English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · “We do not want people to face ... Mishra and Deepak Gupta said as per Central Pollution ... stubble burning have

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As Delhi faced emergencysituation second time in

the season due to severe plusAir Quality Index (AQI) withvalue 540 on the NationalAmbient Air quality Index(NAAQI) on Friday, the rulingAam Aadmi Party (AAP) saida final call on extending theodd-even scheme will be takenon Monday as the air quality isexpected to improve in nexttwo-three days.

The road-rationingscheme, rolled out onNovember 4, ended on Friday.“We do not want people to faceunnecessary inconvenience.The residents cooperated verymuch in implementation of thescheme. There were 250-300challans every day, which arevery less considering the pop-ulation. Air quality is predict-ed to improve over the nexttwo-three day. A final call onextending the odd-evenscheme will be taken onMonday,” Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal said.

The Central Pollution con-trol Board (CPCB) has said thevehicle rationing scheme willnot help in improving Delhi’sair more than four per cent.

Forecasting on the air qual-ity for next three days, Systemof Air Quality and WeatherForecasting And Research(SAFAR) said the air quality inDelhi may improve onNovember 17.

If air quality data of mon-itoring agencies are to bebelieved there is no significantimprovement recorded in pre-vious week as levels of harm-ful Suspended ParticulateMatters (SPMs) were recordedabove 500 for ParticulateMatter (PM) 10 and 300 plusfor PM 2.5.

On Friday also, values ofboth were recorded 582 and

390 as a thick layer of toxicsmog enveloped Delhi for thefourth consecutive day.

All monitoring agenciesrecorded an AQI above 500 inDelhi on Friday. NeighbouringFaridabad (450), Ghaziabad(475), Greater Noida (445),Gurgaon (461) and Noida(474) too continued to reelunder severe air quality.

Air quality at differentplaces in Delhi also recordedhazardous level. Dwarka Sector8 and Okhla phase-II were ontop with overall AQI 558 and688 respectively. Mundka,Punjbai Bagh, Anand Viharand RK Puram recorded AQIabove 400.

Air quality in Patparganjalso breached severe category

with value 475 recorded atReal Time Ambient air quali-ty index of Delhi pollutionControl Committee (DPCC).Capital’s Mandir Marg record-ed AQI 650.

Najafgarh, Narela and afew outer areas faced noxiousair with AQI above 500.Levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10were nearly eight times high-er than normal at severallocations. An AQI between201 and 300 is considered“poor”, 301-400 “very poor”and 401-500 “severe”.

According SAFAR, drizzleon Thursday night provedcounter-productive and led toformation of secondary parti-cles — a situation Delhi wit-nessed in the first week of

November. The situation may worsen

due to a drizzle on Fridaynight, it said.

A cloud cover and slowwind speed due to a westerndisturbance have been uncon-ducive for dispersion of pollu-tants, experts said.

Gufran Beig, project direc-tor, SAFAR, said though theimpact of stubble burning isexpected to reduce onNovember 16, high humiditydue to isolated light rains mayworsen the situation.

“Drizzle (last night)delayed the recovery andhence, improvement in ar qual-ity is now expected only byNovember 17,” the SAFARsaid.

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Amid an assertion by formerChief Minister Devendra

Fadnavis that no Government ispossible in Maharashtra withoutthe BJP, Nationalist CongressParty (NCP) president SharadPawar on Friday expressed con-fidence that the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Governmentwould soon be formed in theState and it would last for a fullfive-year term.

Addressing a news con-ference at Nagpur, Pawar said,“The process has started...Don’t worry. Things will rollout sooner or later. There is noquestion of mid-term polls inthe State. This (Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress) wil l beformed and it will last for fiveyears. We will be ensure thatthis Government lasts for itsfull term.”

Replying to a question, the

NCP president said, “Our effortis to see that there is stableGovernment which is devel-opment-oriented. We want aGovernment that will success-fully address major problems inthe State. Towards this end, wewill do everything that is nec-essary”.

Declining to give a timelinefor the formation of the three-party Government in the State,Pawar indicated that he wouldmeet AICC president SoniaGandhi in New Delhi and dis-cussed whatever remaining

issues relating to theGovernment-formation in theState.

Asked about the Sena’sdemand for the Chief Minister’spost, Pawar said, “Discussionsare going on. They are still ininitial stages. If any party wantsthe Chief Minister’s post wewill definitely consider thedemand”.

When his attention wasdrawn to a statement byFadnavis that no Government was possible with-out the BJP and if anyGovernment was to be formedin Maharashtra it would be aBJP-led Government, Pawartook a jibe at the former ChiefMinister and said, “Something else was going onin my mind... that is (Fadnavis’oft-repeated statement duringelection rallies) me punhayenar, me punha yenar... (Iwill return as the ChiefMinister)”.

On being asked aboutFadnavis’ statement that a non-BJP Government would notlast for even six months, Pawarquipped, “I have knownFadnavis for quite some time.But I did not know he is anastrologer too.”

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In what could be bad news forpaedophiles, the CBI has set

up an Online Child SexualAbuse and Exploitation( O C S A E )Prevention/Investigation Unitin the national Capital under itsSpecial Crime Zone to proac-tively check child porn andassociated crimes throughdetailed investigation.

The newly-established spe-cialised unit will collect, collateand disseminate informationregarding publication, trans-mission, creation, collection,seeking, browsing, download-ing advertising, promoting,exchanging, distribution ofinformation relating to onlinechild sexual abuse and exploita-tion and probe related crimes.

The unit will also conductinvestigation of such offences

covered under the provisions ofthe Indian Penal Code (IPC),the Protection of Childrenfrom Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act and theInformation Technology Act2000 and under various otherlaws.

“Rapid growth of the inter-net and information & com-munication tools over the pasttwo decades has created unpar-alleled opportunities for chil-dren and adults alike to learnand explore the world aroundthem. Today, in many coun-tries, these technologies areubiquitous — permeating everyaspect of our lives — personaland professional, individualand social. These technologieshave simultaneously created anew dimension, wherein thesexual exploitation of childrencan multiply, if unchecked.

Continued on Page 4

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The Railway Board hasdecided to hike price of

meals on board Rajdhani,Shatabdi, Duronto trains,resulting in slight hike in theirfares, according to aGovernment order.

According to the neworder, in first class AC andexecutive class, tea will cost�35, up by �6, breakfast �140,up by �7, lunch and dinner�245, up by �15.

In second class AC, thirdclass AC and chair car, tea tocost �20, up by �5, breakfast�105, up by �8, lunch and din-ner �185, up by �10.

It has also been decidedthat snacks of regional flavour

will be introduced, the orderstated. The ‘Snack Meal’ shallbe of 350 grams portion andshall be made available at �50,

inclusive of GST.“IRCTC shall be account-

able for providing the newlyintroduced menu options in a

way that the quantity and qual-ity are commensurate with thetariff and no undue benefit ispassed on to the serviceprovider,” the order read.

A review of menu and tar-if f of pre-paidRajdhani/Shatabdi/Durontotrains and standard meals orfood items that are providedto passengers of mail orexpress trains on paymentbasis, has been done takinginto consideration therequests received fromIRCTC and the recommen-dations of the menu and tar-iff committee set up by theboard, the order said.

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The Supreme Court onFriday said the odd-even

vehicle rotation scheme of theDelhi Government was a “half-baked solution” to the severepollution level in the nationalCapital as it is not effective inreducing pollution.

The apex court questionedthe exemptions given, includ-ing to two and three wheelers,during the scheme and askedthe Delhi Government as towhether it helped reduce pol-lution.

A Bench of Justices ArunMishra and Deepak Gupta

said as per Central PollutionControl Board (CPCB), thecontribution of cars in pollu-tion was around 3 per cent andodd-even was not a permanentsolution to the problem.

“This odd-even is also ahalf-baked solution. You maygo for full odd-even withoutany exemption,” the Benchtold senior advocate MukulRohatgi, who was appearingfor the Delhi Government.

“We have seen that in spiteof imposition of odd-evenscheme the pollution isincreasing in the city of Delhiand the NCR region and pol-lution has reached to very

severe level. Drastic steps arerequired to be taken by all con-cerned working in tandemand to cooperate with eachother as it is not an adversari-al litigation,” the Bench said.

Additional SolicitorGeneral ANS Nadkarni,appearing for the Centre, toldthe Bench that as per CPCB’sstudy, odd-even scheme has noeffect on reducing the pollutionlevel. Rohatgi countered thissubmission and said as perstudy reports, the pollutionlevel has reduced from five to15 per cent during odd-evenscheme. “If exemptions areremoved, it might reducemore. There are large numberof two wheelers in the city andif we stop them (during odd-even scheme), the whole citywill collapse,” he said, adding,“The real culprit is stubbleburning”.

Continued on Page 4

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In the last couple of days,Punjab witnessed an over 50-

fold decline in stubble burninginstances from 520 onNovember 12 to just 10 onNovember 13, while Haryanahad an over four-fold dropfrom 68 to 16 instances.

Uttar Pradesh registeredabout three-fold decline from210 to 79. The latest figures onthe basis of satellite imageryshow that Uttar Pradesh may

have registered an overalldecline in the last two days butnow has the dubious distinc-tion of being ahead of Punjab

and Haryana in terms of stub-ble burning instances.

As per data compiled bythe Agriculture Ministry, thenumber of stubble burningcases has decreased from 792on November 12 to 105 onNovember 13. As per data, nostubble burning was detectedMahamayanagar, JyotibaphuleNagar and Varanasi whileAgra, Hathras, Mahoba, Mau,Jaunpur recorded one inci-dent each of farm fire till date.

As many as 54,776 cases ofstubble burning have beendetected since October 1 inPunjab, Haryana and UP sofar. Of them, 46,221 incidentswere found in Punjab; 5,823 inHaryana and 2,732 in UP.

There was a decline of12.4 per cent this year as com-pared to the last year till date.UP recorded 41.3 per centdecline, Haryana recorded16.26 per cent decline andPunjab recorded 9.3 percentdecline of stubble burning.

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Chhattisgarh Governmenton Friday announced to

extend mining lease of NMDC,India’s largest iron ore minerand exporter in public sector.

The decision of theCongress Government came asa major relief for the public sec-tor mining giant as its leaseperiod for mines inChhattisgarh were set to end inMarch 2020.

NMDC produces roughly70 percent of its total annualiron ore from mines inChhattisgarh which are basedin extreme leftist insurgency-hit Dantewada district.

Chief Minister BhupeshBaghel who also holds miningportfolio, gave approval forextending the mining leaseafter NMDC’s Chairman-cum-Managing Director

(CMD)N Baijendra Kumaragreed to release � 600 croreimmediately to the StateGovernment for renewal.

The meeting was held inRaipur at the official residenceof Chhattisgarh Chief Ministerwhich lasted for nearly 40 min-utes. Kumar, the 1986 batchChhattisgarh cadre IAS officer,has described the ChhattisgarhGovernment’s decision a bigachievement for theNMDC.

``I feel obliged toChhattisgarh Chief Ministerfor conceding my request toextent mining lease, it hascome on a day when NMDCis celebrating its 62ndFoundation Day’’ Kumar toldThe Pioneer.

He informed that NMDChas also decided to go with thecash-strapped ChhattisgarhHousing Board for construc-

tion of a township for upcom-ing Nagarnar Steel Plant inBastar district.

The project cost is esti-mated to be � 1,200 crorewhich could go up to ��2,000crore once completed. Baghelhas also announced that therewill be a joint venture for dia-mond — mineral prospectingoperations, between theNMDC and the CMDC inSaraipali Tahsil ofMahasamund district.

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Worsening environmentalpollution in the national

Capital may be getting loads oflip-sympathy from celebritiesand the political class but inreal terms not many seem tobe really geared to mitigate thepoison around as was evidentfrom the 'scary' absence ofmost of the MPs and officialsfrom a meeting of aParliamentary panel on theissue on Friday. The issuegained political connotations asthe non-presence of the DelhiMP and former cricketerGautam Gambhir was circu-lated by the AAP in the socialmedia by showing him as'enjoying Jalabis` with his com-mentary teammates coveringthe India-Bangladesh crickettest match in Indore.

Gambhir was the only MPfrom Delhi who had been

summoned to the meeting ofthe Parliamentary StandingCommittee on UrbanDevelopment scheduled tostart 11 am. Attendance waspoor, with only four of 29MPs on the panel list turningup, according to sources.

Members present at themeeting were upset with thoselike the three municipal com-missioners, DDA vice chair-man and Secretary/joint sec-retary of the EnvironmentMinistry absent and plan toraise the issue with the Speaker.They asked junior officials toconvey to their seniors thatthey should have attended themeeting, sources said.

"Instead of sitting in com-mentary box and enjoy-ing.. .We challenge@GautamGambhir to stopplaying blame games over pol-lution and ATTEND MEET-INGS ON AIR POLLUTION

which he skipped ", tweeted@AamAadmiParty.

In his explanation, the for-mer cricketer-turned-BJP MPsaid his work "will speak foritself " and then criticised theAAP for "making my com-mercial engagements (whichwere entered into before I hadbecome an MP) an issue..."

In an extraordinary " carea damn" response , top officialsof the Environment Ministry,DDA and municipal commis-sioners too stayed away froma key meeting of the parlia-mentary body that too on theeve of the Winter session ofthe Parliament which isexpected to deliberate on thedeadly poison spreading acrossthe city.

The Environment Ministryclarified that " some of its offi-cials were present during thedeliberations" while one wasbusy in critical Supreme Court

hearing. The questions that the

members were planning toraise included: As there areabout 50 lakh cars on theroads in Delhi, is theGovernment coming up withany sort of car pool policy orregulation?

Another question was thatas per the Union Government,�1,150 crores were given by theCentre to the states in the lastone year to combat air pollu-tion along with 14,000machines. Does theGovernment have a quantita-tive and qualitative utilisationreport of the money disbursed?

The third question to beraised pertained to theSupreme Court's recent obser-vation that everybody rangingfrom the secretary to the ̀ grampradhan` will be held respon-sible for losses due to air pol-lution.

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Days after blaming KejriwalGovernment for not

doing enough to curb smog,Union Environment MinisterPrakash Javadekar on Fridaycalled for "joint action" by allagencies to combat the wors-ening air quality in the nation-al capital. Addressing a pressconference here, Javadekarsaid it was not the time for dif-ferent agencies to blame eachother.

"Delhi pollution is not theproblem of this city. Delhi's airhas been worsening since1990s. There are new chal-lenges everyday as circum-stances change. We haveworked towards reducingindustrial pollution, con-

struction waste and dust etc.There is continuous work.

"But everyone shouldwork together. Cooperation ofPunjab, Haryana, Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh, DelhiGovernment, all three MCDsand NDMC, DDA, and allother agencies is required to fixthis. Everyone has to work

together," the minister said.He said the Government

was "very serious about theissue of air pollution. "Air pol-lution is an issue to be tackledcollectively by agencies. It isnot the time to blame eachother. We are very seriousabout the issue of pollution,"the Minister said.

A few days ago, Javedkarhad slammed the DelhiGovernment for not doingmuch to curb the pollution.

Replying to another query,the Minister said theGovernment has withdrawnthe 'officers' draft on amend-ments in the Forest Act, 1927as the Government is com-mitted to protect the rights oftribals and forest dwellers.

Javadekar said that the

draft was not officially pre-pared by the UnionGovernment.

The provision in theamendment which invitedcriticism was the one whichallowed forest officials to usearms against people to preventforest offence.

The provision read, "Anyforest-officer, may if necessary,to prevent the commission ofany offence under this Act orunder the WildlifeAmendment proposed to pro-vide indemnity to forest-offi-cer using arms etc, to preventthe forest offence.This indem-nity shall be in addition to theimmunity provided under sec-tion 197 of Code of CriminalProcedure 1973 for certaincategories of Public Servant."

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Outgoing Chief Justice India(CJI) Ranjan Gogoi on

Friday expressed his inability tohave one-to-one interview withscribes and lauded the press forits "maturity" and "character" inpreventing "canards and false-hood" in "trying times" of thejudiciary.

Justice Gogoi, the 46th CJIand the first from a north-east-ern State, said it was not therequirement of the SupremeCourt that judges "reach out toour citizenry through thepress".

"Such outreach (to the

press) ought to be symbolic ofan extraordinary situationdemanding an exception tothe norm," said Justice Gogoiwho would demit office onNovember 17, a Sunday.

Justice Gogoi and threeother senior most apex courtjudges - Justices J Chelameswar,Madan B Lokur and KurianJoseph had held an unprece-dented press conference onJanuary 12, 2018 alleging thatthe administration and alloca-tion of cases in the apex court,then headed by the then CJIDipak Misra, was "not inorder".

In a three-page common

letter to journalists, the CJIdeclined the request for inter-views and said: "I would not beable to meet your request for aone-to-one meet."

The letter said: "I am keenthat you would appreciate thatthe ordinary freedoms are fine-ly balanced in our institution-al functioning - while you havethe Bar whose members canexercise their freedom ofspeech to the extent of evenpushing the boundaries of suchfreedom, the bench requires itsjudges to maintain silence,while exercising their free-doms.

"This is not to say that

Judges do not speak. They dospeak, but only out of func-tional necessity, and no more.Bitter truth must remain inmemory."

The CJI lauded the role ofmedia for its reportage duringthe "trying times" of the apexjudicial institution.

