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
BUSINESS AS USUAL
BYUNNY
DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
MIHIRVASAVDANEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
NOT SO long ago, Botan Osmanwas designing technology totrack and tracepeople after ter-ror attacks, industrial accidentsornaturalcalamities.Butnow,aschief executive of British techfirmRestrata, he is adapting thesame systems to protect crick-eters fromCovid—andhelpor-ganisers bring the crowds backtostadiums.“Factories, offices, oil fields,
power plants...we have beenhelping a lot of people day-to-
day.Butoursports-relatedworkgets a lot of press because,well,sportisinteresting,”saysOsman,speaking to The Indian Express
fromLondon.SincetheIPLgotunderwayin
the UAE in a bio-bubble lastmonth, Restrata’s Bluetooth
tracker is being worn by thecricketers— around their necks—atalltimes,exceptwhileplay-ingortraining,toensurethatno-bodystepsoutof thebubbleun-noticed.ThetechnologywasalsousedforEngland’shomeTestse-ries against theWest Indies andPakistanearlier thisyear.In the IPL, the location and
movement of each player, sup-port staff andothers involved inthegames, ismonitored in real-timewithsensorsplacedacross13hotels, three stadiums, train-ing grounds and buses ferryingtheplayers.If social-distancing rules are
broken—or if a person enters anon-designatedzone—analertis triggered. Restrata then
IN HIS debate against theDemocratpresidentialcandidateJoe Biden on Thursday, USPresident Donald Trump,whiletalking about his administra-tion's track record on checkingcarbon emissions, referred topollution levels in other coun-tries, including India, andcalledtheir air “filthy”.Responding to a question on
howthecandidatesproposedtocombat climate change whilesupporting job growth, Trumpclaimed the carbon emissionnumbersintheUnitedStatesun-derhisadministrationhavebeenthebestinthelast35years.“Lookat China, how filthy it is. Look atRussia, look at India... the air’sfilthy. I took us out of the ParisAccordbecauseweweregoingtohavetospendtrillionsofdollars,andwewere being treated veryunfairly,’’ saidTrump.Trump’scommentonIndia’s
air qualitymight havebeenun-palatable, but it is true thatoverthe last few years, Indian citieshavebeenrecordingsomeofthehighest pollution levels in theworld.
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NAVEEDIQBALSRINAGAR,OCTOBER23
DECLARINGTHATshewill have“nothingtodowithelections”tillJ&K’s special status under theConstitution is restored, PDPpresident and former ChiefMinisterMehboobaMufti saidFriday that she will raise theTricolour only when the J&Kstate flag is also restored.
Following the abrogation ofArticle370onAugust5,2019,theJ&K state flag, which used to fly
alongwiththeTricolouratopthecivil secretariat building inSrinagar,was removed.“My flag is in front of me.
When this flag is restored to us,we will raise the other flag(Tricolour) also. But until thathappens, wewill not hold anyother flag in our hands.Hamarauss jhande se rishta is jhande nebanayahai, it isnot independentofthisflag,”MehboobaMuftitoldreporters, pointing to the flag oftheerstwhilestateplacedbeforeheralongwiththePDPflag.In her first press conference
following her release fromover14months of detention under
KICKING OFF his elec-tion rallies in Bihar onFriday, PrimeMinisterNarendraModi contrasted theNDA's work on a “naya Bihar”with the“misrule”of the1990s,
while accusing theOpposition of beinganti-reform,andofsid-ingwith “dalaal” (bro-kers), Naxalites and“forces out to weakenthecountry”.At three brief halts
in Sasaram, Gaya andBhagalpur, the Prime
Minister spoke of the Galwanclash with China in June, in
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MANOJCGNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
BEGINNING HIS campaign forthe dead-heat Bihar Assemblyelections,formerCongresspres-identRahulGandhionFridayad-dressed a joint rally with RJDleader and the Opposition al-liance’s chief ministerial faceTejashwi Yadav, but their
speeches reflected a strikingcontrast inapproachandstyle.Gandhi, addressing the joint
public meeting in Hisua inNawadadistrict, launchedablis-tering attack on PrimeMinisterNarendraModi — in fact, refer-ringtohimbynameorasPrimeMinistersome20times—onis-sues such as demonetisation,Chinese incursion, GST and his
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PM:Oppositionpartiesanti-reform,with forces trying toweaken India
Rahul attacks PM, Tejashwikeeps focus on Nitish, Bihar
DECISION2020BIHAR
SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
CITING “STRATEGIC deficien-cies” and non-compliancewithsix keymarkers in its 27-pointaction plan on terror-financingandmoney-laundering, Paris-basedglobalwatchdogFinancialAction Task Force (FATF) FridaysaidPakistanwillcontinuetore-mainon itsgrey list.Thedecisionwasannounced
byFATFpresidentMarcusPleyerafterathree-dayvirtualplenarysession. “To date, Pakistan hasmade progress across all actionplan items and has now largelyaddressed 21 of the 27 actionitems. As all action plan dead-lines have expired, the FATFstronglyurgesPakistantoswiftlycomplete its full action plan byFebruary2021,” theFATFsaid inastatement.Pakistan also needs towork
on four areas to “address itsstrategic deficiencies”, it said.Listingthedeficiencies,theFATFsaid thatPakistanneeds to:
■ “Demonstrate that law en-forcementagenciesareidentify-ingandinvestigatingthewidestrangeof terrorfinancingactivitywhichtargetdesignatedpersons
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PRABHARAGHAVANNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
BHARATBIOTECH,whichhasre-ceived approval for late-stagehumantrialsforitsCovidvaccinecandidate, expects to have itreadybyJune2021—unlessthegovernmentadvancesitslaunchthrough emergency use autho-risation,accordingtoatopcom-panyofficial.The Hyderabad-based firm
plans to test over20,000volun-teers across 12-14 states forCovaxin, its indigenous candi-date,SaiPrasad,executivedirec-tor,BharatBiotechInternational
Ltd, toldThe IndianExpress.“Ifweget all the approvals in
place,IthinkduringQ2of2021,weshould get the efficacy readout
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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI,OCTOBER23
MUMBAIPOLICEFridaybookedthe executive editor, an anchor,tworeportersandothereditorialstaffofRepublicMediaNetworkforbroadcastingallegeddefam-atory news content against thepolicedepartment.Police saidRepublic channel
airednewsthatwouldincitedis-affection among police person-nel against Commissioner ofPolice Param Bir Singh. Thechannel, police said, claimedMumbai police personnelwererebelling against Param Bir
Singh, and that his orderswerenotacceptable to them.The channel, in a statement,
said the “booking of all journal-ists of a newsmedia organisa-tion, left unchecked,will have achillingeffectondemocracy,es-pecially within the state ofMaharashtra”.Thisisthefourthcaseagainst
Republic channel. Its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami is facingtwoFIRs,registeredatPydhonieand NM Joshi Marg police sta-tions,forallegedlyincitingcom-munaltension.Acaserelatingtoalleged fudging of TRPs isbeing probed by the
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Again, Mumbai policebook Republic, channelsays it’s a witch-hunt
Trump callsIndia air‘filthy’, is notentirely offthe mark
Bharat Biotech says itsICMR-backed vaccineset for June 2021 launch
THEFATFhasaskedPakistan,whichhasbeenon itsgrey list since2018, toget its act to-getherbyFebruary2021.With the ImranKhan-ledgovernmentbattlingasevereeconomiccrisis,Delhi ishoping that thiswillprompt Islamabadto takemoreactionagainst terrorgroupsandtheir leaders.
Trump callsIndia air ‘filthy’,is not entirelyoff the markAStateof theGlobalAir2020
report by the Boston-basedHealth Effects Institute and theInstitute forHealthMetrics andEvaluation, released earlier thisweek, found that India has thehighestexposuretoPM2.5intheworld (in2019), followedcloselybyNepal,Nigeria,BangladeshandPakistan,with Indiahaving seenan increase in PM2.5 levels andexposuretoitsince2010.Indiaalsohasoneofthehigh-
est exposures to ozone in theworld, behindQatar andNepal.India has experienced a 17 percent increase inozoneexposureinthepastdecade.WhiletheUS'scarbondioxide
emissionshavedroppedduringTrump’s tenure, they are not, asheclaimed, the lowest inthe last35years. According todata fromtheUS Environment ProtectionAgency,carbondioxideemissionsdropped to5,253million tonnesin 2017, whichwas the lowestsince 1993, or 24 years. But theemissions rose to 5,424milliontonnesthenextyear,thelastyearforwhichdataisavailable.TheUnitedStatesstillcontin-
ues tobe secondbiggest emitterof greenhousegases after China.Itstotalgreenhousegasemissions(carbondioxide andothers)wasmore than 6.6 billion tonnes in2018.Indiaisthethirdbiggestemit-
ter of greenhouse gases in theworld, but its emissions are lessthanhalfthatoftheUS.Accordingto theGlobal CarbonBudget re-port for 2019, India’s estimatedcarbondioxideemissionsfortheyear 2018was only 2.65 billiontonnes,which is less thanhalf oftheUS’s5.4billiontonnes.India’spercapitaemissions,accordingtothis report,was one-eighth thatof theUS.Thewithdrawalfromthe2015
ParisAgreementwassomethingthatTrumphadpromisedduringhiselectioncampaign.Ayearandahalf after becomingPresident,in June2017, Trumpmadegoodonhispromise,makingtheUSthefirst country to pull out of theagreement that seeks to keepglobalaveragetemperaturesfromrising beyond 2 degree Celsiuscomparedtopre-industriallevels.TheUSwas not a part of the
KyotoProtocol either,havingde-cidednottoratifytheagreementthatwas the predecessor to theParispact.Union Minister for
Environment,ForestsandClimateChange, Prakash Javadekar has,timeand timeagain, alongwithleadersofothercountries,pointedto therole that richer,developedcountriesneededtoplayinshoul-deringthefinancialburdenofcli-matechange.At the meeting of BASIC
(Brazil, South Africa, India andChina)nationsinSaoPauloaswellastheCOP25meetinMadridlastyear, Javadekar hadpointed outthat the developedworld hadover the past decade promisedUSD1trilliontodevelopingcoun-triestocombatclimatechange,ofwhichonlyclose to twopercenthadbeenpaid.The Indian government has
alsomaintainedthatthetechnol-ogy transfer promised aspart ofclimatechangemitigationmeas-ureshadnotmaterialised.However,thegoodnewsfrom
the recentStateof theGlobalAirreportisthatbothIndiaandChinahave reduced household expo-suretoairpollution,whichisnowbeing considered a leading con-tributor tomaternal and infantmortalityrates.Indiahasreducedthisexposurefrom73percentto61percentoverthepastdecade.Last year, India launched a
National Clean Air Programmethatseekstoreducepollutantlev-els by 20 to 30 per cent by year2024inover100cities.
Again, Mumbaipolice bookRepublic,channel saysit’s a witch-huntMumbai Crime Branch whilechapter proceedings againstGoswamihavebeeninitiatedsep-aratelybypolice.ThenewFIR, under section3
(1) of The Police (Incitement toDisaffection) Act, 1922, and IPCsections500(defamation)and34(common intention), is againstRepublic TV anchor ShivaniGupta,reporterSagarikaMitra,re-porterShawanSen,executiveed-itor NiranjanNarayanaswamy,andothereditorialstaff.Police said that the casewas
registeredafterpolicesub-inspec-tor Shashikant Pawar, posted atthe Social Media Lab (SML) ofSpecialBranch-1,approachedNMJoshiMargpolice stationwith acomplaintFriday.AnofficersaidtheSMLmon-
itorscontentsonsocialmediaandtelevision channels. “They aresupposed to identify posts thatarefakeandalsocontentthatcancreatedisharmonyamongst thepeople, and theyareexpected torecordandpresent it to their su-periors,”theofficersaid.According to police, sub-in-
spectorPawar,afterwitnessinga10-minuteshowairedbetween7pm and 7.10 pm Thursday onRepublicTelevision,reachedNMJoshiMarg police station Fridayafternoonsince theSMLoffice isintheareaunderitsjurisdiction.“Thecomplainantsaidthathe
saw a news on Republic TV(English) which showed thatMumbaipolicepersonnelarere-belling against ParamBir Singhandhisordersarenotacceptabletothem.Inthenewsreport, theyalso said that it is affecting thecredibilityofMumbaiPolice,"anofficerfromNMJoshiMargpolicestationsaid.Thecomplainant,inhisstate-
ment,saidtheanchorandthere-porter also said that Singh is tar-nishingtheimageoftheMumbaiPolice, and that this was airedwithoutanyvalidproof.The news, the complainant
said,ranunderasegment'BiggestStoryTonight' and theTVscreenhad a caption ‘Revolt AgainstParamBir?Seniorofficerspartoftheprobegivedetails'.Police said the channel au-
thoritieswere intentionally try-ingtoincitedisaffectionamongstMumbaipolicepersonnelagainstthepolicecommissioner.Thechannel, in itsstatement,
said: “Inabrazenabuseof office,theMumbai Police has bookedthe -- “Editorial staff andNewsroomInchargefor thecon-cerned report getting aired andothers” -- at theRepublicMediaNetwork.Thiscomesasthemostgrave attack on the freedomofpress safeguardedunderArticle19 (1)(a) of the Constitution ofIndia.”“Thisbookingofalljournalists
ofanewsmediaorganisation,leftunchecked,willhaveachillingef-fect on democracy, especiallywithinthestateofMaharashtra,”itstated.“While ParamBir Singhmay
be cornered anduncomfortablewith the fact thathis elaboratelycrafted lies against Republic arefallingapartbefore thepeopleofIndia in the faceof the truth andreal facts, he seems to be usingthatasabasisforundertakinghislarge-scalewitch-hunt againstRepublicMediaNetwork’s jour-nalists. Republic’s Editorial staffstandstogetherandinfirmoppo-sition to the intimidation tacticsdeployedbytheParamBirSingh-ledMumbaiPolice,” thechannelsaid.
‘Will raiseTricolour whenJ&K flag back…won’t contest tillspecial statusrestored’thePublicSafetyAct, shesaidnomatterhowhardtheCentretriesto discredit J&K’smainstreamparties,itwillnotbeabletodoso.“They are trying to replace
this country’s Constitutionwiththe BJPmanifesto, and thiswillnotlastlong,”shesaid.“The people of J&K are ex-
pendabletothem(Centre),whattheywant is territory.Thiscoun-trywill runon theConstitution,notBJP’smanifesto,”shesaid.Referringtotheconstitutional
changes stripping J&Kof its spe-cial status,Mufti said “what hasbeensnatchedawayfromus,willbe takenback…this isapoliticalbattle thatwewill fight peace-fully.”Shesaidher strugglewill not
forpower”,Muftiurgedthepeo-pleofJ&Ktostandwiththepolit-ical leadership thathascometo-getheras thePeople’sAlliance. “Ihavenointerest inelections.TheConstitution,underwhich Icon-tested elections, till it is restoredto us, I have nothing to dowithelections.”“Byforcefullytakingawayour
rights fromusonAugust 5, theyhave torn the Constitution toshreds. Even if they had 500membersinParliament,theydidnot have the power to snatchaway Article 370 or 35A, theydon’t have those powers. TheConstitutionof India lends thosepowers to the ConstituentAssemblyof J&K,”shesaid.ReferringtoMahatmaGandhi
andNelsonMandela,Muftisaiditisgoingtobe“along-drawnfight.”She said the actions of August 5,2019wereperpetuated throughthe BJPs “brute majority” inParliament.Ontheupcomingelectionsto
the District DevelopmentCouncils andwhether her partywouldbewillingtocedespacetothe BJP by not contesting elec-tions, Mufti said the People’s
Alliancewill take a final call ontheseissues.“ThisisnotjustaboutBJP,but
itscroniesaswell.Peoplehavetosurvive.Wewillweigh theprosandconsandtakeadecisionun-der the leadership of FarooqAbdullah,andwewilldowhat isright,”shesaid.Stating that the BJP did not
stopatJ&K,sheaccuseditof“po-larising the country” bypassingthe Citizenship (Amendment)Act, trampling the rights ofmi-norities,andthenbringinginthenewfarmlaws.
Bluetooth trackerfor terror attacksfinds new use inpandemic time— at the IPLreportstheviolationtotheIndiancricketboard,whichwill imposepenalties onviolators that rangefromsix-day quarantine to sus-pensionandevenremoval.SpeakingtoTheIndianExpress
earlier about the IPLbio-bubble,SunrisersHyderabadmentorVVS Laxman had said: “We have
beengivenadevice,whichtracksour movement. The BCCI hastakenprecautionssothatplayersremainsafe...Overall,it'sworkingverywell."Officialssayasimilartechnol-
ogy is set tobeusedat stadiumstoensuresocialdistancingwhenspectators are allowed in thestands.Osman says they arede-velopingnewalgorithmsso thatthousands of people can be al-lowedinsidestadiumsusingthistechnology.InSeptember,Restratawasin-
volvedinapilotprojectinEnglandwhere2,500fanswereallowedtowatch a domestic T20 countymatch between Surrey andHampshire at The Oval.SpectatorsweregivenBluetoothdevicessimilar towhattheplay-ers in the IPL arewearing, andtheirmovements tracked insidethestadium.Andyet,cricket,orCovid,was
notwhat this devicewasdevel-opedfor.Osman,whohasconsultedfor
variousBritishfirmsoperatingintheMiddleEast,saysitwasorigi-nally designed to trace people’slocation, the risk they faced andelicitaresponse.“Youare thinkingabouthow
toprotectpeoplefromactsofter-rorism,orahurricaneoranindus-trial accident. These are all risksthat require preparation andmonitoring,”Osmansays.“So if Iaminanindustrialac-
cident,let’ssayatanoilcompany,thenourtechnologywillbeusedtounderstandhowmanypeopleare there right now, howmanypeoplecanwemovetosafetyandwho ismissing -- threevery im-portantquestions. If you canan-swer thesequestions in five sec-onds,ratherthaninfiveminutes,youhavesavedalifepotentially,”hesays.The pandemic, Osman says,
has brought a new risk dimen-sion:humancontact.Sinceprox-imitybetweenpeoplewasnevera big risk before, Restrata had totweak its technology tomonitorthedistancebetweenpeople.Since thepandemicbegan, a
majority of sporting events, in-cludingtheIPL,havebeenheldinfrontofemptystands.Andaslifeslowly returns to anewnormal,organisers,likethoseinchargeofthat T20 county game, are look-ing at this technology to fill thestandsinaphasedmanner.Osman admits it will be a
challenge, but he remains opti-mistic. “The challenge is not justcontactbutmanagingtheflowofallthesepeople.Ourdevicesgivealocationprecisionofaround30cm,which is an extremely highaccuracy,”hesays.“Wealsohavevideoanalyticswhenneeded.Webelieve thiswill beuseful acrossallphasesofreturn.”
Pak remains onterror grey list,watchdog saysdeadlines overandentities,andthosewhoactonthebehalf/directionof thedesig-natedpersonsorentities”.■ “Demonstrate that terror fi-nancingprosecutionsresultinef-fective,proportionateanddissua-sivesanctions”.■“Demonstrateeffective imple-mentation of targeted financialsanctionsagainstall...designatedterrorists and those acting for oron their behalf; preventing theraising andmoving of funds in-cluding in relation tonon-profitorganisations; identifying andfreezing assets; andprohibitingaccesstofundsandfinancialserv-ices”.■ “Demonstrate enforcementagainstviolationofterrorfinanc-ing sanctions...of administrativeand criminal penalties andprovincialandfederalauthoritiescooperating on enforcementcases”.On Thursday, pushing for
Pakistan to remain on the list,Ministry of External AffairsspokespersonAnuragSrivastavahad said: “As is well known,Pakistancontinuestoprovidesafehavenstoterroristentitiesandin-dividuals and has also not yettaken any action against severalterrorist entities and individualsincludingthoseproscribedbytheUNSC, such as Masood Azhar,Dawood Ibrahim, Zakir-ur-RahmanLakhvi.”TheFATFhadissuedtheaction
planafterplacingPakistanonthegreylistinJune2018.Recently,thetask force's InternationalCooperationReviewGroupnotedthatPakistanhadcompliedwith21points.In February, the FATF gave
Pakistan a four-monthgracepe-riod to complete the 27-pointplan. Itextendedthedeadlinebythreemonths due to the post-ponement of its plenary follow-ingtheCovidoutbreak.The FATF listingmakes it ex-
tremelydifficultforPakistantogetfinancial aid from the IMF, theWorld Bank and the EuropeanUnion.InAugust, Pakistan imposed
financialsanctionson88bannedterrorgroupsandtheirleaders,in-cluding 26/11 Mumbai attackmastermind and Jamaat-ud-
Dawachief Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-MohammedchiefMasoodAzharand underworld don DawoodIbrahim.
Bharat Biotechsays its ICMR-backed vaccineset for June2021 rolloutfromourphase-3 clinical trial—April,May,June,forexample.Thatis for the full efficacy results,”Prasadsaid.Covaxin,developedincollab-
orationwiththeIndianCouncilofMedical Research’s NationalInstituteof Virology, is an inacti-vatedvaccine that is expected toworkbyinjectingthe“killedver-sion” of the Covid-19 virus intothebody todevelopan immuneresponse.The approval for Bharat
Biotechtoconductphase-3trialscurrently puts it behind front-runner Serum Institute of India,whichissaidtobeintheprocessofrecruitingandvaccinatingpar-ticipants for the third phase oftesting for its candidate,Covishield.Theresultsof avaccine’seffi-
cacy showwhether it has beenable to reduce the number ofcases in the inoculated group.“Weare committed to doing allourphase-1,phase-2andphase-3clinicaltrialsinitsentirety,butIthink the governmentmay alsobe considering emergency useapproval,”Prasadsaid.Hesaid,however,thatthefirm
is not pushing for such an ap-proval. “Our intent is to developeverything to its logical conclu-sion in terms of empirical evi-denceanddata,andefficacydataandsafetydata.Buttherearedis-cussions, Iguess,withinthegov-ernment about that (emergencyuseapproval),”hesaid.The firm plans to enrol
“25,000 to 26,000” participantsacross the country, including inTelangana,TamilNadu,Haryana,Maharashtra and Bihar, Prasadsaid. “This iswhathasbeenpre-sented to the CDSCO (CentralDrugs Standard ControlOrganisation) and DCGI (DrugControllerGeneral of India), andtheyhaveacceptedthat,”hesaid.While thenumber of testing
centresmayincrease,thetargetisaround 25 clinical trial sites, hesaid.“Forthelasttwomonths,wehavebeentryingtoestablishanddevelop these sites...across 12 to14 states in India as of now...it’swellspreadbetweennorth,south,east andwest,” he said, addingthat during the first twophases,Covaxinwasprovided to volun-teersacross12sites.“Therewillbequiteafewnew
sitesandtherewillalsobequiteafewnewstates, because the siteselection for phase-3 is com-pletely different fromaphase-1or a phase-2.We are looking at,obviously,thecapabilitiesandex-pertise of the site, but also atwhat’s happening in terms ofCovid-19diseaseinthoserespec-tiveareas...it’s amultifacetedap-proach to select a site,” saidPrasad.Other vaccine candidates in
thefrayarethoseofZydusCadila,which is close to completingphase-2 trialsof ZyCov-D,andofRussia's Gamaleya ResearchInstitute,whichwill soonbeginphase2/3trialsofSputnikVincol-laborationwithDrReddy's.Covaxin became the subject
letter,whichurged investigatorsto“fasttrack”allapprovalsanden-sure subject enrollmentno laterthan July 7, was not aimed atlaunchingthevaccineat thecostofsafetyandefficacy.
FROMPAGEONE
PM kicks off campaign with promise of‘naya Bihar’, warns against Opp ‘misrule’
Rahul attacks PM; Tejashwi focus on Nitish, Bihar
whichsoldiersof 16Bihar regi-ment had been killed, and ac-cused the Opposition of sup-porting those "conspiring"againstIndia.“Today,thesituationhasbe-
come such that these people(Oppositionparties)donothes-itatetosupportpeoplewhoareconspiring toweaken India…The country hadbeenwaitingforyearstoabrogateArticle370from JammuandKashmir.Wetook the decision, but today,these people are talking aboutreversingthisdecision.Theyaresaying that if they come topower, they will bring backArticle370.Andlookattheirau-dacity.Aftersayingallthis,theystillhavethenervetoseekvotesfrom the people of Bihar, theBihar that sends its sons anddaughterstoguardthecountryontheborder. Is itnotan insultto the feelings of Bihar?” heaskedthecrowdathisfirstrallyinSasaram.InGaya,Modi accused the
Oppositionparties of support-ingNaxalites. “Whatan irony it
is that the place where LordBuddha received enlighten-ment, the land of peace, hasbeengiftedtoNaxalites,”hesaid.Modi saidmost of the cur-
rentproblemsofthestatewerea legacy of themisrule of the1990s, and told people theywerewitnessingthemakingofa"nayaBihar".Directingmuchofhisattack
ontheRJD,themainoppositionparty, butwithout naming it,Modi said, “Therewas a timewhenpeoplewhousedtogetoffat railway stations at nightwouldspendtheentirenightatthe platform and go to theirhomes only in the morning.Thereweretimeswhenpeoplewould not buy cars for fear ofletting people of a particular(vishesh) party guess their in-comes,”hesaid.“Lekin,aajyehnayaBiharhai.
AajkeBiharmelaaltenkizarooratnahi hai (This is a new Bihar.There isnoneedforakerosenelamp in today’s Bihar),”Modisaid, referring to theRJD'selec-tionsymbol.
ThecrowdinGayawasrela-tivelysparsebecauseof restric-tions placeddue to the coron-avirus epidemic. Only peoplewithmaskswereallowedinsidethevenue,andentrywasbarredonce all the well-spaced outplastic chairs were taken.However, after the speech be-gan,a fewthousandmorepeo-plesneakedin.Modialsobroughtupthere-
centprotestsbytheOppositionagainstthetwofarmlawsintro-duced by the Central govern-ment,andaccusedthemoftry-ing to save brokers andmiddlemen.“Whenthecountrydecided
tofreefarmersfrommiddlemenand brokers, they (theOpposition) came out in sup-portofmiddlemenandbrokers;mandi-MSP (market andMinimumSupportPrice)isjustanexcuse,”hesaid.Modipromisedthatifvoted
topower,theNDAgovernmentwould further upgrade infra-structure in Bihar. “People,whethertheyaretouristsoroth-
ers, want to only go only toplacesthathavebasicminimumfacilities…ThatiswhyGayaandBodhGayaaregetting all thesefacilities.ThereisanIIMinGayanow. Therewas a timewhenthereweren't enough schoolsforchildrenhere,”hesaid.In Gaya, where Chief
takiBiharphir sebeemarnapadjaye.Aursatarktaisliyezaroorihaitaki aap aur aapka parivaarbeemarisebacharahe(YourvoteisimportanttoensurethatBihardoesnot fall sick again.And it'simportantforyoutobevigilantsothatyouandyourfamiliesareprotectedfromthedisease),”hesaid.Modi, however,madenomention of the free vaccinepromisemadeby theBJP in itselectionmanifesto.
government’s handling of thepandemic and the exodus ofmigrant workers. He men-tioned Chief Minister NitishKumarbarely thrice.Yadav, on the other hand,
referred toModi only thrice –that too in the context of spe-cialpackageandspecialstatusforBihar–andfocusedhisen-tireattackonNitishKumar,ac-cusing him of failing to createjobs, ruining the healthcareand education system and ig-noring theneedsof farmers.Yadavhadbeenkeepinghis
campaigncenteredonKumar’sgovernancerecordof15years,deftlyavoidingmentionofna-tionalissuesortakingonPrimeMinisterModi.And as he has been doing,
he did not forget to mentionNavaratri, saying he has comeafter paying obeisance to “MaDurga”andhasdonea“kalashsthapana” (duringwhicha re-solveistaken),andaskedpeo-ple to take a vow to vote outKumar.Interestingly, theCongress
toohadbeentryingtokeepthecampaign limited to local is-sues until Gandhi addressedthe rally. In his second public
meeting in Baghalpur, whereTejashwi was not there,Gandhimade amends and at-tackedKumarandspokeaboutBiharmore, yet kept the focuslargely on Prime MinisterModi.Gandhi began his address
at the joint rally attacking thePrime Minister over theChinese incursion.“PrimeMinister Narendra
Modi says he bows down be-fore the soldiers from Biharwho had laid down theirlives…butthatisnottheques-tion… the question is, whenBihar’s young soldiers weremartyred, that day what didthePrimeMinisterofthecoun-try say and what did he do?The question is when Chinakilled 20 of our soldiers andtook our land -- 1200 (sq) kmof India’s landChinahasoccu-pied -- why did our PrimeMinister insulting our brave-heartsandsaythatnoonehasentered Indian territory? YouinsultedtheIndianArmywhenyouliedthatnoChinesesoldierhas entered Indian territory.Thequestionis,whenwillyouthrow out Chinese soldiersfromIndianland,”Gandhisaid.
He went on to attack thePrimeMinister on the issue ofunemployment,askinghimtotell the people of Bihar howmany jobs he has given them,accused him of “working forAmbani and Adani”, andslammedhimonissuessuchasdemonetisation, GST and thefarm laws. His focus on Biharwas only in the context of thehardships faced by migrantworkersduringthe lockdown.“When youwerewalking
homehungryandthirsty,whatwasModi saying?Didhehelpyou... did he help Bihar’s mi-grants? And he says he bowsdown before workers. Butwhenthetimecame,hedidn’thelp...Whenyouwerewalkingwithout food and water, hedidn’t give you a train or bus,”Gandhi said.Tejashwi, on the other
hand, hit out at Kumar. “In 15years, has Nitishji given youjobs, set up factories, stopmi-gration,eradicatepoverty,pro-vide irrigation facilities for thefarmers?Eventhosewithjobshad their jobs snatched awaybyModiji and Nitishji... sugarmills, paper mills, jute millswere closed down. Nitishji is
saying Bihar is a landlockedstate so factories can’t be setup. Nitishji, you are tired. YoucannothandleBiharanymore,”theRJD leader said.“When UPA government
was in power, didn’t Laluji setup rail factories?Wasn’t Biharlandlockedthen?Givemeonechance.Thefirstdecisionofmycabinet after I become chiefministerwillbetogive10lakhgovernment jobs... The PrimeMinister came to Bihar today.We hoped you will saywhether Biharwill get specialstatus or not. You would saywhat happened to the specialpackage that you had an-nounced,"Tejashwisaid.He said his father Lalu
Prasadwill comeoutof jail onNovember9aftersecuringbail."Lalu ji is getting released onbailonNovember9.Hehasgotone bail and will secure an-other on November 9, whichalso happens to bemy birth-day. Thenext day,Nitishjiwillhavehis farewell.”Thefight,hesaid, isnotbe-
tweenNitish and Tejashwi orRahul andModi. The fight isbetween a dictatorial govern-mentandthepeople.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
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ln thisepisodeof techpodcost ‘OurOwnDevices’,wediscusswhatpremiumphonesoffer,whether theyaremoreabout flashthanfunctionality, andwhyaspiration isnecessary for thesmartphoneecosystem.
DELHI’SAIRqualityslippedtothe‘very poor’ category, with a 24-hour averageAQI reading of 366as per the Central PollutionControlBoard(CPCB), forthesec-ondtimethis season.Partsof thecity also sawair quality turn ‘se-vere’. AQI of neighbouring NCRtownswasalso ‘verypoor’—344atGhaziabad,369atNoida,334atGurgaonand360atFaridabad.As per government agencies,
calmsurface levelwinds—windspeed below 3 kmph— aroundDelhi and an increase in share ofpollutants from stubble burningin Punjab andHaryanawas be-hindthedipinairquality.Areportfrom the Centre’s System of AirQualityandWeatherForecastingandResearchsaidshareofPM2.5pollutants from stubble burningin Delhi’s air was 17% Friday,higherthanThursday’s8%.
Environment Pollution(Prevention and Control)Authority(EPCA)memberSunitaNarain said, “Our recommenda-tion is thatwemust ensure en-forcementongroundtocheckall
pollutingsources.Wearealsore-iterating advice given to be safefrom Covid — go out when ab-solutelynecessary,wearmasks.”Lightwindsandstagnantme-
teorological conditionswill con-
tinue tillMonday and air qualityoverDelhi-NCRislikelytoremain‘very poor’ over theweekend, aspertheMinistryofEarthSciences’AirQualityEarlyWarningSystem(EWS)forDelhi.“Largeincreasein
fire points was observed overPunjab, Haryana, UP, which arelikely to impact air quality ofDelhi-NCR,” itsaid.Data from Haryana State
Pollution Control Board showed101 fire counts Friday,whiledatafromthePunjabRemoteSensingCentre showed1,341 fire countsThursday. Haryana and Punjabhave recorded 3,470 and 10,775firecountssofar.A Delhi government official
saidmixingdepthoverthecity—verticalheightavailablefordisper-sionof pollutants— reduced sig-nificantlyThursdayonwardsduetocloudcover:“Mixingdepthin-creasesinsunlightandthereisdis-persion of pollutants... Windspeed is around 1kmph (as of 6pm),whichisverylowtohelpdis-persepollutants.”As of 2 pmFriday, 8 out of 36
monitoringstationsinDelhiwereinthe‘severe’category(AQIabove400) including Anand Vihar,Mundka,Wazirpur and Alipur,
while otherswere in ‘very poor’range, except Lodhi Roadwhichwas ‘poor’. By 5 pm, the numberof ‘severe’stationswasfour.In someparts, concentration
of particulatematter pollutantsreachednearly seven times theiracceptable limit, data fromDPCCshows. Concentration of PM10peaked at 719 µg/m3 at EastDelhi’s AnandVihar at 9 amandat 915 µg/m3 in North Delhi’sAlipur,againstthe24-houraccept-able limit of 100 µg/m3. PM2.5levels inWest Delhi’s Mundkapeaked at 523 µg/m3and at 350µg/m3 in India Gate at 10 am,against the 24-hour acceptablelimitof60µg/m3.Environmentminister Gopal
Rai saidDPCC is closelymonitor-ing 13 air pollution hotspots. Headdedthatacampaigntoencour-age people to turn off their vehi-clesattrafficsignalstoreduceve-hicular pollutionwould begin atall 70 assembly constituenciesfromOctober26.
