It’s a ‘neech' conspiracy, says PM Adya Singh. ... DGCA about the incident. “So, I was in a flight trav-elling from Delhi to Mumbai ... PM, says Congress V-P

US FIRMS WANT SECURITYOF CLASSIFIED DEF INFO New Delhi: Leading US Defencefirms are pushing for a specificframework in India to ensure thesafety and security of criticaltechnology and classifieddefence information when theyare shared with the privatesector for joint ventures in thecountry. A top official of the US-India Business Council said theyalso want a Government-to-Government pact to facilitate thetransfer of classified defencetechnology and information tothe Indian private sector besidesclarity on issues relating toliability, intellectual propertyrights and industrial safety.

NIRBHAYA RERUN INHISAR, 6-YR-OLD DIESHisar: A six-year-old girl wasfound murdered with gravesexual injuries in Hisar district,triggering outrage in the area.The girl went missing shortlyafter the family went to sleep onFriday, and her body was foundin the village the next morning,police officials said. The brutalitywas such that child was found ina pool of blood, and the autopsysaid that the stick had perforatedher uterus and intestines, a starkreminder of the gangrape-murder in Delhi almost 5 yearsago that was seen as awatershed moment for India’sapproach to sexual crimes.

5 ELEPHANTS MOWEDDOWN BY TRAINTezpur: Five elephants, includinga pregnant one, were killed in theearly hours today after a train hita herd of seven tuskers at a teagarden in Sonitpur district, forestofficials said. The incident tookplace at Bamgaon Tea Estatenear Balipara at 1.30 am.

CAPSULE

NAYAN DAVE n PALANPUR(NORTH GUJARAT)

Bringing in Pakistan angle inthe Gujarat poll campaign,

Prime Minister Narendra Modion Sunday said that a daybefore Congress leader ManiShankar Aiyar called him“neech”, Aiyar held a meeting athis residence in which formerPrime Minister ManmohanSingh, a former Vice-Presidentof India and former ForeignMinister of Pakistan as well asthe Pakistani HighCommissioner to India werepresent.

Modi did not name the for-mer V-P, but later BJP chiefAmit Shah identified him asHamid Ansari.

The PM also wonderedwhether neighbouring Pakistanwas keen to make seniorCongress leader and Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi’s polit-ical adviser Ahmed Patel thenext Gujarat Chief Minister.

Modi referred to a video offormer Pakistan Army’s

Director General SardarArshad Rafique in which hebacked Ahmed Patel as the nextGujarat CM. The PM wasaddressing a huge election rallyat north Gujarat town Palanpurbordering Banaskantha.

Launching scathing attackon the Congress over these

issues, Modi demanded expla-nation from the Oppositionparty and asked its leadershipto “reveal” what exactly tran-spired at that camouflagedmeeting. He struck a chordwith the people asking them,“Dal me kuch kala hai ki nahi?”referring the timing (Gujarat

polls) of the meeting.“If it was something in the

interest of India, the Congressleadership could have invitedIndian officials also. Why you(Congress) didn’t invite them?Or could have informed toGovernment,” he said, addingthat at one front Rafique open-

ly backed Patel as the nextGujarat CM and from otherfront top Congress leaders heldmeeting with Pakistanis. Thenext day, the Congress insult-ed underprivileged people,people of Gujarat and Modi,the PM went on to say.

It is worth mentioning that

posters were seen in someareas of Surat in which anappeal was made to make Patel(who belongs to south Gujarattown Bharuch) Gujarat’s Wazir-e-Alam (Chief Minister) aheadof the first phase of polling. Theposters were removed, andAhmed Patel clarified he wasnever interested in becomingGujarat CM.

On the local issue ofBanaskantha district, Modisaid that entire north Gujarat,including Palanpur area, wouldbe developed as Delhi-MumbaiIndustrial Corridor (DMIC)passes through the region up toKandla port in Kutch.

Replying to the Congress’charge of his being ‘friends offew industrialists’, Modi said hisGovernment recognised com-mon people’s achievements andconferred on them nationalawards which CongressGovernments never did. Healso gave example ofBanaskantha resident Jenabhai,who was given “Padma Shree”award by his Government.

Apart from Palanpur, thePM also addressed similar ral-lies at Sanand on the outskirtsof Ahmedabad, Kaalol in northGujarat and Vadodara in viewof the second phase of pollingto be held on Thursday,December 14.

PNS n DAKOR (GUJARAT)

Congress vice-presidentRahul Gandhi on Sunday

accused Prime MinisterNarendra Modi of discardingthe development agenda andtalking only about himself(Modi). Claiming the Modi hadnothing left to speak about,Rahul reminded the PM that theelection was not about Modi butabout the people of Gujarat.

Taking in stride the jibesfrom the BJP for his repeatedtemple visits during the cam-paigning, Rahul started his sec-ond day of campaigning for thesecond phase polls after offer-ing prayers at Lord Krishna’sRanchhod Raiji Mandir here.

Claiming that the BJP wasforced to shift gear becausepeople did not “buy” its devel-opmental plank, Rahul said theBJP started its campaign on theissue of Narmada. After 4-5days, the public said they were

not getting the river water, theCongress leader noted. “TheBJP took a right turn. It said theelection will not be contestedon Narmada ... Let’s contest iton the issue of Other BackwardClasses (OBCs). But then theOBCs said the BJPGovernment did not do any-thing for them. After five-sixdays, the BJP made a sharp leftturn and said it would take outdevelopment yatra and talkabout 22 years of develop-ment,” he added.

Rahul said he listened tothe PM’s speech on Saturday inwhich “Modiji talked aboutModiji for 90 per cent of thetime...” “The election is notabout Modiji, nor is it aboutme. It is neither about the BJPnor the Congress. This electionis about the future of the peo-ple of Gujarat,” he said.

Later in a tweet, Rahulsaid, “Modiji keeps using badwords against me in his speech-es, even today he did so. RahulGandhi respects the post ofPM. No matter what PM saysabout me, but I won’t utter evena single bad word about thePM.”

Continued on Page 7

PARVESH SHARMA nGURUGRAM

The Haryana HealthDepartment on Saturday

filed an FIR against FortisHospital in Gurugram underSection 304 (2) (culpable homi-cide not amounting to murder)of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)at Sushant Lok Police Station inconnection with the death of 7-year-old Adya Singh.

Adya underwent treatmentfor dengue at the hospital inSeptember for which her par-ents were charged `16 lakhbefore she died.

On Friday, Adya’s fatherhad filed a complaint againstFortis Hospital in relation to thedeath of his daughter due todengue-related complications. Amajor controversy had eruptedafter the girl’s family was charged`16 lakh for the treatment.

In his complaint, thedeceased’s father Jayant Singh

held the hospital responsible forculpable homicide and alsoalleged forgery, cheating,destruction and alteration of evi-dence and criminally negligencein the course of her treatment.

Singh accused 18 people,including the chairperson,Fortis Memorial ResearchInstitute, Executive Vice-Chairman, Fortis Healthcare,and nine doctors, in the case.

Jayant in his compliantspecifically accused Dr VikasVerma, who without informinghim removed the ventilatorpipes and Ambu-bag attachedto the girl. As a result of remov-ing life-sustaining equipment,his daughter died.

“An FIR has been regis-tered by Dr BK Rajora, ChiefMedical Officer (CMO), civilhospital Gurugram. Wereceived a 50-page FIR againstthe hospital by the healthdepartment. The investigationhas been taken up. We will askthe parents and the concernedhospital officials as well to jointhe investigation,” GauravPhoghat, the Station HouseOfficer (SHO) of Sushant LokPolice Station, said.

Continued on Page 7

RAHUL DATTA n NEW DELHI

Seven years after it was con-ceived, the Government

does not want to further delaythe ambitious Indian NationalDefence University (INDU)project. Aiming to ensure thatit is operational by next year,the Government plans to tablethe Bill in this regard in theWinter Session of Parliamentstarting on December 15.

Headed by a three-stargeneral, INDU will be a teaching and affiliating uni-versity for the existing traininginstitutions of the threeServices like the National

Defence Academy (NDA). The objective of this first of

its kind institution is to pro-mote strategic thinking, withcivilians and Defence person-nel eligible to take admission.

The land acquisitionprocess for the university, to bespread over 205 acres andheadquartered in Gurugram, is in progress and infrastruc-ture facilities have been par-tially constructed. While theentire construction will taketime, to begin with, the uni-versity of national importancewill function on ad-hoc basis inNew Delhi.

The Union Cabinet had

approved the setting up such auniversity in 2010. The thenPrime Minister, Manmohan

Singh, laid the foundation stoneof the campus on May 22,2013. While the idea of such an

autonomous institution firstcame up in 1967, the proposalgathered momentum afterKargil Review Committee rec-ommended having a universi-ty to exclusively study Defenceand strategic issues.

Moreover, the panel alsosuggested courses designed topromote expertise among mil-itary and civilian officers inhigher Defence management foroverarching policy formulationfor internal and external secu-rity issues. The selected candi-dates shall also be thoroughlybriefed and trained to deal withemerging security challengesbesides informing them aboutfast changing war fighting doc-trines across the world, theReview Committee proposed.

Continued on Page 7

‘Dangal’ actor Zaira molested

on Delhi-Mumbai flight

PTI n MUMBAI

Actor Zaira Wasim allegedshe was molested by a

co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight. The Dangalactor narrated her ordeal onInstagram via live video.

Zaira said she was on anAir Vistara flight from Delhi toMumbai when a co-passengersitting behind her put up hisfeet on her armrest. The airlinesaid it has already submittedinitial report to the regulatorDGCA about the incident.

“So, I was in a flight trav-elling from Delhi to Mumbai

today and right behind me onemiddle-aged man who mademy two-hour journey miser-able. I tried to record it onphone to understand it betterbecause the cabin lights weredimmed, I failed to get it...

“The lights were dimmed,

so it was even worse. It contin-ued for another five to ten min-utes and then I was sure of it.He kept nudging my shoulderand continued to move hisfoot up and down my back andneck,” she said in the video post.

In the video, which sherecorded immediately afterdeboarding the flight, Zairabroke down several times.

“This is not done, I am dis-turbed... Is this how you’regoing to take care of girls? Thisis not the way anybody shouldbe made to feel. This is terri-ble!” she said.

Continued on Page 7

Haryana files FIRagainst Fortis forculpable homicide

Modiji is fixatedon himself: Rahul

Gurugram hospitalcharged with ripping off7-yr-old dying denguepatient with `16 L bill

No matter what he saysabout me, I won’t utter asingle bad word aboutPM, says Congress V-P

Govt to table Bill in Winter Session toensure university operational by 2018

National def varsity project on fast track

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at Ranchhodji Temple, Dakor, districtKheda, Gujarat on Sunday PTI

Supporters wear mask of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an electioncampaign rally in support of BJP candidates in Sanand on Sunday PTI

Modi hints meeting at Aiyar's housebetween Manmohan Singh, formerV-P and Pak envoy led to remark

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It’s a ‘neech' conspiracy, says PM

PNS n LUCKNOW

Chief Minister YogiAdityanath asked students

to complete their studies dili-gently and contribute to thedevelopment of Uttar Pradeshbecause education was thebiggest vehicle which couldtake the state to the path ofprogress.

Addressing a functionorganised by Maharana PratapShiksha Parishad inGorakhpur, the Chief Ministersaid that students should stead-fastly follow their career andwork hard and after achievingtheir goals, they should usetheir expertise for the better-ment of the state.

“Uttar Pradesh is home toover 21 crore people. The stateis bestowed with resources butmajority of them haveremained unharnessed. Theprevious governments have

ignored this state and usedthese resources for their per-sonal gains. The BJP govern-ment’s policy is to make use ofthese resources not only to edu-cate youth but also to give thememployment,” the ChiefMinister added.

Yogi pointed out it was nosecret that flight of educatedyouths from UP to other stateswas high. He said youths fromUP were working in Chennai,Hyderabad, Mumbai,Bengaluru and even in Bengalbecause they did not getemployment in UP despiteattaining high degrees.

“This BJP government iscommitted to ensuringemployment to youths in UPitself. The talent of UP shouldbe used for the development ofthe state,” he said.

The Chief Minister saidthat UP had framed a newindustrial policy and entre-

preneurs had now evincedinterest to invest in UP. “Thisinterest has germinated fromthe fact that this BJP govern-ment is able to provide a busi-ness-friendly atmosphere.Once the investments startcoming, the job avenues willopen and this in turn will helpyouths in getting jobs,” headded.

“The basic point is that thestudents should acquire knowl-

edge by leading an austere life.The flashy lifestyle leads to thepath of confusion. The bestexample is the lifestyle ofMaharana Pratap. The storygoes that he ate ‘rotis’ made ofgrass but remained determinedon his resolve to defeat theMughals. That resolve shouldfind reflection in the studentsof modern days,” the ChiefMinister said.

Union Minister of State forHRD Satyapal Singh said thatthe Union government hadintroduced new chapters toeducate students about India’shistory. “But students shouldinculcate the ‘sanskar’ and her-itage of India,” he added.

On the occasion, the ChiefMinister honoured meritoriousstudents. Local MLA RadhaMohan Das Agarwal,Mahendra Pal, Fateh BahadurSingh and Sheetal Pandey alsoaddressed the gathering.

Contribute to UP development, Yogi to youths

Gangrape victimseeks man’s help,raped again in cityPNS n LUCKNOW

Two acquaintances of aminor girl, who is suffering

from blood cancer, raped her inthe name of helping her inreaching home and later aban-doned her in the forest cover inSarojini Nagar police stationarea on Saturday night. The ill-fated girl somehow reachedSarojini Nagar-Bijnaur roadand sought help from a com-muter who also raped her andsped off leaving her bleedingprofusely.

As per reports, the girl leftfor the weekly market around4.30 pm on Saturday. When shewas leaving for home, heracquaintances Shubham andSumit, both of same village inwhich the girl resides, met herand offered to ferry her home.The unsuspecting girl sat ontheir bike and left for home.However, on the way, Shubhamdrove the bike to a secludedplace. They gagged the girl andtook turns to rape her. Theylater escaped from the scene.The visibly petrified girl some-how reached the main roadfrom the forest cover around 11pm on Saturday. She wasunable to walk or speak prop-erly. A little later a man, whowas later identified as VirendraYadav of Banthra, happened topass near the scene. She soughtVirendra help so that she couldreach home. Instead of helping

her, Virendra took her to alonely place and raped her toobefore fleeing the scene.

The victim remained lyingat the crime scene for hoursand later she moved to Bijnaurpolice outpost of Sarojini Nagarwhich is about three kilometresaway from her home. She nar-rated her ordeal to policemenwho contacted the family andlater the girl was sent for med-ical examination.

The police hushed up theissue till afternoon and sharedthe details only after theyarrested Virendra, who waslater identified by the victim.The police also arrested Sumit.

The incident exposed thelax police patrolling duringnight in the area. The area isprone to incidents like loot,road holdup and snatchingfrom commuters and seniorofficials had instructed thelocal police to intensifypatrolling at night. Sumit toldpolice that he and Shubhamtook her to the forest cover(near Bijnaur police station)and raped her around 6.30pm. Sources in Police depart-ment said the girl remainedlying on the road for hours anddid not get any help by 11 pm.“Had the police team beenpatrolling, the girl would havegot help and she would nothave suffered sexual exploita-tion at the hand of Virendra,”sources disclosed.

city 02LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017

QUICK TAKES

PNS/PTI n LUCKNOW

Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam SinghYadav is of the view that Congress

leader Mani Shankar Aiyar should beexpelled from the party for his “neech”remark against Prime Minister NarendraModi.

“The word neech used for the PrimeMinister by a Congress leader is certainlywrong... A person who has uttered such astatement should not just be suspended, butexpelled from the party,” Yadav toldreporters in Etawah.

Yadav said positive politics had virtu-ally vanished, and “politics of mud-slinging”had become a common phenomena.

“There has been a paradigm shift in thecountry’s politics. Sakaratmak rajniti (pos-itive politics) has virtually vanished, and pol-itics of mud-slinging (keechad uchhalane kirajniti) has become a common phenomena,”Yadav said.

Aiyar was suspended from the Congressearlier this week after he called the PrimeMinister a “neech kism ka aadmi” (vile sortof man).

“The prevailing circumstances in thecountry, and the way the government isfunctioning, there is a need for a big move-ment, and in coming time a movement willbe launched,” Yadav said.

The former Chief Minister of UttarPradesh said that almost all sections of thesociety were worried. “During our regime,we had given priority to roads, education,health, drinking water and electricity. Thisgave employment to youngsters, and alsodeveloped the state,” he said.

Meanwhile in Rampur, taking a dig atthe Congress over Mani Shankar Aiyar’s“neech” remark against Narendra Modi,Union Minister of State for ParliamentaryAffairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sundaysaid the party was “roaming around withaxes and chisels to damage the tree rootsnourished by their ancestors”.

He said the Congress was busy tarnish-ing the image of the Prime Minister and cre-ating hurdles in his path of development.

“When the Narendra Modi governmentis marching ahead on the path of develop-ment, they (Congress leaders) are busy cre-ating anti-development chaos by fielding ele-ments like Mani Shankar Aiyar,” Naqvi said.

Naqvi also asked the Congress to clar-ify “who taught such abusive language totheir leaders”.

He added that the “real face of Congress”would be revealed after the announcementof Gujarat poll results on December 18.

The Union minister asserted that underthe National Democratic Alliance govern-ment, employment opportunities forminorities had seen a rise. “Central govern-ment jobs for those from minority commu-nity have shot up from 5 per cent to 9.5 percent during the last three years,” he said.

In Mathura, Union Minister Uma Bhartisaid the Congress suspended Mani ShankarAiyar after his controversial remark againstPrime Minister Narendra Modi just to getrid of him as he had become a burden onthe party.

Talking to reporters in Vrindavan onSaturday evening, she said, the Congress waslooking for a way to get rid of Aiyar.

“It (the Congress) found an easy way toexpel Aiyar after his utterances against PrimeMinister Modi,” the Union Minister forDrinking Water and Sanitation said.

Bharti said, if the Congress really prac-tices ethics, it should first expel its presidentSonia Gandhi for her remarks againstModi. “During the Lok Sabha elections in2014, Sonia had allegedly termed Modi as‘Maut Ka Saudagar’,” she said. On cleaningof rivers, she said lack of coordinationamong officers had hampered the work.

Earlier, Uma Bharti paid a visit to SaintVijay Kaushal Maharaj in Nikunj VanAshram, Vrindavan.

She also patted the BJP government inUttar Pradesh saying there had been a sig-nificant improvement in law and order inthe state under the Yogi Adityanath dispen-sation. She parried questions on her possi-ble return to state politics as she expressedher commitment for the cleanliness ofrivers.

PNS n LUCKNOW

Sleuths of the Special TaskForce of Uttar Pradesh bust-

ed a gang of fraudsters dupinginnocent customers of a well-known online shopping portaland nabbed 18 of its members,including six females, fromDelhi.

Those arrested were iden-tified as Ratnesh Gupta, AbidAli, Ritik, Udham Baliyan,Ashutosh, Rahul, Alam Khan,Kamal and Gulfarz Alam, all ofDelhi, Rahul of Ghaziabad andShubham of Haryana. Thewoman gang members wereidentified as Lavyajot, Manju,Usha, Khushi, Neelam, Muskanand Amrita Kumari, all ofDelhi.

The cops recovered 28 cellphones, a laptop, customerdata record of the portal, 8bank pass books and otherrelated documents.

The crackdown came afternational nodal security officerof Myntra.com informed theSTF that some gang was dup-ing their online customers bypersuading them to depositcash in their bank accounts.

He also complained thatthe fraudsters had secured thecustomer data record of theportal and were luring the cus-tomers to deposit the cash bypromising them bumper prizesfor online purchases they madesome time back.

The case was handed overto the STF which collected

details of the phone numbersfrom which the victims had gotthe call about the bumper prizeoffer.

It surfaced that the gangwas making calls to the cus-tomers through different callcentres which it had opened indifferent parts of the country.On the basis of digital analysis,the sleuths tracked down a callcentre located in Dwarika areaof Delhi. A team later raidedthe call centre and rounded up18 persons working there.

However, the gang leaderand his brother managed toescape.

During interrogation, thearrested gang members dis-closed that the call centre wasrun by Yogendra Chaudharyand his brother SandeepChaudhary, both of Mathura.They also disclosed thatYogendra used to secure cus-tomer data in connivance withthe officials of the e-commerceportal and that they hadsecured customer data ofanother online shopping por-tal besides Myntra.

About the modus operan-di, they disclosed that they gotthe money deposited in e-wal-lets once a customer wastrapped and later got the cashtransferred to Yogendra’s bankaccount.

A case has been registeredat the Cyber Police station ofSTF in Noida and efforts are onto track down the gang leaderand his brother.

Lucknow (PNS): The YogiAdityanath government willseek approval for its first supple-mentary budgetary grants dur-ing the brief winter session of theUttar Pradesh Legislature, com-mencing on December 14. Thesession is expected to end byDecember 22. The supplemen-tary budget to the tune ofaround ̀ 15,000 crore is expect-ed to be tabled in the Assemblyon December 18 and is likely tobe passed on December 20.

Principal Secretary(Assembly) Pradeep KumarDubey said on Sunday that thebusiness advisory committee ofthe House would meet onDecember 13 to chalk out theagenda. He said an all-partymeeting had been convened bySpeaker Hriday Narayan Dikshiton the same day.

This will be the second ses-sion of the 17th Assembly. Thefirst session was held from May15 to July 27, in which Rs 3.84lakh crore budget was passed.

The opposition parties havedecided to hold their respectivelegislature party meetings onDecember 12 and 13 to chalkout their strategy. CongressLegislature Party leader AjayKumar Lalu said that the oppo-sition leaders would sit togeth-er next week to decide a com-mon agenda to counter theBharatiya Janata Party govern-ment in the state legislature.

During the last session, theopposition had boycotted pro-ceedings on the last five days,alleging that they were notallowed to speak by the BJP.

PNS n LUCKNOW

AMuslim woman was given instantdivorce by her husband on Friday

after she attended a function to hailPrime Minister Narendra Modi forproposing a stringent law to preventtriple talaq in the country.

The victim woman, Fayra, toldreporters in Bareilly on Sunday that herhusband gave her triple talaq after shewent to attend a rally organised to thankPrime Minister Narendra Modi for hisgovernment’s plan to bring a legislationto ban instant triple talaq.

But Fayra’s husband, Danish, gaveanother reason for his action. “I gave hertalaq over her extramarital affairs,” hesaid. “I didn’t give her triple talaq. Shehad an extramarital affair, so I divorcedher. Her uncle keeps threatening me.She always wears jeans and things likethat. I don’t want to keep my wife withme. This has nothing to do withModiji’s rally,” Danish said.

Fayra further alleged that her hus-band Danish had an affair with his auntand had a son with her.

“My husband has an affair with hisaunt and even has a son with her. Hekept telling me he would give medivorce. When I came back from therally On Friday, he said PM Modi couldnot do anything to harm him and gaveme triple talaq. He beat up my child andme and threw us out of the house,” Fayraalleged.

Meanwhile, the police said that noone had contacted them over this issueand the woman had not given any appli-cation in this regard.

However, this issue found an echoin the Gujarat Assembly election wherethe Bharatiya Janata Party raised thisissue.

Recently, many Muslim womenheld rallies across UP for thanking thePM’s move to bring a law against tripletalaq.

PNS n LUCKNOW

Former Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav has asked

traders and the business com-munity to get rid of the tag ofbeing the traditional and com-mitted voters of BharatiyaJanata Party and support theSamajwadi Party which alonefights for protecting their inter-ests.

The Samajwadi Party pres-ident said the BJP governmenthad inflicted a huge blow to theeconomy by demonetisationand the Goods and ServicesTax.

“Farmers and traders arethe twin pillars of economy andcrucial for its growth. The BJP,by implementing GST anddemonetisation, has brokenthe backbone of this pair. It ishigh time that the traders andbusiness community reconsid-er their support to the BJP,” theSP president said whileaddressing a meeting of the UPUdyog Vyapar Sangathan at theparty state office here onSunday.

“The Samajwadi Party,during the recent urban localbodies’ elections, gave tickets tothe traders and it is high timethat they consider shifting theirallegiance lock stock and bar-rel from the BJP and get rid ofthe tag of being the pocket bor-ough of the saffron party,”Akhilesh Yadav said.

He added, “During the2014 Lok Sabha elections andthis year’s state Assembly polls,the traders had overwhelming-ly supported the BJP but thesaffron party not only disap-pointed them but ruined thetrade and the economy bydemonetisation and imple-mentation of the Goods and

Services Tax.”“The traders are the most

insecure community in thestate under the BJP rule. In sev-eral crime cases, big traders andbusinessman have been lootedin Mathura, Sitapur, Varanasiand they are living in constantfear of threat to their life andproperty as the state police areyet to work out the cases,” theSP president said.

Akhilesh said the traders,during the recent elections tothe urban local bodies, hadexpressed their disapproval ofthe BJP policies and this hadresulted in a big setback to the

ruling party candidates.He said close to 45 per cent

of the BJP candidates had for-feited their security deposits inthe civic polls and the rulingparty’s vote share had alsodipped.

SP general secretary andRajya Sabha member RamGopal Yadav said “it is a mat-ter of deep regret that whenev-er there are elections to the stateAssembly or Parliament, thetraders vote for the BJP as if itis their habit”. He said the BJPpolicy had ruined the smalltraders, especially those in theunorganised sector and as

many as 25,000 businessmenhad shifted their businesses toother countries after demoneti-sation and implementation ofGST.

SP Rajya Sabha memberand president of UP UdyogVyapar Sangathan, NareshAgarwal, said n view of theanti-trade and anti-businesspolicies of the BJP, the tradersshould extend their support tothe SP.

He said the traders shouldgive a befitting reply to the BJPin the 2019 Lok Sabha by vot-ing against the ruling party atthe Centre and in UP.

PNS n LUCKNOW

The UP government saidthat in future, roads witha minimum width of

seven metres or two laneswould be constructed in thestate.

The government alsoannounced to set up a high-level technical committee tostudy and approve new tech-nology that would be adoptedfor building cost-efficient, envi-ronment-friendly and durableroads in the state.

Addressing a press confer-ence on Sunday, Deputy ChiefMinister Keshav Prasad Maurya,who holds the PWD portfolio,said that the technical commit-tee would consist of experts fromthe field of road developmentand from Indian Institutes ofTechnology (IITs) and otherrenowned institutions.

The decision to constitutethe technical committee wastaken on the recommenda-tions of experts who participat-ed in the two-day LucknowConference on RoadTechnology which ended hereon Saturday.

Union Road Transport andHighways Minister NitinGadkari, UP Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath, PWD minis-ters from 14 states and techni-cal experts from several IITs,CRRI, United Kingdom, theNetherlands and Germanyattended the conference.

Maurya said all the roadsto be constructed in futurewould be of a minimum twolanes. He said the existingroads would be widened up to

10 metres while the new ones,constructed with new tech-nology, would be not less thanseven metre wide.

“Now all the roads in UPwould be constructed using thelatest technology that wouldensure durability of at least 20years against the existing fiveyears. The adoption of newtechnology is likely to reduce thecost by 30 per cent as the debrisof old roads would be recycled,”Maurya said.

The Deputy Chief Ministersaid that the UP government

would adopt road technologiesbeing used in Bihar andMaharashtra in some parts ofthe state. Also to be introducedis the ‘road ambulance’ systemfor repairing potholes.

Maurya, however, said thatthough Chief Minister YogiAdityanath had given time tillDecember 31 to make all statehighways in the state pothole-free, it might take some moretime. “I can assure the peopleof the state that all the roads willbe free of potholes very soon,”he said.

Reiterating that theBharatiya Janata Party govern-ment in the state would notcompromise on corruption andirregularities in road construc-tion, Maurya said that verysoon a meeting of contractorswould be held to share withthem details of the new roadtechnology. The contractorswould also be apprised of thegovernment’s decision of fixingthe responsibility of maintainingroad for 20 years after its con-struction, he added.

Commenting on third-party

inspection of roads, the PWDMinister said an order to thiseffect had been issued and itwould provide ‘third eye’ to thegovernment for keeping a checkon the quality of roads.

“UP is among the five statesin the country which has pur-chased the most ultra-modernroad quality checking equip-ment,” he added.

Asked about the prepara-tions for the January 2019Kumbh Mela in Allahabad,Maurya said all the works wouldbe completed by October 2018.

Printed and Published by Vijay Prakash Singh for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226016 and Printed at Tin Tin Printech Pvt Ltd., C-33 Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow. Tel: (0522) 2438656 / 9336266608.

Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: Vijay Prakash Singh. RNI No. 2016/57. Lucknow Telephones: EPABX: 4036600 Fax: 2345582. Allahabad Office: (95532) 2420818, 2421018, 3290460. Kanpur Office: (95512) 2304006, 2304416. Varanasi Office: (95542) 2414294, 2414295. Delhi

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UP to have wide, durable roads: Maurya

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya (centre) releasing a booklet on the recommendations of Lucknow Conference on Road Technology, in the state capital on Sunday Pioneer

Yogi govt may tablefirst supplementary budget on Dec 18

Gang duping online

shoppers busted

Akhilesh seeks traders’ support

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav being garlanded at the traders’ conference organised by UP Udyog VyaparSangathan in Lucknow on Sunday Pioneer

Woman given tripletalaq for attending rally to hail Modi

Aiyar should be expelled from

Cong for ‘neech’ remark: MSY

MINOR RAPED BY UNCLEBarabanki: A 12-year-old girl was

allegedly raped by her uncle in a village inSubeha area here, police said on Sunday.The incident took place when the girl wasalone in her house on Saturday and heruncle Rakesh Kumar Gupta raped her. Theaccused has been arrested and policehave sent the girl for medical examination.

CANTEEN OWNER STONED TODEATH

Muzaffarnagar: A 32-year-old can-teen owner was allegedly stoned to deathby unidentified persons at Jansath townhere, police said on Sunday. The incidenttook place on Saturday night when the vic-tim, Abid, was returning home after work,Circle Officer SKS Pratap said. A case hasbeen registered in this regard and the bodyhas been sent for postmortem.

MINOR GIRL ABDUCTED, RAPEDMuzaffarnagar: A 16-year-old girl

was allegedly abducted and raped by a

youth in new mandi area here, police saidon Sunday. An FIR has been registeredagainst Manoj Kumar, Ravinder and hiswife under relevant sections of IndianPenal Code and Protection of Childrenfrom Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,2012, police said. According to the com-plaint, the girl was picked up by Manojwith the help of the other two accused onSaturday night. She was later raped byManoj. Efforts were on trace the trio,police said.

35 COUNTRY-MADE PISTOLSRECOVERED, TWO ARRESTED

Lucknow: Two persons have beenarrested by the Special Task Force of UttarPradesh Police from Bareilly for theiralleged involvement in illicit armstrade.Prahlad and Mallu Maurya werearrested on Saturday by the STF on a tip-off and 35 country-made pistols were recovered from their possession.During interrogation, both of them con-fessed to their involvement in illicitarms trade.

Teenager among two killed in road accidents

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n ALLAHABAD

Two persons, including ateenaged girl, were killed in

separate road accidents in thecity.

In a tragic incident a 17-year-old girl was killed while herelder sister sustained grievousinjuries when the scooty onwhich they were returning homewas hit by a speeding car nearChauphatka under theDhoomanganj police station lateon Saturday night.

According to a report, Raju,a resident of Sulemsarai, is theincharge of a workshop belong-ing to an automobile companylocated in Civil Lines here.

He along with his family livesin his house located in front ofthe Rajdev Inter College,Sulemsarai. His two daughters,Puja (20) and Priya (17), were

returning home from the ShilpHaat Mela after shopping around11 pm on Saturday.

When they reached near theChauphatka railway crossing,two Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle-borne persons overtook themand in the process the girl lostcontrol over the scooty and a carwhich was coming from behindknocked them down.

Both the girls fell on the roadbleeding profusely. Priya whowas sitting on the pillion wasbadly injured when she cameunder the wheels of the car.

Both of them were rushed toSRN Hospital where the doctorson duty pronounced Priya asbrought dead.

However, the condition ofher elder sister, Puja, was statedto be precarious.

According to the inspector ofthe Cantonment area, the where-

abouts of both the car and themotorcycle-borne persons werebeing traced.

However, an FIR had beenlodged against an unidentifiedcar driver on a complaint beingmade by the family members ofthe victim.

In another incident a 45-year-old man who was returningafter attending a marriage cere-

mony was crushed to death by aspeeding truck near a marketunder the Industrial Area policestation in the wee hours onSunday.

On being informed, thepolice reached the spot, took thebody of the victim into its cus-tody and sent it to the mortuaryfor the post-mortem examina-tion.

According to a report, SanjayKumar, son of Suryapal, a resi-dent of Naini area, used to workas a labourer at the FCI godownhere.

He had gone to attend a mar-riage ceremony in Allahpur areaon Saturday.

After attending it he wasreturning to the FCI godown inthe wee hours on Sunday whenthe truck coming from the oppo-site direction hit him near themarket under the Industrial Area

police station killing him on thespot.

The truck driver, however,managed to escape from thespot along with it.


PRIYANKA SHARMA n LUCKNOW

The Cardiology departmentof Sanjay Gandhi Post

Graduate Institute of MedicalSciences (SGPGIMS) is cater-ing to patients from states likeBihar, Madhya Pradesh anddistricts of eastern UttarPradesh but what is laudatoryis that it is taking just two days’of time to provide completerelief.

“From registration, diag-nosis to performing interven-tional surgeries, our depart-ment has a rapid turnover ofpatients. Due to our fast pro-cedures, we admit patients forvery less time,” said Dr PKGoel, head of the Cardiologydepartment, SGPGIMS.

As patient load has beenincreasing, the Out PatientDepartment (OPD) runs forstraight 12 hours, from 8 in themorning till 8 in the night for

all six days. “If the patient haswillingness and resources liketime and money, right fromregistration, history examina-tion, and on the basis of resultsof non-intensive tests per-formed on the first day, weimmediately take a call and ifinvasive or interventionalsurgery is required, we do it thenext day,” said Dr Goel.

Everyday, the departmentreceives 50-60 new patients.“Of these 60 new cases, 15 casesrequire interventional surg-eries. So per day, we cater to 15patients requiring such surg-eries,” said Dr Goel.

Managing a rapid turnoverwith just 55 beds, the depart-ment has been using recentprocedures like radial angiog-raphy which is done througharteries present in the arm.“Earlier, we used to do coro-nary procedures through groinroute. Because of that route, the

patient had to lie down withstraight legs for up to 6-8hours. But through the recentdiagnostic procedure involvingradial route, patient can easilybe back to his or her feet in next3 hours,” said the doctor.

On a daily basis, five com-plicated surgeries involvingcases like calcification of heart,chronic total occlusion, leftmain coronary artery are per-formed in the department.

The department alsoboasts of low mortality ratepost diagnosis of such patients.For routine surgeries which areinvasive, the mortality rateamong such patients is 1.5 percent. Patients who come withacute heart attack problem,the rate is around 3-4 per cent.“These figures are best as nodepartment can go down fur-ther than this,” said Dr Goel.

Started last year inFebruary, the department has

also been providing facilities forvalve replacement surgeries.So far, 6 such surgeries havebeen performed by the depart-ment.

However, long treatmenttime taken by other depart-ments in the institute has beenaffecting the image ofCardiology department. “Foremergency cases like acuteheart attack, we get very fewpatients. With a dedicated staffalways on guard, within 90minutes we can open the arter-ies of the patient having heartattack and save his life provid-ed the patient comes here,” saidthe doctor.

Among all the private andpublic speciality hospitals hav-ing Cardiology department inthe country, SGPGIMS’sCardiology department hasbeen ranked at 13th spot in aprestigious survey for the cur-rent year.

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

Lucknow DevelopmentAuthority (LDA) will play a

significant role in developingupcoming residential coloniesof Nagar Nigam despite UPminister Suresh Khanna’s claimthat the civic authority wouldconstruct the place of dwellingon its own without dependingon other agencies.

The minister had said at afunction last week while trans-ferring LDA land sizing 50acres located at different placesto Nagar Nigam for construct-ing 5,000 flats for commoners.LDA Vice-Chairman PN Singhsaid that the authority wouldgive the best possible technicalassistance to Nagar Nigam indeveloping its projects.

It is not possible for NagarNigam to construct full-fledgedresidential colonies withoutseeking technical assistancefrom agencies engaged indeveloping the real estate. Onthe other hand other, the LDAhas Town Planning depart-ment with an experienced teamof experts who are specialisedin urban development andplanning places of dwelling. Onthe other hand, Nagar Nigamhas no such team of well-versed civil engineers.

LDA joint secretary DShukla said Nagar Nigam alsohad another option to seektechnical assistance for its pro-jects from Awas Vikas Parishadwhich had strong infrastruc-ture of civil engineering todevelop flats. It is said that theLNN has not yet approachedany of these agencies. Presently,Nagar Nigam is busying in tak-ing the possession of the landgiven by the LDA.


One bag full of utensils, veg-etables and foodgrains,

while the other bag full of win-ter clothes, Sudevi and her hus-band Gokaran have been livingin the open on the campus ofKing George’s MedicalUniversity (KGMU) for the last3 months. Gokaran, 55, hasrecently been operated. Sincean year, he has been sufferingfrom throat cancer. A native ofBarabanki district, Gokaranand his wife do not have anychildren.

On a small 1 kilogram(kg) cylinder, Sudevi is cook-ing khichdi as Gokaran cannothave solid food. “His radiationtherapy is going on. He facesdifficulty in swallowing solidfood items. I mostly cook semisolid meals like porridge,khichdi or at times daal-chaw-al,” said Sudevi.

