CM YK A ND-NDE tuesday, december 21, 2021 Delhi City Edition 14 pages ₹ 10.00 Printed at . Chennai . Coimbatore . Bengaluru . Hyderabad . Madurai . Noida . Visakhapatnam . Thiruvananthapuram . Kochi . Vijayawada . Mangaluru . Tiruchirapalli . Kolkata . Hubballi . Mohali . Malappuram . Mumbai . Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna follow us: thehindu.com facebook.com/thehindu twitter.com/the_hindu instagram.com/the_hindu Ajay Mishra replaced as chief guest at SSB Raising Day parade page 9 Chile celebrates as leftist Boric elected new President page 11 Sensex slides 2.1% on Omicron risk to global growth, FII selling page 12 Richardson helps Australia take a 2-0 lead in Ashes series page 13 Amid vociferous protests by Opposition members, the Lok Sabha on Monday passed a Bill to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem without any sub- stantial discussion. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, while moving the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, told the House that the linking of the electo- ral roll with a person’s Aad- haar was “voluntary”, but went on to quote a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Jus- tice to assert that the process would “purify” the rolls. The manner of passing the Bill, barely two hours af- ter it was introduced in the Lok Sabha and in the midst of an uproar, led Opposition members to accuse the Na- rendra Modi government of “compromising” the author- ity of Parliament. In a departure from the norm, even Congress leader in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was seen throw- ing bits of papers towards the Well of the House in protest. BJP member Nishikant Dubey alleged that the Con- gress and Trinamool Con- gress members were oppos- ing the Bill as they relied on “illegal Bangladeshis” as their vote banks. Hitting back at Mr. Dubey, NCP member Supriya Sule said the BJP should first clarify the allegation about a Minis- ter in the present Council of Ministers being a Bangla- deshi national. Opposing the passage of the Bill, Mr. Chowdhury said, “What is the tearing hurry to pass the Bill? It should be sent to the Stand- ing Committee.” Responding to him, the Law Minister said the provi- sions were extensively dis- cussed by the parliamentary panel on law and justice and it also gave a unanimous re- port. “We have not brought this in a dictatorial way,” Mr. Rijiju told the Opposition members. While Trinamool mem- bers Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra were agitated over the government push- ing through the Bill, parties that are friendly to the go- vernment — the Biju Janata Dal and the YSR Congress — also urged it not to pass the Bill in the din. Lok Sabha passes Bill to link electoral rolls with Aadhaar Govt. says process will ‘purify’ voter lists; Opposition slams it for ‘tearing hurry’ Special Correspondent New Delhi CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission on Monday proposed to in- crease six seats for the Jam- mu division and one for the Kashmir division, besides reserving 16 seats for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes in the Union Territory, triggering sharp reactions from the re- gional parties. The Kashmir division currently has 46 seats and Jammu 37. The commission, headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retd.), met the five as- sociate members — two MPs from the BJP and three from the National Conference — in New Delhi on Monday. The National Conference had earlier boycotted the commission. The commission has not specified the districts where the SC and ST seats would be reserved. It told the asso- ciate members that the 2011 census was the basis for carving out the new seats. According to the census, the population of the Kashmir division was 68.8 lakh and Jammu 53.5 lakh. The draft proposal added that nine seats would be re- served for the Scheduled Tribes and seven for the Scheduled Castes. Jammu and Kashmir will now have a 90-member Legislative As- sembly, up from the 87 prior to the Centre’s decision to end the special constitution- al position of the erstwhile State. Unacceptable: Masoodi NC MP Hasnain Masoodi, who attended the meeting, termed the proposal “unac- ceptable”. “It is a matter of concern. We will submit our report in detail very soon, as the proposal is not accepta- ble at all,” he said. “There is already a Su- preme Court ruling granting a status quo regarding de- limitation, if the commis- sion prepares the draft based on 2011 census. It will be unconstitutional. The commission assured the ex- ercise will be carried out as per the ruling,” he said. Delimitation panel meets BJP, NC MPs Peerzada Ashiq Srinagar Justice Ranjana Desai (retd.), who heads the panel Six additional seats for Jammu, one for Kashmir proposed CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of In- dia (SEBI) on Monday is- sued an order suspending futures trading in paddy (non-basmati), wheat, Ben- gal gram (chana dal), mus- tard seeds and its deriva- tives, soyabean and its derivatives, crude palm oil and green gram (moong dal) for a year, in a move believed to stem rising prices. SEBI directed stock ex- changes in commodity de- rivatives segment not to undertake any trading in derivative contracts in these key farm commodi- ties with immediate effect. For a year “No new contract shall be launched till further or- ders. In respect of running contracts, no new position will be allowed to be taken. Only squaring up of posi- tion will be allowed,” the regulator said in its order. “These directions will be implemented with im- mediate effect. The above- mentioned directions are applicable, for a period of one year,” it added. The government and the Reserve Bank of India are struggling to hold down the prices of food items to curb inflation and Mon- day’s measures are be- lieved to be a step in this direction. SEBI halts futures trading in key crops Special Correspondent MUMBAI Centre blinks, sends two Bills for review NEW DELHI The government on Monday referred the Biological Diver- sity (Amendment) Bill and the Mediation Bill for scrutiny by parliamentary committees. The Opposition has also demanded that the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill be referred to a panel. page 9 ₹13,109 cr. recovered from fugitives, says Nirmala NEW DELHI Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said banks had recovered ₹13,109.17 crore by selling the assets of fugitives such as Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. She said ₹792 crore were recovered by selling the assets of Mr. Mallya and others on July 16. page 8 Centre not allowing any debate, says Rahul NEW DELHI Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the government of not allowing discussion on important issues in Parliament. “They are attacking democracy. There is a non-stop attack on democracy and that is why we are fighting here,” Mr. Gandhi said. page 9 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Delhi govt. prepared to fight Omicron: CM NEW DELHI Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said there is no need to panic about the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Speaking at a meeting of the DDMA, Mr. Kejriwal said his government is fully prepared for the fight with adequate beds, oxygen and medicines. CITY PAGE 3 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD IN BRIEF HC rejects plea seeking possession of Red Fort NEW DELHI The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by the widow of the great-grandson of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, seeking possession of the Red Fort. The court said Sultana Begum has not been able to give any “justifiable explanation” for the delay in filing her case. CITY PAGE 2 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Nagaland Assembly calls for repeal of AFSPA GUWAHATI The Nagaland Assembly has demanded the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from the State and elsewhere in the Northeast and an apology from the “appropriate authority” for the botched Army operation that led to the death of 14 civilians. NEWS PAGE 9 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Amid vociferous protests byOpposition members, theLok Sabha on Mondaypassed a Bill to link electoralroll data with the Aadhaarecosystem without any substantial discussion.
Union Law Minister KirenRijiju, while moving theElection Laws (Amendment)Bill, 2021, told the Housethat the linking of the electoral roll with a person’s Aadhaar was “voluntary”, butwent on to quote a report ofthe Parliamentary StandingCommittee on Law and Justice to assert that the processwould “purify” the rolls.
The manner of passingthe Bill, barely two hours after it was introduced in theLok Sabha and in the midstof an uproar, led Oppositionmembers to accuse the Narendra Modi government of“compromising” the authority of Parliament.
In a departure from thenorm, even Congress leaderin the House Adhir RanjanChowdhury was seen throwing bits of papers towardsthe Well of the House inprotest.
BJP member NishikantDubey alleged that the Congress and Trinamool Congress members were opposing the Bill as they relied on“illegal Bangladeshis” as
their vote banks. Hittingback at Mr. Dubey, NCPmember Supriya Sule saidthe BJP should fi�rst clarifythe allegation about a Minister in the present Council ofMinisters being a Bangladeshi national.
Opposing the passage ofthe Bill, Mr. Chowdhurysaid, “What is the tearinghurry to pass the Bill? It
should be sent to the Standing Committee.”
Responding to him, theLaw Minister said the provisions were extensively discussed by the parliamentarypanel on law and justice andit also gave a unanimous report. “We have not broughtthis in a dictatorial way,” Mr.Rijiju told the Oppositionmembers.
While Trinamool members Kalyan Banerjee andMahua Moitra were agitatedover the government pushing through the Bill, partiesthat are friendly to the government — the Biju JanataDal and the YSR Congress —also urged it not to pass theBill in the din.
Lok Sabha passes Bill to linkelectoral rolls with AadhaarGovt. says process will ‘purify’ voter lists; Opposition slams it for ‘tearing hurry’
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 8
The Jammu and KashmirDelimitation Commissionon Monday proposed to increase six seats for the Jammu division and one for theKashmir division, besidesreserving 16 seats for theScheduled Castes (SC) andthe Scheduled Tribes in theUnion Territory, triggeringsharp reactions from the regional parties. The Kashmirdivision currently has 46seats and Jammu 37.
The commission, headedby Justice Ranjana PrakashDesai (retd.), met the fi�ve associate members — two MPsfrom the BJP and three fromthe National Conference —in New Delhi on Monday.The National Conferencehad earlier boycotted thecommission.
The commission has notspecifi�ed the districts wherethe SC and ST seats wouldbe reserved. It told the associate members that the 2011census was the basis forcarving out the new seats.According to the census, thepopulation of the Kashmirdivision was 68.8 lakh andJammu 53.5 lakh.
The draft proposal addedthat nine seats would be reserved for the ScheduledTribes and seven for the
Scheduled Castes. Jammuand Kashmir will now have a90member Legislative Assembly, up from the 87 priorto the Centre’s decision toend the special constitutional position of the erstwhileState.
Unacceptable: MasoodiNC MP Hasnain Masoodi,who attended the meeting,termed the proposal “unacceptable”. “It is a matter ofconcern. We will submit ourreport in detail very soon, asthe proposal is not acceptable at all,” he said.
“There is already a Supreme Court ruling grantinga status quo regarding delimitation, if the commission prepares the draftbased on 2011 census. It willbe unconstitutional. Thecommission assured the exercise will be carried out asper the ruling,” he said.
Delimitation panel meets BJP, NC MPs
Peerzada Ashiq
Srinagar
Justice Ranjana Desai(retd.), who heads the panel
Six additional seatsfor Jammu, one forKashmir proposed
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 8
Market regulator Securitiesand Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Monday issued an order suspendingfutures trading in paddy(nonbasmati), wheat, Bengal gram (chana dal), mustard seeds and its derivatives, soyabean and itsderivatives, crude palm oiland green gram (moongdal) for a year, in a movebelieved to stem risingprices.
SEBI directed stock exchanges in commodity derivatives segment not toundertake any trading inderivative contracts inthese key farm commodities with immediate eff�ect.
For a year“No new contract shall belaunched till further orders. In respect of runningcontracts, no new positionwill be allowed to be taken.Only squaring up of position will be allowed,” theregulator said in its order.
“These directions willbe implemented with immediate eff�ect. The abovementioned directions areapplicable, for a period ofone year,” it added.
The government and theReserve Bank of India arestruggling to hold downthe prices of food items tocurb infl�ation and Monday’s measures are believed to be a step in thisdirection.
SEBI haltsfutures tradingin key crops
Special Correspondent
MUMBAI
Centre blinks, sends two Bills for reviewNEW DELHI
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A 36yearold man wasfound murdered at hisrented house in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash onMonday, the police said,adding that the suspectshave been identifi�ed.
Deputy Commissionerof Police (South) BenitaMary Jaiker said that thevictim has been identifi�edas Rahul Thakur, a residentof Jammu & Kashmir, whoused to work at ‘Delhi HaatArt Gallery’.
“On Monday, around9.40 a.m., we got a callfrom the owner of a fl�at atGreater Kailash about theincident. When the policereached the spot, a manwas found lying unconscious inside the fl�at,” Ms.Jaiker said.
Further probe revealedthat Thakur used to livewith his mother Anita inthis house, who had left fortheir home town in J&Kabout four days ago.
The police said Thakurwas suspected to havebeen strangulated todeath. However, the exactcause of the death will beascertained from the autopsy report. A murdercase has been registeredunder Section 302 of theIndian Penal Code.
“It’s suspected that amale friend who was closeto the victim is involved,” asenior police offi�cer said.
The police said that afew suspects have beenidentifi�ed in the CCTV footage and eff�orts are on tonab them. Three mobilephones have been foundfrom the spot, the DCPsaid.
36-year-oldfound dead atrented house
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI
The Commission for AirQuality Management in National Capital Region andAdjoining Areas (CAQM) onMonday lifted the ban onconstruction and demolition activities in Delhi andthe NCR and also allowedentry of trucks into the city.
“Construction and Demolition (C&D) activities inthe NCR shall now be permitted with immediate effect. It is subject to persons/agencies undertaking suchactivities strictly complyingwith the directions/ordersfor dust control norms issued by the Commissionfrom time to time as well asthose under the Construction and Demolition WasteManagement Rules and various CPCB guidelines inthis regard,” an order by theCAQM said.
“Entry of trucks into Delhi, which hitherto was se
lectively permitted, wouldbe allowed with immediateeff�ect till further orders,” itsaid.
The CAQM said that forprojects located in the juris
diction of the Delhi Government and the NCR districtsof Uttar Pradesh, the proponents of C&D projects insites measuring 500 sq.mor above should register
their projects on the webportal developed for thepurpose of online monitoring by the agenciesconcerned.
Web portal“For the States of Haryanaand Rajasthan, where theweb portal is yet to be commissioned, this needs to becompleted latest by January20, 2022,” the order said.
On November 16, theCAQM had banned C&D activities in Delhi and the NCRdue to high pollution. OnNovember 24, the SupremeCourt reimposed the banon construction, exemptingsome nonpolluting activities.
On December 17, theCAQM had allowed construction projects related topublic utilities, Railways,metro, airports, national security, healthcare, highways, and roads among others.
Ban on construction, demolitionactivities lifted in Delhi and NCRCAQM makes adherence to dust control norms a must; trucks allowed to enter city
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
A blanket of smog seems to have engulfed the city’s high-riseson Monday. * SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
A threeyearold girl wasmauled to death by straydogs at a DDA park in westDelhi’s Moti Nagar on December 17, the police saidon Monday. An inquiry hasbeen initiated, they said.
Deputy Commissionerof Police (West) Urvija Goelsaid that information wasreceived around 3 p.m. onDecember 17 from a hospital that a girl named Laxmihad been attacked by straydogs in a park and broughtdead to the hospital.
The body was shifted tothe mortuary for postmortem after which it washanded over to the fatherGopal Ram — the park’sgardener — for last rites.
The girl’s mother, SajniKumari, said that on theday of the incident, shewas in the jhuggi and thegirl had gone to the park toplay. She said these dogswere in the park most ofthe time and Laxmi used toplay with them every day.
Three-year-old girl mauled todeath by dogs
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI
The Capital recorded 154cases of dengue and twodeaths over the past week(till December 18), a civic body report said on Monday.This takes the current season’s caseload to 9,414 andthe death toll to 17.
According to civic bodyoffi�cials, the victims were a54yearold female and anineyearold female whodied on November 2 and November 18 respectively. Bothvictims were admitted toprivate hospitals in the city.
“Cases will continue tofall in the coming days withthe dip in temperatureswhich are not suitable formosquito breeding. The reason behind an increase inthe death of children thisseason is because the younger ones are more vulnerable to the vectorborne disease. There are also chancesof crossinfection,” said a senior civic body offi�cial.
Over the past week, south
Delhi recorded 40 cases ofdengue, followed by northDelhi with 29 and east Delhiwith 23 cases.
This season, north Delhirecorded the highest number of cases at 2,616, followed by south Delhi with2,533 and east Delhi with1,113 cases — the lowestamong the city’s three municipal corporations.
Apart from the corporations, the New Delhi Municipal Council recorded 82 cases for this season, whileDelhi Cantonment and otheragencies recorded 167 cases.
A total of 2,903 cases ofdengue remain untraced after investigation this season.
Total cases for the season near 9,500
Muneef Khan
New Delhi
Capital records twomore dengue deaths
The Delhi High Court onMonday dismissed a petition fi�led by the widow oflate Mirza Mohammed Bedar Bakht, greatgrandsonof last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, to handover the possession of RedFort to her.
Justice Rekha Palli rejected the petition, saying thatSultana Begum has notbeen able to give any “justifi�able explanation” for fi�ling her case after a delay ofover 150 years.
Ms. Begum, in her plea,said she was “the rightfulowner of Red Fort as shehad inherited this propertyfrom her ancestor BahadurShah Zafar II, the king ofDelhi, and the Governmentof India is an illegal occupant of the property”.
In her petition, fi�ledthrough advocate VivekMore, the 68yearold saidshe is currently living in aslum in Howrah, West Bengal, “in very unhygienicconditions”.
Ms. Begum, who alsoclaims to be illiterate, saidher family was deprived of
ancestral property, whichwas taken forcibly by theBritish East India Companyin 1857, without anycompensation.
Justice Palli, however,questioned why Ms. Begumor other descendants of Bahadur Shah Zafar did notraise this issue till today.
Everybody knows that Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British, thejudge said, adding, “Whywas nothing fi�led in time? Ifher ancestors didn’t do it,can she do it now?”
When advocate Moretried to justify the delay infi�ling the petition as Ms. Begum was illiterate, the HighCourt rejected it saying thiswas not a valid justifi�cationwhy steps were not taken inthis regard at relevant time.
“What were you doingfor all these years?” theHigh Court asked.
In her petition, Ms. Begum said that in 1960, theGovernment of India underthe Prime Ministership ofJawaharlal Nehru recognised Mirza MuhammadBedar Bakht as the inheritor of the late BahadurShah Zafar and a political
pension was also granted tohim.
On August 15, 1965, Ms.Begum got married to Mirza Muhammad BedarBakht. On May 22, 1980,Mirza Muhammad BedarBakht died and on August 1,1980, Ms. Begum was granted a political pension bythe then Government.
She said her petition wasfi�led challenging the injustice done by the British EastIndia company in 1857,when it dethroned the lastMughal emperor and sentenced him to exile in Rangoon. On November 11,1862, Bahadur Shah Zafardied at the age of 82.
In 2010, the then CentralGovernment enhanced therate of political pensionfrom ₹�400 per month to₹�6,000 per month for Ms.Begum.
Widow of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s grandson says she inherited the property and is rightful owner
A view of Red Fort in Delhi. * FILE PHOTO
Soibam Rocky Singh
New Delhi
Delhi HC rejects plea seeking possession of Red Fort
A civic worker fumigating acolony in Delhi. * FILE PHOTO
A Delhi court on Monday discharged former BJP MLAKuldeep Singh Sengar andfi�ve of his coaccused in connection with the Unnao rapesurvivor’s car accident inwhich she and her lawyersustained injuries and two ofher aunts died.
The order was passed byAdditional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey, who noted thatthere was no prima facie evidence against Sengar andothers namely, GyanendraSingh, Komal Singh, ArunSingh, Rinku Singh and Aadesh Singh and hence, theystood discharged in the casewhich attracted IPC Section506 (ii) (punishment for criminal intimidation) readwith Section 34.
ACMM Pandey, however,went on to frame chargesagainst four other accused.
As per case records, twoyears ago, an accident occurred when a truck collidedwith a car in which the rapesurvivor, her lawyer and twoaunts were travelling. While
the aunts died on the spot,the woman and her lawyersustained serious injuries.
Following this, a case ofmurder was lodged againstSengar and his associates bythe U.P. police.
However, a CBI probe intothe incident found that therewas no criminal conspiracyto commit murder or attempt to murder of the woman and her kin.
Subsequently, the woman’s uncle moved a protestplea before the court challenging the CBI’s fi�ndings,claiming that the incidentwas an attempt to stop thesurvivor from submitting evidence before the court andtamper with evidence.
The Delhi High Court onMonday ordered the removal of an illegally constructed temple on a footpath atBhishma Pitamah Marg insouth Delhi’s Defence Colony within 10 days, notingthat no religious activity was
going on there.Justice Rekha Palli told the
authorities that once the Supreme Court directed thatno unauthorised construction would be permitted inthe name of temple or gurdwara or any other religiousplace, there was no questionwhy the encroachment be
not removed expeditiously.The High Court ordered
the Station House Offi�cer ofthe local police station to ensure that the idols put insidethe illegal structure areplaced in a nearby temple sothat the sanctity of the idolsis preserved and the Hindusentiments are respected.
The court’s directioncame on a man’s petitionwho had sought removal ofthe encroachment from thefootpath in front of his property at Defence Colony. Hesaid during the COVID19pandemic, an unknown person illegally constructed atemple on the footpath.
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
HC questions delay in demolition of illegal temple
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Timings
DELHI
TUESDAY, DEC. 21
RISE 07:10 SET 17:30
RISE 19:17 SET 08:54
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22
RISE 07:11 SET 17:30
RISE 20:13 SET 09:40
THURSDAY, DEC. 23
RISE 07:11 SET 17:31
RISE 21:10 SET 10:20
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said thatthere is no need to panicabout the Omicron variant ofCOVID19 and that the DelhiGovernment is fully prepared for the fi�ght with adequate beds, oxygen andmedicines.
Mr. Kejriwal said this in ameeting of the Delhi DisasterManagement Authority heldto discuss the problemsposed by the variant. Experts said that the Omicronvariant spreads rapidly but isvery mild in nature.
“One might get fever andother mild symptoms butthe need for hospitalisationand the chances of death arevery low. We have come tothe conclusion that thistime, home isolation wouldbe needed at large and havethus decided to further enhance our home isolationprogramme,” the CM said.
Mr. Kejriwal said that overthe past week, the numberof COVID19 cases in the Capital has been rising and thereis a need to fi�nd out if thevariant spreading is Delta orOmicron.
“We have decided to getgenome sequencing of eachpositive COVID19 case doneto determine what variant isspreading at present. Tillnow, only the people comingto the airport have been test
ed for the variants,” he said.
VaccinationMr. Kejriwal said that 99% ofDelhi’s eligible populationhave been vaccinated withthe fi�rst dose and about 70%with both the doses. He appealed to the Central Government to allow boosterdoses as Delhi is ready withthe infrastructure to administer such doses fi�rst tohealthcare workers and then
to the rest of the population.The Government said that
30,000 COVID19 beds areready in Delhi, while 100beds per ward will be arranged as and when required on a twoweek noticetaking the total bed capacityto over 64,000.
“Additionally, 6,800 ICUbeds will be ready soon.Medicine stocks are beingadded, and home isolationarrangements are beingstrengthened. The Government has issued a COVID19helpline number — 1031 — tohelp patients if they face anyproblem,” the Governmentsaid in a statement.
It added that to ensurethat there is no shortage ofessential medicines andequipment, 32 medicineshave been identifi�ed for thetreatment of COVID19 andthat the Government hasmandated that a buff�er stockof these medicines for 60days be maintained.
Don’t panic, Govt. prepared tofi�ght Omicron variant, says CMPositive cases to be sent for genome sequencing; he urges Centre for booster doses
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
A benefi�ciary gets a COVID19 vaccine dose at a centre in Delhion Monday. * SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
The minimum temperature in the Capital continued to plummet and settled at 3.2° Celsius onMonday, which was fi�ve degrees below normal.
The maximum temperature was 21° Celsius, whichwas one degree belownormal.
The minimum temperature on Sunday was 4.6 degrees Celsius, which hadbeen the coldest day of theseason. The IMD has saidthat night temperaturesare likely to rise by 23 degrees in the coming days.
“Cold wave to severecold wave is very likely tocontinue in some parts ofPunjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during thenext 24 hours. It is verylikely to abate thereafterover above areas,” the IMDbulletin said.
The forecast for December 21 reads “mainly clearsky with shallow fog in themorning. The maximumand minimum temperatures are likely to bearound 21 degrees and 4degrees respectively”.
The extended forecastshows that the sky is likelyto turn partly cloudy December 22 onwards thatwill bring down the minimum temperature to aboutseven degrees Celsius.
Minimumtemperature dips to 3.2°C
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Three children have died after consuming Dextromethorphan, a cough syrup, prescribed by “mohalla clinics”run by the Delhi Government, the Directorate ofHealth Services (DGHS) ofthe Central Government saidin a letter.
There is no clarity onwhen the deaths occurred.
“Sixteen cases of Dextramethorphan poisoning werereported at Kalawati SaranChildren Hospital of whichthree children expired in thehospital. These childrenwere prescribed Dextramethorphan drug by the Delhi Governmentrun mohallaclinics. The drug is strictlynot recommended for paediatricage children,” theDGHS letter dated December7 read.
The DGHS also directedthe Delhi Government to issue a notice to all dispensaries and mohalla clinics “not
to prescribe” Dextromethorphan for children less thanfour years of age and alsosuggested withdrawing thedrug in “larger publicinterest”.
Doctors terminatedLater in the evening, DelhiHealth Minister SatyendarJain, said: “It is a very sadmatter that a few days ago,three children died at Kalawati Saran Hospital due toreaction of medicine. Threedoctors have been terminated and an inquiry has beenordered. We have complained to the Delhi MedicalCouncil about the doctors.”
A Delhi Government spokesperson did not respondto questions on when thechildren died or the deathsdid happen at diff�erent mohalla clinics, and whether apostmortem was conductedin these cases. The Ministeralso did not respond to callsor messages seeking comment.
A committee has beenconstituted to conduct an inquiry into the matter following the Central Governmentletter regarding the deaths ofchildren, an offi�cial order bythe Delhi Government saidon Monday. The committeehas been asked to submit areport within seven days.
Delhi Congress presidentCh. Anil Kumar demanded acompensation of ₹�1 crore tothe families of the victimsand ₹�10 lakh relief to thosewho are under treatment.
“The death of the threechildren has uncovered themask of the Delhi Government and the incompetenceof the mohalla clinic doctors.It is a matter of grave concern that mohalla clinics aremanaged by incapable doctors,” Mr. Kumar said.
Ramvir Singh Bidhuri,Leader of the Opposition inthe Delhi Assembly, said thechildren died due to the ineligibility of the doctors atmohalla clinics.