Accused posed asa woman on FB,claims rape survivorJIGNASASINHANEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
“HE SHOWED me videos ofhim supporting acid attacksurvivors, refugees... I thoughthewas genuine, but he forcedme to get intimate with him.While we were staying inJaipur, he rapedme insidemyroom. Hewould say it's spiri-tualhealingbutIwasnotcom-fortable,”allegeda27-year-oldUK-based woman aboutRupakChatterjee(37),whoal-legedly posed as a business-manandNGOowner.On October 1, Chatterjee
was arrested from aMumbaihotel after three women, allforeign nationals, alleged hehadrapedthem.Two FIRs were registered
in Jaipur South andWest dis-trict,andoneFIRatKarolBaghpolicestation.TheUKnationalisoneofthethreewomenwhofiled FIRs against Chatterjee.WhilesheisinDelhi, theotherwomenare in Jaipur.OnFriday, shespoketoThe
Indian Express over the phoneon the allegations againstChatterjee.“Two years ago, Iwas con-
tactedbyawoman,Emily,aUKnational, on Facebook. Sheclaimed to be in India, andspokehighlyofChatterjeeandhis work for acid attack sur-vivors,”saidthewoman.Whenshe met Chatterjee inRishikesh, she realisedhewaspretending to be Emily onFacebook and was using theprofile to contact foreign trav-ellers, sheclaimed.She claimed Chatterjee
roped her in for a project onacid attack survivors inRajasthan in August. “I wasraped inside a hotel in Jaipur,andsinceIdidn'tknowanyone,
I contacted two otherwomenfromtheNetherlands andUK,whoImetinRishikesh...Weallmet in Jaipurand tried tocon-front Chatterjee but he fled. Iwas shocked to know thewomen too claimed they hadbeen raped by him,” claimedtheUKnational.Thewomen came toDelhi
inSeptemberand filedacom-plaintatapolicestation. Sincetwo of them alleged the inci-dentstookplaceinJaipur,theircomplaintsweretransferredtoJaipurPolice.Jaipur Police said the ac-
cused is involved inmultiplecases of cheating and sexualassault. Pradeep MohanSharma, DCP (West Jaipur),said,“Theaccusedhascheateda lot of women. He told themhe sold ethnic products. Wefound there are other casesregisteredagainsthiminJaipurandDelhi.”In 2015, a fewwomen cre-
ated a Facebook group,whichnowhas150members,wherethey shared their allegationsagainst Chatterjee, how hecalled himself “Vishnu” and“Karma”,andtargettedforeignnationals coming to India.The accusedwas running
several groups on Facebooksuch as Varkala digital back-packers, Crafts withoutBorders and Sristi Shala. Healso has a YouTube channelwhereinheposts videospro-moting his projects with lo-cal communities and or-phans.AseniorDelhiPoliceofficer
said, “Theaccusedhas refutedrapeallegations.Hesaidheisagraduate from Kolkata andrunsanNGO. Ithascomeupintheprobethatheisinvolvedinseveral such incidents.Wearelooking into the rape case fornow.”
New Delhi: The Delhi HighCourt has directed nearly2,700prisoners to surrenderasithasdecidednottoextendthe interim bail granted tothemaspartof earliereffortsto decongest the jails to pre-ventthespreadofCovid-19.AbenchofChief JusticeD
N Patel, Justice SiddharthMridul and Justice TalwantSingh said there shall be nofurther extension of interimbailsgrantedbydistrictcourtsto 2,318undertrials involvedin heinous crimes. However,theirsurrenderwilltakeplaceinaphasedmannerto“avoidany inconvenience to jail au-thorities..”.The surrenderswill take
place betweenNovember 2andNovember13, as per theorder.Similarly, the court said
Stubble burning, calmwinds push capital’sAQI to ‘very poor’, no respite overweekend
Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s directions on idol immersion for Durga Puja 2020
are available at www.dpcc.delhigovt.nic.in
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, immersion of Maa Durga’s Idol in Yamuna River,
water bodies or any arti cial ponds is strictly prohibited
THIS YEAR IMMERSE IDOL
OF MAA DURGA ONLY AT HOME
Durga Puja - 2020 : Guidelines for Idol Immersion
Immerse Maa Durga’s idolsat home
Idols should be made of traditionalclay and painted with natural colours
Do not immerse idol in River Yamuna,water bodies or artificial ponds etc.
Do not throw worship material likeflowers in River Yamuna, water bodiesor artificial ponds etc.
Do not use idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) / baked clay and toxic / chemicalcolours
Do not use thermocol or plastic in decorations.
Use only eco-friendly pooja samagri/ natural owers etc. in prayers
Use only natural colours for painting idols
DOs DON’Ts
Violations of directions issued under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 are punishable under section 15 of the said
act, which include imprisonment upto 5 years and/orwith newhichmaybeextendedupto to ` 1 Lakhorwith both
Note:
Department of Environment, Government of N.C.T. of Delhi
f the said
th both
-Arvind KejriwalChief Minister of Delhi
DIP
/SH
AB
DA
RT
H/D
/00
58
/20
-21
NOTICE
The customers of Voltas AirConditioners, Air Coolers,Commercial RefrigerationProducts & Air Purifiers(Unitary Product BusinessGroup) are hereby notifiedthat we have surrendered anddiscontinued our old Toll freecustomer care/ helplinenumbers 18002664555 and18004254555. Customers arerequested to call us on newcustomer care / helplinenumbers 9650694555 and1860 5994555 for any productand service related query orcomplaint. The official websiteof the Company has beenupdated with the currentnumber/s. The Company willnot have any responsibility orliability for any query orcomplaint made on anyother number.
ON FRIDAY, Delhi recorded4,086 new coronavirus cases,thehighestsingle-dayspikein34 days, while the death tollrose to 6,189 with 26 newdeaths. Thepositivityratealsorose to 6.98%, after remaininglowfor the last fewweeks.Total cases in the city are
now at 3,48,404. A total of58,568testswereconducted-16,874 RT-PCR and 41,694rapidantigen tests - inaday.The previous highest sin-
gle-day spike — 4,071 —wasrecorded on September 19.Sincethen,freshcaseswerere-ported below the 4,000-markuntil Friday.The death rate, based on
the last 10 days, however,dropped below 1% and wasrecorded at 0.89% on Friday.With festivals around the cor-ner, experts havewarned of a
spike in the number of dailycases. The high-level expertcommittee formed by theHomeMinistry to assess theCovid-19situationinDelhiandsuggestwaystocontrolit, initsrecentreport totheDelhigov-ernment,hadsaidthecitymaysee 15,000 cases per daywiththechangeinweatherandup-coming festivals.HealthMinister Satyendar
Jainhadalsorequestedpeopletofollowsocialdistancingrulesand wear masks to ensurethereisnospike.“ThesituationinDelhihasimprovedoverthelast onemonth. I still requestpeopletofollowsocialdistanc-ing and wear masks and nottake the disease lightly, espe-cially during the festive sea-son,”hesaid.At themoment, there are
15,739 beds earmarked forCovidpatientsinthehospitals,ofwhich10,557arevacant. Ofthe 26,001 active cases in thecity, 15,483 are under homeisolation.
Daily Covid cases cross4k mark after a month
Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 15,737 10,501VENTILATORS 1,264 516
WITHPLANSafootforanewblockhaving 1,500 beds and state-of-the-art indoor facilities for pa-tients,theDelhigovernment-runLokNayakhospitalwill soonbeDelhi’sbiggestmedicalfacilityandoneof thelargestinthecountry.On Friday, Chief Minister
ArvindKejriwallaidthefounda-tionstoneforconstructionofthe25-storey block. “With the newstate-of-the-artblockhaving25floors, fullyair-conditionedwithmodularOTsandotherfacilities,the bed strength of the hospitalwillgrowto3,500.Anadditionalblock coming upwill have 300more beds. So, with a total of3,800 beds, the hospital will beoneofthebiggestfacilitiesinthecountry,”hesaid.Located inCentralDelhi, Lok
Nayak,nowaCovid-onlyfacility,
has 2,000 beds. The new blockwillbecompleted byApril2023.Now, AIIMS, with a capacity ofaround2,500beds, isthelargestmedicalfacilityinagovernmentsetup.Callingita“world-classfacil-
ity”,Kejriwalsaidthenew1,500-bed blockwill be built at a cost
of Rs 450 crore, with a per bedcost of Rs30 lakh. “This is lesserthansimilarprojectsdonebytheCentreoranystategovernment,wheretheaveragecostturnsouttobeRs1.25croretoRs1.5croreperbed.Wewillsavemoneyanduse it for thepublic,”hesaid.The new block will have a
medicalsection,maternityward,advanced paediatric depart-ment, advanced lab facility andan advanced molecular lab.“Todaymarksthebeginningofahealthcarerevolutioninthecity...With 25 floors and best health-careavailableunderoneroof,thiswillbeaninspirationtoall,”saidHealthMinisterSatyendar Jain.Expanding on the facilities,
Lok Nayakmedical director DrSuresh Kumar said, “Therewillbe two ICUs each for neonatal,paediatric, emergency and gy-necology.Wewill be setting uparesearchlabinthebuildinganda separate radiological and in-vestigation lab. It will also havea hi-tech advanced teachingroomwith audio-video facilityfor our MD and MS students.One floor of the building willhouse offices and restwill haveindoorwards.”Establishedin1936,thehos-
pital startedoffwith350beds.
ANANYATIWARINEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
DEMANDING THEIR pendingsalaries and a fixed paymentdateeverymonth,fivedoctorsofthe North-MCD runHindu RaoHospital began a hunger strikeat thepremisesFriday.Dr Siddhartth Taara (32), a
Diplomate of National Board(DNB)studentandoneamongthefive,said,“Wewanttwothings—oursalariesbepaid,andsincetheirregularpaymentof salarieshasalwaysbeenaproblem,adatebefixedwhen salarieswill be cred-ited everymonth.Wedon’t careabout the politics behind this.”Others on the hunger strike in-cludeDrManishChoudhary(25),
tors of Hindu Rao and KasturbaGandhi hospitals held a protest
at JantarMantar over non-pay-ment of salaries for over threemonths. Hindu Rao RDA presi-dent Abhimanyu Sardana said,“Wewantwritten assurance ofadatewhenwewill bepaid.”
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chiefAdesh Gupta and North MCDMayor JaiPrakashatapresscon-ferenceallegedtheDelhigovern-menthasn’tbeenreleasingfunds.“TheDelhi government had as-sured supportwhenHinduRaobecame a Covid hospital. TheyoweMCDsfundswortharoundRs13,000 crore. They owe NorthMCDRs2,090.52 crore andhavegiven only Rs 612.02 crore,”claimedGupta.Prakashadded, “Wewill take
tothestreetstofightforthisissue.”Reacting to theclaims, senior
SUBSIDIES AND incentives forbuying electric vehicles in thecity will be disbursed to appli-cantswithinthreedays.Theen-tire process will be online andvehicle dealerswill help buyerswith the paperwork and appli-cation process, Delhi transportministerKailashGahlothassaid.UndertheElectricVehiclepol-
icy,theDelhigovernmentwillgiveanincentiveofuptoRs30,000fortwo-wheelers,autos,e-rickshawsandgoods carriers,while a sub-sidyofuptoRs1.5lakhwillbepro-videdforpurchaseofelectriccars.Vehicles priced up to Rs 15
lakhwill be eligible for both thepurchase incentive and exemp-tion in road taxand registrationfee; vehicles priced aboveRs 15lakhwillnotget the incentives.The government has ap-
provedover 100Electric Vehiclemodelswhichwillbeeligible forsubsidy, and 36manufactureshave registeredwith it. The gov-
ernment has also registered 98dealerssofar.Theapprovedmod-els include 12 four-wheelers, 14two-wheelers, and 45makes ofe-rickshaws,amongothers.Gahlothaslaunchedtheweb-
siteev.delhi.gov.in,whichhasde-tails of the approved models,dealers,subsidydisbursalprocessas well as the network of 70chargingstationsacrossthecity.TheDelhigovernmentpassed
the EV Policy in August and hassincewaived road tax and regis-trationfee for thesevehicles. It is
part of the state’s long-termac-tionplantoreduceairpollution.“We have ensured that the
buyer is well-informed abouttheprogressandstatusofher/hisclaimapplication—theywouldbe getting information throughregularSMSupdates.Thetrans-portdepartment toowillhaveadashboard to track howmanyapplicationshavebeenreceivedand howmany are pending forapproval.Realtimetrackingshallbe facilitated,”Gahlot.Jasmine Shah, vice chairper-
sonofDialogueandDevelopmentCommission, saidDelhi has thelowest EVhigh tension chargingrates. "EVtariff chargesareRs4.5perunit for lowtensionandRs5perunitforhightensioncharging(plus charges depending on thefacility)...wehavethebestcharg-ingfacilities,”hesaid.The subsidywill be applica-
ble from August 7, 2020. Roadtaxand registration feeexemp-tions will be applicable fromOctober10and15,whenthere-spective notifications were is-sued,Gahlot said.
CMArvindKejriwalwithHealthministerSatyendar Jain (L)andMLAShoaib Iqbalat the foundationstone layingceremonyatLokNayakhospitalonFriday. PremNathPandey
Customer buys the EV andgives all details necessary(sales invoice, Aadhaar, acopyofcancelledcheque)tothe EVdealer to get the in-centive.EVdealerswillloginto ev.delhi.gov.in and fileclaims. The entire approvaland disbursement processisonline,paperlessandwillbecompletedwithin3days.
The process
Takedecisiononbanningfirecrackers:HCtogovtNewDelhi: TheDelhiHighCourt on Friday directedtheDelhigovernmentandthe Central PollutionControl Board (CPCB) totreat a petition seekingfreshordersattheearliestregarding putting a strictban on bursting of fire-crackers and effigies, as arepresentationandtakeadecision in accordancewith the law and the di-rections passed by theSupremeCourt.
AffluentcoloniesseekregularisationNewDelhi:TheDelhiHighCourt Friday issued a no-ticeinapetitionchalleng-ingthedecisiontoexcludecolonies such as SainikFarms and Sainik FarmsWesternAvenuefromreg-ularisation under theNational Capital Territoryof Delhi (Recognition ofProperty Rights ofResidentsinUnauthorisedColonies) Act, 2019 andthe regulations framedunder the law. The peti-tion filedby the residentscontends that they havebeen arbitrarily and ille-gally denied the benefitsby identifying them asAffluent UnauthorisedColonies.
Studentjumpsfrom9thfloor,diesNoida:A college studentcommitted suicide al-legedlyafteranargumentwith her parents. Policesaid the victim jumpedfromthe9thfloorofares-identialsocietyinGreaterNoida. ENS
BRIEFLY
* ( READ. ENGAGE. DELIVER.) IS THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS TEAM OF THE INDIAN EXPRESS GROUP
Noida TheEconomicNerveCentreofUPTheEconomicNerveCentreofUPNoidaAn initiative by *ADVERTORIAL
Noida and Greater Noida are thenext economic growth centres
The upcoming Jewar International Airport and Film City willcertainly have a major economic multiplier effect on the local economy,
especially with regard to luxury real estate, commercialreal estate and residential real estate markets
IF the claim that “all roads lead toRome” was the key indicator ofRome’s economic greatness in ancient
times, a modern city's equivalent claimwould have to be “all airlines land here.”Just as in the past shipping, railway andthen highway systems have played vitalroles in determining a city's economicpower, air transportation systems do soin the future for cities, regions and coun-tries. To become an international hub, acity must first have an international air-port, the right geographic location and ahighly developed infrastructure to han-dle passengers and freight. The cities ofNoida and Greater Noida fit this descrip-tion very well, as the upcoming Jewar In-ternational Airport on Yamuna Express-way give both the cities every possibilityto become well-known economic nervecentres in the future.
The upcoming Jewar International Air-port on the Yamuna Expressway haspaved way for the requirement of infra-structure facilities like housing com-plexes, shopping centres, residential andbusiness centres, hospitals and hotels.This demand is soon going to witness ahuge surge in near future as the date ofopening of the Airport approaches near.The phase 1 of the airport is slated to becompleted by 2024.
It is often seen that development of anairport in an area often leads to the de-velopment of that particular area or re-gion.This certainly rings true with the UPGovernment’s recent initiative for theNoida region. The Uttar Pradesh govern-ment has recently announced the con-struction of a 1,000-acre film city inNoida, along the Yamuna Expressway.
With this, the city moves ahead to be de-veloped as the biggest entertainmenthub in North India. Once completed,“theproject is expected to not only revive thecity’s fortune but also facilitate real es-tate growth in terms of price and demandappreciation.”
A lot of developers have already ac-quired land near the upcoming airport,and the announcement of the Film City isfurther going to boost the demand forland in the region. As opined by industryexperts, “the city will emerge as one ofthe most robust markets for luxury realestate in the coming years as people fromthe entertainment industry would wantto look for projects that can meet theirstandards and requirements.The demandfor commercial real estate will also riseas several production houses will lookforward to opening their satellite officesin the city.”
There’s no doubt then the cities ofNoida and Greater Noida will be the nexteconomic nerve centres of North India.Blessed with good connectivity and itsproximity to the twin cities, the YamunaExpressway is now truly open for greatinvestment opportunities for real estatedevelopers and other stakeholders, giventhe recent developments.
MANY DEVELOPERSHAVE ALREADYACQUIRED LAND NEARTHE UPCOMINGAIRPORT,AND THEANNOUNCEMENT OFTHE FILM CITY ISFURTHER GOING TOBOOST THE DEMANDFOR LAND IN THEREGION
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
ACONSTABLEwasallegedlykid-napped and beaten up by thedriver of a private bus and itsstaffers after he stopped themnearKashmereGateWednesdaynight. Police have detained thebus owner and his son in con-nectionwith thecase.Constable Sachin, posted at
Kashmere Gate police station,wasonpatroldutywhenhespot-ted a bus and heard a womanscreamingfrominsidearound11pm.DCP(North)AntoAlphonsesaid: “He rushed to the bus andaskedthedrivertostop.Twostaffmemberssteppedoutandbeganarguingwithhim.Sachintoldushe suspected something and
boardedthebustocheck,buttheattendantsanddriverheldhim.”Police said the attendants
beat up Sachin, drovewith himto UP’s Firozabad and dumpedhim there. They took away hisphones,e-beatbook,servicepis-tol and wallet, said police.Passengersinthebusreportedlyobjected but the driver andstaffers threatenedthem.A case has been filed under
“They got him down nearMathura, tore his uniform anddragged him by his feet… andthrew him from the bus inMakhanpur, Firozabad,” said thecomplainant.SachinwasbroughttoDelhiandadmittedtoahospital.During investigation, police
foundthebuswasoperatedbyamancalledRajeevChaurasiaandhissonAnkit.ThebuswastracedtoMadhyaPradesh’sBhind.Araidwas conducted at Chaurasia’shouseinBhindandheandhissonweredetained.Policehaverecov-eredtheservicepistolande-beatbookfromtheirhouse.A senior officer said, “Ankit
was in thebus.Hewas speakingto his father over the phone onwhere to take the vehicle.”Investigation is on to look forAnkit’sassociates,policesaid.
How do you see the upcoming film city and theJewar InternationalAirport changing the face ofYamuna Expressway?What kind of changes thebuyers and investors should expect in this re-gion?
The upcoming Film City and InternationalAirport at Je-war would be huge drivers of growth not just for areasaround Yamuna Expressway, but their positive impactwould be felt strongly in the entire Noida, GNIDA &YEIDA region.Since the announcement and finalizationof the Zurich InternationalAG as Master Developer for Je-war Airport.the region is witnessing an increase in de-mand in all sectors, especially in sectors like industry,real estate,commercial and hospitality.With the airport,projects like MRO/ Cargo complex and aerotropolis arealso likely to come up.Similarly, the film city is likely to at-tract production houses and editing studios in the re-gion.Various industrial parks like MSME Park,ApparelPark, Handicraft Park andToy Park are also proposed inthe region.These parks alone are expected to bring in-vestment worth Rs 40,000 crores and employment ofaround 2.5-3.0 Lakh.
You have set the target to complete the filmcity project in three years, but the experiencesays acquisition of land is the biggest hurdle.How you will ensure the smooth execution ofthis project with regards to the land acquisi-tion process?
There is not much requirement of additional land ac-quisition for Film City,as more than 500 acres land is al-ready purchased byYEIDA,and is in process of acquiringadditional balance land, which the farmers are sellingto theAuthority readily as the market price of the land inthe region is less than the rates fixed by theAuthority.
Developers are facing unreasonable interestrates from the authorities (Noida and GreaterNoida) that make it somehow unviable forthem.The SC has also passed the judgement inthis regard giving relief to developers. Haveyou implemented this order? Do you have anyplans to pass the penal interest benefit tohomebuyers as well?
It may not be correct to state that developers are cur-rently facing unreasonable interest rates fromAuthorities(Noida/Greater Noida). Based on discussions withNoida, GNIDA &YEIDA, decision has been taken by the
State Government to reduce the rate of interest in syncwith prevailing standard MCLR Rates+1% (administra-tive expenditure) rounded off to the nearest 0.5%.If it iscompared with average lending rates by theBanks, it would be rare to find any bank (pri-vate/govt.) to offer such low rate of interest to de-velopers.The rate of interest charged by Banks is al-ways higher than MCLR, generally it's close toMCLR +2%/+3%.In reference to the orders of theHon'ble Supreme Court, theAuthorities are study-ing the order and appropriate steps are beingtaken for their implementation.
What is the progress on the zero-periodpolicy as announced by the state govern-ment in February 2020?What are its directbenefits to developers?
Applications for Zero period andTime extensionhave already been decided byAuthorities.Nearly 35large builders have taken advantage of the policy in
NOIDA/GNOIDA region and has positively impacted1,00,000+ houses/flats. The primary intention of thispolicy was to give benefit to the home buyers.
As an authority,how are you addressing sev-eral bottlenecks faced by real estate developerstoday, ranging from the issues of reduction ofinterest on project loans,waivers of interest onland cost dues if civic amenities are delayed,fi-nancial dues de-linked from occupancy certifi-cate issuance, the postponement of financialdues on housing projects, a waiver in stampduty for one year, and to the reduction of pre-vailing impractical circle rates (property costat which flats or plots are sold) to boost sales,among many others.
I would firstly like to point out that one of the main rea-sons why the real estate sector has seen bottlenecks inthis region was that many builders, in the past, hadtaken up projects beyond their overall financial capacityand hence couldn't deliver the projects on time. How-ever, the Authorities have given multiple incentives toaddress the lagging real estate sector in the region.Sev-eral initiatives have been taken such as interest rateshave been reduced, builders have been allowed to payland dues in easy installments, penal interest has beenwaived off till possession in Yamuna authority, OC isgranted on the basis of land payments already madeand accordingly proportionate partial completions arebeing issued.Circle rates have not been revised in the last3-4 years in the District.
How far has the NBCC been successful in itswork to revive the Real Estate sector in Noidaand Greater Noida?
Regarding insolvency case of Jaypee Infratech, thecase is in final stage of hearing at Hon'ble SupremeCourt and we expect a verdict/ direction very soon forspeedy completion of delayed Housing Projects. NCLThas already approved the Resolution Plan submitted byConsortium Participants and NBCC.There is no doubtthat the involvement of NBCC in the stalled projects hasbrought a new positivity into the entire regional real es-tate sector.
What are the various projects in Noida andGreater Noida which is currently under NBCC?By when can buyers associated with thesestalled projects expect the possession of theirproperties?
There are 19 projects (Amrapali) with NBCC. All ofthese projects are in various stages of completion.NBCChas stated that they would require from 9 to 36 monthsto finish construction. Work on some projects has al-ready started,and by the end of October 2020,work is ex-pected to start in all 19 projects. In total 43,518 flats areto be handed over to buyers.NBCC has started handingover keys to buyers since July 2020 and till the end ofSeptember,has handed over 463 flats.
Finally, how is the work progressing on theJewar InternationalAirport?
The ConcessionAgreement of InternationalAirport,Je-war has been signed on 7th of October 2020.All NOCsand Clearances have already been obtained, and pro-ject is set to take off. It will take 3 years to get the airportoperational.
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NoidaTheEconomicNerveCentreofUPTheEconomicNerveCentreofUPNoidaBuilding a city with world-class infrastructure
Speaking on the recent developmentsin Noida and Greater Noida regions,Alok Tandon, IIDC, Governmentof UP, Chairman, NOIDA;Chairman, YEIDA; Chairman,Greater Noida; and Chairman,PICUP Lucknow, says, “Theupcoming Film City andInternational Airport at Jewarwould be huge economic growthdrivers not just for areas aroundYamuna Expressway, but theirpositive impact would also be feltstrongly in the entire Noida, GNIDA& YEIDA region. The region iscurrently witnessing a surge indemand for sectors such as realestate, commercial and hospitality.Similarly, the Film City is likely toattract production houses andediting studios in the region.”
I WOULD like to congratulate the Noida Au-thority for the recent signing of the conces-sion agreement with the Swiss firm for theupcoming Jewar International Airport. I’msure this new world class airport and the up-coming film city will bring in a greater eco-nomic prosperity in the Noida and GreaterNoida region, as well as provide a great im-petus to the other industries in the region. Intimes to come, I’m sure the Noida andGreater Noida region will attract new invest-ments, especially around the Yamuna Ex-pressway.We believe that this massive-scaledevelopment will surely boost employmentgeneration, infrastructure development in theregion and also encourage entrepreneurs tosource locally to help India become interna-tional manufacturing hub and contribute tothe Atamnirbhar India vision.Mahesh Gupta, Chairman Kent RO
NOIDA real estate is going through a newphase where the development is lead bythe apt infrastructural support. Be it the
widening of NH 24 or Jewar Airport or the an-nouncement of Film City; these developmentsare ensuring that Noida keeps on scoring highon the novelty factor.
After JewarAirport, the announcement of theFilm City was the most significant one that willhelp real estate reap rich dividends not only forthe Yamuna Expressway but for the projectsfalling within 30-35 km periphery. Commercialand high-end residential segment will benefitthe most.Recently,Noida has started attractingHNIs,and with this development, the flow of su-per-rich people will increase.
The demand of plotted developments, espe-cially after COVID-19, is increasing due to the in-herent nature of these developments to help theowners follow the new norms of living thatkicked-in recently. If developed by reputed de-velopers, these colonies offer the best of ameni-ties apart from the usual flexibility that suchabodes offer.The potential of good returns in ar-eas that are witnessing infrastructural develop-ments is also making the buyers lap up the op-portunities. We have Gaur Yamuna City, anintegrated township spread over 250 acres, ontheYamuna Expressway that offers plots,apart-ments, retail shops, studio apartments, themedvillas, and a lot more.We have four plotted de-velopment projects here out of which two – 2ndParkView and 32nd Parkview -- have been com-pleted,and two–KrishnVillas andVictorianVillas6th Parkview -- are getting tremendous re-sponse.The scope of plotted developments hereis enormousas theareahasa well-plannedhigh-way with flyovers and a proposed metro that will
further enhance the connectivity.Improvement in connectivity has always lead
to real estate development of a region, and thesame is happening to Noida real estate.A fewyears back, Yamuna Expressway was the onlynews for the areas falling in the vicinity,and nowthe airport will change the whole scenario onceagain.All the infrastructural development tak-ing place in and around Noida is going to helpevery segment of real estate, including commer-cial projects like malls,shopping centres, restau-rants, office spaces etc. In the last couple ofyears,several group housing societies have beendelivered in Greater Noida including those inGaur City as well as in neighbouring CrossingRepublik.Wefeel the regionneedsworld-class re-tail and commercial projects like Gaur City Malland GaurWorld Street.The scope of commercialdevelopments, too, is tremendous in Noida.
Reaping rich dividendsADVERTORIAL
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New Delhi
ASHNABUTANINEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
LIKEEVERYyear,ateamofcookspreparebhog inafirepitinatem-porary shed behind the KaliMandirinChittaranjanParkdur-ing Durga Puja. But for the firsttime,thisyear,bhog isnotservedtothousandsofpeopleseatedin-side the pandal, but personallydelivered by e-rickshaws— thedesignated ‘bhogdeliveryvans’.On Saptami morning, the
aromaofpulaoandshahipaneerfilled up the shed. Cook SushantDev Sharma (41), who heads ateamofsix,saidthepreparationsare the same as every year. “Butthistime,it isnotdirectlyserved.Wesenditaroomwherethebhogis firstpacked,”hesaid.Threeworkers, whowaited
outside the shedwith trolleys,carried the cookeddishes to theVivekanandaCentenary Library,inside the temple premises,wherethefoodisthenpackedinmetal tiffin containers having
separate compartments for pu-lao, paneer, kheer, dal, and chut-ney.Thepackingstartedat8am.Sreebash Bhattacharjee,
Secretary, Kali Mandir Society,said, “Sincewe are not allowingpeopletoenterthepremises,wedecidedtosendthebhog totheirhomes. People register on ourwebsiteandgiveustheiraddresssothatwecangetthemdelivered.Today, thereare850deliveries.”
Thecostofbhoghasalsogoneup—fromRs1,200lastyeartoRs1,500now.Bhattacharjee attrib-utedthistocostofthetiffinboxes.Thesocietyhaspurchased2,000tiffin boxes from a company inMumbai.Around30e-rickshawswere
linedup inside themandir, eachwithacapacitytocarry25tiffins.Organisers said thatmost of
thedeliveriesaretonearbyareas.
However,somepeople,whostayfaraway,willcomeandpickitupfromanearbymarketplace.Prasad (52), an e-rickshaw
driver,saidhedidmanydeliveriesonSashtitoo.“Aboywithalistofnames and addresses accompa-niesme...Yesterday,wedeliveredaround 20 and came backwithfour since nobody opened thedoorinafewhouses,”hesaid.Meanwhile, at the temple
gates,manywhohoped toenterandhavethebhoginsidelikebe-fore,wereleftdisappointed.Jayanti Ganguli (72), who
came from Patparganj, said,“Nobody informed us that thetemple gates are shut. I did notknowaboutthebhogregistrationeither. This is the first time inyearsthatIwillnotbeabletopraytotheGoddess...”However, RumiMitra (48), a
resident of CR Park received thebhogwithasmile.Shesaid,“Covidsituationhasgivenusallareasonto introspect andworship fromhome.MaybeMaawantedus tocelebratethiswayforachange.”
RITIKACHOPRA&ARANYASHANKARNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
DU Vice-Chancellor YogeshTyagi’spositionintheinstitutionhas becomeuntenable after theugly power tussle betweenhimand the Pro-Vice-Chancellorplayedoutpubliclythisweek.TheMinistryofEducation,TheIndianExpresshas learnt, is keenontheV-C’s ouster and is consideringseveral options— froma forcedleave to seeking his resignation(informally) and, in theworst-case scenario, even invoking theGeneralClausesActtofirehim.The General Clauses Act,
1987,canbeinvokedtoremoveacentraluniversityV-C if thevar-sityActdoesnothaveaprovisionfor removing the institution’shead. Section 16 empowers theappointing authority — underany central Act or regulation—to “suspendor dismiss anyper-sonappointed”.Thegovernmenthad fired former Visva-BharatiV-CSushantaDattaguptain2016underthisprovision.Tyagicouldnotbe reached forcomment.The ministry, sources said,
hasmadeattemptsinthepasttobuildacase forTyagi’s removal.Among the occasionswhen
this was informally discussedwas when he did not heed re-peated reminders for filling upfaculty posts lying vacant foryears, and his handling of lastyear’steachers’protestoverreap-pointment of ad hoc teachers.Thegovernmenthadintervenedtoresolvethecrisis. “All theV-Chad to dowas to clarify that theclarified adhoc faculty can con-tinueteachingtillpermanentap-pointmentsaremade.Butitwas-n’t done till theministry forcedhimto,”saidaministrysource.“His termismarkedby inac-
tion.It’schallengingtofindirreg-ularities when you’ve hardlydoneanyworkintheoffice,”saidaformerministryofficeroncon-dition of anonymity. The highdrama this week has given the
government a firm ground forhis dismissal. “Given his healthcondition,wehadbeenignoringa lot of things, but what hap-penedthisweekwasembarrass-ing,” theministrysourceadded.TyagiWednesday had gone
headtoheadwithProV-CPCJoshiover appointing anewRegistrar.OnThursday, thegovernmentis-sued a strongly-worded ordersnubbingTyagi,declaringhiscon-tentious appointments to theRegistrar’spostasinvalid.Notbackingdown,PCJha,ap-
pointedregistrarbyTyagi,wroteto the Ministry. Citing theMinistry’sletterThursday,hesaid,“TheletterhasbeenaddressedtoShri Vikas Gupta as Registrar,UniversityofDelhi...ItisinformedthatProfessorPCJha, inadditiontohis responsibilitiesasDirectorSouth Campus, is acting asRegistrar,UniversityofDelhiasaninterimarrangement.”He also said Dr Geeta Bhatt
wasappointedProV-CinplaceofProf PC Joshi and that Tyagi hadtakenthedecisionsin“duecom-pliancewiththeAct,StatutesandOrdinancesofDelhiUniversity”.Tyagihasbeenonleavesince
hewasadmittedtoAIIMSonJuly
2 under “emergency medicalcondition”.Thegovernmenthadgiven JoshichargeofV-ConJuly17until Tyagi resumedoffice.There has been complete
communicationbreakdownbe-tween the V-C and governmentsince the drama erupted thisweek, said sources. Tyagi’s termends in fivemonths. “A searchcommittee is formed to suggestnames for the next DUV-C, andtheExecutiveCouncilgetstopickatleastsomeofthemembers... ItbecomesimportantwhoisintheEC,” said an Academic Councilmember. TheRegistrar is the ECsecretary.Teachers across political
groups, despite their allegiance,agree that “inaction” is whatcharacterisesTyagi’s tenure.A K Bhagi, fromRSS-backed
National Democratic Teachers’Front said, “Not just promotionsandappointments but therehasbeennoacademicgrowtheither.Administrativepostswereeitherleftvacantorthesamepersonwasappointedonmultipleposts.”“Hemay be on official leave
but for all practical purposes, hehasbeenonleavesincethebegin-ning,”saidECmemberRajeshJha.