Seven years back, Sudeviwas operated in KGMU for acancer in her uterus. As sherecovered successfully, the cou-ple’s faith stands firm in thetreatment provided by the hos-pital. For the treatment ofGokaran’s throat cancer so far,the family of two, dependenton farming and agriculturallabour jobs for their survival,has spent more than Rs 50,000.“We earlier went to a privatehospital in our district for histreatment. We spent around Rs20,000 there for the treatment.

However, the doctor referredus to KGMU as he feared thattumour might grow again,”said Sudevi. As Gokaran needsfive sessions of radiation ther-apy every week, travelling toand fro from Barabanki is notpossible. “We cannot afford liv-ing in a rented place or hotel.Hence, we have been living onthe campus,” said Gokaran.

The couple visits theirhome in the village only onweekends, that too, if Gokaran’shealth permits. “We couldn’t goto our home this weekend ashe has been having fever,” saidSudevi. As the duo has beenliving in the capital for the last3 months, the expenses havebeen mounting. “Every week,the cylinder needs to be refu-elled. Fruits and milk costaround Rs 100 every day. Atweekends, as we need to goback to our home to get smallsupplies of foodgrains likepulses, flour and rice, we spendaround Rs 320 on bus fare.Every week, the supply of hismedicines needs to berestored,” said Sudevi.

The small family has beenspending around Rs 2400 fortheir survival every month. “Asour expenditure has beenincreasing, we are already car-rying a debt burden of Rs15000,” says Gokaran withtears in his eyes. For the lastone year as Gokaran has notbeen keeping well, the familyhasn’t had any income from

any source. “When I was well,I used to work on my farm. Attimes, when the income fromfarm was less, I used to take upwork provided throughMahatma Gandhi NationalRural Employment GuaranteeAct (MGNREGA) pro-gramme,” said Gokaran.

The duo have been side-lined as relatives are of theopinion that they might beasked for some form of finan-cial help by them. “When wego back from here, nobodyasks us about our well beingthinking that we might ask forsome help from them,” saidSudevi.

As he has been told to haveonly home-made food, Sudevisits in the open and cooks threemeals for herself and her hus-band every day. At night, whenthe cold becomes unbearable,both shift to one of the corri-dors in the hospital and sleepthere. Last week, Sudevi lostone of her calves. “She haddelivered just a few monthsback. Once we return to ourvillage after the radiation ther-apy gets over, we will have tofetch milk from dairy farms asour cow currently cannot givemuck milk,” said Sudevi.

With battles on the homefront with relatives, with risingexpenditures and a disturbedhealth, the duo, though eyesfull of tears, are still hopefulabout leading a healthy and ahappy life together.


Lucknow Metro RailCorporation has receiveda no objection certificate

(NOC) from the NationalMonument Authority for sevenmonuments on the north-south corridor. The monu-ments include Maqbara Sa’adatAli Khan, Sapphers Tomb,Victoria Memorial, Neil Gate,Western Tower, Southern Wall,Moti Mahal, Cemetry RajaIncha Singh Premises andTomb of Mushir Zaidi.

Most of these monumentsare located near the under-ground corridor of theLucknow Metro stretch fromCharbagh to KD Singh ‘Babu’Stadium and near the elevatedcorridor from the stadium toMunshipulia.

Meanwhile, LMRC man-aging director Kumar Keshavreviewed the ongoing con-struction work under thenorth-south corridor fromCharbagh ramp section toHazratganj. He was accompa-nied by LMRC officials, generalconsultants and M/s TataGulermak team. Starting theinspection from Charbaghramp section, he oversaw theinstallation works for tunnelboring machine (TBM) and

also took stock of the ongoingconstruction work on Haidercanal. The managing directoralso inspected the Hussainganjunderground Metro station

where the work of roof slab andconcourse slab has been com-pleted. Keshav also soughtinformation from the executivebody about the ongoing works

of TBM. With the removal ofthe TBM (up line) fromHussainganj, it is being imple-mented in the ramp section ofCharbagh. The second TBM

(down line) will be breakingthrough from Hussainganj inthe next week. He alsoreviewed the construction workat Hazaratganj Metro stationwhere 75 out of 143 diaphragmwalls with 40 metres of roofslab have been constructed.

Meanwhile, director ofRolling Stock and SystemsMahendra Kumar inauguratedthe state-of-the-art Technicaland Investigation Centre forMetro train in the TransportNagar depot.

“For this, a new buildinghas been constructed by M/sAlstom Transport. It has thefacilities for supervision andmonitoring of the Metro trainsduring its defect and liability,testing and commissioning,quality and safety and the sig-nalling system. Separate cellshave been formed to look aftereach department. It will alsoaccommodate experts onrolling stock and signallingfrom various countries likeFrance, Malaysia, South Koreaand other countries.

It has added another feath-er for Lucknow Metro byensuring added technical val-ues and excellence to the rollingstock, signaling and opera-tions as per the internationalstandards.

LMRC gets NOC for 7 monuments

LMRC managing director Keshav Kumar reviewing constrction work Pioneer

Battling cancer in open

with hope in heart

LNN needs help

of experts in

developing

colonies

PGI Cardiology department justtoo quick in patients’ care

Woollens and items of daily need being distributed among the poor by an organisation at the entrance of Christ ChurchCollege in Lucknow on Sunday Pioneer

Members of social organisations holding a demonstration at GPO in protest against ‘love jehad’ on the occasion of World Human Rights Day on Sunday Pioneer


The two-day annualchr ysanthemum and

coleus show organised by theCSIR-NBRI came to the endon Sunday evening. The site ofdifferent varieties of flowerselated visitors comprisingevery age group. Childrenenjoyed the flower show alongwith their parents.

The closing ceremony wasorganised at the open air the-atre of the institute amidst thevast array of chrysanthemumand splendid varieties ofcoleus. CIMAP director AKTripathi was the chief guest ofthe show and distributedprizes to winners.

This year Manju Shankerfrom Vrindavan Yojna andRanjeeta Agarwal, a residentof Madan Mohan MalviyaMarg, stood first by winninga total of 5 trophies eachwhile Tata Motors, DewaRoad, Headquarters, CentralCommand, Achal Green fromEldeco Colony andHindustan AeronauticsLimited (HAL), FaizabadRoad, secured the secondposition by winning two tro-phies each.

Besides, La MartiniereJunior School and SandeepRastogi bagged the third posi-

tion by winning one trophy. Atotal of 382 prizes (112 first,95 second and 175 commen-

dation) were distributed.Ranjeeta Agrawal fromMadan Mohan Malviya Marg

occupied the first position bywinning a total of 23 prizes(10 first, 5 second and 8commendation) followed byLa Martiniere Junior School,Kalidas Marg, secured 19prizes (10 first, 3 second and6 commendation) and TataMotors, Deva Road, with 25prizes (7 first, 6 second and 12commendation), Tilku PrasadPrajapati from Motijheel with9 prizes (7 first, 1 second and1 commendation) stood atthird position. Tripathi in hisaddress congratulated theinstitute for releasing a newvariety of chrysanthemumnamed ‘NBRI Him Jyoti’. Healso called on for more par-ticipants to take part in theupcoming flower shows withgreat enthusiasm.

At the start of the prizedistribution function, CSIR-NBRI director SK Barik, whilewelcoming the guests, saidthat CSIR-NBRI was workinghard to popularise floricul-ture. He mentioned that therewas need of improvement infloriculture business especial-ly with chrysanthemum andother cut flowers. In the end,chief scientist RS Katiyar pro-posed a vote of thanks.

Flower show ends with prize distribution

Winners of NBRI flower show with CIMAP director AK Tripathi Pioneer

AAI holds cervical cancer

screening camp


The Airport Authority ofIndia (AAI) held a cervical

screening camp in Chillawanslum area on Saturday in thepresence of Sneh Sharma fromKalyanmayee and Dr NishaSingh from AOGIN. As many as21 women from underprivi-leged section of the society werescreened. Airport officials saidthat under corporate socialresponsibility, AAI had takenseveral steps to sustain andempower the underprivilegedcommunities near its airportsand provide necessary help insocio-economic developmentof the region.

AAI is working in health,sanitation, paper recycling, ruralsports education and skill devel-opment. “Kalyanmayee-Airports Authority of IndiaWomen Welfare Association(AAIWWA) is an extendedarm of AAI, committed varioussocial welfare activities inhealthcare, education, environ-ment and Swachh Bharat mis-sion for the benefit of society atlarge across the length and

breadth of the country.Recently, AAI gave the respon-sibility to Kalyanmayee-AAI-WWA to organise a series ofcervical screening camps at 12cities in the consequent

The total fund allocated is`1.38 crore for three years. Themain objectives are to improveawareness about cervical can-cer, to improve awareness aboutgeneral good health-seekingbehaviour, nutrition, etc, tocarry out screening for pre-cancerous and cancerous cer-vical lesions by Pap smear, to

treat minor gynaecologicalcomplaints and to facilitatehospital visit for women detect-ed to be screen positive andcomplete treatment as required.

“The target group forscreening is women aged 30-60years, which is the most appro-priate age for cancer screening.The exclusivity of these campsis not just screening but toimprove awareness about gen-eral good health-seekingbehavior, nutrition, cervicaland breast cancer, the twomost common cancers in India.


Bid to facilitate growers to get

mango plants protected


CISH director ShailendraRajan said on Sunday that

they were facilitating farmers ingetting their plants protectedunder the PPV & FRA Act(Protection of Plant Varietiesand Farmers Right Act).

He added that CISH,Lucknow, had been identifiedas the National DUS(Distinctive Uniformity andStability) Testing Centre formango by the PVA & FRAAuthority.

“The institute developedthe DUS test guidelines formango and assists PPV & FRAAuthority in the registration ofmango varieties. We facilitatedregistration of Malihabadmango varieties like Pan,August, Tukhmi Heera, SafedaAmin, Safeda Taluqedar,Jamun, Matka Gola, Aamin,Munjjar Aamin, DeshiRamkela, Kachhameetha,Dushiya Gola, AllahabadiChausa, Deshi Gola, Shweta,Taimuriya, Surkha Jafarbagh,Gol bhadaiyaan, NawabPasand, Aamin Khurd,Markeara, Nayab, Shamshul-us- Samar, Gilas, Aamin Tehsil,Bhagwant Khera, Johri Safeda,Aamin Abbasi, Aamin AbdulAhad Khan, Lakhnava Safedaand Surraiya.Twentyfivemango varieties fromMalihabad are under the

process of registration and datahas been collected for submis-sion to the Authority so thatregistration certificates areissued,” he said.

He said that the effortswere made by creating aware-ness among the farmers andcommunities. “It was the resultof these activities that 37 farm-ers and community varietieswere documented with a com-munity participatory approachand applications submitted fortheir registration. In the mean-time the Authority approvedonsite DUS testing of mangovarieties and the Institute col-lected data on these varietieswith the help of farmers. Weare hopeful that the certifica-tion process will be completednext year and certificates willbe issued by the Authority,” saidShailesh Rajan. He said thatapart from Malihabad, theinstitute had taken up aware-ness programme for registra-tion/conservation of mangovarieties at Murshidabad (WestBengal) which was one of therichest hotspots for mangovarieties.

“Even after a lot of genet-ic erosion, farmers are stillmaintaining good collectionsof mangoes in their orchards.As a result 50 applications forregistration have been submit-ted to the PPV& FRAAuthority. There is a lot in

common in mango varieties atMurshidabad and Malihabadas during the Nawabi daysmango lovers used to exchangemango grafts of unique vari-eties with each other. Thisexchange has benefited in con-serving the heritage of mangoesat Malihabad, Hyderabad andMurshidabad,” he said.

He said that it was impor-tant in the light of the fact that100 varieties from India hadgone to different parts of theworld and it was essential toassign the ownership on theseindigenous mangoes. Indianvarieties either developed byfarmers or breeders should beregistered and documentedand might prove useful inresolving IPR issues related tothe ownership of the variety.

The director said thiswould also help the farmers inmaking gains commercially. “Alot of research, time as well aseffort goes into developing anew variety and a farmer maywant to get commercial bene-fits for it,” he said. He said thatto provide an effective systemfor the protection of plantvarieties the rights of farmersand plant breeders should beensured to encourage thedevelopment of plants of newvarieties. The Government ofIndia enacted ‘The Protectionof Plant Varieties and Farmers'Rights (PPV& FR) Act, 2001’

adopting the sui generis system.Indian legislation is not only inconformity with theInternational Union for theProtection of New Varieties ofPlants (UPOV), 1978, but alsohas sufficient provisions toprotect the interests of thepublic sector breeding institu-tions and farmers. If a varietyessentially fulfils the criteria ofDistinctiveness, Uniformityand Stability (DUS) it is eligi-ble for registration under theAct. The Government of Indiaissues a notification in officialgazettes specifying the generaand species for the purpose ofregistration of varieties,” headded.

He said that thePPV&FRA had initiated onsiteDUS testing in which a farmeror breeder did not have to sub-mit the varieties to the DUStest centres. “This provisionhas been made because fruittrees take many years to reachthe stage of flowering andtherefore sometimes the regis-tration may take place after adecade. Onsite DUS testingenables registration on thebasis of the data collected ongrown-up trees at the sight offarmer or breeder. Farmers donot have to pay any fee foronsite testing whereas thebreeders have to pay an extrafee for this type of certifica-tion,” he added.

IGNOU to ensure digital inclusion

of rural students


The digital inclusion of ruralstudents will now be a real-

ity in Indira Gandhi NationalOpen University, which hassigned a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) withCommon Services Centre forproviding digital services to itsrural students at nominalcharges. The step will facilitatethe candidates of rural areas toaccess the digital services andenhance the reach of highereducation up to each grampanchayat levels.

According to IGNOUregional director ManoramaSingh, about 40-45 per cent ofstudents enrolled in Lucknoware from rural areas in everyadmission cycle and of them,

more than 50 per cent hail fromremote areas.

“Since IGNOU has gonefor total digitalisation for sub-mission of application andexamination forms, digitalaccess is a need. To facilitate therural and other segments, thecommon service centres can bea boon as they are located atevery gram panchayat leveland have a pan-India network.These centres are being han-dled by village-level entrepre-neurs (VLEs) and to sensitisethem about IGNOU activi-ties,” she said.

She added that a specialtraining and interaction sessionwas being carried out at all 32districts under the jurisdic-tion of IGNOU’s Lucknow cen-tre. “During these training

programmes, a team ofIGNOU officials visit the dis-tricts and sensitise VLEs abouthow they can facilitate theprospective rural candidatesfor applying online for newadmissions into various acad-emic programmes. In the firstphase, these trainings havebeen organised in Hardoi,Banda, Chitrakoot, Sitapur,Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat,Balrampur, Shrawasti, Amethi,Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit andLucknow. The training pro-grammes in the remaining dis-tricts have been planned andthe same will be carried out inthe coming week,” Singh said.

Assistant regional directorAnshuman Upadhyaya saidlocal coordinators were alsobeing involved in the process as

they would be providing localsupport for digital inclusion.

“Since most of the IGNOUactivities are through onlinemode, the CSCs will also behelping the current students forfilling online examination andre-registration forms at mini-mum charges. During the train-ing programmes, it has beenobserved that VLEs, even fromthe remotest areas, are equippedwith latest IT equipment such aslaptops, printers, internet con-nectivity and scanners, whichmay be optimally utilised fordigital inclusion of prospectiverural IGNOU students,”Upadhyaya said. He said that aposter for spreading awarenesshad been designed for CSCs andit was distributed to VLEs dur-ing the training programme.

Enthusiasts enjoy sun-watching event


Indira Gandhi Planetarium,Council of Science and

Technology, organised a sun-watching event at Clock towerin Hussainabad on Sundaymorning. Educator SumitSrivastava said that UPAmeture Astronomers Clubinstalled two solar telescopeswith the help of which solarflares, sun spots, prominencesand solar granules were madevisible to public.

“People coming from dif-ferent streams enjoyed thecelestial experience and werecurious to know about the sunand its properties. Such events

help us know the properties ofdifferent celestial bodies andthe same will be held at differ-ent places in future. IndiraGandhi Planetarium has organ-

ised three night sky-watchingsessions at different placesbefore this event. OnDecember 11, the sun-watch-ing session will be held atLucknow Model Public Schoolin Faridipur,” he said.

He added that solar flareswere a brief eruption of intensehigh-energy radiation fromthe sun’s surface, associatedwith sunspots and causingradio and magnetic distur-bances on the earth because ofthe magnetic effects.

Repertwahr kicks off today


Atheatre fest, Repertwahr,will kick off at Sangeet

Natak Academy on Monday. Aseries of plays directed bySaurabh Shukla will be stagedon the first day.

“It’s for the first time thatthe production of a theatre fes-tival is being done at such alarge scale in Lucknow. Theatreas well as music and stand-upcomedy acts require a sensitiveand subtle ambience. The fes-tival is being set up keeping allthe intricacies in mind,”Repertwahr’s co-founderBhoopesh Rai said.

Rai said there would beseven theatrical acts and thesets would be complex and live-ly at the same time. He point-ed out that eco-friendly itemswere being used for decorationof the venue.

“Another addition to thedecor is doodles while the arti-facts are being hand-painted.Various artistes are also com-ing over from Mumbai,” hesaid. He said that RepertwahrBook Cafe would be put up inthe lawn of Sangeet NatakAcademy.

“The book cafe will beexhibiting over 10,000 books.Readers can read and pur-

chase the books. They can alsoget a signed copy of the booksof artistes performing at the fes-tival. The cafe will also behosting a sketch exhibition,” hesaid.

For plays like ‘Barf ’ and‘Dhumrapaan’, double-storeysets are being constructedwhereas for ‘Loretta’, a specialmachine is being arranged foroperating the curtains. Anotherstage is being set up for musicand comedy performances.The area has been named aswinter moon pavilion whichdraws inspiration from thepleasant winter evenings ofLucknow.

Theft from car

Lucknow (PNS):Unidentified miscreants stole Rs50,000 in cash and valuabledocuments after removing thewindow panes of a business-man’s car in Jankipuram onSaturday night. Reports saidVivek Srivastava lives with hisfamily in sector F of Jankipuram.Around 10.30 pm on Saturday,he returned home in his car andparked it outside. In a hurry, heforgot to pick up the wallet inwhich he had put the cash andregistration papers of the car. OnSunday morning, when he wokeup, he found someone had cutthe window pane of the frontdoor. When he opened the car,he found the wallet missing.

SCHOOLSCAN

ENVIRONMENT OLYMPIAD The second day of International

Environment Olympiad (IEO-2017), organisedby City Montessori School, Gomti Nagar(Campus II), proved to be interesting andthought-provoking. Environmentalists andintellectuals flocked to the venue and proposedways and means to save the environment andthe earth. Students of Bangladesh, Nepal, SriLanka and various states of India participatedin a series of competitions. The event will con-clude at school’s Kanpur road auditorium onDecember 12. The second day of IEO-2017began with an environment workshop, where-in renowned environmentalist from GujaratDeepak Godia spoke on solar energy andrenewable energy. Describing the importance ofplants and natural resources, he said lifestyle hadincreased people’s life but drifted them awayfrom natural resources.

Better website, app soon for infoon UP govt’s development works

Lucknow: Amid theCentre’s thrust on Digital India,the Uttar Pradesh government’sinformation department willsoon upgrade its website toaccelerate dissemination ofnews related to developmentworks and events.

The website — http://infor-mation.up.nic.in/ — will haveall the relevant information ofany government event withinan hour of the programmegetting over, a senior officialsaid.

Also an app version of the

website will be made functionalsoon, director of InformationDepartment Anuj Jha said onSunday. The state governmentplans to develop a “social mediahub”, which will operate fromthe Lok Bhawan in the statecapital, to provide all informa-tion about welfare measuresinitiated for the public.

“Details about various pro-grammes and events of the gov-ernment will be uploaded in anhour’s time after the pro-gramme getting over,” Jha said.

“Details pertaining to press

conferences of Chief Minister,cabinet or any senior officialwill be uploaded on the websiteand the app after almost anhour of the programme gettingover,” he added.

Jha said the facility will ini-tially begin from events andprogrammes taking place inLucknow and later rolled out inother districts of the state.

“The website may becomefunctional this month itself,while the app may startfunctioning from January,” Jhasaid. PTI

A Hindu devotee taking a holy dip in the Ganga in Allahabad on a cold morning Pioneer

Agri universitydirectorarrestedPIONEER NEWS SERVICE n ALLAHABAD

The Crime Branch policeclaimed to have arrested

director (Administration) ofthe Sam HigginbottomUniversity of AgricultureTechnology and Sciences(SHUATS) Vinod B Lal fromthe Colonelganj area forallegedly running a primaryschool without any accredita-tion on Saturday evening.

BJP leader DiwakarTripathi had lodged an FIR atShahganj police station inAugust alleging that Vinod BLal and others were running abranch of Ewing ChristianPublic School on the KN KatjuRoad without any recogni-tion.

They had appointed a prin-cipal and were also involved inembezzling cash in its name.The District Inspector ofSchools (DIOS) and BasicShiksha Adhikari (BSA) wereasked to investigate the mat-ter.

Superintendent of Police(SP), Crime Branch, BrajeshMishra told newspersons herethat the arrest was made afterthe report of the DistrictInspector of Schools (DIOS)and Basic Shiksha Adhikari(BSA) confirmed the fact thatthe school was being runwithout any accreditation.

He added that Vinod BLal would be interrogated inthat connection.

It may be pointed outhere that Vinod B Lal hadbeen accused of running aschool on the basis of forgeddocuments.

Its headmistress, SheenaMariam Swaroop, Sanjeet Lal,Shanti B Lal and others hadbeen named in this connec-tion and all of them werefound guilty during investi-gation.

Vinod B Lal, however,had been arrested on Saturdayevening and sent to jail.

A petition had been filedin the High Court in this con-nection to dismiss the stayorder of the other guilty per-sons involved in the case.

‘Country isparamountfor RSS’

Allahabad: Our nation isparamount and its peace is theaim of the RashtriyaSwayamsewak Sangh (RSS).The feeling for donating all toour nation should be the aimof the Swayamsewaks.

This was said by theVibhag Sangh Chalak of theRSS and former principal ofMotilal Nehru Inter College,Jamunipur Kotwa, RamShiromani, during a AdhivaktaMilan Shakha.

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n KANPUR

Dance is what every ageloved and provided

immense confidence. At aphysical level, dance is anexcellent way to achieve andmaintain fitness; very few exer-cise routines can boast of thesame benefits with respect tocoordination, strength andendurance and the best was itgave poise and grace.

Dancing helps in makingchildren aware of their ownfeelings and motivations, andthose of others, while alsooffering a structured channel ofself-expression.

Children are born withlatent talents and one suchtalent dancing. However par-ents tend to ignore this aspectof the child.

This was stated by notedwestern dance trainer coupleDeepika and Cyrus Malhotraof Bollywood Academy whileaddressing a workshop ondance held at SubhashChildren Society in associationwith Rotary Club of KanpurTrimurti on Sunday. Theschool had organised a work-shop for the destitute andunderprivileged children.Deepika said even children asyoung as three to four yearsstart moving their bodies inrhythm to the music. She saidthey can participate in dancewithout being a part of the for-mal classroom structure. Shesaid contemporary dance class-es admit children as young as

two-and-a-half years but theformal training in classicaldance forms usually began bythe age of six, as childrenattain the recommended levelof physical growth by thattime as comprehension skillswere also somewhat moredeveloped, attention span wasbetter, and they were able tofocus for the duration of thedance class.

Deepika said parents mustdo some research beforechoosing a teacher or dance

school that suited their needsas well as their child’s. She saidthere were umpteen danceform.

She added dance was agreat way to relax and unwind.She said it provided the muchneeded break from studies.She said the more supportthere was from home, the eas-ier it was for the child. Sheadvised parents to encouragethe child in dancing and saidcheer the child take them todance recitals, play dance

music of all genres at home andnarrate stories from legendsand classics (both Indian andWestern).

She said these will form theperfect backdrop for child’straining in dance, and makethe gruelling practice sessionsbearable. Later Cyrus alsoaddressed the students andtaught them various danceforms .

Kamal Kant was also pre-sent on the occasion along witha large number of children.

Dance an excellent way toachieve fitness: Trainers

Bollywood Academy coach Deepika and Cyrus Malhotra felicitating the oustanding students in dance workshop oragnised bySubhash Children Society. Pioneer

Rly passengers will have to shell out more during Magh Mela PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n ALLAHABAD

The railway passengers willhave to cough up extra

money during the annual MaghMela beginning from January 2next year as its administrationhad decided to impose a melasurcharge for 42 days. The rail-way will realise the mela sur-charge from January 2 to

February 13.Different rates had been

finalised for the general coach-es, sleeper, AC-III, AC-II andAC-I under the mela surcharge.According to railways the melasurcharge was realised everyyear for enhancing the amenitiesprovided to passengers.

It may be pointed out herethat with the Paush Purnima

snan the month-long mela willbegin from January 2. It willcome to an end with theMahashivratri festival onFebruary 13.

During this period PaushPurnima will fall on January 2,Makar Sankranti on January14/15, Mauni Amavasya onJanuary 16, Basant Panchmi onJanuary 22, Maghi Purnima on

January 31 and the last snan willfall on February 13.

The railways during thisperiod will arrange additionaltrains besides ticket and reser-vation counters and other facil-ities for the convenience of thepilgrims and devotees comingfrom other states to attend thisevent here. It will take mela sur-charge from its passengers.

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017 nation 05

DEEPAK KUMAR JHA nNEW DELHI

About 100 out of 400 postsof Director and Deputy

Secretary level are vacant in theCentral Government Ministriesand Departments affecting sev-eral development projects andpolicies announced by theModi Government.

The Group A Director/DySecy post are the most signifi-cant post within the chain ofhierarchy of the Ministry. Theyare the ones who do the paperwork before the files reach theJoint Secretaries (JS), the first inthe chain of decision making.

The largest numbers ofvacant Directors are in thevital Defence Ministry fol-lowed by Department ofEconomic Affairs and HRDMinistry. There are equallylarge number of vacancies in

Home and Urban Affairs min-istries.

A senior Department ofPersonnel and Training(DoPT) official said theDirector level post were creat-ed mainly for the officials of theCentral Secretariat Services(CSS). For some time, the offi-cials of Group A Services likeIRS, ITS, Railway Services,Customs and Excise, PostalServices have “encroached” onthese posts.

“They (IAS, IPS, IRS etc)are now coming as Directors orequivalent post of DeputySecretary to the Central min-istries to enhance their careergrowth into SAG grade (SeniorAdministrative Grade) which ismandatory for a CentralGovernment posting at a laterstage. We can say they haveencroached upon the CSScadre and createdresentmentamongst the Government offi-cials,” explained the official.

As the availability of offi-cers in the rank of Directorsdwindles, the DoPT had tosoften the rules for their post-ings. Keeping in view largenumber of vacancies in thegrade of director, the authori-

ty relaxed the eligibility condi-tion for promotion through anoffice memorandum some timeago.

However, when severalCSS cadre officials were askedabout refusal to join asDirectors, they complainedabout lack of facility providedto them in terms of allowances,accommodations, vehicles(which is on a sharing basiswith one vehicle for twoDirectors) when compared tothe same grade and rank inState.

“Lot of paper work is there

now in all the Ministries andDepartments given the vol-ume of countless schemesannounced simultaneously.The Directors are cut out to ini-tiate the process of schemes byexamining them in detail. Thisis not an easy task given the riskinvolved in it,” rued a CSS cadreofficial.

On the other hand, an IASposted as Director in a Ministrypointed that when one of themis posted as Director, he/shebring in the best practices andenrich the drafting of the gov-ernment polices and schemes.

Eight posts are vacant inDefence, seven in EconomicAffairs, six in Home, five inHosuing and Urban Affairs,four in HRD, three each in var-ious ministries like RuralDevelopment, Commerce,Water Resources; two each inMinistries like Sports, NAT-GRID, Social Justice, DoPT andElection Commission of India.

Similarly, one Directorlevel post remains vacant in atotal of 23 Ministries like Steel,Shipping, Coal, Tribal Affairs,Power, Textiles etc., as per thevacancy notified by the DoPTtill last month.

Several vital posts lying vacant

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n

NEW DELHI

The CPI(M) politburo failedto reach a consensus on

whether it should have a polit-ical understanding with theCongress and other secularparties to oust the BJP-ledGovernment, as it framed itsdraft political report.

A two-day politburo meetdiscussed two notes — one pre-sented by Secretary GeneralSitaram Yechury and the otherby his predecessor PrakashKarat — suggesting the politi-cal approach it should follow inthe coming three years. Sincethe party has not been able toreach any consensus, the draftwill be placed before theCentral Committee.

“The politburo discussedthe draft political report for the

22nd Congress. These discus-sions will now be placed for theCentral committee’s considera-tion at its forthcoming meetingfrom January 19-21 at Kolkata,”the party said in a statement.

Though the politburocould not reach any consensus,efforts will continue to be putin by politburo members avail-able here to reach a consensusso that one note can be sent tothe Central Committee, a partysource said.

In a note to the politburo,Yechury is understood to havesaid that “while there should beno electoral understandingwith the Congress, the partyshould seek the cooperation ofall non-Left parties to oust theModi Government”.

In his note, Yechury hasemphasised that the clause on“not having any political under-standing with the Congress” beremoved from the draft topave a way for consolidation ofsecular forces against the RSS-BJP, a senior party leader said.This stand is being severelyopposed by the Karat faction,

which has a majority in the pre-sent politburo.

Karat in his note is under-stood to have emphasised thatthe BJP is the chief opponentin the present political situationand the CPI(M)’s priorityshould be to defeat the com-munal forces, but there shouldnot be any political under-standing with the Congress.

Karat is of the opinionthat the party should take a tac-tical line in electoral politicsand can have political under-standing with regional partieseven though they are in alliancewith the Congress. Yechurycamp feels this approach is“extremely impractical”.

Interestingly, the CPI(M)has already extended support tothe DMK, a Congress ally, forthe RK Nagar Assembly by-election in Tamil Nadu. Thepolitburo finalised the scheduleof state conferences. Twenty-five State committees will havetheir conferences in the run upto the 22nd Congress to be heldat Hyderabad from April 18-22next year.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Sharad Yadav-led rebelJD(U) faction, which is to

hold a convention afterDecember 18, will shortly movethe Election Commission (EC)to be recognised as a new party.

The Election Commission(EC) had recognised the Biharchief minister Nitish Kumar-led faction as the real JD(U)and accepted its claim over thepoll symbol ‘arrow’.

Former JD(U) general sec-retary and close aide of Yadav,Arun Kumar Shrivastav, saidthey will file an application forbeing recognized as a newParty with the EC in a day ortwo and hold a convention afterthe results of the Gujarat andHimachal Pradesh polls wereannounced on December 18.

Among the names the newparty will seek for itself in itsapplication to the EC areSamajwadi Janata Dal andLoktantrik Janata Dal. TheYadav faction had earlierannounced that it will form anew party after the Gujarat polls.


NEW DELHI

With more than 80 percent medicinal plants

being sourced from the forestin the country, the UnionAyush Ministry has startedinvolving self-help groups(SHGs) and joint forest man-agement committee for prop-er drying and storage of herbalproduce so as to ensure quali-ty and adequate availability.

Given that people are grad-ually turning towards herbal-based alternate traditionalmedicines like Ayurveda,Siddha and Unani which , athree-fold increase in marketsize of Ayurvedic productsfrom $2.5 billion to $8 billionis expected by 2022.

This means, in coming yearsthere will be greater demand forthe medicinal plant species inAyush sector which comprisesAyurveda, Unani and Siddha.

“Forests remain a majorsource for raw materials suchas medicinal plants which aresaid to be rich in disease-cur-ing properties. Therefore, it isnecessary that there is adequateavailability and sustainable uti-lizations of these plants through

their large scale conservationand resource augmentation,”said an official from theMinistry.

At a meeting recently toexamine the draft of NationalPolicy of Medicinal andAromatic Plants, AyushMinister SY Naik echoed sim-ilar views. “The herbal medi-cine sector could also providenew job opportunities to thepeople and India could play aleading role in the global mar-ket of herbal products anddrugs,” he said.

For the creation of marketlinkages, the Government ismulling to identify potentialbuyer and seller of medicinalplants through the regularbuyer seller meets to be orga-nized in the regions, producerof medicinal plants to be edu-cated to take part/involved inmedicinal plants mandies.

For providing market to theherbal products, the govern-ment has already made a begin-ning. The Ayush Ministry recent-ly held first-ever “InternationalArogya 2017”, conference whichsaw participation of delegatesfrom more than 70 countrieswhile more than 250 traditionalmanufacturers showcased their

herbal products.As was evident at the con-

ference, eying the growingexport and domestic market, alarge number of big pharmacompanies have started to redi-rect their business strategy byinvesting large amount offinance in research and man-ufacturing of herbal medicines.Some Government institutionstoo have jumped the fray.

For instance, Lukoskin, atraditional herbal formulationmade from over ten plants bythe extensive R& D by the sci-entists of Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) has found huge mar-ket. It is used to treat vitiligo orleucoderma which is still con-sidered as stigma here, said

Sanchit Sharma from Delhi-based AIMIL Pharma, which ismarketing Lukoskin among astring of herbal products.Worldwide incidence of leuco-derma is reported to be 1 to 2per cent while in India, it’saround 4 to 5 per cent, he noted.

Similarly, anti-diabetesdrug BGR-34, made from theextracts of four herbal plantshas been developed by theCSIR.

Another Governmentagency, the Central Council ofResearch in Ayurvedic Sciences(CCRAS) has developed a newanti-diabetic drug namelyAYUSH-82 from five ayurvedicmedicinal plants. The Ayushminister had informed theParliament last year that the

Council has initiated action tocommercialise AYUSH-82 andtill now Dabur India, KudosLaboratory India and LaGranade Herbs and Pharmahave been given licenses formanufacturing it.

Some other herbal drugsfrom CCRAS house includePuskura Guguluu for heart dis-eases, Varuna for UTI, Brahmiand Mandukparni to promotemental health among others.

“We are witnessing a high-ly receptive environment wherethe value of AYUSH systems iswidely recognised worldwide,translating into growing globaldemand,” said Dr Sanjaya Baru,Secretary General of FICCIwhich had co-sponsored theInternational Arogya 2017 here.

Shomita Biswas, CEO ofthe NMPB stressed on the needof 365 days national campaignon medicinal plants for creat-ing awareness among the gen-eral masses, signing of MoUwith ISRO for involving spacetechnology in relevance to med-icinal plants for Geo-referenc-ing. She also suggested thatGovernment pharmacies canintervene in direct sales/pur-chase of medicinal plants pro-duce from the clusters.

VINEETA PANDEY n NEW DELHI

Russia is expected to startsupplying nuclear reactor

vessels for the KudankulamNuclear Power Plant (KNPP)Units 3 and 4 from July 2018onwards. Work at the KNPPUnits 3, 4 site began this yearfollowing a clearance from theAtomic Energy RegulatoryBoard.

“Reactor vessels will besupplied in accordance with thecontractual obligations of theRussian side. For power Unit 3,delivery is planned for July2018, and for power Unit 4 itwill be in the first half of2019,” said Vladimir Angelov,Director Projects of the ASEGroup of Companies in India.ASE is an engineering divisionof Rosatom State AtomicEnergy Corporation that hascollaborated with NuclearPower Corporation of IndiaLimited for KNPP.

Talking about the currentprogress of manufacturingequipment for the second stageof the power station (Units 3and 4), Angelov said that thecompany is working on pro-curement of equipments.

“The first batch of equip-ment for power Unit 3 of theKudankulam NPP was shippedin the first half of 2016. To date,11 consignments of containershipments with a total of 745shipped units have been made.Two ship consignments, with atotal volume of 22,000 m3, leftthe port of St. Petersburg thisautumn. Now a third consign-ment with a volume of 15,000m3 is being prepared for ship-ment to the Indian customer inDecember 2017,” he said.

Apart from equipments,Russia also supplies nuclear fuelfor the Indian reactors, includ-

ing KNPP under a life-cyclecontract.

Units 3 and 4 will seeincreased participation ofIndian specialists in KNPP.“The participation of Indianspecialists will increase inaccordance with the increasedzone of responsibility of theIndian side compared withtheir obligations related toUnits1 and 2. That applies toconstruction and assemblywork as well as design and sup-ply of equipment,” Angelovadded.

Indian specialists are alsogoing to be part of the RooppurNuclear power Plant thatRussia is building inBangladesh. This will be India’sfirst nuclear power venture ina third country. India andRussia have also agreed forlocalised production of nuclearequipments

“Localisation of Russian-designed fabrication facilities inIndia is one of the topics cur-rently being discussed withour Indian partners.Localisation is primarily a busi-ness project. Therefore, weattach much significance to theeconomics of production.Given this, we have reached anagreement with our partnersthat we will build separateproduction facilities in India tolater deepen localisations weextend the VVER reactor fleetin India. The process will notbe fast, but the agreements inprinciple have already beenreached, and we remain com-mitted to them,” OlegGrigoriev, Senior VicePresident for Commerce andInternational Business ofTVEL, a fuel company ofRosatom, that supplies nuclear fuel to India, told The Pioneer.

GRAPEVINE

Gujarati cuisine

Locked in a intense poll battle, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and Congress

vice-president Rahul Gandhi seem to agree onone thing: Gujarati food. While Gujaratisnacks are favourite of the Prime Minister,Rahul also seem to have taken a liking of‘Khakra’, ‘ Phaphda’, Gujrati peanuts, and pick-les during his ongoing poll tour. ‘ You guys havespoiled me, I am gaining weight during thecampaign”, said Rahul who is otherwise a fit-ness freak . He revealed that back in Delhi hisentire kitchen is managed by Gujaratis.

