VIJAYAWADA, FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022; PAGES 12 `3

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VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN HYDERABAD

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MONEY 8MOODY'S SLASHES INDIA'S ECONOMIC

GROWTH FORECAST TO 8.8 PC FOR 2022

ANALYSIS 7THE WORLD MUST UNITEFOR FIGHTING INFLATION

SPORTS 11ROYAL BATTLE

}‘I ONLY KEEP ONEFILM IN BANK’

Page 12

{

ALMANAC

Updated: MAY 26, 2022 5:00 PM

Forecast: Sunny

Temp: 37oc

Humidity: 55%

Sunrise: 5:40 AM

Sunset: 6:34 PM

Month & Paksham:

Tithi: Dwadashi: May 26 10:54 AM

to May 27 11:48 AM

Trayodashi: May 27 11:48 AM

to May 28 01:09 PM

Nakshatram:

Ashwini: May 27 12:38 AM

to May 28 02:26 AM

Bharani: May 28 02:26 AM

to May 29 04:39 AM

Rahukalam: 10:36 AM to 12:13 PM

Yamagandam: 3:27 PM to 5:04 PM

Varjyam: 12:55 PM to 02:40 PM

Gulika: 7:22 AM to 8:59 AM

Amritakalam: 06:42 PM to 08:25 PM

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:47 AM

to 12:38 PM

TTOODDAAYY

VIJAYAWADA WEATHER

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The divine wedding ceremony ofLord Venkateswara with his con-sorts Sridevi and Bhudevi was heldwith utmost religious fervor atBhubaneswar Temple in Odisha onThursday evening which was wit-nessed by a large number of devo-tees with spiritual ecstasy.

This religious event took placebetween 3 pm and 4:30 pm amidstchanting of Vedic mantras byArchakas.

The ritual started withDevataradhana and SabhaVandanam. The ritual-performing

priests sit in Kurmasana facing Eastof the deities. The celestial marriageof the deities was performed as perthe traditional Hindu Marriage

system. The important phase of theritual, Maha Sankalpam was per-formed wherein the descendent ofthe Tallapaka family who dedicat-

ed their lives in the service of LordVenkateswara for the last 600 yearsperformed Kanyadanam on behalfof goddesses.

In any Hindu Marriage,Kanyadanam occupies a prominentplace. Here the Gotra Pravaras ofLord and His Consorts were recit-ed by the priests. The DivineWedding Ceremony came to agrand end with 'Mangalya Dharana'where Lord Venkateswara tied theHoly Mangala Sutrams to hisbeloved consorts.

Varana Mayiram is a prominentand entertaining phase usually per-formed during south Indian Hindu

weddings. The Lord and his consortsplayed with floral balls and coconutsfacing each other. Here the priestsand Tallapaka descendents per-formed this ritual on behalf of thedeities. After this, the garlands ofdeities were also exchanged.

After the conclusion of the pleas-ant “Love Game”, the Consortswere seated on either side of theLord, with Sridevi taking the Rightside and Bhudevi occupying the leftplace of Maha Simhasanam. Finally,Karpoora Aarati, Nakshatra Aarati,and Maha Aarti were renderedmarking the grand conclusion ofthe Celestial Wedding Ceremony.

DELHI WOMAN PLOTS HER OWNKIDNAPPING TO EXTORT MONEY

A38-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly plotting her ownkidnapping to extort money from her brother, police said onThursday. The police said the woman was going through a

financial crisis and was in need of money following which sheconverted her voice to sound like a man with the help of an app andsent it to her brother for ransom. According to the police, acomplainant was received at the Mehrauli police station onWednesday in which the man said his sister had been kidnappedand he was receiving extortion calls and messages from her phonenumber.

INFOSYS CEO SALIL PAREKH GETS 88PC JUMP IN SALARY TO RS 79.75 CR

Infosys CEO Salil Parekh has got a massive 88 per cent jump inannual remuneration to Rs 79.75 crore, making him one of thehighest-paid executives in the country. The software services firm

has sought shareholders' approval for the reappointment of Parekhas chief executive officer and managing director for a second five-year term beginning July 1. According to the company's annualreport released on Thursday, Parekh, 58, took home a salary of Rs71.02 crore in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. This includedRs 52.33 crore from exercising RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)granted to him earlier.

CENTRE TRANSFERS IAS OFFICEROVER ALLEGED MISUSE OF STADIUM

In a swift action, the Centre Thursday shunted IAS coupleSanjeev Khirwar and Anu Dugga to Ladakh and ArunachalPradesh respectively following media reports suggesting

misuse of official position by them, officials said here. In anorder, the Home Ministry said Khirwar, a 1994-batch IAS officerfrom AGMUT cadre, is shifted to Ladakh and his wife toArunachal Pradesh with immediate effect. According to officialsources, the home ministry had sought a report from the DelhiChief Secretary on the news report regarding the misuse offacilities at Thyagraj Stadium by Khirwar and his wife.

RUSSIA SLAMS SANCTIONS, SEEKSTO SHIFT BLAME FOR FOOD CRISIS

Moscow pressed the West on Thursday to lift sanctions againstRussia over the war in Ukraine, seeking to shift the blame for agrowing food crisis worsened by Kyiv's inability to ship millions of

tons of grain and other agricultural products because of the conflict.Britain immediately accused Moscow of trying to hold the world toransom and insisted there would be no sanctions relief. Ukraine is one ofthe world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but thewar, including a Russian blockade of its ports, has prevented much of thatproduction from leaving the country, endangering the world food supply.Many of those ports are also now heavily mined.

Gaiety marks celestial wedding in Bhubaneswar

Konaseema continues to be on high alertPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Konaseema continued to be onhigh alert even two days after theprotests launched renaming thedistrict turned violent and anangry mob resorted to arson.The government continued snap-ping off internet services inAmalapuram and other majortowns like Ravulapalem.

As the prohibitory orders werein place police continued picket-ing across Amalapuram and itssurroundings.

They had also arrested manymiscreants who had taken part inthe violent protests burning thehouses of a minister and a rulingparty MLA two days ago. Theentire Konaseema region wasunder thick security cover as theadditional forces drawn from otherplaces deployed there had takenevery town literally in the district.

It is learnt that at least a dozenIPS officers both senior and jun-ior have been camping inKonaseema and monitoring theemerging situation. Forces havebeen deployed in every corner ofthe district, especially in sensitiveareas. Police were checking everyvehicle that was coming into thetowns.

Abiding by the curfew, shops,and commercial establishmentswere also seen closed and downedtheir shutters. Police also suspect-ed the miscreants had also usedpetrol bombs and the wholeepisode was orchestrated in aconspiracy in a pattern. Whilemany of the miscreants weretaken into custody police alsolaunched a manhunt to nab themasterminds behind the arson.

The district administration hadalready submitted a preliminaryreport about Tuesday giving a

minute-to-minute descriptionexplaining how section 144 andthe Police 30 Act were enforcedsince May 22 in the wake of theprotest cal l given by theKonaseema Sadhana Samithi.Police also shifted their focustowards another important andsensitive place Ravulapalemwhere anti-renaming protestorstried to take out a rally onWednesday which was preventedat the last minute.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The State Cabinet ministers fromthe Backward Classes (BCs), SCsSTs, and Minorities on Thursdaykick-star ted the four-day'Samajika Nyaya Bheri-YSRCPBus Yatra' in Srikakulam.

As many as 17 ministers of the25-member YS JaganmohanReddy’s Cabinet have embarkedon a bus yatra taken up a markof completion of three years ofJagan’s government and to high-light the State government’s ini-tiatives on social justice thatprovide equal opportunities forthe BCs, SCs, STs, and minori-ties.

At the launch, RevenueMinister, Dharmana Prasad Raosaid that for the first time afterIndia attained independence, 74percent of BCs, SCs, STs, andMinorities were given a berth inthe state Cabinet and the Jagangovernment had created BCCorporations 56 chairpersonsand 672 directors.

Of the total schemes, 82 per-cent of government schemes aregiven to BCs, SCs, STs, andminorities.

The four-day Samajika NyayaBheri-YSRCP Bus Yatra will betaken out across the statebetween May 26 and 29, startingfrom Srikakulam to Anantapur,highlighting the success of theYSR Congress Party’s social jus-tice movement whereby it hasgiven equal opportunities to the

BCs, SCs, and STs in the Statecabinet and other key adminis-trative positions.

Another main focus of theyatra would be to bring the factsstraight to the people against thefalse propaganda of the opposi-tion, the ministers said.

During the yatra, party lead-ers would also hold public meet-ings at Viz ianagaram,Rajahmundry, Narasaraopeta,and Anantapur.

AP Ministers hit the roadon ‘social justice’ mission

You are the future of India

PNS n HYDERABAD

Owing to continuous politicalinstability during the last threedecades, the country suffered fromlack of political willpower andstayed away from implementingreforms and important decisions,Prime Minister Narendra Modisaid on Thursday. However, thenation is now seeing politicaldetermination and reforms alsobeing implemented continuouslysince 2014, he said.

Modi, addressing the graduatingstudents of Indian School ofBusiness (ISB) here, said India isthe fastest growing economyamong the G-20 nations besidesboasting of several other achieve-ments, including in the start-upenvironment and attracting thehighest-ever FDI. Due to the con-tinuous political instability in thelast three decades, the country hasseen a lack of political willpower fora long time. Because of this the

country stayed away from reformsand from taking big decisions.

Since 2014, our country is see-ing political will and also, reformsare being implemented continuous-ly, Modi said. Public and popularsupport is assured when reformsare undertaken with determinationand political will, he said.

Listing the achievements, thePrime Minister said in the case ofSmartphone Data Consumer, India

is at number-one position andalso it has occupied second slotwhen it comes to internet-users."India is in the second position inglobal retail index. India has thethird largest start-up eco system inthe world," he said. India is emerg-ing as a major centre of growthtoday and the world is realising thatIndia means business, Modi said.

n Nation seeing political will, reforms being implemented since 2014

n Prime Minister Modi addresses ISB graduates in Hyderabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting ISB students in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Sensational change at thenational level in 3 months

Telangana CM KCR in a meeting with former Prime Minister Devegowda in Bengaluru on Thursday

PNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Raohas declared that in the next two tothree months there will be a sensa-tion in the country.

KCR met former Prime MinisterHD Devegowda and former KarnatakaChief Minister HD Kumaraswamy inBengaluru on Thursday and returnedto Hyderabad by evening. KCR said,“This time I assure you there is goingto be a change at the national level andnone can stop it. There will be a lot oftalks but India will change, India has

to change. India has to rise by settingaside politics, politicians and isms andchange the country. In two to threemonths you will get sensational news.”“During Amrit Mahotsav celebrating75 years of Independence we suffershortages of power, drinking and irri-gation water. What the hell it is. It isnot whether a government will beformed with the Congress, withoutthe Congress or the BJP. An attemptis being made to make a shiningIndia.

No fish prasadamfor asthma patientsPNS n HYDERABAD

Bathini Harinath Goud and hisfamily said that the annual distribu-tion of fish prasadam for asthmatreatment has been cancelled thisyear. This is the third consecutiveyear that the Goud family has can-celled the distribution of fishprasadam due to the corona pan-demic. The distribution was can-celled in the year 2020 due to theCovid-19 pandemic. The fishprasadam used to be given annual-ly at the Nampally ExhibitionGround on the day of MrigasiraKarti entry. Nampally ExhibitionSociety Secretary Aditya Margamsaid the Bathini family had not con-tacted them this year. Bathini Goudlater clarified that they had decidednot to distribute the fish prasadamthis year too. Every year on the dayof Mrigasira Karthi, the Bathinibrothers used to distribute fishprasadam to asthma patients inHyderabad.

The brothers Bathini HarinathGoud, Bathini Gaurishankar Goud,Bathini Sivakumar Goud and BathiniAmarnath Goud from Doodbowli inHyderabad had been distributing thefish prasadam at the NampallyExhibition Ground since many years.

CM’s Davos tour yields big-ticket investments in key sectorsPNS n DAVOS

Chief Minister YS Jagan MohanReddy made an impressive and fruit-ful presence at the World EconomicForum (WEF) Summit interactingwith captains of Industries andclinching deals in key sectors.

The State has signed MoUs withbig-ticket companies besides dis-cussing investment opportunities in

various sectors.Adani, Greenko, and Aurobindo

have signed MoUs with the state foran investment of Rs 1.25 lakh crorerelated to green energy, which isneeded to make the state a hub forindustrialisation 4.0. A total of 27,700MW of clean energy will be availablein the State. ArcelorMittal, theworld-renowned company, hasannounced that it will be investing in

green energy along with Greenko andadded it is doubling its investment inAndhra Pradesh for the first time.

The announcement was made bycompany CEO Aditya Mittal in thepresence of Chief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy. He lauded theindustrial policies in the State. TheArcelorMittal Group, which spe-cialises in steel, energy, construc-tion, mining, transportation, pack-

aging, etc., has annual revenues of$ 76.571 billion. The Chief Ministeralso focused on new generationfuels, ammonia and hydrogen prod-ucts during the summit. The Stategovernment has signed an MoUwith Ace Urban Developers for set-ting up a decarbonized manufactur-ing unit in Machilipatnam and itwould help to utilise green energyand also produce products with

advanced technologies. The Stategovernment has inked a pact withWEF to support industries throughadvanced manufacturing to reducepollution, promote ecological bal-ance, utilize green energy, enhancequality, and assist industries toachieve world-class products byemphasizing technology.

Ex-Min Narayana,others get reliefin High CourtPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Former minister P Narayana, LEPLgroup’s promoters LingamaneniRamesh and LingamaneniRajasekhar, Ramakrishna HousingPvt Ltd, and director KPV AnjaniKumar got temporary relief in a casefiled by CID against them in thealleged scam in the inner ring roadalignment of Amaravati capital city.

The accused in the caseapproached the High Court seekingto quash the FIR filed by CID. TheHigh Court took up the petition forhearing and posted it to June 9 forthe next hearing directing CID notto take any coercive action againstthem. The government had alsofiled a counter-affidavit onThursday.

Following a complaint fromYSRCP’s Mangalagiri MLA, AllaRamakrishna Reddy last monthand after a preliminary inquiry, CIDhad registered a criminal caseagainst TDP Chief N ChandrababuNaidu and former minister PNarayana along with 12 others.

Traffic curbsfor MahanaduPNS n ONGOLE

The police have taken steps to reg-ulate traffic given TDP’s Mahanaduby diverting vehicular trafficthrough various routes on May 27and 28. A release from the SPoffice here on Thursday said thatvehicles coming to Mahanadufrom Guntur, Vijayawada, andChirala should enter the parkingarea on Vishnu Priya KalyanaMandapam via Ai KimsUnderpass on Byline Line /Service Road and proceed toMeeting Place without crossingThrovagunta Flyover.

The vehicles coming toMahanadu from Nellore and Kavalishould not enter Ongole Town,climb the Pellur Flyover, or enter theparking area on the Vishnu PriyaKalyana Mandapam on the KimsUnder Bypass Pass from the ServiceRoad next to the Kims Flyover andproceed to the Meeting Place.

The vehicles coming to Mahanadfrom Kadapa, Kurnool, andCheemakurthi should enter theparking area at Vishnu Priya KalyanaMandapam via Service Road onKurnool By-Pass Center and pro-ceed to the Meeting at Place. Thevehicles coming from Kothapatnamshould enter the parking area on theKoppolu flyover, the service roadnext to the Kims flyover, the VishnuPriya Kalyana mandapam on theKims underpass and proceed to themeeting place. The motorists enter-ing Ongole Town from Vijayawada,Guntur, and Chirala should enterOngole Town via KIMS Flyover,Koppolu Flyover Service Road, andKothapatnam Bus Stand.

Guv attends

‘Vigraha Prathishta’

at TTD temple

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(IN VIJAYAWADA)

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

NTR District Collector SDilli Rao has warned thestaf f of the newGovernment Genera lHospital (GGH) of sternact ion for demandingmoney from patients, andinstructed them to providebetter ser v ices to thepatients on par with theprivate hospitals. He con-ducted an inspection in thenew GGH in Vijayawada onThursday and said that hewould continue the sur-prise checks in the comingdays also.

Referring to the inci-dent in which the patientswere denied X-rays, theCollector asked the staff toprovide X-rays without failas they were necessary toget treatment in future also.He assured to providemedicines in the ART cen-tre and take measures torepair the medical equip-ment in the GGH to pro-vide better services to thepatients. Dilli Rao instruct-ed all the officials and staffto provide better medicalservices to the poor andweaker sections of society,for which the governmentwas spending crores offunds. He asked the offi-cials to bring to his noticethe problems in basicamenities and promised toresolve them at the earliest.He asked the officials incharge of sanit isat ion,security and drug controlto conduct frequent checks.He said a monitoring sys-tem would be put in placeto check the attendance ofthe staff.

PNS n TIRUPATI

C ommunist Par tyMarxist ( CPM) seniorleader and former MP PMadhu on Thursdaylashed out at theAndhra Pradesh edu-cation policy for collab-orat ion with theCorporate Byju groupas a harmful trend.

Addressing a pressconference hereThursday, the CPIleader said students ofBiju system of educa-tion do not need play-grounds , teachersunemployed and labseclipse and such a sys-tem would gradually lead to clo-sure of a lready defunct governmentschools .

“AP chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddyhas announced duringhis Davos visit of thecollaboration with Bijugroup in governmenteducation system andtour ism which has led toprotests in the state”, hesaid.

Taking a dig at theModi le Central govern-ment, he said that theModi governmentfor a 237 percent hike in petrol priceswhich jacked up petrolprices to 121 percentfor Rs 69 two yearsago.

He demanded thestate government tostop the HanumanShobha Yatra whichspread communal senti-ments.

Indian Navy’s survey vessel‘Nirdeshak’ launched PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The second of the four SurveyVessels (Large) (SVL) Projectbeing built by Garden ReachShipbuilders & Engineers Ltd,(GRSE) in collaboration withL&T shipbuilding for theIndian Navy, ‘Nirdeshak', waslaunched on Thursday. atKattupalli, Chennai. She madeher first contact with water ofBay of Bengal at 10: 38 at theLaunch Ceremony in the pres-ence of Vizag headquarteredEastern Naval Command(ENC) commander in chiefVice Admiral BiswajitDasgupta. In keeping with theNaval maritime tradition,Sarbani Dasgupta, launchedthe ship to the chanting ofinvocation from Atharva Veda.

The ship has taken its namefrom erstwhile Nirdeshakwhich was also an IndianNaval Survey ship and wasdecommissioned after 32 yearsof glorious service inDecember 2014. Part con-struction of three out of fourships of SVL is being under-taken at L&T, Kattupalli as partof collaborative approachbetween GRSE and L&T ship-building. This model of PublicPrivate Partnership shall be aharbinger of future successfulcollaboration for Warship con-struction in India.

The contract for buildingfour SVL ships was signedbetween the Ministry ofDefence (MoD) and GardenReach Shipbuilders &Engineers (GRSE), Kolkataon October 30, 2018. The firstof class ship ‘Sandhayak’ was

launched on December, 5 ,2021 at GRSE, Kolkata.

The SVL ships will replacethe existing Sandhayak Classsurvey ships with new gener-ation hydrographic equipmentto collect oceanographic data.The Survey Vessel (Large)ships have a deep displace-ment of about 3400 tons anda complement of 235 person-nel.

The ship is designed tooperate at cruise speed of 14knots and maximum speed of18 knots. Bow & SternThrusters have been cateredfor better manoeuvring at lowspeeds required during shal-low water survey operations.The hull of these ships ismade from indigenously

developed DMR 249-A steelmanufactured by SteelAuthority of India Limited.

With a capability to carryfour Survey Motor Boats andan integral helicopter, the pri-mary role of the ships wouldbe to undertake full scalecoastal and deep-water hydro-graphic surveys of Ports andnavigational channels. Theships would also be deployedfor collecting oceanographicand geophysical data fordefence as well as civil appli-cations. In their secondaryrole, the ships are capable ofproviding limited defence,besides serving as Hospitalships during emergencies.

Despite challenges due tothe aimsCOVID-19 pandem-

ic, GRSE has made substantialprogress and aims to deliverSandhayak, the first ship ofSVL by January 2023. Thedelivery of the second shipNirdeshak is likely by April2023.

Launch of the second sur-vey vessel reinforces ourresolve for indigenous ship-building as part of the visionof ‘Make in India’, and‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’. TheSurvey Vessels Large will haveover 80pc indigenous contentby cost. This will also ensurethat large scale defence pro-duction is executed by Indianmanufacturing units thereby,generating employment andcapability build up within thecountry.

Negligence of duty:GGH staff warnedof stern action

Continued from Page 1

Vehicles coming toMahanadu and leaving fromthe parking lot should go toGuntur and Vijayawada(NH16), enter NH-16 roadfrom the left, and take theThrovagunta flyover. Vehiclesheading towards Chiralashould go from theThrovagunta flyover under-pass.

Vehicles coming toMahanadu and leaving fromthe parking lot should take theU-turn from the Throvaguntaflyover underpass and enterNH 16 towards Nellore.Vehicles coming to Mahanadiand leaving from the parkinglot should take the U-turnfrom the Throvagunta flyoverunderpass and go straight upthe Kims flyover, take the U-turn at the Pellur flyover and

take the U-turn at Kurnool,Kadapa, and Cheemakurthiroads.

Vehicles going from OngoleTown to Guntur andVijayawada should take theservice road fromKothapatnam Bus Stand toKoppolu Flyover on the left sideto NH-16 towards Guntur andVijayawada. Vehicles fromOngole Town to Kavali andNellore should take the OngoleSouth Bypass to RameshSanghamitra Hospital via PellurFlyover Underpass to NH.16.

