Delhi polls:Cong promisesunemploymentallowance

‘LIC IPO maycome in 2ndhalf of FY21’

4

8

Owaisi hints at‘jail bharo' overcases on Modicritics

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MONEY 8NEW DEBT-BASED ETF WITHIN THIS QUARTER

ANALYSIS 7LONG ON VISION, SHORT ON MEANS

SPORTS 120-5 SERIES WHITEWASH

HURTS: TAYLOR

HYDERABAD, MONDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

}KIARA LIKELY TOPAIR UP WITH

MAHESH AGAIN

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RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

*LATE CITY VOL. 2 ISSUE 114*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHI DEHRADUNVIJAYAWADA

IMPACT OF UNION BUDGET

KCR to cut size of TS Budget furtherBudget 2020-21 likely to be presented in the Assembly in March first weekUnion Budget imposes further cuts in Centre's allocations to Telangana

L VENKAT RAM REDDYn HYDERABAD

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao, who toreinto the Union Budget onSaturday terming it 'disap-pointing and discriminatory', isunderstood to have directedthe state Finance Departmentto whittle down further the sizeof the pruned state budget for2021-22.

This has been necessitatedby the cuts which the UnionBudget has imposed in thestate's share of central taxes.

The Telangana State AnnualBudget for 2021-22 is expect-ed to be presented in theAssembly in the first week ofMarch.

KCR is learnt to have decid-

ed to present the budget in theAssembly himself like last yearand launch a scathing attack inthe House against the Centre

for reducing allocations tostates. Finance minister THarish Rao will once again beconfined to presenting the

budget in the LegislativeCouncil.

The preparatory exercise forthe budget is underway andfollowing CM's instructions,officials in the FinanceDepartment are draftingrevised budget proposals byimposing heavy cuts in alloca-tions to all departments. TheChief Minister's expectationsand calculations relating to TSgovernment's earnings havegone haywire in view of theimpacts which certain pro-

posals made in Union Budgetwill have on the state.

Last year, the Centreannounced Rs 19,718 crore inbudget towards state's share incentral taxes, but revised it toRs 15,987 crore i.e. a reductionof Rs 3,731 crore.

In the latest Budget, theCentre announced only Rs16,726 crore towards TS sharein central taxes due to cut inthe quantum of tax devolutionto states from 42% to 41%.

Continued on Page 4

PNS n BEIJING

India on Sunday temporarilysuspended e-visa facility forChinese travellers and for-eigners residing in China inview of the virulent coron-avirus that has killed morethan 300 people, infected14,562 others and spread to 25countries, including India, theUS and the UK.

Due to certain currentdevelopments, travel to Indiaon e-visas stands temporarilysuspended with immediateeffect," the Indian Embassyannounced here.

This applies to holders ofChinese passports and appli-cants of other nationalitiesresiding in the People'sRepublic of China. Holders ofalready issued e-visas maynote that these are no longervalid," the announcement said.

All those who have a com-pelling reason to visit India

may contact the Embassy ofIndia in Beijing or the Indianconsulates in Shanghai orGuangzhou, as well as theIndian Visa ApplicationCentres in these cities," itsaid.

On Sunday, India airlifted asecond batch of 323 strandedIndians and seven Maldiviancitizens from coronavirus-hitWuhan city, taking the totalnumber of people evacuated to654.

Air India's jumbo B747made two flights to Wuhancity - the ground zero of thecoronavirus epidemic.

CORONAVIRUS

India reports second caseof coronavirus from KeralaPNS n KERALA

The second case of novelcoronavirus has been report-ed from Kerala and thepatient testing positive hasbeen kept in isolation, offi-cials said on Sunday.

"The patient has testedpositive for novel coron-avirus and is in isolation ina hospital," the health min-istry said.

The patient is stable and isbeing closely monitored, itsaid.

However, the Kerala gov-ernment said the state wasawaiting the results from theNational Institute of Virology(NIV) at Pune.

"We have been informedtelephonically by NIV Punethat there is a possibility ofanother positive case.

Continued on Page 4

Jayesh, Jithender to challengedisqualification in court

TELANGANA OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Jayesh Ranjan panel onSunday said that it wouldresist the February 8 electionsto the Telangana OlympicAssociation. The panel hastermed as "null and void" theappointment ofChandrakumar as the return-ing officer.

The panel has objected tothe very idea ofChandrakumar replacing for-mer judge KC Bhanu as thereturning officer. With thehelp of some bigwigs in Delhi,some persons are trying toexercise their authority inTelangana, the panel membersalleged.

Meanwhile, the TelanganaHandball Association presi-

dent Jaganmohan Rao clari-fied that the OlympicAssociation elections wouldbe held in Telangana at anycost, but not in Delhi. He toldmedia persons here onSunday that he wouldapproach the court challeng-

ing the appointment ofChandrakumar. Rejection ofJayesh Ranjan's nominationpapers was high immoral andChandrakumar had not givensatisfactory reasons till date,he said.

Continued on Page 4

Jayesh Ranjan Jithender Reddy

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Minister for IT andIndustries KT Rama Rao hasbeen invited to HarvardUniversity to address its 17thIndia Conference on SmartCities in India.

The conference will be heldon February 15 and 16 inHarvard Business School,Boston. The theme of the con-ference is "20/20 foresight".

According to observers, KTRspeaking on Smart cities wouldbe apt as the subject is linked toIT and innovation and he ishelming IT and MunicipalAdministration departmentsin Telangana State. The Harvardconference is billed as thebiggest conference to be held inthe US on Indian aspects.

The conference, being heldunder the joint aegis of theHarvard University andHarvard Kennedy School, willsee the presence of who is who

of prominent sectors of Indianeconomy. The conference willbe attended by not less than1,000 delegates from India andthe US. Most importantly,young professionals, industryleaders and NRI Indians repre-senting various industries, stu-dents and professors of variousuniversities will attend the con-ference and deliberate on thetopic extensively.

Other prominent personsinvited to the conference arenoted economist AravindSubrahmanyam, Arun Puri,Suresh Prabha, Jayant Sinha andRitesh Agarwal.

KTR invited to Harvardto talk on smart cities

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government on Sundayclarified that the proposed taxon NRIs will not apply onbonafide Indians working intax-free foreign countries andis intended to tax only thoseseeking to escape tax byexploiting their non-residentstatus.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman in her Budget for2020-21 had proposed to taxNon-resident Indians (NRIs)who do not pay taxes in anyforeign country.

This provision raised anxi-ety in the minds of those work-ing in the Gulf region where

countries don't tax incomeearned by individuals.

First Sitharaman clarified

that only Indian income ofNRIs is proposed to be taxedunder the new provision, and

later the tax department issueda statement to say that "the newprovision is not intended toinclude in tax net those Indiancitizens who are bonafideworkers in other countries".

"What we are doing now isthat the income of an NRI gen-erated in India will be taxedhere. If he's earning some-thing in a jurisdiction wherethere is no tax, why will Iinclude that into mine that hasbeen generated there,"Sitharaman told reporters inDelhi on Sunday.

Continued on Page 4

NRI tax: Not taxing what you earn in Dubai: NirmalaIf you earn rent from a property in India, I have a sovereign right to tax: FM

Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharamanin her Budget for2020-21 hadproposed to tax Non-resident Indians(NRIs) who do notpay taxes in anyforeign country

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Rajendranagar police onSunday morning seized twosports cars after the driverswere found to be speeding anddriving in a rash manner onthe PVNR Expressway.

According to the police,around 9:30 am aLamborghini, bearing numberGA 07 AC 0001, driven by onePratheek and an Audi car,bearing number TS 09 ET8055, driven by one Chetan,were proceeding from

Shamshabad towardsMehdipatnam via the PVNRExpressway when a few roadusers informed the policecontrol room about rash dri-ving.

Immediately, traffic policepersonnel from the RajendraNagar Police Station chasedthe vehicles with the help ofHyderabad traffic police per-sonnel and stopped the cars atSarojini Devi Eye Hospital.The vehicles were later seizedand shifted to Rajendra NagarPolice Station.

Police with the seized sports cars on PVNR Expressway on Sunday

Sports cars seizedfor rash driving

Guilty in Samatacase to appeal inHC todayPNS n ADILABAD

The three persons who werefound guilty in the Samatagang-rape and murder casewill go on appeal against thespecial court's verdict in theHigh Court of Telangana onMonday. On Saturday, theirfamily members paid the fineof Rs 26,000 imposed on theaccused. The Fifth AdditionalSessions Court in the Adilabaddistrict was designated as thespecial court for the trial in thecase. The court awarded cap-ital punishment to the accusedSahik Babu, Shaik Shabuddinand Sahik Maqdoom, afterconvicting them of gang-rapeand murder of Samata, a bal-loon vendor, on November 24.

The trio gang-raped andkilled Samata at Yellapatarvillage of Lingapur mandal inAsifabad district on Nov 24.

NIRBHAYA CASE

Delhi HCreserves orderPNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court onSunday reserved its judg-ment on the Centre's pleachallenging the stay on theexecution of four death-rowconvicts in the 2012 Nirbhayagangrape and murder case.

Justice Suresh Kait said itwill pass an order after all theparties concluded their argu-ments.

Solicitor General TusharMehta on Sunday told theDelhi High Court that thereis "deliberate, calculated andwell thought of design" byNirbhaya gang-rape andmurder case convicts to "frus-trate" mandate of law by get-ting their execution delayed.

Mehta told Justice SureshKait that convict PawanGupta's move of not filingcurative or mercy petition isdeliberate, calculated inac-tion.

Corona tests in Gandhi from todayPNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Health EtelaRajender on Sunday asked themedical and health depart-ment officials to ensure thatpulmonologists working inthe state are readily available inthe backdrop of the accelerat-ing spread of novel coronavirus(nCoV) in various parts of theworld.

The Minister asked officialsto involve all teaching hospi-tals in providing treatment topatients suspected to havecontracted the virus.

The Gandhi MedicalCollege and Hospital wouldstart conducting tests fromMonday, using kits providedby the Centre to detect thevirus.

Continued on Page 4

KCR is learnt to have decided to present thebudget in the Assembly himself like last year and launch a scathing attack in theHouse against the Centre for reducingallocations to states

HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated February 02, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANAC TODAY

Month & Paksham:Magha & Shukla PakshaPanchangamTithi : Navami: 09:18 pmNakshatram: Kritika: 01:52 am (Next Day)Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 08:16 am- 09:40 amYamagandam: 11:05 am – 12:29 pm

Varjyam: 12:01 pm - 01:44 pm

Gulika: 01:54 pm - 03:19 pmGood Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 10:18 pm - 12:01 am Abhijit Muhurtham:12:00 pm - 12:52 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Clear with periodic cloudsTemp: 29/18Humidity: 80%Sunrise: 06.47Sunset: 06.12

India suspends e-visafacility for Chinese

Twenty five per cent of AAP candidates and 20 per cent of BJPcontestants in the fray for the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls have

declared serious criminal cases against them in their affidavits,according to the Association of Democratic Reforms. Fifteen per cent ofCongress candidates also declared serious criminal cases against them,the ADR said. In the Delhi assembly polls, 672 candidates are in thefray, one less than in 2015. The top three richestcandidates are from the AAP. They are DharampalLakra from Mundka (Rs 292 crore), Parmila Tokasfrom RK Puram (Rs 80 crore) and Ram Singh Netajifrom Badarpur (Rs 80 crore).

25% OF AAP NOMINEES, 20% OFBJP DECLARED CRIMINAL CASES

UP UNIT CHIEF OF ANTARRASHTRIYAHINDU MAHASABHA SHOT DEAD Uttar Pradesh unit chief of Antarrashtriya Hindu Mahasabha Ranjeet

Bachchan was shot dead here on Sunday by unidentified assailantswhen he was out on a morning walk, police said. Joint Commissioner ofPolice Naveen Arora said Bachchan's cousin, AdityaSrivastava, was also injured in the incident and theirmobile phones were snatched by the attackers, oneof whom fired on them. The officer said while the40-year-old Bachchan died on the spot after beinghit by a bullet, Srivastava has received bulletinjuries on his left hand.

INDIAN-AMERICANS ORGANISE ‘SIT-IN SATYAGRAHA' IN USAgroup of Indian-Americans organised a 'sit-in Satyagraha' in front of

the Mahatma Gandhi statue near the Indian Embassy here,highlighting the need for pluralism in an ancient and heterogeneoussociety like India. The sit-in-Satyagraha, two days afterthe 72nd death anniversary of Gandhi, was organisedby ‘Young India', a policy advocacy group.Speeches from community members were alsomade in the memory of the Mahatma. Thespeakers highlighted the need for pluralism inan ancient and heterogeneous society like India.

Noted yesteryear actor Waheeda Rehman will be conferred theMadhya Pradesh government's National Kishore Kumar Samman

on Tuesday, a state official said in Bhopal. The award, forthe year 2018, will be given to Waheeda at her Bandraresidence in Mumbai by Madhya Pradesh CultureMinister Vijaylaxmi Sadho, the MP Public RelationsDepartment official said. Rehman, one of Hindi filmindustry's most successful leading ladies with a stringof box office hits and several awards, will turn 82on Monday.

WAHEEDA TO BE CONFERREDKISHORE KUMAR SAMMAN

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HYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020 hyderabad 02

HC UPADHYAY n HYDERABAD

Although discerning citizenscould read between the linesfrom day one when the tamashaover CAA-NRC started soonafter the passing of theCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA), after gory incidents ofJamia Millia Islamia andJawaharlal Nehru University, ithas become crystal clear thatthese jihadi-tukde tukde gangsare bent upon unleashing atrail of violence in the otherwisepeaceful country.

Anti-national forces, withthe overt and covert support ofCongress, Left and communalparties like AIMIM, have beenindulging in the planned hatecampaign. They openly chal-lenge the Hindu might andvow to indulge in bloodbath.True, such extremist elements

are few, but with the modern-day reach of technology, thevenom spreads beyond the lim-its of imagination.

The net result of such unbri-dled statements by the tamashamanagers would be, to say theleast, disastrous. Obviously in acountry of 80 per cent Hindus,it would be too much to expectthat everyone will be as tolerantas we, a handful of self-restrainedpeople are. The firing incident onJanuary 30 in Jamia MilliaIslamia University by a juvenileHindu speaks volumes for this.

Not that the tamasha organ-isers are not aware about thepossible fall-out of theirPakistan-sponsored events, butunfortunately that is preciselywhat they want. True, the gov-ernment will leave no stoneunturned to put an end to thisnuisance; still, it will take furtherfive to ten decades to assuage

the hurt feelings of Hinduswho, for no fault of theirs, areinsulated, humiliated, abused,challenged and provoked.

Therefore, it is high time thatthese fringe communal elementsmended their ways in rightearnest; otherwise, the Hinduswho are driven to the wall maybe constrained to pay themback in the same coin. And, thatwould not be in the interest oflarge peace-loving Muslim com-munity. For, if Hindus do notdeclare this country as a HinduRashtra, it is not due to their

weakness or incapacity, but it isbecause of their genuine com-mitment to the noble ideals ofpeaceful coexistence and toler-ance.

By provoking Hindus, somewould certainly eschew thesenoble principles of peacefulcoexistence and tolerance andsome of them may even retali-ate, thereby consequently throw-ing the country in a turmoil.Hope, wise counsel will prevailover the tamasha managers andthey would wind up the uglyshow of so-called peaceful

protests in different parts of thecountry at once.

Reprieve for Nirbhayaconvicts for now

The much-hyped Nirbhayacase is winding up to its logi-cal end. Earlier, February 1 wasfixed for the hanging of allfour condemned convicts,but on January 31, thePatiyala House Courtin New Delhi stayed itsearlier order, citing thependency of mercypetition by a convictbefore the President.

The court rightlyobserved that a convicthas every right toexhaust all availablelegal remedies, irrespective ofthe seriousness of his crime.Though there has been a greatpublic resentment over the longdelay in punishing the perpetra-

tors of heinous crimes of gang-rape and murder, the legalprocess as it exists today has tobe followed.

Hope, the proposed reformsin criminal laws would address

this point too, because jus-tice delayed is justicedenied.

Counsel, thoushall notcross limits:SC

How long shouldthe rope be? What

should be the limit ofdiscretion that a lawyercould exercise on behalfof his client? Whencould he by his conduct

in the court bind his client?These were the questions dealtwith by a three-judge bench ofthe Supreme Court inOmprakash vs.Suresh Kumar.

The bench headed by JusticeA.M Khanwilkar, in its judg-ment dated 30th January, heldthat the unequivocal statementmade by a counsel in the Courton behalf of his client can berelied upon and the client willbe bound by it.

Justice delayed, but notdenied

Contrary to the adage: Justicedelayed is justice denied, here isa case where the petitioner hasgot justice after 42 years with theBombay High Court allowing theplea for the restoration of the case.The case relates to Smt. KamalaA. Bharani vs. Mohan D.Chulani. The petitioner had filedthe case for eviction of tenant onthe ground of bona-fide require-ment and re-possession of thepremises in 1978. After filing ofthe e-i-c, the matter got delayedconsiderably.

LEGAL ROUNDUP

They openly challenge the Hindumight and vow to indulge in bloodbath.True, such extremist elements arefew, but with the modern-day reach oftechnology, the venom spreads beyondthe limits of imagination

Provoking Hindus not in the interest of Muslims

Coronavirus pushesinvestors towards goldPNS n HYDERABAD

The declaration of medicalemergency by the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO)over novel coronavirus (nCoV)has led the investors towardsgold, which is considered asthe safe mode in such situa-tions.

Following this panicky situ-ation, gold moved up to closeat US dollars 1,591.48 (per oz).Silver also moved up andclosed at dollars 18.12.Platinum and palladium fol-lowed suit and closed at dollars961.30and 2,290.50 respec-tively.

Immediate reaction of theUnion Budget on share marketand jewellery market has beencertainly negative, though indue course, as people begin tocomprehend its finer points,the trend is expected toreverse.

In the foreign exchangemarket, rupee weakenedfurther during the week.US dollar was exchangedfor Rs. 71.50, whileEuro and BritishPound appreciatedand closed atRs.79.32 andRs.94.41 respec-tively. Otherleading cur-rencies alsoappreciatedand closed as follows:

Australian DollarRs. 47.85,Canadian DollarRs. 54.01, UAEDirham Rs. 19.47,Kuwaiti DinarRs.235.31, SaudiRiyal Rs.19.06,Omani RiyalR s . 1 8 5 . 7 2 ,Singapore DollarRs.52.39 and SwissFranc Rs.74.21.

At home, golddeclined evenbefore theannouncement ofthe Budget propos-als after the officialan nouncementreducing the mon-etary limit of Rs.2 lakh to Rs.1lakh for the purchase of goldfor which PAN is mandatory.The traders were demandinglowering of import duty ongold from 12.5 per cent, butthat has not come through.

Sensex and Nifty 50 closedat the lower levels of39,649.54 and 11,642.20

points respectively.Gold MCX closed atRs.32,657 (per 10gms), while silver

closed atRs.47,114 (per

kg). Copperclosed atR s . 4 2 6 . 4 0(per kg). The

local jewellery trade also

expressed dissatis-faction over the newdirective and feltthat it wouldadversely affect buy-ing during the cur-rent marriage sea-son. Standard gold(24 carats) appreci-ated by Rs.700 andclosed at Rs.40,810(per 10 gms).Ornamental goldmoved up in tandemand was quoted inthe range ofRs.38,740-38,840.Silver (0.999)declined by Rs. 100and closed at Rs.46,900 (per kg).

COMMODITIESThe sentiment in the prin-

cipal wholesale commoditymarkets in the Osman gunj,Maharaj gunj, Kishan gunj,Risala Abdullah, Begum Bazar,Mir Alarm Mandi,Dilsukhnagar, General Bazar,Monda Market, Kukatpally,Rythu Bazar, Bowenpally andAlwal was from moderate tostrong.

The announcement of var-ious farmer-friendly schemesin the Budget has cheered upthe agriculture sector.

Vegetables and eggs ruledeasy with the common vegeta-bles and NECC eggs remain-ing at affordable prices.

WEEKLY MARKET REVIEW

MEDARAM JATARA

PV KONDAL RAOn MULUGU

Although helicopters fly andbuses ply to bring lakhs ofdevotees on the eve of jatharato suffice the need of com-muters, the biennial tribal fairof Sammakka Saralammajathara is unable to bring outthe zeal of adivasis.

The pomp and parapherna-lia of the administration on theeve of four-day jathara is seenas a major obstacle by thenative adivasis of the northTelangana terrain who worshipSammakka and Saralamma astheir ancestral deities.

The historic significance ofthe tribal fair and the custom-ary traditions in the consecrat-ed premises are usually seen onfour days of the jathara. Butsince the adivasi festival hasbecome a tourism attractionfor many non tribals, theindigenous tribes are serious-ly thinking about the 'aach-aaram and apacharam' (cus-toms and uncivil acts) that arepracticed during the jathara.

Since the fete attracts morethan a crore devotees on theMagha Pournima day, almostall the devotees try to view thebringing of Sammakka to thesanctum sanctorum called con-secrated 'Gadde'. There arecertain rituals that portray thecleaning and clearing ofpremises a week before the fes-

tival. Adivasis observe this ev-ent with utmost devotion. Ho-wever some tribal elders feelthat their traditions were gross-ly violated with the presence ofnon tribal devotees at the ven-ue much before the commenc-ement of the jathara.

