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VIJAYAWADA, TUESDAY OCTOBER 6, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

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RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

*Late City Vol. 2 Issue 336*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN HYDERABAD

VIJAYAWADAWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated October 5, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Ashwin (Adhik) & Krishna Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Chaturthi: 12:31 pm

Nakshatram: Kritika: 05:54 pm

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 03:00 pm – 04:28 pm

Yamagandam: 09:07 am – 10:35 am

Varjyam: NIL

Gulika: 12:03 pm - 01:32 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 03:12 pm – 05:00 pm

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:40 am – 12:27 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Mostly cloudyTemp: 33/24Humidity: 72%Sunrise: 06.07 amSunset: 06.00 pm

TS sticks to itsguns at GSTCouncil meetPNS n HYDERABAD

The TS government on Mo-nday insisted that the Centrecompensate States for theirrevenue shortfall of Rs 2.35lakh-crore in the current fin-ancial year and not ask Statesto borrow for the purpose.

Participating in the GSTCouncil meeting chaired byUnion Finance Minister Nir-mala Sitharaman, TS FinanceMinister T Harish Rao reiter-ated the State’s stand that theCentre must borrow theamount and distribute itamong the States, rather thanStates approaching financialinstitutions for loans.

Cops dancingto YSRCPtune, peoplesuffer: NaiduPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Alleging that the State Policewas dancing to the tune of theruling YSRCP, TDP nationalpresident N ChandrababuNaidu on Monday accusedthe department of mishan-dling the minor girl molesta-tion case in Rajahmundry th-at eventually led to the vict-im’s father attempting suicide.

Naidu alleged that Dalits,tribals, BCs, Muslims, womenand journalists were facingconstant attacks.

Womanstaffer dies infreak mishapat SVIMSPNS n VIJAYAWADA

A two-months pregnantwoman employee of theSVIMS Padmavati Hospitalin Tirupati died on the spotwhen debris from an under-construction portion of theroom fell on her late onSunday evening.

The accident victim wasidentified as Radhika, a con-tract employee who was fourweeks into her pregnancy.The incident took place whilethe Radhika was shifting anewly-arrived 70-year-oldCovid patient to the ward.The patient also sustainedserious injuries.

According to sources,when the Covid patientarrived, Radhika rushed toattend the case and beforeanyone could grasp what washappening, tragedy occurred.

According to Tirupatipolice, the incident took placeat around 10.30 pm onSunday when Radhika wasshifting the newly admittedCovid-19 patient to the wardthrough an alley betweentwo blocks of the hospitalbuilding.

According to the police,the hospital employees usu-ally avoid the path as con-struction works are goingon.

However, Radhika choosethis shortcut as no work wasgoing during the night timeand there was no activity dur-ing the daytime also.

Toddler chokes to death on free toyPNS n VIZIANAGARAM

A small plastic toy bundled asa freebie inside a packet ofsnacks to lure children hasproven fatal for an 18-month-old girl.

According to police, thetoddler choked to death afterswallowing a toy packed in apacket of snacks atChinagudaba village underGarugubilli police station lim-its in Vizianagaram. Thetragedy came to light onMonday after the police regis-tered a case based on a com-

plaint from the parentsof the girl, identifiedas Mounika.

According tos o u r c e s ,Mo u n i k a ' sm o t h e rSandhyaranipurchased apacket ofsnacks froma shop in thevillage onSunday evening.

While eating thesnack, the child chewedthe toy too and tried to swal-

low it but it got stuckin the throat.

Soon, the girlwas rushed

to a hospi-tal but thed o c t o r scould notsave her.

S u b -Inspector

o fGarugubilli

police stationY Simhachalam

said that the smallplastic toy was packed inside

the packet of snacks as a free-bie.

“We can't blame anyone forthe death of the girl as it wasan unfortunate incident. Acase under Section 174 ofCrPC (suspicious death) hasbeen registered and investiga-tion is on,” he said.

However, relatives of thedeceased girl appealed to theauthorities to take steps tostop the packaging of smalltoys inside packets of snacks,especially ones that childrenrelish, to avoid similar inci-dents in the future.

YSRCP open to talks on joiningNDA Government, says Gadikota PNS n HYDERABAD

The ruling YSR Congress Partyin Andhra Pradesh is open toa dialogue on joining the NDAat the Centre if the SpecialCategory Status to the state isaccorded and all promisesmade in the AP ReorganisationAct are fulfilled, senior YSRCPleader and Chief Whip in theAssembly G Srikanth Reddysaid on Monday.

His comments came on aday when Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy left forNew Delhi to participate in theApex Council meeting onwater issues on Tuesday and isalso scheduled to meet PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

Jagan's meeting with Modihas led rising of political tem-

perature in the state as specu-lation is rife that the YSRCPmay join the BJP-led NationalDemocratic Alliance (NDA),an assumption vehementlyrejected by Srikanth Reddy.

He said they were open fora discussion on joining theNDA if the Centre fulfilled all

promises made in the AndhraPradesh Reorganisation Actand accords Special CategoryStatus which were promised byduring the bifurcation of thestate in 2014 to carve outTelangana.

India tests ‘game-changer’SMART torpedo systemPNS n BALASORE (ODISHA)

India on Monday successfullyflight tested its indigenouslydeveloped SMART torpedo sys-tem, which the DRDO said willbe a “game changer” in anti-sub-marine warfare, marking yetanother milestone in strength-ening the country's maritimestrategic capabilities, defencesources said. The SupersonicMissile Assisted Release ofTorpedo (SMART) was tested at

1145 hours from the APJ AbdulKalam Island, earlier known asWheeler Island, off the Odishacoast. It met all the objectives"flawlessly". SMART is a missileassisted release of lightweightanti-submarine torpedo sys-tem for anti-submarine warfare(ASW) operations far beyondthe torpedo range. This launchand demonstration is significantin establishing anti-submarinewarfare capabilities, a defencestatement said.

Defence Minister RajnathSingh congratulated DRDO sci-entists on the successful conductof the test which marks a majorbreakthrough for stand-offcapability in anti-submarinewarfare, a DRDO official said.

The flight testing of SMARTfollows the successful test firingon Saturday of its indigenouslydeveloped nuclear capablehypersonic missile 'Shaurya'with a strike range of around1,000 km from the test range.

PNS n NEW DELHI/ BENGALURU

The CBI on Monday said thatit has till now recovered Rs 50lakh from multiple premises itsearched in a corruption caserelated to Congress leader DKShivakumar.

The CBI carried out search-es at 14 locations in Karnataka,Delhi and Maharashtra in thecase that pertains to amassingof disproportionate assets, itsofficers said.

However, the Congressaccused the BJP of playing an"insidious game of intimida-tion" through its "puppet CBI"

after the agency conductedraids on Shivakumar.

The Congress questionedthe timing of the raids, as by-elections to two Assemblyseats in Karnataka is to be heldon November 3, and termed itas "witch-hunt" by the BJPagainst its political rivals.

Congress chief spokesper-son Randeep Surjewala saidthe "raid raj" will not deter itfrom unearthing "corruptionand maladministration" by theBJP governments.

"The insidious game ofintimidation and machina-tions of Modi-Yeddyurappaduo being executed by a pup-pet CBI by raiding DKShivakumar won't deter us.CBI should be unearthing thelayers of corruption in theYeddyurappa Government.But, 'Raid Raj' is their only'Machiavellian Move'!" he saidon Twitter.

JEE Advanced results outNAMRATA SRIVASTAVAn HYDERABAD

The Joint Entrance Exami-nation (JEE) Advanced resultshave been announced by theIndian Institute of Technology(IIT)-Delhi on Monday.

This year, Chirag Falor ofIIT Bombay zone is the topranker in Common Rank List(CRL). He obtained 352 marksout of 396 marks. GangulaBhuvan Reddy, from Kadapa,Andhra Pradesh stood secondin CRL.

Kanishka Mittal of IITRoorkee zone is the top-rankedwoman with CRL 17. Sheobtained 315 marks out of 396

This year, a total of 1,60,838candidates registered for theexam and 1,50,838 appeared ofwhich 43,204 have qualified. A

total of 1,25,715 males regis-tered, 1,17,987 took the examand 36,497 qualified. Likewise,

35,121 females applied, 32,851appeared and 6,707 have qual-ified.

MEET THE STARS FROM AP, TSGANGULA BHUVAN REDDY, KADAPA, AP (RANK: 2ND)

Iam so happywith my perfor-

mance. I studiedvery hard to achi-eve this. My pare-nts and youngerbrother have been ecstatic sincethe results were declared. Infact, they got me my favouritecake to celebrate. I have alwaysloved mathematics and nowwant to do Computer ScienceEngineering from IIT-Bombay.

HARDIK RAJPAL,HYDERABAD, (RANK: 6TH)

Ididn’t expect su-ch a good rank.

However, I was ve-ry confident when Iwrote my paper. Iused to study forhours and I feelmy hard work has paid off. Myparents are happier than I am.”He said he was always fascinatedwith computers. “Hence, I wantto do Computer ScienceEngineering from IIT-Bombay.”

High Court to hear pleas on3-capitals day-to-day basisC PRADEEP KUMAR n VIJAYAWADA

From Tuesday onwards, the APHigh Court is set to hear on aday-to-day basis the petitionsfiled against the governmentopposing the trifurcating of theState Capital to ensure speedydisposal of all the petitions.

Sunkara Rajendra Prasad,senior advocate, AP Bar Cou-ncil member and Vice-Presi-dent of AILU national commit-tee, on Monday informed thatat present, as many as 229applications apart from themain writ petitions, were sub-mitted in the High Court relat-ed to the Amaravati capital.

He said that as people fromvarious sections in the Statehave been continuing filingcases against the government’s

decisions, the number mayincrease further.

Rajendra Prasad said thatthe High Court has ordered the

Registry to list the interimapplications between 10.30 amto 1.30 pm every day. A major-ity of these interim applications

were filed against the govern-ment urging the High Court toensure that the shifting of cap-ital should not take place.Hearing of these interim appli-cations would take at least 10to 15 working days.

After disposing of all theinterim applications, the HighCourt would list the main writpetitions that have more scopefor arguments, he said.

Rajendra Prasad said thatthe Court is allowing the advo-cates and petitioners to attendthe proceedings via videocon-ferencing for the hearing ofinterim applications. He saidthat the High Court may directthe advocates and petitionersto directly appear in personbefore the bench for argu-ments on writ petitions, filedin the nature of PILs.

CBI ‘recovers’ Rs 50 L in raidson Shivakumar, Cong sees red

Adani SEZ acquiresKrishnapatnam PortPNS n NEW DELHI

Adani Ports and SpecialEconomic Zone (APSEZ) onMonday said it has completedthe acquisition of Krishn-apatnam Port Company Ltd(KPCL) for an enterprise valueof Rs 12,000 crore.

The company acquired con-trolling stake of 75 per cent inIndia's second largest privatesector port and said the acqui-sition will accelerate handlingof 500 million tonnes (MT)throughput by 2025.

With the acquisition,APSEZ is expecting its marketshare in FY21 to increase from

21 per cent to 25 per cent."APSEZ today announced

the completion of the acquisi-tion of KPCL for an enterprisevalue of Rs 12,000 crore. Thiswill result in APSEZ having acontrolling stake of 75 per centin KPCL," the company said ina statement.

Covid cure causingblurring of visionPNS n HYDERABAD

An increasing nu-mber of Covid-19patients are reportingretinal complications leadingto blurring of vision.

Doctors believe thatCovid is possibly obstruct-ing blood supply to the reti-na, leading to a complicationcalled Retinopathy. When theretina of the eye gets damaged,it results in vision impairment.

According to Dr RajaNarayanan, Senior RetinaConsultant - LV Prasad EyeInstitute, "Retinopathy due toCovid-19 or steroids treat-ment usually occurs within 2-

4 weeks after theinfection is reso-lved. So patients

who have recov-ered from Covid and

had been treated with steroidsshould watch out for suchsymptoms for the initialweeks or till the time they

are on steroids for lung com-plications. The most commonsymptom is blurring of visionnot necessarily accompaniedby redness or pain."

He said that they were see-ing patients with retinopathy,either due to blockage of theretinal blood vessel or swellingof the retina.

{

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ComMin startsprobe to reviewanti-dumpingduty

5

Modi ‘finishing'farmers, labourerswith new farmslaws: Rahul Gandhi

2

Hathras:Opposition lives inglass houses,shouldn’t caststones

n SCS, other promises made to AP must be fulfilled, says Chief Whip

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has decided to take uphearing on pending cases against sitting and former MPs and MLAsevery Saturday. It has also decided to constitute two more specialcourts at Karimnagar and Mahbubnagar to deal with pending casesagainst the legislators. There are 118 cases pending before one

Special Court at Hyderabad and 25 cases before the CBIcourt and other special courts for offences under thePrevention of Corruption Act. A total of 17 cases,

including Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy’sdisproportionate assets case, pending before thePrincipal CBI court at Hyderabad, are proposed

to be disposed of within nine months.

CCAASSEESS AAGGAAIINNSSTT JJAAGGAANN TTOO BBEEDDIISSPPOOSSEEDD OOFF IINN NNIINNEE MMOONNTTHHSS

2

2

2

2

2

2

Two CRPF soldiers were killed and three others injured in a terroristattack on the outskirts of Srinagar this afternoon. The terrorists

opened fire at the security forces when the personnel were on duty on ahighway, police said, adding that they seemed to have come from a"marshy area" nearby. It's not yet clearif the terrorists have escaped. A searchoperation is going on, and the area hasbeen cordoned off. This is the fourthattack on the security forces in thesame area, which is usually heavilyguarded, in the last few weeks.

2 CRPF SOLDIERS KILLED IN TERRORATTACK ON OUTSKIRTS OF SRINAGAR

CENTRE'S INTEREST WAIVER PLANFAILS TO DEAL WITH ‘MANY ISSUES’: SC

Netflix has partially released its much-awaited series on four Indiantycoons facing fraud allegations after a state court lifted an injunction

over the weekend, a lawyer representing Netflix said on Monday. The "BadBoy Billionaires: India" documentary series about liquor tycoon VijayMallya, Subrata Roy of the Sahara group, IT executive Ramalinga Raju andjeweller Nirav Modi was set for release last month. Netflix,the world's largest streaming service, suspended theshow's release after an order from the Araria district courtin Bihar where the Sahara group argued it would damageRoy's reputation. Late on Saturday, the court lifted theinjunction, said Amit Shrivastava, a lawyer for Netflix.

Americans Harvey Alter and Charles Rice together with Briton MichaelHoughton won the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday for the

discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, the Nobel jury said. The three werehonoured for their"decisive contribution tothe fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a majorglobal health problem thatcauses cirrhosis and livercancer in people aroundthe world," the jury said.

The Supreme Court today said the centre's affidavit on waiving "intereston interest" on loans up to ? 2 crore, frozen during a six-monthmoratorium granted because of the coronavirus crisis, was notsatisfactory and asked for a do-over in a week. The affidavit "fails to dealwith several issues raised by petitioners", the court said. The centralgovernment has been asked to consider theconcerns of the real estate and powerproducers in fresh affidavits. The SupremeCourt also noted that "no consequential ordersor circulars" were issued by the governmentor RBI on enforcing the centre's decisions.

NETFLIX RELEASES 3 EPISODES OF ‘BADBOY BILLIONAIRES’ AMID LEGAL TUSSLE

3 WIN JOINT NOBEL FOR MEDICINEFOR DISCOVERY OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Phone: 040-23322341, Hyderabad Office: F-502, Diamond Block, Lumbini Rockdale, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082. Telangana. Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, Plot No.19, IDA Balanagar , Hyderbad-500037, Medchal -Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Chief Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

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VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2020

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(IN VIJAYAWADA)

Active cases below 10-lakhmark for two weeks: CentrePNS n NEW DELHI

For straight two weeks, Indiahas maintained a steady trendof recording less than 10 lakhactive Covid-19 cases while thenumber of people who haverecuperated from the diseasesurged to 55,86,703, pushingthe recovery rate to 84.34 percent, the Health Ministry saidon Monday.

The Centre-led strategies of'test, track, trace and treat'have been followed by stategovernments and UnionTerritory administrations aspart of the "whole of govern-ment" approach.

Early identification of casesthrough aggressive and acces-sible countrywide testing com-bined with other measuressuch as prompt and efficienttracking and tracing of con-tacts have borne results, theministry said.

The Centre has issued a

standard treatment protocolthat has ensured a standard oftreatment and cure across var-ious public and private hospi-tals and health facilities.

"The active cases has beenmaintained below the 10-lakhmark for 14 days unabated. Fortwo straight weeks today, theactive cases are less than 1 mil-lion (10 lakh)," the ministrysaid.

In total, 76,737 recoverieshave been registered in a spanof 24 hours in the countrywhereas 74,442 fresh infectionswere reported during the sameperiod, health ministry dataupdated at 8 am showed.

The new recoveries haveexceeded new cases in recentdays, the ministry said.

"The higher number of sin-gle-day recoveries has resultedin sustained increase in thenational recovery rate, current-ly pegged at 84.34 per cent," itsaid.

Seventy-five per cent of thenew recovered cases wererecorded in 10 states and unionterritories which areMaharashtra, Karnataka,Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha,Delhi, West Bengal andChhattisgarh.

Maharashtra alone has con-tributed more than 15,000 tothe new recovered cases fol-lowed by Karnataka andAndhra Pradesh with morethan 7,000 cases each.

There are 9,34,427 activecases which contribute only14.11 per cent of the total case-load in the country.

Active cases below 10-lakh markfor 2 weeks running, says CentrePNS n NEW DELHI

For straight two weeks, Indiahas maintained a steady trendof recording less than 10 lakhactive Covid-19 cases while thenumber of people who haverecuperated from the diseasesurged to 55,86,703, pushingthe recovery rate to 84.34 percent, the Health Ministry saidon Monday.

The Centre-led strategies of'test, track, trace and treat'have been followed by stategovernments and UnionTerritory administrations aspart of the "whole of govern-ment" approach.

Early identification of casesthrough aggressive and acces-sible countrywide testing com-bined with other measuressuch as prompt and efficienttracking and tracing of contactshave borne results, the ministrysaid.

The Centre has issued astandard treatment protocolthat has ensured a standard oftreatment and cure across var-ious public and private hospi-tals and health facilities.

"The active cases has beenmaintained below the 10-lakhmark for 14 days unabated. Fortwo straight weeks today, theactive cases are less than 1 mil-lion (10 lakh)," it said.

In total, 76,737 recoverieshave been registered in a spanof 24 hours in the countrywhereas 74,442 fresh infec-tions were reported during thesame period, health ministrydata updated at 8 am showed.

The new recoveries haveexceeded new cases in recentdays, the ministry said.

"The higher number of sin-gle-day recoveries has resulted

in sustained increase in thenational recovery rate, cur-rently pegged at 84.34 percent," it said.

Seventy-five per cent of thenew recovered cases wererecorded in 10 states and unionterritories which areMaharashtra, Karnataka,Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha,Delhi, West Bengal and

Chhattisgarh.Maharashtra alone has con-

tributed more than 15,000 tothe new recovered cases fol-lowed by Karnataka andAndhra Pradesh with morethan 7,000 cases each.

There are 9,34,427 activecases which contribute only14.11 per cent of the totalcaseload in the country.

Maharashtra, Karnataka,Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, UttarPradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam,Odisha, Chhattisgarh and WestBengal account for 77 per centof the active cases.

A total of 74,442 new con-firmed cases have been report-ed in a span of 24 hours in thecountry with 78 per cent ofthem being concentrated inMaharashtra, Karnataka,Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, TamilNadu, Uttar Pradesh, WestBengal, Odisha, Delhi andRajasthan.

TS sticks to its gunsat GST Council...

Continued from Page 1

It was during the last GSTmeeting on August 27 thatStates were given two optionson compensation. The firstoption was provision of a spe-cial window in consultationwith the Reserve Bank ofIndia to provide Rs 97,000crore at a nominal interest rate,and the second was for theStates to bear the entire gap inrevenue shortfall of Rs 2.35lakh-crore in consultation withthe apex bank.

Harish Rao, supported byother States, demanded thatthe meeting should first dealwith the GST compensationissue before taking up anyother item listed on the agen-da. He reiterated Telangana’sstand that States have thelegitimate right to get compen-sated when there was revenueshortfall, particularly this timewith the Covid-19 inducedlockdown that shut down all

economic activities across thecountry.

“The government has col-lected cess for six months andthere are three instalmentspending to be paid to the State.This must be paid immediate-ly,” Harish Rao demanded.He also demanded immediaterelease of the Integrated Goodsand Services Tax (IGST) duesto the States, and pointed outthat Telangana was yet toreceive Rs 2,638 crore of IGSTshare from the Centre.

While, Telangana, WestBengal, Kerala, Chhattisgarh,Delhi and Punjab are infavour of full compensation ofGST shortfall to States by theUnion government -- ifrequired by borrowing --Andhra Pradesh, Assam,Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana,Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh and UttarPradesh opted for the firstoption offered by the govern-ment.

Joshi offers prayers at TirumalaPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Union Minister for Coal,Mines and ParliamentaryAffairs Pralhad Joshi onMonday had darshan of LordVenkateswara at the Tirumalashrine. Earlier, he was accord-ed a warm welcome by the

TTD EO (FAC) AV DharmaReddy upon his arrival at theentrance of the temple.Later the Union Minister wasrendered Vedashir-vachanamby Vedic pundits and was pre-sented Srivari Thirthapsadamsand lamination of LordVenkateswara. Still later, he

took part in sundarakandapathanam at Nadaneerajanammandapam.

Temple Deputy EOHarindranath, PeishkarJaganmohanachary, ReceptionOfficials Balaji, PrabhakaraReddy were among those pre-sent.

Rs 13 crore spent todevelop 2 Shilparamams PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Tourism Minister MuttamsettiSrinivasa Rao on Mondayrevealed that the State govern-ment had sanctioned Rs 13crore for two Shilapramams inthe state.

In a statement here, theMinister said that Rs 10 crorewas sanctioned for the devel-opment of Shilparamam atTirupati and Rs 3 crore for thenew Shilparamam atSrikakulam. TheShilparamams have beendeveloped reflecting Teluguculture, said Srinivas.

