2

www.dailypioneer.com

RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

Established 1864Published From

HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN VIJAYAWADA

*LATE CITY VOL. 4 ISSUE 11*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

MONEY 8SENSEX, NIFTY RACE TO NEW PEAKS AS

BULLS RULE 7TH DAY; IT STOCKS SPARKLE

ANALYSIS 7THE AIR INDIA SALE :

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

SPORTS 12WILL BAT AT NO. 3, KL TOOPEN WITH ROHIT: KOHLI

}NAGARJUNA

WANTS TO DOMORE ACTION

DRAMA

Page 11{

HYDERABAD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

K’TAKA CONG'S ‘ANGOOTHA-CHHAAP’JIBE ON PM SPARKS POLITICAL ROW

Bitter political sparring in Karnataka ahead of two by-polls touched a new low today as the Congressattacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "angootha-

chhaap" or illiterate. "Congress built schools but Modinever went to study. Congress even set up schemes foradults to learn, Modi didn't learn there too. People whochose to beg for a living despite beggary being prohibitedare today pushing citizens to beggary. Country is sufferingbecause of "#angoothachhaap modi," the KarnatakaCongress tweeted in Kannada.

CENTRAL RAILWAY SETS UP‘RESTAURANT ON WHEELS' AT CSMT

The Central Railway (CR) has set up a ‘Restaurant onWheels' at the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji MaharajTerminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai, which it said will

offer a unique experience to diners inside the coachmounted on rails, an official said on Monday. According toa release issued by the CR, this restaurant has been madeusing a discarded rail coach which will become a landmarkeating house in this area. "The restaurant will be a fine-dining place offering a unique experience to diners and willaccommodate 40 patrons inside the coach with 10 tables.

PUNJAB CABINET OPPOSES DECISIONTO EXTEND JURISDICTION OF BSF

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi onMonday said the state Cabinet took a serious view ofCentre's move to extend the BSF's area of jurisdiction

in the state, saying law and order is a state subject and thepolice force is capable of dealing with any situation. TheCentre has amended the BSF Act to authorise the force toundertake search, seizure and arrest within a 50 km stret-ch, up from the existing 15 km, from the international bor-der in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam. "We are completelyagainst it. Law and order is a state subject,” Channi said.

OPPOSITION PUTTING HURDLES INDEVELOPMENT AGENDA: JP NADDA

Accusing opposition parties of trying to put hurdles inthe government's agenda of development, BJP presid-ent J P Nadda said on Monday that his party has

worked for the nation keeping in mind not only "politicalindicators" but also "social indicators". In his address at theBJP's national office bearers meeting, Nadda cited its wel-fare measures during the Covid-19 pandemic coupled withthe agenda of development and pro-poor programmes likefree grains, and asserted that the ruling party has workedto change the definition of politics, official sources said.

HHYYDDEERRAABBAADDWWEEAATTHHEERR

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated OCTOBER 18, 2021 5:00 PM

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Partly cloudyTTeemmpp:: 30/20HHuummiiddiittyy:: 61%SSuunnrriissee:: 6:10 amSSuunnsseett:: 05:51 pm

AALLMMAANNAACC

TTOODDAAYY

Month & Paksham:

Ashwin & Shukla Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Chaturdashi 19:02

Nakshatram : Uttara Bhadrapada 12:12

Time to Avoid : Time to Avoid (Bad

time to start any important work)

Rahukalam : 2:54 pm - 4:21 pm

Yamagandam : 9:07 am - 10:34 am

Varjyam : 1:07 am - 2:50 am

Gulika : 12:00 pm - 1:27 pm

Good Time : (to start any important work)

Amritakalam : 7:08 am - 8:49 am

Abhijit Muhurtham : 11:37 am - 12:24 pm

Hyd now 2nd most expensive housing marketMajority sales happened in Bachupally, Tellapur, Gandipet, Dundigal and Miyapur

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Buying houses has become dearerin Hyderabad, so much so that thecity is now the second-most expen-sive realty market after Mumbai.

According to a quarterly analy-sis of India’s prime residential mar-kets by property brokerage firmwww.PropTiger.com, average prop-erty value of new property inHyderabad has risen annually by 3percent in the July-September peri-od of 2021 (Q32021), bringing theper-square-foot (psf) property rateto Rs 5,751.

In terms of average rates, thisannual appreciation has now made

Hyderabad the most expensiveproperty market after the Mumbai

Metropolitan Region (MMR),where the average rate stood at Rs

9,670 psf.Despite the price increase,

demand for property in Hyderabadcontinues to be robust which isreflected not only in the salesnumbers but also in the city’s res-idential inventory. Localities wherethe majority of sales were concen-trated in this quarter includedBachupally, Tellapur, Gandipet,Dundigal and Miyapur, etc.

During the July-September quar-ter of 2021, a total of 7,812 unitswere sold across the city, demon-strating an upswing of 222 percentquarter-on-quarter and 140 percentyear-on-year.

Price growth: City-wise break-up

Ahm

edab

adC

ity

3,30

0 -

3,50

08%

4%5,

400

- 5,

600 5,

300

- 5,

500

4,30

0 -

4,50

0

5,80

0 -

6,00

0

5,00

0 -5

,200

6,20

0 -

6,40

0

4,10

0 -

4,30

0

9,60

0 -

9,80

0

Ban

galo

re

Che

nnai

Del

hi N

CR

Hyd

erab

ad

Kol

kata

Mum

bai

Pun

e

Pan

Ind

ia

3%

5%

6%

2%

3%

4%

5%

Average price as on September30, 2021 (in Rs per square foot)

Annualgrowth in %

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Election Commission hasdirected that the implementation ofthe Telangana government's 'DalitBandhu' scheme be stopped inHuzurabad Assembly constituen-cy till the October 30 bypoll is over,officials sources said on Monday.

The Commission's instructionsin this regard have been commu-nicated by the State Chief ElectoralOfficer's office here to the districtofficials who are conducting theelection, the sources said.

The State government is present-ly implementing the 'Dalit Bandhu'scheme on a pilot basis inHuzurabad and a few other placesin the State.

Under the flagship Dalit welfare

scheme, Rs 10 lakh is provided toeach beneficiary to start a businessof his/her choice so that the ben-eficiary can emerge out of pover-ty.

The bypoll has been necessitat-ed in view of the resignation ofEatala Rajender following hisremoval from the State Cabinetover allegations of land-grabbing.

Rs 250 cr releasedfor Dalit Bandhu infour mandalsT

he government on Mondayreleased another Rs 250 crore

for the Dalit Bandhu scheme. Ofthe Rs 250 crore, Rs 100 crorewould be for Chintakani mandal ofMadhira constituency, Rs 50 crorefor Tirmalagiri mandal in Thungat-hurthy constituency, Rs 50 crorefor Charakonda mandal ofAtchampeta and Kalwakurthyconstituencies, and Rs 50 crorefor Nizam Sagar mandal of Jukkalconstituency.

KCR likely toreveal Yadadrireopening date todayPNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K ChandrasekharRao will leave for Yadadri onTuesday to review and inspect theongoing renovation works at thetemple.

As the works of Yadadri tem-ple are almost nearing comple-tion, the Chief Minister will onceagain inspect and review thereconstruction works.

Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy hadalready fixed the auspicious timeand date for the reopening of thetemple.

KCR is expected to announcethe details and dates of thereopening of the renovatedYadadri temple.

The Chief Minister will alsoannounce dates and timings of SriMaha Sudarshan Yagam to beheld as part of the reopening cer-emony.

Despite fines, flexis by followersof politicians continue to pop up PNS n HYDERABAD

The trend of installing banners andpasting posters has been increasingin Hyderabad over the past fewweeks, much to the discomfiture ofcitizens.

Cut-outs bearing pictures ofChief Minister K ChandrasekharRao, and TRS leaders KT RamaRao, Harish Rao, J Santosh, Kavithaalongside local leaders were usedduring the Bonalu celebrations ona massive scale. Now, a plethora offlexis welcoming MothukupalliNarsimhulu to the TRS fold havesprung up across the city.Streetlights have been turned intoflexi-holders on the road medians,so much so that they sometimesblock the view and thus pose a dan-ger to commuters.

While locals keep objecting toflex banners being put up in theirarea, they are of the opinion thatthe civic body drastically failed tocontrol flex boards, banners andcutouts.

Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi

Gandhi’s birthday was celebratedwith pomp last week and bannersappeared across the constituencies.Vigilant netizens raised complaintswith EV&DM over the posters andfines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs20,000 were imposed on the localleaders who proudly claimed tohave installed the flexis.

Fines were also imposed onpeople who installed posters wish-ing people on Bathukamma, bear-ing the images of TRS leaders atKacheguda, Chappal bazaar andKukatpally.

On Monday, several flexis wel-coming Mothukupalli sprang upacross multiple locations in the cityincluding areas like Begumpet,Somajiguda, Nagarjuna Circle toJubilee Check post

Hyderabad Intellectuals Forumtweeted, “Any special permissiongranted for setting up flexis wel-coming Mothukupalli into TRS? Orare they exempted from penalisa-tion? Right from Nagarjuna Circletowards Jubilee check post this wasthe scene on Monday morning.”

Interestingly, only TRS relatedbanners were being posted onlineby netizens and fined by EV&DMover the past one week.

The famous Alpha hotel atSecunderabad was fined Rs 75,000for displaying a hoarding of morethan 15 feet height and unautho-rised erection of five banners.

EC halts ‘Dalit Bandhu'

WHO says it ‘cannot cut corners' for CovaxinPNS n GENEVA

The World Health Organization onMonday asked for further datafrom India's Bharat Biotech toconsider the company's request foran emergency-use listing for itsCOVID-19 shot, saying the WHOcould not "cut corners" in makinga decision.

The World Health Organisationsaid on Monday that it is expect-ing one additional piece of infor-mation from Bharat Biotechregarding its COVID-19 vaccineCOVAXIN' and emphasised that it

has to thoroughly evaluate toensure vaccines are safe and can-not cut corners before rec-ommending a vaccinefor emergency use.

H y d e r a b a d -based BharatBiotech, whichhas developedCovaxin, had sub-mitted EOI(Expression ofInterest) to theWorld HealthOrganisation on April 19for its vaccine.

"We are aware that many peopleare waiting for WHO's recommen-

dation for Covaxin to beincluded in the #COVID-

19 Emergency UseListing, but we cannotcut corners - beforerecommending aproduct for emer-gency use, we mustevaluate it thorough-

ly to make sure it is safeand effective, the global

health organisation saidin a tweet.

"Bharat Biotech - the manufac-

turer of Covaxin - has been sub-mitting data to WHO on a rollingbasis and WHO experts havereviewed these data. WHO isexpecting one additional piece ofinformation from the companytoday, it said.

The WHO's tweet came a dayafter its chief scientist SoumyaSwaminathan said that the agency'stechnical advisory group will meeton October 26 to consider theemergency use listing of India'sCovaxin which is being used in thecountry's nationwide anti-COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Four arrested, includingman in SUV that moweddown protesting farmersPNS n LAKHIMPUR KHERI

The Uttar Pradesh police onMonday apprehended four morepersons, including a BJP worker,over the Lakhimpur Kheriviolence, taking the number ofarrests in the episode to 10, saidofficials.

Union Minister Ajay Mishra'sson Ashish Mishra along withothers accused in the case werealso sent into judicial custodyfrom police custody on Monday,the officials said.

Eight persons, including fourfarmers, were killed in theOctober 3 violence during afarmers' protest in the Tikoniaarea of the district, with theincident snowballing into a majorpolitical controversy over thealleged involvement of the Unionminister's son.

Four persons were arrested on

Monday by the Crime Branch ofthe Lakhimpur Kheri policealong with the SWAT team. TheSIT investigators and othersenior officials are interrogatingthe accused and further probe isunderway, the UP police said in astatement.

Those held have beenidentified as Sumit Jaiswal, ShishiPal, Satya Prakash Tripathi aliasSatyam and Nandan Singh Bisht,the police said.

So far, the Special InvestigationTeam IT has arrested 10 personsincluding the key accused AshishMishra, Ankit Das, AshishPandey, Lavkush Rana, ShekharBharti and Latif.

Ashish Mishra, Ankit Das,Shekhar Bharti and Latif wereremanded in judicial custody onMonday after nearly a fortnightin police custody, the officialssaid.

Heavy rains lashseveral parts of India,5 killed in U'khandPNS n NEW DELHI

Heavy rains on Monday lashedseveral parts of north India, includ-ing Uttarakhand, where five peo-ple were killed in rain-related inci-dents, while a red alert for 10 damswas issued in Kerala due to inces-sant downpour in the southernstate.

In Delhi, the month of Octoberthis year has been the wettest since1960, when the city had recorded93.4 mm of rainfall, according todata shared by the IndiaMeteorological Department (IMD).

Heavy rainfall also lashed sever-al parts of Rajasthan, West Bengal,Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Haryana,Madhya Pradesh, HimachalPradesh, Uttar Pradesh andTelangana.

Due to heavy downpour,Madhya Pradesh Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan postponedhis campaign tour to Khandwa forthe upcoming Lok Sabha bypollthere, while in Uttar Pradesh,Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh

Yadav's rally had to be cancelled inBudhana town as the venue wassubmerged in rainwater.

Authorities in Uttarakhandadvised Chardham pilgrims, whoarrived in Haridwar and Rishikeshby Sunday, not to proceed to theHimalayan temples till the weath-er improves.

Five people, including threelabourers from Nepal, were killedand two others injured in rain-related incidents in the state.

The labourers were staying in atent at Samkhal near Lansdownein Pauri district when rubble flow-ing down from a field above dueto the rains buried them alive,District Magistrate Vijay KumarJogdande said, adding that theinjured were admitted to theKotdwar base hospital.

In Selkhola in Champawat dis-trict, two people were killed whentheir house collapsed, following alandslide, the State EmergencyOperation Centre said.

No CSK without MS Dhoni, noDhoni without CSK: Srinivasan

PNS n CHENNAI

There is no Chennai Super Kingswithout MS Dhoni, India CementsLtd (ICL) vice-chairman and man-aging director N Srinivasan said onMonday. Likewise, the former BCCIchief added that there is no MSDhoni without Chennai SuperKings, his emphatic statement tellinga lot about the relation between thefranchise and the iconic cricketer.Under Dhoni's leadership, CSK wontheir fourth IPL title recently to com-plete an incredible comeback aftertheir forgettable outing last year.

"Dhoni is part and parcel of CSK,Chennai and Tamil Nadu. There isno CSK without Dhoni and there isno Dhoni without CSK," Srinivasan

told reporters during a brief inter-action after visiting LordVenkatachalapathy temple with theIPL trophy. ICL owned the CSKfranchise from inception in 2008 till2014, when the ownership wastransferred to Chennai Super KingsCricket Ltd.

The Dhoni-led CSK beat KolkataKnight Riders in the final last Fridayto lift the IPL title for a fourth time.Asked about retaining Dhoni andother CSK players in the next IPLauction, he said retention policy isyet to be announced. To a questionon the criticism about no cricketerfrom Tamil Nadu featuring in theCSK team, he said 13 players fromthe TNPL are playing in the IPL orrepresenting India.

CBSE announcesdate sheet for firstterm of class 10and 12 board examsPNS n NEW DELHI

The first term board exams for class10 will begin from November 30,while the exams for class 12 isscheduled from December 1, theCentral Board of SecondaryEducation (CBSE) announced onMonday. According to examinationcontroller Sanyam Bhardwaj, theannounced date sheet is for majorsubjects while the schedule forminor subjects will be sent toschools separately.

The exams for minor subjects forclasses 10 and 12 will begin fromNovember 17 and November 16respectively.

Bifurcating the academic session,holding two term-end exams andrationalising the syllabus were partof the special assessment scheme forclass 10 and 12 CBSE board examsfor 2021-22, which were announcedin July in view of the Covid-19 pan-demic. The CBSE had last week saidthat the first-term board examina-tions for classes 10 and 12 will beconducted offline in November-December.

Coal suppliesimprove acrossthe countryPNS n NEW DELHI

The coal stock situation at ther-mal power projects seems to beinching towards normalcy as thenumber of non-pit head projectshaving less than four days of coal(supercritical stock) reduced to 61on Sunday from 70 a week ago,government data showed.

According to latest coal stockdata of the Central ElectricityAuthority (CEA), the number ofnon-pit head projects having lessthan four days of coal (supercrit-ical stock) was 61 on October 17and 70 on October 10, while itwas 64 on October 3.

NCB lens onall possibledrug hubs

Page-3

2

2

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

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any

damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement before

responding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021

EGG

RATES

HYDERABAD 416

VISAKHAPATNAM 470

VIJAYAWADA 441

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `̀44..1166

`̀//110000

CHICKEN

RATES

Dressed/With Skin `253

Without Skin `273

Broiler at Farm `140

`̀//KKGG

(IN HYDERABAD)

India has been facing hur-dles in industrial growthand attracting overseas

investments on account oflack of proper infrastructur-al development. In fact, infra-structure has not been grow-ing on par with populationand increasing economicneeds.

During the over fivedecades of Congress rule, noattention was paid to infra-structural development. Inits manifestos, there was nomention of developing infra-structure. Cost escalation wasvery high due to Congresssoft-pedalling on various pro-jects. Besides, all infrastruc-ture development projectswere steeped in corruptionand the quality of work suf-fered.

What one department didwas not known to the other.As a result, there wereinstances of digging up theroad to lay pipelines the verynext day it was carpeted.

Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, who noticed all theseinconsistencies, focussed oninfrastructural developmentworks soon after coming topower. He identified crucialand major projects for execu-tion and provided funds fortheir development.

These included interna-tional airports, highways andexpressway projects, Metroprojects, bullet trains, indus-trial corridors and bridges-over-sea, inland waterways.The list goes on.

Modi is keen to developinfrastructure not only inurban areas but also in ruralareas.

Hundreds of projects thatwere stalled for decades beganseeing the light of day.

Prior to 2014, railway trackdoubling was accomplishedfor up to 1,900 km. Duringthe last seven years, this hasreached 9,000 km and over24,000 km of railway trackswere electrified.

Prior to 2014, Metro Railwas operated up to a maxi-

mum distance of only 250 km;this has gone up to 700 km.Efforts are underway to takethis to 1,000 km.

In 1987, the inter-state nat-ural gas supply pipeline pro-ject was kicked off. UnderModi, a pipeline was laid upto 15,000 km; work to lay thepipeline for another 16,000km is underway.

Prior to 2014, there wereonly two mega food parks inthe country, now there are 19.At that time, there were onlyfive inland waterways andnow 13.

Modi unveiled a Rs 100lakh-crore Gati Shakti MasterPlan to achieve holistic infra-

structural development at arapid pace. The Master Planwould eliminate the lack ofcoordination among Centraland State governments, vari-ous government departmentsand among contractors.Complete information aboutdeadlines for the projectswould be at hand. It wouldfacilitate optimum exploita-tion of resources, checkwastage and effectively curbcorruption.

It eliminates soft-pedallingof projects. Whether it’s theUnion or State government,all ministries pertaining toinfrastructure would work intandem. In the Gati Shakti

portal, progress of all projectswould be uploaded.

The Bharat Mala, inlandwaterways projects, econom-ic zones, textile, pharma andelectronics parks and otherinfrastructural developmentprojects would be part andparcel of the Master Plan.

On account of the PM’sPRAGATI (Pro-ActiveGovernance and TimelyImplementation) problemspertaining to implementa-

tion of projects would beresolved prior tothe launch. TheGati Shaktiportal helpscomplete theworks withoutintervention of thehumans. A moni-toring team would be con-stantly reviewing the progressof the projects.

Once it’s decided to lay arailway line, the forest depart-ment, electricity department,road transport departmentswould give clearances undera single window programme.

Modi, upon coming topower, increased expenditureon infrastructure develop-ment projects by 35 percent.Modi launched the NewDevelopment FinanceInstitution with a seed capitalof US$ 270 crore to completemajor infrastructure develop-ment projects.

