PNS n NEW DELHI

The right to protest cannot beanytime and everywhere, theSupreme Court said as it dis-missed a plea seeking review ofits verdict passed last year inwhich it had held the occupa-tion of public ways during theanti-CAA protests at ShaheenBagh was not acceptable.

The top court said there maybe some spontaneous protestsbut in case of prolonged dis-

sent or protest, there cannotbe continued occupa-

tion of publicp l a c e s

affecting the rights of others.A bench of Justices Sanjay

Kishan Kaul, Aniruddha Boseand Kirshna Murari said, “Wehave perused the review peti-tion and record of the civilappeal and are convinced thatthe order of which review hasbeen sought, does not sufferfrom any error apparent war-ranting its reconsideration.”

PNS n NEW DELHI

Home Minister Amit Shahasserted in Lok Sabha onSaturday that the governmenthas done more for Jammu andKashmir since Article 370was scrapped in August 2019than those who ruled it forgenerations, even as heassured that the Centre willgrant full statehood to theunion territory at an ‘appro-priate time’.

Replying to a discussion onthe Jammu and KashmirR e o r g a n i s a t i o n(Amendment) Bill, he alsoslammed some Oppositionmembers for their claim thatthe proposed law negates thehopes of the region getting

back its erstwhile statehood.The Bill to merge the

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)cadre of all-India servicesofficers with the ArunachalPradesh, Goa, MizoramUnion Territory (AGMUT)cadre was later passed by LokSabha by a voice vote.

The Jammu and KashmirReorganisation (Amendment)Bill, 2021 has already beenpassed by Rajya Sabha. Itreplaces an ordinance issuedlast month.

This legislation has nothingto do with statehood, andJammu and Kashmir will beaccorded the status at anappropriate time, Shah said.

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MAHUA MOITRA ASKS DELHI POLICETO WITHDRAW ‘UNINVITED' SECURITY

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra onSaturday took strong exception to thestationing of three armed security

personnel at her home in the national capital,wondering whether she was under "some sortof surveillance" and asked Delhi Police chiefto withdraw them. In the letter to Delhi PoliceCommissioner S N Shrivastava, she said thestation house officer (SHO) of BarakhambaRoad police station had come to meet her ather residence on February 12 and shortly"thereafter, around three Border SecurityForce personnel armed with assault rifles hadbeen deputed outside her house."

BUDGET SESSION 1ST PHASE CONCLUDES,LOK SABHA TO RECONVENE ON MARCH 8

Lok Sabha was adjourned on Saturday as thefirst phase of the Budget sessionconcluded. The House would reconvene on

March 8 after recess. The Budget sessionusually is held in two phases. In the first phase,the President addresses the two Houses as it isthe first session of the year. The Union Budgetis also introduced in phase one. The recessallows department-related standing committeesto examine demands for grants of variousministries. The Finance Bill and relateddemands for grants are passed in the secondphase of the Budget session. The session wouldconclude on April 8.

PART OF PRASHANT KISHOR’S HOUSEIN BIHAR RAZED FOR ‘ROAD WIDENING’

Aportion of political strategist PrashantKishors paternal residence here was onSaturday pulled down by the authorities

who said the razed part of the property fell onland acquired for the widening of a nationalhighway. The house was built by ShrikantPandey, late father of the former key aide ofBihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with whomKishor had burnt his bridges last year leadingto his expulsion from the JD(U). KK Upadh-yay, the sub divisional magistrate who super-vised the demolition, said the razed gate andpart of the boundary wall was on the land thathas been acquired for widening of NH-84.

OFFSHORE VESSEL CATCHES FIRE NEARMUMBAI HIGH OILFIELD; THREE STUCK

Asupply vessel caught fire near offshoreoilfield Mumbai High on Saturday,leaving one crew member injured while

three others remained trapped in theengine room, the Coast Guard said. The firewas reported onboard the ship "Rohini" at 1pm when it was 92 nautical miles from theMumbai shores and was near NQOplatform of Mumbai High. One injured crewmember has been rescued from the fireand flown in with the help of an ONGChelicopter, the Coast Guard said, adding theinjured is being treated in Mumbai whilesearch for three of his colleagues is on.

‘PM wants to hand

over agri biz to his

‘2 friends'

5

TRS wary as political colours

keep changing

2

Shah assures statehood toJ&K at an ‘appropriate time’

Tribals' heroism helps cops save Araku ghat mishap victimsPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Thanks to the heroic rescueefforts of the 40 local tribals inpitch darkness, many victims ofthe Araku ghat road mishapwith serious head injuries couldbe brought up safely and rushedto nearby hospital for immedi-ate medical attention. Whilecops arranged ambulances, thevillagers managed to bring thepeople from the 80 ft deepgorge onto the Araku ghatroad using torchlight.

The incident occurredaround 7.15 pm in the evening,and the night was pitch blackdue to the new moon.

As soon as they heard thesound of the bus crashingdown, the local tribals rushedto the spot and reached itwithin 10 minutes. They man-aged to arrange torches tolocate the victims and bringthem up. Alerted, the copsalso reached the spot within 10to 15 minutes.

As it was pitch-black night in the gorge, the tribals found it difficult to trace the victims.

With help of torchlight, and ofthe wails of the injured, theycould reach the spot to witnessthe heart-wrenching sight ofchildren crying loudly search-ing for their parents.

With the help of the locals,the cops could bring up thebodies within an hour andinitially rushed them to S.Kota hospital. The local copsfirst tried to rescue the victimsand later shifted the dead onesand identified them.

"The local people here liter-

ally saved the day. Withoutthem, it would have been dif-ficult to rescue the victims insuch a short time," said a policeofficer, adding that the quickresponse that ensured treat-ment at the earliest saved manylives.

The bus also apparently hita tree before plunging into thegorge. "Had the bus fallen inthe valley without crashinginto the tree, all of us wouldhave died," said bus driverSrisailam.

Right to protest cannot beanytime and everywhere, says SC

Indian-origin woman in fray forUN Secretary-General postPNS n UNITED NATIONS

An Indian-origin employee atthe UN has announced hercandidacy to be its nextSecretary-General, the firstperson to throw her hat in thering against incumbentAntonio Guterres, who is seek-ing a second five-year termbeginning January 2022 aschief of the world organisation.

Arora Akanksha, 34, workingas an audit coordinator for theUnited Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), said shewill run for the post of theworld's top diplomat andlaunched her campaign#AroraForSG this month.

“People in my position aren'tsupposed to stand up to theones in charge. We are sup-posed to wait our turn, hop onthe hamster wheel, go to work,keep our heads down andaccept that the world is the wayit is,” Akanksha said in a two-and-a-half minute campaignvideo posted online. The video

shows Akanksha walkinginside the sprawling UN head-

quarters, as her voiceover saysthat people who have comebefore her have failed to holdthe UN accountable.

“For 75 years, the UN hasnot fulfilled its promise to theworld - refugees haven't beenprotected, humanitarian aidhas been minimal, and tech-nology and innovation hasbeen on the back-burner. Wedeserve a UN that leadsprogress," she said.

Now people chosen by themasses will rule Jammu and

Kashmir, not those born to "kingsand queens", he said, attackingdynastic parties in the region. Evenour rivals could notallege any wrongdoingin these pollswhich wereconductedfairly andpeacefully, hesaid. — AMIT SHAH

Home Minister

The apex courthad on October 7,last year heldthat public spacescannot beoccupiedindefinitely anddemonstrationsexpressingdissent have to bein designatedplaces alone

Padayatris galore in CongressAfter Revanth and Mallu, Komatireddy VenkatReddy and Jagga jump on the bandwagonPNS n HYDERABAD

For every ambitious leaderfrom the grand old party onthe political arena today,padayatra seems to be the pre-ferred mode of making astrong political statement andstriking a chord with people enroute. Perhaps, they are uncon-sciously following in the foot-steps combined AP's formerchief minister late YSRajasekhar Reddy, who, so tospeak, pioneered the padaya-tra route to power.

Right now, several leadersfrom the Telangana Congressare embarking on padayatras,one after the other. Already,TPCC working president andMalkajgiri MP A RevanthReddy has been on padayatra,

which he started on February7 at Acchampet. CLP leaderMallu Bhatti Vikramarkabegan his 'Face-to-face withfarmers' while on a foot marchfrom February 9 onwards.

Bhongir MP Komatireddy

Venkat Reddy has justannounced that he is going totake up another padayatra,named 'Projectula SadhanaYatra', from February 20.

TPCC working president and Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy, who is onpadayatra, reaches Amangal on Saturday. The former is flanked by farmers

PNS n HYDERABAD

Employees of the revampedTS Road TransportCorporation, most of whomhad fought in vain for monthslast year to become 'govern-ment' staff, feel the pinch nowas they are yet to receive theirsalaries this month, with thecorporation authorities throw-ing the ball in the court of theFinance Department.

According to sources, theRTC's cash flow situation is sohopeless that it is now left withjust Rs 20 crore and is there-fore expecting at least Rs 100crore from the FinanceDepartment to keep upappearances.

Last month, RTC employeesreceived their salaries onJanuary 12, taking the charm

out of Pedda panduga- theSankranthi festival.

This month, the FinanceDepartment is yet to releasefunds. RTC officials said thatit was high time the FinanceDepartment released thefunds.

Fund-starved RTC yetto pay salaries to staff

Centre blamesartificial pricemechanism forfuel price hikePNS n KOCHI

Facing flak from Oppositionparties over rising fuel prices,Oil Minister DharmendraPradhan on Saturday blamedthe artificial price mechanismcreated by oil producingnations for spiralling retailprices of petrol and dieselwhich have touched an all-time high.

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Covid transforms job profiles

Before After

ANUSHA PUPPALA n HYDERABAD

Only a handful of people in theworld, including Elon Musk(Tesla), Jeff Bezos (Amazon),Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook),Larry Ellison (Oracle), LarryPage and Sergey Brin (Alphabet)as well as Bill Gates and SteveBallmer (Microsoft) have actu-ally 'profited' from Covid-19.For most people abroad and inIndia, life has been quite toughsince March last year with upsoutweighing downs.

n Teachers turn labourer, tea seller, telecaller, bangle vendor …

n Defaulting mgmts blame non-payment of salaries on parents who do not pay fees

Tribals use torches to search for the injured passengers of the ill-fated tourist busthat veered off the Araku ghat road on Friday night.

Cong confirmsJana Reddy'scandidaturePNS n HYDERABAD

The upcoming NagarjunaSagar by-elections may entaila fierce battle, with Congressparty naming its seniorleader K Jana Reddy as theparty's candidate andTelangana Rashtra Samitimulling the candidate ofTera Chinnapa Reddy.

The Telangana TDP,which also has decided tocontest the by-elections, onSaturday, declared thatMuvva Arun Kumar wouldbe its candidate for the seat.Following directions of theTDP chief N ChandrababuNaidu, TTDP fielded its can-didate for the NagarjunaSagar by-elections.

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(IN HYDERABAD)

The colours of Telangana’spolitical landscape arechanging so rapidly that

one would imagine the StateAssembly elections are roundthe corner. Although not evenhalf the term of the currentAssembly is through, thecolours have been shiftingfrom a predominant pink(TRS) to shades of saffron(BJP) to a fading tricolour(Congress).Who knows, theymay acquire the hues of Y. S.Sharmila’s party when shelaunches it in April.

After TRS president K.Chandrashekar Rao’ smartmove to advance theAssembly elections by sixmonths to December 2018,the pink party steamrolleredthe opposition. Thereafter, ithas brooked no challenge, at

least till now. It swept the pollswinning 88 seats, persuadeda majority of Congress MLAsto defect, and handed out ahumiliating defeat to the saf-fron party by restricting it toone seat.

In just six months, thecolours on Telangana’s polit-ical map began morphing. Inthe 2019 Lok Sabha elections,pink party had to make wayfor saffron in four and the tri-colour in three while green(MIM) retained its Hyderabadbastion. The remaining nineseats won by TRS were agross mismatch for the 100-plus Assembly seats under itsthumb. KCR was down butnot out because his calcula-tion that the Modi factorwould hurt his party inParliament polls was spot on.

This prognosis was of littleuse as the TRS could notassess what was in store in the

near future. In fact, KCR wasso overconfident that he didnot campaign in theHuzurnagar by-election in2019. And then came theshock of Dubbak, the seat ithad won with a thumpingmajority (54.36% vote share)in the General Election.Dubbak shares its borderswith KCR’s constituency,Gajwel, his son K. T. RamaRao’s stronghold, Sircilla, andSiddipet, the fortress of hisnephew T. Harish Rao.

KCR’s forte always has been

his sense of timing. Even thisquality went missing fromhis armoury when he optedfor early elections to theGreater Hyderabad MunicipalCorporation (GHMC) at atime when public angeragainst mishandling of theOctober floods hadn’t sub-sided. The pink party’s tallyplummeted from 99 to 56,while the BJP’s rose 10 timesfrom four to 48. That the saf-fron party was on the upswingat the cost of TRS andCongress was evident from its

back-to-back accomplish-ments in Dubbak and GHMCwith an aggressive party pres-ident Bandi Sanjay leveragingthe good performance in theLok Sabha polls.

Green, representing theMIM, the joker in the pack inHyderabad politics, is emerg-ing as a force to reckon with.

That the friendship betweenKCR and MIM supremoAsaduddin Owaisi is deeplyrooted is undeniable, thoughKCR likes people to believeotherwise when convenientsuch as the GHMC pollswhen the two were pittedagainst one another. Barelytwo months had passedbefore they again becamethick friends. In an about-turn from its decision tocontest the election, MIMvoted for the TRS’ Mayoralcandidate GadwalVijayalakshmi. Not just that,Owaisi said “no, thanks”when KCR offered theDeputy Mayorship to hisparty.

A new dimension has beenadded by Y. S. Sharmila’sdecision to launch her ownparty in Telangana, ostensi-bly against the will of herbrother and AP Chief

Minister Jaganmohan Reddy.It is difficult to fathom whatis in her mind. YSR’s rule, or‘Rajanna Rajyam’ as she putsit, may not be a thunderingsuccess because are aware ofYSR’ anathema to a separateTelangana State. Secondly,his flagship programmes likeArogyasri are being imple-mented.

In the absence of a cogentexplanation by Sharmilaabout her party’s objectives,several theories are afloat,including one that it is a ployto undercut the Congressparty’s base. However, it doesnot square up with Sharmila’smove to campaign againstanti-farmer policies of thegovernment in Nalgonda dis-trict, where a by-election isdue in Nagarjuna Sagar. Herethe TRS is facing a Dubbak-like contest, its principalopponent this time being the

Congress whose likely candi-date K. Jana Reddy will givethe ruling party a run for itsmoney. Realising this chal-lenge, KCR campaigned inHalia and went ballisticagainst the Congress, besidesannouncing sops worthRs.2,700 crore.

What stands out in theState’s politics is KCR’semphatic assertion that hewould remain the ChiefMinister for the next 10years, scuttling all chatter bypartymen that his son, KTR,would soon be anointed inhis place. Why KCR took 3-4 months to squash this talkis a point to ponder.

What is undeniable is thatTRS needs his steadyinghand and savvy, qualitiesthat his son is yet to match,at a time when the skyline isshowing all indications ofchanging from pink to arainbow of colours. The TRShas to remain wary of chal-lenges it is facing from mul-tiple directions.

S NAGESH KUMARFormer Resident Editor,

The Hindu

In just six months, the colours on

Telangana’s political map began morphing.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, pink party

had to make way for saffron in four and the

tricolour in three while green (MIM)

retained its Hyderabad bastion.

‘ALL ANDSUNDRY’

TRS wary as political colours keep changing

PNS n HYDERABAD

Padmasri Chintala VenkataReddy, an eminent farmer fromTelangana, who is known for hissoil management techniques,has devised an organically cul-tivated rice variety which is richin Vitamin D.

Generally speaking, eitherthe rice or wheat is not rich inVitamin-D. But as per VenkataReddy’s formula, spraying of cer-tain solutions will increase theVitamin-D in the grains.

Venkat reddy is an eminentfarmer belonging to Alwal inMedchal-Malkajgiri district.Farmers using his soil manage-ment techniques have beenderiving benefit. He inventedtechnique of using it as fertilis-er, pesticide and as agent thatimproves quality of the crop.

He obtained the patent for thismany years ago in 130 countries.Venkat Reddy achieved successin his experiment of paddy andwheat grains acquiring vita-min-D without the spray ofchemicals, genetic modifica-tions and without the applicationof modern technology. The

World Intellectual PropertyOrganisation gave its green sig-nal to give patent rights to hisformula to generate Vitamin-Din paddy and wheat grains.

Venkat Reddy told a sectionof the media that adding vita-min-A to paddy and its reactionwith sunlight helped paddygrains acquire Vitamin-D.

Venkat Reddy claimed that heis armed with a formula this isrich in vitamins and nutrients inpaddy and wheat and offered togive to farmers to meet his per-sonal needs. However, he saidthat those who want to use the

formula for commercial purpos-es should consult him.

Several have borrowed therice rich in Vitamin-D fromhim, he said predicting a hugedemand for it during the currentpandemic period. Severalurbanites have been sufferingfrom Vitamin-D deficiencyincreasing their risk of contract-ing the diseases. Some peoplehave been using medicines toovercome Vitamin-D deficien-cy.

He expressed his readiness tohelp the farmers provided theCentre wants to use his services

to help the farmers. If the gov-ernment is not ready to help thefarmers, he said that he wouldgive the formula to MNCs.Venkata Reddy would not applyfertilisers and pesticides butpractices agriculture usingorganic farming methods.

Continued from Page 1

He took a swipe at theCongress and other parties --which had backed Article 370 ofthe Constitution that gave specialstatus to Jammu and Kashmir -- saying this was a temporaryprovision but they continuedwith it for over 70 years before theModi government annulled it.

Jammu and Kashmir has beena top priority for the current gov-ernment since it took power in2014, he said.

Responding to Congressleader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury,Shah said opposition partieswere free to visit the region.

