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K olkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar has to appear before the CBI in Shillong, make available all evidence and cooperate with investigation into the chit fund scams in West Bengal, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday as the CBI accused the officer of “doctoring evidence” and shielding the accused. However, the SC said no coercive steps, including the arrest of the Kolkata Police chief, will take place during the course of investigation. The CBI told the SC that the Kolkata Police Commissioner, who was lead- ing the SIT probe into the Saradha chit fund scam, tam- pered with the electronic evi- dence and handed over docu- ment to the agency some of which were “doctored”. The CBI also alleged that there was a “wilful” omission and commission by him and the SIT of which he was the functional head. A three-judge Bench head- ed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi issued a notice to Kumar and sought his response before February 20, the next date of hearing on the allegations by the CBI that he was tampering with elec- tronic evidence and that the SIT headed by him provided the agency with doctored mate- rials. The SC further directed the West Bengal Chief Secretary, the Director General of police (DGP) and the Kolkata Police Commissioner to file replies on the contempt pleas filed against them by the CBI on or before February 18. The Bench that also com- prised justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjeev Khanna said on consideration of replies of the Chief Secretary, the DGP and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, the court may seek personal appearance of these officials on February 20. The apex court’s secretary general will inform them on February 19 whether they are required to be present before the apex court on February 20, the Bench noted. Attorney General KK Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sub- mitted that Kumar was not cooperating in the investigation of chit fund cases, handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court, and the SIT had not given the complete call data details. “What was given to us was doctored copy of call records,” the Attorney General told the SC. The CBI alleged that the laptop and cellphones recov- ered from Sudipta Sen, Chairman of the Saradha and Rose Valley ponzy scheme, by the SIT were not sent to foren- sic laboratory. Those electronic devices were recovered from Sen, who was arrested from a place in Jammu & Kashmir after a long time. The agency alleged that call data was also erased and it was difficult to find out who called whom. Senior advocate AM Singhvi, who appeared for the West Bengal Police, refuted the allegations against Kumar. Singhvi said that there was no destruction of evidence which the CBI is claiming after five years of investigation. “Where is the destruction of evidence after five years? After five years no FIR against Kumar for destruction of evidence under section 201 of IPC has been lodged,” Singhvi added. W est Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called off her indefi- nite Satyagraha against alleged CBI harassment of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar in multi-crore Saradha chit fund case with a loud “oust Narendra Modi” call. She ended the agitation following requests from her Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu who joined the protest. Banerjee ended her dhar- na in the wake of what she described as a “moral victory” coming in the form of a Supreme Court order directing the CBI to interrogate Kumar at a neutral venue in Shillong and restraining the agency from arresting the Kolkata top cop. Naidu congratulated Banerjee for leading the battle against the Modi Government in a way “that no other leader could have done.” Banerjee said “this sit-in was not for my own sake. It was a collective decision for a collective cause started under ‘Save India to save the people, to save the country, to save the Cons- titution, to save democracy and to save the IAS, IPS brass.” She said that she was with- drawing the dharna after requests from colleagues and senior national leaders who stood firmly behind her. Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narednra Modi, the Chief Minister said, “After 2019 Narendra Modi will not be in power to torment the people,” adding the anti-BJP parties would hold a three-day dharna in Delhi too starting February 12. Claiming the apex court judgment was a moral victory for the stand taken by her, Banerjee said Kumar never refused to appear before the CBI. “He only wanted to appear at a neutral venue. The court has given that order. Again the court has also restrained the CBI from arresting him. This is our moral victory and we are extremely obliged to the court.” Condemning the Centre for directing the State Government to initiate a departmental inquiry against Kumar for allegedly going against police rule books by joining Banerjee at the dharna dais the Chief Minister asked, “What pleasure they get in vic- timising an IPS officer? They have sent a letter to start departmental proceeding against Rajiv Kumar for com- ing to this place. So many peo- ple are sitting here. Has anyone seen him sitting on the dhar- na stage? He is the chief secu- rity officer and is duty bound to consult the CM. That is within his duty. “If Rajiv Kumar’s coming here for consultation with the Chief Minister amounts to breaking police rule then what about those police offi- cers who meet Amit Shah everyday at airports and even BJP offices?” Banerjee said, “Why they are so scared of a police officer.” The State Government would respond to the Centre’s letter with a “suit- able reply,” she said. The BJP was “doubting the my conduct when I arrest- ed Sudipta Sen and gave away Rs 300 crore as compensation to the chit fund depositors but they have not done nothing to the CPI(M) during whose tenure the chit fund business started way back in 1980s. I n a counterattack against the Modi Government, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday released a more than five-year-old letter written by Sudipto Sen, the jailed Saradha chit fund boss, to the Central Bureau of Investigation, in which he had accused Assam BJP leader Hemant Biswa Sharma of extracting 3 crore from him. “This letter written by Sudipto Sen will show how the CBI is being used by the BJP to gag the voices of dissent and torture the Opposition,” Mamata said, adding the “let- ter implicates Assam Deputy Chief Minister Himant Biswa Sarma for extracting 3 crore from Sen.” The letter dated April 2013 and addressed to anti-corrup- tion branch in Kolkata, just before Sen fled Kolkata abrupt- ly downing the shutters of his company, described how BJP’s Man Friday in Assam “extract- ed 3 crore over the past six months” and got Sen sign on some vouchers. “Another high-level person has dramatically cheated me. He is Mr Himanta Biswa Sarma. For the last six months, apart one and half years, he has taken from us not less than 3 crore all by cash and some vouchers have been signed by his office executives by some other means”, the letter had quoted, said Mamata. Attacking her Uttar Pradesh Counterpart Yogi Adityanath, who in Purulia on Tuesday accused the TMC Government with subverting democracy in the State, Mamata said, “First ask him to tame his own people and bring rule of law back in his own State where the minorities and honest police officers are lynched and where there is a riot every other day.” This time round the BJP would be routed from UP Mamata said, adding “even Yogi will lose his seat if he con- tests once again from there”. H ours after the Supreme Court’s order asking the Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI, Union Home Ministry opened another front against West Bengal Government directing it to initiate discipli- nary proceedings against Rajeev Kumar for “indiscipline” and violation of services rules. In what could start anoth- er round of “war” between the State and the Centre, the Home Ministry sent a communication to the West Bengal Chief Secretary saying that as per the information, Kumar sat on a dharna along with some police officers with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Metro Channel in Kolkata, which is prima facie in con- travention of the extant provi- sions of AIS (Conduct) Rules, 1968/AIS (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969. “In view of the above, the West Bengal Government has been requested by MHA to ini- tiate action against the officer and intimate the action taken in this regard,” it said. The Home Ministry, which is the cadre controlling authority of the Indian Police Service offi- cers, cited Kumar’s “indisci- plined behaviour” and violation of service rules for initiating the proceedings. The Home Ministry cited the extant provisions of the Rules 3(1), 5(1) and 7 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, which were flouted by Kumar. In its clause by clause, communication, the Ministry said every member of the ser- vice shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the service, no member of the service shall be a member of, or be otherwise associated with, any political party or any organisation which takes part in politics, nor shall he take part in, or sub- scribe in aid of, or assistant in any other manner, any politi- cal movement or political party. The Ministry also said no member of the service shall, in any radio broadcast or com- munication over any public media or in any document published anonymously, pseu- donymously or in his own name or in the name of any other person or in any com- munication to the press or in any public utterance, make any statement of fact or opinion which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the Central Government or a State Government which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the Central Government and any State Government. It also said such behaviour is capable of embarrassing the relations between the Central Government and the Government of any foreign State, provided that nothing in this rule shall apply to any statement made or views expressed by a member of the service in his official capacity and in the due performance of the duties assigned to him. N ewly-appointed Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra swung into action soon after her return from a private visit from the US on Monday. She met senior party leaders, including her sib- ling and party chief Rahul Gandhi, to discuss the polls ahead. Priyanka got an office next to Rahul at the party headquarters on Akbar Road in the national Capital. Priyanka’s allotted office was previously occupied by Rahul Gandhi when he was the party vice-president. Then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the then president of the grand old party occupied Rahul’s present room. The other previous occupants of Priyanka’s office include former Congress general secretaries Janardhan Dwivedi and Sushil Kumar Shinde. AICC sources said Priyanka will attend the first official meeting of the Congress party after assuming the new role as general secretary on Th- ursday. Rahul Gandhi has con- vened the meeting of all gen- eral secretaries, in-charges of various States to plan the strat- egy for the Lok Sabha election. While AICC general sec- retaries are scheduled to meet on Thursday, Rahul will delib- erate with Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents on Saturday. Rahul on Tuesday also formed various commit- tees for Punjab, Goa, Puducherry and Gujarat ahead of the general election. Priyanka on Tuesday met few senior party leaders from Uttar Pradesh and held infor- mal interactions with them on issues relating to strengthening the party in eastern Uttar Pradesh. T he Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light rain and resul- tant dip in temperature in Delhi-NCR on February 6-7. The minimum and the maxi- mum temperature were record- ed above normal levels on Tuesday. Meanwhile, 24 trains were delayed after fog engulfed the national capital on Tuesday morning. The visibility at Safdarjung was recorded at 1,500 metres at 5.30 am and 1,000 metres at Palam, an IMD official said. However, there was no dis- ruption in flight operations at the IGI airport, a source at the Delhi airport said. T he forest officials in Tamil Nadu were literally taken by surprise on Tuesday as the Kumki (an elephant spe- cialised in training wild ele- phants) deputed to tame and control Chinna Thambi has been charmed and wooed by the latter. Tamil Television news channels have been airing since Tuesday morning the live visuals of the wild ele- phant Chinna Thambi and the Kumki with a famous Bollywood number Yeh Dosti Hum Nahee Chorengein much to the delight of the viewers. Chinna Thambi, the wild elephant which was re-locat- ed from the forest reserve of Thadakam in Coimbatore to Anamalai Tiger Reserves at Top Slip, almost 80 km away on January 25, is on a walkathon from its new and strange surroundings in search of its ‘ancestral home’, the Thadagam reserve forest. The Kumki has been summoned to avoid any pos- sible stand-off between the wild elephant and the local population. But Chinna Thambi and the Kumki has ended up being long lost friends, with the latter showing utmost care and affection to the guest from the wild west. Purulia: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday travelled by road from Jharkhand to Purulia to address a rally there after the Mamata Government denied permission for landing his helicopter in the State. He accused Mamata of trying to protect a “corrupt” officer and said there could be nothing more “shameful and unconstitutional” than a CM staging a sit-in to prevent “secrets related to corruption” from spilling out. Yogi accused Mamata of exploiting the poor in West Bengal and not allow- ing benefits of Central schemes to reach them. Detailed report on P7 RNI Regn. No. CHHENG/2012/42718, Postal Reg. No. - RYP DN/34/2013-2015

Transcript of English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · was doctored copy of call...

Page 1: English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · was doctored copy of call records,” the Attorney General told the SC. The CBI alleged that the ... Janardhan Dwivedi

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Kolkata PoliceCommissioner Rajeev

Kumar has to appear before theCBI in Shillong, make available all evidence and cooperate with investigationinto the chit fund scams inWest Bengal, the SupremeCourt said on Tuesday as theCBI accused the officer of“doctoring evidence” andshielding the accused.

However, the SC said nocoercive steps, including thearrest of the Kolkata Policechief, will take place during thecourse of investigation.

The CBI told the SC thatthe Kolkata PoliceCommissioner, who was lead-ing the SIT probe into theSaradha chit fund scam, tam-pered with the electronic evi-dence and handed over docu-ment to the agency some ofwhich were “doctored”.

The CBI also alleged thatthere was a “wilful” omissionand commission by him andthe SIT of which he was thefunctional head.

A three-judge Bench head-ed by Chief Justice of India(CJI) Ranjan Gogoi issued anotice to Kumar and sought hisresponse before February 20,the next date of hearing on the allegations by the CBI thathe was tampering with elec-tronic evidence and that theSIT headed by him providedthe agency with doctored mate-rials.

The SC further directed theWest Bengal Chief Secretary,the Director General of police(DGP) and the Kolkata PoliceCommissioner to file replies onthe contempt pleas filed againstthem by the CBI on or beforeFebruary 18.

The Bench that also com-prised justices Deepak Guptaand Sanjeev Khanna said onconsideration of replies of theChief Secretary, the DGP andthe Kolkata PoliceCommissioner, the court mayseek personal appearance ofthese officials on February 20.

The apex court’s secretarygeneral will inform them onFebruary 19 whether they are

required to be present beforethe apex court on February 20,the Bench noted.

Attorney General KKVenugopal and SolicitorGeneral Tushar Mehta sub-mitted that Kumar was notcooperating in the investigationof chit fund cases, handed overto the CBI by the SupremeCourt, and the SIT had notgiven the complete call datadetails.

“What was given to us was doctored copy of callrecords,” the Attorney Generaltold the SC.

The CBI alleged that thelaptop and cellphones recov-ered from Sudipta Sen,Chairman of the Saradha andRose Valley ponzy scheme, bythe SIT were not sent to foren-sic laboratory.

Those electronic deviceswere recovered from Sen, whowas arrested from a place inJammu & Kashmir after a longtime. The agency alleged thatcall data was also erased and itwas difficult to find out whocalled whom.

Senior advocate AM

Singhvi, who appeared for theWest Bengal Police, refutedthe allegations against Kumar.Singhvi said that there was nodestruction of evidence whichthe CBI is claiming after fiveyears of investigation.

“Where is the destructionof evidence after five years?After five years no FIR againstKumar for destruction of evidence under section 201 of IPC has been lodged,”Singhvi added.

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West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on

Tuesday called off her indefi-nite Satyagraha against allegedCBI harassment of KolkataPolice Commissioner RajivKumar in multi-crore Saradhachit fund case with a loud “oustNarendra Modi” call. Sheended the agitation followingrequests from her AndhraPradesh counterpartChandrababu Naidu whojoined the protest.

Banerjee ended her dhar-na in the wake of what shedescribed as a “moral victory”coming in the form of aSupreme Court order directingthe CBI to interrogate Kumarat a neutral venue in Shillongand restraining the agencyfrom arresting the Kolkata topcop.

Naidu congratulatedBanerjee for leading the battle

against the Modi Governmentin a way “that no other leadercould have done.” Banerjeesaid “this sit-in was not for myown sake. It was a collectivedecision for a collective causestarted under ‘Save India tosave the people, to save thecountry, to save the Cons-titution, to save democracyand to save the IAS, IPS brass.”

She said that she was with-drawing the dharna afterrequests from colleagues andsenior national leaders whostood firmly behind her.Launching a scathing attack onPrime Minister NarednraModi, the Chief Minister said,“After 2019 Narendra Modiwill not be in power to tormentthe people,” adding the anti-BJPparties would hold a three-daydharna in Delhi too startingFebruary 12.

Claiming the apex courtjudgment was a moral victoryfor the stand taken by her,

Banerjee said Kumar neverrefused to appear before theCBI. “He only wanted to appearat a neutral venue. The courthas given that order. Again thecourt has also restrained theCBI from arresting him. Thisis our moral victory and we areextremely obliged to the court.”

Condemning the Centrefor directing the StateGovernment to initiate adepartmental inquiry againstKumar for allegedly goingagainst police rule books byjoining Banerjee at the dharnadais the Chief Minister asked,

“What pleasure they get in vic-timising an IPS officer? Theyhave sent a letter to startdepartmental proceedingagainst Rajiv Kumar for com-ing to this place. So many peo-ple are sitting here. Has anyoneseen him sitting on the dhar-na stage? He is the chief secu-rity officer and is duty boundto consult the CM. That iswithin his duty.

“If Rajiv Kumar’s cominghere for consultation with theChief Minister amounts tobreaking police rule then what about those police offi-

cers who meet Amit Shaheveryday at airports and evenBJP offices?” Banerjee said,“Why they are so scared of apolice officer.” The StateGovernment would respond tothe Centre’s letter with a “suit-able reply,” she said.

The BJP was “doubtingthe my conduct when I arrest-ed Sudipta Sen and gave awayRs 300 crore as compensationto the chit fund depositors butthey have not done nothing tothe CPI(M) during whosetenure the chit fund businessstarted way back in 1980s.

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In a counterattack against theModi Government, Bengal

Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on Tuesday released amore than five-year-old letterwritten by Sudipto Sen, thejailed Saradha chit fund boss,to the Central Bureau ofInvestigation, in which he hadaccused Assam BJP leaderHemant Biswa Sharma ofextracting �3 crore from him.

“This letter written bySudipto Sen will show how theCBI is being used by the BJP togag the voices of dissent andtorture the Opposition,”Mamata said, adding the “let-ter implicates Assam DeputyChief Minister Himant BiswaSarma for extracting �3 crorefrom Sen.”

The letter dated April 2013and addressed to anti-corrup-tion branch in Kolkata, justbefore Sen fled Kolkata abrupt-ly downing the shutters of hiscompany, described how BJP’sMan Friday in Assam “extract-

ed �3 crore over the past sixmonths” and got Sen sign onsome vouchers.

“Another high-level personhas dramatically cheated me.He is Mr Himanta BiswaSarma. For the last six months,apart one and half years, he hastaken from us not less than �3crore all by cash and somevouchers have been signed byhis office executives by someother means”, the letter hadquoted, said Mamata.

