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VIJAYAWADA 9A SCHOOL THAT PRODUCED

LEADERS IN ALL FIELDS

OPINION 6FOR THE SAKE

OF DEMOCRACY

SPORTS 12SINDHU BREAKS

TAI CODE

VIJAYAWADA, SATURDAY AUGUST 24, 2019; PAGES 12 `3

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RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

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{PATRI VASUDEVAN n VIJAYAWADA

The State government hasclarified that it has no propos-al to shift the Capital city ofAmaravati from Velagapudi.

In an exclusive interview toThe Pioneer, Minister forFinance Buggana Rajendranathhas, however, said that thegovernment is contemplatingto decentralise the adminis-trative setup, in order to ensuresocio-economic equality to allthe regions across the State.

EXCERPTS:Q: A lot of speculation is goingon over shifting of the CapitalAmaravati elsewhere. Reportsare doing the rounds thatVisakhapatnam will be thehealth headquarters,Rajahmundry irrigationheadquarters and KurnoolPharma destination. What isyour take on these reports?A: There's nothing like that.Our priorities are feeding thepoor, addressing the needs ofstudents, taking care of thehealth of mothers, and guard-ing the fiscal health of the State.Our priorities are also to guardthe interests of the State, ratherthan spending on 'Singapore'model cities. But, however,our administration believes indecentralisation of adminis-tration to ensure a socio-eco-nomic equality to the people ofall regions of the State. Wewant Srikakulam to be devel-oped as good as Krishna dis-trict, and similarly Prakasam

district as good asVisakhapatnam district.

Q: It seems that the governmenthas slowed down probe intolarge scale irregularities thattook place in CRDA. What areyour thoughts on the issue?A: We are going to disclose theoutcome of the probe intoCRDA irregularities veryshortly. We don't needMahishmati kind of Capitalnow, like the Shaik ofAbudhabi has built in his coun-try. Former Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu mes-merised the people with hisgraphic works of iconicbridges, world-class towersand seed access roads. In real-ity, we are comfortable with thepresent Secretariat andAssembly structures. We arenot against iconic bridges, but,we need to stabilise our

finances. Look at the FiscalResponsibility and BudgetManagement (FRMB) limits,and see how the previous TDPgovernment has convenientlycrossed the limits. Naidu pro-posed Rs 6 lakh crore forbuilding the Capital and hecame down to Rs1.5 lakhcrore? Doesn't he know that aniconic bridge can be built withRs 300 crore to Rs 400 crore?

Q: How do you justify yourstand on Capital city, by justproposing an allocation of Rs500 crore in your budget?A: As I already said, our pri-orities are welfare, educationand health. We didn't say thatthe Capital city will be shiftedfrom here. Just understandthe difference between'Administrative Capital', andNaidu's magic city of sky-scrapers and horizontal malls.

We are not in favour of'Amaravati', but, we have a spe-cific formula for the Capital.

Q: What are your observationsabout the misappropriationsin CRDA? A: We have noticed that insid-er trading and zoning havetaken place. Irrespective ofwhether it is officials or politi-cians, the government won'tspare anybody found guilty.The State is already into amajor debt trap. The debts andliabilities come to around Rs360 lakh crore.

Q: It is a fact that the State isfacing fiscal crunch. But, youhave allowed major alloca-tions to Amma Vodi,Aarogyasri, fee reimburse-ment and Raithu Bharosa.While the State government isnot even in a position to clearthe pending bills to a tune ofRs 2 lakh, how you will bringmoney for these schemes?A: Expenditure on all the saidschemes comes to around Rs10,000 crore per annum. Youhave to understand a seriouspoint here. We are buildinghuman capital, by taking up thecause of such welfare schemes.See how mothers are going toget incentives for promptingtheir children to go to schools.Is it not building human cap-ital? Look at Raithu Bharosa.Now, the Government is pay-ing part amount of the insur-ance of farmers also apartfrom the Union Government'sshare.

Continued on Page 3

Govt withdraws super-rich surcharge PNS n NEW DELHI

Buckling under pressure fromoverseas investors, the gov-ernment on Friday rolled backthe enhanced surchargeimposed on foreign portfolioand domestic investors inBudget 2019-20 as itannounced a slew of mea-sures to boost sagging eco-nomic growth.

"In order to encourageinvestment in the capital mar-ket, it has been decided towithdraw the enhanced sur-charge levied by Finance(No.2) Act, 2019 on long/shortterm capital gains arising fromthe transfer of equityshares/units," Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman toldreporters here.

The move will dent govern-ment revenues by Rs 1,400crore. Sitharaman had in hermaiden Budget hiked the sur-charge on income tax paid bysuper-rich individuals.

The surcharge, levied ontop of the applicable incometax rate, was hiked from 15 percent to 25 per cent for thosewith taxable income of Rs 2-5crore, and to 37 per cent forthose earning more than Rs 5crore. This increased the effec-tive tax rate for these twogroups by 3.12 per cent and 7per cent to 39 per cent and42.74 per cent, respectively.

Some 40 per cent of foreignportfolio investors (FPIs) auto-matically came under the high-er tax rate as they have beeninvesting as a non-corporateentity such as trust or associ-ation of persons (AOPs), whichin the Income Tax law are clas-sified as an individual for thepurpose of taxation.

"The enhanced surchargeon FPI goes, in simple words,"

Sitharaman said. "In otherwords, the pre-Budget positionis restored."

The super-rich tax on FPIs,along with lack of measures toboost the economy in the July5 Budget, was largely blamedfor foreign investors with-drawing more than USD 3 bil-lion from the stock markets,putting pressure on indices andthe rupee.

FM proposes measures toenhance fund flows for infra,housing projectsAngel tax provisions for start-ups removed

PC gets SC protection, but no freedom PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Fridaygranted protection from arresttill August 26 to former Unionfinance minister PChidambaram in a moneylaundering case lodged by EDin connection with INX mediascam, for which he is alreadyfacing custodial interrogationby CBI in a related case of cor-ruption.

The relief granted by the topcourt in the case ofEnforcement Directorate (ED)will have little effect asChidambaram has beenremanded in CBI's custodytill Monday by a trial court inthe graft case.

However, the Friday ordercame as a setback to the ED asthe apex court refused toaccept its arguments opposingChidambaram's submissionthat he was entitled for pro-tection from arrest, granted bythe Delhi High Court on July25, 2018, in the money laun-dering case.

A bench comprising jus-

tices R Banumathi and A SBopanna said it will hear onAugust 26 the pleas filed byChidambaram in which hehas challenged the August 20order of the Delhi High Courtrejecting his anticipatory bailpleas in ED and CBI cases.

The bench said it would alsohear a fresh plea filed byChidambaram, challengingThursday's order of remandpassed by trial Court by whichhe was sent to the CBI custodytill August 26.

"In our view, having regard

to the fact that the petitionerwas also granted interim pro-tection on July 25 and that theco-accused were also grantedbail by the High Court, thepetitioner is granted interimprotection, insofar as theEnforcement Directorate caseis concerned...till the next dateof hearing. List the matter onAugust 26," the bench said.

It also sought reply of ED onChidambaram's plea byMonday itself.

As soon as the order wasdictated, Solicitor General

Tushar Mehta, appearing forED, tried to hand over somedocuments in sealed cover tothe court saying that the benchshould satisfy its consciencebefore passing an order grant-ing protection from arrest toChidambaram.

The move was objected bysenior advocate Kapil Sibal,appearing for Chidamabaram,who said that the same thingwas done by the ED before theHigh Court and a note wassubmitted after the argumentswere over.

The bench refused to perusethe documents at this stage andasked Mehta to submit themon Monday, saying these areconfidential and cannot bekept like this with the court.

The hearing saw severalrounds of heated exchangesbetween Mehta and senioradvocates and Chidambaram'sparty colleagues Kapil Sibaland A M Singhvi.

Continued on Page 3

Chidambaram remains in CBI custody

PNS n HYDERABAD

A controversy has broken outover tickets issued by theAndhra Pradesh RoadTransport Corporation to trav-ellers from Tirupati to thetemple town of Tirumala. Onthe back of the tickets areprinted government adver-tisements about pilgrimage toHaj and Jerusalem.

Travellers who noticed theads on Wednesday brought itto the notice of the regionalmanager who said a bundlewith printed material aboutnon-Hindu pilgrimage hadwrongly come to Tirupati.

The transport body's exec-utive director for operationsconfirmed that this has beenbrought to their notice andthey are probing into it.

"It is an advertisement of thegovernment issued by theminorities department," theofficer said.

BJP leaders who have beencritical of Chief MinisterJaganmohan Reddy claimingthat he is non-Hindu and doesnot believe in the religion,alleged that he is pushing hisagenda for minority religions.

Controversial BJP MLARaja Singh from Hyderabadhas already put out videosraising this issue.

Earlier this week, the BJPhad claimed that Mr Reddyhad refused to light a lampduring an event in the US,

where he is on a visit. Theyalleged it was because he didnot respect Hindu traditionssuch as lighting a lamp.

Supporters of YSR Congress,the Chief Minister's party, clar-ified that there was no questionof Jagan Reddy refusing to lighta lamp as there were onlyelectrical switches and not thetraditional oil and wick lamps.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Will decentralise administration: Bugganan Focus on welfare, education and health n No Singapore-type Capital

Botsa summoned in Volkswagen casePNS n HYDERABAD

A special court dealing withCBI cases on Friday issuedsummons to UrbanDevelopment Minister BotsaSatyanarayana in a 14-year-oldVolkswagen case.

The court askedSatyanarayana, a witness in thecase, to appear in the court onSeptember 12 to record hisstatement.

Satyanarayana wasthe IndustryMinister in the YSRajsekhar Reddygovernment in 2005when the scandalhad surfaced.

The StateGovernment had allegedlypaid Rs 11.67 crore toVashishta Vahan Pvt Ltd, aspecial purpose vehicle (SPV)of German carmakerVolkswagen, floated for settingup a manufacturing unit atVisakhapatnam. However,Vashishta Vahan turned out tobe a fictitious entity.

The scam came to light in2005 when Volkswagen sackedits then head of Indian oper-

ations Helmuth Schuster oncharges of corruption in someother dealings. Schuster wasnegotiating with the StateGovernment on behalf ofVolkswagen for setting up thecar plant in Visakhapatnam.

Following allegations by theopposition that Satyanarayanaand some others paid themoney to Vashistha Vahanthrough "dubious" means, the

government ordered theprobe by the Central

Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI).

The CBI in 2010filed a charge-sheetagainst six accused,

including Schuster.They were charged

with criminal conspiracyand cheating. However,Satyanarayana was included asa witness in the case. In 2015,the Enforcement Directorate(ED) had also filed a charge-sheet in the case.

Meanwhile, Satyanarayanatold reporters in Amaravatithat he was only a witness inthe case. He said he was sum-moned as the 60th witness inthe case.

PPA submits report to CentrePNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Polavaram ProjectAuthority (PPA) on Fridaysubmitted a 12-page report tothe Union Government on theproject and highlighted theperils of retendering and thedamages caused to the project.

The PPA felt that therewould be further delay and thebenefits of the project will beimmensely delayed for thefarmers. The authority feltowing to the decisions of theState Government bothPattiseema andPurushottapatnam projectswill be burdned because of

thedelay of Polavaram. Itadvised the State governmentto proper steps. The PPA saidthe project was already delayedby four years and for the StateGovernment is likely to enterlegal difficulties owing toretendering.

"The construction costs willincrease enormously as theproject gets delayed. If low-quality contractors are ropedin the quality of the projectwill suffer.

The PPA felt the projectshould be continued withoutany deviation. It had sent acopy of the report to the StateGovernment.

Responding to thecontroversy over appearance

of Haj and Jerusalem Yatraadvertisements on tickets ofAPSRTC buses shuttlingbetween Tirupati and Tirumala,Minister for EndowmentsVellampalli Srinivas has clarifiedthat the tickets were printedduring the previous TDPgovernment.Speaking to media persons onFriday, he said, "We haveordered an inquiry into the issuesoon after it came to our notice.It was found that the ticketswere printed during the TDPgovernment tenders for whichwere invited before theelections."

MINISTER CLARIFIES

PNS n HYDERABAD

Devulapalli Prabhakar Rao,Chairman and ManagingDirector of TSTRANSCO andTSGENCO, has asserted thatall the power purchase agree-ments (PPAs) made inTelangana over the past fiveyears have been transparentand graft-free.

On Friday, responding tomedia reports, the chief of elec-tricity utilities in the statedared an inquiry by theCentral Bureau of Investigationor Supreme Court sitting judgeon the power deals made afterformation of Telangana State.

Prabhakar Rao's media con-ference is significant in thecontext of Telangana BJP chiefK Laxman's allegations of"huge scam and irregularitiesin power deals in the state" thatwere highlighted by a sectionof the media.

"The reports that appeared

in media today about hugescams in power sector inTelangana are completelybaseless. There has been noscope for corruption in powerpurchase agreements and alsoin initiating new power gen-eration projects. The allega-tion that Telangana boughtpower at Rs 5.50 tariff fromsolar power developers,

though NTPC came forwardto give power at Rs 4.30 tar-iff is completely baseless.Never did NTPC come for-ward to offer power at thatprice. Even in case ofChhattisgarh power, theagreement was between twostates and there was no scopefor any corruption,"Prabhakar Rao said here.

Devulapalli Prabhakar Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of TS Transco,addressing media persons in Hyderabad on Friday

Transco CMD dares Oppn for CBI probe on power deals in TS

‘Crashed IAFchopper washit by Indianmissile’NEW DELHI: Five IAF per-sonnel were found guilty forthe crash of a Mi-17 helicopterin Budgam in Jammu andKashmir as a high-level probeconcluded that the chopperwent down after being hit bya surface-to-air missile onFebruary 27, the day Indianand Pakistani air forces wereengaged in a dogfight, militarysources said on Friday. A six-month-long Court of Inquiryinto the incident found thatthe Mi-17 V-5 helicopter washit by a ground-based missileof the Indian Air Force whenthe chopper was on its wayback to Srinagar air base,they said. Six IAF personnelon board and a civilian on theground were killed in thecrash. Five IAF personnel,including the Chief OperatingOfficer (COO) of the Srinagarbase, were held responsible forthe crash and all of them arelikely to face severe punish-ment, sources said.

BS-IV vehiclesto remain: FM NEW DELHI: In a big relieffor those being concernedabout the viability of BharatStage (BS) IV-compliant vehi-cles, Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman hasannounced that the govern-ment wants to "dispel of allconfusion." The Minister alsostated that BS-IV vehicleshave been a point of concernfor a lot of people, includingthe auto companies and thosewho have purchased thesevehicles in recent times.Adding that it continues to beso as companies even todayare manufacturing thesevehicles. The FinanceMinister said, "BS-IV vehicleswhich are purchased up toMarch 2020 will remain oper-ational for their entire dura-tion of registration".

4-yr-old raped;man arrestedMEDAK: Yet another sexualassault on a four-year-oldgirl has been reported fromSangareddy district. A 38-year old man was taken intocustody on the charge ofsexually assaulting a 4-yearold girl at Mallepally villageof Kondapur Mandal onThursday evening. After thegirl complained to her par-ents, they approached theKondapur Police onThursday night. The accusedwas identified as Shanthaiahalias Yohana, a neighbor ofthe victim's family. DSP ofSangareddy Sridhar Reddysaid that the accused hadlured the girl, who hadreturned from AnganwadiSchool at 4 pm, on the pre-text of giving her some bis-cuits.

The transportbody's executivedirector foroperationsconfirmed that thishas been broughtto their notice andthey are probing it

Haj, Jerusalem ads on RTCbus tickets; BJP slams Jagan

Raja Singh

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated August 23, 2019 5:00 PM

ALMANACTODAY

Month & Paksham:Shravana & Krishna PakshaPanchangamTithi : Asthami: 08:31 amNakshatram: Rohini 04:16 am (Next Day)Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 09:11 am – 10:44 amYamagandam: 01:51 pm – 03:25 pm

Varjyam: 08:07 pm - 09:45 pm

Gulika: 06:04 am - 07:37 amGood Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 01:00 am - 02:38 amAbhijit Muhurtham: 11:53 am - 12:43 pm

VIJAYAWADAWEATHERForecast: Isolated ThunderstormsTemp: 32/26Humidity: 76%Sunrise: 06.00Sunset: 06.36

Printed and Published by B Krishna Prasad on Behalf of CMYK Printech Limited. Printed at Jagati Publications Limited, Sakshi Press, Door No. 5-625, Vadlamudi Road, Atmakuru Village, Mangalagiri Mandal, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh.Published at Door No. 40-4-11, Flat No.501, Sujatha Citadel, Jasti Venkataratnam Street, Behind DV Manor Hotel, Vijayawada, Krishna District, AP. Resident Editor B Krishna Prasad RNI title Code no. APENG03628. Phone No. 0866-2479001.

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for anydamage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement beforeresponding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

CAPSULE

IIIT LECTURER DEVIAWARDED PHDVIJAYAWADA: Jawaharlal NehruTechnological University,Hyderabad, awarded PhD toDuvvuri Nagarjuna Devi inComputer Science andEngineering on online, offlinesales and customers opinionanalysis entitled - ‘HybridApproach for Sentiment Analysison Multi-Domain Data’ under theguidance of Professor Dr TVRajinikanth. She is working as alecturer in the Computer ScienceDepartment at IIIT NuzvidCollege. IIIT Nuzvid DirectorProfessor Dr Suryachandra Raoand other faculty congratulatedDevi on her achievement.

SCHOOLS ASKED TOPROMOTE PHILATELYAMONG STUDENTSVIJAYAWADA: The Departmentof Posts has launched DeenDayal Sparsh Yojana(scholarship for promotion ofaptitude & research in stampsas a hobby), a philatelyscholarship scheme forgenerating interest regardingphilately among the students ofClass VI to IX. In this regard,the postal department invitedapplications from studentsfrom Class VI to IX to apply forthe scholarship under thescheme. The candidate mustbe a student of (class VI to IX),a recognised school in thecountry with at least 60 percent marks/grade points in theprevious academic year (5 percent relaxation for SC/ST). Theschool concerned should havea Philately Club and thecandidate should be a memberof the club. The last date forsubmitting applications is onAugust 31 and the written testwill be conducted onSeptember 29. The secondlevel of project work will be onphilately in which 40 beststudents will be awarded Rs6,000 scholarship. For moredetails, interested participantscan contact the superintendentof post offices. ChiefPostmaster General Eleeshaasked all schools to utilise theopportunity and to inculcatethe habit of philately amongstudents.

RICH TRIBUTES PAIDTO PRAKASAMPANTULUOngole: The districtadministration, people andprivate organisations paidrich tributes to the son of thesoil, freedom fighter and thefirst Chief Minister of theAndhra State TanguturiPrakasam here on Friday onhis 148th birth anniversary.Ministers Balineni SrinivasaReddy and Adimulapu Sureshgarlanded the statue ofPrakasam Pantulu at theCollectorate and paid tributesto him. Balineni said thatservices of Prakasam Pantuluin the freedom movement andas the Chief Minister of theState cannot be forgotten. He advised the people tofollow in the footsteps ofPrakasam and to strive forthe realisation of his ideology.Suresh said that the district,which is formed with thebackward areas from otherdistrict, is still backward andno development is donethough it is named afterPrakasam Pantulu. Heannounced that the YSRCPgovernment will definitelydevelop the district.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019 vijayawada 02

EGGRATES

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` 43, 700 (1kg)

` 100

HYDERABAD 315VIJAYAWADA 330VISAKHAPATNAM 361RETAIL PPRICE `3.30

SILVER

VIJAYAWADABULLION RATES

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CHICKENRATES

Dressed/With Skin `138

Without Skin `157

Broiler at Farm `95

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(IN VIJAYAWADA)

SCR to run three spl trains to KakinadaPNS n VIJAYAWADA

In order to clear extra rush ofpassengers, the South CentralRailway will ply three specialtrains between Secunderabadand Kakinada town, accordingto a release from SCR onFriday.

Train No. 07053Secunderabad -Kakinada townspecial train willd e p a r tSecunderabad at17.55 hrs on August 30and arrive in Kakinada townat 04.00 hrs on the next day.

En route, this special trainwill stop at Kazipet, Warangal,Khammam, Rayanapadu,Eluru, Tadepalligudem,Rajahmahendravaram andSamalkot Stations.

These special trains willhave AC II Tier, AC III Tierand Sleeper Class Coaches.

Train No. 07003Secunderabad – Kakinadatown special train will departSecunderabad at 20.45 hrs onAugust 31 and arrive inKakinada town at 07.30 hrs onthe next day. In the return

direction, Train No. 07004Kakinada town –

Secunderabad spe-cial train will departKakinada town at20.10 hrs and arrivein Secunderabad at

08.00 hrs on the nextday. En route, these spe-

cial trains will stop at Kazipet,Rayanapadu, Gudivada,Kaikalur, Akividu,Bhimavaram town, Tanuku,N i d a d a v o l u ,R a j a h m a h e n d r a v a r a m ,Dwarapudi and SamalkotStations in both the directions.

These special trains consistof AC II Tier, AC III Tier andsleeper class coaches.

Venkaiah Naidu to flag offnew train at Gudur tomorrowPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Vice-President M VenkaiahNaidu will flag off the IntercityExpress between Gudur andVijayawada in the presence ofMinister for Railways andCommerce and Industry PiyushGoyal and Minister of State forRailways Suresh C Angadi on August 25 at 10:30hrs at Gudur Railway Station.

Train No. 02743 Gudur –Vijayawada Intercity SuperfastExpress will depart Gudur at10:30 hrs and arrive inVijayawada at 15:35 hrs on thesame day. In the return direc-tion, Train No. 02744Vijayawada – Gudur will departVijayawada at 18:00 hrs andarrive in Gudur at 22:30 hrs onthe same day.

En route, this train will stopin Nellore, Kavali,Singarayakonda, Ongole,Chirala, Bapatla and TenaliStations.