Modi established theNational Bank for FinancingInfrastructure and

Development (NBFID) espe-cially for the purpose of

the infrastructuredevelopment pro-jects.

Modi, who wasaware that economic

development of the countryis linked to large-scale infra-structure development, initi-ated measures to make thecountry a strong militarypower. As part of it, he inau-gurated seven defence sectororganisations replacing theOrdnance Board.

Modi felt that PSUs are adrain on the exchequer anddecided to open doors to theprivate sector to invest heav-ily in them and modernisethem. The sale of Air India isan example. Air India was los-ing money at the rate of Rs 20crore a day. Its total borrow-ings stood at Rs 65,562 crore,while the accumulated lossescrossed Rs 70,875.98 crore.

There is no doubt that theTata Sons would turn AirIndia around. Instead of PSUs

remaining idle, Modi wants toentrust them to the privatesector for their acceleratedgrowth. It would help thegovernment save thousands ofcrores besides paving the wayfor accelerated developmentof basic infrastructure.

The socio-economic devel-opment would take place withthe exploitation of the publicand private sector and thequality of life of people willimprove, feels Modi.

The opposition would haveno alternative except to praiseModi two decades down theline for development achievedin the country and how thequality of life of the peopleimproved by paving the wayfor private sector in the pub-lic sector.

The development processinitiated by PV NarasimhaRao picked pace duringVajpayee’s rule. There is nodoubt that the Modi govern-ment would implement thedevelopment works with thesame speed and zeal.

Y SATYA KUMAR

BJP National Secretary

TRULY

SPEAKING

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who noticed

all these inconsistencies, focussed on

infrastructural development works soon

after coming to power. He identified crucial

and major projects for execution and

provided funds for their development.

Gati Shakti to accelerate India’s infrastructural development

Govt moots strategy to checkillegal drug trade, transporto KCR convenes high-level meeting with Police and Excise officials on October 20

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana State govern-ment has decided to formulatea comprehensive strategy tocontrol the illegal transport ofthe banned intoxicating sub-stances (narcotics and drugs).

Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao has con-vened a high-level meetingwith officials of the Police andExcise Departments onOctober 20 at Pragathi Bhavanto formulate the strategy.

After formation ofTelangana, the State govern-

ment had taken several mea-sures to strengthen the PoliceDepartment, which includedits modernisation for main-taining the law and order sit-uation in the State better. TheState government strictlyenforced the ban on illicitliquor, playing cards clubs. Inthe backdrop of increase in thedrug abuse cases in the coun-try as well as the illegal drugmafia, KCR has now con-vened a high-level meetingwith Police and Excise officials.

In the proposed meeting,Home Minister Mahmood

Ali, Excise Minister T SrinivasGoud, Chief Secretary SomeshKumar, Home and Excisedepartments’ PrincipalSecretaries, DGP MahenderReddy, Police Commissioners,IGs, DIGs, Additional DG(Law and Order), AdditionalDG (Intelligence), DistrictsSPs, Excise DepartmentDeputy Commissioners,Assistant Commissioners,District Superintendents,higher official from the StateSpecial Task Force on Drugswing will participate.

The Chief Minister instruct-

ed the district Excise Officialsto come out with reports for themeeting on the existing situa-tion and measures so far taken.

The meeting will discuss thematter pertaining to incidenceof illicit liquor sale and func-tioning of playing cards clubsat some places in the State andthe measures to be taken tocurb them immediately.

The proposed meeting willdraw an action plan to preventyouth from getting trappedinto drug abuse and also torehabilitate those who becamevictims of addiction.

KCR welcomes Mothkupalli into TRS foldML MELLY MAITREYI

n HYDERABAD

Bolstering the TRS govern-ment's efforts to win overDalits across the State, formerTDP and BJP leaderMothkupalli Narasimhulujoined the Telangana RashtraSamithi on Monday in thepresence of TRS president andChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao at theTelangana Bhavan here.

Welcoming the senior Dalitleader with a TRS 'kanduva',KCR showered praise on hislong standing associate andsaid Mothkupalli Narasimhuludid not need any introduction.

"Mothkupalli has carved aunique place for himself inpublic life and emerged as thevoice of downtrodden sec-tions," the TRS supremo said.He added that the Dalit leaderdid not join TRS for the sake

of politics but to strive for Dalitempowerment.

"Mothkupalli is a very closeto me and we worked togeth-er for several years. In the past,

the people of Telanganaendured many hardships forelectricity and drinking andirrigation facilities.Mothkupalli who worked asEnergy Minister was aware ofthose hardships. He laterextended his services as SocialWelfare Minister," KCRrecalled.

Explaining the high esteemwhich the TRS holdsMothkupalli, the ChiefMinister said the governmentwas prepared to spend even Rs1 crore for the medical treat-ment of the Dalit leader whenhe was infected by Covid-19."My friendship withMothkupalli is beyond poli-tics," he said. He also extend-ed a warm welcome to allthose who came withMothkupalli to join the TRS.

Stating that politics for TRSis a mission and for others agame, KCR said that he start-

ed the Telangana movement ashe believed that statehoodalone would be a solution tothe problems of the people inthe region.

"The TRS faced several chal-lenges and hurdles in its move-ment for Telangana State,"KCR reminded, adding that hewas the most abused man byseveral people in the countryfor his determination and per-severance to fight for the sep-arate State. He recalled that hehad met BSP leader Mayawati13 times seeking her supportfor Telangana State.

KCR said long-standingproblems of Telangana werebeing addressed one by oneand suicide by farmers andhandloom weavers was on thedecline. "There is much moreto be done in the future. Theliving standards of the poorestof the poor have to beimproved.

KTR reviews preparations for plenary, Vijaya Garjana meetPNS n HYDERABAD

TRS Working President K TRama Rao held a meetingwith the public representa-tives of 20 constituencies hereon Monday to give them anaction plan for the TRS plenarybeing held on October 25 andthe Vijaya Garjana meet atWarangal on November 15.

TRS Secretary General K.Kesava Rao and MinistersVemula Prashanth Reddy,Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Sabitha

Indra Reddy, Jagadish Reddy,Niranjan Reddy and SrinivasGoud attended the meetingalong with MLAs, MPs andlocal ministers and other pub-lic representatives and leaders.

KTR said that invitationswould be sent to those attend-ing the plenary on behalf of theparty and arrangements shouldbe made from now on for theVijaya Garjana public meetingto celebrate the two decadejourney of the party and itsachievements.

He said that meetings ofparty workers should be heldat the village and mandal levelfor finalisation of the actionplan for the public meeting.Every village committee mem-ber should be made to attendthe public meeting, he said.

The party's organisationalrestructuring has been donesuccessfully and in future it willbe further strengthened. Partycadres should respond to everycall given by the party leader-ship, KTR said.

Committed to spend Rs 1.7 L-cr on Dalit Bandhu: Chief MinisterPNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao onMonday made it clear that hisgovernment planned to spendan estimated Rs 1.7 lakh-crore for the prestigious 'DalitBandhu' scheme over the nextseven years.

Exuding confidence thatTRS would be voted back topower in the next elections,KCR said the State wouldhave a total outlay of Rs 23lakh-crore in the next sevenyears - two years in the pre-sent term and five years in thenext.

Addressing a meeting atTelangana Bhavan after wel-coming his long term associ-ate in the TDP, Mothkupalli

Narasimhulu into TRS fold onMonday, KCR said that spend-ing Rs 1.7 lakh-crore out oftotal outlay of Rs 23 lakh-crore in the next seven yearswould be no big deal.

Dismissing those whoexpressed doubts whether itcould be done, the ChiefMinister said the same doubtswere expressed when he beganhis f ight for separateTelangana. "It requirescourage to think big," he said.

Under the scheme, eachDalit beneficiary family wouldget Rs 10 lakh to start a busi-ness or trade of his or herchoice or any vocation inwhich they have experience toemerge out of poverty. Theamount is given as a grant andthere is no need to repay.

Explaining the economicsbehind Dalit empowermentprogramme, he said theinvestment of Rs 1.7 lakh-crore towards Dalit empower-ment would get a return of Rs10 lakh-crore and it wouldadd to wealth creation. Healso said that benefit likeDalit Bandhu would beextended to BCs, STs andEconomically Backward class-es.

The Chief Minister reiterat-ed that this year, 100 Dalitfamilies in every constituen-cy would be extended DalitBandhu assistance of Rs 10lakh each. The scheme wasbeing implemented on a pilotbasis in Huzurabad con-stituency and four other man-dals in four SC constituencies.

Cong: 224 hrs of campaign enough in Huz’badK VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

The ruling TRS and the BJP arebusy with their election cam-paign in Huzurabad for the lastfive and a half months. Theyhave been making all out effortsto win, spending almost 3,600hours for the campaign.However, the TelanganaCongress is confident of win-ning the Huzurabad by-pollwith just 224 hours of cam-paigning.

Telangana Congress Affairsin-charge Manickam Tagorestated that 224 hours is enoughto win the Huzurabad by-poll.

He said that Congress teamswill take up a door to door cam-paign now.

While addressing importantleaders meeting at a local hall atHuzurabad on Monday,Manickam Tagore said theCongress announced BalmoorVenkat Narsing Rao as its can-didate before the BJPannounced Eatala Rajender asits candidate officially. He saidthat the BJP and the TRSbelonged to the same category.

Finding fault with theElection Commission for notresponding although liquor wasflowing like water and moneywas being distributed by pub-

lic representatives, Manickamalleged that the ruling TRShad been distributingKaleswaram corruption moneyand liquor in Huzurabad con-stituency during the Dasarafestival.

Both State and Central gov-ernments are the reason for thehike in the prices of petrol anddiesel, he said.

The Congress gave the partyticket in Huzurabad to BalmoorVenkat Narsing Rao, who hasbeen waging a fight on theunemployment issue. Healleged that Telangana, whichwas once a surplus state, is nowmired in debts of around Rs 4

lakh crore.Later, speaking to the media,

Manickam Tagore said that theElection Commission is extend-ing support to the TRS and theBJP. He said that BalmoorVenkat has a clean image andthat people would ensure hisvictory.

Former deputy chief minis-ter Damodara Rajanarsimhasaid that Telangana is witness-ing the dictatorship of ChiefMinister K. Chandrasekhar Raowho is known for corruption.

Describing the Huzurabadby-poll elections as the costliest,Damodara said that there is nodemocracy in the State.

CPI to contest25 Assemblyseats in ’23 pollsPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana CPI will beconcentrating on 25 Assemblyconstituencies out of the 119constituencies in the 2023Assembly elections.

Telangana CPI Secretarystated that the party will strivehard to regain its lost sheen inits former fortresses. He saidthat as part of their efforts, theCPI will regain lost ground inHusnabad constituency.

Addressing the party'sactivists at Husnabad onMonday, Chada Venkat Reddylaunched a scathing attack onthe ruling TRS alleging that itdid nothing for the people ofTelangana in the last sevenyears.

Revolt certain in TRS afterHuzurabad by-poll: RevanthPNS n HYDERABAD

A 'revolt' will certainly takeplace in the TRS and manychanges will occur in thatparty after Huzurabad elec-tions, TPCC chief A. RevanthReddy said here Monday whilemeeting journalists at the CLPoffice.

He said that Chief MinisterK. Chandrasekhar Rao hadsaid that there will be no earlyelections to avoid further chaosin the TRS.

"Why did KCR speak aboutearly elections? Who askedhim about early elections," hesaid. He said KCR had ruledout early elections as he hadbeen trying to tell that his gov-ernment will be in power fortwo more years.

He also said that electionswill be held in Telangana alongwith Gujarat elections.Revanth said that KCR will gofor elections as the nation willcomplete 75 years ofIndependence on August 15,2022.

He said that KCR will go forearly elections along withGujarat elections as per thedirection of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. He allegedthat a conspiracy has beengoing on in Telangana tostrengthen the BJP.

Revanth said that KCR willextend his cooperation duringUttar Pradesh elections andthat already the BJP and KCRhave entered into an agreementthat there will be no casesagainst KCR. He said that

KCR will resign by the time ofGujarat elections.

Revanth said that the devel-opments taking place in theTRS indicate early elections.He asked KCR who had saidthat the TRS will win 16 LSseats in the next elections andenjoy power at the Centre toexplain what it indicates.

Revanth said that theannouncement of theTelangana Vijaya Garjana pub-lic meeting on November 15 atWarangal by Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao is meantonly to tackle the 'revolt' in theparty.

He said that KCR had beencovering up his 'fear' due to thedevelopments in the party. Hesaid that the Telangana VijayaGarjana meetings would be the

Hyd now 2nd...Continued from page 1

However, the city has anunsold stock consisting of50,103 units. But as per thereport, Hyderabad has thelowest inventory overhangof 25 months compared toother cities.

Developers also launched12,342 fresh units in theHyderabad housing marketin Q32021. Dundigal, Tella-pur, Gopanpally, Bachupallyand Bandlaguda Jagir werethe top localities that wit-nessed the highest new sup-ply in this quarter. Over 36percent of the new unitslaunched in Q32021 were inthe price bracket of over Rs1 crore, with maximum shareof units in Rs 1 to Rs 3 crore.

The report indicates thatthe city is bound for completerecovery of real estate.

Rajan Sood, BusinessHead, www.PropTiger.comsaid, “Considering housingaffordability is at a recordhigh this festive season on theback of 10-year low homeloan interest rates and sopsoffered by some State govern-ments, we expect markets intop eight cities to show stabil-ity in the ongoing quarter.”

Sood said that though theoverall cost of constructionhas gone up due to the rise incrucial input material cost,buyers are still being offereddiscounts temporarily.

Heavy rains lash...Continued from page 1

Passenger vehicles are notbeing allowed to cross theChandrabhaga bridge,Tapovan, Lakshman Jhoolaand Muni-ki-Reti Bhadrakalibarriers in Rishikesh.

Chief Minister PushkarSingh Dhami visited the statedisaster control room at thesecretariat in Dehradun totake weather updates andknow the conditions of roadsand highways.

Coal supplies...Continued from page 1

The improvement in the coalstock situation assumes signif-icance in view of the ongoingshortage at thermal plants.

The Central Electricity Au-thority monitors coal stock si-tuation of 135 thermal powerplants with cumulative gener-ation capacity of over 165 GW.

YS Sharmila padayatra tomorrow from ChevellaPNS n HYDERABAD

YSR Telangana Party founder-president YS Sharmila willbegin her Praja Prasthanampadayatra on October 20 fromChevella after addressing apublic meeting on Wednesday.

She will continue her paday-atra for 14 months, covering

4,000 km through 90 Assemblyconstituencies in Telangana.Sharmila will walk 12 km perday and address at least ninepublic meetings.

The YSRTP released the firstweek schedule of the padayatraon Monday. The first publicmeeting of the padayatra will beheld at Chevella and Sharmila

will commence her walkathonimmediately after that.

She will have lunch atChevella and will halt for thenight on the first day inChevella.

Sharmila's padayatra willwind through Nakkalapalli vil-lage in Moinabad mandal,Shamshabad mandal,

Maheshwaram mandal, andKandukur mandal (night halton the seventh day after visit-ing Thimmapur village).

Party leaders have alreadyprepared a route map targetingyouth with the slogan'Eetharam YuvathakuNavatharam Nayakathwam'(new leadership for present

youth) on the plank of YSR wel-fare rule.

YSRTP leaders said thatSharmila will participate in a'Rachabanda' programme everyday during which she wouldhave a one-to-one interactionwith the people. She will visit aminimum of three mandals inevery constituency.

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021 hyderabad 03

PNS n HYDERABAD

Passengers of a Hyderabad-bound private bus had a nar-row escape when the vehiclecaught fire in Telangana'sJangaon district in early morn-ing hours of Monday.

The private bus, which wasmoving towards Hyderabadfrom Chhattisgarh with 26passengers, caught fire nearRaghunathapally village inJangaon district on NationalHighway 163. Noticing fumesemanating from the engine ofthe bus, the driver immediate-ly stopped it and all passengersgot down safely with their lug-gage.

The bus was completelygutted in fire which wasallegedly caused due to a shortcircuit. A fire tender rushed tothe site to douse the flames.

A police official said theysuspect short circuit to be thecause of the fire. The Policehave registered a case andinvestigation has been ordered.

Meanwhile, an accidentinvolving a private busoccurred in neighbouringAndhra Pradesh. The bus with49 passengers moving towardsHyderabad fromPoorumamilla in Kadapa dis-trict of Andhra Pradesh collid-ed with a lorry near the RingRoad on the outskirts ofKurnool.

The bus passengers escapedunhurt but cleaner of the lorrywas injured and was shifted toa hospital. Meanwhile, passen-gers of the private bus stageda protest at Kurnool TalukaPolice station, demanding theprivate travels to arrange analternate bus to Hyderabad.

Passengers escape unhurt as bus catches fire in state

PNS n HYDERABAD

All India Muslim PersonalLaw Board (AIMPLB) leaderswill address the annual publicmeeting in Hyderabad onTuesday organised by All IndiaMajis-e-Tameer-e-Millar tomark Milad-un-Nabi, the birthanniversary of ProphetMuhammad.

Tameer-e-Millat, a socio-religious organisation, hasbeen organising the publicmeeting 'Jalsa Yaum-e-Rahmatul lil Alameen' formore than 70 years.

According to Tameer-e-Millat member SyedAneesuddin, the public meet-ing is to be held at ExhibitionGrounds in the heart of thecity. Last year, the public meet-ing was held virtually due toCovid-19 pandemic. This wasthe first time in the history ofthis annual event that therewas no congregation.

Thousands of people fromthe city and other parts of thestate attend the meeting to hearthe religious scholars and com-munity leaders.

This year former UnionMinister C.M. Ibrahim,renowned Islamic scholar and

former MP MaulanaObaidullah Khan Azmi, AllIndia Muslim Personal LawBoard (AIMPLB) SecretaryMaulana Umrain Bin MahfoozRahmani and acting GeneralSecretary Maulana KhaledSaifullah Rahmani will addressthe congregation. MohammadQasim Siddiqui Taskheer willdeliver his address virtuallyfrom the US.

Syed Aneesuddin,Chairman of the 72ndReception Committee, whichoverlooks the expansive annu-al conference, attended byMuslims from different partsof the State, said "

Tameer-e-Millat president

Ziauddin Nayyar will presideover the meeting, whose themethis year is "Exploring solu-tions to contemporary prob-lems in the light of Seerath (thelife of the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH)".

"The Tameer e Millat hasalways been helping and guid-ing Indian Muslims in times ofcrises and natural disasters.This year's agenda of the pub-lic meeting is to help IndianMuslims explore the solutionsto contemporary political,social and existential chal-lenges in the light of ProphetMuhammad (PBUH)'s teach-ings and way of life," saidZiauddin Nayyar.

Muslim Personal Law Board leaders to address annual Milad meet in city

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Hyderabad MetropolitanWater Supply and SewerageBoard (HMWS&SB) closedthree gates of the water body,after the inflow of water fromupstream into the HimayatSagar dwindle. Currently onlyone gate of the reservoir is keptopen upto a height of two feet.

On Monday, the water levelat Himayat Sagar was record-ed at 1,763.45 feet against theFTL of 1,763.50 feet. The

reservoir capacity is 2.97 TMCand the water level is 2.94TMC. The inflow stood at 500cusecs while the outflow wasmaintained at 700 cusecs.

Meanwhile, at Osman Sagar,the water levels were record-ed as 1,790 feet against theFTL of 1,790.00 feet. Thereservoir capacity is 3.90 TMCand the water level reachedmaximum capacity. Four gatesof the reservoir are kept openupto two feet height to drainout water into the Musi river.

Himayat Sagar gates closed as water levels come down

G RAVI KIRAN

n HYDERABAD

All pubs and luxury hotels arebeing kept under watch by theHyderabad NCB (NarcoticsControl Bureau).

After the warning fromMumbai NCB officials on drugtransportation throughHyderabad, the HyderabadNCB has eyed all drug peddlersin the city. They are watchingall pubs and are trying to nabdrug peddlers and users. Drugpeddlers have shifted opera-tions to second-level centresdue to this, sources said.