Attacking her UttarPradesh Counterpart YogiAdityanath, who in Puruliaon Tuesday accused the TMCGovernment with subvertingdemocracy in the State,Mamata said, “First ask him totame his own people and bringrule of law back in his ownState where the minorities andhonest police officers arelynched and where there is ariot every other day.”

This time round the BJPwould be routed from UPMamata said, adding “evenYogi will lose his seat if he con-tests once again from there”.

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Hours after the SupremeCourt’s order asking the

Kolkata Police CommissionerRajeev Kumar to appear beforethe CBI, Union Home Ministryopened another front againstWest Bengal Governmentdirecting it to initiate discipli-nary proceedings against RajeevKumar for “indiscipline” andviolation of services rules.

In what could start anoth-er round of “war” between theState and the Centre, the HomeMinistry sent a communicationto the West Bengal ChiefSecretary saying that as per theinformation, Kumar sat on adharna along with some policeofficers with West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee atthe Metro Channel in Kolkata,which is prima facie in con-travention of the extant provi-sions of AIS (Conduct) Rules,1968/AIS (Discipline &Appeal) Rules, 1969.

“In view of the above, theWest Bengal Government hasbeen requested by MHA to ini-tiate action against the officerand intimate the action takenin this regard,” it said. TheHome Ministry, which is thecadre controlling authority ofthe Indian Police Service offi-cers, cited Kumar’s “indisci-plined behaviour” and violationof service rules for initiating theproceedings.

The Home Ministry citedthe extant provisions of theRules 3(1), 5(1) and 7 of the AllIndia Services (Conduct) Rules,1968, which were flouted byKumar. In its clause by clause,communication, the Ministrysaid every member of the ser-vice shall at all times maintainabsolute integrity and devotionto duty and shall do nothingwhich is unbecoming of amember of the service, nomember of the service shall bea member of, or be otherwiseassociated with, any politicalparty or any organisationwhich takes part in politics, norshall he take part in, or sub-scribe in aid of, or assistant inany other manner, any politi-cal movement or political party.

The Ministry also said nomember of the service shall, inany radio broadcast or com-munication over any publicmedia or in any documentpublished anonymously, pseu-donymously or in his ownname or in the name of anyother person or in any com-munication to the press or inany public utterance, make anystatement of fact or opinionwhich has the effect of anadverse criticism of any currentor recent policy or action of theCentral Government or a StateGovernment which is capableof embarrassing the relationsbetween the CentralGovernment and any State

Government.It also said such behaviour

is capable of embarrassing therelations between the CentralGovernment and theGovernment of any foreignState, provided that nothing inthis rule shall apply to anystatement made or viewsexpressed by a member of theservice in his official capacityand in the due performance ofthe duties assigned to him.

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Newly-appointed Congressgeneral secretary Priyanka

Gandhi Vadra swung intoaction soon after her returnfrom a private visit from the USon Monday. She met seniorparty leaders, including her sib-ling and party chief RahulGandhi, to discuss the pollsahead. Priyanka got an officenext to Rahul at the partyheadquarters on Akbar Road inthe national Capital.

Priyanka’s allotted officewas previously occupied byRahul Gandhi when he was theparty vice-president. ThenUPA chairperson SoniaGandhi, the then president ofthe grand old party occupiedRahul’s present room. Theother previous occupants ofPriyanka’s office include formerCongress general secretariesJanardhan Dwivedi and SushilKumar Shinde.

AICC sources saidPriyanka will attend the first

official meeting of the Congressparty after assuming the newrole as general secretary on Th-ursday. Rahul Gandhi has con-vened the meeting of all gen-eral secretaries, in-charges ofvarious States to plan the strat-egy for the Lok Sabha election.

While AICC general sec-retaries are scheduled to meeton Thursday, Rahul will delib-erate with Pradesh CongressCommittee (PCC) presidentson Saturday. Rahul on Tuesdayalso formed various commit-tees for Punjab, Goa,Puducherry and Gujarat aheadof the general election.

Priyanka on Tuesday metfew senior party leaders fromUttar Pradesh and held infor-mal interactions with them onissues relating to strengtheningthe party in eastern UttarPradesh.

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The Indian MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) has

predicted light rain and resul-tant dip in temperature inDelhi-NCR on February 6-7.The minimum and the maxi-mum temperature were record-ed above normal levels onTuesday.

Meanwhile, 24 trains weredelayed after fog engulfed thenational capital on Tuesdaymorning.

The visibility at Safdarjungwas recorded at 1,500 metres at5.30 am and 1,000 metres atPalam, an IMD official said.

However, there was no dis-ruption in flight operations atthe IGI airport, a source at theDelhi airport said.

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The forest officials in TamilNadu were literally taken

by surprise on Tuesday as the Kumki (an elephant spe-cialised in training wild ele-phants) deputed to tame andcontrol Chinna Thambi hasbeen charmed and wooed bythe latter.

Tamil Television newschannels have been airingsince Tuesday morning thelive visuals of the wild ele-phant Chinna Thambi and theKumki with a famousBollywood number Yeh DostiHum Nahee Chorengeinmuch to the delight of theviewers.

Chinna Thambi, the wildelephant which was re-locat-ed from the forest reserve ofThadakam in Coimbatore toAnamalai Tiger Reserves atTop Slip, almost 80 km awayon Januar y 25, is on awalkathon from its new andstrange surroundings insearch of its ‘ancestral home’,the Thadagam reserve forest.

The Kumki has been summoned to avoid any pos-sible stand-off between thewild elephant and the localpopulation.

But Chinna Thambi andthe Kumki has ended up beinglong lost friends, with thelatter showing utmost careand affection to the guestfrom the wild west.

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������������������������������� ������������Purulia: Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath onTuesday travelled by roadfrom Jharkhand to Purulia toaddress a rally there after theMamata Government deniedpermission for landing hishelicopter in the State.

He accused Mamata oftrying to protect a “corrupt”officer and said there could benothing more “shameful andunconstitutional” than a CMstaging a sit-in to prevent“secrets related to corruption”from spilling out. Yogi accusedMamata of exploiting the poorin West Bengal and not allow-ing benefits of Centralschemes to reach them.

Detailed report on P7

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The BJP on Tuesday saw theapex court order directing

Kolkata Police CommissionerRajeev Kumar to make himselfavailable before the CBI as ablow to the Mamata Banerjee-led Government in WestBengal and a moral victory forthe investigating agency withthe State Chief Minister havingleft with “egg on her face”.

The party said the SupremeCourt direction has put a brakeon the histrionics of Banerjeeas reflected in her sit-in protestat Kolkata.

Senior BJP leader andUnion minister Ravi ShankarPrasad welcomed the orderand said it’s a blow to theMamata Government and avictory for the CBI. It alsoshowed that nobody is abovethe law, including the policecommissioner, he added.

The Kolkata Police com-missioner will appear beforethe CBI in Shillong as theenvironment is not conducivein West Bengal, Prasad said.

The Mamata Banerjee-ledgovernment in the state and theBJP are at loggerheads after theCBI tried to question Kolkata’sPolice commissioner in con-

nection with chit fund scams.Banerjee has been on a ‘dhar-na’ since Sunday night over theCBI’s attempts to interrogatethe police Chief.

At a separate press confer-ence at party headquartershere, Union minister SmritiIrani said Banerjee’s politicalhistrionics have been broughtto a screeching halt by theSupreme Court.

Irani said the SupremeCourt had ensured that a freeand fair investigation takesplace, adding that her partypraises and welcomes thecourt’s order which has putconstitutional restraint on “didiki dadagiri” (Mamata’s intimi-dation tactics).

Taking a swipe at Banerjee

after she claimed a moral vic-tory following the court’s order,Irani said the West Bengalchief minister has been left withegg on her face.

“With egg on her face, tocelebrate it as a moral victoryis a dichotomy available only toMamata Banerjee’s realm ofpolitics,” said the BJP leader.

After the Supreme Court’sobservations on Tuesday,

Banerjee had said the apexcourt’s direction that no coer-cive step, including arrest ofKolkata Police chief RajeevKumar, will take place duringthe course of investigation is“our moral victory”.

Irani said the order shouldbe a matter of introspectionand concern for Banerjee andalleged the TMC governmenthas become a symbol of anar-chy and ‘goondaism’.

Mocking the get-togetherof different opposition partiesleaders at the site of Banerjee’sdharna, Iranisaid it hasbecome apodium for all “scamsters”, forall those who don’t believe inlaw and support “state-spon-sored anarchy”.

Responding to Banerjee’sclaim that the court’s bar onarrest of Kumar was a victoryfor her, Irani said the CBInever said in its communica-tion to Kumar that it wants toarrest him.

Why is she (Banerjee) “hellbent” on political histrionics,Irani posed, attacking the TMCsupremo and asked what is inKumar’s possession that per-turbs Banerjee, prompting herto “save” him.

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Following the SupremeCourt order, CPI(M)

General Secretary SitaramYechury said on Tuesday thatit showed both the BJP and theTMC their place and alleged

the two partieswere hand inglove in “shar-

ing the spoils” of the chit fundscam.

Speaking to reporters,Yechury and Md Salim, theparty’s MP in Lok Sabha, saidthe agenda of the CPI(M) wasclear — “defeat BJP, save India;defeat TMC, save Bengal.”

Reacting to the WestBengal Chief Minister whoearlier said that the SC orderwas a “moral victory” for her,Salim said that it was in fact a“tight slap on the face of thestate government”.

Accusing the StateGovernment of falsely impli-cating CPIM leaders in the chit

fund case, the leaders said thatwhile the CBI has been mis-used in the past, in this case, itwas probing the matter on theorders of the court.

“In this instance when thejudiciary orders the CBI toinvestigate a case, the CBI’smovement in the investiga-tion into any State or territorycannot be construed as anattack on the authority or thepowers of the state government.

“What is objectionable iswhen the CBI suo motu takes action and investigateswithout permission of the stategovernment. That would be aviolation. That is not the casehere. So it is not a issue ofCentre-State relation,” saidYechury.

The Supreme CourtTuesday directed Kolkata PoliceCommissioner Rajeev Kumarto make himself availablebefore the CBI and “faithfully”cooperate with the agency ininvestigation of cases arising

out of the Saradha chit fundscam probe.

The apex court said Kumarwill appear before the CentralBureau of Investigation (CBI)for investigation at Shillong inMeghalaya.

The apex court also said nocoercive steps, including thearrest of the Kolkata Policechief, will take place during thecourse of investigation.

“Both corrupt parties, theTMC and the BJP get put intheir place by the SupremeCourt. (CBI) must investigatethe top leadership of the TMCtoo, of loot. Several TMC MPshave already faced arrests andcharge sheets. Why did the BJPwait for five years to investi-gate? To pull corrupt membersinto its own fold?” the CPIMgeneral secretary said.

Attacking both the BJPand the TMC, Yechury saidthat the stand of both the par-ties was “equally contradictoryand inconsistent”.

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India will send a draft toPakistan for finalisation of an

agreement for opening of theKartarpur Sahib corridor, whichwill facilitate easy passage to Sikhpilgrims to the historicGurdwara Darbar Sahib inPakistan. This was decided at ahigh-level meeting on Tuesday,convened to discuss how tofast-track the implementation ofthe Kartarpur corridor project.

The meeting was chaired byUnion Home Secretary RajivGauba and attended by IndianHigh Commissioner to PakistanAjay Bisaria, Punjab ChiefSecretary Karan Avtar Singh andothers. Kartarpur is located inShakargarh in Narowal districtof Pakistan’s Punjab. GuruNanak Dev, the founder ofSikhism, had spent more than 18years of his life there. TheKartarpur Sahib Gurdwara islocated on the banks of the Raviriver, about three-four km fromthe border in Pakistan.

“India will send within amonth the draft of the agree-

ment to be signed with Pakistanfor the Kartarpur corridor. Wehope the modalities will becompleted soon,” Punajb ChiefSecretary Karan Avtar Singh toldreporters after the hour-longmeeting. India has already com-municated to Pakistan the coor-dinates of Zero Point for theopening of the Kartarpur corri-dor, a home ministry officialsaid. The meeting discussedland acquisition for the highwayand for the Integrated CheckPost (ICP).

At the meeting, it wasinformed that the preliminarynotification for land acquisitionfor highway has already beenissued and the notification toacquire land for ICP will beissued on Wednesday. ThePunjab government has assuredthat the land will be made avail-able for both the projects bymid-March, the official said.Meanwhile, the possession of theland to commence preliminarywork will be made available tothe National Highway Authorityof India (NHAI) and Land PortsAuthority of India (LPAI).

According to the official, adetailed plan of ICP is expect-ed to be finalised within the nextfew days. The Punjab ChiefSecretary said the process of landacquisition is on the secondstage. On November 26 lastyear, Vice President VenkaiahNaidu laid the foundation stoneof the Dera Baba Nanak -Kartarpur Sahib Corridor (up tothe International Border) at anevent at Mann village ofGurdaspur district of Punjab.On November 28, PakistanPrime Minister Imran Khanlaid the foundation stone for the4-km corridor which is expect-ed to be completed by 2019.

The much-awaited corri-dor will connect Darbar Sahib inPakistan’s Kartarpur - the finalresting place of Sikh faith’sfounder Guru Nanak Dev -with Dera Baba Nanak shrine inIndia’s Gurdaspur district andfacilitate visa-free movement ofIndian Sikh pilgrims, who willhave to just obtain a permit tovisit Kartarpur Sahib, whichwas established in 1522 by GuruNanak Dev.

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The CBI has booked itsown head constable

Sudesh Kumar in a crim-inal case for stealing a bagcontaining �6 lakh dur-ing a search operation atthe residence of retiredWing Commander YSTomar at Sainik Farms inthe national capital.

Kumar, who wastasked to secure the back-side of the residentialpremises of Tomar atWestern Avenue, Sainik Farmson Friday, intercepted the bagwhile a maid was trying tothrow it out of the bathroomwindow.

The Deputy SP and searchteam leader had deployedKumar, also a member of theraiding party, to secure/controlthe backside of the house wherethe servant quarters are built.

Kumar threatened the ladyservant, locked her in the ser-

vant room and removed thebundle from the bathroomwindow, according to the FIR.

The conduct of Kumarcame to light when GauravTomar, a relative of the accused,told the Deputy SP that theHead Constable stolen hugecash in a bundle that was beingremoved from the bathroomwindow.

On being confronted,Kumar disclosed the places

where he had hidden thestolen money. On his dis-closure, Rs 2 lakh wasrecovered from the scraplying at the backside of thepremises and Rs 4 lakhfrom under the sofa ofanother relative of theaccused.

Being a member ofthe search team, Kumarshould have informed theteam leader and handedover the bag containingthe cash. The FIR saidKumar abused his official

position, threatened and lockedthe lady servant in the servantroom and hid the cash with dis-honest intention and did notreport to the team leader.

The agency slappedcharged under the Indian PenalCode including 342 (wrongfulconfinement and 380 (theftfrom a residential building)besides relevant provisions ofthe Prevention of CorruptionAct.

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The political face-offbetween the BJP and the

Trinamool Congress over theCBI’s attempt to questionKolkata Police Commissioneron the chit-fund scam domi-nated both the houses of theParliament and led to a washout of proceedings in the RajyaSabha for the second day onTuesday and triggered heatedexchanges between the rivalMPs in the Lok Sabha.

The proceedings of LokSabha were adjourned for near-ly 45 minutes on Tuesdaymorning amid noisy protests byTrinamool Congress membersover the CBI versus KolkataPolice issue.

A disturbed SpeakerSumitra Mahajan said, “You do

not have faith in CBI. You donot have faith in SupremeCourt ... This is not done ... Thecase is being heard by the SC.Let Parliament do its function.Let all institutions performtheir (respective) roles,” she saidwhile adjourning the proceed-ings till noon.

As soon as the House tookup Question Hour, agitatedTMC members rushed to theWell raising slogans against thePrime Minister and theCBI.Members from Congress,TRS, SP, RJD also entered theWell but did not raise slogans.

Interestingly, when theTMC members were shoutingslogans, their fellow memberand former Union MinisterDinesh Trivedi was asking asupplementary question onagriculture.

Later in the day theMotion of Thanks onPresident’s address was takenup for discussion that wit-nessed acrimonious scenes andslogan shouting in the LokSabha.

Principal oppositionCongress too staged a walk outsaying its members shouldhave been the first ones tospeak but were being denied achance. Speaker toldMallikarjun Kharge, leader ofthe Congress in Lok Sabha, thathe wasn’t present in the Housewhen his name was called.

As BJP MP HumkmdevNarayan Yadav initiated thediscussion, most the TMCmembers trooped into the Welland started shouting slogans.

Despite requests from theSpeaker, they continued with

their protest on the issue of CBItrying to question the Kolkatapolice chief in connection withthe chit fund scam cases.

When Yadav alleged that“corrupt and anti-social ele-ments” were grouping togeth-er against Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, most of theopposition members stood upand urged the Speaker toexpunge the statement.

As the verbal duel contin-ued, Aparupa Poddar (TMC)and Veena Devi (LJP) madethreatening gestures at eachother. The situation was

salvaged by senior mem-bers of the House. A visiblyupset Speaker then asked themembers to maintain decorumand adjourned the house for 10minutes till 2.30 pm.