Most of the adivasis opinethat things are falling apart.

"We are keen on preservingour customs and traditionsand we feel it customary to pre-serve our native traditions.But the flocking of non tribalson the tribal terrain in largenumbers is slowly turning thefair a non tribal festival," anadivasi opined.

Vattem Sammaiah, a tribal inVurattam village on the out-skirts of Medaram jatharavenue feels that the frequent-ing of devotees was not seen asthe symbol of increasing faithamong the non tribals aboutSammakka Saralamma, but it

has become just a fashion forthem. "Had it been accordingto our customs and traditionsthe tribal deity duo could havereceived prayers and offersonly on the auspicious fourdays," Sammaiah quipped.

When asked about why thetribals were feeling let downwhen such a huge sum of rev-enue is netted and the share ofthe income is given to the trib-als, an adivasi of Tadwai man-dal says that the income mightbe increasing but the traditionswere falling apart.

However, some tribals feelthat the increased number ofdevotees and rush at the jatharawas helping the terrain getwidespread publicity and at thesame time the popularity oftheir god was also increasing.There are a few differences inopinion among the tribals andnon tribals of the region aboutthe jathara.

Tourism Minister launches chopper services for jataraHYDERABAD: For theconvenience of devoteesheading to SammakkaSaralamma Jatara in Medaram,Tourism Minister V SrinivasGoud on Sunday hasinaugurated the helicopterservices from Begumpet airport. As many as six passengers cantravel to Medaram fromBegumpet and return back bypaying Rs.1.60 lakh. GST ischarged additionally. Inaugurating the helicopterservices Srinivas Goud said that

the state government is alsoproviding an opportunity tothose who want to have a bird's-eye view of jatara by paying Rs2,999. Those who wish to availthese helicopter services cancontact 9400399999. Culturalsecretary Burra Venkatesam,tourism developmentcorporation chairman BhupatiReddy, civil aviation directorBharat Reddy, tourismcorporation MD Manohar andofficials of Tourism Departmentwere present.

CM mourns deathof former MinisterPNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K Chandrash-ekhar Rao has expresseddeep condolences onthe demise of formerMinister Komma-reddy SurenderReddy and formerMP M NarayanaReddy.

In a message the CMhas conveyed heartfelt con-dolences to the bereaved fami-ly members. The Chief Minister

has also issued instructions tothe Chief Secretary SomeshKumar to arrange funeral withofficial honors' to former

Minister KommareddySurender Reddy and for-mer Member of Parlia-ment and freedomfighter M NarayanaReddy. The Chief

Minister asked ChiefSecretary to issue instruc-

tions accordingly to the collec-tor of Medchal and Nizamabaddistricts respectively.

The Medaram Jatara is knownnot just for its antiquity, butalso the seamless way in

which it has preserved most of itspristine elements up to the present.Countless lensmen have captured itsevolution over the decades, leavingfor posterity freeze frames of thesublimity of the festival and the spir-itual solace it provides to millionsof devotees. However, today shut-terbugs are facing competition,with understandable trepidation;not from their human peers, butdrones that have invaded the Jataraspace. Representing various mediahouses in cut-throat competition,these shutterbugs, while clicking thehigh points of the Jatara festivitiesevery two years, continue to intro-duce novelty in capturing the instal-lation of Sammakka and Saralammaon the consecrated platform(gadde). The customs and traditionsof Adivasis and Jatara organisers arehighlighted in line with the techni-cal advances in their cameras. Thetrendy drones, however, have taken

some of these up-to-date shutter-bugs by surprise. These lensmenlanded at the venue at least a weekin advance to ensure that they getthe most vantage points to click pic-tures or record video. The four-dayfair throws up endless possibilities.The difference this time is theentry of drones, which are keyed toperfection when it comes to reach-ing the spots that are off-limits toshutterbugs. Besides, drones canmove overhead, regardless of themultitude. Shutterbugs can't affordto go deep into the crowds andcome out unscathed.

When they heeded the public

For once, denizens of smart cities,including Vizag, felt like kings.Administrators of civic bodies rarelyreach out to the public when itcomes to addressing civic issues.However, from January 4 to 31,Swachh Survekshan 2020 was con-ducted and the thrust of it was cit-izen engagement, whether in the

form of feedback or participation.Hence, GVMC in Vizag tried manyattractive means to engage people.Many people were happy that theiropinions had been given impor-tance. Volunteers were campaigningdoor to door at prime locations urg-ing citizens to give their feedback.The annual cleanliness survey hasbecome a fierce battle among thecities to grab the top rank.Scribes await CM's green lightto enter ad hoc Secretariat

Scribes on the Secretariat beatare still facing 'no entry' board atBRKR Bhavan -- the temporarySecretariat. Last time when theyapproached Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao, he assuredthem that the issue would beresolved soon. Scribes are stillwondering how far still is 'soon'.The scribes who used to movefreely inside the old Secretariatcomplex are feeling handicappeddue to curbs even at the ad hocSecretariat. The security personnel

a tBRKR Bhavan are strict and theydo not allow scribes inside thebuilding. Surprisingly, all areallowed, except media men. Scribesare not allowed to have even a cupof tea in BRKR Bhavan. They needto wait outside the BRKR Bhavangate for news. It is a different mat-ter that some scribes manage toenter BRKR Bhavan as part of com-mon people, without flashing theirrespective identity cards. That is,BRKR Bhavan is one spot wherecurrently 'press' card does notwork as entry pass. Hope thingswill improve in the near future.

South silent While people from the entire north

Telangana and its adjacent parts suchas Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh and Odisha are keenon offering prayers and participatingin the Medaram SammakkaSaralamma Jatara at Warangal, thosein south Telangana in general andMahabubnagar in particular are laid-back in their attitude towards theJatara festivities. The Chenchu tribalsin Mahabubnagar and its constituentparts as well as the Adivasis tribalselsewhere have never connected to theJatara. This time too they are keep-ing aloof from the Jatara. Only urbannon-tribals are keen on offeringprayers to the tribal deities. This sea-son too they are participating in largenumbers. Not only tribals fromMahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool,Wanaparthi, Gadwal and Narayanpet,even those from Nalgonda tribes arestaying away from the Jatara.

Industry goes overboardWhen praising the government,

industry experts often go over-board. This was witnessed at

CREDAI Hyderabad Expo where-in every speaker was praising thechief guest and IT Minister K TRama Rao. Even reporters werewondering whether the industrywanted the encomiums paid tomatch the manner in which heroesare praised at audio functions ofmovie release. Evidently this did-n't go unnoticed, with KTR him-self observing "This show doesn'tlook like CREDAI event, but like afelicitation event for me as if I havedone my job and retiring". He infact added that in the very firstevent of CREDAI after formationof Telangana, their woes wereheard and immediately addressedby the Chief Minister himself. So,there was nothing much for him todo, KTR conceded. "CM has doneeverything that needs to be done…Stable government and able lead-ership is what Telangana has."

Ramulo Ramula by KCRand KTR

If there is anyone who is getting

quick fame, apart from the songRamulo Ramula - it is Ramulu andhis brother, who is working in theGulf. Ramulu is Chief Minister KChandrashekar Rao's cook whohails from Siricilla, KTR's con-stituency. Ramulu's brother worksin the Gulf. Recently during a pressconference, KCR said that Ramulu'sbrother was earning just about Rs10,000-15,000 working in the Gulf;but construction labourers inHyderabad were earning better inthe State. Reference to Ramulu wasmade again by KTR at CREDAIproperty show. Sources said thatRamulu's example was not fiction-al. The sources did not vouch forthe amount Ramulu's brother earns.For, what he sends home may notfully reflect what he may be earn-ing.

(Contributed by P V Kondal Rao, Sumit Onka,

Kolishetty Venkateshwarlu,Avinash Deepak Puli

and Naveena Ghanate)

REPORTERS’

D ARY

Competition for shutterbugs as drones invade Jatara space

Armed forces veterans relive old memories PNS n HYDERABAD

A large number of armedforces veterans were seenreviving old memories inForces, with the young bloodstanding proud of the sacri-fices made by these veterans.

Ex-Servicemen Rally wasorganised by Artillery Centre,Hyderabad under the aegis ofHeadquarters, Dakshin BharatArea in Nizamabad onSunday. Over 600 ex-Service-men and their dependentstook part in the rally, whichserved as an occasion for bon-homie and bonding with theveterans and resolution ofpension related grievances aswell as extending CSD facili-ties to them.

Apart from being a forumfor the young to honourvaliant veterans, arrangementswere also made to providemedical examination for theEx-Servicemen at the rally.

Lieutenant General PN Rao,AVSM, YSM, SM, GeneralOfficer Commanding,Dakshin Bharat Area, MajorGeneral RK Singh, GeneralOfficer Commanding,Telangana & Andhra Sub Areaand others extended theirwhole hearted support to theveterans.

‘Conservecka’ for awareness on energy conservationPNS n WARANGAL

Chemical Engineer ingAssocistion and IIChE alongwith NSS, NIT Warangal, incollaboration with IndianOil Corporation Limitedorganised a rally to promoteawareness regarding theenergy conservation and sus-tainability as a part ofConservecka, a week-longconvention which is organ-ised to promote energy con-servation awareness amongstthe masses.

Prof A Venugopal, deanNIT Warangal (academic)

flagged off the rally at chem-ical engineering building onSunday.

Speaking on the occassion,Venugopal said that the ener-gy conservation is inexpen-sive solution to energy short-age. It is the most environ-ment-friendly alternative tocontrol increased energy pro-duction and its related sideeffects. But unfortunately,conservation of energy ishardly in practice due to thelack of awareness among peo-ple. Students and faculty ofNIT Warangal participated inthe programme.

Things are falling apart: Adivasis

HYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020 hyderabad 03

Students display innovative working models during the three-day national level rural technical festival Antahpragnya 2020 atRajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies in Basar

TECH FFETE

RIME ORNERC ‘Mastermind' behind gold

smuggling racket at largePNS n HYDERABAD

A whopping 31.3 kilos of gold,valued at Rs 13.3 crores, wasseized by the officials ofDirectorate of RevenueIntelligence (DRI), Hyderabad,Vijayawada and Nellore units,who intercepted various pas-sengers travelling in trains andbuses in the last two days. Theoperation was conducted basedon specific intelligence fromsources, said the DRI officials.

In the first instance, onFriday midnight, The DRINellore unit intercepted threepassengers travelling fromChennai to Warangal in TrainNo 12969-Jaipur SF Express atVijayawada railway station. "Itwas noticed that they were car-rying gold in packets con-cealed inside the bags. The goldis weighing 7,228 grams andvalued at Rs 3,05,77,824 in thelocal market. Three passengersattempting to smuggle the goldhave been arrested," said theofficials.

In a similar manner, onSaturday, at 1:30 pm, the DRIVijayawada unit interceptedthree passengers travellingfrom Chennai to Warangal inTrain 12615- GT Express atVijayawada railway station andit was noticed that they werecarrying gold in packets con-cealed inside their clothing.

The total weight was 7,077grams and was valued at Rs2,99,38,375 in the local market.

In yet another instance, onSaturday evening at around 7pm, DRI Hyderabad andVijayawada units interceptedfour passengers travelling toWarangal via Vijayawada byTSRTC bus 9 QE atKanakadurga Varadhi bus stopin Vijayawada. "On enquiry,the passengers stated that theywere traveling from Chennai toWarangal by train, but had gotoff the train at Kavali RailwayStation and took a bus toOngole and thereafter got on abus from Ongole to Guntur,and subsequently a bus fromGuntur to Warangal via

Vijayawada. The gold is weigh-ing 6,470 grams and valued atRs 2,73,68,100 in the localmarket," added the officials.

In the last case, on Sunday 5am, DRI Hyderabad unit inter-cepted three passengers travel-ling from Chennai toHyderabad by Train no 12603-Chennai-Hyderabad SuperfastExpress at Secunderabad rail-way station. It was noticed thatthey were carrying gold inpackets secreted in their secretpockets specially stitched totheir trousers. On furtherenquiry, the passengers admit-ted that they have carried cashto Chennai, purchased thesmuggled gold at Chennai andtravelling to Hyderabad for

delivery at Hyderabad. Thegold is weighing 10,709.44grams and valued at Rs4,53,00,927 in the local market.

"It was revealed duringenquiry that the passengersadmitted that they have carriedcash to Chennai, purchased thesmuggled gold at Chennai andtravelling back to Warangal tohand over the same to a mas-termind at Warangal. Theystated that the gold bars pur-chased by them were actuallymade out of smuggled foreigngold and they do not have anydocuments to prove importinto the country. We are work-ing on the leads to trace andnab the mastermind," con-cluded the officials, addingthat in all the above cases, thesmuggled gold has been seizedunder the Customs Act of1962 and further investiga-tion is in progress.

The offendersstated that thegold bars wereactually made outof smuggledforeign gold andthey do not haveany documents toprove import intothe country

n DRI SLEUTHS SEIZE 31.3 KILOS OF GOLD WORTH RS 13.3 CRORE

Commuters refuse breathalyserin drunk driving checks in cityPNS n HYDERABAD

Commuters are citing reasonsof coronavirus to evade drunkdriving checks, claiming thatthe virus might spread throughthe breathalyser, traffic officialssaid, adding that they refuse toblow into the device.

On Saturday night, trafficofficials from Madhapur traf-fic police station of CyberabadPolice Commissionerate in thecity were conducting drunk-driving checks. After checkinga few vehicles, a group ofyoungsters, all on motorbikes,approached the checkpoint.When the traffic personnelasked them to take the test,they refused.

The youngsters said thecops have been using the samedevice and detachables to con-duct check for all motoristspassing through the stretch. Asa result, if any one of them hadan infection, it could spread toother motorists. When thetraffic personnel asked them totake the breathalyser test, theyrefused and started troublingthe cops. The officials con-vinced the drivers to take thetest. A couple of them testedpositive for blood alcohol,

while others tested negativeand were let off.

The traffic officials saiddrunk drivers have been cre-ating excuses to evade checksever since the breathalyser testwas introduced. However,

they have been conductingroutine checks to ensure thatno drunk person is behind thewheels, thereby saving thelives of both the drunk driversand other motorists on theroad.

OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS

Commuters are citing reasons ofcoronavirus to evade drunk drivingchecks, claiming that the virus mightspread through the breathalyserduring the drunk driving checks

Prez inaugurates world's largest meditation centre PNS n HYDERABAD

Kanha Shantivanam the glob-al headquarters of Heartfulnesswas inaugurated by the Presi-dent of India Ramnath Kovind.

Kovind an avid Heartfulnesspractitioner addressed 40,000audience at the recently inau-gurated meditation centrewhich is the world's largest andlocated in Kanha Shantivanam.

Commenting on the inaugu-ration Daaji Guide of Heartfu-lness said, "The readiness ofKanha Shantivanam as a seat oftransformation through med-itation is testimony to humanendurance. Over five yearsKanha Shantivanam's evolutioninto a magnificent wellnessdestination complete with theworld's largest meditation cen-tre was possible due to relent-less efforts of thousands of ourpractitioners. Our work to en-sure that Heartfulness remainsTimeless has just begun."

The 1400-acre Kanha Shan-tivanam along with iconicmeditation centre has evolved

into an epicentre of humantransformation. This once bar-ren, rocky, dry and droughtprone area is now a greenoasis with half million treesnurtured to create a microcli-mate in the region. It is acompletely self-sufficient and

sustainable ecosystem designedfor highest quality of habitation- be it human, flora or fauna.

Kanha Shantivanam hasanother milestone for thePresident to commemorate -the plantation of the half a mil-lionth tree at the pristine Kanha

Shantivanam. The tree thatwas planted was DiospyrosCandolleana - Panicled Ebony,an IUCN redlisted threatenedspecies.

Kovind said, "Inner self thro-ugh development practices ofSahaj Marg and Heartfulness

learning will help in bringingabout individual and collectivetransformation across theglobe. It is reassuring to see thatShri Ram Chandra Mission iscontinuously expanding itsoutreach for the benefit of wo-rld community. Efforts of themission in developing KanhaShantivanam an impressiveheadquarters of the Heartfuln-ess peace movement deservesspecial commendation."

As the global headquarters ofHeartfulness Kanha Shantiva-nam is attracting practitioners

across the globe each year andto mark the 75th year of its for-mation the ongoing celebra-tions including the visit ofPresident of India will see 1.20lakh visitors over a period of 13days from January 28 toFebruary 9, 2020.

Three 3-day sessions span-ning January 28-30, February1-3 and February 7-9, 2020 willhost 1.2 lakh practitioners whowill part of mass meditationactivity to commemorate themilestone of 75 years. AnnaHazare will address the practi-tioners on February 8.

The Heartfulness facility isspread over 1400 acres and isa self-sustained ecosystem thatcan host 40,000 plus people,self-sustained kitchen that canmake food 1,00,000 people aday, an upcoming 350 bedAyush medical facility, nurseryof 6 lakh saplings several lakhtrees planted over last fouryears, Heartfulness LearningCentre to catch young minds atan early age, water harvestingsystems amongst many more.

President plantsthe half millionthtree at the globalHeadquarters ofHeartfulness. He had alsoplanted the1,00,000 tree inthe year 2017

n RAMNATH KOVIND ADDRESSES 40,000 PRACTITIONERS OF HEARTFULNESS ON SUNDAY

Actor filescomplaint over onlineharassment PNS n HYDERABAD

A film artist and comedianKalyani Padala, filed a com-plaint with the Cybercrimespolice of Hyderabad aftershe was harassed online bymiscreants.

According to the compla-int, Padala received obscenevideo clips on her mobilephone, lewd texts, objection-able images and morphedvideos of her on the internet.

Padala, popularly knownas Karate Kalyani, lodged acomplaint with theCybercrimes police againstthe people who sent her thecontent and harassed her.

Kalyani said that despiteblocking the miscreants, theysent obscene videos fromdifferent mobile numbers toher. She also said that hermorphed photographs wereuploaded on various socialmedia platforms and her nor-mal life has been disruptedfor the past few days due tothe miscreant's acts.

TSRTC servesanother noticeto AshwathamaPNS n HYDERABAD

The TSRTC managementserved another show causenotice to RTC JAC convenerE Ashwathama Reddy onSunday seeking his explana-tion within seven days failingwhich it would be deemedthat there is no explanation tooffer from him and furtheraction will be initiated againsthim based on the availableevidences on records.

The management statedin its notice that due to abs-ence of Reddy from Decem-ber 12, much inconvenienceis caused in arranging substi-tute and work is dislocated,besides causing inconvenie-nce to the public which ismisconduct in terms of RTCemployees Regulation 1963.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The officials of RachakondaPolice Commissionerate con-ducted a vaccination drive forover 500 traffic police person-nel at City Armed ReserveCAR Police Headquarters inAmberpet on Sunday. Thevaccination drive byRachakonda PoliceCommissionerate was orga-nized and supported by BharatBiotech, United Ways ofHyderabad, and Nice Hospital.

The chief guest at the event,Sunpreet Singh, DeputyCommissioner of Police, LBNagar, flagged off the vaccina-tion drive in the presence ofDr Jalachari Ella, Head-Corporate Strategy,

Bharat Biotech, RekhaSrinivasan, CEO, United Wayof Hyderabad and Rakhi Nair,programme officer, NICEFoundation.

The purpose of the vacci-nation drive was solely tohelp the traffic police whoare at risk to spend odd

hours on the field to immu-nise them against typhoidinfection. Despite honestefforts from the department,many times they end up hav-ing no access to safe waterand food, while on duty.This puts them at risk fortyphoid infection.

Sunpreet Singh said, "This isa great initiative, we vaccinat-ed over 500 police staff,"Adding, when our policemenare at work they may consumecontaminated water or foodand are prone to typhoid, I amhappy they are now immuni-sed against typhoid infection.”

Lucky drawfraud: 4 held, Rs 12.62 lakhrecoveredThe South Zone team of

Commissioner's Task Forcecaught four persons who wereallegedly cheating public byorganising 'lucky draw scheme'.The cops seized Rs. 12.62 lakhcash, computer, printer andother articles from them. Actingon a tip off, the police caughtMohd Abdul Hafeez, 30, SyedFarooq Ali, 38, Syed Ghouse, 36and Mohd Azhar, 25 allresidents of old city. One of theirassociates Syed GhulamDastagir is absconding. Thegang was organising a luckydraw racket 'Ever GreenEnterprises' at Kalapather,Ansari Road. On 23rd of everymonth they were organisingdraw and inviting members toparticipate in assuring prizesincluding automobiles andelectronic gadgets. "Lured bythe offer around 3,000 peoplebecame members for a periodof 12 months paying asubstantial amount of moneyevery month to the firm. To theirdismay the members did not getany prizes although they wereassured of 15 prizes everymonth during the draw," said GChakarvarthy, Additional DCPTask Force. On information ateam lead by S Raghavendra,Inspector Task Force (south)raided the office and caught thefour persons. The amount andother articles were seized fromthem. The police appealed to thepublic not to believe in the'lucky draw' scheme as it ischeating. "The organisers didnot have valid documents withthem and intentionally theyduped the public," said theofficial.

