˘ ˇ ˇ...2020/10/07  · and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi-nals are...

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T hree senior BJP leaders have turned rebel and joined Chirag Paswan’s politi- cal crusade against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, much to the discomfiture of the saf- fron outfit. Several other BJP leaders are in the queue to join the Lok Janashakti Party and contest against Janata Dal(U) despite strong warning from the BJP. A day after former BJP vice president Rajendra Singh, joined the LJP, two more senior BJP leaders — Usha Vidyarthi and Rameshwar Chaurasia — joined the LJP even as the State saffron leadership fretted and fumed and the JD(U) tried to calculate the loss it may have to face due to Chirag Paswan’s decision to put contest against the party’s nominees. Usha Vidyarthi joined the LJP after meeting its president Chirag Paswan here, and is likely to be fielded from the Paliganj Assembly seat where the JD(U) will contest as well. Sitting BJP MLA Ravindra Yadav from Jhajha also joined the LJP along with several other party rebels who have been denied tickets and see the LJP a perfect platform to take a plunge in the polls. Rajendra Singh, who has more than three decades of association with the RSS, want- ed to contest from Dinara but the seat has been allotted to the JD(U) as part of its seat-shar- ing arrangement with the ally. “I have no bitterness with anyone. I have remained a small worker of the RSS. I will still talk of Ram Mandir, Kashmir, CAA-NRC, etc. I have respect for Ram Vilas Paswan also. My conscience is clear that I have to work for Dinara. The farmers still don’t get the right price for their paddy here,” Singh has been quoted as saying. Singh narrowly lost the 2015 Assembly polls from Dinara. Several other BJP rebels are in the queue to join the LJP, hoping the party could get them ticket to contest the polls. This has given serious headache to the JD(U), which fears that these rebels can sway the BJP cadre and win their votes at the cost of the JD(U). “This could come in the way of transfer of the BJP votes to the JD(U),” said a JD(U) leader, adding, “If that happens our voters could do the same. That would harm the interest of the NDA.” Realising the seriousness of the situation, State BJP leaders have repeatedly warned both Chirag and the rebels. While they have advised Chirag not to invoke the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in campaigning, they have asked the rebels to come back to the party fold. Chirag may have compul- sion to fall in line — he could face action from the EC if he continued to seek votes in the name of Modi — but the BJP rebels have turned deaf ears to the warning. Chirag has come out strongly against JD(U) presi- dent and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and claimed that the next Government in the State will be headed by the BJP with his party’s support. Meanwhile, the BJP on Wednesday allocated 11 seats to associate partner Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) from its quota of 121 seats in Bihar Assembly polls. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced at a joint press conference on Tuesday that while the JD(U) will spare some seats to Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from its share of 122 seats and the BJP will accommodate the VIP from its quota of 121 seats in the 243-member Assembly. The JD(U) has pro- vided seven seats to the HAM. The seat distribution to the VIP was announced at a press conference addressed by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihar unit pres- ident Sanjay Jaiswal and VIP chief Mukesh Sahni. Jaiswal told reporters that the VIP will also be provided one seat in Bihar legislative council in future. The VIP floated a couple of years ago by former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni, was with the Opposition Grand Alliance till last week. Sahni had on Friday last announced an abrupt exit from the Opposition coalition in protest against “back-stabbing” by the RJD, which helms the anti-NDA grouping, and its de facto leader Tejashwi Yadav. F ormer CBI director and Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar was found hanging at his residence in Shimla on Wednesday, officials said. It is learnt that Kumar, also the former Director General of Himachal Pradesh Police, was under depression for sometime now. Shimla Superintendent of Police Mohit Chawla confirmed the incident. Kumar became CBI direc- tor in 2008, succeeding Vijay Shanker, in the midst of the agency’s probe into the Aarushi Talwar murder case that hogged the headlines. Kumar later became Governor of Nagaland, they said. He was presently Vice Chancellor of a private uni- versity in Shimla, they said. The university is currently facing charges of issuing fake degrees. The body of Kumar, a 1973-batch IPS officer, was found hanging at his residence in Shimla on Wednesday evening, they said. A senior police officer told IANS that a suicide note was found from the crime spot. He along with his wife was seen strolling in the evening in the city, a neighbour told the police. The lover of cartoons, Kumar had said in an interview to PTI in 2008 after taking over as the CBI Director, “I like Tom and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi- nals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry.” “I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and I have to do my job,” he had said. Kumar had expressed his displeasure over the probe into the Aarushi murder case and had taken upon himself to take it to a logical conclusion. “This case is a litmus test for me. I need to know who killed Aarushi — parents or someone else. I feel agitated within over this case,” he had commented. During his stint as the CBI Director, Kumar laid a special focus on the growing econom- ic offences and roped in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to help the agency in probing white collar crimes. P ublic spaces cannot be occupied indefinitely and demonstrations expressing dis- sent have to be in designated places alone, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday while concluding that occupa- tion of public ways in the anti- CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh here was “not acceptable”. Observing that democracy and dissent “go hand in hand”, the apex court said constitu- tional scheme comes with the right to protest and express dis- sent, but with an obligation towards certain duties. A bench headed by Justice SK Kaul said erstwhile mode and manner of dissent against colonial rule cannot be equat- ed with dissent in a self-ruled democracy. “However, while appreci- ating the existence of the right to peaceful protest against a leg- islation...We have to make it unequivocally clear that public ways and public spaces cannot be occupied in such a manner and that too indefinitely,” said the bench, also comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Krishna Murari. The bench delivered its verdict on a plea by lawyer Amit Sahni against blockade of a road in Shaheen Bagh area by those protesting against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which aimed to provide Indian citizenship to perse- cuted minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It said protest at Shaheen Bagh was a blockage of a pub- lic way which caused grave inconvenience to commuters. “We have, thus, no hesita- tion in concluding that such kind of occupation of public ways, whether at the site in question or anywhere else for protests is not acceptable and the administration ought to take action to keep the areas clear of encroachments or obstructions,” it said. “Democracy and dissent go hand in hand, but then the demonstrations expressing dis- sent have to be in designated places alone,” it said, adding, “We cannot accept the plea of the applicants that an indeter- minable number of people can assemble whenever they choose to protest”. Continued on Page 2 T he Hathras police, investi- gating the rape and murder of a Dalit girl, has initiated the process to transfer the papers to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who will now register a case and proceed with further legal action. In the meantime, the Government has extended the terms of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for ten more days as the probe by them is still inconclusive. Sources said all the FIRs related to Hathras case have been transferred to the CBI. The UP Government had rec- ommended a CBI probe on Saturday last and the letter to the Union Home Ministry was sent immediately thereafter. However, the CBI agreed to take over the case on Tuesday after the matter came for hear- ing before the Supreme Court and the UP Government sug- gested that the apex court could monitor the investigation of the CBI. However, the family of the victim has opposed the CBI probe and have demanded a judicial investigation. They have also opposed the UP Government’s suggestion for a Narco test on the family of the victim, accused and even of the policemen. Continued on Page 2 A mid farmers’protests across India against the farm Bills and their apprehensions over the minimum support price (MSP), the Centre on Wednesday said since September 26 it has procured 15.26 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy at the MSP value of around 2,882 crore from 1,27,832 farmers. This is 23 per cent more than last year’s procurement of 12.38 LMT. Similarly, the num- ber of purchase centers has increased from 30549 to 39130, an increase of 28 per cent amid coronavirus pandemic. Addressing a Press confer- ence, Sudhanshu Pandey, sec- retary, Food and Public Distribution Department, said so far 23 per cent more paddy has been procured than last year. The paddy procurement of 4,82,656 MT in Haryana, 10,08,028 MT in Punjab, 6,945 MT in Chandigarh, 1545 MT in Uttar Pradesh and 1809 MT in Kerala and 25,551 MT in Tamil Nadu totaling 15,26,534 MT having MSP value of around 2,882 core has been done from 1,27,832 farmers of Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Pandey said up to October 6, the nodal agencies procured 201.15 MT of moong having MSP value of 1.45 crore ben- efitting 161 farmers in Tamil Nadu and Haryana. Similarly, 5089 MT of copra having MSP value of 52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu against the sanc- tioned quantity of 1.23 LMT for the Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Continued on Page 2 T he Trump administration has announced new restric- tions on H-1B non-immigrant visa programme which it said is aimed at protecting American workers, restoring integrity and to better guaran- tee that H-1B petitions are approved only for qualified beneficiaries and petitioners, a move which will affect thou- sands of Indian IT profession- als. The interim final rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, ahead of the US presidential election on November 3, will narrow the definition of “specialty occu- pation” as Congress intended by closing the overbroad defi- nition that allowed companies to game the system. It will also require compa- nies to make “real” offers to “real employees,” by closing loopholes and preventing the displacement of the American workers. And finally, the new rules would enhance the department’s ability to enforce compliance through worksite inspections and monitor com- pliance before, during and after an H1-B petition is approved. The H-1B visa is a non- immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupa- tions that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology compa- nies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. Such a decision by the Trump administration will have an adverse impact on thousands of Indian IT profes- sionals. Already a large num- ber of Indians on the H-1B visas have lost their jobs and are headed back home during the coronavirus pandemic that has severely hit the US economy. According to the DHS, the interim final rule to be pub- lished in Federal Register will be effective in 60 days. Continued on Page 2 T he Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted a con- ditional bail to accused actress Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant Singh Rajput death- related drug case, after holding that there were no grounds to believe that she committed any offence involving commercial quantity of contraband and dismissing the special court’s observation that if released on bail she might alert others and have the evidence destroyed by them. Hours after the High Court granted her bail, Rhea walked out from the Byaculla women’s jail on Wednesday and drove back to her Juhu residence in the full media glare and amid tight police security. Nearly a month after she was arrested in the Sushant death-related drug case, Justice SV Kotwal of the High Court granted bail to Rhea on a per- sonal bond for 1 lakh with “one or two sureties” for the same amount and conditions like she would deposit her passport with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and not leave the country without permission from the special court and she would present herself for an attendance once in a month for the next six months. The High Court also grant- ed bail to the actor’s house- keeper Dipesh Sawant and house manager Samuel Miranda on a surety of 50,000 each in cash. Justice Kotwal, however, rejected the bail plea of Rhea’s brother Showik Chakraborty after noting he is part of a chain of drug dealers. Continued on Page 2 T V journalists in Mumbai will no more be able to enjoy the thrill of chasing celebrities on the streets and shriek at them question from speeding vehicles. After Bombay HC grant- ed bail to Rhea Chakraborty, the police warned journalists of strict action if they chased the vehicle of any celebrity, advocate or a person they wanted to interview. Continued on Page 2 A gitating farmers in Punjab on Wednesday turned down the Centre’s request for a meeting on October 8 to address their concerns regard- ing the farm laws, saying the Government is not serious. The rail roko agitation by farmers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) has entered in 14th days in Punjab. Farmers have been blocking the railway tracks by putting up a tent on the railway lines since September 24. In Haryana, farmers in Sirsa are squatting on a road leading to Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala’s residence, demanding his res- ignation from the post against Centre’s agriculture sector laws. The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, the farmers’ body which is spear- heading the agitation in Punjab against the Central Government’s three farm laws, on Wednesday said Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had invited it for a meeting in Delhi on October 8. Continued on Page 2

Transcript of ˘ ˇ ˇ...2020/10/07  · and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi-nals are...

Page 1: ˘ ˇ ˇ...2020/10/07  · and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi-nals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry.” “I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and

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Three senior BJP leadershave turned rebel and

joined Chirag Paswan’s politi-cal crusade against ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar, muchto the discomfiture of the saf-fron outfit. Several other BJPleaders are in the queue to jointhe Lok Janashakti Party andcontest against Janata Dal(U)despite strong warning fromthe BJP.

A day after former BJP vicepresident Rajendra Singh,joined the LJP, two more seniorBJP leaders — Usha Vidyarthiand Rameshwar Chaurasia —joined the LJP even as the Statesaffron leadership fretted andfumed and the JD(U) tried tocalculate the loss it may have toface due to Chirag Paswan’sdecision to put contest againstthe party’s nominees.

Usha Vidyarthi joined theLJP after meeting its presidentChirag Paswan here, and islikely to be fielded from thePaliganj Assembly seat wherethe JD(U) will contest as well.

Sitting BJP MLA RavindraYadav from Jhajha also joinedthe LJP along with severalother party rebels who havebeen denied tickets and see theLJP a perfect platform to takea plunge in the polls.

Rajendra Singh, who hasmore than three decades ofassociation with the RSS, want-ed to contest from Dinara butthe seat has been allotted to theJD(U) as part of its seat-shar-ing arrangement with the ally.

“I have no bitterness withanyone. I have remained asmall worker of the RSS. I willstill talk of Ram Mandir,Kashmir, CAA-NRC, etc. Ihave respect for Ram VilasPaswan also. My conscience isclear that I have to work forDinara. The farmers still don’tget the right price for theirpaddy here,” Singh has beenquoted as saying.

Singh narrowly lost the

2015 Assembly polls fromDinara.

Several other BJP rebels arein the queue to join the LJP,hoping the party could getthem ticket to contest the polls.This has given seriousheadache to the JD(U), whichfears that these rebels can swaythe BJP cadre and win theirvotes at the cost of the JD(U).

“This could come in theway of transfer of the BJP

votes to the JD(U),” said aJD(U) leader, adding, “If thathappens our voters could dothe same. That would harm theinterest of the NDA.”

Realising the seriousness ofthe situation, State BJP leadershave repeatedly warned bothChirag and the rebels. Whilethey have advised Chirag not toinvoke the name of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi incampaigning, they have asked

the rebels to come back to theparty fold.

Chirag may have compul-sion to fall in line — he couldface action from the EC if hecontinued to seek votes in thename of Modi — but the BJPrebels have turned deaf ears tothe warning.

Chirag has come outstrongly against JD(U) presi-dent and Bihar Chief MinisterNitish Kumar, and claimed

that the next Government inthe State will be headed by theBJP with his party’s support.

Meanwhile, the BJP onWednesday allocated 11 seatsto associate partner VikassheelInsaan Party (VIP) from itsquota of 121 seats in BiharAssembly polls.

Chief Minister NitishKumar had announced at ajoint press conference onTuesday that while the JD(U)will spare some seats toHindustani Awam Morcha(HAM) of former ChiefMinister Jitan Ram Manjhifrom its share of 122 seats andthe BJP will accommodate theVIP from its quota of 121seats in the 243-memberAssembly. The JD(U) has pro-vided seven seats to the HAM.

The seat distribution tothe VIP was announced at apress conference addressed byDeputy Chief Minister SushilKumar Modi, Bihar unit pres-ident Sanjay Jaiswal and VIPchief Mukesh Sahni.

Jaiswal told reporters thatthe VIP will also be providedone seat in Bihar legislativecouncil in future.

The VIP floated a couple ofyears ago by former Bollywoodset designer Mukesh Sahni,was with the Opposition GrandAlliance till last week.

Sahni had on Friday lastannounced an abrupt exit fromthe Opposition coalition inprotest against “back-stabbing”by the RJD, which helms theanti-NDA grouping, and its defacto leader Tejashwi Yadav.

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Former CBI director andNagaland Governor

Ashwani Kumar was foundhanging at his residence inShimla on Wednesday, officialssaid.

It is learnt that Kumar,also the former DirectorGeneral of Himachal PradeshPolice, was under depressionfor sometime now. ShimlaSuperintendent of Police MohitChawla confirmed the incident.

Kumar became CBI direc-tor in 2008, succeeding VijayShanker, in the midst of theagency’s probe into the AarushiTalwar murder case thathogged the headlines.

Kumar later becameGovernor of Nagaland, theysaid. He was presently ViceChancellor of a private uni-versity in Shimla, they said. Theuniversity is currently facingcharges of issuing fake degrees.

The body of Kumar, a1973-batch IPS officer, wasfound hanging at his residencein Shimla on Wednesdayevening, they said.

A senior police officer toldIANS that a suicide note wasfound from the crime spot.

He along with his wife wasseen strolling in the evening inthe city, a neighbour told thepolice.

The lover of cartoons,Kumar had said in an interview

to PTI in 2008 after taking overas the CBI Director, “I like Tomand Jerry cartoon show. Policeis like the cat while the crimi-nals are like mice. So Tomnever leaves Jerry.”

“I am in the game of Tomand Jerry and I have to do myjob,” he had said.

Kumar had expressed hisdispleasure over the probe intothe Aarushi murder case andhad taken upon himself totake it to a logical conclusion.“This case is a litmus test forme. I need to know who killedAarushi — parents or someoneelse. I feel agitated within overthis case,” he had commented.

During his stint as the CBIDirector, Kumar laid a specialfocus on the growing econom-ic offences and roped in theInstitute of CharteredAccountants of India (ICAI) tohelp the agency in probingwhite collar crimes.

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Public spaces cannot beoccupied indefinitely and

demonstrations expressing dis-sent have to be in designatedplaces alone, the SupremeCourt said on Wednesdaywhile concluding that occupa-tion of public ways in the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Baghhere was “not acceptable”.

Observing that democracyand dissent “go hand in hand”,the apex court said constitu-tional scheme comes with theright to protest and express dis-sent, but with an obligationtowards certain duties.

A bench headed by JusticeSK Kaul said erstwhile modeand manner of dissent againstcolonial rule cannot be equat-ed with dissent in a self-ruleddemocracy.

“However, while appreci-ating the existence of the right

to peaceful protest against a leg-islation...We have to make itunequivocally clear that publicways and public spaces cannotbe occupied in such a mannerand that too indefinitely,” saidthe bench, also comprisingJustices Aniruddha Bose andKrishna Murari.

The bench delivered itsverdict on a plea by lawyerAmit Sahni against blockade ofa road in Shaheen Bagh area bythose protesting againstCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA), which aimed to provideIndian citizenship to perse-cuted minorities of Pakistan,Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

It said protest at ShaheenBagh was a blockage of a pub-lic way which caused grave

inconvenience to commuters.“We have, thus, no hesita-

tion in concluding that suchkind of occupation of publicways, whether at the site inquestion or anywhere else forprotests is not acceptable andthe administration ought totake action to keep the areasclear of encroachments orobstructions,” it said.

“Democracy and dissent gohand in hand, but then thedemonstrations expressing dis-sent have to be in designatedplaces alone,” it said, adding,“We cannot accept the plea ofthe applicants that an indeter-minable number of people canassemble whenever they chooseto protest”.

Continued on Page 2

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The Hathras police, investi-gating the rape and murder

of a Dalit girl, has initiated theprocess to transfer the papersto the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) who willnow register a case and proceedwith further legal action.

In the meantime, theGovernment has extended theterms of the SpecialInvestigation Team (SIT) for

ten more days as the probe bythem is still inconclusive.

Sources said all the FIRsrelated to Hathras case havebeen transferred to the CBI.The UP Government had rec-ommended a CBI probe onSaturday last and the letter tothe Union Home Ministry wassent immediately thereafter.

However, the CBI agreed totake over the case on Tuesdayafter the matter came for hear-ing before the Supreme Court

and the UP Government sug-gested that the apex courtcould monitor the investigationof the CBI.

However, the family of thevictim has opposed the CBIprobe and have demanded ajudicial investigation. Theyhave also opposed the UPGovernment’s suggestion for aNarco test on the family of thevictim, accused and even of thepolicemen.

Continued on Page 2

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Amid farmers’protests acrossIndia against the farm Bills

and their apprehensions overthe minimum support price(MSP), the Centre onWednesday said sinceSeptember 26 it has procured15.26 lakh metric tonnes(LMT) of paddy at the MSPvalue of around �2,882 crorefrom 1,27,832 farmers.

This is 23 per cent morethan last year’s procurement of12.38 LMT. Similarly, the num-ber of purchase centers hasincreased from 30549 to 39130,an increase of 28 per centamid coronavirus pandemic.

Addressing a Press confer-ence, Sudhanshu Pandey, sec-retary, Food and PublicDistribution Department, saidso far 23 per cent more paddyhas been procured than lastyear. The paddy procurementof 4,82,656 MT in Haryana,10,08,028 MT in Punjab, 6,945MT in Chandigarh, 1545 MTin Uttar Pradesh and 1809 MTin Kerala and 25,551 MT inTamil Nadu totaling 15,26,534MT having MSP value ofaround �2,882 core has been

done from 1,27,832 farmers ofHaryana, Punjab, Chandigarh,Uttar Pradesh, Kerala andTamil Nadu.

Pandey said up to October6, the nodal agencies procured201.15 MT of moong havingMSP value of �1.45 crore ben-efitting 161 farmers in TamilNadu and Haryana. Similarly,5089 MT of copra having MSPvalue of �52.40 crore has beenprocured benefitting 3961farmers in Karnataka andTamil Nadu against the sanc-tioned quantity of 1.23 LMT forthe Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka, Tamil Nadu andKerala.

Continued on Page 2

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The Trump administrationhas announced new restric-

tions on H-1B non-immigrantvisa programme which it saidis aimed at protectingAmerican workers, restoringintegrity and to better guaran-tee that H-1B petitions areapproved only for qualifiedbeneficiaries and petitioners, amove which will affect thou-sands of Indian IT profession-als.

The interim final ruleannounced by the Departmentof Homeland Security (DHS)on Tuesday, ahead of the USpresidential election onNovember 3, will narrow thedefinition of “specialty occu-pation” as Congress intendedby closing the overbroad defi-nition that allowed companiesto game the system.

It will also require compa-nies to make “real” offers to“real employees,” by closingloopholes and preventing thedisplacement of the Americanworkers. And finally, the newrules would enhance thedepartment’s ability to enforcecompliance through worksiteinspections and monitor com-pliance before, during and afteran H1-B petition is approved.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows UScompanies to employ foreignworkers in speciality occupa-tions that require theoretical ortechnical expertise.

The technology compa-nies depend on it to hire tensof thousands of employeeseach year from countries likeIndia and China.