The Shilaparamam atTirupati has an entranceplaza, arch, visitors’ gallery,facility centre, drinking waterand other infrastructure.There would also be stalls,

open ground, arts and craftsvillage for training the arti-sans, sculptors’ centre, and anemporium with souvenirshop, food courts, renova-tion of toilet blocks, open airtheatre, landscaping, andwaterways, along with electricworks, plumbing and sanita-tion for the convenience of thetourists, the minister said.

Minister Srinivas said thatproposals have been forward-ed for the development ofShilparamam atVisakhapatnam at a cost of Rs10.92 crore which would besanctioned soon.

The visitors would beallowed into Shilparamamsfrom Tuesday but the filmtheatres and sports complex-es would not be opened, hesaid.

vijayawada 02

State reports 4,256 casesPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Coronavirus cases increased by4,256 to 7,23,512 in AndhraPradesh on Monday, while thedeath toll crossed the 6,000 mark.In the 24 hours ending 9 am onMonday, 7,558 patients hadrecovered while 38 succumbed totake the overall toll to 6,019.

The number of active casesdeclined to 51,060 after 6,66,433recoveries and 6,019 total deaths,according to the latest bulletin. Asmany as 56,145 samples weretested in 24 hours, taking thegross to 61.50 lakh with apositivity rate of 11.76.East Godavari district added thehighest number of 853 new cases

and Kurnool just 86, the lowest.Four other districts reported lessthan 200 new cases each.Krishna district reported sevenfresh COVID-19 fatalities, whileChittoor and Kadapa had fiveeach. Anantapur andVisakhapatnam added four deathseach and East Godavari three, thebulletin said.

Covid cure causing...Continued from Page 1

“But, the risk to develop thiscondition is very low - about0.1 per cent,” Dr Narayanansaid.

Also, critically ill Covid-19patients who are being givensteroids to mitigate lung andother complications can be atthe risk of developing steroid-related ocular complications.

Dr Sunita Chaurasia, asenior cornea consultant, said,"The steroids that are admin-istered to treat elderly Covidpatients can lead to a relativeimmune-deficient stage andhence there is also a risk ofdeveloping certain viral con-ditions such as herpes zosterophthalmicus. This is a condi-tion that presents with skineruptions and excoriationsinvolving the eyelid and the

surrounding area, along withsecondary conjunctivitis-likesymptoms such as rednessand discharge. The conditioncan be associated with pain/tingling sensation in andaround the eyes."

Doctors advise good eyehealth practices, being vigilant,and consulting doctors imme-diately if one experiences anycomplications with vision.

Cases againstJagan to bedisposed of in9 months

Continued from Page 1

Out of 118 cases, non-bailable warrants are to beexecuted in 10 cases andsummons are yet to beserved on the accused in 48cases.

In this regard, senioradvocate and amicus curiaeVijay Hansaria on Mondayfiled a report about thepending cases against publicrepresentatives from vari-ous states of the countrybefore the Supreme Court inthe Ashwani KumarUpadhyaya vs Union ofIndia and others case.

Cops dancing to...Continued from Page 1

“Unfortunately, the police,who are supposed to upholdthe rule of law, is either con-niving with the ruling party orturning a blind eye to injus-tices occurring across theState,” the former chief minis-ter said.

In a letter to DGP GautamSawang, he said that ShaikSattar consumed poison infront of the office of theSuperintendent of Police,Rajahmundry, as he facedthreats from the accused.

“Sattar’s minor daughterwas allegedly molested bysomeone who apparentlybelongs to the ruling YSRCP,”Naidu said, adding that sincethe accused appeared to befrom the YSRCP, the policepressurised her father to wi-

thdraw the case,” he alleged.

“Unable to bear the mentaltorture, Sattar tried to take hisown life on October 1, and iscurrently battling for life at theGovernment Hospital inKakinada,” the TDP chief said.

“As Leader of theOpposition, it's my duty tobring such undemocratic actsto your notice for appropriateaction. Today, even an iota ofdissent expressed against theanti-people policies of theGovernment is leading towitch-hunts, midnight arrests,violent attacks, damages toproperty and threats. They areunleashing upon the dissentera vilified character-assassina-tion campaign,” Naidu wrote.

He deplored that the currentfunctioning of the police in theState was unprecedented.

YSRCP open to...Continued from Page 1

“Our joining the NDA ispure speculation. We havesaid (earlier) without fulfillingthe long standing demands ofSpecial Status, we cannot thinkabout it (joining the NDA),” hesaid.

"We are more concernedabout the welfare of our state.If they consider all issues thatare mentioned in the bifurca-tion (AP Reorganisation Act)

act and announce special cat-egory status, then we will tryto discuss that. We will start adialogue,” Srikanth Reddy toldPTI.

He, however, said there wasneither any invitation from theNDA nor any proposal fromYSRCP to join the alliance.

He said Jagan's meetingwith the PM was purely fordiscussing development issuesconcerning the state and noth-ing to do with politics.

Womanstaffer dies...

Continued from Page 1

Reacting to the news, StateHealth Minister Alla KaliKrishna Srinivas ordered aninquiry into the incident andasked the SVIMS manage-ment to initiate steps to avertsuch mishaps.

He said the governmentwould stand by the familymembers of the victim. TheMinister also spoke to hospi-tal director Dr Vengammaover phone and enquiredabout the incident. He saidthat the Chief Minister hasannounced Rs 10 lakh as exgratia to the family ofRadhika and Rs 2 lakh finan-cial assistance for the injured.

Dr KS Jawahar Reddy, Pr-incipal Secretary, StateMedical Health Department,spoke on the phone and sou-ght complete information.

TTD Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy presents a memento to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi during the latter’s visit to theLord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala on Monday.

Undoubtedly, the murderof a woman belongingto Valmiki community

in Hathras caused deep sorrowto the people of the country.

When such incidents takeplace, everyone should con-demn such incidents and con-sole the victims.

However, atrocities on Dalitsare not limited to a particularstate. The argument here is thatwhen such incidents took placeearlier, what the various gov-ernments did to prevent recur-rence.

In the Hathras rape-cum-murder case, four persons werearrested and cases were filedagainst them under draconianlaws.

Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath constituted aSIT to unearth the facts andalso recommended a CBI probeinto the most despicable inci-dent.

Not surprisingly, Congressand other Opposition partieshave been trying hard to sling

mud on the Yogi administra-tion in a bid to malign it.

These parties, which wererejected by the electorate in thegeneral elections, are trying tomake the most of every oppor-tunity they get to deal a blow tothe BJP.

Even before the investigationinto the Hathras incident iscompleted, the Congress andother Opposition parties areacting as judges and trying touse the incident to project BJPas anti-Dalit. They are trying tochange public opinion againstthe BJP. Rahul and PriyankaGandhi, and others have madea beeline to the house of theHathras rape victim and makeher family issue anti-govern-ment statements to create con-fusion among the people. TheBJP top leaders are not willingto react to the murky politicsbeing played by the Congress.They are not prepared to allowthe Congress to gain anymileage out of it. When theCongress leaders were out to

play their farce, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi was busy inau-gurating the Atal Tunnel, builtat a height of over 10,000 feetin the Peer Panjal range of theHimalayas.

In 2000, former PM AtalBehari Vajpayee promised tobuild the tunnel. But subse-quent governments did notregister much progress in theworks barring execution ofsome drilling works here andthere. But the Modi govern-ment, soon after coming topower, speeded up execution ofthe works and allocated Rs3,200 crore to ensure its com-pletion using the most moderntechnology.

The Modi government alsocompleted the Bogibeel Bridge,whose works did not progressin successive regimes. Thebridge links Arunachal Pradeshwith other North-Easternstates.

Vajpayee also launchedMaha Setu works to link twomain areas in Mithilanchal inBihar during his regime. TheModi government also execut-ed this project on a war-foot-ing. When development ofDaulat Beg Oldi airstrip nearthe strategic Karakoram valleygot delayed by over 45 years, theModi government completedthe project. Modi’s objective isto ensure that infrastructural

development projects, not onlyin the border region, but wher-ever they are taken up, shouldbe completed as early as possi-ble. He is of the view that thecountry would develop social-ly and economically because ofthe execution of infrastructur-al development projects.

During the pandemic, Modiextended to the people of thecountry efficient leadershipand made the country self-

reliant in production of med-ical equipment. Hisobjective inmaking thecountry self-reliant was tomake it modern,stronger and safe andmake it stand in thecomity of nations to makeevery Indian hold his headhigh. Even global nationsrealised this, but not theOpposition. Out of jealousy, theOpposition attacks the govern-ment with malicious cam-paigns.

When Parliament passed theagriculture laws to provideopportunities to the farmer tosell his produce freely in anymarket in the country, theOpposition unleashed a mali-cious campaign against thegovernment.

As farmers and people didnot believe their campaignagainst agriculture laws,Congress leaders have decidedto raise a hue and cry over the

Hathras incident. Their objective is notjustice to the old vic-tim, they want to useher death to suit theirpolitical goals. In fact, more atroci-

ties on Dalits take place inCongress-ruled states.

In Jalore, the local sarpanchand his goons disrobed a Dalityouth and beat him black andblue and got his head tonsured.In Barmer, a 26-year-old Dalityouth died in police custody. InNagore, another Dalit youthwas disrobed for indulging inpetty thievery and petrol waspoured in his anus.

According to NCRB data,incidents of crime against Dalitsin Rajasthan have increased by47 per cent during 2018-19.These incidents would notcome to the notice of either theCongress or some media rep-resentatives who play secondfiddle to it.

Under whose watch didlynching of Dalits take place at

Bara, Batanipur Tola andLakshman Bathe in Bihar andKhairlanji in Maharashtra? In2010, when Bhupinder SinghHooda was Haryana CM, a Jatyouth had beaten up Dalityouth black and blue inMirchpur for hitting a dogwith a stone.

Even after the Dalit youthtendering apology, their homeswere targeted and set on fireleading to the death of two.

The Delhi High Court, in itshistoric verdict, ruled that theJat youth attacked the Valmikicommunity youth only to teachthem a lesson and found 13persons guilty.

Why did Rahul andPriyanka not go to Mirchpur?

If atrocities on Dalits are ayardstick, it can be easily seenthat the hands of the Congressand other Opposition are full ofblood.

Those who sing praises ofcaste Hindus and those with aslave mentality would not beable to understand this.

Y SATYA KUMAR

BJP National Secretary

TRULY

SPEAKING

Even before the investigation into theHathras incident is completed, the Congressand other Opposition parties are acting asjudges and trying to use the incident toproject BJP as anti-Dalit. They are trying tochange public opinion against the BJP

Hathras: Opposition lives in glass houses, shouldn’t cast stones

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 06, 2020 vijayawada 03

VIDYA KANUKA LAUNCH ON OCT 8

CM looks to arrest dropoutrate, encourage studentsPNS n AMARAVATI

In a bid to arrest the schooldropout rate and encourageactive student participation inlearning in governmentschools, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy will heraldthe Jagananna Vidya Kanukascheme on Thursday.

With this scheme, the Stategovernment will distributeschool uniforms, books, shoes,socks, belts and school bags tolakhs of students. "As part ofJagananna Vidya Kanukascheme, kits will be distributedto 42.3 lakh students," dis-closed Information and PublicRelations CommissionerTumma Vijaya Kumar Reddy.

Jagananna Vidya Kanuka, a

Rs 650 crore scheme, will offerkits to all government schoolstudents from Classes I to X inthe State. "Each student kit willcontain three pairs of uni-

forms, one pair of shoes, twopairs of socks, a belt, one set oftextbooks, notebooks and aschool bag," he said.

In preparation for the

scheme, the Chief Ministerhimself summoned some sam-ples of the kits to inspect theirquality personally at his campoffice. He had already men-tioned that students are thefuture of the State and hewould like to spend money ontheir education.

Unlike private schools andconvents in the State, it is notcommon to see a governmentschool student sporting uni-form shoes and a belt, whichmay now change with theintroduction of this scheme.Due to the Coronavirus pan-demic, the State governmenthas already deferred reopeningschools by a month, whichoriginally, was scheduled toopen on Monday.

n As part of JaganannaVidya Kanuka scheme,kits will be distributedto 42.3 lakh students,"disclosed Informationand Public RelationsCommissioner TummaVijaya Kumar Reddy

n Jagananna Vidya Kanuka, a Rs 650 crore scheme, will offerkits to all government school students from Classes I to X inthe State. "Each student kit will contain three pairs ofuniforms, one pair of shoes, two pairs of socks, a belt, oneset of textbooks, notebooks and a school bag," he said.

Minister alleges Amaravatifarmers are ‘paid to protest’ PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Minister for AnimalHusbandry, DairyDevelopment and FisheriesSeediri Appala Raju allegedthat the small and marginalfarmers form Amaravati, whoare presently in New Delhi forquite some time, are paidartistes of TDP.

He alleged that hundreds offarmers from Amaravati,mostly women, have beendoing intense lobbying in NewDelhi to stop shifting of theadministrative capital ofAndhra Pradesh toVisakhapatnam.

The minister said that theAmaravati JAC leaders andTelugu Desam Party leadershave been claiming that major-ity of the people of Amaravatiare poor farmers, while onewonders how they could go toNew Delhi by flight and stay in

the capital for so many days.So, they must be either richfarmers, or somebody mighthave sponsored their Delhitrip to stay in the capital allthese days, pointed out AppalaRaju.

The minister said, "Howcan they be called farmers,when they can afford to go toDelhi by flights? They are def-initely paid artists of the TDP."It is learnt that several NRIs

have been sponsoring the agi-tation of Amaravati farmersapart from the TDP leaders, hesaid.

n The Amaravati JAC leadersand TDP leaders havebeen claiming thatmajority of the people ofAmaravati are poorfarmers, while onewonders how they couldgo to New Delhi by flightand stay in the capital forso many days, wonderedMinister for AnimalHusbandry Seediri AppalaRaju

n Appala Raju pointedout that they must beeither rich farmers, orsomebody might havesponsored their Delhitrip to stay in the capitalall these days

Venkanna decries minister’sremarks against farmersPNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP MLC Buddha Venkannaon Monday accused theYSRCP MLAs and Ministers ofmaking derogatory remarksagainst the farmers and allthose who were opposing thegovernment's decisions.

He demanded immediatedismissal of Minister forAnimal Husbandary SeediriAppala Raju for insulting theAmravati region farmers bypassing abusive commentsagainst them for travelling toDelhi.

Addressing a press confer-ence here on Monday, theTDP MLC asked ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy to clarify whether hewould still support and retainthe minister despite his

demeaning remarks againstthe farmers. The ministerswere also making objection-able remarks against formerChief Minister NChandrababu Naidu. But TDPleaders cannot stoop to theirlevel as they will not indulge inmud-slinging to settle politicalscores.

He said that Jagan haschanged his pre-election'Navaratnalu' promises to a

new programme of commit-ting atrocities on Dalits, farm-ers, women, Opposition lead-ers, doctors, industrialists,businessmen and judges. TheYSRCP should apologise to thefarmers and to the people forits failures, he demanded.

He dared the Chief Ministerto call for by-election inVisakhapatnam as a referen-dum for his three capitalsplan. Jagan regime's unpopu-larity was such that land ratescollapsed in Visakhapatnamever since he declared it as thenew Executive Capita,

n TDP MLC BuddhaVenkanna dared the ChiefMinister to call for by-election in Visakhapatnamas a referendum for histhree capitals plan

Isolated thunderstormsforecast for coastal APPNS n AMARAVATI

The Met department has fore-cast thunderstorms with light-ning at isolated places incoastal Andhra for the nextfour days, propelled by lowpressure over the Bay ofBengal.

Andhra Pradesh's north andsouth coastal regions andYanam of Puducherry areexpected to witness isolatedrainfall on Monday and nextthree days.

A low pressure area over thenorthwest Bay of Bengal andadjoining Odisha coast withassociated cyclonic circula-tion, extending up to 5.8 kmabove the mean sea level andtilting towards the height iscurrently persisting.

"The cyclonic circulationover south Odisha and neigh-

bourhood at 7.6 km abovemean sea level has become lessmarked. A fresh low pressurearea is very likely to form overnorth Andaman Sea andadjoining east central Bay ofBengal around October 9,"said a Met official. Already,barring a couple of districts,the entire State has receivedexcess rainfall.

PNS n TIRUPATI

The Tirumala temple incomehas bounced back on Sunday, thehighest in the recent past, aftera slight downfall during theCoronavirus lockdown. "OnSunday, 20,228 devotees visitedthe temple, offering Rs 2.14crore while 6,556 underwenttonsuring and offered their hairto the deity," said a TirumalaTirupati Devasthanams (TTD)

official. Incidentally, the Sundayofferings were the highest in therecent past. In the light ofNavaratri Brahmostavamsscheduled from October 16 to24, the temple officials areexpecting a surge in offerings.

"Following Covid guidelines,we will have processions in threestreets. The number of devoteesis expected to rise, resulting inmore hundi (offering box) offer-ings," said the official.

Offerings in Tirumalabounce back after lull

YSRCP MLA brands CPI as‘Chandrababu Party of India'PNS n VIJAYAWADA

YSRCP MLA TJR SudhakarBabu criticised CPI leaderRamakrishna for losing credi-bility as a Communist leader byjoining hands with Oppositionleader N Chandrababu Naidu.

Speaking to the media hereon Monday, the MLA saidRamakrishna had never spo-ken against the regime ofNaidu, which has walked thecapitalist path all the way. Heis favouring capitalists andlandlords and is joining handswith people, who are harassingDalits, weaker sections andminorities.

The MLA said Ramakrishnanever had a good word for wel-fare schemes being implement-ed by Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy. He alleged

that the CPI has becomeChandrababu Party of India.When Naidu stated how any-body would like to be born asa Dalit, the CPI leader had notopposed it and he did not ques-tion Naidu when the latterstalled the distribution of house

sites to the poor. He also askedwhy Ramakrishna had notstopped Naidu from his utter-ances against the implementa-tion of English medium fromthe primary level. He askedwhy Naidu was against the gov-ernment for giving lands to thepoor in the Amaravati region.

He said the so-called round-table by the opposition leaderswas to belittle the good workbeing done by Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy. Hequestioned will the round-table by opposition leaderswould provide food to theweaker sections?

He further stated that therewas a concerted effort to por-tray the present government asanti-Hindu and anti-Dalit,which is far from the truth, heopined.

KLU V-C condemnsfalse propagandaPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Condemning the propagan-da on the social media thatKoneru LakshmaiahDeemed to be University haslost the status of the univer-sity, Dr LSS Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, said here onMonday that it was not trueand the parents need notworry over the 'unfoundedpropaganda'.

Addressing the media atthe KL University office hereon Monday, the Vice-Chancellor said that KoneruLakshmaiah EducationalInstitution has received thedeemed to be university statussince it had been extendingquality education to the stu-dents for the past many years.

Koneru LakshmaiahCollege of Engineering wasstarted in 1980 atVaddeswaram and acquiredthe autonomous status in

2006, he recalled. While theUniversity GrantsCommission and the UnionMinistry for HumanResources Development haveaccorded the status of Deemedto be University, he said.

He said that the universityhad achieved advancement inthe research and variousinventions and even won sev-eral awards at the national-level as the best educationalinstitution.

Students of the universitysecured below hundred ranksat the national-levelannounced by NIRF under theUnion Ministry of HumanResources Development. Theinstitution has also securedNAAC-A++ rank. Likewise,the University GrantsCommission has accordedCategory-1 status to the uni-versity, which is enjoyed byvery few institutions in thecountry.

Girijan Sangham demands cancellation of mining leasesPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Members of Andhra PradeshGirijana Sangham in associa-tion with the National Alliancefor People's Movementdemanded that the State gov-ernment cancel all the miningleases and not to issue furtherlicences in the Agency areas.

A vigilance raid on one ofthe black granite mines in GMadugula mandal promptedthese Adivasi Organisationsto agitate against the illegalmining.

Leaders of the GirijanSangham said they wereshocked to learn that the vig-ilance officials slapped a fineof Rs 12.78 crore on oneVenkatesh Choudhary formining black granite in GMadugula in the name of

two tribals. Adivasi activistsled a mass meeting in GMadugula on Sunday and itwas resolved to demand thegovernment cancel all themining leases and stop issu-

ing new licences.Joint Action Committee

convener Rama Rao Dorasaid 22 new applications weresubmitted to the miningdepartment seeking permis-

sion to explore black granitein seven villages under threepanchayats of Lochati ,Solabham and Vanatala in G

Madugula mandal. Whenthe details of the applicantswere sought under RTI Act,the mining departmentrefused to part with the infor-mation.

Dora said in the name ofblack granite, the explorersare mining Bauxite mislead-ing the people and theauthorit ies . NationalAl l iance for People 'sMovement G Balu said nomining lease should be givenwithout following the tenetsof PESA, Forest Rights Actand other mandatory agen-cies. Former MLA GiddiEswari and Lake Raja Raoand others, who attended themeeting, said they wouldintensify the agitation if themining was not stopped inthe Agency areas.

n Joint Action Committeeconvener Rama Rao Dorasaid 22 new applicationswere submitted to themining departmentseeking permission toexplore black granite inseven villages under threepanchayats of Lochati,Solabham and Vanatala inG Madugula mandal

n When the details of theapplicants were soughtunder RTI Act, the miningdepartment refused topart with the information

NURSE DIES IN FREAK MISHAP

Lokesh deplores govt apathytowards medical employeesPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

TDP MLC and former ministerN Lokesh on Monday expressedanguish over the tragedy thatclaimed a life at the SVIMSCovid Centre in Tirupati.

Lokesh said that Radhika,who rendered her services tomany infected patients, hadeventually breathed her last atthe same place where sheworked. It is learnt that she suc-cumbed to injuries when aconcrete slab fell on her whileshe was taking a patient in anunder construction buildingallocated for Covid hospital.

In a statement here onMonday, the TDP MLCdeplored that Jagan's regime wascontinuing its negligence andcomplacency despite the factthat such tragedies were takingplace at many Covid Centresacross the State. The govern-ment should own the responsi-bility for the SVIMS incident

now and stringent action shouldbe initiated against the personsresponsible for the tragedy, hedemanded.

He asked the officials toextend best medical care to theCovid patients, who wereinjured in the incident. "TheTDP, as part of its duty as aresponsible Opposition party,has been cautioning the rulingparty against any complacency.But still, such untoward inci-dents were taking place takinga toll on the people," he point-ed out.