History sheeter stabbed to death in Old City A27-year-old businessman

was allegedly murdered byunidentified persons atKamathipura area of the old cityon Saturday night. According tothe police, the victim wasidentified as Syed Imran aliasAmmu, against whom a historysheet is maintained atKamatipura police station.Imran had an argument withtwo of his acquaintancesaround 10 pm over somepersonal issues. "During theargument, the two unidentifiedpersons stabbed Imran withsharp articles inflicting severeinjuries to the victim.Subsequently, he was rushed toOsmania General Hospital bythe police where he succumbedto injuries at around 3.30 am,"said B Anjaiah, ACPCharminar.The police registereda case under Section 302(murder) of the IPC and tookup the investigation. Accordingto sources, the two personssurrendered before the policeon Sunday morning.

52 bottles of foreign liquor seized, one arrestedPNS n HYDERABAD

A 29-year-old man fromMumbai was arrested during aroute watch by the ExciseEnforcement team while hewas illegally smuggling 52 bot-tles of foreign liquor in hisvehicle, which was supposed tobe delivered to a buyer inJubilee Hills on Sunday.

The route watch was con-ducted on the road fromTolichowki to Mehdipatnamand the team seized 52 bottlesof foreign liquor, whichincludes 10 bottles of Johnny

Walker Blue Label, 22 bottlesof Johnny Walker Double Bl-ack and 20 bottles of JohnnyWalker Black Label of 1 litre.

The accused was identifiedas Purohit Sravan, 29, a resi-dent of Kaveri Appartementenin Versova road of AndheriEast in Mumbai.

"Basing on his information,it was found that Rahul Phadteof Mumbai was supplying for-eign liquor to Jitendar Agrawal,who stays in Jubilee Hills.During the course of investiga-tion, it was revealed that Rahulwas supplying foreign liquor toneedy customers at Hyderabad

and sending the same throughprivate travel buses. Our offi-cials further seized two mobilephones from the accused whoconfessed that he brought theforeign liquor bottles fromMumbai to Hyderabad todeliver to Jitendar Agrawal ofJubilee Hills as per instructionsof Rahul in a private travelbus," said the Assistant ExciseSuperintendent of HyderabadEnforcement, N Anjireddy.

Further, the team handedover contraband, case papersand accused person to Golc-onda Police for further action.

The route watch was conducted onTolichowki to Mehdipatnam road. The Excise Enforcement team seized52 bottles of foreign liquor

NAVEEN KUMAR n HYDERABAD

A criminal case was bookedagainst drunk drivers whoran over a puppy and furtherassaulted a man who askedthem to help and rescue theinjured animal.

"I wasn't even worried whenI killed a human, you're both-ered about the dog?" said thedrunk driver when stopped,claims the man whoapproached the Saroor Nagarpolice to register a complaint.

Speaking to this newspaper,Sai Teja Peddineni, 27, aDefense tech entrepreneur,who chased the car and con-fronted the men, said that theypicked up a fight and assault-ed him before fleeing theplace.

"The incident occurred onSaturday night near KrantiColony when I noticed a carrunning over a puppy sleepingon the roadside, gravely injur-ing it. I then followed the carand stopped them to ask forhelp by taking the animal togive medical attention whenthey picked up a fight andganged up on me,” the com-plainant said.

“While the driver of the carchoked me, the other onepushed me and further start-ed threatening me that theywon't let me leave the place.Both were drunk,” he said.

“It took about 10 minutesfor the altercation to dissolve,following which I called dial100 and explained them thewhole issue," said the man,adding that he was asked bythe police to register a com-plaint and action will be taken.

Accordingly, following thecomplaint, cases were bookedunder sections 279, 506 IPCand sec 11 (1)4a of Preventionof Cruelty to Animal Act andsection 84 of MV Act.

The condition of the puppyis said to be critical as it is ina paraplegic state. "The policetold me that the car is beingtraced and by Monday, theywill be apprehending the man"added Teja.

The vehicle is registered toAshish Reddy Alva and haspending challans of Rs 2,570from 2016.

It is yet to be ascertainedwhether it was Ashish ReddyAlva driving the car.

Police registered a case andstarted investigation.

Drunk driver runs overa puppy, assaults man

500 cops take part intyphoid vaccine drive

HYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020 hyderabad 04

BON VVOIAGE

PNS n HYDERABAD

Union Minister of state forHome Affairs G Kishan Reddyhas lashed at Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao saying thatthe latter is making criticismwithout knowing the facts.

The Centre also has prob-lems similar to states, KishanReddy said praising the UnionBudget as farmers' Budget. Hesaid that the Centre had takenup several welfare schemesand has allotted funds equallyand described the budget as agood one. There is no truth inthe allegation that the Centreis showing discriminationtowards some states, he saidwhile questioning that whomwill centre release funds insteadof states. Making it clear thatthe centre never stated that itwill accord national status toKaleswaram project, KishanReddy said that the centreallotted funds to Telanganastate in its budget.

Kishan Reddy found faultwith the free schemes intro-ducing by the states andalleged that political leaderswere misguiding the peopleaiming to become ChiefMinister. Targeting Delhi elec-tions, Kishan Reddy said thatthe people were not asking freeschemes. The people werewishing to have infrastructure,construction of houses, pollu-tion-free Delhi, he said.

Kishan Reddy had conduct-

ed a cordial meeting with theTelugu people living in Delhiat his residence at Delhi onSunday. While speaking tothe media on the occasion,Kishan Reddy exuded confi-dence that BJP would come to

power in Delhi this time win-ning upcoming Assembly elec-tions.

"The conditions werechanged now in Delhi whencompared with the past. TheDelhi people are wishing to

'Go AAP' and 'Come BJP'.Aam Admi Party (AAP) ismisusing the funds released bythe centre. AAP is ruling Delhijoining hands with anti-nationals and separatists.Kejriwal is influencing thepeople to stage dharnas atShahinbhag," he alleged.

Kishan Reddy alleged thatthe Congress hatched a con-spiracy to defeat BJP in Delhielections. The Congress with-drawn from elections to ensurethe victory of AAP in Delhi, hesaid alleging that Congress iswishing AAP to come topower in Delhi.

Union Minister lashes out at CM for criticising Centre

Kishan Reddy alleged that politicalleaders were misguiding the peopleaiming to become Chief Minister. Healleged that the Congress hatched aconspiracy to defeat BJP in Delhielections

Owaisi hints at ‘jail bharo' overslapping of cases on Modi criticsPNS n HYDERABAD

All India Majlis-e-IttehadulMuslimeen (AIMIM) chiefAsaduddin Owaisi on Sundaysaid that a long battle overCitizenship Amendment Act,2019 was ahead and urged sec-ular minds to be ready for thefight.

"Let me tell you that our bat-tle is with the forces, whichhave spent all their lives nur-tured with the ideology ofRSS and Hindutva," he said ata women's conference protest-ing against the contentiousCAA organised by the MuslimUnited Action Committee atDarul Uloom in Shivrampally.

In regard to the recent spateof firing incidents in Delhi,Asaduddin said, "It is surpris-ing that a Minister at publicmeeting shouts 'desh ke gad-daaro ko goli marro," slogansand within hours persons startfiring at people. I salute JamiaUniversity student Shadab whotook the bullet fired by a per-son called Gopal," he said.

He questioned the actionand response of the DelhiPolice and added that they

behaved in an unprofessionalmanner while handling thetwo gunmen who shot at peo-ple at Jamia and Shaheen Baghlast week.

Taking at a dig at the sedi-tion case against a schoolteacher and parents for staginga play at a school, the MIMchief said, "Bhartiya JanataParty-led government istrying to intimidateMuslims by invoking'sedition' law. Soonwe will be forcedto announce a'jail bharo' progr-amme. Let themfill the jail. Capa-city of Indianjails is only threelakh," he said.

He said the MIMis with the Jamia MilliaIslamic University,Aligarh Muslim

University and students of allthe other universities who arefighting against communalforces.

He reiterated that the on-going agitation is to save theconstitution of the countryand secular fabric of the coun-try. "If we have to make moresacrifices we will do it. In ademocratic way, we will fight

and defeat them," hesaid. Another meeting

was organised by theAlliance againstCAA/NRC & NPRat Darul ul Huda in

Pahadishareef onSunday morning.

Participants at the meet-ing demanded the

government resc-ind the CAA,

NRC andothers on

hold.

BJP is promoting divisive politics for votes, says KTRPNS n HYDERABAD

TRS working president and ITMinister KT Rama Raolaunched a blistering attackagainst the BJP on Sunday forpromoting divisive politics inthe country and discriminatingTelangana on all fronts. "TheBJP, instead of taking decisiveand concrete steps to benefitthe people and focus on devel-opment, is only trying to dividethem with their 'India-Pakistan, Hindu-Muslim'chants to garner votes," hesaid.

Addressing TDP leadersfrom Shamshabad who joinedthe TRS at Telangana Bhavan,KTR pointed out that the BJPgovernment which has present-ed six Union budgets so far,had only meted out injustice toTelangana despite the State's

significant contribution to thenation's economy. "Except fordevolution of funds as mandat-ed in the Constitution of India,the BJP government did notallocate even single paise to thestate. But the BJP leaders in the

state continue to claim that thestate was running with fundsreleased by the Centre," he said.

The Minister advised BJPState president K Laxman andother party leaders to stopholding press conferences to

criticise Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao unneces-sarily and instead, use theirinfluence, if they had any, to getfunds from the Centre forState projects like KaleshwaramLift Irrigation Scheme. Hepointed out that the BJP gov-ernment at the Centre did notrelease funds for MissionBhagiratha and MissionKakatiya despite recommenda-tions from NITI Aayog consti-tuted by it.

Stating that the BJP won fourMP seats by fluke as was evi-dent from the fact that it couldnot stand up to the TRS wavein any other election, KTR saidthe nexus between Congressand BJP was out in the openduring the municipal electionswhere they supported eachother to keep TRS away fromcoming to power in threemunicipalities. "People havelost faith in Congress across thenation and it is time that the

grand old party gets into intro-spection to correct its mistakesand connect with the people,"he said.

"The Chief Minister's leader-ship is the only protectiveshield for people of TelanganaState," he added.

Senior TDP leader GaneshGuptha along with eight newlyelected councillors inShamshabad municipality,joined TRS. Rama Rao wel-comed them into the party foldand assured all support intheir efforts to serve people ofShamshabad. He promised toextend Hyderabad Metro Railupto Shamshabad as part of theairport corridor.

Chevella MP G RanjithReddy, MLAs Prakash Goud, AJeevan Reddy, MLC M SrinivasReddy and other senior leaderswere also present.

Senior TDP leader Ganesh Gupthaalong with eight newly electedcouncillors joined TRS. Rama Raowelcomed them into the party foldand assured all support in their effortsto serve people of Shamshabad

‘Impose banon liquor inSangareddy’PNS n HYDERABAD

Congress MLA fromSangareddy T Jagga Reddyhas decided to take up amovement demanding thestate government to prohib-it liquor in his constituency.

Jagga Reddy said that thepeople of his constituencywere demanding for a liquorban. He informed that he willlaunch his anti-liquor move-ment at beer factories locat-ed in his constituency.

Jagga Reddy said that he ispreparing an action plan forproposed liquor ban move-ment.

The Congress MLA saidthat he will not speak any-thing about politics for thethree months.

"I will bring out the prob-lems of the people inSangareddy constituency forthe coming three months.Wine shops in Sangareddyconstituency are selling liquorindiscriminately. Women areopposing liquor sales.Inebriation will turn thehuman being as a monster,”the minister said.

Cong criticises Centre for cut in TS share in BudgetPNS n HYDERABAD

Accusing the BJP Governmentat the Centre of doing injusticeto Telangana State in the UnionBudget, former minister andex-leader of Opposition inLegislative Council Moham-med Ali Shabbir on Sundaydemanded that Chief MinisterK Chandrashekhar Rao take anall party delegation to NewDelhi to meet Prime MinisterNarender Modi over state'sfinancial expectations with theCentre in the year 2020-21.

Shabbir Ali, in a mediastatement, said that the BJPGovernment has been neglect-ing Telangana ever since itcame to power in 2014. He saidTelangana neither benefitedfrom any flagship scheme ofCentral government nor itreceived any Central fundingfor state projects.

He said the Centre has dras-tically reduced the state's sharein Central Taxes and avoidedreleasing the dues. "In 2019-20budget, Telangana waspromised Rs 19,718 crore as itsshare in Central taxes.

In the Revised Estimates, ithas been reduced to Rs 15,987crore. This was a straightreduction of Rs 3,731 crore oralmost 18.9 per cent. Further,for 2020-21 only Rs 16,726crore has been earmarked.The Central government owesan explanation on whyTelangana is being

discriminated," he said.The Congress leader also

blamed the TRS governmentfor not pressuring the Centreover fulfilment of promisesmade in the Andhra PradeshReorganisation Act and otherbenefits. "Not a single project

from Telangana receivedCentral funding during the lastsix years. Going by

the present attitude of BJPgovernment, it is most unlike-ly that the promises whichwere made with Telanganawill be fulfilled. TRS govern-ment is equally responsible forthe present situation as it failedto make effective and timelyrepresentations with theCentre. In fact, Chief

Minister K ChandrashekharRao focussed more on increas-ing the borrowing limits forTelangana than seeking directfunding from the Centre.

‘NRI tax: Not taxing what you earn in Dubai’Continued from page 1

She said Indian earnings ofNRIs such as rental incomefrom property in the country iswhat was intended to be taxedby way of the new provision.

"Whereas if you have a prop-erty here and you have rent outof it, but because you are liv-ing there, you carry this rentinto your income there and payno tax there, pay no tax here ...since the property is in India,I have got a sovereign right totax," she said in a post Budgetinteraction with media.

"I am not taxing what you'reearning in Dubai but that prop-erty which is giving you renthere, you may be an NRI, youmay be living there but that isrevenue being generated herefor you. So, that's the issue."

The Union Budget for 2020-21 presented on Saturday hadtightened the screws on thoseseeking to escape tax byexploiting their non-residentstatus. While earlier it waspossible to be classified as anon-resident by staying out ofthe country for 183 days orabout six months in a year, thishas now been, in effect,enhanced to 245 days.

Clarification issued toease confusion

Revenue Secretary AjayBhushan Pandey said the new

rule was "an anti-abuse provi-sion planned to plug loopholesin the system and not intend-ed to tax income earned bythose working overseas".

He said the wording in theBudget document may havecreated confusion and so a clar-ification has been issued now.

Pandey said Indians workingin the Middle East, as well asthose in Merchant Navy, will notbe taxed using the new provi-sion.

"Somebody who is a citizenof India and sitting in a taxhaven and not paying taxesthen he has to pay tax," he said."By issuing clarification, wehave kept them (workers in theMiddle East) out. Same formerchant navy because theirincome is also not arising outof India."

Asked if raising the durationof overseas stay to qualify forNRI status would not deterIndians from making visitshome, he said: "These are anti-abuse provisions. If someonefaces any difficulty because ofthis, we will see what can bedone. The policy that youmake, you have to see that alarger section of people is ben-efitted because of this. If he isa non-resident, he has to livesubstantially out of India. Now,substantially out of Indiameans what? Earlier it was50:50. Now we have made

2/3rd: 1/3rd."He said the new provision

was brought in because peoplewere taking advantage of theexisting one. "These are theanti-abuse provisions, and notto inconvenience any genuinepersons."

The Central Board of DirectTaxes (CBDT) in a statementsaid the new provision is notintended to include thoseIndian citizens in the taxationnet, who are bonafide workersin other countries.

An "Indian citizen shall bedeemed to be resident in Indiaif he is not liable to be taxed inany country or jurisdiction. Thisis an anti-abuse provision sinceit is noticed that some Indian cit-izens shift their stay in low or notax jurisdictions to avoid pay-ment of tax in India," it said.

"The new provision is notintended to include in tax net

those Indian citizens who arebonafide workers in othercountries," it said.

It stated that it was not cor-rect to say that those Indianswho are bonafide workers inother countries, including inthe Middle East, and who arenot liable to tax in these coun-tries will be taxed in India onthe income that they haveearned there.

"In order to avoid any mis-interpretation, it is clarifiedthat in case of an Indian cit-izen who becomes deemedresident of India under thisproposed provision, incomeearned outside India by himshall not be taxed in Indiaunless it is derived from anIndian business or profes-sion. Necessary clarification,if required, shall be incorpo-rated in the relevant provisionof the law," it added.

At present, if an Indian or aperson of Indian origin managedhis stay in India such that heremained a non-resident in per-petuity, he was not liable to paytax on his global income in India.

The Union Budget has pro-posed to introduce a deemingprovision that every Indian cit-izen who is not liable to tax in anyother country, by virtue of hisdomicile or residence, shall bedeemed as a resident of India.Consequently, his global incomewould be taxable in India.

India reports secondcase of Coronavirus...Continued from page 1

But since there is a possibili-ty we have to be extremely vig-ilant. We are yet to receive theresults.

The suspected case is of astudent of Wuhan University,"state Health Minister K KShailaja told the media atKollam."

She said the student, whohad returned from China onJanuary 24, and currently at anisolation ward in AlappuzhaMedical College Hospital, wasbeing closely monitored andthe condition of the patient isstable.

"The patient has minorsymptoms. But we are not tak-ing any chances. We havetaken proper precautions eventhough we have not receivedany confirmation. We expectthe results by evening," shesaid.

India's first novel coron-avirus case in India wasreported from Thrissur inKerala with a student testingpositive.

Till date, 1,793 people whotraveled from coronavirusaffected countries have beenidentified and placed undersurveillance in Kerala.

Of this, 70 people havebeen admitted in selected iso-lation facilities and 1723 areunder home isolation, a med-ical bulletin said.

Meanwhile, Chinese healthauthorities on Sunday said itreceived reports of 2,590 newconfirmed cases of novel coro-navirus infection and 45deaths on Saturday from 31provincial-level regions andthe Xinjiang Production andConstruction Corps.

All the deaths are in HubeiProvince, according to China'sNational Health Commission,Xinhua news agency reported.

Another 4,562 new sus-pected cases were reported onSaturday, said the commission.

On Saturday, 315 patientsbecame seriously ill, and 85people were discharged fromhospital after recovery.

KCR to cut size of TS...Continued from page 1

KCR had sought a vote-on-account for 2019-20 inFebruary 2019 before the gen-eral election with an outlay ofRs 1.82 lakh crore.

After the General Election,KCR presented a full-fledgedbudget in September 2019, butsprang a big surprise by cut-ting the budget size by 20 percent to Rs 1.46 lakh crore cit-ing recession and cut in cen-tral allocations.

In March 2015, KCR hadestimated that the budget sizeof Telangana for the next fiveyears would be Rs. 6 lakh croreon the basis of its economicgrowth rate, permissibleFRBM levels. and other para-meters.

But he is now forced to paredown the budget further dueto dwindling governmentearnings on account of reces-sion, unexpected cuts imposedby Centre in taxes, and non-release of grants as promised.

Corona testsin Gandhifrom todayContinued from page 1

It would take at least 10hours to determine whethera patient tested positive ornegative for the virus.

So far, not a single case ofnCoV has been registeredacross Telangana. He saidthat he had been appealingto all travelers/returnees tothe city from China to visitFever, Gandhi and Chesthospitals.

Meanwhile, all arrange-ments have been made totreat patients admitted tothese hospitals. Necessarystaff and equipment likemasks and sanitizers havebeen made available. Hesaid that the state govern-ment would adhere to theCentral Government's direc-tions in diagnosing thevirus.

The medical and healthdepartment was fully gearedup to meet any health emer-gency. The situation wasbeing monitored on hourlybasis, he said and urgedpeople not to be fright-ened.

Jayesh,Jitender tochallenge...Continued from page 1

In the elections, whichbecame the bone of con-tention between the TRS andthe BJP, Telangana ITIndustries Department prin-cipal secretary Jayesh Ranjanand former MP and BJPleader Jitender Reddy's nom-inations were rejected, upset-ting all calculations.

Only three persons filedtheir nomination papers. Butthe nomination papers of twopersons were rejected. Thepanel found the nomination ofK Ranga Rao, who represent-ed the Olympic Association ofTelangana, was intact.

Another 4,562new suspectedcases werereported onSaturday, saidthe commission.In all 315patients becameseriously ill, and85 people weredischarged fromhospital afterrecovery

If we have to make more sacrifices we will do it.In a democratic way, we will fight and defeatthem

— ASADUDDIN OWAISI , AAIIMMIIMM cchhiieeff

Governer Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao give send-off to President Ram Nath Kovind atBegumpet Airport on Sunday

Mohammed AliShabbir demandedthat the stategovernment releasea white paper ontotal funds releasedby the Centre forTelagana since2014

HYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020 nation 05SHORT READS

Karnataka cabinetexpansion onFebruary 6: CMBENGALURU: Karnataka ChiefMinister B S Yediyurappa onSunday said that the cabinetexpansion would take place onFebruary 6, with 13 MLAstaking oath of office. "Thecabinet expansion will takeplace on February 6 with theoath-taking ceremony at theRaj Bhavan at 10.30 AM," hetold reporters here. ThirteenMLAs, including 10 who hadjoined BJP from parties,including Congress and theJD(S), will take oath, he said.The cabinet expansion is on thecards for nearly two monthsever since the BJP won themaximum number of seats inthe December 5 2019 bypollsand got a majority in theKarnataka assembly.