DGHS advises against using it for those less than four years
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
3 kids dead after taking syrupprescribed by mohalla clinics
East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) Mayor ShyamSunder Aggarwal on Mondaysaid that the Delhi Government “is yet to sanction”pending funds to the civicbody, which has led to thenonpayment of salaries toits employees “for the lastthree months”.
“On Monday, we marchedto the Chief Minister’s Offi�ceover the issue but it is unfortunate that no offi�cial came
to meet us despite the Deputy Chief Minister being present in his offi�ce. They do nothave the time to discuss thesalary issues of the workersat the civic body,” Mr. Aggarwal said.
Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia said the DelhiGovernment has released75% of this fi�nancial year’sfunds to the BJPgovernedmunicipal corporations butstill the corporations are notpaying salaries on time.
“The Government is sup
posed to provide ₹�3,488crore to the corporations inthe fi�scal year 202122, according to the budget. So far,75% of the funds totalling₹�2,588 crore have been released in three instalments.The remaining 25% will bedispersed in January,” hesaid.
Mr. Sisodia said, “TheMayor keeps doing a dramaall the time and does not payhis employees who are facing the toughest of the times.The question that must be
a balance amount of₹�2,985.12 crore is yet to bepaid by the Government tothe EDMC. This is the pending fund from the years 20122016. The fourth Delhi Finance Commission recommendations were notimplemented for theseyears, and the amount waspaid based on the suggestions of the third DFC till2016. Due to this, there was abalance amount, from eachyear, which has not beensanctioned.”
asked is, where did all of thismoney go under the watch ofthe BJP?” he said.
According to the data provided by a senior EDMC offi�cial, the Government is yet tosanction “₹�250.21 crore” tothe East Delhi corporationfor the current year. Out of atotal “₹�1,121.12 crore”, theGovernment had sanctioned“₹�747.42 crore”, which wasreceived in the second andthird quarters, the offi�cialsaid.
He said, “Apart from this,
Manish Sisodia slams BJP, says 75% of this fi�nancial year’s funds released to municipal corporations
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
EDMC blames pending funds for salary nonpayment
Delhi’s Inner Ring Road,among the other two mainRing Roads in the city, witnessed the highest numberof accidents last year with asmany as 287 cases reportedas a result of which 88 persons were killed, whereasthe Outer Ring Road saw thehighest fatalities with 100people killed in 256 incidents, data provided by theDelhi Traffi�c Police showed.
The two Ring Roads secured the top spot amongthe 25 accidentprone roadswith 97 fatal accidents reported on Outer Ring Roadwhile 85 incidents seen onthe Ring Road.
The data further showedthat among the black spotsidentifi�ed by the traffi�c police, Azadpur Chowk andPunjabi Bagh Chowk saw themost accidents, both at 23.Azadpur Chowk also toppedthe chart in the number offatal accidents at nine, thenumber of persons injuredat 22, while the number ofpersons killed at nine.
Black spots are defi�ned asaccidentprone zones orwhere the frequency of accidents remains high. “Theyare identifi�ed on the basis ofconcentration of accidentsat a specifi�c place wheresome form of remedial measures can be introduced toreduce the number of acci
dents,” an offi�cer said.In comparison, Azadpur
Chowk had only seen 13 accidents in 2019, whereas thehighest accidents were witnessed in MukundpurChowk, the data showed.
In terms of rangewiseclassifi�cation of accidents forlast year, the Outer Rangesaw the most fatal accidentswith 350 cases reported lastyear. The Western Rangestood second at 276, according to the data.
A senior traffi�c police offi�cer said that most road accidents occur due to cases ofdrunk driving and that offi�cers have been briefed tocrack down on such instances.
Azadpur Chowk, Punjabi Bagh Chowk top the chart
ARNABJIT SUR
New Delhi
Inner Ring Road saw the highestnumber of accidents in 2020
The Delhi Police SpecialCell on Monday arrestedtwo persons wanted in acase of shootout in SubziMandi area and seized twoautomatic pistols witheight live cartridges fromthem.
According to DCP (Special Cell) Jasmeet Singh,the accused were alreadywanted in a case of shootout where they had fi�redupon a person and stabbeda few of his family members in a gang rivalry, andthat they had not surrendered to jail authoritieseven after their interim bailhad ended.
A trap was laid and theaccused were nabbed.
Two wantedin shootoutcase arrested
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
Ninetyone new COVID19cases were reported in thelast 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to14,42,288, as per a bulletinreleased by the Delhi Government on Monday.
A total of 46,193 testswere done in a day and thetest positivity rate was0.20%, which is also thehighest in more than fi�vemonths.
On Monday, there was noCOVID19related death in24 hours and the total number of deaths stood at25,101. Of the total cases,14,16,656 people have recovered and there are 531 active cases.
Both new cases and positivity have been showing anincrease for almost a weekand on Sunday, the new cases were the highest in closeto six months.
The highest number of
daily new cases in Delhi tillnow was reported on April20 this year, when 28,325cases were reported
Doctors continue strikeMore than 5,000 residentdoctors of diff�erent city hospitals boycotted work forthe fourth day on Monday,except for COVID19 duty, asthe protest against the delayin PGNEET counselling,said the Federation of Resi
dent Doctors’ Association.The doctors also protest
ed outside the Union HealthMinistry, raising slogansand enacting street plays.
The boycott which beganearlier this month wascalled off� last week after thedoctors were assured thatthe counselling schedulewill be released in a week.However, as it didn’t happen, the doctors resumedthe strike on Friday.
No death caused by virus; 531 active cases remain in CapitalStaff Reporter
New Delhi
Resident doctors protest outside the Union Heath Ministry inNew Delhi on Monday. * SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Delhi records 91 fresh COVID19cases, positivity stands at 0.20%
The Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved a proposal toestablish the Delhi Teachers’ University that will off�er fouryear integratedteacher education programmes like BABEd, BScBEd and BComBEd fromthe academic session of202223 to help develop anew generation of teachers.
Before Vidhan SabhaChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the DelhiTeachers’ University Bill2021 will be placed beforethe Vidhan Sabha in thecoming session and it willbe a public university dedicated to preparing qualityteachers for the city acrossdiff�erent school stages.
Mr. Kejriwal said that thecampus will be set up atBakkarwala village and thatstudents will be attached tothe Delhi Government
schools for the entire duration of their course to gethandson experience withstrong emphasis onactionresearch.
World-class teaching“The Delhi Teachers’ University will be a centre forexcellence in teacher preparation in the areas of education studies, leadershipand policy. It will engage inworldclass teaching andresearch in emerging areasof teacher education toachieve excellence inschool education throughnational and internationalcollaborations,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
He added that it willwork towards bridging thegap between practice, research and policy in teacher preparation while constantly engaging with thedynamic concept and realities of quality education inthe city of Delhi.
‘University will prepare quality teachers’
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Teachers’ Universityreceives Cabinet nod
A couple and the owner ofa placement agency werearrested for allegedly traffi�cking children after kidnapping them, the policesaid on Monday.
A Delhi Police CrimeBranch team has rescued a16yearold girl, an offi�cersaid. The police found outthat the owner of the placement agency, Abdul Haldar, who has a separatecase lodged in West Bengalagainst him, was currentlyin Delhi and launched amanhunt to arrest him.DCP (Crime) Monica Bhardwaj said the couple wasrunning the placementagency at Badarpur Extension.
Three held for childtraffi�cking
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
I, Madhu Jaswani W/o Mr M KJaswani have lost Transfer Memorandum No Property/ Transfer/2006/814dated 05/04/2006 of my House No. C45, Sector-Swarn Nagari, Greater Noida, UP. as per LR No. 1068962/2021dt 17/12/2021, PS Crime Branch,Delhi. If anyone find please contactSBI RACPC-01, Noida.
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STATES
Farmers on Mondayblocked rail tracks at several places in Punjab, demanding complete loanwaiver and compensationto families whose members died during the
course of the stir againstthe Centre’s farm laws.
They also demandedthe cancellation of policecases registered againstfarmers who protestedagainst the laws.
Train movement was affected in the State. Ac
cording to railway offi�cials, over 55 trains wereaff�ected following theprotest by farmers at Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur. Theysaid 27 trains were cancelled, 11 were shortterminated while 17 were
Opposition Congress MLASashi Kanta Das ‘joined’ thegovernment in Assam onMonday, the fi�rst day of thewinter session of the Assembly, and will work in association with it though hewill not resign from theparty immediately, ChiefMinister Himanta BiswaSarma said.
The Congress slapped ashow cause notice on Mr.Das and asked him to clarify his stand within a day.
The notice issued byState Congress general secretary Bobbeeta Sharmasaid Mr. Das was seen off�ering support to the BJP government and his allegiance to Mr. Sarma andBJP state unit presidentBhabesh Kalita. Mr. Sarmaand Mr. Kalita welcomedMr. Das at the CM’s chamber inside the Assemblycomplex while the Housewas in progress.
“Mr. Das has decided tojoin the government to develop Raha constituency,”Mr. Sarma told reporters.
Notice toCong. MLAover ‘joining’Assam govt.
Press Trust of India
Guwahati
J&K LieutenantGovernor Manoj Sinha on Monday said 60%electricity supply stands restored in the Union Territoryand promised to restore 100%supply by Tuesday, as protestsby around 20,000 employeesof the Power Development Department continued for thethird straight day and aff�ectedstudents’ examination and tourism sector.
‘Bold reforms’“I understand your paincaused by the disruption inelectricity supply due to thestrike by the power department employees. Many generations of J&K have spent theirlife dreaming about getting anuninterrupted 24 hours supplyof electricity. We have takenthe bold initiative of reforms inthe power sector to realise thatdream,” Mr. Sinha said.
He accused the previous regimes of not intending “to better the system to bring qualitative change in the people’slives”.
The LG said personnel fromthe REC, the NTPC and theNHPC, and offi�cers from theArmy Engineering Corps, areworking together to restore
electricity.“This only shows our com
mitment... we restored 60%electricity yesterday and by tomorrow we will achieve 100%restoration,” he added.
Meanwhile, hundreds of employees on the call of the Power Employees and EngineersCoordination Committee(PEECC) held demonstrationand stayed away from work.They are protesting against thegovernment’s move to privatise grid stations to the PowerGrid Corporation of Indiawhich, they say, will impact thejobs of locals.
The protesting employeespledged to continue with theprotests till their demands aremet. The J&K offi�cials hadfailed to reach any settlementwith the protesting employeestill Monday evening.
NC, PDP fl�ay govt.Regional parties, including theNational Conference and thePeoples Democratic Party,have criticised the governmentand supported the employees.
“The proposed move is not areform but another step inlooting the State’s resourcesand block jobs for locals. The
socalled reservation in recruitment is reduced to a crueljoke,” PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said.
Meanwhile, several undergraduate and postgraduate examinations were cancelled byJammu University in the face ofpower crisis.
The crisis has hit both thecapitals of Jammu and Srinagar, besides far off� villages andtowns in the UT, with peoplereeling under darkness andcold in the winter season.
J&K Hoteliers Club chairmanMushtaq Chaya said, “Withoutelectricity, the visitors will notbe able to stay in the hotels andcould hamper tourism industry badly.”
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, whoheads the Hurriyat Conference, accused the J&K authorities of “a policy of seizure ofnatural resources of J&K”. “It’sunfortunate that J&K, which isrich in water and other naturalresources, has not been able tosolve the problem of electricityeven after seven decades andthe consequences are beingborne by the Kashmiris in winters and the people of Chenaband Jammu in summers. Theauthorities should accept thedemand of the striking employees.”
Will restore 100% power supply: J&K L-GProtest by UT’s Power Development Department workers continues for third day
Peerzada Ashiq
Srinagar
Power department employees staging a protest in Srinagar onMonday. * NISSAR AHMAD
The Bombay High Court onMonday extended the timefor 82yearold Varavara Raoto surrender till January 7.
A Division Bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and S.V. Kotwal was hearing a plea fi�led
by Mr. Rao, an accused in theBhima Koregaon case. He iscurrently out on medical bailand is residing in Mumbaiwith his wife. He urged thecourt to allow him to go backhome to Telangana. He wasgranted interim bail for sixmonths in February.
HC extends time forVaravara Rao’s surrender Special Correspondent
Mumbai
On December 15, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition fi�ledby the Maharashtra Government seeking a direction to theCentre to share raw data collected in the SocioEconomicCaste Census of 2011. The apex court told the State to notify27% of its Other Backward Classes (OBC) seats to open category in its local government body elections. The Maha VikasAghadi Government has received a lot of fl�ak for being “negligent” and “non serious” about it. Nationalist Congress Party’sMaharashtra chief Jayant Patil, however, told The Hindu thatthere is lack of political will from the Centre to part with thedata and its stand is very contradictory.
What according to youwere the circumstancesthat led to the delay insubmitting the data? ■ I think it is important to understand the chronology ofevents here; the previous government led by DevendraFadnavis had challenged theOBC reservation in the localbody in court in 2017. Since
then, the Government ofMaharashtra is seeking theempirical data which is withthe Centre.
Between 2011 and 2013this survey was done and thedata was submitted to the Government of India. The survey was done in every State;however, the Centre’s standhas been confusing, in 2016,
the Center had said in theParliament that the empiricaldata on OBC was correct, buta few days ago, the Centretold the SC that the data pertaining to OBC cannot be determined by the survey.
There are letters written in2019, by Devendra Fadnavisand Pankaja Munde askingthe Centre to share the databut it could not be procured.The lack of political will is atthe Centre and not the State.Firstly, they denied the letters, then they said the datahas errors and now they aresaying they do not have anydata.
So you’re saying thatthere is a contradictionin the Centres’s stand? ■ Absolutely, I think the
Centre does not want to disclose the data because thenthere will be a demand tomake budgetary allocationsproportionate to the population that will lead to OBC’sempowerment. That is whythe Centre is not providingthe data, which is beingasked by a lot of States. Thereis a limbo which is creatingambiguity.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was against
social economic and castecensus in 2011. When the parent organisation is againstcaste census, it is unlikelythat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government will release the data. The RSS believes in an arakhsan muktbharat (reservation free India), so how will the Government provide the data thatwill strengthen the reservation.
Besides, the motive of 2011census data was to make programmes and policies forOBC for their upliftment ineducation and jobs amongothers. By 2024, if they (BJP)get elected, they will cancelall the reservations.
The MVA government hastold the SC that it will
provide empirical data inthree months, how doyou plan to do that? ■ We have already formed aninemember commissionwhich will take up the diffi�cult task in their hands andcomplete it in the next threemonths. We have suggestedto the State Election Commission (SEC) that any electionwhich will omit OBC’s reservation should not be takenimmediately. It is very disheartening to see wastage oftime, resources and moneyof the public exchequer intoa task which was alreadydone 10 years ago but just because of illintentions of theCentre, this data is not givento us.
Can you explain the
process of collectingempirical data? ■ The entire State has a machinery of teachers, government servants’ and anganwadi sevikas who will collectdata in their villages. But thecompilation of data is verycumbersome. We are alsotrying to fi�gure out if data canbe collected online.
Are there any talks todefer the local bodypolls? ■ The decision on when toconduct elections is with theSEC. From our side, we areconstantly pursuing and requesting the SEC to postponeelections for three months sothat proper provisions can bemade for OBC representations in the local bodies.
INTERVIEW | JAYANT PATIL
No political will from Centre to part with OBC data, says Jayant PatilMaharashtra NCP chief says Centre does not want to disclose data because then there will be a demand to make budgetary allocations for them
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Communally sensitive localities in Kerala remained onedge after the targeted political killings in Alappuzha putBJP and Social DemocraticParty of India (SDPI) workersat loggerheads for the second consecutive day onMonday.
The tense situationprompted State Police ChiefAnil Kant to restrict publicprotests and use ofloudspeakers.
Mr. Kant has cancelled theleave of offi�cers. He hasasked offi�cers from nonuniformed units to ready themselves for rapid law and order deployment. Law andorder offi�cers should be attheir posts round the clock.The police have posted pickets in trouble spots.
They have placed BJP andSDPI offi�ces under protective
surveillance. Plainclothessquads are afoot to executepending arrest warrants anddetain instigators.
The police are monitoringsocial media platforms for
incendiary messages. Meanwhile, the CPI(M)
has said two religiously opposed fanatical forces aim toinstigate a communal confl�agration in the State. They are
using the social media tospread hate and falsehoods.The forces behind thefraught situation are attempting to punch holes inthe Left Democratic Frontgovernment’s law and orderrecord. For one, BJP president J.P. Nadda had calledKerala a lawless State. Congress leaders have echoedthe falsehood, the CPI(M)said.
The brazenly communaloutfi�ts responsible for the titfortat political slaying inAlappuzha have attemptedto undermine the State’s storied secular tradition, theCPI(M) said.
Meanwhile, the government postponed the interparty peace meeting in Alappuzha to Tuesday. BJP Statepresident K. Surendran saidhis party would not turn itsback on peace initiatives.
However, the police are
highly partisan and politically prejudiced against the BJP.They favour the SDPI, hecharged.
Leader of the OppositionV. D. Satheesan said KeralaChief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had outsourced policestation functioning to localCPI(M) satraps.
Union Minister’s charge In Kochi, Union Minister ofState for Home NityanandRai alleged that the Keralagovernment was protectingcriminals involved in themurder of BJP workers.
Referring to the killing ofBJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasin Alappuzha on Sunday, Mr.Rai said the governmentshould carry out a proper investigation to nab the culprits. Democratic principleshad been thrown to thewinds, he said.
(With inputs from Kochi)
Amid tensions, Kerala police put on alert Alappuzha killings put BJP, SDPI workers at loggerheads for second day; curbs on public protests
Special Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram
High alert: The body of SDPI State secretary K.S. Shan beingdraped with the party fl�ag before the funeral. * SURESH ALLEPPEY
The Karnataka Cabinet onMonday cleared the contentious anticonversion Bill,The Karnataka Right toFreedom of Religion Bill,2021. It is likely to be tabledin the legislature on Tuesday, according to sources.
The Bill envisages stringent provisions for forced orinduced conversion. It prohibits conversion from onereligion to another by “misrepresentation, force,fraud, undue infl�uence,coercion, allurement ormarriage”. It says that anyaggrieved person, parents,brother, sister or any otherperson related by blood,marriage or adoption can
fi�le a First Information Report against such an act. Ithas penal provisions thatstate that imprisonment willnot be less than three yearsand can extend up to 10years, and fi�ne ranges from₹�25,000 to ₹�10 lakh.
Earlier in the day, speaking at a convention of theVishwa Hindu Parishad inthe border city, KarnatakaChief Minister BasavarajBommai reiterated that thegovernment was committedto stopping conversion byforce or fraud. He claimedthat innocent people acrossthe State were being converted by some people whooff�ered money and other inducements to the poor andthe backward classes.
Anticonversion Bill getsKarnataka Cabinet’s nodLikely to be tabled in legislature today
Special Correspondent
Belagavi
Terming the violence andstatue desecration related tothe Maharashtra border row“antinational,” KarnatakaChief Minister BasavarajBommai on Monday said theculprits would be bookedunder the Sedition Act andthe Goondas Act, even asthe State Legislature passeda unanimous resolutioncondemning violence.
“This is an antinationalact conspiring to bring enmity between States. Sedition cases will be bookedagainst the culprits and theGoondas Act will be slappedon people and organisationsthat are behind these violence. We have arrested theconspirators also and thetrack record of all the culprits are being monitored,”Mr. Bommai told the Assembly as he moved the resolution.
He also announced thatstatues of Kittur Rani Chennamma and Sangolli Rayanna would be installed on thepremises of the SuvarnaVidhana Soudha in Belagavi.
The Chief Minister’s announcement came duringthe discussion on burning ofKannada fl�ag, desecration ofSangolli Rayanna statue inBelagavi and the Chhatrapathi Shivaji statue in Bengaluru over the last oneweek, which resulted in violence. Following the burning of the fl�ag at Kolhapuron Tuesday, the Janata Dal(Secular) had raised the issue. A similar resolutionwas also passed in the Legislative Council.
“Desecration of statueshas become a trend andthey are preplanned incidents. The border issue hasturned into political capitalin Maharashtra,” the ChiefMinister said.
Bommai slams violence,statue desecration Will act tough against culprits: CM
Special Correspondent
Belagavi
Festive days: Arrangements are being made in a big way at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday, for thepreChristmas celebrations of the Telangana government. * NAGARA GOPAL
South Central Railway (SCR)has extended free WiFi facility to as many as 588 railway stations and around6,000 route km of networkis now covered with OpticalFibre Cable (OFC).
The stations covered include 30 major ones and558 medium and smallones. People visiting therailway stations can use thisfacility for streaming HD videos, download movies,songs, games, and even dotheir offi�ce work online. Students and other competitiveexam aspirants from remotelocations with limited access to Internet can alsomake use of the station WiFi facilities.
Feedback from passengers at Secunderabad, Kacheguda, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Guntur, Nanded andother stations showed that it
provided ‘excellent’ connectivity, seamless data accessand proved to be a great facility for passengers, a pressrelease said. The free WiFiservice is accessible with asmartphone and a workingmobile connection. The WiFi is free for the fi�rst 30 minutes of usage every day at 1mbps speed; thereafter, onehas the option to extend thesame by paying nominal user charges online.
Free WiFi extended to588 stations in SCR zoneIt will be free for the fi�rst 30 minutes
Special Correspondent
HYDERABAD
Students with limited accessto Internet can also makeuse of the WiFi facilities.
The Council of Scientifi�c andIndustrial Research– Centrefor Cellular and MolecularBiology (CSIRCCMB) isworking on specifi�c primersfor improving the currentCOVID19 testing methodslike the RTPCR where theemerging Omicron variantcan be identifi�ed.
“We are working on a fewsets of primers, but we haveto test them extensively andvalidate them, before wecan put them out so that apositive patient can know ifit is the current dominantDelta variant or the new Omicron,” said director VinayKumar Nandicoori.
“As per the data available,Delta is still dominant acrossthe country. Whether Omi
cron will replace it, we willsee in the coming days. Weshould know that in SouthAfrica where it was fi�rst detected, the Delta wave waswaning when this new variant took over, which showsbetter infectivity and naturally the unvaccinated are
prone to get infections thanothers,” he explained.
Dr. Nandicoori emphasised that vaccines do provide protection and the focus in our country should beon vaccinating the remaining 22% population withdouble doses.
Improvising COVID testing toolsCSIRCCMB scientists working on primers to detect Omicron
CCMB Director Vinay Kumar Nandicoori (right) supervisingthe work at one of the institute’s laboratories in Hyderabad.
V. Geetanath
HYDERABAD
Cardinal George Alencherry, president of the KeralaCatholic Bishops’ Council,said on Monday that theCatholic Church would accept any decision by thegovernment on the age ofmarriage of women.
The Church would abideby the law of the land andthere would be absolutelyno opposition to the decision, he added. He was answering questions on theproposed raising of marriage age of women in thecountry to 21 years. He saidthe canon law allowed themarriage of women fromthe age of 18. But thatwould not stand in the wayof the Church willingly accepting the decision.
‘Will acceptdecision onmarriage age’
Special Correspondent
KOCHI
Stop mining nearBuddhist site, says ASI KAKINADA
The Archaeological Survey of
India (Kakinada SubCircle)
has appealed to the Andhra
Pradesh government to stop
mining on Turakula Konda
near the Kondavali Buddhist
site, located in Gollaprolu
mandal of East Godavari
district. Revenue authorities
have reportedly issued a NOC
to an individual for the
proposed mining, reportedly
for laterite, on the Turakula
hill. The proposed mining
area is located only 357
metres from a third century
Buddhist site at Kondavali.
HC declares demand ofnokkukooli illegalKOCHI
The Kerala High Court on
Monday declared demanding
of nokkukooli or gawking
wages as an "illegal and
unauthorized" activity which
needs to be banned and
directed the police to lodge
cases of extortion against
whoever makes such
demands. The court directed
the Kerala government to
carry out the necessary
amendments to the Kerala
Headload Workers Act in a
time bound manner so that
the industry is organised and
regulated to some extent. PTI
‘Make payment within 21days of paddy purchase’VIJAYAWADA
Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan
Reddy on Monday asked the
officials to take necessary
measures to ensure payment
within 21 days of
procurement of paddy. The
Chief Minister held a review
meeting on procurement of
paddy with the officials of
the Agriculture and Civil
Supplies department on
Monday. The scope for
cheating farmers under the
pretext of quality check
should be eliminated.
IN BRIEF
In yet another major drughaul, 77 kg of heroin worth₹�400 crore was seized froma Pakistani fi�shing boat off�the Gujarat coast late onSunday. Six crew membersof the boat were arrested ina joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and theGujarat Anti TerroristSquad.
“The @IndiaCoastGuardin a joint Ops with ATS #Gujarat has apprehended onePak Fishing Boat ‘Al Huseini’with 06 crew in Indian waters carrying 77 kgs #heroinworth approx 400 cr,” Gujarat’s defence PRO said in atweet. The boat was laterbrought to the Jakhau fi�shing harbour in Kutch forfurther investigation, headded.
Mahesh Langa
Ahmedabad
Big haul: The suspected Pakistani nationals with the seizedheroin at the Jakhau fi�shing harbour in Gujarat. * PTI
Heroin worth ₹�400 croreseized from Pak. boat
The Kerala Police on Mondayarrested two persons in connection with the murder ofSocial Democratic Party ofIndia (SDPI) State secretaryK.S. Shan in Alappuzha.
The arrested have beenidentifi�ed as RSS activistsPrasad of Mannancherry andRatheesh of MararikulamSouth.
The police said the duohad actively participated inthe conspiracy and planningto kill the SDPI leader. Prasadhatched the plot, organisedattackers and vehicle, said anoffi�cial.