It may be recalled that theTDP has been protesting fromthe beginning against the fail-ure of the ruling YSRCP inextending prompt medical care,ambulance services and para-medical services to theCoronavirus patients.

n The TDP MLC deploredthat Jagan's regime wascontinuing its negligenceand complacencydespite the fact thatsuch tragedies weretaking place at manyCovid Centres across theState

n The government shouldown the responsibility forthe SVIMS incident nowand stringent actionshould be initiatedagainst the personsresponsible for thetragedy, he demanded

Naidu trying tomislead people,alleges Sajjala PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Advisor to Government (PublicAffairs) Sajjala RamakrishnaReddy has said TDP chief NChandrababu Naidu is writingletters to DGP Gautam Sawangwith a mala fide intention to cre-ate a false picture about law andorder in the State. Speaking tothe media here on Monday, hesaid Naidu is failed Oppositionleader as he never raises issuesof public interest and instead hasbeen writing letters to the DGPknowing well that he has limi-tations and cannot respond.

Brushing aside the false alle-gations that 1,600 cases havebeen filed against policemen,quoting NCRB data,Ramakrishna Reddy stated thatNaidu has been writing the let-ter without knowing the factsand trying to ingest the sameuntruths to the public.

Despite having fewer casesfiled against police personnel,Naidu has exaggerated the fig-ures in the letter, he said andquestioned why such untruthsare being propagated by Naidudespite his experience. InChittoor, it was erroneouslysaid that there were 400 cases forfour cases and there were such

typos for which correctionssent. Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy had alreadymade it clear that serious actionwill be taken against officials,who is involved in any sort ofcrime, and also stood by hisword by taking action against thepolice officers and an inspectorwas also arrested.

"Opposition has failed miser-ably in the State, as the partymembers don't know how to actas a responsible opposition. Asleader of the party Naidu is onlyconcerned about being in powerand playing power politics.Opposition parties anywherein the country usually fight forthe public cause, or by highlight-ing the flaws of the ruling party,but the TDP leaders act in theirown way," he alleged.

"Naidu has been living in theneighboring State for the past sixmonths as an anonymous resi-dent. While the whole worldrecognised the effective mea-sures taken by Andhra Pradeshduring the Covid without look-ing at the budget, TDP leadersare busy in politicising theCovid situation. After six longmonths Naidu has respondedover Covid situation only tobecome a joker," he pointed out.

YSRCP MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu

Mysteryshrouds deathof 3 of a familyPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The suspicious death of three members of thesame family in Visannapetamandal suburb of Krishna dis-trict came to light on Monday.

On noticing the bodies,locals informed the police thatthey found three bodies in thebushes on Monday morning.Police identified them asnomadic tribe belonging toEedara village in Agiripallimandal. The deceased havebeen identified as PelluriChinnaswamy (36), his wifeTirupatamma (25) and theirdaughter Meenakshi (11).Locals say that they arenomadic peddlers selling plas-tic goods on the streets.

Visannapeta andReddigudem police reachedthe spot on learning about theinformation. Cases have beenregistered as suspicious deathsand investigation is on.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The special operations team ofBalanagar busted a cricket bet-ting racket and arrested eightmembers including the mainorganiser and punters onMonday. The officials seized Rs22 lakhs cash and bank

accounts of the accused whichhad Rs 13 lakhs.

The accused were identifiedas Chandoor Shashank, 34-year-old bookie and G PraveenYadav, M Prasad Reddy, PShyam Rao, Pradeep Kumar, PPavan Kumar, D Tarun Reddy,and Deepak Singh. After receiv-

ing a tip off, the police officialsraided the premises and appre-hended the accused.

Meanwhile, the North ZoneTask Force team arrested anorganiser Mahesh PrasadTiwari and punters identified asP Mukesh Kumar and PVikram.

Cricket betting racket busted

‘Academiccollaborationsshould focuson India-relatedpriorities’

PNS n HYDERABAD

Academic collaborations,multi-disciplinary and appliedresearch should be linked toIndia-related priorities, saidProfessor Rajendra Srivastava,Dean, Indian School ofBusiness (ISB) while moderat-ing the first panel session onthe management vertical at theVaishwik Bhartiya Vaigyanik(VAIBHAV) Summit 2020.

This summit has been con-ceptualised under the leader-ship of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, as a month-long global summit of non-resident Indians, domestic sci-entists and academicians.Srivastava while mentioningthat there was a huge poten-tial in global academic collab-orations was realistic and out-lined the various challenges.

Cops busthumantraffickingracketPNS n HYDERABAD

Rift between a mediatorand businessman, whoemployed child labour inhis bangle business broughtout the child labour racketin Balapur.

Police rescued 20 chil-dren and arrested the fiveaccused in connection withthe child trafficking racket.

The main accusedMohammed Thoufiq, alongwith his brotherMohammed Sarfaraj, wasrunning a bangle business.Thouf iq employed 14minors from Bihar withthe help of Mano Devi.Thoufiq was not payingthe money to the families ofchildren.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2020 telangana 04

‘Priority to enhance edu standards’PNS n HYDERABAD

Ministers KT Rama Rao andSabitha Indra Reddy, MallaReddy, Puvvada Ajay andMohammad Mahmood Aliheld a high level meeting withthe representatives of the pri-vate educational institutions atMCRHRD on Monday.Ministers stated that the gov-ernment has been receiving alot of suggestions from the par-ents during this crisis situation.The Ministers responded pos-itively and stated that all thesesuggestions will be taken intoconsideration by the govern-ment.

Ministers asked the heads ofthe educational institutions tostay considerate regarding thesalaries of teachers and lectur-ers of their respective institu-tions. The government will betaking steps to strengthen theeducational system in the rural

areas. Ministers stated that thegovernment is completelyagainst the corporatisation ofeducation.

They stated that the govern-ment is improving the facilitiesof institutions providing edu-cation from KG to PG and atthe same time, frequently hold-

ing meetings with the heads ofthe private educational institu-tions to provide quality andaffordable education to all.

They also stated that thegovernment will alwaysencourage and support thesmall and medium level educa-tional institutions set up in the

rural areas. KTR said that theIT Department will providecomplete support to the engi-neering, polytechnic studentsin placements. He added thatthe government throughTelangana Academy for Skilland Knowledge (TASK) willhelp the students train, upskilland make them industry ready.

Ministers responded posi-tively to the demands put forthby the representatives of theeducational institutions and atthe same time stated that thereis a need for these institutionsto come in support with thegovernment for creating bettereducational infrastructure inthe state.

During the meeting, repre-sentatives of the engineeringand pharma, vocational, B.Edand TTC colleges brought theirissues to the notice of the min-isters. Ministers assured that allthe issues will be discussed and

addressed in a strategic man-ner. KTR stated that theTelangana government hascleared the long pending reim-bursement fees amount forthe welfare of the students. Therepresentatives of the educa-tional institutions expressedhappiness over the meeting andstated that no governmentbefore had held such a meetingto discuss the issues pertainingto private education institu-tions.

MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy,Telangana State PlanningBoard Vice-Chairman B Vinod,Telangana State Council ofHigher Education Papi Reddy,Special Chief Secretary HigherEducation ChitraRamachandran, PrincipalSecretaries Jayesh Ranjan andArvind Kumar and secretariesand heads of various depart-ments participated in the meet-ing.

TRS Government lootingpeople, allege Cong leadersPNS n HYDERABAD

.Congress leaders BhattiVikramarka, T Jagga Reddy,Komatireddy Venkat Reddyand V Hanumantha Rao, onMonday, launched a scathingattack on the TRS govern-ment. The Congress leadersalleged that the TRS govern-ment is looting the people inthe name of LayoutRegularization Scheme (LRS).They asked the people not topay money for the LRS andassured them that they willabolish the LRS after comingto power. "The government isburdening the people only toclear the debts borrowed by it,"they alleged.

Speaking to the media atAssembly Media Hall, CLPleader Mallu BhattiVikramarka said that the gov-ernment is threatening people,who purchased plots by savingmoney with their hard work,by stating that it will not doregistration if they don't paythe LRS.

"Instead of regularising theplots, the government is loot-ing the people in the name ofLRS. The government shouldreveal as to why it is collectingfees again in the name of LRSas it had already collected thefee when people registered

their plots. The Congress willstorm to power in 2023," hesaid. Speaking to themedia at GandhiBhavan, BhongirM PKomatireddyVenkat Reddyalleged that theTRS govern-ment has broughta dark GO 'LRS'."KCR and MunicipalAdministration Minister KTRama Rao are giving publici-ty in newspapers asking thepeople to do LRS. The peopleare already in neck-deep indebts with Corona pandemic.I filed PIL in the High Court.The Court asked the govern-ment to file a counter affidavit.KCR and KTR planned to col-lect Rs 1 lakh crore only fromRangareddy district in thename of LRS. The TRS govern-ment is contemplating to col-lect Rs 3 lakh crore acrossTelangana. The Congress will

fight against LRS by standingby the side of the people. TheCongress will approach the

Supreme Court if need aris-es. No one has to apply forLRS and not to paymoney for regularization.The Congress will do LRSfreely after coming to

power", he said.On the other hand,

Congress senior leader VHanumantha Rao alleged thatthe Chief Minister has takenup assets survey only to bur-den the people.

The people would revoltwhen they approach the peo-ple. The TRS government istrying to increase its revenuethrough the LRS and assetssurvey, he said. The GOs 131and 135 are also to loot thepeople only, he alleged givinga call to the people to give abefitting lesson to TRS in theupcoming Dubbaka by-polls,GHMC and graduate MLCelections.

Dubbak by-poll: CherukuSrinivas to contest from Cong?PNS n HYDERABAD

Congress party’s contact withformer Minister late CherukuMuthyam Reddy’s sonCheruku Srinivas Reddycleared the way for ruling TRSas the pink party late onMonday night announcedSolipeta Sujata as its candidatefor the Dubbak by-election.

Earlier, the ruling TRS wasin dilemma to announce theparty candidate as there wasdemand for the ticket fromboth Cheruku family and lateSolipeta Ramalinga Reddy’sfamily. The Congress is incontact with Cheruku SrinivasReddy. On Monday, the partyheld discussions with him.According to sources, SrinivasReddy is getting ready to catchthe Congress party’s hand bycontesting from the GrandOld Party ticket in Dubbakaby-election.

Srinivas Reddy, who is in thepink party now, demandedTRS ticket to contest the

Dubbaka elections. Accordingto sources, the inclination ofparty leadership towardsSujatha had hurt CherukuSrinivas Reddy and he isinclined to join Congress party.

On the other hand, seniorCongress leaders came in con-tact with Srinivas Reddy andheld discussions with him.According to sources, Srinivas

Reddy's joining will be a for-mality if the Congressannounces his name as theparty candidate for Dubbakaby-election. TPCC Chief NUttam Kumar Reddy, whostated that the party willannounce its candidate forDubbaka election, said that theparty will announce the partycandidate on Tuesday keepingthis development in view, it islearnt. However, Uttam saidthat he didn’t have any infor-mation on Srinivas Reddy’sjoining the party. TheCongress almost finalised for-mer MLA T Narsa Reddy’sname as its candidate.

Following the developments,the BJP, which is adoptingwait and policy approach isalso trying to attract SrinivasReddy to induct him into theparty and hence it is notannouncing its candidate yetthough the party leaderRaghunandan Rao is rigorous-ly indulging in campaigningparty ticket to him.

HC: Provide

facilities in

Urdu schoolsPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana High Courtdirected the state govern-ment to inform it about thesteps taken in providing ade-quate facilities in Urdu medi-um schools and colleges toenable the students to pursuetheir studies through onlinemode. The court asked thegovernment as to why theonline classes were not beingconducted to these studentswhen the state has a largepopulation who are moreconversant with Urdu lan-guage. A division bench ofthe HC made these remarkswhile dealing with a PIL filedon the issue. The petition wasfiled by MD Abdul Sami, aresident of Red Hills in thecity. It later adjourned thePIL filed on the issue toOctober 12,2020 for furtherhearing.

Imbibe spirit ofadventure: GuvPNS n HYDERABAD

Governor TamilisaiSoundararajan on Mondayexhorted the students to incul-cate the spirit of adventure andgood habits from early on soas to lead a healthy and suc-cessful life. She said that beinghonest, truthful, confident,courageous and adventurousneed to be part of the charac-ter development from child-hood.

The Governor was virtual-ly addressing the students onthe topic of "Grand Vision forYouth in India" organised bythe Silver Oaks InternationalSchools on their Student Self-Government Day, from theRaj Bhavan. Exhorting thestudents to enjoy the habit ofbook reading, Soundararajanreminisced that her fatherinculcated the book readinghabit in her by presentingSwami Vivekananda bookwhen she was in 4th standard.The Governor urged parents

and teachers to present booksto their children and encour-age them read non-academ-ic books too.

She had particularly sug-gested the book titled "ExamWarriors" written by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi asthe most useful to help themovercome the fear of exami-nations and to do well in theexaminations. She alsoemphasised on the need topractice Yoga and meditationto improve their concentra-tion and read the everydaylessons on the same day andlikened it as we take foodevery day to satiate our everyday hunger.

Hetero Drugs adopts2,543 acres of forest areaPNS n HYDERABAD

Government of Telanganaefforts in protection of Forestsand Harita Hararm pro-gramme under the leadershipof Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao andGreen India Challenge initiat-ed by Rajya Sabha MPJoginapally Santosh Kumarinspired Hereto Pharma toadopt 2,543 acres ofMambapur - Nallavelli Forestarea.

Hereto chairman Dr ParthaSaradhi Reddy after plantingsaplings and laying foundationstone at Urban Forest, handedover a cheque of Rs 5 crore tothe government in the pres-ence of Minister for ForestIndrakaran Reddy, RS MPSantosh Kumar, Forest officialsand public representatives.Mumbapur Urban Forest

Block is located nearGundlapochampalli inSangareddy district. TheUrban forestry is extended in3 comparments. Mumbapur(17,77acres), Nallavelli (766acres) is adopted by HeretoPharma.

Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao recentlyvisited Narsapur Forest areaand ordered Forest officials totake proper care and protec-tion as it's located near OuterRing Road near IndustrialCorridors and Highways of

Narsapur-Medak Bhodhan.Hetero chairman Dr ParthaSaradhi Reddy appreciatedGovernment of Telanganaefforts and RS MP Santosh ini-tiation. He stated that theseefforts motivated him to comeforward for adoption. SantoshKumar appreciated HeteroPharma, a world leader inretro viral drugs and which haspresence in 126 counties forcoming forward with socialcommitment and environmen-tal concern to protect greeneryby adopting Urban Forest.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The State Police will imple-ment a three-pronged strate-gy to deal with Maoists, whohave made their presence feltin Telangana after nearly 12years. The strategy comprisesof strengthening the SpecialIntelligence Bureau whichplays pivotal role in reiningMaoist activities in the state,deployment of the AreaDomination Parties, compos-ing them of live wires pickingthem from recently graduatedpolice training academy, forcombing forests instead ofGrey Hounds sleuths andensuring early completion ofthe trial of leaders of people'sorganisations arrested butreleased on bail on charges oflending support to theMaoists.

The significance of the strat-egy is explained by DGPMahender Reddy paying spe-cial interest to it. Recently, hecamped for five days in erst-while Adilabad district. OnSunday, he participated in a

meeting with police officersheld at Venkatapuram policestation in Mulug district. Themeeting was attended by offi-cials of the Union HomeMinistry, CRPF, top brass ofthe Chhattisgarh PoliceDepartment.

As part of the strategy, thepolice authorities, to strength-en the Special IntelligenceBureau, posted additional SPof Khammam Balla Rajesh inplace of additional SPMuralidhar who was trans-ferred out. Rajesh has experi-ence in working in Adilabadand Khammam districts.Dayanand Reddy, who retiredas additional SP in erstwhileWarangal district, and addi-tional SP Srutakirti wereappointed to the bureau.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Union Minister of State forHome Affairs G Kishan Reddyon Monday suggested ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao to argue strongly onbehalf of people of Telanganain the Apex Council meetingto be held on October 6 . Hequestioned the Chief Ministerto reveal as to why the latterfailed to speak when the statewas meted out injustice for thelast six years in water share. Heasked KCR to reveal whetherCentre will say 'no' if KCRwants to solve the water sharedispute with Andhra Pradeshstate.

Speaking to the media onMonday, Kishan Reddy saidthat he didn't need TRS lead-ers' certificate to him. Healleged that KCR is opposingCentre's farm laws with polit-ical reasons. He alleged thatthe opposition parties are stag-ing agitations against Farmlaws with political motives.

TRS using 2BHK schemefor polls

Alleging that the TRS partyis using 2BHK scheme forelections, Kishan Reddy saidthat the state government isdiverting the funds given bythe Centre for the construc-tion of houses. "The AndhraPradesh government con-structed 7 lakh houses with the

Central funds. About 20 lakhpoor living in Hyderabad haveno houses. The Centre is readyto give its share if the state gov-ernment constructs housesfor the same," Kishan Reddysaid making it clear that he willtake the responsibility ofbringing the Centre's share ifthe state government con-structed any lakhs of houses.

He alleged that the TRSgovernment failed to con-struct double bed room hous-es as it assured. Kishan Reddyvisited 2BHK units construct-ed in Musheerabad con-stituency along with OBCMorcha national president DrK Laxman . On the occasion,Kishan demanded the stategovernment to complete theconstruction on war footing.

However, the beneficiariesexpressed their unhappinesson the occasion by stating thatthe government had not yetcompleted the constructionthough it laid the foundationstone in 2015. Women stageddharna demanding the gov-ernment to hand over 2BHKunits. They said that they willnot cast their vote if not allo-cated double bed room hous-es before GHMC elections.They demanded the govern-ment to pay the rent they arepaying for the last five years ascompensation.

‘Govt misleadingpeople on 2BHKs’

TRS govt smotheringdemocracy, alleges UttamPNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC president N UttamKumar Reddy alleged that theruling TRS was smotheringthe democracy to win theMLC elections fromNizamabad Local BodiesConstituency. He was address-ing a press conference atGandhi Bhavan on Monday,along with TPCC workingpresident A Revanth Reddyand ex-Leader of Oppositionin Legislative CouncilMohammed Ali Shabbir.

Uttam said that Telanganawas expected to emerge as amodel State in upholdingdemocratic values. However,the Kalvakuntla family mur-dered democracy after comingto power in 2014. He allegedthat Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao hasturned politics into a dirtytrade by indulging in bulkpurchase of elected represen-tatives of opposition parties.He said KCR has repeatedlyridiculed the democratic

process of elections by turningelected representatives intocommodities who could bepurchased for a price.

"KCR and his family is earn-ing huge illegal wealth throughcorruption and commission invarious projects and utilises thesame money to purchase elect-ed representatives of otherparties," he alleged. The TPCCchief said that all democraticnorms were thrown to thewinds in the elections forNizamabad Local Bodies MLCseat. He said TRS lackedstrength to win the MLC seatfrom Nizamabad Local Bodiesconstituency. But after fieldinghis daughter K. Kavitha as TRScandidate, CM is engineeringmass defection of MPTCs,

ZPTCs, Councillors andCorporators belonging to otheropposition parties into TRS.

"Those local bodies' repre-sentatives were elected by thepeople who voted against TRS.However, by making themjoin TRS, KCR is insulting thepeople's verdict. KCR has norespect for people's choice,democracy or the Constitutionof India. People of Nizamabadhad rejected Kavitha in the lastLok Sabha election. Therefore,he is now insulting people bymaking elected representa-tives of other parties defect toTRS to make his daughter aMember of Legislative Council through illegal, uneth-ical and backdoor methods,"he alleged.

Strategy in place tocurtail Maoist activities

Kodandaram to

contest in MLC

elections

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS)Chief M Kodandaram willcontest from Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam gradu-ates constituency in the MLCelections. Party vice presidentVishweshwar Rao announcedhere on Monday. Sources saythat the TJS founder is con-testing the the polls as a per-son who can question thegovernment and the party issure of his victory as healready visited the constituen-cy and had direct contactwith the unemployed gradu-ates.Manickam Tagore alsoopined that Dubbaka electionis prestigious to the party. Atthe same time, the partywants to fight the electionsprojecting the party but notthe candidate as it will helpthe party prospects in future.

It may be recalled thatafter failing to make his pres-ence felt in the last assemblyelections in Telangana inDecember 2018, formerOsmania University (OU)professor and TJS presidentM Kodandaram is planningto try his luck in the ensuingelections to state legislativecouncil under graduates’quota. The elections to thetwo MLC seats under grad-uates’ constituencies – onecomprising Nalgonda,Warangal and Khammamdistricts and another encom-passing Rangareddy,Mahbubnagar andHyderabad districts - arescheduled to be held inFebruary and March.Kodandaram, once a pro-tégé of TRS and chief min-ister K Chandrasekhar Rao,has announced his inten-tions to contest the MLCelections from Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam gradu-ates’ constituency.

Earlier, theruling TRS wasin dilemma toannounce theparty candidateas there wasdemand for theticket from bothCheruku familyand Solipetafamily

PNS n HYDERABAD

.The Gachibowli Police onMonday arrested four morepersons in connection withHemanth murder case.

The accused were identi-f ied as Somayala Raju,E r u k a l a Kr i s h n a ,Mohammad Pasha andByagari Sayanna, all hailingf rom Vat t i n a g u l ap a l lyVillage.

He m ant h f rom t h eVaishya Community andAvanthi from Reddy com-munity after being in lovefor eight years married onthe sly on June 11, 2020.

Upset over the same,Avanthi's family membershired contract killers, toeliminate Hemanth. As pertheir plan, the family mem-bers barged in their resi-

dence in TNGOs colonyand abducted both of themon September 24. However,Avanthi escaped from theclutches of the accused.

Mat e r n a l u n c l e o fAvanthi, Yugender Reddyalong with contract killerskidnapped Hemanth andkilled him by strangulatingon the city outskirts.

The Cyberabad Policeb o oke d 1 8 m e mb e r s ,including Avanthi's par-ents Donthireddy LaxmaR e d dy an d h i s w i feDonthireddy Archana, int h e mu rd e r c a s e , an darrested 14 members onSeptember 25.

On Monday the policearrested remaining accusedand sent them to judicialcustody.