"Good press is also a para-meter amongst others that isknown to be indicative of ourinstitutional health. In suchview, I do wish to put onrecord that by and large, thepress corps has been kind tomy office as well as to our insti-tution during my tenure at thehelm of the institution.

"Even during trying times.When our institution was keep-ing an ambush or two at bay,most members of the press dis-played maturity and characterad exercised exceptional dis-cretion to prevent canards andfalsehood from clogging thenews space," the letter said.

Justice Gogoi said that as apublic functionary, who wasentrusted with onerousConstitutional duties to per-form, the idea of "courting thepress" never came as a choicefor him in the interest of theinstitution.

"I chose to belong to aninstitution whose strength lay

in public confidence and trustearned not through good press,but through our work as Judgeson the bench.

"In fact, our work-placesare, by our functional necessi-ty, required to be public placesas justice is ordained to bedelivered in presence of ordi-nary citizens to ensure that it isnever far removed from them.In that view, our institutionalconnect and interface with thecitizenry is proximate," the let-ter said.

Though the CJI isofficially retiring on November17, a Sunday, Friday was hislast working day.

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Union Home Ministry onFriday told the

Parliamentary standing com-mittee on Home Affairs thatthe situation in J&K was gettingnormal after the quashing ofArticle 370 but did not give anytimeframe for the release of thedetained political leaders,including former ChiefMinisters, as sought byOpposition MPs.

Union Home SecretaryAjay Kumar Bhalla andAdditional Secretary in theHome Ministry GyaneshKumar and other Ministryofficials briefed theParliamentary standing com-mittee on Home Affairs,chaired by senior Congressleader Anand Sharma, on thesituation in the union territo-ries of Jammu and Kashmir,and Ladakh.

Opposition MPs quizzedtop Government officials onthe detention of political lead-ers, particularly the formerChief Minister FarooqAbdullah, Omar Abdullah andMehbooba Mufti. It is learnedthat Opposition MPs were agi-

tated while asking questions tothe officials on this regard.Responding to questions on therelease of the detained politicalleaders, Bhalla and his team ofofficers conveyed that somehad been released and otherswill be freed gradually butrefrained from giving any timeline, sources said.

The Home secretary,sources said, told the MPs thatthe situation in the UT of J&Kis getting normal, schools areopen and the apple trade isgoing on, sources said. TheMPs also raised the issue ofcurbs on the internet in theValley since August 5. HomeMinistry officials, it is learnt,said the restrictions wereimposed as the internet couldbe used by terrorists for sub-

versive activities as well as byanti-social elements to spreadrumours.

According to sources pre-sent at the meeting, differ-

ences between the BJP and theCongress MPs cropped up overthe issue of J&K being dis-cussed in the panel. While BJPmembers cited the rule book to

say the panel should not inter-fere in the work of the execu-tive, Congress MPs said theissue was important and had tobe discussed, the sources said.

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The Supreme Court Fridayheld Former Ranbaxy pro-

moters Malvinder andShivinder Singh guilty of con-tempt for violating its order thathad asked them not to divesttheir shares in Fortis HealthcareLimited. The apex court hadearlier asked the Singh brothersto give it a plan as to how theywould honour the arbitral awardof �3,500 crore granted by aSingapore tribunal against them,in favour of Japanese drug man-ufacturer Daiichi Sankyo.

A bench comprising ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi and JusticeDeepak Gupta held them guiltyof contempt of court and saidthat they had violated its earli-er order by which the sale oftheir controlling stakes in FortisGroup to Malayasian firm IHHHealthcare was put on hold.The apex court said it wouldhear the Singhs on the quantumof sentence later. The Japanesefirm had filed contempt petitionagainst them alleging that exe-cution of their arbitral awardhad been in jeopardy as the

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Aday after the SupremeCourt left a scope for a fur-

ther probe into the the Rafaledeal, lawyer Prashant Bhushanand former BJP leader andMinister Arun Shourie onFriday demanded that the CBIshould register a case regardingthe deal.

Bhushan, Shourie alongwith another former BJP mem-ber and Minister YashwantSinha had filed a review peti-tion in the apex court after itcleared the Government lastyear in the �59,000 crore dealfor procurement of 36 Rafalefighter jets from France in agovernment to Governmentdeal. Other review petitions onthe same issue were filed bylawyer Vineet Dhanda andAam Aadmi Party lawmakerSanjay Singh.

The apex court onThursday again gave a cleanchit to the Modi Governmentand said there is no ground toorder an FIR by the CBI or aroving inquiry into allegationsof irregularities in the deal.

But Bhushan referred tothe judgment of Justice K MJoseph, one of the three judgesof the bench headed by Chief

Justice Ranjan Gogoi that gavethe verdict.

In his separate but con-curring judgement, Joseph saidthe CBI, the country's premierprobe agency, is expected to act"completely independent" ofthe Government of the day andprofessionalism of "highestquality", uncompromisingindependence and neutrality isexpected of it.

"The CBI has to seek thepermission of the Governmentfor probing the case and it hasthree months to do so,"Bhushan said. If the CBI doesnot do so, it has to cite reasonsfor not probing the case.

Bhushan said here it isbinding on the CBI to probe

their complaint despite theruling by the three-judge apexcourt bench. If the CBI fails todo so, it will again approach theSupreme Court, Bhushan toldreporters at a press conferencealso addressed by Shourie.Sinha was not there.

He also said it has beenmore than a year since thecomplaint was submitted to thethen CBI Director Alok Verma."Accordingly, we expect RishiKumar Shukla, his successor, toseek the necessary approvalfrom the competent authorityunder Section 17A to begin thenecessary inquiry into the com-plaint in earnest in conformi-ty with the judgement of thecourt," he contended.

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The government must readthe "extremely important"

dissenting verdict for imple-mentation of the 2018 judge-ment allowing women of allages to enter Kerala'sSabarimala temple and ensureits compliance, Justice R FNariman of the Supreme Courtsaid on Friday.

A five-judge Constitutionbench, by a majority of 3:2, onThursday referred to a largerseven-judge bench the pleasseeking review of the 2018judgement allowing all womenand girls to enter Sabarimalatemple.Justice Nariman, whopenned the minority verdict onbehalf of himself and Justice DY Chandrachud, did not agreethe majority view of referringthe issue to the larger benchand reiterated that the court's2018 verdict, allowing allwomen and girls into theshrine, be strictly implement-ed.

As the majority verdict,penned by Chief Justice RanjanGogoi, kept review pleas pend-ing for the 7-judge bench anddid not stay the 2018 majorityjudgement, women of all age

groups will be entitled toundertake the pilgrimage to theshrine.

On Friday, a bench head-ed by Justice Nariman whichwas hearing the appeal ofEnforcement Directorateagainst grant of bail toCongress leader D KShivakumar, observed that theGovernment must read his"extremely important" dissent-ing verdict in Sabarimala caseand ensure its compliance.

"Please tell yourGovernment to read the dissentjudgement delivered in theSabarimala case yesterday. Thisis extremely important. Wecannot allow violation of ourorder and it has to be complied

with. Inform your authorityand the Government to read it,"he told Solicitor

General Tushar Mehta,who was appearing for the EDin the case. A bench of justicesNariman and S Ravindra Bhatdismissed the appeal of EDagainst the Delhi High Court'sorder granting bail to theCongress leader in a moneylaundering case.

When Justice Nariman toldMehta that the Governmenthas to comply with the orderspassed by the apex court, thesolicitor general said that thecourt should not have animpression that theGovernment would not complywith the directives.

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The Supreme Court onFriday dismissed the

Enforcement Directorate's pleachallenging the Delhi HighCourt order granting bail toKarnataka Congress leader D KShivakumar in a money laun-dering case.

A bench comprising jus-tices R F Nariman and SRavindra Bhat rejected therequest of Solicitor GeneralTushar Mehta, who appearedfor the ED, and said the issueshould be heard as it raises animportant legal question.

The High Court had onOctober 23 granted bail toShivakumar, saying he cannottamper with evidence or influencewitnesses and no material hasbeen shown to indicate that hewas a flight risk. Shivakumar, aseven-time MLA in Karnataka,was booked along withHaumanthaiah, an employee atthe Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi,and others for alleged offencesunder the Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA). TheED had arrested Shivakumar onSeptember 3 in the money laun-dering case.

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The Congress on Fridayattacked the Modi

Government over the deten-tion of mainstream politicalleaders in J&K, and askedwhether sitting Lok Sabhamember from SrinagarFarooq Abdullah will beallowed to attend Parliamentfrom Monday. It also allegedthat the Centre had left "nostone unturned in interna-tionalising Kashmir" and hitout at the Government forallowing European Union(EU) lawmakers to visit theValley but not Indian leaders.Former Chief Minister and

senior National Conference(NC) leader Farooq Abdullahwas detained under the con-troversial Public Safety Act(PSA).

"Kashmir has been in alockdown situation for the last103 days. The Prime Minister(Narendra Modi) is goingaround the world saying 'all iswell'," Congress spokesper-son Pawan Khera said at apress conference.

He said the Governmentmust give reasons as to why ithas kept leaders of estab-lished political parties underdetention. When FarooqAbdullah "sings 'Ram Bhajan'or says 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'", he

does not think what theresponse of separatist forceswill be, Khera said.

The Congress spokesper-son hit out at the ModiGovernment for granting adelegation of EU MPs accessto Kashmir whenParliamentarians of the coun-try were not allowed.

The Government onFriday did not spell out atimeline for the release ofpolitical leaders detained inJ&K even as it said that the sit-uation in the troubled regionis getting normal post therevocation of special statusand bifurcation into twounion territories in August.

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Congress has drawn up anelaborate plan to corner

the Modi Government duringthe month long WinterSession of Parliament thatbegins on Monday and hasbeen in talks with otherOpposition parties to come onboard on raising commonissues concerning citizens likeeconomy, employment, NRCetc. Congress in particular willagain raise the demand ofJPC in Rafale scam.

The performance ofCongress in the just conclud-ed Assembly polls leading toformation of a Government inMaharashtra with its long termally NCP, has also given hopesto opposition parties to buildupon the pressure in corneringthe BJP Governments.Congress leaders said that theissue of an Israeli software tosnoop on Indian civil societywill also rock the Parliament

debates and in this regard theleaders of Opposition togeth-er have written to PresidentRamnath Kovind also to takeup the matter with theGovernment.

The Opposition parties,particularly Congress, are nowhopeful that the result could beused to build consensus uponelectoral understandings, polit-ical positioning and policyviews.

Senior opposition leaderssay that the immediate impactof this can be seen in upcom-ing winter session ofParliament and elections inJharkhand slated for later thisyear.

"Certainly the poll perfor-mance will boost greater coor-dination on the floor ofParliament during winter ses-sion. Two key issues which aunited opposition is likely totake up in the session includestate of economy and situationin J&K.

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RAIPUR | SATURDAY | NOVEMBER 16, 2019chhattisgarh 03

STAFF REPORTER n RAIPUR

The NMDC celebrated its 62ndFormation Day at its head

office in Hyderabad as well as at allits major projects and units withgreat zeal and enthusiasm.

The NMDC, which is thelargest iron ore producer in thecountry, was incorporated on thesame day in 1958 and has complet-ed 61 years of excellence.

Sumit Deb, Director(Personnel), NMDC, was the chiefguest and Jwala Gutta, famousbadminton player was the guest ofhonour at the grand function heldat Khanij Bhawan, Masab Tank,Hyderabad. Master Sai AgniJeeviitesh, International Master inchess, was also present on theoccasion, said an NMDC pressrelease.

Congratulating employees onthis prestigious occasion, Deb said

everyone associated with theNMDC should take pride on itsachievements and also be aware ofthe increased responsibilities itbrings in terms of working towardsthe betterment of the society andnation as a whole.

He emphasized on increasingthe production from 34 MTPA to45 MTPA.

Deb added that the NMDCalways encourages sports activitiesin and around its projects whichare located in very remote areas in

Chhattisgarh , Karnataka andMadhya Pradesh. He made aspecial note on major milestonesof the NMDC in its 61 years ofexistence.

Speaking on the occasion,Gutta urged to encourage sports

persons associated with variousgames in employment. She furthersaid that sports activities keeppeople healthy and fit and as sucheverybody should practice one orother game of their interestregularly.

She said that PSEs like NMDCplay an important role toencourage sports and games in thecountry.

Master Sai Agni Jeevitesh alsoemphasized the need forencouragement for indoor gameslike chess which require lot ofmental ability and patience.

He expressed his gratitude forthe support extended by theNMDC for his participation innational and international chesstournaments.

As a part of NMDC’sestablished corporate culture,employees who have put in morethan 20 years of continuous servicewere felicitated during thefunction with long service awardsin recognition of their dedicatedand long association in NMDC.

As a part of the celebrations,the NMDC also organized a mega

drawing and painting competitionfor high school children across allmajor projects and also for thechildren of Hyderabad.

The theme for the competitionwas chosen with an aim to pro-mote Government of India’s initia-tives such as “Swaccha Bharat” and“Avoid : Single Use Plastic”.

The competition was organ-ized in two phases, the preliminaryrounds were conducted in theprojects from 8 to 12 Novemberand at Hyderabad on 14 Novemberwhere in more than 300 childrentook part and displayed innovativethinking through paintings. 40best paintings were selected byJury members from JNTU FineArts, Hyderabad.

Best three and finalist awardsfor drawing and painting competi-tion were presented by chief guestand guests of honour.

NMDC celebrates 62nd Foundation Day with great enthusiasm


State cabinet on Friday gave itsapproval to merge and inte-

grate various ongoing healthschemes in the state into one andnamed it after late freedomfighter Khoobchand Baghel,who dreamt about the separatestate of Chhattisgarh.

Health Minister T.S.Singhdeo briefing media per-sons about the cabinet decisionsinformed that instead of hybrid,the new scheme will be rununder trust (assurance) mode.

All the government health-care schemes includingAyushman Bharat PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojana,Mukhmantri Bal ShrawanYojana and National Child

Health Programme ‘Chirayu’would now be integrated, theminister said.

State Nodal Agency

established under DirectorateHealth Services will be imple-menting the scheme and payingto the hospitals instead of insur-

ance company, the ministerfurther informed.

“The cabinet also approvedrenaming of Sanjivani Sahayata

Kosh as Chief Minister’s SpecialHealth Support Scheme andincreased the assistance limitunder it to `20 lakh from earlier`5 lakh”, the minister added.

The cabinet also gave nod todraft MoU for allotment of landto All India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS), Raipur inNava Raipur.

It also approved variousother announcements madeearlier, including declaring ‘ArpaPairi Ke Dhaar’ as state’s officialsong and for relaxation in pricesof houses constructed byChhattisgarh Housing Board.

It also slashed the entry feefor the Jangal Safari in NayaRaipur to half and made it freefor children below 12 years ofage and for differently abled.

Cabinet okays new unifiedmega health support schemeNames it after visionary freedom fighter Khoobchand Baghel who first dreamt about C’garh

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Chhattisgarh pavilion is allset to woo traders and

visitors at the 39th IndiaInternational Trade Fair(IITF) in Pragati Maidan,New Delhi.

The pavilion at Hall No.12-A gives a beautifulglimpse of the state’s tribaland rural crafts. Apart fromherbal products, the pavilionalso has a wide range ofcolourful fabrics, handloomsand dress materials to lurewomen visitors. Womenentering the pavilion areawestruck to see hugecollection of sarees, dressmaterials, duppattas, jackets,stoles etc.

Other than the most

renowned dress material ofthe state such as Tussar Silkin temple design, one couldalso find sarees made up ofpure linen, bafta cotton, puresilk, dupion silk, linen silkand much more at variousstalls and that too atwholesale prices directlyfrom weavers and craftsmenfrom Bilaspur, Raigarh,Janjhgir and Champadistricts of Chhattisgarh.

The fortnight-long fair isbased on the theme of “Easeof Doing Business”. Otherstalls in the pavilion displaybell metal handicrafts,wrought iron craft etc.Beautifully carved figurinesin Dhokra art are grabbingthe attention of foreignvisitors.

C’garh’s handloom, handicrafts

wooing visitors at IITF in Delhi


BJP on Friday staged astatewide ‘dharna’ against

the decision of the state gov-ernment for delaying thepaddy procurement inChhattisgarh.

Protest was staged in vari-ous towns of the state. AtRaipur the protest was led byformer chief minister and BJPnational vice president DrRaman Singh along with hisparty colleagues.

The saffron party allegedthat the Congress was trying tomislead and betray thefarmers. They demanded that

the state government shouldsoon start purchasing paddy at`2,500 per quintal.

“Through this protest, wewill try to awaken a deaf and

dumb Bhupesh government.The state government hasbetrayed farmers. Deferringthe date of paddy procurementfrom November 15 is

unjustified. If the governmentdoes not listen to us then wewill stage a jail ‘bharo andolan’”Raman Singh warned.

The current regime hadnot taken the decision of pur-chasing paddy at the rate of`2,500 by asking the centralgovernment, he said.

Going to Delhi and askingtime from Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and meetingPresident Ram Nath Kovindare just political stunts, healleged.

BJP is fighting for the realinterest of farmers, RamanSingh claimed.

BJP stages protest overdelay in paddy procurement


Home MinisterTamradhwaj Sahu on

Friday called for preparing aproposal to study better andeffective policing methodsbeing adopted by neighbour-ing states of Maharashtra andTelangana.