Such a decision by theTrump administration willhave an adverse impact onthousands of Indian IT profes-sionals. Already a large num-ber of Indians on the H-1Bvisas have lost their jobs and areheaded back home during thecoronavirus pandemic that hasseverely hit the US economy.

According to the DHS, theinterim final rule to be pub-lished in Federal Register willbe effective in 60 days.

Continued on Page 2

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The Bombay High Court onWednesday granted a con-

ditional bail to accused actressRhea Chakraborty in theSushant Singh Rajput death-related drug case, after holdingthat there were no grounds tobelieve that she committed anyoffence involving commercialquantity of contraband anddismissing the special court’sobservation that if released onbail she might alert others andhave the evidence destroyed bythem.

Hours after the High Courtgranted her bail, Rhea walkedout from the Byaculla women’sjail on Wednesday and droveback to her Juhu residence inthe full media glare and amidtight police security.

Nearly a month after shewas arrested in the Sushant

death-related drug case, JusticeSV Kotwal of the High Courtgranted bail to Rhea on a per-sonal bond for �1 lakh with“one or two sureties” for thesame amount and conditionslike she would deposit herpassport with the NarcoticsControl Bureau (NCB) andnot leave the country withoutpermission from the specialcourt and she would presentherself for an attendance oncein a month for the next sixmonths.

The High Court also grant-ed bail to the actor’s house-keeper Dipesh Sawant andhouse manager SamuelMiranda on a surety of �50,000each in cash. Justice Kotwal,however, rejected the bail pleaof Rhea’s brother ShowikChakraborty after noting he ispart of a chain of drug dealers.

Continued on Page 2

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TV journalists in Mumbaiwill no more be able to

enjoy the thrill of chasingcelebrities on the streets andshriek at them question fromspeeding vehicles.

After Bombay HC grant-ed bail to Rhea Chakraborty,the police warned journalistsof strict action if they chasedthe vehicle of any celebrity,advocate or a person theywanted to interview.

Continued on Page 2

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Agitating farmers in Punjabon Wednesday turned

down the Centre’s request fora meeting on October 8 toaddress their concerns regard-ing the farm laws, saying theGovernment is not serious.

The rail roko agitation byfarmers under the banner ofKisan Mazdoor SangharshCommittee (KMSC) hasentered in 14th days in Punjab.Farmers have been blocking therailway tracks by putting up atent on the railway lines sinceSeptember 24.

In Haryana, farmers inSirsa are squatting on a roadleading to Deputy ChiefMinister Dushyant Chautala’sresidence, demanding his res-ignation from the post againstCentre’s agriculture sector laws.

The Kisan MazdoorSangharsh Committee, thefarmers’ body which is spear-heading the agitation in Punjabagainst the CentralGovernment’s three farm laws,on Wednesday said UnionAgriculture Minister NarendraSingh Tomar had invited it for a meeting in Delhi onOctober 8.

Continued on Page 2

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Page 2: ˘ ˇ ˇ...2020/10/07  · and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi-nals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry.” “I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and

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New Delhi: The DelhiGovernment on Wednesdaydecided to allow all weekly mar-kets to function in the nationalcapital with immediate effect.

The decision was taken bythe Delhi Disaster ManagementAuthority (DDMA) afterreviewing the COVID-19 situ-ation in the city. Taking toTwitter, Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal said that now all theweekly markets will be opened.The move, he said, will be a relieffor the poor people. In hisorder issued on Wednesday,Chief Secretary Vijay Dev saidall weekly markets, except inCOVID-19 containment zones,have been allowed to functionwith immediate effect.Until now, the DDMA hadallowed only two such marketsto open daily in every munici-pal zone.

"Weekly markets shall beselected by the joint team of dis-trict magistrate, DCP and zonaldeputy municipal commission-er with the consultation ofRWAs of the area...," Dev, whois also the chairperson ofDDMA's state executive com-mittee, said in the order.

The order said, "In case itis observed by the joint team ofofficers that any weekly marketis unable to function on itsfixed/regular place or at roadsidedue to obstruction to traffic,strictly as per the SOP/guidelinesof DDMA, then such weeklymarkets can be allowed to func-tion at some other nearbyground/school ground, purelyon a temporary basis."

It stated that if it is foundthat vendors or customers arenot following the instructionsprescribed in the standard oper-ating procedures, then suchmarkets will be closed.Dev directed all district magis-trates, deputy commissionersof police and authorities con-cerned to ensure strict compli-ance of his order.

The coronavirus-inducedcountrywide lockdown was firstannounced from March 25 andit was extended in phases tillMay 31. The unlock process inthe country had begun on June1 with the graded reopening ofcommercial, social, religiousand other activities.

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Three terrorists, one belong-ing to the pro Pakistan

Hizbul Mujahideen and twoothers to Al Badr terrorist out-fit, were killed by the joint teamof security forces during anight long operation in theSugan area of South Kashmir'sShopian district on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the line of con-trol along the Uri sector inBaramulla also witnessed freshexchange of firing withPakistan resorting to use ofmortar shelling and use ofother weapons to hit the for-ward posts of the Indian army.In response, Indian army retal-iated strongly.

Defence spokesman inSrinagar, Col Rajesh Kalia said," Pakistan initiated an unpro-voked Ceasefire Violation

along LoC in Uri Sector,Baramulla District wednesdaymorning by firing mortars &other weapons. A Befittingresponse was given, he added.

In Shopian, the operationwas launched in the area onreceipt of information aboutthe movement of a group ofterrorists late Tuesday evening.

Soon after the initial con-tact was made with the terror-ists hiding inside a home,appeals were made by the secu-rity forces to lay down theirarms but they refused.According to ground reports,two terrorists were neutralisedlate night and the third terror-ist was neutralised after theoperations resumed with thefirst light early Wednesdaymorning.

Jawans of 44RR, SpecialOperations Group of Jammu

and Kashmir police and 178BNCRPF participated in the oper-ation. The security forcesrecovered three dead bodiesfrom the site of encounterWednesday morning.

According to a policespokesman, "the killed terror-ists have been identified asSajad Ahmad Malla resident ofMaldera Shopian affiliated withproscribed terror outfit HM,Junaid Rashid Wani resident ofTumalhaal Pulwama andWaseem Ahmad Magray resi-dent of Chakoora affiliatedwith proscribed terror outfitAl-Badar".

As per police records, thekilled terrorists were part ofgroups involved in planning &executing several terror attacksincluding civilian atrocitiesand attacks on security estab-lishments.

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Within a week after a teamof forensic doctors All

India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIMMS) ruled outany murder in the SushantSingh Rajput murder case, thelawyer of the late actor’s fami-ly on Wednesday urged the CBIto have forensic test conductedin the case by another forensicteam of doctors comprising“best names” from differenthospitals.

Alluding to reports in themedia and statements made bysome of doctors concernedabout the AIIMS’ forensicreport that had ruled out mur-der in the Sushant death case

and said it was a clear case of“suicide”, the late actor’s familylawyer Varun Singh stated in aletter written to the CBI thatthere was need for anotherforensic test, since “I personal-ly feel that the forensic team ofAIIMS for whatever reason hasnot given a categorical opinionon the flaws of the post-mortemdone at the Cooper Hospital”.

“ I am accordingly of thefirm opinion that the matterneeds to be referred to anoth-er forensic team to be consti-tuted by the CBI by picking upsome of the best names in thefield from different hospitals sothat a fair and proper assess-ment takes place with regard tothe comments of the post-

mortem done by the CooperHospital and also whether thecause of death can be specifiedon the basis of the materialavailable with the CBI,” VarunSingh wrote in his letter to theCBI.

“The AIIMS report, if at all,could have specified the causeof death i.e, by hanging andcould not have gone to say it isa case of suicide because that issomething which the CBI candecide after a complete inves-tigation in the matter,” the lateactor’s family lawyer stated.

“CBI may also inquire intothe circumstances that haveled Dr Sudhir Gupta indulge insuch unprofessional conductthat threatens to jeopardise the

course of investigations andhelp wrong-doers escape theclutches of law,” lawyer VarunSingh added.

The letter written by thelate actor’s family lawyer comesa day after key accused actressRhea Chakraborty’s familylawyers alleged that Sushant’sfamily and their lawyers were“interfering and tampering”with the investigations, by rais-ing doubts about the probe car-ried out by the CBI and theforensic report submitted to itby the AIIMS which has ruledout murder in the Sushantdeath and said it was a clear caseof “suicide”.

“The CBI is independent-ly and impartially investigating

both the cases and the agencyis supposed to be insulatedand free from any interfer-ence,” Maneshinde said.

“The SSR family lawyer(Vikas Singh) is supposed tohave said that he is going tomeet the CBI Director to getthe family’s pre-determinedpath of investigations in SSRdeath. It is very disturbing toread such information in themedia as attempts are beingmade to get a pre-determinedresult in the case,” Maneshindesaid.

“Any further attempts tointerfere and tamper with theinvestigations would be broughtto the notice of the appropriatecourts, Maneshinde added.

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Reiterating its charge that theOpposition BJP tried to

malign the Maharashtra gov-ernment using fake and realaccounts created by it throughIT companies hired by it, theMaharashtra Congress onWednesday charged that ‘mostof these Twitter handles seemto be tweeting at the rate of 25tweets per minute” on SushantSingh Raput death case, por-traying the MVA governmentand chief minister UddhavThackeray in a poor light.

A delegation of theMaharashtra Congress, ledparty’s state general secretaryand its spokesperson SachinSawant met Mumbai PoliceCommissioner Param BirSingh and handed over theinformation that it had gath-ered from the “notorious” cam-paign launched by the BJPagainst the MVA governmentand the chief minister in thestate.

“The Mumbai PoliceCommissioner assured us of athorough investigation of thesecomplaints,” Sawant said.

In a statement issued to themedia after the Congress del-egates’ meeting with theMumbai Police Commissioner,Sawant said: “By launchingovernight Twitter andFacebook accounts through anhired IT companies, the

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)has unleashed a new wave ofterrorism through social media.This neo terrorism is a ployagainst democracy and it mustbe eradicated”.

Sawant said that the BJPhad introduced a new trend oflaunching a preplanned cam-paign to defame the oppositionand tarnish their imagethrough social media. “Andfor this, thousands of Twitterand Facebook accounts areopened overnight using fakeid's and bogus details. Thesame racket has been used inthe Sushant Singh Rajput case.And going by the history, kindand number of tweets andretweets on the issue it lookslike it is a deliberate andplanned conspiracy against theMaharashtra government,” hesaid.

“There is an unusual pat-tern in this, no ordinary user ofFacebook or Twitter can post ortweet 40,000 posts in 3 months.Most of these Twitter handlesseem to be tweeting at the rateof 25 tweets per minute. Allthese tweets are generallyaround the same topic which inthis case was the Sushant SinghRajput (SSR) case. Their hash-tags are also common. It is clearfrom this that some commer-cial agency was hired to tarnishthe image of our police andMaharashtra Government,”Sawant said.

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From Page 1Meanwhile, an official

communiqué of Governmenthas confirmed that the SIT hasbeen given 10 more days’ timeto complete the probe.

The SIT was set up onSeptember 30 and was given aweek’s time to submit its report.On the basis of a preliminaryreport of the SIT, theGovernment had suspended 5policemen, including theSuperintendent of Police (SP)of Hathras.

Meanwhile UP police onWednesday booked four per-sons, including Kerala-basedfreelance journalist SiddiqueKappan on sedition and othercharges at Maant police stationin Mathura, two days afterthey were held while on theirway to Hathras.

According to the FIR,charges under the stringentUnlawful Activities(Prevention) Act and the IT

Act have also been filed againstthe four, who were accused bythe State police of having linkswith the alleged radical groupPopular Front of India and itsaffiliates. The four were iden-tified as Kappan, a journalist ofMalappuram in Kerala, Atiq-ur-Rehman of Muzaffarnagar,Masood Ahmad of Bahraichand Alam of Rampur.

They were on Wednesdaybooked under various sectionsof the Indian Penal Code (IPC)including 124A (sedition),153A (Promoting enmitybetween different groups onground of religion, race, placeof birth, residence, language,etc, and doing acts prejudicialto maintenance of harmony)and 295A (Deliberate and mali-cious acts, intended to outragereligious feelings of any class byinsulting its religion or religiousbelief), according to the FIR.

The PFI has been accusedof funding protests against theCitizenship Amendment Actacross the country earlier thisyear and the UP police hadsought a ban on the outfit.

From Page 1In respect of copra and

urad, rates are ruling at orabove MSP. Respective StateGovernments are makingarrangements for com-mencement of procurementin respect of moong.

According to the CMD(Food Corporation of India)DV Prasad, the procurementof paddy from farmers acrossthe country has registered anincrease of 5 per cent till nowas compared to correspondingperiod last year.

“Maximum procurementhas happened in Punjabwhere 7,82,685 MT paddyhas already been procuredfrom the farmers throughAPMC system asagainst24,452 MT procuredlast year. The target of paddyprocurement is fixed 497.10LMT to benefit 1.56 crorefarmers this year. TheGovernment will spend Rs140078 crore (estimated) in2020-21.

From Page 1According to Sarvan Singh

Pandher, State secretary ofKisan Mazdoor SangharshCommittee, they got a tele-phone call from the UnionAgriculture Minister onTuesday and invited them fora meeting on the going farm-ers’ agitation.

The Ministry has also senta mail in this regard. Pandhersaid farmers have decided notto participate in any meeting asthe Government is not seriousabout their concern.

Earlier, the secretary ofthe department of agriculture,had written to the farmers’body, inviting it for a meetingat Krishi Bhawan in the nation-al Capital on Thursday toaddress its concerns over thelaws.“Your committee hasexpressed concerns over thefarm Bills. I would like toinvite you to a meeting onOctober 8 at Krishi Bhawan,Delhi.”

From Page 1The HC said, “The mater-

ial gathered so far shows thatthe applicant (Showik) wasnot only knowing many drugdealers, but, he was (also) intouch with them and was actu-ally transacting with them.Thus, he is part of a chain ofdrug dealers. At this stage, theinvestigating agency has suffi-cient material to show that heis a part of a chain of drug deal-ers engaged in illicit traffic ofdrugs”.

Justice Kotwal did notentertain a plea by AdditionalSolicitor General Anil C Singhthat the bail order be stayed forone week to facilitate him tomove the Supreme Court. “Ihave imposed sufficiently strin-gent conditions on the appli-cant. Some further conditions

can be imposed for a limitedperiod to take care of therequest made by learned ASGthough I am not inclined togrant stay to the order. If final-ly the order is set aside and thebail is cancelled, the applicantwill be available for beingarrested again,” the Judgenoted.

In what came as a snub tothe NCB which is investigatingthe Sushant death-related drugcase, Justice Kotwal observed:“The investigation did notreveal any recovery either fromthe applicant or from the houseof Sushant Singh Rajput. It istheir own case that the drugswere already consumed andhence there was no recovery. Inthat case, there is nothing atthis stage to show that theapplicant had committed anyoffence involving commercialquantity of contraband”.

“The material at the high-est shows that she has com-

mitted an offence involvingcontraband, but, the crucial ele-ment of incurring rigours ofSection 37 in respect of com-mercial quantity is missing.Therefore, I am satisfied thatthere are reasonable groundsfor believing that the applicantis not guilty of any offence pun-ishable under Sections 19, 24 or27A or any other offenceinvolving commercial quanti-ty,” the Judge noted.

“There are no other crim-inal antecedents against her.She is not part of the chain ofdrug dealers. She has not for-warded the drugs allegedlyprocured by her to somebodyelse to earn monetary or 66 / 7067 1.3-BA-st-2386-2020 otherbenefits. Since she has no crim-inal antecedents, there are rea-sonable grounds for believingthat she is not likely to commitany offence while on bail,”Justice Kotwal observed, whilegranting bail to Rhea.

From Page 1“You cannot chase the vehi-

cle of any celebrity, advocate orany person you wish to interview.You cannot endanger your life,the life of that person or normalpeople walking on the roads. It’san offence. We will take sternaction, not only against the dri-ver but against the person insti-gating, instructing the person todo such a chase,” Sangram SinghNishandar, DCP, told reporters.The police decided to issue thewarning apprehending that theTV journos will go after Rheaonce she came out of the BycullaJail and headed home.

The Police issued warningon Sept 27, but the media flout-ed it with impunity. “Today wehave observed a lot of mediavehicles chasing people whowere called for the inquiry. Thevehicles will be seized becausethey are endangering their livesas well as lives of whoever wascalled and people,” SangramSingh Nishandar, DCP Zone 1,Police had tweeted on Sept 26.

From Page 1It said the US Citizenship

and Immigration Services isforgoing the regular notice andcomment period to immedi-ately ensure that employing H-1B workers will not worsen theeconomic crisis caused byCOVID-19 and adversely affectwages and working conditionsof similarly employed USworkers, it said.

The pandemic’s economicimpact is an “obvious and com-pelling fact” that justifies goodcause to issue this interim finalrule, the DHS said in a pressrelease.

The White House defend-ed the move and said that thePresident is improvingAmerica’s work visa pro-grammes to prioritise the high-est-skilled workers and protectthe American jobs and wagesamidst the severe impact on theeconomy due to the coron-avirus pandemic.

It said despite a lapse of aconsiderable period of time,there was neither any negotia-tions nor any action by admin-istration, warranting the court’sintervention in the matter.

“In what manner theadministration should act istheir responsibility and theyshould not hide behind thecourt orders or seek supporttherefrom for carrying out theiradministrative functions. Thecourts adjudicate the legality ofthe actions and are not meant togive shoulder to the adminis-tration to fire their guns from,”it said.

“What must be kept inmind, however, is that the erst-while mode and manner of dis-sent against colonial rule cannotbe equated with dissent in a self-ruled democracy,” it said.

“Article 19, one of the cor-nerstones of the Constitution ofIndia, confers upon its citizenstwo treasured rights, i.E., theright to freedom of speech andexpression under Article19(1)(a) and the right to assem-ble peacefully without armsunder Article 19(1)(b). Theserights, in cohesion, enable every

citizen to assemble peacefullyand protest against the actionsor inactions of the state. Thesame must be respected andencouraged by the state, for thestrength of a democracy such asours lies in the same,” it said.

“We only hope that such asituation does not arise in thefuture and protests are subject tothe legal position as enunciatedabove, with some sympathy anddialogue, but are not permittedto get out of hand,” it said.

It said people live in the ageof technology and internetwhere social movements aroundthe world have swiftly integrat-ed digital connectivity into theirtoolkit, be it for organising,publicity or effective communi-cation.

“The ability to scale upquickly, for example, using dig-ital infrastructure has empow-ered movements to embracetheir often-leaderless aspira-tions and evade usual restric-tions of censorship; however, theflip side to this is that socialmedia channels are often fraughtwith danger and can lead to thecreation of highly polarisedenvironments, which often seeparallel conversations runningwith no constructive outcomeevident,” the bench said.

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Aligarh SSP suspendedinspector Praveen Kumar

Maan of Iglas police station onnegligence in connection withthe rape of a 4-year-old girlfrom Sadabad, living in heraunt’s home in a village in theIglas area of Aligarh.

Police filed a case 4 dayslater. The girl was raped by heraunt's son, after which the girlwas undergoing treatment andon Monday, she died in the hos-pital. Angry girl's family mem-bers and villagers blocked theBaldev Khandauli road by plac-ing the body on the road at 8o'clock in the night. They sat onthe road overnight demandingthe suspension of the inspectorand the jam opened on Tuesdaywhen officials assured them ofaction. DM Aligarh ChandraBhushan Singh announcedfinancial assistance of Rs 10lakh to the victim's family.Negligence on the part of thepolice, in this case, came intolight. At first, the police werenot accepting this as rape.

The wife of a village-basedperson, resident of the Sadabadpolice station area died in

January. He has 2 sons and 2daughters. Three months ago,his sister-in-law, a resident ofIglas police station, took hischildren with her but after 15days the sister-in-law left bothof his sons but kept both daugh-ters with her on the excuse ofher son’s marriage. Last month,the person got the informationabout the cruelty to his 4-year-old girl at which he filed a com-plaint against his sister-in-law.He came to know that hisdaughter was raped and lockedin the toilet which causedworms in her private part.After getting this informationon the child helpline, theyadmitted the girl for treatmentat JN Medical College fromwhere she was referred to Delhiwhere she died on Monday.Iglas police had arrested theaccused 12 days ago and senthim to the Juvenile home ofMathura.

SSP Aligarh Muniraj saidthat the Iglas inspector hasbeen suspended for his negli-gence in this case. The accusedboy was arrested on 24thSeptember and he admittedhis crime. A team has also beenmade to search and arrest the

aunt.

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Kochi: The ED on Wednesdayfiled a chargesheet in a PMLAcourt in Ernakulam in its probeinto the money trail in the goldsmuggling case, triggeringanother slugfest in Kerala poli-tics after it allegedly revealed thatprime accused Swapna Sureshhad met Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan six times.

The charge sheet was filedunder the Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA), 2002against PS Sarith, Swapna Sureshand Sandeep Nair in the Districtand Sessions Court (PMLA) inErnakulam in the gold smug-gling case. All three accused arein judicial custody since July.

The ED charge sheet quot-ed Swapna as saying that she hadmet Vijayan on six occasions inthe presence of now-suspendedIAS officer M Sivasankar andthat the CM knew about herappointment in the Space Parkon a salary of over Rs 1.50 lakhper month.

The Congress and the BJPleadership in the southern statewere up in arms and demandedthe resignation of Vijayan.

"Vijayan had said he had no

clue of how she got a job in theSpace Park, but the ED chargesheet says he was aware. Vijayanthen said his office is not a havenfor such people. That statementhas since fallen flat and theonus is now on him to comeclean," state Congress PresidentMullapally Ramachandran said.

The over 300-page chargesheet includes Swapna's state-ment that following her resig-nation from the UAE Consulate,she approached Sivasankar, thenPrincipal Secretary to Vijayanand also IT Secretary, for a job.