MIA bomb case:Suspect remanded to 14days’ judicial custody

AAP demandscampaign ban onAdityanath in DelhiNEW DELHI: The Aam AadmiParty on Sunday demanded theElection Commission to banUttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath fromcampaigning in the nationalcapital over his allegedprovocative speeches. AAPleader Sanjay Singh alsodemanded an FIR against himfor his remarks. Singh told apress conference here that ithas been 48 hours since theAAP asked the ElectionCommission time to meet thembut it has not been granted. "Ifthe EC does not give us time,we will stage a sit-in in front ofthe ECI office on Monday,"Singh said.

India sends aid tocyclone-hitMadagascarNEW DELHI: India has sentrelief supplies to cyclone-hitMadagascar using its navalship INS Airavat, ExternalAffairs Minister S Jaishankarsaid on Sunday. In a tweet,Jaishankar said India was anearly responder to the naturaldisaster that hit the islandnation. "INS Airavat deliversrelief supplies to cyclone-hit#Madagascar. #SAGAR Policyat work - India as an earlyresponder," he said in a tweet.Madagascar has been hit by acyclone and there has beenheavy flooding and landslidessince last month, causing lossof lives and displacement of anumber of people. According toreports, more than 92,000people have been affected.

2 CRPF jawans, 7civilians injured ingrenade attackSRINAGAR: Two security forcejawans and seven civilians wereinjured in a grenade attack bymilitants on CRPF personnel inLal Chowk area of the city onSunday, police said. Themilitants hurled a grenade onthe CRPF personnel posted onduty near Pratap Park in busyLal Chowk area of the city, apolice official said. The nineinjured persons were shifted toa hospital, he said. The loudexplosion caused panic amongthe people, especially thosewho had come to the weeklyflea market, also known asSunday market, the official said.Security forces have cordonedoff the area, he added.

MANGALURU: A local court onSaturday remanded AdityaRao,the suspect in theMangaluru International Airport(MIA) bomb case, to two weeksjudicial custody. Rao wasproduced before the SixthJudicial First Class MagistrateCourt after the 10-day policecustody expired. Rao has beenin police custody since January22 after he surrendered beforethe police in Bengaluru onJanuary 21 and was laterbrought here. He had allegedlyplanted an Improvised ExplosiveDevice (IED) at the airport onJanuary 20 triggering panic andlater made a hoax call to theairport terminal that a bomb hadbeen planted in an IndiGo flight.During the last ten days, policetook the accused to severalplaces in the city and Udupiwhere he had frequented in therecent past.

PNS n KOTA

Researchers are working ontwo electric vehicle solutions,including a technology thatwould allow sharing of storedbattery power with another EVand even sell excess energy tomake a fast buck, for makingthe clean vehicles more eco-nomical, a professor at BITSPilani said.

Along with the power shar-ing tool vehicle-to-everything(V2X), researchers are alsoexamining the feasibility ofbattery swapping stationswhere an EV owner wouldsimply replace the batterieslike refilling of gas cylinders,Hitesh Datt Mathur, associateprofessor at the Birla Instituteof Technology and Science(BITS), Pilani, said.

The two solutions can makeEVs economical as customers

would not need to buy expen-sive heavy batteries whichaccount for around 25-30 percent of the total cost of an EVcurrently.

The research projects aresponsored by the Departmentof Science and Technologyand the Ministry of HumanResource Development.

Mathur, who has designedan EV with V2X technology,

said the model is capable ofsharing stored power withanother EV, a grid, hotels,malls etc.

"The incentive could be seenby an example where a cus-tomer is charging EV withV2X feature at home at Rs 8per unit and discharging somepart of stored power at anycommercial place at Rs 15 ascommercial rates are higher

than domestic rates of electric-ity," he suggested.

When the EV is not in use,some part of stored energymay be sold to others includ-ing the grid, another EV cus-tomer, even to some offices orhomes.

If a customer sells 20 unitsequivalent of power duringthis discharge, he will have Rs140 earned. The power grid, atlarge, during peak hour, canalso be supplemented by order-ly managed owners of EVs withV2X feature.

"One can imagine a parkinglot of a mall where, hundreds

of V2X electric cars are parkedfor more than 6-7 hours in aday which is equivalent to amid-sized power plant of 5 to10 megawatt range since eachelectric car has battery powerof 20-25 kilowatts. Even if 30-40 per cent customers decide tosell power to grid, it would begood enough for that mallitself. All this would be execut-ed through a mobile app," hesaid.

"The project will develop acyber physical network usingartificial intelligence andmachine learning algorithms,"Mathur said.

Researcher work on battery power sharingThe research projects are sponsored bythe Department of Science andTechnology and the Ministry of HumanResource Development

PNS n SRINAGAR

The National InvestigationAgency on Sunday morningcarried out searches in connec-tion with a case in which asenior Jammu and Kashmirpolice officer was arrestedwhile ferrying terrorists out-side the valley, officials saidhere.

Multiple NIA teams fannedin various parts of southKashmir and carried out thesearches at some private officesand residences, they said.

The NIA had taken over thecase in which Jammu andKashmir's DeputySuperintendent of PoliceDavinder Singh, who has sincebeen suspended, was caught insouth Kashmir while ferryingtwo terrorists out of the valleyon January 11.

The searches come daysafter NIA officers interrogatedall the accused arrested in thecase.

Besides Singh, the othersarrested were: Syed NaveedMushtaq Ahmed alias Naveed

Babu, who is a self-styled com-mander of Hizbul Mujahideen,Rafi Ahmed Rather and IrfanShafi Mir, who claims to be anadvocate.

They were arrested fromthe Srinagar-Jammu NationalHighway near Qazigund inSouth Kashmir.

Later, Naveed's brother, SyedIrfan Ahmed, was also arrest-ed on January 23 after he wasbrought from Punjab.

He was in constant touchwith his brother and had asked

him to look for an accommo-dation in Chandigarh wherethey could escape the harshwinters months of Kashmir.

Mir, who was driving thevehicle when they were caughtby the police from a nationalhighway in Kulgam district,may become a prize catch forthe NIA as it is alleged he wasacting on the orders of hismasters in Pakistan.

He had visited the neigh-bouring country five times onan Indian passport.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Congress on Sundaypromised to implement unem-ployment allowance of Rs5,000-7,500 per month, cash-back schemes for water andpower consumers and chal-lenge the contentious CAA inthe Supreme Court if voted topower in Delhi.

The manifesto presented byDelhi Congress chief SubhashChopra also committed tospend 25 per cent budget eachyear on fighting pollution andimproving transport facilities.

The party has promised toprovide free electricity up to300 units per month.

He said the Congress willopen 100 Indira Canteens inthe city to give subsidisedmeals at Rs 15, Chopra said.

An unemploymentallowance of Rs 5,000 for grad-uates and Rs 7,500 for postgraduates will be providedmonthly under the Yuva

Swabhiman Yojna, he said.The announcements come

in the backdrop of promisesand initiatives by its rivalsAAP and BJP.

The Congress will challengethe Citizenship (Amendment)Act in the Supreme Court anddemand the Centre to with-draw the law. The party willalso not implement the pro-posed National Register ofCitizens (NRC) and the exist-

ing form of the NationalPopulation Register (NPR), ifvoted to power in Delhi.

The manifesto, titled 'AisiHogi Hamari Delhi', wasreleased at the Delhi Congressoffice in presence of seniorleaders Anand Sharma, man-ifesto committee chairmanAjay Maken, Rajiv Gowda,Sharmishtha Mukherjeeamong others.

"We will get a strong Lokpal

in first six months," Choprasaid. The Congress will launchflagship cashback schemes forpower and water supply tobenefit consumers saving theseresources.

If voted to power, theCongress will launch SheilaPension Yojna under which Rs5,000 per month will be pro-vided to senior citizens, per-sons with disabilities and trans-gender.

JK DSP case: NIA raids multipleplaces in south Kashmir

PNS n JAMMU/SRINAGAR

Sameer Dar, the cousin of theFebruary 2019 Pulwama sui-cide bomber Adil Dar, hastold interrogators that he haddropped a batch of terroriststo the Valley in December lastyear, officials said here onSunday, two days after the for-mer was arrested whileattempting to ferry Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists toKashmir.

Sameer was nabbed bypolice when he was trying toescape from Nagrota onFriday after Jaish terroristsopened fire on security forces.

Hailing from Kakpora areaof Pulwama district in SouthKashmir, Sameer confessed hehad been successful in ferry-ing JeM terrorists to theKashmir Valley last year anddropped them to Pulwama,the officials said.

Sameer claimed he was notaware about their where-abouts since but told theinterrogators that they werecarrying large ammunitionincluding 'steel core bullets' -- which can pierce through a

normal bullet-proof vehicle.This has triggered an alarm

bell within the security estab-lishment especially BorderSecurity Force (BSF), whichguards the InternationalBorder with Pakistan, as theforce has been maintaining inits inter-departmental meet-ings that there has been noinfiltration from the border.

On February 14 last year,Sameer's cousin Adil blewhimself in an explosive-ladencar next to a CRPF bus killing40 personnel.

Sameer told his interroga-

tors that infiltration fromacross the border has beencontinuing and the militantswere fanning in various partsof the South Kashmir espe-cially in Pulwama and Tralareas, the officials said.

Sameer also told them thatthe militants were dropped atKareemabad in SouthKashmir. He also gave thedetails of the arms andammunition being carried bythe terrorists, indicating thatthe group also had M-4 car-bine and ammunition of steelcore bullets.

Vinod bags 1st Mathrubhumi Book of the Year awardPNS n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Noted Hindi poet-novelist andSahitya Akademi honoureeVinod Kumar Shukla hasbagged the inauguralMathrubhumi Book of theYear award for his translatedbook "Blue Is Like Blue".

The stories in "Blue Is LikeBlue", translated into Englishby Arvind Krishna Mehrotraand Sara Rai, deal with com-mon people and their dailystruggles. The 83-year-oldShukla, who is regarded thefinest living writer in Hindi,has been quietly forging hisown idiosyncratic path awayfrom the public gaze in Raipurin Chhattisgarh.

His book, published underHarperCollins India's transla-tions imprint Harper

Perennial, beat “Ib's EndlessSearch for Satisfaction”(Roshan Ali); “The City andthe Sea” (Raj Kamal Jha); “ASecret History of Compassion”(Paul Zachariah); “The FarField” (Madhuri Vijay); “TheScent of God” (SaikatMajumdar) and “There isGunpowder in the Air”

(Manoranjan Byapari). Theaward, given to the best fiction-al work released in the previ-ous year, carries a cash prize ofRs 5 lakh, a plaque designed byRiyas Komu and a certificate.This year's jury comprisedShashi Tharoor,Chandrashekhara Kambaraand Sumana Roy.

The award was presented atthe MathrubhumiInternational Festival of Letters2020 which concluded here on

Sunday. This is the secondaward for this book, the previ-ous being the Atta GalattaBangalore Literature FestivalBook Prize 2019 for best fiction.

The characters in these sto-ries live in rented accommoda-tion, often in single rooms,where one electric bulb doesfor light. When the light dimsbecause of low voltage, it is likeair escaping from a puncturedbicycle tube. There's a nail tohang clothes from and a wall-to-wall string for the washing.

When the clothes are dry,the character places the care-fully folded shirt under a pil-low and lies down to sleep.Money is a concern, but thebazaar is the place to go andspend time in, especially if thecharacter has nothing to buy.

Arrested militant ferried Jaish terroristsin December 2019 too: Officials

This year's jurycomprised ShashiTharoor,ChandrashekharaKambara andSumana Roy

PNS n SRINAGAR

Amid ongoing anti-CAAprotests, local poll officialsand police authorities held ameeting to take stock of thesituation in Shaheen Baghahead of the elections, officialssaid on Sunday.

"A meeting was called forSaturday evening at theShaheen Bagh Police Station.But due to a firing incidentnear the protest site, some ofthe officers could not join. So,we sat and discussed the situ-ation afterwards," a senior pollofficial in Okhla constituencysaid. A man fired two roundsin the air at Shaheen Baghbefore being taken into cus-tody on Saturday. ShaheenBagh has been the epicentre ofprotests against the country'snew citizenship law and the

incident had created panicamong people.

Asked if the environment isconductive to hold elections,another senior officer said,"Yes, nothing to worry, author-ities are extra vigilant".

"The situation is beingassessed across the city on adaily basis," he added.

Saturday's firing incidentcame two days after a youthfired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters near the Jamiauniversity in which a studentwas wounded.

Amid the ongoing protests,Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh hadon Friday visited the area toassess the situation and pre-paredness ahead of the assem-bly elections, and said therewas no obstruction in areaswhere poll activities will beconducted.

Poll officials, police meetto discuss situation inShaheen Bagh

Coronavirus: 3persons withsymptoms inhospital

Pinarayi slamscommunalelementsPNS n MUMBAI

Hitting out at the Centre overthe Citizenship (Amendment)Act (CAA), Kerala ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayan onSunday said the "communalelements" today were using theBritish colonisers' strategy ofdisrupting people's unity bydividing them on communallines.

He also said that whileIndia's freedom struggle wasagainst the colonisers, the cur-rent movement is against thosewho stood with the colonisers.

Vijayan was speaking at the'Mumbai Collective' here onthe topic of 'National struggleagainst communalism'.

"In the past, our movementwas against the colonisers,but presently our struggleagainst communalism is amovement against those whostood with the colonisers," hesaid.

PNS n JAIPUR

Three persons suspected tohave symptoms of coron-avirus were admitted to SMSGovernment Hospital here,an official said on Sunday.

“They were admitted to thehospital on Saturday. Theirblood samples have been col-lected and the report isexpected to come by Sundayevening,” Dr D S Meena,Superintendent of SMS hos-pital said.

He added that the patientshave been kept in isolation.

Meanwhile, arrangementshave been made in ESICMedical College of Alwar forkeeping nearly 300 Indiansairlifted from Wuhan city ofChina where the interna-tional virus outbreak began.

The batch of passengers arelikely to reach Alwar onSunday evening for quaran-tine.

Ravi Sharma, a state healthdepartment official coordi-nating with the Centre, said300 beds have been preparedin two hostels and adequatestaff has been deployed.

Deputy CMHO, Alwar, DrChhabil Kumar said the pas-sengers will be quarantinedand kept under observationfor 28 days.

Elderlywoman diesafter fallingill at KolkataPNS n KOLKATA

An elderly woman, who waspart of the ongoing demon-stration by women againstthe CAA and the proposednationwide NRC at the ParkCircus Maidan here, died onSunday after falling ill, policesaid. The 57-year-old womanfell unconscious at the protestsite around 2 am and wastaken to a nearby hospital,they said. Samida Khatun, aresident of Entally area, diedat the hospital after some-time, police said.

Around 60 women havebeen staging protests againstthe Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA) and the proposedNational Register of Citizens(NRC) at Park CircusMaidan, on the lines of theShaheen Bagh agigation inDelhi.

The woman's last rites willbe performed later in the dayafter her son arrives fromIran, a fellow protestor said.

‘Nirbhaya convicts trying tofrustrate mandate of law’PNS n NEW DELHI

Solicitor General TusharMehta on Sunday told theDelhi High Court that there isdeliberate, calculated and wellthought of design by Nirbhayagangrape and murder caseconvicts to "frustrate mandateof law" by getting their execu-tion delayed.

Mehta told Justice SureshKait that convict PawanGupta's move of not filingcurative or mercy petition isdeliberate, calculated inac-tion.

"There is deliberate, calcu-lated and well thought ofdesign to frustrate mandate oflaw," Mehta told HC.

The high court is hearingCentre's plea challenging stayon the execution of four deathrow convicts in the Nirbhaya

gangrape and murder case.The proceedings are cur-

rently underway.

Centre againststay of executionNEW DELHI: The DelhiHigh Court on Sundaycommenced hearing onCentre's plea challengingstay on the execution offour death row convicts inthe Nirbhaya gangrape andmurder case.

The proceedings arecurrently underway beforeJustice Suresh Kait.Solicitor General TusharMehta is advancing argu-ments for the Centre.

Govt pegs UIDAI'sallocation at Rs 985 crPNS n NEW DELHI

The government has raisedfund allocation for the UniqueIdentification Authority ofIndia (UIDAI) - which issuesbiometric ID to residents - by17 per cent to Rs 985 crore forthe next fiscal starting April 1.

In the current fiscal, theUIDAI was originally allo-cated Rs 1,227 crore when theModi-2.0 government pre-sented the Union Budget onJuly 5 last year. But the amountwas revised downwards to Rs836.7 crore, according toBudget 2020-21 documents.

The document did not pro-vide reasons for the downwardrevision but it could bebecause of non-utilisation ofall the funds allocated to theUIDAI. The UIDAI is thenodal body for Aadhaar, anidentity infrastructure fordelivery of various social wel-fare programs and effectivetargeting of these services.

In December last year, theUIDAI had said that 125 croreresidents of India haveAadhaar, the 12-digit uniqueidentity number.

"The achievement comesalong with the rapidly increas-ing use of Aadhaar as the pri-mary identity document bythe Aadhaar holders. This isevident from the fact thatAadhaar-based authenticationservices have been used closeto 37,000 crore times sinceinception," it had then said.

The UIDAI receives about3 crore authentication requestsevery day. Also, it receivesabout 3-4 lakh Aadhaarupdate requests daily.

DELHI POLLS: CONG PROMISESUNEMPLOYMENT ALLOWANCE

Vinod Kumar Shukla

This budget was meant to increase con-sumption, encourage spends amongthe middle class, stimulate growth

and primarily put the economy back on theroad to recovery. Yet the reality is that farfrom being memorable, it is a damp squibwithout any sense of urgency to mean busi-ness. The story can be summed up easily.The GDP growth is the lowest in 11 years.The government estimates nominal GDPfor 2020-21 at 10 per cent. It is lower thanthe 12 per cent that was projected in 2019-20, which turned out to be only 7.5 per cent.Private consumption is at its lowest in sevenyears. Investment growth is at its slowest in17 years. Manufacturing is the lowest in 15years. Tax growth is the lowest in 20 years.Food inflation is the highest in six years.

The government has done very little torevitalise the economy, stimulate growthrate, promote private investment, increaseefficiency, create jobs or boost the rapidlyshrinking exports. In a nutshell, this bud-get has nothing to address the problems thecountry faces. I am totally confused withthe multiple themes, segments and pro-grammes. Ongoing programmes havefailed but still this government is throwingmore (and in some cases less) money intothem. Will that change anything? There isno clear vision or articulated plan for mar-ket economy, competition or higher tradeintensity. This government is in completedenial that the economy faces a gravemacro-economic challenge and the growthrate has declined in six successive quarters.Show me one thing in this Budget that willrevive growth in 2020-21. The claim of 6to 6.5. per cent growth next year is shock-ing.

It seems to me that the government’smain source of revenue will be through thedisinvestment of PSUs. The remaining gov-ernment stake in IDBI Bank will be sold off.Also, a part of the government’s stake in LICwill be sold through an IPO. This explainsthe doubling of the disinvestment targetfrom the current fiscal to the next one —from `1 lakh crore in FY20 to ` 2.1 lakhcrore in FY21. Even the disinvestment tar-get for the current fiscal has not been met— with only `65,000 crore raised.

The Finance Minister (FM) stated thatthe government debt came down to 48.9 percent from 52.2 per cent. This may be in partdue to the unprecedented transfer of sur-plus from the RBI to the CentralGovernment, to the tune of ̀ 1, 76, 051 crore(0.8 per cent of GDP), in August 2019. This“quasi fiscal deficit” practice is against thebasic principles of prudent fiscal manage-ment.

The FM claimed that “Inflation is wellcontained.” Yet inflation was 7.4 per cent inDecember 2019, a record high since July2014. It is higher than the upper limit of thetarget inflation rate set by the RBI. (Targetof four per cent, with upper tolerance levelof six per cent, for the period between June2016-March 2021).

The Minister claimed that the

Government’s policy of Make inIndia has yielded “great divi-dends.” The scheme has notyielded its target dividends. Itsfirst target was to increase themanufacturing sector’s growthrate to 12-14 per cent perannum, but the sector has onlygrown, on an average, at half ofthe targeted growth rate. InFY20, the manufacturing sectorgrowth plummeted to a paltrytwo per cent. The second goalof increasing the share of man-ufacturing in GDP to 25 percent by 2020 has also not beenmet since this figure hasremained only around 15 percent. The government is alsoclearly unable to meet its thirdtarget of creating 100 millionadditional jobs by 2022 in themanufacturing sector, given itsrefusal to provide numbers onhow many jobs were actuallycreated as a result of the schemeand the devastating figuresprovided by the NSSO, estimat-ing the unemployment rate in2017-18 at a 45-year high of 6.1percent.

The Budget emphasises theimportance of building a statis-tical system that has strongcredibility and supplies data inreal time. Yet, this Governmenthas triggered the dismantling ofstatistical institutions in India— from mass resignations bystatisticians, to leaked reports

which the government refusesto acknowledge.