Rare honour

Last week, while celebrating 50 years of itssubmarine arm, the Navy had the honour

of hosting 91-year-old former Commander KS Subramaniam. He was the first chief of thefirst submarine, INS Kalvari, inducted into ser-vice in 1967. Despite advanced age, the offi-cer insisted to take part in the event and flewdown from the US. Supreme Commander ofthe Armed Forces Ram Nath Kovind presentedthe Presidential Colours to the unit to markthe event at submarine base in Visakhapatnam.

Rail cost cutting

After taking several austerity measures theIndian Railway latest directives its employ-

ees, particularly officials, to exchange New Year

greetings through digital mode and emailsonly. All the Rail Board officials, have beenconveyed that printing and purchase of NewYear Greeting cards should be stopped.“Greeting card for New Year may now be sentthrough email only,” said a Railway Board note.

I&B watching

Asenior Information and BroadcastingMinistry officials recently observed that

the ministry is flooded with applications forstarting new TV channels and converting fromregional language channels to trying to Englishtelecast. The officials said several newcomersant to start news channels in the run up to 2019Lok Sabha elections. Ministry is thoroughlychecking the antecedents of the promoters ofeach company applying for TV channel licnece.In the queue for licences are also several newswebsite promoters.

Challenges for ODF

The officials of the Union Water andSanitation Ministry are in a fix as villages

which had been felicitated for attaining opendefecation free (ODF) status under theSwachchh Bharat Mission (SBM) are goingback to the square one. Worried that it wouldderail their ambitious plans to achieve the tar-gets under the SBM to make India India ODFby 2019, the officials are trying to sensitise themission directors in the states over the issue.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Leading US Defence firmsare pushing for a specific

framework in India to ensurethe safety and security of crit-ical technology and classifieddefence information whenthey are shared with the pri-vate sector for joint ventures inthe country.

A top official of the US-India Business Council(USIBC) said they also want aGovernment-to-Governmentagreement to facilitate thetransfer of classified defencetechnology and information tothe Indian private sectorbesides clarity on issues relat-ing to liability, intellectualproperty rights and industri-al safety.

Benjamin Schwartz, seniordirector for Defense andAerospace at the Washington-based USIBC, said there wasno provision for sharing clas-sified defence information byAmerican companies with theIndian private sector at presentand a Government-to-Government agreement wasnecessary to facilitate it.

“US companies are willingto ensure transfer of criticaltechnology to India but theIndian Government has toensure protection of criticaland classified technology,” hetold PTI in an interview.

Schwartz, who held exten-sive talks with the defenceestablishment here on severalsticky issues during a visit toIndia, said under the existingframework, American com-panies can share classifiedinformation and technologywith India’s defence publicsector undertakings (DPSUs)and not with the private sector.

“Right now, there is nomechanism in place to allowthe US companies to extendclassified information to pri-

vate Indian industries,” he said,adding it was for New Delhi toinitiate the process for a gov-ernment-to-government agree-ment to remove the hurdle.

The USIBC has been play-ing a pro-active role in forginggreater collaboration betweenIndian and American defenceindustries.

Holding that theAmerican industry was verysupportive of India’s strategicpartnership model, he saidthe Indian government need-ed to come out with a timelinefor various acquisition pro-grammes, besides establishinga framework for the safety ofclassified information andtechnology.

“They need to establishprocedures to ensure securityof defence technology here.What I mean by it is that thereality in India and also in theUS and around the world isthat information is beingstolen ... We have to set upprocedures to make sure thatour defence technology issecure (in India),” he said.

Schwartz said Washington“definitely” wanted to go for anagreement to facilitate thetransfer of classified informa-tion and technology byAmerican companies to Indiaand that “it is about gettingthings done in New Delhi.”

He said the American pri-vate defence industry was intouch with the Trump admin-istration on the issue of tech-nology transfer to India andthe US government has beenvery supportive of such col-laborations.

“We held extensive con-versations with the US gov-ernment on technology trans-fer. We are very pleased thatthere has been a lot of conti-nuity in US policy. The Trumpadministration wants to con-tinue to prioritise technologyrelease to India. It is alsogoing to be re-articulated inUS law this year,” he said.

Schwartz said the USIBCsupports Modi government’spolicy initiative to ensure alevel playing field for theDPSUs and India’s private sec-tor defence industry.

“We can help support thisthrough an agreement thatwill allow us to share classifiedinformation with the privatesector industry,” he said.

A number of Americandefence giants includingBoeing and Lockheed Martinare eyeing billions of dollars ofcontracts in India and havealready offered to manufacturesome of their key militaryplatforms in India while forg-ing joint ventures with Indiancompanies.


NEW DELHI

BJP leader SubramanianSwamy has urged Prime

Minister’s Office to reconsiderthe decision to disinvest theprofit making strategic infra-structure company Bridges andRoof Co (India) Limited.Questioning the disinvestmentof profit making PSU, Swamysuggested that the companyshould be merged with anoth-er PSU, Engineering ProjectsIndia Ltd.

Swamy pointed out thatDepartment of HeavyIndustries also suggested themerger of Bridges and RoofsCo Ltd with another EngineersProjects India Limited. He saidinstead of considering this sug-gestion, the CabinetCommittee of EconomicAffairs (CCEA) went by the listgiven by the Central PublicSector Enterprises (CPSE) fordisinvestment.

The BJP leader said infra-structure projects require pub-lic sector patronage in view ofthe large investment required.“It appears that the CCEA hadactually approved the propos-al received from CPSE and notfrom the Department of HeavyIndustries which had recom-mended instead the proposal ofmerger of Bridges and Roof CoIndia Limited with anotherPSU Engineering Projects IndiaLimited,” said Swamy.

“The crucial fact is thatboth Bridges and Roof CoIndia Ltd and EngineeringProjects India Limited are longstanding profit making publicsector companies which isimportant consideration of indeciding whether to privatise ornot. Hence I request you toexamine this matter in yourwisdom decide what you con-sider as in the national interest,”he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

As India’s population ages,the number of people living

with dementia is expected todouble by 2035 from current 4.1million suffering from the men-tal disorder. Worldwide too,the scenario is not impressive:population with such disorderis expected to triple from 50million to 152 million by 2050.

Dementia is a syndrome,usually of a chronic or pro-gressive nature, caused by avariety of brain illnesses thataffect memory, thinking,behaviour and ability to per-form everyday activities.

“The number of peopleliving with dementia worldwideis currently estimated at 47 mil-lion and is projected to increaseto 75 million by 2030. Thenumber of cases of dementiaare estimated to almost triple by2050,” according to the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO).

Dementia is overwhelmingnot only for the people who haveit, but also for their caregiversand families. There is a lack ofawareness and understanding ofdementia in most countries,resulting in stigmatization, bar-riers to diagnosis and care, andimpacting carers, families andsocieties physically, psycholog-ically and economically.

Nearly 10 million peopledevelop dementia each year, 6million of them in low- andmiddle-income countries,” saysDr Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus, Director-Generalof WHO. “The suffering thatresults is enormous. This is analarm call: we must pay greaterattention to this growing chal-lenge and ensure that all peo-ple living with dementia, wher-ever they live, get the care thatthey need.”

With an aim to provide, easyaccess to key dementia data from

member States across the threedomains ie policies, servicedelivery, and information andresearch, the WHO haslaunched the Global DementiaObservatory (GDO), a data andknowledge exchange platform.

“This is the first globalmonitoring system for demen-tia that includes such a com-prehensive range of data,” saidDr Tarun Dua, of WHO’sDepartment of Mental Healthand Substance Abuse. “The sys-tem will not only enable us totrack progress, but just as impor-tantly, to identify areas wherefuture efforts are most needed.”

According to recent reports,in India, approximately, one outof every 16 households with anelder has someone with demen-tia. Yet, dementia remains aneglected area in healthcare,and many families do not seekor get suitable diagnosis or treat-ment for dementia symptoms.

The 19th national confer-ence of the Alzheimer’s &Related Disorders Society ofIndia (ARDISI),held recently inMumbai, stressed on creatingawareness and advocacy withthe government for better facil-ities for persons with dementia.

Sharad faction ofJD(U) to move ECfor recognition as new party

Consensus eludes CPM on

understanding with Cong

AYUSH involves SHGs for managing herbal produce

Come July, KNPP

likely to get Russia

N-reactor vessels

RECONSIDER CALL

TO DISINVEST

BRIDGES & ROOF

CO: SWAMY TO PMO

US Defence firms want securityof classified info for JVs in India

Two-day Politburomeet discussespolitical moves innext three years

Prime Minister’sdevelopmentprojects, policiesbear the brunt

Dementia casesin India to doubleby 2035: Report

Experts say that whilemost types ofdementia are

irreversible and cannotbe fully cured,

medication canprovide some relief.

Also, sometimes dueto reversible problems

like vitamin orhormone deficienciescan cause dementia.

Treatment is availablefor these. Not

consulting a doctormeans the person

cannot get diagnosisor treatment

nation 06LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017

KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n

CHENNAI

HRaja, national secretary of the BJP,who is touring and monitoring the

ground situation in the coastal regions ofKanyakumari district ravaged by cycloneOckhi, said that there is a wide conspira-cy behind the agitation launched under theauspices of the priests and nuns belong-ing to the Catholic Church against theCentral and State Governments. “They haddisplayed a banner showing ‘tearfulhomages to Prime Minister and ChiefMinister’. This should be thoroughlyprobed,” Raja told The Pioneer.

The district has been brought to astandstill since Thursday by fisher folk ledby the priests and nuns who are protest-ing against the “indifferent and callous”attitude of the Central and StateGovernments in saving fishermen whowent missing in the aftermath of theCyclone Ockhi. “The Government failedto give us advance information about thecyclones which could have saved the livesof hundreds of fishermen who went fordeep sea fishing from the coastal hamletsin the district,” the protesting fishermentold reporters at Kanyakumari.

Father Ilango, second-in-command,Our Lady of Ransom Church,Kanyakumari said that the rescue and reliefoperations are happening sear the shore-

line while the fishers were fishing 100 to150 nautical miles away from the shore. Helaughed it off when asked why were ban-ners showing tearful homages to PM andCM were displayed by the priests anddemonstrators.

Raja said the search and rescue oper-ations by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard(which are continuing even at the time ofgoing to Press) have traced almost all thefishermen barring 2 to 30 fishermen.“Search operations are on and the Centraland State Governments are in touch withthe State Governments from where themissing fishermen were located. Efforts areon to bring back the fishermen from TamilNadu who reached places like Gujarat,Maharashtra, Karnataka and Lakshdweepback to Kanyakumari,” said Raja.

“The Indian MeteorologicalDepartment and the Indian NationalCentre for Ocean Information Services

(INCOIS) had been warning about theimpending cyclone since November 28itself. The village resource centres func-tioning in the coastal hamlets under thepatronage of the parishes did not pass onthis message to the fishermen’s. There isa hidden agenda behind the protestmarches,” said Raja who is monitoring therescue operations in Kerala.

According to Raja, the fishermen inKanyakumari were demanding the samecompensation package announced by theGovernment of Kerala to their counter-parts in the neighbouring State. “Butfishermen in Kerala are on a path of agi-tation and did not allow even the chiefminister of the State to set his foot in thefishing villages”, said Raja..

Father Ilango said Kerala Governmenthas declared ̀ 20 lakh for the fishermen wholost their lives in the cyclone. “We want theTamil Nadu Government to declare an equalcompensation package,” he said.Ramakrishnan Gauthaman, Vedic ScienceResearch Centre, who is working among thefishermen community in Kanyakumari, saidthe Church-funded NGO entrusted withdisseminating the information from IMDto the fishermen failed to do so. “WithNirmala Sitharaman emerging as a leaderwho could connect with the fisher folk, theChurch is wary of losing its stranglehold overthe community that it has been keeping asbonded labourersfor the last two centuries.

NAYAN DAVE n AHMEDABAD

Since 2002 Assembly polls,when it comes to Maninagar

Assembly constituency, peopleused to talk about its high-pro-file candidate Narendra Moditill he resigned as MLA andwent on to become PrimeMinister of India in May 2014.

This time BJP resorted toa low-profile businessmanSuresh Patel who also won by-election from Maninagar afterModi’s departure to Delhi.However, again the con-stituency came into limelight asthe Opposition Congress gaveticket to an alumna fromUniversity of Westminster,London as well as IndianInstitute of Management (IIM),Bangalore.

Out of the blue, 34-year-old Shweta’s name came intothe list of candidates for GujaratAssembly elections 2017approved by All India CongressCommittee (AICC) amid somany claimants. Even protestswere staged by Congress work-ers on giving ticket to ‘para-chute candidate’ over locals.

However, the glamorousCongress can-didate consid-ers herself aslocals sayingthat her fatherNarendra Brahmbhattresiding in Maninagar and alsocontested AhmedabadMunicipal Corporation (AMC)elections in 2002.

In fact it was Shweta’sfather who inspired her toenter into politics. Althoughshe was always interested tomake her mark in corporateworld and to achieve this goalShweta took Master’s degree inbusiness administration fromUniversity of Westminster aftercompletion of BBA fromAhmedabad. She also worked

for a brief period as an invest-ment banker with HSBC andDarashaw before joining IIMBangalore to pursue a course inpolitical leadership.

According to her whenshe was working with bankingsector she applied for thecourse and got admission. “It

was a tricky situa-tion whether to carryon with the job or totake a course.

Finally decided tojoin IIM,” she says,

adding that the coursedesigned to create women lead-ership in Parliament and leg-islative Assemblies helped herto determine to jump in toactive politics.

Later on Shweta got a pres-tigious UN Scholarship also.

In 2012 an offer camefrom a Congress leader tocontest Assembly polls butshe turned it down as shewanted to set an ice-crèmeplant in Ahmedabad district.“In the process of setting up

business, I came to know thathow difficult it is to do busi-ness in this country, especial-ly for female. I went oneMinistry to other to get loanfor my venture.

If an educated womanlike me would face such dif-ficulty, imagine what would behappening to those who aresemi-educated or uneducat-ed,” she says.

In the meantime, she wasapproached by Congress lead-ership and finally decided tocontest from ManinagarAssembly seat.

Hopeful of winningShewta said that going byher educational backgroundand one of the few femalefaces in the Assembly pollsacross the State she would beable to win. According to herof the total voters inManinagar constituency, 75per cent are consisting ofwomen and electors less than40 years age which would giveher edge over BJP candidate.

VR JAYARAJ n KOCHI

Kerala’s influential LatinCatholic Church on

Sunday urged Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to visit the fish-ing villages affected by CycloneOckhi on the coasts of Keralaand Tamil Nadu even as thedeath toll in the State in the dis-aster rose to 42.

However, relief also trick-led in as more than 200 fisher-men, who had gone for fishingbefore the cyclone broke outand had been trapped in thechoppy Arabian Sea since then,returned to the coast onSunday.

The Church observedSunday as a Prayer Day withspecial Mass, prayers and otherrites in the churches inThiruvananthapuram for thosekilled and had gone missing inthe cyclone. The biggest crowdof believers from the fishingcommunity for Mass andprayers was seen at the StThomas Church in Poonthura

from where a large number offishermen were missing.

The Coast Guard onSunday found the bodies of twofishermen who had gone miss-ing in the cyclone. While onebody was found 120 nauticalmiles off Vizhinjam inThiruvananthapuram, theother was found near theVypeen coast in Kochi. Withthis, the death toll in Ockhi inKerala rose to 42. As perinformal estimates, over 200Kerala fishermen’s are yet toreturn from the sea.

A pastoral letter read outon Sunday at the churches ofthe Latin Catholic Church, towhich most of the cyclone-affected fishermen’s inT h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a mbelonged, also called for theconstitution of an indepen-dent Fisheries Ministry in theCentre. Presently, the FisheriesDepartment is one of the sev-eral departments coming underthe Agriculture Ministry.

“We request the CentralGovernment that the disasterbrought about by CycloneOckhi should be declared anational calamity consideringits intensity and magnitudeand that the Prime Ministershould visit the tragedy-affect-ed people and places (in theKerala and Tamil Nadu coastal

regions) for making a directevaluation,” the pastoral lettersaid.

The letter, issued on behalfArchbishop M Soosa Pakiam ofT h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a mArchdiocese of the LatinChurch, asked the Centre totake immediate steps forinstalling permanent systemsaimed at averting suchtragedies in the future. It want-ed the Kerala and CentralGovernments to intensify theefforts to find the fishermenwho had gone missing in thecyclone.

“We also want the processof relief and rehabilitation ofthe cyclone-affected people tobe expedited,” the letter said. Italso urged all the fishermen inthe Thiruvananthapuram areato join the protest march beingtaken out to the Kerala RajBhavan on Monday under theleadership of the Church.

Sunday also saw protestscontinuing in the fishing ham-lets on the coast of Kerala andTamil Nadu. More than 3,000people including fisherwomenand children formed a humanchain in the sea on theKanyakumari coast in TamilNadu demanding intensifica-tion of efforts to rescue the fish-ermen trapped in the sea andhike in the relief assistance.

Meanwhile, 207 fisher-men’s including 27 from Kerala,who had gone to the sea inlong-line operating boats forfishing before the cyclone andhad somehow been able totake refuge in Lakshadweep,returned to Kochi in 18 boatson Sunday with the help of theNavy which has been leadingthe search and rescue opera-tions for the past ten days.

They said they had seenbodies floating in the sea andthat they had witnessed thedestruction of ten boats in thecyclone. “We saw four deadbodies but these were not in acondition to be fished out ofthe water.

The bodies had decayedthat much and were unidenti-fiable,” said a fisherman. Theyalso said that they knew aminimum of 30 boats hadgone missing.

A total of 217 long-line-operation boats had gone to seafrom the Thoppumpady fishingharbor in Kochi before thecyclone. Several of these boatshad reached the coasts ofGujarat, Maharashtra andKarnataka. However, clearinformation is yet to comeabout the fate of the remainingboats and the fishermen inthem, according to leaders offishermen’s associations.

KHURSHEED WANI n SRINAGAR

Normal life was affected inKashmir Valley on Sunday

on separatists’ call to holdprotests on eve of the interna-tional human rights day. WhileJKLF leader Yasin Malik wasarrested from Maisuma local-ity of Srinagar, several separatistleaders including Syed AliGeelani and Mirwaiz UmarFarooq were kept under house-arrest. The authorities foiled theseparatists’ attempt to presenta memorandum at the UnitedNations Military ObserversGroup in India and Pakistan(UNMOGIP) head office here.

The separatists had extend-ed call for a shutdown againstwhat they called as grosshuman rights violations at thehands of security forces inKashmir. Officials said thatseveral Hurriyat Conferenceleaders were taken into custodywhile restrictions were imposedin old parts of Srinagar inanticipation of law and ordersituation. The police and para-militaries blocked all roadsleading to Lal Chowk area to

thwart separatists’ attempt tomarch towards UNMOGIPoffice.

The march was planned tobe led by JKLF chief YasinMalik who had gone into hid-ing two days ago. On Sundaymorning when Malik surfacedin a mosque in Maisuma local-ity where his residence is alsolocated, a posse of policeimmediately took him intocustody.

Before being arrestedMalik read out the memoran-dum of the joint resistance

leadership (JRL) that was to besubmitted to the UNoffice.

Meanwhile, a completeshutdown was observed acrossthe Valley affecting the normallife. Shops and business estab-lishments were closed and pas-senger traffic was generally offthe roads. However, privatevehicles plied normally. Theauthorities had suspended trainservices between Baramullaand Banihal for the day.

Meanwhile, seniorHurriyat Conference leaderand Muslim Conference chair-

man Professor Abdul GaniBhat on clarified that he did notmeet the Center’s special rep-resentative Dineshwar Sharmaduring his second visit toKashmir last month.

Bhat said that he didn’tmeet Sharma, but met twopersons-one a Kashmiri Panditand another a non-local on theevening of November 27.Newspaper reports had saidthat Bhat was the first separatistleader who clandestinely metSharma who called upon himat his Wazirbagh residence latein the evening on November27.

The reports created furorand a Muslim Conference fac-tion announced expulsion ofBhat from the primary mem-bership of the party. The JRFcomprising Geelani, Mirwaizand Malik has declined toengage with Sharma and Bhat’smeeting was considered asrebuff to Mirwaiz-led faction ofHurriyat Conference.

“Two persons (a KashmiriPandit and another non-local)visited my home on November27 at around 9:30 PM. We had

a general discussion onKashmir. There was no anyother Hurriyat leader present assaid in media circles,” Bhat said.

The separatist leader saidsome people were making“conspiracies and playing aguessing game” to create con-fusion within the leadership.

Bhat said he is a staunchsupporter of dialogue, but therecent initiative of New Delhi“lacks methodology” asPakistan is a prime party toKashmir issue. “WithoutPakistan, no dialogue is fruit-ful,” he said.

Bhat said within next fewdays he will reveal his futurecourse of action, whether heremains in Hurriyat or quits.

“I don’t play politics onblood and tears of masses.There is no place for dictator-ship in a movement.Dictatorship can happen inpolitics but not in a movementwhich is fighting for a cause,”Bhat said.

He said the “collectivenessin leadership ended in 2003”,when the Hurriyat split intotwo factions.

TN fisher folks on warpath:

BJP neta smells conspiracy

CYCLONE OCKHI IMPACT

Church urges PM to visit affected hamletsKerala Ockhi tollmounts to 42;207 morefishermen return

Separatist leaders put under house arrestON EVE OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Police detain Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik during aprotest to mark International Human Rights Day in Srinagar on Sunday PTI

Due to glamorous Cong face,Maninagar in limelight again

SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA

Bengal Opposition partieshave pooh-poohed Chief

Minister Mamata Banerjee forpainting an embellished pictureof an otherwise disencouragingjob scenario.

Reacting to the ChiefMinister’s “false claims” about“fast developing” employmentscenario in Bengal the LeftFront has said “she is perhapstaking into account the newjobs created by the bomb mak-ersduring election times.”

Banerjee had on Thursdayclaimed that in the past sixyears of her rule herGovernment had generated 81lakh jobs. She said in each oftheState’s 77,247 booths herGovernment had created arecord 105jobs.

Incidentally she had told aFebruary 2016 rally that herGovernmenthad created about68 lakh jobs. “Even if we takeinto account theearlier figurechurned out by the ChiefMinister then we will havetosay that the rate of job cre-

ation has gone down in the past21-22months because duringthis period her Governmenthas managed to createonly 13lakh jobs which brings down toaverage monthly employment-creation rate from 119,930 toabout 59,090” said CPI(M)’sSujanChakrabarty.

Taking Banerjee’s claimswith a pinch of salt Congress’leader Abdul Mannan saidthere was a yawning gapbetween the figures providedby the Trinamool Congress inthe State Assembly and the fig-

ures given by the ChiefMinister.

According to theTrinamool Congress’ officialwebsite, “Bengal ranks 12 interms of lowest unemploymentrate.”

On the other hand FinanceMinistry sources said actualjobs created by theGovernment was less than alakh in the past a few years.This if one took into accountthe yearly recruitment drivetaken by the Government forschool teachers.

The jobs created in thepolice and various otherGovernment departments areof temporary nature (dailywages) which the ChiefMinister has decided to make“permanent in nature but notpermanent.”

This means that theemployees working in these“unsubstantive posts will con-tinue to work till they attain theage of 60. But they will not getother benefits given to thepermanent employees,” sourcessaid.

Opp slams Didi’s claim of high job rate

ANUP SHARMA n GUWAHATI

Less than a month after twoelephants were killed on

railway tracks, six elephantswere killed by a speeding trainat Balipara in Sonitpur districtof northern Assam on Sundaymorning leading to wide pub-lic protests in the area.

The incident took placearound 1.30 am on Sundaywhen the speeding Dekargaon-Naharlagun Express hit a herdof wild elephants at Bamgaon,located one kms from Baliparaand killed six elephants of theherd. The herd, comprisingabout 30 elephants, were tryingto cross over to the other sideof the tracks in search of foods.

NF Railway officials saidthat the incident happened atkm 135 between stationsBalipara and Dhalaibeel, whichis not a notified elephant cor-ridor. “The notified elephantcorridors are at km 131 and km144. So the dashing happenedat a non notified area,” an offi-cial said.

“A group of about 30 ele-phants entered the railwaytrack by breaking down barri-er at level crossing . By thattime the train was already inthe section and it was impos-sible to stop the train. It is to bementioned that even if what-sapp groups were in place therewas no information about themovement of elephant herdnear the track,” said the Railwayofficial.

Locals said that the impactof the accident was such thatone of the elephants delivereda still born calf.

On November 19 this yeara speeding train had killedtwo elephants at an area nearThakurkuchi railway stationlocated close to Guwahati.

Hundreds of local peoplelater came out to protest againstthe killing of the six animalsdue to lack of coordinated

efforts between the Forestdepartment and NF Railwayofficials and shouted slogansdemanding immediate inter-vention of the state governmentand the Chief Minister to stopthe tragedy on tracks.

Meanwhile, the AssamEnvironmental NGOs Forumhas expressed profound griefand categorically condemnedthe incident of mowing downof six elephants near Baliparaby the Guwahati NaharlagunExpress.

The Forum has lamentedthe lack of foresightednesswhile planning developmentactivities. “It a shame for a statelike Assam where 40 elephantshave died unnaturally in thelast 100 days.

Railway tracks acrossknown animal corridors haveresulted in the death of at least225 elephants by trains hitssince 2006,” the NGO said in astatement while demandingimmediate intervention of theAssam government to stopsuch menace.

6 jumbos killed by speeding train

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar with other leaders during the party's Delhi Pradesh Karyakarta Sammelan in New Delhi on Sunday PTI

BATTLEGROUND

Gujarat

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017nation 07

KESTUR VASUKI n BENGALURU

After Gujarat the focus now is on pollbound Karnataka which is crucial

for both the ruling Congress and themajor Opposition BJP. In its quest tomake Congress-mukt Karnataka, afterenthused by BJP national presidentAmit Shah who visited the State, theKarnataka BJP has taken out a ParivartanYatra led by BJP strongman BSYeddyurappa across the State.

Addressing his first yatra rally in ITcity Bengaluru on Sunday Yeddyurappadeclared that if ‘they come back to powerthey will re-open all the cases againstCongress leaders who have been givenclean chit by the Anti-Corruption Bureau(ACB) and other investigating agencies’.

Speaking at the Nava KarnatakaNirmana Parivarthana Yatra Yeddyurappablamed the ruling congress Governmentfor misusing the ACB to give clean chitsto Congress leaders and at the same timeregister false cases against rivals.

“As soon as the BJP comes to power,we will order reviews of all cases where-in clean chits have been given and orderre-investigations. We will send theCongress leaders where they belong,”Yeddyurappa said.

The BJP leaders on the rally got per-sonal in their attack against Congress lead-ers and Yeddyurappa called ChiefMinister Siddaramaiah a “baccha”(kid)reacting to his recent remarks againstPrime Minister Narendra Modi.

Siddaramaiah had recently stated thatModi was afraid of him. “Why shouldModi be scared of you? Yeddyurappaasked, referring to Siddaramaiah in the sin-gular. BJP strongman said the Congressdoes not even have the numbers to be offi-

cial called the Opposition in Parliament.“You claim BJP is a jail and bail party,

but remember you misused the ACB andCID to get a clean chit in FIRs lodgedagainst you. The BJP when it comes topower will reopen the clean chit casesagainst CM ,” said Yeddyurappa.

Union Minister for Parliamentaryaffairs and chemicals and fertilisersAnanth Kumar claimed that while allearnest political leaders dream of develop-ing Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah dreams ofother things.

He said “Unlike others who dream ofdeveloping Bengaluru, Chief Ministerdreams of steel scam at 10 pm, K J Georgeaccused in the M K Ganapathi case and at12 am “colourful” dreams of former ExciseMinister Meti . No need to explain furtheron Meti case,” said Kumar.

In another development actor PrakashRaj has criticised on Union Minister

Ananth Kumar Hegde for equatingNationalism with Hindutva. In a Twitterpost, Raj asked the Karnataka BJP leaderto clarify what he meant when he said“nationalism and Hindutva” are one andmean the same.

“You said, “nationalism and hindut-va are not two different things but are oneand mean the same. Why do you bringin a religion into nationalism? Then whatabout those who are not Hindus, people,who are our country’s pride likeAmbedkar, Adbul kalam, A Rahman,Khuswanth Singh, Amrita Pritam, DrVerghese Kurien... the list goes on. Andwhat about many like me who do nothave a religion, but believe in humani-ty? Aren’t we all the national of our coun-try? Who are you guys... What’s youragenda... Since you believe in ‘janmas’...Are you guys reincarnation of GermansHITLER (sic),” Raj tweeted.

‘Will reopen cases against Cong’

Office of the Superintending EngineerCentral Equipment & Stores Procurement Circle-II,

Irrigation & Water Resources Department, U.P.,Ganga Sinchai Bhawan, Telibagh,

LUCKNOW-226025No. 541/EQ-II/U-6/TE-836/Chain Pulley Block/2017-18, dated 01.12.2017

CORRIGENDUM No.-1The following amendments are hereby stipulated in respect of time schedule of e-Tender Notice No.

TE-836/2017-18 invited for supply of ISI Marked Chain pulley Block (As per IS: 3832-2005 or latest amend-ments if any) in Irrigation & Water Resources Department, U.P.Sl.No. Description Written as Amended(a) Supply of ISI Marked Chain pulley Block

(As per IS: 3832-2005 or latestamendments if any)1. 03 Ton 6Mtr. lift 361 nos. 361 nos.2. 05 Ton 6Mtr. lift 22 nos. 42 nos.3. 10 Ton 6Mtr. lift 05 nos. 05 nos.4. 20 Ton 6Mtr. lift 08 nos. 08 nos.

(b) Date & time for Availability of the bid 06.11.2017 From 14.12.2017 Fromdocument on website. 17.00Hours onwards 17.00Hours onwards

(c) Period for e-Bid submission and supporting 06.11.2017 From 18.12.2017 Fromdocuments in PDF/XLS format. 17.00Hours to 17.00 Hours to

05.12.2017 up to 14.00 04.01.2018 up to 14.00Hours Hours

(d) Period upto which Hard copy of bid Document 07.12.2017 up to 14.00 06.01.2018 up to 14.00Fee, Bid Security/ Industries Registration Hours HoursCertificate for exemption from EMD and othersupporting documents will be deposited in theoffice concerned.

(e) Online opening date & time of Part “A” i.e. 07.12.2017 at 16.00 06.01.2018 at 16.00Earnest Money Bid. Hours Hours

(f) Online opening date & time of Part “B” i.e. 11.12.2017 at 16.00 09.01.2018 at 16.00Technical Bid. Hours Hours

(g) Online opening date & time of Part “C” i.e. 22.12.2017 at 16.00 16.01.2018 at 16.00 Price Bid. Hours Hours

(h) Venue of opening of bid. Office of the Superin- Office of thetending Engineer, Superintending Engineer,Central Equipment & Central Equipment &Stores Procurement Stores Procurement Circle-II,Ganga Sinchai Circle- II,Ganga Sinchai Bhawan, Telibagh, Bhawan,Telibagh,Lucknow(U.P.)-226025. Lucknow (U.P.)- 226025. Ph. No. 0522 2442475 Ph. No. 0522 2442475

(i) Bid document fee. Rs. 19,710.00 (Rupees Rs. 21,010.00 (RupeesNineteen Thousand Seven Twenty One Thousand Hundred Ten only) Ten only)

(j) Bid Security (Earnest Money Deposit). Rs. 1,12,000.00 (Rupees Rs. 1,18,650.00 (RupeesOne Lac Twelve Thousand One Lac Eighteenonly) Thousand Six Hundred

Fifty only)(k) Period of Delivery (from the date of issue of 45 days 45 days

acceptance letter)All other terms and conditions shall remain unaltered.

(Rajiv Varshney)Superintending Engineer (EQ-II)

UP 122124 Date 9.12.2017foKkiu osclkbV www.upgov.nic.in ij miyC/k gSA

OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDING ENGINEERALLAHABAD CIRCLE, P.W.D

ALLAHABADe Tender (Tender Notice )

NO- 13563 / 06 dk; ¼3½ &bykgkckn@17 Date- 08-12-171. The Superintending Engineer, Allahabad Circle, P.W.D, Allahabad on

behalf of Governor of Uttar Pradesh invites the Percentage rate bids fromthe eligible and approved Contractors registered with UP, PWD, ClassA as the case may be in Road work. Bidders are advised to note theminimum qualification criteria specified in Clause 3 of the Instructionsto Bidders to qualify for the award of the contract.

2-Sl. District Name of Work Estimated Bid Security Cost of Time ofNo cost (Rs ) (Rs ) Bid Comp-

Docum- letionent (Rs ) (Days)

1 2 3 4 5 6 71 Allahabad Diversion work 38200000.00 2110000.00 2000+ 300/ 180

of Phulpur -+GST Daysabadi (Widening & Strengthening of Pratappur to Ugrasenpurroad) (ODR)

3. Time allowed for completion in Column No.-7 includes rainy season.4. Website http://etender.up.nic.in may be referred for detailed terms and

conditions of the Invitation for Bids (IFB)4. Website http://etender.up.nic.inmay be referred for detailed terms and conditions of the Invitation forBids (IFB)

5. Bid document with detailed terms and conditions will be available onlineon website http://etender.up.nic.in from 20-12-2017 to 26-12-2017 upto12:00 Hours (Noon). Bids must be submitted online only at e-tender-ing portal of http://etender.up.nic.in on or before 12:00 Hours on26-12-2017. Technical Bid received online will be opened on 27-12-2017at 12:30 Hours

6. The prospective bidders who do not posses Digital Signature Certificate(DSC) must get the same issued from approved agencies before sub-mission of bids.

(P.K. Saxena)Superintending Engineer

Allahabad Circle U.P. P. W.D. Allahabad UP 122125 Date 9.12.2017foKkiu osclkbV www.upgov.nic.in ij miyC/k gSA

SP SINGH n GHAZIABAD

The Ghaziabad Parents’Association (GPA) have

rejected the UP FeeRegulatory Bill Draft, whichhas been uploaded on thewebsite.

GPA president SeemaTyagi said that "The draft isrejected inn toto. It is againstthe spirit of the constitutionwhich guarantees educationas a fundamental right. TheUnion Government had alsointroduced an Act in the par-liament in 2009, in whichEducation was illustrated asRight to Education", she said.

Enumerating the demer-

its in the draft, she said theparents had been fighting forthe unbridled and arbitraryhike in tuition fee by privateschools. During past agita-tions the government hadassured the parents that anew bill will be introduced toresolve the disputes betweenthe school management andparents. Patents were waitingfor the relief but the parentsbody was shocked to see thedraft which states that theschool management has theliberty to hike the fee at theirwill.

Citing more examples,the president said while theDelhi and Gujarat

Governments have the controlover fee hike by the privateschools, the UP Governmenthas unleashed schools to hiketuition fee at their will.

The CBSE also states theeducation as community ser-vices and the schools are tak-ing advantage of exemption inincome tax added the presi-dent.

Criticising the draft onother issues, Tyagi quotedthe Allahabad High Courtverdict that saysthat theschools can not charge fee onquarterly, six monthly orannually basis. They arebound to charge fee on themonthly only. But this draft

has given them liberty tocharge fee at their will.

Regarding other chargeslevied on students the draftsuggests that the school canlevy other charges upto 5percent in proportion to theirfee structure, she added.

"We will be challengingthis draft in the SupremeCourt (SC) of India to issuethe Contempt notice to SanjayAgrawal, the PrincipalSecretar y (Education)Government of Uttar Pradeshfor acting against set prece-dents of the Law" declaredSatya Pal Chaudhary, thepatron of the GhaziabadParents Association.

GPA rejects UP Fee Regulatory Bill Draft18-year-old hangs self after assault by sister’s stalkers

ABRAHAM THOMAS n

NEW DELHI

In a major relief to thousandsof tenants in the Capital, the

Supreme Court has ruled thatnon-payment of property taxlevied on their rented premis-es cannot be grounds for seek-ing their eviction.

The judgment will benefitthose staying or operating busi-ness on rented premises cov-ered under the New DelhiMunicipal Council (NDMC)Act, commonly known asLutyens’ Delhi. On the issue ofpayment of property tax as partof rent, the landlord of thefamous erstwhile ScindiaHouse property in Connaught

Place approached the SCagainst one of its tenantsOriental Insurance CompanyLimited.

The owner, Atma RamProperties Limited, terminatedthe tenancy agreement for non-payment of property tax of`9.64 lakh annually. Since thetenant refused to make thispayment, the owner depositeda sum of `2.94 crore payabletowards NDMC as property taxand filed a suit for eviction forrecovery of said tax along withdamages of `6.24 lakh for onemonth. The owner even soughtvacant possession of the prop-erty.

The trial court allowed thesuit but the Delhi High Court

reversed the said decision forc-ing the owner to approach theapex court. A question arosewhether NDMC Act of 1994 willprevail over the Delhi RentControl (DRC) Act of 1958.Under the DRC, no landlord canrecover any amount of tax on thebuilding or land occupied by thetenant under Section 7(2). Butthere was a catch. If the rent onany premise exceeded ̀ 3,500 permonth, the DRC Act will notapply to such premises.

On the other hand, theNDMC Act sanctions an ownerto recover property tax fromthe tenant under Section 67(3)as rent. Although the ownerreceived a nominal rent of`1,586 per month, if the

amount of property tax isadded as rent, the amountexceeds the threshold of ̀ 3,500per month, thus excluding theproperty in question from thescope of DRC Act.

The Bench of Justices JChelameswar and S AbdulNazeer considered the arguments on both side andconcluded that though DRC isan old legislation it is a speciallegislation that will govern therelationship between a tenantand landlord. On the otherhand, the NDMC Act is a general Act and contained a pro-vision in Section 411 whichstates that any special enactment will prevail over thisAct.

Property tax default no grounds for eviction

PNS n CHANDIGARH

Asix-year-old girl, who wasraped and killed in

Haryana’s Uklana area in Hisar,was cremated on Sunday, as theagitated locals protested overthe gruesome crime.