She was quoted as sayingthat he asked her to put in herCV with his reference toPriceWaterhouse Coopers andthereafter she went and met a topofficial of Space Park and soongot the job.

Swapna also allegedly saidthat Sivasankar had helped herfinancially and they were goodfriends and it was he who intro-duced her to chartered accoun-tant Venugopal, who was askedto help her in financial dealingsby opening fixed depositaccounts to the tune of Rs 20lakh.

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Resident doctors and staffmembers of the North

Corporation run Hindu RaoHospital on Wednesdayprotested over non-payment oftheir due salaries for the lastthree months and went on asymbolic indefinite strike.

Hundreds of doctors andnurses of the hospital heldplacards and raised slogansdemanding their due salaries,at the main gate of the facility.

Doctors claimed that theyhave not been paid since June.Last week, the staffers were ona 'Pen Down Strike' from 9 a.m.to 12 p.m. to display theirordeal.

However, the civic bodyofficials said that the matter isbeing looked into.

Hindu Rao Hospital is thelargest municipal hospital inDelhi with 900 beds, and is cur-rently a dedicated COVID-19facility. Many of its healthcare

workers had contracted theinfection earlier. Since, it is adedicated coronavirus facility,the "services will not be essen-tially affected".

Abhimanyu Sardana, pres-ident of the Resident DoctorsAssociation said "We are on asymbolic indefinite strike tomake our voices heard toauthorities, who have notresponded to our appeal so far.We have been doing the sym-bolic pen down from 9 am to12 noon, for the last severaldays, as well as online protests,but no one listened to us.

So, the protest took placeand doctors who are not onCOVID-19 rotational dutyjoined, he said.

"We are humans too andhave a family to run. We arerisking our lives for humanityin this pandemic. Is it toomuch to ask for our duesalaries," Sardana said.

North Delhi Mayor JaiPrakash had recently said, "We

are doing everything possibleto resolve the issue".

The doctors and other staffmembers of the corporationhas not been paid for monthsresulted in repeated protests.

Besides Hindu Rao hospital,doctors and nurses of otherhospitals run by the corpora-tion like Maharishi ValmikiInfectious Diseases, KasturbaHospital, Girdhari Lal

Maternity Hospital and RajanBabu Institute of PulmonaryMedicine and Tuberculosishave also been protesting overthe issue of non-payment ofsalary.

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To bring the hospitalityindustry on track for the

economical revival of Delhi,Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalon Wednesday gave green sig-nals to operate 24X7 as require-ment of tourism licences forrunning restaurants will beremoved. Importantly, theExcise department agreed toreview the existing policy of a10 percent automatic increasein the license fees every year.

Delhi government will alsoconstitute a technical commit-tee which in ten days willexamine ways to enhance firesafety and simplifying norms inConnaught Place and heritagesites like - Khan market , with-out the need to make structuralchanges to the existing restau-rants. Based on the recom-mendations of the committee,the CM will decide on theapplication of uniform firesafety norms in Delhi.

Kejriwal met with indus-trials and said the process hasinitiated to abolish policelicenses and health trade licens-es from local bodies for restau-rants.

With this decision, now asper the major amendmentsplanned under Excise policyand rules to restaurants, restau-rants to be allowed to paytheir license fee by 31st Marchand they can make interest-freequarterly payments instead ofhalf-yearly payments.

Interacting with NationalRestaurant Association of India(NRAI),Kejriwal said, "Delhi'srestaurants are the pride ofDelhi and provide employ-ment to lakhs of people. I havedirected all the respectivedepartments to remove unnec-essary hassles in the smoothrunning of restaurants inDelhi.”

After reviewing the letterwritten by the FSSAI address-ing the MunicipalCorporations to cease the fur-ther issuing of licenses anddirected the officials to do thesame, Kejriwal instructed thatthe health trade licenses, whichare issued by the MunicipalCorporations to the restau-rant industries should be abol-ished within 10 days.

The NRAI body alsorequested the abolishment ofthe police licenses since restau-rants are a part of the retail sec-tor and no other retail estab-lishment is required to obtaina police license.

Kejriwal ensures a decisionto provide relief to the restau-rants from police licenses willsoon be taken after discussingconcerned stakeholders.

Riyaaz Amlani, a restaura-teur and an NRAI member,said, "Restaurants are one of thekey sectors for employmentgeneration in the city withlakhs of people employed inthis industry in Delhi. It is cur-rently one of the most over-reg-ulated industries, that requiresmultiple NOCs and duplicationof licenses. The restaurantindustry is one of the mostimpacted industries in Delhi.These measures will providethe necessary measures and theboost that we need, andunleash the employmentpotential. By deregulating theindustry, more restaurants willopen up which will generatemore employment and help thetourism industry. A lot of themost visited cities in the worldare known for their nightlifeand restaurants."

Deputy CM and FinanceMinister, Manish Sisodia,directed the restaurants to beable to pay their excise byMarch 31from the existingdeadline of February 28 andfor them to make quarterlylicense fee payments withoutany interest.

It was decided that otherrelevant suggestions related toamendments in Excise regula-tions will be considered to beincluded in a new policy cur-rently under preparation, per-mitting the extension of the

operating timings of the restau-rants on the weekends till 3AM.

Decisions were also takenin meeting to immediatelyamend archaic Excise rules soas to permit service in openareas, balconies, verandahs,without any additional fee, topermit additional dispensingcounters in the licensedpremises without any addi-tional fees, to permit brandingwithin the licensed premises, topermit licenses for all types ofmusic, including DJs, LiveBands, and Karaoke, to abolishthe requirement of a designat-ed liquor store and to allow thestock to be kept anywhere inthe licensed premises.

Earlier , the Delhi PollutionControl Committe ( DPCC )had exempted restaurants withless than 100 seats from theneed to mandatorily installEffluent Treatment Plants(ETPs).

The Central PollutionControl Board (CPCB) hadhowever issued recent guide-lines requiring the installationof ETP for restaurants consist-ing more than 36 seats.

Given the extreme spaceconstraints in and aroundmany small restaurants, it wasagreed at the meeting thatDPCC will write to the CPCBwith a request to revert back tothe earlier decision by DPCCexempting the requirement fora dedicated Effluent TreatmentPlant (ETP) for restaurantsbelow 100 seating capacity.

“DPCC will issue a clarifi-cation to the MCDs on per-missibility of Wood charcoal inthe grills and tandoors of therestaurants and to ensure thatharassment of the restaurantsbe stopped on this front,” a gov-ernment official said.

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With winters knocking onthe doors, Delhi will face

double threats — dust, farm firepollution and corona making thelungs weak. The DelhiGovernment has set a strategy todeal with perineal winter pollu-tion identifying 39 hotspots/red zones deploying anti-smoggun and joined hands withPUSA agriculture institute todeter farm fire issue.

As Air Quality Index ( AQI) in the national Capital marked183 micro cubic per gram onWednesday, Delhi EnvironmentMinister Gopal Rai assured toreduce dust pollution with anti-smog guns.

Anand Vihar, Rohini are topareas where dust pollution ismajor threat for people, sur-prisingly, the AQI of both zoneswas marked above 250 MicroGram Per Cubic.

Rai said “Our first target isto reduce pollution due to dustand around 39 sites have beenidentified where anti-smog gunswill be used,” adding,”Anti-smogguns have been deployed atlarge construction sites in thenational capital as part of themeasures being taken to controlpollution.”

Amid rising concernsregarding air pollution in thenational capital and neighbour-ing states, farmers in Haryanaand Punjab continued to burnstubble in their fields.

Raising pollution issues,Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP )MLA, Raghav Chadha said firstweek of October witnessed stub-

ble burning increase of nine foldin Punjab and three fold inHaryana in comparison to lastyear. He also said that states ofPunjab and Haryana are guilty ofcriminal negligence towards thematter of air pollution and havenot taken any serious compre-hensive steps to stop stubbleburning. Citing the Centre'slaunch of the ambitious NationalClean Air Plan (NCAP), andhow Union Finance MinisterSmt. Nirmala Sitharaman hadannounced a budget of Rs 4,400Crore for the NCAP.

Chadha said, " FinanceMinister of India NirmalaSitharaman announced that thecentral government will spendRs 4,400 Crore for a clean airplan. I want to ask the centralgovernment where is thismoney? The Aam Aadmi Party

wants to know why the centralGovernment has not given thismoney to the farmers. We alsowant to know why the centralgovernment can’t come up witha suitable plan to stop stubbleburning."

He also said, "Today I wantto tell you that this year the stub-ble burning started one monthbefore October 15. In the firstweek of October in Punjab, thestubble burning has increasednine-fold and in Haryana three-fold.” In the first week of October606 cases of stubble burning werereported from Punjab and 137cases in Haryana. We want torequest the Supreme Court-appointed watchdog to take noteof the matter and to take sternaction against these states. Theestimation is that nearly 35 mil-lion tonnes stubble will be burnt

this year combining Punjab andHaryana."

Chadha also said that onehand, Prime Minister NarendraModi talked about combating airpollution, but on the hand theBJP government of Haryana hasdisregarded the PM's advice.He said that the Aam AadmiParty demands that the SupremeCourt-appointed EPCA ought totake stringent action againstPunjab and Haryana for neglect-ing the stubble burning issue.

He said, "According to asource apportionment studypublished by TERI, it was notedthat 70% of Delhi's pollution iscaused by neighbouring states--stubble burning being one keyreason of this pollution. Last year,the Central Pollution ControlBoard (CPCB) data showed thatstubble burning causes 45% of

Delhi’s air pollution. Stubbleburning generally happens inPunjab, Haryana and in someparts of Uttar Pradesh. Everyyear, this criminal act makesDelhi a gas chamber. Startingfrom the Supreme Court, EPCA,the Central Government andvarious state governments haverepeatedly requested the guiltystates to take some seriousactions against the stubble burn-ing, but to no avail."

Last year in Punjab, 20 mil-lion tonnes paddy was generat-ed, and 9.8 million tonnes ofpaddy was burnt. In Haryana, 60million tonnes of paddy weregenerated, and 1.23 milliontonnes were burnt. As per thedata, 11 million tonnes of paddywere burnt combining both thestates.

“One on hand, Kejriwal isworking relentlessly to combatthe air pollution of Delhi. He hasalready announced a seven-point action plan to combat airpollution. With the help ofPUSA Institute,Kejriwal is tryingto build up Bio-decomposertechnique by which stubbleburning can be avoided. On theother hand, you have Punjab andHaryana, who are showing crim-inal negligence and dereliction ofduty over this issue. Universityof Chicago’s Energy PolicyInstitute has noted that if Delhi’sair pollution improves then thecitizens’ life span will increase 9.4years. This is following theWHO standard; but if we followthe Indian national standard,even then the life span willincrease for 6.5 years,” AAP tar-geted the neighboring states.

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Two people, who were goingto the airport to catch a

flight, died after a truck over-turned on their car in SouthDelhi’s Lajpat Nagar area onearly hours of Wednesday. Policesaid that the truck driver fledfrom the spot after the accidenthowever that the owner of thetruck bearing a Haryana regis-tration has been identified.

Police said that AnkitMalhotra and Ranjan Kalra,both aged 35, were into eventmanagement and going toKolkata for work. Malhotralived in Karkardooma and hadcome to pick Kalra up from hisresidence in Lajpat Nagar.

According to R P Meena,the Deputy Commissioner ofPolice (DCP), Southeast district,a police control room regardingthe accident was receivedaround 3.50 AM followingwhich an Emergency ResponseVehicle (ERV) was dispatchedfor the spot.

“On the spot, a truck hadoverturned and the rice con-tainer it was carrying had fall-en on a Honda City under theLajpat Nagar flyover on theRing Road. The two personsinside the car were badlycrushed under the container,”said the DCP.

“It took the police nearly anhour to remove the vehicle andtake out the bodies. Two bighydra cranes, one JCB and twosmall cranes from the traffic unitwere called and the containerfilled with rice bags wasremoved,” said the DCP.

“Malhotra and Kalra weredeclared brought dead by doc-tors at a hospital. A case has beenregistered under section 279(rash driving or riding on a pub-lic way) and 304A (causingdeath by negligence) of theIndian Penal Code and effortsare being made to nab the truckdriver,” said the DCP.

“Police teams are scanningCCTV cameras,” said the DCP."Kalra lived with his family inKrishna Market in Lajpat Nagarand Malhotra was a resident ofSaini Enclave nearKarkardooma," police said.

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The Indian Railways’ pro-posal regarding revised cost

estimate for construction ofKolkata East West MetroCorridor Project at an esti-mated cost of Rs 8574.98 croreapproved by the Governmenton Wednesday.

The project envisages con-struction of a Metro Corridorbetween Salt Lake Sector-V toHowrah Maidan in WestBengal for a total route lengthof 16.6 kms. The project isbeing implemented by KolkataMetro Rail CorporationLimited [KMRCL] which is aCPSE under the Ministry ofRailways set up as a special pur-pose vehicle.

“The pre-pandemic targetfor completion of their projectwas December 2021. Efforts arebeing taken to minimise theimpact of pandemic on com-pletion of the project. The pro-

ject includes immense techno-logical challenges like the tun-nel below river Ganges whichis the 1st transportation tunnelin India under any major riveras well as Howrah Stationwhich is one of the deepestMetro stations in India,” theministry said in a statement.

The mega project envi-sions creation of efficient tran-sit connectivity between thebusiness district of Kolkatawith industrial city of Howrahin west and Salt Lake City ineast through a safe, accessibleand comfortable mode of pub-lic transport. Since this corri-dor connects three mostimportant parts of the KolkataMetropolitan area such asHowrah, business area ofKolkata and new settlements inSalt Lake it is going to revolu-tionise the mass rapid transportin Kolkata and adjoiningHowrah and Bidhanangar, itsaid.

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The Economic OffencesWing (EOW) of the Delhi

Police has arrested a retiredLieutenant Colonel for alleged-ly cheating army personnel oninducement of providing resi-dential plots across the Country.

The accused has been iden-tified as Rakesh Rana, a residentof Dwarka’s Sector-18A. Policesaid that he is found previous-ly involved in two criminalcases.

According to Dr O PMishra, the JointCommissioner of Police, EOW,one Havaldar Chandan Kumar,along with other army person-nel, alleged that they have beencheated by SWO-India Ltd tothe tune of around Rs 88 lakh.

“They alleged that accusedperson showed them rosy pic-ture about the “Veer AawasBokaro Project” and assured

that they were running anNGO in the name of SWO-India for the benefit of armypersonnel. It was also told thatno profit motive was there inthe projects,” said the Joint CP.

“The investors were direct-ed to deposit money in SWOIndia Ltd, a company. The com-pany, through its official,ensured that they would provideresidential plots to the investorsat Bokaro in Jharkhand. On hisassurance, the victims investedmoney for residential plots,”said the Joint CP.

“During investigation, itwas revealed that Rana inducedthe army personnel that thewhole project was of 20-acreland and the land had beenpurchased and necessaryapprovals had been taken,” saidthe Joint CP.

“The company providedallocation letter cum agree-ment on receipt of total

amount, but it neither provid-ed the plots, nor returned theirmoney. Even the company hasno land and requisite approvalfrom concerned authority,” hesaid.

“During investigation, itwas revealed that Rana, a retiredLt Colonel, Kirti Chakra Vijeta,was the main brain behind it.He was arrested on Tuesdayfrom one of his residences atDwarka. He was also the autho-rised signatory of variousaccounts of the company,” saidthe Joint CP.

“The accused assured armypersonnel that they are runningan NGO called SWO-India forthe benefits of army personneland was not earning any prof-it from the projects. However,the accused directed theinvestors to deposit money inSWO India Ltd, a company ofidentical name,” said the JointCP.

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The national capital recorded 2,871fresh Covid-19 cases and the number

of containment zones in the national cap-ital fell to 2,702 on (Wednesday).

Thirty five Covid-19 fatalities report-ed in Delhi on Wednesday. According tohealth bulletin, there has been an upwardtrend in the number of containment zonessince last week of August till October 5when the count stood at 2,707. However,on Tuesday, it slipped to 2,697, the fallbeing registered after a gap of more than40 days. At least 39 COVID-19 fatalitieson Tuesday in Delhi, as the death toll

mounted to 5,581 while 2,676 fresh casestook the tally to over 2.95 lakh, authori-ties said.

Both the number of fresh cases andcontainment zones recorded a gradual risein September, with September 16 report-ing 4,473 cases, the highest single-dayspike till date.

On that day, the containment zonefigure had climbed to 1,637. ExceptSeptember 14, the number of cases fromSeptember 9-19 was reported in excess of4,000 per day, while the containmentzones count and home isolation casessteadily increased

The home isolation cases on

September 5had jumped to 9,822 whilethe containment zones count stood at 946.On September 6, the total number of con-tainment zones had crossed the 1,000-mark. Prior to that, Delhi had seen a bigsurge in cases in the month of June, butthe spike had come down in July. Thehome isolation figures on July 1 stood at16,703 with 437 containment zonesmarked in the city.

On July 31, while the home isolationcases count had come down to 5,763, thecontainment zones had risen to 692,according to official data. On August 3,the number of COVID-19 patients underhome isolation, and containment zones

count, both came down to 5,577 and 496,respectively.

On August 25, however, therewere 5,949 home isolation cases and654 containment zones or localisedareas from where infections werereported. It rose to 6,850 with 763zones on August 28; and then to 7876home isolation cases with 833 con-tainment zones on August 31; and8,407 home quarantined cases with 894zones on September 2.

The positivity rate on Tuesday stoodat 4.99 per cent while the recovery rate wascrossed 90 per cent, the Tuesday healthdepartment bulletin said.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government has formed a six-member committee to submit recommendations on theissue of licences to distribution agencies for home deliv-ery of ration under the 'Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar RationYojna'.

According to an order issued by the office of the foodsupplies and consumer affairs commissioner, the committeehas also been asked to give suggestions on the amendmentsrequired in the Delhi Specified Articles (Regulations ofDistribution) Order, 1981.

The government has asked the six-member panel tosubmit its report within one week.

Additional Commissioner (Food and Supplies) AnandKumar Tiwari, Assistant Commissioner (Policy) RajeshAhuja and Assistant Commissioner (Distribution) DeshRaj Singh are among the members of the committee. InJuly, the Delhi Cabinet had approved doorstep delivery ofration and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed it a "rev-olutionary" move.

Kejriwal had said that the scheme is expected to berolled out in the next six to seven months after comple-tion of the tendering process and other necessities.

"Under the scheme, wheat flour, rice and sugar packedhygienically in bags will be delivered to people's doorsteps.Taking ration from a PDS shop will be optional," Kejriwalhad said in July. There are over 17 lakh ration card hold-ers in Delhi while the total number of beneficiaries is around70 lakh. PTI

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The Delhi Police has arrested a 45-year-old driver of a cluster bus fivedays after he allegedly killed a man in an accident near Kashmere Gate

metro station. Police said that the accused was under the influence of alco-hol during the accident which took place on the night of October 1. Theaccused, Pardeep alias Nagraj has been found previously involved in 13 casesincluding three accidents.

33-year-old man, identified as Sanjay, a resident of Maujpur in Northeastdelhi died in the accident. He worked as a clerk in a private firm at ChandniChowk and is survived by wife and three children, police said. Accordingto Anto Alphonse, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), North dis-trict, after the accident near Kashmere Gate, the accused driver fled fromthe spot with his vehicle and the same night, he hit his bus with a truck inwest Delhi's Mayapuri area.

“The accused driver was nabbed from the spot by a team of Mayapuripolice station and a case was registered against in the regard. During med-ical examination, he was found to be under the influence of alcohol. Sinceit was a bailable offence, he was released later,” said the DCP.

“However, the police team of Mayapuri were not aware about the acci-dent committed by him the same night near Kashmere Gate. Police hadreceived a PCR call at around 11.15 pm regarding an accident near metrogate no. 3, Kashmere Gate. On reaching the spot, a body of the man wasfound lying on the road. He was shifted to a mortuary and a case was reg-istered in Kashmiri Gate police station,” said the DCP. “Since police didnot find any witness in the accident, they scanned more than 2,00 CCTVfootages to get clue. After enquiry, police managed to find that the offend-ing vehicle involved in the accident was a cluster bus,” said the DCP.

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Even though both the sideshave agreed not to send

more troops to the Line ofActual Control (LAC) inLadakh, India is not willing totake any chances and willwait for the Chinese to firstbegin the withdrawal from thestand-off sites before thinningout its own troops. This evenas India has carried out a suc-cession of tests of missiles inthe last few weeks and minced

no words in its posturingagainst China, which is a newassertive trait.

The real intent of theChinese will come to the forein the seventh round of CorpsCommander level talks sched-uled for October 12. In thesixth round on September 21,both the commanders agreednot to send more troops to theLAC as a confidence buildingmeasures.

While relative calm pre-vails at the LAC since exter-

nal af fairs minister SJaishankar’s bilateral meetingwith his Chinese counterpartWang Yi in Moscow onSeptember 10 and the CorpsCommander level parleys, theIndian security establishmentis watching the situation close-ly, sources said here onWednesday.

There is no question ofpulling out additional troopsnow deployed in the depthareas since the stand-offsbegan in mid May till theChinese take the first step andpull back, officials said.Making it clear that there is abig trust deficit, they alsosaid the forces are geared tomeet any challenge.

Not letting its guarddown, at least four missiletests were conducted in thepast few weeks including the700-km-range Shaurya mis-sile. Capable of carrying 200to 1,000 kg nuclear payload, itis the land version of subma-rine launched K-15 missile.Both the missiles are devel-oped by the Defence Research

and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO).

The important break-

through in a test off Balasorein Odisha comes as India hasalready deployed its Brahmos

supersonic cruise missilebesides Nirbhay and Akashmissiles at strategic locations

close to the LAC. The pre-ventive move came afterChina positioned its strategicmissiles in the Tibet region inthe last few weeks besidesenhancing its troop strengthand fighter jet fleet in thevolatile region.

