PLASTIC: HARDIK ABHINANDAN - The Pioneer · 2019-03-15 · Abhinandan Varthaman returned to India...

PNS n NEW DELHI/ATTARI

Two days after his Mig-21Bison fighter jet was shot

down and he was captured inPakistan Occupied Kashmir(POK), Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthamanreturned to India on Fridaynight via Attari-Wagah borderin Amritsar. His releaseprompted massive celebrationacross the country.

The released pilot dressedin khaki trousers and a darkjacket set foot on Indian soilshortly after 9 pm from Pakistanafter being handed over to Indiaon other side, where he wasaccompanied by Indian airattaché and a woman official ofPakistan foreign office. He waswhisked away from Attari bor-der to avoid media glare.Hundreds of people had gath-ered there since morning tohave a glimpse of Varthaman.

He will undergo a medicalcheck-up at military hospital andthen flown in a special aircraftto New Delhi. He will meet hisfamily, including his wife, aretired IAF officer, and father,Air Marshal S Varthaman(retired) now settled in Chennai.The IAF authorities will thendebrief the pilot in New Delhi.

Sources said the debriefingprocedure entails getting firstperson account from the pilotabout the sequence of events

during his captivity and detailsof interrogation by the PakistanArmed forces. Since Varthamanwas in custody for a brief peri-od and most probably blind-folded to prevent him fromobserving the details of theplace of his custody, the debrief-ing will be short, they said.

Reports from Pakistanmedia indicate that after theIAF pilot was shot down andbeaten up by the locals in POKopposite Rajouri sector, he

attempted to destroy the doc-uments in his possession bystuffing them in his mouth.

His plane was shot downafter Varthaman successfullybrought down a F-16 ofPakistan Air Force (PAF) whichhad intruded into Indian air-space in Rajouri sector onWednesday at about 10.30 am.

The IAF pilot was part ofcombat air patrol which hadintercepted the Pakistan jets inNarian in Naushera, Rajouri

after it tried to target an ammu-nition point of the IndianArmy. The Pakistani jets earli-er had dropped bombs at thebrigade headquarters of theArmy in Rajouri but there wasno damage.

During the aerial engage-ment close to the Line ofControl (LoC) between theSU-30 and MIG-21s of the IAFand F-16s of the PAF,Varthaman chased one F-16and shot it down and it fell in

POK. However, his MIG-21was shot by the air defence ofPakistan and Varthaman eject-ed before the plane crash andlanded in POK where he wascaptured.

The Pakistani action toattack Indian military installa-tions came a day after the IAFjets destroyed terror groupJaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM)biggest training camp nearBalakot deep inside Pakistanearly on Tuesday.

It came 12 days after theJeM claimed responsibility fora suicide attack on a CRPF con-voy in Kashmir’s Pulwama,killing 40 soldiers.

Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan had announced inParliament there on Thursdayabout the decision to releasethe captured pilot as a “peacegesture” and the “first step” toopen negotiations with India.“In our desire for peace, Iannounce that tomorrow(Friday) and as a first step toopen negotiations Pakistan willbe returning the IAF officer inour custody.”

The IAF said on Thursdayit was happy that Varthamanwas returning home but dis-missed suggestions it was agoodwill gesture insisting it wasin line with GenevaConvention. “We are veryhappy Abhinandan will befreed tomorrow (Friday) and

look forward to his return AirVice Marshal RGK Kapoor,assistant chief of staff (space)had told a news conference inNew Delhi. Asked if the IAFsaw it as a goodwill move,Kapoor had said “we see it asa gesture in consonance withthe Geneva Convention.”

Justifying the Pakistani aer-ial strike, Khan had said inParliament on Thursday, “theonly purpose of our strike wasto demonstrate our capabilityand will. We did not want toinflict any casualty on India aswe wanted to act in a respon-sible manner.” Meanwhile,reports in New Delhi suggest-ed that Pakistan turned downa request by India to sendback Varthaman by aerial route

and not through the Attari-Wagah land border, officialsources said Friday.

They said hours after Khanannounced the decision torelease Varthaman, India con-veyed to Islamabad that he besent back via the aerial route.However, late in the night,Pakistan conveyed to Indiathat the pilot will be returnedthrough the Attari-Wagah bor-der and India’s request couldnot be heeded to, the sourcessaid. India was also mullingsending a special aircraft toPakistan, the sources said.Varthaman was finally drivento the border in a Pakistani mil-itary vehicle before being hand-ed over to the Indian officials.

The Daily Retreat cere-

mony held at the Attari-Wagahborder front along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab wascancelled for Friday in view ofVarthaman’s release by Pakistanat this frontier, the BSF said.

A senior official of theforce said the martial ceremo-ny was called off due to admin-istrative requirements.

Officials said it was esti-mated that over 20,000 peoplecould gather on the Indian sideto welcome IAF pilot and itcould be a security nightmare.Hundreds of people hadflocked the Attari border sinceearly Friday morning to catcha glimpse of the IAF pilot.Hence, it was decided to call theceremony off on Friday so thatnothing untoward happens.

PTI n ABU DHABI

In a major diplomaticachievement, India on Friday

for the first time addressed theOrganisation of IslamicCooperation (OIC) meetinghere, and External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj assert-ed that terrorism is destroyinglives, destabilising regions andputting the world at great peril.

India’s participation camedespite strong demand byPakistan to rescind the invita-tion to Sushma to address thegrouping of the OIC which wasturned down by the host UAE,resulting in Pakistan’s ForeignMinister Shah MehmoodQureshi boycotting the meet.

“I will not attend Council ofForeign Ministers as a matter ofprinciple for (them) havingextended invitation as a Guestof Honour to Sushma Swaraj,”Shah Mahmood Qureshi told

the joint session of Parliament,adding that lower ranking offi-cials would attend to representPakistan’s interests.

“Terrorism and extrem-ism bear different names andlabels. It uses diverse causes.But in each case, it is driven bydistortion of religion, and amisguided belief in its power tosucceed. The fight against ter-rorism is not a confrontationagainst any religion,” Swaraj,who is the first Indian Ministerto address the meeting of the 57Islamic countries, said.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, asenior Minister in IndiraGandhi’s Cabinet who laterbecame President, was invitedto attend the Rabat conferencein 1969 and then disinvited atPakistan’s instance after hearrived in the Moroccan capi-tal. Since then, India has beenexcluded from all OIC delib-erations. Sawaraj during her

address read a verse from theHoly Koran which says ‘LaIkrah fiddeen’ — Let there beno compulsion in religion.

“Just as Islam literallymeans peace, none of the 99names of Allah mean violence.Similarly, every religion in the

world stands for peace, com-passion and brotherhood,” shesaid. “I carry the greetings ofmy Prime Minister NarendraModiji and 1.3 billion Indians,including more than 185 mil-lion Muslim brothers and sis-ters. Our Muslims brothers

and sisters are a microcosm ofthe diversity of India itself,” theMinister said and asserted that“very few” Muslims in Indiahave fallen prey to the poiso-nous propaganda of radicaland extremist ideologies.

Continued on Page 6

VIRENDRA NATH BHATT n LUCKNOW

Amid tensions between India and Pakistan,Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora

said on Friday that Lok Sabha elections will beheld as per schedule and asserted that theElection Commission of India was committedto holding free and fair polls.

The CEC, along with other ElectionCommissioners, was talking to the media afterconcluding a three-day tour of Lucknow toreview poll preparations in the State.

To a specific question on whether Lok Sabhapolls could be deferred due to the escalation oftension on the Indo-Pak border, Arora said, “Thegeneral elections in the country will be held ontime. We are in direct touch with theGovernment and there is no confusion on thisissue.”

Refusing to disclose any possible date forannouncement ofelection schedules,he said discussionswith the HomeMinistry aboutavailability of para-forces have beendone.

Continued on Page 6

MOHIT KANDHARI n JAMMU

Five security personnel,including a CRPF

Inspector and two State police-men, attained martyrdombefore eliminating one terror-ist during fierce gunfight inHandwara area of NorthKashmir’s Kupwara districton Friday.

In Kupwara security forcessuffered heavy losses after oneof the two terrorists, presumeddead during the gunfight, rosefrom the debris and openedfire on the joint team of secu-rity personnel who arrived atthe encounter site to recoverthe dead bodies of terrorists.According to official sources,a CRPF commandant alsoreceived serious injuries.

Earlier on February 18,two senior officers includingArmy Brigadier and DIG of

State police too receivedinjuries at the encounter site inPulwama as one of the terror-ists, hiding under the debris,waited for an opportunity tostrike again. Till the time of fil-ing the report operation wasstill going on in the area.

A civilian also lost his life.CRPF commandant and sevenother jawans of Army andCRPF received injuries duringthe fire fight. The search oper-ation was launched by thejoint team of security forcespast midnight after receivingcredible inputs about the pres-ence of terrorists at KhananBabagund in Langate. Severallocal residents were alsoinjured during clashes withsecurity forces.

Also, on late Fridayevening, three members of afamily, including two chil-dren, were killed in fresh esca-lation along the Line ofControl in Poonch due toheavy shelling by PakistanArmy.

PNS n NEW DELHI / SRINAGAR

Aday after banning Jammu & Kashmirchapter of Jamaat-e-Islami for five years

under anti-terror law, Union Home Ministry ismulling to ban the Valley’s most powerful sep-aratist outfit Hurriyat Conference underUnlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

According to highly-placed sources, theCentre is determined to crack down on Hurriaytthis time around. Two weeks ago, securitygiven to 18 Hurriayt leaders was withdrawn.Security and intelligence top brass are of the viewthat banning Hurriyat will prevent the outfit andits leaders’ activities and their free run across theKashmir motivating youths for violence.

Hurriyat leaders are also in close touch withterrorist organisations, like JeM, LeT andHizbul in Pakistan, claimed sources, adding thatthe agencies have intercepted many conversa-tions with terror outfit leaders and Hurriyatleaders and many of such conversations exposedthat Hurriyat leaders were simply executing thecommands from across the border. Some con-versations were also tracked to ISI top brass,including Col Tanveer Ahmed, who is handlingmany Kashmir based anti-Indian activists.

“The fight against terrorism has nowentered the most decisive phase and many ele-ments are trying to create chaos in this sum-mer,” said a senior official.

Continued on Page 6

New Delhi; The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) on Fridaycarried out searches against for-mer ICICI Bank CEO ChandaKochhar and Videocon pro-moter Venugopal Dhoot inconnection with a bank loanfraud case.

Raids were carried out in atleast five offices and residentialpremises in Mumbai and

Aurangabad, officials said. “ED is conducting search-

es under PMLA at the premis-es of Chanda Kochhar, formerchairman ICICI Bank, andVenugopal Dhoot of VideoconGroup in Mumbai andAurangabad respectively,” theagency said in a statement.

The ED had registered acriminal case under the

Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA) earli-er this month against ChandaKochhar, her husband DeepakKochhar, Dhoot and others toprobe the money launderingaspect in the irregular sanctionof Rs 1,875-crore loans by theICICI bank to the corporategroup.

Continued on Page 6

HARDIK ABHINANDAN

Terrorism destabilising regions: Sushma

Two days after he was captured in Pakistan, Wing Commander Varthaman is back home amid cheers

She is 1st Indian Minister to address 57-Islamic

nations OIC meet; Pak Min skips summit in protest

After Jamaat-e-Islami,Centre mulls banningHurriyat under UAPA

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addresses as ‘Guest of Honour’ at the 46th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of Organisationof Islamic Cooperation in Abu Dhabi on Friday PTI

No deferment due toescalation of tension

Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as he is released by Pakistan authorities at Wagahborder on the Pakistani side on Friday PTI

ED raids offices, homes of Kochhar, Dhoot

5 martyred after ultra

presumed dead opens

fire, 1 terrorist killed

3 civilians killedin Pak shelling

LS polls will be

held on time: CEC

❝ Welcome Home Wing CommanderAbhinandan! The nation is proud of yourexemplary courage. Our Armed forcesare an inspiration for 130 crore Indians.Vande MataramPRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

❝ Proud of you Wing Commander#AbhinandanVarthaman. Entire nationappreciates your valour and grit. Youheld your calm in face of adversity.You are an inspiration...Salute.Vande Mataram. Jai HindNIRMALA SITHARAMAN

❝ Wing Cdr Abhinandan, your dignity,poise and bravery made us all proud.Welcome back and much loveRAHUL GANDHI

❝ India is proud of you. Hero finally walksback. A grateful nation salutes WingCommander Abhinandan. You are aninspiration for all of us ARVIND KEJRIWAL

❝ Very happy to see the safe return of IAFwing commander Abhinandan. APsalutes the brave and spirited patriotN CHANDRABABU NAIDU

❝ Welcome home AbhinandanVarthaman Welcome home sweethome MAMATA BANERJEE

❝ Join the nation in warmly welcomingback our hero Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman! Your resolu-teness and poise in the face of adver-sity makes me proud as an Indian. Welcomeback son! Jai Hind AMARINDER SINGH

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WORLD 12

N KOREA, US PLEDGE TOKEEP TALKING AFTER MEET

OPINION 8

DON’T DESTROYARAVALLIS

SPORT 15

INDIA TO FACE AUS IN 1ST ODI

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Late City Vol. 155 Issue 59*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL

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Established 1864

RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2019-21

LUCKNOW, SATURDAY MARCH 2, 2019; PAGES 16 `3

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PLASTIC:

PARINEETI

13 VIVACITY

}

New Delhi: "It is good to beback in my country," was thefirst reaction of IAF pilot WingCommander AbhinandanVarthaman as he set his footback on Indian soil. This wasstated by an official quotingVarthaman after he receivedthe pilot at the Attari-Wagahborder soon after his release byPakistan. Varthaman was cap-tured by Pakistani authorities on

February 27 after an air combatbetween the air forces of the twocountries, a day after New Delhihad conducted counter-terroroperations in Pakistan's Balakot.

"We are happy to have himback," said a top IAF officershortly after Varthaman washanded over to Indian author-ities. Reading out a brief state-ment, Air Vice Marshal RG KKapoor, assistant chief of Air

Staff, told a posse of reportersthat the pilot will be taken fora detailed medical examinationas he was subjected to lot ofstress during his nearly three-day captivity.

"He will be taken for adetailed medical checkup. Theofficer has had to eject from aplane which would have put hisbody under immense strain,"said Kapoor. PTI

‘Good to be backin my country’

New Delhi: Leaders cutting across party lineswelcomed the return of Indian Air Force pilotAbhinandan Varthman from captivity inPakistan on Friday and lauded him for his poiseand courage and for making the country proud.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomedthe IAF Wing Commander, saying the nationis proud of his exemplary courage.

He said the country's armed forces are aninspiration for the 130 crore Indians.

"Welcome Home Wing CommanderAbhinandan! The nation is proud of your exem-plary courage. Our armed forces are an inspi-ration for 130 crore Indians. Vande Mataram,"

he tweeted.Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

tweeted, "Proud of you Wing Commander#AbhinandanVarthaman. The entire nationappreciates your valour and grit. You held yourcalm in the face of adversity. You are an inspi-ration to our youth. Salute. Vande Mataram. JaiHind."

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and RaviShankar Prasad too lauded the pilot for his brav-ery and welcomed him back to the country.

"Welcome home. The entire nation is proudof Wing Commander Abhinandan," Singh, theMinister for Home Affairs, tweeted. PTI

Leaders welcome pilot back

Indians celebrate after the convoy carrying Indian air force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman entered the Indian side ofthe border in Attari on Friday PTI

city 02LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

QUICK TAKES

PNS n LUCKNOW

The Uttar Pradesh unit ofBharatiya Janata Party will

take out Vijay Sankalp Yatra inall the 403 Assembly con-stituencies of the state onSaturday with the resolve toensure victory of the party inthe coming Lok Sabha elec-tions.

“Senior leaders and minis-ters in the state governmentwill also participate in theSankalp Yatra,” said campaignin-charge Vijay BahadurPathak in a written statementissued here on Friday.

Pathak said Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath would takepart in the Vijay Sankalp Yatrain Gorakhpur, Deputy ChiefMinister Keshav PrasadMaurya in Varanasi, BJP gen-eral secretary (organisation)Ram Lal in Ghaziabad, formerUnion minister Kalraj Mishrain Deoria.

He said Bharatiya JanataParty general secretary ArunSingh would also take part inthe yatra along with top lead-ers the party in UP.

All motorcycles taking partin the Vijay Sankalp Yatra willcarry party flags and stickerswhile the pillion riders willhold aloft the tri-colour. Theywill also carry sound systemsplaying patriotic songs.

The Bharatiya Janata Partyworkers have been asked toraise slogans like Bharat Mataki jai.

“At least five motorcyclesfrom each booth will take partin the yatra and the riders willride at a speed of 60-70 km perhour. The route of the VijaySankalp Yatra has beenfinalised for each assemblyconstituency and senior lead-ers and functionaries have beenasked to take part in the yatra,”campaign in-charge VijayBahadur Pathak said.

PNS n LUCKNOW

Chief Minister YogiAdityanath said on Fridaythat deserving people left

out in Ayushman Bharat nation-al health protection schemewould be included in the list asthe government was committedto extending health benefits tothe people of the state.

Launching the Jan Arogyacampaign in the state capital onFriday, Yogi said that it wasPrime Minister Narendra Modi’svision to extend quality healthfacilities to the people who wereunable to get treatment underAyushman Bharat scheme.

“I assure you that all bonafide people who do not figure inthe Ayushman Bharat list will beincluded,” the Chief Ministersaid.

Yogi said that if the govern-ment could provide better healthfacilities in Uttar Pradesh, it

would reflect in India’s healthindex.

“Keeping this in mind, theUP government has launchedthe Jan Arogya campaign underwhich small centres will be dig-itally connected with specialistsof big hospitals. For this, 15telemedicine centres and equalnumber of teleradiology centreshave been inaugurated acrossthe state,” the Chief Ministersaid. “Through telemedicine, wewill be able to provide qualityhealth care to people in far-flungareas. Many regions of UP werelanguishing because of non-availability of better facilities.Our government has initiatedthe process to extend bettermedical facilities in rural areasas specialists do not want to goto villages and serve there. Weused technology to provide bet-ter facilities to the poor,” Yogisaid.

UP’s Health Minister

Sidharth Nath Singh said thattelemedicine services had start-ed in 15 centres, including thebackward regions like Hamirpur,Mirzapur and Bahraich.

“Considering the fact thatthere is paucity of radiologists,the state government has alsostarted 15 radiology centres.Jan Arogya centres will also bestarted at 750 centres across thestate, where primary medicalfacilities will be provided,” theminister said.

Singh added, “In the com-ing months, over 2,500 centres

will be set up across the state. Inthe next three years, we will havethe best health care service in thecountry. For this, a fleet of 712ambulances have been added tothe existing fleet of 108 Service.”

Tourism and Child WelfareMinister Rita Bahuguna Joshisaid that since the Yogi govern-ment came to power, there hadbeen a decline in child mortal-ity rate. “We are committed toproviding better future to thechildren of this nation and wewill fulfil that promise,”Bahuguna said.

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CM: Deserving left out people to

be included in Ayushman scheme

Launches Jan Arogya campaign

PWD to construct 11,927 roads

at a cost of `2,262 cr: DyCM

PNS n LUCKNOW

Deputy Chief MinisterKeshav Prasad Maurya

laid the foundation stones of11,927 roads covering 18,486kilometres, to be constructed atan estimated cost of `2,262crore.

Maurya also paid homageto the Pulwama martyrs inLucknow on Friday beforeannouncing that officers andstaff of Public WorksDepartment (PWD) had con-tributed one day’s salary forthese martyrs. He said thePWD officials and employeeshad collected `4.95 crore forthe families of these martyrs.

He said the PWD wouldconstruct link roads to the vil-lages of the 15 CRPF martyrs

from Uttar Pradesh, to bename after them.

Maurya said that besideslaying all-weather roads in thevillages of the martyrs, allexisting roads connecting theirvillages would be upgraded.

The Deputy Chief Ministerdisclosed that under generalrepair, the PWD would carryout work on 6,508 roads cov-ering 9,525 kilometres with abudget of `1,049 crore.

Similarly, he said, for spe-cial repairs, a budget of `1,213crore had been sanctioned withwhich 5,419 roads covering8,961 kilometres would be ren-ovated.

The Deputy Chief Ministerclaimed that these works wouldbe carried out under the super-vision of local people’s repre-

sentatives so that transparencyand quality of work could beensured. He directed the PWDofficials to complete the workon time.

Maurya further said thatthe government had startedwork to connect 4,600 villageswith main roads and work onthese projects was going on infull swing.

He said that 5,423 kilome-tres of road had already beenconstructed and the govern-ment would connect all villageswith population of 250 andmore people.

The Deputy Chief Ministerfurther said that villages onseven-metre wide roads wouldalso be linked with main roadsand the government had sanc-tioned a budget of `1,198crores to connect 1,915 ham-lets.

He claimed that ̀ 617 crorehad been released to connect510 unconnected hamlets withmain roads and for under thisproject 1,046 kilometres oflink roads would be laid.

Maurya also said thatrepair work on all roads thatwere in a bad shape due to ply-ing of overloaded vehicleswould be taken up soon.

“By adopting the latestroad construction technique,the PWD has already saved`942 crore. The techniquebeing used also helps in con-taining air pollution,” he said.

BJP to take outVijay SankalpYatra today

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya (centre) announcing the roadprojects in Lucknow on Friday

Akhilesh slams PM for sluggish growth of economy Lucknow (PNS): Samajwadi Party president

Akhilesh Yadav slammed Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for the sluggish growth of econ-omy in the October-December quarter. In a tweeton Friday, Akhilesh said, “Kheti, udyog, dukan-dari, karobar sab badhaal, nahi chahiye jumle walisarkar (agriculture, industry, trade and businessare in doldrums, we do not need a governmentof slogans).”

The SP chief said that in Modi’s rule, all sec-tors of the economy had suffered, be it manufac-turing, domestic and foreign trade. He said jobcreation had also suffered badly during the lastfive years. A few days back, Akhilesh had criti-

cised Modi for addressing Bharatiya JanataParty’s booth level workers through video confer-encing at a time when the country was facing awar-like situation.

As per data released by the Central StatisticsOffice (CSO) on Thursday, Indian economy grewat the slowest pace at 6.6 percent in October-December quarter, the third quarter of the cur-rent fiscal 2018-19. The overall GDP growth esti-mate for 2018-19 was also revised to a five-yearlow at 7 per cent as per the second advance esti-mate released by the government, against a 7.2 per-cent growth estimated in first advance estimateof the full year released on January 7.

Girl killed inleopard attack

Bahraich (PTI): A teenagegirl was killed after beingattacked by a leopard inMatiapurwa village nearKatarniaghat WildlifeSanctuary, police said Friday.The incident took place onThursday when Pushpa (14)was working in her field. Bythe time villagers rushed to herrescue, she had succumbed toher injuries. The body hasbeen sent for post-mortem.

TWO ARRESTED IN BARABANKI WITH MORPHINE WORTH `3.5 CRORE

Lucknow: Two persons were arrested in Barabanki districton Friday with morphine worth `3.5 crore in the internationalmarket. Police said the accused were arrested from Harak cross-ing under Zaidpur police station with the contraband weighing1.1 kg, worth `3.5 crore in the international market. Both arebeing interrogated.

PROPERTY DEALER SHOT DEADEtah: A property dealer was shot dead at a wedding function

by two unidentified persons in a village here, police said on Friday.Atul Tiwari, 26, was attacked on Thursday night at Gumanpur vil-lage in Rizor area. The body was sent for post-mortem and inves-tigation is on. No arrests have been made so far.

MAN ATTEMPTS SUICIDEMuzaffarnagar (PTI): An official of the Uttar Pradesh

Irrigation department attempted to commit suicide by shootinghimself at a village in the district, police said on Friday. Devdutt(26) shot himself over family dispute at his house in Balda vil-lage on Thursday evening. According to Bhopa police stationSHO, the injured man was rushed to district hospital in seriouscondition. A case has been registered in this regard and inves-tigation is underway.


PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

Two groups of RamSwaroop University stu-dents clashed with each

other on its campus situatedon Faizabad Road on Fridaymorning. The motive was stat-ed to be establishment ofhegemony on the campus.Five rounds of shots werefired in the air. However, nostudents was injured or noarrest was made. The policeinitiated an investigation.

The police said SanjaySingh, a native of Gorakhpur,and Akhil Chand, who hailsfrom Mau district and otherstudents of the university werehaving tea at a stall near thecampus on Friday morning.They were joined by Vinaywho is also a student andbelongs to their rival groups.

Initially, they were cooland calm but all of suddenVinay started ridiculing them

and held them responsible forthe violence which erupted onthe campus a fortnight ago.The situation was broughtunder control following theimmediate intervention ofuniversity authorities.

But Vinay left the place indisgust by using derogatoryremarks against Akhil andSingh. For the time being, itappeared the situation hadbeen normalised. After 10minutes, Singh and Akhil tooleft the place. Surprisingly,Vinay accompanied by Ojhaand Awasthi and sevenunidentified persons againsurfaced there and startedridiculing Singh and Akhiland alleged they were involvedin spoiling the academicatmosphere on the campus.They asked Singh and Akhil torender a written apology forthe clash on campus a few daysago. They refused to obligethem and were determined not

to render written or verbalapology as they claimed them-selves to be innocent. Out ofrage, one of the unidentifiedaccomplices fired five shots inthe air to demoralise and ter-rorise the rival group. The sit-uation was brought undercontrol by the locals, passers-by and the security staff of theuniversity.

Chinhat police stationinspector SK Singh said Singhhad lodged a complaintagainst Awasthi, Ojha, Vinayand seven unidentif iedaccomplices and alleged theymade an attempt to eliminatethem and snatched away theirpurses and other belongings.The inspector said the inves-tigation had been initiatedand action would be taken inaccordance with the law ifthey found guilty. He addedthe motive for the incidentwould be established after theinvestigation.

Shots fired as two groups of

students clash in college


Better job opportunities andavailability of agricultural

loans remain the two majorissues before voters of UttarPradesh in the upcoming LokSabha polls as the state gov-ernment has failed to addressboth, which have been ratedbelow par.

Surprisingly, 15 per cent ofvoters admitted that distribu-tion of cash, liquor and giftsremained important pollaspects and could tilt the scalesin a candidate’s favour.

Of this, 5 per cent said thatthese were very important pollfactors even as 74 per cent vot-ers felt that distribution ofcash, liquor and gifts were ille-gal. These and more such facetsemerge in a survey on UttarPradesh conducted by theAssociation for DemocraticReforms (ADR), the findings of

which were revealed by ADR’sUP co-ordinator Sanjay Singhin Lucknow on Friday.

“Overall 42.82 percent ofthe people sought better jobopportunities, 34.56 percentwanted better health care while33.73 percent wanted better lawand order,” the report said.

The survey found that in all31 listed issues, the perfor-mance of the state govern-ment was rated below average.

However, in rural areas,agricultural loan and availabil-ity of power were demanded by44 percent of the people.

Singh said that UP fairedpoorly in employment oppor-tunities, which was 2.06 percentand agricultural loan whichwas a dismal 2.13 percent.

The survey was carriedout between October andDecember, 2018 and covered40,000 persons from 80 Lok

Sabha constituencies of UP.In urban areas, a sizeable

number (49 per cent) of peo-ple covered by the survey saidbetter job opportunities wastheir top priority. This was fol-lowed by relief from trafficsnarls (43 percent) and waterand air pollution (40 percent).

In the survey, 98 per centof the respondents felt that can-didates with criminal back-ground should not be elected.On the other hand, 36 percentfelt that caste and religionforced them to support a can-didate with shady past while 35percent said that they voted fora criminal candidate as theywere unaware of his criminalacts. While, deciding whichcandidate to vote for, 86 percentof the respondents stated thattheir opinion mattered themost while 5 per cent said thattheir spouse or kin had a say intheir vote preference.

LS polls: Jobs, farm loans main issues before voters in UP

Lucknow (PNS): The totalnumber of new voters regis-tered in Lucknow for theupcoming Lok Sabha electionsis 27,400 while the total num-ber of electorate is 35,78,127.Assistant district election offi-cer Abhay Kishore said the fig-ures were likely to go up in thecoming days. He said that in thecamps which were held onFebruary 23 and 24, the addi-tional voters registered were4,558 on the first day and 7,626on the second day. The numberof new voters was 1,530 onFebruary 23 and 2,168 onFebruary 24.

He said voters could regis-ter online and also offline at the

registration centres after fillingform 6. Kishore said the totalnumber of males registeredwas 19,22,250 while females16,55,731. As many as 146 reg-istered as third gender voters.The gender profile, he said,showed that for every 1,000 vot-ers, there were 906 men and 861women. Kishore said the totalnumber of booths in the districtwas 3,561. “It has been ensuredthat all the minimum facilitiessuch as ramp, water, toilets areavailable at the booths,” hesaid, adding that sweeping wasbeing carried out in variousschools and voter awarenesscampaigns would be held in thecoming days.

27,400 new voters in

city, number to go up

Schoolchildren pose for a group photograph with Chief Election CommissionerSunil Arora at Yojana Bhawan in Lucknow on Friday Pioneer


The Smart City projectsunder the Smart City

Mission have picked up pace.Giving details, a senior

official said that under theSmart City Mission the totalcost of the project is Rs1750.97 crore and the workorder issued is of Rs 929.82crore and tenders had beenapproved for the amount ofRs 929.82 crore. He said thatthe total projects under thecategor y of Smart CityMission were worth Rs 556.39crore and those under con-vergence were worth Rs939.176 crore and Rs 255.4crore under the public-privatepartnership (PPP) mode.

He said that detailed pro-ject reports had been pre-pared under the Smart CityMission. He said that thetotal funds they had receivedwere Rs 374 crore and thetotal funds which had been

utilised till date were worth Rs31.10 crore. The detailed pro-ject reports under preparationare worth Rs 175.53 crore, theprojects which have to betendered by the other depart-ments are worth Rs 245.07crore and the projects whichhave to be tendered by theLucknow Smart City Limitedare worth Rs 4 crore.

The bid due date for themulti-level parking at the fishmarket was November 13 andno bids were received. Theproject is being retenderedand the due date wasFebruary 2 and no bids werereceived. The project will betaken on the engineering,procurement and construc-tion (EPC) mode.

The Request for Proposalfor Dynamic Façade Lightingwas floated. Three bids werereceived and evaluated. Thefinancial bid opened and theletter of award has beenissued.

Smart City projectsgain momentum

A ‘Tiranga March’ was taken out under the leadership of a social worker to welcome IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who wasreleased by Pakistan on Friday Pioneer


RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Central Drug ResearchInstitute and Adamya HerbalCare Pvt Ltd, which is a start-up company engaged in inno-vation, manufacture and mar-keting of the herbal products,entered into a collaborativeresearch agreement for jointdevelopment of potentialherbal formulation for meta-bolic disorders and their relat-ed complications. CDRI direc-tor TK Kundu said they werepoised to encourageresearchers to take their tech-nology closer to marketthrough a start-up and help thenew entrepreneurs for fosteringtheir ideas with commerciali-

sation potential in a co-work-ing environment.

STAR NIGHTThe final day of ‘Anubhuti-

2019’, the cracking show of ShriRamswaroop MemorialUniversity, got underway withthe performance of Bollywood

singer Harshdeep Kaur. Thesinger belted out her hit num-bers one after another. Thethree day fest culminated withinspirational words byChancellor Pankaj Agarwal.He congratulated the whole fra-ternity of SRMU for the event.

TUBERCULOSISMENINGITIS

Tuberculous meningitis(TBM) is a serious infectiousdisease commonly found tooccur in the developing coun-tries. Now, it is also becomes anational problem. The depart-ment of Neurology, SanjayGandhi PG Institute of MedicalSciences, is organising an inter-national tuberculous meningi-tis consortium which began onFriday. In this meeting, 42international and 20 nationalexperts of tuberculous menin-gitis are participating to discussthe current scenario and futurestrategies related to the disease.

SCIENCE FAIREnergy Club, the official

club of Amity School of

Applied Sciences, AmityUniversity, organised ScienceFair on National Science Day.The fair was aimed at motivat-ing students to venture intonew fields and put their scien-tific skills to work. It includedcompetitions like ‘Renovationwith Innovation’, ‘Brain Drain’,‘Energon’, ‘Speaking Posters’and ‘Scientific Skit’. The mainfocus was to give a practicalapproach through youngresearch minds. The guest ofhonour on the occasion wastechnology evangelist AbhishekRai.