The girl child was alleged-ly abducted from her home,which is part of a slum-dwellersarea in Uklana, in the weehours on Saturday. Her bodywas found after few hours at adistance from the place whereshe was living with her family.

“Some unidentified menhad allegedly abducted the girlwhen she was sleeping with hersister and mother in theirhome in a slum area. The menthen raped and killed her,” thepolice said. The doctors ofCivil Hospital who conductedthe postmortem examinationsaid that the accused inserteda wooden stick into the girl’sprivate parts, which rupturedher intestine.

“When the body was hand-ed over to us it was soaked inblood,” a kin of the girl told themediapersons in Hisar.

Angered over the incident,the opposition parties, IndianNational Lok Dal (INLD),Congress and the local resi-

dents demonstrated againstthe Manohar Lal Khattar ledGovernment, on the cremationground.

Former Chief MinisterBhupinder Singh Hooda whiledemanding an immediatearrest of the accused said thatsuch barbaric incidents showedthat law and order machineryin the State under the BJPGovernment had collapsed.

Things have come to sucha pass that children were nei-ther safe in their schools nor athomes, Hooda said while talk-ing to the mediapersons.

The barbaric incident wasa chilling reminder of theDecember 16 gangrape case inDelhi in 2012 involving ayoung woman, he said.

Senior Congress leaderRandeep Singh Surjewalaalleged that the KhattarGovernment is sleeping whileincidents of rape and murdertake place every other day.

Haryana BJP chief SubhashBarala and party’s Hisar MLAKamal Gupta and other lead-ers were also present at the cre-mation.

A case under various

Sections of the Indian PenalCode (IPC) including murder,rape, kidnapping, besides,under the provisions of thePOCSO Act has been regis-tered. A Special InvestigationTeam (SIT) has also beenformed to probe the incident.However, no arrest has beenmade in the case, said a policespokesman.

The police is checkingCCTV footage of the area togather clues, he said.

The incident came to lighton Saturday morning whenpassersby noticed the body ofthe girl on a deserted street, thepolice said.

The victim’s family, whowork as labourers, belong tothe Sapera community hailingfrom Tohana town inFatehabad district. They wereliving near railway lines inUklana for the last couple ofyears.

Meanwhile, the NationalCommission for Protection ofChild Rights (NCPCR) onSunday condemned the inci-dent and said that they werecoordinating with the Statepolice to arrest the culprit.

“NCPCR will make everyeffort to talk to the HaryanaPolice so that the culprit iscaught, prosecuted and givenmaximum possible sentence,”said NCPCR advisor KulbirKrishnan while talking to themediapersons.

Krishnan called the inci-dent barbaric, adding he hadnever heard such thing before.

Nirbhaya horror revisits Hisar

People holding a protest march over rape and murder of a six-year-old girl atUklana in Hisar district on Sunday PTI

6-year-old diesafter accusedinserts a stickinto her

MODIJI IS FIXATED ON

HIMSELF: RAHULCriticising Modi over his election ral-

lies which run parallel to his public meet-ings ahead of the second phase of the polls,Rahul accused the PM of not talking hisfuture plans for the State and keeping mumon the issue of “corruption.” He also ques-tioned Modi over his silence on the agita-tions by various communities, includingPatels, Dalits, anganwadi workers, amongothers.

Rahul said the truth had caught up withthe BJP and it could go nowhere from here.He also asked Congress workers not to use“wrong words” against the PM and said hisparty will defeat him and the BJP with “loveand sweet words”.

The Congress leader attacked Modiover demonetisation and GST, saying thenote ban helped all “thieves” convert their“black money into white” and the “GabbarSingh Tax” destroyed small businessesand rendered one lakh people jobless.

“For 60-70 minutes Modiji talks abouthimself but does not utter a word aboutnote ban and Gabbar Singh. I was sittingin a tea shop. The tea seller said, Rahulji,I am making `50 instead of `100 I madebefore GST. He (Modi) has caused us 50 percent loss,” Rahul said.

The Congress V-P also raised theissue of BJP president Amit Shah’s son JayShah’s business dealings whereby heallegedly “converted `50,000 into `80crore”, and the Rafale fighter jet deal. “Youmust have observed Modiji does not talkabout corruption in his speeches. He madeyou stand in the queue and imposed theGabbar Singh Tax,” he said.

“Earlier he used to say ‘na khaunga nakhane dunga’. Now he does not utter a wordon corruption,” Gandhi added.

HARYANA FILES FIR

AGAINST FORTIS FOR...

The matter came to fore in mid-November after a family friend of thedeceased girl posted on social mediaimages of the bills of over ̀ 16 lakh. The billincluded charges for 660 syringes and 2,700gloves, and triggered outrage among peo-ple that the family was overcharged.

On November 21, a committee head-ed by Dr Rajiv Vadhera, the AdditionalDirector General (Health) was set up by theHaryana Government to probe allegationsthat the private hospital overcharged thegirl’s family.

The panel had found “several irregu-larities” including protocol not being fol-lowed during the treatment of the girl. OnWednesday, the Haryana Health MinisterAnil Vij had ordered to get a case registeredagainst the Fortis Hospital.

The Minister had also written to theHaryana Urban Development Authority(HUDA) to cancel the lease of land to theFortis due to alleged violations of terms andconditions of the agreement.

‘DANGAL’ ACTOR ZAIRA...“No one will help us if we don’t decide

to help ourselves. And this is the worst thing,”she added.

In a statement on Twitter, the airlineVistara said it would look into the complaint,and added that it had “zero tolerance for such

behaviour”.“We @airvistara have seen the reports

regarding @ZairaWasimmm experiencewith another customer on board our flightlast night. We are carrying out detailed inves-tigation and will support Zaira in every wayrequired. We have zero tolerance for suchbehaviour.”

Later, Jammu & Kashmir ChiefMinister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday saidshe was appalled by the incident wherein‘Dangal’ actress Zaira Wasim was alleged-ly molested on a flight, and sought swiftaction in the matter.

NATIONAL DEF VARSITY

PROJECT ON FAST TRACK

The panel headed by late KSubrahmanyam, a noted Defence expertand former Defence Secretary, to suggestreforms in Defence management was set upin the wake of Kargil war in 1999. It cov-ered the entire gamut of security issues,including border management, integrationof various Intelligence agencies, responseto external threat, strategic policy formu-lation and synergy among all stakeholdershandling security. The committee submit-ted its report to a Group of Ministers(GOMs) chaired by then Home MinisterLK Advani in 2001.

The much delayed and awaited uni-versity will be instituted by an Act ofParliament after both the Lok Sabha andthe Rajya Sabha pass it. The President ofIndia will be the Visitor and DefenceMinister the Chancellor of the universi-ty.

As the construction of the campus is

on and will take time for completion, theuniversity after getting Parliament approval,will function on an ad-hoc basis from NewDelhi, sources said here on Saturday.

The university will enroll at least 66 percent of candidates from the armed forceswhile the remaining 33 per cent of studentswill comprise civilians besides personnelfrom police and para-military forces.

To be governed by its own norms, theautonomous institution will be affiliatedwith National Defence College, New Delhi,National Defence Academy, Khadakvasala,Defence Services Staff College(DSSC),Wellington and College of DefenceManagement(CDM), Secunderabad.

The curriculum is structured toenhance co-ordination and interactionbetween armed forces and non- armedforces institutions. The proposed univer-sity will offer post-graduate studies apartfrom doctoral and post-doctoral research.It will also promote higher studies throughdistance learning to military and civilians.As regards the teaching faculty, it will havea mix of military personnel and civiliansin the ratio of 1:1 and officials said the uni-versity will function on the lines of presti-gious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)and Indian Institute of Management (IIM).

The university will have constituentunits namely the School of NationalSecurity Studies, the School of DefenceTechnology, the School of DefenceManagement, the Centre for Distance andOpen Learning with regional centres of dis-tance learning. It will also educate nation-al security leaders on aspects of nationalsecurity strategy, national military strate-gy and national information strategy by wayof teaching and exhaustive research.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI

An 18-year-old boy ended his life byhanging himself from a ceiling fan at his

house in Outer Delhi’s Samaipur Badli areaon December 7 after he was brutally thrashedby four local goons for objecting to stalkingof his sister, police said on Sunday.

Family members of the victim, Rohit(name changed), told The Pioneer that the fourgoons had been stalking and passing lewdcomments on his sister for the past fewmonths. Fed up of their misbehavior, Rohitthreatened to call the police upon which theythrashed him on Wednesday morning andeven threatened to kidnap his sister if heinformed the police.

Rohit’s family said after his father’s deatha few years ago, Rohit took the responsibili-ty for his family. He lived with his mother andsister at his uncle’s house in Jeevan Park areaof Samaipur Badli and worked as a small-timemechanic. Speaking to The Pioneer, a cousinof Rohit’s said, “On December 6, these fourmen came to Rohit’s house and beat up himin front of his mother, accusing him of theft.They threatened to kidnap his sister if heinformed the police about it.” The followingday, Rohit committed suicide, he added.

Rajneesh Gupta, Deputy Commissionerof Police (Rohini), said, “On December 7,about 4 pm, information was received fromBaba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital regardingRohit’s suicide.” No suicide note was found,he added. “Rohit was found hanging from aceiling fan by his mother on Thursday around2.30 pm. In the absence of a suicide note, westarted inquest proceedings,” said a seniorpolice officer.

Acouple of weeks ago, thiswriter drove a couple of newBMW cars in Portugal. Atone end was the freneticBMW M5, a car that pro-

duces 600 horsepower from a massivetwin-turbocharged petrol engine. It wasutterly manic and an exemplar of whatmodern automotive engineering canachieve. Yet, there was another car, thatthe German carmaker made a group ofautomotive journalists from across theworld drive with all consideration. Thiswas the BMW i3s, the i standing for‘innovation’ apparently. The car did nothave an internal combustion enginebecause it was an electric car, the ‘s’ in itsname meant ‘sporty’ and the carmakerwanted to show us that even a boxy urbancar could be sporty if pushed, as the basici3 has been around for a few years.

Frankly, in the maze of cobbledstreets that is Lisbon, which is also a hillycity with a lot of steep grades andswitchbacks, the i3s was surprisinglynimble. And when you noticed sportscarsnext to you in the traffic turning dinosaurjuice into noise at a substantial cost, youcouldn’t help but feel pleased that this carcosts next to nothing to run. Of course,you do miss the noise and the rumble thatyou have become accustomed to after twodecades of driving traditional internalcombustion engine vehicles, but this wasan eye-opener. Even with a bit of heavyright footed driving on the coastal high-way astride the mouth of the Targus riverand the Atlantic Ocean, the electricvehicle delivered a surprising amount ofrange. When we returned the car in theevening after over a 100 kilometres of dri-ving, there was still an indicated 160 kilometres of range left.

This experience left me convincedthat vehicles like the BMW i3 are thefuture of urban and regional privatemobility. They have become far more effi-cient than first generation electric vehi-cles like the Reva, which had limitedrange and lacked the very notion of safe-ty. In fact, the major electric vehicle inIndia, the now ubiquitous e-rickshaw, isa safety nightmare, but then again so isbeing a pedestrian in India.

The vehicles made by BMW andTesla are extremely expensive, and evenif they were given tax breaks in India,something that will have to be carefullyconsidered if the ‘Make in India’ goals areto met, a BMW i3 would cost upwardsof `15 lakh. Given that the car is the samesize a large Maruti or Hyundai hatchbackavailable for half that amount, the eco-nomic incentive to buy such a vehicle isnot there. This is why BMW India is mostlikely not going to bring the i3 to thecountry. In this regard, India could

learn a bit from the Nor wegianGovernment that gives a whole host ofincentives to push electric vehicle own-ership and importantly punishes buyersof carbon emitting vehicles.

That said, costs are coming down andtechnology is improving. A good exam-ple would be the success of MahindraRacing in the Formula-E racing champi-onship where the team, through its dri-ver Felix Rosenqvist, is garnering hugesuccess by winning races, thanks to theenergy management software developedin-house by the team. Much like sever-al modern technologies in cars camefrom Formula 1 racing, consumer elec-tric vehicles will see technology trickledown from Formula-E making electriccars more efficient.

With energy density in batteriesgoing up and the per-kilowatt hour ofcost declining sharply, the major issuethat early electric cars faced, that is rangeanxiety (‘Will I run out of charge?’ syn-drome) and performance will beanswered. Possibly with the Suzuki andToyota partnership. The average personwill not buy an electric car for altruisticreasons but when costs come down andan attractive family electric vehicle isavailable for under 10 lakhs, coupled withsome buying incentives and the stunning-ly low running costs even at commercialpower rates, the shift to electric could beas dramatic in India as it was in Norway.

But, and there is always a ‘but’, evenwith such incentives electric vehicles areunviable currently for the mass marketbecause there is one basic issue with suchvehicles. That is a lack of charging infra-structure, and more importantly, there isa lack of reliable grid power in most partsof India, actually in all but a few poshareas of the largest cities in the countrygrid power is reliably unreliable.

Of course, measures are being takento improve this, and India’s massiveinvestments in solar energy will pay offin a decades time. But there needs to seri-ous thought put into newer solutions forour dilapidated grid such as decentrali-sation. Electric mobility will not be pos-sible without a re-thinking of electricitygeneration and distribution in the firstplace. Another thing which needs to beclearly realised is that the huge pushtowards electric mobility, which would becare, buses, trucks and boats, coupled withthe ‘Make in India’ programme, will meanthat India will have to change the para-digm with which it looks at resources.

Arunabha Ghosh, of the Council ofEnergy, Environment and Water (CEEW)speaks about the increases, often inhigh multiples of several critical metalsand minerals used in battery technolo-gy. China, its companies and its diplomatshave been working overtime to secureresources ranging from Lithium in SouthAmerica to Paladium and Cobalt in

Africa as well as software companies thatdo the grunt work running electric cars,after all modern cars are just computerson wheels. The move to electric mobil-ity cannot be made through pronounce-ments alone, pledges to ‘bulldoze’ theindustry might make for great headlinesbut policy issues need to be answered firstand that needs to be followed up withinfrastructure development.

At the same time, it has to be realisedthat private transportation is not the solu-tion. Even if a dramatic move is made toelectric vehicles over the next twodecades, going electric will not reducecarbon generation from thermal powerplants or in the manufacturing process.

The Transport Minister correctlysaid that the focus has to move to pub-lic transportation inside cities and on thatfront, despite the massive retrofitting ofmass rapid transit systems in Indiacities, governance has failed completelyin most cities. If we are to build trulysmart cities, whether we build new ormake old ones smart, there needs to besmart transportation solutions. Electricpersonal mobility is but one, but it hasthe smaller percentage of marks. Asmart public transportation system acrossIndia’s top 100 cities is the true need ofthe hour. And that will truly electrifyIndia’s economic growth.

(The writer is Managing Editor, The Pioneer)L

ast week, the apex court disagreed with a Bombay High Court ruling that awoman's religion merges with that of her husband's faith after marriage andasked the Valsad Zoroastrian Trust to revisit its decision barring a Parsi woman

from entering the Tower of Silence to perform the last rites of her parents onlybecause she married outside the community. The Chief Justice-headed Benchalso commented on the fact that it appears manifestly arbitrary that a Parsi manmarrying outside the community was not so barred while a woman was. Crucially,the Bench held that marriage could never be a ground for restricting or denud-ing the civil rights of women. Bravo. India is home to many faiths, including var-ied modes of worship of Indic-origin cultures, some recently corporatized,as wellas traditional organized religions of the Abrahamic kind. But there is a commonstrand of patriarchy, often degenerating into straightforward misogyny, that runsthrough all cultures and religions as practiced in contemporary India which areoften at odds with individual autonomy especially that of the female. By testingextant cultural and/or religious practices on the altar of the rights of an individ-

ual under the Constitution, much likeit did in the instant triple talaq case,the Supreme Court is showing howIndian jurisprudence must evolve.The bogey of religious rights beinginfringed upon, regardless of thecommunity raising it, must not beallowed to interfere in this welcomepath and the Executive has a specialresponsibility in this regard.

Then there is the argument resort-ed to most often by traditionalists andaccepted by the state — that by pro-viding a “right of exit” to members ofa community in disagreement with anyprevalent practice of that community'sreligious laws governing civil matters,the balance between religious freedomand individual rights is maintained. So,

for example, you are told that if you don't like the marriage laws of a particularcommunity there is the Special Marriages Act, and so on. But we suspect thismay not cut it for much longer as India moves towards a Uniform Civil Code.Now that the spotlight is increasingly on the practices prevalent in all commu-nities relating to marriage, divorce, property rights et.al., the obvious truth ofthe assertion that all customary laws are weighted heavily against women is self-evident. Indeed, there is enough empirical evidence to show that inter-genera-tional societal and familial structures geared towards brainwashing have result-ed, unfortunately, in a situation where matriarchs are often the worst oppres-sors of women in traditional India. The way forward to guarantee an Indian cit-izen who happens to be a woman her individual autonomy and rights withoutinfantilizing her is by a combination of continued judicial testing of prima faciearbitrary community laws on one hand and encouraging social reforms for gen-der parity within all communities on the other.

The murderous attack on a Bengali migrant labourer in Rajasthan who was appar-ently burnt alive has aggrieved people across the country. While some in themedia have put a communal spin to this horrific murder the fact is that there

are hundreds of cases every month where people are attacked on a variety of pre-texts and there is no recourse to justice for the victims and their families. Police forcesin this country have become highly sectarian, divided by caste and religion. The Indianjudiciary too has a lot to answer for and the lower judiciary is manifestly inefficient;the Supreme Court has admitted that there is corruption at the lower levels of thejudiciary and even at higher levels, many ostensibly open-and-shut cases take twoto three decades to resolve. It is clear that the average Indian has little or no faith inthe law and as a result lumpen of every description people are indulging in vigilan-tism and blatant abuse of the law. Murder and rape are ‘common crimes' which arenow recorded and shared using mobile phones. What it says about us a society isscary, but even scarier is the fact that even with such video evidence available, unlessthere is high-profile media attention there is no follow-up. Urgent reforms are need-ed in the police and judicial system. This will not be easy as rent-seekers and other

entrenched interests will do their utmostto prevent change. And it will be espe-cially difficult for the Narendra ModiGovernment because police reforms inparticular will need the proactive involve-ment of all States, many ruled by itsimplacable political foes who opposeeverything that is proposed by the Centreon political grounds. Judicial reforms willneed the judiciary at all levels to buy intothem. Much like the Real EstateRegulation Act which several Statesdesperately tried to dilute, reforms in thepolice and judiciary will also be challengedby States under various guises, oftenaided and abetted by the misinformationspread by a section of the media, some-times maliciously. The bottom lineremains that people believe that they can

get away with murder, particularly on grounds of religion and caste — a blatant demon-stration of how low Indian policing has fallen to a new low. Those with money andpolitical patronage are convinced the law can't touch them. In fact, if there had beenno concerted media campaigns, the murderers of Jessica Lal and Nitish Katara wouldhave gotten away too. The American network television show How to get away withmurder would not have much of a plot in India because it is really is easy to getaway with it if one is wealthy.

The Constitution promises that every individual is equal in the eyes of the lawbut its upholders have become wilfully blind to that promise. We have normalisedpolice brutality to such an extent that we telecast police beating up citizens on tele-vision in 10-second clips. And the eternal debate topic ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’is quite invalid in India as justice is almost always delayed. This is why the averageIndian has lost hope in the 'system’ and indulges in vigilantism. At the same timethe presumption of innocence is ignored and undertrials spend decades incarcerat-ed, often for longer than the punishment due for the crimes if they did indeed com-mit them. Something needs to change, and fast.

No fear of the law

The recent spate of attacks on individuals shows

the police and legal system have failed us

opinion 08LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017

Electrifying the future for mobility

A question of identity

Supreme Court strikes a blow for women's

autonomy, against patriarchal community laws

Costly remark

Sir — Criticism should be con-structive and logical; it shouldnot be destructive. Criticismshould not also hurt anyone.Congress leader Mani ShankarAiyar’s criticism of Prime MinisterModi, where he used the wordneech, is highly unparliamentaryand derogatory. The party rightlychucked him out for his jibe. At atime when Gujarat is going to poll,his comments are unwanted anduncalled for. In 2014, Aiyar’s chai-wala remark against the PrimeMinister cost the party dearer. InPakistan too, during a debate, heurged to remove Modi to restorepeace between the two nations. Hiscomments are sure to cost his party.

Gururajan RamachandranOoty

Controversial leader

Sir — It looks like Mani ShankarAiyar, the veteran with anOxbridge education and a foot-in-the-mouth disease, seems to havean irresistible urge to flirt withcontroversy, often creating onehimself. Now he has shot himselfin the foot with his neech aadmicomment on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. But this wasn’tthe first time Aiyar came up withan outrageous remark. Aiyar’sremark is, in fact, worse thanCongress president Sonia Gandhi’smaut ka saudagar, which wasthrown at Narendra Modi, and theCongress paid the price for it.

Interestingly, Italian-originSonia Gandhi could have claimedinnocence about not knowingHindi well, but Aiyar? I doubt it.

If only the former MP fromTamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai hadstuck to his brief, he could haveaverted the ignominy of beingrebuked by Rahul Gandhi and getsuspended from the party .

Incidentally, unlike RahulGandhi’s swift action condemningand sacking Aiyar, no display offorthrightness has come fromPrime Minister Modi, who hasbeen often criticised for followingtrolls who routinely abuse womenand others on social media, oftensending out death threats. Isn’t itcue for BJP to walk the talk andtake action against the serialoffenders in its own camp?

JS Acharya Hyderabad

Facing reality

Sir — The horrific video of aRajasthan man hacking with anaxe, then pouring kerosene onanother man, a Muslim workernative to Malda in West Bengal, isnot just a clip shot in the sly by abystander, but is about someoneacting it out for the camera. It’spretty much about sending out amessage, one of Hindutva’s unlim-ited majoritarian impunity and theimagined licence to kill membersof the minority community, nowover the idea of interfaith sex. Aftera series of gruesome murders inthe name of gau raksha, we nowseem to have murder as a perfor-mance against interfaith relation-ships. Have we all become versionsof Rwandan hate radios ourselves?

Padmini Raghavendra Secunderabad

www.dailypioneer.com

p a p e r w i t h p a s s i o n

Send your feedback to: [email protected]

SOUNDBITE

Industry people do know

when a when a PR

moment plays out. The

issue is that it is an insult

to our intelligence when

those who are doing the

PR thing, presume that

we are not

wiser.

Union Minister

— Smriti Irani

KUSHANMITRA

Electric mobility is rapidly becoming a reality for urban centres across the world. Yet, it isn't a simple answer for India

We are now having strategic

discussions on this region,

stretching from Asia to the

African continent. We place

India right in the middle of

this geopolitical dynamics.

Japanese

Ambassador to

India

—Kenji Hiramatsu

Mani Shankar Aiyar, a

liability for the Congress

This refers to the editorial, “A vile tongue” (December 9). Though ManiShankar Aiyar tried to wash away his hands of the controversy, hisexplanation cuts no ice. Poor-Hindi is also a lame excuse offered by

Aiyar because being a Delhi resident for long, his command over the Hindilanguage is second to none. Though a temporary axe has fallen on Aiyar,it is perplexing that his disgusting comments have always come at thewrong time for the party. His infamous and immoderate chaiwala descrip-tion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 had raised a hornet's nestand was condemned by one and all. The modest chaiwala has now becamepart of the modern dictionary.

So much so that many foreign dignitaries have used the refined ver-sion of the word to shower encomium on Prime Minister Narendra Modiwho rose to great heights from humble beginnings. Aiyar's jibe at thepopular Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 needs no elaboration. The problemwith the Congress is that it has ceased to be a party of mass leaders. Itcontinues to be run by dispensable leaders. Politicians like Aiyar have sur-vived because of their erudition and loyalty to the Gandhi family. Post-Gujarat election, Aiyar may as well be embraced back to the party fold.The Aiyar case will be an acid test for Congress president-elect RahulGandhi. Whether or not Rahul has the gumption to do away with papertigers like Aiyar is the moot question.

Ganapathi BhatAkola

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The BJP has turned

leaders such as Sardar

Vallabhbhai Patel,

Mahatma Gandhi and

Subhash Chandra Bose

into products.

Congress vice

president

—Rahul Gandhi

While it is brave of people

to accept that sexual

harassment happens in

Bollywood, one cannot

name and shame as there

is no guarantee of getting

work post that.

Actor

—Richa Chadha

When the petrol runs out, is the future electric? The new BMW i3s in Portugal

Distance education was born inEurope but flourished mostlyin Asian and African coun-

tries. This model of education is mostsuitable for the less privileged and theotherwise occupied. Working profes-sionals, housewives and other groupsfind it most convenient as they don’thave to give up their work to pursueeducation. However, the success oflearners depends upon how well theimparting institution supports them.Hence, the role of the institutionbecomes crucial. It is important toexamine the performance of institu-tions and the system, as in the devel-oping countries, a large number oflearners opt for distance education.

Major distance education institu-tions in India are the Indira Gandhi

National Open University (IGNOU)in higher education and the NationalInstitute of Open Schooling (NIOS)for pre-degree. Both institutionstogether cater to nearly six millionlearners from across the country andabroad. No other institution caters toas many learners as they do. TheSchool of Open Learning of theDelhi University has more learners onits roll as compared to any other col-lege of the Delhi University.

Most importantly, distance edu-cation provides flexible conditions forlearning which is most suitable for theless privileged or one’s who areemployed or those who lost the firstopportunity to pursue education. Acase in hand is the training of in-ser-vice untrained teachers in India.

Ever since the Right to EducationAct was passed in 2009, we could trainless than five lakh teachers in a peri-od of five years; as a consequence wefailed to fulfil the promise the Actmade to make available a trainedteacher for every class of 35 to 40learners in primary schools. There wasan estimated deficit of more than 11

lakh teachers in July this year. Therewas no way we could train so manyteachers in a period of two years.

In August this year, the Ministryof Human Resource Developmentidentified NIOS to undertake train-ing of 15 lakh untrained in-serviceteachers against IGNOU, which isrightfully mandated to undertakethe training for reasons well-knownto the MHRD. IGNOU has a largeteacher training department, where-as NIOS does not have great exper-tise in teacher training.Nevertheless, the programme hasalready started showing positiveresponse. We need to analyse thecase with the objective to under-stand how institutions and systemsstop delivering or become vibrant.

Distance education is capable ofcatering to large number of learners,so, the per head cost comes to muchless as compared to traditional meth-ods of classroom-based education.IGNOU was established after carefulthinking and planning. It was giventhe mandate through an Act ofParliament to impart as well as main-

tain the quality of distance educationin the country. While it successfullydelivered in the first two decades ofits establishment, in the last 10 yearsor so, it failed to not only deliver buteven maintain its image. The prestigeits degrees and diplomas command-ed earlier has been falling. Diplomain primary teacher education offeredby IGNOU in the State of Bihar dur-ing 2007-09 was de-recognised by theNational Council of Teacher educa-tion; the statutory body responsiblefor maintaining quality and standardsin teacher education.

IGNOU and distance educationare almost synonyms in the Indiancontext. Any analysis of distanceeducation will most naturally con-verge into analysing IGNOU. It is dif-ferent from any other university in thecountry as its budget does not comefrom the University GrantsCommission (UGC), and, therefore,it has more autonomy than any otheruniversity in the country.

However, by some erroneousdecision, the unit within IGNOU,which was responsible to enforce

quality in the distance education sys-tem, the Distance Education Council(DEC), was shifted to the UGC. Thiswas a violation of the IGNOU Act,which was passed by the Parliament,as IGNOU was given this responsibil-ity through the Act.

The UGC has been averse to dis-tance education. Somehow, the twosystems, which were expected towork in tandem, came at loggerheadsand since the DEC was shifted to theUGC, it has almost been defunct.UGC also does not have the exper-tise required to give leadership anddirection to distance education. Themassive network of distance educa-tion, which comprised of IGNOUand the State open Universities,besides the directorates of distanceeducation of different universities, allgot directionless.

The UGC has squarely failed inproviding the leadership it was expect-ed to give since the DEC was mergedinto it. Surprisingly, educational plan-ners, who have all along been underpressure to increase seats in the high-er education institutions, have not been

able to focus on distance education.Distance open learning could, and hasbeen accommodating large number ofaspirants who are not desirous of pur-suing full-time education but aspire toacquire higher degree.

IGNOU has gone into hiberna-tion in the last couple of years. Thevice chancellor was sent on leavetowards the beginning of 2015 as hecompletely meshed up with the sys-tem and the institution and sincethen, the in-charge vice chancellorshave not taken any initiative to servethe desirous learners.

Institutions’ performance com-pletely depends upon the leadership.IGNOU has been without a leader forvery long. We cannot expect our insti-tutions to perform without a visionaryleader. Private partners are makingefforts and are also performing betterin many cases. If we do not rise to theoccasion now, we may land up in a sit-uation where giving a turnaround to theinstitution may not be possible at all.

(The writer is Chairman, NationalInstitute of Open Schooling. Viewsexpressed are personal).

When there’s no accountability

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017

Congress would provide a separate 20 per

cent quota for EBCs, including Patidars, in

addition to existing 49 per cent reservation.

—Gujarat Congress chief

BHARATSINH SOLANKI

Either they (Congress) have to snatch

others’ quota to give reservation or they

are spreading lies.

—Prime Minister

NARENDRA MODI

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

Is it not disturbing that nearly one-fourth of the vice chancellors ofcentral universities in the coun-try are facing some sort of aninquiry? The list of completed or

ongoing inquiries includes major play-ers in higher education like the AligarhMuslim University, Indira GandhiNational Open University, DelhiUniversity, Banaras Hindu Universityand even Shanti Niketan!

Vice chancellor of Pondicherrywas removed from the post after hewas found guilty of having submittedforged qualification certificates.Winston Churchill once said it in fullcomprehension: “The price of great-ness is responsibility”. Universitiesbecome great when they excel in cre-ating and disseminating knowledge,human values and above all, human-ism and humaneness. Such a loftyobjective cannot be achieved withoutthe presence of iconic intellectuals andcommitted scholars in laboratories,libraries and classrooms.

Further, they need visionary out-standing academics of repute to leadthese universities. This is what wasachieved by Madan Mohan Malviya. Heinvited individuals to set up variousschools of knowledge and a person ofthe stature of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnanto be the vice chancellor. Considerationsof caste, religion or region were total-ly absent. Yes, India could recall greatcontributions of vice chancellors of thestature of Ashutosh Mukherjee, PunditGanganath Jha, Zakir Husain, TrigunaSen, LK Srimali and others. None of theabove was made to put up an applica-tion, give evidence of 10 years as full-time professorship! Neither were theyinterviewed by the search-cum-selec-tion committee as is the practice invogue at present. Things have changedand that needs no elaboration.

From about 20 universities tobegin with, India can boost of nearly800 at present. It is a large-scaleexpansion that was necessary; andinevitable; to accommodate the grow-ing demands on the higher educationsystem. Absence of inbuilt safeguardsin educational expansion is best exem-plified by the current concerns ondecline of credibility and deteriorationin quality of education, right from theprimary schools to higher educationand research. If over 80 per cent freshgraduates in engineering and manage-ment are not found up to the mark inthe job market, it is time for an inci-sive objective analysis and to take afresh look on the prevailing deficien-cies and emerging demands.

Universities are built around ‘theright people, the right environment andthe right financing’! Radhakrishnan, thevisionary scholar, had very clearlyindicated “Intellectual work is not forall, it is only for the intellectually com-petent.” He further elaborated: “If our

universities, which showed so muchpromise on the eve of independence,now appear to be in a state of disarray,it is because they have been increasing-ly invaded by masses of people whohave no regard for intellectual compe-tence or aptitude for academic work.”

In the context of central universi-ties, right financing is not much of aproblem. Apart from Governmentgrants, these could, with proper lead-ership, receive support from the alum-ni, industry and others who may be inneed of specifically-prepared man-power. However, to create the rightenvironment remains an issue.

Advancing knowledge is the chal-lenge before university dons, and thatis what the nation expects them to beremaining busy with. This cannot beachieved even partially if bureaucraticincursions and political intrusions inuniversity affairs persistently demoralisethe vice chancellor! Recent alterationsin the Institutes of Technology Act havegiven them sufficient autonomy, whichin simple terms means freedom fromthe stranglehold of the bureaucracy! Itcould lead to better appreciation ofextending autonomy to State-fundeduniversities and institutions.

The toughest challenge is to find theright person to head the university. Onlya distinguished academic, who had notlobbied for the position, could functionwith courage and self-confidence. Onlysuch a person could assert the ‘auton-omy’ of the university, which is nowmore of myth than a provision of anyconsequence. For the heads of univer-sities, these are the times of seriouschanges taking place and challengesemerging at an unprecedented pace all

around. Universities have the responsi-bility to nurture ‘power of ideas’ and‘power of imagination’. From this, thesewould provide the necessary climate forthe growth and development of curios-ity and the resulting creativity. The spir-it of entrepreneurship and urge toinnovate is impeded when curiosity andcreativity are suppressed; knowingly orunknowingly! Universities become greatwhen these are staffed and led by per-sons with vision, imbued with an urgeto explore and innovate. Are suchexpectations really Utopian? Probablyyes, as sufficient ground exists for suchapprehensions!

These are the days of intense lob-bying for the vice chancellor’s positionin practically every central and Stateuniversity. It is on the rise as the cred-ibility of the process is diminishing fast.The introduction of AcademicPerformance Index (API) has acceler-ated the prevalence of unfair practicesin academia as evidenced by spurt ofinstant-acceptance journals and ever-increasing numbers of national orinternational seminars. Never beforesuch a farce of seminars been organisedas after the API. It is the number of par-ticipation and publications and not thequality that makes one eligible to movehigher up the ladder. The basic prin-ciple for playing the leadership rolerevolves around the maxim that the jobshould go to the one who deserves itand not the one who demands it. Thedamage that has been done to thegrowth and nurturance of academicleadership is now well-established andthe ever-increasing number of inquiriesbeing instituted against vice chancellorsleaves no doubt about its total unsuit-

ability. Indian academics, right from

schools to universities, are well-versedin successfully confronting deficienciesand even deprivations that they faceregularly. They do so because of theirtraditional commitment to the cause ofpreparing generations ahead andtowards creating new knowledge. Theseunsung heroes are working in theirclassrooms, laboratories and libraries,guiding and mentoring young peoplewithout complaining about anything!It is this category that would never applyand submit copies of high school marksheets, face interview or approachpoliticians and others for favours! It isno longer a myth that unscrupulouspractices are not barred!

Some bold decisions on how toensure right person at the top in uni-versities must be taken without delay.Some of the changes that often emergein formal and informal deliberationsamongst academics deserve in-depthscrutiny. First accept that the existingprocedures have failed. Next, the tenureof the vice chancellor should uni-formly be of five years. The process toappoint the next vice chancellor mustbe initiated well in advance to ensurethat the successor is known at least amonth before the incumbent demitsoffice. Keeping top positions vacant dis-turbs the rhythm of the system andthrows it into a state of uncertainty,which inflicts lasting damages. In sev-eral cases, the Senate, ExecutiveCommittees, and Boards ofManagement must be freed from thepresence of politicians.

(The writer is former Director,NCERT and an educationist).

Distance education: A lonely endeavourthinknowW

hen we

tackle

obstacles,

we find hidden

reserves of

courage and

resilience we

did not know we

had. And it is

only when we

are faced with

failure do we

realise that

these resources

were always

there within us.

We only need to

find them and

move on with

our lives.

—APJ Abdul

Kalam

Price of a broken

healthcare system

Higher education in India suffers from lack of leadership that can truly create the rightkind of environment and ensure politics is kept away from the vice chancellor’s office

Given the many merits of distance education, which helps develop a learning society, it is disheartening that institutions

have have been directionless in providing quality education. It is time to bridge the gap in distance learning

JS RAJPUT

CB SHARMA

Recent cases of medical negligence by two privatehospitals have made it amply clear that no amount ofregulations can make up for weak healthcare design

THE TOUGHESTCHALLENGE IS TOFIND THE RIGHT

PERSON TO HEAD THEUNIVERSITY. ONLY A

DISTINGUISHEDACADEMIC, WHO HAS

NOT LOBBIED FORTHE POSITION, CAN

FUNCTION WITHCOURAGE AND SELF-CONFIDENCE. ONLY

SUCH A PERSON CAN ASSERT THE

‘AUTONOMY' OF THEUNIVERSITY, WHICH

IS NOW MORE OF A MYTH THAN A

PROVISION OF ANYCONSEQUENCE

Governments in Delhiand Haryana havetaken strict action

against two high-profile pri-vate hospitals involved inrecent cases of medicalnegligence. In one case, aseven-year-old girl diedwhile undergoing treatmentand the Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, raiseda huge bill. In the other case, Max hospital, Shalimar Bagh, erro-neously declared a new-born baby dead. The HaryanaGovernment swiftly ordered the removal of Fortis hospital,Gurugram, from the panel of the State Government and initiat-ed a police case against the private hospital. Further, it is alsocontemplating cancelling the licence of its blood bank and theland lease. The Delhi Government, on other hand, has cancelledthe licence of Max hospital, Shalimar Bagh.

While the general public has hailed the actions taken byrespective Governments as befitting responses, some from theprivate healthcare industry have termed the Government’s actionas “unfair”, “harsh”, “going for an overkill” and “politically moti-vated.” Divergent reactions to this issue is understandable. Thegeneral public believes in providing exemplary punishment,whereas the healthcare industry expects the punishment to beproportional to the offence.