Officials rate Shaurya asone of the top 10 missiles inthe world in its class with itshigh performance navigationand guidance systems, effi-cient propulsion systems,sophisticated control tech-nologies and canisterisedlaunch.

The missi le can belaunched from silos and can-isters mounted on a truckand fixed on the ground, theysaid adding that it can be eas-ily moved around. A truckitself can become a launchingplatform. Moreover, thesemissiles are difficult to betracked by enemy satellites.

Keeping up the tempo oftests, scientists some weeksback successfully testedHypersonic TechnologyDemonstrator(HSTDV). The

capability has now placedIndia the elite category ofnations having this capability.The US, Russia and China areother countries having thesecapabilities. The HSTDV givesIndia the flexibility of devel-op missile travelling at speedthree to four times more thansound.

The indigenouslydesigned and manufacturedBrahmos supersonic cruisemissile got a major boost afterthe successful test of itsextended range system.

Now, these missiles withmost of its components man-ufactured within the countrycan hit a target at more than400 kms. The other importanttest included the supersonicmissile assisted release of tor-pedo that targets submarines.

Sources said some moretests are in the offing likeNirbhay cruise missile with arange of nearly 800 km. A lim-ited number of them arealready deployed along withAkash and Brahmos at criti-cal sites near the LAC.

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Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Wednesday said

it is the endeavour of theGovernment to make Indiaone of the top five countries inthe world in aerospace anddefence industries. Backing

this intent with facts, he saidIndia is one of the few coun-tries in the world which pro-duces 4th generation fighteraircraft, nuclear submarines,main battle tanks and inter-continental ballistic missiles(ICBM).

“India has one of thelargest defence industrialecosystems in Asia and weaspire to build further on ourstrengths… We want to makeIndia one of the top fivecountries of the world inaerospace and defence indus-tries from design to produc-tion with active participationof public and private indus-tries fulfilling the objective of

self rel iance as well asdemand of friendly coun-tries,” he said addressing avirtual round table with for-eign Ambassadors in Indiaon the upcoming Aero India2021.

The 13th edition of thebiennial air show, Aero India,is scheduled to be held fromFebruary 03-07, 2021 inBengaluru. Rajnath said Indiacan prove to be an excellentbase for the defence andaerospace industry withrespect to repair, overhaul,maintenance and servicingfacilities. “It can also becomea centre for regional distrib-ution and services,” he added.

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While the SARS-CoV-2causing Covid-19 is

being blamed to have spilledover from animals to humans,a new study has flagged con-cerns that there’s considerablerisk that infected humans toocan transmit the virus towildlife, thus creating a newreservoir of pathogen besidesendangering the already threat-ened species.

The researchers have urgedpeople to take sanitary pre-cautions when in direct orindirect contact with wild orferal mammal species to pre-vent human-to-wildlife SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

The study is published inthe journal Mammal Review. Itnoted that if SARS-CoV-2 wasto infect and spread amongwild mammals, it could poten-tially cause disease in somepopulations, in turn furtherendangering already threat-ened species.

“We really should avoidturning our pandemic into amulti-species problem,” saidstudy lead author SophieGryseels from the University ofAntwerp in Belgium.

For the findings, theresearch team regularlysearched the studies with dif-ferent combinations of the key-words: SARS-CoV-2, infectionexperiment, animal model,mammal, susceptibility, ACE2,cell line, coronavirus, wildlife.

They particularly checkedProMED, a community-dri-ven platform that scans infec-tious disease news and reportsevery instance of non-human animals naturallyinfected by SARS-CoV-2.

Though most people veryrarely come into close contactwith live wild animals, trans-mission of SARS-CoV-2 fromhumans could readily occurduring (field) activities.

Also, if SARS-CoV-2 couldbe sustainably transmittedamong some mammalian pop-

ulations or communities, thiswould create new animal reser-voirs that could repeatedlysource new outbreaks inhumans and other animals.

“It’s difficult enough tocontrol the SARS-CoV-2 in

human populations-imaginewhat it will be like if it spreadsamong wild mammals,” saidstudy researcher KU Leuvenfrom the University of Arizonain the US.

“They (animals) could

also get sick and form a reservoir from which theycan then again infect humans,but we can’t ask animals towear face masks and keepphysical distance,” Leuvennoted.

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In an observation that couldhave significant implications

on the Covid-19 vaccine devel-opment, a study has said thatbeing previously infected withcoronavirus that cause the‘common cold’ may decreasethe severity of Covid-19.

Led by researchers atBoston Medical Center andBoston University School ofMedicine, the study Publishedin the Journal of ClinicalInvestigation, however, alsodemonstrated that the immu-nity built up from previousnon-SARS-CoV-2 coron-avirus infections does notprevent individuals from get-ting Covid-19.

The researchers lookedat electronic medical recorddata from individuals whohad a respiratory panel test(CRP-PCR) result betweenMay 18, 2015 and March 11,2020.

The CRP-PCR detectsdiverse respiratory pathogensincluding the endemic “com-mon cold” coronaviruses.They also examined datafrom individuals who weretested for SARS-CoV-2between March 12, 2020 andJune 12, 2020. After adjustingfor age, gender, body massindex, and diabetes mellitusdiagnosis, COVID-19 hospi-talized patients who had aprevious positive CRP-PCRtest result for a coronoavirushad significantly lower oddsof being admitted to theintensive care unit (ICU),and lower trending odds ofrequiring mechanical venti-lation during Covid.

The probability of sur-vival was also significantlyhigher in Covid-19 hospital-ized patients with a previouspositive test result for a “com-mon cold” coronoavirus.However, a previous positivetest result for a coronavirus

did not prevent someonefrom getting infected withSARS-CoV-2.

“Our results show thatpeople with evidence of a pre-vious infection from a “com-mon cold” coronavirus haveless severe Covid-19 symp-toms,” said Manish Sagar,MD, an infectious diseasesphysician and researcher atBoston Medical Center, asso-ciate professor of medicineand microbiology at BostonUniversity School of Medicine(BUSM) and the study’s co-corresponding author.

Another interesting find-ing, the authors note, is thatimmunity may prevent dis-ease (COVID-19) in waysthat are different from pre-venting infection by SARS-CoV-2. This is demonstratedby the fact that the patientgroups had similar likeli-hoods of infection but differ-ing likelihoods of ending upin the ICU or dying.

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Ahead of the winter season,the Central Pollution

Control Board (CPCB) hasasked the Delhi Government totake action to curb the pollu-tion emanating from con-struction and demolition activ-ities and open garbage dump-ing .

“It is observed that con-

struction and demolition activ-ities and open dumping ofwaste/garbage continue to bethe major concern in most ofthe areas and therefore, specialefforts are needed to curb theseactivities. Some tasks to curbair pollution in Delhi havebeen accomplished but moreneeds to be done,” the CPCBsaid in a letter to the StateGovernment.

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The Election Commission(EC) has revised down-

wards the number of star cam-paigners whom recognisednational and State politicalparties can use during theupcoming and future polls inthe country during the coron-avirus pandemic. As per therevised norms for star cam-paigners, a maximum limit ofthe number of star campaign-ers is fixed to 30 for recognisednational/State political parties.For unrecognised registeredpolitical parties, the maximumlimit is fixed 15.

Earlier, 40 star campaign-ers were allowed for recognisednational/state political parties,while 20 were permitted forunrecognised registered polit-ical parties.

Accordingly, the period ofsubmission of the list of starcampaigners is extended from7 days to 10 days from the dateof notification. The battle linesare drawn for the Bihar assem-bly elections, with both majoralliances announcing their seatsharing equations.

The EC further said thatpolitical parties, which havealready submitted a list of starcampaigners shall resubmit arevised list within the stipulat-ed period.

According to the EC,requests for permission for thecampaigning by star cam-paigners shall be submitted tothe district election authoritiesat least 48 hours before the startof campaign so that all neces-sary safety measures are put inplace by all concerned stake-holders well in time.

“Commission was alsoinformed during the visit ofBihar about the matter of largegatherings during the visit ofStar campaigners.

The clarifications weresought about the potentialhealth concerns during suchvisits, especially huge crowdgathering during the landing ofhelicopters etc.

The matter was furtherdeliberated in the poll body atWednesday’s meeting.

After considering all factsand circumstances emergingdue to pandemic and keepinga balance between the require-ment of campaign by the polit-ical parties, the Commissionhas decided to revise the normsof Star Campaigners,” the ECsaid in a statement.

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The Union Cabinet onWednesday approved

�8,575 crore for the KolkataEast West Metro CorridorProject covering 16.6 kilome-ters with 12 stations in the city.The Cabinet also decided toconduct a nationwide aware-ness in public places about pre-ventive measures for Covid-19and introduce e-marketing inthe natural gas sector to movetowards a gas-based economy.

The Cabinet further nod-ded the ratification of seven persistent organic pollutantslisted under the StockholmConvention.

Addressing the media fol-lowing the Cabinet meeting,Railway Minister Piyush Goyalsaid the new metro corridor inKolkata will ease traffic congestion, enhance urban connectivity and provide acleaner mobility solution tolakhs of daily commuters.

The project is being imple-mented by the Kolkata MetroRail Corporation Limited, aCPSE under Ministry ofRailways. “Estimated comple-tion cost of the project is - Rs.8575 crore with Ministry ofRailway’s share as �3268.27crore, Ministry of Housing andUrban Affairs’ share asRs.1148.31 crore and JapanInternational CooperationAgency (JICA) loan ofRs.4158.40 crore,” said theGovernment in a statement.

Goyal said that the targetdate for completion of the entireproject is December 2021.

For his part, Union I&BMinister Prakash Javadekarsaid that the Government willstart a mass awareness cam-paign on preventive measureson Covid-19 from Thursday.“Mask, social distancing and

washing hands are the onlyweapons to remain safe in theabsence of vaccine to preventCovid-19. Public camping toraise awareness about appro-priate behavior in all publicplaces will start from tomor-row,” he said.

Javadekar also said that theCabinet approved ratification ofseven persistent organic pollu-tants listed under theStockholm Convention. “Theregulation prohibited the man-ufacture, trade, use, importand export seven chemicalsnamely (i) Chlordecone, (ii)Hexabromobiphenyl, (iii)Hexabromodiphenyl ether andHeptabromodiphenylether(Commercial octa-BDE), (iv)Tetrabromodiphenyl ether andPentabromodiphenyl ether(Commercial penta-BDE), (v)Pentachlorobenzene, (vi)Hexabromocyclododecane, and(vii) Hexachlorobutadiene,which were already listed asPOPs under StockholmConvention,” said the state-ment.

The Cabinet Committeeon Economic Affairs (CCEA)approved the ‘Natural GasMarketing Reforms’, takinganother significant step to movetowards gas-based economy.“The objective of the policy isto prescribe standard procedureto discover market price of gasto be sold in the market by gasproducers, through a trans-parent and competitive process,permit Affiliates to participatein bidding process for sale of gasand allow marketing freedomto certain Field DevelopmentPlans (FDPs) where ProductionSharing Contracts already pro-vide pricing freedom,” saidPetroleum MinisterDharmendra Pradhan, addingthat bidding will be online toprovide transparency.

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The Income Tax Departmenton Wednesday froze assets

worth �2,000 crore owned byformer Tamil Nadu ChiefMinister J Jayalalithaa’s closeaide VK Sasikala under theBenami Transactions(Prohibition) Act.

The frozen assets includetwo properties worth �300 crorelocated in Siruthavur andKodanadu, both registered inthe name of Jaya’s aide Sasikala,her sister-in-law Ilavarasi andVN Sudhakaran.

The Benami Prohibitionwing of the I-T department alsopasted notices outside theattached properties.

“Income Tax Department

today attached assets belongingto former CM J Jayalalithaa’saide Sasikala in Kodanad andSiruthavur areas of Tamil Nadu.Assets worth �2,000 crorefrozen,” the Income TaxDepartment said in a state-ment.

VK Sasikala and her tworelatives - Illavarasi andSudhakaran - are currently serv-ing a four-year sentence in a dis-proportionate assets case.

Siruthavur is on the out-skirts of Chennai and Kodanadis in the Nilgiris.

The move comes in thewake of the Benami Prohibitionwing in Chennai earlier provi-sionally attaching properties inand around Chennai worth�300 crore.

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Minister of State for HomeNityanand Rai on

Wednesday said the riots inDelhi this year were a “big con-spiracy” to disturb the countrybut security forces like theRapid Action Force (RAF)played an important role in“suppressing the elements thatspread anarchy” during thetime.

Rai was addressing RAFtroops on the occasion of theforce’s 28th anniversary, orraising day, at a Central ReservePolice Force camp inGurugram.

The RAF is a special anti-riot wing of the CRPF and wasraised in 1992.

“A big conspiracy wasdeployed to disturb the coun-try through the Delhi riotsthat took place this year,” Raisaid in his address to the troops.But RAF personnel “complete-ly defeated” the nefariousdesigns of the rioters, he added.

“You suffer damage andinjury during riots andprotests. But you use force only

when violent groups start trou-bling the peace of society,” headded.

The RAF was deployedfor law and order role duringthe communal violence thatbroke out in northeast Delhi inFebruary, killing 53 peopleand injuring about 200 others.

The RAF has 15 battalions(over 15,000 personnel) basedin various parts of the country.

Delhi Police has filed mul-tiple chargesheets before aDelhi court in the riot cases.

Union Home MinisterAmit Shah also greeted RAFpersonnel on the occasion.

“Greetings to RAF per-sonnel and their families ontheir 28th anniversary. RAFhas distinguished itself in deal-ing with the challenges relat-ing to law and order,” Shahsaid on Twitter.

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The Congress on Wednesdaydubbed the Uttar Pradesh

Government’s recommendationfor a CBI inquiry into all aspectsof the Hathras gang-rape case a“charade” and demanded a probeby a “sitting judge of the highcourt, if not the Supreme Court”instead.

What is this charade thatyou (the UP Government) areplaying by offering a CBI

inquiry? Please don’t take thepeople of this country to be eat-ing grass. Everyone knows thatfor such cases, the political colourof the UP Government and theCentral Government washesupon and suffuses agencies likethe CBI… if you have the gutsand courage of conviction; ask foran inquiry by a sitting highcourt judge or a Supreme Courtjudge,” Congress spokespersonAbhishek Manu Singhvi said ata Press conference.

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Page 5: ˘ ˇ ˇ...2020/10/07  · and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi-nals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry.” “I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and

On the occasion of the 88thAnniversary of the Indian Air

Force, I extend my felicitations to allAir Warriors, NCs(E), DSC person-nel, civilians and their families. Myspecial greetings to our esteemed AirVeterans and their families.

Air Force Day is celebrated tomark the inception of IAF and tohonour the courage, bravery and val-our of our Air Warriors, past and pre-sent. As we pay tribute to our braveAir Warriors who made the supremesacrifice in the line of duty, wepledge to rededicate ourselves inservice to our nation.

In the past year, we have wit-nessed contingencies as varied as theCOVID-19 pandemic to the militaryface off along the LAC. The promptresponse by our transport and heli-copter fleets in providing 24 x 7 sup-port for COVID-19 tasks was high-ly praiseworthy. Our squadrons andunits remain on high alert in orderto suitably address any adverse sit-uation along our Northern borders.We have fulfilled our operationalcharter while undertaking all pre-planned and urgent ‘AirMaintenance’ efforts for the IndianArmy, Para-military organisationsand civil agencies, in some of themost challenging terrains andweather conditions. I commend allAir Warriors on their indomitablecourage in discharging their duties

and adapting to the new normal inmidst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A dynamic security scenariowith both conventional and sub-con-ventional threats, emanating at shortnotice, make it incumbent for us totrain hard and prepare ourselves forall eventualities. We must maintainvery high levels of operational pre-paredness and hone our skills bytraining in realistic environment.

The high value inductions andup-gradation of legacy equipment inpast few months has ensured that wegain substantially in technology andcapability. It is our individual and col-lective responsibility to absorb thechanges and operationalise rapidly.While we work professionally toensure physical security of our bor-ders, we need to pay serious attentionto safeguarding our critical informa-tion and infrastructure from cyberthreats.

I urge all Air Warriors to preparewell and participate whole heartedlyin the various training exercises thatare being conducted to enhance ourlevels of readiness and capability. Weare in the process of adopting a paper-less, digital work environment by thisyear end with the induction of e-office, e-Maintenance ManagementSystem and host of operational soft-ware to optimally utilise all resourcesand expedite the work flow across theIAF. Numerous HR and administra-tive decisions have also been taken toimprove our work and social environ-ment. We all must ensure completionof all such measures in full. Be restassured that along with profession-al growth, welfare and well-being ofall our personnel and families isuppermost in my mind.

I congratulate all of you for thesuccesses of IAF which would nothave been possible without your sin-cere and dedicated efforts as a team.My compliments to all the comman-ders and supervisors in the field, whohave worked admirably, in spite of thedifficult environment due the pan-demic, and delivered on all our oper-ational goals. I feel proud and hon-oured to lead this great team of IAF.

My wife Asha and I, convey ourgreetings to all Air Warriors, NCs(E),DSC personnel, civilians and theirfamilies. We wish you continued suc-cess in all your future endeavours.

On the occasion of the 88thAnniversary of Indian Air

Force, our warm greetings to all AirForce personnel, defence civiliansand their families.

The Indian Air Force hasserved the nation with utmost ded-ication, total commitment andunswerving loyalty. The recentinduction of high-end combat plat-forms and weapons has trans-formed the Indian Air Force intoa formidable force with multi-spectrum capability. IAF personnelhave conducted themselves with

the highest standards of profession-alism and valour, in times of warand peace. The selfless devotion toduty displayed by the men andwomen in blue during the recentoperational deployment reflectson their commitment to remainprepared to touch the sky withglory.

We compliment the contribu-tion of each and every member ofthe Indian Air Force and extendour best wishes to all ranks andcivilians on this momentous occa-sion.

The Indian Air Force, alsoknown as the ‘BhartiyaVayu Sena’, has madestellar contributionssecuring the Indian air-

space and conducting aerial war-fare during armed conflicts. TheIAF not only safeguards the coun-try’s territory and national interestsfrom all threats but it also providesstrategic and tactical airlift capabil-ities in the battlefield and supportduring natural calamities. Since itsinception, IAF has made remark-able achievements.

This year, India celebrates its88th Indian Air Force Day. The dayis observed to build the familiari-ty with Indian aviation basedarmed forces in any association ofthe national security both author-itatively and freely.

The Indian Air Force today,having completed 88 years of ded-icated service to the nation, is a

modern, technology-intensiveforce distinguished by its commit-ment to excellence and profession-alism. Keeping pace with thedemands of contemporaryadvancements, the IAF continuesto modernise in a phased manner.Today, it stands as a credible airpower counted among the fore-most professional services in theworld.

The primacy of Air Power willbe a decisive factor in shaping theoutcome of future conflicts. In linewith this dictum, the IAF hasdeveloped into a major‘Component of National Power’,which can be applied quickly anddecisively. The IAF has reorienteditself to a multi-role capability ofplatforms and equipment, alongwith multi-skill capability of per-sonnel. The rapid economic growthof the country dictates the need toprotect our security interests

extending from the Persian Gulf tothe Straits of Malacca.

Over the years, the IAF hasgrown from a tactical force to onewith transoceanic reach. The strate-gic reach emerges from inductionof Force Multipliers like FlightRefuelling Aircraft (FRA),Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)and credible strategic lift capabil-ities. There is emphasis on acquir-ing best of technology throughacquisitions or upgradation, be itaircraft, systems, precision missilesor net centricity.

IAF has started upgrading itscombat aircraft fleet since the lastfew years in order to enhance itsoperational capability and maintainits aircraft as modern weaponplatforms, capable of meeting thepresent challenges posed by thesecurity scenario in our region. Ofthe available fleet, MiG-21, MiG-27 and Jaguar aircraft have already

been upgraded and Mirage-2000and MiG-29 aircraft are plannedfor upgradation. The Indian AirForce is considering upgrade of itsmedium lift helicopters comprisingMi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-17-IVs, as alsothe AN-32 transport aircraft, withthe aim of improving their overallcapability.

The IAF today is in the processof a most comprehensive moderni-sation plan. Over the next few years,the force would induct more Su-30MKI aircraft, the Light CombatAircraft (LCA) and the MediumMulti Role Combat Aircraft(MMRCA). There are plans toaugment the helicopter and trans-port fleets too. The IAF is also inthe process of acquiring radars invarious categories to meet the AirDefence requirements, accurateand advanced weapons, NetworkCentric Warfare systems, etc, tomeet its assigned tasks.

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The Indian Air Force is the fourthlargest in the world and has made alot of technological advancements in

the last few years. New helicopters and air-crafts have been introduced showing theprogress and development in the field ofcreating a new benchmark each time in thehistory of the IAF.

Tactical deployment and utilisation ofair power — arguably the most effectivemilitary tool — has become absolutelyindispensable owing to planes being vir-tually unsurpassable in terms of speed,range and flexibility alike. It has evolvedover a comparatively short span of timehaving impact both at operational andstrategic levels boasting heightened aircraftsurvivability, enhanced weapon systems,air- and space-based intelligence, and sur-veillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The immense potential of the BRAH-MOS medium-range ramjet supersoniccruise missile combined with the outstand-ing performance of the Su-30MKI twin-jet multirole air superiority fighter givesthe Indian Air Force the desired vital reach.

The successful test-firing of the pro-jectile from the IAF’s frontline fighter Su-30MKI provides a major deterrence againstaggression. The missile, equipped withinertial navigation and global positioningsystems, can effectively engage ground tar-gets from an altitude as low as 10 m for sur-gical strikes. It is the sole projectile pos-sessing this advanced ability thereby pro-viding an edge to the user with a precisehit.

Further, the successful development ofthe enhanced BRAHMOS (ER) has signif-icantly bolstered the IAF’s combat opera-tions competence from stand-off ranges.The advanced BRAHMOS air-launched

cruise missile (ALCM), after undergoinga series of successful launches from the Su-30MKI platform, was successfully induct-ed into the IAF’s Tigersharks Squadron.