Following the murder ofthe SDPI leader, a ganghacked Ranjith Sreenivas,BJP OBC Morcha State secretary, to death in his house atVellakinar in Alappuzha, onSunday morning.
A special investigationteam led by Vijay Sakhare,Additional DirectorGeneralof Police, Law and Order, isprobing the twin politicalmurders. Mr. Sakhare saidthe police had identifi�ed 10people involved in the murder of Shan and eff�orts wereon to nab the other eight accused.
At least 12 assailants wereinvolved in the murder ofSreenivas, the ADGP said.The police were also probingthe larger conspiracy anglebehind the murders, headded.
Sreenivas was laid to restat Valiyazheekkal. His bodywas kept at Alappuzha District Court compound, BJPoffi�ce and his house at Vellakinar for the public and relatives to pay their last respectsbefore being taken to his native place Valiyazheekkal.
2 RSS activists arrestedfor SDPI leader’s murderSIT to probe twin killings in Kerala
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EDITORIAL
A blot
The recent acts of lynchingin Punjab raise a grave issuethat has been leftunaddressed by thelegislature and the judiciary(Page 1, December 20).Indeed, while these actscould have something to dowith the elections to beheld in the State, it isundeniable that lynching inthe name of ‘instant streetjustice’ for alleged crimes
and acts continues to takeplace across the country.We cannot take pride in ourcivilisational values whenpeople turn into mobs.Likewise, there is no pointin celebrating ourdemocracy when humanrights cannot be enforcedby the policeadministration and thejudiciary. Finally, we mustponder whether peopletaking the law into their
hands, is being ‘inspired’ bythe glorifi�cation ofencounters.Firoz Ahmad,
New Delhi
Case of starvation?
It is saddening that afi�veyearold boy issuspected to have died ofstarvation in Tamil Nadu(Page 1, December 20).Being a welfareorientedState, with a streamlined
PDS, anganwadis andfoodgrain stock, there is noreason for such a case.Governments in India mustensure welfare reaches all.V. Johan Dhanakumar,
Chennai
Badminton medals
A silver for India’s KidambiSrikanth in the BWF Worldbadminton championship(‘Sport’ page, December20) comes after a lean
Lakshya Sen, with a bronze,deserves praise too. C.V. Aravind,
Bengaluru
patch for the ace shuttler.The result is sure to do aworld of good for hisconfi�dence which hadtaken a beating in the lastfew months. Compatriot
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Akanksha Khullar
The Taliban’s seizure of Kabulon August 15, 2021 has considerably altered the group’s
role. But this time around, theleaders of the Taliban have beenmuch more tactful. To establishlegitimacy, the Taliban have goneout of their way to present a moremoderate image of themselves tothe world by vowing to respect women’s rights and freedom.
But in reality, each passing dayhas only brought a stream of badnews for women and girls in Afghanistan. Evidence emergingfrom the ground suggests that thegroup has been undertaking manyregressive steps to reduce thespaces for women to freely express themselves.
The diktatEver since coming to power nationwide, the Taliban were swiftenough to issue new codes of conduct for the Afghan women, restricting their mobility and takingaway their free will. They mandated that women wear clothes thatcompletely covered their hair, body and most of the face; they alsostipulated that women had to havemale chaperones when leavingtheir homes. While these practicesremain perfectly in line with theregime’s old order of the 1990s,the newly issued diktat is only oneexample of how the Taliban, un
der the garb of imposing Islamiclaw, have begun snatching awaythe rights of the Afghan women.
No school, jobsThe Taliban repeatedly assuredwomen access to education andemployment — which formed animportant part of its promise totreat women diff�erently under itsnew rule. Instead, many womenare now without jobs; they havebeen asked to stay away fromwork. Despite the fact that womencomprised over 27% of the workforce in government jobs underthe previous civilian administration, the Taliban have gone aheadand imposed restrictions even onthese female city government employees by barring them from returning to work; men are to fi�ll upthe resultant vacancies. Therefore, the new Taliban governmenthas only male offi�cials who arenow responsible for making all thedecisions, including those thatconcern women.
In the education sector, the Taliban’s Ministry of Education issuedan order for male students andteachers from Classes 6 to 12 are toreport to their schools, with nomention about schoolgirls. A recent BBC report says that a top Taliban offi�cial has confi�rmed thatgirls will remain banned from attending secondary school. Teachers have also been reporting a worrying drop in the attendance ofgirls in primary schools.
But while segregating classes onthe basis of gender is one side ofthe story, snatching away fromgirls their right of education altogether brings with it a grave risk ofpushing them towards poverty
and backwardness. It could verywell dent all the progress that hasbeen achieved by Afghan womenin the past, where female participation in education was as high as65%, with many girls in school andthousands at university. Just lastyear, girls accounted for 39% ofthe country’s 9.5 million students.
When will these girls be allowedto return to school? Or will they beallowed to return at all? Thesequestions remain unanswered.
Special decreeOn December 3, the Taliban issueda special decree on women’srights, which outlined rules governing marriage and property forAfghan women. The decree statedthat “adult women’s consent is necessary during marriage” and thata widow has a fi�xed share in herhusband’s property. Though a welcome move, the decree — in itspractical form — does little to solvethe larger problems before the women of Afghanistan.
For instance, at no point doesthe decree explicitly talk about thewidespread issue of child marriagethat has been prevalent even before the Taliban came to powerand continues to be a issue of concern for the international community. According to a UNICEF es
timate (November 2021), “28 percent of Afghan women aged 1549years were married before the ageof 18”. And these numbers haveonly risen with the COVID19 pandemic, the ongoing food crisis,the onset of winter, and politicalinstability. The decree also contains levels of ambiguity in thesense that while talking about theconsent of adult women, it doesnot specify who can be classifi�edas these “adult women”. Neitherdoes it specify how the Islamistgroup intends to implement theseprovisions in a country where impoverished families consider marrying off� their daughters as a viable option to overcome fi�nancialhardships.
But what is even more disturbing is that the decree has conveniently summarised all rights ofwomen only in the context of marriage, providing an important insight into Taliban’s thinking vis-à-vis women. As such, the decreeeven fails to mention anythingabout women’s access to education or employment.
Obliteration of servicesGenderbased violence is one ofthe most pervasive problems. Studies suggest that nearly 87% of Afghan women experience at leastone form of violence — physical,sexual or psychological — and almost 62% experience multipleforms.
But prior to the Taliban takingover the country, many womenand girl survivors of genderbasedviolence had access to shelters andessential services such as medicaltreatment, psychological supportand pro bono legal representation.
Survivors were in fact granted access to the system through the provincial and capital offi�ces of theMinistry of Women’s Aff�airs andthe Human Rights Commissions.And even though these systemswere not entirely perfect, they didassist thousands of women in Afghanistan each year.
Under the Taliban, shelters arebeing closed and detainees beingreleased from prison, which includes many of those convicted ofoff�ences related to genderbasedviolence, thereby endangering thelives of the survivors.
The Taliban’s new governmenthas also replaced the Women’s Affairs Ministry with the Ministry forthe Promotion/Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice anderased the most important legalmechanism — the Elimination ofViolence against Women, 2009 —a law that criminalised rape, battery and forced marriage.
Thus, extrapolating from theseexamples, it would be correct tostate that within four months ofbeing in power in Kabul, the hardline Islamist group has adoptedstringent policies that considerably limit women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan — dresscodes, a bar on education and employment, confi�nement to thedomestic sphere and curtailed access to services. All these movesare, nonetheless, a true expositionof the Taliban’s seriousness ongranting liberty to Afghan women.After all, the leopard has not reallychanged its spots.
Akanksha Khullar is the Country
Coordinator for India at the Women’s
Regional Network
For Afghan women, it’s the great regressionUnder the Taliban, the gains they made over 20 years, particularly in education and employment, face decimation
AF
P
Nearly four weeks since Omicron (B.1.1.529) was designated as a variant of con
cern (VoC), evidence points to itsspreading faster than other variants. This is most likely as a resultof the ability of the mutated spikeprotein to bind better to the receptor. It could also be because the virus is able to reinfect previouslyinfected individuals, and infectvaccinated individuals better thanother variants. The initial data indicate a lower severity of diseaseby Omicron. However, that remains to be confi�rmed as cases accumulate and we develop a betterunderstanding of how the virusbehaves in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
Laboratory studies using samples from individuals vaccinatedwith vaccines made on diff�erentplatforms, including mRNA, vectored and inactivated vaccines,have reported that the neutralising antibodies are 25 times ormuch greater times less eff�ectiveagainst Omicron than the ancestral strain. Another study from theUnited Kingdom has reported thattwo doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield in India)have limited eff�ectiveness for prevention of symptomatic infectionby Omicron, but after a boosterdose of an mRNA vaccine, eff�ectiveness goes up to 71%.
Even before the emergence ofOmicron, over 80 countries hadintroduced or planned to introduce booster doses, but the designation of Omicron as a VoC accelerated the process, with countriesexpanding booster doses for additional age groups or introducing abooster into the immunisationprogramme, the most notable being South Africa. Alongside, thevaccine manufacturers, particularly those with rapidresponse platforms such as mRNA and viralvectored vaccines, have already
begun the vaccine formulation targeted to provide better protectionagainst Omicron.
In India, for the last fewmonths, there has been a demandfor COVID19 booster dose for various population subgroups. Governmentappointed expert committees have been reviewing theneed for a booster in India. Thestart of booster doses in manycountries at intervals as short asthree months since the start of COVID19 vaccination in India — and agreater vaccine supply than demand are the arguments beingmade to support the introductionof booster doses in India. The demand has grown louder with theemergence of Omicron. However,does a new variant make a clearcase for the introduction of boosters in India? The answer is not easy, if a scientifi�c approach of basing decisions on data is followed.
The situation is similar to theuse of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) in India. In the earlymonths of the pandemic, CPT wasrecommended based on plausibility but without any scientifi�c evidence. Later, even when studiesreported that it had no or a very limited role in COVID19 management, it continued to be recommended, using anecdotalevidence from treating physiciansor ‘expert’ opinion. There seemsto be a similar push for COVID19boosters in India, playing out innewspapers and TV debates, butthere is no evidence of waning immunity from India to support thisapproach. Often, selective studies/evidence are/is being quoted, tosupport the argument one wishesto make; 21 months into the pandemic, any decision on boostersshould be based on cumulativescientifi�c evidence examinedcomprehensively.
Eff�ectiveness of vaccinesOn the one hand, preprint research papers — yet to undergo essential peer scrutiny as a standardpart of the scientifi�c process — arebeing used to argue the case forbooster vaccination while on theother, there is a recognition thatdata from India on vaccines beingused in India are very limited.Does the absence of evidence on
waning of immunity with Indianvaccines really mean that vaccineimmunity is not waning?
For all vaccinations, antibodiesrise and then fall. They may fall toundetectable levels, but if theyrose at all, then an immune response was made. Should there bea cutoff� of the level of antibodiesthat exactly equated to protectionfrom disease, that would be helpful for tracking the suffi�ciency ofprotection. But there is no suchcorrelate of protection for SARSCoV2. Data indicate that in general, higher levels of neutralising antibodies indicate greater chancesof protection from severe diseaseand infection, but there is no magic number above which there is assured protection. And this situation is further complicated byvariants where antibodies mayhave diff�erent activity against eachvariant.
Neutralising antibodies are considered functional antibodies;they are the antibodies that blockthe virus from entering host cells,but there are also many other antibodies that can be found in binding assays that measure whetherantibodies can stick to the cognateprotein of the virus. The levels ofsome of these binding antibodiesparallel neutralising antibodies,both high or both low, but againthere is no cut off� that predictsanything about whether the person with high antibodies is trulyprotected or not.
A recent report on Omicron hasgood news about another arm ofthe immune system, showing thatTcell immunity was largely maintained. The spate of laboratorystudies further shows that naturalinfection and vaccination with twodoses was approximately equivalent to two doses and a booster.Most of these data are from themRNA and viral vectored vaccinecombinations. We still have a lot tolearn about Omicron and the per
formance of other vaccines in different populations and subpopulations, particularly those in India. Itdoes appear clear that withoutboosters, protection against infection is likely to be less, but in public health terms, how much thismay matter for healthcare systems in India remains unquantifi�able and unpredictable at this time.
While the evidence on the benefi�t of boosters is emerging, we alsoneed to worry about the populations that are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated in India and in theworld.
A comparisonOff�ering booster doses will haveindividual benefi�t, to a variable extent against diff�erent variants. However, when at the global level,vaccines continue to be in shortsupply, this comes at the cost of apotentially larger benefi�t for moreindividuals who still await theirprimary two doses.
In this backdrop, the decisionson who gets boosters, when andwith which vaccine has to bebased upon a public health approach, determined by evidenceand science.
Second, since every countryneeds vaccines and access is variable, global access to the fi�rst twoshots need to be prioritised overboosters for healthy adults. Yes,boosters might ultimately be needed for everyone, but at the moment, we need to immediatelyconsider boosters only for subgroups such as the immunocompromised (often referred to as additional dose as part of anextended primary immunisationschedule) and those at the greatestrisk. In India, we must plan and execute real world eff�ectiveness studies at scale in the general population, particularly for thosevaccines that have been or will beused mainly or initially in India, sothat we can develop an evidencebase for decisions on boosters forthe general population. This musthappen in parallel with increasingthe two dose coverage in all adultsto the highest possible levels.
Third, we should not be surprised by reports of reinfectionsand breakthrough infections or ofabsence of antibodies after natural
infection and vaccination, particularly when commercial tests areused. This is expected both because of the design of the tests andas vaccines for mucosal infections,as for SARSCoV2, rarely preventall subsequent infections, but generally continue to protect againstsevere disease for a longer period.
Fourth, in the context of Omicron, India has an opportunity toplan and implement testing andtracking that will enable an understanding of variantspecifi�c andwaning immunity with diff�erentvaccines, if we capture infectionand vaccination history in peoplewho are aff�ected by this variant.
Fifth, this is an opportunity toreview the performance of the vaccine programme and identify thepopulation groups to be prioritised for completion of primaryimmunisation. It is time for the Government to analyse and use theintegrated data from its multipleplatforms for decision making.
Every setting is diff�erentIndia needs a road map that includes COVID19 testing, provisionof care, fi�nancial protection, andenhanced science communicationwith the general public to ensuresustained adherence to COVID19appropriate behaviours, and othermeasures for protection againstdisease to decrease further disruption by the pandemic. Discussionson boosters are essential, but it isimportant that India makes its decisions based, as far as possible,on its own data. High seropositivity, as shown in the fourth round ofthe National SeroPrevalence Survey, diff�erent vaccines from therest of the world, a diff�erent experience with the variants, all indicate that India should not blindlyfollow the path adopted by othercountries and it should determineCOVID19 booster dose policy forthe general population based onlocal evidence and data. In epidemics and pandemics, contextmatters a lot.
Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya is a physician
with advanced training in epidemiology,
public health and vaccines and based in
New Delhi. Dr. Gagandeep Kang is
Professor of Microbiology at Christian
Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
Amid vaccine booster talk, context matters a lotWhile discussions are essential, India should decide its COVID19 booster dose policy based on local evidence and data
Chandrakant Lahariya &
Gagandeep Kang GE
TT
Y IM
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ES/I
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OC
KP
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TO
Coming as it did after some ordinary showings in
the Olympic year, the performances of K. Sri
kanth, Lakshya Sen and H.S. Prannoy in the re
cent BWF World badminton championship provided
the proverbial ‘silver lining’. The trio, ranked between
14 and 19 in the world, gatecrashed into the quarterfi�
nals, before young Lakshya claimed the bronze and Sri
kanth gave the country its fi�rst world silver in men’s sin
gles. This heartwarming display lessened the
disappointment following defending women’s cham
pion P.V. Sindhu’s quarterfi�nal loss. In fact, the true
magnitude and timing of the performance of these men
could be understood better when seen against the back
drop of the failed crop of Indian teen talent in the past
decade. If no serious talent has emerged in the last de
cade among the ladies, the recent rise of Lakshya is an
exception in the dismal scenario in men’s singles. A
closer look reveals that India has only one serious pair
each in men’s doubles and women’s doubles but none
in mixed doubles. For all the government funding in
badminton from the days leading to the 2010 Common
wealth Games, the present scenario fails to inspire con
fi�dence. In addition, the fi�tness concerns of Saina Neh
wal and B. Sai Praneeth leave Indian badminton in a
serious quality crunch.
Given this background, what Srikanth, 28, and
Lakshya, 20, achieved in Huelva, Spain, was very signif
icant. With COVIDrelated restrictions playing havoc
with the training and competition schedules of the
players worldwide, it was great to see the Indians get
ting their act together on the big stage and returning
with two medals. Lakshya was indeed a revelation on
his way to the semifi�nal before losing to Srikanth. In
fact, he led his senior compatriot in the deciding game
but Srikanth’s experience made the decisive diff�erence.
Personally, for Srikanth, the silver was worth its weight
in gold. Without a signifi�cant international title since
2017, the former World No. 1 has fought poor form and
fi�tness for a long time. Once the Indonesian coach, Mu
lyo Handoyo, the trainer of former Olympic champion,
Taufi�k Hidayat, left India in December 2017 before com
pleting his term as a coach, Srikanth’s career graph no
sedived. The recent confi�dencebuilding performance
and the prospects of Mulyo returning to India to take
charge of coaching in the New Year should rejuvenate
Srikanth. Lakshya should be hungry after exceeding ex
pectations and making his presence felt on one of the
sport’s biggest stages. He needs to pay more attention
to his fi�tness. Prannoy and Praneeth, both 29 and semi
fi�nalists at the 2010 World junior championship, are still
keen to realise their potential. In all, the quartet sure
holds hope in the upcoming season.
The quartet of hopeIndian men thrived on badminton’s big stage
and returned with two medals
The third IndiaCentral Asia Dialogue convened by
External Aff�airs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday
is one in a series of timely connections to the re
gion by New Delhi this year, spurred in some measure
by events in Afghanistan. The dialogue has been held a
month before leaders of all fi�ve Central Asian Republics
(CARs) come to New Delhi as chief guests for the Repu
blic Day celebrations, and a month after National Secur
Among the issues discussed on Sunday were extending
“immediate” humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, increas
ing trade, and improving connectivity. It is signifi�cant
that the CAR Foreign Ministers chose to come to New
Delhi, an indicator that India’s outreach to Central Asia,
a region neglected by South Block for several decades,
is being reciprocated. The joint statement, that they
share a “broad regional consensus” on Afghanistan, is
apt, given that, like India, all the Central Asian neigh
bours of Afghanistan worry about the threat of terro
rism, radicalisation, narcotics, and refugees. However,
unlike India, most of the CARs maintain bilateral talks
with the Taliban regime; Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
have reopened missions there. Trade between India
and Central Asia has long languished below $2 billion,
with all sides keen to grow this. In addition, India’s $1
billion Line of Credit for projects in Central Asia, and
connectivity initiatives such as Chabahar port, the In
ternational NorthSouth Transport Corridor and the
TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia gas pipeline
were all part of the dialogue.
While the strengthening of IndiaCentral Asia ties
and a revival of their traditional, historical and cultural
links are much needed, it is also important to recognise
the geopolitical crosscurrents that complicate such ef
forts. While Russia continues to wield infl�uence in the
CAR governments, China’s Belt and Road Initiative and
$100 billion trade (by some estimates) have made it a
central fi�gure in the region. The U.S. has also been seek
ing a foothold in the region, especially after Afghanis
tan. Meanwhile, India’s land connectivity to Central
Asia is hampered by Pakistan which is building strong
links and transit trade agreements with each of the
CARs. The alternative route, via Iran’s Chabahar, has re
ceived a setback after the Taliban takeover of Kabul,
and the development of the Indianmanaged Shahid Be
heshti terminal there continues to suff�er due to the
threat of American sanctions. While India has streng
thened ties with other parts of Asia, it must now redou
ble its eff�orts towards Central Asia if it is to counter the
‘Great Game’ rivalries playing out in the region, and re
claim its shared history with countries that are an im
portant market, a source for energy, and also a bulwark
against the threats of extremism and radicalisation.
A strategic bulwarkIndia must redouble eff�orts towards Central
Asia to counter the ‘Great Game’ rivalries
corrections & clarifications:
In a Business page report titled “Sterlite Power eyes green transmission projects” (December 19, 2021), there was a quote that said:“With India aiming to add 500 KW of RE (renewables) by 2030,huge investments are needed in the transmission sector, ... business.” It should have been 500 GW of RE.
The Readers’ Editor’s office can be contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300;
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OPED
Mr. Bernard Shaw is nothing if not originaland, as for insight into the real inwardness ofthings, he is equalled by few. His view of theWashington Conference which he sets forthin the columns of the “Nation” is characteristic. “I do not see why the Conferenceshould not agree to disarmament and limitation,” he says, “on a scale that will surpriseand delight all the gentle and innocent soulsin the world.” Mr. Shaw says he will not besurprised if the naval powers agree, not onlyto build no more battleships, but also evento sink those they already have. “And theconclusion I shall draw,” continues Mr. Shawin his characteristic vein, “is that battleships are as obsolete as Henry VIII’s RoyalHarry, and that the submarine and the battleplane are what the Admiralties will fi�ghtwith in future.” “Further,” he adds, “whatwould war be without its whiskered Pandours and its fi�erce hussars? Well, in spite ofLord Haig, the Powers may off�er to abolishthe fi�erce Hussars.”
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO DECEMBER 21, 1921
Shaw on Washington Conference
B. Pocker Sahib, a Muslim Leaguemember from Kerala in the Constituent Assembly, was prophetic whenhe outlined his concerns about thepossible impact of centralisation ofpowers. In 1948, he said: “Now afterwe have won freedom, to do awaywith Provincial Autonomy and toconcentrate all the powers in theCentre really is tantamount to totalitarianism, which certainly ought tobe condemned.” Today, amid thepandemic, some elements of thisstatement resonate quite stronglywith the States with some of themraising complaints about the Uniongovernment’s antifederal moves.
Prior to the pandemic, a series ofsteps by the Union government undermined the principles of federalism, especially fi�scal federalism. Thismanifested in the increasing monetary share of the States in CentrallySponsored Schemes (CSS), the termsof reference of the 15th Finance Commission, imposition of demonetisation without adequate consultationwith the States, institutionalisation ofthe Goods and Services Tax (GST),outsourcing of the statutory functions under the Smart Cities Mission,a delay in transfer of GST compensation, ‘One Nation One Ration’, etc.
Pandemic and federalismBesides tightening the purse stringsof States, administrations also witnessed an onslaught on the principles of federalism during the pandemic. States were curtailed inaspects relating to COVID19 management such as procurement of testingkits, vaccination, the use of the Disaster Management Act, and the unplanned national lockdown. Ironically, Union Ministers used the ‘health isa State subject’ argument to countercriticism when the second wavecaught the government unprepared.
Several other policies initiated bythe Union government in the recentpast have also led to the weakeningof States’ autonomy. These includethe farm laws; the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act of 2020; the
Government of National Capital Territory Amendment Act, 2021; the Indian Marine Fisheries Bill, 2021; theDraft Electricity (Amendment) Bill,2020; the Dam Safety Bill, 2019; theNational Education Policy of 2020;and the Draft Blue Economy policy.The creation of the Ministry of Cooperation and the Reserve Bank ofIndia directives on cooperatives arebeing perceived by the States as measures to strangulate a sector that isstill struggling to recover from thedevastation of demonetisation.
These coercive policies, comingon top of the pandemicinduced economic shock, have worsened the fi�scal situation of State governments.The impact of COVID19 on fi�scal federalism deserves to be understood ingreater detail, and tax collection is agood place to start. Enlarging thenondivisible pool of taxes in theform of cess in petrol tax and instituting the Agriculture Infrastructureand Development Cess have resultedin a situation where the Union continues to exclusively benefi�t from taxcollection. As the economic commentator Vivek Kaul said, the shareof nondivisible pool cess and surcharge in total taxes collected by theUnion government jumped from12.67% in 201920 to 23.46% in 202021. On December 6, 2021, the Uniongovernment informed Parliamentthat its share in the total contributionof the petroleum sector to the exchequer for 202021 was 68%, which leftonly 32% to the States. In 201314, theUnion:State share was almost 50:50.
The story is the same with GST.During the pandemic, the Union government repeatedly violated thecompensation guarantees to theStates under the GST regime. Delay
in paying the States their due worsened the impact of the economicslowdown. The crisis was aggravatedin July 2020, when the Union government proposed borrowing as an option to address the shortfall in GSTcompensation. Most States, forcedby economic pressure, had to acceptthe proposal. In eff�ect, this meantthat they were not only getting theshare of GST collections due to them,but were now forced into debt whichthey would have to service. The GSTcompensation period expires in2022, and despite multiple requestsfrom the States, the deadline has notbeen extended. The Comptroller andAuditor General found that the Union government, in 201819, wronglyretained ₹�47,272 crore of GST compensation cess in the ConsolidatedFund of India — money that was supposed to be transferred to the States.It is also pertinent to recollect thatthe 202122 Budget Estimates indicate that the States’ share of Uniontax has reduced to 30% against themandated 41% devolution prescribedby the 15th Finance Commission.
Cashstarved States have beenseeking nontax avenues to generatefunds to sustain their programmes.And at this point, the Union government issued a clarifi�cation that funding to the Chief Minister’s DisasterRelief Funds will not be consideredas CSR expenditure, unlike the casewith PMCARES. This was followedby decisions like the suspension andtransfer of the Member of ParliamentLocal Area Development (MPLAD)funds to the Consolidated Fund of India. This led to a major crisis situation for most States and resulted indemands for increasing borrowing limits under the Fiscal Responsibility
and Budget Management Act(FRBM), from 3% to 5%. The Uniongovernment decided to increaseFRBM borrowing limits, linking it tothe performance of States in fulfi�llingcertain conditions — implementationof the One Nation, One Ration policy,ease of doing business reforms, urban local body/utility reforms andpower sector reforms — making it diffi�cult for the States to perceive this asan addressal of their concerns.
