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VIJAYAWADA, TUESDAY JANUARY 14, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

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RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

*Late City Vol. 2 Issue 74*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHI DEHRADUNHYDERABAD

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Month & Paksham:Paush & Krishna PakshaPanchangamTithi : Chaturthi: 02:48 pm Nakshatram: Magha: 07:55 amPurva Phalguni: 05:57am (Next Day)Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 03:10 pm- 04:33 pmYamagandam: 09:39 am – 11:02 amVarjyam: 03:15 pm - 04:44 pmGulika: 12:25 pm - 01:48 pmGood Time: (to start any important work)

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Nitish Kumar today said he was open to a debate on the Citizenship(Amendment) Act (CAA) in the Bihar assembly, signaling, for the first

time, his reservations on the controversial law that his party Janata Dal(United) supported in parliament. On the National Register of Citizenship(NRC), Nitish Kumar said that there was "no question" orneed to implement it in Bihar.The Chief Minister madethe remarks after Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) and Left attacked the religion-based citizenshiplaw in the special one-day session of the Bihar assemblycalled to ratify a quota measure.

NITISH CALLS FOR A DEBATE ON CAA, RULES OUT NRC IN BIHAR

INDIAN-AMERICAN PROF. FIRED FORFOR ‘JOKE’ ON ‘BOMB US SITES' LIST

‘MISSING, MP SUNNY DEOL’POSTERS APPEAR IN PUNJABActor-politician Sunny Deol, declared "missing" in posters that have

surfaced at a few public places in Pathankot in Punjab, posted amessage to his critics in a video on Facebook. "Gumshuda ki Talash(search for missing), MP Sunny Deol," read the posters that can be seenat parks and the railway station. "I have heard that mydetractors are coming up with nonsensical things againstme," the actor said in the video on the posters. "Oppositionleaders should work for the welfare of people. I am alsoworking to resolve the traffic congestion in the city.Wish you all a happy Lohri," Sunny Deol said.

An Indian-American professor, who posted a joke on Facebook aboutthe ongoing Iran situation, has been fired by his college. Babson

College said Asheen Phansey was fired because the post on his"personal Facebook page does not represent the values and culture ofthe College", according to WBZ television. Heapologised for the post last week calling it "sloppyhumour" that was "read as a threat". His post was areaction to US President Donald Trump's tweet abouttargeting sties "very high level and important to Iranand the Iranian culture".

MUMBAI COP RAPES CABBIE FOR REFUSING RIDE TO RED-LIGHT AREAIn a bizarre incident, a Railway Protection Force constable allegedly

raped a taxi-driver for reportedly refusing to give him a ride to the red-light area, on Sunday, police said here on Monday. The shockingincident occurred when the taxi driver was relaxing on a bench at the P.D'Mello Road, near the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus(CSMT) last evening. The RPF constableidentified as one Amit Dhankad, whoapproached the cabby and asked for aride to one of the prostitution dens in theGrant Road area of south Mumbai.

Mudragada puts Naidu in a spotwith uncomfortable questionsPNS n KAKINADA

Advising former chief ministerN Chandrababu Naidu to hon-our the verdict of the peopledelivered so comprehensivelyin the last elections and 'takerest', Kapunadu leaderMudragada Padmanabham onMonday posed some uncom-fortable questions to the TDPsupremo.

In an open letter addressedto Naidu on Monday, the Kapuleader accused him of adopt-ing double standards and ques-tioned him whether he was notone who destroyed the polic-ing system in the state. "Do youremember that your regimesurpassed the erstwhile Britishregime in exploiting the policesystem?" Mudragada asked.

He reminded how the policebrutally caned him and hisfamily members at the height

of the movement for quota forKapus.

"When the police attackwomen of your community,you come to their rescue ques-tioning 'where is the democra-cy?', but you conveniently for-got about democracy whenthe police indiscriminately

caned my son and daughter-in-law. Will you please go onrecord which law of the landallowed gagging the mouth ofthe media by restraining itfrom reporting the insultsheaped on us?," the Kapunaduleader wrote.

He said that during themovement for special status forAndhra Pradesh, Naiducajoled, cautioned and con-

vinced students against hittingthe streets saying that takingpart in agitations would spoiltheir career. "Do you now haveany right to level allegationsagainst the present regime tothe effect that it is not honour-ing the laws of the land?"Mudragada asked.

"During your regime, youhave ordered media againstcarrying news about Kapumovement then. But, today youare continuously harping onlyon one thing and using mediafor the benefit of your commu-nity," he said questioningwhether the media was con-fined to one community alone.

He sought to know fromNaidu why he failed to directthe media to broadcast news ofother communities like it is wasdoing with reports on onecommunity.

Continued on Page 3

PNS n NEW DELHI

Jana Sena party presidentPawan Kalyan who met BJPworking president J.P. Nadda athis residence in Delhi onMonday, is believed to haveagreed to join the NDA. Thetwo parties are all set to con-test the forthcoming local bodyelections in AP in alliance.

According to highly-placedsources, Pawan Kalyan, whomet Nadda ostensibly torequest the Central govern-ment's 'intervention' in theongoing row over the state cap-ital Amaravati, has agreed to bepart of the NDA ahead of thelocal body polls in AP.

Apart from Nadda, BJP gen-eral secretary (organisation)B.L. Santosh and the party'syoung MP from KarnatakaTejasvi Surya were also present.

Pawan had rushed to Delhibarely three days after theparty's State executive commit-tee met at Mangalagiri.

The meeting came in the

backdrop of a general feelingin the Jana Sena that it ha paida heavy price by going it alonein the 2019 general electionsafter breaking its alliance withTDP. Even before Monday's

meeting between PawanKalyan and Nadda, there hadbeen speculation that the JanaSena was veering towards analliance with the saffron party.

Continued on Page 3

CM greetspeople onSanktrantiAMARAVATI: ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy on Monday wished thevery best to the Telugu peo-ple living worldwide on theoccasion of the auspiciousMakara Sankranti festival.

In his message, the CMsaid, "The festival is a symbolof our culture, traditions, thelove and affection we have forour villages and the highregard we show towards thefarmers of the State."

Bhogi bonfires, rangoli,keertanas by Haridasas,dances by the bullocks, kiteflying and the blooming cropsin the rural areas are all areflection of the rich traditionthat is associated with Bhogi,Sankranti and Kanuma festi-vals, the CM said.

Retail inflationrises to 7.35%,5-year high NEW DELHI: Retail infla-tion rose to about five-and-half year high of 7.35 per centin December 2019, surpass-ing the RBI's comfort level,mainly due to spirallingprices of vegetables as onionswere selling costlier.

As per the data released byNational Statistical Office(NSO) on Monday, the spikein inflation in the vegetablesegment was 60.5 per centduring the month comparedto December 2018. The over-all retail inflation based onConsumer Price Index (CPI)was 2.11 per cent inDecember 2018 and 5.54 percent in November 2019.

Walmart fires56 IndiaexecutivesNEW DELHI: Walmart haslaid off 56 of its India execu-tives as it restructures busi-ness in the country. Walmartis looking for ways to oper-ate more efficiently, whichrequires it to review its cor-porate structure "to ensurethat we are organized in theright way", said Krish Iyer,president and CEO of the US-based retail major's Indiaunit. The fired executivesinclude eight senior manage-ment officials, he added.

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan presents an idol of Lord Ganesha to BJP workingpresident JP Nadda in New Delhi on Monday.

Mudragada Padmanabham

In an open letter toNaidu on Monday, theKapu leader accusedhim of adoptingdouble standards andquestioned himwhether he was notone who destroyedthe policing system inthe state

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao and hisAP counterpart YSJaganmohan Reddy met forabout six hours at the PragathiBhavan in Hyderabad onMonday. Of this, according towell-placed sources, over twohours of the one-to-one meet-ing between the two wasdevoted to discussing onlypolitics, mainly AP politicsand national politics. Jaganbriefed KCR about AP politicsin the backdrop of his movesto shift the executive capitalfrom Amaravati toVisakhapatnam and setting upthree capitals for AP.

KCR reportedly supportedJagan's ideas in this regard say-ing that it will lead to decen-tralised development of APbesides fetching political gainsfor YSRCP as TDP will not beable to recover in AP in thenear future.

When the issue of nationalpolitics cropped up, both theCMs reportedly felt that theBJP-led NDA government atthe Centre was not cooperat-ing with the Telugu States,despite YSRCP and TRS gov-ernments maintaining a non-confrontational attitude withthe Centre.

However, both felt that thetime was not ripe to put up ajoint fight or take on Centre

'jointly'. They are believed tohave decided to wait till theBihar Assembly polls concludeby the end of the year.

Both the CMs felt thatthough BJP had come to powerwith a landslide majority at theCentre in May 2019, it startedlosing its hold especially afterit lost the Assembly polls in

Maharashtra and Jharkhandrecently. They felt that if BJPloses next month's DelhiAssembly polls and BiharAssembly polls, it will weakenfurther and they can thenthink about national politicsand how to go about taking onthe Centre.

The issue of CAA, NRC andNPR also came up for discus-sion. However, both the CMsdecided to adopt a 'wait andwatch' policy and observe howCentre goes forward in imple-menting the controversial deci-sions and how other non-BJPstates resist them.

Both the CMs are reported-ly against the NRC but want tomake a move based on howother states react.

AP Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy is received by his Telangana counterpartK. Chandrasekhar Rao at the Pragathi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday.

HC takes serious view ofprolonged use of Sec. 144

PNS n HYDERABAD

A trivial issue took a violent turnwhen members belonging totwo communities clashed incommunally sensitive Bhainsatown of Nirmal district leaving11 people, including three policeofficials, injured in stone-pelt-ing, authorities said on Monday.Clashes broke out in the townover a petty matter of some peo-

ple riding motorcycles byremoving silencers late onSunday night with members oftwo communities indulging inarguments, followed by assault,stone-pelting and arson.

Even though police imposedprohibitory orders underSection 144 of the CriminalProcedure Code banningassembly of more than fivepeople, some members of both

sides again clashed by indulgingin stone-pelting on Monday,they said.

All shops and business estab-lishments in the town wereclosed and street vendors alsostayed off roads, they said,adding internet services wereslowed down to curb rumourmongering through messagingplatforms and social media.

Continued on Page 3

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra Pradesh HighCourt on Monday took a seri-ous view of promulgation ofban orders under Section 144of CrPC and Section 30 of thePolice Act in Amaravati.

Earlier, the High Courtadmitted a writ petition byfarmers challenging the banorders on the grounds that thedecision of the governmentwas violative of SupremeCourt's judgment against theprolonged imposition ofSection 144. The AdvocateGeneral sought posting of thecase to next Monday but thecourt directed him to come upwith a detailed explanation on

Friday. The court opined thatthe police are being hyper-active as seen in the televisionvisuals.

The petitioners recalled thatrecently the Supreme Courtopined that repetitive use ofSection 144 in Jammu andKashmir amounted to abuse ofpower and it was violative ofthe legitimate expression ofopinion or grievance of anydemocratic rights.

Continued on Page 3

Panel invites Amaravati farmers togive views on capital amid protests PNS n VIJAYAWADA

A committee formed by theAndhra Pradesh governmentto look into the three-capitalproposal on Monday soughtthe opinion of Amaravati farm-ers, who have been protestingagainst the proposal for near-ly a month.

The 16-member commit-tee, comprising ministers andsenior officials, held its thirdmeeting on Monday even asprotests by farmers in 29 vil-lages of Amaravati continuedagainst the proposal to devel-op Visakhapatnam as admin-istrative capital and Kurnool asthe judicial capital.

I&PR Minister PerniVenkatramaiah told reportersthat the farmers could conveytheir views to the panel. Theymay submit the opinion andsuggestions in writing person-

ally to the Capital RegionDevelopment Authority(CRDA) Commissioner oronline.

The move comes amid theprotest by farmers, who were

angry that the government isgoing ahead with its movewithout consulting them.

Before the committee meton Monday, UrbanDevelopment Minister BotsaSatyanarayana said a one-dayspecial session of Assembly islikely to be convened onJanuary 20 to announce a deci-sion on the capital.

The government onDecember 29 constituted ahigh-power committee toexamine the recommendationsof the expert committee, whichsuggested a three-capital for-mula for decentralized devel-opment of the state.

Continued on Page 3

n KCR, Jagan discuss politics for 2hours in their six-hour meeting

n Both feel NDA Govt notcooperating with Telugu States

n But time not ripe to take ‘jointly’ on Centre

n Wait and watch policy on CAA,NPR, but against NRC

931 cases ofGST fraudunearthedPNS n NEW DELHI

Using data analytics, the rev-enue department has identi-fied 931 cases of suspectedGST fraud and has startedscanning all their pendingrefund claims for invertedduty structure. As many as27,000 taxpayers have filedrefund claims of over Rs28,000 crore on account ofinverted duty structure acrossthe country in the current fis-cal. "The identified taxpayerswho have purchased goodsfrom tax-evading non-filerswould face verification andscrutiny as necessary," said aFinance Ministry source.

Continued on Page 3

‘River interlinkingin limbo as statesnot cooperating’PNS n AURANGABAD

The Centre is ready with itsriver-linking plans but statesare not co-operating on theproject due to "vote bank pol-itics", Union Minister of Statefor Jal Shakti Rattan SinghKataria said on Monday.

At this moment, the centralgovernment can-not make itcompulso-ry forstates toi m p l e -ment theproject, hetold reportershere.

"The central governmenthas worked on the river inter-linking project. There aremany rivers which can beinterlinked.

Continued on Page 3

Internetshutdown in 4 TS districtsPNS n HYDERABAD

Internet has been suspendedin four districts of Telanganafollowing the outbreak ofcommunal violence inBhainsa of Nirmal districton Sunday night.

This is the first instance ofthe state government optingfor complete shutdown ofthe internet since the anti-Citizen Amendment Actprotests started. The shut-down is in place in four dis-tricts, namely Adilabad,Nirmal,Mancherial andAsifabad. The department ofTelecommunication (DoT) -Telangana sent an SOS mes-sage late on Sunday to serviceproviders -- Airtel, Idea,Vodafone and BSNL to shut-down Internet in the undivid-ed Adilabad district withimmediate effect.

The message read. "Wehave received informationthat communal riots havebeen reported in Adilabaddistrict (areas which includespresent Adilabad, Asifabad,Nirmal and Mancherial dis-trict). It is directed to shut-down only Internet serviceswith immediate effect inundivided Adilabad'.

11 injured in communal clash in Bhainsa

Pharma firm holds rave for docsto boost sales, 22 dancers heldPosh pub in Jubilee Hills raided after tip-off

PNS n HYDERABAD

The West Zone Task Force andthe Jubilee Hills police rescued22 women following a raid ata pub for allegedly performingobscene dance on Sundaynight.

The police raided the pub,located on Road No. 10 inJubilee Hills following a tip-offabout nudity and obscenedances.

Preliminary investigationrevealed that the party wasorganised by a pharma com-pany, Signova, that had hiredthe dancers. Sources said thatthe party, attended by doctors

and company employees, wasto encourage them to boostsales.

The pub had over a 100 cus-tomers when the police raid-ed the premises. They weresent out, while the police res-cued 22 female dancers.

Continued on Page 3

Pawan meets Nadda overcapital row, may join NDABJP-Jana Sena to contest local body polls in alliance

KCR supports Jagan's standon relocation of AP capital

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CAPSULE

Aaradhanotsavams ofThyagaraja Swamy VIJAYAWADA: The TTD isorganising the 173rdAradhanotsavams of renownedCarnatic music exponent saintThyagaraja Swamy in Tirupati onPusya Bahula Panchami onJanuary 15. The SV College ofMusic and Dance has madeelaborate arrangements for theevent as a part of VaggyeakaraVaibhavam programme.Students and faculty of Fine ArtsCollege will present PanchaRatna keertans of ThyagarajaSwamy on the occasion.Students and faculty ofNadaswaram School and othermusic lovers of Tirupati will alsoparticipate in the event.

Andal NirotsavamconcludesVIJAYAWADA: The weeklongAndal Nirotsavam, which beganon January 7 at Sri GovindarajaSwamy temple, concluded onMonday. As a part of thefestivities, utsava idol of SriAndal Ammavaru was taken outon a Bangaru Tiruchi to SriRamachandra Pushkarani andabhisekam was performed. Laterin the evening, the idols returnedto Sri Govindaraja Swamytemple. Temple special gradedeputy executive officerVaralakshmi, AEO Ravi KumarReddy and others participated.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020 vijayawada 02

Prime MinisterNarendra Modi wenton record at the Niti

Ayog meeting that the coun-try's economy would be ableto wriggle itself from theslowdown and progresssince its economic founda-tion is very strong. This hasbeen confirmed by theDeutsche Bank.

According to it, India'seconomy would grow tobecome a $ 7 lakh-croreeconomy by registering 2.5times more growth. Thebank stated that the econo-my would be able to achieve10 per cent growth.

The Opposition whichopposes every decision ofthe government turns a deafear to positive developments.The Opposition parties arenot ready to accept that asilent economic revolution issweeping through the coun-try because of the series ofmeasures initiated by thePrime Minister at a timeeconomies across the worldare going through upheavals.

Experts predict that theflow of large-scale overseasinvestments into the countrywould give a fillip to private

firms because of the mean-ingful reduction in the cor-porate tax in September lastyear. In addit ion, theReserve Bank reducing itslending rates by 135 basispoints is a r ight step.Moreover, the economicreforms underway in thecountry would change thecontours of the country.When the economy couldnot cope with economicreforms like demonetisationof large denomination cur-rencies and implementationof GST, the Oppositionraised a hue and cry.

The latest statistics showthat the GDP rate is nose-diving and predict that it willreach 5.25 per cent, afterwhich the economy willbecome bullish afterwards.This is attributed to thePrime Minister a lwaysfocusing on the country'seconomy.

He held two-hour longmeetings with Amit Shah,

economists, investors, cap-tains of industry, policyframers, banking and agri-culture experts and expertsfrom many more other sec-tors and exhorted the econ-omists to focus on makingthe country's economy the$5 lakh-crore economy by2024.

The Modi government hasclear perspective on thesteps to be taken to revivethe economy.

The PM believes promot-ing tourism, urban develop-ment, infrastructure devel-opment, agriculture-based

industries would revive theeconomy and generateemployment.

He received suggestionsfrom experts on loan expan-sion, promotion of exports,administration of public sec-tor banks and employmentgeneration.

An economic expert com-mented that Modi lent apatient ear to criticism onthe decisions of his govern-ment and received sugges-tions.

One of the importanttasks before the governmentis simplification of the tax

regime. The government ispreparing to make officialsaccountable without harass-ing sincere taxpayers.

The government hasdecided to implement theinfrastructure developmentprojects on a large scalewith the goal of a $ 6 lakh-crore economy by 2024-25.That is why it announced theRs 102 lakh-crore national

infrastructuredevelopmentprojects thatwill be imple-mented in thenext five years.States , on theirpart, appraised theCentre of the order of prior-ity of execution of infra-structure development pro-jects.

Of the Centre's projects,Rs 7.7 lakh-crore will bespent on irrigation and ruralinfrastructure development,while it is spending Rs 3.07lakh-crore on industrialinfrastructure development.The government is spendingRs 19.63 lakh-crore onnational highways, Rs 13.68lakh-crore on railways, Rs 1lakh-crore on ports, Rs 1.43lakh-crore on airports, Rs16.29 crore on urban infra-structure development, Rs3.2 lakh-crore on telecomand Rs 24.54 lakh-crore onenergy sector.

Development ofe x p r e s s w a y s ,national gas grid,construct ion of

houses for the hom-less poor under the PM

Awaas Yojana constitutedevelopment of nationalinfrastructure at a cost of Rs43 lakh-crore.

The state and the Centreshare 39 per cent of the costeach in the execution of thenational infrastructuredevelopment projects, whilethe share of the private sec-tor was limited to 22 percent.

To sustain the economicdevelopment rate, the Centreknows that it should spendat least Rs 450 lakh-crore oninfrastructure development.The projects would promoteemployment and livelihoodopportunities. Availabilityof infrastructure develop-ment amenities for all willwipe out differences betweenrural and urban India.

There is no doubt that theforthcoming Budget willensure that Modi's dreamscome true.

At a time when the PM isforging ahead to strengthenthe economy and fulfil hispromises to the people, theOpposition is hatching aconspiracy to foment troubleand divide the people toderive political mileage. TheOpposition parties are play-ing with the lives of students.But Modi knows that thepeople have seen throughthe designs of theOpposition.

Modi announced inKolkata recently that thepeople know that minoritiesare being repressed inPakistan. He clarified thatCAA would grant citizen-ship and not wrest it fromothers.

Whatever the sinisterdesigns of the Opposition,the Modi government wouldnot deviate an inch from itsdevelopment path. TheOpposition should stop pol-itics of destruction and focuson development by givingconstructive suggestions tothe government.

Y SATYA KUMAR BJP National Secretary

TRULY SPEAKING

In Modi's hands, India's economy is safe

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Colourful kites with varioussizes soared high in the sky asthe children let loose the stringsas per the direction of the windat the kite festival organisedunder the aegis of AndhraPradesh Chambers ofCommerce and IndustryFederation with an objective tokeep alive traditions and high-light the importance ofSankranti at Aarif seaside resortat Sagar Nagar here on Saturday.

The Executive Committee ofAndhra Pradesh Chambersfelt that this is the right time tobond with the members andtheir families by having kitefestival, said Sudhir Mulagada,Chairman of AP Chambers.