Five newer smart cities willbe created. This is a meagreincrement from the 100 desig-nated already. Further, theSmart Cities Mission has beenproceeding at a slow rate. Atpresent, only 25 per cent pro-jects proposed have been com-pleted (1296 out of 5151) anda corresponding 11 per cent offunds have been spent on thesecompleted projects out of thetotal proposed investment inthe Mission.

And for all the blusterabout development in Kashmir,the Minister made just a tokenreference to it, reciting linesfrom a poem by PanditDinanath Kaul. This is a mock-ery of the people of Jammu andKashmir, who cannot even hearthe FM because of the commu-nications blockade still pre-sent in many parts of the region.Of course, she convenientlyomitted his full name, which isPandit Dinanath Kaul ‘Nadim.’Clearly, the honorific waspolitically inconvenient.

With the Budget’s focus onwealth creation and a “caringsociety” and “Sabka Saath,Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas,”the question remains forwhom? According to lastmonth’s Oxfam report, the topone per cent richest people in

India owns 42 per cent of thewealth of the nation, which ismore than four times the wealthof the bottom 70 per cent. Therhetoric of compassion andcaring has no real world impli-cations as the BJP has launcheda campaign of vitriol againstpeaceful anti-CAA protestors,often provoking violenceagainst them.

The Indian economy isdemand-constrained andinvestment-starved. The FMhas not acknowledged thesetwo challenges. Consequently,she has proposed no measuresor solutions to those two chal-lenges. If the twin obstaclesremain, the economy will notturn around and there will beno relief to the millions ofpoor and the middle class. Thisgovernment has done nothingto get us out of the financial cri-sis we are in. Our past trackrecord with this governmentshows it failed miserably onattaining any key targets —nominal GDP growth, fiscaldeficit, net tax revenue collec-tion, disinvestment revenue ortotal expenditure. What is theassurance that it will meet thetargets set for 2020-21? It lookslike the FM has outright reject-ed every reform idea containedin the Economic Survey.

(The author is nationalspokesman, Congress)

Just as we are left confused as to whetherthe Budget is a vision document meantfor a conclave or indeed about fund allo-

cations for sectoral growth, many would findthe announcements and the length devoted onthe social sector encouraging. But just as weare finding the god of deliverance in the smallthings, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamanoffered some to both the health and educa-tion sectors, albeit in the nature of a summa-ry dole than pondering on the practicalities ofimplementation. She announced an outlay of

`69,000 crore for healthcare, up from `62,398 crore last year and still short ofthe 2.5 per cent of the GDP promised by the Government. This is way off the`1,50,000 crore that health industry bigwigs had sought to drive the sector for-ward. And way lesser than what other emerging economies, BRICS and evenAfghanistan and Nepal are spending. For a nation that has an increasing diseaseburden and a rapidly ageing population, a fact we disregard as we obsess overour young productive age group, there is no major policy overhaul that is indi-cated. That probably has got to do with the fact the Ayushman Bharat Yojna,which provides a cover of up to `5 lakh per poor family, has yet to overcomehurdles of execution. Private hospitals are yet to rationalise their packages withthe subsidised costs and at the micro-level are turning away applicants who donot understand the fine print of medical conditions and what makes them eligi-ble for entitlement and what not. There’s a question hovering over the numberof marginalised people it has managed to shield. So the Government has playedsafe by just apportioning a part of the total allocation, ̀ 6,400 crore, for the scheme.Instead, it would have been far more prudent for the Government to route somefunds to smaller hospitals in Tier II and III cities and net them in as providers ofAyushman Bharat. Of course, the Government has been responsive in address-ing the gaps in the public health delivery system by provisioning for local med-ical colleges to be attached to district district hospitals in the private-public part-nership (PPP) mode, with some exemptions on land to be acquired for this pur-pose. The FM also announced a special bridge course for medicare profession-als. India’s doctor to patient ratio is 1:1,445, against the WHO benchmark of1:1,000. Duties on imports and special incentives for using medical devices “MadeIn India” may sound good but what really needs to be addressed are their qual-ity and standardisation. Neither is there any mention of insurance, which expertshave been suggesting should be tiered, for employees, the self-employed andelders, and backing them up with increased tax deductions.

The FM has allocated ` 99,300 crore to the education sector, `3,000 crorefor skill development and even proposed FDIs. Clearly responding to criticismthat our teaching modules fall way behind employability indices, she has announcedapprenticeships at 150 higher education institutions and urban local bodies. Thedegree-level online education programmes to be offered by 100 top institutionswould work only in terms of outreach at best. But what our education sectorreally needs is standardisation, quality and dynamic evolution of teaching sys-tems. Some reports say that 63 per cent of school students will be unemploy-able when the fourth industrial revolution takes place and our universities, exceptIITs, do not even make it to the global top 100 list. Without a result-oriented revamp,the social sector allocations end up being plain vacuous.

The Bombay Stock Exchange droppednearly 1000 points a couple of hours afterFinance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman

finished delivering her Budget speech. As faras percentage drops go, there have been worsesingle-day collapses in the Indian capital mar-kets but this time even corporate titans andfinancial experts were far from divided on theBudget. There was a universal feeling that ithad missed the opportunity for big bang struc-tural reforms that could have given a senseof direction and purpose to the economy. Of

particular irritation was the sense that the Government did not acknowledge thatIndia is in the midst of an economic crisis and it was telling to hear even talkingheads sympathetic to the government feeling a bit down after the speech. Andwhat a speech it was; even with the standard deduction for couplets by classi-cal poets, it was just short of three hours. Possibly that was the biggest disap-pointment with the Budget, a lot of talk but not all that much action. The head-line that almost everyone will concentrate on is the rejig in personal income taxes,a slight reduction in income tax slabs which will help those Indians who earnless than `15 lakh a year. But there is a massive rider there, the old income taxregime remains because the new tax slabs allow for fewer exemptions. So effec-tively, older taxpayers who make tax-linked investments will most likely not shiftaway from the existing tax regime. In fact, while the FM spoke about “simplifi-cation” of the income tax system, it is likely that most taxpayers, other than thosein the lower slabs, will have to sit down with professionals and work out howbest to structure their taxes. The Government has long spoken about the needto rationalise income taxes and reduce exemptions and that is an achievable ideal.If that needed to be done, a more radical change in tax slabs would have beenin order than having a confusing and parallel income tax system in place. Removingexemptions, including most under Section 80, medical insurance and house rentallowance among others, will almost ensure that few, if any, Indian tax payerswill move to the new regime. That said, the abolishing of dividend distributiontax is a net positive for investors, albeit resident Indian promoters and high net-worth individuals might be desperately unhappy as their dividends will now betaxed at their regular tax rates. Then there is the fiscal deficit, with several eco-nomic experts openly questioning the Government’s maths. It is very possiblethat it can mop up funds from divesting its share in several public sector units.The FM said that the Government would divest a portion of its holding in LifeInsurance Company of India (LIC) but given that the overall disinvestment processhas been haphazard under the Narendra Modi government, there are open ques-tions about how this will be done.

While negativity will take us nowhere, this is the first budget in several yearswhere Indian industry has been so highly critical of the Government. Of course,several industrialists and bankers realise that Sitharaman has to walk a tightropebetween maintaining fiscal prudence and the profligacy of overspending. The lat-ter has been relatively constrained. There are some interesting new spends suchas investment in clean air, which are welcome. However, as we close the chap-ter on yet another budget, there is this overwhelming sense that this could havebeen so much more. This is not just a bad budget, it is a disappointing one.

A road to nowhere

Create opportunities

Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Indians at the fore” (February1). There is no dearth of corpo-rate professionals who bring lau-rels to India by getting the mostcoveted positions in their respec-tive organisations. Microsoft,Google and IBM are the top-notch IT organisations of theworld and heading them is adream and honour for any pro-fessional. Arvind Krishnadeserves all the credit for reach-ing this position. But, as rightlymentioned in your editorial, thereis a flip side to this issue as well.Because we have been talkingabout brain drain for long. As acountry, we have not been able tocreate a necessary ecosystem forIndian companies to transform toanother level so that they competewith global counterparts and cre-ate an environment for youngprofessionals to flourish andprogress in India rather thanthinking about going to the USAor the UK.

Nothing but the pathetic edu-cation system of the country is tobe blamed for this. Apart from afew IITs, which still manage toappear in the ranks of top glob-

al institutions, we have nothingworthwhile to offer to our youthin terms of world-class educationthat fosters innovation, criticalthinking and leadership qualities.

Every now and then IndiaInc. complains about the poor

standard of graduates coming outof our universities and theirunemployability.

However, no one seems to lis-ten to their voice and address thiscore issue. The need of the houris regular and close interaction

between global organisations andall top 100 colleges in the coun-try so that the quality of educa-tion can be improved manifold.

Bal GovindNoida

Motormouth Thakur

Sir — This refers to the ElectionCommission (EC) barring BJPMinister Anurag Thakur fromaddressing any election rally forthree days after he delivered a hatespeech recently.

First, is this enough? We havea procedure laid down by the lawunder which he should be put ontrial. But we are still waiting for thatto happen. Expecting some boldsteps from the current EC wouldbe a waste of time. None in thatdepartment deserve to be a succes-sor of the late TN Seshan. The pre-sent dispensation has got a lot ofmotormouths who spew venomwhenever they get a chance.Worryingly, Thakur is also a partof the Sikh Regiment of theTerritorial Army and serves in thecapacity of a Lieutenant. Hatespeeches are a recipe for mutinyand they aren’t good for the integri-ty of the forces. Stripping Thakurof his rank would be the apt pun-ishment and shall send the rightsignals across all quarters.

DS Thukral Ambala

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

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

op nionHYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020

06

No growth in this story

GOURAV VALLABH

The Indian economy is demand-constrained and investment-starved. The FM has not acknowledged these two challenges

The Government is ready totalk to protesters ofShaheen Bagh but it shouldbe in a structured form. Toclear their doubts on CAA.

Union Minister—Ravi Shankar Prasad

When I decide to wear an outfit, I’m not really nervousbecause when I walk out ofthe door, I’m secure. I don’tlike wardrobe malfunction!

Actor—Priyanka Chopra Jonas

If you ask if I would have beenable to make Haider today,then I would be lying. All thatis happening in the country issad and pains Indians.

Film director—Vishal Bhardwaj

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

BJP must dissuade its followers from violence

The chilling words “kisko chahiye aazadi, mai doongaaazadi (who wants freedom, I shall give freedom)”shouted by the assailant, moments before shooting at

the peaceful anti-CAA march in Delhi, and “Shaheen Baghkhel khatam (The game is over for Shaheen Bagh)” post-ed on his Facebook page, revealed the teenager’s identity,indoctrination and intention. The appalling incident appearedto be a corollary of the chant of “desh ke gaddaron ko, golimaaro sa***n ko (shoot the traitors)” at a BJP rally andan inspired attack to intimidate the anti-CAA protesters tocall off the stir. We quite understand the adversarial natureof two opposing forces representing Hindutva and secular-ism in the political arena. But we are perturbed at the callto violence and its actualisation as witnessed with frighten-ing vividness in Delhi. The Hindu Mahasabha has hailed theattacker as a “national hero” and expressed its wish to “hon-our” him. Perhaps the Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawatwould like to put the attacker in a de-radicalisation camp.

The subtext is that the current national crisis stems fromHindu revivalism, with religious profiling as a tool to targeta section of the population, becoming the order of the day.The crux of the matter is that the BJP categorises peopleas “us-and-them” on the basis of religion. It is their sec-ond nature to do so. Zealots are consumed with hatred, afailure of imagination and do not accept compatriots as such,

irrespective of religion. Religious hatred is calamitous andmust be an anathema to our great nation.

The ruling elite arrogate to themselves the right to define“treason” and “patriotism” and decide “who is a traitor” and“who is a patriot.” The Jamia shooting should be a wake-up call for the BJP to dissuade its supporters from violence.No nation divided against itself can realise its full potential.We are all obliged to be truly secular and altruistic so thatwe, who make up the mass of humanity in this beautifulcountry, can live in peace and prosper. Our prayer and hopeis that the youth will save the country from going the Syrianor Rwanda way.

David Milton Maruthancode

THE BUDGET HASCONFUSED

EVERYBODY WITH MULTIPLE

THEMES,SEGMENTS ANDPROGRAMMES.

ONGOINGPROGRAMMES

HAVE FAILED BUTSTILL THIS

GOVERNMENT ISTHROWING MORE

(AND IN SOMECASES LESS)MONEY INTO

THEM. WILL THATCHANGE

ANYTHING?

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Social message

I have served in variouscapacities for India and mostimportantly I am stillinvolved with the game. Wewill look to do an honest job.

Former cricketer—Madan Lal

Some lower rate income taxpayers might be happy but whatelse exactly did this budget achieve? Nothing really

Without a result-oriented revamp, the social sectorallocations end up being plain vacuous

Long on vision, short on means

THE UNION BUDGET GIVES THE OUTLINE OF A NEWAND CONFIDENT INDIA; IT WILL MAKE COUNTRY

HEALTHY AND WEALTHY IN COMING YEARS.—DEFENCE MINISTER

RAJNATH SINGH

IT (THE BUDGET) DESCRIBES THE GOVERNMENTWELL, LOT OF REPETITION, RAMBLING. ALL TALKBUT NOTHING HAPPENING FOR CITIZENS.—CONGRESS LEADERRAHUL GANDHI

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The Union Budget for 2020-21 presented to theParliament by Finance Minister (FM) NirmalaSitharaman on February 1 confirms apprehen-

sions that the actual fiscal deficit (FD) for 2019-20would exceed the Budget Estimate (BE) by a signif-icant margin. Sitharaman puts it at 3.8 per cent ofthe GDP against the target of 3.3 per cent. However,she has justified this deviation in terms of the rec-ommendation of the NK Singh Committee onreview of the Fiscal Responsibility and BudgetManagement (FRBM) Act, 2003 which permitsbreach of the target in case of “far-reaching struc-tural reforms with unanticipated fiscal implications.”

For 2020-21, the FM has provided for a FD of3.5 per cent as against 3.0 per cent as stipulated underthe FRBM Act. Here also, she has justified the devi-ation of five per cent in terms of the “unanticipat-ed fiscal implications”. One wonders whether thiscould be a credible justification considering that thereis no major announcement in the Budget whichcould qualify in the category of structural reforms.

However, she has candidly acknowledged theexistence of so-called off-budget liabilities and extra-budgetary resources (EBRs) — a euphemism for bor-rowings by agencies and PSUs made on behalf ofthe Government — and mentioned these in anannexure. She has also stated that it is the respon-sibility of the Government to service these liabili-ties. Having done so, logically these should have beenbrought on to the balance sheet and accordingly,revised the FD upward. In essence, the projectedhealth of the Budget continues to be misleading.

The credibility of the fiscal consolidation glidepath has been dented, which is also reflected in theSensex declining by over 1,000 points or 2.5 per cent.Going through an unusually lengthy speech, one failsto come across any major reform measure that wouldeither have the effect of bringing about drastic reduc-tion in any of the major subsidies viz. food, fertilis-ers, fuel, electricity and so on or indicative of anymajor dilution in Government intervention or boostto market forces (as alluded to in the EconomicSurvey: 2019-20).

Even as the Budget is replete with welfareschemes being implemented under the DirectBenefit Transfer (DBT) mode to prevent pilferage,there is no mention of implementing DBT in theabove-mentioned areas wherein subsidies guzzleover `300,000 crore every year. The recommenda-tion of the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) forattempting some reduction in food subsidy by lim-iting coverage (over 800 million people are coveredunder the National Food Security Act (NFSA)) andincrease in the issue price — currently `1/2/3 perkg for coarse cereals, wheat and rice — remainsunheeded.

In electricity, the proposal for smart meters, pre-paid meters and giving choice to consumers tochoose their suppliers as a way forward to addressthe issues facing power distribution companies(PDCs) does nothing to deal with fundamental ail-ments afflicting the sector. These arise due to sup-ply of electricity to a certain category of consumersviz. poor households and farmers either at a frac-tion of the cost of purchase and distribution or evenfree; large-scale theft (very often abetted by politi-cal brass) and inflated tariff allowed to generatorsunder power purchase agreements (PPAs). Onewonders whether these would be addressed underNew Tariff Policy (NTP).

In this backdrop, the proposal to allow a lower

corporate tax rate of 15 per cent to exist-ing power generation companies on parwith that applicable to new enterprises(this was announced under the packageof steep reduction in the corporate tax lastyear) will be of no consequence. A con-cession in tax rate helps only when thegenerator makes profit. But in a situationwherein it does not even get paid for itssupplies (courtesy, mess in discoms), thiswon’t be of any use.

Meanwhile, the FM has revealed theGovernment’s decision to accept theinterim recommendations of the 15thFinance Commission (FC) for 2020-21.This may not be good news for the Statesalready facing stress on their balance sheets(due to shortfall in their own revenue andpending dues from the Centre under theGST) as the FC has recommended a sig-nificant cut in devolution of Central taxeseven while proposing greater help throughgrant-in-aid. The Budget talks about giv-ing a big boost to the agriculture and ruralsector and reiterates the Government’soverarching commitment to doublingfarmers’ income by 2022.

A number of innovative steps are sug-gested under a 16-point agenda — com-prehensively covering almost every areathat has an impact on farmers’ ability toincrease income. These cover inter aliaadoption of flexible laws in sync with themodel legislations passed by the Centre,creation of warehousing and cold storagefacilities in the supply chain (including atthe village level), setting up of solarpower units on barren land, plan for useof proper manure (reducing dependenceon chemical fertilisers) and minimisinguse of water, strengthening and expand-ing scope of Farmers ProducersOrganisations (FPOs) to include fisheries,increase in credit availability, increase inpiped water supply to all households andso on. Agriculture being a Concurrentsubject under the Constitution, all of theabove is sought to be achieved by givingincentives to the States plus involvement

of agencies like the Central WarehousingCorporation (CWC), Food Corporationof India (FCI), viability gap funding plusfinancial support from organisations likeNABARD (National Bank for Agricultureand Rural Development) and so on.

When viewed in the backdrop ofStates continuing with archaic laws suchas Agriculture Produce Market Committee(APMC) under which millions of farm-ers and even FPOs are held hostage topolitically-backed intermediaries/tradersat the mandis, these would remain as piousdeclarations as always in the past. Even so,the allocation for agriculture and alliedsectors and rural development at ̀ 283,000crore for 2020-21 is just about `23,000crore higher than the allocation for 2019-20 which is “modest” for the intendedgigantic transformation. Curiously, theprovision includes `60,000 crore for PM- KISAN which is essentially consumptionoriented; it can’t be deemed as augment-ing the income-raising ability of farmers.

The lack of demand and investmentare identified as two major constraints togrowth. Continuing with a spate of stim-ulants provided during August/September2019, this Budget has attempted to leaveextra money in the pockets of salary earn-ers by creating a highly differentiated slabstructure. Under the new scheme ofthings, the highest tax rate of 30 per centkicks in at an income of `15 lakh againstthe current threshold of `10 lakh. So, aperson earning `15 lakh will save about`75,000 (as per the FM’s calculation).

For the corporates, the dividend dis-tribution tax (DDT) has been abolished,sparing them the double whammy of tax-ing profit first at the distribution stage andthen in the recipient’s hand. The Budgetcontains a spate of concessions forMSMEs, start-ups, exporters and the realestate sector, given their importance fromthe perspective of employment generation.A number of innovative steps are envis-aged for MSMEs to help with the timelypayment of their dues from large enter-

prises and increase in financing (especial-ly through “invoice financing” by NBFCs).

The Budget reiterates theGovernment’s commitment to continuewith consolidation of public sector banks(PSBs), giving tax incentives under theirmergers and amalgamations, effectiveuse of the Insolvency and BankruptcyCode (IBC) for recovery of NPAs, recap-italisation for adequate provisioning andcredit growth, improvement in the qual-ity of lending and so on.

There will also be greater focus oncontinuous monitoring of loans and cre-ation of a data bank to detect early signsof delinquency. The building of infrastruc-ture commensurate with making India a$5 trillion economy has received muchattention. A comprehensive roadmap forprojects to be taken up under the NationalInfrastructure Project (NIP) scheme is laidout. This is welcome but there remains abig question mark over funding it whichentails a mammoth investment of `100lakh crore over the next five years.

The Budget seeks to give a boost to“Make in India” with emphasis on consol-idating its lead in the digital revolution andpropping up industries involving labour-intensive technologies. However, from theway the FM has made changes in customsduties, it would appear that the ModiGovernment could be in for “over-protec-tionism.” This won’t be in the long-terminterest of India wanting to derive a goodslice of its growth potential from increas-ing participation in global trade.

The FM has attempted a detailedblueprint of what all needs to be done topursue the three themes viz. “AspirationalIndia”, “Economic Development”, “CaringSociety.” But, in the absence of credibleplans for arranging resources (withoutdestabilising the fiscal applecart) and gar-nering necessary political will for execu-tion, it is doubtful whether the results willmatch the intent.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based pol-icy analyst)

The credibility of the fiscal consolidation glide path has been dented which is also reflectedin the Sensex falling by over 1,000 points after the Budget announcements

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

Marketing newperspectives

VINAYSHIL GAUTAM

The overarching dominance of the PlanningCommission and then the NITI Aayog haveblurred the focus on regional development

UTTAM GUPTA

THE FM HASATTEMPTED A DETAILED

BLUEPRINT OFWHAT ALL NEEDS

TO BE DONE TOPURSUE THE

THREE THEMES VIZ.