Chowdhury had claimed thatforeign delegations were beingtaken to the region, no all-party

delegation was sent.The home minister also gave

the assurance to the people ofJammu and Kashmir that "noone will lose their land". The gov-ernment has sufficient land fordevelopment works, Shah said.

Decentralisation and devolu-tion of power have taken place inthe union territory followingthe revocation of Article 370,Shah said, noting that panchay-at elections saw over 51 per centvoting. Panchayats have beengiven administrative and finan-cial powers for local develop-ment, something they lackedearlier, he added.

Now people chosen by themasses will rule Jammu andKashmir, not those born to

"kings and queens", he said,attacking dynastic parties in theregion.

Even our rivals could notallege any wrongdoing in thesepolls which were conducted fair-ly and peacefully, he said.

Work on two AIIMS in theregion has begun, and theKashmir Valley will be connect-ed to the railways by 2022, theUnion Home Minister said.

Attacking the opposition, hesaid while they were seeking areport card from the governmentabout the development of Jammuand Kashmir since the abrogationof Article 370 in August 2019,"have you brought a report cardof what you have done in the last70 years".

Shah assures statehood to...Continued from Page 1

He addressed a letter to theElection Commission andDistrict Superintendent ofPolice seeking permission forhis padayatra. He mentioned inhis letter that his padayatrawould be from the BrahmanaVellemla project to the ENCoffice Jala Soudha.

While announcing his pro-gramme schedule,Komatireddy demanded thegovernment to complete theBrahmana Vellemla and SLBCprojects.

He said his padayatra wouldbe against the government's"negligent attitude towardsthese projects". According tohim, the Brahmana Vellemlaproject could be completed ifRs 100 crore is allocated andthe SLBC tunnel could becompleted if Rs 1,000 crore isallotted.

Padayatrisgalore inCongress

Continued from Page 1

The bench, which has passedthe order recently, said it hasconsidered the earlier judicialpronouncements and record-ed its opinion that theConstitutional scheme comeswith a right to protest andexpress dissent but with anobligation to have certainduties.

“The right to protest cannotbe anytime and everywhere.There may be some sponta-neous protests but in case of

prolonged dissent or protest,there cannot be continuedoccupation of public placeaffecting the rights of others,”the bench said, while dis-missing a plea by one ShaheenBagh resident Kaniz Fatimaand others seeking review oflast year's verdict of October7. The top court, which con-sidered the matter in thejudges' chambers, also reject-ed the prayer for open courthearing in the matter.

The apex court had onOctober 7, last year held that

public spaces cannot be occu-pied indefinitely and demon-strations expressing dissenthave to be in designated placesalone.

It had said occupation ofpublic ways in the anti-CAAprotests at Shaheen Baghlocality here was not accept-able.

Observing that democracyand dissent go hand in hand,the apex court had said con-stitutional scheme comes withthe right to protest and expressdissent, but with an obligation

towards certain duties.It had said the mode and

manner of dissent againstcolonial rule during India'sfreedom struggle cannot beequated with dissent in a self-ruled democracy.

“However, while appreciat-ing the existence of the rightto peaceful protest against alegislation...we have to makeit unequivocally clear thatpublic ways and public spacescannot be occupied in such amanner and that too indefi-nitely,” the top court had said.

The apex court's verdicthad come on a plea by lawyerAmit Sahni against blockadeof a road in Shaheen Bagharea by those protestingagainst the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA),which aimed to provideIndian citizenship to persecut-ed minorities of Pakistan,Afghanistan and Bangladesh.It had held that the protest atShaheen Bagh was a blockageof a public way which causedgrave inconvenience to com-muters.

Right to protest cannot be anytime and everywhere: SC

Continued from Page 1

“That is why I am runningfor the Secretary-General ofthe United Nations. I refuse tobe a bystander. I will notaccept this is the best the UNcan do,” she says in the video.

Last month Guterres, 71had confirmed that he willseek a second five-year termas chief of the world organi-sation.

Guterres's first term endson December 31 this year andthe term of the next Secretary-General will begin on January1, 2022.

Guterres assumed office onJanuary 1, 2017 after areformed selection processthat included a public infor-mal dialogue session in theGeneral Assembly. He is the9th Secretary-General of theUnited Nations and nowoman has held the positionof the world's top diplomat inthe 75-year history of theUnited Nations.

The Secretary-General isappointed by the GeneralAssembly, on the recommen-dation of the Security Council,making the Secretary-General's selection subject tothe veto of any of the five per-manent members of the

Council.Stephane Dujarric,

Spokesman for the Secretary-General, responding to a ques-tion at the daily briefing on theUNDP staffer announcing hercandidacy for Secretary-General, said "AntonioGuterres is a candidate for theselection process. It's not forhim to comment on otherpeople who may want to comeforward.” "This is a processrun by Member States. So, I'mnot aware of any issues orproblems with that .I speak forthe incumbent candidate, butwe have no comment on any-one else who may wish to puttheir hat in the proverbialring,” Dujarric said.

The spokesperson for UNGeneral Assembly PresidentVolkan Bozkir, BrendenVarma was asked at the pressbriefing whether Akankshahad written to the Presidenton her candidacy.

Varma said the President'soffice had not received anyformal communications onthis matter. Varma had earli-er said that so far the GeneralAssembly President had notreceived any notifications ofcandidacies for the position ofSecretary-General from

Member States.He added that candidates

have traditionally been pre-sented by Member States.

In the video, Akankshaadds that it is time that the UNstop serving politicians andstart serving people.

It is time for a new UN - aUN that is a guardian forrefugees, takes humanitariancrises through to completionand gets technology and edu-cation in the hands of all. Shesaid these ideas are not impos-sible and don't need another75 years to accomplish.

It takes someone beingbold, being a first - first tospeak up, first to take action,first to make a difference andnow first to challenge theUN. I'm no longer waiting forthe torch to be passed down,I'm taking it because I am partof the generation of changewhere we don't just talk aboutchange, we cause change, shesaid. According to her profileon her website UNOW.org,Akanksha graduated fromYork University, Toronto witha Bachelor of AdministrativeStudies. She received herMaster in PublicAdministration fromColumbia University.

Indian-origin woman in fray ...

Several haveborrowed therice rich inVitamin-D fromhim, saidPadmasriChintalaVenkata Reddy,an eminentfarmer andscientist fromsaid predicting ahuge demandfor it during the currentpandemic period

Telangana farmer getspatent for Vitamin-D rice

Continued from Page 1

Noting that India meets 80per cent of its fuel requirementfrom oil producing nations,Pradhan said "we are facingchallenges on the price" as thecrude oil price was again on arising trend.

The Minister, here to attendthe inauguration of thePetrochemical Park at BPCLKochi Refinery by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onSunday, said there was a totalcollapse in demand for petro-leum across the world due tothe Covid-19 lockdown andpetroleum producers had toreduce production.

"Now the economy hasrevived and India has returnedalmost to the pre-Covid posi-tion. However, the oil produc-ers have not increased produc-tion."

"I am sorry to say oil richcountries are not looking intothe interest of consuming coun-tries. They created an artificialprice mechanism. This ispinching the consuming coun-tries," Pradhan told reporters inresponse to a query on risingfuel prices in the country.

The Minister, however, saidrecently some initial positivethings have been indicated bythe oil producing countries.The minister also said the sit-uation arising out of theCovid-19 crisis contributed tothe oil price hike. He cited theGovernment's increasedspending in welfare anddevelopmental programmesto justify the increase in thepetroleum products.

"Some components of thepetroleum price are comingfrom the tax regime. We arepassing through an unusu-al phase due to the Covidpandemic."

Continued from Page 1

RTC employees' grouseis that the occupancy ratio ofRTC buses, compared tothe situation immediatelyafter the unlock processbegan, has improved. Thishas helped the RTC earn atleast Rs 12 crore additional-ly per day.

The RTC authorities say,presently the corporationhas just Rs 20 crore with it,after deducting all expensesfor payment of salaries. TheRTC claimed to have paidsalaries last month to someof the employees out of itsown funds and paid wages toothers after FinanceDepartment released funds.This has led to some confu-sion and apprehensionsamong the staff.

This time, the RTC hasdecided to disburse wages toall employees at once.

Fund-starvedRTC yet to ...

Centre blamesartificial price...

Continued from Page 1

Near home, when it comes toschools in Telangana State, mostof them reopened on February1, 2020 and that too from Class9 after having conducted onlyonline classes since March 2020.Consequently, school teachersare facing the brunt of the edu-cational institutions' resourcecrunch. They are having a toughtime due to lack of salaries orpayment of only half salariessince March 2020. With no wayout, many teachers haveswitched to odd jobs to eke outtheir living.

According to the TelanganaPrivate Teachers Forum, sever-al teachers and school staffershave ended lives since the startof the pandemic as could notmake their ends meet, apartfrom piling debts. Many teach-ers moved to their hometownsand began doing menial jobs tofeed their families during theLockdown. Some teachers start-ed working as labourers, whileothers are selling vegetables,tea, bangles,footwear etc.

Surya Chandra, a teacher atSt.Johns High School (private) inWarangal district Telangana toldThe Pioneer, "I have my wife andtwo kids to feed, but we are notbeing paid since March 2020. Itried to find other works to feedmy family and pay my bills butat last I found work as daily wagelabour. After lots of struggle tofind out, I got this job in May2020 and I am earning Rs 500per day. No online classes wereconducted by our school duringthe lockdown. In fact, theymanaged to conduct classeswith an app and totally ignoredus. We are not being paid sincethen and we only know how dif-ficult this phase is for us. Now,after the classes started fromFebruary 1, we are being askedto come to school only once aweek, but we don't knowwhether we will paid or not asour salaries are due since March2020. Neither the managementis helping us nor is the govt pro-viding any kind of help to us. Noone should ever face the kind of

difficulties we private teachershave faced during the pandem-ic".

Forty-seven-year-old PapaRao, a private school teacher inBharatnagar in Hyderabad, whostarted a tea stall on the occasionof Teachers' Day told ThePioneer: "I am teaching since last25 hours, but I was forced to starta tea stall last year as I have notbeen paid since March 2020. Itwas becoming impossible tomeet daily needs to feed myfamily; so, I started this tea stallon the occasion of Teachers' Daylast year. It was a sad day for anyteacher to switch profession onTeachers Day, but we privateteachers have become reallyhelpless now as schools are notready to pay us. Schools havefinally started now for higherclasses, but schools are manag-ing with 2-3 teachers. I am aKabaddi player and a PT teacher,but now I am making and sell-ing tea to feed my family. I amearning some Rs 300 every dayby selling tea. Every day I feel likecommitting suicide looking atour financial conditions, but Iam not able to do so because Ihave to live for my family".

Thirty-three-year-old Jyothi,a private school teacher who hasbeen teaching English subject inHyderabad for the past 15 years,told The Pioneer: "Initially wewere paid half salaries, but laterthe schools stopped paying evenhalf salaries. The managementtold us that we can continueworking if are OK to workwithout salaries; otherwise, theywant us to resign. So after wait-ing for some time I startedlooking for other jobs and start-ed working part time in a ban-gle store since October 2020 asI don't have any other source ofincome. Now I am earning Rs5,000 in the bangle store eventhough it is not enough to meetdaily needs."

Telangana Recognised SchoolManagement Association(TRSMA) says it has becomedifficult to pay to the teacherseven now because the parentsare not willing to pay school fees.

Covid transformsjob profiles...

Continued from Page 1

The TTDP announced acouple of days ago that TTDPChief L Ramana would con-test MLC elections for theHyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar Graduates'constituency.

TTDP is the second partythat announced its candi-date, after the Congress party.However, both TRS and BJPare yet to announce their can-didates. TRS, Congress andBJP are already engaged infield level campaigns to winthe by-election.

Congress candidate JanaReddy has won seven timesfrom the constituency.However, Jana Reddy losthis elections in the 2018 pollsat the hands of ruling TRSparty candidate NomulaNarsimhaiah, whose deathnecessitated the NagarjunaSagar by-elections.

According to sources, theTRS is waiting for the BJP tofinalise its candidate. BJP isconsidering all angles tofinalise its candidate as it hasno strong party base in seat.There are strong indicationsthat TRS' present option forthe Nagarjuan Sagar by-elec-tion is party MLC TheraChinnapa Reddy.

According to sources,Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao hasalready given the green lightto Chinnapa Reddy andasked him to work in the con-stituency.

Cong confirmsJana Reddy'scandidature

PNS n HYDERABAD

With increase in the price ofcrude oil internationally, theprice of Liquid Petroleum Gas(LPG) cylinders supplied tohouseholds has been gradual-ly increasing.

Within a span of twomonths price of an LPG cylin-der increased by about Rs 125.Before November last year thecost of one 14.2 kg LPG cylin-der was Rs 646.50, but onNovember its price increasedby Rs 100 and recently it hasincreased further by Rs 25. Atpresent the cost of an LPGcylinder is Rs 771.50.

The price no doubt is highfrom the common man's pointof view, more so as they are notgetting the government subsidyto the tune they used to geteven some time ago. Actually,before the outbreak of theCoronavirus pandemic thecustomers paid only Rs 520 foran LPG cylinder. The govern-ment paid the remainingamount and the subsidy moneywas deposited in the bankaccount of the customer.

On the basis of this practicethe government has to depositRs 200 to Rs 220 in a cus-tomer's bank account as sub-sidy, but at present the subsidyamount has reduced to Rs 40.In Telangana there are 1.18crore people using the LPG anddaily refilling requirement is1.20 lakh cylinders. Withincrease in prices and lack ofsubsidy customers are bearingthe burden of thousands ofcrores annually.

Price of LPG cylinders on the rise The price nodoubt is highfrom thecommon man'spoint of view,more so as theyare not gettingthe governmentsubsidy to thetune they used to geteven some time ago

ANUSHA PUPPALAn HYDERABAD

Retail Selling Price (RSP) isinclusive of home deliverycharges for delivering gascylinders, replied BharatPetroleum Corporation Limited(BPCL) in an RTI reply to aconsumer activist in Hyderabad. Several residents in the city havecomplained of delivery boysforcing them to pay more thanthe price mentioned on thereceipt while delivering the gascylinders. However, BPCL saysnever pay more than the pricementioned on the receipt.Consumer activists alleged thatconsumers were being exploited

by the gas distributors.According to several residents,delivery boys have beendemanding delivery charges ofRs 20 or Rs 30 and in someplaces, even Rs 50 for deliveringone gas cylinder. In the RTI replyBPCL replied, "RSP is inclusiveof home delivery charges fordeliveries in trading area ofdistributorship. Distributor isbound by the terms andconditions of the DistributorshipAgreement signed by thesignatory with the company. Onestablished irregularities actionsis taken as per the terms of theAgreement." S Umesh Kumar, aconsumer activist fromHyderabad, who filed RTI

inquiring about delivery charge,told The Pioneer, "It is illegal totake more than the retail sellingprice mentioned on the receipt.Consumers can give a complaintto the concerned oil companyagainst the gas distributors forcollecting excess amounts. Evencomplaints can be filed with theCivil Supplies departmentagainst the gas distributors." Hefurther added, "While deliveringthe gas cylinder, the delivery boyshould bring the weighingmachine to check the weight ofthe gas cylinder before deliveringit to the customers. It is the rightof the customer to get the gascylinder delivered to their housefreely." Vinay Vangala a

Hyderabad-based social activistsaid, "There were manyinstances when customers wereforced to pay extra deliverycharges by the delivery boys.Some were asked to pay Rs 50extra despite paying bill worthRs 762 through online payment.Customers should know thatthey need not pay even a singlerupee extra then they paid for thebill. After several complaints thedistributor came to my homeand requested to give him achance to correct the mistake. Ihave withdrawn my complaintafter he promised that he willensure the delivery boys don'tdemand money from a singlecustomer of his agency.

RSP of cylinder includes delivery charges

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 14, 2021 hyderabad 03

Municipal Administrationand Urban Development

Principal Secretary ArvindKumar has said that the ArmySymphony Band will performon the Durgam Cable Bridgeon February 14 at 5.30pm tomark the Swarnim Vijay Varshcelebrations being organisedto mark the 50th GoldenJubilee year since India's victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. In thisregard, the bridge would be closed to traffic from February 14 10.00am onwards for arrangements of the event. He informed all thecitizens attend the event, enjoy the fabulous performance and paytheir respects to the brave soldiers on the occasion of SwarnimVijay Varsh. The event is free and will commence from sharp 5.30pm on Sunday.

The Meteorological Centreon Saturday said that

Dundigal in Telanganarecorded a lowest minimumtemperature of 14.6 degreeCelsius on the interveningnight of Friday and Saturday.In a bulletin here, the Met saidthat Anantapur andArogyavaram in Rayalaseemaof Andhra Pradesh recorded the lowest minimum temperature of13.5 degree Celsius. Medak in Telangana recorded a lowestminimum temperature of 15 degree Celsius, while capital cityHyderabad recorded 16.9 degree celsius. The bulletin said mist orhaze is likely to prevail in the morning hours at isolated places inTelangana during the next two days. Dry weather is likely to prevailin Telangana, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseemaduring the next five days.

Telangana Social WelfareResidential EducationalInstitutions Society

(TSWREIS) and Telangana StateCouncil for Higher Education(TSCHE) are jointly organising atwo-day national workshop(virtual) for Mathematics, Statisticsand Computer Science teachers ontopics 'Emerging Trends in DataScience' and Data science tools,Teaching methodologies andCareer opportunities in the 21st century. The workshop will be heldon February 26 and 27. Eminent professors and industry experts willexplain the relevance of B.Sc. (Data Science) course in the presentscenario. Interested Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Sciencefaculty members are requested to register their names throughonline links and participate in the workshop.

TSWREIS, TSCHE to hold datascience seminar on Feb 26, 27

OMRON Healthcare India, aglobal leader in digital blood

pressure monitoring domain, hasannounced the launch of its nextexperience-cum-service centrehere on Saturday. With thiscentre, OMRON now has 64touch points across the countryincluding experience, service andpick-up centres, the Healthcarecompany said in a release here.OMRON Managing DirectorMasanori Matsubara said: "Our aim is to provide product experiencethrough actual demonstration of the products along with providingthe complete gamut of repair services ranging from run-of-the-millcalibration issues to advanced technical interventions." The centre isequipped with an 'Experience Zone' for customers offering livedemos for a wide range of OMRON products.