Some solutions These policy misadventures call forresearch and introspection on federalism. Is it time for another Statecentric committee like the RajamannarCommittee to study UnionState relations? States should, as recommended by the National Commission to Review the Working of theConstitution, demand the creation ofa formal institutional framework tomandate and facilitate consultationbetween the Union and the States inthe areas of legislation under theConcurrent List. State governmentscould also consider deploying human resources to support them inpreparing responses to the consultations initiated by the Union, especially with a focus on the federalism angle. Instead of reaching out to eachother only during crisis situations,Chief Ministers should try to createforums for regular engagement onthis issue. Former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac had rallied Finance Ministers from diff�erent Statesduring the initial stages of discussionon the terms of reference of the 15thFinance Commission. Similar eff�ortsare required. This would be crucialin the advocacy of major demandslike the extension of GST compensation to 2027 and inclusion of cess inthe divisible pool of taxes.
Federal fl�exibility — or the lack of it— is going to play a crucial role inshaping the future of our democracy.The Union government needs to invest resources towards facilitating effective consultation with States as apart of the lawmaking process. It iscritical that the Union establishes asystem where citizens and States aretreated as partners and not subjects.
Arun P.S. is a Kerala-based public policy
researcher and a recipient of the Smitu
Kothari Fellowship. This article is published
as a part of the Fellowship of the Centre for
Financial Accountability, Delhi
Steps by the Union government have undermined the principles of federalism, especially fi�scal federalism
The sustained attack on federalism
Arun P.S.
SH
IV K
UM
AR
PU
SH
PA
KA
R The COVID19 pandemic has exposed the
stark divide between the rich and the poor.At this juncture, evaluating the state of inequality serves as an eyeopener on the income/wealth divides prevailing across regions. Such divides are represented in termsof the share of income/wealth among the top10% of the population against the bottom50% of the population. With regard to income, the top 10% of the global populationshare 52% of the total income, while the bottom half survives with a mere 8.5% of it. Thisleaves the 40% in the middle with 40% of theincome. This distribution shows the tendency of a rising middle class with lower disparity in income, but it also shows that the status of the poor is worsening day by day. Interms of wealth, the top 10% of the globalpopulation own 76% of the total wealth,while the bottom 50% share a mere 2%. Thepractice of unabated accumulation has beenpossible in the absence of eff�ective measuresof redistribution on the one hand and the absence of measures discouraging undue accumulation on the other.
Levels of inequalityThis inequality varies across regions. It ismoderate in Europe and sharp in Africa. Thetop 10% have an income share of 36% in Europe visàvis the top 10% with a share of 58%of the total income in West Asia and NorthAfrica. This disparity shows that worseninginequalities are avoidable with appropriatemeasures in place. The share of incomeamong the top 10% has been varying acrossregions indicating that the global picture isan aggregation of the most uneven distribution of income and wealth. While there is anargument in literature that inequalities are amanifestation of the average level of income,as explained by the Kuznets’ theory, the prevailing pattern across countries does not follow the same. The average income levelsseem to be poor predictors of the levels of inequality, with highincome countries such asthe U.S. having higher levels of inequality asagainst countries such as Sweden, whichhave moderate levels of inequality. Similarcontradictions are also seen when we contrast middleincome nations such as Brazil,India and China as against Malaysia and Uruguay. Hence, emerging inequalities are notnecessarily an outcome of rising levels of in
come in the postliberalisation era, but adepiction of poor redistributive policies towards discouragement of accumulation bygovernments with due sensitivity towards inequalities. Such a contention is evidencedwith the rise in inequalities in the U.S. andIndia as against a moderate rise in China.
A reading across regions shows that globalinequality is being largely contributed bySouth Asian, Southeast Asian and LatinAmerican countries, SubSaharan Africa,West Asia and North Africa. This pattern isconfi�rmed based on a ratio of average incomes of the top 10% to the bottom halfwhich ranges in 5 to 50+ depicting the kindof disparity in income otherwise.
The situation worsens further in thewealth domain. The top 10% own 76% of thetotal wealth compared with the bottom halfwhich owns 2%. This means that we arekeeping 50% of the population underendowed to a degree of 15 to 20 times againstthe privileged. One wonders whether such adisproportionate distribution of wealth issustainable in the long run.
Rich nations, poor governmentsThis prevailing pattern of wealth concentration and diff�erential levels of income aroundthe world has also resulted in rich nationshaving poor governments. In fact, many governments are relatively poor with very limited resources, as resources are graduallymoving into private hands. Such a situationhas two underpinnings: one, governmentshave a limited capacity to act on inequalityaversion measures and two, private interestsovershadow the distributional fairness ofwealth. The scenario is undoubtedly an outcome of the ineff�ectiveness of redistributionmeasures and also a complete absence ofmeasures that discourage accumulation.Some additional features of this expositionof inequality also relate to imbalance of women’s share in income as well as the ecological inequities indicated by the diff�erentialcarbon emission levels.
Focus also needs to be placed on reducingdisparities in capability domains like education and diff�erential endowments (tangibleand intangible) that have the potential to sustain inequalities. The most unfortunate partof the prevailing inequality is the great homogeneity among the bottom half and theextreme disparity among the top 10%. Thishas led to an increase in the number of billionaires in the world while billions don’t havethe means for a decent life.
Udaya S. Mishra is Professor, International Institute
for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and S. Irudaya
Rajan is Chairman, The International Institute of
Migration and Development, Thiruvananthapuram
What rising inequality meansRedistribution measures have been ineff�ective and there areno policies discouraging accumulation of income and wealth
The uproar following the Karnatakagovernment’s decision to provideeggs along with midday meals to students from Classes 1 to 8 in eightbackward districts underscores therole of food in not just nutrition butalso in politics, religion and caste. After pressure from a section of religious heads who demanded rollbackon the inclusion of eggs, Karnataka’s Primary and SecondaryEducation Minister B.C.Nagesh said that the government is exploringproteinrich alternatives.
A happy mealThe Minister’s readiness fora change of menu has beencriticised not just by a section of nutritionists, healthpolicy experts and activists, butalso by the benefi�ciaries themselves. Students in government andgovernmentaided schools, whowere happy that they were fi�nally getting to eat eggs around three times aweek, have urged the government tonot stop the initiative that was rolledout on December 1 and in fact extendit to all districts in Karnataka. In a video clip that went viral, a Class 8 student from Koppal district warnedthat students would consume eggs inreligious mutts should the government discontinue the scheme bowing to pressure from the heads ofmutts. A dipstick survey conductedby the Department of Public Instruction found that over 80% of the children studying in government andaided schools come from eggeatinghouseholds.
The proposal to include eggs inmidday meals to students was mooted by the Department of Primary andSecondary Education after it notedthe prevalence of acute malnutrition,lack of immunity, anaemia and stunted growth among children, particularly in northeast Karnataka. Thepandemic only worsened the malnutrition situation, even though the government provided dry ration instead of midday meals when schoolswere shut. Multiple surveys and studies conducted by government and
nongovernment organisations haveunderlined the issue of malnutritionamong children. The National FamilyHealth Survey5 (201920) found that32.9% of children below fi�ve years areunderweight, 35.4% are stunted,19.5% are wasted, and 8.4% are severely wasted in Karnataka. The department has instructed schools to
conduct a health checkup ofstudents once a month andrecord their height, weightand body biomass. Nutritionists and even go
vernment offi�cials point outthat providing eggs to stu
dents is the cheapest and bestsource of protein. A majority of
the students from government and aided schoolscome from lower economic and disadvan
taged backgrounds. Infact, many teachers havetold the department that at
tendance was high on days whenschools provided eggs.
Bowing to pressureThe irony is that for many years now,the Karnataka government has beensupplying eggs fi�ve days a week tochildren aged three to six years in anganwadis without much opposition,but extending it to schools has metwith opposition. In the past, the Stategovernment attempted to introduceeggs in midday meals, but the initiative was scrapped due to pressurefrom religious leaders.
The protest by religious heads is also baffling because the scheme hasno element of compulsion. Studentswho do not eat eggs due to dietaryrestrictions are given bananas. Students also get hot, cooked middaymeals every working day and a glassof milk fi�ve days a week.
Surveys and anecdotal evidence ofhigher attendance on ‘egg days’ pointto the popularity of the schemeamong the benefi�ciaries. But whether what children themselves wantand is overwhelmingly regardedgood for their health will prevail overa powerful lobby is the mootquestion.
The row over boiled eggs The opposition by some religious heads to theKarnataka government’s decision is baffl�ing
Tanu Kulkarni
STATE OF PLAY
New Delhi, December 20: Mr. Bhutto todaytook over as President of Pakistan and in hisfi�rst message to the nation spoke of “revenge” to “undo the temporary humiliation”suff�ered in the war against India. Speakingover Radio Pakistan, Mr. Bhutto who was onthe air for nearly 60 minutes, promised aconstitution “very soon” without setting adefi�nite date but said that before anythingelse the “Indian forces must vacate mymotherland, must vacate East Pakistan before we pick up threads.” He announced the“retirement” of half a dozen generals,named Lt. Gen. Gul Hasan as the new Chiefof the Army Staff� in place of Gen. Abdul Hamid Khan and lifted the ban on the NationalAwami Party. Soon after he was sworn in onhis return to Rawalpindi from the U.S. earlier today, Mr. Bhutto conferred with seniormilitary and civilians offi�cials and also calledon the envoys of the U.S., China, Soviet Union, Britain and France. Immediately afterhis arrival from the U.S., Mr. Bhutto drovestraight to the President’s closely guardedoffi�cial residence for the swearingin ceremony, the oath being administered by Gen.Yahya Khan. Three hours later, Reuter saidoffi�cials issued the following statement: “Mr.Bhutto has been sworn in as President andChief Martial Law Administrator.”
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NEWS
FROM PAGE ONE
At the time of introduction,several members, includingManish Tewari and ShashiTharoor of the Congress,Asaduddin Owaisi of the AllIndia MajlisEIttehadulMuslimeen and N.K. Premachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, opposedthe Bill.
The Bill allows electoralregistration offi�cers to askfor Aadhaar numbers of applicants who want to register as voters to establish theidentity of the applicant. Italso seeks to allow the offi�cers to ask for the Aadhaarnumber from “persons already included in the electoral roll for the purposes ofauthentication of entries inelectoral roll, and to identifyregistration of name of thesame person in the electoralroll of more than one constituency or more than once inthe same constituency”.
At the same time, the Billmakes it clear that “no application for inclusion ofname in the electoral rollshall be denied and no entries in the electoral rollshall be deleted for inabilityof an individual to furnish orintimate Aadhaar numberdue to such suffi�cient causeas may be prescribed”.
People who cannot furnish their Aadhaar numberswill be allowed to presentother documents to establish identity.
The Statement of Objects
and Reasons of the Billstates that Section 23 of theRepresentation of PeopleAct, 1950, will be amendedto allow linking of the electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem “to curb themenace of multiple enrolment of the same person indiff�erent places”.
Qualifying datesThe amendment to Section14 of the RP Act, 1950, willallow to have four “qualifying” dates for eligible people to register as voters.
As of now, January 1 of every year is the sole qualifying date. People who turn 18on or before January 1 canregister as voters. Thoseturning 18 after that have towait for a whole year to register as voters.
Now, “January 1, April 1,July 1 and October 1 in a calendar year” will be thequalifying dates in relationto the preparation or revision of the rolls.
The amendment to Section 20 of the RP Act, 1950,and Section 60 of the RPAct, 1951, will allow the elections to become gender neutral for service voters.
It will also help replacethe word “wife” with“spouse”, making the statutes “gender neutral”. Thisseeks to redress any discrimination against malespouses of women armedservices employees.
Bill to link electoral rollswith Aadhaar passed
NC vicepresident Omar Abdullah said the distributionof newly created Assemblyconstituencies, with six going to Jammu and only oneto Kashmir was not justifi�edby the data of the 2011 census. “It is deeply disappointing that the commission appears to have allowed thepolitical agenda of the BJP todictate its recommendations rather than the datawhich should have been it’sonly consideration. Contrary to the promised ‘scientifi�c approach’, it’s a political approach,” he stated.
Mehbooba’s chargePeoples Democratic Partypresident Mehbooba Muftisaid her apprehensionsabout the Commission weren’t misplaced. “They wantto pitch people against eachother by ignoring the population census and preposingsix seats for one region andonly one for Kashmir,” sheobserved.
The Commission hadbeen created simply toserve the BJP’s political interests by dividing peoplealong religious and regionallines. The real game planwas to install a governmentin J&K that would legitimisethe illegal and unconstitutional decisions of August2019, she noted.
Sajad Lone, who headsthe Peoples Conference, remarked, “The recommendations of the delimitationcommission are totally unacceptable. They reek ofbias. What a shock for thosewho believe in democracy”.
CPI(M) leader M.Y. Tarigami termed it “unacceptable”. “It’s another step tofurther disempower Kashmiris politically. Despite the
matter of ReorganisationAct being sub judice, the Government of India is takingirreversible steps, which areharmful to the interests ofJ&K people,” he said.
The threemember commission was constituted onMarch 6, 2020, specifi�callyfor J&K by virtue of the Parliament Act under the provisions of Part V of J&K Reorganization Act, 2019 and itsterm will end in March next.
In a statement, the Delimitation Commission said theMonday meeting was attended by all fi�ve associatemembers of the panel aswell as the Chief ElectoralOffi�cer of J&K. Commissionmember and Chief ElectionCommissioner Sushil Chandra shared the commission’s experiences of interacting with people duringits visit to J&K.
“Associate Members appreciated the fact that thisCommission visited the Union Territory of Jammu &Kashmir and met large number of people in person,” thestatement read.
The commission had categorised the districts intothree categories.
“The Commission has also, for some districts, proposed carving out of an additional constituency tobalance the representationfor geographical areas having inadequate communication and lack of public conveniences. For the fi�rst time,in Jammu and Kashmir, nineseats are proposed to be allocated for ScheduledTribes out of 90 seats on thebasis of population. Sevenseats are proposed for Scheduled Castes,” it stated.
(With inputs from Dami-ni Nath)
6 additional seats for Jammu,
one for Kashmir proposed
The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said Pradeep Kumar Rawat, a Mandarinspeaking careerdiplomat, will take over asenvoy in Beijing.
Mr. Rawat, Ambassador tothe Netherlands, will replaceVikram Misri, who completed a close to threeyear termearlier this month.
The next envoy will takecharge amid the worst phasein relations since the normalisation of ties in the1980s, with a crisis along theLine of Actual Control (LAC),triggered by transgressionsby the Chinese military starting in April 2020, as yet unresolved and thousands oftroops of both sides still deployed in forward areas.
Mr. Rawat is no stranger tothe border tensions, havingdealt with China in variouscapacities including as oneof the seniormost offi�cials inNew Delhi handling Chinapolicy as the Joint Secretary(East Asia) in the MEA from2014 to 2017.
Having joined the foreignservice in 1990, Mr. Rawatchose Mandarin as his foreign language and fi�rstserved in Hong Kong, andthen in Beijing, between1992 and 1997, according toan offi�cial profi�le.
He continued to deal withChina after his fi�rst stintsthere, returning to work inthe East Asia Division forthree years.
Mr. Rawat had a secondfouryear term in Beijing in2003, initially as counsellorand then as the Deputy Chiefof Mission, during a phasethat coincided with twobreakthroughs on the boundary question with the ap
pointment of Special Representatives in 2003 and anagreement on political parameters and guiding principles in 2005.
Border crisisThe border talks haven’tmade discernible progresssince, while past understandings on the boundaryhave now been cast in doubtfollowing the more than 18monthlong border crisis.
Mr. Misri called on Chinese Foreign Minister WangYi on December 6, a weekbefore he returned to NewDelhi. In the meeting, Mr.Misri “noted that our relations comprised both opportunities and challenges, andeven though certain challenges since last year hadoverpowered the vast opportunities in the relationship,he was hopeful that withcontinued communicationat all levels — political, diplomatic and military, the twosides would be able to resolve the current diffi�cultiesand take the relationship forward in a positive direction”,
a statement from the IndianEmbassy said.
The Chinese Foreign Minister put forward “threedos and three don’ts” for therelations, according a readout from the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, saying bothsides needed to “not misunderstand and misjudge”, totake a longterm view and“build each other up anddon’t wear each other out”.
Both sides have, however,diff�ered on the way forward,with China dragging its feeton continuing the disengagement process, continuing abuildup of infrastructurealong the border, and sayingthe boundary should be keptin an “appropriate place” inthe relationship.
Mr. Wang said in a speechon Monday that both sides“have maintained dialoguethrough diplomatic and military channels, and eff�ectively managed and controlledfrictions in certain borderareas, under a shared commitment to improving anddeveloping the bilateral relations.”
Pradeep Rawat to take overas next Ambassador to ChinaThe Mandarinspeaking career diplomat is no stranger to border tensions
Ananth Krishnan
HONG KONG
Pradeep Kumar Rawat
Days after former BiharChief Minister and presidentof the Hindustani AwamMorcha (HAM), a constituent of the ruling NDA, Jitan Ram Manjhi, made disparaging remarks againstthe Brahmin community, acomplaint was fi�led againsthim on Monday in WestChamparan. Diff�erent organisations of the Brahmincommunity in Bihar andJharkhand too protestedagainst Mr. Manjhi’s remarkand sought a public apologyfrom him.
While addressing anevent organised by the BhuiyanMusahar (Dalit) community in Patna on Saturday, Mr. Manjhi had madederogatory remarks againstpriests.
“Earlier, we [people fromthe Dalit community] evendid not know the name of ordo puja of Lord Satyanarayan but these days in every hamlet we worship Satyanarayan Bhagwan. Andbesides this, we further donot feel humiliation when(expletive) priests come andsay they will not eat anyth
ing at our households buttake money instead,” saidMr. Manjhi.
His remarks have sincegone viral on social mediatriggering widespread criticism and protest.
Later, Mr. Manjhi said hisremarks were aimed at hisown Dalit community andnot Brahmins. “I did not usedisparaging remarks againstBrahmin community but topeople of my own community. If the Brahmin community people have got hurt over my remarks, then Iapologise,” he said on Sunday.
He added that he “doesnot believe in the caste system which was evolved todestroy society”.
Amid recent sacrilege incidents in Punjab, DeputyChief Minister SukhjinderSingh Randhawa on Mondayurged the Union governmentto give nod to the State’s suggested amendments to lawfor including stringentprovisions.
The Punjab governmenthas asked the Centre to giveapproval to the Code of Criminal Procedure (PunjabAmendment) Bill, 2018 andthe Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 toensure stringent punishment to those perpetratingthe heinous crime of sacrilege of holy books.
In a letter to Union HomeMinister Amit Shah, Mr.Randhawa said, “I want tobring to your notice that sacrilege of holy books is be
coming a major issue in Punjab. Shri Guru Granth Sahibis considered a living Guruand not an object by theSikhs and it is accorded respect according to Sikh maryada. In this context, it wasfelt that the existing provisions of Section 295 and
295A of the Indian PenalCode1860, which providefor a punishment of up tothree years are inadequate todeal with this situation. So,the Punjab Vidhan Sabhapassed ‘The Indian PenalCode (Punjab Amendment)Bill, 2018 and The Code of
Criminal Procedure (PunjabAmendment) Bill 2018’,which provide for punishment up to life imprisonment for whoever causingdamage or sacrilege to ShriGuru Granth Sahib, SrimadBhagavad Gita, the Holy Koran and the Holy Bible withthe intention to hurt the religious feelings of the people.”
“These Bills were given assent by the Governor on 12092018. However, theseBills are pending for the assent of the President sinceOctober 2018. Punjab beinga border State, it is extremelynecessary to maintain communal harmony here. Forthis, deterrent punishmentis a must for those trying todisturb communal harmonyby indulging in sacrileges.So, I again request that thePresidential assent for thesaid Bills may kindly be ob
tained and conveyed to theState government at the earliest possible,” he added.
‘Cong. playing politics’Meanwhile, Shiromani AkaliDal president Sukhbir SinghBadal said the Congress government was playing politics on the sensitive issue ofsacrilege.
“The very fact that theCongress government hadnot proceeded to bring thesacrilege perpetrators tobook had emboldened themand this was why more suchincidents were happening.The Congress has not learntany lesson. Even now it hasordered a police inquiry intothe recent incidents of sacrilege instead of giving thecase to a sitting high courtjudge [ judicial probe] to getto the bottom of the entireconspiracy,” he said.
Punjab seeks nod for tough laws on sacrilegeState government has made amendments to the IPC and Cr.PC for including stringent provisions
Punjab Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, left, andPunjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi addressing the media. * AFP
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHANDIGARH
Congress leaders on Monday took a cautious approach on Punjab unitchief Navjot Singh Sidhu’sendorsement of “publichanging” of culprits ofsacrilege.
Party sources said theAll India Congress Committee had decided not to participate in any televisiondebate on the issue. Aheadof the Punjab Assemblyelection, due in early 2022,the issue surrounding sacrilege is set to become afl�ashpoint in the politicalarena. In 2015, after the incident of sacrilege of GuruGranth Sahib at Bargari village, widespread protestswere witnessed in the Stateand it remained a key political issue in the 2017 Assembly polls.
To a question on Mr. Sidhu’s remark, former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar said sacrilege is aheinous crime, which refl�ects malicious intent, andthe serial nature of theseincidents points towards alarge conspiracy.
“I strongly believe thevery idea of the sacrilegeacts is to infl�ame passionsand by reacting the way theperpetrator of these actswants us to do, it would befalling in their trap. Restraint should be exercised,though it is diffi�cult as onereacts instinctively,” hetold The Hindu.
At a rally on December19, Mr. Sidhu said those involved in sacrilege shouldbe awarded the maximumpunishment.
If any incident of sacrilege takes place, be it of theBhagavad Gita, the KoranSharif or the Guru GranthSahib, the guilty should bepublicly hanged, he said.
Congresscautious onSidhu’s stand
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHANDIGARH
Bollywood actor AishwaryaRai Bachchan on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for recording her statement inconnection with a “PanamaPapers” related probe.
Ms. Bachchan joined theinvestigation in response tothe third summons from theagency under the ForeignExchange Management Act.
On previous occasions,Ms. Bachchan had soughtmore time. She is learnt tohave submitted the documents sought by the ED.
Taking note of the “Panama Papers” leaked in 2016,the ED is conducting the in
quiry to determine the factsrelated to foreign remittances under the Reserve Bank ofIndia’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme made since2004. The papers compris
ing records of the Panamabased legal fi�rm MossackFonseca were made publicby the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. They contained details
pertaining to many prominent personalities across theworld, who were ostensiblypart of the companiesopened in tax havens overthe years.
One British Virgin Islandsbased company was set up in2005. As alleged, Ms. Bachchan was a director of theoff�shore entity. The company was dissolved in 2008.
Earlier this month, the Finance Ministry informed theRajya Sabha that as on October 1, 2021, the total undisclosed credits amounting to₹�20,353 crore had been detected with respect to 930Indialinked entities in thePanama and Paradise PaperLeaks.
Aishwarya Rai appears before EDShe recorded statement in connection with probe related to ‘Panama Papers’
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arriving to appear before theEnforcement Directorate in New Delhi on Monday. * PTI
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
Rashtriya SwayamsewakSangh (RSS) chief MohanBhagwat on Monday calledon the Dalai Lama at thelatter’s residence at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
The RSS, considered theideological mothership ofthe BJP, released picturesof Mr. Bhagwat greeting theexiled Tibetan spiritualleader and posing for pictures with Ministers of theTibetan government inexile.
Speaking to The Hindu,RSS’s ‘prachar pramukh’and spokesperson SunilAmbekar said it was a“courtesy call” by Mr.Bhagwat as he was in theState to address meetingsof various groups.
The meeting, however,assumes signifi�canceagainst the backdrop of acontinuing border faceoff�between China and India.The RSS has been hawkishon China. As far back as2012, its Akhil BharatiyaKaryakari Mandal (ABKM),one of its highest decisionmaking bodies, passed aresolution cautioning thethen government that “It(China) continues to nibbleaway our territory throughendless incursions alongall the three sectors of theBharatTibet border.” Theyear before, in 2011, the Akhil Bharatiya PratinidhiSabha passed a resolution,again on China and on theneed for a comprehensivepolicy on national securitywith China in mind.
RSS chiefBhagwat callson Dalai Lama
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Mondayinformed the Lok Sabha thatbanks have recovered₹�13,109.17 crore by selling theassets of fugitives like VijayMallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.
The Minister’s commentscame during her reply to adiscussion on the secondbatch of Supplementary Demands for Grants which waspassed by the Lok Sabha by avoice vote.
The discussion on theSupplementary Demands forGrants, authorising the go
vernment to spend an additional ₹�3.73 lakh crore during the current fi�scal,concluded last week.
Talking about the recovery of ₹�13,109.17 crore fromthe sale of assets of wilful defaulters, who have now fl�edthe country, the Finance Minister said ₹�792 crore wereearned from the sale of assets belonging to Mr. Mallyaand others on July 16, 2021.
“Public sector banks together have eff�ected a recovery of about ₹�5.49 lakh croreover the last seven fi�nancialyears. So, these people whoare defaulters, who have fl�edthe country, we have got
their money back and put itto the public sector banksand therefore the banks aresafer today,” she said, addingthat depositors’ money wassafe in public sector banks.
Responding to various issues including price rise,earlier raised by the Opposition members, the FinanceMinister assured that stepsare being taken to cool downprices of edible oil and otheressential commodities.
The Finance Minister saidthe Centre in the fi�rst eightmonths of the fi�scal has already transferred 86.4% ofwhat was provided in the fullyear 201920.
From the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF),funds are being providedwith an extra ₹�15,000 crorefor emergency COVID19response.