GRANTSBAIL
SOFIAHSANNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
THEDELHIHighCourtonFridaygrantedbail toanaccusedinthecase registered by Delhi Policefor "larger conspiracy" behindthe Northeast Delhi violence,sayingtheinvestigatingagency'sownrecordagainsthimdoesnotdisclose the commission of of-fences under the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention)Act.Accused Faizan Khan, a SIM
card provider, is the first to getbailonmeritsinthematterafterstringentprovisionsof the anti-terror lawwereaddedtotheFIRunder investigation of DelhiPolice's SpecialCell.He is accused of providing a
SIM card on a fake ID to co-ac-cused and JamiaMillia IslamiastudentAsif IqbalTanhaandac-tivating it. The SIM cardwas al-legedly used by JamiaCoordination Committee, agroupwhich the police say or-ganised theprotests against theenactment of Citizenship(AmendmentAct), 2019.Observing that there is also
noallegationthatheengagedinanyformofterrorfundingoranysuch activity, Justice SureshKumarKait in theordersaid it isnot alleged that hewas privy toor part of organising protestsagainst theCAA. The caseof theinvestigating agency is that theSIMcardwasprovidedontheal-lurement of extra money, the
court said.However,itaddedthatforin-
voking the provisions of UAPAagainstKhan,it isthedutyof theinvestigatingagencytoshowhehad"actualknowledge"thattheSIM cardwould be used for or-ganising theprotests.Thecourtalsosaidtherewas
no proof such as CCTV footage,videoorKhan'schatswithanyofthe groups and the only allega-tionisthatheprovidedaSIMonfake ID in December 2019against a "small amount" of Rs200.“Itwasimperativeforthein-
vestigation agency to demon-stratethatthepetitionerhad'ac-tive knowledge' about theutilisationof thesaidSIMcard.Itisnotallegedthatthepetitionerwas party to any such conspir-acy to organise protests,” the
court said further.Police filed a chargesheet in
the case last month against 15accused for "larger conspiracy"behind theNortheastDelhivio-lence. Formermunicipal coun-cillor TahirHussain, former JNUstudent Umar Khalid, PinjraTod's Devangana Kalita andNatashaNarwalandTanhahavealso been arrested in the case,amongothers.Student activist Safoora
Zargar is the only one to havebeengrantedbail inthecasebutonhumanitariangrounds.Threeother accused have also beengrantedbail in the case, prior tothe invocationofUAPA.Additional Solicitor General
S V Raju had earlier argued be-fore the court that Khan had"deliberately" issued the SIMcardandwas"wellawareabout
Khurshid, who representedKhan,hadarguedtheUAPApro-visions have beenwrongly in-vokedagainst theaccused.JusticeKait said the transac-
tionrelatingtotheSIMcardhadallegedly taken place inDecember2019whereasthevi-olenceeruptedaroundFebruary23-24in2020.“Thereisnoprox-imatenexusbetweentheafore-saidallegedincidentsnorisital-leged that the SIM card wasprovided,onthepretextorwiththe intention/objective, to beutilised for organising protests,etc," the court said, adding theinvestigatingagency'scaseisnotthat he was part of anyWhatsApp groups whichwereallegedlyusedtocoordinatetheprotests.While granting bail to Khan,
the court also took note that hehad fully cooperated with theprobe.JusticeKaitsaidthe"oner-ous conditions/embargo undersection 43D (5) of the UAPA,1967" will not be applicable inthe case against Khan as the in-vestigating agency's status re-port did not disclose the com-missionofoffencesunderUAPA,1967. Section 43D (5) of theUAPAstatesthatanaccusedshallnot be released on bail if thecourtisoftheopinionthat"thereare reasonable grounds for be-lieving the accusation againstsuchpersonisprimafacietrue".
TheaccusedallegedlyprovidedaSIM cardonafake ID
No offence under UAPAmadeout against riot accused: HCAccusedfirst togetbailonmeritsafteranti-terror lawaddedtoFIR
ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI, OCTOBER23
A DELHI court while directingTihar Jail authorities to ensureformer JNU student UmarKhalid isallowedadequatetimeoutofhis jailcell, followingalle-gationsthathewaskept insoli-tary confinement, observedthat the reply filed by authori-ties on Khalid's prison condi-tionswas “bizarre”.Additional Sessions Judge
Amitabh Rawat made the ob-servationswhilegoingthroughthe reply filed by jail superin-tendentAvadeshwarKant,whowas summoned to explainKhalid's allegations. Khalidclaimed he was not allowedoutside his jail cell and on oneoccasion, he was allowed out-side for 10minutes.Furthermore, the court also
extended Khalid and JNU stu-dent Sharjeel Imam's judicialcustodytillNovember20. Imamand Khalid's lawyers told thecourt that the application forextension of judicial custodyhad identical portions liftedfrom previous police custodyapplications, carrying even"samespellingmistakes". Theysubmittedthatpolicewasmov-ing applications "without anynew grounds or application oftheirmind".In their three-page reply,
Tihar authorities stated Khalidhad been provided facility for
legal interviews, phone callwith his parents, books fromthe jail library and outside,clothes,headphonestobeusedduringlegal interview,anddailynewspapers.However, one reply which
caught the court's attentionread, “The cell where the in-mate is being kept is located atsuch a place fromwheremorethan half of the ward move-ment is visible.”ASJ Rawat told Kant, “...I am
quite amazed by para number6.What is thepurposeof this?...It's a very strange and bizarrething to say.” Kant replied,“From inside, he (Khalid) canalso see others so that hedoes-n't get bored.He can seeotherswalking around.”Khalid's lawyerTrideepPais
also told the court, “Is he a zooanimal ondisplay? That otherscanseehimandhecanseeoth-erswhenhe is lockedup?Whythis discrimination?”
“He (jail superintendent)has literally kept the man im-prisoned for 30 hours. What isthe period for which he waskept inside his cell, has he clar-ified that?”Kant said Khalid was al-
lowedtoleavehiscell fromsun-rise till 12 pm and then from 3pmtill sunset.When the court asked
Khalid if this was true, he said,“After I brought it to the court'snotice, things have got better. Ihavebeenallowedoutside.Thejail superintendent is right thathe came to meet me himself(and) tookmeout... beforethat,therewere long periodswhereI was not allowed outside mycell. Itwas left to thediscretionof theparticularpersononduty.Iwouldnegotiate forhoursandI (the cell) would be open forhalf-an-hour.”The court, while agreeing
that jail authorities may havedone this keeping in mind hissafety and security, asked Kantabout the order which re-stricted Khalid inside his jailcell.Kantsaid itwasan internalorderbyanadditional superin-tendent to ensure Khalid'ssafety.During the hearing, Imam’s
lawyer Surabhi Dhar also sub-mittedthat jailauthoritieswerenot responding to her requestsfor legal interviews in a timelymanner, following which thecourt askedher to file anappli-cation.
Court directs Tihar to ensureKhalid allowed time outside cell
NewDelhi:DelhiHighCourt hasstayedthestategovernment’sor-derto12DelhiUniversitycollegestopay staff salaries staffers fromtheStudentsSocietyFund.These 12 colleges are fully
fundedbytheDelhigovernmentandstaffmembershavenotbeenpaid for severalmonths. JusticeNavin Chawla passed the orderon a plea by Delhi UniversityStudents Union (DUSU)whichsaidfundsmeantforstudentscanonlybeusedforstudentwelfare.“The State government
should paymoney from its ownpocket,ratherthanfromstudents’funds," JusticeChawlaobserved,placingastayontheoperationoftheOctober16order.The12collegeshavebeenun-
able to pay salaries to their staffand have attributed this to thegovernmentnotreleasingrequi-sitefunds.Thegovernment,how-ever, began a special audit in sixcolleges and accused them ofmisappropriating funds, statingthe colleges have funds in theirstudentsocietyaccountsandthatitshouldbeusedtopaysalaries.On October 16, the govern-
Amid power tussle in DU, EducationMinistry considers removing V-C
New Delhi
DIPANKARGHOSEPHULWARISHARIF,OCTOBER23
“LOOK,”SHEsaysangrily.MamtaDevi’srightarmisoutstretched,herfingersballedintoafist. Just above the twobanglesonherwristaretwobruises—leftbyherdrunkhusbandas she came between him and their twoyoungchildren.“Showthesewoundstoany-onewhoclaimsthereisprohibitioninBihar,"says the32-year-old.Over 15 years and three electoral victo-
ries, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hascountedonwomenvoters,whohave stoodbyhim forhis schemes, including cycles forgirl students, the expansionofwomenself-help groups under the Jeevika programme,reservationof50%ofseatsforwomenatthepanchayat level, and of course, the prohibi-tion law, introduced inApril 2016.Come2020,thissupportisshowingsigns
of fracture,undertheblowsofaparallelalco-hol economyandtheeconomicdistress leftby the lockdown.MamtaDevi’s opinionof her husband is
unequivocal: “He isauselessdrunk...He isadaily wage earner but did very little workevenearlier.” Thehouse runson themoneyshemakes selling onions and garlic at theMithapurmandi, aroundRs100aday.Outof that,herhusbandspendssomeon
hisdailydrink.“Despiteprohibition,alcoholis available everywhere.When I tell him tostop, he beatsme,”Mamta says. “Alcohol issold not just in shops now.What sold forRs 20 sells for Rs 50... themiddlemen haveboughtcars.Aurabtohhomedeliveryhotahai(Nowliquor isevensuppliedathome).”
She and the three other women sittingwithherattheDalitbasti inParsabazaar,onthe outskirts of Patna, say they voted forNitishin2015.ShyamRajak,theJD(U)candi-datewhowon from the Phulwari reservedseat underwhich their basti falls, has sincecrossedover to theRJD.Rekha Devi, a mother of four, says her
husbandusedtoearnRs400adaytakinguphousepainting jobs before the lockdown—workingforabouthalf themonth,spendingthe rest of the days passed out. For sixmonths, fromMarch to August, he had nowork.Now,theyarefacing“bhukhmari(star-vation)”,Rekhasays, as theothersnod.Fumingatthegovernmentfor“killingthe
poor with the lockdown”, Rekha adds, “Iwent begging butwasmostly turned away.Thechildrenslepthungrymanynights.”Herbiggestworry is amarriageabledaughter.Anita Devi, who has two daughters, 11
and 10, tears up recalling the lockdown.“Whenthereisnomoneyinthehouse,sabsezyaadadardmaankohotahai(amotherfeelsthemostpain). Iwould feedthemonetime,thenextmeal theywouldsleephungry.”The33-year-oldsaystheygotnosupport
bar 5 kg of ration, asking how is it enough.
Herchildren’sschoolinNathupurdidn’tgiverationeitherinlieuofmid-daymeals,thoughanordertothiseffectwasissuedinJuly,Anitasays. “Kuchchnahinmila (Wedidn'tgetany-thing).Everythingiseatenupbymiddlemen.This government has stoppedworking forthepoor.”Butts in Rekha, “Lalu ke samaymein ga-
reeb ka izzat toh hota tha (In Lalu's time, atleast there was respect for the poor).” Shesays everything is “private” now, there arethreatstocutoff theirelectricitysupplyovernon-paymentof bills,while apromiseof 3-decimalplotsforthelandlesswasneverkept.Dina Kumari says she has not been able
to even access her PDS supply as someoneelsehasbeenpickingupthequotaonherra-tion card, though it is linked toherAadhaarnumber.“Iwenttomeetblock-levelofficialsbut they toldme they couldn’t do anythingjustnowaselectionswereon.”Oneof thepeopleDina reachedout to is
Pratima Kumari Paswan, who has beenworkingintheareaonwomenandchildren'srights formany years and is fighting as anIndependent from Phulwari. Paswan sayssheknowsshehasslimchancesofwinning,butcontestingwasimportant.“Onlywomenunderstandthepainofwomenandchildren,their issues like security and self-depend-ence.Thelockdownhasmadethingsworse.Achilddoesn’t ask the father for food.”Which is why Mamta Devi has taken
matters intoherownhands.Shetookaloanrecently at 10% interest per month — shewon’t say howmuch— to ensure that herchildren can continue their tuitions. “I willgohungry,willtakeloans,sellmyjewellery,”shesays. “So that theycanstudy.”
LJP chief @iChirag Paswan tweeted: “Like a truecompanion, Narendra Modi came to Bihar and paidtribute to my father. That he was by Papa’s side till the veryend, makes me emotional. As a son, it felt nice to see thePM’s affection towards Papa. Thank you.” He also tweetedabout implementing same-work-equal-pay under his#BiharFirstBihariFirst scheme.12.9KLIKES,1.3KRETWEETSIN8HOURS
7.6KLIKES,1.5KRETWEETSIN9HOURS
Senior Congress leader @PChidambaram_IN tweeted: “After making fun of RJD’spromise of 10 lakh jobs, the NDA has promised to create 19 lakh jobs in Bihar. I didn’tknow 19 was a smaller number than 10. I think I should go back to primary school.”
● Didn’t know 19 is less than 10: Chidambaram on NDA job talk
HARIKISHANSHARMANEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
OVER THE past four Assembly elections inBihar,womenvotershaveseenasteadyrise.In 2015, they overtook theirmale counter-partsbyahugemargin,with60.48%ofthemturningouttovotecomparedto53.32%men.The turnoutamongwomenin2015was
thehighestinBihargoingasfarbackas1962.In termsof overall numbers though, the to-talmenvoters (1.9 crore)was slightlymorethanwomen (1.89 crore) in 2015. The over-all voter turnout thatyearwas56.66%.SinceJharkhandwascarvedoutin2000,
Bihar has seen Assembly elections inFebruary and October in 2005, 2010 and2015. In February 2005, an analysis of elec-tion data shows, the share of womenwhovoted stood at 42.51% (1.04 crore in all) —showingthat inthenext10years, therewasajumpofnearly20%.Incomparison,49.94%of themen(1.40crore) turnedout tovote in
February 2005, with the needle movingbarely4%forthemtill2015.Theoverallvoter
tion,AssemblypollswerenecessitatedagaininOctober2005.Despiteexpectedvoterex-haustion,morewomen turned out to vote,at44%(1.06crore), compared toearlier thatyear,while the figure formen fell.That election brought Nitish Kumar to
power. And it is since then that thewomenvoternumbershaveseenastrikingrise.The2010BiharAssemblypolls sawwomenvot-ersjumpmorethan10%to54.48%—surpass-ing themenat51.12%. In the2015electionsinwhich Nitish again formed government,thewomanvotersharecrossedthe60%markevenas themensawaslight2% increase.With the JD(U) leader taking several
measuresseenaspro-women,thetrendsus-tained into the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.While59.58%ofthewomenvoters(1.99croreinall)turnedout,55%(2.08crore)of themendid.Theoverall votingpercentage in the Lok
Once Nitish bastion, women ask toughquestions: govt distanced from poor
MANOJCGNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
INHISfirstrallyfortheBiharAssemblyelec-tions on Friday, former Congress presidentRahul Gandhi focused on PrimeMinisterNarendraModi and his government’s poli-cies.However, there is a concertedeffort bytheCongressthistimetoensuretheelectioninBihar remainsabout local issues.A large team of leaders from the high
commandisstationedinPatnamicromanag-ing thecampaignandcoordinatingwithal-liesRJDandtheLeftpartiesfrombehindthescenes—but that’s almost the extent of theDelhi connect.
Congress sources said the local leadersarenot evenkeenon toomanynames fromoutsidebarringRahulGandhiandtheparty’schief ministers coming for campaigning, toensurethatthefocusisnotdivertedfromlo-calissues.Thereisaclearinstructiontolead-ers specifically tonot raisedivisive issuesorreact to controversial or emotive topicsthrownupby theBJP.TheCongressappearstohavelearntales-
son from Jharkhand where the JMM andCongress ran a strictly localised campaignwhichbore results.Theparty’scampaigncommittee, forthe
70 seats it is contesting, is headed by AICCcommunication department in-chargeRandeep Surjewala, and includes its social
media head Rohan Gupta, nationalspokesperson Pawan Khera and leaderssuch as former AICC general secretaryMohan Prakash, former Union ministerSubodhKant Sahaywho belongs to the re-gionandCaptainAjayYadav fromHaryana,whose son is married to one of RJD leaderLaluPrasad’sdaughters.Besides, three-six observers have been
appointed per constituency, with a warroom in Patna taking updates round theclock and processing the requirements ofthe candidates.Acoordinationcommitteeof theallies is
in place which meets every day at 8 pm.FromtheCongress, themeeting isattendedby Mohan Prakash, Sahay or Ajay Yadav.
From the RJD, either Manoj Kumar Jha orShivanandTiwari ispresent.Theoverbearingpresenceofnamesfrom
outside has led to some disgruntlementamong party leaders in Bihar that they arebeing “sidelined”. However, on othermat-ters,theCongressiskeepinglocalsentimentsinmind. “Wearenotaskingoutside leadersto hold rallies. So far Raj Babbar has ad-dressed some rallies. Hewill address somemore. Shatrughan Sinha is a local favourite.Hewilladdressralliestoo,”ahighcommandleader toldThe IndianExpress.Chhattisgarh CMBhupesh Baghel is ar-
riving on Saturday andwill be addressingthreemeetings.“Wearelargelyrunningalocalcampaign.
So farwehavemanagednot to get draggedintoJinnahorPakistankindofcontroversies.We are ignoring controversial statementsmadebyBJPleadersandissuesthrownatus.Our candidatesaremoreparticular that thecampaignshouldbelocal…Wearenotplan-ninganypublicmeetingsbyoutsideleaders.Theywill come and address press confer-ences in Patna and leave,” another seniorleader said.In a reference to the “neech” remark by
Mani Shankar Aiyar regardingModi in themiddle of the Gujarat elections, which hadovertaken the discourse, a senior Congressleader said, “Some of our leaders are capa-ble of springing such surprises on us. Wehopeandpray that theydon’t.”
SANTOSHSINGHPATNA,OCTOBER23
THE POWER struggle has been settled, andthe brief claim of Lalu Prasad’s eldest child,Misa Bharti, to his political legacy has beenstampedout.AsbrotherTejashwiYadav,22years younger than her, is projected as thechief ministerial candidate of theMahagathbandhan,Misahasnotmuchof aroleotherthanasstarcampaigneroftheRJD.Having been nominated to the Rajya
Sabha,the44-year-oldhasreconciledtostick-ingtoDelhi, leavingthestage forTejashwi.Named by Lalu after the infamousMISA
(Maintenanceof InternalSecurityAct)underwhich hewas held during the Emergency,Misafirstcametoattentionwhenherfatherhad to step down following fodder scamchargesandRabriDevitookoverasCM.Withsons Tej Pratap and Tejashwi less than 10yearsoldatthetime,Rabriturnedtohereld-est forsupportandadvice.AnMBBS,thoughshehasneverpractised
medicine,Misa impressedwith her speak-ing skills.However, once thebrothers cameof age, the parentsmade their choice clear.Sources say it wasn’t just the question of
choosing sons over the daughter, one logicwas that there were five other daughterswhocould layaclaim.Still,Misa,marriedandamotherof two,
did fight back. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls,she wrung for herself a ticket from thePataliputraconstituency,thwartingLaluaideRamKripal Yadav. An angryRamKripal notjustcrossedovertotheBJPbutalsodefeatedMisafromPataliputrabyabout26,000votes.While Misa was sent by the RJD to the
Rajya Sabha in July 2016, in 2019 she againmanaged a ticket against RamKripal fromthesameseat.Sheagainlost. InJuly2017,theEnforcementDirectorateraidedthreeprem-ises inDelhiofMisaBhartiandherhusbandShaileshKumarinamoneylaunderingcase.When Tej and Tejashwiwere battling it
polls, inwhichhisadvisorsarekeepingevenLalu in the background,Misa is likely to bepushed further into the sidelines. RJDspokespersonMrityunjayTewarisaid:“MisaBharati has been one of our star campaign-ers.Asofnow,wehavenodetailsofhercam-paigning. Shemaycomeata later stage.”
RALLYING ONWITHHOMEMinisterAmitShah,usuallyoneof thetopelec-tion campaigners for BJP, not on the field, it seemsDefenceMinister Rajnath Singh has become one of the busiest cam-paignersforthepartyinBihar.Singhhasbeenaskedtospendmore time in the poll-bound state. As the BJP state unit de-mandedmoretimefromhim,Singhhadtorejighiscommit-mentstoaccomplishcampaignworkfortheparty.WhileShahis trying to amplify theparty’s communications throughhismediainterviews,FinanceMinisterNirmalaSitharaman,likeherpredecessor,wasassignedthetaskofreleasingtheparty'selectionmanifesto–in2015,ArunJaitleyhadreleasedBJP’svi-siondocumentinPatna.Partychief JPNaddaisalsoexpectedto touchevery regionof Biharwithhis rallies.
HIGH INTERESTTHE ELECTION Commission lastweek announced electionsto 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and one inUttarakhandwhich are falling vacant onNovember 25. TheBJPisexpectedtowinatleasteightof theseatsinUPgivenitsnumbers in the state Assembly. Curiously, there is some in-terest in theCongresson theBJP candidates' list. Thebuzz inCongress circles is that BJPmay field a leaderwho had quitthe Congress and joined it some time back. The BJP has al-readysent JyotiradityaScindia toRajyaSabha. It is tobeseenwhetheritwillgiveanotherformerCongressleaderaplaceintheUpperHouse.
STRANGER ALERTSINCEMANY keymeetings are taking place through video-conferencingthesedays,oneconcernhasbeenthatofsecrecyof information.Earlier thisweek,duringareviewmeetingofanimportantministry, itwasdiscoveredthatoneparticipantamong the officials present was, in fact, was not an insiderandhadnobusinessbeinginthatvideoconference.Correctivemeasureswere takenandapolicy-levelmessage sent out toensure that from now each participant in such should beplaced on recordwith designation and name, and inclusionwill onlybeonaneed-to-knowbasis.
MANOJCGNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
FACEBOOKINDIA’SPublicPolicyDirector Ankhi Daswas amongits representatives who ap-peared Friday beforeParliament’sJointCommitteeonthePersonalDataProtectionBill.It is learnt that the panel,
headed by Lok Sabha MPMeenakshi Lekhi, has givenFacebookIndiatwoweekstofur-nishwrittenreplies totheques-tionsposedby itsmembers.Meanwhile,e-commercegi-
antAmazonhasdeclined toap-pear before the committee onOctober 28, and the panel hastakenstrongexception to this.Amazon,Twitter,PayTMand
Lekhi saying “Amazon has re-fusedtoappearbeforethepanelon October 28 and if no one onbehalf of thee-commercecom-panyappearsbeforethepanel, itamountstobreachofprivilege.”Thepanel, shesaid, isunani-
mousinitsopinionthatcoerciveaction can be suggested to thegovernmentagainst thee-com-mercecompany.It is learnt that panelmem-
bersquestionedFacebook Indiarepresentativesonitsadvertise-mentmodel, how it targets au-diences, their earnings out ofIndia, the tax paid by them, thedatastoragemodelandtransferof data.In December 2019,
Parliament approved sendingthePersonalDataProtectionBillto the committee headed byLekhi.Commonlyreferredtoasthe
“privacy Bill”, it is intended toprotect individual rightsby reg-ulating the collection, move-ment, and processing of datathat is personal, or which can
identify the individual.The Bill gives the govern-
ment powers to authorise thetransfer of certain types of per-sonal data overseas, and hasgiven exceptions allowing gov-ernmentagenciestocollectper-sonaldataof citizens.Italsomakeswayforgovern-
ment-led technological solu-tions.Oneexampleisthepowergiventothecentralgovernmentto direct any entity to provide“non-personal” or anonymiseddata “to enable better targetingofdeliveryof servicesor formu-lation of evidence-based poli-cies”.It also requires companies
andsocialmediaintermediarieswhichare“significantdatafidu-ciaries” – based on factors suchasvolumeandsensitivityofdatahandledaswellastheirturnover–toenableusersinIndiato“vol-untarilyverifytheiraccounts”re-sulting in a “demonstrable andvisible mark of verification,whichshallbevisibletoallusersof theservice”.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
THECONSTRUCTIONof thenewParliament building will com-mencefromDecemberthisyearand is likely to be completed byOctober 2022, the Lok SabhaSecretariatsaidonFriday.The timeline regarding the
constructionof thebuildingwasdisclosedduringareviewmeet-ingchairedbyLokSabhaSpeakerOm Birla andwas attended byUnion Minister of State(Independent Charge) forHousing&UrbanAffairHardeepSinghPuriandseniorofficials.Itwasalso informedthat the
videmore functional spaces forparliamentary events, to ensureits usage along with the newbuilding”.“During the meeting, Shri
Birlawasinformedthatthecon-structionofthenewBuildingwillcommence in December 2020and is likely to be completed byOctober 2022,” the Lok SabhaSecretariat said inastatement.Birla was briefed about the
progressmade in the shifting offacilitiesandotherinfrastructurefrom the area proposed for theconstructionofthenewbuilding,the statement said. It was de-cidedtoconstituteamonitoringcommitteetooverseetheday-to-dayexecutionoftheconstructionworkof thenewbuilding.“TheMonitoringCommittee
will include, amongothers, offi-cers of Lok Sabha Secretariat,Ministry of Housing & UrbanAffairs,CPWD,NDMCandarchi-tect/designeroftheproject,”said
thestatement.Birla stressedon the smooth
coordinationandresolvingissuesbetween various agencies in-volvedonaregularbasis.Heem-
phasisedthatthereshouldbenocompromiseinensuringquality-controlandtimelycompletionofthework, saidthestatement.The statement said that the
newbuildingwill have separateofficesforMPs.Besides,eachseatfor members in the chamberswill be “comfortable” (withblocks of two seats) andequippedwithdigitalinterfaces,“whichwillbeastepforwardto-wardsapaperlessoffice”.It said that besides the Lok
SabhaandRajyaSabhaChambers,thenewbuildingwillhaveagrand‘Constitution Hall’, whichwillhouse, among other things, theoriginal copyof theConstitutionanddigital displays for showcas-ing India’s democratic heritage,saidthestatement.
The new building will alsohaveaMP’s lounge, a library, sixcommittee rooms, dining areasandparkingspace,thestatementadded.It said that visitors will be
given access to the hall “to helpthem to appreciate and under-standIndia’s journeyasaparlia-mentarydemocracy”.“The barricading plan and
thevariousmitigatingmeasurestocontroltheairandnoisepollu-tion during the constructionprocesswereelaborated.Theof-ficersof theMinistryofHousing& Urban Affairs further briefedShri Birla about the proposedmovementplanofVIPsandstaffduring this period, includingduring the Parliament Sessions,it said.
SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,OCTOBER23
THE CPI(M), the leading con-stituentofrulingLDFinthestate,on Friday accused oppositionCongress of “surrendering” itssecular stancebefore the IndianUnionMuslim League (IUML),stating that it is now “led byJamaat-e-Islami's ideology”.This comes on a day the
Congress-ledUDFdecidedonlo-cal-level electoral adjustmentswith organisations such asWelfarePartyof India(WPI),po-liticalarmofJamaat-e-Islami,forthe coming local bodyelectionsin thestate.CPI(M) Politburo member
and party's state secretaryKodiyeri Balakrishnan told themedia that IUML had “stronglyopposed” Jamaat-e-Islami inthepast.“Now,IUMLhasabandonedthat stand and has no reserva-tions to work with Jamaat-e-Islami,whichwants to establishIslamiccountry.ItisparalleltothestandofRSS,whichaimsatHinduRashtra.ThedecisionofCongresstoworkwithWPIwouldhavefar-reachingconsequences,”hesaid.TheJamaat,hesaid,has“sup-
portedreconversionof Istanbul’sHagia Sophia museum into amosque. Stating that IUML hadendorsed Jamaat's stand onHagia Sophia, he said, “TheCongress has surrendered itssecularoutlookbefore IUML forafewvotes. Inthepast,UDFhadbeenledbyleaderslikeOoomenChandy (former CM), P KKunhalikutty (of IUML) and KMani (of KeralaCongress).But itis now led by leaders such asMMHassan (UDF convener), P KKunhalikutty and Jamaat-e-Islamiamir.’’Hassanhadrecentlyhelddis-
cussions with Jamaat's Kerala
amir,M IAbdul Aziz, sparking adebate in political circles aboutUDF's electoral understandingwithWPI inthecivicbodypolls.The CPI(M)'s critique comes
a day after the LDF welcomedthe Jose K Mani faction of re-gional Christian party KeralaCongress(M).Balakrishnan'sre-marksare seenasanattempt towoo Catholic votes mainly incentralKeraladistricts. InKerala,minorityMuslim and ChristianvotershavetraditionallybackedtheUDF.Butwith the JoseManifactioninLDFnow,theCPI(M)isseen as trying to divide this tra-ditionalvote-bankandwinningoverasectionofChristianvoters.Besides, CPI(M) hopes to ex-
ploit an anti-IUML standwhichhasdevelopedrecentlyinKeralaCatholicBishops’Council(KCBC)mainly on two issues. TheCouncil had criticised IUMLwhen the latter hailed conver-sion of Hagia Sophia into amosque,andalsoIUML'sattempttoenterintoalocal-levelalliancewithWPI for localbodypolls.Thepowerfulbishops’organ-
isation, traditionally pro-Congress, called the develop-ment a “growing influence ofpan-Islamicpolitics”.Opposition leader Ramesh
ChennithalaoftheCongresssaidUDFwill not forge any alliancewithanypartyoutsidethecoali-tion. “However, in civic bodyelections,UDF local leadershipscan decide on local-level elec-toral adjustments. Such partiesshould have anti-fascist ap-proach. It is up to the local lead-ership of UDF todecide on suchmoves,”hesaid.Jamaat-e-Isami and WPI
have backed LDF in the past. Afew panchayats in north Keralaare governed by LDF with thebacking ofWPI. But the Jamaatshifted loyalty towards UDF in2019GeneralElection.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
MADHYA PRADESH BJP leaderPradyuman Singh Tomar hasmoved the Supreme Courtagainst aMadhya PradeshHighCourt order imposing limits onphysicalcampaignsfortheforth-comingstatebypolls.Tomar, contesting from
Gwalior, contended that theOctober 20 order violates theright to organise election cam-paignsthroughphysicalgather-ings as permitted by electionrulesandsoughtastayon it.The Election Commission,
too, has approached the topcourt against thehighCourt or-der, citing Article 324 of theConstitutionwhichvestsinittheauthority to conduct the elec-tions and oversee the electoralprocess.The commission has con-
tendedthat this is against itsdi-
rectionsregardinggatheringsaswell as thestate’sCovid-19pro-tocol that lays down the limita-tions for allowing such congre-gations.The High Court order came
on a PILwhich pointed out thatvarious political parties wereholding physical campaigns ig-noringtheCovid-19riskandthatauthoritieswereturningablindeye to this.The High Court said: “In a
contest/clash between right tocampaigningandrighttohealthand life, it is obvious that theright to health and life takesprecedence.Right tohealthandlife is comparatively more ex-alted, sacred and precious rightwhen comparedwith the rightto canvassing & campaigning.Thus, the right of candidate tocampaign has to yield to theright to health and life of theelectorate.”It asked DistrictMagistrates
nottograntpermissionforphys-
ical congregations for electioncampaigns unless it can beproved that conduct of a virtualcampaignisnotpossible,subjecttoECapproval.The High Court added that
evenintheeventsuchapprovalisgranted,“theholdingofphys-icalcongregation..cantakeplaceonly after the politicalparty/candidate intending tohold a congregation depositsmoney with the DistrictMagistratewhichissufficienttopurchasedouble thenumberofmasks and sanitizers requiredforprotectingandsanitizingthenumber of persons expected inthecongregationandalsowhencandidate files an undertakingonaffidavit thatheshallbeper-sonally liable to distributemasks and sanitizers to all themembers of the congregationbefore the meeting/congrega-tion starts”.The bypolls to 28 seats are
scheduled forNovember3.
THIRD FRONT STEPS UPBSPchiefMayawati,whoseparty iscontestingtheBiharpollsaspartof a thirdfront,atarallyat JagjiwanRamStadiuminRohtasdistrictofBiharonFriday.UpendraSinghKushwaha,presidentofRLSP—analliancepartner—wasalsopresent. PTI
ANJUAGNIHOTRICHABAJALANDHAROCTOBER23
THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate(ED), Jalandhar, has summonedRaninderSingh, thesonofChiefMinisterAmarinderSingh,toap-pear before it on October 27 inconnectionwith the alleged vi-olation of the Foreign ExchangeManagementAct (FEMA).Raninder had already ap-
pearedbeforetheEDin2016andhad stated then that he wouldcooperatewiththeinvestigatingagency.TheEDofficialssaidtheyneededsomemoreinformationfromRaninderbecauseofwhichhewassummonednow.The development is being
seen as the fallout of the threeagricultural Bills passed by thePunjab government led byAmarinder to negate the threeCentral farm laws. Congressleaderscalleditvendettapoliticsby theBJP.
"After 2016, what has hap-pened now that the CM's sonwas summoned just three daysafter passing the Punjab agriBills?" asked a senior Partyleader.TheEDhadfiledthreeappli-
cations in a Ludhiana court inAugust this yearwhere incometax cases are going on againstPunjab CM and his son—twoagainst Raninder and oneagainst theChiefMinister.The agency sought inspec-
tion of new records filed by theincome tax department. Thecase is still pending in theLudhianacourt.A senior EDofficer said they
had initiated an investagtionagainst Raninder under FEMAfollowing a complaint by theIncomeTaxDepartmentthathehad misled the departmentabout the trusts owned by himin theBritishVirgin Islands.Raninder could not be
reached forcomment.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
THERESIDENTSof108villagesinBihar’s Kaimurplateauhave an-nouncedthattheywillboycotttheforthcoming Assembly polls toprotest an alleged police crack-downonthearea’stribalpopula-tionlastmonth.Thepoliceactioncame when the tribals wereprotesting, among other issues,the declaration of the area as atigerreserve.The protests were led by
KaimurMuktiMorcha (KMM),which alleged that 25 activists
from the areawere arrestedon falsecharges. Thevillagers ac-cused theForestDepertemt offorceful evic-
tionsandbulldoz-ing of crops, despite a SupremeCourtstayonevictions.KMMhasdemandedthatthe
government declare Kaimur ascheduledarea. Thecreationof atigerreserveintheregionmustbedone only after consent by thegramsabhasandapproval of thetribalpopulation, ithassaid.A report on this by a four-
memberpanelfromDelhiwasre-leased Friday. CPI(M) politburomember Brinda Karat, who re-leased the report, toldThe IndianExpress,“Inthisinstance,therehasbeen criminal negligenceby theBihargovernmentthathasn’tim-plementedtheForestRightsAct.”According to the report, on
September10, thousandsof adi-vasis from the 108 villagesmo-bilised peacefully in front of theForest Department office atAdhaura. The police then “un-leashed a crackdown”, inwhichseven activistswere fired upon,lathi-charged, andpickedupbythepolice.OnOctober16,allsevenwerereleasedonbail. Thereportalleged that Prabhu, an adivasi,was killedby apolice bullet thatwentthroughhisear.