Army Symphony band to performon Durgam Cable Bridge

Dundigal records minimumtemperature of 14.6

0 C

Love birds throng variousparks in city to have funtimeon the eve of Valentine’s Daycelebrated on February 14every year. A girl is seen

posing with her lover for aselfie at a park in Hyderabad

on Saturday.

HAPPY

VALENTINE’S DAY

— SV Chary

PNS n HYDERABAD

World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF) Telangana's chairmanAnil Kumar Epur, along withfamily members, visited NehruZoological Park here onSaturday and adopted fourspecies - two mammals, a rep-tile and a nocturnal bird for aperiod of one year.

Anil Kumar Epur's grandsonArjun Reddy Mekapati adopt-ed a leopard. His daughter V.Aishwarya Reddy adopted aking cobra and a horned owl,while another daughter KirtiReddy Mekapati adopted ajaguar for a period of one year.

They handed over a chequeof Rs 20 lakh to Deputy Curator

A. Nagamani at NehruZoological Park, Hyderabad.

Speaking on the occasion, N.Kshitija, IFS, Curator, Nehru

Zoological Park, thanked themfor showing keen interest inadopting the animals like leop-ard, jaguar, king cobra and owl

for a period of one yearstrengthen the wildlife con-servation programme in theZoo Park. They said that their

commitment towards the con-servation of wildlife wouldinspire many others and hopedthat more citizens would comeforward for adopting animalsin Nehru Zoological Park.

WWF TS unit’s prez’s family adopts 4 inmates of zoo

CITY LIGHTS

WWF TS chairmanAnil Kumar Epur, alongwith family members,visited NehruZoological Park andadopted 4 species -two mammals, a reptileand a nocturnal bird fora period of one year.

PTI n MUMBAI

Five members of a touristparty sustained critical injurieswhen a gang of unidentifiedrobbers assaulted the touristson Friday with stones andknives, and relieved them oftheir valuables including eighttolas of gold.

The injured have been admit-ted to a hospital in Humnabadin Bidar district of Karnataka.The incident occurred whentwo families belonging toVikarabad district in Telanganawere returning to the state in acar after visiting Shirdi.

According to reports, fam-ilies of school head master, KRamulu, and KulkacharlaGrameen Bank ManagerRamesh of Vikarabad districtwere returning to the state aftera pilgrimage to Shirdi.

Robbers got the tyres of

their cars punctured by plac-ing nails on the road. Whenthe car driver tried to escapefrom the robbers, he lost bal-ance over the wheel due towhich the car veered off theroad making the task easy forrobbers.

The robbers assaulted the

tourists and relieved them oftheir money and jewellery. Thetourists fearing for their lives gavetheir valuables to the looters.

The eye-witness accountssaid that the robbers assaultedthe tourists, some of whom arewomen and children, withknives and stones mercilessly.

Devotees returning from Shirdiassaulted, 8 tolas of gold robbed

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana's Covid case tallyreached 2,96,428 so far with aspike of 151 new Coronaviruscases till Friday.

No new deaths were record-ed in the last 24 hours and tollremained at 1,614, translatinga case fatality rate of 0.54 percent as against the countrywidemortality rate of 1.4 per cent,according to the bulletin issued

by the state health depart-ment. A total of 185 peoplehave recovered from Covidstatewide in the last 24 hourspushing the total number ofrecoveries to 2,93,033 till dateconstituting a recovery rate of98.85 per cent while thenational recovery rate was 97.3per cent.

The active cases in the statecurrently stand at 1,781 includ-ing 789 individuals in home or

institutional isolation.About 27,239 swab samples

have been tested in the stateout of which, the reports of 761swab samples are awaited.

Since the outbreak of theCovid pandemic, more than82.69 lakh Covid tests havebeen conducted in the state tillnow. The GHMC) remainedthe main contributor of theinfection by reporting 31 newcases during the last 24 hours.

TS records 151 new Covid cases

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Indian Railways onSaturday has announced thatthe date was yet to be fixedfor resuming all passengertrains.

In a statement here, theSouth Central Railway saidthat there have been a seriesof reports in the media aboutresumption of full passengertrain services from a givenApril date.

Clarification is constantlybeing given to the mediaabout it for the last few days.It is being reiterated againthat no such date has beenfixed for resumption of allpassenger trains operations,the release said.

The Railways has beenincreasing the number oftrain services in a gradedmanner. Already, more than65 per cent trains are run-ning. More than 250 pluswere added in January alone.More will be added gradual-ly, the SCR further said.

All factors need to be takencare of and inputs of allstakeholders are to be fac-tored, it added.

All are requested to avoidspeculation. Media and pub-lic will be duly informed asand when such a decision istaken, said the statement.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Fashion designers exhibitedtheir collections at the FashionYatra held at a star hotel hereon Saturday. The show wasinaugurated by few govern-ment school children.

Speaking to the media onthe sidelines of the exhibition,Hyderabad-based fashiondesigner Kamini Saraf saidthat over 60 designers, design-er labels from across Indiaand abroad showcased theircollections.

Among them were fashionentrepreneurs, social enter-prises, start-ups and lifestylebrands, designer labels whoshowcased their productsincluding jewellery, semi pre-cious jewellery, clothes, acces-sory, home accessory and giftitems.

Mumbai-based fashiondesigner Himani Doshi saidthat the wedding season in theCovid lockdown period saw

that the bride and groom didnot compromise but thebridesmaid and others didforgo things such as clothes,jewellery, etc. as only limitedpropel were allowed to attendthe marriage.

She said that now-a-dayspeople are looking for appar-els that are repeatable andopined optimistically that thethings will back to normalsoon.

Shashank Chelmilla, anarchitect-turned-fashiondesigner said that due to Covid,

the gatherings at weddings /wedding ceremonies weresmall and people did not wantto splurge.

But, during post-lockdownperiod due to the opening ofshops, people are ready tospend. But they are looking forsimplified, affordable apparelswith oomph factor.

Another young designerfrom Hyderabad, VarunChalddlam opined that thefashion industry will reachpre-Covid levels soon. It willdefinitely pick up soon. The

clientele is now giving priori-ty to responsible buying. Theyare looking for products whichare reusable. Sustainability is afactor that they are now look-ing into, he said.

Designer Sajedalehry ofSeams Pret & Couture,Mumbai, said that in the post-Covid scenario, people aremore aware of choices andwant to get value. Thoughcurrently the market is slow, itis going to pick up in futuresoon.

People are looking for moreclassic pieces that are longlasting and that they can trea-sure and wear for long. Morewearability and value formoney are the driving forces inthe current situation, sheadded.

Kolkata-based designer AlokBald was of the opinion thatgenuine buyers are alwayslooking for quality productsand our clientele have beenwith us.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The first wife of a personallegedly killed his second wifeby hanging her in Rayadurgamhere on Friday. According topolice, one Bhasker, who isworking as an event manager,has two wives.

He, initially, was married toJanaki nine years ago and hadbeen blessed with a son and adaughter. Later, he marriedanother woman Sravanthi ayear ago. She is also six monthspregnant. Janaki and Sravanthiused to quarrel with eachother often. A frustrated Janakiplanned to eliminate Sravanthiwith the help of her brotherLakshminarayana KrishnaPrasad. As part of their plan,Janaki has invited Sravathi fordiscussion to her house onFriday at about 10 00 am onFriday and killed Sravanthi by

hanging with the help of herbrother. The body was keptsecretly in another room.

Before the incident, Janakigave coffee mixed with sleep-ing tablets to her husband.

After waking up, Bhaskerwent to attend a function at hisbrother's residence in OldCity. Since, Sravanthi didn'treturn home even afterevening, her parents called upBhasker and enquired abouther whereabouts.

As Sravanthi could not betraced out, her parents lodgeda missing complaint withRayadurgam police station.

After coming to know aboutthe complaint, Krishna Prasadconfessed to the police thatthey killed Sravanthi. Janakiand Krishna Prasad surren-dered before the police.

Further investigation isunderway, police added.

Woman kills husband’ssecond wife

No date finalisedfor resuming allpassenger trains:Railways

Designers exhibit their collections at Fashion Yatra

PNS n HYDERABAD

The vaccination drive foradministering second dose ofCovid vaccine began atGandhi Hospital here atSecunderabad on Saturday.

Government orderedhealth workers to vaccinate atsame hospital where theytaken first vaccinationdosage.

Gandhi Hospital DMERamesh Reddy and TIMSdirector Vimala Thomas weregiven the second dose ofvaccine during the pro-gramme. Doctors advised thehealth workers take the samecompany vaccine for the sec-ond dose also.

The health department hasadvised the health workers toget vaccinated by February 25if they haven't received thefirst dose of the vaccine.

OMRON launches nextservice centre in city

Second dosevaccination forCovid begins

hyderabad 04

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao attended the engagement of State Planning Board Vice-Chairman B Vinod Kumar’s sonwith Warangal SVS Educational Institutions’ Chairman Tirumal Rao’s daughter at Hitex in Hyderabad on Saturday and blessedthe couple

CM AAT VVINOD SSON’S BBETROTHAL CCEREMONY

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 14, 2021

‘Palle PrakruthiVanams’ to provide lung spaceKARIMNAGAR: OSD in theChief Minister’s Office (HarithaHaram) Priyanka Varghese hassaid that they had taken up‘Palle Prakuthi Vanams’ in thevillages to provide the greenenvironment and village parksin the rural areas. Varghese,along with Collector KShashanka, visited theGundlapalli nursery inGanneruvaram mandal, PallePrakruthi Vanam inMahatmanagar near LMDreservoir, Thimmapur mandalheadquarters’ community plan-tations at PHC in the mandalon Saturday. On the occasion,she also planted saplings,along with the Collector.Speaking on the occasion, shecalled upon the authorities totake up plantation of fruit-bear-ing plants in the ‘PallaPrakruthi Vanams’. She saidthat the village parks would actas a lung space and would bedeveloped into recreation spotfor children and adults in thevillages.

Make arrangementsfor Graduate MLC polls: CEONAGAR KURNOOL: ChiefElectoral Officer ShashankGoyal has directed theDistrict Collectors to makeelaborate arrangements forthe conduct of the ensuingGraduate MLC elections.The State Chief ElectoralOfficer, who held a videoconference with theCollectors from Hyderabadon Saturday, instructed themto take measures to ensurethat voters exercise their votefreely and peacefully.He suggested that eachpolling station be inspectedand arrangements should bemade accordingly. He gave afiat to the authoritiesconcerned to make properarrangements for the ensuingRangareddy–Hyderabad –Mahbubnagar Graduateconstituency elections.

CAPSULE

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

The City Police Training Centrein Karimnagar (CPTC) hasbecome a role model for theentire State in developing thegreenery

as a part of the Haritha Haramprogramme and is competingwith the Forest College ResearchCentre in Jogulamba Gajweldistrict, said Officer-on-SpecialDuty in the Chief Minister’sOffice, Priyanka Varghese, dur-ing her visit to the district onSaturday.

She inspected the RashiVanam, Navagraha Vanam,Nakshatra Vanam and aquacul-ture, along with the mini-for-est grown with using Miyawakitechnology, at the City PoliceTraining Centre.

It may be noted that as a partof the Haritha Haram pro-gramme, police personnel ofKarimnagar PoliceCommissionerate planted asmany as 12,500 saplings of 33varieties under Project-I in oneacre and 14,800 saplings in 1.14acres under Project-II at theCPTC, which is located in theheart of the Karimnagar city.

Speaking on the occasion, shesaid that though the land is notsuitable for the growing of plants,with commitment and dedica-tion, the Karimnagar policeturned the entire area into a fer-tile land by developing the areainto a mini-forest using theMiyawaki method of plantation.

Expressing surprise over the

steady growth of the mini-for-est in the heart of the city, shesaid that the low-lying area,which is present, on the banksof Lower Manair Dam in theCPTC, was not suitable for theplants to grow. But, theKarimnagar police had made itpossible that, too, using theorganic farming techniquesand drip irrigation system.

The CPTC has become a

model for the entire State andis competing with the ForestCollege Research Centre inJogulamba Gajwel district, sheadded. Commissioner of PoliceVB Kamalasan Reddyexplained to the OSD howthey raised the saplings andtransformed the area into themini-forest using the Miyawakimethod through a scientificapproach.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Dr E Siva Nagireddy, arche-ologist and CEO, TheCultura l C entre ofVijayawada and Amaravati(CCVA), Warangal-basedhistorian Arvind Arya andYadlapalli Amarnath, GalleryExecutive, CCVA, noticedthe 13th century AD stonequarries used by the Kakatiyasculptors to extract stonefor temple construction dur-ing an exploration conduct-ed on Saturday as part of theCCVA's initiative ‘PreserveHeritage for Posterity’. Theteam led by Dr Reddy was ona study tour of the Kakatiyatemples at Ghanpur inJayasankar Bhupalapalli dis-trict, chanced upon to dis-cover the quarries nearVelturlapalli, a village locat-ed in between Ghanpur andRamanujapuram ChenchuColony.

The quarries according toSiva Nagireddy, run to alength of 1km and the wedgemarks on the rock surface

reveal the Kakatiya stonecutters and sculptors used18×2×1 inch iron wedges tosplit the stones in required

sizes of the architecturalmembers of the templesnearby at Ghanpur,R amanujapuram and

Palampet. He also corrobo-rated the evidence that theGanapeswara temple com-plex and Reddygudi atGhanpur, ErukalananchariGudi (Panchakuta temple) atRamanujapur and Ramappatemple at Palampet werebui lt us ing the s tonesextracted from this quarry.

Aravind Arya said thatremnants of semi-finishedarchitectural members areseen scattered at theVelturlapalli Kakatiya stonequarry and revealed that a1244 AD inscription of

Malyala Chaunda Senanihighlights the techniques ofs tone sculpt ing of theKakatiya silpins and it bearsa lot of significance in thiscontext.

The team has also locatedanother two quarries one atGunturpalli and another atNallakunta villages near theRamappa temple. Dr Reddysays that the team continuingits explorations at other tem-ples also to find out thequarries wherefrom the stonewas extracted during theKakatiya times.

13th century Kakatiya quarries unearthed

Dr E Siva Nagireddy, archeologist and CEO, The Cultural Centre of Vijayawadaand Amaravati (CCVA), Warangal-based historian Arvind Arya and YadlapalliAmarnath, Gallery Executive, CCVA, points out the 13th century AD stonequarries used by the Kakatiya sculptors to extract stone for temple constructionduring an exploration conducted on Saturday in Warangal district as part of theCCVA's initiative ‘Preserve Heritage for Posterity’

The quarries according to SivaNagireddy, archeologist and CEO, TheCultural Centre of Vijayawada andAmaravati (CCVA), run to a length of1km and the wedge marks on the rocksurface reveal the Kakatiya stonecutters and sculptors used to split thestones for the temples nearby Ghanpur,Ramanujapuram and Palampet

CPTC a role model forState in Haritha Haram

Officer-on-Special Duty in the Chief Minister’s Office, Priyanka Varghese, plantinga sapling during her visit to the City Police Training Centre in Karimnagar onSaturday. Commissioner of Police VB Kamalasan Reddy looks on

PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Panchayat RajErrabelli Dayakar Raolaunched a blistering attackagainst senior Congress leaderK Jana Reddy over the MissionBhagiratha water.

He termed the Jana Reddyallegations on not receivingthe Mission Bhagiratha waterat his residence in Anumulavillage of Halia mandal asbaseless.

Speaking to the media hereon Saturday, Errabelli DayakarRao said that they failed tosupply water for the last twodays due to the repairs done tothe breakdown in the gridpipeline on the NationalHighway. He said that thereare four overhead water tanksand 25.4 km intra-pipeline atAnumula village. The villagehas a 3,734 population and1,548 houses. The govern-ment is providing bulk watersupply to all tanks.

The Mission Bhagirathawater is being supplied to allhouses of the village. He said

that Jana Reddy would havenot known the fact water sup-ply was stopped for two daysdue to a breakdown.

On the other hand, Errabellireleased a video, which wentviral on social media, of theofficials checking the MissionBhagiratha water supply atJana Reddy’s residence and vil-lage. Errabelli said that he isleaving to Jana Reddy’s wis-dom when asked whether JanaReddy is doing politics on theMission Bhagiratha scheme.

It may be recalled that JanaReddy on Friday criticisedthe TRS government and KChandrasekhar Rao allegingthat the Chief Minister isspeaking lies on the MissionBhagiratha scheme and saidthat his village is not beingsupplied the MissionBhagiratha scheme water. JanaReddy asked the reporters tovisit his village if they havedoubts about his statement. Healleged that KCR showeredsops to the Nalgonda districtkeeping an eye on theNagarjunasagar by-elections.

Errabelli, Jana spar overMission Bhagiratha waters

n Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao termedJana Reddy allegations on not receiving the MissionBhagiratha water at his residence in Anumula village ofHalia mandal as baseless

n It may be recalled that JanaReddy on Friday criticised theTRS government and KChandrasekhar Rao allegingthat the Chief Minister isspeaking lies on the MissionBhagiratha scheme and saidthat his village is not beingsupplied the MissionBhagiratha scheme water

n He said that theyfailed to supplywater for the lasttwo days due tothe repairs doneto the breakdownin grid pipelineon the NationalHighway

PNS n HYDERABAD

Alleging that the KCR’s fami-ly was enjoying the positionsafter Congress giving a separateState for Telangana, TPCCworking president andMalkajgiri MP A RevanthReddy lamented that ITMinister KT Rama Rao wasenjoying the sacrifices of mar-tyrs.

KCR and KTR did nothingto the Telangana state, he said,reminding that the Congressdistributed the lands to thepoor. He alleged that the BJPled Central government hasintroduced farm laws for thebenefit of Adanis andAmbanis.

