeof thepandemicandneeddoctors.”An official at the hospital
said, “The JNMChasCovid facil-ityandweneeddoctorsbecauseanother medical officer tookleave recently. The two havebeen appointed for anothermonth; wewill see if there’s arequirementafter that.”DrMalik andDrHaque told
The Indian Express that theyhavenotreceivedanorderfromthe hospital about theirservices.DrHaquesaid:“Iwastoldto
gohome,butyesterdaymysen-ior called up and told me to
cometothehospital.Hesaidheneeds to take leave due tohealth issues; I told him I can’tcome to the hospital withoutthe V-C’s order, but he re-quested that I takehis place forthe day and promised that ourseniors would take us back. Ihaven't receiveda joining letteryet, but I went and completedmyduty.”Earlier, citingtheFSLreport,
state ADG (Law and Order)Prashant Kumar had told themediathatthe19-year-oldDalitwomanwasnot raped.DrMalik had, however, told
The Indian Express: “The sam-ples for FSL were collected 11days after the woman wasraped, while the governmentguidelines strictly say forensicevidence can only be found upto 96 hours after the incident.This report can’t confirm rape
in this incident.”OnTuesday, thetwowereis-
sued letters, signedbyCMOin-charge Dr S A H Zaidi, whichstated, “This is to inform youthat as directed by Vice-Chancellor, Prof TariqMansoor...yourappointmentonthe post of Medical Officer,Emergency & Trauma, JNMCH,is rejected with immediate ef-fect. Therefore, you are re-questednottoperformanyfur-ther duties.While the doctors alleged
they were told to go becausetheyspoketothemedia,ShafeyKidwai, member in-charge ofpublic relations at AMU, said:“The university has not sus-pendedanydoctorforgivingin-terview related to the Hathrasincident to the media...f CMOrecommends their extension,theuniversitymayconsider it.”
SUSHANTKULKARNIPUNE,OCTOBER22
THELONG-AWAITEDthird-gen-erationAnti-TankGuidedMissile(ATGM),Nag, successfully com-pleted its final user trial atPokhranrangeintheThardesertin the early hours of Thursday.Nagisnowonestepclosertobe-
ing inducted into the Army fol-lowingitssuccessfulwinterandsummer user trials in 2019,Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO)officials said.A statement from the
MinistryofDefence said: “Withthisfinalusertrial,Nagwillenterthe production phase. Themis-silewillbeproducedbyDefence
PublicSectorUndertaking(PSU)BharatDynamicsLimited(BDL),whereas Ordnance Factory,Medakwill produce the NAM-ICA(NagMissileCarrier).”Thursday's trial was the lat-
estinaseriesofmissiletestscon-ductedbytheDRDOoverthelastone-and-halfmonth.Thesemis-sile tests, according to officials,will continue for for sometime.
Mahoba:A 19-year-oldwomanwas allegedly gang-raped bythree men after attending aNavratri event inMahoba dis-trict, police saidonThursday.The incident took place on
Wednesday night when theteenagerwasreturninghomeaf-terattendinganaartiofGoddessDurga for the nine-day festivalandwasabductedandrapedbythe threeaccused,police said.Superintendent of Police
Arun Kumar Shrivastava said,“Thecaseofrapehascometoournotice. Police acted promptlyand all the three accused havebeenarrested.”Theaccusedtookher to a secluded place behindher house and rapedher, the SPsaid. TheaccusedwerearrestedonWednesday night itself andthegirlhasbeensent foramed-ical examination. PTI
Ex-Mizoram Governor, othersbooked in cheating case
Online Tenders are invited against TR-32/2020 for- Procurement of 220/132/33 KV,200MVA PowerTransformer, TR-33/2020 for- supply of all materials and complete construction of 132KV 2Phase-2Wire transmission lines for RTS Katangi, RTS Ishnagar, RTS Simariyatal alongwithconstruction/shifting of 132KV feeder bays at corresponding substations of MPPTCL on turnkey basis.TR- 34/2020 for- Various types of Steel Sections. TR- 35/2020 for- all material and construction ofvarious 132KV transmission line feeder bays & 2nd circuiting of transmission line (83.3Km 132KV line,38No. feeder bays, 158 Km.2nd circuiting), (In MP East).TR-36/2020 for- all material and constructionof various 220/132KV transmission line, feeder bays & 2nd circuiting of transmission (92 Kmtransmission line,43 No. feeder bays,83Km. 2nd circuiting, (In MP West) for further details please visitour [email protected]
Further details in this regard may be seen at (https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in)ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) Sd/- (Rajeev Kumar Gupta)Advt. No. J.S.V. 199 (2020-21) EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (SOUTH) IV
S.No
Name of work EstimatedCost
(in Rs.)
Date of release oftender in
e-procurement solution
Last date/time ofreceipt of tender throughe-procurement solution
1. Providing laying internal D.I. water distribution system in Shaheen Bagh(AbulFazal Enclave Part-II) in Okhla Constituency AC-54 under EE(South)IV
8,03,61,502/- 2020_DJB_195852_121.10.2020
26.11.2020up to 3.00 pm
"STOP CORONA; Wear Mask, Follow Physical Distancing, Maintain Hand Hygiene"
1. Name of the work 'Hiring of Truck capacity 09 MT to carry Railwaymaterial to various sheds/shops/depots and toany destination within Indian Territory & back toElectric Loco Shed, Ghaziabad, Qty. 3,37,000 KMfor 24 months'.
2. Approx. Cost of work Rs. 1,12,14,840
3. Earenst Money to bedeposited
Rs. 2, 06,100
4. Cost of Tender Document Rs. 5,900
5. Last Date & Time of Submisson of tender bidof tender
13.11.2020 (11.00 hrs.)
6. Date & Time of opening of tender document 13.11.2020 (11.30 hrs.)
7. Website particulars where complete details oftender doucments can be seen
www.ireps.gov.in
1.
PR.NO. 234779 Higher Education,Technical Education and Skill Development Department(20-21):D
Department of Higher, Technical Education and Skill DevelopmentGovernment of Jharkhand, Ranchi
ADADVERVERTISEMENTTISEMENTInInvitavitation of online application of online application ftion for the posor the post of Vice Chancellor,t of Vice Chancellor,
Jharkhand UniverJharkhand University of Tsity of Technologyechnology, Ranchi, RanchiThe Search Committee constituted in accordance with the Jharkhand University of
Technology Act, 2011 for recommending a panel of names for the post of Vice Chancellor,Jharkhand University of Technology, Ranchi invites online application from interested eligiblecandidates having scholarly pursuit, academic interest, administrative ability and otherdesiredqualifications.
All the instructions and link regarding submissionof online application are availableonwebsitehavingURLwww. jharkhanduniversities.nic.in sd/-
Joint Secretary,Department of Higher, Technical Education and
Skill Development, Govt. of Jharkhand--Cum- Co-ordinator, Search Committee
Àff½fʪfd³fIY ³fe»ff¸fe Àfc¨f³ffÀf½fÊ Àff²ffS¯f I û Àfcd¨f°f dI ¹ff ªff°ff W` dI ³fe¨fZ dQE ¦fE d½f½fS¯f A³fbÀffS dQ³ffaI27.10.2020 IYû ´fif°f: 11.00 ¶fªfZ Sf. Aü. ´fidVf. ÀfaÀ±ff³f ³f¦fe³ff IZ ´fifa¦f¯f ¸fZÔ MSÀIi` ´f £fb»fe ¶fû»fe õfSf ³fe»ff¸f dI ¹ff ªff³ff W`Ü BÀfd»fE Àf·fe B¨LbI ¶fû»feQf°ff ÀfaÀ±ff³f¸fZÔ ÀIi` ´f I f d³fSeÃf¯f dQ³ffaI 26.10.2020 IYû ´fif°f: 10.00 ¶fªfZ ÀfZ Àff¹f: 5.00¶fªfZ °fI ÀfaÀ±ff³f ¸fZÔ AfI S I S ÀfI °fZ W`Ü ¶fû»fe IZ d³f¹f¸f ½f Vf°fÊZÔ ¶fû»fe »f¦f³fZ ÀfZ ´fc½fÊÀfaÀ±ff³f ¸fZÔ ¶f°ff Qe ªffE¦feÜ W./-
Letter No. 3296 Date: 20.10.2020e-Procurement Notice
Name of the work :- Building WorksTotal No. of works :- 01 (One) Nos.Approx. Estimated Cost :- Rs. 233.63 lakhsClass of Contractor :- “A” “B” Class of ContractorPeriode of Completion :- 12 (Twelve) Months
For Details can be seen from the Government website: www.tendersorissa.gov.in
Procurement Officer Bid Identification No. No of works Availability of tender Online for bidding Date & Time ofOpening of TenderFrom To
1 2 3 4 5 6Rural Works Division-I, Nabarangpur EERWNGP-Online-08/2020-21 01 (One) Nos. 05.11.2020 at 10.00 AM 23.11.2020 up to 3.00 PM 24.10.2020 at 11.00 AM
Sd/-Executive Engineer,
Rural Works Division, NabarangpurOIPR-25092/11/0008/2021
Government of OdishaOffice of the Executive Engineer
The Executive Engineer Jal Shakti Division Sarkaghat on behalf ofGovernor of Himachal Pradesh invites the items rate bids in electron-ic tendering system and in 2 cover system for the following worksfrom eligible Government Contractors/Firms registered with JalShakti Vibhag. The detail of works is as under:-1. Name of Work:-Providing Sewerage Scheme to Sarkaghat Townzone in Tehsil Sarkaghat Distt. Mandi H.P. (SH:-Providing Sewer linefor House connection and C/O manhole chamber size0.90x0.90x0.90 in left out area of Zone-C) . Estimated Cost:- Rs.1,01,45,004/- Earnest Money: 133950/- Cost of Tender Form :-Rs.1500/- Time limit:- Six Months.KEY DATES:-I. Date of online publication. 20.10.2020 at 5.00 PM.II. Downloading of e-tender documents. 20.10.2020 to 02.11.2020
up to 4.00 P.M.III. Last date of submission of e-tender 02.11.2020 up to 4.30 P.M.IV. Last date for Physical submission of Earnest Money and cost of
tender documents etc. 03.11.2020 up to 11.00 A.M.V. Date of Technical Bid opening and evaluation 03.11.2020 at
11.30 A.M.VI. Date of Financial Bid opening. To be announced separately.
Bidding documents can be down loaded from the Websitehttp://hptenders.gov.in. the document downloaded from the siteshould not be tempered and if any such tempering is detectedbefore or after the opening of bids, the bidder shall be penalizedand blacklisted. Other terms and condition shall remain same asgiven in the bid document which can be seen on the website. TheExecutive Engineer reserves the right to reject any tender or all ten-ders without assigning any reasons.