FORMER BHARATIYA JanataParty(BJP)leaderEknathKhadsewas inducted Friday into theNationalistCongressParty(NCP)in the presence of party chiefSharadPawar,whoimmediatelyscotched speculation that hewouldberewardedwithacabi-net berth in the Maha VikasAghadigovernment.TheNCPleaderwascategor-
ical that there was no plan of acabinet reshuffleanytimesoon.Khadse, who resigned from
the BJP onWednesday blamingformer Maharashtra ChiefMinister Devendra Fadnavis forhisdecision, continuedwithhistirade against the former chiefministerashe joined theNCP.“Iwas hounded andhumili-
ated. In 40 years of my politicallife I havenot backstabbedany-one. Never in my political life
haveIusedwomentoattackmyopponents. However in the lastfive years I have had to face allthisincludingafalsecaseofmo-lestation by my opponent.Before quitting the party I waswarned that the ED would besentbehindme.AllthatIhavetosay is if youhaveED then I have
aCD,”Khadsesaidwhilegivingacryptic warning during hisspeechpost induction.Alongwith Khadse, his wife
anddaughter,and70ofhissup-portersalso joined theNCP.Khadse’s NCP joining func-
tion was delayed by about 90minutes.SharadPawarwashud-
dled in a one-on-onemeetingwithHousingMinisterandcloseconfidante Jitendra Awhad at YB Chavan Centre as senior NCPministers and leaderswaited atthepartyoffice foroveranhourfor the party chief to arrive forKhadse’s induction. The Pawar-Ahwadmeeting triggeredspec-ulationaboutacabinetreshuffleto accommodate Khadse. Butgiving him a berthwould havemeantdroppingaminister.Eventually, as hewelcomed
Khadseintotheparty,Pawarsaidthe ex-BJP veteran had joinedwithoutanypre-conditionsandtherewerenoplansof acabinetreshuffleanytimesoon.“There are talks that he de-
mandedaplace in the cabinet. Iwould like to clarify during ourmeeting he has not laid downanyexpectationsfromtheparty.While joining us all that he saidwas that he was planning toserve the the statewithout anyexpectation,”Pawarsaid.
WITH the festive season ringing inwith Navratri and Durga Puja cele-brations and the country already
in Unlock 5.0, it is clear that the governmentis keen on providing respite to businesses tospur economic activities in the country.Now,slowly and slowly, life is trying to come toterms with the COVID-19 crisis. Seeing theenthusiasm of customers for shopping-re-lated activities, the Indian business commu-nity has geared up to serve their customersduring this festive season.Obviously, the cel-ebrations will be different this time, given
the current situation the country is in. How-ever, this will not dampen the festive spiritof people. With the government affirmingthat the coronavirus has passed its peak inSeptember, this certainly brings in a renewedhope for the entire economy.
With the PM Modi’s clarion call for At-manirbhar Bharat gaining momentum, theIndian business community is taking a newapproach towards conducting their busi-nesses. The idea now is to manufacture lo-cally, buy locally and stay in tune with the‘Vocal for Local’ initiative.
People are now moving away from Chi-nese products, and this certainly presents agreat opportunity for our local business com-munity to manufacture festival-related prod-ucts, such as fancy lights, home decorationgoods, kitchenware and appliances, idols ofIndian Gods, toys, wall hangings, lamps,home furnishing items, footwear, garmentsand apparels, gifting sets, electrical gadgetsand other items, to provide stimulus to ourindigenous market.
Both standalone retails stores and shop-ping malls have revamped their whole
shopping experience, wherein all govern-ment guidelines are being followed. Thestores have placed disposable gloves, sani-tisers, and masks for customers enteringtheir shops. Stores have also been encourag-ing cashless transactions and, at someplaces, even the POS machines and cards ofcustomers are also being sanitised afterevery use.
Currently, there’s a restriction on the num-ber of guests who can attend a wedding.Consequently, the budget required for awedding has decreased because the size of
the wedding has decreased.Therefore, familymembers are currently investing a lot ofmoney on expensive gifts and jewellery sets.This has led to a surge in the demand for jew-ellery sets and gifting items.
Moreover, do follow the mandatory pre-cautions as per the government-issuedguidelines then shopping will not only be fun
but also safe. The shopping stores are alsofollowing government-mandated guidelinesto ensure a safe and happy shopping experi-ence for shopaholics. However, the onus offollowing the safety guidelines also restsheavily on people who need to depart fromtheir pre-COVID-19 shopping habits to shopworry free in times of COVID-19.
With the arrival of festive season, it is time to go out shopping for yourfestive essentials such as apparels, jewellery, home decoration pieces, gifting sets and
much more while taking all the necessary precautions against COVID-19
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Festive shopping is hereFestive shopping is here
Uddhav declaresRs 10,000-crorerelief for thosehit by heavy rain
Yogi launches women helpdesks at all police stations
Mumbai couple awarded life term,NCB approaches Qatar authorities
WITH RETAIL prices of onionreachingnearly Rs 100per kg insome cities, the government onFriday invokedprovisions of theEssentialCommoditiesAct,2020,andimposedonionstocklimitsof25metrictonnes(MT)forwhole-salers,and2MTforretailers.Thestocklimit,whichcomes
mucheffectonprices, accordingtomarket sources. Most of theproduceisstillwithfarmers,whoare innohurry to liquidate theirstock, traders acrosswholesalemarkets inMaharashtrasaid.“Thestocklimit isapplicable
for us, traders. There is no suchlimit on farmers. And since thenext crop is delayed, most areholding on to their stock in thehope of better prices,” said atrader operating out of
ing delayed by several weeks,prices are also unlikely to see adrasticdropinimmediatefuture,theysaid.The move comes barely a
month after the governmentamended EssentialCommodities Act, 1955, to ex-clude onions, pulses, potatoes,edible oils and oilseed from thelistof essential commodities.
Addressing themedia digi-tally,ConsumerAffairsSecretaryLeenaNandan said the govern-menthadtoinvoketheEssentialCommodities(Amendment)law,which allows it to regulate per-ishable commodities in an ex-traordinary situation of price-rise,andcalledita“decisivestep”.Under provisions of this law,
anyactiononimposingstocklimitwillbebasedonprice-rise,andanorder for regulating stock limitmaybeissuedonlyifthereis“hun-
dred per cent increase in retailpriceof horticulturalproduce;orfiftypercentincreaseinretailpriceof non-perishable agriculturalfoodstuffs”,overthepriceprevail-ing immediately preceding 12months, or average retail priceoflastfiveyears,whicheverislower.Exemptionsfromstock-hold-
ing limits will be provided toprocessors andvalue chainpar-ticipantsofanyagriculturalpro-duce, and orders relating to thePDS, the lawstates.The Ministry of Consumer
Affairs, Food and PublicDistributionsaidinastatement,“Theall-Indiaaverageretailpricevariation of onions as on21.10.2020when compared tolastyearis22.12%(fromRs45.33to Rs 55.60 per/kg), and whencomparedtolast5yearsaverageis 114.96% (from Rs 25.87 to55.60 per/kg). Therefore, priceshave increased by more than100%when comparedwith theaverage of the last 5 years andthus theprice triggersunder ECActhavebeenreached.”Retail prices of onionwere
over Rs 100per kg in BengaluruandPuducherrythisweek.Earlierthisweek,thegovern-
ment had relaxed the importnormsforonions.Ithadalsosaidthat an estimatedkharif cropof37 LMT is also likely to start ar-rivinginmandis,whichwilladdto theavailabilityof onions.While the decision on stock
limithasevokedstrongreactionsamong farmers and farmers'leaders, most traders feel thiswould not see any drastic effectonprices. This summer, farmersinMaharashtra,oneof thecoun-try'slargestonion-growingstates,hadstoredaround27lakhtonnesof their summercrop inon-fieldstorage structures, called 'kandachawl'.Sourcesinwholesalemar-kets said that till now farmershave 10 lakh tonnes in storage,whichtheyaresellingintranches.Lasalgaon, the country's
largest onion market, has re-ported an average traded priceof around Rs 60 to Rs 65 per kgsince the last fewweeks.
HC rejects accused’splea to examine newsreporters, editors
Govt imposes stock limits on onion tocheck prices; traders doubt its impact
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,OCTOBER23
UTTARPRADESHChiefMinisterYogi Adityanath on Fridaylaunchedwomen help desks atthe 1,535 police station in thestate under the government’sMissionShakti campaign.Adityanath said the govern-
mentwouldstrivetoensurethatrespect forwomen is inculcatedasa“sanskar”(culture)andthusawareness campaignswouldbeorganisedinschools,collegesandinstitutions across the state. Heemphasised that duringmorn-ing prayers or cultural events,people should be made more
aware of women's security andaskedwomen and intellectuals,too,toparticipateintheinitiative.Agovernmentspokesperson
said the CMhas directed that a“secret glass room” should bereadied at every police station,providingaseparatespacetoag-grievedwomen for speaking tofemale police personnel at easeandwithoutanyhesitation.After the virtual launch,
Adityanath said, “Mahilaon kesammankosanskarbananahoga”(Wemust inculcate respect forwomen a culture). He directedthatallthehelplinenumbers,in-cluding 1090, 181, 112, 1076,1098and102, shouldbepromi-nentlydisplayed.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI,OCTOBER23
THENARCOTICSControlBureau(NCB) has approached authori-tiesinQatarthroughdiplomaticchannels in the case of aMumbai-based couple sen-tenced to life imprisonment byacourt inQatar. Thecouplewasconvicted there for carrying 4.1kgof hashish.NCBDGRakesh Asthana re-
viewedthecasewhenhevisitedMumbaionThursday.The couple identified as
MohammadShareeq andOnibaKausarwereontheirhoneymoonandreachedHamadInternationalAirportinQataronJuly6lastyear.On checking abaggageprovidedto them by Shareeq's aunt
TabassumQureshi,theauthoritiesfoundhashishandthecouplewasplacedunder arrest. A fast trackcourt sentenced themto life im-prisonment.However, on September 29
last year, Oniba's father ShakeelQureshi filed a complaint withDG,NCBallegingthathisdaugh-ter and son-in-law were de-ceivedbytheauntandherasso-ciateNizamKara.Under the garb of a honey-
moon package the accused hadsentthecoupletoQatar,alsogiv-ingthemabagtocarrywithcon-trabandconcealed in it,Qureshisaid in his complaint. He alsoprovidedNCBwithrelevantdoc-umentsandaCDcontainingtheaudio recordings between hisson-in-lawandTabussum.The NCB began a probe and
found that a well-organizeddrug trafficking syndicate wasbeing allegedly run by Kara in-volvingTabussumandothers.Aclosesurveillancewasmountedagainst these drug syndicatemembersbyNCB.InDecember2019,bothKara
andTabassumwerearrestedbyMumbai police in another nar-cotics case.After Kara was released on
bail, theNCBrecordedhisstate-ment on October 14. An officialsaid that he admitted that thecoupleweresenttoQatarbyhimandhisassociateTabussum.Anofficialsaid,“Weareinthe
processofsendingthenecessarypaperwork to Qatar to showhow the couple were innocentand had been cheated by theirrelative.”
LALMANIVERMADEHRADUN,OCTOBER23
UTTARAKHAND LABOURMinister Harak Singh Rawat onFriday said that hewill not con-test the 2022 Assembly elec-tions. Rawat’s announcementcame three days after he failedto find a place in the reconsti-tuted Uttarakhand BhawanEvamAnyaSannirmanKarmkarKalyan Board, a board for con-struction labourers under thestateLabourDepartment.Before its reconstitution,
Rawathadbeenthechairmanoftheboard.Speaking to reporters at his
residence, theminister said, “I
have taken the decision to notcontesttheAssemblyelectionin2022. I have informed thepartyhigh command and party stategeneralsecretary(organization)AjayKumar.”Theministerdidnotgiveany
reason for his decision to notcontestthe2022polls.However,sources said thathe isupsetbe-cause hewas not consulted be-fore the Uttarakhand BhawanEvamAnyaSannirmanKarmkarKalyanBoardwasreconstituted.Considered a heavyweight
politician in the state, Rawat, asix-timelegislator,alsoholdstheForest and Wildlife,Environment, EmploymentGeneration, Skill DevelopmentandAYUSHportfolios.
Out of labour board,Uttarakhand minister sayswon’t contest 2022 polls
UP STF probes‘conspiracy toincite casteviolence in state’
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,OCTOBER23
THE UTTAR Pradesh PoliceSpecial Task Force (STF) hasstarted investigating four caseslodged in three districts in con-nectionwithanallegedconspir-acytoincitecasteviolenceinthestate,AdditionalSuperintendentof Police (STF) Vishal VikramSinghsaidonFriday.According to sources, inves-
tigation teams are already inMathura, Hathras and Aligarh,collecting details of the casesfrom the local police. The nextcourse of action would be de-cided after examining the de-tails, saidapoliceofficer.
SOHINIGHOSHAHMEDABAD,OCTOBER23
ANAHMEDABAD special courtconducting the trial of the 2008GujaratserialbombblastscaseonThursdayrejectedanapplicationby the accused that had soughtthat thedefencebepermitted toexamine editors, reporters andphotographersofcertainnewspa-persatthetime.The26July,2008blastsareal-
cusedhadprayedbeforethespe-cialdesignatedjudgetoexaminereporters so as to authenticatetheir sources for the reportagepublishedintheperiodfollowingthe commission of offence andpriortothearrestof theaccused.As recorded in the order of
October 22 by Judge Ambalal RPatel, who has been speciallydesignatedforthespeedytrialofthe bomb blast cases, the re-porters and photographers
whom the defence wanted toexamine included those fromvernacular dailies Sandesh andDivya Bhaskar, and Englishdailies The Indian Express andAhmedabadMirror,pertainingtoreportageinvolvingallegedpur-chaseof timers (forbombs)andsiteof allegedtrainingof theac-cused,ineditionsofthesedailiesin the period of six to 12 days,priortothearrestof theaccusedon August 16, 2008. As per theaccused's application, the re-portage in these dailies pointedout inconsistencies in thecase.Theapplicationwasopposed
bythestategovernmentthroughits public prosecutors on thegroundthatsimilarapplicationshadbeenfiledearlierwhichhadbeenrejectedby the trial court.Thecourtwhilerejectingthe
application, stated in its orderthatany information that isdis-seminated in daily newspapersisprovidedbythereporterswho“manage to bring informationfrom somewhere and by somemeans and editors publish sto-ries brought by reporters and itmaybethecasethatthesaid in-formationmaynotbe true...”
VISHWASWAGHMODEMUMBAI,OCTOBER23
MAHARASHTRACHIEFMinisterUddhavThackerayonFridayan-nouncedaRs10,000crorereliefpackageforthoseaffectedbytheheavyrainfall, includingfarmers.He said directions have beengiventodistrictadministrationstoprovideassistance to farmersandvillagersaheadofDiwali.Incessant rain last week
damaged crops in WesternMaharashtra andMarathwada.Crops on over 10 lakh hectareshavebeendestroyedthismonthwith areas in Solapur, Pune,SataraandOsmanabadbeingtheworst hit. Earlier this week,Thackeray visited the areas inSolapurandOsmanabaddistricttoassess thedamage.Thackeray also pointed out
the delay on the part of theUnion government in releasingRs38,000crore,which isdue tothestatetowardscompensationof GST and devolution of taxes,andsaidthatamountcouldhavebeenusedforthereliefpackage.
THEMAHARASHTRAGOVERNMENT’S decision towithdraw the “generalconsent” given to the CBI to investigate cases in the state is disquieting.Maharashtraisnotthefirststatetoflagthisdistrustof thefederalagency:AndhraPradesh,WestBengalandChhattisgarhhavedonethesameinre-cent times.Oneachsuchoccasion, thestategovernmenthadhinted that
itsuspectedtheagencyofactingatthebehestof theCentre.TheCBIhas, inthepast,beencalled a “caged parrot” that sings the Centre’s tune. There is a formidable body of evi-dence to establish that throughmuchof the last threedecades andevennow,whenaninvestigation isnotbeingmonitoredbythecourt, theagencyhasservedasprettymuchitsmaster’s voice — especially when it comes to its role as anti-corruptionwatchdog.Preliminaryenquiries,FIR,cases,chargesheets,allarefiled,dropped,putonholddepend-ingonwho is inpower andwhat theywant. The current confrontation strengthens theperception that states in opposition see the Centre asweaponising the agency to keeptheheatonOpposition-ledgovernments.Thatdoesn’thelptheagency.Moreso,whendespitePrimeMinisterNarendraModi’s
refrainof “cooperativefederalism”,Centre-staterelationshavebeenonadownwardspi-ral. TheUddhav Thackeray government’s decision on the CBI seems to be driven by thesuspicionthattheagencymaytakeoveracaseregardingthemanipulationofTVviewer-ship figures that the statepolice is investigating. Adayearlier, theCBIhad, quietly, takenover a similar case inUP. Previously, theCBIhad takenover theSushant SinghRajput in-vestigationfromMaharashtrapoliceonapleabytheNDAgovernmentinBihar.Toensuredueprocess, thecourts,of course, canandshould ignorethestategovernment’s reserva-tionandordertheagencytoinvestigateacase.However,whentheCentreandthestateplaytug-of-warwiththe investigation, itdiminishesthecredibilityandauthorityof theCBI.And yet, the CBI remains the first port of call for governments to signal that they
favour a fair probe insulated frompolitics thatmayhobble the local police. This is theagency’s strength and it needs to leverage it. For, the onus of ensuring the CBI’s repu-tation isprimarily on theCBI—helpedbyan independent judiciary—since therewillbenoincentive for thepoliticalexecutivetoensurethat.TheSupremeCourt’s termsonthedirector’sappointment—byincludingtheOppositionintheselectionpanelandfix-ing terms—has brought some reformbutmuchmoreneeds to be done. In the end, itis up to theparrot todecidewhatkindof a cage it hasbeenput in—andwhose tune itshould sing.
HEAT FROM WASHINGTONDespitecontrastingviewsof fossil-fueluseinUS,bothTrumpandBidenareachallengetoDelhi’sclimatechangestandpoint
THEMORERESTRAINEDdebate onThursdaynight (Fridaymorning Indiatime), incontrasttotherudeandcontentiousfirstone,betweenPresidentDonaldTrumpandhischallenger, JoBiden,maynotmovetheneedle toomuch in the US presidential election campaign—millions have alreadyvotedandmostseemtohavemadeuptheirminds.Althoughtheracehas
tightened in the last fewdays,Bidenstill holdsa relativelycomfortable lead.But thede-bateisof interesttotherestof theworld,foritsfocus,thoughlimited,wasonforeignpol-icy.Theargumentsgeneratedsomeheatbutdidnotshedmuch lightonwhere thenextadministration’spoliciesmightbeheaded.Buttherewasoneexception—climatechange,onwhich the two leaders offered radicallydifferent approaches to addressing the chal-lengesof globalwarming.Trump’scommentsonIndia’s“filthyair”camewithreferencetothe2015ParisAccord
that sought to limit global temperature rise to below two degrees centigrade. Trump,whowalkedoutof theaccord,hassaidisunfairtotheUSandthatheisnotwillingtopaythe costs ofmitigationwhile countries such as India, China andRussia continue to pol-lute.BidenandtheDemocrats, incontrast,promisetore-jointhepact—theybelievecli-matechangeisthesinglemostimportantthreattohumanityandneedstobeaddressedurgently. In the last four years, Trump has guttedmost of the regulations on fossil fueluse,institutedoverthelasttwodecades,inthenameofeconomicgrowthandjobcreation.TheDemocrats say thephasingoutof fossil fuelswillhelpAmerica transition toagreeneconomy,whichwill create jobsaswell as save theplanet.This debate has significant implications for India. If he returns to power, Trumpwill
continue to demand that India take a greater share of the burden ofmitigating climatechange. The Democrats are likely to arrive at the same conclusion through a differentroute—byimposingenvironmentalstandardsontrade issuesaswellasdevelopmentallending.TheNarendraModigovernmenthastakenapositiveapproachtomitigatingcli-matechangeandexpandingIndia’sinvestmentinrenewableenergy.However,Delhi’sre-luctancetoabandoncoalwillcomeunderpressurefromtheDemocrats.Meanwhile,an-ticipatingpressure fromaBidenpresidencyonclimatechange,China isofferingseriousnegotiations. InIndia, thegovernmentisyettotakeinternationalramificationsof theairpollutionchallenge seriously.Delhimayhave to takea fresh lookat its energy-mix, andprepare foranewroundof internationalpoliticalbattleson limitingglobalwarming.
SIR GEOFF’S SULKThedifficultyof sayinggoodbyewhenyouare
white,maleand80
IT’SHARDNOT to like SirGeoffreyBoycott, innit? That quaint Yorkshire accent,that intolerance to “roobbish”, thatunapologetic straight-speak, that allergy topoliticalcorrectness.Butguesswhat’s immenselyharder?Togracefullydepart,toknowyour time isup, tomakeway for thenew—especially if youarewhite,maleand80.Thatexplainswhy,fourmonthsafterheretiredfromtheBBC’sTest
nerabletoCOVID-19butanewBBCfadofchoosing“equalityoverquality”.Afewmonthsago, he had darkly prophesied that nowoman cricketer could replace him at TMS be-cause shedidn’t have the experience of the “power andpace” of the real thing—men’scricket, stupid!Abit richconsideringweare talkingcricket, andTMS—aBritish institu-tionwhere listeners power their beloved (mostlywhite) commentatorswith generousgiftsof cakesandscones.The astonishing thing about Sir Geoffrey’s sulk is that it’s not awomanwhohas re-
placedhim,buttwowhitemen,AlistairCookandJamesAnderson.Hisjibeappearstobeaimedat IsaGuha, an Indian-originwomancricketerwhohasworkedwith theBBC fora decade. In thepast,when remindedof his conviction for domestic violence in France,Boycott has famously said, “I don’t give a toss”. Hedoes give a toss, however, for the oldorder inwhichwhiteknightsneverhadtoreckonwithchange.Thattime’sup,andsohehitsoutat theonething thatdoesn’tbelongtohisNeanderthalera:Womenof colour inaBBCbox. Let’s just say:This isnotquitecricket.
NAVIES ARE, INDEED, fortunate in that, un-like armies and air forces, they havemanyroles to play, even in peacetime. This wasdriven home by Soviet Admiral SergeiGorshkov, many years ago, when he said,“Demonstrativeactionsbythefleet, inmanycases,havemadeitpossibletoachievepolit-ical endswithout resorting toarmedaction,bymerelyputtingpressure…Thus,thenavyhasalwaysbeenaninstrumentofpolicyandanimportantaidtodiplomacyinpeacetime.”Thisuniqueattributeof naviesenables theiruseinsupportof foreignpolicyobjectives,todelivermessages of reassurance to friendsandofdeterrenceorcoerciontoadversaries.The fact that it has taken a border con-
frontationintheHimalayastobringfocusonIndia’smaritimedomainclearlyindicatesthatthesalienceofmaritimepowerisnotyetun-derstood in India. The stark reality is thatgiventhehugeeconomic,militaryandtech-nological asymmetry between China andIndia, and the active China-Pakistan nexus,thebestthatIndiacanhopeforisastalemateonitsnorthernandwesternfronts.Attentionhas,therefore,beenfocusedonthemaritimedomain,where it is believed that Indiamayhavesomecardstoplay.This is the lens throughwhich onemust
see the progressive evolution of Exercise“Malabar”, from a bilateral event involvingjust the Indian andUSnavies, to a tri-lateralthat embraced Japan in 2015, and now to afour-cornerednavaldrillthatwillalsoincludeAustralia.Apartfromitsgeo-politicalsignifi-cance for the Indo-Pacific, thisdevelopmentposes two conundrums. Firstly, given thesame composition, what is the distinction,now, between “Malabar” and the “Quad”?Secondly, if Malabar 1992,was emblematicofIndia’semergencefromitschrysalisofnon-alignment, doesMalabar 2020mark the re-leaseofAustralia fromChina’s thralldom?China’s extreme concern aboutMalabar
bers, andmarkedcaginesshasbeenevidentin their actions and articulations. For India,which faces amassiveChinesemilitarymo-bilisationonitsborders,accompaniedbybla-tant territorial claims, the time for ambiva-lenceisover.Whilepreparingtofightitsownbattleswithdetermination,itistimeforIndiatoseekexternalbalancing—bestdoneviathemaritimedomain.WhileMalabar is thecodenamegivento
a naval exercise, the Quadrilateral SecurityDialogue or Quad has its roots in the CoreGroupof fourseniordiplomatsrepresentingtheUS, India, JapanandAustralia, formed tocoordinatereliefeffortsaftertheGreatAsianTsunamiofDecember26,2004.Hailing itas“a new style of diplomacy”, its USmember,MarcGrossman, says “…itwas anorganisa-tionthatnevermet…neverissuedacommu-niqué, never created a secretariat, and tookasoneof itssuccesses, itsowndemise.”ThepresentQuadhasobviouslyretained
this tradition and itsmembers have neithercreatedacharternorinvesteditwithanysub-stance,leadingChinatodescribeitasa“head-line grabbing ideawhichwill dissipate likesea-foam”.TheQuadis16yearsoldnow,andMalabar 28. Both have served a useful pur-pose, anda reappraisal of the roles andrela-tionship of the Quad-Malabar concepts is,therefore, overdue. Since it is India whichfaces a “clear andpresent danger”, it shouldboldly takethe initiativetodoso.Given China’s ambitious Belt and Road
Initiative and its predicted trajectory as aneconomicandmilitarysuperpower,itisclearthatnonationwould like toburn itsbridgeswithBeijing.Atthesametime,inordertoreininChina’shegemonicurges,thereisneedforaffected nations to come together to showtheir solidarityanddetermination inacom-mon cause. In this context, there is need tocreateabroad-based“Indo-PacificConcord”,of like-minded regionaldemocracies, not asan“AsianNATO”butasanorganisationwithamaritimesecuritycharter,whichhasnoof-fensiveorprovocativeconnotations.UsingtheQuadandMalabartemplates,a
shore-basedsecretariatcanbeestablishedina central location like Port Blair, in the
AndamanIslands,whichwouldscheduleandconduct periodicmultinational naval exer-cises. The exercises could be structured tohonetheskillsofparticipatingnaviesinspe-cialisationslikehumanitarianassistanceanddisaster relief, countering non-traditionalthreats,undertakingsearch-and-rescueoper-ationsandestablishingnetworkedmaritimedomain awareness. The Concord could alsodesignateforcestoupholdmaritimesecurityor“goodorderatsea”.ReturningtothecurrentcontextofQuad,
there aremuted expressions of satisfactioninNewDelhi on two counts— the prospectofAustraliabelatedlyjoiningtheQuadandofIndia signing the BECA (Basic Exchange andCooperationAgreement)withtheUS.Theseare expected to reinforce the Quad and en-hanceitscredibility,buttherearereasonsforIndia tobecircumspect inbothcases.WhileAustralia’s admission to theQuad
is to bewelcomed,memories are still aliveof its past political ambivalence towardsIndia, its trenchant criticism of our navalexpansionanditsvociferouscondemnationof the 1998 nuclear tests. Nor should oneoverlook Beijing’s recent influence onAustralia’s foreign policy, which prompteditsflip-flopsoverthesaleofuraniumtoIndiaaswell as its peremptorywithdrawal fromtheQuad in2008.The signing of BECA, last of the four
“foundationalagreements”,aftermorethantwo decades of negotiations, would elimi-nate a source of frustration in the Indo-USdefence relationship and enhance interop-erability between the respectivemilitaries.However, there is need to pay heed to validconcerns, regarding the possible compro-miseof informationimpingingonIndia’sse-curity andwhether these agreements willbarterawaythelastvestigesof India’sstrate-gicautonomy.To conclude, Indians, given our history,
shouldneverlosesightofthetruismininter-nationalrelations,thatit istheunerringpur-suit of national interests that guides the ac-tionsandpoliciesof everynation.
Thewriter isaretiredchiefofnaval staff
Using the Quad and Malabartemplates, a shore-basedsecretariat can be establishedin a central location like PortBlair, in the AndamanIslands, which wouldschedule and conductperiodic multinational navalexercises. The exercisescould be structured to honethe skills of participatingnavies in specialisations likehumanitarian assistance anddisaster relief, counteringnon-traditional threats,undertaking search-and-rescue operations andestablishing networkedmaritime domain awareness.The Concord could alsodesignate forces to upholdmaritime security or ‘goodorder at sea’
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,SATURDAY,OCTOBER24,2020
WORDLYWISEMenargue.Natureacts.
— VOLTAIRETHEEDITORIALPAGE
KhaledAhmed
THE TWO-FRONT CHALLENGEStrugglingoneastern,westernborders,Pakistanhashitaspotofpoliticalturbulence
ONOCTOBER 15, terrorist attacks in south-ern Balochistan andWaziristan killed 20Pakistani troops, including an officer. InWaziristan, of the former Tribal Areas, thePakistani troopswere guarding the frontierwithAfghanistan.InBalochistan,aconvoyofthe Oil and Gas Development CompanyLimited (OGDCL)wasattackedby terroristswhowere killed by the Pakistani securityforces.Addto this regularaggressiononthewestern border, and the daily routine ofcross-LineofControl(LOC)rocket-fireontheeastern border with India, and you have apincerof assaultsonastate that is currentlyproving tobepoliticallyunstable too.The following day, the Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM) held its“mammoth” rally in Gujranwala, demand-ing the removal of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of PrimeMinisterImran Khan. Gujranwala is a stronghold ofPakistanMuslim League-Nawaz (PMLN),whose leaderNawazSharif is in exile in theUK, convicted at home of corruption andmoney-laundering. Gujranwala, likemostcities inPakistan,hatesPMKhanfor therisein food prices, thanks to the government’sincompetence. The procession of the grandopposition,fromLahoretoGujranwala—ledbySharif’sdaughterMaryam—hasbecomepopularbecauseofKhan’s incompetenceatcontrollingprice rise.ImranKhan’s popularity has sagged be-
cause sugar andwheat shortages broughtpressureonapopulationalreadyhauntedbythecoronaviruspandemic,floodsandlocust
attacks.Hishabitof usinga languageof vio-lence against an opposition, which every-body agrees was most corrupt when inpower, has not helped. Yet, the question ofroughlanguagewillremainattherootof thedecline in his popularity. The political dis-course in Pakistan is set low because of thesavage vocabulary used against each otherby itspoliticians.Pakistanwassupposedtobea“revision-
ist”stateonitseasternandwesternborders.Itchallengedthe“occupation”ofKashmirbyIndiaandusedcovertwarand“jihad”againstIndia for years to thepoint that in2020, notasinglepoliticianinIndiawillspeakinfavourof “normalisation”with Pakistan. This wasonce,ironically,mootedbyaBJPleader—thegreat statesman, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Theothersideof the“pincer”isthewesternbor-der called the Durand Line, which Pakistanis in the process of wire-fencing to preventcross-border terrorismin“sensitiveareas”.Theconflictwith Indiahas takenamore
uglyturnundertheBJPgovernmentofPrimeMinisterNarendraModi.OnAugust5,2019,India revoked the autonomous status ofJammuandKashmir. ItalsorevokedArticles370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution. Onthe Pakistan side, Imran Khan was deter-mined to pursue a conciliatory policy to-wards India, unconsciously revivingVajpayee’s“statusquo”doctrineof“normal-ising” India-Pakistan relations.Unfortunately,Pakistan’sbelatedattempttochange tackonKashmircametoo late.Onthewesternborder,Pakistanwasen-
couragedbytheinternationalcommunitytobecome a part of the world movementagainst theSovietUnionanditsAfghanpol-icy.Itbegannurturingthe“non-state-actors”of jihadandusedthemacrossbothborders,eastandwest. In theprocess, it allowed“in-ternational terror” tobase itself in Pakistan,whilefightingtheSoviet-supportedgovern-ments in Kabul. Two provinces of Pakistan,BalochistanandKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa,weresacrificed to this westward policy; but theTribalAreas in thenorthwereallowedtobeliterallyoccupiedby internationalwarriors.Today, the Tribal Areas and Balochistan aregiving “external trouble” to Pakistan by amixtureof foreignandindigenouselements.Corruptionhasalwaysbeenthemainflaw
of astatemadeunstableby itsunrealistic re-visionism. ImranKhanhas added to that anabysmallylow-gradepoliticaldiscourse.Whattakes place on the TV screens of Pakistan,when the hired hands of abuse go at eachother’s throat, is alsoat times seenon IndianTVchannels.What isneeded in the region isanormalisationofrelationsbetweenthetwonuclearisedstatesattackedbyapandemicthatmaynot go away for a long time.Whatevermay bewrong internallywith Pakistan, it isready for anormal,mutually beneficial rela-tionshipwithIndia,whichwillbemoreben-eficialforIndia’seconomy,whosenaturalout-reach is westward, through Pakistan andAfghanistan, toCentralAsia.
Thewriter is consultingeditor,NewsweekPakistan
Corruption has always beenthe main flaw of a state madeunstable by its unrealisticrevisionism. Imran Khanhas added to that anabysmally low-grade politicaldiscourse. What takes placeon the TV screens ofPakistan, when the hiredhands go at each other’sthroat, is also at times seenon Indian TV channels.What is needed in the regionis a normalisation ofrelations between the twonuclearised states attackedby a pandemic that may notgo away for a long time
BOAT MISHAPABOUT100PERSONSwerefeareddrownedin theYenamadurudrain inWestGodavariwhenalaunch,carryingabout150persons,capsized in thedrain thismorning.AndhraPradesh Chief Minister T Anjaiah, who re-turned here from a tour of the flood-rav-aged Srikakulam district, ordered an en-quiry into the tragedy by the collector ofWest Godavari. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to be paid to each of thebereavedfamilies.Hetoldnewsmenonar-rival that therescueoperationswere in fullswing. Senior revenue and police officialshave immediately rushed to the spot andaredirecting the operations.