Speaking to the media inAmangal on Saturday, RevanthReddy said that the TRS enact-ed dramas to give an impres-sion that it has fought againstfarm laws, however, KCR back-tracked after going to Delhi. Healleged that the farmers aregoing to become slaves to themultinational companies withthe farm laws.

ML MELLY MAITREYI

n HYDERABAD

Some unfulfilled promisesmade by the TRS in its electionmanifesto have come to hauntthe party at a time when thepolitical climate in the State isheating up with a series of elec-tions-- the Graduate MLCspolls, the NagarjunasagarAssembly bypoll and Warangaland Khammam MunicipalCorporations--which would beconducted soon.

Distribution of three acres tolandless poor SC families wasone such promise made by theparty in its first election man-ifesto in 2014 soon after the for-mation of the State and unem-ployment dole for jobless youthin the 2018 elections.

The land distribution was apromise made exclusively forthe benefit of the poorest ofpoor SC families in rural areasto transform their lives. Nowwaiting in vain for six years,people’s representatives fromthe community feel it is time toannounce a scheme exclusive-ly for the uplift of the commu-nity, particularly the SC youth.

This gave rise to speculationif the distribution of landscheme will be given a silentburial as it ran into hurdles afterabout 12,000 acres were distrib-uted between 2014 and 2016 toabout 6,000 odd landless fam-ilies out of the then estimated3.3 lakh beneficiaries.

The government was pre-pared to buy cultivable land anddistribute it, but the steep risein the cost of agricultural landmade the implementation ofthe scheme untenable. Thanksto the thrust given to irrigationprojects, schemes like MissionKakatiya saw a revival of thou-sands of tanks, good rains, thecost of agricultural landszoomed. More so after reorgan-isation of new districts with bet-ter connectivity to the districtheadquarters. Not many werewilling to part with lands after‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme was

introduced. “Now nothing lessthan Rs 20 lakh an acre is avail-able even in remote villages,which were in the range of Rs3 lakh to Rs.5 lakh earlier,”sources said.

But it is wrong to assume thatthe government is replacing thedistribution of land scheme. Itcan still allot assigned andalienated land, sources say. Yetthe recent announcement byChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao about“CM’s SC EmpowermentScheme’ to be personally mon-itored by him in the publicmeeting at Halia in Nalgondadistrict is apparently to assuagethe SCs and address the aspira-tions of this segment.

Apparently, there is a percep-tion that the bouquet of welfareschemes being implementedby the State government was forall the communities. “Thereshould be a scheme exclusive-ly to generate livelihood andemployment opportunities forthe downtrodden SCs, whocomprise about 16 per cent ofthe State population,” SC lead-ers believed to have represent-ed.

According to governmentsources, the Chief Minister has

indicated that Rs 1,000 crorefund will be allocated in thecoming budget for the new SCEmpowerment scheme. “Thebroad contours of the schemeand modalities are beingworked out. There are variousproposals under considerationproviding mechanical agricul-tural equipment to youthgroups by tying up with theagriculture department, identi-fy the skill sets relevant for thefuture among the educated SCyouth and tie-up with high-endtraining partners. For thosewith a high-school education,training may be arranged underthe aegis of Industrial TrainingInstitutes”, sources said.

With opportunities openingup in the service sector, thesources said ‘Franchise models’were being studied in retail,hospitality sectors as inKarnataka, encouraging entre-preneurship programmesunder the MSME sector withthe help of the Dalit IndianChamber of Commerce andIndustry are on the cards on thelines of successfully launchedST entrepreneurship pro-gramme where some ST entre-preneurs set up bakery andother units.

With several SC youth com-ing out of engineering andother professional courses, thegovernment is looking at assist-ing eligible youth to work onStartups in T-Hub. In therural areas, usage of agricultur-al machinery has increasedmanifold.

”There is a growing demandfor skilled youth to repair andmaintain this agri equipmentand tools. The demand forskilled agricultural workerscame into focus when thou-sands of migrant workers fromBihar, Jharkhand, UttarPradesh, went back to theirStates during the lockdownperiod imposed after the break-out of the Covid-19 pandemic.This is another area of liveli-hood generation,” sourcesadded.

Bandi Sanjay urges Javadekar tocurb misuse of money on projectsPNS n HYDERABAD

BJP State unit chief Bandi SanjayKumar urged Union Minister forEnvironment and ForestsPrakash Javadekar to curb themisuse of public money in thename of projects in theTelangana State.

He alleged that the thou-sands of crores of public moneyis going into the pockets of pri-vate persons and urged theUnion Minister to stop the mis-use. He lodged a complaint withPrakash Javadekar, along withUnion Jal Shakthi advisor VedireSriram, on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion,

Bandi Sanjay explained to theUnion Minister that there wasmassive corruption behind theprojects without submittingDPRs to the Central govern-ment. Actually, the State govern-ments have to submit the DPRsbefore the launch of any project,but KCR didn’t send any DPR tothe Union Jal ShakthiDepartment. He said that therewas a big reason behind this. TheState government was enhancingconstruction expenditure as itwished amidst project construc-tion. With this, the project con-tractor had been getting hugebenefits, subsequently,

KCR taking commissions

from the contractors. BandiSanjay alleged that the TRS gov-ernment is not submitting DPRseven though the Apex Councilasked in its meeting.

The reason behind it is toenhance the cost estimationcharges-double the commis-sions. He alleged that the Stategovernment has been takingpermissions from the environ-ment department keeping theNational Green Tribunal in view.He asked Prakash Javadekar toprepare rules to take the permis-sion of the Union Jal ShakthiDepartment besides theEnvironment Departmentbefore construction of projects.

Farms laws benefitonly Ambanis,alleges Revanth

SC EMPOWERMENT SCHEME

Three acres to SCs puton the back-burner?

Distribution ofthree acres tolandless poor SCfamilies was onesuch promisemade by the partyin its first electionmanifesto in 2014soon after theformation of theState andunemploymentdole for joblessyouth in 2018elections.

SCCL to takeup plantationdrive to markCM’s birthdayPNS n PEDDAPALLI

To mark the birthday celebra-tions of Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao, theSingareni CollieriesCompany Limited has decid-ed to take up mass plantationof two lakh saplings on a sin-gle day at various coal minesin the region on February 17.

The mass plantation pro-gramme would be taken byadhering to the Covid-19norms. Director (operations)Chandrashekhar would partic-ipate in the programme inKothagudem, Director(Finance) S Balaram in theBhupalapalli region, Director(E&M) D Satyanarayana Raoin Ramagundam, along withthe respective regions gener-al managers and other officials.

The Singareni had planteda total of 4.59 crore saplingssince the launch of HarithaHaram since 2015 onwardsand taking measures for theirprotection.

‘Convert Hyd-Srisailamhighway into4-lane road’ PNS nNAGAR KURNOOOL

NagarkurnoolLoksabha MPPotugantiRamulu on Saturdayurged the Centre during the cur-rent budget session of the par-liament to take steps to convertthe Hyderabad-SrisailamNational Highway NH-765into a four-lane highway. He saidthat a memorandum was sub-mitted to NitinGadkari, UnionMinister, and ADG nationalhighways in this regard as theheavy traffic volume on the two-lane highway has been causingroad accidents.

PNS n SIDDIPET

Minister for Finance T HarishRao has laid emphasis on prop-agating the greatness ofTelagana to whole world by giv-ing wide publicity to the fairsand festivals celebrated in theState.

He was presenting silk robesto the deity at the self-manifest-ed Lakshmi Narasimhaswamytemple at Pullur in rural districtof Siddipet on Saturday, alongwith MP Kotta PrabhakarReddy, District CollectorVenkatarami Reddy.

At the temple, the main priestKuntaru Rangacharyulu wel-comed the minister, MP andothers accompanying them.

Underlining the significanceof fairs and festivals in rural cul-tural of Telangana, he said thatthese traditions reflect the cul-ture of the State.

In the Telugu month ofMagham, Kudavelli fair,Singaraya fair in Husnabad andPulluru Banda fairs are veryimportant. Not only people

from Siddipet district, but alsomany from Telangana State didtake part in the fair.

The temple has history morethan 800 years. The rulers inundivided AP discriminatedagainst development of templesin Telangana, he alleged.

Ever since, statehood has

been granted to Telangana, thetemple is being developed in aphased manner spending Rs2.50 crore.

Very closed to Pulluru Bandathe river Godavari flows, he saidexpressing the desire to devel-op the place as a famous pil-grimage centre.

Give wide publicity toTelangana fairs: Harish Rao

Minister for Finance T Harish Rao carrying silk robes to offfer to Lord LakshmiNarasimhaswamy at Pullur in rural district of Siddipet on Saturday

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 14, 2021 nation 05

Indore district administrationin Madhya Pradesh hasinvoked the stringent

National Security Act (NSA) intwo cases of illegal trade oforganic fertilisers, an officialsaid on Saturday. Indoredistrict magistrate ManishSingh has issued an order toinvoke the NSA againstShailendra Patidar (43) andYogendra Singh (35), said additional district magistrate (ADM) AbhayBedekar. On February 11, separate cases were registered under theEssential Commodities Act and Fertiliser (Control) Order on thecomplaint of an officer of the Agriculture department against the twoaccused at Lasudia police station in Indore. They were booked oncharges of illegal production, storage and sale of organic fertilisers,he said.

INDIA CORNER

MP: NSA slapped against two forillegal trade of organic seeds

Former Delhi Universityprofessor G N Saibaba,who is serving life term in

Nagpur Central Prison forMaoist links, has testedcoronavirus positive, a jailofficial said on Saturday. Alongwith him, three other inmatesof the jail were found to havecontracted the infection, hesaid. "G N Saibaba tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. He will betaken for a CT scan and other tests, after which doctors will decidewhether to shift him to the Government Medical College and Hospitalfor treatment," jail superintendent Anup Kumre said. Earlier thisweek, gangster Arun Gawli and four other inmates of Nagpur jail hadtested positive for the infection. Saibaba is wheelchair-bound with90 per cent physical disabilities.

Jailed ex-DU professor Saibabatests COVID-19 positive

The Union Ministry of MinorityAffairs will organise a'mushaira' on the theme 'ek

Bharat, shrestha Bharat' (oneIndia, great India) here onFebruary 20 in which renownedpoets from across the countrywill recite their poems andcouplets. In a statement, theministry said Wasim Barelvi,Shabeena Adeeb, Manzar Bhopali, Popular Meeruthi, Saba Balrampuri,Naseem Nikhat, Mumtaz Naseem, V P Singh, Alok Shrivastava,Surendra Singh Shajar, Khursheed Haider, Aqeel Nomani, NayyarJalalpuri and Sikandar Hayat Gadbad will participate in the 'mushaira',to be organised at the Ambedkar International Centre. Minority AffairsMinister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the poets will present their poetryfull of commitment to 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' and 'AatmanirbharBharat'. He noted that 'mushaira' and 'kavi sammelan' have a richcultural legacy which strengthens the fabric of unity in diversity.

Mushaira on ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat' on Feb 20

Delhi Police Commissioner S NShrivastava on Saturdayreviewed the law and order

situation and arrangements atvarious borders points of thenational capital in view of theagitation by farmers protesting thethree agri laws, officials said.During the crime review meetingheld with senior officers of theforce, the police chief also took stock of action taken againstcriminals involved in burglary, and other cases related to NarcoticDrugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), Excise Act andgambling, they said. To reduce such crime, Shrivastava stressed theneed to take effective and sustained steps. He insisted on carryingout regular checking of listed criminals, including jail/bail/parolereleased, temporal and special analysis of crime incidents as well asoptimal use of available human resources and technology.

PNS n LUCKNOW

A total of 64 persons fromUttar Pradesh are still missing,while five from the state havedied after the flash floodscaused by possible glacier burstin Uttarakhand's Chamoli dis-trict, officials said on Saturday.

In a statement issued here,Relief Commissioner of UttarPradesh Sanjay Goyal said, "Asof February 13, five personsfrom the state have died in theglacier burst at Joshimath inUttarakhand's Chamoli dis-trict, while 64 persons are stillmissing. A total of 23 personsfrom the state have been foundalive."

The deceased have beenidentified as Awadhesh (19) ofLakhimpur Kheri, Ajay Sharma(32) of Aligarh, Suraj (20) ofLakhimpur Kheri, VickyKumar, a resident ofSaharanpur and Vimlesh (22),of Lakhimpur Kheri.

Of the 64 missing persons,30 are from Lakhimpur Kheri,followed by 10 fromSaharanpur, five fromShravasti, four from

Gorakhpur, two each fromRaebareli and Kushinagar andone each from Sonbhadra,Mirzapur, Shahjahanpur,Moradabad, Mathura, GautamBuddh Nagar, Deoria,Chandauli, Bulandshahra,Azamgarh and Amroha, thestatement said.

A portion of the NandaDevi glacier possibly burstthrough its banks in Chamolidistrict on February 7. Itappeared to have triggered anavalanche and a deluge thatripped through the Alaknandariver system in the upper

reaches of the ecologically frag-ile Himalayas.

Earlier on February 9, ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath hadsent a team of three ministersto Uttarakhand for better coor-dination with the state in car-rying out relief works after thedisaster.

The chief minister hadformed a committee of threeministers and sent them toUttarakhand for better coordi-nation with the state. The min-isters are Suresh Kumar Rana,Vijay Kashyap and DharamSingh Saini.

PNS n JOSHIMATH(U'KHAND)

Rescue teams on Saturday beganwidening a hole drilled into anapproach tunnel on the way to thepossible location of over 30 peopletrapped inside a sludge-chokedtunnel of the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project after aflash flood ravaged the area onSunday.

"We are working under a three-pronged strategy to reach to thosetrapped in the tunnel. The hole wedrilled yesterday is being widenedto one feet so as to reach a cameraand a pipe inside the silt flushingtunnel where the trapped are said tobe located, General Manager of theNTPC project, R P Ahirwal, told PTI.A hole with a diameter of one feetwill help send in a camera toascertain their location and a pipe toflush out accumulated water fromthe tunnel, Ahirwal said. The othertwo parts of the strategy are

clearing the desilting basin of theNTPC barrage through which muckis constantly flowing into thetunnels and restoring the flow ofthe Dhauliganga to the right whichhas tilted to the left after the flashflood hampering the sludge clearingoperation, he said. Describing therescue of people as a priority, hesaid the NTPC has put more than100 of its scientists on the job.

When asked whether anattempt could also be made to sendrescue personnel to the possiblelocation of those trapped inside thetunnel through the hole, the GMsaid it will need to be widenedfurther for that and will be done ifthe need arises.

"More than 100 of our scientistsare on the job. They are devisingstrategies and having themimplemented," Ahirwal said.

He said all resources andmechanical equipment required forthe operations are available at theproject site.

Rescue teams widening hole intunnel to reach trapped people

PNS n JAIPUR

Congress leader RahulGandhi on Saturday allegedthat Prime Minister NarendraModi wants to "hand over" theentire agriculture business tohis "two friends".

Addressing farmers atRupangarh in Rajasthan, hesaid 40 per cent people of thecountry are stakeholders inthe farming business. "Itis the business of 40per cent people,which includesfarmers, small andmedium business-men, traders andl a b o u r e r s .Narendra Modiwants to give this entirebusiness to his two friends.This is the objective of thefarm laws," he claimed but didnot name anyone.

"Narendra Modi said he isgiving options but the optionsare: hunger, unemploymentand suicide," he alleged.

Gandhi, wearing aRajasthani safa or turban,reached the rally venue dri-ving a tractor with ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot andstate Congress chief Govind

Singh Dotasra sitting withhim. The former Congresschief spoke while standing ona platform made of two trac-tor-trailers while the farmerssat or stood on tractor-trailersaround the platform.

Later in another rally atNagaur's Makrana, Gandhisaid the backbone of the coun-try is being broken, whichstarted with demonetisation.

“Future is being snatchedfrom the youth. In

front of your eyes,the backbone of thecountry is beingbroken. It beganwith demonetisa-

tion, after which theGST…Gabbar Singh

Tax… was brought andsmall businesses were hit,”

Gandhi said in the farmers'rally.

“Farmers, labourers,traders are being sidelined andthe path is being cleared fortwo-three businessmen.During the coronavirus lock-down, labourers requestedthe prime minister to givethem tickets to go home buthe did not yield to it andwaived loans of Rs 1.5 lakhcrore of the rich,” he alleged.

‘PM wants to hand overagri biz to his ‘2 friends'

Uttarakhand flash flood: 64people from UP still missing

PNS n JAIPUR

Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot on Saturdayhailed the medium of radio inreaching out to masses, espe-cially those residing in remoteareas.

Speaking on World RadioDay, he noted that he himselflistens to radio and feels thatthe medium plays an impor-tant role despite the presenceof various other state-of-the-art communication plat-forms.

“Radio is also an importantmeans of spreading aware-ness in society,” he said.

“Radio has a worldwidereach and this powerful andvery cheap medium of com-munication is suitable forresidents of rural and remoteareas, which provides them aplatform for public discus-sion,” the chief ministeradded.

Gehlot said the mediumalso helped in making peopleaware, providing necessaryinformation and alertingthem against rumours duringthe coronavirus-inducedlockdown.

Gehlot hails

radio as effective

medium to reach

out to masses

PNS n TAWANG

Major Ralengnao BobKhathing, who was instrumen-tal in bringing Tawang inArunachal Pradesh under theIndian Union, will be honouredfor the first time on Sundayhere in presence of Chief ofDefence Staff General BipinRawat, two chief ministers, acentral minister and a governor.

As an assistant political offi-cer of the erstwhile North EastFrontier Agency (NEFA) andpresent-day ArunachalPradesh, Khathing had car-ried out an audacious operationto bring Tawang under theIndian Union in the early 1950sunder the direct supervision ofthe then Assam governorJairamdas Daulatram.

Arunachal Pradesh ChiefMinister Pema Khandu,Meghalaya Chief MinisterConrad Sangma, Union SportsMinister Kiren Rijiju,Arunachal Pradesh GovernorBrigadier (Retd) B D Mishraand General Rawat arrived

here this afternoon to attendthe foundation stone layingceremony of Major RalengnaoBob Khathing Memorial atKalawangpo auditorium.