Rajya Sabha proceedings

were washed out for the sec-ond day in a row amid protestsby opposition parties, includ-ing TMC, SP and Congress,over alleged misuse of the CBIin West Bengal.

As soon as the Houseresumed proceedings in theafternoon, members of theTMC, SP and Congresstrooped into the well raisingslogans like “Save Constitution,Save Nation”.

Deputy ChairmanHarivansh said oppositionmembers can raise issues underlaid down rules and proceduresof the House and they shouldallow discussion on the Motionof Thanks on the President’sAddress.

He said there is no limit onthe scope of discussion on anissue under rules.

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To assess the plight of farm-ers, the Ministry of

Agriculture has decided to carryout a pan-India survey to ascer-tain their income and indebt-edness among other issues forthe current crop year (July-June). The last such survey wasconducted for the reference year2012-13 (crop year). Thereafter,the National Sample SurveyOffice (NSSO) has not con-ducted any such survey.

Besides, the Governmentplans to launch an index to rankstates on the basis of ease ofdoing agri-business.

In a written reply to LokSabha, the Minister of State forAgriculture Gajendra SinghShekhawat said that the‘Situation Assessment Surveyof Agricultural Households’ willbe conducted during the 77thround of the National SampleSurvey in the current calendaryear. The survey aims to providea “comprehensive assessmentof the situation of agriculturalhouseholds in the country,including their income, expen-diture and indebtedness,” headded.

“...As such, the comparableestimates for rise in income ofagricultural households during2014-2018 are not available,” theminister informed.

Shekhawat further said thatthe periodicity of such a surveyis decided on the basis ofrequirements of the concernedministry, adequacy of the cur-rent data, availability of resourcesand manpower, emerging areasof concern and development pri-orities of the Government.

He also mentioned thatgiven the vastness of the coun-try’s size and resources involved,the NSSO conducts other sur-veys on household consumerexpenditure and employment-unemployment after every fiveyears. The inter-ministerial com-mittee on doubling farmers’income by 2022 has consideredthe estimates of agriculturehouseholds’ income obtainedfrom the 70th round of NSS sur-vey data as the base level income,he added.

Besides, the governmentplans to launch an index to rankstates on the basis of ease ofdoing agri-business. Under this,states may soon start receivingextra funding for the AgricultureMinistry’s flagship schemes onthe basis of their performance inencouraging agri-business, espe-cially with regard to marketing,land and governance reforms.After India jumped 23 places inthe Global Ease of DoingBusiness ranking of the WorldBank last year, the AgricultureMinistry planning to come outwith its own index to rankstates on ‘ease of doing agri-busi-ness’. The Ministry has sent aproposal to this effect on allStates and Union Territories. Asper the data available agricultureaccounts for around 17 per centof Gross Value Added while itdeploys 47 per cent of the workforce in the country. The pro-posed index will help in foster-ing agriculture among states bypromoting a competitive spirit.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi and Monaco’s reign-

ing monarch Prince Albert IIon Tuesday held wide-rangingtalks on stepping up coopera-tion, especially in the renewableenergy sector and in combat-ing climate change.

Prince Albert, who arrivedhere on Monday on a week-long India visit, met the PrimeMinister at Hyderabad Househere. There was a goodexchange of views on enhanc-ing cooperation, especially inenvironment and climatechange and renewable energy,through sharing best practices,Ministry of External AffairsSpokesperson Raveesh Kumarsaid.

India and Monaco estab-lished diplomatic relations in

2007, though their friendshipgoes back much further intime, he said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, ExternalAffairs Minister Sushma Swarajcalled on Prince Albert and dis-cussed opportunities for coop-

eration in the areas of envi-ronment, specially renewableenergy, investment into India,smart cities, marine ecosys-tems, tourism and people-to-people contacts, Kumar said.

On Monday, Prince Albert

attended the India-MonacoBusiness Forum.

The visiting dignitary willproceed on a private tour ofIndia after his official engage-ments and leave for home onFebruary 10.

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The Supreme Court onTuesday came down heav-

ily on the Centre over theAssam National Register ofCitizens (NRC) process andsaid it is hell bent on notallowing the work to continue.

The top court rappedMinistry of Home Affairs for itsplea seeking to stall the NRCwork for two weeks keeping inmind the role of CentralArmed Police Forces (CAPF)in the election duty.

Reiterating that July 31deadline for the completion ofNRC exercise will not beextended, a bench headed byChief Justice Ranjan Gogoisaid the Centre is not cooper-ating in the NRC process andit seems the entire effort of theMHA is to destroy the NRCprocess.

The apex court asked theElection Commission to con-sider exempting certain stateofficers from election duty toensure that NRC process con-tinues.

The top court had said onJanuary 24 that the July 31,2019 deadline to finalise theNRC for Assam cannot beextended. It had asked thestate government, the NRCco-ordinator and the EC toensure that the upcoming gen-eral elections did not slowdown the process.

The draft National Registerof Citizens for Assam was pub-lished on July 30, 2018 inwhich the names of 2.89 croreof the 3.29 crore people wereincluded. The names of40,70,707 people did not figurein the list. Of these, 37,59,630names have been rejected andthe remaining 2,48,077 are onhold.

Earlier, the apex court hadextended till December 31,2018 the deadline for filingclaims and objections for inclu-sion of names in the NRC inAssam by those who have beenleft out in the draft NRC.

It had also made clear thatthe deadline for verifying theclaims for inclusion in theNRC would be February 15,2019 instead of February 1.

The apex court hadallowed the use of five moredocuments by claimants for thedraft Assam NRC, saying thepremise “better to exclude gen-uine person than to include awrongful person” can’t beaccepted.

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The Supreme Court Tuesdayasked senior advocate

Ranjit Kumar, who is assistingit as an amicus curiae in a mat-ter related to administration ofJagannath temple in Puri, tovisit the shrine to assess theground reality there.

A bench headed by JusticeA K Sikri said this after thecounsel appearing for Odishaargued that the amicus shouldvisit the temple and himself seethe situation there.

When the bench askedKumar about it, he said hewould visit the temple onFebruary 22 and 23 and apprisethe court.

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New Delhi: After the SC rap,Home Minister RajnathSingh on Tuesday assertedthat the Government is com-mitted to complete the NRCprocess in Assam within thestipulated time and willensure that no foreigner isincluded or any Indian citizenexcluded. He also said thehome ministry wants thatthe National Register ofCitizens, a list of Assam’sresidents, is completed withfairness and for this the stategovernment has been pro-vided with all necessary assis-tance, including funds.“Our government is committed to complete theupdate of NRC within thestipulated time so that no for-eigner is included in it and noIndian is left out,” he told PTIhere. PTI

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Page 3: English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · was doctored copy of call records,” the Attorney General told the SC. The CBI alleged that the ... Janardhan Dwivedi

chhattisgarh 03RAIPUR | WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 06, 2019

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as chief guest of the concluding ceremony of ‘Mainpat Mahotsav’ giving away thecertificates to farmers on Tuesday. Health and Panchayat Minister T S Singhdeo and local MLAs are also seen in the picture.

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

All the cases filed against the ChitFund companies’ agents will be

withdrawn. A special court or officerwill look into matter to expedite itincluding as how to return back themoney to investors.

A decision to this effect was takenon Tuesday at a cabinet meetingchaired by Chief Minister BhupeshBaghel at Mantralaya (MahanadiBhawan). Several other importantdecisions were also taken.

Briefing the media after cabinetmeeting, Agriculture and WaterResources minister RavindraChoubey said, “Cabinet has decidedto withdraw all the cases filed againstthe Chit Fund companies' agents. The

government will make arrangementsto return the money of the localinvestors at the earliest.”

He said, “Around 286 agents hadbeen arrested, 263 challans had beenfiled against the agents in different

courts of state while 424 cases hadbeen instituted against the chit fundcompanies. There are around 199known Chift Fund Companies oper-ating in Chhattisgarh.” Minister said,“As per the estimates, an amount of Rs

11.5 million had been deposited byaround 2.70 lakh investors in the ChitFund Companies. So, cabinet helddiscussion over constituting SpecialCourts or Special officers to look intothe matter expeditiously.”

Govt decides to withdrawcases against chit fund agents STAFF REPORTER n JAGDALPUR

Congress President Rahul Gandhi willtake a brief halt at Jagdalpur airport on

Wednesday during his visit toBhawanipatna in Odisha.

Gandhi had called state leadership todiscuss strategy for Lok Sabha polls atJagdalpur. Bhawanipatna is most backwardarea under Kalahandi region of Odishawhere he would address a Kisan Rally.

As per party sources, the Congresspresident is arriving at district headquar-ters, Jagdalpur in a chartered plane. Hewould take a brief halt of about half an hourhere.

Senior party leaders including ChiefMinister Bhupesh Baghel will be present atJagdalpur. Baghel will brief him on state ofaffairs in the state as well as the prepara-tions being undertaken by the organiza-tions regarding Lok Sabha elections slatedby April/May.

Later, Baghel along with Industry

Minister Kawasi Lakhma will also accom-pany Gandhi to Bhawanipatna through achopper of air force.

The Congress leaders would try to con-vince the Odisha farmers that they toocould be benefitted like the farmers in statesof Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh andRajasthan, if they vote for Congress inupcoming polls in Odisha.

Rahul to take a briefhalt at Jagdalpur today

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

In a major decision,Congress government has

decided to revert the earlierorder issued by BharatiyaJanata Party led govern-ment regarding the mergerof District Co-Operativebanks with Apex Bank ofChhattisgarh.

In a cabinet decision,taken on Tuesday, presidedby Chief Minister BhupeshBaghel at Mantralaya(Mahanadi Bhawan), it wasdecided not to mergeDistrict Co-OperativeBanks with the Apex Bank.Meanwhile, orders hadbeen given in this regard tothe Co-OperativeDepartment. Instead, it is

being focused to furtherexpand and strengthen thecooperative sector in state.

Agriculture and WaterResources ministerRavindra Choubey onpaddy procurement said,“The target for purchasingthe paddy on MinimumSupport Price (MSP) for theKharif season 2018-2019 was fixed at 75lakh Metric tonne. Thestate government hasprocured around 80.36lakh Metric ton paddy.Directives have beengiven to resolve theissue to deal with theexcess procured paddy.”

Choubey furthersaid, “There was adetailed discussion onmaking amendments in

the Land Acquisition andRehabilitation Act in con-text to the agricultural landtaken back from the TataSteel at Lohandiguda inBastar district”.

The government hadearlier decided to return theacquired land to the rightfultribal owners of land.

Govt not to merge Distt Co-opBanks with Apex Bank

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel onTuesday allocated the charges of

different districts to his cabinet col-leagues. Most of the ministers alongwith district of their respective assem-bly constituency have been madeincharge of nearby districts.

Minister Shiv Kumar Daharia hasbeen madeincharge ofRaipur andBaloda Bazard i s t r i c t sw h i l eTamradhwajSahu willhold chargeof Durg andBemetara.

T.S. Singhdeo has been madeincharge of Surguja, Surajpur andBalrampur districts while RavindraChoubey has been allocated Bilaspurand Mungeli.

Umesh Patel has been made incharge of Raigarh and Jashpur, RudraGuru of Dhamtari, Gariaband andMahasamund, Mohammad Akbar ofKawardha and Rajnandgaon, DrPremsai Singh of Janjgir Champa,Jaisingh Agrawal Korba and Koriawhile Anila Bhedia has been given

Balod and Kanker districts.The lone minister from Bastar

region, Kawasi Lakhma had been madein charge of maximum number of dis-tricts which include all the districts inBastar Lok Sabha constituency namelyKondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar,Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma.

Ministers get new assignmentas incharge for districts

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

Bharatiya Janata Party alleged onTuesday that Chhattisgarh gov-

ernment is adoptingall means to push thestate in total debt byimplementing pop-ulist schemes just forurgent politicalgains.

Commenting onstate governmentapproaching RBI forsecond loan within45 days of the forma-tion of new govern-ment, BJP state spokespersonSachchidanand Upasane said,“Within 45 days of Congress govern-ment, around Rs 3000 crore loan isbeing taken which will indirectly bea burden on poor and farmers.”

Comparing it with the BJP gov-ernment, he said, “In last 18 years,previous governments have taken

loan of Rs 36,000 crore for develop-mental works which on average peryear falls to Rs 2000 crore. But it is

unfortunate thatwithin 45 daysaround Rs 3000 croreloan is being taken.”

He saysChhattisgarh hadbeen considered as astate which has beentaking the least loanwhich is total to 17.4percent of the GSDPbut other states it ismore than average of24 percent. Upasane

alleged that if same tempo contin-ues, then within 5 years theCongress government will push thestate to bankruptcy.

He further said that keeping inview of Lok Sabha election,Congress government is continuingwith populist announcements whichhave led to such a situation.

Populist schemes pushing stateto bankruptcy, alleges BJP

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

“Irrespective of the fact the person isa minister or an MLA, only a can-

didate whoever is winnable would befielded by the Congress for the LokSabha polls”, said Minister forAgriculture, Water Resources, Law andLegal affairs and Parliamentary Affairs,Ravindra Choubey.

He, however, added that a finaldecision in this regard has to be takenby the party high command. Choubeywas speaking to media persons here atMahanadi Bhawan, Atal Nagar afterbriefing about the cabinet decisions.

Commenting on a query on sched-uled visits of Prime Minister NarendraModi and BJP National President AmitShah, he said, “It was good that they arearriving but they must see as how stateBJP leaders are treating female scribeand attacking journalists.”

Regarding 10 percent reservationsto the general category, Choubey saidCongress had backed the bill in parlia-

ment, so in state, it will enforce reserva-tions soon.

Commenting on a query whetherthe state government was taking a loan,the minister said, “Many major deci-sions have been taken by the state gov-ernment including the farm loan waiv-er. So, if, there was a need for someloan, it could be taken”.

Lok Sabha ticket only towinnable candidates: Choubey

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

Ministry of Railway hascleared the proposal of

extending Rourkela-Koraput Expresstrain till Jagdalpur,the tribal heartland ofBastar region.

This will benefitthe people fromBastar division tocommute to state ofOdisha with ease.

Rajya Sabhamember of BharatiyaJanata Party,Ramvichar Netamhad raised thedemand before the Railway min-istry.

Through a letter to Netam,the Railway Minister Piyush

Goyal informed him that he hadapproved the proposal of extend-ing 18107/10108 Rourkela-Koraput Express till Jagdalpur.

Soon, the service will com-mence, which will pave way forsocio-economic development ofthe Bastar region, Goyalexpressed his anticipation.

Rourkela-Koraput Expextended till Jagdalpur STAFF REPORTER n JAGDALPUR

The Nagarnar Steel Plant willcommence operation soon.

Additional to it several ancillaryindustries will be established,where there will be requirement ofskilled labour said, Joint secretary,Government of India and inchargeofficer of Aspirational Districts ofBastar.

He was holding review meet-ing at Bastar district on Tuesdayand reviewing the different stan-dards of skill development.

Pingua further said, “Based onthe requirements of these industriesthe local youths would be impartedtraining.” Pingua also reviewed thefacilities being available underanganbadi along with health andnutrition. It was informed at themeeting that in Bastar district 31sub-health centre and primaryhealth centres have been convertedas ‘Health and Wellness Centre’.

Joint secretary directed the officialsto identify the drop out childrenwhile reviewing the education. He

also reviewed the status of toilets inschool, pure drinking water, cropinsurance scheme, irrigation, Prime

Minister Mudra Scheme, AtalPension Scheme, PM Jeevan Jyotiand others.

Nagarnar Steel Plant will commence ops soon

Page 4: English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · was doctored copy of call records,” the Attorney General told the SC. The CBI alleged that the ... Janardhan Dwivedi

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With Lok Sabha polls weeksaway, the ever dynamic

political equations in Haryanais likely to change with theregional parties—IndianNational Lok Dal (INLD) andits splinter group JannayakJanta party (JJP)–to play a keyrole in formation of newalliances.

While INLD and BahujanSamaj party tie up is on theverge of a breakup after theirhumiliating defeat in Jindbypoll, the JJP is looking toform an alliance with AamAadmi Party or BahujanSamaj Party.

In Jind bypoll, which wasconsidered as the “semi-final”of 2019 general elections, theINLD’s candidate, UmedSingh, had finished at fifthspot and could secure only3454 votes, losing his securi-ty deposit.

The INLD not only failedto retain its Jind Assemblyseat, which it had won in 2009and 2014 polls, but also endedup behind the candidates ofBJP, JJP, Congress andLoktantra Suraksha Party inthe bypoll.

On the other hand, thenew entrant, JJP’s candidate,Digvijay Chautala, who isgreat grandson of formerDeputy Prime MinisterChaudhary Devi Lal finished

at second spot and got 3,7631votes followed by Congress’Randeep Singh Surjewala whosecured 22740 votes.

A day after BSP supremoMayawati hinted at breakingties with the INLD in Haryanaahead of general elections,the BSP held a meeting inRohtak to deliberate over thefuture of their alliance.

BSP’s Haryana in-charge,Meghraj, while talking to themediapersons on Tuesday saidthat the split in INLD hasaffected the party and this waswitnessed in the Jind bypoll.If the Chautala family doesnot come together, we willhave to rethink about ouralliance with the INLD. BSPsupremo Mayawati will take afinal call in this regard.”