Vehicles going towardsChirala from Ongole Townshould go throughKothapatnam Bus Stand toKoppolu Flyover via ServiceRoad on the left side to NH 16Road and from ThrovaguntaFlyover Underpass on CalvaryTemple Opposite Road towardsChirala Road.

Continued from Page 1

With this pact, the state willbe better connected with thevarious programs and pro-jects run by the WEF whichwill provide support to addstate-of-the-art, pollution-freepolicies to the industrial sectorin the State.

The Chief Minister focusedon port-basedIndustrialisation in the stateand discussed the same withDassault Systems and MitsuiOSK Lines. The Chief Ministerdetailed the Export PromotionPolicy which was announcedearlier. Mitsui OSK LinesPresident Takeshi Hashimotoannounced that they have dis-cussed opportunities in theareas of shipping and logisticsand will be focusing on thecontainer hub and logistics.

The Chief Minister focusedon getting special attention toVishakapatnam andannounced that it would bemade a platform for high-end

technology and sought invest-ments in this regard. TechMahindra has come forward topartner with AndhraUniversity for drafting the cur-riculum. After interacting withthe Chief Minister, TechMahindra CEO and MD, CPGurnani said the ChiefMinister wants to developVisakhapatnam as a technolo-gy hub with a focus onArtificial Intelligence (AI). TheChief Minister also met IBMCEO Aravind Krishna anddiscussed technology and skilldevelopment to transformVizag into a technology hub.

The Chief Minister interact-ed with founders and CEOs ofunicorn startups. He discussedthe policy decisions to betaken to develop startups inVisakhapatnam and assured allhelp. BYJU'S has extended fullsupport to the education sec-tor in Andhra Pradesh andthey would set up a Researchand Development Center andalso provide BYJU'S curricu-

lum to State students, saidBYJU'S CEO Ravindran. CoinSwitch Kuber announced thatthey would provide scientifictechnology to secure records ofcomprehensive land surveys inAndhra Pradesh. EaseMyTriphas said they would promoteTourism locations in AndhraPradesh.

The Chief Minister show-cased the progress of AndhraPradesh in the education,medical, and health sectors.He participated in a group dis-cussion on Future-proofinghealth systems and made animpressive presentation onhealthcare being implementedin the State and the measurestaken to contain the COVIDpandemic. The Chief Ministersaid no one had anticipated thescale and intensity of Covid inour generation, at least, andhow the healthcare system hadto brace up if such a situationrecurs and added that health-care should be affordable andaccessible.

Continued from Page 1

Pointing out that oftenIndian solutions are beingimplemented globally, hecalled upon the graduatingstudents of ISB to link theirpersonal goals with that of thecountry.

He said resilience andstrength of the health sectorwas proved during theCOVID-19 pandemic andIndia developed its own vac-cines.

More than 190 crore dosesof COVID-19 vaccines havebeen administered across thenation and India has also sentvaccines to more than 100other countries, he said.

The Prime Minister alsonoted that bureaucracy hasalso made firm contributionsin the reform process. Hecredited the people's participa-tion in successful implemen-tation of government'sschemes. He said that when

people cooperate, quick andbetter results are assured.

In the system now, govern-ment reforms, bureaucracyperforms and people's partic-ipation lead to transformation,he said and asked the ISB stu-dents to study this mechanismof reform, perform and trans-form.

The Prime Minister furthercited the biggest reason thatafter 2014 the country is wit-nessing phenomenal perfor-mance in every sport due tothe confidence of the country'sathletes.

Confidence comes whenthe right talent is discovered,when there is handholding oftalent, when there is a trans-parent selection and a betterinfrastructure is available fortraining, competition. We cansee transformation in sportsdue to reforms like KheloIndia' and the TOPS schemeright in front of our eyes , hesaid.

Similarly, he cited theAspirational DistrictProgramme as a great exam-ple of performance, valueaddition, productivity andmotivation in the public pol-icy sphere.

Modi further stressed theneed to give more opportuni-ties to grow small businessesand help them in connectingwith the new local and glob-al markets.

Underlining their immensepotential, the Prime Ministersaid to make India future-ready, we have to ensure thatIndia becomes self-reliant.

All you business profes-sionals have a big role in this.And this will be a great exam-ple of service to the countryfor you, he added.

Modi also recalled that for-mer Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee dedicated this(ISB) institution to the coun-try in 2001. Since then, morethan 50,000 executives have

passed out from ISB. Today,ISB is among the top businessschools of Asia. Professionalspassed out from ISB are helm-ing top companies and givingmomentum to the county'sbusiness, he said.

Students from here havecreated hundreds of startupsand played a role in creatingunicorns, Modi said addingThis is an achievement of ISBand a cause of pride for theentire country .

Modi, who participated inthe celebration of the comple-tion of 20 years of ISB-Hyderabad and addressed thegraduation ceremony of thePGP Class of 2022, also gaveaway medals to some of themeritorious graduates.

Telangana GovernorTamilisai Soundararajan,Union Minister of Tourism,Culture and Development ofNorth Eastern Region GKishan Reddy, were amongother dignitaries present.

You are the future of India

CM’s Davos tour yields big-ticket...Ex-Min Narayana, othersget relief in High CourtContinued from Page 1

Noticeably, the Naidu fam-ily-owned Heritage Foodswas also included in the FIRas one of the accused. TheFIR was registered on May 9after which the accusedapproached the High Court.

While multiple FIRs werefiled by the CID in connec-t ion with the a l legedAmaravati land scam sincethe YSRCP came to power,the latest FIR is the secondone in which Naidu andNarayana were named asaccused. The High Courtin last March stayed the FIRregistered by CID againstNaidu and Narayana.

CID in the last month’sFIR booked LEPL group’spromoters LingamaneniRamesh and Lingamaneni

Rajasekhar, RamakrishnaHousing Pvt Ltd, directorKPV Anjani Kumar. BothLEPL group andRamakrishna Housing Ltdand their companies, inconnection with the allegedAmaravati land scam. BothLEPL Group andRamakrishna Housing PvtLtd had developed many realestate projects and venturesin and around the capitalAmaravati. During the TDP'sprevious government, thethen opposition YSRCP hadalleged that LEPL’s Rameshhad made a killing due to hisproximity with Naidu andgaining inside informationabout the location coordi-nates of the new capital cityAmaravati.

In the latest FIR, CID saidcertain illegal and corrupt

activities were committed byhighly placed governmentofficials in the governmentbetween 2014 to 2019 withregard to designing the mas-ter plan for the AP Capitaland the Capital City andalignment of the Inner RingRoad and its connected arte-rial roads.

The FIR said it causedwrongful gain to certain cho-sen persons and entities con-nected to the decision-mak-ing authorities derived max-imum pecuniary benefits andcaused correspondingwrongful loss to the generalpublic and the public exche-quer thus amounting tocheating.

Cases were filed undervarious sections includingcriminal conspiracy andcheating.

Sensational change at the national level...Continued from Page 1

Leave aside sensations andsensational news, the countryshould go in a positive andconcrete direction. The coun-tries which got independence

along with us have gone for-ward, but we are stuck. Nobodyis happy in this country.Farmers, Dalits and tribals areunhappy. The situation isdeplorable. There will be a lot

of talk and promises. But thereality is that industries areclosing, GDP is low, Rupee hasfallen like never before, andinflation is high. Intellectualsmust think about a change in

India,” KCR added.KCR said that the meeting

discussed everything, includ-ing national and Karnatakapolitics. He said that manyprime ministers and gov-

ernments have already ruledthe country and added thatChina, which had a lowerGDP than India, is nowdominating the world eco-nomically.

Traffic curbs forMahanadu

Konaseema...Continued from Page 1

Last week, Section 144 wasimposed in the Konaseemadistrict in the wake of protestsagainst the proposal to renamethe district, and also KonaseemaSadhana Samithi (KSS) mem-bers had called for a ‘ChaloKonaseema’ march on Tuesday.

Despite prohibitory orders inplace, the protesters attemptedto proceed towards theCollectorate in Amalapuram onTuesday, crossing the clocktower area from different direc-tions. As they were prevented bythe police, protesters resorted tostone-pelting, at the vehicles ofthe SP KSSV Subba Reddyand Amalapuram DSP YMadhava Reddy. They set fireto a private bus and five otherprivate vehicles that wereparked at the protest site andalso a police vehicle was burnt.They also later burnt the hous-es of transport minister PinipeViswarup and MummidivaramMLA Ponnada Satish.

CPM flays AP govt’scollaborationwith Byju group

‘Change has started in TS’K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

Prime Minister NarendraModi has said that he hadunderstood immediately afterstepping into Telangana thatchange has started. The PMexuded confidence that theBJP will come to power inTelangana soon.

He said that the BJP willfree Mother Telangana whichis now a captive under a fam-ily's rule. The state and thenation can develop only iffamily parties are chasedaway, the Prime Minister saidmaking it clear that the BJPwould launch a movement forthe development ofTelangana.

Modi said that Sardar Patelstrived to preserve the integri-ty of the nation. Telanganahas been developing as an IThub. Thousands of youth sac-rificed their lives during theTelangana movement. But thedreams of the martyrs are notgetting fulfilled in Telanganaas it is under a family's rule.Nobody’s hopes are getting

fulf i l led in dictatorialTelangana, the PM said.

The BJP’s aim is to takeTelangana to the top. ThePrime Minister declared thathe had realised immediatelyafter stepping on Telanganasoil that the saffron wind hasstarted blowing in the state.The change has started in theminds of the people ofTelangana. He said that he isgetting a feeling that the flagof the BJP will fly high inTelangana.

The Prime Ministersatirised Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao withoutmentioning KCR’s name. ThePM ridiculed KCR saying thatsuperstitions have increasedamong Telangana’s rulers.

The Prime Minister criti-cised the tendency to thinkthat it is unlucky to go to cer-tain places. The PM was indi-rectly saying that KCR wasafraid to go to some placesand the Secretariat due tosuperstitions.

Modi recalled that evenwhen he was the CM ofGujarat, some people said not

to go somewhere, but he saidhe went everywhere believingin science.Modi said amidst jubilationthat Uttar Pradesh CM YogiAdityanath, who is dressed insaffron, went to Noida to checksuperstitions and Yogi cameback as Chief Minister.

The Prime Minister said thatthe people of Telangana willsuffer as its rulers believe insuperstitions even in the 21stcentury.

The Prime Ministerdescribed the family rulers ofTelangana as traitors. Telanganawas not created for family rule.He said that youth were notentering politics due to dynas-tic politics. Modi made it clearthat his aim is to free TS fromfamily rule. He said that devel-opment was stalled in statesruled by families.

He said that the people ofTelangana have decided tobring about change in the stateand to vote the BJP to power.The BJP would certainly cometo power in Telangana. He saidthat the BJP has been thinkingof making Telangana an IT hub.

PNS n SIDDIPET

Four persons died and twoothers suffered injuries in aghastly road accident in thedistrict on Thursday.

The accident happenedwhen a speeding lorry collid-ed head-on with an auto-rick-shaw. The death was instantfor two persons. Two otherssuccumbed to injuries whilebeing transported to GandhiHospital in Hyderabad. Theaccident happened on theoutskirts of Alirajpet village.A family hired an auto-rick-shaw to go to Tupran inMedak district. When theauto-rickshaw reachedAlirajpet outskirts, it was hitby a speeding lorry.

While Kanakaiah andKavitha died on the spot,two more succumbed toinjuries when they were beingtaken to hospital.

Four die as lorrycollides head-onwith auto

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MAY 27, 2022

Guv attends ‘Vigraha Prathishta'at TTD temple in Bhubaneswar PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Odisha Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik, along withAndhra Pradesh GovernorBiswabhushan Harichandan,took part in the celestial'Vigraha Pratishta' and 'MahaSamprokshanam' rituals ofSri Venkateswara temple atBhubaneshwar which was alsoattended by Visakha SaradaPeetham pontif fS w a r o o p a n a n d e n d r aSaraswathi. In his 'AnugrahaBhashanam' on the auspi-cious occasion, the pontiffcomplimented TTD for tak-ing up the protection andpromotion of 'HinduSanatana Dharma' in a bigway across the country in theform of constructing SriVenkateswara temples, 'GauSamrakshana' , 'VedaParirakshana' etc. under theinstructions of Chief Ministerof Andhra Pradesh YSJaganmohan Reddy.

In his speech, the Governorof Andhra Pradesh said thenewly-constructed Srivari tem-ple at Bhubaneshwar is abenign blessing of LordVenkateswara himself to thedenizens of Odisha.

“This has facilitated those

devotees who could not maketheir pilgrimage to Tirumaladue to their age, health, financeand any other reasons. Now thedevotees shall have the bless-ings of Sri VenkateswaraSwamy at their doorsteps andthey can have darshan of theUniversal Lord every day,” hemaintained.

Speaking on the occasion,TTD Chairman YV SubbaReddy said, the world-renowned Hindu religiousorganisation of TirumalaTirupati Devasthanams(TTD)has taken up 'Hindu DharmaPracharam' in a big way andhas been Conducting several

religious, 'Bhakti', 'Dharmic'activities on a large scale for thesake of the well-being of entirehumanity.

As a part of its chief agendaof protection and propagationof Hindu 'Sanatana Dharma'TTD has so far constructed501 temples in the backwardareas across and another 1130temples are underway.

On the other hand, TTD hasalso taken up 'GauSamrakshana' programmes ina big way including 'GudikoGomata', wherein so far a cowand calf have been donated tonearly 171 temples across thecountry, “Go Puja” in all the

TTD temples, a national sem-inar on 'Desi Cow Protection- Go Sammelanam,'“Govinduniki Go AdharitaNaivedyam-preparation of'Srivari Prasadams' with cow-based organic farming,'Panchagavya' products,'Navaneeta Seva' etc.

Giving a boost to our greatepics, TTD has been continu-ously organizing theParayanams and religious dis-courses that are being telecast-ed live on SV Bhakti Channelfor the sake of global devotees,and now they are being airedin Telugu, Tamil, Kannada andHindi languages.

“TTD has so far construct-ed Sri VenkateswaraDivyaKshetrams at New Delhi,Kurukshetra, Kanyakumari,Hyderabad, Visakhapatnamand today we opened the tem-ple in this holy city ofBhubaneshwar. SV temples arealso coming up at JammuandNavi Mumbai in near future”,he added.

Junior pontiff of VisakhaSarada PeethamSwatmanandendra Saraswathi,Bhubaneshwar MP AparajitaSadangi, LAC Chief DushmantKumar, and other officials werealso present.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The visit of Thomas Cup cham-pion Satwiksairaj Rankireddy toWaltair Division sports facilityhas brought great joy to thesportspersons here at WaltairRailway stadium. Satwik, BWFworld ranking 7 in badmintonand also part of the team whichwon the Thomas Cup puttingIndia at top of the chart acrossthe world met DivisionalRailway Manager AnupSatpathy at his office. DRM

felicitated the jubilant Satawikand appreciated his perfor-mance on the internationalfront that unfurled the IndianFlag on top.

Speaking on the occasion, theDRM said that it’s a very proudmoment for every Indian andbadminton player in particularfor winning the Thomas Cupcrown, which is very special.The depth of talent, grit, anddetermination made Indiaclinch the Thomas Cup for thefirst time beating 14-time

champions Indonesia 3-0 in thefinals.

The sports star visited theWaltair Railway Stadium atVisakhapatnam. He was verymuch thrilled by seeing theworld-class facilities at theWaltair Railway SportsComplex. The world-class bad-minton court with brightfloodlights equipped with afirst-rate gymnasium and otherpromising facilities made himfeel excited. He appreciated theefforts put by railways in uplift-

ing the sportsman spirit andsupporting the sportspersonsby providing world-class infra-structure.

The DRM said that IndianRailways, Waltair Division inparticular has excellent sportsfacilities to groom the enthusi-astic young players and ignitethe sports talent. WaltairDivision has immense potentialto train the enthusiastic playersto prove themselves best at theNational and International lev-els, he added.

Thomas Cup champion Satwiksairaj felicitated

All set for Kharifcropping in NTR distPNS n VIJAYAWADA

NTR District AgriculturalOfficer (DAO) M VijayaBharathi has said that the districtadministration is ready for theKharif season. About 1.04 lakhmetric tonnes (MT) of fertilis-ers would be required for thepresent Kharif season, she said.As of now, 32,600 MT fertilisz-ers are available at the godowns,she said in a press release.

The DAO said that theAgriculture Department wasreadying the required seeds,fertilisers, and pesticides forthe district and chalking out aplan for the season. YSR RythuBharosa Kendras (RBK) wouldsupply 3,000 MT fertilisers andshe suggested that everyfarmer should give an indentto the concerned Village

Agricultural Assistant (VAA).She further said that the

State government had deposit-ed financial assistance of Rs66.94 crore to the bankaccounts of 1,21,711 farmersunder the YSR Rythu Bharosascheme. Green bean seedswould be supplied on a 50 per-cent subsidy to the farmers,she said. “The seeds are keptready for distribution at theRBKs,” she said and added thatabout 33,458 cultivation cer-tificate cards were distributedto the tenant farmers.

Moreover, DAO VijayaBharathi said that agriculturemechanisation equipmentwould be kept ready for distri-bution at the customs hiringcenters. Using that equipmentwould reduce the cultivationcosts, she said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

B Sai Niharika, studying inSKPVV Hindu High School inthe city, is all set to participatein the Wrestling Nationals forboys and girls to be held inRanchi, Jharkhand, from May27-29. Niharika won the goldmedal in the 33 kg category inthe recently concluded Inter-district WrestlingChampionship held atMylavaram in NTR districtand was selected to theAndhra Pradesh team.

NTR District WrestlingAssociation secretary G RamaRao and Kho-Kho Associationsecretary M Prasad felicitatedNiharika at a function held atSKPVV School on Wednesday.School management commit-tee president Ch Anand, cor-respondent G Mallaiahand

and secretary KLV Mohanaraopresented a wrestling kit,which was sponsored by theschool management commit-tee, to Niharika.

School headmaster KSrinivasa Rao, physical educa-tion teachers MV Satya Prasadand S Lakshmi and otherswere present.

Vja girl to take part inwrestling national event

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Vijayawada city policestopped the ‘ChaloAmalapuram’ agitation orga-nized by the Congress party,demanding that Konaseemadistrict be named after Dr. BRAmbedkar, in the city onThursday. APCC president Dr.S Sailajanadh and several otherleaders were arrested and sentto Krishnalanka police stationin the NTR Vijayawada policecommissioner.

The APCC president startedthe Chalo Amalapuram agita-tion from the Dr. BR Ambedkarstatue near Tummalapalli

Kalakshetram in the city. Thepolice also arrested Congress SCcell chairman K Vijaykumar,Krishna district Congress pres-ident B Kiran Kumar and cityCongress presidentNaraharasetty Narasimha Raoamong others.

Speaking on the occasion,Sailajanadh said that anti-socialelements were conspiring to cre-ate issues in Amalapuram usingcaste and religion. “These peo-ple insulted Dr. Ambedkar,” healleged and added that the Stategovernment was responsiblefor the riots.

He further said that the policefailed to protect even ministers'

houses, then how they wouldprotect the people. TheAmalapuram pandemoniumwas encouraged by the rulingYSRCP and the party wanted toorganize a round-table meetingon the issue in Vijayawada onMay 29, he alleged.

Dr. Sailajanadh demandedthat Chief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy withdraw hisvote bank politics. “Insulting Dr.BR Ambedkar is nothing but aninsult to the Constitution,” hesaid. Innocent SC people arefacing trouble due to such polit-ical issues and the Congressparty would protect them, headded.

Police foil ‘Chalo Amalapuram’stir by Congress, arrest leaders

TIDCO houses by Dec: APCRDAPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Measures are being taken toperform housewarmings of theTIDCO houses by December,said APCRDA CommissionerVivek Yadav. He conducted areview meeting with theACRDA officials here onThursday. He instructed theofficials to take all the necessarymeasures to ensure that thehousewarmings of the TIDCOhouses, which were under var-ious stages of construction inAmaravati, were conducted byDecember this year.

The officials explained thestatus of 5,024 TIDCO houses,which are under construction ineight locations. Vivek Yadavinstructed the officials to collectthe progress details from timeto time.

He also instructed the offi-cials to complete the construc-tion, allot the houses to the ben-eficiaries, and to start the reg-istration process. He furtherinstructed the officials of thebanks to provide loans to the eli-gible housing beneficiaries.

The commissioner hasordered the officials to start theregistration process of 5,024houses. The officials said that2,522 beneficiaries got bankloans. The banks denied loansto some beneficiaries due tovarious reasons; so the APCR-DA is taking measures toresolve the issues.

APCC president S Sailjanath and other Congress leaders were arrested by police as they tried to organise the 'ChaloAmalapuram' programme, in Vijayawada on Thursday. Pic by Ch Vijaya Bhaskar

ASI nabbedwhile takingbribePNS n VIJAYAWADA

Shaik Khadar Vali, Asst SubInspector of Police, VeldurthyPolice Station, Kurnool dis-trict, was caught red-handedwhile taking bribe onThursday.

One V Gangadhar ofKalpavruksham colony,Dinnedevarapadu village,Kurnool, lodged a complaintto the ACB through toll freenumber 14400.

He complained that ASIShaik Khadar Vali haddemanded Rs 2,00,000 asbribe to recommend to theVeldurthy CI that he should-n’t be taken into custody.

The ACB laid a trap onThursday and caught ShaikKhadar Vali and another per-son K Jayanna red-handed asthe latter received the bribeamount of Rs 40,000 from thecomplainant and handed itover to the ASI near thePolice Quarters, Veldurthymandal.