HONOUR KILLING

Four more held for Hemanth's murder

Covaxin to useViroVax's adjuvantPNS n HYDERABAD

Vaccine maker Bharat Biotechon Monday announced itsnovel coronavirus vaccine(under development) Covaxin,which was approved forhuman trials, will use adjuvantAlhydroxiquim-II to boostimmune response and longerlasting immunity. Accordingto a press release issued by thecity-based vaccine innovator,the technology is being usedunder a licensing agreementwith Kansas-based ViroVaxLLC. Covaxin is an inactivat-ed vaccine derived from astrain of SARS-CoV-2 virus,isolated at the NIV, Pune, anIndian virology research insti-tute. The inactivated virus isformulated with ViroVaxsadjuvant to produce the vac-cine candidate, it said.

Bharat Biotech is currentlyconducting Phase II human

trials of Covaxin after receiv-ing approval from the DCGI."There is critical need fordevelopment and availabilityof adjuvants that elucidatemechanisms of action induc-ing greater antibody respons-es to vaccine antigens, thusresulting in long-term protec-tion against pathogens.Adjuvants also enhance thesustainability of the globalvaccine supply on account oftheir antigen-sparing effect,"Krishna Ella, Chairman andManaging Director of BharatBiotech,said.

Bharat Biotech is

currently conducting

Phase II human trials

of Covaxin after

receiving nod from

the DCGI

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2020

PNS n SANGRUR (PUNJAB)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhion Monday alleged that PrimeMinister Narendra Modi wasfinishing "farmers and labour-ers" with the three farms lawsjust as he had destroyed smallshopkeepers with demonetisa-tion and GST.

Addressing a gathering inthis Punjab town, Gandhi alsoasked the BJP-led Centre whyit was in a hurry to bring thelaws when there was a pan-demic on.

Like Modi finished smallshopkeepers and small medi-um businesses with GST(Goods and Services Tax) anddemonetisation, he is finishingfarmers and labourers the same

way and slashing your throatswith these three laws, he said.

Gandhi underscored the

need for improving the foodprocurement and PublicDistribution System and

acknowledged that they hadshortcomings.

There is a need to strength-en this system. More mandisneed to be set up. There is needto guarantee MSP. There isneed to give infrastructure tofarmers. there is need to set upsilos, he said.

Narendra Modi is not doingthis. Modi is not strengtheningthe system... If Modi gives bet-ter PDS and guarantees MSPand gives more mandis, thenAmbani and Adani cannotmake money, the Congressleader alleged . Gandhi, who isholding a series of tractor ral-lies named 'Kheti Bachao Yatra'across the state to protest theCentre's new farm laws,accused the prime minister ofdestroying the system.

Punjab CM also addressedthe gathering and hit out at theCentre over the new farm laws.

Terming them "black laws",Singh said his governmentwould take steps to safeguardinterest of the farming commu-nity.

Modi ‘finishing' farmers, labourerswith new farms laws: Rahul Gandhi

PNS n CHANDIGARH

Haryana government has noproblem if Rahul Gandhienters the state with a few peo-ple for his tractor rallies onTuesday and Wednesday, buthe will not be allowed to bringa big crowd to "disturb" theatmosphere, Home MinisterAnil Vij has said.

Gandhi, who is holding trac-tor rallies in Punjab against thenewly enacted farm laws, is setto reach Pehowa town inKurukshetra district ofHaryana with his supportersTuesday and address a gather-ing. He will also address pub-lic gatherings in Karnal,Congress leaders said.

"If he wants to come aloneor with just a few people,there is no problem. He cancome 100 times, we have noobjection. But if he comeswith a big crowd from Punjabto disturb Haryana's atmos-phere, then we will not permit.We are not going to allow that,"Vij told PTI on Monday.

"…This issue concerns our

law and order. Last month, twoCongress-sponsored rallieswere also stopped by us fromentering our state. Congress isin power in Punjab and theywant to use state machinery tospoil Haryana's peacefulatmosphere, which we willnot allow,” he added.

He alleged that Congress istrying its best to instigate thefarmers of Haryana but thestate government will not allowthem to “succeed in theirdesigns”.

"Under no circumstanceswill we allow Congress's evildesigns to spoil peace andtranquillity in Haryana, wewon't permit (it) at any cost,”he said.

PNS n LUCKNOW

A fresh war of words eruptedbetween the UP governmentand opposition leaders overthe Hathras incident, withsenior SP leader Ram GovindChowdhury charging thatChief minister YogiAdityanath was inciting hisparty men and said the "con-spiracy of caste and commu-nal violence" should be thwart-ed.

Chowdhury's remarks camea day after Adityanathslammed the Opposition overtheir relentless attack on hisgovernment over the Hathrasincident, saying they are“indulging in newer conspir-acies” to trigger riots andhamper development.

Chowdhury charged that,"After making UP a sick state,Adityanath is returning to hisold ways. People of the stateshould remain alert and main-tain brotherhood and amity.Samajwadi people should beready to give sacrifice to pre-vent the state from riots, whichmay be orchestrated by theCM and his team."

"The chief minister, in a bidto hide his failures, is incitinghis partymen. The conspiracyof caste and communal vio-lence should be thwarted," hesaid. Referring to the chiefminister's remarks that thosewho don't like development

were trying to incite casteand communal riots,Chowdhury said, "BJP work-ers should expose this conspir-acy." "The people of the stateshould remember past recordof Adityanath...Instead ofestablishing rule of law, he isbreaking dignity of law.Everyone should remain alertfrom this," he said.

"The people are demandinglaw and order, security ofwomen. SP and oppositionwant to ensure that this voicereaches the CM but he doesnot want to hear. His team issuppressing the opposition'svoice," he charged.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal on Monday said his governmentwill soon bring a new policy under whichagencies will have to transplant 80 per centof the trees affected by their projects to anew location. Many times cutting of treesbecomes necessary for developmentactivities like constructing a road orbuilding. Till now, the government's policyrequired agencies to plant 10 saplings for each tree felled duringtheir construction work, Kejriwal said during a digital pressconference. "No one knows how much time these 10 saplings wouldtake to grow. So, we are soon going to approve a new policy underwhich agencies will have to transplant 80 per cent of the treesaffected by their projects to a new location," he said. "They will stillhave to plant 10 saplings each for every tree felled... The number oftrees won't reduce this way," he said.

UNNAO (UP): A six-year-oldnephew of the woman, whowas allegedly raped by fivemen last year and later burntalive in December while goingto attend a court hearing in thegang-rape case, has gonemissing. The child wentmissing on Friday from hisvillage in Bihar area and is yet

to be traced, a senior police official said on Monday. "Fourteen policeteams have been deployed to work out the case,” said UnnaoSuperintendent of Police Anand Kulkarni. The missing child, a classone student, is the son of the brother of the 23-year-old woman, whowas allegedly gang-raped by five men last year.

PANAJI: Film actor Pooja Bedi on Monday saidher e-commerce website registered in Goa hadbeen hacked by some people who threatenedto sell drugs on the site if she did not paythem ransom. In a series of tweets, Bedi saidshe had filed a complaint with Goa police'sCyber Crime Cell last week after an earlierhacking incident but the modus operandi wasrepeated late Sunday night. "Dear @DGP_Goamy ecommerce website happysoul.in HACKEDAGAIN last night and this time they state if I dont pay ransom theywill sell DRUGS on my website. I havev registered FIR in old goapolice cyber cell last week but no action from cops. My companyregd in Goa @goacm." Superintendent of Police (Crime) ShobhitSaxena said the hacking incident of last week was solved and a freshprobe had begun after Bedi filed a new complaint.

MORENA (MP): Union Minister Narendra SinghTomar hit out at the Congress during theMadhya Pradesh bypoll campaign claiming abridge whose foundation stone was laid in the1980s by then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi wasstill incomplete but the BJP would get itcommissioned soon. He was speaking inAmbah, where a bypoll is scheduled, in Morenain the state's Chambal region late Sunday

evening. "The BJP is committed to the development of the Chambalregion. Then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation of thePinahat bridge in this area but not a single brick was placed bysuccessive Congress governments," he said. The Pinahat bridge onthe Chambal river will link the state with Uttar Pradesh. "The BJPgovernment started work on the bridge but the Congressdispensation did not release payments to the contractor because ofwhich they quit. We will construct this bridge soon," he claimed. Hepraised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for scrapping Article 370 andending special statehood privileges of Jammu and Kashmir, and alsopaving the way for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

6-year-old nephew of Unnaorape victim missing: Police

Actor says her e-commercesite hacked, drug threat issued

MP bypoll: Tomar attacks Congover incomplete Pinahat bridge

AURANGABAD: Sixpeople who entered anirrigation project inMaharashtra'sAurangabad as part ofa protest for Marathareservation weredetained on Mondaymorning, police said.The incident happenedin Bor Dahegaon, said a Vaijapur police station official, adding that nocharges had been slapped on them as yet. The Supreme Courtrecently stayed the implementation of quota for the Marathacommunity in education and jobs, which has led to sporadic protestsstatewide for the past few weeks.

Maratha quota: 6 detained fromAurangabad irrigation facility

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Centre on Monday toldthe Supreme Court that "secret"extradition process was goingon to bring fugitive business-man Vijay Mallya to the coun-try but it was not aware aboutits status.

The Centre also told the topcourt that it was not a party tothe proceedings. A bench ofJustices U U Lalit and AshokBhushan asked Mallya's lawyerto inform the court what kindof "secret" proceedings aregoing on to extradite him.

Advocate Ankur Saigal,appearing for Mallya, told theapex court that he was notaware what kind of proceed-ings are going on.

He said, "I have knowledgethat my request against extra-dition has been rejected".

The bench also directedMallya's lawyers to apprise it byNovember 2 when can thefugitive businessman appearbefore the court and when the"secret" proceedings are goingto end.

Advocate Rajat Nair, appear-ing for the Centre, told thecourt that extradition requesthas been made as per thedirection of the court.

"Some secret extraditionproceedings are going on towhich we are not a party.

"Extradition proceedingshave been upheld by the high-est court of UK but it has notbeen happening as of now," hesaid.

The apex court had earlierdirected Mallya to appearbefore it on October 5 whiledismissing his plea seeking

review of the 2017 verdictwhich held him guilty of con-tempt for transferring USD40 million to his children inviolations of court orders.

Mallya, an accused in bankloan default case of over Rs9,000 crore involving hisdefunct Kingfisher Airlines, isin the United Kingdom.

The apex court had in Junedirected its registry to explain

as to why Mallya's review peti-tion had not been listed beforethe concerned court for the lastthree years.

It had directed the registry tofurnish all the details includingnames of officials who haddealt with the file concerningthe review petition in the lastthree years. The apex court's2017 order had come on a pleaby consortium of banks led bythe State Bank of India (SBI),which had said that Mallya hadallegedly transferred USD 40million received from Britishfirm Diageo, to his children in"flagrant violation" of variousjudicial orders.

It was dealing with pleas oflending banks seeking con-tempt action and a direction toMallya to deposit USD 40 mil-lion received from offshorefirm Diageo respectively.

‘Secret proceedings going on to bring Mallya’

PNS n AHMEDABAD

Nearly 35 Gujarat Congressworkers and two party MLAswere detained here onMonday after they held aprotest without permissionover the alleged gang-rapeand death of a Dalit womanfrom Hathras in UttarPradesh, police said.

A similar protest was heldin Surat where around 20Congress workers weredetained, they said.

The Congress held protestsin all major cities of Gujaratas part of the party's call for'satyagraha' by its leaders andworkers at district headquar-ters of states across the coun-try against the BJP govern-ment in Uttar Pradesh to seekjustice for the victim and herfamily. In Ahmedabad, theprotest was organised outsidethe collectorate and was ledby city Congress presidentShashikant Patel and MLAsGyasuddin Shaikh and ImranKhedawala.

"The BJP government inUttar Pradesh is trying toshield the culprits. And whenour leaders went to Hathrasto meet the victim's kin, theywere manhandled by thepolice," Patel alleged beforehis detention.

"As a responsible opposi-tion party, we will not sitquiet against such lawless-ness," he added.

Protest overHathras case:Cong MLAsdetained

‘Can't allow Rahul to bring crowdfrom Punjab to disturb atmosphere’

BJP observes bandh toprotest leader's killingPNS n KOLKATA

BJP activists on Monday putup road blockades in WestBengal's North 24 Parganasdistrict as part of a 12-hourBarrackpore bandh called by itto protest the killing of a partyleader.

The BJP workers burnt tyresand blocked major thorough-fares such as Barrackpore-Barasat Road and KalyaniExpressway, bringing trafficto a complete halt in the area.

A large posse of policemenhave been posted at variousplaces in Barrackpore wherethe protests are taking place, an

officer said.BJP leader and local coun-

cillor Manish Sukla was shotdead on Sunday by two bike-borne assailants near Titagarh,police said.

"A person was shot dead lastevening in Titagarh area ofBarrackpore. Police is investi-gating the crime and looking

into all possible reasons includ-ing personal enmity becausethe victim was accused insome cases of murder andattempt of murder." the WestBengal Police said on Twitter.

The state police also urgedpeople not to draw any conclu-sion in the death case until theinvestigation is over.

"Irresponsible comments onsocial media tantamount tointerference in the investiga-tion. Please refrain from this,"it said. According to sources,the investigation has beenhanded over to the CID and itssleuths visited the TitagarhPolice Station.

PNS n HATHRAS (UP)

The Hathras Police have lodg-ed an FIR against "unknown"persons for alleged attempt totrigger caste-based conflictand invoked serious charges,including sedition, officialssaid on Monday.

The development comesamid an undying controversyover the death of a 19-year-old

Dalit woman after she wasallegedly gangraped, and con-tinuous protests and visits toher village by political leadersand activists. The FIR waslodged at the Chandpa policestation on Sunday afternoonand names “unknown” asaccused, according to police.

The FIR mentions 19charges under the IndianPenal Code (IPC).

PNS n SHIMLA

Himachal Chief Minister JaiRam Thakur has decided tokeep himself in home quar-antine for three days as anprecautionary measureagainst Covid.

The CM had on October 3met some persons in Manali,who tested positive for coro-navirus infection on Sunday.

Women from disadvantagedsocial groups at greater risk

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

PNS n NEW DELHI

Calling for attention to cases ofsexual violence against womenand girls in India, the UN inIndia said the alleged rapeand murder in Uttar Pradesh'sHathras and Balarampur are areminder that those from dis-advantaged social groups are atgreater risk of gender-basedviolence.

In a statement, the UN inIndia said it is essential thatauthorities ensure the perpe-trators are brought to justicespeedily and families areempowered to seek timely jus-tice, social support, coun-

selling, healthcare and rehabil-itation.

"The recent cases of allegedrape and murder in Hathrasand Balarampur are anotherreminder that despite theimpressive progress made on anumber of social indicators,

women and girls from disad-vantaged social groups faceadditional vulnerabilities andare at greater risk of gender-based violence," it said.

The steps being taken by theIndian government tostrengthen safety measures forwomen and girls are welcomeand urgent, the United Nationssaid.

"We support the PrimeMinister's call for strict actionagainst the culprits.Entrenched social norms andbehaviour of men and boysthat lead to gender-based vio-lence must be addressed," itsaid.

FIR for bid to triggercaste-based conflict

HC seeks govt's reply on man'splea to reconduct son's JEE test PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court hassought the Eduction Ministry'sreply on a father's plea seekingdirection to the authorities toconduct JEE (Advanced) 2020exam afresh for his son, whowas harassed at the centre fornot bringing photograph andtransparent pen.

The father claimed that therewas no such condition to bringa photograph and his son washounded for 45 minutes andallowed to enter the examina-tion centre thereafter, leading toa panick situation for him.

Justice Jayant Nath issuednotice to the ministry andOrganising Chairman of JEE(Advanced) 2020 for their

replies and listed the matter forfurther hearing on October 7.

Petitioner Pawan KumarSingh also sought stay on thedeclaration of results till thependency of the plea, sayinggrave prejudice would becaused to him. The court, in itsOctober 1 order, said that at thisstage, it is not possible to with-hold the result of JEE wherethousands of students haveappeared.

Delhi airportlaunches facilityfor passengers toenjoy virtual reality PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi airport has launcheda facility for passengers to enjoyvirtual reality shows in a semi-circular structure or dome ontopics such as urban landscapeand ice age, its operator DIALsaid on Monday. "Located nearboarding gate 41 (of Terminal3), this mini planetarium, hav-ing a semicircular structure,boasts of a curved screen thatgives a life-size cinematic plat-form to provide real, immersive,end-to-end travel experiences tothe passengers," the DelhiInternational Airport Limited(DIAL) said in a press release onMonday. The dome has beendesigned and conceptualised ina way that passengers of all agescan enjoy the virtual realityshows for a time period rang-ing from seven minutes to 15minutes, it added.

NCW seeksexplanation PNS n NEW DELHI

The NCW has sought anexplanation from the UPpolice over the alleged man-handling of Congress leaderPriyanka Gandhi Vadra whileshe was on her way toHathras to meet the family ofa woman who died after shewas allegedly gang-raped.

"@NCWIndia condemnsthe alleged manhandling of#PriyankaGandhi by policewhile she was on her way to#Hathras. This insensitivebehaviour is totally unac-ceptable," the NCW tweeted.

Gandhi underscoredneed for improvingfood procurementand PublicDistribution Systemand acknowledgedthat they hadshortcomings

Chowdhury'sremarks came aday after Yogislammed the|Oppn over theirrelentless attackon his governmentover the Hathrasincident

Himachal CMquarantinedself for 3 days

INDIA CORNER

Will soon approve treetransplantation policy: CM

‘MANHANDLING'OF PRIYANKA

SP leader Ram Govindslams Yogi Adityanath

Addressing the historic75th session of theUnited NationsGeneral Assembly(UNGA) recently,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yetagain made a forceful plea forreforming this international bodyand making the UN SecurityCouncil (UNSC) more represen-tative and balanced. Modi hadflagged this issue six years agowhen he addressed the UNGA forthe first time as India’s PrimeMinister in September 2014. Onthat occasion, he told the membercountries that no one country orgroup of countries can determinethe course of the world. There hasto be a genuine international part-nership. This is not just a moralposition but a practical realityand these efforts should begin withthe UN. “We must reform theUnited Nations, including theSecurity Council, and make itmore democratic and participative”,or else it could “face the risk ofirrelevance” if it remained resistantto change. The Prime Minister wasobviously emphasising India’s rightto be a permanent member of theUNSC, a status enjoyed by the P-5 — US, UK, France, Russia andChina — who are also armed withextraordinary veto powers.

He returned to this theme onceagain when he addressed theUNGA last month. Referring to thecircumstances prevailing in 1945when the UN came into being, hetold his audience that memberswere now in a completely differentera — the 21st century. Therefore,the international community mustask itself whether the character ofthe institution, constituted in 1945,was relevant even today? He spokeof the regard that the people ofIndia have for the UN and saidthey wonder whether the reformprocess will ever reach its logicalconclusion. “For how long willIndia be kept out of the decision-making structures of the UnitedNations?...When we were strong,we did not trouble the world; whenwe were weak, we did not becomea burden on the world. How longwill such a country have to wait?”

The Prime Minister was echo-ing the sentiments of 1.35 billioncitizens of the country when hehinted that India’s patience wasrunning thin. Indians find it dif-ficult to fathom why their countryis kept out, especially when it hassuch strong credentials. It is the

world’s largest and most vibrantdemocracy with 911 millionelectors, of whom over 600million exercised their franchisein 2019. It is also the mostdiverse nation in the worldwith unparalleled ethnic, cultur-al and linguistic diversity andhome to all the major religionsin the world. Indians speak121 languages and 270 dialects.Further, India accounts for 18per cent of the global populationand will overtake China andbecome the most populousnation by 2027. Add to this itseconomic and military strength— it is the fifth-largest econo-my and one of the top five mil-itary powers in the world.Finally, it is a founding memberof the UN, one of the 26 signa-tories at the first conference in1942 and has made a phenom-enal contribution to the organ-isation’s peace-keeping effortsacross the world. Are these notenough reasons for India to bea permanent member of theUNSC?

As proud citizens of theworld’s largest and most vibrantdemocracy, Indians also havethe right to demand that the UNremain faithful to its own fun-damental postulates. Is it notstrange that the Preamble to theCharter of the United Nationsreaffirms faith “in the equalrights of men and women andof nations large and small…”and yet, actively promotes ahierarchy of nations and conse-quently, of human beings? Howcan India, which has equality asa fundamental precept in its

Constitution, accept this form ofgraded membership?

Further, Article 2 of theCharter says the UN is based onthe sovereign equality of allmembers. How is this achievedwhen a nation with almost one-fifth of the global population isnot a permanent member of theUNSC whereas two Europeannations — UK (67 million)and France (65 million), eachwith a population equivalent tojust one of India’s 28 states(Karnataka) — are permanentmembers of the UNSC?

Articles 108 and 109 of theUN Charter are also whollyundemocratic because even iftwo-thirds of the members of theUN agree to amend the Charter,any of the five permanent mem-bers of the UNSC can use itsveto power to block the amend-ment. This is absolutely unde-mocratic and unworthy of beingpart of any civilised institutionin the democratic world. Whyshould the world’s largestdemocracy put up with this?

These articles enable mem-bers of the P-5 to play politicsand stonewall reform. That iswhy the efforts of the G-4(India, Brazil, Japan andGermany) to support eachother’s bid for a permanentseat in the UNSC have not thusfar fructified.

The international communi-ty must understand that India’spatience, despite all its philo-sophical underpinnings, is notinexhaustible and that there isa new India emerging — opti-mistic, self-confident and self-

reliant (atmanirbhar). It is truethat seven decades ago, givenIndia’s economic plight aftercenturies of colonisation, itlacked the gumption to stand upand demand its rightful place.But that is not the India of today.This is not a tame India. This isa bold India. A billion-plus cit-izens of this nation are nolonger willing to accept theseinequities as part of their karmaand reconcile themselves to thesecond-class status thrust onthem 75 years ago.

India is shaking off the delu-sions of the past. It has shed itsinnocence and gullibility thatwas in full display during the“Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai” daysand has realised that it mustbecome strong and resilient topromote peace in its neighbour-hood and the world. TheChinese are getting a taste ofthis, and as the momentumpicks up, other nations too willbegin to sense it. This is irre-versible. Having nudged hiscountrymen towards this newthinking, Modi is sensing thechange. That is why he made aspecific reference to the aspira-tions of the people vis-à-vis UNreform.

India will celebrate the 75thanniversary of its independencein 2022. The UN must use theoccasion to redeem itself,acknowledge that democracy isthe most civilised political sys-tem ever devised by man andinvite India to the high table.