‘ASPIRATIONALINDIA’,

‘ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT’

AND, ‘CARINGSOCIETY.’ BUT, INTHE ABSENCE OFCREDIBLE PLANSFOR ARRANGING

RESOURCES(WITHOUT

DESTABILISINGTHE FISCAL

APPLECART) ANDGARNERINGNECESSARY

POLITICAL WILLFOR EXECUTION,IT IS DOUBTFUL

WHETHER THERESULTS WILL

MATCH THEINTENT

The change in nature of markets has created several universes with-in its fold, so as to almost require an interpreter to talk from onesegment to another. Yet in a country like India, all marketing instru-

mentalities, from hawking to internet communication, seem relevant. Theirpertinence in the social segment in which they operate determines therobustness of that economy. Each segment has its own significance andit determines to a large extent the prosperity of the region where it oper-ates. This economic growth is central to the community’s welfare becauselivelihoods depend on that. However, there remains a catch-22 situationas each marketing method in a socio-economic segment can and doesevolve. Leaving it frozen at a given level is unwise for the overall well-being of that division. Nature, being what it is, will induce change andits own evolution does not need a policy decision. But this progressionmay be slow and may be excluding migrant segments of that given eco-nomic division from returning to it for their livelihood and with a level ofcomfort. Thus it is that remaining migrant groups are reluctant to go backto where they originated from and settle down where they have movedto. Thereby they almost delink themselves from the base communityfrom which they emerged. Marketing methods are a major determinantof this process.

Just as it is difficult to visualise a so-called avant-garde marketingmethod in a remote village cluster which does not even have proper ameni-ties for food and shelter, so also the marketing methods have to be atpeace with lifestyles and communities. The catch-22 referred to above,can be worked out by resolving this dilemma. Instruments of changehave to carry out the upgradation of the affected communities withoutdisrupting their livelihoods. This requires thought and proactive designsof intervention. Unfortunately this is a perspective which many socialinterventionists seem to miss altogether. The crescendo of modernisa-tion does not help the case of graduated and gradual change. Peopleoften mistake the toolkit for substance. In the course of participation inmany planning processes, it becomes evident that the interventionist par-adigm of the leader, especially if he is a powerful one, gets smootherendorsement with the powers that actually control that segment. Theresult is many square pegs in round holes. In view of the competitive-ness, India is often seen to adopt a method which appears prima-facieacceptable but undoable with immediate effect in many contexts in whichit is attempted.

India is not the only country where periodically such interventionshave been attempted in different pockets. Turkey, under Kemal Ataturk,attempted mediations which were not confined to economics and liveli-hood but also covered social engineering, where the national leader attempt-ed to catapult the country into European social norms from the moreconventional Middle Eastern ones. In many cases these intrusions didnot take root and created a self-defeating environment where social prac-tices lapsed into the original mould from where the political interventionhad sought to leverage the community. In-built levels and echelons ofhierarchy which were going to be affected by the changes, fought hardagainst them. It would be useful to remind ourselves that in a countryas large as ours, it is possible and even desirable to have a certain degreeof economic modeling, common at a pan-India level. At the same time,the economic diversities are so large that regional models of develop-ment will have to be crafted, evolved and practiced. Work in that direc-tion is yet to begin in earnest. The overarching dominance of the PlanningCommission and subsequently the NITI Aayog, coupled with the pen-chant of continuously highlighting emotive issues like caste, religion andlanguage, have blurred the focus on regional development. It is difficultto conceive how a river valley culture of say West Bengal could be thereceptacle of the same kind of economic philosophy which would workin the woodlands of Mizoram. The limited ability of economists to visu-alise a sociogram good enough for our agro-climatic realities and thewealth of soil and land, had high prices to pay. It is true that there areliterally millions of people below the poverty line but the definition of pover-ty line alone reflects an overarching emphasis on the monetised versionof economic development. There are substantial parts of India whereforest produces are the primary resource of livelihood and where themoney economy has still to make its entry in a significant enough man-ner to affect and create social interventions which result in positive change.

A window on the whole process can be created by extensive field-work in trying to understand what it is that moves livelihoods in a givenagro-climatic zone. The first step towards the initial documentation ofthe ground realities is to smoothen and strengthen the conventional processin a manner in which wastage is reduced, longevity of the products isincreased and the awareness of its availability is universalised in a rel-evant social segment where it can be bought. Socio-economic engineer-ing based on the fulcrum of the local productivity process can move theworld quicker. The lever has to be the intention and the will to give thisalternate economics, rooted in local conditions, a chance to prove itself.

(The writer is a well-known management consultant)

The biggest problem with thelongest Budget speech is therewas no comparative on alloca-

tions to any scheme with that of theprevious year. The Budget, which iscalled “Book of Accounts”, has nomeaning without numbers. Let’s try todecode the Budget on some hits andmostly misses.

The Government proposed newtax slabs for individuals. Old slabs andtax rates were as follows — ̀ 2.50 lakhat NIL, `2.50-5 lakh at five per cent,`5-10 lakh at 20 per cent above `10lakh at 30 per cent. But if you hadincome up to ̀ five lakh, then the taxwas zero through a rebate. The newslabs and rates proposed are as follows`2.50 lakh at NIL, ̀ 2.50-5 lakh at five

per cent, `5-7.5 lakh at 10 per cent,`7.5-10 lakh at15 per cent, ̀ 10-12.50lakh at 20 per cent, `12.50-15 lakh at25 per cent, above `15 lakh at 30 percent. But in the new regime, there areno exemptions and deductions. Thecommon man has an option of goingwith the old regime or switching overto the new one. Thus, every person hasto calculate his income in bothregimes and then choose one thatworks for him best. Thus, when theGovernment talks about simplificationof income tax laws and return filingmechanisms, such a tax regime justties us down to deeper complications.

In order to boost the manufactur-ing sector, new provisions were intro-duced in September 2019, offering aconcessional corporate tax rate of 15per cent to the newly-incorporateddomestic companies in the manufac-turing sector, which intend to roll outby March 31, 2023. This concession-al tax rate benefit of 15 per cent hasnow been extended to new domesticcompanies engaged in the generationof electricity. But is the power infra-structure ready?

This Budget allocates `22,000

crore for power, renewable energy sec-tor, discom reforms. Gas grid is pro-posed to be extended to 27,000 km(which is 16,000 km now) and gasprice discovery will also be reformed.The Budget also intends to promotesmart metering with all the State andUnion Territories to replace conven-tional electricity meters by pre-paidsmart meters in next three years. Pre-paid meters are against the vision ofthe Government. Taking electricity toevery household has been a majorpromise but now they are movingtowards pre-paid meters and privati-sation of electricity. In a country wheremany people are still below the pover-ty line pre-paid electricity meterswill make electricity a luxury itemwhereas it is a basic necessity.

The FM has proposed to sell thebalance Government holding in IDBIbank to private, retail and institution-al investors through the stockexchange. Certain specified categoriesof Government securities would beopened fully for non-residentinvestors, apart from being availableto domestic investors as well. TheGovernment now proposes to sell a

part of its holding in LIC by way ofInitial Public Offer (IPO), ostensiblyto keep it transparent. Sale of stake inLIC is a one-off event and it is impor-tant to note that on an ex-LIC basis,the fiscal deficit may be well above fourper cent next year. As LIC has stakesin almost every company in Indiawhether private or PSU, selling itsstake can also be termed against“national interest.” Already there ishuge stress on the economy and byselling stakes in LIC, one thing is clear.That the company that till now bailedout many PSUs will bail out theGovernment itself.

Any tax system requires trustbetween taxpayers and the adminis-tration. To improve trust between thetaxation department and the assessee,the Government will amend the pro-visions of the Income Tax Act to man-date the Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT) to adopt a Taxpayers’ Charter.This is a welcome step towardsenhancing investor confidence andtrust.

The zero-Budget natural farming,which was mentioned in the July 2019Budget, was explained further in this

Budget. Integrated farming systems inrain-fed areas will be expanded.Multi-tier cropping, bee-keeping,solar pumps, solar energy productionin non-cropping season will be added.The portal on “jaivikkheti” — onlinenational organic products market —will also be upgraded. The PM-KUSUM scheme to provide loans tofarmers for setting up stand-alonesolar pumps, will be expanded.Further it is also proposed to helpanother 15 lakh farmers solarise theirgrid-connected pump sets. In addi-tion, a scheme to enable farmers to setup solar power generation capacity ontheir fallow/barren lands and to sell itto the grid would be operationalised.

For the sector comprising agricul-ture and allied activities, irrigation andrural development, an allocation ofabout `2.83 lakh crore has beenmade for the year 2020-21. The prob-lem with such an approach is thatmost of it is just repackaging andrewording of existing schemes.

To connect farm with markets itis proposed that railways will intro-duce a Kisan Express and Ministry ofCivil Aviation will launch Krishi

Udaan to help farmers transport per-ishable goods quickly. The Kisan Railwill be set up through PPP arrange-ment to transport perishable goodsacross the country at a faster pace.Further the Railways will also buildcold supply chain for milk, meat andfish by setting up train services for thepurpose. However, an amount for thesame has not been allocated and theGovernment has simply expressed itsintent to move in this direction butdone nothing concrete.

To achieve the twin objectives ofgiving impetus to the domestic indus-try and also to generate resource forhealth services, the Budget imposes anominal health cess, by way of a dutyof customs, on imports of medicalequipment, keeping in view that thesegoods are now being made significant-ly in India. Further it is proposed thatthe proceeds from this cess shall beused for creating infrastructure forhealth services in the aspirational dis-tricts. Given the fact that the genericdrugs are yet to take off and patienttrust is hard-earned, there is no men-tion of how India-made equipmentcan be pushed in terms of quality and

volumes. To achieve higher export credit

disbursement, a new scheme,NIRVIK, is being launched, whichprovides for higher insurance cover-age, reduction in premium for smallexporters and simplified procedure forclaim settlements.

The best thing about this schemeis that it proposes to digitally refundto exporters, duties and taxes leviedat the Central, State and local levels,such as electricity duties and VAT onfuel used for transportation, which arenot getting exempted or refundedunder any other existing mechanism.Electricity Duty and VAT onPetroleum goods constitutes substan-tial part of costs.

This Budget is full of promiseswith dreams for the future. But howthese dreams will be achieved has notbeen explained. Also, allocations andnumbers don’t synchronise with theprojections. This Government keepson talking of long-term solutions forevery problem but should we allstarve and wait in the short-term?

(The writer is an author and GSTand economics specialist)

No statement of accounts from the FMAllocations and numbers don’t synchronise with the projections. This Government keeps on talking of long-term solutions

for every problem but should we all starve and wait in the short-term?

ABHISHEK RAJA

HYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

HYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020 money 08

CAPSULE

Hyundai to unveilall new Creta,Tuscon at Auto ExpoNEW DELHI: Hyundai MotorIndia plans to showcase arange of products and futuretechnologies, including the allnew Creta and updatedversion of Tuscon, at theupcoming Auto Expo. The2020 Tuscon will be unveiledon February 5, while the newgeneration Creta will debut aday later on February 6,Hyundai Motor India Ltd(HMIL) said in a statement.The company will showcase13 exciting cars and futureready technologies andconcepts under the theme'Freedom in Future Mobility', itsaid. "Hyundai as a customercentric organisation willshowcase the technologyprowess...and unveil theupcoming trendsetter SUV'sfor the Indian market," HMILMD and CEO S S Kim said.The company has also plansto showcase Kona Electricalong with NEXO FCEV at thebiennial event, which will beheld from February 5 toFebruary 12 at Greater Noida.

Urus to drive future growth ofLamborghini in IndiaNEW DELHI: Italian supersports car maker Lamborghiniexpects its premium luxurySUV Urus to drive futuregrowth in India with themodel accounting for 50 percent of its sales in thecountry, a senior companyofficial said. The company,which delivered its 50th Urusin India last year, has aneight-month waiting period onthe model at present. "Urus isplaying a big role and iscontributing 50 per cent ofour business. Order bank isstill very healthy for the car,"Lamborghini India HeadSharad Agarwal told PTI.He further said, "Our future

growth in India will also belargely driven by Urus whilesportscar will remain at thecore of our operations."

ONGC, IOC, otheroil PSUs to investRs 98,521 crNEW DELHI: ONGC, IOC andother oil PSUs will invest overRs 98,521 crore in thecoming fiscal starting April 1in exploring for oil and gas,refineries, petrochemicals andlaying pipelines to meetneeds of the world's fastest-growing energy consumingnation.The investment proposed in2020-21 is almost 4 per centhigher than Rs 94,974 crorespending by the state-ownedoil firms in the current fiscalyear that ends on March 31,according to Budget 2020-21documents. Oil and NaturalGas Corp (ONGC) leads thepack with a 19 per cent rise inits capital spending at Rs32,501 crore. The company isinvesting in finding newreserves of oil and gas andbringing to productiondiscoveries it has alreadymade. It is developingdiscoveries on both east andwest coast of the country.

New debt-based ETFwithin this quarterPNS n NEW DELHI

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Sunday saidsecond tranche of debt-basedexchange traded fund (ETF) islikely in the current quarter.

Sitharaman in her secondbudget on Saturday proposedto deepen the bond market andannounced floating of a newdebt ETF comprising primar-ily of government securities.

The first bond ETF launchedrecently was a great success.

"Debt-based exchange trad-ed fund (ETF) recently put outby the government was a bigsuccess. Government propos-es to extend this by floating anew debt ETF consisting pri-marily of government securi-ties. This will give retail

investor access to governmentsecurity as much as giving anattractive investment for pen-sion funds and long-terminvestors," she had said onSaturday.

On Sunday, she said the sec-ond tranche of Bond ETF is like-

ly within the current quarter.The Cabinet gave the

approval to launch BharatBond Exchange Traded Fundor Bharat Bond ETF inDecember 2019. It was the firstcorporate bond ETF launchedin India.

‘LIC IPO may come in 2nd half of FY21’PNS n NEW DELHI

Listing of insurance behemothLife Insurance Corporation(LIC) may be done in the sec-ond half of the next financialyear, Finance Secretary RajivKumar said on Sunday.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman while presentingthe Budget 2020-21 onSaturday announced stake salein LIC through an initial pub-lic offer in the next fiscal.

There are a number ofprocesses which have to be fol-lowed for the listing and somelegislative changes would alsobe required for the listing ofLIC, Kumar said.

"We will follow the extantprocedure for listing and forother things including the leg-islative changes it requires inconsultation with the Ministryof Law and that process wealready started ... listing in thesecond half of FY21 seems log-ical," he said.

Listing of LIC will bring ingreater transparency, publicparticipation and also deepenthe equity market, he told PTIin an interaction.

Asked about the quan-tum of dilution,Kumar said, it couldbe 10 per cent butno decision hasbeen taken so far.

The governmentaims to garner Rs90,000 crore from thelisting of LIC and stakedilution in IDBI Bank in thenext fiscal out of total disin-vestment target of Rs 2.10lakh crore.

The government currentlyowns 100 per cent in LIC,

while it holds around a 46.5per cent stake in IDBI Bank.

"Listing of companieson stock exchanges

discipline a compa-ny and providesaccess to financialmarkets andunlocks its value. It

also gives opportu-nity for retail

investors to participatein the wealth so created. Thegovernment now proposes tosell a part of its holding in LICby way of Initial Public Offer(IPO)," the Finance Ministerhad said in her Budget speech.

Market participants arequite bullish about LIC andsaid it could be "IPO of thedecade" akin to the SaudiAramco listing.

The 60-year-old state-owned firm, LIC, is the coun-try's largest insurer, controllingmore than 70 per cent of themarket share. The insurer hasa market share of 76.28 percent in number of policiesand 71 per cent in first-yearpremiums.

LIC has many subsidiariesincluding IDBI Bank. Itacquired controlling stake inIDBI Bank last year.

There are a number of processeswhich have to be followed for thelisting and some legislative changeswould also be required for the listingof LIC, Kumar said

India's coalimport rises8% to 186 MTin Apr-DecPNS n NEW DELHI

India's coal import increasedby 7.6 per cent to 185.88 mil-lion tonnes (MT) in theApril-December period ofthe current fiscal.

Coal imports in Decemberrose by 13.3 per cent to 20.52MT compared to 18.10 MTin the year-ago month,according to provisional databy mjunction services.

Non-coking coal importswere at 14.21 MT inDecember 2019 against 12.5MT in December 2018.Coking coal imports were at4.47 MT against 3.76 MTimported in December 2018.

"There was slight uptick inimport activities during themonth, thanks to the recov-ery in steel prices and steadydemand from sectors likecement and sponge iron,"mjunction MD and CEOVinaya Varma said.

Going forward, importdemand may subside a littledue to current volatility innon-coking coal prices andincreased supply of coal fromdomestic sources, he said.

mjunction -- a joint ven-ture between Tata Steel andSAIL -- is a B2B e-com-merce company and alsopublishes research reportson coal and steel verticals.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Medical TechnologyAssociation of India (MTaI),that represents mainlyresearch-based medical tech-nology companies, has saidthe cess imposed by the gov-ernment on medical deviceswill lead to increase in cost ofimported products and reduceaffordability of healthcare.

This is against the basicethos of Pradhan Mantri JanArogya Yojana (PMJAY)wherein government wants toprovide affordable healthcarefor all, MTaI said.

"A 5 per cent cess on customduties for import has beenimposed on medical devices inthe budget which will increase

the cost of the imported med-ical devices. Ultimately patientswill bear this cost and afford-ability will decrease," MTaIDirector Sanjay Bhutani said ina statement.

This is a retrograde measureand goes against global com-panies which provide morethan 80 per cent of critical caremedical devices as well as thepatient who gets exposed to thedanger of smuggling of theselow bulk and high valuedevices, without service & legalguarantees from neighbour-ing countries where the tariffsare already lower, he added.

"The domestic self-suffi-ciency argument of the gov-ernment also needs to be takenwith a grain of salt. We do hope

the government has not lookedat the classes of products, onwhich it plans to impose thiscess, monolithically. As manysub categories of these classeswould not be manufactured in

India at all," Bhutani said.Finance Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman on Saturday pro-posed to impose a nominalhealth cess on import of med-ical equipment to boost domes-

tic medical devices sector andgenerate resources for healthservices.

"To achieve the twin objec-tives of giving impetus to thedomestic industry and also togenerate resource for healthservices, I propose to impose anominal health cess, by way ofa duty of customs, on theimports of medical equipmentkeeping in view that these goodsare now being made significantlyin India," Sitharaman said.

The Association of IndianMedical Device Industry(AiMeD) also expressed dis-appointment and anguish overthe Union Budget giving coldshoulder again to Indian med-ical device industry.

"This year FM announcestaxation will drive publichealthcare funding but the fineprint states it as cess so if dutyon a device was 5 per cent itbecomes 5.25 per cent effec-tively. Only a meagre increase

of 0.25 per cent to protectdomestic manufacturing andmotivate traders to becomemanufacturers," AiMeD ForumCoordinator Rajiv Nath said.

AiMeD was expecting thegovernment to move forwardon promised reforms andanticipated conducive mea-sures to boost domestic man-ufacturing of medical devices,he added.

"It is frustrating that againstour expectations, the govern-ment has not included anymeasures to help end the 80-90per cent import dependenceforced upon us and an everincreasing import bill of overRs 38,837 crore and promotinggrowth of Indian medicaldevice industry," Nath said.

This is against the basic ethos of PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)wherein government wants to provideaffordable healthcare for all, MTaI said

Green certificatesales down 29pc to 5.7 lakhPNS n NEW DELHI

Sales of renewable energycertificates declined by 29 percent to 5.7 lakh units inJanuary compared to 8.05lakh in the same month ayear ago due to lower supply,according to official data.

A total of 3.63 lakh RECswere traded on Indian EnergyExchange (IEX) in Januarycompared to 6.44 lakh in thesame month last year.

Power Exchange of India(PXIL) recorded sale of 2.07lakh RECs in the month against1.61 lakh in January 2019.

‘Direct tax collection target scaled down in budget’PNS n NEW DELHI

The direct tax collection targethas been downward revised toRs 11.80 lakh crore in theUnion Budget after making a"realistic assessment" of variouseconomic factors, a top gov-ernment official said.

The set target for revenuecollection (personal incometax, corporate tax and others)was Rs 13.35 lakh crore for the2019-20 financial year thatends on March 31.

"Those (earlier) estimateshave been revised in the bud-get and our new target wouldbe about Rs 11.80 lakh crorewhich I am pretty confidentthat we will achieve it," CBDTChairman P C Mody told PTIin a post-budget interview.

Asked about the reasons for

the recalibration of the target,Mody said, "It was just a real-istic assessment of what isachievable and also it has to betaken into account that wehave had a lot of revenue for-gone."

The revenue foregone isessentially on two accounts -huge refunds issued and cut incorporate tax. "It is a realisticassessment of the whole system."

The Central Board of DirectTaxes (CBDT) is the policy-making body for the Income

Tax Department that collectsrevenue for the governmentunder the direct taxes category.