"Khathing was one of themost significant heroes of Indiawhose immense contribution

cannot be forgotten. A duerecognition will be given toKhathing, who was so farneglected," Rijiju told PTI.

Khathing's son John, aretired IRS officer, and otherfamily members will also bepresent at the function.

Khathing, who was a Nagafrom Manipur, was given orderby Daulatram to march towardsTawang with 200 soldiers ofAssam Rifles and 600 porterson January 17, 1951.

Before World War II,Tawang was under the admin-istrative control of the thenindependent Tibetan govern-ment.

Despite several attempts, theBritish could not annex it.

According to historicalaccounts of the NEFA, when

Khathing and his men arrivedin Tawang, he called a meetingon a high-ground near theTawang Monastery for meetinglocal tax officials, village eldersand prominent people ofTawang.

He used diplomatic skills towin over the locals. He soonrealised that the local Monpacommunity was strugglingunder the harsh taxes imposedby the Tibetan administration.

He told the local peopleabout India, its democracyand assured them that Indiawill never impose unjustifiedtax on them.

Soon, with the Assam Riflesmen, Khathing took control ofTawang, tricolour was hoistedin Tawang and Bumla and thearea became part of India.

Forgotten hero Major Khathing to be honoured

PNS n CHANDIGARH

A 72-year-old Punjab farmerwho was participating in farm-ers' agitation at Delhi's Singhuborder has died of cardiacarrest, police said on Saturday.

Hansa Singh was a residentof Moga district, a police offi-cial posted at Kundli policestation in Haryana's Sonipatsaid.

Singh died of heart attackThursday night, police said,adding his post-mortem was

conducted on Friday.Thousands of farmers have

been protesting since lateNovember at Delhi borderswith Haryana and UttarPradesh, demanding a rollbackof the Farmers' Produce Tradeand Commerce (Promotionand Facilitation) Act, 2020, theFarmers (Empowerment andProtection) Agreement onPrice Assurance and FarmServices Act, 2020 and theEssential Commodities(Amendment) Act, 2020.

Agitating farmer diesof cardiac arrest

PNS n MUMBAI

The Shiv Sena, which is inpower in Maharashtra, onSaturday accused stateGovernor Bhagat SinghKoshyari of toeing the BJP'sline, and said that if the Centrewants the Constitution to beupheld, it should recall him.

The party also asserted thatthe Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)dispensation is stable andstrong, and added that theCentre cannot use the gover-nor's shoulders to take aim atthe state government.

"Governor Bhagat SinghKoshyari is back in news again.He has been in politics for the

last many years. He was aUnion minister and also thechief minister of Uttarakhand.

However, ever since hebecame the Maharashtra gov-ernor, he has always remainedin news or landed in controver-sy," the Sena said in an editor-ial in mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Why he is always landing incontroversy is a question.Recently, he is in news over theuse of a state government'splane. The governor wanted togo to Dehradun using the stateaircraft. But the governmentdenied permission to it. He satin the aircraft on Thursdaymorning, but as the plane didnot have approval to fly, he hadto disembark and take a com-mercial flight to Dehradun," itsaid.

The opposition BJP is creat-ing an issue out of it. But whydid the governor sit in the planeeven as the government hadnot given its approval for it tofly, the party asked.

Shiv Sena urges Centre torecall Maharashtra Governor

PNS n KAUSHAMBI (UP)

Three people have been takeninto custody for their allegedrole in the murder of theirtwo-year-old nephew oversuperstitious beliefs, policesaid on Saturday.

According to police, Shivawas playing outside his housein Hasanpur village here onFriday evening when one ofthe accused took him to herhouse. The boy was laterkilled allegedly by theaccused--Ramsurat, his wifeand daughter.

The accused then hid thebody in a wheat flour con-tainer, they said.

2-year-old boykilled oversuperstitiousbeliefs in UP PNS nNEW DELHI

A special PMLA court in Kolkatahas convicted an official of a RoseValley group company and award-ed him seven years rigorousimprisonment on money launder-ing charges, the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) said on Saturday.

The central probe agency hadregistered an FIR against thefirm, its Chairman GautamKundu and others in 2014 underthe Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA).

Kundu was arrested by theagency in Kolkata in 2015.

"The court has sentenced ArunMukherjee to suffer rigorousimprisonment of seven years andto pay a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh indefault rigorous imprisonment for

another six months," the ED saidin a statement.

It said Mukherjee was deben-ture trustee and was responsiblefor the acts and affairs of the Rose

Valley Real Estates ConstructionLtd company and had pleadedguilty for the offence of moneylaundering before the court.

It was alleged, the ED said,

before markets regulatorSecurities Exchange Board ofIndia (SEBI) that Rose ValleyReal Estate Construction Limitedand its associate companiesrepeatedly floated securednon–convertible debentures dur-ing 2001-2002, 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and in 2007-2008 andissued them to more than 49 per-sons in each financial year, ille-gally raising a total sum of Rs12.82 crore.

The agency said the probefound that this company "underthe direction and control ofaccused persons had accumulat-ed investments from 2,585 per-sons, a total of around Rs 12 croreand acquired control over varioussecurities as defined under vari-ous sections of the SEBI Act".

Court convicts Rose Valley Groupofficial of money laundering

3 more held inconnection withviolence atBurari on R-DayPNS nNEW DELHI

Three more men have beenarrested in connection withthe violence during the farm-ers' tractor parade in northDelhi's Burari area onRepublic day, police said onSaturday.

The accused -- SukhmeetSingh (35), Gundeep Singh(33) and Harvinder Singh(32) -- were identified withthe help of CCTV footageand technical investigationfollowing which raids wereconducted to nab them, theysaid. Both Sukhmeet andGundeep are residents ofHari Nagar in west Delhiwhile Harvinder is a residentof Libaspur area, police said.

Delhi police chief reviewsarrangements at border points

PNS nNEW DELHI

The Supreme Court has issuedbailable warrants against thechairperson of an NGO for notdepositing the cost of Rs 25lakh imposed on it for filing 64PILs over the years without anysuccess and "repeatedly misus-ing" the jurisdiction of the topcourt.

A bench comprising JusticesS K Kaul and Hrishikesh Roysaid the petitioner-Trust and itschairperson Rajiv Daiya wereplaying "ducks and drakes"with the Court.

The top court on December5, 2017, refused to modify itsearlier order against NGOSuraz India Trust for filing 64PILs.

It had dismissed the pleafiled by the NGO to modify theapex court's May 1 order whichalso barred the organisationfrom filing any plea before anycourt across the country.

Since the costs were notdeposited with the SupremeCourt Advocates on RecordWelfare Trust, the matter wasput up again before the apexcourt and notice was issued on

September 29, last year.The top court had issued

direction to the NGO to dis-close the movable and immov-able assets of the petitionerwhich was not complied with.

Later, a request was made bythe chairperson of the petition-er-Trust for providing notesheets on the basis with whichthe directions have been soughtby the Registry in the presentapplication.

The top court said, "We failto appreciate the stand of thepetitioner-Trust as to the rele-vancy of the note sheets as allthat was required was costs tobe deposited by him, whichorder has not been complied

with. It is thus apparent that thepetitioner-Trust and RajivDaiya are playing ducks anddrakes with the Court.

"Let bailable warrants issuefor production of Rajiv Daiyain the sum of Rs.25,000/- withone surety of the like amount.The warrants be enforced bythe local police station and theproceedings will be conductedvirtually," the bench said.

The apex court had on May1, 2017 taken the punitive stepand imposed a hefty cost on theNGO saying waste of judicialtime was a matter of seriousconcern.The top court hadalso said such practises have tobe dealt with sternly to prevent

misuse of the courts by suchindividuals "who have nothingto do but only cast scandalousand imaginary aspersions".

On 64 occasions when theSuraz India Trust hadapproached the court, it did notget any success, the court hadnoted.

Referring to the details of thematters filed by the NGO andthe various orders passed by theapex court, the bench headedby the then Chief Justice J SKhehar had said it "leaves nodoubt that Suraz India Trusthas repeatedly misused thejurisdiction of this court".

The apex court had on April24, 2017, rapped the NGO andits chief for wasting judicialtime. It had issued notice to theNGO for filing 64 petitionsover the years under the garbof public interest litigation andDaiya to show cause why heshould be allowed to continuefiling cases.

The top court had handedover to him a compilation ofthe 64 pleas filed by him in thenature of writ petitions andreview petitions and asked himto respond to the notice.

SC issues warrants against NGO chairpersonfor failing to deposit Rs 25 lakh fine

PNS n COLOMBO

Sri Lanka has said it scrappedthe trilateral deal with India andJapan to develop the ColomboPort's Eastern ContainerTerminal (ECT) as the Indianfirm involved in the projectrefused to agree to its newterms.

Prime Minister MahindaRajapaksa's office on February1 said that his government hasdecided to run the ColomboPort's Eastern ContainerTerminal (ECT) as a fully-owned operation of the state-run ports authority.

Answering the Opposition'squery in Parliament onThursday on the deal, Ports

Minister RohithaAbeygunawardena said aCabinet sub-committeeappointed to examine the dealhad proposed new terms.

"We entered talks from afavourable position to us, thenthat company refused to goahead with our conditions,"Abeygunawardena toldParliament, adding that theIndian company's refusal forcedSri Lanka to scrap the deal.

India, Japan and Sri Lankahad inked an agreement in2019 on development of the ter-minal project.

"The governments of India,Sri Lanka and Japan had signeda memorandum of cooperationin May 2019 to develop and

operate the East ContainerTerminal of Colombo Port ina trilateral framework,"Ministry of External Affairsspokesperson AnuragSrivastava said at a media brief-ing in New Delhi on February4, three days after Colombocancelled the deal.

"We sincerely believe thatthe development of infrastruc-ture in Sri Lanka, in areas suchas ports and energy, with foreigninvestment from India andJapan will be a mutually bene-ficial proposition," he said.

Srivastava said the IndianHigh Commissioner inColombo was in talks with theLankan government on theissue.

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 14, 2021money 06

MONEY MATTERS

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar LalKhattar on Friday said the state's

Budget for 2021-22 would focus oneducation, health security,employment and self-reliance. Thebudget, to be presented in the stateAssembly when the session startsnext month, will take care of allsections of the society, Khattar, whoalso holds the finance portfolio, told

reporters. He said this after presiding over the monthly meeting ofDistrict Public Relations and Grievance Redressal Committee, held atGurugram. Interacting with mediapersons in Gurugram, Khattar said thatlike last year, this time also, the state budget would be prepared andpresented after holding discussions and seeking suggestions fromvarious stakeholders, MLAs and MPs. "Keeping in view the coronaviruspandemic, various stakeholders, MLAs and MPs have been asked tosend their suggestions in writing to the state government by February20. Their valuable suggestions will be incorporated in the budget," saidthe chief minister. Last year, Khattar had held pre-budget consultationswith MLAs, MPs from state and other stakeholders including industryexperts seeking their suggestions on various issues related toagriculture, health and education, among others. He said that like lasttime, this time too, the state budget would focus more on education, andthe Budget allocation for this sector will be increased. Besides this, dueto the COVID-19 pandemic, health allocations will also be increased.

Haryana's Budget will focus oneducation, health: Khattar

The Delhi government is expectedto present its budget for 2021-22

in the second week of March,focussing on its key areas of health,education and infrastructureincluding water supply, althoughnew taxes are unlikely, sources inthe government said on Friday. Thegovernment is readying the blueprint of the budget and meetingswith different departments arebeing held to determine their

demands and likely revenue collections, said a source in thegovernment. "Economically speaking, 2020-21 was a very difficulttime for the government, yet it successfully met all the challenges ofdealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, despite a steep fall in revenue,"the source said. The government had presented Rs 65,000 crorebudget for 2020-2021 that was around 10 per cent more than that in2019-20. "Although no dates have been fixed for presentation of thebudget, it's likely to come around second week of March," the sourcesaid. The government is also "likely" to come out with measures toboost economy with "enabling measures" for industries and trading inDelhi that were badly hit due to the pandemic in the last fiscal. Newtaxes or any hike in the existing rates are "unlikely", the sources said.This yea, the Arvind Kejriwal government will be presenting secondbudget of its third term. The AAP government has been consistentlyraising its total budget size since it first came to power in Delhi in2015. Its first budget totalled Rs 41,500 crore in 2015-16.

Delhi Budget announcementlikely in March 2nd week

ARs 7,000 crore five year packageto double revenue from crops,

boost tourism and ramp upinfrastructUre and health facilities inWayanad was launchedby Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan here on Friday. He alsoreleased a Detailed Project Report forthe Carbon Neutral Park. "While the

country is reeling under severe agricultural crisis, the Left government ispresenting a comprehensive development package for the Wayanaddistrict. The aim is to double revenue from coffee, along with pepper,plantain, ginger and other crops," Vijayan said. The Chief Minister saidtourism was another key areaof focus. "The package also has provisionstowards basic infrastructure, roads, education and health facilities whileconsidering the ecological sensitivity of the area," he said. FinanceMinister Thomas Isaac, who presided, said the package provides foradvancement of the agricultural and tribal sectors. To promote coffeefrom the district, Minister for Industries, Youth and Sports, E P Jayarajanlaunched Wayanad Coffee Procurement kiosks and handed them over to'Kudumbashree' (women's Self Help Group). "The government aims toenhance income for growers by marketing Wayanad yield under thebrand name "Carbon Neutral Coffee.

`7K cr package for Wayanad’sdevelopment launched

PNS n NEW DELHI

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Saturday saidthat the government, unde-terred by the Covid pandemic,has been pursuing reforms forachieving sustained long-termgrowth in a bid to make Indiaone of the top economies of theworld in the coming decades.

Replying to debate on Budget2021-22 in Lok Sabha, she said,the Prime Minister did not loseany opportunity to continuewith the reforms and this Budgethas set the pace for India tobecome self-reliant orAatmanirbhar.

Earlier this month, theFinance Minister presented a Rs34.5 lakh crore Budget for 2021-22, in the backdrop of the pan-demic.

The Budget has laid empha-sis on increasing capital expen-diture, raising allocation forhealthcare capacity buildingand development of agricultureinfrastructure, among others,which are expected to have amultiplier effect on the econo-my.

She said her Budget for 2021-22, has provided the highestcapex growth of 34.4 per cent byproviding more money to rail-ways, roads and defence.

Referring to a series of mea-sures taken to stimulate theeconomy hit by the pandemic,she said, COVID-19 did notdeter the government from tak-ing up reforms, which are goingto be necessary for sustaininglong-term goals for this country.

Emphasising that sustained

commitment to reform is blend-ed in the Budget, she said,"reforms are going to lay a pathfor India to be one of the topeconomies of the world in thecoming decades."

On handling of COVID-19pandemic, the Finance Ministersaid, "The death rates are thelowest in the world, active caseshave come down... we haveactually managed to bend thecurve. And as a result, therevival of the economy looks alot more sustainable and thisBudget gives necessary impetus."

Responding to the charge ofcrony capitalism, the minister

said, the government underNarendra Modi works for com-mon people and not for cronies.

Reeling out statistics to showthe government's pro-poor poli-cies, she said, measures of pro-viding toilets, houses andMUDRA Yojana, rural roadswere not meant for cronies.

"We don't do work for anycronies, we work for the com-mon citizen who believes in thePrime Minister," she said.

She also took on Congress foraccusing that the government isfavouring certain industrialistsand asked the opposition partyto explain how a particular pro-

ject in Kerala was awarded oninvitation basis to one of theindustrialists.

Adani Ports and SpecialEconomic Zone Ltd, India'slargest port developer and partof the Adani Group, inDecember 2015 formally begandevelopment of the interna-tional transhipment project inVizhinjam in Kerala.

With regards to increasingallocation for rural job guaran-tee scheme, the Finance Ministersaid the government will allocatemore funds for MahatmaGandhi National RuralEmployment Guarantee (MGN-REGA) scheme for 2021-22, ifneeded, as against Budget esti-mate of Rs 73,000 crore.

Compared to the previousregime, the Finance Ministersaid the government has alwaysraised expenditure on MGNRE-GA scheme at the RevisedEstimate level right since 2014-15.

MNREGA under Congresswas a "mess" with utilisation farless than budget provision, shesaid. The Modi government"removed ills out of the schemeand effectively utilised it."

In the current 2020-21 fiscalthat ends on March 31, Rs61,500 crore was provided in theBudget but the provision wasincreased to Rs 1.1 lakh crore inview of the support needed tohelp those in distress during thepandemic.

On the cash dole scheme ofPM Kisan Samman NidhiYojana providing Rs 10,000crore less in current and the nextfiscal, she said this was because

of "rationalisation" of expendi-ture following the West Bengalgovernment not providing thelist of 69 lakh beneficiaries.

On criticism of cut in spend-ing on defence for the fiscalbeginning April 1, she said it hasincreased both on revenue andcapital side and there is a declineonly in provision for pensions asthe previous year's spendingincluded payment of arrearsfor the one-rank-one-pension(OROP) scheme.

On defence, she said revenueexpenditure budgeted for 2021-22, is 1.3 per cent more than theprevious year and capital spend-ing is 18.8 per cent higher.

She justified including waterand sanitation under health toshow more than doubling ofexpenditure on that head bypointing to a World HealthOrganization (WHO) reportthat sanitisation was part ofhealthcare.

Actual allocation for theMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfare has gone up by 9.6 percent for next year and that ofAyush Ministry by 40 per cent,she said.

Hitting at the economic mod-els adopted by the Congressregime in the past, the FinanceMinister said India used to fol-low a model based on proxim-ity with some country or other.

"We (Congress) were social-ist at one particular point oftime, communist at anotherpoint of time, licence quota,crony capitalism another pointof time, and finally even open-ing of Indian economy, it wasus," she quipped.