The accused officer wasarrested and produced beforethe Court of SPE & ACBCases, Kurnool. The case isunder investigation, accord-ing to the ACB officials.

NTR birth centenarycelebrations on May 28PNS n VIJAYAWADA

NT Rama Rao’s birth cente-nary celebrations, organised bythe All India Telugu Academy,will be held at SiddharthaAuditorium on May 28, saidorganisation presidentGorapati Rama Krishna hereon Thursday. A poster wasreleased on the occasion.

Speaking to media persons,Rama Krishna said that notedliterary and cultural personal-ities would be present on theoccasion. Representatives ofboth the Telugu States,Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,Maharashtra, Orissa andGujarat will take part in thefunction that will begin on 9am.

He said that 14 noted per-sonalities in the field of liter-ature and culture would bepresented with NTRCentenary Awards. 125 poetswould recite poetry and 30singers would sing moviesongs on the occasion. Besides,many cultural programmeswere planned, said RamaKrishna.

PNS n BAPATLA

Over 1,20,000 people down-loaded the Disha app duringthe mega drive organised onThursday, SP Vakul Jindalsaid.

The SP himself participatedin the mega drive of the Dishaapp on Thursday in theGadiyaram Stambam area.

Speaking on the occasion,the SP said that the officialsand staff of all government

departments and all villagesand towns in collaborationwith the District Collectorthe mega drive was organized.The Disha app was launchedby the Andhra PradeshGovernment for the protectionof women.

The Disha App mega driveprogram was organized inschools, hostels, factories, rail-way stations, bus stands, andother important intersectionstoday, the SP said.

1.20L download Disha app during mega drive

PNS n ELURU

The timely intervention ofDistrict Collector V PrasannaVenkatesh has saved the life ofa mentally retarded woman.

A mentally retarded womanwas found lying on the road-side at Tangallemudi village.The pathetic state of thewoman went viral on socialmedia. The Collector whosaw the mentally retardedwoman lying on the roadsideon social media respondedimmediately by directing the

ICDS staff to shift the womanto the hospital.

The ICDS staff went to thevillage and shifted the womanto the government generalhospital. After treatment, shewas handed over to theHrudayalaya care centre inNidadavolu. The Sakhi One-Stop staff is running theHrudayalaya care centre. Thestaff enquired about the rel-atives of the woman but couldnot find. The Collector’stimely response won acco-lades of all.

Collector’s interventionsaves life of mentallyretarded woman

HYUNDAI TO INVEST RS1,400 CRORE IN TSPNS n HYDERABAD

In a big boost to Telangana’sautomobile industry, Hyundaihas decided to invest Rs 1,400crore to set up their ProvingGrounds and has agreed to bea stakeholder and a consortiumpartner in the first of its kindNew Mobility Valley created bythe Telangana government.

The announcement wasmade after Industries MinisterKT Rama Rao met Hyundai’sPresident & CIO, Young ChoChi, at Davos.

Earlier in the day, GMMPfaudler announced the expan-sion of its facility in Hyderabad,which manufactures glass-linedreactors, tanks and columns for

pharmaceutical and chemicalcompanies.

The company plans to expandits operations and provide man-ufacturing support to the group'sglobal operations and is invest-ing an additional USD 3.7 MNto increase capacity.

GMM Pfaudler had investedUSD 6.3 MN to acquire theglass lining equipment manu-facturing facility in 2020 andwithin two years, the companyis making an additional invest-ment to nearly double capaci-ty providing employment to300 people.

The announcement wasmade after KT Rama Rao’smeeting with the leadership ofGMM Pfaudler, Thomas Kehl,

the CEO of InternationalBusiness and Ashok J. Patel, theDirector at the WorldEconomic Forum, Davos.

KTR said, “I’m delighted tonote the phenomenal growth ofGMM Pfaudler in Hyderabadand its expansion plans. I’msure that Hyderabad opera-tions will continue to play a piv-otal role in the global aspira-tions of GMM Pfaudler.”

In another announcement,EMPE Diagnostics announcedthe setting up of their globalproduction facility in theGenome Valley of Hyderabadto produce two millionTuberculosis (TB) diagnostickits per month. The companyis investing around Rs 25 crore

and will employ around 25 peo-ple in Hyderabad. Currently,EMPE Diagnostics is conduct-ing clinical evaluations of itstuberculosis diagnostic kits infive countries. The productsproduced in Hyderabad will besold globally.

The company also plans toinvest around Rs 50 crore in thisfacility providing employmentto around 150 people. Thecompany is also planning toinvest around 25 Million Eurosin the facility in due course.

The announcement wasmade after KTR met Dr PavanAsalapuram, the ChiefExecutive Officer and founderof EMPE Diagnostics at theWorld Economic Forum,

Davos.Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, the

Principal Secretary of Industriesand Commerce Departmentand Shakthi M. Nagappan, theDirector of Life Sciences,Telangana, were present duringthe meeting.

In line with its vision of aDigital Telangana, theTelangana government hassigned a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) withMastercard to formalise aDigital State Partnership aimedat delivering world class solu-tions that contribute to therapid digitization of the state’scitizen services, with focus onsmall and medium-sized busi-nesses (SMBs) and farmers.

Minister KTR with Hyundai’s President & CEO YoungCho Chi, PrincipalSecretary Jayesh Ranjan & Chief Relations Officer Amar Atmakuri In Davos

Free mobile appfor competitiveexams PNS n HYDERABAD

Vaaradhi Society has come upwith Vaaradhi mobile appwhich provides free materialfor competitive exams.

The app can be downloadedanywhere by the individuals inTelangana who are preparingfor competitive exams andget registered to use the facil-ities.

In order to bridge thegap between jobseekers andemployers, with the partic-ipation of several hundredsof unemployed youth fromvarious parts of the State,the software team basedfrom Karimnagar IT hubhas created this applica-tion.

The application helps inwriting mock tests, findemployment and get prepara-tion material.

04VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MAY 27, 2022

The otherwise busy National Highway No. 16 at Mangalagiri wears a deserted as vehicles keep off the road due to thescorching sun on Thursday Pic by Ch Vijaya Bhaskar

ROAD NNOT TTAKEN !!

8 killed in two road accidentsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

A couple and their two chil-dren were among eight per-sons killed in two ghastlyroad accidents which tookplace in Annamayya andKrishna districts on Thursday.

Police said that a coupleand their two children werekilled when the car in whichthey were travelling rammeda culvert at Moravapalle vil-lage in Madanapalle mandalin Annamayya district onThursday.

Police said that thedeceased couple Gangireddy,Madhulatha, and their chil-dren Kushita Reddy andDevansh Reddy were going toPalamaneru to attend a fam-ily function. Their carrammed a culvert and laterfell into an irrigation tankkilling all four instantaneous-ly. The deceased belonged toReddyvaripalle village inNimmanapalle mandal. Thecar was retrieved from thetank. The bodies were shift-ed to the government hospi-tal in Madanapalli for post-mortem.

In Krishna district, four

persons were killed and threewere seriously injured whenthe auto-rickshaw in whichthey were traveling over-turned at Kasanagaram villagein Mopidevi mandal.Avanigadda DSP MehaboobBasha told the media that themishap took place whenseven persons were going toPedaprolu vil lage in

Challapalli mandalam toattend a marriage. Thedeceased were identified asGurram Vijaya (50), BurepalliRamana (52), Burepall iVenkateswaramma (50) andKona Venkatesh (70). Theseriously injured were shiftedto the government hospital inMachilipatnam. The autorickshaw driver is at large.

Chintamanenifiles pvt caseagainst govtPNS n ELURU

Telugu DesamParty (TDP)senior leaderand formerM L AChintamaneniPrabhakar fileda private casein Eluru courtagainst thegovernment

complaining that false caseswere being registered againsthim by the police as part ofpolitical vendetta.

The ex-MLA mentionedthe names of Chief MinisterYS Jagan Mohan Reddy, SajjalaRamakrishna Reddy (Advisorto the govt., public affairs), for-mer DGP Gautam Sawang,and Navajyot Singh Grewal inhis petition. Prabhakar told thecourt in his petition that over25 cases had been registeredagainst him during the last twoyears. He stated in his petitionthat the YSRCP government isresorting to vindictive politicsagainst him.

PNS n GUNTUR

Chief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy will inauguratethe Jindal Urban WasteManagement Plant, located atNaidupet in Guntur ruralMandal, on June 5.

A meeting was held here toreview the implementation ofthe Swaccha Sankalpa pro-gram in the district in whichMP A Ayodhya Rami Reddy,Collector M Venugopal Reddy,and civic chief Keerthi Chekuriparticipated here on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion,the MP said the Chief Ministerwould inaugurate on June 5 theJindal's Urban WasteManagement plant which iscoming up to generate electric-ity from garbage, and directedthe officials to take all steps toshift garbage collected fromvarious localities to the plant.

He said that as per thedirections of Chief MinisterYS Jagan Mohan Reddy a

task force was set up for themanagement of solid wastefor which he is the chairmanand Chief Secretary is thecoordinator.

The MP directed the officialsto prepare plans for ManPower, Missionary, Material,and Money for waste manage-ment. Suggestions and advicein this regard should be provid-ed to the District PanchayatOfficer.

The state has been dividedinto five clusters, Vizag,

Rajahmundr y-Kakinada,Guntur-Vijayawada, Kadapa-Kurnool and Nellore- Tirupati.Plans are afoot to move thegarbage collected in the villagesto the garbage collection cen-ters located in the Mandalheadquarters, he said.

The MP directed the officialsto set up a garbage collectioncenter in each Mandal which islocated 25 KM radius of theJindal factory to shift garbagedirectly to the factory.

Collector Venugopal Reddy

directed the officials to evolvea roadmap to take the SwacchaSankalp program to the ruralareas as per the suggestion ofMP Ayodhya Rami Reddy.The garbage collected from thevillages should be shifted to theJindal factory on the sameday, he told the officials. ZPCEO Srinivasa Reddy, districtPanchayat office Keshav Reddy,Municipal commissioners, anddivisional panchayat officerswere among those who attend-ed the meeting.

PNS n AMARAVATI

TDP national president andformer Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu onThursday raised the slogans'Quit Jagan' and 'Save AP',slamming the YSRCP rule fordestroying the State with itsendless blunders.

Naidu said it was the rulingYSRCP goons who set fire tothe peaceful, lush greenKonaseema region by burningthe houses of their ownMinister and MLA inAmalapuram. In a very suspi-cious way, the police saved thefamily members of theMinister but not his housefrom the arsonists.

The TDP chief accused theYSRCP leaders of burningtheir own homes only to startmudslinging against the TeluguDesam for narrow politicalgains. Jagan Reddy cannot rulethe State anymore which waswhy the inefficient ChiefMinister was planning formidterm elections.

Chandrababu Naiduaddressed a well-attended pub-lic meeting at Chilakaluripetaen route to the Mahanaduvenue in Ongole. He went ona massive bike rally fromVijayawada to Ongole, givinga clarion call to the TDPactivists and admirers to comeand make Mahanadu a successby taking whatever transporta-tion they could including onfoot.

Naidu accused YSRCP MLCAnanta Babu of abducting,killing, and then deliveringthe dead body of Dalit car dri-ver Subrahmanyam in his carto the victim's family members.The Government tried to turnit into an accidental death butthe TDP agitation had eventu-ally forced the murderousMLC to admit to the killing.

The TDP chief asked what'social justice' Jagan Reddyhad done in giving Rajya Sabhanominations that his partywas starting a Ministers' busyatra now. Out of the nineYSRCP RS seats, four weregiven to Reddys and zero to

SC, ST, and Minorities. ThreeRS seats were given to Jagan'sco-accused in CBI Rs 42,000Cr illegal cases. They wereVijay Sai Reddy, MopideviVenkata Ramana, and AllaAyodhya Rami Reddy.

Decrying the CM's 'betray-als', Naidu said Jagan Reddygave one RS seat to his lawyerto save him from CBI cases.Another RS seat was given toParimal Nathwani to lobby forJagan's multi-crore cases in

Delhi. Jagan Reddy had donesocial injustice by removing 28programs for weaker sections.Even Anna Canteens weregone. The CM had enrichedthe rich people and punchedthem in the stomachs of thepoorer sections.

Chandrababu Naidu saidthe police were not able to con-trol the crowds coming to his'Badude Badudu' tours in thedistricts. The same police werebegging the people to stay

back and not leave the venuesof Jagan Mohan Reddy's meet-ings. The CM and his Ministerswould not be able to stopMahanadu.

Naidu asserted that JaganReddy was daydreaming toterrorise the cadres of the TDPthat was founded by NTR.The TDP activists wouldbounce back like 'KondaveetiSimhams' and they would cutthe tail of this Chief Minister.

Naidu blames YSRCP forAmalapuram violence

PNS n ONGOLE

Telugu Desam Party (TDP)chief N Chandrababu Naiduwas accorded a grand wel-come on Thursday when heentered the Parchur con-stituency while going toOngole to attend the annualconclave Mahanadu.

Hundreds of TDP activistsled by MLA Yeluru SambasivaRao welcomed Naidu. TheTDP activists took out a hugebike rally to welcome Naidu.The entire surroundings res-onated with the slogans of 'JaiChandrababu Jai Jai

Chandrababu'.The TDP activists fastened

the TDP flags, festoons andbanners about 16 KMs on thehighway. The road fromBoppudi to Bollapalli tollplaza is overcrowded withvehicles.

Flowers were rained onNaidu throughout the route,raising slogans like the nextCM of the state is Naidu.Hundreds of youths, womenand children were seen stand-ing either side of the road towelcome Naidu.Chandrababu Naidu wentsome distance on a bullock

cart enthusing the cadres.Some TDP sympathizers sub-mitted a memorandum toNaidu on various issues andNaidu assured them to resolvetheir problems.

TDP leaders Gottipati RaviKumar, former MLAsMuthumula Ashok Reddy,Kandukur former MLAPotula Rama Rao, DShivaram, D Janardhan,Kondapi MLA DolaVeeranjaneya Swamy, formerMLAs Kandula NarayanaReddy and Ugra NarasimhaReddy were among the TDPleaders who welcomed Naidu.

TDP WORKERS TAKE OUTRALLY TO GREET NAIDU

Waste-to-energy plant to be opened by CM

Lovers end life as parents reject marriageproposal

Hyderabad logs five mega land transactions

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Hetero group has pur-chased around 600 acres for Rs350 crore. This is the biggestland deal that has occurred inthe country in 2022 so far.

Anarock Research revealsthat from January 2022 till date,various entities have sealedaround 28 land deals account-ing for over 1,237 acres acrossthe country. Of the total trans-acted land, at least 18 dealsaccounting for 351 acres areearmarked for residential pro-jects in various cities.

Details regarding the sellerin the Hetero deal, and the pur-pose of the deal have not been

revealed. Hyderabad hasremained buoyant during theperiod logging the maximumof five mega land transactionsinvolving 715 acres. This isaround 59 per cent of the totalland transacted from January.

Another big deal was thepurchase of 41 acres worth Rs164 crore by Microsoft inHyderabad. This land is forestablishing the MS’ datacen-tre.

The appetite for mega landpurchases continues unabatedamong developers and otherentities in the post-pandemicworld. Players with financialresources are eyeing primeland at key locations across

India to launch real estate pro-jects.

Across the country, at leastthree deals for around 115acres have been proposed forestablishing data centres. Twodeals for around 63 acres are inthe pipeline for logistics and

warehousing projects. At leastfour deals for around 108 acresare for mixed-use projects.

Anuj Puri, the Chairman ofAnarock Group said, “Theleading real estate developersand other entities who boughtland are Godrej Properties,

Oberoi Realty, MahindraLifeSpaces, Gaurs Group, BirlaEstates, the Hetero Group,Microsoft, and MapletreeLogistics. Compared to H12021, the number of deals hasdoubled from 14 deals in H12021 to 28 deals from January2022.”

“And there's more than amonth to go for the half-yearmark. As expected, residentialprojects remain the primefocus, given the robuss hous-ing demand that has lost littlesteam despite the hike in inter-est rates and property prices.These two factors may decidethe momentum of the sector infuture,” Puri added.

n Hetero group purchases 600 acres of land in India’s biggest deal in 2022 so farPNS n HYDERABAD

TRS Rajya Sabha nomineeBandi Parthasaradhi Reddyhas declared assets worth Rs3,909 crore making him therichest nominee from thestate.

Telangana PublicationsGroup Chairman andManaging Director DamodarRao Divikonda's declaredassets are worth Rs 121 crore.Recently, elected TRS RajyaSabha MP Vaddiraju RaviChandra declared assets worthRs 46 crore.

Partha Sarathi revenue is Rs135 crore and a majority ofassets are in the form of sharesof Hetero Labs, Honour Labs,

Hetero Drugs, Hindys Labs,and Hazelo Labs.

Hetero chairman declaredthat his wife Bandi Kalavathi'sassets are worth Rs 1,276crore. Incidentally, neither ofthem have a vehicle in theirnames.

As per the affidavit ofParthasaradhi while his mov-able properties are Rs.3,858crores immovable propertiesare valued at Rs. 50 crores. Hedeclared at mutual fundinvestment of Rs. 179 crores.

There are four cases regis-tered against him under theDrugs and Cosmetics Act ofwhich two are filed in Bihar,one in Tamil Nadu, and one inHimachal Pradesh.

TRS RS nominee has assetsworth 3,909 cr, but no vehicle

BJP, TRS arehand in glove,alleges RevanthPNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC President RevanthReddy sent a letter to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onThursday on the occasion ofthe PM’s visit to Hyderabad. Inhis letter, Revanth said thatboth the BJP and the TRS hadfailed to fulfil the aspirationsof the people. Both the BJPand the TRS have been enact-ing dramas but the peopleknow about their secret pact,he said.

Revanth shot nine questionsat Prime Minister NarendraModi and asked him to answerthem in Hyderabad.

After the PM's visit toHyderabad, Revanth Tweetedsaying, “Begumpet Modi'sspeech has no interest inTelangana except a thirst forpower. It is ridiculous thatModi, who cancelled the ITIRproject sanctioned byCongress, has promised toturn Hyderabad into a tech-nology hub. Youth chanting isdeceptive.”

PNS n NARASARAOPET

Two young lovers allegedlycommitted suicide as theirparents did not agree for theirmarriage at Janapadu villagein Piduguralla mandal onThursday.

Police said that BallinaShiva Nagi Reddy (25) and a17-year-old girl belonged tothe same village committedsuicide by consuming pesti-cide as their parents did notconsent to their marriage.

The girl was studying inter-mediate. She went with ShivaNagi Reddy on his bike today.They stopped their bike at theoutskirts of Janapadu andconsumed pesticide and diedinstantaneously. The policeregistered a case and shiftedthe bodies to the governmentgeneral hospital in Gurazalafor postmortem.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Accusing Telangana BJPPresident Bandi Sanjay ofmaking a “highly objection-able and provocative” speechagainst Muslims, the Congresson Thursday demanded sternaction against him.

“Sanjay delivered a hatespeech in Karimnagar with thesole intention to provoke theminority community andspread communal hatred.Although people like Sanjay,who have zero IQ and noknowledge of history and

geography should be ignored,his remarks cannot be takenlightly as he is desperatelytrying to incite communalviolence,” Telangana PradeshCongress Committee (TPCC)Minorities DepartmentChairman Shaik AbdullahSohail said in a statement onThursday.

He also announced that theChairmen of the CongressMinority Departments in allthe 33 districts of Telanganahave been asked to file formalcomplaints against Sanjay intheir districts.

Sohail said that theTelangana BJP chief knowsnothing about Islam orMuslims in Telangana.Initially, he targeted four percent Muslim reservations andthen the Urdu language. Nowhe is targeting mosques bydemanding the digging up ofall masjids, Sohail added.

“His hatred for Muslimshas reached a different levelalthough it is aimed at politi-cal gains. He is making desper-ate attempts to grab publicattention by making provoca-tive comments,” he said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Fraudsters are targeting IASofficers in Telangana. Thefraudsters are demandingmoney from subordinates andothers by using the names andphotos of the IAS officers in thecity. They have so far targetedsix IAS officers, includingArvind Kumar, a top IAS offi-cer of Telangana. IAS officershave become victims of a fraud-ulent scam. The fraudsters areusing the photos of IAS officersand demanding money. OnThursday, a top IAS officer inthe state, Arvind Kumar, theSpecial Chief Secretary forMunicipal Administration andUrban Development, was onceagain became the victim of afraudulent scam in the samemonth of May. Arvind Kumar

lodged a complaint with thepolice. He said that some fraud-sters were posting photos ofhim and sending messages andextorting money. "Some fraud-ster is seeking money by puttingmy picture and sending mes-sages from this number. I haveagain filed a complaint with thepolice. This is the second timeit's happening within a month.

Please ignore if you've gotany such request," said ArvindKumar on Twitter.

Earlier, on May 3, 2022,Arvind Kumar was initiallythe victim of an impersonationscam involving fraudsters usinghis photos and demandingmoney.

Apart from that,Mahabubnagar Collector SVenkat Rao, YadadriBhuvanagiri Collector Pamela

Satpathy, JayashenkarBhupalpally District Collector,Bhavesh Mishra and WarangalCollector have faced similarproblem from fraudsters in thepast.

Fraudsters demand moneyin the guise of IAS officers

Six IAS officers,including ArvindKumar, SpecialChief Secretaryfor MunicipalAdministrationand UrbanDevelopmenthave becomevictims ofimpersonationscam byfraudsters

PNS n HYDERABAD

Three persons were convict-ed and jailed for committingeve-teasing, creating nuisancein drunken condition in thelimits of Gandhi Nagar Policestation, on Thursday.