“The fi�nancial position ofthe States is also refl�ected inthe fact that the overall cashbalance of States as on November 30, 2021 was ₹�3.08lakh crore approximately,fairly comfortable positions,” she said.
Out of 28 States, she said,only two States have a negative cash balance.
Talking about the additional expenditure of ₹�3.73lakh crore, she said ₹�2.99lakh crore is the additionalcash outgo because of bigticket expenditure going forAir India and rise in fertilizersubsidy due to increase in international prices.
₹�13,109 cr. recovered from fugitives, says FMAssets of off�enders sold to replenish banks; EGoM taking steps to cool down prices, says Sitharaman
Nirmala Sitharaman
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
A Division Bench of the Madras High Court on Mondayreserved its judgment on appeals preferred by the All India Anna Dravida MunnetraKazhagam and former LawMinister C.Ve. Shanmugam.They had challenged a singlejudge’s November 24 orderquashing proceedings initiated by the State government,during the AIADMK regime,to acquire former CM J. Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden resi
dence and convert it into amemorial.
The Bench of Justices Paresh Upadhyay and Sathi Kumar Sukumara Kurup deferred its verdict afterhearing daylong argumentsby senior counsel A.L. Somayaji for the appellants,Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram for the government, senior counselA.R.L. Sundaresan for Jayalalithaa’s nephew J. Deepakand senior counsel Satish Parasan for her niece J. Deepa.
HC reserves verdict onAIADMK’s appeal againstacquisition of Veda NilayamLegal Correspondent
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NEWS
Accusing the governmentof not allowing a discussion on important issues,former Congress presidentRahul Gandhi on Mondaysaid the Union governmentis responsible to run Parliament and not theOpposition.
“They are attacking democracy. There is a nonstop attack on democracyand that is why we arefi�ghting here,” Mr. Gandhitold reporters, adding thatthe Narendra Modi government was not allowing anydebate on price rise, Ladakh, minimum supportprice (MSP), LakhimpurKheri violence and otherissues.
Mr. Gandhi had given anotice for an adjournmentmotion to discuss the issueof the “statehood and inclusion of Ladakh in Schedule VI of Consitution”.
However, the issuecould not be taken up asthe Lok Sabha witnessedmultiple adjournments over the Opposition’s demand to sack Minister ofState Ajay Mishra Teni because of his alleged involvement in the LakhimpurKheri violence.
When pointed out thatthe government is blamingthe Opposition for not allowing the House to function, Mr. Gandhi hit backsaying it’s the government’s responsibility. “It isthe responsibility of the government to run Parliament. It is also the government’s responsibility toallow a debate,” he said.
Centre notallowing anydebate: Rahul
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
Hours after leaders of thefi�ve Opposition partiessnubbed the government’sbelated attempt at resolvingthe row over the suspensionof 12 Rajya Sabha membersby skipping the meeting withParliamentary Aff�airs Minister Pralhad Joshi, the government on Monday referredtwo Bills to parliamentarycommittees. However, thedemand to send the ElectionLaws (amendment) Bill to astanding committee was ignored.
Opposition’s demandsThe Opposition has also demanded that the Prohibitionof Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill that seeks to increase the legal age for marriage for women from 18 to 21be referred to a standingcommittee. As per informal
conversations between Opposition leaders and government managers, the Centremay be favourably inclinedto the demand, but there isso far no offi�cial word.
Despite demands, the government did not send the
Election Laws (Amendment)Bill, 2021 that seeks to linkvoter IDs with Aadhaar.
As with several laws, theBill was passed on Mondayby the Lok Sabha amid sharpprotests from theOpposition.
“The way the Union government rushed throughthe Election Laws Bill onceagain shows that they are undemocratic and authoritarian. Despite our demands,the Bill was not sent to a parliamentary committee,” Congress whip in the Lok SabhaManickam Tagore said.
Investment in research The two Bills sent for scrutiny are the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill and theMediation Bill.
The fi�rst will allow for foreign investment in researchin biodiversity but this investment will necessarilyhave to be made through Indian companies involved inbiodiversity research. TheMediation Bill seeks to promote and facilitate mediation, especially institutionalmediation, for resolution ofdisputes, commercial or oth
erwise and enforce mediatedsettlement agreements.
No meeting point Mr. Joshi on Sunday eveninghad written to fi�ve Opposition parties to which the 12suspended MPs belong, inviting them for a meeting.However, all fi�ve parties —the Congress, TrinamoolCongress, Shiv Sena, CPI andCPI(M) — declined the invitation. The Opposition alsoskipped the Business Advisory Committee meeting forthe Rajya Sabha called by thegovernment at 5 p.m, withinformation about the meeting sent out at 4.45 p.m., just15 minutes before the meet.
At a meeting on Mondaymorning, Opposition leadersdecided to carry on withtheir protest against the suspension of Rajya Sabhamembers till the end of thewinter session December 23.
Govt. blinks, sends two Bills for reviewScrutiny of women’s age of marriage Bill hangs fi�re; LS passes Election Laws (Amendment) Bill
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Mounting pressure: Opposition MPs protesting in the LokSabha on Monday. * PTI
For the third time in its history, the Lok Sabha on Monday took up 20 starred questions during Question Hourbut nine BJP MPs whosequestions were listed andhad their names called didnot rise to put their questions. This, despite PrimeMinister Narendra Modi admonishing MPs at the BJPparliamentary party meetlast week to “mend theirways” otherwise changeswould be eff�ected.
P.P. Chaudhary were amongthe nine MPs who did notraise their questions.
‘Satisfi�ed with answers’Sources in the BJP said someMPs did not ask their questions as they were satisfi�edwith the answer providedand did not feel the need togo ahead withsupplementaries.
A senior BJP MP, however, said that even if the MPsdid not want to ask supplementaries, “the conventionis to stand up when yourname is called and state thatyou don’t want to put yoursupplementary. These MPsdid not do that either.”
The last two times thatthe Lok Sabha had taken up20 starred questions duringQuestion Hour had been onMarch 14, 1972 and on November 27, 2019.
Nine BJP MPs decline toput forth questions in LSParty chief whip among them
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
The Nagaland Assembly hasdemanded the repeal of thecontentious Armed Forces(Special Powers) Act fromthe State and elsewhere inthe northeast and an apology from the “appropriateauthority” for the botchedArmy operation that led tothe death of 14 civilians at Oting in in Mon district a fortnight ago.
Solution for Naga issue The demands were amongfi�ve resolutions the 60member House adopted at a daylong special session on Monday. Among the other resolutions was strengthening theongoing eff�orts to fi�nd a
peaceful solution to the protracted “Naga political issue”.
The Assembly condemned the massacre of 13people by the “21 Para Special Forces” on December 4and the killing of anotherperson by the security forcesin the district headquarters
Mon the next day. At least 35people were injured in thetwo incidents.
The House demanded anapology from the appropriate authority along withan assurance that justicewould be delivered by applying the laws of the land uponthose who had perpetrated
the “inhuman massacre”. It also appealed to the citi
zens, civil societies andmassbased organisations tocooperate with the government in their collective efforts to demand justice andrestore normality.
Appreciating support“The House appreciates andsupports citizens and civilsociety organisations in theirdemand for repealing of theAFSPA and delivery of justice, while appealing to allsections to follow democratic norms and nonviolence inour collective endeavour towards the realisation ofpeace and delivery of justice,” the resolution said.
The Assembly said the Naga people were crying forpeace and an early solutionto the longpending issueand it was thus necessary tohear the people’s voice.
Naga House calls for repeal of AFSPAAssembly adopts5point resolutionat special session
Fresh wounds: The funeral of persons killed by the armedforces in Mon district on December 6. * PTI
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
GUWAHATI
Union Minister of State forHome Ajay Kumar MishraTeni was replaced as chiefguest at the Raising Day parade of the Sashastra SeemaBal (SSB) with his colleagueNisith Pramanik on Mondayat the eleventh hour.
An offi�cial confi�rmed thatthe Union Minister will notbe the chief guest at theevent. Though Mr. Ajay Mishra attended offi�ce at NorthBlock last week and conti
nued with his offi�cial engagements, the reasons thatled to him being dropped aschief guest is not known. Unlike in the past, the annualparade was closed to mediapersons this year.
Mr. Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra is the prime accused in the October 3 incident where four farmerswere killed and several others injured after they wererun over by a car that waspart of the convoy of the Union Minister in Uttar Pra
desh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district.
Kheri is Mr. Ajay Mishra’sLok Sabha constituency. Theson of one of the killed farmers, Nacchatar Singh, is posted with the SSB. In a viral video last week, Mr. AjayMishra was seen abusingand lunging at a journalist inUttar Pradesh when askedabout a Special InvestigationTeam report, which said thatthe killing of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri incident was a‘preplanned conspiracy’.
Vijaita Singh
New Delhi
Ajay Mishra Teni replaced as chiefguest at SSB Raising Day parade
The Congress receivedanother jolt ahead of thecoming Goa Assembly election, with threetime MLAAleixo Reginaldo Lourencofrom Curtorim in southGoa resigning on Mondayfrom the party and the Assembly.
This leaves Congresswith just two MLAs in itsfold. It’s a major comedown from 2017 when theparty emerged as the single largest party with 17 legislators in the 40seatAssembly.
Speculation is rife thatMr. Lourenco may join theTrinamool Congress,which has been on hecticheadhunting for the pastfew months.
Another jolt toGoa Cong. asLourenco quits
Staff Reporter
Pune
The Rajya Sabha witnesseddisruption and adjournment on Monday after Samajwadi Party member JayaBachchan said the bad daysof government were here.
Ms. Bachchan, who roseto speak on the Narcoticsand Drugs PsychotropicSusbtances (Amendment)Bill, 2021 objected to a “personal remark” made by oneof the members of the Treasury benches against her.
Initiating the speech, Ms.Bachchan accused Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was inthe chair, of being partisan.
“I don’t want to thankyou. I don’t know if I shouldrecall the days when youused to sit here [Opposition
bench] and troop into thewell shouting slogansagainst the government ornow when you are sitting inthat chair,” she said.
Bhubaneswar Kalita, aformer Congress member,resigned and joined theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)last year.
“We want justice. Wedon’t expect justice fromthere [pointing to Treasurybenches], but can we expectit from you? How are youprotecting the members ofthis House or the 12 members sitting outside?” shecharged at Mr. Kalita addingthat though there were many pressing issues, fourhours were allotted to discuss a Bill that seeks to rectify a clerical error.
Jaya Bachchan riled by ‘personal remark’She says bad days of government here
In a break from the usualselection process, 36 teamsof dancers were selectedthrough a nationwide competition to perform duringthe Republic Day parade2022, the Union CultureMinistry said on Monday.
The fi�nale of the competition, Vande Bharatam,was held here on Sunday.Among the winners wereDelhi’s International Academy of Mohiniyattam, JaiGhosh Dance Group andRekha Dance Group, theMinistry said.
At the fi�nale on Sunday,Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi saidit was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wish to havesuch a competition.
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In spiritual parlance, the commitment to work for work’ssake, that is, prioritising one’s duties over all else is knownas Nishkama karma while devotion to God for His sake alonewith no other desire, is known as Nishkama bhakti.
In this context, it is interesting to note that Adi Sankarahas stressed in his teachings that even the desire for mokshais only secondary against the superior value of nishkamakarma, pointed out Sri R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal in a discourse. In a somewhat similar strain, the Bhagavata Puranahighlights nishkama bhakti as a greater goal than mukti. Toserve at the feet of the Lord and also to serve and worshipHis devotees is equal to the bliss of Moksha, says Prahlada inhis prayer to Lord Narasimha after the killing of Hiranyakasipu. This confl�uence of bhagavat bhakti, bhagavata bhakti,and nishkama bhakti is the hallmark of true devotion. Theterrible form as Narasimha that has kept everyone fromBrahma onwards in fear does not frighten the child who isonly aware of the Lord’s boundless compassion. But Prahlada has another great fear which he wants the Lord to remove. He is afraid to be churned and crushed repeatedly inthe wheel of samsara and seeks to be relieved from it.
His words of wisdom continue to guide people caught insamsara. The Lord’s grace is greater to anything else in thisentire creation. The Lord is the only ally and protector to every jiva though it may appear that parents, medicines andwealth are important in this world. His words make us seeour foolishness in getting entangled in samsara. We knowthis and also know that the body is a storehouse of virus anddiseases of all kinds. Though aware that in reality the passing pleasures of this world are only a mirage, we easily tendto get carried away by them.
FAITH
Nishkama karma, bhakti
A report on the eff�ectivenessof the vaccines available inthe country against the Omicron variant of SARSCoV2will be available in a week,Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informedthe Rajya Sabha on Monday.
He was replying to a“shortduration discussion”on the situation arising in India out of the Omicron variant of the virus causingCOVID19.
So far, 161 cases of Omicron have been detected inthe country and while 14%cases were mild, nearly 80%were asymptomatic. Thetreatment protocol for Omicron remains the same as inthe case of the Delta, Alphaand other variants.
The Minister noted that88% of the eligible popula
tion had received their fi�rstdose of vaccine and 58%were fully vaccinated.
“The Omicron variant wasfi�rst detected in Africa onNovember 24; we have madeadequate arrangements tofi�ght the virus. At present,there are 38 genome sequencing laboratories in the
country. We are culturingthe virus strain to see if ourvaccines are working onthat variant or not, its impact is still being studied,will get the report in aweek,” he said.
During the second wave,it was observed that manycomplained about a shor
tage of medical oxygen, andthe manufacturing capacitywas increased overnight butthe problem of logistics remained. The Indian AirForce was roped in and special tankers to ferry oxygenwere imported. “However, itwas seen that many [hospitals] got oxygen quota allocated through courts. It wasfound that when oxygenreached them, they had nospace to keep it. The situation was politicised, itshould not be done,” he said.
As of now, 48,000 ventilators had been given to theStates. “During the secondwave, we received complaints that ventilators arenot working. We have nowmade the States responsiblefor checking the fi�tness ofthe machines and only theycan further allot the ventilators to hospitals,” he added.
Report on vaccine eff�ectiveness against Omicron in a week: govt.So far, 161 cases of the variant detected, Mansukh Mandaviya informs RS
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Rural drive: A healthcare worker carries out a doortodoorvaccination programme near Ahmedabad. * VIJAY SONEJI
Hundreds of girls and youngwomen have written anopen letter to parliamentarians urging them to voteagainst the government’sproposal to raise the age ofmarriage for women to 21and have demanded thattheir agency to take decisions about their lives is nottaken away.
The girls also want theelected representatives topursue policies that ensuregender equality.
“It is of course true thatmany girls among us and oursisters from across the country desire to get married atthe age of 21 years or even after that. There are also sisters who desire to get married around 18 years; it isinformed by their lived realities and contexts. What iscritical for all of us is the
right to take this decisionourselves. We believe thatgirls have complete freedomto choose if, when, who andhow to marry,” said the openletter drafted by 2,500 people who are part of theYoung Voices NationalMovement.
Last year, representativesof this campaign appearedbefore the task force headedby Jaya Jaitly and submitteda detailed report opposingraising the age of marriage.It is based on this task force’srecommendations that theCabinet last week approveda proposal to raise the legalage of marriage for womento 21. The letter stated thatproblems in accessing education forced girls to dropout of school and get married. The girls thereforewant MPs to focus on theroot causes instead of bringing a blanket ban.
“Social norms and practices, poverty, economicpressures, lack of suitableopportunities for educationor training for girls, the continued spate of violenceagainst women and girls, thepressures of increasing living costs and migration aresome of the core driving factors why many girls are being pushed into marriagewhile very young,” theywrite.
They want parliamentarians to bring policies that ensure work, equal wages andsafe workplaces as well ascomprehensive measures toarrest violence against women which is one of the biggest roadblocks in accessingeducation and jobs.
The group also conducteda Twitter storm on Mondayand demanded that the proposed Bill be sent to a parliamentary committee.
They urge MPs to look at root causes of early marriage
JAGRITI CHANDRA
Open letter from girls seeksright to decide when to marry
The COVID19 pandemichad been a “black swan”event that overwhelmed national capacities, disruptedsupply chains and broughtpeople back to the drawingboard, Chief of the ArmyStaff� General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Monday at the inaugural event ofPANEX21, a disaster management exercise of themultilateral grouping Bay ofBengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation(BIMSTEC).
“PANEX 21, therefore, isunique as it is for the fi�rsttime that an exercise of thismagnitude involving multiple agencies from multiplecountries is being undertaken to review our Humani
tarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mechanism andstreamline our responsestrategy in the backdrop of apandemic,” he said, virtually addressing the event. “Wehave realised that our standard operating procedures,which had worked well inthe past, are no longer eff�ective, and would need transformative changes,” Gen.Naravane said.
SOPs changed after COVID: Army chief
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
BIMSTEC working onjoint disaster relief plans
Gen. Manoj Naravane
The Supreme Court has decided to examine an appealfi�led by siblings from TamilNadu against a Madras HighCourt order directing themto pay monthly maintenance of ₹�2,500 to theirfather who had abandonedthem as children.
The sister and brotherscomplained that their fatherdrank, had illicit relationships and cared nothing forthem when they were children. It was their mother,with her meagre earnings,who kept the family afl�oatafter the father abandonedthe family, the siblings said.
The siblings, representedby advocate Haris Beeran,said they “surmounted allthe obstacles in life andcompleted their studies
with the help of various education loans”. The sister is agovernment schoolteacherand the brother is pursuinghis doctoral studies.
“Is a father, who hasfailed to carry out parentalobligations and matrimonialduties, leading a waywardlife, abandoning for severalyears, eligible to claim maintenance under Section 125of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.PC) from his children after he became a senior citizen,” the siblingsasked the Supreme Court intheir appeal.
A threejudge Bench ledby Chief Justice of India N.V.Ramana issued notice to thefather. The Bench stayed theHigh Court order of January19, 2021 directing the siblings to pay the monthlymaintenance amount.
SC to study plea againstmaintenance for parentSiblings say father abandoned family
Krishnadas Rajagopal
NEW DELHI
Perhaps it is time Indiaamended its Constitutionmandating that every citizenalso has a “duty to laugh”,suggested Justice G.R.Swaminathan of theMadurai Bench of theMadras High Court, whilequashing a case against aman whose attempt at wordplay landed him in troublewith the Tamil Nadu Police.
Well, that’s what Justice
G.R. Swaminathan foresawsatirists and cartoonistssuch as Jug Suraiya, BachiKarkaria, E.P. Unny and G.Sampath (of The Hindu)prescribing if they were tohypothetically author ajudgment on a petition fi�ledby a man whose attempt athumour landed him introuble.
Listing out the duties ofevery citizen under Article51A of the Constitution, thejudge said, “To this [list],
the hypothetical authorwould have added one morefundamental duty — theduty to laugh. Thecorrelative right to be funnycan be mined in Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution ofIndia (the use of cryptovocabulary to be forgiven).
Being funny is one thing andpoking fun at another isdiff�erent altogether.”
The plea was fi�led byMathivanan of Madurai, anoffi�ce bearer of the CPI(ML). On September 16, Mr.Mathivanan had gone on asightseeing trip to Sirumalai
hills with his daughter andsoninlaw. Later, heuploaded the photographsof the visit on Facebook,captioning them “Trip toSirumalai for shootingpractice”.
The Vadipatti police inMadurai however, saw thepost as a threat to “wagewar” and booked him undervarious Sections of theIndian Penal Code.
Serious questionQuashing the FIR, JusticeSwaminathan observed:“‘Laugh at what?’ is aserious question. This is
because we have holy cowsgrazing all over fromVaranasi to Vadipatti. Onedare not poke fun at them.There is however no singlecatalogue of holy cows. Itvaries from person toperson and from region toregion. A real cow, even ifterribly underfed andemaciated, shall be holy inYogi’s terrain. In WestBengal, Tagore is such aniconic fi�gure thatKhushwant Singh learnt thelesson at some cost. Comingto my own Tamil Desh, thealltime iconoclast ‘Periyar’Shri E.V. Ramasamy is a
superholy cow. In today’sKerala, Marx and Lenin arebeyond the bounds ofcriticism or satire.Chhatrapati Shivaji and VeerSavarkar enjoy a similarimmunity in Maharashtra.But all over India, there isone ultimate holy cow andthat is ‘national security’,”he said.
The Vadipatti Policethought the petitioner wasmaking preparations towage war against the State.They registered a case,arrested him and producedhim before the jurisdictionalmagistrate for remanding
him in custody. Mercifully,M.C. Arun, the JudicialMagistrate, Vadipatti, hadthe good sense to refuseremand, the judge said.
“The petitioner is aged 62years. His daughter isstanding next to him. Hissoninlaw is also seen in thephotograph. No weapon orproscribed material wasrecovered from thepetitioner. The petitionerneither intended to wagewar nor did he commit anyact towards preparation..The very registration of theFIR is absurd, the judge saidand quashed it.
Let’s learn to laugh, says Madras High Court judge
B. Tilak Chandar
Madurai
He quashes FIR against man arrestedfor innocuous social media post
After 16 cancellations of hisshows, comedian MunawarFaruqui was back on stagewith a sellout show inMumbai.
The Mumbai event washeld with the support ofthe All India ProfessionalCongress (AIPC), a wing ofthe Congress.
Talking to The Hindu,Mathew Anthony, president of AIPC, said, “We methim on November 29 andwe had a very clear political stand that we are notsponsoring the show. Weare only upholding fundamental rights guaranteedunder the Indian Constitution. We are only standingfor the fundamental rightsof performers (right to livelihood) and rights of the audience.”
ComedianFaruqui getsback on stage
Special Correspondent
Mumbai
Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday held a telephone conversation withRussian President VladimirPutin.
The conversation camedays after a highlevel offi�cial of Kremlin announcedthat a trilateral meeting ofMr. Putin, Mr. Modi andChinese President Xi Jinping was expected soon.
“Vladimir Putin warmlythanked Narendra Modi forthe hospitality extended tothe Russian delegation during the highlevel visit toNew Delhi on December 6.They discussed practicalaspects of implementingthe agreements reached atthe talks and expressedmutual intent for the further multifaceted development of relations of thespecial and privileged strategic partnership betweenRussia and India,” a government release said.
Modi, Putinhold talks over phone
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
The Tamil Nadu government, which is keen on resolving the longstandingconfl�ict in the Palk Bay, hasbeen asked by the ExternalAff�airs Ministry to submit alist of probable participantsfrom the fi�shing communityin the State and tentativedates for the proposed talksbetween its fi�sherfolk andthat of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka.
“We will be shortly sending our reply,” said sourcesin the government. Also, inresponse to another requestof the State government for ameeting of the IndiaSri Lanka Joint Working Group( JWG) on Fisheries, the Ministry, about a week ago, in
formed the former that ithad recently addressed thematter with the neighbouring country.
The proposed talks holdsignifi�cance against thebackdrop of the arrest of 55Tamil Nadu fi�shermen andseizure of eight trawlers bythe Sri Lankan Navy on Sun
day. Fishermen in Rameswaram staged a protest demanding the release of thearrested members.
While the last round ofthe fi�shermenlevel talkstook place in New Delhi inNovember 2016, the JWGmet in December 2020through virtual mode.
MEA seeks list of participants from fi�shing community in T.N.
T. RAMAKRISHNAN
CHENNAI
In anguish: Kin of fi�shermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navystaging a protest in Rameswaram on Monday. * L. BALACHANDAR
India may resume fi�shers’talks with Sri Lanka
U.S. offi�cial Uzra Zeya hasbeen appointed the country’s new Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. Shewill hold the position concurrently with her currentrole as Under Secretary forCivilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said via a statement.
The coordinator’s role involves promoting “substantive dialogue” between theChinese government and theDalai Lama. The coordinatoris also supposed to promotethe unique identity of Tibet,safeguards human rights ofTibetans and coordinatesU.S. policy on Tibet.
“Specifi�cally, she [Ms.Zeya] will promote substantive dialogue, without preconditions, between the Go
vernment of the People’sRepublic of China (PRC) andthe Dalai Lama, his representatives, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders insupport of a negotiatedagreement on Tibet,” Mr.Blinken said in a statement,as part of a list of activitiesMs. Zeya would undertake inher new role.
In addition to her responsibilities around promotinghuman rights and preserv
ing the distinct heritage ofTibetans, Ms. Zeya will “alsopromote activities to protectthe environment and sustainably manage the waterand other natural resourcesof the Tibetan plateau,” Mr.Blinken said.
The position, which wasestablished by U.S.’s TibetanPolicy Act (2002), had beenlying vacant for much of theTrump administration, i.e.,from January 2017 to October 2020, when State Department offi�cial Robert Destrowas appointed to the role.
Ms. Zeya was born inNorth Carolina to parentswho emigrated from India.She quit the State Department during the Trump administration (2018), speaking and writing, after herdeparture, of the decline indiversity at the top levels ofthe administration.
Uzra Zeya appointed U.S.Special Coordinator for TibetRole involves promoting talks between China and the Dalai Lama
Sriram Lakshman
Uzra Zeya
About a fortnight since Maldives’s exPresident AbdullaYameen walked free, afterthe Supreme Court overturned his conviction in amoneylaundering case, the‘India Out’ campaign in theisland nation has intensifi�ed,with the former strongmannow leading it.
Earlier this month, Mr. Yameen’s Progressive Party ofMaldives (PPM) said the leader would travel to the atollsto step up the campaign resisting “Indian boots on theground” in the Indian OceanArchipelago, even as the government denies any Indianmilitary presence. Images ofMr. Yameen and his supporters, attired in a red Tshirtwith ‘India Out’ printed in
bold font, are circulating onsocial media, along with the‘#IndiaOut’ hashtag.
In a statement on Sunday,the Government of Maldivessaid it was “profoundly concerned” by attempts tospread “misguided and unsubstantiated information topropagate hatred towards India”. Calling India “one ofthe closest bilateral partnersof the Maldives”, the government attributed the campaign to a “small group of individuals and a few politicalpersonalities”.