Har yana BSP chief,Prakash, Bharti said that theINLD was united at the timeof alliance with BSP in April2018. But the split in INLDhas affected the party’s per-formance. We will take a finalcall regarding our alliance

soon, he said.When asked whether the

BSP will form an alliancewith the JJP, Bharti said thatBSP chief will take the finaldecision on an alliance withanother party in Haryana.

The BSP had a day beforeissued a statement after itspresident Mayawati had metparty leaders from Haryanaand reviewed the party func-tioning in the State.

“The BSP chief wasapprised of the inner conflictsin the Chautala family, whichis harming the BSP pollprospects in the State. TheBSP is thinking over contest-ing the future elections inall iance only after the(Chautala) family resolves itsdifferences and come togeth-er or else the party will beforced to have a rethink on thematter,” the statement hadstated.

Notably, the INLD, found-ed in October 1996 byChoudhary Devi Lal, had splitlast year following a powerstruggle between brothersAbhay Chautala and AjayChautala.

JJP, a breakaway faction ofthe INLD, was formed afterINLD’s chief OP Chautalahad expelled his three familymembers–his elder son AjayChautala and grandsons HisarMP Dushyant Chautala andDigvijay Chautala from the

party.In absence of OP Chautala

and Ajay Chautala, who areundergoing 10 years impris-onment after their convic-tion in JBT teachers’ scam in2013, the Leader of oppositionand INLD’s senior leaderAbhay Chautala is steering theparty while Dushyant is lead-ing the JJP.

The INLD and BSP hadentered into an alliance inApril last year and hadannounced that both parties

would jointly contest 2019Lok Sabha and HaryanaAssembly polls. The alliancewas formed eyeing the con-solidation of Jat and dalit votebank in Haryana.

Both the parties had ear-lier tied up in 1998 Lok Sabhapolls but they parted wayslater.

Haryana has 10 Lok Sabhaseats where seven seats werewon by BJP, two by INLD andone by Congress in 2014 gen-eral election.

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With INLD-BSP tie up islikely to end soon, the

JJP is set to form an alliancewith AAP to contest ensuingLok Sabha polls. The AAP hadearlier extended support to JJPcandidate in Jind bypoll.

Arvind Kejriwal, whoheld meetings in Rohtak andHisar, while talking to themediapersons on Tuesday,said that good people shouldcome together to fight againstBJP. Asked whether AAP willjoin hands with the JJP,Kejriwal said that we areready to form an alliancewith parties of same ideology

like us.On the other hand,

Dushyant’s younger brother,Digvijay Chautala said theywould tie up with AAP orBSP, adding that both havesimilar ideologies like us.

Sources said that the lead-ers of JJP and AAP havealready held a meeting todiscuss seat sharing arrange-ments for the Lok Sabha polls.A meeting between ArvindKejriwal and DushyantChautala is scheduled to beheld in the coming days todiscuss the seat sharing afterwhich a formal announce-ment of their alliance will bemade.

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All police officials, equiva-lent to the rank of Head

Constable or above, can nowissue challans to the offendersof anti-tobacco laws in Punjab.

To ensure the strict com-pliance of Cigarette and OtherTobacco Products (Supply andDistribution) Act-2003 in theState, the State Government hasissued the list of competentpersons to issue challan whosmoke tobacco at public places.

“Now, all police officials,equivalent to the rank of HeadConstable or above and police

officials who are authorised toissue traffic challan are alsocompetent to act against anyperson who commits anyoffence under section 4 or sec-tion 6 of COTPA within juris-diction in the State of Punjab,”said a Government spokesper-son.

To review the action takenby stakeholder departmentsunder State Tobacco ControlProgramme, a meeting of thestate level CoordinationCommittee was held underthe chairmanship of AdditionalChief Secretary (Health) SatishChandra at Committee Roomof Mini Secretariat.

The State Programme offi-cer of National TobaccoControl Programme, Dr NirlepKaur, informed that as many as16,828 challans have beenissued to the violators and �9.4lakh were collected as fineunder anti-tobacco campaignduring April to December2018.

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To promote art and culturein the State, four Multi Art

Cultural Centres will be set upat block level in Haryana.

An approval to this effecthas been given during themeeting of governing body ofHaryana Kala Parishad heldhere under Haryana Art andCultural Affairs Minister Ram

Bilas Sharma on Tuesday.The rules and regulations

of ser vice of RegionalDirectors of Multi ArtCultural Centres were dis-cussed during the meeting.

Presiding over the meet-ing, Sharma said that throughHaryana Kala Parishad, theState Government is promot-ing and protecting the rich artand culture of the State.

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Bathinda’s history datesback to the time when

Razia Sultana, the first andonly lady ruler of the DelhiSultanates, was imprisonedin Qila Mubarak fort aftershe was defeated and

dethroned. But most peo-ple nowadays associate thefifth largest city of Punjabwith the battles not on thefield, but on the politicalturf.

Ever since HarsimratKaur Badal—Punjab’s five-time Chief MinisterParkash Singh Badal’s

daughter-in-law and SADpresident Sukhbir Badal’swife—made an entry inBathinda electoral field, ithas virtually turned thearena for political bigwigs.And every time, she hasconquered— defeating herbrother-in-law ManpreetBadal in 2014, and the

Congress stalwart CaptAmarinder Singh’s sonRaninder Singh in 2009.

This time too, theBathinda battlefield isexpected to witness a cliff-hanger with PunjabFinance Minister ManpreetBadal, and Aam AadmiParty’s (AAP) “rebel” leader

Sukhpal SinghKhaira givingenough indi-cations to endHarsimrat’ssupremacy inthe con-stituency.

F o ralmost ad e c a d e ,Bathinda hasbeen theBadals’ forte.But this time,the rival polit-ical parties arecontemplatingthe fielding oftheir strong

candidates for breakinginto the Badals’ bastion.

Union FoodProcessing MinisterHarsimrat’s candidature asSAD-BJP combine’s nom-inee is incontestable. Onthe other hand, the processof ticket allocation is yet tobegin, rather, even theprocess of short-listing ofcandidates have notreached conclusive stagein the Congress and AAP.

However, a set of sup-porters in the Congressparty want estranged Badal(read Manpreet) to find hisway into the Parliamentthrough Bathinda. But atthe same time, anothersection of party leadersalso insisted on having a“local” and “popular”leader to give a tough fightto the two-time MP. It wasargued that “Badal” wouldnot be enough to defeatHarsimrat.

Manpreet, only recent-

ly, expressed his desire tocontest elections fromBathinda againstHarsimrat. At the sametime, he made it clear thatneither his wife, VeenuBadal, nor his son ArjanBadal, would contest the2019 elections.

For the seat, the nameof Nirvan Singh, the ChiefMinister Capt AmarinderSingh’s grandson, was alsodoing the rounds. WithCapt Amarinder talking interms of hanging his bootssooner, he is introducinghis daughter Jai InderKaur’s younger son,Nirvan, into the politics.

The presence ofNirvan, 27-year-old scionof the erstwhile Patialaroyal family, along withhis Chief Minister grand-father in official meetings,party rallies hardly gounnoticed. Notably, Nirvanhas been handling CaptAmarinder’s social media,

and is being seen as hispolitical heir after his son,Raninder Singh, failed tomake a mark.

Raninder had unsuc-cessfully contested twoelections so far includingBathinda Lok Sabhaseat in 2009 againstHarsimrat and lost by1,20,948 votes. CaptAmarinder hasalready made it clearthat his son was notinterested in politics.

“Bathinda wouldbe the perfect launchpad for Nirvan as thePatiala royalty havetheir ancestral villagein the constituency—Mehraj in RampuraPhul tehsil of Bathindadistrict —and a suit-able choice against theBadals,” said a seniorCongress leader.

While theCongress leaders arediscussing the names

of the two bigwigs, candi-dature of party’s formerMLA Ajit Inder SinghMofar, and Bathinda dis-trict (rural) presidentKhusbaz Jatana are alsounder consideration.

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The Pakistan Government’sdecision to abolish the Haj

subsidy will save Rs 450 croreto national exchequer, thecountry’s Religious Affairs andInterfaith Harmony MinisterNoorul Haq Qadri has said.

The decision to abolishthe Haj subsidy was taken dur-ing a federal Cabinet meetingchaired by Prime MinisterImran Khan in Islamabadrecently, sparking a debatewhether Islam allows a sub-sidised Haj or not.

“The previous (PML-N)government was paying Rs42,000 subsidy on each pilgrimwhich put an additional burdenof Rs 450 crore on nationalexchequer. Keeping the currentfinancial situation of the coun-try, the Federal Cabinet has

decided to withdraw this sub-sidy,” Qadri was quoted as say-ing by The News on Tuesday.

This year 184,000Pakistanis will perform Hajout of which 107,000 will go onGovernment quota whereasthe remaining will performthe pilgrimage on privatequota, the minister said.

“The Government haswithdrawn Rs 450 crore finan-cial assistance which it was pay-ing as subsidy for the pilgrims.Major chunk of Haj’s inflatedprice is due to rupee devalua-tion and Value Added Tax(VAT) imposed by the SaudiGovernment,” he said.

“Pakistan’s Haj expendi-ture are still the lowest in theregion if you count it in US dol-lar as India, Bangladesh,Malaysia and Indonesia arecharging more in term of USdollars. My Ministry had pro-posed that the subsidy shouldnot be abolished but theFederal Cabinet decidedagainst it,” the Minister said.

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Pope Francis held a historicpublic mass for an estimat-

ed 1,70,000 Catholics at a sta-dium in the capital of theUnited Arab Emirates onTuesday, capping the first everpapal visit to the Gulf whereIslam was born.

The pontiff waved at theenthusiastic crowd carryingyellow Vatican flags and ban-ners as he rode in an open-topPopemobile into Zayed SportsCity Stadium, where an altarwith a large cross was set up forthe unprecedented open-airservice in a country that nor-mally restricts worship to insidechurches.

The UAE borders SaudiArabia, the birthplace of Islam,but unlike its larger neigh-bour, which outlaws all non-Muslim places of worship, AbuDhabi allows Christians amongits large migrant workforce to

practise their faith discreetly.Francis, who has made

outreach to Muslim commu-nities a cornerstone of hispapacy, wrapped up his historicthree-day visit with the mass.

The pope’s public com-ments in Abu Dhabi have cen-tered on calls to end warsacross the Middle East and pro-tect the rights of all citizens. Ina homily on Tuesday, he turnedto the tens of thousands ofmigrant workers living in the

Emirates.“It is most certainly not

easy for you to live far fromhome, missing the affection ofyour loved ones, and perhapsalso feeling uncertainty aboutthe future,” the pope said. “Butthe Lord is faithful and doesnot abandon his people.”

Pope Francis’ trip has beenwarmly welcomed by Filipinoand Indian Catholics amongthe UAE’s huge migrant work-force.

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Russia’s Defence MinisterSergei Shoigu on Tuesday

said the country must developnew types of missile systems inthe next two years afterWashington and Moscowripped up a key arms controltreaty.

The United States hasrepeatedly accused Russia ofviolating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF)agreement and on Friday President DonaldTrump said Washington wasstarting the process of with-drawing from the treaty in sixmonths.

Paris: At least 10 people diedand 30 were injured in anovernight blaze at an apartmentblock in Paris that police aretreating as possible arson, offi-cials said on Tuesday.

The fire on the upper floorsof the building in the rueErlanger in the upmarket 16thdistrict of southwest Paris is themost deadly in the capital since2005. Videos from the sceneshowed flames leaping out oftop floor windows and firemenclimbing flimsy ladders to res-cue terrified residents, somedressed only in pyjamas, fromthe top of the eight-storeyblock. Described by one rescue

worker as a “scene of incredi-ble violence”, the blaze leftaround 30 people — includingsix firefighters — injured andat least 10 people have died, thefire service said.

“One person who lives inthe building has been arrested.She’s a 40-year-old womanwho has prior psychologicalproblems,” Paris prosecutorRemy Heitz said from thescene on Tuesday where smokecould still be seen rising fromthe area. An investigation hasbeen opened into the criminalcharge of causing death byarson amid fears that the tollcould climb further. AFP

Ouagadougou Burkina: Faso’sarmed forces have killed 146jehadis in three counterterroroperations in the northwestnear the border with Mali, theArmy’s commander generalsaid. The Army’s responsecame after armed men attackedKain village in Yatengaprovince early Monday, killing14 people, Gen. MoiseMinoungou said on nationaltelevision Monday night.

The Army response,including air support, includ-ed fighting in Bahn in the northregion. AP

Tokyo: Japan announcedTuesday it has canceled a portcall in South Korea by its mainwarship during a multilateralnaval exercise as relationsbetween the two Asian neigh-bors fall to their lowest level inrecent years.

The Defense Ministry saidit will not send the helicoptercarrier Izumo to Busan insouthern South Korea in April.

The ministry said it plansto participate in the rest of theexercise and hopes that bilateralties will improve. AP

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Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump will focus onkey issues like immigration,national security and tradeand call for unity in a hugelydivided Congress in his annu-al State of the Union address onTuesday as he begins the sec-ond half of his first term in theWhite House.

Contrary to his aggressivetweets and his frequent lashingout against the oppositionDemocratic leadership, Trumpintends to portray a picture ofnational unity in resolving thechallenges being faced by thecountry, officials familiar withpreparations for the State of theUnion Address said. PTI

Page 6: English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · was doctored copy of call records,” the Attorney General told the SC. The CBI alleged that the ... Janardhan Dwivedi

The Conference of the Parties(COP) with its 24th session as apart of the United NationsFramework Convention onClimate Change (UNFCCC) took

place in Katowice, Poland, in December2018. Particularly relevant was the fact thatKatowice is located at the very heart ofPoland’s coal resources and this source ofenergy provides Poland with about 80 percent of the country’s electricity supply.Clearly, this is in sharp contrast with thedirection that is required to mitigate climatechange by phasing out fossil fuels.

The Polish leadership has beenemphasising for some time now what itcalls a “just transition.” At another level,an unfortunate development, which goescounter to the science of climate change,is the obstruction of the delegations fromthe US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwaitin questioning the special report of theIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC), which clearly maps outthe science behind accepting the limit of1.5oC by the end of this century asopposed to 2.0oC, which had tentativelybeen decided during the Paris Agreementon Climate Change in 2015. As the special report clearly shows the impactsand risks associated with the rangebetween average temperatures that cover1.5oC to those at 2.0oC are quite signifi-cant. Risks associated with the 2.0oClimit are, therefore, considerably higherthan those at 1.5oC.

As a result there would be several vul-nerable regions and communities acrossthe globe which would suffer the negativeconsequences of these impacts and risks.In fact, it is now obvious that extremeevents related to heat waves, extreme pre-cipitation events, extreme sea level riserelated events and the damage carried outby hurricanes and cyclones is on theincrease in frequency and intensity acrossthe globe. This reality has to be seenagainst the well-established principle of“common but differentiated responsibil-ity” because it indicates insensitivity on thepart of countries which are primarilyresponsible for increase in the concentra-tion of greenhouse gases historicallywhile the most vulnerable societies in theworld are the ones who have had noresponsibility whatsoever in contributingto the emissions and concentration ofGHGs in the past.

The one outcome of Katowice whichcan be treated as a contribution to theefforts in dealing with climate change iswhat is referred to as the Paris Rule Book.Essentially this is truly an operatingmanual which is required for implemen-tation of the Paris Agreement. There area number of technical and socio-politicalissues included in this rule book such ashow countries are required to report theirGHG emissions as well as contributions

to climate finance. It also lays down clear-cut

rules on voluntary marketmechanisms such as carbontrading. This rule book wasthe subject of considerablediscussion and contentionbetween specific countries.The homework for this wasactually carried out on thebasis of a large meeting inBangkok, Thailand which washeld in September 2018, butthat conference failed to reachagreement on the subject,and thus took up time at theCOP in Katowice. Overallthis resulted in a substantialeffort being put in at Katowiceon the technical and the otherdetails for coming up with anacceptable system. It almostseems that in a rush to reachagreement in Paris in 2015the rule book was postponedfor finalising subsequently.Some policy makers and ana-lysts actually questionwhether this could have beendone before the ParisAgreement, even if the agree-ment itself was postponed to2016.

Whatever is required tobe done both with the rulebook and the ParisAgreement itself, it is partic-ularly important that humansociety needs to work out anarrangement by which wereach a limit of no more than1.5oC by the end of the cen-tury. One important consid-

eration in this would be theavoidance of an overshootscenario. In other words, itwould be wrong to suggestthat the world could exceed1.5oC and then this could bebrought down quicklythrough technologies, struc-tural changes and humanbehaviour by the end of thecentury. Such overshoot sce-narios would create seriousimpacts and risks, whichtoday’s younger generationwould find totally unaccept-able. Also the feasibility ofdescending below an over-shoot scenario is question-able, because the technolog-ical challenges and institu-tional responses in that casecould prove to be insur-mountable.