In a review meeting heldhere at police control room thehome minister instructed tostudy the system of policing inthe neighbouring states so thatit could be adopted inChhattisgarh.

He also instructed policeofficials to improve manage-ment of police stations, up gra-dation of police stations andchowkis and their betterdemarcation.

The minister also under-lined the need for adoptingmodern technology and toequip the police stations with

modern equipments. Hestressed on increasing theCCTV cameras to controlcrime and swift action ofpolice in registering the FIRs.

Superintendent of Police,

RAIPUR Arif Sheikh,Additional SP Prafull Thakurand Station House in chargesof all the police stations of thecapital city were present in themeeting.

Emulate better policing methodof neighbouring states: Minister


BJP on Friday questionedChhattisgarh government’s

claim of providing jobs to fivelakh youths in the state afterpossibility of no governmentrecruitment by PSC next year.

Recently, chairman ofChhattisgarh State PublicService Commission (CGPSC)while talking to media saidthere is a possibility of CGPSCdeclaring zero year in 2020that could result in no recruit-ment by the PSC that year.

Leader of oppositionDharamlal Kaushik reactingover the possibility of zero yearsaid that state government wasplaying with the future ofyouth of the state.

“Congress government onone hand claims that five lakh

youths have been providedjobs in the state while on otherPCS declaring possibility of azero year. This raises severalquestions,” Kauskhik said in apress statement.

According to Kaushik,every year about 1.15 lakhyouths in Chhattisgarh appearfor the PSC exams. If in 2019,PSC fails to publish jobrecruitment then a whole yearof those youths will be wasted.

“Every year as per PSC’scalendar in the month ofNovember PSC releases therecruitment advertisement. InJune, the mains exam is heldand by November the selectedcandidates face interview. Whowill be responsible for changein the PSC calendar and itsimpact on other exams”Kaushik asked.


Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel onFriday said that he will urge the All

India Congress Committee (AICC) inits meeting scheduled in national capi-tal on Saturday to raise the paddy’s issueof state at national level.

He was talking to reporters atSwami Vivekananda Airport, Raipurbefore leaving for New Delhi to partici-pate in the meeting of AICC.

Replying to repeated questionsbeing hurdled by the BJP that did thestate government ask the Union govern-ment before fixing price of paddy pro-curement at Rs 2,500 per quintal, ChiefMinister Bhupesh Baghel put a counterquestion asking whether the erstwhileBJP government in 2013 took permis-sion from the Centre for giving paddybonus.

“In 2013, when BJP governmenthad distributed bonus did they takepermission from central government?Now on what basis they are questioningus,” the Chief Minister said.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s protestover the delay in paddy procurement,he said why BJP MPs are not airing

their views in Parliament instead ofstaging protest.

“Are the MPs being elected by thepeople only to take salaries and wages?If they will not raise the issue of farmersof Chhattisgarh, they who will?,” theCM asked.

He warned that if central govern-ment does not purchase rice fromChhattisgarh then the paddy will rot,which will amount to dishonouringfarmers of the state.

‘Will urge AICC to raisepaddy issue at national level’

BJP questions govt’s job

claims after PSC revelation

STAFF REPORTER nRAIPUR

Aseminar was organisedby regional office of

Bank of Baroda on Fridayunder the aegis of NagarRajbhasha KriyanwayanSamiti (NRKS).

The programme washeld at regional office ofBoB on the subject“Problems in implement-ing the official languageand its solutions”.

Deputy GeneralManager Ranjeet KumarMandal presided over theprogramme being organisedfor NRKS officials, Rajbhashaofficers and in-charges.

Mandal appealed tothe officials for more andmore use of RajbhashaHindi while AnilChoubey, secretaryNRKS, in his key noteaddress, appealed forcontributing in publiciz-ing Hindi.

BoB holds seminaron Rajbhasha Hindi

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China on Friday objected tothe visit of Defence

Minister Rajnath Singh toArunachal Pradesh, saying theChinese Government neveracknowledged the "so-called"northeast Indian State, which itclaims to be a part of SouthTibet.

Singh visited Tawang onThursday for the ‘MaitreeDiwas’ celebrations to boostcivil-military friendship in theregion bordering China.

Reacting to the visit,Spokesman of the ChineseForeign Ministry Geng

Shuang said "the ChineseGovernment never acknowl-edged the so-called ArunachalPradesh."

"We firmly oppose theactivities conducted in thatarea by Indian officials or lead-ers," Geng said.

"We urge the Indian side torespect Chinese interests andconcerns, and stop taking anyactions that may complicate theboundary matter and take realactions to safeguard peace andtranquillity in the border areas,"he said.

China claims ArunachalPradesh as part of South Tibetand the two countries have sofar held 21 rounds of talks to

resolve the border dispute cov-ering 3,488-km-long Line ofActual Control (LAC).

China routinely objects toIndian leaders’ visits toArunachal Pradesh to buttressits stand.

India says Arunachal

Pradesh is its integral andinalienable part and Indian leaders visit theState from time to time, as theyvisit other parts of the country.

Addressing a function inthe border town of Tawang,Singh said people living thereare important to the countrystrategically.

He described the peopleliving on borders as no ordi-nary citizens but India’s "strate-gic assets" and said the road toa ‘new India’ as envisaged byPrime Minister Narendra Modiruns through a "new North-East."

The Government is work-ing on a north-east industrialcorridor to develop ArunachalPradesh as a land bridge forSouth East Asia, he said.

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In a setback to jailed FormerMinister P Chidambaram,

Delhi High Court on Fridayrejected his bail petition. "I amconscious that bail is rule andjail is exception but a wrongmessage would be sent to thesociety, if bail is granted in thiscase," said Justice Suresh Kaitin his Order, rejectingChidambaram’s bail petition inthe Enforcement Directorate’scase INX Media briberycharges.

Currently Chidambaramis lodged in Tihar jail and hisjudicial custody is extended upto November 27 by the trialcourt. The Former Financeand Home Minister was arrest-ed by CBI on August 21. Forthe past 88 days he is in custodyof CBI and ED and in Tihar jailand his claims of poor healthwas also rejected by the Court.

The High Court alsoobserved that Chidambaram iskey player in the money laun-dering in the INX mediabribery case. He is expected toapproach Supreme Court onMonday.

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Despite laws banning thepractice, manual scaveng-

ing not only is prevailed inIndia due to ‘weak legal pro-tection and lack of enforce-ment’ of the rules but also lowlypaid work, according to a newglobal study by the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO)and others.

The study "Health, Safetyand Dignity of SanitationWorkers An Initial Assessment"which was released onChildren’s Day on November14, said the financial situationof sanitary workers in India is‘precarious’ and it is a job linkedto "a caste-based structure".

Authored jointly by TheWorld Bank, WHO,International LabourOrganisation (ILO) andWaterAid, an internationaldevelopment organisation, itsfindings draw on evidence of

sanitary working conditionsin India and eight othernations-Bangladesh, Bolivia,Burkina Faso, Haiti, Kenya,Senegal, South Africa andUganda.

"Many countries eitherlack laws and regulations thatprotect sanitary workers, or thelaws in place are not enforcedor are not enforceable in prac-tical terms. Manual emptying,often the riskiest sanitationwork, is often characterised byinformality," the study said.

The report also said thatpay for lowgrade, temporary orinformal work tends to be low,

income is irregular, and work-ers are vulnerable to extortion.

"In India, some manualworkers reported they havebeen paid in food rather thanmoney," it said while notingthat sanitary workers oftenface social stigma and dis-crimination.

This stigma often resultedin inter-generational discrim-ination, where children of san-itary workers struggle to escapethe vicious cycle of limitedopportunities and sanitarywork. Furthermore, alcoholismand drug addiction to evade theworking conditions were com-mon among some sanitaryworkers, the study said.

Raman V R, Head of Policyat WaterAid India said sanitaryworkers carry out one of themost essential public service insociety yet they are forced towork in conditions that putstheir health, lives and dignity atrisk.

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Delhi Traffic Police issued 319 challans on thefinal day of the road rationing scheme odd

even on Friday. As per the official data, a total number of

3709 challans were issued during the entire oddeven scheme. These challans were issued bytransport officials Delhi Traffic Police and rev-enue officials.

Also, the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal onFriday said that the car curbing scheme will beextended if the air quality index will remain poorin the weekends on Saturday and Sunday. "Asper the experts, it has been predicted that thepollution level decrease and will improve in thecoming days. We will wait and observe till theweekends, if its remains the same, the decisionon extending the odd even scheme will be decid-ed on Monday by the Government," he said.

The Odd Even scheme was implemented for12 days from 4th to 15th November to curbvehicular emissions to control the increasinglevel of air pollution in the Natioal Capital.However, the scheme was suspended for the twodays on 11th and 12th November for the cele-brations of 550th Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Further, to run the campaign smoothly, the

government had deployed a total number of 200Traffic Police, 200 transport officials and 65 rev-enue officials.

This year the AAP Government has alsodoubled the penalty fees for the violation of theodd even scheme to �4000 from �2000. The oddeven scheme was first implemented in the year2016 to control the increasing level air pollutionby the vehicular emissions.

The ridership in Delhi metro trainsincreased to 58.36 Lakh in one day while was50.13 Lakh for the entire week prior the imple-mentation of odd even scheme.

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External Affairs Minister SJaishankar said the rela-

tionship with Pakistan remains"difficult" because it openlypractices terrorism againstIndia, and if Islamabad is seri-ous to cooperate with NewDelhi, it should hand over theIndians wanted for terroristactivities living in Pakistan.

In a wide-ranging inter-view with French daily LeMonde, the Minister saidPakistan does not deny send-ing terrorists to India.

"The relationship is diffi-cult since many years, mainlybecause Pakistan has developedan important terrorist industryand sends terrorists to India tocarry out attacks. Pakistan itselfdoes not deny this situation," hesaid, in response to a questionabout Pakistan ForeignMinister Shah MahmoodQureshi’s recent statement thatrelations with India are "closeto zero".

"Now, tell me: which coun-try would be willing to talk and

negotiate with a neighbourwho openly practices terrorismagainst it. We need actionsthat demonstrate a real will-ingness to cooperate.

"For example, there areIndians wanted for terroristactivities living in Pakistan.We are telling Pakistan: handthem over to us," he said, in aclear reference to criminalslike underworld don DawoodIbrahim, who is believed to behiding in Pakistan.

Dawood, originally fromDongri in Mumbai, is wantedfor murder, extortion, targetedkilling, drug trafficking, ter-rorism and various other cases.His name figured in the UnitedNations Security Council’supdated list of terrorists andmilitant groups in 2018.

On the situation inKashmir, Jaishankar said the"reforms" in August, whenIndia revoked Article 370 towithdraw the special status ofthe region, led to some pre-cautionary measures to avertthe danger of violent reactionsfrom radical and separatist

elements but that the situationwas now returning to normal.

"These restrictions havebeen gradually reduced, and asthe situation normalises, tele-phone and mobile lines havebeen restored, shops are openand apple harvest is underway. The situation is back tonormal," he said, adding thatforeign journalists would bewelcome to the region as soonas things are safe.

Asked about the tide of"nationalism" in India,Jaishankar reiterated that India’snationalism should not beviewed through western lens.

"Each country has a dif-ferent understanding of nation-alism, a different history. In theUnited States, it has an isola-tionist connotation. In Asia, atleast in India, nationalism is apositive word," he said.

On a question related totensions arising out of nation-alism for minorities, he reiter-ated: "It is my country thatdefines my nationality, not myreligion, nor my caste, nor my

language."The concept of nation is

different. In India, we are in asense a civilization state, withnatural, linguistic, ethnic andreligious diversity. We havenever considered uniformity asa necessity or an aspiration.There are few places in theworld where you will see somany people with so manybeliefs co-existing."

In the interview whichcovered a wide spectrum oftopics, from India-China rela-tions to the India-US dynam-ic, the external affairs ministerwas categorical about India’sgrowing importance in a worldwhere power will be more dis-persed across a range of actors.

"We are in a completelydifferent world. We tend toconsider the post-1945 bipolarworld and the post-1992American world as the norm.But look at the history of theworld. Things change, nothingis engraved in stone. This worldwill be different, power will bemore dispersed, there will bemore actors," he said.

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Aday after being sworn in,the newly inducted

Ministers in the Manohar LalKhattar Cabinet on Fridayassumed charge here withChief Minister Manohar LalKhattar accompanying them totheir chair and office.

Home and Health MinisterAnil Vij, Education MinisterKanwar Pal, Power Ministerand Independent MLA RanjitSingh Chautala, Women andChild Development MinisterKamlesh Dhanda, TransportMinister Mool Chand Sharmaand Sports Minister SandeepSingh — assumed charge at theHaryana Civil Secretariat build-ing here.

Soon after taking charge,the new Home Minister Vijsaid he will not tolerate laxityon anyone's part and those offi-cials not doing work should be

prepared to take voluntaryretirement. "My message tothem (government officials) isto perform and if any officialfeels he cannot do so, thenhe/she can take voluntaryretirement," he said. Vij, whohas been entrusted with head-ing the key portfolio of theHome Department during hissecond consecutive term asminister, said that he will workto improve the image of thepolice so that its acceptabilityamong the public increases.

He said he will soon con-vene a meeting of police offi-cers of various departmentsand take feedback on howthings can be improved, stress-ing that eliminating the drugmenace from the State will beamong his top priorities.

"Police department isdirectly connected with people.Though you cannot have apoliceman for every person,

but the public should feel safeand secure knowing that ifthey face any trouble at anytime, police is there to protectthem all the time," he said.

Kanwar Pal, who began hisnew stint as the State' 'sEducation Minister, said hewould focus on providing qual-itative education and improv-ing the performance of

Government schools students."People should once again feelthat Government schools are atpar and even better than theirprivate counterparts," Pal said.

Kamlesh Dhanda, the lonewoman minister in theHaryana Cabinet said thatcoming from the rural hinter-land, she will work to improvethe lives of women, especially

those living in the State''s ruralareas.

Ranjit Chautala, son offormer deputy prime ministerlate Devi Lal Chautala, gave theassurance that there will be noshortage of electricity duringhis tenure as Power Minister.

When reporters pointedout that he was in fact thegrand uncle of Deputy ChiefMinister Dushyant Chautala,Ranjit replied: "In 1987 whenDevi Lal was chief minister, Iwas in his cabinet. When fatherand son can be in the cabinet(together), why can''t we bothbe in the same cabinet. He isdoing his work and I am doingmine."

Former Indian hockeyteam captain Sandeep Singhsaid his vision as SportsMinister is to take sports for-ward by providing better facil-ities for sportspersons. "To

make sports strong at the grass-roots level will also be my pri-ority," said Singh, who has ear-lier worked with the state''spolice department. On nextyear''s Olympics, he said,"Haryana is ahead in the fieldof sports. Players from Haryanarepresenting India are expected to do well in hockey,wrestling, shooting, boxing.We have great hope of winningmedals. We will provide better facilities to oursportspersons".

Transport Minister MoolChand Sharma said that he willtry to provide better facilitiesfor those using state transportbuses.

Nearly three weeks aftertaking oath, the Haryana chiefminister on Thursday gaveshape to his council of minis-ters by inducting 10 new mem-bers including one from ally JJPand an independent.

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Punjab Government has dis-bursed �19 crore among

29,343 non-basmati cultivatingsmall and marginal farmerswho did not burn paddyresidue.

The Government hasdecided to give Rs 2,500 peracre as compensation to smalland marginal farmers whohave refrained from burningpaddy straw, a major contrib-utor to air pollution in theregion.

Agriculture SecretaryKahan Singh Pannu said thecompensation has beenreleased directly to the bankaccounts of the farmers as perthe list supplied by the fieldofficers.

As many as 85,000 appli-cations have been received till

now, Pannu said, adding thelast date for submission ofthese applications is November30.

"Every application has to beverified by village panchayatand then by revenue authoritiesto ensure that only the non-basmati cultivating farmingfamilies owning land up to 5acres and having not burnt anypart of the field, are recom-mended for compensation," hesaid in an official release.

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From Page 1The Bench said it was con-

cerned as when there would befog, the problem of pollutionmight become more worse.“The problem is that we arefacing (pollution) it everyday.To minimise this, what shouldwe do,” the bench said, adding,“Even if the stubble burningwill stop, as soon as the fogcomes, the air quality wouldfurther deteriorate.”

When Rohatgi said odd-even scheme would end today,the Bench said, “But pollutionwill remain. Even during odd-even days, the pollution hasgone up”. On Rohatgi’s refer-ence to last year’s pollution dataof October, the Bench said thepollution level was “virtuallythe same” without odd-evenscheme also. “The question iswhat you are gaining by thisodd-even?,” the Bench said.Rohatgi said there were sever-al other factors — like weath-er condition, wind and fog —which were contributing topollution in Delhi.

He said odd-even schemeis mandated under the GradedResponse Action Plan (GRAP)of the Environment Pollution(Prevention & Control)Authority. While referring toCPCB’s data, the Bench said,“What should be done to bringthis (pollution) to a safe level?Odd-even is not the solutionfor this”. The Bench said theDelhi Government must pro-vide an effective public trans-port system in the nationalCapital so as to encouragepublic to use it. “If you arereally serious, you will have tostop two and three wheelers butit will not be a solution unlessyou have an effective publictransport system. World wide,odd-even is successful inplaces like Milan as there are noexemptions and they have pub-lic transport which is free dur-ing odd-even,” the Bench said.CPCB’s member secretary, whowas present in the court, toldthe bench that constructionand demolition activities, dust,garbage dumping and burning,dust on roads were the othermain contributors to pollu-tion in Delhi.