Police said that the accusedD Manikanta (19), and ABhuvaneshwar (19) residentsof Bholakpur were convictedfor 37 days and 19 daysrespectively of jail in a pettycase for teasing ladies. Policealso registered petty caseagainst K. Bharath @ Ballu(29), resident of CC Nagarwho was convicted for 112days jail by XIII special MMmagistrate, Secunderbad forcreating nuisance in drunk-en condition and misbehav-ing with ladies in CC Nagardouble bed room houses.

Three convictedand jailed in eve-teasing cases

PNS n HYDERABAD

To provide better services to thepassengers, Telangana StateRoad Transport Corporation(TSRTC) will soon be launchingIntelligent Ticket Issue Machinebased on android ticketing on

long distance buses. Thisapproach is being made avail-able to make it more convenientfor passengers during transit.

The officials explained thatwith this approach, passengerswill be able to book tickets 15minutes before the departure

time of the bus from each busstation. However, online book-ings and reservations on longdistance services are currentlybeing stopped an hour earlier.This approach not only savespassenger time but also helps inknowing in advance how many

seats are vacant on the bus andhow long it will take for the busto arrive. At present passengershave to pay cash in buses to gettickets, but passengers can makeUPI or credit or debit card pay-ments in the bus with thisusage.

TSRTC to launch Intelligent Ticket Issuing Machine

CONG TO FILE PLAINT AGAINST BANDI

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MAY 27, 2022

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R Gyanvapi case: District court to continuehearing on maintainability on May 30

Adistrict court, which on Thursday heard arguments of Muslim side on the maintainabilityof the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case, fixed May 30 as the next date of hearingin the case. "The Muslim side's arguments on the maintainability of the case remained

incomplete today, which they will continue on May 30 -- the date fixed by the court for thenext hearing," said District Government Counsel Rana Sanjeev Singh. The court had on May24 fixed May 26 for hearing on the maintainabili-ty of the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case.Singh on Tuesday had said the court also gave aweek's time to both Hindu and Muslim sides tofile objections to the report of a court-mandatedvideography survey of the Gyanvapi mosquepremises. On May 20, the Supreme Court hadtransferred the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complexcase from a civil judge (senior division) to a dis-trict judge, saying looking at the "complexities"and "sensitivity" of the issue, it is better if a seniorjudicial officer having an experience of over 25-30 years handles this case.

UP budget 2022-23 meets aspirations of people: Adityanath

The Uttar Pradesh budget for 2022-23 meets the aspirations of the people of the stateand is the government's vision for the next five years, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathsaid on Thursday. The budget has taken care of the BJP's Lok Sankalp Patra (election

Manifesto) released during the assembly polls, and out of 130 resolutions, 97 have beenaddressed, he said. Along with all-inclusive development of the state, the budget will alsoprepare the roadmap for a brightfuture, Adityanath added. State FinanceMinister Suresh Kumar Khanna onThursday tabled Yogi Adityanath'ssecond term government's maidenbudget of over Rs 6.15 lakh crore inthe state assembly. This is the biggestbudget of the state till date. Describingthe budget as one in accordance withthe aspirations of 25 crore people ofthe state, Adityanath said it wasprepared keeping in mind the overalldevelopment of the state.

UP: Account with Rs 1.28 crore ofjailed MLA Vijay Mishra attached

The district administration on Thursday attached a bank account with Rs 1.28 crorein it allegedly transferred by former MLA and gang leader Vijay Mishra.Superintendent of Police (SP), Bhadohi, Anil Kumar on Thursday said, "Vijay Mishra

who is currently lodged in Agra Jail deposited Rs 1.28 cr in a bank account in Bhadohiowned by his close aides and sonVishnu Mishra." "The said money hasbeen gathered with the help of illegalactivities. The money was attached onthe direction of the senioradministrative officials underprovisions of the gangster act."Associated with the Samajwadi Partyfor a long time, Mishra was electedMLA thrice under its banner - 2002,2007, and 2012. He contested fromGyanpur assembly seat of Bhadhohifrom jail in the latest Uttar Pradeshelection, but lost.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Heart diseases, pneumonia, and asth-ma together claimed highest numberof lives -- over 42 per cent -- of the total81.15 lakh medically certified deathsregistered in the country in 2020.

According to the Report on MedicalCertification of Cause of Death 2020',prepared by India's Registrar Generaland Census Commissioner, COVID-19, which hit the country in that year,claimed nearly nine per cent of thelives -- 1,60,618 people.

While diseases of circulatory systemclaimed 32.1 per cent lives, respirato-ry system related diseases took 10 percent.

Those who died due to diseases ofpulmonary circulation and otherforms of heart diseases and ischemic

heart diseases were categorised asdeaths due to 'diseases of circulatorysystem'.

Deaths from pneumonia, asthma,and related diseases were termed asdeaths due to the 'diseases of respira-tory system'.

The third leading group, constitut-ing 8.9 per cent of the total medical-ly certified deaths, was classifiedunder the 'Codes for special purpos-es: COVID-19'.

Certain infectious and parasiticdiseases, which were the fourth lead-ing cause of death, were mainly con-stituted by septicemia and tuberculo-sis. They claimed 7.1 per cent lives in2020 in India.

The fifth leading cause, endocrine,nutritional and metabolic diseaseswere responsible for 5.8 per cent of the

total medically certified deaths.Diabetes and mellitus were the major

causes under this category.The sixth leading reason of coun-

try's deaths was injury, poisoning, andcertain other consequences of exter-nal causes (fractures, poisoning bydrugs and biological substances) andit constituted 5.6 per cent of the totaldeaths.

Neoplasm (cancer) was the seventhleading cause, accounting for 4.7 percent of the total medically certifieddeaths.

Male and female constituted 64 percent and 36 per cent respectively of thetotal medically certified death.

The highest number of deaths(5,17,678 or 28.6 per cent of total med-ically certified deaths) were reportedfor the age-group 70 years and above.

For the age-groups of 45 years andabove, diseases of circulatory system(heart diseases) were the first leadingcause of death.

42% of deaths in 2020 due to heart problems, pneumonia & asthma

PNS n BENGALURU

As many as seven people,including the principal of aschool, a journalist, and fourteachers in Magadi Taluk ofRamanagara district ofKarnataka, have been detainedon the charge of leaking ques-tion papers of the recently con-cluded 10th standard examina-tion, police sources said. Theywere picked up from differentschools, the sources said.

The exams were conducted inMarch and April and the resultsannounced recently. However, it

turned out recently that thequestion papers were leaked inmany places.

The police grilled the princi-pal, who spilled the beans. Basedon his statement, police detainedthe six others, police said, addingthat some of them may bearrested soon.

It is learnt tht the teacherswould get the question papers atleast 15 minutes in advance andthen share them in their networkthrough whatsapp.

Quickly, the answers wereprepared, and the studentsinformed the answers before

hand. The objective was toensure that no student fails in theexam, said the detained peopleto the police.

Majority of students scoreddistinction while the others gotfirst division marks. A few otherschools, which too have got sim-ilar results, are under watch.

The matter would not havecome to light had the principalof the school shared a questionpaper on a whatsapp group ofteachers. By the time he realisedthe mistake, some of them haddownloaded it, and allegedlyblackmailed the principal.

Only 58% school teacherstook part in discussionsPNS n NEW DELHI

At least 44 percent schoolteachers in India do not haveadequate work space while 65percent of them are over-loaded with work, according tothe National AchievementSurvey (NAS)-2021 conduct-ed by Union EducationMinistry.

The survey also found thatjust 58 percent teachers partic-ipated in discussions aroundthe new National EducationPolicy (NEP).

Over 5 lakh teachers of 1.18lakh schools in 720 districtsfrom both rural and urbanareas participated in the surveywhich was conducted through-out the country on November12 last year. The last NAS washeld in 2017.

According to the report, 44percent teachers do not haveadequate work space and 65percent of them are over-loaded with work.

Only 42 percent teachersparticipated in individual orcollaborative research whilejust 58 percent teachers partic-

ipated in discussions aroundnew NEP, it said.

While 97 percent teachersclaimed to have job satisfac-tion, at least 92 percent of thembelieved that there is scope forprofessional development.

"Sixty-five percent teachersengaged in formal dialogue withcolleagues on how to improveteaching in collaboration withBlock Resource Centres (BRC)and Cluster Resource Centre(CRC) while 42 percent teach-ers participated in mentoring orpeer observation and coachingas part of BRCs and CRCs," thereport said.

The survey pointed out thatat least 52 percent teachers par-ticipated in professional devel-opment programmes conduct-ed by DIETs, CBSE andNCERT.

The NAS covered govern-ment, government-aided andprivate schools. The achieve-ment tests along with the ques-tionnaires -- pupil question-naire, teacher questionnaireand school questionnaire --were developed and translatedin 22 different languages by theNational Council ofEducational Research andTraining (NCERT).

PNS n BENGALURU

With Enforcement Directorate(ED) filing a chargesheetunder the anti-money laun-dering law against him andothers, Karnataka CongressPresident D K Shivakumar onThursday alleged that all"political weapons" are beingused against him, aheadof 2023 assemblypolls in the state.

He claimed thatthe chargesheet is"part of a plan toeliminate people,whom the rulingdispensation fearmay create troublefor them politically ordon't surrender to them",adding that he is ready to "faceeverything".

"I have got to know thatsome national channels arereporting that they (ED) havefiled a chargesheet. They havesubmitted it to the court, wehave not been given a copy yet.The court will give us the copy.Usually it has to be filed with-in 60 days from the day I wasjailed, but they have filed itafter 3-3.5 years after largescale investigation,"Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters here,he said he has belief in the lawof the land and will abide by

it."Let the chargesheet come,

they can't create any newthings. However, the IncomeTax department had creatednew things (against me earli-er), going against the law andSupreme Court judgements,"he added.

The federal probe agency inSeptember 2018 regis-

tered a money laun-dering case againstShivakumar, AHaumanthaiah,an employee atthe KarnatakaBhavan in New

Delhi, and otherpeople.The case was based

on an Income TaxDepartment chargesheet filedagainst Shivakumar and oth-ers before a court in Bengalurufor alleged tax evasion andhawala dealings.

Further claiming that the"people of the country knowthat he has not done anythingwrong" and that he had earli-er stated that there were polit-ical motives behind the case,the KPCC chief recalled thatduring late Congress leaderAhmed Patel's election toRajya Sabha his house wasraided and money belongingto his friends were reported ashis.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Sustainable Ecological andEnvironmental Development(SEEDS), an NGO working inthe field of disaster risk reduc-tion and climate change hasbagged the United NationsSasakawa Award 2022 forDisaster Risk Reduction.

The global awards establishedin 1986 by the foundingChairman of the NipponFoundation, Mr RyoichiSasakawa for recognising excel-lence in reducing disaster risk, wasannounced at the ongoing 7thSession of Global Platform forDisaster Risk Reduction(GPDRR) 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.

SEEDS has been workingwith the communities acrossSouth Asia over for the last 28years to build resilience bycombining local wisdom withmodern science and technolo-gy and multi hazard approach.SEEDS focus on vulnerablecommunities, amplifying theirvoices to policy makers, theUnited Nations Office forDisaster Risk Reduction (UNR-DRR) said in a statement.

Manu Gupta, co-founder,SEEDS, said, We are delight-ed and humbled by this award.It has been 28 years since wetook up the mission to helpbuild resilience among vulner-able communities.

PNS n BHAWANIPATNA

Maoists have set ablaze atleast four vehicles afterstorming the makeshift campof a contractor engaged inroad construction in Odisha'sKalahandi district, police saidon Thursday.

The Naxals left handwrit-ten banners and posters,alleging that one of theircadres, who was reported tohave surrendered earlier thismonth, was actually arrestedwith the assistance of the con-tractor.

At least 20 armed ultrasreached the spot near TalaPipili village in Bhawanipatnablock late on Wednesday andtorched an excavator, a truckand two tractor trolleys, apolice officer said.

Superintendent of PoliceAbilash G said a combingoperation was carried outand a bomb detection squaddeployed at the spot.

The officer added thatsecurity would be provided tothe contractor, who claimedto have been receiving threatcalls.

India will ramp up foodgrainproduction, help nationsPNS n DAVOS

As the world faces a severefood crisis due to the war inUkraine, Union HealthMinister Mansukh Mandaviyaon Thursday said India is aresponsible country that iscommitted to all possible helpto the rest of the globe.

"However, with such a bigpopulation, our own need forfoodgrains is much higher.However, we will ramp up ourproduction and it is my hum-ble request that all other coun-tries should also do the sameand all responsible countriesshould come together to tack-le the food crisis,'' the ministersaid at the World EconomicForum Annual Meeting here.

"India is a responsible coun-try and is committed to pro-vide all help that may berequired. The Indian philoso-phy of the whole world beingone family saw India helpingthe rest of the world withmedicines and vaccines evenduring the lockdowns," he saidin reply to a question on fears

of famine, especially in Africa.Mandaviya, also the union

minister of chemicals and fer-tilisers, was speaking at a ses-sion on 'Redefining FoodSystems with EmergingTechnologies'.

He elaborated on the role oftechnology and innovationsin building resilience in glob-al food systems and also high-

lighted various efforts of thePrime Minister NarendraModi-led government in mod-ernising the agriculture sector.

"India is a big country withhuge diversity and almost halfthe population depends onfarming. We are taking a num-ber of initiatives so that farm-ers get fertilisers at cheaperrates and also they get the

information digitally on soilhealth etc.

"We are trying to ensure thatthe costs remain low for farm-ers and their productivityimproves. We are providing allkinds of financial and techni-cal support to farmers. Despitethe size of farms going down,the production is going up inIndia," he noted.

He elaborated onthe role oftechnology andinnovations inbuilding resiliencein global foodsystems and alsohighlightedvarious efforts ofthe PM Modi-ledgovernment inmodernising theagriculture sector.

Maoists stormconstructionsite in Odisha,torch vehicles

Indian NGO bags UN award for disaster risk reduction

Civilian killingsbelie claims ofnormalcy in J-K: MehboobaPNS n SRINAGAR

PDP president MehboobaMufti on Thursday ques-tioned the Centre's Jammuand Kashmir policy sayingthe civilian killings inKashmir did not supportGovernment of India's claimsof normalcy in the union ter-ritory.

In Kashmir, mourningshave sadly become the norm& a daily ritual. Countlessinnocent civilians are killed inone way or the other & dev-astated families are leftbehind to pick up the pieces.What will it take for GOI torecalibrate their J&K policy toend this bloodshed?Mehbooba tweeted.

Commenting on the killingof a female TV artist by threeLashkar-e-Taiba terrorists inBudgam district's Chadooraarea on Wednesday, the for-mer chief minister said whilethe government was makingclaims about normalcy, thegruesome killings suggestotherwise.

GOI keeps blowing itstrumpet of normalcy inJ&K even when such grue-some incidents suggestotherwise. My heart goesout to Ambreen Bhat'sfamily & pray her nephewrecovers swiftly, Mehboobasaid.

5 teachers, among 7 detained forquestion paper leak in Karnataka

Bengal Speakerflays Guv forsitting over billPNS n KOLKATA

West Bengal Assembly SpeakerBiman Banerjee Thursdayslammed Governor JagdeepDhankhar for not giving assentto the bifurcation of theHowrah MunicipalCorporation bill, accusing theRaj Bhavan occupant of sittingover it. The Howrah MunicipalCorporation (Amendment)Bill, 2021, which proposes toseparate Bally Municipalityfrom the jurisdiction of theHMC, was passed by the stateassembly last year.

PNS n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Hours after senior politician PC George, arrested by thepolice following cancellation ofhis bail in connection with ahate speech case, was sent tojudicial remand by a magiste-rial court here on Thursday,the Kerala High Court askedthe state what was the purposeof keeping him in custody ifpolice had recordings of thespeeches made by him.

The query by the High

Court was posed to thestate governmentduring hearing ofGeorge's two pleas-- one seekinganticipatory bail ina hate speech caseregistered atPalarivattom police sta-tion and the other appealingagainst the cancellation of hisbail in another hate speechcase lodged against him inThiruvananthapuram.

The high court asked the

state what was the pur-pose of taking

George into cus-tody when thei n v e s t i g a t i n gagency already hadvideo recordings of

the speeches madeby him.

It asked the DirectorGeneral of Prosecution toanswer the queries, posed byit, on the next date of hearing-- Friday.

The court also said that

George's pleas would be con-sidered on that day and as aresult, he would have to spendat least one more day in jail.

During the hearing beforethe high court, the politician'slawyers urged the court togrant him interim bail.

They also contended that hewas questioned for a longtime at Palarivattom police sta-tion to await the bail cancella-tion order from the magister-ial court inThiruvananthapuram.

Kerala court remands P C George; HC asks state why keep him in custody

ED chargesheet apolitical weapon againstme, says Shivakumar

Navjot Sidhu'sspecial diet inPatiala jailPNS n CHANDIGARH

Jailed Congress leader NavjotSingh Sidhu will serve as aclerk in the Patiala centralprison and will get a doctor-recommended daily diet thatincludes coconut water, lac-tose-free milk, a glass of juiceand a few almonds, an officialsaid.

A board of doctors has rec-ommended a special diet forSidhu after he had sought thesame in the jail. His medicalexamination was conductedon May 23 at Rajindra hospi-tal in Patiala, Punjab.

The 58-year-old cricketer-turned-politician's special dietincludes one cup of rosemarytea or one glass of coconutwater in early morning, andone cup of lactose-free milk,one tablespoon of flax/sun-flower/melon/chia seeds, five-six almonds, one walnut andtwo pecan nuts in breakfast.

In the mid-morning meal,the doctors have recom-mended a glass of juice (beet-root, cucumber, tulsi leaves,Amla, carrot etc), or any offruits like watermelon,melon, kiwi, guava etc, orsprouted black chana, greengram with cucumber/toma-to/half lemon/avocado.

For lunch, the doctors havesuggested one bowl of cucum-ber, seasonal green vegetableswith one chapati of sorghum,singhara or ragi flours.

NEW EDUCATION POLICY

HATE SPEECH CASE

Covid-19 claimed nearly nine percent of lives

Asean countries about theUS’ desire to invest in therelationship. The BidenAdministration’s decision towithdraw from Afghanistan,the initial ambiguity in itsapproach towards Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine and otherissues only compoundedAsean’s apprehensions aboutthe future direction of therelationship.

Expectedly, the specialsummit addressed certaincritical issues of SoutheastAsian countries. One, the USreiterated that its Indo-Pacificstrategy will be Asean-centric.This acknowledgment wasimportant because Asean hasgenerated the concern thatthe US Indo-Pacific strategywill dilute its position in USpolicy towards Asia. Two,Biden also announced toinvest $150 million in newprojects to bolster SoutheastAsia’s climate, maritime andpublic health infrastructure.Three, Asean countries,except Singapore, have adopt-ed the policy of neutrality onRussia’s invasion of Ukraine.This in turn signalled thedecline of US influence in theregion. Thus, before startinghis Asia tour, Biden wanted to

send a message to Russiaand China through theSpecial Summit that the UScontinues to enjoy close tieswith Southeast Asian coun-tries. At the same time,though the joint statementissued after the Summit didnot mention the Russianinvasion of Ukraine, Bidenmust have reportedly askedAsean members to take atough stand on the Russia-Ukraine war.

On the other hand, dur-ing his Asia visit, the launchof Indo-Pacific EconomicFramework during the sec-ond in-person QUADSummit emerged as a majordevelopment. Ever since thereemergence of QUAD in2017, formally known asQuadrilateral SecurityDialogue, it has made hugeprogress. This can be gaugedfrom the fact that the QUADmeeting was initially held atthe junior bureaucratic level.Now, it is organised at differ-ent levels, including the headsof State. While QUAD hasplayed a pivotal role in deal-ing with the COVID virus,the group has become theanchor of promoting a free,open, prosperous and secure

Indo-Pacific. Addressing anoverdue lacuna in the Indo-Pacific strategy, QUAD haslaunched Indo-PacificEconomic Framework. Inturn, it will play a crucial rolein limiting China’s econom-ic clout in the region.

Earlier, QUAD hadshown hesitation in addingsecurity issues to its priority.However, the launch of anIndo-Pacific Partnership forMaritime Domain Awareness(IPMDA) has indicated thewillingness of the QUADcountries to foster securitycooperation. The IPMDAwill offer a near-real-time,integrated and cost-effectivemaritime domain awarenesspicture and help Quad mem-bers’ allies as well to fullymonitor their shores.

Of course, Taiwanappeared as a major issue onthe priority list of Biden’s visitto Asia. In fact, he said in nouncertain terms that the USwould intervene militarily ifTaiwan came under Chineseattack. This strong presiden-tial statement, with the pres-ence of the major Asian pow-ers in Tokyo, certainlyassumes huge importance,indicating the possible shift inthe US’ approach towards‘One China’ policy. Thus,while the visit has crystallisedthe Biden Administration’sreadiness to lead the region-al and global efforts to con-tain autocratic tendencies inAsia and beyond, it needs tobe realised that the success ofthe Indo-Pacific strategy andQUAD singularly dependentson whether the US and otherpowers can protect Taiwan’sindependence or not.

Thus, while the US hasindicated to end the policy ofambiguity on Taiwan, globaland regional efforts must bechannelised to make Taiwanan integral element of theIndo-Pacific Strategy andQUAD.

(The author is a formerMinistry of Foreign AffairsVisiting Fellow, NCCU, Taipei.The views expressed are personal.)

Swami Vivekananda, during his tour to Kerala in 1892, had described the provinceas a “lunatic asylum” as he was shocked by the vacuous communalism. TheKerala of 2022 needs an epithet stronger than what the renowned monk had used.