FIESTA ’19 KICKS OFFIntegral University’s three-

day annual festival Fiesta ’19kicked off amid enthusiasm onFriday. Principal Secretary,UP Govt, Jitendra Kumar wasthe chief guest, accompaniedby director of Techno-Academy Azra Waseem asguest of honour and others.Chancellor, IntegralUniversity, Waseem Akhtaraddressed the young crowdappreciating the hard workand efforts with which the stu-dents organised the event.

The presentation of interna-tional students was a sight tobehold. They performed theirrespective countries’ nationalanthems.

FETEA grand fete was held at

Playway High School near CityStation on Friday. Managingdirector of the school BegumGulzar Hasan and vice-prin-cipal Michael Fanthome wel-comed the children, parentsand other guests. Visitorsthronged the various stalls putup by the students and staffmembers. The game stallsremained crowded throughout.

MEETINGLIC interim chairman and

managing director HemantB h a r g a v awill be inLucknow onS a t u r d a y(March 2) topreside overthe 124thc o m m i t t e emeeting of Insurance Instituteof India, Mumbai, to be heldat a city hotel.


Veteran actor Akhilendra Mishra saidon Friday that Lucknow has a great

cultural heritage and that he has per-formed several plays in the city. The actorwas in Lucknow for the promotion of hisshow ‘Pyar Ke Papad’. He said he took upthe show because he felt it had a messageabout Indian culture and traditionswhich the youths should know.

Set in Kanpur where religious beliefsand modern relationships are finding amiddle ground to happiness, the showis a rib-tickling narrative of an orthodoxfather who decides to take fate in his ownhands as his daughter falls in love witha man from another caste. Akhilendraplays the character of a man(Trilokinath) who makes his would-beson-in-law perform tasks before hegives his nod for the marriage.

“Though I am quite opposite ofTrilokinath in real life, I love playing thecharacter for the way it has been writtenin a humourous way. The direction andscript work tightly towards delivering thebest of scenes between the father-in-lawand son-in-law. You will soon see funnychallenges that Trilokinath will throw toOmkar,” Mishra explained. The actoradmitted that he had been playing moreof traditional roles rather than roles setin urban areas. Interestingly, he said he

had been offered roles of older men evenwhen he was young. “It has always beenthe case with me. I have been offered rolesof elderly men from a young age, so muchso that I never got the chance to the playthe young hero,” he said.

Aashay Mishra, who visited Lucknowfor the first time, said it was his first showon television and he was excited that itwas being received well by the audience.“The current track revolves around a bud-ding chemistry between Shivika-Omkarand their desire to get married. We shota couple of episodes in Kanpur and theentire crew wanted to take a break andvisit Lucknow. But it wasn’t possible dueto our tight schedule. I am finally inLucknow and I absolutely love the feel ofthis city. I look forward to enjoying thefamous delicacies,” he added.


The government is workingon making available a

skilled talent pool locally as perindustry requirements andhas invited industry to partnerwith them in this endeavour.

These views wereexpressed by Chief SecretaryAnup Chandra Pandeythrough a video message toindustry representatives at aprogramme organised byConfederation of IndianIndustries. He showed confi-dence in the state’s industryand said that the governmentwas open to feedback on exist-ing policies to improve ease ofdoing business in the state. CIIorganised its Annual Day anda session on ‘Catalysing UP’sindustrial growth throughpartnership’ in Lucknowwhere managing director of aprivate company VinodSharma was announced asthe incoming chairman of CIIUttar Pradesh State Council2019-20 and director of DayalFertilisers Ankit Gupta vice-chairman. The deliberationsopened up new ideas to fur-

ther support the state’s aspira-tions of establishing UP as thenext hub of industrial growthand, at the same time, evalu-ate the merits of PPP model inthe state.

Executive director, UdyogBandhu, Santosh Yadav laidstress on the improvements inNivesh Mitra portal toenhance user experience andresolve their grievances.“There are 70 services offeredby 20 government depart-ments through the portal. Inthe past seven months, 29,000people have applied for clear-ances, of which 20,000 havealready been cleared as perprocess within the stipulatedtime with an 80 percent sat-isfaction rate,” he said.Deputy chairperson, CIINorthern Region, SameerGupta presented his views onthe areas where industry cancollaborate with the stategovernment to make it moreattractive for investments andemployment. “A state’s holis-tic growth is not possiblewithout support and activeinvolvement of all the stake-holders,” he said.


Lucknow Metro RailCorporation (LMRC) is

running 17 trains at one timeon the entire North South cor-ridor in a bid to spruce up itsoperations before the formalinauguration. LMRC MDKumar Keshav said that thetrains were running at a max-imum speed of 80 km perhour. “The train operationsare automatic and are being runby drivers. We are operating itdaily because we also have togain confidence in operations.”he said. He added the entireteam, including drivers, wereready and fully prepared fortrain operations .

The MD said that G-4 andPAC would be deployed forsecurity of Lucknow Metrostations. “The G- 4 has alreadybeen mobilised and they areworking in three shifts on thestations. Security has beendeployed at all stations andPAC security is already undertraining. In another two days,PAC will also be stationed atthe Metro stations” he said.

He said lights at all the sta-tions would remain switchedon for the maintenance workwhich needed to be carried outat the stations at night.

He said that the timing ofthe Lucknow Metro will befrom 6 am to 10 pm . ”The tim-ings cannot be increased morethan this because the last train

will be finishing by 10.45 pmfrom the airport andMunshipulia. This last trainwill be entering the depot by11.30 pm and then from 12midnight to 4 am we will car-rying out the maintenance ofthe train because the trainshave to start by 5-5.15 am,” hesaid.

The MD said that he feltimmensely satisfied andexpressed happiness with thepreparedness of Metro stationsfrom Munshipulia to Lekhraj.“This was the biggest challengeto finish the Lucknow MetroRail project ahead of its sched-uled target which we haveachieved. This would not havebeen possible without com-

mitted, dedicated and hard-working LMRC staff, generalconsultants and other contrac-tors who have together madethis distant dream a reality,” hepointed out.

LMRC has set up specialsale counters at CCS Airport,Krishna Nagar, Alambagh busstand, Charbagh, Sachivalaya,Hazratganj, Vishwavidyalaya,Bhoothnath Market, IndiraNagar, Munshipulia Metro sta-tions, along with administrativeoffice and Transport NagarMetro depot for the sale ofLucknow Metro GoSmartcards. GoSmart card is availableat Rs 200 inclusive of Rs 100 assecurity charge, which isrefundable.

eight pairs of playing cardswere recovered from theirpossession.

Among those arrested,Sumat Maurya, ShahMohammad, Ram Kant andMunna were caught red-handed from the house ofMaurya located in VikasNagar area. Rs 2,500 in cashand two pairs of playing cardswere found in the roomwhere they were gambling.Shah Mohammad andMunna is the native ofBarabanki district and used tovisit the house regularly.

Vikas Nagar police stationincharge Shailendra Singhsaid he received several com-plaints from locals that thegambling was going on athigh stakes. A raid was con-ducted at Maurya’s house inthe wee hours and all werenabbed flagrante delicto.

Sunil Kumar, RinkuVerma Ghani Ram and SunilKumar-II were nabbed while

gambling in the house ofSunil Kumar, a resident ofAshiyana area. It is said thatSunil was arrested four timesin the past two years forgambling and was jailed.Three pairs of the playingcards and an amount of Rs4,000 were found from them.The police said that he wasrunning a gambling den andgamblers from adjoining dis-tricts used to visit the place.

The police conducted theraid at 9 am following a com-plaint lodged by two gamblersagainst owners of the den.

Suresh Kumar, Vinod,Satish, Shiva, Achhelal andPramod were arrested fromthe house of Kumar, a residentof the Mohanlalganj. Rs 6,000in cash and four pairs ofplaying cards were found theden. They tried to escapefrom the back side of thehouse but were caught withthe help of locals after hotchase.

CITYBRIEFS

CRIMELINE

Lucknow (PNS): Fourteengamblers were arrested from dif-ferent places in the city in the past24 hours. Rs 12,500 in cash and

14 gamblers land in police net

BODY RECOVEREDThe decomposed body of a 70-year-old

retired class IV employee of Jal Nigam wasfound on one of the rooms of a house situat-ed at Chhota Barha under the Alambagh policestation on Friday afternoon. The police saidthat he was living in the house of Shiva Bajpaifor the past several years. Shiva told police thatthe deceased was not seen in the house or any-where near the house for the past three days.Shiva’s attention was drawn as the foul smellwas emanating from the room. He informedthe police about the incident. The door wasbroke open the presence of the police. Thedeceased hails from Auraiya district and wasliving alone in the house for the past severalyears. It is said he was retired in 2008. Thepolice initiated an investigation to ascertainthe motive for taking such an extreme step.

SUICIDEA 17-year-old student, a resident of the

Shyam Vihar colony under the Madiaonpolice station, committed suicide by hangingherself by the hook of a concrete pole locat-ed in the court yard. She was identified asPriyanka alias Priya and was alone in the housewhen she hanged herself. The father had goneto the field to work while mother had gone toLakhimpur district. The body was noticed byher father later in the afternoon when he cameto have lunch. He raised an alarm which drewthe attention of locals who rushed to the house.The suicide note was found from her posses-sion in which she said that she was ending herlife by hanging herself and no one should beheld responsible for ending her life. She wasa student of class XI at a local college.

Metro officials busy in dress rehearsal

Lucknow (PNS): TheCentral government hasapproved DPRs for Kanpurand the Agra Metro on Friday.LMRC MD Kumar Keshavgave details of the corridors andsaid that corridor first will befrom IIT, Kanpur, to Naubasta.

“IIT-Kanpur to Naubastacorridor passes through theheart of the city covering sev-eral prominent educationalinstitutions, Railways and busstations. Starting from IIT-Kanpur, the corridor will runelevated parallel to GT Road,connecting CSJM University,GSVM Medical College,Kalyanpur railway station andRawatpur railway station.Beyond Medical College, thecorridor becomes undergroundand passes through densely-populated residential and com-mercial areas of Kanpur includ-ing Channiganj bus station,Naveen market, Parade, BaraChauraha, Phoolbagh,Nayaganj, Kanpur Central rail-way station, Jhakarkati bus sta-tion and Transport Nagar,” saidKeshav.

Thereafter, the corridorbecomes elevated and goes upto Naubasta through KidwaiNagar, Vasant Vihar which aremajor residential and com-mercial areas of Kanpur.

DPRs for Kanpur,

Agra okayed

Govt working onpreparing skilledtalent pool: CS

Fiesta ’19 kicks off at Integral University on Friday

Actor all praise for city’s

cultural heritage

Actors Akhilendra Mishra and Aashay Mishra inLucknow on Friday Pioneer

Winners of ‘Numero YONO Quiz’, organised by State Bank of India at BBDUniversity on Friday, being given away awards

nation 05LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

IN SHORT

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt Friday asked a womanlawyer, who was allegedlyassaulted by some cops outsidethe Delhi High Court premis-es last night, to approach asenior officer of Delhi Police forlodging an FIR in the incident.

A Bench comprisingJustices S A Bobde and DeepakGupta took note of the sub-missions of the woman advo-cate, who has also filed a sex-ual harassment case against aneminent jurist, that she wasbrutally assaulted by twopolicemen near the high court.She also alleged that her mobilephone, by which she was film-ing the cops, was snatched bythem. "You go to the police sta-tion. This is not the police sta-tion,"the bench said. Later, thebench asked the woman lawyerto approach the office of the

Deputy Commissioner ofPolice, under whose jurisdic-tion the Tilak Marg police sta-tion falls, with her complaintfor registration of the FIR andseeking protection.

"Advocate, who is appear-ing as the petitioner-in-personin these writ petitions, hasmentioned before this court

today that she has been assault-ed by some policemen outsidethe High Court of Delhi lastnight. "It would be appropriateif petitioner-in-person, files anFirst Information Report (FIR)to that effect in the Office ofappropriate DeputyCommissioner of Police who isin-charge of the Tilak Marg

Police Station, New Delhi. Shemay also seek police protectionsince she apprehends danger toher life," the Bench noted in itsorder.

The apex court alsoallowed the lawyer to file inter-locutory application for direc-tions in the main petitions.

SC asks woman lawyer to approachDCP with complaint against Delhi cops

PNS n NEW DELHI

In a major decision toimprove liquidity position

of sugar mills and to help thesugar industry clear its canedues arrears to farmers, theCentre has approved the pro-posal to provide soft loans tothe extent of `7,900-10540crore to the sugar industry.Government will bear theinterest subvention cost @ 7-10% to the extent of `553crore to `1,054 crore for oneyear.

Sugar cane arrears to farm-ers have crossed ̀ 20,000 crore inthe current marketing year 2018-19 (October-September).

"To help the sugar industryclear its cane dues arrears, theCabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA)chaired by Prime Minister todayapproved the proposal to providesoft loans to the extent of about`7,900-10,540 crore to the sugarindustry," an official statementsaid.

The Centre will bear theinterest subvention cost at therate of 7-10 per cent to the extent

of ̀ 553 crore to ̀ 1,054 crore forone year.

"Surplus production is alsoestimated in the current sugarseason 2018-19 which has affect-ed the liquidity position of sugarmills resulting in building up ofcane price arrears of farmerswhich has reached to the level of`20,159 crore as on February 22,2019," the statement said. Toensure that farmers are paid theirdues expeditiously, the Centrehas asked banks to seek bankaccount details of cane growersfrom mill owners, so thatamount is paid directly to farm-ers.

"In order to incentivise themills to clear their dues, CCEAhas also decided that theapproved soft loans will be pro-vided to those units which havealready cleared at least 25 percent of their outstanding dues inthe sugar season 2018-19," thestatement said.

The decision to provide softloans comes a fortnight after theCentre raised benchmark sellingprice of sugar at factory gate by`2 to `31 per kg.

Although sugar production

is estimated to decline to 307lakh tonnes in the 2018-19 mar-keting year (October-September)from record 325 lakh tonnes inthe previous year, the output willbe much higher than annualdomestic consumption of 260lakh tonnes. Moreover, millshad an opening stock of about100 lakh tonnes of stock fromprevious year's production.

In last one-and-a-half years,the Central Government hastaken a number of measures tobail out sugar mills as well ascane farmers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Two years after the term ofNational Commission for

Other Backward Classes(NCBC) got over, the CentralGovernment has set up a newcommission appointingBhagwan Lal Sahni, a BJPleader from Bihar'sMuzaffarpur, as its new chair-man. Shahni assumed chargeon Friday.

BJP leader and formerVaranasi mayor KaushalendraSingh Patel, BJP national sec-retary and former MP SudhaYadav from Haryana, andTelangana BJP general secre-tary Achary Talloju have beenappointed as members of thecommission. President RamNath Kovind approved theirnames on Thursday.

Sahni, who belongs toNishad community, had con-tested Lok Sabha polls againstformer Defence MinisterGeorge Fernandes onRashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)ticket in 2004. He has closelinks with the RashtriyaSwayamsewak Sangh (RSS).

The NCBC was given con-stitutional status by Parliamentlast year, after repealing theNational Commission forBackward Classes Act, 1993.The Constitution (123rdAmendment) Bill, 2017 waspassed after heated exchangesin Parliament during whichseveral members urged the

Centre to make public thefindings of the caste censusand implement reservationaccordingly. The bill waspassed by the Lok Sabha onAugust 2, 2018 supersedingthe amendments earlier car-ried out by the Rajya Sabha.

The NCBC, which untilnow only had only a recom-mendatory role on the issue ofinclusion or exclusion of acommunity in the Central listof OBCs, will now have allpowers of a civil court when itcomes to handling complaintsand welfare measures forsocially and educationallybackward classes. Until now,the NCSC, which handles suchcases with regards to Dalits,was also in charge of lookinginto similar complaints ofrights violations of peoplebelonging to backward class-es.

The term of the last NCBCchairperson, Justice VEswaraiah (retd), got over inSeptember 2016, while that ofits last member expired byFebruary 2017.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Minister NitinGadkari on Friday said he

is not in the race for the postof Prime Minister and termedhimself as a "pure RSS" man forwhom the nation is supreme.At the same time, he alsoshowcased the work done byhis Ministry including the pro-jects with Delhi Government,which has been at severe oddswith the Centre.

"I am not in the race to bethe Prime Minister. PM Modiis the PM and will be the PMeven after the elections. I aman RSS man, service to thenation is my duty. We are allbehind him [PM Modi]. I amanother worker in the fulfil-ment of his vision. Wheredoes the question of me beinga PM arise?" Gadkari said in areply to a query at the IndiaToday conclave on Friday.

The senior BJP leader saidthat BJP would get absolutemajority in the upcoming elec-tions and the country would goahead on the path of develop-ment under Prime MinisterNarendra Modi while "we arestanding behind him."

Reacting to speculationsthat in case of a fracturedmandate, Gadkari would bethe BJP's consensus PrimeMinister candidate, and said itis like "Mungeri Lal Ke HaseenSapne" (day dreaming).Asserting that "I am not a cal-culated politician", Gadkarisaid BJP would return to powerwith absolute majority andadded that this time he wasgoing to get 5 lakh votesagainst 3.5 lakh in the last elec-tions.

He said he spoke whatev-er he felt from within andadded "Neither I dream it, northere is any liaisoning, nor any

PR." "I have a bad habit... I tellbefore 10 lakh Muslims that Iam a pure RSS man vote me ifyou want otherwise do notregret. I have the conviction tosay this. I am not a calculatedpolitician. I am a good BJPworker. Country is supreme forme. I work for it. It should behappy, prosperous, strong andbecome world's economicpower," Gadkari said.

"I have come as a sup-porter in this work and will dowhatever work is assigned tome for the country," he reiter-ated. In reply to a query as towhy he was favourite amongthe opposition leaders,Gadkari said he was a worka-holic and believes in hard-work.

Asked whether he believedin "Congress mukt Bharat", hesaid the ideologies of both theparties are different and "weare not enemies of each other.

Difference of opinion can bethere... It is our tradition. AtalBihari Vajpayee, JawaharlalNehru and even Modiji wel-comes the opposition party."

Talking about the 'CleanGanga' project, Gadkari said,"The flow of water in theGanga has increased underthe Modi Government. In 13months from now, river Gangawill be cleaner." Gadkari alsoclarified his controversialwhere-are-the-jobs statement,saying he was misquoted bythe media as he meant "jobshave lessened after computer-isation".

On projects with DelhiGovernment, he said in 13 pro-jects work was on worth `4,500crore besides the work onYamuna, Ramnadi, Kali Gangaand 40 tributaries. On ethanol,he said that the plans were totake `11,000 crore ethanoleconomy to `2 lakh crore.

PNS n NEW DELHI

In the backdrop of India'sairstrike at Balakot in

Pakistan harbouring Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) “terrorcamp”, the ParliamentaryStanding Committee onExternal Affairs on Fridaysought the Government to vig-orously explain to the interna-tional community reasonsbehind the Indian decision tohit the terror site across theneighbouring country.

The members of the paneltold foreign secretary VijayGokhale, who debriefed themhere about the latest develop-ment in the Indo-Pak sphere,that the Government shouldvigorously publicise across theworld the reasons behind NewDelhi's move to target the ter-ror camp, a member later said.

Gokhale gave details on thefast-paced development afterthe February 14 Pulwama ter-ror attack by the JeM in which40 CRPF personnel were killedand also received suggestionsfrom the Standing committeemembers.

The panel told the foreignsecretary that the Governmentshould highlight the impact ofthe air strike and the infor-mation about the extent ofdamage, including casualties,suffered by the JeM. This willensure that no internationalagency questions the impactof the strike, a member of thecommittee, said Gokhale, whowas assisted by officials of theMinistry of External Affairs(MEA), informed the panel'smembers about the air strikeon the JeM terror camp inPakistan and also about theretaliation by the westernneighbour, a source said.

Foreign ministry officialshad briefed the panel earlier inOctober when Imran Khanwas elected Prime Minister ofPakistan.

On Friday, the briefingincluded the MEA's assess-ment of the Pakistan PrimeMinister's tenure so far, themember said.

The foreign secretary alsotold the panel that an attemptby the Pakistan Air Force totarget military installationsin India was unsuccessful as itwas thwarted by the IndianAir Force, which lost a jet inthe fight back.

Another member said theforeign secretary detailed thediplomatic measures that theministry took right from thePulwama attack to the ensu-ing air strike, and efforts,thereon, to seek out the inter-national community to briefthem about the impasse, in aneffort to isolate Pakistan glob-ally.

Foreign Secretar yGokhale assured the commit-tee that diplomatic overturesto the international commu-nity were still underway.

He also informed themembers on how India got thesupport of the members ofOrganisation of IslamicCooperation (OIC) on theissue.

India, on Friday, for thefirst time, addressed the OICmeeting in Abu Dhabi whereExternal Affairs MinisterSushma Swaraj is a guest ofhonour.

Pakistan has boycottedthe plenary session of theOIC meet to protest India'sparticipation there.

One of the parliamentarypanel's members also said thiswhen a slew of questions wereasked to the foreign secretaryabout the anti-terror strikesagainst Pakistan. Gokhale was"cautious" about answeringthem, taking the stand that hecould not reveal much becauseof the "sensitive nature" of theinformation and "nationalsecurity".

The panel raised somequeries about the assessmentof damage caused by the airstrike, but Gokhale informedthat the Defence Ministry wasbetter equipped to answer.

Congress president RahulGandhi is a member of thecommittee but was not present

in the meeting Friday.The purpose of the meet-

ing, described as good andconstructive, was part of "par-liamentary accountability" andthe MEA gave a briefing in thisregard, a member said.

The meeting was attendedby chairperson Shashi

Tharoor, Arka Keshari Deo,Prof Richard Hay, JagdambikaPal, Magannti VenakateshwaraRao, Mohammad Salim, PBhattacharya, SambhajiChhatrapati, SwapanDasgupta, ChunibhaiKanjibhai Gohel and KumarKetkar.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs

PNS n NEW DELHI

Stating that creating a situa-tion for the return of Wing

Commander AbhinandanVarthaman from Pakistan insuch a short span of time wasa diplomatic victory, BJP pres-ident Amit Shah on Fridayslammed Pakistan PrimeMinister Imran Khan for notcondemning the Pulwama ter-ror attack and asked how Indiacan trust him.

Speaking at the 'IndiaToday Conclave' here, Shahsaid, "The air-strikes after thePulwama terror attack hasnow isolated Pakistan global-ly, this is a victory of ourdiplomacy. Creating situationfor the return of pilotAbhinandan in such a shortspan of time is our diplomat-ic victory".

The two neighbouringcountries came on the verge ofwar with each other after ahuman bomb trained byPakistan based terror outfitJesh-e-Mohammad (JeM)killed over 40 CRPF personneland India on Tuesday crossingPakistan airspace and hittingJeM terror camp at Balakot inPakistan.

In the ensuing air skir-mishes following days WingCommander Abhinandan

whose MIG crashed after adogfight with Pakitani F-16had parachuted in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir and taken incustody by Pakistan authori-ties. Later, Pakistan PrimeMinister Imran Khanannounced that the IndianAirforce Pilot would bereleased as a 'goodwill gesture'.India, though, held that it washer diplomatic victory to havethe pilot released fromPakistani custody.

At the convention, BJPpresident slammed PakistanPrime Minister for not con-demning the Pulwama terrorattack and asked how India cantrust him.

Shah said the ModiGovernment has been able tocreate "fear" among thosebehind terrorism with itsactions against Pakistan-basedterrorists, and asserted a mes-sage has gone that India is nolonger ruled by a dispensationthat was at the helm between2004-14, referring to theCongress-led UPA.

Asked about Khan's offerfor talks with India, the BJPchief said, "He does not havetwo words of condemnationthat the incident (Pulwamaattack) was wrong. He shouldcondemn it. How can we trustyou? What are you talking?"

"You will speak and wewill listen without finding outyour intentions," he said,referring to Khan's commentsthat he was ready for talks.

In his brief reference tothe Pulwama incident inwhich 40 CRPF personnelwere killed in a terror attack,Khan had said on Wednesday,"We know how the families ofthose killed in Pulwama inci-dent must have felt. We havebeen the victims of war fordecades."

Shah said it may be pos-sible that Khan is not in con-trol, but he should have atleast paid a "lip service" andcondemned the attack.

Putting the UPAGovernment in the dock fornot giving a befitting reply tothe enemy after the Mumbaiterror attack in 2008, he saidthe Modi Government hasbeen the best dispensationsince Independence inresponding to terrorism.

"We have a policy of zerotolerance against terrorismand the Modi Governmenthas the will to implement it onground. Whenever we areattacked, we will give a befit-ting reply. Enemies will nowthink ten times before doingsomething," the BJP chiefsaid.

SC REJECTS PLEA OVERSUHAG’S APPOINTMENTNew Delhi: The SupremeCourt Friday dismissed theplea of ar e t i r e dArmy offi-cer chal-lenging thea p p o i n t -ment of Dalbir Singh Suhag ashead of the Eastern Commandin 2012. Suhag had later suc-ceeded General Bikram Singhas Army chief on July 31, 2014.Gen. Suhag retired onDecember 31, 2016.

CBI BEGINS PROBE INTO

ATTACK ON BINU KURUVILA

New Delhi: The CBI hasbegun investigation into abrutal attack on Binu Kuruvila,who was contesting an elec-tion of the Christian organi-sation Kananaya YakobaSabha in Kerala, officials saidFriday. The CBI has taken overinvestigation on the orders ofthe Kerala High Court whichfound it necessary to rope inthe central agency for probingthe attack which took place onApril 7, 2018.

‘GOD OF GODS' FROM

BRAHMA KUMARIS OUT

New Delhi: With MahaShivratri scheduled onMonday, a movie titled 'Godof Gods', produced by filmsdivision of Brahma Kumaris,was held at national Capital onThursday. The one and halfhour film is based on uniquetheme of "God's love andjourney towards country'slove" and basic fundamentalvalues.

NON-EVICTION OF FORESTDWELLERS: PETITION FILED New Delhi: A fresh petitionhas been filed in the SupremeCourt seeking direction tothe authorities not to evict anyforest dweller and setting up ofan SIT to look into illegalacquisition of tribal land in thecountry.

CHINNA THAMBI: SC FORMADRAS HC ORDERNew Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Friday declined tointerfere with the MadrasHigh Court order giving itsnod to capture and put in cap-tivity a wild elephant, nick-named "Chinna Thambi",which has been venturing intohuman habitats in Coimbatoreand neighbouring districts.

Amit Shah: Return of Wing CommanderAbhinandan a diplomatic victory

After two years,NCBC formed, newchairman appointed

Not in PM post race, says Gadkari

Sahni, who belongsto Nishad

community, hadcontested Lok Sabhapolls against former

Defence MinisterGeorge Fernandes

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Friday came downheavily on the HaryanaGovernment for passingamendments to an Act whichallows construction in Aravallihills, saying the step willdestroy the forest and this can-not be permitted.

A bench of Justices ArunMishra and Deepak Guptaasked the State not to take anyfurther action on the law andtermed it "shocking" that theHaryana government has takenthis step despite being toldearlier by the apex court not todo so.

On February 27, theHaryana Assembly had passedamendments to an Act, open-ing up thousands of acres ofland to real estate and othernon-forest activity that wereprotected under it for over acentury.

Chief Minister M L Khattarhad said the Punjab LandPreservation (HaryanaAmendment) Bill, 2019, wasthe "need of the hour", addingthat it was a "very old" act andmuch has changed over a peri-

od of time.The top court was dealing

with a matter in which it had ear-lier directed demolition of illegalconstructions in forest area ofAravalli hills in Haryana.

"You are not supreme andsupreme is the rule of law," thebench told the counsel appearingfor Haryana and asked the statenot to take any action on the lawallowing constructions in Aravalliarea."It is really shocking. You aredestroying the forest...It is notpermissible," the court said,adding that "it is sheer con-tempt".The bench observed ithad earlier asked Haryana not toallow any construction in forestarea of Aravalli, but despite thatthe State went ahead with it.

The amendments to the actwere passed by the state assem-bly amid vociferous protests andwalkout by opposition parties.

The Punjab LandPreservation Act was enacted bythen Punjab Government in 1900and it provided for conservationof subsoil water and preventionof erosion in areas found to besubject to erosion or likely tobecome liable to erosion. PTI

Bailing out sugar industry: Centreclears loan worth crores proposal

In order to incentivise

the mills to clear their

dues, CCEA has also

decided that the

approved soft loans

will be provided to

those units which

have already cleared

at least 25 per cent of

their outstanding dues

in the sugar season

2018-19, the

statement said

SC raps Haryana forallowing construction inAravalli hills forest area

‘Explain rationale behind airstrike’

Govt told to clarify it to international community

New Delhi: The Centre Fridaytold the Supreme Court that itsorder allowing agencies tointercept, monitor and decryptcomputer systems of the citi-zens was passed keeping inmind "legitimate State interest"and threats like "terrorism"and it did not violate the rightto privacy.

The Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA), in its affidavitfiled with the apex court reg-istry, sought dismissal of thePILs challenging its December20, 2018 notification authoris-ing 10 central agencies to inter-cept, monitor and decryptcomputer systems saying thatthese would be done by "anauthorised agency".

"The grave threats to thecountry from terrorism, radi-calisation, cross border ter-rorism, cyber crime, organisedcrime, drug cartels cannot beunderstated or ignored and astrong and robust mechanismfor timely and speedy collec-tion of actionable intelligenceincluding signal intelligence, isimperative to counter threatsto national security.

"This is undeniably legiti-mate state interest. It is there-fore imperative that the requestfor lawful interception or mon-itoring must be dealt with bythe executive authority tomaintain speed and prompti-tude in taking decisions," theMHA said defending its order.

The apex court, which onJanuary 14 had issued notice tothe Centre on PILs, could nothear them today as the ChiefJustice of India

(CJI) Ranjan Gogoi wasunavailable due to suddendemise of his relative andDelhi HC judge Justice ValkimiMehta.

"There is no blanket per-mission to any agency forinterception or monitoring ordecryption as the authorisedagencies still require permis-sion of the Union HomeSecretary in each case as perdue process of law and justifi-cation for interception or mon-itoring or decryption," SatinderBhalla, Director in MHA, saidin the affidavit.

The Centre said the use ofthe power to intercept, con-templated under the law, hasbrought several results in larg-er national interest in pre-venting terrorism, drug traf-ficking and intercepting andbusting narcotic drugs racket.

"What has been doneunder the December 20, 2018,order was in fact restrictingthe exercise of powers, remov-ing a possible vagueness andspecifying the agencies/organ-isations who only would havethe powers to utilise the pow-ers of section 69 of theInformation Technology Act,"the Centre said.

It said the question as towhich government agency canbe authorised to exercise thepower under the IT Act wasnever defined till December20, 2018 and now, only 10agencies have been authorisedto exercise powers which aresubject to approval of the com-petent authority.

"Considering the nature

of the agencies specified in theorder, the order not onlystreamlines but restricts the useof the Act and confines it to thecases of legitimate state inter-est," it said.

The order was intended "toprevent unauthorised use ofthese powers by any agency,individual or intermediary andto ensure that right to privacyof law abiding citizens is notviolated by any agency, inter-mediary or person", it said.

The Centre said recordspertaining to directions forinterception and of the inter-cepted messages would bedestroyed every six monthsunless they were required.

It said the 10 agencieshave been asked to seek priorapproval of the Union HomeSecretary in each case of "inter-ception or monitoring ordecryption".

Such interception shouldbe "restricted strictly for thepurposes in the interests ofthe sovereignty or integrity ofIndia, defence of India, secu-rity of the State, friendly rela-tions with foreign states orpublic order, or for prevent-ing incitement to the com-mission of any cognisableoffence relating to above orfor investigation of anyoffence", it said.

It has been emphasised tothe agencies concerned thatstrict adherence to legal pro-visions must be ensured andevery such case of intercep-tion is placed before theReview Committee to reviewsuch cases, it said.

Interception order passed keepingterrorism, legitimate State interest in mind

Centre tells SC

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019 nation 06

KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n

KANYAKUMARI

While the world is respect-ing and saluting our

armed forces for the exemplarystyle in which they neutralisedterrorists and terrorism, somesection in India are doubtingour armed forces and spreadinglies about them, charged PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onFriday. “The Parliament and theRadio in Pakistan are echoingthe words spoken by some ofthe political party leaders inIndia questioning our defenceforces. This is unfortunate,”said the Prime Minister whileaddressing a public meetingheld at Vivekananda College inKanyakumari on Friday.

