VIJAYAWADA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

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PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy on Tuesday launched the‘Swechha’ programme which aimsat the health and hygiene of ado-lescent girls studying in govern-ment schools and colleges by pro-viding quality sanitary napkins atfree of cost.

Speaking on this occasion, theChief Minister said that manyreports stated that almost 23 per-cent of the young girls in this coun-try are staying away from attend-ing schools and colleges duringmenstruation.

In order to change these circum-stances, the State government hasbeen taking measures right fromimproving toilets in all governmentinstitutions under the ‘Nadu-Nedu’initiative to bringing the ‘Swechha’programme.

He said that under the initiative,awareness on menstruation will becreated for the students studyingbetween Class 7-12, once in every

month by women teachers, ANMsand women police personnel.Apart from this, awareness onDisha app and Disha Act will alsobe given by the women police andJoint Collector (Aasara) will bemonitoring the orientation pro-grammes and a women teacher willbe appointed as a nodal officer.

The State government will beproviding quality sanitary napkinsto over 10 lakh students studying

between Classes 7-12 at a cost ofRs 32 crore, where each studentwill be receiving 120 napkins everyyear.

The students will also be taughton proper disposal of sanitarypads, where separate dustbins and6417 incinerators have been pro-vided under CLAP programme.

The Chief Minister said that thestate is leading in women empow-erment, where these sanitary nap-

kins will be sold at Cheyuthashops at affordable rates.

The government initiatedNadu-Nedu and revamping all thetoilets in 56703 schools and hos-tels by constructing them with run-ning water facilities. In the firstphase, 15,715 schools have beenrenovated and all the remainingschools will be completed by 2023.

Speaking on the occassion,Women and Child WelfareMinister Taneti Vanitha welcomeddistribution of sanitary napkinsfree of cost to adoloscent girlsunder Swechha programme andthanked Chief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy for focusing onhealth and hygine of the students.She said sanitary napkins are beingdistributed to 10 lakh students anda nodal officer will monitor the dis-tribution in every school andadded that branded napkins arebeing made available at YSRCheyutha stores.

SNV SUDHIRn VIJAYAWADA

Even as two systems are forming inthe bay that may gain strength toturn cyclones in quick successionstarting the second half of the cur-rent month, October appears to bethe favourite season for cyclones tohit the Andhra Pradesh coast.Interestingly, among all the coastalstates in the country, the AndhraPradesh coast has witnessed themaximum cyclones in the monthof October in the last 200 years.

As per the IMD data compiledby weather blogger B Sai Praneeth,who is popularly known as 'APWeatherman', in the last 200 years,from 1891 to 2020, the majority ofOctober cyclones crossed theAndhra Pradesh coast. Hudhud in2014, Titli in 2018 are recent exam-ples. Andhra Pradesh is followed by

West Bengal.Between the years 1891 and

2020, 41 cyclones and 14 severecyclones crossed Andhra Pradesh,Odisha and West Bengal coast hadwitnessed 32 cyclones and 13

severe cyclones. The Tamil Naducoast was hit by 28 cyclones and 6severe Cyclones in the last 200years.

"Andhra Pradesh lies along thecentral and south Bay of Bengal.Generally, during October, manyLow-Pressure pulses coming fromthe West Pacific will be placedalong North Andaman. The ridgeplacement will be towards North-West and hence almost all thecyclones make their way towardsAndhra Pradesh. But here excep-tions exist. If there are any westerndisturbances in the Himalayas, thecyclones will move towards Odishaor West Bengal coasts and if thereis any ridge in the Arabian Sea, thecyclones will spin towards TamilNadu coast. But climatologically,October and November are twofavourite months for our AndhraPradesh," Sai Praneeth who found

a mention in Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat'recently told The Pioneer.

The work of 24-year-old SaiPraneeth, who has earned the rep-utation as a trusted weather blog-ger, has been appreciated andrecorded in the UN-Habitat Journalpublished in June 2021.

With the help of coding lan-guages Java and Python, Praneethhas written an automated code thathelps him gather relevant weatherdata from various sites which hecompiles and posts on social mediahandles. He has a lot of followersand subscribers on several socialmedia platforms.

Praneeth carefully analyses andbreaks down the data in simplerterms so that it helps the generalpublic, especially farmers.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Refuting the allegations of TDPleaders as baseless, GovernmentAdvisor (Public Affairs) SajjalaRamakrishna Reddy has said thatthe Opposition has been plantingmindless stories to irk the govern-ment.

Addressing a press conferencehere on Tuesday, he slammed theOpposition leaders stating thatthey were making unnecessaryremarks linking the Mundra Portdrug scandal to Andhra Pradeshalthough it was denied by the Stategovernment. He said that it hadbecome a routine for them to makeallegations against the State gov-ernment wherever it happened.The way the Opposition was deal-ing with the issue was giving riseto suspicion on TDP's involve-ment, as Chandrababu Naidu hada history of hoarding moneyabroad.

Since Lokesh was on a secret tripto Dubai, doubts were being raised

on Chandrababu Naidu's familyentering into the drug business,Ramakrishna Reddy said andadded that the investigation wasstill going on and the Central agen-cies would reveal the culpritssoon. "Unlike in the previous gov-ernment, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy has beenstrictly working against ganja ped-dling and thus constituted a SpecialEnforcement Bureau (SEB) to nabthose involved. So far, almost 2.50

lakh kg of ganja has been seizedsince the formation of SEB," theAdvisor to the government said.

Ramakrishna Reddy said thatalthough it was going on for a longtime now, the previous govern-ment had failed miserably in con-trolling the drug racket and madeit clear that the government wouldtake legal action over Naidu's falseallegations in the heroin case.

Responding to the TDP's allega-tions over 'Pandora Papers', he saidthat a person named Alisha was anacquaintance of ChandrababuNaidu and Ganta Srinivas. Naiduhad been criticising the ChiefMinister with Wikileaks, 'ParadisePaper's, 'Panama Papers' and now'Pandora Papers', just to defamehim.

He alleged that an independentdirector of the Heritage companywas mentioned in the 'PanamaPapers' and observed that Naiduwas capable enough to work as aconsultant for international scam-sters with his experience.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra Pradesh High Courton Tuesday took up the petitionsfiled by 1,013 petitioners againstthe non-payment of the NationalRural Employment GuaranteeScheme (NREGS) bills by theState government. The HighCourt ordered the State govern-ment to clear all the pending billswithin four weeks with 12 percentinterest.

The court struck down the gov-ernment's offer of a 20 percentdiscount in the payment ofNREGS bills and court clarifiedthat the arrears should be paidannually with 12 percent interest.

The High Court said it wouldnot hesitate to take contempt ofcourt action if the orders were notenforced. The court announcedthat it was dismissing circulars,reducing bills by 20 percent.

DAVE BENNETT SILVERYn HYDERABAD

For some, Monday night's out-age of the social media giantsFaceb o ok, Instagram andWhatsApp turned out to be anopportunity that they didn'teven realise they had let go.

Forced to put one's deviceaside, people across all agegroups indulged in that much-needed human social interac-tion, and many rediscoveredbonds and relations they haddrifted apart from, without even

realising it. This was acknowl-edged amongst people across allage groups.

The outage of the socialmedia apps occurred at around9:30 pm. While most were clue-less, some of the more frequentusers even panicked for a while.

The initial reaction was toverify that it was not theInternet, but the three plat-forms, which are collectivelyowned by Facebook, that weredown.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Sri City Industrial Park and SEZ,Brandix India Apparel City, RamkyPharma City in Andhra Pradeshwere among the 41 IndustrialParks that have been assessed as"Leaders" in the Industrial ParkRatings System Report released byDPIIT on Tuesday.

Sri City was ranked No. 40among the industrial parks and isthe only exception from SouthIndia as the remaining parks arefrom western and northern parts ofthe country.

Leaders are parks and zones reg-istering highest level of perform-ance at an aggregate level. Another90 Industrial Parks were rated as“Challengers”.

Among SEZ, Apache SEZ, DrReddy's, Hetero, VisakhapatnamSEZS were tagged “Challengers”.

Challengers are parks and zones

registering performance level quiteclose to leaders but marginallylower at aggregate level. Theseratings are assigned on the basis ofkey existing parameters and infra-structure facilities etc. As many 185parks were rated as "Aspirers", ofwhich 14 are from AndhraPradesh. Aspirers are parks andSEZs that need significant interven-tion in future to improve their per-formance.

The second edition of theIndustrial Park Rating System(IPRS) Report was launched byUnion Minister of State forCommerce and Industry SomPrakash on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, SomParkash said the IPRS 2.0 Reportwill enhance India’s industrial com-petitiveness and attract invest-ments. About 98 percent of theseparks are from western(Maharashtra, Rajasthan and

Gujarat) and northern(Uttarakhand) regions of the coun-try.

At 6,637.5 lakh hectare, AndhraPradesh is among top six states inland availability for Industrialparks.

The Minister said the report isan extension of the India IndustrialLand Bank, which features morethan 4,400 industrial parks in aGIS-enabled database to helpinvestors identify their preferredlocation for investment.

Based on the learning from thepilot stage, the Union governmentstarted IPRS 2.0 in 2020. All Statesand 51 SEZs, including 29 private,participated in the IPRS 2.0 Report.

Also, 24 Private Sector IndustrialParks were nominated. Ratingshave been undertaken for 449 outof 478 nominations received.

The survey involved responsesfrom 5,700 tenants.

‘Swechha’: Govt to provide sanitarynapkins to 10 lakh girl students

Sajjala suspects TDP’s hand inMundra Port drugs scandal

HC orders APgovt to payNREGS bills

DPIIT identifies 3 SEZs, oneindustrial park as ‘Leaders’

‘Weatherman of AP’ predicts 2 cyclones Social media outagereminds many ofthe personal touch

Pay 8 timesmore forrenewal fromApr 2022

CARS OLDER THAN 15 YRS

PNS n NEW DELHI

Starting from April next year,vehicle owners will have toshell out Rs 5,000 for renewalof registration of the cars olderthan 15 years, which is eighttimes more than what theycurrently pay.

The road transport and high-ways ministry has issued anotification for the renewal ofthe certificate of registration ofold vehicles and this new ruleis part of the government'soverall plan to roll out theNat iona l Automobi leScrappage Policy.

According to the notifica-tion, renewal of certificate offitness for a bus or truck olderthan 15 years will cost nearlyeight times higher charges thanowners of the commercial vehi-cles current ly pay. Whilecharges of registration renew-al of a 15-year-old car would beRs 5,000 compared to the cur-rent fee of Rs 600, the chargesof registration renewal of oldbikes would be Rs 1,000 com-pared to the current fee of Rs300.

Detained beyond 24 hourswithout FIR: PriyankaCong leaders claim drones monitoring her

LAKHIMPUR VIOLENCE

PNS n BAHRAICH/LAKHIMPUR KHERI

The Uttar Pradesh authorities onTuesday agreed to the demand fora second post-mortem of a farmerkilled in the Lakhimpur Kheriincident after his family refusedto cremate him, while mor-tal remains of the threeothers were consignedto flames at their nativeplaces during the day.

Family members ofGurvinder Singh (22) ofMoharia village of Bahraichhad refused to cremate him till asecond autopsy is done, claimingthat he was shot dead. Theyreceived support from farmerleader Rakesh Tikait and Punjabisinger Sonia Maan, who arrived inthe village this evening.

Senior district administration

officials confirmed that the secondpost-mortem of Gurvinder will beconducted at the district hospital.

They said a vehicle has beensent to bring the body to the hos-pital post-mortem house.

A team of experts has arrivedat Bahraich district police

line from capital Lucknowby helicopter for the autop-sy, they said.

Additional DirectorGeneral of Police

(Gorakhpur) Akhil Kumarand other senior civil and

police officials had come to Mohariavillage to persuade the family to per-form the last rites but when his kinand farmer leaders did not relent, adecision for a second autopsy wastaken.

SC asks Centre about quota in promotions for SCs/STsPNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Tuesday askedthe Centre as to what exercise ithas undertaken to justify decisionsto grant quota in promotions tothe employees belonging to theScheduled Castes (SCs) andScheduled Tribes (STs) on counts

such as they have inadequate rep-resentation in jobs and the reser-vation will not adversely impactthe overall administrative effi-ciency.

A three-judge bench headedby Justice L Nageswara Rao said ifa judicial challenge is made to thequota in promotions to the SCs

and STs in a particular cadre of ajob then the government will haveto justify it on grounds such as thatthey are inadequately representedin a particular cadre and grantingquota will not adversely impact theoverall administrative efficiency.

Please do not argue on princi-ples. Show us the data. How do

you justify reservations in promo-tions and what exercise have youundertaken to justify the decisions.Please take instructions and let usknow that, said the bench whichalso comprised justices SanjivKhanna and B R Gavai.

Kakinada

Mayor loses

no-trust motion

VIDEO CLIP OF FARMERS BEING RUNOVER GOES VIRAL, NATION SHOCKED

Avideo, apparently of an SUV running over slogan-shouting farmers marching in Uttar Pradesh's LakhimpurKheri, has surfaced on social media and has even been

shared by Varun Gandhi, an MP of the ruling BJP. Eightpeople, including four farmers, were killed in the incident onSunday. The video, being shared widely on social media, isyet to be verified by the police. It is also not clear from thevisuals who is in the driving seat. Earlier today, Congressleader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted the viral clip with apointed question for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

LET CBI PROBE LAKHIMPUR KHERIVIOLENCE, UP LAWYERS WRITE TO CJI

The events at Lakhimpur Kheri, where farmers wereallegedly mowed down by a car driven by the son of aUnion minister, should be investigated by the CBI

under the supervision of the Supreme Court, lawyers havewritten to the Chief Justice of India.In a petition, lawyersfrom Uttar Pradesh asked Chief Justice NV Ramana todirect the Home Ministry to ensure the filing of a FirstInformation Report and punishment for the ministers andall those involved in Sunday's incident in which eightpeople lost their life.

CHHATTISGARH CM STOPPED ATLUCKNOW AIRPORT, SITS ON FLOOR

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel began a sit-inprotest outside the Lucknow airport this afternoon as hewas stopped by the state police amid widespread

demonstrations against eight deaths on Sunday in UttarPradesh's Lakhimpur district, about 130 km away. Baghel saidhe wanted to meet Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has been inpolice custody since yesterday in Sitapur. She said she was"illegally" arrested when she was on her way to Lakhimpur tomeet those affected by Sunday's violence while daring the UPgovernment to keep her in custody "indefinitely".

REPRIMANDING UNRULY STUDENTS NOTPROVOCATION FOR SUICIDE, SAYS SC

Reprimanding a student for his indiscipline would not betantamount to provoking a student to commit suicide unlessthere are repeated specific allegations of harassment, the

Supreme Court said on Tuesday. The apex court said that an oldsaying -- spare the rod and spoil the child -- may have lost itsrelevance in present days and Corporal punishment to the child isnot recognised by law but that does not mean that a teacher orschool authorities have to shut their eyes to any indiscipline act ofa student. The top court said it is a solemn duty of a teacher toinstill discipline in the students and reprimand is not uncommon.

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(IN VIJAYAWADA)

PNS n KAKINADA

In what appears to be a shot inthe arm for the YSRCP whichhas been riding high on aspree of victories, it has cor-nered success in getting the no-confidence motion passedagainst the Kakinada MayorSunkara Pavani of the TDP atthe Special Council meetinghere on Tuesday. As many as36 members voted in favour ofthe motion.

Out of the 46 members whoattended the Special Councilmeeting, 43 are corporatorswhile three are ex officio mem-bers who include Vanga GeetaMP, Kurasala Kannababu

Minister who is rural MLA andDwarampudi ChandrasekharaReddy city MLA.

After obtaining the authori-sation of the District Collector,Joint Collector Dr G.Lakshmisha conducted the

Special Council meeting.Among those attending, 31

are TDP corporators including21 rebels , 8 YSRCP, Two inde-pendents and two BJP rebels.

Though issued a whip by theTelugu Desam all the 21 rebelsvoted in favour of the no con-fidence while 9 othersremained neutral. Similarly ofthe total three BJP corporatorstwo defied the whip and votedin favour of no confidencemotion while the lone loyal BJPcorporator Saligrama Prasannadid not attend the meeting.

Two Independents who aresailing with the YSRCP alsosupported the no confidencemotion. The Joint Collector

who put the no confidencemotion to voting asking themembers to raise their handsif supporting the motion, 36had supported raising theirhands including the three co-option members –MP, Ministerand city MLA. Later the Jointcollector asked the members toraise their hands if opposingthe no confidence motion .

Surprisingly the 9 loyalTDP corporators kept silentwhile the Mayor sat quiet asthe lone ranger. Since theMayor Pavani has filed a peti-tion in the High court claim-ing that the TDP rebels alongwith others, with the instiga-tion of YSRCP had issued no

confidence notice to theCollector without completionof four years of her tenure assuch it was unconstitutional,illegal and invalid.

The High court, after hear-ing the arguments of bothsides, posted it to October 22for further hearing and direct-ed that the outcome of thespecial meeting convened bythe collector on October 5would be subjected to thefinal decision of the HighCourt.

Despite conducting andrecording the entire proceed-ings of the meeting, the JointCollector did not announcethe result.

Kapu-centric politicsmay take the cen-tre-stage in

Andhra Pradesh for the2024 elections, thoughthe community per se isa divided house in thestate.

Striking while the iron ishot, actor Pawan Kalyan, hav-ing outgrown his stature as a'part-time politician', has justappealed to the Kapu commu-nity (to which he belongs) tocome forward to lead the'social combination' that cangrab the opportunity to rulethe state, along with otherbackward and depressedclasses.

The electorate may facemany political equations inthe 2024 Assembly elections,with the battle for supremacycontinuing between theYSRCP and the Telugu DesamParty.

The prominent Reddy andKamma communities areconsidered to be the onlyones with 'experience' of rul-ing the combined state ofAndhra Pradesh.

But they are not in goodnumbers as a proportion ofthe population. Together theyaccount for approximately

20% of the totalpopulation of the state.Yet, their dominancein social structures hasthrown up rulers from

both the castes. At the same time, there

has been some sort of dis-satisfaction among people ofbackward & depressed class-es, who constitute the major-ity of the population.

So, the feeling 'votes areours but seats are others' iswell-entrenched in theirminds. They have alwayslacked a 'formidable drivingforce' to make visible gainspolitically.

So, unity among political-ly 'like- minded' sections hasbecome a tall order, with var-ious groups latching on todominant political forces, par-ticularly those of Reddys andKammas.

These sections in the Kapucommunity are slowly becom-ing vulnerable, blightingchances of the much-neededunity among them. TheKapus, Telagas, Balijas andOntaris are considered to beone group, with commonidentity among them andbeing treated as the Kapucommunity in different parts

of the state. The Balija group in

Rayalaseema is as strong asthat of Kapus in coastalAndhra and they are havingvery strong presence in poli-tics, though under the leader-ship of traditional rulingcastes viz. Reddy and Kamma.

The emergence of someleaders, who also proved to beguiding force for these castes,was short-lived. VangaveetiMohana Rangarao, formerCongress legislator fromVijayawada (East), was con-sidered an inspirational figurefor the Kapu community. Hewas the moving spirit behindthe mammoth rally of theKapu community organisedin Vijayawada on 10 July,1988 that saw the participa-

tion of these communities'leaders belonging to all polit-ical parties.

Former ministerMudragada Padmanabham,who had fought for quota forKapus, was among the leaderspresent in the rally. Vangaveetiwas then in jail and could notsecure bail for attending therally. It was clearly a show ofstrength for the Kapu com-munity and the second suchrally after the maiden one inVijayawada in 1982.

After Vangaveeti's murderdue to factional politics ofVijayawada in December1988, Mudragada stepped in,thinking he could fill thevoid and managed to givesome inspiration to the com-munity. Yet, he is still strug-

gling to sustain the stir forKapu quota.

The torching of train bogiesat Tuni, allegedly by miscre-ants who had masqueraded asmembers of the communityattending the meeting,thwarted Mudragada's plan toregister the community'sprotest in a conspicuous man-ner. He was blamed for "lackof planning". He left the venueabruptly. Thereafter, the issuespertaining to quota for Kapusand their unity took a backseat.

Kapus, accounting for near-ly 30% of the population, canbe a formidable force if only

they are united. Realising this, Reddy and

Kamma groups have taken'precautionary measures' toshatter the unity in the Kapucommunity by patronisingthe same groups that are pre-sent in both YSR Congressand Telugu Desam.

Reddys and Kammassensed danger when actorChiranjeevi launched PrajaRajyam Party(PRP) in 2008,with the Kapu communityfeeling rejuvenated. But due tolack of political foresight andstrategies for political sur-vival, his party bit the dust atthe hustings in 2009, despitegetting 70 lakh votes and 18Assembly seats.

Later Chiranjeevi mergedhis outfit with the Congress,after consulting thenCongress president SoniaGandhi. After completion ofhis tenure as Rajya Sabhamember belonging to theCongress (thanks to the merg-er), he has been maintainingpolitical silence. Observerssay he could have been thefront runner in the 2014 elec-tions had he protected theidentity of PRP till then.

Now there is once again aray of hope for the Kapu

community with the emer-gence of hero Pawan Kalyan,younger brother ofChiranjeevi, who launchedJana Sena Party. The JSP isnow friendly with BJP and ispreparing to take on YSRC byaligning with like-mindedparties.

Noticeably, it is essentialfor TDP and JSP to joinhands for taking on YSRCPin AP. Presently both TDPand JSP are in perplexedcondition. For, in the 2019elections, the TDP lost powerto YSRC and the ruling partygot 151 Assembly seats and22 Lok Sabha seats in AP.

Pawan Kalyan's JSP couldwrest only one seat and thehero himself lost the twoseats he had contested toYSRC. Pawan Kalyan is onceagain active in politics.

Political circles feel thatthis time the main aim of theKapus is to arrest the split oftheir votes among parties.For the community, it pays tobe united; so, if TDP and JSPunite tomorrow 'for the sakeof AP', they stand a chance tomake an impact.

In the 2019 elections,YSRCP, which bagged 151Assembly seats, got 1.56

crores votes and the TDP got1.23 crores votes, while get-ting just 23 seats. That is 23lakh votes brought aboutregime change. If one addsthe vote share of JSP, the pic-ture would be even better forthe Kapu community.