POLICE REFORMTHECONSTITUTIONOFa security commis-sion foreachstate topreventpolitical inter-ferenceinthefunctioningofpolicehasbeensuggested by the National PoliceCommission, it is reliably learnt. The PoliceCommission has identified “transfers andsuspensions”asthemajorpoliticalweaponsemployed by politicians against thosewhofail to toe their lineof thinkingandhas sug-gestedthatmattersdealingwiththeserviceconditions of policemen, right from the re-cruitmentstage,shouldbedealtwithbythesecuritycommission.Thesecuritycommis-sionshouldbeastatutorybodywithachair-manandsixmembers.Thechairmanshould
betheministerinchargeof thepolice.Of thesixmembers, two should be from the statelegislature,onefromtherulingpartyandtheotherfromtheoppositionparty.Thetwoleg-islators should be appointed on the adviceof theSpeakerof the legislativeassembly.
KOSYGIN RESIGNSSOVIET PRIMEMINISTER Alexei Kosygin,who suffered a heart attack a year ago, hasresigned, it was announced inMoscow byPresidentLeonidBrezhnevtoasessionoftheSupreme Soviet, the country’s parliament.Hesaidthe78-year-oldKosyginwouldbere-placedbyNikolaiTikhonov,75,currentlyfirstdeputyprimeminister.
“If a genuine peace agreement is to work, all of Afghanistan’s neighbours, regionalpowers as well as global actors must pledge not to interfere in the country’sinternal matters, and leave the Afghans to chart out a peaceful future for theirbattle-scarred motherland.” —DAWNTHE IDEASPAGE
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Given this history, it remainsa mystery as to why theworld entered into alockdown. In my paper, Ireport the result of variousstudies on the effectivenessof lockdowns; except for afew, most of these studiesreport that the lockdownswere highly successful insaving hundreds ofthousands of lives. Since theaverage death rate fromCOVID is 2.5 per cent, theseresults imply thatsomewhere between 10to 20 million less infectionsresulted from thisunnatural experiment
Freeing the farmerFarmers’ProduceTradingandCommerceActonlythreatensrent-seekingbyAPMCmandisunderthecoverof regulation
THE DEBATE ON the Farmers’ ProduceTradingandCommerceAct2020(FPTCAct)hasseensomemisinformationandqualmsamong stakeholders, especially farmers insome states. It is imperative tounderstandthebackgroundand intentionsunderlyingthe new farm laws and put their implica-tions and scope in perspective rather thanbeingguidedby the imaginary, ideologicalandvestednarratives.From the 1960s, there have been con-
certed efforts to bring all wholesalemar-kets for agricultural produce in variousstates under the Agriculture ProduceMarket Regulation (APMC) acts. All states,except Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir andManipur,enactedsuchlaws.TheAPMCActsmandated that the sale/purchase of agri-cultural commodities is carried out in aspecifiedmarket area, and, producer-sell-ersor traderspay the requisitemarket fee,user charges, levies and commissions forthe commission agents (arhtiyas). Thesechargeswereleviedirrespectiveofwhetherthe sale took place inside APMCpremisesoroutside itandthechargesvariedwidelyacrossstatesandcommodities.Intheinitialyears,APMCactshelpedre-
movemalpractices and freed the farmersfromtheexploitativepowerofmiddlemenandmercantilecapital.The golden period for APMCmarkets
lastedtillaround1991.Withtime,therewasapalpablelossingrowthinmarketfacilitiesandby2006,ithaddeclinedtolessthanone-fourth of the growth in crop output afterwhichtherewasnofurthergrowth.Thisin-creasedthewoesof Indianfarmersasmar-ket facilities didnot keeppacewith the in-creaseinoutputandregulationdidnotallowfarmers to sell outsideAPMCmarkets. Thefarmerswereleftwithnochoicebuttoseekthehelpofmiddlemen.Duetopoormarketinfrastructure,moreproduceissoldoutsidemarkets than inAPMCmandis. Thenet re-sultwasasystemofinterlockedtransactionsthatrobsfarmersoftheirchoicetodecidetowhomandwheretosell,subjectingthemtoexploitationbymiddlemen.Over time, APMCmarkets have been
turned from infrastructure services to asource of revenue generation. In severalstates, commissionchargeswere increasedwithout any improvement in the services.And to avoid any protests from farmersagainst these high charges,most of thesewere required tobepaidbybuyers like theFCI. InHaryanaandPunjab,mandi feesandrural development charges forwheat andnon-basmatiricepurchasedbyFCIarefourtosix times the charges for basmati rice pur-chasedbyprivateplayers. This not only re-sultsinaheavyburdenontheCentrebutalsoincreasesthelogisticscostfordomesticpro-duceandreducestradecompetitiveness.These drawbackswere recognised by
experts and stakeholders and pressure
startedmountingforchangesinmarketreg-ulations. Successive governments at theCentremaderepeatedattemptstopersuadethe states tomake appropriate changes intheir APMCacts. But for 18 long years, theprogressinreformsremainedslow.TheonlychoicefortheUniongovernmentwaseithertoignoreitsresponsibilitytowardsfarmersor use the constitutional route to addresslong-pendingissuesofmarketreforms.TheFPTCActgivesfarmersthefreedom
tosellandbuyfarmproduceatanyplaceinthecountry— inAPMCmarketsoroutsidethemandatedarea—toanytrader, like thesaleofmilk.TheActalsoallowstransactionsonelectronicplatformstopromotee-com-merceinagriculturetrade.TheeffectoftheFPTCActonAPMCman-
diswilldependonthetreatmentmetedoutto themandis and the charges and leviestherein.Outofthe25stateswithAPMCacts,no commission is levied under the Act onnotified crops in 12 states. Service chargeslikemandifeesonmajorcropsinthesestatesvary fromzero per cent to one per cent inninestatesandit istwopercentinMadhyaPradeshandTripura.ThereisnothreatfromtheFPTCActtoAPMCmandisandtheirbusi-ness in these states as private traders andsellerswillgetbenefitscommensuratewiththemandicharges.Thesecondcategoryofstates—Andhra
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,MaharashtraandTelangana—iswhereservicechargeformandis is oneper cent of the value of pro-duce and commission varies fromone totwopercent.Uttarakhandalsocomesinthiscategory. Karnataka follows these statesclosely, with total charges at 3.5 per cent.These states can easily bring downmandichargesto2percentor less.The third set of states includes Punjab,
Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, ArunachalPradesh,West Bengal andUttar Pradesh,wherethetotalcharges,includingcommis-sion,variesfromfiveto8.5percent,thehigh-est being in Punjab followed byHaryana.PunjabandHaryanawillnot faceanychal-lengefromsaleoutsideofmandisaslongaspaddy andwheat are the dominant cropsandareprocuredbythegovernment.Itisinthelong-terminterestofthesestatestobringdownmarketchargesandcommissionsto2per cent or less to enableAPMCmandis tocompetewithsalesoutsidetheirpremises.The real threat in some states toAPMC
mandisandtheirbusinessisfromexcessiveand unjustified charges levied under theAPMCacts.TheFPTCActwillonlyputpres-sureonAPMCmarketstobecomecompet-itive.Discussionwithmandiofficialsrevealsthatamaximum1.5percentoftotalcharges,distributed betweenmarket fee and com-mission, are adequate tomaintain and runmandis. Thiswill notwean away tradersfromAPMCmarketsastheywillreceivethebenefits ofmandi infrastructure, bulk pro-duce available in one place and save costsrequiredforindividualtransactionsoutsidethemarket.Thestateswhichareactuallyin-terested in farmers’ welfare should keepmandi charges belowa reasonable level of1.5percent.Thiswillensuretheco-existenceofAPMCmandisandprivatechannelsper-mittedunderthenewActinatruecompet-itivespirit.
Thewriter ismember,NitiAayog.Viewsarepersonal
IT ISNOWslightlymorethan300dayssinceCOVID-19explodedonanunsuspectingandunpreparedworld.Thesecondwaveisuponus andweare again facedwith Lenin’s exis-tentialbutpracticalquestion: “What is tobedone?” The previous time around, inmid-March,epidemiologicalexpertsadvisedwho-everwaswilling to listen, and theworlddidlistenwithraptattention, thatschools,busi-nesses, etc. should close shop and the viruswillbecontained.January 22 was the first unnatural ex-
periment —Wuhan, China entered into alockdown. OnMarch 10, Italy went into alockdown, and, over the next month, theworld followed.On the advice of experts, theworld con-
frontedthevirus inanunprecedentedman-ner—closuresofschoolsandworkplacesandlockdownsbecamecommonplace.Theeffec-tiveness,orlackthereof,of lockdownsincon-tainingthespreadofthevirusisexaminedina detailed paper entitled, “Lockdowns vs.COVID19:CovidWins”,apreliminaryversionof which is available on my websitessbhalla.org.Herewith,somehighlightsaboutthe lockdowncrisis thatdeservemention.WHOdirector Tedros Adhanom said as
early asMarch11 thathistorydoesnothavea precedent for controlling a pandemic. Yet,lockdowns were recommended. By endMarch, 170 countries had closed their bor-ders,140countrieshadseveralWHOcontain-mentmeasures,ascompiledbyOxGRT(bor-der closures, restrictions on gatherings, etc)in place, and therewere 8,81,000 COVID-19cases and 43,000 deaths.With lockdowns,caseswere expected to reach their terminallevel,perhaps,10timeshigherat8.8million?Today,casesare40times,anddeaths24timeshigher.Thishasoccurredduringthemostin-tense period of lockdowns and controlsaround theworld. These are not statisticsaboutevenpartialsuccess;rather,indicatorsofmassive failure.Theworld has gone throughmanypan-
demicssincetheSpanishFluof1918.InthesixmonthOctober1957-March1958period,ex-cessdeathsintheUSnumbered62,000.Inthethree-month February-April period in 1963,excessdeathsnumbered57,000.Inthesetwoinstances, excess deathswere 36 and30percent higher than “normal”. In theUS, at thepeak of the crisisMarch-May, excess deathswere 1,22,300 andCOVID-19deaths around9,50,00.Expecteddeaths—around6,60,000,so excessdeaths about18per cent. Eighteenper cent toomanydeaths, butwhat did theUS do to confront the nearly double excessdeathcrisis inboth1957-58and1963?Itdidabsolutelynothing.Itisworthquot-
ingapaperbyDavidHendersonandhiscol-leagues, published in 2009— Public HealthandMedicalResponsestothe1957-58InfluenzaEpidemic.ThelateDrHendersonhadamajorresponsibilityforsettinguptheCDCinfluenzasurveillance programme in the US: HisstatureasanauthoritywassimilartoAnthonyFaucitoday.Thepaperexplicitlyrejectsevenpartial lockdownsandstates:“The1957-58pandemicwassucharapidly
spreadingdiseasethatitbecamequicklyappar-ent to US health officials that efforts to stop orslow its spread were futile. Thus, no effortswere made to quarantine individuals orgroups, and adeliberate decisionwasmadenottocancelorpostponelargemeetingssuchasconferences,churchgatherings,orathleticeventsforthepurposeofreducingtransmis-sion.”(PublicHealthandMedicalResponses..,p.7,emphasisadded)More evidence against the unexpected
and unprecedented world andWHO re-sponsetothecrisisin2020isprovidedinthis91-page 2019WHO report entitled “Non-pharmaceutical public healthmeasures formitigating the risk and impact of epidemicand pandemic influenza”. Theword “lock-down” (one form of a non-pharmaceuticalintervention orNPI) does not appear in thisreport. Nor does theWHO report even rec-ommendmasks(afavourite2020NPI)incaseofanepidemic,thoughitdoesadvocatetheiruse forsymptomatic individuals.On theeffect ofNPIs, the report stated:
“The evidencebaseon the effectiveness ofNPIs incommunity settings is limited, andtheoverallqualityof evidencewasvery lowformost interventions. There have been anumber of high-quality randomised con-trolled trials (RCTs) demonstrating thatpersonalprotectivemeasuressuchashandhygiene and face masks have, at best, asmall effect on influenza transmission, al-thoughhighercompliance inaseverepan-demicmight improve effectiveness” (em-phasisadded).Yet, forCOVID-19,NPIswererecommended in bundles by WHO andother experts.Asisuniversallyacknowledged,theWHO
is theapexbody foradviceandguidance forhealthproblems. Ithouses leadingepidemi-ologicalexpertsandbeforeCOVID,theywereadvocating policies reminiscent of earlierconfrontationswithviruses.Giventhishistory,itremainsamysteryas
towhytheworldenteredintoalockdown.Inmypaper, I report the resultof variousstud-iesontheeffectivenessof lockdowns;exceptforafew,mostofthesestudiesreportthatthelockdownswere highly successful in savinghundredsof thousandsof lives.Sincetheav-erage death rate fromCOVID is 2.5 per cent,theseresultsimplythatsomewherebetween10to20millionless infectionsresultedfromthisunnaturalexperiment.Examinationofthecontradictionbetween
the observed reality of 40million cases, andtheexperimentalrealityoflockdownresearch,is the purpose ofmy above-mentioned pa-per.Wereplicate thevarietyof testsavailableintheliteratureandaddthefollowingimpor-
tant test of lockdowns—abefore-and-aftercomparison for over 150 countries, and forone, two, and threemonths fromthedateoflockdowns.Nomatterwhatthetest,thedom-inant result is that not only lockdownswerenot effective, but that, in a largemajority ofcases,lockdownswerecounter-productivei.e.ledtomoreinfections,anddeaths,thanwouldhave been the casewith no lockdowns.Myanalysis stops in end-July and, therefore, ig-noresthepost-Julysecondwaveofinfections.If these data are included, the fate of lock-downswouldbealotworse.My analysismakes a small contribution
towards documentingwhat did not work.Unfortunately, there are no answers to thequestionofwhatwouldhaveworkedincon-frontingaviruswithoutavaccine.Note thatin the late 1950s, influenza vaccines wereavailableintheUSandyetexcessdeathswerehigher thanthe2020episodeofnovaccine.Itisnotasifnoscientistforecastthatlock-
downswouldbeadisaster. Sweden, forone,followed the herd-immunity approach, thesameapproach thatwas followedby theUS(and all other nations) in all previous epi-demics.Anepidemicis likeanearthquake—ithitsyouhard,andthenyoudothebestyoucan,andlivewith it.JohnIoannidis,professorofmedicineat
Stanford University, has shouted himselfhoarse against the advocates of lockdown.In a short piece (with colleagues, entitled‘Forecasting for COVID-19 has failed’), theywrite:“Failure inepidemicforecastingisanoldproblem. Infact, it issurprisingthatepi-demic forecastinghas retainedmuchcred-ibilityamongdecision-makers,givenitsdu-bious track record.Modelling for swine flupredicted 3,100-65,000deaths in theUK…Eventually only 457 deaths occurred.”Another example of prediction failure: Upto10millionanimalswere slaughteredbe-cause 1,50,000 deathswere expected fromfoot-and-mouth disease— eventually only50deathsoccurred.Itislikelythatpost-COVID,epidemiolog-
icalexpertswillsufferaworsefatethanecon-omistsdidaftertheirWaterlooin2008.Intheiconicmovie JerryMaguire, a talentedplayerasks his agent to “showhim themoney” inorder to retain the contract tomanage him.Theworld is now asking the lockdown ex-perts—showmetheevidence.
Thewriter is executivedirector, IMF,representing India, Sri Lanka,Bangladesh
andBhutan.Theviewsexpressedare thoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarily representtheviewsof the IMF, itsExecutiveBoard,or
IMFmanagement
WORST JUMLATHISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Thewrongdose’ (IE,October23).Of all the freebiesofferedbypolitical parties during elec-tions, thepromise of a free corona vac-cinebytheBJPtoBihar’selectorateisthemost opportunistic and dim-witted.Aware that sucha selective benefitwillbethrashedbythecourtsongroundsofunnaturaldivision,ithastriedtoplayonthe emotions of people. Besides, goingbythegrowingawarenessabouttheim-practicability of application of electionjumlas voters of Bihar are unlikely tobeswayed.
YGChouksey,Pune
THISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Thewrongdose’(IE,October23).Thevaccineprom-isemaybe a self-serving desperate bidfor aparty towin theelection, but it re-flects cynicismbecauseuntil nowBiharhasfallenshortofcomplyingwiththena-tional guidelines of COVID-19manage-ment. Thepromise is also at oddswiththenationalvaccinepolicyofpriorityal-locationtofrontlinehealthworkers,andpeoplewithco-morbidities.
LRMurmu,Delhi
OPEN TO CHANGETHISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Aquestionof survival’ (IE, October 22) Reforms inagriculturewerelongoverduegiventhesorrystateofourfarmers.Unfortunately,theprotestsagainstthemarepatchyandignore small farmers. It is onlywell-offfarmerswho’vemade fortunes, espe-cially in Punjab andHaryana. The farmbills could indeeddobetter but the fear
thatMSPswill be hit certainly is un-founded.Wemustmarch forward andbeopentochange.
GarimaTanwar,hhhh
MILLETS FOR MASSESTHISREFERSTOthearticle ‘Healthyandwise’ (IE, October 23). The institutionalsupport like public procurement andmarketingforcoarsegrainshasbeenany-thingbutencouraging.Asaresult,theto-talareaundermilletsinIndiahasshrunkover the years. The private sector hasbeenabletomarketmilletsasapremiumsuperfoodbycultivatinganichesegmentwithin health-conscious urban con-sumers.Thepremiumtaghasmadeitoutofboundsforalargesectionoftheurbanmiddle-class. There is aneed for a cam-paigntopopularisemillets.
SudipKumarDey,Kolkata
LETTERS TO THEEDITOR
RELATIONSBETWEENTHEKingdomofSaudiArabiaandtheRepublicof Indiaarerootedinhistory,mutualtrustandbilateralcooperationthat haswithstood the test of time. Our twonations have shared trade and cultural linksdating back to the thirdmillennium BCE.Today, these foundations remainas strongasever. These historic bondswere further rein-forcedduringHRHCrownPrinceMohammedbin Salman’s first state visit to NewDelhi inFebruary2019.Thevisitpavedthewayforun-paralleleddecisions,heraldinganewdawnforthe ties between our two formidableeconomies.With Saudi Arabia’s G20 presi-dency,weareatthecuspofanothertransfor-mation inour strategic cooperation, one thatwill reapbenefits fortheglobalcommunity.Mutual respect and continued interna-
tional cooperation are values at the heart oftheSaudiG20presidency—apresidencythathascoincidedwithadelicateglobalperiodandthatisdeterminedtoleadglobalactionstoad-dress the commonglobal challenges. Acrossthe world, the COVID-19 pandemic hasbrought innumerable challenges to familiesand communities. It has plunged the globaleconomy into one of theworst recessions indecades,exacerbatingexistinggaps.Asmajorglobaleconomies,theG20mem-
is up to this task. Havingproved itsmettle indealingwithsocialandeconomichurdlesbackhomethroughitstransformativeVision2030,theKingdomnowhasanopportunitytorepli-catethisforward-lookingapproachonaglobalscale.Notonlyhas SaudiArabiabeen rankedthetopreformedandtopimproveramong190countries by the World Bank’s Women,BusinessandtheLaw2020report,itisalsothemost improved country in theworld for do-ing business, having implemented a recordnumberof reforms.It iswith this intent of all-inclusive pros-
peritythattheSaudiG20Presidencyisseekingtodeepenglobalcooperationwiththethemeof“RealisingOpportunitiesofthe21stCenturyfor All”. The Presidency isworkingwithG20membersonthreeessentialpillarswhicharevitaltotheworld’sprogress:Empoweringpeo-plewith a focus on youth andwomen, andtacklinginequalities;safeguardingtheplanetby fostering collective efforts to protect ournaturalresourcesandputtingsustainabilityatthe heart of the agenda; and, finally, shapingnewfrontiersbyadoptinglong-termandboldstrategies to share the benefits of innovationandtechnologicaladvancementtobuildare-silientfuturefortheworld.The Saudi G20 Presidency believes that
everyone, especially women, should havetherequiredaccessandtools to takeadvan-tages of the opportunities ahead of us. The
Private Sector Alliance for theEmpowermentandProgressionofWomen’sEconomicRepresentation(EMPOWER),afo-rumconstitutedbyG20, isdevelopinganac-tionplantoidentifykeyfocusareasandcon-duct global research to advocate for theadvancementofwomeninleadershipposi-tions in theprivate sector.The use of innovation and technological
advancementstoshapenewfrontiers,suchasdeploying artificial intelligence to improvehealth outcomes and the education system,has been at the forefront of discussions andhasfoundunequivocalrelevanceastheworldgrappleswithanunforeseenpandemic.UnderSaudiArabia’spresidency,G20has
beenresilientandspearheadedglobalactionneeded todealwith thepandemic. TheG20Leaders’ Summit held inMarchwas instru-mental in developing a consensus amongG20 countries to contain the spread of thepandemicandlaidafoundationtothesubse-quentG20ministerialmeetings.Alandmarkoutcomeof thesedeliberationswastheG20financeministersandcentralbankgovernorsagreeing to the historic Debt SuspensionService Initiative for the world’s poorestcountries. Thisbenefitted46countries, pro-vidinganestimated$14billionof immediateliquidityreliefbythebilateralofficialcreditorin2020. TheG20 is alsoworkingwith inter-nationalorganisationstocomplementthese
efforts, includingmultilateral developmentbanks,whoareplanning to commit $75bil-lion for DSSI-eligible countries betweenApril-December2020,partof their$230bil-lion commitment for emerging and low-in-come countries as a response to the pan-demic. Together, G20 countries havecontributedover$21billiontosupporthealthsystems and the hunt for a vaccine and in-jectedanunprecedented$11trilliontosafe-guard theglobaleconomy.We see India as an important partner in
this journeytoensureabettertomorrowforall. India is carrying out ambitious reformsto modernise the country. As leadingeconomies,SaudiArabiaandIndiacanleaveamark on the global community throughsynergiesandcontributetotheroadmapforaprosperous future for all.Hosting the Presidency of G20 this year
marks a historic step for Saudi Arabia.Manymorebattlesandunchartedpaths lie in frontof us andwearedetermined towork closelywiththegovernmentandpeopleofIndia,whosharethesamesenseofresponsibilitytowardsthe global community. As India prepares tohold the Presidency in 2022,we are certainthat thismutual counselwill help us realiseopportunitiesof the21stcenturyforall.
Thewriter is theambassadorof theKingdomofSaudiArabiatoIndia
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PUNJABCMORDERSPROBE
SUSHANTSINGHRAJPUTDEATHCASE
ANJUAGNIHOTRICHABAJALANDHAR,OCTOBER23
ASIX-YEAR-OLDgirlwasallegedlyraped, killed and then set on fireinavillageinHoshiarpurdistrict.Police said her half-burnt bodywas discovered onWednesdayevening. Shewas cremated onFridayamidtightsecurity.A 21-year-old youth and his
grandfatherhavebeenarrestedinconnectionwiththecase.Thevic-tim’s body was found in theirhouse,saidpolice.The duo were booked on
chargesofmurder,rapeandotherrelevant sectionsof the IPC, rele-vantsectionsof thePOCSOActaswell as provisions of theScheduledCaste and ScheduledTribe (Prevention of Atrocities)Act,1989,policesaid.Thegrandfa-therhasalsobeenbooked for al-legedly helping erase evidence.Medical reports of the duo areawaited,policesaid.On Friday, Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh directed thestate’sDGPtoconductaswift in-vestigationinthecase.“Extremelysadandshockingincidentofrape& murder of 6-year-old inHoshiarpur. Thoughpolice havearrested the accused, I have di-rectedDGP to ensure proper in-vestigation& that challan is pre-sentedspeedily.Callforfasttrial&exemplary punishment to theguiltybythecourt,”hetweeted.
Thevictim’sfatherisamigrantlabourer.Hesaid the21-year-oldaccusedallegedly took thegirl tohis homewhere he raped her.Then,themanandhisgrandfatherallegedly killed her and tried toburnthebody,hesaid.At the funeral on Friday, the
familydemandedcapitalpunish-mentfortheaccused.The government has an-
nounced a compensation ofRs8.25 lakh for the family.Adel-egation of Congress MLAs onFridayhandedoverachequeofRs4 lakh to the family.Teamsof thestate’sCommissionforScheduledCastes and the Women’sCommissionalsometthefamily.
Ludhiana: A 30-year oldwomanwasallegedly rapedin amoving car in Ludhianain the intervening night ofWednesday and Thursday,police said. Thewomansaidin her complaint that shewas invitedbyafriendtocel-ebratethebirthdayofhisac-quaintance.Shesaidshewaspushed into a car and rapedby the acquaintance whileher friend drove drove thevehicle. She was thendumpedona road. AccusedwerearrestedFriday. ENS
LUDHIANAWOMANRAPED IN CAR, 2 HELD
6-yr-old raped,killed, body seton fire; 2 held
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,OCTOBER23
THEPOLICEinUnnaodistricthavearrested twomen in connectionwiththemurderofa26-year-oldwomanmissing since October2019.Theduo,alongwithathirdperson,allegedlyburiedherbodyinafieldinPanditKheravillage.One of those arrested was
identified as Suraj,whosewed-ding to the victim, ShaluRawat,had been fixed. The second ac-cused is Suraj’s neighbour Sunil.PolicearenowlookingforSuraj’sfriendAshok,whoisontherun.Suraj told the police that he
was in a relationshipwith Shalu
andtheirmarriagehadbeenfixed.OnOctober2,Shalucametomeethimandallegedly startedpush-inghimtomarryherat theearli-est.Accordingtotheaccused,theyargued after he told her that hewould tie the knot only after hiselderbrothergetsmarried.At the time, Sunil andAshok
werereportedlypassingthroughthearea.Surajsaidthatonhisre-quest, Sunil decided todrophimandShalu toMakhi. The coupleagainarguedinthevehicle,policesaid. “Ina fitof anger, Surajkilledher,” said Ajgain SHO SantoshKumar.The duowere produced in a
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
TAMILNADU
EmployeeheldforkillingtransentrepreneurChennai: Two days afterthekillingofawell-knowntransgenderentrepreneurandactivistinCoimbatorecity, the police arrested a23-year-oldmanworkingin her restaurant in con-nectionwith the crime.They said the accused, RRajesh,killedMSangeetha,59,aftersexuallyharassingher. “Initially he claimedthe murder happenedwhenshetriedtosexuallyassault him. He later ad-mittedthathesexuallyha-rassedher andmurderedherwhenshetoldhimshewould go to the police,”said a senior officer prob-ing the case. SangeethawasalsotheheadofatransassociationinCoimbatoredistrict. Policesaid theac-cusedstoleRs20,000fromherhouseafter thekillingandboughtaphone. ENS
MSangeetha. ANI
BRIEFLY
MAHARASHTRA
Manheldfor‘killingfoursiblings, rape’Mumbai:ThepoliceFridayarrested a 20-year-oldmanwhoallegedlyrapeda13-year-oldadivasigirlather home before killingherandher threesiblingsin Jalgaondistrict.Theac-cused allegedly enteredthe house on the night ofOctober15whenthepar-entswereaway.Hestruckthe necks of the twogirls(13 and 6) and two boys(11and8)withanaxe,saidJalgaon SP PravinMundhe. The police filedanFIRunderrelevantsec-tionsof POCSOAct. ENS
GUJARAT
Twomoreheldin BJPleader‘murder’caseVadodara: Dahod policearrestedtwomorepeoplefromMadhyaPradeshlateonThursdayinconnectionwith the alleged contractkillingofJhalodcouncillorandBJPleaderHirenPatel.One of the arrested,Balram Bhuvanji, is theownerofaneateryinMP’sMahidpur.Heallegedlyfa-cilitated the accused tomeetonhiseatery’sprem-ises to allegedly plan the“staged”September27“hitandrun”.Bhuvanjialsoal-legedlyhelpedtheaccusedprocurethe SUVthroughalocal acquaintance, SalimBajuShaikhaliasKala,whohasalsobeenarrested.ENS
BODYFOUNDBURIED INFIELD, SAYPOLICE
UP: Two held for murder ofwoman missing for a year
Bombay HC directs TV Today Network todeposit Rs 5 lakh fine imposed by BARC
SAGARRAJPUT&TABASSUMBARNAGARWALAMUMBAI,OCTOBER23
THE BODY of a 27-year-old tu-berculosis patient who hadtestedpositive forCovid-19wasfound in a toilet in TB Hospital,Sewri, 14 days after he wentmissing.The body had gone unno-
ticedfor14dayseventhoughtheblock toilets are supposed to beregularly cleaned andwere be-ing used by other patients. TheBMChasorderedahigh-levelin-quiryandissuednoticetoatleast40hospitalstafferswhoworkedin theward.The body was so badly de-
composedthatinitially,thehos-pital couldnot identify thegen-der of the person. They lookedinto their records and found a27-year-old patient, namedSuryabhan Yadav,missing fromthe sameward sinceOctober 4.“We had filed amissing report
then.ButitiscommonforTBpa-tients to go absconding fromhospital,” said SuperintendentDrLalitkumarAnande.Yadav had come to the hos-
pital with a positive Covid-19positive on September 30,afterbeingreferredbyamedicaloffi-cial in Goregaon. A doctor fromthe hospital said Yadav did notgive his proper address whilegetting admitted. The hospitalhas 11 Covid positive patients.Yadavwaskeptonthefirst-floorward formalepatients. It is sus-pected that on October 4 hewent to the toilet and collapseddue tobreathlessness.Hospital management said
nopatientorstaffercomplainedof a foul smell until October 18whenawardboyrealisedoneofthe three locked cubicles wasstinking.Heclimbedinthenextcubicletolookoverthewallandfoundalifelessformonthetoiletfloor. The hospital then in-formedpoliceandsentthebodyto KEM hospital for a post-mortem, theysaid.
When asked why no staffmember discovered the lockedcubiclewhile cleaning, Anandesaid, “The toilets are cleanedthrice in a day. Sometimes it isoccupied by patients so thecleaner goes away. But patientsuse those toilets regularly, andshouldhavesmelt thebody.Wehaveissuednoticestoallstaffersonduty inward,”Anandesaid.One of the doctor’s at the
hospital said the staff is appre-hensive of entering the Covid-care ward.When amissing re-port was filed, a police officialsaidtheyalsorefrainedfromen-tering theward or checking thetoiletsas itwasaCovidward.Dr Harish Pathak, head of
forensic department at KEMhospital, said Yadav died due tonatural causes.Seniorpolice inspectorSunil
Sohoni of RAKMarg police sta-tion said, “Wewill call hospitalstaffersforquestioningtounder-stand how this happened. Weinitiated an investigation to de-termineif thereisanyfoulplay.”
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
THEDELHIHighCourtonFridayrestrained Republic TV fromus-ingthetrademark‘NEWSHOUR’,or any othermark deceptivelysimilar to it,butdeclinedtopassanyinterimordertostoptheuseof the tagline ‘NationWants toKnow’bythechannel.Thecourtpassedtheorder in
a suit filed by the BennettColeman& Co. Limited againstARGOutlierMediaPvt Ltd, seek-ingadecreeofpermanentinjunc-tionagainstRepublic TV fromus-ingthetrademarkandthetagline.Inthesuit,theTimesNetwork
had argued that ‘THE NEW-SHOUR’isitsregisteredtrademarkand ‘NationWants toKnow’wascoinedbyitsteams.Goswami, in reply, hadques-
tioned registration of the trade-markgranted toTimesNow, say-ing it lacks distinctiveness, andthatthetaglinehasbeenusedbyhimfrequentlyandconsistently.Court saidmarks like ‘Arnab
THEMUMBAIPolicecrimebranchonFridayarrestedonemoreper-son in connectionwith its ongo-inginvestigationintoallegedma-nipulation of television ratingpoints (TRP), taking the total ar-rests in the case tonine. Thepo-lice have also added sections offorgerytoitsFIRinthecase.Chandivli-residentHarishPatil
(45)was arrested for allegedlyhelpinganaccusedwantedinthecase, theownerof a smallmediahouse,toevadearrest,policesaid.The two are friends, policeclaimed.“Wehavefoundsomemone-
tary transactions between Patiland the accusedwanted in thecase.Weareinterrogatinghimtofindoutwheretheaccusedis,”anofficersaid.Meanwhile,policehaveadded
sectionsofforgerytoitsFIRinthecase. “We have found severalforgeddocumentsbeingusedbythe accused. Accordingly, thosesectionshavebeenadded,”anof-ficersaid.So far, the police havemade
ninearrests inthecasewhichin-cluded formerHansa ResearchGroup employees. It has alsonamed five channels, includingRepublic TV, for allegedlypayingmoneytoboosttheirTRPs.
Police make 9tharrest in ‘TRPscam’ case Media highly polarised now; was
responsible in past: Bombay HCOMKARGOKHALEMUMBAI,OCTOBER23
THE BOMBAY High Court onFriday remarked that themediahas become “highly polarised”andthat journalistswereneutralandresponsibleinthepast.A division bench of Chief
JusticeDipankarDattaandJusticeGirishSKulkarniwashearingPILsby eight former police officersfromMaharashtra, aswell as ac-tivists,lawyersandNGOs,seekingrestrainingordersagainst“mediatrial” intheSushantSinghRajputdeathcase.Additional Solicitor General
Anil Singh— representing CBI,NCBandED—said thepetition-ers’ claims that the central agen-cies were leaking informationfromtheinvestigationintothesui-cideandalliedcasestoselectme-diawas“misconceived”.On October 21, the HC had
soughttoknowfromRepublicTVhow its statements askingview-erswhoshouldbearrestedintheactor’sdeathcaseamountedtoin-vestigative journalism. It alsoasked the News BroadcastersFederation (NBF) why no suomotuactioncouldbeinitiatedfor“irresponsiblecoverage”ofsensi-tivecriminalcasesandmediatrial.
OnFriday,thecourtmadetheobservationsafteradvocateAnkitLohiarepresentingZeeNews,oneof the respondents,maintainedthatthechannelwasnotguiltyofallegationsmadebythepetition-ers. He submitted a report au-thored in1947byaEuropean in-stitute,which analysed optionsbetween self-regulation andstatutoryregulationforthemediaandhadsuggestedthattherewasnoneedforgovernmentcontrol.To this, CJDatta said, “Weare
ruledby the rule of law in India.Howdoyouadvocatethatpeoplewho go around accusing otherscan find shelter of freedom ofpress?Journalistsbackthenwereresponsibleandneutral,nowthemediaissharplypolarised.”Justice Kulkarni then asked
Lohiaastowhyhereferredtothe1947 report, when a 1983 LawCommission report had com-paredthemediaregulationmodelinIndiawiththeEuropeancoun-tries alongwith other interna-tionalmodelsandhadsuggested
that therewas aneed for checksandbalancesinthefunctioningofthemediainIndia.When Lohia responded that
for India TV news and ZeeshanHashmi forNewsNation submit-tedthat themedia trial in theac-tor’sdeath isonecaseandhencethecourtshouldnotinsistonhav-ing statutory regulation on theelectronicmedia. They furthersubmitted that themediawascontrolledby thegovernment incountries such as China andBangladesh,whichresultedinlowrankingofmedia independencein thesecountries. ThecourtwillcontinuehearingonOctober29.