The Prime Minister laid thefoundation stone for therestoration of the 17.2 km longrail connectivity betweenRameswaram and

Dhanushkodi which waswashed away by the tidal wavesin 1964. The ̀ 208 crore projectonce completed would ringback the moments of the BoatMail which connected Indiawith Sri Lanka by rail till theearly 1960s.

The Prime Minister alsoflagged off the Tejas Expressconnecting Madurai withChennai. The train built atIntegral Coach Factory atPerambur as part of the Makein India programme wouldcover the distance between thetwo cities in six hours and thir-ty minutes, a journey whichused to take nine hours.

The Prime Minister dedi-cated to the nation a stretch ofthe four-lane Madura-Ramanathapuram NH 87, aflyover and also the four-lanehighway between Panagudi andKanyakumari.

Addressing the mammoth

crowd which had gathered tohear him despite the scorchingsun, Prime Minister Modi paidrich tributes to AIADMKleader and former ChiefMinister J Jayalalithaa . “Peoplein Tamil Nadu would remem-ber her for her great develop-ment vision . I am also happyto be in Tamil Nadu, the homestate of India’s first womanDefence Minister NirmalaSitaraman and the home ofWing CommanderAbhinandan, the nationalhero,” said the Prime Minister

which was appreciated by thepeople. The Prime Ministerdevoted most of his speech tothe development works andpeople friendly measureslaunched and executed by hisGovernment during the last fiveyears. He listed the AyushmanBharat scheme, the world’slargest health programme forthe common man, and thePrime Minister’s KissanSamman Nidhi which enabledfarmers owning up to five acresof farm land would be eligibleto get `6,000 per year.

Some doubting armed forces: PM

Pak Parliament, Radio quoting some ofIndian leaders who are questioning ourDefence forces, claims PM in Tamil Nadu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a programme for the launch ofvarious development projects, a road safety park and a transport museum inKanyakumari on Friday PTI

Visakhapatnam: Firing freshsalvo at the Opposition, PrimeMinister Narendra Modiaccused them of indulging inpetty politics that is benefitingthe enemy and said their onlyagenda was to “remove Modi”rather than focusing on thecountry’s growth.

“It is the country’s misfor-tune during this time when thewhole world is seeking ansew-ers from Pakistan, some inIndia are giving statementsthat will weaken the morale ofthe country’s security forces,”Modi said, addressing a rallyorganised by the BJP here.

“They should introspectwhat they are talking that isbeing lauded in PakistanParliament and used to targetIndia,” he said in an apparentreference to ongoing tensionsbetween the two countries fol-lowing the February 26 airstrikes by the Indian Air Forceand Pakistan capturing an IAFpilot the next day. PTI

TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI

Congress president RahulGandhi on Friday sought

to bring the various scamsinvolving the NDAGovernment back into the LokSabha poll agenda, by daringPrime Minister Narendra Modifor a public debate with him onthe issue of corruption.

Addressing back-to-backpublic rallies at Dhule in northMaharashtra and in Mumbai,Gandhi castigated Modi for“politicising” the ongoing con-flict with Pakistan, for his“miserable failure” to createjobs and for handing out ameasly cash assistance of Rs 17a day per farmer family underthe PM Kisan scheme.

Taking Modi head on theissue of corruption at a large pub-lic rally held at MMRDA ground,Gandhi had a caustic dig at thePrime Minister for his failure toaddress even one press confer-ence during the course of his fiveyear tenure and said: “I regular-ly address press conferences....Aap kabi desh ka chowkidar kopress ke saamne dekha hain?Inko 15 minute dedo, Merasaamne bithado. Dudh ka dudhpani pani kardenge (Have youever seen the country’s chowki-dar address the media?. Makehim sit in front of me 15 minutes,I will call his bluff)”.

“Mai Narendra Modi kochallenge deta hun. Brashtacharka mamle pe aap aake mera

saath baat karo. Inko samnekhada kardo nahi tho meranahi tho do minute debate kardodo minute. Hindustan se bagnana pad jay mai deklunga ( I amchallenging Narendra Modi.Let him debate with me on theissue of corruption. Let me himstand in front of me standbeside me and debate with meon corruption for two minutes.I will see how he will not runaway from the country).

Responding a shout from amember in the audience “Chorbhag jayega” shout, Gandhisaid, “Darpok hain. Khada nahiho pata hain (He is scared. Hecan’t stand before me). ... Kaisaaasakta hain. Wo nahi aayega(How will he come to debatewith me? He will never come).

Gandhi, who began his25-minute speech after con-ceding to a request from theaudiences to indulge his sup-porters with “chowkidar chor

hain” sloganeering, said that“chowkidar chor bhi darpok bihain” ( Chowkidar is not mere-ly a thief but a coward)

At his earlier rally at Dhule,Gandhi went hammers andtongs at Modi over the Rafaleissue and demanded to know asto why the HindustanAeronautics Limited (HAL),which had experiences of fight-er aircraft for 70 years andmade aircraft like like Mirage,Sukhoi and Jaguar, was deniedthe Rafale contract. He said thatthe Government had noanswers for the specific ques-tions raised by him inParliament and outside.

“Did Anil Ambani makeMirages or Sukhois?. For 70years HAL has been makingplanes. Anil Ambani cannoteven make paper planes,”Gandhi said.

Dubbing demonetisation asa big failure, Gandhi said: “Youstood in a queue outside banks...Did Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi,Mehul Choksi, Lalit Modi, VijayMallya stand in queues...whileyou were standing in queuesoutside banks, they were busymaking their black money intowhite on the rear side of thebanks,” he said.

“Modi ji said (before 2014elections)...do not make mePrime Minister, make me‘chowkidar’....and once hebecomes PM, he puts `30,000crore in pocket of AnilAmbani,” Gandhi said..

Rahul Gandhi dares Modi forpublic debate on corruption

Don’t hand over airport to pvt entity:Ker CM to PM

SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA

Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on Friday

extended her “welcome” greet-ings to fighter pilotAbhinandan Varthaman evenas the country celebrated hisglorious return to India aftertwo days’ captivity in Pakistanwhere his fighter aircraft Mig21 Bison had crashed aftershooting down a much supe-rior enemy jet F-16 that hadintruded into the India terri-tory in Jammu & Kashmir.

Banerjee who had onThursday expressed concernabout the brave fighter’s well-being, while during Pakistanicustody on Friday tweeted,“welcome back AbhinandanVarthaman.”

Meanwhile, in a move tosecure the Line of ActualControl in the easternHimalayas the Indian Armyhad decided to move the XVIIMountain Strike Corps to itsdesignated headquarters atPanagarh in Bengal from whereit can be quickly airlifted toselected regions up in themountains.

The move comes against

the war-like situation betweenIndia and Pakistan, sourcessaid adding the XVII MountainCorps also known as theBramhastra Corps which wasraised in January 2014 for spe-cialized actions in the easternmountains could be moved toa designated point in the east-ern mountains within an hourfrom Panagarh.

Earlier, Lieutenant GeneralMN Naravane, the GOC-in-CEastern Command had visitedPanagarh and met withBrahmastra Corps command-ing officer Lt General PN Rao.

“Eastern Command Armycommander visited PanagarhMilitary Station on Wednesday.He was received by LieutenantGeneral PN Rao, GOC,Brahmastra Corps.

Mamata welcomes Abhinandan

PNS n NEW DELHI

Railway Minister PiyushGoyal on Friday released a

booklet on the five-year achieve-ments of the ministries under hischarge. Highlighting theachievements and initiatives ofthe Ministry of Railways, he saidit made safety the foremost pri-ority and achieved its best eversafety record in 2018-19.

Goyal said, “There has been81per cent drop in number ofdeaths from 152 in 2013-14 to29 up to January 31, 2019. Thisis a result of holistic efforts takenby the ministry including elim-inating ‘Unmanned LevelCrossings’ (UMLCs) on BroadGauge network. Rashtriya RailSanraksha Kosh (RRSK) fund of`1 lakh crore has been createdfor safety expenditure”. Goyalreiterated that the focusedapproach of the Government inlast five years has materialised

various projects for the benefit ofthe nation and people. He urgedthe people of the country to puttheir suggestions in the popularMann Ki Baat show for taking upfurther developmental projects.He added there has been aquantum leap in capital expen-

diture. Total capital expenditurebetween 2014-19 is `5.1 lakhcrore which is more than dou-ble of total expenditure during2009-14, he said. “The Railwaysis connecting India at a faster pacewith a 59 per cent increase in theaverage pace of commissioning

New Line / Doubling / 3rd and 4thline projects from 4.1 km during2009-14 per day to 6.53 km perday during 2014-18,” he added.Goyal said that aspirations of thepeople of North East were ful-filled with completion of 4.94Kms long Bogibeel Bridge,

longest rail-cum-road bridge inIndia. Now, journey fromItanagar to Dibrugarh is only180 Kms, reducing the traveltime from 24 hours to only 5hours. Commuter travel inurban India has been given suf-ficient attention. BangaloreSuburban System is being devel-oped with ongoing projectsworth more than ̀ 15,700 Crore,he said adding that this will ben-efit about 15 lakh commuters.“Mumbai Suburban Systems isalso being modernised withongoing projects worth morethan ̀ 70,000 Cr, which will ben-efit about 75 lakh commuters,”he said.

Talking about Vande BharatExpress, he said “India’s firsthigh-tech, energy-efficient, self-propelled train is a prime exam-ple of the success of Make inIndia movement. This train willbe proliferated across India andalso exported globally, he said.

Goyal releases booklet on 5-year achievements

Opp indulging inpetty politics thatis benefitingenemy: Modi

Union Minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal, Chairman of Railway Board VK Yadav and Secretary Coal SumantaChjaudhuri (L) at the launch of a booklet on 5 Years Achievements and Initiatives of Railways and Coal Ministries in New Delhion Friday Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer

LS POLLS WILL BE...Arora said that as per a new

notification of the Commission,candidates will have to givedetails of their properties abroad,beside those in the country.

“The I-T department willlook into it, and, if any, discrep-ancies are found, then it will beuploaded on ElectionCommission website.Candidates will have to file his/her Income Tax return andthat of his family members forthe last five years,” said the CEC.

Asked about the EC’s standon inflammatory speeches,Arora said, “I have apprised theChief Secretary and DGP aboutintention of the poll panel andthey have assured that strictaction against offenders in suchcases.” The CEC said that theCommission would soon launchC-Vigil App where any citizen,on condition of anonymity, couldregister poll related complaintsand the EC would also constitutecommittees to keep an eye onsocial media. “If a citizen is notwilling to disclose his identitythen too, authorities will have topublish the action in the media,”Arora said while adding that theApp was a great success in therecently concluded Assemblypolls in the five States where28,000 complaints were received.

Expressing satisfactions onthe preparation for Lok Sabhapolls in Uttar Pradesh, the CECsaid that EVMs have been turnedinto a ‘football’ by some politi-cal parties and they were kickingit whenever they wanted. Arorasaid that while the EVMs have

been under use for the last twodecades, people questioning theEVM’s reliability have not fur-nished any evidence to sub-stantiate their allegations. TheCEC, accompanied by twoCommissioners Ashok Lavasaand Sushil Chandra and otherofficials, reviewed poll prepara-tions in the State with senior offi-cials, district authorities andother concerned during theirthree-day tour. The number ofvoters in Uttar Pradesh has risenby 25, 45,480 after the revisionof electoral rolls. During the2017 Assembly polls, the totalvoters were 14, 15, 16,412 whichhas increased to 14, 40,61,892.The total voters during 2014 LokSabha elections were13,87,49,076.

TERRORISMDESTABILISING...

During her nearly 17-minute speech, she did notmention Pakistan. Her remarkscame amid heightened ten-sion between India andPakistan following the killing of40 CRPF personnel inKashmir’s Pulwama district bythe Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. Pakistan, a mem-ber of the OIC, had written aletter to the grouping demand-ing the withdrawal of the invi-tation to the plenary after NewDelhi’s counter-terror opera-tions in Pakistan on February26. Swaraj said she is a repre-sentative of a land, that hasbeen for ages a fountain ofknowledge, a beacon of peace,a source of faiths and traditions,

and home to religions from theworld — and now, one of themajor economies of the world.

AFTER JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI...

The notification banningthe Jamaat-e-Islami under theUAPA was issued by theMinistry of Home Affairs aftera high-level meeting on secu-rity, chaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Thursday.The notification said the Centreis of the opinion that the Jamaatis “in close touch with militantoutfits” and is supportingextremism and militancy inJammu and Kashmir and else-where. According to the official,the decision to ban JeI (JK) wastaken as “it is responsible forformation of HizbulMujahideen and providing sup-port to the terror group interms of recruits, funding, shel-ter, logistics etc… In a way,Hizbul Mujahideen is a terror-ist wing of the JeI (JK).” ManyHurriayt also leaders are doingthe same anti-Indian activi-ties, he added. Syed Sallahudin,the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen,had contested the 1987Assembly elections in Jammuand Kashmir on a MuslimUnited Front ticket, in whichthe JeI (JK) was a key con-stituent. Asked about Hurriyat,the official said the JeI (JK) isthe “brain behind All PartyHurriyat Conference (APHC)”,alleging that the Hurriyat is aconglomerate of organisationswith separatist and terroristleanings, which has been sup-

porting Pakistan-sponsored ter-rorism. “JeI (JK) was instru-mental behind Hurriyat withthe support of Pakistan,” theofficial said. The NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)had this week carried outsearches at seven locations,including on the premises ofsome separatist leaders likeMirwaiz Umar Farooq, in con-nection with a case related tofunding of terrorist and sepa-ratist groups in Jammu andKashmir. The agency said itrecovered “high-tech internetcommunication setup” fromthe residence of the Mirwaiz. Italso claimed to have recoveredletter heads of terrorist groupsand visa recommendation let-ters for admission in Pakistan-based educational institutionsfrom several locations. NaseemGeelani, son of pro-Pakistanseparatist Syed Ali ShahGeelani, and Ashraf Sehrai,chairman of Tehrek-e-Hurriyat,were among the other separatistleaders whose residences wereraided by the NIA team, accom-panied by local police andCRPF personnel, officials hadsaid. Meanwhile in Srinagar, thePDP and National Conferenceon Friday criticised the Centre’sdecision to ban JeI, saying it isagainst the essence of democ-racy which allows space toopposing political thoughts.PDP president MehboobaMufti termed the decision asanother example of “muscularapproach” of the Centre to dealwith the political issue andwondered if “being anti-BJP” is

“anti national now”.“Democracy is a battle of ideas.Crackdown followed by ban-ning of JeI (JK) is condemnable,another example of high hand-edness and muscular approachof GOI to deal with politicalissue of J&k,” the former ChiefMinister said in a tweet.

ED RAIDS...The searches are aimed at

unearthing additional evidencein the case to establish the“proceeds of crime” in thematter, an official said. Thecase under PMLA was filed bythe ED after taking cogni-sance of a CBI complaintlodged in the matter inJanuary. In its FIR, the CBI hadnamed Chanda Kochhar,Deepak Kochhar, and Dhootand his companies -- VideoconInternational Electronics Ltd(VIEL) and VideoconIndustries Limited (VIL). TheCBI had also named SupremeEnergy, a company founded byDhoot, and NupowerRenewables, a company con-trolled by Deepak Kochhar, inthe FIR. Dhoot had allegedlyinvested in Deepak Kochhar’scompany Nupower throughhis firm Supreme Energy as aquid pro quo to loans clearedby ICICI Bank after ChandaKochhar took over as the CEOof the bank on May 1, 2009.The ownership of Nupowerand Supreme Energy changedhands through a complex webof shared transactions betweenDeepak Kochhar and Dhoot,alleges the CBI FIR. PNS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released a book authored by Rajesh Kumar, a 2003-batch Bihar cadre IPS officer. The book titled ‘Jee Le Zara’ is a collection of 32 poems, which are motivational in nature andteaches the art of living life and it would help in stress management. On the occasion, DG (Training) Alok Raj, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister M Chanchal Kumar, Secretary to CM Manish Verma and GopalSingh were also present Pioneer photo

PTI n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

has written to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, urging himnot to hand over the interna-tional airport here to a privateentity. The Adani EnterprisesLtd had emerged as the high-est bidder for managing, oper-ating and developing six air-ports of Airports Authority ofIndia, including that inThiruvananthapuram, whichare to be privatised.

In a letter to the PM,Vijayan demanded the air-port’s operation be handedover to ThiruvananthapuramInternational Airport Ltd(TIAL) f loated by theGovernment-run Kerala StateIndustrial DevelopmentCorporation.

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019 nation 07

Shillong: A team of rescuersfrom the Navy And Army onFriday announced to leave theoperation site in Meghalaya'sEast Jaintia Hills district after 60days of searching the 15 min-ers trapped in a 370 feet-deepillegal coal mine.

The Navy and the Armyinformed local authoritiesabout their decision to pack upand leave the operation ondirection from their higher-ups,operations spokesperson RSusngi said.

However, the NationalDisaster Response Force(NDRF), which has beenengaged in the rescue operationsince the day of the tragedy onDecember 13 last, will contin-ue with their services.

"There is no instruction forus to wind up the operation andwe will continue with ourwork," Santosh Singh, AssistantCommandant of Guwahati-based NDRF team, told PTIFriday from the site.

The Navy will be going

back on Saturday, the opera-tions spokesperson said, addingthe Army will also pack up andleave on receiving a directionfrom the higher authority.

The Navy and Army per-sonnel along with rescuers ofthe NDRF had so far detectedfive bodies deep inside themine and retrieved two ofthem, officials said.

The Navy arrived at theaccident site at Ksan area ofLumthari village on December31 last and lately operated theirunderwater remotely operatedvehicle (ROV) to search theholes 24/7.

The district authority con-gratulated and saluted theefforts, dedication and thetremendous contribution ofthe agencies in the two month-long rescue operation for thetrapped miners at Ksan.

District DeputyCommissioner F M Dopth alsoconveyed his deepest gratitude.

On Thursday, the secondbody was handed over to the

relatives from Lumthari vil-lage, Susngi said. The highlydecomposed body was identi-fied by his family membersfrom the clothes he wore, hesaid.

The companies involvedin discharging water from themines, including the Coal IndiaLtd, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd andKSB dewatered over 1 crorelitres every day, he said.

The operation to rescue theminers is one of the longest inthe country and involved mul-tiple agencies, including theNavy, Army, NDRF amongothers.

The family members ofeach of the 15 miners have beengiven ̀ 1 lakh interim relief eachby the district authorities.

The mine disaster hadshocked the nation. Mediareports highlighted the cash-rich illegal coal mining in EastJaintia Hills district ofMeghalaya in violation of a banimposed by the National GreenTribunal in 2014. PTI

Shillong: Eight Bangladeshiwomen and a man, who ille-gally crossed the border, werearrested by BSF personnel inMeghalaya's South West KhasiHills district, officials said onFriday.

The Bangladeshis, whowere caught on February 25,were handed over to theauthorities of the neighbouringcountry by the Border SecurityForce as a goodwill gesture thenext day, they said.

The illegal immigrants hadcrossed the InternationalBorder on Monday through anunfenced area to visit a week-ly market, which is about 30km away, the BSF said.

Acting on inputs receivedthat a group of Bangladeshishad crossed over, the BSF teamdeployed at Kaithakona carriedout intensive search, friskingand checking of vehicularmovement along the border, aBSF spokesperson said.

In the process, theBangladesh nationals — onemale and eight females — en-route to the Khanjoy marketwere apprehended, he said.

Vegetables and fishesseized from them were hand-ed over to the Border GuardsBangladesh (BGB) with thepersons, the official said.

The BSF personnelrequested the BGB to presscharges against them for cross-ing the International Borderwithout valid documents, hesaid. PTI

Srinagar: PDP presidentMehbooba Mufti on Fridaycondemned the Centre's deci-sion to ban the Jamaat-e-IslamiJammu & Kashmir, saying itwas another example of "mus-cular approach" of the centralgovernment to deal with apolitical issue of the state.

"Democracy is a battle ofideas, crackdown followed bybanning of Jammat Islami (JK)is condemnable, another exam-ple of high handedness andmuscular approach of GOI todeal with political issue ofJ&k," the former chief minister

said in a tweet.The Centre Thursday

banned the Jamaat-e-IslamiJammu & Kashmir for fiveyears under anti-terror law ongrounds that it was "in closetouch" with militant outfits andis expected to "escalate seces-sionist movement" in the state.

A notification, banning thegroup under the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act,was issued by the UnionMinistry of Home Affairs aftera high-level meeting on secu-rity, chaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. PTI

9 B’deshis held

for entering

India illegally

later sent back as‘goodwill gesture'

Navy, Army decide to wind upop in Meghalaya's mine tragedy

PDP chief condemnsCentre's ban onJamaat-e-Islami J&K

Nagaon: Assam Chief MinisterSarbananda Sonowal on Fridaysaid the State Government hasundertaken implementation ofinfrastructure development,water supply and beautificationprojects to the tune of `650crore in Guwahati, Nagaon,Dibrugarh and Silchar.

The projects are part ofAtal Mission for Rejuvenationand Urban Transformation(AMRUT), the Chief Ministersaid.

Sonowal said this whilelaying foundation stones for awater supply project, renova-tion work of three recreation-al parks and installation ofhigh mast LED lights atNagaon town on Friday.

The development schemes

under AMRUT would benefit28,000 families of Nagaontown, Sonowal said.

He also came down heav-ily against the oppositionCongress "for its 55 years ofmisgovernance in the state".

A large number of projectsare being implemented forimproving infrastructure andbeautification of all the 98towns of the state, he said.

Under the BJP-led govern-ments at the Centre and state,thrust has been given on imple-mentation of development pro-jects, which has broughtremarkable transformation inthe country in recent years, hesaid. As many as nine projects,to the tune of over `1,500crore, would be dedicated to the

state by Union Minister forPetroleum and Natural Gas,Dharmendra Pradhan, inGuwahati, Sonowal said.

He also said that the UnionCabinet gave its approval forconstruction of a new bridgeover river Brahmaputra forconnecting Dhubri withPhulbari, with a budget outlayof `5,000 crore.

"It is a strong testimony ofPrime Minister NarendraModi's unparallel commitmenttowards development of theState," he said. He observedthat financial allocation of `14lakh crore in the Budget lastyear, for improving rural liveli-hood and economy, hasbrought distinctive positivechange in the villages. PTI

Assam to implement `650-cr projectsunder AMRUT scheme: CM Sonowal

Panaji: The ruling BJP Fridayrejected the Congress's demandto cancel carnival festivities inGoa in the wake of the prevail-ing tension between India andPakistan, saying the country isnot in a state of war.

Goa Carnival is one of themost popular and much- await-ed annual cultural festivals inthe coastal state.

This year, the four-day fes-tival, a huge tourist attractionmarked by song, dance and dis-play of colourful floats, willbegin Saturday.

Goa Pradesh CongressCommittee president GirishChodankar had demanded thatcarnival festivities be cancelled

due to the ongoing tension onthe Indo-Pak border.

Addressing a press confer-ence here, Power Minister andGoa BJPspokesman NileshCabral said the country is notin a state of war to cancel anevent like carnival. "We are notin a state of war. If we were ina state of war then it (thedemand to cancel the event)could have been considered,"Cabral said. "But now we(India)are in a commanding position.The armed forces are properlylooking after us," he said,adding festivities like theKumbh Mela at Prayagraj arestill on and they should not bestopped. PTI

No need to cancelGoa Carnival due toIndo-Pak tension: BJP

Kota (R'than): Two gangs ofalleged motorcycle thieves werebusted and five people arrest-ed in Rajasthan's Bundi districton Friday, police said.

Acting on a tip-off aboutsome suspected youths insearch of customers to pur-chase motorbikes, the policecarried out a raid in Dablanaarea.

Three persons — Harpreetalias Siddhu (24), MahavirMali (45) and Murlidhar Gujjar(35) — were arrested and sixmotorbikes were recovered,said Deputy Superintendentof Police (DSP) SamandarChampawat. PTI

Five held

for bike

robberies

Ahmedabad: A young hus-band-wife duo allegedlyjumped into a well at a villagein Wadhwan taluka ofSurendranagar district alongwith their two-month-oldchild, following which allthree died, police said onFriday.

Although the incidentcame to light on Friday, policesuspect that the couple hadapparently jumped into thewell a few days back.

"The bodies of the coupleand their baby were recoveredfrom a well near Baldana vil-lage in Wadhwan taluka today.They were missing since

February 24," Wadhwan policeinspector H R Jethi said.

The deceased were iden-tified as Nanka Sapania (20),his wife Puniben (19) andtheir son Sahil, he said.

Police investigation hasrevealed that the deceasedwere tribals and hailed fromAlirajpur district of MadhyaPradesh. The couple had beenworking as farm labourers atBaldana village for some time.

In his statement to police,Nanka's father Kaliyabhaiclaimed that the couple hadleft the farm on February 24saying that they would returnin some days.

"However, when they didnot return within thepromised time, Kaliyabhailaunched a search and finallyfound their bodies in the welltoday. Preliminary probe hasrevealed that the couplejumped into the well alongwith their son after tyingthemselves with a rope," Jethisaid.

He said that police weretrying to ascertain the reasonbehind their extreme step.

A case of accidental deathhas been registered, the offi-cer said adding that the casewill be investigated from allangles. PTI

Young couple jumps into wellalong with baby, all three dead

Hailakandi: Assam's Hailakandidistrict has shot up to numberone from the 52nd position,among the aspirational districtsof the country, a new reportreleased by the Niti Aayog said.

Hailakandi ranked firstamong the 112 aspirational dis-tricts of India on the basis of itsperformance during November-December 2018 and January2019, an official release said.

Deputy commissioners ofthe awarded districts have beeninvited to New Delhi on March6 at a conference on SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDG),where they would receive addi-

tional allocation on the basis ofthe rankings, it said.

"Aspirational districtHailakandi will be given anadditional allocation of Rs 10crore for securing first rank,"District Assistant CommissionerParikshit Phurkan said.

During the June-October2018 ranking, Hailakandi dis-trict was placed at the bottom ofthe rung of aspirational districts,the release said. The thenDeputy Commissioner AdilKhan had said that proper sur-vey was not possible as mostparts of the district were reelingunder floods in June. PTI

Assam's Hailakandi top aspirational district:Niti Aayog study

Srinagar: Former Jammu &Kashmir Minister and seniorPeoples Democratic Party(PDP) leader QaziMohammad Afzal died due toprolonged illness on Friday.He was 76.

"With heavy heart we announce the tragicdemise of our Senior leader & Ex-Cabinet Minister Qazi Mohammed AfzalSahab," the PDP announcedon Twitter.

Afzal was admitted at theSKIMS hospital here, wherehe breathed his last at around8.00 pm, doctors said.

Afzal shot to fame after hedefeated then NationalConference president OmarAbdullah from Ganderbalassembly segment in the 2002assembly elections.

"His contributionstowards the party & the peo-ple of this state have beenimmense. We pray for eternalpeace to his departed soul &strength to the bereaved fam-ily," the PDP said.

Although he was a first-time MLA, Afzal was given acabinet berth in the PDP-Congress coalit ionGovernment that was headedby Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

Afzal unsuccessfully con-tested the 2008 and 2014assembly elections as a PDPcandidate. PTI

Senior PDP leader

Qazi Mohammad

Afzal passes away

Kanyakumari (TN): NarendraModi has taken the "Narasimhaavatar", Tamil Nadu DeputyChief Minister OPanneerselvam said on Friday,likening him to the incarnationof Lord Vishnu as he and ChiefMinister K Palaniswami show-ered praise on the PrimeMinister for 'decimating' ter-rorists in Pakistan in air strikes.

Panneerselvam said Modidid not buckle under the threatof terrorism and instead hadtaken the "Narasimha avatar", areference to Hindu faith inwhich Lord Vishnu takes theferocious incarnation in theform of human body with thehead of a lion to destroy demonking Hiranyakasibu.

"Without buckling underthe threat of terrorism of theneighbouring country, Moditook Narasimha avatar anddecimated hundreds of terror-ists which the world lauded," hesaid at a function here wherethe Prime Minister dedicated tothe nation various highwayand railway projects in TamilNadu.

He was referring to India'sFebruary 26 pre-dawn airstrikes on a terror camp inPakistan days after the killing of40 CRPF jawans by a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber

in Jammu and Kashmir.The Deputy Chief Minister

praised Modi for his "strongand steadfast leadership," in bat-tling external threats in a boldand decisive manner without awink of sleep.

Such resolute steps were awarning signal to countriesthat supported terrorism, henoted.

Speaking after his deputy,Palaniswami hailed Modi forbold and decisive measures toroot out terrorism.

"On behalf of the people ofTamil Nadu, I thank the PrimeMinister for the bold and deci-sive measures to root out ter-rorism, which is threatening theworld and the successful airstrike to decimate the terroristcamps."

"Entire country and TamilNadu stands behind you," theChief Minister said referring toModi. This is the first time, thetop two leaders of the AIADMKjoined the Prime Minister in anofficial event after their partyinked a poll pact with BJP onFeb 19 for the coming LokSabha elections.

The Chief Minister alsothanked Modi for his effectivediplomatic steps to bring backWing Commander Abhinandansafely to India. PTI

AIADMK top gunshail PM as ‘Narasimhaavtar’ for airstrikes

Jaipur: The Rajasthan con-sumer commission on Fridayimposed a penalty of `48 lakhon a private hospital after anewborn had lost eyesight dueto medical negligence.

A bench of Kamal KumarBagri and Meena Mehta gavethe order on a plea by AnupYadav against SanjeevaniHospital in Kotputli town —around 110 km north of Jaipur.

Yadav's son was born pre-

mature and the hospital staffgave oxygen more than the pre-scribed limit, which contract-ed the retina of the eyes and ledto blindness. Family membersconsulted other doctors but theproblem was declared untreat-able, a statement said.

The bench found the hos-pital guilty of negligence andordered the hospital manage-ment to pay `48 lakh as com-pensation to the family. PTI

Hospital fined `48lakh after newbornloses eyesight Mumbai: Akil Lakdawala,

brother of fugitive gangster EjazLakdawala, has been arrested forallegedly trying to extort moneyfrom a builder here, a seniorpolice official said on Friday.

Ejaz Lakdawala had beencalling several builders in thewestern suburbs since Decemberand demanding `protectionmoney', he said. On February 26,a builder approached the anti-extortion cell of Mumbai Policeand lodged a complaint againstthe gangster. PTI

Gangster

arrested for

extortion

A villager shows a part of a mortar shell fired from the Pakistani side at Mendhar in Poonch district on Friday PTI

Girls leave their hand impressions on a canvas as Kumbh Mela 2019 administration attempts to create a painting with palmimpressions of approximately 80,000 people for a world record, at a camp in Prayagraj on Friday PTI

Buddhist monks from Thailand offer special prayers for world peace at Watpa Temple in Bodhgaya on Friday PTI

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJPpresident B S Yeddyurappa onFriday urged the party workersto live up to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s expectation ofwinning 300 seats in the com-ing Lok Sabha elections bywinning all the 28 seats fromthe state alone.

“We have to live up to theexpectation of Modiji by win-ning more than 300 seats andhence, we have to win all the 28seats in Karnataka.

This is the responsibility wehave,” said Yeddyurappa in hisaddress to the ‘pramukhs’(heads) of 10 Shakti Kendras inthe run-up to the parliamen-tary polls.

He also asked the partycadres to serve as full-timeworkers just as Modi has beendoing ever since he assumedoffice.

Giving a clarion call for“Mera Booth, Sabse Mazboot”,the party’s slogan to the grass-roots level workers for aggres-sive campaigning ahead of theelections, Yeddyurappa saidthe election dates could beannounced any time soon.

He reminded ShaktiKendra ‘pramukhs’ that theprime minister had a vision tosee India as a superpower in the

world.Hence, it was the respon-

sibility of all the party workersto put in all their efforts tomake him the prime ministeragain, he added.

“Prime Minister Modi didnot take rest for even a singleday in the last four and halfyears. You have noticed that heis toiling hard to make Indiaand the party stronger,”Yeddyurappa told the partyworkers.

Hailing MiG-21 pilotAbhinandan Varthaman whodisplayed extraordinary val-our, Yeddyurappa said Pakistanagreed to release him followinga warning by Modi to safelyhand over him to India with-out a delay for a second, or elsethey will face the consequences.