India has to realise, likethe other countries of theworld, that whatever mayhappen, the 1.5oC target isnow totally sacrosanct. As ademocracy, a society dedicat-ed to sustainable develop-ment and a country with alarge percentage of youth —who would face the risks ofclimate change — we haveevery reason to induce,encourage and motivate everycountry in the world to mit-igate emissions of GHGs.This, of course, would requirethe persuasion by many stake-holders of national govern-ments to adopt policies andmeasures which are totally

effective. A case in pointwould be that of Germanywhere its programme“Energiewende” has been aremarkable case of energytransformation, despite thefact that Germany is com-pletely at the bottom of list inrenewable energy resources.China is also making greatstrides, and it would alsohelp us greatly to join handswith that nation.

A move towards a fossilfuel-free world is the newdiplomacy that India needs topractise. Diplomats do notnecessarily have to lose theirtraditional base; in order todo so, apart from goingaround the cocktail circuit,they need to push mitigationactions which are totally inthe interest of India and cer-tainly in the interest of thisplanet and the species whichlive on it. What we need,therefore, is a blending ofdomestic actions with a hugestep up in diplomatic relationsby which India is at the cen-tre of promoting a sustainablesociety, however challengingand difficult that might be.That incidentally is also thedirection in which trade willexpand, and we would do wellto build on these opportuni-ties ahead.

(The writer is formerchairman, IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change,2002-15)

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Sir — Congress leaderMallikarjun Kharge has shotoff a dissenting note against theappointment of Rishi KumarShukla as ‘the’ not neededCentral Bureau of Investigation(CBI) director.

The reason for his opposition is that Shukla doesnot have enough experience inhandling corruption cases. Butexperience is gained only aftertaking up a job.

Moreover, the selectionpanel included the Chief Justiceof India, Ranjan Gogoi. It is thewrit of the Chief Justice or hisrepresentative that runs large inthe appointment or removal ofa CBI director. It goes withoutsaying that the Prime Ministerand the Opposition party leader,who also form the part of thepanel as members, do not seeeye-to-eye on any issue.

‘The’ not needed politicshas plunged to such a low levelthat the Opposition leader ishell-bent on opposing anythingthat the Prime Minister propos-es or favours.

KV Seetharamaiah Hassan

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Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Video game problems”(February 04). The way technol-ogy, smartphones and data haveexploded in the last decade or so,the day is not far when India,like China and South Korea, willhave to establish de-addictioncentres. But I wonder if banning

games altogether would solvethe problem. Ultimately, it boilsdown to the parents and society.We need to be pro-active inensuring that we spend as muchtime as possible with our chil-dren and counsel them about thepotential harms of video games.We must opt for a balancedapproach to handle this issue.

Bal GovindNoida

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Sir — The Ayodhya land disputeis in the news again with a dhar-ma sansad — a two-day conclaveof Hindu saints — having beenorganised at the Kumbh mela andsloganeering having taken placefor the announcement of the datefor the construction of the Rammandir . It had also been

announced that a massive con-gregation of sadhus will leaveAllahabad and duly marchtowards Ayodhya, thus buildingpressure for the construction ofthe temple to start. With such anissue gaining prominence onceagain, there is a strong possibil-ity of communal hostility increas-ing. It is the responsibility of theGovernment to ensure that noviolence in the name of religiontakes place, especially when theAyodhya case is still sub judice.

MFU TandviNew Delhi

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Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Immigration dilemma”(February 5). Students yearn toget a visa to the US for educa-tional purposes and also to geta well-paid job. But it is also afact that many unscrupulouselements defraud the system.Parents as well as students mustbe vigilant and must not do any-thing that brings disrepute.

SunitaVia email

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Page 7: English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · was doctored copy of call records,” the Attorney General told the SC. The CBI alleged that the ... Janardhan Dwivedi

Regional parties will be theking-makers in the ensuingLok Sabha election. Even the

New York Times last week pointedout, “Most analysts believe neitherModi’s party, the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP), nor the Indian NationalCongress will win an outright major-ity. That means regional and caste-based parties will probably becomethe king-makers…”

Despite the ‘Modi wave’ ridinghigh, the combined strength ofregional parties in the 2014 poll was212 seats. This proves that theycannot be ignored. Their vote share,too, was almost equal. Regionalsatraps like West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee, OdishaChief Minister Naveen Patnaik and

late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister JJayalalithaa held their sway over theirrespective States.

The BJP might have a tough timefighting these parties. As a strategy,the saffron party will have to face theSamajwadi Party (SP) and theBahujan Samaj Party (BSP) combinein Uttar Pradesh, ally with the JanataDal (United) to take on the RashtriyaJanata Dal (RJD) coalition in Bihar,try to expand in West Bengal andOdisha and wait for a post-poll dealwith the Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS) and the YSR Congress Party,as well as the All India Anna DravidaMunnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)in Tamil Nadu.

Interestingly, going for astraight fight with the Congressmight be an easy task for the BJPthan facing different regional par-ties in these States. Confronting itcould just be ‘Congress-bashing’ butit needs different narratives tocounter different regional partieslike the Telugu Desam Party (TDP),YSR Congress, TRS, Biju Janata Dal(BJD), Trinamool Congress (TMC),

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) and AIADMK, who havepitted regional narratives to counterthe nationalist narrative of the BJP.

In the south, where the region-al parties hold sway, the BJP wonjust 22 seats in 2014 despite theModi wave. It has no allies in thesouthern States — the BJP’s attemptto strike an alliance with theAIADMK and the DMK in thepost-Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhiera has failed so far. Kerala oscillatesbetween two major coalitions, theUnited Democratic Front (UDF)and the Left Democratic Front(LDF); while Andhra Pradesh andTelangana are under the hold ofregional satraps.

There is a mushroom growth ofregional parties since caste-basedidentity politics emerged in the1980s. They work on four majorplanks — autonomy, (parties likeNational Conference), statehood(earlier Telangana and now the AamAadmi Party), identity (Shiv Sena)and development. Often, they com-bine two or more of these for their

emergence. There are several reasons for the

growth of regional parties like dis-enchantment with national parties,craving for development, emergenceof strong regional leaders and emo-tional issues that catch the attentionof the public. In some States likeTamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,Odisha, Bihar and Telangana, region-al parties have succeeded in achiev-ing significant success by addressingissues of development and gover-nance. In Tamil Nadu, Governmentsled by the AIADMK or the DMKhave performed well in public health.In Odisha and Andhra Pradesh,State Governments have done well indealing with natural disasters.

Vote share of these regional par-ties, too has grown in the last twodecades. Even in the recent Assemblypolls in Telangana and Mizoram, itwas the regional parties that per-formed well, a post-2014 trend clear-ly visible in States with sizeablepresence of non-BJP and non-Congress parties. Also, in most StateAssembly elections, the BJP’s loss was

at the hands of regional parties.Therefore, it is clear that regional par-ties may play an important role in thegeneral election.

Interestingly, some regionalparties have national ambitionstoo. While Andhra Pradesh ChiefMinister N Chandrababu Naidu isworking for a national anti-BJPfront, his bête noire, KChandrashekhar Rao, is aiming toform a federal front of non-BJP andnon-Congress parties to take on theBJP.

The SP-BSP-RLD alliance inUttar Pradesh might hurt the BJP inthe State. They contested the recentLok Sabha and Assembly by-elec-tions together with stunning results.Realising the importance, theCongress is stitching alliances withregional parties in several States. Itis going to be a direct fight betweenthe BJP and the Congress in at leastfive major States — Gujarat, MadhyaPradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarhand Haryana. In other States, region-al parties will wield power.

The Congress has struck

alliances with some of them. Thisincludes Maharashtra (NationalistCongress Party), Kerala (UDF),Karnataka ( JDS), Jammu &Kashmir (National Conference)Tamil Nadu (DMK), Bihar (RJD)and Jharkhand (Jharkhand MuktiMorcha). It is crucial for theCongress and its allies to performwell to cross the halfway mark (272)in the Lower House in the ensuingLok Sabha election.

If these alliances hold togetherduring the general election, resultswill be very different from the2014 elections. Knowing theirimportance, regional satraps arealso flexing their muscles; althoughonly the Congress and the BJP cancross the 50-seat mark. It’s clear thatfor the BJP, the winning tally willdepend largely on how the partycopes with these regional parties asthey are the main challengers. Itmust go for a State-specific strate-gy to fight them.

(The writer is a senior politicalcommentator and syndicated columnist)

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An unpublished periodic labour forcesurvey by the National SampleSurvey Office for 2017-18 on thestate of employment in Indiarevealed the real story on job crisis

in the country. The undisclosed report wouldhave been India’s first official survey on jobs after2011-12. According to the report, unemploy-ment rate rose from 2.2 per cent in 2011-12 to6.1 per cent in 2017-18, which is the highest inthe last 45 years since 1972-73. In particular,unemployment rate among the youth (15-29years) jumped from five per cent in 2011-12 toa massive 17.4 per cent in 2017-18 in rural areas,while unemployment rate among women of thesame age group in rural areas increased from 4.8per cent in 2011-12 to 13.6 per cent in 2017-18.In urban areas, a whopping 18.7 per cent ofyoung men and 27.2 per cent of young womenwere unemployed in 2017-18.

This data was also confirmed by the Centrefor Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), anindependent think-tank, which recently pub-lished a report stating that unemployment ratein India was at 7.4 per cent in December, 2018.However, there isn’t enough official informationabout job creation, except a few sectoral reportswith the limitation on job creation and specu-lation of job losses due to the implementationof demonetisation, Goods and Services Tax andautomation. The CMIE report revealed that 11million jobs were lost alone in 2018, while theReserve Bank of India’s KLEMS databaseshowed that around seven lakh jobs were lostin the textiles, textile products and leather sec-tors between 2014 and 2016.

On the other hand, the Employees’Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) datarevealed that 18 million jobs were created in thelast 15 months with some limitations and thelabour bureau data showed that 4.2 million newjobs were created during 2016-17. TheGovernment claimed that the transport sectoralone contributed 3.4 million jobs in 2018; lead-ing cab aggregators, Ola and Uber, addedabout 2.2 million jobs; the IT sector contributedclose to 1.5 million jobs; around 10 million peo-ple were registered under the Pradhan MantriRojgar Protsahan Yojana; loans worth �15.43were given to 120 million people via Mudrascheme; road construction added three millionjobs; and around 19,000 start-ups have provid-ed jobs to thousands of people in recent years.

Citing these figures, NITI Aayog CEO,Amitabh Kant, asserted, “So, are we saying thatno jobs are being created. This to my mind isunbelievable.” There are stories of both job-gainsand job-losses in the past, yet the truth is thatwe have achieved the highest level of unemploy-ment, particularly among the youth. The impor-tant point here is that the much-awaitedemployment-unemployment data by the NSSOsurvey was disclosed to the public by a nation-al newspaper and not by the Government.

The fiasco on NSSO data started after theresignation of two independent members — PCMohanan and J Meenakshi — of the NationalStatistical Commission (NSC) on January 29,who said that they did not like the way theGovernment shelved the NSSO employment

report, which was vetted by the NSC in earlyDecember, 2018. They also reportedly com-plained that the Government released back-series Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data inNovember, 2018, without even taking theirinputs into consideration.

The back-series data was controversialbecause it dramatically reduced the growth rateachieved during the United Progressive Front’s(UPA) tenure. Statistics commission head PCMohanan said, “Both of us in the commissionhave been feeling that we are not effectively dis-charging the responsibilities supposed to be doneby the commission.”

However, the Government is still notacknowledging and has been dismissing theNSSO’s survey report finding, which is deemedas the most creditable source on the country’sjob picture. It is defending its decision of not dis-closing the report by saying: “It is an interimreport; methodology used in the survey to cal-culate job creation is faulty; the data collectionmethod is different — it is computer-assisted nowwhereas it was person-to-person earlier; it doesnot look at self-employment and entrepreneur-ships; all sectors are not captured, particularlynew types of internet-based services such as Olaand Uber and e-commerce.” Kant said, “TheGDP growth data has come out today; you can’tbe growing at 7.2 per cent and say there are nojobs being created in the economy… the prob-lem is there is a lack of good quality jobs and thatis what we need to focus on.”

The Government is now faced with a diffi-cult task to reassure the people that the datareleased by it is credible as some other recentdata on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, UjjwalaYojana, rural electrification campaign, MahatmaGandhi National Rural Employment GuaranteeAct, National Crime data, banking data andAnnual Employment-Unemployment survey of

the Labour Bureau have either been withheld orsought to be massaged. This has raised concernsabout these data being politically driven. Criticswonder how bad the job data might be for theGovernment to put it aside without explanationand leave it to the people to decide.

The Government, in its interim Budget,announced a slew of sops for the marginal farm-ers, the middle class and the informal sector work-ers but remained silent on one of the most impor-tant issues of job creation. Instead, interimFinance Minister Piyush Goyal only mentionedabout the number of jobs that have been creat-ed in sectors such as aviation, railways and renew-ables with the potential of many more jobs to becreated in the future as a part of the Government’spush towards digital infrastructure.

The term ‘job’ found a mention only fivetimes in the Budget speech. This shows the ner-vousness of the Government. The Governmentcan at least provide some future remedy aboutjob crisis by filling the existing huge 2.4 millionvacant posts across Central and StateGovernments. Just filling these vacancies can pro-vide the much-needed relief to the unem-ployed youth of this country. This also reflectsthat the Government is now in election modeand is busy defending the reasons of unreleasedreports than acknowledging the findings and tak-ing positive steps. One thing is sure that politi-cally, job crisis or youth unemployment will bean important agenda for the 2019 election. AsGeorge Orwell once said: “If liberty means any-thing at all, it means the right to tell people whatthey want to hear.” This suitably fits the descrip-tion of job data for the Government, which is like-ly to present its superior economic performancein an attempt to sway the voters. However, vot-ers will choose to believe what they want to.

(The writer is a Fellow with Institute forHuman Development, New Delhi )

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Page 8: English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · was doctored copy of call records,” the Attorney General told the SC. The CBI alleged that the ... Janardhan Dwivedi

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Lucknow: Samajwadi PartyMLA Subhash Pasi suffered abrain haemorrhage whileprotesting during GovernorRam Naik’s address to the jointsitting of both the Houses ofthe State Assembly on Tuesdaymorning.

The SP MLA, who isaround 50, fell unconscious andwas rushed to Civil Hospitalfrom where he was referred tothe King George’s MedicalUniversity trauma centre.

The trauma centre head,Dr Sandip Tewari, who isattending on Pasi told PTI thatthe SP MLA suffered “brain

haemorrhage”.“He is conscious now but

will be kept under observationfor another 48 hours by a teamof doctors,” said Tewari.

Pasi, MLA from Saidpurconstituency of Ghazipur, wasattending the joint sitting of theUP legislature on the first dayof the Budget session when hewas taken ill.

Opposition parties includ-ing the SP, BSP and theCongress raised anti-govern-ment slogans and threw paperballs at the podium targetingGovernor Ram Naik during his55-minute address. PTI

Gandhinagar: Gujarat ChiefMinister Vijay Rupani on Tuesdayflagged off 26 ‘raths’ (chariots) inthe State to seek people’s sugges-tions for preparing BJP’s manifestofor the forthcoming Lok Shabaelections.

These saffron-colouredmotorised vehicles will travel to all26 Lok Sabha constituencies in thestate for a month to to gather viewsand suggestions in different waysfrom people.

“Earlier, manifestos of all par-ties were prepared at the partyheadquarters. Now, we have decid-ed to take this exercise a step fur-ther and invite direct suggestionsfrom people,” Rupani said.

“This is for the first time in thecountry that we are asking peoplefor suggestions that could beincluded in the party’s ‘sankalppatra’ (manifesto),” Rupaniclaimed, adding that no otherparty has done this earlier. Notably,BJP president Amit Shah andsenior party leader Rajnath Singhhad on Sunday launched “Bharatke mann ki baat, Modi ke saath”, amonth-long exercise to seek sug-gestions from 10 crore people

across the country to help the partyprepare its ‘sankalp patra’.

BJP Gujarat unit president JituVaghani said PM Modi’s ‘Mann KiBaat’ has become very popular inthe country, but now the party willalso listen to ‘Bharat ke mann kibaat’ to prepare its manifesto.

Party leader Bharat Pandya,who has been appointed coordi-nator of the exercise in Gujarat,said people can give their sugges-tions in five ways under the pro-gramme.

People can give a missed callon mobile number 6357171717,after which they will be called backto record their suggestion or theycan also put forth their views onthe website — bharatke-mannkibaat.Com, he said.

They can also give suggestionsdirectly in boxes that will be keptat 7,500 places across the country,he said. People can also post theirsuggestions on social media,including Facebook, Twitter andInstagram, using hashtag#BharatKeMannKiBaat, or videorecord their views on tablets thatwill be made available in the char-iots, Pandya said. PTI

Ballia (UP): Putting its ally BJPin Uttar Pradesh on notice, theSuheldev Bhartiya Samaj Partyhas said option of going withSP-BSP alliance in the generalelections was open to the party.

SBSP chief and seniorCabinet Minister Om PrakashRajbhar has been making sharpstatements against the BJP andhad recently threatened to walkout of the NDA.

“In case there is no head-way with the BJP, the option ofgoing along with SP-BSPalliance (in the coming LokSabha elections) is open tous,” the Suheldev BhartiyaSamaj Party (SBSP) chief said.

The Minister for backward

classes welfare and departmentof disabled people develop-ment was speaking to reportersat his residence here onMonday night.