It was sheer coincidence that both the incidents took placein the National Capital Region, in reputed private hospitals andin succession. Yet, these incidents reflect of the prevailing health-care situation in Indian cities, where lack of healthcareproviders is not really an issue. Beyond taking necessary action,States need to think in terms bringing changes in the currentdesign of the healthcare system. Governments need to interveneboth on the demand and supply side and also tweak the cur-rent structure of India’s health care system.

Demand for healthcare in Indian cities is largely atomistic,where individuals purchase healthcare at the time of need andpay from their pockets. This retail purchase of care is acknowl-edged to be the worst method of paying the hospitals, globally.The two recent incidents shouldn’t, therefore, come as a surprisebecause the current health system of the country is designed forsuch pitfalls. (Note that in a separate investigation, theCompetition Commission of India found Max hospital, Patparganj,making profits of up to 525 per cent on syringes, and found suchtendency to be prevalent across all 14 Max hospitals).

To avoid such pitfalls, retail purchase of care needs to beconverted into some sort of organised purchase, which has thetwin advantage of reduced (negotiated) prices and an oversighton care quality. Households, who join a risk-pool mechanismby paying much smaller and regular amounts, get protection fromcatastrophic expenditure and an assured quality of care.Therefore, States have a role to play in ensuring that people areincluded in some risk-pooling mechanism.

On the supply side of healthcare too, the Government hasa role to play. Currently, the healthcare supply has a dual trackstructure. Government funding largely goes to support the pub-lic hospitals that provide free care (almost!) while private financ-ing largely goes to private hospitals, where care is expensive.There is little interaction between these tracks. There is a needto bridge these parallel structures. This can be done if theGovernment purchases care from both public and private hos-pitals and applies uniform standard of pricing, quality and reg-ulation. This will generate healthy competition between the pub-lic and private hospitals for Government funding.

It is important to recognise that in Indian cities, privatehealthcare providers are dominant players who cannot be ignored;and so also the need for pulling up public hospitals. At present,the Government hardly uses its funding lever to guide the behav-iour of healthcare providers both on pricing and quality. For one,the Government health spending itself is quite low; and two, thisfunding largely goes to support the public hospitals. This needsto change, at least in the cities.

At the system level too, States need to think of the under-lying preventable factors — for instance, environmental condi-tions and life style issues in cities — that contribute to thedemand for hospital care. States need to come up with effec-tive interventions in several other domains. Further, States needto create an ecosystem of multi-stakeholders having shared val-ues as well as develop mechanisms, rules, and processes thatprovide necessary checks and balances in the provision of health-care. Such an ecosystem is needed not only in steering the sys-tem but also in becoming its guardian.

In the aftermath of these incidents, the Haryana Governmenthas expressed its intention to adopt the Clinical EstablishmentAct which sets the basic minimum standards of health facilitiesand care. The Delhi Government too is contemplating to bringa legal framework to prevent occurrences of such incidents inthe near future. While Acts and legal frameworks are clearly need-ed, these will need to be complemented with fixes in the healthsystem design. No amount of regulations can make up for theweak design of the health system. Enough policy, regulatory andtechnical knowledge is available to fix the health system design.

(The writer is a development economist, formerly with theBill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank).

RAJEEV AHUJA

3rdeye 09

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017 money 10

We have now products in themass market segment. As partof our strategy going ahead wewill get into new technologieswith higher power voltagepowertrains and higher rangeproducts––Mahindra Electric CEO Mahesh Babu

Our very conservative target isthat we will be selling more thanten times of what we will bedoing this year in the next fiveyears. We will have multipleplants by that time––Hero Electric ManagingDirector Naveen Munjal

CORPORATES

FROM

BUZZ

India's four-pronged strategy to focus on food securityT S VISHWANATH n

BUENOS AIRES

India, led by Commerce andIndustry Minister, SureshPrabhu, is expected to adopt

a four-pronged strategy at theMinisterial Meeting of theWorld Trade Organization(WTO) at Buenos Aries fromDecember 10-13, 2017.

One, in a world that is lean-ing towards regional and bilat-eral trade agreements, Indiawill want the Ministerial tostrongly reaffirm the commit-ment of the 160 member coun-tries to the multilateral plat-form for trade liberalizationand rule making; two, pushhard to get a clear mandate onfinding a permanent solutionto public stock holding foragricultural commodities toaddress food security concerns;three, ensure member coun-tries do not move away fromthe not-yet-concluded DohaDevelopment Agenda by intro-ducing new issues like invest-ment facilitation in WTO'snegotiating mandate; and final-

ly not support any compre-hensive negotiations for anagreement on e-commerce. Ona many of these issues, thoughpositions may slightly vary,India is expected to find sup-port from many other devel-oping countries includingChina and South Africa.

PUBLIC STOCK HOLDINGThe most important issue forIndia will be to drive a con-sensus for a permanent deci-sion on public stock holding foragricultural products thatreflects the demands of a groupof developing countries calledG-33 with strong interests infood security issues likePhilippines and Indonesiabesides India.

New Delhi will want mem-ber countries of WTO to adopta mandate on public stockholding that goes beyond theinterim solution of a perma-nent peace clause that wasagreed at the Ministerial meet-ing at Bali, Indonesia in 2013.One element of the currentlyavailable permanent peace

clause that irks India is theonerous responsibility of com-plying with existing and addi-tional notification require-ments and admitting that thecountry is exceeding, or is atthe risk of exceeding, its ceil-ing of entitlement to provideproduct-specific domesticsupport. India has beenstrongly advocating theremoval of the existing asym-metry in WTO's Agreementon Agriculture where devel-oped countries have far moreleeway than developing coun-tries in subsidizing agricul-tural commodities.

India has, over the last fewyears, invested a lot of itsnegotiating energy on thisissue and will, therefore, expectsome favourable decisionsfrom other member countriesat Buenos Aires.

There could, however, besome roadblocks to finding asolution. First, US has beenconspicuously absent from anyserious negotiations in the runup to Buenos Aires, second EUhas been wanting to link a per-

manent solution with stringentdisciplines on domestic supportprovided by developing coun-tries, includingIndia andthird thecountries areseeking a com-mitment that direct or indirectexports of public stockholdingswill be prohibited.

E-COMMERCEThe proposal on e-commercefor a possible start of negotia-tions has been doing therounds for several months inGeneva, Switzerland where theWTO is headquartered and isexpected to be among the toppriorities for negotiators at

Buenos Aires. E-commerce is not new to

WTO and has been on the listof to-do nego-

tiations since1998 andIndia would

like the coun-tries to maintain a status quoon the issue. Currently coun-tries have agreed to have amoratorium on duties on alldigital products shippedthrough e-commerce. Thismoratorium has been extend-ed every two years since 1998.

However, in the last one-year the “Friends of E-com-merce” Group at the WTOwhich, include Argentina,Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,

Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria,Pakistan, Sri Lanka andUruguay have been stating thatthere is a need to push com-prehensive negotiations on e-commerce for “development”.

India does not supportany negotiating outcome for e-commerce. India is of theview that there is already amandate for specific technicalcommittees at the WTO tostudy and deliberate on theissue and there is no need tohave any immediate negoti-ating mandate on this issuefor the present. However,there will be reasonably highpressure from countriesincluding the EU for a possi-ble work programme on thisemerging sector.

TRADE & INVESTMENTAnother proposal at theMinisterial that India will notsupport is the inclusion ofinvestment as a subject fornegotiations within the WTO.India has always been opposedto the introduction of invest-ment in the WTO stating that

it is not a trade issue. There are,however, several proposals onthe table at Buenos Aires sup-porting the inclusion of invest-ment for negotiations at theWTO. One such proposal isfrom “Friends of InvestmentFacilitation For Development”comprising Argentina, Brazil,China, Colombia, Hong Kong,Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan.Besides these there are otherproposals separately fromArgentina and Brazil, one fromChina and another fromMexico, Indonesia, Turkey andAustralia (MIKTA).

The focus of most of theseproposals is to further cross-border investments by includ-ing issues such as improve-ment in regulatory transparen-cy and predictability, stream-lining and speeding up admin-istrative procedures andenhancing international coop-eration and addressing theneeds of developing countries.

FISHERY SUBSIDIESWhile there is a lot of groundthat needs to be covered in

many issues that are on the tableat the Ministerial, one areawhere countries seem to con-verging is on the issue of fish-ery subsidies. These negotia-tions are primarily aimed at pro-viding a framework to disciplinefisheries subsidies by WTOmembers. However, the out-come will also have to reflect thespecial needs of the developingand least developed countries.

There are several otherissues including discipliningdomestic regulation in ser-vices to proposals to benefitmedium, small and microenterprises. India has somereservations on these propos-als and is not likely to supportany move to take it forward inthe way it exists at present.

Following the inaugural ofthe conference on Sunday,negotiations are expected toget intense over the next threedays and ministers will beunder pressure to ensure thatthe Ministerial deliversenough for countries to keeptheir faith in the multilateraltrading system.

ON A MANY OF THESE ISSUES,THOUGH POSITIONS MAY SLIGHTLYVARY, INDIA IS EXPECTED TO FIND

SUPPORT FROM MANY OTHERDEVELOPING COUNTRIES INCLUDING

CHINA AND SOUTH AFRICA

PNS n NEW DELHI

The regulations for grievancehandling procedure underthe Insolvency and

Bankruptcy Code have been noti-fied, wherein the filing fee will berefunded to the stakeholder incase the complaint is found to benot “frivolous or malicious”.

The Insolvency and BankruptcyBoard of India (IBBI), which isimplementing the Code, has noti-fied the regulations and will beapplicable for all stakeholders,including creditors, debtors andservice providers.

Depending on the complaint,the IBBI can order an investigationor issue a show cause notice to theentities concerned.

“The regulations provide for anobjective and transparent proce-dure for disposal of grievancesand complaints by the IBBI, thatdoes not spare a mischievous ser-vice provider, but does not harassan innocent service provider,” theCorporate Affairs Ministry said ina release on Sunday. The IBBIcomes under the ministry.

A large number of cases havebeen filed under the Code, which

came into force last year, and therehave been certain instances ofalleged complaints against entitiesinvolved in the insolvency process.

Under the regulatory frame-work, a complaint can be filedagainst insolvency professionalagency, insolvency professional,insolvency professional entity andinformation utility.

A stakeholder can file a complaintwith details of “suffering, whetherpecuniary or otherwise, the aggriev-ed has undergone; how the conductof the service provider has caused the

suffering of the aggrieved; details ofhis efforts to get the grievanceredressed from the service provider;and how the grievance may beredressed”, the release said.

The complaint can be filed in thespecified form along with a fee of`2,500. “If the complaint is not friv-olous or malicious, the fee will berefunded,” the release said.

In case the IBBI finds that thereis a prima facie case of violation in thematter, then inspection or investiga-tion could be ordered or a show causenotice could be issued.

IBBI notifies norms for

complaints handling

INSOLVENCY LAW

The regulations will be applicable for all stakeholders,including creditors, debtors and service providers. As pertheir complaint(s), the IBBI can order an investigation orissue a show-cause notice to the entities concerned

NEW DELHI: A gravity-defyingbitcoin rally to over `10 lakh apiece, interspersed with 'stories'of people making crores fromthousands, has left the regulatorsflummoxed amid fears that acomplete lack of regulatoryregime for such cryptocurrenciesmay give rise to 'e-ponzi' scams.

The financial sector watch-dogs, including RBI and Sebi, asalso various government agen-cies, will soon get into a hud-dle to prepare a framework tosafeguard the gullible investorsand to clamp down on thefraudsters who may try tomanipulate the regulatory gaps,a senior official said.

There are quite a few pro-posals on the table and thoseinclude applying to cryptocur-rencies the existing regulationsaimed at checking spread ofponzi schemes or illicit money-pooling activities, money laun-dering and black money gener-ation and circulation, anotherofficial added.

The fear is that sudden spurtof numerous schemes offeringinvestment in virtual currenciesis reminiscent of the plantationscams of 1990s in India and theeponymous 'ponzi' scheme of1920s in the US, the official said.

The jury is still out onwhether such virtual currenciesshould be allowed as legal pay-ment tender or investments,though there are also suggestionsfrom some quarters for allowingthem with necessary checks andbalances.

The officials said the issueneeds to be discussed at the high-est level and one such forumwhere this matter has been dis-cussed in the past and would betaken forward is the FSDC(Financial Stability andDevelopment Council), whosemembers include top govern-ment functionaries and regula-tory heads.

A wider public awarenesscampaign may also be unveiledto make people aware of hugerisks associated with invest-ments in completely-unregu-lated areas like bitcoins andother such virtual currencies,the officials said.

The Reserve Bank hasalready issued multiple warningsabout such risks, while reiterat-ing that it has not given anylicence or authorisation to anyentity or company to operatesuch schemes or deal with bit-coin or any virtual currency.

The RBI has been issuing

such warnings since 2013, thefirst time when the surge in bit-coins caught the attention ofIndians, but the risks have mul-tiplied manifold now in thewake of a significant spurt in thevaluation of many such VCs anda rapid growth in Initial CoinOfferings (ICOs).

Modelled on the InitialPublic Offers or IPOs forissuance of new shares in thestock market, some entitieshave begun resorting to ICOsto raise funds from investors,including HNIs and other indi-viduals, who are getting luredinto claims of huge returnsfrom bitcoins and other suchvariants — apparently gettingminted in the digital world butalso reaching the real worldincluding as wedding gifts.

This trend has led to somesuggesting that the Securities

and Exchange Board of India(Sebi), which regulates capitalmarkets, should regulate thishitherto unregulated area, butothers suggest that the virtualcurrencies should ideally beunder the RBI jurisdiction asthey are payment instruments.

The recent spurt in bitcoinvalue — from under $10,000at start of year to close to$20,000 on Thursday before asharp 20 per cent plunge with-in hours — has largely beenattributed to plans by somederivative exchanges in the USto launch trading in bitcoin-linked derivatives.

The officials ruled out anysuch move in India for the fore-seeable future, even as bitcoinhas reportedly overtaken rupeeas the world's fifth largest cur-rency with the total circulationof nearly $300 billion.

The officials said all regu-latory gaps must be filled fast asthe bitcoin phenomenon is fastcatching the fancy of generalpublic and complaints havebegun to pour in at various lev-els about alleged fraudulentactivities in their names.

In addition to financialrisks — the value of bitcoinshave seen huge falls withinhours — the regulators areworried about their use for illic-it and illegal activities, subject-ing the users to an uninten-tional breach of anti-moneylaundering and combating thefinancing of terrorism laws.

Concerns also emanatefrom some unscrupulous enti-ties indulging in illicit money-pooling activities — common-ly known as ponzi schemes —with the promise of hugereturns from investment in bit-coins and other variants, whichthey claim are minted throughblockchain, a distributed ledgertechnology that was created tomint bitcoins and comprises ofextremely complex algorithmswith several thousand nodes foreach chain.

There is a suspicion thatsome so-called cryptocurren-cies and bitcoin investments

may actually have nothing todo with any blockchain-devel-oped virtual currency and arejust new ways devised byscamsters to ride the wave andwhat they may be offeringcould be 'e-ponzi' schemes, theofficials said.

In India, the term 'ponzi' isoften used for illicit collectiveinvestment schemes, rules forwhich were introduced after abig spurt in illegal money-pooling schemes in 1990s inthe name of plantation com-panies that promised hugereturns from tea and otherplantations.

Of late, several other vari-ants have come to the foreincluding in the name of realestate, agriculture produce,holiday schemes and evendairy farms. The regulatorsnow fear that virtual currenciescould be the latest in this list.

A typical 'ponzi' schemeinvolves the operator collectinga large amount of money frominvestors and paying themreturns from their own moneyor the money collected fromsubsequent investors, ratherthan from profit earned by theperson or the entity operatingsuch a scheme. PTI

Bitcoin surge, ICOs raise regulatory hackles on e-ponzi fears

NEW DELHI: The TelecomCommission is likely to discussthe relief package recommend-ed by an inter-ministerial groupfor the sector in its meetingscheduled for December 21, asenior official said.

The panel, the apex deci-sion making body of theTelecom Department, may alsodiscuss opening of new set ofspectrum — E-band (71-76Gigahertz frequency and 81-86Ghz) and V-band (57-64 Ghzfrequency range) for telecomservices, the official said.

“The IMG recommenda-tions will be placed before theTelecom Commission againalong with legal opinion andTRAI's recommendations onthe spectrum cap on December21,” said a DoT official, who didnot wished to be named.

The IMG recommenda-tions would be sent to theCabinet for a final decision.

The Telecom Commissionin its September meeting hadin-principle approved exten-sion of the time period for thepayment of spectrum bought inauctions by telcos to 16 yearsfrom the current 10 years, asrecommended by the inter-ministerial group (IMG).

The commission alsoapproved recommendation ofthe IMG, which was taskedwith finding solutions for thefinancial difficulties of the tele-

com sector, to lower the inter-est rate charged over penaltiesimposed on service providerswith slight modifications.

The commission hadsought a legal opinion on someof the points it approved at itsprevious meeting inSeptember-end before firmingup its view.

The panel had also soughtviews of the TelecomRegulatory Authority of India(Trai) on IMG's proposal torelax spectrum cap as it willprovide exit path to loss-mak-ing mobile service providersand ease consolidation in thesector.

Trai last month recom-mended that the ceiling onspectrum held by mobile oper-ators within a particular bandshould be removed, while sug-gesting a 50 per cent cap oncombined radiowave holding

in efficient bands like 700MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz.

If these suggestions areaccepted by the telecomdepartment, they would pro-vide a major relief for thesoon-to-be-merged IdeaCellular and Vodafone, as theywould have breached the spec-trum caps in certain locationsunder the existing rules.

It would also enable aggres-sive newcomer Reliance Jio topick up additional spectrum, ifneeded, in bands like 800 MHz.

Trai has also suggestedthat the overall cap on holdingspectrum should be raisedfrom the current 25 per cent to35 per cent.

The official added thatsome IMG recommendationslike reduction in various levieson the telecom sector are beingconsidered under the newNational Telecom Policy. PTI

Telecom Commission to consider IMG recommendations on Dec 21

PNS n BUENOS AIRES

Commerce andIndustry Minister

Suresh Prabhu on Sundayexuded confidence thatIndia will get support ofWTO member countrieson issues like food securi-ty, Doha DevelopmentAgenda (DDA) and pro-tection to small farmerswhich are dear to India as well as other develop-ing nations.

Ahead of the formal launch of the 11thMinisterial Meeting of the 164-member WorldTrade Organisation (WTO), the minister met therepresentatives of the European Union and par-ticipated in the meetings of the South Centre andG33 grouping.

“Met with the EU and had bilateral meetingswith trade ministers of other countries so that we

have a commonplatform, so whenwe finally push ouragenda there is

enough support for us,” Prabhu said. The minis-ter further said that he was trying to meet tradeministers of those countries which have “oppo-site views” with a view to convince them aboutthe concerns of the developing nations.

Observing that the food security is essentialfor the country, Prabhu said as far as fisheries issueis concerned India would endeavour to protectthe interest of small fishermen.

The other important issue is to push the DohaDevelopment Agenda (DDA) which has not mademuch progress for the past several years. The min-ister also emphasised that he would work withother countries to ensure that WTO remain animportant democratic multilateral institution.

HYDERABAD: The Infosys'move to settle with Securities andExchange Board of India (SEBI)the alleged disclosure lapsesinvolving a severancepact is “perfectly fine”,the company's formerChief Financial Officer,TV Mohandas Pai, saidon Sunday.

He disagreed withthe whistleblower who hasreportedly asked the marketregulator SEBI to prosecutethe IT giant's managementand the Board.

“Settlement is a normalprocess. Anybody can file for set-tlement consent decree fromSEBI. There are very clear norms.SEBI can do it; it's SEBI's pre-rogative,” Pai said.

On the whistleblower askingSEBI to prosecute the manage-ment as well as the board, he said,“That should be ignored.Consent order is fine. SEBIknows what to do best; leave itto SEBI.”

The chairman of AarinCapital and also Manipal GlobalEducation Services stressed thatconsent decrees are a very nor-mal part of any capital market.

“It happens all the time inthe US. It happens in all capitalmarkets because some things aredifficult to prove; companies

don't want to gothrough ordeal of a reg-ulatory action,” he said.

“In capital marketsall over the world, com-panies do file for con-sent so they get over any

regulatory action where there isno fraud, misrepresentation orcriminality,” he said.

“So, there is no criminalityand deliberateness. It's perfectlyfine for the company to file con-sent,” Pai said, adding that thematter in Infosys' case relates tolack of adequate and properdisclosure.

The whistleblower hasargued that a settlement wassimilar to “backdoor agree-ment”, and if Infosys is allowedto do so, then “no whistleblow-er in future will take the pain toexpose any malpractices in thecorporate sector”.

Infosys had last week filedthe application with SEBI tosettle the issues around sever-ance agreement with ex-CFORajiv Bansal. PTI

Infy's settlement move withSEBI fine, says former CFO

RBI and Sebi, as also variousgovernment agencies, will soon get

into a huddle to prepare aframework to safeguard the gullibleinvestors and to clamp down on the

fraudsters who may try tomanipulate the regulatory gaps

Prabhu confident ofgarnering support on various issues

WTO MEET

WTO MINISTERIAL

CONF OVERVIEW

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017 money 11

By SUDHANSHU PATNI

Establishing a brand identity in a highly-diversified country like India is not an easy matter. The practice ofpublic relations makes the things easy, especially when an organisation is passing through tough

situations. The best example is the role played by right communication in a veryrecent phenomenon. Till the 2010, the newspaper headlines spoke of ‘China to beon the road to become next super power of the world', in the field ofmanufacturing to be a major economic centre of the world. In the middle of2010, different voices came from beyond the Himalayas with high labour cost,shortage of electricity, rising manufacturing rates etc. It was learnt to have saidthat it was ‘a huge blow to China'.

It was India's opportunity and a right communication about India havingsufficient infrastructure and smart labour force, stirred up the world economicleaders. Such a huge turnaround resulted in the foreign direct investment (FDI) inIndia and now China is the second choice for the world business for the

manufacturing of any product. In this entire trade-shift, communication played a vital role. The earliest form ofrudimentary public relations was mouth-to-mouth publicity. More than hundred years ago, there were very fewjournals circulating in the far distant areas of the country. Mouth-to-mouth publicity was the only effective wayof communication at that point of time. The perfect example can be drawn from the adoption of beedi by thelower class as well the rural society of India.

Till late 19th Century, hookahs and chillum were used for the consumption of tobacco all over thecountry. Beedi industry was altogether a new phenomenon in the rural and urban India. When common peoplehad very little knowledge of Beedi, the manufacturer industry launched its own educational campaign. It gavedemonstration of smoking beedi in the village fairs and melas and also distributed beedi freely. Gradually, withthis innovative way of PR, beedi became a popular choice of smoking for the common man. In today's era of multiple forms of communication, there is a huge possibility that a constant dose ofcommunication via print, electronic or digital media can bounce back and result in the formation of thenegative image about the brand in the minds of the consumer. Communication is like a double edge-sword.Therefore, organisations must learn to keep a balance between advertising their products and services andsimultaneously run a smooth public relations campaign.

As per news media reports in a national dailies, quoting Public Relations Consultants Association of India,the PR industry is expected to touch `2,100 crore by fiscal 2020. While most of the growth will come frompublic relations, the report said, digital, social media and content driven campaigns will contribute as much as25 per cent to the revenue of PR firms. Similarly, referring to the report of the same national financialjournal, Advertising expenditure in India is expected to grow at 10 per cent to reach `61,204 crore in 2017over 2016, according to a forecast by WPP-owned media agency GroupM in its report ‘This Year Next Year'.

Multinational organisations selling soft drinks have to face the both good and bad side of communicationmade to their target audience. They promise that their soft drinks are one of the most refreshing and thirst-quenching drinks for people of all the age categories. But they miss out the flip-side of their communication,which bounces back to them in the form of a negative story, damaging their brand image. By the time theyrealise that NGO's across the world have started protesting against their soft-drink brands, it is too late.

Now, they feel the need of a PR campaign through which they try to convince their consumers that theyare concerned about ailments like obesity and tooth-decay. Through their CSR efforts aligned with their PRcampaigns, they make the best statements that they are highly concerned about the health of theirconsumers. By using every possible marketing technique, they tried to reach out to their consumers andpersuade them to enjoy the refreshing experience of their brand, their product.

In the services sector too, the outsourcing industry is undergoing a terrific evolution. Outsourcing hadbeen always seen as a low-end job. Earlier, people thought that all the cold-calls they receive aboutpurchasing a credit card or taking an insurance policy is the job of an outsourcing profession. A few yearsago, no doctor or a scientist even could have imagined a career in the outsourcing industry. It seems to behappening now. The BPO industry has taken a 360 degree turn. The most recent newspaper headlines, ‘NowBPO is BPM', is changing an entire spectrum of communication to the Indian academia. It is just not ordinarynews. It is in fact an invitation to chartered accountants, scientists, engineers and people from differentacademic disciplines to join the most happening outsourcing industry.

With the spread of this news, the outsourcing industry is taking twists and turns and evolving from thelow-end call centre job to handling a whole range of business analytics management. The word ‘outsourcing'has become ‘management'. To be more precise, offshore vendors have become business processmanagement (BPM) experts, who partner themselves along with their customer's business to offer the bestvalue. Partnering with the Governments, Colleges are running courses on business process management andindustry and graduates are coming out to board on an exciting journey of their career. Therefore, the BPMindustry is now working on client-centric, client-partner model in India.

Therefore, communication today is playing a vital role in speeding up the growth of the overalleconomy of the country. Before you wake up in the morning, your cell phone tinkles with statistics onshare market, trading and all businesses giving you a complete overview of the Indian and internationaleconomy. The digital communication has changed the face of the entire country. (The writer is a national

media consultant and his views are personal. He can be contacted at: [email protected])

Communication: Thesoft arm of the industry

NDMC KICKS OFF SWACHHTA CAMPAIGN TO TARGET SWACHHTA SARVEKSHAN 2018

In view of forthcoming Swachhta Sarvekshan 2018, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has launched a Swachhta

Pakhwada with an active participation of the people of all walks of life in New Delhi area on Sunday. An exhibition

organised on the theme of Swachhta Sarvekshan 2018 has been inaugurated by Dr PK Sharma, Medical Officer of

Health (MOH), NDMC at JJ Cluster area at Kali Bari Marg, Gole Market in New Delhi. The intensive sanitation drive

would be continued at the different locations in New Delhi area from December 9, 2017 to January 2, 2018. The

exhibition and other public awareness programmes, including dramatic performances of the artists of Song and Drama

Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, GoI, besides distribution of handbills on the theme would be

carried out at the vulnerable areas and prime locations of New Delhi area, so as to spread the message about the

Swachhta Bharat Mission, Segregation of Waste at Source, Public Participation by Shram Daan in Swachhta Abhiyan

and other aspects related to the sanitation, hygiene and community health. The sanitation drive would be extended in

the areas of JJ Cluster-Kalibari Marg, Officers and Staff Quarters-Gole Market, Pillanji Village, Sanjay Camp, BR Camp-

Race Course, Valmiki Basti-Mandir Marg, Begnali Market, Kaka and Bapa Nagar areas. And NDMC would interact with

the Resident Welfare Associations, Market Traders Associations, Government and Non-Government buildings occupiers

in order to achieve the first position in Swachhta Sarvekshan 2018. NDMC bagged first position in the Northern region

of the country and overall 7th position in the country in the previous Swachhta Sarvekshan 2017.

PTI n NEW DELHI

The Prime Minister’sEconomic Advisory Panel

(PMEAC) member Rathin Royhas expressed hope that theforthcoming budget will not bea ‘populist’ and will reflect thecommitment of theGovernment to improve qual-ity of expenditure. Roy said, theGovernment, will come withyet another good budget, whichis likely to be presented onFebruary 1.

“I would not think anypopulism is permissible. I thinkthe Government will present aresponsible budget, which willreflect its expenditure qualityand commitments.” I don’tthink that the Government willuse the budget to be populist.I am very confident that polit-ical authorities understand this,”he told PTI an interview.

Asked what should be theGovernment’s reform agendafor the next 18 months, Roy saidthe Modi Government shouldfocus on completing the reformsundertaken by it in over the lastthree years.

“Many good reforms havebeen started, they will taketime to complete, so ratherthan embarking on fresh set of

reforms, the focus should be oncompleting reforms like theInsolvency and BankruptcyCode, 2016 (IBC), universali-sation and deepening of bank-ing etc,” Roy, who is also thedirector of economic think-tank NIPFP, said.

The Narendra Modi-ledNDA Government came topower in May 2014 and the next

general elections are due in2019. Asked to comment on theRBI’s decision to hold key pol-icy rates, Roy said that he com-pletely respects the MonetaryPolicy Committee’s decision.

“We have seen periodswhen interest rates came down.It is always good for interestrates to fall further but we haveto keep an eye on savings also,”

the eminent economist noted.Talking about overall

macro-economic environmentin the country, Roy pointed outthat India has a long way to goin terms of reforms and policiesto get 8 per cent growth.

“It is very clear that around7 per cent growth is achievableand we are doing it. Inflation islow, current account deficit(CAD) is under control, 6.3 percent growth on an average is ahigh rate of growth. And so farthe Government has adhered toits fiscal responsibility.”

“So if you look at fiscal pol-icy, monetary policy, exchangerate policy, and growth, macro-economic environment is fine,”the member of EconomicAdvisory Council to PrimeMinister observed. Askedabout job situation, Roy saidthere is a need to look againhow the economy can grow bytapping the domestic demand.

“For me the agenda fornext 10 years is very clear.India must become able toproduce what all Indians con-sume. “... You cannot solve jobproblem by only focusing onjob, you solve job problem byinvolving those who havejobs and are produci n ggoods,” he insisted.

PMEAC member: 2018-19

budget may not be populist

n I would not think any populismis permissible. I think the Govtwill present a responsible budget,which will reflect its expenditurequality and commitments I don’tthink that the Govt will use thebudget to be populist. I’m veryconfident that political authoritiesunderstand this. n Many good reforms have beenstarted, they will take time tocomplete, so rather than embarkingon fresh set of reforms, the focusshould be on completing reformslike the Insolvency and BankruptcyCode, 2016 (IBC), universalisationand deepening of banking etc. n We have seen periods wheninterest rates came down. It isalways good for interest rates tofall further but we have to keep an

eye on savingsalso.n “It is veryclear thataround 7 percent growth isachievable andwe are doing it. Inflation is low,CAD is under control, 6.3 per centgrowth on an average is a high rateof growth. And so far the Govt hasadhered to its fiscal responsibility.n For me the agenda for next10 years is very clear. Indiamust become able to producewhat all Indians consume. Youcannot solve job problem byonly focusing on job, you solvejob problem by involving thosewho have jobs and areproducing goods. PTI

NEW DELHI: The Governmentis looking to amend theNegotiable Instruments Act(NIA) in a bid to promote less-cash economy and a Bill in thisrespect is likely to be introducedin the upcoming Parliament ses-sion. “We have worked out some-thing. The draft Bill is getting finalshape. After clearance from theCabinet, we are hoping to intro-duce it in the winter session (ofParliament),” a senior financeministry official said. The wintersession will begin on December15 and continue till January 5.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitleyhad made an announcement tothis effect in the Budget 2017-18.“As we move faster on the path ofdigital transactions and chequepayments, we need to ensure thepayees of dishonoured chequesare able to realise the payments.The Government is thereforeconsidering the option of amend-ing the Negotiable InstrumentsAct suitably,” Jaitley had said.

In 2015, Parliament passedamendment to the NegotiableInstrument Act, providing for fil-ing of cheque bounce cases at theplace where a cheque is present-ed for clearance and not the placeof issuance. The amendments inthe Act had implications for over18 lakh cheque bounce casespending in various courts. PNS

WASHINGTON: PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, whohas set a very ambitious target forIndia to reduce its carbon inten-sity, is committed to moving thecountry to a lower carbon renew-able energy future, World bankPresident Jim Yong Kim hassaid. “I am very optimistic aboutwhat could happen with renew-able energy (in India). The otherthing that's so important is PrimeMinister Modi is very personal,very public and very strong sup-port of moving India to a lowercarbon renewable energy future,”Kim told reporters in a conferencecall ahead of the One PlanetSummit in France on Monday.

In an interaction withreporters on bank’s continuingwork on climate change mitigationand its efforts at helping develop-ing countries implement the ParisAgreement, Kim said he and theWorld Bank has worked very

closely with Modi. “Among one ofthe major projects that we’reputting on the table at the summitis a ultra-mega project in India forsolar,” he said on Saturday inresponse to a question. “PM Modihas made a very ambitious targetfor India to reduce its carbonintensity. Especially in the areas ofsolar and hydro, India is really lead-ing.

The Solar Alliance that PrimeMinister Modi is spearheadinghas also been extremely important,”Kim said. But there is still a lot ofwork to do, he observed. “I thinkthe Indian Government is verymuch aware of that.” Kim said thereare two most encouraging thingsfor India. “One is that the cost ofsolar and the both the cost and sizeof battery storage is progressing soquickly. The lowest price per kilo-watt hour that we've seen so far isin Mexico one point seven cents akilowatt hour which for many

countries makes solar less than halfthe cost of coal,” he said.

“Then also what we’ve seen isthe rapid advances in battery stor-age technology. So experts have saidat one point that there is an actualphysical limit to the size and the costof a battery storage technology andwe've already broken through thatsupposed physical limit quiteaggressively,” he said.

In France, Kim would be host-ing the One Planet summit withFrench President EmmanuelMacron and UN Secy Gen AntonioGuterres to mark the two-yearanniversary of the signing of the Parispact. “We are coming together notonly to reaffirm our commitment tothe agreement and to showcase someof the work taking place, but moreimportantly to look at ways to mobi-lize the scale of financing needed tocreate a low carbon climate resilientfuture for the economies of theworld,” Kim said. PTI

‘Modi wants India to lower carbon renewable energy future’

WA S H I N G T O N :India’s ultra-mega solarproject will come upfor discussion at theOne Planet Summit inFrance this week, WorldBank President Jim Yong Kimhas said. The ultra-mega solarpower projects, also known asultra mega solar parks, are aseries of solar power projectsplanned by India to enhanceits capacity from 20,000 MWto 40,000 MW.

“Among one of the majorprojects that we're putting onthe table at the summit is aultra-mega project in India forsolar,” Kim said on Saturdayin response to a question. Inan interaction with reporterson bank’s continuing work on

climate change mitiga-tion and its efforts athelping developingcountries implementthe Paris Agreement,Kim said he and the

World Bank has worked veryclosely with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.

“I am very optimisticabout what could happen withrenewable energy (in India),”Kim told reporters in a con-ference call ahead of the sum-mit. Noting that Modi is verypersonal, very public and verystrong support of moving Indiato a lower carbon renewableenergy future, Kim said theIndian leader has made a veryambitious target for India toreduce its carbon intensity. PTI

MUMBAI: Refusing to hazarda guess on GDP growth in theshort-term given the ‘shocks’like GST, note-ban and themountain of bad loans, formerReserve Bank Governor YVReddy has said the economyrequires two more years to‘consolidate’ and claw back tohigher growth levels.

It is very difficult to make aforecast on economic growthnow or say when the economywill return to the potentialgrowth levels of say 7.5 to 8 percent, which is unlikely in thenext 24 months, he said. “In ashock, the negative element isfront-loaded. There will be somemoderation, and there can besome gains. The pain is therenow, the gains will come later.

How much gains and in whatgap are the issues,” Reddy told aselect group of reporters over theweekend. “My guess is it might take a cou-ple years to consolidate. In a cou-ple of years, we should at leastaim to go back to 7.5-8 per centgrowth,” the former centralbanker said. “The shock elementis tapering off but the positiveaspect is yet to come; and I hopeit will come.” Reddy said theeconomy was helped by a pos-itive shock for almost threeyears following the massive dropin crude price, which he under-lined was at a third of what it wasduring his governorship. However, the negative shockssuch as the implementation ofthe goods and services tax,

note-ban last November andalso the high quantum of non-performing assets of banks havehurt the growth rate, he said.Reckless lending in the highgrowth years during the previ-ous government and certaindevelopment in the telecom,power and coal sectors follow-ing graft charges created a lot ofstress in the corporate world andleft many of them over- lever-aged. As a result, the bad loans in thesystem has jumped to almost 15per cent, or over Rs 10 trillion,as of the September quarter.Reddy, whose conservativeapproach to regulation is laud-ed and described as one of thereasons which limited theimpact of the 2008 global finan-

cial crisis, said the potentialoutput growth has come downto 7 per cent now from the 8.5per cent levels pre-crisis. Thedecline is due to both interna-tional factors, where global eco-nomic growth has been declin-ing and also domestic issues likethe negative shocks mentionedabove, said Reddy, who waschairman of the 14th FinanceCommission.

Reddy said opinion isdivided on how to look at thesenegative shocks, which he saidare looked at by foreigners as‘institutional changes’. “All thesethree shocks, according to someanalysts, have permanentlyaffected potential output,whereas some others say it is a(temporary) shock. PTI

GST, note-bank shocks lasting for 2 more yrs: Reddy

REFUSING TO HAZARD AGUESS ON GDP GROWTHIN THE SHORT-TERMGIVEN THE ‘SHOCKS’ LIKEGST, NOTE-BAN AND THEMOUNTAIN OF BADLOANS, THE ECONOMYREQUIRES 2 MORE YEARSTO ‘CONSOLIDATE’ ANDCLAW BACK TO HIGHERGROWTH LEVELS, SAYSEX-RBI GUV YV REDDY

Govt looking toamend NegotiableInstruments Act inPar session likely

GENEVA: Right privatisationprocess should be chosen for AirIndia to make it more competitive,IATA chief Alexandre de Juniac saidas he asserted that there is no needfor the Government to own stakein the carrier. Supporting the deci-sion to sell stake in the debt-ladenairline, he said the Government hasto find ‘competitive conditions togive Air India the right weapons tocompete against others’.