Despite democratically electing India’s first Communist Government and being a social,economic and educational model for the country, the State often spawns communalbattle cries, threats and one-upmanship among religious leaders and organisations whicheven the Kerala High Court has described as “terrorist outfits”. The threats and chal-lenges touched a new high as a 10-year-old boy was used by the activists of PopularFront of India, an Islamic outfit, to raise slogans against Hindus and Christians. Thoughthe slogans raised during a Republic Rally at Alappuzha last Saturday are not fit to print,

it can be said that these were a blot on Kerala’s psy-che. Political murders, dowry deaths, student violenceand drug trafficking have become regular features inthe State’s daily life. The CPI(M)-led Left DemocraticFront Government under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan,which retained power in the 2021 election, is clue-less or suffering from selective amnesia since itassumed office last May.

This is the first time in four decades that aGovernment succeeded in retaining power for the sec-ond term in Kerala. Despite making a lot of sound andfury, Vijayan’s second innings stands out because ofits indifference to burning issues. Another news that

shook Kerala’s conscience pertains to a rape survivor who approached the Kerala HighCourt with the charge that the trial court has a hidden agenda to derail her case. Thevictim, herself a popular actress, had named Malayalam cinema’s top actor Dileep asthe prime accused in the 2017 case in which the latter hired a petty thief to rape thewoman. A series of dowry deaths reported from various parts of the State has causedanguish in the mind of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who staged a day’s fast as amark of solidarity with the victims. Nothing is going right to date in the second tenureof the LDF Government. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister and his party colleagues accus-ing the rape survivor of playing politics has further shocked women in the State. Keraladeserves a much better deal than this sexist approach.

The American myth is turning on itself. Pet phrases, like the “world’s policeman”or the post-9/11 “world’s soldier”, are boomeranging. A larger-than-life portray-al of the American Marine in Hollywood and addictive video games has acquired

bloody connotations. The American “Special Operator”, who is the quintessential sym-bol of the “American way of life”, is the latest Frankenstein. And, it is now happeningin Texas, the land of the self-claimed frontiersmen, those buccaneers who still wearcowboy hats and boots and ride horses, the guns and rifles and repeaters completingtheir macho image. The latest incident of mass killings in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesdaygives Americans a long-overdue wake-up call: The previous mass killers were labelledas Islamist jihadists, white supremacists or right-wing local terrorists. Today’s American

killer is nothing of that sort. Mostly male, he is an ordi-nary citizen with a neighbourly attitude that hides theghosts of penury or social ostracism, a generally wast-ed life or a pitiably impaired mental status. The killer,ashamed of his situation, decides to get justice theonly way he knows: By the gun. But first, the would-be killer has to get into the role. He chooses the imagethat hits him from every TV screen, chewing gumwrapper, muscle-building whey tin, and film, in factfrom every advertisement in the US: the macho, gun-toting American vigilante. So, he acquires the tacti-cal battle uniform including the hat, vest, gloves and

cargo trousers, the toughest ‘costume’ Americans like him swear by.The “Special Operator” must have thought a lot about the weapon. He chose the

DDM4 Rifle, the civilian version of the military’s M4 Carbine. Luckily, the civilian ver-sion does not switch to fully automatic; otherwise, more would have died. The AR-15rifle and 375 bullets must have cost him between $400 and $2000, the holographicsight an additional $700. The killer symbolises the current American fetish for the olive-green-clad American military superman. The world got a hint of such looming disas-ters quite early in the Donald Trump era as these gun-toting mutants of the SpecialOps Forces (SOFs) roamed the country in their pick-ups without purpose other thanto advertise their trigger-happy right-wing attitudes. The world remembers the rioterswho stormed the US Capitol this January on Trump’s calling, wearing Kevlar and metalhelmets and fancy weapons. Such “activists” fired bullets in the air to protest COVIDmask mandates. They want to shoot guns and say they love America. The gunmanfetish has come out of Waco; it is now mainstream. The armed pretenders are the footsoldiers of right-wing ‘heroism’, settling debts with bullets. The Republicans glorify gunculture; the Democrats make half-hearted attempts to ban it. It is the indifference thatis costing that country today. The American mindset needs urgent formatting. It is notjust about limitations on guns, but erasing the puffed-up machismo image that makesdisturbed people take to guns. It is insulting democratic common sense to insist thatowning guns is being liberal.

Rule of the gun

AAP’S EXEMPLARY ACT IN PUNJABSir — The news of a Minister of the AAPGovernment of Punjab indulging incorruption is in the headlines as well asthe speedy action taken by the PunjabChief Minister Bhagwant Mann on thiscorrupt Minister. Mann without delaydismissed the Minister from the Cabinet.In a way, such Ministers also have to bepraised that as soon as their namecropped up in the bribery case, theyaccepted their mistake. But one thing isincomprehensible that how many days ithas been since the formation of the AAPGovernment and it is very unfortunateto have such allegations against a Ministerof a reputed department in as many days.

But the good thing is that theMinister did not take any recourse topower to save himself, as usually happens.Or say that the Government did not delayin paying compensation for the Assemblyelections of Himachal Pradesh andGujarat. The Punjab Government andAAP have proved by the immediate dis-missal that the mobile number given toprevent corruption is working fine. It isa request to the Almighty that this num-ber keeps working fine. Other StateGovernments should also provide simi-lar numbers to the common man.

Rajender Kumar Sharma | Rewari

NEED TO BE REASONABLESir — These days we find many discus-sions going on, some in favour and someagainst, about the release of Perarivalan,one of the accused in the Rajiv Gandhiassassination case. Some have even goneoverboard to say that the SupremeCourt has committed a grave mistake inreleasing Perarivalan, thereby proving tobe more Catholic than the Pope! Itshould not be forgotten that one of thesenior inquiry officers has regretted thathe had recorded Perarivalan’s statementwrongly, thereby implicating him in theheinous crime.

Reputed legal luminaries, includingJustice Krishna Iyer, have raised their

voice in favour of release of Perarivalanconfirming that he had only been arrest-ed and kept in jail for three decades onlyout of suspicion. Can anyone of thosewho are opposing the release ofPerarivalan categorically state that he wasinvolved in Rajiv’s assassination withunambiguous and authentic evidence?Let us give the benefit of the doubt toPerarivalan at least now after he has beenmade to waste his entire youth in cus-tody and allow him to spend the rest ofhis life peacefully with his mother.

Tharcius S Fernando | Chennai

THE GOOD MORNING HABITSir — Reading newspapers early in themorning along with a cup of tea is still amorning trend in India. Although in manyfamilies, newspapers have been replacedby mobile phones, there are many whorecognise newspapers as a more reliablesource of information. People believe thatanything available on the internet may beuntrue and to cross-check people prefer

newspapers or any other printed source(magazines, letter, etc). A newspaper hasmore advantages than disadvantageswhile it is the other way round in the caseof smart phones. Newspapers increasereading skills, vocabulary, general knowl-edge and don’t affect one’s eyesight.

We can get newspapers to update our-selves on various current issues and newsfrom across the world. These are handyitems, made of papers and, therefore, eco-friendly and easy to recycle. Most impor-tantly, it is the easiest and cheapest sourceof information. Entertaining things likepuzzles, stories and crosswords are alsoavailable in a newspaper. The IndianReadership Survey (IRS) reveals thatnewspaper readership at the end of Q1 of2019 has grown to 425 million. The trustwhich the people have for print media cannever be replaced by any other source.

Ishita Patidar | Ujjain

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

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VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MAY 27, 2022

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Slipping into abyssKerala is experiencing one blow after another in the LDF Government’s second term in office

PICTALK

An aerial view of the flood-affected areas after heavy rainfall, in Assam PTI

BEFORE STARTINGHIS ASIA TOUR,

BIDEN WANTED TOSEND A MESSAGE TO

RUSSIA AND CHINATHROUGH THE

SPECIAL SUMMITTHAT THE US

CONTINUES TOENJOY CLOSE TIESWITH SOUTHEASTASIAN COUNTRIES

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

SUMIT KUMAR

The Robb Elementary School carnage again raisesthe issue of gunman fetish among America’s youth

Developments in the Congress, includingprominent leaders like Kapil Sibal quittingit, have exacerbated the crisis it faces. Sibal

announced that he had resigned from theCongress as he filed Rajya Sabha nominationpapers with the Samajwadi Party’s backing.Sibal’s resignation has come as a big blow tothe Congress, which is struggling to pick up thepieces after its lacklustre performance in therecent elections. Sibal is the fifth prominentleader to leave the party after Sunil Jakhar,

Hardik Patel, Ashwani Kumar and RPN Singh.The leadership is at a loss for how to tackle theexodus the party faces. In fact, Sibal hadresigned from the party a day after the much-talked about conclave held in Udaipur, akaChintan Shivir.

By his action, he has dropped a hint thathe was dissatisfied with the brainstorming ses-sion in Udaipur. It may be recollected that Sibalwas part of G-23, a group of dissentingCongress leaders who have been demandingradical changes in the party. Sibal’s quittingthe Congress is a wake-up call for the party.Its leadership must not take such desertionslightly. The party leadership needs to wake upto reality. A weak Congress party cannotcounter the BJP even in the 2024 Lok Sabhaelections. The party leadership needs tocome out of the cocoon it is settled in and takeimmediate steps to rejuvenate it.

Venu GS | Kollam

Cong must wake up to reality

Upshot, prospects ofBiden’s Asia policy

Amid a gloomy pictureof the world order dueto the Russian inva-sion of Ukraine,

President Joe Biden has redi-rected his attention to deepen-ing and consolidating America’sties with its allies and partnersin Asia. In this context, the UShosted Asean leaders for a spe-cial summit on May 12-13 totake stock of its relationships.Biden paid a five-day visit toSouth Korea and Japan duringMay 20-24, launching a mega-regional economic plan for theIndo-Pacific.

While commemorating the45 years of US-Asean relations,Biden declared the beginning ofa new era in their relations. Heargued that “a great deal of his-tory of our world in the next 50years is going to be written andthe Asean countries and ourrelationship with you is thefuture in the coming years anddecades”. Undoubtedly, thereare several reasons why theBiden Administration’s politicaland others efforts to infuse anew movement in the ties withAsean assume huge signifi-cance. Of course, one factor thathas dominated the US pivot toSoutheast Asia is China’sincreasing footprints in theregion through the Belt & RoadInitiative, the RegionalComprehensive EconomicPartnership.

Therefore, to containChina’s influence and main-tain its permeance in the region,it is imperative for the US toaccelerate the level of coopera-tion with Asean. On the otherhand, Asean countries havebecome alarmed at China’sassertive posturing in the SouthChina Sea. Consequently, theynot only want strong Americanmilitary presence in the region,but are also trying to increasetrade and commerce with theUS to reduce their economicdependability on China.

Sadly, President DonaldTrump’s unpredictable behav-iour, the absence of Asean cen-trality in the Indo-Pacific strat-egy, the US withdrawal from theTrans-Pacific Trade Agreementcreated huge distrust among

SOUNDBITEWe only know how to run theGovernment. Wedon’t do vote bankpolitics.

Delhi Chief Minister— Arvind Kejriwal

This is a stupidwar which your(Vladimir) Putinstarted. This warwas built on lies.

Kremlin critic— Alexei Navalny

I took vocal training from RonAnderson, who hastrained the likes of late WhitneyHouston and Ariana Grande.

Actor— Madhuri Dixit-Nene

The environment ofDelhi is dominatedby its lakes … theynourish aquatic life and regulateclimate.

Delhi Environment Minister— Gopal Rai

The last game we played, we felt almost like weplayed our bestgame of this

campaign so far.

RCB captain— Faf du Plessis

There are several reasons why the Biden Administration’s efforts to infusea new movement in the ties with Asean assume huge significance

of the manufacturing sector whichhas been hit hard by rising inputprices and supply disruptions.

A part of the inflation is alsoimported, since more than 80percent of our fuel and 60 percentof edible oil are imported fromcountries which are also facingsevere inflation, and the inflatedimport bill is reducing our foreignexchange reserves which havecome down to US$ 598 billion pro-viding an import cover of about 11months in April 2022, from US$635 billion in January 2022. Theinflation figures are alreadyexceeding 9 percent in certainstates like West Bengal, MadhyaPradesh, Haryana and Telangana.The optimism of the UnionFinance Ministry that the gradualrecovery of aggregate demand wasreducing the risk of sustainedhigh inflation may be rather mis-placed. Even the higher collectionof GST as seen in the recentmonths may also be partly fuelledby the rise in prices of commodi-ties rather than due to the expan-sion of economic activities.

Following the US Fed’s 0.5 per-cent hike in inflation, the RBI hasincreased the repo rate as well asthe CRR by 0.4 percent on 4thMay. It is widely expected thatthere would be another steep hikein both the interest rate as well asthe CRR in June. CRISIL Ratingshas projected inflation to bearound 6.3 percent for the currentfiscal; it also expects the RBI toraise repo rates by another 0.75percent to one percent duringFY-2023. Economists and corpo-

rate leaders expect the interest rateto finally settle down around 5.5percent by the mid FY-2023.Indeed, given the huge differencebetween the repo rate of 4.4 per-cent and the yield of 10-year G-Secat above 7 percent which is abenchmark for interest rate in theeconomy, there is scope for stillhigher increases. But everyincrease in interest rate contractsthe space for fiscal manoeuvrabil-ity of the government and growthbecomes the ultimate casualty.Already the growth forecasts forIndia have been sliced by all agen-cies - RBI has itself lowered itsgrowth protection to 7.2 percent in2022-23, down from 7.8 percent ithad earlier estimated.

The wholesale inflation mea-sured by the WPI has been muchhigher than the CPI inflationthroughout - it rose to a four-month high of 14.55 percent inMarch 2022 from 13.11 percent inFebruary. Prices accelerated acrossall segments - 10.71 percent formanufactured products, 25.97 per-cent for basic metals, 34.52 percentfor fuel and power, and 15.54 per-cent for primary articles, despite amarginal slowdown in the cost offood articles. On a monthly basis,wholesale prices increased by 2.69percent in March, the most sincethe series began in 2004. The rea-son for such divergence betweenthe WPI and CPI is partly due tothe different weightages in theirrespective baskets - in the WPIbasket, manufactured articles get64.2 percent weightage which ismuch higher than in the CPI,

whereas primary articles get 22.6percentage weightage, followedby 13.2 percent for fuel and power.

While the RBI considers retailinflation for its policy decisions,the wholesale price risesultimate-ly get reflected on the retail pricesafter a lag of a few quarters as com-panies tend pass on the burden toconsumers. Thus, the high WPIinflation in March for primary arti-cles is likely to get translated intostill higher food prices which willaffect the poor more than the rich,again belying the FinanceMinistry’s assumption that at thelower end of the economic strata,the impact of inflation is not asdeep as at the upper end.

It is really strange why the RBItook so long to act and when itfinally did so, why it had to act insuch an abrupt manner that wassure to jolt the market severely,leading to panic selling by foreigninvestors leading to sustainedmayhem in the stock market andsevere erosion in the value of therupee. The increase in interest ratescould have been affected in a lit-tle more predictable manner, usingthe mechanism of regular MPCmeetings. If inflation is to be con-trolled, decisions by all centralbanks need some kind of a real-time coordination, a mechanismfor which needs to be worked outand activated without delay. TheWTO, must also be involvedsimultaneously in the battle againstinflation. Inflation is as bad asCovid if not worse, and only bycoming together, the world canfight it effectively.

The world must unitefor fighting inflation

AM AMAZED AS TO HOW DEAREST FRIENDS IN TV

MEDIA HAVE TO BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO

SERVE THE GOVERNMENT’S IDIOTIC AGENDA.

— CONGRESS CHIEF SPOKESPERSON

RANDEEP SURJEWALA

AGAIN, RAHUL GANDHI MEETS UK MP JEREMY CORBYN

WHO IS KNOWN FOR HIS HATRED AND DISLIKE

FOR INDIA… ADVOCATES KASHMIR’S SECESSION.

— UNION LAW MINISTER

KIREN RIJIJU

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Tokyo for the second in-per-son QUAD leaders' summit. He had bilateral discussions with Primeministers of Japan and Australia and US President Joe Biden. It

underscores the importance of the Indo-Pacific as the external strate-gy of the QUAD members. The apprehensions regarding the US losingfocus on this crucial region due to Ukraine stand resolved. This groupof 4 nations, though not a military alliance, shares common threat per-ceptions from China. Australia had pulled out from the group in 2007as it was then in a tight embrace with China. However, an aggressiveChina in Australia’s backyard, used military power to expand its territo-rial controls, forcing the Australians to get back into QUAD. The Tokyosummit saw a mint-fresh Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albaneseattending the meeting in person along with his foreign minister. The QUADpolitical leaders expanded on their targets they had set out in their meet-ings since March 2021.One important outcome was announcement ofIndo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness(IPMDA). In astatement, the White House elaborated that IPMDA would provide for“faster, wider, and more accurate maritime picture of near-real-time activ-ities in partners’ waters. This common operating picture will integratethree critical regions-the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and the IndianOcean region-in the Indo-Pacific.”Earlier a senior US administration offi-

cial had highlighted that maritime arrangement will allow countries “Theability to know what is happening in countries’ territorial waters and intheir exclusive economic zones.” This cooperation could be one of themost significant outcomes from QUAD so far as it brings together allthe QUAD partner countries together to share the data they collect indi-vidually about their maritime resources and far away islands and get abig picture. This data sharing could lead to early warnings for disasters,climate change incidents and most important be the eyes at the largestwaterway in the world. It will keep an eye on illegal military interven-tions, illegal fishing activities and potentially criminal activities using thesea route. The QUAD leaders were categorical in stating the purpose asnonmilitary but at a level of sharing surveillance data amongst the coastguards.Any analyst would be able to pinpoint the actual reason behindthis initiative is to contain China’s aggressive illegal occupations and eco-nomic activities in many of the islands in the Indo Pacific region.

It is a shared concern for India, Australia and Japan. However, increas-ingly it has been a major issue of conflict for several countries in Southand Southeast Asia which have felt bullied by China. The QUAD deci-sion to make the shared data “unclassified” and therefore open for anycountry in the region, makes IPMDA an inclusive framework. The focusis on identification and working on cutting edge future technologies tocollect the data and make it most meaningful for users. This could makeQUAD a unique partner for many countries in the region, as they couldfall back on QUAD data and intelligence for securing their maritime eco-nomic interests and prevent criminal activities in their backyard. Anotherkey aspect of the recently concluded QUAD summit was the focus oncyber security vulnerabilities faced by each nation and sharing of infor-mation between the Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT). Itwas also stated that “the Quad will improve software and Managed ServiceProvider (MSP) security by coordinating cyber security standards forQuad Governments’ procurement of software.” This should create a com-mon framework for governments in each of the 4 nations to be effec-tive in case of cyber-attacks on their critical infrastructure.

(The writer is a policy analyst. The views expressed are personal.)

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MAY 27, 2022

07

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FIRSTCOLUMNQUAD LEADERS’ SUMMITOUTCOMES FOR FUTURE

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

GOVINDBHATTACHARJEE

Maritime data sharing provides weather and waterway watch

IT IS STRANGEWHY THE RBI

TOOK SO LONGTO ACT AND

WHEN ITFINALLY DID,

WHY IT HAD TOACT IN SUCH

AN ABRUPTMANNER THATWAS SURE TO

JOLT THEMARKET,

LEADING TOPANIC SELLING

BY FOREIGNINVESTORS

LEADING TOSUSTAINEDMAYHEM INTHE STOCK

MARKET ANDSEVERE

EROSION INTHE VALUE OF

THE RUPEE

(The author is a formerDirector General at

the Office of theComptroller & AuditorGeneral of India and an

academic. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

What happened inKonaseema district inAndhra Pradesh on

May 24 was unprecedented andtotally unforeseen. Houses of aMinister for Transport, PinipeViswaroop, a Dalit, and MLA,P. Satish, a fisherman, were seton fire by a mob which alsoindulged in arson and vandal-ism in Amalapuram town.Violence broke out when thepolice attempted to prevent aprocession taken out by JointAction Committee (JAC) aspart of ‘Chalo Amalapuram’from meeting the district collec-tor. Had the police allowed theprotestors to submit their mem-orandum to the collector, thingsmight have been different.

The JAC was formed tooppose the change of the dis-trict’s name from Konaseema toDr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema

District. People of Konaseemaare sentimental about the nameof their district. The movementfor a separate district ofKonaseema was on for manyyears. It acquired momentumwith the State Government’sdecision to create Konaseemadistrict and to add Ambedkar’sname to it. Top leaders ofmajor parties supported theproposal though many others,transcending party differences,privately opposed the change.Nara Chandrababu Naidu ofthe TDP and Pawan Kalyan ofthe Jana Sena Party gave theirconsent when YSRCP govern-ment sought their approval.

Konaseema district has apeculiar demographic picture.Kapus, Settibalij as and Dalitsare the three dominant com-munities which are equallylarge, vocal and militant. There

used to be frequent clashesbetween the Kapus andSettibalij as till 1993 whensome leaders such as GudipudiPrabhakara Rao brokeredpeace between the two warringcommunities. The two com-munities have not been quar-reling ever since barring someisolated incidents. However,the Dalits have been at logger-heads both with the Kapus and

Settibalij as who are part of theBCs. Konaseema district hasone Lok Sabha seat(Amalapuram) and three (outof a total of seven) assemblyseats reserved for SCs.Anuradha, an SC, is represent-ing Amalapuram constituencyin Lok Sabha. The Ministerfrom the district Viswaroop isconsidered very close to YSR’sfamily. Dalits are in commandin the district and this is detest-ed by Kapus and Balijas.