"This time, we arranged atSagar Nagar, which is less pol-luted and crowded, with bluewaters in the beaches givescenic views in the noon time,which gradually appears green-ish blue in the evening times,"he said.

The thrill of kite flying and

the immense joy it brings toone after cutting the otherperson's kite is unmatched.Bridle position, spine curveand centre of gravity, all playessential roles in flight control.On cutting another kite, weused share our joy by yellingbeating drums," recalled KK

Chand, Marine Surveyor. "The idea of flying kites was

brought to India by Muslimsfrom Persia. The kings andNawabs of the time assumed itas an entertaining sport andused it to display their skillsand prowess. Beginning as asport for the royalty, it soontrickled down to the masses,"said another member. Othersopined that the tradition of kiteflying is to expose oneself tosun rays as they are consideredto be good for skin and helpsin fighting infections and sick-ness caused by the chilly win-ter winds. Family members,including children, enjoyedtraditional recipes with host ofother snacks like crispy dosawith Andhra chicken curry.

Kin of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation members flying kites on the eve of Sankranti in Visakhapatnam on Monday

Kite fest sets Sankranti moodn The thrill of kite flying and the

immense joy it brings to one aftercutting the other person's kite isunmatched. Bridle position, spinecurve and centre of gravity, allplay essential roles in flightcontrol. On cutting another kite,we used share our joy by yellingbeating drums," recalled KKChand, Marine Surveyor

n The tradition of kiteflying is to exposeoneself to sun rays asthey are consideredto be good for skinand helps in fightinginfections andsickness caused bythe chilly winterwinds

PNS n MATHURA

The US is likely to transfer itsexclusive sex sorting technol-ogy, developed by the UnitedStates Department ofAgriculture (USDA), to Indiaby September this year tohelp the country tackle themenace of stray cattle, saidUnion Minister for AnimalHusbandr y, Dair y andFisheries Giriraj Singh onMonday.

The use of 'sexed semen'under the Union govern-ment's breed improvementprogramme would become aturning point in overcomingthe problem of stray cattle,said the Union Minister forAnimal Husbandry, Dairy

and Fisheries.The transfer of technology

by the US to the country

would also make the artificialinsemination of animalsmuch cheaper, bringing the

cost to Rs 100 per dose fromearlier cost of Rs 1,200 perdose, he said.

Semen having X or Y bear-ing sperm to produce proge-nies of a desired sex eitherfemale or male, with about 80to 90 per cent accuracy, isknown as sexed semen,

explained officials.Sex sorting technology was

developed by the USDAresearchers in Livermore,California and Beltsville,Maryland, they said, adding,the technology was patentedas Beltsville sperm sexingtechnology.

The commercialisation ofsexed semen star ted inUnited States in 2001 with alicence granted to SexingTechnologies, Texas, theysaid, adding at present, STcommercially produces sexsorted semen in many coun-tries of Europe, USA, Canada,Mexico, Brazil, China, Japanand some other countries.

The Union government atpresent has to pay a heavyamount to America owing toits monopoly on the sex sort-ed semen technology, saidSingh.

He said the cost per dosewould be reduced to as less asRs 100 by September whenthe government expects toimport the technology and

use indigenous sex sortedsemen. The minister said 600districts of the country havebeen selected for sex sortedsemen breeding programme.

It is obligatory for everyselected district to spreadthe umbrella of sex sortedsemen to at least 300 villagesof the district, he said. Underthe scheme, covered throughState government, roughlyover 25,000 artificial insem-inations are performed daily.

The minister said owing toindifferent attitude of previ-ous governments, except afew States, the use of artificialinsemination technology washardly 24 per cent, despite theprogramme having beenaround 1970.

‘US to transfer sex-sorting tech for farm animals to India'

EGGRATES

` 40,180 (10 gm)

` 330

GOLD

` 46,600(1kg)

` 3300

HYDERABAD 405VIJAYAWADA 449VISAKHAPATNAM 475RETAIL PPRICE `4.49

SILVER

VIJAYAWADABULLION RATES

`/100

CHICKENRATES

Dressed/With Skin `153

Without Skin `174

Broiler at Farm `105

`/KG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

The transfer of technology by the US tothe country would also make theartificial insemination of animals muchcheaper, bringing the cost to Rs 100per dose from earlier cost of Rs 1,200per dose, he said Union Minister forAnimal Husbandry, Dairy and FisheriesGiriraj Singh

PNSn VISAKHAPATNAM

The Golden Jubilee celebrationsof Andhra State CarromAssociation concluded at theSwarna Bharathi Indoor Stadiumhere. PVGR Naidu (Ganababu)MLA, Visakhapatnam West,graced the valedictory functiongave away prizes to the winners.

Two eminent sports personali-ties Usha Sree, former badmintonchampion and founder of LakshyaBadminton Academy in Vizag, andTapas Siddar, former shootingchampion and shooting coach,were present to encourage the par-ticipants. Champions of the tour-

nament YSD Ramesh, ChJanardhana Reddy and LHaripriya and Sk Husna Sameerawere also felicitated.

Former national and interna-tional fame carrom player

Satyanarayana Dilli and BRadhakrishna (international car-rom players and former nationalchampions) and Pothu Raju (for-mer veteran national champion)were also felicitated.

Carrom players strike for a pose during the Golden Jubilee celebrtions of AndhraState Carrom Association in Visakhapatnam on Monday

AP CARROM ASSN GOLDEN JUBILEE FETE CONCLUDES

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The proposal of the governmentto shift the Capital outsideAmaravati has merits anddemerits, according to Statecoordinators of Andhra Pradeshand Telangana of Human RightsForum VS Krishna and AChandrasekhar.

In a release here on Monday,they said the social and environ-mental costs of a mammoth cap-ital city like the one embarkedon by the TDP government inAmaravati are too high. "Westated this at the time of therelease of the Sivaramakrishnanreport in 2014 and we reiteratenow,'' they said.

This city was to be construct-ed on an abundantly fertileriver floodplain, on wetlandsand in an area that is also a seis-mic zone. It was a veritablenightmare in the making.Moreover, it is common knowl-edge that the entire exercise by

the TDP government to con-struct this mega capital wasmired in multiple illegalitiesand dubious transactions. Itwas a unilateral decision, with-out eliciting any public opinion.

On the agitations, the presentgovernment is treading the pathof its predecessor. Section 144 CrPC is being clamped and pro-hibitory orders under Section 30of the Police Act are being pro-mulgated the moment there is aprotest. This is highly objection-able. They condemned the useof excessive and totally unwar-ranted force by police on farm-ers in the Amaravati region.

"The State government mustinitiate a democratic dialoguewith those agitating in theAmaravati region instead ofadopting an adversarial posi-tion. The concerns of the smalland marginal farmers andlandless labourers and Dalitsmust be given priority," theypointed out.

n State coordinators ofAndhra Pradesh andTelangana of Human RightsForum VS Krishna and AChandrasekhar condemnedthe use of excessive andtotally unwarranted force bypolice on farmers in theAmaravati region

n "The Stategovernment mustinitiate a democraticdialogue with thoseagitating in theAmaravati regioninstead of adopting anadversarial position,"they suggested

HRF endorsesCapital shifting

Rallies takenout in support ofdecentralisationof development PNS n TIRUPATI

Residents of Tirupati onMonday took out a massiverally from krishanpuram toGandhi Statue welcomingthe decentralisation of devel-opment and the State govern-ment's three Capitals propos-als.

MP Balli Durga Prasad,MLA Bhumana KarunakarReddy and youth leaderBhumana Abhinaya Reddytook part in the rally with therallyists raising Jai Jagan slo-gans all along the route.

In support of the decen-tralisation of development, arally was taken out at GajapatiNagaram in Vizianagaramdistrict and demanded thatthe government declareVisakhapatnam as theExecutive Capital. The rallyproceeded from the localAnjaneya Swamy temple tothe four-road junction. LocalMLA Botsa Appalanarasaiahtook part in the rally.

In Srikakulam district'sRajam, a rally was taken outon Monday under the aegis ofMLA Kambala Jogulu in sup-port of three Capitals con-cept. He said that develop-ment of the State is feasiblewith three Capitals alone.

Vizag oncologists clinch tennis doubles titlePNSn VISAKHAPATNAM

To beat the stress, in all 45 doc-tors from Visakhapatnam,Ankapalle, Vizianagaram andSrikakulam took part in DoctorsTennis Tournament at the OfficersClub here on Monday. The tour-nament kicked off on January 11.

The aim of the event is to pro-mote healthy lifestyle for busy pro-fessionals like doctors, said Dr GSanta Rao, eminent surgeonworking with Surya Hospital andthe chief patron of the event. DrSuman Das, senior oncologist atApollo Cancer Hospital,Visakhapatnam, was the organis-ing secretary. "It is important to

find time for some physical activ-ity in our stressful life. Doctorsfrom all specialties with common

interest of tennis participated inthe event," said Dr Santa Rao.

"I hope the event encouragespeople here to follow a healthy lifestyle by playing sports daily. Welook forward to have many suchevents of different sports happen-ing in the City of Destiny," said DrSuman.

Dr Sudhakar, Principal ofAndhra Medical College, gaveaway prizes to winners. Dr MuraliMohan Reddy from Bengaluruwas the winner of singles and DrCh Subbarao is runner up. DrSuman Das and Dr Raghuvamsi,both oncologists ofVisakhapamam, clinched thedoubles title. Winners of tennis tournament posing for a photo in Visakhapatnam on Monday

"It is important tofind time forphysical activityin stressful life.Doctors withcommon interestof tennisparticipated in theevent," said Dr Santa Rao

At a time when the PM is forgingahead to strengthen the economy andfulfil his promises to the people, theOpposition is hatching a conspiracy tofoment trouble and divide the peopleto derive political mileage

Carrom champs felicitated

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020 vijayawada 03

CAPSULE

Four questioned over‘ISIS’ links, released

VISAKHAPATNAM: TheSrikakulam police detained fourpersons suspecting their link toISIS (Islamic State of Iraq andGreater Syria). However, theywere released after cops couldnot establish any link with ISISduring the interrogation. Theywere travelling in a truck thatwas heading from Vizag toSrikakulam. Based on the intelli-gence input, police interceptedthe vehicle near Kesava Dhaba inKachili mandal of Srikakulamdistrict. Cops picked up the sus-pected and quizzed them forhours. It is learnt that securityforces in Jammu and Kashmirare on high alert as there arereports that at least 300 terror-ists were waiting to infiltrate intoIndia ahead of Republic Day onJanuary 26.

‘Gow puja’ at SVGosala on Jan 16VIJAYAWADA: The TTD hasmade elaborate arrangementsfor conducting 'Gow puja' at SVGosala in Tirupati on Kanuma onJanuary 16. As part ofcelebrations, Kanuma festivitiescommence at 6 am withVenuganam and VedaParayanam by students of SVVeda Pathasala followed bybhajans, kolatams by HDPP andSankeertans by artistes ofAnnamacharya and Dasa Sahityaprojects.

Escalator serviceopenedVIJAYAWADA: The Escalatorservice on Platform No 1 isopened for people at VijayawadaRailway Station on Monday. Thisescalator service will helptravelling public especially seniorcitizens, during the festive rush.This escalator has beenprocured on replacementaccount of earlier non- functionalone and commissioned at a costof Rs 51.5 lakh ahead ofSankranti. Passengers can makeuse of this escalator service toreach other platforms with easefrom Platform No 1.

Employees of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation taking part in Sankranti celebrations organised at the IGMC Stadium inVijayawada on Monday

IN TTUNE

PNS n AMARAVATI

YSRCP MLA AllaRamakrishna Reddy and hissupporters were arrested atPenumaka village in the CapitalRegion when they tried to takeout a rally in favour of decen-tralisation of development andadministration in the State.

Later, addressing the mediaat the party central office inTadepalli, the MLA said theCapital farmers were demand-ing decentralisation of admin-istration and equitable devel-opment of all the regions of theState.

He said the farmers wereexpressing concern that former

Chief Minister N ChandrababuNaidu deceived them by takingaway their fertile lands in thename of Capital development.They said the lands of Dalits ofthe region were forcibly takenaway by Naidu and turned thefarmers of the region into beg-gars.

The MLA said that whenthere was an attack on tahsil-dar Vanajakshi and IAS officerBalasubrahmanyam, Naiduhad used the police depart-ment to suit his political ends.He said Naidu was taking upthe agitation just to save thelands of his benamis and madehis wife Bhuvaneswari donateher platinum bangles for the

agitation to save the lands shebought in the name of herHeritage firm.

With reference to Naiduseeking alms for the agitation,the MLA asked why Naidu andhis son Lokesh did not donatetheir salaries for the cause. Heasked how Naidu can lead anagitation where Section 144was promulgated. He said TDPworkers, real estate brokersand anti-social elements weretaking up the agitation in thename of farmers.

The MLA said that Naiduand his son Lokesh were usingtwo newspapers to disseminatemisinformation against thegovernment.

Alla held for leading pro-decentralisation rally

YSRCP MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy addresses the media in Vijayawada on Monday (right) Police arrest the supporters of the MLA and being taken in a bus asSection 144 is in vogue

n YSRCP MLA AllaRamakrishna Reddy saidthe farmers wereexpressing concern thatformer Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidudeceived them by takingaway their fertile lands inthe name of Capitaldevelopment

n The MLA said the Capitalfarmers were demandingdecentralisation ofadministration andequitable developmentof all the regions of theState

Farmers, women celebratePrudhvi's resignationPNS n AMARAVATI

Farmers further intensifiedtheir protests as their agitationagainst the shifting of theCapital reached the 27th dayon Monday.

Deekshas, dharnas and relayhunger-strike continuedthroughout the day atVelagapudi, Tullur andMandadam. They raised slo-gans against GN RaoCommittee and BCG reports.

With the police refusing togrant permission to farmers toerect tents on the roads, theysat on the roadside and contin-ued their agitation withoutcausing any inconvenience tovehicle users.

Leaders of the AmaravatiParirakshana Samithi went toRayapudi and consoled thefamily members of a womanfarmer Shaik Jainabi who diedafter reportedly going intodepression after the announce-ment of the three-Capital con-cept in the State

Meanwhile, local tradershave decided not to sell food,water or any other commodi-ty to police personnel. Localresidents have decided againstcooperating with police in anymanner in protest against theirrude behaviour and the gov-ernment's adamant attitude innot conceding their demand.

TDP leaders Nara Lokesh,Galla Jayadev Prattipati Pulla

Rao and others visited theparty workers, who werelodged in the Guntur DistrictJail after they were arrested forresorting to violence onNatrional Highway No 16 nearChinna Kakani recently.

Meanwhile, farmers andwomen celebrated the resigna-tion of SVBC ChairmanPrudhvi Raj. Scores of themwent to the Venkateswara tem-ple at Anantavaram hills nearTullur and offered coconuts tothe deity. They raised the 'JaiAmaravati' slogan.

Farmers and women said,"The Lord has rendered justiceto us by punishing the SVBCChairman, who had insultedus by calling paid artistes."

TDP MLC advisesJagan to join KCR CabinetPNS n AMARAVATI

TDP MLC BudhdhaVenkanna on Mondaydemanded Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy disclosethe purpose of his meetingwith his Telangana counter-part K Chandrasekhar Raoand advised him to join theKCR Cabinet quitting theChief Minister's post if heloves Telangana so much.

He reiterated his demand ofthe purpose of meeting in thebackdrop of KCR spewingvenom at Amaravati. Jaganand KCR met seven times infive months, he said accusingJagan of not paying attentionto 'Save Amaravati' movementgoing on in the CapitalDevelopment Region.

He charged AllaRamakrishna Reddy for takingout a rally with hired protest-ers. The MLC daredRamakrishna Reddy to resignfrom his seat and contestagainst Lokesh. If Lokesh winsthe election, people are infavour of Capital in Amaravati,otherwise people are support-ing three Capitals proposed bythe government.

n Budhdha Venkannareiterated his demandof the purpose ofChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddymeeting TelananganaChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao

n Jagan and KCR metseven times in fivemonths, he saidaccusing Jagan of notpaying attention to'Save Amaravati'movement going on inthe CapitalDevelopment Region

Dadi: NaidumisleadingpeoplePNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

YSRCP senior leader DadiVeerabhadra Rao alleged thatChandrababu Naidu had usedVisakhapatnam only for landscams and government eventsand exploited it to great extent.

Addressing a press confer-ence here on Monday, DadiVeerabhadra Rao said Naidudiverted software companies,which had come to start theiroperations fromVisakhapatnam to Amaravati.He lambasted Naidu for pro-voking regional conflicts in theState and misleading public.

Speaking to the media, hesaid that Chandrababu Naiduhas hidden the details of expertcommittees report on settingup of Amaravati as Capital city."All the expert committeesclearly said that the Amaravatiregion doesn't fit to be aCapital because of the landstructure. Even the ramp orpile foundations also don'twork for the building struc-ture. Recently IIT Madras alsostated that Amaravati is notsafe as the Capital and has highrisk of floods."

He said that Naidu is plot-ting to use youth for his polit-ical benefit, instead of giving-suggestions for the develop-ment of the State.

Pharma firmholds rave fordocs to boostsales...

Continued from Page1

In the melee, the organisersof the party and the inviteesmanaged to flee, said the police.The manager of the pub alsofled and is absconding. Sourcessaid that the women dancersattacked the media personnelwho reached the spot while theraid was on. The Police said thatthe rescued women, all above20 years of age, were from dif-ferent cities across India. Whilemost of them were identified tobe from Nellore in AndhraPradesh, the rest were fromTelangana, Maharashtra, Orissaand West Bengal.

According to sources, thedancers were hired on amonthly basis. While a few ofthem had been working for thepub for the past few months,some had joined recently.

Sources said that such par-ties are organised regularly byan event manager, Prasad. Therave parties that Prasad organ-ises have women performingobscene dances apart from afree flow of drugs.

HC expressesoutrage overcurbs...

Continued from Page1

They also urged the Highcourt to issue a Writ ofMandamus or any otherappropriate writ directingthe government and thepolice not to transgress intothe fundamental rights ofthe citizens and issue appro-priate permits for exercisingpeaceful assembly and toraise legitimate voice againstthe unjust action of the gov-ernment.? The appellants alsoprayed that the court issuedirections against the govern-ment authorities, particular-ly against the police person-nel who have inappropriate-ly touched women duringpeaceful protests.? Mudragada puts Naidu

in a spot withuncomfortable questions

Continued from Page1

"My dear former CM, youhave used the then Intelligencechief AB Venkateswara Rao tolevel false allegations againstme," he said recalling howNaidu was forced to backtrackunable to prove his charges.

"Don't you feel ashamed tobeg for funds for farmers of cap-ital region? First, the people ofTelangana were lucky and thenthe people of AP who got rid ofyour rule," Mudragada said,describing them as liberated.

"All through your life, youlied through your teeth, youpracticed the politics of back-stabbing, got chappals thrownat your own father-in-law.Surprisingly, you now take offyour footwear to garland thestatue of your father-in-law," hewrote, adding that the peoplewould not believe Naidu for hissins of omission and commis-sion. "That is why they askedyou to proceed on leave perma-nently. It is better for you tohonour the verdict and takerest," the Kapu leader advised.

Views of Amaravatifarmers sought...

Continued from Page1

The panel, comprising 11ministers and five officials,was asked to submit thereport in three weeks.

It will also take intoaccount the recommenda-tions of the BostonConsultancy Group (BCG).

After the six-memberexpert committee submittedits report on December 20,the YSR Congress Party(YSRCP) government ropedin BCG to study the optionavailable for the develop-ment of the capital city. Boththe expert committee andBCG recommended decen-tralisation of developmentand state capital functions.

Continued from Page1

Nadda is set to replace AmitShah as BJP national president.

Pawan Kalyan is learnt to havemet a few RSS leaders before hismeeting with the BJP workingpresident. If he were only focus-ing on alliance, there is no needfor his meeting the RSS leaders.

If one were to believerumours doing the rounds in asection of the press, merger ofJana Sena with the BJP is also apossibility. Grapevine has it thatin such an event he may be cat-apulted to the position of theState BJP president and take onthe YSRCP government.

Pawan Kalyan has alreadytaken a stand against the threecapitals proposal. On Friday, hehad said, "Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led Union governmentshould take the lead and conductan all-party meeting on propos-al of three capitals and problemsfaced by Amaravati farmers."

Elaborating the logic behindhis demand, he had said, "BJPplayed a significant role in bifur-cation of Andhra Pradesh andthey were partners in the firstgovernment formed after thebifurcation. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi also came forthe foundation ceremony ofAmaravati. They should stand in

support of Amaravati farmersand help them in finding a solu-tion." Scores of Amaravati farm-ers have mounted a massive agi-tation demanding that theAndhra Pradesh governmentdrop the move to shift the statecapital from Amaravati.

Interestingly, Pawan Kalyan'smeeting with the BJP comes ata time when the party has beenactively trying to make inroadsinto Andhra politics. The latestRSS event was also held inAndhra Pradesh and a VHPconclave also targeted the state,for allegedly being "anti-Hindu".

Earlier, AP Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy had hintedthat the state could have threecapitals, like in South Africa.But this left farmers who part-ed with their land feelingbetrayed, and they launched theprotest movement.

Continued from Page1

The revenue departmenthas been tough with tax eva-sion and leakage in its bid toaugment GST revenues, whichhave not grown on expectedlines. In various cases, the cen-tral GST authorities last monthsummoned suspected busi-ness firms with 12 key docu-ments pertaining toFY18.