The regular services will com-mence from August 26 fromboth the directions.

Train No. 12743 Gudur-Vijayawada Intercity Express

will depart Gudur at 06:10 hrson August 26 and arrive inVijayawada at 10:40 hrs on thesame day. In the return direc-tion, Train No. 12744Vijayawada-Gudur IntercityExpress will depart Vijayawadaat 18:00 hrs and arrive in Gudurat 22:30 hrs on the same day.

En route, this train will stopin Nellore, Kavali,Singarayakonda, Ongole,Chirala, Bapatla and TenaliStations. This train will consistof AC chair car and second classchair car.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will flag off the Intercity Express between Gudurand Vijayawada in Gudur on August 25 (File photo)

Minister forRailways,Commerce andIndustry PiyushGoyal and Ministerof State forRailways Suresh C Angadi will be present

Workshop to be held onBills passed by BJP govtPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh Civil LibertiesSociety general secretaryChandrasekhar on Friday saidthat a state-level workshopwill be held at MakineniBasavapunniah VignanaKendram on September 1 inwhich bills enacted by BJPgovernment in Parliament willbe discussed.

Speaking to media persons,he said the workshop will wit-ness Professor Haragopal dis-cussing scrapping of Article370 and the future of people ofKashmir.

“Professor N Nirmala willspeak on the amendments oflabour laws and the right ofworkers while Professor GuntiRavi will speak on forest lawsand the living conditions oftribal”. He said RTI activistYerramsetti Jagan will discussissues relating to Right toInformation and senior lawyerAbdul will speak about thescrapping of triple talaq and its

impact on Muslim women. “I will speak on the impact

of freedom of expression underthe present regime," he added.The workshop will witnessseveral cultural programmesconducted by Praja KalaMandali”.

Unit’s President Chittibabu,along with members, releaseda poster on the workshop.

AP Civil Liberties Society members releasing a poster in Vijayawada on Friday

Senior lawyer Abdulwill speak about thescrapping of tripletalaq and its impacton Muslim women

Political heat gathers as partiesjoin hands on capital city imbroglioPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Amidst speculation that thecapital city Amaravati will beshifted to Donakonda, hun-dreds of farmers, who gavelands to the State governmentunder land pooling met BJPPresident KannaLakshminarayana in Gunturon Friday.

They expressed theiranguish at Minister BostsaSatyanarayana’s remarks andsaid they never expected thispiquant situation. “The earli-er government asked us landfor the capital city constructionand we gave as we were con-cerned about the developmentof the unscientifically bifur-cated State. Now, the presentgovernment is not giving usclarity. Our lives are in peril”.

They told the BJP chief thatthe development works in thecapital city were halted com-pletely and the lease amountby the government was notpaid till now. “Although, wemet CRDA officials, they arenot able to give us clarity”.

Confused farmers also vis-ited Andhra Ratna Bhavan tomeet Congress leaders toexpress their concern and theirsupport.

Farmers raised their con-cern with them and said thatthe State government was yetto pay the annual rent andfailed to provide infrastructurefor their plots.

Senior leader RaghuveeraReddy, who spoke to them onthe telephone assured the sup-port of his party. “We request-ed to make efforts to retainAmaravati as the capital city ofAndhra Pradesh for which hegave us a positive reply," theyadded. Meanwhile, CPI StateSecretary K Ramakrishna on

Friday said that Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy shouldcome clean on the CapitalCity and advised his Cabinetministers not to make confus-ing statements on Amaravatiwhen the State governmentwas struggling to generaterevenue and wealth.

Speaking to media persons,he said the State governmentwas constantly taking stepsdetrimental for the growth ofthe State. “Finance Ministerhas said that it would take fiveyears to put the economy backon the rail as TDP took sever-al destructive decisions. TheState government should bemore careful while taking the

administrative decisions”.He said tht Jagan govern-

ment received a slap from theAndhra Pradesh High Courton the reverse tendering of thePolavaram and the quixoticstatements by Cabinet minis-ters on ‘likely’ shifting ofAmaravati to Donakonda willforce AP to undergo severefinancial stress.

He said decisions taken bythe Jagan government wereincreasing the expenditureand not saving money. “Thereis no coordination betweenthe words uttered by theFinance Minister and the Stategovernment”.

He said the earlier govern-

ment had collected 33,000acres of land through landpooling and the Jagan gov-ernment should make effortsto bring in industries, hospi-tals, hotels, universities andother educational institutesto generate wealth andincrease revenue. “The reversemode, which the State gov-ernment is adopting, will notaugur well for Jagan”.

He suggested setting up ofindustrial hubs inRayalaseema, north Andhraand Donakonda will ensurediversified growth.

The senior Left leaderfound fault with the setting ofup Regional DevelopmentCouncil and dubbed them asoutfits to accommodate thoseleaders, who could not get aministerial berth”. “It is noth-ing, but a waste of money”.

He said Jagan policy onsand has crippled the devel-opment works across the State.“The State government, whichpraises the sand policy ofTelangana government, shouldimplement the policy imme-diately instead of waiting tillSeptember 5”.

He said the State govern-ment had no clarity where itwas spending unnecessarilyand from where it can gener-ate revenue. “If the trend con-tinues, the Jagan governmentwill take 50 years to set rightthe tottering economy”.

He also asked the State gov-ernment to seek funds fromthe Central government aspromised in the APReorganisation Act - 2014.

Ramakrishna said that partyState Council meeting will beheld on August 26 and 27 in which CPI NationalSecretary D Raja will be thechief guest.

Krishnashtami celebrated with fervour PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Krishnashtami was celebratedwith religious fervour and gaietyat various temples, colonies,organisations and schools hereon Friday.

Welcoming Lord Krishna,denizens decorated their hous-es colourfully, illuminated tem-ples and residential colonies.They drew the footprints of tinytots in their houses as a symbol-ic mark of Krishna enteringtheir dwellings.

After performing special pujaand rituals, the youth of variousassociations organised ‘Utti’ cel-ebrations in which youth gath-ered to break the pot hungabove their head filled withmoney, milk and curd.

Birla Open Minds Play SchoolManagement under the super-vision of Sunkara Neelimaorganised fancy dress competi-tions to kids. “The event wasorganised to highlight the impor-tance of the festival,” said prin-cipal Neelima.

Tiny-tots dressed as LordKrishna, Radha and Gopikascaptured the attention of theaudience. A skit highlighting

the importance of friendshipwas al enacted.

“KCP Siddhartha AdarshResidential Public School,

Kanuru celebrated the festalwith spiritual,” said school prin-cipal K Srihari.

Students rendered devotion-

al songs and performed danceson the occasion. School convenorV Sasikala, staff, students andparents actively participated inthe Janmashtami bash. The fes-tival was celebrated at Sri KrishnaPrarthana Mandiram, SriVijayawada Gou SamrakshanaSamithi, Uttardi Mutt at OneTown and ISKCON at Undavalliin Guntur district.

Later in the evening, culturalprogrammes were organised inwhich tiny tots enacted thechildhood character of LordKrishna.

Surprisingly, many events sawmothers acting the role of Yasodaand encouraged the children.‘Dandia’ was performed at tem-ples and in residential coloniestoo.

Welcoming Lord Krishna, denizens decoratedtheir houses colourfully, illuminated templesand residential colonies. They drew thefootprints of tiny tots in their houses as asymbolic mark of Krishna entering theirdwellings

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

As many as 25 students ofSamana College of DesignStudies (SCDS) fromHyderabad and AndhraPradesh branches left to Milan(Italy) on Friday to attend astudent exchange programmeat NABA University, accordingto SCDS chairperson SamanaHussaini. Faculty Sheeba isaccompanying the team asmanager.

Addressing media persons,she said SCDS was the first col-lege to provide internationalexposure to its designers. "Thehard work as finally paid off asSCDS is the only college fromTelangana and AndhraPradesh to provide an inter-national platform to designers".

She said both fashiondesigning and interior design-ing trainees will undergo amonth-long programme.

“During the period, studentswill be open to a totally newmethod of teaching and mul-ticultural atmosphere.

They are taking their pro-jects to present at the univer-sity and they would comeback with new ideas and mem-ories to share with their peersback home”.

SCDS students leave forMilan on a study tour

Farners told the BJP Chief that thedevelopment works in the capital citywere halted completely and the leaseamount by the government was notpaid till now. “Although, we met CRDAofficials, they are not able to give usclarity”

Milan-bound Samana College of Design Studies students with collegechairperson Samana Hussaini in Vijayawada on Friday

Samana College ofDesign Studies wasthe first college toprovide internationalexposure to itsdesigners

CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna addressing the media in Vijayawada on Friday

ACA Colts, Puducherry post winsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

ACA Colts, powered by a cen-tury by D. Naren Reddy (108),defeated Baroda by five wick-ets in the Sir Vizzy Trophytournament held both atVisakhapatnam andVizianagaram on Friday.

In the other match,Chhattisgarh defeated ACAPresident's XI by five wickets.In the rain-hit match,Puducherry defeated MadhyaPradesh by 39 runs.

The scores: Baroda 298 fornine in 50 overs (VishnuSolanki 83, Kedar Devdhar 78,Swapnil Singh 59, B VasanthReddy four for 66) lost to ACAColts 299 for five in 47 overs(D Naren Reddy 108, YSandeep 95 UMS Girinath 36,Swapnil Singh two for 62,Rishi Arothe two for 48)

ACA Presidents XI 180 in42.4 overs (M Pranith 47,Shoaib Mohammed 35,Shubham Singh five for 29,Veer Pratap two for 28) lost toChhattisgarh 184 for five 41overs (Jiwanjot Singh 51,

Shashank Singh 40, SwaroopKumar Dasari three for 39).

Madhya Pradesh 202 in 50overs (Parth Sahani 54,Naman Ojha 37, Saransh Jain31, Yash Duley 30, SanthaMoorthy two or 18, SureshKumar two for 45, FabidAhmed two for 26) lost toPondicherry 159 for five in34.5 overs (Paras Dogra 55n.o., Gaurav Yadav three for34) - VJD method

HPCA 298 for nine in 50overs lost to ACA Secretary303 for seven in 48.2 overs.

Tiny tots rocking the cradle of Lord Krishna during the Krishnashtamicelebrations in Vijayawada on Friday

Tiny tots breaking the ‘dahi handi’

‘TTD aims at protecting desi cows'PNS n TIRUPATI

One of the chief mottoes ofTTD is to safeguard andenhance the produce of desicows as a part of HinduSanatana Dharma, said TTDChairman YV Subba Reddy.

The TTD Board chief gracedthe Gopuja Mahotsavam at SVGosala in Tirupati on the occa-sion of Sri Krishna Janmashtamicelebrations on Friday. Speakingon the occasion, he said thereare about 2,991 cattle in SVDairy Farm as well inPalamaner Goshala owned byTTD. These cows comprise

nearly 39 desi breeds. "We wantto enhance their number bysafeguarding the indigenouscow breeds", he added.

Earlier, special abhishekamwas performed to the presidingdeity of Sri Venugopala Swamy

followed by Gopuja event.Govt Whip Chevirreddy

Bhaskar Reddy, PalamanerMLA Venkatesh Goud, CVSOGopinath Jatti, SV GOSamrakshana Shala Director KHarinath Reddy, deputy execu-tive officer Varalakshmi andothers were present.

Earlier, specialabhishekam wasperformed to the presidingdeity of Sri VenugopalaSwamy followed byGopuja event

In the other match,Chhattisgarhdefeated ACAPresident's XI by fivewickets. In the rain-hit match,Puducherrydefeated MadhyaPradesh by 39 runs

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Bounce, India's first and fastestgrowing dockless bike sharingplayer, on Friday announced itsplan to launch 100 electricscooters in Tirupati by the endof this year. Bounce made anofficial announcement at anevent attended by TirupatiMLA Bhumana KarunakarReddy and Commissioner ofTirupati MunicipalCorporation and Smart CityCEO PS Girisha. The corpora-tion is currently working withdifferent stakeholders, includ-ing auto unions, to convertauto-rickshaws into battery-operated vehicles.

"Bounce electric scootersare aimed at encouraging com-muters to opt for eco-friendlyshared transport, and in doingso, reducing traffic congestionand pollution. We are lookingforward to launching 100 elec-tric scooters in the TempleCity", said Bounce's CEO andCo-founder VivekanandaHallekere. Commenting onthe launch, PS Girisha,Municipal CommissionerTirupati and Smart City CEO,said: "This is a commendableinitiative by Bounce and we areenthusiastic about their plan todeploy electric scooters inTirupati.

In our effort to make the citypollution free, this will be thefirst step towards the adoptionof sustainable mode of sharedtransportation".

Tirupati MLA BhumanaKarunakar Reddy said:"Tirupati is growing rapidlyand we need bike sharing ser-vices. With Bounce, both res-idents of Tirupati and pil-grims will have access to green-er as well as cleaner commut-ing options".

Bounce currently operatesin the city of Bengaluru with7,000 dockless scooters. The

Bounce app allows the users topick up a scooter and drop itat any legitimate parking lot.The company has started itsoperations in Bengaluru inSeptember 2018 and has doneover five million rides, cover-ing 30 million km. With strongpresence in Bengaluru andHyderabad, the company isnow planning to expand itsfleet in other cities.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019 vijayawada 03

CAPSULE

KRISHNASTAMICELEBRATED INTIRUMALATirumala: The annual festival SriKrishnastami was celebratedwith religious fervour in Tirumalaon Friday. Special abhishekamwas performed to the KaliyaMardana Sri Krishna atGogarbham Gardens in Tirumalaunder the aegis of garden wingof TTD. Deputy director ofgarden department Srinivasuluperformed the abhishekam withmilk, curd, honey, turmeric andcoconut water. This wasfollowed by Utlotsavam whereenthusiastic youth took part inthe traditional mud pot breakingfete. Special grade deputyexecutive officer Parvathi, KKCdeputy executive officerNagaratna and other officerswere also present.Gopujotsavam was performedwith celestial fervour in TirumalaGosala. The cattle were finelydecked and special puja wasperformed.

TDP-BJP painting YSRCPgovt anti-Hindu: VishnuPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Senior YSR Congress Party(YSRCP) leader andVijayawada Central MLAMalladi Vishnu lashed out atthe propaganda in a section ofPress against the YSRCP gov-ernment and condemnedattempts by the TDP and BJPto paint the Andhra Pradeshgovernment headed by YSJaganmohan Reddy as an anti-Hindu one.

With the directive of thethen Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu, APSRTCtickets bore advertisementsrelating to various faiths andschemes. They also carried hisname as per an order to RTC.It was specifically on the gov-ernment's orders that Naidu'sname was prominently fea-tured on bus tickets, Vishnureminded mediapersons.

The YSRCP leader toldreporters that maximum dam-age to the prestige of Hindufaith was caused under theTDP rule. He recalled that anumber of priests took to thestreets to protest against injus-tice rendered to Hindu faithunder the TDP regime.Similarly, 29 innocent pil-grims died during thePushkaraalu due to Naidu'sthoughtless decision inRajamahendravaram.

It was during the TDP

regime that pujas, which wereviolative of shastras, were per-formed at Kanakadurga tem-ple and other shrines. TheTDP is trying to project theYSRCP as an anti-Hindu partyafter its miserable failure in theAssembly elections. The seniorYSRCP leader said that actionwould be taken against peopleindulging in malicious propa-

ganda of this kind.BJP State Chief Kanna

Lakshminarayana made a sim-ilar comment on the issuesrelated to RTC tickets and thedeath of 100 cows at Gosala."This is unfortunate. Whatabout the death of cows atSimhachalam Gosala duringthe TDP rule? Will the BJPtake the responsibility for

that?" he asked. Dr YSRajasekhara Reddy was a truefriend of Hindus and extend-ed all help to priests, Vishnurecalled and opined that thelate Chief Minister hadincreased the budget for cer-tain pujas and rituals in tem-ples. Similarly, YS JaganmohanReddy's government views allsegments of society equally. Itdoes not discriminate betweencastes, classes or faiths, hepointed out.

The people of the State hadtaught the TDP a fitting lessonand gave it only 23 seats, hesaid and added that the BJPfailed to win even a single seat.It is ironical that these partiesshould criticise YSRCP, headded.

n The YSRCP leader told reporters that maximumdamage to the prestige of Hindu faith was causedunder the TDP rulen YSRCP MLArecalled that anumber of prieststook to the streets toprotest againstinjustice rendered toHindu faith underthe TDP regime

n Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddywas a true friend of Hindusand extended all help topriests, Vishnu recalled andopined that the late ChiefMinister had increased thebudget for certain pujas andrituals in temples

n Similarly, YS Jaganmohan Reddy's governmentviews all segments of society equally. It does notdiscriminate between castes, classes or faiths, hepointed out

BJP State Chief Kanna Lakshminarayana made asimilar comment on the issues related to RTCtickets and the death of 100 cows at Gosala. "Thisis unfortunate. What about the death of cows atSimhachalam Gosala during the TDP rule? Willthe BJP take the responsibility for that?" he asked.

Amara Raja sets up EVbattery charging stations PNS n TIRUPATI

In a bid to promote India'smove towards EV adoption,Amara Raja installs EV batterycharging/swapping stations,along with a fleet of e-Autos inTirupati. The initiative isundertaken in collaborationwith the Tirupati MunicipalCorporation as a part of itsSmart City programme.

The inauguration of thesame happened in the presenceof Girisha PS, IAS,Commissioner, MunicipalCorporation of Tirupati,Bhumana Karunakar Reddy,MLA, Tirupati, H HarinathaRao, CMD of APSPDCL, andother senior officials of AmaraRaja.

The launch of the fleet of e-Autos and EV charging/swap-ping station is a technologicaldemonstration of Amara RajaGroup's capabilities and com-mitment in the e-Mobility seg-ment.

The lithium ion batterypacks and EV battery charging/swapping stations aredesigned and developed inthe state-of-the-art R&D facil-ities of Amara Raja.

The company has recentlyadded a lithium ion batterypack manufacturing facility of500MWH capacity at itsTirupati manufacturing unit.EV charging infrastructure

plays a key role in enablingproliferation of e-Mobility inthe country and thereforeAmara Raja is offering lithiumion battery packs, charging sta-tions and fleet operation solu-tions as an end-to-end package

to its customers.Speaking on the occasion,

Ramachandra N Galla,Chairman, Amara Raja Group,says "Amara Raja is committedto take part in the govern-ment's initiatives to drive greenmobility in the country.

Amara Raja is closely watch-ing trends and emerging busi-ness opportunities in the arenaof electric mobility and hastaken concrete steps towardsenhancing its R&D capabilities,so as to develop battery packsfor electric mobility and EVcharging stations".

Bounce to launch e-Scootersin Tirupati by 2019-end

n Tirupati MLA BhumanaKarunakar Reddy said: "Tirupatiis growing rapidly and we needbike sharing services. WithBounce, both residents ofTirupati and pilgrims will haveaccess to greener as well ascleaner commuting options"

n Bounce currentlyoperates in the city ofBengaluru with 7,000dockless scootersn The Bounce app allowsthe users to pick up ascooter and drop it at anylegitimate parking lot

n Important step towardsmaking one of the most visitedpilgrim cities in the country, agreen city

n Women Drivers to run theE-Auto fleet encouraging Self-employment

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Indonesian pulp and papergiant Asia Pulp and Paper(APP) has dismissed rumoursthat it has backed out of aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) to con-struct the world's biggest paperand board mill inRamayapatnam, on the coastof Andhra Pradesh. After achange of government there,local media published reportsthat the new Chief Ministerhad created a hostile environ-ment for deals concludedunder the then Chief MinisterN Chandrababu Naidu, andthat APP consequently can-celled the MoU early this year.

A spokesperson from APPdismissed the reports. "APP isstill evaluating the economicand logistical considerationsfor the development of a pulpand paper mill atRamayapatnam, including sitesuitability, adequate water sup-ply, regulatory approvals andthe supply of sustainable plan-tation wood," he said.

"Contrary to speculation inthe media, no decision has yetbeen taken to commence orwithdraw the proposed devel-opment at this time", he added.The proposed APP Mill would

be able to produce five milliontonnes of paper and boardgrades at the $3.5 billioncoastal facility. "Environmentalapprovals for it are still pend-ing. Participation from theState government would beparticularly important interms of water supply to themill", he added. Sources closeto the MoU suggest that itsconstruction is envisaged as along-term project that maystretch over the next 10 years.

mara Raja is offering lithium ion battery packs, charging statiomara Raja isoffering lithium ion battery packs, charging statio

The proposed APP Millwould be able to producefive million tonnes ofpaper and board gradesat the $3.5 billion coastalfacility. Environmentalapprovals for it are stillpending

Asia Paper & Pulpdismisses reports ofbacking out

Will decentraliseadministrativesetup: Buggana - Continued from P1

While Naidu assured abeautiful Capital forAndhra Pradesh, your gov-ernment is more worriedabout expenditure on theCapital. Could you pleaseelaborate your stand?

Our Government wel-comes judicious and pur-poseful expenditure. IfNaidu's Singapore-typeCapital happens here, thepeople of the State have topay the interest for Rs 1 lakhcrore debt. Is it justified? Wewant to assure the people ofAP, a debt-free and liability-free State as we are practical.One must understand thatour Government is not livingin dreams.

PC gets SC protection, butno freedom - Continued from P1

Mehta vehemently opposed theorder granting protection fromarrest to Chidambaram in themoney laundering case andsaid that the probe agency "hascollected innumerable evidenceto show that the money hasbeen transferred from one com-pany to another shell company".

He said Chidambaramamassed 11 properties outsidethe country and has 17 bankaccounts, not only in India butalso abroad, and the money wastransferred through a web ofshell companies.

Mehta said that lot of "hueand cry" and "political vendet-ta" is alleged by petitioner(Chidambaram) and his partycolleagues but "I am sayingwith a great sense of responsi-bility that this is a case ofmoney laundering of a monu-mental magnitude".