Air India is a member of theIATA, a grouping of more than275 airlines worldwide. “We sup-port privatisation of Air India.Then the company has to be pri-vatised in revised conditions to beable to compete effectively,” deJuniac told PTI in an interviewhere. As part of efforts to reviveailing Air India, the Governmentis working out the modalities forits strategic disinvestment.

The flagship carrier’s debtburden is more than `50,000crore. While noting that there isstrong competition in India,especially for long haul, theIATA Director General and CEO,said Air India should have theright weapons to compete. In thecontext of Air India, de Juniac

said the ‘right process for pri-vatisation’’ has to be chosen.

“There is no need forGovernment to have any stake inits airline from my point ofview,” he said in response to aquery on whether there should bea partial or complete stake sale inAir India. For financial and otherreasons, the privatisation process

could also be done in two steps,Juniac noted. “It is possible. Thefinal target should be complete pri-vatisation even if the process isdone in one or two steps,” he said.On the issue of overseas entitiesholding stakes in domestic carri-ers, de Juniac said that the IATAdoes not have a particular positionon foreign ownership. PTI

‘Choose right privatisation processfor AI to make it more competitive’

GENEVA: The outlook forthe fastest growing Indianaviation market is ‘verygood’ but infrastructureand taxation issues couldbe detrimental for itsgrowth, according toglobal airlines’ grouping IATA chiefAlexandre de Juniac.

Clocking high double-digitgrowth for more than two years,India's domestic aviation market isone of the fastest growing in theworld. Even as he emphasised thatthe country’s aviation market is‘promising’, the IATA's Director

General and CEO saidthere are concerns withrespect to certainaspects.

“India outlook isvery good because it isthe fastest growing

market... (but) we have someconcerns about the Indian market.Infrastructure, taxes which are toohigh (and) not totally clear about thenew GST,” de Juniac told PTI in aninterview here. According to him,there are a lot of taxation issues andthey could be ‘detrimental to thedevelopment of aviation’. PTI

NEW DELHI: Making a casefor Coal India’s foray into metaland mineral mining, theGovernment has said the state-owned firm being the biggestminer in the world would liketo leverage the expertise fordiversification. “Since CoalIndia is the biggest miner in theworld, it has the largest experi-ence in mining and would liketo leverage that for diversifica-tion,” Coal Secretary SusheelKumar told agencies.

On being asked about themetal mines that Coal India istargetting, the secretary said,“Those specific things have tobe crystallised.” The public sec-tor coal major is contemplatingforaying into mining of newminerals and metals like ironore, nickel, bauxite and copperto harness its expertise.

When asked how thethings are moving in this direc-tion, the secretary said, “Thatdepends on Coal India board.It has to come from within. Iam told they (the board) haveconstituted some sub-group.They are working on it.” PNS

CIL to leveragemining expertise for diversification

PTI n NEW DELHI

Hero Electric is mulling oversetting up multiple assembly

plants to meet its target of increas-ing sales by ten-fold in the next fiveyears, including enhancingexports. The company, whichexpects to sell over 25,000 units thisyear, currently has a productioncapacity of 50,000 units per annumat its Ludhiana plant.

“Our very conservative targetis that we will be selling more thanten times of what we will be doingthis year in the next five years. Wewill have multiple plants by thattime,” Hero Electric ManagingDirector Naveen Munjal told PTI.

Last year, the company sold lessthan 15,000 units. This year the totalelectric two-wheeler market in Indiais likely to be around 32,000-35,000units, he said. With the electric two-wheeler market now on a growthpath after recovering from the crashfollowing the 2010-11 global finan-cial crisis, he said the company ispreparing to make the most out ofthe upswing. “Next year, we are tar-geting almost three times growthover this year. At that kind of pace,we will run out of capacity from this

current plant. We will have to builda new facility,” Munjal said. Whenasked about investments, he said,“We are working on the num-bers...We (company management)are meeting next week to decide.”

On possible locations for thenew plant, hesaid, “We are lookingat multiple locations but we wouldprefer to be either in the West orSouth India because it is easier to caterto the markets there, plus we are look-ing at exporting to international mar-kets.” Exports become easier whenyou are closer to the port, he added.Munjal said the capacity of the newplants will not be much bigger than

the existing one in Ludhiana.“The idea is not to have too

large but have multiple plants to becloser to the customer. We will alsobe in e- rickshaw business andbecause of the logistics cost involvedin that, it has to be made in such away that you are closer to the cus-tomers,” Munjal said.

While in some cases a facilitycould be used for both two-wheel-ers and three-wheelers but insome cases it may be just a stand-alone three-wheeler productionunits, he said. On the exports front,he said the company currently haspresence in 32 countries.

Hero Electric mulls multiple assembly

plants for 10-fold sales hike in 5 yrs

NEW DELHI: Taking the fight tothe arena used by fraudsterspromising prize money from theRBI, the central bank has itselflaunched an SMS campaign anda ‘missed-call’ helpline to warnpeople against such scams.

Typically, such fraudsters makecalls or send SMSes and emails togullible people promising lotteriesand prize money from the ReserveBank - at times from the RBIGovernor himself -- to trap theminto sharing their banking accountdetails or paying some ‘fees orcharges’ to get the money.

One such fraudulent SMSasks the recipient to deposit ̀ 9,500as ‘fund release order fee charges’with a bank account --which thefraudster presents as that of the RBIitself - and provide bank account,Aadhaar and address details forgetting an amount of over ̀ 2 crore(denominated in the US dollar andother foreign currencies) as aportion of ‘funds recovered fromthe erstwhile British rulers’.

While the RBI has been reg-ularly issuing caution noticesagainst such frauds, it has nowtaken to SMSes to spread publicawareness against such frauds.PNS

RBI takes to SMSes, missed-call helplineagainst prize frauds

Indian aviation outlook verygood; infra worrisome: IATA

Next year, we are targeting almost 3-foldgrowth. At that kind of pace, we will run outof capacity from this current plant. We willhave to build a new facility. We are lookingat multiple locations but we would prefer tobe either in the West or South Indiabecause it is easier to cater to the marketsthere, plus we are looking at exporting tointernational markets. The idea is not tohave too large but have multiple plants tobe closer to the customer, says

Hero Electric MD Naveen Munjal

India’s ultra-mega solar project to bediscussed at France Summit: WB chief

‘BUDGET WILL NOT BE A POPULIST’

OPEN-ENDED

(GROWTH)

JM FINANCIAL MUTUAL FUND

Arbitrage Advantage (Direct) - Annual Bonus Op - Principal Units 11.939

Arbitrage Advantage Fund (Direct) - Annual Dividend Option 10.5781

Arbitrage Advantage (Direct) - Bonus Option - Principal Units 12.4391

Arbitrage Advantage Fund (Direct) - Dividend Option 11.0029

Arbitrage Advantage Fund (Direct) - Growth Option 23.244

Arbitrage Advantage (Direct) - Half Yearly Bonus Op - Principal Units 23.291

Arbitrage Advantage Fund (Direct) - Half Yearly Dividend Option 10.8015

Arbitrage Advantage Fund (Direct) - Monthly Dividend Option 12.499

Arbitrage Advantage (Direct) - Qtrly Bonus Option - Principal Units 23.2976

Arbitrage Advantage Fund (Direct) - Quarterly Dividend Option 11.0933

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Annual Bonus Option 22.9094

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Annual Dividend Option 12.1391

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Bonus Option - Principal Units 12.3299

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Half Yearly Bonus Op - Principal Units 22.9486

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Half Yearly Dividend Option 10.1434

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Monthly Dividend Option 12.072

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Qtrly Bonus Option - Principal Units 22.9486

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Quarterly Dividend Option 10.2903

ARBITRAGE ADVANTAGE FUND-Dividend 10.5757

ARBITRAGE ADVANTAGE FUND-Growth 22.6794

Basic Fund (Direct) - Dividend Option 23.3119

Basic Fund (Direct) - Growth Option 34.2139

Basic Fund - Dividend Option 22.5971

Basic Fund - Growth Option 32.3611

Core 11 Fund (Direct) - Growth Option 9.17

Core 11 Fund (Direct) - Dividend Option 8.9871

Core 11 Fund - Dividend option 8.6493

Core 11 Fund - Growth option 8.6496

Equity Fund (Direct) - Annual Dividend Option 27.3297

Equity Fund (Direct) - Dividend Option 26.6368

Equity Fund (Direct) - Growth Option 66.1404

Equity Fund (Direct) - Half Yearly Dividend Option 27.1361

Equity Fund (Direct) - Monthly Dividend Option 27.3297

Equity Fund (Direct) - Quarterly Dividend Option 27.3307

Equity Fund - Annual Dividend Option 26.2224

Equity Fund - Half Yearly Dividend Option 11.3786

Equity Fund - Monthly Dividend Option 25.98

Equity Fund - Quarterly Dividend Option 18.006

Equity Fund-Dividend 25.532

Equity Fund-Growth 62.723

Multi Strategy Fund (Direct) - Dividend Option 29.1969

Multi Strategy Fund (Direct) - Growth Option 32.1215

Multi Strategy Fund - Dividend option 28.231

Multi Strategy Fund - Growth option 30.354

KOTAK MAHINDRA MUTUAL FUND

50 - Dividend 37.944

50 - Dividend - Direct 40.452

50 - Growth 218.084

50 - Growth - Direct 229.314

Classic Equity Scheme---Dividend 24.076

Classic Equity Scheme---Dividend - Direct 25.933

Classic Equity Scheme---Growth 47.234

Classic Equity Scheme---Growth - Direct 50.277

Emerging Equity Scheme - Dividend 27.486

Emerging Equity Scheme - Dividend - Direct 31.103

Emerging Equity Scheme - Growth 40.214

Emerging Equity Scheme - Growth - Direct 42.517

Equity Arbitrage Fund - Bimonthly 19.9796

Equity Arbitrage Fund - Bimonthly Direct 20.1722

Equity Arbitrage Fund - Dividend 10.7473

Equity Arbitrage Fund - Dividend - Direct 10.9213

Equity Arbitrage Fund - Fortnightly - Regular 23.2309

Equity Arbitrage Fund - Growth 24.3765

Equity Arbitrage Fund - Growth - Direct 24.9788

Equity Arbitrage Fund -Fortnightly - Direct 23.7126

Equity Savings Fund - Direct - Growth 13.4248

Equity Savings Fund - Direct - Monthly Dividend 11.5339

Equity Savings Fund - Direct - Quarterly Dividend 11.4181

Equity Savings Fund - Regular - Growth 13.1368

Equity Savings Fund - Regular - Monthly Dividend 11.2854

Equity Savings Fund - Regular - Quarterly Dividend 11.3144

Global Emerging Market Fund - Dividend 15.732

Global Emerging Market Fund - Dividend - Direct 16.406

Global Emerging Market Fund - Growth 15.732

Global Emerging Market Fund - Growth - Direct 16.343

Infrastructure & Economic Reform Fund - Standard Plan-Dividend 21.48

Infrastructure & Economic Reform Fund - Standard Plan-Growth 22.86

Infrastructure & Economic Reform Fund- Direct Plan- Div Option 24.323

Infrastructure & Economic Reform Fund- Direct Plan- Growth Option 24.341

Mid-Cap-Dividend 42.358

Mid-Cap-Dividend - Direct 45.188

Mid-Cap-Growth 79.577

Mid-Cap-Growth - Direct 84.5

Opportunities---Dividend 27.395

Opportunities---Dividend - Direct 29.071

Opportunities---Growth 115.316

Opportunities---Growth - Direct 121.255

Select Focus Fund - Dividend 23.262

Select Focus Fund - Dividend - Direct 24.566

Select Focus Fund - Growth 32.617

Select Focus Fund - Growth - Direct 34.201

L&T MUTUAL FUND

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Bonus 12.769

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 12.829

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Monthly Dividend 10.247

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Quarterly Dividend 10.732

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan - Bonus 12.565

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 12.565

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan - Monthly Dividend 10.063

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan - Quarterly Dividend 10.672

Business Cycles Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend 16.275

Business Cycles Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 17.373

Business Cycles Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend 15.911

Business Cycles Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 17.006

Dynamic Equity Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 19.069

Dynamic Equity Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 23.586

Dynamic Equity Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 18.008

Dynamic Equity Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 22.443

Emerging Businesses Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend 23.724

Emerging Businesses Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 28.008

Emerging Businesses Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend 23.038

Emerging Businesses Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 27.302

Equity Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 37.891

Equity Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 82.716

Equity Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 34.222

Equity Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 80.017

Equity Savings Fund- Direct Plan-Quarterly Dividend 12.871

Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan-Growth 17.68

Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan-Monthly Dividend 12.555

Equity Savings Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 17.034

Equity Savings Fund - Regular Plan - Monthly Dividend 12.347

Equity Savings Fund - Regular Plan - Quarterly Dividend 12.2

India Large Cap Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 26.058

India Large Cap Fund - Direct Plan- Dividend 19.441

India Large Cap Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend 18.349

India Large Cap Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 25.194

India Prudence Fund - Direct Plan - Annual Dividend 13.979

India Prudence Fund - Direct Plan -Dividend 22.102

India Prudence Fund - Direct Plan-Growth 27.108

India Prudence Fund - Regular Plan- Annual Dividend 13.557

India Prudence Fund- Regular Plan - Dividend 20.275

India Prudence Fund- Regular Plan - Growth 25.812

India Special Situations Fund- Direct Plan -Dividend 32.659

India Special Situations Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 51.012

India Special Situations Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 30.848

India Special Situations Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 49.265

India Value Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 30.568

India Value Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 38.557

India Value Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 27.916

India Value Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 37.142

Infrastructure Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend 18.31

Infrastructure Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 18.31

Infrastructure Fund -Direct Plan-Growth 18.99

Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 18.99

Mid Cap Fund-Direct Plan -Dividend 52.65

Mid Cap Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 150.93

Mid Cap Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 50.26

Mid Cap Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 145.11

LIC MUTUAL FUND

Banking and Financial Services Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 12.8583

Banking and Financial Services Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 12.8733

Banking and Financial Services Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 12.5607

Banking and Financial Services Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 12.5619

Children's Gift Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 18.3093

Children's Gift Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 17.4958

Equity Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 18.7184

Equity Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 48.5361

Equity Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 15.3879

Equity Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 47.018

Growth Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 19.6081

Growth Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 25.5885

Growth Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 17.4891

Growth Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 24.5622

Index Fund-Nifty Plan-Direct Plan-Dividend 21.2325

Index Fund-Nifty Plan-Direct Plan-Growth 57.6314

Index Fund-Nifty Plan-Regular Plan-Dividend 20.732

Index Fund-Nifty Plan-Regular Plan-Growth 56.2044

Index Fund-Sensex Plan-Direct Plan-Dividend 21.0813

Index Fund-Sensex Plan-Direct Plan-Growth 62.8076

Index Fund-Sensex Plan-Regular Plan-Dividend 20.973

Index Fund-Sensex Plan-Regular Plan-Growth 61.1878

Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 15.6555

Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 15.7487

Infrastructure Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 15.0388

Infrastructure Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 15.038

Midcap Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend 14.5493

Midcap Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 15.0947

Midcap Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend 14.1169

Midcap Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 14.6519

MAHINDRA MUTUAL FUND

Fund Badhat Yojana - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 11.1888

Fund Badhat Yojana - Direct Plan - Growth 11.2127

Fund Badhat Yojana - Regular Plan - Dividend Option 11.0391

Fund Badhat Yojana - Regular Plan - Growth 11.039

Fund Dhan Sanchay Yojana -Direct Plan -Dividend 10.9925

Fund Dhan Sanchay Yojana -Direct Plan -Growth 11.3019

Fund Dhan Sanchay Yojana -Regular Plan -Dividend 10.7765

Fund Dhan Sanchay Yojana -Regular Plan -Growth 11.0838

MIRAE ASSET MUTUAL FUND

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend 48.244

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 52.912

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend 30.33

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Regular Plan - Growth Option 50.537

Great Consumer Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend 34.05

Great Consumer Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 34.29

Great Consumer Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend Option 17.47

Great Consumer Fund - Regular Plan - Growth option 32.271

India Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend 36.16

India Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 48.557

India Opportunities Fund - Dividend Plan 20.115

India Opportunities Fund - Growth Plan 46.541

Prudence Fund -Direct Plan-Dividend 13.04

Prudence Fund -Direct Plan-Growth 14.07

Prudence Fund -Regular Plan-Dividend 12.477

Prudence Fund -Regular Plan-Growth 13.46

MOTILAL OSWAL MUTUAL FUND

Focused 25 Fund- Direct Plan Dividend Option 18.7285

Focused 25 Fund- Direct Plan Growth Option 22.2564

Focused 25 Fund- Regular Plan Dividend Option 17.4682

Focused 25 Fund- Regular Plan Growth Option 20.8597

Focused Dynamic Equity - Direct Plan - Annual Div Payout Option 11.6682

Focused Dynamic Equity - Direct Plan - Growth Option 11.9301

Focused Dynamic Equity - Direct Plan - Qtrly Div Payout Option 11.7518

Focused Dynamic Equity - Regular Plan - Annual Div Payout Option 11.4957

Focused Dynamic Equity - Regular Plan - Growth Option 11.7572

Focused Dynamic Equity - Regular Plan - Qtrly Div Payout Option 11.5509

Focused Midcap 30-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 24.5296

Focused Midcap 30-Direct Plan-Growth Option 27.9072

Focused Midcap 30-Regular Plan-Dividend Option 23.3317

Focused Midcap 30-Regular Plan-Growth Option 26.6199

Focused Multicap 35- Direct Plan-Dividend Option 26.8398

Focused Multicap 35-Direct Plan-Growth Option 27.1708

Focused Multicap 35-Regular Plan -Dividend Option 25.9022

Focused Multicap 35-Regular Plan-Growth Option 26.2324

PPFAS MUTUAL FUND

Long Term Value Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 23.459

Long Term Value Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 22.9112

PRINCIPAL MUTUAL FUND

Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 11.0234

Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan- Monthly Dividend 10.6415

Arbitrage Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 10.8985

Arbitrage Fund - Regular Plan - Monthly Dividend 10.5848

Dividend Yield Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 53.17

Dividend Yield Fund- Direct Plan - Half Yearly Dividend Option 30.13

Dividend Yield Fund- Half Yearly Dividend Plan 25.76

Dividend Yield Fund-Growth Plan 51.98

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 113.33

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Direct Plan - Half Yearly Div Option 86.29

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Growth Option 108.66

Emerging Bluechip Fund - Half Yearly Dividend Option 47.78

Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option - Half Yearly 12.8869

Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 35.6559

Equity Savings Fund - Growth Option 34.3767

Equity Savings Fund - Half Yearly Dividend 12.6045

Equity Savings Fund -Quaterly Dividend 12.7301

Equity Savings Fund- Direct Plan - Dividend Option - Quaterly 14.4988

Growth Fund - Direct Plan -Half Yearly Dividend Option 47.04

Growth Fund- Half Yearly Dividend Option 41.17

Growth Fund-Direct Plan - Growth Option 151.39

Growth Fund-Growth Option 146.6

Index Fund- Nifty - Direct Plan - Growth Option 72.1

Index Fund- Nifty- Direct Plan - Dividend Option 42.3726

Index Fund-Dividend 41.3877

Index Fund-Growth 70.4208

Large Cap Fund- Direct Plan - Growth Option 62.45

Large Cap Fund- Direct Plan - Half Yearly Dividend Option 28.2

Large Cap Fund-Growth Option 60.5

Large Cap Fund-Half Yearly Dividend Option 27.83

Smart Equity Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 20.56

Smart Equity Fund - Direct Plan - Monthly Dividend Option 16.95

Smart Equity Fund - Growth Option 19.6

Smart Equity Fund - Monthly Dividend Option 15.51

QUANTUM MUTUAL FUND

Long Term Equity Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Option 52.65

Long Term Equity Fund - Direct Plan Growth Option 52.21

Long Term Equity Fund - Regular Plan Dividend Option 52.49

Long Term Equity Fund - Regular Plan Growth Option 52.15

RELIANCE MUTUAL FUND

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 12.6659

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Option 17.8507

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Dividend Plan 12.1287

Arbitrage Advantage Fund - Growth Plan - Growth Option 17.4173

Arbitrage Advantage Fund- Direct Plan- Monthly dividend Plan 10.8408

Arbitrage Advantage Fund-Monthly dividend Plan 10.5892

Banking Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 69.4656

Banking Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 266.7441

Banking Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 266.7441

Banking Fund-Dividend Plan-Dividend Option 57.3099

Banking Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 258.7483

Banking Fund-Growth Plan-Growth Option 258.7483

Diversified Power Sector Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 41.5607

Diversified Power Sector Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Bonus Op 119.4734

Diversified Power Sector Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Op 119.4734

Diversified Power Sector Fund-Dividend Plan 39.902

Diversified Power Sector Fund-Growth Plan -Growth Option 115.96

Diversified Power Sector Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 115.96

Equity Opportunities Fund Institutional Dividend Plan 44.8994

Equity Opportunities Fund Instl - Growth Plan Growth Option 21.9544

Equity Opportunities Fund-Dividend Plan 34.5766

Equity Opportunities Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 93.7984

Equity Opportunities Fund-Growth Plan-Growth Option 93.7984

Equity Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 42.1467

Equity Opportunities Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Bonus Option 97.3946

Equity Opportunities Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Option 97.3946

Equity Savings Fund- Direct Plan- Growth Plan- Bonus Option 12.8268

Equity Savings Fund- Direct Plan- Growth Plan-Growth Option 12.8268

Equity Savings Fund- Direct Plan- Quarterly Dividend Plan 11.9507

Equity Savings Fund- Direct Plan-Dividend Plan 12.8268

Equity Savings Fund- Direct Plan-Monthly Dividend Plan 11.8394

Equity Savings Fund- Dividend Plan 12.463

Equity Savings Fund- Growth Plan- Bonus Option 12.463

Equity Savings Fund- Growth Plan- Growth Option 12.463

Equity Savings Fund- Monthly Dividend Plan 11.4767

Equity Savings Fund- Quarterly Dividend Plan 11.5945

Focused Large Cap Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 20.8111

Focused Large Cap Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Bonus Option 30.7955

Focused Large Cap Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Option 30.7955

Focused Large Cap Fund-Dividend Plan 20.2075

Focused Large Cap Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 29.7585

Focused Large Cap Fund-Growth Plan-Growth Option 29.7585

Growth Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 92.7494

Growth Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 197.1878

Growth Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 1186.9556

Growth Fund Institutional Plan Dividend Plan 686.8254

Growth Fund-Dividend Plan-(D) 75.9551

Growth Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 190.848

Growth Fund-Growth Plan-Growth Option 1146.4983

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Direct - Growth Plan - Bonus Option 17.3285

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Option 17.3285

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Direct - Half Yearly Dividend Plan 17.3285

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Direct - Quarterly Dividend Plan 17.3285

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Direct - Yearly Dividend Plan 17.3285

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Growth Plan - Bonus Option 16.9376

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Growth Plan - Growth Option 16.9376

Index Fund - Nifty Plan - Quarterly Dividend Plan 16.9376

Index Fund - Nifty Plan- Annual Dividend Plan 16.9376

Index Fund - Nifty Plan- Half Yearly Dividend Plan 16.9376

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Annual Dividend Plan 16.1766

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Direct Plan - Annual Dividend Plan 16.5244

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Direct Plan - Half Yearly Dividend Plan 16.5244

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Direct Plan - Quarterly Dividend Plan 16.5244

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Direct - Growth Plan - Bonus Option 16.5244

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Option 16.5244

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Growth Plan - Bonus Option 16.1766

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Growth Plan - Growth Option 16.1766

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Half Yearly Dividend Plan 16.1766

Index Fund - Sensex Plan - Quarterly Dividend Plan 16.1766

Japan Equity Fund- Direct Plan- Dividend Plan 12.2329

Japan Equity Fund- Direct Plan- Growth Plan- Bonus Option 12.2329

Japan Equity Fund- Direct Plan- Growth Plan- Growth Option 12.2329

Japan Equity Fund- Dividend Plan 11.9583

Japan Equity Fund- Growth Plan- Bonus Option 11.9583

Japan Equity Fund- Growth Plan- Growth Option 11.9583

Media & Entertainment Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 28.9384

Media & Entertainment Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus 70.6391

Media & Entertainment Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Op 70.6391

Media & Entertainment Fund-Dividend Plan 23.456

Media & Entertainment Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 68.0609

Media & Entertainment Fund-Growth Plan-Growth Option 68.0609

Mid & Small Cap Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 29.6644

Mid & Small Cap Fund - Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Option 50.9653

Mid & Small Cap Fund - Dividend Plan 25.295

Mid & Small Cap Fund - Growth Plan -Growth Option 48.9247

NRI Equity Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 30.1261

NRI Equity Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 9.6826

NRI Equity Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 86.1646

NRI Equity Fund-Dividend Plan 26.3187

NRI Equity Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 83.7431

NRI Equity Fund-Growth Plan-Growth Option 83.7431

Pharma Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 68.2331

Pharma Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 143.2944

Pharma Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 143.2944

Pharma Fund-Dividend Plan 57.8559

Pharma Fund-Growth Plan-Bonus Option 137.6766

Pharma Fund-Growth Plan-Growth Option 137.6766

Quant Plus Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 14.5018

Quant Plus Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 25.2071

Quant Plus Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 25.2071

Quant Plus Fund -Dividend Plan 13.0577

Quant Plus Fund -Growth Plan - Growth Option 24.491

Quant Plus Fund -Growth Plan -Bonus Option 24.491

Regular Savings Fund - Equity Option - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 34.2135

Regular Savings Fund - Equity Option - Direct Plan Growth Plan 76.3323

Regular Savings Fund-EQUITY OPTION-Dividend Plan 26.9445

Regular Savings Fund-EQUITY OPTION-Growth Plan 73.4783

Retirement Fund - WCS-Direct - Growth Plan - Growth Option13.9756

Retirement Fund - WCS-Direct - Dividend Payout Option 13.9756

Retirement Fund - WCS-Direct - Growth Plan- Bonus Option 13.9756

Retirement Fund - WCS-Dividend Payout Option 13.3723

Retirement Fund - WCS-Growth Plan - Growth Option 13.3723

Retirement Fund - WCS-Growth Plan- Bonus Option 13.3723

Small Cap Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 36.7713

Small Cap Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 46.9782

Small Cap Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 46.9782

Small Cap Fund - Dividend Plan 34.9645

Small Cap Fund - Growth Plan - Bonus Option 44.911

Small Cap Fund - Growth Plan - Growth Option 44.911

Top 200 Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 21.114

Top 200 Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 33.6118

Top 200 Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 33.6118

Top 200 Fund- Dividend Plan 16.8826

Top 200 Fund- Growth Plan -Growth Option 32.22

Top 200 Fund- Growth Plan Bonus Option 32.22

Top 200 Fund-Institutional Plan Growth Plan Bonus Option 33.247

US Equity Opportunites Fund-Direct Plan- Dividend Plan 12.5949

US Equity Opportunites Fund-Direct - Growth Plan- Growth Option 12.5949

US Equity Opportunites Fund-Dividend Plan 12.3163

US Equity Opportunites Fund-Growth Plan- Growth Option 12.3163

Vision Fund - Direct Plan Dividend Plan 53.3601

Vision Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus Option 104.7387

Vision Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option 617.744

Vision Fund Institutional Dividend Plan 330.4259

Vision Fund-DIVIDEND PLAN-D 51.235

Vision Fund-GROWTH PLAN-Bonus Option 100.8052

Vision Fund-GROWTH PLAN-Growth Option 598.5259

SAHARA MUTUAL FUND

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND- GROWTH - Direct 65.17

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND- GROWTH OPTION 62.4284

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND-DIVIDEND - Direct 22.424

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND-DIVIDEND OPTION 22.0695

Growth Fund-Dividend 42.1004

Growth Fund-Dividend- Direct 42.7605

Growth Fund-Growth 144.9845

Growth Fund-Growth- Direct 158.0351

Infrastructure Fund FIXED PRICING -Direct-Dividend 20.9548

Infrastructure Fund FIXED PRICING OPTION-Direct-Growth 29.817

Infrastructure Fund FIXED PRICING OPTION-Dividend Option 20.666

Infrastructure Fund FIXED PRICING OPTION-Growth Option 28.3002

Infrastructure Fund VARIABLE PRICING OPTION-Direct-Dividend 23.9585

Infrastructure Fund VARIABLE PRICING OPTION-Direct-Growth 32.7696

Infrastructure Fund VARIABLE PRICING OPTION-Dividend Option 23.6907

Infrastructure Fund VARIABLE PRICING OPTION-Growth Option 32.2046

Midcap Fund-Auto Payout 86.32

Midcap Fund-Auto Payout- Direct 90.4744

Midcap Fund-Bonus 86.32

Midcap Fund-Bonus- Direct 90.4744

Midcap Fund-Dividend -Direct 38.5255

Midcap Fund-Dividend Plan 38.0578

Midcap Fund-Growth Option - Direct 90.4744

Midcap Fund-Growth Plan 86.32

Power & Natural Resources Fund - Dividend Option 20.6056

Power & Natural resources Fund- Growth - Direct 25.4092

Power & Natural resources Fund- Growth Option 24.159

Power & Natural Resources Fund-Dividend - Direct 16.0357

R.E.A.L Fund - Dividend Option 22.1841

R.E.A.L Fund - Dividend Option- Direct 22.527

R.E.A.L Fund - Growth Fund 22.1805

R.E.A.L Fund - Growth Fund- Direct 23.8897

Star Value Fund-Dividend - Direct 20.2761

Star Value Fund-Dividend Option 20.0001

Star Value Fund-Growth - Direct 27.7169

Star Value Fund-Growth Option 25.818

Super 20 Fund - Dividend - Direct 16.3573

Super 20 Fund - Dividend Option 20.4035

Super 20 Fund - Growth - Direct 21.6704

Super 20 Fund - Growth Option 20.4233

Wealth Plus Fund-Fixed Pricing Option-Direct-Dividend Option 34.7603

Wealth Plus Fund-Fixed Pricing Option-Direct-Growth 48.8954

Wealth Plus Fund-Fixed Pricing Option-Dividend Option 34.2898

Wealth Plus Fund-Fixed Pricing Option-Growth Option 48.1464

Wealth Plus Fund-Variable Pricing Option-Direct -Dividend 40.3953

Wealth Plus Fund-Variable Pricing Option-Direct-Growth 56.1314

Wealth Plus Fund-Variable Pricing Option-Dividend Option 39.9088

Wealth Plus Fund-Variable Pricing Option-Growth Option 55.0467

SBI MUTUAL FUND

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - DIVIDEND 14.1035

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan - Div 13.2865

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Gr 22.7473

Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan - Gr 22.2253

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND - DIRECT PLAN - DIV 15.2339

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GR 15.2348

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND - REGULAR - DIV 14.9044

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND - REGULAR - GR 14.9034

BLUE CHIP FUND-DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 25.4036

BLUE CHIP FUND-REGULAR PLAN - DIVIDEND 21.3226

BLUE CHIP FUND-DIRECT PLAN -GROWTH 39.1341

BLUE CHIP FUND-REGULAR PLAN GROWTH 37.4685

CONTRA-DIRECT PLAN -DIVIDEND 28.5318

CONTRA-REGULAR PLAN -DIVIDEND 22.7475

CONTRA - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 121.0383

CONTRA - REGULAR PLAN -GROWTH 117.5008

Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend 11.8878

Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 11.8954

Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend 11.7462

Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 11.7464

EMERGING BUSINESSES FUND - DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 37.1872

EMERGING BUSINESSES FUND - REGULAR PLAN - DIVIDEND 26.8278

Index Fund - Sensex Direct Plan Sensex 82.1967

Index Fund - Sensex-Regular Plan 80.2836

Index Fund - Nifty-Regular Plan 60.6634

India Consumer Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Payout 17.6047

India Consumer Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Reinvestment 17.6047

India Consumer Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 17.6047

India Consumer Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend Payout 17.0182

India Consumer Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend Reinvestment 17.0182

India Consumer Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 17.0182

India Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Payout 8.7693

India Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Direct Plan-Div Reinvestment 8.7693

India Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 8.7693

India Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend Payout 8.4865

India Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Regular Plan-Div Reinvestment 8.4865

India Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 8.4865

Infrastructure Fund -Direct Plan Dividend 34.6133

Infrastructure Fund -Direct Plan Growth 61.4463

Infrastructure Fund-Regular Plan - Dividend 30.9849

Infrastructure Fund-Regular Plan- Growth 60.0229

Large Cap Fund -Direct Plan Dividend 54.0996

Large Cap Fund -Direct Plan Growth 220.2978

Large Cap Fund Regular Plan - Growth 207.3868

Large Cap Fund -Regular Plan - Dividend Option 49.2563

Mid Cap Growth Fund - Direct Plan Bonus(Growth) 130.4191

Mid Cap Growth Fund - Direct Plan Dividend 56.4074

Mid Cap Growth Fund - Direct Plan Growth 149.0363

Mid Cap Growth Fund-Regular Plan - Dividend 46.9327

Mid Cap Growth Fund Regular Plan- Growth 143.6219

Mid Cap Growth Fund Regular Plan - Bonus (Growth) 127.624

Regular Savngs Equity Fund - RegularPlan- Monthly Dividend 14.2981

Regular Savings Equity Fund - Regular Plan-Periodic Dividend 14.8511

Regular Savings Equity Fund- Direct Plan -Monthly Dividend 15.1402

Regular Savings Equity Fund- Direct Plan -Periodic Dividend 15.7991

Regular Savings Equity Fund- Direct Plan- Growth 32.4703

Regular Savings Equity Fund -Regular Plan-Growth 30.9668

Resources & Energy Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Payout 16.053

Resources & Energy Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Reinvestment 16.053

Resources & Energy Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 16.053

Resources & Energy Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend Payout 15.5076

Resources & Energy Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend Reinvestment 15.5076

Resources & Energy Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 15.5076

Retirement Savings Fund -Regular Plan -Progressive -Growth 28.3522

Retirement Savings Fund Moderate -Regular Plan (Growth) 28.9806

Retirement Savings Fund Moderate -Direct Plan Growth 30.9734

Retirement Savings Fund-Direct Plan Growth 30.6771

TAURUS MUTUAL FUND

Banking & Financial Services Fund - Dividend Option 19.78

Banking & Financial Services Fund - Growth Option 22.11

Banking & Financial Services Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 23.01

Banking & Financial Services Fund-Direct Plan-Growth Option 23.28

Bonanza Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 36.45

Bonanza Fund-Direct Plan-Growth Option 76.16

Bonanza Fund-Dividend Option 34.92

Bonanza Fund-Growth Option 73.17

Discovery Fund - Divided Option 39.31

Discovery Fund - Growth Option 44.1

Discovery Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 40.13

Discovery Fund-Direct Plan-Growth Option 45.15

Ethical Fund - Bonus Option 48.21

Ethical Fund - Dividend Option 32.57

Ethical Fund - Growth Option 48.21

Ethical Fund-Direct Plan-Bonus Option 16.41

Ethical Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 33.57

Ethical Fund-Direct Plan-Growth Option 50.03

Infrastructure Fund -Dividend Option 23.76

Infrastructure Fund -Growth Option 25.26

Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 24.4

Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-Growth Option 26.2

Nifty Index Fund - Dividend Option 18.6525

Nifty Index Fund - Growth Option 18.6525

Nifty Index Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 19.202

Nifty Index Fund-Direct Plan-Growth Option 19.4339

Starshare Dividend Option 74.17

Starshare Growth Option 113.65

Starshare-Direct Plan-Dividend Option 74.36

Starshare-Direct Plan-Growth Option 117.51

UNION MUTUAL FUND

Equity Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 19.21

Equity Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 19.21

Equity Fund - Dividend Option 13.7

Equity Fund - Growth Option 18.49

Focussed Largecap Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 10.45

Focussed Largecap Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 10.45

Focussed Largecap Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend Option 10.37

Focussed Largecap Fund - Regular Plan - Growth Option 10.37

Small and Midcap Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 15.48

Small and Midcap Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 16.56

Small and Midcap Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend Option 14.97

Small and Midcap Fund - Regular Plan - Growth Option 16.05

UTI MUTUAL FUND

Equity Fund-Growth Option 125.3349

Equity Fund-Growth Option - Direct 127.6666

Equity Fund-Income Option 95.3852

Equity Fund-Income Option - Direct 97.2914

INDEX SELECT FUND-Growth Option 35.58

INDEX SELECT FUND-Income Option 15.56

Master Share-Growth Option 112.0171

Master Share-Growth Option - Direct 114.8425

Master Share-Income Option 32.4128

Master Share-Income Option - Direct 33.4728

MNC Fund (UGS 10000)-Growth Option 191.5112

MNC Fund (UGS 10000)-Growth Option - Direct 199.476

MNC Fund (UGS 10000)-Income Option 101.9835

MNC Fund (UGS 10000)-Income Option- Direct 106.6504

NIFTY Index Fund-Growth Option 65.3293

NIFTY Index Fund-Growth Option- Direct 65.7907

NIFTY Index Fund-Income Option 32.913

NIFTY Index Fund-Income Option- Direct 33.1461

TOP 100 Fund- Growth Option 62.9882

TOP 100 Fund- Growth Option - Direct 64.2955

TOP 100 Fund-Income Option 36.1673

TOP 100 Fund-Income Option - Direct 37.0283

Wealth Builder Fund - Dividend Option 18.79

Wealth Builder Fund - Dividend Option-Direct 19.5452

Wealth Builder Fund - Growth Option 33.0554

Wealth Builder Fund - Growth Option-Direct 34.2042

Banking Sector Fund-Growth Option 96.7529

Banking Sector Fund-Growth Option- Direct 101.7504

Banking Sector Fund-Income Option 37.6561

Banking Sector Fund-Income Option-Direct 39.82

Bluechip Flexicap Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 25.5594

Bluechip Flexicap Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 32.5118

Bluechip Flexicap Fund - Regular Plan - Dividend Option 25.1165

Bluechip Flexicap Fund - Regular Plan - Growth option 31.9993

CCP Advantage Fund - Growth 37.1171

CCP Advantage Fund - Growth- Direct 38.2001

CCP Advantage Fund - Income 37.1198

CCP Advantage Fund - Income- Direct 38.2599

Energy Fund-Growth Option 10.4403

Energy Fund-Growth Option-Direct 10.5805

Energy Fund-Income Option 11.8431

Energy Fund-Income Option-Direct 11.9979

Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Growth Option 85.7921

Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Growth Option- Direct 89.5162

Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Income Option 66.3054

Pharma & Healthcare Fund-Income Option-Direct 69.189

Infrastructure Fund-Growth Option 57.1904

Infrastructure Fund-Growth Option- Direct 58.4397

Infrastructure Fund-Income Option 29.8902

Infrastructure Fund-Income Option- Direct 30.5814

Mid Cap Fund-Growth Option 112.1674

Mid Cap Fund-Growth Option- Direct 116.5676

Mid Cap Fund-Income Option 60.9691

Mid Cap Fund-Income Option- Direct 65.1592

Multi Cap Fund - Dividend Option 13.8305

Multi Cap Fund - Dividend Option - Direct 14.0527

Multi Cap Fund - Growth Option 13.8306

Multi Cap Fund - Growth Option - Direct 14.0527

Opportunities Fund-Dividend Option 18.9564

Opportunities Fund-Dividend Option-Direct 21.6309

Opportunities Fund-Growth Option 57.438

Opportunities Fund-Growth Option-Direct 59.5825

Spread Fund - Dividend Option 15.9206

Spread Fund - Dividend Option- Direct 16.6943

Spread Fund - Growth Option 22.9932

Spread Fund - Growth Option- Direct 23.5023

Dividend Yield Fund.-Growth 61.1714

Dividend Yield Fund.-Growth-Direct 63.0755

Dividend Yield Fund.-Income 17.3557

Dividend Yield Fund.-Income-Direct 18.9923

Transportation and Logistics Fund-Income Option 55.0073

Transportation and Logistics Fund-Income Option- Direct 57.9358

Transpotation and Logistics Fund-Growth Option 119.2924

Transpotation and Logistics Fund-Growth Option- Direct 125.2841

EMERGING BUSINESSES FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 137.3216

EMERGING BUSINESSES FUND - REGULAR PLAN - GROWTH 131.7058

Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 12.806

Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan - Monthly Dividend 12.1068

Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan - Quarterly Dividend 12.6208

Equity Savings Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 12.301

Equity Savings Fund - Regular Plan - Monthly Dividend 11.7533

Equity Savings Fund - Regular Plan - Quarterly Dividend 12.1235

FMCG FUND - DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 100.1963

FMCG FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 120.4631

FMCG FUND - REGULAR - GROWTH 114.8082

FMCG FUND - REGULAR PLAN - DIVIDEND 81.6838

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND - DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 16.8802

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND - REGULAR PLAN - DIV (6/7/2007) 16.4627

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND - SERIES I - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 16.9002

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND - SERIES I - REGULAR - GR (6/7/2007) 16.4611

IT FUND - DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 42.3447

IT FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 50.7479

IT FUND - REGULAR PLAN - DIVIDEND 34.2825

IT FUND - REGULAR PLAN - GROWTH 48.5445

Magnum COMMA Fund - DIRECT PLAN - Dividend 27.6549

Magnum COMMA Fund - REGULAR PLAN - Dividend 26.8469

Magnum COMMA Fund - DIRECT PLAN - Growth 40.917

Magnum COMMA Fund - REGULAR PLAN - Growth 39.7494

Magnum Equity Fund - DIRECT PLAN -Dividend 38.697

Magnum Equity Fund - DIRECT PLAN -GROWTH 96.6388

Magnum Equity Fund - REGULAR PLAN - Dividend 32.613

Magnum Equity Fund- REGULAR PLAN - Growth 93.3701

MAGNUM GLOBAL FUND - DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 66.1108

MAGNUM GLOBAL FUND - REGULAR PLAN -DIVIDEND 54.3192

MAGNUM GLOBAL FUND - DIRECT PLAN -GROWTH 185.1795

MAGNUM GLOBAL FUND - REGULAR PLAN -GROWTH 177.809

Magnum MIDCAP FUND - DIRECT PLAN -DIVIDEND 51.8145

Magnum MIDCAP FUND - REGULAR PLAN -DIVIDEND 35.7141

Magnum MIDCAP FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 86.6515

Magnum MIDCAP FUND - REGULAR PLAN - GROWTH 82.8379

Magnum Multicap Fund - DIRECT PLAN -Dividend Option 29.3807

Magnum Multicap Fund - REGULAR PLAN -Dividend Option 25.3084

Magnum Multicap Fund - DIRECT PLAN - Growth Option 48.727

Magnum Multicap Fund - REGULAR PLAN -Growth Option 46.8277

Magnum Multiplier Fund - REGULAR PLAN -Dividend 108.7609

Magnum Multiplier Fund -DIRECT PLAN -Dividend 128.171

Magnum Multiplier Fund - REGULAR PLAN -Growth 215.569

Magnum Multiplier Fund -DIRECT PLAN -Growth 220.1539

NIFTY INDEX FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 88.3749

NIFTY INDEX FUND - REGULAR PLAN - GROWTH 86.5321

NIFTY INDEX FUND - DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 45.3605

NIFTY INDEX FUND- REGULAR PLAN - DIVIDEND 44.328

PHARMA - DIRECT PLAN -DIVIDEND 109.6181

PHARMA - REGULAR PLAN - DIVIDEND 94.2922

PHARMA - DIRECT PLAN -GROWTH 133.1136

PHARMA - REGULAR PLAN -GROWTH 126.2507

PSU Fund - DIRECT PLAN - DIVIDEND 12.9718

PSU Fund - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH 12.9861

PSU Fund - REGULAR PLAN -Dividend 12.6856

PSU Fund - REGULAR PLAN -Growth 12.6866

Smal & Midcap - Regular Plan - Growth 58.7913

Small & Midcap - Direct Plan - Dividend 53.8543

Small & Midcap - Direct Plan - Growth 61.9916

Small & Midcap - Regular Plan - Dividend 44.2173

MAGNUM NRI FLEXIASSET PLAN-DIVIDEND 30.3025

MAGNUM NRI FLEXIASSET PLAN-GROWTH 30.1918

ONE INDIA FUND - DIV (PREV CLOSE ENDED UPTO 14/01/2010) 10.43

ONE INDIA FUND - GR (PREV CLOSE ENDED UPTO 14/01/2010) 10.43

SHRIRAM MUTUAL FUND

Equity and Debt Opportunities Fund 16.1424

Equity and Debt Opportunities Fund- (Direct) Dividend 12.8384

Equity and Debt Opportunities Fund- Dividend 12.6011

Equity and Debt Opportunities Fund-Growth 15.7626

SUNDARAM MUTUAL FUND

PSU Opportunities Dividend Option 11.0715

PSU Opportunities Growth Option 12.1591

Select Thematic Funds PSU Opportunities - Direct - Div Option 11.252

Select Thematic Funds PSU Opportunities -Direct - Growth Option 12.349

Entertainment Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 15.6453

Entertainment Opportunities Fund - Inst Dividend 0

Entertainment Opportunities Fund - Inst Growth 21.775

Entertainment Opportunities Fund - Regular Dividend 15.4447

Entertainment Opportunities Fund - Regular Growth 21.0981

Entertainment Opportunities Fund -Direct Plan - Growth Option 21.3857

Equity Multiplier - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 21.6984

Equity Multiplier - Direct Plan - Growth Option 32.8456

Equity Multiplier Fund Dividend 20.9521

Equity Multiplier Fund Growth 31.8985

Equity plus - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 12.3184

Equity plus - Direct Plan - Growth Option 15.7891

Equity Plus- Dividend Option 11.8494

Equity Plus- Growth Option 15.2418

Financial Services Opportunities Fund - Direct - Dividend Option 21.1811

Financial Services Opportunities Fund - Direct - Growth Option 40.0673

Financial Services Opportunities Fund Inst Dividend 21.4767

Financial Services Opportunities Fund Inst Growth 41.1978

Financial Services Opportunities Fund Reg Dividend 20.4913

Financial Services Opportunities Fund Reg Growth 38.9649

Growth Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 10.8084

Growth Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 122.0254

Growth Fund- Inst Dividend 11.3979

Growth Fund-Dividend 10.7271

Growth Fund-Growth 119.9317

Infrastructure Advantage Fund (ESCO) Direct Plan Growth 38.1359

Infrastructure Advantage Fund (ESCO) Regular Plan Growth 37.2811

Infrastructure Advantage Fund (MoC&EO) Direct Plan Dividend 35.1486

Infrastructure Advantage Fund (MoC&EO) Regular Plan Dividend 34.3304

Rural India Fund Dividend 23.206

Rural India Fund Inst Dividend 37.5655

Select Thematic Funds Rural India Fund - Direct Plan - Div Option 23.9651

Rural India Fund Growth 42.962

Select Thematic Funds Rural India Fund - Direct Plan - Gr Option 44.1843

S.M.I.L.E Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 27.1995

S.M.I.L.E Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option 108.8821

S.M.I.L.E.Fund-Dividend 26.3725

S.M.I.L.E.Fund-Growth 106.2862

S.M.I.L.E.Fund-Inst Dividend 27.9541

S.M.I.L.E.Fund-iNST Growth 111.1699

Select Focus - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 14.2201

Select Focus - Direct Plan - Growth Option 164.7772

Select Focus-Dividend 13.847

Select Focus-Growth 160.9221

Select Focus-Inst Dividend 14.4391

Select Focus-Inst Growth 168.4215

Select Mid Cap - Direct Plan - Dividend Option 44.7755

Select Mid Cap - Direct Plan - Growth Option 532.101

Select Midcap-Dividend 43.455

Select Midcap-Growth 518.8159

Select Midcap-Institutional Dividend 39.848

Select Midcap-Institutional Growth 543.1181

Smart Nifty 100 Equal Weight Fund - Direct - Dividend Payout 12.2343

Smart Nifty 100 Equal Weight Fund - Direct - Div Reinvestment 12.2343

Smart Nifty 100 Equal Weight Fund - Direct Plan - Growth 12.2332

Smart Nifty 100 Equal Weight Fund - Regular - Dividend Payout 12.1619

Smart Nifty 100 Equal Weight Fund - Regular - Div Reinvestment 12.1619

Smart Nifty 100 Equal Weight Fund - Regular Plan - Growth 12.1624

TATA MUTUAL FUND

Banking And Financial Services Fund-Direct Plan-Div Payout 17.1804

Banking And Financial Services Fund-Direct Plan-Div Reinvestment 17.1804

Banking And Financial Services Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 17.1804

Banking And Financial Services Fund-Regular Plan-Div Payout 16.6144

Banking And Financial Services Fund-Regular-Div Reinvestment 16.6144

Banking And Financial Services Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 16.6144

Digital India Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Payout 11.0084

Digital India Fund-Direct Plan-Dividend Reinvetsment 11.0084

Digital India Fund-Direct Plan-Growth 11.0084

Digital India Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend Payout 10.6425

Digital India Fund-Regular Plan-Dividend Reinvestment 10.6425

Digital India Fund-Regular Plan-Growth 10.6425

Dividend Yield Fund Regular Plan -( Div) 29.8809

Dividend Yield Fund Regular Plan 74.6135

Dividend Yield Fund-Direct Plan Dividend 31.8499

Dividend Yield Fund-Direct Plan Growth 77.1086

Equity Opportunities Fund -Direct Plan Dividend 43.737

Equity Opportunities Fund -Direct Plan Growth 204.923

Equity Opportunities Fund Regular Plan - Dividend 34.884

Equity Opportunities Fund Regular Plan - Growth 193.8319

Equity P/E Fund -Direct Plan Dividend Trigger A (5%) 61.674

Equity P/E Fund -Direct Plan Dividend Trigger B(10%) 59.7015

Equity P/E Fund -Direct Plan Growth 140.014

Equity P/E Fund Regular Plan -(Growth Option) 135.5782

Equity P/E Fund Regular Plan (Dividend Trigger Option A - 5%) 60.7285

Equity P/E Fund Regular Plan (Dividend Trigger Option B - 10%) 57.1397

Ethical Fund -Direct Plan Dividend 100.0913

Ethical Fund -Direct Plan Growth 166.4771

Ethical Fund Regular Plan - Dividend 77.1789

Ethical Fund Regular Plan - Growth 159.6415

Index Fund - Nifty-Direct Plan Nifty 63.9092

Scheme NAV

funds 12LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017 world 13

TROTTINGTROTTINGGLOBE

GOOD RELATIONS POSSIBLEIF SAUDIS CHANGE: IRANTehran: President Hassan Rouhanisays Iran is ready to restore tieswith Saudi Arabia if it stopsbombing Yemen and cuts itsalleged ties with Israel.

SALEH BURIED IN SANAAWITH FEW KINS PRESENTDUBAI: Yemen’s Houthi group hasburied the body of former YemeniPresident Ali Abdullah Saleh inSanaa, allowing only a handful ofrelatives to attend, sources fromhis General People’s Congress(GPC) party said on Sunday. AGPC source, who has asked not tobe identified, said the Houthisallowed less than 10 people fromSaleh’s relatives to attend thenight-time burial in the capitalSanaa, but gave no details on theexact location.

HOTTEST CHINESE WORDS,CHARACTERS RELEASEDBeijing: A list of 20 hottestChinese words and characters thatreflected people’s lives and issuesin the past year has beenannounced, State media reportedon Sunday. Words and characterson the 2017 list related todomestic topics include “share”,“cloud”, “new era” and“kindergarten”, while those relatedto international issues include“nuclear”, “intelligence”,“AlphaGo”, “gravitational wave”.

Trump attacks Washington

Post scribe for ‘fake news’

PTI n WASHINGTON

AWashington Post reporteron Sunday had to tender

an apology after US PresidentDonald Trump asked him to doso for posting an erroneoustweet about his rally in Florida.

Dave Weigel, who coverspolitics for the newspaper, hadposted a picture on his Twitteraccount which showed anempty arena when Trump wasaddressing a public meeting.

Trump, in a tweet, said,“Weigel put out a phony photoof an empty arena hours beforehe arrived at the venue, withthousands of people outside, ontheir way in. Real photos nowshown as I spoke. Packedhouse, many people unable toget in. Demand apology &

retraction from FAKE NEWSWaPo!” said the US Presidentas he posted pictures of theevent.

Weigel apologised withinminutes, and tweeted, “Surething: I apologise. I deleted thephoto after David Martosko ofDaily Mail told me I’d gotten itwrong. Was confused by theimage of you walking in thebottom right corner.”

Despite Weigel’s apology,Trump in a follow-up tweetdemanded that he be fired.

“Weigel of the WashingtonPost just admitted that his pic-ture was a FAKE (fraud?) show-ing an almost empty arena lastnight for my speech in Pensacolawhen, in fact, he knew thearena was packed (as shown alsoon TV). FAKE NEWS, he

should be fired,” he said.Early in the morning,

Trump targeted CNN for itsalleged inaccurate reporting.“Fake News CNN made avicious and purposeful mistakeyesterday. They were caughtred handed, just like lonelyBrian Ross at ABC News (whoshould be immediately fired forhis “mistake”). Watch to see if@CNN fires those responsible,or was it just gross incompe-tence?” he asked.

CNN, in another tweet, hesaid, is the “least trusted namein news”. “CNN’s slogan isCNN, THE MOST TRUSTEDNAME IN NEWS. Everyoneknows this is not true, that thiscould, in fact, be a fraud on theAmerican Public. There aremany outlets that are far moretrusted than Fake News CNN.Their slogan should be CNN,THE LEAST TRUSTEDNAME IN NEWS!” said the USPresident.

Trump has over 44 millionfollowers on Twitter.

*The journalist tweeted an apology withinminutes

*Despite the apology, Trump in a follow-up tweet demanded that he be fired

AP n JERUSALEM

The Israeli military says it hasdestroyed a tunnel built by

the Hamas militant group thatstretched from the Gaza Stripseveral hundred metres intoIsrael.

Lt Col Jonathan Conricus,a military spokesman, toldreporters on Sunday that Israelused a new set of “tools” todestroy the tunnel.

He said forces had detect-ed the tunnel months ago andcontinued to monitor con-struction efforts by Hamasmilitants before demolishing it.

He said the tunnel was notcomplete, but was “very sub-stantial,” equipped with elec-tricity, communications equip-ment and a ventilation system.

It was located about onekilometre from an Israeli com-munity. Israel has placed ahigh priority on halting thetunnel threat since Hamas infil-trated Israel during the 2014war.

Israel says itdestroyed Hamastunnel using new techniques

POST-JERUSALEM UPHEAVAL

AFP n BEIRUT

Lebanese security forcesfired tear gas and water

cannons on Sunday at demon-strators near the US embassyas they protested Washington’sdecision to recogniseJerusalem as the capital ofIsrael.

An AFP correspondent inAwkar outside the capitalBeirut said several hundredpro-Palestinian demonstratorshad gathered near the USembassy, located in the area.

They were blocked fromreaching the complex by ametal gate sealing the roadleading to the embassy, andsecurity forces fired tear gasand water cannons to repel

demonstrators who tried toopen the gate by force.

Several people wereinjured by rocks and tear gas,the correspondent said.

There was no immediate

comment from security forces.Protestors waving Palestinianand Lebanese flags, and sport-ing black-and-white checkedkeffiyeh scarves, chanted slo-gans against President Donald

Trump, who on Wednesdayrecognised Jerusalem as Israel’scapital.

A group of demonstratorsset alight an effigy of the USpresident, whose decision hasupended decades of Americandiplomacy and an interna-tional consensus to leave thestatus of Jerusalem to beresolved in negotiations.

The demonstrators includ-ed members of Palestinianparties, as well as LebaneseIslamists and leftists.

Hundreds of thousandsof Palestinian refugees live inLebanon, including those whofled or were expelled fromtheir homes after Israel’sfounding, as well as theirdescendants.

Arab Ministers

demand reversal

of US decisionCairo: Arab foreign Ministersgathered in the Egyptian capital,Cairo, on Sunday for an emer-gency meeting designed to for-mulate a unified response toPresident Trump’s decision torecognize Jerusalem as Israel’scapital, a move that has sparkedanger and protests in the Arabworld.

The Arab League meeting,which brings together foreignministers from member-states, istaking place as protests contin-ued for three consecutive days inthe West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In Cairo, the head of Egypt’slargest Christian churchannounced he would not meetUS Vice President Mike Pencewhen he visits Cairo onDecember 20. A similar decisionwas made Friday by the head ofAl-Azhar, the world’s supremeseat of learning for SunniMuslims.

Hundreds of worshippersprotested Trump’s decision afterFriday prayers at Al-Azharmosque, but security forces pre-vented them from marching tothe city center.

Trump’s announcement onJerusalem, and his intention to

move the US Embassy there,triggered denunciations fromaround the world, with evenclose allies suggesting he hadneedlessly stirred more conflictin an already volatile region.

The city’s status lies at thecore of the Israeli- Palestiniansconflict, and Trump’s move waswidely perceived as siding withIsrael. Even small crises overJerusalem’s status and that of theholy sites in its ancient Old Cityhave sparked deadly bloodshedin the past.

It was not immediately clearwhat the foreign ministers willdecide on in terms of concretemeasures to counter Trump’sdecision, but Arab diplomatshave spoken of submitting a draftresolution condemning themove to the UN SecurityCouncil d unspecified measurestouching bilateral ties betweenArab League member states andWashington.

The diplomats also specu-lated that an Arab summit mightbe called to convene followingthe foreign ministers’ meeting, aproposition the diplomats saidwas already embraced by sever-al member States.

AP n JAKARTA

About 10,000 Indonesianshave rallied outside the

US Embassy in Jakarta insupport of Palestinians anddenouncing President DonaldTrump’s decision to recogniseJerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The protesters are carry-ing banners reading “USEmbassy, Gets Out from AlQuds,” ‘’Free Jerusalem andPalestinians” and “We arewith the Palestinians.” Al-Quds is the Arabic name

for Jerusalem. Today’s protest,organised by the IslamistProsperous Justice Party, wasthe second since Trump’s deci-sion on Thursday.

President Joko “Jokowi”Widodo has strongly con-demned Trump’s move, whichhe described as a violation ofUN resolutions.

Indonesia, as the world’smost populous Muslimnation, has long been a strongsupporter of Palestinians andhas no diplomatic ties with theJewish State.

Indonesians rally

at US Embassy

PTI n KATHMANDU

Nepal’s Left alliance onSunday was heading

towards comfortable majorityin the Parliamentary elections,winning 72 of the 89 seats so farin the historic polls that manyhope will bring the political sta-bility to the country.

The CPN-UML led by for-mer premier KP Oli and theCPN-Maoist led by formerpremier Prachanda have forgedelectoral alliance for both theprovincial and Parliamentaryelections.

According to resultsreleased by the ElectionCommission, the CommunistParty of Nepal-UnifiedMarxist–Leninist (CPN- UML)has won 51 seats while itsalliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has bagged 21 seats.

The ruling NepaliCongress, which was the largestparty in the last election, won

only 10 seats, according to the tallies.

Two Madhesi parties havewon five seats. The FederalSocialist Forum Nepal led byUpendra Yadav has won 2seats whereas Rastriya JanataParty led by Mahanta Thakurhas bagged 3 seats.

Naya Shakti Party led byformer prime ministerBaburam Bhattarai has won

one seat and an independentwas among winning candi-dates.

The vote counting is inprogress for remaining 76 seats.The house of representativesconsists of 275 members, ofwhich 165 would be electeddirectly under the first-past-the-post system while theremaining 110 will comethrough the proportional rep-resentation system.

Voting in two-phased par-liamentary and provincialAssembly elections were held onNovember 26 and December 7.

In the first phase, pollingwas held in 32 districts, mostly situated in the hilly andmountainous region, in which65 per cent of voters had exer-cised their franchise. In the sec-ond phase, 67 per cent voterturnout was registered.

A total of 1,663 candidatescontested polls forParliamentary seats.

Nepal Left alliance wins 72 seats,heading towards majority

CPN-UML led by

former premier KP

Oli and the CPN-

Maoist led by for-

mer premier

Prachanda have

forged electoral

alliance for both the

provincial and

Parliamentary

elections

London: The UK’s Brexit nego-tiator David Davis has describedthe deal struck by Theresa Mayto move to the next phase oftalks as a “statement of intent”.

He said it was not “legallyenforceable” and if the UKfailed to get a trade deal with theEU then it would not pay itsdivorce bill. But he stressed thatthe UK was committed to keep-ing a “frictionless and invisible”Irish border. And it would “finda way” to do this if there was a“no deal” Brexit.

The Brexit secretary alsostressed that the odds of the UKexiting without a deal had“dropped dramatically” follow-ing Friday’s joint EU-UK state-ment in Brussels. And he spelledout the kind of trade deal hewanted with the EU, describingit as “Canada plus plus plus”.

Agencies

May’s BrexitEU deal notbinding, saysDavid Davis

London: Gangs of Pakistani-origin men target white girlswith alcohol and drugs beforeraping and sexually abusingthem because due to their Asianheritage they fail to integratewithin British society, an anti-extremism think tank has saidin a new report.

The study by UK-basedQuilliam group calls for greatergovernment support to helpintegrate British Pakistani peo-ple into modern UK society.

“We began thinking wewould debunk the media nar-rative that Asians are over-rep-resented in this specific crime.But, when the final numberscame in we were alarmed anddismayed. For both of us beingof Pakistani heritage, this issueis deeply personal and deeplydisturbing,” said Muna Adil, oneof two authors of the reportcalled ‘Group Based ChildSexual Exploitation: DissectingGrooming Gangs’. PTI

AFP n BAGHDAD

Iraq’s armed forces held a mil-itary parade in Baghdad on

Sunday to celebrate the victo-ry announced by PrimeMinister Haider al-Abadi overthe Islamic State group.

Abadi on Saturday declaredvictory in Iraq’s three-year warto expel the jihadist group thatat its height endangered thecountry’s very existence.

Iraqi Army units marchedthrough the main square incentral Baghdad as helicoptersand fighter jets flew overhead,witnesses said.

The parade was not broad-cast live and only state mediawere allowed to attend. Abadihad declared a public holidaytoday after making hisannouncement, in which hesaid Iraq had defeated thejihadists “through our unityand our determination”.

The Sunni extremists of ISseized control of large parts ofIraq and neighbouring Syria in2014, declaring a cross- border

“caliphate” and committingwidespread atrocities.

Backed by a US-led coali-tion, Iraqi forces gradually retook

control of all territory lost to thejihadists over the last three years.

Experts warn that ISremains a threat, with the

capacity as an insurgent groupto carry out high-casualtybomb attacks using sleepercells.

London: The ISIS may have lostsignificant ground but it has notbeen yet defeated, British PrimeMinister Theresa May has said,as she warned Iraq that the ter-ror group still poses a threatincluding from across the bor-der.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haideral-Abadi on Saturday declaredthat the country’s war againstISIS was officially over, claimingthat the terror group no longeroccupied significant territoryin the war-torn country.

May congratulated Abadiand all Iraqis on the “historicmoment”, saying this signals anew chapter towards a morepeaceful, prosperous countrybut warned that a lot moreneeded to be done.

“We must be clear however,that whilst Daesh (ISIS) is fail-ing, they are not yet defeated.They still pose a threat to Iraq,including from over the Syrian

border,” she said in a statementon Saturday.

“This is why, during myvisit, I announced that the UKwill invest 30 million pounds instabilisation support, 20 millionpounds in humanitarian assis-tance and 10 million pounds tosupport counter-terrorist capac-ity building in Iraq,” May said.

May said she was proud thatthe UK, as a leading member ofthe Global Coalition, has stood“shoulder-to-shoulder” withIraq to help them open the newchapter.

“I saw the effects of this firsthand when I visited last week,”she said. The UK has support-ed Iraqi security forces, includ-ing the armed forces and thePeshmerga, in the fight againstISIS and UK aircraft havelaunched over 1,350 air strikesin Iraq and trained over 60,000members of the Iraqi securityforces, she said. PTI

IANS n PYONGYANG

North Korea on Sunday saidthat a maritime blockade

would be a declaration of war,in reference to one of the newsanctions that the US men-tioned it could impose onPyongyang after its latest bal-listic missile launch.

“The US moves for seablockade can never be tolerat-ed as they constitute a wantonviolation of the sovereigntyand dignity of an independentstate,” an article published inthe state-owned RodongSinmun daily said.

“The US is trying to open-ly take the measure of seablockade against North Koreaand strangle its economy inpeace time. This is part of its

scheme to escalate politicaland economic blockade againstNorth Korea which has lastedfor decades.”

The article said interna-tional treaties establish that theeconomic blockade of a coun-try in times of peace constitutesan illegal act and is consideredan invasion, reports Efe news.

The new sanctions pro-moted by Washington, com-bined with the joint air drillswith South Korea — the largestto date — conducted on theKorean peninsula last week,constitute “hideous war crim-inal acts” to push the situationto an “uncontrollable” cata-strophic phase and to a touch-and-go phase of a war,Pyongyang said.

The article warned US

President Donald Trump that“should they show even theslightest movement to put itsattempt at sea blockade intopractice, it will be followed byan immediate and mercilesscounteraction for self-defencefrom the North Korea”.

On November 29, NorthKorea launched the Hwasong-15, its most advanced inter-continental ballistic missile todate, which has put Pyongyangcloser to being able to target thecontinental US.

As a result, Washington hasdefended imposing new sanc-tions on Pyongyang, whichcould include the total prohi-bition of maritime transport toNorth Korea, according to USSecretary of State, RexTillerson.

AFP n TOKYO

Japan will hold a drill with theUS and South Korea this week

to practise jointly detecting air-borne missiles, officials said onSunday amid rising securitythreats from North Korea.

The announcement of thejoint exercise, a sixth such drillsince 2016, comes less than twoweeks after Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile whichdropped into the sea insideJapan’s exclusive economic zonein late November.

The drill will be held inwaters near Japan on Mondayand the day after, DefenceMinister Itsunori Onodera saidas he visited a garrison innorthern Japan.

It is aimed at “practisingtracking an object and sharinginformation on it among thethree countries,” said a defenceofficial who declined to be

named.“It will translate into a

measure against ballistic mis-siles,” the official said.

Tensions over the North’sweapons programmes havesoared this year, withPyongyang carrying out itssixth nuclear test as well as aseries of missile launches indefiance of multiple sets of UN

sanctions.The US State Department’s

special representative for NorthKorea policy will travel toJapan and Thailand this weekfor talks on efforts to buildpressure against Pyongyangafter its latest ballistic missiletest.

“The United States looksforward to continuing its part-

nership with both these nationsso that the DPRK will return tocredible talks on denuclearisa-tion,” the department said in astatement.

A senior UN envoy warnedyesterday there was a grave riskthat a miscalculation couldtrigger conflict with NorthKorea as he urged Pyongyangto keep communication chan-nels open after a rare visit to theseclusive state.

Jeffrey Feltman’s trip tothe North — the first by sucha high-ranking UN diplomatsince 2010 — also came afterthe United States and SouthKorea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise.

North Korea reiterated itsview that these manoeuvreswere a provocation, accusingthe drills of “revealing its inten-tion to mount a surprisenuclear pre-emptive strikeagainst the DPRK”.

Houston: Seven weeks afterSherin Mathews’ body was foundin a culvert by a cadaver dog, thelocation of the 3-year-old Indiantoddler’s final resting place hasbeen revealed.

A private ceremony washeld on October 31 for Sherin,the adopted daughter of Indian-American couple WesleyMathews and Sini Mathews,who was found dead in myste-rious circumstances a culvertclose to their home in suburbanDallas. At that time, the buriallocation was kept a secret, con-sidering the intense press andsocial media attention in the case.

PTI

Sherin Mathews’

gravesite in Dallas

made public

Iraq holds military parade to

celebrate victory over ISIS

ISIS still not

defeated, British

PM warns Iraq

Pak-origin sexgangs targetwhite girls inUK: Report

People celebrate as they wave national flags in Tahrir Square, Baghdad AP

Japan hosts joint missile tracking drillMaritime blockade would be

declaration of war: N Korea

Lebanon forces lob tear gas at protesters near US embassy

Protesters carry a girl who faintedafter she inhaled tear gas fired by riotpolice during a demonstrations infront of the US embassy in Aukar,east of Beirut, Lebanon AP

PM Abadi on Saturday

had declared victory

in Iraq’s three-year

war to expel the

jihadist group

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017 sport 14

PTI n BHUBANESWAR

India reclaimed the bronzemedal at the Hockey WorldLeague (HWL) Final after

eking out a close 2-1 win over adepleted but spirited Germany inthe third-fourth place classifica-tion match here on Sunday.

It was always going to be aDavid vs Goliath task forGermany as they were already adepleted side before start of thestart of the match having lost fiveplayers to illness and injuries.

For the Germans, who had 13players at its disposal in thesemi-final against Australia yes-terday, it became bad to worse asthey had just 11 players to playwith, including reserve goal-keeper Mark Appel, in the bronzemedal match after two moreplayers fell ill.

But Germany dished out alion-hearted performance andnot only restricted the margin to2-1 but also gave India the Indiadefence a run for their moneywith as many as 13 shots at thegoal as against the home team's12.

The Germans also had morepenalty corners than India as theysecured seven as against thehosts' four.

They might be down withnumber of players, but theGermans once again producedstructured hockey and not onlyheld the attack for 21 minutes butalso managed to sneak in a goal.

The Indians were lacklustreand below-par on Sunday andhad it been a full strengthGerman side the script of thematch could very well have beendifferent.

Indian took the lead in 21stminute through SV Sunil beforeGermany equalised through its

reserve custodian Mark Appel(36th).

A penalty corner conversionby Harmanpreet Singh in the 54thminute sealed the win and thethird place for the Indians.

India had also won thebronze in the last edition of the

tournament in Raipur in 2015.The Germans showed great

determination and fighting spir-it to not only hold India — butalso create more and betteropportunities in the first quarter.

Germany did not give Indiaany clear cut chance but created

a few and also secured the firstpenalty corner of the first quar-ter in the 14th minute but it waswell defended by the Indians.

Soon after Germany captainMark Grambusch, who himselfplayed with fever, got a goodopportunity but his shot from left

side was just wide of the target.The determined Germans

continued in the same vein andearned two more penalty cornersin the 19th minute but Indiangoalkeeper Suraj Karkera madevaliant saves to keep a clean slatefor the hosts.

In the very next minute,Germany got another short cor-ner but the script turned out to bethe same as Niklas Bruns failed toget the better of Karkera onceagain.

But an opportunist India tookthe lead in the very next moveagainst the run of play when Sunilscored from a rebound.

It was set up by HarmanpreetSingh's defence splitting ball toAkashdeep Singh inside the D buthis reverse shot was saved byGerman custodian Tobias Haukeand from the resultant reboundSunil scored to give India thelead.

Despite playing with only 11players and one goal down, theGermans kept up the pressure onthe Indian defence and in theprocess secured two more penal-ty corners in quick successionbefore half time but they failed tomake use of the chances.

India had the first shot at thegoal after the change of ends butAkashdeep's shot in the 33rdminute was kept away by Hauke.

The Germans showed theyare not here to just make numbersand entertain the crowd as theystunned India three minutes laterwhen their reserve goalkeeperMark Appel, who played as astriker today because of illness toa number of teammates, tappedin skipper Mark Grambusch'spass to draw parity.

India secured three back-to-back penalty corners in a span oftwo minutes the last of which wasconverted by Harmanpreet witha powerful, low grounded flick totake the lead which they managedto hold on despite last-ditchefforts from the Germans whofailed to utilise another penaltycorner in the dying minutes of the match.

PTI n BARASAT (WB)

Aser Dipanda Dicka struck twice to powerMohun Bagan to a 5-0 thrashing of Churchill

Brothers as another goal fest was witnessed inthe I-League football fixture at the BarasatStadium here on Sunday.

On a rain-drenched afternoon, it was alsoraining goals after Ansumana Kromah (23rdminute) opened the scoring, firing in from justoutside the box, before Dipanda Dicka (34th,46th) made it 3-0 after the break.

Having set up two, former MohammedanSporting midfielder Sheikh Faiaz (49th) notchedhis maiden goal of the I-League before captainSony Norde (84th) joined the party despite strug-gling with a knee injury.

Man-of-the-match Dicka had a fine run inthe stoppage time and almost made it 6-0 forMohun Bagan but he missed his hat-trick froma sitter to spare Churchill further embarrassment.

Mohun Bagan and Minerva Punjab now haveseven points each after three rounds but theKolkata giants have a goal difference of six ascompared to three of the Ludhiana outfit.

Despite their superlative victory, MohunBagan had some concerns as four of their play-ers, including Haitian star player Norde, weredown with their respective injuries on the arti-ficial turf.

Norde entered his name into the scoresheetafter brilliantly cutting in from the left to con-vert a powerful shot from the edge of the box buthe soon started limping and was attended by thephysio.

Having exhausted all his substitutions, coachSanjoy Sen had no option as Norde was seen con-tinuing with the proceedings with a strappedknee.

IANS n JAMSHEDPUR

FC Pune City joined the toppers in the IndianSuper League after claiming a well deserved

1-0 victory over Jamshedpur FC at the JRD TataSports Complex here on Sunday.

FC Pune City defender Adil Khan's goal atthe half hour mark proved to be the differencebetween the two sides as Pune registered theirthird win in five matches to accumulate ninepoints, the same as leaders Bengaluru FC, FCGoa and Chennaiyin FC.

Lalchhuanmawia Fanai was sent off for Punebut Ranko Popovic's side defended resolutely totake all three points and hand Jamshedpur FCtheir first loss in the league.

It took FC Pune City 30 minutes to breakthrough the Jamshedpur FC defence that hadkept four consecutive clean sheets in the ISL.Mehtab Hossain's foul on Marcelinho gave Punea chance to launch one into the opposition boxwhere Adil Khan converted at the back post.Pune won the first header from Marcelinho'sfree-kick and Khan side-footed it home.

Steve Coppell's men reacted well aftergoing a goal down. The home team immediatelyput Pune under an extended spell of pressureand in the 44th minute, they had the ball in theopposition net.

Matheus Trindade's cross from the left wasturned into a Pune goal by Izu Azuka, but theNigerian was flagged offside before he could cel-ebrate.

Two minutes into the second half, Pune hada great chance to double their lead. EmilianoAlfaro released Diego Carlos on the right whodrilled in a low cross across the face of the goal.Both Marcelinho and Isaac were in the box butfailed to turn the ball home.

Unable to break through the Pune defence,Steve Coppell brought on Kervens Belfort toreplace Trindade in the 66th minute but it wasPopovic's side that looked likely to pull one moreahead.

With just 10 minutes left on the clock, Pune'sefforts to take all three points suffered a big blowafter Lalchhuanmawia Fanai was given themarching orders for his foul on Bikash Jairu. ThePune left-back was already on a yellow cardwhen he was adjudged to have caught Jairu withhis flailing arm.

But even with a man down, the visitors heldon to their lead to secure full points.

AP n LONDON

Chelsea's bid to retain the EnglishPremier League title faltered again.

West Ham handed the Blues theirfourth loss of the season on Saturday by1-0.

Chelsea remained 11 points behindleader Manchester City, which faces sec-ond-place Manchester United onSunday. Marko Arnautovic's early strikewas backed up by a resilient defensivedisplay that ended an eight-game win-less run for the hosts, and gave new man-ager David Moyes a first victory.

Third-place Chelsea will be lookingover its shoulder after Tottenhamthrashed Stoke 5-1 to win for the firsttime in five league games.

Burnley stayed level on points withSpurs as it beat 10-man Watford 1-0.

Also, Swansea rose off the bottomof the league after its first win in twomonths, switching with Crystal Palace,which blew a win when ChristianBenteke missed a late penalty shot.