(The writer is an author spe-cialising in democracy studies.Views expressed are personal)

Given the ongoing stalemate with China along theLine of Actual Control (LAC) and Beijing resur-recting its untenable 1959 claims, the

Government has decided to shore up its defences. Ithas eased spending restrictions on emergency armsprocurements and additional funding for the BorderRoads Organisation. The immediate buys that need tobe made include missiles, precision-guided munitions,drones and assault rifles from the US, France, Russiaand Israel. Though India will formally induct the Nirbhaysubsonic cruise missile into the Army and Navy afterthe seventh trial next month, it has already moved a

limited number of the missiles to the LAC to boost its defence preparedness. How seri-ous the situation is on the border can be gauged from the fact that the cash-strappedGovernment had in April issued instructions to re-prioritise spending and a few Ministriesand departments had to face spending cuts. With the Centre stepping up borrowingsin a pandemic-stressed economy, the easing of spending restrictions on defence showsthat it is not ready to back down and is serious about sending a strong message toBeijing that it is in for the long haul. There are fears that the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) may use its 1959 territorial claim to put pressure on the six other areas of differ-ences in the western sector that have not been impacted in the ongoing standoff so far.

Of course, these decisions and acquisitions are too late and too little as the timeframe for any typical defence procurement usually takes five years. They give the forcesthe finances to buy additional systems, ammunition, repairs and so on, but there won’tbe capital accretion. The Government has transferred the procurement responsibility tothe services and most importantly, removed the financial representative from the chain.So the discretionary powers to spend have been given to them to cover the immediateshortfall. But the lead time still remains the same. So it is left to the services to plead,push and cajole the vendors to supply the items. Conversely, the Centre has shifted itsresponsibility when it comes to the crunch on to the services by giving them the pow-ers to spend, making sure that they are stocked up and ready. This when the enemy isat our doorstep. But the ground reality is far different. So for now, it is the valour of ourservices that will have to see us through any engagement with China, particularly throughthe harsh winter months ahead.

That the BJP is keen to have Bihar on its own termsis no secret even though it has agreed to a 50 percent seat split with its ally, the Janata Dal (United),

and has publicly expressed full faith in Chief Minister NitishKumar as the leading face of the combine. But the factis it wants to cannibalise him without appearing so overt-ly ambitious. Besides, the growing trust deficit in Nitish,given his inept handling of the pandemic, the floods andthe returnee migrants, is something that the BJP doesnot want to bet on or be burdened with in the long term.If anything, it wants Nitish’s victory to be entirely depen-dent on it so that it can keep him in line and going for-

ward, can even change him mid-course with its own man or somebody who would besubservient to its design. In fact, it has ambitions to become the single-largest party inthe State. It wants to posit itself as the deliverer party, considering that despite Nitish’spoor legacy, voters still buy into the aura of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it, there-fore, wants to encash it as soon as possible. It is against this perspective that one mustsee the decision of Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) to contestagainst JD(U) despite being part of the larger National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It wantsto undercut Nitish and become the BJP’s B-team with the latter’s blessing. For the LJP,with the potential to swing six to 10 per cent of the votes, can dent the JD(U) votebaseand give an upper hand to the BJP. For playing spoiler, the LJP would either be rewardedat the State-level or even get another Central Ministry in return. Besides, Ram Vilas Paswannow wants his son Chirag to take the decisive lead in State politics and become his right-ful heir. As the BJP’s proxy, the LJP had already begun targeting Nitish long before thepandemic with Chirag Paswan losing no opportunity to lambast his poor performance.Not that Nitish was not aware of this strategy but considering he needed the BJP, he triedto squeeze out the LJP in seat-sharing, thereby ensuring that the JD(U) could retain itsbargaining edge. To that end, he even got Paswan’s Dalit contender, Hindustani Awam Morchapresident Jitan Ram Manjhi, into the JD(U) fold, hoping to convince the BJP that he wasgood enough without the LJP. Except that the BJP, now that it has agreed to a 50:50 seat-sharing with Nitish, wants LJP to be the vote-cutter, increase its tally with the junior allyand bypass Nitish altogether. Dalits account for 16 per cent of Bihar’s population and halfof these are Paswans, a segment that has been loyal to the LJP over the years. But Nitish,by introducing sub-quotas for Mahadalits, chipped away his base. Manjhi isn’t exactly aswinger despite Nitish’s best efforts and the ambitious Chirag feels that with the Chief Minister’spolitical stock at an all-time low, this is the best time for the LJP to shore up its base andanoint himself as a key power player. Besides, he wants to emerge as an alternative toRashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is also looking at the Assemblyelections as his coronation. Many believe that Chirag has a better appeal and acceptabil-ity among the youth in general than the arrogant Tejashwi and wouldn’t want to miss anopportunity to prove as much.

Tejashwi may be the face of the RJD but the party derives its political relevance fromthe legacy and aura of Lalu Yadav, still considered the best challenger to the NDA bloc.Ideally, with Lalu at the helm and on its own, it would have a fighting chance as it is bestplaced in terms of winnability. But it needs a strategic partnership simply because the mul-tiplicity of like-minded parties and the Congress, which still has a consolidated Muslimvotebank, would mean that the non-NDA vote could be badly divided. Besides, Lalu, whois battling health issues, is not on the ground to smoothen wrinkles in the grand allianceor mahagathbandhan. So the allies are becoming aggressive about bargaining for seatsin return for staying together and that could push down the RJD’s seat quota. As it is,many allies are upset with Tejashwi for pursuing his individual ambition, grooming his yesmen and running down senior leaders of the caste movement as deadwood. He was oneof the reasons why Lalu’s upper caste comrade-in-arms Raghuvansh Prasad Singh resignedbefore he died. This brazenness has cost the RJD its dependable associations with theLeft and the Congress. In fact, though Lalu wants to give the Congress no more than 60seats, the latter is demanding a price of “loyalty,” wanting 70 instead. The Left partieshave their dedicated pockets but are only a fringe presence to influence the verdict. If inthe process of bartering away seats in the allied clutter, the RJD gets about 140 seats,then its total would be again hovering around the 100-seat mark. A reduced number ofseats for the RJD will only help the BJP. Besides, it can splinter unhappy, smaller partiesby luring them away with governance positions. As for the Congress, another poor per-formance could see the party losing further members to the BJP. Alternatively, if it doeswell, then it can even restrain Lalu. And should Nitish indeed feel the need to detach him-self from the NDA and jump ship going forward, the party could even build bridges withhim. So this election is turning out to be a tussle for the Opposition’s political relevancerather than people’s issues. And if the youth leaders do deliver, then Bihar would have wit-nessed another change in its social and political template.

Why Chirag is the key

Ethics of journalismSir — Ruling out theories of poi-soning and strangulation, theAIIMS medical board, in itsreport to the CBI, revealed thatthe cause of actor Sushant SinghRajput’s death was indeed sui-cide. Ever since the 34-year-oldactor was found dead on June 14in his Mumbai apartment, manynews channels had falsely cookedup theories of his murder andstarted a witch-hunt against hisgirlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.Under pressure from the mediatrial, the case was handed over tothe CBI for further investigation.

The media is supposed to bethe fourth pillar of democracyand report unbiased news.Rajput’s case is a perfect exam-ple of how media houses sensa-tionalise news rather than report-ing facts. They have become atool for political parties to dis-seminate their propaganda andpolarise the masses. Further,news debates are being used asa platform to distract peoplefrom important issues ratherthan being informed. There is anurgent need for implementationof the rules laid down by exist-ing media regulatory bodies.

Falguni AswaniUjjain

Caste and genderSir — There is no doubt that evenafter 73 years of Independence,not much has changed when itcomes to caste discriminationand divide. Atrocities againstDalits and Scheduled Tribes arecommon across the country.And the recent rape-murdercase of the young Dalit womanfrom Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras is

one of many such instances.What is more shameful is theextent to which the StateGovernment is ready to go inorder to save the culprits. The UPpolice has claimed that the foren-sic report of the 19-year-oldwoman’s viscera has establishedthat she was not raped. How canone believe this, given the man-ner the police cremated herbody? Having said that, the fault

not only lies in our police andjudicial system but also the soci-ety which woke up too late in thiscase. There is not only a need formore stringent laws but also apolitical will to implement them.It is also time that we root out thepatriarchal and casteist mindsetfrom society and not feed it tocreate a political constituency.

Bal GovindNoida

A hard lessonSir — US President DonaldTrump, who has been playingdown the threat of theCoronavirus pandemic from itsoutset, has tested positive alongwith his wife Melania. Feverishand fatigued, Trump was flownto a military hospital on October2 after being injected with anexperimental drug combination.In a video he posted from thehospital, he said that he wasimproving and would be “backsoon” but he also acknowledgedthat the crucial coming dayswould be “the real test.” With this,the prospects for two remainingpresidential debates and whetherthe President will have to yieldpower temporarily to VicePresident Mike Pence if his con-dition worsens are unknown.Also, now that Trump under-stands the severity of the pan-demic that has killed more than2,08,000 Americans, he shouldadopt a serious approach in thefight against the virus and stopsending mixed messages onmask-wearing.

Sanjana SoniUjjain

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

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

op nionVIJAYAWADA| TUESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2020

06

Don’t test our patienceIt is high time that the UN recognises India’s potential and its contribution to the

organisation and makes it a permanent member of the Security Council

We are given equal importance,job security, financial benefitsthrough cash awards when wewin. All these are great encouraging factors to take upthe sport professionally.

Hockey player—Navneet Kaur

Row over AIADMK CM candidate

The rift between the two factions, one led by ChiefMinister Edappadi Palaniswami and the other byDeputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, within the

ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu is widening as the Assemblyelection is approaching. The internecine feud primar-ily centres on the finalisation of the party’s chief min-isterial candidate. Both the leaders covet the top job.

Having tasted power and consolidated his positionin the party, Palaniswami is firm on staking his claimto lead the party in the election. On the other hand,Panneerselvam feels he is a credible choice as he claimsthe blessings of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. A dis-united AIADMK coupled with anti-incumbency couldhand over an easy victory to the Dravida MunnetraKazhagam (DMK) waiting in the wings.

Jayalalithaa was not disadvantaged by her proxim-ity to the BJP and her personal rapport with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi. However, the perception thatthe present AIADMK Government dances to the tune

of the BJP might affect its electoral fortunes, given thestrong anti-BJP sentiment in the State. The DMK ledby MK Stalin could romp home by riding on the party’sopposition to Hindi imposition, NEET, the dilution offederal autonomy and most importantly, Tamil pride.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Defence spending

The BJP is using the LJP to undercut Nitish Kumar and increaseits bargaining chip in the Bihar election

With China heaving down, the Govt may have easedpurchase restrictions on procurement but these take time

A SURYA PRAKASH

AS PROUDCITIZENS OF THE

WORLD’S LARGESTAND MOST

VIBRANTDEMOCRACY,

INDIANS ALSOHAVE THE RIGHT

TO DEMAND THATTHE UN REMAIN

FAITHFUL TO ITS OWN

FUNDAMENTALPOSTULATES.

INDIA IS NOLONGER WILLING

TO ACCEPT THESECOND-CLASS

STATUS THRUST ON IT 75 YEARS AGO

In the last three months,458,000 jobs have beencreated — 60 per centof which have gone towomen, 40 per cent toyoung people.

Australian Treasurer—Josh Frydenberg

The farmers will not bescared into submission. Theywill face COVID pandemic butfight for their rights on thestreets of Punjab and the restof the country.

Congress leader—Rahul Gandhi

The best thing we can donow for all those who havesuffered in the course ofthis pandemic is bring it toan end in the speediestpossible way.

British PM—Boris Johnson

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

S O U N D B I T E

A taxing question

(RAPES) CAN ONLY BE STOPPED THROUGH GOOD VALUES

AND NOT GOVERNANCE OR VIOLENCE. PARENTS SHOULD

INSTILL GOOD VALUES IN THEIR DAUGHTERS

—UP BJP MLA

SURENDRA SINGH

THIS IS THE FILTHY RSS MALE CHAUVINIST MENTALITY

AT WORK. MEN DO THE RAPING BUT WOMEN NEED TO

BE TAUGHT GOOD VALUES.

—CONGRESS LEADER

RAHUL GANDHI

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

Reining in the fiscal deficit has always been achallenge for the Centre especially after theenactment of the Fiscal Responsibility and

Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003, whichrequires it to maintain the shortfall within a spec-ified threshold. At the same time, there are certainthrust areas, such as education, roads and otherinfrastructure, telecommunication networks inrural areas, exploration of oil, gas and so on, whichthe Government feels won’t get the desired fundsin the normal course of budgeting. This led to suc-cessive dispensations to think of a special tax orcess — a form of tax charged/levied over and abovethe base tax liability of a taxpayer. These includeUSO (Universal Service Obligation) levy imposedon telecom service providers, cess on CrudePetroleum Oil (CPO), Road and Infrastructure Cess(RaIC), Primary Education cess (PEC), Secondaryand Higher Education cess (SHEC), Education cesson Imported Goods (ECIG), R&D cess and so on.The proceeds from these taxes are credited to theConsolidated Fund of India (CFI) and subsequent-ly transferred to a non-lapsable fund, for instance,the USO Fund (USOF) — based on the appropri-ation approved by the Parliament — created in thepublic account for utilising exclusively for the pur-poses for which it is collected. The financing of thespecified activity thus gets shielded from the vul-nerabilities associated with the normal budgetingexercise.

Prima facie, the idea sounds appealing. But thebig question is if this is working. Are funds beingutilised for the declared purpose? Are the outcomescommensurate with the intent? To answer thesequestions, let us look at the reports of theComptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG)brought out from time to time. The Centrecharges licence fee at eight per cent of the adjust-ed gross revenue (AGR) of telecom serviceproviders. This includes five per cent as appropri-ation for crediting to USOF (set up in 2002) whilethe balance three per cent is retained with the gen-eral exchequer. For 2018-19, the CAG has notedthat out of a total collection of about `6,900 croreas USO levy, only `4,800 crore was transferred tothe USOF, implying a shortfall of `2,100 crore.Against a collection of ̀ 1,10,000 crore since 2002,the amount disbursed till date is only ̀ 54,500 crore.The balance `55,500 crore remains with the CFI.Coming to the SHEC, the Government started col-lecting this levy from 2006-07 and until January2019, could harness about ̀ 94,000 crore. The entireamount has been retained in the CFI. In this case,even the public account christened as Madhyamikand Uchchtar Shiksha Kosh (MUSK) was createdonly in August 2017 (more than a decade after thecollection started) and has not been opera-tionalised so far.

The R&D Cess Act, 1986, provides for levy andcollection of cess on all payments made for theimport of technology. The proceeds of this wereto be disbursed as grants-in-aid to the TechnologyDevelopment Board (TDB) set up in 1996. During1996-97 to 2017-18, a total of about `8,000 crorewas collected. Of this, a mere ̀ 800 crore was trans-ferred to the TDB. Furthermore, though the cesswas abolished from April 2017, it continued to becollected during the following two years, viz. 2017-18 and 2018-19. In case of Clean Energy Cess(levied on coal supplies) since 2010-11, theamount denied to the designated fund, viz.

National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF),was about ̀ 44,500 crore. Likewise, in thecase of the RaIC, (earlier nomenclatureRoad Cess), there was a “short transfer”of about ̀ 72,000 crore in the amount col-lected since 1998-99 till March 31, 2018to the Central Road Fund (CRF), thepublic account.

Unlike other taxes, which are part ofthe “divisible pool” to be shared with theStates as per the recommendations of theFinance Commission, the Centre gets toretain all of the cess (which goes to theCFI and is available for general use).Because its finances have come underserious stress during the current pandem-ic year, its reliance on RaIC has increasedby leaps and bounds. It raised centralexcise duty (CED) on petrol and dieseltwice this year in March and May, most-ly through hike in the cess. At present,out of CED on petrol of ̀ 33 per litre, ̀ 18per litre or 54.5 per cent comes from thecess. For diesel, out of ̀ 32 per litre CED,RaIC is ̀ 12 per litre or 37.5 per cent. TheGovernment also levies the Oil IndustryDevelopment (OID) cess currently at 20per cent ad-valorem on the price thatdomestic producers of crude, namely theOil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC) and the Oil India Limited(OIL), get on their supplies from nomi-nated blocks and pre-NELP (new explo-ration licensing policy) exploratoryblocks. Collected under the Oil Industries(Development) Act of 1974, though thecess proceeds are intended to fundresearch, exploration and developmentwork, yet the money remains with theCFI.

As pointed out by the top auditor,there are irregularities galore in the man-agement of the cesses. These includeshort or “nil” transfer of cess proceedsfrom the CFI to the dedicated non-lapsable fund in the public account set

up for the specified purpose. In certaincases, the public accounts were not evencreated long after the Government start-ed collecting the tax. In others, it contin-ued to collect even after the same wasabolished. The Government has, in fact,used them primarily for increasing its“general revenue” and meeting the fiscaldeficit target. If an overwhelming shareof proceeds (or even the whole of it) fromthe cess remain with the CFI, what elseone should conclude? Or the dedicatedpublic account where the money has togo (for use in the intended purpose) isnot even created, what else can one infer?

Meanwhile, these cesses continue toinflict damage on the stakeholders whobear their brunt. Look at the impact ofthe five per cent USO levy on telecomservice providers. In an intensely com-petitive environment, wherein they arecompelled to keep the tariff low (this isalso in sync with the dire need to makethese affordable to consumers, with amajority of them having a low income),such levy has the effect of raising the costof services and making them unviable. Infact, there is a strong case for scrappingthis tariff.

This was recognised by none otherthan the Union Telecom Minister, RaviShankar Prasad, when he wrote to theFinance Ministry: “Given that rural tele-density has significantly increased sincethe time the fund was set up, it is pro-posed that the USO levy may be reducedfrom five per cent to three per cent. Thetwo per cent USO levy reduction may bemade available to the telecom serviceproviders provided that this amount isutilised by them for carrying out researchand development for development anddeployment of indigenous technologiesin the country.” Yet the Government con-tinues with status quo, the sole reasonbeing easy availability of funds (from

USO levy) which can be used for plug-ging its general deficit. Look at the RaIC,which accounts for a major slice of theCED on petrol and diesel and togetherwith the cascading effect of Value AddedTax (VAT) leads to a bizarre situationwhereby taxes alone account for abouttwo-third of their prices at the pump. Thehigh fuel price contributes to high infla-tion and higher cost of fertilisers andfood. Since the Government controlstheir prices at a low level to make themaffordable, much of the extra revenue isgiven back as higher subsidy.

To that extent, the revenue gain fromthe cess (besides other taxes) is imaginary.Likewise, 20 per cent OID cess ondomestic supplies of crude (besides the20 per cent royalty ONGC/OIL need topay to State Governments in respect ofonshore supplies and 10-12.5 per centroyalty to the Centre on offshore supplies)impacts the viability of producers at atime when their realisation from sale hasplummeted (courtesy, the steep declinein the international price of crude).

Despite the cesses not serving theintended purpose and their negative con-sequences, the mandarins in the FinanceMinistry appear to be in no mood to saygoodbye to them. Amid the current cri-sis created by the pandemic, when the taxcollections have been severely impactedand expenditure commitments have bal-looned, they may not even entertain anydiscussion on this. Nonetheless, there isdire need to put abolition of these cess-es on the high table as these are not onlycounter-productive but also make ourpolicy planners and administrators com-placent with regard to sustainable waysof balancing the budget. Will theGovernment go on a course correction?One can only wait and watch.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based pol-icy analyst)

As pointed out by the nation’s top auditor, there are irregularities galore in themanagement of the various cesses as they have been appropriated to manage deficits

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

Acts of growth, empowerment

VIJAY BAHADUR PATHAK

UP is developing 27 modern Kisan Mandis and24 of these will have cold chamber and ripening

facilities for preservation of farm produce

UTTAM GUPTA

IN CERTAIN CASES, THE

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS WERE NOT

EVEN CREATED LONG

AFTER THE GOVERNMENT

STARTEDCOLLECTING THE TAX. IN

OTHERS, THEGOVERNMENT

CONTINUED TOCOLLECT THE CESS

EVEN AFTER THE SAME WAS

ABOLISHED. NONETHELESS,

THERE IS A DIRENEED TO ABOLISHCESSES AS THESE

ARE NOT ONLYCOUNTER-

PRODUCTIVE BUTALSO MAKE OUR

POLICY PLANNERSAND

ADMINISTRATORSCOMPLACENT

WITH REGARD TOSUSTAINABLE

WAYS OFBALANCING THE

BUDGET

The Opposition is staging protests against the recent farm reformsthough the measures contained in the three Acts will enable bar-rier-free trade in agricultural produce and empower farmers to

engage with investors of their choice. These Acts, which are a bid bythe Centre to empower growers and double their income by 2022,will free them from unnecessary legislation, bring fundamental changes,give impetus to investment and increase employment in the agricul-ture sector, which in turn will strengthen the economy of the coun-try. The promotion of contract farming will help farmers reach an agree-ment with food processing units/exporters on an individual or organ-ised basis. It will also enable them to reduce the input of fertilisersand seeds, reduce other costs and use modern techniques to max-imise products and get a better market as they will have the oppor-tunity to work according to national-international demands.

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion andFacilitation) Act seeks to create an ecosystem where the farmers andtraders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase ofproduce. This facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alter-native trading channels to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter and intra-State trade. This was proposed because there wererestrictions to selling agri-produce outside the notified AgriculturalProduce Market Committee (APMC). And growers could sell the pro-duce only to registered licensees of the State Governments. This leg-islation will open more choices for farmers, reduce marketing costsand get them better prices. It will also help growers of regions withsurplus produce to get better prices and consumers of regions withshortages, lower prices. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection)Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act seeks to pro-vide for a national framework on agreements that empowers grow-ers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers,exporters or large retailers for services and sale of future produce ata mutually agreed remunerative price framework, in a fair and trans-parent manner.

This has been done because agriculture is characterised by frag-mentation due to small holding sizes in India and has certain weak-nesses such as weather dependence, production uncertainties andmarket unpredictability. This makes it risky and inefficient in respectof both, input and output management. Now the risk of market unpre-dictability will be transferred from the grower to the sponsor. Farmershave been given adequate protection and an effective dispute reso-lution mechanism has been provided with clear redressal timelines.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act seeks to removecommodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and pota-toes from the list of essential commodities. This will remove fears ofprivate investors of excessive regulatory interference in their businessoperations. The freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and sup-ply will lead to harnessing of economies of scale and attract privatesector/Foreign Direct Investment. Farmers suffer huge losses whenthere are bumper harvests, especially of perishable commodities andthis Act will help drive up investment in cold storages and moderni-sation of the food supply chain.