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From Page 1“Children, every day, all

around the world are prone tosuffer online sexual abuse andexploitation,” the CBI said in astatement.

Numerous references relat-ed to dissemination of CSAM(Child Sexual Abuse Material)are received from Interpol andother national / internationalorganisations. The incidence ofonline child sexual abuse andexploitation generally tran-scends international borders.Victims are mostly helplessinnocent children, it said.

The territorial jurisdictionof the OCSAEPrevention/Investigation Unitwill be throughout India andwill help in countering themenace of child porn on theinternet and related crimes,officials said. The unit will col-lect intelligence not only onthose who are allegedly creat-

ing and transmitting suchmaterial on the internet butalso those who are browsingand downloading such mater-ial, they said.

The agency had registereda case last month against sevenpersons in alleged connectionwith a child pornography casein which they were alleged tobe part of various WhatsAppgroups involved in the trans-mission of child sexual abusematerial. The information onthe international porn grouphad come from the Germanembassy in India. The CBIhad received information fromGermany about the convic-tion of one Sasche Treppke inthat country for sexual abuse ofchildren and distribution ofchild pornography. The con-victed criminal Treppke was amember of 29 WhatsAppgroups that were used to sharepornographic content.

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Santa Clarita: Authorities saythe biography on an Instagramaccount believed to belong to thegunman who killed two studentsat his California school said,“Saugus, have fun at schooltomorrow.” Los Angeles Countysheriff ’s officials say the messagewas posted on Thursday but it’s

unclear. Authorities say off-dutyofficers whose children went toSaugus High School were thefirst on scene and provided firstaid to the victims. A 16-year-oldstudent shot five classmates andthen himself. It's unclear if theyhad any relationship, and amotive is unknown. AP

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China on Friday condemnedan incident in which Hong

Kong’s justice secretary was jos-tled by masked demonstrators inLondon, and accused Britain offuelling pro-democracy unrest.

Teresa Cheng, Hong Kong’sdeeply unpopular Secretary forJustice, fell while being sur-rounded by a crowd of jeeringpro-democracy protesters asshe prepared to attend a speak-ing event on Thursday night inLondon.

She regained her feetmoments later and was escort-ed away with no visible signs ofinjury in video footage of theincident.

But China called it an“appalling attack” and hasdemanded that Britain offersecurity protection to the HongKong minister.

“If the British side does notchange its wrong practices,and continues to add fuel to the

fire, sow discord and instigateothers, and make false coun-tercharges, then it will bringcalamity on itself,” foreign min-istry spokesman Geng Shuangsaid at a regular press briefing.

Geng said that failing to acton “anti-China elements” inHong Kong will not only causetrouble in the semi-autonomous territory, but willalso “cause serious interfer-ence and destruction to theinternational communityincluding the UnitedKingdom.”

He called for Britain to“bring the culprits to justice,and... Safeguard the personalsecurity and dignity of allChinese personnel in the UK.”

Former colonial rulerBritain, which handed HongKong back to China in 1997,has urged Beijing and HongKong to seek a political solutionfor protesters and condemnedthe escalating violence on bothsides.

New York: An estimated 13.8million people watched livecoverage of diplomats WilliamTaylor and George Kent on thefirst day of the House’s publicimpeachment hearings on

President Donald Trump.The Nielsen company said

10 different networks aired liveor taped coverage of the hear-ing, which stretched nearly sixhours on Wednesday. AP

Bossier City : PresidentDonald Trump said onThursday that the impeach-ment probe has been “veryhard” on his family, even as hetried to flex his political mus-cle to flip the governor’s man-sion in deep-red Louisiana.

Speaking in friendly terri-tory in a state he carried in2016 by 20 percentage points,Trump lashed out atDemocratic investigators andwhat he called a “derangedimpeachment witch hunt.”While arguing it was a politi-cal boon for his reelection, heacknowledged for the first timea personal toll from theimpeachment process thatstands to cloud his legacy.

“I have one problem,”Trump said. “Impeachment tome is a dirty word, it’s been very

unfair, very hard on my fami-ly.” The House began publicimpeachment hearingsWednesday.

Trump repeated his denialsof wrongdoing in his dealingswith Ukraine, asserting he hadno need to ask that nation toinvestigate former VicePresident Joe Biden and hisfamily.

“We took down Bush,Clinton, Obama, with no expe-rience, but I had you and wewon,” Trump said of his 2016victory. “Think about that andthen think about me — ‘gee,let’s get some help fromUkraine in order to beat sleepyJoe Biden.’ I don’t think so.” Headded, “The people of thiscountry aren’t buying it,” claim-ing polls show a benefit toRepublicans as Democrats

focus on impeachment.“We did nothing wrong,”

Trump insisted, “and they’redoing nothing.” AP

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Washington: The House willhear from a singular witnessFriday in the Trump impeach-ment hearings: MarieYovanovitch, the former U.S.Ambassador to Ukraine whowas targeted by the president’sallies in a “smear” campaign nowcentral to the inquiry.

The career diplomat, whoserved both Republican andDemocratic presidents, is expect-ed to relay her striking story ofbeing suddenly recalled byTrump and told to “watch myback” in a swiftly developingseries of events that soundedalarms about the White House’sshadow foreign policy. AP

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Boris Johnson reiterated onFriday that the country willleave the European Union (EU)by January 31, 2020, following the December 12general election.

“There is absolutely noreason why between Januaryand the end of next year weshouldn’t complete that freetrade deal and have a wonder-

ful new partnership with theEU based on zero tariffs, zeroquotas and getting on with allthe other ways in which wewant to be a pro-Europeancountry,” Johnson told the BBCBreakfast programme.

The UK is currently due toleave the EU by January 31,2020, the end of the currentextension period granted by thebloc. AFP

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Gaza City: Israel launchedfresh strikes against IslamicJihad targets in Gaza earlyFriday in response to rocketfire, underscoring the fragilityof a ceasefire agreed after anescalation that killed 34Palestinians. The ceasefirebegan on Thursday followingtwo days of fighting triggeredby Israel’s targeted killing of anIslamic Jihad commander. TheIsraeli military said it carried outnew strikes overnight againstIslamic Jihad, the second mostpowerful Palestinian militantgroup in the Gaza Strip afterHamas. AFP

Colombo: Sri Lanka will go tothe polls on Saturday to choosea new president, an electionthat will decide the future of thecountry that struggles with secu-rity challenges after the EasterSunday bombings and increas-ing political polarisation.

The election will see a closecontest between former wartimedefence secretary GotabayaRajapaksa, 70, and the rulingparty candidate SajithPremadasa, 52. Anura KumaraDissanayake from the NationalPeople’s Power (NPP) coalitionis also a strong candidate.

There are 15.9 million eligi-ble voters who will choose a suc-cessor to President MaithripalaSirisina among a record 35 can-didates. Sirisena, who was elect-ed in 2015, is not seeking a re-election. The front runner can-didates would be either depend-ing on their legacies or hopingthat the larger electorate wouldforget them while making theirchoices. PTI

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Seoul: North Korea haslaunched a visceral diatribeagainst US Democratic presi-dential candidate Joe Biden,calling the former vice-presi-dent a “rabid dog” — while alsoborrowing the terminology ofDonald Trump.

Pyongyang is renownedfor its vitriol, but the verbal del-uge was unusually ferociouseven by its own standards.

Biden “had the temerity todare slander the dignity of thesupreme leadership of theDPRK”, the North’s officialKCNA news agency said lateThursday, referring to thecountry by its official name.

“Rabid dogs like Biden canhurt lots of people if they areallowed to run about,” it wenton. “They must be beaten todeath with a stick.

“Doing so will be beneficialfor the US also,” it added. AFP

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Progress and development are thekey pursuits of an aspirational gen-eration in a globalised world.India, too, is on the move, strivingto accelerate transition from the

status of being a developing to a developednation. In this march ahead, there is littletime to seriously monitor regular onslaughtson the democratic principles and norms,imbued with moral and ethical values asenshrined in the Constitution. Is “politicswithout principles” no more a sin — asMahatma Gandhi had termed it in 1925 —but more of a routine practice?

On November 8, 2019, a couple of well-informed individuals — achievers —expressed disappointment on the machina-tions indulged in Maharashtra after theAssembly elections. This was not for the firsttime. Even before, there was a severe senseof disappointment in this group, where noneis bound by political or ideological con-straint. But they appeared seriously involved,concerned and worried. Yes, they all loveIndia; they value its democracy, ethical,moral and spiritual heritage for which thecountry is eulogised globally even today.They were just not able to comprehend howa political party with just 56 seats out of a288-member Assembly could stake claim tothe top post with unimaginable arrogance.One more blazing instance of the decline ofdemocratic values came with Haryana’s cul-ture of “Aaya Ram Gaya Ram”, whichbecame a practice and has resulted in sev-eral anomalous situations.

We have had Prime Ministers andChief Ministers, who should have never beenthere. In the current context, while lengthyreports on the herding of MLAs to hotels ashostages were highlighted in both electron-ic and print media, hardly was there anymention of the trampling of democratic val-ues, neglect of the wishes of the people, whoelect their leaders and expect some swiftaction from them on a plethora of pendingissues that impact daily life. Do the electedrepresentatives in Maharashtra, irrespectiveof their party affiliation, owe no debt of grat-itude to the freedom fighters of India, theirsacrifices, their indomitable spirit, whichalone is responsible for their newly-acquiredperks and privileges and the exalted posi-tions? Did the people elect them to indulgein such unsavoury public conduct forpower, position and creamy Ministries?

It is indeed shocking that not even oneMLA could protest against his/her herdinginto the hotels, which was apparently done“to save them from poachers of the otherside.” Are our leaders so weak and vulner-able? Maharashtra is only a repeat of whathas been happening in several States in thepast few decades. Why should herding notattract the attention of Parliament? Shouldsome provision like making it mandatory toinstall a new Government — in full strength— within seven days of the declarationresults not be put in the statutes? There wasno justification — moral, ethical orConstitutional — for the non-formation ofa full strength Government in Haryana even

after three weeks. All that hap-pens in the intervening periodis that the credibility of democ-racy and of the elected represen-tatives is lowered. It is shamefulto term certain Ministries as“creamy.” People interpret it intheir own way and they arerarely incorrect.

On October 2 this year,India celebrated the 150th birthanniversary of MahatmaGandhi. It was a time to recallhis life, values and that immor-tal one-line statement: “My lifeis my message.” If political lead-ers of today — baring exceptions— reflect on this one-liner, theywill realise what they have doneto Swaraj of Gandhi: “RealSwaraj will come not by acqui-sition of authority by a few butby acquisition of the capacity byall to resist authority when it isabused. In other words, Swarajis to be obtained by educatingthe masses to a sense of theircapacity to regulate and controlauthority.”

On March 19, 1931, Gandhiwrote in Young India: “Theword ‘Swaraj’ is sacred, it is aVedic word, meaning self-ruleand self-restraint and not free-dom from all restraint, whichindependence often means.”Gandhiji wanted Swaraj “tokeep intact the genius of ourcivilisation.” This hardly needsany elaboration: Think of the lastman in the line, his welfare andyour role and responsibility tobetter his life. The Mahatma’s

writings are universallyacclaimed for their simplicity,sensitivity, originating from theheart and are based on hardexperiences and realities of life.To comprehend and to putthem into practice, one requiresinner strength, perseveranceand empathy for others. Swaraj— Independence — is a dynam-ic living entity and it has to bemaintained and sustained withpersistent individual and nation-al effort. It can be sustained onlyif certain basic values and prin-ciples of democracy are adheredto by the people and more seri-ously by their democratically-elected representatives.

Gandhiji tells us how thiscould be achieved: “Swaraj canbe maintained only where thereis majority of loyal and patriot-ic people to whom the good ofthe nation is paramount aboveall other considerations, includ-ing their personal profit. Swarajmeans Government by themany. Where the many areimmoral or selfish, theirGovernment can spell anarchyand nothing else.”

Expectations of Gandhi —and all other stalwarts of thefreedom struggle — and thepeople were that, “If Swaraj wasnot meant to civilise us and topurify and stabilise our civilisa-tion, it would be nothing worth.The very essence of our civilisa-tion is that we give paramountplace to morality in all ouraffairs — public or private.” It

was a warning articulated withunimpeachable logic even beforeSwaraj was anywhere on thehorizon.

In fact, in 1922, Gandhijihad mentioned in a letter thatSwaraj would not bring happi-ness to our people as four thingswould weigh heavily on them.Defects of elections was promi-nent among these four. Theother three were injustice, bur-den of administration andtreachery of the rich. Was he notprophetic indeed?

Post-Assembly electiondevelopments in Haryana andMaharashtra must be viewed asa serious warning sign, whichcreate distress and erode people’strust and confidence in theelectoral process that is so crit-ical to sustain democracy in itstrue spirit. A brighter side couldopen even in a clumsy politicalarena if everyone in the positionof power realises how the worldvalues our contributions andachievements in creative andfields — right from the ancienttimes to the launch ofChandrayaan.

Let Our MPs and MLAsrealise their responsibility inthe light of India’s achievementsin space sciences, ICT andalso that of young Indians,who have brought us fameand global attention throughtheir presence in the SiliconValley, NASA, particularly intop slots in big corporate andglobal institutions. This thread

of India’s greatness becomesvisible in practically every seri-ous analysis of the current sit-uation. It is indeed necessaryfor inspiration and motivationto move ahead with renewedvigour on the path of progressand inclusive growth.

One evening, an interac-tion closed at a point whensomeone mentioned that theAyodhya judgment would bedelivered tomorrow, that allnecessary steps are being takento beef up security, maintainlaw and order and ensure thatno breach of law and ordertakes place. And what a great9/11 this was in India in theyear 2019. It must have causedacute anxiety and anguish tothe perpetual detractors of thecountry, who were expecting acountry-wide unrest, whatev-er the judgment be.

But on this day, the worldsaw a glimpse of a united India,one which was proud of itsancient culture of acceptance ofall, every conceivable diversityand that India has learnt to “livetogether” over a couple of mil-lennia, a skill that some of theWestern nations have no escapebut need to learn now. Our polit-ical representatives should notpresent a disheartening sce-nario before the people. Onceelected, they owe a debt to thecountry, its people andGandhiji. It was a proud achieve-ment for the country, its democ-racy and the Constitution.

People have very high hopesfrom the elected, young repre-sentatives, who must chalk outtheir own path. They can learnso much from the likes of ourgreat leaders like SwamiVivekananda, Sri Aurobindo,Rabindranath Tagore, MahatmaGandhi and other luminaries,who continued to grow in lifeand were at peace with them-selves. JRD Tata had once said,“Always aim at perfection foronly then will you achieve excel-lence.” Gandhiji did just that allalong the journey of his life. Thiscan be the aim of life for anyone.Look around but never be slackin looking within.

To comprehend it, one mustrecall the words of John Dewey:“Not perfection as a final goal,but the ever-enduring process ofperfecting, maturing, refining, isthe aim in living. The bad manis the man who, no matter howgood he has been, is beginningto deteriorate, to grow less good.The good man is the man who,no matter how morally unwor-thy he has been, is moving tobecome better. Such a concep-tion makes one severe in judg-ing himself and humane injudging others.” This canenlighten the path of those inpublic life.

(The writer works in educa-tion and social cohesion)

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Sir — The nation today is in a fluxover reviewing the role of thepantheon of leaders, who helpedshape a post-Independent India.Together, Mahatma Gandhi,Jawaharlal Nehru and SardarPatel represented our nationalethos, which stands incompletewithout any one of them. Nehruis under debate not because theCongress is not in power but ourhistory’s palimpsest is overwrit-ten by aspirations of the day.Because the Nehruvian era wasahead of its times, it helped ussustain both democracy and eco-nomic progress at fair levels.

The first of the famed IITs wasestablished ahead of our first gen-eral election of independent India.In foresight, the Right to Educationwent hand-in-hand with the rightto vote and technological andresearch institutes formed the bul-wark of macro economics. Thereare lessons for a progressive nationlike India. History is not for selec-tive reading. It matters less as towhere we started but more on howwe intend to progress quickly andinclusively.

R Narayanan Navi Mumbai

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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Sabarimala takeaways” (November15). The Supreme Court hasreferred the Sabarimala issue to alarger bench of seven judges. Thecourt expressed its opinion that“courts should tread cautiously” on“issues pertaining to religion,including religious practices.”Ideally, this view should have been

taken by the top court when it wasdisposing of the case in 2018 itself.By allowing the entry of women inthe age group of 10-50 in 2018, reli-gious sentiments have been hurt. Soit would be better had the courtinterpreted its decision back then aspart of a process to restore demo-cratic rights of women. In this sense,rescinding the 2018 judgment isonly a damage-control exercise.

KV SeetharamaiahHassan

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Sir — It is indeed welcome thatthe Supreme Court’s verdict putthe office of the Chief Justice ofIndia (CJI) under the arc of theRight to Information (RTI) Act.The verdict will usher in an eraof transparency in the way thehigher judiciary functions. Whilethe judiciary is the mostrespectable institution, it has

often been subject to publicscrutiny, too. In a similar way, allpublic institutions must comeunder the RTI purview.