Mody said the I-TDepartment has mopped upabout Rs 7.40 lakh tax in thegovernment kitty so far.

"We are very very hopeful (ofachieving the revised target)because past experienceshows that the last quarter(January-March) is theperiod when the max-imum revenue comesin."

New I-T slabsTalking about the new per-

sonal income tax regime andslabs proposed by FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharaman inher budget speech on Saturday,the CBDT chairman said the aimof the government is to "give ben-

efit of lower taxes to bothcorporates and indi-viduals".

This starts frombasic government

policy to phase out deductionsand exemptions, he said.

"First this was attemptedwhen we tried to lower the cor-porate rate tax (last year). Thistime (personal income tax), ithas been provided that you canavail the new tax structure rateonly if you forego deductionsor exemptions." Mody said itwas thought that when themoney is in the hands of tax-payers, they will be better judgeas to what tax saving instrumentwould they like to put theirmoney in rather than "inducedsaving" which may not fetchthem the required rate of return.

So, we are not trying to putany kind of direction in theinvestment behaviour of tax-payer, we just want our taxstructure to be straight andeasy to comply with, he said.

It was just a realistic assessment ofwhat is achievable and also it hasto be taken into account that we

have had a lot of revenue forgoneP C MODY, CBDT Chairman

PNS n NEW DELHI

Foreign investors have pumpedin more than Rs 12,000 crorein stock markets in January,remaining net buyers of Indianequities for the fifth consecu-tive month helped by easingconcerns pertaining to geopo-litical tension between the USand Iran coupled with US-China trade war.

In the equities segment,FPIs invested Rs 7,547.8 crorein September, Rs 12,367.9crore in October, Rs 25,230.6crore in November and Rs7,338.4 crore in December.

According to depositoriesdata, a net sum of Rs 12,122crore was pumped into equi-ties last month by foreignportfolio investors (FPIs).

However, a net amount ofRs 11,119 crore was with-drawn from the debt segmentduring the same period. Thistranslated into a net invest-ment of Rs 1,003 crore.

"Starting off on a ratherplacid note on account of brew-ing geopolitical tension betweenthe US and Iran and fast chang-ing trend with regards to theUS-China trade war, FPIsregained their risk appetite asthese concerns started to wane,"said Himanshu Srivastava,senior analyst manager researchat Morningstar InvestmentAdviser India.

MSME Ministryallocated Rs 7,572 cr inBudgetPNS n NEW DELHI

The Union Budget 2020-21 hasearmarked an all-time highallocation of Rs 7,572.20 crorefor the Ministry of Micro,Small and Medium Enterpriseswhile announcing a string ofinitiatives for the sector includ-ing raising the turnover thresh-old for audit of their accountsto Rs 5 crore and a scheme toprovide subordinate debt toMSME entrepreneurs.

The flagship employmentgeneration scheme of the min-istry, PM EmploymentGeneration Programme, has gotan all-time high allocation of Rs2,500 crore for generating self-employment opportunitiesthrough establishment of micro-enterprises in non-farm sector byhelping traditional artisans andrural/urban unemployed youth.

"Currently, only business-es having a turnover of morethan Rs 1 crore are requiredto get their books of accountsaudited by an accountant. Inorder to reduce complianceburden on small retailers,traders, shopkeepers whocomprise the MSME sector, Ipropose to raise by five timesthe turnover threshold foraudit from the existing Rs 1crore to 5 crore," FinanceMinister said while present-ing the Budget in Parliamenton Saturday.

FPIs remain net buyersin Jan; invest Rs 12,000 cr in equities

In the equitiessegment, FPIsinvested Rs7,547.8 crore inSeptember, Rs12,367.9 crore inOctober, Rs25,230.6 crore inNovember and Rs7,338.4 crore inDecember

Seven of top 10 firms suffercombined loss of Rs 1.89L crPNS n NEW DELHI

Seven of the 10 most valuedcompanies suffered a com-bined loss of Rs 1.89 lakh crorein market valuation last week,led by Reliance Industrieswhich alone took a hit of Rs87,732.8 crore.

The 30-share BSE Sensexplummeted by 1,877.66 pointsto close below the key 40,000-mark at 39,735.53 last week.

RIL's valuation tumbled Rs87,732.8 crore to reach Rs8,76,906.57 crore. The marketcapitalisation (m-cap) of HDFCplummeted Rs 31,148.4 crore toRs 3,92,618.14 crore and that ofHDFC Bank by Rs 24,736 croreto Rs 6,56,888.50 crore.

The m-cap of ICICI Bank

dropped Rs 19,044.7 crore toRs 3,26,410.37 crore and thatof SBI cracked Rs 18,652.4crore to Rs 2,70,549.60 crore.

The valuation of TataConsultancy Services (TCS)declined Rs 7,317.15 crore toRs 8,12,428.81 crore and thatof Infosys dipped Rs 1,149.83crore to Rs 3,32,280.10 crore.

In contrast, Bharti Airtelwhich made its entry into thetop-10 list, added Rs 2,392.15crore to Rs 2,71,332.15 crorein its valuation.

Kotak Mahindra Bank's val-uation rose by Rs 1,182.02crore to Rs 3,15,346.61 croreand that of HindustanUnilever Limited (HUL)gained Rs 119.07 crore to Rs4,48,895.43 crore.

Amazon, Flipkart may approach govt for clarityBUDGET PROPOSAL

PNS n NEW DELHI

Amazon India and Flipkart arestudying the Budget proposalon levy of one per cent TDS,and may reach out to the gov-ernment for clarifications.

"We are studying the details,and will reach out to the gov-ernment for clarifications. Wehope the tax regime is simpleand uniform so that millions ofsmall and medium businessescan go online, digitise theiroperations and continue tocontribute to growing theeconomy," an Amazon Indiaspokesperson said in responseto an e-mailed query.

Flipkart also said it wasgoing through the proposal.

"We are studying the details,

particularly how it impactsthe MSMEs and Sellers onour marketplace platform. Wewill discuss further with ourseller partners, and engagewith government and otherstakeholders in due course,"Flipkart said in its response.

The government onSaturday proposed a new levy

of 1 per cent TDS (tax deduct-ed at source) on e-commercetransactions, a move that couldincrease burden on sellers onsuch platforms.

"In order to widen and deep-en the tax net by bringing par-ticipants of e-commerce (sell-ers) within tax net, it is pro-posed to insert a new section

194-O in the Act so as to pro-vide for a new levy of TDS atthe rate of one per cent,"according to Budget 2020-21documents.

The amendments will takeeffect from April 1, 2020.

The documents said the e-commerce operator -- an enti-ty owning, operating or man-aging the digital platform --will have to deduct 1 per centTDS on the gross amount ofsales or service or both. Thisprovision will not apply incases where the seller's grossamount of sales during the pre-vious year through e-com-merce operator is less than Rs5 lakh and the seller has fur-nished his PAN or Aadhaarnumber.

We will discussfurther with ourseller partners, and

engage with governmentand other stakeholders indue course

—FLIPKART

Government proposesto extend this byfloating a new debt ETF

consisting primarily of governmentsecurities. This will give retailinvestor access to governmentsecurity as much as giving anattractive investment for pensionfunds and long-term investors

—NIRMALA SITHARAMANFinance Minister

‘Cess on imported medical devices will lead to cost escalation for patients

The celebrated BlendersPride Fashion Tour wentbeyond the conventionalramp walk to celebrate itsmilestone 15th edition andunveiled a breathtaking face

of fashion. The tour travelled to Hyd-erabad with acclaimed designer ManishMalhotra showcasing a distinctive‘identity’ through magnificent designs.To top it all, Kareena Kapoor Khan wasthe showstopper of the evening.

With pride as a meaningful expres-sion of success and individuality takingthe center-stage, this year was all aboutIndia and its indigenous craft, a blendof diverse influences, and a distinctiveidentity that was the canvas of expres-sion.

The tour included segments such asthe Collection Gallery, The Showcaseand Style Forum, each of which cele-brated a whole new facet of fashion. Anartistic display of 58 iconic pieces, TheCollection Gallery was spread over threezones — Craft, Blend and Identity —which included over 45 famed design-ers such as Abraham & Thakore, J.J.Valaya, Shantanu & Nikhil, GauravGupta, Wendell Rodricks and so on.

It was busy day at the HyderabadInternational Convention Centre onSaturday with eminent designers andcelebrities gracing the event and walk-ing the ramp.

A tour of the closet would take onethrough the luxurious wardrobedesigned by Manish Malhotra thatwere filled with soothing and aesthet-ic off-white clothing which had intri-

cate details with a modern and tradi-tional touch.

The event began with a tour of thestatic exhibition that showcased thework of the 45 designers followed by afashion show by newbie Sushant Abrol.His collection was called ‘Beyond theClouds’, which was inspired by the Ind-ian Army and dedicated to his brotherwho lost his life serving the country. Helikes to play with classic silhouettes withminimal technique in predominantlynatural textiles — linen, blends of cot-

ton and silk, and khadi cottons. A discussion by six panelists followed

the show and they spoke about theimportance of brand consistency andhow being relevant in the industry playsan important role. After a small meetand greet, came the big show — ManishMalhotra’s ‘My Identity My Pride’ -where models walked the ramp show-casing his latest wedding collection.Manish has gone for a subtle yet elegantlook with his collection this timearound. The event concluded with

showstoppers Kareena Kapoor Khanand Karthik Aryan taking to the ramp.It surely was an image etched in mem-ory as Kareena walked the ramp for thefirst time in Hyderabad and looked ele-gant in the MM label.

Ram Pothineni, Manchu Lakshmi,Lavanya Tripathi and Nidhi Agerwalwere among those present at the show.The fashion extravaganza will culminatein a larger-than-life finale, ‘The Prideof India’, in collaboration with FDCI, inMumbai with 15 eminent designers.

Q) Tell us about your new look forthis year?

A) It’s has been an iconic year sofar, as my collection and theBlender’s Pride Fashion Tour com-plete 15 years in the industry. This isthe spring summer destination wed-ding collection. The most interestingthing about this collection is thatthere are a lot of new designs inembroidery, from Kashmiri threadwork to other details.

Can you explain to us the themebehind your collection?

I think today’s bride is far moreexperimental, fearless and I think thebig trend in fashion this year is goingto be individuality. Women no longerfear wearing sneakers under theirlehenga or changing their dress with-in hours of the engagement. Every-one wants to try different things anddiscover themselves. That is what thecollection stands for. I am inspiredby architecture and the entire set forthe show is structural. We had twoyears of monochromatic visuals soyou’ll see a mix of various things.The sorbet colours too, in both theset and clothing, are celebral.

What is the significance of thetheme ‘My Identity, My Pride’?

I strongly believe in individualityand for people who make their ownpath. Coming into movies 30 yearsago and seeing the change in fashionin Indian movies was tough. I’mworking with a fourth generation ofactors now and writing a bookwhich will come out later this year.The last 30 years literally flew and Idon’t even remember what all I haddesigned. When I started with filmsI thought it was all about the moviesuntil I started a boutique. I lookback and feel that taking a chance,working hard not fearing failure istruly my identity and my pride. It’sabout the journey as a whole andhence it is the theme.

What was your thought behindyour make-up brand?

We launched our make-up branda year ago and it was a runaway suc-cess. In fact, I feel that I started thebrand quite late. I should’ve done itearlier. When I got into movies, Iwas the first person who startedquestioning the make-up that will gowith the dress. At that time no cos-

tume designer would bother withthe make-up. I remember tellingSridevi once about her hair; In onescene it was short and in the next itwas long. You need to have consis-tent hair, I had told her. Duringthe shooting of Gumra I took herto a stylist and got her wig cut toget that consistent look. Giving anidentity to the character is impor-tant. I’m very fond of make-up andstill feel it can make or break a look.

Can you share about yourHyderabad connect?

When I first came to the filmindustry in 1990, I used to come toHyderabad often as a lot ofBollywood films were being madehere. I love the city and still remem-ber going to a ‘Black Caddle café’and Banjara hotel. I metVijayashanti ji, Balakrishna garuand Chiranjeevi garu and I’mhappy that I was able to workwith them.

I remember while doing asong for Manisha Koirala, Iwould catch an early morningflight to Hyderabad fromBombay, go to Padmalayastudios, finish work andtake a flight back. I did thatfor four consecutive days.My association withHyderabad is almost 30-years-old.

From your 15 years ofMM label, is thereany collection youwould want torevive?

We did a lot ofFDCI shows inDelhi whereinthe entire collec-tion was onPhulkari. Thatcollection waspicked up by aPhiladelphiamuseum andwe recreated. Ido a lot of work inKashmir and thereis a skirt in today’scollection, whichis made out of allthe leftovers.

Follow us on@TheDailyPioneerfacebook.com/dailypioneer

MondayFebruary 3, 2020

b

Today's bride is fearless,experimental: Manish

LUXURY, ELEGANCE AND BEAUTY

Q) Can you tell us about your associationwith Blenders Pride?

A) It is an absolute honour to be walk-ing the ramp here for the first time forBlenders Pride that too for their 15th

edition. I am very excited as it is thecombination of Manish and BP and with

also Manish being a dear friend of mine.We have worked together many times, beit fashion or films. I look forward for thiscollaboration.

What design elements of Manish canyou relate to with your per-sonal style?

Well, Manish is onefashion designer whounderstands thefashion dynamicsand the moviebusiness. It’s veryrare to f indsomeone whou n d e r s t a n d sboth movies andfashion. I thinkhe takes it to thenext level and that’s

where even his collec-tion is a mix and matchbetween contemporary andtradition. He is a master at this andI love all his work. He is somebody Ialways adore and someone who I takegreat pride in walking the ramp withhis work. He makes a woman lookvery ethereal and beautiful.

How do you see your fashionjourney in these 20 years?

Well, at least my hair is not goldanymore (laughs). If I look back

I will never do it anymore.

Speaking of fashion journey, I guess it’s aboutevolution and reinvention both in terms offashion and performance. Whether it’s myclothes, films or performance, I always makesure there is a relatability factor between theaudience and me. That’s how I choose myfilms too.

Can you take us through your look for theshow?

Its Manish, so I’m definitely going to lookfashionable (laughs). He is one of the most

glamorous Indian designers out there.Every look is nothing short of the

best.

How do you keep yourfitness and charm?

Fitness comes in whenyou want to feel good. Ifeel when you eat rightyou automatically feelgood from within.That’s one thing I do ona regular basis.

What do you like themost about Hyderabad? Is

there anything you wouldwant to take back?

I love the food here. The idlis,dosas and appams. I have been coming

here even before I became an actress as I usedto come here with Karishma during hershoots. I feel this a very clean city. In fact, Iwas observing the state of the roads on myway to the hotel from the airport and was veryimpressed. This is a spotless city and I feelvery comfortable here.

What is the difference you see between thecurrent generation actors and those of yourgeneration?

The current generation have it a lot easierthan us. Everybody is a celebrity in this gen-

eration. You just take one click andupload it on social media after adding

some filters and you become famouswithin no time. In today’s digital age,

everything is so fast. As far asactors are concerned, they areall supremely talented. They

are pretty fearless as actors now.

What is your go-to fashion style?I think I’m very casual. A t-shirt,

jeans and boots are something youwill always spot me in and I always live

in them.

What you thinkabout the theme ‘MyIdentity, My Pride’?

I feel great being associatedwith it. I think my pride is my

identity. The fact that my identity is that I am a workingmother and an independentwoman is something I take

great pride in.

Beckoning a new vision, Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2019-20 arrives in Hyderabad, whereacclaimed designer Manish Malhotra showcases ‘My Identity, My Pride’ with Kareena KapoorKhan at her stylish best. K RAMYA SREE takes you through this milestone fashion show

In a quick interview with The Pioneer, Kareena and Manish shared tidbits about the BP fashion tour with K Ramya Sree

‘I take pride in being amodern working mother'

It was a gala affair for film celebrities,models and fashion lovers whoattended in scores to witness the

Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2020 inHyderabad. Renowned fashion designersshowcased their latest works to fashionlovers and everyone enjoyed the evening

10

Hyderabad Monday February 3, 2020 what’s brewing?CITY GUIDE

GET YOUR EVENT LISTED: To get your events listed, send your details alongwith a poster and contact number to pioneer.features@gmail.com

EVENTS

l Badlav is an original Hindi psychological playwritten and directed by Amaan Ahmad. Touchingthe core of Theatre of the Absurd, ‘Badlav’ is aone of a kind play that traverses throughmultiple questions concerning humanconsciousness in a twisted manner. Set in anindefinite timeline, the play questions the verynature of ‘change’. The play will be staged onFebruary 6 at 8 pm at Lamakaan.

BADLAV

l Children's Art Exhibition will be held on February22 at Lamakaan from 12 pm. Children’s would betrained in various art skills during the exhibition.

CHILDREN'S ART EXHIBITIONl Bheem is a Telugu patriotic play written byHarsha Chakilam based on Telangana's freedomfighter Komaram Bheem who fought for hiswater, forest and land. The play is beingorganised by Manch Theatre at Lamakaan onFebruary 8 at 7.30 pm.

l Vivek Muralidharan is one of the mostseasoned comedians in the Hyderabad circuit.Vivek Muralidharan Live is his weekly one hourexperimental show where he workshops hisfresh bits and debuts his deeper insights,working on his craft while having the audiencein splits. The programme will be held onFebruary 16 at Phoenix Arena from 5 pm.

STAND-UP COMEDY

MOSAMBI NARANGI

AN INSPECTOR CALLS

l Taher Ali Baig in association with Rage Productionpresents one-of-a-kind play about hopes and brokendreams, complete with odd ball characters, humourand emotion. The play is all set to be performed atShilpakala Vedika on February 9 at 7 pm.

.

l An Inspector Calls, is the Telugu adaptationof the original English play by the same name byJ B Priestly written in the year. The play revolvesaround the alleged suicide of a young womannamed Shwetha and an unsuspecting familywhich is visited by a mysterious Inspector. Theplay will be held at Pheonix arena on February 7at 7 pm.

BHEEM

PARTY

l Punarnavi l Lakshmi Manchu

l Arushi l Divya

l Rajat Kumar and Archana

l Jayesh Ranjan and Ruchil Shreya

l Pinky Reddy

l S

ophi

e Ch

owda

ry

l Brahmani l Upasana

l Ankithal Anjali

l Ram

FASHION FIESTA

l N

idhh

i Age

rwal

PHO

TOS

BY S

V CH

ARY

l Navin Mittal and Riggu Mittal

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

l L

avan

ya T

ripat

hi

n the making for over a year, filmmaker Jayanth C. Paranji’sNarendra got a new addition. The film’s makers on Sundayannounced the casting of Payal Rajput in a key role. TheRX100 actress career isn’t going great as her recent releas-es RDX, Venky Mama and Disco Raja hardly helped her

bag plum projects. In Narendra, Payal will be seen as a fighter pilot who helps the

titular character (played by Nilesh Eti) to reach India from a prisonin Pakistan. Former WWE wrestler The Great Khali will be seenas an Afghan prisoner, who sacrifices himself in his attempt torescue the Indian prisoners, while Izabelle Leite plays a humanrights activist who supports their fight for freedom.

The film, a Ram Sampath musical, tells the story of a cham-pion ex-boxer (played by newcomer Nitesh) who won gold medalsfor the country, but is abandoned by the government. The sequenceof events that unfolds, including on how he lands in Pakistan, aretold in a thrilling way. Jayanth who has delivered super hits likePremichukundam Raa, Bavagaru Bagunnara and Premante Iderain the past is hoping to stage a successful comeback with Narendra,which is being produced by Eshaan Entertainments.

ctor Nani too was of theopinion that Dil Rajushouldn’t be remaking ’96 in Telugu. At thetrailer launch of Jaanulast week in Hyderabad,

the producer had said that manypeople felt that he has gone mad toremake ’96 in Telugu.

“Just to seek my opinion, Rajugaru arranged a special screening of’96 for me in Chennai. Immediate-ly after watching it, I told him, ‘It’sa beautiful film. Don’t remake it’.Even as the news of Telugu remakewas making rounds, I told peoplethat the original shouldn’t betouched. But when the makers an-nounced that it would be fronted bySharwa and Samantha in Telugu, Iwas upbeat about it. After watchingthe recently released trailer, thememory of watching the original

faded away and I could only see Sh-arwa and Sam as Ram and Jaanu,”Nani said. He was speaking at thepre-release event of the film inHyderabad over the weekend.

Speaking about Sharwa, he saidthat the actor is one of his oldestfriends in the industry. “Jaanu storytranspires because of a reunionand I hope he meets his old friendsoccasionally,” he said cheekily, allud-ing to Sharwa not being in touchwith him off late.

On Samantha, Nani said that ifthey had done Yeto VellipoindhiManasu now, its success would’vebeen on another level altogether.“I’m proud of her and her choices.If a year has 10 good films, she isthere in three of them,” he added.