To a question as to whetherhe had talks with leaders ofeither of the two parties — theSP and the BSP — Rajbhar saidthat he had not met anyone onthis issue so far.

On the developments inKolkata, Rajbhar came out insupport of West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee andquestioned the CBI action,saying how could the sleuths gowithout any order.

“Why has the CBI notraided the house of the main

accused in the Saradha casewho has joined the BJP,”Rajbhar asked and added thatthe Supreme Court has alreadycalled the CBI a “caged parrot”.

Banerjee is on a sit-inagainst the CBI’s attempt toquestion the Kolkata Policechief in connection with chit fund scams. Her protestentered the third day onTuesday.

She sat on a “Save India”dharna in front of MetroCinema in the heart of Kolkataon Sunday night insisting thatthe latest CBI action was tan-tamount to stifling the spirit of“Constitution and federalism”in the country. PTI

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Agartala: Tripura police on Mondayslapped sedition charges against a groupof people for allegedly raising anti-Indiaslogans during a protest rally organisedby tribal bodies and attended by severalpolitical leaders in the State six days agoagainst the controversial Citizenship(Amendment) Bill.

The rally organisers, however, saidthe January 30 protest was peaceful andthe allegation was baseless.

The bill, passed in Lok Sabha onJanuary 8, seeks to provide Indian citi-zenship to non-Muslims fromBangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistanafter six years of continuous residence inIndia, instead of 12, even if they do notpossess the documents required for it.

Protests against the bill have rockedthe entire northeast, including the BJP-ruled Tripura. Several organisations andpolitical parties in the region haveclaimed that the legislation threatens theidentity, language and culture of the

indigenous people. On January 30,Movement against CitizenshipAmendment Bill (MACAB), a politicalplatform of seven tribal organisations,organised the rally in Khumulwng, theheadquarters of Tripura Tribal AreasAutonomous Territorial Council, about20 km from Agartala. A police officer saida group at the rally shouted slogans thatamounted to sedition.

“Around 40 people raised slogans like‘Bye Bye India, Hello China’, which is notacceptable. We are in the process of col-lecting the video footage and other doc-uments,” said Pran Krishna Das, sub-divi-sional police officer of Jirania in WestTripura district. Among those whoattended the rally were members ofIndigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra,Twipra Student Federation, IndigenousPeoples Front of Tripura-(Tipraha),National Conference of Tripura, TripuraPeoples Front and Schedule Tribe cell ofthe opposition Congress. PTI

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Bhabi Ji Ghar Par hai television ser-ial fame and Bigg Boss 11 winner

Shilpa Shinde joined the Congress hereon Tuesday, in the presence of Mumbaiparty chief Sanjay Nirupam.

Announcing her decision to join theCongress, Shilpa said at a news con-ference here, “People perceive me as anactress. But I also want to showcase mylove for the country by working for thepeople. The Congress Party has run thecountry for ages which is why I havedecided to join hands with them.Today, the country is in dire need ofchange and only Congress Party canbring this change. I am pleased with thewarm welcome I have received from theparty when I decided to join them”.

Alluding to her earlier links with theRaj Thackeray-led MNS, Shilpa said:“The Congress Party does not look atany caste or religion while extending a

helping hand to those who are in need.However, MNS only focuses on theMarathi people. When I needed help,MNS gave ‘Marathi’ angle to my plight”.

Welcoming Shipa into theCongress, Nirupam said, “The wholecountry is unhappy with the currentscenario and wants change. Peoplewho believe in the core principleswhich form the foundation of this coun-try are joining the Congress Partythemselves”.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Courton Tuesday directed the NationalInvestigating Agency (NIA) to “clearall hurdles” in the 2008 Malegaonblast case and ensure that the trialproceeds “smoothly”.

A bench of Justices A S Oka andA S Gadkari noted that over 20 appli-cations and appeals had been filed inthe high court by various parties onvaried grounds in the case.

As a result, the court had to siftthrough voluminous paperwork andover 4,000 exhibits, it said.

“How’s the court expected toclear these appeals in time if partieskeep filing applications. We are cer-tain most of these applications andpleas might even be frivolous,” thebench said.

“As a prosecuting agency, it isyour (NIA) duty to ensure that all

hurdles are removed and the trial inthe case goes on smoothly,” it said.

The bench was hearing an appealfiled by Sameer Kulkarni, a co-accused in the case, challenging a2017 order of a special NIA court,which permitted the use of photo-copies of statements of witnesses andconfessions of accused as secondaryevidence in the case.

During a previous hearing, thebench led by Justice Oka hadobserved the special court shouldnot have allowed the use of photo-copies since there was no evidenceto prove that they were authenticcopies of the original, certified state-ments.

On Tuesday, the bench reiterat-ed that the use of photocopies with-out any verification was wrong in law.

It told NIA counsel Sandesh

Patil that the NIA should have point-ed out the problem to the specialcourt then and there and taken thecorrect legal stand by not relyingupon the photocopies.

“You (NIA) are a premier agency.You have been constituted for a spe-cial purpose. Therefore, it was yourduty to take the correct legal stand,”the bench said.

It is likely to hear the NIA’s jus-tification, on use of photocopies assecondary evidence, in the nexthearing on February 11.

In January 2017, the specialcourt had permitted the use of pho-tocopies after the NIA submitted thatsome files containing original witnessstatements and confessions ofaccused under section 164 of theCriminal Penal Code had gone miss-ing and could not be traced. PTI

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Former BJP Cabinet Ministerand ex-MLA from Basohli

Assembly segment, Lal Singh,who had f loated DograSwabhiman Sangathan aftercourting controversy in theKathua rape and murder caselast year, is set to spoil BJP partyin the coming Lok Sabha pollsfrom Jammu region.

On Tuesday, Lal Singhannounced he will field hisparty candidates for both theLok Sabha seats in Jammu.

“At present, we are awaitingformal registration of our party.The process has been set intomotion. Soon after receivingthe formal nod, we will launchaggressive campaign ahead of

the Lok Sabha polls”, Lal Singhtold reporters in Jammu.

For over nine months, LalSingh, unhappy with the BJP’shandling of Kathua rape andmurder case, had been stayingaway from party functions,devoting all his time and ener-gy to raise his own regionaloutfit. He even accused BJP ofhurting ‘Dogra’ pride by notfirmly supporting demand fora CBI probe in the Kathua rapeand murder case to unravel themurder mystery.

Ousted Lal Singh himselftoured all the district head-quarters of Jammu divisionand addressed road side meet-ings in support of CBI probe in the Kathua rape andmurder case.

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In a candid admission of dis-sension within the Mumbai

Congress, Milind Deora,Congress leader and formerUnion Minister, said onTuesday that “infighting” wasthreatening “our base inMumbai” and that the cityparty unit “cannot become acricket pitch for sectarian pol-itics, with leaders pitted againstone other”.

A day after he said hemight even re-consider “if it isworth fighting elections ornot”, Deora said he was “dis-appointed” with “infighting”within the Mumbai Congressand indirectly blamed cityparty unit president SanjayNirupam for contributing to“sectarian politics” within theparty set up.

In a series of tweets put onthe sorry state of affairs with-in the Mumbai, Deora said: “Ina city like Mumbai, which is

our economic and culturalcapital, we need to bring peo-ple together. The MumbaiCongress cannot become acricket pitch for sectarian pol-itics, with leaders pitted againstone other”.

“@INCIndia is leading apowerful, united campaignacross India. Infighting cannot,and should not, be allowed tothreaten our base in Mumbai.I appeal to all Congress leadersin Mumbai to unite as a team.We owe this much to our partyand to Congress president@RahulGandhi.,” Deora tweet-ed. Deora, who has written toRahul Gandhi that he was re-considering whether or not tocontest the forthcoming LokSabha elections in view of thelack of efforts to bring the peo-ple together, said: “I’m disap-pointed with what is happen-ing - and the party is aware of

my stance on fighting the LokSabha elections. However, Ihave full faith in our centralleadership and its commit-ment to our party’s ideologyand principles. Especially inMumbai, where the Congresswas born”

Informed sources in theCongress said that Deora’stweets are a clear indication ofhis strained relations withNirupam, who is not involvingthe old timers in the party inrunning the city unit. Nirupamis understood to be one of rea-sons for former Congress MPPriya Dutt’s recent decision toquit electoral politics.

Deora, who is the son oflong-time Mumbai Congresslate Murli Deora, had said in atelevision interview onMonday: “If feel sometimeswhat is happening in Mumbai(Congress). One of the reasonsI may even reconsider if it isworth fighting the elections ornot. It is because of what is hap-pening in Mumbai and becauseof what is happening betweenthe leaders. I have communi-cated this to Mr Gandhi as wellrecently that if we are unable tobring people together, even Imay not be in politics”

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Nagpur: RSS is one of the most secular andinclusive organisations as it has alwaysrespected the right of individuals to prac-tice their own faith, Maharashtra GovernorCh Vidyasagar Rao said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the inauguration of theNew Academic Complex and a guruku-lam named after late RSS sarsanghcha-lak Golwalkar guruji at KavikulaguruKalidas Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya (KKSV)at Ramtek near here, the governor saidthe journey of the Sangh has been spec-tacular as well as tough.

M S Golwalkar, popularly known asguruji, was the second Sarsanghchalak ofthe Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).

“The sapling planted by (RSSfounder) Dr KB Hedgewar in the formof Sangh has grown into a large banyantree having its branches all over theworld,” an official release quoted Rao assaying.

“This journey (of RSS) has been bothspectacular and tough. The toughest chal-lenge to the Sangh came soon after theassassination of Mahatma Gandhi, whenit was banned by the government onFebruary 4, 1948,” he said.

Rao said Golwalkar played a crucialrole and gave the call for a nationwidesatyagraha from the prison. PTI

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Guwahati: Assam FinanceMinister Himanta Biswa Sarmaon Tuesday termed WestBengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s charge thathe was involved in the Saradhachit fund scam as “frivolous”,even as the State YouthCongress staged a protest infront of the CBI office here,seeking his arrest.

The Minister also said hehad offered full cooperation inthe ponzi scheme case as a wit-ness. “The frivolous & baselesscampaign by @MamataOfficialDidi against me is very painful.I am not fortunate enoughlike your Police Commissioner.I’ve joined the investigationsand offered my full cooperationas a witness. And all this hap-pened much much before Ijoined @BJP4India,” Sarmasaid in a tweet.

Apparently referring toSarma, Banerjee, who is stag-ing a sit-in protest since Sundaynight over the Central Bureauof Investigation’s (CBI) attemptto question the Kolkata Policechief in connection with thechit fund scam, had said onMonday that she had “enough

evidence against the Assamdeputy Chief Minister” in thecase. The TMC chief had also dared PM Modi and BJPpresident Amit Shah to get him arrested.

Training guns on Sarma,Assam Youth Congress activistsstaged a demonstration outsidethe CBI office here, demandinghis arrest for his allegedinvolvement in the Saradha chitfund scam and the LouiseBerger case, involving a watersupply project in Guwahati.

They shouted slogans, accusingthe Minister of receiving �20 lakh per month fromSaradha group chairmanSudipta Sen for running hisbusiness in Assam.

One of the protesters said,“The Modi-led BJP Govt ismisusing the CBI. Sarmaswitched to the BJP from theCongress when the heat of theSaradha scam probe wasbecoming too hot for him tohandle.” PTI

Kolkata: Andhra Pradesh Chief MinisterChandrababu Naidu on Tuesday describedhis West Bengal counterpart MamataBanerjee as the “architect” of the federalfront. Naidu, who joined Banerjee’s “SaveIndia” sit-in here to protest CBI’s attemptto question Kolkata Police CommissionerRajeev Kumar, said her ruling Trinamool Congress will win all 42 LokSabha seats in West Bengal in the upcom-ing general elections.

“She (Mamata Banerjee) is the architect of the federal front. She is the main pillar of the Opposition,” Naidu toldreporters.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministersaid he had come on behalf of the 23 polit-ical parties who had participated in theJanuary 19 Opposition rally in the city.Naidu also welcomed the Supreme Courtorder which stated that the CBI would notbe able to arrest Kumar, and supportedBanerjee’s move to stage a sit-in demon-stration in protest.

Banerjee began the sit-in in front ofMetro Cinema in the heart of the city onSunday night after a CBI team attemptedto enter Kumar’s residence to question himin connection with chit fund scams.

She alleged that the CBI action was tan-tamount to stif ling the spirit of“Constitution and federalism” in the coun-try. PTI

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The Pakistan Army onTuesday violated ceasefire

agreement by targeting an Armycamp with two rounds of rock-et launchers along the Line ofControl in Krishna Ghati sectorof Poonch.

Instead of hitting the target,the shells fell short of target, trig-gering panic among the localresidents as it exploded in thecivilian area.

It was a close shave for localresidents as one of the shellslanded in the cow shed.

Due to inclement weatherconditions, the livestock wasmoved from the open air shedby the care takers.

The Indian Army did notretaliate the fire immediately,official sources said.

Defence PRO in Jammu

said, “Pakistan army initiated‘unprovoked’ceasefire violationalong LoC by firing 2twoshellsof rocket launchers in KG Sectorof Poonch around 10.30 am.”

Local residents in Jhallasarea again appealed to the StateGovernment to expedite workon construction of bunkers inthe area to ensure their protec-tion at the time of cross LoCshelling.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath on Tuesday accused

Mamata Banerjee of exploiting thepoor in West Bengal being only inter-ested in saving a “corrupt” officerallegedly involved in the Saradhaponzi scam.

Adityanath, who travelled by roadto this West Bengal town to address a

rally after flying to Bokaro in neigh-bouring Jharkhand, also referred to theSupreme Court’s order directingKolkata Police Commissioner RajeevKumar to “faithfully” cooperate withthe CBI in the investigation of theSaradha scam.

He questioned why West BengalChief Minister Banerjee was trying toprotect the police officer.

“You must have seen how she is

trying to save a corrupt officer.Nothing can be more shameful, unde-mocratic and unconstitutional than aCM of a State sitting on a dharna (sit-in protest) to ensure that secrets of cor-ruption don’t spill out,” Adityanathalleged. Calling the TMC Governmentin West Bengal as “corrupt and unde-mocratic”, he criticised Banerjee for notallowing benefits of central schemes tobe passed on to the people of the State.

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Malappuram: A village courthere on Tuesday directed thatKanakadurga, who had trekkedthe Sabarimala hills and offeredprayers at the Ayyappa temple,should be allowed to stay in herhusband’s home.

An interim order wasissued by the ‘Gram Nayayalya’(village court) on a petitionfiled by Kanakadurga under theDomestic Violence Act statingshe had the right to stay at herhusband’s home.

Nyayadhikari Nimmi K K,in her order, said Kanakadurgahad all the right to live in herhusband’s home. GramNyayalayas are presided over bya Nyayadhikari, who have thesame powers of a JudicialMagistrate of First Class.

Kanakadurga (44) whofaced stiff opposition from herhusband and other relatives for

offering prayers at theSabarimala hill shrine onJanuary 2, was forced to takerefuge at a ‘One Stop Shelter’ atPerinthalmanna here after herhouse was locked and familymembers shifted to anotherbuilding.

Upon her return fromSabarimala, Kanakadurga, anemployee of the Kerala CivilSupplies Corporation, had notbeen able to go home as sheended in hospital after beingallegedly attacked by her moth-er-in-law over the temple entryissue. The case has been post-ed to March 11 for furtherhearing.

Kanakadurga, along withanother woman, Bindu (42),had scripted history by offeringprayers at the hill shrine onJanuary 2. The duo alsoreceived death threats. PTI

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The Department of Telecomwill seek views of telecom

regulator Trai on allocation ofspectrum worth �65,000 croreto Indian Railways withoutauction, a top official said onTuesday.

“Indian Railways has askedfor 10 Mhz of spectrum in 700Mhz band for setting up pub-lic safety and security service.The Digital CommunicationsCommission has decided thatthe DoT should take view ofTrai in the matter,” TelecomSecretary Aruna Sundararajantold reporters after the meetingof Digital CommunicationsCommission (DCC).

The radiowaves in 700

Mhz band considered premi-um for long distance mobilecommunications as it requiredless number of mobile towersto provide services comparedto 3G and 4G services.

The Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India has recom-mended base price of �6,568crore per megahertz ofradiowaves in 700 Mhz bandimplying the total value of air-waves is around �65,680 croreat the reserve price.

The frequency band is ear-marked for mobile servicesand allocating it to IndianRailways for non-commercialuse may also adversely impactlevies like adjusted gross rev-enue, spectrum usage chargesand licence fee collected.

Besides, the DCC, former-ly Telecom Commission, in itsmeeting held Tuesday decidedto allow Government’s engi-neering and consultancy firmT e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n sConsultants India Limited(TCIL) to raise funds by dilut-ing 25 per cent stake.

“The DCC decision is inline with that of CabinetCommittee on EconomicAffairs to disinvest 25 per centin the company. TCIL hadrequested to carry on piggy

back transaction of 10 per centwhich DCC approved. TCILhas been allowed to retainfund raised from 10 per centstake for working capital andrest of the 15 per cent will goto the Government,”Sundararajan said.