On October 1, the MumbaiNCB team raided a cruise shipand arrested 10 people whowere taking drugs at a raveparty. As part of this operation,the team conducted searches in

North Andheri near the port.They found a parcel box, inwhich 4.6 kg Ephedrine waskept inside mattresses. Theparcel was booked fromHyderabad to Australia

through Mumbai.After getting this informa-

tion, NCB Hyderabad wasalerted by headquarters. Drugsare being transported fromBengaluru to Hyderabad

according to a drug peddlerarrested at Bengaluru by theNCB.

Correlating all this informa-tion, the NCB Hyderabad hasstarted scanning all possibledrug peddling centres in thecity.

Many pubs and high classhotels have become distribut-ing centres for drugs. TheNCB is focusing on these cen-tres and is observing all drugpeddlers who were earlierarrested in different cases.

On holidays, usually thereare more parties and there canbe drug distribution. But dueto the continuous watch of theNCB now it is not possible forthem.

P Joseph, a software engi-neer, said, "On the eve of hol-idays including weekends,

drugs will be available at mostpubs. It is distributed in asecret manner and they give itto only known persons. Butafter the Mumbai NCB raidshere also there is too muchattention. Due to fear of raidsthey are now afraid."

Drug peddlers have chosensecondary centres like smallrestaurants, cafés, bars andothers. They are informingthrough mobile phones and aregiving details of locations to getdrugs.

However, there is much dif-ference in the city after theraids in Mumbai by the NCB.NCB Hyderabad is on highalert and is scanning eachand every possible drug dis-tributing centre and because ofthis drug distribution is nowvery less.

NCB lens on all possible drug hubs

PNS n HYDERABAD

While the State government ofTelangana is showering incen-tives on contract faculty, regu-lar staff working governmentcolleges have called for equalpay for equal work.

Health Secretary SAM Rizvion October 14 issued GO 605,sanctioning additional incen-tive of Rs 50,000 per month tothe 144 contract faculty ofanatomy, physiology and bio-chemistry of the eight new andexisting six medical collegesover and above the existing

remuneration.This hasn't gone down well

with the doctors who havebeen working for far less pay.

The Government Doctors

Association said that after theformation of Telangana, regu-lar faculty have been workingwith very less HRA in collegesof Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda,

Suryapet and Siddipet. The Association said, "The

faculty are receiving Rs 25,000less per month than their col-leagues in Hyderabad."

The Association urged thegovernment to immediatelyimplement peripheral medicalcollege allowance which hasbeen requested by them overthe past few days and ensurethat equal pay for equal workis enforced.

Doctors pointed out thatthe number of posts allocatedto Mahbubnagar MedicalCollege is quite less compared

to the new medical collegesthat are coming up.

As many as 981 posts havebeen allocated to MahbubnagarMedical College including reg-ular, contract and outsourcing,but in all other colleges thesanctioned posts are up to1500.

Government DoctorsAssociation member Dr KiranPrakash said that despite thefewer posts to MahbubnagarMedical College, the staff havebeen going above and beyondtheir capabilities to provide ser-vice to the poor.

Doctors call for equal pay for equal work

PNS n HYDERABAD

In order to relieve traffic con-gestion and to ensure publicsafety in connection withMilad-un-Nabi procession, theCommissioner of Police,Hyderabad Anjani Kumarissued advisory for traffic diver-sions. The traffic restrictionswill be imposed between 8 amand 8 pm on Tuesday. The pro-cession will start from DargahSyed Quadri Chaman and pro-ceed via Engine Bowli,Shamsheergunj, Aliabad,Shahalibanda, Charminar,Pathergatti, Nayapul, Darulshifaand Mandi Mir Alam beforeculminating at Moghalpuraplayground.

Traffic will not be allowedfrom Dargah Syed QuadriChaman, Gulam MurtuzaColony, towards Engine Bowliand diverted towardsKandikalguda, Phisalbanda andold Kurnool Road from MBNR

crossroads. When the proces-sion reaches Engine Bowli junc-tion from Dargah Syed QuadriChaman, traffic will not beallowed towards Charminarand instead will be diverted atthe junction towards Jahanuma.

Traffic from Goushala junc-tion will not be allowed towardsShamsheergunj road when theprocession passes on the EngineBowli - Charminar route. It willbe diverted towards EngineBowli or Bahadurpura. Trafficwill not be allowed fromNagulchinta towards Shamshe-ergunj when the processionreaches Engine Bowli and is onits way to Charminar and will bediverted from the junctiontowards Lal Darwaza andKandikal Gate.

Similarly, traffic will not beallowed between Darulshifajunction and Bibi Bazaar junc-tion when the procession is onway to Moghalpura VolgaHotel where it will culminate.

Traffic restrictions for Milad-un-Nabi

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation(GHMC) has responded tothe tweet of Malkajgiri MP andTPCC chief A Revanth Reddyon Monday.

GHMC officials havedemolished a shopping mallwhich was being constructedat Uppal Ring Road withoutpermission.

Recently, several illegalbuildings were constructednear Uppal Ring Road. In thiscontext, Revanth tweeted tobring the issue to the notice ofGHMC officials and MunicipalAdministration and UrbanDevelopment (MA&UD)Minister K T Ramarao.

Revanth tweeted in Telugusaying, "Despite several com-plaints, no action has beentaken against the illegal con-struction." Suspecting Minister'ssupport for illegal construc-tion at Uppal Chowrastha,Revanth questioned MunicipalAdministration and UrbanDevelopment Minister KT

Rama Rao, why was action nottaken against the illegal con-struction? Is it because thedepartment was negligent or theMinister himself is part of it!?Revanth Reddy added.

He also tagged TelanganaChief Minister Office andGHMC Commissioner in histweet

PNS n HYDERABAD

The body of an unidentifiedman was found on the Musiriverbed near the miniShilparamamam in Nagolelate on Sunday. Police areinvestigating whether if heaccidentally fell into the riverat some other spot and camefloating to the spot.

According to the police,the body, of a man aged in hismid-thirties and suspected tobe a labourer, was found bylocal residents.

On receiving information,the Uppal police shifted thebody to the hospital forautopsy.

A CLUES team has exam-ined the spot.

"The victim appears to bea construction worker. It isyet to be ascertained if heaccidentally fell in the riverand died," the police said,adding that a case of suspi-cious death was booked andinvestigation was on.

GHMC demolishes illegal shopping

mall building after Revanth's tweet

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana's start-up initiativeT-Hub has welcomed its newChief Executive OfficerMahankali Srinivas Rao(MSR).

Welcoming MSR into hisnew role, IT Minister KTRama Rao said, "It is a home-coming for MSR, and we wel-come and congratulate him onhis new journey with theTelangana innovation ecosys-tem. Given MSR's rich experi-ence in this industry, webelieve he is best placed to leadT-Hub and its operations."

MSR has joined the T-Hubahead of the launch of its newcampus spread across 5,82,689square feet. A serial entrepre-neur, with 33 years of industryexperience, he will focus on

creating a funding ecosystemat T-Hub, along with the otherecosystem stakeholders.

As per a press release, theprocess of the T-Fund initiativewill be expedited further by thenew CEO.

T-Fund is a co-investmentfund that will invest in start-ups to further support theTelangana start-up ecosystem.Any start-up that is in theprocess of finalising a term

sheet or has a signed sheet canapply for T-Fund.

Additionally, T-Hub haslaunched a unique initiative,Funding Desk to support start-ups with their funding needsat various stages of their jour-ney.

Jayesh Ranjan, PrincipalSecretary, Industries & IT,Telangana, said, "AppointingMSR to take T-Hub to the nextlevel of its growth is a strate-gic decision, given the power-ful experience he is bringing tothe ecosystem. Visionary lead-ership comes naturally to MSR,and it only gets better with hisdeep understanding of entre-preneurship and innovationecosystem nuances. The Boardis happy to have him on boardand we wish he achieves amaz-ing milestones at T-Hub."

T-Hub new CEO to focus on T-Fund

Unidentified bodyfound on riverbed

PNS n HYDERABAD

A woman was murdered byher daughter and her lover onMonday at Rajendranagar.

The accused identified asNandini, 22, and Chotu, 25,were in relationship for along time. Nandini used towork in a shopping mall as asalesgirl and Chotu used towork as a delivery man at anIndane LPG dealer's shop.Both had decided to marryand they had informed theirparents. But Yadamma, themother of Nandini, did notaccept the proposal. This cre-ated a rift between mother anddaughter.

Nandini and Chotu startedan argument with the moth-er on Monday at her home atChintalmet in Rajendranagar.

After heated arguments,frustrated Nandini pressedher mother’s neck and stran-gulated her to death.

Their relatives stayingnearby informed the policeimmediately. The police havetaken both Nandini andChotu into custody and areinvestigating.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Hyderabad Police onMonday arrested a habitualoffender for his involvement inattention diversion cases in thecity. The police officials recov-ered Rs 95,000 in cash and amobile phone from him

The accused identified asIntipalli Rama Rao, 27, anative of Rajole in EastGodavari and a resident ofKPHB Colony, was also jailedpreviously for similar offences.Investigation revealed that hehad committed five morecheatings like the one forwhich he was arrested.

He cheated many peoplewho visited ATM centres todeposit cash by diverting theirattention. He would offer totransfer the same amount

online and send a fake textmessage. Then he would takethe cash from the people andflee the scene.

On October 7, JaithwalaGowtham, 25, went to anATM at SR Nagar to depositRs 1 lakh. The accusedapproached him and offered totransfer Rs 1 lakh online, as heneeded cash urgently.Believing his words, Gowthamgave him the cash and theaccused sent him a fake mes-sage similar to a bank message.However, Gowtham laterfound that the amount was nottransferred. On October 12, helodged a complaint with SRNagar Police Station.

The accused committed 27crimes in 2018 and 2019,including one registered atSR Nagar police station.

Accused in attention diversion cases held

Daughter, lover murder woman

PNS n HYDERABAD

Secretary of TelanganaMinorities ResidentialEducational InstitutionsSociety B Shafiullah onMonday stated that two stu-dents of Telangana MinoritiesResidential Junior College havequalified in the Joint EntranceExamination (JEE)-Advanced.

As many as 17 students whoqualified by faring well in JEE(Mains) werefurther groomedto qualify in the JEE(Advanced) by intensive free ofcost coaching at TelanganaMinorities Residential JuniorCollege - Centre of Excellence(CoE) Barkas Boys, where stu-dents were provided all sort offacilities.

Mohammad Junaid achieved4106 rank while R RanjithNaik achieved 661 rank. Giventheir ranks, the students willsecure seats in IndianInstitution of Technology (IIT).Despite weak financial back-ground, the two students haveput up an outstanding perfor-mance in academics andentrance examinations and are

now poised to make an entryinto premier engineering insti-tutions of the country.

Minister for MinoritiesWelfare, Government ofTelangana Koppula Eshwarand Advisor to Government ofTelangana, Minorities Welfare& President of TMREIS AKKhan congratulated the twostudents for their meritorious

performance in the entrancetest.

Shafiullah thanked the ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao for providing highest qual-ity education in English medi-um to poor minority students,on par with the corporateinstitutionsbesides nutritiousfood and coaching materialsfree.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A man, working as the assis-tant manager of a pharmacompany, was allegedly dupedof Rs 15 lakh by fraudsters whopromised to refund the fee andother charges paid by him toa job portal as he did not find

a suitable job.Police sources said the vic-

tim had recently posted hisresume on a few job portalsseeking a job. He paid a sumtowards various charges. It issuspected that the suspectshad fraudulently procured hisdetails from such job portals.

"They called him and col-lected his bank account detailsand other credentials andsiphoned off money from hisaccount," police said. The vic-tim approached the CyberabadCybercrime cell and lodged acomplaint. A case was bookedand the investigation is on.

Fraudster dupes man of Rs 15 LTMRIES students shine in JEE-Advanced

South Central Railway carries forward Swachh Bharat mission by making roadjunction at Lallaguda in Secunderabad and connecting adjoining rail areas lookbright and attractive.

ATTRACTIVE AND GREEN

M Srinivas Rao is best placed to lead T-Hub: KT Rama Rao

04HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021

PNS n SIDDIPET

District Revenue Officer BChennaiah has cautioned theIntermediate first year stu-dents that they would not be letinside the examination centreeven if they are late by aminute and advised them toreach the venue at least 30minutes before the exam.

Reviewing the arrangementsfor the examinations with thedistrict level coordinationcommittee here on Monday,Chennaiah said that the exam-ination would be held fromOctober 25 to November 3 at43 venues in the district. Theexams would be held dailyfrom 9 am to 12 noon.

He suggested to the districtauthorities to make all arrange-ments to conduct the examina-tions without any hiccups.Section 144 would be in placenear the venues and asked the

xerox centres near the exami-nation centres to shut shop.

Flying squad teams wouldensure that no mass copyingwas done in the examinations.

In view of the Covid pan-demic, medical camps wouldbe run at the examinationvenues. He asked the authori-ties to keep sanitisers andmasks ready at the venues.There should be no power

interruption during the exam-ination hours.

He asked the RTC to runbus services on time to avoidinconvenience to the students.

Additional Superintendentof Police Babu Rao, EducationDepartment officials, Telang-ana State Road TransportCorporation officials andpostal officials took part in themeeting.

Inter students asked to be present at the centre 30 mins before exam

PNS n MEDAK

Villagers of Chinna Chintak-unta protested in front of thepanchayat office on Mondaydemanding the State govern-ment of Telangana to stall theconstruction works of DasaPharmaceuticals, which theyalleged initiated works withoutsecuring permissions.

They confronted with thepanchayat secretary Tara Singhover the construction of phar-maceutical frim on seven acresof land, it acquired under sur-vey number 40, without anypermission. The villagers ques-tioned the officials for delay intaking action against the erringcompany, in spite of it engagedin construction activity overthe past several months.

They objected to the compa-ny setting up factory in themidst of fertile fields sayingthat the factory is pollutingtheir fields.

They threatened to intensi-fy their agitations, if the com-pany did not put on hold the

construction activity. They alleged that sarpanch

Suresh Goud and some othershave been cooperating with thecompany management to meettheir selfish goals.

To a question, Tara Singhtold the villagers that the pan-chayat did not give any permis-sion to the company for con-struction of the factory. In spiteof the village panchayat askingthe company to stop works, thecompany management has

turned a deaf ear, he lament-ed. He said that the issue wastaken to the notice of the topofficials. He assured the vil-lagers to serve notice on themanagement once again andtake the problem to the noticeof the higher authorities.

Chinna Chintakunta vil-lagers have been appealing tothe authorities to respond atleast now and take suitableaction against the companymanagement.

Villagers protest at panchayat office against construction of pharma firm

PNS n SANGAREDDY

District Collector Hanuma-ntha Rao has directed districtofficials of all governmentdepartments to compulsorilytake part in Praja Vaani pro-gramme held on Mondays toresolve the people's problems.

Receiving representationsfrom people at Praja Vaaniheld here on Monday alongwith additional Collector, dis-trict Collector lent a patient earto what the people had to say.He resolved some of the prob-lems then and there.

The DC asked the officialsof the government depart-ments to resolve the problemsaired through Praja Vaani sin-cerely.

He advised the district offi-cials against deputing someoneelse on their behalf. If the

accountable officials were pre-sent at the programme, then itwould be possible to dispose ofthe problems.

Show-cause notices wouldbe served on the officials whowould absent themselves fromPraja Vaani.

He wanted the officialsattend the programme andresolve some of the problems

then and there itself. Additional collectors Veera

Reddy, Rajarshi Shah, DRORadhika Ramani,Administrative OfficerSwarnalata and officials ofvarious government depart-ments and members of publicand others were present at theweekly grievances' redressalprogramme.

Presence of officials must at Praja Vaani programme: DC

PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

District Superintendent ofPolice R Venkateswarlu onMonday said that the PoliceFlag Day would be observedon October 21 in memory ofthe martyrs who had laiddown their lives for the sakeof the people.

Hundreds of police offi-cials have died fighting ter-rorists, Maoists and anti-social elements, the SP point-ed out. He appealed to thepeople and the media to paytributes to the martyrs. Hesaid a rally will be held at thepolice headquarters in con-nection with the day.

PNS n HUZURABAD

Finance Minister T HarishRao has asked the voters ofRangapur in HuzurabadAssembly constituency not tovote for BJP's Eatala Rajenderas he was making provocativespeeches and trying to exploitpublic sentiments.

Campaigning for TRS can-didate Gellu Srinivas atRaghapur on Monday, Harishobserved that Eatala quit TRSdue to selfishness.

He said that there is nowround the clock power for theagriculture sector eliminatingthe need for farmers to sleepnear bore wells. In the past,several farmers had died due tosnake bites in their fields atnight, Harish pointed out.

Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao boostedthe morale of farmers, he said,

adding that the CM is giving Rs5,000 an acre as agriculturalinput subsidy during kharifand rabi seasons under theRytu Bandhu scheme.

Even at the height of theCovid pandemic, the credit forextending benefits under thescheme to farmers goes toKCR. The subsidy was given to

farmers at the cost of salariesto ministers, MLAs and gov-ernment servants, he added.

He said that the CM did notallow him and other MLAs andMinisters to rest till theKaleswaram project was com-pleted.

Voters should think rational-ly and support the TRS. If there

is no TRS government, theflow of Godavari waterthrough Rangapur irrigationcanals would stop, he said.

He challenged anyone toprove that there is no MahilaBhavan in any part of Siddipetdistrict. Harish offered to rubhis nose against the ground ifthat was the case. He expressedconcern over the lack of aMahila Bhavan in a major vil-lage like Rangapur.

Turning tables on EatalaRajender, he said that Eatala'sBJP was responsible for hikingLPG cylinder price to Rs 1,040.Surprisingly, Eatala would notsay a word about reducing thecost of the cylinders, he said.

During the last 21 days,petrol and diesel prices haveincreased leading to escalationin the prices of pulses, edibleoils and other commodities, hesaid.

PNS n SIDDIPET

Additional CollectorMuzammeel Khan has assuredfarmers that the State govern-ment would credit the price ofpaddy sold to the governmentin their bank accounts provid-ed they furnished photocopiesof their Aadhaar Card andbank accounts to the farmers.

Allaying fears about delay inreceiving the money after sell-ing paddy at a meeting heldhere on Monday, theAdditional Collector said thatthe government paid specialattention to disbursing moneyto farmers taking into accountthe experience during the lastrabi and kharif seasons.

Reviewing the problem withcivil supplies, DCO, legalmetrology, DPM and MEPMAofficials here, he said the gov-ernment is contemplatingseeding farmers' pattadar pass-book data and bank accounts

with Aadhaar Card.The government will set up

over 400 paddy procurementcentres in the district. Soonafter procurement, moneywould be credited into thebank accounts of farmers, hesaid, while discussing the loca-tion of procurement centreswith officials.

He asked the agricultureand marketing departments tocoordinate to avoid problemsto farmers. He said that a spe-cial officer would be appoint-

ed at each rice mill. The legalmetrology department willthoroughly inspect weighbridges in all districts, he said.He sought comprehensivedetails of farmers cluster-wisefrom agriculture officials.

DRDA Project OfficerGopal Rao, Civil SuppliesOfficer Harish, DCOPrabhakar, MEPMA ProjectDirector Hanmanth Reddyand officials of other govern-ment departments attendedthe meeting.

PADDY PROCUREMENT

TS pays special attention over disbursing money to farmers

PNS n NAGARKURNOOL

District Collector P UdayKumar has directed mandalspecial officers to undertakefield trips without fail andresolve the problems, if any,then and there.

Receiving complaints frompublic as part of Praja Vaanihere on Monday along withadditional collectors ManuChowdary and P SrinivasReddy, he said that mandalspecial officers have beenappointed to ensure supervi-sion of the welfare and devel-opment programmes at man-dal level.