The top court’s order mayallow the citizens to seek informa-tion regarding theappointment/transfer of thejudges but constraints will remainas most of the collegium’s deci-sions are largely based onIntelligence Bureau reports, whichare not covered under RTI.

Kavya ShahUjjain

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Sir — This refers to the article,“Pay heed to warning signs”(November 15) by Ajoy Kumar.The clash between the police andthe lawyers was uncalled for andshows the country in poor light.This is a delicate issue and needsto be handled prudently. With thelawyers still continuing their strike,the Bar Council of India mustcounsel the lawyers and ensurethat tensions do not escalate.

AkanshaVia email

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Air pollution is all around us, killing usslowly but surely. Because it is an invis-ible killer, (till it doesn’t form a toxic smog

that hangs low in the air during the wintermonths) it often goes unnoticed. However, inignoring the problem, we are letting ourselvesbecome victims of it. Today, air pollution killsmore people than poor diet, smoking, lack ofphysical fitness and high blood pressure do, puttogether. It is an ongoing public health emer-gency in India, claiming one in every eight lives.Larger portions of India’s economy are being lostto health issues, reduced agricultural yields anddamage to biodiversity and ecosystems causedby air pollution. Delhi’s air pollution has beenmaking international headlines and while Indiaendeavours to become a global super power, thestate of air pollution in the national Capital isticking all the wrong boxes for global tourists,investors and the international perceptiontowards India.

When one looks at the various causes ofdeaths, a worrisome fact emerges. According toa health commission report (2017) published byLancet, diseases caused by air pollution wereresponsible for an estimated nine million pre-mature deaths in India in 2015. This was almost16 per cent of all mortalities worldwide; threetimes as many deaths as by AIDS, tuberculosisand malaria combined; and 15 times more fatal-ities than caused by wars and other forms of vio-lence. It is estimated that there could be a 30 percent increase in air pollution-related deaths inIndia by 2021 if particulate matter levels in theair do not come down from the present haz-ardous levels. Continued exposure to pollutedair is causing diminished lung function and acuteand chronic respiratory symptoms like cough,wheezing and asthma in children.

The occurrence of these symptoms is morein areas with higher levels of pollution.Furthermore, air pollution caused by seasonaloccurrences such as stubble burning by farm-ers soon after harvest of the rice crops inOctober-November and fireworks used duringDiwali, triggers diseases during those periods.

The national Capital, for instance, observesepisodic pollution events during the post-monsoon season (roughly from October 26 toNovember 15), due to open burning of paddyresidue in the three neighboring States ofPunjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The problem is exacerbated by the burningof firecrackers during the festivals of Dussehraand Diwali. This year the very next day ofDussehra, PM10 concentration went up to 191ug/m3, which was a 50 per cent increase fromthe previous day’s concentration. In fact, Delhihas earned the dubious distinction of becom-ing the most polluted major city in the worldwith an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 527 onNovember 15, as per data by Air Visual on theWorld AQI rankings. Delhi’s air quality brokeall records on November 5, when it was in thehazardous range for nine consecutive days, mak-ing this the longest spell of hazardous air qual-ity since public records began.

Six of the top 10 cities fall in the Indian sub-continent, Delhi, Lahore, Karachi, Kolkata,

Mumbai and Kathmandu. So within Asia, airpollution is concentrated in South Asia. ThreeIndian cities are on the list, Delhi, Kolkata andMumbai. So air pollution is not necessarily aproblem specific to northern India althoughDelhi’s pollution is double that of Kolkata.

According to a study conducted by TERI in2016, about 36 per cent of the PM2.5 pollutionin Delhi during winter was contributed by localsources, while the rest was owing to trans-boundary pollutants. Even though theGovernment is making efforts to reduce emis-sions within Delhi, it won’t change pollution lev-els by much, because the air quality deteriora-tion during this time has less to do with Delhi’slocal pollution and it is more about meteorolog-ical conditions. Stable wind conditions preventthe pollutants from dissipating, while the shal-low planetary boundary layer (PBL) traps theemissions, increasing its concentration. The lowPBL height is owing to the prevailing low tem-perature, which results in temperature inversionat a lower height. These meteorological condi-tions remain largely unchanged from Octoberto January.

A research report published by theInternational Journal of Epidemiology estimatesthat the economic and health cost of air dete-rioration caused by stubble burning in India isaround $30 billion per year. It further suggest-ed that people, who live in areas where residueburning is intense, are associated with threetimes higher risk of acute respiratory infection.Children are most susceptible to health effectsof crop burning. Many proposals have been for-mulated by environmentalists and Governmentofficials to curb the practice and to promote theusage of alternative sustainable managementmethods for paddy straw. These include the useof Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code(CrPC) to ban burning of paddy; The AirPrevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1981;The Environment Protection Act, 1986; TheNational Tribunal Act, 1995 and The NationalEnvironment Appellate Authority Act, 1997.Stringent directions have been given by theNational Green Tribunal (NGT) to limit crop-residue burning in the States of Rajasthan, UP,

Haryana and Punjab.Despite all researches pointing to stubble

burning as the major contributor to Delhi’s ris-ing pollution levels, not much has been doneabout it on-ground, because biomass burningis an issue of public concern. The NGT bannedresidue-burning in 2015 but it is still widely prac-tised due to weak enforcement of the order, polit-ical economy issues and lack of viable alterna-tives among poor farmers. The best alternativewould be to use the crop residue on-site, with-out any need of transportation, logistics and stor-age, such that there is sustainable use for the end-product in the agricultural field itself. Accordingto a research on stubble burning in India, pub-lished in 2018 in the International Journal ofEnvironmental Research and Public Health,there are two practices that farmers can adopt— composting and biochar production.

Composting is not a new concept in India,but doing it with residue has its advantages.Composting with organic waste doesn’t have asecure market but compost made with cropresidue can be fed into one’s own field to increasesoil productivity and agricultural yield. InIndia, the practice of biochar production is notwidely prevalent but if crop residue is used tomake biochar, it can secure a market that willhelp farmers economically as well as the watertreatment and construction sectors and the foodand cosmetics industry.

The issue of residue burning is at present farfrom reaching a successful resolution. The inter-ventions undertaken so far, while significant,have been limited in their impact despite theefforts and time that have been invested in them.It is time to think out of the box and tackle theproblem head-on.

The stakeholders — implementing author-ities, citizen groups, industry representatives, sci-entists, researchers, non-government organisa-tions and others — must come together andchalk out a better plan to address the issue, inthe short-term and the long-term, and providethe citizens of India the pollution free air thatthey are entitled to.

(Suresh R is Fellow and Shivang Agarwal isProject Associate at TERI)

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Did Harper Lee know in 1960when she wrote her seminalnovel To Kill A Mockingbird

that her character’s model of persis-tent and peaceful resistance wouldstrike a strong chord with activists ofthe civil rights movement?

Could she have possibly imaginedthat America would continue to feelthe influence of her novel well into the21st century — in the national con-versation on criminal justice, the“Black Lives matter movement” andthe more recent prison reforms.

The powerful work of fiction is atestament to the ways in which sto-ries can reflect society’s mores andattitudes, penetrate public conscious-

ness and set the stage for socialchange. It is not just To Kill AMockingbird that has had considerableimpact on a cultural movement.Almost all of the world’s major reli-gions are built on the bedrock of pow-erful stories that have the power toshape human behaviour and history.In recent years, there have been anumber of initiatives that have recog-nised the power of purposeful storiesto educate and influence the behav-iour of people for the better.

A great example is Amar ChitraKatha, the comic series started by edu-cationist Anant Pai. It used storiesfrom mythology, epics, oral folk-tales, literature and history to impartvalues to a generation of Indian chil-dren.

Underneath the engrossinglywritten stories were subtle hints onpeople’s behaviour, motives and dri-ves. They were designed to preparechildren for the real world that theywould soon enter. A scientist byeducation and an entertainer byvocation, Pai later launched the fort-nightly magazine Tinkle featuringunforgettable characters and stories

that entertained, edu-cated and informedkids simultaneously.Their success rests ona very simple formu-la, one that packageseducation in enter-tainment by harness-ing the power of sto-rytelling. If you areable to weave lessonsinto a story, both chil-dren and adults aremore likely to learnfrom it.

Brands and the power of story-telling: In 2013, an advertisement byGoogle India proved to be so impact-ful that its vibrations were also feltacross the border in Pakistan. The“Reunion advertisement” that narrat-ed the story of two friends separatedby the Partition and reunited with thehelp of Google, became bigger thanits brand as it touched a chord withpeople on both sides of the RadcliffLine. This powerful example of sto-rytelling tells us how this art can behighly useful for brands.

Even in the world of business and

technology, compa-nies are beginning tounderstand thepower a story has toshape markets andw o r k p l a c e s .Maximising humaninterest helps peopleset and attain goalsthat are worth pursu-ing. People genuine-ly crave real values sothat they can becomea better version of

who they are. They look for trust andto be worthy of their trust, brandsmust have the power to change theway they think and act. If you wantto inspire people to change theirbehaviour, storytelling is the best toolat your disposal. There is a growingtrend of brands using strong narra-tives to make profound comments onour social and behavioural traits. Anumber of brands have propagatedideals through stories of equality,comments against patriarchy and onsocial harmony.

The power of narratives: Thereis a neurological basis to the power of

narratives. Researchers from Spainfound that when people are present-ed with vivid and captivating stories,a lot of different centres in the brainlight up. For example, if a battle sceneis described graphically in a novel, thebrain’s movement and sight centreslight up (even if you cannot fight).When a scent is described in evoca-tive detail, the smell centre lights up.In other words, you have a more emo-tional and immersive experiencecompared to a tiny blip in the brainwhen it is presented with a bare fact.Sociologically speaking, stories havethe power to establish and reinforcebehavioural norms that are in align-ment with what you are trying to pro-mote. If a relatable character in a storymakes a healthy diet choice or exer-cises regularly, it conveys the idea thatthis is what people do and the listen-er or viewer should do it too. It worksbecause you are not just promoting aproduct but a better quality of life, onethat resonates with the viewer. Forinstance, the South African series,Soul Buddyz, an award-winning mul-timedia edutainment experience,closely chronicles the lives, hardships

and joys of children. It captured thepublic imagination so fiercely thatthousands of young ones from acrossthe country wrote to the non-govern-mental organisation (NGO) behindthe show, Soul City Institute, askingto participate. Pretty soon, the NGOwas able to establish over 8,500Buddyz Clubs, with nearly 1.5 lakhchildren, dedicated to the education,physical and mental well-being of theyoungsters.

There is a wide body of evidenceto support the power of story-basedadvertising and media to create a sig-nificant shift in societal norms, beliefsand values much more effectively thantraditional advertising and messaging.

Digital technology and socialmedia have made it possible forbrands to maximise the reach of thesestories at negligible costs. Just as ToKill A Mockingbird catalysed thenationwide conversation on civilrights, strong narratives hold thepower to change our world and livesfor the better.

(The writer is director and creativestrategist at an advertising and consult-ing agency.)

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Karnataka Chief Minister BSYediyurappa on Thursday said dis-

qualified MLA R Shankar will be madea member of Legislative Council and aMinister as he announced Arun KumarPujar as the BJP candidate to contestfrom Ranebennur seat represented byhim in the December 5 bypolls.

The move is seen as an apparent bidto mollify Shankar, who along with 15other disqualified Congress and JD (S)MLAs joined the BJP on Thursday andwas keen to contest from Ranebennur.

Yediyurappa announced the nameof Pujar on Friday for Ranebennur seat.

With this, the BJP has named can-didates for all 15 seats for which bypollswill be held following the disqualifica-tion of the Congress-JD(S) MLAs and13 of them have been fielded in theirrespective constituencies.

Bypolls are being held to 15 of 17seats represented by disqualified MLAs,whose resignation and absence from thetrust vote had led to the collapse of HD Kumaraswamy-led coalitionGovernment in July.

By-elections to Maski and R R

Nagar constituencies have been withheldas separate cases with regard to them,are pending before the High Court.

“I have promised Shankar that it ismy responsibility to make him an MLCand a Minister. I am the one who keepsthe promise,” Yediyurappa said after ameeting with Shankar here.

The Chief Minister said he hadasked Shankar to assist Pujar, adding itwas decided to give ticket to him(Pujar) because everybody in the partydesired so.

Though Shankar was adamant oncontesting the byelection, the ChiefMinister had persuaded him to relent,party sources said.

Reacting to the development,Shankar said the Chief Minister hadassured to make him a Minister.

Shankar was elected on theKarnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party(KPJP) ticket in the 2018 Assembly polls,and had repeatedly switched sides sincethen. Subsequently, he had merged theKPJP with the Congress.

As he had camped with rebel MLAsleading to the fall of coalition gov-ernemnt, he was disqualified on theCongress’ petition.

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Amid reports he was miffed at beingdenied the BJP ticket for December

5 bypolls, Karnataka Deputy ChiefMinister Laxman Savadi on Friday saidhe was a “disciplined soldier” of theparty and will abide by its decision.

He said the party which made himthe Deputy Chief Minister, despitehim not being a legislator, will decideon his future.

The BJP has fielded disqualifiedCongress legislator Mahesh Kumatalli,who had defeated Savadi in 2018Assembly polls as the party candidatefrom Athani.

“I have been saying that I’m a dis-ciplined soldier of the party. Whateverdirections the party will give me fol-lowing it has been my practice, sincethe beginning. I will abide by theparty decision,” Savadi said.

Speaking to reporters, the DeputyChief Minister said he will put all possible efforts in the bypolls to cam-paign for the party candidates andensure their victory.

Savadi was made Deputy ChiefMinister despite him not being a mem-ber of the Assembly nor or the Council.

His induction into the Cabinet hadcaused resentment among severalsenior BJP legislators as they felt side-lined.

Savadi had not been seen at partyforums and was said to be “out of reach”,after the BJP inducted disqualifiedMLA Kumatalli into the party andfielded him from Athani, from wherehe was planning to enter the fray.

Amid reports that Savadi was upsetand sulking, Chief Minister B SYediyurappa spoke to him and alsoHome Minister Basavaraj Bommaimade efforts to convince him, partysources said.

Responding to a question for notattending the party event where dis-qualified MLAs were inducted onThursday, Savadi said, “Yesterday I hadtold party president, as I had personalprogramme, I could not attend theparty event...I have met the ChiefMinister and have discussed regardingthe polls.”

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JD(S) patriarch HD DeveGowda on Friday said Chief

Minister BS Yediyurappa was“perturbed” about thewinnability of disqualifiedMLAs, whom the BJP has field-ed as party candidates for theDecember 5 bypolls and hencehe was issuing statements aboutmaking them Ministers, withan intention to lure voters.Yediyurappa has spoken aboutmaking all of them Ministers,what is the sanctity (for elec-tion), Gowda told reporters atHassan.

He claimed that soon afterthe apex court paved way forthe disqualified MLAs to con-test bypolls, Yediyurappa hadsaid they will be madeMinisters.

“It shows he was perturbedwhether they were going towin. If you say they will bemade Ministers, people of theconstituency will vote think-

ing that their MLA will becomeMinister.

It is in a way luring.... Justto keep the voters on their side,he said.

Welcoming disqualifiedCongress-JD(S) legislators whojoined the BJP, Yediyurappa onThursday had addressed themas “future MLAs andMinisters”.

The BJP has fielded 13disqualified legislators as itscandidates for the December5 Assembly byelections, hoursafter the rebels joined the rul-ing party in the State.

Stating that JD(S) is con-

testing in all the seats in thebypolls, Gowda said “Whetherwe will win or lose I dont know,its in the hands of the people.I cant say what they will decide.

He said he will be cam-paigning in all the 15 con-stituencies. JD(S) on Thursdayhad announced candidates for10 out of 15 Assembly con-stituencies that will go to thebypolls.

The party has decided tosupport BJP rebel SharathBachegowda, who is contest-ing as an independent candi-date in Hoskote constituency.

Bypolls are being held to 15of the 17 constituencies repre-sented by disqualified MLAs.

By-elections to the Maskiand R R Nagar constituencieshave been withheld as litigations related to them arepending before the KarnatakaHigh Court.

Of the 15 seats, 12 wererepresented by the sCongressand three by the JD(S).

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The Tripura and MizoramGovernments on Friday

differed on the number of Brurefugees repatriated and there isa mismatch of 193 people in thefigures provided by the twoStates.

Mizoram Home SecretaryLalbiakzama said 892 people of221 internally-displaced Bru fam-ilies have been repatriated, whileNorth Tripura DistrictMagistrate Ravel H Kumar putthe figure at 699 refugees belong-ing to 144 families.

Altogether 4,447 Bru dis-placed families, lodged in reliefcamps at Kanchanpur andPanisagar sub-divisions of NorthTripura district, are scheduled toreturn to neighbouring Mizoramfrom where they had fled since1997 following ethnic clashes.This ninth round of repatriationprocess, stated to be the “final”one, will come to an end onNovember 30.

The Mizoram home secre-tary said 892 Bru people, includ-

ing 351 children, belonging to221 families have been repatri-ated till November 14.

Of them, 134 families havebeen settled at Mamit district, 68in Lunglei and 19 in Kolasib dis-trict of Mizoram, Lalbiakzamasaid.