He said custodial interroga-tion of Chidambaram wasneeded to unravel the truth andclaimed that while being Unionfinance minister he had askedIndrani and Peter Mukherjea to"take care of his son" when shehad met with him in 2007regarding FIPB approval fortheir company INX Media.

Mehta said they need to con-front Chidambaram with theevidences collected so far,including some e-mail andmoney transaction, as severalpersons who have created theshell companies have executeda will in the name ofChidambaram's granddaugh-ter. Mehta said Chidambaramhas been evasive in his replies,refused to divulge anything andhave not cooperated in theprobe. "Custodial interrogationof the accused is necessary tounravel the truth which cannotbe done under the protectiveumbrella of anticipatory bail," hesaid and insisted that the courtshould go through the casediary and satisfy its consciencebefore granting any relief to theformer minister.

At the outset, Sibal said thatit is violation of his fundamen-tal right under Article 21 of theConstitution, that his petitionchallenging the high court orderwas not heard by the apexcourt on July 20 and 21 and hewas arrested on the Wednesdaynight.

"My rights under Article 21cannot be frustrated", he saidand added that the high court,while rejecting the anticipatorybail plea, had taken on record

a note submitted by the ED,which was not evenargued."Word by word, commafor comma and full stop for fullstop, even adjectives werecopied as it was in the note andpara-wise noting was done,"Sibal said and added that if thecourts are going to copy-pastefrom a note of probe agenciesthen how will common peopleprotect themselves.

Singhvi said that in the antic-ipatory bail rejection order ofthe ED case, the high courtshould not have made observa-tions with regard to Aircel-Maxis cases.

The apex court was hearingtwo separate petitions filed byChidambaram challenging theDelhi High Court August 20verdict by which his anticipato-ry bail was dismissed in thecases registered by both theagencies-- CBI and ED.

The CBI had registered anFIR on May 15, 2017, allegingirregularities in the ForeignInvestment Promotion Board(FIPB) clearance granted to theINX Media group for receivingoverseas funds of Rs 305 crorein 2007 during Chidambaram'stenure as the finance minister.

Thereafter, the ED lodged amoney laundering case in 2017.

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

A devastating communalsentiment has swept manyregions of the country in therecent past, affecting a num-ber of lives. During thesetimes of communal turmoil,little gestures of peace act likea soothing balm. One suchgesture was made by a mus-lim woman, who dressed herkids as Lord Krishna andRukmini for a fancy dresscompetition on the occasionof Janmashtami.

The rare gesture came tolight in Kakatiya School ofJammikunta where Shaheda,a muslim woman dressedher children Mohsin andSabeena as lord Krishna andSatyabhama. Shaheda's ges-ture has won the accoladesfrom many and people wereoverwhelmed. The parents ofother students commendedher for taking up a task thatmirrors the oneness and reli-gious unification.

Muslim womandresses herkids as lordKrishna

Taking healthcare to thenext levelPNS n HYDERABAD

Anvaya is an online health-care platform for the elder-ly, which provides healthcareand utility services. AHyderabad-based Eldercarecompany Anvaya is initiat-ing the healthcare digitaltransformation and has nowexpanded to cities likeBangalore and Chennai.

They also launched themobile App, 'AnvayaaKincare', using which onecan facilitate the well-beingof their loved ones past theirprime needs. The servicesencompass the whole spec-trum of healthcare servicesalong with necessities. Keyservices including bookingdoctor appointments, con-sultation, diagnostic ser-vices, pharmacy services,preventive health checkups,home healthcare Services,assitance during surgeries,and also with daily house-hold chores, such asplumber, carpenters, electri-cians to eldery.

"Supporting the elderlypopulation with their healthrequirements is a delight.The global population ofpeople aged 60 and older isexpected to be more thandouble from 900 million in2015 to about 2 billion in2050. We at Anvayaa arecommitted to understand,customise and executehealth related services forthe comfort and conve-nience of the elders inIndia," said PrashanthReddy Director of Anvaya,Elderly Care Services. "Bydoing this we are changingthe way healthcare servicesare delivered and accessed tothe elder ones," he added.

K VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

Telangana Congress, whichhad done its intensive mem-bership drive last year, is lag-ging behind the BJP in termsmembership. The ruling TRSand BJP have completed theirmembership drives and crit-icizing each other on thenumber of membership. TheBJP stood in second placewith 31 lakh members afterTRS, which has 60 lakh mem-bers in its kitty. The Congresshad done its intensive mem-bership drive last year and ithad 19 lakh party members inthe state.

The ruling party in the state,TRS and ruling party at theCentre, BJP is indulging inblame game and are conduct-ing press conferences com-petitively to criticize each otheron every day basis. The sparbetween these two parties isconfusing Congress literally.The confused Congress is try-ing hard to criticize both TRSand BJP. However, TRS almoststopped criticizing Congresstargeting fully BJP.

On the other hand, bothTRS and BJP are busy withtheir membership drive allthese days. Ruling TRS hasclosed its membership drive onAugust 22. Speaking on the

day, TRS' working presidentKT Rama Rao stated that theirtotal membership enrollmentstood at 60 lakh, including 20lakh active members. He crit-icized state BJP alleging thatthe TRS active members are 20lakh and more than BJP's totalmembership of 12 lakh. TRSconducts its membership drivefor every two years. Last time(in 2017), the TRS member-ship was 60 lakh. The partyChief K Chandrasekhar Raohanded over then a cheque ofRs 9,88,66000 as insurancepremium to the insurancecompany for the 60 lakh mem-bers of the party. This time too,the TRS party is offering insur-ance to its members.

The state Congress is notdoing its membership drivethis year as it did last year. The

party has to wait another fouryears for the membershipdrive. As per Congress partyconstitution, it will conduct itsmembership drive for everyfive years though it will givemembership through onlineon any day. This has resulted

the party to lag behind the saf-fron party.

The party official spokesper-son G Niranjan said that ear-lier the party used to take upmembership drive for everythree years but the partychanged it to for every fiveyears. "We will take up mem-bership drive in 2023 as wealready taken it up in 2018", hetold to 'The Pioneer' overphone from Delhi. He said thatthe people have a chance totake the party membershipanytime during five years. "Wewill take up intensive member-ship drive for every five yearsonly", he said. He made itclear that it will not harmparty interest any way. The gapis better for the membership,he defended.

On the other hand, the BJPleaders said that they gave 13lakh new memberships thisyear. They have already 18 lakhold members. Their totalmembership is 31 lakh, theysaid. State BJP will take upmembership for every threeyears. The BJP membershipdrive was closed on August 20.Interestingly, the BJP crossedthe Congress, which has 19lakhs members, and has 12lakh more members thanCongress now. The total votersin the state as per ElectionCommission are 2,80,64,680.

BJP overtakes Cong in membership

The BJP stood insecond place with31 lakh membersafter TRS, whichhas 60 lakhmembers in itskitty. Congress has19 lakh partymembers in thestate

HC issues summons to EOsHYDERABAD: The Telangana HighCourt on Friday issued summonsto the district educational officersof four districts of the state in acontempt case. The case wasfiled by the qualified candidates ofDSC-1998 teachers' recruitment. Ithas also issued directions for theissuance of the notices to theDEOs for their appearance beforethe court. The High Court laterposted the case till September 5for their appearance.

PIL on AarogyasridismissedHYDERABAD: The TelanganaHigh Court on Friday dismisseda Public Interest Litigation byterming it as infructuous. Thepetition was filed by one PeralaSekhar Rao, a social activistfrom LB Nagar urging the HC todeclare the action of the stategovernment and the TelanganaNetwork Hospitals Association tosuspend cashless Aarogyasrihealthcare services as illegalunconstitutional. He also urgedthe HC to direct the stategovernment and the associationto resume the implementationthe Aarogyasri schemeimmediately besides directingthe state government tostrengthen government hospitalsin all over the Telangana insteadof providing huge budget forprivate hospitals of the state. Adivision bench of the High Courtcomprising of the Chief JusticeOf the state Justice RS Chauhanand Justice Shameem Akhtartold the petitioner that hispetition had turned out to beinfructuous as the services havebeen resumed in the state.

Student dies of fever,unions stage dharnaMancherial: Another stu-dent of a Tribal WelfareResidential School died ofacute fever at his residence atKarshalaghattam village inThandur mandal onThursday. Holding the war-den of the hostel responsiblefor his death, students unionsstaged a dharna demandingjustice for the parents of thestudent.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019 region 04

Asiatic Lions toroar in Vizag zooPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Indira Gandhi Zoological Park(IGZP) received a pair ofAsiatic Lions from SakkarbaugZoo in Gujarat under an ani-mal exchange programme.The Vizag zoo, which is theonly wild dog breeding centre,will give five wild dogs inexchange of the two lions.

The animals were transport-ed in Okhla-Puri Express thatreached the city accompanied byZoo animal keepers and officialsfrom the two zoos.

The wild dogs will be leav-ing on August 25 on-boardPuri-Okhla express.

The Asiatic lions are nowunder observation at theIGZP's animal rescue centre.They will be released to theenclosure after the quarantineperiod, according to the cura-

tor, Yasoda Bai.The agreement on animal

exchange was made in 2016 atthe annual conference ofIndian zoos held at Guwahati,where 34 zoos from acrossIndia participated.

The last animals received bythe zoo under the animalexchange programme were chimpanzees from Israel. However, one of the chimps, aged around 21years.

Asiatic Lion

The Asiatic lionsare now underobservation at theIGZP's animalrescue centre

YLMC pipeline project back in the limelightPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The Yeleru left main canal(YLMC) pipeline projectplanned over a stretch of 153kms has resurfaced after yearsas the water is touching its fulllevel. Greater VisakhapatnamMunicipal Corporation(GVMC) could not initiatethe project due to financialconstraint.

The YLMC is an open canaland brings water fromGodavari/Yeleru reservoir tothe city. The estimated cost forlaying pipelines was around Rs2, 000 crore.

GVMC has been preparinga detailed project reports(DPRs) to augment the storagevolumes of several tanks as analternative option. These tanksinclude 'Kondakarla Ava' inMunagapaka, Penjeruvu, VKSagaram tank in Rayavaram,and Gopalapatnam Awa inPayakaraopeta.

However, the Yeleru pipelineproject is being considered asthe best alternative plan forconstructing summer waterstorage tanks or augmentingstorage of some tanks toresolve the water problem ofthe city. The pipeline projectwould have no maintenanceand the civic body need not

acquire land unlike in the caseof summer water storage tanks.

Vizag MP MVVSatyanarayana said that theavailability of water plays anessential role for the func-tioning and development ofany city.

"Several industries of the cityhave already come forward tofund to the tune of Rs 1,200

crore for the Yeleru pipelineproject. We have to exploreoptions to raise the remainingfunds.

I would try my best to get agood chunk of funds for theproject from the Union gov-ernment. I convened a meet-ing with the GVMC officialsregarding the project recently,"he said.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The city police on Fridayarrested a four-member gang,including two women, oncharges of kidnapping chil-dren and selling them formoney. They also nabbed threepersons for purchasing kidsfrom the gang and two more,who helped the kidnappers.

Police found that the ganghad kidnapped five childrenand sold four of them at pricesranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs1.20 lakh. Four children havebeen rescued.

The arrested have been iden-tified as kingpin B Nagamani,J Anand alias Chandu aliasSekhar, T Sumanth Kumar, MLakshmi, all residents fromvarious parts of Visakhapatnamwhile the mediators include MJyothi and Ch Devi.

Addressing a press confer-ence here, Commissioner ofPolice RK Meena said the gangwas busted while investigatingthe Simhachalam kidnappingcase, which was reported onAugust 5.

On August 5, one NKanthamma from Paderulodged a complaint withGopalapatnam Police Stationthat her two-year-old son NAbhiram was kidnapped bySekhar, who knew her fromSimhachalam, when she had

gone to the wash room. Afterregistering a case, the policetook the accused into custodyand rescued the baby with thehelp of CCTV footage.

As a part of further investi-gation, the police came toknow that Chandu alias Sekharwas not alone and that therewas a gang committing thecrime since 2016, Meena said.

The Commissioner said it allstarted in 2016, whenNagamani, a resident ofArilova, who runs a prostitu-tion business, informedSumanth, with whom she hadan illegal affair that her sisterSathyavathi in Eluru was inneed of children. Sumanth dis-cussed with her and hatched aplan to kidnap a poor child and

hand over to Sathyavathi wherethey could earn easy money.

In November 2016, the duokidnapped an eight-month-old girl, who was with a beggarnear VUDA Park area andsold her to Sathyavathi's hus-band B Rambabu for Rs 50,000.After the incident, Sumanth leftfor Vizianagaram, butNagamani decided to commit

more offences to make easymoney.

In 2017, Nagamani dis-cussed about the kidnappingidea with J Anand aliasChandu, who is an auto-rick-shaw driver from Arilova.Later, Anand sold his daugh-ter to one MohammedZiauddin for Rs 1 lakh.

Continuing their crimes, inJuly 2017, the duo kidnappeda girl from Arilova. After policelaunched a man-hunt, the duoapproached the police withthe baby saying that they foundher in some area and escaped,RK Meena said. Yet again inNovember 2018, they kid-napped a two-year-old boyfrom Bheemili and sold to Ch

Eswara Rao at Nakkapalle forRs 1.20 lakh. Their next kid-napping was Simhachalamwhere they were caught, headded.

DCP (Zone II) B UdayBhakasar said that the duo con-duct dry runs at various areasin auto before committing theoffence.

"Since Nagamani, given herbusiness interests, has manycontacts. In Whatsapp, sheshares photographs of chil-dren they had kidnapped. Towhomever they sell, theyinform them that these chil-dren are orphans, separatedfrom parents, beggars and con-vince them", Uday Bhaskarsaid.

City cops bust child kidnappers gang

Commissioner of Police RK Meena addressing the media with regard to the busting of the child kidnappers gang inVisakhapatnam on Friday

As a part of further investigation, the policecame to know that Chandu alias Sekhar wasnot alone and that there was a gangcommitting the crime since 2016, Meena said.The Commissioner said it all started in 2016,when Nagamani, a resident of Arilova, whoruns a prostitution business, informedSumanth, with whom she had an illegal affairthat her sister Sathyavathi in Eluru was inneed of children. Sumanth discussed with herand hatched a plan to kidnap a poor child andhand over to Sathyavathi where they couldearn easy money

The Yeleru left main canal (File photo)

the Yeleru pipeline project is being consideredas the best alternative plan for constructingsummer water storage tanks or augmentingstorage of some tanks to resolve the waterproblem of the city

Steel units to adopt cost-cutting measures PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

As the steel market is facinga slowdown, steel industrieswould have to adopt the cost-cutting measures in India tosurvive the tough time, saidPK Rath, the Chairman andManaging Director ofR ashtriya Ispat NigamLimited (RINL), the corpo-rate entity of VisakhapatnamSteel Plant.

Delivering the key-noteaddress at the one-day sem-inar on cost-effective tech-nologies and market for longproducts, organised by themagazine, Steel andMetallurgy, here on Friday,Rath said that the steel mar-ket is witnessing a downturnat present and he also exud-ed confidence that the slug-ging steel market would beovercome in the comingmonths and there is need forthe Union Government tolend a helping hand to thesteel industry.

He said the long-term

prospects for steel marketwere very bright, but in theshort time the industry

would have to come to gripswith such difficulties. Steel,he said, was a cyclical market.

"The Visakhapatnam steelplant is adopting all cost-cut-ting measures and producingquality steel as well to caterto the market needs,' headded.

"The forged wheel plant ofthe RINL at Rai Bareliwould be ready for commis-sioning in September. Wehave all the facilities in ourintegrated steel plant.

These difficult days forthe steel units will not lastlong. We are hopeful of bet-ter days soon, though thefirst quarter was not veryencourag ing , " he s a idadding it was necessary forthe steel industry to adoptEco- f r iendly me asures and to inves t in such technologies.

Nirmalya Mukherjee, theeditor of the magazine whomoderated the debate, saidthe Union Government'splan to invest Rs 20 lakhcrore on infra developmentwould give a tremendousboost to the steel sector.

NO COMPROMISE ON QUALITY STEEL: RINL CMD

Rath said that the steel market iswitnessing a downturn at present and healso exuded confidence that the sluggingsteel market would be overcome in thecoming months

RINL CMD PK Rath addressing the one-day seminar on cost-effective technologiesand market for long products in Visakhapatnam on Friday

Janmastami celebrated with religious fervour PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Janmastami was celebrated withreligious fervor all over the city.Despite the rain whole day,devotees thronged temples andvarious places all day long.The main even was held at ASRaja College grounds wherethe local branch of InternationalSociety for KrishnaConsciousness launched threeday celebrations since Fridaymorning.

The organizers are expectingthat over one lakh devotees par-ticipating in the three day fes-tival.

A special mandapam wascreated to perform HariNamaJapaYagna. Devoteesentered the mandapam with asankalpam chanting HareKrishna Mantra 108 times.Inside the mantapam therewere 108 tiles layed in asequence. Devotees stepped oneach tile to chant the mantraonce thus finishing their vowbefore they exit the mantapam.

Last time around 20, 000 devo-tees chanted the mantra thisreaching the figure to completeSahasra Hari Nama Japam.

Lord Krishna in baby formwas gently rocked on a grandcradle on this day. Devotees willparticipate in swinging theLord marking his divineappearance. Two grandabhishekam was held on Fridayand another would be held onSaturday night.

Devotees thronged in hugenumbers to watch this eyecatching abhishekam with soulstirring kirtans. People alsovisited various temples in thecity and many places all overnorth coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Devotees seen at Krishna temple in Visakhapatnam on the occasion ofJanmastami in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The organizers areexpecting that overone lakh devoteesparticipating in thethree day festival.

Microsoft, ISB ink pact toset up AI digital labPNS n HYDERABAD

IT giant Microsoft and IndianSchool of Business (ISB) havesigned an MoU to set up an AI(Artificial Intelligence) DigitalLab and also offer an executiveprogramme titled 'LeadingBusiness Transformation in theAge of AI' at the B-School'scampus. Speaking about the tie-up with ISB, Amit Maheshwari,President, Microsoft India saidAI is a game-changer to drivenew business models and trans-form today's businesses andworkplaces.

"With this coming togetherof ISB and Microsoft, it is aunique opportunity to increasethe innovation with AI inbusinesses. Our new partner-ship with ISB will empowerbusiness leaders to increasetheir tech intensity and domore with AI," Maheswarisaid.

ISB Dean Rajendra Srivastavasaid the collaboration withMicrosoft India will enable the

institution to use AI to under-stand new phenomena that arerelevant for business as well aspolicy and subsequently dis-seminate the knowledge to busi-ness leaders who will lead totransform their businessesthrough artificial intelligence tocompete effectively.

The ISB expects to see about1000 CXOs undergoing thethree-day non-technical pro-gramme in the next three tofour years, Anand Nanad-kumar, associate dean of the B-School said adding the pro-

gramme will begin fromOctober. The AI digital Labpowered by PlatiFi technologies,a Microsoft partner, will providean opportunity for ISB toenhance its research eminencethrough unique insights that willbe derived from the researchconducted by the lab which willalso likely to have a significantimpact on business and policynot just in India but all over theworld, a joint press release said.Microsoft will support ISB withbest in class infrastructure accessto cloud and AI tools, it said.

CONGRESS TO UP THE ANTE AGAINST TRSPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Congress leadersare intensifying their fightagainst the alleged corruptionin irrigation projects in theState. The Congress party hasplanned to take up two pro-grammes on August 26. TheTPCC chief N Uttam KumarReddy will visit the Pranahithariver flow at Thummidihettialong with MPs, MLAs, MLC,former Ministers and otherleaders. On the other hand, onthe same day, Bhongir MPKomatireddy Venkat Reddywill take up 'Padayatra' from

Udaya Samudram, Nalgondato Jalasoudha, Hyderabadalong with 5,000 farmersdemanding the State govern-ment to complete UdayaSamudram project immedi-ately.

In Thummidihetti pro-gramme, the Congress leaderswould examine the Pranahithariver flow at Thumidihettispot. It may be recalled that thethen Congress governmenthad taken up Pranahitha-Chevella project with Rs

38,000 crore estimated amountaiming to irrigate 16.5 lakh

acre. However, the TRS gov-ernment had redesigned the

Pranahitha-Chevella projectand changed the project con-struction spot fromThummidihetti to Kaleswaramby constructing barrage atMedigadda.

The Congress is arguing thatthe water would have suppliedthrough gravity if constructedproject at Thummidihetti andthe project would have com-pleted much before. TheCongress was also arguing thatthe project would have com-pleted as a national project

without burdening the people. To examine Pranahitha river

flow at Thummidihetti, theTelangana Congress had takenup a tour programme toThummidihetti. TPCC ChiefN Uttam Kumar Reddy, MLCT Jeevan Reddy, MPs, MLAs,TPCC working presidents, for-mer Ministers, candidates con-tested elections in Assemblyfrom Karimnagar andAdilabad district will partici-pate in the tour. The leaderswill through train up to SirpurKagaz Nagar. There from theywill go by road to reachThummidihetti.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Congress MP fromBhongir KomatireddyVenkat Reddy has submit-ted a memorandum toNational High-WayAuthority of India chair-man Nagendranath Sinhaon Friday at Delhi in regardto development of roads inthe State. In his memoran-dum, Komatireddy urgedSinha to develop the NH-163 (Yadadri- Warangal)besides allocating funds toAlair-Jeedikal Service Roadto develop it as a four-laneroad.

BJP hopesconsolidateposition in TSAVINASH DEEPAK PULIn MAHABUBNAGAR

The Bharatiya Janatha Party iskeen on strengthening itsbase in Mahabubnagardistrict and openedthe gates for allthe parties, par-ticularly, on theeve of the visit ofUnion HomeMinister AmitShah to Hyderabadon Saturday. Leaders,including DK Arunaand AP Jithender Reddy aretaking every possible step toattract the cadre from theCongress and TRS in the dis-tricts like Mahabubnagar andGadwal and they are targetingthe two parties from the rootsto inflict heavy loss on thoseparties. In Gadwal, theCongress party, as per the

version of the BJP leader DKAruna, would be wiped outcompletely though certainopponents of the former

Minister say that she maynot influence the cadre

of the Congress sub-sequent to herdefection to theBJP.