“Spreading hatred andmaking false allegations regarding bilateral ties withneighbouring countries notonly tarnishes the relationswith trusted allies who extends consistent support tothe Maldivian people but al
so aff�ect the safety and security of their citizens in Maldives, and Maldivians livingabroad,” the government’sstatement said.
This is the second suchstatement issued by Male inrecent weeks. On November17, the government “stronglyrejected” attempts to spread“false information” criticising its ties with India, its“closest ally and trustedneighbour”.
IndiaMaldives ties dete
riorated considerably whenthe Yameen administrationwas in power from 2013 to2018. Signifi�cantly, tensionsrose over Mr. Yameen’s ultimatum to New Delhi to withdraw two Indian helicoptersfrom Laamu and Addu atolls.Mr. Yameen’s perceived China tilt at the time also madeNew Delhi apprehensive.
Following President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s election win in September 2018,his government declared an“India fi�rst” foreign policy,resetting ties. In an open acknowledgment, Mr. Solih toldThe Hindu in a January 2021interview that the Maldives“makes no apology” forclose ties with India.
Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed, aparty colleague of Mr. Solihand an infl�uential voice inthe Maldives, has earlier saidIndia is the “single most important country” for the Mal
dives, while accusing is political opponents of“xenophobia”.
‘Military presence’Critics of the Government’sIndia relations, however,said it was Indian “militarypresence” that they were wary of. Speaking to The Hindu
from Male, opposition parliamentarian and PPM vicepresident Mohamed Saeed said:“We are not against India orthe people of India. Our people are heavily into Bollywood, we love Indian cuisine. That is not the issue.There are reports of Indianmilitary presence in theatolls and the government isnot clarifying this,” he said,adding: “We oppose militarypresence of any foreigncountry — be it India, Chinaor whoever else.”
Observing that Mr. Yameen was only “giving leadership” to the “concerns”
of citizens, Mr. Saeedslammed the government over its Uthuru Thila Falhu(UTF) harbour developmentdeal with India, signed in February 2021. “There is notransparency, and the government is reluctant to reveal the terms of the agreement in Parliament, despitehaving a majority in theHouse. The BJP leadership inIndia and the [ruling] MDPare messing up bilateral ties.We are not on the rightcourse,” said Mr. Saeed, whowas Minister of EconomicDevelopment in Mr. Yameen’s Government.
At the time of the signingof the UTF pact, MaldivianDefence Minister Mariya Diditermed the project “vital” tothe “eff�ective functioning” ofthe Maldivian Coast Guard.Ms. Didi has said that the relationship between the Maldives and India today is“stronger than ever”.
Yameen leads ‘India Out’ campaign in MaldivesProfoundly concerned by bids topropagate hatred towards India: Govt.
Meera Srinivasan
COLOMBO
Abdulla Yameen
A Sudanese protester wasshot dead during mass demonstrations against the recent military takeover and asubsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok but sidelined themovement, a medical groupsaid on Monday.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets inthe capital, Khartoum, andelsewhere in the countrySunday. The protestsmarked the third anniversary of the uprising thateventually forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar alBashir andhis Islamist government inApril 2019.
Security forces fi�red teargas to disperse demonstrators attempting to stage a sit
in near the presidential palace on the bank of the BlueNile in the heart ofKhartoum.
There were also protestsin elsewhere in the country,such as the coastal city ofPort Sudan, the eastern cityof Kassala and the northerncity of Atbara, the birthplace of the uprising againstalBashir.
The Sudan Doctors Committee said a 28yearoldman was killed after he wasshot in the chest during Sunday’s demonstrations in theEast Nile area in Khartoum.
More than 120 peoplewere wounded in clashesbetween protesters and security forces in Khartoum,the Health Ministry said in astatement. Two other protesters were wounded in Kassala, it said.
One person killed inSudan anti-coup protestHe was shot in the chest in Khartoum
Associated Press
Cairo
Russia on Monday expelledtwo German diplomats inresponse to a spat with Berlin over a German court’sruling that Moscow had ordered the 2019 assassination
of an exChechen commander in a Berlin park.
“The German Ambassador was informed that twodiplomatic employees of theGerman Embassy in Russiawere declared “persona nongrata’ as a symmetrical res
ponse,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Ministry added that ithad registered a “strongprotest“ with the Germanenvoy over Berlin’s expulsion of two Russian diplomats last week.
Russia expels two German envoysAgence France-Presse
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The streets of Santiagoerupted in celebration onSunday after leftist millennial Gabriel Boric becameChile’s youngestever Presidentelect with an unexpectedly large victory over hisfarright rival in a polarisingrace.
Mr. Boric, 35, garnerednearly 56% of the vote compared to 44% for ultraconservative Jose Antonio Kast,who conceded even beforethe fi�nal result was known.
Tens of thousands of Chileans took to the streets ofthe capital and other citiesafter Mr. Kast’s concession,honking car horns in approval, brandishing proBoricplacards, waving the rainbow LGBTQ fl�ag and shouting: “Viva Chile!”
Fireworks lit the skies forhours on end.
“I’m thrilled, I am crying
with joy. We dealt a blow tofascism!” pharmacy workerJennie Enriquez, 45, said.
“I am happy becausethere are going to be manychanges that will help the people and the working class,”said construction workerLuis Astorga, 58.
Mr. Boric had campaignedon the promise of installing a“social welfare” state, increasing taxes and socialspending in a country withone of the world’s largestgaps between rich and poor.
‘Great triumph’Branded a “communist” byhis detractors, he vowed inhis fi�rst offi�cial address onSunday to “expand socialrights” in Chile, but to do sowith “fi�scal responsibility.”
“We will do it protectingour macroeconomy, we willdo it well... to improve pensions and healthcare,” hesaid.
Mr. Kast congratulated Mr.Boric, who leads an alliancethat includes Chile’s Communist Party, “on his greattriumph.” “From today on,he is the Presidentelect ofChile and he deserves all ourrespect and constructivecooperation. Chile alwayscomes fi�rst.”
Mr. Kast is an apologist forbrutal dictator Augusto Pino
chet and his neoliberal economic model, credited withChile’s relative wealth butblamed for its deeprootedsocial inequality.
He opposes samesex marriage, contraception andabortion, and had initiallypledged to close the Ministryof Women’s Aff�airs, a promise he later rowed back on.
According to a projection
by Chile’s Servel election body, turnout was more than55% — a record since votingbecame voluntary in 2012.
Mr. Boric won by a marginof nearly a million ballots outof 8.3 million cast by 15 million eligible voters.
Youngsters support“Clearly more young peoplecame out, it seems clear...that Boric managed to mobilise the segment that is morediffi�cult to mobilise, which isthe segment of young people,” Claudia Heiss of the University of Chile said.
The new President willface the diffi�cult task of healing a society reeling from apolarising campaign repletewith antagonistic attacks andfake news onslaughts.
Leftist millennial elected Chile’s PresidentFormer student leader Boric vows to ‘expand social rights’ in the country, but with ‘fi�scal responsibility’
Agence France-Presse
Santiago
Victory march: Supporters of Gabriel Boric celebrating hiswin in the presidential runoff� election in Santiago. * AP
ProBeijing candidates haveswept Hong Kong’s “patriotsonly” polls, the fi�rst elections held after electoral reforms that essentially ruledout the participation of mostof the prodemocracy opposition candidates in the Special Administrative Region.
The central governmentin Beijing hailed Sunday’spolls and released a detailedwhite paper on Monday defending its political governance of Hong Kong.
Its critics in Hong Kong,however, pointed to the record low turnout — the lowest in any election since the1997 handover — as underlining public disenchantment with the new electoralprocess. In March, Beijingpassed legislation that significantly reduced the share ofdirectly elected representatives in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, from 50% to22%, with the rest nominated, and also introduced acandidate eligibility reviewcommittee to screen thoserunning for offi�ce.
Despite a range of measures aimed at boosting turnout, including making public transportation free onSunday, only 30.2% of registered voters cast their vote,down from 58.28% in thelast LegCo election in 2016.
A provisional count of the
total number of votersshowed a steep fall of morethan 60%, down from 2.2million fi�ve years ago to 1.35million voters on Sunday.
Chief Executive CarrieLam played down the lowturnout saying the fact that1.35 million voted showedthe election “had the support of many citizens”. Shealso welcomed Beijing’s“white paper” on HongKong’s democratic system,which defended its overhaulof the electoral process arguing that there were no elections under British colonialrule prior to 1997 and that“one country” needed totake precedence over “twosystems”, referring to theformula that gave HongKong political freedoms thatpeople are denied on themainland.
“One Country is the prerequisite and basis for theTwo Systems, and the TwoSystems are subordinate toand derive from One Country,” the white paper said,
adding that “Hong Kong governed by the patriots ofHong Kong is essential to theOne Country, Two Systemsprinciple, and quintessentialto democracy in the region.”
“The region must be governed by patriots and patriots only,” the paper said.“No instigator of disordershould be allowed into thegoverning body of theHKSAR, and resolute measures must be taken to guardthe region’s administrationagainst destabilising infl�uences and the forces behind them.”
Ms. Lam echoed that message in a meeting with reporters on Monday, saying that“the most important basisfor enhancing Hong Kong’selectoral system is to ensure‘patriots administeringHong Kong’ because HongKong is an inalienable partof the People’s Republic ofChina.”
“If our electoral systemwere to have a loophole thatwould allow people whowere unpatriotic, who actually wanted to use elections to go into Hong Kong’spolitical structure and thenundermine national security, or even overturn the Government and collude withforeign forces and so on,”she said, “it would not be inthe interest of the people ofHong Kong and, in fact, thepeople of the country.”
Beijing defends Hong Kongpolls amid record low turnout30.2% of voters cast their vote, down from 58.28% in 2016
Ananth Krishnan
HONG KONG
Carrie Lam
WEF defers Davos meetover Omicron fearsGENEVA
The World Economic Forum(WEF) said on Monday it willdefer its meeting in Davosover “uncertainty due to theOmicron variant”. Themeeting, which draws topleaders from business,politics and diplomacy, willbe held in "early summer"instead of the plannedJanuary 1721 schedule. AFP
ELSEWHERE
BRIEF
Chinese influencer fined$204 mn for tax evasionBEIJING
Chinese influencer HuangWei, known as the “queen oflivestreaming” and who goesby the username Viya, hasbeen ordered to pay $204million (1.3 billion yuan) fortax evasion, authorities saidon Monday, the biggest fineof its kind in Beijing'scrackdown on celebrities. AFP
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Benchmark stock indicesslumped more than 2% onMonday to near fourmonthlows on rising concern aboutthe risk that the Omicronvariant of the coronavirusmay pose to global economicactivity and continued selling by foreign funds.
The S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 1,189.73 points, or 2.1%,to 55,822.01 points withstocks falling across theboard. Top losers includedTata Steel (5.2%), IndusIndBank (4.2%), SBI and Bajaj Finance, both of which lost almost 4%, and HDFC Bank.
The NSE Nifty 50 slid 371points, or 2.2%, to 16,614.20.
“Markets reacted to thenews of a sharp jump in theCOVID cases globally, whichmay result in a lockdown,”said Ajit Mishra, VP Research, Religare Broking Ltd.“Though the situation is un
der control domestically, atpresent, any impact on theglobal economic recoverywould dent our prospectstoo,” he added.
“Besides, the continuousoutfl�ow of foreign funds was
also weighing on sentiment.We reiterate our cautiousview on markets and suggestfocusing more on risk management,” Mr. Mishra added.
“India has been undergoing a phase of consolidationin the last 2 months,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Researchat Geojit Financial Services.“The current selloff� is dueto rapid rise in FII selling,triggered by hawkish worldcentral banks’ policy, cautious view on Indian marketdue to high valuation compared to peers and drop inretail infl�ows,” he added.
“We feel we are reachingthe last phase of this consolidation in terms of price correction,” Mr. Nair remarked.
Sensex slides 2.1% on Omicronrisk to global growth, FII sellingTata Steel, fi�nancial stocks including SBI, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank lead losses
Special Correspondent
MUMBAI
Cascading eff�ect: Any impact on global recovery will dent our prospects, warns Religare Broking’s Ajit Mishra. * PAUL NORONHA
Retail sales in India in November grew by 9% over theprepandemic levels of thesame month in 2019, signalling improvement in business, amid worries aroundthe spread of the Omicronvariant and a potential thirdwave of the pandemic, according to the Retailers Association of India (RAI).
In its retail business survey, RAI said growth witnessed last month was 16%over the same period lastyear. Stating that retail businesses across regions had indicated growth in sales compared with prepandemiclevels, RAI said West Indiasignalled an 11% increase,
followed by East and Southat 9% while North India indicated a growth of 6% compared with sales levels in November 2019.
“Business is improvingand we do hope that this willsustain,” said RAI CEO Kumar Rajagopalan. “However,there are still worriesaround Omicron and the
third wave, leading to a feeling of cautious optimism,”he added.
Consumer durables andelectronics, which did notshow a signifi�cant increasein October, grew 32% in November over prepandemiclevels, on the back of strongDiwali sales.
Sports goods reported agrowth of 18% and apparelsindicated consistent growthat 6%, it added.
Food and groceries, andquick service restaurantscontinued to indicategrowth, while other categories such as footwear, beauty, wellness and personalcare, and furniture showedprogress towards recovery,RAI said.
‘Nov. domestic retail sales rise9% over prepandemic levels’We are cautiously optimistic amid Omicron worries: RAI
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the Tata Group’s proposed acquisition ofdebtladen Air India and twoof its units.
“The CCI approves acquisition of shareholding in AirIndia Ltd., Air India ExpressLtd. and Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. by TalacePvt. Ltd.,” the CCI said in arelease on Monday.
The CCI’s nod for the₹�18,000 croredeal that entails Talace taking over₹�15,300 crore of debt, pavesthe way for completion ofthe transaction and the revival of the ailing carrier.
Talace Pvt. Ltd., a wholly
owned subsidiary of TataSons, emerged as the winning bidder in October. Itwill buy 100% stakes in AirIndia and Air India Expressand 50% holding in Air IndiaSATS (AISATS).
AISATS provides groundhandling services at Delhi,Bengaluru, Hyderabad,Mangalore and Thiruvanan
thapuram airports. It alsoprovides cargo handling services at Bengaluru airport.
Stateowned Air India hasbeen incurring a monthlyloss of over ₹�600 crore.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, on December 14, said the Air Indiatransaction was a “winwinsituation” across the boardand that taxpayers’ moneywould now be more justifi�ably used for many more socially productive purposesrather than fi�lling the deeplosses of the airline.
“I am very confi�dent atthe turn of the New Year,you will have the transfer ofAir India to its new owner,”Mr. Scindia had said.
(With PTI inputs)
Competition Commissionapproves TataAir India dealCCI’s approval paves the way for completion of transaction
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
The development and testing of various modules ofthe corporate aff�airs ministry’s MCA21 portal, whichwill leverage analytics, artifi�cial intelligence and machine learning, is in progress, Union minister RaoInderjit Singh told the LokSabha on Monday.
MCA21 is the key platform for companies to submit the required documents and fi�lings under thecompanies law and the LLPAct. Besides, it providespublic access to corporateinformation. An MCA labwould also be set up as partof the third version ofMCA21 for improving dataanalytics, the Minister ofState for Corporate Aff�airssaid in a written reply.
‘MCA21 portal:third versionin the works’
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
The government has takencomprehensive steps to reduce NPAs and to eff�ect recovery, enabling publicsector banks to recovermore than ₹�5.49 lakh croreover the last seven fi�scalyears, the Lok Sabha wasinformed on Monday.
In a written reply, Minister of State for FinanceBhagwat Karad said thatwith regard to the details ofthe recovery rate of nonperforming assets (NPAs),the RBI had informed thatit had not formally defi�ned‘recovery rate’ in the context of NPAs in the bankingindustry. “Comprehensivesteps have been taken bythe Government to reduceNPAs and to eff�ect recovery,” he said.
‘PSBs recover₹�5.49 lakh cr.in seven years’
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
Micro, Small and Mediumscale Enterprises (MSMEs)across major industrial hubsin about 10 States pulleddown shutters for a day onMonday protesting spiralling prices of raw materials.
The strike was total inplaces such as Coimbatore,Belagavi, and Mysuru, saidR. Ramamoorthy, spokesperson for the All IndiaCouncil of Association ofMSMEs, which gave the callfor the strike.
“MSME associations inStates such as Maharashtra,Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab,Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, had extended supportto the strike. We estimatethat almost 10 lakh MSMEsin the country stopped pro
duction on Monday resulting in production loss of almost ₹�15,000 crore,” headded.
Several input materialsused by MSMEs, includingsteel, aluminium, copper,kraft paper and plastic, haveon average seen a 70% jumpin prices in the last one year.
In November and December, MSMEs were impactedby a slump in orders and piling up of stocks.
“The market is not absorbing the high raw material cost,” he said. The unitsdemand measures from thegovernment to control rawmaterial prices.
MSMEs strike, protesthigh raw material prices10 lakh units shut for a day: association
Special Correspondent
COIMBATORE <> Strike total in
places such as
Coimbatore,
Belagavi, Mysuru
Apple Inc. has asked India’santitrust watchdog to throwout a case alleging abuse ofmarket power in the appsmarket, saying it is too smalla player in the South Asiancountry where Google is dominant, a fi�ling seen by Reuters shows.
The fi�ling was made afterthe Competition Commission of India (CCI) startedreviewing allegations thatApple hurt competition byforcing app developers touse its proprietary systemwhich could charge commissions of up to 30% on inapp purchases.
Apple denied the allegations in its fi�ling to the CCIand stressed that its marketshare in India is an ‘insignificant’ 05%, while Googlecommands 90100% as its
Android operating systempowers most other smartphones. “Apple is not dominant in the Indian market ...Without dominance, therecan be no abuse,” Apple saidin the submission datedNov. 16, which was signedby its Chief Compliance Offi�cer Kyle Andeer.
“It has already been established that Google is thedominant player in India,” itadded. Apple and the CCIdid not respond to a requestfor comment.
Apple seeks dismissal ofantitrust case over apps‘Google dominant player in India’
Reuters
NEW DELHI
Oil marketing companies(OMCs) have notifi�ed sugarmills for the supply of 366crore litres of ethanol following two cycles of Expressions of Interest (EoI) for thecurrent ethanol supply yearthat began on December 1.
The Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in apress release that in the202021 ethanol supplyyear, distilleries supplied302.3 crore litres, achievingan average blending of 8.1%.
For 202122, the government has set a target of 10%blending, and the total requirement for this year was459 crore litres of ethanol,ISMA said.
The association said thatas on December 15, 479 sugar mills were crushing cane
for the 202122 (October toSeptember) sugar season,producing 77.91 lakh tonnesof sugar. This was 4.57 lakhtonnes higher than that inthe corresponding date ofthe previous sugar season.
More than 6.5 lakhtonnes of sugar were exported by the end of Novemberin the current sugar seasoncompared with about 3 lakhtonnes in the correspondingperiod of last year, the association said.
‘Oil fi�rms notify mills for366 cr. litres of ethanol’‘Totally 459 cr. litres required this year’
Special Correspondent
COIMBATORE
Vedanta said it had acquired Nicomet, a leadingnickel and cobalt producerbased in Goa. However, thecompany did not divulgeany more details on the acquisition and the cost.
The acquisition hasbeen made by Vedanta’swholly owned subsidiaryMalco Energy Ltd. throughthe IBC process.
“With this acquisition,Vedanta has become India’s sole producer of nickel,” the company said in astatement. The unit is defunct since 2019 and Vedanta is expected to makeit operational by the end ofthis fi�scal. “Vedanta’s forayinto nickel and cobalt production will play a criticalrole in supporting Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” said chairman Anil Agarwal.
Vedanta unitbuys Nicometvia IBC route
Special Correspondent
MUMBAI
The government on Monday said traders will be allowed to import refi�nedpalm oil without licencefor one more year till December 2022, a moveaimed at increasing domestic supplies and bringingdown the high prices of edible oils.
In June, the governmentremoved import restrictions on refi�ned palm oiltill December 31 this yearas prices of edible oils hadrisen sharply.
Import of ‘refi�nedbleached deodorised palmoil’ and ‘refi�ned bleacheddeodorised palmolein’ is“free for a period up to December 31, 2022,” according to a notifi�cation by theDirectorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
Palm oil importsans licenceallowed till ’22
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
Wipro to acquire Edgile for $230 mnNEW DELHI
Wipro on Monday said it willacquire TexasheadquarteredEdgile for $230 million, amove that will strengthenthe IT major’s play in thecybersecurity services space.Edgile’s experiencedcybersecurity and riskmanagement professionalswill allow Wipro to furtherenhance its cybersecurity andrisk consulting capabilitiesfor the benefit of customers,the firm said in a filing. PTI
IN BRIEF
Airbus picks Tata Tech as strategic supplier MUMBAI
Tata Technologies Ltd. said ithad been selected by Airbusas an engineering,manufacturing engineeringand services strategicsupplier (EMES3). “This is anoutcome of an extensive7month long multiphasedprocurement assessmentprocess that covered allAirbus divisions, subsidiaries,and affi�liates acrossengineering, manufacturingengineering, and customerservices engineeringfunctions,” the company said.
Bidding for DSFIII roundto start on Feb. 1: DGHNEW DELHI
Bidding for 75 small andmarginal oil and gasdiscoveries, mostly of ONGC,being off�ered in the DSFIIIbid round, will begin onFebruary 1, the DirectorateGeneral of Hydrocarbons(DGH) said on Monday. Theoriginal deadline for bids’submission was August 31,2021. However, this waspostponed to October 29. Itwas again put off� without anyreasons given. pti
WEF defers Davos meetdue to Omicron outbreakNEW DELHI/GENEVA
The World Economic Forum(WEF) on Monday said it haddecided to defer its AnnualMeeting 2022 in the SwissAlpine ski resort town ofDavos in the light ofcontinued uncertainty overthe Omicron outbreak.The Annual Meeting, whichwas scheduled to take placein DavosKlosters,Switzerland, from January1721, 2022, is now plannedfor early summer. pti
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SPORT
The fi�rst Test between Indiaand South Africa starting atCenturion on December 26will be played withoutspectators as Cricket SouthAfrica is not selling tickets inview of the emergence ofthe new COVID19 variantOmicron, according to areport.
Only some suite holdersand delegates will be able towatch the match live thoughcurrent COVID19restrictions implemented bythe government allow for2,000 fans, according toAfrikaans language weeklynewspaper Rapport as
quoted by news24 website.The organisers are,
however, waiting to see ifthere are any changes togovernment regulationsregarding COVID19 nextweek.
As of now, no tickets areon sale for the second Testeither, beginning here at theWanderers on January 3.
The series is taking placeamid the rising threat ofCOVID19 following theemergence of the Omicronvariant last month. Thecountry has seen a spike inthe number of COVID19cases in the past few weeks.
The visitors, who arrivedhere on December 16, arestaying in a resort entirelybooked for them by CSA.
No spectators at India’sBoxing Day Test
Press Trust of India
Johannesburg
INDIA IN SA
At full steam: Rahul and Dravid watch Shami sweat it outduring a training session. * TWITTER/BCCI
Australia ground down a battling England to win the second Test in Adelaide onMonday and go 20 up in theAshes series, leaving the visitors’ dreams of winning backthe hallowed urn in tatters.
England resumed day fi�veof the pinkball Test in deeptrouble at 82 for four chasinga massive 468 to win, realistically needing a miracle justto salvage a draw.
The Englishmen gamelyhung on into the fi�nal session, fi�ghting a desperaterearguard action but ultimately crumbling to 192 allout and a 275run defeat.
Jhye Richardson was thepick of the bowlers with fi�vefor 42.
Joe Root’s men will headto Melbourne for the BoxingDay Test knowing that theonly instance of a team coming from 20 down to win theAshes was Donald Bradman’s Australia way back in193637.
With Root, the World No. 1Test batsman, removed byMitchell Starc in the fi�nal over on Sunday, England’shopes appeared to rest withallrounder Ben Stokes.
But trying to nurse England’s batting through 90
overs against Australia’s relentless bowling was too biga task, even for him.
He put his head down andlasted 77 balls for 12 runs before Nathan Lyon struck.
The umpire initially gavethe lbw shout not out, butAustralia reviewed and it wasshown to be plumb in front.
Ollie Pope lasted only seven balls, edging to SteveSmith at slip off� Starc.
But Jos Buttler (26) andChris Woakes (44) dug in,frustrating Australia in a 61run stand before Jhye Richardson clattered Woakes’
stumps. Ollie Robinsonmade a dogged eight beforeSmith took his sixth catch ofthe match to dismiss him off�Lyon.
Buttler then incredibly fellafter surviving nearly 35 overs by stepping on his ownstumps.
Same squadAustralia named an unchanged 15man squad forthe three remaining Testswith captain Pat Cumminsand speedster Josh Hazlewood rejoining the team inMelbourne later this week.
Australia tightens grip on the UrnButtler and Woakes put up some resistance, but Richardson’s fi�vefor does the trick
Agence France-Presse
Adelaide
The End! Anderson falls and Australia celebrates a 20 lead in the fi�veTest series. * AFP
THE ASHES
Australia — 1st innings: 473/9decl.England — 1st innings: 236.Australia — 2nd innings: 230/9decl.England — 2nd innings: RoryBurns c Smith b Richardson 34,Haseeb Hameed c Carey bRichardson 0, Dawid Malan lbwb Neser 20, Joe Root c Carey bStarc 24, Ben Stokes lbw b Lyon12, Ollie Pope c Smith b Starc 4,Jos Buttler hit wicket b Richardson 26, Chris Woakes b Richardson 44, Ollie Robinson c Smith bLyon 8, Stuart Broad (not out)9, James Anderson c Green b
Richardson 2; Extras (b2, lb3,nb4): 9; Total (in 113.1 overs):192.