Kumar on Friday sent anofficial report to the chief secre-tary’s office providing date-wisenumber of people repatriated toMizoram between October 3,when the process began, andNovember 15.

However, he said in thereport, no Bru person went toMizoram since October 31,though the process has been on.

The displaced people hadlaunched a roadblock atKanchanpur from October 31demanding resumption ofcash-dole and free ration tothem. It was withdrawn onNovember 7 following anassurance from TripuraDeputy Chief Minister JishnuDeb Varma to resume supplyof free ration.

The Ministry of HomeAffairs has stopped all allowancesto the displaced Bru personsfrom October and the MizoramBru Displaced People’s Forum(MBDPF), a major body of therefugees, claimed that six peoplehad died of starvation after theration supply was stopped.

The Tripura Government,however, said four people diedand the cause of the deaths wasbeing ascertained.

Meanwhile, the MBDPF onFriday said a delegation of theBru refugees had visited NewDelhi to meet Union HomeMinister Amit Shah but couldnot meet him due to his busyschedule.

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Against the backdrop of theSupreme court’s decision to

refer the Sabarimala case to alarger bench, the Lord Ayyappashrine is all set to open onSaturday, even as theGovernment said those womendesirous of visiting the hilltemple should get a “courtorder. “

The top court has decidedto set up a larger bench to re-examine religious issuesincluding those arising out ofits earlier verdict that lifted acenturies-old ban on women ofmenstruating age visiting theshrine.

With the two-month longannual pilgrimage season set tocommence from November17, Devaswom Minister

Kadakampally Surendran saidSabarimala was not a place foractivism and the LDFGovernment would not sup-port those who makeannouncements about enteringthe hill shrine for the sake ofpublicity.

Dismissing reports thatpolice would provide securityto women activists whoattempt to enter the shrine, hesaid there was “some confu-

sion” over the latestSupreme Court order andwomen desirous of visit-ing Sabarimala should geta “court order.”

Government wouldnot encourage thosewomen who want to visitthe shrine for publicity, headded.

The CPI(M) Statesecretariat, which met here, dis-cussed the verdict andexpressed a similar opinion.

“The common emotion ofthe secretariat was not to allowwomen to enter the temple tillthe apex court finalises the ver-dict. Those who want to enterthe temple can approach thecourt and get a favourablejudgment,” a source close to theCPI(M) State leadership toldPTI.

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New Delhi: The CBI on Fridayconducted searches at theoffices of AmnestyInternational India Pvt. Ltd(AIIPL) and Indians forAmnesty International Trust(IAIT) in the national Capitaland Bengaluru for alleged vio-lation of Foreign Contribution(Regulation) Act (FCRA).

The CBI had registered acase on November 5 followinga complaint from Union HomeMinistry AIIPL, IAIT, AmnestyInternational India FoundationTrust (AIIFT) and AmnestyInternational South AsiaFoundation (AISAF) besidesunknown others.

“It was alleged that the pro-vision of the ForeignContribution (Regulation) Act,2010 and Indian Penal Codewere contravened by the afore-said entities by receiving for-eign contributions from M/sAmnesty International U.Kthrough AIIPL even thoughprior registration or permis-

sions were denied to M/sAmnesty International IndiaFoundation Trust (AIIFT) andother Trusts under FCRA,” aCBI official said.

Searches were conducted atthree places places inBengaluru and one place inDelhi.

“The Central Bureau ofInvestigation today conductedsearches at the offices ofAmnesty International IndiaPrivate Limited and Indians forAmnesty International Trust inBengaluru.

Over the past year, a pat-tern of harassment hasemerged every time AmnestyInternational India stands up

and speaks out against humanrights violations in India,”Amnesty India said in a state-ment.

Amnesty InternationalIndia stands in full compliancewith Indian and internationallaw, Amnesty claimed in itsstatement.

“Our work in India, aselsewhere, is to uphold andfight for universal humanrights. These are the same val-ues that are enshrined in theIndian Constitution and flowfrom a long and rich Indiantradition of pluralism, toler-ance, and dissent,” it said..

As part of the Nobel Prize-winning movement, AmnestyInternational India holds itselfto the highest evidentiary stan-dards. Over four millionIndians have supportedAmnesty International India’swork in the last six years andaround 100,000 Indians havemade financial contributions, itadded. PNS

Chennai: DMK pres-ident MK Stalin onFriday expressedconcern over “bleak”economic outlookfollowing an official survey whichreportedly pointed toa fall inconsumer spendingand urged the Centreto take measures toboost rural economy.

A media reportcited a latest con-sumption expendi-ture survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) to claimthat consumer spending fell for the first time in more than40 years in 2017-18, primarily driven by slackening ruraldemand.

“NSO Consumer Spending Data points to a dire eco-nomic situation and a bleak economic outlook. Data showsthat people are spending less for the first time in 40 years,”Stalin, also the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil NaduAssembly, tweeted.

“Union Govt must pay heed to the key indicators onspending and immediately take measures to boost ruraleconomy,” he said and tagged the media report. PTI

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In yet another incident of asaffron worker getting

hanged allegedly for politicalreasons a BJP member VarshaHansda was on Friday foundhanging from a tree atSantoshpur village of Dantonblock in West Midnapore dis-trict.

The BJP immediately com-plained that Hansda, 44 hadbeen murdered by theTrinamool Congress goons soas to thwart the saffron outfit’sadvance in the area.

The police have registeredcase of “unnatural death” andsent the body for autopsy.

The BJP had done exceptionally well in the lastyear’s Panchayat elections andthis year’s parliamentary pollsin the jangalmahal districts ofWest Midpanpore, Bankura,Purulia etc.

This is the fourth suchincident in the past couple ofyears when BJP workers were

allegedly murdered and hangedfrom trees in the neighbouringPurulia district. Alleged mur-der and hanging (from trees) ofthree BJP workers — JagannathTudu, Trilochan Mahato, DulalKumar had hit countrywideheadlines last year.

The incidents were repeat-edly referred to by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andBJP president Amit Shah dur-ing election campaigns.

Reacting to the incidentBJP national general secretaryKailash Vijayvargiya said theTMC was trying to unleash areign of terror in the State. TheTMC was “trying to terroriseBJP workers by establishing areign of terror in the state. Anactive and popular BJP activistwas brutally murdered by TMCgoons. He was the only earn-ing member of his family,” he.

The TMC leadership how-ever dismissed the charge asbaseless saying it was an out-come of intra-party rivalry inthat party.

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There was no respite tothe ongoing conflict

between Raj Bhavan andNabanna (State secretariat)even as Bengal GovernorJagdeep Dhankhar onFriday fired a fresh salvo atthe Trinamool CongressGovernment for denyinghim a chopper to visit Farakkaand Malda in North Bengal.

The Friday’s developmentcame barely a day after ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjeecharged Dhankhar with transgressing his constitution-al limits before appealing to thecentral Government to rein theGovernor in.

“I am not a tourist inBengal and have been deputedto my office with an oath to discharge certain dutiestowards the people of the State,”the Governor said censuringthe Government’s decision todeny him a helicopter for hisvisit to Malda and nearby areas.

“I have never crossed myduties,” the Governor saidapparently referring to theChief Minister’s allegations that“some people (read theGovernor) are acting like BJP’smouthpiece.” Complainingagainst the Government’s deci-sion to deny him a chopper hereiterated “touring the State ofwhich I am the Governor doesnot amount crossing myduties,” and said, “had I crossedmy limits I would have receiveda letter from the Governmentwhich I have not,” adding “Iwill give a reply if an when suchletter comes to me.”

Hitting out at theTrinamool Congress func-tionaries for questioning hisrecent visit to Singur — once anepicenter of Mamata Banerjee’santi-Left land movement thatfinally saw the moving out ofthe much publicised Tata Nanosmall car plant from the area —Dhankhar said “I went to

Singur not without informingthe Government. I had pre-informed the administration,”wondering “what is there tohide in Singur.”

He said “some people aretrying to hide matters in Singurand Nandigram where I wantto visit too because it seemsthat they (Government) aretrying to keep something offpeople’s notice.” He asked “whatis there to hide so that theirleaders raised a hue and cry assoon as I threw a glance atSingur. It seems something isfishy in Singur and Nandigramwhere I will definitely go.”

Earlier the Chief Ministeron Thursday said without refer-ring to the Governor, “I gen-erally do not say anything onconstitutional posts but thereare some people who arebehaving just like BJP’s mouth-pieces,” adding, “they (theGovernor) are running paral-lel administration in the State.”

Returning fire StateMinister ChandrimaBhattacharya questioned theneed of a helicopter to visit thedistricts. She said “theGovernment must know whyhe needs a helicopter. MamataBanerjee travels in a helicopterbecause she has administrativefunctions to discharge. In factshe takes the entire adminis-tration to the districts. Buthere the Governor has no busi-ness to interfere in adminis-trative matters without inform-ing the Government and moreso do the same by using a chop-per provided by theGovernment.”

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Kolkata: The VHP will launchan awareness programme inWest Bengal from next week onthe need for National Register ofCitizens (NRC) to weed outBangladeshi muslim infiltratorsfrom the state and theCitizenship (Amendment) Billto grant citizenship to refugees,its senior leader said. The VHPwill hold its membership drivein the state between November17 to December 1 and willspeak of the two issues duringtheir door to door campaign,VHP leader and spokespersonSourish Mukherjee said onFriday. The VHP has set a tar-get of increasing its number ofmembers from 55,000 to twolakh. “We have been campaign-ing on NRC in Bengal for thepast few months. But within thenext few days we will launch itin a massive way. This time wewill campaign for both NRC andCAB,” he said. PTI

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In complete violation ofNational Green Tribunal

(NGT) directives pertaining tosand mines in Bihar, the StateGovernment on Fridayapproved a Bihar Mining Planeven though the green tribunalhad raised apprehensions in thecomplete mining process in theState.

The State Mines andGeology Department last monthhad suspended the e-auctioningof sand mines following NGTorder and hired a consultant forpreparation of Draft Mine Plan.

The development of

approval of a mining plan forSon River (a copy of which iswith The Pioneer) is a matter ofconcern. This is also in contra-diction to the departments ownNovember 9 order that that e-tendering process for auction ofsand ghats has been suspendedtill the disposal of the case by theNGT.

“When the matter is yet tobe disposed in the NGT, thisnew policy of the departmentraise serious matter as what wasthe hurry by the State,” said K SPrasad, a green tribunal lawyer.People from the State had chal-lenged the new sand mining pol-icy of September 2019 in NGT

on the plea that it is not consis-tent with the Supreme Courtguidelines related to the sameand there was lot of loopholes inthe system ensuring corruptpractices.

Sources said there arearound 400 sand mining ghatsacross the state. The e-tenderingwhich was suspended on NGTorders was being done for freshallotment of the mining rights asper new sand mining policybased on September 2019 Policy.The principal bench of NGT,New Delhi, in its October 23,2019 order stated that e-auctionshall not be carried out until thefinal disposal of the matter.

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Maharashtra’s nextGovernment will be led by

the Shiv Sena and the commonminimum programme (CMP)being worked out along withthe Congress and the NCPahead of its formation will bein the “State’s interest”, saidparty spokesman Sanjay Rauton Friday.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led saffron party will lead theGovernment in Maharashtrafor the next “25 years” and notjust five years, claimed Rautwhile talking to reporters here.

The Rajya Sabha MP, whoturned 58 on Friday, wasresponding to questions onwhether his party will share theChief Minister’s post with theNCP and the Congress, its alliesin the prospective three-partyGovernment.

“Talks are on with theCongress and the NCP to workout a common minimum pro-gramme which will be in theinterest of the State and its peo-ple,” he said.

“Whether it is a single partyGovernment or an alliance, anagenda for governance is nec-

essary. There are infrastruc-ture projects to be taken for-ward, (and issues related to)drought,unseasonal rains (areto be tackled).

“Those coming with us areexperienced administrators. Wewill benefit from their experi-ence,” he said.

Regarding alliance with theCongress, the Sena’s politicalrival till recently, Raut said lead-ers of the country’s oldest partyhave contributed to freedomstruggle as well as develop-ment of Maharashtra.

Asked whether the Senawill share the CM’s post on arotational basis in the next dis-pensation, Raut said, “We wantto have the chief minister’s postfor the next 25 years. The ShivSena will provide leadership tothe state no matter who triesbest to stop it.”

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The Chief Minister’s postin Maharashtra will go to

the Shiv Sena in theGovernment being plannedby the saffron party with theNCP and the Congress, NCPchief spokesman Nawab Malik has said.

The Shiv Sena contested the October21 Assembly polls in alliance with theBJP as part of the ‘Mahayuti’ (megaalliance), which was in a comfortableposition to form Government in theState, winning 161 seats in the 288-member house.

The two parties, however, fell outafter the Uddhav Thackeray-led partypersisted with its demand of sharing theChief Minister’s post on a rotationalbasis.

The Sena is at present working withthe NCP and the Congress on a com-mon minimum programme (CMP) thatwill guide the actions of the Governmentthe three parties plan to form.

“The Chief Minister will be from theShiv Sena. It walked away from the‘Mahayuti’ on the issue of the ChiefMinister’s post. “It is our responsibility

to respect its sentiment,”Malik said. The threeparties are likely to bepart of the Governmentand negotiations onsharing portfoliosamong them are on,sources said.

Earlier, the Congress was expectedto support the Government from outside.“The Congress must be part of theGovernment to ensure its stability,”sources in the NCP said.

The BJP emerged as the singlelargest party, winning 105 seats in theelection, followed by the Shiv Sena with56 seats.

The NCP and the Congress, also pre-poll allies, won 54 and 44 seats, respec-tively.Any party or alliance seeking toform Government in the state needs tosecure support of at least 145 MLAs onthe floor of the House.

The State is currently underPresident’s rule. At a meeting here onThursday, representatives of the NCP, theCongress and the Sena prepared a draftCMP, which will be forwarded forapproval to top leaders of the three parties.

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RJD president Lalu Prasadon Friday slammed Nitish

Kumar Government for metingout “undignified” treatment tothe renowned mathematicianVashishtha Narayan Singhwhose family was denied anambulance after his death atPatna Medical College andHospital (PMCH) hereThursday.

The 74-year-old Singh,who once worked at NASA andCalifornia University, breathedhis last at PMCH after pro-longed illness.

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Amid the current political stalemate inMaharashtra, Union Minister and BJP

leader Nitin Gadkari has likened politics withcricket, saying “anything” could happen inboth these fields as those who appear to belosing the match might actually winthe game.

Gadkari’s statement came at a time whenthe BJP’s estranged ally Shiv Sena is makingefforts to form the Government with the helpof the Congress and the NCP, its politicalrivals till recently.

The three parties have already prepareda draft common minimum programme(CMP) that will guide their prospectiveGovernment.

“Anything can happen in cricket and pol-itics. Somewhere you feel you are losing thematch, but the result is exactly the opposite,”Gadkari said when asked about the current political situation inMaharashtra.

He was speaking at the ‘Outlook BusinessLeading Edge 2019’ event in Mumbai onThursday.

The Minister of Road Transport, however,declined to discuss in detail the political cri-sis in Maharashtra, saying he spends moretime in Delhi and doesn’t know much aboutpolitics in his home State.

Bharuch: Mansukh Vasava,BJP MP of Bharuch in Gujarat,on Thursday claimed SupremeCourt gave a verdict “in ourfavour” on the RamJanmabhoomi dispute inAyodhya because a BJPGovernment is at the Centre.

It drew condemnationfrom the Congress whichdemanded an apology andaccused the MP of “fanningcommunal tension”.

Vasava, how-ever, later claimedhe was only point-ing to how the BJPgovernment (atthe Centre) wasable to maintain law and orderafter the SC verdict was deliv-ered on November 9.

The Supreme Court in aunanimous verdict cleared theway for the construction of aRam Temple at the disputed

site at Ayodhya,and directed theCentre to allot a 5-acre plot to theSunni Waqf Boardfor building a

mosque.Addressing a gathering of

BJP workers in Bharuch townon Thursday evening, Vasavasaid, “The Ram Janmabhoomiissue was quite old. So manyyears went by. The Ram

Janmabhoomi movement wasgoing on even before India gotindependence. So many peoplewere martyred and many tookpart in the movement (to builda Ram Temple at the disputedsite).”

“The Supreme Court hadto give a judgement in ourfavour because the BJPGovernment is at the Centre,”Vasava said at the gathering. PTI

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In their first joint effort toaddress the issues facing the

state ahead of the formation oftheir Government inMaharashtra, a delegation ofthe Congress, NCP and ShivSena will meet GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari to seekrelief for the unseasonal rain-affected farmers across theState.

Confirming this, StateNCP spokesperson NawabMalik said on Friday eveningthe delegation of Congress,NCP and Shiv Sena wouldmeet the Governor at 3 pm onSaturday.

“After the imposition of thePresident’s rule, the adminis-tration has come to a grindinghalt in theState. The outgoingGovernment announced arelief of �10,000 crore to therain-affected farmers. Afterburning their destroyed crop,the farmers are readying them-selves for sowing. Neither arethey getting relief nor croploans. The farmers are anaggrieved lot”.

“In Mantralaya, applica-tions made by patients seekinghelp from the Government aregathering dust. At yesterday’smeeting, we all decided to goand meet the Governor andrequest him to activate thedormant Government machin-ery and to request him for reliefto the rain-affected farmers,”Malik said.