Yeddyurappa had comeunder fire Thursday for hisstatement that the IAF’s pre-emptive strike inside Pakistanterritory would help the partysecure at least 22 out of 28 seatsin Karnataka. PTI

BSY urges BJPworkers to live up toModi’s expectations

The Punjab Land Preservation(Haryana Amendment) Act(PLPA), passed recently by theHaryana Legislative Assembly, hasunderstandably alarmed those

who care for the ecology of the very large partof the Aravalli hills that fall in Haryana. ThePLPA was enacted in 1900 to “preserve” landin undivided Punjab by curbing activities likethe felling of trees for timber, quarrying forrocks, agriculture, herding and other pastoralpreoccupations on land notified under it. TheAct disallowed all human activity that couldaffect the availability of sub-surface water, alterthe landscape, lead to biodiversity loss andother unpredictable consequences.

Section 3A of the amended Act states thatthe provisions of the PLPA would not applyto “the lands included in the final develop-ment plans, any other town improvementplans or schemes published under the pro-visions of” Acts listed under the Section. Theamended Act would throw open almost30,000 hectares of land to a wide range ofactivities, particularly construction and min-ing. The impact would be all the more dev-astating because its provisions would apply,“except unless expressly provided,” retrospec-tively from November 1, 1966, when Haryanacame into being, and provide legal cover toall activities, some of them subjects of law-suits, which were clearly in violation of theprovisions of the Act prior to its amendment.

There arises here the question of the KantEnclave, a residential colony in Faridabad. TheSupreme Court had, in the matter of MCMehta Vs Union of India & Others, orderedits demolition on September 11, 2018, on theground that it was built on forest land. Thecase raised a critical issue — whether in theState of Haryana, land notified under the pro-visions of the Punjab Land Preservation Act,1900, was forest land or was it required to betreated as forest land? The Supreme Court hadanswered in the affirmative. Also, by an orderon December 12, 1996, the Supreme Courthad directed that the Centre’s prior approvalwas necessary for any non-forest activity with-in a “forest” and that any ongoing activitywithout that must cease forthwith.

One will have to watch how the imple-mentation of the amended Act proceeds inthe context of the various orders passed bythe country’s apex court and how it impactsthe suits being heard under the provisions ofthe PLPA. Meanwhile, one needs to point outthat its impact on the environment in the areasaround the Aravalli and Shivalik ranges, thatfall within Haryana, will be devastating. Theseconstitute a critical ecological and biodiver-sity zone that has nearly 400 species of plantsand is home to 200 species of native andmigratory birds. A huge part of the wildlifehabitat between Asola and Damdama couldbe destroyed, leading to the extinction of localwildlife of which there is a variety — leop-ards, wolves, hyenas, jackals, porcupines, mon-goose, civets, jungle cats, rhesus macaque andso on. There has been an increase in the pres-

ence of all these species, partic-ularly after the closure of mines.They will now be forced outagain.

There will be other conse-quences. Construction and min-ing activity in the Aravalli areaand the dust generated by it isbound to increase air pollutionnot only in the adjacent areas buteven in Delhi, the national cap-ital, where things are very grimalready and where the situationgets particularly bad in the peri-od between October and Januaryevery year. According to aresearch paper published by theMinistry of Earth Sciences inOctober, 2018, 21 per cent ofDelhi’s PM2.5 (particulate mat-ter smaller than 2.5 micron) airpollution is caused by the pres-ence of dust.

The result? The least seriousafflictions include breathless-ness, coughing, sneezing, con-striction inside the chest, allergyand aggravation of asthma. Theserious illnesses includeischaemic heart disease(ischaemic stroke) and cere-brovascular disease (haemor-rhagic stroke), chronic obstruc-tive pulmonary disease and res-piratory infections. Besides, astudy by researchers at ColumbiaUniversity’s Mailman School ofPublic Health shows that peopleliving in areas with high pollutionlevels are more likely to havebone fractures as a result of osteo-porosis.

Air pollution has been iden-tified as the fifth biggest cause ofmortality in India. Further,according to studies, as many asan estimated 10,000 people dieprematurely in Delhi every yearas a result of air pollution, andresidents could live for an addi-tional nine years if Delhi metWorld Health Organisation’s airquality standards.

Concern over the alarminglevels of air pollution in Delhi wasvoiced by the Supreme Court,which on October 24, 2018,expressed shock over the disap-pearance of 31 hills in the Aravallirange in Rajasthan and asked theState Government to stop all ille-gal mining in an area, measuring115.34 hectares, within 48 hours.The Bench of Justices Madan BLokur and Deepak Guptareferred to the huge amount theRajasthan Government wasearning from mining activities inthe Aravalli, but said thatnotwithstanding this, it could notendanger the lives of lakhs ofpeople as the disappearance ofthe hills could be one of the rea-sons for the rise in the pollutionlevel in Delhi-National CapitalRegion. It directed Rajasthan’schief secretary to file an affidavitregarding compliance of its orderwithin a week.

The assault on the Aravalli inHaryana and Rajasthan under-lines the growing tendency to pri-oritise development in terms ofindustry and infrastructure over

the environment and animalhabitats. The UttarakhandGovernment’s decision to builda highway through the CorbettNational Park is an example. Itsconstruction and the plying ofvehicular traffic through it willhave disastrous consequencesfor wildlife, particularly tigers.Another is the MaharashtraGovernment’s diversion last yearof 467.5 forest land in Yavatmaldistrict for a cement plant.Further, its recommendation hasled to the clearance, in principle,of the grant of 87.98 hectares ofland in Kondhali andKalmeshwar ranges to an explo-sives company in Chakdoh formanufacturing defence prod-ucts. Worse, the land earmarkedbeing reportedly in the tigercorridor between Bor andMelghat tiger reserves, the facto-ry would prevent the move-ment of tigers between the two.

This alarming tendencymentioned will cause irreparabledamage to the country’s environ-ment unless reversed. That canhappen only if a strong resistanceis mounted. The sterling roleplayed by the judiciary, theprotests against constructing theroad through Corbett, andHaryana’s PLPA amendmentAct, are heartening but theprotests need to become muchlarger for politicians to listen.

(The writer is ConsultantEditor, The Pioneer, and anauthor)

Between Delhi and Mumbai, India’s two

largest cities and economic centres, the

old National Highway 8, now numbered

NH48 as part of the Golden Quadrilateral, has

been around for years and has been constant-

ly getting upgrades. Yet, the proliferation of

towns on the highway as well as industrial

zones, from Gurugram and Manesar in the

north to Silvassa and Vapi closer to Mumbai,

has meant that the highway is now clogged

with both commercial and private vehicular

traffic. There is a need for a proper access-

controlled expressway that can allow for fast movement between the two cities,

bringing down transit times to a day or less, especially with newer generation

heavy vehicles. This is vital as despite the introduction of the Goods and Services

Tax (GST) for trucks moving between the two cities, there are huge jams thanks

to traffic and poorly managed toll booths.

In fact, alongside GST and the gradual introduction of the ‘FastTag’ auto-

matic toll collection system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Road Transport

and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari are working wonders on India’s roads,

the arteries of the nation. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway though is not just a

road — it is just a small part of the massive industrial and commercial cor-

ridor being envisaged between the two cities. Parts of the Dedicated Freight

Corridor of the Indian Railway have already opened that will link factories in

north India to the deep water ports of Gujarat and Maharashtra. This new

Expressway will serve like a fast-charging cable and will supercharge the econ-

omy. However, the Roadways Ministry and Expressway Operator must ensure

a few things are done properly. The first is to see there is no rampant over-

loading of trucks, which damages India’s roads. In addition, a proper access

controlled highway needs to be just that; there are far too many instances where

access-control has not been respected with villagers treating the road like a

local right-of-way. A high-speed Expressway is just that, and while safety norms

have to be maintained, the movement of slower vehicles has to be restricted

for overall safety. India’s roads are a mess and running with blood because

of the non-chalance with which we all tend to drive. Policing has to improve

in cities with the help of technology as is happening in Delhi right now on the

Ring Road, where cameras will start a system of automated red-light jump-

ing fines and eventually automated speeding fines. China has already done

that on all its major expressways. Also, while work on this particular Expressway

has moved forward, much work remains to be done to ensure India gets a

proper network of similar ones across its length and breadth.

Now that Wing Commander Abhinandan

Var thaman is back home after

Pakistan, under tremendous interna-

tional pressure, released him from captivi-

ty, let’s remember what he stands for. First,

his extreme courage under fire. He is one of

our airmen who chased back a fleet of hos-

tile Pakistani jets when they crossed the LoC

and the man who shot down a latest Pakistani

F-16 with a vintage MiG-21. Second, his

extreme alertness and presence of mind.

Brought down by the Pakistani side, he fol-

lowed his survival drill to a T, swallowing papers, junking other evidence in

a pond, shooting at locals in self-defence before he was overpowered and

roundly thrashed. Third, grace under pressure. As a true soldier, he held his

own, revealing only his name and number and skillfully dodging mindgames

by his captors. In short, his poise and dignity remind us how hereon we should

pursue a path of equanimity. True, we have just about started a new fight

against terror, and the deep strike into Pakistan to smash a Jaish base does

not mean that our problems are over. In fact, they may have just begun, requir-

ing us to be ever ready along the LoC. By attempting a “non-military, pre-

emptive” strike on terrorist bases that plan bombings in India, we have opened

a new path of staying way below the nuclear threshold and yet protect our

national security. And with terrorists gone from the frontline, Pakistan will find

new ways of provoking India. So with this paradigm shift, we have to be on

the ball and extremely vigilant about a Pakistani offensive. We could do so

without brashness and bluster, instead consolidate our diplomatic offensive

and build on the gains made so far. In fact, it is the diplomatic isolation of

Pakistan globally on the anti-terrorism plank that helped us get back Abhinandan

in record time, considering the history of Indian PoWs in Pakistani captivity.

India should now continue to press its point home and reverse opinions.

This is borne out by the fact that the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC)

named us a chief guest and did not withdraw that status despite the airstrikes.

This miffed Pakistan so much that it decided to stay away from its ongoing

edition. Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, in her speech at OIC,

highlighted that the fight against terrorism was not a confrontation against

any religion. She even gave a conscience call to “tell the states who provide

shelter and funding to terrorists, to dismantle the infrastructure of the terror-

ist camps.” An indirect reference to Pakistan. This space was unthinkable even

last year when the OIC was uncomfortable about Army presence in Kashmir

and easily fed on Pakistani propaganda. But countries like Bangladesh have

been arguing for expanding the scope of OIC so that India could get observ-

er status. India itself has been citing its Muslim population base as a mark-

er of eligibility. A bigger coup is getting the support of Saudi Arabia and the

UAE. While the West, led by the US, worked the lines with Pakistan to defuse

tension along the LoC, it is the Saudis who played a crucial role in convinc-

ing Pakistan to simmer down and release Abhinandan. Although Saudi Arabia

is a close ally of Pakistan and has its imperatives, it still sees India as a key

market and acknowledges the contribution of our workforce to it. Saudi Arabia’s

Crown Prince even rushed a minister to Islamabad with a key message. The

UAE has emerged an ally, too, its Crown Prince stressing the “importance of

dealing wisely with recent developments and giving priority to dialogue and

communication.” And though China considers Pakistan an all-weather friend,

even it did not want to risk India’s goodwill for fear of losing a stable trading

partner given the US rebuff on that front. Its commonalities with us are big-

ger than differences. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi firmly told Pakistan

that China “does not want to see acts that violate the norms of international

relations.” If India spearheads the fight on terror in the region diplomatically

and works for a consensus approach, it will give us bigger gains.

Now, some calm talk

With our hero pilot back and UAE and Saudi Arabia helpingdefuse tension, India must build on diplomatic gains

As the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway moves towardsbecoming a reality, can this become India’s showpiece?

Milking Pulwama

Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Encashing Pulwama” (March1). Even as a war-like situationwas developing with Pakistan,political parties in India lost noopportunity to milk the issue forelectoral gains. The first in linewas the ruling BJP, which left nostone unturned to exploit thePulwama attack and the counterair strikes in Pakistan. It seemedto have taken all the credit forevery action taken in response tothe attack. It is quite bizarre thateven before the wounds of the 44jawans killed in the Pulwamaattack had healed, the tempo ofelectioneering picked up as if thevolatile electorate might forget theGovernment’s bravado.

It is too early to foretell theturn of the electoral wind but onething can be said that the valourof Prime Minister Modi as shownin the air strike and the success-ful release of Wing CommanderAbhinandan is being used as aweapon to thrash the alreadyfragmented opposition. ThePulwama development looks god-send at least for the BJP.

Rajendra Prasad SinghDelhi

Confront Pakistan

Sir — Pakistan-based MasoodAzhar’s terrorist group, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), openly tookresponsibility for the Pulwama ter-ror attack on a Central ReservePolice Force convoy. It was confi-dent that as in the past, the IndianGovernment would not go beyondlodging protests and calling sup-

port of the global community. But this time, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi was determinedfor decisive action. Terming thePulwama attack a very big mis-take by those who committed it,he gave a free hand to the Armyto choose the time, place andstrategy to avenge.

JeM and its patron, thePakistani establishment, couldhave never dreamt of what was in

store for them. In the early hourson February, 26, 12 IAF Mirage2000 fighter planes took off fromvarious air bases in India andcompletely demolished JeM’sbiggest training camp at Balakotand two others in Pakistan andreturned safely.

Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan threatened Indiawith retaliation though the IndianAir Force, in a limited non-mil-

itary action, had only targettedterrorist training camps onPakistan’s soil. On February 27,Pakistani Air Force fighter planescrossed the Line of Control andtargetted four Indian militaryestablishments but missed the tar-get. Pakistan has always been indenial mode whenever it isaccused of turbo-charging terror-ists. It has committed a blunderby targetting Indian militaryestablishments.

MC JoshiLucknow

Turn the tide of opinion

Sir — Now that WingCommander AbhinandanVarthaman is back, India mustpress the international communi-ty on the need for consensus oncombating terrorism. Withoutany doubt, world opinion isinclined towards India. India musttake advantage of this. As expect-ed, Pakistan is eager to engage inpeace talks with India. Revivingtalks can help ease the situation.

AnandVia email

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


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

op nionLUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

08

Don’t destroy Aravallis

HIRANMAY KARLEKAR

Haryana’s recent legislative amendment to the land preservation Act will play

havoc with the hill range and the environment. Voices against it must get louder

I don’t see the IPL havingany influence on WorldCup selection. I think thatwill be very, very radicalsort of analysis.

India skipper—Virat Kohli

He (Masood Azhar) is inPakistan. He is unwell. He isunwell to the extent that hecannot leave his housebecause he is very unwell.

Pakistan Foreign Minister —Shah Mahmood Qureshi

S O U N D B I T E

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

Peace talks should be the way forward

The unconditional and speedy release of WingCommander Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistancame as a great relief. It was a seemingly small step

but this fine humanitarian gesture marked a major break-through in efforts to de-escalate the military tensionsalong the border and demonstrated Pakistan’s desire fordetente. The captured “air warrior” returned to a hero’swelcome at the Attari-Wagah border after 48 hours ofcaptivity, with a loss of fighter plane in between. Yes wehave rightly demonstrated our resolve to take on terror-ism but time has come to simmer down.

Thanks to this “peace gesture,” particularly the aptdescription by Pakistani PM Imran Khan, relationsbetween the two countries thawed a little. If nothing else,it has certainly opened the door, at least slightly, for diplo-macy, which is better than war. It is to be hoped thatthis gesture will go some way towards repairing the dam-age done to the India-Pakistan relations since thePulwama attack. The moment of decision has arrived

and India should not fail to take the right decision. Asthe world’s largest democracy, we cannot spurn the offerof talks by Imran Khan without appearing to be unin-terested in the normalisation of relations and the much-needed peace in the region.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

THERE WILL BECONSEQUENCES.CONSTRUCTION

AND MININGACTIVITY IN THE

ARAVALLI AREA ANDTHE DUST

GENERATED BY IT ISBOUND TO

INCREASE AIRPOLLUTION NOT

ONLY IN THEADJACENT AREAS

BUT EVEN IN DELHI,THE NATIONAL

CAPITAL, WHERETHINGS ARE VERY

GRIM ALREADY

Send your feedback to:[email protected]

The road to riches

Imran Khan is a tape recorderof the military. There is nopoint in holding peace talkswith him. Rather, hold talkswith their Army General.

BJP leader—Subramanian Swamy

China has never recognisedIndia and Pakistan asnuclear countries. Our posi-tion has never changed.

Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesman —Lu Kang

De-escalate Indo-Pak ties

THE NATION HAS THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY

HAPPENED AT BALAKOT. WHERE WAS THE BOMB

DROPPED? WAS IT DROPPED ON THE TARGET?

—WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER

MAMATA BANERJEE

IT IS SHAMEFUL THAT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF

POLITICS, A CHIEF MINISTER IS DOUBTING OUR

ARMED FORCES, WHEN THE COUNTRY STANDS BY IT.

—BJP NATIONAL GENERAL SECRETARY

KAILASH VIJAYVERGIYA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

India and Pakistan joined the ShanghaiCooperation Organisation (SCO) as full mem-ber states during its June 8-9, 2017 summit in

Astana, Kazakhstan. Before the addition of the twoSouth Asian nations, the SCO consisted of China,Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan andKyrgyzstan. The now eight-member SCO also hasfour observer states, including Afghanistan and sixdialogue partners, including Sri Lanka. In total andtogether, they constitute much of the Asian geog-raphy with a population of over three billion peo-ple. The foundational purpose of SCO as the largestinter-governmental organisation in the world is tostrengthen mutual trust and promote good neigh-bourly relations among member states. This is tobe achieved through gradual but consistent effortsby SCO member states to engage in multi-facetedcooperation to advance their collective and com-mon interest in the sustainable human and protec-tive security of the SCO space. Parallel to this, theSCO seeks to establish a more democratic and ratio-nal world order.

Because sustainable peace makes sustainabledevelopment possible in Asia and the rest of theworld, the SCO summits continue emphasisingthe importance of results-driven security coop-eration among its member states, observer statesand dialogue partners. The addition of India andPakistan was widely welcomed as a significantopportunity for the SCO to address lingering secu-rity threats of terrorism, extremism and separatismin South and Central Asia. Same intertwinedthreats have provided an enabling environmentfor organised criminality, while also deepeningpoverty that denies the youthful populations ofAsia the socio-economic opportunities and facil-ities they need to contribute to the sustainabledevelopment and peace of their individual nationsand collectively to those of the rest of Asia.

That is why Chinese President Xi Jinping at the18th SCO Summit in Qingdao called on the SCO’sexpanded membership to move from talk toaction. He stated: “We need to actively implementthe 2019-2021 programme of cooperation for com-bating ‘the three evil forces of terrorism, separatismand extremism;’ continue to conduct the ‘peace mis-sion’ and other joint counter-terrorismexercises…We need to give full play to the role ofSCO-Afghanistan Contact Group to facilitatepeace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.”

President Xi added, “Countries are increasing-ly inter-dependent today… confronted with manycommon threats and challenges that no one cantackle alone. Only by enhancing solidarity and part-nership, will we be able to achieve lasting stabilityand development.” Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi, who addressed the summit as a newly admit-ted member state, echoed his Chinese counterpart,floating the concept of ‘secure’ to underpin the workof SCO: ‘S’ for security for citizens, ‘E’ for econom-ic development, ‘C’ for connectivity in the region,‘U’ for unity, ‘R’ for respect of sovereignty and ‘E’for environmental protection. He highlightedinstability in Afghanistan as an “unfortunate effectof terrorism”, noting: “I hope the brave steps towardspeace taken by President Ghani will be respectedby all in the region.”

Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putinwelcomed the accession of India and Pakistan to theSCO. He stressed that “countering terrorism

remains the priority for cooperationwithin the SCO”, underlining that thethree-year programme of action, adopt-ed at the 18th Summit, “envisions hold-ing joint drills and counter-terror oper-ations, streamlining a closer exchange ofexperience and operational information.”He also encouraged the SCO YouthCouncil to “actively participate in the workon preventing the recruitment of youngpeople to participate in terrorist activities.”

Building on these and other state-ments from the SCO member states, call-ing for quick and concrete action to fightand eliminate terrorism, the CentralMilitary Commission of Russia conduct-ed a six-day joint military exercise fromAugust 22-29, 2018, in ChelyabinskOblast, Russia. The joint exercise was ini-tiated by the Regional Anti-TerroristStructure of SCO (RATS-SCO), whichincluded tactical operations with a focuson strengthening counter-terrorism andcounter-insurgency preparedness, coor-dination and cooperation among theSCO member states. Around 3,000 sol-diers, including 748 from China, 167from India and 110 from Pakistan, par-ticipated in the joint drill.

Indeed, for India and Pakistan, it wastheir first such joint military exercise sincetheir independence in 1947. And thisraised much hopes about the prospect ofthe two countries participating in the‘Peace Mission 2018’ and future ones tomove beyond decades of routine skirmish-es along the Line of Control and to beginbuilding inter-military confidence throughSCO measures, thereby easing tensionsbetween the two nations. Commenting onthis shortly before the joint exercise, SunZhuangzhi, a professor at the ChineseAcademy of Social Sciences, told theGlobal Times, “It is a rare opportunity forPakistan and India, which have long been

involved in military conflict, to enhancemilitary exchanges and trust. This couldimprove regional stability.”

Contrary to these expectations,however, a rapid escalation of violencebetween India and Pakistan sinceFebruary 14, 2019, has been a cause forserious concern in the SCO neighbor-hood and the rest of the world. OnFebruary 14, Pakistan-based terroristgroup, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), car-ried out and later claimed a suicide attackon a bus, carrying Indian CentralReserve Police Force (CRPF) personnelin Pulwama district of Jammu &Kashmir. The attack killed 44 CRPF men.This unprovoked act of terrorism wasinternationally condemned with calls onPakistan to rid its soil of terrorist net-works and to dismantle their supportinfrastructure, including safe havensand training facilities. India promisedretaliation and, on February 26, conduct-ed surgical air strikes that hit “thebiggest training camp of JeM in Balakot,Pakistan.” Many militants under train-ing at the camp are reportedly to havebeen killed by India’s air strikes.

Although the international commu-nity has called for restraint by India andPakistan and de-escalation of tensionsbetween them, now is the time for theSCO’s founding member states to act ontheir often-stated common objectives torestore, ensure and maintain peace, secu-rity and stability in the SCO space. In thelast SCO Summit, President Putin empha-sised that one of the SCO’s key prioritieswas to assist “in the political and diplo-matic settlement of conflicts near theexternal borders of the organisation’smember states.”

Any escalatory moves by India andPakistan could lead to the breakout of alarger conflict with far-reaching implica-

tions within the SCO’s own borders. Theorganisation should lose no time inengaging with the two countries to havethem refrain from further retaliatory mea-sures in favour of returning to direct dia-logue for a resolution of mounting ten-sions caused by recent developments.

While this should be SCO’s immedi-ate goal, the RATS-SCO should be taskedto identify and assess the presence ofmajor terrorist groups and their supportinfrastructure throughout the SCO region.Then it should map out a results-orient-ed counter-terrorism plan of action foradoption by the SCO member states,whose counter-terrorism efforts theRATS-SCO should verify to ensure no dis-tinction between and among terroristgroups. In other words, verification byRATS-SCO should expose for correctionduplicitous counter-terrorism policies,which remain an impediment to effectivecounter-terrorism in South Asia.

As President Ashraf Ghani said whilecondemning the February 14 terroristattack in India, “terrorism is a cancer inthe region and requires collective effortsto root it out.” The SCO can and shouldinitiate to lead a collective, region-widecampaign to fight and eliminate the can-cer before it spreads in multiple destruc-tive ways throughout the SCO region.

Afghanistan has done more than alion’s share in fighting terrorism withregional and transnational roots. Ourfull accession to the SCO will onlyenable us to do a lot more, helping ourneighbours, including India, Pakistan,China, Russia and Iran, address theintertwined threats of terrorism,extremism and criminality.

(The writer is the Ambassador ofAfghanistan to Sri Lanka as well as SeniorInternational Security Fellow at the NewAmerica in Washington, DC)

The SCO has a larger role to play in reducing mounting tensions between the two countries causedby recent developments. A collective, region-wide campaign against terrorism is needed

analysis 09F I R S T C O L U M N

Selection norms

remain puzzling

ARPAN BANERJEE

Praiseworthy as much as the Institute ofEminence scheme is, there are some pressing

questions the Government must answer

M ASHRAF HAIDARI

THE RATS-SCOSHOULD BETASKED TO

IDENTIFY ANDASSESS THE

PRESENCE OFMAJOR

TERRORISTGROUPS AND

THEIR SUPPORTINFRASTRUCTURE

THROUGHOUTTHE SCO REGION.THEN IT SHOULD

MAP OUT ARESULTS-ORIENTEDCOUNTER-

TERRORISM PLANOF ACTION FOR

ADOPTION BYMEMBER STATES

Isuspected something amiss about the Government’s decision

last year to accord Institute of Eminence (IoE) status to several

educational institutions across the country. I had also filed an RTI

application, seeking the list of applicant universities. After much delay,

my application was denied, both at the first instance and on appeal.

One can understand that the Ministry of Human Resource

Development must be very busy and that the ruling Government’s

track record on RTIs is cautious, but why evade such a simple query?

Let’s take a quick recap of events that followed. The IoE programme

aimed to reward 10 public and 10 private universities with special

autonomy, in addition to generous funding for the former.

Greenfield projects, too, were eligible. Ostensibly, the goal is to push

these academies high on the World University Ranking list, where

India’s performance is woeful and to emulate what the Chinese have

done with Peking, Tsinghua and Renmin among others.

The Government appointed an empowered expert committee

to select 20 universities, comprising former Chief Election

Commissioner N Gopalaswami (chair), Harvard Business School

professor Tarun Khanna, University of Houston Chancellor and pres-

ident Renu Khator and former IIM Lucknow Director Pritam Singh.

Each applicant university had to pay `1 crore as processing fee,

with three-quarter of the amount refunded for unsuccessful appli-

cants. From 100-odd applicants, the committee recommended 11

names: In the public category, four IITs (Delhi, Bombay, Kharagpur

and Madras); Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Delhi

University; Jadavpur University and Anna University. For the private

category, it selected BITS Pilani, Manipal and Jio Institute. The

Government selected only IIT Delhi and Bombay, IISc, BITS Pilani,

Manipal University and Jio Institute (this decision was subject to

many political barbs and internet memes but to be fair, Mukesh

Ambani undoubtedly has the financial resources to create an impres-

sive university). After months of dithering, the committee recom-

mended 19 more names (thus, a total of 15 public and 15 private

universities). The new list was fairly eclectic.

Public universities recommended included Banaras Hindu

University, Aligarh Muslim University, Tezpur University, Pune

University and Panjab University. Private ones included two liberal

arts colleges (Ashoka University and the Krea University), Azim Premji

University, two newish institutes focussing on public health and urban

studies and KIIT. The University Grants Commission went back to

the Government as the committee had exceeded its mandate by

recommending 30 universities instead of 20. The Times of India

on January 30 reported that the scheme would probably be stalled

until the elections. Meanwhile, a couple of days ago, The Print sen-

sationally claimed that the Intelligence Bureau had red-flagged some

of the recommended private universities. Apparently, it was con-

cerned that Krea was guided by Raghuram Rajan and Anu Aga,

Ashoka University by Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Ashish Dhawan and

Azim Premji University by its eponymous founder — all of whom

are classified as critics of the Government. Just what this had to

do with IoE status wasn’t quite clear.

I could spend the rest of the column diagnosing the flaws in

an otherwise praiseworthy scheme and the ills of our bureaucra-

cy but since the present Government’s term is ending soon, I’d pre-

fer to list eight pressing questions. First, can the Government con-

firm that the scheme is paralysed until the elections? Second, why

have 11 institutes, that were recommended originally, not been grant-

ed IoE status? Why, therefore, have Tamil Nadu and West Bengal

(with two universities each in the remaining five: IIT Kharagpur and

Madras, Jadavpur and Anna) received a raw deal? Third, even in

the list of 30, some well-known applicant universities, such as

Jawaharlal Nehru University, IIT Kanpur, Indian School of Business,

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, older IIMs and various other sci-

ence institutes have been excluded when some already feature in

subject-specific world rankings? And when the committee’s sec-

ond list names specialist institutions of lesser repute, why the dis-

crimination? Third, what happens to renowned institutions special-

ising in medicine, law and architecture, which did not apply for IoE

status? Any plan to award them additional funding and autonomy?

Fourth, have unsuccessful applicants been refunded, as promised?

What should we make of an Indian Express report (September 1,

2018) claiming that IIM Calcutta was awaiting its refund? Fifth, on

the subject of money, what remuneration was paid to the mem-

bers of the committee for an obviously disappointing job? Seventh,

will these members speak up and explain what went wrong? In the

US, the media and public would demand answers from Khanna

and Khator had they been on a similar committee. Why the reti-

cence here? Eight, Government sources have rubbished media

reports. Who is correct? A response would be much appreciated.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School

and Scientia Doctoral Scholar, University of New South Wales)

During Prime Minister NarendraModi’s recent visit to SouthKorea, both countries signed

seven agreements to enhance cooper-ation in key areas, including infrastruc-ture development, media, start-ups andcombating trans-border terrorism andinternational crime. Health could havebeen yet another possible area ofcooperation as India has much to learnfrom South Korea, which has over 30years of experience in implementing theNational Health Insurance Service(NHIS) scheme that covers its entirepopulation (almost). Currently, Indiais at the initial stages of rolling out theworld’s largest hospital insurance pro-gramme, the Pradhan Mantri JanArogya Yojana (PM-JAY), for the poor

and the vulnerable. Some of the chal-lenges faced by PM-JAY are not verydifferent from those faced by SouthKorea. The way it dealt with the issuesholds useful lessons for India. A lot canbe learnt on how to save the self-employed deal from vested interests,generate necessary intel from claimsdata and integrate different schemescovering different population sub-groups. This article will, however,focus on covering the self-employed orthe non-poor in unorganised sector.

About NHIS: South Korea, now anadvanced nation, was a middle-incomecountry when its NHIS achieved nearuniversal population coverage in 1989.In 1977, Korea made social healthinsurance mandatory for its employees(including dependents) of large corpo-rations. It was gradually extended toother organised sector workers (includ-ing dependents). However, in 1989,NHIS, with identical benefit package,was extended to the self-employed (andtheir families). In terms of funding, itis a contributory scheme for all organ-ised sector employees, wherein bothemployer and employee contributetowards insurance premiums.

For the self-employed, theGovernment partly tax-subsidises pre-mium. In addition to contributingtowards premium, all insured membershave to make co-payments at the timeof seeking care. These co-paymentsvary, depending on the level of health-care provider (from physician clinics totertiary hospital). For the poor, whoaccount for a small share (3 per cent to5 per cent) of the population, theGovernment fully subsidises premiumand co-payment rates, which are sig-nificantly smaller or nil. NHIS has awell-defined benefit package that cov-ers curative care (including outpatientcare), diagnosis, emergencies, pharma-ceuticals, health check-ups and the like.During 2000, the Government integrat-ed different schemes, each having a sep-arate risk pool into a single scheme witha single risk pool.

South Korea’s experience in imple-menting NHIS will be useful for Indiaeven though the context is different.While India has social health insurancefor a majority of its organised sectoremployees, it is seeking to provide freehospital care for the bottom 40 per centof the population through PM-JAY. For

the non-poor households, working inthe unorganised sector, private volun-tary health insurance is the only option.

Covering the self-employed — thewhy and how: South Korea is an excel-lent example of how premiums fromnon-poor households in the unorgan-ised sector can be leveraged to mobiliseadditional funding for the health sec-tor. This is particularly important in acontext where public health spendinghas been low and ‘sticky’, which is trueof India. Moreover, the Korean expe-rience informs us that there are poten-tial risks for not bringing this sectionof the population under the healthinsurance programme.

In South Korea, extending NHISto the self-employed was necessitateddue to rising inequity in the amountspaid by the insured and the uninsured.Under NHIS, reimbursement rates tothe health care providers were regulat-ed. As these rates were restrictive, healthcare providers were prompted to chargehigher rates to the uninsured, which ledto increasing inequity in the amountspaid by the two groups. There wereother factors at work, too, notably polit-ical considerations that led to the

inclusion of NHIS in campaign agen-da and rising economic prosperity thatimproved the ability of the self-employed to pay insurance premium.Insuring the self-employed broughtwith it challenges of deciding contribu-tion levels, enrolling/collecting contri-butions and administering benefits.South Korea responded to these chal-lenges well.