The Opposition parties have Governments in different States andthey should show what they have done for the farming community.Take the case of Uttar Pradesh (UP) which is striving hard to doublethe income of farmers. During the lockdown, the Yogi AdityanathGovernment exempted 45 items of fruits and vegetables from mandifee, which benefited growers who are now free to sell their produceanywhere in UP. They also have the option to sell their goods in themandis where only one per cent user charge is taken from traders.Besides, all 119 sugar mills of UP ran at full capacity and produced126.36 MT of sugar after crushing 1,118 lakh tonnes of sugarcane.As a bumper kharif crop is expected, the Mandi Parishad and the StateWarehousing Corporation are building warehouses of 5,000 MT capac-ity each in 37 mandis. Farmers can keep their produce here free ofcharge for 30 days, after which they will get 30 per cent rebate onthe rent, so that they can sell their products when they get the bestprice. The UP Government has ensured that the produce will be recog-nised as a guarantee for the farmers to get bank loans.

UP is developing 27 modern Kisan Mandis and in 24 of these,cold chamber and ripening facilities for preservation of fruits and veg-etables are being made. This project will have a ripening chamber of20 MT capacity and a cold chamber of 10 MT capacity. It is expect-ed to be completed by 2020-21. Also, during the lockdown, 35.77lakh tonnes of wheat was purchased, as were pulses and oilseed andit was ensured that the market price should be at least at par or abovethe Minimum Support Price. Now efforts are afoot to purchase paddy,pulses and oilseeds at the MSP in order to benefit farmers.

(The writer is a member, Legislative Council of Uttar Pradesh andvice-president of UP BJP)

It was supposed to be the most loyal,oldest and time-tested ally of theBJP but ground realities and com-

pulsions of State politics in Punjab inthe wake of the passage of the threefarm Acts forced the Shiromani AkaliDal (SAD) to hurriedly exit the NDA.Had there been even a slight delay inannouncing the divorce from theNDA, the party, whose major votebank comprises the farmers and thosein the rural areas of Punjab, would haveseen an erosion of its base at a crucialjuncture. Plus, the SAD draws itspower from influential Sikh religiousorganisations, which would not havetaken too kindly to the party contin-uing to be in an alliance with the NDAafter its decision to push through thethree farm Acts despite protests by thefarmers.

The primary concern of the SADat the moment is the March 2022Assembly election, the countdown forwhich has already begun in the Statewith the political positioning by var-ious parties. For the SAD, being a partof the NDA is a secondary concern atthe moment, focussing as it is on gain-ing public traction and getting on theelectoral bandwagon.

Particularly as the SAD’s mainrival, the ruling Congress Party, whichis facing anti-incumbency sentimentsin the State, has been aggressively tar-geting the farm Acts to divert atten-tion from its lacklustre performance inthe last 42 months. It would have chal-lenged the SAD for being part of analliance which passed the “anti-farmer” laws.

However, SAD patron and five-time Chief Minister Parkash SinghBadal and party president SukhbirSingh Badal sensed the mood andstrategy of the Congress and tookimmediate measures by quitting theNDA. Harsimrat Kaur Badal wasasked to submit her resignation fromthe Cabinet and when this was dubbedas “too little, too late”, SAD walkedaway from the NDA to stop the

Congress from becoming the ful-crum of a pro-farmer political mobil-isation.

However, the question remains,how deep is the fissure between theSAD and the BJP and is the split per-manent? Moreover, questions arebeing raised whether this was mereposturing and a strategy to buy time?Will the two once again enter into anelectoral alliance for the 2022 Assemblypolls and then the 2024 Lok Sabhaelections?

The Badal patriarch has time andagain described the SAD-NDA allianceas “made for each other” and even afterthis break, he has refused to join in anypublic mudslinging against the formerpartner. He also did not get swayed bythe temporary sentiments of hostilitytowards each other. Perhaps he wantsto leave a window of rapprochementajar as and when the time comes. Manyin Punjab believe that this time wouldbe a few weeks before the Assemblyelections when the din associatedwith the farm Acts dies down in duecourse and a formula is evolved toappease the farmers, who are on thewarpath at the moment.

Punjab has more or less been a

two-party system for decades now,where the SAD-BJP and the CongressParty have shared power for long,though the equations changed slight-ly after the emergence of the AamAadmi Party (AAP) and its decent out-ing in the last State polls.

The BJP’s votebank in urbanpockets of Punjab is an increment innot only sociological terms for theAkalis but also psychologically as ithelps the alliance present itself to theelectorate as an ideal Sikh-Hinducombination, carrying the legitimacyof the entire population. With the SADparting ways with the NDA, whichmany, even those in the Badal-ledparty, believe is temporary, this idea ofa composite Sikh-Hindu electoralalliance has been dented. This is like-ly to carry an adverse message for therest of the country as well, where theOpposition could paint the BJP as“anti-alliance” or a party which couldnot keep a Sikh minority party in itsfold or accommodate the viewpoint ofits alliance partners.

Talk to the Akali Dal leaders inprivate and they admit that backdoornegotiations would begin once the heatgenerated by the Acts subside and the

churning for the Assembly electionsstarts. Even BJP leaders in the State arenot sure what exactly to say at themoment. Behind the public posturingand the bravado of a couple of saffronleaders, who talked of a “clean sweepand Modi wave in next elections”, liesa lurking fear on how to pick candi-dates and build the organisation in therural pockets of the State. Hitherto,they had never been to the rural areasas it was always left for the Akalis. Evennow, after the divorce, the saffron partyleaders are taking no steps to build asemblance of a political structure in theSikh-dominated rural pockets. Perhapsthey, too, have a sense that the break-up is temporary and they should notdo anything to aggravate the situationas of now.

The argument that the Shiv Senawalked away from the BJP and formeda Government in alliance with theCongress and the-Nationalist CongressParty (NCP) in Maharashtra and thatsomething similar could happen inPunjab, simply does not hold ground.The reason is simple — the SAD wouldcease to exist if it even goes soft on theCongress in Punjab, forget aboutentering into any sort of understand-

ing with the grand old party. The SAD was born on an anti-

Congress plank and has consistentlymaintained that in the two-party elec-toral ethos which the State has devel-oped historically. The BJP or its earli-er avatar, the Jan Sangh, has alwaysbeen a minor player in the border State.Even at the height of the NarendraModi wave in 2019, the Congress man-aged to swim through. For the BJP,Punjab is more or less politically sim-ilar to Kerala or Tamil Nadu — what-ever it does, however hard it tries, itcannot get a foothold as of now if itgoes solo. The reason is simple —demography and the socio-religiousprofile of the electorate.

Of course, the farm Acts couldhave consequences in neighbouringHaryana as well where the BJP is in apost-election alliance with theJannayak Janata Party (JJP). The Ajayand Dushyant Chautala-led familyparty has so far stuck to the chorus thatthe Acts would not take away even an“iota” from the farmers and their inter-ests are safe, but they, too, are slightlyapprehensive given the support thefarmers’ agitation is receiving from therich Jat growers — the main social and

political base of the JJP. But asAssembly elections in Haryana are fouryears away, sitting ensconced in theState Government is far more politi-cally rewarding for the JJP than facingan uncertain future and an uncertainelectoral outcome if it withdraws sup-port at this juncture.

If the ongoing season of paddyprocurement goes well, farmers get theMinimum Support Price (MSP) andare able to sell their produce in themandis without any difficulty; theapprehensions related to the farm Actswould be addressed automatically toan extent. Then comes the wheat sow-ing and harvesting season in Aprilnext. Farmers and political parties likethe SAD and the BJP will look at thattoo. And if everything goes as per whatthe proponents of the Acts in the BJPare saying, there could be a rethink inthe strategy of the SAD and itsapproach towards the NDA. Many inPunjab believe that the SAD wouldwait till the next wheat harvesting sea-son and take a call on whether thedivorce with the NDA and the BJPwould be permanent or temporary.

(The writer is Senior ResidentEditor, The Pioneer, Chandigarh)

A real break-up or political posturing with eye on polls?Many believe that the SAD would wait till the next wheat harvesting season and take a call on whether the divorce with the BJP would be final or not

AMITABH SHUKLA

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2020 money 08

Dividend payouts leavelittle cash with NOCsPNSn NEW DELHI

The extraction of large share-holder payouts from nationaloil companies by the govern-ment leaves little cash surplusfor them to meaningfullyinvest in low carbon alterna-tives, Moody's InvestorsService said on Monday.

The government has man-dated national oil companiessuch as Oil and Natural GasCorp (ONGC) to pay a min-imum 30 per cent of their netprofit as dividends to share-holders. The government ben-efits out of such payout as it isthe largest shareholder in thesefirms and also gets tax on suchpayouts.

In a new report, Moody'ssaid energy transition posesvarying degrees of credit riskto the world's largest nationaloil companies (NOCs).

"The Indian government

has also been extracting largeshareholder payouts from itsNOCs leaving little cash sur-plus for them to meaningful-ly invest in low carbon alter-natives," Moody's said.

While there has been a sig-nificant increase in invest-ment in renewables in India,this has been done by govern-ment-owned and privately-owned utility companiesrather than NOCs, it said.

India is the world's third-largest consumer of oil (about5 per cent of global consump-tion) and is heavily dependenton imports to meet theseneeds.

Rays Experts commissions 600MW solar projects in RajasthanPNSn NEW DELHI

Rays Experts on Monday saidit has successfully commis-sioned six solar parks inRajasthan with a combinedpower capacity of 600megawatt (MW).

Rays Experts has investedRs 3,000 crores on the sixparks which are spread across2,500 acres of land, mainly inthe districts of Bikaner andJodhpur, and provide morethan 4 lakh houses withrenewable energy, a companystatement said.

According to the statementthe deployed solar parks havebenefited thousands of fami-lies by helping create businessand employment opportuni-ties.

The projects have collective-ly provided employment to

over 2,000 people so far. Theyare further employing close to600 people each month for thepark maintenance and addi-tional capacity expansion.

This is over and above otherbenefits for the state includingenhanced business produc-tivity, reduced carbon emis-sions, lower power tariffs, andincreased GST collection.

With its solar parks, RaysExperts has catered to morethan 275 customers in variousindustries ranging from tradi-tional namkeen (snacks),wool, media, hotels, hospitals,and marble industries, along-side others.

"Rajasthan has over 15 GWsolar plants in the planningstage for the next 3 years andwe are proud to be a part of itssolar journey," Rays ExpertsMD & CEO Rahul Gupta,

MD & CEO said in the state-ment.

Rays Experts plans oninvesting Rs 50 crores addi-tionally in Rajasthan over thenext two years.

The Solar EPC (EngineeringProcurement Construction)and park developer has a cur-rent order book of 250 MW inthe state.

It is developing around foursolar parks in other states aswell, three of which have beenapproved and are in advancedstages of development.

The company aims to reachthe 1,000 MW installationmilestone by the end of 2021,it added.

Rays Experts is India's lead-ing innovative solar solutionsprovider and one of the largestsolar power EPC and develop-ment companies.

NEC Tech rechristened‘ NEC Corporation’ PNSn NEW DELHI

NEC Technologies India onMonday announced itsrebranding to NECCorporation India (NEC) asthe company looks to enhancefocus on the Indian market.

The company plans toestablish a new centre of excel-lence (COE) for the trans-portation business in India byleveraging its expertise in sup-porting over 4,000 busesacross various BRT (bus rapidsystem) projects in the coun-try.

"We are promoting an 'IndiaGo Big' initiative by leveragingour solution development anddelivery capability from Indiato aid global business growth.The name change is a result ofa rebranding effort designed tomirror the focused approachand our commitment to theIndian market," NECCorporation India Presidentand CEO Aalok Kumar said ina statement.

Japan-based NEC startedoperations in India in the

1950's and expanded its busi-ness from telecommunica-tions to public safety, logistics,transportation, retail, finance,unified communication andIT platforms.

The company has set upCOEs for analytics platformsolutions, big data, biometrics,mobile and retail etc.

"NEC has plans to expandthe portfolio and depth of itssolutions and services offeredboth in the Indian market andglobally. Supported by a strongand talented workforce of6,000 employees in India, thecompany now serves as aglobal delivery hub for off-shore support and productdevelopment, pursuing furthergrowth in the domestic mar-ket," the statement said.

NEC's key projects includethe Chennai-Andaman sub-marine cable project, whichwas recently inaugurated byPrime Minister NarendraModi, biometric-based paper-less boarding solution in avi-ation sector and smart cityprojects.

Vodafonelenders approvemerger of IndusTowers with BI PNSn NEW DELHI

British telecom majorVodafone Group on Mondaysaid it has received anapproval from its lenders,who contributed in fundingfor Vodafone Idea, to proceedwith the merger of IndusTowers with Bharti Infratel.Vodafone Idea holds 11.15per cent stake in IndusTowers, which is estimated tobe valued at around Rs 4,000crore. Vodafone Group Plchad announced onSeptember 1, 2020 that it hadagreed to proceed with themerger of Indus TowersLimited and Bharti InfratelLimited (Bharti Infratel,together the 'combined com-pany'). "The agreement toproceed was conditional onconsent for a security pack-age for the benefit of the com-bined company fromVodafone's existing lenders,for the 1.3 billion euros(about Rs 11,100 crore) loanutilised to fund Vodafone'scontribution to the VodafoneIdea Ltd rights issue in 2019.This consent has now beenreceived," Vodafone said in astatement. The parties willnow approach the NationalCompany Law Tribunal tomake the merger schemeeffective. "The parties areworking to complete thetransaction expeditiously,"Vodafone said in a state-ment.

Flipkart partners Paytm for festive salePNSn NEW DELHI

Walmart-owned Flipkart onMonday said it has partneredwith fintech major Paytm toprovide customers a slew ofoffers and benefits during itsfestive season sale.

"This partnership will enablemillions of Paytm users toconveniently pay through theirPaytm Wallet and Paytm UPIwhile shopping on Flipkartduring The Big Billion Days. Inaddition, Flipkart customerswill enjoy instant cashback totheir Paytm wallets," a state-ment said.

This partnership is well-aligned with Flipkart's prepa-ration ahead of the upcoming

festival where it sees a hugesurge in the orders across thecountry and will further boostthe uptake of digital transac-tions as India continues tostay indoors and maintainsocial distancing, it added.

Flipkart will host its annual'The Big Billion Days' salefrom October 16-21, whileMyntra will hold its 'BigFashion Festival' betweenOctober 16-22.

The events will focus ondelivering a wide range ofproducts to existing and newconsumers, while providinggrowth opportunities toMSMEs (Micro, Small, andMedium Enterprises) and sell-ers across the country.

Flipkart rival, Amazon.in isexpected to announce its saledates later this week. Value-focussed e-commerce market-place Snapdeal had said it willhold its first sale in mid-October to coincide withNavratri festivities. Its nexttwo sales will run in lateOctober and early November.

E-commerce companies seea large chunk of their businesscoming in during the festivesales and they make significantinvestments ahead of time toramp up their capacity to beable to handle the spike inorders. Festive season seesplayers holding multiple saleevents, timed around Dussehra

and Diwali. Electronics, fash-ion and home furnishing aresome of the categories that seea huge demand during thefestive season. A report byRedSeer estimates that festivesales this year are expected toalmost double and touch USD7 billion in GMV as comparedto USD 3.8 billion in the sameperiod last year.

"Our partnership withPaytm showcases our com-mitment to make digital pay-ment solutions customer-cen-tric and inclusive, democratis-ing digital payments for all.This festive season millions ofPaytm users across the countrywill have access to their walletsand UPI on Flipkart," Flipkart

Head - Fintech and PaymentsGroup Ranjith Boyanapallisaid.

He added that digital pay-ments, including UPI, contin-ue gaining prominence in Indiaand Flipkart believes that dig-ital adoption will help India geteconomically stronger.

"Flipkart has championede-commerce in India, andtogether we aim to replacecash on delivery with digitalpayments via Paytm Walletand Paytm Bank account. Ouraim is to empower millions ofIndians with innovative solu-tions that would play a key rolein building AtmanirbharBharat," Paytm PresidentMadhur Deora said.

Dr Reddy's joins hands with SBTi,aims to cut greenhouse gas emissionsPNSn NEW DELHI

Dr Reddy's Laboratories onMonday said it has committedto reduce its greenhouse gasemissions by 55 per cent by2030.

The Hyderabad-based drugmajor has joined hands withthe Science Based Targets ini-tiative (SBTi), thus becomingthe first Indian and the thirdAsian pharmaceutical compa-ny to have set its science-based targets to further min-imise environmental impact,Dr Reddy's Laboratories said ina statement.

The company has commit-ted to reducing its Scope 1 and

2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-sions by 55 per cent by 2030from 2017-18 base year, whichare in line with the latest cli-mate science of limiting glob-al warming to below 1.5°Cabove pre-industrial levels, itadded.

Continuous improvement

in our environmental perfor-mance is a notable aspect ofour sustainability journey. Weare delighted to join SBTi intaking a science-basedapproach to set our GHGemission reduction targets andaccelerating our efforts to cre-ating a positive impact on ourplanet," Dr Reddy'sLaboratories Co-chairman andManaging Director G V Prasadsaid.

As of 2019-20 fiscal, DrReddy's said it reduced itsScope 1 emissions by 8.6 percent and Scope 2 emissions by20.7 per cent over the baselineof 2017-18 fiscal.

The combined Scope 1 and

2 emissions have been reducedby 13 per cent over the samebase year, putting the compa-ny on a fast track to achievingGHG reduction targets, itadded.

SBTi, a joint initiative ofCarbon Disclosure Project,United Nations GlobalCompact, World ResourcesInstitutes and World WideFund, provides companies witha clearly defined pathway tofuture-proof growth by speci-fying how much and howquickly they need to reducetheir greenhouse gas emis-sions to limit global warmingto well-below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Suresh Prabhu launchesIndia Bamboo ForumPNSn NEW DELHI

Former Union Minister SureshPrabhu has launched an inde-pendent forum with an aim togive boost to the bamboo sec-tor by promoting entrepre-neurship, research, and tradeof high quality bamboo prod-ucts in a sustainable manner.

The India Bamboo Forum-- conceived and conceptu-alised by Prabhu -- will under-take the work by bringingtogether a voluntary group of55 committed leaders in thebamboo sector.

"The forum will workactively with the stakeholdersfrom institutions from withinIndia and abroad, policy mak-

ers and industry and identifyspecific thematic areas thatrequire resolution at the stateand national ecosystems,"Prabhu told PTI.

Prabhu added that thegrowth of bamboo sector willhelp prevent deforestation,create jobs, and help increasefarmers' income.

To begin with, five areas ofnational importance have beenidentified -- development of adedicated knowledge dissem-ination portal, improving tech-nical standards, skill develop-ment, providing mentorship tobamboo startups and creationof a platform for facilitatingbuyer-seller linkages of bam-boo products, he said.

Agritech startupUnnati hasraised USD

1.7 million (aboutRs 12.5 crore) inpre-series Afunding fromNabventures Fund.Unnati has createda platform todigitalise the majorcomponents in thefood andagribusiness value chain. The predictive capabilities of the datacaptured by the platform enhances efficiencies while its transparentprocesses help in building trust among farmers and FPOs (Farmer'sProducer Organisations)," Nabard and Nabventures chairman G RChintala said in a release.A subsidiary of Nabard, Nabventures is aventure growth equity fund that invests in agritech, food, agri/ruralfintech and rural healthtech/edutech. It has an asset undermanagement of USD 75 billion. The parties will now approach theNational Company Law Tribunal to make the merger schemeeffective. "The parties are working to complete the transactionexpeditiously," Vodafone said in a statement.

Five fintech playersEarlySalary,KreditBee, Kissht,

CashE, and LoanTaphave come togetherto form anassociation - FinTechAssociation forConsumerEmpowerment(FACE).Theassociation waslaunched last week topromote a robust,diverse and inclusive

FinTech ecosystem in the country, a release said.It aims to driveethical lending practices among the Indian FinTech sector andestablish thought leadership in consumer finance by sharing bestpractices, consumer trends, and research insights and play an activerole in the industry policy, the release said.

Motilal Oswal FinancialServices (MOFSL) saidits board has appointed

Arvind Hali as the newmanaging director and chiefexecutive officer of MotilalOswal Home Finance(MOHFL).The board has alsoappointed Amar Bahl as thedeputy managing director andCOO of the housing financecompany, a release said.

Unnati raises USD 1.7 mn from Nabventures Fund

Fintech players form associationto promote responsible lending

MOFSL appoints Arvind Hali asMD, CEO of its housing arm

The results of the firstedition of NationalStartup awards will

be released byCommerce and IndustryMinister Piyush Goyalon Tuesday, an officialstatement said.TheDepartment forPromotion of Industryand Internal Trade(DPIIT) has conceivedthe first-ever award torecognize and rewardoutstanding startups andecosystem enablers thatare building innovative products or solutions and scalableenterprises, with high potential of employment generation or wealthcreation, demonstrating measurable social impact, it said onMonday.The winning startups will get cash prizes of Rs 5 lakh each,along with opportunities to present their solutions to relevant publicauthorities and corporates for potential pilot projects and workorders. The first edition of the awards invited applications across 12sectors which were further sub-classified into a total of 35 categories.

Commerce Min to release firstedition of National Startupawards on Tuesday

MONEY MATTERS

Markets march higher; TCSzooms 7% on buybackPNSn MUMBAI

Equity benchmark Sensexdarted up for the third consec-utive session on Monday,buoyed by robust gains in ITand banking stocks amid abroad upmove in global mar-kets.

TCS soared over 7 per centafter the IT major said it willconsider a share buyback pro-posal later this week.

Starting off on a high note,the 30-share BSE Sensexzoomed to the day's peak at39,263.85, before ceding someground to settle at 38,973.70,up 276.65 points or 0.71 percent. Likewise, the broaderNSE Nifty rose 86.40 points or0.76 per cent to close at11,503.35.

TCS was the top performeron the Sensex chart, rallying7.30 per cent.

In the process, the IT giantbecame the second Indianfirm after Reliance Industries

to cross the Rs 10 lakh croremarket valuation mark.