The GSTauthorities found6,641 casesinvolving 7,164entities tillNovember lastyear and bookedthem for allegedlygaming the system.

Sources said themaximum number of suchcases for ITC frauds havebeen booked in Kolkata zonefollowed by Delhi, Jaipur andPanchkula (Haryana).

Official sources said thatinvestigators in Delhi havebusted through data analyticsa significant fraud case, wherefraudsters created a network ofover 500 entities comprising

fake billers, intermediary deal-ers, distributors and bogusmanufacturers of hawai chap-pals for availing and encash-ing fake ITC credits.

Another important case wasthat of IGST fraud from Suratin which preliminary investi-gations revealed that 19 firmsfraudulently claimed ITC tothe tune of Rs 55 crore against

fake invoices receivedby these firms val-

ued at Rs 679crore.

"During thesearch at thepremises of twokingpin firms,

it was revealedthat 17 other

firms were regis-tered with GST by mis-

using the identity/documentsof daily wagers, casual work-ers etc.," the official quotedabove said.

The data analytics wing ofGST authority has been able toidentify dozens of cases involv-ing fake invoicing and fraud-ulent tax credits which havebeen encashed through thefacility of IGST refunds.

931 cases of GSTfraud unearthed

River interlinking in limbo asstates not co-operating: Kataria

Continued from Page1

Detailed project reports(DPR) of four are also ready. Butstate governments are not co-operating on it," Kataria said.

"Many states are not ready toshare water inspite of having itin excess. They fear that they maylose votes if they agree to thisproject," he said.

The minister was inMaharashtra's Aurangabad dis-trict to address a workshop on'Increasing water use efficiency

in agriculture', organised by theNational Water Mission.

Addressing the workshop, hesaid there is a need for diversi-fication, and less water consum-ing crops should be taken byfarmers in drought-prone areaslike Marathwada in Maharashtra.

"Cultivation of crops shouldbe decided according to theland topography and the stategovernments should encouragefarmers for it," he said.

A scheme to encourage farm-ers on this has been undertaken

in Haryana where incentivesare paid to cultivators who sowcrops other than sugarcane andrice, he pointed out. Kataria alsosaid that Maharashtra needs tore-think its crop policies.

"Maharashtra has 55 per centpopulation dependent on farm-ing directly and indirectly. Butthe land irrigated in the state isjust 18 per cent," he said.

Cotton and sugarcane con-sume huge amount of water andthese crops are taken up exten-sively here, he noted.

11 injured in communalclash in Telangana town

Continued from Page1

"Stone-pelting incidentsextended to other parts ofBhainsa town on Monday withtwo groups again hurlingstones at each other but nowthe situation has been broughtunder control," a senior districtofficial told PTI over phone.

Heavy police force wasdeployed in the town andpatrolling was being done andthe situation being monitored.

The clash broke out as somepeople were questioned bymembers of another commu-nity while they were makingnoise by removing silencersfrom their bikes, police earli-er said.

The argument turned vio-lent with members of the twocommunities setting over 20vehicles including two-wheel-ers and one car besides athree-wheeler on fire, besidesindulging in damaging hous-es and also torching one housealso after pelting stones, policesaid.

Some of the rioters alleged-ly cut water pipes of the fireengines that were engaged inextinguishing the flames, dis-trict officials said adding someresidents have also claimedthat their houses were alsolooted by the mob.

A total of 11 people wereinjured in the incident includ-ing three police officials and of

them 10 were treated as out-patients, a senior police officialtold PTI.

Additional police personnelwere mobilised from adjoiningdistricts and deployed, theofficial said.

Those involved in the clash-es were being identified andlegal action will be initiatedagainst those responsible forthe violence.

The three police officials,including DistrictSuperintendent of Police CShashidhar Raju, who sufferedbleeding injuries on his fingers,were injured during the stonepelting while dispersing theclashing groups, the officialadded.

Pawan meets Nadda...

TDP on ventilator,says YSRCP MLAPNS n AMARAVATI

Opposition leader NChandrababu Naidu is seekingalms as he wants the TDP,which is already on the venti-lator, to survive, NarasaraopetMLA Gopireddy SrinivasaReddy said, wondering whydid not he seek alms for theState during his five-yeartenure as the Chief Minister.

Addressing the media hereon Monday, the MLA saidNaidu had spent only Rs 5,000

crore for the Capital, whileclaiming that it needed Rs 1lakh crore. He said it waswrong to point a finger at aNorth East Indian beingappointed as the DGP andasked had not Naidu appoint-ed North Indians for top posts.

The MLA asked the CapitalRegion farmers to take theirgrievances to the High-powerCommittee to find an amica-ble solution and get carriedaway by false claims of theOpposition leaders.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020 nation 04

Two girls trapped inavalanche debrisrescued by locals in UriSRINAGAR: Two teenaged girlstrapped in an avalanche debrisin Baramulla district of Jammuand Kashmir were rescued onMonday by locals, said officials.Shagufta (18) and Meema (15)were trapped under a heap ofsnow following an avalanchewhich struck Dudran in Uriarea of Baramulla, the officialssaid. They said the localresidents dug up the debris andrescued the two girls.

Naxal 'janmilitiacommander' held inDantewadaDANTEWADA: A Naxal"commander" was arrestedduring a joint search operationby security forces inChhattisgarh's Dantewadadistrict, police said Monday.Deva Muchaki wasapprehended on Sunday fromAalnaar village under Kirandulpolice station area when a teamof the District Reserve Guard(DRG) and local police was ona search operation, an officialsaid. "Muchaki is a janmilitiacommander and has been withthe Communist Party of India(Maoist) for a decade. He waswanted for an attack in 2012 ona Central Industrial SecurityForce team in Kirandul in whichsix security personnel and acivilian were killed," he said. Hewas part of a Naxal squadwhich set ablaze nine vehiclesand machinery engaged inconstruction activity at theNMDC's Bailadila iron ore mineon November 24 last year, theofficial added.

Bhim Army chief taken toAIIMS for follow-up treatmentPNS n NEW DELHI

Bhim Army chief ChandraShekhar Aazad, arrested inconnection with violence dur-ing the anti-CitizenshipAmendment Act protest inOld Delhi's Daryaganj, wastaken to AIIMS on Monday for"follow-up consultation andtreatment".

Aazad is suffering frompolycythemia, a condition inwhich the body makes toomany red blood cells. Sourcesat AIIMS said Aazad has beenundergoing treatment at theDepartment of Hematologyfor quite some time. "He hasbeen brought for follow-upconsultation and treatment.He is undergoing investiga-tions and will be soon sentback," a source said. OnJanuary 9, a Delhi court haddirected Tihar Jail authoritiesto provide treatment for poly-

cythemia to Aazad at All IndiaInstitute of Medical Sciences inthe national capital. In hisplea to the court, Aazad hadsaid he suffered from poly-cythemia and "requires contin-uous checkup from the doctorsconcerned from AIIMS, whoare supervising his treatmentfor a long time." If treatment

was not provided urgently, itmight lead to cardiac arrest, theplea said. The Bhim Armychief was sent to judicial cus-tody on December 21. Aazad'soutfit had organised a marchfrom Jama Masjid to JantarMantar against the amendedCitizenship Act on December20, without police permission.

CAPSULE

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Kerala government onMonday informed theSupreme Court that it hascomplied with its order anddemolished four apartmentcomplexes in Kochi's Maraduwhich were built in violation ofcoastal regulation zone norms.

A bench of justices ArunMishra and M R Shah direct-ed the state government to filea report with regard to removalof debris, which also fell in thebackwaters.

The bench posted the mat-ter for further hearing onFebruary 10.

The court had last monthdismissed a plea by some own-ers of Maradu flats seekingdirection to the AttorneyGeneral to grant permission toinitiate criminal contempt pro-ceedings against the authoritiesconcerned for allegedly mis-

leading the court in the matter.The apex court had on

September 30 last year refusedto entertain a plea of flat own-ers seeking stay on its order todemolish the apartment com-plexes.

The top court had onSeptember 27 directed demo-lition of these flats within 138days, a timeline given by the

Kerala government, and hadasked the state to pay Rs 25lakh interim compensation toeach flat owner within fourweeks.

On November 22, 2019 thetop court had agreed to hear inopen court the review pleas ofsome Maradu flat owners seek-ing appropriate relief from thebuilders.

The counsel appearing forKerala government had sub-mitted a status report and saidthe state had partially compliedwith the earlier apex courtorder of demolition of theMaradu flats.

In compliance of the topcourt's earlier order, the stategovernment has paid Rs 27.99crore as interim compensationto the Maradu flat owners andit will be paying Rs 33.51 croremore to them, the state's coun-sel had said.

The top court had thenasked the state government toensure full compliance with itsorders, including demolition ofthe Maradu flats.

On May 8, 2019 the apexcourt had directed that thesebuildings be removed within amonth as they were construct-ed in a notified CRZ, whichwas part of the tidally-influ-enced water body in Kerala.

HC seeks response to plea on JNU violence dataPNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court Mondaysought response of the policeand Delhi government as alsoWhatsApp, Google and Appleon a plea of three JNU profes-sors for preserving data, CCTVfootage and other evidencerelating to the January 5 vio-lence on the varsity campus.

Delhi Police informed thecourt that it has asked the JNUadministration to preserve andhand over CCTV footage of theviolence.

Justice Brijesh Sethi listedthe matter for further hearingon Tuesday.

The court was informed byDelhi government StandingCounsel (criminal) RahulMehra that the police has notyet received any response fromthe university administration.

The counsel said police hasalso written to WhatsApp topreserve data of two groups"Unity Against Left" and"Friends of RSS" including

messages, pictures and videosand phone numbers of mem-bers, related to JNU violenceincident.

The petition was filed byJNU professors AmeetParameswaran, Atul Sood andShukla Vinayak Sawant seekingdirections to the Delhi PoliceCommissioner and Delhi gov-ernment. It sought direction tothe Delhi Police to retrieve allCCTV footage of JNU campus.

On January 5, a mob ofmasked men stormed the cam-pus and targeted students inthree hostels, unleashing may-hem with sticks, stones andiron rods by hitting inmatesand breaking windows, furni-ture and personal belongings.

Three FIRs have been regis-tered at Vasant Kunj (north)police station in the incident.

The plea claimed it was evi-dent that a significant amount

of data, information, evidenceand material pertaining to thesaid incident of violence,including persons with theirregistered phone numbersresponsible for the same, wascommunicated throughWhatsApp's platform, and itsdata back-up is an importantevidence in respect of the inci-dents of violence.

In order to ensure that therelevant evidence may be pre-

served, JNU teachers associa-tion (JNUTA) has sent requests/ representations to respondentnos. 1 (Police Commissioner),3 (WhatsApp) and 4 (Google),asking that all these materialsbe safely retrieved for investi-gation purposes.

"In these representations,JNUTA has cited relevant pro-visions of the respondent no.3'sTerms of Use, InformationTechnology Act, 2000,Information Technology(Intermediary Guidelines)Rules 2011 and other applica-ble laws. The petitioner no.2has also sent similarrequest/representation to therespondent no.3," the plea said.

However, the police has nei-ther responded to suchrequests placed by one of thepetitioners and JNUTA nor hasit reached out to them, orother informants, despite clearand cogent material providedto the investigating agencyalong with the written repre-sentations, it claimed.

Ariane rocket to launch ISRO'sGSAT-30 satellite on Jan 17PNS n BENGALURU

India would launch a commu-nication satellite GSAT-30onboard Ariane-5 launch vehi-cle (VA 251) from French Gui-ana on January 17, the IndianSpace Research Organisation(ISRO) said here on Monday.

The 3,357-kg satellite is slat-ed toblast off from the ArianeLaunch Complex at Kourou, aFrench territory located alongthe northeastern coast of SouthAmerica, at 02:35 hrs IST.

"GSAT-30 is to serve as areplacement to INSAT-4Aspacecraft services withenhanced coverage", ISRO said.

The satellite provides Indianmainland and islands coveragein Ku-band and extended cov-erage in C-band covering Gulfcountries, a large number ofAsian countries and Australia,it added.

With a mission life of 15years, GSAT-30 is an opera-tional communication satellitefor DTH, television uplinkand VSAT services.

The satellite is configured onISRO's enhanced I-3K busstructure to provide communi-cation services from geosta-tionary orbit in C and Kubands. The satellite derives its

heritage from ISRO's earlierINSAT/GSAT satellite series.

Bengaluru-headquarteredISRO said the communica-tion payload of GSAT-30 isspecifically designed and opti-

mised to maximise the numberof transponders on the space-craft bus.

According to the spaceagency, the spacecraft would beextensively used for supportingVSAT network, televisionuplinking and teleport ser-vices, digital satellite newsgathering (DSNG), DTH tele-vision services, cellular back-haul connectivity and manysuch applications. One Ku-band beacon downlink signalis transmitted for ground-tracking purpose, it added.

For its initial flight of 2020,Arianespace on its website saidit would orbit EUTELSATKONNECT, a telecommunica-tion satellite for the operatorEutelsat, along with GSAT-30,using an Ariane 5 launch vehi-cle from the Guiana SpaceCentre.

Since the launch of India'sAPPLE experimental satelliteon Ariane Flight L03 in 1981,Arianespace has orbited 23satellites and signed 24 launchcontracts with ISRO, it said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A meeting of Opposition par-ties convened by Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi onMonday deliberated on the cu-rrent political situation follow-ing widespread protests aga-inst the amended CitizenshipAct and the violence on cam-puses. Significantly, the BSP,the AAP and the MamataBanerjee-led BSP TMC, stayedaway from the meeting attend-ed by representatives of 20 par-ties in all.

NCP supremo SharadPawar, Left leaders SitaramYechury and D Raja, JMMleader and Jharkhand ChiefMinister Hemant Soren, LJDchief Sharad Yadav, RashtriyaLok Samata Party leaderUpendra Kushwaha, RJDleader Manoj Jha, NationalConference leader HasnainMasoodi, besides Congressleaders Rahul Gandhi,

Ghulam Nabi Azad, AhmedPatel and former prime min-ister Manmohan Singh wereamong those present.

Sources said top oppositionleaders have already held dis-cussions among themselvesand Leader of Opposition inRajya Sabha Ghulam NabiAzad is leading the efforts.

The opposition is seeking towin over the youth and thestudents by supporting theirprotests against the amendedcitizenship law and the pro-posed National Register ofCitizens (NRC).

Sources said the Congressand other parties are seekingto take the students' move-ment forward and have lentsupport to their cause.

Last week, Sonia Gandhihad termed the CAA as a "dis-criminatory and divisive" lawwhose "sinister" purpose wasto divide people on religiouslines.

Opposition meets, talksprotests, campus violence

Amarinder for panel to overseeGuru Tegh Bahadur 400th fetePNS n CHANDIGARH

Punjab Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh has urgedPrime Minister Narendra Modito set up a national level commit-tee to oversee the year-long cel-ebrations of Guru TeghBahadur's 400th birth anniver-sary, an official statement saidhere on Monday. In a letter to theprime minister, Singh said thePunjab government will cele-brate the historic occasion witha series of programmes through-out the year, beginning April2020, it said.

He said his government is in

the process of drawing up adetailed proposal for the com-memoration of this mega eventand it will be sent to the govern-ment of India shortly.

Describing the 400th 'ParkashPurab' of Guru Tegh Bahadur asa fortunate occasion for all,Singh said the ninth Sikh guruoccupies a special place in thecountry's history. Guru TeghBahadur sacrificed his life touphold the principles of religiousfreedom and amity and was,therefore, rightfully called 'Hind-di-Chaadar', he said.

The Punjab government hasalready decided to commemo-rate Guru Tegh Bahadur's 400thbirth anniversary on April 18,2021, with year-long celebrationsbeginning April 12 this year, thestatement said.

The plea said thepetitioners appre-hend that in theabsence of a dire-ction from thecourt or thepolice commiss-ioner, the relevantevidence may notbe properlypreserved.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Hundreds of Jamia MilliaIslamia students gheraoed ViceChancellor Najma Akhtar'soffice on Monday, demandingregistration of an FIR againstDelhi Police in connectionwith last month's violence onthe campus.

Among other demands, theyalso want the university toreschedule examinations andensure security of students.

The students barged into theoffice premises after breakingthe lock on the main gate andraised slogans against the VC.

Akhtar tried to pacify thestudents and said attemptswere being made to file an FIRbut it has not been registeredyet. The VC said she has raisedthe matter with the govern-ment and has also sought legalcourse in the matter.

She said security has beendoubled on the campus.

Angry students claimed thatnotices were given to vacate thehostel post the violence, acharge denied by Akhtar.

Saeed Fahad, a student, saidFIRs have been registeredagainst those who weredemanding their rights duringprotest. The real accused arestill at large, he said referringto the police crackdown.

Adil, an engineering stu-dent, said not even a single FIRhas been filed in connectionwith last month's violence.

On December 15, protestorstorched four public buses andtwo police vehicles as theyclashed with police in NewFriends' Colony near JamiaMillia Islamia during a demon-stration against the CAA.

Jamia students gherao VC's office,demand FIR against Delhi police

Kerala govt informs SC on demolition of apartmentcomplexes in Kochi's Maradu as ordered

Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO saidthe communication payload of GSAT-30 is specifically designed andoptimised to maximise the number oftransponders on the spacecraft bus

COW REMARKS:Voiced feelingsof farmers,says ministerPNS n MUMBAI

Two days after her statementthat petting a cow drivesaway negativity in humansraised eyebrows, Maharashtraminister Yashomati Thakuron Monday said she had justvoiced common feelings offarmers towards their cattle.

A controversy was eruptedon Saturday when Thakur, anMLA from Amravati districtsaid that all negativity goesaway when one touches acow. She defended her state-ment on Sunday, saying thattouching any animal, includ-ing cows, feels one with com-passion.

"I had gone to a village inmy constituency to meetpeople where a cow templealready exists. While talkingto people, I simply resonatedtheir feelings,” she said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Aviation Ministry onMonday announced a schemeproviding a window up toJanuary 31 for voluntary reg-istration of all drones andtheir operators, days after topIranian General QasemSoleimani was killed in a USdrone attack.

Those who fail to registerwill face action under theIndian Penal Code and theAircraft Act.

In a notice, the ministrysaid, "The presence of suchdrones as well as drone oper-ators has come to the notice ofthe government which do notcomply with the CAR (civilaviation requirements)."

"In order to facilitate theidentification of civil dronesand drone operators, a one-time opportunity for voluntarydisclosure of such drones and

drone operators is being pro-vided... All persons in posses-sion of drones are required tocomplete the process (of onlineregistration) by January 31,2020," it added.

The number of illegaldrones in India is likely to bebetween 50,000 and 60,000, co-chair of a FICCI committee ondrones, Ankit Mehta, had saidon October 22 last year.

Major General Soleimani,62, the head of Iran's elite al-Quds force and architect of itsregional security apparatus,

was killed when a US militarydrone fired missiles at his con-voy while it was leaving theBaghdad International Airporton January 3.

A senior Indian govern-ment official said the attack"precipitated the governmentto take action to regulate hun-dreds of non-compliantdrones" that are operating inthe country.

"What happened at Gatwickairport in December 2018 wasalready there on our mind," theofficial added.

Gatwick airport, Britain'ssecond-busiest after Heathrowairport, remained closed fromDecember 19-21, 2018, whenmultiple rogue drones wereseen flying over the perimeterfence. During the three-dayperiod, around 1,000 flightshad to be cancelled or divert-ed to prevent any untowardincident.

Register drones by Jan 31or face action: Aviation Min

Sharad Pawarmeets Thakur todiscuss revival of scam-hit PMC BankPNS n MUMBAI

NCP chief Sharad Pawar onMonday met Union Ministerof State for Finance AnuragSingh Thakur to discuss pos-sibilities of revival of the tr-oubled Punjab & Maharas-htra Cooperative (PMC)Bank.

After the meeting in Delhi,the Rajya Sabha membertermed the discussion as"constructive".

The PMC Bank has beenput under restrictions by theRBI, after a multi-crore scamcame to light following whichthe deposit withdrawal wasinitially capped at Rs 1,000,causing panic and distressamong depositors. The with-drawal limit was increasedgradually to Rs 50,000.

“Had a meeting with theUnion Minister of State forFinance, Shri Anurag SinghThakur (@ianuragthakur) inNew Delhi to raise the issueof revival of PMC Bank. Wehad a constructive exchangeof views on the topic," Pawartweeted.

The fraud at PMC Bankcame to light in Septemberlast year after the ReserveBank of India discovered thatthe bank had allegedly creat-ed fictitious accounts to hideover Rs 6,700 crore in loansextended to the almost-bank-rupt Housing Developmentand Infrastructure Limited.

According to RBI, thePMC bank masked 44 prob-lematic loan accounts, includ-ing HDIL loan accounts, bytampering with its core bank-ing system, and the accountswere accessible only to limit-ed staff members.

Mumbai Police's EconomicOffences Wing (EOW) andthe Ed have registeredoffences in the case. TheEOW last month submitted a32,000-page charge sheetagainst five persons in themulti-crore PMC Bank scam.