India will soon be confrontedwith the issue of divergence in the reim-bursement rates paid to hospitals andones charged by hospitals to the non-insured. This divergence will be signif-icant even if the non-poor unorganisedworkers were to participate in privatevoluntary health insurance. This is like-ly to become untenable sooner thananticipated. Unlike South Korea, wherethe Government fully subsidises pre-miums only for a small percentage ofits population, India is fully subsidis-ing premium for a significantly high-er share of its population. The fiscal bur-den will likely preclude theGovernment from giving any subsidyto the non-poor. Even so, extending thescheme to the unorganised sectorworkers at full and fair premium

should attract them to the programme.Korea made it mandatory for its pop-ulation to join the scheme. India willhave to look for mechanisms to createsemi-mandatory conditions such assubscribers of specific services like tele-com, tapping into affinity groups likehousing society members and so forth.

Also, extending PM-JAY to theunorganised sector has other solidadvantages such as reduced adminis-trative costs and greater bargainingpower as care purchaser relative to careproviders. There are good reasons forextending the scheme to the non-poorunorganised sector workers (and theirfamilies). This may not get extendedimmediately as the scheme is still beingrolled out to cover the poor and the vul-nerable. Nevertheless, a plan needs tobe put in place for covering the non-poor for which the Korean experienceis useful. Learning and technical know-how from Korea could, perhaps, be for-malised through a bilateral agreementor through an international agency likethe WHO.

(The writer is a development econ-omist, formerly with the Bill & MelindaGates Foundation and the World Bank)

Health cover lessons from South KoreaIndia has a lot to learn from that nation’s expertise and accomplishments in running the NHIS programme that

provides low-cost access to quality health care to its citizens. Challenges faced by PM-JAY are not very different

RAJEEV AHUJA

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019


F O R E I G N E Y E

Yes, the world is saferthan when Mr Trump andMr Kim were tradinginsults. But Mr Trump’svanity diplomacy hasstrengthened the NorthKorean leader. Ahumbler, more carefuland more pragmaticapproach, seeking tofreeze rather thaneradicate the weaponsprogramme, would havebeen a far wiser course.(The Guardian editorial)

TRUMP’S DIPLOMACYFALLS FLAT

money 10LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

PTI n NEW DELHI

Retail inflation for industri-al workers rose to 6.6% in

January 2019 on account ofhigher prices of certain fooditems.

The year-on-year inflationbased on CPI-IW (ConsumerPrice Index for industrial work-ers) stood at 5.11% during thecorresponding month (January2018) of the previous year, aLabour Ministry statementsaid. In December 2018, it was5.24%.

Similarly, it stated that thefood inflation stood at +0.97%against -0.96% in the previousmonth and 3.36% during thecorresponding month of theprevious year.

According to the state-ment, the All-India CPI-IW forJanuary, 2019 increased by 6points and pegged at 307

points. On one-month per-centage change, it increased by+1.99% between December2018 and January 2019 whencompared with the increase of+0.70% for the correspondingmonths of last year.

The data showed that themaximum upward pressure tothe change in current indexcame from Housing groupcontributing +5.16 percentagepoints to the total change.

At item level, wheat, arhardal, fish, goat meat, coconut,lady’s finger, tomato, flow-ers/flower garlands, etc. areresponsible for the increase inindex.

However, this increase waschecked by onion, brinjal, cab-bage, carrot, cauliflower, gourd,peas, potato, cooking gas, elec-tricity charges, etc., puttingdownward pressure on theindex.

PTI n MUMBAI

Market benchmark Sensexon Friday rose over 196

points to end at 36,064 and alsoposted its second straight week-ly gains amid signs of easingtensions between India andPakistan.

The key BSE index alsosnapped its three-session losingrun after the March derivativesseries got off to a strong startcoupled with uninterruptedforeign fund inflows.

The 30-share Sensex openedpositive and rallied to the ses-sion’s high of 36,140.67 on wide-spread buying by participants.However, profit-booking inselect counters trimmed thegains as the gauge settled 196.37points, or 0.55%, higher at36,063.81. It had lost over 346points in the previous threesessions due to geo-politicaltensions between India andPakistan.

The NSE Nifty, after hittinga high of 10,877.90, closed at10,863.50, up 71 points, or0.66%. Intra-day, it fell to a lowof 10,823.10.

For the week, the BSESensex rose 192.33 points, or0.57%, while the broader NSENifty gained 71.35 points, or0.69%. This was the secondstraight weekly gains for theindex.

Investor sentiment revivedamid signs of easing geopoliti-cal tensions after Pakistan onThursday said it would releasecaptured Indian Air Force pilot

as a “first step” to open negoti-ations with India.

Investors indulged in creat-ing new positions following thebeginning of the March futuresand options (F&O) series thatled to the rally in the market.

Financial, capital goods, IT,power and oil and gas sectorstocks hogged the limelight andhelped indices to reclaim theirkey level.

IndusInd Bank emerged topperformers among Sensex con-stituents by surging 3.04%, fol-lowed by Yes Bank 2.68%. Otherprominent gainers includedVedanta Ltd, Hero MotoCorp,Coal India, ICICI Bank, TataMotors, SBI, Tata Steel, NTPC,Infosys, HDFC Ltd, L&T, KotakBank, Bajaj Finance, ITC Ltd,Sun Pharma, HCL Tech,PowerGrid, M&M, HUL,ONGC and HDFC Bank, risingup to 2.24%.

Maruti Suzuki rose 1.48%even as the country’s largest carmaker reported a marginaldecline in total sales in February.Bajaj Auto fell 1.16% after thecompany on Friday reported a10% increase in total sales inFebruary.

Bharti Airtel, Asian Paintand RIL also ended in the red.

All the BSE sectoral indicesended in the green with infra-structure climbing the most by1.99%, PSU 1.85%, metal 1.57%,capital goods 1.37%, power1.10%, bankex 0.98%, healthcare0.92%, IT 0.69%, teck 0.58%,FMCG 0.51%, and realty 0.01%.

The broader markets too

displayed a firm trend as the BSEsmall-cap index surged 2.13%and the mid-caps gained 1.29%.

Markets will remain closedon Monday on account ofMahashivratri.

Meanwhile, on a net basis,FIIs bought shares worth`3,210.6 crore, while domesticinstitutional investors (DIIs)sold shares worth `5,240.62crore on Thursday, provisionaldata showed.

On the macro-economicfront, however, traders lookedsomewhat hesitant after coun-try’s economic growth sloweddown to a five-quarter low of6.6% in October-Decemberperiod, analysts said.

Economic growth estimatefor the current fiscal year endingMarch 31 has been revised down-wards to 7% from the earlier esti-mate of 7.2%. This is the lowestgrowth in the last five years.

The rupee weakened by 20paise to close at 70.92 againstthe US dollar on Friday amidstrengthening of the Americancurrency and rising crude oilprices. Brent crude surging toUSD 66.55 per barrel, cappedgains to some extent.

Elsewhere, in rest of Asia,the Shanghai Composite Indexrallied 1.81%, Japan’s Nikkeigained 1.02%, Hong Kong’sHang Seng up 0.63% and StraitsTimes edfged up 0.20%.

Among european markets,Frankfurt’s DAX rose 1.15%,while Paris CAC 40 advanced0.73% in their early deals.London’s FTSE too up by 0.66%.

PTI n NEW DELHI

The country’s manufac-turing sector perfor-mance further strength-

ened in February and toucheda 14-month high driven byacceleration in sales, outputand employment, a monthlysurvey showed on Friday.

The Nikkei IndiaManufacturing PurchasingManagers’ Index rose to 54.3 inFebruary, from 53.9 in January,amid a robust improvement inbusiness conditions.

This is the 19th consecutivemonth that the manufacturingPMI remained above the 50-point mark. In PMI parlance,a print above 50 means expan-sion, while a score below thatdenotes contraction. Accordingto the survey, the February datareflected strongest improve-ment in business conditionssince December 2017, sharpestrise in factory orders for 28months and underpins fasterincreases in production andemployment.

“The Indian manufactur-ing sector made furtherprogress midway through thefinal quarter of FY18, buildingon the accelerated upturnnoted in January,” said

Pollyanna De Lima, principaleconomist at IHS Markit andauthor of the report.

Lima further noted that theupturn in employment wasone of the best seen for six-and-a-half years, as goods produc-ers sought to expand outputcapacities to meet strengthen-ing demand from both domes-tic and external sources.

On the inflation front, ratesof both input cost and outputcharge inflation remained sub-dued by historical standards,despite picking up fromJanuary.

According to experts, thesigns of easing inflationary pres-sures indicate that the ReserveBank of India (RBI) is likely toadopt an accommodative mon-etary policy stance.

The next meeting of RBI’sMonetary Policy Committee isscheduled on April 2-4.

“The survey results suggestthat manufacturing will likelyprovide a stronger contributionto overall economic growth inthe final quarter, provided thatMarch’s figures stay on thisfavourable path,” Lima said.

For FY19, IHS Markit hasrevised higher its GDP growthforecast, from 7.0% to 7.1%amid the announcement of

fiscal stimulus for the newinterim budget and the policyrate cut announced inFebruary.

India’s economic growthslipped to a 5-quarter low of6.6% in October-Decemberperiod of 2018-19, mainly dueto poor performance of farm,mining and manufacturingsectors, official data showed onThursday.

The Central StatisticsOffice (CSO), which releasedthe national account data forthe third quarter, also reviseddownwards the growth esti-mate for the full fiscal (2018-19) to 7% from 7.2%.

‘INDICATION OF STRONG

FLOW OF NEW ORDERS’

Economic Affairs SecretarySubhash Chandra Garg said onFriday that the spurt in PMIindicates strong inflow of neworders and strengthening ofmanufacturing sector growth,

“Manufacturing PMI at 54.3in Feb is 14 month high andindicates strong inflow of neworders. Q4 2018-19 should markfurther strengthening of manu-facturing GVA and upwardmovement of GDP growth,”Garg said in a tweet.

Sensex rises 196 pointsIndia’s Feb mfg activity

hits 14-month high

Retail inflation for industrialworkers up 6.6% in January

Carlyle acquires 9% stake in SBI Life from BNP Paribas Cardif

New Delhi (PTI): SBI Life Insurance on Friday said glob-al investment firm Carlyle Group had acquired 9% stake in thelife insurer from BNP Paribas Cardif. At the current market price,Carlyle would have paid `5,445 crore for the nine crore sharespicked up from the open market. Following the transaction,Cardif ’s stake in SBI Life has come down to 12.8% from 22%while Carlyle’s holding through CA Emerald Investments is at9%. SBI remains the majority shareholder with 62.1%stake inthe company.

Sales, output, employment accelerate

Script Open High Low LTPSUZLON 5.77 6.00 5.75 5.95SBILIFE 580.35 620.00 510.00 612.25JPASSOCIAT 6.15 6.26 6.15 6.21YESBANK 234.60 238.35 234.50 237.40RELINFRA 123.85 127.70 121.85 125.30FORCEMOT 1394.00 1637.00 1393.30 1599.65JETAIRWAYS 233.70 238.40 230.35 234.65RPOWER 10.90 12.55 10.80 12.33BHARTIARTL 320.50 320.50 302.60 307.05ICICIBANK 351.80 354.90 350.10 353.50DHFL 128.00 132.45 127.50 128.70TATAMOTORS 179.20 184.00 177.35 180.10RELCAPITAL 173.10 183.45 173.10 181.70TCS 1990.00 2005.95 1982.50 1991.65SAIL 49.00 52.80 49.00 52.40RELIANCE 1235.00 1242.50 1222.45 1226.70CGPOWER 32.25 37.00 32.25 36.60RCOM 6.54 6.71 6.50 6.61IBULHSGFIN 657.30 674.90 657.30 672.00ZEEL 465.00 489.00 465.00 486.55MOTHERSUMI 165.00 166.70 159.70 160.50ASHOKLEY 87.30 87.85 84.60 86.55JUSTDIAL 506.05 539.50 505.00 534.25NATIONALUM 52.40 53.85 51.30 53.65PNB 72.95 77.00 72.75 76.60BANKBARODA 101.85 108.40 101.85 107.90SBIN 270.00 274.40 270.00 272.95TECHM 830.00 836.45 829.30 832.00AXISBANK 713.95 715.00 700.00 703.65WOCKPHARMA 401.75 426.30 396.05 420.80LT 1300.00 1312.15 1296.75 1308.65JAMNAAUTO 54.65 60.30 54.65 58.70GRAPHITE 417.00 428.40 410.50 423.95VEDL 172.00 174.70 171.85 173.20JSWSTEEL 282.55 285.00 280.75 282.10TATASTEEL 503.90 509.75 502.75 507.15MARUTI 6889.00 6950.00 6833.30 6933.20BANKINDIA 83.50 88.30 83.20 87.70NCC 85.90 90.00 85.60 89.20IOC 144.80 148.50 143.45 147.70UNIONBANK 71.75 78.35 71.75 77.05ITC 277.00 278.65 276.10 277.80TATAMTRDVR 90.00 90.80 87.90 90.15SUNPHARMA 448.00 451.20 445.10 448.25WIPRO 370.00 378.00 365.60 375.50DISHTV 39.15 41.85 38.85 41.35KOTAKBANK 1224.70 1230.20 1217.55 1226.60BAJAJ-AUTO 2909.95 2944.95 2844.00 2862.90HEG 2094.00 2112.00 2042.55 2092.95M&M 651.70 651.80 642.00 649.35

VENKYS 2063.40 2230.00 2055.35 2176.45INDUSINDBK 1484.60 1523.90 1474.00 1516.30JINDALSTEL 158.90 162.95 157.80 161.45RCF 53.00 58.40 52.70 56.25IDFCFIRSTB 45.10 47.60 45.10 47.40CANBK 232.85 248.00 232.40 243.35ADANIPOWER 48.10 49.05 47.80 48.35COALINDIA 229.45 232.90 226.60 232.40NOCIL 135.80 145.35 134.70 140.45SPICEJET 80.15 81.45 80.10 81.05ORIENTBANK 83.20 93.00 83.20 91.85IDEA 30.50 30.50 29.65 29.90ABCAPITAL 92.10 96.30 92.10 95.75INFY 737.80 742.35 735.55 741.15PCJEWELLER 70.25 73.50 70.25 72.25SPARC 178.55 186.40 175.00 185.10L&TFH 125.00 128.70 124.70 128.00ADANIPORTS 328.50 334.75 327.20 333.45M&MFIN 399.65 413.00 398.50 411.30INDIACEM 87.50 92.95 87.50 92.40VGUARD 207.00 214.00 203.00 213.00RNAM 183.50 194.80 183.00 189.40RECLTD 138.50 138.70 136.35 137.30ALBK 48.00 50.50 47.85 49.95HINDPETRO 224.00 233.70 223.80 232.65LICHSGFIN 473.00 483.05 471.40 474.05BOMDYEING 111.45 116.90 111.45 114.20PHILIPCARB 156.35 165.70 156.35 164.10IPCALAB 815.90 862.30 813.30 853.75RAIN 91.50 94.50 91.50 93.60ICICIGI 929.95 955.00 929.95 949.85BAJFINANCE 2662.80 2673.90 2643.10 2666.00ICICIPRULI 323.10 332.00 320.70 323.20STAR 422.50 436.80 422.00 433.95GAIL 342.20 359.10 342.20 343.85BEL 82.85 85.25 82.85 85.00

ESCORTS 671.00 676.00 663.65 674.30MEGH 51.90 56.70 51.90 56.05DRREDDY 2636.00 2649.20 2582.70 2639.00SUNTV 600.05 618.00 600.05 615.05JAICORPLTD 90.70 94.95 90.55 94.00DBL 434.00 454.30 430.10 449.00RADICO 369.70 384.70 366.05 382.00HDFCBANK 2084.00 2114.90 2078.45 2083.20GNFC 263.00 276.40 262.10 274.05HEROMOTOCO 2660.00 2690.80 2640.30 2681.90TATAPOWER 66.00 67.75 65.55 67.05EQUITAS 113.60 117.55 113.60 115.90VOLTAS 567.00 576.90 563.70 576.00ASIANPAINT 1407.60 1417.70 1388.15 1388.15HDFC 1848.60 1864.40 1840.00 1859.45ONGC 149.85 150.30 147.90 149.05EDELWEISS 139.00 141.90 137.95 139.75REPCOHOME 336.90 356.50 335.40 354.40TVSMOTOR 460.00 469.75 456.00 468.20DELTACORP 247.50 253.50 246.60 249.00JISLJALEQS 56.65 61.00 56.45 60.75HCLTECH 1055.55 1061.50 1046.45 1052.80BEML 842.95 858.60 838.40 850.85WELSPUNIND 51.80 54.65 51.80 53.65SUNTECK 349.30 350.00 341.25 343.00LUPIN 774.00 789.85 769.00 785.75CADILAHC 319.70 324.00 317.80 322.25FEDERALBNK 84.40 85.85 83.75 85.55JSLHISAR 89.00 93.30 87.60 88.40EXIDEIND 225.15 225.15 217.30 218.75MINDTREE 909.20 934.85 907.10 934.85GRANULES 98.65 104.20 98.60 103.80NBCC 53.70 55.40 53.00 55.05IDBI 43.20 44.60 43.05 44.35RBLBANK 576.00 598.00 573.00 594.95CHENNPETRO 238.00 241.50 230.00 240.10OIL 176.00 179.25 175.05 177.95WESTLIFE 350.00 377.00 350.00 353.70UJJIVAN 281.10 288.90 279.95 288.50HDFCLIFE 353.00 364.35 352.00 362.35MMTC 25.75 26.85 25.65 26.40STRTECH 243.15 247.60 241.70 246.90INDIGO 1115.00 1126.85 1098.20 1122.05SADBHAV 192.00 215.00 192.00 209.40TATAELXSI 890.65 913.50 888.15 911.25HINDUNILVR 1739.85 1748.50 1731.25 1734.95AUROPHARMA 714.50 727.55 714.20 723.35MCX 661.45 681.30 660.25 677.20CENTURYPLY 168.70 184.00 168.55 181.45KAJARIACER 546.00 561.45 544.60 555.50ABB 1245.00 1259.50 1232.50 1240.50MINDACORP 146.20 156.60 146.20 150.40ENGINERSIN 107.45 110.60 106.70 110.25FRETAIL 432.90 435.45 425.00 432.25NMDC 101.50 102.85 101.40 102.40BHEL 64.95 66.50 64.70 66.20TITAN 1029.90 1037.40 1019.35 1022.90ACC 1418.00 1495.00 1418.00 1471.70DLF 166.10 169.20 165.25 167.20CENTURYTEX 807.60 833.00 805.80 831.50HSCL 119.00 123.30 119.00 120.65IBREALEST 70.50 72.05 70.50 71.10IDFC 37.00 40.25 37.00 40.10BDL 301.00 306.00 284.80 286.05HINDALCO 197.25 198.90 195.35 196.15BAJAJFINSV 6461.50 6542.90 6425.70 6443.35MERCK 3188.80 3316.00 3188.80 3252.15HAVELLS 715.20 726.35 705.20 707.35LINDEINDIA 497.00 506.30 486.00 500.65INFIBEAM 36.35 36.85 35.65 36.20KSCL 414.95 414.95 406.00 408.80NESTLEIND 10650.00 10650.00 10331.05 10435.70MANAPPURAM 113.75 115.75 112.00 114.95ISEC 202.50 203.55 199.90 202.00CASTROLIND 154.50 161.30 154.50 160.50EICHERMOT 19999.85 20028.85 19759.60 19938.25WELCORP 109.95 115.45 108.50 114.55TATACHEM 559.70 568.00 557.55 564.00CIPLA 557.00 557.00 547.60 551.65APOLLOHOSP 1136.95 1164.95 1136.95 1153.50DABUR 440.95 446.00 440.35 445.20DCMSHRIRAM 401.50 419.40 400.20 410.90UPL 877.50 880.80 868.10 871.45PFC 112.15 114.15 112.15 113.35TV18BRDCST 33.80 35.80 33.65 35.60PEL 2328.05 2387.90 2328.05 2372.15RAYMOND 769.75 792.00 769.35 786.00IRB 134.60 142.60 134.60 140.80AJANTPHARM 988.00 994.75 981.50 991.00GUJALKALI 440.50 512.90 440.50 493.50IFCI 12.65 13.50 12.40 13.35AVANTI 338.90 351.15 337.15 345.85HINDCOPPER 46.50 47.80 46.25 47.20SOUTHBANK 13.31 13.74 13.30 13.66RALLIS 151.10 155.90 146.50 151.80CHOLAFIN 1230.45 1276.50 1229.95 1272.10BPCL 338.85 347.45 337.00 345.60INDIANB 222.55 233.50 222.40 229.55DMART 1467.50 1477.90 1452.05 1459.90GSFC 91.25 94.90 91.25 94.35IBVENTURES 287.00 287.00 279.10 281.35BERGEPAINT 306.00 307.60 300.75 302.00EIDPARRY 187.50 194.40 186.00 186.85BATAINDIA 1285.00 1299.00 1271.90 1282.25MARICO 339.00 343.00 331.00 334.50GODREJCP 675.05 686.00 674.30 679.50LTI 1729.85 1737.40 1699.45 1707.05MOIL 144.40 151.90 144.40 151.35APOLLOTYRE 218.00 221.00 217.35 219.95

INTELLECT 185.50 192.50 185.50 190.90CONCOR 475.00 481.00 470.30 479.00PARAGMILK 229.90 236.60 225.95 235.00SIEMENS 999.95 1018.00 992.20 1007.10MAGMA 102.70 115.05 102.70 111.55GRASIM 780.00 796.00 777.75 791.40JUBLFOOD 1285.00 1285.00 1268.05 1278.05SYNDIBANK 33.60 36.10 33.55 35.80HEXAWARE 355.00 360.00 354.60 360.00MUTHOOTFIN 530.00 536.40 529.50 531.30AUBANK 580.00 580.05 566.10 570.00CARBORUNIV 370.00 392.00 370.00 382.25FSL 44.15 45.10 43.45 44.75VIPIND 414.90 420.50 409.40 416.00BIOCON 624.40 632.55 622.65 631.45KRBL 353.80 370.25 353.80 366.40NTPC 142.00 143.75 141.95 142.95BHARATFORG 517.95 520.85 510.40 519.35AMBUJACEM 215.00 219.00 213.10 217.30BALKRISIND 892.00 900.00 885.15 894.30DIVISLAB 1651.00 1674.00 1650.00 1667.55CANFINHOME 269.95 278.00 268.70 276.70JINDALSAW 82.70 86.30 82.35 86.00SRF 2304.80 2336.90 2282.20 2288.50ADANITRANS 206.40 212.00 202.00 203.90PIDILITIND 1152.20 1159.00 1132.75 1148.95WABAG 308.40 318.60 308.35 313.00CEATLTD 1110.00 1115.85 1100.50 1105.20SRTRANSFIN 1149.35 1167.00 1149.35 1164.00EIHOTEL 187.00 190.20 183.50 186.05BLISSGVS 178.05 182.60 177.80 178.45SJVN 22.80 24.10 22.80 23.70MGL 907.05 922.50 907.05 920.35GPPL 83.00 86.95 81.45 85.05HSIL 220.80 236.00 220.80 226.25INOXLEISUR 277.00 285.00 277.00 280.15GLENMARK 595.45 601.20 588.20 597.30ITI 92.05 94.60 91.80 93.20HUDCO 41.00 42.30 40.70 41.85DCBBANK 182.00 186.25 182.00 183.70INFRATEL 296.20 297.25 291.60 293.50UBL 1360.00 1387.00 1347.65 1387.00HIMATSEIDE 170.00 181.30 170.00 172.90MRPL 65.50 68.05 65.30 67.50KEC 266.55 271.00 265.85 267.65MAXINDIA 69.90 70.55 68.30 70.30ABFRL 226.00 227.00 221.75 223.95BAJAJELEC 461.10 461.10 448.00 454.00ADANIGREEN 33.65 35.25 33.35 34.25SUVEN 242.90 246.55 241.75 245.75RAMCOCEM 670.00 692.00 666.80 692.00KTKBANK 113.10 116.00 112.95 115.60BANDHANBNK 482.00 485.15 476.45 480.00OMAXE 208.50 208.50 205.40 207.00COLPAL 1260.00 1266.95 1244.05 1246.15GMRINFRA 16.20 16.70 16.20 16.65JUBILANT 790.00 796.00 772.30 781.70PFIZER 3289.95 3310.00 3250.05 3275.00TATAGLOBAL 194.25 198.05 193.70 197.60NLCINDIA 61.90 64.15 61.30 63.35ULTRACEMCO 3846.55 3895.00 3832.10 3890.00VINATIORGA 1464.00 1520.00 1463.95 1475.00PETRONET 224.00 226.00 222.55 222.95BRITANNIA 3078.50 3087.40 3060.00 3073.70EMAMILTD 395.75 401.45 393.00 394.00INDHOTEL 138.70 140.10 137.25 137.35GREAVESCOT 127.00 130.30 127.00 129.05THOMASCOOK 212.50 215.70 210.10 214.30CUMMINSIND 714.70 714.70 701.25 703.10FCONSUMER 46.55 47.95 46.55 47.35TRIDENT 60.70 62.70 60.70 62.55AEGISLOG 198.25 215.95 198.25 206.30SCI 35.30 36.35 35.00 36.20PERSISTENT* 668.95 677.50 659.30 667.45TEJASNET 154.00 166.70 154.00 164.85KEI 350.00 354.50 342.20 349.55NETWORK18 33.50 33.50 32.00 32.85TATACOMM 584.95 595.15 581.75 592.65HFCL 21.50 21.90 21.35 21.75PRSMJOHNSN 79.45 81.00 79.00 80.20COCHINSHIP 348.95 367.00 348.95 363.60NIITTECH 1328.20 1332.00 1310.00 1326.00IGL 293.95 296.00 290.60 295.00GREENPLY 138.50 148.80 138.30 142.95NHPC 23.05 23.25 22.95 23.15TNPL 189.75 200.00 188.15 198.20JKTYRE 87.90 87.90 86.25 87.30OBEROIRLTY 507.00 507.00 485.50 488.55VIJAYABANK 40.45 43.60 40.45 43.15POWERGRID 182.90 183.50 182.10 183.25LTTS 1544.00 1567.20 1537.25 1549.45DENABANK 11.35 11.90 11.19 11.83BIRLACORPN 472.15 507.80 472.15 507.80PNBHOUSING 901.00 918.00 901.00 910.00NAUKRI 1795.00 1809.90 1784.30 1797.70NAVINFLUOR 595.85 607.40 595.85 598.10AMARAJABAT 717.00 730.00 717.00 728.90BBTC 1199.00 1233.00 1198.00 1216.75DEEPAKFERT 126.65 130.55 126.65 129.05JSWENERGY 65.15 66.20 64.85 65.45REDINGTON 87.65 89.90 86.50 89.00PAGEIND 22500.00 22565.80 22173.60 22300.00BHARATFIN 924.05 953.95 924.05 950.20GODREJAGRO 481.00 485.85 479.50 483.85SREINFRA 27.25 27.60 27.10 27.20HAL 657.00 673.85 657.00 669.65FINCABLES 414.90 421.10 408.55 418.90CHAMBLFERT 159.90 162.75 157.90 160.25GUJGAS 123.00 123.00 120.00 121.00

LUXIND 1097.50 1166.95 1097.50 1148.95NIACL 175.45 178.50 172.75 177.00MPHASIS 1049.00 1049.75 1026.00 1031.55SHANKARA 430.90 437.20 429.85 431.90HEIDELBERG 150.55 158.05 150.55 157.65GRUH 248.60 252.70 248.15 252.70GUJFLUORO 912.00 925.00 912.00 919.00SWANENERGY 120.10 120.10 113.00 114.05RAJESHEXPO 576.90 576.90 567.00 569.95TORNTPHARM 1802.35 1806.90 1772.80 1785.15JMFINANCIL 77.80 81.00 77.80 80.00IBULISL 272.00 286.65 272.00 286.65HINDZINC 269.05 271.50 268.10 270.05GODREJIND 501.00 503.00 493.15 497.00TRENT 328.20 338.50 323.00 335.85PVR 1515.00 1520.00 1488.20 1493.00TORNTPOWER 244.55 247.75 244.50 245.25SHK 146.70 150.00 146.70 149.00PIIND 932.00 942.75 925.20 936.00ZYDUSWELL 1234.05 1281.00 1225.00 1250.00WHIRLPOOL 1369.55 1455.35 1364.00 1439.40TAKE 132.90 132.90 128.05 130.35UFLEX 195.90 202.40 195.85 199.00MANPASAND 73.25 77.90 73.25 76.85MOTILALOFS 563.60 572.95 555.00 566.00GODFRYPHLP 887.50 909.00 885.00 899.20GHCL 223.30 229.30 223.30 228.75LAKSHVILAS 64.50 65.80 63.80 64.80LAXMIMACH 5780.70 5915.00 5756.00 5865.10CENTRALBK 30.30 32.00 30.30 31.25MINDAIND 319.65 327.20 318.10 321.85GICHSGFIN 237.00 243.00 234.75 241.85GICRE 218.85 226.00 218.85 224.45AIAENG 1710.00 1769.35 1700.25 1751.00SOBHA 440.70 442.80 435.90 436.00KANSAINER 452.65 452.65 442.85 448.00HERITGFOOD 457.55 461.55 454.00 454.55APLAPOLLO 1223.40 1372.95 1223.40 1311.80J&KBANK 38.50 39.60 38.50 39.00CYIENT* 646.50 657.00 642.00 646.80BOSCHLTD 18991.95 19019.15 18703.20 18749.30MFSL 399.05 405.60 398.80 401.00KALPATPOWR 396.10 406.00 395.80 396.55CORPBANK 30.10 31.00 30.10 30.45JKLAKSHMI 329.00 330.95 325.50 327.00SUNDRMFAST 519.05 527.90 518.55 520.00SONATSOFTW 344.00 344.50 338.85 340.05TATAMETALI 604.60 612.85 600.90 609.45NBVENTURES 102.65 105.00 102.45 103.60MAHINDCIE 234.60 237.50 231.25 235.40DCAL 190.00 191.00 188.50 189.85NATCOPHARM* 581.45 581.45 569.00 570.15AARTIIND 1403.00 1411.60 1394.00 1402.90JSL 35.35 36.00 35.35 35.65ALLCARGO 100.55 104.40 99.85 101.50ITDCEM 107.00 111.10 106.60 110.60TTKPRESTIG 7588.00 8025.00 7588.00 7993.30ASTRAZEN 2040.00 2055.00 1977.00 1977.00NAVKARCORP 41.45 41.50 40.25 40.40GODREJPROP 712.95 714.00 708.55 711.85ANDHRABANK 25.20 25.55 24.55 25.25QUESS 726.00 730.55 715.40 716.20TATACOFFEE 83.85 86.00 83.85 86.00MHRIL 200.90 205.00 199.80 204.95TIINDIA 360.00 369.00 355.75 365.10CROMPTON 215.40 215.40 208.10 210.35LAURUSLABS 336.00 345.00 336.00 342.60NILKAMAL 1242.00 1315.00 1242.00 1310.00ZENSARTECH 196.20 205.60 196.20 200.85SUPREMEIND 1150.00 1154.00 1119.00 1121.10UCOBANK 18.65 19.00 18.65 18.90GESHIP 271.40 280.00 271.30 275.55SCHNEIDER 99.50 99.50 96.25 96.90ABBOTINDIA 7405.00 7418.00 7325.00 7340.40BALMLAWRIE 176.55 181.05 176.55 180.25SYMPHONY 1302.00 1310.00 1267.00 1284.00GAYAPROJ 151.05 165.00 151.05 161.00FORBESCO 2024.70 2101.75 2000.00 2101.75GSPL 158.95 160.00 157.80 159.05CAPPL 390.10 397.00 389.00 389.30LEMONTREE 74.60 76.95 74.40 75.10PTC 77.30 78.50 77.30 78.30OFSS 3494.35 3540.00 3491.00 3501.50GLAXO 1334.35 1337.00 1325.00 1325.00ASTRAL 1094.70 1094.70 1075.10 1082.00BASF 1336.25 1350.00 1306.65 1334.05TIMETECHNO 89.60 91.35 89.00 89.30