Tigersharks 222, comprising Su-30MKI jets, is tasked with an air dominanceand maritime role and equipped with theair variant of BRAHMOS. The squadronis perceived as nothing short of a“gamechanger” vis-à-vis guarding thestrategically vital Indian Ocean Region.Expected to set right the military balancein the IOR, the Su-30MKI is a state-of-the-

art all-weather aircraft capable of under-taking varied air defence, ground attackand maritime missions.

The BRAHMOS-NG (NextGeneration) systems, having smaller sizeand reduced weight, could be fitted ontoIndia’s light combat aircraft Tejas. TheBRAHMOS-NG has been conceptualisedas a smarter weapon possessing greaterversatility, lethality and flexibility with highprecision and a cruising speed of Mach 3.5or higher. This version will be designed for

integration on a wide range of platforms.The air launched BRAHMOS missile is a2.5-tonne supersonic air-to-surface cruisemissile with ranges of close to 300 km.

The Indian Air Force has become thefirst force in the world to have successful-ly fired an air launched missile of this mag-nitude on a sea target on November 22,2017. This was followed by a second livelaunch over a land target on May 22, 2019.The ALCM fired from Su-30MKI effec-tively penetrated a land target, showcas-ing a much-desired capability of BRAH-MOS missile to strike from large stand-offranges on any target at sea or on land withpinpoint accuracy by day or night and inall weather conditions.

The software development and inte-gration of weapon of the aircraft wasundertaken by the IAF engineers whileHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)carried out complex mechanical and elec-trical modifications on aircraft.

The world class asset, BRAHMOS, isa product of BrahMos AerospaceCompany, a joint venture between India’sDefence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation and NPO Mashinostroyeniyafrom Russia. The missile has pride of placeas the fastest supersonic cruise missileoperationalised in all the three services.The versatile weapon system is based ona mobile automatic launcher, ship, subma-rine or aircraft.

India’s mainstay in the stand-offweapons is the BRAHMOS air-to-surfacecruise missile. The Su-30-BRAHMOScombination will carry out air combatoperations within and beyond visibilityrange and will provide the IAF with thecapability of attacking targets protected bypowerful air defence assets.

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Page 6: ˘ ˇ ˇ...2020/10/07  · and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi-nals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry.” “I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and

The thing about youngSushant Singh Rajput’suntimely passing is notso much his death,which was undoubted-

ly tragic, but far worse, his subse-quent character assassination fordubious political ends. What themedia would now have us believeis that he was just another Jekylland Hyde character, a promisingand aspiring young star on the out-side but a doped out manic depres-sive on the inside. Thankfully, theAIIMS medical report and theCBI’s initial findings seem to con-firm that he indeed did commitsuicide.

Over the last few months, thepot continued to boil as dribs anddrabs of inconclusive informationwere leaked by agencies to mediaoutlets to serve their own ends.This ensured the arrest of his for-mer girlfriend, now granted bail bythe Bombay High Court, in theludicrous avatar of a drugfinancier, and a galaxy of top starsfrom Bollywood facing the heat foralleged drug use and peddling. Thefact that the evidence investigatorsappeared to be working with wasin the nature of some forced con-fessions, as some allege, and therecovery of 500 grams of a recre-ational drug, seemed inconse-quential. Truly, we are now bur-dened with courts, it seems, thatwill believe anything, howeverfar-fetched or fanciful it may be.In all of this, one is not quite surewhat the actor’s family hoped togain from converting this tragedyinto a public spectacle. In allprobability, their hopes seem tohave been belied and dashed, ifrecent reports in the media are tobe believed.

The real winners are not theaspiring politicians but our veryown Sherlocks, the hard-workingsleuths of the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) and NarcoticsControl Bureau (NCB) who nowget to mess with the stars daily. Asthe good Bard wrote, each ofthem now gets to “strut and fret hishour upon the stage”, though at theend of it, after the Bihar electionsprecisely, one suspects it will be “atale told by an idiot, full of soundand fury, signifying nothing.”

There is another loser here, aninstitutional one, that has willing-ly allowed politicians to turn thistragedy into a blood sport. Butthen as the inimitable CharlesDickens wrote, “the law is an ass”,

and one cannot help but won-der what he thought of thosewho meted it out. Sadly, we seethat too often these days, as theverdict on the 28-year-old caseover the demolition of theBabri Masjid demonstrates. BJPveterans may well celebrate butit is not innocence that has wonbut plain incompetence. Butwho are we to complain, it isprobably the price we pay forour version of democracy andthe right to choose who leadsus.

Talking of which, in thesedystopian times, we have beengiven a glimpse of the new andfuture India if the BJP and itsfriends have their way. Rampantbrutality and utter disregard forthe law, on the part of thoseappointed to uphold it, appearto have become the hallmark ofYogi Adityanath’s Uttar Pradesh.All the people in the State areseen as lab rats for the Hindutvabrigade’s experimentation withgovernance. A rape a day is thenew normal, Hathras yesterday,Balrampur today, who knowswhere next tomorrow?

The alleged horrific rape,that the police insist neveroccurred, the subsequent mur-der of a teenager in Hathras andthe subsequent acts of indigni-ty heaped on her family by thelocal administration are not justa shameful and damning indict-ment of the Yogi Government,but also of the CentralGovernment that has allowedthe police to run riot wherev-er its party controls the system.As our courts and criminal jus-

tice system have floundered,and all but surrendered, to anincreasingly authoritarianregime, the latter’s henchmen,in collusion with the police, actas if they are above the law,storm troopers from an earlierdarker era. What else canexplain the undemocratic curbsplaced to prevent protestsagainst police high-handed-ness?

In all honesty, it is unfair toblame Prime Minister NarendraModi, either for most of our illsor for much that has tran-spired. After all, this debilitat-ing pandemic was not of hisdoing and while initial reactionsof the Government may nothave been up to the mark,especially its handling of themigrant issue, it is really doubt-ful if any other Governmentwould have done any better.Given the constraints thathealth is a State subject, ourhigh population density, poorhealth infrastructure and lack ofhygiene awareness that pre-vails, we have at least tried tomanage resources. In fact, it isthe Modi Government that hasbeen focussed on the issue ofhygiene and sanitation.

Similarly, our broken crimi-nal justice system and the pre-vailing police culture that areresponsible for much that isawry owe a great deal to gener-ations of politicians of all hues,who have used, and continue touse, the police as personal lack-eys for their own ends. It is theywho have successfully blockedall attempts at reforms or min-

imising political interference insuch matters. Also, let us notforget that this is not the firsttime that the issue of indepen-dence of the judiciary has beenraised or its action questioned.

Most of the Prime Minister’sinitiatives have been stymied bythe inability of the Governmentto understand that the 30 percent odd voteshare that itreceived, leading to an over-whelming majority in theParliament, does not in any wayrepresent the views of all thepeople. For initiatives to beacceptable to all, there is agenuine need for consultationand interaction with all stake-holders in a spirit of give andtake without intimidation.There has also been a remark-able inability on the part of thisGovernment to deliver, due tosheer inefficiency, on matterssuch as GST and demonetisa-tion. The saving grace for himhas been the military’s superla-tive performance in the con-frontation against the Chinese,especially given the way hebotched up his response afterthe Galwan action. This isindeed ironical, given the factthat he has never lost an oppor-tunity to do down the military,serving and veterans alike. Onecannot help but wonder if hisattitude towards the militarywill now change, or will he killthe goose that lays golden eggs.

(The writer, a military veter-an is a Consultant with theObserver Research Foundationand a Senior Visiting Fellow withThe Peninsula Foundation)

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������������������Sir — The Hathras incident hasonce again exposed the vulner-able state of women in India,especially those who belong tothe marginalised social sections,and the challenges in ensuringtheir safety and delivering justice.The Hathras case has also beenequated with the 2012 gang-rapecase in Delhi that had shaken thenation’s conscience, leading to theformation of the Justice JS VermaCommittee, which recommend-ed amendments to criminal lawsfor providing quicker trial andenhanced punishment to thosewho committed sexual assaultagainst women. But incidentssuch as Hathras show that ensur-ing social, institutional and struc-tural changes on the ground ismore difficult than makingchanges on paper. However, thereal justice for the victim ofHathras would be implementingthe Verma committee recom-mendations in letter and spirit byboth the Central and StateGovernments. The outrageagainst the events of Hathrasshould now be channelisedtowards driving political willand structural reforms.

Noor Ahmad Hyderabad

����������������� �Sir — The decision to reopenschools from October 15 is notvery well thought out given thefact that Coronavirus cases areincreasing at an alarming rateand more than one lakh peoplehave died in the last six months.It would be utter folly to exposechildren to the risk of infectionin the name of education, career

and future. The safety of childrenis paramount and it must over-ride concerns like sessions andexaminations. Resetting ofschools, particularly classrooms,libraries and laboratories, tomake them spacious enough tokeep physical distancing is easi-er said than done. The pandem-ic calls for nothing short ofrecreating the physical educa-tional infrastructure. It is impor-

tant to foresee the difficulty inmaintaining distancing as chil-dren interact and bond with theirpeers naturally. In fact, childrenare programmed to socialise asthey grow up. It is difficult toforetell how far it will be possi-ble for children to modify theirbehaviour and adapt to what iscalled the “new normal.”

Bhagwan ThadaniMumbai

! �"����#$%Sir — On October 7, the capitalwoke up to “poor” air quality forthe first time this season, with theair quality index (AQI) hitting207. According to the System ofAir Quality and WeatherForecasting and Research(SAFAR), around 336 farm fireswere observed around Punjab,Haryana and neighbouring bor-der regions on October 6. Stubbleburning has been a major con-tributor to Delhi’s air pollutionand coupled with the pandem-ic, it can prove life-threatening.In this context, Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal has launched amega anti-air pollution cam-paign Yudh Pradushan ke Virudhwith specific plans for each of the13 pollution hotspots in the city.The State Government is alsopreparing a “Green Delhi”mobile application where peoplecan report “pollution-causingactivities.” These steps will notonly make the public aware oftheir surroundings but also helpthe Government address theissue proactively.

Bhavesh PrajapatUjjain

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Mental illness in India accounts for 28 percent of global suicides, as around 197 mil-lion Indians suffer from some form of it.

Yet it is a subject that is ignored and brushed underthe carpet as it is considered to be a stigma in thecountry. However, the recent suicide by the promis-ing Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) hasbrought the issue back into the spotlight, eventhough a lot of people were in denial that the tal-ented, young man, who was doing well for himself,was suffering from depression and had decided toend his life at the age of 34.

Even though social media and the family of theactor are denying that SSR committed suicide, thefact of the matter is that he is not the lone celebri-ty with mental health issues to have done so. Hindifilm and TV actors Kushal Punjabi, Jiah Khan,Gurudutt, Pratyusha Banerjee and actors from theSouth like Sai Prashanth, Uday Kiran, Ranganath,Santhosh Jogi, Silk Smitha and Kalpana all endedtheir own lives. The majority of these celebrities com-mitted suicide when they were basking in glory andthere was no dearth of fans. The award-winningDubai-based Indian industrialist, Joy Arakkal,committed suicide as he was battling depression dueto a financial crisis. The story behind Cafe CoffeeDay founder VG Siddhartha’s death was the sameand came as a huge shock.

The fact remains that celebrities do fall prey tomental illness for all their outward fame and suc-cess. However, many conspiracy theories are doingthe rounds regarding SSR’s death and the larger dis-course on mental health is getting lopsided, or worsetotally ignored. The discussion on mental health, apart of public health, remains a low priority and ataboo. Sadly, celebrities suffering from mental healthissues are not willing to forgo their fame and saleabil-ity in the process of mitigating their mental illness-es.

If, like Bollywood A-lister Deepika Padukone,more of them would come out and talk about theirstruggle with depression, it would do a yeoman’s ser-vice to Indian society as mental health is often stig-matised in the country. It would help common peo-ple to cope better with their own mental illnessesand life’s struggles and hopefully get timely help. Thisis important as farmer deaths are at 11.2 per centof the total suicides in the nation whereas studentscontribute to 6.7 per cent of the burden.

The National Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, isin a precarious condition to address this grave sit-uation. Moreover, the World Mental Health Daycampaign of “Move for mental health: Let’s invest”by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and theWorld Federation for Mental Health doesn’t meanmuch in the Indian context. In an urgent note, theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) has shouted outto strengthen India’s public health system forhuman resource development. Tellingly, mentalhealth remains undeniably one of the most neglect-ed areas of the public health system in the country,which in any case is in a poor shape.

Now, with the Coronavirus resulting in wide-spread joblessness and reverse migration of millionsof labourers to their villages, this burden of men-tal illnesses-fuelled suicides is only set to grow. Asmany as 466 suicides were reported this year to date,which means that on an average, over two peopleare taking their lives daily. Reportedly, farmers topthe list, followed by labourers, students, private sec-

tor employees and businessmen. Over 40suicides were reported in January, 45 inFebruary, 32 in March, 47 in April, 89 inMay, 112 in June and 101 in July. Of thetotal number of suicides, 302 were report-ed in May, June and July.

The two-fold increase in suicidecases is being attributed to the growingstress in the wake of the pandemic. In fact,suicides are believed to be the second lead-ing cause of non-Coronavirus deaths dur-ing the lockdown. The issue in these trou-bled times is double-layered and has to bediscussed keeping in mind plenty of fac-tors. Fear, uncertainty and suicidalthoughts have gone up and people arebecoming highly vulnerable.

Plus, the dread of contracting the dis-ease, combined with the realisation thatthe incidence of COVID-19 has spiralledinstead of being contained, and that thedays of social distancing could extendindefinitely, have been profoundly disturb-ing for many. So people who were on amild anxiety spectrum earlier have movedto moderate and severe anxiety. Whenanxiety gets severe, self-harm increases.

Also, psycho-social issues, such asdomestic violence and sexual abuse, haveadded to these woes. More housewiveshave committed suicides because of aspurt in domestic violence, intimate part-ner violence and harassment.

Taking worries about the mentalhealth of India’s adolescents to anotherlevel, there has been a spurt in suicides byteenagers in these uncertain times as thosealready suffering from depression oranxiety can be pushed over the edge byeven a small trigger. For instance, the 14-year-old daughter of a daily wage labour-er in Kerala ended her life owing to theinaccessibility to a smartphone. Here, thedigital divide was the trigger for the

youngster to end her life.The National Institute of Mental

Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru,reveals that 13.7 per cent of India’s pop-ulation suffers from some form of men-tal illness. Sadly, India spends only 3.6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product onhealthcare services. Moreover, its spend-ing is the least among BRIC countries.Adding to the problem, only 1.3 per centof the total Government health expendi-ture is allocated to mental health. It is hardto believe that basic healthcare facilitiesare not there for mentally disturbedpatients in a 20-kilometre radius.

To make matters worse, India has onedoctor for every 1,00,000 people. Thereare only 43 hospitals and 3,000 psychia-trists available in the entire nation, leav-ing a number of mentally challenged ordisturbed patients in the lurch. Since it isa signatory nation of the United Nations’(UN) Committee on the Rights of Personswith Disabilities (CRPD), theGovernment should proactively addressthe issues of the disabled irrespective ofits nature.

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017,assures bio-medical, clinical interventionsand institutionalisation to intervene inmental health issues. Despite the Act, thesocial determinants of health (SDH) arenot fully functional. Suffice to say, the UN’ssustainable development goals (SDGs)offer a blueprint for human developmentand for addressing the SDH.

While mostly people with mental ill-ness are unemployed, inclusive education,too, is a distant dream. The approach todeal with the issue still suffers from pity,charity and a medical model of disabili-ty. Plus, the medical and administrativeapparatus dealing with mental health isnot gender and region-sensitive. There is

no discussion on women with mental ill-ness and mental patients residing in ruraland tribal pockets.

Farmer and student suicides are cre-ating havoc in the country. Yet, there is nothorough probe or discussion on why cer-tain States are more prone to suicides thanothers. People are often reluctant to gettreatment for their emotional well-beingbecause of societal stereotypes and pre-conceived notions. This needs to change.

In addition, the news media remainsepisodic in terms of the coverage on men-tal health issues. As a result, the under-estimated consequences of such healthissues are getting perpetuated, stressing thepublic healthcare system. India cannotachieve its SDGs unless it curbs its rateof suicides.

The WHO asserts, “Mental healthand well-being are fundamental to thequality of life, enabling people to experi-ence life as meaningful, become creativeand active citizens.” In these pandemictimes, it has disseminated comprehensiveguidelines to keep mental health intact.In addition, the IMF has endorsed thatIndia should boost its human capital byinvesting in education and healthcare.

The discussion on mental healthneeds to be re-oriented and no more com-partmentalised. Socio-cultural, econom-ic and environmental factors coveringnational policies, social protection andcommunity support must be ensured.Resilience among adolescents and chil-dren needs to be exercised. A multi-pronged approach is the solution to sev-eral psychological issues.

(Biswal and Chakraborty are AssistantProfessors at SIMC and SIBM respective-ly and are working at SymbiosisInternational, Pune.)

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The Indian civilisation is old andit has been a synthesis of cultures,religions, races, castes and creed.

Thousands of years of syncretic culturehave held their own despite the vastsocial and economic disparities. Indiathus represents a multi-cultural mosa-ic within an integrated nation.Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Ourability to reach unity in diversity will bethe beauty and test of our civilisation.”

Diversity does not mean inequal-ities but celebrates the differencesbetween sectionalities while unitystands for integration and the bondsthat hold our social fabric together. Atthe intersectionalities, the social fabricof the country sometimes gets frayedwhen emotions run high. While theFather of the Nation is known as the

‘apostle of peace’, India has witnessedthe most gruesome riots, too. It is in thisbackdrop that the Rapid Action Force(RAF) was raised. The Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF) was alreadydeployed across the country and deal-ing with internal security duties.Therefore, the CRPF was given themandate to raise the RAF, which is aspecialised force meant exclusively todeal with riots and riot-like conditions.

On October 8, 1992, the RAF wasborn as an integral part of the CRPF.A neutral, professional force, spe-cialised in the task of riot-control, whichreaches the site in “zero-response time,”it protects the vulnerable sections ofsociety and provides succour to the vic-tims. Distinct from the other forces intheir blue dungarees, the men andwomen of the RAF are trained profes-sionals who understand mob psychol-ogy and are aware of the ethos and cul-ture of the area.

The RAF was conceptualised towork on the principle of “minimumuse of force” with less lethal weaponsand equipment, conforming to thegraded approach to the use of forceagainst rioters. The RAF has 15 battal-ions, which are numbered 99 to 108,

and 83, 91, 97, 114, 194. Each is head-ed by an officer of the rank of Inspector-General. The smallest functional unitin the force is a team commanded byan inspector, which has three compo-nents, namely riot control, tear smokeelement and fire element. It has beenorganised as an independent strikingunit. One team in a company of theRAF comprises women personnel so asto deal more effectively with a situationwhere there are women demonstrators.

The President’s Colours is thehighest honour that can be bestowedupon an armed unit and is presentedin recognition of the invaluable contri-bution to the security of the nation dur-ing peace and in times of hostility. TheRAF, with 11 glorious years of service,was presented the President’s Colours

in October 2003. The distinct and sen-sitive nature of the RAF’s duties neces-sitates the use of non-lethal equipmentand a different mindset to deal withtricky situations. This duty is very dif-ferent from that of the armed forceswho are trained to deal with insurgency,militancy and warfare. The personnelare, therefore, put through a special pre-induction training at the RAF Academyof Public Order that was raised in 2013.Over the years, the academy has grownin stature and now provides training toState police forces besides foreignnationals. With 15 units deployedacross the length and breadth of thenation, the RAF is able to reach the areaof concern quickly and efficiently. Inpeace time, it undertakes famex orfamiliarisation exercises. The RAF

routinely adopts villages in nearbyareas and undertakes social responsi-bilities. Resultantly, the force has suc-cessfully contributed in the field of adulteducation and gender awareness.

Working in the field of environ-ment protection and climate change,too, the force has generated awarenessabout rain water harvesting, use of solarenergy, plastic disposal and has workedtowards reversing the loss of forest coverby planting more trees.

The proven credentials of the RAFand its unstinting work ethics havemade it a force to reckon with. As partof the nation’s commitment to worldpeace, the force was sent on its firstoverseas deployment to Haiti in 1994.In 2000, RAF troops were deployed inKosovo as it faced turmoil. The forcecontinued for five years there, provid-ing relief. The RAF created history inJuly 2007 by sending the world’s firstfemale-formed unit to strife-tornLiberia. This was followed by nine otherwomen-only contingents that are rotat-ed annually. Male contingents were alsodeployed on six occasions.

The force has had an impeccablerecord in containing violent situa-tions, especially communal riots. In the

two months of its formation, the RAFwas at the forefront of tackling commu-nal violence that erupted after thedemolition of Babri Mosque inAyodhya.

The RAF has rendered invaluablehumanitarian services during the 1993floods in Delhi, the 1994 Delhi riots, theplague in Surat, the 1995 floods inPunjab and Himachal Pradesh, the1997 super cyclone in Odisha, the 2004tsunami in South India and duringheavy floods in Maharashtra andGujarat (2005, 2006, 2011 and 2012).During the Mumbai terror attack in2008, the RAF was deployed to cordonoff the area around the Oberoi Tridentand the Taj Mahal hotels. Apart fromcontrolling riots, the RAF performs lawand order duties, crowd managementduring festivals and agitations, electionduties and VVIP duties.

A force with a human touch, theRAF has proved its credentials over the28 years of its raising. An unflinchingdedication to duty, service before selfand sensitive policing are the hallmarkof this force. On its 28th Anniversary,the RAF rededicates itself to the serviceof India and her people.

(The writer is DIG, CRPF)

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Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump on Tuesdayordered “ total declassifica-tion” of all the documentsrelated to the alleged interfer-ence of Russia in the 2016 pres-idential elections, which hedescribed as a hoax.