The charge sheet hasnamed former MD of thebank Joy Thomas, formerchairman Waryam Singh,former director Surjit SinghArora, along with HDIL pro-moters Rakesh Wadhawanand Sarang Wadhawan.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020 nation 05SHORT READS

Two-time former MLARam Singh Netajijoins AAP in DelhiNEW DELHI: Ahead of theDelhi Assembly election,Congress leader and formerMLA Ram Singh Netaji onMonday joined the AAP in thepresence of Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal. Netaji said hewas impressed by the workdone by the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) government and "that isthe reason I decided to leaveCongress". He won from theBadarpur Assemblyconstituency twice — once as aBSP candidate and second timeas an Independent. Election tothe 70-member Delhi Assemblywill be held on February 8.

Protests in Pune overbook comparing Modi with Shivaji

Parvaiz Qadri elected as Srinagar'sdeputy mayorNEW DELHI: Parvaiz Qadri, anIndependent candidate, waselected as the deputy mayor ofSrinagar Municipal Corporationon Monday, defeating the BJP'sArif Raja. Qadri got 33 votes,while the BJP candidatesecured 24 votes. Congressnominee Nakul bagged sevenvotes, while four votes wererejected, officials said. Theelection for the post of deputymayor was necessitated afterSheikh Imran was removedfrom the position in Decemberfollowing a no-confidencemotion against him. BJP leaderSham Lal Sharma congratulatedQadri on his victory and alsothanked the non-BJPcorporators who voted for thesaffron party's candidate. "Wehad only four corporators whenthe elections were held in 2018.Now we have 11 members and13 others gave unconditionalsupport during the election fordeputy mayor," he said.

JNU students,teachers boycottclasses over fee hike NEW DELHI: The students andteachers of the JawaharlalNehru University on Mondayboycotted classes amidstandoff with the administrationover the fee hike issue. Theclasses were supposed tobegin on Monday but could notstart due to the collectiveboycott. The students' unionhad earlier said it will ensureregistration by paying only thetuition fees and not theincreased hostel charges butkept the decision on hold afterit found that the administrationhad blocked the registrationportal for many students. Theteachers' association has alsogiven a call for 'non-cooperation' in academicmatters over a range of issues,including that of fee hike andthe January 5 violence.

PUNE: The NCP and theSambhaji Brigade held protestsin Pune on Monday against abook which compares PrimeMinister Narendra Modi toChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Thebook titled "Aaj ke Shivaji:Narendra Modi" has beenwritten by BJP's Jay BhagwanGoyal. The NCP protest washeld outside Lalmahal areahere. While NCP leaderPrashant Jagtap condemnedthe comparison and said it wasa move to "erase the glorioushistory" of the Maratha emperor,Sambhaji Brigade functionarySantosh Shinde said the bookshould be withdrawn in 48hours, failing which moreagitations would follow. "Today,the comparison is with ShivajiMaharaj. Tomorrow, inRajasthan, it might be withMaharana Pratap. It is part ofthe BJP-RSS agenda to erasethe history of great icons,"Jagtap alleged.

PNS n NEW DELHI

In a relief to IndiGo, aviationregulator DGCA on Mondaydecided to extend the deadlinefor the budget carrier to replaceall 135 unmodified Pratt andWhitney (PW) engines onA320neo aircraft from January31 to May 31.

Four Air Turn Back(ATB)/Inflight Shut Down(IFSD) events were witnessedon Airbus A320Neo aircraftoperated by Indigo in a weekduring October 2019 due to thefailure of 3rd stage LPT (lowpressure turbine) blades.

Stating that "desperate mea-sures" were required to "putthings in order", the DGCA

had on November 1 toldIndiGo to replace the PWengines in 97 A320neo aircraft"at all costs" by January 31 orthey would be grounded.

In some aircraft only one ofthe PW engines is unmodified

and has to be replaced.Later, unsatisfied with

IndiGo's speed in replacing theunmodified PW engines, theregulator on November 25 hadinstructed it to ground an oldA320neo family aircraft with

an unmodified PW engine forevery new A320neo planeadded to its fleet to preventlarge-scale cancellation off lights from January 31onwards.

The Directorate General of

Civil Aviation (DGCA) statedon Monday that it believes thatthe unmodified PW engines docontain an "unsafe condition,which is prone to undesirableoutcomes" and therefore, needto be dispensed with.

"Post DGCA order dated 1stNovember 2019, all stake hold-ers i.e. the airline and the air-craft and the engine manufac-turer have made significantefforts towards completion ofthe task. They have jointlyand severally submitted a com-plete action plan, which findsthe change of engines for theentire fleet feasible by the endof June 2020," said the regula-tor in its press statement onMonday.

Yediyurappa announces Cabinetexpansion before his Davos visitPNS n BENGALURU

Days after indicating thathemay not travel to Davos toattend the World EconomicForum later this month, ChiefMinister B S Yediyurappa onMonday said he will be attend-ing the global meet, and thatthe expansion of his ministrywill take place before his for-eign tour.

Reiterating that he will keepthe promise of making disqual-ified legislators who have wonbypolls on BJP ticket as min-isters, he said ministry expan-sion will happen soon after hismeeting with party nationalpresident Amit Shah on thematter.

"There is no truth in specu-lations that are going on re-garding the cabinet expansion,in fact Amit Shah had given metime for meeting today inDelhi, but I had to attendimportant programmes here.

Tomorrow if possible I willcancel all my programmes andwill go to Delhi, and get cabi-net cleared, there is no problemin that," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters here,he said the legislators whohave won in the bypolls neednot worry about the specula-

tions. "I will fulfil the promisethat I have made. If Amit Shahis available I will try to go toDelhi tomorrow. If not he iscoming here (Karnataka) onJanuary 17 and 18, will getthings cleared and expand theministry," he said.

Yediyurappa had earlier saidhe will be going to New Delhiprobably on January 11 or 12to discuss cabinet expansionwith the BJP high command.

However, on Saturday, hesaid he has decided to discussabout the exercise with Shahduring the latter's visit to thestate next week.

Shah will be here to addressa huge rally at Hubballi onJanuary 18 as part of the BJP'snationwide outreach pro-gramme to create awarenessamong the people about theCitizenship Amendment Act.

To a question about his visitto Davos, Yediyurappa said"everyone is persuading me togo, so I have decided to go. AsI'm being sent by the centralgovernment, so I will have togo, and I will go and come."

Yediyurappa along withUnion ministers Piyush Goyaland Mansukh Mandaviya aswell as chief ministers -

Amarinder Singh (Punjab),Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh)are among those expected joinover 100 Indian CEOs in theSwiss ski resort town of Davoslater this month for the WEF's50th annual meeting. TheChief Minister however, hadlast week, indicated that he maynot travel to Davos. Rubbishingreports about the Ministryexpansion after Delhi assemblypolls, he said there is no con-nection between the two.

"I will talk to Amit Shah incouple of days and immediate-ly take up ministry expansionafter that, there is no need foranyone to worry, and there isno truth in certain mediareports," he said, adding thatexpansion exercise will be com-pleted before his Davos visit.

The Chief Minister is likelyto travel to Davos on January20, according to sources.

According to reports, dis-

qualified legislators who got re-elected during the December 5bypolls on BJP ticket and are allset to become Ministers toohad put pressure onYediyurappa to expand thecabinet before the Davos visit.

As the Chief Minister hasalready made it clear that 11 ofthe disqualified JDS-CongressMLAs who got re-elected in thebypolls on BJP tickets will bemade ministers, lobbying hasbeen on within the party forthe remaining ministerialberths.

Currently there are 18Ministers, including the ChiefMinister in the cabinet that hasa sanctioned strength of 34.However, with reports that thehigh command may not bekeen on making all the 11 re-elected legislators, whomYediyurappa has given assur-ance, as Ministers, it remains tobe seen how things turn out.

PNS n KOLKATA

West Bengal BJP presidentDilip Ghosh has kicked up arow with his remark that "anti-CAA protesters were shot likedogs in BJP-ruled states", pro-voking criticism from politicalrivals and his own partymen.

Addressing a public meet-ing in Nadia district onSunday, Ghosh slammed ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee"for not opening fire andordering lathicharge" on thosedestroying public propertyduring the anti-Citizenship(Amendment) Act (CAA)protests in the state inDecember.

"Didi's police didn't takeaction against those whodestroyed public property asthey are her voters. Our gov-ernments in Uttar Pradesh,Assam and Karnataka shotthese people like dogs," Ghoshhad said. Union minister andBJP leader Babul Supriyotermed Ghosh's comments as"irresponsible".

"BJP, as a party has nothingto do with what a DIlipGhoshmay hv saidIt is a figment ofhis imagination&BJP Govts inUP, Assam hv NEVER EVERresorted to shooting people for

whatever reasonwhatsoeverVery irresponsibleof DilipDa to hv said what hehad," Supriyo said in a tweet.

The Trinamool Congressleadership came down heavi-ly on Ghosh and said thecomments reflected the mind-set of BJP that brooks no dissent.

No anti-CAA protests in Kashmirproof of approval for Centre: BJPPNS n SRINAGAR

A senior BJP leader onMonday said the fact thatthere were no anti-CAAprotests in Kashmir showsthat the people here approvedof the Centre's policies.

"There were no protestsagainst the Citizenship Ame-ndment Act (CAA) in Kas-hmir which is an approval ofthe people in the Valley for thepolicies of the central govern-ment," former minister SunilSharma, who is BJP inchargefor Kashmir, told reporters.

He claimed that the peopleof the Valley were "satisfied"with the decisions taken by the Centre on the nationalinterest.

In an apparent reference tothe top leadership of theNational Conference and thePeoples Democratic Party,

Sharma said those leaders whocould have instigated protestsare under detention.

Asked if a nationwideNational Register of Citizens,which is part of the BJP man-ifesto, will be implemented, hesaid there was no decisiontaken on it yet. "It is a decision

to be taken by the UnionCabinet," he added.

BJP leader Sham Lal Sharmasaid the CAA was an act thatwill grant citizenship to theoppressed minorities from theneighbouring countries andthere was no provision forrevoking anyone's citizenship.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A high-level committee, set upby the Home Ministry to sug-gest ways for providing consti-tutional safeguards to theindigenous people of Assam,on Monday met Union HomeMinister Amit Shah and dis-cussed with him issues relatedto its work.

A four-member delegationof the committee, headed byJustice (Retd) Biplab KumarSharma, met the home minis-ter for an hour and briefed himabout the progress of its work.

"We have apprised the homeminister about the progress ofour work. The home ministerhas given a few suggestions.We hope to submit our finalreport within next 15 days,"Sharma told reporters here.

The committee with morethan a dozen members was setup as per the Clause 6 of the1985 Assam Accord.

According to its terms andconditions, "The committeewill assess the appropriate levelof reservation of seats inAssam Legislative Assemblyand local bodies for theAssamese people."

"The committee will recom-

mend the appropriate level ofreservations in employmentunder the government ofAssam for the Assamese peo-ple," according to a home min-istry notification.

Asked whether the panelcould finalise the "definition of

Assamese", the retired judgesaid they were yet to take adecision on it and hope tocome to a conclusion soon.

"All members of the com-mittee will soon meet tofinalise the report and allremaining issues to beresolved," he said.

The meeting took place fourdays after Assam ChiefMinister Sarbananda Sonowalmet the home minister anddiscussed with him variousaspects of the Assam Accord'sClause 6, under which thecentral government hadpromised to provide constitu-tional safeguards to the indige-nous people.

The committee is said tohave completed its delibera-tions and discussions withvarious stakeholders in Assam.

The meeting was heldamidst widespread protestsagainst the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA) inAssam. It bears significance asthere has been a growing feel-ing among the indigenouspeople of Assam that the newlyenacted legislation will hurttheir interests — both politically, culturally as well associally.

BJP president Dilip Ghosh

Stating that he will honour the promiseof making disqualified legislators whowon bypolls on BJP ticket as ministers,Yediyurappa said the Cabinet expansionwill take place after his meeting withBJP national president Amit Shah

WB BJP chief kicksup row with ‘shotlike dogs’ comment

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court askedElection Commission onMonday to treat as represen-tation a PIL seeking inspectionof VVPAT slips of EVMs of allconstituencies in the 2019 LokSabha polls.

With the direction, a benchof Chief Justice D N Patel andJustice C Hari Shankar dis-posed of the petition whichhad sought inspection of theVoter-verified paper audit trail(VVPAT) of EVMs claimingthat according to data put upby the EC on its website therewas "discrepancy" in votespolled and votes counted inaround 373 constituencies.

The petitioner, Hans RajJain, contended that the EChad got Rs 3,173.47 crorereleased from the governmentto purchase 16,15,000 VVPATEVMs for bringing trans-parency in the electionprocess.

The petition claimed that

the alleged "great discrepancy"in number of votes polledand counted at majority of theconstituencies "creates doubt"in the minds of voters, includ-ing the petitioner, that theEVMs were tampered with.

The plea had also soughtdirections to the EC to ensurethat in future the paper slipsare also counted.

PNS n ASANSOL

A BJP office was gutted inWest Bengal's PaschimBurdwan district, followingwhich the saffron partyactivists accused the TMC ofbeing behind the incident.

A party office of the BJP atSalanpur area in Asansol wasreduced to ashes in a blaze onSunday night and an investi-gation is on to ascertain thecause of the fire, a seniorpolice officer said.

The BJP has put the blameon TMC, which the rulingparty in West Bengal hasdenied, terming the incidenta result of a brawl between"goons" of the saffron party.

"As part of an initiative byMP Babul Supriyo, BJP work-ers distributed blankets totribals in the area on Sunday,and TMC activists set fire toour party office,” BJP leaderAbhijit Roy said.

PNS n DHARAMSHALA

Tibetan spiritual leader DalaiLama has called for good rela-tions between Beijing and Taipeiwhile congratulating Tsai Ing-wen on winning her secondterm as Taiwan president. “Ascomplicated and difficult asTaiwan's relationship with thePeople's Republic of China is, Ifeel it is important that the twoenjoy good relations, includingthrough expanding people topeople exchange,” the DalaiLama said in a statementreleased Sunday by his officehere.

Beijing considers Taiwan a

part of China and has criticisedofficials from the US and othercountries for congratulatingTsai on her victory.

Lobsang Sangay, who heads

the Dharamshala-based CentralTibetan Administration, hasalso congratulated Tsai Ing-wen. The Dalai Lama expressedconfidence that Tsai will make

further strides in bringing peaceand prosperity to the people ofTaiwan. “I fondly recollect mythree visits to Taiwan which pro-vided me an opportunity to visitand interact with the people. Ihave warm memories of theenthusiastic welcome I receivedand am continuously inspiredby the strong devotionTaiwanese Buddhists haveshown towards their faith,” theDalai Lama wrote in his mes-sage.

“As a Buddhist monk, I trymy best to fulfil as much as I cantheir desire for teachings and toprovide them the necessaryspiritual guidance,” he said.

Dalai Lama congratulates Taiwan prez onvictory, urges good relations with China

PNS n ALIGARH

In a shocking statement, BJPleader Raghuraj Singh hassaid people raising slogansagainst Prime MinsterNarendra Modiand UttarP r a d e s hC h i e fM i n i s t e rY o g iAd i t y a n at h"will be buriedalive". Singh made the shock-ing threat on Sunday whileaddressing a rally in Aligarhto create awareness aboutthe CAA.

Warning "these handful ofpeople — one per cent crim-inal and corrupt people”against saying “murdabad” toModi and Yogi Adityanath,he said, “I will bury youalive." "Yogi and Modi are notthe ones who will get per-turbed. Yogi-Modi will runthe country and run it likethis only," Singh said.

"Those taking money fromDawood Ibrahim and trou-bling our officers, andMuslims will be beaten upbadly," he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A parliamentary panel onMonday questioned DelhiPolice officials over the use offorce against protesting stu-dents and suggested that itshould have dealt with the stu-dents in a mature manner,sources said.

The panel also questionedthe Delhi police about the fre-quent imposition of restric-tions in the national capitalwhich it said causes trouble forthe common man.

Top officials of Union HomeMinistry and Delhi Police chiefAmulya Patnaik appeared on

Monday before theParliamentary StandingCommittee on Home Affairschaired by senior Congressleader Anand Sharma to discuss rising crimes in Delhiand National Capital Region(NCR).

Without mentioning the

recent incidents of violence atJawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) and Jamia MilliaIslamia, members of the panelquestioned the way in whichpolice dealt with the protestingstudents and the frequentimposition of Section 144 inthe national capital which causes trouble for thecommon man.

Members also asked aboutthe action taken by policeagainst the protesting studentsespecially the use of force onthem and underlined that thepolice should have dealt withstudents in a mature manner,sources said.

Par panel questions Delhi police overuse of force against protesting students

IndiGo gets till May 31 to replace PW engines

Committee set up by MHA on Assam meets Amit Shah

The Dalai Lamaexpressedconfidence that TsaiIng-wen will makefurther strides inbringing peace andprosperity to thepeople of Taiwan

Bury alivepeople raisinganti-Modislogan: BJP

BJP officegutted in WB,saffron partyblames TMC

Treat as representationPIL on VVPAT, EC told

The petitionercontended thatthe EC had got Rs3,173.47 crorereleased to purc-hase 16,15,000VVPAT EVMs

Four Air Turn Back(ATB)/Inflight ShutDown (IFSD) eventswere witnessed onAirbus A320Neoaircraft operated byIndigo in a weekduring Oct 2019

Ghosh slammedMamata Banerjee“for not openingfire and orderinglathicharge” onthose destroyingpublic propertyduring the anti-CAA protests

The meeting tookplace days afterSarbanandaSonowal met thehome minister anddiscussed variousaspects of theAssam Accord'sClause 6

Independent India’s first few years sawa unique kinship among politicalleaders and the people. The formerhad an aura of sacrifice behind them.This is why people adored them and

had high expectations from them. MahatmaGandhi was the cult figure, who wasremembered with respect and affection inevery home. In schools and colleges, youngpeople animatedly talked about NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose, Chandra ShekharAzad, Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose, VeerSavarkar, Jayaprakash Narayan, JawaharlalNehru and Sardar Patel among others. Evenin remote villages and towns, people wereaware of the Azad Hind Fauj and were con-vinced that Netaji would return.

One could say it from personal expe-rience that in spite of the tragic Partition,life had returned to normalcy in the villagesof Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as also else-where. There were no visible traces ofHindu-Muslim discord and children wit-nessed bonhomie in social, religious andcultural events as they grew up in a multi-religious society. They were learning to livetogether naturally, not under any plannedinitiative or project. Isolated instances ofcommunal skirmishes were there but theydid not impact the thread of social cohe-sion as people trusted and had faith in theleadership of the day.

However, gradually, things began tochange. Those who tasted power and perksthat also came associated with pelf, beganto shed the values the Mahatma had per-sistently preached. They started ignoring hisgreat words: “My Life is My Message.” Socialscientists and other learned scholars hadtheir own interpretations about the changethat began with the infusion of debilitatingelements inherent in democratic procedures,practices and parties. Gradually, peoplerealised the fallacy of the promises made byleaders. They also began to comprehend themachinations involved to garner votes onthe basis of caste, creed, religion and othersuch factors that would create divisionsamong them. Social equations and equanim-ity began to change and that, too, swiftly.Worse, it deliberately created distrust amongcommunities.

The new generation of leaders thatgradually emerged a couple of decades afterindependence realised how lucrative itcould be to be at the seat of power throughpolitics and elections. Hence, they decid-ed to focus on winning polls. Icons of thefreedom struggle were no more; secularismwas swiftly being converted into a mightypolitical weapon; and no wily politician wasconcerned about how disastrous even asmall dent in social cohesion and religiousamity could indeed be. They ignored thepossible damage to the hallowed traditionof equal respect for all religions that was inpractice for ages and for which the coun-try was admired globally.

Such developments were not unex-

pected. The rise of caste-basedparties contributed significant-ly to the erosion of pre-indepen-dent values that had the strengthto sustain social and religiouscohesion. Gandhi was indeedprophetic when he mentioned ina letter written in April 1922 thatSwaraj or self-rule would notbring happiness to our people asfour things would weigh heavi-ly on them and they would beginto say that the earlier (colonial)system was better. The fourthings included defects in theelection system, injustice,administrative burden andtreachery of the rich.

Today, systematic defects inthe way elections are conduct-ed appear to be beyond control.For all that matters is moneyand nothing else. News reportsin the last week of May 2019 thatout of 539 winning Lok SabhaMPs, 233 had declared criminalcases against them did not sur-prise anybody. The way elec-tions are won at every level hasled to serious aberrations in theway public affairs in our coun-try is conducted. It would berare exception if someone witha pure record of selfless servicewins a panchayat-level elec-tion. Social kinship stands shat-tered because elections are nowbeing politicised.

Can anyone think of anyelection that has been fought andwon within the limits on candi-

date expenditure as set by theElection Commission of India?So, now our leaders need moneyand more of it to be and remainin politics. A ray of hope didappear under the leadership ofJayaprakash Narayan during the1977 elections when severalcandidates won without anyresource, purely on the basis oftheir clean image and contribu-tions made to the public. But allof it disappeared after 1980.

People have witnessed notonly the rise of caste-based par-ties but more than that, they haveseen how assets of some leadershave galloped at an unprecedent-ed pace within years. Obviously,in such a scenario, there is littlespace for value-based politics.And when there are no com-punctions about values andprinciples, why care aboutmeans? Gandhian values in pol-itics were slowly and silentlyerased by those who inheritedpower. Loudly and unashamed-ly, they declared themselves asthe only political heirs of theMahatma. People trusted themand this continued for decades.