The special officers should

inspect welfare and develop-ment programmes beingimplemented visiting at leasttwo or three mandals everyweek and should hold a coor-dination committee meeting inthe afternoon and discuss theproblems and should resolve

them then and there itself. He asked them to submit

him a schedule of the field tripto villages and hand it over tohim on Fridays and Saturdays.He told the special officers thatthey should be in the field visitby 7 am.

Praja Vaani: DC wants special officers to be on field by 7 am

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

The BJP's star campaignerMLA Raghunandan Rao hasdescribed the Huzurabad by-election as a contest betweenthe self-respect of EatalaRajender and the egoism ofChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao.

Addressing an electionmeeting of BJP candidate

Eatala Rajender at Gangaramin the Veenavanka mandal ofthe constituency on Monday,Raghunandan alleged harass-ment by the TRS leader and thepolice.

He pointed out how the vot-ers of Dubbaka blessed him inspite of Finance Minister T.Harish Rao bribing voters withmoney. Eatala Rajender feedsthe people to satiate their

hunger, while the HuzurabadDSP shot nine persons inMudigonda when peoplesought allotment of 90 squareyards of land to them. Heappears to have abrogated pow-ers to himself and feels whowould challenge him if herepeats the same in Huzurabad,Raghunandan alleged.

How can the DSP, whosehand is tainted with the blood

of nine persons, conduct elec-tions here? What would be thecondition of the people here ifhe does anything wrong in a fitof rage, Raghunandan said.However, he said the peoplecould not be cowed down byDSP Venkat Reddy.

Referring to the allegationsof the TRS on increasing petrolprices, Raghunandan sought toknow from the TRS govern-

ment whether his governmenthas a share in it or not.

Quoting the example ofStalin, the CM of Tamil Nadu,Raghunandan pointed out thatStalin had cut petrol price by Rs3 a litre.

What about the TRS govern-ment, he asked, and dared thegovernment to reduce the priceby Rs 30 per litre for the goodof the public.

During the Dubbaka by-elections, the TRS struck fearin the minds of voters thatRaghunandan, if elected, wouldfix meters on pump motors."Did I fix meters to motors," heretorted, saying that the TRSgovernment was built on lies.

Modi gave Rs 9,000 to con-struct individual sanitary toi-lets and gave 90 per cent of thecost of CC roads.

‘Huz'bad poll a battle between KCR's ego and Eatala's self-respect'

PNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao will holdan extended meeting onOctober 23 with districtCollectors and senior ForestDepartment officials on resolv-ing the Podu lands issue and onthe Haritha Haaram pro-gramme.

The daylong meeting willstart at 11.30 am. The meetingwould discuss the problemsfaced by the tribals, adivasiswho were doing the shiftingcultivation (Podu) and toredress their grievances withsympathy.

The meeting would also dis-cuss measures to be taken toprotect and preserve theforests.

The meeting would formu-late a comprehensive actionplan on these issues. The meet-ing, while assessing the results

so far obtained by the HarithaHaaram programme, wouldalso discuss the future actionplan.

Forest Minister AIndrakaran Reddy, TribalWelfare Minister SatyavathiRathod, Panchayat RajMinister E Dayakar Rao,

Secretaries of the Departmentsconcerned, Heads of theDepartments, all districtCollectors, DistrictConservators, DFOs, ITDAProject Officers and otherswill attend the meeting.

From October 20 to 22,three days, a team of officials

comprising Special ChiefSecretary Shanti Kumari, TribalWelfare Department SecretaryChristina ZChongtu, PCCFShobha will study and examinethe Podu lands issue at the fieldlevel in the forest areas.

The official team will under-take their visit by a helicopter.

KCR convenes meeting to find solutions to Podu lands issues

PNS n HYDERABAD

BJP Telangana president BandiSanjay Kumar on Mondayblamed Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao forElection Commission sus-pending implementation ofthe Dalit Bandhu Scheme andcalled it as complete failure ofthe Chief Minister.

He demanded ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao’s resignation for havingcheated Dalits once again.

Speaking on EC putting theDalit Bandhu on hold, he saidthat the EC would neverstops ongoingschemes, buthatched a plan toensure stoppage ofrelease of funds toat least a singlebeneficiary underthe scheme.

There were noinstances of Indian banksfreezing the amount depositedin the beneficiaries' bank

accounts, he said accusingKCR of depositing the

funds in the bankaccounts of vic-

tims, but manag-ing to get themfrozen.

W h e ndeclaring Dalit

Bandhu, KCRsaid that the

Dalits would beable to use the funds

unconditionally. But subse-quently, he went back on his

words and made deriving ben-efits under the scheme condi-tional.

The BJP has been demand-ing since the beginning of thescheme to allow beneficiariesto withdraw the funds, hepointed out. The BJP also rep-resented to the district return-ing office and Collector inthis regard. However, the TRSgovernment, out of its crookedthinking, prevented beneficia-ries from withdrawing theamount, he said.

‘CM should step down for cheating Dalits'

Police Martyrs' Day on Oct 21

PNS n WARANGAL

Warangal District legalServices Authority (DLSA)chairman NandikondaNarsing Rao on Mondayexpressed concern overwomen who lacked legalawareness due to poverty,illiteracy and lack of adequatepublicity about the law bygovernment organs.

To sensitise women, theNational Commission forWomen and the NationalLegal Services Authority areconducting a series of legalawareness programmes, hesaid. Resource persons like theretired principal of KU LawCollege, Padma, legal expertsK. Gopika Rani and Padmajawill sensitise women on var-ious legal aspects, he said.

PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

District Collector S. VenkatRao on Monday said that aspecial Praja Vaani pro-gramme would be held at themandal level to resolve prob-lems in the government'sland portal Dharani.

He received representa-tions from the public duringthe Praja Vaani programmeheld here on Monday.

He said that a special meet-ing would be held to reviewrepresentations receivedabout the Dharani portal.He asked Tehsildars to resolveall applications pending withthem and added that he isresolving representations sentto him immediately.

‘Praja Vaani to resolve issues'

Legal awareness programmes for women in urban, rural parts: DLSA

PNS n KAMAREDDY

Assembly Speaker PocharamSrinivas on Monday inaugu-rated Someshwar-Pothangalhigh-level road bridge built ata cost of Rs 2.75 crore, 102BHK houses, Mudiraj andYadava association Bhavanseach built at a cost of Rs 9lakh in Kolluru and Nagaramvillage of Banswada mandal.

He inaugurated addition-al classrooms built at a cost ofRs 54 lakh, a function hallbuilt at a cost of Rs 30 lakh,launched Dontireddy tankirrigation canal repair workstaken up at a cost of Rs 25lakh.

Srinivas Reddy inaugurat-ed 20 2BHK houses inNagaram and laid the foun-dation stone for 15 houses inNagaram. He laid the founda-tion stone for SC andKuruma community halls tobe built at a cost of Rs 10 lakh.

Speaker takes part in string of developmental programmes

PNS n HYDERABAD

Allaying apprehensionsamong farmers that the Stategovernment may not pro-cure paddy this season, ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao made it clear on Mondaythat procurement would bedone just like last year.

KCR instructed officials ofthe Civil Supplies Departmentto procure paddy through6,545 centres that were set uplast year for procurement.Farmers in the State need notworry or get agitated over theissue, he said. The ChiefMinister advised farmers toclean paddy and ensure thatit has no moisture and get thedry paddy to the procurementcentres. The government istaking all measures to procurethe paddy by paying theMinimum Support Price.

The Chief Minister wasspeaking after a review meet-ing on paddy procurement atPragathi Bhavan here.

KCR reassures ryots on paddy procurement

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana on Monday record-ed 208 new Covid cases, tak-ing the total number of posi-tive cases in the state to6,69,163.

The death toll rose to 3,940after two more patients suc-cumbed to the virus, a stategovernment bulletin said. Atotal of 201 Covid recoveries

were reported today, takingthe total number of recoveriesto 6,61,294, leaving 3,929active cases. The GHMCreported the highest numberof 62 cases followed by 14 eachin Karimnagar andMancherial districts. A totalof 45,418 samples were testedtoday. Cumulatively, the num-ber of samples tested was2,70,67,575.

TS records 208 Covid cases

‘Beware of Eatala’s emotional traps’

nation 05HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021

Coal India arm MCL dispatches over5.47 lakh tonnes of dry fuel

Coal India arm MCL on Monday said it despatched over 5.47 lakh tonnes of coal toconsumers on Sunday, breaking its own record of 5.45 lakh tonnes within a fortnight. The statement assumes significance in the wake of the country's power plants

grappling with coal shortages. In a statement, Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) said it hasdespatched the highest-ever 103 rakes of coal to the consumers, with 65 rakes comingfrom Talcher coalfields; while 38 rakes were supplied from Ib Valley coalfields in Odisha.

MCL Chairman and Managing Director P KSinha congratulated the officers and workersfor their consistent and coordinated approachto maximise coal supply to consumers,which has resulted in an average despatch of5.17 lakh tonnes a day for October. "CoalIndians in MCL have always remained at theforefront to face the challenges and achievednewer milestones in the pursuit of energysecurity to the nation," the CMD said.

BJP accuses Congress of ‘vilification' of Patel at Working Committee meeting

The BJP on Monday accused the Congress of committing a "sin" over reports that a leaderat the recent CWC meeting made critical remarks about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on theissue of Jammu and Kashmir and asked if the party leadership will take action against

him. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra cited reports that Tariq Hameed Karra, a Kashmirileader and a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, had credited JawaharlalNehru for Jammu and Kashmir's integration with India and had alleged that Patel wanted tokeep the Valley out. Patra asked whether Congress president Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi

objected when Karra "vilified" Patel and presented India'sfirst home minister as a "villain" while praising Nehru."Was Karra reprimanded? Will he be axed from the CWC,"Patra asked, accusing the Congress of constantly insultingleaders like Subhas Chandra Bose, Patel and Hindutvaideologue Veer Savarkar. The Congress, he alleged, isreduced to being a party of a family and works to advancethe family's rule. "What sort of mindset is this that onefamily has done everything and others have done nothing.What the CWC has done is a sin," he said.

Dera chief Gurmeet Ram RahimSingh, 4 others get life for murder

Aspecial CBI court on Monday sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet RamRahim Singh and four others to life imprisonment in the 19-year-old murder caseof sect manager Ranjit Singh. The court in Panchkula had convicted Ram Rahim

and four others -- Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil -- in the murder case onOctober 8. “The court has sentenced five to life imprisonment,” said CBI special prosecutor H P SVerma. Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, who was also a follower of the sect, was shot dead

on July 10, 2002 at Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana'sKurukshetra. He was murdered for his suspected role in thecirculation of an anonymous letter, which narrated howwomen were allegedly being sexually exploited by the secthead at the Dera headquarters. According to the CBI chargesheet, the Dera chief believed that Ranjit Singh was behindthe circulation of the anonymous letter and hatched aconspiracy to kill him. In 2017, Gurmeet Ram RahimSingh was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for rapingtwo disciples. He is currently lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail.

INDIA

CORNER

PNS n NEW DELHI /CHANDIGARH/JAIPUR

Farmers squatted on rail tracksat several places on Mondaymorning as part of the SamyuktKisan Morcha's six-hour 'railroko' protest over theLakhimpur Kheri violence,hampering train movement inPunjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradeshand Rajasthan.

The stir affected 150 loca-tions in the Northern Railwayzone and hindered the runningof 60 trains causing inconve-nience to passengers who couldbe seen waiting for long hourswith their baggage.

In the North WesternRailway (NWR) zone, rail traf-fic was affected in some sec-tions in Rajasthan and Haryanawith 18 trains cancelled, 10 par-tially cancelled and one divert-ed due to the protest.

Agitations were held atPunjab's Ludhiana, Amritsar,Jalandhar, Moga, Patiala andFerozepur, and Haryana'sCharkhi Dadri, Sonipat, Kur-ukshetra, Jind, Karnal andHisar.

In Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, Bharatiya Kisan Unionworkers halting the Amritsar-Delhi and the Jalandhar

Express trains by staging adharna on rail tracks.

Trains were halted at Meerutand Greater Noida's Dankaurstations by the protesters, BKUmedia in-charge DharmendraMalik said. In Ghaziabad'sModinagar, staged a demon-stration infront of a goodstrain which already reached itsdestination.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha,an umbrella body of farmerunions spearheading the agita-tion against the Centre's Agrilaws, had said, "To press for itsdemand for MoS Home AjayMishra's dismissal and arrest, sothat justice can be secured inthe Lakhimpur Kheri mas-sacre, Samyukt Kisan Morchahas announced a nation-wide

Rail Roko programme."SKM put out a call to its

constituents to stop rail trafficfor six hours on October 18between 10 am and 4 pm," ithad said. Protesting farmers,including women, raised slo-gans against the BJP-led gov-ernment and demanded thearrest of Ajay Mishra. Securitywas deployed at rail stations in

the wake of the protest.Farmers sat on rail tracks in

several sections, including theFerozepur-Fazilka section inFerozepur city and theFerozepur-Ludhiana section atAjitwal in Moga, officials said.

In Rajasthan, farmers held aprotest on the tracks in Hanu-mangarh district and raised slo-gans against the Central and theUttar Pradesh governments.In the state capital, members ofthe Samyukt Kisan Morchastaged a protest at the entranceof the Jaipur Junction station.

State joint secretary of SKMSanjay Madhav said, "We havenot been allowed to enter theJaipur junction so we havestarted the dharna at theentrance."

The trains that have beenaffected in the NorthernRailway zone include theChandigarh-Ferozepur Express.Its scheduled departure fromLudhiana was 7 am, but hasbeen stranded there due to ablockade in the Ferozpur-Ludhiana section, its chief pub-lic relation officer said.

The New Delhi-AmritsarShatabdi Express was haltednear Shambu station due toblockades near Sahnewal andRajpura.

PNS n KOLKATA

As reports of attack on minor-ity Hindus continue to emergefrom Bangladesh, its homeminister, Asaduzzaman KhanKamal, on Monday gave assur-ance that communal harmonywill be protected in his coun-try at any cost.

He claimed that the violenceis aimed at fomenting troublein his nation with an eye on thenext general election.

The neighbouring country islikely to hold its elections in theend of 2023.

Speaking to PTI over phone,Khan Kamal said that an inves-

tigation is underway to nab theculprits involved in "incitingviolence" in his country.

He also did not rule out "theinvolvement on the BNP-Jamaatelements" behind the attacks."We have taken stern actions totackle the situation. An investi-gation is underway; none of theculprits would be spared. Iwant to assure you that the com-munal harmony of our countrywill be protected at any cost.Both the minority and majori-ty communities are citizens ofthis country and would be pro-tected," Khan Kamal said.

The minister asserted thatBangladesh would not let the

trouble-makers succeed in theirmission. "These incidents areaimed at tarnishing the imageof our nation and creating ten-sion with an eye on the gener-al election. But we won't allowthese forces to succeed," he said.

Violence had erupted inpockets of Bangladesh over analleged blasphemy incident ata Durga Puja pavilion inCumilla, around 100 km fromDhaka, following which para-military forces were deployedin many affected areas.

Sporadic clashes, however,broke out between the policeand the bigots as media report-ed about vandalisation of Hindu

temples and Durga puja venues.At least five persons were killed,and scores of others injured inthe clashes. Noting that hun-dreds of people have beenarrested, Khan Kamal furthersaid that four rioters have alsobeen shot dead by the police.

"No peace-loving and piousHindu or Muslim would everindulge in violence. We are notruling out the involvement ofBNP-Jamaat or any thirdforces. They could be behindthose attacks to halt theprogress of our country. Thiscould also be aimed at disturb-ing peace before the next elec-tions," he maintained.

Bangladesh vows to maintain harmony

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Congress on Mondayattacked the government overauto fuel costing more than therate at which aviation turbinefuel (ATF) is sold to airlines,with former party chief RahulGandhi alleging that theCentre was resorting to "taxextortion".

Congress leader PriyankaGandhi Vadra also took a digat the government, saying itpromised to make those wear-ing 'hawai chappals' travel byair but it has hiked the pricesof petrol and diesel so muchthat it has become difficult forthe middle class to travel evenby road. Tagging a mediareport on auto fuels costing athird more than the rate atwhich ATF is sold to airlines,Rahul Gandhi tweeted thatthis is a very serious issue --"simple needs of the peoplethat are not being fulfilledtoday come before election-vote-politics".

"I am with the people whoare being cheated for the ben-efit of Modi's friends and willcontinue to raise their voices,"the former Congress chief saidin a tweet in Hindi and added"Stop #TaxExtortion".

Congress leader PriyankaGandhi, in a tweet in Hindi,said, "Had promised that thosewearing 'hawai chappals' (slip-pers) will travel by airplane.

But the BJP governmenthas hiked the prices of petroland diesel so much that now ithas become difficult for thosewearing 'hawai chappals' andthe middle class to travel evenby road." She used the hashtag'BJP lai mehenge din (BJP hasbrought expensive days)' withher tweet.

The Congress, from its offi-cial Twitter handle, alleged that

auto fuels costing a more thanthe rate at which ATF is sold toairlines was a proof of theModi government's "loot".

Petrol and diesel prices onSunday were hiked again by 35paise a litre and after this hikethe auto fuel was now costing athird more than the rate atwhich ATF is sold to airlines.

The price of petrol in Delhirose to its highest-ever level ofRs 105.84 a litre and Rs 111.77per litre in Mumbai, accordingto a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

In Mumbai, diesel nowcomes for Rs 102.52 a litre;while in Delhi, it costs Rs 94.57.

Petrol used in two-wheelersand cars now costs 33 per centmore than the price at whichaviation turbine fuel (ATF) issold to airlines. ATF in Delhicosts Rs 79,020.16 per kilolitreor Rs 79 per litre. All the fig-ures are as per Sunday's hike.

Cong slams govt over rising fuelprices, Rahul alleges ‘tax extortion’

PNS n NEW DELHI

From turning "completelybald", avoiding playing the tit-ular hero in "Anand" to trou-bling hapless producers by dis-appearing through a "secretstaircase" behind his cupboard,"mad genious" Kishore Kumarhad a number of tricks up hissleeves, reveals poet-lyricistGulzar in his new book "Act-ually... I Met Them: A Memoir".

According to Gulzar, KishoreKumar, and not actor RajeshKhanna, was initially set to starin the 1971 cult classic "Anand".But just a few days before theshoot, Kishore Kumar, in ameeting to discuss his look inthe film, shocked everyone by

turning up completely bald."We were all shocked! On top

of that, Kishoreda went aroundthe office dancing and singing,'What will you do now, Hrishi?'(director Hrishikesh Mukherjee).

"Consequently, Rajesh Kha-nna was finalised for the role ina very short time. PerhapsKishoreda never wanted toplay the character. Nevertheless,I have never seen someonecutting off their nose to spitetheir face in such a manner,"recalls Gulzar, who wrote thedialogues of the superhit movie.

The film ended up winningseveral awards, including theFilmfare Award for Best Film in1972. Not only directors, manyproducers were also at the

receiving end of KishoreKumar's mischief. In fact, oneof Kishore Kumar's favouritethings to do was "to land hisproducers in trouble", Gulzarwrites in the memoir, pub-lished by Penguin RandomHouse India. Once a producerwent to the singer-actor's houseto seek a meeting but as Kishore

Kumar was not in a mood totalk to him, he "simply openedhis cupboard, stepped in anddisappeared!"

"He used to have this asto-unding cupboard that hid asecret staircase within. Kishor-eda simply opened the cupbo-ard, stepped in and disappeared!Leaving the producer waitingfor him outside the open doorsof the contraption. If nothingelse, this underscores the imm-ense effort and planning req-uired to live a life of absurdities,"writes the veteran lyricist.

In another instance, KishoreKumar halted the recording ofsongs for a film called "Bharosa"to demand tea. And after anendless wait, when the tea

finally arrived, he went aheadwith the recording withouteven having a sip of it.