“ I have fully authorized thetotal Declassification of any &all documents pertaining to thesingle greatest political CRIMEin American History, theRussia Hoax. Likewise, theHillary Clinton Email Scandal.No redactions!” Trump said ina tweet Tuesday night.

The announcement camehours after the Director ofNational Intelligence declassi-fied some of the documents.

The handwritten docu-ments revealed former CIADirector John Brennan briefedformer President BarackObama on the purported planof Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidentialcandidate, to tie Trump toRussia as “ a means of dis-tracting the public from her useof a private email server” , FoxNews said.

Tim Murtaugh, Trump

2020 communications director,in a statement said now it isknown that Hillary Clintonhatched a plan to divert atten-tion away from her use of a pri-vate email server by falselytying then-candidate DonaldTrump to Russia.

“ We also know that formerCIA Director John Brennanbriefed President Obama onthat plot. It is imperative thatthe American people now learnwhat then-Vice President JoeBiden knew about this con-spiracy and when he knew it,”Murtaugh said.

“ What did Biden knowabout Clinton’s plan to use theRussia hoax to try to smear her

political opponent? Did Bidencondone the plan? Did heexpress any misgivings about itor remain silent? Biden mustgive a full accounting of hisknowledge and his conversa-tions about Clinton’s scheme,which was known to the high-est reaches of his administra-tion,” he said.

Director of NationalIntelligence John Ratcliffe in astatement to Fox News said thedeclassified documents weretransmitted to the House andSenate Intelligence CommitteesTuesday afternoon.

These documentsexplained that Brennan’s hand-written notes were taken afterbriefing Obama on the matter,the news channel said.

“ We’re getting additionalinsight into Russian activitiesfrom [REDACTED],” Brennannotes read. “ CITE [summa-rizing] alleged approved byHillary Clinton a proposalfrom one of her foreign policyadvisers to vilify DonaldTrump by stirring up a scandalclaiming interference by theRussian security service,”Brennan’s notes read Fox Newssaid. PTI

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Washington: DemocraticParty presidential candidateJoe Biden on Tuesday said heis against participating in hissecond debate with DonaldTrump next week if the pres-ident still suffers fromCOVID-19.

“ I think if he still hasCOVID, we shouldn’t have adebate,” Biden, a former USvice-president, told reporterson his return from Gettysburg.

The first of the three pres-idential debates betweenBiden, 77, and Trump, 74,was held on September 29.The second debate is sched-uled for October 15 in Miamiand the final one on October22 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Biden said they shouldfollow very strict guidelines.

“ Too many people havebeen infected. It’s a very seri-ous problem, so I will be guid-ed by the guidelines of theCleveland Clinic and whatthe docs say is the right thingto do,” he said.

“ I’m not sure whatPresident Trump is all aboutnow. I don’t know what his sta-tus is. I’m looking forward tobeing able to debate him butI just hope all protocols are fol-

lowed,” Biden said.Trump in a tweet on

Tuesday said he is looking for-ward to the debate. “ I amlooking forward to the debateon the evening of Thursday,October 15th in Miami. Itwill be great!” said the presi-dent.

The only vice-presidentialdebate between Indian-originSenator Kamala Harris andVice-President Mike Pence inscheduled for Wednesday inSalt Lake City, Utah.

“ I think what they’redoing at the Harris debate, I’vebeen told, I don’t know this forfact, they’re using plexiglass,and are following what theCleveland Clinic says,” Bidentold reporters in response to aquestion. PTI

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United Nations: Nearly 40mainly Western countries crit-icized China’s treatment ofminority groups, especially inXinjiang and Tibet, on Tuesdayand expressed grave concern atthe impact of its new nationalsecurity law on human rights inHong Kong.

The United States, manyEuropean countries, Japan andothers called on China to allow“ unfettered access” to Xinjiangfor independent observersincluding UN human rightschief Michelle Bachelet, and tourgently refrain from detainingUighurs and members of otherminorities.

The 39 countries alsourged China in a joint state-ment read at a meeting of theGeneral Assembly’s humanrights committee, “ to uphold

autonomy, rights and freedomsin Hong Kong, and to respectthe independence of the HongKong judiciary.”

Their statement, read byGermany’s U.N. AmbassadorChristoph Heusgen, was imme-diately followed by a state-ment from Pakistan on behalfof 55 countries opposing inter-ference in China’s affairs whenit comes to Hong Kong.

It said the territory is partof China, and the nationalsecurity law ensures China’s “one country, two systems” pol-icy on Hong Kong is enduring.Cuba followed with a statementon behalf of 45 countries sup-porting China’s counter-ter-rorism and deradicalizationmeasures in Xinjiang.

It said measures taken byChina in response to threats of

terrorism and extremism werecarried out within the law tosafeguard the human rights of allethnic groups in the province.

The rival statements spot-light tensions between Chinaand the West over humanrights. Those tensions haveescalated especially betweenthe United States and China,and include other issues includ-ing responsibility for theCOVID-19 pandemic, trade,and Beijing’s actions in theSouth China Sea.

The predominantlyWestern statement said its 39signatories shared the con-cerns expressed by 50 inde-pendent U.N. Human rightsexperts in an “ extraordinaryletter” in June in which theyurged the international com-munity to “ take all appropri-

ate measures” to monitorChina and “ act collectively anddecisively” to ensure its gov-ernment respects humanrights.

They raised concernsincluding Beijing’s treatment ofethnic minorities in Tibet andXinjiang, allegations of exces-sive force against protesters,reports of retaliation againstpeople who spoke out about thecoronavirus outbreak, andHong Kong’s then proposednew security law.

The 39 nations on Tuesdayexpressed grave concern “about the existence of a largenetwork of `political re-edu-cation’ camps where crediblereports indicate that over a mil-lion people have been arbi-trarily detained” in Xinjiang,and increasing reports of “

gross human rights violations.” “ There are severe restric-

tions on freedom of religion orbelief and the freedoms ofmovement, association, andexpression as well as on Uighurculture,” they said.

“ Widespread surveillancedisproportionately continuesto target Uighurs and otherminorities and more reportsare emerging of forced laborand forced birth control includ-ing sterilization.”

On Hong Kong, the main-ly Western nations said theyshared concern with anothergroup of UN experts that theNational Security Law “ does-n’t conform to China’s legalobligations” and allows for cer-tain cases to be transferred forprosecution to the Chinesemainland. AP

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Islamabad: British-born al-Qaeda leader Ahmed OmarSaeed Sheikh and his threeaides - the main accused in theabduction and murder of USjournalist Daniel Pearl – willremain in jail for another threemonths, according to an orderissued by Pakistan’s Sindh gov-ernment on Wednesday.

The announcement ofextending their detention wasmade by prosecutors during ahearing of the Supreme Court,which was to decide on Sheikh’srelease. The apex court lastweek barred the governmentfrom releasing them.

Faisal Siddiqi, the lawyerrepresenting Pearl’s family, toldthe media that the governmentprosecutor, Fiaz Shah, told thejudges he needed more time forpaperwork to prepare for thecase. The court accepted hisargument and adjourned thehearing till October 21. In April,a two-judge Sindh High Courtbench commuted the deathsentence of 46-year-old Sheikh,who was convicted in theabduction and murder of Pearlin 2002, to seven years. PTI

Stockholm: Two scientists wonthe Nobel Prize in chemistryWednesday for developing amethod of genome editinglikened to “ molecular scissors”that offer the promise of oneday curing inherited diseasesand even cancer.

Working on opposite sidesof the Atlantic, FrenchwomanEmmanuelle Charpentier andAmerican Jennifer A. Doudnadeveloped a method known asCRISPR/Cas9 that can be usedto change the DNA of animals,plants and microorganismswith extremely high precision.

“ There is enormous powerin this genetic tool, whichaffects us all,” said ClaesGustafsson, chair of the NobelCommittee for Chemistry. “ Ithas not only revolutionizedbasic science, but also resulted

in innovative crops and willlead to groundbreaking newmedical treatments.”

Gustafsson said that, as aresult, any genome can now beedited “ to fix genetic damage,”adding that the tool “ will pro-vide humankind with greatopportunities.” But he cau-tioned that the “ enormouspower of this technologymeans we have to use it withgreat care.”

It has already raised seriousethical questions in the scien-tific community. Most of theworld became more aware ofCRISPR in 2018, when Chinesescientist Dr. He Jiankuirevealed he had helped makethe world’s first gene-editedbabies, to try to engineer resis-tance to future infection withthe AIDS virus. AP

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Donald Trump on Tuesdayinstructed his officials to stopnegotiating with the HouseDemocrats on another coron-avirus stimulus package, alleg-ing that Speaker Nancy Pelosiwas not holding talks in goodfaith.

“ I have instructed my rep-resentatives to stop negotiatinguntil after the election when,immediately after I win, we willpass a major stimulus bill thatfocuses on hardworkingAmericans and small busi-ness,” Trump said in a series oftweets Tuesday afternoon.

Trump’s instructions camea day after he was dischargedfrom a military hospital wherehe was treated for COVID-19.For the past a few weeks, seniorofficials from his administra-tion are negotiating with theHouse Democrats on a major

stimulus package before theNovember 3 elections.

“ Nancy Pelosi is asking forUSD 2.4 Trillion to bailoutpoorly run, high crime demo-crat Ssates, money that is in noway related to COVID-19. Wemade a very generous offer ofUSD 1.6 trillion and, as usual,she is not negotiating in goodfaith,” he alleged.

“ I am rejecting theirrequest and looking to thefuture of our country,” he said.

Trump said he has askedSenate Majority Leader MitchMcConnell not to delay but tofocus full time on approving hisoutstanding nominee to theUnited States Supreme Court,Amy Coney Barrett.

“ Our Economy is doingvery well. The Stock Market isat record levels, JOBS andunemployment also comingback in record numbers. We are

leading the World in EconomicRecovery, and THE BEST ISYET TO COME!” Trump said.

In another tweet, he allegedthat “ crazy” Nancy Pelosi and“ the radical Left” Democratswere just playing “ games”with the desperately neededworkers’ stimulus payments.

“ They were never in it tohelp the workers and theynever will be!,” he alleged.

His Democratic Party pres-idential challenger Joe Bidenalleged that by stopping thenegotiations, Trump ended theefforts to pass a bipartisanrelief that the country desper-ately needed.

“ He ended talks thatwould get help for our busi-nesses and schools, for familiesstruggling and for those unem-ployed — that would have pre-served hundreds of thousandsof jobs,” he said. PTI

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London: A school in Englandhas apologised and removed aschool workbook from its web-site following protests fromseveral parents and BritishHindu organisations over a ref-erence to terrorism within a sec-tion on Hinduism.

Langley School in Solihull,in the West Midlands region ofEngland, said on Wednesdaythat the document, ‘GCSEReligious Studies: ReligionPeace and Conflict Workbook’,

was purchased externally a fewyears ago and has now beenremoved from circulation.

“ Unfortunately, this docu-ment was purchased externallyseveral years ago and not pro-duced by our staff at our school.We can assure you that it is notused in school,” Langley Schoolsaid in a statement.

“ The resource was imme-diately removed from our web-site. We apologise for anyoffence caused,” it said.

The workbook, which fallsunder the Religious Studiesmodule for GCSE Year 10-11stage pupils aged around 15, hada stamp that reflected an officialclearance by the examinationsauthority for England, Walesand Northern Ireland, AQA.

“ We didn’t produce theworkbook that’s been sharedon social media and our logowas used on it without our per-mission,” an AQA spokesper-son said. PTI

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Dubai: Kuwait’s deputy chief ofthe National Guard, who spentyears in the oil-rich country’ssecurity services, was nomi-nated as crown prince onWednesday, the Kuwaiti statenews agency reported.

The nomination makesSheikh Meshal Al Ahmed AlJaber Al Sabah the possible heirapparent to the new emir, 83-year-old Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Al Sabah, who waspropelled to power followingthe death of his half-brother.

Although Sheikh Nawafhad a full year to choose a suc-cessor, he picked SheikhMeshal in record-breakingeight days, ending frenziedspeculation that has grippedKuwaiti social media.

Before Sheikh Meshalcan be officially named crownprince, lawmakers mustapprove the choice duringtheir final session onThursday, ahead of the for-mation of a new government— a rare vote for the region’sArab monarchies in whichthe question of succession istypically decided behindpalace doors.

Following the session,Kuwait’s parliament will dis-solve itself ahead of elec-tions tentatively set for lateNovember.

At age 80, the low-profileSheikh Meshal, half-brotherof the late Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al Sabah and the sev-

enth son to ascend from thesame branch of the royal fam-ily, is widely seen as a conven-tional and safe choice.

While his health statusremains unclear, he recentlyunderwent a kidney transplant,according to a WashingtonInstitute for Near-East Policyarticle from May 2018.

Given his career buildingup the interior ministry forover a decade, very little isknown about his policy pref-erences.

Unlike other top con-tenders for the post, he hassteered clear of the country’stumultuous politics and theroyal family’s public feuds overcorruption allegations. AP

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The fighting betweenArmenian and Azerbaijani

forces over the separatist regionof Nagorno-Karabakh contin-ued Wednesday morning, withArmenian officials saying theterritory’s capital came underattack again and the EuropeanUnion calling for cessation ofhostilities.

Clashes betweenAzerbaijani and Armenianforces in the region sinceSept. 27 has killed hundreds inthe worst escalation of hostil-ities since 1994 when a truceended a war that raged forseveral years. Nagorno-Karabakh l ies insideAzerbaijan but has been under

the control of ethnicArmenian forces backed byArmenia for more than aquarter-century.

Armenian DefenceMinistry spokesman ArtsrunOvannisian said Wednesdaythat Stepanakert, the capital ofNagorno-Karabkh, was beingtargeted once again byAzerbaijan along with othersettlements. Nagorno-Karabakh officials said thatnon-military facilities inStepanakert have been hit withmissiles and drones.

Russian state RIA Novostinews agency reportedWednesday that some of theovernight shelling has hit peo-ple’s houses, causing significantdamage.

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Bandung: Thousands ofIndonesian students and work-ers protested on Wednesdayagainst a new law they say willcripple labour rights and harmthe environment, with someclashing with police. One stu-dent was apparently shot.

Authorities in Bandung,the capital of West Javaprovince, blocked streets lead-ing to the local parliamentbuilding and city hall, whereclashes between rock-throwingstudents and riot police brokeout late Tuesday when policetried to disperse the protesters.

On Wednesday, more than3,000 protesters attempted toreach the heavily guarded par-liament building. AP

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More than 8,000 peoplegathered Wednesday

outside a Greek courthouse forthe verdicts in the trial of lead-ers of the neo-Nazi partyGolden Dawn, police toldAFP.

Many carried placardscalling for the defendants to beimprisoned as they waited forthe climax of one of the mostimportant trials in the coun-try’s modern political history.

The crowd started gather-ing two hours before the ver-dicts were due to be handeddown from 0800 GMT, inresponse a call from the anti-fascist movement, tradeunions and parties on the left.

“ The people want theNazis in jail” , read the placards.

Hundreds of police werealso deployed at the court-house, a few kilometres fromthe historic centre of the cap-ital.

After hearings over thelast five years, the Athenscourt will determine whetherGolden Dawn is a criminalorganisation that carried outviolent attacks on opponentson the orders of founder NikosMichaloliakos and his innercircle.

The prosecutions weresparked by the late-night mur-der of a 34-year-old anti-fas-cist rapper called PavlosFyssas, who was chased downby a mob of Golden Dawnthugs and stabbed to death infront of a cafe in the westernAthens suburb of Keratsini inSeptember 2013.

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Dinesh Khara onWednesday took charge

as the new Chairman of thecountry’s largest lender StateBank of India. Khara took overfrom Rajnish Kumar, whosuperannuated on Tuesday.Soon after taking over thecharge, Khara told reportersthat one of the top priorities forhim will be to maintain thequality of the loan book. Otherfocus areas would be safety ofbank employees and customers,he said. On Tuesday, the gov-ernment appointed Khara fora period of three years. Prior tohis new role, he was serving thebank as Managing Director(global banking & subsidiaries).

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The NHAI on Wednesdaysaid it awarded projects

for building 1,330 km of high-ways in April-September, up 60per cent from the year-agoperiod despite the challengesposed by the Covid-19 pan-demic. The projects are valuedat �47,289 crore.”NHAI hasawarded projects for a totalcumulative length of 1,330 kmin the current financial year.The projects awarded so far infirst half of the current finan-cial year are 1.6 times higher of828 km awarded in FY19-20and 3.5 times higher of 373 kmawarded in FY 18-19 during

the same period,” NHAI said ina statement.

It said the feat was achieveddespite challenges posed by thepandemic and for the awardedawarded projects, it has alreadycompleted at least 80-90 percent of the land acquisition,utilities shifting besides obtain-ing required forest and envi-ronment clearances. Duringfirst half of the ongoing fiscalyear, NHAI awarded a total of40 projects covering 1,330 kmlength, it said adding that thecapital cost of these 40 projectsis �47,289 crore, which includescost of civil work, land acqui-sition, and other pre- con-struction activities.

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China, the world’s largestcreditor, is increasingly

coming under pressure to can-cel its huge debt to coronavirus-hit poor countries under theGroup of 20 Debt ServiceSuspension Initiative (DSSI),according to a media report.

World Bank PresidentDavid Malpass on Mondaycalled on China to cancel debtto coronavirus-hit poor coun-tries, blaming Beijing’s wellcapitalised official lenders ofnot fully participating in theDSSI.

“An added factor in thecurrent wave of debt is therapid growth of new officiallenders, especially several ofChina’s well-capitalised credi-tors,” Malpass said, addressingan online event hosted by theFrankfurt School of Financeand Management.

“They’ve expanded theirportfolios dramatically and arenot fully participating in thedebt rescheduling processesthat were developed to softenprevious waves of debt,” HongKong-based South ChinaMorning Post quoted him as

saying.The finance ministers of

G20 agreed for a “time-boundsuspension of debt service pay-ments” to the 77 poorest coun-tries in the world during onlinespring meetings of theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF) and the World Bank onApril 15 in view of the grim sit-uation faced by these countriesdue to the coronavirus pan-demic.

Under this DSSI, a pay-ment of an estimated USD 12billion due to be paid betweenMay 1 and the end of 2020 hasbeen rescheduled.

According to a write up inChina’s state-run CGTN, over100 low- and middle-incomecountries will still have to paya total of USD 130 billion indebt service in 2020.

In addition, 43 countrieshave received about USD fivebillion from the DSSI to fundsocial, health and economicmeasures to respond to thepandemic.China is the biggestbilateral lender for most emerg-ing economies especially lend-ing to hundreds of projectsunder its Belt and RoadInitiative (BRI).

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Markets ticked higher forthe fifth straight session

on Wednesday following gainsin RIL, banking and IT stocksamid a mixed trend overseasafter US President DonaldTrump dashed hopes of a pre-election stimulus package.

After opening on a weaknote, the 30-share BSE Sensexgained ground to end 304.38points or 0.77 per cent higherat 39,878.95.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty jumped 76.45 points or0.66 per cent to close at11,738.85.

The Sensex has nowgained 1,905.73 points in fivesessions, while the Nifty hasadvanced 516.45 points.

Titan was the top gainer inthe Sensex pack on Wednesday,climbing 4.44 per cent, after theTata group firm said its busi-ness has been returning tonormalcy in the second quar-ter of this fiscal, led by the jew-

ellery division. Index heavyweight

Reliance Industries spurted2.13 per cent a day after itsretail arm raised Rs 5,512.50crore from Abu DhabiInvestment Authority (ADIA)for a 1.20 per cent stake.

Bajaj Auto, Maruti,UltraTech Cement, and ONGCwere among the other promi-ment gainers.

IT major TCS inched up0.78 per cent ahead of its quar-terly results.

On the other hand, BajajFinance, PowerGrid, SunPharma, Tata Steel, NTPC andBajaj Finserv were among thelaggards, skidding up to 4.12per cent. On the global front,Wall Street tumbled after USPresident Donald Trump saidhe was calling off negotiationswith Democratic lawmakersfor a fresh stimulus packageuntil after the elections nextmonth. However, Asian andEuropean markets showed amixed trend.

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The Govt on Wednesdayallowed complete market-

ing freedom for natural gasproduced from non-regulatedfields, including sale to affiliatecompanies. The UnionCabinet, headed by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi,approved a standard e-biddingprocedure to discover price ofgas.While producers will con-tinue to be barred from par-ticipating in such auctions,affiliates would be allowed tobid, Oil Minister DharmendraPradhan told reporters here.

However, the existing pric-ing mechanism for gas producedby state-owned ONGC and OilIndia Ltd from fields given tothem on a nomination basiswould continue. The marketingreform would help add 40 met-ric million standard cubicmetres per day (mmscmd) ofproduction to the existing out-put of 84 mmscmd, he said.

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The States’ market borrow-ings have jumped 55 per

cent to �3.75 lakh crore so farthis fiscal, or 75 per cent of thebudgeted amount, with 17 ofthem raising an additional�22,350 crore from the latestauction of state developmentloans held on Tuesday.

Rising expenses and fallingrevenue, including the Centre’sinability to pay the GST dues,have been leading states into adebt trap after the pandemicscuppered their finances sincethe beginning of the fiscal.

The latest debt raising is�1,200 crore more than thenotified amount asMaharashtra and Jharkhandaccepted an additional �1,000crore and �200 crore, respec-tively.

So far this fiscal year(between April 7 and October6), 28 states and two UnionTerritories have cumulativelyraised �3.75 lakh crore viamarket borrowings, which is55 per cent more than theborrowings in the same peri-od of FY20 when it stood at�2.43 lakh crore, according toa data analysis by CareRatings.

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The newly-constitutedMonetary Policy

Committee (MPC) of theReserve Bank began its three-day deliberations onWednesday, amid expectationsthat the central bank will main-tain status quo on the bench-mark lending rates in view ofhardening inflation.

At the end of the deliber-ations, the RBI will come outwith its monetary policy reviewon Friday.