Fall of wickets: 14, 248, 370,482, 586, 6105, 7166, 8178, 9182.
Australia bowling: Starc 2710432, Richardson 19.19425,Lyon 3916552, Neser 135281, Green 9590,Labuschagne 42100, Smith1100, Head 1100.
Man-of-the-Match:Labuschagne.
Australia won by 275 runs tolead five-match series 2-0.
SCOREBOARD
CSA to probe Smith,Boucher conductJOHANNESBURG
Cricket South Africa on
Monday announced it would
launch a formal inquiry into
the conduct of current
director Graeme Smith and
national team head coach
Mark Boucher after reviewing
the Social Justice and Nation
Building (SJN) Commission
report. CSA was silent on
enquiry against de Villiers. PTI
A Southern Derby featuringTamil Nadu and Karnataka isalways one of the most keenlyawaited clashes on thedomestic calendar irrespective of the format.
In whiteball cricket, thetwo have met quite a fewtimes, including three fi�nals,in the last two years.
Last-ball-six victoryIn the 201920 season, Karnataka beat TN in the fi�nalsof both the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq AliT20 tournament. However,earlier last month, TN pulledoff� a sensational win with alastball six from M. Shahrukh Khan and clinched itssecond T20 title in as manyyears.
The two sides will clashonce again, this time in thequarterfi�nals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, here onTuesday.
When the two met in the
group stages in Thiruvananthapuram earlier thismonth, TN coasted to aneightwicket win after spinning out Karnataka for just122.
However, the conditionshere are diametrically opposite.
While TN reached the lasteight directly, Karnataka hadto beat Rajasthan in the pre
quarters, which it did comprehensively on Sunday. In away, the game time at theK.L. Saini Stadium — wherethe two teams will clash onTuesday — will give Karnataka the edge in terms of knowledge of conditions.
The one change for TNwill be the return of B. Aparajith, who missed theleague stages due to IndiaAduties. He has a solid technique and will have to play avital role as opener to see off�the new ball against the likesV. Vyshak and PrasidhKrishna.
Onus on bowlersTN lost its last two matchesin the league stage and theteam will be hoping to getback on track on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of thematch, TN coach M. Venkatramana said, “an area weneed to improve is consistency in bowling. Similarly,one batsman needs to play along innings and score ahundred so that others canbat around him.”
TN has recent history on its side, Karnataka knowledge of conditions
S. Dipak Ragav
Jaipur
Stay solid: Tamil Nadu will look to Aparajith to ward off� thethreat from new ball bowlers Vyshak and Prasidh. * FILE PHOTO
It’s Southern Derby time again
HAZARE TROPHYTim Southee has, over thelast decade, emerged as apillar of New Zealand cricket. The Black Caps veteranshares his IPL experiences.Excerpts:
You have been a part of fi�veIPL changerooms so far. Canyou summarise yourdecadelong journey in IPL?
Well, now 10 teams, sothere’s still fi�ve more to go(chuckles). I have been beenvery lucky to experience anumber of IPL teams, managed to pick up a couple oftitles along the way andmade the fi�nal this year.Those are the most memorable moments.
Obviously, the successwith Chennai in 2011 was anamazing experience and also with Mumbai a few yearsback. But the thing I enjoythe most is just playing cricket in India. Also the friendships you make. You go intoan Indian team environmentas an overseas player and bythe time you walk away aftertwo months, the friendships
you have made and the people you have managed to getto know that time is something I really enjoy going overthere.
Being an IPL veteran, do youthink it’s time IPL does awaywith full rejig of squadsevery three or four years?
It’s a tough one. It’s obviously been something that’sbeen a part of the IPL fromthe start and it’s the hardest
thing probably for the fanswho get connected with theside and also the players onthat side and then that getschanges every three or fouryears. It’s tough for the fanswith the chopping andchanging of players. I am notsure. It’s above my paybracket to fi�nd out what thebest solution is for that.
Amazon Prime Video de-buts Live cricket streamingon January 1, 2022.
Southee and the IPL journeyAmol Karhadkar
MUMBAI
Southee in CSK colours in 2011 and MI jersey in 2016.
Madrid held by CadizBARCELONA
Depleted by coronavirus
infections, Real Madrid was
held 00 at home by Cádiz in
the Spanish league on
Sunday to end a 10game
winning streak for Real across
all competitions.Other result: Serie A: AC Milan0 lost to Napoli 1 (Elmas 5).
Coach Zeeshan Ali and theIndian Davis Cup team’s captain Rohit Rajpal felt verypositive about India’s chances against Denmark in theDavis Cup World Groupplayoff� tie to be played onthe grass courts of the Gymkhana Club here on March 4and 5.
Rohit emphasised the efforts that were made and thecommunication with all theplayers, and discussion overtwo days, to make the bestpossible surface and venue,so as to enhance India’schances.
Security needsWith the Prime Minister’s residence across the wall fromthe club, it was also clarifi�edthat two courts were identifi�ed so as to meet the security requirements.
“Once we get clarity onthe court to be used, we willget to know the do’s anddon’ts for the tie,” saidRohit.
Moulded his gameZeeshan felt that the country’s No.1 player at the moment, Ramkumar Ramanathan, had moulded hisgame for serve and volley,and that the other players in
cluding Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who may not have agreat liking for grass, wouldbe much better preparedthan the Danes.
“Except for their No. 1player ranked 103, the others may not have much experience of playing on grass.That should work to our advantage,” said Zeeshan, evenas he conceded that thehome team would need toprepare its best on the surface to capitalise on theadvantage.
It was also stated by boththe captain and coach, thatsome juniors would also be
kept in the squad to givethem exposure to intense international team competition. “Ramkumar has beatenDominic Thiem on grass. Heplayed fi�ve sets in the fi�nalqualifying round of Wimbledon and lost 911. He had also made it to the fi�nal of theATP grass event in Newporta few seasons back,” saidZeeshan.
It was pointed out that thepossible doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan was pretty sharp ongrass, which could tilt thescales in favour of India inthe tie.
Zeeshan, Rohit upbeat about chancesHowever, India needs to prepare well for Denmark tie
Kamesh Srinivasan
NEW DELHI
On a mission: India coach Zeeshan Ali and captain Rohit Rajpal. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
DAVIS CUP
Sanil Shetty’s career is on theupswing, and he is keen toride the good form he’s innow.
The 32yearold heaved ahuge sigh of relief when hewon his fi�rst Nationalrankingtournament in Dehradun lastweek.
Long waitThe last time he clinched amen’s singles title in a domestic event was the North Zonetitle in 201314; the year hebagged his fi�rst Nationalchampionships crown.
“I must have competed innearly 20 Nationalrankingtournaments since then andmust have played in 10 fi�nals.
I defi�nitely felt relieved,” Sanil, the topseeded men’s singles player, told The Hinduhere on Monday, on the eveof the South Zone Nationalranking tournament here.
More than the losses intournaments, it was the repeated defeats to A. Amalrajthat troubled him.
It was when he beat Amalraj in the 2018 North Zonequarterfi�nals after six previous failures that gave himthe momentum to start a newminiinnings.
“It took time for me toadapt to changes in rubber,balls and other things. Also, Iwas not comfortable playingagainst Amal. Beating Amalin the seventh and decidinggame after trailing 15 to win115 in the North Zone quarterfi�nals was the turning
point of my career,” said Sanil.
With a fresh and positivemind, Sanil is eager to do wellhere. “I am playing well andmy game has improved.Ideally the way I am playing Ishould reach the fi�nal,” hesaid.
Harmeet Desai, on the other hand, is having a relativelyquiet season. The 28yearold, who recently marriedcoplayer Krittwika SinhaRoy, is of the opinion thatthings will not be easy evenin the absence of India’s topstars, Sharath Kamal and G.Sathiyan.
“There are 56 playerswho can win the title. Thecompetition will be tough,”he said. The men’s and women’s singles main draw willbegin on Tuesday.
Top seed keen to continue winning momentum
K. Keerthivasan
PUDUCHERRY
In full swing: Paddlers showcase their skills in the qualifi�cation round. * S.S. KUMAR
Sanil riding a career upswing
SOUTH ZONE TT
Newlycrowned Worldchampion Loh Kean
Yew, along with runnerupand top seed K. Srikanth,will be part of the star castfor the $400,000 YonexSunrise India Open at theK.D. Jadhav Stadium herefrom January 11 to 16.
P.V. Sindhu and SainaNehwal will be the top twoseeds in the women's singles.
With Lakshya Sen joining the fray, three men’ssingles medallists from therecent World championship will be on view.
H.S. Prannoy, P. Kashyapand Sameer Verma lenddepth to the fi�eld.
In the men’s doubles,home favourites ChiragShetty and SatwiksairajRankireddy could fi�nd thegoing tough against threetime World champion andWorld No. 2 MohammadAhsan and Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia) and theircompatriots Fajar Alfi�anand Muhammad Rian Ardianto, ranked eighth.
Similarly, the fi�eld lacksstars in women’s doublesand mixed doubles, too.World No. 9 JongkolphanKititharal and Rawinda Prajongjai (Thailand) head thedraw that includes the Indian combinations of Ashwini PonappaSikki Reddyand P. GayathriTreesa Jolly.
Top stars forIndia OpenRAKESH RAO
Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC played out a
goalless draw in an IndianSuper League outing at Bambolim on Monday.
JFC (12 points) is in the second spot while BFC (sixpoints) lies 10th. BFC is nowwinless in seven games.
Both teams had their fairshare of chances. JFC strikerGreg Stewart created severalopportunities, but failed toconvert. Stewart, whoscored a hattrick in the previous match, challenged hismarkers with brilliant runsand assists.
BFC custodian GurpeetSandhu had a memorableouting, making a few crucialsaves. JFC nearly took thelead in the 35th minutewhen Komal Thatal was
brought down by BFC’s Parag Srinivas in the box. However, the referee deniedJFC’s penalty claim. A fewminutes later, Thatal left thefi�eld due to an injury andwas replaced by Boris Singh.
BFC’s Sunil Chhetri cameon from the bench with lessthan 20 minutes left in thegame. Chhetri surprisinglyreplaced Cleiton Silva, whowas among the best BFCplayers on view. Chhetrinearly turned hero, but hisheader rattled the crossbarand rolled back into play.
Deep into injury time,Prince Ibara had a gloriouschance to give JFC the fullthree points. The Congo forward, however, missed themark with his shot.The result: Bengaluru FC 0drew with Jamshedpur FC 0.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 202114EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
HYDERABAD: Trainer R.H. Sequeira’s Kesariya Balam, riddenby Akshay Kumar, won the PrinceOf Berar Trophy, the featureevent of Monday’s (Dec.20) races.
The winner is owned by Mr.Ravindra Reddy Male.
1 VIKARABAD PLATE (1,400m),Maiden (Terms), 2yo only
(Cat. II) 1.15: ESSENTIAL
(Mukesh Kumar) 1, MidsummerStar (C.S. Jodha) 2, London Bell(Nakhat Singh) 3 and Survivor(P.S. Chouhan) 4. Not run: CandyGirl. 1/2, 11/2 and 2. 1m 29. 21s.₹�26 (w), 10, 13 and 14 (p). SHP: 38,THP: 34, SHW: 18 and 12, FP: 112,Q: 71, Tanala: 576. Favourite:Pleroma.
Owners: Mr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla,Mr. Adar C. Poonawalla & Mrs.Natasha A. Poonawalla rep. byVilloo Poonawalla Racing &Breeding Private Limited and Mr.Saleem Fazelbhoy. Trainer: Laxman Singh.
2 STARRY SCENE PLATE (Div. I)(1,400m), Maiden, 3yo & up
ward, rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III):GREGOR CLEGANE (Aneel) 1,Grand Duke (R.S. Jodha) 2, SeaWolf (Gaurav Singh) 3 and Despang (P.S. Chouhan) 4. 1/2, Nkand Nk. 1m 28.01s. ₹�71 (w), 16, 49and 34 (p). SHP: 212, THP: 69,SHW: 29 and 81, FP: 3,221, Q:1,377, Tanala: 12,091. Favourite:Quality Warrior.
Owner: Mr. T. Amarender Reddy.
Trainer: S. Sreekant.
3 STARRY SCENE PLATE (Div. II)(1,400m) Maiden, 3yo & up
ward, rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III):BEAUTY FLAME (Gaurav Singh) 1,Pacific Command (Akshay Kumar) 2, Sally (A.A. Vikrant) 3 andSpecial Effort (P.S. Chouhan) 4. 11/2, 1/2 and 2. 1m 27. 91s. ₹�54 (w),13, 12 and 15 (p). SHP: 38, THP:46, SHW: 37 and 10, FP: 188, Q:44, Tanala: 940. Favourite: PacifcCommand.Owner: Mr. Md. Kashif Khan.Trainer: N. Ravinder Singh.
4 DR. S.R. CAPTAIN MEMORIAL
CUP (1,600m), rated 40 to 65(Cat. II): IN CONTENTION (C.S.Jodha) 1, Galwan (P.S. Chouhan)2, Moringa (Surya Prakash) 3 andCrazy Horse (Suraj Narredu) 4. 21/4, 11/4 and Nk. 1m 40. 65s. ₹�21(w), 10, 27 and 32 (p). SHP: 84,THP: 66, SHW: 24 and 33, FP: 173,Q: 130, Tanala: 1,497. Favourite:In Contention.Owners: Mr. P.J. Vazifdar, Mr.Firoze A. Vakil, Mr. M. Rishad, Mr.Prem Vazirani & Miss Soonu J.Davar. Trainer: S.K. Sunderji.
5 CYNDY PLATE (2,000m), rated20 to 45 (Cat. III): PHILAN-
Q: 349, Tanala: 1,887. Favourite:Philanthropist.Owners: Mr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla,Mr. Adar C. Poonawalla & Mrs.Natasha A. Poonawalla rep. VillooPoonawalla Racing & BreedingPvt. Ltd. Trainer: S.K. Sunderji.
6 PRINCE OF BERAR TROPHY
(1,800m), rated 60 to 85 (Cat.II): KESARIYA BALAM (Akshay Kumar) 1, Scramjet (Suraj Narredu)2, Summer Night (C.S. Jodha) 3and Ashwa Yashobali (B.R. Kumar) 4. 33/4, Hd and 11/2. 1m 52.44s. ₹�31 (w), 16, 14 and 11 (p). SHP:31, THP: 54, SHW: 17 and 18, FP:115, Q: 56, Tanala: 194. Favourite:Summer Night.Owner: Mr. Ravinder Reddy Male.Trainer : R.H. Sequeira.
7 CHAITANYA RATHAM PLATE
(1,200m), rated upto 25 (Cat.III): EXOTIC DANCER (A.A.Vikrant) 1, Miss Little Angel(Koushik) 2, Turning Wheel(Abhay Singh) 3 and Jo Malone(Aneel) 4. 1/2, 11/2 and 11/2. 1m14. 93s. ₹�47 (w), 13, 18 and 11 (p).SHP: 38, THP: 73, SHW: 43 and 19,FP: 237, Q: 117, Tanala: 577. Favourite: Summer Night.OWNER: Mr. Prakash Babu, Mr. G.Raghunandan Chary & Mr. SureshChintamaneni. Trainer: D. Netto.Jackpot: 70%: ₹�17,666 (25 tkts.),30%: 941 (201 tkts.); Treble (i):4,873 (9 tkts.); (ii): 526 (134 tkts.).Mini Jackpot (i): 9,455 (4 tkts.);(ii): 1,175 (104 tkts.).
Kesariya Balam shows his strength
Christmas was celebrated sixdays early at the Ma
halaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai, as the RWITC rewrote thehistory of racing in India whileframing a starstudded SevenGraded Race extravaganza onone afternoon. It was punctuated with fiveGrade 1 races, one Grade 2 andone Grade 3. It’s a feat that willprobably never be equalled inthe years to come. Take a bow Mr. Zavaray S. Poonawalla and the RWITC Committee.
Set alightThe day was set alight with theSpartan Poker Sprinters’ Cup.Six topquality speedsterslined up to face the starter forwhat has often been describedas the Equine equivalent of theMen’s Olympic 100 metres.And what a race it turned outto be.
The favourite Multifaceted(MultidimensionalexDhaawiah) with Suraj Narreduastride just managed to holdon from a fast finishing CorfeCastle (Excellent Artex MissDanehill) who was the unluckyloser.
At the same time, theDarius Byramjitrained Multi
faceted turned in a gutsy performance as both the victorand the vanquished went pastthe post locked together withboth beating the track record.Multifaceted is owned by theSri Lankanbased Edwardsfamily and bred at the UshaStud.
Inspired performanceCosmic Ray (Burden of Proofex Corsican Gal) trained to theminute by the Bangalorebased Sulaiman Attaolahi thenturned in an inspired performance in the hands of jockey A.Sandesh to win the Major P.K.Mehra Memorial Super Mileeffortlessly.
Owned by United Racing &Bloodstock Breeders Pvt. Ltd.and bred at the Kunigal Stud,Cosmic Ray hit the front a littleafter turning for home and therest was over bar the shouting.
Ashwa Bravo (Leitrim Morex Shadow Roll) then kept theHyderabad flag flying with abloodless win in the Grade 2,Suresh Mahindra Multi Million.
Bred at the Poona Stud andsporting the colours of thePoonawalla family, the 4yearold bay colt won as he likedunder the hands of SurajNarredu, who stepped in toride as David Egan couldn’t
make the trip.The first Classic of the
Mumbai Winter Season — TheVilloo C. Poonawalla Indian1000 Guineas Grade 1, for 3yearold fillies run over themetric mile — was next on thecards. It was expected to be acakewalk for the unbeatenMiracle, a daughter of Multidimensional out of Khalila.
Immaculate display The Mr. And Mrs. MehernoshDebooowned filly, trained byPesi Shroff and ridden by P. S.Chouhan, didn’t disappoint.She produced an absolutelyimmaculate display as she demolished the field to win byover 6 lengths, stopping theclock at just a fraction of asecond outside the time set inthe Super Mile.
For me, she’s probably thebest threeyearold in trainingand I haven’t seen a filly win aGrade 1 Classic the way she didin quite a while.
Silver Bells are synonymouswith Christmas decor, whichalways make the Celebrationthat much more alluring andyou would not have lookedbeyond a 4yearold grey fillynamed Alluring Silver.
The daughter of Leitir Morout of Personal Allure pulledoff her greatest triumph yet
when she came out and wonthe feature of the day — TheGrade 1 Zavaray S. PoonawallaIndian Turf Invitation Cup.The runnerup and coursefavourite Juliette might wellhave turned the tables but forjockey Sandesh riding whatmight just be one of his mostilljudged races yet.
Bred at Poonawalla Exhilaration Stud and owned by thePoonawalla family along withMukul Sonawalla, D.R.Thacker and ChadurangaKantharaj Urs, the bighearted4yearold filly gave trainerPesi Shroff a Grade 1 Double.Jockey Suraj Narredu notchedup a Grade 1 Double with thebonus of a Grade 2 win as well.
The curtain came downwith yet another nailbitingfinish in the Grade 1 Dr.M.A.M. Ramaswamy StayersCup. Run over a gruelling3000 metres, the 6yearoldMy Opinion (DailedInex LoveMe Good) held on grimly afterwresting the lead halfwaydown the straight.
Bred at the Sans CraintesStud, trained by Chennaibased B. Suresh, and riddenwith great understanding byjockey Akshay Kumar, the 6yearold held back the vehement challenge by the 4yearold Theon.
Tinges of silver on an alluring Sunday afternoonCyrus J. Madan
Pankaj Advani defendstitle in styleBHOPAL
Defending champion Pankaj
Advani defeated Petroleum
Sports Promotion Board mate
Dhruv Sitwala 52 in the final
to emerge the senior
National billiards champion
here on Monday. Pankaj
notched up breaks of 127 and
an unbroken 148 during the
course of his victory.
IN BRIEF
Team TVS Racing fi�nishedthe season on a high winningall the four categories it hadparticipated in the sixth andfi�nal round of the MRF MOGRIP FMSCI 2W NationalRally Championship (INRC)for two wheelers at Nashik,Maharashtra on Sunday.
It was enough for the factory racing team to seal thechampionship. The team’s
big star Abdul Wahid Tanveer won the Group A(450cc) and the overall category and, so did the othertop rider Samuel Jacob inGroup B (260cc) for the second year in a row.
Aishwarya Pissay clinchedthe Ladies class for the fi�fthyear on the trot for the teamand N. Karthik was crownedthe Scooter class champion.
It was the third and thefi�fth round at Puttur andCoimbatore that turned outto be decisive. The boys
came up with a remarkableshow winning podiums withease. “It has been an incredible season for the team atthe 2021 INRC. I am thrilledwith the performance of allthe riders, and their hardwork and dedication havepaid off�,” said B. Selvaraj,TVS Racing’s Team Manager.
“I would like to thank thecrew for their relentlesswork and immense eff�orts inkeeping the motorcycles andscooters at its best form,” headded.
Team TVS Racing crowned championMakes a clean sweep of the four categories it participated in
Memorable win: Team TVS Racing came up with a fi�ne show to fi�nish on top. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
INRC
Rayan Rozario
Coimbatore
It will be another week of action for the Indian tennisplayers as another edition ofthe Centena Pro TennisLeague unfolds at the RKKhanna Stadium Complexhere from Tuesday.
With leading men’splayers like Ramkumar Ramanathan, Saketh Myneni,Vishnu Vardhan, ArjunKadhe, Niki Poonacha, VijaySundar Prashanth providingthe thrust, the league hopesto get the right blend of men,women, youth and seniors.
Eight teams have been divided into two groups, and
will play on a leaguecumknockout basis. Each tie willfeature six matches, twomen’s singles, one junior singles, men’s doubles, and twomixed doubles, one featuring a junior and another a ov
er35 player.Every match will be
played on a best of ninegames format, with a regulartiebreak at 44. Teams willbe ranked on the basis of thegames won and lost, and the
top two will make it to thesemifi�nals.
Briefi�ng the teams aboutthe rules, referee PuneetGupta stressed that the codeviolation would warrant apenalty, after an initial warning, and could lead to deduction of a team’s games in thefi�nal tally.
The league matches willbe played in two sessions,from 10.30 a.m. and 2.30p.m. keeping in mind thecold conditions in theCapital.The groupings:
Pool A: Indian Aviators, Sankara, Sapphire Superstars, Pro Veri Super Smashers.
Pool B: Bangalore Challengers,Team Radiant, DMGDelhi Crusaders, Stag Babolat Yoddhas.
Tennis caravan moves to the CapitalPro League, boasting of top stars, hopes to get the right blend
PTL
Kamesh Srinivasan
NEW DELHI
Ready for action: The Indian players at the Pro Tennis Leaguelaunch. * KAMESH SRINIVASAN
Bey helps Pistons endrecord losing streakLOS ANGELES
Saddiq Bey scored 26 points
as Detroit Pistons ended a
franchise recordtying
14game losing streak with a
10090 victory over Miami
Heat in the NBA on Sunday.The results: Pistons 100 btHeat 90; Kings 121 btSpurs 114; Grizzlies 100lost to Trail Blazers 105;76ers vs Pelicanspostponed; Hawks vsCavaliers postponed;Nets vs Nuggetspostponed; Bulls 115 btLakers 110; Timberwolves111 bt Mavericks 105;Suns 137 bt Hornets 106;Raptors vs Magicpostponed. AFP
Nefi�sa Berberovic of Bosniaand Herzegovina heads theseedings list in the NECC$25,000 ITF women’s tennistournament to be played atthe Deccan Gymkhana herefrom Tuesday.
With all the eight seedsbeing foreigners, the task iscut out for the leading Indian players, Karman Kaur,Rutuja Bhosale, Zeel Desai,Pranjala Yadlapalli, Sowjanya Bavisetti and company.
Zeel starts against secondseed Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan, while Rutuja willbe challenged by ShrivalliBhamidipaty.
Pranjala opens againstwild card Farhat Aleen Qamar and could meet thirdseed Chihiro Muramatsu ifshe makes the secondround.
Karman will play MihikaYadav in the fi�rst round and
the winner could run intoNefi�sa in the second round.
The Indian players didwell to grab fi�ve of the eightqualifi�ers’ spots, with NidhiChilumula scoring a thrilling46, 64, [106] win over second seed JenniferLuikham.The results: Qualifying (second and fi�nalround): Clara Vlasselaer (Bel)bt Ramya Natarajan 61, 62;Nidhi Chilumula bt JenniferLuikham 46, 64, [106]; SoRa Lee (Kor) bt Ishwari Matere61, 62; Sathwika Sama btSaumya Vig 60, 61; Arthi Muniyan bt Sharmada Balu 16,64, [101]; Weronika Baszak(Pol) bt Soha Sadiq 64, 64;Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Humera Baharmus 61, 64; ShreyaTatavarthy bt Elena Jamshidi(Den) 61, 62.
Nefi�sa gets top billingTask cut out for leading Indian players
TENNIS
Sports Bureau
PUNE
Good going: Nidhi scored a thrilling win over second seedJennifer. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Back to its best after a slowstart, defending championand Tokyo Olympic Gamesbronzemedallist India willstart as the overwhelmingfavourite against AsianGames gold medallist Japanin the semifi�nals of theAsian Champions Trophy(ACT) men’s hockey tournament here on Tuesday.
The Manpreet Singhledside’s confi�dence must be
sky high, having thrashedJapan 60 in its last roundrobin match and comeTuesday, India will fancyanother big win en route tothe title clash.
Eyeing an encore
India completely outperformed Japan in all departments and would eye anencore in the semifi�nalclash as well.
India will, however, needto guard against complacency as any slipup couldspoil all the hardwork.
India ended the roundrobin stage of the fi�venation tournament at the topof the standings with 10points, ahead of Korea (6),Japan (5), Pakistan (5) andhost Bangladesh (0).
Job on hand
Japan will have to lift itsgame by leaps and boundsand play out of its skin togive itself any chance of registering an upset win.