Other prominent gainersincluded Tata Steel, SunPharma, Infosys, TechMahindra, IndusInd Bank,HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, HUL,Kotak Bank and HDFC Bank,spurting up to 4.71 per cent.

On the other hand, BajajFinserv, Bajaj Finance, BhartiAirtel, Bajaj Auto, PowerGridand ITC were among themajor laggards, shedding asmuch as 2.70 per cent.

With the global markets'focus turning to US PresidentDonald Trump's COVID-19treatment, reports of animprovement in his healthboosted investor sentiment,analysts said.

PNSn NEW DELHI

The Commerce Ministry'sinvestigation arm DGTR hasinitiated a probe to review theneed to continue imposition ofanti-dumping duty on certaintypes of steel products import-ed from China, Korea,European Union, South Africa,Taiwan, Thailand and the USfollowing complaints fromdomestic industry, according toa notification.

Jindal Stainless Ltd, JindalStainless (Hisar) Ltd and JindalStainless Steelway Ltd havefiled an application before theDirectorate General of TradeRemedies (DGTR) on behalf ofthe domestic industry for sun-set review of anti-dumpingduty imposed on imports of'Cold Rolled Flat Products ofStainless Steel of width 600 mm

to 1250 mm and above 1250mm of non bonafide usage'from these countries.

The applicants have allegedlikelihood of continuation orrecurrence of dumping on theproducts coming from thesecountries and have requested

for review and continuation ofthe duty imposed on theimports.

On the basis of the duly sub-stant-iated application by or onbehalf of the domestic indus-try, and having satisfied itself,on the basis of the prima facie

evidence submitted by thedomestic industry, about thelikelihood of continuation orrecurrence of dumping andinjury to the domestic indus-try...the authority, hereby, ini-tiates a sunset review investi-gation," the notification, datedSeptember 30, said.

DGTR would review the needfor continued imposition of theduties in force and exa-minewhether the expiry of exis-tingduties are likely to lead to con-tinuation or recurrence of dump-ing and impact the domesticindustry.The duty on the prod-uct was first imposed in February2010 and was later extended inDecem-ber 2015.The duty isaimed at ensuring fair tradepractices and creating a level-playing field for domestic pro-ducers with regard to foreignproducers and exporters.

ComMin starts probe toreview anti-dumping duty

UNDERSTANDING COVIDAND ITS AFTER-EFFECTS

xperts have observedthat Covid-19 has anadverse effect anddamage on parts ofthe body. It is alsopredicted that a new

wave of post-coronavirus-kidneydisease is expected to occur.

When asked what are the kindof health issues a Covid-recov-ered person might face, DrSuresh Sankar, Nephrologist, andSenior VP Clinical Affairs says,“Patients who recovered fromCovid-19 have been reported tocomplain of fatigue, headaches,vertigo, dyspnoea, breathlessness,and cognitive difficulties. Thesecomplications are not commonand usually occur a few weeksafter recovery. We must remem-ber that the disease is only knownfor 8 months; the medical com-munity is continuously andrapidly learning.”

He says diabetics are at a high-er risk of having a more severeattack of Covid-19 infection.“During the acute phase of ill-ness, glucose control can be chal-lenging requiring adjustment ofmedications including the needfor a higher dose of Insulin.

Steroids that are commonly usedto treat Covid-19, if patients needoxygen and Covid-19 infectioncause blood glucose disturbance.We are learning of Covid-19 hav-ing other organ involvements, awide spectrum of presentations,differing duration, and lastly alsohaving post-infection sequelae.We are yet to understand the pre-disposition, risk factors of thesepresentations, and hence an effec-tive therapeutic strategy cannotbe done. Of highest impact is thesevere form of the disease duringthe acute phase, when otherorgans including the heart, thecirculation, kidneys, and brainare affected. A small subset ofpatients also develops have anexcessive reaction of the immunesystem which manifests as fever,breathlessness,” Dr Suresh says.

So what are the nephrology-related treatments can Covid-19hit patients expect? He answers,“Patients may develop temporaryacute kidney injury from Covid-19 infection mostly when there isa multi-system involvement ofthe body. For patients withchronic kidney disease, there mayrisk of temporary worsening. A

kind of blood pressure controldrug, called ACE-inhibitors canbe continued though there wereconcerns about it in March 2020.Patients on dialysis must contin-ue their regular schedule. Kidneytransplant recipients mightrequire adjustment of medicationdosing.”

Covid patients are increasinglybeing detected with retinal com-plications leading to a blurring ofvision. Retinopathy is a kind of aretinal vascular disease where theretina of the eye gets damagedbecause of abnormal blood flow,resulting in vision impairment.On the same, Dr Raja Narayanan,Senior Retina Consultant, L VPrasad Eye Institute, says,“Retinopathy due to Covid-19 orsteroids treatment usually occurswithin 2-4 weeks after the Covid-19 has resolved. So patients whohave recovered from covid andhad been treated with steroidsshould watch out for such symp-toms for the initial weeks or tillthe time they are on steroids forlung complications. The mostcommon symptom is blurring ofvision. But the good news is that,so far, based on the cases report-ed to us, the risk to develop thiscondition is less than 0.1%.” DrNarayanan continues, “It’s notmandatory for all Covid-19recovered patients to undergo adetailed eye examination, butthose who experience blurring ofeyesight or any other similarsymptoms even after covid hasresolved should get their eyesexamined without delay.”

Dr Sunita Chaurasia, SeniorCornea Consultant, L V Prasad Eye Institute advises,“Maintaining good eye healthpractices, being vigilant, and con-sulting the doctors immediately ifyou experience any complicationswith your vision, is very impor-tant. Early diagnosis and treat-ment can help safeguard thevision of the patient.”

Women are, at present, ontheir backfoot with reproductiveand gynecological health issuesduring these trying times.Observations show that pregnantpatients are at no greater riskthan the general population andthe pregnancy outcomes are notadversely affected by Covid-19.Dr Rooma Sinha, Hon Professorand Senior ConsultantGynecologist, Apollo Hospitalstells us, “There is a need toacknowledge the unintendedconsequences of the pandemicand subsequent lockdown onwomen’s health in general. Wemust consider their mental healthissues, rise in domestic violence,and more importantly the lack ofaccess to gynaecological treat-ments. Contraception and safeabortion advice and accessibilitymust be insured to avoid unin-tended pregnancies. Abnormalepisodes of bleeding during men-strual cycles which could heavy,delayed, irregular, or after sex.Postmenopausal women withbleeding should not ignore thissymptom as there are concernsabout gynaecological cancer inthis situation. Associated with

pain and anaemia are conse-quences of these conditions,women are advised to reach outto gynecologists to address theseconcerns, either online or if pos-sible with physical appointments.”

“Chronic conditions like pelvicpain and infections, endometrio-sis or fibroids deserve attentionand can be managedby medicines or withsimple outpatient sur-gical procedures. So,there is no reason tosuffer silently aswomen’s health andhappiness is thenidus for the wholefamily’s well-being.Start with a gooddiet, regular exer-cise, and weightloss whereappropriate, asthis is oftenthe firstadvice theyreceive fromclinicians,”she adds.

We arein a longhaul withtheCorona-virusinfection.Remai-ninghealthycould nothave beenbetteremphasisedthan thepresent time.So stay vigi-lant andhome.

E

DR RAJA NARAYANAN DR ROOMA SINHA DR SANKAR DR SUNITA CHAURASIA

COVID-19 is known todamage the lungs; however,

as more people becomeinfected, a deeper

understanding of the diseaseis emerging, daily. To helpunderstand the underlyingissues, K RAMYA SREE

speaks to doctors of differentspecialisations on how to

tackle them

Saba Saudagar has been thetalk of the town for her

recently released web seriesCrackdown and fans are

certainly loving it. She hastaken on a completely newavatar as she plays the role

of a sweet and naivedomestic help at the RAW

chief's residence. Althoughshe is fully aware of thedespicable marriage life

between Zorawar and hiswife Garima, Fawzia is loved

by both the husband andwife. Fawzia, in her personallife, has a sweet family thatincludes her husband and anew-born baby. However it

seems like cooking tastyfood, looking after Zorawar’shome, and then looking after

her very own baby is whatFawzia’s whole life revolves

around until the truth is out.The actress talks to The

Pioneer's SHIKHA DUGGAL

and reveals more about herrole, life, and the industry

Never seen beforeavatar of actress Saba!

awzia, your charac-ter — does she have a hidden agenda?

Well, I believe it would bereally fun for the audi-

ences to find that out themselves!Being naive at times can imply ‘dan-ger’. She’s underplaying it by main-taining a certain barometer and Ipersonally didn’t want to overdo it.She just wants to bring truth to thetable and nothing else. I don’t limitmyself to certain characteristics andthe challenge arrives in meeting theexpectations of our audiences.

How's the new espionageseries different from othershows?

A beautifully shot web show, itscinematography, the pace, and thrillkeeps you hooked throughout. On apersonal level, I wanted to see moreof it due to its splendid picturisation.It's an interesting spy drama thatunderstands the psyche and upheavalof the main protagonists in the show.It takes the conventional route bymerging an espionage thriller over-shadowing the human aspects of thestory. A rightly tapped digital showwithout succumbing to jingoism!

How does one rememberFawzia?

It’s a surprise element, I havenever done a character like this sofar and I am sure all those whoknow and love me will be equally

surprised and satisfied watching meas Fawzia! From Gandi Baat’sKanchan to Crackdown’s Fawzia —it only helps me showcase my versa-tility as an actor.

Saba's best-loved characteron the screen?

There’s a saying ‘Be your own bestcritic’ however in my case it’s com-pletely the opposite, I tend to alwaysshy away from watching myself on-screen and when I do, I observefrom a completely different perspec-tive such as ‘I could have done thisbetter here’ or ‘I could have lookedmore appealing there’ and the listgoes on. Hence, I am never satisfied,even if I am highly appreciated bymy fans! Things changed this time,for the first time ever, after watchingmyself as Fawzia in Crackdown, Iactually felt I deserve a pat on myback! Due to a prominent fact, thatdespite a limited screen time I man-aged to leave an impact.

How does it feel to be direct-ed by a blockbusterBollywood director?

It’s an honour to be directed by'the Apoorva Lakhia’, who hasalways been in awe of his creations.Given how seasoned and an experi-enced filmmaker he is and who hasworked with the who’s who of theBollywood film industry, it becomeseasy for an actor to deliver his/herthe best performance because of thekind of clarity he has and seeks -

what he wants and to what percent-age! The entire set operated with somuch clarity, professionalism, andpunctuality. As a director makessure that nobody’s energy is gettingwasted due to somebody else’s con-fusion! Besides that, he’s the masterof action.

How do you think OTT plat-forms are changing thedynamics today?

It’s changing big time, and it’schanging for the better! The scriptand content are the only champi-oning points now. You don’t need astar of a particular stature or marketvalue, to drive your audiences crazy.It has opened many doors of oppor-tunities to a diverse crew of talentwho were long awaiting their due.Also, I feel the casting criteria haschanged so much — concrete faceswith tangible talent are more relat-able than glamour-clad figures.

Saba's take on the insider-outsider debate?

Well, insiders do get easy accessand numerous opportunities butwhat matters is who stays longer inthe race! If you aren’t able to deliver,you will not sustain it. As an out-sider, it certainly gets tough meetingthe right people at the right time,nonetheless, I believe time, patience,hard work, perseverance and skilledcraftsmanship in the long processdo pay off at the end. The idea is tohang in there!

WOMEN ARE, AT PRESENT, ON THEIR BACKFOOT WITHREPRODUCTIVE AND GYNECOLOGICAL HEALTH ISSUES DURINGTHESE TRYING TIMES. OBSERVATIONS SHOW THAT PREGNANTPATIENTS ARE AT NO GREATER RISK THAN THE GENERALPOPULATION AND THE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES ARE NOTADVERSELY AFFECTED BY COVID-19

F

TuesdayOctober 6, 2020

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facebook.com/dailypioneer

10

Vijayawada Tuesday October 6 2020 what’s brewing?

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

obby Deol’s journey inBollywood is not theone without ups anddowns, but the actor,who completes 25years in Hindi cinema

on Monday, says he is grateful tohis fans for being a constant sup-port through thick and thin.

Son of Bollywood veteranDharmendra, the actor made apromising lead debut withRajkumar Santoshi’s Barsaatopposite another star childTwinkle Khanna in 1995. As achild actor, he played theyounger version of his father’scharacter Dharam in ManmohanDesai’s 1977 hit Dharam-Veer.

Post Barsaat, Deol went on togive hits like Gupt, Soldier,Ajnabee, and Humraaz.

After a lull phase in the late2000s and early 2010s,the actorsaw a revival with the success ofmulti-starrers like Race 3 andHousefull 4.

Deol, who made his digitaldebut this year with the Netflixfilm Class of ’83 and followed itwith the MX Original SeriesAashram, said he is lookingforward to being aroundfor another 25 years.

Describing hisjourney as “notperfect but won-derful”, the 51-year-old actorsaid theboom inthe OTTspacehasbeena

career turnaround for him.“Nothing is perfect, you make

wrong choices. You can neverdecide when you choose a pro-ject whether it will be a big hit or

not. This new chapter of mylife is going well. I am

part of the OTT plat-form and it has been

very successful forme. People have

appreciated mywork in Class

of 83 andAashram. I

am thank-ful to

myfans,who

always stood by me,” Deol toldPTI in an interview.

The actor played the role of aveteran cop Vijay Singh in theAtul Sabharwal-directorial Classof ’83, while Aashram, directedby Prakash Jha, saw him as theself-styled godman Baba Nirala.The industry was not so compet-itive when he was starting out,he said, adding he now wants tobe “fearless” in choosing projectsthat are out of his comfort zone.

“I try to play parts I would nothave got to play early in mycareer because being in an indus-try we have a set image. I want todo character driven roles that arechallenging and interesting,”Deol said, thanking the currentgeneration of writers and film-makers for giving him a chanceto explore new roles.

Walking down the memorylane, the actor said like any new-comer, he too took up classes inacting, dance and action all thoseyears ago. A lot of peopleapproached him with projectsthen but his father was keen tolaunch him, the way he intro-duced his elder brother SunnyDeol with Betaab in 1983.

“Usually whatever the profes-sion of your father is, you getinterested in that. It is a normalthing. I too wanted to be anactor. I was lucky my father wasable to make a film for me. Thefilm turned out to be successfuland people accepted me. Myfather could only do the firstfilm for me after that it was allabout my work speaking for me.I am lucky at that point all myfilms did big business,” he added.

Deol said when he was shoot-ing for his debut, he had already

signed quite a fewfilms, includingGupt, Kareeb, AurPyaar Ho Gaya andSoldier.

The actor recalledhe broke his legwhile riding a horseon the sets of Barsaatso much so that arod was inserted

after a surgery.“That was the first scene in the

film but it was shot again on thelast day. I am lucky I can stillwalk, dance, and jump,” headded.

ipstick Under MyBurkha actressAahana Kumra,despite attainingpopular success incinema and web

entertainment, remainsdeeply attached to the stageand theatre acting.

Sharing about her trystwith theatre and how was itlike when she got on stagefor the very first time, the35-year-old actress toldIANSlife: “I was veryactively involved in theaterin school, and I think Itook to being on stage andI absolutely loved the ideaof performing and con-stantly being on stage whenI was like 10-11 or maybeyounger. But my first pro-fessional tryst with theaterwas I think when I was 15,when I performed withNeeraj Kabi for a playcalled “Aham” and I wasstill in college at that time.It was pretty fantastic and itwas the first time I per-formed at Prithvi Theatre.”

Calling Prithvi Theatre“a very special place” forher, she says she has “liter-ally spent (her) formativeyears understanding per-formance and backstageand everything that

requires understandingabout theatre from Prithvi.”

“It really has been schoolfor me. It has been a schoolplayground for me. It hasbeen home for me. Iremember, the first time Iwent to Prithvi House and Isaw the Prithvi theater, Iwas just completely in love.It felt like a place out of theworld, whether it was play-ing with puppets, or paint-ing our faces and doingactions and speakingShakespeare, all of that wasjust fantastic. It was some-thing that I had never seenbefore, and I was neverintroduced to anything likethis before. Prithvi also hasthis great attribute that itreally takes you in, it makesyou one of their own, soyou become like one familywith theater and that'sexactly what happened.And then I just, I thinkthat for me, there was noturning back. I just contin-ued doing the stage.”

Aahana says that shecontinues doing theatreand loves it.

“And I wish I can spendthe rest of my life doingtheatre and some fantasticwork with some fantasticartistes,” she signs off.

Aahana Kumrarecounts earlytheatre days

L

B

MY JOURNEY IS NOT PERFECT

BUT WONDERFUL: BOBBY DEOL

tories of powerfulfemale leads,explored in a vari-ety of contexts andevocative of awhole spectrum of

emotions, make for goodreads, just as the country isgetting more and moreactive post the lockdown.

Apart from the classics,here is a list you canchoose from.

‘MOTHER AT

NINETEEN' BY

GULISTA

CHAUDHARY

Gulista Chaudhary’sMother at Nineteen is a taleof love, sacrifice, friendship,relationship and foremost— motherhood. The plotrevolves around the deci-sions that we make in lifecan make or break relation-ships. Aashna made a deci-sion of being a 19-year-old,unmarried mother. Littledid she know that she’llbreak all other relationshipsin the process. The authoris a dynamic speaker and apersonality developmentcoach. She drew inspirationfor writing this book fromher personal life and alsofacing ideologies of themale dominant world.

‘ENDURER'

BY KAPIL RAJ

Kapil Raj’s Endurer is aheart-rending story of agirl, whose beliefs and hor-ror has been battered,stands up to make choices,rediscovering the meaningof life. The story revolvesaround Palak who is theepitome of beauty andcharisma and lives a privi-leged life. She attends areputed institution of high-er learning, has a group ofclose friends, and is theobject of admiration anddesire. Nothing was rightor wrong in her world. Lifewas a fun fed roller coaster.Newfound love, drugs, cat-fights, patch-ups, crushes,night hangouts, andunplanned trips, she wasexperiencing whateverpassed her way. Her explo-ration goes too far whenshe attends a rave party.She wakes up to the horrorof finding herself raped.

‘THE ANATOMY OF

CHOICE' BY

HARSHALI SINGH

Harshali Singh’s TheAnatomy of Choice talksabout whether choice isreally a possibility forwomen. The story revolvesaround Bhavya Sharma,the second offspring of theSharma family that inhab-its a large historical havelinear Chandni Chowk inDelhi, with its mysteriousmausoleum. The story alsohas complex subjects suchas polyamory and amorali-ty, and normalizes them.The themes of love, separa-tion, loss of honour, rebel-lion, sacrifice, sorrow, andcatharsis are present in thestory.

‘5 MINUTES'

BY VRINDA SINGH

Vrinda Singh’s 5 minutesis a thriller. Just like ridingon a roller coaster, readingthis book alternatesbetween making you feelexcited and exhilarated,happy and sad, disap-pointed and desperate, in just 5 minutes. Theauthor started the story asa thriller and also endedlike one but what happensin the middle is exactlywhat carries the readersthrough ways of engagingwith whirlwind of emo-tions, confusion, drama,pain and love.

‘MIRAGE'

BY NILAKSHI GARG

Nilakshi’s Mirage is thenew- age story of thefemale tattoo artist,Bethany Carlson, operatingher tattoo parlour inChicago, Illinois. She is theprotagonist of this story.She has seen quite a lot ofnasty ups and downs in herlife. But we will get toknow about it much later.Because of her earlier life,she has not found anyoneto trust to date. This is allbefore she is forced toattend her college’s Alumniparty alone. There shemeets, the oh-so-hand-some, Gerald Fletcher. He is a very straight for-ward man and from therethe story unfolds.

S

5 books to readduring Unlock

PTI n DUBAI

Senior leg-spinner Amit Mishra wasruled out of the ongoing IPL along

with pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whocould also miss the tour of Australia atyear-end, after the duo sustained dif-ferent injuries while competing forDelhi Capitals and SunrisersHyderabad respectively.

While DC’s Mishra fractured hisring finger while bowling againstKolkata Knight Riders on October 3,Bhuvneshwar picked up the thighmuscle injury on October 2 when SRHtook on Chennai Super Kings. He islikely to be out of reckoning for themuch-awaited trip Down Under.

The 37-year-old Mishra had threewickets from three games this seasonwhile Bhuvneshwar also had equalnumber of scalps albeit after playing amatch more.

“Amit has fractured his ring fingerand is out of IPL tournament.

Obviously, it is a very disappointingnews considering he was integral toDC’s plans,” a source from Mishra’smanagement team confirmed.

Delhi Capitals’ later issueda press release, stating that thebowler will consult a special-ist on his return to India forrecovery and rehabilitation.

“Mishra will now consultwith a specialist over the next fewdays to determine the most appro-priate course of management forthis unfortunate injury. Everyone atDelhi Capitals wishes him a speedyrecovery,” the statement read.

As far as Bhuvneshwar is con-cerned, the extent of his injury is stillnot clear but it could take a good 6to 8 weeks for the 30-year-old tocompletely recover from thesetback.

“Bhuvneshwar Kumaris out of IPL with a thighmuscle injury. It is probably

a grade 2 or 3 injury, which could meanthat he would be out for at least 6 to 8

weeks. It might effectively rulehim out of India’s tour ofAustralia,” a senior BCCI officialtold PTI.

What will hurt the fran-chises is the fact that bothbowlers were integral to theteam’s plans.

Mishra, as a wrist-spin-ner, was very important strate-

gically for Capitals on biggergrounds as he showed his skillsagainst Chennai Super Kingswith brilliant figures of 4-0-23-0.He returned 1/14 in 2 overs,

including the wicket of ShubmanGill, against KKR.

It was while trying to get holdof a return catch offered by NitishRana that Mishra fractured his fin-ger which forced him to leave the

ground.In case of Bhuvneshwar,

the injury was sustained while bowlingthe 19th over of CSK’s innings duringtheir clash.

There was heavy strapping on histhigh but he was in so much pain thathe hobbled out of the ground aftersending down just one ball as AbdulSamad finished his over.

His injury will be a massive blowto SRH skipper David Warner as hestruggles for quality death bowlers inhis side which is short on experience.

In case of Bhuvneshwar, he mightstay back in the UAE as the Indianteam’s physio Nitin Patel is also thereas part of the BCCI’s medical team.

Being a centrally-contracted play-er, Bhuvneshwar's rehabilitation will beentirely looked after by the BCCI.