However, theCongress dissi-

dents are keen onjoining the BJP say-

ing that the acquain-tance with the ruling

party would ultimately helpthem secure the developmenteasily. In Mahabubnagar dis-trict, former MP AP JithernderReddy is eyeing on the TRScadre and he has reportedlychalked out a plan of action todecimate the party roots in thepockets where his personalhold is evident.

Not leavingCongress:DamodaraNarasimhaPNS n HYDERABAD

Congress senior leader andformer Deputy Chief MinisterDamodara Raja Narasimhahas expressed anger over therumors spread over socialmedia that he is shifting hisloyalties to BJP. Hestated that someare deliberatelyspreading falsenews. Hemade it clearthat he is notleaving the Congress party atany cost. In a statement onFriday, he said that he is verymuch in Hyderabad city. "Ididn't meet anybody", he said.On Friday, news had spread insocial media that DamodaraRajanarasimha is joining BJPalong with his wife PadminiReddy. It may be recalled thatPadmini Reddy joined BJPbefore Assembly elections inthe morning and left in theevening.

n Komatireddy to take up ‘padayatra' from Nalgonda to Hyderabad on Monday

DevelopYadadri-WarangalHighway:Komatireddy

PNS n NEW DELHI

Hate for the BJP has beenplanted in the minds of minori-ties for 70 years and it cannotbe wiped out in 70 days orseven years, Union ministerMukhtar Abbas Naqvi saidFriday, asserting that the effectof this "poison" is now reced-ing.

Though the BJP was found-ed in 1980, its precursor JanSangh had been active since the1950s.

Naqvi asserted that minori-ties are feeling "completelysafe" under Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's leadershipas he has not indulged in anypolitical exploitation of minori-

ties for votes and has donedevelopment without discrim-ination.

In an interview to PTI, theMinority Affairs Minister saidthe prime minister's populationcontrol pitch cannot be lookedthrough a religious prism andthe government wanted to acton this through awareness andnot by the "Emergency-style"control as done by theCongress.

"A growing economy cannever ignore population explo-sion. Awareness is needed andsociety should be sensitised.Muslim community popula-tion has gone down. Those giv-ing it communal angle have noknowledge," Naqvi said.

"There should be awareness(on population control). itshould be carried out as amission like the cleanlinessdrive for which no law wasmade," he said.

On the acquittal of all

accused in the Pehlu Khanlynching case in Rajasthan,Naqvi said law and order is astate subject and it is theresponsibility of the state gov-ernment to take action againstperpetrators of such crime.

"Any crime that happensshould be dealt with strong-ly...No crime should be lookedupon from the communalangle," he said.

Asked if Prime MinisterModi's popularity amongminorities has gone up afterthe government's triple talaqlaw, Naqvi said the govern-ment's move on triple talaq,Article 370, demonetisationand GST, were reform mea-sures and not intended forpopularity.

However, he said minoritieshave "strong trust" on Modi asthey have realised that there areno riots and no atmosphere ofdiscrimination under the hisleadership.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019 nation 05SHORT READS

Govt's advisers haveadmitted economy indeep mess: RahulNEW DELHI: Congress leaderRahul Gandhi on Friday saidthe government's own advisershad now admitted that thecountry's economy was in a"deep mess" and asked theCentre to remonetise it byputting money in the hands of"the needy and not the greedy".He also said the Congress hadbeen cautioning about the stateof the economy for long."Government's own economicadvisors have finallyacknowledged what wecautioned for long - India'seconomy is in a deep mess."Now, accept our solution andremonetise the economy, byputting money back in thehands of the needy and not thegreedy," Gandhi wrote onTwitter.

Helicopter makesemergency landing inUttarkashi

‘PC's arrest hadsobering effect on Congress’NEW DELHI: In a dig atCongress leaders pitching fornot "demonising" PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, BJP'sAmit Malviya on Friday said thearrest of the former financeminister P Chidambaram had a"sobering effect" on his partycolleagues. Malviya, the IT cellhead of the party, said lawcatching up with Chidambaramhas made other Congressleaders to start "singingpraises" of the prime minister."Law catching up with SoniaGandhi's courtier seems tohave had a sobering effect onother Congress leaders,including Chidambaram'slawyer, who like a canary, aresuddenly singing praises ofPrime Minister Modi," he said.Senior Congress leaders,including Abhishek Singhvi,who is representingChidamabram in court andShashi Tharoor came out insupport of their party colleagueJairam Ramesh who said that"demonising" the primeminister was wrong and heshould be praised for the rightthings he do.

DEHRADUN: A helicopterinvolved in relief operation inthe rain-hit Uttarkashi district ofUttarakhand made anemergency landing at Lagwadaon Friday, officials said.However, both pilot and co-pilot of the helicopter were safeand escaped with minorinjuries, Director General lawand order Ashok Kumar said.The private helicopter made thelanding on the banks of a riverwhen it was on way to Chiwa todistribute relief material amongaffected people, UttarkashiDistrict Magistrate AshishChauhan said. The incidentcomes just two days after ahelicopter involved in reliefefforts in flood-hit Uttarkashidistrict crashed and erupted inflames after it got entangled inthe overhead electricity wires,killing three people on board.

TRIPLE TALAQ

SC agrees to examine validity ofnew law; issues notice to Centre

PNS n LUCKNOW

Samajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav on Friday dis-solved the party's entire UttarPradesh units including thestate executive, and district andyouth wings, sources said, as heattempts a course correctionin the party after its Lok Sabhapoll debacle.

The party, however, hasretained state president NareshUttam, they said.

"Party president AkhileshYadav has dissolved the stateexecutive. All district execu-tives and the executives ofyouth and other wings havealso been dissolved," a seniorparty leader told PTI request-ing anonymity. "A new execu-tives will be formed soon."

The surprise development isbeing seen as an effort by theSP to recover its electoral baseafter its poor performance inthe recent Lok Sabha pollswhen it won just five seats --the same as in 2014 -- despitestitching a pre-poll alliancewith the BSP and the RLD.

Much to the SP's chagrin,while its tally remained stuckat five, the tie-up benefittedMayawati 's BSP, whichbagged 10 seats in the state -- it drew a blank in 2014 gen-eral polls.

What rubbed salt to theSP's wound was the shockdefeat of Dimple Yadav,Akhilesh's wife who hadentered the fray as a sitting MP.She represented the KannaujLok Sabha seat.

Just a day after the LokSabha results were declared,the party chief sacked the

panel of leaders appointed asspokespersons for TV chan-nels.

The appointment of all partypanellists was cancelled in onestroke by the party chief whoalso said that no TV channelshould invite any of them fordebate.

A party insider saidAkhilesh began churning with-in the organisation the veryday the results were out, withover a dozen Assembly by-polls not far away, and the big-ger target of 2022 Assemblyelections in mind.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The centre today opposed for-mer Union Minister PChidambaram's petition forinterim protection from arrestby investigation agencies, say-ing that any such order by theSupreme Court would hinderthe ongoing probe into a caseof "monumental" money laun-dering involving INX Media.

Solicitor General TusharMehta, who was representingthe CBI and the EnforcementDirectorate in the top court,maintained that custodialinterrogation of MrChidambaram was sorelyneeded to unravel transactionsallegedly made through shellcompanies in the case. "I amsaying with a sense of respon-sibility that this is a case ofmoney laundering of a monu-

mental magnitude," he said.The Supreme Court eventu-

ally granted interim protectionfrom arrest to MrChidambaram in the case, andposted the next hearing forMonday. The Congress leader,however, will remain in CBIcustody until then due to the

top court's refusal to interferewith an order delivered in thisregard by a special CBI courtyesterday.

"Having heard the counselsfor the petitioner and SolicitorGeneral Tushar Mehta, we areof the view that the co-accusedwere granted bail in the ED

case. Petitioner shall not bearrested till further hearing ofthe case. List the petition onMonday (August 26). Therespondent shall file their replyand contentions by Monday,"the bench comprising JusticesR Banumathi and AS Bopannasaid.

Mr Chidambaram has beenaccused of facilitating a hugeinfusion of foreign funds intoa television company - INXMedia - in 2007 at the instanceof his son Karti, who alleged-ly received bribes for his role.He was the Union FinanceMinister at the time.

In his objection to grantingMr Chidambaram interim pro-tection, the Solicitor Generalsaid that the EnforcementDirectorate has collected innu-merable pieces of evidence toprove that properties were

bought by the accused both inIndia and abroad. His claimsled to a heated argumentbetween the prosecution anddefence counsel.

Advocates Kapil Sibal andAbhishek Manu Singhvi, whoare arguing Mr Chidambaram'scase in court, said they havefiled a separate petition tochallenge the Special Judge'sorder sending him to CBI cus-tody.

Mr Chidambaram wasarrested amid high drama onWednesday, a day after theDelhi High Court refused togrant him anticipatory bail inthe INX Media case. JusticeSunil Gaur called the formerUnion Minister the "kingpin"in the case, and said that heshould not be given specialtreatment just because he is aparliamentarian.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Fridayagreed to examine the validityof a newly enacted law whichmakes the practice of instantdivorce through triple talaqamong Muslims a punishableoffence entailing imprison-ment of up to three years.

A bench of justices N VRamana and Ajay Rastogiissued notice to the Centre ona batch of petitions seeking todeclare The Muslim Women(Protection of Rights onMarriage) Act 2019 as "uncon-stitutional" on grounds that itallegedly violates the provisionsof the Constitution.

"We will examine this," thebench told senior advocateSalman Khurshid, who wasappearing for one of the peti-tioners.

Khurshid said there weremany dimensions, includingmaking the practice a punish-able offence and jail term of upto three years, which need to beexamined by the top court.

He said the petitioners wereconcerned about making thepractice of triple talaq amongMuslims an offence as theapex court had already

declared it to be null and void."If there is no such thing as

triple talaq then what are theymaking an offence," he told thebench and referred to a five-judge Constitution bench ver-dict which had declared thepractice of triple talaq amongMuslims as null and void.

To this the bench asked,suppose if a religious practiceis declared as null and void and

it is declared as an offence likedowry and child marriage, butif it still goes on then what isthe remedy.

Responding to the query,Khurshid said several aspectshave to be examined and in thetriple talaq matter theConstitution bench had alreadysaid the practice is void.

He said it has to be exam-ined whether the religiouspractice denies the rights to thewoman.

The bench, while agreeing toexamine the validity of the2019 Act, observed that peti-tioners have also raised theissue of punishment of up tothree years and grant of bail tothe husband only after the

woman is heard by the court.A total of four petitions

have been filed in apex courtchallenging the validity of thelaw.

Two Muslim organisationsJamiat Ulama-I-Hind and'Samastha Kerala JamiathulUlema', a religious organisationof Sunni Muslim scholars andclerics in Kerala, have movedthe Supreme Court this monthchallenging the law's validity.

Jamiat Ulama-I-Hindapproached the apex court onThursday.

President Ram Nath Kovindhas given assent to the Actwhich makes 'talaq-e-biddat' orany other similar form of talaqhaving the effect of instanta-neous and irrevocable divorcepronounced by a Muslim hus-band void and illegal.

In the plea filed through

advocate Ejaz Maqbool, JamiatUlama-I-Hind has claimed thatsince the pronouncement oftalaq by a Muslim husbandupon his wife had already beendeclared "void and illegal",there was no requirement toenact the law.

"However, the impugnedAct criminalises the act ofpronouncement of talaq by aMuslim husband and makes ita cognizable offence, withoutappreciating that such pro-nouncement had already beendeclared unconstitutional andamounted to nullity in theeyes of law," the plea said.

Referring to the provision ofthe Act which stipulates pun-ishment of up to three years jailalong with fine, the plea said itis an "ill-conceived provisionwhich imposes excessive anddisproportionate punishment."

The bench, while agreeing to examinethe validity of the 2019 Act, observedthat petitioners have also raised theissue of punishment of up to three yearsand grant of bail to the husband onlyafter the woman is heard by the court

PNS n JAMMU

An Army personnel was killedin Pakistani Army firing alongthe Line of Control (LoC) inJammu and Kashmir's Rajouridistrict on Friday, promptingstrong retaliation from theIndian side, officials said.

The killing of Naik RajibThapa, 34, raised the death tollin the cross-border firing inthe past week to four -- threesoldiers and one civilian.

"Pakistan Army resorted tounprovoked ceasefire violationalong the LoC in Nowsherasector and in the exchange offire, Naik Thapa attained mar-tyrdom," Defence spokesmanLt Col Devender Anand said.

He said Thapa was a brave,highly motivated and sinceresoldier.

"The nation will alwaysremain indebted to him for thesupreme sacrifice and devo-tion to duty," Lt Col Anandsaid.

Thapa was a resident ofMechpara village in Jalpaiguridistrict of West Bengal. He issurvived by wife KhusbuMangar Thapa, the spokesmansaid.

He said the Indian Armyresponded strongly and effec-tively to the ceasefire violationby Pakistan.

Heavy damage to PakistaniArmy posts and casualties toPakistani soldiers have beeninflicted in the retaliatoryaction, he added.

Earlier, officials said the

soldier was manning a forwardpost in Kalsia village ofNowshera sector when it cameunder unprovoked firing fromacross the border in the earlyhours.

The soldier was criticallyinjured and was immediatelyevacuated to a military hospi-tal where he succumbed toinjuries, they said.

Thapa's death was thefourth casualty on the Indianside in Pakistan mortarshelling and small arms firingin the twin districts of Rajouriand Poonch since August 17.

While an Army jawan anda youth were killed and foursoldiers injured in heavyPakistani shelling and firing inMendhar sector of Poonchdistrict on August 20, anoth-er soldier was killed inNowshera sector of Rajouridistrict on August 17.

Officials said thesoldier wasmanning aforward post inKalsia village ofNowshera sectorwhen it cameunderunprovoked firingfrom across theborder in theearly hours

PNS n CHANDIGARH

The floodwater from the del-uged areas of Punjab, partic-ularly Jalandhar, Ropar andFerozepur districts beganreceding on Friday, giving riseto the threat of an outbreak ofepidemic diseases.

With no rains in the pasttwo days, the water in flood-ed areas has started receding,officials said.

The Army and NDRF per-sonnel, however, continue towork overtime to shift peopleout of the flooded areas tosafety, officials said.

The prime concern for thestate health authorities is thepossible outbreak of epidem-ic diseases in the flood-hitareas once the water vanishes,Jalandhar Medical Officer A SDuggal said.

Many people are alreadyaffected by diarrhoea, gas-troenteritis, fungal infectionand skin disease and are beingtreated at different camps, hesaid.

Apprehending the outbreakof various diseases, he said the

cases of water-borne ailmentswould increase in days tocome.

After recent rains and therelease of excess water fromthe Bhakra Dam, the Sutlejriver and its tributaries hadflooded villages in Ludhiana,Jalandhar, Ferozepur andRupnagar in Punjab, causingdamage to the crops and hous-es in low-lying areas.

With no fresh rains in thelast two days, the water hasstarted receding in swollenrivers of Punjab and Haryanabut the farming fields overhundreds of acres and sever-al villages remain inundated,officials said.

BABRI DEMOLITION

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Fridayasked the Uttar Pradesh gov-ernment to pass orders with-in two weeks on extension oftenure of the special judge con-ducting trial in the 1992 BabriMasjid demolition case, involv-ing BJP veterans L K Advani,M M Joshi and Uma Bharti.

A bench of justices R FNariman and Surya Kant saida fresh letter has been writtenby the special judge on July 27in which he had made fiverequests including providinghim security.

The bench asked senioradvocate Aishwarya Bhati,

appearing for the state, to con-sider all the five requests with-in two weeks time saying theserequests appears to be reason-able.

The apex court had on July19 extended the special judge's

tenure till the completion oftrial and delivery of verdict inthe case. However, the stategovernment was yet to pass theorder.

He was also asked by the topcourt to deliver the verdictwithin nine months.

The top court had said thatthe extension of tenure of thespecial judge, who is set toretire on September 30, willonly be for the purpose of con-cluding the trial and deliveringthe verdict in the case.

During the extended tenure,he will remain under theadministrative control of theAllahabad High Court, thecourt had said.

PNS n JAMMU

The Northern Army com-mander visited forward basesin Poonch and Akhnoor sec-tors along the Line of Control(LoC) on Friday and expressedsatisfaction at the measuresadopted by the forces tocounter infiltration.

The visit by General OfficerCommanding, NorthernCommand, Lt Gen RanbirSingh comes in the wake ofnearly a dozen ceasefire vio-lations by Pakistan along theLoC in the twin border dis-tricts of Rajouri and Poonchover the past week that leftthree soldiers and a civiliandead.

He was accompanied byWhite Knight CorpsCommander Lt Gen ParamjitSingh during the visit, adefence spokesman said.

"The Army commanderexpressed satisfaction on mea-sures adopted to strengthencounter-infiltration posturewith increased alertness anduse of high-end technology.He also appreciated the aggres-sive domination of LoC adopt-

ed to give befitting response toadversary's ceasefire viola-tions and tactical actions," theofficial said.

He said the commanderwas also briefed on 'MissionReach Out', an initiativeundertaken to bring normal-cy to the region.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh appre-ciated the coordinationbetween the Army, civiladministration and theCentral Armed Police Force(CAPF), and complementedthe troops for bringing the sit-uation in the districts ofPoonch, Rajouri and Reasiback to normal.

He wasaccompanied byWhite KnightCorpsCommander LtGen ParamjitSingh during thevisit, a defencespokesman said

‘Monumental money laundering by PC’: Govt

Outbreak of diseasesfeared in Punjab

SC asks UP govt to pass ordersin 2 weeks on judge's tenure

Top Army commandervisits forward bases

Akhilesh dissolves SP'sUttar Pradesh units

A growing economycan never ignorepopulation explosion.

Awareness is needed andsociety should be sensitised.Muslim community populationhas gone down. Those giving itcommunal angle have noknowledge

MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVIUnion minister

‘Hate for BJP nursed among minorities for 70 yrs’

Army personnel killedin Pak firing alongLoC in J-K's Rajouri

In a democracy, citizens enjoy the priv-ilege of casting their vote to elect rep-resentatives. In India, we elect leadersright from the panchayat level to theParliament. The right to vote is prized

and all of us are taught about it in our schoolsand universities. We are also reminded aboutthis by politicians of all hues before every elec-tion. It is also a well-established fact that theIndian voter is far more mature now andknows about the “power” of his/her vote. Thiswas proved beyond any doubt to one and all— nationally and internationally — in 1977when the citizens unseated Indira Gandhifrom her traditional family fiefdom in UttarPradesh and simultaneously threw her out ofpower at the national level by decimating herpolitical party. A very interesting interlude fol-lowed her defeat. People had high hopes fromthe next Government as it was supposed towork under the astute guidance of JayaprakashNarayan. Those, who inherited power, couldnot manage the Government. They wereassessed unfit by the people and IndiraGandhi was brought back to power withinthree years. People not only pardoned her butalso taught a lesson to those who could notrise above petty personal feuds as they hadnot “learnt to live and work together.” All this,experts say, is the essence of democracy.

Democracy shines when a humble per-son, setting aside all his/her woes, concernsand stress of providing the next meal, entersthe polling booth and puts his/her finger onthe EVM button. Who can read or visualisewhat clouds their minds in the shape of a bet-ter tomorrow for him/her, the family and forthe little world that deserves outside supporton many counts. The voter is still far from thepromises made in the Constitution of India.One more election opportunity and expec-tations soar again. The Indian voter has alsowitnessed how elected representatives haveoften let them down on several counts. Mostof them vanish for five years, take more inter-est in their own welfare than that of the elec-torate, show little concern and connectivityto their electors, give no dignity to them andafter five years, return with folded hands,pleading for “one more chance.” But if oneweighs the performance of elected represen-tatives on Gandhian expectations, one wouldmostly be disappointed.

Winston Churchill never expected thatIndia could manage its independence. He wasconvinced that Indians were unfit to governthemselves and, hence, the British had to stayon to look after them. It was not easy for himor those of his ilk to see beyond the cobwebsof the much-publicised altruistic perceptionthat the British essentially travelled to Indiato “salvage the souls of the savages.” One couldclaim with a sense of pride and achievementthat whether Churchill liked it or not, Indiahas established its credentials in “how to makeits democracy operational in its minutestnuances.” We could do it as it was not newto democratic practices of governance.

The Ganrajyas of Licchavi and Vaishaliare well-known historical instances. Even atthat time, education for preparing young ones

with a focus on “lot learn to livetogether” began in joint familiesthat accommodated four gener-ations under one roof. It was alsoa ground to teaching them torespect different viewpoints andaccommodate the likes and dis-likes of everyone. Respect fordiversity and the realisation howessential it was, were inherent inthe Indian tradition. Indian cul-ture prepares its children for aduty-bound society that respectsrelationships within the familyand beyond.

It will be worthwhile toremember what Churchill said:“Democracy is the worst form ofGovernment, except for all oth-ers”, which invites learned andinformed deliberations even now.He viewed democratic politicsnot only as an “insurance” forfuture, against external dangers,but also against threats “scarce-ly less grave and much more nearand constant” that threaten us all.India, like every other function-al and dynamic democracy, mustremain conscious of the dangersto its democracy that are emerg-ing within the system from thevery functionaries that areentrusted with the task of sustain-ing and strengthening democra-tic values.

We are all aware how tradi-tional democratic values haveconfronted difficult situationsin the era of globalisation andcommercialisation. They standovershadowed by emergingmaterialist values. On severaloccasions, elected representa-

tives, including those holdingpositions of greater politicalpower, find it difficult to main-tain the right balance betweenIndian perception of democrat-ic public life and the lure of powerand pelf — glamour and glitz ina globalised free-market world.