To ensure “permanency”in power, they quietly created aminority (read Muslim) vote-bank, gave them false assurancesand convinced them that every-one else was against them. Theygave their own interpretation ofsecularism, divided Hindus andMuslims up to the level of vil-

lage panchayats unhesitatinglyand during election time, gavetickets to candidates based pure-ly on caste and communal con-siderations. It did not matter ifthe aspirant was suitable, mer-itorious or deserving. Did hereally serve the people with hon-esty, sincerity and commit-ment? Leaders even preferredbahubalis (strongmen) withoutwinking an eyelid.

The imposition of theEmergency in June 1975 and itscontinuance till March 1977made the people realise how theywere being taken for a ride bythose very people they had trust-ed. By this time, the roots of socialcohesion and religious amitywere considerably weakened.

Consequently, the trustbetween two major communi-ties came under serious stress.For electoral gains, the history ofIndia, including the freedomstruggle, was politicised. Thewriting of history textbooks andresearch was totally entrusted tothe Leftists, who are known fortheir dislike for all that wasIndian. The great JawaharlalNehru University (JNU) wasbuilt in a closed citadel of Lefthegemony. It even refused entryto all “those who did not thinkalike” in their campus. Had thatnot been the case, today’s out-burst would not have happened.

What we are witnessingtoday is the culmination of

deliberate politicisation of age-old Indian traditions of accep-tance of diversity, which have adeep philosophical basis. This isthe only prophetic vision thatcan save the very existence ofplanet Earth. Think of the tur-moil being faced in Europe inthe wake of rapid demographic,social and cultural changes tak-ing place there whether theEuropeans like it or not. Whyshould it not be appreciated thatit was the impact of ancientIndian culture that while Hinduspaid jazia to their rulers, theynever disrespected the religiousplaces of Muslims.

Even after Partition, Indiacould have restored its age-oldreligious amity had our leadersshown maturity, futuristic visionand the urgency to bring bothcommunities together. This wasthe core requirement for march-ing ahead on the path of growth,progress and development asJayaprakash Narayan realised.For him, everyone was accept-able if willing to come togeth-er for the nation’s cause. Themerger of the then Jan Sangh inthe Janata Party was the culmi-nation of the efforts of a greatvisionary, who thought only ofIndia, the welfare of its peopleand their future.

The violence that hasoccurred in a couple of univer-sities and some other placesmust not be viewed in isolation.In fact, it must be seen in con-text with the seeds that havebeen sown in post-independentIndia by vested interests andthose for whom self-interest isthe only interest. Their numbersare few but institutions areinvariably taken to ransom byelements who have no academ-ic interest and are prone toprodding from unethical andanti-social elements. For thosewho are interested in findingsolutions, one would like tosubmit the following from a let-ter Albert Einstein wrote toGandhi and which was quotedby APJ Abdul Kalam in one hisbooks: “You have shownthrough your works that it ispossible to succeed without vio-lence even with those who havenot discarded the method of vio-lence.” Was JNU not expected tostrengthen this philosophy? It’sdepressing that JNU, with all ofits much-publicised achieve-ments, never seriously tried tolisten to those who did notthink alike. It has an obligationto the nation to encourage,nourish and nurture the greatdialogical tradition of the coun-try. It must become a place ofintellectual interaction. Indianeeds leadership institutionsthat promote social cohesion andreligious amity.

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

The news that American retail giantWalmart has laid off 56 senior and mid-level executives from its corporate

headquarters in Gurugram has sent shiversdown the economy watchers. They feel thisis just a further confirmation that the Indianeconomy is in a turbulent phase. Followingthe news that British telecom giant Vodafonemay quit its operations in the country, this isn’tsomething that would please the honchos inthe Finance Ministry. But is the situation real-ly as bad as it sounds? Walmart’s huge invest-

ment of $16 billion to capture online retailer Flipkart in 2018 proved beyonddoubt that it means business. But it intends to focus on the digital side of theoperations. What is hurting Walmart in India though is the brick-and-mortarsector, where a slowdown in consumer spending, coupled with the fact that ithas been able to grow its wholesale business far too slowly, is hurting it. Manyof those laid off are from the sourcing end.

The ruling BJP’s opposition to introducing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)in multi-brand retail when the Congress was in power is hurting it today. However,with a large part of its core base being small and local traders, it finds itself lockedinto this unsustainable and undesirable position. India needs to rapidly improveits consumer retail process and catch up with the rest of the world. For betteror worse, the advent of modern retail will help producers, both farmers and fac-tories, as well as consumers. It will also give a fillip to domestic production andimprove the way food reaches the plate, thus reducing wastage and improvingyields. The fact that the BJP changed its tune on implementing Goods and ServicesTax (GST) might have given hope to those who thought they would change theirstance on FDI in multi-brand retail. However, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’spolitical capital being used up in the implementation of GST after the public rela-tions disaster of demonetisation, this was a step too far. Digital promotion aside,the neighbourhood shop is going nowhere. The Government must find a wayto modernise Indian retail even though there will be a cost for the kirana storebecause it will improve efficiency. This should not be done to protect the inter-est of foreign multinationals but even Indian companies that are facing difficul-ties in establishing a proper network of modern stores. In fact, a unique approachcan be devised by working with the local kirana stores who have assets andaccess in neighbourhood markets. They can be given access to sourcing back-end and better customer management at the front-end. Hopefully this is just ablip in the radar for Walmart and nothing more than a business decision.

The Congress, for some reason, contin-ues to lull itself into an arrogant assump-tion of its natural leadership of the

Opposition, expecting all federal parties to unifyunder the notional idea of its national role andidentity. Perhaps, it is still at pains to recon-cile with the fact that its State allies are shoringup its prospects or that its talk points are beinggifted by them. Or after the failure of the maha-gathbandhan, a grand umbrella of regional par-ties, at the Lok Sabha polls last year — whichit torpedoed wilfully since it didn’t get the vote

of leadership — it feels it alone is qualified to be the face of Opposition unity.Yet if widespread and continued protests over the contentious citizenship lawand a proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) are any indication, then stu-dents and civil society have clearly filled up the vacuum left by the Opposition.And now that dots of agitations have assumed a pan-India momentum, theCongress has rushed in, knowing full well that the movement can never be ofconsequence till it gets political sanctity. Problem is the champions of the move-ment would rather continue leaderless than trust the Congress, which is still look-ing to reap the benefit of the groundwork done by others. So an all-Oppositionfront meeting on CAA-NRC called by it ended in a whimper, far from the showof strength it had intended it to be. And this failure of the Congress to downsizeits ego and wisen up, despite the circumstances that are actually most favourableto the Opposition now, will only end up helping the ruling BJP during the Budgetsession of Parliament. For the BJP had certainly not bargained for such a hit-back to its policies within six months of winning a mammoth verdict. The Congressgrandstanding fizzled out as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi andeven its allies in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, the DMK and Shiv Sena, stayedaway from the meeting. Clearly, the State leaders have still not forgiven the Congressfor not making common cause with them during the Lok Sabha elections lastyear. And are now best placed to chew it up rather than let the party chew onthem. Besides, they have realised that in the absence of a monolithic leader fromtheir midst, it would be better for them to reclaim their States, consolidate theirhold on them and unitedly voice their stand against the BJP at the Centre. Thatwould be far better than chasing national ambitions.

This is particularly true of Banerjee, who has burnt her fingers as an archi-tect of the mahagathbandhan and loosened her grip over her State as she pur-sued national ambitions. She is hell bent on steadying her own ship. Besides,she has been among the first Opposition Chief Ministers to lead a crusade againstthe Government’s policies and expose the regime’s exclusionary intent regard-ing Muslims by linking the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with the NRC. Shedoesn’t want her cause hijacked yet again. Besides, she has to justify her pol-itics at the State level, which she has built in opposition to both the Left and theCongress and, therefore, cannot afford any hypocrisy. It is the same reason whyAAP is staying away as it has to fight both the BJP and Congress in the Assemblyelections. It is maintaining an equidistance and pitching its own performancerecord of integrity as a believable counterpoint. And that strategy seems to beworking as three Congress leaders joined it over the last few days. DMK chiefMK Stalin and the Shiv Sena, like Mamata, want their undiluted take on CAA tobe heard. The BSP, upset by the Congress poaching its MLAs in Rajasthan, isn’tkeen to be part of a need-based arrangement with the national party either. Soit is rather naive of the Congress to bet on its traditional style of politics. Besides,the party leadership was tepid and cautious when the first wave of protests brokeout, with Rahul Gandhi in hibernation. Priyanka Gandhi was the only one con-sistent about siding with the cause, but that had more to do with nursing theparty back to health in Uttar Pradesh than scripting an Opposition strategy. However,India’s youth have birthed new leaders and do not need to rely on the “youth-ful” face of the Congress leadership, which has sadly been reduced to an appari-tion that tries to be conscientious. If the Congress wants to avoid further mis-adventures, it should take a risk with a new strategy, issues and leadership.

The light of Sankranti

Sir — Apart from being a harvestfestival, Makar Sankranti alsomarks the beginning of an auspi-cious phase in Indian culture.What is most significant about thisday is that every State celebrates itindigenously. In Haryana andPunjab, it is popularly called“Lohri”, in South India it is called“Pongal”, in Bihar it is known as“Khichdi” and “Bihu” in Assam. InGujarat, families celebrate thisfestival through kite-flying com-petitions.

The importance of this day haseven been signified in ancientepics like the Mahabharata. So,apart from socio-geographicalimportance, this day also holds ahistorical and religious signifi-cance. It is the festival of the SunGod and he is regarded as the sym-bol divinity and wisdom. This iswhy the festival holds eternalmeaning, too. Sankranti repre-sents a period of illumination,peace, affluence and happiness.Many melas (fairs) are held onthis day, the most famous amongthem being the Kumbh, which isheld once in every 12 years.

Jubel D’CruzMumbai

Going against the grain

Sir — We ought to have realisedby now that an inclusive ethos istoo deeply ingrained in Indianminds. The CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA) is beingseen in the perspective of theNational Population Register(NPR) and the National Registerof Citizens (NRC). There’s not

much fault with this mindset. Thecommon man is apprehensive. Offar greater impact than this wasthe fiasco of demonetisation thattouched almost every citizen.And yet, the reaction was more in“hopeful anguish” than “fear.”After all, the void created by cur-rency was not meant to differen-tiate between people. That thispolicy formulation could notdeliver well is another matter.

However, this policy-troika(CAA, NPR and NRC) that isnow under way appears to delin-eate differences where noneshould exist. It is precisely thisthat has fuelled people’s anger.The Government is yet to initiatea dialogue. The state of the econ-omy and employment has onlyadded fuel to the fire.

R NarayananNavi Mumbai

Lessons in demolition

Sir — The Maradu flat demolitionin Kochi, as per the orders of theSupreme Court — as these werebuilt in violation of the coastalregulation zone rules — is an eyeopener. It is also a warning to thelocal administration, the Statemachinery and various stake-holders, who ignore the law ofnature and believe that politicalinfluence, power and money canget them anywhere. What theyforgot was that law and justice isabove everything. This is a lessonmeant for all cities, States, nationsand mankind in general.

The lesson is to not violaterules and regulations. It was anoverwhelming sight to watch hugeskyscrapers — that rose to the skywith so much of human energyand labour, time and wealth — tobe razed to the ground within seconds. However, the entireepisode will be complete onlywhen corrupt officials, politicians,builders and others are broughtunder the law and punished.

M Pradyu Kannur

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

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

op nionVIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020

06

The loss of leadership

JS RAJPUT

It is unfortunate that in their greed for money and power, leaders have forgotten the values aspreached by our forefathers. Roots of social cohesion and religious amity have been weakened

If Pakistan doesn't handPakistan-occupied Kashmirover to us, then there is anecessity to unite PoK withIndia through war. Wewant entire Kashmir.

Union Minister—Ramdas Athawale

A lot of my family membersrealise that main sunta sabkihoon, karta apni hoon. Ihave never let them downwith the way I have conducted myself.

Actor—Arjun Kapoor

The elephant and the dragoncan dance together. The twonations (India-China) will worktogether to enhance mutualunderstanding and friendship.

Chinese Ambassador to India —Sun Weidong

S O U N D B I T E

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

Winds of change in J&K finally

This refers to the editorial, “SC’s conscience call”(January 11). The Supreme Court’s verdict on theprolonged internet and communication blackout and

the indefinite restrictions on movement imposed underSection 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in Jammu& Kashmir has came as a whiff of fresh air. It marked awelcome deviation from the pattern of a slew of judg-ments it has delivered in recent days. Its verdict will sure-ly restore some of its lost credibility and probably con-strain the Government’s ability to impose Section 144 andsuspend internet in any given area so often without anyconsideration to the ordeal the people have to go through.It was proof that left to itself, the top court is capable ofpronouncing fair, impeccable and stellar verdicts.

Implicit in the present verdict is the paramountcyof civil liberties and the precedence they should get overpolitical exigencies. The suspension of internet impact-ed the role of media in the way information was beingdisseminated. The verdict will bring some reprieve to

the residents of Kashmir whose day-to-day life suffereddue to the internet shutdown and the imposition of cur-few. The alienation of the Muslim majority valley stillremains a cause for concern; it can be addressed onlyby fulfilling their legitimate aspirations.

G David Milton Tamil Nadu

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Market blues

The divisive agenda ofPakistan are being perpetrated in this country.So, they (Modi-Shah) arethe ones who are speakingin Pakistan's language.

Congress leader—Kapil Sibal

Miffed allies and federal parties stay away from its meet onCAA-NRC, unwilling to yield the Opposition space

Is Walmart’s decision to lay off senior executives a symptomof economic slowdown? Or is it to do with digitisation?

Cong bungles, again

Solve a contentious issue

BJP IN UP, ASSAM NEVER RESORTED TO SHOOTINGPEOPLE FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. VERY

IRRESPONSIBLE OF DILIP TO HAVE SAID WHAT HE DID.—UNION MINISTER

BABUL SUPRIYO

WHO IS THE PARTY PRESIDENT? WHO WILL DECIDEON THE BJP’S INTERNAL MATTERS? AMIT SHAH ORHIM (SUPRIYO)? I BELIEVE YOU GOT THE ANSWER.—WEST BENGAL BJP PRESIDENTDILIP GHOSH

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

In the backdrop of the collection under theGoods and Services Tax (GST) not coming upto the expected level and the consequential

inability of the Central Government to meet itsobligations towards compensation to the States ascommitted under the GST Compensation Act,2017 (it provides for compensation for five yearsi.e. till 2021-22 to be calculated as the differencebetween actual collection and the revenue it wouldhave got with growth at four per cent over the 2015-16 level), the GST Council is undertaking a com-prehensive review of the existing rate structure andthe implementation mechanism.

Meanwhile, a contentious issue that mandarinsin the GST Council will need to urgently look atrelates to the treatment of the accumulated inputtax credit which does not get automatically set offagainst output tax liability. At the core of the GSTarchitecture is a feature that allows a producer/sup-plier to claim credit for the tax paid on inputs acrossthe value chain. This helps in eliminating the cas-cading effect of tax-on-tax, thereby reducing thecost of products to the consumer (the erstwhile dis-pensation of central excise, value added tax[VAT] and a host of local duties that were afflict-ed by the cascading effect).

An anomalous situation may arise if the pro-ducer/supplier does not have corresponding out-put tax liability to provide for setting off accumu-lated credit on input purchase. Indeed, this anom-alous situation is currently faced by telecom com-panies. They have made heavy investment in aug-menting the infrastructure (needed to providespeed and quality services) even as there has beena steep drop in their revenue; courtesy tariff plum-meting to record lows due to the intense compe-tition after the entry of Reliance Jio in 2016.

This increased accumulated credit on theirinput purchases and reduced their GST paymentsto the Government (primarily due to low tariff/saleprice), thereby reducing and eliminating thepotential for automatic offsetting of dues. They areunable to claim refund of the taxes paid on inputsas the GST law mandates corresponding outputtax liability which is insufficient. The unabsorbedinput tax credit works out to a whopping ̀ 36,000crore. The situation in fertilisers is broadly simi-lar. Given the critical role of fertilisers in ensur-ing food security, the Government controls theirmaximum retail price (MRP) at a low level, unre-lated to the cost of production and distribution andreimburses the excess as subsidy to the manufac-turers. In case of urea, the MRP is 25 per cent to50 per cent of the cost whereas in the case of non-urea fertilisers, the price is 70 per cent to 75 percent. The balance amount is given to farmers assubsidy.

Coming to the tax structure, fertilisers attractfive per cent GST, even as the tax on raw materi-als and intermediates used in their manufactureis much higher. Natural gas (it accounts for about90 per cent of urea production) is at present “zerorated” under GST implying that it continues toattract excise duty (ED) and VAT as in the past.Even as ED on gas is “nil”, VAT varies from Stateto State with a low five per cent in Rajasthan and21 per cent in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, some Statesimpose local levies. For example, the “purchase tax”in Gujarat applies to that portion of inputs usedfor making urea that is sold outside the State.Nearly, one-third of gas consumption by fertilis-

er plants is imported as LNG (liquefiednatural gas) attracts customs duty (CD)at 2.5 per cent. Imports of ammonia,phosphoric acid and sulphur — rawmaterials and intermediates used inmanufacture of non-urea or phosphateand potash fertilisers — attract CD at fiveper cent (on rock phosphate, it is 2.5 percent). On the other hand, ammonia andphosphoric acid attract GST at 18 percent and 12 per cent respectively (initial-ly, GST on phosphoric acid was 18 percent but was brought down to 12 per centin January 2018).

The process of fertiliser manufactureis power-intensive. Electricity generationand distribution is also excluded from theambit of the GST. However, it is exemptfrom levy of Central VAT (CENVAT)and VAT. Further, under theConstitution, entry 53 in the State list ofthe Seventh Schedule empowers Statesto impose tax (or electricity duty) on saleand consumption of electricity, exceptwhen consumed by the UnionGovernment or the Railways.

Let us now look at the implicationsof the above tax structure for input taxcredit. First, gas being virtually outsideGST, gas companies viz. Oil and NaturalGas Corporation (ONGC), Oil IndiaLimited (OIL) and so on, can’t claimcredit for the taxes paid on their purchaseof inputs, consumables and equipmentleading to higher price. The price of gasto fertiliser producers (delivered at fac-tory gate) further increases due to VAT(which in some states such as UP is 21per cent) besides a host of local levieswherever applicable.

In case of electricity — it being out-side GST and exempt from levy of CEN-VAT and VAT — this results in a situa-tion whereby power companies don’t getany credit for taxes paid on inputs viz.equipment, stores and so on, used in itsgeneration and distribution. This resultsin higher cost of electricity, that is fur-

ther exacerbated by electricity dutyimposed by States for which no offset isavailable. We thus have an anomalous sit-uation, whereby on one hand taxes paidon inputs (primarily gas and electricity)used in the manufacture of urea are highwith a built-in cascading effect. On theother hand, the tax liability on the out-put (urea) is low not just because of muchlower GST at five per cent but also dueto lower MRP. Likewise, tax paid on rawmaterials and intermediates (mainlyammonia and phosphoric acid) used inthe making of non-urea fertilisers is higheven as tax on output is low for the samereason. This inevitably results in unab-sorbed input tax credit as output tax fallsfar short of input tax.

Considering the adverse effect ofreimbursing the unabsorbed input taxcredit on tax collection, particularly at thecurrent juncture when the exchequer isfacing a huge shortfall, the Governmentmay not be inclined to sanction it (in caseof telecom service providers) or delay asfor fertiliser manufacturers. But, theadverse impact of rejection/delayedrelease on service providers/manufactur-ers can’t be brushed aside either. Whatthen is the way forward?

Ideally, the Government shouldmaintain tax on the final product at thesame rate (or higher) than the rate on rawmaterials/intermediates so that there issufficient tax liability on the former toenable automatic neutralisation of the taxpaid on the latter.

Accordingly, it should levy GST ongas (by removing the current zero ratestatus) and bring electricity under GSTand tax both at five per cent, i.e. the sameas on fertilisers. GST on ammonia andphosphoric acid should also be broughtdown from the existing 18 per cent and12 per cent respectively to five per centon each. While making these changesmay take some time (particularly in viewof resistance from States), in the mean-

while, the Government should takesteps to promptly release pending un-availed input tax credit to fertilisermanufacturers. The position in case oftelecom service providers, however, is dif-ferent.

Here, the output tax liability isinsufficient to fully offset the input taxmainly because of the rock bottom tar-iff due to “unhealthy” and “destructive”competition (this was not mandatedunder any law or Government regula-tion) unlike fertilisers where as matter ofconscious policy, the selling price is con-trolled at a low level to make them afford-able to farmers. Nevertheless, it can’t bedenied that service providers haveincurred excess input tax credit and notrefunding the same will go against thevery spirit of GST.

The pending excess input tax cred-it of `36,000 crore may be refunded tothe telecom service providers. With tar-iff being increased by all service providersand even the sector regulator TelecomRegulatory Authority of India (TRAI)contemplating a floor tariff (to bring asemblance of discipline to the market)hopefully, such a situation may notunfold in the future.

In fertilisers with the changes in taxstructure — as proposed — and movetowards direct benefit transfer (DBT) offertiliser subsidy which will lift theMRP, the output tax liability will be insync with tax paid on inputs.

Notwithstanding the above, situa-tions of mismatch can’t entirely be ruledout. To address these, the Governmentshould consider amending GST law toallow refund of excess input tax creditand eventually match the output tax lia-bility. Meanwhile, it should intensifyefforts (including use of data analytics)to identify and crack down on fake claimsof input tax credit to shore up its revenue.