TDP now cannot hope toreturn to power if it choosesto go alone. It will have toaccommodate JSP.

If these two parties clincha seat-sharing agreement, themajority of votes from theKapu community may go tothis probable combination.Hence, Pawan has openlyrequested the Kapu commu-nity to come forward in lead-ing the backward anddepressed sections of societytowards power.

Hence, he became the tar-get of fierce criticism fromthe ruling party, whichaccused him of playing pol-itics in the name of caste.Pawan pointed to the 'doublestandard' of YSRCP in sup-porting the recent bandh,after having voted for thefarm bills in Parliament. Healso did 'srama daan' torepair roads, thus paving theway for his own politicalascent.

M D RATNA KUMAR

Senior Journalist

Striking while the iron is hot, actor

Pawan Kalyan, having outgrown his

stature as a ‘part-time politician', has

just appealed to the Kapu community

to come forward to lead the ‘social

combination' that can grab the

opportunity to rule the state, along with

other backward and depressed classes.

PIN

POINT

Ray of hope for Kapus with the advent of hero Pawan Kalyan

Kakinada Mayor loses no-trust motion

‘Swechha.Govtto providesanitarynapkins to...Continued from Page 1

She said napkins are beingprocured from Procter &Gamble and Niine companiesand added that stocksrequired for October andNovember are already sent toschools. She reminded thatthe state government hasbeen spending Rs 1,800 croreper year for SampooranPoshana and SampoornaPoshana Plus schemes focus-ing on better health forwomen.

Later, during the event,Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy releaseda poster on Swechha pro-gramme.

Ministers Thaneti Vanita,Adimulapu Suresh, Alla KaliKrishna Srinivas, Women andChild Welfare PrincipalSecretary AR Anuradha,Social Welfare PrincipalSecretary K Sunitha, TribalWelfare Secretary KantilalDande, Health and FamilyWelfare CommissionerKatamaneni Bhasker, SERPCEO Imtiaz, Women andChild Welfare Director (DishaSpecial Officer) KritikaShukla, Sarva Siksha AbhiyanSPD Vetri Selvi, SchoolEducation Director VadrevuChinaveerabhadradu andother officials were present.

Detained beyond 24 hours without FIR: Priyanka...Continued from Page 1

"We don't want to conduct hislast rites after a false post-mortem report," a relative said.

Sonia Mann, who has beenactively supporting protestsagainst the three central agrilaws, also reached GurvinderSingh's village and supportedhis family's demand.

Gurvinder's family said thatCongress General SecretaryPriyanka Gandhi Vadra, who isunder detention in Sitapur,talked to his father over thephone.

Maan accused the UP gov-ernment of creating "pressure"through the district adminis-tration on the family.

"The body will not be sentfor last rites till a second postmortem is performed inDelhi," she said earlier.

The mortal remains of the

three other dead farmers, whowere mowed down by a vehi-cle during a protest inLakhimpur Kheri, were cre-mated at their native places.

Among the farmers killed inthe Sunday incident, two eachwere from Lakhimpur Kheriand Bahraich and the bodieswere handed over to theirfamilies after a post mortem onMonday.

The families of LavpreetSingh (19), Nachattar Singh(65)and Daljeet Singh (42)agreed to the cremation afterhours of negotiations involvingpolice officials and farmerleader Rakesh Tikait.

Tikait was present whenSatnam Singh performed thelast rites of his son LavpreetSingh in the family's agricultur-al field in Palia tehsil inLakhimpur Kheri late in theafternoon.

The mortal remains ofNachattar Singh of Dhaurahratehsil in Lakhimpur Kheriwere consigned to flames by hisson Mandeep Singh, who isposted in Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB).

In Bahraich, the familymembers of Daljeet Singh per-formed his last rites.

The UP government is fac-ing massive flak after eightpeople were killed in violenceduring a protest against thefarm laws in Lakhimpur

Four of the dead were farm-ers who were allegedlyknocked down by vehicles dri-ven by BJP workers.

The four others includedtwo BJP workers, one driver ofUnion Minister of State forHome Ajay Kumar Mishraand Raman Kashyap, a journal-ist working for a private TVchannel.

While the first three werelynched by agitating farmers,the scribe, according to hisfather, died after being hit bya vehicle when he was cover-ing news of farmers' protestagainst the visit of UP DeputyChief Minister Keshav PrasadMaurya to Ajay Mishra's nativeplace Sunday.

The UP Police has lodged acase against Union ministerAjay Mishra's son but no arresthas been made.

Additional Director General(Law and Order) PrashantKumar announced on Mondaythat the government will ordera probe headed by a retiredhigh court judge and givecompensation of Rs 45 lakheach to the families of the deadfarmers. Their kin will also geta government job.

The injured will get Rs 10lakh.

‘Weatherman of AP’predicts 2 cyclones...Continued from Page 1

He added that the season ofcyclones varies in Indian coastalstates.

Praneeth said that duringApril and May majority of thecyclones move towards Burmaand Bangladesh. DuringSeptember end, October major-ity of cyclones move towardsNorth Andhra Pradesh andOdisha.

During October-end andNovember, most of the stormsmove towards Guntur, Krishna

and Godavari parts. AfterNovember, cyclones tend tomove towards Tamil Nadu. InJanuary, it will be along SriLanka, which is due to the shiftof the Inter-TropicalConvergence Zone (ITCZ),where cyclones are born, headded.

"From monsoon to winter,the ITCZ leaves India and goesdown towards the Equator.That's why, the cyclone forma-tions drift south from Odisha toSri Lanka," Praneeth explained.

He also said that back-to-

back cyclones may hit theAndhra Pradesh coast in thecoming days.

He said La Nina andNegative Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD) may cause more convec-tion in the Bay of Bengal givinga good boost for cyclones laterthis month. Praneeth addedthe first cyclone system mayform and cross the AP coastaround the third week-October- 14/15. The second sys-tem may form and hit the Statecoast in the final week afterOctober 21.

Social media outage...Continued from Page 1

The streets of Hyderabad,that usually adorn a desert-ed look post 11 pm, werenot surprisingly buzzingwith t raf f ic .Neighbourhoods that have aconcentrated number ofyoungsters - either studentsor working professionals -were seen filled with peopleon the streets.

Roads on densely popu-lated pockets like Ameerpet,KPHB and Madhapur,where a large number ofyoungsters reside, witnessedpeople out on the streetsand hanging out.

Hyderabad 's popularhangouts l ike DurgamCheruvu, Tank Bund andPeople's Plaza saw a largercrowd than what is expect-ed on a Monday night, saidthe police.

Eateries at Ameerpet andMadhapur were also seenbrimming with a larger cus-tomer base than what isusual on a Monday nightpost 11 pm. The roads werefilled with youngsters and

families alike in such places,all attributing to the socialmedia outage.

Taking to Twitter onTuesday, netizens tweetedout as to how refreshing itwas to finally be rid of theirobsession with those threesocial media platforms.

Many youngsters fromthe city took this opportu-nity to visit Hyderabad'sold and famous Irani chaicafes, and post pictures oftea and samosas on Twitter.The cherry on the top foryoung Hyderabadis was thepleasant weather that camelate in the night after amostly hot and sultry day.

Taking pride in the invig-orating experience, neti-zens wished that such out-ages were a regular thingand should happen period-ically.

Terming the experienceof not using the addictiveapps as refreshing, usersposted how the downtimewas productive for them."We were recently readingbooks on productivity andit suggested we turn off all

distractions like Facebook,Instagram and WhatsApp.We tried it last night for 6hours and i t rea l lyworked!"(sic) wrote a useron Twitter.

Users also were hopingthat one such outage hap-pens for other popular appsas well. "Manifesting aGmail crash too on a week-day morning", "I thinkLinkedIn should take onefor the team and also stopfunctioning.", "please Godtake slack from us too" werea few of the many lightertakes on the six-hour out-age.

People were also quick tonotice how lives largelyrevolved around those plat-forms.

"This glitch revealed howhelpless we are to theseapps. I could live withoutFacebook and Instagram,but for WhatsApp? It'll takea while to adjust. Truth is,we'll be fine without Mark's(Zuckerberg) apps, he needsus more," tweeted out auser pointing out the starkgrim reality of today's life.

Pay 8 times more forrenewal from Apr 2022...Continued from Page 1

Similarly, a fitness renewalcertificate for a 15 year-plusbus or truck would cost Rs12,500 from the current fee ofRs 1,500; while in the case ofmedium goods or passengermotor vehicle, it would cost Rs10,000.

Renewal of registration forimported bikes and cars willcost Rs 10,000 and Rs 40,000,respectively.

According to the notifica-tion, these rules may be calledthe Central Motor Vehicles(23rd Amendment) Rules,2021, and shall come intoforce with effect from April 1,2022.

The notification said anadditional fee of Rs 50 for eachday of delay after the expiry ofcertificate of fitness shall belevied.

It also said an additional feeof Rs 200 shall be levied if thecertificate of registration is asmart card-type issue.

As per the notification, incase of delay in applying forrenewal of certificate of regis-tration, an additional fee of Rs300 for delay of every monthin case of private vehicles andRs 500 for delay of everymonth in case of commercialvehicles shall be levied.

Under the the NationalAutomobile Scrappage Policylaunched by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in August thisyear, mandatory fitness testingfor heavy commercial vehiclesis likely to be in force fromApril 1, 2023, and the samewill be in place in a phasedmanner for other categoriesfrom June 1, 2024.

SC asks Centre...Continued from Page 1

At the outset, AttorneyGeneral K K Venugopal,appearing for the Centre,referred to the apex courtjudgements right from theIndra Sawhney verdict of 1992,popularly known as MandalCommission case to the JarnailSingh verdict of 2018.

The Mandal judgement hadruled out quota in promo-tions.

What is relevant is that theIndra Sawhney judgementconcerned the backward class-es and not the SCs and STs,the law officer said.

This judgement deals withthe question of whether everycategory should be givenreservation proportional totheir population. It then says'no it should not be so given'because then it will far exceedthe 50 per cent cap, he said.

Article 16 of theConstitution requires equali-ty in matters of publicemployment and if meritalone is the criteria then theSCs and STs, who are disad-vantaged socially, might notbe able to compete, he said.

The law officer said that till1975, 3.5 per cent SCs and0.62 per cent of STs were ingovernment employment andthis is the average figure.

Now in 2008, the figure of

SCs and STs in governmentemployment has come to 17.5and 6.8 per cent respectivelywhich are still low and justi-fy such quota, he said.

The court will continue thehearing on Wednesday.

Earlier, the top court, onSeptember 14, said that itwould not reopen its decisionon granting reservation inpromotions to the SCs and STsas it was for the states todecide how they implement it.

"We are making it veryclear that we are not going toreopen Nagraj or Jarnail Singh(cases) because the idea wasonly to decide these cases inaccordance with the law laiddown by the court," the benchhad said.

The issues framed byAttorney General K KVenugopal and the ones circu-lated by others are enhancingthe scope of cases, it said.

"We are not willing to dothat. There are certain issuesthat are already decided inNagraj that also we are notgoing to take up. We are veryclear that we are not going topermit any arguments forreopening of cases or arguingthat law laid down from IndiraSawhney is wrong because thevery scope of these cases is toapply the law as laid down bythis court," the bench hadsaid.

Endowmentsofficials visitTTD for studyPNS n TIRUPATI

A team of officials fromAndhra PradeshEndowments Department vis-ited Tirumala TirupatiDevasthanam (TTD ) onTuesday to learn on how thetemple management is suc-cessfully implementing theadministrative mechanism,various pilgrim-friendly mea-sures in its temples etc.

A TTD release here onTuesday said that the team metTTD Joint Executive officerfor Education and Health SadaBhargavi and also participat-ed in a meeting at theConference Hall of TTDAdministrative Building inTirupati.

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2021

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP national general secretaryNara Lokesh on Tuesdayexpressed concern that thefarmers' families were becomingvictims of attacks, harassmentand land grabbers almost ona daily basis in the State.

Lokesh said that atleast one farmer wascoming onto the roadevery day to tell thepeople about theinjustice done to theirfamilies.

In the latest incident, thelocal YSRCP minister's follow-ers hatched a plan to grab thelands of farmer Vema Reddy atRajupalem village in Hindupurassembly constituency inAnantapur district. The ruling

party gangsters used JCBs to digup and breach the farmer'slands.

In a statement here, NaraLokesh slammed the minister'sfollowers for diverting canalwater through farmer Vema

Reddy's lands. The officialswere not taking any

action despite severalcomplaints made tothem. Videos wereavailable as evidenceof how the YSRCP

leaders were causinguntold misery to the

farmer's family. As part of theconspiracy to grab the lands,they were breaching the bundsand submerging them withwater. Action should be initiat-ed against the guilty beforethey would do greater injustice.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Krishna District RugbyAssociation (KDRA) has con-ducted both boys and girls dis-trict team selections atManikonda Zilla Parishat HighSchool in Unguturu mandalnear Vijayawada. ManikondaPrimary AgriculturalCooperative Society (PACS)president GogineniVenkateswara Babu inauguratedthe selection trials and associa-tion representatives introducedplayers to him.

As many as 125 rugby players,including boys and girls, attend-ed the selection trials acrossKrishna district. KDRA vice-presidents Murali, Venkata Raoand secretary N Chandrakalasupervised the selection process.

Speaking on the occasion,PACS president Gogineni

Venkateswara Babu said thatrugby is a very fast game andplayers should play wisely forwin. He expressed happinessover conducting the selections inhis village.

KDRA secretary NChandrakala said the selectedboys and girls teams wouldparticipate in the Inter-DistrictRugby Tournament which willbe held at Gadimoga in East

Godavari district from October11 to 13. The coaching campwould be organised atManikonda High School, sheadded.

KDRA treasurer TualasiRao, Manikonda ZP HighSchool headmaster GummadiPadma Vani, PMC representa-tives V Sivarama Krishna, NSrinivasa Rao, VV Siva Prasad,S Ramesh, Physical Education

Teachers (PETs) G Rambabu,Y Murali and others participat-ed. Boys Team: P Manikanta(Machilipatnam), S Mahesh(Vijayawada), H Abhilasha(Peda Avutapalli), VVenkataramana (Vijayawada),M Lakshmana Swamy(Sangamudi), U Lohith Sai(Peda Avutapalli), K Ashok(Vijayawada), B AdithaPrakash (Indupalli), MV Balaji,T Akash, K Rahul (Vijayawada)

Girls Team: P Sindhu Priya(Vuyyuru(, J Jyostna Rani (MSuravaram), T Harika, DChinni (Vijayawada), AAnkitha (Nidamanuru), KRamya (Gannavaram), SkSulekshima (Maanikonda), BPriyaanka (Mudunuru), BSameera (Vuyyuru), B UdayaLakshmi (Vuyyuru), G GangaBhavai (Hanuman Junction) USrilekha (Gannavaram).

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In what comes across asunpalatable news for gour-mands, the food safety andsanitary officials of theVijayawada MunicipalCorporation (VMC), duringa surprise check on Tuesday,found stale meat and fishstored in a popular privaterestaurant at Ajit Singh Nagarof the city. The officials alsonoticed that beef was alleged-ly mixed with mutton at therestaurant.

On a complaint filed by thecustomers that beef was beingmixed with mutton in thepreparation of certain dishesat the restaurant, VMC’s foodsafety officials, led byVeterinary Assistant surgeonDr. A Ravichand, FoodInspector Gopalakrishna, andSanitary Inspector Srikanth,conducted surprise checks atAjit Singh Nagar, PrakashNagar, Payakapuram andother places.

Dr. Ravichand said thatthey had received complaintsfrom people that mutton del-

icacies mixed with beef andfood items prepared withstale meat were being servedin a chain of hotels.

The officials also foundthat stale chicken was beingsold at one of the meat shopsat Prakash Nagar. The offi-cials imposed a fine of Rs4,000 on the shopkeeper and

destroyed the stale meat.The officials noticed that

the freezer was stocked withstale meat along with someother food items and pulledup the owner of the restau-rant.

Notices were served on theowner of the restaurant byVMC’s Health department

officials and food safety offi-cials of the VMC. They fur-ther said that the food sold inthe restaurant is not safe forconsumption. Syntheticcolours were also used in thefood to attract customerswhich is not good for health.Notices were served in anoth-er restaurant in Ajit Singh

Nagar for using syntheticcolours. A fine of Rs 10,000fine was imposed on the tworestaurants for not havingobtaining trading licenses.

VMC Commissioner VPrasanna Venkatesh said thatstern action would be takenagainst the sale of stale meatin food items.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Krishna District Collector JNivas has said that said that allarrangements are being madefor the Dasara Navaratri cel-ebrations without causing anytrouble to the devotees, fol-lowing Covid guidelines start-ing from October 7 to 15. TheCollector and the City PoliceCommissioner B Srinivasuluinspected the DasaraNavaratri arrangements onTuesday. As part of this exer-cise, they inspected the queueline from Shaniswaralayamto Maha Mandapam and thebathing ghats.

Speaking on the occasion,Collector Nivas said that asper the prescribed time slots,10,000 devotees would beallowed per day as was donelast year. He said that sanitis-er points were set up in mostplaces in the queue lines inview of the Covid pandemic.Helicopter rides are madeavailable for the people dur-ing the Dasara Navaratri fes-tival to have a bird’s eye viewVijayawada city.

Police Commissioner BSrinivasulu said that allarrangements are in place forthe convenience of the devo-tees coming for darshan at the

Goddess Kanaka Durga tem-ple. Four-tier bandobustarrangements are being madefor the security of the devo-tees coming from variousplaces.

The ‘Annadanam’ pro-gramme is cancelled in viewof the Covid pandemic andfood packets will be distrib-uted to the devotees comingfor darshan.

On the important day ofMula Nakshatram, addition-al police forces would bedeployed for the convenienceof the devotees to have a has-sle-free darshan of theGoddess.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

As part of the 67th WildlifeWeek, 2021 celebrations, theIndira Gandhi ZoologicalPark in Visakhapatnam con-ducted drawing competitionsfor the students of Classes 1to Post-Graduation on thetheme of ‘Wildlife’ onTuesday. Children enthusias-tically participated in thecompetitions.

About 80 students fromdifferent schools and collegesdrew their favourite animalswhich they saw in the IndiraGandhi Zoological Park.

Dr. Nandani Salaria,Curator of the park, said thatthe competition inspires chil-dren towards the protection

of the environment andfocuses on the need forwildlife conservation. Suchcompetitions would be usefulin bringing out creativityamong children, she added.

“We conducted a ‘WildlifePhotography Contest’ for pro-fessional & non-professionalphotography enthusiasts.Photographers fromVisakhapatnam participatedand captured the beautifulwildlife of IGZP with theircamera lenses. Over 20 pho-tographers participated inthis competition.” Salaria said.

On October 7, the ‘Run forWildlife’ event will be organ-ised at IGZP and people of allage groups can participate inthe event. No registration fee

will be charged. T-shirts &caps will be provided for the

first 100 participants. Thecurator also delivered a talk

on ‘Wildlife Conservation’ tostudents of Dr VS Krishna

Govt Degree College,Visakhapatnam.

Restaurants found to be using stalemeat, mixing beef in mutton dishes

VMC Commissioner warns hoteliers, meat shop owners of stringent action

Krishna Collector, CP inspectDasara Navaratri arrangements

Drawing contests held as part of ‘Wildlife Week’

Krishna district boys and girls rugby teams selected Aides of Minister plan tograb farmer's land: Lokesh

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Vijayawada Central MLAMalladi Vishnu has allegedthat the power sector waspushed into debts by the pre-vious TDP government. Hesaid that during the TDPregime from 2014 to 2019, thedebts piled up to Rs 32,000crore. The TDP governmenthad not paid a rupee to thepower distribution companies.He further lamented that caseswere booked against the farm-ers in the state and were sentto jail during the TDP period.

Vishnu said soon after com-ing to power, the YSRCP gov-ernment had supported thepower sector on all fronts.From 2019 to 2021, the Stategovernment had released Rs28,166 crore.

He said the State govern-ment was focused on strength-ening the power sector. TheState government was imple-menting the best policies overthe last two years and thepolicies are bearing fruit now.He said the government led bychief minister YS JaganmohanReddy was working to reducethe burden of electricity tariffson the people in the state.

The MLA on Tuesday saidthat a special technical teamwas set up to monitor the elec-tricity prices in the marketfrom time to time and grabmore when available at cheap-er price. The Electricity depart-ment had set up an artificialintelligence system to scientif-ically determine the powerdemand and availability in themarket in the state.

Vishnu said that the impo-sition of true-up charges wasdue to the policies adopted byTDP chief ChandrababuNaidu during the previousTDP government. He remind-ed that not a single rupee wasreleased by the then TDP gov-ernment to the power distrib-ution companies between 2014and 2019 for true-up adjust-

ment. He made it clear thatneither Chandrababu Naidunor the TDP had the moralright to speak on the powersector of the state.

Vishnu said that the AndhraPradesh government had savedover Rs 2,342 crore on powerpurchases in the last two years,according to a joint report by

the Nitish Aayog and RMI. Hesaid this was made possible byfavorable approaches in powerpurchases in the two yearsbetween 2019 and 2021.

Vishnu blames TDP govt for crisis in power sector

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Congress party hasfielded PM Kamalamma,former MLA, to contest theby-elections in BadvelAssembly constituency inKadapa district, accordingto Andhra PradeshCongress Committee(AICC) president Dr SakeSailajanath.

In a statement here onTuesday, he saidKamalamma hails fromPorumamilla in Kadapa dis-trict and she belongs to SC– Madiga community. Sheworked as lecturer atGovernment Junior Collegefor 30 years from 1979 to2009. After taking VRS fromthe government service, she

contested as a candidate ofINC from Badvel and wonwith a majority of 36,590votes. Meanwhile, TDP Statepresident K Atchannaiduannounced that their partyhad decided not to field itscandidate in Badvel reservedsegment against the wife ofthe deceased Dalit MLADasari Venkata Subbaiah.

Jana Sena Party (JSP)chief Pawan Kalyan hadalready announced that JSPwould not field its candidatefor the by-elections asDasari Sudha, wife of lateYSRCP MLA VenkataSubbaiah, was contestingthe elections.

The BJP would contestthe by-election and but is yetto announce its candidate.