In a move to boost settingup of VSAT based network, theDCC reduced entry fee onVSAT to �15 lakh from �30lakh and waived fee of �16 lakhthat organisations required topay for each VSAT hub there-after.

Further, the DCC approvedbringing of audio-conferencingservice under ambit of telecomlicence as it was once used bya company to provide free callson mobile phones though appby using landline connections.Calls made from landline con-nections do not attract anyinterconnection usage chargeswhile it is charged between amobile to mobile call made ondifferent networks.

The DCC also rejected aproposal of Trai to create dataaggregators as it felt alreadymany players are doing similarwork and the commissiondecided against creating a newcategory for data services undertelecom licences.

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India is among a handful ofcountries that stand to ben-

efit from the ongoing trade ten-sions between the world’s toptwo economies — the US andChina, the UN has said in itslatest report.

The US and China arelocked in a trade war sincePresident Donald Trumpimposed heavy tariffs onimported steel and aluminiumitems in March last year, amove that sparked fears of aglobal trade war.

In response, Chinaimposed tit-for-tat tariffs onbillions of dollars worth ofAmerican imports.

The United Nationsexperts said Monday that thetit-for-tat trade dispute betweenChina and the United Statesmay do little to protect domes-tic producers in either countryand could have “massive”implications on the globaleconomy unless it is resolved.

Of the $250 billion inChinese exports that are sub-ject to US tariffs, only about sixper cent will be picked up byfirms in the US, according to areport by the UN Conferenceon Trade and Development

(UNCTAD).And of the approximately

$85 billion in US exports that aresubject to China’s tariffs, onlyabout five per cent of this will betaken up by Chinese firms,according to the UN research.

In a bid to meet the US’demand of bringing down the$375 billion bilateral tradedeficit, China has pledged totake measures to step-upAmerican imports and invest-ments. March 1, 2019 is thedeadline for implementing themeasures.

Unless the US and Chinaagree to drop their tariff disputeby March 1, duty on eachcountry’s products will rise to25 per cent, up from the current10 per cent level, the UN said.

Countries that are expect-ed to benefit the most from thetrade war are the EU membersas exports in the bloc are like-ly to grow by $70 billion. Japanand Canada will see exportsincrease by more than $20 bil-lion each, it said.

Other countries set to ben-efit from the trade tensionsinclude Australia, with 4.6 percent export gains, Brazil (3.8)India (3.5), Philippines (3.2)and Vietnam (5), the studysaid.

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The RBI’s Monetary PolicyCommittee (MPC) Tuesday

began 3-day meet to decide onkey rates amid expectations itwould change stance to neutralon low inflation but may notcut rates due to fiscal challengesand rising oil prices.

The six-member MPC,headed by RBI GovernorShaktikanta Das, will meetbetween Tuesday and Thursdayfor the sixth bi-monthly mone-tary policy statement for 2018-19.

Deviating from the prac-tice of releasing the resolutionof MPC in afternoon, theReserve Bank of India (RBI)will place it on its website at11.45 am on February 7.

The RBI maintained statusquo on the key lending rate(repo) in its last three bi-monthly policy reviews afterraising the rate twice by 25basis points each in the fiscal.

Currently, the repo ratestands at 6.50 per cent. Accordingto experts, the MPC is likely tochange its policy stance to ‘neu-tral’ from the current ‘calibratedtightening’ in its meeting thisweek on low inflation footprintbut would refrain from cuttinginterest rates due to fiscal chal-lenges and rising crude oil prices.

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Benchmark equity indicesended marginally higher

Tuesday as investors remainedon the sidelines as the RBI’smonetary policy review meet-ing got underway.

After trading in a rangethrough the day, the 30-shareSensex ended 34.07 points, or0.09 per cent, higher at

36,616.81. Similarly, the NSENifty edged up 22.10 points, or0.20 per cent, to 10,934.35.

In the Sensex pack, HeroMotoCorp, IndusInd Bank,Bajaj Auto, Maruti and M&Mwere the top gainers, rising upto 2.66 per cent.

On the other hand, TataMotors, Coal India, ONGC,Tata Steel, Yes Bank, SunPharma, ITC and ICICI Bankfell up to 2.63 per cent.

Investors were cautious,awaiting cues from the ReserveBank of India’s monetary pol-icy review, traders said.

The RBI’s Monetary PolicyCommittee (MPC) Tuesdaybegan its three-day meet todecide on key rates amidexpectations that it wouldchange stance to neutral on lowinflation but may not cut ratesdue to fiscal challenges and ris-ing oil prices.

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In a move that would ensurejobs, earn revenue and curb

pollution as well, United ArabEmirates-based scrap processorCosmos Green recently signeda pact with Delhi-based JindalStainless Ltd to recycle metalscrap worth billions in Indiaover the coming years.

The MOU will result in thecreation of a lot of job, around

2,000 to 2,500 new jobs in Indiain the metal manufacturingand recycling industry, saidRajat Kapur of Cosmos Green.“Unless stakeholders in societytake proactive steps today tocare for the environment, therecould be a catastrophe in thedecades ahead.”

To efficiently recycle metalscrap, sorting and processingfacilities will be established instrategic locations in the NCR

as well as in Hisar, Palwal,Maharashtra, Gujarat, andOrissa. Metal scrap collectedwill be sent for processing andmelting in electric arc andinduction furnaces in Hisar,Jajpur, Gujarat, Maharashtra,Haryana and Orissa.

Over the next few years,Cosmos Green expects toprocess and recycle 1,000,000metric tonnes of various gradesof metal scrap.

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Iran on Tuesday ruled outlinkage between a new EU

mechanism to trade withTehran bypassing US sanc-tions and an anti-money laun-dering bill.

“Linking implementationof this mechanism... With therequirements of institutionssuch as the FATF is unaccept-able,” the Foreign Ministry said,referring to the internationalFinancial Action Task Force.

Iran is on an FATF black-list drawn up to counter moneylaundering and the financing ofterrorist groups, but the Paris-based organisation has sus-pended counter-measures since

2017 while Tehran works onreforms.

EU leaders on Mondaywelcomed the bloc’s new mech-anism to trade with Iran butwarned Tehran over its ballis-tic missile programme andregional policies while callingfor it to implement reforms tocomply with FATF demands.

Britain, France andGermany created the systemlast week to allow firms to tradewith Iran without falling foul ofUS sanctions.

The Foreign Ministry, in itsstatement, welcomed the EU’s“positive stances” but also crit-icised the bloc’s warnings on itsmissile programme and itsregional policies.

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The Government has decidedto raise additional �36,000

crore through dated securities tofund its expenses during the cur-rent financial year.

As per the calender issuedpreviously, the last tranche forborrowing through Governmentbonds was to complete in theweek ending March 8, 2019.

However, the Governmenthas decided to borrow addi-tional �36,000 crore throughtwo tranches of �18,000 croreeach during March 11-15 andMarch 18-22.

“To enable institutional andretail investors plan their invest-ments efficiently and providetransparency and stability tothe government securities mar-ket, an indicative calendar forissuance of Government datedsecurities for the remaining peri-od of the fiscal year 2018-19(February 4 to March 31) hasbeen prepared in consultationwith the Reserve Bank of India(RBI),” an official statement said.

Like in the past, the Centrewill continue to have the flex-ibility to bring about modifi-cations in the above calendar interms of notified amount,issuance period, and maturities,among others. It can also issuedifferent types of instruments,including instruments havingnon-standard maturity, andfloating rate bonds, includingretail inflation-linked bonds, itsaid.

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Liverpool wasted anotherchance to extend their lead

at the top of the PremierLeague as a sub-par perfor-mance from Jurgen Klopp'smen was punished in a 1-1draw at West Ham on Monday.

Less than a week aftermissing the opportunity to goseven points clear ofManchester City with a 1-1draw against Leicester,Liverpool's lead is now justthree over the champions, whocan now go top with victory atEverton on Wednesday.

Sadio Mane put the visitorsin front at the London Stadium,but Michail Antonio quicklylevelled and West Ham had thebetter chances to claim allthree points when Declan Riceand Mark Noble failed to hitthe target.

After posting a perfect

record against opposition withthe top six in their first 23league games, Liverpool havenow slipped up twice in asmany matches to mount thetension in their chase for a firsttitle in 29 years.

Klopp's side looked like aside playing under pressure ina lacklustre display as theabsence of the injured JordanHenderson, GeorginioWijnaldum and TrentAlexander-Arnold took its toll.

Hammers boss ManuelPellegrini claimed it was"impossible to play worse" afterhis side's 3-0 capitulation toWolves last week that followeda deeply disappointing FA Cupexit to AFC Wimbledon.

Even without the injuredMarko Arnautovic, Pellegrinigot the response he wanted inWest Ham's performance if nottheir end product.

Javier Hernandez had the

hosts' first chance but theMexican and then AaronCresswell both fired incheswide of Alisson Becker's left-hand post.

James Milner was having atorrid time defending in anunfamiliar right-back roleagainst the pace and trickery ofFelipe Anderson.

However, the formerEngland midfielder created theopening goal in controversialcircumstances when given thechance to go forward.

Adam Lallana's neat foot-work played in Milner, whowas allowed to continue despitebeing clearly in an offside posi-tion, and Mane cleverly spunonto his cross to score his 12thgoal of the season. The leadlasted just six minutes as thevisitors switched off from awell-worked free-kick andAntonio drilled Anderson'spass in off the far post.

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They have hit the home-stretch of a memorable

three-month tour and a ram-pant India will be fancyinganother series win when theyclash with under pressure hostsNew Zealand in the openingT20 International here onWednesday.

While regular skipper ViratKohli is getting the much-needed rest, the Rohit Sharma-led squad will be hoping it hasenough left in the tank torecord a maiden T20 series winin New Zealand, following arecord 4-1 result in ODIs anda historic tour of Australia.

The preceding ODI seriessolved a part of the puzzle asIndia look to finalise their 15for the World Cup. But thereare still a few spots up for grabsand the T20 series can help theteam management zero in onthe squad for themega event inEngland in May-July.

Young wicket-keeper batsmanRishabh Pant, whowas not part of the ODIs,returns hungrier and has a bigopportunity to stake a claim fora World Cup spot in theupcoming three T20s.

Veteran Mahendra SinghDhoni is back in the T20 mixafter being omitted from theseries against Australia lastyear and his performance willalso be keenly followed. He lastplayed a T20 in July.

Following the high of theTest series Down Under,another stellar showing mightjust convince the selectors toinclude Pant in the final-15.

The series is also an oppor-

tunity for Dinesh Karthik, whohas done well as a finisher butis still not a sure starter in theeleven. Ambati Rayudugrabbed his chance with amatch-winning 90 in the fifthODI, probably enough to seala place in the middle-order.

N i n e t e e n - y e a r - o l dShubman Gill showed glimpsesof his much talked about tal-ent in the final two ODIs butdid not allow himself to settlein his debut series. In Kohli'sabsence, he might get to bat atnumber three again.

Besides Pant, the otherswho have joined the team arespin all-rounder KrunalPandya and Punjab pacerSiddharth Kaul.

In the absence of seniorslike Jasprit Bumrah,Mohammad Siraj and KhaleelAhmed have not made muchof an impact and they will beaiming for a breakthroughperformance.

Dhawan did not do well inthe last three ODIs againstNew Zealand and is eager tofinish the tour on a high.

Ahead of the game, hewas also seen practicing witha tennis ball to counter thebounce and swing generated bythe home team's pacers.

New Zealand will be des-perate to turn things aroundafter a 1-4 drubbing. They dohold an upper hand over Indiain the shortest format. Theybeat India 2-0 in the 2008-09in the sole bilateral seriesplayed on New Zealand soil tilldate.

The Black Caps edged thesub-continental side 1-0 in a

two-match away series in 2012before losing 1-2 in India in2017-18.

The ball swung initially atthe Westpac Stadium onSunday and New Zealand pac-ers will be itching to exploitthat but they won't have theservices of premier fast bowlerTrent Boult, who has beenrested.

It will be interesting to seewhat rookie all-rounder DarylMitchell and pacer BlairTickner do in their debutseries.

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The deflating ODI lossbehind him, New

Zealand captain KaneWilliamson on Tuesday saidhe is excited about theprospect of testing unherald-ed players against a "top"team like India in the T20series starting on Wednesday.

New Zealand have draft-ed in two debutants — all-rounder Daryl Mitchell andright-arm pacer Blair Tickner— in the T20 squad besidesall-rounder Scott Kuggeleijen,who has played just one T20and wicketkeeper Tim Seifert.

Williamson said withMartin Guptill ruled out dueto a back injury, some rook-ie players will be in action inthe three-match T20 seriesagainst India.

"Martin has been ruledout of the series because of aback injury. We have a differ-ent squad altogether withsome new faces. We are goingto see some debutants

throughout the series and itis really exciting," the Kiwiskipper said.

"It's a positive thing thata number of guys are gettingopportunities to have thoseexperiences against a fantas-tic Indian side."

With Guptill not in thescheme of things, Williamsondidn't rule out the possibili-ty of opening the innings inthe T20 matches.

"At this stage we aregoing to look at the surface,we are not decided just yet.We are looking to pin downthe balance. There are anumber of all-rounderswhich will affect the positionsI suppose," he said whenasked about Blackcaps possi-ble opening combination.

"There are a number ofguys who could potentiallyfill that role. Obviously(Colin) Munro is expected inthe top-three. Power playerscould potentially move up theorder or it could be me," headded.

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Smarting from a heavy loss in the final onedayer, the Indian women's team will aim

for a solid showing in the opening encounterof the three-match T20 series against NewZealand, beginning on Wednesday.

The three-match series, which was partof the Women's ODI Championship, was wonby India 2-1 but they suf-fered an eight-wicket loss atHamilton on February 1after being bowled out for149 at Hamilton.

Harmanpreet Kaur, whodid not get to do much in ODIs in whichMithali Raj was captain, will lead the T20 side.It will be India's first game in the format eversince that infamous loss to England at theWord T20 in the Caribbean, where Mithaliwas dropped for the all-important semifinal.

Questions were raised over Mithali'sstrike-rate in the shortest format and itremains to be seen how she approaches theseries, having played a record 200th ODI atHamilton.

Surprisingly, the Indian batters struggledmost against spinners in the third ODI andthat is one area they would be looking toimprove.

Harmanpreet is expected to play a muchbigger role with the bat and lot will dependon start provided by Smriti Mandhana and

Jemimah Rodrigues, who both were notamongst the runs at Hamilton.

Mandhana, however, had a memorableseries with scores of 90 and 105, enough toearn her the player of the series award.

Tanya Bhatia had opened with Mandhanain the World T20 semifinal against Englandbut since then Rodrigues has formed apotent pairing with the southpaw.

Eyes will also be onuncapped all-rounderPriya Punia, who replacedan out of form VedaKrishnamurthy in thesquad.

The three-games will also help the teammanagement assess where it stands ahead ofthe T20 World Cup in Australia early nextyear.

�B�� �India: Harmanpreet Kaur(c), SmritiMandhana, Mithali Raj, JemimahRodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia,Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Anuja Patil,Ekta Bisht, Dayalan Hemalatha, MansiJoshi, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey,Priya Punia.New Zealand: Amy Satterthwaite(c), SuzieBates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, SophieDevine, Hayley Jensen, Caitlin Gurrey,Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, FrancesMackay, Katey Martin, Rosemary Mair,Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.

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Senior Indian opener ShikharDhawan on Tuesday said ris-

ing wicketkeeper-batsmanRishabh Pant has become an assetfor the team due to his ability tochange the course of a game in notime.

Pant, recently adjudged theICC's Emerging Cricket of theYear, returns to the side for the

T20s against New Zealand afterbeing left out of the ODIs whichIndia won 4-1.

The 21-year-old is being seenas a successor to Mahendra SinghDhoni behind the stumps and hasalready proved his worth as abatsman with stellar perfor-mances in England and Australia.On Tuesday, Dhawan had wordsof encouragement for the young-ster.

"He is an aggressive batsman,an asset for the team, can takeaway games from opposition ina very short time. I hope he grabsthis opportunity (in T20s) withboth hands," said Dhawan.

On the three-match assign-ment against the Kiwis, Dhawansaid it was important to end thetour on a high and carry thatmomentum into the home lim-ited-overs series against Australialater this month.

It is an opportunity for theyoungsters and that could alsolead to some much needed restfor the seniors including Dhawanand skipper Rohit Sharma, ascoach Ravi Shastri hinted afterthe fifth ODI.

"We too are humans and ourbodies need a bit of rest. Ofcourse, we would be looking towin the series and carry themomentum back home for theAustralia series," said Dhawan onthe eve of the game.

India host Australia for twoT20s and five ODIs startingFebruary 24 in Visakhapatnam.

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Sarfaraz Ahmed will bePakistan's captain in the

World Cup later this year, thecountry's Cricket Boardannounced on Tuesday, back-ing the under-fire player, whois serving a four-ODI ban forhis racist comments in a gameagainst South Africa recently.

Pakistan Cricket BoardChairman Ehsan Mani told amedia conference in Lahorethat Sarfaraz would carry on ascaptain for the World Cup andpraised his skills and contribu-tion to the team.

"There should be no doubtthat Sarfaraz is the Pakistancricket team's captain. He willlead the team in the seriesagainst Australia and also inthe World Cup," the PCBchairman said.