Mumbai: The BombayHighCourt has directed TV TodayNetwork Ltd todepositwith ittheRs5 lakh fine imposedon
it by the Broadcast AudienceResearchCouncil(BARC)inlieuofprotectionfrompossibleco-erciveaction.Adivisionbenchof Justice
NitinM Jamdar and JusticeMilindN JadhavwashearingTV Today’s plea against a July31 BARC order andwarningletterimposingthefineonthenetworkandalleging“viewer-shipmalpractice” and viola-tion of the Council’s code of
conduct. TheBARCorderwasbasedon a showcausenoticetoTVTodayallegingthattherewas ‘a significant abnormaljump’ in the daily averagereachof its channelswithoutanydistributionimprovement.It had said that the samemaybeduetoinfluencingthepanelhouseholdswhichwasstrictlyprohibited.Counsel for TVToday said
BARC failed to produce evi-
dencetoproveallegations.Thebenchnoted,“Itwillbe
open to TV Today Networkwithoutprejudice to its rightsandcontentionstodeposittheamountofRs5lakhasdirectedby the BARC’s DisciplinaryCouncil in the registry of thiscourt. If this amount is de-positedno coercive stepswillbetaken... inthemeanwhile.”Thecourtwillhearthecase
nextonNovember5. ENS
DELHI JAL BOARDOFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR (REVENUE)VARUNALAYA PHASE-II, KAROL BAGH,
NEW DELHI:05“STOP CORONA: Wear Mask,
Follow Physical Distancing, Maintain Hand Hygiene”NIT/RFP No. 02/DJB/DOR/Rev.(HQ)/2020-21/ dated: 23.10.2020On behalf of Delhi Jal Board, Director (Revenue) invites online tenders for Selection ofAgencies for Online spot- reading, capturing of image of water meter, billing and distribution ofBill & Other activities of Water/Sewer Connections under the jurisdiction of Delhi Jal Board forthe zones mentioned below.
The RFP document can be downloaded from Delhi Government e-Procurement website(https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in) and DJB website (www.delhijalboard.nic.in)
ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) Sd/-Advt. No. J.S.V. 203 (2020-21) Dy. Director Revenue (HQ)-I
S.No.
Name ofZone
TenderFee
EarnestMoney
Date of releaseof tender on e-procurement
portal
Period Last date / time of receipt of e-tender through e-procurement
portal
1. SubhashNagar (WZ1)
Rs. 1500/-for all
12 zones
Rs.307100/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_1
2. Kewal Park(NW4)
Rs.413400/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_2
3. Yamuna Vihar(NE2)
Rs.413000/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID2020_DJB_195978_3
4. Dwarka Rs.118000/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_4
5. Giri Nagar(SZ2)
Rs.177100/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_5
6. Vasant Kunz(SW2)
Rs.236200/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_6
7. Sarita Vihar(SZ4)
Rs.236000/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_7
8. Preet Vihar(EZ1)
Rs.366200/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_8
9. MandawaliZone (EZ1)
Rs.259700/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_9
10. Rohini (NW-II) Rs.554900/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_10
11. Janakpuri(WZ1)
Rs.519600/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_11
12. Tibiya College(CZ)-II
Rs.330700/-
23.10.2020 02 Years 23.11.2020 upto 1.00 P.M.Tender ID 2020_DJB_195978_12
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEJAIPUR,OCTOBER23
ALLEGINGHARASSMENTofstudents enrolled under theRight to Education Act, anunidentifiedman inSikar al-legedly accessed computersystemsoffourschoolsandis-sued transfer certificates of130 students “to teach theschoolsalesson.”In a letter sent to district
authorities,theman,identify-ing himself as a “commonman”,claimedthatheisare-tiredgovernmentofficialagedbetween50and70yearsandisaresidentofPalsanainSikar.He said twomonths ago,
he read in thenews that thegovernmentwould releaseRTE funds in 15 days, andmost schools got the funds.“However, despite receivingfunds, themanagement ofmultiple schoolswere trou-blingparents of children en-rolledunderRTE, saying thatthe government has not re-
leased fundsand theparentsshouldpayup,”thelettersays.Theman said he studied
the RTErulesandfoundthatstudents are entitled to freetextbooks, uniform, etc, buttheschoolshavebeencharg-ing fees under various pre-textsandtroublingparentsofpoor children, who are notaware of the rules.Themanclaimedhetook
thehelpofacomputerexperttogaintheschoolidentityandpasswordused for accessingthePrivateSchoolPortal(PSP)oftheRajasthangovernment.He saidheposed as aparentwantingtoenrolhischildun-derRTE.At thetimeof enrol-ment, he allegedly recordedthe identity and passwordusedby theoperator to logintothePSPwebsite.The local association of
private educational institu-tionshasapproachedthedis-trict authorities, and Sikar’sRanoli police station lodgedanFIRunderrelevantsectionsof the InformationTechnologyAct.
Rajasthan man hacksinto four schools, saysnot following RTE rules
HC restrainsRepublic TVfrom using‘Newshour’
MUMBAI
Missing for 14 days, Covid patientfound dead in hospital toilet
New Delhi
Online/Walk-in InterviewAn Online/Walk-in Interview is scheduled for engagement ofpurely temporary position of one Junior Research Fellow (JRF)under DBT project on “Developement of early pregnancydiagnostic assay through discovery of biomarkers in cattleand buffalo”.Selection procedure: Candidates fulfilling essential qualificationsmay submit their advance application along with CV with personaldetails to [email protected]. Eligible candidates willbe informed and called for Interview ‘Online or Walk-in’ on03/11/2020 at 11.00 AM in Committee room of Division ofAnimal Reproduction, ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar-243 122 (UP).For more details regarding desirable qualification, experience,eligibility, remuneration etc. candidates may log on to Institutewebsite www.ivri.nic.in.
No TA/DA will be given for appearing in the interview.
ABVP seeks action against Goaprofessor, many profs back her
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE,OCTOBER23
THE INDIA MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) Fridaylaunched the South Asian FlashFlood Guidance System (FFGS)to help disaster managementteamsandgovernmentsformu-late timely evacuation plansaheadof flooding.India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka,
BangladeshandNepalwillsharetheirhydrologicalandmeteoro-logicaldatatohelpforecastflashfloods. India’s National DisasterManagementAuthority(NDMA)and the Central WaterCommission, too, have part-nered in this system.AnFFGScentrewillbeestab-
lished in New Delhi whereweathermodellingandanalysisof rainfall data frommembercountrieswill becarriedout.“Basedontherainfallandpo-
tential flooding scenario, flashfloodwarningswill be issued torespective nations. Flash floodthreatwarningwill be issued 6hourswhereas flood riskwarn-ingwillbeissued24hoursinad-vance.Warnings at watershedlevel will be issued 12 hours inadvance,”saidIMDdirectorgen-eralMrutyunjayMohapatra.An estimated 80 per cent of
natural disasters in all thesecountries are due to erraticweather. “Among these, flashfloodshavesignificantcontribu-
tions, which incur heavy loss oflivesandtoproperty.Inaddition,the impact over South Asia in-creasesmany folds due to vary-ing topography—mountains,oceans, Eastern andWesternGhats, Myanmar hills and oth-ers,” saidMohapatra.Ministry of Earth Sciences
Secretary M Rajeevan, wholaunchedthesystematanonlineevent, said the frequency of ex-treme rainfall events has in-creased due to climate change,and that South Asia is highlyprone to flash floods.Recently, Hyderabad was
batteredbyheavyrain,resultinginmassive flooding that led tothe death of around 70 people.Inthefollowingdays,districtsinMaharashtra also faced intenserainandfloodingthatkilledover30anddamagedstandingcrops.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEAHMEDABAD,OCTOBER23
ASPECIALCBIcourtinAhmedabad,presidingoverthetrialoftheextra-judicial killingof Ishrat JahanonFriday, disposed thedischargepleasfiledby fouraccusedofficers—JGParmar, TarunBarot,GLSinghal andAnajuChaudhary—withadirectiontotheCBItoseeksanctionfromthestate government to prosecute the accused officers. Of the four, JGParmarpassedawayonSeptember21andhence,abatedfromthecase.IshratJahan,PraneshPillaiand
two otherswhowere said to bePakistanis—AmjadAli Rana andZeeshan Johar—were killednearKotarpurwaterworksontheout-skirts of Ahmedabadon June15,2004 by officers of theAhmedabadDetection of CrimeBranch, then led byDGVanzara.The DCB had claimed the fourwereoperativesofLashkar-e-Taibaand out to kill the thenGujaratchiefministerNarendraModi.TheCBIhadoriginallyfiledthe
casein2013againstsevenpolice-men, three of whomnowstanddischarged – P P Pandey, DGVanzaraandNKAmin.Atthetimeofmakingsubmis-
sions before the CBI court, thepresent accusedhadpointedoutthat CBIwas expected to obtainsanction toprosecute thempriorto framingof charges. In the caseof theearlieraccusedDGVanzaraandNKAmin,itwasonlyowingtothecourt'sinstructionsthattheCBIhadsoughtsanctionfortheirpros-ecution, both ofwhomhad fileddischarge pleas at the time. Thesanctionwaslaterdeclined.
SMITANAIRPANAJI,OCTOBER23
ALAWcollege in Panaji has ini-tiated an inquiry through itsgrievance committee againstShilpa Singh, an assistant pro-fessor of Political Science, aftermembersofABVP,thestudents’wing of RSS, complained thatshe “promotes socially hatefulthoughts about a particular re-ligion,communityandgroupofpeople”.In a letter to VM Salgaocar
College of Law, ABVP’s Konkanunit joint secretaryPrabhaNaikhasaskedthecollegeto“takeac-tion within 24 hours”, failingwhich the outfit will be “forcedtostartasevereagitationagainstthe institution” and approachthepolice.In reply to ABVP, the college
authoritiessaidthat“it’snotpos-sible”.On Friday, Political Science
professors from across Goa col-leges met online; supportingSinghand“academicsanctityin-sideaclassroom”,theyhavesentaresolutiontothecollegetocon-
time to respond, told The IndianExpress: “This is muzzling aca-demic freedom. For me, doinghumanities is to shoulder somesocialresponsibilities,especiallybeingawoman.Ifyoucurtailthisfreedom, it’s equivalent to medying.”Confirming that the letter
was sent, ABVP’sNaik said, “Wehave evidence. In her lectures,shewas teachingmanyanti-re-ligious things.”Singh, however, said ABVP
members verbally conveyedfourtopicswhichtheyfoundof-fensive. “I was informed thatthey had issueswithmy teach-ingsofManusmritiandwerenotcomfortable bringing RohithVemula, M M Kalburgi and(Narendra) Dabholkar intomyteachings. Theyalsoobjected tomystandonbeef.”ProfMRKPrasad,oneof the
threemembersof thegrievancecommittee whowill now hearSingh,said:“Thisisalawcollegeandwehavetofollowrules.Theprofessorhasbeengivena copy
of the letterandwewillwait forher response.We do not knowwhathasbeensaid,andthecon-textandthebackgroundofeachthread.Wewillhavetohearbothsides beforewe come to a con-clusion.... In the letter, theyhavenotexpressedwhatwasanti-re-ligion.”SinceMonday,Singhhasbe-
gun to record her onlineclasses—as theynowform“evi-denceof her styleof teaching”.The college is also probing
how virtual classroom footagewas recordedand leaked. “Onlythe medium has changed.Classroomstill is the same, so isits sanctity,”Prasadsaid.OnPoliticalScienceteachers
fromdifferentcollegessupport-ing Singh, Prof Rahul Tripathi,HoD, Political Science, GoaUniversity, said: “We came to-gether to support the idea of aclassroom. A classroom is a sa-cred space. What a PoliticalScience teacher discusses inclassroomisaspernorms,whichhave evolved through somanyprocedures, inwhichmanyaca-demicshavecontributed.Anon-experthasnolocalstandtowhat
isdiscussedinsideaclassroom.”“In this particular case,”
Tripathi said, “what disap-pointed themost was that wedid not hear a student directlybut throughathirdparty—apo-litically-affiliated group using alanguagewhich ishighly intim-idating.Criticalpoliticsandcon-servative politics is taught inclassrooms all over the world.We have a strong reason to be-lievethat thepointwasnotaca-demic, and was to scare (theteacher).”Singh said shewas teaching
120 first year LLB studentsthrough GoogleMeet, and hadbegunwithachapteronnature,scopeand significanceof politi-cal theory.Singh said trouble began
when she started lectures ex-plaining “perspective onpower”. She used reading ma-terials of D D Kosambi, DeviPrasad Chattopadhyay andother scholars to explainManusmriti’s viewsonwomenin a specific context, as it “usedsuperstitious idealismas a toolfor social control to suppresswomen”.
AMILBHATNAGARNOIDA,OCTOBER23
THREE PEOPLE have been ar-restedinSikheravillageofMeerut,inwestern UP, for allegedly as-saulting and threatening aDalitmanfromthesamevillage.Accordingtopolice,thevictim,
Sandeep,32, stated that the inci-denttookplaceonOctober16af-terhehadobjectedtothebeatingofadog.Astherowescalatedtheaccusedallegedlythreatenedhimandaskedhimtoleavethevillage.The FIRwas registered four
dayslater,onOctober20.“Initially therewas no com-
plaintfollowingtheincidentofas-sault.Theaccusedwerechallanedunder Section151. In the follow-ing days, a panchayatwas heldandtherewaspressureputonthevictim. On October 20, a com-plaint letterwas receivedandanFIRwasfiledimmediately,”CircleOfficer, Sadar Dehat, BrijeshKumar said. “It also came to ournotice that the victimwasbeingthreatenedtoleavethevillage.Wewill ensure there isnomigrationfromthevillage,”Kumarsaid.Threeother accusedpersons
areabsconding,thepolicesaid.
Three held forassault, threaton Dalit manin Meerut
IMD launches guidancesystem for South Asiato tackle flash floods
ISHRATJAHANENCOUNTERCASE
Court rejects dischargepleas of four officers
HEADQUARTERSEMPLOYEES’ STATE INSURANCE CORPORATIONPANCHDEEP BHAVAN: C.I.G. ROAD: NEW DELHI- 110002
(http://esic.nic.in)(A Statutory Body established under the ESI Act, 1948)
ESI Corporation invites application from Officers with outstandingtrack record to the post of Additional Commissioner on deputation(including short-term contract) basis:
The advertisement giving full details has been published in the3rd-9th October 2020 issue of Employment News. Those who areinterested may go through the issue for details or can log on toESIC website www.esic.nic.in for details and downloading Bio-data/Curriculam Vitae proforma.
P. B. Manidavp 23111/11/0009/2021 Insurance Commissioner (P&A)
SI.No.
Name of Post Method ofRecruitment
Level in thePay Matrix
No. ofPosts
1. AdditionalCommissioner
Deputation(including short-term
contract)
Level 13A(Minimum PayRs. 1,31,100/-)
12
WorldMeteorologicalOrganisationstatisticssuggest thatworldover,about5,000peopledieannuallydue to flashfloods.Despite suchhighmortality, there isnoro-bust forecastingorwarn-ingsystemfor flashfloodsavailable.
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I Supply installa-tion and eric-tion ofHexagonalCages
Supply Installation and Eriction of moduler HMWHDPE Hexagonal cages complete at variousreserviours of Madhya Pradesh. HMW HDPE mod-uler Hexagonal cages Six Cages (One Batterys) asper enclosed tender Drawing and Design and condi-tions.
01Batterys
Rs. 2.00lakh
02Months
II Floating CageJetty
Floating Jetty of Virgin grade HMW HDPE modu-lar Floating Docks (other specifications: Virgingrade HMW HDPE (High density polyethylene)modular.
240sq. meter
01Months
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“IMPORTANT”
PT. B.D. SHARMA PGIMS ROHTAKPUBLIC NOTICE / TENDER NOTICE
No.UHSR/Gen/2020/3092 Dt. 23.10.2020
NOTE:1.Corrigendum, if any, will not be advertised/published in the news papers but will be available on the website:www.etenders.hry.nic.in
Sd/- Superintendent Gen. Branch83387/HRY
Sr. Name ofDeptt./Board/Corp.
1. PT. B.D.SHARMAUHSROHTAK
Name of work/Notice/Tender
SHORT TERM e-TEN-DER NOTICE NO.UHSR/Gen/2020/02Dt. 23.10.2020 for cre-ation of admission Webportal for the admis-sion to MBBS/MDS.
Opening DateClosing Date
(Time)OPENING24.10.2020
CLOSING29.10.2020
UPTO04.00 PM
Amount/EMD (approx.
in Rs.)
Rs.25000/-
Website of theDeptt.
www.uhsr. ac.inwww.etenders.hry.nic.inAll instructionsare available onthese websites
NOTICE INVITING TENDERSE-NIT S. No. 56/PHEP/Fresh of 2020-21
For and on behalf of the Lt. Governor of UT of J&K e-tenders (Two cover System) are invited on Turn Key basis including DLP of six monthsandmaintenance for a period of Three Years after completion of DLPfrom reputed and resourceful contractors /Firms/companies/joint venture of reputein PWD or Equivalent in CPWD/Railways and other state Governments for the following works, which should be uploaded on the Procurement webportal http://jktenders.gov.infor the subjected work(s) referred below to be received by the Executive Engineer PHE DivisionPulwama/Superintending Engineer, Hydl. Circle, Shopianand as per the details mentioned in this e-tender notification and to whom all the termsand conditions of detailed e-NIT /Tender Documents/ PWD Form No:- 25 double are accepted. The detailed tender document and Specificationsetc. can be downloaded on the e-procurement portal http://jktenders.gov.in. The cost of tender documents (Non-refundable/Non-Transferable) shouldbein the shape of e-Challan or Treasury Challan/Receipt in favour Executive Engineer PHE Division Pulwama.
For and on behalf of the Lt. Governor UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
Sd/- Executive Engineer, JSD (PHE) Div, Pulwama,
Position of Funds:- Available; Major Head of Account: JKIDFCThe Bidding documents consisting of eligibility criteria, specification, drawings, bill of quantities (B.O.Q) set of terms & conditions of contract and other
details can be seen/ downloaded from the e-procurement Portal “http://jktenders.gov.in”as per schedule of dates given below:-
Sr. Name of Work Estimated Cost of Earnest Time of Tender Class ofNo. Cost Tender Money Comple- Opening Contract
Document Deposit tion Authority
1
2
3
Design, construction, testing and successful commissioning of 0.50 lacgallons capacity RCC Over Head Tank (shell type) in single compart-ment with 21 mtrs staging height including providing, laying and fixingof supply main, rising main, washout connecting with supply systemwith 12mm thick flanged joints cost of pipes, nuts, bolts, washers, M/Slid with frame and cover including construction of hand railing aroundthe stair, sluice valves, covels, heavy duty of VAGE make or Kirloskarmake, boulder filling inside the tank upto ground level. Levelling ofground including disposal of excavated material from premises upto 5Kms lead. Angle iron door with frame including construction of sluicechamber as required at site with M/S Lid and ladder, includingProviding, laying & fitting of pipes for mains, sub-mains, distribution sys-tem including carriage all leads, lifts complete on Turnkey basis. Adoptbearing capacity of soil 6.85 M.Ton/ Sqm (report enclosed).Architectural aesthetics shall be kept in consideration to make thestructures appealing for WSS NilooraPachlipora under LanguishingProgramme JKIDFC Ltd) LUP 2400
Design, construction, testing and successful commissioning of 0.50 lacgallons capacity RCC Over Head Tank (shell type) in single compart-ment with 21 mtrs staging height including providing, laying and fixingof supply main, rising main, overflow connecting with supply systemwith 12mm thick flanged joints cost of pipes, nuts, bolts, washers, M/Slid with frame and cover including construction of hand railing aroundthe stair, sluice valves, covels, heavy duty of VAIG make or Kirloskarmake, boulder filling inside the tank upto ground level. Levelling ofground including disposal of excavated material from premises upto 5Kms lead. Angle iron door with frame including construction of sluicechamber as required at site with M/S Lid and ladder. IncludingProviding, laying & fitting of pipes for mains, sub-mains, distribution sys-tem including carriage all leads, lifts complete on Turnkey basis Adoptbearing capacity of soil 8.50 M.Ton/Sqm (report enclosed).Architectural aesthetics shall be kept in consideration to make thestructures appealing for WSS Bhatnoor under Languishing ProgrammeJKIDFC Ltd) LUP 2398.
Design, construction, testing and successful commissioning of 0.70 lacgallons capacity RCC Over Head Tank (shell type) in single compart-ment with 21 mtrs staging height including providing, laying and fixingof supply main, rising main, washout connecting with supply systemwith 12mm thick flanged joints cost of pipes, nuts, bolts, washers, M/Slid with frame and cover including construction of hand railing aroundthe stair, sluice valves, covels, heavy duty of VAGE make or Kirloskarmake, boulder filling inside the tank upto ground level. Levelling ofground including disposal of excavated material from premises upto 5Kms lead. Angle iron door with frame including construction of sluicechamber with M/S Lid and ladder and construction of pump operatorquarter including providing, laying & fitting of pipes for mains, sub-mains, distribution system including carriage all leads, lifts completeincluding construction of electrical and mechanical works as required.The advertised cost includes the maintenance cost of the scheme forthree years. Adopt bearing capacity of soil 7.80M.Ton /Sqm (reportenclosed). Architectural aesthetics shall be kept in consideration tomake the structures appealing for WSS Khillen Gundi MussaunderLanguishing Programme JKIDFC Ltd) LUP 2405
Government of MaharashtraState Water and Sanitation Mission
1st Floor, CIDCO Bhavan, South wingCBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai-400614
Phone No 022-27562546, 27562363, Website : www.wsso.in
RFP Ref No. : WSSD/SWSM/JJM/PMC/07/2020Selection of Project Management Agency to support in
implementation of Jal Jeevan MissionJAL Jeevan Mission (JJM), is a flagship program of the Ministry ofJal Shakti, Government of India (Gol). The mission is aimed toprovide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to everyrural household i.e., Har Ghar Nal Se Jal (HGNSJ) by 2024. StateWater and Sanitation Mission (SWSM), Water Supply and SanitationDepartment, Government of Maharashtra is implementing Jal JeevanMission in Maharashtra.The Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission, State Water and SanitationMission (SWSM) is inviting online proposals from eligibleconsulting firms for Selection of Project Management Agency tosupport in implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in the State ofMaharashtra. Interested agencies who qualify as per the eligibilitycriteria mentioned in the tender document, may submit their bidsonline on https://mahatenders.gov.in latest by 24.11.2020 up to 3.30 PM.RFP document is available on https://mahatenders.gov.in,www.wsso.in www.water.maharashtra.gov.in. If there is anychange in scheduled dates and other terms and conditions, it will bepublished on https://mahatenders.gov.in, www.water.maharashtra.gov.inand www.wsso.in only.
R. Vimala IASMission Director
Jal Jeevan MissionDGIPR-2020-2021/1022 State Water and Sanitation Mission
New Delhi
CORONAVIRUSDASHBOARD
THENOVEL coronavirus is known toattack primarily the lungs, but howthe attack unfolds is still a subject ofresearch. Now, two studies havethrownlightontheseprocessesbyus-ing the same approach. Scientistshave developed lungmodels in thelab, infected thesewith SARS-CoV-2,and watched the battlebetween the lung cellsand thevirus.Bothpapers arepub-
lished in the journal CellStem Press. One study isbySouthKoreanandUKresearchers, includingfrom the University ofCambridge; the other isby researchers fromDuke University andUniversity of NorthCarolina.Inbothstudies,scientistsobserved
howthevirusdamages thealveoli inthe lungs. Alveoli are balloon-like airsacs that take up the oxygen webreatheand release thecarbondiox-ide we exhale. Damage to alveolicausespneumoniaandacuterespira-tory distress — the leading cause ofdeath inCovid-19.Both teamsdeveloped themodel
using“mini-lungs”—orlungorganoids.The organoidswere grown from thestemcells that repair thedeepestpor-tions of the lungswhere SARS-CoV-2
programedtheAT2cellsbacktotheirearlier “stem cell” stage. They grewself-organising,alveolar-like3Dstruc-turesthatmimicthebehaviourofkeylung tissue. When the 3D modelswere exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the
virus began to replicaterapidly. Insixhours,cellsbegan to produce inter-ferons—proteinsthatactas warning signals toneighbouringcells.After48hours,thecellsstartedfighting back. And after60 hours from infection,someofthealveolarcellsbegan to disintegrate,leading tocelldeathanddamage to the tissue.
In the other study, led by DukeUniversity cell biologistPurushothamaRaoTata,theteamgota single lung cell to multiply intothousands of copies and create astructure that resembles breathingtissues of the human lung. Once in-fected with the virus, the modelshowed an inflammatory response.Theteamalsowitnessedthecytokinestorm — the hyper reaction of im-munemolecules the lungs launch tofight the infection.
KABIRFIRAQUE
PAPERCLIP
NEWRESEARCH
PARTHASARATHIBISWASPUNE,OCTOBER23
WITH LESS than aweek to go for the Biharelections,theCentreonFridayreintroducedthestocklimitononions—amoveaimedatcontrollingrisingprices,whichcrossedRs80per kg inmany cities on Friday, includingnearlyRs100/kg inMumbai.Barely a month ago, Parliament had
amended the Essential Commodities Act,1955 to exclude onions—besides potatoes,edibleoils,oilseedandpulses—fromthelistofessentialcommodities,thusfreeingthemfrom stock limits. Since then, possiblywiththeBiharelectionsinmind,thegovernmenthas acted twice towards controlling onionprices; it relaxed import norms onWednesday,followedbyFriday’sreintroduc-tionof thestock limit.Alookatthedynamicsofonionpricesand
of August, as reports started coming in ofmassive losses to kharif onions caused byheavy rainfall in northKarnataka. This cropwasmeanttoarriveafterSeptemberandwasexpectedtofeedthemarketsuntilthearrivalof thekharifcropfromMaharashtratowardstheendofOctober.Therearethreemainonioncrops—kharif
(June-July sowing, post-October harvest),late kharif (September sowing, post-December harvest), and rabi (December-January sowing, post-March harvest). Therabi crop has the least moisture content,making it amenable to storage. Farmers, es-pecially inMaharashtra, store it in on-fieldstructures called kanda chawls to protect itfrommoistureand light.Thiscrop feeds themarkets till thenextonearrives.TheheavyraininSeptembernotonlyde-
stroyed the new crop in Karnataka but alsotook a toll on stored onions in states likeMadhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Farmers inMaharashtra alone hadmarketable onions,having stored around 28 lakh tonnes at thestartofsummer.ButevenMaharashtrafarm-
ers, in fact, have sufferedmore than theirusualstoragelosses—50-60%asagainst30-40% normally. Rain in the onion belt ofAhmednagar, Nashik and Pune had causedwater seepage into thestructures.Also, agricultureofficers say, theshelf life
of theonionis lowerthisyearduetooveruseof urea by farmers. “Last year, onion pricesweregoodandfarmerswereextra-indulgentwithureatoincreaseyield.Unfortunately,thisreducestheshelflifeofonions,”anofficersaid.Thenational acreage for rabi onions last
seasonwas10lakhhectaresasagainst7lakhhectares of 2018-19. But the additionalwastagehasconstrainedsupply.Of the 28 lakh tonnes stored in
Maharashtra, around 10-11 lakh tonnes re-mainnow.Theyearlyconsumptionofonionsin India is slated to be160 lakh tonneswithMaharashtra alone consuming around4,000-6,000 tonnesperday.
ingpricesonSeptember14,when itbannedtheexportofonions.Thiswasdonewhentheamendment to Essential Commodities Act1955tookawaythepowerofthegovernmenttoputstocklimitsononionsandafewothercommodities.Stocklimitshavebeenapotentweaponforcontrollingprices.Butevenaftertheexportban,pricescontinuedtoriseduetoa supply-demandmismatch. Lastweek, in-come tax officers from Pune inspected thebooksofnineprincipal traders inNashik.Thiswasfollowedbytherelaxationof im-
portnormsonWednesday,toalloweasyship-pinginfromIran,Turkeyandotheronion-pro-ducing nations. In Mumbai, the Vashiwholesalemarket got 600 tonnes of onions,whichmadeitswaytomarketsinSouthIndia.And on Friday, the government reintro-
ducedthestocklimit.Wholesaletradersare
now allowed to stock up to 25 tonnes ofonion,andretailtradersupto2tonnes.Theselimitswere set after taking into considera-tion the rise inpricesyear-on-year.
Will importshelpbringpricesdown?The landed cost of onions from Iran at
MumbaiportworksouttoaroundRs35perkg.Takingintoconsiderationtransport,han-dling and other charges, the final retail costforsuchonionscometoaroundRs40-45perkg. However, traders said the demand foronions from Iran comes from the hotel andhospitalityindustryratherthanfromthere-tail buyer. Such onions, they point out, lackpungencyandare larger than Indianones.In itsstatement, theCentrehasexpressed
hopethatthekharifcropwillsoonhitthemar-ketswhichwillhelpincoolingdowntheprices.However, reports of heavy crop losses havestarted coming in fromNashikdue to excep-tionally heavy rainfall in the last fewdays.Farmerssaytherainhasnotonlydamagedthealmostmarket-readycropbutalsotakenatollon thenurserieswhere farmerswere raisingsaplingsforthelatekharifandrabicrops.Given the crop damage,market sources
feelthatchancesofMaharashtra’scroparriv-ingbythefirstorsecondweekofNovemberareslim. “It’smostlygoingtobedelayedun-til the end of November,” said SureshDeshmukh, a commission agent operatingoutof thewholesalemarket inDindori,MP.While the imports can see pricesmove
downward in the short term,most say therealpricecorrectioncanhappenonlywhenthe new crop hits themarket. That will beonlypost-November.
Whataretheprospectsforthenextcrop?Farmers and agricultural officers have
talkedabout adire shortageof onion seeds,which can cast a shadow on the all-impor-tantrabiseason.Normally, farmersgeneratetheirownseedsbyallowingaportionof thecrop to flower and then produce seeds.However,thisseason,theyskippedthisstepandsoldtheirentirecropinviewofthegoodpricesbeingoffered.Non-availabilityofgoodseedshascausedconcernsandtheavailableseedsarebeingsoldatapremium.
15WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
TABASSUMBARNAGARWALAMUMBAI,OCTOBER23
ASTUDYpublishedthisweeksuggeststhatthedrugtocilizumabmaynotpreventmor-tality in Covid-19 patients. It is the secondsuchstudyonthisdrug.Andtocilizumabistheseconddrug,afterhydroxychloroquine,that had quickly earned global popularityas a Covid-19 treatment before its efficacycame under question in thewake of poortrial outcomes.BetweenMayandJuly,tocilizumabwas
widelyusedacross India formoderately illCovid-19 patients. Even today, doctors aredividedon itsefficacyagainstCovid-19.
What is tocilizumab?It isanimmunosuppressant,commonly
usedforrheumatoidarthritis,andmarketedas Actemra by Swiss pharma companyRoche.ItwasrepurposedinJanuarytofightsevere lung infection in Covid-19patients.Once it reached India by April-end,manyIndiandoctors initially reposedfaith in thedrug,someevencalling ita“miracledrug”.Atonepoint, demandwas sohigh thatpa-tientshad towait fordays togetavial.Roche supplied it to Cipla, which sup-
pliedtodistributorsandhospitals.Mumbai
had threedistributors andeachwitnessedaqueueof200-300peopledailytobuythedrug.Thencamethe twostudyresults.
of Medicine published a study on 243 pa-tientsthatfoundtocilizumabwasnoteffec-tive in preventing death inmoderately ill,hospitalised Covid-19 patients. At the endof 14days, thosegiven tocilizumabhadnosignificant clinical improvements, exceptfewerseriousinfections,comparedtothosenotadministeredthedrug.While18%ofthepatientsinthetocilizumabgrouphadwors-eningofdiseaseagainst14.9%intheplacebogroup, 24.6%were still on oxygen supportin the tocilizumab group against 21.2% intheothergroup.
Whatwerethepreviousfindings?On July29, Rochepublished results of a
phase-III trial, called Covacta,which foundthat tocilizumabdidnotmeet the primaryendpointofclinicalimprovementorthesec-ondary endpoint of reduction inmortality.Since then, the drug’s demand has plum-meted. The trial was on severely infectedCovid-19 patientswith pneumonia. At theendoffourweeks,itfoundnosignificantdif-ference between outcomes in the group
giventocilizumabandintheplacebogroup,orinthepercentageofpeoplewhohaddied.Therewas, however, a fasterdischarge rateinpatientsadministeredtocilizumab.OnSeptember18,Rochepublishedresults
of anotherphase III trial, Empacta.Thesere-sultswereslightlymoreencourag-ing: 44% of patients giventocilizumab are less likely toprogress into ventilation require-ment,buttherewasagainnodif-ferenceinmortalityrates.
Towhatextent is it stillbeingused?In a web seminar of the
International Federation ofPharmaceuticalManufacturersandAssociationsinSeptember,Dr Severin Schwan, ChiefExecutiveOfficerofRoche,saidthe company has not reducedsupply of tocilizumab after theJuly29trialresults.“Weareusingitincom-binationwith other drugs and trial resultsare awaited. There is enough supply,” DrSchwansaid.While somedoctors continue to give it
to patients, others have ceased todo so af-ter the trial results. J B Mantri, JointCommissioner inMaharashtra’s Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), said demandfor the drug has plummeted sinceAugust.Until July-end, 12,000 vials of tocilizumabhadbeenconsumedinMaharashtra.“Afterthat, there is negligible demand forCovid-19patients,”Mantri said.
Dr Gunjan Chanchalani, HeadIntensivist in Mumbai’s BhatiaHospital, said, “I have reduced useoftocilizumab.Andthepatientout-come has not got affectedmuchinitsabsence.”Doctorsalsopointtothecost—a400-mgdosecostsRs40,500, andnot everypatientcanaffordmultipledoses.And yet, one section of doc-
tors continue to prescribetocilizumab.