The chinks emerging in theIndian democracy are not unex-pected. Mahatma Gandhi couldenvision in April 24, 1922, that“As we become independent, allthe defects of the system of elec-tions, injustice, the tyranny of thericher classes as also the burdenof running administration, arebound to come upon us. Peoplewould begin to feel that duringthose days, there was more jus-tice, better administration andpeace and there was honesty toa great extent among the admin-istrators compared to the daysafter Independence.”

When I came across this partof Gandhian writing some fourdecades ago, my simplistic queryto eminent Gandhian personal-ities was: How could Gandhijicultivate such serious apprehen-sions about elections when wehad no such experience in India?They were kind enough toenlighten me that Gandhiji hadstudied the British election sys-tem in-depth and could visualisewhat impact the taste of powerproduces on the majority ofelected representatives.

Having elected 17Parliaments and innumerableState Assemblies, district andpanchayat level bodies, the Indian

voter has seen it all. They are wor-ried and are struggling with theincreasing erosion of credibilityof elected representatives, whounfortunately — exceptions apart— could not live up to expecta-tions. They have seen how rep-resentatives coming from hum-ble backgrounds become bil-lionaires. They know for sure thattheir Minister, Chief Minister orDeputy Chief Minister couldspend anywhere from ̀ 5 crore to`50 crore to refurbish their offi-cial bungalows. Former ChiefMinisters are given huge bunga-lows for life with support staff.When the High Court ruledagainst this practice, the MadhyaPradesh Government found anew way to bypass the court’sorders. Using discretionary quota,it reallotted the same houses.Such instances could be aplenty.

The youth of today mayfind it difficult to believe that themembers of the ConstituentAssembly did not get any salary,let alone pension. They got anallowance of `45 per day for thedays of sitting. And they were theones who got it reduced to `40per day in consideration of thetough economic condition of thecountry.

An eminent expert on thenuances of parliamentarydemocracy and an internation-ally acknowledged scholar andauthor of Our Constitution,Subhash Kashyap brilliantlyanalysed the “rise” of the Indianparliamentarian at the nation-al level in his latest outstanding

treatise, State of the Nation:Democracy Governance andParliament. Members of theConstituent Assembly weremostly freedom fighters andmen and women knownthroughout the length andbreadth of the country for thesacrifices they made. Theyworked tirelessly to give Indiaits Constitution. They gavethemselves a sitting allowanceof `40 per day. Contrast thiswith their successors. Thesalaries and allowances ofMembers of Parliament Act,1954, fixed a salary of ̀ 400 permonth for an MP and a dailyallowance of `21.

After this, there have been29 upward revisions to the Act.There were members, whoseconscience was pricked but theirviewpoint was overlooked by themajority. Nanaji Deshmukh wasone such exception. He raisedthis issue in 2004 and pointedout that “salaries and allowancesof members had gone up 90times during the first 50 years”.But his words made no impact.These upward revisions invari-ably got a full-throated fast-trackapproval from the MPs. Kashyapdescribes the position in itstotality: “At a time when thesalary of a member was only`12,000 per month, Nanaji hadestimated that the direct month-ly expenditure on an MP was atleast ̀ 3 lakh per month. Himselfan MP, he knew first hand. Onthat basis, the present monthlycost of an MP must work outclose to `10 or15 lakh permonth or more, which could befew hundred times the per capi-ta income of an Indian.”

Whenever issues related toMPs or State legislatures comeup during discussions, I aminvariably reminded of theGandhian vision that defects ofelections would weigh heavilyon our people. The resilience ofelectors in democracy may haveits upper limits. It is publicknowledge that each candidateis supposed to submit a detailedstatement of the expenditureincurred during election cam-paigns. They also know that itshould always be within the lim-its prescribed by the ElectionCommission of India.

Every Indian voter would bewilling to say “every one spendsmuch more than what they claimto have spent”, exceptions apart.Is this situation acceptable? Maybe, someday, some young elect-ed representative will launch acampaign against this routinepractice and be hailed as a “hero”striving to restore democratic val-ues. This could be done by someyoung person, who remains hon-est, humble and humane as therepresentative of people.

(The writer is the IndianRepresentative on the ExecutiveBoard of UNESCO)

Smoke from the fires raging across theAmazon rainforest has blanketedseveral Brazilian cities, including

Sao Paulo, in a choking haze — a sightfamiliar to residents of several northIndian cities. Thankfully, because Brazil ishalf a world away, the chances of theclouds of smoke, from what some areclaiming to be the largest wildfire inrecorded history, reaching Indian skies isremote. But that does not mean that Indiawill not suffer the impact of these horren-

dous fires which have been allowed to continue for days, possibly due toacts of omission by the Brazilian Government, elements of whom want toopen up the rainforest land to agriculture and pasture.

The Amazon Rainforest is called the “lung of the world” and while this istechnically not true — biologists have learned that planktons, marine and fresh-water organisms are the biggest oxygen generators — it does soak up largeamounts of carbon. More importantly, it is home to the greatest diversity ofplant, animal and fish life on the planet. Within those organisms might lie thecure for all sorts of diseases or amazing new materials unknown to mankind.These organisms will be wiped clean off the face of the planet without evenbeing discovered. This should be a matter of global concern and Governmentsacross the world should speak up about the tremendous destruction of nature.It is heartening to see that French President Emmanuel Macron has stood upand spoken about the wildfires and how they must be tackled. It would begood if Narendra Modi does the same. While political and economic deci-sions are the prerogative of national Governments, the state of the environ-ment is a global issue since damage to it impacts all of mankind. At a timewhen Governments, from Brazil to India and the US, have all moved into akind of hyper-nationalistic realm and bristle at any “intervention”, the realisa-tion has to come that the world must collaborate on these things — from theAmazon wildfires to the disappearing Himalayan glaciers and the tonnes ofplastic in the sea — because when the catastrophe comes, it will be dev-astating for our species. And unless we figure out a way to reach interstel-lar space and propagate our species to other worlds, we run the risk of goingextinct. The time for action is now because climate change is real.

The political import of the thousands ofDalits marching in Delhi to save theshrine of their saint Ravidas is not just

about claiming rights and space in aBrahminical order or the appropriation of landas evidenced by the parks of their supremeleader Mayawati. It is about equality andcomparative weighing of scales, anotherform of minority assertion in the face of brutemajoritarianism, a question mark on differ-ent approaches to the similarity of contexts,and another manifestation of identity poli-

tics. Besides, Sant Ravidas embodies a socio-cultural idea of India that under-cuts the monolithic imposition of today. Born in the 15th century in Varanasito leather makers, he denounced the Hindu Brahminical order, challengeddeity worship and worked for an egalitarian society against a Hindu Rashtra,becoming the one voice of the marginalised. And such was the power of hismessages that many of his disciples even found mention in the Guru GranthSahib of the Sikhs. None can miss the impactful swathe of this man fromVaranasi, unmistakably a prime political constituency today. Nor can the appro-priation of the “mandir wahin banayenge” slogan be missed as an equalclaimant as the Ram temple in Ayodhya. For starters, both have historicityof belief. Lord Rama was believed to be born in Ayodhya, Guru Ravidas wasbelieved to have visited the Chamarwala Johar in Tughlaqabad 500 yearsago. Like Ayodhya, this memorial site is disputed with facts of 1950 differ-ing from facts of 1963, the latter being accepted by the court as encroach-ment and, therefore, a ground for demolition. Like Ayodhya, status quo hasbeen continuing for years with no party, and even the Delhi DevelopmentAuthority (DDA), carrying out any demolition on the ground. Like Ayodhya,protesters do not want the memorial shifted as a reconciliatory move andwant it on hallowed ground, asking whether Ram temple activists would agreeto a commensurate shift in venue? Besides, Dalit activists argue, the con-struction of Tughlaqabad Ravidas temple is not on the road or creating anyobstruction to the general masses. In fact, it can even be part of the Centre’sforest project and, without any other pressing logic, seems just another harass-ment ploy by the mainstream Right. The latest demolition follows two oth-ers by the DDA, one of Buddha Vihar at Devli Hill, and the other at BhagwanValmiki Mandir in Seemapuri. Which is why the Tughlaqabad incident hassnowballed as a politico-cultural movement, linking both Ravidas andBabasaheb Ambedkar.

The latest round of protests also reflects the growing counter-muscular-ity in the Dalit leadership, being led from the front by Bhim Army chiefChandrashekhar Azad. His agitationist politics is finding resonance given thewaning political influence of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who,while arguing for the restoration of the temple, disagreed with the violenceassociated with it as diluting the key plank. Of course, Behenji still believesAzad to be a foisted creation of the BJP’s ideological parent, the RSS, andthere are still a lot of theories as to whether Guru Ravidas followers are beingcoopted into the Hindutva sub-culture. But considering Azad’s traction amongthe youth across north India and a combined Dalit iconisation of all leaders,it is a constituency strong enough to negotiate with anybody, not only, asalleged by Mayawati many times, the BJP. Azad may have been deployed asa vote-cutter initially but now has a solid consolidation of Dalit youth, whoare countering majoritarian celebrations by scaling up celebrations of GuruRavidas, Valmiki, Dr Ambedkar, a signal that they do not want to be sub-sumed or Sankritised in their thinking. Now that the Bhim Army has startedworking nationwide, Dalit youth are being motivated to assert and not denytheir ancestry. This is important given that the young Dalit vote could be achange-maker in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Only this week, Azadlaunched the Bhim Army Students Federation (BASF) and said he wantedstudents of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other BackwardClasses (OBC) and religious minorities to be aware of both their rights andduties. Clearly, he is creating a new swell in the existing discourse.

The new Dalit identity

Chidambaram’s arrest

Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Chidambaram in a spot”(August 22). Hitherto, hardenedcriminals were known only toplay a cat-and-mouse game withthe law enforcement agencies.Now, a leading politician, who notlong ago was India’s HomeMinister, P Chidambaram, wasallegedly running away from thelaw. But the spectacle surround-ing him finally climaxed with hisarrest by sleuths who hopped overhis plush bungalow’s walls to getto him.

Meanwhile, it is ironical thatChidambaram used to taunt theGovernment how the likes ofVijay Mallya and Nirav Modimanaged to evade the authoritiesand flee abroad. Now, it is theGovernment’s turn to ask himhow he could manage to send theCentral Bureau of Investigation(CBI) and the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) on a wild goosechase.

While politicians are knownto have gotten away with murdergiven their ability to “influence”witnesses, the case againstChidambaram appears to be rel-atively watertight. A key accused

in the INX Media case, firmdirector Indrani Mukerjea hasdeposed against Chidambaramand his son Karti for floutingrules for approval of up to 26 percent foreign investment in hercompany. The reaction ofOpposition parties was on expect-ed lines.

JS AcharyaHyderabad

Let the court decide

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Chidambaram in a spot”(August 22). The spectacle,where officials from the CBI andED arrested former FinanceMinister P Chidambaram fromhis residence, has raised seriousquestions about the conduct of

the investigative agencies.Officials scaled the walls of hisJorbagh residence to arrest him.In a def iant mode,Chidambaram, who is accusedof money laundering and receiv-ing kickbacks in the INX Mediacase, put up a strong defence ofhimself and his family members,saying none of them have beenaccused of any offence by the

probe agencies. Perhaps, it’s best to leave the

matter to the courts. No person,even if he/she has held or isholding a high office, is abovethe law. The investigative agen-cies as well as the courts mustnow follow due processes andensure transparency in the case.

TK NandananChennai

Stop interfering

Sir — It is surprising that despiteIndia having made it amplyclear that no third party inter-vention is needed as far asresolving the Kashmir issue isconcerned, US President DonaldTrump has again offered assistance. He may have therequisite skills to convert a busi-ness deal but when it comes toresolving intractable issuesbetween sovereign countries,it’s a different matter altogether.His negotiations with Kim Jong-un is an example. They haveyielding no results.

ManishaVia email

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

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op nionVIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019

06

For the sake of democracy

JS RAJPUT

Decades after the Indian republic was founded, citizens today are worried about the increasingerosion of credibility of elected representatives who continue enjoying legislative privileges

Indicators suggesting eco-nomic slowdown are a causefor worry but rather than themocking tweets wouldn't itbe wiser to suggest ideas?

Shiv Sena deputy leader —Priyanka Chaturvedi

Artistes are usually emotionaland we tend to react immediate-ly. I have learnt not to react soonand that it is essential to listenand understand the other side.

Actor-comedian—Kapil Sharma

S O U N D B I T E

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

The rule of law must prevail

This refers to the editorial, “Chidambaram in a spot”(August 22). The sequence of events leading up toCongress leader P Chidambaram’s arrest by the

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and his incarcera-tion in the investigative agency’s headquarters had all theingredients of a rivetting drama. The sight of officials fromthe CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) scaling theboundary wall to gain entry into Chidambaram’s house,displaying alacrity and eagerness to please their politi-cal masters, was worthy of a movie scene.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that politicalvendetta is writ large on the exertions made to frameand fix Chidambaram, humiliate and hound him outof the political realm. What stands exposed is that thelaw does not take its own course but one that theGovernment of the day wishes. Fighting corruptionselectively and episodically has become a weapon topin down and ‘punish’ political opponents. The denialof pre-arrest bail by the Delhi High Court, divergingfrom the norm, and the Supreme Court’s refusal to give

an urgent listing to Chidambaram's petition seekingprotection from arrest have inevitably made the citi-zens feel that the Indian judiciary is not keen to ensurethat they don’t have to suffer a loss of liberty. Everyoneshould be entitled to the presumption of innocence untilthey are proven guilty.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Fire in the jungleIn our country there are fourpillars — democratic institu-tions, election commission,media and judiciary. We arevery much missing democracy.

West Bengal Chief Minister—Mamata Banerjee

Protests over Sant Ravidas’s shrine show that SC/STsare becoming equally aggressive about identity politics

As a nation that will suffer the impact of global warmingand climate change, India, too, must raise concerns India and Pakistan should

resolve the Kashmir issuebilaterally and no third partyshould interfere or incite violence in the region.

French President—Emmanuel Macron

Enforced altruism

THE FIGHT WAS BETWEEN HIM (SIDDARAMAIAH) ANDHD KUMARASWAMY. IT BECAME DIFFICULT FOR HIM

TO SEE KUMARASWAMY AS THE CHIEF MINISTER. — JD(S) SUPREMO

HD DEVE GOWDA

MR DEVE GOWDA IS AN EXPERT IN PULLING DOWNGOVERNMENTS. HISTORY IS OPEN FOR ALL TO SEE. IT IS HIS BIRTH TRAIT. —CONGRESS LEADER SIDDARAMAIAH

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

When we flip through the world’s busi-ness history, we find that all large mer-cantile communities were great patrons

of the art of philanthropy. They regarded it adivine tradition. The world today is witnessinga growing realisation in enterprises of theimportance of altruism. Hence, a great deal ofmoney has been flowing into the social sector.Like individual citizens who have moral andsocial responsibilities, businesses are being per-ceived as corporate citizens who need to com-mit time, talent and resources for welfare of soci-ety as they draw their sustenance from it. Thisidea has now been corporatised under the appel-lation, Corporate Social Responsibility, betterknown as CSR.

A social responsibility: CSR is a conceptwhereby firms integrate social and environmen-tal concerns into their business operations andis generally understood to be a tool for achiev-ing a balance between economic, environmen-tal and social imperatives, while addressingexpectations of shareholders and stakeholders.

In the global economy, stakeholders includecustomers, suppliers, employees, communities,and financiers — shareholders, bondholders plusbanks and other sources of capital — and theyare all intertwined

CSR is a very broad concept that aims atmanaging a business in a way that it contributestowards sustainable development by deliveringsocial, economic and environmental benefits toall stakeholders. It addresses issues like humanrights, corporate governance, health and safe-ty, environmental effects, working conditionsand contribution to economic development.Whatever the definition is, the purpose of CSRis to drive change towards sustainability.

We are seeing the emergence of a new cropof mega donors who are upending long-estab-lished norms in philanthropy. Not only are theyincreasingly willing to take on hot-button socialand political issues, they also have a problem-solving and impact-making mindset. CSR is nowbeing recognised as a critical component to anorganisation’s values, its operating ethos, its busi-ness strategies and its purpose. Businesses arebeing measured on financial and social metrics.

CSR is often used interchangeably forCorporate Citizenship and is also linked to theconcept of Triple Bottom Line Reporting(financial, social and environmental), which isused as a framework for measuring an organi-sation’s performance against economic, socialand environmental parameters. In essence,CSR is about building sustainable businesses,which need healthy economies, markets andcommunities.

Over the years there have been many voic-es within the business community who believethat companies must break out of convention-al preoccupation with profit and do more toaddress the world’s pressing social needs. Thechorus has been joined by leaders from civil soci-ety, governments, policy think tanks and worldbodies on education, health and rehabilitation.Business leadership has acknowledged thedemand for enlarged corporate responsibility inways which can reflect a profound attitudinalchange individually and collectively.

It is now widely acknowledged that CSR

should be a critical component to an organisa-tion’s operating ethos, its values, and its purpose.CSR existed earlier also, however, well-mean-ing but inappropriate programmes were foist-ed on communities without any dialogue. Thatwas replaced by the writing of blank cheques tofavoured groups, often without an accompany-ing structure. Today, however, enlightenedcompanies engage in extensive dialogue andplanning and are forming partnerships with gov-ernments, NGOs and communities to push awider and deeper agenda.

For a long time, the general sentiment wasthat for businesses, earning a profit should takeprecedence over ideals like acting responsiblyand ethically. Even today, many companies arepaying just lip service.

A legal mandate: India is the first countryto mandate that firms expend at least 2 per centof their net profits on special development pro-jects. Its unique law, Corporate SocialResponsibility Rules in the Companies Act, 2013,came into effect on April 1, 2014.

However, there is a crucial differencebetween the way CSR is implemented in theWest and in India. A generally accepted goldstandard for CSR in the Western world is thatit must be closely integrated with a firm’s busi-ness strategy so that the programmes create ashared value for the company’s shareholders. InIndia, this linkage is explicitly prohibited forCSR; the focus is restricted solely to contribu-tion towards societal welfare.

Experience the world over shows that CSRis more socially relevant when it is driven byaltruistic motives rather than being a mandat-ed policy commanding philanthropy. It is verydifficult to legislate since moral obligations haveto be inculcated, not legislated. Laws can set theminimum standards, but they cannot create anenvironment or ambience for a philanthropicmindset. This is why we see marked aberrationsin the CSR agenda of most corporations. Manybusinesses harbour a variety of secondary aims

and often use CSR for boosting their social pro-file and business markets. Such lack of well-intentioned commitment has been detrimentalto this noble philosophy.

Companies are trying to dress up CSR as abusiness discipline and expecting that every ini-tiative deliver business results. That is asking toomuch of CSR and distracts from what must beits main goal: to align a company’s social andenvironmental activities with its business pur-pose and values. If in doing so, CSR activitiesenhance reputation, mitigate risks and contributeto business results, it is acceptable. But for manyCSR programmes, those outcomes are becom-ing a spillover, not their reason for being.

Challenges for socially responsible com-panies: It is true that since there are so manycauses competing for attention, it may not bepossible for organisations to have a universal-ly inclusive mission. Studies suggest that char-ity leaders have a geographic bias with corpo-rations homing in on projects closer to theirheadquarters. Consequently, more remoteregions where development aid is acutely need-ed are being ignored. Politics can also skew pri-orities, with companies looking to gain politi-cal goodwill by funding government-led projectsrather than initiating more socially relevant ini-tiatives which are thirsty for funds.

Even as annual CSR expenditure is on therise, the impact on the ground remains a mat-ter of debate. CSR has usually been peripheralin most organisations and it is not woven intothe texture of business. Further, it is not alwaysnecessarily transparent or mission-oriented. Itmay be used for enhancing the brand reputa-tion or to provide a cover of moral counterbal-ance for brushing off a besmirched public imageor for camouflaging dark acts. There is alwaysa creative tension between social mission andbusiness goals.

Moreover, a significant amount of any CSRexpenditure comes with strings attached. Thereare terms that dictate exactly where and how

funds must be used. While this may be appro-priate in some cases, it reflects a serious lack oftrust in the non-profit entities and hinders theirability to operate effectively. When donors insistthat their money should go exclusively to thepeople served, there is not enough money leftfor the non-profit entities to focus on buildingtheir own organisations. They are, therefore,unable to invest in talent, technology, systems,or reporting. Reporting requirements are oftenan onerous administrative burden on these smallorganisations which have to devote their scarceskills to educated, English-speaking personnelfor writing reports for the donors rather thanrunning the programmes.

These development agents are the right con-duits for reaching the deeper backwaters whichhave tougher geographical terrains and are cen-tres of social schisms and extremist ideologies.In such regions donors also need to go beyondthe sacred trimurti—sustainability, replicabili-ty and scalability —which should be restrictedto mainland organisations. Too much insistenceon technicalities leaves genuine developmentwork out of the CSR net. A worm’s eye view isas critical as a bird’s eye view to ensure that pro-jects deliver visible and lasting outcomes andleave a larger and lasting imprint.

A more important aspect of CSR thatneeds greater attention is the need for embed-ding CSR values in employees. It is only whenemployees align their social philosophy with thatof their employers that the real benefits of CSRcan materialize. A sincerely and honestly prac-ticed charity always delivers rich dividends inthe long run. That is the lesson we learn fromboth philosophers and business leaders. It is wiseto remind ourselves again of the advice of HenryFord, “A business absolutely devoted to servicewill have only one worry about profits. They willbe embarrassingly large.”

(The writer is Member, NITI Aayog’s NationalCommittee on Financial Literacy and Inclusionfor Women)

CSR is more socially relevant when it is driven by welfare motives rather than being a mandated policy commanding philanthropy

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

RSS roots forreservation

SANJAY PASWAN

More inclusive than most, the RSS has alwaysbeen supportive of reservation and there has

been no incoherence in its thinking on the issue

MOIN QAZI

The RSS has always been supportive of reservation and therehas been no incoherence in its thinking on the issue There’salways an anxious attempt by a section of the media and the

intelligentsia to manipulate the outlook of the Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS) on reservation. In my long-standing association withits political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), I have witnessedno incoherence in the thinking of the RSS on reservation policies.On the contrary, time and again, there have been assertions in favorof policies that give preferential treatment to marginalised sectionsin state-sponsored education and government jobs, among otherthings. In one of his Independence Day speeches from the ram-parts of the Red Fort, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayeesaid that the quota system is a form of historical compensation andshall continue until its purpose is served.