"Every time we tried coaxingKishoreda, 'Let's go, Dada, let'sget the recording done, Abdul-- his driver who had gone outto fetch the tea -- will be heresoon', he would counter with,'Let Abdul come. I'll have teaand only then'. Finally, whenAbdul returned, Kishoredaimmediately declared, ‘Okay,let's record.' 'Why, don't youwant tea?' we asked. Paying usno heed, he went to get therecording done," he writes.

Gulzar clarified that the teawas not important for thesinger. The whole charade wasdone for the "producer to spend

money and get tea for all themusicians and the staff ".

Calling the legendary singerhis "friend" with whom he hadworked on several occasions,the 87-year-old writer admittedthat Kishore Kumar was thekind of person with whomyou couldn't be "angry or upsetfor too long".

"If I did, the loss was all mine.It meant being deprived of anessence of world -- the essenceof Kishore. It had its own emi-nence, intoxication and feeling-- all of it unique .. One wouldbe hard-pressed to believe thatanyone could conduct theirreal life with such sense ofhumour if one had never metKishoreda," he noted.

Gulzar reveals all about ‘mad genius’ Kishore KumarPNS n NEW DELHI

Researchers from Institute ofTechnology (IIT), Madrashave successfully developed awhite light emitter which canbe used in LEDs applications.

According to the team, asconventional light-emittingdiode (LED) materials cannotemit white light, there hasbeen a worldwide search formaterials that can directlyemit white light rather thanthrough these indirect tech-niques that can cause loss ofefficiency. The researchersplan to produce LEDs usingtheir distorted 'perovskite'materials.

The indigenously-devel-oped bright white light emit-ters can potentially replace theconventional high-cost mate-rials and phenomenally save

the energy cost per lumens.The innovation has been

patented by the researchersand was recently granted the" S E R B - T e c h n o l o g yTranslation Award".

The Science andEngineering Research Board(SERB) provides financialassistance to researchers, aca-demic institutions, researchand development laborato-ries, industrial concerns, andother agencies.

Apart from the patent, theresults of this research workhave been published in theprestigious peer-reviewedinternational journal belong-ing to the Nature group –Communications Materials.

"While LEDs have beenavailable in almost all colours,white LEDs are a more recentdevelopment.

IIT-M designs whitelight emitters for LED

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government has receivednearly Rs 814 crore as divi-dend tranches from fiveCPSEs, including PFC,HUDCO and OIL, this fiscalyear, DIPAM secretary saidon Monday.

"Dividend tranches ofabout Rs 296 crore and Rs233 crore have been receivedrespectively from PFC andHUDCO," DIPAMSecretary Tuhin KantaPandey tweeted.

OIL, KIOCL and SJVNhave paid about Rs 92 crore,Rs 99 crore and Rs 94 crorerespectively as dividendtranches to the government,he added.

As per the Department ofInvestment and Public AssetManagement (DIPAM) web-site, so far in the currentfinancial year (April-March),the government has receivedRs 8,096 crore as dividendfrom central public sectorenterprises (CPSEs).

Besides, Rs 9,110 crorehas been mobilised throughdisinvestment of minoritystake in CPSEs.

Govt receives

Rs 814 cr from

five CPSEs

as dividend

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court has askeda three-member committee toreconsider the case after exam-ining the fresh medical reportsof a minor who is seeking per-mission to donate part of hisliver to his ailing father suffer-ing from an advanced stage ofliver failure.

The court said it is hoped thatin case the 17-year-and-ninemonth-old boy is found fit fordonating a part of his liver as perhis medical reports received

from the Institute of Liver andBiliary Sciences (ILBS), the com-mittee set up by the appropriateauthority will reconsider its ear-lier report for granting necessaryapproval to him so that hisfather's life may be saved.

Justice Rekha Palli said keep-ing in view the urgency involvedin the matter, the petitioner isgranted liberty to approach theregistrar of the high court forthe listing of the case on anydate between October 16 to 20,if the need arises and fixed theplea for hearing on October 21.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A Shiv Sena leader has movedthe Supreme Court seekingjudicial enquiry into affairs ofNarcotics Control Bureau atMumbai and its officials in thewake of the arrest of AryanKhan, son of Bollywood actorShah Rukh Khan in a case ofalleged seizure of drugs froma cruise ship in Mumbai.

The petition has urged theapex court to take suo motocognizance to protect the fun-damental rights of Aryan whohas been booked under theNDPS Act by NCB, ZonalOffice, Mumbai.

"I would like to point outtowards the malafide style,approach and dirty vendettaaffairs of NCB at Mumbai andit's officials targeting selectfilm celebrity & few modelssince last two years and wouldlike to request Your Honour toorder to institute special judi-cial investigation & enquiry to

unearth the role of NCB offi-cial…," the plea filed byMumbai-based Shiv Senaleader Kishore Tiwari said.

Referring to the statement ofNCP leader and MaharashtraMinister Nawab Malik inwhich he had cast aspersionson NCB, the plea said it's hightime the NCB is probed by atop court judge to unravel thetruth.

Aryan is currently lodged inArthur Road prison in the caseof alleged seizure of drugsfrom a cruise ship.

Based on a tip-off about arave party, an NCB team raid-ed the cruise on October 2.

PNS n BHUBANESWAR

Parts of Odisha braced forheavy rain as a low-pressurearea (Lopar) formed overGangetic West Bengal onMonday.

Fisherfolk have beenadvised not to venture intodeep sea off the Odisha coasttill Tuesday as squally weath-er with wind speed of 40-50kmph and gusting up to 60

kmph is likely over northBay of Bengal.Under the influence of acyclonic circulation in themorning, a Lopar formedover West Bengal and adjoin-ing north Odisha, theBhubaneswar MeteorologicialCentre said in a release.It issued an orange alert ofheavy to very heavy rainfall atone or two places overBalasore and Mayurbhanj dis-

tricts till 8.30 am of Tuesday.The Met office warned of risein the water level inBudhabalanga andSubarnarekha rivers.

Heavy showers are expect-ed at one or two places overthe districts of Bhadrak,Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur,Sundargarh, Keonjhar,Deogarh and Jajpur till 8.30am on Tuesday, the depart-ment said.

Low pressure to bring heavyrain in Odisha, predicts IMD

SC asked to probe NCB

Panel asked to reconsider pleaby minor to donate part of liver

RAIL ROKO

Farmers squat on rail tracks, serviceshit in Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan

The Congress, from

its official Twitter

handle, alleged that

auto fuels costing a

more than the rate

at which ATF is sold

to airlines was a

proof of the Modi

government's ‘loot’.

been more tactful and concil-iatory. He did something sim-ilar in Delhi as he was finallyleaving for Karachi. Some localMuslims had gathered in anx-iety to ask their Qaid-e-Azamwhat could happen to themnow that Partition has takenplace? His reply was hurriedand curt; I have achieved foryou what you wanted; now lookafter yourself. What more canI do? Again the attitude of anadvocate and not a leader.

On the last day of his life inSeptember 1948, his healthwas deteriorating at Quetta,where he had gone to rest. Hissister Fatima was with him anda British doctor. As his planelanded in Karachi, an oldambulance was awaiting hisarrival. Remember, he was theGovernor-General. Within twoor three mile, the vehiclestopped and would not moveforward. So the doctor tookanother ambulance, which tookan hour or so to arrive and takean ailing Jinnah to his resi-dence. That same evening at say10 pm, he died. The next dayhe was buried but reportedly ina Savile Row tailored suit.Coincidentally, he died in thecity of his birth, namelyKarachi.

Jinnah achieved what hehad set out on March 23, 1940,at Lahore. His death was notragedy, because it was not anend with unfulfilled aspirations.

Had he died unfulfilled, itwould have been somewhattragic for him, but more so forHindus. The simple reason isthat there would have been noPartition; without Jinnah,Partition was most unlikely.Many Muslims believe thatwithout the Qaid-e-Azam,there would have been no oneto negotiate with the Britishrulers. The Muslims had noother all-India leader. It is inthis belief the Muslim Leaguerequested him to jettison hispractice in a barrister inLondon welcome him back toIndia, as the League’s life pres-ident.

To be convinced fully thatHindus needed the Partition,one has to digest the argumentslaid out by Dr B R Ambedkarwhich are available in VolumeVIII of his Complete Works. Inhis one blunt statement,Babasaheb declared, “Anenemy without one’s borders ismore desirable than an enemywithin”. He went on to writethat the Hindu provinces werepaying much more tax, whoserevenue was shared by theMuslim provinces. Yet becauseof their religious restrictionsMuslim soldiers could not havefought for India, had the invad-ing enemy been Muslim. TheKhilafat Committee hadendorsed this, as also theMuslim League.

In any case, in an undivid-

ed India with no Pakistan orBangladesh in sight, the largerpopulation of the countrywould have been only 60 percent non-Muslim. This 60 percent would be too low to pre-vent either an Islamic takeoveror an open civil war. In otherwords, Hindu civilisationwould have found it difficult tosurvive. It is not improbablethat the Hindus might have lostthis civil war. For one, theMuslims in the Indian armyexceeded the rest, especially ifone counted only the fightingunits minus the non-combat-ant ones. Secondly, Hindusparticularly would have beenreluctant to shed blood andtake the lives of those whenthey looked upon as theirbrethren. Consequently, Indiawould gone back to being aDar-ul-Islam, which it hadbeen for many centuries until1858. The last Mughal incum-bent on the throne, BahadurShah Zafar was arrested andexiled to Yangon in Burma(then Rangoon), which waswhen the Islamic world recog-nised that we had ceased to bean Islamic State.

(This concludes the series onMuhammad Ali Jinnah’s role inIndia-Pak Partition.)

(The writer is a well-knowncolumnist, an author and a former member of the RajyaSabha. The views expressed are personal.)

THE WALL’S SECOND INNINGSSir — Adroit Rahul Dravid wouldmake a dexterous head coach of theIndian cricket team. He has always beenan asset for the team in every role be itof a player, a captain or a coach). Dravidhas already coached the India-A and theU-19 team for six years. His vast expe-rience is certainly an advantage foryoung players who need just the rightguidance and discipline. His cricketingskills, dexterity, decision making andstrategic moves have proven successfulin various capacities.

A quality that differentiates a goodplayer and a great player is discipline,and Rahul Dravid has always beenknown for his impeccable discipline andfocus. His unwavering temperament, nomatter how ferocious the bowlerseemed, puts him ahead of the league.Our young, and even experienced play-ers, can learn a thing or two about dis-cipline from the master himself andbecome ‘great’ players. Dravid's forte areteam building and team approach. Hehas the ability to build on strengths,suitability (batting, bowling, fielding,field placement). His system's studentssuch as Rishab Pant, Avesh Khan,Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari andShubnam Gill are proof of the pudding.

Nivriti Sreelekha | Secunderabad

RUSSIAN FILMMAKERS TAKE IT TO SPACESir — The recent return of the Russianfilmmakers from the International SpaceStation after finishing up their film shoothas increased the thrills of movie loversmanifold. It is extremely exciting towatch space scenes, which until nowwere artificially created with graphicdesigns. Shooting in space for 12 daysmust have been extremely hard to man-age than a routine shoot on earth.Russians have historic success in spaceand now after finishing a shoot in spacethis time, Russia once again becomes thefirst country to do so.

Space has many endeavours to beexplored by mankind. Space tourism andprivate space commercial capsule flightshad already created a buzz and now a

movie shoot opens many more possibil-ities. But the alarm bell rings right here.It is good that man has made space moreaccessible than ever before, but we alsomust be aware that our vision to exploremore may harm the ecosystem.Therefore it is a big achievement to suc-cessfully finish shooting in space, but wemust pledge to not ruin it with anthro-pogenic debris and leftovers that wereused in projects of various types.

Kirti Wadhawan | Kanpur

BEHIND THE GLAMOUR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Sir — From pings and chat windows topokes and emoticons, everything existsin social media platforms to bringpeople closer. It helps learn new things,make new friends, explore new oppor-tunities and develop new perspectives.But every coin has two sides. Youngteenagers spend a lot of time browsingsocial media apps, particularly,Facebook, as they find it the best formof communication. But it is treacherousfor the teenagers as it directly affects

their mental health. It spreads toxicityamong youths. It is also not safe for thenation as it can be used to steal sensi-tive data by the enemies. It damagesyoungsters beyond measure.

Nowadays, people of all ages areglued to their phones to browse throughsocial media applications like Facebook,Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter andmany more. Half cooked stories andfalse news being spread is adverselyaffecting the very roots of the society.Everybody feels lonely in spite of beinga member of several groups on socialmedia. It is addictive as well as toxic andaffects the self esteem of individuals. Itis crucial that parents teach their chil-dren the adversaries around such apps.Even in schools, kids should be madeaware of the truth behind the glamourof social media which takes a toll ontheir health as they start to use it.

Somya Agrawal | Ujjain

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/

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021

06

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

In an undivided India with no Pakistan or Bangladesh in existence, thelarger population would have been only 60 per cent non-Muslim

WITHOUT JINNAH,THE PARTITIONWAS UNLIKELY.

MANY MUSLIMSBELIEVE THATWITHOUT THEQAID-E-AZAM,

THERE WOULDHAVE BEEN NO ONE

TO NEGOTIATEWITH THE

BRITISH RULERS

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

PRAFULL GORADIA

As ill luck would have it, Saturday noonsaw Kerala reeling under torrential rainsand resultant floods that left a long trail

of disaster caused by many landslides. AtLeast 26 people have so far lost their livesand in a heart-wrenching scene, bodies ofthree children of eight, seven and four yearsholding on to each other were also foundburied under the debris by the rescue teamin Idukki district. The India Meteorological

Department (IMD) officials have alsoexpressed apprehensions of a cloudbursthaving caused these unseasonal heavy rainswreaking havoc.

The Army, the Navy and the IAF teamshave also joined hands with the civiladministrations while the National DisasterResponse Force (NDRF) is going to deploy11 teams to help in the rescue operationsin the most affected districts. This bodes wellfor the bereft families that taking a seriousview of the grim situation, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has spoken to Kerala ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayan assuring him of allthe possible aid while simultaneouslyannouncing a 100 crore immediate reliefpackage for the State. Let's all pray to theAlmighty to give strength to all those on thereceiving end of this natural calamity to bearwith these painfully hard times withimmense courage.

Azhar A Khan | Rampu

Life in Kerala goes under

How the Partitionhelped India

Pran Chopra, who laterrose to be the editor of theStatesman, was reportingon an election which said

a lot. A public meeting was heldat Jalandhar in the middle ofwhich there was azaan or a call forprayer. The crowd went to praybut Jinnah sat down on a chair,pulled out a cigar and lit it. Hesmoked until the crowd returnedand then resumed his speech inEnglish. The only other languagehe could speak was Gujarati. Hehad had no leisure to learn Urdu.Whenever Jinnah shouted “Islamis in danger”, the crowd endorsedhim loudly. The instance of aMuslim leader shunning prayerand smoking is telling.

If not the leader, what was hewho succeeded in dividing a sub-continent? Evidently, he was theadvocate-general for Pakistan. Hecould see that Muslims in Indiawere generally nervous, if not alsofrightened. They were less educat-ed than the Hindus and werefewer in the total number in thecountry. Furthermore, not eventheir elite owned industries andNehru’s socialist Governmentwould take away their land.Muslims, who had ruled India forcenturies, would be reduced toservants and clerks of Hindus.

The Advocate had a formulaof Pakistan which to Aligarh stu-dents meant a New Medina whichcould go on to throw up a Caliph.There was no reigning religious-cum-temporal head of SunniIslam. The last one was the Sultanof Turkey whom Kemal Ataturkhad dethroned and exiled in 1924.There had been no replacement.He planned a viable strategy forhis clients — the Muslims — andgot on with his job. He had beenthe highest-paid barrister in theBritish Empire for several years.For dividing the country, his feeswould be a place in history’s hallof fame.

To indicate his role as an advo-cate, when he went, for the firsttime, to Dacca in the Eastern wingof Pakistan in February 1948, theuniversity students demandedBengali also to be a national lan-guage. Jinnah insisted that it canonly be one tongue namely Urdu.He was curt, he did not know theBengali psyche, and sowed theseeds of what eventually becameBangladesh. A leader would have

SOUNDBITETo benefit a fewfriends of the PrimeMinister, the publicis being cheated andI will stand with thepeople.

Congress leader — Rahul Gandhi

Israel should stopall its measuresagainst our peoplein the West Bank,East Jerusalem, and

the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian President — Mahmoud Abbas

Most of my films aremeant for families tocome in and engage,take back an impor-tant message and bethoroughly entertained.

Actor— Ayushmann Khurrana

As a token of mysympathy, I wouldlike to make a dona-tion...towards therelief and rescueefforts in Kerala.

Spiritual leader— Dalai Lama

For me, Mahi is mybrother. I respectand admire the factthat he was therewhen I needed him

the most.

Indian all-rounder

— Hardik Pandya

Monsoon, the subcontinent’s unique weather phenomenon, has inspired writ-ers ranging from Kalidasa to Alexander Frater. While the former integrated thebeauty and romance of monsoon in his 'Meghdoot', Frater informed the world

about its vagaries and how it impacted the socio-economic lives of millions in his trav-elogue 'Chasing The Monsoon'. Till the early 1970s, the monsoon used to pass over

the Indian landscape in an elegant pattern. But overthe last few years, the monsoon’s fury has startedstriking Kerala, and India at large, quite regularly. Theyear 2018 saw nature at its worst, claiming hundredsof lives and devouring thousands of houses and acresof farm lands in God's Own Country. Kerala was underthe spell of heavy rains and winds over the last fewweeks and this took a turn for the worse as the depres-sions in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea devel-oped into downpours and heavy winds. Warningsissued by the Indian Meteorological Department andthe local Cochin University of Science and Technology

do not seem to have been noticed by the persons who govern the State. Officials haveconfirmed that rains and landslides claimed more than 30 lives till Monday.

This is going to be the pattern of monsoon in coming weeks and months, accord-ing to Prof S Abhilash, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, CUSAT. He says thereis a change in the pattern of rain distribution, intensity of rain and cloud structure. Therehas been no dearth of warnings and weather alerts from the IMD but something ismissing in the official response to these timely bulletins. The cloudbursts and land-slides are being seen as the fallout of the wanton destruction of the fragile ecosystemin the State. Since the 1960s, the rainforests were slaughtered to build dams and facil-itate planting of cash crops like rubber and spices. P K Ramachandran, a veteran botanistwith Rubber Board, laments over the report he made which made the Government topromote planting of rubber in thousands of hectares of rain forests. Policy makers for-got the State’s proximity to the sea while the ecological devastation of Western Ghatsled to flood and fury becoming regular events in Kerala. The land known for its serenenature has taken a vengeful persona, proving yet again that any unregulated action andirresponsibility by mankind will not go unpunished by Nature.

It is the golden jubilee year of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, but the celebrations aremuted. It lacks a unifying leader. It lost power to rival DMK. Its workers have beencaught in factional fights ever since Jayalalithaa died. Can such a party dare think

of a revival? A close aide of the late Puratchi Thalaivi, VK Sasikala, thinks so. Shewants to revive, if not the party, at least her chances of becoming the leader. Comingout of prison after serving a four-year term in a corruption case, she used the occa-sion of the 50th year of the founding of the party to make herself politically rele-vant once again. Her political errands were low-key but not publicity-shy. She vis-ited party mausoleums and museums in Chennai to pay her obeisance to MGR andJayalalithaa. She talked to party workers about bringing back Jayalithaa’s legacy;it was not yet the time to address the people. She proposes to tour the State, to

assess the mood of the workers. Sasikala’s open-ing gambit is now complete. It is for the party’sdual leadership — Edappadi K Palaniswami andOttakarathevar Panneerselvam — to respond. Theformer has taken credit for the AIADMK avoidinga rout in the assembly elections and surprisinglygetting 77 seats. He thinks that makes him a bet-ter leader than OPS. The latter is more suscepti-ble to Sasikala’s influence because they share thesame caste. It is not a difficult task for her to breakthe dual leadership but she would not want the partyto break. That would not serve her purpose. She

wants to see how the 2017 heist-cum-murder incident in Jayalalithaa’s Kodanadestate affects the OPS-EPS duo. EPS, the then Chief Minister, did not order a spe-cial probe. The DMK Government now has. All this has left the party workers a con-fused lot. They do not know who among the three leaders has the staying power.They want to see if Sasikala has the advantage of a sympathy factor because ofher association with ‘Amma’. They will wait to check if the Kodanad probe troublesEPS and OPS. That is why none of the leaders is in a hurry to make a move.