When AP Chief MinisterJagan Mohan Reddy visitedMarumalla village nearAmalapuram last week,Viswaroop had taken a delega-tion of Dalits to him. They sub-mitted a memorandumrequesting the Chief Ministerto name Konaseema districtafter Baba Saheb Ambedkar.Jagan Mohan Reddy accepted

the request but wanted theopposition parties to approvethe proposal. TDP and JSPleaders had welcomed the idea.A gazette notification wasissued last week renaming thedistrict as Dr. B.R. AmbedkarKonsaseema District and itasked the people to let the gov-ernment know within onemonth if anybody has anyobjection.

The GO was not openlyopposed by any noted politicalleader. But WhatsApp messageswere sent in their thousands bythe general public, supportingor opposing the move. TheDalit protagonists were asaggressive as Kapus and Balijas.Viswaroop reportedly told thepolice to use force in dealingwith the situation. The policehad clamped Section 144 andSection 30 by way of preventive

measures. But the force whichthe protestors unleashed in amatter of hours was not fore-seen by the police who wereunprepared. They used lathisand fired in the air for fivetimes to control the mob. Till8 pm the street battles betweenthe police and the protestorswere going on. The policecould bring the situation undercontrol by late in the night.DIG Palraju (Eluru range) andfour SPs have been camping atAmalapuram which remainedpeaceful on Wednesday. Extraforces have been rushed to thetown. Forty-six persons havebeen taken into custody tillWednesday afternoon, accord-ing to DIG Palraju. He hadspoken to community leaders.He appealed to the people tomaintain peace and harmony.

Konaseema which is

known for its greenery,coconut trees and high yield-ing crops, has all of a suddenexploded in the face of thepolice officials. Nothing ofthis sort had happened in thelast four decades. Even at thetime of Vangaveeti MohanRanga’s murder in Vijayawadain 1989, the riots were all overcoastal Andhra and only Kapusin Konaseema were involved insporadic violence.

This time it was SCs versusall others. It was mostly theresult of long-standing com-munity rivalries and discontentwith the present Governmentrather than antagonismtowards Ambedkar. The dom-inant profile of Dalit leadersalso added fuel to the fire.Former Speaker of Lok Sabha,GMC Balayogi, hailed from thesame place.

The violence was the result of longstanding community rivalries and discontent with the Govt rather than antagonism towards Ambedkar

Arson exposes violent social underbelly of Konaseema

(The writer is a senior journalist and Editor,

primepost, a news websitebased out of Hyderabad.

The views expressed are personal.)

RAMACHANDRA MURTHYKONDUBHATLA

KUMARDEEP BANERJEE It seems that for the entire world, highinflation is going to be the new nor-mal, at least for the foreseeablefuture. In April 2022, the IMF’s

World Economic Outlook predicted thatduring 2022, inflation will be at 5.7 per-cent in advanced economies and 8.7 per-cent in emerging markets and developingeconomies-1.8 and 2.8 percent higher,respectively,than its earlier projections inJanuary. The unprecedented supply dis-ruptions caused by the Russia-UkraineWar, now about to enter its fourth month,have been driving commodity prices forquite some time, and conditions areexpected to deteriorate progressively.

Worsening supply-demand imbal-ances and further increases in commod-ity prices could lead to persistently highinflation at least in the medium term,which in turn would lead to a spiral of ris-ing interest rates, higher wage demandsand consequent fall in the profitability ofcompanies forcing them to curtail pro-duction, leading in turn to still higherinflation and more losses in real wages.Post-pandemic, the world is alreadystruggling for economic recovery whiletrying to manage much higher debt lev-els than before due to the expansionaryfiscal policies triggered by the pandem-ic. Now the higher inflation wouldexpose countries, especially the emergingmarkets and developing economies, toserious debt vulnerabilities, let alonebuilding fiscal buffers.

The drivers of this rising inflation - thewar, sanctions, lockdown in China due toa resurgence of Covid, and the massivesupply-chain disruptions as a result of allthese — are beyond the control of cen-tral banks. Hence monetary policiesalone may not suffice to tame the men-ace of inflation, though the responses ofdifferent countries to such policies wouldvary depending on their conditions andthe strength of their fundamentals.Governments would also be weary ofreversing their expansionary fiscal poli-cies which would translate into econom-ic hardships for their people trying hardto recover from the losses suffered dur-ing the pandemic years. In the unfoldingscenario, growth will likely take a back seatfor the entire world for the time being.

In India, the retail inflation measuredby the CPI had shot up to 7.8 percent inApril 2022 from 7 percent in March, thehighest in the last 8 years. While the urbaninflation was 7.1 percent, the rural infla-tion soared to 8.4 percent. In the CPI bas-ket, food and beverages carry a weightageof 45.9 percent and fuel another 6.8 per-cent; even if we take these out, the coreinflation still remained at 6.5 percent, wayabove the RBI’s inflation target of 6 per-cent at the upper band. Factory output alsoremained sluggish, with the index ofindustrial production (IIP) rising only by1.9 percent in March 2022, down from thepeak of 134.4 percent recorded in April2021, mainly due to the low performance

To control inflation, decisions of all Central banks need some kind of real-time

coordination, a mechanism for which needs to be worked out and activated

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MAY 27, 2022 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Equity benchmarksmustered gains for thefirst time this week on

Thursday as investors piledinto the recently-batteredmetal, bank and IT stocksamid expiry of monthlyderivative contracts.Snapping its three-sessionlosing streak, the 30-shareBSE Sensex rallied 503.27points or 0.94 per cent tosettle at 54,252.53.On

similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty gained 144.35 points or 0.90 percent to end at 16,170.15.Tata Steel topped the Sensex gainers' chart, rallying 5.27 per centafter its recent rout, followed by SBI, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, NestleIndia, HDFC, ICICI Bank, TCS and Wipro.In value terms, HDFC twinsand ICICI Bank accounted for over half of the benchmark's gains.Incontrast, Sun Pharma, eliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Larsen& Toubro, Dr Reddy's and Bajaj Finance were the laggards, losing upto 1.16 per cent.The market breadth was in favour of the bulls, with24 of the 30 Sensex stocks closing in the green."Markets witnessedhealthy short covering towards the closing hours that helped keyindices to reverse the 3-day losing streak. With the US FOMCminutes out of the way now, market is more or less getting preparedfor the likely rate hikes, and hence we saw strong buying on thefutures and options (F&O) expiry day.

Sensex halts 3-day decline, reboundsover 500 pts amid F&O expiry

State-owned CIL onThursday said it isplanning to divest

25 per cent stake in itsunlisted arm BharatCoking Coal Ltd (BCCL)and will go for thesubsequent listing ofthe subsidiary on stockexchanges after

obtaining further clearances. A meeting of the board of directors tothis effect was held on March 10, 2022, Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in aregulatory filing. "As advised by MoC (Ministry of Coal), CIL Board inits 438th meeting held on March 10, 2022 had accorded its 'in-principle' approval to divest 25 per cent of paid-up share capital ofBCCL held by CIL and its subsequent listing on stock exchanges andadvised to forward the proposal to Ministry of Coal for obtainingfurther clearances," the filing said. Stating that the company's boardhad given only "in principle" approval to the proposal, CIL said thatonly after getting further clearance from the government, subsequentaction would be initiated "On receipt of further clearance from MoC(Ministry of Coal) the same would be placed to CIL board and thedecision of CIL board would be promptly disseminated to stockexchanges," the filing said. In FY'21, BCCL achieved a production of24.66 million tonnes (MT), against the target of 37.13 MT and off-take of 23.13 MT against the target of 37.13 MT.

CIL to divest 25 pc stake inBCCL; plans subsequent listing

The government onThursday withdrew its offerto sell its entire 52.98 percent stake in BPCL, sayingthat majority of biddershave expressed theirinability to participate in thecurrent privatisationprocess due to prevailingconditions in the globalenergy market. The

government had planned to sell its entire 52.98 per cent stake inBharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and invited Expressions ofInterest (EoIs) from bidders in March 2020. At least three bids camein by November 2020. However, the privatisation was stalled after twobidders walked out over issues such as lack of clarity in fuel pricing,with just one bidder left in the fray. The Department of Investmentand Public Asset Management (DIPAM) said the multiple COVID-19waves and geopolitical conditions affected industries globally,particularly the oil and gas industry. "Owing to prevailing conditions inthe global energy market, the majority of QIPs (qualified interestedparties) have expressed their inability to continue in the currentprocess of disinvestment of BPCL," it said. In view of this, the groupof ministers on disinvestment has decided to call off the present EoIprocess for the strategic disinvestment of BPCL and the EoIs receivedfrom QIPs shall stand cancelled, DIPAM said. "Decision on the re-initiation of the strategic disinvestment process of BPCL will be takenin due course based on review of situation," it added.

Govt drops offer to sell 53 pc stake inBPCL as bidders express inability to attend

PNS n NEW DELHI

The consumer affairs min-istry along with AdvertisingStandards Council of India(ASCI) will hold a virtualmeeting on Friday with stake-holders including e-com-merce entities to discuss themagnitude of fake reviews ontheir platforms, which mis-lead consumers into buyingonline products and services.

The purpose of the meet-ing is to prepare a road mapahead. The discussions willbe broadly based on theimpact of fake and mislead-ing reviews on consumersand possible measures to pre-vent such anomaly, the min-istry said in a statement.

Consumer affairs secre-tary Rohit Kumar Singh haswritten to all stakeholders: E-commerce entities l ikeFlipkart, Amazon, Tata Sons,Reliance Retail and others,besides consumer forums,law universities, lawyers,FICCI, CII, consumer rightsactivists, etc. to participate inthe meeting.

The secretary has flaggedwith stakeholders results of aEU-wide screening on onlineconsumer reviews across 223major websites.

The screening resultsunderlines that at least 55 percent of the websites violate

the unfair commercial prac-tices directive of the EU,which requires truthful infor-mation to be presented toconsumers to make aninformed choice.

Further, in 144 out of the223 websites checked, theauthorities could not confirmthat traders were doingenough to ensure that reviewswere authentic, i.e., if theywere posted by consumerswho had actually used theproduct or service that wasreviewed, the statement said.

The secretary said in theletter that consumers areincreasingly shopping onlinefor purchase of goods andservices with growing inter-net and smartphone use.

"Given that e-commerceinvolves a virtual shopping

experience without anyopportunity to physicallyview or examine the product,consumers heavily rely onreviews posted on e-com-merce platforms to see theopinion and experience ofusers who have already pur-chased the goods or service,"he said.

As a result, due to fake andmisleading reviews, the rightto be informed, which is aconsumer right under theConsumer Protection Act,2019, is violated, he added.

"Since the issue impactspeople shopping online on adaily basis and has a signifi-cant impact on their rights asa consumer, it is importantthat it is examined withgreater scrutiny and detail,"the secretary added.

Fake reviews on e-commerce sites underlens; meet with stakeholders today

L&T TechnologyServices opens R&Dcentre in Poland, tohire 300 engineers

PNS n NEW DELHI

Engineering services compa-ny L&T Technology ServicesLimited (LTTS) on Thursdayinaugurated its engineering,research and developmentcentre in Krakow, Poland,that will cater to global cus-tomers and leverage tech-nologies in the automotive,mobility and hi-techdomains.

LTTS is a subsidiary firmof conglomerate Larsen &Toubro Limited.

The centre will mark itsexpansion into easternEurope, a company state-ment said, adding that it willcater to several major cus-tomers in Europe and NorthAmerica, including a US-based automotive Tier-1company.

In the new ER&D centre,LTTS will work on bothsoftware and hardwaredevelopment of productlines."This centre is part ofLTTS' global delivery modeland is a logical extension ofLTTS' Munich, Gothenburgand Jerusalem engineeringcentres, allowing the newcentre to bring in specialisedcompetencies along withlocal talent," the statementsaid.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The newly-created flexi-capcategory -- which requiresmutual funds to invest atleast 65 per cent of the corpusin equity without any restric-tions on investing in large,mid or small-cap stock --registered a net inflow of Rs35,877 crore in 2021-22.

This was the highest netinflow among the equity cat-egories, data from theAssociation of Mutual Fundsin India (Amfi) showed.

Since the creation of theflexi-cap category by capitalmarkets regulator Sebi inNovember 2020, many assetmanagement companies(AMCs) that had realignedtheir existing funds into thef lexi-cap category have

launched multi-cap funds,while those AMCs that hadretained their funds in themulti-cap category have start-ed flexi-cap funds, accordingto Morningstar India.

Of the Rs 35,877 crore,flexi-cap funds saw a netinflow of Rs 2,478 crore in thethree months ended June2021, Rs 18,258 crore for thequarter ended September2021, Rs 6,191 crore for thequarter ended December2021 and Rs 8,950 crore forthree months ended March2022.While large-cap fundsexperienced a net inflow of Rs13,569 crore for the entire2021-22, inflow for mid-capfunds stood at Rs 16,308crore and the same for small-cap funds was at Rs 10,145crore.

Flexi-cap funds see

Rs 35,877 cr inflow in FY22

Moody's slashes India's economicgrowth forecast to 8.8 pc for 2022PNS n NEW DELHI

Moody's Investors Service onThursday slashed India's eco-nomic growth projection to 8.8per cent for 2022 from 9.1 percent earlier, citing high infla-tion.

In its update to GlobalMacro Outlook 2022-23,Moody's said high-frequencydata suggests that the growthmomentum from Decemberquarter 2021 carried throughinto the first four months thisyear.

However, the rise in crudeoil, food and fertilizer priceswill weigh on householdfinances and spending in themonths ahead. Rate hike toprevent energy and food infla-tion from becoming moregeneralized will slow thedemand recovery's momen-tum, it said.

"We have lowered our calen-dar-year 2022 growth forecastfor India to 8.8 per cent fromour March forecast of 9.1 percent, while maintaining our2023 growth forecasts at 5.4per cent, Moody's said.

Strong credit growth, a largeincrease in investment inten-tions announced by the corpo-rate sector, and a high budgetallocation to capital spendingby the government indicate

that the investment cycle isstrengthening.

But unless global crude oiland food prices rise further,the economy seems strongenough to maintain solidgrowth momentum, Moody'sadded.For 2022 and 2023, itprojected inflation to bearound 6.8 per cent and 5.2 percent, respectively.

A rise in prices across allitems from fuel to vegetablesand cooking oil pushed WPIor wholesale price-based infla-tion to a record high of 15.08per cent in April and retailinflation to a near eight-yearhigh of 7.79 per cent.

High inflation promptedthe Reserve Bank to hold anunscheduled meeting to raisethe benchmark interest rate by40 basis points to 4.40 per centearlier this month.

In November last year,Moody's had projected a 9.3per cent economic growth forIndia in the ongoing fiscal year(April-March).

Earlier this month, S&PGlobal Ratings had cut India'sgrowth projection for 2022-23to 7.3 per cent, from 7.8 percent earlier, on rising inflationand longer-than-expectedRussia-Ukraine conflict.

In March, Fitch had cutIndia growth forecast to 8.5per cent, from 10.3 per cent,citing sharply high energyprices on account of Russia-Ukraine war.

The World Bank in Aprilslashed India's GDP forecastfor 2022-23 to 8 per cent from8.7 per cent predicted earlier,while IMF has cut the projec-tion to 8.2 per cent from 9 percent.

SBI economists pegQ4 GDP growth at2.7 pc, FY22expansion at 8.5 pc

Upcoming release ofofficial data foreconomic performance

is likely to register a 2.7 percent growth for the January-March period, and the FY22growth is expected to be 8.5per cent, economists at SBIsaid on Thursday.They were,however, quick to add that itis difficult to comprehend thenumbers due to the spate ofrevisions that we have seentill now and termed thissituation as a forecaster'snightmare.We ...believe the GDPprojection for Q4 FY22 isclouded by significantuncertainties. For example,even a one per centdownward revision in Q1GDP estimates of FY22 from20.3 per cent, all otherthings remaining unchanged,could push Q4 GDP growthto 3.8 per cent, theynoted.Official data on theeconomy is expected to bereleased on May 31.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Ministry of RoadTransport and Highways(MoRTH) has increased thethird-party motor insurancepremium for various cate-gories of vehicles with effectfrom June 1, a decision whichis likely to jack up the insur-ance cost of cars and two-wheelers.

According to the revisedrates notified by the MoRTHon Wednesday, private carswith an engine capacity of1,000 cc will attract rates of Rs2,094 compared to Rs 2,072 in2019-20.

Similarly, private cars withan engine capacity between1,000 cc and 1,500 cc willattract rates of Rs 3,416 com-pared to Rs 3,221, while own-ers of cars above 1,500 cc willsee a drop in premium from Rs7,897 to Rs 7,890.

Two-wheelers over 150 ccbut not exceeding 350 cc willattract a premium of Rs 1,366,and for over 350 cc, the revisedpremium will be Rs 2,804.

After a two-year moratori-um due to the COVID-19pandemic, the revised Third-

Party (TP) insurance premiumwill come into effect fromJune 1.

Earlier, TP rates were noti-fied by the InsuranceRegulatory and DevelopmentAuthority of India (IRDAI).This is the first time that theMoRTH has notified the TPrates in consultation with theinsurance regulator.

According to the ministry'snotification, a discount of 7.5per cent on the premium shallbe allowed for hybrid electricvehicles.

While electric private carsnot exceeding 30KW willattract a premium of Rs 1,780,

those exceeding 30 KW butnot 65 KW will attract a pre-mium of Rs 2,904.

The premium for goods car-rying commercial vehiclesexceeding 12,000 kg but not20,000 kg will increase to Rs35,313 from Rs 33,414 in 2019-20.In the case of goods carry-ing commercial vehiclesexceeding 40,000 kg, the pre-mium will increase to Rs44,242 against Rs 41,561 in2019-20.The third-party insur-ance cover is for other thanown damage and is mandato-ry along with the own damagecover that a vehicle owner hasto purchase.

Third-party motor insurancepremium to go up from June 1

ONGC offers stake in KG block to foreign firmsPNS n NEW DELHI

State-owned Oil and NaturalGas Corporation (ONGC) isoffering a stake to foreigncompanies in its ultra deepseagas discov

ery and a high-pressure,high-temperature block in theKG basin as it looks for finan-cial and technological help tobring the challenging fields toproduction.

ONGC has floated an initialtender seeking interest of glob-al majors with "requisite tech-nical expertise and financialstrength" to join as partners indevelopment of the DeenDayal West (DDW) block aswell as ultra-deep discoveriesin Cluster-III of its KG-D5area.

Expressions of Interest(EoIs) have been invited byJune 16, according to the ten-

der floated by the company.While ONGC had made a

gas discovery UD-1 in the KG-D5 block in water depth of2,850 metres (almost 3 kilome-ters), the firm had in August2017 paid Rs 7,738 crore forbuying 80 per cent stake in theDDW block from Gujarat gov-ernment firm GSPC.

On the one hand, ONGC

does not have the requisitetechnology and expertise todevelop the UD discovery,which lies about 150-km fromthe coast, while on the otherhand it hasn't had much suc-cess in DDW block whichholds reserves at high pressureand high temperature(HPHT).

ONGC is seeking technolo-

gy partners and serviceproviders for the developmentof the two and is willing tooffer an equity stake to firmsinterested, the tender docu-ment said.

It however did not say howmuch equity stake the compa-ny will offer.

At the time of the acquisi-tion of stake from GSPC in2017, ONGC had stated thatthe acquisition fits well with itsstrategy to enhance natural gasproduction from domesticfields at a faster pace.

It had plans to use GSPCfield facilities to bring to pro-duction the discoveries in itsneighbouring KG-DWN-98/2(KG-D5) block.

But the seven wells drilled todate did not yield much suc-cess. The plan to use DDWfacilities too hasn't materi-alised.

PNS n DAVOS

Making a strong pitch forinvesting in social jobs, theWorld Economic Forum onThursday said every dollar ofinvestment in such jobs cangenerate a multiplier effect of2.3 times the initial capital.

Investing in education,health and care jobs can yielda triple dividend -- boostingeconomic activity, expandingemployment opportunities andgenerating social mobility,according to a new report pub-lished by the WEF on the lastday of its Annual Meeting2022.

New modelling of the UnitedStates economy suggests that

investing one dollar in socialjobs would yield a USD 2.3return.

The model estimates thatUSD 1.3 trillion in the socialjobs of tomorrow could unlockUSD 3.1 trillion in GDPreturns and create 11 millionjobs by 2030.

These jobs include 4.2 mil-lion teaching jobs, 1.8 millionjobs for personal care and ser-vice workers, and 900,000 jobsin healthcare.

The report said that theassociated increases in produc-tivity, increased GDP andtighter labour markets willlead to a parallel increase in realwages.

Aided by technology and

better skills, the jobs of tomor-row have the potential to liftliving standards globally, theWEF said.

After more than two years ofturmoil in the global economy

and a continued uncertain out-look, leaders need to supportworkers in pivoting towards afuture which works for every-one. Higher wage, higher-qual-ity, future-ready jobs are pos-

sible and benefit companies,workers and economies alike.

The Good WorkFramework, another reportreleased at the Annual Meeting,proposed enhancing job qual-ity through five objectives andassociated goals: promote fairpay and social justice; provideflexibility and protection; deliv-er on health and well-being;drive diversity, equity andinclusion; and foster employa-bility and learning culture.

This report draws from theviews of employers, unionsand experts and was developedin collaboration with Mercer.

To support this broad agen-da and to mobilise the requiredinvestments globally, the first

meeting of the JobsConsortium was also held atthe World Economic Forum'sAnnual Meeting in Davos. Theinitiative comprises CEOs andministers championing pro-ductive employment, growth inthe jobs of tomorrow, newstandards in the workplaceand better wages for all.