However, for the past one yearBhuvneshwar has been mostly out, dueto side strain and hamstring injuriesand only recently, made a comebackduring the IPL. He had missed the NewZealand tour earlier this year.

KL Rahul 302 runs

Kagiso Rabada 10 wickets

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 6, 2020

11

MOTION PICTURE

DUGOUTWe did the small things right.That's what was important tous. The kind of start we got inbatting, that's what we needed.Hopefully we'll be able toreplicate this in coming games

It's hard being on the losingside for so many games on thetrot. We need to come backharder and better. There's norocket science where we aregoing wrong, it's the execution

The conditions are very foreignfor me, very hot, but you haveto be clear in your head,execute what you want to do,and not worry about the balltravelling out of the park

The last two games haven'tgone to plan for us afterwhat was a really goodstart to the tournament. ButI guess that's the way T20cricket goes sometimes

TODAY

Live from 7:30pmSTAR SSPORTS 11

VVSS

POINTS TABLEP W L NRR PTS

1 MI 5 3 2 +1.214 6

2 DC 4 3 1 +0.588 6

3 RCB 4 3 1 -0.954 6

4 KKR 4 2 2 -0.121 4

5 RR 4 2 2 -0.317 4

6 CSK 5 2 3 -0.342 4

7 SRH 5 2 3 -0.417 4

8 KXIP 5 1 4 +0.178 2

Mumbai Indians players Trent Boult and Chris Lynn pose forphoto after the duo played golf @mipaltan/Twitter

QUINTON NEVER STOPPED BELIEVINGMumbai Indians opener Quinton de Kock, who roaredback to form with a breezy half-century after anindifferent run, “never stopped believing” in his ability,said the team's fielding coach James Pamment onMonday. The seasoned South African made a 39-ball 67against Sunrisers on Sunday. “We all know the qualitythat Quinton possess, so I'm not saying that it was just amatter of time, but you have to still work extremely hard.“You still have to believe in yourself and he neverstopped believing in his ability to be effective for theteam,” Pamment said.

WE BACK OUR PLAYER’S WAY LONGER CSK's “reticent” approach to change when faced withpoor results has been the key to its success over theyears, said head coach Stephen Fleming, citing ShaneWatson as a shining example of what the side hasachieved. Watson finally came good with an unbeaten 83off 53 balls in his fifth game as an opener, helping CSKrecord an emphatic 10-wicket win over KXIP. “I think ithelps as players know they get more opportunities...Weare reticent to changing the team other than realising theareas that we are not happy with,” Fleming said. “We tryand improve and if players are doing the right thing wewill back them as long and even longer than possible,”CSK's long-serving coach echoed what has been hisskipper MS Dhoni's philosophy over a decade now.

PTI n ABU DHABI

Rajasthan Royals may need torejig their Indian line-up slight-

ly when they try to pull their IPL cam-paign out of the current rot againsta supremely confident MumbaiIndians on Tuesday.

Starting with a bang atSharjah on a conducivebatting surface, Royalshave suddenly hit a slumpon bigger grounds ofDubai and Abu Dhabiwith their willow-wielders not look-ing half as menacing as they did dur-ing the first two games.

“The last two games haven’tgone to plan for us after what was areally good start to the tournament.But I guess that’s the way T20 crick-et goes sometimes. We have been out-played by the opposition on bothoccasions,” Royals skipper SteveSmith said on the eve of the match.

“Hopefully, I am able to score afew runs tomorrow. I’ve missed outon the last two games but that hap-pens,” Smith added.

Mumbai Indians, on the otherhand, have been solid in their lastcouple of games and are current-ly on top of the table by virtueof a better net run-rate com-pared to Delhi Capitals, whoare also on six points.

After a heart-breakingloss to Royal ChallengersBangalore in the Super Over,the defending championsbounced back in style, defeat-ing Kings XI Punjab andSunrisers Hyderabad by 48and 34 runs respectively.

The best part of MI’scamaign so far is that theyhave ticked almost all theboxes with skipper RohitSharma (176) in good touchand now Quinton de Kockalso looking ominous.

Kieron Pollard is consis-

tent as ever, Ishan Kishan has lookedsolid and Hardik Pandya is also fin-ishing games with the bat. Hardik’sbrother Krunal joined the party in thelast game.

MI’s replacement pacer JamesPattinson (7 wickets) has been a rev-elation alongside the redoubtable

Jasprit Bumrah and thecrafty Trent Boult. OnceHardik starts bowling, allthe pieces of the puzzle willnicely fit in.

In contrast, Royalswould like to arrest the slide beforeBen Stokes completes his quarantineand is available from October 11.

One of the primary reasons oftheir fall has been the poor form ofJos Buttler (47 runs from 3 games)along with yet another dismal showfrom Jaydev Unadkat (1 wicket from4 games at 9.97 economy). Theyoung Riyan Parag has also seemedcompletely out-of-depth unlike lastyear.

Skipper Steve Smith might con-sider dropping Parag, who is not

exactly a top of the line off-spin-ner, and give another much-talked-about youngster Yashasvi

Jaiswal a go at the top of theorder. Smith might bringhimself in the middle togive stability to the line-up.

He indicated thatthere could be a few

changes.“We will see which of

our players fit in our plansfor tomorrow’s match andfit in certain scenarios inthe game and try and getthe best match-ups forMumbai.”

In bowling, Smith maytry out the experiencedVarun Aaron who has a lotmore pace than Unadkat orthe young Kartik Tyagi whocan bowl at 140 kmph.

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes poses for photo after hecompletes his training @rajasthanroyals/Twitter

Chennai Super Kings batsman Shane Watson’s pre-match tweetthat went viral after CSK beat KXIP by 10 wickets on Sunday

DUBAI (PTI): RoyalChallengers Bangalore cap-tain Virat Kohli inadvertent-ly applied saliva on the ballafter stopping a crackingdrive during an IndianPremier League match hereon Monday, violating theICC’s Covid-19 protocol.

Fielding at shot coverduring his team’s gameagainst Delhi Capitals, Kohlidid not let the ball, that washeaded in his direction at agreat speed, go past him.

While the Indian captaindid not show any discomfort,he ended up applying saliva

on the ball at the DubaiInternational Stadium. Thishappened after DC openerPrithvi Shaw launched into abooming drive against pacerNavdeep Saini in the thirdball of the third over after

Kohli elected to field.The skipper, though,

realised his mistake immedi-ately, smiled and alsoacknowledged the slip-upby raising his hands.

Amazed at Shaw’s pow-erful shot and Kohli’s brilliantfielding, Sachin Tendulkarpromptly put out a tweet inappreciation. “What anincredible shot by@PrithviShaw there! A mil-lion dollar reaction by@imVkohli after almostapplying saliva on the ball.Sometimes instincts takeover!" Tendulkar tweeted.

AFP n BIRMINGHAM

On a day of incredibleresults, Aston Villa pro-

duced one of the most stun-ning scorelines in the histo-ry of Premier League footballas they beat defending cham-pions Liverpool 7-2 onSunday, not long afterManchester United werebeaten 1-6 at Old Trafford byJose Mourinho’s Tottenham.

Villa captain JackGrealish was in inspired formwhile Ollie Watkins scored afirst-half hat-trick asLiverpool were ripped apartby the club that just aboutstayed in the Premier Leagueby surviving relegation on thelast day of the previous sea-son.

Jurgen Klopp wasso taken by surprise atLiverpool’s collapsethat he actually wore abemused grin at timesas his team fell to thebiggest defeat of theGerman’s career.

Liverpool’s chief tormen-tor was Ollie Watkins, whobecame the first Villa playerto score a hat-trick against theReds for 88 years.

Watkins bagged Villa’sfirst after a mistake byLiverpool keeper Adrian inthe fourth minute.

He netted again in the22nd minute beforeMohamed Salah got oneback.

John McGinn’s deflectedeffort made it three and

Watkins scored Villa’sfourth before half-time.

Ross Barkley, inhis debut after joiningon loan from Chelsea,scored Villa’s fifth afterthe break with the aid

of a deflection.Salah reduced the deficit

but Jack Grealish netted num-ber six before Villa’s captainran clear to cap the rout.

Second placed Villa havewon all three league gamesthis term, while Liverpool’sfirst defeat of the season leftKlopp wondering how to fixa leaky defence that hasshipped 11 goals in fourmatches.

No defending championin 67 years has lost so heav-ily in England. It’s been 57years since Liverpool wasbeaten as badly.

“We lost kind of the plot,”Liverpool manager JürgenKlopp said.

“The results are strange.”With Leicester opening

Sunday with a 3-0 loss toWest Ham, it leaves Evertonand Villa, whose last titlescame in the 1980s, leading theway with perfect starts.

AFP n PARIS

Petra Kvitova returned to theFrench Open quarter-finals

for the first time in eight yearson Monday while German vet-eran Laura Siegemund, whoreached her first Grand Slamquarter-final.

Two-time Wimbledonchampion Kvitova is through tothe last eight at Roland Garrosfor just the second time. Herbest run in Paris came when shereached the semi-finals in 2012.

Seventh seed Kvitova, whomissed last year’s tournamentdue to an arm injury,defeated China’s ZhangShuai 6-2, 6-4 and willnext play world No 66Siegemund, who madethe second week of aGrand Slam for the firsttime in 16 attempts.

“It’s been really difficult. Itwas a tough one for sure,” saidKvitova, who will climb backinto the top 10 following herperformance in Paris.

“She served very welland played very aggres-

sive. I’m really happy Imanaged to win even if I didn’tmanage to serve it out at 5-2.”

“When the roof isclosed it’s like being indoors

and I really love to play,” addedKvitova.

Siegemund, 32, advanced toher first Grand Slam quarter-final in singles after defeatingformer junior champion PaulaBadosa of Spain 7-5, 6-2. Shebecame the fourth unseeded

player to make the last eight thisyear, joining Iga Swiatek, Nadia

Podoroska and MartinaTrevisan.

“I didn’t get angry whenthings weren’t going my way,”said Siegemund, who trailedBadosa 5-3 in the first set. Ithink we were both kind ofstruggling but I think I kept it

together better.”Siegemund

won lastmonth’s US

Open women’sdoubles titles along-

side Vera Zvonareva.

NOVAK WWINSNovak Djokovic reached

the French Open quarterfinalsfor the 11th consecutive year,extending his own Open-erarecord at the tournament.

The top-seeded Djokovicfaced his toughest challengeyet this year at Roland Garrosbut still won rather easily againstNo. 15 seed Karen Khachanov6-4, 6-3, 6-3 at Court PhilippeChatrier, taking the last fourgames.

The stadium’s new $55 mil-lion retractable roof was shutbecause of a heavy downpour.

Djokovic has won all 12 setshe’s played in Paris this year anddropped a total of only 25games so far. He lost five gamesin each of his first three match-es.

This victory puts Djokovicin his 47th Grand Slam quarter-final, second only to RogerFederer’s 57.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara,Hanuma Vihari and the support staff

led by head coach Ravi Shastri are likely tohave a six-day quarantine in Dubai duringthe business end of the IPL before flyingoff to Australia.

India are set to travel to Australia witha jumbo squad comprising 23 to 25 play-ing members across formats consideringthe requirements of the series to be playedin bio-bubble amid the Covid-19 pandem-ic.

The BCCI is trying to work out thelogistics to smoothly transfer the squadfrom one bio-bubble in the UAE to anoth-er in Australia where they might have togo for a two-week quarantine unless therules are relaxed.

While there was a plan that coachingstaff and non-IPL players will leave direct-ly for Australia, an alternate plan is beingworked out.

“The most feasible plan right nowlooks like entire team flying togetherfrom Dubai in one chartered flight. For that,the two Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara,Hanuma Vihari, along with our coachingstaff of Ravi Shastri, Bharath Arun, VikramRathour and R Sridhar will arrive in Dubai,most probably at the end of this month,”a BCCI source, currently in Dubai, told PTI.

“In all likelihood, the non-IPL playersand the coaching staff along with other sup-port staff, would have to undergo a six-dayquarantine with a separate bubble beingcreated for them. They will also undergotests on Days 1, 3 and 6. Once IPL is over,the squad will come together and fly outDown Under,” he said.

The plan is easier to manage logistical-ly as most of the players who will be board-ing the flight to Australia are playing in theprotected environment of the IPL.

AFP n BARCELONA

Barcelona dropped theirfirst points of the season

on Sunday as Sevilla madea statement of intent in La Liga’s titlerace by drawing 1-1 at Camp Nou.

Luuk de Jong gave Sevilla an earlylead and while Philippe Coutinho lev-elled two minutes later, the visitors werearguably the better side in a frantic con-test.

The draw brings an end to RonaldKoeman’s perfect start as Barca coachbut he might not be too displeased witha point, even if his team also hadchances to snatch a winner.

“We were less energetic than in thefirst two games but that also dependson the opposition,” said Koeman.“They have defended well.”

“Getting a point at this ground isalways tough, (but) I am not satisfied.We had our chances. It istoo bad we couldn’t havegotten a better result,”Lopetegui said.

Real Madrid arethree points ahead ofBarcelona but hav-ing played a gamemore, after their 2-0 win overLevante earlieron Sunday sentthem to the top of thetable.

PTI n DUBAI

Australian all-rounderMarcus Stoinis cracked a

blistering 53 while Prithvi Shawsmashed 42 runs to take DelhiCapitals to a competitive 196for four against RoyalChallengers Bangalore in theirIndian Premier League matchhere on Monday.

Stoinis, who was droppedon 30 by Yuzvendra Chahal,made RCB pay for the mistakeas he raced to his 53 in just 26balls, hitting two toweringsixes and six fours at the DubaiInternational Cricket Stadium.

Shaw, however, missedwhat would have been a well-deserved half-century.

Invited to bat, Shaw pro-vided a blazing start, hittingthree fours off pacer IsuruUdana in the game’s very firstover. His innings was lacedwith five boundaries and twomaximums.

The opening duo ofShikhar Dhawan (32 off 28-balls) and Shaw put up a 68-

run stand and looked to go thedistance before the RCB

bowlers made a splendidcomeback.

Mohammed Siraj providedthe first breakthrough for histeam by removing the danger-ous looking Shaw.

After Udana accounted forDhawan, young DevduttPadikkal pulled off an excellentcatch at the boundary to dis-miss DC's in-form skipperShreyas Iyer (11).

Stoinis and Rishabh Pant(37) immediately got into therecovery act. The duo stitchedan 89-run partnership.Shimron Hetmyer also playeda short cameo, the Guyanesehitting a six in the last over.

Siraj (2/34 in 4 overs) wasthe most impressive bowler forRCB as he picked the keywickets off Shaw and Pant.

After an expensive firstover, Chahal pulled thingsback but couldn’t provide abreakthrough for his team.

Playing in place of AdamZampa, Moeen Ali (1/21) andUdana (1/40) claimed a wick-et each, while WashingtonSundar (0/20 in four overs) wasthe most economical.

Shaky Royals facerampaging MI

MATCHES 20

MUMBAI INDIANS 10

RAJASTHAN ROYALS 10

Stats: Faisel FFeatures

DC crush RCB by 59 runs

Kohli inadvertently applies saliva on ball Pujara, Hanuma may havesix-day quarantine in Dubaiahead of Oz tour

Injured Amit, Bhuvi out of IPL

Kvitova makes French quarters

Petra Kvitova celebrates winning her fourth round match against Zhang Shuai AP

Villa put 7 past Liverpool Barca drop points

he first looks ofactors ShivaKandukuri andPriyankaJawalkar fromcinematographer

VS Gnana Shekar’s maidenproduction venture,Gamanam, were unveiled bythe makers on Monday. Shivaplays an aspiring cricketer fromOld City in the film, whilePriyanka will be seen as his loveinterest.

Directed by debutante Sujana,a Hyderabadi who learnt film-making ropes from New Delhi,the film, a human drama, will bereleased in Tamil, Kannada,Malayalam and Hindi languagesas well. The entire shooting parthas been wrapped up and it ispresently in post-production.Maestro Ilaiyaraaja has scored themusic.

Gnana Shekar, who doubled upas a lensman, has producedGamanam in collaboration withRamesh Karutoori and VenkiPushadapu. Shekar is keen on abig screen debut for the film, co-starring Shriya Saran. “Wethought of giving it to prominentstreaming players initially, butwhile doing the colour grading, Ifelt it was better fit for the silverscreen as it looked like a biggerfilm. The moment you see it in alaptop or on a smartphone, thevisual and sound experience willbe lost. We are waiting. If we arelucky enough, it will go to cinemahalls or it will go straight tostreaming. I can’t hold it forlong,” he told us last month. Withcinema halls set to reopen fromOctober 15, wonder what'd beShekar’s decision now.

12

Vijayawada Tuesday October 6 2020tollywood

KRITHI SHETTY IN CONTENTION TOROMANCE NANI

Even before her maiden Telugu film, Uppena, opens in cinemas,Krithi Shetty has landed a key role in Nani-starrer Shyam Singha Roy.

The makers are happy with her look test, finds NAGARAJ GOUD

angalore girlKrithi Shetty hascaught the atten-tion of filmgoers

with her cutelooks and killer

smile from the promotionalmaterial released so far of

the anticipated Uppena. Nowonder she is on the wishlist of many filmmakers as

well. While she was attachedto films of Nikhil and

Vishwak Sen in the recentpast with no confirmation

from the makers, ThePioneer has understood thatshe is in leading contention

to romance Nani in RahulSankrityan’s Shyam Singha

Roy. The film’s story, besidesSai Pallavi, has scope for

two other actresses in signif-icant roles and Krithi is in

talks to play one role.According to a well-

placed source close to thedevelopment, Rahul has

gone through multiple newprofiles before considering

Krithi. “Impressed by herlooks and skills from

Uppena, the director hasspoken to her. He even did a

look test with her last weekin Hyderabad. The results

were pleasing but still somethings need to be sorted outbefore he takes a final deci-sion. One thing’s for sure isthat if she comes on board,the role will be a departure

from what she had played inUppena.”

An inquiry sent to film’sproducer Naga Vamsi didn’t

elicit any response.The source adds that

Shyam Singha Roy, a periodromance, will have the cam-eras rolling in December. It

would be filmed acrossHyderabad and Kolkata pre-

dominantly. “As far as theother actress is concerned,

the makers will be finalisingthe name shortly,” the

source concludes.

M

fter Nikhil, Rana and Nithiin,it looks like it’s the turn ofanother most eligible bachelorfrom T-town, Sai Tej, to bidfarewell to his bachelorhoodstatus. According to reports,

the actor’s mother Vijaya, after pursu-ing his son to consider settling downfor over a year, has finally convincedhim. The 33-year-old has even givenhis nod to a girl she picked from herrelative’s side. She later spoke to thehead of the family, Chiranjeevi, whotoo expressed his happiness with thealliance. The engagement is aroundthe corner, while the wedding, due tocoronavirus crisis, will be schedulednext summer. Sai too, it is said, ishappy with the deferment as it giveshim the time to know each other.

On the work front, the actor, whorecently completed the shooting ofdebutant director Subbu’s SoloBrathuke So Better, is set to start film-ing for Deva Katta’s next, which rollsshortly in Hyderabad. He plays ayoung IAS officer in the untitledsocial drama. After completing thisfilm, he will move to the sets of direc-tor Karthik Dandu’s mystic thrillerbased on thesuperstitiousbeliefs ofthe late70s.

A

Sai Tej toend solobrathukeso betterstatus?

annada superstarKichcha Sudeep, whooften travels down toHyderabad for theshoot of his variousKannada films, called

on Telugu superstar PawanKalyan on Monday at hisparty office in Hyderabad.The former spent an hourcloseted with the latter,exchanging views on presentissues and shooting in adher-ence with COVID-19 guide-lines in the new normal.According to a press release,Sudeep’s forthcoming films

featured in the chat as well.Taking to his Twitter page,

Sudeep described Pawan as agrounded human. “Met asimple grounded human@PawanKalyan i must admit.Wonderful interacting withyou sir (sic),” he wrote.

While Sudeep has alreadyresumed film shooting morethan two months ago by dri-ving to Hyderabad, Pawan,who is observing the sacredChaturmasya vrata deeksha,is set to join the sets of hiscomeback film Vakeel Saabafter Dasara.

K

Sudeep's rendezvous

with Pawan Kalyan

RRR resumesore than sixmonths afterits shoot wassuspendeddue toCOVID-19

outbreak, filmmaker SSRajamouli has resumedthe shooting of RRR,starring Jr NTR andRam Charan, inHyderabad on Monday.While the makersrefrained from reveal-ing more details exceptfor indicating theresumption, some

reports indicate thatschedule on Monday isa part of a trial planfrom the filmmaker tocheck whether he canfilm without any mem-bers contracting coron-avirus. The actualshoot, it is said, willcommence afterDasara, with his princi-pal actors joining nextmonth.

Set in 1920s pre-independent India,RRR, a production ven-ture of DVV Danayya,

revolves around the fic-tional exploits of tworeal freedom fightersKomaram Bheem(played by NTR) andAlluri Seetharama Raju(Charan). Before thepandemic brought theshoot to a halt,Rajamouli managed tocomplete close to 75percent of the shoot.An MM Keeravanimusical, the film alsofeatures Ajay Devgn,Alia Bhatt and OliviaMorris in key roles.

M

Rajendra Prasadand Naresh inKothi Kommachi

et to belaunched onDasara laterthis month,the filmingof Satish

Vegesna’s KothiKommachi, fronted byMeghamsh Srihari andSameer Vegesna, willroll from November 2.“The first schedule willbe shot in the scenicAmalapuram, while thesecond will be filmedacross Visakhapatnam.The director is planningto wrap up the entirefilm by December-end,”says a source.

The source adds that

Satish has assembled astrong supporting line-up for the project, aconfusion comedybetween two couples,with focus on familyties and emotions. “Thelikes of RajendraPrasad, Naresh VijayaKrishna, Praveen andSudarshan who Satishworked with in the pastwill feature in this filmas well, playing impor-tant supporting roles.The names of the lead-ing ladies though willbe out shortly,” thesource informs.

A production ventureof MLV Satyanarayana,

the film will have musi-cal score by AnupRubens, while promi-nent lensman Sameerhas been roped in as thecinematographer.

S

T

The firstschedule will beshot in thescenicAmalapuram,while thesecond will befilmed acrossVisakhapatnam

First look of Shiva andPriyanka from Gamanam out