Badvel by-poll: Congfields Kamalamma

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In a stringent action, VijayawadaPolice Commissioner BSrinivasulu has externed tworowdy sheeters and one ‘KD’from the city limits for sixmonths.

In a press release on Tuesday,the CP announced that thesecriminals have not changedtheir behaviour and are posingproblems to society. Heannounced the names of crim-inals and their involvement inoffences. One of them VadiyarRajasekhar alias Raju, aged 23years and resident of New RRPet was involved in 18 offences.He was imprisoned in various

cases and released on bail. Hewas externed from the city forsix months.

The other one Malapolu SivaNaga Mahesh alias Mahesh,aged 20 years and a resident ofSanthi Nagar under the AjitSingh Nagar police station lim-its was externed from the city.He was involved in nine cases.Katla Sammulu, aged 27 yearsand a resident of New RR Pet,was also externed from the city.He was involved in 33 offencesand went to jail several times.He was on bail. The CP said thethree notorious criminals werenot changing their behavior, sothey were externed from the cityfor six months.

PNS n AMARAVATI

TDP former MLA DhulipallaNarendra Kumar on Tuesdaydemanded that Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy stopmaking baseless statementsagainst the Opposition partyleaders with regard to multi-crore drug rackets operatingfrom AP.

Narendra Kumar asked whythe Government did not orderdetailed investigations into theinvolvement of Vijayawada-reg-istered Aashi company and itsassociates based in Kakinadaport till now. The police had notheld any probe even after Rs72,000 crore worth heroin wassmuggled through Mundra portin the name of AP firm. Therewere reports that the rulingYSRCP leaders were gettingdirectly involved in ganja cultiva-tion, transportation and sale.

Addressing a press conferencehere, the TDP leader said that theChief Minister was bent on cov-ering up his failures by makingmisleading statements againstthe TDP. It was a fact that the rul-

ing YSRCP leaders were involvedin the illegal activities. If the CMhad any commitment, he shouldorder a detailed probe into all theactivities of the drug and ganjasmuggling gangs in the State.

Dhulipalla Narendra said thatthe AP DGP has abdicated hisresponsibility to inquire intothe activities of Sudhakar ofAashi company. This company'sname hit headlines followingseizure of heroin at Mundraport on September 20. The APpolice did not make any effortsto investigate into the matter. TheVijayawada police commission-er just said the seized heroin wasbeing taken to Delhi but not AP.He failed to explain why it wasbooked in the name ofVijayawada firm.

Expressing concern, Narendraasserted that there were clearindications about the involve-ment of top leaders in the gov-ernment in the smuggling ofdrugs and ganja.

As per reports, ganja cultiva-tion was going on in over 15,000acres in East Godavari andVisakhapatnam districts. Vizagganja was stated to have highdemand all over the country forits quality. The ruling partyleaders were involved in this. Thepolice were not taking actionagainst them.

The TDP leader asked theDGP to explain why the burningof boats turned into a mysterynear Kakinada port. In a recentincident, the police booked FIRsaying that the fisherman diedwhen his boat capsized. Butthere were reports that the boatperished in fire. The FIR did notmention the fire mishap. Manymore such boat fire accidentswere reported. This was happen-ing only after the AP mafialinks getting exposed followingseizure of ganja in differentparts of India.

TDP flays move to fix metersto motors in agriculture sectorPNS n AMARAVATI

TDP former MLA BC JanardhanReddy on Tuesday accused theJaganmohan Reddy government ofplacing unbearable current chargesburden on the people only for thecommissions and J-tax collectionsin the State. Janardhan Reddy saidthe Chief Minister was bent onharming the lives of over 50 lakhfarmers by fixing meters on theagriculture motors. The commonman was now afraid of switchingon their fans because of theabnormally increased currentcharges. People were gettingelectric shocks just by looking attheir current bills. Addressing apress conference here, the TDPleader said the CM and his partyleaders were going to extreme

lengths in order to make easymoney at the cost of the publicexchequer. It was a fact that JaganReddy came to power bypromising no hikes in currentcharges. But once he was in theCM chair, he started giving shocktreatments so as to rule the peopleby striking fear in their hearts. Thepublic were literally scared of theintimidation tactics of the rulingparty leaders at every level.Janardhan Reddy said that the YCPrule has so far imposed a burdenof Rs 7,500 crore on the peopleand farmers by hiking power tariff.In addition to this, the governmenthas taken such policies that havecaused skyrocketing prices ofessential commodities. The ChiefMinister has broken the backs ofthe common people by hiking

power charges even during theCoronavirus pandemic. The fixingof meters on motors would hanglike a noose around the necks ofthe farmers. The TDP leaderasserted that their party wouldcontinue the agitation till theGovernment rolled back theincreased charges. During theprevious Government, there wereno power charges hikes during thefive year term. But, the YCP mediahad carried out maliciouspropaganda at that time. The TDPwould hold state wide protestsagainst the double standards of theruling YSRCP leaders. JanardhanReddy expressed concern that theJaganmohan Reddy regime'spower sector policies have led tono new industries or investmentscoming to AP.

Probe sought into ganjasmuggling in State

3 criminals externedfrom Vja for 6 months

vijayawada 04VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2021

PNS n ELURU

West Godavari DistrictCollector Kartikeya Mishrainspected the houses, whichare under construction, atKovvali village in Dendulurumandal on Tuesday.

The Collector went into theunder-construction houses ina Jagananna Colony andinspected the works apart fromenquiring about the quality ofthe materials being used andthe progress of works.

Speaking on the occasion, hedirected the officials concernedto expedite the construction.He said that 147 houses weresanctioned in the colony ofwhich the construction of 44houses had reached the base-

ment level. He directed the offi-cials to take steps to disbursemoney to house owners. EluruRDO Panabaka Rachana,

Tahsildar Nancharaiah, andMPDO Lakshmi were amongthose who accompanied theCollector.

PNS n ONGOLE

Prakasam District Superintendent of Police Malika Gargpersonally inspected the secu-rity arrangements being madefor the Chief Minister’s pro-gramme to be held here onOctober 7. Chief Minister Y SJagan Mohan Reddy willlaunch the second phase ofYSR Asara scheme at the PVRground here Thursday.

The SP inspected the spe-cially-set up helipad area atPTC Ground. The SP instruct-ed the authorities to conductthorough inspections by theBomb Squad and Dog Squadin the areas where the Chief

Minister is touring.She inspected the barricades

arrangements around the heli-

pad, route map for the ChiefMinister’s convoy, public meet-ing venue at the PVR ground,

dais, stall points, entrancesand exits and the parkingspaces for VVIP/VIP vehicles.

The SP instructed officers toset up rooftop security in thehigh-rise buildings surround-ing the meeting venue and totighten security to preventunauthorised persons fromapproaching the dais area. TheSP asked the authorities toensure parking spaces for thevehicles of officers, chief lead-ers and others, and to placebarricades on the roads wherenecessary. The SP also told offi-cers to ensure smooth flow oftraffic without any trouble.

The SP was accompanied byASP B. Ravi Chandra, OSD K.

Chowdeshwari and DSB DSPB. Mariyadas.

Meanwhile, DistrictCollector Pravin Kumar alsoreviewed the arrangements.The Collector held a meetingwith the officials here onTuesday and directed them totake steps to ensure that theprogramme is held smoothly.

The Collector asked theMunicipal Commissioner toerect stalls and directed theMEPMA PD to make arrange-ments for refreshments anddrinking water. The Collectoralong with the SP and otherofficials inspected the venueand helipad at the MunicipalBoy’s School.

PNS n GUNTUR

Stating that education willmake women self-reliant,Minister for Home MekathotiSucharita has exhorted girls toexcel in studies. The HomeMinister, along with CollectorVivek Yadav, participated in the‘Swechha’ programme held inthe Municipal High School atStambalagaruvu village onTuesday.

Speaking on the occasion,the Home Minister said thatunder the ‘Swechha’ pro-gramme, 10 sanitary napkinswould be given to the girl stu-dents studying in Classes 7 toIntermediate at governmentschools and colleges. She saidthat the government is provid-ing all the needed facilities tothe students studying at thegovernment schools andexhorted the girl students toexcel in pursuing education.

She said that Chief MinisterY S Jaganmohan Reddy wascommitted to making AndhraPradesh State free from illiter-acy. She said that under the

‘Nadu-Nedu’ programme, allgovernment schools are beingrenovated and toilet facilitiesare being provided. Sheemphasised upon higher edu-cation for women to scale newheights in life and achieve self-reliance.

The Home Minister askedthe girls to download the Dishaapp which provides them secu-rity. Collector Vivek Yadavsaid that there are 312 upperprimary schools and 569 highschools in the district and86,901 girl students were beingdistributed sanitary napkins

free of cost. He said that usu-ally children of economicallyweaker sections study in thegovernment schools and thedistribution of sanitary napkinsto the girl students would beuseful to maintain hygiene.

MLCs KS Lakshmana Rao,Kalpalata Reddy, Mayor KShivanaga Manohar Naidu,deputy mayor Sajal and JointCollector Rajakumari wereamong those who were present.

Earlier, the Home Ministerand MLCs went around thephoto exhibition on the devel-opment of women.

PNS n GUNTUR

A woman and her two sonshave alleged that they arebeing attacked by YSRCPactivists and threatened tocommit suicide if the culpritsare not arrested.

The Dalit family that lives inTimmapuram in Yadlapadumandal released a video urg-ing Chief Minister Y S JaganMohan Reddy for justice. Thefamily members said that someYSRCP activists attacked themwith knives three months agoand the attacks had been con-tinuing since then.

The family members saidthat they met ChilakaluripetMLA Vidudala Rajani andappealed to her to save themfrom the ruling party activists’attacks, but she did notrespond.

“We have no option other

than taking the extreme step infront of the MLA’s office, if theculprits are not arrested byMonday,” Birudu Ananta Babu,one of the family members,threatened. He said that he hadworked hard for the victory ofMLA Vidudala Rajani, but shedid not respond when they

sought her help.He alleged that they had

complained to the Collector,but the MLA influenced himnot to take action against theattackers.

The video has gone viral insocial media, creating a com-motion.

PNS n BHIMAVARAM

West GodavariSuperintendent of PoliceRahul Dev Sharma haswarned the youth, who wishto go to Gulf countries seek-ing livelihood, against trustingagents.

The SP was attending the‘Basada’ programme organ-ised here on Tuesday to cre-ate awareness among thosewho seek jobs in the Gulfcountries and give them nec-essary guidance. Speaking onthe occasion, the SP said thatlives of many people wereruined as they trusted the

agents for getting jobs in theGulf countries. He asked thejob seekers to be completelyaware of the laws and the offi-cial procedures to be followedto go to the Gulf countries forjobs. The SP asked them toverify whether they were givenwork permit visas. He askedthem to inform about thefake agents by sending a mes-sage to the WhatsApp number95503 51100 or by calling 100.

Bhimavaram RegionalPassport Verification OfficerMD Jabbar Beig, DSPsVeeranjaneya Reddy and DilipKiran were among those whowere present.

PNS n ONGOLE

Turaka Mahesh Kumar, studyingB. Pharmacy third year atVengamukkapalem QIS Collegeof Pharmacy, was selected to playin the national-level footballtournament to be held inVisakhapatnam.

QIS Educational Institutionssecretary & correspondent Dr.Nidamanuri Surya KalyanChakravarti and NidamanuriEducational Society presidentNidamanuri Nageswara Rao saidin a statement here on Tuesdaythat B. Pharmacy student

Mahesh Kumar would representthe State in the tournament to beheld in Visakhapatnam. Theysaid Mahesh Kumar played wellin the football tournament forsenior men held on the ABM

College grounds. They wishedthat Mahesh Kumar would playwell in the tournament and earnnational recognition. Theyexhorted him to focus on hisstudies as well.

PNS n GUNTUR

BJP leader and former partystate president KannaLakshminarayana laudedPrime Minister NarendraModi stating that he wasleading the country to devel-opment. He was visiting aphoto gallery where snaps ofsignificant events of PrimeMinister Narendra Modiwere put on display, here onTuesday.

Kanna Lakshminarayanasaid that Narendra Modi doesnot behave like he is thePrime Minister of the coun-try, but serves the nation as aservant. He has completedseven years in office, butcontinues to work withvigour and enthusiasm for thedevelopment of the country.

The Sab Ka Saath, Sab KaVikas programme launchedby the Prime Minister willhelp to eradicate poverty bytaking the fruits of develop-ment to the poor, he said.

Taking a dig at the JaganMohan Reddy-led govern-ment, he said that the tworegional parties TDP andYSRCP have resorted tomurky politics. False cases arebeing registered against thosewho question the misdeeds ofruling party leaders, healleged. The YSRCP leadershave ignored the develop-ment of the state and areindulging in abusing theopposition leaders, he said.

Former ministers RavelaKishore Babu, Shenakkayala

Arun, Palapati Ravi Kumarand Eedara Srinivasa Reddy

were among those whoaccompanied the BJP leader.

Home Minister exhorts girlstudents to excel in studies

PNS n ONGOLE

Minister for Energy andEnvironment BalineniSrinivasa Rao distributed san-itary napkins as part of theSwechha programme, whichaims at the health and hygieneof girls studying in govern-ment schools and colleges, ata programme here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion,the minister urged the stu-dents to make use of the var-ious initiatives designed by theY S Jagan Mohan Reddy-ledAndhra Pradesh governmentfor them. He said the govern-ment launched the Swechhaprogramme to distribute san-itary napkins to school andcollege-going girls, who findit difficult to attend classes dueto lack of access to menstru-al hygiene products. The dis-tribution of sanitary napkins

would reduce the number ofdropouts, he hoped. “Thegovernment is renovatingschools and colleges by spend-ing crores of rupees under theNadu-Nedu programme andintroducing English as medi-um of instruction,” the min-ister said.

Collector Pravin Kumarsaid that there are 838 schoolsin the district where 91,517girls are studying. All of themwould be provided with san-itary napkins. They would begiven sanitary napkins duringholidays also. ZP chairpersonBuchepalli Venkayamma,Mayor G Sujata, MLC PotulaSunita, DEO Vijay Bhaskar,Women Welfare PD GLakshmidevi andIntermediate Board RIOSubba Rao were among thosewho attended the programme.

Swechha scheme: Balineni distributes

sanitary napkins to students in Ongole

Family alleges attack by YSRCPactivists, threatens suicide pact

Pravin, Malika review security for CM’s visit

Modi leading India to development: Kanna

PNS n ELURU

BJP activists, led by theirState president SomuVeerraju, organised a dhar-na at the Collector’s officehere on Tuesday demandingthat the government takesteps to resolve the problemsof people. Addressing thegathering on the occasion,Somu Veerraju said that theNarendra Modi headedUnion government hadsanctioned a large number ofhouses under the PradhanMantri Awas Yojana schemebut the Andhra Pradesh

government had not giventhe houses to the beneficia-ries so far. Minister BotsaSatyanarayana assured thatTIDCO houses would behanded over to the benefi-ciaries but the assurance hasnot been fulfilled so far.

The BJP State presidentsaid that Bhagawan Sri SatyaSai Baba agency launchedthe Satyasai water scheme toprovide drinking water to250 villages in Polavaramand Chintalapudi mandals.But the scheme came to agrinding halt due to theindifference of the State gov-

ernment, he alleged. District president Koralla

Jyothi Sudhakar demandedthat the government takesteps to supply purifieddrinking water to the peopleliving in Eluru. She saidthat two years ago people fellunconscious after consum-ing contaminated water andchemical residues werefound in the potable waterbeing consumed here.

Former MLA AmbikaKrishna and Mahilamorchastate president B NirmalaKishore also spoke.

BJP stages dharna seeking solution to people’s problems

Job aspirants warnedagainst fake agents

3 held forroad rage PNS n HYDERABAD

Three men were booked forallegedly attacking a bikerduring a road rage incidentover honking horns at JubileeHills. Mohd Mustaq, a fishvendor from Netaji Nagar,along with his friend, InayathAli, were returning home. "As the duo reached GTNColony signal, Mustaq, whowas driving, honked at threeyoungsters Vinay, Vinod andBunny, who were allegedlydriving their bike in a rashmanner. After Mustaq askedthem to drive properly, anargument broke out and thetrio picked up a fight andassaulted him," police said.

Collector inspects housing works

QIS student to represent AP innational football tournament

Drunk driverheld in hit andrun case

PNS n HYDERABAD

In the second such seizure intwo days, the customs offi-cials at the Rajiv GandhiInternational Airport inShamshabad seized goldworth Rs 58.16 lakh from apassenger who arrived at theairport from Sudan onTuesday.

Customs officials said thatthe female passenger, whoarrived at the airport fromSudan was scheduled to trav-el to Dubai via Hyderabad.Upon screening at the air-port, officials found fourobjects that were disguised asmagnets, concealed in thewoman's undergarments and

hand baggage. When anexplanation was sought fromthe Sudanese passenger, who

kept claiming that the objectswere magnets, customs offi-cials cut them open to reveal

gold that was hidden in theform of paste.

Investigation revealed thatthe gold, weighing around 1.2kilograms was valued ataround Rs 58.16 lakh. Thecustoms officials seized thegold and registered a case.

On Monday, 388 grams ofgold worth Rs 6.15 lakh wasseized by the customs officialsfrom passengers who arrivedat the airport from Kuwait.

According to the officials,the duo carried gold biscuitsof 128 grams and 260 grams,valued at Rs 6,15,519 and hidthe biscuits in their clothes.Officials seized the gold bis-cuits and registered a caseagainst them.

Gold worth Rs 58.1L seized at Hyd airport

PNS n HYDERABAD

In the hit and run casereported at Cyber Towers onSunday, the Madhapur Policearrested the car driverinvolved in the road crashthat killed a techie who wasriding pillion. Police saidthat the driver was in an ine-briated condition at the timeof the incident.

The arrested person hasbeen identified as K Srjuan,24, a resident of KPHB. The2014 Btech graduate wasunemployed and was dri-ving the car that was regis-tered in his brother's name.

According to the police,Srujan who was driving thecar under the influence ofalcohol, was at a high speedand was driving rashly, whenhe crashed the car into a twowheeler that had stopped atthe Cyber Towers junction atMadhapur on Sunday. Due tothe impact of the crash, theduo on the bike fell onto theroad.

Death was instant for 22-year-old Jennifer MariaD'cruz, who sustained criti-cal head injuries in themishap. She was pronounced'brought dead' at a privatehospital nearby. The rider ofthe bike Ajay, who alsoreceived injuries, is beingtreated at a hospital.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A woman was duped of Rs9000 on a fake passport site.The 44-year-old complainantfrom Dundigal, who wanted apassport, had recently searched

online for the Government ofIndia, External Affairs officialwebsite to apply for one.

While searching, sheallegedly came across a fakewebsite and applied. She madepayments too on the site.

Though money was debitedfrom her account, she did notget any receipt and the slot toowas not booked. Realising shewas cheated, she approachedthe Dundigal Police andlodged a complaint.

Woman duped of Rs 9K onfake passport website

7 cheated byfraudsters PNS n HYDERABAD

On a single day, seven personswere cheated and Rs.24.87lakhs looted by the cybercriminals As many as sevenpersons were cheated of Rs24.87 lakhs in the guise ofinvestments by cyber criminalsin a day in Hyderaad. Policeofficials have started investiga-tion after the victims filedcomplaints with the CyberCrime Wing of HyderabadPolice Commissionerate.According to cybercrime offi-cials, it was observed that in allinvestment frauds, fraudstersbank on the greed in people,mostly youngsters and home-makers.

"They successfully convincethe victim to invest and assurequick and high returns, whichare the only solution to finan-cial problems. Once the moneyis collected, they switch off thephones and go absconding," anofficial said.

While this has been acommon phenomena of thecyber criminals in therecent past, the cyber crim-inals on Monday have tar-geted to fleece seven per-sons in a single day.

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2021

Journalists stage protest in Delhidemanding release of Siddique Kappan

Members of various journalist unions staged a demonstration outside the Press Club ofIndia (PCI) here on Tuesday demanding immediate release of Kerala journalist SiddiqueKappan who has been charged by the Uttar Pradesh Police with terror offences.

"Today, we have organised this programme to mark completion of one year of Kappan being injail. He was arrested even before going to the spot. Till date he is behind bars. We are fightingfor free media. There should be no curb on media if someone is going on a spot to report,"

said PCI president Umakant Lakhera. "Spot andinvestigative reporting is dying day by day. We areappealing to the highest judiciary of the country torelease Kappan and to quash the charges againsthim," he added. Members of the Kerala Union ofWorking Journalists (KUWJ), PCI and the Delhi Unionof Journalists (DUJ) joined the protest. Kappanand three others were arrested by the Mathura policein Uttar Pradesh on October 5 last year when theywere on their way to a village in Hathras to meet thefamily members of a Dalit girl who had died afterbeing gang-raped.

The Karnataka government on Tuesday announced an exgratia of Rs three lakh to the familiesof those who died after drinking contaminated water in a village in the newly createdVijayanagara district recently and also ordered an inquiry into the deaths. At least six

people died and over 150 hospitalised after drinking contaminated water in Makarabbi village inHuvina Hadagali Taluk. "Our government has taken seriously people dying and falling ill afterdrinking the contaminated water. I have already said that an inquiry led by IAS officer MunishMoudgil will be conducted. He has to submit the report in a week," Bommai told reporters. The

CM said those responsible for sewage watergetting mixed with tap water, be it local officersor engineers, will face action. Expressing sorrowover the tragedy, the Chief Minister said anexgratia of Rs three lakh will be given to thefamilies of those who died after consumingcontaminated water. On three deaths due tomonkey fever in Afzalpur in Kalaburagi, Bommaisaid he has asked the district health officers tofurnish a report, based on which the reliefamount will be announced.

K'taka govt orders Rs 3 lakh ex gratia to kinof those who died due to contaminated water

J&K: Army conducts training

workshop for VDC members in Akhnoor

Amid spurt in infiltration attempts by terrorists from across the border, the Army onTuesday conducted a training workshop for the Village Defence Committee (VDC)

members in Akhnoor sector here, a defence spokesman said. The Army's CrossedSwords Division under the aegis of White Knight Corps organised the training workshop for the VDC

members from Chauki Chaura in Akhnoor in Jammu district, he said. The spokesman said thetraining workshop was undertaken to interact with the VDC members, carry out physical accounting

of weapons, ammunition and to provide necessarytechnical assistance in maintenance and upkeep of the

weapons held with them. “It also involved hands onexperience of firing of weapons organised under the

supervision of Army,” he said. He said the conduct ofsuch interaction at this level assumes importance in

view of the prevailing security situation in the Jammuregion. VDC members are the first respondents to any

eventuality or movement of suspects in far-flung andisolated areas devoid of the presence of Army or police,

the spokesman said.