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

The unabsorbed input tax credit dilemma in the Goods and Services Tax issomething that the Council needs to address urgently

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

Shift to EVs, E2Wsis inevitable

But it must be done gradually by giving theindustry time to develop competitive products

and the country to set up charging infrastructure

UTTAM GUPTA

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD LEVY

GST ON GAS (BY REMOVINGTHE CURRENT

ZERO RATESTATUS)

AND BRINGELECTRICITYUNDER GST

AND TAX BOTH ATFIVE PER CENT, I.E.

THE SAME AS ONFERTILISERS.

GST ON AMMONIAAND PHOSPHORIC

ACID SHOULDALSO BE BROUGHT

DOWN FROM THEEXISTING

18 PER CENT AND12 PER CENT

RESPECTIVELY TO FIVE PER CENT

ON EACH

Avast majority of Indians depend on two-wheelers to fulfil their mobil-ity needs. As per the 2011 census, 37 per cent people in India usingmotorised modes to commute to work relied on two-wheelers com-

pared to 33 per cent for buses and eight per cent for private cars. Thesenumbers on use of two-wheelers would have gone up by now, given thattheir sales have been going through the roof. In 2017, India became thelargest two-wheeler market, leaving behind China and in 2018-19 a whop-ping 21.1 million items were sold in the country, constituting 80 per centof total domestic automobile sales. The Government has been encour-aging the adoption of Electric Vehicle (EV) technology; and the Budget alsoannounced a bouquet of incentives for them. The NITI Aayog proposeda ban on internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered two-wheelers (below150cc) and three-wheelers by 2023-24. While a shift towards cleaner tech-nology is inevitable, the key to transitioning to EVs will be to develop aplan palatable to consumers, industry and policymakers alike.

The current electric two-wheeler (E2W) users are technology and envi-ronment enthusiasts who use them for leisure. However, ICE two-wheel-er use is associated with low and middle-income individuals. ICE tech-nology-users point to the lack of charging infrastructure, high battery costand unreliable battery life for not opting for E2Ws. Currently, the base pricedifferential of ICE two-wheelers and similar-performing E2Ws is almostthree times. Despite current policy incentives that help in reducing this gapto two or 1.5 times, this is still a barrier for E2W uptake. Analysis showsthat home and work charging will remain the most popular modes of recharg-ing E2Ws. Public charging stations are a feasible option for personal use,while battery-swapping stations are expected to find adoption only for highutilisation commercial applications. While the impact of EVs on powerdemand may not be substantial, managing peak hour loads will be criti-cal to support their use.

As the upfront cost of E2Ws remains prohibitive, the opportunity liesin the fact that their operational cost is nominal. In fact, the Total Cost ofOwnership (TCO) for some high vehicle utilisation applications like parcel/fooddeliveries is lower than ICE two-wheelers from the start. Easy financingoptions with low down payment can easily accelerate the adoption of E2Wsfor commercial applications. For personal use, high upfront cost and bat-tery replacement make the E2Ws financially unattractive. However, attrac-tive business models or financing options covering both battery replace-ment and upfront cost can make E2Ws attractive for personal use too.

Lack of high-performance EVs is a key challenge. One of the few EVproducts that can compete with Honda Activa is the Ather 450, availableonly in Bengaluru and Chennai. Currently, Ather Energy has an installedcapacity of 20,000-25,000 units but this is expected to expand to 500,000units by 2020. Even then, it will form a small proportion of the 20 million-plus two-wheeler market. The technology adoption curve shows that typ-ically technology mainstreaming follows an S-shaped trajectory with adop-tion growing faster over time. Also, the time taken for mainstreaming andmass adoption of technologies has been shrinking over time. While it tookaround 35 years for refrigerators to become mainstream, cell phones tookjust 15 years. EV penetration in India lies where cellphone adoption wasin 1995 and it might easily take another decade for EVs to go mainstream.

Given the existing financial viability, E2Ws should be promoted forhigh-utilisation commercial applications through easy financing with lowdown payment requirement. As financial viability is established for com-mercial operations, the Government should issue E2Ws procurement man-dates for commercial operations later. India would be shifting to BSVI vehi-cles from 2020. Automobile-makers, auto-part makers and oil refinerieshave made huge investments for this transition. A time period of three-four years should be provided to them to recover investments throughthe sale of BSVI vehicles. Majority of the announced and existing E2Wsmodels in India can compete with vehicles in less than the 125cc seg-ment only, whereas the customers are more inclined towards the 125-250cc segment in motorcycles. More time will also allow two-wheelermanufacturers to develop competitive products, expand E2W productionand allow time for supply chains to evolve to support after sales serviceand skeletal public charging infrastructure. Cities should take strong actionto encourage the use of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and location-spe-cific mandates should be developed. During this time, India should pushfor 100 per cent E2Ws adoption for commercial applications and for per-sonal use. Eventually, highly-competitive E2Ws would be available in thedomestic market and there will be a disruptive adoption of this technolo-gy. Transitioning to EVs is inevitable but it must be done gradually by giv-ing the industry time to develop competitive products and the country toset up charging infrastructure, EV supply chains and business models.

(Prakash is a Distinguished Fellow and Kumar is Area Convenor ,Centre for Sustainable Mobility, TERI)

Investing in adolescent health isessential to realising multiple sus-tainable development goals set by

the UN, to be achieved by 2030. Giventhat India houses more than 253 mil-lion adolescents, it is pertinent torealise that neglecting their health mayhave enormous implications for theuniversal healthcare agenda. A recentObserver Research Foundation andMinistry of Health and Family Welfareworkshop discussed the possibility ofscaling up best practices to addressissues of adolescent sexual and repro-ductive health amidst the continuedchallenges of early marriage, teenagepregnancies and high incidences ofmaternal mortality. It is understoodthat an adolescent’s health status will

be carried forward into their adult-hood. Therefore, the World HealthOrganisation’s (WHO’s) global strat-egy for investing in their health aimsto operate on three targets: Survive,Thrive and Transform. These targetsof putting an end to preventabledeaths, ensuring health and well-being and expanding an enablingenvironment, although tangible,require a concerted effort on behalf ofboth the Government as well as civilsociety.

Challenges concerning adoles-cent health in India are ever-mount-ing and have been progressing at analarming rate. Currently, it is amongthe top ten countries with the largestburden of teenage pregnancies, withnearly 27 per cent girls reported get-ting married before the age of 18 and31 per cent giving birth by 18. Teenagepregnancies at the current rate havebecome a national emergency thatneeds to be addressed as a priority.Issues of inequality, lack of choices,interpersonal and sexual violence andchild marriages are all underlying fac-tors that have contributed towardsteenage pregnancies and incidents of

maternal mortality. In this scenario, itbecomes important for us to under-stand the extent to which teenage preg-nancies can impact the health andnutrition of our future children, asmultiple studies have associated themto child undernutrition. The possibil-ity of teenage mothers being anaemic,underweight and having lesser accessto healthcare services is also largelyreported.

In order to address the concernsof adolescents, it is important that theyare represented in the dialogue. Allstakeholders must engage in educat-ing the population about the subjectof sexual and reproductive healtheducation and highlight the multi-sec-toral approach that will be necessaryfor improving adolescent health andbreaking inter-generational cycles ofdisease. Although there is a significantchange in the nutritional status interms of being overweight and obesebetween NFHS 3 and 4, with a rela-tive change of 75 per cent among girlsand 182 per cent among boys, we stillneed to echo its importance. In termsof teenage pregnancies, only 57 percent adolescents get registered during

the first trimester and only four percent receive ante-natal check-ups;showing that not only is there a pat-tern of early pregnancies but there isa setback in access to necessary ser-vices. There are situations where only11 per cent boys and three per centgirls aged between 15 to 24 report pre-marital sex.

An early intervention at the incep-tion of adolescence, that would steerthe progress of their health, should becarried forward to when they conceive,subsequently to when they bear a childat an age that is physically and emo-tionally mature. The high incidencesof substance abuse, deaths due to Non-Communicable Diseases and compli-cations during pregnancies and child-birth, are all reasons for us to re-eval-uate our approach.

Investing in adolescent healthhas to be taken up with a multi-sec-toral and multi-dimensional approach.The notion of the policymakers, exe-cutioners and civil society working insilos and their comfort zones needs tobe trumped as it nullifies the processand progress that comes out of shar-ing knowledge and communicating,

and makes the working of the compre-hensive plans redundant.

Schemes like the Rashtriya BalSwasthya Karyakram, that envisionschild health screening and early inter-vention services, will only prove fruit-ful when there is a convergenceamongst schools, social welfare depart-ments, State health departments andIntegrated Child DevelopmentServices to ensure that children con-tinue to receive their benefits even afterleaving school.

On the other hand, RashtriyaKishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK),has made huge strides in workingtowards adolescent health as it hasexpanded its scope by reaching out toboys and girls, both married andunmarried, in rural as well as urbanareas, and those who drop out ofschool and belong to marginalisedgroups. The programme also incorpo-rates nutrition, violence, substanceabuse/misuse, mental health and non-communicable diseases. The preven-tive, curative and routine check-ups atthe primary level and general care atsecondary and tertiary levels, are pro-vided under the scheme. Realising the

importance of family care and com-munity-based interventions, RKSKhas been driven with involvement ofcounselling, outreach programmes,and adolescent-friendly health centres.

There must be an acceptanceabout the naivete and the challengesof physical, cognitive, emotional andsocietal change adolescents face whilegrowing up. Family care plays a hugepart in easing the process of growthand streamlining the strides that needto be made towards their educationand health. Furthermore, the longergirls stay in schools, the lesser thechances of early marriages andunplanned pregnancies. This will havea positive impact on the female labourforce and the economy in the long run.There is an urgency with which wemust combat the deeply-entrenchedevils of child marriage, the conflict ofmedical termination of pregnanciesand the haste to prove fertility.

Putting in place a system thatmanages knowledge about menstru-ation, substance misuse, while equal-ly reaching out to boy and girls, withfamily and community-based inter-ventions has now become an absolute

necessity. A collaborative structureamong the stakeholders that allowscustomisation for a localised approachto region-specific problems, needs tobe adopted for better service delivery.

It is not just a technical reform thatis required but a societal and politicalone as well, as the issues are not justlimited to structure of the policy butto the structure of the institutions for-mulating and implementing them aswell.

Recently, Madhya Pradesh andUttar Pradesh launched the Saathi andSuper Saathi programmes, which seekto empower rural women and com-munities through increased access todigital resources that help in generat-ing awareness about health, educationand sanitation. By this measure, ourfocus needs to be on curtailing the cur-rent trends of teenage pregnancies,revamping schemes like RKSK toallow suitable customisation in orderto resolve ground-level region-specif-ic problems and make adolescenthealth services accessible outside med-ical centres.

(The writer is Junior Fellow withORF’s Health Initiative)

Harness the demographic dividendAll stakeholders must engage in educating the population about sexual and reproductive health and highlight the multi-sectoral

approach that will be necessary for improving adolescent health and breaking inter-generational cycles of disease

VASUNDHARA SINGH

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

MEGHAKUMAR

SHRIPRAKASH

PNS n NEW DELHI

NMDC has informed the steelministry about the confusionbeing created that the state-owned miner is being disin-vested, a government officialsaid. Some people for theirvested interest are spreadingrumours on social media andin general public that NMDCis being disinvested, which hascreated an atmosphere of con-fusion, its Chairman NBrijendra Kumar said lastFriday.

He also clarified that NMDCitself is just a stakeholder in

Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd(NINL)

Last week, the government

gave in-principle approval forstrategic sale of NINL by allow-ing PSU shareholders to sell

their stake in the steel compa-ny. NMDC has apprised thesteel ministry that confusion isbeing created and rumoursare being spread over the issue,the official said, while assuringaction against those who aremisleading the public.

"Still confusion is being cre-ated by some ppl regarding dis-investment in #NINL, a jointventure company of centraland state PSUs in the State ofOdhisha. The present deci-sion is not for the disinvest-ment of @nmdclimited . Irepeat No Disinvestment of#NMDC by the present deci-

sion," Kumar said in a tweet.He also said people must readthe government's decision withregard to NINL and under-stand that the decision is notrelated to divestment ofNMDC. Neelachal Ispat NigamLtd (NINL) is a joint venturecompany, in which four centralPSUs — MMTC, NationalMineral DevelopmentCorporation (NMDC), BharatHeavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL)and MECON — and twoOdisha government compa-nies, IPICOL and OdishaMining Corporation (OMC),are shareholders.

PNS n JAKARTA

Indonesia and the United ArabEmirates have struck nearlyUSD 23 billion in businessdeals, including agreements inthe energy sector and on infra-structure projects, theSoutheast Asian nation saidMonday. The investments willbe made through a newIndonesian sovereign wealthfund set to also involve Japan'sSoftbank and US InternationalDevelopment FinanceCorporation, Jakarta said,without elaborating.

The figure includes nearly adozen deals signed after ameeting between IndonesianPresident Joko Widodo andCrown Prince SheikhMohammed Bin Zayed in AbuDhabi over the weekend,Widodo said on social media.

About USD 12.6 billion waslinked to an agreementbetween Indonesia's state

energy firm Pertamina andAbu Dhabi National OilCompany to develop a petro-chemical plant in West Java,according to Indonesia's for-eign ministry.

Other investments includedeals in ports, renewable ener-gy and agriculture.

Indonesia's leader has saidhe will focus his second termon luring more foreign invest-ment to Southeast Asia'sbiggest economy and keep upa multi-billion-dollar infra-structure drive.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Leading stock exchanges BSEand NSE will suspend trading inshares of cafe chain operatorCoffee Day Enterprises andfraud-hit CG Power andIndustrial Solutions fromFebruary 3 for not complyingwith listing norms pertaining tosubmission of quarterly finan-cial results.

However, if companies com-ply with the provisions of list-ing norms on or before January29, trading in its securities willnot be suspended, BSE and NSEsaid in separate circulars.

The exchanges said thesefirms have not submitted thefinancial results for June 2019and September 2019 quarterand/or not paid the fine amountlevied for the non-compliance,as required under the listingnorms of Securities andExchange Board of India (Sebi).Consequently, trading in secu-

rities of these companies will besuspended with effect fromFebruary 3, 2020 "on account ofnon-compliance withRegulation 33 of Sebi (ListingObligations and DisclosureRequirements) Regulations,2015 for two consecutive quar-

ters — June 2019 andSeptember 2019." Regulation 33pertains to submission of finan-cial results. Also, the entirepromoter shareholding of thefirms have been frozen fromJanuary 10, till further notice,the exchanges said.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020 money 08

CAPSULE

BLR airport inks pactwith KUNZ GmbH, toget disabled aircraftNEW DELHI: BangaloreInternational AirportLimited (BIAL) has enteredinto an agreement with KUNZGmbH to manufacture, supply,commission and maintainspecialised DARE for theKempegowda InternationalAirport, Bengaluru (KIAB). Thecommissioning of thisequipment will make KIAB thefirst airport in the country withthe capability effect recovery ofdisabled aircraft up to Code Fcategory, enabling fasterresumption of operationsduring aircraft incidents onrunways, BIAL said in astatement. As part of thisagreement, KUNZ GmbH hasagreed to jointly establish acentre for disabled aircraftrecovery training with BIAL,making BLR Airport the first in the region to have such a facility.

Tata Power armbags Rs 1,505-crorder from NTPCNEW DELHI: Tata Power onMonday said that its wholly-owned arm has received Letterof award from NTPC for a 250mw solar project worth Rs1,505 crore. With this order,the order book of Tata PowerSolar stands at approximatelyRs 7,600 crore, includingexternal and internal orders."Tata Power Solar Systems... awholly owned subsidiary ofTata Power, has received letterof award (LoA) from NTPC fora 250 mw solar project underthe CPSU (central publicsector undertaking) scheme,"the power firm said in a filingto BSE. The total value of theorder is Rs 1,505 crore andthe completion period is 20months. "It is Tata PowerSolar's biggest single orderfrom a third party. Aligningwith the government's 'Makein India' mission and bringingtogether our core strengths indomestic manufacturing andengineering, procurement andconstruction services over thelast two decades," Tata PowerCEO and MD Praveer Sinhasaid.

JSW Steel's Q3 crude steel productiondeclines 5 PCNEW DELHI: JSW Steel onMonday said that its crudesteel output registered adecline of 4.9 per cent to 4.02million tonnes (MT) in thethird quarter of the ongoingfiscal. The company's crudesteel production in the year-ago period was 4.23 MT, thesteel major said in a filing toBSE. The production of flat-rolled products declined by1.3 per cent to 2.86 MT, whileproduction of long-rolledproducts declined by 14.4 percent at 0.89 MT in Q3 FY20, itsaid. JSW Steel is flagshipcompany of the diversifiedUSD 14 billion JSW Group.

However, if companies comply with theprovisions of listing norms on or beforeJanuary 29, trading in its securities will not be suspended, BSE and NSE said in separate circulars

PNS n NEW DELHI

India Ratings and Research(Ind-Ra) on Monday said thatproposed changes in the con-cession agreement of build-operate-transfer projects arepositive moves, but are inad-equate to revive the participa-tion of private sector in tollroad projects.

"Proposed changes in theconcession agreement of build-operate-transfer (BOT) pro-jects such as non-issuances ofwork orders until 90 per centland acquisition, de-scopingprovisions akin to hybrid annu-ity model (HAM) projects, andtransfer of projects afterlenders' approval are positive

moves," Ind-Ra said in a state-ment. However, they areunlikely to garner increasedprivate attention, given trafficrisks and termination paymentissues remain unaddressed, itsaid.

Delays in land acquisitionand approvals have led to sig-nificant delays in project com-pletion and have been theprime reason for significantcost overruns. Addressingthese issues by adopting thepractices implemented inHAM projects could reducesome of the key risks faced bythe developers, it said, addingthat the revised concessionagreement could delink oper-ations and construction peri-

od, as implemented in HAMprojects, which would pro-vide certainty of the toll col-lection period.

Arbitration processes for thesettlement of developer claimsin case of foreclosure havebeen dragged for years, leading

to significant lock-up of devel-opers' funds. The inclusion ofa dispute resolution board andtimely redressal within 90 daysare welcome steps, it stated.

Also, the provision to sub-stitute the concessionaire incase of a likely financial defaultwould help reduce the stuckprojects. However, the fast-track resolution of arbitration

awards remains a challenge, asthe decision of dispute resolu-tion board remains recom-mendatory in nature andcourts remain the arbitrationauthority for dispute resolutionfor claims above Rs 25 crore incase the parties do not agree ondispute resolution board forarbitration, it said.

Ind-Ra believes that the

tweaking of concession periodswould expose projects to eitherrefinancing risks in case ofextension of the concessionperiod or tail risks in case ofcurtailment of concession peri-od, as the financial closure isaccompanied with a definedrepayment schedule in linewith the original concessionperiod.

However, the same could beagain mitigated by using inno-vative debt structures such asflexi-repayment structures withlong tenor debts, deferrableprincipal repayments and pre-payment options linked to traf-fic performance.

Ind-Ra said that revisitingprovisions of termination pay-

ment in accordance with theprovisions associated withHAM and toll-operate-transfermodel would better protectlenders in case of eventualitiesand is likely to garner increasedprivate attention.

"HAM would remain thepreferred mode of privateinvestments for the sector, withthe investor sentiment remain-ing muted for the pre-qualifi-cation bids invited by NHAI inSeptember 2019 for BOT pro-jects and the subsequent exten-sions of bid submission dead-line," it added.

However, the pace of projectawards in the mode dependson NHAI's ability to mitigate itscash flow mismatches, it said.

Arbitration processes for the settlement of developer claims in caseof foreclosure have been dragged foryears, leading to significant lock-up of developers' funds

PNS n MUMBAI

The economic slowdown hasadversely impacted employ-ment generation in the coun-try as nearly 16 lakh less jobsare projected to be created inFY20 compared to 89.7 lakhfresh jobs in FY19, a reportsaid.

According to the SBIresearch report- Ecowrap,there is a decline in remittancesin a few states like Assam andRajasthan, reflecting downsiz-ing of contractual labourers.

"In FY19, India had created89.7 lakh new payrolls as perthe EPFO data. In FY20, as percurrent projected this numbercould be at least 15.8 lakhlower," the report said.

The EPFO data primarilycovers low paid jobs as thesalary is capped at Rs 15,000per month. As per the calcu-lation done by the report, dur-ing April-October 2019, theactual net new payroll was 43.1lakh which annualised comesout to be 73.9 lakh for FY20.

The EPFO data does notcover government jobs, stategovernment jobs and privatejobs as such data have movedto National Pension Scheme(NPS), beginning 2004.

"Interestingly, even in theNPS category, state and centralgovernment are supposed tocreate close to 39,000 jobs lessin FY20 as per current trends,"the report said.

It said a sample of data onremittances by migrant labour-ers to selected states in the lastone year showed that there isa decline in remittances in

states like Assam, Bihar,Rajasthan, Odisha and UP.

"The delay in resolution ofcases under bankruptcy pro-ceedings may have promptedcompanies to downsize theircontractual labourers," it said.

Over the years, migrationhas been an important liveli-hood option for both the poorand the non-poor in the coun-

try. As a result of unequalgrowth, people from agricul-turally and industrially less-developed states migrate tomore developed states insearch of job opportunities -for example from UttarPradesh, Bihar, the southernpart of Madhya Pradesh,Odisha, and Rajasthan to stateslike Punjab, Gujarat, andMaharashtra.