The person who can keep the AIADMK united and maintain the State’s bipo-lar politics has a chance of succeeding Jayalalithaa. Not even the DMK wants achallenger in the state other than the AIADMK. MK Stalin has gone on recordsaying that. The Congress knows its place already. The BJP, however, is intenton joining the par ty. It had originally bet on the AIADMK’s decimation in the elec-tions, hoping to find a factional par tner if the par ty broke up. That did not hap-pen as OPS-EPS had a bigger objective: grabbing par ty reins. However, Sasikalarecused herself from the elections as questions were raised about an invisiblehand influencing her decision. Can she summon the courage to keep the nation-al par ties at bay like Jayalalithaa?

Revival effort

Flood and furyDespite warnings and alerts from the IMD, official response in Kerala has been missing

PICTALK

Volunteers hold placards during the ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign in Delhi Ranjan DDimri || TThe PPioneer

Sasikala’s attempt to make herself politically relevant again still lacks teeth

The Air India sale :Better late than never

IF YOU (BJP) WANT TO FIGHT, FIGHT LIKE

MEN. DON'T USE THE ED, CBI. THIS IS NOT

MACHISMO. THIS IS UNMANLY.

—MAHARASHTRA CHIEF MINISTER

UDDHAV THACKERAY

HAD THESE AGENCIES BEEN MISUSED, THEN

HALF OF YOUR MINISTERS WOULD HAVE

BEEN IN JAIL.

—BJP LEADERDEVENDRA FADNAVIS

On June 28, 2017, the then FinanceMinister, the late Arun Jaitely,had announced the ‘in-principle’decision of the Union Cabinet for

strategic divestment of Air India (AI) andfive of its subsidiaries.

Over 50 months there after, onSeptember 8, 2021, the Government hasinformed about its decision to privatise AIand its 100 percent subsidiary, Air IndiaExpress Limited (AIEL) and its 51 percentshare in Air India Air Transport ServicesLimited (AIATSL). The iconic Maharajahasgone back to the hangar of the Tata Groupalmost 68 years after the company wasnationalized in 1953. The AI privatizationsaga reveals four major pitfalls.

First, the move has been half-heartedfrom day one. That is a manifestation ofan inherent tendency amongst bureaucratsand the political class to retain some con-trols even after divestment as also to ensurethat employees continue to enjoy a protec-tive cover even under the new boss.

The first attempt in 2017-18 came acropper because in that offer, theGovernment insisted on retaining 24 per-cent shareholding with itself, retention ofthe employees besides imposing other con-ditions such as a minimum lock-in peri-od of three years, etc.An additional riderwas a requirement that the acquirer willhave to take over a major slice of the debton the books of AI.The investors showedno interest.

Eventually, the half-heartedness hasgiven way to whole-heartedness even as theGovernment decided to sell 100 percent ofits stake as also letting the acquirer shedemployees after one year. It has alsoallowed the bidders to quote the ‘enterprisevalue’ - financial jargon for letting them getaway with very little debt on the balancesheet of the divested undertaking.

However, the delay has come at a heavycost to the Union Government. When thedisinvestment was initially mooted, AI hada debt of around ̀ 50,000 crore. Accordingto the secretary, Department of investmentand public asset management), AI has beenmaking a loss of ̀ 20 crore per day. No won-der, its cumulative debt has now balloonedto around `77,500 crore.

Second, after a disinvestment plan istaken on board, the scale of indifference tothe working of the concerned PSU getsperked up which deteriorates its financialhealth further. As on March 31, 2021, AIhad a debt of ̀ 58,000 crore. During the nextfive months till August 31, 2021, an addi-tional debt of `3500 crore accrued.Furthermore, the Maharaja has piled up‘unpaid bills’ of oil PSUs, airport dues anddozens of other vendors aggregating to`16,000 crore.

Put together, AI has liabilities of`77,500 crore. Of this, Tata will pay only`18,000 crore by taking over debt of`15,300 crore and give ̀ 2700 crore as equi-ty. That leaves a whopping liability of a min-imum around ̀ 60,000crore with the UnionGovernment (this could increase further

Persistent neglect of Air India for over a decade and even during theperiod when its sale was under consideration has cost the exchequer dear

WITH DOZENS OF PSU

DIVESTMENTSLINED UP, IT IS

IMPERATIVE THAT THE

GOVERNMENTLEARNS THE

RIGHT LESSONSFROM MISTAKES

OF THE PAST.THAT WILL HELP

MAXIMISEREALISATION

FROM THE SALEOF PROFITABLEUNDERTAKINGSAND MINIMISE

THE LIABILITIESARISING FROM

THE LOSSMAKINGCOMPANIES

The Gati Shakti plan is aimed at coordinating infrastructure schemesof various Central Ministries and State Governments to ensurequick and efficient completion of works. It was perhaps a long-

term need for a nation that is on booster doses of revenue injectionthrough borrowings to push growth. Gati plan would try to help intimely implementation of projects through coordination of 16 CentralGovernment departments and avoiding duplication for cutting costs.The new plan is stated to check the expenses on different projectsbut not check galloping inflation. Though food prices were in checkfor about eight months, the latest reports suggest that food and veg-etable prices are shooting up in many areas. Industry department datasay that certain food items’ contraction has brought down food infla-tion to 4.69 per cent in September. During the same time, manufac-tured products’ prices soared to 11.41 per cent from 11.39 per centin August. Pulses rose 9.42 percent and in October, onion and fruitprices have started soaring. Food prices are not decelerating acrossthe board. In the manufactured category, prices of basic metals roseto 26.71 per cent and textiles remain elevated at 26.09 per cent.Interestingly enough, activities in different sectors have not yet pickedup the pace needed to give the desired effect. A major reason is the

rising global fuel prices and a domestic policy of high taxation on petro-leum products, a concern expressed by RBI. Overall, inflation alsopushes up wages and other costs. Global fuel prices have started firm-ing up now with an increase in demand. India takes a double hit asa result. Food grain doles are keeping the prices in check to a cer-tain level. However, as activities increase so do domestic demand.

This is what a coordination committee has to look at. With crudeprices hovering around $80 a barrel and likely to firm up further, theinflation scenario may become grim. Whether the Gati-Shakti plan, usinggeo-mapping and real-time data, can check rising prices would be inter-esting to observe. Pressures like rising wage and transportation costscould increase further. The Bloomberg commodity index crossed 100in the last week of September, first time since 2015, and continues tostay at that level. Prices of coal and crude oil have risen. The RBI’smonetary policy committee expects inflation to start increasing fromthe October-December quarter onwards. The WPI inflation is to rise,the MPC forecasts. Technically measured by consumer price index (CPI),inflation is at a low. It grew at 4.35 per cent, but overall, it has comedown by 195 basis points. Inflation also impacts purchasing power.Consumers are yet not flocking to the market. Sales are not increas-ing. Many units are unable to transfer the additional costs on fuel tothe consumers. Even the truckers face this problem. They cannot lettheir fleet remain idle. So even at lower prices they agree to transportgoods. Another aspect is a kind of stagnation in income levels and insome cases even rising income is not seeing the end of poverty. Thereis concern about inequality-driven inflation. While the Gati Shakti hasraised high hopes of completing projects within the budgetary expens-es, to give pace to it, another master plan to check inflation is need-ed. The administered prices of petroleum products along with the high-er cost on road travel also have to be seen from the aspect of coor-dination. Coordinated pricing is key to the success of the Prime Minister’snew master plan. At lower fuel prices, there would be more activities,more revenue generation and the aim of the NDA Government to havean overall development could be achieved.

(The writer is a senior journalist. The views expressedare personal.)

It is possible that the tidewhich brought hard-rightpopulist Governments to

power in a number of CentralEuropean countries is start-ing to go out again.

In the Czech Republic,billionaire oligarch AndrejBabiš suffered a surprisedefeat in his bid to be re-elected Prime Minister onSunday. The last straw mayhave been the revelation inthe ‘Pandora Papers’ onlydays before that he had set upan offshore company tosecretly buy a $17.6 millionmansion in southern France.

In Hungary, Jew-baiting,Muslim-hating, ultra-nation-alist President Viktor Orbánsuddenly has to worry aboutwinning re-election next year.The perennially split opposi-tion parties managed to unite

last October and made theircandidate mayor of Budapest,Hungary’s capital. If they canmanage to stay united, theymight even bring Orbándown next year.

And in Poland, whichhas twice the population ofthe other two combined, thepopulist Law and JusticeParty (PiS) is drifting intotroubled waters too. It does-n’t face re-election until 2023,but by then it may havemanaged to get Polandexpelled from the EuropeanUnion: Polexit. That wouldgreatly upset the 88 per centof Poles who want to stay inthe EU.

The PiS is a deeply con-servative party in theCatholic tradition, with pop-ulist trimmings like aGovernment subsidy of $150

per month for each childunder 18. Its voters are most-ly rural and small town,deeply religious, older, andpoorly educated. Theyrespond well to racist, xeno-phobic and anti-semiticrhetoric. Donald Trumpwould feel right at home.

The PiS has been inpower since 2015, but almostevery recent election hasbeen a hair’s-breadth victory:it is as unpopular in the lib-eral cities as it is beloved inthe deeply religious villages.So it set itself the task of

improving its chances infuture elections.

One obvious measure wasto take control of the media.That was easy with the state-owned media: they were sup-posed to be impartial, but thegovernment controls theirbudgets. However, it provedimpossible to take over orfreeze out the independentmedia, especially the foreign-owned ones, because EU lawdefends free speech.

Polish courts upheld theEU laws, because everymember country had topledge when it joined that onsuch matters EU law takesprecedence over nationallaws and constitutions. So,the PiS decided to get aroundthis roadblock by ‘reforming’the Polish courts: if you don’tlike the judgements, change

the judges.First the PiS Government

forced a lot of judges out bylowering the retirement age,and replaced them with PiSsupporters. When the EUobjected to this blatantlypolitical tampering with thecourts, it packed theConstitutional Tribunal withits own people - and theydeclared that Polish law issuperior to EU law lastFriday. At that point, thePlay-Doh hit the fan.

The EuropeanCommission declared thatrulings by the EuropeanCourt of Justice are “bindingon all member states’ author-ities, including nationalcourts.” France’s Europeminister was blunter: “Thereis the risk of a de facto exit.”He’s right. The PiS is playing

a game of chicken with theEU, of course, and has nointention of actually leavingthe EU. As the streets ofWarsaw and other Polish bigcities filled with young peo-ple chanting ‘Zostajemy’(‘We’re staying’), PrimeMinister MateuszMorawiecki declared “Theplace of Poland is and will bein the European family ofnations” - but he is already inover his head.

Reason and instinct bothargue that this storm willblow itself out. Poland hasbenefited enormously fromseventeen years of grants andloans from the richer EUcountries to the poorer ones:the whole country looks dif-ferent already.

Right now, Poland isawaiting approval of a $65

billion transfer from Brusselsas its share of the EU’s $865billion post-Covid ‘stimuluspackage’. But that and muchelse might not come if Polandis in revolt against the EU’srules.

Russia is still close, andalthough nobody is expectinga Russian invasion at themoment, all of Polish histo-ry is shouting that you don’twant to be alone out there.

And nine out of Poleswant to stay in the EU.

So, it really should allblow over, but games ofchicken are tricky. You haveto drive like you have a deathwish, and then turn away atthe last second - but just afterthe other guy did. It’s reallyhard to get the timing right,and if you get it wrong, youdrive off the cliff. Polexit.

Poland has benefited enormously from grants and loans from the richer EU countries to the poorer ones: the country looks different already

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021

07

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

FIRSTCOLUMNINFLATION AND THEGATI SHAKTI PLAN

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

(The writer is a policyanalyst. The views

expressed are personal.)

Polexit? The Poles wouldn't want that

GWYNNE DYER

(Gwynne Dyer's new book is 'The Shortest History

of War'. The views expressed are personal.)

SHIVAJI SARKAR

as and when more unmet obliga-tions come out of the cupboard)which will be transferred in itsentirety to a special purpose vehi-cle named Air India Asset HoldingCompany Limited (AIAHCL).

The Centre will retain the non-core assets such as land, buildings,and housing colonies which,onsale, could fetch about `15,000crore. Even if all of it is realized, theAIAHCL would be saddled with`45,000 crore. This amount willeventually come from tax payers’pocket and is over and above awhopping `110,000 crore alreadysunk since 2009-10 to keep it afloat.

Third, bureaucratic red taperules the roost. Almost all process-es starting from conception, gettingapprovals, Preliminary InformationMemorandum (PIM), Request forProposal (RFP), inviting financialbids, selection of bidder, SharePurchase Agreement (SPA) and soon, crucial to successful completionof disinvestment are hamstrung byit. Add to this, the reluctance ofbureaucrats to take timely decisionsfearing they might be questionedafter retirement.

The sale of AI has notremained unaffected by this mal-ady. Some measures - reportedlyunder consideration — such asleaving decisions in regard toPIM, RFP and SPA to the DIPAMonly (at present, these issues aredecided by an inter-ministerialcommittee co-chaired by secretary,DIPAM and secretary of the con-cerned administrative ministry)arehalf-baked reforms.

Fourth, PSUs are often pushed

into a ‘loss-making’ situation by thepolitical establishment(fully aidedby the bureaucracy). This happensbecause of continuous interfer-ence by the latter in the working ofthese undertakings which is man-ifesting excessive manpower, highoverhead cost, inflated payments tovendors etc. In case of AI, in 2007,it reached its nadir when the polit-ical bosses directed the manage-ment to procure 111 aircraft (for`70,000 crores) which was fourtimes the requirement of only 28put up by the management.

When a firm creates a huge lia-bility (the aircraft purchases werefunded by borrowings from a con-sortium of banks) with no match-ing business to put the assets to use,it inevitably leads to an unsustain-able situation. The cash generationis bound to be too little vis-à-vis therequirement to amortize the loans.The irony is that the thenGovernment did nothing to boostutilisation of the aircraft. Far fromthat, it gave away excessive bilater-al seats and profitable routes to for-eign/private airlines thereby ensur-ing that most of these aircraft sitidle. The other flawed decision wasthe merger of Indian Airlines withAI (2007). Even as there was littleto gain by way of synergies (merg-ers are normally driven by thislogic), vast differences in the workculture ethos, compensation pack-ages, age profile of employees of thetwo entities led to operational inef-ficiencies thereby compoundinglosses and increasing debt of thecombined entity.

To conclude, persistent neglect

of AI for over a decade and evenduring the period when its sale wasunder consideration has cost theexchequer dear. It is better late thannever. By taking a call now (the dealis expected to be consummated byDecember, 2021), the Modi govern-ment has averted more drainage ofresources besides garnering ̀ 18,000crore (paid by Tata) plus another`15,000 crore being the value ofnon-core assets retained by it.

With dozens of PSU divest-ments lined up, it is imperative thatthe government takes the right les-son from mistakes of the past — asdiscussed above. That will helpmaximize realization from the saleof profitable undertakings andminimize the liabilities arisingfrom abandoning the loss-makingones.

For instance, in case of AI, ifonly it had acted with alacrity in2017-18 offering to offload 100 per-cent shareholding and no otherencumbrance, it could not onlyhave prevented further increase indebt but also successfully leveragedits lucrative assets (apart from 141planes, it controls 4,400 domesticand 1,800 international landing andparking slots at domestic airports,as well as 900 slots at airports over-seas, besides ownership of iconicbrands like Maharaja) to secure amuch higher valuation therebyreducing its burden.

Let us hope, henceforth PrimeMinister Narendra Modi goes fora wholehearted approach and witha proactive and supportive bureau-cracy he gets much better outcomesfrom the sales in the pipeline.

UTTAM GUPTA

The rising global fuel prices and a domesticpolicy of high taxation is a major concern

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Exports of tea from India registered afall of around 14.4 per cent in thefirst seven months of 2021 as

compared to the same period last year.Total exports of the beverage duringJanuary to July of 2021 was 100.78million kilograms as against 117.56million kilograms in the same period of 2020, according to TeaBoard data. Though the CIS block remained the largest importer oftea at 24.14 million kilograms, down from 30.53 million kilograms inthe previous similar period. Though shipments to Iran wassubstantially down due to the sanctions, the Persian countryimported 12.63 million kilograms in the first seven months of thisyear, as against 21 million kilograms in 2020. Exports to Chinawere also lower at 3.29 million kilograms from 5.74 millionkilograms in the first seven months of 2020.

Fitch Ratings on Monday said therecent changes by market regulatorSebi will tighten the rules governing

related-party transactions and ease thedelisting process. The revised related-party transaction norms will widen thescope of scrutiny and limit the ability oflarge shareholders – often the founder family or promoters – to enterinto such transactions without the approval of minority shareholders.This should strengthen the corporate governance of listed companies,it said. The delisting changes should facilitate greater transparencyand more effectively balance the interests of acquirers and publicshareholders. They should also result in quicker execution, Fitchadded. "Recent changes made by the Securities and Exchange Boardof India (Sebi) will tighten the rules governing related-partytransactions (RPT) and ease the delisting process," Fitch Ratings saidin a statement. Last month, Sebi expanded the definition of therelated-party transactions and has decided to make it easier foracquirers to delist equity shares after an open offer.

Investors of several brokeragehouses, including Zerodha andPaytm Money, faced possible

difficulty while selling shares onMonday morning due to "an issue"related to depository CentralDepository Services (India) Limited(CDSL). The issue was resolved byCDSL in the afternoon. Several investors opened up about theirchallenges in selling stocks on Twitter. In addition, online brokeragehouse Zerodha, Paytm Money, a wholly-owned subsidiary of fintechmajor Paytm, too warned investors about possible problems inexecuting sell orders. Zerodha tweeted, "You may face an issuewith authorizing the sale of your stocks due to an issue with CDSL.We are in touch with CDSL to have the issue resolved at theearliest." "You can now skip CDSL authorisation if you wish to sellyour holdings on Kite until CDSL resolves the authorisation issue.Please make sure to authorise your holdings by 5 PM," Zerodhasaid in another tweet.

Investors faced problem sellingstocks due to ‘CDSL issue’

Tea exports down by 14 per centin first seven months of 2021

Changes for RPT to boostcorporate governance: Fitch

PNS n MUMBAI

Equity indices darted up for theseventh straight session onMonday to close at fresh life-time highs as investorsremained in risk-on modedespite a bearish trend overseas.

IT, bank and metal stockswitnessed hectic buying, whileprofit-taking in pharma andauto counters capped the gains.

After touching a lifetimepeak of 61,963.07 during thesession, the 30-share BSESensex finished 459.64 points or0.75 per cent higher at its newclosing record of 61,765.59.

Similarly, the Nifty surged138.50 points or 0.76 per centto its all-time closing high of18,477.05. It touched a newintra-day record of 18,543.15.

Infosys was the top gainer inthe Sensex pack, jumping 4.47per cent, followed by TechMahindra, Tata Steel, ICICIBank, ITC, Maruti, SBI andAxis Bank. On the other hand,HCL Tech, M&M, Dr Reddy's,Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, HDFC

Bank and Bharti Airtel wereamong the laggards, slipping upto 2.36 per cent.

"The domestic market trad-ed at record highs withstandingthe weak trends in the globalmarket due to disappointingChinese GDP numbers andglobal inflationary pressure asa result of energy shortage.

"Chinese GDP grew by just4.9 per cent during the July-September quarter owing tolower-than-expected growth inindustrial activity. However,the trend in the Indian marketwas bullish as PSU Banks,Metals, IT and Energy stockstook charge of the rally," saidVinod Nair, Head of Researchat Geojit Financial Services.