MRF 56736.10 57380.00 56736.10 57124.60PGHH 10767.75 10957.00 10630.00 10874.00CENTRUM 32.65 33.00 31.90 32.70ALKEM 1794.90 1794.90 1751.90 1774.25MAHABANK 12.81 13.10 12.80 12.96CUB 182.00 188.40 182.00 187.25ASHOKA 119.45 121.80 119.45 121.40FINOLEXIND 481.05 492.00 474.00 492.00APLLTD 561.50 561.70 544.35 546.10NH 208.00 223.50 206.30 218.40BAJAJHLDNG 3170.00 3200.00 3161.15 3173.35GMDCLTD 77.40 79.55 77.25 78.15IOB 13.24 13.61 13.24 13.60IFBIND 827.00 865.00 825.00 848.00SIS 816.25 824.95 774.90 792.35TATAINVEST 827.95 830.00 824.00 828.10DHANUKA 408.00 424.00 406.80 422.00SHREECEM 16789.95 16800.00 16568.45 16800.00PHOENIXLTD 585.00 640.05 585.00 619.65WABCOINDIA 6824.35 6824.35 6470.00 6485.00SANOFI 5966.00 6002.35 5871.00 5904.80THYROCARE 520.00 529.25 520.00 525.00SOLARINDS 945.80 986.10 945.80 957.00INOXWIND 72.00 73.65 71.25 72.75JYOTHYLAB 181.70 182.15 177.05 179.75BLUESTARCO 623.40 629.00 621.85 625.00PNCINFRA 129.00 129.80 127.70 128.80ADVENZYMES 154.80 154.80 149.65 150.75ENDURANCE 1380.00 1380.00 1270.00 1290.00GALAXYSURF 985.30 1040.00 984.75 1007.05MAHLOG 439.15 453.05 439.15 453.05RELAXO 750.65 756.20 737.00 737.10JBCHEPHARM 327.00 335.00 326.15 335.00COROMANDEL 443.00 444.50 437.05 441.20SUDARSCHEM 324.70 336.00 323.40 332.85COFFEEDAY 273.30 279.00 270.55 274.00ISGEC 4728.95 4797.00 4651.00 4699.40VTL 1100.00 1100.00 1012.90 1074.80IEX 155.95 158.70 154.75 157.40INDOSTAR 344.55 345.55 330.20 336.40APARINDS 645.15 659.25 640.00 649.003MINDIA 23285.05 23600.00 22937.80 22985.95DEEPAKNI 233.00 235.00 232.25 233.50ORIENTCEM 71.05 75.95 71.00 73.70TVTODAY 314.85 333.00 314.85 327.80CARERATING 967.80 972.15 958.15 958.40LALPATHLAB 1018.85 1024.05 1014.00 1024.05JKCEMENT 724.65 735.00 720.10 732.40PRESTIGE 203.80 207.60 203.40 204.95FDC 167.75 169.00 163.55 164.45AKZOINDIA 1790.00 1805.00 1743.90 1752.90ECLERX 1042.50 1074.95 1034.75 1048.00ATUL 3390.75 3408.00 3343.40 3377.00MAHLIFE 368.90 377.35 368.00 373.00THERMAX 994.00 997.90 985.80 987.00SUPRAJIT 195.55 200.00 193.70 194.00ESSELPRO 112.05 115.00 111.50 113.00EVEREADY 197.70 197.80 196.05 196.05TEAMLEASE 2845.00 2888.75 2828.00 2884.00SKFINDIA 1926.45 1952.90 1915.00 1935.05GULFOILLUB 863.00 907.00 862.00 880.00JAGRAN 95.60 96.40 95.00 95.00NAVNETEDUL 105.00 106.00 103.55 105.30FORTIS 135.35 135.35 134.30 134.65ELGIEQUIP 268.85 269.00 261.05 262.60CRISIL 1470.65 1476.50 1469.05 1472.30GEPIL 805.60 816.00 800.05 816.00VBL 801.35 813.25 801.35 813.00KIOCL 128.45 131.65 128.45 131.00GDL 108.50 108.90 106.70 108.00KNRCON 199.85 203.00 199.85 201.00SOMANYCERA 323.55 337.00 323.55 333.05ITDC 273.00 275.00 270.10 270.10SHOPERSTOP 479.55 481.90 475.00 478.00GSKCONS 7193.50 7265.55 7193.50 7201.00CERA 2448.70 2504.95 2359.95 2450.00GET&D 291.00 293.80 288.35 289.25SUPPETRO 209.95 210.00 205.90 207.40SUNCLAYLTD 2819.50 2870.00 2819.50 2868.00ASTERDM 155.10 159.00 152.60 155.00SYNGENE 593.25 593.25 583.95 585.05KPRMILL 537.50 551.00 532.50 551.00NESCO 434.60 439.00 433.90 435.00ASAHIINDIA 259.85 265.00 258.00 265.00BAYERCROP 4319.35 4319.35 4251.05 4272.95BLUEDART 3129.00 3146.95 3120.00 3146.25TVSSRICHAK 2289.75 2290.00 2222.00 2223.40SHARDACROP 370.00 370.00 355.20 359.00LAOPALA 198.40 198.40 195.30 196.25SHILPAMED 355.55 356.00 350.80 353.25CCL 281.10 283.20 279.00 279.05BAJAJCON 348.20 352.00 348.20 352.00GRINDWELL 547.40 550.00 544.00 546.00ERIS 612.55 612.70 605.00 611.00VMART 2593.00 2593.00 2530.80 2548.75HATSUN 662.95 665.00 659.95 660.05SCHAEFFLER 5377.50 5430.00 5368.50 5425.00DBCORP 179.60 180.00 178.75 180.00TIFHL 439.00 455.80 439.00 448.00JCHAC 1748.75 1748.75 1701.00 1745.00FLFL 428.00 431.70 426.20 426.95TRITURBINE 103.40 104.05 101.55 103.35TIMKEN 574.85 574.90 565.60 574.00HONAUT 21965.40 22082.15 21856.95 21885.00GILLETTE 6500.05 6541.80 6482.00 6500.00MONSANTO 2564.95 2564.95 2550.00 2550.00SHRIRAMCIT 1650.00 1650.00 1644.80 1647.80STARCEMENT 99.45 99.50 98.85 99.00SFL 1375.00 1375.00 1369.00 1369.00

NIFTY 50

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 10842.65 10877.90 10823.10 10863.50 71.00ZEEL 467.00 488.95 466.35 487.60 20.90HINDPETRO 224.50 234.00 223.35 233.25 9.90INDUSINDBK 1481.70 1519.50 1474.95 1517.00 43.15BPCL 338.25 347.55 337.15 346.60 9.05IOC 144.90 148.95 143.25 148.30 3.70YESBANK 234.90 238.50 234.10 236.90 5.75VEDL 172.45 174.80 172.00 173.60 4.20IBULHSGFIN 660.00 675.00 657.45 669.95 14.70HEROMOTOCO 2649.90 2690.60 2640.05 2682.00 53.90COALINDIA 228.80 233.00 226.60 232.95 4.65ADANIPORTS 328.80 334.80 327.00 332.35 6.50WIPRO 370.90 378.35 365.50 376.20 7.30GRASIM 780.50 794.60 778.05 792.15 15.10ULTRACEMCO 3839.90 3899.50 3826.55 3895.00 68.50MARUTI 6876.80 6950.00 6827.25 6938.95 109.25TATAMOTORS 178.65 184.00 177.35 180.05 2.60TATASTEEL 503.50 509.70 502.00 507.60 7.15SBIN 270.55 274.60 270.10 272.85 3.80LT 1300.30 1311.95 1297.25 1308.00 15.05ICICIBANK 352.05 355.00 350.65 354.10 3.95NTPC 141.70 143.75 141.65 142.80 1.55INFY 735.50 743.40 735.50 741.80 7.50HDFC 1850.40 1863.40 1838.30 1859.80 18.60KOTAKBANK 1221.70 1230.50 1217.35 1224.10 11.00ITC 276.45 279.00 276.25 278.30 2.25DRREDDY 2638.00 2657.10 2580.05 2648.00 16.35TCS 1995.05 2005.00 1980.35 1995.00 11.55ONGC 149.90 150.20 147.85 149.50 0.85M&M 650.00 652.00 641.00 648.90 3.00SUNPHARMA 447.90 451.00 445.05 447.10 1.95BAJFINANCE 2663.30 2674.30 2640.00 2659.30 10.30GAIL 343.50 349.30 342.50 343.25 1.25JSWSTEEL 284.40 285.10 280.70 282.15 1.05POWERGRID 183.10 183.75 182.10 183.50 0.65HINDALCO 198.10 198.90 195.30 196.40 0.65HCLTECH 1055.00 1061.40 1043.75 1057.00 3.10EICHERMOT 19904.00 20031.95 19720.00 19918.00 48.90HINDUNILVR 1735.00 1749.00 1731.05 1735.00 2.35HDFCBANK 2086.25 2100.90 2077.00 2080.00 2.45TECHM 831.00 836.50 829.10 831.00 0.85INFRATEL 297.65 297.65 292.00 292.80 -0.85TITAN 1031.90 1036.00 1017.10 1022.00 -3.20BAJAJFINSV 6480.00 6540.00 6428.05 6435.00 -27.45RELIANCE 1237.00 1242.35 1222.25 1225.00 -6.05CIPLA 555.00 555.30 547.40 550.70 -3.85UPL 876.10 881.90 868.15 870.60 -7.00ASIANPAINT 1409.00 1417.95 1388.10 1394.00 -11.20AXISBANK 713.50 714.95 699.55 702.45 -7.10BAJAJ-AUTO 2914.00 2943.00 2856.20 2861.05 -39.55BHARTIARTL 317.80 317.80 302.10 308.00 -10.05

SE 500B

NIFTY NEXT 50

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 26613.55 26863.75 26594.45 26847.90 333.45SAIL 49.00 52.85 48.90 52.70 4.45BANKBARODA 102.00 108.80 101.60 108.50 7.50ACC 1422.30 1500.10 1420.30 1492.50 70.20ABCAPITAL 92.50 96.50 92.35 96.05 4.15GICRE 217.45 226.90 217.35 225.75 8.30SBILIFE 581.95 622.10 515.55 599.95 21.40MCDOWELL-N 550.20 566.60 548.00 565.90 19.65LUPIN 771.20 790.55 768.45 790.55 26.80NIACL 172.15 179.80 172.15 178.00 5.50BEL 83.00 85.30 83.00 85.00 2.50AMBUJACEM 212.95 219.30 212.75 218.40 6.35L&TFH 125.00 128.70 124.50 127.90 3.70HDFCLIFE 351.80 364.00 351.80 362.60 10.35BHEL 64.80 66.60 64.65 66.10 1.65OIL 175.10 179.30 174.55 179.00 4.40ICICIGI 931.55 957.00 931.55 953.80 22.65NMDC 101.90 103.15 101.20 102.95 2.25ICICIPRULI 320.25 332.30 320.25 326.50 6.90SIEMENS 993.00 1019.90 992.25 1011.80 19.85PEL 2319.00 2388.90 2319.00 2366.05 39.50DLF 166.00 169.20 165.20 167.45 2.75PGHH 10656.00 11000.00 10525.25 10940.00 177.40DABUR 439.70 446.05 439.70 445.00 6.95SRTRANSFIN 1144.40 1165.00 1144.40 1160.00 17.75BIOCON 624.00 634.40 623.00 631.00 9.55SUNTV 605.00 618.00 605.00 617.30 9.05AUROPHARMA 715.00 727.70 713.70 722.50 10.45CADILAHC 320.65 324.20 317.45 322.70 4.00NHPC 23.00 23.25 22.95 23.20 0.25GODREJCP 676.00 686.30 673.30 680.00 7.15ABB 1245.90 1262.00 1235.20 1240.00 12.95CONCOR 472.75 479.90 469.10 476.35 3.60HINDZINC 269.00 271.95 268.60 271.05 1.60BRITANNIA 3083.00 3090.35 3062.30 3074.00 17.10SHREECEM 16612.00 16835.65 16562.05 16671.20 78.40OFSS 3521.90 3550.30 3491.15 3515.00 13.15MRF 56907.00 57400.00 56907.00 57050.00 210.45ASHOKLEY 87.40 87.90 84.40 86.75 0.25DMART 1458.45 1479.00 1442.00 1453.00 -2.80LICHSGFIN 476.60 483.20 471.30 474.10 -1.40INDIGO 1113.95 1126.85 1093.15 1122.00 -3.35BANDHANBNK 484.50 486.00 478.00 478.50 -1.55IDEA 30.40 30.45 29.60 29.80 -0.10PETRONET 224.10 225.95 222.50 222.70 -0.90COLPAL 1256.50 1264.90 1243.10 1246.00 -10.45PIDILITIND 1151.00 1158.75 1132.10 1142.50 -9.95HAVELLS 717.50 727.00 705.10 707.00 -8.35BOSCHLTD 19000.00 19000.00 18701.00 18784.00 -242.30MOTHERSUMI 165.00 166.40 159.70 160.00 -2.60MARICO 342.00 342.80 330.90 334.10 -5.60

world 11LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

Qureshi admits Masood Azhar is in Pak

PTI n ISLAMABAD

Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi has

admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief MasoodAzhar is in Pakistan and is“unwell”, but said the govern-ment can act against himonly if India presents “solid”and “inalienable” evidencethat can stand in a court oflaw. Qureshi’s remarks cameamid heightened tensionsbetween India and Pakistanafter the February 14 terrorattack by Pakistan-basedJaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) inPulwama that left 40 CRPFpersonnel dead.

India has handed over adossier to Pakistan with “spe-cific details of the JeM com-

plicity in Pulwama terrorattack and the presence ofJeM terror camps and its

leadership in Pakistan.” Indiaalso expressed regret at thedenial by Pakistan’s political

and military leadership at thepresence of terrorist infra-structure in territories underits control.

“He is in Pakistan,according to my information.He is unwell to the extent thathe can’t leave his house,because he’s really unwell,”Qureshi told CNN whenasked about Azhar.

Azhar is the chief of JeMthat claimed responsibilityfor the February 14 Pulwamaattack in which 40 CRPF per-sonnel were killed. India hasbeen repeatedly trying to listhim as a “global terrorist” bythe UN. However, China, anally of Pakistan, has blockedIndia’s efforts by using veto.

Qureshi also said thatPakistan will take action

against him if presented with“evidence that can stand in acourt of law”. “If they havesolid, inalienable evidencethat is acceptable to courts ofPakistan, share it with us sothat we can convince the peo-ple and we can convince theindependent judiciary ofPakistan,” Qureshi said.

“We need to satisfy thelegal process,” he said.Qureshi also added that therelease of captured IAF pilotWing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman is a“peace gesture” and must beseen as Pakistan’s “willingnessto de-escalate”. Varthaman,who in Pakistan’s custodysince Wednesday is likely tobe released at the Wagah bor-der on Friday.

China welcomes release of IAF pilotPTI n BEIJING

China on Friday welcomedPakistan’s decision to

release the Indian Air Forcepilot and encouraged the twocountries to engage in morecounter terrorism cooperationand dialogue for the regionalpeace and stability. Pakistan isset to release captured IndianAir Force (IAF) pilot WingCommander AbhinandanVarthaman as a “first step” toopen negotiations with India.

Pakistan detained the pilotfollowing a fierce engagementbetween air forces of the twosides along the Line of Controlwhen his MiG 21 fighter jetwas downed. Asked howChina views Pakistan’s decisionto release the pilot and whetherBeijing played any behind-the-scenes role in it, ForeignMinistry spokesman Lu Kangtold reporters: “Well, from thestart China has been callingupon the two sides exerciserestraint and take measures toease tensions, engage in dia-

logue to resolve the differ-ences”.

“I have taken note of thedevelopments. China wel-comes the goodwill signalsreleased by the Pakistani side.De-escalation serves the com-mon interests of both thecountries. We encourage thetwo sides to engage in moredialogue for the peace and sta-bility in the region,” he said.About Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan’s offer to investi-gate the Pulwama terror attackif credible evidence is provid-ed, Lu said: “we encourage the

two sides to take more mea-sures to create favourableatmosphere for the joint effortsto deal with the relevant issue.

“The cooperation oncounter-terrorism and jointlyuphold the regional peace andstability, this is what Chinahopes to see”.

China’s call for more India-Pakistan cooperation on thecounter-terrorism comes inthe backdrop of Beijingendorsing India’s demand forelimination of breedinggrounds of terrorism andextremism and agreeing to

have joint policy coordina-tion under the aegis of Russia,India, China (RIC) ForeignMinisters mechanism.

Briefing the media afterthe RIC ministers talks held onFebruary 27 at the Chinese cityof Wuzhen, Wang said: “weagreed to jointly combat allforms of terrorism throughcloser policy coordination andpractical cooperation.Especially important is to erad-icate the breeding grounds ofterrorism and extremism”.External Affairs MinisterSushma Swaraj, who attendedthe meeting, held talks withWang before the RIC meeting.

Wang, in his concludingremarks, tried to strike a bal-ance by backing Pakistan, say-ing “we believe that Pakistanhas always been opposed toterrorism”.

But at the same time, hesaid China would play a con-structive role to de-escalate thetense stand-off between Indiaand Pakistan after thePulwama attack carried out by

Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mahammed (JeM). China,however, is yet to disclose thestand it would take in the UNSecurity Council when theUS, the UK and France reso-lution to list JeM chief MasoodAzhar as a global terroristcomes up for discussion.

China has blocked previ-ous three attempts by India andthe three countries on thesame issue. On Thursday, itsounded no-committal aboutthe US, the UK and France res-olution to list Azhar as a glob-al terrorist.

“As we have said on manyoccasions, the 1267 committeeof the UN Security Council hasclear norms on the listing ofterrorist organisations or indi-viduals and relevant proce-dures,” Lu said in response toa question on the issue. Chinawill continue to take a respon-sible attitude and participate inthe discussions of the SecurityCouncil’s relevant sanctionscommittees and other sub-sidiary bodies, he added.

Pak partiallyresumes flightoperationsPTI n LAHORE

Thousands of air trav-ellers stranded world-

wide heaved a sigh of reliefas Pakistan on Friday par-tially resumed flight opera-tions in the country, twodays after the country’s air-space was closed in view ofescalating tensions withIndia. The Civil AviationAut hor i t y ( C A A )announced that flight oper-at i ons at Is l amab a d,Kar a c h i , Pe s h aw ar andQuetta airports resumed onFriday. However, the easterns ide air por ts - L ahore,Multan, Sialkot, Faisalababand Bahawalpur — willremain closed till March 4.The closure of the airspaceleft thousands of air trav-ellers stranded worldwideand more than than 700international and domesticflights were cancelled dur-ing the last three days to andfrom the country includingflights to New Delhi. FourIndian passengers were alsostranded at the Lahore air-port on Wednesday.

The CAA said the air-space have been opened forcommercial flights while thePakistan International Airline(PIA) will resume it’s opera-tion from Saturday morningfrom these airports. The clo-sure of Pakistan’s airspace inresponse to escalating ten-sions with India disruptedmajor routes between Europeand South East Asia.

Various airlines such asAir India, Jet Airways, QatarAir ways and S ingap oreA i r l i n e s We d n e s d ayan nounce d t he y we rererouting their flights asPakistan closed its airspace.

Thai Airways has can-celled nearly 30 f lights,affecting 5,000 passengers.

Senators urge Trump topursue peaceful resolutionof India-Pakistan conflictWashington (PTI): Two influ-ential American Senators haveasked US President DonaldTrump to pursue a peaceful res-olution to the conflict betweenIndia and Pakistan and ensurethat Islamabad does moreagainst the terrorist groups. Ina letter to Trump, Senators JerryMoran from Kansas and JeanneShaheen from New Hampshiresaid that there is a urgency sur-rounding the dangerous situa-tion between India and Pakistanin Kashmir.

“We affirm India’s right toself-defence in response toattacks planned and executed byPakistani-based terrorist groupsdesignated by the United Statesand United Nations and wel-come Pakistani Prime MinisterImran Khan’s recent decision torelease a captured Air Force offi-cer from India,” the two Senatorswrote.

They also urged Trump toensure that Pakistan does moreagainst the terrorist groups.Tensions between India andPakistan rose following theFebruary 14 terror attack inJammu and Kashmir’s Pulwamadistrict in which 40 CRPF sol-diers were killed. Pakistan-basedJaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) ter-ror group claimed responsibil-ity for the attack.

Following the attack, Indiabombed and destroyed JeM’sbiggest training camp in Balakotin Pakistan’s restive KhyberPakhtunkhwa province, about80-km from the Line of Control(LoC) early Tuesday, killing a“very large number” of terror-ists, trainers and senior com-manders. Pakistan detainedIndian Air Force Pilot, WingCommander AbhinandanVarthaman, Wednesday fol-lowing a fierce engagementbetween air forces of the twosides along the Line of Controlwhen his MiG 21 fighter jet was

downed. However, in a surpriseannouncement during a jointsession of Parliament, PrimeMinister Imran Khan saidThursday that the captured IAFpilot Varthaman will be releasedon Friday as a gesture of peace.

The two American Senatorssaid that they were concernedthat the crisis might scale into anall-out war given the thousandsof troops amassed along thecountries’ border, heavy artillerybarrages and gunfire recorded inthe area and tank columns tak-ing formation. “We share yourposition that Pakistan must domore to combat these anti-India extremist groups thatdestabilise the region and urgeyou to use your authority to pur-sue a peaceful resolution to thisconflict before it grows,” Moranfrom the ruling Republicanparty and Shaheen from theDemocratic party said.

“In light of recent events,and the spectre of the use ofnuclear weapons shouldPakistan and India continue toescalate hostilities, we stronglyimplore the direct and sus-tained engagement of the high-est levels of your administration,”they said.

Noting that the US histor-ically has conducted essentialdiplomacy to defuse previouscrises in South Asia, the twoSenators said that they are heart-ened by the Secretary of State’sengagement and his recent state-ment that “We’ve been in themiddle” to calm heightenedtensions in Kashmir.

“As in the past, the UnitedStates should continue to take ahands-on approach, and, whenappropriate, should work withother interested regional actorsto apply appropriate pressure onIslamabad and New Delhi toaddress the underlying causes ofthe conflict,” the two senatorssaid.

Washington (PTI): USSecretary of State MikePompeo has said that he had“good conversations” withIndian and Pakistani leadersand was hopeful that the ris-ing tensions will come downbetween the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Over thelast two days, Pompeo spoketo the leaders of the two coun-tries including External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj,National Security Advisor AjitDoval and Pakistani ForeignMinister Shah MehmoodQureshi.

“We were and continue tobe very engaged with the issuebetween India and Pakistan,”

Pompeo told reporters travel-ling with him from Hanoi toManila on Thursday.

“I spent a good deal oftime on the phone last nighttalking to leaders in both

countries, making sure therewas good informationexchanged, encouraging eachcountry to not take any actionthat would escalate and createincreased risk,” he said.

“I had good conversa-tions, and I am hopeful that wecan take down the tensionthere, at least for the timebeing, so they can begin tohave conversations that don’tportend risk of escalation toeither of the two countries. Sowe’re working hard on that,”Pompeo said.

Tensions have escalatedbetween India and Pakistan inthe wake of the Pulwamaattack claimed by Pakistan-

based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). FortyCRPF soldiers were killed inthe on February 14 suicideattack in Jammu and Kashmir.

India carried out airstrikes against the biggesttraining camp of JeM inBalakot.

In the operation, a verylarge number of JeM terrorists,trainers, senior commandersand groups of jihadis whowere being trained for suicideattacks were eliminated.Pakistan on Wednesdayclaimed it shot down twoIndian fighter jets overPakistani air space and arrest-ed an Indian Air Force pilot.

US again asks Pak to deny

safe havens to terrorists

PTI nWASHINGTON

The US has reaffirmed itsdemand that Pakistan abide

by its UN Security Council com-mitments to deny safe havens toterrorists and block their accessto funds as it welcomedIslamabad’s decision to releasethe captured Indian Air Forcepilot.

In a surprise announcementduring a joint session ofParliament on Thursday,Pakistan Prime Minister ImranKhan said that WingCommander Abhinandan

Varthaman will be released onFriday as a gesture of peace.Pakistan detained VarthamanWednesday following a fierceengagement between air forcesof the two sides along the Lineof Control when his MiG 21fighter jet was downed.

“We welcome PakistaniPrime Minister Imran Khan’scommitment that Pakistan willrelease on Friday the Indian pilotheld in its custody,” a StateDepartment spokesperson toldPTI responding to a question onthe announcement made byKhan in the Pakistani parlia-

ment. Simultaneously, the US hasurged both India and Pakistan totake immediate steps to de-escalate tensions. “The UnitedStates continues to urge bothsides to take immediate steps tode-escalate the situation, includ-ing through direct communica-tion. Further military activity willexacerbate the situation,” theState Department spokespersonsaid. “We reiterate our call forPakistan to abide by its UnitedNations Security Council com-mitments to deny terrorists safehaven and block their access tofunds,” the spokesperson said.

China says itnever recognisedIndia, Pakistanas nuclear statesBeijing (PTI): China Friday

said it has never recognisedIndia and Pakistan as nuclearpowers and ruled out extend-ing such a status to NorthKorea following the unsuc-cessful second summit betweenUS President Donald Trumpand North Korean leader KimJong-un in Vietnam.

“China has never recog-nised India and Pakistan asnuclear countries. Our positionon this has never changed,”Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesman Lu Kang told amedia briefing here. He wasreplying to a question whetherChina would recognise NorthKorea as a nuclear state likeIndia and Pakistan as talksbetween Trump and Kim at thesecond summit in Hanoi brokedown over Pyongyang’s refusalto give up two nuclear pro-cessing plants.

China has been blockingIndia’s entry into the 48-mem-ber Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG) on the ground that NewDelhi has not signed theNuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty (NPT).

After India applied forNSG membership, Pakistantoo applied for the same fol-lowing that China has called fora two-step approach whichstates that NSG members firstneed to arrive at a set of prin-ciples for the admission ofnon-NPT states into the NSGand then move forward dis-cussions of specific cases.

Facial recognition software to help identify US Civil War soldiersPTI n WASHINGTON

Scientists have developed asoftware that uses crowd-

sourcing to help algorithmsidentify faces in photos, thatcould uncover the mysteries ofthe nearly 4 million pho-tographs of Civil War-eraimages that may exist in thehistorical record.

Kurt Luther, an assistantprofessor at Virginia Tech inthe US, was inspired to devel-op the software for Civil WarPhoto Sleuth while visiting theHeinz History Center’s exhib-it called “Pennsylvania’s CivilWar” in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. There he stum-bled upon a Civil War-era por-trait of Oliver Croxton, hisgreat-great-great uncle who

served in Company E of the134th Pennsylvania, clad in acorporal’s uniform.

“Historical photoscan tell us a lot about not onlyour own familial history butalso inform the historicalrecord of the time more broad-ly than just reading about theevent in a history book,” saidLuther.

The Civil War Photo Sleuthproject allows users to uploadphotos, tag them with visualcues, and connect them toprofiles of Civil War soldierswith detailed records of mili-tary history. Photo Sleuth’s ini-tial reference database con-tained more than 15,000 iden-tified Civil War soldier portraitsfrom public domain sourceslike the US Military History

Institute and other private col-lections.

More than 600 users con-tributed more than 2,000 CivilWar photos to the website inthe first month after the launch,and roughly half of those pho-tos were unidentified. Over100 of these unknown photoswere linked to specific soldiers,and an expert analysis foundthat over 85 percent of theseproposed identifications wereprobably or definitely correct.

Presently, the databasehas grown to over 4,000 regis-tered users and more than8,000 photos. “Typically,crowdsourced research suchas this is challenging fornovices if users don’t have spe-cific knowledge of the subjectarea,” said Luther. “The step-

by-step process of tagging visu-al clues and applying search fil-ters linked to military servicerecords makes this detectivework more accessible, even for

those that may not have adeeper knowledge of Civil Warmilitary history,” he said.Person identification tasks canbe challenging in larger candi-

date pools because there is alarger risk for false positives.

The novel approachbehind Civil War Photo Sleuthis based on the analogy of find-ing a needle in a haystack. Thedata pipeline has threehaystack-related components:building the haystack, narrow-ing down the haystack, andfinding the needle in thehaystack. When combined,they allow users to identifyunknown soldiers while reduc-ing the risk of false positives.

Any time a user uploadsa photo to identify it, the photogets added to the site’s digitalarchive or “haystack,” makingit available for future searches.Following upload, the user tagsmetadata related to the photo-graph such as photo format or

inscriptions, as well as visualclues, such as coat colour,chevrons, shoulder straps, col-lar insignia, and hat insignia.

These tags are linked tosearch filters to prioritise themost likely matches. For exam-ple, a soldier tagged with the“hunting horn” hat insigniawould suggest potential match-es who served in the infantry,while hiding results from thecavalry or artillery. Next, thesite uses state-of-the-art facerecognition technology to elim-inate very different-lookingfaces and sort the remainingones by similarity.

Both the tagging and facerecognition steps narrow downthe haystack. Finally, users findthe needle in the haystack byexploring the highest-proba-

bility matches in more detail.A comparison tool with panand zoom controls helps userscarefully inspect a possiblematch and, if they decide it’s amatch, link the previouslyunknown photo to its newidentity and biographicaldetails.

Retracing historical CivilWar photos through facialrecognition software like PhotoSleuth has broad applicationsbeyond identifying historicalphotos, too.

The software has thepotential to generate new waysto think about building personidentification systems that lookbeyond face recognition andleverage the complementarystrengths of both human andartificial intelligence.

Nepal Prez, PM pay tribute to tourism min, 6 others killed in helicopter crashPTI n KATHMANDU

Nepal President Bidya DeviB h a n d a r i a n d P r i m e

Minister K P Sharma Oli Fridaypaid tributes to Tourism andC i v i l Av i a t i o n M i n i s t e rRabindra Adhikari and six oth-ers killed in a helicopter crashin the country’s mountainousTaplejung district.

The Air Dynasty helicoptercrashed on February 27 killingthe 39-year-old tourism minis-ter, Nepal’s prominent aviationand hospitality entrepreneurAng Tser ing Sherpa, Pr imeMinister’s personal aide YubarajDahal, Civil Aviation Authorityo f Ne p a l ( C A A N ) D e p u t yD i r e c t o r G e n e r a l D h u r b a

Bhochhibhoya, CAAN DeputyDirector Yubaraj Dahal, NepalArmy of f icia l Arjun KumarGhimire and the pilot, CaptainPrabhakar KC.

The helicopter burst intoflames after it hit a hill whileTourism Minister Adhikari wasreturning to Kathmandu aftervisiting famous Hindu templePathibhara in Eastern Nepal.The minister accompanied bythe technical team from theMinistry of Civil Aviation hadgone for a feasibility study foran airstrip in Chuhandanda, inTehrathum district. The bodiesof the minister and other vic-tims were kept at Tundikhelopen ground for tributes.

The bodies were taken to

Tribhuvan University TeachingHospital, Maharajgunj, for post-mortem and identification, aftert h e y w e r e b r o u g h t t oKathmandu on Thursday.

Vi c e - P r e s i d e n t Na n d aB a h a d u r P u n a n d Ho u s eS p e a k e r K r i s h n a B a h a d u rMahara, ministers and seniorgovernment officials and lead-ers of various political partiespaid their tributes to the vic-tims. Minister Adhikari’s bodyw i l l b e ke pt at E x h ibi t i onCentre in Pokhara, his home-town, after it is airlifted fromKathmandu Friday afternoon.Adhikari will be cremated atRamghat of Kaski district fromw h e r e h e w a s e l e c t e d t oParliament.

Hospital staff take out the dead body of a helicopter crash victim for post-mortem at the Teaching hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, Feb. 28,2019. AP/File photo

Pompeo hopeful India-Pak tensions would come down

world 12LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

N Korea, US vow to keep talking

after Hanoi summit collapse

AFP n HANOI

North Korea on Fridaypromised further negotia-

tions with the US despite aspectacular failure to strike anuclear deal at their Hanoisummit, with both sides keep-ing the door of diplomacyopen. The high-stakes secondmeeting between the North’sleader Kim Jong Un and USPresident Donald Trump brokeup in disarray Thursday, with-out even a joint statement. Inthe aftermath, each sought toblame the other’s intransigencefor the deadlock. Trump insist-ed Pyongyang wanted all sanc-tions imposed on it over itsbanned weapons programmeslifted, and this was a bridge toofar. But in a rare late-night pressbriefing, the North Koreanforeign minister saidPyongyang had only wantedsome of the measures eased,and that its proposal to close“all the nuclear productionfacilities” at its Yongbyon com-plex was its best and finaloffer.

Despite the stalemate, theNorth’s official KCNA newsagency reported Friday that thetwo leaders had had a “con-structive and candid exchange.”Relations between the twocountries — on opposite sidesof the technically still-unfin-ished Korean War — had been“characterised by mistrust andantagonism” for decades, itsaid.