For a large number ofmigrants, New Delhi is amuch-favoured destinationdue to the abundance of jobopportunities, the report said.

"These migrants have beenmaking significant financialcontributions to their familiesin their places of origin," it said.

The report further said inthe last five years, the overallproductivity growth hasremained relatively stagnantbetween 9.4 per cent to 9.9 percent. This slow growth in pro-ductivity manifests in low wagegrowth, it said.

The report also cautionedthe policymakers of such slow-er productivity growth as itcould encourage over-bor-rowing by corporations andhouseholds, which can createa big risk to economies and fis-cal systems.

Economic slowdown has hit job sector: SBI

According to the SBI research report-Ecowrap, there is a decline inremittances in a few states likeAssam and Rajasthan, reflectingdownsizing of contractual labourers

PNS n NEW DELHI

India has imposed anti-subsidyduty for a period of five yearson copper wire rods fromIndonesia, Malaysia, Thailandand Vietnam after concludinga probe that these importshave impacted domestic play-ers. In a notification, thefinance ministry said that it hasimposed the anti-subsidy orcountervailing duty after con-sidering the final findings of

the commerce ministry's inves-tigating arm DirectorateGeneral of Trade Remedies(DGTR).

DGTR has recommendedimposition of the duty on theimports of 'continuous castcopper wire rods' from thesefour countries.

"The countervailing dutyimposed under this notifica-tion shall be levied for a peri-od of f ive years (unlessrevoked, superseded or

amended earlier)...," the noti-fication said.

In its probe, the DGTR hadconcluded that the productshave been exported to Indiafrom these countries at sub-sidised prices.

Last year, domestic playershad filed an application beforethe directorate stating allegedsubsidisation of the productsfrom these four nations, andrequested the initiation of ananti-subsidy investigation.

It had stated that the domes-tic industry has suffered mate-rial injury due to subsidisationof the product and the injuryhas been caused by the sub-sidised imports of the goodsoriginating in or exportedfrom these countries.

The duty imposed was in therange between 2.47 per centand 10.27 per cent on thelanded value of the product inIndia.

The petitioners had alleged

that the producers/exporters ofthe goods in these countrieshave benefitted from the"actionable subsidies" provid-ed at various levels by the gov-ernments of these countries.

Countervailing or anti-sub-sidy duty is a country-specif-ic duty which is imposed tosafeguard domestic industryagainst unfair trade subsidiesprovided by the local govern-ments of the exportingnations.

Anti-subsidy duty on import of copper wire rods from 4 nations imposed

PNS n NEW DELHI

Shares of Infosys on Mondayjumped over 5 per cent afterthe company reported a 23.7per cent rise in consolidatednet profit for the Decemberquarter.

Infosys on Friday said itsaudit committee has foundno evidence of financialimpropriety or executive mis-conduct, vir-tually givinga clean chitto CEO SalilParekh andC F ONilanjan Roywho wereaccused byanonymous whistleblowersof rigging the company's bal-ance sheet. The scrip climbed5.32 per cent to Rs 777.55 onthe BSE. On the NSE, itjumped 5.33 per cent to Rs777.50. It was the top gaineron both Sensex and Niftyduring morning trade.

The country's second-largest IT services major,after market hours on Friday,reported a 23.7 per cent rise

in consolidated net profit atRs 4,466 crore for theDecember quarter, which thecompany executives calledsatisfactory. The companyhad posted a net profit of Rs3,610 crore in the year-agoperiod, Infosys said in a BSEfiling. Its revenue grew 7.9per cent to Rs 23,092 crore inthe quarter under reviewfrom Rs 21,400 crore in the

correspondingperiod last fis-cal, it added.

The compa-ny has raisedits revenue out-look forFY2019-20 in

constant cur-rency to 10-10.5 per cent,from its topline guidance of9-10 per cent given inOctober. In October, Infosyshad informed stockexchanges of having receivedanonymous whistleblowercomplaints alleging certainunethical practices by thetop management. It thenstarted a probe into the mat-ter and roped in externalinvestigators.

Infosys sharesjump over 5% post

PNS n NEW DELHI

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) onMonday said its compactSUV Vitara Brezza hascrossed five lakh sales markwithin four years of itslaunch. The company hadshowcased the model at 2016Auto Expo.

"Designed and developedby the team at Maruti Suzukiusing Suzuki core technolo-gy, Vitara Brezza struck theright chord with Indian cus-tomers," MSI ExecutiveDirector (Marketing andSales) Shashank Srivastavasaid in a statement.

Sale of five lakh units injust 47 months is testimonyof the customers' increasingpreference for the compactSUV, he added.

Vitara Brezzacrosses 5 lakhsales milestone

BSE, NSE to suspend trading in Coffee Day Ent, CG Power from Feb 3

NMDC informs Steel Ministry about NMDC disinvestment rumours

Indonesia, UAE sign $23 bn investment deals

PNS n NEW DELHI

The commerce ministry hassought reduction in the importduty on gold in the forth-coming budget with a view topushing exports and manu-facturing of the gems andjewellery sector, a source said.

In its budget proposals, theministry has suggested itsfinance counterpart to con-sider a significant reduction inthe import duty on the yellowmetal, they said.

In the last Budget, the gov-ernment has increased theimport duty on the yellowmetal to 12.5 per cent.

The gems and jewelleryexport industry has soughtreduction in the import dutyto 4 per cent in the budget,which is scheduled to pre-sented on February 1.

Gold imports in Decemberdeclined sharply to 39 tonnes,from 152 tonnes in November.

India's gold imports, whichhave a bearing on the currentaccount deficit (CAD), fellabout 7 per cent to USD 20.57billion during April-November period of the ongo-ing financial year, according tothe commerce ministry data.

Imports of the yellow metalstood at USD 22.16 billion inthe same period of 2018-19.

The decline in gold importshas helped in narrowing thecountry's trade deficit to USD106.84 billion during the eight-month period under review asagainst USD 133.74 billion inthe year-ago months.

Gold import had been

recording a negative growthsince July this year. However,it grew about 5 per cent toUSD 1.84 billion in Octoberand 6.6 per cent to USD 2.94billion in November.

Commerce Ministryproposes cut in goldimport duty in Budget

Gold prices decline Rs 236 on globalselling, stronger rupeeNEW DELHI: Gold prices onMonday fell Rs 236 to Rs40,432 per 10 gram in thenational capital on globalselling and stronger rupee,according to HDFC Securities.The precious metal had closedat Rs 40,668 per 10 gram inthe previous trade. Silverprices also dropped Rs 376 toRs 47,635 per kg from Rs48,011 per kg in the previoustrade. "Spot gold of 24 karat inDelhi was trading Rs 236down on global selling andstronger rupee. The spot rupeewas trading around 13 paisestronger against the dollarduring the day," Tapan Patel,senior analyst (commodities),HDFC securities, said. Goldand silver in the internationalmarket were also trading lowerat USD 1,550 per ounce andUSD 17.97 per ounce,respectively.

Proposed concession changes inadequate to revive pvt sector

TuesdayJanuary 14, 2020

Follow us on@TheDailyPioneerfacebook.com/dailypioneer

ollywood seemsto be riding on anew wave thesedays and isbecoming anindustry that is

no longer driven exclusivelyby humongous budgets anda star cast. As short filmscarve a niche for them-selves, mainstream moviesare drawing inspirationfrom these concepts andstriving to create films thatare increasingly becomingmore content driven,instead of basing its successon just the ensemble cast.

While quite a few low-budget Bollywood movieslike Andhaadhun, TumhariSulu, Hindi Medium andStree have already createdripples at the box office,Tollywood has also had itsshare of low budget moviesthat have made it big. Forinstance Arjun Reddy wascreated at a modest budgetof Rs 4 crore, but went on togross over Rs 50 crore.

“Budget is not a limita-tion in Tollywood anymoreand filmmakers have morefreedom to create and publi-cise their story as long asthe content is good.

Moviegoers

nowadays are very thought-ful and smart with theirchoices and have evolvedwith the arrival of OTTplatforms which has result-ed in them craving for bet-ter content. From the per-spective of a director, I cantell that it takes skill to cre-ate a movie that’s worthwatching. The audiencedoes not care about thebudget or cast as much asthey care about whether ornot it’s worth spending theirtime and money on. Thisyearning is what madeKshanam make it to the bigscreen,” says P Ravikanth,director of the hit 2016Tollywood thriller

Kshanam.

Kshanam and Raju GariGadhi played a key role inbreaking the conventionalnotion of low-budgetmovies being better-suitedfor light-hearted rom-coms.

Several movies stand tes-tament to the rise of thisnew wave of cinema in theTelugu film industry whichencourage low-budgetmovies to also make its wayinto theatres and garnerattention. The 2016 releasePellichoopulu, directed byTharun Bhasker, was creat-ed at a modest budget of 2crores, but went on to grossover Rs 17 crore. Other suchfilms include UyyalaJampala which released in2013, Prema Katha Chitramand Meeku Matrame

Cheptha which came outlast year.

On the other handmovies such as Awe createda niche for small-budgetmovies by offering a uniquestory and introducing theaudience to fresher perspec-tives. The drama/sci-fiwhich was made under Rs 5crores grossed around Rs 25crores at the box office.

Several high profile actorsare now seen acting inmovies irrespective of thebudget. “A noticeable ten-dency in Tollywood cinemais how actresses are moredriven to experiment without-of-the-box content asthey crave for performance-driven roles,” says,Prashanth Varma, directorof the multi-starrer lowbudget movie Awe.

Awe starred multiplehigh-profile actressesincluding Kajal Agarwal,

Regina Cassandra andNithya Menen. “TheTollywood industry had forlong been assigning feebleroles to actresses. Content-driven movies on the otherhand offer them a greatscope to give a full-fledgedperformance and do justiceto their roles,” Prashanthadds.

“As quality is encouraged,the industry is weeded off ofnepotism. Star kids have toprove their mettle just likeother upcoming actors,hence recognising thenecessity of skill amongactors,” Prashant said.

“Working under hugebanners has its pros andcons. Working on a lowbudget can only offer somuch freedom when itcomes to experimentingwith the set, props andother necessities. But it gives

greater freedom for thedirector to explore, experi-ment and put his originalscript into production,thereby facilitating the free-dom of the director as anartist. Therefore the rise oflow budget movies encour-ages the cast and crew tolook above restricting them-selves and their concept tothe mainstream audience,”he concluded.

Based fromKrishna

district SPhanindraKumar is

doing soloruns to getminimum

support pricefor farmers,

and to createawareness

amongpeople on

various issuessuch as dowry

harassment,domestic

violence andmore, finds

V SATEESHREDDY

Tollywood, or anyfilm industry for that

matter, has alwaysfollowed the policyof bigger is better.Be it the cast, the

budget or thelocation. However,

the times arechanging. ANUSHKA

PRADEEP exploreshow films are

becoming morecontent driven and

less budget oriented

armer suicidesis somethingthat has beengrappling thecountry forages. Farmers

go through a tough timewhile producing a cropand sadly, many a times,they do not even makethe money they invested,leading to them takingextreme step of takingtheir own life. They arenot even getting mini-mum support price forthe crop. To createawareness about farmersuicides’ and to helpthem in getting mini-mum support price, SPhanindra Kumar fromKrishna district is doingsolo runs and meetingpeople. In 2018,Phanindra completed asolo run from TelanganaAssembly to AndhraPradesh Assembly, cov-ering a distance of 325

km within five days. Speaking to The

Pioneer, PhanindraKumar said, “I comefrom an agriculturalbackground and I wit-nessed many farmerscommitting suicide fornot getting minimumsupport price for theircrops. Even my fatherfaced many financial dif-ficulties due to farmingissues. I completed myengineering in 2012.Later, I wanted to dosomething for farmersand started the ‘Run ForFarmer’ activity to createawareness among peopleand officials about farm-ers’ issues.”

‘Kisan Rally’ by farm-ers from Nashik toMumbai in March 2018has what inspiredPhanindra to do some-thing for farmers in theTelugu states, which iswhen he has started a

solo run for them. Speaking about his

run from TelanganaAssembly to APAssembly, Phanindrasaid, “I started this runon April 14 and complet-ed it on April 18. I usedto start my run every dayat 6 am and continue till12 pm with short breaks.After lunch, I continuethe run from 3 pm to 11pm. During the process,I interacted with manyfarmers and governmentofficials and learnt aboutfarmers’ issues andsought their views insolving them. This wasmy daily routine for thefive days of run. Uponreaching AndhraPradesh Assembly, I metthe then Andhra PradeshChief Minister NChandrababu Naidu andsubmitted my represen-tation on farmers issues.”

When asked about

whether the farmer wel-fare schemes like loanwaiver, Rythu Bandhuare benefitting the com-munity, Phanindra said,“Mostly, loan waiver andRythu Bandhu schemesare only helping farmerswho have land. Theseschemes are of no help totenant farmers. I wantthe governments to dosomething for tenantfarmers as well.”

After interacting withnumerous farmers,Phanindra feels that theimplementation of MSSwaminathan guidelinesfor farming in the coun-try can help them solvetheir issues.

Apart from fightingabout farmers’ issues,Phanindra is also doinghis solo run to createawareness about dowryharassment, domesticviolence and more.

Phanindra who ran for

70 km last year forRakhi festival said, “I lost my sister todomestic violencerecently. I’m doing thisrun to create awarenessamong people aboutrespecting women andteaching them theimportance of girl childeducation and more.Dowry and domesticviolence cases areincreasing in our country every year. Ihope many will comeforward to join in mycause.”

Along with his soloruns, Phanindra alsoparticipates in longmarathons to inspireothers. “I’m planning todo my activities on alarger scale to reach towider audience. I will dothese activities till thefarmers get minimumsupport price,” he con-cluded.

F

T

HITTING THE ROAD FOR FARMERS

I come from an agriculturalbackground and I witnessedmany famers committingsuicide for not gettingminimum support price fortheir crops. Even my fatherfaced many financial difficultiesdue to farming issues. Icompleted my engineering in2012. Later, I wanted to dosomething for farmers andstarted the ‘Run For Farmer’activity to create awarenessamong people and officialsabout farmers’ issues

No moolah? No problem,now, content is the king

BUDGET IS NOT ALIMITATION INTOLLYWOODANYMORE ANDFILMMAKERSHAVE MOREFREEDOM TOCREATE ANDPUBLICISE THEIRSTORY AS LONG ASTHE CONTENT ISGOOD.MOVIEGOERSNOWADAYS AREVERY THOUGHTFULAND SMART WITHTHEIR CHOICES

10

Vijayawada Tuesday January 14, 2020 what’s brewing?

fter his divorcesettlement withsinger-actressMiley Cyrus, actorLiam Hemsworthhas moved on,

and confirmed his romancewith model Gabriella Brooks.

Liam, 30, was spotted kiss-ing the Australian model, 23,on the beach in Byron Bay inAustralia earlier this month.The photographs of the inti-mate moment were pub-lished by New Idea magazine,reports dailymail.co.uk.

After spending new year’seve together, Liam andGabriella were photographedtogether as they kissed andcuddled at the beach, andsoaked up the sunshine

together.Liam had also introduced

Gabriella to his parents,Craig and Leonie, in ByronBay over a family lunch inDecember.

According to a source toUS Weekly, Gabriella is pop-ular with Liam’s family.

“Liam feels comfortablewith Gabriella. His familyapproves of her and reallylikes her, which is veryimportant to him,” said thesource. It is unclear howLiam and Gabriella met, andwhen did they start dating.

The Hunger Games actorfiled for divorce in August2019 after less than a year ofmarriage. Liam cited “irrec-oncilable differences” as the

reason for the split. Theyreached divorce settlement inDecember.

“It’s a relief for both ofthem that they can move onlegally from one another andfully put this behind them,”a source had toldeonline.com.

“It was not a complicateddivorce because of their pre-nup and it was all handled byattorneys. Their earningswere kept separate while theywere married and that washelpful. They are both verymuch ready to move on anduntangle whatever affairswere left to figure out. Theyare happy to close this chap-ter of their lives,” added thesource.

It’s official: LiamHemsworth and GabriellaBrooks are in love

Are Farhan Akhtarand ShibaniDandekar all set toget married thisyear? It seems so,if what Farhan’s

father Javed Akhtar recentlysaid in an interview is to betaken as any sort of a hint.

When Times Of Indiaasked veteran writer-lyricistJaved Akhtar if Farhan andShibani were all set to tie theknot, he was non-committaland yet left just that wee bitof a hint to suggest allrumours might just be true.

“I have just heard it fromyou. I was with Farhan on hisbirthday, which was the day

before yesterday. He didn’t tellme anything about this. Butyou never know, children canbe very secretive,” JavedAkhtar told TOI. When askedabout Farhan and Shibani.

Talks of Farhan andShibani being all set to getmarried this year startedtrending a while back whenthe tabloid Mumbai Mirrorran a report suggesting asmuch. The Mirror reportadded the duo was finalisinga wedding date, and wouldprobably settle down as soonas Farhan’s upcoming filmToofan is released. For therecord, the film is slated toopen on October 2.

However, the reportremained vague saying theycould also get married beforethe film’s release. “The plan isto get married towards theyear-end, after the release ofFarhan’s next, Toofan. Butthey might spring a surpriseby tying the knot earlier thanthat.”

According to TOI, JavedAkhtar is very impressedwith Shibani. “I have met hermany times. She is a verysweet girl,” he said.

Farhan was previouslymarried to celebrity hairstyl-ist Adhuna Bhabani, withwhom he has two daughters,Shakya and Akira.

Farhan-Shibani to wedafter Toofan release?A

tar Wars iconMark Hamillhas joined thelist of high-pro-file celebritieswho quit

Facebook in protestagainst allowing politicalads and spread of misin-formation on its platform.

Hamill took to Twitteron Sunday to announcethat he would delete hisFacebook account.

“So disappointed thatMark Zuckerberg valuesprofit more than truthful-ness that I’ve decided todelete my Facebookaccount,” Hamill tweeted.

“I know this is a big‘Who cares?’ for the worldat large, but I’ll sleep bet-ter at night,” he added.

Actor Sacha BaronCohen in November wrotean article on regulatingthe social networking plat-form in the WashingtonPost. His followers sup-ported the decision todelete Facebook.

“I deleted Facebookeight months ago and itfeels great. Zuckerberg ismaking billions anddestroying democracy inthe process,” respondedone user.

“Facebook has becomean empire. Like the veryone you destroyed,” tweet-ed another.

Hamill is known forplaying Luke Skywalker inthe Star Wars series,which won him the SaturnAward for Best Actorthree times.

The #DeleteFacebookmovement started afterthe infamous CambridgeAnalytica data scandal.

“What’s Facebook?”Elon Musk tweeted lastyear, sarcastically repliedto a tweet from WhatsAppco-founder Brian Actonurging his followers todelete Facebook by tweet-ing: “It is time.”

Musk removed SpaceX,Tesla and his own officialpages from Facebook.

Star Wars iconMark Hamilldeletes Facebookaccount

S

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

ijay Deverakonda, who will begin PuriJagannadh’s Fighter shortly in Mumbai,has undertaken an extensive prep for thefilm. The makers of the film have hiredthe services of 15 trainers from Thailandto train Deverakonda in mixed martial

arts and other fight forms. The actor will be seen as amartial arts exponent in the film, an emotionalaction-drama to be shot in Hindi and Telugu simul-taneously. He is also on a strict diet-regime. “Thetrainers will fly down to Mumbai to train the actorfurther if a need arises. However, hisdiet regimen will be moni-tored all throughout theshoot. He needs to be infine shape for the pro-ject,” said a source.

Meanwhile,Deverakonda will shiftattention to promotinghis Valentine’s Dayrelease World FamousLover from January-end.He will rejoin the sets ofFighter during the fourthweek of next monthagain.

mmediately afterthe success of 118,a thriller, releasedlast March,Kalyanram listenedto many stories

including some remakes forhis next assignment. He waseven narrated a couple ofthrillers but it has been a casewith him to not repeat genresback-to-back. “Around thesame time producer SivalenkaKrishna Prasad approachedme to watch Gujarati filmOxygen. Except for the corepoint, I didn’t like other ele-ments of the film but he toldme that director SatishVegesna was giving it a com-plete tweak and making itmore commercial. Vegesnagaru gave me a complete nar-ration in May and I wasfloored. I pronto gave my con-

sent and we went to floors acouple of months later,” theactor says.

In fact, the actor was alsoyearning to front a family filmfrom a long time. “I remembermy wife Swathi, after watchingShatamanam Bhavathi, askingme why I don’t associate withfamily films. I told her I cando one if a director is con-vinced that I fit the story. Asluck would have it, Prasadgaru and Vegesna garu cameup with a family story. I’veeven shared the film’s storywith my wife,” he recalls.

He will be seen playing anextremely positive character inEntha Manchi Vaadavuraa(EMV). “My part believes ingiving and in spreading posi-tivity around him. The film ishis journey; how he enters dif-ferent people’s lives and

changes their situations forgood. The character requiredme to be the way I’m in reallife. The only directiveVegesna garu gave me beforewe went to sets was that Ishould always have a smile onmy face irrespective of the sit-uations I’m in,” he points out,adding that Vegesna initiallyconsidered All Is Well as thefilm’s title. “I liked it as it wentalong with the story and mycharacterisation. However, Iwanted certain Teluguness tothe title like his previous filmsSrinivasa Kalyanam andShatamanam Bhavathi andasked if he can change it. Helater came up with EnthaManchi Vaadavuraa.”