The meeting of the six-member MPC, earlier slated forSeptember 29 to October 1, wasrescheduled as the appoint-ment of independent memberswas delayed. The MPC musthave a quorum of four.

The Government has nowappointed three eminent econ-omists Ashima Goyal, JayanthR Varma and Shashanka Bhideas members of the MPC head-ed by the RBI Governor.

Experts opined that the

Reserve Bank of India may notgo for a reduction in the poli-cy rate in the wake of risingConsume Price Index (CPI)based inflation, driven mainlyby supply-side issues.

Industry bodies are of theview that the RBI should main-tain its accommodative stanceon the policy interest rates inthe wake of serious challengesin limiting contraction in theeconomy due to COVID-19pandemic.Tanvee Gupta Jain,Economist, UBS SecuritiesIndia said that retail inflation(CPI) was above the RBI’supper tolerance band of 6 percent in the past two quarters(March and June 2020), andlikely remained above 6 percent in the September quartertoo.Jain expects the RBI tokeep the policy rates on hold.

“That said, we maintainour base case view that the pol-icy easing cycle is not over yet.We expect a further 25-50 bprate cuts in FY21, likely in theDecember/February policy

review once CPI inflation haseased close to the RBI’s 4 percent,” the UBS analyst said ina report.

RBI Governor ShaktikantaDas had earlier said, althoughthere was headroom for furthermonetary policy action, it wasimportant to keep “our arsenaldry and use it judiciously”.

Mayur Modi, Co-founderand Co-CEO, MoneyboxxFinance pointed out that thesmaller NBFCs have found itdifficult to access liquidity,both for working capital andgrowth.

“As of now only estab-lished and big NBFCs are get-ting access to RBI’s partialguarantee scheme and otherliquidity measures. On theother hand, if this scheme getsextended to smaller NBFCswhich are catering to micro-businesses (borrowing up to Rs5 lakh), these businesses willfind some relief in the form ofeasy accessibility of loans at abetter rate,” he said.

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In a big reform initiative, thegovernment on Wednesday

decided to put domesticallyproduced gas under a standardprice discovery mechanism tohelp scale up local productionfrom fields of ONGC, OIL,Reliance and Vedanta and helpcreate a uniform gas market.

Accordingly, the UnionCabinet approved a standard e-bidding procedure for market-based price discovery of gasacross various contractualregimes. Petroleum MinisterDharmendra Pradhan said thatunder the new reform initia-tive, a standardised e-biddingmechanism will be suggestedby upstream regulatorDirectorate General ofHydrocarbons (DGH) fortransparent market-based dis-covery of gas price.

The regulator will also sug-gest a panel of e-bidding plat-forms to the producers. Gasproducers will have a choice toopt for a platform and get thebest market determined pricefor their gas.

New Delhi:The Indian realestate sector seems to be recov-ering from a slump in demandduring the nationwide lock-down as sales during the July-September quarter jumpedover 100 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis across sevenmajor cities, according to areport by PropEquity.

Housing sales across theseseven cities during the thirdquarter of 2020 stood at 50,983units, compared with 24,936units in the previous quarter.

NCR-Delhi witnessed 295per cent home sales growth inQ3, while other cities likeBengaluru, Chennai,Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai

Metropolitan Region, and Puneclocked 86, 131, 159, 89, 70,and 72 per cent respectively.

However, on a year-on-yearbasis, sales fell by 35 per cent andnew launches were down by30%. “The Indian real estate sec-tor is showing some recovery asmany projects were launched inthe last quarter. With variousschemes and offers, developerswere able to clear significantinventory. As we move into thefestive season, we forecast thisrecovery to continue with moreoffers, discounts, and attractivepayment schemes to attractmore customers,” Samir Jasuja,Founder and Managing Directorat PropEquity, said. IANS

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The data centre infrastruc-ture spending in India is

expected to touch $2.8 billion,with an year over year declineof 14.4 per cent in 2020 and anestimated single digit growth in2021, a new Gartner report saidon Wednesday.

Many Indian enterpriseshave delayed their infrastruc-ture capex (capital expendi-tures) intensiverefresh/upgrades due to theongoing cost containment,according to the latest forecastfrom the global marketresearch firm.

These end users are evalu-ating “as a service” infrastruc-ture consumption models.

“Focus on automation,remote monitoring, couplednetwork optimisation is part ofthe new normal for infrastruc-ture leaders in India,” the reportsaid.

Covid-19 has acceleratedthe transition towards HybridCloud as more Indian enter-prises are experiencing thebenefit of public cloud duringthis pandemic.

“The priority for mostcompanies in 2020 is keepingthe lights on, so data centregrowth is generally beingpushed back until the marketenters the recovery period,” saidNaveen Mishra, senior researchdirector at Gartner.

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The outstanding debt ofIndias non-financial sector

(NFS ) stood at �322 trillion or167.3 per cent of GDP in1QFY21, up from around 153per cent in the past few quar-ters.

According to a report byMotilal Oswal InstitutionalEquities, a 9.1 per cent year onyear growth in NFS debt and0.6 per cent year on yeardecline in annualized nominalGDP led to a jump in NFS’debt-to-GDP ratio in 1QFY21.

Within NFS, general gov-ernment (Centre plus states)debt grew at a 30-quarter highpace of 14.3 per cent year onyear, the report said.

Moreover, nongovernment

non-financial (NGNF4) debtgrew 4.6 per cent YoY in1QFY21 (against record-lowgrowth levels of 4 per cent in4QFY20).

Within the NGNF sector,household debt grew at near-record lows of 6 per cent YoYin 1QFY21 (8.9 per cent in4QFY20, but slowest growth of5.7 per cent in 4QFY09).

Additionally, non-finan-cial corporate (NFC) debt grew3.7 per cent, the second lowestto record-low growth levels of1 per cent in 4QFY20. “A lookat long-term trends suggeststhe country’s debt growthweakened to the single digitsfor the first time in two decadesin 2QFY20, and COVID-19failed to change this in1QFY21,” the report said.

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Mumbai:Snapping its two-day losing streak, the rupeestrengthened by 13 paise tosettle at 73.33 against the USdollar on Wednesday, aidedby foreign fund inflows andpositive domestic equities.At the interbank forex mar-ket, the domestic unit openedat 73.53 against the US dollar,and moved in a range of73.29 and 73.55. It finally fin-ished at 73.33, registering arise of 13 paise over its lastclose of 73.46 against thegreenback.Traders saidinvestors are focusing on theRBI’s Monetary PolicyCommittee (MPC) meeting.

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NEW DELHI: Airtel and cybersecurity company Radwarehave entered into a partnershipunder which Airtel will offerRadware’s Cloud DDoSProtection, Cloud WAF, andBot Manager cloud securityservices to enterprise cus-tomers. As part of the agree-ment, traffic from Airtel’s cus-tomers will be secured via anew India-based scrubbingservice centre, which is hostedby Airtel’s Nxtra Data.

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The makers of Guzar Jayegabring us yet another song

— Zaroorat. It is essentially acampaign for hope in theseuncertain times. Its narrativehas been headlined by actorsShatrughan Sinha andSonakshi Sinha. They are seentogether for the first time fora musical campaign.

Happy at the song’s release,Shatrughan and Sonakshi said,“We can’t wait to know thereaction of the listeners to thesong and its narrative. We arerooting for it to be the spurt ofhope we need currently and inthe future. May the songinspire people to be kind to oneanother.”

The song features namesfrom diverse fields includingHE Dr Kiran Bedi, Padma

Vibhushan Dr Sonal Mansingh(Member of Parliament),Laxmi Agarwal, LaxmiNarayan Tripathi and AniChoying Drolma. It has beenpenned by Shravan Pundirrand rendered by artists such asSimran Choudhary, AjayKeswani, Shruti Unwind andrappers Muhfaad and Violina.The track has been producedby Shishir Samant. It has beencurated by Varun PrabhudayalGupta, Founder and ManagingDirector, Republik Of Musikand Viral Motani, Founder,Beyond Music. The initiativehas been directed by Varun.

Viral and Varun jointlyshare, “We are happy to presentthe song to everyone. We hopethe message and the impact ofthe song hits home.”

Starring Joju George, familyentertainer Halal Love Story’s

trailer is out now. The film starsGeorge as an unorthodox director,Indrajith Sukumaran as the charm-ing Shereef, Sharafudheen as anunmarried young lad from anorthodox family named Thoufeek,along with Grace Anthony andParvathy Thiruvothu in pivotalroles. The trailer of the comedydrama takes us through the perfect-ly imperfect journey of a group ofcinema lovers from Kerala who arepassionate about creating theirown film but are subjected to a fewguidelines to make their dreamsfinally come true.

The film within the film aimsto adhere to religious beliefs atevery point of its production andkeeps them ‘lawfully’ right from itsscreenplay to its casting, and evento the entire shooting process.Halal, a term as per the Quran,means ‘lawful’ or ‘legal/allowed todo’ under Islamic beliefs. As thecrew follows religious guidelines inevery phase of the filmmaking,massive confusions happen as theunorthodox Siraj (film director)struggles to go ahead with the pro-ject.

Back with another thought-provoking film that will leave theaudience in splits this time, direc-tor Zakariya Mohammed said, “For

me, Halal Love Story is a funny, yetbeautiful, commemoration of theart of storytelling in all its forms. Iam grateful to my co-writersMuhsin Parari and Ashif Kakkodi,who made this chaotic comedy pos-sible alongside me. With a uniqueperspective brought to life by ourstrong ensemble, I am confidentthat the viewers will enjoy thischronicle that tries to manifest thatcinema is for everyone.”

Speaking on the film, IndrajithSukumaran, superstar of theMalayalam film industry, said,“The character Shereef is quite lay-ered. He wants to conquer his pas-sion for acting but at the same timewants to do it right by following hisbeliefs. The film impacts him inmore ways than the other and in the

due process completely changes hisoutlook towards his personal life.Playing a humorous and a compli-cated Shereef was a phenomenalexperience and I will forever bethankful to Zakariya and AashiqAbu for giving me this opportuni-ty.”

Malayalam cinema’s favouriteJoju George said, “It is always funto be a part of comedy films, espe-cially the one that is engulfed inerrors. What was most appealing tome is the opposing views that mycharacter Siraj offers whilst takingon the challenge of directing thisHalal film. As my character strug-gles at every phase, it’s the brillianceof the writers who envisioned thecomedic charm in the film. It wasindeed a wonderful experience to

work alongside such an incrediblecast and crew.”

Thoufeek, an unmarried youngman from a very orthodox family,is highly passionate about film-making. He is an active memberand plays a key role in one ofKerala’s popular IslamicOrganisations, which has kept hiscinema dreams in halt. He’sapproached by Raheem andShereef with the idea of making afilm as an initiative of the cultur-al wing of his organisation. Theysoon approach Siraj, a popularassociate director to don the cap ofthe director. The biggest challengefor the crew is to keep the film,Halal.

(The film releases on October 15on Amazon Prime Video.)

The rising sensitivity towards theenvironment has seen the smoothslipping in of urban gardening.

With city life being alienated from thecalmness of countryside, it can help recre-ate the lush oasis by altering the interi-ors of one’s house.

Well, this is becoming a global trend.Plants inside the home don’t just lend anew dimension to the interior design butalso instill a sense of ecological conscious-ness in the modern city development. Itcreates a whole new space enabling peo-ple to break free from the stress andfatigue of busy schedules and fast-pacedlives. Humans do find rescue in natureby smoothly adjusting to mindful livingand striking the right balance betweenarchitecture and interior. And given thecurrent normal of working from home,one certainly needs the interior spaces tobe relaxing.

“The consciousness of creating nat-ural zones and realising the soothingessence of greenery, colour, fragrance,light and texture have driven the popu-larity of urban gardening. Going beyondhobby, people seek advice from expertsfor which the IFFCO Kisan UrbanGardening sector have witnessed apromising wave of city dwellers reachingout for professional guidance to create thenatural landscape,” says IFFCO Kisan MDSandeep Malhotra.

He believes that the urban indoorgardening comes with an entourage ofbenefits. It adds on to the aesthetic beau-ty of the house radiating attractive fea-tures of the residence. Offering a goodrange of colour and pattern, it is also a

feast for the eye.Experts says that while we focus on

the visual grandeur, we generally lose outon the healthy impact it can have on one’smind. Plants can purify the air quality,eliminating the air pollutants comingfrom adhesives, furnishings, clothingand solvents which can cause illness.Aradhana Dalmia, founder of TheArtemist, suggests, “Adding the naturalelement brings a breadth of fresh air intoany interior or exterior space. Introducinga beautiful sculptural element will alwaysenhance the urban landscape and add acreative touch to the aesthetics. Such fea-tures elevate the space and are always inline with the designers and the clients’vision.”

She adds it greatly impacts our sub-

jective perception by enhancing the con-centration capacity, imparting a sense ofsatisfaction to one’s soul. This in turn “canhugely affect the output, increasing theproductivity that remains overshadowedin the chaos of the daily life. Overcomingthe sedentary lifestyle, it has the vibran-cy to boost the mood and bring the cre-ativity buried deep down within oneself.”

The overall spatial design — theblooms along with the foliage — can actas an extension of indoor space showcas-ing the magnificence of managed indoorplants. One can use bonsai, ferns, jadeplant, bonsai and other tiny-potted plantsfor indoors. Good luck plants are also anoption as they are popular in their ownways for attracting wealth and positivevibes. The Pachira money tree, lucky

bamboo, money plant, green climber,palm plant, potted orchids and others canserve the purpose well. “With an increas-ing desire for multi-functional and greenspaces, urban gardens have become anextension of all man-made structures,channeling the dynamism, fluidity andsoftness of natural foliage. These are dec-orative and edible plants, mixed with indi-vidualistic design elements like wovenupholstery, metallic accents and artisanalware. They are made for individualisticand immersive spaces. They blur the linesbetween the inside and the outside,” saysinterior designer Punam Kalra, creativedirector of I’m The Centre for AppliedArts.

The lush green ecosystem crafted outof various structures and layout of plantoffers a relaxing zone for social gather-ing. Brimming with decorative plants,vibrant flower beds, micro-green farm-ing, it also opens up doors for healthyinteraction with greens while realisingentertainment to the full extent. “Urban

gardening is a great company to alwayskeep you involved, leaving no space idle.It is just like taking care of a pet or baby,surrounding the space with positivity,”adds Kalra.

Experts point out towards kitchengardening, which has become anothertrend to benefit from. From organic foodlike bright red chilli bushes, neat rows ofbeetroot, fruit bearing trees in patio topurple, flowering eggplants — theyenhance the texture of the garden and adddepth to the structure. It makes the gar-den look more visually appealing.

Well, some do it for recreation, somefor organic food and some for entertain-ment. However, Malhotra points out,“Irrespective of the passion driving oneto do urban gardening, it is evident thatthe greenery imparts a pleasant place torelax. It brings the contrasting line ofsolid, man-made structures and the rawnature flowing with foliage in the sameplane — a combination required forhealthy lifestyle.”

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Awebinar was organised onthe 36th Raising Day

Ceremony of RailwayProtection Force of WesternRailway, in which TanujaKansal, President of theWestern Railway Women’sWelfare Organisation(WRWWO), while extendingher wishes to WR’s RailwayProtection Force, applaudedwomen in the RailwayProtection Force. She appreci-ated the bravery and valour ofRPF personnel, especially the‘Naree Shakti’ in the RPForganisation. Kansal praisedthe outstanding and selflesswork by the RPF as frontlineCorona warriors during thelockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kansal said that this day isnot only a symbol of formationof one of our nation’s elite anddedicated Armed Forces, but itis also a day to remembertheir bravery, dignity and ser-vice to the nation. Sheexpressed her joy to know thatthere are 165 women in WR’sRPF force, including two ladiesas Security Commissionersheading the divisions. It madeher extremely happy to knowthat 79 more women areundergoing training at the RPF

Training Centre at Valsad andwill be inducted soon into theforce. She said that it was a mat-ter of immense pride to seesuch good number of womenstaff serving in the RPF andappreciated the devotion towork shown by various womenpersonnel during their courseof duty, even in such tryingtimes. She lauded the efforts by

several RPF women staff whovoluntarily prepared face masksand handled both official workas well as domestic chores withease. These women jawans puttheir best foot forward toshoulder the jobs of their malecounterparts with the samededication and determination.

As a token of appreciationfor the courage and braverydisplayed by RPF jawans and toboost their morale, WRWWOhas provided an assistance ofapproximately �41,500, underwhich two washing machineshave been provided toAhmedabad and Rajkot RPFpost, while three hot plates havebeen donated to the BhavnagarRPF post. Earlier, theWRWWO had given a nod tothe RPF of Mumbai Central topurchase three deep freezers.

HDFC Ltd hosted a month-long mega onlineproperty show ‘India Homes Fair’, featuring

over 350 projects from more than 175 renowneddevelopers located across 50 Indian cities.

The event was inaugurated virtually by RenuSud Karnad, Managing Director, HDFC Ltd, inthe presence of other senior executives fromHDFC Ltd. All NRIs and PIOs based in London,Singapore & Middle East can look forward to owntheir dream home in India now.

Karnad said, “The online property showenables homebuyers to view and select proper-ties safely from the comfort of their homes amidthis pandemic. We feel that the demand for hous-ing will pick up gradually as the economyemerges out of this difficult period. We atHDFC have seen demand coming back. In July2020, HDFC achieved 81 per cent of July 2019 dis-bursements, which was better than what we hadexpected given the lockdown and other restric-tions and the subsequent months have been evenbetter. The recent reports by agencies indicate thatsales have been improving and this festive sea-son should be better. One must not forget thatstructural demand for housing for India willalways be strong due to factors such as improvedaffordability, government’s thrust on affordablehousing, favourable demographics, increasingurbanisation and rising aspirations. Affordabilitywas never better given the huge concessions underPMAY, tax benefits on home loans, lowest-everinterest rates and property prices having seen bothprice and time correction. With people workingfrom home more often, the demand for homeswith larger spaces will only increase. All this willnot only reaffirm the importance of a home buthas also built a sense of urgency to own a home.We hope that our customers will immensely ben-efit from this initiative.”

Lokpriya Gopinath BordoloiInternational Airport, also

known as Guwahati InternationalAirport, is the biggest and busiestinternational airport of NortheastIndia. To meet the futuristicdemands of Guwahati and add tothe infrastructural development ofthe expanding city, the AirportsAuthority of India (AAI) has under-taken the work for Construction ofNew Integrated Terminal Buildingat the cost of �1,232 crore.

The airport currently handlesover six million passengers annu-ally. The New Terminal Buildingwill be capable to handle 4,300domestic and 200 internationalpassengers during peak hours andabout 10 million passengers annu-ally. Equipped with 64 check-incounters, 20 self check-in kiosk, sixbaggage carousels, in-line baggagesecurity screening system and 10aero bridges, the terminal will be an

energy-efficient building.With total built-up area of

1,02,500 sqm, the terminal will havetwo levels, arrival at the lower/apronlevel and departure at the upperlevel. In addition, there will be twomore floors, a mezzanine betweenthe two levels, part of which servesas the air-side arrival corridor forpassengers alighting from theboarding bridges. The other part ofthis mezzanine acts as a servicefloor for the baggage handling sys-tem used for outbound baggage.

The design of the terminalbuilding is inspired by Icarus, themythological figure, one of the ear-liest inspirations of human flight.The airport roof is styled using theOrigami art, the design is an ode tohuman endeavour, crafts and inno-vation. More than 38 per cent of thework has been completed and thenew terminal building is scheduledto be ready by June 2022.

Mahatma Gandhi had dreamtof a cleaner and healthier

India and he emphasised on ittime and again. To ensure hygiene,waste management and sanitationacross the nation, the SwachhBharat Mission was a step takentowards fulfilling of this dream.The Green India Mission alsocame to be known as a nationalmission under eight missions ofthe National Action Plan onClimate Change (NAPCC). Itrecognises that India today isbattling against a whole lot of eco-challenges, and the ever-rising car-bon footprints have soiled theenvironment canvas like neverbefore.

In an effort to avoid inconve-nience, we are now increasinglyopting for cheap and easily avail-able polythene over eco-friendlybags, and forgetting that every eas-iest path does come with a conse-quence. About 500 billion to 1 tril-lion plastic bags used worldwideevery year, adds tons of carbonemission into the air; and many ofthese bags used, ultimately maketheir way into rivers and oceans,killing thousands of animals,marine lives, and also leachinginto our own food chain at somepoint. Apart from ending up asunsightly litter and landfills, theyvery often wreak havoc by clog-

ging drains and causing urbanflash floods. The fact that a singlepolythene bag may take over athousand years to decomposecompounds the problem. It isalmost as if we are smothering ourplanet in an ever tightening plas-tic trap.

The ICAR-CRIJAF has beenmandated to undertake researchand developments on six naturalfibre crops like jute, mesta, flax,ramie, sisal, sunnhemp which areversatile, biodegradable and car-bon-neutral, relatively inexpensivesubstitute for polythene, said Dr

Gouranga Kar, Director of theInstitute. Jute plants are a hugesource of renewable bio-mass andsequester 3.80 tonnes of carbonper hectare from the atmospherein only 120 days, which is sever-al times higher than that of trees.Dr AK Singh, principal scientistof the institute, said that jutecrop sheds about 15 tons of greenleaves, which helps in mainte-nance of soil fertility.

The sunnhemp can be used asgreen manure crop and minimisenitrogen requirement by 50 percent and also potential to reduce

nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas.The biomass jute, mesta, ramiecan also be used as paper-pulp,thus use of tree-based paper pulpwill be reduced. It will help tomake India greener by keeping acheck on deforestation. Jute sticksare a cheap source for biofuel,charcoal, coarser paper anddurable hardboard as a substituteof wood thereby also helping inreducing deforestation.