Narendra Solanki, Head-Equity Research(Fundamental), Anand RathiShares & Stock Brokers, said thesentiment remains buoyantwith early data showing Indianeconomy bouncing backstrongly.

"On the sectoral front, sharesof metal companies were in

focus on rising base metalprices amid higher demandexpectations," he added.

Sectorally, BSE metal, utili-ties, power, basic materials, ITand teck indices rallied as muchas 4.31 per cent, while health-care and telecom ended in thered. Broader BSE midcap andsmallcap gauges climbed up to0.95 per cent.

Global equities wereweighed by weaker-than-expected Chinese GDP dataamid elevated energyprices and global supplychain issues.

Elsewhere in Asia,bourses in Shanghai,Seoul and Tokyoended with losses,while HongKong was pos-itive.

PNS n DUBAI

India is revising its existingpolicies and is also in theprocess of bringing in the newones to increase industry par-ticipation in the space sector,Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, IndianSpace Research Organisation(ISRO) & SecretaryDepartment of Space, Govt. ofIndia said today while address-ing the inaugural session on‘Future of Space-InternationalParticipations & Collaborations'at the The India Pavilion, Expo2020 Dubai. Dr. Sivan empha-sised that the recent reforms inthe sector has ensured that therole of private sector hasevolved from being just suppli-ers to partners in the process.

In his video message, Dr.Sivan highlighted that space isone of the significant areasIndia is looking at for interna-tional cooperation, adding, “Ihope space cooperation willfurther strengthen with com-mercial and technological col-laborations.” Indian industryhas to play a big role in thespace sector globally, said Dr.Sivan. Highlighting the reformsin the sector, Dr. Sivan said thatthe government is open to invit-

ing private players in the spacesector and ISRO is tieing up withstart-ups and industries. “India isfocussing on international collab-orations, including bilateral andmultilateral partnerships,” headded. Dr. Sivan also appreciat-ed the Indo-UAE engagement inspace and collaborations withISRO in space applications.

He said that the Indian indus-try would play a big role in spacesector as involvement of start-ups and MSMEs increases infuture. “ISRO has joined handswith NITI and DPIIT forencouraging start-ups,” he added.

He also emphasised on theneed to make outer space safeand that it's a collective respon-sibility of the government andnon-govt agencies to ensurethat. “ISRO will be supportive ofall international collaborationswhich benefit humanity,” hesaid. Delivering the keynoteaddress virtually, Dr. PawanGoenka, Chairman, IndianNational Space Promotion andAuthorization Center (IN-SPACe) said that India aspiresto launch a dozen missionsevery year going ahead asagainst 4-5 currently.

Gearing up to launch industry-ledpolicies in space sector: ISRO chief

PNS n NEW DELHI

GPT Healthcare, which runsthe chain of ILS Hospitals, hasfiled preliminary papers withcapital markets regulator Sebito raise Rs 450-500 crorethrough an initial share-sale.

The initial public offering(IPO) comprises fresh issuanceof equity shares worth Rs 17.5crore and an offer of sale(OFS) of up to 2.98 crore equi-ty shares by a promoter entityand an investor, according tothe draft red herring prospec-tus (DRHP).

The OFS consists of up to38.05 lakh equity shares byGPT Sons and up to 2.61 croreequity shares by private equi-

ty firm BanyanTree GrowthCapital II LLC.

The private equity firm willbe fully exiting its sharehold-ing via the IPO.

At present, GPT Sons holds67.34 per cent stake in GPTHealthcare and BanyanTreeGrowth Capital II, LLC owns32.64 per cent stake in thecompany.

According to marketsources, the initial public offer-ing is expected to fetchbetween Rs 450 crore and Rs500 crore.

Proceeds from the freshissuance of shares will be usedto purchase medical equipmentand general corporate pur-poses.

Kolkata-based Healthcare

operates a chain of mid-sizedhospitals in eastern Indiaunder the 'ILS Hospitals' brandand provide integrated health-care services, with a focus onsecondary and tertiary care. Asof September 30, 2021, it oper-ates four multi-specialty hos-pitals, with a total capacity of556 beds.

It recently signed an MoUand a long-term lease agree-ment for a hospital with 140beds in Ranchi with an invest-ment of Rs 50 crore. Its Ranchihospital is expected to com-mence operations in 2025.Other locations it is consider-ing to expand are Lucknow,Varanasi, Patna, Guwahati,Cuttack and Raipur.

PNS n MUMBAI

Maharashtra Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray onMonday said a proper solu-tion will be worked out toaddress various problems andfinancial crisis being faced bytransporters in the state dueto the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chief minister wasspeaking during a meetingwith a delegation of theMaharashtra State Truck,Tempo, Tankers and BusTransport Federation at theSahyadri Guest House here.

He also gave directions tothe state finance, transportand police departments tofind a suitable solution to var-ious demands of the trans-porters.

The transporters' delega-tion put forth variousdemands, including exemp-tion from the annual motorvehicle tax and business tax,complete exemption of motortax on vehicles transportingpassengers to schools andreligious places, and a pro-vision of parking spaces forvehicles and buses across thestate.

The transport federationalso demanded reduction oftax on air-conditioned busestransporting workers, lift-ing of the 10 to 16-hour banon the entry of heavy andheavy vehicles in major citiesof the state, cancellation ofexpired pending transportcases, and reduction of policepowers to inspect public ser-vice vehicles.

PNS n JERUSALEM

India and Israel on Mondayagreed to resume negotia-tions on a Free TradeAgreement (FTA) from nextmonth as the two sides areconfident to conclude thelong pending deal by Junenext year.

"It will be concluded byJune of next year," ExternalAffairs Minister S Jaishankarannounced after he metAlternate Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister YairLapid.

Israel has also joined theInternational Solar Alliance,a global initiative that Indiahas spearheaded, withJaishankar and Israel'sEnergy Minister KarineElharrar signing on theagreement.

In order to ease travelbetween the two countriesamidst the COVID pandem-ic, India and Israel have alsoagreed to mutually recognisevaccination certificates.

Jaishankar, who arrivedhere on Sunday on his maid-en visit to the country, wouldalso call on President IsaacHerzog and Prime MinisterNaftali Bennett.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The global solar sector, includ-ing the Indian market, haswitnessed total corporate fund-ing of USD 22.8 billion in theJanuary-September 2021 peri-od, registering a nearly three-fold jump over the previousyear, according to a report.

Corporate funding includesventure capital (VC) funding,public market and debt financ-ing, Mercom Capital Groupsaid in the report on Monday.

The total corporate fundingincreased 190 per cent in thefirst nine months of 2021, withUSD 22.8 billion in 112 dealsas compared with USD 7.9 bil-lion in 72 deals in the same

period of 2020, the global cleanenergy communications andconsulting firm said.

Mercom Capital Group CEO

Raj Prabhu said, "Investmentscontinue to be robust across thesolar sector. This will end up asone of the best years for solar

financing since 2010. As thepush toward the energy tran-sition picks up speed world-wide, solar is benefitting enor-mously."

Prabhu added that solar pro-ject acquisitions in the firstnine months of 2021 havealready surpassed all of 2020.

The global solar sectorbrought in USD 2.2 billion inVC funding in 39 deals, regis-tering a rise of 466 per centcompared to USD 394 millionin 29 deals during January-September 2020.

In India, Premier Energies,a solar photovoltaic (PV) celland module manufacturer,raised USD 27.11 million fromGEF Capital Partners.

Public market financing intothe solar sector came to USD6.3 billion raised in 23 deals, up209 per cent compared withUSD 2 billion in 10 deals in theyear-ago period.

In the public market financ-ing space, ReNew Power fromIndia was listed on the Nasdaqafter completing a businesscombination with RMGAcquisition Corporation II.With this deal, RMG II becamea wholly-owned subsidiary ofReNew Energy Global.

During the period underreview, there were a total of 83merger and acquisitions(M&As) transactions com-pared to 42 deals in January-September 2020.

The largest M&A transac-tion was by Adani GreenEnergy Ltd (AGEL), whichagreed to acquire a 100 per centstake in SB Energy India fromSoft Bank Group (80 per cent)and Bharti Group (20 percent). The transaction valuesSB Energy India at an enter-prise valuation of about USD3.5 billion.

The M&A deals in Indiacame from ReNew Powerwhich has signed a definitiveagreement to acquire 260 MWof operational solar projects inTelangana. Adani RenewableEnergy acquired 40 MW ofoperating solar project inOdisha from Essel GreenEnergy for USD 30 million.

Global solar sector sees 190% jump in corporate funding

GPT Healthcare files draft papers with Sebi Will find solutionto issues faced bytransporters amidCovid: Maha CM

PNS n NEW DELHI

As many as six companies,including Nykaa, AdaniWilmar and Star Health &Allied Insurance, havereceived capital markets reg-ulator Sebi's go-ahead tolaunch initial share-sales.

Apart from these, PennaCement Industries, LatentView Analytics and SigachiIndustries too received Sebi'sclearance to raise funds

through the initial publicofferings.

These six companies,which filed their preliminaryIPO papers with Sebibetween May and August,obtained its "observations"during October 11-14, anupdate with Sebi showed onMonday.

In Sebi parlance, issuanceof observations implies its go-ahead to float the initial pub-lic offering (IPO).

PNS n NEW YORK

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman has highlighted theneed of an international finan-cial architecture to fight theCOVID-19 pandemic across theglobe and stressed on the impor-tance to keep the supply chainsopen for vaccine raw materials.Sitharaman, participating in the36th Annual G30 InternationalBanking Seminar virtually hereon Sunday, spoke on the panelabout Financing the Commons,Climate and pandemic security,

the Finance Ministry tweeted.She “stressed on focused mobil-

isation and #equitableallocation offinances and #techsolutions tosuccessfully harness the global#commongood of #climate and#pandemic security,” it said.

Sitharaman highlighted theneed of an international finan-cial architecture to fight theCOVID-19 pandemic acrossthe globe and supported theneed of new financial instru-ments to focus and press for-ward green initiatives.

She underlined the need for

the World Health Organisation(WHO) to be strengthenedfor a more effective response tonew challenges.

The minister stressed onthe need to keep open supplychains for vaccine raw materi-als, the ministry said.

India has been highlightingthe importance of enhancingthe resilience of supply chainsand greater engagement in theIndo-Pacific region, especiallyafter the pandemic caused dis-ruptions in the existing supplychains.

Sitharaman, arrived here onFriday after her visit toWashington DC, also addresseda gathering of women entrepre-neurs of Indian-origin in NewJersey, where she spoke onIndia's robust economic recov-ery and the road ahead and theopportunities India has to offerto the world. Sitharaman beganher week-long US visit with atrip to Boston, addressed aroundtable meeting of investorsand executives and addressedstudents and faculty at theHarvard Kennedy School.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The country's exports rose by40.5 per cent to USD 15.13 bil-lion during October 1-14 onaccount of healthy perfor-mance by key sectors such aspetroleum products, engineer-ing and chemicals, according topreliminary data of the com-merce ministry.

Imports during the periodgrew by 60.72 per cent to USD14.82 billion, the data showed.

India's merchandiseexports grew by 22.63 per centyear-on-year to USD 33.79billion in September on bet-ter performance by key sec-tors, even as the trade deficitwidened to a record high ofUSD 22.59 billion.

PNS n NEW DELHI

In Delhi and Tamil Nadu, 17per cent families are usingsome form of electric cook-ing or eCooking, as per anindependent study releasedby the Council on Energy,Environment and Water(CEEW).

"States like Delhi, TamilNadu, Telangana, Assamand Kerala have seen a grad-ual uptick in the adoption ofelectric cooking (eCooking)devices such as inductioncooktops, rice cookers, andmicrowave ovens, accordingto an independent studyreleased today by theCEEW," CEEW said in astatement.

The study found that in

Delhi and Tamil Nadu, 17per cent of households haveadopted some form of elec-tric cooking; while inTelangana, the rate of adop-tion stood at 15 per cent.

In Kerala and Assam, 12per cent of households have

partially switched toeCooking, it stated.

The study is based on theIndia Residential EnergySurvey (IRES) 2020, conduct-ed in collaboration with theInitiative for SustainableEnergy Policy (ISEP).

India, Israel agreeto resumenegotiations on FTAfrom next month

Delhi, TN lead country’s transition toelectric cooking with 17% adoption

Exports up 40.5 pc

to USD 15.13 bn

during Oct 1-14

‘Need to keep supply chains open for vax raw materials’ Nykaa, give others get Sebi's nod to float IPOs

Sensex, Nifty race to new peaks asbulls rule 7th day; IT stocks sparkle

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

TuesdayOctober 19, 2021

n Ayurveda, alifespan isdivided intothree stages— bal-avastha

(childhood), mad-hyavastha(young andmiddle age),and vrid-havastha (oldage). It is evidentthat two people of the same agemay have different energy lev-els, and a lot depends on howwe take care of our body orhow much we push our ener-gy beyond its limit.

Four factors influence ourageing, such as time, nature,diet, and type of illness.Additionally, in vridhavastha,vata dosha (air and space ele-ment) becomes dominant.Since vata is concerned withbones and the nervous system,if proper care is not taken, thedegeneration can be seen injoints along with the mind thatundergoes various cognitiveissues. These are some of thefirst signs of age-relateddecline.

HERE ARE A FEW WAYS IN

WHICH AYURVEDA AND YOGA

CAN HELP IN

ENHANCING

YOUR

LIFESTYLE:

Create aroutine

This is the firststage of ayurvedicliving. At each

stage

oflife, wemust create aroutine that suits our

personality-type. Havinga fixed sleep schedule,

starting your day by drink-ing water, finishing allablutions, and makingtime for some mindfulactivities, like yoga andmeditation, can help

rejuvenate you in themorning itself. Plan

your daysand

find

activ-ities that

you enjoy — ithelps in avoiding the

feelings of loneliness andboredom.

Stay active

Moderate daily activity willkeep the body and boneshealthy. In the vata stage, moregrounding activities like hathayoga or moderate weight-train-ing are recommended. High-intensive activities like plyo-metrics increase vata, so it maynot be suitable for everyone.Therefore, it is significant tochoose your physical activitiesaccordingly. Balance training isparticularly important forhealthy ageing because it is anexcellent way to tone downvata and to develop strongmind-body awareness.

Focus on mental fitness

Along with a healthy body, a

strong mind is also important.We often underestimate thestresses of old age, which mayarise due to loneliness, fear,loss of ability, and so on. Bymaking time for pranayama,meditation, mindful walking,and even by engaging in recre-ational hobbies, we can keepour minds healthy.

Eat well

We must change our nutri-tional needs. Especially after

60, our dietary habits startcatching up with our

bodily systems.Therefore, westart seeingincreasedinstances of

issues likehighblood

pressure,diabetes,

heart fail-ure, elec-

trolyte imbal-ances, insom-

nia, and soon. So, it is

important tochoose nutrient-

rich foods, that youcan get by eating a wide

variety of local produce,eating more fruits and vegeta-bles, whole grains, lean protein,

healthy fats, especiallyOmega 3s. You should avoid

sugary foods, dry salty snacks,and junk food.

Explore ayurvedic thera-pies

Not all herbs or therapies aresuitable for everyone. Anayurvedic doctor will assessyour body type and recom-mend treatments suitable foryour specific conditions. Thiscan include panchakarma,herbs, or dietary prescriptions.These are best taken after beingassessed by a professional.

With a little discipline andsome motivation, we canimprove not only our longevitybut also our quality of life. Ithelps in keeping a positive atti-tude towards ageing.

(The author is the founder ofYoganama, a wellness platformthat emphasises on yoga,Ayurveda and philosophy formindful living.)

Yoga andAyurveda

improve thequality of lifeand inculcate

a positiveattitudetowards

ageing, saysNamita

Piparaiya

ellness begins withself-care and whenself-care is covetedfor, the real interiorgame begins. Thequality defining a

space can be so strong that itshapes the overall vibe with theplay of colours, the indulgenceof aesthetics and the experi-ment with the décor. The secretlies in the sensorial associationsof these décor pieces and theirdetails—a memory of the vaca-tions sparked by the shelledsouvenirs, the rejuvenationfrom a spa makeover for asecluded powder room or thequietude along the rearrangedbookshelves marked by a mod-est tea table. Finding the idealdécor cuts all the ties from themonotony and dares to bring usan ambience brimming withself-reflection and mindfulness.To know how, see below:

Nature as a part of decor

Green pockets underline thehealth quotient of a space—thecore seeking in self-care prac-tices. The improved indoor airquality and therapeutic effectbrought by the greenerypromises a positive atmosphereindoors. Houseplants accom-modated in the planter boxes inbrass, terracotta, ceramics,wood or other natural materialsmake the spaces ‘look and feel’homier with an indigenoustouch. Pair them with quirkyceramic sculptures to add to thezen-like character of the space.

The Hygge lifestyle

The blend of cosiness andcomfort desired in the challeng-ing modern times call for arelaxed décor. Surround your-self with pieces that make aspace your home. Pieces thatcan evoke memories and sto-ries, pieces that inspire yourimagination. It could be as sim-ple as an arrangement of pho-tographs or a curated collectionof specific statement pieces thatleave a mark. When memoriestake the form of décor, there aremany stories to tell—many sim-ulations of gratitude. Lighting isanother aspect that can addanother dimension to the feel-ing that a space gives. It could

be adjustable lighting that canset the mood from vibrant to asnuggle perfect environment. Asublime warm-lit glow createsan aura where the light fixturesbecome the mood lifters andthe interior scene—anescapade.

Out-of-the-world charac-ter

A whimsical touch in thedécor comforts the soul withthe esthetic lure. Upholsteredpieces arranged along a glamor-ised vanity corner invites anuncompromised, dainty appeal.Hints of plush fabric in velvetor pure linen bring a sense ofwarmth into the personalspaces. A statement mirror isideal for adding a spark to theenvironment. An art muse withartworks, murals or wallpaperpatterns can become a gatewayto reflect our persona—modernart for edgy personalities, ethe-real art for the introverts.Visuals resonating with ourvibe are the best find.

Creative abundance

Interiors that revel in theabundance of details enrich theprivate environments. A whole-some table in a striking diningsetup reassures contentmentwith the on-point etiquette—food being the very source ofpositivity and liveliness. There’smore to the cose—a relaxingcorner along a window to gazeout or to take a peaceful sip, areading nook with a recliner forturning the pages of your all-time favourite books or a laid-back niche with souvenirs thattake us down the memory lane.Tagging along, the aroma-richadditions like fresh garden-pluck flowers in vases, scentedcandles, aromatic diffusers orpotpourri enhance the spatialattributes with a tranquilisingtouch.

Nostalgic centrepieces escortthese charms in antique finishesor other forms of exquisitecraftsmanship that come with alore. A creative overload grati-fies the spaces that nurture self-care in its purest, un-apologisedform.

(The author, Punam Kalra, isa renowned interior designer)

n India, cricketfever is a phe-nomenon, and itsoars higher dur-ing big-tickettournaments. In

fact, cricket is a massiveconversation on Twitter inIndia with fans coming tothe service for a second-screen experience like noother. Amidst nail-bitingfinishes and thrilling catch-es, Twitter is always echoingwith fans’ cheers — sharingball-by-ball updates ofmatches, supporting theirfavourite teams, and most ofall — spreading their collec-tive love for the sport.

As cricket’s winningstreak continues to grow onthe service, Twitter took alook at cricket conversationsfrom the past year, here’swhat Twitter have been talk-ing about the most over thepast year (July 2020 - July2021):

Top hashtags: With crick-et conversations heating upduring bigger events andcricket leagues, fans take nobreathers from expressingtheir support. From themost used hashtags, it seemslike CSK fans have beencheering the loudest on

Twitter — #whistlepodu,#ipl2020, #yellove, #ipl2021,#csk

Top emojis: Fans’ passionfor cricket inspires a roller-coaster of emotions, andthey take to Twitter toexpress these through emo-jis. Whether it was thenerves of a last-over thriller,or favourite players slam-ming fours and sixes, thesewere the emojis that fansused the most :

Top athletes: Waves ofsupport continued to pourin through the year as fanscame together to share loveand encouragement for theirfavourite players. From on-field MVPs across matchesto eternal legends off thefield, these were the mosttalked-about athletes: ViratKohli, MS Dhoni, RohitSharma, Sachin Tendulkar,and Suresh Raina.