The WEF also said thatrefugees are a particularly vul-nerable group, often excludedfrom the labour markets of hosteconomies.Over 6 millionrefugees are estimated to haveleft Ukraine since February2022, adding to the estimated31 million people worldwide,who have been forcibly dis-placed across borders.

Every dollar of investment in social jobs to yield 2.3 times returns

RBI reduces net-worthrequirement to Rs 25 crorePNS n MUMBAI

The RBI on Thursday easednorms for non-bank entitiesto set up Bharat Bill Paymentoperating units by reducingthe net-worth reqirement toRs 25 crore, with a view toencourage more players inthe segment.

At present, a networth of Rs 100crore is required toobtain authorisa-tion for a non-bank BBPOU(Bharat Bi l lPayment OperatingUnits).

Bharat Bi l l PaymentSystem (BBPS) is an interop-erable platform for bill pay-ments and the scope andcoverage of BBPS extends toall categories of billers whoraise recurring bills.

" . . . the minimum net-worth requirement for non-bank Bharat Bill PaymentOperating Units (BBPOUs)stands reduced to Rs 25crore," the Reserve Bank ofIndia said in a circular.

Users of BBPS enjoy ben-efits like standardised bill

payment experience, cen-tralised customer grievanceredressal mechanism andprescribed customer conve-nience fee.

The reduction in net-worth requirements followsan announcement regard-ing the same by the centralbank in April.The RBI had

said while BBPS hasseen an increase in

the volume of trans-actions as well asnumber of onboard-ed bi l lers , it i s

observed that therehas not been a corre-

sponding growth in thenumber of non-bankBBPOUs.The requirementof Rs 100 crore net worth fora non-bank BBPOU toobtain authorisation wasviewed as a constraint togreater participation, it hadsaid.To increase participa-tion, the RBI had decided toalign the net worth require-ment of non-bank BBPOUswith that of other non bankparticipants which handlecustomer funds (like pay-ment aggregators) and havea similar risk profile.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Gold in the national capitalon Thursday fell by Rs 241to Rs 50,671 per 10 grams,reflecting a decline in inter-national precious metalprices, according to HDFCSecurities.

In the previous trade, theprecious metal settled atRs 50,912 per 10 grams.

Silver, however, grows Rs87 to Rs 61,384 per kg fromRs 61,297 per kg in the pre-vious trade.In the interna-tional market, gold wastrading lower at USD 1,848per ounce and silver was flatat USD 21.85 per ounce.

"Gold prices traded downwith spot gold prices atCOMEX trading 0.13 percent lower at USD 1,848 perounce on Thursday. Goldprices traded under pres-sure on strong bond yieldsand recovery in dollarindex," said Tapan Patel,Senior Analyst(Commodities) at HDFCSecurities.

Gold declines Rs 241 amidweak globaltrends

NON-BANK BHARAT BILL PAYMENT UNITS

9

Vijayawada | Friday May 27, 2022 what’s brewing?iss World ManushiChhillar says shewould have con-tinued on herpath to

study medicine ifnot for her familywho convincedher to give act-ing a try inthe upcom-ing historicalPrithviraj.

Born inHaryanaand raisedin NewDelhi,Chillar waspursuingher MBBSdegree fromBPS MedicalCollege forWomen inSonepat when shewent on to becrowned as MissWorld aged 20 in 2017.

Post her win, Chillarsaid there were many filmoffers which came her waybut she turned all of themdown as she never saw her-self as an actor, until YashRaj Films approached her forPrithviraj, headlined bysuperstar Akshay Kumar.

The ChandraprakashDwivedi directorial depictsthe life of legendary warriorking Prithviraj Chauhan andfeatures Chillar as PrincessSanyogita.

Born to doctor parents,the 25-year-old, who is also apainter and a Kuchipudidancer said that growing upshe viewed her keen interestin arts as merely a hobby, notpotential career.

“I never came to Mumbaiwanting to become an actor.I had acted in school plays,but all my hobbies; paintingand dance, were always justhobbies, not a professionaloutlet. That was my mindset.When I was with MissWorld, I got protected expo-sure, where I got to be infront of the camera for somecampaigns.

"There were a few oppor-tunities which came my way.I could have debuted muchearlier than Prithviraj, but atthat time, I was sure I didn'twant to be a part of films, soI didn't even consider them.The timing of Prithviraj wasperfect. Also, this is not anopportunity that you choose,the movie chose me,” Chillartold PTI.

The actor said when thefilm was offered to her, shecould recognise this was anopportunity of a lifetime and

waspushed by her wellwishers to consider acting,even though she still har-boured dreams of becominga doctor.

“When an opportunity likethis comes your way, there isno looking back. Everyonearound me, including myfamily and Miss Worldteam, would tell methat I should notbe so stubbornabout becoming adoctor. They said,'Give it (acting) atry, you will loveit,' and I am glad Idid! I feel like Ienjoy this asmuch, I feel moreat ease on set.”

Chillar was ini-tially dauntedwith the prospectof acting but start-ed to get into thegroove with time,especially whenshe started tounderstand thenuts and bolts ofthe craft.

“I like theprocess of shoot-ing, even though Ihad no idea howit functions whenI began. When wewere training, ittook me twomonths to under-stand the process.Acting is a skilland you only getbetter with prac-

tice.“When I started under-

standing it, I could seemyself improving and that'swhen I started enjoying it.So that transition happenednaturally, I have becomemore sure of what I amdoing after I started shoot-ing, after I was put into thatsituation,” she added.

Chillar had a nine-monthlong prep before she facedthe camera, where Dwivedidoubled up as her actingcoach, along with actorNayani Dixit, who helpedher with her Hindi diction.Her strong academic back-ground came in handy asChillar approached the preplike a student.

“At that time I felt evennine months were lessbecause I was starting from

scratch. I didn't grow updoing workshops, so I

prepped a lot...Because I was a stu-dent, I had themindset toapproach it like asyllabus. I knewwhat I had toprepare, whatthe deadline wasand that trulyhelped me,” sheadded.

Prithviraj isscheduled tobe released inHindi, Tamiland Telugu on

June 3.

mith Chandramukhi , actor-director Prasad Oak sayshe finally got a chance tofulfill a long-cherisheddream of making a movie

that combines the folk culture ofMaharashtra with its politics.

Written by Oak's frequent collab-orator Chinmay Mandlekar,Chandramukhi is a musical lovestory between a rising politicianDaulat and a leading Tamashasinger and dancer Chandra, playedby Adinath Kothare and AmrutaKhanvilkar.

The movie is an adaptation ofnoted author Vishwas Patil's novelof the same name.

“Chandramukhi was supposed tobe my first film. For more than tenyears, I wanted to acquire the rightsof the story, but he (Patil) was notready at that time. I felt he didn'tbelieve in me (at the time). Maybeafter watching Kaccha Limbu andHirkani, he changed his mind, Oaktold PTI in an interview.

The 47-year-old director said hisfondness for Patil's work beganwhen he first acted in one of hisplays titled Ranangan (1999-2000).He soon became Patil's fan' andstarted reading his novels, includingPanipat, Zadazadati, Mahanayakand Chandramukhi.

“I'm crazy about his writing, it isvery attractive. I am a fan of MrPatil. When I read the book (Chandramukhi) in 2004, I so wantedto make a film on it and thought itshould be my first film. But I was astruggler at that time.

Oak made a foray in directingwith 2009 comedy film Hay KayNay Kay with Pushkar Shrotri, butthe movie did not do well commer-cially.

“The movie turned out to be asuper flop and I got a setback thatmy first attempt didn't work, Oaksaid, adding, The dream of becom-ing a director took a backseat as Igot offers for acting.

Oak went to direct two featurefilms; Kaccha Limbu and Hirkaniand again chased Patil, who agreedthis time, provided the directorcould mount the film on a big scale.

“Both Amruta and I happened tomeet producer Akshay Bardapurkar(who started the first Marathi OTTplatform) who was interested inbacking Chandramukhi. We had agreat team in the form of the cast,Ajay-Atul for music, Chinmay forthe story, after he saw the team onboard for the movie, Patil gave hispermission. The key reason forPune-based Oak to directChandramukhi for all these yearswas his love for folk artists.

“My background is almost thesame as that of folk artists, thedirector said, recalling how hewould sing in chorus in a pro-gramme called MaharashtrachiLokdhara , where all folk forms of

the state like lavani', Gondhal',Vasudev' and Dhangari' were pre-sented. My liking towards folk start-ed from the show, where I havedone thousands of shows forMaharashtrachi Lokdhara'. Andthen I became the producer of theshow. I was doing my college andstarted directing plays too. That'show the career started,” Oak added.

Khanvilkar, whose other moviecredits include Marathi film Natrangand Meghna Gulzar's Hindi filmRaazi, was the first and only choicefor the role of Chandramukhi, thedirector said.

Amruta is a superb actress buthas not got her due. She did every-thing to get into the world ofChandramukhi.

Made on a budget of Rs 5 crore,Chandramukhi has emerged as a hitby earning over Rs 14 crore since itsrelease on April 29.

People love to watch regional cin-ema, be it Malayalam, Kannada,Marathi, Gujarati or Bengali. Thesemovies are true to the culture andthe roots of the region which is whypeople like them.

According to him, Marathi cine-ma has grown both in terms ofcommercial success and criticalacclaim. His own directorial ventureKaccha Limbu and others winning atthe National Film Awards.

Up next for Oak as a director aretwo biopics; Bhadrakali , based onMaratha leader Sarsenapati Umabaiand another on Marathi cinema'scelebrated actor Nilu Phule.

The script of Bhadrakali is readyand we are in the process of pitchingit to companies and producers. Thescript work has just started on NiluPhule biopic and it will take time,Oak shared.

Didn'twant to be part

of films earlier buttoday I feel at easeon sets: Manushi

Chhillar

w

Chandramukhi was supposed to bemy first film, says director Prasad Oak

Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henryhas joined the cast of upcom-ing boxing drama Flint

Strong. Rachel Morrison, the Oscar-

nominated cinematographer ofMudbound and Marvel's BlackPanther, will make her directorialdebut with the movie, based on theZackary Canepari and DreaCooper-directed boxingdocumentaryT-Rex.

The film, which shot for twodays before being shut down due tothe COVID-19 pandemic, has shift-ed base from Universal Studios to

MGM, according to TheHollywood Reporter. Henry, knownfor appearing in films like Widows,If Beale Street Could Talk andGodzilla vs Kong, joins RyanDestiny and Olunike Adeliyi in thecast.The film will follow the storyof 17-year-old Claressa T-RexShields, who is from Flint,Michigan and who had a dream ofbecoming the first woman to winan Olympic gold medal in boxing,which she achieved at the 2012Summer Olympics in London.Then, she won her second goldmedal at the 2016 Summer

Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.Henry will play Shields' coach

Jason Crutchfield, a role which waspreviously set to be portrayed byIce Cube. Filmmaker Barry Jenkinshas penned the script and will alsoserve as a producer on the project.

Production will commence inToronto next week with MGM onboard to produce and distribute.

Henry was most recently seen inMarvel Studios' superhero ensem-ble Eternals and currently featuresin FX's Atlanta . He will next staropposite Brad Pitt in Sony's BulletTrain .

Brian Tyree Henry boards boxing drama

Flint Strong from Rachel Morrison

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

PNS |HYDERABAD

ontra-cep-tivepills,com-monly

known as birthcontrol pills, area form of hor-monal contra-ception. InIndia, over 139million womenresort to mod-ern contracep-tion methods toprevent preg-nancy. Oralcontraceptivepills are a highlyeffective birthcontrol methodwhen taken inthe prescribedmanner, withonly 0.1% ofwomen experi-encing an unin-tended pregnan-cy.

The pills con-tain a syntheticform of the hor-mones oestro-gen and progesterone, which arenatu-rally

produced in the ovaries.Dr. Shilpi Sachdev, obstet-

rics and gynecology expert atApollo Cradle & Children'sHospital shares,“Contraceptive pills preventpregnancy by preventing theovaries from releasing an eggeach month (ovulation),thickening the mucus to pre-vent the sperm from pene-trating or thinning the uter-ine wall to keep the egg fromimplanting in the womb. Likeall medicines, contraceptivepills can have adverse effectson one’s health that womenshould be aware of. Usually,the side effects are minor anddisappear gradually.However, in some rare cases,the pills can cause seriousrepercussions.”

Here are some of theside effects of usingcontraceptive pills aslisted by the doctor:

Headaches and nausea

One of the most commonside effects reported bywomen taking contraceptivepills is headaches and nausea.This usually happens because

of the oestrogen and progesterone

in these pills that can triggerheadaches or migraines. Whenfirst starting on birth control pills,some women may also experiencemild nausea because of the hor-monal changes in the body, whichmay cause nausea in somewomen. Taking the pill with foodor before bedtime can reduce thelikelihood of nausea. Bothheadaches and nausea tend tosubside with time.

Breakthrough bleeding

During the first three monthsof taking the pills, around 50% ofwomen experience breakthroughbleeding or spotting. This is vagi-nal bleeding and occurs due tothe thinning of the uterine walland because of the changes inhormonal levels. Spotting mayoccur with some menstrualcramps. However, by the thirdmonth, the spotting tends to sub-side. Women who experiencelight bleeding for more than fivedays or heavy bleeding for overthree days should seek medicalassistance.

Cardiovascular concerns

For some women, oral contra-ceptive pills can increase theirblood pressure. The presence ofextra oestrogen and progesterone

in the body can alsoincrease the risk of blood

clots. However, theseeffects are rare, but when

they do present themselves,they can raise serious health

concerns. Additionally,women who smoke have ahigher chance of developingcardiovascular concerns.Women should seek immedi-ate medical assistance if theyexperience trouble breathingor pain in the chest.

Liver-related complica-tions

Contraceptive pills can have

a direct impact on a woman’s liveras the pills pass through the liverfor metabolism. Oral contracep-tives have been known to be asso-ciated with certain liver ailmentssuch as sinusoidal dilation, pelio-sis hepatis, hepatic adenomas,hepatocellular carcinomas, andhepatic vein thrombosis.Additionally, long-term usage ofbirth control pills may increasethe risk of forming gallbladderstones and benign liver tumours.Women prone to liver ailmentsshould be wary of oral contracep-tion as it may aggravate theirexisting issues.

Mood swings

Some women may experienceirritability, mood swings, or evendepression while on the pill.Ideally, all the hormones in thebody should be perfectly bal-anced, but the introduction ofartificial hormones, such asoestrogen and progesterone, cancause hormonal imbalances in thebody, leading to moodiness.Women who have previously dealtwith depression may find them-selves at a higher risk of experi-encing mood-related side effectswhen taking oral contraceptivepills. It is advisable to discuss theemotional changes or alternativesto the pills with a medical profes-sional in such cases.

Final Thoughts

Although a highly effective andconvenient method to preventunwanted pregnancy, contracep-tive pills do come with certainside effects and health ailments.Long-term usage can raise otherserious health concerns such ashypertension, blood clots, liver-related complications and depres-sion, among others. It is alwaysrecommended to visit a hospitalor speak to an expert to find outwhich birth control method maysuit your health the best.

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B Praak, in association withZee Live's IP Supermoon,will be embarking on a 10

city India tour, the‘Supermoon ft. B-Praak

King of Heart Tour’. ThePioneer gets in touchwith him, who sharessome exclusive details

about the tour, his lovefor Hyderabad, and his

debut song, MannBharrya.

‘Mann Bharrya is a song

TEJAL SINHA

ratik Bachan, aka BPraak, has alwaysmanaged to wooeveryone’s heart withhis melancholicmusic. Be it in music

direction or his career insinging, he has never failed towin hearts.

Recognised as one of India’sroyal artists, His Highness haschurned out mega hits like Doyou know, Horn Blow, Backbone,Baarish Ki Jaaye, Teri Mitti, andFilhall (amongst many other hitsongs) that have uplifted thePunjabi and Hindi music indus-try. A heartthrob and an award-winning singer, the famed artistderives inspiration from ARRahman and Jazzy B.

It's always the best time whenZee Live’s Supermoon is back intown. Since its inception in2019, Supermoon has collabo-rated with leading artists suchas AP Dhillon, Prateek Kuhad,Divine, and Yohani, to name afew. This year, we finally get tosee Supermoon in associationwith the King of Hearts, bring-ing to us his first-ever 10-cityIndia tour. Be it falling in orfalling out of love, the spirit ofthe tour is mainly romance,heartbreak, and medleys in a setformat.

The tour will kickstart inMumbai on May 28 and willend with a bang with his fansleft spellbound in July. With thetickets for the event being soldlike hotcakes, fans from variouscities get to experience themuch-awaited tour. The tourthat sees entertainment beingserved on a scale never wit-nessed before will adhere to thehighest standards of safety andhygiene.

We could not wait longer andgot in touch with Paaji, forwhom this was a much-awaited

dream finally coming true.While connecting to us aboutthe tour, he shares, “This was adream for almost 10 years. Andnow, after 10 years, we havedone this. By God's grace, weare doing it in association withZee. I am very excited aboutthis because this is the first timeever I will be performing with asymphony band. This has neverbeen done by any Punjabisinger. People have been waitingfor this. They sent me thescreenshots of the tickets thatthey had booked and showedtheir excitement. I have put alot of effort into this. My team,my musicians, Zee, Supermoon,everyone has put in a lot ofeffort. I just can't wait for thetour to start and want the showto be a hit. Knowing that yourmusic is appreciated across allcorners of the country is every-thing that I could have everasked for. My fans have mademe the star that I am today, andit’s now time for me to givethem an unforgettable sympho-ny concert that they’ll cherish. Ican’t wait to get started and givethem the experience to remem-ber for a long time.”

His fans are all set to witnessthe popular Punjabi singerignite a symphony in theirhearts with his popular tracks ofromance and heartbreak. It’ll bea night filled with pure magic asthe famed artist churns outpopular chartbusters such asMann Bharrya, Ranjha, TeriMitti, Dholna, Kaun Hoye Ga,Filhall, and many others.

Fans of the singing sensationwill witness him belt out hispopular melodies in the cities ofMumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad,Jaipur, Delhi, and Bengaluru.He exclusively shared with usthree more cities that will bepart of the tour; Hyderabad,Indore, and Chandigarh.However, the dates of thesecities will be announced soon.

Love for Hyderabad

This will not be the first timethat the singer will be inHyderabad for an event. It lookslike it has always been an amaz-ing experience for him whenev-er he is in the city. We ask himmore about his experience inthe city of pearls, and whetherthe city is going to be a part ofthe tour? To which he says,“Yes, Hyderabad is also going tobe a part of the 10-city tour.The dates will be announcedsoon. It has always been anamazing experience inHyderabad. It has always beenso much fun to perform in thecity. People are so sweet andgive so much love every time Iam here. They are very humble,and it's always fun being here. Ilove the food. It is just amazing.I love the vibe. It's just so good.It feels amazing to perform hereevery time.”

A musical journey

To the ones who do notknow, the Filhall singer madehis debut in the music industryas a director and later made hisdebut in singing the soulfulsong Mann Bharrya. The songstarred actor, singer, and BiggBoss 13 alum HimanshiKhurana.

He shares, “The inspiration toget into music has been myfamily itself. From the start, Iwas sure that I wanted to getinto singing. I started playingmusic and then I startedsinging. I've always wanted todo shows, and now it's finallyhappening. I feel really blessed."

Mann Bharrya, a songthat will never die

B Praak made his debut withMann Bharrya and, for him,this song will never die.

He shares, “I still get the lovefor Mann Bharrya and that songcan never die. The song was

once again lived by being atrack in Shershaah. Peoplepraised and loved the song a lot.Yeh ek baari phirse zindahogaya. It felt really amazingwhen everyone connected tothis song in Mann Bharrya 2.0.While making it for the secondtime and even Ranjha, Itried to put in all the feel-ings that we thoughtwhile making thesesongs. It did come outvery well, and peopleloved these songs.People know me as asinger who singsthese heartbreaksongs, and I love it.I know people canreally connect tothese songs, andit feels like weare there forthem.”

The King ofHearts has alsocollaboratedwith the tal-ented musiccomposerand singer,JasleenRoyal, foranothersuperhittrack fromShershaah,Ranjha. Sharinghis experience ofthe collaboration, headds, “It was amazingworking with Jasleen. She is avery good composer and abrilliant music director. Thiswas the first time that we hadcollaborated, and the songturned out to be the bestsong of 2021.”

Apart from the tour, theTeri Mitti singer has got alot of new projects com-ing up by next monthbut signs off saying thathis main focus is goingto be this tour.

p

that can never die’

c

oving with pets is adifferent set ofchallenge, and canbe a stressful expe-rience for your pet,whether it’s mov-

ing across the street or mov-ing overseas. Animals areknown to be very sensitive tochange. So, when we have tomove for any reason like a jobchange or partner opportuni-ties, will you leave your lovedone or your best buddy withothers?

So, while moving we needto keep a few things undercheck for our buddy’s smoothtravel.

Nitin O Mahipal,Managing Director, MegaPack and Carry shares,"Traveling for long hours maynot be comfortable for yourpet as they will be having thehabit of travelling. Make sure

that your pet knows yourvehicle well or the box if notlure them with treats this willhelp them to stay there forthe time and after that praisethem for being a good pet.Doing this often will help youfor travelling the long journeytoo. It is ideal to employ pro-fessional packers and moverscompany for the finest petrelocation experience."

Be connected with yourveterinarian

When you are movingplease be in contact with yourpet. Depending on the modeof travelling certain docu-ments will be needed relatedto your pet’s health Beforemoving do a health check-upof your pet signed by yourvet. Carry medicine with youin the case of an emergency.After moving the first thing

to do is to find another vetnear your new place. You mayneed to see the vet with yourpet after travelling.