Despite “inevitable hard-ships and difficulties” on theway to forging a new relation-ship, KNCA described theHanoi summit as “successful”and said Kim had promisedTrump another encounter.

An unusually downcastTrump told reporters onThursday that he would “ratherdo it right than do it fast,”adding: “Sometimes you haveto walk and this was just one ofthose times.” The outcome inHanoi fell far short of the pre-meeting expectations andhopes, after critics said theirinitial historic meeting inSingapore — which producedonly a vague commitment fromKim to work “toward completedenuclearisation of the Korean

peninsula” — waPs more styleover substance.

According to senior USofficials, in the week leading upto the Hanoi summit the NorthKoreans had demanded the lift-ing of effectively all the UNSecurity Council economicsanctions imposed onPyongyang since March 2016.Before that date, the measureswere largely focused on pre-venting technology transfersbut more recent restrictionsapply to several lucrative indus-tries — coal and iron ore,seafood and textiles, amongothers — in an effort to forceconcessions from Pyongyang.

“It was basically all thesanctions except for arma-ments,” a senior US official toldreporters. “It tallies up to thetune of many, many billions ofdollars.” In return, Pyongyangwas only offering to close “aportion of the Yongbyon com-plex”, a sprawling site coveringmultiple different facilities —and the North is believed tohave other uranium enrich-ment plants.

Trump had urged Kim togo “all in” to secure a deal, the

official said, addingWashington was willing to doso. “The weapons themselvesneed to be on the table,” headded, pointing to bothPyongyang’s existing stock ofatomic bombs and the ICBMswhich can reach the whole ofthe US mainland. But theprocess was continuing andWashington was “encouragedby the opportunities ahead ofus”, the official said.

“There’s still ample oppor-tunity to talk.” Kim began atwo-day official visit toVietnam Friday, while inManila, US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo told reporters:“We are anxious to get back tothe table so we can continuethat conversation that will ulti-mately lead to peace and sta-bility.”

Analysts said the failure toreach a deal in Hanoi did notherald the end of negotiations.“I don’t think it’s a disaster andit doesn’t end the dialogueprocess,” said Chris Green ofthe International Crisis Group.Trump could not afford to do“a quote-unquote ‘bad deal’” inHanoi, he added. “I think it

benefits him to look tough, tostring this out.” But otherspointed to a lack of preparationahead of the meeting, with thetwo sides unable to bridge thegaps between them in time.

Former US ambassadorto South Korea KathleenStephens said the impasse“highlighted the importance ofworking-level talks but simul-taneously narrowed the rangeof options”. Kim put “moreemphasis” on sanctions reliefthan most observers predicted,she said, and mutual liaisonoffices and an end-of-war state-ment proved insufficient topersuade him to go furtherwith denuclearisation.

Joel Wit and Jenny Town ofthe respected Washington-based 38 North project saidthat while there had been fearsbeforehand that Trump “wasgoing to give away the store, hedid just the opposite, holdingout for a better deal”.

“The two leaders are heav-ily invested in the process sohopefully, this failed summitwill just be one more chapter inthe rollercoaster ride that is theTrump presidency,” they wrote.

‘Meaningful progress’ despiteno-deal summit: Prez MoonAP n SEOUL

South Korean PresidentMoon Jae-in insisted Friday

the Hanoi summit betweenthe North’s leader Kim Jong Unand US President DonaldTrump had made a “meaning-ful progress”, despite it break-ing up without a nuclear deal.“The two leaders had conver-sations at length, enhancedmutual understanding andbuilt more trust,” Moon said ina speech commemorating the100th anniversary of the March1 Movement against Japanesecolonial rule. Both North andSouth Korea are united in theirshared resentment of Japan’sbrutal 1910-45 colonial ruleover the peninsula.

The no deal outcome fromHanoi will have been a hugedisappointment for the SouthKorean president, who bro-kered the talks process and hadtouted the summit as a“remarkable breakthrough” forpeace negotiations on theKorean peninsula. Moon hadbeen set to unveil details of neweconomic cooperation betweenthe two Koreas this week, andnow faces major questions overhis dovish approach, but sig-nalled he would not changetrack. Seoul would consult

with the US on ways to resumeSouth Korean tourism to theNorth’s Mount Kumgang andoperations at the KaesongIndustrial Complex, whereSouthern firms used to bestaffed by Northern workers, hesaid.

Moon has been pushingfor the resumption of both pro-jects as he seeks to engagePyongyang, but doing so wouldfall foul of sanctions imposedon the North since they weresuspended.

A joint North-South eco-nomic committee would beset up to benefit both sides“when there is progress indenuclearisation”, he added,and said unification of the two

Koreas “need not be far away”.But after 70 years of divi-

sion the two are now radicallydifferent societies and theSouth is far wealthier than theNorth. Despite Moon’s opti-mism, some in South Koreasaid they did not foresee anymore US-North Korea sum-mits.

“It seems like there isn’tmuch left to talk about,” saidKim Seong-min, president ofFree North Korea Radio, a pri-vate broadcaster led by NorthKorean defectors in Seoul.“Unless Kim changes his mindand really decides to give up allnuclear weapons and facili-ties, not just Yongbyon. Butthat’s unlikely.”

In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Unin Hanoi. Trump said he walked away from his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because Kim demandedthe U.S. lift all of its sanctions, a claim that North Korea's delegation called a rare news conference in the middle of the night todeny. AP

Bomb kills 11near judge’shome, hotel inSomali capitalAP n NAIROBI

Apowerful explosion killed atleast 11 people in the Somali

capital Thursday, police said.An Islamic extremist groupclaimed that a Mogadishu hotelwas the intended target, but apolice officer said militants det-onated a bomb while trying toassassinate a judge.

The car bomb went off nearthe residence of appeals courtchief Judge Abshir Omar, andsecurity forces stationed outsidethe judge’s house fought off gun-men who tried to force their wayinside, police officer MohamedHussein said.

More than 35 were wound-ed in the attack, said Hussein,who raised the death toll to 11.Shortly after the detonation, atleast four gunmen running onfoot opened fire at nearby build-ings and business, sparking clash-es with security forces stationednearby and hotel guards, he said.

Two witnesses said the blastripped off part of the roof ofOmar’s house. The wit-nesses, shopkeeper AhmedMohamed and area residentFatima Nur, reported hearinggunfire after the explosion andsaid smoke billowed from the siteof the attack.

Al-Shabab, which is consid-ered the deadliest Islamic extrem-ist group in Africa, claimedresponsibility for the attack. Theal-Qaida-linked group said theMaka Almukarramah hotel, notthe judge’s house nearby, was theintended target. Another witness,Sabir Abdi, said the hotel sufferedsignificant damage and severalpeople inside were injured.

Dozens of cars were on firealong Maka AlmukarramahRoad, which is in a busy part ofMogadishu where restaurantsand hotels are located. Al-Shababhas targeted the MakaAlmukarramah hotel multipletimes in the past, including aMarch 2015 attack in which atleast 18 people died.

The hotel is frequentlypatronised by government offi-cials. Many of victims ofThursday’s attack suffered hor-rific injuries and local hospitalswere said to be struggling to copewith causalities.

Cohen finishes week of testimonyafter calling Donald Trump liarAP nWASHINGTON

President Donald Trump’s for-mer lawyer has completed

three days of testimony onCapitol Hill — and is comingback for another day next week— after publicly branding hisformer boss a racist and a conman who lied about businessdealings in Russia and directedhim to conceal extramarital rela-tionships.

Cohen was interviewedbehind closed doors Thursday bythe House IntelligenceCommittee for more than eighthours, the last of his threeappearances before Congressthis week. He said as he left thathe would be returning to CapitolHill on March 6 for anotherround of questioning with thesame panel.

House IntelligenceChairman Rep Adam Schiffcalled the closed-door sessionwith Cohen productive and saidlawmakers were able to “drilldown in great detail” on issuesthey are investigating. Schiff saidthe committee will also hearfrom Felix Sater, a Russia-bornexecutive who worked withCohen on an ultimately unsuc-cessful deal to build a TrumpTower in Moscow, in an openhearing March 14.

Cohen, who pleaded guiltylast year to lying to Congressabout the Moscow real estateproject and reports to prisonsoon for a three-year sentence,gave harsh testimony aboutTrump on Wednesday. He saidTrump knew in advance thatdamaging emails aboutDemocrat Hillary Clinton wouldbe released during the 2016campaign — a claim the presi-dent has denied — and accusedTrump of lying during the 2016campaign about the Moscowdeal.

Cohen also said Trumpdirected him to arrange a hushmoney payment to a porn actresswho said she had sex with thepresident a decade earlier. Hesaid the president arranged toreimburse Cohen, and Cohenbrought to the hearing a checkthat he said was proof of the

transaction. Two of Trump’smost vocal defenders, GOP RepsJim Jordan of Ohio and MarkMeadows of North Carolina, senta referral to the JusticeDepartment alleging Cohen liedin his testimony.

Their letter to AttorneyGeneral William Barr detailsseveral Cohen statements theysaid were false, including claimsthat he “never defrauded anybank” and did not want a job inTrump’s White House. Theypointed to Cohen’s guilty plea formaking false statements to abanking institution and to courtfilings that say Cohen toldfriends he wanted a White Housejob.

Cohen’s testimony unfoldedas Trump was in Vietnam meet-ing with North Korean leaderKim Jong Un.

Trump said he tried to watchas much of Cohen’s marathonhearing as he could. Trumpcalled the hearing “fake” and saidit was a “terrible thing” forDemocrats to hold it during hissummit.

He seized on Cohen’s con-cession that he had no direct evi-dence that Trump or his aidescolluded with Russia to get himelected, the primary question ofspecial counsel Robert Mueller’sinvestigation.

Trump said he was a “littleimpressed” that Cohen had saidthat to the House Oversightand Reform Committee. Cohen,shaking off incessant criticismfrom Republicans , was the firstTrump insider to pull back thecurtain on a version of the innerworkings of Trump’s political and

business operations. He likened the president to

a “mobster” who demandedblind loyalty from underlingsand expected them to lie on hisbehalf. “My loyalty to Mr Trumphas cost me everything: myfamily’s happiness, friendships,my law license, my company, mylivelihood, my honour, my rep-utation and soon my freedom,”Cohen said. “I will not sit back,say nothing and allow him to dothe same to the country.” In tes-timony that cut to the heart offederal investigations encirclingthe White House, Cohen said hearranged the hush money pay-ment to porn actress StormyDaniels at Trump’s behest andagreed to lie about it to the pub-lic and the first lady.

And he said he was left withthe unmistakable impressionTrump wanted him to lie toCongress about a Moscow realestate project, though the pres-ident never directly told him so.Cohen said prosecutors in NewYork were investigating conver-sations Trump or his advisershad with him after his office andhotel room were raided by theFBI last April.

Cohen said he could not dis-cuss that conversation, the lastcontact he said he has had withthe president or anyone acting onhis behalf, because it remainsunder investigation. The appear-ance marked the latest step inCohen’s evolution from legalfixer for the president — he onceboasted he’d “take a bullet” forTrump — to a foe who hasimplicated him in federal cam-paign finance violations.

US, Russia fail in UN push for action on VenezuelaAFP n UNITED NATIONS

Russia and China onThursday vetoed a US res-

olution in the UN SecurityCouncil on addressing the cri-sis in Venezuela, but a counter-proposal from Moscow didnot win enough votes.

The failure to take actionon the two competing draftslaid bare divisions amongworld powers over the way for-ward in Venezuela, which ismired in a political standoffand an economic meltdown.The proposed US text — whichcalled for new presidentialelections in Venezuela andunimpeded deliveries ofhumanitarian aid — won therequired nine votes at the 15-

member council, but Moscowand Beijing joined forces toblock it.

Resolutions at the council,which are legally binding, mustgarner nine votes to be adopt-ed, with no vetoes from the fivepermanent members —Britain, China, France, Russiaand the United States. Russia’sdraft resolution — which urgeda settlement “through peacefulmeans” and insisted that allhumanitarian aid be agreed byMaduro’s government — wononly four votes: Russia, China,South Africa and EquatorialGuinea.

Seven countries includingthe United States, Europeancountries and Peru opposed theRussian measure and there

were four abstentions. Batteredby economic collapse,Venezuela descended into amajor political crisis whenopposition leader Juan Guaidodeclared himself interim pres-ident in January and assertedthat President Nicolas Madurowas no longer legitimate.

The United States is lead-ing a push for recognition ofGuaido, who heads theNational Assembly. He is nowbacked by more than 50 coun-tries. After the double vetoes,US envoy for Venezuela ElliottAbrams took an implicit swipeat Russia and China, lamentingthat countries “continue toshield Maduro and his croniesand prolong the suffering of theVenezuelan people.”

Abrams expressed satis-faction that “a clear majority ofthe council” had supportedthe US stance. France,Germany and Britain wereamong those that backed theproposed US measure.

South Africa voted nowhile Indonesia, EquatorialGuinea and Ivory Coastabstained. Asked how long itwill take for Maduro to fall,Abrams told reporters: “Are wetalking days, weeks or months?We hope it’s as little as possible.”- Regime change.

Russian AmbassadorVassily Nebenzia meanwhileaccused the United States ofputting forward a text thatwas “written for regime change,disguised as care for people.

We have all seen this already inLibya, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan.”Venezuela’s AmbassadorSamuel Moncada renewed hisgovernment’s assertions thatthe United States is preparingmilitary action, referring toPresident Donald Trump’sstatement that “all options areon the table.” M a d u r ohas accused the United Statesof using aid as a political toolaimed at overthrowing him,and blames US sanctions forthe economic turmoil.

The crisis turned violentover the weekend when fourpeople died in clashes atVenezuela’s borders during anattempt led by Guaido to bringin humanitarian aid fromColombia and Brazil.

United Nations (AFP) :Bangladeshtold the UN Security Councilon Thursday that it will nolonger be able to take inrefugees from Myanmar.Foreign Secretary ShahidulHaque told a council meetingthat the crisis over the repatri-ation of hundreds of thou-sands of Rohingya sheltering inhis country had gone from“bad to worse” and urged thecouncil to take “decisive”action. Around 740,000Muslim Rohingya are living incamps in Bangladesh after theywere driven out of Myanmar’snorthern Rakhine state duringa military campaign in 2017that the United Nations hasdescribed as ethnic cleansing.

“Here, I regret to informthe council that Bangladeshwould no longer be in a posi-tion to accommodate morepeople from Myanmar,” saidHaque. Under a deal reachedwith Bangladesh, Myanmaragreed to take back some of therefugees, but the UnitedNations insists that the safety ofthe Rohingya be a condition fortheir return.“Is Bangladeshpaying the price for beingresponsive and responsible in

showing empathy to a perse-cuted minority population of aneighbouring country?” askedthe foreign secretary. After fivetrips to Myanmar, UN envoyChristine Schraner Burgenerreported “slow progress” inefforts to help hundreds ofthousands of Rohingya returnhome and warned thatMyanmar’s elections next yearcould worsen the crisis.

The Swiss diplomat, whowas appointed in April as UNenvoy for Myanmar, said UNagencies had been given “insuf-ficient” access to help preparethe return of the Rohingya.Myanmar’s Ambassador Hau

Do Suan insisted his govern-ment was taking steps andappealed for patience.

He spoke of “huge physicalas well as psychological barri-ers” in the way of allowing therefugees’ return and stressedthat “it takes time and patienceas well as courage to build trustand confidence among differ-ent communities in Rakhine.”

China, which has close tieswith Myanmar’s former mili-tary junta, insisted that devel-opment aid could help ease ten-sions in Rakhine and madeclear the council should not getinvolved in addressing therefugee crisis.

London (PTI): ShamimaBegum, the Jihadi bride ofBangladeshi origin who fledLondon to join the Islamic State(ISIS) four years ago beforeresurfacing in Syria recently,has been moved out of herrefugee camp over “safety con-cerns”, according to her fami-ly’s lawyer in the UK.

Tasnime Akunjee said the19-year-old and her new-bornson were removed from the Al-Hol camp in the north of Syriadue to alleged threats andmoved to a camp closer to theIraqi border.“I can confirmthat it is our understanding thatShamima has been movedfrom Al-Hol due to safety con-cerns around her and her baby,”he said. “We further under-stand that indeed she and herchild had been threatened byothers at the al-Hol camp,” hesaid. The Sun newspaperreported on Friday that Begumhad received death threats sincespeaking out about her plightand urging for her return to theUK during media interviewslast month. UK HomeSecretary Sajid Javid had react-ed by stripping Begum of herBritish citizenship, a decisionher family has confirmed it

would be mounting a legalchallenge against.

The family’s lawyer alsoconfirmed plans to fly out tothe region to begin the legalprocess against the UK HomeOffice decision. “She needs alawyer and we need her to signthese forms so that we canbegin the appeals process. Weknow she is in a camp but nother exact location so we are try-ing to find this out at themoment from people on theground,” Akunjee said.

In an appearance beforethe UK Parliament’s HomeAffairs Select Committee ear-lier this week, Javid had toldMPs that the UK governmentmay be open to the idea ofallowing Begum’s baby Jerahback as a British citizen.

ISIS bride Shamima Begummoved from Syrian camp

B’desh tells UN it will no longertake in Myanmar refugees

US could withdraw troops from Af within 5 years: NYTKabul (AFP): US forces couldleave Afghanistan within fiveyears under a Pentagon planbeing offered as part of apotential deal with the Talibanto end the nearly 18-year war,the New York Times hasreported. Negotiations arebelieved to be progressing afterhigh-level talks last monthended with a “draft frame-work” on potential US troopwithdrawal and a pact to pre-vent Afghanistan from har-bouring terrorists.

The US has also pushed fora ceasefire and the opening ofa dialogue between the Talibanand the Kabul government —demands that have been repeat-edly rejected by the insurgents.“All American troops wouldwithdraw from Afghanistanover the next three to five

years under a new Pentagonplan being offered in peacenegotiations that could lead toa government in Kabul thatshares power with the Taliban,”read the report publishedThursday. The newspaper saidmore than half a dozen currentand former American andEuropean officials haddescribed aspects of the plan

that could see US troops levelscut by half in the comingmonths and “largely shiftAmerican operations tocounter terrorism strikes”.There are approximately 14,000US troops based in the coun-try, providing training and airsupport to Afghan forces alongwith overseeing counterterror-ism operations.

S H O R T C I R C U I T S

I am very happy with what I havedone. I have no regrets. Whatdrives me personally is the joy oflife and professionally the workthat I do. I am ambitious andpassionate. My work gives mehappiness. There is so much todo, there are so many challengesthat I am waiting to come myway. I'd like to do an action film,a full-on comedy film, family dra-mas and a soulful romantic film.

I love oceans. I spend a lot oftime under water and I cannotexplain to you the kind of visi-ble changes that can be seenin oceans because of plastic.We take one plastic bottle andthrow it away. Unfortunatelyit's filling up our oceans. Icome from Mumbai. We facefloods every year because san-itation system gets severelyaffected by plastic blockage.

VAANI KAPOORARJUN KANUNGO

We as singers and artistes aretrying to realise that wedeserve screen time as well.We deserve to be the face ofour songs. If you notice thesingers abroad are more pop-ular than Hollywood actors...We see the potential of that assingers and we feel like its fairto ask for screen time becausewe are singing the song thenwhy not?

PARINEETI CHOPRA

I'm that guy who'll go to thesame ice-cream parlour andorder that one flavour he likes.If I even feel like experimenting,it will be with shoes or sun-glasses. I'm a sucker for whitesneakers. With my roles,though, I'm experimental, Idon't like simple things andeasy things. I want to make itcomplicated. I want layers, Iwant colours, I want shades.

I never assume success orcrave it. I make what I loveand then share it with every-one. My music is influencedby different cultures acrossthe world and India is one ofthem. Indian culture hasinfluenced my songs like'Lean on' and 'MagentaRiddim'. I cannot go to sleepon the new things that I hearin India.

DJ SNAKE

vivacity {48 hours} 13

VICKY KAUSHAL

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

Have you eaten?” Evenbefore I can ask aquestion, actor KartikAaryan fires the firstsalvo and makes you

wonder if you are on a social visitat his home rather than for an inter-view at a hotel. But then it is thisnext-door comfort that has madehim the nation’s heartthrob, onewho equalises reality and aspirationon his sneakers. Dressed in a darkblue suit blazer with a barely thereprint, white shirt that is unbuttonedand blue trousers, the actor sips histea perched on the 20th floor andglances around at the people whoare assembled in the room.

The actor, who is known for hiscomic capers in films like Pyaar KaPunchnama and its sequel as well asSonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, is often mis-taken for a Delhi boy. “May be it isbecause of the way I look or mylahja (tone). May be it has to dowith the fact that I have done a lotof films that have seen me play acharacter from Delhi. But yes, thisidea has caught on in popularimagination,” says the 29-year-oldactor.

Kartik is from Gwalior wherehis new film, Luka Chuppi, is set. “Icould never imagine that I would beshooting in the place where I haddreamt of being an actor. Myfriends, families and relatives are allthere. Everyone knows each otheras it is a small town. The welcomewas surreal. They started calling meSon of Gwalior. There were hugehoardings with my name and pho-tographs which were a bit embar-rassing, especially because they allwere from myscrawny days. Iwish they hadasked me forsome better ones,”he guffaws. “It wassurreal.”

However thelove for the citycomes through inhis voice. “I tookmy entire

cast and crew around. I loved theseboondi laddoos from BahaduraSweets as a child. So I got those andrasmalai for everyone everyday.Everybody had to chuck their dietplans. The aloo patties are famousas is the poha,” he says as he seemsto to be savouring all the delicaciesonce again.

But it is also in his values thathe continues to remain a small townboy and is not affected by failuresand success. “I keep on working onmyself because that is what I didafter getting scolded by my parents,”he says.

Coming back to the present, theactor says that his entire trajectoryhas been about doing relatable cin-ema. “Luka Chuppi is about theproblems that a small town couplefaces when wanting to live in. Butit has a quirk. It is live-in sah pari-var (with family). It is a social satireand many can identify themselveswith the characters. After watchingSonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, a lot of peo-ple felt that they wanted a Sonu intheir life as they felt that they wereTitus,” he says.

The actor believes that GudduShukla, the protagonist in this film,is the most earnest and honest char-acter that he has ever played. “Heis the guy you would want to takehome to mum,” he says.

And when one asks him if hisclaim of being marriage material ina recent interview is true, he imme-diately answers, “Yes,” without bat-ting an eyelid. And then laughs andadds, “May be I became the char-acter of Guddu. I am shaadi mate-rial as I am a person who believesin being together with family. I haveshifted to a bigger place recently sothat I could get my family toMumbai after staying alone forseven-eight years.” However, hebelieves that he is not as righteousas Guddu. “And that is me beinghonest,” he says guffawing again.

The other characteristics thathe believes he shares with

his role are that he isupfront and com-

mitted. If he is convinced about anychoice that he makes, he goes forit with great passion.

Besides the relatability factor,what excited Kartik was that for thefirst time he was using a dialect inthe film. “My character is fromMathura, so he speaks like the peo-ple from the town. But the mannerof speaking is situational because heis educated. So it changes depend-ing on the people that he is inter-acting with. I think my rawness willbe visible here. While Sonu and theother characters were flamboyant,street smart and with grey shades,here I play an average guy who fits

in the setting and is not stylish. Hisappearance, too, is such that he fitsinto the scenery. From the firstscene you will see Guddu and notKartik Aaryan.”

So is that his way of making amark when all the young actors arecompeting for the same set ofroles? “Whatever I am doing, Ibelieve it is working. I have thatbelief in my sense that it is going inthe right direction and I don’t wantto change it. I am relying on my gutfeel,” he says. About his compatri-ots, he adds, “I think that this is avery good time for the youngbrigade as there are so many con-tent creators and avenues of expres-sion. Content is king and that is thereason why there is ample amountof chance for all of us to put our-selves out there in projects which aredifferent and also work on screen.”

Few know that he locked on tothis character soon after he finished

Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety. “It is not justthe protagonists. The side track inthe film is an interesting commen-tary on our intrusive culture.Everybody has a habit of pokingtheir noses in other people’s livesinstead of their own. So the elderbrother wants to know what theyounger one is up to and the thirdbhaabi might be jealous that the firstone has an important position in thefamily. In this too, everyone has anagenda. Each character has a sepa-rate track. That is the funniestthing. There was a lot of situation-al comedy. When I heard the scriptI decided that this has to be my nextfilm. I was actually the first personon board.”

It is apparent that Kartik followseverything with a deep convictionand passion. “I was in class VIIIwhen I decided that I wanted to bean actor,” he says. It was in pursuitof this goal that he applied to all theengineering colleges only inMumbai and Navi Mumbai. “InGwalior, appearing for PMT and IITentrance exams was the done thing.I could not have told my parentsthat I wanted to pursue acting asthey would not have been able toafford a course. So engineering inMumbai became an excuse. I neverattended classes as I was busy withauditions,” says the actor who didmanage to complete his engineer-ing during Pyaar ka Punchnama 2.

Kartik burst on in the popularimagination with a six-minutemonologue in his first film, PyaarKa Punchnaama, and he has aninteresting story behind it. “Forthree years, I searched online withkey words like audition and actorsrequired. I got an advertisementwhere I was paid ̀ 2,500 which wasa channel promo where I washolding a placard,” he recalls. It wasduring this time that he saw anaudition call for an unnamed film.“I caught the train from Belapur toAndheri which took 2.5 hoursand gave an audition,” he says. Theback and forth went on for sixmonths and as a part of the last

audition he had to say this mono-logue which was five and a halfpages long! “It was the first timesomething like this was beingattempted. But this was crucial toclinching the role. To add to mywoes, I had to perform it the nextday,” he recalls. So Kartik did whathe knew best. Took it up passion-ately. “I didn’t sleep. I kept learn-ing it throughout my train journeyand then in my PG. I enacted it,recorded it, then saw the mistakesand attempted it again. The nextday I kept on doing it in the train.But it was worth the effort as peo-ple actually clapped when I fin-ished,” he says, the pride still sur-facing in his voice.

During the actual shooting,they worked on a reel camerawhich has a limit unlike the newerdigital ones which are used now.“There was only four-and-a-halfminutes of the film left when Istarted my monologue of six min-utes. No one told me that the cam-era was not rolling for the last one-and-a-half minutes. As I was draw-ing to a close, the reel finished. Ihad to do a re-take I shot at one goand it was okayed in Take 2,” hesays. But he feels it was well worththe effort as the monologue is themost popular scene from the film.“It has been circulated all over theworld and has been a hit,” he says.

Having nailed it, Kartik wenton to top this further. In Pyaar KaPunchnaama 2, the monologue wasseven minutes long. “They keptworking on the final draft so itcame to me when I was in themidst of shooting. But somehow Imanaged to pull through,” he says.

One reason that his films havedrawn flak is the misogynist gazeon the female characters. “See, weare not generalising boys. It is thesecharacters in the films that areroguish and loveable rakes.”

Another reason why Kartik hasbeen in the news is on account ofSara Ali Khan taking a shine to himand wanting to date him or hisalleged link-up with AnanyaPandey. Something that has kepthis name in circulation amongBollywood’s swish set. But theyoung star likes to keep it ground-ed. “I don’t pay attention. I only feelgood and flattered but that isbound to happen when someonesays something good about you.Link-ups are a part and parcel ofthe industry and I know how todeal with it,” he nods sagely. Thesmall town boy is growing up.

Photo: Pankaj Kumar

Have you everthought of beingin a live-in rela-

tionship as a normal option?Well, our society, particular-ly in non-metro areas, isheaded towards a massiveoverhaul owing to the mod-ern ways that have devel-oped in relationships. Itseems like more and morecouples are warming up tothe idea to test their com-patibility before they get

married. Yet marriagestill receives a societal

stamp of approvalthan live-ins and it isthis dichotomy thatis being explored inLuka Chhupi. Ofcourse, Bollywoodhas been attempt-ing a dialogue on

the subject forquite sometime throughfilms likeS a l a a mNa m a s t e ,Katti Batti,Pyaar KaPunchnama

among others.

But actress Kriti Sanon, who plays thecharacter of Rashmi in Luka Chuppi,says that this one is a bit different fromall because it is about a “live-in withfamily.” She explains that a concept likethis may be cool in big cities but is a bigtaboo in small towns like Mathura. Shesees live-in as a choice for survival. “Toeach his own. Everybody has the rightto be completely sure of what two peo-ple exactly want before you can take thebig step of getting married rather thanrisk a divorce down the line. So it’s total-ly fine if it gives you a little bit clarityon that. After meeting so many peoplefrom all walks of life in this industry, Ido not judge anything at all.”

The actress feels that Bareilly KiBarfi was a milestone in her career. Andthe relatability she found in Bareilly isexactly the same in this film too. “InBareilly... Bitti was born and brought upin the eponymous town. So eventhough she was a little modern withrespect to the other girls, she was cir-cumscribed by her milieu, which wasevident in her dialect. Rashmi, on theother hand, is born in Mathura but hasstudied in Delhi. She is way more lib-eral than Bitti was. She is mature,empowered and gutsy enough to go fora live-in relationship. She is also impul-sive, so that is why she talks a bit fast.These little nuances you try and find for

yourself in the script to make each char-acter look different.”

Kriti doesn’t want to categorise her-self in terms of genres though she hasa series of comedies lined up — LukaChuppi, Arjun Patiala and Housefull 4.Perhaps that has happened uncon-sciously. “May be after Bareilly, I foundmyself getting attracted to comedy. Ididn’t realise it when I said yes to thesefilms.”

As an actor she’s greedy enough tobe wanting to do a lot more. She’s dyingto do a role that scares the hell out ofher but she wants to take baby steps.That is why she takes time while com-mitting herself to a script.

She’s very instinctive about thestories she wants to do. Says she,“Sometimes I go for the scripts, some-times for the way the characters areetched. Sometimes, I go by the director,hoping to avail a great learning experi-ence. Then I put myself in the audience’sshoes and ask if I want to spend mymoney and time on the film. There areseveral criteria but I never go by starsbecause I don’t believe that they makea whole film. I go with my gut feeling.Sometimes it works, sometimes it does-n’t. But I try to grow a little bit morewith each and every film I do.”

Kriti feels that she can explore dif-ferent characters simply because the

film-going audience is a lot moreaccepting of realism than escapism.“That’s the reason why biopics, real-lifeinspired events and social issues are thebedrock of commercial hits. The audi-ence these days wants to watch a sub-stantial story. And when you highlightsocial issues in an entertaining andlighter format without being preachy atall, it does make the crowd sit up andthink than it would if you were to force-feed it. We are in a good space in filmswhere we are free to think, say and dothings which are not harming anyoneelse.”

Since the actress has now workedwith both the Khurrana brothers,Ayushmann and Aparshakti, we ask herhow she rates them. Says Kriti, “Both aresupremely talented actors and easy towork with. They have a similar sense ofhumour. They even sound very similar.If you just listen to them and not seethem, I bet you can’t make out who itis. I enjoyed working with both of them.”

Of course, Kriti wants to do a larg-er than life role soon. And would loveto feature in a biopic on Madhubala.Says she, “That iconic actress was theepitome of beauty, style and grace andthere can never be someone like her. Iwant to tell the story of her life to theworld.”

Photo: Pankaj Kumar

Actress KRITI SANON says she goes for relatable characters and

likes to work with the quirks of each. By TEAM VIVA

Everyday girlCELEB TALK 30 MINUTES

THE BOY NEXT DOORActor KARTIK AARYAN is often mistakenly believed to be a Delhiite but his heart stillbeats for his hometown Gwalior and the values he learnt there, says SAIMI SATTAR

IMMERSIVE 50 MINUTES

‘May be I became thecharacter of Guddu. I

am shaadi material as Iam someone whobelieves in being

together with family. Ihave shifted to a biggerplace recently so that Icould get my family toMumbai after staying

alone for years’

Pop singers Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonassported ensembles designed by New York-based

Nepalese designer Prabal Gurung for their single coverSucker.

Gurung sharedthe cover on socialmedia andcaptioned it: “TheJonas brothers wearPrabal Gurung onthe cover of theirnew album (single)Sucker. So stokedthat our firstm e n s w e a rcollection is on myfavourite brothersthank you NickJonas, Joe Jonas andKevin Jonas... I amover the moon.”

In the albumcover, Nick is seensporting salmonpink pants and ablack and yellow t-shirt. Joe looksdapper in an ice-blue twin set, whileKevin is seenwearing a brightorange and blue twin suit.

The Jonas Brothers have reunited for a single titledSucker after a gap of six years. Its video features Nick’sactress wife Priyanka Chopra too.