HAMMER TIMEWest Ham's opening intensity was

rewarded after six minutes when

Arnautovic applied a fitting finish to aflowing move.

From then on West Ham retreated,often defending with all 11 players insideits own third of the pitch at the OlympicStadium, with the tactic limiting Chelseato very few opportunities.

For the second time this season,Chelsea allowed an opponent to end along winless run.

West Ham hadn't won in eight

league games. Crystal Palace lost its firstseven games until Chelsea’s visit.

STOKE LOVERSTottenham became the first side in

league history to win four consecutivegames against the same opponent byfour goals after it thrashed Stoke 5-1.

Harry Kane found the net twice, SonHeung-min and Christian Eriksen alsoscored, and Ryan Shawcross put the ballinto both goals.

PENALTY FALLOUTCrystal Palace manager Roy

Hodgson was left explaining himself tofans after Benteke wasted an opportu-nity to secure a precious win. His last-minute penalty was saved by goalkeep-er Asmir Begovic. Luka Milivojevic con-verted a first-half penalty but Benteketook responsibility for the late attempt.

THREE IN A ROWLeicester registered a third consec-

utive league win after beating Newcastle3-2 in a thriller at St. James' Park.

Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez'sown goal four minutes from the end lift-ed the Foxes to eighth in the table.

BANGLADESH APPOINT SHAKIB AS TEST CAPTAINDHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday appointed all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan as Test captain,removing Mushfiqur Rahim from the postahead of the two-Test home series against SriLanka, starting January. Shakib, who isalready the national Twenty20 captain, takesover the Test side after a disastrous tour ofSouth Africa in a move that the cricket boardsaid would allow Mushfiqur to focus on hisbatting. "We have decided to change the Testcaptain. Shakib will be our new Test skipperfrom the upcoming series and Mahmudullahwill be the vice-captain of the side,"Bangladesh Cricket Board president NazmulHasan told reporters here following a Board ofDirectors' meeting. "There will be no change inthe other formats," he said. Mushfiqur ledBangladesh in 34 Tests since 2011, guidingthem to some remarkable wins over England,Sri Lanka and Australia since last year. Shakib,who took the helm of the national Twenty20side from Mashrafe Mortaza in South Africa,takes charge of the Test squad for the secondtime, having led the side in nine Tests between2009 and 2011.

BODY OF BUMRAH'S GRANDFATHER FOUNDAHMEDABAD: The body of Indian cricketerJasprit Bumrah's grandfather was on Sundayfound in the Sabarmati river here, two daysafter he had gone missing, in what policesuspect is a case of suicide. Santok SinghBumrah's body was fished out from the riverthis morning, Dharmendra Singh Solanki,Police Station Officer of the SabarmatiRiverfront (East) police station, told PTI. Thepolice suspect Santok Bumrah, 84, committedsuicide. His daughter-in-law Rajinder Bumrahhad filed a missing person's complaint onFriday at the Vastrapur police station here,Solanki said. According to the complaint,Santok Bumrah had come to Ahmedabad fromUttarakhand on December 1 to meet JaspritBumrah, but he had gone missing on Fridaynight after he left their house at Vastrapurwithout informing the family members, theofficial said.

ENGLAND'S BOOZE ISSUES NO JOKE, SAYS LEHMANNPERTH: Australia coach Darren Lehmann saysEngland's latest alcohol-fuelled indiscretion isno laughing matter and his team are notrelishing the tourists' misfortunes. Englandwere rocked this weekend by a third alcohol-related incident in three months after EnglandLions batsman Ben Duckett was suspendedfrom a two-day tour match for pouring a drinkon the head of senior England player JamesAnderson following a heated argument. "I'vebeen through all that, so no, I don't have achuckle at that," Lehmann told reporters onSunday. "You have those situations at variousstages throughout your career. It's not funny,"he added. "It's a case of actually making sureyou're trying the best you can to get your sideprepared. For me, I don't have a chuckle at anyof that." Lehmann said he has complete faith inhis players. "I trust them, obviously," he said."They've just had a couple of days off, sothey're all in today, and I'm sure they'll do well."

JITU, HEENA WIN MEDALS AT ASIAN C’SHIPSNEW DELHI: Pistol aces Jitu Rai and HeenaSidhu bagged a bronze each to continue India'smedal charge at the 10th Asian Championship10m Rifle/Pistol in Wako City, Japan onSunday. Jitu won an individual bronze in themen's 10m Air Pistol, which also helped theIndian team comprising Shahzar Rizvi andOmkar Singh besides Jitu, to bag the Teamgold in the event. Heena claimed an individualbronze in the women's 10m Air Pistol. Hereffort, along with teammates Shri NivethaParamantham and Harveen Srao, helped theTeam clinch silver. India added anotherindividual bronze through Anmol Jain in thejunior men's 10M Air Pistol as well as the Teamsilver in the event, thanks to the combinedexploits of Anmol, Gaurav Rana and AbhishekArya. Having won 11 medals on the first twodays, India's medal count stands at four gold,six silver and seven bronze.

‘KHELO INDIA' TO START FROM 2018: RATHOREBHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of State forYouth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan SinghRathore on Sunday said the government willlaunch a ‘Khelo India' programme at a cost of`1,756 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20. This marks a "watershed moment" in thehistory of Indian sports, as the programmeaims at mainstreaming sports as a tool forindividual development, communitydevelopment, economic development andnational development, he said. The initiativewould impact the entire sports ecosystem,including infrastructure, community sports,talent identification, coaching for excellence,competition structure and sports economy,said Rathore. Agencies

S I N G L E S

India get Bronze again in HWL Final

In spite of below-par performance, hosts overcome depleted but resilient Germany 2-1

Bagan routChurchill

Pune hand Jamshedpur their 1stdefeat of season with 1-0 victory

West Ham derails Chelsea's title

hopes; Spurs beat Stoke 5-1

It took FC Pune City 30minutes to break through

the Jamshedpur FCdefence that had keptfour consecutive clean

sheets in the ISL

Chelsea's manager A Conte during EPL game AP

Indian player Sunil Sowmarpet (24) lying on the ground after scoring a goal against Germany during their bronze medal match in HWL Final at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar PTI

SAMRAT XI LIFT TROPHYA brilliant bowling performance by Amit and Asif helped Samrat

XI lift Lucknow Premier League trophy, beating Speed Cricket Clubby 69 runs, at Vikas Nagar Stadium on Sunday. Batting first, SamratXI scored 99 runs in the allotted 12 overs with Ravi (26) being thetop scorer. In reply, Speed Cricket Club were bundled out for mere30 runs in 8.2 overs. Mayor Sayunkta Bhatia gave away the prizes.

ADITYA TAKES SACRED HEART INTO SFSAditya Kumar scored a hat-trick to help Sacred Heart enter semi-

final of the 6th La Martiniere Football Cup, defeating DPS, Eldeco 3-0 on Sunday. Aditya struck in the 23rd 38th and 59th minute.Earlier,Rahul netted a brace to script KV, AMC 2-0 win over La MartiniereCollege B.

VAIBHAV ENTERS MAIN DRAWVaibhav Bisht of Uttar Pradesh defeated Kanishk Handa of Delhi

6-2, 6-2 to make it into the main draw of Shalimar Cup AITA TennisTournament at La Martiniere tennis facility on Sunday.Results (qualifying rounds)Men’s: Sai Saran Reddy (AP) bt A Krishna Rohit (TS) 6-3, 6-2, ArpitSharma (RJ) bt TusharMadan (DL) 6-3, 6-1, Alex Solanki (DL) btAchint Bhagat (DL) 6-2, 6-2, Vaibhav Bisht (UP) bt Kanishk Handa(DL) 6-2, 6-2, Puru Uppadhaya (CJ) bt Abhishek Kumar (UP) 6-2,6-0, Maninder Singh (HR) bt Aman Bhawsar (MP) 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-1,Gautam Krishnana (KL) bt Mritunjay Singh (UP) 6-1, 6-4, ShahulAnwar (KA) bt Rishi Raj Kesari (UP) 7-5, 7-5Women’s: Surubhi Tiwari bt ShivaniChauhan 6-2, 6-3, Nibhitra RajMohan bt Taneesha Pranjal 6-1, 6-1, Mahita Dadi Reddy b Gauri Jeswal6-0, 6-0, Munmun Singh w/o Stuti Tomar, Prarthna Dewedi bt PanjeeshThakur 6-3, 6-4.

‘JOSH UNLIMITED’HDFC Bank Ltd on Sunday launched the 6th edition of its annu-

al sports competition for its employees at La Martiniere ground. Thisevent, known as Josh Unlimited, is a platform for the bank employ-ees to participate in multiple sports such as cricket, football, badminton,athletics, carom, chess, volleyball etc. HDFC Bank regional head KumarSanjeev inaugurated the evnt.

777 CLUB WIN TOURNEY777 Club defeated Heroes by 25 runs to win the Glory Cup at LDA

Stadium. Electing to bat first, 777 Club piled up 125 runs for the lossof nine wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. In reply, Heroes were bowledout for 100 runs in 18.5 overs.BRIEF SCORES:777: 125 (Anil 20, RP Singh 19, Shailendra 19; Imran 6/2, Gulab 28/2)Heroes: 100 (Gulab 27, Salman 23; Anil 14/3, Rishi 13/2, Upendra13/2)

LOCAL EVENTS

CR7 celebrates Ballon d'Orwith brace in 5-0 winAP n BARCELONA

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his fifth Ballon d'Or award by lead-ing Real Madrid to victory on Saturday, while Valencia kept the

pressure on Spanish league leader Barcelona. Ronaldo presented histrophy for the best player in football to Real Madrid's fans then scoredtwice as Sevilla was routed 5-0 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Ronaldo received the honor on Thursday in Paris, his fifth tro-phy equaling Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.

After soaking up the ovation before kickoff from his fans, Ronaldowent on to have his best performance in the league this season. Hisbrace earned him another loud round of applause when he was sub-stituted late. Second-place Valencia needed a late penalty convertedby Dani Parejo to see off Celta Vigo 2-1 and pull to within two pointsof Barcelona before the pacesetter visits Villarreal on Sunday.

Madrid moved into third place, five points behind Barcelona.Sevilla entered the game in the Spanish capital tied on points

with a Madrid side that was without first-choice defenders SergioRamos and Dani Carvajal and midfielder Casemiro, who were allsuspended for one match, and injured center back Raphael Varane.

But with Ronaldo and company on song, Zinedine Zidane'sbunch decided the match with five goals before halftime.

Two of Madrid's reserve players who got starts to patch upits defense, Nacho Fernandez and 19-year-old Achraf Hakimi,scored for the hosts.

Sevilla's nightmare started in the third minute when SimonKjaer failed to clear a corner kick. Instead, the ball hit teammateLuis Muriel in the shoulder and bounced toward the goal, whereFernandez only had to direct it in.

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017 sport 15

PTI n DHARAMSALA

The susceptible technique of Indianbatsmen in seamer-friendly con-ditions was thoroughly exposed as

Sri Lanka comfortably beat India byseven wickets in the first ODI of thethree-match series.

The win also enabled Sri Lankabreak the ignominy of 12 straight defeatsin ODIs and also their first win againstIndia in the current year after losing allinternational matches at home as well asthe Test series here.

It was an inauspicious start to RohitSharma's India captaincy as the hometeam was shot out for 112 in 38.2 overs,a target which the islanders crossed in20.4 overs.

Suranga Lakmal (4/13), NuwanPradeep (2/37) and Angelo Mathews(1/8) stifled the hosts with a fine displayof seam and swing bowling in ideal con-ditions as Thisara Perera won a crucialtoss.

Had former skipper MahendraSingh Dhoni not stood tall amid ruinswith a face-saving 65 off 87 balls, Indiaat one point of time reduced to 29 for 7and in danger of recording their lowestever ODI score.

Their previous lowest was 54 againsta formidable Sri Lanka in Sharjah backin 2000.

During Sri Lanka's chase, UpulTharanga blasted 49 off 46 balls with thehelp of 10 boundaries as the visitorsoverhauled the target with 29.2 overs tospare.

With Sri Lanka taking a 1-0 lead,India's chances of grabbing the No 1 spotin the ICC ODI rankings is pretty min-imal.

With regular skipper Virat Kohlitaking a break due to his impendingmarriage, the Indian top-orderdid not cover itself in glory as thelikes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit,Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthiklooked all at sea against movingdelivery.

While most of the batsmenare not Test regulars, the per-formance does raise questionsabout Indian team's ability tocounter seam adn swing.

It was second time on thecurrent tour after the EdenGardens Test that Indian team'sability was put to test and theyagain came a cropper.

Put into bat, Indian batsmenlooked clueless as Lakmal,Pradeep and Mathews with halfof the Indian batting line-up was gonefor just 16 runs and at one stage.

Left tottering at 29 for seven, Dhoni

and Kuldeep Yadav (19) stitched 41 runsin 47 balls for the eighth wicket whichwent a long way in India crossing 100-run mark.

Dhoni clobbered 10 boundariesand two sixes in his crucial knock evenas only two other Indian batsmen --Hardik Pandya (10) and Yadav -- couldreach double-digit figures.

He used his 300-plus ODI experi-ence to counter the seam movement andbounce but didn't get the kind of sup-port that was required from the otherend.

With an early start to the match,Lakmal, who completed his quota of 10overs in a single spell, emerged as thewrecker-in-chief for Sri Lanka, return-ing with impressive figures of 10-4-13-4.

Such was the dominance of theLankan seamers that India scored 11 for3 in the powerplay overs, the lowest 10-over score in an ODI in the last fiveyears, and second-lowest overall.

Sri Lanka put India on the backfootright from the start with Mathews trap-ping opener Shikhar Dhawan in front ofwicket in the last ball of his first over. Theon-field umpire had given not outbefore a review by Sri Lankan teamshowed that the ball had hit him on line.

Lakmal produced some extrabounce with his away going deliveriesand Rohit ended up poking at the ballto be back to the pavillion after the thirdumpire overturned another not outdecision.

With India tottering at 2-2, Karthikjoined debutant Iyer in the middle. Afterfour maiden overs in the first fiveovers, Iyer finally hit the first four andalso got off the mark when he guided aMathews delivery to the mid-wicketboundary.

Living dangerously on the other end,Karthik was then sent back to the hut byLakmal as India ended the powerplayovers at 11 for 3.

Pradeep replaced Mathews even asPerera persisted with Lakmal and itworked as the pacer produced a superbdelivery to induce a thick outside edgeoff Manish Pandey as India slumped to16-4.

Two balls later, Pradeep uprootedIyer's stumps when the debutant inside-edged a delivery onto the stumps as thehosts lost half their side in the 14th over.Pandya then hit a couple of boundariesbefore giving an outside edge to Pradeep.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar could not stayfor long and it was left to Dhoni andYadav to avoid the ignominy of beingbowled out for their lowest ODI total of54 against the same opponent in 2000at Sharjah.

PTI n DHARAMSALA

His technique against pac-ers was solely missed on

a seaming track here andIndia stand-in- skipper RohitSharma admitted that accom-modating Ajinkya Rahanewas tough as he is considereda specialist opening batsmanin the 50-over format by theteam management.

Rahane, who scored foursuccessive half-centuriesagainst Australia, was todayleft out of the playing XI in thefirst ODI against Sri Lanka,while Shreyas Iyer was hand-ed a maiden cap at No. 3 andManish Pandey was picked forthe No 5 slot.

"I think we made it clearin Sri Lanka that he is an open-ing batsman and we don'twant to keep changing his bat-ting slot. It plays on anyone'smind not just his, if one's bat-ting order is kept on changing.

"We have identified him asan opening batsman and that'sthe only reason he had to sitout. Having said that weunderstand the runs he scoredin the past few series. But wewanted to give these guysPandey, (Kedar) Jadhav, Iyerfair amount of game before westart touring abroad. It'simportant that they take theopportunity," said Rohit atthe post match press confer-ence after India went down byseven wickets.

While none of the Indianbatsman could put up a fight,Mahendra Singh Dhoni stoodamid the ruins with a gritty 65and Rohit heaped praise onthe former skipper.

"He has been at that situ-ation so many times and hasproved himself again andagain. First of all, I neverunderstood why there was atalk of he being in our plansor not. Once he gets runs thewhole conversation changes.

"He showed us again. Iwish one of our top order was

batting, so that we could havegot more runs. But we learnfrom it and move forward,"said Rohit.

Asked if India's battingcollapse is a cause of concernconsidering that India wouldbe touring South Africa for aTest series under same kind ofconditions, Rohit said: "This isa one-day side, I don't thinkthere is any comparison.

"With the Test team westruggled in Kolkata as wellbut any team in those type ofconditions will struggle. I haveseen enough cricket and werecently saw Ashes as well,what was happening there aswell."

Defending India's inex-plicable batting collapse, Rohitsaid Sri Lankan bowlers usedthe tough conditions to theiradvantage. "In conditions likethese, only one or two bats-

men will score, not all batsmenwill score runs. I don't thinkwe played any rash shots, butthey bowled at the right chan-nel, kept us guessing all thetime and batsmen were madeto play all the time. "We knewconditions were going to betough but sometimes whenyou are put in such situations,you have to bat the situation,which means we got to respectthe bowlers. This experiencewill teach us a lot of things asa team. Again if we are put inthat situation we will respondbetter," said the captain.

Rohit applauded Lankanpace troika of Suranga Lakmal(4/13), Nuwan Pradeep (2/37)and Angelo Mathews (1/8),who rattled the hosts with afine display of swing bowling.

"Credit should go to theSri Lankan bowlers, they madefull use of the conditions. Butas a batting unit, days likethese will teach us a lot ofthings, not always will weplay on flat conditions and weas a team want to thrive insuch conditions. If you notice,any bowler bowling in thatchannel would have got wick-ets. For us we were trying tosurvive in those conditionsbecause we knew that if initialovers we get over, wicket willget better but we lost wicketsand we were also not scoringin that pace,” he added.

PTI n DHARAMSALA

Sri Lanka interim coach Nic Pothas was all praisefor pacer Suranga Lakmal, whose 4/13 in 10 overs

went a long way in island nation's first ODI win 13matches as they beat India by seven wickets in seriesopener.

"Look, Suranga is a world-class bowler. If yougive him the conditions that suits him, doesn't mat-ter to whom he bowls, he is always going to makelife difficult."

"In his career so far, he had bowled on flat, drywickets. You give him some greenery, he will be bril-liant. In South Africa at the start of this year, he wassuperb again. He is a class performer and guts indi-vidual and great guy to have in the team."

An elated Pothas said that his team is slowly get-ting closer to the formula of success.

"We have had guys in this team who have gone

through the processes. We have obviously tried lotof people and we are getting closer and closer to aformula we think will be successful for us in thefuture," Pothas told reporters.

"We are in a nice place. We have built this teamup nicely and we can now hand it to the new coachand he can run with it," he said referring toChandika Hathurusingha, who has been appoint-ed as the Head Coach of the Sri Lanka NationalTeam recently.

Sri Lanka today dismissed India for 112 andthen chased down the total with ease and Pothassaid his team tried a different strategy against Indiatoday.

"It is a good place to be. We enjoyed the win.We haven't had lot of success in white ball cricket.We are at a position now things are quite settled,players understand roles. We used a different strat-egy and very pleased with the way things worked

out for us today," he said."Whenever you play a quality team like India,

you have to adapt. We have seen historically, if youwant to win against India - this game was differ-ent - but you have to play spin well in the middleovers.

"We acknowledged that we have some very goodplayers of spin, worked around the batting line upa bit. We gave ourselves the best chance," Pothas said.

The coach also singled out Angelo Mathews forspecial mention.

"Angelo looked great again. He has got his workload in. The physio has done some great work withhim. He is not full capacity yet. Angelo is world classperformer and the way he handled that situation withthe bat showed how important he is for us."

Asked how close was Dushamantha Chameeragetting a game, the South African said:"He was veryclose but we have got a formula for how we want to

play our ODI cricket. It is tough when you have tomeet tough selections.

"But that is what we are getting paid, it was a toughcall on him. But as I said, Suranga came up with goodsand Nuwan Pradeep on his comeback was awesome.We are happy that everything turned out very well."

Pothas said toss and the no-ball dismissal of UpulTharanga by Jasprit Bumrah were the definingmoments of the match.

"I firmly believe that there were two massivemoments in the game. It had to be said that the tosswas massive in the game and the no ball to UpulTharanga," he said referring to jasprit Bumrah's dis-missal of Upul Tharanga on a No-ball in the sixthover.

"If you lose another one we are suddenly 15 forthree and that is hugely different situation. We havelooked at two situations where for me they sort ofdefined the day."

PTI n NAGPUR

Karnataka inflicted an inningsand 20 runs defeat on Mumbai

with more than a day to spare in theRanji Trophy quarter-final here onSunday to move into the semi-finalsin convincing fashion.

Karnataka, who took a huge397-run first innings lead overMumbai by scoring a massive 570after bundling out the latter for apaltry 173, bowled out the 41-timechampions for 377 in 114.5 overs inthe second innings to complete acomprehensive victory on day fourof the five-day game at the VCAStadium in Jamtha.

Surya Kumar Yadav made adefiant 108, off 180 balls with 16fours and one six, before he was runout in the pre-lunch session to openthe doors for eight-time title win-ners Karnataka to press ahead andcomplete the rout.

Akash Parkar made 65, in 186balls laced with 11 fours, besidesadding 98 runs for the fourthwicket with Yadav after the twobatsmen commenced the day withMumbai on 120 for three.

Captain Vinay Kumar, whobagged a hat-trick in his six wick-et haul in the first innings, got twocrucial wickets — those of crisisman Lad for 31 and rival captainAditya Tare for a duck — before offspinner Gowtham scythed throughthe lower order to finish with a haulof 6 for 104.

BENGAL ALL BUT REACH SEMI-FINAL

JAIPUR: Young right-handerWrittick Chatterjee struck anunbeaten double hundred as Bengalvirtually killed the Ranji Trophyquarter-final contest againstdefending champions Gujarat witha day's play left.

After Abhimanyu Easwaran(114, 345 balls) had done the pri-

mary job of deflating the Gujaratbowlers on the third day, relative-ly unknown Chatterjee took thecentrestage scoring a career-best213 with Bengal making Gujaratbite the dust with a total of 483 for4.

Easwaran duly completed hissecond century of the match- sev-enth in his 30-match first-class

career before Chatterjee took cen-tre stage. Easwaran's knock had 13boundaries and two sixes.

With an overall lead of 613, thefinal day's play is as inconsequen-tial as it can be unless ManojTiwary wants to press for an out-right win against Parthiv Patel'smen.

DELHI ON COURSE FOR FINE WIN

VIJAYWADA: Bowlers put Delhi oncourse for a memorable win bybowling out Madhya Pradesh for283 in their second innings, givingtheir team a 217-run target tochase on day five of the RanjiTrophy quarterfinal here .

Pacer Vikas Tokas (3/64) andleft-arm spinner Vikas Mishra(4/59) did the bulk of the damageon day four to put their team in astrong position.

Delhi were eight for no loss atstumps with Kunal Chandela andTokas in the middle.

VIDARBHA VIRTUALLY BOOK S/F BERTH

SURAT: Centuries from captain FaizFazal (119) and Apoorv Wankhade(107) enabled Vidarbha take a firmcontrol of their Ranji Trophy quar-terfinal match against Kerala at theend of the fourth day's play here.

At the close of play, Vidarbhawere comfortably placed at 431 forsix, with an overall lead of 501 runs.

Akshay Wadkar was batting on20 and Karn Sharma was unbeatenon 4 when the stumps were drawn.

AP n HAMILTON

Alengthy rain break in the middle of the afternoonSunday helped change the trajectory of the second

day of the cricket test between New Zealand and the WestIndies, contributing to another collapse by the Caribbeanside's middle order.

The West Indies were 87-2, replying to NewZealand's first innings of 373, when rain began to fallaround the middle of the second session. No further playwas possible before tea or for the first 20 minutes of thefinal session. When the players returned, heavy overcastconditions helped promote swing and the West Indieslost four wickets for 48 runs, including their captain KraiggBrathwaite for 66, as they suffered their third collapse inas many innings in the series.

A feisty innings of 35 from 45 balls from wicketkeeperShane Dowrich and a partnership of 35 for the eighthwicket between Raymon Reifer and Kemar Roachhelped slow the decline and allowed the West Indies avoidthe follow on.

At stumps they were 215-8, trail-ing New Zealand by 158 runs, withReifer not out 22 and MiguelCummins 10 not out. Reifer, on testdebut, played a bold late hand, defying the New Zealandbowlers for 107 minutes.

The loss of Shai Hope (28), Roston Chase (12), SunilAmbris (2) and Brathwaite after the rain break Sundayfollowed that pattern. After having made a relatively solidbeginning the innings began to teeter and lost its foun-dation when Brathwaite was out at 135-6 after having bat-ted for just under three hours.

The increased swing became evident in the dismissalof Hope who received a ball from Tim Southee whichangled into him, straightened and which the batsmanedged to Ross Taylor at first slip. Chase then received a

ball from Colin de Grandhomme which also shapedenough to beat the bat and to hit off stumps.

Ambris earned a rare distinction in test cricket whenhe was out hit wicket for the second time in the only three

innings of his test career. He was out inthat fashion for a first ball duck on hisdebut in the first test at Wellington andhe suffered the same fate Sunday, becom-ing one of only three batsmen in test his-

tory to be out hit wicket more than once in their careers.Brathwaite then fell to a superb catch by Southee off

de Grandhomme. Southee first took the ball above hishead at short cover, lost his grip on it briefly and thendived forward to catch it again, one-handed, just abovethe turf.

Earlier on Sunday, a quickfire last-wicket partnershipof 61 in 41 minutes between Southee and Boult strength-ened New Zealand's overnight position.

Boult struck an unbeaten 37 from 27 balls andSouthee hit 31 which helped New Zealand reach 373 inits first innings.

Lucky 13: SL break losing spree vs IndiaAfter 12 successive losses in ODI’s against Men in Blue, Lankans register thumping 7-wicket victory at Dharamsala, lead series 1-0

3India recorded their third lowesttotal in one day internationals athome by making 112 in the first

ODI vs Sri Lanka. India's lowest evertotal at home is 54 against Sri Lanka atKanpur on December 24,1986 while 100against West Indies at Ahmedabad onNovember 16,1993 is the second lowestin India

5It was also India's fifth lowest totalagainst Sri Lanka in one dayinternationals. India's lowest

against Islanders is 54 in 26.3 overs atSharjah on December 29,2000

Faisel Features

FIGURATIVELY

For team management, Rahaneis opening batsman: Rohit

Suranga is brilliant when he gets green track: Pothas

Karnataka thrash Mumbai, enter S/F Bowlers put NZ in controlafter lower-order batsmen fire

New Zealand vs West Indies

Live from 3:30am IST

STAR SPORTS

We haveidentified him

(Rahane) as anopening

batsman andthat's the only

reason he had tosit out

— India captainRohit Sharma

New Zealand’s Tim Southee (L) & Trent Boult during Day 2 of 2nd Test

Karnataka captain R Vinay Kumar (L) celebrates the wicket of Mumbai’s Aditya Tare (R) PTI

Angelo Mathews & Niroshan Dickwella celebrate their victory over India in 1st ODI at Dharamshala PTI

NICOLE KIDMAN, ReeseWitherspoon and David E Kelleyare re-teaming for anotherinstalment of Big Little Lies.

“This is inspired bythe overwhelmingresponse by audiencesaround the world,conceived once againby Liane Moriarty,realised by DavidKelley and now inthe hands ofvisionary filmmakerAndrea Arnold,”said Kidman.

“What a journeythis has been. I'm sograteful to have thisopportunity to keepexploring these femalecharacters and makethis series with myfriends,” she added.

Big Little Lies,HBO's limited series,also stars ShaileneWoodley and Zoë Kravitz. Basedon the best-selling book of thesame name by Liane Moriarty, ittells the story of three motherswhose lives unravel to the pointof murder.

‘All TV showsaren't regressive’

Popular TV and film producerEKTA KAPOOR says that not alltelevision shows are regressive.Ekta was present here onSaturday for the confer-ence — We TheWomen, along withUnion Informationand BroadcastingMinister SmritiIrani, and film-maker KaranJohar.

On the regressiveprojection of womenon the small screenEkta said: “There arehundreds of shows onthe Indian televisionthough I agree with thefact that some of them aremelodramatic, might be alittle regressive but remem-ber that all television showsare not regressive. It won'twork if it's regressive.There are so many womenwatching the show and theydo not want themselves to be putin a bad light.”

Actress BELLA

THORNE admits tobeing molested. OnSaturday, Thorne,who is known forher work in showsfor Disney channel,tweeted a doodledimage of hers on which a fantrolled her saying: “What didDisney do to this girl?! I thinkshe was molested.”

Thorne, 20, retorted saying:“Yeah I was. So it wasn'tDisney.”

Thorne later followed it upwith another tweet: “The worldcan be a sick place sometimes.”

LUCKNOW | MONDAY | DECEMBER 11, 2017vivacity 16

Big Little Lies will be back soon

‘Akon is a gemof a personand designingfor him isalways a treat.It's a singlebreasted zip up

jacket customised inthe Indian crepe fabric.Keeping in mind hisprofession, we haveinculcated musicalinstruments like tabla,sarangi and sitar motifssynthesised to create ayouthful contemporaryensemble’—NEETA LULLA

The iconic electric tram hasundertaken a long journey

starting from British Calcutta in1902 to modern Kolkata tracks toa museum near Gurgaon. Onecan still witness this eco-friend-ly vehicle in the city of joy. But,for those of you who aren’t sofamiliar with it or want to live theKolkata diaries can find it sta-tioned at The Heritage TransportMuseum-showcasing evolutionof Indian transportation.

The Tram No 204, acquiredfrom Calcutta TramwaysCompany (CTC) in September, isamongst the last few survivingwood bodied trams. Interestingly,this tram has served the residentsfor the almost seven decades. Thetwo-coach tram, with a totallength of 57 feet and a breadth of7 feet, weighs 18 tons and can seat

61 passengers, marking fouryear anniversary of the Heritage

Transport Museum.They have tried to restore the

old world charm through ancienttickets, visual tour of the historyof trams in India through thescreen, photographs et al.

Tarun Thakral, founder andManaging Trustee of TheHeritage Transport Museum said,“Tram is a popular mode oftransport in Kolkata and as atransport museum we wanted topay a tribute. We approachedCTC and told them that we wantan antique wooden tram that wecan revamp for our visitors to give

them the feel of the bygone era.Half of them don’t even knowabout trams, especially the

younger generation. We havevisitors who confuse it with a trainand our intention is to educatethem that this mode of transportis still operational. We have triedto depict its history in a small waythrough posters, tickets andmovie which otherwise people

have forgotton about.” The movieis made by a UK based companywhich specialises in historicalfilms.

The earliest electric tram inIndia dates back to 1902. Headded that this tram is made ofpolished kikar wood and theyhave replaced the wood panels,flooring, fans, lamps et al. Theauthenticity can be seen throughads of bygone era. In earliertimes, trams used to operate inChennai, Delhi and Mumbai.“Around 1960 buses started com-ing in and administration thoughtthat they were slow moving andcaused an obstruction to thetraffic. Due to which most ofthem were shut down from time

to time. I personally feel thattrams are completely non-pollut-ing but sadly they are discontin-ued in almost all the cities.However, Prague, CzechRepublic, Vienna, San Franciscoand many others still have evolvedversions of it. Here, it didn’t hap-pen and thus its traces lies in gold-en pages not on tracks.”

Thakral opened this museumdue to his passion for trans-portation. “In 2006 I made a trustand few years later I approachedIndian government with the ideaof a transport museum. Throughthe help of government grant,donation from various corpora-tions, Individuals and loaned theremaining amount, this museumwas opened for public in 2013.Each year we add a new elementbe it coined car, classic maruti 800with smileys, exhibits et al.”

The USP of this transportmuseum lies in the array ofacquired exhibits, grafitti, artinstallations and their vision tooffer a one of its kind experienceto their visitors, something theycan take back as an inspiration. Ithouses classic cars, aeroplanes,two wheelers, ships, carts and alsoIndian jugaad.

Photos: Pankaj Kumar

Superstar Salman Khan, whowent international with his

Dabangg film franchise through hisfirst live concert in Australia, NewZealand, Melbourne, Sydney inAustralia and Auckland to entertainthe Indian diaspora, was in Delhito kick start the domestic tour.Appropriately he was in total recallmode and recapped his debut per-formance in Delhi just after therelease of his film, Maine PyaarKyun Kiya. Reminiscing thosedays, Khan shared, “I still remem-ber that performance as I forgot thesteps midway. The audience was soloud that I lost track of the music,so I ended up walking across thestage, waving at the crowd and gavefew flying kisses, and by that timethe song ended.” Like a profession-al artist, he managed to hide hisnervousness all through the act.

With the international successthe tour has witnessed, especiallyin Birmingham where the showwas houseful and a big hit, this wasbound to be a success. Khan feelsthe success was entirely a teameffort. “Taking time from one’s hec-tic schedule was the most difficultpart. Since, everyone has beenworking on different projects, final-ising a particular date for concerts

has been the most challengingpart.”

The last tour in Auckland wasa starry event and had actor AkshayKumar joining Salman andSonakshi on the stage. Sonakshi,who wrapped up the concert beforegetting on to her new film Ittefaq,had shared a lot of pictures andvideos on her social media profilestoo.

The show was directed andscripted by Sohail Khan. Bollywoodstars Sonakshi Sinha, Kriti Sanon,Prabhudheva, Badshah, DaisyShah, Zareen Khan and ManishPaul joined Salman at JawaharlalNehru Stadium.

Photos: Pankaj Kumar

What better way to spend awinter’s evening than ayellow light falling on

the tree bearing the colourfulprayer flags, the sent of the holyincense, live music consisting ofcymbals, drums and trumpets inthe background, and the powerfulmask performance by the monksof the Hemis monastery, Ladakh.

The performance also markedthe closing of the two day long fes-tival celebrating the BuddhistHeritage. An attempt to emphasiseand raise awareness of this rich andcommon heritage shared by BIM-STEC, an international organisa-tion comprising of India,

Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand,Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. Dueto the geographical contiguity of thecountries they share a commonsocial, cultural and religious link-ages.

The festival also marks the 20thanniversary of this unique organ-isation group, a BIMSTECBuddhism Festival Bodhi Parva:BIMSTEC Festival of BuddhistHeritage, presented by the BIM-STEC division of the Ministry ofExternal Affairs.

Chams (Mask dances) aresacred plays performed around thecentral flagpole. They are essential-ly a part of Tantric tradition, per-formed only in the gompas that fol-low the Tantric Vajrayana teachingsand where the monks performtantric worship. Yanakpo Chan(Black head dance), black capdance, Shawa (Buffalo and deer)and Singey Wang chan (Liondance) were performed. Chamba,a monk who headed the team ofmonks said, “Since they areDharma protectors, they can not beperformed outside gonpas. Theones that were performed here areout of the few that are allowed sincethey don’t contain any religious

chantings. They are particularlybased on certain steps.” For the onesbearing religious significance, amonth long meditation is requiredby the monk who performs it, amonth long process of recitingprayers. “If the scared attires aretaken outside, they might bring

chaos.”Monks adorned bright, colour-

ful brocades with vibrantly deco-rated and richly embellished papermache or copper-gilded masksand simulated combat betweengood spirits and evil demons.

The visitors also witnessed an

experience of the union of narra-tion and technology in the SpiritualTechno Zone — a blend of twotrending technologies, augmentedand virtual reality with the impor-tant points of Buddha’s life to hisenlightenment. Leaving the view-ers in tranquility and spirituallyenriched.

The exhibition, BenevolentGaze – Buddhist imprints in artwas curated by Anubhav Nathand Vikram Lall. This illustrat-ed the historical interconnected-ness of these countries as man-ifested through architecture asso-ciated with Buddhist practiceand philosophy.

The exhibition presented therich and fascinating Buddhistheritage in these countries whilehighlighting the strategies ofnegotiation, exchange, and trans-

formation between Indic ideasand indigenous architecturalknowledge systems, as well as thespecific material and symbolicmeaning of the architecturalforms of several Buddhist mon-uments.

However, the Food Trailserving cuisines from the BIM-STEC countries was a little dis-appointing. Though there was along wait for the momos fromNepal, which claimed to betossed ina spicy tomato garlicsauce, were hardly justifying thelocal cuisine. While the Chamsfrom Ladakh were given greatimportance, there was no sign ofthe local cuisine, which mighthave boosted interest and helpederadicate the ignorance of thepeople who assume the local cul-ture to be similar to the East

Asian counties.The Minister of State

(Independent Charge) ofCulture, Dr Mahesh Sharmasaid: “Buddhism is the bindingforce between the BIMSTECcountries. The world expects alot from the message of peace,love and compassion, which wasgiven by Lord Buddha, not onlyto any one country, but to all ofhumanity.”

“Buddhism is a theme whichcombines all of us culturally. I amconfident that you will all bene-fit from the various elements ofthe Festival. It will provide usunique ideas to increase aware-ness about Buddhism among theyouth,” added Minister forCulture, Tourism and CivilAviation, Government of Nepal,Jeetendra Narayan Dev.

After a successful international tour, SALMAN KHAN and the ensembleof Bollywood celebrities hit the capital with the Da-Bang

VINTAGE RIDE

KHAN AS SHOWMAN

Travel to the bygoneera through an antiquewooden tram, suggestsTARUN THAKRAL. By KRITIKA DUA

Mask dance from Ladakh became the highlight of thetwo-day festival that celebrated a shared Buddhistheritage among BIMSTEC countries, says ANGELA PALJOR

IN HARMONY WITH NATURE

“EVERYONE HASBEEN WORKING

ON DIFFERENTPROJECTS,

FINALISING APARTICULAR

DATE FORCONCERTS HAS

BEEN THE MOSTCHALLENGING

PART”

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