Meanwhile, South Koreafaces Pakistan in the otherlastfour clash on Tuesday.
India starts favourite against JapanSouth Korea faces Pakistan in the fi�rst semifi�nal
On a roll: India will be keen to continue the momentum in the semifi�nal against Japan. * AFP
ACT HOCKEY
Press Trust of India
Dhaka
Junior World Cup star Sudeep Chirmako scored fourgoals as defending champion Odisha drubbed Chhattisgarh 100 in a Pool A clashof the 11th Junior Nationalmen’s hockey championship at the SDAT astroturfground here on Monday.
In another exciting Pool Cbattle, Telangana bouncedback from a twogoal defi�citto hold Bengal 44.The results:
Pool E: Punjab won 50against Arunachal Pradesh asArunachal forfeited match;Maharashtra 2 (Aditya Lalage, Tejas Chavan) bt Kerala0.
Chirmako stars for Odisha
HOCKEY
Special Correspondent
KOVILPATTI
Uttar Pradesh Hockey andHockey Punjab set up asummit clash in the seniormen’s National championship here.
In the fi�rst semifi�nal onMonday, Uttar Pradeshedged past Hockey Karnataka 21. Mohammad AmirKhan (fourth minute) andVishal Singh (eighth) got onthe scoresheet for the winner, while captain Mohd.Raheel reduced the marginin the 22nd minute.
Punjab blanked Maharashtra 30, thanks to goalsfrom captain Rupinder PalSingh (28th, 46th) and Sudarshan Singh (38th).
UP to take onPunjab in fi�nal
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
PUNE
Muhammad Huraira, a nephew of Pakistan’s formercaptain Shoaib Malik,created history on Mondaywhen he became the country’s second youngestcricketer to score a triplecentury, in the ongoingQuaiderAzam Trophy.
Huraira, who is playingin his debut First Class season scored the triple ton atthe age of 19 years and 239days and is the eighth overall to achieve this feat.
Javed Miandad holds therecord for youngest at 19years and 141 days.
This is the 23rd triple onPakistan soil with Hurairabeing the 22nd player overall to score a 300 in Pakistan.
Malik’snephew inrecord books
Press Trust of India
Karachi
Deepika scored a hattrickwhile Mumtaz Khan andSangita Kumari scoredtwice each as the Indian Junior Women’s team continued to steamroll its opponents in the Khelo Indiaunder21 women’s hockeyleague with an 81 winagainst Odisha Naval TataHockey High PerformanceCentre in Pool A onMonday.
Also winning easily wasSports Authority of India Bwith a 50 victory againstMumbai School Sports Association in Pool A and Haryana Hockey Academyoverwhelming Delhi Hockey 61 in Pool B.The results: Pool A: India Juniors 8 (Deepika 3, Mumtaz Khan 2, Sangita Kumari 2, VaishnaviPhalke) bt ONTHHPC, Bhubaneswar 1 (Munmuni Das).
SAIB 5 (Vartika Rawat 2,Vinamrata Yadav, Anjali Mahto, F. Lalawmpuii) bt MSSA 0;HIM Academy 1 (TaranpreetKaur) bt Khalsa Hockey Academy, Amritsar 0.Pool B: SAI A 0 drew withMPHA 0; Sports Hostel, Bhubaneswar 2 (Sunita Xaxa,Mukta Jojo) bt Jai Bharat HA0.
Haryana HA 6 (Saavi 2, Pinki, Jyoti, Usha, Shashi Khasa)bt Delhi Hockey 1 (Shubham).
India Juniorscontinue todominateSPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
Easy win for AAIManofthematch MohitJangra claimed two wicketsfor just nine runs asAirport Authority of India(AAI) defeated Air India byseven wickets in theallIndia Public Sectorcricket tournament.The scores:
AI 69/7 in 15 overs (Mohit
Jangra 2/9) lost to AAI 73/3 in
9 overs (Ayush Badoni 27).
Uday and Aditya shineUday Negi’s three wicketsand Aditya Kasotia’s 60helped Airliner Academybeat Tuli Academy by fi�vewickets in the seventh R.P.Dhoundiyal crickettournament.The scores:
Tuli Academy 164 in 32 overs
(Shubh Singh Rawat 53, Yatish
Jha 39, Uday Negi 3/28) lost
to Airliner Academy 170/5 in
22 overs (Aditya Kasotia 60,
Yash Bhoj 41, Ritik Sharma
3/30).
Yuvraj scores centuryYuvraj Singh’s 112ball 148and four wickets by Harsh
Kumar saw VenkateshwarAcademy (VCA) thump VSSports by 103 runs in thefi�rst Ratan Lal Sainiunder19 crickettournament.The scores:
VCA 318/6 in 45 overs (Yuvraj
Singh 148, Prashant Panwar
62, Srajan Ravi 3/44) bt VSS
215/9 in 45 overs (Kartik Negi
65, Srajan Ravi 38, Harsh
Kumar 4/37).
Nishant scores the winnerNishant struck the lonegoal of the game in the 17thminute as GovernmentBoys Sr. Sec. School,Ghuman Hera registered a10 victory against SurjitHockey Academy,Jalandhar, in thequarterfi�nal league at the38th Nehru subjuniorboys hockey tournamenthere.The results:
Former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem’s recovery from a right wrist injury has forced him to missthe ATP Cup and the SydneyATP 250 tournament aheadof next month’s AustralianOpen.
Thiem was expected to
play in Dubai this week butwithdrew after catching acold and returning to Austria.
“After speaking to myteam, we have decided to return to Austria, instead offl�ying directly to Australia,”Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Openchampion, said on socialmedia Sunday.
Two months ago, India crossed thelandmark fi�gure of 100 crore administeredvaccines—for the fi�rst and second dosecombined. By December, 10, ~81 crore of itsadult population received its fi�rst dose, with~51 crore also having received a second doseso as to be admitted in the once elusive, fullyvaccinated against COVID19 club. While thefi�gure is laudable for a developing country,it's important to continue examining ourprogress, especially as this impressive feat isoccurring along with a dramatic decline indisease incidence since the peak of thesecond wave and a looming possible thirdwave driven by the new Omicron variant.
Today, it is crucial to understand that ourpresent situation holds the potential forpeople to develop ‘vaccinecomplacency’—an attitude to delay gettinginoculated. Vaccination trends from CoWindata indicated strong evidence of vaccinecomplacency in India betweenmidSeptember end of October — a dramaticdecline in daily dosage at a time whensupply was no longer a problem. The stickymonthlong trend resulted in the Centreasking the States to urge its fi�rst dosebenefi�ciaries to get fully vaccinated, over areview of the COVID19 vaccination drive(19th Oct 2021). Clearly, many peoplereportedly missed, and continue to misstheir second dose — so just how farbehind are we? And is it a panIndiaproblem?
Public DataThe nature of the CoWindashboard makes it diffi�cult tomake onetoone inferences aboutthe quantum of people missingtheir second dose. Data is availableon total fi�rst and second dose aswell as total administered doses ofCovaxin and Covishield, but sincethe recommended gap betweenthe two doses of the two vaccinesis diff�erent and has moved overtime, one has to estimate the lagsin second dose uptake.
To estimate these lags, weused the outer recommendedlimits of getting vaccinated,i.e., 16 weeks for Covishieldand 6 weeks for Covaxinthrough dataaccessed on 10thDecember. Thelong outer gapbetween thetwo doses forCovishield
(90% of all doses administered nationally)implies that people due for their seconddose in December only got their fi�rst dose inAugust/September. It is important torecognise that our estimate on missedsecond doses will potentially be anunderestimate as it does not capture thedeveloping vaccine complacency—at worsthesitancy— for ~35 crore people who gottheir fi�rst jab between September andDecember.
On the surface, the aggregated nationalpicture shows that ~51 crore people havereceived the second dose, against aminimum estimate of ~47 crore eligiblepeople. However, this aggregated picturedoes not show the real quantum of theproblem, which relates to developmentalinequities and sits at the state and districtlevels. The heat map below shows that 43districts in India have a ‘large gap’ in seconddose coverage i.e., >20% lower number ofsecond doses administered compared toestimated target number; and 119 districtsshow a ‘medium gap’ of 1020% betweenadministered second doses and estimatedtarget. Encouragingly, the number of largergap districts have about halved betweenOctober and December reducing from 98 to43 districts, while the ones in the mediumgap have only slightly reduced from 144districts to 119. (Heat map above)
It is clear from the heat map that lack ofsecond dose uptake is concentrated in
specifi�c States like Punjab, Haryana,Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, UttarPradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala and theNortheastern States. A simpleclassifi�cation of districts in these Statesthrows some noteworthy insights(Table 1):● Over 70% of districts in Punjab and60% in Jharkhand are estimated tohave >10% of fi�rst dosers missing thesecond dose● Big states like Uttar Pradesh,Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, andJharkhand throw up troublingstatistics with a large share of districts
indicating over 1020% or/ or >20% ofthe fi�rst dose benefi�ciaries missing their
second dose.● The 7 Northeastern states of India are
falling signifi�cantly behind in coverageof second doses, with 64 of the
112 districts (~58%) in the regionestimated to have >10% of fi�rst
dosers missing the seconddose.
If we go a layerdeeper and
look at someof the most
problematic districts with over 20% ofbenefi�ciaries missing there second dose, wefi�nd that 23 of the 43 worst performingdistricts are in 4 states — 7 are in ArunachalPradesh, 6 in Manipur, and 5 each inJharkhand and Punjab (Table 2).
One potential caveat in this conversationis of the role of domestic migration—canmigration alone explain the near absentnational but alarming districtlevel seconddose gap? With our assumptions andkeeping in mind the demographic makeupof districts that show up, this is unlikely.Another point worth noting is that vaccinecomplacency itself is dynamic and respondsto proactive public health messaging andgeneral disease severity — a lot of districtshave improved their performance betweenOctober – December while others haveworsened.
Primary DataPrimary data from the urban slums ofBengaluru (1590 responses, conducted over26th August 4th September) indicates at
least 10% of those who were partiallyvaccinated reported they were unwilling totake the second dose, another 11% wereunsure.● 32% of such respondents reported thattaking one dose is enough to provideadequate protection.● 29% reported that people are contractingCOVID19 even postvaccination and hencewere not confi�dent that the second doseoff�ered any immunity.● Crucially, 34% reported they were unsureof any specifi�c reason informing theirdecision to not take the second dose.● Overall, 61% reported lack of conveniencein getting jabbed — many were hesitant to gofor the second dose due to the potentialadverse occupational eff�ects (48%),associated wage loss (27%) and time taken toget to the vaccine camp and back (30%).
Moreover, this sample indicated asignifi�cant impact of culture and communityleaders on vaccination. While many peopleresponded neutrally to the importance ofreligious beliefs in the decision to getinoculated, about 20% reported that therewere religious and community leaders whodid not encourage vaccination.
Way ForwardTo guard against the risk of emergingCOVID19 variants, India must continually
push out second doses, but also start tosystematically focus on the uptake ofpotential booster doses to ensure that theeff�ort and investment has a strong publichealth payoff�. The fi�rst step towards thiswould be to provide more usable, publiclytrackable data, tailored towards the seconddose gap.
Second, concerted eff�orts must be putinto closely working with vulnerablecommunities, particularly tribalcommunities as highlighted in our analysis,that are more susceptible to mistrust inpublic health systems. An earlier samplefrom 25 aspirational districts across 7 states(863 responses, conducted over 8th14thJune) indicated that the mistrust ininstitutions among those who wereuneducated/ below the poverty line causedgeneral hesitancy to get jabbed.
Third, we must enable access to seconddoses, and potential booster doses, byrevisiting strategies that worked for the fi�rstdose— organising villagelevel vaccinecamps, ferrying people to and fromvaccination centers and eff�ectivelyleveraging the infl�uence of local communityleaders. As acknowledged by StateGovernment representatives in the reviewmeeting, the current approach of remindingpeople about their second doses throughSMS is not working, especially since multiplepeople can be registered on one mobilenumber. They emphasised that people maysimply be forgetting about the second dosegiven the long gap between jabs.
Today, for eff�ective protection againstCOVID19, India needs to inoculate ~10 croreof its eligible adult population (18+ years),while also closely monitor ~35 crore peoplewho are not eligible for the second dose yet,in addition to strategising the approach tovaccinating ~40 crore children andadolescents.
It is clear that complacency can beaddressed eff�ectively with proactive datatracking and public health interventions. Toeff�ectively meet the challenge of jabbing alleligible adults at the earliest, andsubsequently children and adolescents, it'simportant to understand both—the localisedfactors leading to complacency/ hesitancy aswell as the archetypes of the populationmost vulnerable to being left behind, andleverage trusted local public healthrepresentatives such as ASHA workers toensure vaccine adoption for all.
Geetika Dang and Sansiddha Pani aresenior research consultants at Sattva.
Is declining disease incidence makingIndia COVID complacent?
interventions. THE GISTB Vaccination trends fromCoWin data indicates strongevidence of vaccinecomplacency in Indiabetween midSeptemberend of October. There hasbeen a dramatic decline indaily dosage at a time whensupply was no longer aproblem.
B In this study, the lags intaking the second dose ofthe vaccine post the secondwave have been studied. Toestimate these lags, theouter recommended limitsof getting vaccinated, i.e.,16 weeks for Covishield and6 weeks for Covaxinthrough data accessed on10th December have beenused.
B Vaccine complacency isdynamic and responds toproactive public healthmessaging and generaldisease severity. A lot ofdistricts have improved theirperformance betweenOctober – December whileothers have worsened.
protests. The same thing happened in 2012 whenstudents led a struggle against the introduction ofmainlandstyle patriotic education into localschools.
With Beijing’s new electoral rules, and thequashing of protest and other forms of oppositionsince last summer, it is less likely that a futureHong Kong Chief Executive will face the threat ofremoval by popular opposition. The zyu can nowrule without much worry about how the man willrespond. There is less political space now for thecreation of movements like those of 2003 and2012. Many of the leaders of those movements, aswell as key participants in the big protest surges of2014 and 2019, are now incarcerated or in exile.
A sketch of past electoral practices shows howthe latest rules fi�t into the larger story of themanzyu phenomenon in Hong Kong. Decidingwho occupies the top spot in the government hasalways been more a process of selection thanelection. Colonial Governors were appointed bythe British Parliament without anyone in HongKong having a say. Since the 1997 Handover thatmade Hong Kong a Special Administrative Regionof China, Chief Executives have been voted intooffi�ce by an Election Committee comprising 1,200members, nearly all of them preapproved byBeijing. The list of candidates similarly neededBeijing’s approval.
Under Hong Kong’s 1990 Basic Law (the closestthing the city has to a Constitution), the ChiefExecutive enjoys broad powers, but the legislature(Legislative Council, or Legco) holds a key checkon executive power through a provision thatforces a Chief Executive to step down undercertain conditions: generally, when he or shecannot muster suffi�cient legislative support onbudgetary or “other important bills”. While thiscontingency was always remote since it entailedsnap elections and a new Legco’s continuedopposition to a bill, the recent electoral changesnow virtually rule out such a scenario. There werealways blocks of Legco seats that were eff�ectivelycontrolled by the proBeijing establishment. Nowthere are signifi�cantly more.
New rulesThe new arrangement shrinks the number ofdirectly elected seats in Legco from 35 (half of thecurrent 70) to 20, or less than onequarter of the90 seats in the expanded legislature. The other 70seats will be split between 30 representativeselected from professions and occupations, and anastonishing 40 ‘representatives’ will be chosen bythe same Election Committee — now with 1,500members — that selects the Chief Executive. Andjust to be on the safe side, anyone who fi�les to runfor the legislature must be prescreened by the
The start of a moreauthoritarian era
Hong Kong’s fi�rst elections after the Beijing backedelectoral reforms had a very low voter turnout,going down as much as 40% as compared to the2016 elections. In this piece dated April 7, 2021,Mark Frazier and Jeff�rey Wasserstrom explainhow the new electoral rules introduced by theCommunist Party of China (CPC) will completelystifl�e all forms of democratic opposition anddissent.
Why should anyone care that the ChineseGovernment recently made drastic changes to thealready undemocratic way in which Hong Kong’sChief Executive and members of its legislature arechosen? As scholars of protest patterns andrepressive actions, we feel these changesrepresent a devastating development. Changes inrules related to voting, vetting candidates, andapportioning legislative seats in a city that wasnever fully democratic could seem less alarmingthan more dramatic actions to curtail liberties inHong Kong. But they are arguably just asthreatening to the region’s political future.
Listening to the peopleOne way to appreciate the signifi�cance of thechanges is to consider the longstanding traditionof ‘democracy with Chinese characteristics’. Theconcept is expressed as a pair of characters thatare commonly rendered in English as ‘democracy’but stand for more than just electoral campaigns,voting, and other aspects of institutionalisedpolitics. In Cantonese, the characters arepronounced manzyu and on their own they mean‘people’ and ‘rule’. Manzyu can suggest a systemin which those who zyu (rule) listen to andprovide for the man (people). Crucial to suchresponsive governance are mechanisms ofaccountability, which include more than simplyvoicing opposition though elections. Rulers canbe responsive in diff�erent ways, such as listeningto protest slogans, reading petitions, and engagingin dialogue with representatives of social groups.
Under a hybrid regime that combines elementsof liberal and illiberal institutions, Hong Kongcitizens have forced one Chief Executive to stepdown before his term had ended and another oneto decide against running for ‘reselection’ in 2017.Popular protests have also compelled localoffi�cials — who were in part trying to show thatthey were willing to listen to the man and stay inpower — to withdraw proposals in 2003 and 2012when it became clear how disliked their planswere. In 2003, Beijing wanted the Hong Konggovernment to pass a law on national security andsedition. The proposal was withdrawn after
Hong Kong government to ensure they possesssuffi�cient ‘patriotic’ credentials. Nonpatriots(e.g., critics of Beijing) need not apply. Even HongKong’s courts — once bastions in protections ofpolitical speech — are unlikely to help, since thereis no recourse to appeal to them when one’scandidate application is denied on patriotismgrounds. Being able to remove the Chief Executivewas not the only manzyu feature of the old Legco;having a shot at close to half the seats also meantthat opposition forces could temporarily blockunpopular measures, which gave organisers timeto ramp up street actions.
It has always been clear that the ChineseCommunist Party (CCP) would be able to preventanyone it didn’t feel it could work with frombecoming Hong Kong’s Chief Executive. But thenew rules have changed the ‘card game’ from onein which the deck was stacked againstprodemocracy forces to one in which ‘the house’will always win — not just after a few draws fromthe deck but from the opening hand. Beijing hasalso made moves to make activities relating toLegco politics similarly stripped of the play ofchance.
Beyond elections, the new rules also matterbecause they fi�t into a broader assault on valuesand processes that have long set Hong Kong apartfrom cities on the mainland. It has been a politicalsetting in which expressions of dissenting viewshad a clear place, both during the quicklyliberalising fi�nal years of colonial rule and fromthe Handover until last year. These views could bevoiced at most points not only in electoral politicsor marches but also in annual political rituals andsatire that fl�agged diff�erences from the mainland.Now, though, marches that were once consideredlegal are routinely banned. The popular televisionshow, Headliner, which aired comic sketches thatmocked the policies of the colonial Governorbefore, and of the Chief Executive after 1997, hasbeen pulled from the air waves. Studentorganisations are under pressure to curtailcriticisms of the CCP and the Hong Konggovernment. Students are not permitted to put upcritical placards on campus bulletin boards called‘Manzyu Walls’.
All of these herald the arrival of a moreauthoritarian and less responsive era, in whichthe man of Hong Kong will continue to fi�nd waysto voice resistance but will have to do so in subtlerways. And in which there is less distance orcontrast than ever between the zyu in Hong Kongand the far more powerful rulers in Beijing.
Mark Frazier is a Professor of Politics andCoDirector of the India China Institute at theNew School; Jeff�rey Wasserstrom is a Professor ofHistory at the University of California Irvine.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The new electoral procedures herald the end of democracy in a Hong Kong that was never truly democratic
THE GISTB Anyone who fi�les to runfor the legislature must beprescreened by the HongKong Government to ensurethey possess suffi�cient‘patriotic’ credentials.Nonpatriots (e.g., critics ofBeijing) need not apply.
B Under Hong Kong’s 1990Basic Law, the ChiefExecutive enjoys broadpowers, but the legislature(or Legco) holds a key checkon executive power througha provision that forces aChief Executive to stepdown under certainconditions. The recentelectoral changes nowvirtually rule out such ascenario.
B Beyond elections, thenew rules also matterbecause they fi�t into abroader assault on valuesand processes that havelong set Hong Kong apartfrom the mainland. It hasbeen a political setting inwhich expressions ofdissenting views had a clearplace. These views could bevoiced at most points notonly in electoral politics ormarches but also in annualpolitical rituals and satire.
Mark Frazier
Jeffrey Wasserstrom
Mass movement: Elections for Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021 mark the culmination of Beijing’s campaign to rein in the body that had once kept it from imposing itsunrestrained will over the semiautonomous territory. This photo is from the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong in 2014. * AP
"You are not a teacher?" "Yes, Sir." "Oh! I am sorry. So you are a teacher". "No, Sir. I am not a teacher" "But you said, 'Yes, Sir' ". "Yes, Sir." "In English, that would mean you are a
teacher. If I say, "You are nota fool?" and yourespond by saying "Yes, Sir", it would meanyou are a fool. If you want to say that you arenot a fool, you must say "No, Sir". It means"No, Sir, I am not a fool." If you say, "yes", itwould amount to saying "Yes, Sir, I am a fool."
"Sir, which is correct, 'prefer to' or 'preferthan'."
"You prefer A to B. You prefer coff�ee to tea.I prefer tea to coff�ee. 'Prefer than' is incorrect."
"When are you leaving to Delhi?" "I am not leaving to Delhi, but for Delhi. I
am leaving for Delhi. He is leaving Madras forCalcutta. But you can also say, I am going toDelhi. Well, let me answer your question. Iam leaving for Delhi tomorrow."
"Please buy a good English dictionary forme and send it in my temporary address."
"I will post it to your temporary address.The preposition must be to and not in. Pleasesend the dictionary to the temporary address. Of course, you can also say, "Pleasesend the dictionary to me at....' After theword at. you must give your address."
"Thank you, Sir. All these will be useful. Iteach for small, small kids at home."
"Say you teach small kids. Don't say 'I teachfor'. You teach somebody something. Also say'small kids' not 'small, small kids'. Do you likeyour offi�ce?
"No, Sir. I am fed up from the offi�ce." "No, it is not fed up from the offi�ce but fed
up with the offi�ce. To be fed up' means 'to bediscontented', 'to have too much of something."
What is the diff�erence between (a) amountand number (b) all together and altogether." "
Amount refers to 'quantity'. He spent alarge amount of money on his daughter'swedding. 'Number' refers to anything 'countable'. I saw a large number of people at thestation.
All together means 'collectively'. You takeall the books and magazines and pack themall together. Altogether means 'completely'. Itwas altogether enjoyable."
"He walked in the garden and he walked into the garden'. Are these two the same or different?"
"He walked in the garden means he walkedinside the garden. He walked into the gardenmeans that he stepped into the garden. Allthat this sentence says is that he got into thegarden. What he did inside, we do not know.We are only told that he walked into the garden. 'Into' suggests movement towards something: here it is the garden. 'Into' is generally used with verbs of motion. Do youfollow?"
"What is the diff�erence between I can walkand I could walk?" 'Can' here means 'be able'.Ican walk means 'I am able to walk', I couldwalk means 1 was able to walk'. "
Example: Even after the accident, I found Icould walk. I could climb this hill when I wasyoung. I could sing when I was young. Weneed not concern ourselves with the othermeanings of 'can' and 'could' at the moment."
"What is the diff�erence between can I go?and may I go?" "In both, you seek permissionto go. May is more polite and more formalthan can. Is this clear?"
"Yes, Sir." "Good. You may go now. I will see you later.
Gabriel Boric, a charismatic 35 year old former student leader, has been elected as the President of Chile. Here’sa quiz on prominent personalities who were activists in their student days.
1 This person was elected to the post ofDelhi University Students Union
president in 1974 and was arrested underthe Maintenance of Internal Security Act(MISA) for agitating against Emergency inJune 1975. Later, he practised law in theSupreme Court and became a prominentUnion minister who passed away a fewmonths after declining a ministerial role inthe Government due to health issues.Name him.
2 A trained architect who latercompleted his PhD in Regional
Development from Jawaharlal NehruUniversity in 1986, this person was activeas a student in organising workers fromhis native country who were living inIndia. Later, after a stint underground as aguerilla fi�ghter, he was instrumental in hiscountry’s transition to a republic bypushing for a new constituent assembly.He also went on to become prime ministerof that country. Name him and thecountry.
3 The youngest mayor ever in India, this personwas elected to the post at the age of 21.
Name the person and the city.
4 After plunging full time into politicalactivism, this person failed his fi�nal year law
exams and was refused a degree in 1949.Eventually he passed qualifying exams andpractised as an attorney, while being infl�uencedby Marxist and Gandhian ideas. He led a strongmovement against racism in his country whichsoon turned towards more organised andmilitant methods, for which he was arrested andincarcerated for decades before emerging as theleader of his country. Name him and the country.
5 As a student activist studying law in Dublin,he mobilised opinion against British rule in
India and stood for Irish nationalism besidesdocumenting abuse of Indians in South Africa. Helater practised law in what was then Madraswhile being active in the trade union movementthroughout his career. After independence, hewent on to become the President of India. Namehim.
F The gentleman on the right, thenaged 21, was leading a protest againstthe policy of racially segregatedhousing introduced in the university hewas studying (the picture was taken in1962). He later went on to championseveral struggles related to labourrights, welfarist goals and became aprominent politician in the UnitedStates. Name him. * WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Compiled by: Srinivasan Ramani
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