The video also stars Kevin’ spouse Danielle and Joe’fiancee and Game of Thrones fame actress SophieTurner.

Jonas Brothers’ band was formed in 2005. The bandhas created hits like Burnin’ up, Hold on and Fly with me”.The Jonas Brothers split up in 2013.

—IANS

Jonas brothers wear

Prabal Gurung for single's cover

sport 14LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

AFP n MADRID

After knocking Real Madridout of the Copa del Rey,

Barcelona now have the oppor-tunity to send their rivals pack-ing in the title race too.

Barca's 3-0 victor y onWednesday means Barca willreturn to the Santiago Bernabeuon Saturday with a spring in theirstep, even if Madrid were the bet-ter side and had the better oppor-tunities until the chaotic final 30minutes, when a Luis Suarezdouble and Raphael Varane owngoal gave victory to the Catalans.

"They had more chances inthe first half, it's true," saidGerard Pique. "But in the secondwe knew how to get at them.They left more space and in 10 to15 minutes we scored threegoals."

A repeat this weekend in LaLiga would leave Santiago Solari'sside 12 points adrift of Barcelona,who would effectively have anextra point's advantage giventheir superior head-to-headrecord. That would be a gargan-tuan gap to make up with 12games left.

Atletico Madrid are closer,seven points back, and they stillhave to play Barca in April, albeitat the Camp Nou, where they

have not won in 18 visits. Butthere is no doubt bumping Realout of the chase would be a majorstep for the Catalans.

They should feel confident if

recent form between the twosides is any guide. The Copa delRey win was Barcelona's fourthin six games at the Bernabeu andin each of those they have scored

three or more. This season alone,their aggregate total against Realreads 9-2.

And while Madrid will takeheart from the handful of gold-

en opportunities they created, itwas their opponents that showedthe killer instinct, delivered byplayers used to producing whenit matters most.

"When Luis Suarez is in thearea, he is at 200 per cent," saidValverde.

VULNERABILITIES The question for Barca is also

what these showings against thedefending European championssay about their own chances inthe Champions League.

A goalless draw at Lyon inthe first leg leaves their last 16 tiedelicately poised ahead of thehome return next month and ifBarca do come through, sternertests will lie ahead.

Suarez's brace on Wednesdaycontinues a timely return toform while Lionel Messi showedagainst Sevilla last weekend thathe is ready to call upon his scin-tillating best when required.

It is in defence where doubtsremain. The ease with whichMadrid opened Barca up on thecounter-attack suggests there isstill a vulnerability on the break,which teams in the ChampionsLeague will be better placed toexploit.

Midfield has been bypassedtoo easily all season while neitherNelson Semedo nor SergiRoberto have really convinced atright back.

There is still time to tightenup and Samuel Umtiti's return tofitness will be a welcome boost ifhe can find sharpness before theend of the season.

But for those that crave suc-cess in the Champions League,more than either La Liga or theCopa del Rey, there is room forimprovement.

"We are happy to go throughbut we have do have to do somethings a lot better," Valverdesaid.

"There are important match-es to come."

Atletico Madrid play a resur-gent Real Sociedad on Sundaywhile Getafe's surprise challengefor Champions League qualifica-tion continues away at Real Betis.

Real Madrid vs Barca

Live from 1:30am IST

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AFP n LONDON

Tottenham could dream of an unlike-ly Premier League title challenge just

a week ago but back-to-back defeatsagainst Burnley and Chelsea mean theirtop-four place is in danger as they pre-pare to host Arsenal.

Spurs' lead over their north Londonrivals is down to four points, withManchester United and Chelsea alsoclose behind in the race for the final twoChampions League places next season.

To make matters worse, MauricioPochettino's men still have to travel totitle-chasing Liverpool and ManchesterCity in the final 10 games of the leaguecampaign.

Pochettino has routinely hailed theincredible effort of his squad to stay inthe title race as long as they have done,particularly in finding late winners tobeat Fulham, Watford and Newcastlewithout the injured Harry Kane.

The England captain is now back inthe fold but despite defying World Cupfatigue and struggling with a lengthyinjury list, no new signings and havingto endure another season at their tem-porary home of Wembley, it is possibleSpurs are finally running out of steamat the wrong time.

"Now it's about being calm. It won'tchange my assessment of the players,"said Pochettino after his side failed toregister a single shot on target in thePremier League for the first time in hisfive seasons in charge in a 2-0 loss toChelsea on Wednesday.

"We need to support them, preparethem and lift them and help them tocompete on Saturday because that is themost important thing now."

Much of the damage done in thepast week will be forgotten shouldSpurs bounce back in the derby andopen up what ought to be a decisive

seven-point advantage over Arsenal.And Pochettino was keen to point

out that there is just as much pressureon their local rivals to avoid a third sea-son without Champions League football.

"Everyone from the beginning of theseason would have signed up to be inthat position before playing on Saturday,"added the Argentine.

"Everyone would have signed forthat eight or 10 months ago in June orJuly, to be, today, with the possibility ofplaying against Arsenal at Wembley withthe gap at four points. The pressure ison them, not only us."

DERBY WIN A thrilling 4-2 win over Tottenham

in early December was the highlight sofar of Unai Emery's first season asArsenal boss.

However, despite the Spaniard'ssuccess in putting his personal stamp onthe Gunners, a familiar failing from thefinal years of Arsene Wenger's reign hashampered their progress.

In contrast to their stunning format the Emirates, Arsenal have won justonce on the road in the Premier Leaguein their past seven games and that wasat rock-bottom Huddersfield.

Emery's embarrassment of richesgoing forward was demonstrated in a 5-1 thrashing of Bournemouth onWednesday.

Mesut Ozil and HenrikhMkhitaryan both shone in their firstleague start together since November,while substitute Alexandre Lacazetterounded off the scoring after top-scor-er Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hadnetted his 19th goal of the season.

However, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss has struggled to find theright balance as Arsenal have not kepta clean sheet away from home in thePremier League all season.

AFP n ACAPULCO

Australian Nick Kyrgios, unfazed bystern words from vanquished

Rafael Nadal, produced another grit-ty win over Switzerland's StanWawrinka to reach the semi-finals ofthe Mexico Open.

A day after his dramatic comebackvictory over 17-time Grand Slam win-ner Nadal, Kyrgios out-lastedWawrinka 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 onThursday to book a meeting witheither John Isner or John Millman fora place in the final.

Third-seeded Isner and eighth-seeded Millman met in the finalmatch on Cancha Central, whereKyrgios once again took a twisting pathto victory.

The drama started in the very firstgame, when Kyrgios took an awkwardfall and badly scraped the knuckles ofhis racquet hand.

As he received mid-game treat-ment the crowd grew restive, provok-ing the unpredictable Australian.

With the problem tended to,Kyrgios closed out the game, the setgoing with serve until Kyrgios seizedupon a couple of loose points from

Wawrinka to gain the break and the set7-5.

A tense second set saw Wawrinkabreak Kyrgios at love for a 5-4 lead. ButKyrgios broke back as they went to thetiebreaker -- Kyrgios vociferouslydefending himself when the umpireseemed to find his "let's go" call toWawrinka hostile.

Wawrinka won the tiebreaker toforce a deciding set that saw Kyrgiosbreak for a 3-2 lead he wouldn't relin-

quish, although before it was over hewould exchange words with a criticalspectator and provoke Wawrinka byhaving the trainer on yet again.

Unable to convert two matchpoints against Wawrinka's serve,Kyrgios closed it out in an explosive10th game, and insisted he relished itall despite complaining of debilitatingcramps.

"I love it," he said. "I actually playbetter when the crowd's against me."Kyrgios had already brushed asideNadal's complaint that he lackedrespect "for the public, the opponentand himself ".

That came in the wake of their sec-ond-round match -- during whichKyrgios complained of illness, pro-duced an underarm serve and, final-ly, taunted fans who booed his win.

"To come out yesterday againstRafa and pull together that three hourperformance after getting food poison-ing was massive," Kyrgios said.

"To back it up against Stan....I wascramping like crazy toward the end ofthe third set," he added. "I was just try-ing to scull any sort of fluids and hitthe ball as hard as I can it and it endedup working."

AP n MADRID

There will be no final athome for Real Betis.The team's Benito

Villamarin Stadium in Sevillewill host the Copa del Rey finalthis season, but Betis won't bethere after being eliminated byValencia in the semifinals onThursday.

Valencia won 1-0 at hometo reach the Copa final for thefirst time in more than adecade, where it will playBarcelona on May 25.

Striker Rodrigo scored asecond-half winner forValencia, which advanced 3-2on aggregate after a 2-2 drawat Betis three weeks ago.

"We wanted to be in thisfinal and we were confidentthat we had the team to makeit," Betis defender Marc Bartrasaid.

"Unfortunately, sometimesthings don't go the way youexpect in football." OnWednesday, four-time defend-ing champion Barcelonadefeated Real Madrid 3-0 toadvance to its sixth straightCopa final.

Valencia, celebrating itscentennial, hadn't made it tothe final since it won the lastof its seven Copa titles in2008.

"We played a very com-plete series and deserved toadvance," Rodrigo said. "It'sgreat to be able to reach this

final in such a special year forthe club."

Betis needed to score afterconceding twice in the first legat home, but it was Valenciathat struck first at its MestallaStadium when Rodrigo foundthe net from close range aftera pass by Kevin Gameiro fol-lowing a breakaway in the56th minute.

It took a while forRodrigo's goal to be con-firmed, but a video revieweventually determined therewas no offside in the build-up.

Gameiro had scored thestoppage-time equalizer in thefirst leg, when Valencia trailedby two goals early in the sec-ond half.

Valencia and Barcelonadrew both matches they playedin the Spanish league this sea-son - 1-1 at Mestalla last yearand 2-2 at Camp Nou Stadiumthis month.

"We will face a great team,with a player who makes thedifference," Rodrigo said.

"But we played two veryeven matches against themthis season, and could haveactually beaten them. It's afinal, in one match, so any-thing can happen."

Valencia was eliminated byBarcelona in last year's Copasemifinal. It also fell to theCatalan club in the last four in2012 and 2016.

Barcelona will be trying towin an unprecedented fifthstraight Copa title, and 31stoverall, the most by any club.

Valencia had a dismal startto its season, winning only oneof its first 13 matches in allcompetitions. But it has hit itsstride recently, moving closerto the European spots in theSpanish league and also reach-ing the last 16 in the EuropaLeague.

PTI n NEW DELHI

India Open will have a new addressthis time with Indira Gandhi

International Stadium (IGI) set tohost the ninth edition of the WorldTour Super 500 badminton tourna-ment from March 26 to 31.

After eight successful years, theUSD 350,000 tournament will returnfor its ninth edition with the bestnames in the business descending onthe capital for the event.

This marque tournament waspreviously held at the Siri Fort SportsComplex for the last seven years.

The Indira Gandhi InternationalStadium (IGI) in the past has host-ed landmark sports events like the1982 Asian Games and recently, theAIBA Women's World Boxing

Championships.All the matches will be played at

the K.D Jadhav Indoor Hall locatedwithin the IGI stadium.

"Historically India has registeredgood results in this tournament andI am confident our players will repeatthe feat this year too; especiallyplaying at a new and historic venuelike Indira Gandhi Stadium," BAIPresident Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The tournament has evolved along way since its inception in 2008.The first three editions of the IndiaOpen, then a Grand Prix Gold leveltournament of the BWF tournamentstructure were hosted in Hyderabad.

It was upgraded later to a BWFSuperseries Tournament in 2011 andsince then India Open is part of theWorld Tour and hosted at theNational Capital.

With the Olympic Qualificationstarting later this year; this year'sIndia Open will see a host of top play-ers from world badminton trying toamass as many ranking points pos-sible to guarantee a direct entry forthe Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Sanju produced a hattrickas the Indian women's

team romped to a massive10-0 victor y againstTurkmenistan in their sec-ond match of the TurkishWomen's Cup in Alanya onFriday.

Sanju (17th, 37th, 71st)was the highest scorer of thematch, Anju Tamang (51st,83rd) and Ranjana (60th,62nd) got a brace each totheir name, while DangmeiGrace (7th), Sumithra(77th) and IndumathiKathiresan (87th) alsoscored one goal each.

India thus bounced backfrom their 0-1 defeat againstUzbekistan on Wednesday.

India started off with abang, as Dangmei put the

eves in front on the 7thminute itself. Around 10minutes later, Sanju addedanother one, before makingit 3-0 for India minutesbefore the half-time break.

The team, led byIndumathi in this match,

increased the tempo in thesecond half, as Grace andRanjana combined again toadd two more.

Notably, the 71st-minute goal marked thehat-trick for Sanju, and alsothe third assist of the match

for r ight-back DalimaChhibber.

Sumithra, Anju and cap-tain Indumathi added threemore goals to take India todouble figures in the game.

India are next set toface Romania on Sunday.

Spurs eye revenge

BARCA EYE DOUBLE

On back of 3-0 win in Copa semis, Messi leads Catalan giants to Bernabeu in season's second El Clasico

Valencia beat Betis to face

Barcelona in Copa final

India Openbadminton to beheld at IGI Stadiumfor first time

INDIA THRASH TURKMENISTAN10-0 IN WOMEN'S CUP

Kyrgios out-lasts Wawrinka to reach semis

After eight successfulyears, the USD 350,000tournament will return

for its ninth editionwith the best names

REPL CRUSH UNITY ACADEMYREPL crushed Unity Cricket Academy by

eight wickets in a league match of the 15th BBD‘B’ Division Cricket League at SARJ Stadium onSaturday. In ‘C’ division matches, DronaAcademy beat Kalpana Foundation by sixwickets while Mehta Cricket Club defeated MultiCricket Academy by three wickets.BRIEF SCORES:UCA: 122 (Sameer 37, Mohd Yusuf 32, Syed Ali20; Abhishek 23/4, Vipin 13/2, Anuj 23/2)REPL: 125 (Priyanshu 50, Kritegya 43; Sachin14/1, Sameer 20/1)

KF: 103 (Advitya 43, Hiamsnhu 18; Praveen 2/4,

Abhishek 11/2)DCA: 106 (NAgeshwar 50, Apoorva 15; Gopesh25/3)

MCA: 125 (Zeeshan 42, Vickey 33; Rohit 32/4,Amit 2/2, Hemraj 24/2)MCC: 126 (Hemraj 40, Harsh 21; Amurag 26/3,Vicky 37/2)

TABLE TENNISLucknow District Table Tennis Association

is organising the 1st Inter-Office and VeteranDistrict Table Tennis Tournament at KD Singh‘Babu’ Stadium on Friday. Interested may con-tact on 9415461557 or 9415062702.

LOCAL EVENTS

sport 15LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | MARCH 2, 2019

KAPUR, CHIKA PLACED T-27 Queenstown: Indian trio of Shiv Kapur, SChikkarangappa and Ajeetesh Sandhu made the cut atthe 100th New Zealand Open golf tournament here onFriday. Kapur shot two-under 69 at the Par-71Millbrook Resort course after a two-under 70 at theHills Course on Thursday, while Chikka shot three-under 69 at Par-72 Hills Course after one-under 70 atMillbrook Resort course. Both had totals of 139.Sandhu, who was three-under 69 at Hills onThursday, shot even par 71 at Milbrook in secondround for a total of 140 to lie Tied-44th. The cut fell atthree-under and 62 players made it. Three Indians,Rahil Gangjee (142), Khalin Joshi (142) and VirajMadappa (147) missed the cut.

DIKSHA DAGAR BEST INDIAN AT T-29Canberra: Young golfer Diksha Dagar fired fourbirdies in the last seven holes to card a highlycreditable one-under 70 to lie tied 29th after theopening round of the ActewAGL Canberra Classichere on Friday. Dagar, who represented India at the2018 Asian Games and is a medallist from the 2017Summer Deaflympics, turned pro only this year,though she has won a pro title while being an amateurin India. She bogeyed fourth, fifth and tenth, beforesinking her first birdie on 11th hole at Royal CanberraGolf Club. That changed her fortunes as she birdied13th, 15th and 18th. She was the best placed Indianat Tied-29th. Vani Kapoor finished birdie-birdie in herround of 72 and was Tied-55th, while Amandeep Drallshot 73 and was T-68th. Things did not go well forTvesa Malik (76) and Astha Madan (77) and theywould need low rounds on day 2 to make the cut.

GHOSAL LOSE IN QUARTERSChicago: German Simon Rosner came up with adazzling display to end Saurav Ghosal's impressiverun in the quarterfinals of the PSA World SquashChampionship here. Third seed Rosner, who hadmade his first appearance in the quarterfinals, won11-8, 11-6, 11-7 on Thursday. The scoreline may notsuggest that but it was a 50 minute marathon withGhosal giving his best but was unable to unsettle thetop-ranked German. The only time Rosner looked likeyielding to the pressure was in the first game when hetrailed 2-6 but things changed dramatically from therewith the German completing a straight-game victory.

DHANAPAL GANESH IN CFC TEAM FOR AFC CUPChennai: Two-time Indian Super League ChampionsChennaiyin FC Friday announced a 25-man squad forits 2019 AFC Cup qualifying playoff round against SriLanka's Colombo FC, which includes DhanpalGanesh, who missed the team's entire ISL titledefence due to a knee injury. A press note saidChennaiyin FC would be playing the home match ofthe two-legged qualifying tie at The Arena byTransStadia in Ahmedabad. This is Chennaiyin'sdebut AFC Cup campaign following their 2017-18 ISLtitle success and they are placed in the South AsianZone of the competition. This qualifying tie againstColombo FC is for a place in the group stage of the2019 AFC Cup. Colombo defeated Bhutan's TransportUnited 9-2 on aggregate in the preliminary round andwould be hosting Chennaiyin in the first leg at theColombo Race Course Ground in Colombo on March6 and the home leg would be played on March 13.Four youth team players have also been included inthe squad. Following the 1-0 defeat away to FC Goa inthe final ISL fixture on Thursday, Chennaiyin FC willcontinue the AFC Cup preparations in Goa and leavefor Sri Lanka on March 4. AGENCIES

SINGLES

PTI n HYDERABAD

The Indian cricket team willcontinue its experiments tofigure out the final pieces of

a jigsaw puzzle called the 'WorldCup squad' when a five-match ODIseries against Australia starts hereon Saturday.

The team is slowly moving intothe World Cup mode and even a 0-2 loss in the just-concluded T20series won't see any shift in plansas far as skipper Virat Kohli andcoach Ravi Shastri are concerned.

"Every team will look to fine-tune whatever they need to beforethe World Cup, and we'll keepdoing that in the ODI series too, butwe still want to win every match weplay," skipper Kohli said after theBengaluru T20 loss headlining hisintention.

There will be at least fourplayers for whom the series will belike a 'pre test', a good score ensur-ing that they get 'admit cards' forthe board exams.

The four players in question areKL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, VijayShankar and Siddarth Kaul, whoare fighting for two available slotsin that UK bound 15-membersquad.

One man who will be keenlytracking the developments from thesidelines will be Dinesh Karthik,who still, many believe, has an out-side chance of making it to theteam.

However, for the quartet ofRahul, Pant, Shankar and Kaul, thecoming five matches will be an acidtest as and when they are induct-ed into the playing XI.

Rahul should be in a good headspace after scores of 50 and 47 inthe two T20 Internationals and isexpected to get a few more chancesat the top of the order.

The batsman is fighting for thereserve opener's slot and whoknows if Shikhar Dhawan's indif-ferent form continues, theMangalore man could well be a

permanent fixture in the side.All eyes will also be on Pant,

who hasn't exactly been consistentin the shorter formats but such ishis talent and ability to win match-es singlehandedly that the teammanagement may give him a fewmore matches before taking a finalcall.

For Vijay Shankar, his bowlingdoesn't exactly inspire confidencebut Hardik Pandya's dodgy fitnesswill keep him in the race and he can

still claim for a second all-rounder'sslot if Pandya is the first choice.

Kaul is a rank outsider andcould be a blind side entry as thereserve pacer as the team mange-ment's trial test with Khaleel

Ahmed hasn't yielded the desiredresults.

With Mohammed Shami andJasprit Bumrah being automaticchoices, Kaul will probably get twogames to prove his worth.

But Kohli and coach RaviShastri are not likely to tinker withthe core team too much as a com-prehensive series win is always anacceptable proposition.

With the seasoned AmbatiRayudu, veteran all-rounder KedarJadhav and the wily Shami back inthe Indian set-up, the ODI serieswill be a completely different chal-lenge for Aaron Finch and his men.

Also the formidable wrist spinduo of Kuldeep Yadav andYuzvendra Chahal will be operat-ing in tandem during those mid-dle overs to choke the run flow.

Add to it, Jadhav's side-armlow off-breaks and the likes ofGlenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short,Marcus Stoinis and Shaun Marshmay find it difficult to negotiate theovers.

Bumrah, set to be India's pre-mier bowler in England, may berested for a game or two depend-ing on India's position in theseries.

The Australian team, buoyedby the maiden T20 triumph over

India, will be eager to continue themomentum it has gained.

Nathan Lyon's presence willlend teeth to the spin departmentand he will partner Adam Zampa.

Andrew Tye, the late replace-ment for the injured KaneRichardson, will like to use all thevariations learnt during his stintswith various IPL franchises.

SQUADSIndia: Virat Kohli (captain),

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma,Ambati Rayudu, Mahendra SinghDhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, VijayShankar, Jasprit Bumrah,Mohammed Shami, KuldeepYadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, RishabhPant, Siddarth Kaul, KL Rahul,Ravindra Jadeja.

Australia: Aaron Finch (cap-tain), D'Arcy Short, Shaun Marsh,Marcus Stoinis, Usman Khawaja,Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb,Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa,Jason Behrendorff, JhyeRichardson, Pat Cummins,Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile,Nathan Lyon.

PTI n HYDERABAD

India captain Virat Kohli onFriday said IPL performances

will have "no influence" on theWorld Cup team selection, callingthe speculation a "very, very rad-ical analysis".

With 12 to 13 slots more orless locked, India will be zeroingin on their last couple of slots forthe World Cup, whichstarts May30 in England, after the five gamesin the upcoming ODI seriesagainst Australia.

"No, I don't see the IPL hav-ing any influence on World Cupselection. I think that will be very,very radical sort of analysis," theIndian captain, known for hisforthright views, said on the eveof the first ODI here.

There were talks that IPLcould be a possible shoot-outbetween Dinesh Karthik andRishabh Pant for the second wick-etkeeper's slot but Kohli said thatone good IPL won't make muchof a difference for any World Cuphopeful.

"We need to have a solidteam. Before we head into the IPL,we need to be absolutely clear ofwhat team we want for the WorldCup. I don't see anything chang-ing on how the IPL goes for anyof the players.

"If one or two players do nothave a good IPL season, it does-n't mean that they are out of thepicture for the World Cup. Thosethings are not going to matter,"Kohli set the record straight.

Talking about the remainingslots, Kohli is keen to give Pantsome game time but certainly notat the cost of playing a bowler less,taking the field restrictions intoaccount.

"We will have to think aboutthe combinations. I don't thinkplaying a bowler less is a good ideabecause with the extra fielder intill the 40th over, it becomes verydifficult to sort of get a few guysto chip in with a few overs hereand there.

"We will have to work out thebatting combination to try andgive game-time to the guys wewant to. But, I don't see the bowl-ing combination changing," theskipper said.

The skipper also dropped abroad hint that KL Rahul, who

seems to have regained someform, has made a very good casefor himself for the World Cupsquad.

"It augurs really well. KL,when he plays well, is operating ata different level I feel. We have seenhim do that in the IPL last yearand in patches over the last sea-son we played as a team."

Kohli then went on to explainas to what makes Rahul special.

"It's very difficult to find aconsistent player, who can playgood cricketing shots and still winyou games at a strike-rate of over140 or 150. He has all the shotsand has a solid game as well.

"…it will be interesting to seewhat happens in the final WorldCup squad. Definitely, he hasmade a strong case for himself. It'sgood he's in great nick and hope-fully he can carry it forward."

The one time the skipperseemed a trifle irritated was whena scribe asked whether the teamis experimenting at the cost ofwinning the series.

"We are playing to win theseries or else I'll leave the ball tohit the stumps," it was difficult tomiss the sarcasm in his voice.

"As I said earlier, if we want tosee how a few guys play in a cer-tain situation, we'll play themagain in that situation. It's not likeif a guy is not playing in a certainsituation, he doesn't have theability," he added.

PTI n HYDERABAD

Getting the batting order rightis every skipper's priority

and rival captains Virat Kohliand Aaron Finch are open tominor rejigs going into the 2019World Cup.

While the Indian captain "isready to bat at No 4" if the situ-ation arises, his opposite num-ber Finch made it clear thatGlenn Maxwell will come up theorder after playing a major partin the T20 series victory.

Recently, India coach RaviShastri had indicated that Kohlicould bat at No 4 in the WorldCup and the skipper on Fridaysaid that it's not a big deal as his"game template" doesn't changeif he comes one place down theorder.

"If that's the requirement ofthe team at a particular stage inthe game or before a particulargame, I'm more than happy to doit. I've batted a lot of times at No4, so I don't necessarily need totry it out because I've done thata lot of times in the past," Kohliechoed his coach's sentiment.

The skipper made it clearthat his style of batting won'tchange much from No 3 to 4.

"My game doesn't changefrom No 3 to No 4 because tem-plate is quite similar. In any given

situation, I back myself to playthe game that I know."

Maxwell, on the other hand,had indicated that he wanted tobat higher up the order after hisseries-winning hundred in thesecond T20 International onWednesday.

His skipper, on the eve of thefirst ODI, indicated that a pro-motion is in the offing for thedashing batsman.

"Glenn will get an opportu-nity to bat higher up the orderthan No 7 that he batted againstIndia in the previous series (inAustralia). He has been in greatform. His ODI cricket has beengreat as well. I am not sure wherehe will bat but higher than 7 Iwould imagine," Finch saidwhen asked about Maxwell'sbatting position.

"In one day cricket, it's notas easy to go at the end. So itwould be nice to bat higher upbut it depends on what happensin the top four or top five. If theopportunity does come up, I'dlike to take," Maxwell had saidafter the Bengaluru T20, sig-nalling his intentions.

AFP n HAMILTON

Centuries to Tom Latham and JeetRaval, and the best opening part-

nership for New Zealand in nearlyhalf-a-century left Bangladesh onthe ropes on day two of the first Teston Friday.

Kane Williamson, unbeaten on93, added to the run-fest at Hamilton'sSeddon Park in a century stand for thefourth wicket with Henry Nicholls.

At stumps, New Zealand were 451for four, leading by 217 with six wick-ets in hand.

Latham made 161, Raval notchedhis maiden century with 132, whileNicholls departed two overs beforestumps for 53.

With the assistance of a flat track,Latham and Raval put on 254 for thefirst wicket -- the third-highest open-ing partnership by a New Zealand pairand their best since the record 387 setby Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvisagainst the West Indies 47 years ago.

Latham punished Sri Lanka fordropping him before he scored at the

start of the innings.He occupied the crease for more

than six hours, scoring freely aroundthe ground and reaching the bound-ary with 17 fours as well as hittingMehidy Hasan over the mid-wicketfence three times.

Ironically, it was Soumya Sarkar-- who spilled the simple catch at sec-ond slip -- who eventually claimed hiswicket.

But by then, Latham had passed150 for the fourth time in his careerand New Zealand were 333 for two.

It continued a purple patch ofform for the left-hander who has threecenturies from his past four Testinnings.

Raval, frustrated by holding theNew Zealand record for the mostfifties (eight) without a century, final-ly got that monkey off his back in his17th Test.

He held his nerve after passing hisprevious best -- 88 on the sameground against South Africa twoyears ago -- and was able to raise hisbat when he cracked back-to-back

fours off Ebadat Hossain to movefrom 93 to 101.

It took a sly switch fromMahmudullah to make the elusivebreakthrough.

The Bangladesh skipper broughthimself on for one over only and onhis fifth delivery, Raval skied anattempted slog-sweep to KhaledAhmed at mid-wicket.

It was another part-time bowlerSoumya who picked up the twowickets of Latham and Ross Taylor.

Latham, who edged a wide deliv-ery to second slip on the second ballhe faced, put that stroke away for 246deliveries before he poked at a wideball from Soumya and a divingMohammad Mithun completed thedismissal -- also at second slip.

Taylor did not bother questioninghis dismissal when a Soumyainswinger rapped on the front padplumb in line with the stumps.

Against the run of play, Mehidyclaimed the late wicket of Nichollswith a ball that came back andcrashed into the stumps.

AFP n SYDNEY

Steve Smith has returned to the nets afterelbow surgery, with Australia coach

Justin Langer expecting the banned formercaptain and his deputy David Warner to befit for the Indian Premier League.

Smith went under the knife in Januaryafter being forced to drop out of theBangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tour-nament with a ligament problem.

He has been in a brace since, but pickedup a bat again and had a session at theSydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

"Great to have my first hit back. Theelbow is feeling good," Smith posted to his1.4 million Instagram followers with ashort video early Friday.

Smith and Warner become eligible forinternational selection again on March 29after serving year-long bans for their partin attempting to alter the ball during a Testagainst South Africa.

Warner also returned home fromBangladesh with an injured elbow, thoughless serious than Smith. He too had surgeryand was also at the SCG on Thursday.

He crossed paths there with formerSouth African fast bowler Morne Morkel,who has settled in Sydney with his wife.

Morkel was training at the ground aheadof a stint with English county side Surrey,

and told the Cricket Australia website thathaving Smith and Warner back would begood for the game.

"Obviously as a cricket supporter I'mrapt for him to get back on the field. It willbe great to see him and Steve (Smith) playand it will be great for Australia as well."Langer said.

"From all accounts they should both beready for the IPL, which is really positive,"he said. Once their bans expire, both play-ers will be eligible for the final two gamesof Australia's five-match ODI series againstPakistan in the UAE next month.

The squad for that series has yet to beannounced.

After suffering shockdefeat in T20 series,Virat & boys look to

find balance in last ODIseries before WC

Final test before World showpiece

Indian team players practice during a training session ahead of the first ODI match against Australia, (down) Glenn Maxwell bats during a practice session AP

Virat Kohli in action during the match AP

Tom Latham and Jeet Raval celebrate after completing their centuries ICC

HYDERABAD: Mahendra SinghDhoni had an injury scare duringthe Indian team's net session onthe eve of the ODI series openeragainst Australia here on Saturday.

Dhoni sustained an injury on hisright forearm while takingthrowdowns from team's supportstaff member Raghavendra.

The former India captain had a longbatting session at the nets and likeall first team players was takingthrowdowns after the formalsession.

It was one such delivery fromRaghavendra that kicked up andDhoni was hit on the right forearm.

The veteran was in some pain anddidn't bat after that as a

precautionary measure.

Whether the injury is seriousenough to make him doubtful forthe opening ODI couldn't beascertained. A final call is expectedto be taken by the evening.

In case Dhoni is unavailable, thenRishabh Pant is expected to donthe big gloves. That is the mostlikely option in case Dhoni fails toget fit in time.

If the team management is keen onchecking all the fringe battingoptions, then KL Rahul and AmbatiRayudu could both play in the XIwith Rahul keeping.

India are aiming to bounce back inthe five-match ODI series afterlosing both the T20s.

DHONI GETS HIT ON FOREARM DURING NET SESSION

HYDERABAD: The BCCI has "noplans to shift" India's final twoODIs against Australia in Mohaliand Delhi, the cricket board'sacting president CK Khanna saidon Friday.There were reports that in thewake of increased tensionsbetween India and Pakistan afterthe neighbouring country violatedthe Indian airspace in Jammu andKashmir, the BCCI was consideringtaking the last two ODIs out of thenorthern region.The fourth ODI in Mohali isscheduled on March 10 while thefifth game at Delhi will be held onMarch 13. Saurashtra hadreportedly offered to host one ofthe games."There is certainly no such plan to

shift any of the games from theiroriginal venues. I can confirm thatboth ODIs in Mohali and Delhi, ishappening as per schedule,"Khanna said. "As far as a back up venue isconcerned, the BCCI always hasalternate arrangements in place incase a venue expresses its inabilityto hold a game," Khanna said.

‘No plans to shift ODI matchesfrom Mohali and Delhi’

India vs Australia

Live from 1:30pm IST

STAR SPORTS 1 NETWORK

IPL WILL HAVE NO

BEARING ON WC

SELECTION: KOHLI

Kohli has no problem batting at No 4;Maxwell to be promoted, says Finch

SMITH BACK IN NETS

AFTER ELBOW SURGERY

Latham, Raval hit tons as NZ dominate B’desh

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