Executive Engineer,Jal Shakti Division, Sarkaghat
HIM SUCHNA AVAM JAN SAMPRAK3883/HP
New Delhi
15THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,OCTOBER23,2020
THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
PAKISTAN
GovttoBritain:DeportNawazfromLondonIslamabad:Pakistanhasre-quested theUKfora thirdtimetodeport formerPMNawazShariffromLondontoservehisprisonterminthe country after beingsentenced in corruptioncases, according to ame-dia report on Thursday.Sharif,oustedfrompowerin 2017 by the SupremeCourt on corruptioncharges, is in London formedical treatment. A let-terforhisdeportationwashandedovertotheBritishHighCommissioner herethreeweeksago,Dawnre-ported.TheletterhascitedBritain'sownimmigrationlawsof 1974underwhichany person sentenced toimprisonment of morethan four years had to bedeported. PTI
NawazSharif
TOPOFTHEWORLD
THAILAND
EmergencydecreecancelledtocalmprotestsBangkok: Thailand's gov-ernment Thursday can-celledastateofemergencyforBangkokafter theem-battledPMsuggested thegesture to cool massivestudent-ledprotestsseek-ing democracy reforms.The revocation of theemergency decree waspublished in the govern-mentgazette,andtookef-fectatnoonThursday.PMPrayuthChan-ochawentonnational television onWednesday night to ap-peal to pro-democracyprotesterstoreducepolit-icaltensionsandpromisedto lift the emergencymeasure. AP
POLAND
TopcourtrulesagainstabortionforbirthdefectsWarsaw: Poland’s topcourthas ruled thata lawallowing abortion of fe-tuseswith congenital de-fects is unconstitutional.Thedecisionbythecoun-try's Constitutional Courton Thursday effectivelybans terminating preg-nancies in cases wherebirth defects are foundandwill further limit ac-cesstoabortions.Therul-ing came in response to amotion from right-winglawmakers who arguedthat terminating a preg-nancydue to fetal defects—themostcommonrea-son cited for legal abor-tions inPoland—violatesaconstitutionalprovisionthatcallsforprotectingthelifeofeveryindividual.AP
MICHELLELPRICEWASHINGTON,OCTOBER22
AFTERMEETING lastmonth inperhapsthemostchaoticdebatein modern history, PresidentDonald Trump and hisDemocratic rival, JoeBiden,willtake the stage Thursday to giveit anothergo.The bar to improve upon
theirlastprime-timemeetingislow:Theirfirstdebatewaspunc-tuated by frequent interrup-tions,mostly fromTrump, leav-ing the twomen talking overeachotherandBideneventuallytellingthepresidentto“shutup”.A planned second debate
didn't happen after the presi-dent was diagnosed with thecoronavirus and refused topar-ticipateinavirtualformat.BidenandTrumpinsteadparticipatedin dueling town halls on com-peting televisionnetworks.Thursday’sdebatemarksthe
candidates’secondandfinalface-to-facemeeting, with ElectionDaylessthantwoweeksaway.Afterviewersofthelastpres-
idential debate bemoaned themoderator'sin-abilitytocutoffthe candidates'microphones,thenonpartisanCommissiononPresidentialDebates re-sponded withan announce-mentthisweekthateachcandi-date's micro-phonewillbeturnedoffwhilehisopponentgivesatwo-minutean-swertoaninitialquestiononeachdebate topic. After those initialreplies,themicrophoneswillstay
onduringopendiscussion, leav-ing it likely therewill still be lotsof crosstalkduringrebuttals.Since the last debate, Trump
was diagnosedwith andhospi-talised for Covid-19. TheRepublicanhascastthevirusandhis own infection in positiveterms, resumed holding largecampaignralliesandattackedthegovernment'stopinfectious-dis-easeexpert,Dr.AnthonyFauci.Biden, who has portrayed
the Trump administration's re-sponseasanabjectfailure,regu-larlywears amask, holds smallin-personcampaigneventsandreleaseshisCovid-19testresults,whichsofarhavebeennegative.Followinga summermarked
byprotestsacrossthecountryoverracialinjustice,Trumphasrepeat-edlyportrayedhimselfasagreaterchampion for Black AmericansthanBiden iswhileemphasizinga law-and-order theme.Butdur-ing the lastdebate,Trumpgaveareluctantanswerwhenaskedifhewouldcondemnwhitesuprema-cists, andhe refused to outrightcondemnafar-rightfascistgroup,insteadtellingthemto“standbackandstandby”.
Biden,who fre-quently ac-knowledgessystemicracism, hasaccused thepresident ofencouragingarise of whitesupremacyand armedmilitias,while
Trump casts Biden as responsi-ble for helping sendmillions ofBlackAmericans to prisonwitha 1994 crime lawwhen Bidenwasasenator. AP
FORMER US president BarackObama delivered a diatribeagainst his successor DonaldTrumponWednesday,accusinghim of mismanaging the pan-demic, as he appealed to thepeople to come out and vote infavour of Democratic presiden-tial candidate JoeBiden.Jumping into the electoral
campaign in support of his for-mervicepresidentBidenandhisrunningmate Senator KamalaHarris, Obama appealed to thepeopletodefeatTrumpandelect
the Biden-Harris team onNovember3."They have a plan for the
economy and the coronaviruspandemic," Obama said in hismaiden campaign appearance,assertingthatthe"Biden-Harristeamwill bring character andleadershipbacktogovernment".“Wecannotaffordfourmore
years of this, Philadelphia,"Obama said in his blistering at-
tack against Trump, which isquiteunusual fora formerpres-identagainstanincumbentone.“The idea that this White
House has done anything butscrew this up is just untrue,"Obamasaidatadrive-in rally.“Tweeting at the television
doesn't fix things. Making stuffup doesn't make things better.You'vegottohaveaplan.Welit-erally left this White House apandemicplaybook...Theyprob-ablyused it topropupawobblytable somewhere,"hesaid.Referringtoarecentnewsre-
portthatTrumpmaintainsabankaccount in China, the formerUSpresident said, "He's got a secret
Chinese bank account. How isthatpossible?CanyouimagineifI had had a secret Chinese bankaccountwhen Iwas running forre-election. You think Fox Newsmight have been a little con-cerned about that. TheywouldhavecalledmeBeijingBarry."“DonaldTrumpisn'tgoingto
protectus.Hecanbarelytakethebasic steps to protect himself. Ifhe'd actually beenworking thewholetime,itneverwouldhavegotten thisbad,"Obamasaid.Describingitasthe"mostim-
portant electionof the lifetime",Obamaurgedhiscountrymentogooutandvoteandnottobecom-placentliketheydidin2016. PTI
US intelligenceagencies sayIran, Russia havetried to interferein 2020 election
AGENCIESTORONTO,OCTOBER22
JUSTINTRUDEAU'S Liberal gov-ernmentavoidedbeingtoppledinaconfidencevoteWednesdayaf-teramajorityofParliamentmem-bersvotedagainstaConservativemotiontocreateaspecialanti-cor-ruptioncommittee.TheLiberal governmenthad
declaredthemotiontobeamat-terof confidence.Trudeau's Liberal partywon
re-electionlastyearbutdoesnothave a majority of seats inParliament andmust rely on atleastoneoppositionpartytore-main in power. The leftist NewDemocrat party andGreenpar-ties votedwith thegovernmenttoavoidanelection.“Itwas about paralyzing the
government in themiddle of apandemic,"LiberalHouseleaderPablo Rodriguez said of the at-tempt tocreate thecommittee.Rodriguez had said themo-
tionwouldallowtheoppositionto pull Cabinet ministers fromtheir work and require them totestify "dayafterday."New Democrat leader
Jagmeet Singh in announcingthat his party would vote withthe government said the partywants to focus onwhat Canadaneedsduring thepandemic.Liberal House leader Pablo
Rodriguez,inchargeofnegotiat-ing with other parties, wel-comedtheendofwhathecalleda ridiculous and abusiveConservativemotion.“Parliament chose to back
Canadians rather than politicalgames,”hetoldreporters,sayinghe hadmade no concessions totheNewDemocratstowintheirsupport. Both parties competeforthesamecenter-leftsegmentof theelectorate.Liberalswouldwin35%pub-
licsupportandtheConservatives31%ifavotewereheldtoday,are-sult that could produce anotherminority Liberal government,said Frank Graves, president ofpollingcompanyEKOSResearch.More than70%of Canadians saytheydonotwantasnapelectionduring the pandemic, accordingtoanEKOSResearchpoll.TheoppositionConservatives,
the New Democrats and BlocQuebecois have argued that theLiberals are avoiding scrutiny ofcontractsandprogramssetuptodealwiththepandemic.The Liberals temporarily
closed Parliament in August,which shut down the work ofexistingcommitteesprobingtheWeCharitydeal.Trudeau has said he should
have recused himself from aCabinetdecisiontoawardacon-tract toWe Charity to adminis-
ter money to students havingtrouble findingwork due to thepandemic.Thealmostbillion-dollarpro-
mother have been paid a com-bined$221,000forspeakingatanumberofWeCharityevents.The Conservatives have said
thecommitteecouldexploretheWeCharitydeal.
THECREATIONof com-mittees isusuallya low-keyaffair, but JustinTrudeaupushedtomaketheConservativepro-posal amatterof confi-dence,placinghispoliti-cal survivalon the line tofightwhathecalledabidtoparalyze theworkofParliament.Nationalopinionsur-
BACK ON EARTHNASAastronautChrisCassidyshortlyafter landingnearDzhezkazgan,KazakhstanonThursday.Cassidy,alongwithRoscosmos'Anatoly IvanishinandIvanVagner, safelyreturnedtoEarthafterasix-monthmissiononthe InternationalSpaceStation.RosaviatsiyaviaAP
THENEWYORKTIMESBAKU,OCTOBER22
ASDUSK fell, the soundofwail-ing carried on the soft eveningbreeze.Womenfilledthecourt-yard of a small house, keeningover a coffin draped in the na-tional flag. Men clustered inhushedgroupsinthenarrowal-leyoutside.Theworking-classneighbor-
hood of Ahmedli, in theAzerbaijani capital, Baku, wasmourning its firstmartyred sonsince war broke out anew be-tween Azerbaijan and Armeniain the southern Caucasus threeweeks ago. Eldar Aliyev, 26, amanager in one of Azerbaijan’sbiggest finance companies anda volunteer soldier, had spentbarelytwoweeksatthefrontbe-
fore returninghomeinacoffin.Azerbaijan has not released
numbers of military casualties,but funerals are underway,bringing the war home to itspeople. As well asMr. Aliyev, acolonel of the army was alsoburied inBakuonSunday.“If the nation calls, he has to
go,” said Mr. Aliyev’s father,SuleymanEldarAliyev,standingagainst a wall and leaning on acrutch. “Long live thenation.”Azerbaijanisinfullwarmode
as it engages in the heaviestfighting since the original con-flict with Armenia in the early1990soverthedisputedterritoryofNagorno-Karabakh,anethnicArmenian district insideAzerbaijan. Azerbaijan sufferedabitterdefeatthen,losingabout13 percent of its territory, withas many as 26,000 dead and
around800,000displaced.That’s wherematters stood
for26yearsofafrozentruce, in-terruptedperiodicallybyspasmsof violence that were quicklytamped down by outside pow-
ers. But Azerbaijan, an oil-and-gas-rich former Soviet republic,has been quietly rearming foryears.When clashes broke outthree weeks ago, the countryplungedintoanall-outwartore-
claimthe lands it lost.Around the capital of Baku,
signsofwarfeverarenothardtospot.Thecountry’sbrightthree-colored flag hangs from everypublic building, while giantscreens along themain streetsdowntownplayhorrifyingvideofootageofprecisiondronestrikesonArmeniansoldiers.Everyfewdays,President IlhamAliyev, who
has ruled the country since in-heritingtheofficefromhisfatherin2003,speakstothenationandannouncesthenamesofvillagesandtownsthathavebeennewly“liberated.”Azerbaijan is a tightly con-
trolled societywhere dissent isquicklyquashed.Criticismofthewar,whereitexists, ismuted.Yetthegeneralmoodisoverwhelm-ingly supportive. In numerous
interviews, Azerbaijanis ex-pressed their frustration thatpeace efforts led by France,Russia and the United Stateshaveneverbroughtaresolution,despiterepeatedUnitedNationsresolutionsinAzerbaijan’sfavor.“ThisisnotAliyev’swar,”said
Zaur Shiriyev, the SouthCaucasus analyst for theInternationalCrisisGroup,inref-erence to the president. “It is allof thepeople’swar.”Thedeclaredcaptureofsome
of their homedistricts has firedthe refugees with excitementbut also brought painful emo-tions floodingback.“Wewerecryingandsmiling
at the same time,” said UlkerAllahverdiyev, 78, a refugee atthederelictschoolbuildingwholostherhusbandandasoninthewar.