Earlier in the day, formerMaharashtra Chief Ministerand BJP leader DevendraFadnavis met Governor BhagatSingh Koshyari and urged himto release funds for farmers

affected by unseasonal rains.Fadnavis also urged the

Governor to reopen and ensuresmooth functioning of the CMRelief Fund through the gov-ernor’s office to ensure timelyhelp for needy persons as theState was currently underPresident’s rule.

Fadnavis said that theGovernor had accepted bothhis demands.

“Met Hon GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari ji at RajBhavan, Mumbai to requestrelease of funds to the farmersaffected due to unseasonalrains. Hon Governor assuredimmediate action on this,Fadnavis tweeted after hismeeting with the Governor.

“I also requested forreopening & smooth func-tioning of CM Relief Fundthrough Hon Governors officeso that no needy patient isdeprived of necessary & time-ly support,” the former chiefminister said.

Meanwhile, NCP PresidentSharad Pawar — who touredthe wet drought-affected areasof Vidarbha region — said onFriday afternoon that he wouldraise the issue of huge lossessuffered by the farmers duringthe winter session ofParliament beginning onNovember 18 and demandmaximum compensation tothe affected farmers.

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The Supreme Court Fridayset aside a NCLAT order

which gave equal rights to thesecured and unsecured credi-tors during the insolvency pro-ceedings of debt-ridden EssarSteel, clearing the decks for ittakeover by Lakshmi Mittal-ledArcelorMittal.

Setting aside the NationalCompany Law AppellateTribunal (NCLAT) order, a 3-judge headed by Justice RFNariman, said the two set ofcreditors will be treated differ-ently during the insolvencyproceedings and taking over ofa debt-ridden firm by anothercompany.

There is no principal ofequality between secured andunsecured creditors, said thebench, also comprising JusticesSurya Kant and VRamasubramanian.

“The NCLAT judgmentwhich substitutes its wisdomfor the commercial wisdom ofthe Committee of Creditors(CoC) and which also directsthe admission of a number ofclaims which was done by theresolution applicant, withoutprejudice to its right to appeal

against the aforesaid judgment,must therefore be set aside,”said the bench.

The NCLAT had said thateverybody (secured and unse-cured creditors) will get 60.7per cent of their dues in theevent of takeover of a debt-rid-den company by another firmunder the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code (IBC), saidsenior advocate RakeshDwivedi, who represented oneof the parties in the apex courtin the case.

“The appeals filed by theCoC of Essar Steel Limited and

other Civil Appeals are allowed.The impugned NCLAT judg-ment is set aside,” the top courtsaid.

Reacting to the verdict,Essar Steel said: “We wishArcelorMittal and Nippon Steelthe very best on their entry intothe Indian market. They areacquiring a world-class facili-ty in a market that has a longrunway for growth.”

The apex court clarifiedthat the Corporate InsolvencyResolution Process of thedebtor in this case will takeplace in accordance with theresolution plan of ArcelorMittaldated October 23, 2018, asamended and accepted by theCoC on March 27, 2019.

It has provided foramounts to be paid to differentclasses of creditors by follow-ing Section 30(2) andRegulation 38 of the IBC, thecourt added.

It said the adjudicatingauthority can send back the res-olution plan to the CoC forimplementation in accordancewith the guidelines but cannotchange the commercial deci-sion taken by the committee.

The bench also relaxed thetimeline of 330 days to find a

resolution plan as prescribedunder the IBC.

“It is only in exceptionalcases that time can be extend-ed, the general rule being that330 days is the outer limit with-in which resolution of thestressed assets of the corporatedebtor must take place beyondwhich the corporate debtor isto be driven into liquidation,”it said.

The verdict came on theCoC plea challenging NCLAT’sorder of July 4 in which it hadapproved steel tycoon LakshmiMittal-led ArcelorMittal’s�42,000-crore bid for the acqui-sition of Essar Steel after thetribunal had rejected a plea bythe lead shareholder of thedebt-laden firm challengingthe eligibility of the bidder.

The National CompanyLaw Appellate Tribunal(NCLAT) had, however, givenoperational creditors equal sta-tus as lenders in the distribu-tion of the ArcelorMittal’s bidamount among the creditors ofEssar Steel.

Essar Steel was auctionedunder the new IBC to recover�54,547 crore of unpaid dues offinancial lenders and opera-tional creditors.

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Realty firm Pacific Indiaexpects about �40 crore of

rental income per year from itsshopping mall at Dwarka in thenational capital. The mallbecame operational fromFriday.

The company completedthe shopping mall and multi-level car parking project, whichit bagged last year from DelhiMetro Rail Corporation(DMRC) through an auction process, with aninvestment of about �100 crore.

“We have completed ourshopping mall project ‘PacificD21’. The mall will open fromtomorrow. This is our fourthmall,” its executive directorAbhishek Bansal said.

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Global steel giantArcelorMittal on Friday

said it is looking forward toclose the acquisition of debt-ridden Essar Steel soon.

The remarks followed theapex court verdict that gavenod to ArcelorMittal’s resolu-tion plan, paving way forArcelorMittal’s takeover ofEssar Steel for �� 42,000 crore.

Essar Steel was auctionedunder the new Insolvency andBankruptcy Code (IBC) torecover ��54,547 crore of unpaiddues of financial lenders andoperational creditors. “We lookforward to the closing of theacquisition soon,” ArcelorMittalsaid in a statement adding thatit is “very pleased with thejudgment that our resolutionplan has been approved”.

The Supreme Court on

November 15, paved the wayfor ArcelorMittal takeover ofdebt-ridden Essar Steel for �42,000 crore and set aside theJuly 4, NCLAT order givingequal status to financial cred-itors and operational credi-tors. The verdict came on a pleaof the committee of creditorschallenging NCLAT’s order ofJuly 4, in which it had approvedsteel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal-ledArcelorMittal’s ��42,000-crorebid for the acquisition of EssarSteel after it rejected a plea bythe lead shareholder of thedebt-laden firm challengingthe eligibility of the bidder.

A bench headed by JusticeRF Nariman clarified thatfinancial creditors enjoy pri-macy over operational creditorsand the adjudicating authoritycannot interfere with the deci-sion approved by the commit-tee of creditors.

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India’s exports contracted forthe third month in a row in

October by 1.11 per cent to$26.38 billion mainly onaccount of a significant dip inshipments of petroleum, carpet,leather products, rice and tea.

Imports too declined by16.31 per cent to $37.39 billionin October, narrowing the tradedeficit to $11 billion, accordingto the government datareleased on Friday.

Gold imports increased byabout 5 per cent to $1.84 bil-lion in the month.

The trade deficit stood at$18 billion in October 2018.

Out of the 30 key sectors,as many as 18 segments showednegative growth in exportsduring the month underreview.

Shipments of petroleumgoods, carpet, leather products,

rice and tea contracted by 14.6per cent, 17 per cent, 7.6 percent, 29.5 per cent and 6.16 percent respectively.

The country’s outboundshipments have remained sub-dued so far this year. It mayhave a bearing on the overalleconomic growth, which fell toover six-year low of 5 per centin the first quarter of the cur-rent fiscal.

Industrial output declinedby 4.3 per cent in Septemberdue to poor performance bymanufacturing, power generation and mining sectors.

The outbound shipmentscontracted by 6 per cent inAugust and 6.57 per cent inSeptember.

In October, oil importsdeclined by 31.74 per cent to$9.63 billion, and non-oilimports fell by 9.19 per cent to$27.76 billion.

New Delhi: The telecom depart-ment has not yet approached theregulator for its views on floorprice for tariffs, Trai ChairmanRS Sharma said on Friday.

“We have not received any-thing,” Sharma said when askedif the Department of Telecom(DoT) has approached TelecomRegulatory Authority of India(Trai) for its opinion on floorprice or minimum tariff fixa-tion for mobile services.

The government has con-stituted a committee of secre-taries to explore a financialbailout package for the telecomsector. Last month, when the

high-level panel was set up, anofficial source had said that sec-tor regulator Trai is expected toexamine prescribing minimumcharge for voice and data ser-vices, which will ensure long-term viability and robust finan-cial health of the sector.

In fact, this is not the firsttime that floor price is beingtalked about in telecom indus-try circles. Way back in 2017,certain operators had initiallysuggested fixation of mini-mum floor price for voice anddata services, but Trai hadsubsequently ruled out impo-sition. PTI

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Finance Minister NirmalaSitharman on Friday said

the Government will bring leg-islations on raising insurancecover on bank deposits fromthe current �1 lakh and regu-lating multi-state cooperativebanks.

These legislations will bebrought during the WinterSession of Parliament startingcoming Monday, the Ministertold reporters here.

These legislations assumesignificance in the wake ofscam in the Punjab andMaharashtra Cooperative Bankaffecting lakhs of customerswho are facing difficulties inwithdrawing their entiremoney due to restrictionsimposed by the Reserve Bankof India.

At present, bank depositorsget an insurance cover of �1lakh on their amount by theDeposit Insurance and credit GuaranteeCorporation.

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The Government on Fridaynotified rules under the

insolvency law to deal with res-olution of systemically impor-tant financial service providers,excluding banks.

The corporate affairs min-istry has notified theInsolvency and Bankruptcy(Insolvency and LiquidationProceedings of FinancialService Providers andApplication to AdjudicatingAuthority) Rules, 2019 (Rules).

It will provide a genericframework for insolvency andliquidation proceedings of sys-temically important FinancialService Providers (FSPs) otherthan banks, an official statementsaid. Section 227 of the Codeenables the central governmentto notify, in consultation withthe financial sector regulators,FSPs or categories of FSPs forthe purpose of insolvency andliquidation proceedings.

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Roger Federer produced a near-flawless performance as heavenged his Wimbledon defeat

by Novak Djokovic and qualified forthe last four of the ATP Finals witha 6-4, 6-3 victory on Thursday.

The Swiss started the tourna-ment with a chastening straight-setsdefeat to Dominic Thiem but foundhis best form when it mattered.

Defeat for the second seed spellsthe end of his bid to overtake RafaelNadal and finish as year-end num-ber one. Roared on by a raucouspacked house at London’s O2 Arena,six-time champion Federer lookedin the groove from the start, crank-ing up the pressure on Djokovic’sserve and dropping just three pointson his own serve in the first set.

The Serbian upped his game atthe start of the second set butFederer, 38, saved the one breakpoint he faced and broke twice tocanter to victory.

The third seed, making his 17thappearance at the ATP Finals, is intohis 16th semi-final at the year-endevent.

Djokovic needed to win thetitle to have a chance at knockingNadal off the top spot, but now theSpaniard is guaranteed to finish theyear as the top-ranked player for thefifth time, tying him with Federer,Djokovic and American JimmyConnors.

“Great atmosphere, great oppo-nent,” said Federer, who hit 23 win-ners and made just five unforcederrors. “It was definitely incrediblyspecial. I enjoyed it from the begin-ning.

“I played incredible and I knewI had to because that’s what Novakdoes. It was definitely magical.”

Speaking about what was differ-ent from the Wimbledon final,where he squandered two champi-onship points on his own serve, hesaid: “I won match point I guess.

“It was so close atWimbledon. It was a privi-lege to play that match, somany ups and downs. Icouldn’t be more happyright now.”

Federer finishes sec-ond in Group BjornBorg, behind Thiem,who also beat Djokovicearlier this week. The Swisswill face the Group AndreAgassi winner today.

METRONOMIC FEDERERDjokovic looked nervy at the

start of the winner-takes-all contest,double-faulting twice in the thirdgame, in which he was broken tolove.

As cries of “Let’s go Roger, let’s go”rang around the cavernous stadium,Federer was dead-eyed on his serve,hitting eight aces, including a sec-ond-serve ace, in the first set.

Federer’s service level dipped inthe second set and 32-year-oldDjokovic earned his first breakpoint of the match in the fourthgame, which the Swiss saved.

In the next game Djokovicslipped to 15-40 and sailed a fore-hand long to give Federer his secondbreak of the match. The Swiss brokeonce more to close out victory.

Djokovic had won his past fivemeetings with Federer, includingtheir epic five-set battle in the finalat Wimbledon in July.

“He was the better player in allaspects and absolutely deserved to

win,” said Djokovic.“He served great,moved well,returned myserve verywell.... He dide v e r y t h i n gright.”

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Indian ace Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the semi-finals of the $400,000 Hong Kong Open after

Olympic champion Chen Long of China decided toquit the contest owing to an injury, here on Friday.

Unseeded Srikanth, ranked 13th in the world, wasleading by a game when Chen decided to concede thematch, thus handing the Indian a place in the last-fourof a BWF World Tour event for the first time sinceMarch.

The last time Srikanth crossed the quarterfinalstage was at the India Open Super 500. He had fin-ished runners-up at the event.

The former world No 1 will next face localfavourite Lee Cheuk Yiu today.

Lee defeated former world champion ViktorAxelsen of Denmark 21-14, 21-19 in another quarter-final. Srikanth had beaten the 23-year-old Lee instraight games at the India Open last year in their onlycareer meeting.

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Minutes after the Blue Tigers secured a point againstAfghanistan, thanks to the late equaliser from

Seiminlen Doungel in added time, coach Igor Stimac shift-ed his focus to Muscat where his wards are slated to face-off with Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complexin Muscat, Oman on Tuesday (November 19, 2019).

“Oman are much better now than the team weplayed against in Guwahati. We know for a factthat match is going to be very difficult forus. We need to see how quickly we recov-er after the difficult game that we hadjust played,” Stimac mentioned afterIndia played a 1-1 draw withAfghanistan at the CentralRepublican Stadium in Dushanbe.

“We have many new young play-ers coming through and it’ll be difficultto expect great results from them imme-diately. I have enough players in my dispos-al and I’m not afraid to put an all-new teamagainst Oman,” Stimac further added.

“Earlier, it was not very common when Indiaused to come back after conceding. In the last twogames we came back and snatched points in thedying minutes. It clearly shows that we are not ready

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The Euro 2020 line-up began to takeshape on Thursday after big-hittersFrance and England qualified for

next year’s finals alongside Turkey and theCzech Republic.

World champions France reached thetournament without having to kick a ballthanks to Turkey sealing their own qual-ification after a goalless draw with Icelandin the day’s early match.

Chelsea outcast Olivier Giroud thenmoved to within two international goalsof France great Michel Platini with a latepenalty that ensured a comeback win overa Moldova side ranked 175th in theworld.

The scrappy victory at a chilly Stadede France put Didier Deschamps’ side twopoints ahead of Turkey at the top of GroupH ahead of their final match at Albania onSunday.

The celebratory mood was initially

dampened when Vadim Rata punishedabject defending to give Moldova a shockninth-minute lead.

However Raphael Varane levelled forthe hosts 10 minutes before break despitefurious protests from the Moldovan play-ers and their coach, who were convincedGiroud had fouled goalkeeper AlexeiKoselev in the build-up.

Giroud then slotted home his 39thFrance goal from the spot in a confidentmanner that defied the fact he has onlyplayed 20 minutes for Chelsea since lastmonth’s international break.

“I could and should have scoredbefore the penalty. We quite simply did-n’t get off to the start we should have done,”Giroud told French television.

LIONS CONFIRMS TICKETHarry Kane fired England into the

Euros in style with a hat-trick that helpedthe 2018 World Cup semi-finalists disman-tle poor Montenegro 7-0 at Wembley.

Kane struck his treble in the first halfas Gareth Southgate’s side racked up fivebefore the break in England’s 1000thmatch, making light of the absence ofRaheem Sterling, who was dropped bySouthgate earlier in the week after an alter-cation with teammate Joe Gomez.

“We wanted to put on a show in our1,000th game and with five goals in the firsthalf I think we did that,” said Kane.

England displayed the firepower thatwill make them one of the favourites fornext year’s European Championship asthey sealed top spot in Group A.

Thursday’s demolition took them to 33goals in seven qualifying matches follow-ing Tammy Abraham’s first internationalgoal, further strikes from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Marcus Rashford and anown goal from Aleksandar Sofranac.

Kane meanwhile moved sixth in theall-time list of England goalscorers by tak-ing his tally for the qualifying campaignto 11.

The Czech Republic followedEngland into the tournamentafter coming from behind tobeat third-placed Kosovo 2-1.

They join former WorldCup winners Spain and Italy,who kick off the multi-hosttournament at Rome’s StadioOlimpico on June 12, darkhorses Belgium, Poland,Russia and Ukraine.

RONALDO EYES PORTUGALCENTURY

Reigning European championsPortugal were made to wait for theirplace despite Cristiano Ronaldo hittinghis ninth international hat-trick in a6-0 thrashing of Lithuania in Faro.

Pizzi, Goncalo Paciencia andBernardo Silva rounded off an easywin that keeps Portugal second inGroup B behind already-qualifiedUkraine and one point clear ofthird-placed Serbia, who beatLuxembourg 3-2.

They will secure their spot atnext year’s finals with a victory inLuxembourg tomorrow.

Ronaldo has now scored 98international goals after a seventh-minute penalty, a superb curlingeffort midway through the first halfand a simple finish in the 65thminute, and the Juventus attacker willbe hoping to become the second-everplayer to reach 100 this weekend.

The Netherlands and four-timeworld champions Germany will makeadd to an already mouth-watering line-up today should they make it out ofGroup C.