INDIA

CORNER

PNS n JAIPUR

Rajasthan Chief Minister AshokGehlot hit out at BJPgovernments at the Centre andin Uttar Pradesh on Tuesdayover the killing of farmers inUP's Lakhimpur Kheri, sayingdemocracy was under "threat" inthe country. His remarks cameafter multiple opposition leaderswere stopped from visitingLakhimpur Kheri. Addressing adharna at the PCC office hereagainst the detention of PriyankaGandhi Vadra, Gehlot said thevideo of the incident was suffic-ient to substantiate the allegationand no other evidence is needed.

PNS n LAKHIMPUR KHERI (UP)

A 28-year-old journalist wasamong the eight people killed inthe violence that erupted during afarmers' protest at LakhimpurKheri. Local journalists havedemanded a compensation of Rs50 lakh for the family of RamanKashyap, who worked with aprivate TV channel. They havealso demanded a job for his wifeand immediate arrest of theaccused in the case. Kashyap wasa resident of Nighasan tehsil ofthe Lakhimpur Kheri district.Union Minister of State for Home

Ajay Kumar Mishra's village,Banbirpur, falls under this tehsil.Kashyap's family said he issurvived by his wife and twochildren, a son and a daughter.The locals journalists held adharna in Nighasan on Mondayover his death in which his father,Ram Dulare, was also present.Dulare said that his son wascovering the farmers' protest onSunday when he was hit by avehicle and got grievously injured.The journalist could not be tracedfor a while after the event andwas admitted to the districthospital late on Sunday night.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Pushing for President's rule inUttar Pradesh, RLD chief JayantChaudhary on Tuesday saidthe entire state machinery underthe Yogi Adityanath govern-ment is trying to suppress thetruth of what happened inLakhimpur Kheri and clampingdown on the opposition.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)president, one of the few lead-ers to reach the Uttar Pradeshdistrict where eight people,

including four farmers, werekilled during a farmers' proteston Sunday, said he had to em-ploy “guerrilla tactics” to do so.

"Reaching Lakhimpur was atough task because Yogi has putthe entire government machin-ery to work towards thwartingthe Opposition. There needs tobe a separation between thestate and the party which is notthere in UP… from the districtmagistrate to state-level officials,police, it seems everyone hastaken membership of the BJP,"

Chaudhary alleged in a phoneinterview to PTI.

Chaudhary, who took 13hours to reach Lakhimpur Kherifrom Delhi, several hours morethan it would take to cover the420 km-odd distance, also metthe families of some of thefarmer victims to learn theirstory of loss.

All roads to LakhimpurKheri, about 130 km fromLucknow, have been blocked foropposition leaders with most,including Congress' Priyanka

Gandhi Vadra and BhupeshBaghel as well as SP chiefAkhilesh Yadav, being stoppedfrom entering the district.

It is a "worrisome trend" thatno one in the bureaucracy hasraised questions over ordersgiven by the political class,Chaudhary said, adding that hewas surprised to hear AdditionalDirector General, Law andOrder, Prashant Kumar sayingthat political people are notallowed in the district.

"What does that mean, do

you not have faith in the polit-ical process? Why do theyfight elections if they don't havefaith in the political voice? It isacross the board, you see dif-ferent parties... senior leadersare still in confinement. It is ashameful incident and reflectsthe callous attitude of the ad-ministration," Chaudhary said.

Four of the eight dead inSunday's violence in Lakhim-pur Kheri were farmers, alle-gedly knocked down by vehi-cles driven by BJP workers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A group of Delhi Universitystudents held a protest march inthe varsity's north campus areaagainst violence in LakhimpurKheri. The Left-affiliated All IndiaStudents' Association along withother organisations held theprotest march from Vijay Nagarto Arts faculty on Monday."Students gathered in VijayNagar, and despite heavyresistance from Delhi Police,carried on to Arts Faculty.Students from various areasresiding near the north campusjoined the march.

PNS n NEW DELHI

With opposition leadersprevented from going toLakhimpur Kheri, Shiv Senaleader Sanjay Raut on Tuesdaycalled for joint action by politicalparties against this "oppression"and will meet Rahul Gandhi inthis regard. Congress generalsecretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadrawho reached Lakhimpur Kheri inthe wee hours on Monday wasdetained in Sitapur and was notallowed to enter the village whereeight persons lost their lives inviolent clashes on Sunday. Manyother leaders from oppositionparties, including the Congress,AAP, SP and the BSP, have beendetained by the UP government

and prevented from going toLakhimpur Kheri."Lakhimpur Kheri violence hasshaken the nation, PriyankaGandhi has been arrested by theUP government, oppositionleaders are being restricted frommeeting farmers. There is a needfor joint opposition action againstoppression by the Government inUP," Raut tweeted. He also saidthat he will be meeting formerCongress president Rahul Gandhiat 4.15 PM today to chalk out ajoint opposition strategy.The Shiv Sena and the

Congress, along with NCP, jointlyrun the Maha Vikas Aghadigovernment in Maharashtra, afterthe Sena quit the BJP-led NDAalliance in 2019.

PNS n AHMEDABAD

The ruling BJP on Tuesdayretained the GandhinagarMunicipal Corporation(GMC) and won in two othercivic bodies in Gujarat, whilethe Congress took awayBhanvad municipality inDevbhumi-Dwarka districtfrom the saffron party.

In the GMC, the BJP estab-lished its lead since the begin-ning of counting at 9 am, andeventually trumped its rivalsCongress and the Aam AadmiParty (AAP) by a huge margin.

The GMC poll was beingseen as a litmus test for the BJPin the backdrop of its suddenand surprising decision tochange the state's chief minis-ter and the entire cabinetrecently, ahead of the stateAssembly polls due next year.The party had registered athumping win in the localbodies polls held in Februarythis year.

As per the final tally releasedby the State ElectionCommission (SEC), out oftotal 44 seats in the GMC, theBJP won 41 seats, theCongress-two and the AAPbagged one seat.

Counting of votes was alsoheld for three other municipal-ities - Okha and Bhanvad inDevbhumi-Dwarka district,and Thara municipality ofBanaskantha district.

As per the final figuresreleased by the SEC aftercounting of votes, the BJPwon 20 out of 24 seats in

Thara, while the Congress gotonly four seats.

The BJP retained Okhamunicipality by winning 34out of 36 seats, while twoseats went to the Congress.

However, in a setback to theBJP, the Congress emergedvictorious in Bhanvad by win-ning 16 out of 24 seats. TheBJP, which managed to winonly eight seats this time, wasin power in Bhanvad since1995. Voting for elections tothe GMC and the three othermunicipalities took place onSunday. Besides, bypolls toelect representatives on 104vacant seats of various otherlocal bodies were also held thesame day. Of the total 2.8 lakhregistered voters inGandhinagar, 56.24 per centhad exercised their franchise.

The voter turnout in Okhaand Bhanvad was 55.07 and62.27 per cent, respectively,while Thara had recorded animpressive 73.55 per cent

turnout.In Gandhinagar, the Aam

Aadmi Party (AAP) had put ina concerted effort apart fromtraditional rivals BJP andCongress. A total of 161 can-didates contested the GMCpoll, with the BJP andCongress fighting in all 44seats and the AAP in 40 seats.

In the 2016 GMC elections,both the Congress and BJPwon 16 seats each out of thetotal 32 seats existing at thattime.

Both the parties then hadequal chances of forming theboard through a draw of lots.However, at the last moment,Congress corporator PravinPatel switched sides and helpedthe BJP come to power in thecivic body. The latest electionwas originally supposed to beheld in April this year, but itwas postponed in view of thehigh number of COVID-19cases emerging every day atthat time.

PNS n MUMBAI

According to the University ofWashin gton's Global Burdenof Disease study, respiratorydisease was the second highestcause of death in India afterheart disease, killing 1 millionIndians in 1 year. Winter bringswith it an inverted atmospherethat causes respiratory symp-toms, including dry cough,wheeze, chest discomfort andattacks of breathlessness. Inaddition to poor air quality, theCOVID 19-Pandemic has alsomade us more aware of theimportance of our lung health.

According to a study pub-lished in The Lancet GlobalHealth, there were 28.1 millioncases of respiratory diseases in

India in 1990, which hasincreased to 55.3 million inrecent years. India has 18% ofthe world's population but 32%of its respiratory diseases bur-den. Each of us has beentouched by these illnesses, beit seeing our kids, parents orother near and dear ones gasp-ing for breath.

Dr Batra's Healthcare intro-duces Oxylung – a comprehen-sive lung health treatment pro-gramme which includes theLung Function Test andHomeopathic Nebulization.The Lung Function Test - ahospital grade, accurate andscientific test that is computer-ized, painless, and will helppatients assess their lung'sstrength, volume and breathing

capacity.Conventional steroidal nebu-

lizers are known to cause sideeffects like a sore mouth, nose-bleeds and oral thrush (infec-tions that can have long lasting

and damaging affects for chil-dren and adults).

Dr Batra's HomeopathicNebulizer administers homeo-pathic medicines in a safe, nat-ural and side effect free way.

Patients with respiratory aller-gies can now breath easy withDr Batra's HomeopathicNebulizer - a device that quick-ly administers homeopathicmedicines to give faster and aug-mented results in a natural andside-effect free way. The nebu-lizer helps the homeopathicmedicine reach directly to theairways to treat respiratoryproblems faster and more effec-tively.

Commenting on the launchof Oxylung, Dr. Mukesh Batra,Padma Shri recipient &Founder, Dr Batra's Healthcaresaid, "Homeopathy has provenefficacy in treating respiratoryconditions the natural way. Wehave always been at the forefrontof bringing scientific and mea-

surable homeopathy to bringabout better treatment out-comes. Our expert homeopath-ic specialists have curated arespiratory treatment solutionthat is painless, offers measur-able results and gives comput-erized reports about your lunghealth. During these covidtimes, we aim to provide ourpatients with solutions that arehelpful, effective and the need ofthe hour."

With lung health being inte-gral to survival, why wait forwinter to seek a resolution. Startthe journey to easy breathingtoday. Get a FREE LungFunction test along with the firsthomeopathic respiratory consul-tation. Visit the nearest Dr Batra'sclinic or call 9167791677 today.

LAKHIMPUR KHERI VIOLENCE

Case against Priyanka, DeependraHooda, Ajay Kumar Lallu in Sitapur

PNS n SITAPUR

With the Congress question-ing the detention of PriyankaGandhi Vadra, officials saidTuesday a case has been reg-istered here against her and10 others under sections relat-ed to preventive detentiondue to apprehension of breachof peace.

The case under Code ofCriminal Procedure (CrPC)sections 151, 107, 116 (allrelated to preventive deten-tion due to apprehension ofbreach of peace) has alsobeen registered against UttarPradesh Congress chief AjayKumar Lallu and party leaderDeependra Hooda, the offi-cials said.

"These are preventive sec-tions. Once we get assurancethat there would not be vio-lation of peace by them thesesections will be removed,"Sitapur Sub-divisionalMagistrate Pyare Lal Mauryasaid. Congress general secre-tary Priyanka Gandhi Vadraand other party leaders weredetained on Monday whenthey were going to meet thevictims of the violence thaterupted during a farmers'protest in Lakhimpur Kheri aday earlier.

Eight people were killedas violence erupted duringa farmers' protest, claimingthe lives of both farmers andBJP workers ahead of a visitto Lakhimpur by UP Dep-uty CM Keshav Prasad Ma-urya and Union MoS forHome Ajay Kumar Mishra.

LOCAL JOURNALIST AMONG THE 8KILLED IN LAKHIMPUR KHERI

DU studentshold protestmarch

SHIV SENA CALLS FOR JOINT OPPOSITIONACTION; SANJAY RAUT TO MEET RAHUL

DEMOCRACY

UNDER THREAT IN

THE COUNTRY:

RAJASTHAN CM

President's rule should be imposed in UP: RLD

Respiratory ailments 2nd highest cause of death in India: Study

PNS n BHOPAL

Madhya Pradesh Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan has saidthe state government willamend its sand policy to ensurethat beneficiaries of thePradhan Mantri Awas Yojna

(PMAY) get necessary bindingmaterial free of cost to constructtheir houses. The chief minister made theannouncement while addressinga programme at Chitrangi townin Singrauli district on Monday.

"Beneficiaries of the PMAY

are facing a lot of problems dueto high prices of sand. Hence, Iannounce that PMAY beneficia-ries will get sand for free to con-struct their houses, and neces-sary amendments will be madein the state's sand policy for thepurpose," Chouhan said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Tuesdaysaid it would hear onOctober 26 a plea filed byZakia Jafri, the wife of slainCongress leader Ehsan Jafri,challenging the SpecialInvestigation Team (SIT)clean chit to Narendra Modi,who was the Gujarat chiefminister during the 2002riots in the state.

A bench headed by JusticeA M Khanwilkar made itclear that no request for fur-ther adjournment at theinstance of the petitioner(Zakia Jafri) will be enter-tained on future dates.

“At the request of the peti-tioner, hearing is deferred tillOctober 26,” said the bench,also comprising justicesDinesh Maheshwari and C TRavikumar.

“It is made clear that norequest for further adjourn-ment at the instance of thepetitioner on any count willbe entertained on future

dates,” said the bench, whichgranted liberty to the peti-tioner to file additional com-pilation in the matter.

At the outset, senior advo-cate Kapil Sibal, appearingfor Zakia Jafri, said this mat-ter has suddenly come upand there are about 23,000pages of record and theywould circulate a conve-nience compilation.

The bench said the matterwas notified well in advance.

“No my lords, it was sud-denly notified on Friday,”Sibal said, adding, it wasadjourned in April this yearand because of the pandem-ic, it did not come up.

He requested the bench tolist the matter on a fixed date.

Solicitor General TusharMehta said the request on theground of convenience com-pilation is being raised for thelast one-and-a-half year.

“There is no notice issued,there is no stay, my friendcannot possibly object,” Sibalsaid.

PNS n LAKHIMPUR KHERI (UP)

With regular traffic on roadsand shops opening shutters, lifeslowly returned to normalcy onTuesday in violence-hitLakhimpur Kheri, a districtshaken by violence during afarmers' protest two days backin which eight lives were lost.Security personnel stood onguard at places on the way toTikonia village where the inci-dents unfolded ahead of a visitto the district by Uttar PradeshDeputy Chief Minister KeshavPrasad Maurya on Sunday.

Four of the dead were farm-ers, allegedly knocked down byvehicles driven by BJP workerstravelling to welcome Maurya.The others, including BJPworkers, were allegedlydragged out of the vehicles andlynched. Two days on, regularactivities were witnessed nearthe Lakhimpur railway sta-tion and other market placeswhere vendors and shops wereoperating as usual.

PNS n LUCKNOW

Hitting out at the previousSamajwadi Party (SP) gov-ernment in Uttar Pradesh,Prime Minister NarendraModi on Tuesday allegedthat it had no interest in con-structing houses for the poorand created hindrances in theimplementation of the centralhousing scheme. He saidbefore 2017, "18,000 houseswere approved for UttarPradesh for constructionunder the Pradhan MantriAwas Yojana but not even 18houses were built by the pre-vious government."

"There was money, therewas sanction but those whowere running the govern-ment were creating hin-drance as they did not wantto construct houses," the PMsaid.

On the other hand, theYogi Adityanath governmenthas "completed nine lakhhouses under the schemeand 14 lakh are under con-struction," Modi said, reelingout comparative figures.Addressing "New UrbanIndia Conclave", Modi saidhis government has madethree crore poor families"lakhpati" under this schemeby providing them houses.

The prime ministerstressed there was a massiveincrease in the number ofhouses constructed underPMAY in his regime. "Morethan 1.13 crore housing unitshave been approved in the citiesand, out of these, more than 50lakh houses have already beenbuilt and handed over to thepoor," he said, adding before2014 only 13 lakh houses wereapproved under the programme.

Life returns tonormalcy inviolence-hitLakhimpur Kheri

SC to hear Zakia Jafri’s pleaagainst SIT's clean chit to Modi

MP govt to provide free sand

SP govt in UP created hindrances

in PMAY implementation: Modi

BJP wins Gandhinagar, 2other bodies; Congress 1

PMAY BENEFICIARIES

GUJARAT RIOTS

GUJARAT CIVIC POLLS

archaic military structures.In Shillong, the flavour at

the attestation parade andassociated ceremonies wasstrictly apolitical and secular. Inthe commentary accompany-ing the parade during the car-riage of the Gita through therank and file of recruits wasthis memorable passage: “Werespect equally the temple,mosque and Church. In onehand is the Gita and in theother, the Quran.” These wordsand deeds were quite the oppo-site of the attestation parade ofrecruits at the Artillery Centre,Deolali, recently. Artillery is amixed-class all-India regimentwhere soldiers are drawn fromall faiths.

At this parade, surprising-ly, aarti was recited on theparade, with recruits and sol-diers clapping in unison. On aprominent boulder on theparade ground was enshrinedthe symbol ‘Om’. Together,aarti and ‘Om’ celebrate a sin-gle religion, smacking ofmajoritarianism. This was thefirst time ever that aarti wassung on an official parade,attracting adverse commentson social media.

In Shillong, too, the aartiwas sung but in its proper place,the temple, representing thefaith of the single class regimentof Gorkhas from India andNepal. Owing to the shortage

of Indian-domiciled Gorkhas,some regiments are nowrecruiting Kumaonis andGarhwalis till the Indian-domi-ciled Gorkhas can fill up theirquota of vacancies. The onlydeviation in Shillong from reg-imental traditions was theintroduction of ‘Bharat Mata kijai’ as the decisive chant end-ing all formal functions evenafter the national anthem.

The BJP has managed toinfiltrate majoritarianism andHindutva into the military.The Hindu-ised version of theprocedure followed at theArtillery attestation paradecould be a trial balloon to cod-ify aarti in other mixed-classregiments of the Army. Thismust have had the backing ofthe military establishment. Sofar, neither the MoD nor ArmyHeadquarters has commentedon this serious breach of Armyrules and procedures for attes-tation parades. It is a craftymethod to influence faith andreligion at the very inception ofa soldier’s military career andis bound to disturb the seculartraditions of the Army.

The Gorkha attestationparade combines every fouryears the reunion of veteransand their families from Indiaand Nepal. Reunions are aperfect stimulus for bondingbetween the old and new.Regimental traditions, ethics

and habits are therefore pre-served. Regimental spirit is thestrongest elixir. While Gorkhasare relaxed about religion andmany are janjatis, they practisetheir religion and faith in thebattalion mandir. Their officersare from across India: Sikhs,Hindus, Muslims, Parsis andGorkhas. A Sikh or ParsiCommanding Officer will leadthe mandir parade everySunday. The mandir along withthe religious teacher willaccompany the unit into battle.

The Artillery’s attestationparade focused on Hindu reli-gious rites in a mixed-faithunit on parade, setting a badprecedent for all-India mixed-class regiments.

While the military is on thethreshold of path-breakingdefence reforms, its leadershipmust not permit the creep ofpractices and procedures thatwill undermine its profession-al, secular and apolitical virtues.Politicisation will weaken theoperational capacity and joint-ness of the Army, which is thesword arm of the nation.Discard the Deolali model;take the Shillong way.

(The writer, a retired MajorGeneral, was Commander,IPKF South, Sri Lanka, andfounder member of the DefencePlanning Staff, currently theIntegrated Defence Staff. Theviews expressed are personal.)

APEX COURT QUESTIONS FARMERS Sir — We were baffled as to why theSupreme Court made the observations onthe farmers’ protests that it made. Withall due respect, the riposte to its poser‘What is their protest for when the farmlaws are stayed?’ is that it is to persuadethe Government to repeal the farm laws— ‘repeal’ being the operative word. Weneed to draw a distinction between ‘stay-ing the implementation of a law’ and‘repeal of a law’. And, the two words ‘stay’and ‘repeal’ are not interchangeable.

The farmers are not okay merely withsuspending the laws for 18 months or the‘delay’ in implementing the laws. The ‘stay’won’t make the laws any better. It is erro-neous to say that the laws are not in placeat the moment when they are just on hold.Sadly, recently the Supreme Court accusedthe farmers of ‘strangulating’ the city withtheir protests’. In a democratic setup, peo-ple are quite within their rights to protestagainst the laws enacted by Parliament.The only condition that can be set is thatthe protest should be peaceful and non-violent. The mere fact that a matter is subjudice before a court cannot strip the peo-ple of their right to protest which thecountry’s top court itself declared a fun-damental right.

G David Milton | Maruthancode

BREATHING NOT SO HEALTHYSir — Air pollution levels in India arealarmingly high. Though all attention isgenerally focused on pollution levels inDelhi and the National Capital Region(NCR) for obvious reasons, statisticshave shown that most cities in India havecrossed the threshold limit imposed by theWorld Health Organisation (WHO).Particularly the particle pollution, or theparticulate matter pollution (PM), is acause for worry. India has exceeded theWHO’s standard threshold of PM2.5 longago. India is not the only country in harm’sway; almost all leading countries of theworld are struggling to keep their air clean.Smaller nations, too, are struggling badly. Transport sector is one of the biggest con-tributors of air pollution in India.

However, kneejerk reactions like banningold vehicles or firecrackers for a short peri-od will not suffice. Basic pollution levelsare to be consistently tackled throughoutthe year. Apart from transport, industryand energy, household pollution and agri-cultural pollution are indeed grave to beignored. All the State Governmentsshould address these throughout theyear. Fuel consumption has to be regulat-ed. The consumers are driven by logisticsand economy — the Central and the StateGovernments should address these issuesand save the habitat before it’s too late.