In tightly-controlled Azerbaijan, pain and loss drive war feverREUTERSWASHINGTON,OCTOBER22
THE US Senate JudiciaryCommittee voted to subpoenathe chief executives of Twitterand Facebook after the socialmedia platforms decided toblock stories from theNewYorkPost that made claims aboutDemocratic presidential candi-date JoeBiden’s son.The vote passed along party
lines with 12 Republicans ap-proving the motion. The 10Democrats on the committeewerenotpresent for thesessionover its consideration of JudgeAmy Coney Barrett’s SupremeCourt nomination, which thepanelapproved.Committee Chairman
Lindsey Graham said he hopedthe subpoenas would give thepanel some “leverage to secure(theCEOs’)testimony”if theydidnotcomeandtestifyvoluntarily.The CEOs of Facebook and
Twitterwilltestifyonallegationsofanti-conservativebiasatayet-to-be-determined date. Thecompanies have come underheavy criticism from conserva-tives over their decision to flagthetwoNewYorkPoststoriesasspreading disinformation andtheirattemptstoclampdownondistributionof thestories.The CEOs of Facebook and
Twitter along with Alphabet’sGoogle chief will also testify infront of the Senate CommerceCommitteeonOctober28abouta key law protecting internetcompanies.
US Senate panel nod for subpoenasto Facebook, Twitter CEOs
SARAHELDEEBBEIRUT,OCTOBER22
LEBANON'S PRESIDENT taskedformer Prime Minister SaadHariri with forming a newgov-ernmentThursday,bringingbacktheveteranpoliticianayearafterhewastoppledamidnationwideprotestsagainstwidespreadcor-ruptionandaflunkingeconomy.PresidentMichelAoundesig-
natedHariritoformthenextgov-ernmentafteraslightmajorityofvotes from lawmakers, securingthereturnofanoldnametoleadthecountrydesperateforchange.Hariri now faces amore im-
poverishedLebanon,devastatedby amassive August explosionthat defaced Beirut, but also amoredeterminedopposition.The 50-year-old takes the
helmwithasenseofurgencyandmore involvement by interna-tional leaderswhohavewarnedLebanon is on the verge of col-lapse. Hariri pledged to quicklyform a new government - hisfourthinthelastdecade-tohalt
the economic collapse, calling itthe"lastandonly"opportunity.The task is enormous, amid
anunprecedentedeconomiccri-sis and stiff opposition, includ-ing from former political alliesandprotesterswhohadbeende-mandingchange.“Saad,don'tdreamofit,”read
postersraisedbyprotesters,whosee him as a symbol of an en-trenched political class theyblamefor thecountry'swoes.In the past year, Lebanon's
currency has collapsed, losingnearly 80 per cent of its value.ThegiganticAugustexplosioninBeirut's port, has compoundedthecrises.
US proposes notto issue businessvisa for H-1Bspecialityoccupations
Canada avoids snap pollsafter Parliament vote
LALITKJHAWASHINGTON,OCTOBER22
THE US State Department hasproposednottoissuetemporarybusinessvisasforH-1Bspecialityoccupationswhichallowedsev-eral companies to send theirtechnology professionals for ashort stay to complete jobs onsite in the US, a move whichcouldaffecthundredsof Indians.Theproposal, if finalised,will
eliminate any misconceptionthat the "B-1 in lieuofHpolicy"provides an alternative avenueforforeignprofessionalstoentertheUStoperformskilled labourthatallows,andpotentiallyevenencourages themand their em-ployers to circumvent the re-strictions and requirements re-lating to the H non-immigrantclassification established byCongresstoprotecttheUSwork-ers, theStateDepartment said.The move, made public on
Wednesday,lessthantwoweeksaheadof theNovember3presi-dential election, is likely to im-pact several Indian companieswhich send their technologyprofessionals on B-1 visas for ashort stay to complete jobs onsite in theUS.According to thenotification,
the StateDepartment estimatesthisproposalwill affectnotmorethan6,000to8,000foreignwork-ersperyear, specificallyaliens in-tending to provide services in aspecialtyoccupationintheUS.PTI
RACE FORTHEWHITE
HOUSE
Trump, Biden in final debate,withmute button
SaadHaririwill formagovernmentfor thefourthtime
BarackObama
Hariri back as PM in crisis-hit Lebanon
Can’t afford 4 more yrs: Obama shreds Trump
REUTERSWASHINGTON,OCTOBER22
US DIRECTOR of NationalIntelligenceJohnRatcliffesaidonWednesdaythatRussiaandIranhavebothtriedtointerferewiththe2020presidential election.Ratcliffe made the an-
nouncements at a hastilyarranged news conference thatalso included FBI Director ChrisWray.The announcement two
weeks before the electionshowed the level of alarmamongtopU.S.officials that for-eign actorswere seeking to un-dermineAmericans’confidencein the integrity of the vote andspreadmisinformation inanat-tempt tosway itsoutcome.“We have confirmed that
somevoterregistrationinforma-tion has been obtained by Iran,and separately, by Russia,”Ratcliffe said during the newsconference.Mostofthatvoterregistration
is public. But Ratcliffe said thatgovernment officials “have al-readyseenIransendingspoofedemails designed to intimidatevoters, incite social unrest anddamagePresidentTrump.”U.S.intelligenceagenciespre-
viouslywarned that IranmightinterferetohurtTrumpandthatRussiawastryingtohelphimintheelection.
The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,Tripura invites an e-tender in single Bid system forsupply of 165 MT Hybrid Paddy seeds for Rabi, 2020-21 from the concerned Hybrid Paddy Seed ProducingFirms or their authorized distributor operating in theState of Tripura.Name of works- Supply of 165 MT of Hybrid PaddySeed during Rabi, 2020-21.Estimated Cost- Rs 4,76,85,000/- (Rupees fourcrores seventy six lakhs and eighty five thousand)only.Bid Submission end date & time- 27.10.2020 at12:00 P.M.Bid opening date and time- 27.10.2020 at 3:00 P.M.
Details may be obtained fromhttp://tripuratenders.gov.in
Sd/-(Dr. D.P. Sarkar)
Director of AgricultureICA-C/1931/20 Tripura
NOTICEBOARD CORPORATE ASSOCIATE DIARY A P P O I N T M E N T S , M O V E M E N T S , C E L E B R A T I O N S , H O N O U R S
E V E N T S , A N N O U N C E M E N T S , L A U N C H E S , C S R I N I T I A T I V E S , A P P O I N T M E N T S , M O V E M E N T S , C E L E B R A T I O N S
SKGupta,CMD,REC, inauguratedaCSRprojectundertakenbyREC worth Rs. 1.34 Crore in NAB, New Delhi, in presence of AChoudhury, Dir. (Fin), REC, Dr. SN Srinivas, CEO, REC Founda-tion and others.
INAUGURATION-REC
NTPC Dadri is striving to become the cleanest coal firedplant in the country and is complying with all the CPCBguidelines on emissions. All the emission parameters arebeing monitored online and transmitted to CPCB on a real-time basis. NTPC Dadri has also pioneered co-firing ofBiomass pellets along with coal in the boilers. The pelletsare made of husk or agro-residue which would have beenburnt otherwise in the fields increasing the pollution in NCRregion. More than 8000 Tons of pellets have been fired inthe boilers of NTPC Dadri, which is equivalent to almost4000 acres of farm fire avoided.
IRCTC has carefully revamped its SOPs and is ready withtours for train travel enthusiasts. The first in this series is the4 nights/5 Days “Padharo Rajasthan Tour” which will startfrom Delhi on 18th November 2020 and cover Jodhpur andJaisalmer, along with many other tourist attractions. IRCTChas planned the tour packages at a very competitivepackage cost starting from Rs. 23,350/- per person fordomestic tourists.
Russian Embassy in India At the initiative of the Chairmanof the United Russia party Dmitry A. Medvedev, supportedby leaders of the main ruling parliamentary parties of theShanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) states, theInternational Inter-Party Forum SCO+ is being held in a virtualformat from 21 to 23 October, 2020. Main theme of the event– Economy for People. Within the Forum, there are severalthematic platforms dedicated to various aspects ofsupporting green technologies, combating dangerousinfectious diseases and their consequences, developingdigital economy and digital technologies in general, socio-economic cooperation between the regions of the SCOcountries and regional security issues. Total number ofparticipants in full-time and part-time forms is expected tobe about 1000 delegates from over 30 countries.
AAI has undertaken the construction work for a NewIntegrated Terminal Building at Pune Airport. With massivebuilt up area of more than 5,00,000 sq. ft., the new terminalwill be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 475 cr. Theswanky new terminal building will be able to process 2300passengers (1700 Domestic & 600 International) duringpeak hours. More than 40% of the work is completed andthe new building is likely to be completed by March, 2022.The revamped terminal building will enable the airport tohandle growing passenger traffic & ease the congestioninside the terminal.
BSF Sanjeev Kumar Singh IPS, Ex-ADG BSF left forheavenly abode on 16th October 2020. A dynamic andhighly proficient IPS officer with expertise in all aspects ofpolicing, strong leadership qualities and efficientmanagement skills, he commanded the EasternCommand of Border Security Force with astuteprofessional competence. His proactive approachenabled BSF Eastern Command to excel on theoperational front along Indo-Bangladesh border leading tocurbing of smuggling activities to a great extent. He wasa highly decorated officer who had been awarded withthe Indian Police Medal in 2003 and President's PoliceMedal in 2011 for his outstanding contributions. DirectorGeneral and all ranks of BSF offer their hear tfeltcondolences to his bereaved family for the irreparableloss and stand by his family at this difficult time.
Russian Embassy in India The central theme of the 6thBRICS Parliamentary Forum, which will be held under theRussian BRICS Chairmanship on October 27 viavideoconference, is BRICS Partnership for GlobalStability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth:Parliamentary Dimension. Issues of strengthening ofthe key international institutions such as the UN and theWorld Health Organization along with issues of building asystem of international relations on the principles ofmutual respect and respect for sovereignty will also bediscussed at the meeting. The Forum participants alsoplan to discuss issues of improving the standards andquality of life of citizens of the BRICS countries, preparinglegislative initiatives to improve the healthcaresystems, issues of social protection and economicrecovery in the pandemic conditions, as well as thefurther development of parliamentary cooperation withinthe BRICS. The heads of the BRICS parliamentarydelegations will address the Forum participants.
IGNOU has been awarded Five Star Rating for Innovationand Startups by the Ministry of Education’s InnovationCell (MIC) for the year 2019-2020. On the basis of theperformance of the various Institute's Innovation Councils(IICs), they have been evaluated following a very stringentcriteria. Out of more than thousand Universities, Institutesand Colleges including Technical Institutes, only 110 havebeen awarded with Five Star rating. IIC at IGNOU carriedout various activities aimed at promoting innovation,star tups and entrepreneurship in the university byinvolving the faculty and the students.
Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of P&NG&S, inaugu-rated IndianOil's compact reformer plant and launched themuch-awaited trial run of Delhi's buses on (HCNG) recently atthe Rajghat Bus Depot-I of DTC.
INAUGURATION-INDIANOIL
LIC of India has introduced New Jeevan Shanti plan which isa Non-Linked, Non-Participating, Individual, Single Pre-mium, Deferred Annuity Plan. This plan can be purchasedoffline and online from October 21, 2020.
LAUNCH-LICTarun Kapoor, Secy, MoP&NG and RK Sabharwal, Dir.(Comm.) with additional charge of CMD, EIL, signed theMoU for FY 2020-21, in presence of other senior officials ofMoP&NG and EIL.
MoU-EIL
Punjab & Sind Bank opened 3 new branches at Ahmed-abad, Surat and Vadodara in a day in Gujarat at thehands of S Krishnan, MD & CEO and AK Das, ED.
OPENING-PUNJAB & SIND BANK
Virendra Nath Dutt, C&MD, NFL, distributed 95 cottonplucking machines free of cost to the farmers under thecompany’s CSR programme held in Haryana recently.
CSR- NFL
CRPF has recently collaborated with IITD, DRDO, andJATC to augment its R&D capabilities and to create apool of highly specialized technology exper ts fromamong its officers.