Govt pursuing reforms to make Indiaone of world's top economies: FM

Chidambaram's speech on Budget only verbose: FMPNS n NEW DELHI

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Friday hit out atsenior Congress leader andformer finance minister PChidambaram, saying that hisspeech in Rajya Sabha was only"verbose" as he had nothingmeaningful to say about theBudget. Participating in thediscussion on the Budget,Chidambaram had said that theBudget presented by Sitharamanwas "for the rich, of the rich, andby the rich". He had also lashedout at the ruling dispensation,

charging it with "incompetenteconomic management".Replying to the discussion onFriday, Sitharaman said also tookon Chidambaram for questioningBudget numbers, saying unlikethe UPA regime when an"artificial" increase in capitalspending was shown to projectgrowth and subsidy shifted fromthe government budget tocompanies, the Budget for 2021-22 brings transparency bybringing all spending on book.She, however, did not nameChidambaram in her nearly anhour long reply to the issues

raised by various members ofRajya Sabha. "There is a lot ofgrudge in the speech of theformer finance minister... So, Ifeel that there is a little grudgenot to recognise how primeminister handled the coronacrisis," she said.Further, Sitharaman said theformer finance minister "gives mea feeling" that he was trying toimitate Chairman M VenkaiahNaidu in terms of rhyming words."I get the feeling that the former

finance minister is imitating you(Naidu), but he (Chidambaram)has been a miserable failure in

the impact that he created, unlikeyou, who creates a goodimpact... The imitation and thecopy of the Chair in coming upwith rhyming words, texts,pretexts, sub-texts, contexts... heused all these trying to imitateyou who spontaneously do it,"she said. The minister also saidthat trying to imitate it andhaving absolutely no impactabsolutely proves that "it was acontrived speech which hadnothing to accuse this Budget of,but verbose, craftsman of words,we can say what we want and getaway with it".

On Chidambaram's statement that'it is a budget for the rich',Sitharaman said the government'sfocus on roads, electricity andalso direct benefit transfer do notgo to the rich. They go to thepoorest of the poor whose causethe prime minister champions,she added. She cited data tocounter Congress' claims aboutMNREGA, saying actual spendingfrom 2009-10 to 2014-15 waslower than budgeted. She alsosaid that during the NDA regime,the actual expenditure onMNREGA has increasedsignificantly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi did notlose any opportunity to continue withthe reforms and this Budget has setthe pace for India to become self-reliant or Aatmanirbhar, says NirmalaSitharaman

PNS n LONDON

UK Chancellor of the ExchequerRishi Sunak on Friday pointedto signs of resilience and indi-cated further support measuresin his Budget statement nextmonth as latest statistics showedthe British economy suffered itsbiggest decline in more than 300years in 2020.

As most businesses, shopsand restaurants continue tostruggle through the coron-avirus pandemic lockdown, theUK Office for National Statistics(ONS) found that the economyshrank 9.9 per cent last year,more than twice the figure for2009 at the height of the global

financial crisis. The dire figures are the worst

since 1709, when a cold spellknown as the 'Great Frost' dev-astated what was then a largelyagricultural economy in Britain.

“While there are some posi-tive signs of the economy'sresilience over the winter, weknow that the current lockdowncontinues to have a significantimpact on many people andbusinesses,” said Sunak, inresponse to the figures.

“Today's figures show that theeconomy has experienced aserious shock as a result of thepandemic, which has been feltby countries around the world,”said the senior Cabinet Minister,

who promised new plans to pro-tect jobs and bolster the econo-my when he delivers his Budgetstatement in the House ofCommons on March 3.

The ONS figures showed afightback from the record quar-

terly slump between April andJune 2020, the second quarter,when GDP nosedived by 20 percent as a consequence of the ini-tial lockdown.

They also confirmed theprospect of a so-called double-

dip recession was averted at theend of the year amid renewedlockdown conditions, with a firstestimate for the October-December quarter showinggrowth of 1 per cent -- a betterthan expected performance.

"Loosening of restrictions inmany parts of the UK saw ele-ments of the economy recoversome lost ground in December,with hospitality, car sales andhairdressers all seeing growth,”said Jonathan Athow, ONSdeputy national statistician foreconomic statistics.

“An increase in COVID-19testing and tracing also boost-ed output. The economy con-tinued to grow in the fourthquarter as a whole, despite theadditional restrictions inNovember. However, GDP forthe year fell by nearly 10 percent, more than twice as muchas the previous largest annualfall on record,” he said.

Sunak sees ‘signs of resilience' for UK economy after slump

PNS n MUMBAI

Glenmark's consolidated salesrises by 3.88% to Rs. 27,605.07Mn. in Q3 FY 2020-21.Consolidated EBITDA rises by20.45% to Rs. 5300.72 Mn. in Q3FY 2020-21.

Glenmark PharmaceuticalsLimited, a research-led globalintegrated pharmaceutical com-pany, today announced its finan-cial results for the third quarterended December 31 of the finan-cial year 2020-21.

For the third quarter of FY2020-21, Glenmark's consoli-dated sales was at Rs. 27,605.07Mn. as against Rs. 26,574.51 Mn.recording an increase of 3.88 %.For the third quarter of FY2020-21, Glenmark's consoli-dated revenue (incl. other rev-enue) was at Rs. 27,867.63 Mn.as against Rs. 27,355.62 Mn.recording an increase of 1.87 %."

Consolidated Net Profit was atRs. 2481.79 Mn. for the quarterended December 31, 2020 ascompared to Rs. 1,908.39 Mn. inthe previous corresponding quar-ter, registering an increase of

30.05%.Consolidated EBITDA was

at Rs. 5,300.72 Mn in the quar-ter ended December 31, 2020 asagainst Rs. 4,400.75 Mn. in theprevious corresponding quarter,an increase of 20.45%.

"Our India business continuedto grow at a healthy pace in thethird quarter, consistently outper-

forming industry growth. The USbusiness rebounded well and weexpect the business to graduallybuild sales momentum. We alsoexpect the European and theemerging markets business togain traction," said GlennSaldanha, CMD, GlenmarkPharmaceuticals.India Formulations: Sales fromthe formulation business in Indiafor the Third Quarter of FY 2020-21 was at Rs. 8,821.19 Mn. asagainst Rs. 7,888.39 Mn. in theprevious corresponding quarter,recording growth of 11.82 %.

The India business continuesto significantly outperformindustry growth rates, continu-ing the trend of the past severalyears. As per IQVIA data,Glenmark remains the secondfastest growing company in theindustry among the Top 20 play-ers on a MAT Dec 2020 basiswith growth of 15.8% as com-pared to IPM (Indian Pharmamarket) growth of 6.12%. On aquarterly basis, as per IQVIA, thebusiness recorded growth of15.11% as compared to 9.75% forthe market.

As most businesses continue tostruggle through the Covid lockdown,the UK Office for National Statisticsfound that the economy shrank 9.9%last year, more than twice the figurefor 2009 at the height of the globalfinancial crisis.

Juice-based softdrinks markethas potential togrow: Pandey

PNS n KOLKATA

The market for juice-basedsoft drinks in the countryhas the potential to grow ingeometric progression, saidHimanshu Pandey, MDSuru Foods and Beverages.

He said this at the launchof Yas juice-based soft drinkat Kolkata on Friday. SuruFoods and Beverages, is theparent company of YAS.

Pandey said YAS will tapthe market of juice-basedsoft-drinks not just in met-ros but also in India's small-er towns and in the hinter-land.

"The market for juice-based soft drinks has thepotential to grow in geo-metric progression. And,YAS, whose name is themillennial version of anemphatic 'Yes', is the brandthat will ride it by appeal-ing to the youth who willmake up most of our pop-ulation in the future", heclaimed.

New EU Consortiumshaping the future ofQuantum ComputingPNS n FINLAND

A project consortium whichincludes startups, industry,research centers, supercom-puting centers and academiahas come together to acceler-ate Europe´s Quantum leader-ship efforts. IQM QuantumComputers will bring themembers of this project con-sortium together and lead thisproject as a system integrator.

Europe has always beenexcellent in academicresearch, but over the past fewdecades commercializingresearch projects has beenslow compared to interna-tional competition. This isstarting to change with quan-tum technologies. As one ofthe largest efforts in Europeand worldwide, Germanyannounced € 2 Billion fund-ing into quantum programs inJune 2020, from which €120Million are invested in thiscurrent round of research

grants. Today, IQM announced a

Quantum project consortiumthat includes Europe's leadingstartups (ParityQC, IQM),industry leaders (InfineonTechnologies), research cen-ters (ForschungszentrumJülich), supercomputing cen-ters (Leibniz SupercomputingCentre), and academia (FreieUniversität Berlin) has beenawarded € 12.4 Million fromthe German Ministry ofEducation and Research(BMBF) (Announcement inGerman).

The scope of the project isto accelerate commercializa-tion through an innovative co-design concept.

Glenmark's consolidatednet profit rises by 30.05%

India Business grew by 11.82% to Rs. 8,821.19 Mn.

Europe Business grew by1.42% to Rs. 3,133.29 Mn.

US Business experienced sales decline of (2.43%) to Rs. 7,803.87 Mn.

API Business grew by 22.09% to 3,200.70 Mn.

Scrapped port deal as Indianfirm rejected terms, says SL

Highlights for Q3 FY 2020-21

Magma Fincorp toseek shareholdersnod next monthfor Rs 3,206 crPNS n NEW DELHI

Magma Fincorp on Saturdaysaid it is holding an EGM nextmonth to seek shareholders'approval to the preferentialallotment of shares for Rs 3,206crore to Adar Poonawalla-con-trolled Rising Sun Holdings(RSHPL) to give it a controllingstake in the NBFC.

Besides, the company hasproposed allotting preferentialshares to two members of pro-moter group for Rs 250 crore,taking the total capital infusionto Rs 3,456 crore. An extraor-dinary general meeting(EOGM) of the members ofMagma Fincorp will be held onTuesday, March 9, 2021,Magma Fincorp said in a reg-ulatory filing.

sundaymagazine

98The China factor

The Backfire in Nepal: How India Lost Plotto China is a must-read to know recentdevelopments in India-Nepal relations

F R O M T H E I N S I D E

There’s nothing likegetting yourself into

character and seeinga different person. Itreally wears on your

vanity— Elisabeth Moss

Life hanging in balance

HYDERABAD, February 14, 2021

This is not the first time that a disasterhas occurred in Uttarakhand where over85 per cent of districts, home to over nine

With multiple brands providing accessible options for differentsnack preferences and slots, we are spoilt for choice, saysASHISH NICHANI, as he lends insight into the changingsnacking habits and preferences of the Indians

From your living room to office, inyour handbag and in the glovebox ofyour car; and on every journey youcan remember — there has alwaysbeen an omnipresent companion —

your favourite snack. Snacking has always been a part of our

culture. Those hunger pangs before lunch...That little something with chai... And withthe passage of time, we have only addedmore snacking occasions to our busy lives.Can study or work be complete without apack by your side? And what fun is the latestNetflix show if there isn’t something chatpatato match the histrionics on screen!

To speak numbers, all of this translatesinto a snacking industry that’s worth INR 1Billion which continues to expand at scorch-ing double digit growth rates.

The pandemic has only enhanced ourlove for snacks. A recent survey by theFMCG giant Mondelez revealed that 88% ofIndians were snacking more than before thepandemic with a large majority of millennialsand those working extended hours fromhome preferring snacking over meals. Withentertaining also becoming a home-boundactivity, snacks have also proved to be a con-venient and hygienic replacement to a restau-rant starter.

Our fascinating love for snacks hasprompted many surveys and the findings aretelling. When we see a snack, we don’t justsee a packet. We see comfort in that wrapper.We see snack time as our break from the rou-tine. A source of momentary happiness. Wealso see snacks as a complement or substitutefor nourishment. These findings are direct orobvious. And therefore, they are very signifi-cant insights into the changingnature of our lives. Evidently, weexpect a lot more from our snacksthan just flavour!

While our snacking habits mayseem like evolution, our snackingchoices are undergoing a revolution.To someone born in the 80s,snacking typically meant munch-ing on chips or namkeen —remember that transparent plasticwrapper filled with salted potato chips orpeanuts or a local mixture? If it was a brand-ed snack picked at a store, it would bePepsico Lays chips or Haldirams Bhujia.

My earliest recollection of the first inno-vation in snacking as a consumer came alongwith the launch of Kurkure back in 1999 — anew flavour and a new form. Unfortunately,very little has changed in offline retail todayas these legacy brands and products continueto dominate shelf space. Retailers have alsomade no effort at innovation or disruptionbut have launched private labels with thesame legacy products.

For the mass-affluent and beyond, food ismore than just nutrition. It’s also a way ofenjoying life, a treat for the senses. But whereis that joy when you get served the same foodagain and again?

It’s only thanks to brave entrepreneurswho have chosen to tread the difficult path ofdisrupting their industry enabled by e-com-merce that we have seen our snack choicesreally explode in the last few years.

YEH DIL MAANGE MORE!

The evolution of snacking is oddly simi-lar to the evolution of marriage. For thelongest time, marriage decisions were madebetween a few choices. You made your peacewith that and made it work. But today, youcan swipe right and left, you can date andflirt, you can cohabitate and then eventually

you can choose to settle down with yourchoice. This is precisely how our approach tosnacking has also evolved. Today, we demandand have access to far more choices than everbefore!

As Indians, we started travelling a lotmore in the last decade. And the more wetravelled, we exposed our taste buds to morecuisines. India is home to 4,635 communitiesspread across its geographical expanse andeach region has its own snacking culture andtaste profile. For example, the snacks inKerala have a distinct aroma of coconut oil,those of Punjab and UP are more hearty, themixtures of the East have more jhal (spice)while the Kathiyawadi style is intense in itssweet-savoury combination. In comparison,the snacks of the Chettinad are more mildlyflavoured.

Each of these microcultures also has itsown repertoire of snacks. For example, haveyou tried the Kolhapuri Bhadang that is madein Jaysinghpur of Maharashtra? Or the SatturSev of Tamil Nadu? How about the kachorisof Jamnagar? Or the Bhakarwadi of Pune?That sense of adventure and that joy of tast-ing and liking something new — all thoseexperiences added up to the fun of travellingacross the country. Today, thanks to e-com-merce, all these unique local foods are avail-able to us through a few brands and e-retail-ers who are challenging the status quo foistedupon us by big FMCG companies over theyears.

On a national level, Postcard(www.thePostcard.in) helps in discoveringlocal flavours of snacks, sweets and picklesacross geographies with a promise of authen-ticity, quality and service. There are region-

focussed options such asGujaratisnacks.in (Gujarat),Pettikadai.in/Nativespecial (Tamil Nadu),Indorinamkeen.com/TasteofIndore etcwhich bring out the specialities of their

respective regions. Consumers too appear to enjoy thisjourney of discovering new foods. It’snot uncommon to hear people inGurgaon talk about how they enjoy the

Bihari thekua as a desi cookie. Or con-sumers in the Guwahati who are getting totry South Indian flavours like Murukku,Thattai, etc. Local food discoveries havebecome a conversation starter, a badge ofpride for the adventurous and a common joyto share within the family.

KEEP IT CLEAN

Today, health and wellbeing are animportant consideration and this aspect isbeing reflected in snacking choices too. Wesee a wave of snack brands focused on super-foods — from kale-based snacks by GreenSnack Co to the millet based Soulful andHealthy Cravings Co. These brands usesuperfoods as ingredients to create familiarsnacks and flavours with enhanced nutrientprofiles (such as higher fibre). Imagine howcomforting it would be to not feel any pangof guilt while snacking! The challenge ofcourse lies in adoption of new ingredients bythe palate.

Trail Mixes of nuts and seeds are anothersuperfood-packed snack choice. A fewbrands have tried to popularise these optionsalthough they have faced headwinds in viewof the higher price points involved.

Besides superfoods, there is also a trendof clean eating. For the longest time peoplewere unaware of the ingredients going intotheir food choices. But today, we see a lotmore awareness and brands are doing theirbest to respond to this need. For example,

thereis an

emphasis on avoiding theuse of colouring additives or

preservatives as much as possible eventhough these are permitted by law (with thenecessary safeguards, of course). Smallerlocal brands such as Pure & Sure Phaladahave introduced snacks made with organicingredients!

THE WONDER BAR

Alongside the typical snack forms ofchips, namkeen and extruded snacks, we seebars emerge as a snack of choice for theyounger generations. The younger generationthat works odd hours or seeks convenienceprefer the range of energy bars while proteinbars are preferred by consumers who seektargetted nutrition.

Energy bars first made an appearance inthe 1960s when the American FMCG giantPillsbury introduced them as “Space FoodSticks” claiming that the bars had a balanceof all nutrients. It has taken the bar form 50years to reach its current popularity.

Bars have caught on in India over the lasttwo to three years. There are a number ofbrands vying for this space with Yoga Barshaving the first mover advantage. Insurgentbrands such as The Whole Truth are success-fully disrupting this space with a disarminglyhonest approach to clean eating with a func-tional focus.

LOOKING AHEAD

As the pandemic fear recedes and weemerge into a new normal, it will be interest-ing to see how our snack choices evolve withour lifestyle and the impact of these changeson business. While I’m no soothsayer, hereare three ideas for the common good:l It’s high time that retailers adopted a cus-tomer-centric approach by understandingtheir changing needs and aspirations. Fromfood preferences to food allergies, the Indiancustomer has distinct needs and these need

toreflect

on the shopshelf. For the

consumer whoseeks diversity, the shelf

must incorporate localflavours which change in sync with the

seasons. Similarly, the health food sectionmust have options for vegans, gluten-aller-gies, calorie-conscious folks, elders, children,office-goers etc. The one generic “healthy”option would not cut it. l With their scale and expertise, the legacyFMCG companies have a responsibility toadapt and assist the ecosystem. There aremany brands with unique food products thatemerge only to fade away due to the lack offinancial or operational muscle-power that iscritical to survive in the offline channel. Cana partnership model evolve between the bigand small that is mutually beneficial?