Whyaresomedoctorscontinuingwithtocilizumab?Roche has partnered with
Gilead Sciences for another trial,Remdata, of tocilizumab in combinationwiththeantiviralremdesivir,manufacturedbyGilead. Although the results of the trial,whichbeganinJunewith450patients,arenotyetout,doctorsareoptimisticbasedontheir anecdotal experience.Pulmonologist Dr Jalil Parkar said
remdesivir-tocilizumab combination has
“turnedaroundpatients if used in thenickof time”. “Onemust understand that trialslookforaspecificoutcomeandselectaspe-cific pool of people.We can’t say the drugfailedbecausethespecificoutcomewasnotachieved. I have treatedmore than 1,000patientsandclinicalacumenhastaughtusbetteruseof tocilizumabnow,”hesaid.InApril, Dr Parkarwas the first in India
touse tocilizumab, on a52-year-old Covidpatient in Lilavati Hospital. Then in shortsupply,thedrugwasimported.Thepatientdied despite plasma therapy and threedosesof tocilizumab.ButParkarinsiststhatonlyadelaycanrenderthedrugineffective.DrMohan Joshi, Dean of SionHospital,
mentionedfavourableoutcomesinpatientsgiven tocilizumabas part of a trial study inNairHospital. Dr BalkrishnaAdsul, DeanofSevenHillsHospital, saidhehastreated900patientswithtocilizumab.“Whateverthetrialresults say, if given on time this drughelpsimproveoxygen saturation level in24 to48hours.”DrAdsul agreed that thedrug isnotusefulinallpatients,andsaidheusesitinjust3-4%ofhospitalisedCovid-19patientsalongwith remdesivir. “The key is using it at therighttimefortherightperson,”Adsulsaid.
Whatarethealternatives?Remdesivir has not yet fallen out of
favour,althoughresultsoftheWorldHealthOrganization (WHO) Solidarity trial foundthisdrug —andafewothertreatments in-cludinghydroxychloroquine—werenotef-fective in preventing mortality. OnThursday,remdesivirbecamethefirstdrugto get US FDA approval for Covid-19 treat-ment. Until now US FDA has only givenemergency-useauthorisationtotreatmentsforCovid-19.Manydoctorsfindremdesivireffective if usedearly.Plasmaconvalescenttherapytooremains
inMumbai’sKasturbaLaboratory,saideversince the test became available, they arenow selecting donors based on antibodytitres and history of symptoms to ensuregood-qualityplasma.Severalhospitalsalsoinsist on testing donors before extractingtheir plasma to ensure the antibodies areeffective.The steroid dexamethasone and the
blood thinner heparin too are being usedfor treatmentof Covid-19.
What determines onion pricesInback-to-backmovesaimedatcontrollingonionprices, thegovernmenthasrelaxedimportnormsandnowreintroducedstocklimits.Whyhavepricesbeenrising,andhowfarcanthesemoveschecktherise?
PRABHARAGHAVANNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
APARTICIPANT in the late-stage clinical tri-alsofAZD1222, theCovid-19vaccinedevel-oped by The University of Oxford andSwedish-BritishdrugmakerAstraZeneca,hasdied in Brazil.What does thismean for thecloselywatched vaccine candidate—a ver-sionofwhichisattheforefrontof India’sownCovid-19vaccine race?
Whathappenedatthetrial, andwhyis itimportant?The volunteer for the trial in Brazil died
thisweek,accordingtothecountry’shealthsurveillanceagency,ANVISA.Whilethereg-ulator,UniversityofOxfordandAstraZenecadid not elaborate further, a report by CNNBrasil said the volunteerwas a 28-year-oldman living inRiode Janeiro andhaddiedofCovid-19complications.The vaccine uses aweakened common
cold chimpanzeevirus to carry instructionstocreate thespikeproteinof theSARS-CoV-2virus, likeaTrojanhorse.Thespikeproteinis thepartof thevirus thatallows it to infect
humans in the first place. The body’s im-mune system is expected to recognise thisspike protein as a threat, and develop anti-bodiestofightit,sothatitwillbereadytoat-tack therealvirus if infectionhappens.Brazil isamongthemajorsitesfortesting
this vaccine globally, with phase 3 humantrials there enrolling around 5,000 volun-teers.TheparticipantswereeithergiventheCovid-19vaccineorwereadministereddosesof a previously approved vaccine againstmeningitis — a viral, bacterial or fungal in-fectionthatcausesinflammationofthebrainandspinal cordmembranes.
Doesthedeathmeanthevaccine isunsafe?From the information available so far, it
does not mean the vaccine is unsafe.Accordingtoreports,theparticipantwasnotgivenAZD1222,whichwouldmeanthathisdeathwasnota resultof thevaccine.AstraZenecahas said that this issue, like
allsignificantmedicalevents,was“carefullyassessed”bytrialinvestigators,anindepend-entsafetymonitoringcommittee,andregu-latoryauthorities.“These assessments have not led to any
trial. Previously, the vaccine candidate hadhitaroadblockinSeptember,whenapartic-ipantintheUKreportedlygiventheCovid-19vaccine developed a serious adverse reac-tion.Thetrialswereputonpauseacross theworldasa result.
Followingreviewsthatledinvestigators,a safetymonitoring board and the UK gov-ernment to conclude that the reactionwasnot caused by the vaccine, trials have re-sumedatmostsitesexceptintheUS.TheUSFood andDrug Administration is still look-ing into this adverse event and is yet to ap-prove the restartof the trials there.
Howaretrials in Indiaprogressing?Pune-headquartered Serum Institute of
India(SII)hasanagreementwithAstraZenecatomanufacturethisvaccineforlow-andmid-dle-incomecountries.Itiscurrentlyconduct-ing late-stage trial of the candidate in Indiatargeting around1,600participants. TheUKincidenthad led toabrief paused in the trialin India, too,but ithasnowresumed.
Whathappenstothetrial inBrazil?Brazil’s regulator has said that the trial
will continue.Testingwouldhavebeensus-pended if the participant had been vacci-natedwiththeCovid-19candidate.However,asithasbeensuggestedthatthispersonwaspartof themeningitisvaccinecontrolgroup,there isnoquestionof the trial beinghaltedasa resultof thisdeath.
@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to [email protected] EXPLAINED
SnowdengetspermanentresidencyinRussia: lawyerFORMERUSsecurity con-tractor EdwardSnowdenhasbeengrantedperma-nent residency inRussia,his lawyer said Thursday.Snowden, a former con-tractor with the USNational SecurityAgency,has been living in Russiasince2013toescapepros-ecutionintheUSafterleak-ing classified documentsdetailinggovernmentsur-veillanceprograms.“Today,Snowdenwas handed aresidencypermitforanun-limitedperiodoftime,”hisRussian lawyer AnatolyKucherena told Russia'sstate Tass news agency.Kucherenasaidtheapplica-tion was submitted inApril, but because of thepandemic, itmoretimetoconsiderit.AP
EdwardSnowden
TOPOFTHEWORLD
AUSTRALIA
Nationwidechildexploitationprobe:44heldAUSTRALIANPOLICEsaidonFridaytheycharged44menwithpossessingandproducing child-abusematerialafterayear-longinvestigation into dis-semination of abhorrentcontent on the internet.Police also removed 16childrenfromharminanoperation that saw ar-rests in almost all of thecountry’seightstatesandterritories, theAustralianFederal Police (AFP) saidin a statement. The AFPsaid it began the investi-gationafterreceivingare-port that thousands ofpeoplewereusinganun-specified cloud storageplatformtospreadchild-abusematerial.REUTERS
GERMANY
HitlerspeechessellatauctiondespiteobjectionHANDWRITTENSPEECHnotes by Nazi dictatorAdolf Hitler sold at auc-tion inMunichonFridaydespite concerns fromJewish groups theycould encourage neo-Nazis. The HermannHistorica auction housedefended the sale of themanuscripts, all datedbefore the outbreak ofWorld War II, sayingthey were of historicalsignificance and belongpreserved in amuseum.The documents all soldto anonymous biddersfor well above theirstarting prices.AP
GINIABELLAFANTEOCTOBER23
ONMONDAY, a group of UpperWest Siderswhohadorganisedagainst the placement of 235homelessmeninaresidentialho-tel in their neighbourhood re-ceived someunwelcomenews.On themorning themenweresupposedtomovefardowntown,a judge ruled that they could re-mainwheretheywere.Relocatingwouldbetoodisruptiveandtrau-matictopeoplepiecingtheirlivesbacktogetheramidapandemicUntilthatpoint,itseemedthe
antagonists had civic power ontheirside;self-interestwascom-
ingup ahead as it so often does.Lastmonth,MayorBill de Blasioagreed to get thehomelessmenout of the complainants’way—removing them from theLabradoodle serenityof thearea,whereavocalminoritywasmain-taining that their lives hadbeenupendedbyuglinessanddisorder.Theideathatitwouldtakeat
least amonthbefore thehome-less men could be relocatedprompted rage in a closedFacebookgroup,where little ef-fort was made to conceal themostunsettlingprejudices.As onewoman, a corporate
executive, theorised, the menprobably sought to stay in theneighbourhood,notinpursuitof
some stability but rather be-cause there are “lots of stores toshoplift from” and “unmanned
vestibules they can vandalise.”In fact, the overall crime rate intheneighborhoodover thepast
month is down from the sameperiodlastyear;therehavebeennomurders,noshootings.The anger among some of
thoseopposed to the temporaryshelterwasn’t justthattheyhad-n’tbeengivenwhattheywantedbutthattheydidn’tgetwhattheypaidfor.Inthisinstance,theyhadhiredanexpensivelawyer,RandyMastro,aformerdeputymayortoRudyGiuliani,tohelpthemgettheunhoused out of view. Now intheirprivatesocialmediapostingstheywonderedwherehewasandwhathehadreallydoneforthem.Clearlyhiscontributionswere
sufficientenoughtoignitethefuryof protesters, who defacedMastro’stownhousethisweek.
The fight over sheltering ex-emplifies just one of the waysthepandemichasdeepenedtheclassdivide,whileparadoxicallyrevealingthatold-styletransac-tionalism no longer reliablyyieldedthesamegifts.Thepriv-ileged were now playing on agameboard thathadchanged.Thisbewilderedentitlement
is not confined to those hopingto buy their way to a version oftheUpperWestSidethatfeltlikeWestchester. It was echoed byparents in New York’s private-school world, as plans for re-opening were announced inAugust.Manyschools—becauseof teacher resistance, buildingconstraintsandsoon—werenot
going to be able to offer live in-struction fivedaysaweek.Thisinfuriatedmanyparents,
whobelievedthattheirhightu-ition fees ought to serve as ahedge against inconvenienceduringaglobal crisis.Duringthesevenmonths the
pandemichashadusbythescruff,millionsofpeoplehavebeenpro-pelled into crises of joblessness,grief, fear, faith, poverty, disloca-tion. But even as the rich havemanagedtoacceleratetheirgainsinaperpetualwaragainstfairness,the victories havebecomemorecomplicated.Thishasbecomees-peciallyobviousatthelevelofur-banpolicy,wherethedisparity isthemostpronounced.NYT
THE PANDEMIC SENT INEQUALITY SOARING, BUT THE RICH NOW FIND THEY CAN’T BEND THE WORLD TO THEIR WILL
The rich in New York confront an unfamiliar word: No
US PRESIDENT Donald TrumpandJoeBidendeliveredstarklydi-vergentclosingargumentstothecountry in the final presidentialdebate Thursday, offering oppo-siteprognosesforthecoronaviruspandemic and airing irreconcil-abledifferencesonsubjectsfromrescuing the economy and bol-steringthehealthcaresystemtofighting climate change and re-shapingtheimmigrationsystem.Thedebatewas,onthewhole,
amore restrainedaffair than thefirstencounterbetweenthe twocandidates last month, whenTrumpharanguedBidenformostof an hour and a half and effec-tively short-circuited any policydebate. But if the tenor ofThursday’s forumwasmore se-date, the conflict inmatters ofsubstance and vision could nothavebeenmoredramatic.From the openingminutes,
thetwocandidatestookopposingstances on the pandemic, withTrumppromising, in defiance ofevidence, that the diseasewas“going away”whileBiden calledformuchmoreaggressivefederalactionina“darkwinter”ahead.Trump,whobadgeredBiden
with increasing aggressionoverthecourseofthedebate,appeareddetermined tocasthisopponentasacareerpoliticianwhowas, ashe jabbed toward the endof thedebate, “all talk and no action.”AndthePresidentusedtheeventashismost prominentplatformyet for airingunsubstantiatedat-tacksabout the financesof Bidenandmembersofhisfamily.Trump, however, did little to
layoutanaffirmativecaseforhisown re-election, or to explain inclear termswhathewouldhopeto dowith another four years intheWhiteHouse. He frequentlymisrepresented the facts of hisownrecord, andBiden’s. Andonhismost importantpoliticalvul-nerability—hismismanagement
ofthepandemic—Trumphewedunswervingly to amessage thathappydaysarenearlyhereagain.Biden,forhispart,stucktothe
coreoftheargumentthathaspro-pelled his campaign from thestart, denouncingTrumpas adi-visiveleaderwhobotchedthefed-eral response to the pandemic.ThoughTrumppushedhimontothe defensive repeatedly, Bidenalsolaidoutafullerversionofhisownpolicyagendathanheman-agedinthefirstdebate,callingforlarge-scale economic stimulusspending, newaid to states bat-tlingCovid-19andamuscularex-pansionofhealthcareandworkerbenefitsnationwide.NYT
would start immediately andthatundertheagreementallfor-eign fighters must quit Libyawithin three months, while a
newjointpoliceforcewouldpa-troldisputedareas.Asa first commercialpassen-
ger flight in more than a yearcrossed frontlines fromTripoli tolandintheeasterncityofBenghazion Friday,Williamshailed bothsidesforreachingadeal.“Theroadwaslonganddiffi-
cult at times. Your patriotismwas yourway forward and youwere able to reach a ceasefireagreement,” she said after the
signingceremony.Thetalkscomeaftertheinter-
nationally recognised Govern-ment of National Accord in JunebeatbackKhalifaHaftar’seastern-based LibyanNationalArmy fol-lowing its 14-month assault onthecapital.Sincethen, front lineshavestabilisedwestofthecentralcity of Sirte and eastern forcesended an 8-month blockade ofLibyanoiloutputandexportsthatwasstranglingstatefinances.
SAJJADHUSSAINISLAMABAD,OCTOBER23
PAKISTAN’SANTI-CORRUPTIONbodyhasslappedafreshcorrup-tion case on former primemin-ister Nawaz Sharif, compound-ing the legal woes of theembattled Opposition leaderwhohasfrequentlyattackedthepowerfulmilitary aswell as thegovernment.Sharif, the 70-year-old
supremoofthePakistanMuslimLeague(Nawaz)whowasoustedfrom power in 2017 by theSupreme Court on corruptioncharges, is currently in Londonformedical treatment.TheNational Accountability
Bureau also approved casesagainst Sharif's ex-personal sec-retary FawadHasan Fawad, for-merfederalministerAhsanIqbal,former foreign secretary AizazChaudhryandformerIntelligenceBureau (IB) chief Aftab Sultan,Dawnnewspaperreported.On Thursday, a total of 11
cases were approved at NAB’sExecutiveBoardMeeting(EBM)presided over by its chairman,retired Justice Javed Iqbal.AccordingtotheNAB,afresh
casewasapprovedagainstSharifalongwithChaudhry,SultanandFawad for “illegally”purchasing73high-securityvehiclesforthesecurityof foreigndignitaries.They are accused of
SRILANKANlawmakersapprovedamendments to theconstitutionthat strengthened thepowersofPresidentGotabayaRajapaksaandtook away Parliament’s role inmakingkeyappointmentssuchasjudgesandthepolicechief.Thenewamendmentswere
passed by Parliament late onThursday with a two-thirdsmajority after a raucous two-day debate.Rajapaksa, a former defence
chief who oversaw themilitarydefeat of Tamil separatists adecadeago, swept topower lastNovemberandhassinceconsol-idatedcontrol.In August, his party over-
whelminglywonaparliamentary
electiononanelectionplankthatincludeddoingawaywithapre-viousconstitutionalamendmentin2015thathadputmorepowerinthelegislature’shands.The government has argued
that strengthening the presi-dent’s powerswas required forbettergovernance.Under the new law, Sri
Lanka’s Presidentwill have thepowertodissolvethelegislatureanytimeafteritcrossesthehalf-waymarkof its five-year term.Theoppositionhas criticised
the move, and some wore redarm-bandsinprotest.REUTERS
RACE FORTHEWHITE
HOUSE
In final Trump-Biden showdown,less chaos but plenty of clashes
USPRESIDENTDonaldTrumpan-nounced Friday that SudanwillstarttonormalisetieswithIsrael,making it the thirdArab state todosoaspartofUS-brokereddealsintherun-uptoElectionDay.Thedeal,whichwoulddeepen
Sudan’s engagement with theWest,followsTrump’sconditionalagreement thisweek to removetheNorthAfricannationfromthelistof state sponsorsof terrorismif it pays compensation toAmericanvictimsofterrorattacks.It also delivers a foreignpol-
icy achievement for Trump justdays before theUS election andboostshisembattledally, IsraeliPrime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu.Recently,theUSbro-kereddiplomaticpactsbetweenIsrael and the United ArabEmiratesandBahrain.“Thisisoneofthegreatdaysin
Trump’s announcement, themorningafter thefinalpresiden-tial debate with Democrat JoeBiden,cameafterSudanfollowedthrough on its pledge to deliver$335 million to compensateAmericanvictimsofpastterrorat-tacksandtheirfamilies.Theremovaloftheterrordes-
ignationopensthedoorforSudantoget international loansandaidneededtoreviveitsbatteredecon-omy and rescue the country’stransitiontodemocracy.Sudan’s PMAbdallaHamdok
thanked Trump for removingSudanfromtheterrorismlistandsaid he hoped to complete theprocessina“timelymanner”.AP
SudanPMHamdokthankedTrumpforremovingSudanfromtheterrorismlistaheadofnormalisationoftieswith Israel
New US Covid cases insingle day near recordLISASHUMAKER&MARIACASPANICHICAGO,OCTOBER23
THENUMBER of new Covid-19cases reported in the UnitedStatesonThursdaywas thesec-ondhighestonrecord,cominginjust short of their midsummerpeak as the spread of the novelcoronavirusacceleratesinnearlyevery regionof thecountry.Cases, hospitalisations and
deaths are all accelerating ascooler weather descends onmuch of the country. With76,195 new cases on Thursday,the United States was ap-proaching its one-day recordhigh of 77,299 new cases on
July 16, according to a Reutersanalysis.US Health Secretary Alex
Azar attributed the increase incasestobehaviorof individuals,saying household gatheringshavebecomea“majorvectorofdisease spread.”Askedaboutanassertionby
PresidentDonaldTrumpduringThursday night’s presidentialdebate that theUnited States is“rounding the turn” on coron-avirus, Azar told CNN thatTrump was trying to providehope to Americans waiting fortherapeuticsandavaccine.“Butwedoneedtoacknowledge,andhedoesacknowledge,thatwe’rein a very seriousmoment rightnow,”Azar said.REUTERS
Trump: Sudan willjoin UAE, Bahrainin recognising Israel
Sri Lanka Parliamentvotes to strengthenpresidential powers
SriLankanPresidentGotabayaRajapaksa
Warring Libyan rivals sign ceasefire deal
ASSOCIATEDPRESSBEIJING,OCTOBER23
CHINESELEADERXiJinpingcon-demned “unilateralism, protec-tionismandextremeegoism”ina jab at the United StatesmadeduringarallyFridaytomarkthe70th anniversary of China’s en-
China as amajor player on theworld stage and Friday’s com-memorationscloselyfitwithXi’sdrivetopromotepatriotismandthe unquestioned leadership ofthe rulingCommunistParty.“In today’sworld, thepursuit
of unilateralism, protectionismand extreme egoism leadsnowhere,”Xisaid.
“Arrogance, always doing asone pleases, acts of hegemony,overbearance or bullying willlead nowhere,” Xi said, accord-ingtocommentsreleasedbytheofficialXinhuaNewsAgency.The anniversary comes as
China’s relations with the UShave sunk to their lowest levelin decades.AP
PRESIDENTVLADIMIR Putin ofRussiaismostlikelycontinuingtoapprove anddirect interferenceoperations aimed at raisingPresident Trump’s re-electionchances,arecentCIAanalysiscon-cluded, a signal that intelligenceagenciescontinuetobacktheiras-sessmentofRussianactivitiesde-spitethePresident’sattacks.Theassessmentwasdissem-
inated in support of sanctionsimposed thismonth on AndriyDerkach, a pro-RussianUkrainian lawmaker who hasspreadinformationcriticalof JoeBiden. It isconsistentwithintel-ligenceofficials’warningtolaw-makers in January that Russiawas interfering on Trump’s be-
half, a briefing that outragedRepublicans and eventuallyhelped oust Joseph Maguirefromhis post as acting directorof national intelligence.TheCIAhasmoderate confi-
dence in itsanalysis,a lowerde-greeofcertaintythanits2016as-sessmentofPutin’spreferences,in part because the intelligencecommunity appears to lack in-terceptedcommunicationscon-firming his direction ofDerkach’sefforts.Putin,aformerintelligence agent, is careful nottouseelectronicdevices.NYT
RussianPresidentVladimirPutin
Putin most likely directing electioninterference to aid Trump, says CIA
Sd/-The General Manager (Ele.)Meters and Commercial,
BESCOM
BESCOM invites tender vide Enquiry No.: BESCOM/GM(M&C)/DGM(SG&EV)/BC-53/2020-21/ENQ–02 dated: 21-10-2020 for“ProvidingTransaction Advisory Services along with Bidadvisory services for Advanced Metering Infrastructure(AMI) in BESCOM”.Issue of Bid Documents: From 03.11.2020 at 17:00 Hrs.onwards. Last Date for submission of Queries throughe-portal:Upto 09.11.2020, before 17:00 Hrs. Pre-bidmeeting:On 10.11.2020 @ 11:00 Hrs. at Board Room, CorporateOffice, BESCOM, Bangalore. Last date for bid submission:upto 18.11.2020, 17:00 Hrs. Opening of bid documents:19.11.2020, 17:30 Hrs. All the payments such as tender cost,EMD, etc. shall be made through e-payment mode. Further,bidders can take assistance with e-procurement help desk at080-25501216 and 080-25501227 or website https://eproc.karnataka.gov.in
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For Electricity related complaints call: 1912Download “BESCOM Mithra” Mobile APP
BRIEFLYPMtointeractwithCEOsofoilandgasfirmsNewDelhi: PrimeMinisterNarendraModiwillinteractvia video conferencewithCEOs of leading global oiland gas companies onMondayatanannualeventorganisedbytheNITIAayogand the Ministry ofPetroleumandNaturalGas.
Govttosellupto15%stakeinRVNLviaOFSNewDelhi:Thegovernmentis planning to sell up to 15per cent stake in Rail VikasNigamLtd (RVNL) andhasinvitedbids frommerchantbankers formanaging thesharesaleprocess.
Veggieburgersarestillburgers,rulesEUBrussels:Votingtorejectpro-posals backed by farmers,the European Parliamentsaid on Friday that restau-rants and shops in theEuropeanUnion should beallowedtolabelproductsas‘veggie burgers’ or ‘vegansausages’,while calling formore curbs on labelling ofplant-based dairy substi-tutes. REUTERS
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
THEUNITEDStatesFoodandDrugAdministration (FDA) onThursday approved Veklury(remdesivir), an antiviral devel-oped and patented by GileadSciences, for Covid-19 treatmentofhospitalisedadultsandchildrenabove the ageof 12years. This isthefirstandonlytreatmentsofartoreceivetheAmericandrugreg-ulator’sapprovalforCovid-19.Thenod,comingaweekafter
interim results of a global trialsponsored by theWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)saidremde-sivirwasineffectiveinpreventingCovid-19deathsinhospitals,wasgivenonthebasisofothertrials.Remdesivir, like other repur-
poseddrugs, hadbeenadminis-teredtopatientsacrosstheworldonthebasisofemergencyuseap-provals by regulators in variouscountries,includingIndia.Vekluryhasbeenapprovedorauthorisedfor temporary use as a Covid-19treatment innearly50countries,accordingtoGileadSciences.“TheapprovalofVeklurywas
supportedbytheagency’sanaly-sisofdatafromthreerandomized,controlled clinical trials that in-cludedpatientshospitalizedwithmild-to-severeCOVID-19,”saidaUSFDAreleaseonthematter.The trials taken into account
include theACTT-1 randomised,double-blind,placebo-controlledtrial conducted by theNationalInstituteofAllergyandInfectiousDiseases.Thistriallookedat1,062hospitalisedpatientswithmild-
to-severe Covid-19 to evaluatehowlong it tookthemtorecoverwithin29daysofbeingtreated.“Themediantimetorecovery
fromCovid-19was10daysfortheVeklury group compared to 15days for theplacebogroup,asta-tistically significant difference.Overall, the odds of clinical im-provement at Day 15were alsostatisticallysignificantlyhigherinthe Veklury groupwhen com-pared to the placebo group,”statedtherelease.Overfivedrugmakershere,in-
cludingDrReddy’s Laboratories,CiplaandHeteroHealthcare,havesignedagreementswithGileadtomakeandsupplygenericversionsof the patented drug in India aswellasmanylow-andmiddle-in-comenations. However, the fu-ture of the drug is still being as-sessedinIndia,especiallyaftertheinterimresultsoftheWHO-spon-soredSolidarityTherapeuticstriallastweekthatsaidremdesivirandother repurposed drugs understudyseemedtohave“littleorno
(madepublic),theirinterimresu-ltshavebeenputupontheweb-site.Thishasnotyetbeenpeerre-viewed, however, we find thatthesedrugsarenotperformingaswe had expected,” Dr BalramBhargava,DirectorGeneral,IndianCouncilofMedicalResearchsaidonOctober 20, during a briefingon the actions takenby the gov-ernmenttotackleCovid-19.“So, debate anddiscussion is
ongoingatthenationaltaskforceand the jointmonitoring groupandwewill take intocognisanceresultsofthesetrialsandissuetheadvisoriesaccordingly,”hesaid.Meanwhile, some Covid-19
doctors said they found thedrugbeneficial in cuttingdown treat-ment timelines in some cases.Othersarewaitingonthefinalre-sultsof thetrial totakeacallonifandhowtheywillusethisdrug.The size of the remdesivir
market in Indiawas pegged ataroundRs121.29 crore in the12months ended September, ac-cording toestimatesbypharma-ceutical market research firmAIOCD Awacs PharmaTrac.However,thesecalculationsweremadeusingdataavailableforonlyfour of the several remdesivirbrands — Desrem (Mylan),Remdac (ZydusCadila), Cipremi(Cipla) and Covifor (Hetero),whichmeansthesizeofthemar-ketmayactuallybemuchhigher.Salesof remdesivirherehave
risensubstantially—nearly96percent in July-September for thefour aforementioned brands—PharmaTracdatashowed.
Eye on offline market, Flipkartbuys 7.8% in Aditya Birla FashionPRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
WALMART-OWNEDE-COMM-ERCEcompanyFlipkarthaspickeda7.8percentstakeinAdityaBirlaFashionandRetailLtd(ABFRL)forRs1,500croreinadealthatcomesatatimewhentheretailsectorhaswitnessed an uptick in M&Atransactions,with sectoral ana-lystsexpectingmoresuchdealstobeannouncedinthenearfuture.Flipkart Group runs e-com-
merce platforms Flipkart andMyntra, and is themarket leaderin the online fashion category,while ABFRL houses lifestylebrands such asAllen Solly, PeterEngland,VanHeusen inaddition
to thePantaloonschainofmulti-brandstores. Thedeal ispartof atrendwhere online retailers areenteringintofinancialandstrate-gic partnershipswith offline re-tailerstoexpandtheirpresence.“As far as India is concerned,
thepenetrationof online is verysmall. So for them to grow theirbusinessandgetcustomersexpe-rience their products, theyneedphysicalpresenceandtheFDIreg-ulations come in theirway,” saidArvindSinghal,CMDofretailcon-sultancyfirmTechnopak.Sources in knowof the deal
alsopointedoutthatFlipkartandABFRL will need to find a wayaround India’s foreign direct in-vestment(FDI)norms,whichbarany entity inwhich an e-com-
merce firmor its group compa-nieshave a stake fromsellingontheironlineplatform.“Through this transaction
withABFRL,wewillworktowardsmakingavailableawiderangeofproducts for fashion-consciousconsumersacrossdifferent retailformats across thecountry,” saidKalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO,FlipkartGroup.Inastatement,ABFRLsaidthat
it plans to use this capital tostrengthen its balance sheet and“accelerateitsgrowthtrajectory”.“Thisdealalsoprovidesatremen-dousopportunitytobuildscaleofexisting brands and expand itsbrand portfolio into emergingconsumersegments,”saidAshishDikshit,MD,ABFRL.
Gilead’s remdesivir first drug toget Covid treatment nod in US
Thefutureof thedrug isstillbeingassessed in India,especiallyafter the interimresultsof aWHO-sponsoredtrial lastweek. Express file
DOUBLEWHAMMYFORPVSEGMENT:The passengervehicles (PVs) segment ofe-mobilitywill face a doublewhammy, as■ Consumerswould bewaryto buy a costlier EV than aninternal combustion engine(ICE) vehicle
■ Original equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs)wouldrefrain from incurring highcapital expenditure
‘High cost, low priority to hitsales growth of electric vehicles’
COVID-19 IMPACT
20%Possible year-on-year decline
in sales automobileindustry could see in FY21amid reduced affordabilityand lower economicactivities due to pandemic
Source: IndiaRatings/PTI
The pandemic is likely to delay the penetration of electricvehicles (EVs), as low affordability and the government’spriority to revive conventional auto industry takes thefocus away fromEVs in the interim, rating firm Ind-Ra said
BEGINNINGTHEprocessofmar-ket borrowing tomeet the com-pensationdeficitundertheGoodsand Services Tax (GST) regime,the Centre has borrowed andtransferred Rs 6,000 crore to 16states and twounion territories,includingMaharashtra, Gujarat,Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh,Bihar,Goa,Assam,UttarPradesh,DelhiandJammu&Kashmir,theFinanceMinistry said on Friday.Out of these16 states and2UTs,fivestatesdidnothaveanyshort-fallonaccountofGSTcompensa-tion, itsaid.Theborrowinghasbeendone
ataninterestrateof5.19percent,implyingthesamerateforstatesintheback-to-backloanarrange-ment.Tenorofborrowingislikelytobe3-5years, itsaid.Twenty one states and two
union territories have opted forthis special window involvingback-to-back borrowing coordi-natedbytheMinistryofFinance.Theministry intends to releaseRs6,000croretothestateseveryweek.“Today, the central govern-
ment borrowed and transferredRs 6,000 crore as first tranche to16statesnamelyAndhraPradesh,
Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat,Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra,Meghalaya,Odisha,Tamil Nadu, Tripura, UttarPradesh, Uttarakhand and twounionterritories:UTofDelhiandUT of Jammu and Kashmir,” itsaid.Inasharpretractionofitsear-
lierposition,theFinanceMinistry
had last week said the Centrewould borrow from themarketand thenact as an intermediarytoarrangeback-to-back loans topaytheGSTcompensationshort-fall of Rs 1.1 lakh crore to stategovernments.Thisarrangementwillnotreflectinthefiscaldeficitof the Centre andwill appear ascapital receipts for stategovern-ments.Some states such as Kerala,
PunjabandChhattisgarhhavein-sistedonfurtherclarificationsandano-stringsattachedborrowingmechanismalongwithaskingtoinclude the balance compensa-tion deficit amount beyond theproposed borrowing of Rs 1.10lakhcrorealsoundertheambitofthe back-to-back loanmecha-nism. Kerala’s FinanceMinisterThomas Isaac on Thursday hadsaid, “Having reached a consen-susonwhoshouldborrow,centreandstatescanreachaconsensusonhowmuchtoborrow.Extend
to all states additional 0.5% un-conditional borrowing in the 2%borrowingalreadypermitted.Letthe GST Councilmeet and con-tinuethedialogue.”The total GST revenue short-
fallforthecurrentfiscalwasesti-mated to be Rs 3 lakh crore, ofwhichcompensationcesscollec-tion was estimated to be Rs65,000 crore, leaving a compen-sationdeficitofRs2.35lakhcrore.Of this Rs 2.35 lakh crore, Rs 1.1lakhcroreshortfallhasbeenesti-matedonaccountofGST imple-mentation,while the rest of theamountisbeingestimatedastheimpactoftheCovid-19pandemic.InAugust,theCentregavetwo
optionstothestates—eitherbor-rowRs 97,000 crore froma spe-cialwindowfacilitatedbytheRBIorborrowRs2.35lakhcrorefromthe market. The options havesincebeenrevisedtoRs1.10lakhcrore and Rs 1.8 lakh crore, re-spectively.
■Of these16statesand2UTs, fivestatesdidnothaveanyshortfallonaccountofGSTcompensation.■Twentyonestatesandtwounionterritorieshaveoptedfor this specialwindowinvolvingback-to-backborrowingcoordinatedbytheMinistryof Finance.