Ronald Koeman’s resurgent Dutchneed just a draw atNorthern Irelandtoday to guar-antee a spotat their firstinternation-al tourna-ment sincecoming thirdat the 2014World Cup.

J o a c h i mLoew’s Germanymeanwhile have to better theNorthern Irish’s result if they areto make the finals.

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Ben Stokes admitted on Friday he isnot interested in captaining England

in the future.Stokes has emerged as one of the

most charismatic and exciting Englandstars for decades, but the all-rounder isn’tkeen to shoulder the extra responsibil-ity of the captaincy.

After playing a key role in England’shistoric first 50-over World Cup victo-ry earlier this year, Stokes also shone inthe Ashes series against Australia.

He currently serves as deputy to Testskipper Joe Root, but doesn’t believe hewould thrive as the team’s leader.

“That’s not an aspiration of mine. It’sjust not one of those things I’m desper-ate to do,” Stokes told the BBC’s Todayprogramme.

“I’m very happy at the momentbeing vice-captain, we’ve got a greatleader in Joe.

“You never know how you handlethe pressure of being England captainunless you do it. Being the Test captainof England — so much pressure comeswith it.

“It’s a huge burden to carry becauseeverything falls back on you, especiallyif it goes bad, and you never know howyou’ll handle that pressure until you walkout onto the field as England captain.

“So I’ve got no idea how I’d handleit if I did it but, as I say, it’s not an aspi-ration of mine.”

Stokes, 28, is on tour with Englandin New Zealand at present as he looksto finish a memorable year on a highnote.

While he doesn’t like the idea ofbeing a captain, when he eventuallyretires, Stokes would welcome a coach-ing role.

“I guess there always comes a timewhen you have to start seriously think-ing about it and I always say I’d love tobe a coach in the future,” he added.

“But I’m still only 28, I have got plen-ty of years in the tank hopefully. But I’dlove to stay in the game somehow andif that was as a coach I’d love to do that.”

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to give up until the final whistle,” Stimac comment-ed.

“This is a primary trait of a football team wholoves to challenge themselves. We are a team whoprefers to push their limits when they’re behind — thatmakes me proud.”

“Whoever watched the match, must have enjoyed.It was an action-packed exciting match. In the end,

neither of us could have been happy with a draw butthat’s how it is. I feel we deserved more. We cre-ated a few more chances than Afghanistan and so,we deserved at least a point if not three,” theCroatian coach analysed.

Seminlen Doungel, who was introduced inthe 77th minute at the expense of Pritam Kotalblasted the back of the net to provide much-need-ed relief to the Indian dugout. The agile midfield-er expressed his “joy and satisfaction” after scor-ing the equaliser which earned India their con-

secutive third draw in the campaign.“A footballer always nurtures a dream of rep-

resenting his country. I’m no different and then scor-ing for your country when it was needed, gives meimmense joy and satisfaction. But, it’s just the start-ing of the journey for me, I need to keep my headdown and continue the good work as long as pos-sible,” a humble Len spoke.

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Chris Lynn, David Miller, Jaydev Unadkatand Chris Morris were among the 71

players released by their respective fran-chisees on Friday ahead of next month’s IPLauction.

Friday was the deadline for releasing,trading and retaining players. A total of 127players have been retained including 35 for-eigners.

Lynn, the big-hitting Australian open-er, was released by Kolkata Knight Ridersafter five fruitful seasons when he got theteam off to a flying start on umpteen occa-sions.

The other 10 released KKR playersinclude West Indian Carlos Brathwaite,South African Anrich Nortje, former Indiaplayers Piyush Chawla and Robin Uthappa,who struggled to get going last season.

Kings XI Punjab go into the auction onDecember 19 with a purse of �42.70 crore,the biggest among the eight teams after theyreleased eight players including SouthAfrica’s Miller, Englishman Sam Curran andmystery Tamil Nadu spinner VarunChakravarthy, who was bought for a whop-ping �8.4 crore last year.

Miller went on to become one of the bat-ting mainstays for Kings XI Punjab over the

past eight seasons, scoring 1850 runs in 79games at a strike rate of 138.78.

“Kings XI Punjab now have the high-est salary cap available going into the auc-tion while Royal Challengers Bangalore havethe most number of player slots (12) avail-able (including 6 overseas slots). After today’sdeadline, Chennai Super Kings have thelargest squad size (20),” read a BCCI state-ment.

“Of the eight franchises, RoyalChallengers Bangalore (12) have released themost players while Sunrisers Hyderabad (5)have released the least players from theirsquad,” it added.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians

have retained 18 players including veteranSri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga despite hisfitness issues while releasing 12.

Among the released players are

Australian fast bowler Jason Behrendorffand Alzarri Joseph of West Indies, NewZealand’s Adam Milne, Beuran Hendricksand Ben Cutting.

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh,who quit all forms of cricket including IPLearlier this year, has also been released.

Kiwi seamer Trent Boult, WestIndian Sherfane Rutherford andMumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarniare the three trade-ins for thefranchise.

Three-time IPL championsChennai Super Kings havereleased England cricketers SamBillings and David Willey besidesthree Indian players including2015 World CupperMohit Sharma. With 20players already in theirsquad, CSK go into theauction with a meagrepurse of �14.60 crore.

Virat Kohli-ledRoyal ChallengersBangalore have let go oftheir 12 players includ-ing seven foreigners.The big namesreleased are SouthAfrican pacer DaleSteyn, New Zealandall-rounder Colin deG r a n d h o m m e ,Australian Marcus

Stoinis and West Indies batsman ShimronHetmyer. They roughly have �28 crore towork with at the auction.

Delhi Capitals, who had traded inRavichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahanefrom KXIP and Rajasthan Royals respective-ly, have retained young Prithvi Shaw whosedoping ban ends on Friday. There was spec-ulation over Shaw being traded to the Royals.

The Delhi franchise has released nineplayers including two South Africans, all-rounder Morris and power-hitter ColinIngram. New Zealand top-order batsman

Colin Munro has also been released andso has been India’s Test specialistHanuma Vihari.

Rajasthan Royals have released 11players including pacer JaydevUnadkat, whom they had boughtback for �8.4 crore last year after pay-ing �11.5 crore for him in the previous

season.The franchise also

announced that starAustralian batsman

Steve Smith will con-tinue to lead the team.

S u n r i s e r sHyderabad havereleased the least

number of play-ers — five —and theyinclude ShakibAl Hasan, who

has been bannedby the ICC, New

Zealand openerMartin Guptill, Deepak

Hooda and Yusuf Pathan.

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The fast-rising JemimahRodrigues starred with

the bat after India’s spinnerswreaked havoc to set up aseries-clinching seven-wick-et win over the West Indies ina low-scoring third women’sT20 International in Guyana.

The spinners restrictedWest Indies to a paltry 59 for9 in the stipulated 20 oversbefore Rodrigues played anunbeaten innings of 40 (51balls) to take India home with20 balls to spare and for theloss of just three wickets.

The triumph sealedIndia’s second consecutive

T20 series win. They hadbeaten South Africa at homelast month.

Spinners Radha Yadav(2/6), Deepti Sharma (2/12),Poonam Yadav (1/8) and

Anuja Patil (1/13) were thearchitect of the win that reaf-firmed India’s supremacyover West Indies, who havenow lost six T20Internationals on the trot.

�� .�( �/'�

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has hitthe nets in his hometown

Ranchi but it is unlikely that thetalismanic former captain willmake himself available for theupcoming limited-overs homeseries against the West Indiesnext month.

Dhoni, who has not played acompetitive game since the WorldCup semifinal against NewZealand in July, had a net sessionat the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi onThursday, raising hopes of a come-back.

However, he remains unavail-able for the three T20s and asmany ODIs against the WestIndies starting December 6 in

Mumbai.“He is not available for the

West Indies series,” a BCCI officialsaid on Friday.

Ever since that World Cupsemifinal loss to New Zealand,Dhoni's future has been a subjectof intense speculation but theplayer himself has not spoken aword on it.

Host broadcaster Star Sportswanted Dhoni to commentate inIndia’s first-ever day-night Test,against Bangladesh, fromNovember 22-26, but he will notbe doing that as he remains a con-tracted player of the BCCI

As per the existing constitu-tion, Dhoni commentating wouldhave also amounted to conflict ofinterest.

�� '�(21 �

Opener Mayank Agarwal grind-ed a below-par Bangladeshbowling unit with a career-best

second double hundred as Indiaburied the visitors under a deluge ofruns on the second day of the open-ing Test here on Friday.

Agarwal’s third Test hundred,

243 off 330 balls, formed the corner-stone of India’s 493 for 6, which gavethe home side a sizeable lead of 343runs.

Friday solely belonged to Agarwal,who in this particular innings, man-aged to overshadow a batting line-upthat has Rohit Sharma (6), CheteshwarPujara (54 off 72 balls), skipper ViratKohli (0) and Ajinkya Rahane (86 off

172 balls) in its ranks.Agarwal’s partnership of 91 for the

second wicket with Pujara and 190 forthe fourth wicket with Rahane werehowever important in the context ofthe Indian innings.

A whirlwind partnership of 123 in23.5 overs with Ravindra Jadeja (60batting) for the fifth wicket onlyadded insult to injury for Bangladesh.

The match might be over insidethree days if India declare overnight.

Bangladesh’s brittle batting line-up may not have the mental capacityto withstand India’s pace barrage iffirst innings was any indicator.

For Agarwal, his voraciousappetite for runs, carefully cultivatedthrough solid performances at thedomestic and India ‘A’ level, is payingdividends.

Exactly one year ago, Agarwalwas in the fringe, scoring those“Daddy Hundreds” but lost out to theprodigious talent of Prithvi Shaw, whowas given preference and a headstartat the international arena.

Destiny, however, had other plansas Shaw got injured and also lost a bitof focus. That was the openingAgarwal was looking for and he isshowing with each innings that he isnot going anywhere too soon.

The Shubman Gills and theShaws may have to wait a wee bitlonger.

Having scored those tough runsDown Under, Agarwal has nowearned the right to consolidate hisplace with some heavy duty scoring.And he is doing that exactly.

It did help that Bangladesh gottheir bowling combination awfullywrong.

On a pitch, where someone withexpress pace and variation was need-ed, the visitors fielded two specialistspinners in left-arm orthodox TaijulIslam (0/120 in 28 overs) and off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraj (1/115in 27 overs).

The spin duo was like lambs forslaughter as Agarwal went after them

with all his might.All the eight sixes that he hit came

off the two spinners. This apart, healso hit 28 boundaries during hiscareer-best international score.

The coveted double hundredcame by lofting Miraj over long-onwhile the stand-out six was an insideout over extra cover off Taijul. Thenthere was one down the ground anda couple over long-off.

The spinners were either bowlingtoo short or too full outside the off-stump. At one stage, Miraj, a formerBangladesh U-19 captain, complete-ly lost confidence as he started com-ing round the wicket.

The negative field placement foran off-spinner — a deep point for sav-ing a cut shot and deep square leg forsaving a pull-shot — was a reflectionof Bangladesh’s approach.

Abu Jayed (4/108 in 25 overs) wasthe only bowler, who showed someheart getting the wickets of Pujara,Kohli and Rahane but his new ballEbadot Hossain (1/115 in 31 overs)neither had pace nor the variation totrouble the Indian batsmen.

They attacked him at will anddefended when they found it neces-sary.

The lack of pace also became afactor and the pitch on which Indianpacers looked menacing, Bangladesh’smedium pacers merely went throughthe motions.

Each boundary left their shoul-ders dropping further and by the timeAgarwal was out trying to hit hisninth six, the visitors had resigned tothe fate that the remainder of this Testmatch will now be a mere formality.

��'�(21 �

The slump in form that heendured early in his career

has taught Mayank Agarwalto make hay while the sunshines and he did exactly thatagainst Bangladesh, smashinga career-best 243 on the sec-ond day.

For someone whose con-sistency was an issue someyears ago, Agarwal has nowscored two double hundredsin his last four Test appear-ances. And he wants to makeevery opportunity count tillthis kind of dream form lasts.

“I think it goes down tounderstanding that there hadbeen times when I have notgot runs. So I must respect thegame that I am batting well.When I am doing that I haveto make sure that I make it bigand put the team in driver’sseat or put it in such a posi-tion that they cannot losefrom there,” Agarwal saidafter the second day’s play.

There are players onwhom selectors would puntpurely on talent and there aresome like Agarwal, who hadto break the door open witha mountain of runs.

Asked if it makes himmore aware that he mightalways have to score morethan say a Prithvi Shaw to bein the mix, Agarwal spokeabout how “his journey is dif-ferent from others.”

“I don’t look at it that way.My journey is not going to besame as someone else’s and Idon’t like comparing two peo-ple’s journey because some-body might get chance quick-ly and somebody might getchance late,” he said.

“But that (chance) is notunder our control and it is

important to understand thethings that are in my controland think I’m glad to play forthe country and from therebuild on.”

The opener gave a peekinto his mindset as he wentonto build a marathon knockwith 28 fours and eight sixes.

“I think it goes down togameplan. Who you are feel-ing comfortable against andwho you want to attack andthen pick the right balls. Youcan’t just say that okay I amgoing to hit each and everyball. You can’t do that. It’s notgoing to happen that way,” hesaid.

“It’s a case of understand-ing, okay, this is the bowler Iam playing well today and thisis the ball that I can go after.Pick those balls and thenhave mental discipline tobuild your innings on that.”

He, however, agreed thatsecond day was better forbatting compared to the firstday.

“The wicket has settleddown compared to what itwas yesterday. It got better tobat on as there is good bounceand good value for yourshots.”

He said that his skipperwanted him to continue andget a triple hundred but he gotout going for a ninth maxi-mum.

“I could have playedlonger. But the ball was in theslot. The captain was backingyou and he wanted the bestfor me more than what hewants from himself. That is abig thing,” said Agarwal.

So how does Mayankunwind after a hard day?“Mayank Plays Pub G,” hereplied and broke into laugh-ter.

�� '�(21

Senior India cricketers RohitSharma, Cheteshwar Pujara

and Ravichandran Ashwin gota first feel of playing with thepink ball under lights during aday-end net session at theHolkar Stadium on Friday.

With only two training ses-sions are possible under lightsbefore the day/night Test at theEden Gardens startingNovember 22, the Indian teamis trying to make most of thetime at their disposal.

Couple of days before thefirst Test, skipper Virat Kohli andother top-order batsmen had athrowdown session in the after-noon but Friday was the firsttime when they had a nearly 35-minute session under lights.

It was opener Rohit and pre-mier spinner Ashwin, whospend considerable time in oneof the nets with head coach RaviShastri keeping a close watch onthe proceedings.

Skipper Virat Kohli spokeabout adjusting to the newcolour under lights and that pre-cisely was the exercise as the two

senior players faced each other.Ashwin bowled with the

semi-new ball as Rohit andlater Pujara also had a go. In theother nets, reserve batsmenHanuma Vihari and ShubmanGill faced throwdown expertsRaghavendra and NuwanSeneviratne.

But it was the first net onwhich all eyes were trained onas Rohit was seen trying to giveAshwin the charge. Rohit andPujara took turns to face Ashwinand Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep incidentally wasvery effective during the firstDuleep Trophy that was playedwith pink Kookaburra balls asthe batsmen were unable to pickthe seam when the left-armwrist spinner would flight thedeliveries.

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CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: ChaitanyaBishnoi, David Willey, Dhruv Shorey,Mohit Sharma, Sam Billings, ScottKuggeleijn. (Purse remaining: �14.60crores)DELHI CAPITALS: Ankush Bains, BandaruAyyappa, Chris Morris, Colin Ingram,Colin Munro, Hanuma Vihari, JalajSaxena, Manjot Kalra, Nathu Singh.(Purse remaining: � 27.85 crores)KINGS XI PUNJAB: Agnivesh Ayachi,Andrew Tye, David Miller, MoisesHenriques, Prabhsimran Singh, SamCurran, Varun Chakaravarthy. (Purseremaining: � 42.70 crores)KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Anrich Nortje,Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Lynn, Joe Denly,KC Cariappa, Matt Kelly, Nikhil Naik,Piyush Chawla, Prithvi Raj Yarra, RobinUthappa, Shrikant Mundhe. (Purseremaining: � 35.65 crores)MUMBAI INDIANS: Adam Milne, AlzarriJoseph, Barinder Sran, Ben Cutting,

Beuran Hendricks, Evin Lewis, JasonBehrendorff, Pankaj Jaswal, Rasikh Dar,Yuvraj Singh. (Purse remaining: � 13.05crores)RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Aryaman Birla,Ashton Turner, Ish Sodhi, JaydevUnadkat, Liam Livingstone, OshaneThomas, Prashant Chopra, RahulTripathi, Shubham Ranjane, Stuart Binny,Sudhesan Midhun. (Purse remaining: �28.90 crores)ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:Akshdeep Nath, Colin de Grandhomme,Dale Steyn, Heinrich Klassen, HimmatSingh, Kulwant Khejroliya, MarcusStoinis, Milind Kumar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Prayas Ray Barman, ShimronHetmyer, Tim Southee. (Purse remain-ing: � 27.90 crores)SUNRISERS HYDERABAD:: Deepak Hooda,Martin Guptill, Ricky Bhui, Shakib AlHasan, Yusuf Pathan. (Purse remaining:� 17 crores)

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