While the benefits to the small brands areobvious, big brands will also get an insightinto how smaller companies are able to domore with less. We see this happen in thepersonal care space. Take the example of theBombay Shaving Company, a homegrownbrand of mens personal care that hasreceived investment from global FMCGmajors Colgate Palmolive & ReckittBenckiser. It’s time that Indian FMCG brandsentered such partnerships so that new-agecompanies have an option other than VCinvestments. l Fresh fruit is one of the most under-servedsnack options. It is easily available on streetcorners but hygiene is a concern. Can eitherbrands or retailers work on models thattransform the vending of cut fruit as nutri-tious snacks? That would be a genuinehealthy clean snacking option that benefitscustomers, retailers and farmers.

The beauty about the snacking industryis that there is space for everyone.

Each of us have a few fixed slots forsnacks in our day. And there is a preferenceof a kind of snack for each of those slots.With multiple brands providing accessibleoptions for each of these preferences andslots, we are spoilt for choice. A golden age ofchoice has dawned.

The writer is an entrepreneurin the Indian Food industry and

a local food enthusiast

CONSUMERS AREENJOYING THIS JOURNEY

OF DISCOVERING NEWFOODS. IT IS NOT

UNCOMMON TO HEARPEOPLE IN GURGAON TALK

ABOUT HOW THEY ENJOYTHE BIHARI THEKUA AS A

DESI COOKIE. ORCONSUMERS IN THE

GUWAHATI WHO AREGETTING TO TRY SOUTHINDIAN FLAVOURS LIKE

MURUKKU, THATTAI, ETC.LOCAL FOOD DISCOVERIES

HAVE BECOME ACONVERSATION STARTER, A

BADGE OF PRIDE FOR THEADVENTUROUS AND A

COMMON JOY TO SHAREWITHIN THE FAMILY

SNACKSNACKON THIS

sundaymagazine

books 8READ THE BEST BOOKSFIRST, OR YOU MAY NOTHAVE A CHANCE TO READ

THEM AT ALL— HENRY DAVID THOREAU HYDERABAD, February 14, 2021

NEWARRIVALS

As COVID-19 sweeps the planet, we arepanicked and baffled. Bombarded withdisinformation and panic-inducingstatistics, we are cowed by the enormityand uncertainty of what’s unfolding.The narrative, so far, has been about thisnovel coronavirus. But COVID-19 is notjust about SARS-CoV-2. It is about thevirus and us. We have coexisted withviruses from the dawn of evolution. Whathas changed? Have we disruptedsomething crucial in Nature? A Crown of Thorns is science and historywoven into the human story — the longview on a pandemic that’s consuming us.Drs Ishrat Syed and KalpanaSwaminathan, writing as Kalpish Ratna,distil their study of plagues and epidemicsinto a work packed with ideas that provokeand insights that illuminate.

A CROWN OF

THORNS: THE

CORONAVIRUS AND

US

Kalpish Ratna

Context/Westland, `399

In 2005, India facilitated the his-toric Peace Agreement betweenthe Maoists and the Seven PartyAlliance in Nepal, ending adecade-long war waged against

Nepal’s centuries-old monarchy. Adecade and a half later, Nepal andIndia hit the lowest point despite thetwo countries share close socio-cultur-al, political, economic, and strategicties. Similarly, Karan Singh, who hadsuccessfully convinced KingGyanendra to accept the people’sdemand and pave the way for democ-racy in 2006; visit by the ForeignSecretary S. Jaishankar to Kathmanduat the eleventh hour to convince theNepal Government to accommodatethe demands of Madhesis, was termedas the ‘wrong advice.’ What led Nepalto shift from ‘special relations’ withIndia to ‘conditional relations’ andforge strategic ties with China?

Many such questions seek ananswer as one begins to unfurl theRoti-Beti relations between India andNepal amidst ongoing India-Nepalfiasco.

The book entitled The Backfire inNepal: How India Lost Plot to China byUS-based Nepali journalist SanjayUpadhya helps find these answers. Thebook provides a detailed account ofNepal-India relations in the last fifteenyears. In his previous books, Nepal andthe Geo-Strategic Rivalry BetweenChina and India from Routledge in2012, and The Raj Lives: India in Nepalfrom Vitasta in 2008, Upadhya hadcarried ground-breaking works onIndia’s colonial past and its impact onNepal, and Nepal’s geo-strategic loca-tion between two Asian giants. Unlikehis previous research works, TheBackfire in Nepal is a journalisticaccount of Nepal-India relations focus-ing on China’s diplomatic and strategicsuccess in Nepal in recent years.

Divided into seven chapters, thebook provides a timeline of events inIndia-Nepal relations beginning withthe 2006 peace-building process inNepal which was officially overlookedby the United Nations Mission inNepal to facilitate inclusion of the for-mer Maoist fighters into the NepalArmy, their arms surrender and peace-ful conduct of first ConstituentAssembly elections in 2008. In the sec-ond chapter Provisional Posturing, theauthor has beautifully portrayed thefree-Tibet movement of 2008, whichgot China worried as it hosted worldathletes for the Beijing Olympics. Theunconditional support from a newMaoist Prime Minister Pushpa KamalaDahal alias Prachanda in crackingdown on the protesters and arrest ofTibetan refugees amidst global criti-

cism was a beneficial ‘New Nepal’China.

Between 2005 to 2020, Nepal hasforged new transit, trade, security andstrategic ties including Belt and RoadInitiative and first-ever Joint-Militaryexercises with China. Chinese invest-ment in Nepal accounts for more thansixty per cent of the total ForeignDirect Investment in Nepal, which wasonce topped by India until 2014.China’s annual aid to Nepal had alsoreached USD 128 from a meagre USD20-24 million in the past decade. Thenumber of high-level visits from Chinato Nepal including President Xi’s inOctober 2019 amidst border rowbetween India and Nepal overKalapani and Lipulekh, have providedChina with an ultra-edge in the politi-cal and foreign affairs of Nepal. Mostimportantly, the Chinese Ambassadorto Nepal has direct hotlines with the

President, Prime Minister, and Chief ofthe Nepal Army, allowing the formerto make public appearances in theseoffices and advise on administrativeand political matters. Millions of mili-tary assistance from China have helpedBeijing buy diplomatic immunity to itscitizens involved in scamming, phish-ing, and trafficking in Nepal.

While previous administrations inNepal strike a balance between Indiaand China including Prachanda whostood as a staunch critic of allegedIndian ‘expansionism’ since 1950, KPOli has used India’s 2015 unofficialborder blockade to his advantage inevoking ultra-nationalism based onanti-India manoeuvrings. Oli alsoholds India accountable for his ousterin 2016 from the Government, andwith his present tenure, he continuesto be revengeful. Meanwhile, post-December 13 dissolution of the

Parliament, Oli was seen taking amoderate view of India. However, itchanged very soon after he reiteratedKalapani, Lipulekh as Nepalese territo-ries, and relocated Ayodhya in Nepal.

On the other hand, despite a tur-bulent relationship, India’s humanitari-an assistance to Nepal helps ease thetensions. Noteworthy, India was thefirst country to reach on the groundafter a major earthquake had hit Nepalin 2015. India has also supplied a mil-lion doses of Covid-19 vaccine andother medical assistance includingmedicines, ambulances, and medicalappliances. However, India continuesto misread Nepal’s political develop-ments.

Prime Minister Modi’s 2014 visitafter seventeen years gap by an IndianPrime Minister to Nepal helped India“dispel many traditional Nepalese mis-givings about India policy”, but the

hidden push for a Hindu Rashtra inNepal backfired on India. India cannotdeny that its shortfalls are due toshort-sighted strategic interests andlack of promised deliveries to Nepal.For instance, in 2016, the EminentPersons Group (EPG) was formed torevise the 1950 Treaty and smoothenborder management. Still, five yearssince its formation, the final report ofthe EPG continues to dust in thePrime Minister’s Office. Nepal alsowaits for India to exchange the demon-etised Indian currency stuck with theNepal Rashtra Bank.

In contrast, the “Chinese haveacted purely on national interest”.There has been no compromise onChina’s security concerns loomingfrom a critical border between Tibetand Nepal. From cracking down the2008 free-Tibet movement to the sign-ing of Mutual Assistance Treaty inCriminal Matters in 2019, and Nepal’sunequivocal support to ‘One ChinaPolicy’, China has shown an uncom-promised bargain in Nepal. On theother hand, India continues to misreadhow Beijing sees Nepal — both interms of China’s visions of the past andthe future. This complicates the coretrilateral challenge: ensuring thatNepal is not sucked deeper into theSino-Indian vortex, only to be scornedfor aggravating the Asian giants’ rivalry.

As the events unfold between Indiaand Nepal, the book could not havebeen timelier. The book becomes amust-read for policymakers, journal-ists, researchers intending to knowrecent developments in India-Nepalrelations as it covers history and themost recent events. That said, the bookfalls short on the analytical front. Theauthor has also avoided dealing withdates which makes the reader seek dig-ital support that breaks the rhythm.Overall, unlike history books, thebooks’ language keeps the momentumfor a reader until a few scattered pagesof the last chapter: All in Mind, oftenrepeating the arguments. The book ispocket friendly and most recentadditions to the literature in India-Nepal relations with a focus on Chinafactor.

The reviewer is ICSSR DoctoralFellow, School of International Studies,

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Bani Basu’s Shwet Patharer Thala (APlate of White Marble) has in itsthree decades since publication got

deeply embedded within the Bengalireader’s psyche. One would like to thinkthat books such as this, a story of theyoung widow Bandana, in post-indepen-dence Calcutta, and her relentless battlesagainst orthodoxy, where a son and alover play nuanced and memorableroles, fortify the winds of liberalismwhich are on retreat in our troubledtimes.

So it is definitely good news that thismuch-admired novel has now beenmade available to readers in English in apitch-perfect translation by NandiniGuha. Many who would have beenintroduced to this story through themovie featuring a sterling performanceby Aparna Sen as the widowed Bandana,would nonetheless do well to read thebook because the layers of the story withits depths and nuances are not alwayscaptured in the language of celluloid.

Bandana is married to the elder sonAbhimanyu of the well-to-doBhattacharjee family of Shyambazar innorth Kolkata but early in the plot thehusband dies of heart attack. It is inter-esting to note that in the movie it is a caraccident which kills him and there areother such departures from Basu’s origi-nal plot. Immediately after the husband’sdeath the weight of patriarchy, personi-fied here by the father-in-law and theacquiescing members of the joint familyof her in-laws, come to bear upon her.Bandana is pushed into a life of forcedausterity and abnegation where she hasto wear white saris, live like an asceticand have frugal meals on the floor froma plate of white marble.

The customs of this prejudicedhousehold are revealed at the beginningwhen the author writes, ‘The men of thehouse, the ruler class that is, did not

have to bother about any restriction.They were reserved for the women andwomen alone.’

The first knock on the edifice ofthis stultifying tradition comes fromher son Abhiroop, still a child, whosuffers convulsions and the doctormakes it clear that his mother’s suddentransformation into a white-sari cladascetic is the cause. Despite their reluc-tance, her in-laws have to relent andmake some concessions in allowing herto wear a coloured sari but soon newsituations bring the clash with ortho-doxy out in the open.

In the carefully woven plot appearother characters like Mili and Koli, twosisters-in-law of which the formerbecomes a conduit for the widow’soppression while Koli is more of a confi-

dante who eventually raises her voice inBandana’s support. But there is no easyresolution of Bandana’s woes at her in-laws’ till the appearance of an uncle, thenomad-like Somnath babu, who takesher away from the Bhattacharjees.

Still, back at her own home, thingswon’t be easy as with the kindly uncle’spassing and Abhiroop’s coming of age,new tensions begin to simmer whichmight very well tear her apart. Bani Basudevelops her characters with love and akind of academic rigour which wouldappeal to students of literature whilepleasing the seeker of a good story. It isalso not difficult to draw a line connect-ing Tagore’s powerful protagonist Mrinalof Streer Patra (A Wife’s Letter),Saratchandra’s equally uncompromisingheroine Kamal in Sesh Prosno (The Final

Question) and the nonconformistBandana of this novel, and examine howthese portraits of liberated womenreflect each other across the corridors ofBengali fiction.

Calcutta, from the decaying splen-dour of the ‘north’ to a ‘south’ ofHindustani classical music concerts andbusy flowing streets is also a character inthe background of this finely craftednovel and often you want to linger andenjoy the passing scenery — the passageof time itself, as the river of the narrativedraws you along:

‘The concert came to an end afterthe Bhairavi Thumri. It was past mid-night. The roads were empty but well-Iit.The sky above was full of stars. Bandanahad never seen Kolkata looking so beau-tiful. The huge silhouette of the Victoria

Memorial could be seen like some mys-terious, celestial presence in the dis-tance.’

But most of all you read this book tomarvel at the many roles a strongwoman like Bandana plays as she jugglesbetween mother, daughter-in-law,oppressed widow, and finally an emo-tional connect with her son’s art teacherSudipto Sarkar. Which of these willredeem which will break her apart or isit some totally new calling, a wider streetthat will finally let her discover herselfbehind many masks? This engagingnovel has some answers which speak toour time as it did to the one it so bril-liantly evokes.

The writer is the author of TheButterfly Effect (Niyogi) and other works

of fiction and translation

A wider street beyond traditionBani Basu’s Shwet Patharer Thala (A Plate of White Marble) has some answers whichspeak to our time as it did to the one it so brilliantly evokes, writes RAJAT CHAUDHURI

A PLATE OF WHITE MARBLE

Bani Basu; Translated by

Nandini Guha

Niyogi-Thornbird, `450

Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar, credited withspreading the gospel of yoga across theworld, began to practise it as a young boy.He was, in those days, constantly unwell,and his brother-in-law thought yoga wouldhelp him cope. Over time, learning from hisown experiences, Guruji refined and thenredefined what he was taught. A disease-free state was no longer his goal; health, hehad come to believe, included well-being ofthe body, mind, emotions, intellect,consciousness, morality, sociality andconscience. Bringing together Guruji’sinspirational messages and hisrecommendations on asanas, Imagine If isa necessary tool in our turbulent times.

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The Backfire in Nepal: How India Lost Plot to China is a must-read for policy makers, journalists,researchers intending to know recent developments in India-Nepal relations, writes RISHI GUPTA

THE CHINA FACTOR

special 09HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 14, 2021

This is not the first time that a disaster has occurred in Uttarakhand where over 85 per cent of districts,home to over nine lakh people, are hotspots of extreme natural calamities. SHALINI SAKSENA speaks withexperts who talk about what triggered the landslide-ice avalanche and how worrisome this phenomena is

Grow more trees to mitigate disastersW

e all know the need and importance ofgrowing more trees. India has reportedlylost over 1.6 million hectares of forests

in the last 17 years — from 2001 to 2018 —causing nearly 172 metric tons of carbonemissions in the given period, said a study putout by World Resource Institute in 2019.

An alarming repot published in 2020revealed that Uttarakhand, which has over 70per cent forest land has lost about 50,000hectares of its forests to various developmental

activities in the past 20 years. This combinedwith global warming and climate change meansthat natural calamities will only increase.

According to Bikrant Tiwary, CEO, Grow-Tress.com whose initiative of planting trees isin 23 States tells you that cutting of trees maynot be the sole reason for what happened inUttarakhand, but it is one of the several reasonsthat led to this event. “Each tree has value. Abench headed by CJI S A Bobde had set up acommittee in February 2021 to evaluate the

true value of a tree when a PIL had challengedthe West Bengal Government's decision to cut356 trees to construct five railway overbridges— the true value of a tree, with 100 years of itslifespan remaining, would be over a crore —benefits it would give to nature and mankind,including the cost of oxygen it would emit tothe atmosphere during its lifespan,” Tiwarysays.

He tells you that his in Himachal Pradeshand Uttarakhand has had major benefits. Taking

an example, he cites the project at Sariska TigerReserve. “We have been planting here for thepast nine years. The rangers here tell us that byplanting more trees, the increase in forest areahas attracted herbivores and thereforepredators have increased. In Himachal Pradesh,where we have planted trees, the water levelthat was earlier at 350 feet can now be found at40 feet,” Tiwary tells you.

He opines that due to increased tourism inUttarakhand, people in this region have shifted

from nature-based to commercialisation.Hence, cutting of trees is on the rise. “We havebeen working with the locals to let them knowthe importance of planting trees instead ofcutting them. We were to start tree plantingdrive in Chamoli this year. But we will have topostpone this and begin a project at Uttarkashiinstead. We are helping them get maximumbenefit from the trees. We insist that they growindigenous trees to benefit the environment aswell as the locals,” Tiwary says.

Over 85 per cent of dis-tricts in Uttarakhand,home to over nine lakhpeople, are hotspots ofextreme floods and its

associated events. According to an analysis by the

Council on Energy, Environmentand Water (CEEW), frequency andintensity of extreme flood events inthe State have increased four-foldsince 1970. Associated flood eventslike landslides, cloud bursts andglacial lake outbursts have alsoincreased four-fold during this peri-od.

Abinash Mohanty, programmelead at CEEW, tells you that therecent devastating flash flood inUttarakhand is a proof that the cli-mate crisis can no longer be ignored.“In the last 20 years, the State haslost more than 50,000 hectares offorest cover, leading to micro climat-ic changes in the region. This in turnhas triggered a rise in extreme cli-mate events. A focus on land use-based forest restoration could notonly reverse the climate imbalancebut also help promote sustainabletourism in the State. Equally impor-tant would be climate proofing ofinfrastructure, investments, andpolicies,” Mohanty says.

The tragedy in Uttarakhandreiterates the need for detailed dis-trict-level climate risk assessmentsand enhancing adaptive andresilience capacities. With the risingfrequency of extreme climate events,India needs to urgently develop anationwide but decentralised andstructured, real-time digital emer-gency surveillance and manage-ment system.

What happened during theearly hours of February 7, 2021 thathas left 26 dead and 171 missing?

Dr Mohd Farooq Azam, assis-tant professor, Glaciology &Hydrology, IIT Indore tells youthat the earlier observation made bythe team that he is a part of, has tobe revisited.

“What took place is far more

complex; it was a combination oflandslide and ice avalanche on ahanging glacier. This brought downa lot of debris with it. This kind ofphenomenon is commonplace andhappens on a small scale. Ourteam, composed of two dozen sci-entists from across the globe, to ourbest understanding have an expla-nation; it is the failure of a bedrockof a hanging glacier. At present, itis too early to predict how that watercame to be inside the glacier,” Azamsays.