COLLABORATION-CRPFR Chaudhari, Dir. (Comm.) accompanied by PSharma, GM(BD), called on HE Mossi Nyamale Rosette, Ambassador ofDRC at Congo Embassy, to discuss NBCC’s participation inupcoming infrastructure Development works in DRC.
MEETING-NBCC
Sanjeev Razdan, CMD, Pawan Hans Ltd hoisted theCompany’s Flag on the occasion of 36th Raising Day ofPawan Hans at CO, Noida. CMD, PHL congratulated andextended good wishes to all.
RAISING DAY-PAWAN HANS LTD
Gist of e-tenderNIT No: MHCHD/TS /2020-21/174/e-tendering
Dated 21.10.2020For and on behalf of the Lt. Governor of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, e-tenders, valid
for 180 days, are invited from the Registered , reputed & experienced firms as detailed in theNIT for below mentioned works:
Government of Jammu & KashmirOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER MECHANICAL HOSPITAL AND
1. Downloading of Bids:- The NIT Consisting of qualifying information, eligibility criteria, specifica-tions, Bill of quantities (B.O.Q), Set of terms and conditions of contract and other details can beseen from the departmental website www.jktenders.gov.in from 21-10-2020 (18.00 hrs) and canbe downloaded from 21.10.2020 (18.00 hrs).
2. Uploading: The bidders shall deposit their bids in electronic format on the above web site from 22-10-2020 (10.00 hrs) to 04-11-2020 (18.55 hrs ) in two (02) covers.
3. Opening of Bids:- The bids received upto due date and time shall be opened on 05-11-2020 at 14.00hrs or any date convenient to the department in the office of Executive Engineer, MHCHD,Srinagar.
Sd/-Executive Engineer,
MHCHD, Srinagar.
Name of Work Est. Cost Cost of Earnest Validity of Position of(Rs. in T/Doc. Money completion AAA/FundsLacs) (In rupees) (Rs) (in Days)
1 2 3 4 5 6
1.22 200 2400 05 AvailableProviding Central Heating system tovarious sections of viz. CSSD & doc-tor’s room no. 6 at old blood bank ofGovt. SMHS Hospital, Srinagar.
No: MHCHD /TS / 5024-28Dated: 21-10-2020DIPK-7840
GOVERNMENT OF MEGHALAYADIRECTORATE OF ARTS & CULTURE SHILLONG MEGHALAYA
No. DAC/ARCH/26/2020/Pt.II/39, Dated: the 20th October, 2020
NOTICE INVITING TENDERSealed Tenders affixing non- refundable court fee stamp of Rs. 2,000/- (Rupees Two thousand)only are invited from interested registered Class I contractors for construction of the workmentioned below.
1. Tender documents can be downloaded from the tendering websitehttps://meghalayatenders.gov.in from 20/10/2020 To 10/11/2020 and to submit the Tenderfee receipt in the office of The Director Arts & Culture Shillong in the form of DD/BankersCheque issued in favor of “The Director, Arts & Culture, Shillong, Meghalaya” Payable atShillong.
2. Bidders are requested to submit the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) receipt in the office ofThe Director, Arts & Culture, Shillong, Meghalaya in the form prescribed in the tenderdocument issued in favour of “The Director, Arts & Culture, Shillong, Meghalaya” Payable atShillong, Meghalaya.
3. The last date for pre-bid queries is 28/10/2020 through the-mail [email protected] and Pre-bid meeting will be held on the 30/10/2020 inthe Office of the Director, Arts & Culture, Shillong, Meghalaya.
6. The deadline of online bid-submission is 11/11/2020 and deadline for hard copy of TenderFees and EMD in original is 11/11/2020.
7. The Technical Bid Opening date is 17/11/2020.8. Deduction like GST, Forest Royalty, Cess and Security deposit will be executed accordingly
as per the prescribed rate by the Government from time to time.Brief eligibility criteria & terms and conditions.1. The Bidders should have successfully completed similar works during the last 5 years:
(a) 01 (one) work costing not less than Rs. 13.11 Crores of State/Central Government.(b) 02 (two) works costing not less than Rs. 09.83 Crores of State/Central Government.(c) 03 (three) works costing not less than Rs. 06.55 Crores of State/Central Government.
2. The prospective applicants/tenderers shall have their own necessary plants and machineriesfor the execution of construction works.
3. The tenderers shall have requisite Technical Personnel for the construction works.4. The available Bid Capacity of the applicant shall be more than the total bid value.5. The Bid shall remain valid for a period of 180 days with effect from the date of opening of the
tender.6. Earnest Money Deposit shall be in Bankers Cheque / Fixed Deposit Receipt drawn in favor
of the Director, Arts & Culture, Shillong, Meghalaya.7. All bidders shall enclose Tender Fee Receipt along with their bid.8. For details contact phone number +91 94361-19181
Sd/-Director
Arts & CultureMIPR No.1111 Dated 22.10.2020 Shillong, Meghalaya
Name of the projectTender Fee non-refundable (Rs.)
TenderValue
Earnest MoneyDeposit(Rs.)
Construction of Hostel/ Residential blockin Tribal Research Institute at Babadam,West Garo Hills District, Meghalaya.
ENGINEERING COLLEGE BARMER(AN AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTION OF GOVT. OF RAJASTHAN)
Ref.: ESTT/ECBarmer/2020/1795 Date: 21-10-2020
BÊ-JbÕXe ¶fûÕXe Af¸fa{¯f Àfc¨f³ff d³fdUQf Àfa£¹ff-06/2020-21A²fû W À°ffÃfS I °ffÊ õfS f Ad·f¹ffad{ I e ¸fW fdUôfÕ ¹f ¶ffOÞ ¸fZS I e dUd· f³³f Õ `¶fûa IZ dÕ Edõ¨f S ¯fe¹f BÊ -JbÕ e d³fdUQf d³f²ffÊdS °f Vf°fûÊ a IZ A³fbø ´f Af¸fad{° f I e þf°fe W `Ü d³fdUQf ¸fZaIb Õ 19 Õ Z¶fûa IZ C ´f I S ¯f W ` C ³f Õ Z¶fûa IZ UBN NO: GEB2021GLOB00033
ÀfZ GEB2021GLOB00051 °fI W `ܶ f û Õ e À f Z À f a ¶ f a d ² f ° f V f Z ¿ f d U U S ¯ f http://www.sppp.rajasthan.gov.in,
http://[email protected] ° f ± f f ¸ f W f d U ô f Õ ¹ f I e U Z ¶ f À f f B Ê Mhttp://www.gecbarmer.ac.in ´fS QZJf þf ÀfIZ ¦ff EUa O fC ³fÕ ûO dI ¹ff þf ÀfIZ ¦ffÜhttp://[email protected] IZ ¸ff²¹f¸f ÀfZ d¶fO IZ UÕ Afg³fÕ fBʳf W e ÀUeI fSI e þf¹fZ¦feÜ d³fdUQf I e Ib Õ A³fb¸ffd³f°f Õ f¦f°f S fdVf 373.00 (Õ fJûa ¸fZa) d³fdUQf þfS eI S ³fZ I e dQ³ffaI 22.10.2020 EUa d³fdUQf QÀ°ffUZþûa I û O fC ³fÕ ûO I S ³fZ I e Aad°f¸f d°fd±f13.11.2020 W `Ü
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Bureau of Investment PromotionBIP/Info/889 Date: 16.10.2020
Notice Inviting BidBids for Procurement of Services of Knowledge Partner forIndustries Department, Government of Rajasthan are invitedfrom interested bidders upto 2:00 PM of 26.10.2020. Otherparticulars of the bid may be visited on the procurement portal(http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in, http://sppp.raj.nic.in) of thestate.UBN: BIP2021SI,OB00008DIPR/C/8352/2020 Commissioner (Inv. & NRIs)
NANDAGOPALRAJANNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
DURGAMALLADI, senior vice-presidentandgeneralmanager,4G/5G,QualcommTechnologies,InconWednesdaysaidhiscom-panywas“workingwithseveralpartners in India” and aroundtheworldandanycustomerwasfreetobuildonthehorizontal5Gplatformannouncedby it.“Our solution is horizontal
platform, sowe are not provid-ingacompletesolutionanyway.So, any customer of ours can
availthemselvesofthishorizon-tal platform and then it is up tothem to start building the soft-wareandtherestof thestackontopof it andcomeupwitha fullblownsolution,” he told indian-express.com at a roundtable aspart of the Qualcomm 5GSummit.A day earlier, the telecom
major had announced a tie upwith Reliance Jio and itswhollyowned subsidiary RadisysCorporation to “develop openandinteroperableinterfacecom-pliantarchitecturebased5Gso-lutionswithavirtualisedRAN”.
Any customer canavail our horizontal 5Gplatform: Qualcomm
AtMangaluru,LucknowandAhmedabad
Adani takeover ofthree airports to becomplete by Nov 11
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
THEADANIGroupwouldbetak-ingovertheoperations,manage-mentanddevelopmentoftheair-portsatMangaluru,LucknowandAhmedabad from the AirportsAuthority of India (AAI) byOctober 31, November 2 andNovember11,respectively,saidanofficialpressreleaseonThursday.TheAAI, in its release, added
thattheMinistryofCivilAviationhas signedMoUs (memorand-umsofunderstanding)withthreeentitiesoftheAdaniGrouptopro-videservicessuchascustoms,im-migration and security at theabovementionedthreeairports.
“TheAAIandconcessionairesof Ahmedabad, Lucknow andMangaluruairportswill becom-pleting conditionsprecedents asprescribed in the concessionagreements and the concession-aireswillbetakingovertheoper-ations,management anddevel-opment of airports as under:Mangaluru airport : 31.10.2020;Lucknow airport : 02.11.2020;Ahmedabadairport:07.11.2020,”theAAIpressreleasesaid.InFebruary2019,thegovern-
mentprivatisedsixmajorairports,i.e.Lucknow,Ahmedabad, Jaipur,Mangaluru, Thiruvanantha-puram, and Guwahati. After acompetitive bidding process,AdaniEnterpriseswontherightstorunallof them.WITHPTI
SUNNYVERMA&PRABHARAGHAVANNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
THEGOVERNMENT is “com-mitted”toprovidingthefund-ing required to vaccinateIndia’s population againstCovid-19,butisyettosetasideanyamount for this purpose,accordingtoseniorgovernm-entofficials.Withvariousvac-cinecandidatesprogressingtolate-stagehuman trials here,someexpertsfeelthecostthattheCentrewill bearmaybe-comeclearerbyearly2021.“Weare yet to get the ex-
act estimates on the cost ofvaccineshots.Atthisstage,noamounthasbeensetasideforvaccination, but the govern-ment has committed thatwhatever is required for thepurposewillbeprovided.Thatcommitment is there,” a sen-ior FinanceMinistry officialtoldTheIndianExpress.AccordingtoHealthSecre-
andpriceoftwo-dosevaccines— becausemost of the vac-cines that are beingworkedacrosstheglobearetwo-dosevaccines—is still evolving,”BhushansaidonOctober13.Until these candidates
provetheirsafetyandefficacy,whatever figure is “bandied”around is “just a figure”, hesaid during a briefing on theeffortsmade by the HealthMinistry to tackle the pan-demic.Oncemultiplevaccinesmanagetodemonstratetheirsafety andefficacy, thepricesofthesevaccinesareexpectedtodecline“drastically”,hesaid.Thegovernmentwillhave
to ensure it is financially andlogisticallyprepared tovacci-nate“atleast”300millionper-sonsbymid-2021if itwantsashot at containing the spreadof the virus here, said PublicHealth Foundation of IndiapresidentDrKSrinathReddy.“...Wearereallylookingat
who are above the age of 55being immunised at least ...thenyoucansay thatyouarelikelytoachievesomedegreeofcontainment,”headded.According to Reddy, the
costingwill have to take intoaccount the additional coldchain infrastructure andtrainedpersonnelrequiredforvaccinatingthispopulation.Itwill also have to account fortheawarenesstobegeneratedat a community level to pre-pare the targetedpopulationto be immunisedwhen thetimeforvaccinationarrives."We do not knowwhich
vaccine is going to comeoutfirst,whether it is going tobean Indian vaccinemanufac-turedonscaleoraforeignvac-cine commissioned to Indiaandonwhattermsofsharingatwhatprice,"saidReddy.Itisalso difficult to speculate therequired budget for the gov-ernmentatthispointbecauseit is also not clear whetherIndiawill be exercisingpricecontrols,hesaid.While it is unclear how
muchadditionalcoldchainca-pacity is required, Bhushanearlierthisweeksaidthegov-ernmentwaspreparedtovac-cinate at least 30 millionhealthcare professionals, in-cluding 20million frontlineworkers and sevenmilliondoctors andparamedics, at amoment’snotice.“Forthose3crore(30mil-
lion), we can do vaccinationeven today.Wehave thecoldchain,we have the vials, wehavesyringes,wehaveevery-thing,” Bhushan said on thesidelinesofabriefing.Accordingtohim,Indiahas
with themanufacturers.WealsohaveanexistinginventorywithintheMinistryofHealthand FamilyWelfare ... so,wewillbeutilisingourinventory,”saidthesecretary.