The RSS and its affiliated organisations have consistently workedfor inclusion through representation of marginalised sections at mean-ingful places. Be it university policy-making or national politics, theRSS has established a semblance of social diversity at top posi-tions through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJPand a plethora of other organisations. It must be noted that bothhave the rare distinction of being the world’s largest organisations.

While, the ABVP remains one of the oldest student-led organ-isations and largest in terms of membership and footprint, global-ly, the BJP, with more than 11 crore members that are increasingdaily, will remain the world’s largest political party for the foresee-able future. It is impossible to achieve this feat right from universi-ties to the Parliament with a myopic social vision. Hence, there isa robust modus operandi at an institutional level that ensures equi-table representation of diverse social groups.

Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, another affiliate organisation of the RSShas made deep inroads in tribal areas and has successfully creat-ed sustainable educational opportunities for tribal children. This isa silent revolution being heralded not in Delhi’s posh Khan Marketarea but right from the jungles of Gumla and Simdega in Jharkhandto Malkangiri in Odisha.

There’s much brouhaha over the appointment of D Raja as theGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI). The com-mentariat is determined to present this as a watershed moment inthe history of Dalit representation in national politics. It might be aremarkable event in the history of the leadership of the CPI as major-ity of the general secretaries of the party have been Brahmins, aswas rightly observed by a senior journalist Kurban Ali in an opin-ion piece published in the Prabhat Khabar.

In contrast, the late Bangaru Laxman holds the unique distinc-tion of being the first Dalit to lead a national political party and theBJP is extremely proud of this significant fact as it took the partyjust 20 years to do what the so-called liberal and socially progres-sive CPI took more than nine decades to achieve. Much before theanointment of Meira Kumar, the late GMC Balayogi was the firstDalit to hold the esteemed Chair of the Lok Sabha Speaker in theBJP-led NDA government.

The social justice movement is at the crossroads today.The BJP is motivated by genuine impulse not illusion of inclu-sion that was created by the previous dispensations. It was theNarendra Modi-led Government at the Centre that gave a con-stitutional sanction to the National Commission for BackwardClasses through the Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill. Ourpurpose is firmed in symbiosis and not symbolism. From StandUp India to the Mudra Yojana, there is an everlasting commit-ment to make Dalits, OBC’s and tribal communities partnersand stakeholders in India’s growth story.

Reservation, envisioned as a way to uplift people on the fringeshas undoubtedly served its purpose. Dalits, socially marginalisedgroups and tribal communities now are satisfactorily representedand empowered to voice the concerns of their community. However,a lot remains to be done. There is still a glaring lack of social diver-sity in the judicial process, mass-media, civil society and industry.

I speak as a Dalit rights activist that no one family should beentitled to corner the benefits of reservation and accumulate wealthand political clout. At the provincial level, there have been policyexperiments of bifurcating and trifurcating marginalised sections rightfrom Andhra Pradesh to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh recently. The fruitsof reservation must reach those at the bottom of the social pyra-mid. Conversations on reservation have already started within thecommunity and no action on reservation will be initiated unilater-ally by the Centre without consultations with stakeholders.

(The writer is a former Central Minister, Member of LegislativeCouncil, Bihar and Professor at Patna University.)

As digital marketing becomesincreasingly important for busi-nesses, they need to start think-

ing about stepping up their strategiesby going beyond conventional SearchEngine Optimization (SEO) tech-niques.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), holdsthe key to the future of digital market-ing. When Google unveiledRankBrain in 2015, users noticed thatthe results to their queries in the searchengine became more useful and rel-evant. The algorithm, which uses AIto analyse and respond to user querieslike a human being would, alsoreturns identical questions asked byother users. With the ability to collect,analyse and learn from data, AI has the

potential to transform your digitalstrategy.

So what exactly is AI? A simplis-tic explanation is that AI is a branchof computer science that deals withbuilding intelligent machines thatcan think and respond like a humanbeing. The trailblazing English math-ematician, Alan Turing, proposedthe Turing test in 1950 to determinethe intelligence of computers and iden-tify if a computer can achieve human-level performance in cognitive tasksthat are sophisticated enough to foolan interrogator.

Although no AI programme hascome close to passing the undilutedTuring test, cognitive and computerscientist John McCarthy observedthat Turing’s philosophy of AI isunlikely to have an effect on the prac-tice of AI research, which has grownby leaps and bounds in the last twodecades.

This brings us to the question ofhow an enterprise can use AI to mar-ket its business. The fact remains thata fifth of all the searches done usingGoogle are voice based. It’s a big num-ber, and digital marketers should

understand its significance and startplanning their marketing strategies tooptimise websites to make the mostuse of voice search, along with tradi-tional text search.

Some of the ways in which digi-tal marketing can be pumped up usingAI are predicting customer behavior,using Accelerated Mobile Pages(AMPs) to reduce load time and AIchatbots to enhance user experience.

Let’s look at how AI helps in pre-dicting customer behaviour.Advancements in predictive analyticsallow marketers to extract more infor-mation from data, and use it to pre-

dict the behavior of customers. Theycan then apply cluster models to groupthem and predict purchase trends.Predictive analysis also helps the salesand marketing divisions with leadscoring, making it possible to scoreleads based on their readiness to pur-chase. Businesses can upsell andcross-sell based on existing data.

If your website’s mobile browserpages are not loading quickly, it canspoil the user experience. That’s whereAMPs come in. The AMP plugin takesweb pages and makes them load fasterby stripping them down to the basics.RankBrain has enabled Google to

understand better what its users arelooking for, and AMP content auto-matically shows up in the top storiescarousel. If you are a business with anAMP page, then you have betterchances of showing up in the top threesearch results in Google.

A lot of businesses already usechatbots, making it possible for theuser to interact with the bot viainstant messaging.

The time is ripe for companiesto start using AI-based chatbots,which are significantly better. Theycan retain customer data, and cus-tomers do not have to repeat them-selves every time. They can handlemultiple customer requests at thesame time, eliminating the waittime. They can also track the pur-chase patterns of customers, allow-ing businesses to revamp their mar-keting strategy and boost sales.

Last, but not the least, companiesneed to scale up content marketing.Content marketing refers to the prac-tice of marketing a brand or a busi-ness by sharing educational, insight-ful, or entertaining articles that addvalue to the lives of readers. Research

has shown that the strategy is moreeffective in attracting and retainingcustomers as it isn’t purely promotion-al. The Natural Language Generation(NLG) engine, Wordsmith, was ableto create more than a billion humansounding articles in 2016. AlthoughAI is still not advanced enough towrite natural sounding articles onevery topic, it is still useful for data dri-ven content such as quarterly reports,market data, and sport matches. Oncethe content is ready, you can scale itup with an influencer marketing plat-form to ensure that it reaches the tar-get audience.

Embracing AI technologies willbenefit your digital marketing strate-gy in many ways. AI will not replacethe jobs of advertisers and marketers,but help them unleash their creativeand strategic potential. Business own-ers need to identify the roadblocksfaced by their marketing campaign orcompany and use insights derivedfrom AI-based marketing to solve theissues.

(The writer is founder, CEO andsearch scientist at a leading AI-powereddigital marketing firm)

AI will transform digital marketingAs digital marketing becomes increasingly important for businesses, we need to start thinking beyond conventionaltechniques. With the ability to collect, analyse and learn from data, AI has the potential to transform digital strategy

TUHIN BANIK

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019

www.dailypioneer.com

F O R E I G N E Y E

It’s true that collectiveaction can have effects,but these are limited. Arevulsion among theworkers at Google has sofar stopped the companyfrom cooperating with theUS immigration service. Ithas not stopped itsYouTube algorithms fromcorrupting politics inBrazil. Any effective moralaction must come fromcorporations as a whole,not just some of theirworkers.(The Guardian editorial)

AN ESSENTIALADDITION

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019 money 08

CAPSULE

Sensex, Niftyrebound on hopesof FPI tax rollbackMUMBAI: Market benchmarkBSE Sensex rebounded fromearly lows to close 228 pointshigher on Friday onexpectations of FPI tax rollback and some measures bythe government to boostgrowth. The 30-sharebarometer closed higher by228.23 pts or 0.63 per cent at36,701.16, hours ahead of apresser by Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman. Thebroader NSE Nifty rose by 88points or 0.82 per cent tosettle at 10,829.35, with 41 ofits 50 constituents closingwith gains. The twobenchmark indices haddeclined up to 1 per cent inthe early session due to heavyselling in banking, financials,auto and FMCG stocks.However, reports of roll backof FPI tax and announcementthat the finance minister wouldaddress the media in theevening fuelled speculationsthat the government wouldannounce measures tosupport the sagging economy.

Slowdown in autosector temporary:KIA Motors IndiaNEW DELHI: Koreanautomobile maker KIAMotors India on Friday saidthe current slowdown in theindustry is a temporary phase,and customer sentiments willrevive again. "There is someindustry slowdown. Webelieve that the slowdown inthe automobile industry istemporary. Customersentiments will revive again,"said Yong S Kim, ED and CSOof KIA Motors India. Kim wastalking to reporters here at thelaunch of the SUV 'Seltos',manufactured at its plant inAndhra Pradesh. He said thecompany entered the Indianmarket with anSUV, as it is the fastestgrowing segment in theautomobile industry in thecountry. "For a new entrant,there is no good time. We areconfindent of our product...",he said.

Moody's cuts IndiaGDP growth forecastto 6.2 % for 2019NEW DELHI: Moody'sInvestors Service on Friday cutIndia's GDP growth forecastfor 2019 calendar year to 6.2per cent from the previousestimation of 6.8 per cent.For 2020 calendar year, itreduced the estimate by asimilar measure to 6.7 percent. In a statement, it said theweaker global economy hasstunted Asian exports and theuncertain operatingenvironment has weighed oninvestment.

‘Prepare for new challenges,protect Indian cos from abuse’PTI n NEW DELHI

Urging the CompetitionCommission to prepare fordealing with new challenges,Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Friday saidthere is a need to protectIndian enterprises from exces-sive abuse in terms of compe-tition from international play-ers in the changed global eco-nomic order.

Sitharaman, who also holdsthe corporate affairs ministryportfolio, flagged the issue ofcompetition sans frontiers andat times, its adverse impact onIndian consumers.

Speaking at an event to cel-ebrate the tenth anniversary ofthe Competition Commissionof India (CCI), she said thetime has come for the regula-tor to suo moto examine theimpact of global firms on thedomestic market in terms ofcompetition.

"You have your job withchallenges all of which shouldguide us both in order to pro-tect the Indian consumers... yetensure Indian enterprises arenot going to be subject toexcessive abuse from compa-nies which are existing some-

where else, which do not sub-mit themselves to the Indianlaw," the minister said here.

The regulator, which keepsa tab on unfair business prac-tices, has been dealing withvarious cases related to digitalmarkets.

Minister of State for Financeand Corporate Affairs AnuragSingh Thakur said that whentraditional models of businesshave been dislodged by theemergence of radical innova-tion, it has been seen that insome cases traditional playershave resorted to lobbying withdomestic regulators for the

adoption of regulations thatcan delay or block such inno-vations.

CCI Chairman AshokKumar Gupta said it has beenacting in a nuanced mannerwith regard to alleged anti-competitive activities in thedigital market.

According to Sitharaman, itis just not the number of suomoto cases but also the way inwhich the Commission has tokeep itself alert to many of thedevelopments which are hap-pening globally.

"Physical borders no longerdetermine competition within

a country and in that way weare dealing with not fair play asit is.

"We are dealing with anentity which is outside, prob-ably legally, complying withmany of the requirements inthe jurisdiction in which theyexist but having an impact onconsumers here both positive-ly and probably unfairly... if thatis not abuse then what can be,"the minister said.

Against this backdrop, shesaid it was the right time for theCommission to suo moto takeup cases and "probably evendirect the government towardswhat it has to deal with whichprobably for many reasonsgovernment would hesitate totread on as things stand".

Further, Sitharaman saidthere is a very big challengebefore the regulator in thenew economic context, notjust within the jurisdictionthat one operates but also fromother jurisdictions.

At the G20, Sitharaman saidwhole discussions today aregoing into saying "how wouldyou define operations and howwould you define profits orturnovers which are generatedin a geographical area whereone does not operate".

"... physically you are notpresent but you are making aturnover and earning yourprofits in an area which isjurisdictionally different fromwhere you are. So if that is theway global competition isevolving... whose impact is somuch on us that we are stillprobably wondering as to howwe are going to rein in thatkind of, if I may use the word,abuse.

"It is not always abuse but itis a smoking gun. That's thesmoking gun which govern-ments, not just in India, butalso in many of the countrieswhich we think are far aheadof us in understanding com-petition law," she added.

The time has come for the regulator to suo motoexamine the impact of global firms on the domesticmarket in terms of competition

— NIRMALA SITHARAMAN, Finance MMinister

MSMEs must create5 cr jobs to boosteconomy: GadkariPTI n NEW DELHI

Union Minister Nitin Gadkarisaid on Friday that unem-ployment is a major challengeand MSMEs must create fivecrore jobs in five years toaddress the issue as Indiaaims to become a USD 5-tril-lion economy.

Currently, micro, small andmedium enterprises (MSMEs)contribute 29 per cent to thecountry's gross domestic prod-uct (GDP) and have created 11crore jobs in recent years.

Stating that Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has set a tar-get of India becoming a USD5-trillion economy, the Uniontransport and MSME ministersaid MSMEs will have to raisetheir contribution to GDP to50 per cent and also create fivecrore more jobs in the next fiveyears to achieve this objective.

"Unemployment is thebiggest challenge facing us.Eleven crore jobs have been cre-ated and you (MSMEs) have togenerate 5 crore more jobs in thecountry in five years," he said atthe 6th India InternationalMSME Expo here.

Moreover, he said the gov-ernment has taken severalsteps towards addressing keychallenges faced by MSMEs,including in marketing oftheir products and ensuringtimely payments to them.

Highlighting that e-com-merce firm Alibaba had a majorrole in China's economicgrowth, Gadkari said the MSMEministry has signed an agree-ment with the Government e-Market (GeM) portal underthe commerce ministry to estab-lish India's new e-commercemarketing portal.

The new portal may benamed 'Bharat Craft', he said,adding that the online plat-form will be of the scale ofAmazon and Alibaba.

The government, he added,has set a target for the pro-posed portal to achieve aturnover of at least Rs 10 lakhcrore in the next two years.

To ensure timely paymentsto MSMEs and prevent ero-sion of their working capital,Gadkari said the governmentis "seriously exploring" if it canbring a legislation to ensurepayments within 45 days ofsupplying a product.

The minister said he hasspoken to global multilaterallending agencies like theWorld Bank, AsianDevelopment Bank and KfWto see if the cost of capital canbe brought down for theMSME sector, one of thelargest job creator in the coun-try.

The three-day MSME expoat Pragati Maidan opened onFriday.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Inaugurating 6th International MSME Expo &Summit 2019 in New Delhi on Friday

Moreover, he saidthe governmenthas taken severalsteps towardsaddressing keychallenges facedby MSMEs,including inmarketing of theirproducts andensuring timelypayments tothem

As global economic picture dims, solutions seem out of reachPTI n WASHINGTON

As global leaders gather on twocontinents to take account of adarkening economic outlook, thisis the picture they face: Factoriesare slumping, many businesses areparalyzed, global growth is sput-tering and the world's two might-iest economies are in the grip ofa dangerous trade war.

Barely a year after most ofthe world's major countrieswere enjoying an unusualmoment of shared prosperity,the global economy may be atrisk of returning to the rut ittumbled into after the financialcrisis of 2007-2009.

Worse, solutions seem farfrom obvious. Central bankscan't just slash interest rates.Rates are already ultra-low. Andeven if they did, the central bankswould risk robbing themselves ofthe ammunition they wouldneed later to fight a recession.

High government debtsmake it politically problemat-ic to cut taxes or pour moneyinto new bridges, roads andother public works projects.

"Our tools for fighting reces-sion are no doubt more limit-ed (than) in the past," saidKaren Dynan, an economist atHarvard University's KennedySchool.

The International MonetaryFund and the World Bankhave downgraded the outlookfor world growth. OnThursday, Moody's InvestorsService said it expects the glob-al economy to expand 2.7% thisyear and next — down from3.2% the previous two years.And it issued a dark warning:Get used to it.

"The new normal will likelycontinue for the next three tofour years," the credit ratingagency said.

Concerns are rising just as

central bankers meet in JacksonHole, Wyoming, and leaders ofthe Group of Seven advancedeconomies gather this weekendin the resort town of Biarritz insouthwestern France.

A spotlight will shine, in par-ticular, on whatever message

Federal Reserve ChairmanJerome Powell sends in aspeech Friday in Jackson Hole.

The dour global outlookpartly reflects U.S. PresidentDonald Trump's combativetrade conflicts with China andother countries. A realization

has taken hold that Trump willlikely keep deploying tariffs —and in some cases escalatingthem — to try to beat conces-sions out of trading partners.

"The trade uncertainty is hereto stay," said Madhavi Bokil,senior credit officer at Moody's.

Squeezed by protectionism,global trade is likely to growjust 2.5% this year, its slowestpace in three years, the IMFsays. Manufacturers, whosefortunes are closely tied totrade, are struggling. J.P.Morgan's global manufacturingindex dropped in July for athird straight month, hittingthe lowest level since 2012.

The global funk also reflectsthe pull of gravity : Theeconomies of Europe andJapan, fueled by central banks'easy-money policies, overex-erted themselves a couple ofyears ago and are now return-ing to their more typical state:

Sluggishness.The IMF expects China's

economy, the world's second-biggest, to grow 6.2% this year— the weakest since 1990 —and just 6% next year. Trump'strade war is certainly a factor.The president has imposedtariffs on $250 billion inChinese imports and is set totax nearly $300 billion morebefore year's end.

China's slowdown is alsobeing orchestrated in part by theofficials in Beijing, who are try-ing to contain lending to controlthe country's runaway debts.

And an economic chill inChina sends shivers into themany countries — from cop-per-producing Chile to ironore-making Australia — thatfeed Chinese factories withraw materials.

Then there's Europe. In the19 countries that use the eurocurrency, growth slowed in

the second quarter to an ane-mic annual rate of 1.1%, or0.2% from the quarter before.

The eurozone, which main-tains close trade ties with theU.S. and China, has been side-swiped by the collision betweenTrump and President XiJinping. And Trump has threat-ened to impose significant tar-iffs on European auto imports.

Even more than the tariffs,uncertainty over trade disputes ischilling investment and pur-chasing. Despite cheap borrow-ing costs from central bank stim-ulus, investment in new plants islagging, an ominous sign thatbosses don't foresee a pickup.

In Europe's economic pow-erhouse, Germany, the econo-my shrank 0.1% in the secondquarter from the quarterbefore. If output should fall fora second straight quarter,Germany would find itself in arecession.

High governmentdebts make itpolitically problematic

to cut taxes or pourmoney into new

bridges, roadsand other

public worksprojects

Steps on to developGIFT City, says Sebi chiefPTI n GANDHINAGAR

Several measures are under-way, including introduction ofnew products like dollar-rupeederivatives, to further devel-opment of 'GIFT City' inGujarat as a majorInternational FinancialServices Centre (IFSC) on thelines of global centres likeSingapore and Dubai, capitalmarket regulator Sebi's chair-man Ajay Tyagi said on Friday.

The Sebi chief also said thetrading turnover of variousproducts on exchanges oper-ating in GIFT City is fastpicking up and it would onlyincrease going further.

Addressing a seminar hereon 'GIFT IFSC- Onshoring theOffshore, Tyagi said promi-nent IFSCs set up across theworld, including London, NewYork, Singapore and Dubai,have contributed significant-ly to the GDP and createdlarge employment opportuni-ties in such jurisdictions.

"India also must figure onthe map of the global financialcentres network," he said.

The government hadannounced plans in 2015 to setup India's first IFSC in GIFTCity, after which Sebi hadissued general guidelines dur-ing the same year. Specificguidelines on intermediaries,fund raising, market infra-structure institutions, funds,

etc have also been issued sub-sequently.

Financial sector regulatorssuch as Sebi, RBI, IRDAI andPFRDA have also issued theirrespective guidelines for IFSC,an overall financial servicesfocused centre involving mul-tiple areas such as banking,insurance, capital markets,among others.

The central government hasalso announced several taxincentives for operations inGIFT IFSC, while the stategovernment has also providedincentives including stampduty exemption for entitieshaving registered office inGIFT for capital market activ-ities.

The trading turnoverof various productson exchanges

operating in GIFT City is fastpicking up and it would onlyincrease going further

—AJAY TYAGI Sebi's chairman

PTI n NEW DELHI

Continuing its record-settingtrend for the fourth consecu-tive day, gold prices rose Rs 25on Friday to reach a recordhigh of Rs 38,995 per 10 gramin the national capital amid aweaker rupee, according to theAll India Sarafa Association.

Gold prices have been hit-ting a fresh high everydaysince Tuesday.

Meanwhile, silver heldsteady at the previous level ofRs 45,100 per kg.

Even as the precious metallost steam overseas, persistentbuying from jewellers mainlyled to the rise in gold prices,traders said.

Besides, a weaker rupee alsoled to the increase in price ofthe precious metal.

The rupee declined belowthe 72 mark against the UScurrency in the opening ses-sion on Friday. It fell by 22

paise to trade at a nine-monthlow of 72.03 against the USdollar in early session.

In New York, spot gold wastrading lower at USD 1,496.30an ounce, while silver wasalmost flat at USD 17.11 anounce.