Ganapathi Bhat | Nagpur

DIRTY POLITICS BEHIND NEETSir — Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin isreported to have written to 12 non-BJPCMs seeking their support to fightagainst the National Eligibility cumEntrance Test (NEET) for medical admis-sions so that the students from rural areasand marginalised sections do not find ithard to obtain admissions. The statisticsreleased reveal that nearly 16 lakh stu-dents from Tamil Nadu have written

NEET. Further, there has been nodemand for the repeal of NEET fromother States, including the 12 non-BJPStates. Except for Tamil Nadu, there wereno reports of NEET-induced deathsfrom other States. Even in Tamil Nadu,almost all students have reckoned withthe reality of NEET, as could be seen fromthe number of candidates who appearedfor NEET this year.

Since it is the political leaders who cryfoul about the NEET and not the candi-dates, one cannot but adduce motives.And this assumes significance as most ofthe engineering and medical colleges areowned by the political leaders. The factthat the NEET mode of test will tilt thescales of admissions whereby colleges willbe deprived of income from ‘othersources’ seems to be the sole reason forthis demand for repeal from the politi-cal leaders. Therefore, the fight againstNEET is politically motivated.

VS Jayaraman | Chennai

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

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The parade at Happy Valley was strictly apolitical and secular. In contrast,

the event at the Artillery Centre, Deolali, celebrated a single religion

THE ARTILLERYATTESTATIONPARADE IS A

CRAFTY METHODTO INFLUENCE

FAITH ANDRELIGION AT THEVERY INCEPTION OF A SOLDIER’S

MILITARY CAREERAND IS BOUND

TO DISTURB THE SECULAR

TRADITIONS OF THE ARMY

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

ASHOK K MEHTA

The hit-and-run game of T20 cricket ismeant for going after the bowlers.Somehow, Dhoni chose the wrong way

and started defending as though he wasplaying a Test match. Dhoni lost his wont-ed form from the 2019 World Cup semi-finalagainst New Zealand in England. Even in theIPL, he was run out at a crucial momentagainst Mumbai Indians a couple of yearsback and gave away the match on a plat-ter. The former Indian captain has slowed

down a lot and become a challenge for hisown side.

In Monday’s match against the ChennaiSuper Kings, Axar Patel and RavichandranAshwin of the Delhi Capitals bowled in tan-dem and curtailed the CSK to just 136 runs.Delhi Capitals chased the target rather slow-ly and dragged the match to the last overeven against such a small target. ShimronHetmyer saved the day for the DC by smash-ing 28 runs off 18 deliveries and earned thevictory with just two balls to spare. DelhiCapitals topped the tables thanks to its bal-ance of spin and fast bowling. In the lastmatch against Mumbai Indians, bothShreyas Iyer and Ashwin combined well toachieve an emphatic win over the defend-ing champions. In all, it has been smoothsailing for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL thisseason with 10 wins so far.

MR Jayanthy | Mumbai

DC cashed on Dhoni's slow knock

Attestation parades:Good, bad and ugly

In the salubrious climes ofShillong, I am attending theattestation and passing outparade of the 192nd batch of

recruits and veterans’ reunion inHappy Valley where 58 GorkhaTraining Centre is nestled amongpine conifers and gentle slopesluxuriating in grass. Rain can bea spoilsport as Cherrapunji, theworld’s biggest recipient of rain,is just around the corner. Luckily,the parade was blessed with sun-shine as 256 recruits passedthrough an archway of khukris toturn into Riflemen, who will jointheir battalions in East Ladakh toArunachal Pradesh and Tangdharto Thiruvananthapuram. YoungGorkhas performed drill withOmega precision, pride andpageantry, watched over byColonels of the two Regiments —5 GR and 8 GR and veterans fromIndia and Nepal. Swearing on theGita, recruits from Nepal andIndia took the oath pledgingallegiance to security and integri-ty of India by obeying orders fromtheir officers and commanders asauthorised by the President ofIndia even if it involved sacrific-ing their lives. The foundationalstructure of the oath is theConstitution of India although theword ‘Constitution’ does not fig-ure. What appears in the oath is‘vidhan’ (legislation), not ‘samvid-han’. Wonder why?

On commissioning, officerstake the same oath at militaryacademies. Army chief MMNaravane, on taking over, said“the Army will be guided by theConstitution”, implying its insu-lation from ideas and vision ofpolitical parties, especially the rul-ing establishment. Pointed devi-ations from the military’s ethicsand ethos have occurred throughdirections of political leadership.This infringement of militaryvalues is markedly visible since theBJP came to power with its visionof turning India into a HinduRashtra with a military that fol-lows its tenets. The BJP has wonover the majority of the militarywhich acknowledges the impres-sive emphasis by the BJP ondefence and national securityeven if the Government will notwalk the talk on funding formodernisation. The Congress bycontrast was a laggard on defencereforms and transforming the

SOUNDBITELucknow is knownfor ‘pehle aap, pehleaap' but this is thetime to say ‘pehleaap' to technology.

Prime Minister— Narendra Modi

At a time whenTaliban was emerging, manyhave received training from

Afghanistan to spread militancy in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Prime Minister — Sheikh Hasina

I gravitate towardsedgy and disruptivescripts and‘Andhadhun' was acombination ofeverything that is fresh, unique and path-breaking.

Actor— Ayushmann Khurrana

Let the byelectionsget over first, thenonly we will discusscaste-based census.Till then, leave it.

Bihar Chief Minister — Nitish Kumar

We're going to be missing Ben and Jofra, but thereare some realmatch-winners

in our side.

England batsman

— Jos Buttler

Dilli ki sardi’ is infamous; yes, for its biting cold but especially for the pol-lution and smog that hang heavy in the air. After what seems like a respitefrom the COVID-19 pandemic, the Capital might again be headed for its annu-

al date with the much-dreaded winter spell of smog and all the accompanyingailments. According to a March 2021 report by a Swiss organisation, IQAir, Delhi

happens to be the world’s most polluted Capitalcity and the 10th most polluted city overall. Smokefrom paraali (paddy stubble) burning in the NCRas well as harmful fumes and particles trapped inair only worsen the conditions. With little meansto expel the toxic elements, Delhiites are forced togasp for breath. Despite the severity of the situa-tion, no significant progress has been made fordecades. The brief implementation of the “odd-even” rule by the AAP Government, which theSupreme Court correctly tagged as a “half-bakedsolution”, was never a practical solution in the long

run. Also, the monthly efficacy report of the “first” smog tower installed in Delhi’sConnaught Place area is due later this month.

In view of the prevailing situation, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announceda 10-point “winter action plan” to make the air “breathable” this winter. It includesdecomposer for paraali as an alternative to burning, keeping a check on construc-tion and demolition sites under the anti-dust campaign, levying a hefty fine onburning waste, ban on crackers, likely installation of more smog towers and set-ting up India’s first e-waste park for safe recycling and disposal. The next fewweeks will foretell what all these measures end up in. Meanwhile, playing his oldtune, Kejriwal alleges that the Central and the Governments of the neighbouringStates did not take efficient steps against stubble burning which leads to air pol-lution in Delhi but the question remains did he equip Delhi enough? Kejriwal’s bas-ket of promises to woo Punjab voters ahead of the Assembly polls also did notmention anything about paraali. It’s a question worth pondering that if he makessuccessful inroads into Punjab, would he deal with the situation there as stern-ly? He had said that the Pusa Decomposer was a perfect foil to stubble burningand hoped that “2020 would be the last year to suffer from air pollution”; nowhow that works out is to be breathed!

The ongoing farmers’ protest demanding repeal of the three agricultural laws maysee the Supreme Court lay down the parameters for people to exercise theirright to protest. Justice AM Khanwilkar, hearing a petition of a farmers’ organ-

isation seeking permission to sit on a ‘satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, askedhow can there be a protest when the matter is sub judice. He meant that no reasonfor protest exists because the court had already stayed the three controversial lawsand the Government has also assured that it will not give effect to it. Is the judgeimplying that people cannot exercise their right to protest when their challenge ofthe constitutionality of a law is being heard by the court? The second issue is thatthe protest is against the executive that brought in the farm laws and the demand isfor repeal, while the petition is before the judiciary, which is an altogether separate

constitutional body. A former Chief Justice of India,Justice SA Bobde, while hearing a PIL for suspend-ing the farmers’ protests, had said: “We clarify thatthis court will not interfere with the protest in ques-tion. Indeed, the right to protest is part of a funda-mental right and can, as a matter of fact, be exer-cised subject to public order.” That the court refusedto interfere with the protests when it was hearinga case about the farm protests shows that the issueof sub judice was not in the frame of the court’sthought or reasoning at that time.

Secondly, the court also clarified whether theright to protest was part of a fundamental right. Thirdly, the court clarified that thereasonable restriction on that right is that it should be peaceful. Fourthly, in February2020, in a case related to Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh protests that lasted quite some time,the Supreme Court said: “…the law is facing constitutional challenge before this courtbut that by itself will not take away the right to protest of the persons who feel aggriev-ed by the legislation.” That was the clearest ruling by the court on the sub judicequestion. It is only now that the matter has been aired by the court in the farmers’protest case. Since the court wants to frame legal questions on the issue, it is per-tinent to note that questioning whether a group wanting the court to check the valid-ity of the farm laws can simultaneously protest on the same issue will lead to theinterpretation that the right to protest is mutually exclusive from the right to chal-lenge the constitutionality of a law. While awaiting the court’s indulgence, it mustbe pointed out that the farmers’ protest is for total repeal of the laws and nothingelse. That means the surest way to deal with the farmers’ petition is to subject theconstitutionality of the three farm laws to judicial scrutiny.

Confusion

Cough, cough!It’s that time of the year again when Delhi

suffocates due to smog and pollution

PICTALK

Women perform ‘Garba' ahead of Navratri, in Surat PTI

There needs to be more clarity from theSupreme Court on people’s right to protest

Exposing Pak’s rolein Taliban takeover

THEIR VEHICLES HIT THE FARMERS, WHICH LED TO THEIR DEATHS. HE (AJAY MISHRA) MUST

RESIGN AND THE ACCUSED MUST BE ARRESTED.

— SAMAJWADI PARTY CHIEF

AKHILESH YADAV

NEITHER I NOR MY SON WERE PRESENT AT THE SPOT.

WE ARE READY FOR A PROBE. THE CULPRITS WHO

PLANNED THIS WON’T BE SPARED.

— MoS (HOME)AJAY MISHRA TENI

The swift takeover of Afghanistan byTaliban was a culmination of cun-ning and conspiratorial moves byPakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence

(ISI), outsmarting the American leadershipon the one hand and planting its jehadicohorts in the ranks of the Afghan nation-al defence forces on the other, without aninkling of its designs to the allied forces orthe Afghan government.

In 2001, when the first edition ofTaliban was ousted in Afghanistan post9/11, the US forces did not have their bootson the ground immediately. Their onlyoption was to conduct air strikes but it need-ed domination on the ground to captureand control the territory. So, the US enteredinto an agreement with anti-Taliban groupswho would capture the ground and handit over to the American forces.

From its bases in the CIS countries, theUS air force conducted airstrikes at Talibanbases situated across the territories con-trolled by the anti-Taiban forces. The lat-ter would then capture and hand over theseaerially attacked areas to the Americans.

The anti-Taliban forces had a pre-con-dition: Hand over power in Afghanistan tothe military grouping once the Americanobjectives, including killing Al Qaedaboss Osama bin Laden, were achieved.

However, the US put a rider that powercannot be shared or handed over to anarmed group but can only be done in ademocratic manner. The US ensured thatHamid Karzai was made President ofAfghanistan in 2004.

To enter the governance mechanismput in place by the US, the armed groupsformed political fronts that were headed bythe insurgents. However, the US did notaccept the insurgents as the leaders and putKarzai at the helm of affairs. All the insur-gent groups opposed to Taliban acceptedthe leadership of Karzai who was from theroyal lineage of Afghanistan with histori-cal influence in the erstwhile OttomanEmpire.

For capturing Taliban-controlled ter-ritories, the anti-Taliban groups told the USthat they do not have enough fighters tocapture all of Afghanistan and soughtrecruitment to ramp up their strength. Butthe US could not have allowed recruitmentof fighters.

At this stage, a second agreementbetween the US and such groups wasreached for the raising of an armed force.Such insurgent groups were also allowedto join the officially raised armed forces andalso recruit soldiers. The training supportand weapons supplies were to come fromthe US.

Between 2003 and 2005, the scheme ofraising the armed forces continued and aone-lakh-strong force was formed. Theanti-Taliban groups then told their US part-ners that thisnumber was not enough as theTaliban too had a similar number offighters. They wanted the Afghan nation-al armed force to be doubled.

However, every insurgent group oppos-

The ISI provided refugee cards to Pakistani citizens of Pashtun origin andfacilitated their recruitment in the Afghan national defence forces

THE ISI’S MOVEENSURED FREETRAINING AND

WEAPONS TO ITSMEN DEPLOYEDIN THE AFGHAN

REGULAR FORCEWAITING FOR THE

FINAL MESSAGEFROM THE ISI TO

ACT ON ITSDESIGNS. AT

LEAST 50,000SUCH PAKISTANI

MEN WEREPLANTED IN THETALIBAN. THESE

MEN WERETRAINED IN THEUS AND ALLIED

COUNTRIES,INCLUDING INDIA

Born poor but rising to become Prime Minister of India, NarendraModi’s life journey defines the power of Indian democracy. Itwas not mere chance that propelled Modi to the highest office

but the consequence of years of hard work, service and sacrificesthat prepared him for the long journey ahead. On October 7, he wouldcomplete 20 years as an elected head of government. The two decadesof the Modi era stand out for the tectonic shift they have brought aboutin Indian politics and governance. AsChief Minister of Gujarat, he facedinnumerable challenges but tackled them with steely determinationand compassionate zeal. The first was the devastation caused by theearthquake in Gujarat. He took that as an opportunity to lay the foun-dation to transform Gujarat into a world-class investment destination.During his tenure as CM, Modi introduced governance reforms focusedon deepening inclusion and enhancing accessibility through technol-ogy. Under the ‘SWAGAT’ initiative, he would interact with people once

a month to resolve their issues. He would be joined by senior offi-cers through video conferencing to ensure quick resolution of peo-ple’s grievances. The programme was recognized by the UN as oneof the best initiatives to enable people to reach the government throughtechnology. After assuming prime ministership, Modi launched a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active GovernanceAnd Timely Implementation). In each session, PM reviews the sta-tus of projects and schemes to resolve any lacunae.

As CM, he began spending three days every year in villages whereliteracy rates were low and encouraged people to send girls to school.The push for girl child’s education was further supported by his moveto build separate toilets for girls in school on a massive scale. Helaunched the Jyotigram Yojna to push for a complete overhaul of thepower sector in Gujarat. He set the target of 1000 days for 100 percent electrification in all villages. In 2006, Gujarat was declared thefirst state to achieve 100 per cent village electrification. Post 2014,PM Modi found a bigger canvas to implement his vision for social trans-formation, making ‘Jan Andolan’ an integral part of his governance model.From Swachh Bharat Mission to India’s fight against Covid-19, his uniquestyle of connecting with the masses is prevalent in all his flagshipschemes and initiatives. On every front, Narendra Modi has walkedthe talk, both as the CM and now as the PM. From the time he tookoath as the CM, he shunned politics of divisiveness and spoke of devel-opment for all. If Vibrant Gujarat Summit catapulted Gujarat as a cyno-sure of global investors, ‘Make in India’ affirmed India’s position in theglobal supply chain. During the pandemic, India displayed its risingprowess as it expanded its manufacturing capabilities to produce andexport PPE kits, N95 masks and even came to the world’s rescue export-ing essential medical supplies to those in need. In a post-pandemicworld, global chains are being restructured and India finds itself in asweet spot, having a government that is primarily focused on creat-ing a conducive environment for manufacturing sector to flourish. AsCM of Gujarat, Narendra Modi spent considerable amount of time inunderstanding the gaps within the system as well as the ground real-ities. He deep dived into every aspect of governance, only to bring outthe most innovative, technology driven, holistic solution to overcomeyears of inertia that impeded progress. He put in practice more thana decade of learning as he took office at the Centre. It is his ‘tapasya’of 20 years that is leading to a national reawakening to see India’s riseas a global powerhouse.

(The writer is a BJP MLA, Delhi Assembly, and former Leader ofOpposition, Delhi. The views expressed are personal.)

Years ago, a visionaryCongress leader pre-dicted that the ordinary

party worker would save theparty for their survival whenthey find their leaders ineffec-tive. It looks as if that momenthas come now. The party isgasping for breath, and itneeds oxygen from solid lead-ership, but that is what is lack-ing. So, the worker has to sub-stitute with small doses.

However, the idea that aparty that is barely breathingcan be suddenly ready totake on the ruling BJP at thenext general election is almostshort of a miracle. There aretoo many ifs and buts, but itis possible with strong lead-ership. What is important isalso to save Congress fromitself. Congressmen often saythat Congress can be defeat-

ed only by congressmen.Suffering from factional-

ism and erosion, the GrandOld Party is now on a venti-lator. It is unable to functionwithout the Gandhi family orwith them. The vacuum at thetop has encouraged theregional satraps to questionthe national leadership. Theparty has not been able toraise its head since the 2014defeat. The southern statesstood with her when theIndira Gandhi-led Congresswas decisively defeated inthe 1977 Lok Sabha polls.Even the south has desertedthe party now. Currently, theparty is in power only in threestates -- Chhattisgarh, Punjaband Rajasthan. It is a coalitionpartner in the governments ofJharkhand and Maharashtra.

The brutal truth is that

the party is absurdly out oftouch with the new politicallandscape. Worse, instead oflooking forward, it is lookingbackwards. It is trying to beeveryone’s party while actual-ly, it is no one’s party.Leadership crisis is also nowmanifest in a battle of gener-ational change.

That brings us to the

question of whether theGrand Old Party will survivewith so much drama happen-ing in the Congress-ruledstates. In all three, the Gandhisiblings have encouragedrebels against incumbentchief ministers with theirown favourites.

Punjab is a classic exam-ple. This was one state wherethe party could have won eas-ily. Punjab chief ministerAmarinder Singh has beenshown the door unceremoni-ously, leading to instability inthe state.

The doomsayers predictthat the party will disappearfrom the political scene soon-er than later. However,Congress may not die sosoon. If there is a congress-man in every village, even thelast of them, the party will live

with diminished status.That does not mean that

the party is not facing animplosion. Ironically, thethreat to Congress is nowfrom Congress rebels andnot from the ruling BJP. Whathas added to the problems ofCongress is defections anddesertions by influential lead-ers like Jyoraditya Scindia,Jitin Prasada, and SushmitaDev -- all of them from TeamRahul. Rahul’s judgment ofmen and matters has com-pletely gone wrong. Hisexperiments to restructurethe party also have goneawry. The Gandhi siblings beton the wrong horses; theresult is there is more confu-sion and chaos in the party.

Given these circum-stances, a revival of theCongress is going to be not

smooth. But there can still beroom for Congress as anational party. This would bewhen it can find its ideolog-ical moorings, draw inspira-tion from its past, move instep with the millennials, andfind an acceptable narrative.For all these, good leadershipis needed. Sonia Gandhicould bring the party topower twice in 2004 and2009 but she has almostretired. The Gandhi siblingshave not shown their vote-catching capacity. They wantto emulate their grandmoth-er Indira Gandhi without herleadership qualities.

The Gandhis know theproblem but do not have astrategy to counter BJP. Theyhave been told they onlyhave to sit tight, and powerwill automatically come to

them as there is no otheralternative. The change hasto come from within. Thefamily has to consult othersbefore making any decisions.After all, there are top policy-making bodies like theCongress WorkingCommittee which could meetmore often. Senior leaders areeither dumped or fadingaway. Starting February nextyear, assembly elections willbe held in 16 states over twoyears. Of the 16 states, BJPhas a direct stake in nine andalliance governments in three.The Congress has three andTRS one. The assembly elec-tions would set the pitch forthe 2024 Lok Sabha battle.Congress is the only otherhorse in the race for nation-al power, never mind howdistant.

The Gandhi siblings bet on the wrong horses; the result is that there is more confusion and chaos in the party

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2021

07

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

FIRSTCOLUMN20 YRS OF NATIONAL

REAWAKENING

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

(The writer is SpecialCorrespondent, ThePioneer. The views

expressed are personal.)

The ‘grand old party’ is now on ventilator?

KALYANI SHANKAR

(The writer is a seniorjournalist. The views

expressed are personal.)

VIJENDER GUPTA

ing Taliban had an area of specificinfluence and one lakh more can-didates were not available forrecruitment. These groups couldmanage to recruit 50,000 men tojoin the ranks of the Afghan nation-al defence force. This resulted in theForce’s strength reaching 1.5 lakh.

The Afghan government thenallowed recruitment of another50,000 men from areas other thanthose under the control of the insur-gent groups backing the Kabul gov-ernment, saying the move will boostemployment. The US acquiesced.

During 2005 and 2010, theAfghanistan government heldrecruitment camps in the KhyberPakhtunkhwa region of Pakistanpopulated by the Afghan refugees.

The idea was that the candidatesfrom this region would have knowl-edge of the area and serve to con-tain the Taliban there. However, nobackground checks were made andrecruitments were based on vettingby respective leaders of the varioustribes they belonged to.

“In the process, the then Afghangovernment committed two mis-takes, one being recruitment froman area in Pakistan and the otherbeing lack of background checks ofthe candidates. Due to these twofaults, the ISI got a breathing spacefor manipulation,” said counter-ter-rorism expert and an Afghanistanwatcher Ajmal Sohail.

The ISI fabricated and provid-ed refugee cards to Pakistani citizensof Pashtun origin and facilitatedtheir recruitment in the Afghannational defence forces. The ISImove ensured free training andweapons to its men deployed in theAfghan regular force waiting for thefinal message from the ISI to act on

its designs. At least 50,000 suchPakistani men were planted in theTaliban. These men were trained inthe US and allied countries includ-ing India where they were exposedto the military training infrastruc-ture, Sohail further said.

To register their presence, thePakistanis on the rolls of the Afghanarmy conducted drone strikes onthe fellow Afghan army men whichwas widely known as Green Beretattacks. This continued for two-three years between 2010 and2014.Subsequently, the American forcesidentified the game plan of ISI andstopped such attacks, he said.

The ISI-Pakistan army combinealso launched operations againstTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)that was opposed to it. This pres-sured the TTP cadres to flee toAfghanistan where they were target-ed by the ISI’s plants in the Afghannational defence forces.These 50,000Pakistanis became influential instrategic planning.