Full report onwww.indianexpress.com
COVID-19VACCINELATE-STAGETRIALS
‘Committed’ tomass vaccination,govt yet to finalisefund allocation
‘Despite Covid, wealthof Indian adults risesmarginally in 6 months’
CREDITSUISSEREPORT
ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,OCTOBER22
THEAVERAGEwealth of Indianadults rosemarginally by $120(about Rs 8,800) to $17,420 (Rs12.77 lakh) at end-June2020, asagainst $17,300 as of December2019, showing somegrowthde-spite the Covid pandemic andlockdowns,CreditSuissesaidinareport.Over the first half of 2020,
whileaveragewealthrosebyonly1.7 per cent, Credit Suisse esti-mated that the full rise for 2020willbe5-6percentand2021willseegrowthofabout9percent.Thecountryhad9,07,000adultsinthetop 1 per cent of globalwealthholders, which is a 1.8 per centshare,itsaid.With 4,593 ultra-high-net-
worth individuals in thecountryas of end-2019, India came infourth after the US, China andGermany. India had approxi-mately912,000millionaires, ac-countingfor2percentof51.9mil-lionmillionairesgloballyasatend2019.“HouseholdwealthinIndiais dominated by property andother real assets, although finan-cial assetshavegrownover time,nowforming22percentofgrossassets. In2019, non-financial as-sets rose by 12.5 per cent com-paredto8.6percentgrowthinfi-nancialassets,CreditSuisseGlobalWealthReportsaid.
mist and report author, said:“Given the damage inflicted byCOVID-19ontheglobaleconomy,it seemsremarkable thathouse-holdwealth has emerged rela-tively unscathed.Wealth acts asa form of self-insurance thathouseholdscandrawuponwhentimes are hard. Initially, the im-pact of the pandemic was feltmainly via the sharpworldwidedeclineinequityprices.”In Asia Pacific, there were
45,920 ultra-high-net-worthadultswithnetworthexceeding$50million as at end2019. AsiaPacificisthehighestcontributorofhouseholdwealth. Total house-holdwealthwas$167,271billionin June 2020, 42 per cent of theglobal total of $400,180 billion,CreditSuissesaid.
ONGC bags 7 blocks,OIL 4 in latest round
BIDDINGUNDEROPENACREAGELICENSINGPOLICY
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
STATE-OWNEDOILandNaturalGas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India(OIL) havewonall the11blocksoffered in the latest biddingroundforoilandgasexplorationblocks, the Directorate Generalof Hydrocarbons said onThursday.ONGC won seven blocks
while OIL won the other fourblocks, with only one bid com-ing fromtheprivatesector fromInvenirePetrodyneLtd.ONGC had also dominated
the previous round of bidding,winning all six of the blocks of-feredinthefourthround,offeredunder the Open AcreageLicensingPolicy (OALP).Experts have said the lack of
interest from private players inrecent rounds of OALP biddinghasbeenaresultofalackofpol-icyclarity fromthegovernmentandunsuitabletaxationandreg-ulatoryconditions.Aproposalbythe PetroleumMinistry to re-duce the oil cess charge on do-mestic production of crude hasbeen rejected by the FinanceMinistry, according to govern-ment sources.
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
THEGOVERNMENTonThursdaylaunchedthenewseries forretailinflation for industrialworkersshiftingthebaseyearto2016from2001. Thegovernment, however,said that dearness allowance,which is linked to theConsumerPriceIndexforIndustrialWorkers(CPI-IW),will remainunchangedfornow. “Asof now, therewillbenochangeindearnessallowance,”LabourBureauDirectorGeneralDPSNegisaid.Tomake thenewseries com-
parablewith the older one, theMinistrystatedthatithastobecal-culatedusing a linking factor of2.88.Takingthis intoaccount, theCPI-IWforSeptember is118, andwithlinkingfactoritworksouttobe339.8asagainst322inthecor-respondingperiodlastyearintheearlierseries.TheCPI-IWismainlyusedfor
determiningdearnessallowance(DA)paidtocentral/stategovern-mentemployees andworkers inthe industrial sectorsbesides fix-ation and revision ofminimumwagesinscheduledemployments.Thenewseries also incorpo-
of2001.Underthenewseries,theweightage for the foodgrouphasgonedownto39.17percentfrom46.2per cent in the2001 series,whileweight ofmiscellaneousitems, like education andhealthhas risen to 30.31per cent from23.26 per cent. The weight ofhousing and clothing andfootwearhave changed to16.87per cent from15.27per cent andto6.08percentfrom6.57percent.Weight of fuel and light seg-
mentwill nowhave aweight of5.5 per cent as against 6.43 percentearlier,whilepan,supari,to-bacco and intoxicantswill hold2.07 per centweight as against2.27percent.Inthenew2016series,88cen-
treshavebeencoveredasagainst78centres inthe2001series.Thesample size for the conduct ofWorking-ClassFamilyIncomeandExpenditureSurvey, on thebasisofwhichweightingdiagramshavebeen derived,was increased to48,384familiesfrom41,040inthe
2001 series, Labour MinisterSantoshKumarGangwarsaid.Thenumberof selectedmar-
kets for collection of retail pricedatahasalsobeenincreasedto317under the2016 series comparedto289coveredinthe2001series.Thenumberof itemsdirectly re-tained inthe indexbaskethas in-creased to 463 items over 392itemsintheoldseries.Labour Secretary Apurva
Chandra said that it’s been saidthat the dearness allowance islinked to anoutdated index, buthereon,theaimistokeeprevisingtheserieseveryfiveyears.Asper the recommendations
of the International LabourOrganization (ILO), IndexReviewCommittee (IRC) and NationalStatisticalCommission(NSC), thebaseyearofprice indexnumbersshouldbe revisedat frequent in-tervals,generallynotexceeding10years to reflect the changes thattakeplaceintheconsumptionpat-ternofconsumers.
BRIEFLYReserveBankonQRcodesMumbai:TheReserveBankof India(RBI)hasdecidedtophaseoutnon-interoperableproprietary QR (quick re-sponse) codes operatedbypayment systemoperators(PSOs)anddirectedthemtoshift toUPIQRorBharatQRcodesforpayments.ENS
‘Wisheconomywascircuslion’NewDelhi:AdayaftertheRBIGovernor,theSebichiefandtheDEAsecretary spokeonthe economy, seniorCongress leader PChidam-baramonThursday took adigatthem,sayinghewishesthe economywas a “circuslion” thatwould respondtothestickoftheringmaster.
‘Infrafocusinnextstimulus’NewDelhi:NITIAayogViceChairmanRajivKumar saidtheeconomymightendupwitha lower contraction inthe current fiscal thanpro-jectedbyvariousorganisa-tions and stressed that thenext stimulus should focuson short-gestation infra-structureprojects. PTI
‘Outlook in real estate sector optimistic for next six months’
COVID-19 IMPACT
Sentiment in the real estate industry remained pessimistic in July-September amid the pandemic, but the outlook fornext six months is optimistic with signs of revival in demand, a survey by Knight Frank-Ficci-NAREDCO said
~57% Respondentswhoopined
that the economy is going togrowand improve in next sixmonths
40pts: ‘CurrentSentimentsScore’ duringJuly-Septemberperiod, rising from record lowof22points in previousquarter,but still in pessimistic zone
52pts: ‘FutureSentimentScore’, which is in optimisticzone, rising from41points inprevious quarter
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT:The survey—which took intoaccount developers, banks,financial institutions andprivate equity playersoperating in the sector—
attributed the revival insentiments to the “remarkableupturn seen in the real estatebusiness, especially in theresidential segment, in thethird quarter of (calendar year)2020as a result of theunlocking process”
Source:KnightFrank/Ficci/NAREDCO/PTI
PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,OCTOBER5
SUZUKIMOTORGujarat Pvt Ltd(SMG), a subsidiary of Japan’sSuzukiMotorCorporationforpro-ductionof automobiles in India,onThursday said it has achievedaccumulated production of10lakhunits.The company achieved the
milestoneonOctober21thisyear,becoming the fastestproductionsiteofSuzukitoreach10lakhunits,
thecompanysaidinastatement.Itcrossed the record in just3yearsand9months since startingpro-ductioninFebruary2017,itadded.SMG,which supplies exclu-
cated at Hansalpur in Gujarat,withtheBalenomodel, followedbySwiftinJanuary2018,andsub-sequentlycommencedmanufac-turingforexportsinMarch2018,itsaid.InJanuary2019,thesecondproduction site, B Plant, and thePowertrainPlantstartedtheoper-ation tomeet thegrowingneedsinIndiaandabroad.Ofapproximately1.58million
unitsproducedinIndiainFY2019bySuzuki, SMGaccounted for25per cent with approximately4,10,000units,thestatementsaid.
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,OCTOBER22
A SUBJECT expert committee(SEC)hasrecommendedthatthecountry’s apex drug regulatorgrant approval toBharat Biotechforconducting late-stagehumantrialsof itsCovid-19vaccinecan-didateCovaxininIndia.“After detailed deliberation
and based on the available evi-dences, the committee recom-mended for grant of permissionto conduct Phase III clinical trialsubject to the condition that theprimary efficacy endpoint forsymptomatic cases should beamended...,”statedminutesofthe
Standard Control Organisation(CDSCO)has recommendedthat
onceasuspectcase isconfirmed,the principal investigator at thetrial sitewill evaluate theclinicalinformation to classify it as asymptomaticcase.The committee has also set
variouscriteriaforaparticipanttobeaconfirmedsymptomaticcaseconfirmedby a positive RT-PCRtest. This includes either one ormore symptoms such as short-ness of breath, newonset anos-miaoraguesia,oxygensaturationlevels of less than94per cent orpneumoniadiagnosedbychestX-ray or CT scan, fever, chills andnewcough.“Theeventsnotmeet-ingtheprimaryendpointshallbecategorized as secondary end-points,”statedtheminutes.
Suzuki Motor Gujarat output at 10LOfabout1.58millionunitsproducedinIndiainFY2019bySuzuki,SMGaccountedfor25%
CDSCO panel recommends nodfor phase III trials of Covaxin
■ The subject expertcommitteehas alsoset various criteria foraparticipant tobe aconfirmedsymptomatic caseconfirmedbyapositiveRT-PCR test
''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it isnotpossible toverifyits contents. The IndianExpress (P) Limited cannot beheld responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss ordamage incurredasaresultoftransactions with companies,associations or individualsadvertising in its newspapersor Publications. We thereforerecommend that readersmake necessary inquiriesbefore sending any monies orentering into any agreementswith advertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisement inany manner whatsoever.