"Globally, gold traded weakwith international spot goldprices falling below USD 1,500on Friday on positive US equi-ty futures and stronger dollarindex," HDFC SecuritiesSenior Analyst (Commodities)

Tapan Patel said.Traders are awaiting the key

Jackson Hole meeting for cueson gold prices. Fed ChairJerome Powell's speech onFriday will be crucial for mar-kets to get clarity over futurerate cuts which may affectgold prices, Patel said.

In the national capital, goldof 99.9 per cent purityadvanced Rs 25 to Rs 38,995per 10 gram, while that of 99.5per cent gained Rs 5 to Rs38,825 per 10 gram.

Gold rises for fourth consecutive day,touches fresh high of Rs 38,995

In New York, spotgold was tradinglower at USD1,496.30 anounce, whilesilver was almostflat at USD 17.11an ounce

SBI cuts interestrates on fixed depositsup to 0.5%PTI n NEW DELHI

The country's largest lenderState Bank of India on Fridayslashed interest rates on fixeddeposits across various tenureby up to 0.5 percentage point,a move which will lowerreturns for savers.

In view of the falling inter-est rate scenario and surplusliquidity, SBI realigns its inter-est rate on Term Deposits witheffect from August 26, 2019,SBI said in a statement.

The move to reduce interestrate on fixed deposits by thecountry's largest lender isexpected to be followed byother lenders. The bank hasslashed retail term deposit ratesby 10-50 basis points acrosstenors as well as bulk termdeposit rates by 30-70 basispoints across tenors, it said.

The bank has slashed theinterest rate for the fixeddeposits with maturity of 7-45days to 4.5 per cent from exist-ing 5 per cent. The rate reduc-tion 46-179 days, 180 days toless than one year maturitiesbaskets is 25 basis points (0.25percentage point) at 5.5 percent and 6 per cent respec-tively while for maturity buck-et of 1-2 years is only 10 basispoints at 6.70 per cent.

For top maturity period of5-10 years, the decrease isagain 25 basis points at 6.25per cent. The bank also saidthat it has retained interestrate on savings bank depositat 3 per cent for customerswith balances above Rs 1lakh with a view to protect-ing the interest of savingsbank depositors.

Customers with SB balanceup to Rs 1 lakh will continueto get the rate of interest at3.50 per cent despite cut inthe repo rate by the RBI ear-lier this month.

Bosch boardappoints BernhardStraub as chairmanPTI n NEW DELHI

Auto components majorBosch on Friday said its boardhas appointed BernhardStraub as Chairman witheffect from August 24, 2019.

Considering the recom-mendations of the nomina-tion and remuneration com-mittee, the board has approvedthe appointment of Straub, cur-rently non-executive, non-inde-pendent Director, as an addi-tional director designated as aChairman of the board, BoschLtd said in a regulatory filing.

The board, in its meetingheld on Friday, has alsoaccepted the resignation of VK Viswanathan as Chairmanand Director of the companywith effect from August 23,2019, as a part of successionplanning, it added.

IBC can't resolve power sectorcrisis, but ARCs can: SecyPTI n MUMBAI

Financially crippled powercompanies cannot be revivedor resolved under the provi-sions of the existing bank-ruptcy laws, but asset recon-struction companies can betterdeal with them, a senior gov-ernment official said Friday.

Crucial agreements on thepower purchase and fuel sup-ply come apart if an asset goesfor bankruptcy by sending it toNCLT as required under thelaw now, leaving only the plantand machinery, Union powersecretary SC Garg said.

The power sector is one ofthe worst performing from anasset quality perspective forbanks and Garg pegged theoverall stressed portfolio at

around Rs 4 trillion or over65,000 mw of generationcapacity.

"Not every kind of industryor every kind of asset can bebest reconstructed throughthe IBC," Garg told an event onARCs organised by industrylobby Assocham.

If a power sector asset goesto NCLT, "practically nothingwill survive, except the plant",he said, adding PPAs and FSAswill come off. Any new buyerwill lose interest asset becauseof this, he said, recommendingthe ARC route to resolving thestress in the sector.

Crucial agreementson the powerpurchase and fuel

supply come apart if an assetgoes for bankruptcy bysending it to NCLT as requiredunder the law now, leavingonly the plant and machinery

SC GARGUnion power secretary

hat is commonamong MicrosoftCEO Satya Nadella,India’s permanentrepresentative at theUnited Nations

Syed Akbaruddin, AndhraPradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy andwell-known cricket commen-tator Harsha Bhogle. They areall products of HyderabadPublic School.

The premier educationalinstitution of the city haschurned out powerful corpo-rate honchos like MastercardPresident and CEO AjayBanga, founder and CEO ofFairfax Financial HoldingPrem Watsa and AdobeSystems CEO ShantanuNarayan besides Satya Nadella.With Syed Akbaruddin in newsfor leading India’s charge onKashmir at the United Nations,the spotlight is on the distin-guished alumni of HyderabadPublic School (HPS).

“My Alma Mater-ever grate-ful 2 thee (sic.),” the leadingdiplomat tweeted after HPSsaid it was proud to recogniseman of the moment. SyedAkbaruddin, who passed outfrom HPS in 1976, is the 1985-batch IFS officer and handledmany key diplomatic assign-ments including the spokesper-son of the ministry of foreignaffairs.

The HPS alumni rose togreat heights of success andfame in different fields likebusiness, politics, civil ser-vices, sports and films. Cobrabeer founder and a member ofUK Parliament KaranBillimoria, former AndhraPradesh chief minister N KiranKumar Reddy, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM) chief and HyderabadMP Asaduddin Owaisi, formercricketer Venkatpathy Rajuand Telugu actors AkkineniNagarjuna and RanaDaggubati are among the otheralumni of this 96-year-oldschool.

HPS managing committeemember Marri Aditya Reddysaid that the institution wasproud of its alumni excelling invarious walks of life. He was allpraise for Syed Akbaruddin forthe way he is defending Indiaat the United Nations.

“Somebody who comesfrom Hyderabad and fromsimple upbringing is defendingthe nation. We are so proud ofhim. It speaks of the immensevalue system created at HPSover the decades,” said AdityaReddy, grandson of formerAndhra Pradesh ChiefMinister Marri Channa Reddy.

With its strong eco-system,HPS helped its pupils comingfrom modest background tobecome leaders in different

fields. “This is what gives usexcitement. Ordinary peoplewere able to excel in personaland professional capacities. Itwas possible due to the valuesystem created in the HPSatmosphere,” said AdityaReddy, also an alumni of HPS.

Inspired by famous EtonCollege of Britain, Mir OsmanAli Khan, the last Nizam ofHyderabad State founded theschool in 1923. It was exclu-sively meant for the sons of thenobility. It was only in 1951that the HPS opened its doorsfor public. Even afterIndependence and HyderabadState’s merger with IndianUnion, the school had an elit-ist tag as children of only pow-erful politicians, wealthy busi-nessmen, IAS and IPS officersand celebrities used to getadmission.

The school started admittinggirls in 1984. Aditya Reddy saidthat when Channa Reddy wasthe chief minister he broughta balance in the running of theschool by giving some controlto the government by makingprincipal secretary of educationthe chairman of HPS board ofgovernors.

HPS, which started with sixstudents in 1923, today hasnearly 3,000 students. It is runby a society comprising ofeminent people from all walksof life. Its management com-mittee has seven memberswhile a 35-member boardlooks after day to day affairs ofthe institution.

Spread over 130 acres inBegumpet near the old airportin the heart of the city, HPS issaid to have the largest campus,even bigger than Vatican City.Its main building is a heritagestructure while the campushas trekking routes, rock-for-mations, two cricket fields,athletic arena and several hock-ey, football grounds and a biglibrary.

Aditya Reddy said that HPSshed their elitist school tag longago and it had been givingadmissions to SCs, STs, BCsand minorities as per the gov-ernment policy. “We have beenmaintaining the social andeconomic balance. There isno differentiation as we alsoadmit children from underprivileged sections of the soci-ety,” he said. — IANS

The Four SacredSecrets, authored

by Preethaji andKrishnaji, will

teach you how tounlock the hidden

power ofconsciousness, shed

anxiety and cultivate alife of fulfilment, wealth

and happiness, writes V SATEESH REDDY

Every year, HPS isproducing so manycelebrities in variousfields. It made mebelieve that I too canmake it big in the world.I want to be a forensicpsychologist or apublished author, andHPS has helped realisemy path for the future.The school has alwaysprovided me with thesupport, inspiration andadvice I need

LEKHACLASS XII

HPS producing anumber of celebritiesmakes me proud to saythat I study in one of themost elite schools in theworld. I want to be anIndian AdministrationOfficer. Thanks to theextraordinaryopportunities andexposure available here,I think I have all I needto build a secure futurefor myself.

PRADHYUMNACLASS XI

The amount of exposureI got from this school isunreal. I aspire tobecome a traveljournalist and myteachers are verysupportive of my plans.They've never doubtedits feasibility. Sometimesthat's all a studentneeds: support,guidance and someoneto believe in them. HPSnever fails to deliver.

AHANA BASUCLASS XI

HPS SHED THEIRELITIST TAG LONG AGOAND IT HAD BEENGIVING ADMISSIONSTO SCS, STS, BCS ANDMINORITIES AS PERGOVERNMENT POLICY

usband and wife,Preethaji andKrishnaji has takentheir mutual inter-est in philosophy astep forward and

co-authored The Four SacredSecrets. The book is aboutunlocking the hidden power ofyour consciousness, while alsohelping the reader to shedanxiety and cultivate a life offulfilment, wealth and happi-ness; with this accessible guideoutlining the four keys to per-sonal transformation.

Preethaji and Krishnaji arerenowned philosophers andtransformational leaders. Thebook is not the first venturethat they have done together,as they started the O&OAcademy — a philosophy andmeditation school for trans-forming consciousness.Preethaji offers courses inmajor cities around the world

that lead people to scientificand transcendental dimen-sions of consciousness. HerTEDx Talk, ‘How to EndStress, Unhappiness andAnxiety to Live in a BeautifulState’, has reached more thantwo million people.

Preethaji says, “Arrangedinto four sections, The FourSacred Secrets is easy-to-followexercises and meditationsoffering a neuroscience-backedmethod to perform at one’shighest possible level. Fusingthe transcendental and thescientific, the mystical and thepractical, we combine spiritu-al practices with proven scien-tific approaches and includeancient fables and modernstories that will speak intimate-ly to your heart, taking you ona life-altering adventure ofself-discovery and success.”

Drawing on the power ofuntapped consciousness to

reframe life’s challenges — beit work pressure, family issuesor personal relationship prob-lems — the book’s brilliantinsights offer a path to recon-nection and redirection ofenergy towards positive solu-tions.

Krishnaji says, “This life-transforming book will guideyou to consciously createwealth, heal your heart, awak-en yourself to love, and helpyou to make peace with yourtrue self.”

The book mainly focuses onfour key practices: living witha “spiritual vision; discoveringone's inner truth through non-judgmental self-awareness;connecting to the universalintelligence that surroundseveryone; and dissolving innerconflict to help others”.

Preethaji adds, “We have co-authored this book to shareour own experience of the

power of the beautiful state aswell as the experiences of ourstudents who have trans-formed their lives from theinside out in every aspect,from building lasting rela-tionships to creating satisfyingand successful careers. Wehave deliberately changed thenames, country origins, andbackgrounds of these studentsto preserve their privacy whilemaintaining the authenticity oftheir insights and experiencesof transformation. As thesestories reveal, if you are curi-ous about transforming yourconsciousness, you will discov-er a greater sense of effortless-ness in living, loving, andachieving. Once you begin tohold these sacred secrets closeto your heart, the universebecomes a loving friend, sup-porting you with magical syn-chronicities that power youalong the way.”

UNLOCKING THE HIDDENPOWER OF CONSCIOUSNESS

H

A SCHOOL THAT PRODUCEDLEADERS IN ALL FIELDS

MEGASTARTO UNVEIL

SVR'S STATUEe g a s t a rChiranjeevi willbe unveiling astatue of leg-endary actor SV Rangarao at

SVR Circle, Tadeppaligudemthis Sunday. The actor whocelebrated his 64th birthdayon Thursday will fly toGannavaram airport onSunday morning in a specialchartered flight. He will reachthe venue through road by10.15 am and will unveil thestatue amidSVR and hisfans.

Chiru is a bigfan of SVR andnever missedan opportunityto shower hisadmiration onthe late actor.“We can learni m m e n s e l y ,especially fromSVR’s movies.They are anencyclopaedia(for aspiringactors). Ibecame his fanbecause of mydad (VenkatRao). In 1969-71, when I was in class VII,my dad was into stage acting.He wanted to get into the cin-ema but didn’t muster thecourage to try his luck inMadras because of financialconstraints. When he waswith the excise department atBapatla, oneEkambareshwara Rao pro-duced a couple of films

Jagathkhiladi andJagathjantrilu in partnershipwith K Raghava. Dad fea-tured in both of them insmall parts in both films, hewas lucky enough to haveshared screen space withSVR. He used to come homeand talk about his experienceof working with SVR. He wasa fan of his and spoke abouthim in great delight, makingme curious. Therefore, inway dad sowed the seeds ofmy admiration for SVR.

Since then I used to like SVRand regularly watch his films.Guess my acting aspirationstoo began because of him,”Chiru had said earlier this Juneat an event in Hyderabadwhere a book Mahanatudu —a compilation of rare pho-tographs of SVR from hismost famous films — wasunveiled by him.

M

w

ADITYA REDDY

N KIRAN KUMAR REDDY KARAN BILLIMORIA SATYA NADELLA

ASADUDDIN OWAISI HARSHA BHOGLE

SaturdayAugust 24, 2019

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/

dailypioneer

Kim Kardashian took to

Instagram to share her

first-ever picture with

all four of her kids in

Bahamas. In the pic, Kim

is on the beach with her

junior quartet of North

West, Saint West, Chicago

West and Psalm West.

The group makes for a

great photo-op. “I

thought taking a pic with

three kids was hard but

OMG this is almost

impossible!” Kim

captioned the snapshot.

In the picture Kim's

swimsuit is colour-

coordinated with that

of her daughters,

Chicago and North.

They are all turned up

for beach action insilver swimsuits,

while sons Psalm

and Saint wore

shorts.

Superstar Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Khan will makeher directorial debut with a theatre production titledEuripides Medea. The play with a Greek tragedy

storyline will be showcased in selected Indian cities, thisyear-end. Sources close to her reveal that she has alreadycommenced work on her directorial debut and her playwill premiere in December. The rehearsals for the play willbe starting soon and will happen in Mumbai itself.“There's no particular reason that I decided to start withthe theatre. I love theatre, it's magical and all consuming;in its classical form, in the world of technology, it's veryreal and physical. I love the suspension of disbelief thatthe audience allows for because then there's so much youcan express,” Ira said.

Unlike most star kids, she has “never consideredacting”. “In terms of more plays, I'd have to find a storythat I want to tell. I don't have aparticular genre that I like. I'mnot particularly into horrorbut other than that I'mopen to all sorts ofstories,” she said.This comes a dayafter her

“Everything willbe okay” post thathad left her fansworried. Actor Ayushmann Khurrana is riding high on

success of all his films. The actor who won aNational Award, (Best Actor) for Andhadhun,

was celebrating the success of the film at a partywhen, in a surprising event, he came across a fanwho had gatecrashed the party.

The fun fact about this whole event was that, thefan was dressed in a cotton yellow saree, imitatingAyushmann from the poster of his forthcoming filmDream Girl, and he stormed through the venueholding his pallu, eager to meet his favouritesuperstar. Ayushmann, who is known to be verycordial and loving towards his fan, thanked himand took pictures with the fan.

Right after the trailer was released, it becamethe top trending video on YouTube and garneredover 15 million views in less than 24 hours.Audience all across the country and the world areappreciating the actor and lauding him for hisunique choices and him being at the helm ofchanging the course of Indian cinema by puttingcontent based films on the top.

Fans have been going berserk over the trailer somuch so that they have been trying to call Poojaaka the dream girl on the number given at the endof the trailer. The poster of Dream Girl has the starlooking quirky in a cotton saree and sitting on arickshaw. Nushrat Bharucha is the lead actresspaired alongside the actor with Vijay Raaz, ManjotSingh, Annu Kapoor and Rajesh Sharma amongothers in the cast. Directed by Raaj Shandilya,produced by Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor andAashish Singh, the film is set to release onSeptember 13.

AAMIR KHAN'SDAUGHTER IRA TOMAKE HERDIRECTORIAL DEBUT

AYUSHMANN’S FAN IN FRENZY

Actor Vivek Oberoi, who last played Prime Minister Narendra Modi

in a film, will now produce a movie based on the Balakot airstrikes

to salute the valour of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Titled Balakot,

the film will be based on the airstrikes as well as the capture

and subsequent release of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan

Varthaman in the aftermath of the terror attack in Kashmir’s

Pulwama district on February 14.

“As a proud Indian, patriot, and a member of the film fraternity,

it’s my duty to highlight what our Armed Forces are truly capable

of. In the form of a trilingual, this film is a powerful tool to

underline the achievements of brave officers like Wing

Commander Abhinandan, who went behind the enemy lines

and did what makes every Indian proud of them,” said Vivek.

“The Balakot airstrike was one of the well-planned attacks

by the IAF. I have followed everything in the news right from

the attack in Pulwama to the airstrikes in Balakot. There was a

lot that was speculated and spoken about back then; this film

will put all of that to rest, once and for all. I thank the IAF for

trusting us with this story and we hope to do justice to it,” he

added. To be shot in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, the film will

feature established actors from these industries in pivotal roles,

including that of Wing Commander Abhinandan, who was later

awarded Vir Chakra, and Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal, who

guided the IAF’s interception mission launched to stop Pakistan's

fighter jets. She has become the first woman to receive the Yudh

Seva Medal. “I am delighted to receive the requisite permission

from the IAF a day before Independence Day. Hollywood

filmmakers applaud their Armed Forces, intelligence agencies,

industries and leaders. Why should Indian filmmakers shy away

from doing that for India? As a nation, with one of the

strongest Armed Forces on the globe, we have

achieved a lot, and it's time to start reiterating

it to the world at large,” said Vivek. The film

will go on floors this year and is expected to

release in 2020. It will be shot in the backdrop

of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Agra.

Vijayawada Saturday August 24, 2019

10

Gulshan Kumar's daughter Khushali Kumar is all set to make her Bollywood debut opposite R Madhavan in Dahi Cheeni. She plays a lawyer in the film and has already started doing herhomework to get into the skin of the character.

“As part of my preparation, I have started interacting with renowned lawyers, to understand theirwork ethics and legal proceedings. I have been visiting courtrooms to see how they operate and how a

lady lawyer reacts in a court. In fact, I have met some power-packed female lawyers. It was a greathonour to stand with them and get clicked. I plan to spend more time across various courts to

understand their mannerisms and conduct in the courtroom. I am sure it will help me preparefor my stint as a lady lawyer in Dahi Cheeni,” said Khushali. She

describes her debut flick as “a slice-of-life comedy”,adding, “The film shines light upon the problems that

societies across the world face today. It is basedon a true story and is so far removed from the

pomp and show of Bollywood that it feels likea breath of fresh air. The film has a quirkyand realistic approach.”

Khushali, who dreamt of becoming anactress right from her childhood, will bemaking her debut alongside R Madhavanand she is feeling a bit scared already. “It’s

scary to stand next to Maddy but I have madeup my mind and am ready to go at it full

throttle.” The newcomer loves to travel and herfirst film will take her to Bhopal, where parts of it

will be shot. “I love to travel, and when a film can offer(the scope to) travel, it gives me immense joy. Since the

film is set in Bhopal, I can't wait to reach the city and start shooting. Thepeople of Bhopal are honest and clear-minded. There's so much to learn

from the city and its people, which you will come across in mycharacter.” Dahi Cheeni is being helmed by debutant director AshwinNeal Mani as is expected to go on floors soon.

VIVEK OBEROI TO PRODUCE

MOVIE ON BALAKOT AIRSTRIKES

The Avengers will assembleonce again next year, this timenot to fight supervillain

Thanos but to recruit moresuperheroes to join them in theirmission to save the world through‘Avengers Campus’, a Marvel-themed park arriving at Disneylandin California and Paris.

Although Spiderman's future inthe Marvel Cinematic Universeremains in a limbo, thanks to thestandoff between Disney and SonyPictures, the iconic web-slingerwill be part of the superhero land,and remain in the spotlight. A copy

of Spiderman's suit is on displayat D23 Expo, highlighting the planssurrounding a new attractionthemed around the hero.

Bob Chapek, Chairman ofDisney Parks, Experiences andProducts Chairman, revealed theofficial title of the Marvel land —‘Avengers Campus’. He said thatguests will be recruited to fightalongside the Avengers, and thecampuses will be a place forguests to train with their heroes.Visitors will become part of aninterconnected, global storyspanning from California to Paris

to Hong Kong. “We’re building an immersive

superhero-themed land at DisneyCalifornia Adventure andDisneyland Paris that will enableour guests to join the Avengers tosave the world,” said Chapek.

“These lands are actuallycampuses created by Avengers totrain up new heroes. Whenguests, or future superheroes,visit the campus, they willbecome a part of theinterconnected global story thatspans from California to Paris toHong Kong,” he said, adding that

he looks forward to the timewhen he can share moreinformation about the attractionsof the land “some day”. TheMarvel-themed area will belaunching in 2020.

Inside the pavilion at D23Expo, guests can see an in-storyexperience and learn why theAvengers are building thesecampuses. There's Spiderman'ssuit, Iron Man's technology,advanced gadgets and jets to helpthe guests get an idea of theattraction.