Now, the ISI launched yet anoth-er propaganda warfare claimingthat the Afghan army, being a blue-eyed boy of the international com-munity, may attack the Pakistanarmy. The Pakistani propagandagained credence and was aimed atstrengthening the Taliban in the area.

The Afghan army again request-ed for recruitment of another onelakh personnel in its ranks forwhich the US agreed. By this time,the Afghan army had become bothcomplacent and corrupt, expertssaid. The US provided the fundingand weapons but the recruitmentsnever took place. So, out of thethree-lakh-strong Afghan army,50,000 men were planted by the ISIand another one lakh was never

recruited. Out of the remaining 1.5lakh Afghan army, a significantnumber of them were compromisedby ISI’s men in the Afghan armyranks, they said, adding this was thereason for Afghan forces meltingquickly in the face of Talibanonslaught in August.

Having created a significantthreshold of strength, the Talibanlaunched aggression early last yearbefore the talks for the peace dealwith the US began. The directnegotiations between the US and theTaliban led the Pakistan governmentto declare that it will not recognizethe outcome of the talks.

Subsequently, tripartite meet-ings between the US, Pakistan, andTaliban were held in Doha fornegotiations on the contours of thetroops’ withdrawal. Since the UShad decided to withdraw its troopsfrom Afghanistan, it was corneredand signaled an end of India’s influ-ence in Kabul.As part of the dealwith the Taliban, the US would handover bases to whichever sidebetween the Taliban and Afghannational army wins.

“The ISI machinations for 10-15 years ensured both weapons andresources to the Taliban besides mentrained by the US and its allies in itsranks. These factors helped theTaliban in capturing territory rapid-ly within a matter of just 10 days asagainst the Pentagon estimate ofKabul falling to the Taliban in 18months,” Sohail said.

In this backdrop, calls byAmerican lawmakers for a USCongress report on the nexusbetween Pakistani agencies andTaliban leading to the fall of Kabulto the hardline group is more thantimely.

RAKESH K SINGH

Modi era: The tectonic shift in Indian politics and governance

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2021 Money 08

PNS n NEW DELHI

The World Trade Organization(WTO) has projected that theglobal merchandise trade vol-ume will grow 10.8 per centthis year, higher than 8 per centestimated in March.

Growth should moderateas merchandise tradeapproaches its pre-pandemiclong-run trend and supply-sideissues such as semiconductorscarcity and port backlogs maystrain supply chains and weighon trade in particular areas, theWTO said.

"The WTO is now predict-ing global merchandise tradevolume growth of 10.8 per centin 2021—up from 8 per centforecasted in March—followedby a 4.7 per cent rise in 2022,"it said.

It added that the large annu-al growth rate for merchandisetrade volume in 2021 is most-ly a reflection of the previousyear's slump, which bottomedout in the second quarter of2020.

"Due to a lower base, year-on-year growth in the secondquarter of 2021 was 22 percent, but the figure is project-

ed to fall to 10.9 per cent in thethird quarter and 6.6 per centin the fourth quarter, in partbecause of the rapid recoveryin trade in the last two quar-ters of 2020," it said.

Reaching the forecast for2021 only requires quarter-on-quarter growth to average 0.8per cent per quarter in the sec-ond half of this year, equivalentto an annualized rate of 3.1 percent, it added.

It also said that risks to theforecast remain on the down-side, but the relative impor-tance of those risks is difficultto gauge.

"They include spikes in

inflation, longer port delays,higher shipping rates, andextended shortages of semi-conductors, with supply-sidedisruptions being exacerbatedby the rapid and unexpected-ly strong recovery of demandin advanced and many emerg-ing economies," it said.

The pandemic itself pre-sents potentially even biggerrisks to world trade and out-put, particularly if more dead-ly variants were to emerge, theWTO said adding the highlycontagious Delta variant hasalready prompted govern-ments to reinstate some con-tainment measures.

MONEY MATTERS

Mahindra & Mahindra onTuesday announced additionof two new variants to its

newly-launched SUV, XUV700, inboth manual and automatictransmission with diesel engine. Theseven-seater two new variants, AX7Luxury MT and AX7 Luxury AT+AWD(All-Wheel Drive), are priced at Rs 19.99 lakh and Rs 22.89 lakh,respectively, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) said in a release. It alsosaid these prices will be applicable for the first 25,000 bookings,which are slated to commence from October 7. The company,however, has not yet announced the date for commencement ofdeliveries of its latest SUV. Prior to its launch, the automaker hadunveiled a new brand identity, including the logo, for its SUVportfolio . The company is offering XUV700 in two series - MX andAdrenoX (AX). The XUV700 prices starts at Rs 11.99 lakh.

Following the steep 62 per centhike in prices of domesticallyproduced gas announced by the

Centre last week, Mahanagar Gashas increased the retail price ofcompressed natural gas (CNG) andpiped natural gas (PNG) by Rs 2each with immediate effect. Giventhe massive increase in supply side cost, the company isconstrained to increase the base price of CNG by Rs 2/kg anddomestic PNG by Rs 2/SCM in and around Mumbai, MGL said in astatement on Monday. Noting that the re-gasified liquefied naturalgas price is also at a historical high now, MGL said thesecombinations have resulted in a significant increase in the cost ofgas being procured by it. This has forced the firm to pass on theprice revision on a progressive manner as the rate hike from thesupply side is too large to be passed on at one go, it added.

MGL hikes CNG, PNG pricesby Rs 2 each

International bodywear brand Sloggi hasforayed into the Indian market andplans to expand its retail presence

through franchise partner Solar Group.Sloggi, a brand from the house of Swissundergarment maker TriumphInternational, eyes to achieve 10 per centmarket share in the next two years, astatement said. It has plans to open 10stores pan India by 2022. As per itsstrategy, it will focus on tier-2 cities along with key metros.Commenting on the launch Triumph India and Sri Lanka CommercialDirector Santhosh Sivaramakrishnan said by expanding its operations,the company aims to explore the potential of this market segment inIndia. “We have already witnessed exponential growth here with ourparent brand Triumph,” he added.

Sloggi forays into Indian mkt,to open 10 stores by 2022

Car sharing marketplace Zoomcaron Tuesday said it has openedan office in San Francisco ahead

of its US listing next year. The newoffice in the US will further bolsterZoomcar's push to create a globalcar-sharing platform and prepare thecompany for its broader global marketplace, a statement said."Recently appointed CFO Geiv Dubash based in San Francisco will beinstrumental in helping Zoomcar with future capital marketstransactions, including potential listing in public markets," it added.Zoomcar has expanded to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Lastmonth, Zoomcar had announced the launch of its operations inIndonesia and Vietnam. “At Zoomcar, we're focused on becoming apublic company in the next 12 months. As we continuously evaluatethe best possible alternatives for a public listing, our new office inSan Francisco will help the company for this next phase of growthas we expand the platform and brand globally," Zoomcar CEO said.

Mahindra & Mahindra addstwo variants to SUV XUV700

Zoomcar sets up office in SFOahead of US listing next year

WTO estimates merchandisetrade volume growth at 10.8%

‘Pandora papers’ show London is key hub for tax avoidancePNS n LONDON

Transparency advocates arecalling on Britain to tighten thecountry's defenses againstmoney laundering and taxavoidance after a massive leakof financial data showed howLondon is a key destination ofchoice for some of the world'srichest and most powerful peo-ple to conceal their cash.

The cache of almost 12 mil-lion files shows how wealthypeople around the worldreportedly set up offshore com-panies to buy property andavoid taxes.

Foreign individuals identi-fied as beneficiaries of thesetypes of offshore accounts inLondon include JordanianKing Abdullah II, Azerbaijan'sPresident Ilham Aliyev andassociates of Pakistani PrimeMinister Imran Khan.Abdullah has denied anyimpropriety and Khan tweetedthat his government wouldinvestigate anyone mentionedand take appropriate action if

wrongdoing is found. Aliyevhasn't commented.

The leaked financial data,dubbed the “Pandora Papers,”was published Sunday by theInternational Consortium ofInvestigative Journalists andits media partners, includingBritain's Guardian newspaperand the BBC.

Though the purchases arelegal under British law, theyhighlight the complicated —and often anonymous — finan-

cial practices wealthy individ-uals use to avoid tax, farremoved from the everydayexperience of most of theBritish population.

London is a go-to for therich and powerful because it'shome to a sophisticated ecosys-tem of businesses that canhelp in the process, includingcreative wealth managementfirms, high-end lawyers andlong-established accountingfirms.

A 2019 analysis by trans-parency group Global Witnessindicated that around 87,000properties in England andWales were owned by anony-mous companies registered intax havens.

It said that 40% of the anony-mously owned properties iden-tified were in London and thatthe total value of the propertieswas likely to be more than 100billion pounds ($135 billion).Popular areas were said toinclude the boroughs ofWestminster, where the U.K.Parliament is located, Camden,and Kensington and Chelsea.

The London property mar-ket has for years struggled toshake off a reputation for play-ing a central role in how richpeople around the world seekto hide and accentuate theirwealth, with many prime prop-erties in the heart of the cityowned by non-nationals.Russian oligarchs have beenhigh-profile purchasers ofLondon properties in recentyears, for example.

For decades, authorities inthe U.K. have pushed a lighttouch approach to regulation inorder to attract foreign capitaland talent. Critics say that hasbeen a magnet for tax avoid-ance, which can be legal, as wellas more criminal activities,including money laundering.

Duncan Hames, policydirector at the campaign groupTransparency InternationalU.K., said the disclosuresshould act as a “wake up call”for the government to deliveron long-overdue measures tostrengthen Britain's defensesagainst what he termed “dirtymoney.” “These leaks showthat there is one system for cor-rupt elites who can buy accessto prime property and enjoyluxury lifestyles and another forhonest hard-working people,”he said. “Once again Britain'srole as an enabler of global cor-ruption and money launderinghave been exposed with thesame loopholes exploited tofunnel suspect wealth into thecountry." T r a n s p a r e n c y

International U.K. is urging thegovernment to close a loopholethat allows companies in theU.K.'s offshore financial centerssuch as the British VirginIslands and the Cayman Islandsto hold property in the coun-try without requiring thesecompanies to reveal the namesof their true owners.

It also wants the governmentto crack down on profession-als that help those with illicitwealth move and hide theircash in the U.K. and to prop-erly resource the NationalCrime Agency to go after thosesuspected of having made theirmoney through crime and cor-ruption.

Treasury chief Rishi Sunaksaid Britain's tax authoritieswill inspect the PandoraPapers. He defended the coun-try's record on tackling taxavoidance.

“I don't think it is a sourceof shame because actually ourtrack record on this issue isvery strong,” Sunak told BBCradio.

India Artificial Intelligence mktto reach $7.8 bn by 2025: IDCPNS N NEW DELHI

The artificial intelligence (AI)market in India is expected togrow at a five-year compoundannual growth rate (CAGR)of 20.2 per cent and touchUSD 7.8 billion in total rev-enues by 2025, according toresearch firm IDC.

The businesses in Indiawill accelerate the adoption ofboth AI-centric and AI non-centric applications for thenext five years, IDC said in astatement.

AI software segment isexpected to dominate themarket and grow from USD2.8 billion in 2020 at a CAGRof 18.1 per cent by the end of2025, IDC said.

Organisations are leverag-ing multiple AI applicationssuch as CRM (), ERM () andothers to manage operations,scale supply chains in

response to real-time or pre-dicted demands and manymore to provide benefits fortheir customers, improve RoI(return on investments) andachieve cost savings, it added.

"Indian organisations planto invest in AI to address cur-rent business scenarios acrossfunctions, such as customerservice, human resources

(HR), IT automation, securi-ty, recommendations, andmany more. Increasing busi-ness resilience and enhancingcustomer retention areamong the top businessobjectives for using AI byIndian enterprises," IDCIndia Associate ResearchDirector (Cloud and AI)Rishu Sharma said.

Vedanta eyesgovernment stake in HCLPNS n NEW DELHI

Mining giant Vedanta Groupwill look to bid for buying thegovernment's stake inHindustan Copper Ltd aswhen the state-owned firm isput up for privatisation, its bil-lionaire founder Anil Agarwalhas said.

He said that the company isdoing its due diligence for thesame. "Yes we are looking (at)Hindustan copper. We aredoing the due diligence...Thedates have not come...As soonas they announce the date,things will be much moreexciting and people will startbelieving that the process isgoing on in India," Agarwalsaid when asked whether he islooking at participating inthe government's disinvest-ment process.

The previous government,a few years back, "has takenaway this asset from us. Theyhave already announced thatthey are in the process ofworking, because they want tohave the best relationshipwith the Indian government...Ihope that in very short time,we will get back this asset andwe are going to invest a lot ofmoney into this to make itmodernise and create employ-ment there," he said.

PNS n THANE

Raymond Realty on Tuesdayannounced plans to build onemillion sq ft commercial spacehere and specified that it willfocus on the asset-light jointdevelopment of projects goingahead.

The company, which de-merged from the textile majorparent and has a sizeable tractof inherited land parcel inThane, will build one millionsquare feet of commercialspace. It will include over 8lakh sq ft of premium space tobe rented out to companies,while the remainder will be ahigh street shopping space, itschief executive HarmohanSahni said.

Sahni made it clear that thecompany is not targeting theIT-ITeS sector for the com-mercial space, but added thatthere is a lot of scope for get-ting such space rented outbecause Thane is the home totalent. The company is even-tually aiming to get 20 per centof its revenues through rent itreceives, Sahni said, adding anexit will also be consideredover a period of time.

The idea is to create com-mercial space in a way that pro-pels the demand for residentialhousing as well, Sahni said

while announcing a premiumresidential unit spread over 1million sq ft adjacent to it.

It can be noted that eversince shutting down its textileproduction at the facility, thecompany is already developing3 million sq ft residentialspace, and 70 per cent of thelaunched space has alreadybeen booked.

Gautam Hari Singhania,Chairman and MD ofRaymond, said people doubt-ed the textile company's abil-ity to build and sell houses ini-tially and assured that it willstick to the December 2022deadline of delivering homes.

Meanwhile, Sahni said thatwhile there is a lot of scope fordevelopment at the land par-cel in Thane, the company willbe focusing on undertakingjoint development projects onthe residential side, where itwill tie-up with a landownerand construct a facility with arevenue potential of up to Rs2,000 crore each.

HDFC Bank launches Festive Treats 3.0 PNS n MUMBAI

HDFC Bank on Tuesdayannounced its Festive Treats3.0 campaign which will pro-vide over 10,000 offers oncards, loans and easy EMIs.

The private sector lenderhas partnered with over10,000 merchants acrossmore than 100 locations tooffer its customers an oppor-tunity to avail deals specifical-ly created for their personaland business needs, the banksaid.

Benefits offered to the cus-

tomers include cashbacks andno-cost EMIs on premiummobile phones, up to 22.5 percent cashback and no-costEMI on electronics and con-sumer goods like washingmachines and refrigerators,and personal loans starting at10.25 per cent with instantdisbursal in account.

Customers can avail carloan starting at 7.50 per centwith zero foreclosure chargesand funding of up to 100 percent on two-wheeler loansand four per cent less oninterest rates, the bank said.

There is zero processing feeand funding of up to 90 percent on tractor loans and 50per cent discount on process-ing fee on commercial vehicleloans, it said.

The lender is offering col-lateral-free business loans upto Rs 75 lakh and 50 per centoff on processing fee, it added.

"We present Festive Treat3.0 to make this festive seasoneven more joyous. We havemore than 10,000 plus offerswhich are online, offline andhyperlocal," the lender'sGroup Head (Payments,

Consumer Finance, DigitalBanking and IT) Parag Raotold reporters.

"Our range of offers oncredit cards is not just aboutcoming back with a bang. It isabout spurring India's con-sumption stor y. We areencouraged to do this sinceabout one-third of spends oncredit, debit and prepaid cardsin India happens on an HDFCBank card," he said.

Rao said that with the econ-omy opening up, consumerspending is likely to be evenbetter than the previous years.

Gold climbs Rs 269;silver jumps Rs 630PNS n NEW DELHI

Gold in the national capital onTuesday rose by Rs 269 to Rs45,766 per 10 grams amid rupeedepreciation, according to HDFCSecurities. In the previous trade,the precious metal had settled atRs 45,497 per 10 grams. Silver alsojumped Rs 630 to Rs 59,704 perkilogram from Rs 59,074 per kilo-gram in the previous trade. TheIndian rupee depreciated 32 paise

to 74.63 against the US dollar inopening trade on Tuesday. In theinternational market, gold trad-ed lower at USD 1,759 per ounceand silver remained flat at USD22.58 per ounce. "Gold pricestraded weak with spot gold pricesat COMEX trading half a per centdown at $1,759 per ounce onTuesday. Gold prices pared pre-vious gains on the stronger dol-lar for the day," according toHDFC Securities, Senior Analyst.

Benchmarks Sensex, Nifty buildon gains as RIL, IT stocks shinePNS n MUMBAI

The Sensex and Nifty defiedgravity for the second straightsession on Tuesday as energy,IT and banking counters wit-nessed brisk buying amidmixed global cues.

The 30-share BSE Sensexopened weak but gainedmomentum in afternoon tradeto finish at 59,744.88, up445.56 points or 0.75 per cent.

On similar lines, the broad-er NSE Nifty surged 131.05points or 0.74 per cent toclose at 17,822.30.

IndusInd Bank topped theSensex gainers chart with ajump of 4.60 per cent, followedby Bharti Airtel, RelianceIndustries, HCL Tech, Titan,Asian Paints and TCS.

Index heavyweight RelianceIndustries and the IT packaccounted for most of thebenchmark's gains.

In contrast, Sun Pharma,PowerGrid, ITC, UltraTechCement, Tata Steel and NestleIndia were among the laggards,slipping up to 1.36 per cent.

The market breadth was infavour of the bulls, with 20 ofthe 30 index components clos-ing in the green.

"Indian markets on Tuesdayended in positive zone led byenergy, IT, oil & gas and powerindices. The rising crude oiland gas prices have been pos-itive for the upstream oil & gas

companies. RelianceIndustries, ONGC and OilIndia will benefit most fromongoing higher energy prices,"said Arijit Malakar, Head -Research (Retail), Ashika StockBroking Ltd.

Anticipation of strong Q2FY22 earnings from Indian ITsectors also uplifted marketsentiment, he added.

Domestic equities openedon a weak note as investorsturned cautious due to a weakclosing of the US market, saidVinod Nair, Head of Researchat Geojit Financial Services.

"However, upbeatmood of the Europeanmarkets whichrebounded after theUS tech based sell-offhelped theIndian mar-ket tor e g a i nmomen-t u m , "N a i rnoted.

O nt h e

macroeconomic front, India'sservices sector activity contin-ued to expand in September,supported by favourableunderlying demand amid theeasing of COVID-19 restric-tions, but lost some momen-tum from August's 18-monthhigh level, a monthly surveyshowed.

The seasonally adjustedIndia Services BusinessActivity Index fell from 56.7 inAugust to 55.2 in September,but remained well above itslong-run average.

Sectorally, BSE oil and gas,energy, telecom, power,

teck and IT indicessurged as much as3.23 per cent, whilerealty, healthcare,metal and FMCG

ended in the red.Broader BSEmidcap ands m a l l c a pi n d i c e sclimbed up to0.54 per cent.

A s i a nm a r -

kets were subdued as highenergy prices and the liquid-ity crisis at China EvergrandeGroup weighed on sentiment.Bourses in Seoul and Tokyoended with losses, whileHong Kong was positive.Shanghai was closed for hol-idays.

However, stock exchangesin Europe were trading withgains in the afternoon session,propped up by tech stocks.

Meanwhile, internationaloil benchmark Brent cruderose 0.47 per cent to USD81.64 per barrel.

The rupee fell 13 paise toclose at 74.44 against the USdollar on Tuesday, weighed bythe strengthening of thegreenback in the overseasmarket and rising crude oilprices. Foreign institutionalinvestors were net buyers inthe capital market on Mondayas they purchased sharesworth Rs 860.50 crore, as perexchange data.barrel.

Rupee slips13 paise toclose at 74.4against US$

The rupee fell 13 paise toclose at 74.44(provisional) against the

US dollar on Tuesdayweighed down by thestrengthening of thegreenback in the overseasmarket and rising crude oilprices. At the interbankforeign exchange market, thelocal currency opened on aweak note and witnessed anintra-day high of 74.41 and alow of 74.63 against the USdollar in day trade. The localunit finally settled at 74.44 adollar, down 13 paise over itsprevious close. On Monday,the rupee had settled at74.31 against the US dollar."The Indian rupee depreciatedfor seven out of last eightdays and plunged to atwelve-weeks low. Localcurrency remained underpressures as crude startedtrading above USD 78 barrelalong with rally in dollarindex," said Dilip Parmar,Research Analyst, HDFCSecurities.

Raymond forays intocommercial realty

9

Vijayawada | Wednesday October 6, 2021what’s brewing?

Billie Eilish to be youngestsinger to headline

Glastonbury Festival 2022

Billie Eilish to be youngestsinger to headline

Glastonbury Festival 2022illie Eilish hasbeen revealed asone of the head-line acts at nextyear’sGlastonbury

Festival, reportsVariety.com. The festival confirmedEilish, who is 20 years old,will be the youngest soloheadliner in its history.

Eilish will perform onthe iconic Pyramid Stageon the Friday night of the5-day extravaganza, follow-ing in the footsteps ofartistes including theRolling Stones, Jay-Z, Adeleand David Bowie.

It won’t be Eilish’s firstappearance at Glastonbury,which is also known simplyas ‘Glasto’ in the U.K. Eilishalso played in 2019 on the

Other Stage.“We couldn't be happier

to announce that the won-drous Billie Eilish is head-lining the Pyramid on theFriday at next year’sGlastonbury Festival,becoming the youngest soloheadliner in our history,”said Emily Eavis,Glastonbury’s co-organiser.“This feels like the perfectway for us to return and Icannot wait!”

Eilish recently becamethe youngest artiste ever towrite and perform a themesongfor

the

James Bond franchise, withher track No Time to Die.She also revealed recentlyshe spent the Covid-19lockdown writing andrecording a new album.

2022’s Glastonbury willbe the first in three years,with both 2020 and 2021’slive events cancelled due tothe pandemic.