II ABHILASHATHAKURW/OShriAshokKumarThakurR/o377/1, ThanSinghNagar,AnandParbat, Karol Bagh, NewDelhi-110005.MyName isWronglyMentioned (Baby) inmySon (SubodhKumar) schoolrecords.MyCorrectName isABHILASHATHAKUR.AbhilashaThakur andBabybothnamesareoneand thesame lady. Please correct yourrecords. 0040552209-1
II Armynumber 5750237PRankNK.NameBhimSingh LamaUnit 6/8GR age 59yrs residentatUmkdait NongmensongShillong 19Meghalaya.Myson’s name isYalmangLamabybonafidemistakemyson’snamehasbeenwronglyrecorded in recordoffice asYALMONGLAMA insteadofYALMANGLAMA
0040552200-1
II Bindualias BinduGrover aliasNehaGroverD/o Late Sh.SomNathKwatraW/oSh.NeerajGroverR/oH.No.113, GuruRamDassNagar, LaxmiNagar,Delhi-110092 have changedmyname toNehaGrover for allpurposes. 0040552242-3
II Dipti GuptaW/oSh.ManojGuptaR/o 32/59-60, Block-32,West Patel Nagar, NewDelhi-110008 is also knownasShelly.Bothnamesareof oneand thesameperson. 0040552242-2
IIManoj Kumar S/oMr.HizikalDeyniyal R/oHouseNo.444,Block F-1, CPWDMultistoreyFlats, DevNagar, Karol Bagh,Delhi-110005have changedmyname toManoj Daniel for allpurposes. 0040552242-1
II V.SubbalakshmiD/oPVVRajanW/oBalanMani R/o16A/5,W.E.A. Karol Bagh,Central Delhi, NewDelhi-110005havechangedmynametoRadhikaBalan for allpurposes. 0040552242-4
II,, Faiyaj AhamadS/O, ShakilAhmadR/oKhNo6/19 ShivMandir ColonyGali No 5SafiabadRoadNarelaDelhi110040, have changedmynameto FaiyazAhmad for allpurposes. 0070717898-1
II DollyW/O.RajeevKumarR/O.WZ-68, Omvihar, phase-2,Uttam-Nagar, NewDelhi-110059,have changedmynametoPinky for all purposes.
II,, SureshSharmaS/o Late Sh.JagdishChandSharmaR/oHouseNo. 206/241, Gali No. 3,Phase-2, LaxmanVihar,Gurgaon,Haryana-122001havechangedmyname fromSureshKumar to SureshSharma for allfuturepurposes.
II,,TTaaaannyyaa Sagar alias TaanyaVohra,D/oSandeepSagar,W/oDeepakVohraR/o-2/450,Top-Floor,SubhashNagar,NewDelhi-110027,have changedmyname toTanyaSagar.
0040552257-1
IItt is for general Information thatI, Lavnish Sagar S/oSh.MohanKishanSagarResidingat16/1079-E, BapaNagar, KarolBagh, NewDelhi-110005declare thenameofminehasbeenwronglywrittenasLavnish inmySCCertificateNo.SC/02/32/13820/15/3/2010/9211008864 Theactual nameofmine is LavnishSagarrespectivelywhichmaybeamendedaccordingly.
0040552206-1
II,, SanjayKumar Singh, s/o ShriV.P. Singh, R/oB-1, Tower-1,NewMoti Bagh, NewDelhi-110023, doherebydeclare thatSanjayKumar Singh&andSanjaySingh is thenameof oneand the sameperson.Henceforth, Iwill be knownasSanjayKumar Sing for allpurposes in future.
To be known to all that my client Rita MitraW/o Late Sh. C.M. Mitra R/o DG-II/146-C,Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018 legal heir ofFlat No.146-C, Pocket-DG-II Category MIGsituated at Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018 isapplying for converstion of the aforesaid flatfrom lease hold into free hold vide File No. F-20(9)86/HG with DDA. The Originaldocuments i.e. DDAAllotment-cum-DemandLetter, DDAPossession, Site Possession Slipand Water and Electricity NOC of the abovesaid Flat have been lost. An FIR to this effecthas been lodged vide LR No. 672075/2020dated 20-10-2020withCrimeBranch,Delhi.Any Person(s) claiming any right, interest,having any objection or found in possessionof original documents may write/contact withabove named person at above addressPhone No.9873942247 within 15 days fromthe date of publication of this notice. Theperson claiming any right, interest, objectionwith respect to this property can personallyinform or write to Dy. Director (LAB) H orDirector (H) -1, D Block, 3rd Floor, VikasSadan INA,NewDelhi.
PUBLIC NOTICEBE IT KNOWN TO PUBLIC AT LARGETHAT MY CLIENT RAMESH GUPTA S/OLT. SHRI SIYA RAM GUPTA R/O D-19/A,GALI NO. 1, PANDAV NAGAR,SHAKARPUR DELHI-110092 HAVESEVERED ALL THEIR RELATIONSFROM THEIR SON AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW NAMELY MR. MANISH GUPTAAND HIS WIFE SMT. NIKKY GUPTAALONG WITH THEIR SON NAMELYROUNAK GUPTA AND ALSO SEVEREDALL THEIR RELATIONS FROM THEIRDAUGHTER’S NAMEY (1) SMT. NEETUBANSAL ALONG WITH HER HUSBANDNAMELY SUNIL BANSAL ALONG WITHHER CHILDRENS NAMELY ANANYABANSAL AND ARADHYA BANSAL, (2)LT. SMT. MAINA GUPTA (DIED IN YEAR2011) ALONG WITH HER ONLY SONMR. KAPIL KHANDELWAL, (3) SMT.POOJA GUPTA ALONG WITH HERHUSBAND NAMELY SH. KALYANSINGH ALONG WITH HER SONNAMELY ADVIK. THAT MY CLIENT DIS-INHERITED/ DISOWNED THEM ALLFROM THEIR FAMILY/ PERSONAL,MOVABLE AND IMMOVABLEPROPERTIES WITH IMMEDIATEEFFECT DUE TO HARASSMENT,TORTURE, CRUELTIES ANDATROCITIES CAUSED ON MY CLIENTSBY THEM. ANYBODY DEALING WITHAFOREMENTIONED PERSONS ANDTHEIR CHILDRENS, WILL DO SO ATHIS OWN COSTS AND RISKS, WITH NORESPONSIBILITY AT ALL.
Sd/- CHIRAG SINGAL(ADVOCATE)
E.NO.:- D/1678/2016OFF. ADD.:- A-1/1, SECOND FLOOR,
PRASHANT VIHAR, ROHINI,DELHI-110085
PUBLIC NOTICEMAY IT BE KNOWN TO GENERAL PUBLIC'SNOTICE THAT my clients Sh. Jagjeet Singh &his wife Smt. Balbir Kaur, both residents ofB-1/10, Rajouri Garden, Tagore Garden, WestDelhi-27, do hereby severe all their socialrelations with their son, namely Dilpreet Singh,aged about 27 years (licensee) and daughter-in-law, namely Manpreet kaur, aged about 27years, (licensee) presently R/o B-1/10, RajouriGarden, Tagore Garden, West Delhi-27, debarthem from all their relations, movable andimmovable properties, as they are disobedient,disrespectful & unprofessional in nature.Whosoever will deal with them, whetherpersonally or professionally, shall do so at theirown risk, cost and consequences. My client/s willnot be liable for any of their acts, omissions,dealings, transactions etc. with immediate effect.
Sd/-(Ankit Batra) Advocate
398, Civil Wing,Tis Hazari Court Delhi.
PUBLIC NOTICEBE IT KNOW to all concerned that myclients Shri Abadhesh Mishra S/oParmeshwar Mishra and Smt. VeenaMishra, W/o Abadhesh Mishra R/oHouse No. B-85, Gali no. 3 MukundPur Part-1, Mukund Pur Delhi-110042have disowned and disinherited theirson Shri Chandan Mishra and hiswife Smt Chhoti Kumari from theirmovable and immovable properties.Therefore, my client has served allconnection with them. Hence, anyperson dealing with them shall bedoing so at his/her own risk andresponsibility.
PUBLIC NOTICEMy client HARINDER PAL SINGHSON OF SHRI GURSHARAN SINGH& MRS. SURENDER KAUR WIFE OFSHRI HARINDER PAL SINGH BOTHRESIDING AT HOUSE NO. C-60-61,1ST FLOOR, GANDHI VIHAR, DELHI-110009, debar their son MR.PERMINDER PAL SINGH and his wifeKOMAL KAUR and all their legal heirs/families from all my movable andimmovable property for all time tocome due to their and their familiesunfaithful and unobedient behavior.My client has also severed all theirrelation with them.
Sd/- PANKAJ SRIVASTAVAAdvocate
Seat No. 79, Central Hall,Tis Hazari Court, Delhi-54
General public is hereby informed thatmy clients(1) Smt. Surinder KaurW/oAmrik Singh R/oWZ-206A, 2nd Floor, Gali No. 2, Krishna Park, TilakNagar, Delhi-110018 (2) Smt.Amarjeet KaurW/oLate Surinder Singh R/o 880, Gali No. 7,GovindPuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi-110019 (3) Smt.Harjinder Kaur W/o Sh. Harvinder Singh R/o D-47A, Saraswati Garden, Ramesh Nagar, Delhi-110015 (4) Smt. Harjeet Kaur W/o Sh. BalvinderSingh R/o T-96, Vishnu Garden, Tilak Nagar,Delhi-110018 all daughters of late Smt.Ved KaurW/o late Nasib Singh R/o N-33, Sriniwaspuri,New Delh-110065 are the co-owners of HouseNo.N-33, Sriniwaspuri, New Delh-110065admeasuring 80 Sq. Yds. by virtue of Last Willdated 06/09/2018 of late Smt. Ved Kaurbequeathing the said property and herimmovable property to her above named fourdaughters. Now my clients are selling theaforesaid property and therefore all personsclaiming any interest in the said property or anypart thereof by way of sale, gift, lease,inheritance, exchange, mortgage, charge, lien,trust, possession, easement, attachment orotherwise howsoever are hereby required tomake the same known to the undersigned at myoffice 201 Service Industry Building (AuthorityBuilding) Janakpuri, NewDelhi-110058within 15days from the date hereof, failing which the saidsale will be completed, without any reference tosuch claim and the same, if any, shall beconsidered aswaived.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Sd/- M. K. SHARMA, ADVOCATEOffice 201, Service Industrial Bldg.,(Authority) Janakpuri, New Delhi-58
PUBLIC NOTICE“It is informed to the general public atlarge that my clients Shri NarinderKumar Mangal and Ms. Sunita MangalW/o Shri Narinder Kumar Mangal, bothresident of House No. 66, Old Anarkali,Krishna Nagar, Delhi-110051 do herebydisown, disinherit their son and daughter-in-law namely Sh. Sumit Mangal andSonal Mangal from all their movable andimmovable properties acquire or to beacquired once for all due to theirthreatened and illegal activitiesdetrimental to my clients as well as due totheir being disobedient and disrespectfultowards my clients. My clients also severeall their relations with their once for all andmy clients will have no concern with themin any manner whatsoever nor will they beresponsible for their acts of omission andcommission. Any person dealing withthem shall be doing so entirely at his risksand costs.
I, No. JC 594417 Y Rank Sub.name Parladh Singh of unit 10JAKLI C/o 56 APO declare thatin Army Record the name of myDaughter SHEWTA THAKUR whoseDate of Birth is 15.12.1997 haswrongly been mentioned in myService Record as Sheetu & alsothe name of my other daughterOMIKA MAHIYAL whose Date ofBirth is 10.11.2000 has wronglybeen men t i oned as OmikaManhyal which needs to becorrectedin Army Record. Objectionif any may be filed to concernedauthorities
PUBLIC NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICEIt is hereby informed that my client Smt.Swaraj Bahl W/o Shri D.R. Bahl, R/o H.No. 9, Deenali, Pltampura, Delhi, hasmisplaced/lost the Original PerpetualSub-Lease Deed in respect of PropertyNo. C-69, Pushpanjali Enclave,Pitampura, Delhi, and lodged a FIR/NCR vide LR No. 677339/2020, Dt.22.10.2020, with Police Station CrimeBranch, Delhi. If anybody find the saiddocument, please inform me at theabove said address or Ph. No.9873414765 or to the undersignedwithin 15 days from the date ofpublication of this notice.