— IANS

DISNEYLAND'S AVENGERS CAMPUS TO OPEN IN 2020

KIM SHARES FIRST-EVER PIC WITHHER FOUR KIDS

GrammywinnerTaylor

Swift has unveiled themusic video for her latest

song Lover. The 29-year-old singer released theromantic video, which also stars her longtime backupdancer Christian Owens, on Thursday, reports people.com.“The leading man in this video is someone I have performedon stage with for years,” said Swift during a YouTube Live aheadof the video's release.“(He was the) leading man in the King of My Heart performanceevery night on the reputation tour. Every night I could see howexpressive he is and just how heroic and what an amazing actor he is aswell.” In the music video, which Swift co-directed with Drew Kirsch, thesinger and Owens feature as a couple as they swim in a fishbowl, slow

dance at home and party with their friendswhile going through ups and

downs together. At the end ofthe video, the lovebirds

get their happily everafter as their childopens a Christmaspresent containinga snow globeholding theirmemories.

celeb talksTAYLOR SWIFT

RELEASES‘LOVER’ MUSIC

VIDEO

KHUSHALIKUMAR'S

DEBUT FILM A ‘SLICE-OF-LIFE

COMEDY'

amil-Telugu actressAishwarya Rajesh who notlong ago expressed how

happy she was to have baggedShankar’s Indian 2, starring KamalHaasan, is no longer part of the pro-ject. Speaking to a Tamil web portal,the actress said that since the datesof Indian 2 clashed with that of herother commitments, she had to exitfrom the project. She was supposedto play a significant part along withthe likes of Kajal Aggarwal, RakulPreet Singh and Priya BhavaniShankar.

This is the latest setback the film,whose crux is said to be based on

women empowerment — the reasonbehind roping in several heroines tobe part of the cast — had to endure.To rewind a bit, it was delayed bynearly six months as the productionhouse was concerned with the bal-looning budget. At one point, the filmwas on the brink of being called off,before hectic parleys betweenShankar, Kamal and LycaProductions resurrected it.

Slated to hit screens for Sankranti,the film also features Siddharth,Vivek, Nedumudi Venu,Samuthirakani, Delhi Ganesh andVidyut Jamwal in key roles. AnirudhRavichander is the music director.

fter an impressive turn in Dorasani, actorAnand Deverakonda is set for his next. Tobe directed by debutant Vinod Anantoju,

the film will go in front of the cameras inHyderabad on August 26. “The first schedule willbe on for a month in Hyderabad, post which theunit will be stationed at Guntur and its surround-ing areas for 20 days. The idea is to complete thefilm by mid-November,” said a well-placedsource close to the unit.

The film had its muhurat sometime back in alow-key ceremony but the source added that themakers have no intention to keep the film low-profile; it’s just that the unit doesn’t want to workwith any weight on their shoulders. “The teamis fairly new, so they want to enjoy the filmmak-ing process. Except for Anand and his love inter-est in the film Varsha Bollamma, who has recent-ly agreed to be the film’s leading face, most of theother cast members are relatively new. In fact, itwill not boast off any noted supporting faces. Tolend a degree of authenticity to the film, direc-tor Vinod has roped in theatre artists fromHyderabad and some interested acting aspirantsfrom Guntur,” the source informed.

The film is a romantic comedy-drama with alot of family emotions woven into the script.“Vinod initially made it as a demo film and afterit turned out to be good, he decided to make ita feature. Initially, he was looking at newcomersto spearhead it and Anand heard it dur-ing March this year. He straight-away said he’d associate withit. It centres on his role’s aimin life and how his dreamsare getting pulled backdue to family and love,”the source said andadded that SunnyKurapati, who has shotDorasani and AgentSai Srinivasa Athreya,will be the film’s cin-ematographer whileSweekar Agasthi ofC / OKancharapalemis the musicdirector.

— NG

The team for the movie,directed by debutant

Vinod Anantoju, boastsof relatively new faces

except for the twoactors

Vijayawada Saturday August 24, 2019

Director Nag Ashwin saw Faria at an auditionsometime back and recommended her name to theteam. He believed that she was apt to play a lawyerand Anudeep echoed a similar opinion afterauditioning her. She has already shot for the film forfour days and the team is happy with her performance

A SOURCE

A

Vinod initially made it as a demofilm and after it turned out to be

good, he decided to make it a feature.Initially, he was looking at newcomers tospearhead it and Anand heard it duringMarch this year

A SOURCE

11

tollywood

Newbie Faria Abdullah joinsNaveen, Darshi and Rahul

The team felt thatthe movie could usea fresh face ratherthan a recognisableone. The decision toreplace ShaliniPandey was donewith the latter'sunderstanding, findsNAGARAJ GOUD

he casting of NaveenPolishetty, Priyadarshiand RahulRamakrishna-starrer, anuntitled comedy direct-ed by Pittagoda fame

Anudeep, has gone for a slightchange. Instead of initial choiceShalini Pandey, the makers havesigned on newbie Faria Abdullah tobe the film’s key female face, ThePioneer has exclusively learnt. “Theteam felt that a fresh face wouldgive the film a more realistic appealthan going with a recognised face,which is why they’ve decided toreplace Shalini. It was done health-ily, since Shalini shares a great rela-tionship with producer SwapnaDutt and she understood the latter’sintentions,” confirmed a sourceclose to the development.

The source adds that Faria is alocal, having featured in somefunny videos in Deccani dialect.“Director Nag Ashwin, the broth-er-in-law of Swapna, saw her at anaudition sometime back and rec-ommended her name to the team.He believed that she was apt tocarry forward the role of a lawyer

and Anudeep echoed a similaropinion after auditioning her. Shehas already shot for the film for fourdays and the team is happy with herperformance,” the source notes.

Meanwhile, after wrapping upthe first schedule in Sangareddyand Hyderabad, the team is gear-ing up for a second schedule inHyderabad on August 4. “It willbe a brief outing of four days fol-lowed by a break of five days.The third schedule will runinto another 10 days. Theteam is planning to wrap upthe shoot by October,” men-tions the source further.

In the film, leading menget involved in a seriouscrime, which they haven’tcommitted. How Fariacomes to their rescueand the follow-up eventsare narrated comically.The likes of VK Naresh,Vennela Kishore andAjay Ghosh are playingsupporting roles, whilePellichoopulu tunesmithVivek Sagar is on board tocompose music.

T

Anand Deverakondaset for his next

n the making for almost two years,Kshanam director Ravikanth Perepu’s sec-ond film, Krishna & his Leela, featuring

Sidhu of Guntur Talkies fame in the titular role,is through with its filming. The film, a joint pro-duction venture between Suresh Productionsand Viacom18, is an urban romantic comedy. Itco-stars Shraddha Srinath, Seerat Kapoor andShalini Vadnikatti. The film was recently shot inLadakh, which has recently been made a UnionTerritory. “One last shot, Promise! At 17,582 ftabove sea-level, we wrap Krishna & his Leela inLadakh. With all the surrounding tension aroundLadakh right now, the people here were extreme-ly friendly in helping us finish this. Every film hasits journey in the making and this one is a spec-imen. See you at the movies. Coming soon,” Perepuposted on Instagram, tagging his cast and crewmembers.

Kshanam technical team — cinematographerShaneil Deo and composer Sricharan Pakala —have associated with this film as well in the samecapacities. It remains to be seen when the mak-ers will announce the release date.

IKSHANAM DIRECTORWRAPS UP HIS SECOND FILM

KSHANAM DIRECTORWRAPS UP HIS SECOND FILM

KSHANAM DIRECTORWRAPS UP HIS SECOND FILM

THE FILM, A JOINT PRODUCTIONVENTURE BETWEEN SURESHPRODUCTIONS AND VIACOM18, ISAN URBAN ROMANTIC COMEDY

THE MOVIE WAS PREVIOUSLY DELAYED BY NEARLYSIX MONTHS AS THE PRODUCTION HOUSE WASCONCERNED WITH THE BALLOONING BUDGET. HECTICPARLEYS BETWEEN SHANKAR, KAMAL AND LYCAPRODUCTIONS RESURRECTED IT

T

Indian 2 faces another

Actress Aishwarya Rajesh is no longerpart of the project as her dates for themovie were clashing with her othercommitments

SETBACK

Rahul Ramakrishna

Naveen Polishetty Priyadarshi

sport 12VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | AUGUST 24, 2019

AFP n LIVERPOOL

Early Premier League leadersLiverpool and Arsenal face-

off, while Frank Lampard isunder pressure to deliver hisfirst win as Chelsea boss atNorwich today.

One of the only tworemaining 100 percentrecords in the PremierLeague will go at Anfieldwhere the Europeanchampions will hope tocontinue a fine recentrecord against the northLondoners.

Jurgen Klopp has neverlost in seven previous PremierLeague meetings againstArsenal and his side have beat-en the Gunners 4-0 and 5-1 athome in the past two seasons.

However, Unai Emery’soutfit are hoping a busy summerin the transfer window, whileLiverpool did not strengthen,will have significantly narrowedthe 27-point gap between thesides last season.

Emery could hand a firststart to £72 million ($87 mil-lion) club record signing NicolasPepe, while on-loan RealMadrid midfielder DaniCeballos earned ravereviews by creating bothgoals on his full debutagainst Burnley last week-end.

However, it isat the backArsenal need adrastic improve-ment and there isan early opportuni-ty for veteran cen-tre-back David Luizto make his markby halting the free-scoring trio ofSadio Mane,Roberto Firminoand MohamedSalah, who com-bined for all fiveLiverpool goalswhen the sides lastmet.

Arsenal havesome outstanding fin-ishers of their own.P i e r r e - E m e r i c kAubameyang, whoshared the PremierLeague Golden Bootwith Mane and Salahlast season, has scoredhis side’s winner in thefirst two games of thecampaign.

And on the evidenceof Liverpool’s first fourgames of the season acrossall competitions, a defence

that registered 20 PremierLeague clean sheets last seasonlooks far less solid.

Alisson Becker remainssidelined with a calfinjury, meaning Adrian— whose calamitousattempted clearance gift-ed Southampton a goallast weekend — will keephis place in goal.

Whilst Liverpool andArsenal have taken

advantage of a couple of kindfixtures to get their campaignsoff to a bright start, ManchesterCity, Manchester United andTottenham all dropped pointson matchday two.

The roles are reversed thisweekend as United host CrystalPalace, who have yet to scorethis season at Old Trafford, Citytravel to Bournemouth andSpurs seek to dismiss Newcastlewith the ease newly-promotedNorwich did last weekend.

PUKKI TO PILE PRES-SURE

Lampard was nothanded an easy start to life

as Chelsea boss with atrip to Old Traffordfollowed by Liverpool

in the UEFA SuperCup and the visit of

an ambitiousLeicester side toS t a m f o r dBridge lastweekend.

H o w e v e r ,Lampard, who hadjust one year’s man-agerial experience atDerby prior to takingover his old club,needs a win atNorwich to ease thequestioning of histactics.

The formerEngland internation-al has been accused ofbeing too gung-ho inhis approach as bothUnited and Leicestercut Chelsea openrelentlessly on thecounter-attack and ifhe cannot tailor hisapproach, Norwichhave a striker in formready to take advan-tage. Teemu Pukkihas scored four timesin his first twoPremier Leagueappearances, includ-ing a hat-trick against

AFP n TURIN

Juventus begin their Serie A cam-paign at Parma today looking to

push their record Scudetto run tonine but with a different style of foot-ball under new coach MaurizioSarri, who will miss the opening fix-tures with pneumonia.

Behind, Napoli and Inter Milanare waiting in the wings hopeful thatSarri’s arrival can lead to turmoil inTurin and a changing of the guard inItaly.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli have notwon the title since 1990 and open atFiorentina Saturday with AntonioConte’s Inter at home to promotedLecce on Monday.

Like Sarri, Conte last coached atChelsea, and along with three-timesChampions League winner Ancelotti,Serie A have a world class coachingsetup this season.

Juventus start the season withoutSarri however who will miss theParma game and his former clubNapoli in Turin on August 31 withpneumonia. The 60-year-old is stilloverseeing training.

Juventus are targetting a 36th

Scudetto but their main objec-tive remains the ChampionsLeague which they have notwon since 1996.

After splashing out onCristiano Ronaldo last seasonJuventus have again reinforcedwith midfielders Aaron Ramsey andAdrien Rabiot and Dutch defender

Matthijs De Ligt.

’RAISED THE BAR’In Milan, Conte, who led

Juventus to the first three intheir series of eight titles, hasalso been given money to spend

to give Inter a first Serie A title since2010.

Chinese-owned Inter paid 65million euros ($72 million) forManchester United’s Belgian for-ward Romelu Lukaku.

Atletico Madrid defender DiegoGodin has also arrived along withItalian midfielders Stefano Sensi andNicolo Barella.

Behind are Atalanta, a surprisethird last season, followed by ACMilan, Lazio and Roma.

The side from Bergamo play atSPAL with AC Milan at Udinese withRoma hosting Genoa.

Lazio start at home againstSampdoria, now coached by formerRomer boss Eusebio Di Francesco.

Promoted Brescia head forCagliari with new signing MarioBalotelli sitting out a four-match ban,with Verona at home againstBologna.

AFP n BERLIN

New loans i g n i n g s

Ivan Perisic and PhilippeCoutinho both hope tomake their Bundesligadebuts as championsBayern Munich attempt toreboot a rocky start to the season at Schalketoday.

Perisic and Coutinho, both of whomarrived in Munich on loan this month, willbe in the squad for the first time as Bayernlook to pick up their first win of the newseason against David Wagner’s Schalke.

Coutinho, 27, has been the talk ofGermany since Bayern announced hisarrival on a one-year loan deal fromBarcelona last week.

Bayern sporting director HasanSalihamidzic said the Brazilian would pro-vide “a touch of the spectacular”, and hopesthe former Liverpool player can sprinklesome much-needed stardust on theGerman top-flight.

Bayern announced record engagementfigures on their social media accounts fol-lowing Coutinho’s arrival, but fans mayhave to wait to see him in action.

Coach Niko Kovac confirmed onThursday Coutinho was not yet fit enoughto play the full 90 minutes, and would starton the bench against Schalke.

The Croatian coach said his compa-triot Perisic had better chances of makinga first start for Bayern.

Perisic, 30, joined Bayern on a one-year loan from Inter Milan earlier thismonth, but was forced to sit out the sea-son opener against Hertha Berlin due toa suspension carried over from Serie A.

That game confirmed a bumpy startto the new season for Bayern, as they wereheld to a 2-2 draw and immediatelyslipped two points behind title rivalsDortmund, who had beaten them in theGerman Supercup two weeks previously.

AFP n MADRID

Zinedine Zidane has chal-lenged Gareth

Bale to show why heis still one of theworld’s best playersas he continues hisreintegration at RealMadrid.

Bale was a sur-prise inclusion inthe starting line-upagainst Celta Vigolast weekend, whenMadrid opened withan impressive 3-1win in La Liga andBale was arguablyman of the match.

Zidane said inJuly it would be“best for everyone”if Bale left Madridthis summer but theWelshman has beeneager to stay andappears to be regaining the confidence of his coach.

“What has changed is that the player is going to stay,nothing more,” Zidane said in a press conference onFriday, ahead of today’s game at home to Real Valladolid.

“The important thing is the player wants to stay. It’strue that a lot was said about him, by me as well, but heis going to stay.

“He is a great player, he has shown that before andhe has to show it again. He has to be the player we knowthat he is.”

Bale’s start in Vigo came after Eden Hazard sustaineda thigh injury in training and it remains to be seen if hecan keep his place when the Belgian returns after theinternational break.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh is aproud man after having led India to suc-

cess in his maiden stint as captain of thenational team in the just-concluded OlympicTest event in Tokyo.

World No 5 India rested some seniorplayers and fielded a relatively young teamfor the Olympic Test event but still managedto lift the crown, defeating New Zealand 5-0 in the final on Wednesday.

“It was a fantastic opportunity foreveryone involved in the team to showcasewhat they can do. With some experiencedplayers rested for the tournament, we hada fairly younger squad, but it was a greatchance for the youngsters to do well and Iam really pleased with the way everyonestepped up.

“The team performed well against teamslike Japan, Malaysia and New Zealand, andit was an immensely proud moment for meto have led the Indian men’s hockey team forthe very first time,” said the 23-year-oldHarmanpreet, who captained India in theabsence of Manpreet Singh.

Harmanpreet scored two goals in thetournament and both his strikes cameagainst New Zealand — the first in the 1-2loss in round-robin match, while the otherwas in the final.

“Scoring is something that I have real-ly worked on since the junior days. To beable to help the team in scoring some impor-tant goals at crucial junctures in a match issomething that motivates me even further,”Harmanpreet said.

“I have worked on my drag-flicking withthe coaches, and finally it is showing on thefield as well and I am really pleased, but Iwill continue to keep working.”

PTI n BASEL

PV Sindhu secured her fifthWorld Championships medalfollowing a stunning come-

back while B Sai Praneeth becamethe first Indian male shuttler in 36years to grab a podium in the pres-tigious event here on Friday.

On a day of double delight forIndia, Olympic Silver medallistSindhu staged a come-from-behindvictory over Chinese Taipei’s TaiTzu Ying, before Praneeth ended anagonising wait with a straight-game win over Indonesia’s JonatanChristie.

Sindhu, who won back-to-backSilver medals in the last two edi-tions of the tournament to go withher two Bronze, edged past worldnumber 2 and Asian Games Goldmedallist Tzu Ying 12-21, 23-21,21-19 in a pulsating contest thatlasted 71 minutes, inching closer toan elusive gold medal at the worlds.

World No 19 Praneeth, who gotthe Arjuna Award this year,notched up a 24-22, 21-14 win overAsian Games Gold medallistJonatan in a 51-minute battle, join-ing Prakash Padukone in the medallist at the tournament.

Padukone was the first Indianto win a men’s singles WorldChampionships medal — a Bronze— in the 1983 edition.

In the women’s singles, Sindhushowed tremendous grit after beingblown away in the opening game,edging past her fancied rival, whoenjoys an upper hand (10-4) after14 career meetings.

“I think in the first game, I hadgiven a huge lead and I couldn’tcover. I was prepared for her decep-tion but my shots were going tomid court. But the second gamewas anybody’s game and I keptfighting and won the second. The

third game went same way, she wasleading but I had hope. At 18-18,I had to be patient and keep theshuttle inside, there were long ral-lies ad I am happy to win this,”Sindhu said after the win.

“We keep playing each other, sowe know each other’s game. Ineeded to be positive. It was a real-ly good match and taking out suchclose matches gives a big boost tothe confidence and I hope I canprepare well and come backstronger tomorrow."

The 24-year-old Indian willtake on the winner of the matchbetween China’s Chen Yu Fei andDenmark’s Mia Blichfeldt onSaturday.

“I don’t know whom I will play.Chen Yufei is doing well in recenttimes and Mia has beaten Sainayesterday. I will be playing themafter a long time. Anything canhappen, I just have to be there andfocus on tomorrow’s match,”Sindhu said.

In the men’s singles quarterfi-nals, Praneeth, who had won theSingapore Open in 2017 and fin-ished runners-up at Swiss Openearlier this year, came into the tour-nament with a 1-2 head-to-headcount against the Indonesian.

But the past record didn’t mat-ter as the Indian came out attack-ing to stave off a stiff challengefrom Jonatan in the opening gameand then blew him away in the sec-ond to find his place in history.

“It feels awesome. It feels greatand I am happy to win today. I stillhave matches, so I have to focus onthat and be fitter for tomorrow. Wecan talk about what medal later on,”laughed Praneeth after the match.

Talking about the match,Praneeth said: “In the first game,

the rallies were going on really longand I was attacking a lot and therewas a lot of pressure and it mademe tired. It was crucial because ifhe would have won then it couldhave been different.

“Later Gopi sir told me not toattack and that changed the rhythmand I think those inputs helped me

a lot.”Praneeth will take on World No

1 Kento Momota of Japan in thesemifinals on Saturday.

“I think everybody is trying tofind a way to beat him. It is not easyhe being the world No 1. You haveto put him under pressure, so letssee how it goes. I will give my best.”

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PTI n BASEL

Indian badminton ace SainaNehwal on Friday slammed

the standard of umpiring in herBWF World Championshipspre-quarterf inal loss toDenmark’s Mia Blichfeldt,terming it “very sick”.

Her husband ParupalliKashyap, who often sits by thecourtside during her matches,also lashed out at the umpire fol-lowing the narrow defeat.

“Still can’t believe 2 matchpoints which the umpire over-ruled in the second game. Andthe umpire tells me in the midof second game ‘let the lineumpires do their job’ and Idon’t understand suddenly howthe umpire overruled the matchpoints..Very sick,” the LondonOlympic Bronze medallisttweeted.

Saina, who had won a Silverat the 2015 World

Championships and a Bronze in2017, put up a gritty perfor-mance before losing 21-15, 25-27, 12-21 to Blichfeldt, seeded12th, in the women’s singlesmatch that lasted an hour and12 minutes on Thursday.

There was no video referralin place for Saina’s match as itwas not held in one of the twocourts with live streaming facil-ity.

“2 match-points snatchedaway by bad umpiring. Andnumerous wrong decisions,”Kashyap, a 2014Commonwealth Games cham-pion, wrote on his Twitter han-dle.

“Unbelievable that there areno reviews on other courts atthe WORLD CHAMPI-ONSHIPS. When will our sportget better ? SICK @bwfmedia@HSBCBWF @NSaina #feel-ingcheated #totalbwfworld-championships2019.”

SINDHU BREAKS TAI CODEPV inches closer to elusive Gold; Praneeth breaks 36-year drought

PV Sindhu celebrates after winning quarterfinal match against Tai Tzu Ying BWF/Twitter

Juventus players pose for group photo after the end of training session in Turin Juventus/TwitterNiko Kovac & Philippe Coutinho walk during BayernMunich training session AP

Harmanpreet Singh poses for photo during Indian teamtraining session Harmanpreet/Twitter

Kashyap, Saina slam‘bad umpiring’

Table toppers clash Juve begin title defence

Zizou challenges Baleto prove his worth Harmanpreet proud to

lead India to success

Bayern loaneesready to shine

B Sai Praneeth reacts after beating Jonatan Christie BWF/Twitter