A virtual event wasattempted in June 2021,with artists live streamingtheir sets from WorthyFarm instead, although itwas beset by technical diffi-culties. Glasto’s organisershad also hoped to host aone-day mini-concert inSeptember but this wascalled off in July.

Glastonbury will be heldfrom June 22 to June 26,2022.

n a historic first,Russia is set tolaunch an actorand a film direc-tor into space tomake a featurefilm in orbit — a

project the nation’s spacechief has hailed as a chanceto raise the prestige ofRussia’s space program.Actor Yulia Peresild anddirector Klim Shipenko areset to blast off Tuesday forthe International SpaceStation in a Russian Soyuzspacecraft together with cos-monaut Anton Shkaplerov, aveteran of three space mis-sions. After 12 days on thespace outpost, Peresild andShipenko will return toEarth with another Russiancosmonaut.

The crew plans to filmsegments of a new movietitled Challenge about a sur-geon summoned to rush tothe space station to save acrew member who suffers aheart condition.

Speaking at a news confer-ence at the Russian launchfacility in Baikonur,Kazakhstan, Peresildacknowledged that the train-ing for the mission was gru-eling but described it as aonce-in-a-lifetime opportu-nity.

Shipenko said he’s thrilledto be the first filmmaker inspace and is keen to experi-ment with lighting, camerasettings and other technicalaspects. Once on the spacestation, Shipenko said he willdon a T-shirt that he alwayswears when he begins toshoot a new movie.

Shkaplerov insisted thathis entertainment-worldcrewmates are fully ready forthe flight after their fast-track training.

Dmitry Rogozin, head ofthe Russian state space cor-poration Roscosmos, was akey driving force behind theproject. Rogozin describedmaking the world’s first fea-ture film in space as a chanceto raise the nation’s spaceprestige. Some Russianmedia were skeptical aboutthe plan and there werereportedly some doubtsinside the Russian space pro-gram as well. Sergei Krikalev,a highly decorated veteran ofthe Soviet and Russian spaceprograms who made sixspace flights, was fired fromhis post as director ofRoscosmos’ crewed missionsin June following what someRussian media described ashis sharp criticism of thefilmmaking project.

Krikalev was reinstated tothe director’s job just a fewdays later, apparently due tointervention by his highly-placed backers. He hasrefrained from public com-

ments on the project.The Russian segment of

the International SpaceStation is considerably lessspacious compared to the USsegment, leaving little roomfor filmmaking. It wasexpanded in July after thelong-awaited arrival of thenew lab module, the Nauka,which is yet to be fully inte-grated into the station.

Once they arrive at thespace station on Tuesday, thenewcomers will join ThomasPesquet of the EuropeanSpace Agency; NASA astro-nauts Mark Vande Hei,Shane Kimbrough andMegan McArthur; AkiHoshide of the JapanAerospace ExplorationAgency; and Roscosmos cos-monauts Oleg Novitskiy andPyotr Dubrov. Filmmakingplans are sketchy, butShipenko said thatShkaplerov, Novitskiy andDubrov will all play parts ina new movie. Novitskiy, whois set to star as the ailing cos-monaut in the film, will takethe captain’s seat in a Soyuzcapsule to take the crew backto Earth on Oct. 17.

Russia to make firstfeature movie in space

quid Gamestar JungHo-yeon isnow theSouthKorean

actress with the highestnumber of Instagramfollowers.

Jung has garneredsignificant internation-al recognition follow-ing her breakout rolein Netflix’s SquidGame, which is well onits way to becomingthe streaming plat-form’s “biggest show

ever,” reports nme.com.Since the show’s

release last month, theactress has seen herInstagram followingcount rise from around400,000 to 13.5 millionas of now.

Earlier this week, theactress overtook veter-an actress Song Hye-kyo, who currently hasa following of 12 mil-lion on the photo-shar-ing website, to becomethe second-most fol-lowed South Koreanactress.

Just hours later,Jung’s follower countsoon caught up withthat of Lee Sung-kyung, another model-turned actress knownfor roles in Koreandramas such asWeightlifting Fairy KimBok-joo and Dr.Romantic 2.

ctor Yami Gautamrecently took tosocial media to sharethat she has a skincondition calledKeratosis-Pilaris.

Sharing unfiltered pho-tos of herself onTwitter, the BhootPolice actor said it’sa condition where

the skin erupts intiny bumps.

Stating that she finally felt comfort-able enough to share this with herfans, Yami wrote, “Hello friends, Irecently shot for some images and just

when they were about to go in forpost-production (a common proce-dure) to conceal my skin-conditioncalled Keratosis-Pilaris, I thought,‘Hey Yami, why don’t you embracethis fact and accept it enough to beOKAY with it.”

Yami explained what the conditionmeant, penning, “Just let it be… (Yes,I do talk out loud to myself). Forthose who haven’t heard about this, it’sa skin condition wherein you get tinybumps on the skin. I promise theyaren’t as bad as your mind and yourneighbor aunty makes it out to be.”Yami Gautam further added that shehad developed this condition when

she was merely a teenager — “I devel-oped this skin condition during myteenage years, and there is still no curefor it. I’ve dealt with it for many yearsnow and today finally, I decided to letgo of all my fears and insecurities andfound the courage to love and acceptmy ‘flaws’ wholeheartedly. I alsofound the courage to share my truthwith you. Phew! Smiling face withopen mouth and cold sweat I didn’tfeel like airbrushing my folliculitis orsmoothing that ‘under-eye’ or ‘shapingup’ that waist a tiny bit more! And yet,I feel beautiful.” Fans showered love inthe comments section and praisedYami for taking this bold step.

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Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon is IG's

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Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

A

ears, to a certainlevel, are vital forthe eyes, as it aidsin keeping the eyeslubricated andremoving any for-

eign bodies and dust parti-cles. Dr. Aparna Ayyagari,Consultant Ophthalmologist,Dr. Agarwals Eye HospitalHyderabad, explains the sci-ence behind the watering ofthe eyes. In medicine, anoverflow of tears onto the

face, other than caused bynormal crying is referred toas Epiphora. It is a clinicalsign or condition that consti-tutes insufficient tear filmdrainage from the eyes, inthat tears will drain down theface rather than through thenasolacrimal system.

Dr. Aparna Ayyagari says,“The main causes of wateringare overproduction of tearsand blocked ducts. In babies,the most common cause is

blocked ducts. Some are bornwith underdeveloped ducts,which can clear up in a fewweeks when the duct devel-ops fully. Lacrimal massage issuggested for the babies toopen the ducts. There is alsoa risk of infection if the tearduct is narrowed or blocked,resulting in a stagnant tear inthe tear sac. While in adultsand older kids, the mostcommon cause is overpro-duction of tears.”

In case a foreign bodyenters the body, first, the eyeshould be washed with cleanwater at room temperature,and the patient should notrub the eye. In case the sen-sation of the foreign bodypersists, the patient shouldconsult an ophthalmologist.To remove it, artificial tearsfor lubrication, antibioticdrops if indicated are started.Whereas, in case of chemicalinjury, initially the eye shouldbe washed with copiousamounts of clean water, andthe patient must consult anophthalmologist immediately.

Dr. Aparna Ayyagari sharessome of the common prob-lems related to eye-wateringare as follows:

Allergic conjunctivitis:This is caused by an allergenthat causes an overreactionby the body's immune sys-tem. It results in watering,itching, redness, and difficul-ty looking at the light.Patients must avoid the aller-

gen, refrain from rubbingeyes, and avoid wearing con-tact lens.

While in the case of infec-tive conjunctivitis, symptomslike redness, pain, difficultyto look at light, stickiness,discharge can be present. Theinfection can usually beresolved within 1 week, evenwithout treatment.

Dry eyes: A person cansuffer from dry eyes due tovarious reasons like the bodynot making enough tears,tear getting dried up too fast,not having the correct bal-ance of water and mucus,

windy conditions or air con-ditioning directing straight atthe eye, ageing, and somemedical conditions (thyroideye disease, chronic sinusinfections, rheumatoidarthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome,SLE etc). So, the eye reacts byproducing more tears.

Different eyelid problemscausing watering can be inturning of eyelid margin oroutward turning of lid mar-gins or incomplete closure ofeyelid etc.

Scartch in cornea can bedue to dust, sand, insect,contact lens, the patient

should see an ophthalmolo-gist immediately to preventfurther infection.

Blepharitis, it is due toblockage and infection ofglands near the eyelid mar-gin. Patients may suffer fromwatering, redness, itching,crusting over the lashes.

A stye, associated with ble-pharitis is a red swollen lumpthat forms along the edge ofthe eyelid, close to the lashes(external), or inside or underthe lid (internal), due toinflammation or infection ofoil glands.

A chalazion is the termgiven to stye in case itbecomes chronic, withoutpain. If it is not resolved withwarm compresses, and med-ical management surgery canbe planned, in which bymaking a small incision con-tent are scooped out.

Dr. Aparna Ayyagari adds,“For symptomatic relief, thepatient has to reduce thescreen time, use of glasses

with anti-reflective coating, ablue light filter can be used,and 20-20-20 rule should bepractised, where every 20minutes spent using a screen,the patient must try to lookaway at 20 feet distance for atotal of 20 seconds and,warm compresses also help.Whereas, according to thelevel of dryness, artificialtears and gels should beadded. In case of severe dry-ness, new modalities likeIRPL (Intense RegulatedPulse Light Therapy) can betried to open up the blockedglands.”

She concludes, “Any injuryor obstruction to the teardrainage pathway can causesevere watering, for whichsurgical management is nec-essary. Also, any tumoureither benign or cancerous,like lacrimal gland tumours,or tumours of paranasalsinuses can cause severe dry-ness, which will alwaysrequire surgical intervention.”

estive season isright around thecorner and so isthe buzz for homedecor. It is thattime of the year

when all of

us get into the mood of spic-ing things up around ourspace as we give our houses abrand new makeover.

From decor to lighting, wemake sure everything isdrenched in the festive fer-vour as we look forward tohappy beginnings. While itall sounds very exciting, dec-orating your house beforefestivals can get moreexhausting than exciting attimes. Here are some supereasy and helpful home décorhacks from WoodenStreet:

Start with lighting

From string bulbs to striplights, it is time to take out allyour lighting options. Settingup your place with brightlighting is one of the easiesthome décor tech-

niques. Youcan alsoinvest insomegood

LEDbulbs

andlights asthey willlast youfor along timeand you’dnot have tolook forreplacementsevery year.

Don’t for-get thefurni-ture

Apartfromdeepcleaningthehouse,rearrangeyour furni-ture to giveyour apartment afresh look. As festivalsmake for a very auspicioustime of the year, it is also agood time to buy some newsofas or tables. Bring in somemodern wooden items andsee them transforming yourspace instantly.

Say hello to colours

It is time to introduce yourspace with some bright popsof colour here and there. This

home décor hack is best forpeople on a budget. Buyfancy cushion covers, beauti-fully woven rugs and stylishsofa throws to make yourspace look all decked up forthe festive mood.

Make the cornersspeak

While redoing our apart-ments, we often overlook thewalls and corners. You will besurprised to see how littledetailing in these areas cando wonders to the overallhome décor. To keep the fes-tive vibe thriving, you can b--uy some spiritual or reli-gious-themed items. Exploremore options and invest infigurines and paintings thatresonate with the aesthetics

of your house.

Pleaseguests

As thefestiveseasonstartsto kickin, visi-torsbegin

to showup every

now andthen. Make

an impressionwith stunning

melamine andceramic sets

when yourvisitorscome in.Servethem infashion-able table-ware setsto give

them aglimpse of

your homedécor taste.

Decorating yourhouse for the festivals is

no rocket science. You justhave to be a little patient,make the right choices andinvest in evergreen pieces foryour house. You will see howthings will fall into place eas-ily and you will be all set toenjoy the celebrations.

(The author, LokendraSingh Ranawat, is theFounder & CEO ofWoodenStreet.)

F

A WISE MIX OFART AND SCIENCE

SHIKHA DUGGAL

nvironmentalscientistRadhika Powaris on a definitivepath of changinghow art is show-

cased with her own blendof sustainability and com-mand. Inspiring a socialchange in the communityof scientists too, her defini-tion of art determiningnature has a new meaningto it, with the inclusion ofdivine beings. In an exclu-sive interview with ThePioneer, she tells how she istransforming the way art iscreated.

What does your art-work try to signify?

Art for me is the depic-tion of my opinions, ide-ologies, and beliefs with thehelp of a canvas. Usually,my paintings representnature, life, human rela-tions, divinity, and differentstates of mind by embody-ing them through variousmodes. In my recent seriesof embodiments ofGoddess Durga, I tried torepresent the multifaceteddivine being of the goddessherself and the great Indianheritage of intricate sculp-tural art belonging fromthe 7-13th century.

Where do you drawyour inspiration from?

Fine art for me is asource that makes me themost comfortable. I takeinspiration from everyother lifeline, event, nature,and expression around me.I truly believe that myinspiration adds to the soulof the art. Art causes somekind of a stir up in ourminds, it surprises you! Itallows you to question theartist’s intent. As an artist,our lives have freedomfrom rules that give us evenmore wild and imaginativecreation.

Most of your artworkshave some sort ofrelationship withnature, how closelyare you linked tonature in real life?

Since my childhood, Iwas very closely connectedto nature; this helped mepursue my dream ofbecoming an ecologist too.Since then, I was madeaware of our biodiversity,how it needs us to lend ahelping hand so that it canhelp us survive and hence Iaim to work each daytowards helping peoplecome up with sustainable

ideas to protect our motherearth, not just through myinformation but also bycreating awareness via myartwork.

Why did you think ofencapsulatingGoddess Durga inyour recent work?

Durga is the supremeassimilated form of ‘shakti’-the power to believe inone’s multifaceted beings,it’s to let their way out andcontrol, plunging swiftlytrying to lift to unknownsupremacy, wherein allthese elements can be seenriding majestically throughbattlefield whilst carryingthe divine beauty withinforever! As an artist, I wasalways inspired by the rep-resentation of GoddessDurga and when I cameacross the intricatelycarved Divine sculptures ofDurga orMahishasurmardini, carvedin sandstone, limestoneand schist earlier, I wasenthused and wanted theworld to witness her loveli-ness too. I feel privileged asI am getting an opportuni-ty to showcase my artworldwide now.

What's the naturalworld when you havea variety of talents foryou?

Art has its roots throughnature, since age’s artist anda scientist, both in theirunique ways have beenstimulated to performexperiments and findings,one on canvases and theother in laboratories. Thecomplex way in whichMother Nature dwells is anultimate, one of its kindmotivation. The lovelyblend is romanticising. Weare fighting against the

normalcy of a 9 to5 job and creat-ingsome-thinglong-lasting tokeep inmind.

Since

you'reanenviron-mental sci-entist, wheredo you think ourcountryis

placed,in termsof pro-tectingthe environ-ment?

Since we havelived in a developing coun-try for a few decades bynow, it had hardly any ideaabout the environmentalimpacts, but today it’s inthe serious note of requir-ing a sustainable solutionto the upcoming expan-sion.

Though constant studiesand governmental bodiesare implying environmen-tal norms, yet public par-ticipation towards the pro-tection of the environ-ment and sus-tainability isthe corerequire-menttoday.Whensus-tain-

ability joins art, it is boundto create magic. The cul-ture is taking on socialresponsibilities; art on cli-mate change, politicalinjustice, and social poli-cies is the fusion to lookout for.

How can we markcarbon footprint inthe future?

When we start choosingutility over comfort, iswhen we will be in a raceto control our carbon foot-print in the future.

Reduce, Reuse andRecycle — should beour policy, shift torenewable sources ofenergy and opt forproven sus-tainable

solutions.Consideringthe awarenessabout ourcurrentenviron-mentalstate, itcan besaid thatthe gov-ern-mentandthe

general public are workingtowards realising the mis-takes they have made in thepast, and accordingly aretrying to create a sustain-able future. There havebeen a set of norms by thegovernment which is stillunder reformation.

Many are still learningabout the choices they canmake towards conservingour environment, but smallinitiatives like not usingplastic, saving forests, show

us a positive picture.

T

Be festive-ready withthese home decor hacks

Know what overproduction of tears andblocked ducts can do to your eyes!

e

WednesdayOctober 6, 2021

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2021 sports 11

Chennai: Dinesh Karthik willlead the Tamil Nadu team in theSyed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20tournament to be played inLucknow. The team picked bythe State Senior SelectionCommittee of the Tamil NaduCricket Association features afew players who shone in therecent TNPL like B SaiSudharshan and P Saravana

Kumar. Out of favour India all-rounder Vijay Shankar has beennamed Dinesh Karthik’s deputyin the squad, which also includesleft-arm pacer T Natarajan, whohas not featured in the secondphase of the IPL in the UAE afterhe tested positive for Covid-19,and all-rounder MS WashingtonSundar, who is recovering froman injury. PTI

PTI n NEW DELHI

India on Tuesday pulled outof next year’s Birmingham

Commonwealth Games’ hock-ey competition, citing COVID-19 concerns and UK’s discrim-inatory quarantine rules fortravellers from the country, aday after England’s withdraw-al from the junior men’s WorldCup in Bhubaneswar over sim-ilar reasons.

Hockey India PresidentGyanandro Ningombam com-municated the federation’s deci-sion to Indian OlympicAssociation (IOA) PresidentNarinder Batra in a letter.

Hockey India reasonedthat there is only a 32-day win-dow available between the

Birmingham Games (July 28-August 8) and the HangzhouAsian Games (September 10-25). HI said it can’t risk send-ing its players to the UK, whichhas been one of the worstaffected by the coronaviruspandemic. “You will appreciatethat the Asian games is theContinental qualification eventfor the 2024 Paris Olympic

Games and keeping the prior-ity of the Asian Games inmind, Hockey India can notrisk any members of the Indianteams contracting COVID-19during the CommonwealthGames,” Ningombam wrote.

“Therefore, Hockey Indiawill not be sending its men andwomen teams toCommonwealth Games 2022and are informing you inadvance to kindly notify theOrganisers to identify reserveteams.” The possibility of thiswithdrawal arose a few weeksback when the IOA Presidentsaid that HI had indicated tohim that it was more keen onplayers being in top form forthe Asian Games which is aqualifier for the 2024 Paris

Olympics. Sources in the sportsministry had stated that effortswould be made to persuade HIto send second-string teamsinstead of pulling out alto-gether. The UK recently refusedto recognise India’s COVID-19vaccination certificates andimposed a 10-day hard quaran-tine on travellers from thecountry even if they were fullyvaccinated.

The discrimination wasprominently mentioned inNingombam’s letter to the IOAPresident, who has issuedinstructions for co-ordinationwith the sport’s world govern-ing body FIH for the details ofthe reserve teams.

Batra heads the FIH aswell.

PTI n LONDON

All-rounder Sam Curran hasbeen ruled out of the ICC

T20 World Cup with a lowerback injury, which he sustainedduring an Indian PremierLeague game for Chennai SuperKings, the England & WalesCricket Board said on Tuesday.

He will fly back to the UKin the next couple of days andwill have further scans and a fullreview later this week by theECB’s medical team.

“Curran complained of backpain after Chennai Super KingsIndian Premier League fixtureon Saturday against RajasthanRoyals,” the ECB stated.

PTI n SHARJAH

Jimmy Neesham and NathanCoulter-Nile bowled excep-tionally well to keep

Mumbai Indians alive andkicking as they outclassedRajasthan Royals by eight wick-ets in a low-scoring IndianPremier League match, here onTuesday.

New Zealander Neesham(3/12) and Aussie Coulter-Nile(4/14) snapped seven wicketsfor only 26 runs in eight oversbetween them to chokeRajasthan for a meagre 90 for9. The five-time championsthen knocked off the runs in 8.2overs to go up to 12 points andmore importantly improve theirnet run-rate to -0.048. This wasalso the biggest victory for MIin terms of balls left (70).

Ishan Kishan (50 not out)got some much-needed confi-dence during the short chase asMI knocked Royals out of IPLfrom the league stage itself yetagain as they flattered todeceive. The Royals did nothave many quality Indian play-ers except Yashasvi Jaiswal.Kishan, who has enduredwretched form during the bet-ter part of the UAE leg, hit fivefours and three sixes. Fittingly,he finished it with a maximum.

MI will now meetSunrisers Hyderabad on Friday,another must-win game butthey would also want KolkataKnight Riders (12 points, NRR+0.294) to lose their last matchagainst Royals on Thursday.

In case KKR win and moveup to 14 points, MI on the lastday would know how much

they require to get past ShahRukh Khan-owned team’s netrun-rate.

On the day, Neesham andCoulter-Nile hit the ideallength on a tacky strip as theychoked Royals to the lowestT20 total by any team battingfirst at Sharjah.

Rohit Sharma was spot-on in deciding to bowlfirst and Neesham (3/12), playing his first game of theUAE leg, took the pace off hisdeliveries on a Sharjah trackwhere the ball wasn’t comingonto the bat.

Coulter-Nile (4-0-14-4)was equally effective with hischange-ups and hitting thehard-lengths more often thannot en route one of his best IPLspells. Neesham and Coulter-Nile cumulatively gave away

only 26 runs between them ineight overs and also got awhopping seven wickets, whichthrew Royals out of contest.

Jasprit Bumrah (2/14) wasmenacing as ever with crucialwickets as it was one of MI’sclosest to perfect bowling per-formance.

Royals were blown away ina space of four overs as theyslumped from 41 for 1 in thelast over of Powerplay to 50 for5 by the time the first 10 wasabout to end. There was nolooking back for MI from thatposition.

The in-form Sanju Samson(3) tried to slash hard withoutreaching to the pitch of thedelivery as Jayant Yadav atpoint took a diving catch.Shivam Dube after the CSKheroics tried to reach at afuller delivery on ‘fifth stump”and dragged it back whileRahul Tewatia (12 off 20 balls)in the midst of a horrendous

season, tried to pull a short ballthat came late and took theedge into keeper’s hands.

Neesham’s induction inplace of Krunal Pandya, whohas been a regular feature for

a good five years now, provedto be a master-stroke as he did-n’t give enough pace tomanoeuvre and also bowledwicket-to wicket, not experi-menting much.

Evin Lewis (24 off 19 balls)once again started in rollickingfashion but the course of Royalsinnings was changed when tal-ented Yashasvi Jaiswal (12)failed to ride the bounce off a

Coulter-Nile delivery to becaught behind.