The confirmation endedspeculation that the boardmight consider Shoaib Malik

to lead the team in the WorldCup after the board recalledSarfaraz from South Africa.Sarfaraz was banned forbreaching the ICC's anti-racism policy during the sec-ond one-day international atDurban.

"Sarfaraz has made greatprogress since he led the teamin the Under-19 World Cup, hehas only improved with time,"

Mani said.Mani also insisted that he

was always clear in his mindabout the captaincy.

"I was always clear in mymind that Sarfaraz would bethe captain. Sarfaraz has beenan integral part of thePakistan's World Cup prepara-tions. He has proved to be agood strategist, leader andperformer," he said.

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Indian women cricket team'sseniormost player Mithali

Raj in all likelihood will bringdown curtains on her T20International career after thehome series against Englandwhile continuing in the 50-over format where she is stillthe captain of the side.

While India's three-matchT20 series against NewZealand starts in Wellingtonon Wednesday, it is still notclear whether Mithali will be a

part of the playing XI.Even if she is picked in the

playing XI, it has been learntthat the 36-year-old will notcontinue beyond the three-match T20 series againstEngland, starting March 4 inAssam's Barsapara.

"Mithali understands thatskipper Harmanpreet Kaurwill like to concentrate onbuilding a team for the 2020World T20 and that she isunlikely to feature in that tour-nament," a senior BCCI officialsaid.

"But a player of her statureshould get a warm send-offand that is likely to be againstEngland," the official said.

"It is still not sure whethershe would like to play the fullseries against England or likeformer men's team pacerAshish Nehra, play the firstgame of the series and retire,"the official further added.

Mithali has so far scored2283 runs from 85 T20Internationals with a highestscore of 97 and 17 half-cen-turies to her credit.

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Saurashtra batsmen survivednasty body blows from Umesh

Yadav during their gallant fightagainst Vidarbha in the RanjiTrophy final, which is now oneven keel after third day.

Resuming at a precarious158 for five, Saurashtra's lowerorder batsmen showed remark-able gumption and grit to take thefirst innings to 307, just fiveshort of hosts' first innings total.

With the first innings leadvirtually nullified, Vidarbha intheir second innings lost skipperFaiz Fazal (10) and R Sanjay (16)to left-arm spinnerDharmendrasinh Jadeja (2/36)before ending the day at 55 fortwo.

The hosts now lead by 60runs with reliable Wasim Jaffer (5)and Ganesh Satish (24) at thecrease.

There are six sessions left inthe match and Saurashtra, whohave had a happy knack of chas-ing down fourth innings totals,will certainly fancy their chances.

Overnight batsman SnellPatel (102) completed his firstcentury of the season and whenIndia pacer Umesh Yadav senthim back after smacking one onhis helmet, Saurashtra were still128 runs away from Vidarbha'stotal of 312 all out.

However, what followed afterSnell's dismissal was an extraor-dinary fightback by Saurashtra'stail, which batted out two sessionsincluding the extended one in the

morning.The team was gasping for

breath at 184 for seven butKamlesh Makwana (27 off 61balls) and Jadeja (23 off 32) added38 runs for the eighth wicketstand.

Off-spinner Akshay Wakharebroke the partnership by gettingMakwana caught in the first slipand Sarwate got rid of Jadeja in thesame fashion to complete hisfive-wicket haul.

But there was no respite forthe hosts as captain JaydevUnadkat (46) then produced oneof the best knocks of his first class

career by digging in his heels withChetan Sakariya (28).

They piled on frustration ofVidarbha by batting for 26.5 oversto add 60 runs for the last wicketas they got tantalisingly close to afirst-innings lead.

Vidarbha tired all theiroptions but could not breakUnadkat and Sakariya's doggedresistance. In Vidarbha's secondessay, Sanjay survived a strong leg-before appeal, a caught andbowled chance off Makwanabefore finally getting stumped byJadeja, who had also bowled rivalskipper.

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Hertha Berlin captain VedadIbisevic sees Wednesday's

German Cup clash against BayernMunich as a "mini final" with thehosts hoping to topple the Bavariangiants again.

Ibisevic scored when Herthashocked Bayern 2-0 in theBundesliga last September and thelast-16 tie at the Olympic Stadiumoffers a chance to deal last season'sfinalists Bayern an early exit.

Ibisevic, 34, is out of contract inJune, but the veteran striker has net-ted 10 goals this season and tookheart from seeing Bayern suffertheir fourth league defeat of the cam-paign at Bayer Leverkusen lastSaturday.

"This feels like a mini final forus," said Ibisevic. "You can see thatthey have lost points this year thatthey wouldn't have given away nor-mally.

"Of course, it gives us hope thatthey could slip up again, so we knowwhat's possible."

Bayern hope to have Germany

goalkeeper Manuel Neuer backbetween the posts, but playing witha plastic cast on his right hand afterdamaging his thumb in training lastweek.

Berlin's Olympic Stadium hasbeen an unhappy hunting ground forBayern on their most recent visits,losing last May's German Cup final3-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt before thedefeat by Hertha.

Ibisevic firmly sees his team as

the underdogs even though Berlinlast lost to Bayern in September2016.

"We don't need to talk aboutbeing the favourites here, they are anopponent who are one of the topteams in Europe."

"If they have a good day, you're3-0 down," said Hertha coach PalDardai, who refused to read toomuch into Bayern's defeat atLeverkusen.

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Manchester City captain VincentKompany expects to play a part

in the club's quest for four trophiesthis season despite a frustratinginjury setback.

The City skipper has been outfor the past month with what clubofficials have labelled a "muscular"problem.

No date has been set for the 32-year-old Belgium international'sreturn but Kompany said his previ-ous experience of injury meant heknew how to ensure he returned toaction as soon as possible.

"As a human being and an ath-lete I feel great but I have to deal withcertain niggles from over the years,"Kompany told Britain's PressAssociation on Monday.

"I will deal with it as I alwayshave and then we're back rollingagain." He added: "I'm not the guythat can give you the timings rightnow but the key thing is I have a roadmap as to how best to recover fromsetbacks. I'll follow that and you'll seeme on the end of it as strong as ever."

City, the reigning English cham-pions, are trying to overhaul

Liverpool at the top of the PremierLeague while still being involved inthree other competitions.

They face Chelsea in the LeagueCup final later this month, Newportor Middlesbrough in the FA Cupfifth round and Schalke in the last16 of the Champions League.

"Every season has been specialat City but at this point in time, weare that much with our noses intowhat's been happening day-in, day-out we forget how much of a specialseason this could be," Kompany said.

"I want to play my role in mak-ing sure everyone realises that anddoes the right thing. There is still somuch to look forward to," explainedKompany.

upset hosts Kazakhstan, who havetwo top-100 singles player, on Friday.

Kazakhstan's world number 43Yulia Putintseva and Zarina Diyas,ranked 96, won't be easy to beat forthe Indian players in their quest totop Pool A.

The winners of Pool A and B,which has four teams, will clash todetermine the nation which willqualify for World Group II.

Pool B has China, featuringworld number 40 Shuai Zhang andworld number 42 Saisai Zheng, alongwith Korea, Indonesia, and PacificOceania.

In all likelihood, China will topPool B and it will be tossup betweenIndia and Kazakhstan in Pool A.

Last year at home in New Delhi,Ankita, in her unbeaten singles cam-paign, shocked Putintseva but theKazakh will be favourite in homeconditions this time.

Karman lost to Zarina last yearbut is expected to fight better now.

Even if India manage to upsetKazakhstan, the job gets only tougherin the Promotion Play-off.

Due to sub-zero temperatures,the matches will be played indoors.

A lot would depend on howAnkita fares and has shown the willto fight it out even against higher-ranked players.

She recently won a $ 25,000 titlein Singapore after playing a GrandSlam qualifier in Melbourne and isat her career-best rank of 165.

Karman too looks a better play-er this year.

The two singles players also wona WTA doubles event together andit won't be a surprise if captain VishalUppal decides to field them togeth-er here too.

"We are taking one step at a time.Our first challenge is to beatThailand. While Kazakhstan has astrong team, our girls are hungry tocause an upset," Uppal said.

"We came early to get used to theindoor conditions. The ball is trav-elling slow through the air but thecourts are a little fast. The players aregetting familiar with the conditionswith each practice session."

When asked about Ankita's winover Putintseva last year, Uppal said,"It's new year and different condi-tions. Having said that Ankita islooking forward to playing her againand fancies her chances."

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Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singhfeels Ravindra Jadeja is still in with

a chance to make India's World Cupsquad on the back of his all-round skillsbut to survive purely as a finger spin-ner, he will have to improvise.

Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav andYuzvendra Chahal have become India'spreferred choices in the shorter formatsover the last 18 months, while Jadejaand R Ashwin have gone down in thepecking order.

Harbhajan, who has played three50-over World Cups including twofinals, is still not ready to count Jadejaout even though he was not a part ofthe playing XI during the just-con-cluded ODIs in New Zealand.

"If you remember, during the 2017Champions Trophy, the weather in UKwas hot and humid. So, if conditionsare same, Jadeja could still be used asa package, if the opposition team hasfive to six right-handers in their line-up. Play him as No 6 with HardikPandya as No 7. Also he is still your bestfielder," Harbhajan said.

One of the finest off-spinners of hisgeneration, Harbhajan agreed that fin-ger spinners' stocks are down comparedto wrist spinners.

"It's simple, wrist spinners havethree basic variations. Leg-break, goo-gly (wrong-un) and the flipper. If youadd top spinner, which is rarely usedin ODIs, it becomes four," the 38-year-old with 417 Tests and 269 ODI wick-ets, said.

"Now come to an off-spinner. Ifyou don't have an effective doosra, theoff-breaks become predictable andgood batsmen will line you up for slog-ging. Even Nathan Lyon was strugglingin the ODIs and he is a classical off-break bowler.

"Unless you have the ball that leaves

the right-hander, it is very difficult todislodge the leg-spinners from short-er formats."

The veteran also feels that world-wide, there has been a decline in thequality of batting against spin bowling,especially the wrist spinners.

"The art of reading the spinners outof the hand is on the decline. Most ofthe overseas batsmen, if you see, are try-ing to read wrist spinners after pitch-ing and that's dangerous," he lament-ed.

"However, Kuldeep and Chahalhave been very consistent. Just checktheir pitch map through the 40-oddgames and the length has been veryaccurate. But unlike Indian batsmen,who are masters at reading the hands,it is not the case with most of the over-seas batsmen," Harbhajan explained.

"I will give you an example.Kuldeep and Chahal would have hada tough time if they had to bowl toShikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma asboth are very good players of spinbowling."

But Rohit has had his share ofproblems against leg-spinners?

"Yes, that's just in a few IPL gamesduring initial overs of an innings. If it'sa 50-over match and a player of Rohit'scalibre is batting against the wrist spin-ners, he has that quality that he will hithim to any part of the ground.Whenever and wherever he wants to."

Kedar Jadhav has been India'sspecialist finger spinner in the 50-overformat during the past two years(when not injured) and his low bouncemakes him a useful bowler, saidHarbhajan.

"Kedar's low bounce makes him adifficult bowler. He grips the ball insuch a way that, it would never hit theseam and so there won't be truebounce available to hit the deliveriesthrough the line," he signed off.

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Kuldeep Yadav is firmlyahead of veteranRavichandran Ashwin in

the pecking order as India's front-line spinner on foreign soil, headcoach Ravi Shastri asserted, citinghis five-wicket haul againstAustralia in the Sydney Test thisyear.

Shastri made it clear thatgoing forward, wrist spinners willbe in vogue in Test cricket andKuldeep is "already" ahead ofAshwin and Jadeja as country'sNo 1 spinner.

"Already! He plays overseasTest cricket and he gets five wick-ets, so he becomes our primaryoverseas spinner. Going ahead, ifwe have to play one spinner, he isthe one we will pick," Shastri toldthe 'Cricbuzz' website.

"There is a time for everyone(referring to Ashwin's poor fitnessrecord in 2018). But now Kuldeepis our frontline number one over-seas spinner," he added.

Kuldeep bagged a five-for inthe rain-affected Sydney Test andmost of the Australian batsmenfailed to read him.

"I was very impressed with theway Kuldeep bowled in Sydney.Even in Test cricket, it is going tobe the age of wrist spin, especial-ly in overseas Test cricket. Theway he bowled in Sydney, hebecomes our number one spinnerin overseas Test cricket," Shastrisaid.

Cheteshwar Pujara was a rev-elation during the tour ofAustralia where he played a mas-sive role in the country's first ever2-1 series win, fetching the play-er of the series award for it.

However, the same Pujarawas dropped for the first Testagainst England in Birminghamand Shastri revealed how a minorglitch in his stance was corrected,which wasn't entirely technical.

"It wasn't a technical issue. Itwas in his posture and the way hestood at the crease. It was a smallthing, which can happen whenyou have played day in, and dayout. I felt it was an issue," Shastrisaid.

"We had to factor in if wewanted to take the risk of that firstTest or get him right for the next7-8 Tests. Or, take that chance ofplaying in all 8 Tests and he does-n't have enough time to sort

that," the coach, known for hiscricketing acumen, said.

According to Shastri, theproblem crept in when Pujara wasplaying county cricket in 2018 andit was a "conscious decision" to

drop Pujara in England."And I will do that again if I

get the results like the way I have,"said the straight talking coach.

Since coming back fromAustralia, Pujara has played threeback to back first-class games forSaurashtra, including the ongoingRanji final in Nagpur and thecoach feels it's time he takessome rest.

"...I feel like calling him fromNew Zealand and saying, enoughPuji, take off your pads now andsit down!"

"And like I said earlier, he isthe quintessential professional.That guy, when he gets in, hesmells the leather. He doesn't letthe bowler make him smell theleather. Chin music is different,when the bowler makes the ballgo past you," he said.

And then there was an inim-itable Shastri comment abouthow Pujara goes about his job.

"Pujara smells the leather,whether he is playing forward orbackward defensive. No onesmells the leather in defence bet-ter than Pujara. You can ask himif it is Christian Dior or Armani."

An unabashed fan of skipperVirat Kohli, Shastri comparedhim to cult cricketing figureslike Sir Vivian Richards and theiconic former Pakistan captainImran Khan.

"The closest I have seen to thegreat man. Virat is in your face,he wants to dominate and has awork ethic like no one else.Whether it comes to discipline,training, sacrifice or self-denial, itis unbelievable.

"I think India is lucky to havea leader of that sort. He remindsme of Imran Khan in many ways- in the way he sets the exampleand sets the standards, and goesabout defining it in his own wayand leading from the front,"Shastri said.

However, Shastri is confidentthat Kohli will evolve further as acaptain.

"As far as I am concerned, tac-tically, there is still room forplenty of improvement as captain.He has gotten better and better,and better, and I thought in theAustralian Test series, tactically heoutsmarted Australia.

"I still see more room acrossformats for him to evolve. As acaptain, Virat will evolve fur-ther," said Shastri.

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While Barcelona remains silentabout Lionel Messi's health,

Real Madrid's only concern is whoto leave out for their Copa del Reysemifinal on Wednesday.

The suspense about Messi's rightleg injury entered a third day onTuesday, with Barcelona still quietabout the full extent of the problemand not saying whether he will beavailable.

It was an unusual delay by theclub, which normally is quick torelease reports about its players'injuries.

Real Madrid coach SantiagoSolari said the uncertainty wasn'taffecting his team's preparations.

"It's always good to have the bestplayers playing in every match," hesaid on Tuesday. "Whether he playsor not, it's not going to influence howwe prepare for the game."

Madrid arrives for the first-legmatch at Camp Nou enjoying its bestperiod of the season and with near-ly all of its players available. Solari hasall of his best forwards, including anin-form Karim Benzema, the quick-ly maturing Vinicius Junior, and a

fully fit Gareth Bale.Bale is one of the many Madrid

players who have recovered from

injury in recent days, along with otherforwards Mariano Diaz and MarcoAsensio. Bale returned as a starter on

Sunday alongside Benzema andVinicius Junior as Alaves was beat-en 3-0 in the Spanish league, the

team's fifth consecutive win in allcompetitions.

Solari may not start Bale withVinicius Junior on Wednesday asthey usually play on the same part ofthe field and their presence couldmake the squad too unbalanced andmore vulnerable defensively.

There is little doubt Benzema willstart, as he has six goals in the lastfour matches. The French striker has18 goals, six more than he had in allof last season.

It would also be hard to leave outVinicius Junior, who has taken fulladvantage of Bale's absences tobecome a regular starter and a pop-ular player with Madrid fans. The 18-year-old Brazilian has added flair tothe attack.

Messi was hurt on Saturdaywhen Barcelona drew with Valencia2-2 at home, a result that halted theteam's eight-game winning streak inthe Spanish league. The club has yetto release a full medical report on theinjury, and he didn't practice with histeammates on Monday.

This first-leg semifinal in theCopa del Rey is the first of threematches between the rivals in lessthan a month.

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India's top singles playersAnkita Raina and Karman

Kaur Thandi will have to punchabove their weight when thebattle to qualify for Fed Cuptennis tournament's WorldGroup II begins here onWednesday.

India have been placed inPool A where getting pastThailand on Thursday is notexpected to be a problem. Thereal challenge would be to