He tells you that the source ofthe water of this flash flood that car-ried with it lots of debris had a con-centrated mixture of everything.“Where this water came from can’tbe ascertained for now. There wasfriction and due to the heat pro-duced the ice melted and mass of itfell from 5,000-6,000 feet. But webelieve that there is another reasonfor this water,” Azam and his teammembers opine.

Even though this slide hap-pened on a hanging glacier, notuncommon, there are reasons to beworried. With global warming andclimate change, such events willincrease even though it is a natur-al phenomenon. Snow accumulat-ing at high altitude, after a periodof time becomes too heavy to holdand it comes down in the form ofsnow avalanche. Global warmingmakes such occurrences frequent.Second, it is worrisome for peopleliving at high attitudes.

“There are settlements belowhanging glaciers, below water bod-ies, glacier lakes and below steepslopes that are unstable. We have tothink of ways to mitigate disastersfrom taking place. We have hadmany wake-up calls in the past, thisis yet another one,” Azam says.

This means that the develop-ment that is taking place in thisregion needs a fresh pair of eyes.While one can’t turn away from con-struction of roads, there is a sustain-able development that takes intoconsideration the vulnerability of

this region. “Economic growth andenvironment needs to be balancedand worked at with care,” one is told.

Deforestation, Azam says worksin two ways. “When trees are cut,that particular area absorbs moreheat, this is a local phenomenon.When there is local heating, it willdissipate in the environment. Therewill be immediate local effect lead-ing to global warming,” he says.

Other contributors to such dis-asters in the region points to the factthat the Himalayas are young moun-tains and continue to grow. “InDecember 2020, when the height ofMt Everest was taken it has grownby 0.86 metres. There are bound tobe tectonic activities. The possibil-ity of landslides increases even withno global warming. The phenome-na at work here are complex andwork together,” Azam says.

Arun Krishnamurthy ofEnvironmentalist Foundation ofIndia believes that in an era of cli-mate change, abnormal and suddennature events are becoming frequentrather than rare.

“As one of the most vulnerableeco-systems, the Himalayas andthe upper glaciers are threatened.Therefore, more than being worried,one has to be prepared. We have tobe prepared for such an anomaly.We are still unclear on what is instore to even identify the problemto its full extent. Destruction ofhabitats, unplanned urbanisationand exploitation of natural resourcesshould be heavily curtailed to pre-vent the worsening of the situation,”Krishnamurthy says.

According to him, one couldnot have stopped this nor preventfuture occurrences. “The currentemission levels globally do not giveus a sign of recovery. The short livedlockdown restrictions and the ensu-ing industrial normalcy clearly indi-cates that we are not looking at cut-ting down on emissions in a man-ner that would positively impact theclimate,” Krishnamurhty tells you.

According to a report released

by the Ministry of Earth Sciences ,the Hindu Kush Himalayas experi-enced a temperature rise of about1.3°C during 1951-2014. Theincrease in temperature has led tomicro-climatic changes and fasterglacial retreat in Uttarakhand, there-by triggering frequent and recurrentflash floods. In the coming years,this could also impact 32 majorongoing infrastructure projects inthe State.

The CEEW analysis also high-lighted that droughts had increasedtwo-fold in Uttarakhand since 1970and more than 69 per cent of dis-tricts were vulnerable to it.

Dr Anjal Prakash, researchdirector and adjunct associateProfessor at the Indian School ofBusiness, Hyderabad tells you thatthere is no denying that globalwarming has impacted glacier melt-ing according to IPCC SpecialReport on Oceans & Cryosphere in2018. The Himalayan AssessmentReport by International Centre forIntegrated Mountain Developmentin 2019 also corroborated the same.

The IPCC Special Report onOceans & Cryosphere, Chapter 2says: Glacier retreat and permafrostthaw are projected to decrease thestability of mountain slopes andincrease the number and area ofglacier lakes. Resulting landslides,floods, and cascading events, willemerge where there is no record ofprevious events. There is also highconfidence that the number andarea of glacier lakes will continue toincrease in most regions in the com-ing decades and new lakes willdevelop closer to steep and poten-tially unstable mountain walls wherelake outbursts can be more easilytriggered by the impact of land-slides.

“There are a few take aways.These kind of climate-led events willincrease in magnitude and fre-quency. The problem with climate-led events lies in its unpredictabil-ity. All one can say is that the eventwill take place. But when would be

difficult to monitor; the time can’tbe pinpointed. One can say thatcyclones in Odisha will increase butcan’t say when they will occur. Thesame holds true for glaciers,”Prakash says.

The Hindu Kush Himalayashas 54,000-plus glaciers spreadacross eight countries with 10,000-plus in India and 1495 inUttarakhand alone. “However, onlya few are being monitored especial-ly in Nanda Devi region. There isneed for closer monitoring becausesuch events will only rise,” Prakashtells you.

Eastern and Western Himalayasare vulnerable because this moun-tain range are young fold moun-tains. The landforms have not solid-ified. What makes Uttrakhand’sposition more precarious as com-pared to other regions along theHimalayas is the rampant con-struction, population increasing50-fold and 640 km of river flowbeing diverted for more than 70dams.

“One needs a different trajecto-ry of development and understandthe eco-system of the region. Oneis cutting trees to construct hydropower stations. Trees are first line ofdefense against any disaster. Lowermountain regions need to be forest-ed,” Prakash says and cites an exam-ple of a tunnel construction. He tellsyou how a tunneling in Sikkim haddisturbed the flow of a local waterbody. Due to the construction, thestream had started drying up.

“The present nature of con-struction across the country is mas-culine — the need to control andcapture as much as possible — hasto be changed. What is needed is afeminine approach. Go along withNature; work with it. Protect theNature, it will protect you. Lack ofresilience is another cause for thisdisaster. There is need to have aresilient development approach. Allthe planning has to take environ-ment and climate change into con-sideration even before one breaks

the ground. Second, the infrastruc-ture has to be resilient to any disas-ters. The climate in hill regions frag-ile. For every one degree of rise intemperatures in plains, it is equiv-alent to 1.5 degree C rise in themountains due to elevation-depen-dent warming,” Prakash says.

Dr DP Dobhal, former scientistat the Wadia Institute of HimalayanGeology in Dehra Dun corrobateswhat Azam says that says that it wasa snow avalanche that triggered thedisaster on the early morning ofFebraury 7, 2021.

“It brought with it a lot of mar-iane debris downstream causing lossof lives and loss of property that itwas in its path. Since it was a verti-cal fall, the force was high andflowed into the gorge. With it tooktwo hydel power stations as well,”Dobhal explains.

This phenomenon is commonin the region that takes place at over5,000 feet altitude; such hangingglaciers are commonly found at thisheight, near main glaciers.

“Any movement will lead to itsbreakage. The reason for such massdestruction was due to the intensi-ty of the fall. Global warming isleading to glacier melting leading tosmall lake formation. Snow cover isreducing. It is important to look atthe topography and look at the fre-quency of landslides and avalanch-es. Unfortunately, hanging glaciersare difficult to monitor. Every aspectneeds to be looked at before anyconstruction is done,” Dobhal says.

One main reason to be alarmedis that we have lost a source of freshwater. “With such a large chunk ofice breaking away, we should bealarmed, but we can take heart thatevents are rare. There is a possibil-ity that where the breakage hastaken place, the main glacier is thereonly. Next year, when it snows, whatis broken will get replenished evenif it takes time. If the depression isdeep and wide, there is a chance forthis glacier will mend itself over aperiod of time,” Dobhal says.

The Himalayasare a watertower. With

increasing globalwarming, theupper reaches

are warming upfaster, leading torapid melting of

the glaciers. Thishas resulted inan increasing

number ofglacier lakes.

These lakes alsobecome

reservoirs of iceand moraine

debris. With anincrease in this

phenomenon, thebreach of glacier

lakes poses asevere threat tothe communities

livingdownstream

— Dr AP Dimri,Professor, School of

EnvironmentalScience, Jawaharlal

Nehru University

LIFE HANGINGIN BALANCELIFE HANGINGIN BALANCE

Photo: AP

An aerial view of Tapovan barrage two days after a portion ofthe Nanda Devi glacier snapped off, releasing water trapped

behind it in Tapovan, Northern State of Uttarakhand

Getting five hours or less of sleep a night doubles the risk ofgetting dementia, a new study warns. Researchers from

Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston looked at data from2,812 US adults aged 65 and over. 'Very short' sleep duration,defined as five hours or less,doubled the risk of dementiacompared to the'recommended' duration ofseven to eight hours, theyfound. The study backs upprevious research that too littlesleep essentially 'sets thestage' for forms of dementialike Alzheimer's. While thisstudy didn't look at the reasonbehind the link, it's possiblethat a lack of proper restprevents the brain fromclearing out the toxins thattrigger an ongoing decline inbrain function. a womansleeping on a bed: According to the Sleep Foundation, there ismore sleep disturbance reported among older adults than anyother age group© Provided by Daily Mail According to the SleepFoundation, there is more sleep disturbance reported among olderadults than any other age group. The researchers highlight an'urgent need to identify the specific recommendations forimproving sleep among older adults'. The NHS says mostadults need between six and nine hours of sleep everynight, while the US's Sleep Foundation advisesbetween seven and eight hours a night for people65 years old and over. 'Our findings illuminate aconnection between sleep deficiency and risk ofdementia and confirm the importance ofefforts to help older individuals obtainsufficient sleep each night,' said thestudy's lead author, DrRebecca Robbins atBrigham and Women'sHospital's Divisionof Sleep andCircadianDisorders.

Less than fivehours of sleep anight ‘can doubledementia risk'

With schools and colleges still shut due to the pandemic, studies havemoved online, however, not everyone in India is privileged enough to

have a steady internet connection. However, with a determination tocontinue their studies during the pandemic, local children in MadhyaPradesh's Betul district are now using roads as a slate or blackboard tolearn counting, tables and other subjects. Yes, in a unique experiment in

Simori village of Betul district, people have moved tocommunity classes and 'learn with fun'

techniques wherein children are usinga road as a giant slate. Notably,

the kids assemble everyevening and practice basic

maths along withplaying. Children adopt

various practices tolearn like writing,counting, tables,month and day

names, English, nouns, important days, counting in Sanskrit, names ofgrains, flowers, fruits, and vegetables etc while also collecting interestinginformation about the country and abroad, and important personalities.Whatever the children learn at home or in community classes, they writeit on the road just for fun which is actually improving their writing skills.

Birds use geomagneticfield as their primary method ofnavigating in unfamiliar locations

More than 30 per cent of annual deaths in Indiacan be attributed to air pollution from fossil

fuels, according to a study by Harvard University.The research was conducted in collaboration withthe University of Birmingham, the University ofLeicester, and University College London. It waspublished on Tuesday in the journal EnvironmentalResearch. The study indicated that the highestrates of deaths from fossil fuels like coal anddiesel are in China and India. UP, Bihar log inhighest number of deaths According to the report,within India, Uttar Pradesh has the highestnumber of deaths due to air pollution from fossil

fuels. The study said more than 4.7 lakhdeaths per year in Uttar Pradesh

were due to pollution.Bihar took the second spot

with more than 2.8 lakhdeaths due to air

pollution.

When migratingbirds get lost, theycan 'read' the sig-

nature of the Earth's magneticfield well enough to find theirway once again, a study hasrevealed. Researchers fromthe UK exposed Eurasian reedwarblers to a fake magneticsignature — thousands ofmiles from their usual path —to see how they would react.

Despite all the other cuesfrom their actual location, thebirds readied to fly off as ifthey were in the location thatmatched that of the simulatedmagnetic field. This provesthat birds use the geomagnet-ic field as their primarymethod of navigating in unfa-miliar locations, allowingthem to course correct ifneeded.

a bird sitting on top of eachother: When migrating birdsget lost, they can 'read' thesignature of the Earth's mag-netic field well enough to findtheir way once again, a studyhas revealed. Pictured, one ofthe Eurasian reed warblersused in the researchers'experiment© Provided byDaily Mail When migrating

birds get lost, they can 'read'the signature of the Earth'smagnetic field well enough tofind their way once again, astudy has revealed. Pictured,one of the Eurasian reedwarblers used in theresearchers' experiment

In their study, theresearchers took adultEurasian reed warblerswho were alreadyfamiliar with theirmigration route andits general magnetic sig-natures and held them in cap-tivity for a short period oftime. When the birds werereleased back into the wild ata site in Austria, the teamexposed them to a simulationof the Earth's magnetic signa-ture from a location in Russiasome thousands of miles out-side of the creature's naturalmigratory corridor.

Despite experiencing allother sensory clues abouttheir actual location —including its sights, smells,sounds and starlight — thebirds still showed the urge tobegin their journey as if theywere in Russia, as indicated bythe fake magentic signature.

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 14, 2021

scopekaleid backpage

AheadofVale

ntine's Day2021, United

States President JoeBiden and his two

dogs Major andHunter took a walk

across the White HouseLawns along with First

Lady Jill Biden to checkout her special decora-tions.

This is the Bidens' firstChristmas in the WhiteHouse as the First Familyand Jill Biden has takenthe opportunity to deco-rate the lawns with themesof positivity and compas-sion.

Giant hearts withwords like 'Love','Gratitude','Compassion' and,'Family' were printed

on them.As the Bidens'

walked, theyshared a delight-

fully drab andnormal con-

versationthat is

mov-ing

neti-zensfor thatvery reason.The utter nor-malcy of it endearedthe couple to those whowatched.

In a video that has beengoing viral on Twitter,President Biden can beheard saying "ValentinesDay is big. Jill's favoriteday. For real."

When the FLOTUS wasasked what inspired her todo it, Jill Biden said, "I justwanted some joy. With thepandemic, just everybody'sfeeling a little down. So,it's just a little joy. A littlehope. That's all."

The video of the sweetmorning walk has beengoing viral on social mediawith many praising theBidens for using the occa-sion of Valentine's Day tospread positivity.

In a recent interviewwith People Magazine, theBidens revealed the secretto their successful mar-riage.

"I knew that I wanted tomarry her shortly after I

met her. Everybodysays marriage is

50/50.That is not

true. Sometimes it has tobe 70/30. When I am reallydown, she steps in andwhen she's down, I am ableto step in. We have beenreally supportive of oneanother

The duo has been loved

forthe

love andsupport they

extendedtowards eachother throughBiden's Presidentialcampaign and haveset relationship goalsfor thousands ofAmericans.

Biden took oath as the46th United StatesPresident on January 20, aceremony which precededthe turbulent Capitol HillRiots of February.

‘A Little Hope':

Joe and JillBiden take awalk among

Valentine's Daydecorations

India’s only known fossil of the world’s oldest animalever discovered in Bhimbetka caves

In an exciting new discov-ery, archaeologists havediscovered signs of life in

popular historical site ofBhimbetka in Madhya Pradeshfrom 570 million years ago.Upon preliminary examinationand dating, the fossils discoveredcould be the 'first-ever fossil ofIndia’ as well as ‘Earth’s oldestanimal'.

The fossil should have beenfound sooner as it was on theroof of one of the caves knows as

the Auditorium Cave. The fossilknown as Dickinsonia is 17inches long and holds answersabout evolution of life.

Though such animals couldeven be 4-feet tall at times, dueto its comparatively smaller size,the fossil was discovered almostby accident. It wasn’t a profes-sional search but simply aleisurely tour by two members ofGeological Survey of India (GSI)at rock shelters known to be atleast 10,000 years old. There,

they spotted a leaf life impres-sion on the roof ’s surface, whichwas almost camouflaging withits surroundings. Most touristswould take it to be a prehistoricartwork as the site is famous forancient cave paintings.

However, the Dickinsonia isconsidered to be key betweensimple organisms about 541 mil-lion years ago and the explosionof life that followed in theCambrian period.

Shot from a dronewins WildlifePhotography AwardR

obert Irwin, son of famous wildlife Australianzookeeper and wildlife expert Steve Irwin, has

made his family proud after earning the first prizein the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People'sChoice Award contest. The son of theconservationist clicked the picture of thedevastating Australian Bushfire and wasnominated for the same last year. Titled Bushfire,the image is a drone capture that shows a line offire burning in between the bushes, dividing it intotwo parts. Robert clicked this image near theSteve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Cape York,Queensland. Back in October 2020, Robertrequested netizens to vote for his click to help himwon the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.

Burning of fossil fuelscauses 30% deaths inIndia; max in UP, Bihar

Editors Guild of Indiademands probe afterwebinar gets spammedA

webinar organised by theEditors Guild of India (EGI) was

on Friday disrupted within 10minutes of its beginning aftermultiple spammers joined it andstarted posting obscene videosand messages. The virtualseminar on "Reporting from RedZones" was scheduled for 3 pm onFebruary 12 via Zoom to discussexperiences of those reportingfrom Naxal-affected areas. Thespeakers included journalistsMalini Subramaniam, PV KondalRao, Milind Umare, TameshwarSinha, Faisal Anurag, and PurnimaTripathi, according to a statementtweeted by EGI after the incident.

"EGI zoom webinar on "Reportingfrom Red Zones" subjected torelentless disruption by cyberattackers, who clearly did not wantthe speakers' voices to be heard.Multiple encroachers postedobscene messages and videos.Webinar called off within 10minutes," the EGI tweeted. Callingit a "blatant attack on freedom ofspeech", the EGI has demandedthe Cyber Crime Cell to investigatethe matter and book the hackers."The guild is shocked anddisturbed by this unprecedentedattack by those who clearly didnot want the speakers' voices tobe heard.

When road becomes the slate...

- Preschool (3-5 years): 10-13 hours

- School-age (6-13 years): 9-11 hours

- Teen (14-17 years): 8-10 hours

- Young adult (18-25) 7-9 hours- Adult (26-64): 7-9 hours- Older adult (65 or more)

7-8 hoursSource: Sleep Foundation

RECOMMENDED SLEEP DURATION