Sd/-SURENDER KUMAR (Advocate)
Enrl. No. D/152/1988.
PUBLIC NOTICEGeneral Public is hereby informed that my ClientSh. Jai Kumar(Aadhar No 365948952209) S/O Sh.Sunder Lal R/O A/30, Jeewan Park, Bindapur Ext.,Uttam Nagar, West Delhi-110059 have disownedand debarred his son namely Himanshu (aadharno. 4873 28376937) S/O Jai Kumar and his wifenamely Nupur(Aadhar No 702138654048) D/ORam Karan and his Grandson Swastik Tondak(age about 2 years)/ S/O Himanshu from their allmovable & immovable properties and severed theirrelations with him due to disobedient andquarrelsome nature. My client shall not beresponsible for their any kind of act in future. Ifanybody dealing with him in any manner shall bedoing so at his own risk.
PUBLIC NOTICEBe it known to all that my clientDushyant Kumar S/O Balbir Singh &his wife Suman Lata R/o RZ-P-72,New Roshan Pura, Najafgarh, NewDelhi-43 have disowned/ debberedtheir son Arun & daughter-in-lawPriyanka & grandson from their allmoveable/ immoveable assets/properties located at anywhere &also severed all relations with them.My clients will not concern/responsible for their any act, deed,transaction in any manner.
Vikas BhardwajAdvocate
30-A, W. WingTis Hazari Court Delhi
PUBLIC NOTICEI Lalita Jain W/O Anil Jain R/OWard no-5,Jind Road NearRailway Colony Gohana,Haryana-131301 declare that i have lost myoriginal sale deed No-173 in thearea of Mehmudpur road GohanaHaryana.Now i need to apply forduplicate copy of my sale deed . Ihave already filed FIR withapplication no 132390352000858on dated 05/04/2013 at policestation Gohana city.If any bodyfound please send it to myaddress.Lalita Jain9416013304
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NOTICE INVITING EXPRESS OF INTERESTThe Additional Commissioner & Regional Director, ESI Corporation, Regional Office Delhiinvites open online bids from Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) set up by Central/StateGovernment or any other Central/State Government Organisation/PSUs notified by MoUDto carry out ARMO work (Civil & Electrical) on agency charge basis (in Single Bid System).
EMPLOYEES’ STATE INSURANCE CORPORATIONMINISTRY OF LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
REGIONAL OFFICE DELHI, RAJENDRA BHAWAN,RAJENDRA PLACE, NEW DELHI – 110008
Phone No. : 011-25734381, 011-25745044
Sl. No. Location Tender ID Bid Submission End Date
Tenderers may submit online bids on the website http://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app.The tender documents are also available on https://www.esic.nic.in/tenders. No manualbid will be accepted. All documents/bids should be submitted in the e-Procurement portalonly.State : DelhiDate : 19.10.2020 Additional Commissioner & Regional Director
MUMBAI METROPOLITAN REGIONDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY(A Government of Maharashtra Undertaking)
Date : 21/10/2020Place: MumbaiNo. : MMRDA/4/MMRP/L4C02
Name of Work : MMRDA/4/MMRP/L4C02: Supply of 9800 MT 60 E1 (UIC-60), 1080 Grade Head Hardened (HH) Rails as per IRS T-12-2009 for Line-4& 4A Extension corridor ( Bhakti Park- Kasarvadavali-Gaimukh) of MumbaiMetro Rail Project of MMRDA, Mumbai1) Estimated Cost : Rs. 80.46 Cr. (Inclusive of all Taxes)2) Cost of Blank Tender Form : Rs. 10,000 +GST
( as applicable)(non refundable)3) Earnest Money Deposit : Rs. 0.805 Crore4) Contract Period : 15 months from establishment of
Letter of Credit /LOA (as applicable)• Bid Document download : 23.10.2020 (18.01 hrs.) to
02.12.2020 (16.00 hrs.)• Last date of online submission : 02.12.2020 (18.00 hrs.)Note: The e-Tender can be downloaded from e-Tendering Portal: https://etendermmrda.maharashtra.gov.in. Any additional information, Corrigendum& help for uploading & downloading the e-tender, may be availed by contactingMMRDA’s e-tendering service desk at the following id: [email protected] or call us on 022-26597445.For further information, if required you may please contact Shri. Sujith Marar,
EE (Track), Metro-PIU, MMRDA on Telephone number 022-26595973 oremail id: [email protected]
Fulrani
e-TENDER NOTIcE
Sd/-Director (Works)
Metro-PIU, - PIU, MMRDA
MMaannnneeddOffice available inTaichungTaiwanonmonthly/Deal ToDeal basis.InterestedCompanies tocontact+91 [email protected]
0020412518-1
New Delhi
Testing watersSHIVANINAIKMUMBAI, OCTOBER22
INDIA’S ELITE swimmers felt like fish outofwaterwhentheygot intothepool for thefirst fewdaysafter restrictionsput inplacedue to the pandemicwere lifted.Kushagra Rawat felt his head bouncing
while breathingout ofwater andknewhisswimming rhythm had gone haywire.BackstrokespecialistSrihariNatarajhadnoawarenessofhowhisarmsweremoving inwater the first 3-4daysonhis return to thepool. Even18years spentwith a thousandrepetitionsdayin,dayout,couldnotensurethat the paddle would stay intact whenIndia’sthreeeliteswimmers-SajanPrakashalso trained inDubai - resumed training.Back in India now, they realise hitting
pre-pandemiceraspeeds isgoing tobedif-ficult. “This is going to take longer. Twomonthsmore perhaps,” Srihari (19), said.Havingcamped inDubaion thebackof
as sturdydry-landtrainingaswaspossibleat home, Srihari, dipped his toes back intotraining happy that hewas back inwater.
Uneasy at first“It felt weird first 3-4 days and there
wasnofeelofwater. Ihadnoideawhatwashappeningwithmyarmsnorawarenessofwhere theywere going, though theyweremoving. I couldn’t grab anywater. It cameback slowly in two weeks,” says theBangalorean backstroker. He will staylocked in his room for two more days onhis return, since he has grandparents’safety (above 70) to consider. “After thatmy parents are deciding if I should con-tinue in Bangalore or look at trainingabroad,” he adds.Srihari sayshe’s still amonthor twoout
fromhitting top timing.Rawat concurs. “Target was to get as
close to previous bests as possible. But I’mnot very close to my best at all,” says the18-year-old, who is hoping Talkatora wa-ters inDelhiareallowedtoopenat least forcompetitive swimmers in the comingmonths. “Or else I’ll go to Bangalore. I’llneed at least a month and half,” says the800-freestyle specialist.On finding the elusive feel of water af-
ter fivemonthsof trainingrestrictedtogymwork, Rawat said, “First threeweeks, bodywassore fromall thegymwork(he’s setupmakeshift workout equipment in his ter-
race). But initially there was no tempo atall. My head was bouncing weirdly whilebreathing. Thehipswerenot aligned and Iwas leaningmore on the right. And some-times the left hand was going out toomuch. I was just not getting the stroke -something that came so naturally at thestart of the year.”Srihari would lend hisGoPro system for Rawat to analyse whatlimbmovementswere going astray.
Safety protocolsAfineof 3000dirhamsawaitedanyone
caught walking around without a maskanywhere outside the perimeter of thepool, Rawat says. “And if someone wasn’tfollowing social distancing, then after twowarnings they would just cancel the ses-sion.Didn’thappentous,but itwasstrictlyenforced,” he adds.The Indians swam a couple of hours
morning and evening. “But if the sessionstarted at 7.30, we had to walk in just be-fore the start, and vacate by 9.30,” Rawat
recalls.While theDelhi ladhadonline col-lege classes to attend, spare time saw thetrio play table tennis at the hotel.“Iwasn’t very good.Hari (Nataraj)was
thebest,”he laughs.Thehotelchefwasalsosounded out on adding daal to the menufor the Indians, andrampinguponveggiesin thesalads. “Everyonehadacoupleof ex-tra kgs to lose,” Rawat added.For Srihari, the weather was the big
problem. “Putme ina sub-zeroplace and I
wouldn’tmind. But I’mnot a big fan of theheat,” he would say. The trio got them-selves testedoncebefore leavingandtwiceon entry and exit fromDubai.
Back to home baseBack at home now, the Swimming
Federationof Indiahasdrawnup its safetyguidelines penned by renowned coachNiharAmin. SFI recently spelt out its zero-tolerance policy on breaking safety rules.President Jayaprakash said, “We’ll alwaysput lives in front of any sport so I urgeeveryonenot togobackeven1per centonSOPs.Wearerequestingstategovernmentstoreopenpools forsportspersonsbutstrictaction will be taken against anyone devi-ating fromprotocols.”With fourswimmers in theworld’sTop
40, the SFI has ambitious plans to kit outtwo pools - one in Delhi and the DravidPadukone centre in Bangalore - with hi-tech wearables to record parameters andhigh-endbio-mechanicequipment likeun-derwater cameras for race analyses.However,evenasseveral statesexercise
caution in reopening pools for all racingswimmers above 12, the task is cut out forIndia’s top competitive pack.
Stringent SOPsAmin’s SOP specifies minimum chlo-
rine levels at1.8-2ppmat7-7.4pHand fil-tration two hours before and after everysession. Only two swimmers per lane areallowed with outdoor showers, and theyhave been instructed to use dead jump orstartblocks toenterwaterandavoidtouch-ing handrails and pool ladders.The SOP also spells out detailed mile-
stones for resumption with emphasis onshoulder injury prevention andmicro-cy-cles of increasing load and reps.It’s only in the thirdmonth that focus-
ingonthetargetspecialitystroke is recom-mended.“While returning to training, anaerobic
base endurance level has to be re-devel-oped. This is usually done in the freestyleor front-crawl stroke. As basic enduranceimproves over the first eight weeks or so,swimmers should swim of their mainstroke-butterfly forexamplewill increasegradually. Sharper focus on main strokevolume and intensity should come in thethirdmicro-cycle. This is a goodway to becautiousandprevent injuryaftera longlay-off,” Amin explained.
19THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,OCTOBER23,2020
SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Real can’thelp losing,Bayern can’tstop winningASSOCIATEDPRESSGENEVA,OCTOBER22
REALMADRIDcouldn’thalt its losingstreakintheChampionsLeagueandnooneseemsable to stop BayernMunich’swinning run.Madrid’s 3-2 loss to a depleted ShakhtarDonetsk teamwas themost surprising re-sult ofWednesday’s opening groupgames-while Bayern delivered themost impres-sive performance with a 4-0 win overAtleticoMadrid.Itwasa third straight loss in the compe-
tition for Real Madrid - its worst run in 34years. For defending champions Bayern, itwas a 12th straight Champions League vic-tory.WinsforLiverpoolandManchesterCitycapped a good round for English clubs andAtalantaagainshowed its free-scoringstyleto win 4-0 at overmatched newcomerMidtjylland.RealMadridhas beenunconvincing, es-
pecially at home in the Champions League,since lifting a record-extending 13thEuropean title three seasons ago. YetShakhtarwasmissing several starters aftera COVID-19 outbreak at the club. TheUkrainianchampionsstill led3-0athalf timeexposing aMadriddefencemissing injuredcaptainSergioRamos.“It’s my job to find solutions because
these kind of games can’t happen,” saidcoach Zinedine Zidane, who left veteransToniKroosandKarimBenzemaonthebenchaheadof playingBarcelonaonSaturday.Few fans attended the eight games be-
cause of the spiking coronavirus infectionsacross Europe and there were none atOlympiakostoseeastoppage-timegoalearna1-0winoverMarseille.Only1,000wereatSanSirotoseeRomelu
Lukakuscore inhisninthstraightEuropeangame, includinga90th-minuteequaliser tohelp Inter Milan draw 2-2 with BorussiaMonchengladbach.
ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)It’s time todwell onlife’s deepermysteries andhidden truths.
Mysticalmusingsmay seemtobeawasteof time, but ifyou comecloser todiscovering justwhat it is thatmakesotherpeople tick, itwill be timewell spent. Youmight also see that youoverlookedessential facts.
TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Powerful socialstars insist that loveaffairs bepursuedin a constructive
manner. It’s time tobepreciseaboutwhat you’re going todo,whenyou’redoing it, andwhoyou’redoing itwith.Punctuality is everything, andsheer efficiency couldwintheday.
GEMINI (May22 - June21)Mars, symbol ofself-assertion andall high-energyactivities, ismoving
on so, fromnow, youwillhave to standonyour owntwo feet. Thepositive angle isthat you’re approaching aphase in your lifewhichshould be a littlemorerelaxed, but perhaps not untilnextweek.
CANCER(June22- July23)This isa timeforinspiration,andnodoubtyou’llbecomingupwith lots
of brightplans for the future. Ifatallpossible,dogiveotherpeople timetocatchup.Devotea littleeffort tomakingyournestmore luxurious.Frankly,youdeservea littlemorecomfort.
LEO(July24-Aug23)There’s nogettingaway fromthe factthat financialqueries and
concernsunderpineverything, and that youwon’t get anywhereunlessyoudealwith themfirst. Imean,what goodaredreamsif you can’t pay for them?Also, questionapartner ontheir realmotives.
VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)You’re at aminormonthlycrossroads, and thebest advicenow is
to carryonasyouare, but beready tomakea180-degreeturnat anymoment. Yourstars are in averypowerfulmood, butwheneventsmovefast youwill have todecidewhichway to jump.
LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)It’s time to consideryourphysicalwell-being again,checkingupon
matters likediet andexerciseandgetting in shape for thefuture.Workwill bebuildingupover thenextmonth,and itwill be important topaceyourself, findingrelaxationwhenandwhereyoucan.
passionate. It seemscertainthat yourmoodswill bedominatedbyhowwellyouget onwithotherpeople,andwhat you imaginethey thinkof you. But there’sreallynoneed tobe tooself-conscious.
forecastsdon’t comemuchmoredramatic thanthat,butthepoint is thatyoumaynowrearrangealmostanythingthatdoesn’tpleaseyou,makingsure that in future itdoes.
CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)You should bynowhave learnt totreasure yourimagination. You
see, at times like this,your success in virtually anyventure depends onyouralmost poetic ability tocharmother people andpersuade them that you’reright. That really is a skillto treasure.
isoneof those timeswhenyoucantakesteps to liftyourmorale.Youmayevenrealisejustwhat it is thathasbeendamagingyourconfidence.Was itanotherperson?Perhapsyoualsoplayedyourpart.
PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)Powerful emotionsare in the air. Youare skilled in the artof keeping your
feelings to yourself, but theyare liable to break out sooneror later. Just be sure to findthe rightwords. Ambitiousstars are likely to see youaiming for the top, by theway.Go for it.
WADAprobefindsuseofdoppelgangersA three-year investigation into theInternationalWeightliftingFederation(IWF)hasuncoveredcasesofsuspectedurinesubstitutionand“doppelgangers”beingusedtoimpersonateathletes,theWADA, said. Eighteenweightliftersfromsixcountriesaresuspectedofgiv-ingmanipulatedsamples,WADAsaid,addingthatthecasesofurinesubstitu-tion would be forwarded to theInternational Testing Agency (ITA).WADA said that it found evidence of“doppelgangers”beingusedtoimper-sonateathletesduringthesamplecol-lectionprocess.ThediscoverywaspartofmultipleandongoingWADAprobesthatbeganin2017,includingOperationArrow, a covert investigation into thepractice of urine substitution at thepointofcollection.
IndiagetnodtoquarantineinSydneySydneyandCanberraaresettohostthewhite-balllegofIndia'stourofAustraliaaftertheNewSouthWalesgovernmentallowedthevisitingteamtotraindur-ingitsmandatoryquarantineuponar-rival. 'ESPNcricinfo' on Thursday re-ported that New South WalesgovernmentandCricketAustraliahavestruck a deal to allow Indian andAustralianplayersreturningfromIPLtotraininSydneywhilequarantining. TheIndian teamwas initially supposed toland in Brisbane but theQueenslandstate health authorities did not relaxtheir 14-dayquarantine rule to allowViratKohli andCo to trainduring thatperiod. AGENCIES
BRIEFLY
It feltweird first 3-4 daysand therewas no feel ofwater. Ihad no ideawhatwashappeningwithmy arms norawareness ofwhere theyweregoing, though theyweremoving...”
MANISH PANDEY demonstrated that thereismoretoSunrisersHyderabadbattingthantheoverseasbigguns,thuskeepingtheirslimknockout prospects burning. Chasing 155against Rajasthan Royals, they lost DavidWarner and Jonny Bairstow upfront, butPandeyweathered the Jofra Archer-stormand smothered the rest to carve an eight-wicket victory. Vijay Shankar played the ac-compliceroletoperfection,crunchingahalf-centuryhimself.
Pandey, the chasemasterThroughouttheseries,Pandeyhaslooked
fluent but without making it count. OnThursdaythough,hestampedhismatch-win-ningcapabilitieswitha47-ball83,thatsteeredSunriserstoafacilevictory.It’sthecontextthatmultipliesthevalueof
theknock.Sunriserswerelanguishingatsev-enth spot on thepoints table,making a last-gaspeffort toqualify for theplayoffs. Pandeywalkedintothemiddleinthefirstovertofaceatails-upArcher.The England tearaway soon inflicted an-
other blow—bursting through the defencesof Jonny Bairstow. At 16/2, their seasonwasslipping down the slope. But Pandey didn’tshrink. He launched a calculated assault —neutering Archerwith caution and tearingyoungKartikTyagiapart.Hestruckabraceofboundariesthroughtheoffsideinhisfirstover,before thumping him for two sixes and aboundary inhisnext. In theend,heturnedashakystartintoastrollwithamplehelpfromShankar, withwhomhe put on 140 runs. Itwas the kind of authoritative knock thatmakesonewonderwhyhisinternationalca-reerhasn’tquitesoared.
ARoyal chokeRashidKhanisthemasterofmiddle-overs
choke.His very sight is enough for batsmen,even themostdaringones, todig a trenchatthecreaseandhideinsideit.It’sthereasontheAfghanhasbledonly5.47runsperoverinthis
edition.It’snotthathebowlsincrediblystiflinglinesandlengths,butthefearofdeceptionhehasinfusedintothem.Rashid concededonly20 runs inhis four
over. But it was not him alone that put thebrakesonRoyalsafterareasonablybriskstart.HehadanunseemlysidekickinShankar.Heisnotquitereputedforthrift,ashiscareerecon-omy rate of 8.60 suggests. But in the last fewgamesforSunrisers,hehasprovedincrediblydifficulttohit.Partof his revival isdue toaconcertedef-
fort tobowlback-of-lengthrather than fuller.Whereas in thepast he strove to bowl everydeliveryasfastashecould,herehewasdelib-eratelybowlingwithinhimself,notprovidingbatsmen the pace tomanoeuvre. The com-binedfiguresofRashidandShankarinthemid-dleoversread7-0-35-1.As a consequence, the Royals decided to
targetJasonHolder.SanjuSamsonpulledhimfor a six but feathered anedgebackontohisstumps the next ball. And in the next over,Rashid came back to devour a listless BenStokes.HisarrivalwassupposedtofuelRoyals’
knockoutpursuits.Onthecontrary,hehasin-duced imbalance in the batting order. JosButtler was moved down to No 4 whichpushedSteveSmithtofiveandRahulTewatiatoseven.BRIEF SCORES: Sunrisers Hyderabad
CRICKETCOMMENTATORandformerEnglandinternational Isa Guha has hit back after athinly-veiledbarbfromGeoffreyBoycottwhoclaimedthatBBCchose“equalityoverquality”bydroppinghimfromitscommentarypanel.Guha took umbrage at the reporting of thenewspaperDailyMailwhichwrote that for-merEnglandopenerBoycottwasdroppedfora“youngermulti-racial line-up”.
chosenottorenewhiscontractearlierthisyear.“Theyhave sacrificedquality for equality.
It isnowallaboutpolitical correctness, aboutgenderandrace.Whenyouworkforthem,youarewaryandfrightenedofsayinganything. Itisaminefieldoutthereandthatissad,”Boycott,whohadworkedasacommentatorwithBBCfor 14 years, told the Daily Telegraph onTuesday. His commentwas seen as a barbagainstGuha,whoplayed113 internationalsfor England across all three formats andhasworkedwiththeBBCforadecade.Sheiscur-rentlytheleadpresenterandball-by-ballcom-mentator forBBC's TestMatchSpecial (TMS)radio programme. She alsoworkswith FoxSportsinAustralia.In actuality, Boycott’s ‘expert
comments’ role has been filledthis summerby formerEnglandcaptainAlastair CookandswingbowlerJamesAnderson.
However, the idea that I have ‘replaced’Geoffreyisabitodd,havingworkedoninter-nationalmen’s cricket at theBBC for thebestpartof10years.Furthermore,myroleiscom-
pletely different to that ofGeoffrey’s.Tokeepbeingdraggedinto this kind of conversationpurelybecauseofthecolourofmyskin and gender is quite franklytiresomeandonlyservestocreatedivision. I onlyhave sadness thatthisshouldbedeemednewswor-thyoversomethingmorepositive
and technique required and I donot believeyoucanlearnthat fromreadingabookorbe-causeyouplayedclubcricket,secondXIcricketor,withgreatrespect,women’scricket.Asgoodasthewomenareattheirgame,itbearsnore-semblance to the power and pace ofmen’scricket,”Boycottwroteinacolumn.The column triggered criticism, led by
Australia’s former player Lisa Sthalekar. “It’stime for him to leave the game and let’s re-memberhimas a great cricketer of a certaingeneration,”shesaidthen.“Talkaboutpower– I didn’t seemuchpower that hedisplayed.Let’scalluphisstrikerateandlookatsomeofthenumbers compared to female Test crick-eters of even that generation. I think someofthefemalecricketerswouldhavehadabetterstrikeratethanhedid.
HasIsafoundsupportfromotherplayers?OnTwitter, formerAustralianplayer and
current commentatorMel Jones describedGuha'sresponseasa"lessoninclassandpro-fessionalism", and called for an end to "low-brow,misleading anddownright repugnantreporting".AlisonMitchell, the firstwoman to com-
mentate regularly on cricket at BBC, alsotweetedoutinsupport:“SomaddenedbytheMailpiece&itsframing.Inaccuracyisonlythestart. Just hearda radiopresenterperpetuatetheMail’smythsaying“Boycottwasreplacedby IsaGuha”. Ish ... is a highly accomplishedbroadcasterwhoshouldn’thavetoputupwiththis…youinspireeverydayIsh”
Sunnot ready to set…as yetSRHstayalive inplayoff racewith facilewinoverRajasthanRoyals
Why commentator Guha hit backat ‘Boycott’s replacement’ report
They have sacrificed quality forequality. It is now all aboutpolitical correctness, aboutgender and race.When you workfor them, you are wary andfrightened of saying anything. Itis a minefield out there and thatis sad.”
GEOFFERYBOYCOTTFORMERENGLANDOPENER
..To keepbeingdragged into thiskind of conversationpurelybecauseof the colour ofmyskinandgender is quite franklytiresomeandonly serves to createdivision. I only have sadness thatthis shouldbedeemednewsworthy over somethingmorepositive and inspiring.”