Travelling oversea

While travelling overseawith your pet you need tokeep all required documentsready before boarding theflight. Make sure that yourpet’s identification tags are upto date including your contactdetails and your pet’smicrochip to assist them ingetting your pet to you.

Things to pack before mov-ing

” Pee Pads (just in case!)” Extra Towels” Baby Wipes” Treats & Chews” Collapsible Water Bowl” Ample Food” Pet’s health reports

m

Moving houses with pets

FridayMay 27, 2022

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

PTI n KOLKATA

When Mark Zuckerbergfamously said: "The

biggest risk is not taking anyrisk", KL Rahul ought to havepaid attention.

The India player is too gooda batter to not take on thebowlers at any stage of a game,but his conservative middle-

overs approach did not helpLucknow Super Giants' cause inthe eliminator against RoyalChallengers Bangalore.

At the end of the game, theLSG skipper acknowledged that"two big hits" would have prob-ably done the job for his team ina chase of 208.

"Yes, I think now, lookingback, yes, it was just about two

big hits in the middle overs andthat could have gotten us overthe line," Rahul said in the post-match press conference here.

There was a seven-overperiod after the powerplay dur-ing which Rahul managed to hitjust one boundary.

Rahul was in red-hot formthis season with two centuriesand four fifties, but his approach

PTI n AHMEDABAD

Rajasthan Royals will need toshake off an ordinary bowl-

ing performance in their lastouting when they clash withRoyal Challengers Bangalore, ateam which seems to be peak-ing at the right time, in thehigh-stakes IPL Qualifier-2 hereon Friday.

Having sneaked into theplay-offs, RCB are on a roll anda tight win over Lucknow in theEliminator has fuelled expecta-tions for a long-awaited trophy.

They take on Rajasthan, ateam which has all bases cov-ered but still came up shortagainst Gujarat in Qualifier 1.

The IPL caravan moves toAhmedabad after a couple ofhigh-scoring games in Kolkata.

It has been a quick turn-around for RCB but they won'tmind that as they look to ridethe momentum.

"The best thing is that wehave one day and we play again.Cannot wait to be inAhmedabad and take the fieldagain. We are so excited andhappy with how things havegone. Hopefully, two moregames and we all can cele-brate," star RCB batter ViratKohli told the IPL website afterthe win over LSG.

Rajat Patidar, who playedthe innings of his life onWednesday, will be a man withsupreme confidence in anoth-er high-pressure knockout fix-ture.

For someone who wentunsold in the IPL auction andcame into the RCB squad as areplacement player, it has beena career-changing season forhim.

Both the high-profile open-ers, Kohli and Faf du Plessis, arebig match players and will beitching to make an impact afterlow returns in the previousgame.

Dinesh Karthik has man-aged to maintain consistency ina tough role and the team man-agement would be also hopingfor more runs in the back endof the innings from GlennMaxwell.

The team is likely to stick tothe winning combination.While Wanindu Hasaranga hasshown the courage even whenhe has been taken to the clean-ers, Harshal Patel has been thego-to pacer in slog overs.

Mohammad Siraj returned

for the LSG game and bowledwell with the new ball. JoshHazlewood enhanced his repu-tation as a death bowler with amatch-deciding penultimateover and with the addition of ayorker in his armoury, has onlybecome tougher to score of.

RCB bowlers will have to beon the top of their game againsta formidable Rajasthan battingline up which rely heavily on JosButtler and skipper SanjuSamson. Both scored againstGujarat but it did not prove tobe enough.

Samson will be eager toconvert his 30s and 40s intoa substantial knock andlead from the front.

It remains tobe seen howthe bowlersc o m e b a c kafter a for-gettable out-ing. RAshwin hada rare offday againstG u j a r a tw h i l ePrasidh Krishnapaid the price forbowling lengthballs to DavidMiller in the finalover.

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MAY 27, 2022

I tthink iit's qquite oobvious - tthe rreasons wwhy wwe ddidn't wwin. WWe llet oourselves ddown iin tthe ffield. DDropping eeasy ccatches nnever hhelps. DDifference wwas oobviously PPatidar pplaying ssuch aa kknock. — KL RAHUL

PNS n NEW DELHI

Even though his dream of winning theIndian Premier League (IPL) title ended onceagain with a heartbreaking 14-run defeat againstRoyal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday(May 25), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skip-per KL Rahul reached a unique battingmilestone during his 58-ball 79-runinnings against the Faf du Plessis-led sideat Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The 30-year-old became the firstcricketer in the cash-rich league's histo-ry to score 600 plus runs in four dif-ferent seasons. In the 15 matchesof this year's edition of the IPL,the right-handed opening bat-ter has scored 616 runs at anaverage of 51.33 and a strikerate of 135.38. He scoredback-to-back hundredsagainst five-time winnersMumbai Indians and crossedthe fifty-run mark on fouroccasions.

Before this year's edition, thetop-order batter from Bengaluruhad scored 626 runs in 13matches of the 2021 edition, 670runs in 14 matches of the 2020season and 659 runs in the 2018

edition of the world's richest franchise crick-et league.

KL, who is the second-highest run-get-ter in this season of the league up till now,

finished as the third-highest runscorer in the 2018 and 2021 seasons,

the second highest in 2019 andwon the Orange Cap in the 2020season, when the tournament was

played in the United Arab Emirates.Besides four 600+ seasons, KL

scored 593 runs in the 2019 edi-tion. West Indies T20 batting leg-

end Chris Gayle and starAustralian opening batterDavid Warner have scoredmore than 600 runs in the IPL

on three different occasions and arenow second on the list.

Both these left-handed batters havewon the Orange Cap on two differentoccasions and are among the top 10 run-getters in the history of the league.

The 42-year-old Gayle crossed the600 run mark in three consecutiveyears (2011-2013) while he was part ofthe Royal Challengers Bangalore side.

On the other hand, David Warner alsoachieved the feat in three consecutiveseasons from 2016 to 2019 as the

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain.

PTI n PERTH

Former Australia coach JustinLanger has slammed the pol-

itics in the national cricketboard as he opened up on hismessy departure from the topjob, specifically hitting out atinterim chairman RichardFreudenstein.

In February, the 51-year-oldstepped down as the seniormen's team coach after rejectinga six-month contract extension,having hoped for a multi-yeardeal after overseeing a success-ful T20 World Cup campaignand an Ashes triumph.

The day after quitting hisjob, Langer had a heated conver-sation with Freudenstein.

Several Australian legends,including Mark Waugh, AdamGilchrist, Ricky Ponting, SteveWaugh, Matthew Hayden andthe late Shane Warne, came totheir former teammate's defenceand questioned Cricket Australia(CA) for the treatment metedout to Langer.

"The first thing he(Freudenstein) said to me was,'It must make you feel so goodthat all your mates are support-

ing you in the media,'" Langertold a Chamber of Commerceand Industry WA event in Perth.

"I said, 'Yeah it is, actingchairman, but with all duerespect, those mates are also theall-time greats of Australiancricket. They are the fabric ofAustralian cricket. They areAustralian cricket. They alsowork all around the world incricket.

"So yeah, I'm glad my matesare looking after me. Imagine ifyou had have'.

"Ironically, the last sixmonths of my coaching career

were the most enjoyable periodof 12 years of coaching. Not onlydid we win everything, but I hadenergy, and I had focus, and Iwas happy - besides the bull****politics."

The former Australia open-er also clarified he had neverspoken to anyone about takingthe England coaching job afterthe sacking of Chris Silverwood.

Langer's departure coincid-ed with the sacking ofSilverwood, and the Australian'sname was immediately linked tothe England coaching position.

The former Australia open-er also said he had never spokento anyone about taking theEngland coaching job after thesacking of Chris Silverwood.

"I've never spoken toEnglish cricket," Langer said.

"Former England captain)Andrew Strauss rang me the dayafter I resigned... But I haveknown Andrew Strauss for along time and that was 14 weeksago.

"(Apart from that) I've neverspoken to English cricket.

"The thought of coachingEngland … mate (shakes hishead)."

AP n DHAKA

Angelo Mathews and DineshChandimal hit centuries as

Sri Lanka raised hope of win-ning the second Test after reduc-ing Bangladesh to 34 for 4 onday four on Thursday.

The host still needs 107 runswith six wickets remaining onthe last day to force Sri Lanka tobat a second time. Bangladeshwas in survival mode after itshope of a first home series winover Sri Lanka was shattered.Mushfiqur Rahim and LitonDas, who helped Bangladesh

recover from 24 for 5 to post 365on Tuesday with a record 272-run partnership, were in themiddle at stumps after anothertop-order rout. Mushfiqur was14 not out and Liton on 1.

Mathews followed his 199 inthe first innings with an unbeat-en 145, and Chandimal scored124 to give Sri Lanka a 141-runlead. Sri Lanka was all out aftertea for 506 in the first innings.

Mathews and Chandimalcombined for 199 runs for thesixth wicket to take the gameaway from Bangladesh, despiteShakib Al Hasan's 5 for 96.

Rajasthan vs BangaloreLive from 7:30pm ISTSTAR SPORTS 1 NETWORK

PTI n PUNE

Batting duo of Sabbhineni Meghana andJemimah Rodrigues slammed scintillating

fifties to propel Trailblazers to 190 for fiveagainst Velocity in a must-win Women's T20Challenge match here on Thursday.

Meghana, who was left out of their open-ing game, smashed a strokeful 73 off 47 ballsen route to a 113-run partnership off 73 ballswith Jemimah Ridrigues (66 off 44 balls) to setthe foundation.

Hayley Matthews (27 off 15) and Sophia

Dunkley (19 off 8) provided the late charge asthe defending champions scored the highesttotal in the history of the tournament.

The only team to open their account yet,Trailblazers came into the match need a hugewin to qualify for the finals. They will have torestrict Velocity within 158 to make the sum-mit clash.

Sent into bat, Meghana took the respon-sibility to steer the team after Trailblazers lostskipper Smriti Mandhana (1) early.

The 25-year-old from Andhra Pradesh,who was dropped at 16 and 63, displayed herbig-hitting skills, clobbering seven fours andfour maximums.

Rodrigues too had seven hits to the fenceand one six in her 44-ball innings.

Velocity was extremely sloppy on the fieldas their butterfingered fielders dropped asmany as four catches -- two in SimranBahadur's over.

Meghana produced two good hits downthe ground off Kate Cross but the bowlerreturned to dismiss Mandhana with Simrantaking an easy catch.

Cross could have added Meghana's wick-et to her list but Sneh Rana dropped her at thepoint.

Rodrigues then slammed two fours offDeepti Sharma as Trailblazers scored 47 for 1in the powerplay.

Meghana took apart the attack, dispatch-ing Radha Yadav for two sixes -- one an insideout shot over covers and the second one overthe bowler's head — en route to her fifty in the10th over.

Rodrigues too played some exquisite shotsand reached her fifty in the 14th over off 30 balls.

ROYAL BATTLEOn a roll, RCB fancy their chances

against Rajasthan in Qualifier 2 PTI n KOLKATA

RCB seamer Harshal Pateldoes feel the nerves while

bowling in the death overs butsays he wants to be in thoseextreme pressure situations gameafter game.

The 31-year-old, who repre-sents Haryana at the domesticcircuit, has been the mostimproved bowler in the recentpast and has cleverly used hisvariations to get the better of bat-ters in the death overs.

Harshal also enhancedhis reputation as a 'deathovers specialist' in the IPLEliminator against LSG.

"Whether I wouldbe able to deliver or not,I don't really know, I

can't say. But I wantto be in those

s i t u a t i o n s ,there is nodoubt aboutthat," Harshalsaid afterinspiring the

team to a 14-run win overLSG on

Wednesday."I have been

wanting to do that forthe past two-threeyears, I have beendoing that for

Haryana, and Iwanted to do it at

the bigger stage and I will con-tinue to put myself in those sit-uations, sometimes it is going tocome off, sometimes it is notgoing to come off.

"There will be games whereI will end up losing for the teamand I am okay with that as longas I don't shy away from chal-lenges," said Harshal.

On Wednesday, whiledefending 208 against LucknowSuper Giants, Harshal bowled atidy spell of 2-0-8-0 in the mid-dle overs.

But with KL Rahul and hard-hitting Marcus Stoinis looking tobreak free at the death, the seam-er was summoned to bowl the18th over with 41 runs to defend.

"First of all, yes, I was nerv-ous, there is no doubt about that.If you are defending 35 off 18balls, then you're going to benervous around it.

"I knew when I gave away sixruns without bowling a ball —gave away those wides, I knewthat the wide yorker won't work.

"So I thought what workedfor me in the first two overs, Iwant to go back to that and givemyself the best opportunity to getKL (Rahul) and Stoinis out.Fortunately, I got Stoinis out at theboundary," he said.

Harshal, who had bagged 32wickets for RCB last season,once again has been their bowl-ing backbone and has 19 wicketsfrom 15 matches in this IPL.

I don't shy awayfrom bowling in slogovers: Harshal

We were trying to hit boundaries but RCB bowled well: Rahul

while chasing is something heneeded to work on. The IPLdebutants lost five of their sevenmatches while chasing.

"We won a few games butgenerally overall we did not dowell chasing. It's something thatwe need to learn," Rahul said.

"For me, I think this seasonhas been like every other season,has been a good learning expe-rience. "We, as a team as well, it'sbeen a very challenging season.We've learned a lot."

Rahul, who is only the sec-ond batter this IPL to go past 600runs, scored 79 off 58 balls onWednesday, which was notenough in their stiff chase.

"I've really done well inother seasons, and I enjoy chas-

ing. Yeah, you become success-ful and at times you fail," Rahulsaid after the 14-run loss.

"But it's a team game and theteam has really stepped up evenwhen we're chasing," he added.

Rahul, who will lead Indiain the upcoming five-matchT20I series against South Africanext month in the absence orRohit Sharma, has been in impe-rious form this season, with 616runs from 15 matches at an aver-age of 51.33.

But his stats while chasinggive an altogether different pic-ture.

He has scored just 191 runsfrom seven innings while battingsecond, with an average of 27.28at a strike-rate of 113.01.

PTI n KOLKATA

Batting stalwart Virat Kohlisays Rajat Patidar's match-

winning century in the IPLEliminator was one of the bestinnings produced under pres-sure.

Little-known Patidarfrom Indore slammed a 54-ball 112 not out to single-handedly win the IPLEliminator for Royal

Challengers Bangalore onWednesday night here.

"That was one of the bestinnings I've ever seen underpressure by Rajat Patidar, andI've seen many," Kohli, whohad added 66 with Patidar,said on RCB's Game Day seg-ment.

"That level of striking inthis game is some level of bat-ting. Watch out for him!," hesaid.

One of best innings I've ever seenunder pressure: Kohli on Patidar

KL becomes 1st batter to score600+ runs in four IPL seasons

Langer hits out at politics in CA

Mathews, Chandimal, bowlersget SL closer to series win

Meghana, Rodrigues propelTrailblazers to 190/5

DebutantdirectorSarath

Mandava’s RamaRao On Duty whichstars Ravi Teja, hasbeen delayed as theproducers have nowissued an officialstatement regardingthe postponementof the release date.

The film wassupposed to bereleased in theaterson June 17.However, due topost-productiondelays, the film willbe released at a laterdate. The producers

will soon announcea new release date.

Billed to be a filmwhich is based ontrue events,Divyansha Kaushikand Rajisha Vijayanplay the female leadroles. In his come-back, actor VenuThottempudi willplay a pivotal rolein the film.

The soundtrackfor the film is com-posed by Sam CS,while SathyanSooryan ISC is thecinematographer,and Praveen KL isthe editor.

The teaser of NagaChaitanya starrerThankYou was

released on Thursday.The film is said to be aromantic comedy.

Apart from Chaitanya,Raashi Khanna,Malavika Nair, Avika

Gor, and Sai SushanthReddy will be seen in thefilm. Chay was shownin different makeoversand age groups with adifferent heroine at eachphase of his life. Thefilm teaser looks richand classy after a couple

of middle-class love sto-ries from NagaChaitanya.

Naga Chaitanya willalso be seen in AamirKhan starrer Laal SinghChaddha to hit the the-aters this year and is cur-rently busy shooting for

yet to be titled VenkatPrabhu’s Bilingual film.

Naga Chaitanya isrumored to be workingwith Sarkaru Vari Patadirector ParasuramPetla’s film and thedetails will beannounced shortly.

Teaser of Thankyou out nowuperstarKamalHaasan’slatest movieVikram

directed by LokeshKanagaraj has got aU/A certificate fromthe Censor Board.

The film, which isone of the most antic-ipated movies of 2022has Vijay Sethupathiand Fahad Fazil play-ing major roles alongwith Kamal Haasan.

Tamil actor Suriya isplaying a cameo role.The movie kickstart-ed it's promotion byreleasing the traileron May 19.

Lokesh Kanagarajwho has directed themovie is a popularTamil director withmovies like Kaithi,and Master starringKarthik and Vijaywere super duperhits.

The director has

tweeted that Vikramgot the U/A certifi-cate from the CensorBoard.

Kamal Haasan hadannounced at theCannes Film Festival2022 that the moviewill be in Non-Fungible Token(NFT) and is on theMetaverse platform.

Vikram is an actionthriller and is expect-ed to hit the screenson June 3.

12

Vijayawada | Friday May 27, 2022 tollywood

Varun Tej, known for super hits like Loafer,

Tholi Prema, is gearing up for the release ofF3 and his excitement over the film’s output

has no limits. The Pioneer gets in touch withthe actor in context of his next release F3,

who speaks with us about his film and more.

K. RAMYA SREE

he makers and theactors of F3 havebeen in full pacewhen it comes topromotion of thefilm. Fans have

been waiting for the movieto release and finally the daycomes.

While we had recentlyconnected with DaggubatiVenkatesh, how can we for-get Varun Tej who plays amajor role in the film.

The Fidaa actor shares,“We decided to do F3 whileshooting for F2 itself but wewere not really sure. Afterseeing the success of F2, wedecided to jump into thisproject, but the responsibili-ty was huge for this filmgiven the success of F2. Weput an entire on AnilRavipudi. I have a stam-mering problem andVenkatesh garu has nightblindness. So imagine thiscombination in any of thenight scenes. The comedyidea started that way. Anilperforms and shows us.That makes our work easierworking with him. I haven’tdone comedy before, butbecause of Anil, the shoot-ing was done at ease.”

While the audience havebeen assuming that F3 isgoing to be a sequel of thestoryline of F2, Varun clari-fies about the same saying,“I like the character that Iam playing in the film. F2 isa sequel to the characters,not the story.”

He believes that sincethere is availability of differ-

ent content with the adventof OTT, the public has a lotof exposure to differentcontent.

“I first showed it to mycousins. They were shockedto see me perform like thatsince I am a very reservedperson in life even if I amaround my family. I want towork in all genres in thefuture. I choose my nextfilm based on my previousfilm’s performance at boxoffice and response fromthe public. I only keep onefilm in the bank and gowith the flow.”

Sharing about workingwith Sunil, he shares thatSunil was his favorite come-dian during his college days.

“When I was in college,Sunil was my favorite come-dian. After he became ahero and later did comedy, Icouldn’t see the old Sunil,but in this film, Anil wantedto bring the old Sunil outand mine and Sunil’s combi-nation will be really nice tolook at,” he shares addingthat the team also wantedkids to have a beautifulexperience and so the filmhas a track that shows thisgeneration children’s prob-lems.

Kanche andGaddalakonda Ganeshcharacters are Varun’sfavorites, as he sharesthat he had enjoyed a lit-tle more while shootingfor it.

“Next month, my filmwith Praveen Sattaruwill take off. It is anaction film. The wholefilm will be shot inLondon. We fixed a 60

to 70 day schedule inLondon. Personally,I even experiencedfrustration with lackof money. When Iwas in college, mydad never gave memoney. Thankfully, Ihave good friendswith whom wewould share moneywith each other,(he laughs). I wasgiven many getups in this filmfrom police, to arich man, to apenniless man, Idid many getups in this film,which was fun,”signs off theactor.

t

‘I only keep one

film in bank’

MKeeravani’sson SriSimhaKoduri

makes his debut withMathuvadalara andTellavarite Guruvaram.Simha Koduri is nowgoing to choose a dif-ferent genre of enter-tainers. The makers onThursday hadannounced a powerful

title named Ustaad forthis film. MMKeeravani gave thefirst clap for the film.

Sharing thedetails,the makersposted, “Here's unveil-ing the title Ustaadwith immense prideand promise to tugyour heart..It is goingto be beyond what youexpect..USTAADing urtimelines now.’

Music for the film isscored by Akeeva Bwhile Cinematographyis handled by PawanKumar Pappula.

The film isbankrolled by RajaniKorrapati on VaarahiChalana Chitram andKrishi Entertainmentsin a prestigious man-ner. The details aboutthe project will berevealed later.

Simha Koduri’s titleUstaad launched

m

s

areshAgasthyamade hispresence inthe industry

with his performancein Senapathi. He iscurrently busy workingon films likePanchathantram,

Happy Birthday,Mayalo, andAsuragana Rudra.

According to the lat-est reports, he hasadded another crazyentertainer. The pro-ject is being directedby VeerabhadramChowdhary. The pro-

ject referred to asProduction No 1 waslaunched on Thursdaywith a traditionalpooja ceremony.

The project isexpected to be a crimecomedy thriller andthe regular shoot willcommence in July

2022. The film is pro-duced by Nabishaikand Thumu NarsimhaPatel under Jaya DurgaDevi Multimedia andDeccan Dream Worksbanners.

The music for thefilm is scored by AnupRubens.

Naresh Agasthya’s new film launched

n

Kamal Haasanstarrer Vikram

gets U/A certificate

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a R

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uty

pos

tpon

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