Sharwa said that he was on histoes while shooting for Jaanu. “Withactors like Nithya Menen, Sai Pallaviand Samantha, you have to be alertbecause they set the screen on firewith their performances. Sam still

works as if it’s her day one on sets.I occasionally relax but she constant-ly keeps a tab of each shot, check-ing the monitor. It is the reason whyshe is a superstar,” he said andpromised that the film has con-tent to connect audience rang-ing from teens to 90-year-olds. “First love is always spe-cial and this film is about that,”he added. Shedding lightabout his bond with Nani, hesaid that he has been friendswith him since 2008.“Although we couldn’t catchup in the recent past becauseof our schedules, there was atime when me, him andAllari Naresh had gone ontrips together,” he shared.

Samantha said she would speakmore about the film post its releaseon February 7.

I can only see Sharwa andSam as Ram and Jaanu: Nani

Nani, who has made a name for himself for being able to choose the right scripts, speaks about Dil Raju remaking the

Tamil hit '96 into Telugu, his friendship with Sharwa and more

Hyderabad Monday February 3, 2020

11

tollywood

ANANI SAID THAT IF HE AND SAMANTHA HAD DONEYETO VELLIPOINDHI MANASU NOW, ITS SUCCESSWOULD’VE BEEN BIGGER AND BETTER. HE SAIDTHAT HE IS PROUD OF SAMANTHA’S CHOICE OFMOVIES AND HER SUCCESS

iara Advani’s name has been attached to mu-ltiple projects since the middle of last year.Prominent among them includes AkhilAkkineni’s next with Bommarillu Bhasker,Varun Tej’s next with Kiran Korrapati andVijay Deverakonda’s next with Puri

Jagannadh. The actress couldn’t commit to any of thembecause of her Hindi assignments. But if the latest buzzin tinsel town is anything to go by, she seems to haveexpressed interest to feature in superstar Mahesh Babu’snext with Vamshi Paidipally. The untitled film will goto floors mostly in April-May.

Apparently it was Namrata, Mahesh’s wife, who rangKiara and spoke about her role in Paidipally’s next.Namrata, it is said, was keen on a pan-India face likeKiara for the project. The actor’s diary wasn’t a prob-lem as she was asked to allot 40 days, spread over threephases, starting from summer. Besides the Mahesh fac-tor, the fact that her role carries considerable weightmeant that Kiara gave her in-principle nod. MaheshBabu and Kiara Advani had previously starred in BharatAne Nenu.

In the film, a Dil Raju production, Mahesh will beseen as a gangster, a role he hitherto played in his career.The gangster portions will form the flashback episodeof the film, which will be shot in Visakhapatnam.Currently, Paidipally is contemplating showing Maheshas a lecturer or a professor. S.S. Thaman is on boardto compose tunes. The film is being considered for a2021 Sankranti release. — NG

k

PAYAL RAJPUTas a fighter pilot

fter filmmaker PuriJagannadh unveiled the firstglimpse of film 22, a crime-thriller, sometime back, itwas the turn of Superstar

Nagarjuna to unveil the film’s teaserin Hyderabad on Sunday. The filmmarks the directorial debut of ShivaKumar, who is the son of producerB.A. Raju and late filmmaker B.A. Jay.The film features new faces RupeshKumar Choudhary and Saloni Misrain lead roles. Rupesh himself is pro-ducing it under Maa Aai Productions.

Speaking later, Nag said that heclose to Jaya and that he is happy tosee her son follow his mother’s foot-steps. “Shiva should live up to repu-tation of his mother as a filmmaker.I welcome Rupesh to the industry. Hehas seen enormous success as a busi-nessman and has entered the indus-try out of sheer passion for acting.The teaser looks interesting,” the actorsaid before extending his best wish-es to the unit for a successful theatri-cal run.

Shiva said the unit was a happybunch with Nagarjuna launchingthe teaser. “As someone who has beenat the forefront when it comes toencouraging newcomers, we consid-er ourselves lucky for Nag sir to havereleased the teaser. He was veryimpressed with it,” the director noted.

At a separate press meet on Sunday,director Maruthi unveiled the film’scalendar. “Shiva worked under me asan assistant director and handled thecomplete post-production of a filmof mine. He works hard as a filmmak-er. Generally first-time filmmakerschoose a love story but Shiva pre-ferred a crime-thriller, which showshis maturity. I’ve already seen a webseries of his and was floored by thetechnical standards he maintained init,” the director mentioned.

Wrapped up in 35 days flat, 22 alsosees Vikramjeet Virk, Devi Prasad,Jaya Prakash, Ravi Varma, PoojaRamachandran, Krishna Chaitanyaand Rajashri Nair among others insupporting roles.

bnhe shoot ofNit h i in-s t ar rerBheeshma waswrapped up on Sat-urday, with the film-

ing of the last song on thelead pair under the supervi-sion of choreographerSekhar at the Ramoji FilmCity.

Nithiin, who hasn’t had arelease last year, was left withmixed feelings after the com-pletion. The actor, taking toTwitter, wrote, “Last day ofshoot for #bheeshma :( Itsbeen awhile since I;ve feltthis way, makes me really sad but at the same time so proud tobe a part of such a fun film. But this is not the last you guys- Youwill see us all very soon reuniting in a much bigger way! (sic)”

Showering praise on director Venky Kudumula and his lead-ing lady Rashmika Mandanna, the actor, who is to get engagedto doctor Shalini later this month, went on to tweet,“@VenkyKudumula i love you man. Words are too little to expressmyself but for starters - thankyou for #bheeshma. @iamRashmikayou’re my fav. Thankyou for all your hard-work and support. Cantwait to work with you again. Soon! (sic)” Replying to his co-star’scomment, the actress wrote, “I can’t believe it’s the end man. Soglad to have done this film with you. You’ve been my best friend.can’t express well sorry about that but you know what I mean(sic).” A romantic action-entertainer with humour, Bheeshma willhit screens February 21.

NIKHILgets engagedin Goa

Nikhil Siddhartha, who spilledthe beans of dating a doctor ona chat show with LakshmiManchu last year, has now gotengaged to her in Goa on

Saturday. The girl’s name is PallaviVarma and she hails fromBhimavaram. Interestingly, the actorchose Goa as the engagement venue asit was the same place he proposed toPallavi last year. The ceremony was asimple affair, with families and friendsof the actor and the doctor attendingit. The wedding is scheduled to be heldon April 16 this year. The venue hasn’tbeen decided yet. In fact, actor Nithiintoo will tie the knot on the same datebut in Dubai. On the work front,Nikhil, who bounced back with ArjunSuravaram last year, has Karthikeya 2,films with new director Hanuman andVi Anand for this year.

nt

NITHIIN's mixed emotions

AI

Now, Nag and Maruthi back BA Raju's son

KIARA likely to pair upwith MAHESH again

PTI n MOUNT MAUNGANUI

India choked New Zealand yetagain to turn it around for aseven-run win in the fifth T20

International, giving them a rare5-0 series whitewash in the short-est format here on Sunday.

The Indian pacers, led byever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah,shared seven wickets amongthem for 25 runs in match-changing 7.2 overs to restrict theKiwis to 156 for nine whiledefending 163 for three.

Bumrah conceded just 12runs in his four overs and got ridof three batsmen, bowling block-hole deliveries during deathovers.

India’s total was built aroundstand-in skipper Rohit Sharma'60-run knock after they electedto bat.

Tim Seifert (50) and RossTaylor (53) kept the Black Capsin hunt for a consolation win butthe hosts again fell near the fin-ish line.

This is only third time thatIndia have whitewashed oppo-nents in away T20 series and firsttime in a five-match rubber.

India had blanked the WestIndies 3-0 in 2019 and beatAustralia 3-0 in 2016.

New Zealand got off to apoor start and were quicklyreduced to 17 for three in thefourth over. Bumrah had MartinGuptill (2) lbw, and Sundarbowled Colin Munro (15). TomBruce’s run-out didn’t help the sit-

uation either.Taylor and Seifert came

together at that juncture, puttingon 99 runs for the fourth wick-et, raising vision of an improba-ble win.

Seifert reached his half-cen-tury off 29 balls, including fivefours and three sixes. WhileTaylor got to his half-century in

42 balls. He hit five fours and twosixes.

They took 34 runs off ShivamDube in the 10th over, afterwhich KL Rahul, who led inabsence of inured Rohit Sharma,had to take corrective measures.He brought back his frontlinepacers and they both etched outwickets.

Navdeep Saini (2-23) dis-missed Seifert and then Bumrahbowled Daryl Mitchell (2) with asearing yorker.

New Zealand’s chase was allbut over when Mitchell Santner(6) holed out of Shardul Thakur(2-38) and Manish Pandey helda fine running catch at long on.

Ish Sodhi smacked 16 off 10balls to provide some fireworksat the end but it was not enough.

Earlier, Rohit, batting atnumber three, was retired hurtafter injuring his left calf whilsthitting a six and walked off thefield in discomfort. He faced 41balls and hit three fours as wellas three sixes.

Virat Kohli was expectedlyrested, with Rohit coming in, andit was the only change for Indiafrom Wellington. Rishabh Pant

was ignored once again.For New Zealand, Kane

Williamson didn’t recover ontime and Tim Southee led the sideonce again.

Despite Rohit’s return, SanjuSamson (2) continued to open theinnings and it didn't work again.Yet another opportunity wentabegging as he hit straight to extracover and was out for two runs.

KL Rahul (45) and Rohitadded 88 runs for the secondwicket, providing vital momen-tum to the Indian innings.

The in-form duo dominatedthe Black Caps’ attack and put on50 off just 35 balls. Rahul hit fourfours and two sixes in his 33-ballstay.

He fell in the 12th overagainst the run of play and fin-ished with 224 runs in the series,the most for an Indian batsmanin any bilateral T20I series.

Sharma scored his 25th T20Ihalf-century off 35 balls. Helooked to accelerate but theninjured himself in the 17th overand retired.

The loss of both Rahul andSharma impacted the Indianinnings, and they lost all momen-

tum on a slowing wicket.Shreyas Iyer smacked 33 off

31 balls, including a four and twosixes, but couldn’t push the scorepast the 170-mark.

Manish Pandey scored 11not out off four balls, with a fourand a six.

HYDERABAD | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 3, 2020 sport 12

PTI n CHRISTCHURCH

Shubman Gill is expectedto retain his place in

India’s Test squad after scor-ing an unbeaten 204 for theA team in the drawn four-day game against NewZealand A here on Friday.

Resuming the day four at127 for two, India A went onto make 448 for three in theirsecond innings with Gillscoring his second doublecentury on an away tour(the first one came in WestIndies last year).

Gill and Test regularHanuma Vihari (100 off 113)shared an unbeaten 222-runstand for the fourth wicket tosave the game for India A.Another valuable contribu-tion came from PriyankPanchal (115 off 164).

Gill’s 279-ball effort com-prised 22 boundaries andfour sixes. Vihari’s quickfirecentury comprised 11 foursand three sixes.

It was a much improvedbatting effort from India A asthe pitch eased out at theHagley Oval. The team, cap-tained by Vihari, made 216 in

the first innings in which Gillwas the top-scorer with 83.

In response, NewZealand A had amassed 562for seven before declaring theinnings.

Mayank Agarwal, whowill open alongside RohitSharma in the two-Test seriesagainst New Zealand laterthis month, had a forgettable

outing in the game as he gotout for a duck in both theinnings.

After a fine double cen-tury, Gill is certain to retainhis place in the Test squad.The 20-year-old was alsopart of the squad in thehome series against SouthAfrica and Bangladesh butdid not get a game.

PTI n CANBERRA

Indian women suffered a four-wicketloss against the mighty Australia after

a disappointing batting performance intheir second match of the T20 tri-serieshere on Sunday.

India struggled to 103 for nine in 20overs after being asked to bat. The vis-iting team’s bowlers did well to stretchthe game till the penultimate over butthere were not enough runs on theboard.

Elysse Perry was the undisputed starof the game, picking up three wickets inone before before making 49 off 47 ballsin Australia’s chase.

India had beaten England in thetournament opener while Australia hadlost to England in a Super Over finishon Saturday, leaving all three teams witha win each.

“Our lower order definitely needs tobat a lot better, especially when the top-order doesn't get runs. However, reallyappreciate the performance of thebowlers,” said India skipperHarmanpreet Kaur at the post-matchpresentation.

India next play against England atthe Junction Oval in Melbourne .

Barring opener Smriti Mandhana(35) and Harmanpreet (28), Indianbatters showed complete lack of appli-cation on a pitch offering extra bounce.

India lost their last six wickets for

21 runs with pacer Perry (4/13 in 4overs) picking three of them in 14th overover, removing Harmanpreet, TaniyaBhatia and Deepti Sharma.

Sixteen-year-old Shafali Verma,touted as the next big thing in women’scricket, lasted only three balls whileJemimah Rodrigues crawled to 1 off 11balls, leaving their team at 16 for two inthree overs.

The experienced Mandhana andHarmanpreet stitched a 40-run standbefore the latter’s dismissal triggered acollapse.

The spin-heavy Indian bowlingattack did all they could with left-armspinner Rajeshwari taking two wicketsfor 18 runs in four overs. Offie Deepti,who opened the bowling, too kept thingstight taking one wicket for 18 runs infour overs.

PTI nMOUNT MAUNGANUI

India captain Virat Kohli onSunday said he wants his

players to be the “best versionof themselves” in order todominate world cricket in thecoming years.

India notched up a rare5-0 whitewash over NewZealand with a seven-runwin in the fifth and final T20International here.

“We need everyone to bethe best versions of them-selves. It is all about laying thevision in front of the boys, theway you think, prepare. Theguys are taking notice of itand they realise that the teamneeds 120 percent from themevery time,” Kohli said.

“Because only then youwill find ways to win. Thathas been a massive change forus in the last two-three years.We have seen the results; weobviously won't win every-thing and these victories givea lot more pleasure than theone-sided victories.”

With Kohli resting him-self from the inconsequentialfinal game, Rohit Sharma wasthe stand-in skipper, but theopener suffered a calf injurywhile batting and had toretire hurt.

In his absence, K L Rahulled the side to victory.

Heaping praise on theteam at the presentation cer-emony, Kohli said: “All of usare really proud of how weplayed. It's about findingways to win. Today, all theseyoung guys were on the fieldafter Rohit’s unfortunateinjury and them comingtogether and handling thepressure.

“That gives me a lot ofpleasure watching from theoutside and they will take thismomentum going forwardfor many years.”

Kohli also backed under-fire New Zealand skipperKane Williamson, saying heis the right man to lead theBlack Caps despite the 0-5drubbing.

“Kane and me have sim-ilar mindsets, similarphilosophies. It is amazingthat despite being from dif-ferent parts of the world, wehave similar thinkings and

we speak the same lan-guage,” he said.

“Despite what the score-line suggests, I feel thatNew Zealand cricket is inthe best hands and he is theright guy to lead this team.He is the perfect, perfectman to lead them. I wishhim the best of luck andpower to lead this side in thefuture. They are a sideeveryone loves to watch andplay against.”

It was the first time thatNew Zealand lost three ormore matches in a bilateralT20I series at home. Thehosts had gone down 0-2 toEngland back in February2008.

New Zealand stand-inskipper Tim Southee saidthere wasn’t much differencebetween the two sides.

“It’s another close one,unfortunately on the wrongside again. If you give thema sniff, they take it with bothhands. I don't think it is amassive gap, the scorelinedoes suggest that, but weonly need to do the smallerthings better,” he said.

The two teams will nextplay a three-match ODIseries beginning onFebruary 5 and Southeehoped that the hosts will putup a better show with newplayers coming into the side.

“The ODIs are a differ-ent format, new personnelcome in and it is a formatwhere we have done well,”he said.

India pace spearheadJasprit Bumrah, who wasadjudged the Man of theMatch for his three-wicketshaul, said he always had thebelief that a couple of goodovers can change the com-plexion of the game.

“Feeling very good. Thematch got close at one pointbut we had belief that if wecan squeeze in one or twogood overs, the match canget close,” he said.

“It was windy, I wastrying to use the wind andthe longer side of theboundary. Very happy withthe learnings, differentground dimensions, firsttime in New Zealand, greatresult.”

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: Chief architect of India’s rare 5-0 clean sweep over New Zealand, India opener KLRahul on Sunday said he is not yet thinking aboutthe T20 World Cup but wants to carry his sparklingform into the big event.

The 27-year-old from Karnataka was named thePlayer of the Tournament for scoring 224 runs in thefive-match series at an average of 56.

“I am batting really well now and I am happy todo the roles I am doing for my side. Not thinkingtoo much about the T20 World Cup at the moment,but hopefully I can continue batting this way,” he said.

India notched up a rare 5-0 whitewash over NewZealand with a seven-run win in the fifth and finalT20 International and Rahul said the team’s abili-ty to find answers in difficult situations was the keyto its success.

“I am pleased. It is great to be standing here win-ning 5-0. Very happy that my performances couldresult in victories for India. We were happy to comeinto this series with confidence and to keep execut-ing our skills every game. We came up with answersfrom every situation and it is a great result for meand the side,” he said.

“I think it is a winning habit that we have cul-tivated wherein we want to win every time we steponto the ground. As a team we keep believing ineach other. Leading up to the World Cup, there werea few strategies that we wanted to try out. It justkeeps giving us more and more confidence to keepgoing around.” India will next play three ODIsagainst New Zealand beginning on February 5 andRahul said they will follow the same process toachieve success in the 50-over format.

“We’ll relax a little bit over the next couple ofdays and enjoy the victory. But once we start withthe next series, the process will remain the same,”he said. PTI

PTI n MOUNT MAUNGANUI

Senior New Zealand batsmanRoss Taylor on Sunday admit-

ted that the 0-5 whitewash byIndia has hurt his side badly andthe whole T20I series has beena disappointment for them.

Taylor, however, said hisside played better cricket thanthe results suggest though theyknew from the beginning that itwas going to a be tough taskagainst a strong Indian team.

“The whole series has beena disappointment, the way weput ourselves in good positionsand just were not able to capital-ize. When you are up against aworld-class side like India, wehave played a lot worse and gotbetter results than this,” Taylorsaid after New Zealand lost thefifth and final match by sevenruns to hand India a rare series

whitewash.“Even though it’s a different

format (than ODI and Test), itstill does hurt. Winning is a habitand losing those tight games. Butwe are going into a format thatis one of our strengths. In ODIcricket, hopefully Kane’s shoul-der is all right, new personneland some world-class playerscoming back and we are lookingforward,” he said of the three-match ODI series from February5-12.

He said New Zealand havegiven a strong Indian side roomto take advantage out of it andthey had suffered from that.

“You can’t give this Indianside an inch, we gave them a lotmore than that and they tookadvantage. You got to learn a lotquicker than we are now withboth bat and ball. Until then, wewill get similar results,” he said,

referring to the instances whenNew Zealand lost two matches inSuper Over.

Taylor, however, hailed theIndian team for being able to winseries away from home.

“More often than not it istough to win away from homebut to come over here with acouple of their star players miss-ing that would add a differentbalance to their side. I am sureit is very good for Indian crick-et.

“I probably say this, we werecompletely outplayed in theseries last year and we came backand won that semi-final in theWorld Cup. Whenever we playIndia in a T20I game, we knowit will be an uphill task but weknow we can still beat themwhen it counts hopefully,” headded.

Taylor, who hit 53 on

Sunday, said the target of 164 wasachievable but the Kiwis came upshort in a tight chase and couldnot recover from a poor start.

“I thought we were underpressure when I came out there.The way Tim Seifert came outand batted, we got ourselves towhat once again would nor-mally be a comfortable scenariowith 66 off 60 balls. You win,maybe 95 times (from there),”said the 35-year-old right-hand-ed batsman.

“When you got a world-classbowler like Bumrah, you havegot to skin the cat slightly differ-ently and he is able to be their X-factor for them. The way(Navdeep) Saini and othersbowled put us under some pres-sure and wickets fell at differenttimes,” he said, explaining howNew Zealand batsmen lost theirplot.

India players pose for a group photo as they celebrate a 5-0 series win during the Twenty/20 cricket international between India and New Zealand AP

Not thinking aboutT20WC at themoment: Rahul

HAPPY WITHTHE LEARNINGSIN NZ: BUMRAH

We need everyone to be the bestversion of themselves: Kohli

0-5 series whitewash hurts: Taylor

Ross Taylor raises his bat AP

Eves lose to Aussiesin T20 tri-series

Ellyse Perry in action Cricket.com.au

Shubman Gill in action PTI

Gill smashes double century asIndia A save first unofficial Test

NDIA’S OVERSEAS SERIES WINS IN T-20IYEAR VENUE OPPONENT RESULT2020 New Zealand New Zealand 5-0 2016 Australia Australia 3-02016 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 2-12018 South Africa South Africa 2-12018 England England 2-1

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HIGH 5Bumrah led pacers share seven wicketsto help India win final T20 by 7 runs

IANS n MOUNT MAUNGANUI

India pace spearhead JaspritBumrah said he as learnt a lot

from his first tour of NewZealand after returning magi-cal figures of 3/12 in the fifthand final T20I here on Sunday.

India swept the series 5-0with Bumrah playing a key rolein the final encounter as thetourists defended 164-run tar-get.

“Feeling very good. Thematch got close at one point butwe had belief that if we cansqueeze in one or two goodovers, the match can get close,”he said after the match.

“It was windy, I was tryingto use the wind and the longerside of the boundary. Veryhappy with the learnings, dif-ferent ground dimensions, firsttime in New Zealand; greatresult,” he added.