Due to its biodegradablenature, natural fibre products are100 per cent safe for environmentand will play a tremendous role toreplace plastics from our planet,said Dr Satpathy, Head, PlantProtection Division of the insti-tute. The institute has developedhigh-yielding varieties and suit-able agro-technology to promoteand upscale natural fibre produc-tion in the country, which will notonly help to meet domesticdemand to build self-reliant Indiabut also will have the potential toearn more foreign exchangethrough export.

Thus, ICAR-CRIJAF is deter-mined to fulfill Gandhiji’s dreamto build ‘’clean and green’’ India byreplacing plastics with biodegrad-able natural fibres. Let’s aim for abetter, cleaner and greener Indiausing natural fibre products andwork together to achieve it.

The latest standoff between Indiaand China on the Line of ActualControl (LAC) has brought

focus on the Border RoadsOrganisation — BRO. One moresignificant event, which the PrimeMinister dedicated to the nation is animportant infrastructure projectknown as Atal Tunnel on Manali-LehHighway. This nine km long tunnelshall reduce the distance by 46 kmand travel time to Leh significantly,taking us one step closer to makingLadakh connectivity an all-weatherone. Ladakh remains cut off from therest of the country during winterswhen both routes one from Srinagarand another from Manali to Lehremains closed. The tunnel, whichwas under construction for about adecade, picked up pace in 2018-19. Ithas now been completed and will pro-vide all weather connectivity toLahaul and Spiti. It shall also ensurerapid and early movement of troopsand logistics to Leh during the cur-rent standoff with China.

In fact, the whole situation isbeing attributed to the recent progressmade by BRO in accelerating borderinfrastructure projects as these appearto have triggered alarm bells in theChina Security establishment. Theincreased pace of road constructionalong our borders is seen as an indi-cation of India’s offensive intent andhighlights the strategic and importantrole of BRO. Recently, during myinteraction with top leadership ofBRO, I have noticed a paradigm shiftin the work culture of this organisa-

tion. Since the new Director Generalhas been appointed, it has seen amajor surge in outcomes delivered inthe last couple of years. This is evi-dent from the fact that about 30 percent more works were executed thisyear in spite of COVID-19 restric-tions.

The strategic focus of the presentgovernment in improving infrastruc-ture along the Northern and Westernborders has resulted in better connec-tivity. The Pathankot-JammuHighway that links J&K with rest ofthe country has now an alternateroute with 17 bridges along the inter-national borders. Over four lakhpeople in 217 villages will have allweather connectivity now.

The roads and tunnels towardsthe LOC from places likeTangdhar, Keran, Gurez,are being upgraded. Itshall not only provideconnectivity but alsoopen up numerousopportunities for thelocal population. Thelong term plan for allweather connectivity toLeh hinges upon con-struction of Z-morh andZojila Tunnels on theSrinagar-Kargil-Leh high-way. The Ministry ofRoad Transport &Highways andBRO havej o i n t l yp l a n n e dt h r e e

more tunnels at Baralachla, Tanglinglaand Lanchungla along the Manali-Sarchu-Leh highway. BRO is alsoworking on connecting Leh throughthe Zanskar Valley. This road joinsDarcha on Manali-Leh highway withNimu on Kargil-Leh Highway viaPadam and Niraq in the ZanskarValley.

While axial connectivity towardsforward locations remains the area offocus, there is also a need to ensurelateral links parallel to the LAC forstrategic purposes. Many plans are inplace to connect the forward areas ofHimachal Pradesh and Uttarakhandfrom Karcham to Harsil with a tun-nel at Lamkhaga Pass.

In Uttarakhand, there are threesectors wherein roads lead to China

border. These are Harshil,Joshimath and Pithoragarh

sectors. In Harshil sector,double lane road is com-plete for 316 km to PDAwhich is just 16 km fromThagla pass on Chinaborder. In Joshimathsector, the roads to theChina border get bifur-cated into two limbs.BRO has connectedMana pass and provid-

ed a double laneroad til l

Ghastoli.B o t h

N i t i

pass and Rimkhim are connected.BRO has already connected Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra route to Navidangand also the route to Adi KailashParbat. BRO has also been entrustedwith 400 km roads in Uttarakhandand 250 Km roads in Sikkim underthe Bharatmala Project at a cost ofover �9,000 crore. This will be a majorstep in upgrading infrastructure inborder areas.

Trans-Arunachal Highway willconnect at the base of all five valleys.Major works are being undertaken inArunachal Pradesh on the road toTawang. This sector saw a lot of actionduring the 1962 war with China. Theentire road of 317 km has been dou-ble laned with 42 km of bypasses andtunnels designed for smooth flow oftraffic. This road is being given allweather connectivity by constructingtunnels at Nechiphu and Sela.

In the last two decades, China hasundertaken rapid infrastructuredevelopment in Tibet AutonomousRegion (TAR), including in the areasclose to its border with India. This hasenhanced China’s force applicationand logistic sustenance capability inTAR. The improved infrastructurefurther facilitates deployment ofChinese missile bases and long-rangebombers in Tibet. The only way tocounter this is through enhancing ourinfrastructure in the region. TheIndo-China Border Road (ICBR)Project was launched to reduce ourmobilisation timings and connect ourforward localities. Accordingly,Cabinet Committee on Security

(CCS) identified 73 ICBRs. These 73roads are spread in five states / UTbordering China. BRO has connect-ed the farthest most localities ofDaulat Beig Oldie (DBO), Hotspring,Demchok and Zursar. DBO was an airmaintained post which is now con-nected with a 255 km long Darbuk-Shyok DBO road. This road travers-es through high altitude glaciatedregions totally devoid of habitation.The travel time has reduced from erst-while seven days to only one day.

In Himachal, forward most local-ities of Point 4840, Lepcha andShipkila have been connected. InUttarakhand, forward most localitiesof Sumla, Mana Pass, Niti Pass,Rimkhim, Jolingkong and Lipulekhhave been connected. In Sikkim, for-ward most localities of Kerang,Dongkyala, Gorala, Chola, Nathulaand Dokala have been connected. InArunachal Pradesh, forward mostlocalities of Kharsangla, Vasu Rock,Bumla, Chuna, Taksing, Lamang,Tadadege, Gelling, Kibithu and Dichuhave been connected.

Efficient and strategic infrastruc-ture enhances capabilities of armedforces manyfold. We must congratu-late thousands of Boarder Road engi-neers for their commendable work inbuilding this infrastructure in extremeweather and geographical conditions.The recent push in border infrastruc-ture by PM Modi has provided thevital muscle in securing India’s bor-ders.

(The writer is Advisor, NHAI,under MoRTH, New Delhi.)

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The 88th Indian Air ForceDay will be celebrated

today at the Hindon Airwayscampus adjacent to the coun-try’s capital, New Delhi. OnTuesday, the Airbase saw afull-dress rehearsal for theparade, which showcased thecourage and might of our airmen and women.

The programme wasinaugurated by the MilkyWay Team by jumping fromAN-32 to a height of 8,000feet by parachute. Post this,the commanders started theparade ground to the tune ofSaare Jahan Se AchchaHindostan Hamara. Battleships flew past. The state-of-the-art fighter Vimal Rafaelfrom France joined the showfor the first time. The audi-ence could see the Rafael tear-ing the sky.

Next came the Chinook,post which, in the blink of aneye, five Apache helicopterswere seen. The spectators atthe parade ground weredelighted to see the Chinookand the Apache, which is theworld’s most dangerous com-

bat helicopter. The HerculesC17 Globe Master Mirage2000 and Jaguar representedthe strength. The SwadeshiTejas staged a long walkabove the parade ground.Meanwhile, the audienceheard a roar from the Rafaeland the spectators were lift-ed from their seats and wereforced to stare the bright skyat once.

Seeing the aerobatics of

the indigenous aircraft Tejascertainly became a momentof pride. When the Tejaspassed over the paradeground from 125 mph in slowmotion, the spectators werestunned. At the end of the airshow, which lasted for 40minutes, the audience wasstunned as the Suryakiranaerobatics team made a per-fect 88 in the air, marking the88th Air Force Day!

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Guwahati Airport’s new look

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Petra Kvitova returned to theFrench Open semi-finals for the

first time in eight years on Wednesdayafter defeating Germany’s LauraSiegemund 6-3, 6-3, describingRoland Garros as her “lucky place”.

Czech seventh seed Kvitova, atwo-time Wimbledon champion, willnow face Australian Open winnerSofia Kenin who knocked out fellowAmerican Danielle Collins 6-4, 4-6,6-0 for a place in Saturday’s final.

“It means a lot to be back in thesemi-finals,” said 30-year-old Kvitovawho was beaten by eventual champi-on Maria Sharapova when she madethe same stage in 2012.

“After my last match, I was veryemotional to be in the quarter-finals.Now I am in the semis. I never imag-ined this would happen after every-thing that has happened.

“This is my lucky place.”It was Paris where Kvitova made

her comeback in 2017 after spendingsix months recovering from a terri-fying knife attack at her home inDecember 2016.

The frenzied assault required afour-hour operation and left herwith damaged ligaments in her play-ing hand. Doctors warned her thather career may be finished.

On Wednesday, Kvitova fired 22winners and six aces past 32-year-old

Siegemund, the world number 66who was playing in the quarter-finalsof a Slam for the first time.

One break of serve in theopener was enough forKvitova while five morebreaks followed in the sec-ond set.

Kvitova, who has yet todrop a set at the tournament,claimed victory whenSiegemund served up a third doublefault of the tie.

“I am happy to be here and to beable to compete with the best espe-

cially in these conditions — roofopen, roof closed, sunshine, windy.”

‘IT’S A JOKE’Siegemund leaves behind a tour-

nament to remember having beenaccused of hitting the ball on a dou-ble bounce in her first round win overKristina Mladenovic.

She then munched on a plate offood courtside during her fourthround victory against Paula Badosa.

On Wednesday, she signed offwith a time violation for taking toolong between points.

“I was on the line, I was bounc-ing, I was starting my movement, andit was about once, and literally she(the umpire) was saying that it was

one second too slow. I mean, that’sa joke,” said Siegemund.

Fourth seed Keninmoved two wins from a sec-ond Grand Slam title of2020 when she defeatedCollins on the back of 38

winners, out-hitting her 26-year-old rival who had arrived

in the last eight having unleashed atournament total of 140.

It was Kenin’s fourth three-setwin at the tournament.

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Mumbai Indians bowlingcoach Shane Bond has

revealed that star pacer JaspritBumrah took the new ball andbacked his yorkers with arenewed vigour againstRajasthan Royals as he was a bitdisappointed with his IPL per-formances so far.

Bumrah, who was having arather ordinary tournament,was back to his destructivebest, claiming a four-wickethaul as his side inflicted a 57-run defeat on Rajasthan onTuesday.

It was the first time the 26-year-old was handed the new

London: Star England all-rounder Ben Stokes hasrevealed that his ailingfather, for whom he took abreak from cricket, encour-aged him to return to actionin the IPL by telling himthat he was duty-bound“to do the job”.

Stokes took compas-sionate leave in the middleof the home Test seriesagainst Pakistan in Augustand travelled to NewZealand to attend to hisfather who has been diag-nosed with brain cancer.

After spending fiveweeks with his family,

Stokes, who is contractedwith Rajasthan Royals, haslanded in the UAE and iscurrently in quarantine.

“Saying goodbye to mydad, my mum and mybrother in Christchurchwas tough. It has been a dif-ficult time for us as a fam-

ily, but we’ve pulled togeth-er and supported each otheras best we can,” Stokeswrote in his column for theDaily Mirror.

“And I was able to geton the plane with my par-ents’ love and blessing afterwe reached the decision, for

me to get back playing, asa family with no externalinfluences.”

Recalling the conversa-tion he had with his par-ents, Stokes said, “My dadwas also very strong on theresponsibilities I have. Hetold me I have a duty to dothe job that I do and I havea duty as a husband andfather as well. “We gave it alla lot of thought and talkedit over at length, and wecame to a decision that nowsees me back focusing onthe game and then I’ll beheading home to Clare andthe kids.” PTI

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Their bowling attacks strug-gling to find form, Kings XI

Punjab and SunrisersHyderabad will look towardstheir power-hitters to do the jobwhen the two erratic teams gohead to head on Thursday.

KXIP are currently lan-guishing at the bottom of thetable after losing four of theirfive games, while SRH are onlyslightly better at sixth followingtwo wins and three losses so far.

KXIP’s strength has been ina formidable opening duo.Skipper KL Rahul has been inscintillating form this year,scoring two fifties and a centu-ry, while Mayank Agarwal alsohas a half-century and a ton tohis credit. The two have donethe heavy-lifting for the team.

Nicholas Pooran has alsolooked sharp but GlennMaxwell is yet to fire.

But despite the solid battingperformances, KXIP have beenunable to win because oftheir disappointingbowling attack.Apart fromMohammed Shami,all the other bowlershave failed to take wick-ets, conceding far toomany runs in deathovers.

They wereunable to defend223 againstRajasthan. In their10-wicket loss inthe previous out-ing, KXIPbowlers were attheir wits endas ChennaiSuper Kingsoverhauled a 178-run target with14 balls and 10wickets to spare.

And come onT h u r s d a y ,Sunrisers, who areblessed with a strongtop order comprising

Jonny Bairstow, David Warner,Manish Pandey and KaneWilliamson, will look to exploita low-on-confidence KXIP’sbowling unit.

Having lost their openingtwo games due to the middleorder, Sunrisers addressed theissue by bringing in Williamsonto the playing XI at the expenseof an all-round option.

Skipper Warner backedyoungsters Abhishek Sharmaand Abdul Samad to fill in forthe fifth bowler and the riskpaid off as the former champi-ons won two games on the trot.

However, the Orange Armywas dealt a massive blow whensenior paacer BhuvneshwarKumar was ruled out of thetournament with a thigh mus-cle injury.

In Bhuvneshwar’s absence,Sunrisers struggled with theirbowling. Apart from TNatarajan, pacers SandeepSharma and Siddarth Kaulleaked runs.

Samad was also expensive,which led Warner to

turn to Williamsonto bowl two oversof off-spin againstMumbai.

Going ahead,there will be addedpressure on yorkerspecialist Natarajanand star spinner

Rashid Khan.Sunrisers face the

conundrum of either pro-viding stability in the mid-dle order or strengtheningtheir bowling attack.

They have the optionof playing experiencedAfghan all-rounderMohammad Nabi or WestIndies’ Fabian Allen butthat would meanWillamson will have to sitout.

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Iconic West Indian cricketer Brian Lara says “greatbatsman” KL Rahul shouldn’t be bothered with

wicket-keeping in the Indian team and he shouldbe allowed to concentrate on his batting.

Lara also feels that Rishabh Pant has maturedin the past year and he should be considered asIndia’s number one wicketkeeper-batsman.

Rahul did a great job keeping wickets in thelimited overs series against Australia and also dur-ing the India’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year.The Indian team also experimented with Rahul’sbatting position and he had delivered.

“Well, first of all I would like to say that KLRahul should not be bothered with wicket-keep-ing when it comes to that Indian squad,” Lara saidon Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

“He’s such a great batsman that I feel that heshould concentrate on that and put in a lot of runson the board,” he added.

In the ongoing Indian Premier League, Rahulhas amassed 302 runs, with the help of a centuryand two fifties in five games.

Pant, who was once seen as heir apparent toDhoni, has faced flak for his keeping skills rightfrom the beginning of his career.

However, Lara feels the youngster, who hasscored 171 runs in the IPL, has matured in the pastyear and is taking more responsibility while play-ing for the Delhi Capitals this season.

“Rishabh Pant a year ago, I would say no, butI feel that he has stepped up in terms of his respon-sibility as a batsman,” Lara said.

“Look at how he plays for Delhi Capitals, itlooks like he wants that responsibility, he wants thatonus on him to score runs, build an innings andget big scores. If he continues that way, I think thathe should be the No 1,” he added.

Talking about talented Sanju Samson, Lara saidthe 25-year-old needs to work on little chinks inhis armoury. “Sanju Samson, who is not keepingfor Rajasthan Royals, but I do understand that hekeeps, that’s one of his main jobs — very classy play-er, looks good so far in the tournament in Sharjah.

“I feel there’s a little chink in his armoury interms of his technique against very good bowlingon sporty tracks.”

Abu Dhabi: Kolkata Knight Riders fastbowler Ali Khan, who had become the firstUSA cricketer to be signed by an IndianPremier League franchise, has been ruledout of the tournament due to an injury.

A media advisory from IPL con-firmed his injury but did not provide anydetails.

The two-times winners had signedKhan as a replacement for theinjured English seamer Harry

Gurney ahead of the tourna-ment.

“Khan became the firstUSA cricketer to be signed up

by an IPL franchise. Unfortunately,Khan has since been injured andwill miss the rest of the Dream11IPL 2020 season,” the statementread. PTI

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New Delhi: India’s Olympic-bound boxers, exceptfor an indisposed M C Mary Kom and two others,will travel to Italy and France starting next weekon a 52-day training-cum-competition trip as theygear up for the Tokyo Games.

Mary Kom is currently recovering from a boutof dengue and has ruled out travelling abroad at leastthis year due to the Covid-19 threat. The Europeassignment starts on October 15.

“I was not keeping well for the past two weeksbecause of dengue. I am much better now but won’tbe travelling,” the six-time world champion andLondon Olympics Bronze-medallist told PTI.

In all, a 28-member contingent will travel,including 10 men and six women boxers along withthe support staff.

Six of the nine Olympic-bound (five men andfour women in total) are travelling for the assign-ment. They are — Amit Panghal (52kg), AshishKumar (75kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg), SimranjitKaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and PoojaRani (75kg).

Vikas Krishan (69kg), who is training in theUSA and Manish Kaushik (63kg), recuperatingfrom an injury, along with Mary Kom, are the onesmissing from the Tokyo-bound list travelling forthis assignment.

The teams will be training at Assisi, Italy for aperiod of 52 days from October 15 to December5. Thirteen boxers from the contingent will also par-ticipate in the Alexis Vastine InternationalTournament to be held in Nantes, France fromOctober 28 to October 30.

“All the four events (men’s 57kg, 81kg, 91kg andwomen’s 57kg) where India is yet to win a quota,will have boxers who will be a part of the travel-ling contingent,” the SAI said in a statement. PTI

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Australian women's cricket team equaled therecord of most consecutive one-day inter-

national wins in international cricket as theythrashed New Zealand by 232 runs in Brisbaneto register their 21st victory on the trot.

The women’s team equaled the long-stand-ing record set by Ricky Ponting’s world cham-pion men’s team in 2003.

Having been asked to bat first by NewZealand, Australia’s captain on the day RachaelHaynes and fellow opener Alyssa Healy stitchedtogether a 144-run opening stand that laid downa platform for Australia to post 325/5 in theirfifty overs, their highest total against NewZealand.

The White Ferns’ chase though complete-ly collapsed as the Australian bowling attackbundled them out for just 93.

Megan Schutt, Jess Jonassen, AshleighGardner and Sophie Molineaux all picked uptwo wickets each for the home side.

With the win Australia completed a 3-0sweep of the ODI series having already got thebetter of New Zealand in the T20Is.

Chennai Super Kings in theIndian Premier League clashon Wednesday.

Tripathi stood tall onthe way to his fifth IPL fiftybefore Kolkata Knight Ridersfaltered in the back end ofthe innings to be bowled outfor 167.

In reply, CSK werestopped at 157 for five.

Having restored his con-fidence with a whirlwind 83not out against Kings XIPunjab, veteran CSK openerShane Watson picked up

from where he had left toslam a 40-ball 50, his 21st inthe lucrative league.

Watson feasted on theshort-ball strategy of KKRbowlers in a 69-run partner-ship with Ambati Rayudu(30 from 27 balls).

Needing 78 runs in thelast 10 overs, the CSK duodeparted for addition of justtwo runs, while MahendraSingh Dhoni, coming out tobat at No 4, got out for 11.

Sam Curran hit 17 from11 balls, but that was not

enough as CSK fell short.The win catapulted KKR

to the third place in thetable with three wins fromfive matches, while CSKremained at five with fourpoints from six games.

Earlier, Chennai SuperKings staged a remarkablecomeback as KKR lost threewickets in the last over with‘birthday boy’ Dwayne Bravoremoving two of them for animpressive 3/37.

Tripathi raced to his fiftyin 31 balls to give KKR asolid foundation afterDinesh Karthik called it rightat the toss.

At 93 for two at the mid-way stage, KKR looked setfor a big score but Bravostruck after that.

Leg-spinner KarnSharma (2/25), ShradulThakur (2/28), Sam Curran(2/26) claimed two wicketseach as the Mahendra SinghDhoni-led side bouncedback in the back-10 by tak-ing eight wickets while giv-ing away just 74 runs.

Dhoni picked up fourcatches, the last one being hisbest effort.

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MATCHES 14SUNRISERS HYDERABAD 10KINGS XI PUNJAB 04

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ball in the tournament andBumrah didn’t disappoint, return-ing with the impressive figures of4/20, including the prized scalp ofSteve Smith.

“Jasprit genuinely wanted totake the new ball so there was adiscussion that went on one daybefore the game against Royals,we obviously have used him in adefensive manner at the back-endof the powerplay,” said Bondduring the post-match confer-ence.

“It was a fresh wicket andthere was grass on it, he has theability to nip the ball around, weknew Rajasthan’s key players werein the top-order so we wanted togive him an opportunity to get out

there, take the new ball and takesome wickets for us,” he added.

Bond said the Indian pacespearhead was unhappy with hisperformances in the tournamentand wanted to make the kind ofimpact that is expected from abowler of his calibre.

“Jasprit really wanted to backhis yorkers against Royals, hewanted to go back to his strengthsand use his bouncer as he nor-mally does,” the New Zealandersaid.

“That’s his strength, if he isnot happy with his performances,he tends to bounce back to a newlevel. I know, traditionallythrough IPL, Bumrah tends to getbetter and better,” he added.

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Rahul Tripathi celebrated his promotionto the top by striking a 51-ball 81 asKolkata Knight Riders returned to win-

ning ways with a 10-run victory over

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