Sept crude oil processing rises overAug but still below pre-Covid levels
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,OCTOBER23
FORMERNATIONAL CompanyLawAppellate Tribunal (NCLAT)ChairpersonandretiredSupremeCourt judge Justice SJMukhopadhaya has been ap-pointed to a 17-member globaladvisory board of the GuptaFamilyGroup(GFG)alliance.Thenewboardwill help the alliance“indelivering its strategic priori-tiesandachievingbestpracticeinenvironment, social and gover-nance”,thealliancesaidinastate-ment.During his tenure as the
NCLAT Chairperson, JusticeMukhopadhaya had presidedoversomecasesofinsolvencyandbankruptcy, inwhich theLibertyHousegroupwasabidder for in-solventcompanies.TheGFGAlliancewhich has
the Liberty Steel Group, theAlvanceAluminiumGroup andtheSIMECEnergyGroupunderitsumbrella,hadannouncedtheap-pointmentof these17expertsonOctober 13. Justice Mukho-padhaya is the only appointeefromIndiaontheglobalboard.MailssenttotheGFGAlliance,
seekingdetailsaboutwhatwouldbe the scope of work of JusticeMukhopadhayaandhistenurere-
mained unanswered. JusticeMukhopadhaya, who was ap-pointedasthefirstchairpersonofNCLAT in 2016, had retired onMarch13 this year, having com-pletedhistenure.The NCLAT has remained
without anappointedheadeversince.JusticeBansiLalBhat,afor-mer judge of the Jammu andKashmirHighCourt, tookoverasthe acting chairpersonof NCLATonMarch15andhasbeenhead-ing the appellate tribunal sincethen.Heislikelytocontinueastheacting chairpersonuntil at leastDecember31thisyear, seniorof-ficialssaid.Officials at theMinistry of
CorporateAffairs(MCA),thenodalministry for appointment ofmemberstotheNCLATaswellas
theNationalCompanyLawTribu-nal (NCLT), said theywere notawareofJusticeMukhopadhaya’sappointmenttotheGFGAllianceboard. The officials, however,added therewas no rulewhichmandatesMCAbeinginformed.“There is noprescribed cool-
ing-offperiodortherequirementof informing theMCA as such.Onceamemberretiresaftertheirtenure,what they do is none ofour concern. There is no rule forinformingtheMCAeither,”asen-iorofficialsaid.Onesuchcompany,forwhich
the Liberty House had bid andthen withdrawn its offer wasAmtekAuto.Thecorporateinsolvencyres-
olutionprocess of the company,which remains pending morethanthreeyearsafteritwasiniti-ated, had seen JusticeMukhopadhaya pulling up theLiberty House group for notfollowingthroughwithitsresolu-tionplan.“Youareafailureparty...allthe
timedragging your feet. You areinbadreputation.Wewillnotal-lowyou to takeadvantageof theappellate tribunal,” a two-mem-ber Bench of the NCLAT, thenheadedbyJusticeMukhopadhayahadobserved.
Fullreportonwww.indianexpress.com
ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,OCTOBER23
THE MONETARY PolicyCommittee (MPC)of theReserveBankof India (RBI) has indicatedthat it “may takeyears” to regainthelostGDPoutput.Ontheotherhand, theRBIpanel, according totheminutesreleasedonFriday,hassignaledthatthere’s“spaceforfu-ture rate cuts” if the inflationevolvesinlinewithexpectations.“Thereexists space for future ratecutsif theinflationevolvesin
linewith our expectations. Thisspaceneedstobeusedjudiciouslyto support recovery in growth,”RBI Governor Shaktikanta Dassaid.Theongoingtransmissionofpast monetary policy actionswouldhelpease financial condi-tionsfurther,Dassaidinthemin-utesreleasedbytheRBI.Meanwhile, theRBI’s central
board Fridayheld ameet to dis-cuss,amongotherthings,theeco-nomicsituation.Themeetingde-liberated on issues concerningfinancialstability.
''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,,SSaannttoosshhKumar,S/oDevendraPrasadSingh,R/o-72, KumharMohalla Jasola-Village,Okhla,Delhi-25,chabgedmyminor daughter’s name toManaswi toManaswiKashyap,for all Purposes.
II,, Jasvinder SinghR/o 106a/2Govindpuri Kalka Ji NewDelhi110019have changedmyminorson’s name fromRajindraSingh toRajender Singh for allpurposes. 0040552314-1
II SunitaW/O,Hari Pal DabasR/oHouseNumber 553,VillageKanjhawala, Delhi-110081havechangedmyname toSunitaDevi for all purposes
0040552316-1
II SomVatiW/o-Sh.Sudhir Vats,R/o-H.No.756/2, Near SawatiModernSchool,Mundka, Delhi-110041,have changemynameSomVati to Somwati for allpurpose.That SomVati&Somwati is theoneand sameperson. 0040552309-1
II SavitriW/O, RameshChanderR/oH.no.139, VillageKanjhawala, delhi-110081havechangedmyname toSavitriDevi for all purposes.
0040552315-1
II RekhaChauhanw/oArvindKumar resident of C-419, gokalpuri, delhi-110094, havechangedmyname fromRekhaChauhan toRekhaRani for allfuturepurposes.
0040552321-1
BBhhaaggwwaannttii w/oMr.NarainDasArorad/oHari chandArora r/o8A/20GeetaColony, Delhi-31,hereby changemyname toBhawnaArora for all futurepurpose. 0040552305-1
PPEERRSSOONNAALL
LLOOSSTT&&FFOOUUNNDD
Classifieds
PUBLIC NOTICEMy client Om Prakash Guptaowns Flat No. 554 Sector-16B,Pocket B Phase II Category C/GFGroup C Dwarka New Delhi lostoriginal documents of Flatadvertised in HT dated11.05.2019. He apprehends onforged ownership documents flatwas sold and purchased by somepersons. Inform immediately ifanyone dealtwith this flat to mewithin 7 days.
Sd/- S.P Bansal AdvocateEnrl.No. D4/2008
Ch. No. 229, IInd Floor, Lawyer’sChamber Block, District Court
Rohini, Delhi-110085
PUBLIC NOTICEGeneral public is hereby informedthat the original chain of title deedsincluding the Sale Deed in respect ofKhasra No. 1833, Rangpuri, VasantKunj, New Delhi in favour of Smt.Shashi Sankhla W/o Shri D.C.Sankhla R/o 27, Rajpur Road, Delhihave been lost/ misplaced. If anybody found the same please returnthe valuable documents to theundersigned and not to misuse thesame in any manner. If any bodymisuses the said lost documents anddeals with respect to said propertythen the undersigned shall not beliable or responsible for the same.
Smt. Shashi SankhlaMob.No. 9871232222
PUBLIC NOTICEMy client, Sh. Shiv Kumar Jindal S/OSh. Jage Ram and his wife Smt.Santosh Jindal Both R/O H. No. 229/230, Upper Ground Floor, Pocket 2,Sector 22, Rohini, Delhi-110086, hassevered all connection with theirdaughter Ms. Neha Jindal as she is outof their control and living separately atunknown place for the last about oneyear. She has taken car No. DL 12 CQ9521 registered in the name of Smt.Santosh Jindal with her and using itwithout the permission of Smt. SantoshJindal. My clients have debarred theirdaughter Ms. Neha Jindal from all oftheir movable and immovableproperties. Henceforth my clients arenot responsible for any act/deed doneby their daughter Ms. Neha Jindal.
PUBLIC NOTICEGENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBYINFORMED THAT MY CLIENT MR.MOHAN DUTT SHARMA SON OF LATEPT. VIDDYA RATTAN RESIDENT OF D-7,KIRTI NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110015 ISONE OF THE CO-OWNERS AND INLAWFUL POSSESSION OF THE SAIDPROPERTY AND THAT MY CLIENT HASNEITHER ENTERED INTO ANYAGREEMENT OF SALE NORAUTHORISED ANYONE INCLUDING MR.SANJEEV WADHWA PROP. M/S. NEEVINFRA, F-48, KIRTI NAGAR, NEW DELHI,EITHER TO DEVELOP THE SAIDPROPERTY OR TO SELL THE SAME ORANY PORTION THEREOF. ANYPERSON(S) DEALING WITH THE SAIDM/S. NEEV INFRA OR ANY OTHERPERSON IN CONNECTION WITH THEAFORESAID PROPERTY OF MY CLIENTSHALL BE DOING SO AT HIS ENTIRERISKS, COSTS AND RESPONSIBILITYAND MY CLIENT SHALL NEITHER BEBOUND BY ANY SUCH DEAL NORRESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAME, IN ANYMANNER.
PUBLIC NOTICEMy client (1) Sh. Harish Kumar S/o Late Sh.Prem Raj R/o H.No. 5503, New Chandrawal,Delhi-110007 is the owner of property No.5342/XII, 5343/XII, 5346/XII and propertyNo.5347- 49/XII, Gali No.6, New Chandrawal,Delhi-110007 situated in Khasra No. 276; (2)my client Sh. Lalit Kumar S/o Late Sh. PremRaj R/o H.No. 5504, New Chandrawal, Delhi-110007 is the owner of property No. 5340B/XII,5340C/XII, 5344/XII, 5356/XII and propertyNo.5357/XII, Gali No.6, New Chandrawal,Delhi-110007 situated in Khasra No.276; (3)my client Late Sh. Rakesh Kumar S/o Late Sh.Prem Raj (represented by his son Amit Kumar)R/o H.No.5496, New Chandrawal, Delhi-110007 is the owner of property No.5350/XII,5351/XII, 5352/XII, 5353/XII, 5354/XII and5355/XII, Gali No.6, New Chandrawal, Delhi-110007 situated in Khasra No.276. If anyperson will sale or purchase any part or portionof the above mentioned properties, in anymanner whatsoever, such action will be illegaland my clients will take stern legal actionagainst such person(s)
R.P.S. SIROHI (Advocate)Ch. No. P.O.3, Post Office Lane,
Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-54
PUBLIC NOTICEGeneral Public is informed that my client Sh.Chander Gupta Maurya aged 59 years s/oSh. Nanak Chand Maurya, R/o H. No. 4788,Gali No.45. Raiger Pura, Karol Bagh, NewDelhi-110005 hereby notify to the public thatI have severed and disconnected all myrelations with my son Lokender Maurya andhis family and have disowned / disinheritedfrom all my moveable and immoveableproperties and have no link or connectionwith them. Anybody dealing with them in anymanner shall be doing so at his / her ownrisk and responsibility.
Sd/-Rajeev Khanna
AdvocateEnrl. D/586-1B/96
Chamber no.752, Saket Lawyers Block,Saket Courts, Saket New Delhi-17.
Notice is hereby given that myclient Mrs. Inderjeet Kaur W/oLate S. Bhupinder Singh is thelegal heir of property 24/14BTilak Nagar New Delhi 18. Noticeis hereby given public at largethat we are not selling aforesaidproperty to anyone. Some peopleare trying to sell said propertywithout permission of my client.If anyone is buying the saidp r o p e r t y h e / s h e w i l l b eresponaible. If anyone need anyclarification he/she can contact
PUBLIC NOTICE
Praveen Rastogi(Advocate)
II RanaSohail SalimKazi S/oSalimKazi, R/o 8073, Gali No.8,Multani Dhanda, PaharGanj,NewDelhi-110055, havechangedmyname toRanaSohail Kazi, permanently
0040552346-1
II Navjot Singh s/o JatinderSinghR/oA4/68CottageEnclavePaschimViharNewDelhi-110063havechangedmyminerdaughter name fromKrishveen toKrishveenKaur
0040552328-1
II GauravBharti (D.O.B-15/11/2004) S/o-SanjayKumarR/o-D-91, Gali-No.7,ShardhanandColony,BhalswaDairy,Delhi-110042declare thatmyMother&Father namewrongly-written inmySchool-RecordasPushplata&SanjayGupta.Theactual nameofmyMother&Father is PushplataDevi&SanjayKumarrespectively,whichmaybeamendedaccordingly.
0040552334-1
II DharmenderKumar S/o-Sh.ManSinghR/o-A-176,A-Block, Gali-No.9, NasirpurColony,PalamVillage,SouthDelhi-110045have changedmyDaughter’sNameNandini KaintoNandani Singh for allpurpose.ThatNandini Kain&Nandani Singh is theoneandsameperson. 0040552310-1
System Tender No. 68441 NIT No.:04/SAC/2020-21, Dated:-20.10.2020Online Tenders are invited for the following works up to 10-11-2020 at 17.30 HourName of Work- CONSTRUCTION OF TOE WALL IN FILLING REACH FROM R.D. 300
M. TO 700 M OF KIRARI DISTRIBUTARY OF HASDEO BANGO PROJECT.Probable Amount of Contract:-Rs. 230.80 LakhsThe details can be viewed and downloaded online directly from the Government of ChhattisgarhIntegrated e-Procurement Portal (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in) from date 27-10-2020 at 17.31Hours (IST) onwards.Note:- All eligible/interested contractors/bidders are mandated to get enrolled on the Integrated e-Procurement portal (https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in) and get approval on specific vendor class fromPWD under Centralized Contractor/Supplier Registration in order to download the tender docu-ments and participate in the subsequent bidding process.
sd/-Executive Engineer
84454 Hasdeo Canal W/M Division Janjgir-Champa
Advertisement No. NITP/Rect./ 2 /2020(c) Walk-in-Interview for the recruitment of Temporary Faculty will be held
on 5th and 6th November, 2020 at NIT Patna. The interested andeligible candidates may appear in the Walk-in-Interview with the dulyfilled form which may be downloaded from the website of the Institute.
(d) Walk-in-interview for the post of Project Assistant under Unnat BharatAbhiyan will be held on 8.11.2020 at 9 AM.For further details regarding qualifications, schedule etc. please visitInstitue Website www.nitp.ac.in.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PATNA(An Institute under Ministry of Education, Govt. of India)
LEO(July24-Aug23)There’spassionaplenty in theairtoday,andyou’reliable tobe
extremelybusy.And if youdon’t like thatprospect, thenstayawayfromtheaction!Onceyouhavedealtwithfinancialquestionsandroutinechores,youcanturntopersonalrelationships.Takedifferencesof opinion inyourstride.
VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)TheMoonpresentsyouwith significantpersonal challenges,andquitepossibly a
degreeof confusion. Thewaytohighlight today’s positivepotential is to emphasiseevery activitywhich isinspired, imaginative andromantic. That sounds like anexcellentpolicy.
therecanbenosolutiontoanemotionalquandary.However,all thingsmustpass, and if youfaceupto the issuesnow, thetensionwilldissipate.Allyouneed isadoseofadditionalconfidence.
CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)It is timefora littlesensitivity.Youmayevenhaveatelepathic feelingor
two,andyour intuitionscertainlyseemtobefunctioning in topgear.Mindyou, it couldbedifficult todistinguishtrue facts fromvaguefantasies, andnewswhicharrivesverysooncouldbeamiteconfusing.
AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Theremaybe littleyoucando tostraightenoutpersonal finances at
themoment, but youmustpayvery close attention indeedto all joint business affairs. Thisiswhereprosperity lies.Could a lovedoneoffer betteradvice than theexperts?Perhaps—so listenwell andjudge carefully.
PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)TheMoonmarkstoday out as a veryspecialmoment, ifonly because it’s
offering you the chance toexpandyour horizons. Evensmall eventswhich take placenowcouldhave very positiveandpowerful repercussionsover thenext sixmonths. Andthat has to be goodnews.
Tenders are invited online from reputed Manufacturers/formulators/direct imporers for Purchase of Tablet-Capsule, Injection,Miscellaneous & Surgical Items on rate contract basis and details ofspecification, quantity is available on https://gmscl.gujarat.gov.in andwww.statetenders.com. All tender documents can be downloadedfree on the website: http://gmscl.nprocure.com & Tender Notice.Interested bidders are requested to submit the tender through e-tenderprocess.Duration of downloading of tender document (online):-26/10/2020 to 20/11/2020 upto 18.00 Hrs.
Last date for Submission (online): 20/11/2020 upto 18.00 HRSLast date for submission of physical document: 21/11/2020 upto 18.00 HRS.Opening of Technical Bid Date (online): 23/11/2020 at 15.00 HRS.
INF/1152/20-21 MANAGING DIRECTOR
TENDER NOTICE : D-07/2020-2021
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEERPHE (QC&PD) DIVISION, HMT, SRINAGAR.
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New Delhi
VolLXXXVIIINo.299Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P)LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Editorialoffice: The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice: The IndianExpress (P)Limited,B1/B, Sector -10,Noida -201301.Phone:0120-
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20THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY,OCTOBER24,2020
SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
PLAYINGTODAY
Indian Premier LeagueKKR vs DC, 3.30pmKXIP vs SRH, 7.30pmLive on Star Sports Network
MIDWAY through an inky Friday night inSharjah,aneraofChennaiSuperKings’ invin-cibilityendedwithoutafight,butwithasenseof inevitability. Therewasnobetter proof ofCSK’scalamitousseason,andadesperateneedfor renewal, than thisnight. Theywerehelp-less,andbeyondit,hopelessinpreventingadis-astrousexitfromthetournament.Itwasthemostun-CSKperformanceofall
times.Theyhuffedandpuffedto114for9,andwhat rubbedsalt into their festeringwoundswasthefactthatMumbaiIndianswonwith10wicketstospareinjust12.2overs.Whatwould rankle themandtheir fever-
ish supporters is the sheerabjectnessof theirdefeat. Seldom have they surrendered someeklyever intheleaguethattheyhavewonthrice and reachedat least till theknockouts.Worse, therewasasenseof forebodingaboutthe impendingdisaster. Therewasa senseofresignationeven inMSDhoni’s reactivedeci-siontoringinthreechanges—snuffingouttheunderwhelmingKedarJadhav,ShaneWatsonandPiyushChalwaand replacing themwithRuturajGaikwad,NJagadeesanandImranTahir.Changes,thatseemed,forthesakeofchanging,asithadbeenformostofthisseason.Therewasanunusualtentativenessintheir
approach. Sinking shoulders, drooping eyes,anddejected facesmanifesting inamuddledthoughtprocess.NothingmoresymbolicthanFafduPlessis’smodeofdismissal.Ratherthandrivea full-lengthball, he just threwhishardhandsattheball,thefront-footstuckandstaticatthecrease,handsstabbingattheball. ItwasclearthatTrentBoult’sin-swingerwasspook-inghismind,andhenceover-consciousofnotthrustinghisfront-foot.Theshotselectionwasperfect,buttheexecutionfarfromit.Hewasnotalone in lackof clarity. Sowas
hiscolleagueAmbatiRayudu.Heattemptedtopull JaspritBumrah.Thestrokewason,as theball was relatively shortish. But his strokeseemedhalf-hearted as if hewanted topullaway from the stroke at the lastmoment.Bumrahisthelastbowleryouwanttofacehalf-
heartedlyandRayudu’sindecisionsufficed.
HostilebowlingNodoubt,BoultandBumrahbowledhos-
tilely,mixingtheir lengthsandanglessmartly.Therewasbarelyabladeof grass,but theyaremasterlyinproducingmovementofftheseam.Boultespeciallywasmenacing—hewouldslidetheball across theright-handedbatsmen,be-foreskiddingoneontothepads.CSKbatsmenlivedintheconstantfearofinward-bendingde-livery. Theunsure feet-movement stemmedfromit.Boultresembledapsychoanalyst,hyp-
plot completely. Itwas amatter of seeingoffBoultandBumrah,likeManishPandeyhadne-gotiatedJofraArcheronThursday.Ortheycouldhaveventuredonano-holds-barredcounter-attack.Theychoseneither,butthefatalmiddlepath.LikeRavindraJadeja,whosashayeddownto Boult and tried to heave him overmid-wicket.Mistake. Thereare times, even inT20cricket,whenyouhavetoprioritisesafetyoveraggression.Jadeja’sdepartureplungedthemto21/5in5.2overs,CSK’sworst-everscoreinthepower-playovers. Their lasthopewasDhoni,andhedidraisehopeswithacoupleof thun-dering strokes, beforehe tried anexpansivedriveoff DeepakChahar.A strokeoutof frus-trationthananythingelse.
leadershipwasstrangelyjaded,bereftofinspi-ration,adefinitecaginessthathadmarkedhislastdaysasTestcaptain.Forexample,heintro-ducedasinfluentialamatch-winnerasImranTahir too late into the campaign,more so asDwayneBravowasinjuredformostof these-ries.NJagadeesanhadshownimmenseprom-iseinhisfirstmatch,butthenwasomittedforthe next two. They seemed a teamdriftingaway fromthenucleus, theirwheels comingoff.LikeonFridayevening,helookeddefeated.
Lack of planningBlatantlyevidentwasa lackofplanning. It
seemed,theyhadnoplanB,C,orevenD.TheylostSureshRainaassoonastheylandedintheEmirates,andtheyhadnoback-upplan.Theykept experimentingwith theNo.3, butnonequiteglued in.Dhoni alleged that theyoung-sterswerenotshowingspark;thenneitherdidtheoldwarhorses. Likewise, thebowlingwasover-dependent onBravo’s trickery. The restwere at best utilitarian in this format. JoshHazlewood isahigh-classTestbowler,but ill-suitedtoT20cricket.SamCurrancanbeareli-ablethirdseamerinatrifecta,butincapableyetof single-handeddemolition.DeepakChaharisone-dimensional,ShardulThakuris limitedwhile the trusted spinpair of PiyushChawlaandKarnSharmaaremetronomesof neitherdisciplinenordestruction.Superiorplanningandshrewdstrategising
couldhaveglossedoversomeoftheirflaws,butwithneither, theyunravelled. Themarginsofdefeat throwsamplesignsof theirdisintegra-tion.Barringaseven-rundefeatatthehandsofSunrisers,most of the rest havebeenprettycomprehensive—16 runs, 44 runs, 10, 37, 5wickets, 7 wickets. The defeat at hands ofMumbaiwas just the final twistof thedaggerinto thehearts. Theseare signs that suggest itwasnotacaseofonefreakishlybadseason,oranaberration,ratheracaseofdeep-setrot.Alotoffocuswouldbeshedontheagefac-
tor. Itwasnotagealonethathamperedthem,butacumen,adaptabilityandplanningtoo.Theveryfactorsthathavestoodbythemformuchof thisdecade.Ormaybe, itwasthegame’sre-minderthattheireraofinvincibilityhadended.AndslippedintotheinkyskiesofSharjah.BRIEF SCORES: CSK114/9 in20overs (S
Curran 52; T Boult 4/18, J Bumrah 2/25, RChahar2/22) lost toMumbai Indians116/0 in12.2overs(IKishan68*,QdeKock46*)
Englandcricketteamtakes15%paycutLondon: The England cricket teamagreed to take a 15 per cent pay cutFridayasthesportdealswithlostrev-enue during the coronavirus pan-demic. Players with contracts fromtheEnglandandWalesCricketBoardwillgetreducedincomein"retainers,matchfeesandwinbonuses" foroneyear, the governing body said in astatement. The pay cut backdated toOctober1was"inviewofthesubstan-tial shortfall in theECB's revenueasaconsequence of the COVID-19 pan-demic."Englandrecentlyhostedtoursby theWest Indies, Pakistan, Irelandand Australia, playing in mostlyemptystadiums.
BiggunswininEuropaLeagueLondon:Gareth Bale had a quiet firststart forTottenhamsincereturnwhileCarlosViniciusmade amore impres-sivedebutbysettinguptwogoals ina3-0 win over LASK in the EuropaLeague.NorthLondonrivalArsenalonThursday opened its fourth straightEuropa League campaignwith a 2-1come-from-behind win at RapidVienna in anopening roundof gamesaffectedbythecoronaviruspandemic.On a good night for Premier Leagueclubs, Leicester earned a comfortable3-0homewinoverZoryaLuhansk.ACMilanearneda3-1awaywinatCeltic,whileRomacamefromagoaldowntowin2-1atYoungBoys-asdidGranadatoupsetPSVEindhovenaway.
Madridstrikerfloutsnorms,facesprisonBelgrade: Real Madrid striker LukaJovic faces a six-month prison sen-tence inSerbia for flouting the coun-try'scoronavirusisolationrules,stateprosecutors said Friday. Jovic brieflyreturned home fromSpain inMarchand was seen on the streets ofBelgrade and pictured at his girl-friend's birthdayparty despite beingordered to self-isolate for 14 days.Prosecutors are now taking the casetocourtandsayingheshouldbesen-tenced to a six-month prison sen-tence after he refused to pay 30,000euros for humanitarian purposes inexchange fordroppedcharges.
Asianonlineteamchess: India insemisChennai: The top-seeded Indianwomen'steam stormedintothesemi-finalsof theAsianNationsOnlineCup2020Championship,while themenekedoutafightingwinoverMongoliatosecurethelastfourberth.TheIndianwomenmadeshortworkofKyrgyzstaninthelast-eightround,winningthetwomatch-ups easily -- 4-0 and3.5-0.5 --after having topped the preliminarySwisssystemphase.TheIndianwomenwill faceMongolia in the semifinal onSaturday. The Indianmenwon bothmatches2.5-1.5.TheywilltakeonIraninSaturday'ssemifinal.
AGENCIES
BRIEFLY Kapil undergoesemergencyangioplasty
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE/PTIKOLKATA,OCTOBER23
KAPIL DEV, India’s greatest all-rounder, issaid tobe stable afterundergoinganemer-gency coronary angioplasty in the earlyhoursonFriday.AstatementreleasedbytheFortisEscortsHeart InstituteinDelhi,wheretheformerIndiacaptainhasbeenadmitted,said thatDev could be discharged in a cou-pleof days.“Former IndianCricket captainMrKapil
Dev, age 62 years, came to Fortis EscortsHeartInstitute(OkhlaRoad)emergencyde-partmentat1:00amon23rdOctoberwithacomplaint of chest pain. Hewas evaluatedandanemergencycoronaryangioplastywasperformed by Dr Atul Mathur, Director ofCardiology Department, in the middle ofnight,” said thehospital statement.Itadded:“Currently,heisadmittedinICU
and under close supervision of Dr AtulMathurandhis team.MrKapilDev is stablenowandhe isexpected togetdischarged in(a) coupleof days.”Later in theday,ashort statementonhis
instagram account expressed gratitude forthe concern and support extended to hisfamily. "Thankyoueveryone for all the loveand concern. I am overwhelmedwith thegoodwishes andwell on the road to recov-ery," thestatement read.The1983WorldCup-winninglegendary
all-rounderwaswished a speedy recoverybymany on socialmedia, including India'scurrent captain Virat Kohli and SachinTendulkaramongothers."Praying for your speedy recovery. Get
wellsoonpaaji,"Kohlisaid."Takecare@the-realkapildev! Praying for your quick recov-ery.Getwell soonPaaji,"wishedTendulkarAlsowishinghimgoodhealthwereIndia
batsman Shikhar Dhawan and badmintonplayerSainaNehwal."Wishing the @therealkapildev a swift
recovery.Thenation iswell awareofhisgritandspiritandweareverysurehewillbeoutof thehospital soon," said theBCCI.Dev,wholedIndiatotheirmaidenWorld
Cuptriumphin1983,played131Tests,scor-ing 5,248 runs and taking 434wickets. Histallyofwicketswasaworldrecordwhenhehunguphiscricketbootsin1994.Therecord,in fact, stood until 2000, whenWest Indiesfast bowlerCourtneyWalsh surpassed it. In225 ODIs, Dev scored 3,783 runs and ac-counted for253wickets.
ASSOCIATEDPRESSLISBON,OCTOBER23
ON A circuit hosting its first Formula Onerace,LewisHamiltoncanfinallystandaloneamong F1 greats by beating MichaelSchumacher'srecordforwins.VictoryatthePortuguese Grand Prix on Sunday wouldmove the British driver onto 92 race wins,and surpass theGermangreat'smarkof 91that for so long had been considered un-touchable."I remember sitting at homewatching
theGrandsPrixandwatchingMichaelwin,"Hamilton said. "I remember going upstairswithmy brother afterwards andwewouldplay computer games together and IwouldbeMichael. So it's very, verysurreal."
Awinwould also take Hamilton a stepcloser tomatching Schumacher's record ofseven F1 championship titles. He leads thechampionship by 69 points ahead of hisMercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas afterwinningsevenof thefirst11races,andwithonlyfiveremainingafterSunday'scontestattheAutodromoInternacionaldoAlgarve.When Hamilton moved level with
Schumacher on 91 wins at the Eifel GP inGermany two weeks ago, Schumacher'sson Mick Schumacher - who leads the F2championship-presentedavisiblymovedHamilton with one of his father's racinghelmets fromhis time atMercedes. "Iwasreally honored by Michael's family whenthey presented me with this helmet,"Hamilton said.It was Schumacher's retirement from
Mercedes-andF1itself -whichopenedthedoor for Hamilton tomakewhatwas thenconsidered a risky move when he leftMcLaren to join theSilverArrows.Bottas led the Eifel GP after taking pole
position, but then ceded first place toHamilton after a clumsy braking error. AdespondentBottashad to retire the car af-ter12 lapsduetoa failedelectrical compo-nent in theengine. "SeeingLewis cross theline in Germany and take his 91st victorywasavery specialmoment.Valtteri's race,however, could not have gone muchworse,"Mercedes'headofmotorsportTotoWolff said. "But one of Valtteri's biggeststrengths ishis resilienceandhis ability tobounce back."Still evenawin inPortugalwoulddo lit-
tle for Bottas' chances of catchingHamilton, unless his teammate enduressome bad fortune of his own in the hand-ful of races remaining.Portugal's4.65-kilometer (2.9-mile)cir-
cuit - known as Portimao - is an undulat-
ing one with frequent elevation changesandwhereovertaking isexpectedtobedif-ficult. It is the secondnew race of a coron-avirus-hit campaignafter theTuscanGPatMugello lastmonth.If Sunday's race is anythingas intenseas
that crash-marred one atMugello, then F1fanswill be in fora treat.For Haas drivers Romain Grosjean and
KevinMagnussen it representsachance toputthemselves inthemarket foraseatnextseason. The U.S.-owned teamwith Ferrariengines announced on Thursday that theduo will be replaced next year, havingscoredonly threepoints between themsofar. "The last chapter is closedandthebookis finished," said Grosjean, the veteranFrench driver.ForHamilton, thestorycontinues.
BRAZILIANGREATPele turned80onFriday,but thecelebrationwillhave towait.The three-time World Cup winner
spent the day isolated with a few familymembers outside Sao Paulo, where he re-ceiveda floodof tributes fromplayers, fans,celebrities andpoliticians.Hislong-timespokesman,PepitoFornos,
saidPelewillspendhisbirthdayathisman-sioninthebeachfrontcityofGuaruja,onthecoast of SaoPaulo state,wherehehasbeensince the beginning of the COVID-19 pan-demic.Healsohasresidences inSantosandSaoPaulo. “Hewillonlystaywithhis family.No party at all,” Fornos told The AssociatedPress. “Thathasbeenthecaseallhis life.”Fornos said Pele isn’t speaking publicly
because he is stillmourninghis brother Jair,whodied of cancer inMarch. Pele is Brazil’sall-time leading scorer with 77 goals, al-thoughNeymar is closing in on that recordwith64. But theParis Saint-Germain strikertrailsfarbehindwhenitcomestoWorldCuptitles,whichPelewonin1958,1962and1970.No other player has accomplished that
feat.PelealsocollectedaslewoftrophiesforBrazilian club Santos from1956-74, includ-ing 10 Sao Paulo state league titles, whichwas a top tournament at the time, sixBrazilian championships, two CopaLibertadores titles and the IntercontinentalCup in1962and1963.
The Brazilian ended his careerwith theNew York Cosmos, where he played from1975-77, winning one national title and at-tractingsportsgreatslikeboxerMuhammadAli towatch himplay as soccer took root intheUnitedStates.PelewasalsoBrazil’ssportsminister from 1995-98. Two years later, heshared theFIFAaward forplayerof the cen-turywithArgentina greatDiegoMaradona.The Brazilian received themost votes frommembers of the soccer body, while theArgentineprevailed inanonlinevote.
Since1992,PelehasdonecharityworkasaU.N goodwill ambassador. He stoppedhiscareerasabusinessmanin2004after failedattempts in thesportsmarketing field.Pele has hadmobility problems since a
failed hip replacement surgery in 2012. Hehasalsobeenadmittedtohospitalsinrecentyearsforkidneyandprostateprocedures.Thecelebrations in Brazil for Pele began on Feb.20,buthedidn’tattendtheunveilingofalife-sizestatueofhimatMaracanaStadiuminRiode Janeirothatday.
In isolation and mourning his brother’sdemise, Brazil legend Pele turns 80
Hamilton poised to take over Schumacher’s record at Portuguese GPI remember sitting at homewatching theGrandsPrix andwatchingMichaelwin. I remembergoingupstairswithmybrotherafterwards andwewouldplaycomputer games together and IwouldbeMichael. So it's very,very surreal.”
LEWISHAMILTONFORMULAONEWORLDCHAMPION
Real problems atMadrid ahead ofEl Clasico
SHASHANKNAIROCTOBER23
ZINEDINEZIDANEhasneverlostasaman-agerat theCampNou,a record that comesunder themicroscope today as Barcelonahost the champions at a timewhenRealMadrid are reeling fromacouple of shockdefeats. The reversals –oneeach inLaLigaand the Champions League – haveprompted questions over whether LosBlancoscanhaveanothersuccessfulseason.
andtheirhistory.Theymayhavethehighestnumberofleaguetitlesandbeencontinen-talchampions13times,buttheyhaveonlyretainedtheLaLigaonceinthelast30years.Onpaperatleast,itlookstooearlyintheracetomakeacall–onepointoff thetopwithagame in handmakes it seem like thingsaren’tthatbadatMadrid.Buttheirprevioustworesultsandhowthey’veplayedinthosematchesareacauseforconcernastheypre-pare to face aBarcelona teamthathashaditsownsetof issues.
Shock lossesThestart of this season forRealMadrid
hasnotbeenthebestone.Theyhaveplayedsixmatches andwon three, lost two anddrawnonce. In thepost-matchconferenceafter the Champions League defeat toShakhtar Donetsk, Zidane accepted theblame for the loss that came despite the
Ukrainianclubmissing10first-teamregu-larsonthebackofpositiveCovidtests.“We lacked a bit of everything,” said
Zidane. “Aboveall confidence,which is themostimportantthing...Weknowthesitua-tionwe’rein.It'soursecondbadgame.Nowwehave toprepare for our next game. It’sclearthatI’mresponsible.”
Toothless attackThere are some statistics that Zidane
wouldbeshakinghisbaldheadover.ThekeyonebeingMadrid, in their last twogames,havetaken28shotswithonlysixontarget–withonly tworesulting ingoals. Theyhavemade57crossesinthesetwogamesandat-tempted97longballs.AgainstCadiz,inpar-ticular,wasa shockerasMadridcouldonlymanageoneshoton target, despitehaving74percentpossessionandmakingcloseto700passeswithan85percentaccuracyrate.AnotherstatthatshouldhurtMadridishowthegoalshavedriedup.Intheirlast14games,they have scored twoormore only threetimes,anumberthatmightnotbethebiggestconfidence-boosterastheyheadforthefirstElClasicooftheseason.These two defeats followed a similar
script.Madridhavebeen slackdespite en-joyingthelion’sshareofpossession.They’verelied on an overload of long balls andcrosseswithverylittlesuccesstoshowforit.
RumourmillSuch is the pressure of being the Real
Madridmanagerthattwolossesandanup-coming El Clasico sets rumour-mongersabout. Frenchpublication L’EquipewrotethatZidanehasbeengivenatwo-matchlife-line to change course or get the sack. Theheadofamanagerwhohaswonaleagueti-tle and threeChampionsLeagues is said tobeon the choppingblockof themost suc-cessfulclubintheworldafterjustsixgamesintothenewseason.