He admits to be connectingto the script at a personallevel. “I like the atmosphere ofjoint families. We are people

of nine at homeand every day beforeI report to work I’d liketo spend an hour withthem over tea. The filmhas some episodeswhich connected to mepersonally,” he shares.

Set to release tomorrow,EVM will round off theSankranti releases. Withfilms like SarileruNeekevvaru and AlaVaikunthapuramlo openingto positive word-of-mouth,isn’t he worried about losingtheatres in the second week?“I’m happy with the numberof screens we are getting.Given our budget, it willwork out for us,” the actor,who will be teaming up withdebutant Vasisth Mallidi for afantasy drama up next,asserts, signing off.

The actor whowas yearning to

front a family filmfrom a long time

speaks to themedia about

Entha ManchiVaadavuraa, how

he banked therole and others,

reports NAGARAJGOUD

Vijayawada Tuesday January 14, 2020

I

11

tollywood

uperstar Mahesh Babuhas extended his “sin-cere thanks” to his fansand common audiencealike for embracingSarileru Neekevvaru. “I

was discussing film’s share with DilRaju garu on Sunday morning andthe number was a miracle.Audiences have felt that they’vewatched a Dookudu Mahesh Babuagain,” the actor said. He wasspeaking at the thanks meet of thefilm in Hyderabad over the week-end.

He added that he was extremelytouched with the way his and hisdad superstar Krishna’s fans havetaken to his performance in thefilm. “The entire credit goes todirector Anil Ravipudi. I didn’texpect my turn to receive such areaction but he did, from thebeginning. My wholeheartedthanks to him,” he informed.

He was particularly pleased withthe reception his dance received forMind block number. “The reactionI got for it was more than what Iget for a super duper hit film. Ican’t believe it. I don’t know whatDevi and Sekhar master thought…I didn’t get such a reaction in my20-years career. I’m joyous,” he stated.

Role in EMV required me to be the way I am in real life: KALYANRAM

DEVERAKONDA

trains in mixedmartial arts forFighter

VS

MAHESHin disbelief

A HAPPY BUNCHith Ala Vaikunthapuramlo grossing Rs85 crore on day one, the cast and crewof the film were all smiles at the thanksmeet of the film in Hyderabad onMonday. Director Trivikram Srinivas

and Allu Arjun went on a thanking spree sin-gling out major technicians and actors of the filmand lauding their work. Bunny said that after hislast release Naa Peru Surya-Naa Illu India, hewas toying with the idea of starring in a massivebig-budgeted entertainer and only director thatcrossed his mind to helm it was Trivikram. “Thisis our hat-trick but we will continue to collabo-rate in the future. It will be a long journey for ustogether,” he said. The likes of Allu Aravind,Rajendra Prasad, Brahmanandam, TanikellaBharani, Sunil, Navdeep, Harsha Vardhan,Sushanth, SS Thaman, Pooja Hedge among oth-ers were also spotted at the do. The film’s unithas planned a massive success event inVisakhapatnam on January 18.

W

fter tasting suc-cess with serieslike G.O.D,Kailasapuram,Mrs.Subbalakshmi,

NERD, Hawala, B.Tech,Ekkadiki E Parugu, What’sup Panimanishi, ChitraVichitram and NannaKoochi, ZEE5 hasannounced a stellar line-upfor Telugu Originals in 2020as well. Their first show,Chadarangam, starring

Srikanth, will start stream-ing on their app fromFebruary 20. An intensepolitical drama which show-cases how an actor turnspolitician to serve his peo-ple, it highlights the layers ofmanipulations involved andhow greed supersedes thegoal of serving his own peo-ple. Produced by VishnuManchu under 24 framesfactory banner and directedby Raj Anantha, it featuresSunaina and Nagineedu key

roles. It will be followed byLoser, a sports drama whichspans three stories in differ-ent timelines. Produced byAnnapurna Studios, it nar-rates the life an aspiringcricketer, badminton player,rifle shooter and their strug-gles. Starring Priyadarshi,Shayaji Shinde, Sashan andKalpika, the series, compris-ing 10 episodes, is slated torelease in March.

Amrutham Dvitheeyamwill follow soon after-in

March. Sequel to one of themost popular shows onTelugu TV Amrutham,which aired from 2001 -2007, the series is bringingback the original cast ofHarsha Vardhan,Sivannarayana and VasuInturi. LB Sriram will be fill-ing in the shoes of late GHanumantha Rao, whileSatya Krishna will be seen asHarsha’s wife. Originalwriter Gunnam Gangarajuhas penned the sequel as

well, while SandeepGunnam is directing it.

The last on the app’s list isShankar Mathand-directedExpiry Date, a crime thrillerabout a loving husband whomercilessly kills his wife forcheating on him. Producedby Sharrath Marar underNorthstar Entertainmentbanner, it features SnehaUllal, Madhu Shalini, TonyLuke and Ali Reza in pivotalroles. It is scheduled torelease in June.

ZEE5 announces 4 Telugu originals across genres

A

PTI n CHENNAI

Adisciplined bowling efforthelped Mumbai reduce

Tamil Nadu to 249 for 7 intheir first innings to takecontrol of their Ranji TrophyGroup B match on Monday.

Tamil Nadu now trail by239 runs at stumps on thethird and penultimate day.Mumbai had earlier scored488 in first innings.

Shams Mulani (2/59),Tushar Deshpande (2/47) andRoyston Dias (2/34) took twowickets each for the visitors.

A middle-order collapsewhich saw the home sidelose three wickets without arun being scored reducedthem to 178 for 5 and subse-quently to 195 for 7 before theexperienced R Ashwin (32batting, 96 balls, 2 fours) andR Sai Kishore (17 batting)came up with a rearguardaction.

The two added 54 runsand played out the final ses-sion, frustrating Mumbai andmaking skipper Aditya Taretry out several bowlers.

JALAJ SSTARS IIN KKERALA WWINTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All-rounder Jalaj Saxena picked upseven wickets for 51 runs withhis off-spin to guide Kerala to a21-run win over Punjab in alow-scoring Group A match.

Chasing a meagre 146 runsfor win, Punjab lost wickets atregular intervals with Saxenaturning out to the star forKerala on the third and penul-

timate day of the four-daymatch.

Besides Saxena, left-armorthodox bowlers SijomonJoseph (2/37) and M DNidheesh (1/18) were the otherwicket takers as Kerala shot outPunjab for 124 in 46.1 overs intheir second innings.

Lower-order batsmenMayank Markande (23) andSiddharth Kaul (22) were the

top-scorers for Punjab even asskipper Mandeep Singh (10),Sanvir Singh (18) and GurkeeratSingh (18) failed miserably inwhat should have been an easychase.

Earlier, resuming at theovernight score of 88 for five,Kerala were bundled out for 136in 39.5 overs in their secondinnings, setting a gettable targetof 146 for Punjab.

Akshay Chandran top-scored with 31, while Kaul(5/39) and Gurkeerat (4/4/45)shone with the ball for Punjab.

Kerala pocketed six pointsby virtue of the outright win.

In Ongole, Andhra needseven more wickets on the finalday to register an innings winover Hyderabad.

At stumps, Hyderabad arestill trailing Andhra by 219runs with seven wickets inhand.

In Jaipur, Rajasthan made327 for seven in their firstinnings in reply to Gujarat’s 325.

HARYANA TTHREE WWICKETSROHTAK: Odisha needed 32runs while Haryana requiredthree wickets, leaving theirGroup C clash tantalisinglypoised.

As many as 12 wicketstumbled at the ChaudharyBansi Lal Cricket Stadium inLahli with Odisha mediumpacer Suryakant Pradhanclaiming 5/86 and also effectinga run-out to help Odisha seizecontrol in the first hour.

Folded for 90 in their firstinnings, Haryana staged a fight-back to see through the secondday on 218 for five.

But Pradhan’s stupendousbowling ensured that they lostthe remaining five wickets for30 runs inside the first hour, set-ting a paltry target of 179.

It was time for Haryanamedium pacer Ajit Chahal tograb the limelight with his 6/65as Odisha made a mockery ofthe chase to find themselvesreeling at 147/7 at close of play.

PTI n MUMBAI

With skipper Virat Kohli step-ping in to resolve India’s

opening puzzle, the formidablehosts will look to ensure that theirenviable home run remains intactagainst a full-strength Australiawhen the two teams clash in anODI series starting at Wankhedestadium today.

Kohli said he has no hesitationcoming down the order to ensurethat KL Rahul’s consistency andShikhar Dhawan’s experience areboth accommodated in the Indianplaying XI.

“...Big possibility. I would bevery happy to do so. Look I am notpossessive about where I play. I amnot insecure about where I bat,”Kohli said.

At a time when bilateral ODIseries are fast losing relevance, thethree-match rubber between twotop teams could give a fresh leaseof life to the format.

The high-voltage rivalries thatfans enjoy will be back as RohitSharma’s elegance will be pittedagainst enforcer David Warnerwhile the Virat Kohli vs SteveSmith duel will resume in earnest.

India’s hungry-for-wickets paceattack led by Jasprit Bumrah,Mohammed Shami and NavdeepSaini is ready to test the Australianswith subtle variations.

On the other hand, IPL’s costli-est foreign recruit Pat Cummins,the crafty Kane Richardson and theever-dependable Mitchell Starcwill leave no stoneunturned to make lifeuncomfortable for Kohliand his men.

Alex Carey’s gutsy batting andfaultless glove-work will face thechallenge of Rishabh Pant's flair.

The young MarnusLabuschagne, easily the most excit-ing talent spreading his wings onthe international cricket map withsome stellar performances in theTest arena, would like to replicatehis form in the shorter formats.

On current form, Rahul wasmiles ahead to partner RohitSharma at the top of the order butDhawan has had a phenomenalrecord in white ball cricket againstthe Aussies.

In fact, in their last meeting inthe ODI World Cup, it wasDhawan’s superb hundred thatpaved the way for an easy victoryfor the Indians.

But that was a good sevenmonths back and Dhawan, sincethen, endured a spate of injuries.He also lost form only to regain abit of it by scoring a half-centuryin the final T20 against Sri Lanka.

During World Cup, t i l lDhawan was around, KL Rahulbatted at No 4 as a stop-gap solu-tion but Shreyas Iyer has made theslot his own with a string of goodscores.

The Wankhede track is usual-ly a belter and India will certainly

not go with two wrist spinners con-sidering the fate they met duringthe last home series in March,which India lost 2-3.

Kuldeep Yadav, who has a hat-trick against Australia, is likely tobe preferred over YuzvendraChahal.

There is a strong possibilitythat this will be Kedar Jadhav’s lastODI series for India unless thepint-sized Pune right-hander doessomething extra special.

With buzz being about hisreluctance to bowl off-breaks inorder to enhance his IPL career, afew good scores will be required tokeep Ajinkya Rahane andSuryakumar Yadav out of equationwhen the Indian team for the ODIseries in New Zealand isannounced on January 19.

VIJAYAWADA | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2020 sport 12

MUMBAI: Ricky Ponting feels India will be eagerto redeem themselves but a confident Australiawill upstage Virat Kohli’s men 2-1 in the three-match ODI series.

The Aaron Finch-led side is brimmingwith confidence after an unprecedented homesummer that saw Australia register comprehen-sive series victories over Pakistan and NewZealand.

India, on the other hand, will look to

avenge their 2-3 loss to Australia at home inMarch last year.

Ponting, a former World Cup-winningAustralia skipper, responded to a variety ofquestions during an interactive session with hisfans on Twitter.

When a user asked him to predict the resultof the ODI series, Ponting backed his homecountry to emerge victorious.

“Australia will be full of confidence afteran excellent World Cup and a great summerof Test cricket but India will be keen to redeemthemselves from the last ODI series loss againstAustralia. Prediction: 2-1 Australia,” Pontingtweeted.

When asked about the debutant MarnusLabuschagne, who enjoyed a remarkable Testsummer, he said the youngster is an “overallpackage” and will carry his form in the limit-ed-overs format.

“I think he’ll do a great job for Australiain the middle-order. He’s a very good playerof spin, a very good runner between the wick-ets, gun in the field and can bowl some handyleg-spin, so the overall package is very appeal-ing.” PTI

PTI n NEW DELHI

Virat Kohli is a “far,far better” batsman

than Steve Smith as far aswhite-ball cricket is con-cerned, feels formerIndia opener GautamGambhir.

Kohli, with 11,000plus runs and 43 hun-dreds in ODIs, is wayahead of Smith who isclosing in on 4000 runswith eight three-figurescores.

“Virat Kohli is far farbetter than Steve Smithin white-ball cricket.There’s no comparison. Iwould not compareKohli to Smith in white-ball cricket. I wouldactually want to see what

spot Smith bats on,”Gambhir told hostbroadcaster Star Sports.

“Are they’re going topush him at No 4 orwould have him bat at 3and send Labuschagne atNo 4,” he added.

On the bowlingfront, Gambhir feels thatJasprit Bumrah andMohammed Shami cantrouble Aussie batsmenwith sheer pace.

“I’m really excited tosee how these two guysbowl against some of thetop batters like DavidWarner or Aaron Finchin that kind of form inwhite-ball cricket on flatwickets.

“But the best part isthat they have got pace.

They can actually getwickets with that sheerpace and the quicknessin the air as well,”Gambhir opined.

The former openerbelieves Shami is waymore effective on placidtracks like the one onoffer at the Wankhede.

“I’ve always believedthat when you’re playingon flacid wickets andsmaller grounds like theWankhede or Bangalore,your bowlers need tostep up. The kind ofform Shami is in, it’s a bigplus for India that he hasdone really well in white-ball cricket.

“Jasprit Bumrah iscoming back from injurybut he’s a quality bowler.”

PTI n MUMBAI

“Afish out of water is a dead fish” — This ishow Virender Sehwag described the

ICC’s plan to revamp Test cricket by shorten-ing it to four days, asserting that innovationshould not mean tinkering with the soul of theformat.

Delivering the ‘MAK Pataudi MemorialLecture’ at the annual BCCI awards on Sundaynight, Sehwag relied on some classic Hindiidioms to drive home the point that innovationin the longest form should stop at day/nightmatches.

“Chaar din ki chandni hoti hai, Test matchnahi...Jal ki machli jal main hi acchi hai, baharnikaloge toh mar jaegi,” he said in his inimitablestyle.

“...Test cricket ko chanda mama ke pass lejaa sakte hai. We can have Day-Night Test crick-et. If there is a day-night Test, maybe people willcome to watch game after office. Innovationsshould happen but within the five days. It shouldnot be shortened” he asserted.

The ICC will consider the proposal to makeTest cricket four-dayers during its cricket com-mittee meeting in March.

When the best collide

Shikhar Dhawan, left, chats with captain Virat Kohli as they attend a training session ahead of India’s 1st ODI against Australia in Mumbai AP

Multiple individual battle on cards as Men in Blue host Aussies in 1st ODI todayOpen to play D/N Testanywhere in Aus: Kohli PTI n MUMBAI

Months after Tim Paine’scheeky dig at him, Indian

captain Virat Kohli asserted thatthey are ready to play day/nightTest at any venue in Australialater this year.

“We’re ready and up for thechallenge — whether it’s Gabba,Perth... It doesn’t matter to us. It’sbecome a very exciting feature ofany Test series and we’re open toplaying day-night Tests,” Kohlisaid.

India played their maidenday/night Test againstBangladesh last November, win-ning the match with plenty oftime to spare at the EdenGardens.

“We played the day-nightTest here, we were pretty happywith how it went. We have theskill-sets as a team now to com-pete against anyone in the world,anywhere, in any format of thegame, whether it’s white ball, redball or pink ball, we’re ready toplay anything,” Kohli asserted.

Last year, when asked aboutit, Paine had sarcasticallyremarked that his Australianteam would need to ask Kohli ifhe was willing to play day/nightTest Down Under.

We'll certainly try and we'llhave to run that by Virat (Kohli).We'll get an answer from him at

some stage I’m sure. As I saidwe’ll ask Virat and see if we canget his permission to play hereand maybe even get a Pink-ballTest if he’s in a good mood. Painehad said.

FIVE-MMATCH TTEST SSERIESMELBOURNE: Spin legend ShaneWarne called for a five-matchTest series, including a day/nightgame between India andAustralia next season, after ViratKohli asserted that his side iswilling to play with the pink ballDown Under later this year.

India are scheduled to tourAustralia starting in Novemberwhich will include four Tests,three ODIs and as many T20s aspart of the calender cycle thatends in 2021.

Kohli’s statement promptedWarne to ask the BCCI andCricket Australia to schedule afive-match Test series instead offour between the two countriesin the next calender cycle begin-ning in 2023.

“I’ve said this before-but howgood would a 5 Test match seriesbetween Aust & India be nextseason. Bris Perth Adelaide D/NMelb & Syd. I hope both theBCCI & CA make it happen.Scheduling is not an excuse@BCCI @cricketcomau@imVkohli @tdpaine36@SGanguly99,” Warne tweeted.

India vs AustraliaLive from 1:30pm ISTSTAR SPORTS 1 NETWORK

INDIA-AUSTRALIA IN ODISVenue Played Aus won Ind won N/RIn Australia 51 36 13 2In India 61 29 27 5Total 137 77 50 10D/N matches 80 43 31 6Last 5 matches 5 3 2 —

HIGHEST IINNINGS TTOTALSIndia 383-6 in 50 overs at Bangalore 02-11-2013Australia 359-2 in 50 overs at Jo’burg 23-03-2003TOP IINDIVIDUAL SSCORESIndia 209 Rohit Sharma at Bangalore 02-11-2013 Australia 156 George Bailey at Nagpur 30-10-2013BEST BBOWLING FFIGURESIndia 6-27 Murali Kartik at Mumbai 17-10-2007Australia 6-39 Ken MacLeay at Nottingham 13-06-1983

FAISEL FEATURES

Bumrah doesn’t shyaway from hitting usin nets, reveals Virat

Jasprit Bumrah attends a training session AP

PTI nMUMBAI

Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t shy awayfrom targeting the batsmen’s head

or ribs in the nets, India skipper ViratKohli says about his lead pacer,whose intensity knows no boundseven at practice sessions.

“According to me he’s (Bumrah)the most skilful bowler in the worldin any format of the game. To playagainst him, he brings match inten-sity in the nets. He’s not shy of hittingus on the head or targeting our ribsevery now and then,” Kohli said.

Indian skipper shared the expe-rience of facing the top bowler in thenets, on the eve first ODI againstAustralia.

“He’s a proper, proper bowler andit’s always nice to play against the bestin the nets. I challenge myself to playwell against him, not every day doyou get to hit boundaries off Jaspritin the nets,” Kohli said.

Pandya trains with team, bowls at netsPTI nMUMBAI

All-rounder Hardik Pandya,who is on road to recovery,

took part in a practice session withthe Indian team at the WankhedeStadium on Monday.

Pandya was pulled out of theIndia A squad touring NewZealand at the last minute as he isyet recover fully from backsurgery.

He was first seen doing targetpractice of hitting the stumpsalong with skipper Virat Kohli andpace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Later, he bowled in the netsfor a while under the watchful eyesof bowling coach Bharat Arun. Hardik Pandya shares a fun moment with Indian teammates at Wankhede stadium on Monday PTI

Virat far better than Smithin white ball cricket: Gambhir

Windies sweep Ireland

Aus will win 2-1, predicts Ponting

Marnus Labuschagne prepares to bat at nets AP

‘Char din ki chandni hotihai, Test cricket nahi’Sehwag takes a dig at planned four-day Tests

Mumbai take control against TN

Dinesh Karthik plays shot against Mumbai during Ranji Trophy game PTI

Steve Smith arrives for training session PTI

Kieron Pollard poses with the winners’ trophy Windies/Twitter

AFP n GRENADA

Evin Lewis smashed a dazzling century as WestIndies defeated Ireland by five wickets on

Sunday to complete a 3-0 sweep of the one-dayinternational series.

Opener Lewis hit his third one-day ton off96 balls with six boundaries and five huge sixesat the National Stadium as West Indies reachedtheir rain-revised target of 197 with 64 balls tospare.

The 28-year-old, left-handed Lewis hadmade an unbeaten 99 in the first game.

“All the hard work I’ve done in the nets haspaid off,” Trinidadian Lewis said at the trophy pre-sentation.

“This was an opportunity for my first hun-dred in the Caribbean, and it’s great to get a serieswin. I’ve been hungry for runs.”

He reached his century with a midwicketflourish off medium-pacer Craig Young beforefalling next ball trying for a big drive.

Earlier, leg-spinner Hayden Walsh took fourwickets as Ireland were dismissed for 203.

Walsh, who starred with the bat with an unde-feated 46 in Thursday’s nail-biting one-wicket winin Barbados, finished with figures of 4-36.

DJ BBACK FFOR TT20SDwayne Bravo was recalled to the West Indies

squad, more than three years after his lastappearance as the Caribbean side build up to thedefence of their World Twenty20 title.

The 36-year-old all-rounder, a two-timeWorld T20 winner, was named in a 13-man squadfor a three-match series against Ireland.

“Dwayne Bravo was recalled with the specif-ic intention of bolstering our ‘death’ bowling whichwas identified as an area that really needsimproving,” said chief selector Roger Harper.

“His record in this department speaks foritself. He will also be able to act as a mentor tothe other ‘death’ bowlers and lend his experiencewherever needed.”