Once Bumrah got rid ofLewis with an angular delivery,rest of the Royals batters fell likea pack of cards.

IANS n MUMBAI

Indian batting legend SunilGavaskar on Tuesday felt that

Indian Premier League sideMumbai Indians’ batting woeshad been compounded by thefact that the performance ofSuryakumar Yadav and IshanKishan had not been up to themark, adding that the duo had“relaxed after getting the Indiacap”.

“I think it looks to me like,Suryakumar Yadav and IshanKishan have just relaxed a littlebit after getting the India cap.They might not have, but someof the shots they are playing --it looks like they are trying toplay these big shots just becausethey are India players,” Gavaskarsaid on Star Sports.

The batting legend blamedthe batters’ poor shot selectionfor the dismal show, adding thatsome of the Mumbai Indiansplayers didn’t give themselvestime to perfect the shots they’veplayed during the IPL season.

“Sometimes what happensis, you gotta give yourself a lit-tle bit of time, and you gotta getyour shot selection right. AndI think that is where they havemissed this time around, wheretheir shot selection has notbeen exactly correct, and that’swhy they’ve got out cheaply,”said Gavaskar.

He felt that Hardik Pandya’sno-show in bowling hadimpacted the team’s prospects.“Hardik Pandya not bowling isa big blow, not just for MumbaiIndians, but for India as well,

because he was taken in theteam as an all-rounder. And ifyou are in the team, batting atNo.6 or No.7, and you’re notable to bowl, then it makes it dif-

ficult for the captain. He does-n’t get the flexibility and option,that is so required for somebodybatting at No.6 or 7 like an all-rounder.”

Suryakumar, Ishan have relaxedafter getting India cap: Gavaskar

PTI n DUBAI

Former India captain SunilGavaskar has slammed the

standard of umpiring in theongoing Indian PremierLeague.

Gavaskar made his com-ments after umpire AnilChaudhary changed his deci-sion from no ball to wide dur-ing the game between DelhiCapitals and Chennai SuperKings on Monday.

The delivery by DwayneBravo landed outside thepitch. “That was clearly a no-ball. We’ve had a couple of

decisions from TV umpires,which in these circumstancescan make the differencebetween winning and losing,and that shouldn’t happen,”said Gavaskar while doingcommentary on Star Sports.

“These kinds of decisionsshould not change the game.It’s a good thing Delhi wonbecause that could havechanged the game,” he added.

Umpiring decisions in theIPL have come under scannermany times in the past andthis season too there havebeen some questionable deci-sions made.

Gavaskar slams umpiringstandards in IPL

Neesham, Coulter-Nile blow away Royals M P NRR

DC 13 20 +0.526

CSK 13 18 +0.739

RCB 12 16 -0.157

KKR 13 12 +0.294

MI 13 12 -0.048

PBKS 13 10 -0.241

RR 13 10 -0.337

SRH 12 4 -0.475

IPLpointstable

DINESH KARTHIK TO LEADTN IN MUSHTAQ ALI TROPHY

PRAVIN THIPSAY

World Chess Champion andWorld No 1 Magnus

Carsen added one more feath-er to his cap when he won thetwo-week Meltwater ChampionsChess Tour that ended onOctober 4.

The Tour was organised invarious legs and leagues withaccumulation of cumulativepoints on the basis of perfor-mance in each part of it. Thetour gave exposure to several tal-ented youngsters to match theirwits against the topmost legendsfrom the International Chess.

Wesley So of the USA cre-ated a flutter by defeatingMangus Carlsen on some occa-sions but the latter still toppedthe score board from the start tillthe end.

Here is an interesting gamefrom the tour ( Carlsen M vsVachier Lagrave.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd44.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.h3 e57.Nxc6!? [Carlsen tries a“Patzer’s idea” as Fischer wouldcall it. In fact, Fischer often didthe same! This this capture isn’tin keeping with principles ofmodern Chess as it strengthensBlack centre and allows back the‘d5’ square. Such a capture canbe justified positionally only ifWhite can break the Black’scentral pawn mass with f2-f4,before Black is able to get d6-d5.Let’s see how the games pro-gresses now.]

7...bxc6 8.Bc4 [White ‘d5’wants to keep ....d6-d5 undercheck.] [8.f4!? looks like a strate-gic follow up but the complica-

tions starting with 8...Be7! 9.fxe5Nd7! 10.Qg4 Nxe5 could exposethe serious weaknesses inWhite’s camp.] 8...Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3

[10.f4 looks like the estab-lished strategic way of playingagainst Black’s Central Pawnmass, but Carlsen’s moves andplans always remain a mysteryto the Chess world. 10...Qb6+11.Kh1 exf4 12.Bxf4 Qxb213.Qd3 Qb4 14.e5 could havebeen a logical follow-up of10.f4.] 10...Nd7 11.Na4 Nf612.Nc3 Nd7 [Black is offering adraw indirectly.] 13.Ba3?! [13.f4or; 13.Bb2 looked more obvi-ous.] 13...Nb6! 14.Bd3 d5 [looksgood but the Soviet schoolmight have preferred] [14...f5!]15.Bxe7 Qxe7

[The opening hasn’t been asuccess for the world champion.Black seems to have all thetrumps.] 16.Re1?! d4 17.Nb1 c518.Nd2 Be6 19.Qe2 f6? [Anunnecessary ‘safeguarding’ movewhich loses time. Black had twobetter and very interestingoptions.] [19...a5! In style ofCapablanca or Reti, or even;19...Rfc8 intending an eventual....c5-c4 sacrifice.] 20.Rec1 Rac8[20...a5! was still called for.

The wise lessons of Mastersin the past shouldn’t be disre-garded. Unfortunately, Blackfollows the modern trend of dis-carding the old strategy as ‘outof fashion’, only to find himselfin trouble very soon.] 21.c3Qf7?! [Black is on the wrongtrack, he fails to sense thatopening of ‘c’ file is likely tochange the path of the gamefrom static to dynamic.] 22.Rc2!

a5 [Too late and also after plac-ing the wrong Rook at ‘c8’.][22...c4? fails to the followingpretty variaton. 23.bxc4 Nxc4?24.cxd4 Nxd2 25.d5! Rxc226.Bxc2 Bxd5? 27.exd5 Qxd528.Rd1 Rd8 29.Bb3!] 23.Rac1 a424.cxd4 axb3 25.Nxb3! [Thisunexpected recapture must havecome as a surprise as Black nowfails to judge the tactical elementin the position.] 25...cxd4??[This ‘Positional’ move meetswith a stunning and unbeliev-able refutation.

Over a hundred years ago,German Grandmaster RichardTeichmann opined “Chess is99% tactics” and the Chess play-ing engines seem to support it.The world seems to be gettingback to Paul Morphy’s ‘Goldenera of Chess.’] [25...c4! wouldhave maintained equilibrium.]26.Nc5! Rc7 [26...Bd7 wouldn’thave halted White’s offensive.For example, 27.a4! Kh8(27...Rxc5?! 28.Rxc5 Nxa429.Rc7 winning more material.)28.a5 Na8 29.Nxd7 Qxd7 30.a6h6 31.Rb1 Rb8 32.Rcb2 withfatal penetration at ‘b7’.]27.Nxe6! [White has a ‘Bad’Bishop, Black has a ‘Powerful’‘Protected Passed Pawn’. Whatmore could you want? ButCarlsen proves all strategic con-cepts wrong as now it is the ini-tiative which decides theoucome!] 27...Rxc2 28.Qxc2[This wins very convincingly butsurprisingly World Championmisses the simple] [28.Bxc2!Rc8! 29.Rb1 Qxe6 30.Bb3 Rc4(30...Nc4 31.Rc1) 31.a4!]28...Qxe6

[The position seems to be

fine for Black except the positionof the misplaced Knight. Hadthe Knight been on ‘c3’, Blackmight have been better here. ButZnesko-Borovsky’s “Knightsneed Pawn-support” becomesthe deciding factor now.] 29.a4Ra8?! XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+-+k+( 7+-+-+-zpp’ 6-sn-+qzp-+& 5+-+-zp-+-% 4P+-zpP+-+$ 3+-+L+-+P# 2-+Q+-zPP+”1+-tR-+-mK-! xabcdefghy[29...Rc8 30.Qb2 Rxc1+ 31.Qxc1Qc8 32.Qb1 Qc3 33.Qb5 h634.Bf1 would have been a less-er evil but that, too,wouldn’t havechanged the outcome.] 30.a5!Rxa5 31.Qc7! [The finale takesplace in style of Paul Morphy,unexpected and elegent! Blackcan’t save the unsupportedKnight.] 31...h5 [31...Ra8 32.Rc6Rc8 (32...Qb3 33.Rxb6 Qxd334.Rb7 is similar to the game.)33.Rxe6 Rxc7 34.Rxb6] 32.Rc6Qb3 33.Rxb6! [White doesn’teven halt to retreat the Bishop.]33...Ra1+ 34.Kh2 Qxd3 35.Rb7--1-0

[The game emphasises onthe importance of the concept of‘safety of King’ which is wrong-ly considered ‘out of fashion’ bysome ‘modern’ players. Carlsen’s“Tactical judgement” reignssupreme as it clearly prevailedover his ‘anti-positional’ playsuch as permitting protectedpassed pawn to opponent, usingBishop as a blockader and sur-rendering central superiority tohis opponent. A remarkablegame indeed!]

Pravin Thipsay isGrandmaster and Formernational Chess champion

Chess Champion Carsen adds one more feather to his cap

Sam Curran ruled out

of T20 World Cup

Hockey India withdraws from 2022

PTI n CHENNAI

Chennai Super Kings skipper MahendraSingh Dhoni made it amply clear that

he would be wearing his favourite yellowjersey for at least one more season and the‘Whistle Podu’ army will certainly see himplaying a “farewell game” at their belovedChepauk.

While it was always on the cards,Dhoni on Tuesday for the first timedropped elaborate hints that he will be seenplaying next season as CSK is et to gothrough a big transition phase post megaauction.

“When it comes to farewell, you canstill come and see me play for CSK and thatcan be my farewell game. So, you will stillget that opportunity to bid me farewell.Hopefully, we will come to see Chennai andplay my last game over there and we canmeet fans there,” Dhoni said while inter-acting with fans during the 75th year cel-ebrations of ‘India Cements’ held virtual-ly.

If sources are to be believed then CSKwill be retaining three players --- skipperDhoni, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja andprolific opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for thenext auctions.

The iconic former India captain has notplayed in Chennai since 2019 as the 2020edition of IPL was held in the UAE andCSK played matches in the first phase ofthe tournament earlier this year in Mumbaibefore it was suspended due to a breach inthe bio-bubble.

Also, responding to a fan’s question onhis decision to retire from internationalcricket on August 15 last year, Dhoni said“It can’t be a better day than that, 15th ofAugust.”

About CSK as a team holding its nervesin crunch situations, Dhoni said they tryto keep it normal and prepare for the oppo-sition they would be up against.

“We are a process-driven team, webelieve in the process and we know that ifwe follow the process if we execute theplans well, if we do the small things right,we will get the desired result, we know theresult is a byproduct and that also keeps uscalm,” he added.

Also, the CSK captain stressed aboutimportance of living in the moment.

“We live in the moment and enjoy eachother’s company. We know that if we playto our potential, we can beat the opposi-tion. If the opposition has to beat us, theyhave to play better cricket.”

PTI n OSLO NORWAY

The young Indian wrestlers, includingtalented Hanny Kumari, expectedly

found the going tough at the WorldChampionship, here on Tuesday.

Competing in the 50kg category,Hanny showed some spark when shebegan with a 9-2 win over Korea’s MiranCheon but her challenge in the quarter-final against Russia’s Nadezhda Sokolovalasted just 35 seconds.

Soklova took a commanding 6-0 leadin the first 15 seconds of the bout, severe-ly denting the confidence of the Indianteenager and finished the bout in no time.

In the 53kg, Pooja got a wrestling les-son from Japanese prodigy AkariFujinami, who is yet to lose a bout in hercareer. Pooja did not have to play anyQualification round but lost her pre-quar-terfinal by technical superiority.

Bhateri failed to get a single point, letalone winning a round, as she lost 0-8 toRussia’s Dinara Kudaeva Salikhova.

Kiran (76kg) was the only seniorplayer on the mat for India in the morn-ing session but as usual she struggled atthe big stage.

Indian girls struggleat World WrestlingChampionship

Dhoni set to play IPL 2022, will playhis ‘farewell game’ in Chennai

PTI n NEW DELHI

Flamboyant opener Smriti Mandhanashould be handed over India captain-

cy after the upcoming Women’s WorldCup, regardless of the result in the megaevent, the team’s former coach WV Ramansaid on Tuesday.

Mandhana, 25, has evolved into oneof the team’s key players since making herinternational debut in 2013.

“Captaincy has got nothing to do withage but I am convinced that Mandhana canbe the captain. She is a good reader of thegame and has already played few years ofcricket,” Raman said during a virtualinteraction. “It can be a good time and giv-ing captaincy to a younger cricketermeans they can lead the side for a stretchfor some years.

“But this is not the right time forhanding over captaincy because of theupcoming World Cup. So just to hold onto whatever is happening in recent past andperhaps, after the World Cup, regardlessof the results, I think the captaincy can behanded over to Smriti Mandhana,” headded. Currently, 38-year-old veteranMithali Raj is the captain of the India’s Testand ODI side while Harmanpreet Kaur, 32,is in charge of the T20I team.

Mandhana will enter the three-matchT20 International series against Australiaon a high, having scored a magnificentmaiden hundred in the one-off day/nightTest against the hosts.

Raman guided India to the T20 WorldCup final last year before the world wentinto the lockdown due to the COVID-19pandemic.

Raman was however replaced as coachby Ramesh Powar earlier this year.

He also remained hopeful about theemergence of a good crop of fast bowlers

in women’s cricket, with Jhulan Goswamiin the winter of her career and people likeMeghna Singh bursting onto the scenewith much promise.

“We need to develop a programme forfast bowlers. In fact, I had a discussion withRahul Dravid earlier on this. We were plan-ning to start a programme wherein threefast bowling coaches would watch match-es and identify talent.

“But when it was just going to be imple-mented, the pandemic set in and everythingwent into lockdown. “It’s good to see a PoojaVastrakar backing Jhulan in building up thepressure. Meghna Singh is also there.

“I am sure Dravid will carry forwardthe programme in the future. If it is donein the manner we have planned, in threeyears we might see a few fast bowlersemerging,” Raman said.

Mandhana is good candidate for

India captaincy after World Cup

awan Kalyan and direc-tor Krish’s period dramaHari Hara Veeramallu,as we know, had to haltits shooting in Marchthis year. The film’s team

has been unable to resume sincethen, due to various reasons,including Pawan having to com-plete his other commitments.

Recently, elaborating on themovie and its shooting schedules,director Krish said that he hadcompleted 25% of the total shoot-ing portion until now.

“We filmed some important

sequences on PawanKalyan. Charminar,

Machilipatnam Port, and otherperiod sets had already been erect-ed. We stopped the shoot in Marchas Covi-19 cases began to riseagain. We will resume the shoot inthe second week of November. Ifwe complete one major episode inthe next schedule, the first half ofthe film gets completed,” Krish hadrevealed.

The director is currently pro-moting Konda Polam which will hitthe screens this Friday. KondaPolam stars Vaishnav Tej of Uppenafame, and Rakul Preet Singh. Krishis confident of completing Hari

Hara Veeramallu in the next two orthree months. Produced by AMRathnam’s Mega SuryaProductions, the period drama hasNidhhi Agerwal as the leadinglady. Bollywood actress JacquelineFernandez plays another key rolein the film.

12

Vijayawada | Wednesday October 6, 2021 tollywood

ctor Jr NTR is said tonot cast his vote in theupcoming MAA elec-tions, which are due tobe held on October 10.The Aravindha Sametha

actor is reportedly unhap-py with the polarisa-

tion that has hap-pened betweenthe camps ledby senioractor Nareshand theother side atMAA.

Yesteryearactress andMAA GeneralSecretaryJeevitha Rajasekharrecently revealedNTR’s views on theongoing tussle. Shehad said, “The otherday, I happened tobump into Jr NTR at

a party. He inquired

about the situation at MAA. I told him it’snot normal. I then sought his vote for ourpanel. He suggested that he is too disap-pointed with the happenings at MAA to takeany side. I see where he is coming from.”

This year, Prakash Raj andVishnu Manchu are the con-

tenders for the top post.Jeevitha is a member of

the former’s panel.Manchu’s panel isbacked by theincumbent, Naresh.Initially, Jeevithawanted to contest asthe President of the

association but shelater joined Prakash

Raj’s panel to contest forthe General Secretary post.

Now meanwhile, in responseto this revelation, Vishnu had said, “ForgetNTR and others, even I am disgusted withthe murky controversies and developmentsin MAA elections. The association’s reputa-tion has been tarnished with some peoplegoing to the media and making unnecessarycontroversies.”

fter the most-loved couple,Samantha Ruth and NagaChaitanya called it quits, socialmedia continues to be full ofreactions, videos and postsabout how heartbreaking the

news has been, to fans. Chay and Sam part-ed ways ending their four-year-old maritalrelationship, they made their announce-ment via a post on their Instagram handles.

Now for the first time, Samantha’s fatherJoseph Prabhu reacted to the news of thedivorce. He said that the moment he heardabout the divorce, his mind became blankand he was speechless.

Joseph, however, was quick to clarify thathe believes in his daughter’s decision andtrusts that she had taken the decision keep-ing various things and people’s best inter-ests at heart.

Samantha and Naga Chaitanya hadrequested all to respect their privacy andhelp them get over with this phase andmove on in life. Nagarjuna too said that itwas unfortunate for the couple to partways.

Fans on social media have been consol-ing the couple, and their family, sayingthings will be alright in the coming days.

Sources now say that Naga Chaitanya iscurrently staying in a hotel while Samanthais in Chennai shooting for her upcomingproject. She is said to have kept their luxu-ry home in Gachibowli to herself.

ctor Sharwanand,as we know, is allset to rule the bigscreens this month.His next film is anaction and roman-tic movie — Maha

Samudram which is directedby Ajay Bhupathi. The much-awaited saga also hasSiddharth in the lead role. ThisAjay Bhupathi directorial ven-ture is an intense love storywith Sammohanam girl AditiRao Hydari and AnuEmmanuel playing femaleleads.

Maha Samudram, is all setto hit the big screens onOctober 14, on the occasion ofDussehra.

Now according to the latestupdate, Sharwanand has com-pleted the dubbing for MahaSamduram. The Malli MalliIdhi Raani Roju actor himself

confirmed the same by sharinga post on his Twitter handle.

The shooting of MahaSamudram was wrapped up inJuly. Post-production work isin full swing in Hyderabad.The film was initially meant torelease on August 19, but waspostponed due to theCoronavirus pandemic.Sources revealed that the mak-ers shot major portions of thefilm in Goa andVisakhapatnam.

Apart from the lead actors,the film Maha Samudram alsohas KGF fame Garuda Raam,Jagapathi Babu, and RaoRamesh in important roles.

Sharwanand and Siddharthstarrer Maha Samudram whichis produced by AKEntertainments, has editing byPraveen KL, cinematographyby Raj Thota, and music byChaitan Bharadwaj.

andamuriBalakrishna andBoyapati Srinu’sthird outing togeth-er, Akhanda,wrapped its entire

shooting part. The finalsong was recently filmed atAnnapurna Studios.

The makers look like theyare planning to release thefilm during Diwali week-end. An official announce-ment about the same is tobe made soon. The promo-tional campaign will beintensified once the release

date gets locked.Balakrishna who plays a

dual character will be seenas an Aghora in one of theroles. Pragya Jaiswal is theleading lady opposite theLegend star in the massaction entertainer. Poornaplays the second female leadin the film. It also has actorsJagapathi Babu and Srikanthplaying negative roles.

Akhanda is beingbankrolled by MiryalaRavinder Reddy, while SThaman renders sound-tracks.

It’s a wrap upfor Akhanda

A

N

A

Samantha'sfather backs

his daughter'sdecision A

SHARWANAND completes dubbing

for Maha Samudram

MAA Elections: Irked Jr NTR won't cast his vote

Gautham Menon,A.R. Rahman

weave magic withBathukamma song

Hari HaraVeeramallu

shoot toresume inNovember

P

very year,manymusiciansjoin handsto celebratethe auspi-cious festi-

val of Dasara, whichglorifies Telangana’srich traditions. Thisyear music maestroA.R. Rahman comeforward to rendertunes to aBathukamma song!

The song, AllipoolaVennela, directed byyet another fine film-maker GauthamVasudev Menon, hasbeen launched byMLC K Kavitha onTuesday.

The song shot inthe districts ofTelangana wasreleased ahead of thefirst day ofBathukamma. TheBathukamma songwas sung by UtharaUnnikrishnan,penned by MittapalliSurender, and chore-ographed by NationalAward winnerBrinda.

A.R.Rahman tookon Twitter to launchthe song, he tweeted“BathukammaPandagaSubhkankshalu (inTelugu)! A festival oflife. A celebration oftogetherness.Bringing you aglimpse of the beautyof Bathukammathrough#AllipoolaVennelaalong with TelanganaJagruthi.”

MLC Kavitha inresponse tweeted,

“The festival ofcolours, melody andtogethernessBathukamma is here!Here’s sharing aglimpse of the specialsong forBathukamma by@arrahman @menon-gautham and a dreamteam for all my sis-ters.”

Bathukamma festi-val is an integral partof Telangana and itidentifies with thecultural identity ofthe people from thestate across the globe.Former Member ofParliamentKalvakuntla Kavithaled TelanganaJagruthi played a cru-cial role towards cul-tural integration andfor strengthening theroots of theTelangana Movement.Since then, TelanganaJagruthi has been anactive force that rep-resents the culturaland literary land-scapes of Telangananot just in India butinternationally aswell.

The recent collabo-ration with ace direc-tor Gautam VasudevMenon, legendarymusic composer A RRahman, andKavitha-ledTelangana Jagruth,has added to the fes-tive atmosphere ofTelangana and hasgiven especially thewomen of Telangana,another reason toenjoy colourful andjoyous Bathukammafestival.

e

Krish and team areconfident of completingthe shoot of Hari Hara

Veeramallu in the nexttwo or three months.