Top cities: Fans acrosscities in the country chimedin with their interests andinsights around the nation-ally-loved sport, keepingTwitter abuzz with conversa-tions. These cities roared theloudest in cricket conversa-tions on Twitter: Mumbai,Kolkata, Bengaluru, NewDelhi and Chennai!

W

I

HOLISTIC LIVING

I

How social media turned avirtual stadium for IPL fans

ocial media plat-forms differ in func-tioning and appear-ance. Hence, it isreally important tomake sure that their

aesthetics are in place so thatone can attract more leads,increase sales, and broadcastthe message in the right man-ner to the target audience. Toensure that your social mediapage is in the correct formatand order, this guide can helpyou:

Draw inspiration

Every social media platformcan weave a different storydepending on the aesthetic youwant to present. So make surethat you draw inspiration foryour brand from the rightsources and for the relevantsocial media platform. Pinterestand Instagram are more image-driven while content on Twitteris all about crisp tweets.Similarly, Facebook is all aboutcombining trendy content withfeatured posts and stories. So,make sure that you use all the

trending platform-specificupdates and features to drawand implement your inspira-tion.

Create content

Conceptualise a board foryourself and start pinning con-tent you like. It may includephotos, videos, GIFS, carouselsetc, that reflect your brand aes-thetic and help you weave thestory you want to portray in theright format. If you decide touse a template, make sure topick one that fits your vision,sensibility, and covers yourcompetitive strategy. Also, payattention to the description,content information of theproducts you are considering tofeature.

Produce and post

While planning content maysound difficult, producing con-tent can be even more tedious.Ensure that you use originalsocial media templates, uniqueformats, and different fonts. Getinnovative with design, and fea-ture content on your page with

precision and perfection. Youcan shoot content, usePhotoshop, try templates, ormaybe combine free imagesfrom the internet to featurewhat you like.

Set the timeline

Create a timeline to help youremember when you want topost, or when you want to haveyour content finished. A time-line is like a calendar for yourcontent. You can create a simpletimeline in your notes or phonecalendar to stay on top ofthings. This will ensure that youknow what to post and when sothat you don’t get lost amid thechunk of content. Also, do keepa tab on trending and topicalposts, events or updates so thatyou can integrate them intoyour social media content tofeature an aesthetic that youlove!

(The writer, Mehar Gulati,Founder, Scarlet Relations, hasmanaged the outreach strategiesof multiple brands working withover 20 clients during her timeat different agencies for 3 years.)

Make your social media platform AESTHETICALLY APPEALLING

S

A HAPPENING HYGGE HOME

Actresses Drishika Chander, MannaraChopra, Vennela, and many othermodels and fashion lovers sported

wedding jewellery, bridal dresses, andother designer wear, at the HI-Endwedding theme fashion showcase! Manycelebs were seen at the HICC-Novotel inHitech City this week, having a gala time.

‘HI-END’ AND HEARTY!

l Divya

l Drishika Chander l Aby Dominic and Manish Dayya l Jenny and Honny

l Sruthi

l Archana Ravi and Ritika

l Shreedevi Chowdhry

10

what’s brewing?

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

Hyderabad Tuesday October 19, 2021

Theinstallationceremony

of SamanvayLadies Club inthe presence ofphilanthropistShreeDeviChowdhuryhappened atthe Mercure,Erramanzil.Womenshowed updecked infestive drapesand celebratingthe festival infull swing.

LADIES’DAY OUT

Ph

oto

s b

y S

V C

ha

ryPA

RT

Y

MEAT

LOVERS’

MEET

ipola, thestore thatoffers meat,

seafood, marinatedcuts, and muchmore to the city,now has anotherdestination onRoad no. 10,Banjara Hills. Theexclusive store'slaunch wasattended by celebsand meat-lovers!

F

lM

anna

ra C

hopr

a l Payal

l Varsha

l Anu Totla l Ankita

l Monal

adhura Wines, aromantic actionentertainer, direct-ed by Jaya KishoreB, starring Sunny

Naveen, is all set to hit bigscreens on October 22.

Rajesh Kondepu is produc-ing the film while S Originalsproducer Srujan Yarabolu is

the associate producer.Speaking at the pre-release

event of the film held recently,Sundeep Kishan, who came insupport of the film, said, “I

like those who speak confi-dently. Sunny Naveen and thedirector of the film spokeconfidently of the film, whichI really appreciate. Going bytheir words, I believe this filmwill definitely be a hit.Although they all came froma short film background, thefilm was wonderfullyscreened. All the people whogave me life in this industryhave come up from makingshort films.”

Madhura Wines has musicby Jay Krish-Karthik KumarRodrigues while cinematogra-phy is done by Mohan Charyand is edited by Vara Prasad.

People’s Media Factory pro-ducer Vivek Kuchibhotla,Uppena director Buchibabu,Srikaram director Kishore,Sandeep Kishan, and othercelebrities were the chiefguests at the event and con-veyed best wishes to the filmunit.

e know that actor Nandamuri Balakrishnawill be collaborating with Krack directorGopichand Malineni for his next project,tentatively titled #NBK107. The makershad shared a 37-second video sometime

back that gave more details about thefilm. According to the video,

Naveen Yerneni and Y RaviShankar will be producing theproject under Mythri MovieMakers.

Now according to the latestnews, the film will have the

Natasimha play a dual role.The same is yet to be officially

confirmed by the makers of thefilm. As news about the dual rolespread on social media, fans

couldn’t contain the excitement,that ‘doubled’ with this. On the other side, Balakrishna’sother film Akhanda is nearing

completion to be released in the-atres. Helmed by Boyapati Srinu,the film will feature PragyaJaiswal and Srikanth in keyroles. Dwaraka Creations isbankrolling the project,which has music composedby Thaman.

After this, Balakrishnahas confirmed to fans thathe will be doing a filmwith Anil Ravipudi afterNBK 107. This untitledfilm will go on floors inthe second half of 2022,and the makers areplanning on releasing

the film later nextyear. The film willbe bankrolled by

Sahu Garapatiand Harish

Peddi underthe Shine

Screensbanner.

11

Hyderabad Tuesday October 19, 2021 tollywood

atural Star Nani’s magnum opusShyam Singha Roy is one of the crazi-est projects in Telugu, this year.Director Rahul Sankrityan, whopenned a first-of-its-kind concept, hasmade the film with high technical

standards. Having full faith in the subject, pro-ducer Venkat Boyanapalli of NiharikaEntertainment gave the director a free hand andprovided all the resources for the best outcome.It is, by far, the most expensive film in Nani’scareer.

On Monday, the makers of the filmannounced that the film will hit the big screenson December 24! They released a romanticposter of the film to make the announcement.This poster confirms that the film is about anepic love tale between Nani and Sai Pallavi set ina period zone. Recently, the makers released asecond dimension of Nani as ‘Vasu’ and like thefirst dimension of a Bengali guy, this too,received a thumping response from all the cor-ners. There’s a complete contrast between thetwo looks of Nani. Every promotional contenthad only increased fans’ curiosity about the pro-ject. Considering the huge craze for the filmfrom the neighbouring states as well, the makershave decided to release Shyam Singha Roy in allthe four south Indian languages — Telugu,Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

The makers have announced the launch of ahuge promotional campaign soon, as the film ispresently in the post-production stages.

Melody songs specialist Mickey J Meyer is onboard to compose soundtracks, while Sanu JohnVarghese cranks the camera. Naveen Nooli is theeditor. National Award winner Kruti Maheshand Yash master choreographed songs of thefilm.

Rahul Ravindran, Murali Sharma, andAbhinav Gomatam play important roles in thefilm.

“This Christmas, Shyam will arrive where hebelongs. To the big screen and to your hearts.December 24th #ShyamSinghaRoy,” theJersey star wrote on Monday.

Meanwhile, Pushpa is also set tohit theatres on December 17.

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

SHYAM SINGHA ROY

COMING TO THEATRES

FOR CHRISTMAS

N

#NBK107:Double bonanzafor Balayya fans?

W

ctors Venkateshand Varun Tej,who are busyshooting for theirupcoming filmF3, the sequel to

2019 family drama F2,directed by Anil Ravipudi,have finished shooting alengthy schedule for thefilm. The makers onMonday released a pictureof Varun Tej andVenkatesh enjoying thewrap, much to the delightof their fans.

Sharing the picture, themakers revealed that thestars completed the fun-filled lengthy schedule ontime.

The makers posted “TheCobras Venky Mama &Varun Tej completed along schedule of F3 Movie.Varun Tej shared a picfrom the sets of F3.”

Varun Tej said,“Wrapped up a long andcrazy schedule of #F3It’sgonna be mad fun!! Andlike always had a blast withmy bro @VenkyMamaCan’t wait for the nextschedule to start.”Tamannaah and MehreenPirzada are the heroines inthe film for which music isscored by Devi Sri Prasad.

ooks like the failure of Manmadhudu 2has resulted in Nagarjuna Akkineniwanting to change his game. In arecent report on a Bollywood portal,the actor had reportedly mentionedthat he is tired of doing family dramasand love stories. The actor’s last film is

Wild Dog, a serious action drama.Nagarjuna is extremely popular

for his love stories, he’s also nick-named ‘Manmadhudu’ (loverboy). The ‘Greekuveerudu’ (Greekhero), as called by his fans, hascome to understand the changein the mindsets of audiences.

Nagarjuna is said to havedecided to play his age on thescreen. He realised that theaudiences are no longer inter-ested to see him as the loverboy or the family hero. Theactor hence decided to domore of action dramas.

Nagarjuna apparentlysaid, “I want to do actionfilms currently. I ambored of doing family dra-mas, love stories, and

biopics,” said Nagarjunaadding, “I am currently feel-ing fitter and I don’t think Ihave felt like this in my lifeever.”

Nagarjuna’s next film isThe Ghost, which isreportedly going to behigh on action elements.

At the same time, he isplanning to increase the

action dose in Bangarraju, theprequel of Soggade ChinniNayana.

Venky-Varun

complete lengthy

schedule of F3

L

A

M

Nagarjuna wants todo more action drama

Sundeep heaps praiseon Madhura Wines team

VISHWAK

ishwak Sen, inrecent timeshas been verycautious inpicking hisroles for his

films. He recently baggeda hit with Paagal, star-ring Nivetha Pethuraj.The actor has nowannounced the title of hisnext project as Gami.

Chandini Chowdary isplaying the female leadin the movie helmed byVidyadhar Kagita. It isproduced by KarthikSabareesh under the ban-ner of UV Creations.Going by the teaser,Vishwak, for the firsttime, will be seen as anaghora in the film.

Naresh Kumaran is themusic director for thefilm, while ViswanathReddy and Raghavendraare handling the cine-matography and editingdepartments.

V

plays aghora

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | OCTOBER 19, 2021 sports 12

RAHANE TTO LLEAD MMUMBAIMumbai: India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahanewill lead a strong 20-member Mumbai squad thatwill take part in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq AliT20 tournament with the flamboyant Prithvi Shawbeing his deputy. The Mumbai Cricket Association(MCA) announced the squad, picked by thecommittee headed by former India pacer SalilAnkola, on its website on Monday. On the day,India’s former hockey captain Olympian VirenRasquinha had a session with the Mumbai teamwhere he spoke about the success stories of India’scelebrated Olympians.

WRESTLER VVINESH PPHOGAT MMEETS PPMNew Delhi: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, whorecently underwent an elbow surgery, on Mondaymet Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with herfamily. The 27-year-old had made a shock first-round exit from the Tokyo Olympics. She enteredthe Games as one of India’s strongest medalcontenders. The former world championshipbronze-medallist was part of meetings that Modihad with Tokyo Games athletes .”Great meeting thehonourable @narendramodi sir today. Hisenthusiasm and love for sport is truly boundless.Genuinely touched by your concern for athletes. Abig thank you sir for sparing time from your busyschedule to fulfill your promise of interacting withme and my family,” Vinesh tweeted.

WORLD EESPORTS CCUP TTO FFEATURE GGAMERS New Delhi: Gamers from India, Nepal andPakistan will compete in the inaugural WorldEsports Cup starting November 25, the organisersannounced on Monday. The tournament,sponsored by Infinix Smartphones, will see amassive prize pool of Rs 75 lakh approximately,according to a media release. Esports athletes fromthe three countries will compete virtually in openqualifiers to take a shot at becoming the championof the region. World Esports Cup (WEC), WECDirector, Vishwalok Nath said: “We all know howintense it becomes when it comes to any India-Pakistan match and we want fans to witness thisepic clash in esports as well.

MARY KKOM TTO SSKIP NNATIONALS New Delhi: Six-time world champion M C MaryKom will not compete in the upcoming NationalWomen’s Boxing Championships in Hisar. The 38-year-old, who reached the pre-quarters of TokyoOlympics before bowing out with a hard-foughtloss, is, however, training for the worldchampionships in December. Even though theBoxing Federation of India (BFI) has announcedthat only gold medal winners from the Nationalswill make the squad, it is reliably learnt that trialscould be held in a couple of weight categories,including the 48kg division, which Mary Komwould prefer to compete in.

BHAVANI’S WWIN IIN FFRANCE New Delhi: Fencer Bhavani Devi, who madehistory at the Tokyo Olympics by becoming thefirst Indian to compete in the sport at the Games,has won the Charlellville National Competitionin France in the individual women’s sabre event.The 28-year-old fencer tweeted about thesame.”Won the Charlellville NationalCompetition, France in the Women’s Sabreindividual. Many thanks to coach ChristianBauer, Arnaud Schneider, and all teammates.Congratulations to all for a great start of theseason,” she tweeted after winning thecompetition. At the Tokyo Olympics, she wonher round of 64 match 15-3 against Tunisia’sNadia Ben Azizi before going down to eventualbronze-medallist, Manon Brunet of France in theround of 32.

SINGLES

PTI n ABU DHABI

Johannesburg-born seamer CurtisCampher became only the third

bowler to claim four wickets in fourballs in T20Is as a superior Irelandbeat Netherlands by seven wickets intheir first round Group A T20 WorldCup match here on Monday.

Thanks to Campher’s exploitswith the white ball, Ireland bundledout Netherlands for 106 after theDutch had decided to bat.

Ireland chased down the targetwith as many as 29 balls to spare atthe Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Gareth Delany (44) and PaulStirling (30 not out) were the signif-icant contributors with the bat for theIrish team that had lost its T20World Cup games to the same oppo-nents in 2014 and 2016.

Earlier, bowling the 10th over ofthe Netherlands innings, the 22-year-old Campher left theNetherlands innings in disarray whenhe dismissed Colin Ackermann, Ryanten Doeschate, Scott Edwards andRoelof van der Merwe off successiveballs. He was bowling his second overfor the day, having gone for 12 runsfirst up.

Ackermann was out caughtbehind on review, having played an

attempted pull off a shortish ball thatseemed to be going down leg.

The seasoned Ten Doeschate,best remembered for his incrediblecentury against England in the 2011World Cup, was out for a duck,trapped in front by a full and straightone.

Edwards too fell lbw as DRS(decision review system) tracked theball hitting the leg stump.

For his final wicket, van der

Merwe played on to his stumps awidish delivery, leaving the Irishcamp in a state of frenzy.

Netherlands were in all sorts oftrouble at 51 for six after Campher’smultiple blows but opener MaxODowd (51) battled on amid the slideat the other end.

During his 51-ball knock,ODowd hit seven boundaries.

The day, however, belonged toCampher who had started poorly in

his spell, got a lucky breakthroughdown the leg side before claiming hishat-trick, only the second playerafter former Australia speedster BrettLee to achieve the feat in a T20 WorldCup.

In the next ball, Campher didwhat only two people could do beforehim in T20 international cricketbefore him, joining Lasith Malingaand Rashid Khan to take four wick-ets in successive balls.

PTI n ODENSE

Double Olympic medallist andreigning world champion P

V Sindhu will look for a goodouting as she returns to compet-itive action after a break, at theDenmark Open World TourSuper 1000 tournament begin-ning here on Tuesday.

Sindhu, a bronze medallist atthe Tokyo Olympics, had takena break due to the hectic sched-ule during the Games, but shewould be itching to make a win-ning return to the USD 850,000event, which will also restart theBWF World Tour following a sus-pension due to the COVID-19pandemic.

Also in action will be LondonOlympics bronze medallist SainaNehwal, who has recovered fromher groin injury, which hadforced her to retire midwaythrough her first match at theUber Cup Final last week.

While Sindhu, seeded fourth,will look for a rampaging startwhen she opens against Turkey’sNeslihan Yigit, Saina will have towork hard to get past Japan’s AyaOhori in her opening round.

Sindhu, the 2016 Rio Gamessilver medallist, is likely to crossswords with Thailand’s BusananOngbamrungphan in the secondround and a win there could puther face to face with fifth seedKorean An Seyoung.

All eyes will also be on

Chirag Shetty and SatwiksairajRankireddy as the seventh seed-ed Indian pair open its campaignagainst English combination ofCallum Hemming and StevenStallwood.

The duo has been in impres-sive form, having won all its fourmatches at the Thomas Cup finalin Aarhus, Denmark.

In the men’s singles, youngLakshya Sen, who finished sec-ond best at Dutch Open onSunday, will look to continue hisgood run when he faces compa-triot Sourabh Verma in his cam-

paign opener.Lakshya had failed to make

the Indian team for the SudirmanCup and Thomas Cup Final afterlosing his only match in the tri-als and would be eager to provea point.

The women’s doubles pair ofN Sikki Reddy and AshwiniPonnappa and MeghanaJakkampudi and S RamPoorvisha are also in the fray.Ashwini will pair up with Satwikin the mixed doubles category toface China’s Feng Yan Zhe andDu Yue.

PTI n DUBAI

India captain Virat Kohli onMonday said he will bat at

number three instead of open-ing the innings in the ICC T20World Cup with KL Rahulhaving sealed the secondopener’s slot alongside RohitSharma.

The Indian skipper kept itopen-ended when asked aboutthe team’s top-six batters goinginto the opening match of thetournament against arch-rivalsPakistan on October 24.

“Things were differentbefore IPL, now it’s difficult tolook beyond KL Rahul at thetop of the order. Rohit is a no-brainer. World-class player,he’s been solid up front. I willbe batting at 3. That’s the onlynews I can give to start off,”Kohli said at the toss beforethe warm-up game againstEngland.

Rahul emerged as thethird highest scorer in theIPL with 628 runs besideshitting the most number ofsixes (30) in the tournament.

“We are pretty sorted interms of how we are going tostart in the first game (versusPakistan).”

The objective behind thetwo warm-up matches is togive game time to everyone asthey get back into the grooveafter a short break.

“Outside of that we justwant to give opportunity toguys in these games as muchas possible. We will look togive game-time to most ofthem. The idea is to createsome energy and momentumas a team.

We have played in differ-ent teams recently (in theIPL),” said the Indian captain.

While the IPL has been

competitive, Kohli didn’t for-get to mention that it’s Indiancricket that is paramount.

“We have had success inthe past. So we want to createthat same energy, fielding isthe best place to start I reck-on when eleven guys aretogether. The IPL is right upthere in terms of level andcompetitiveness, but this is

paramount. Indian cricket isthe priority for everyone. Thathas to be the case.”

It all boils down to adapt-ability, said Kohli.

“Adaptability is what mat-ters. People play different rolesin their IPL teams. It’s aboutadapting quickly to this teamnow, who plays where is whatmatters.”

IANS n COLOMBO

The Lanka Premier League 2021 will com-mence on December 5 here with the inau-

gural game scheduled to be played betweenGalle and Jaffna.

The first round of the tournament, whichwill consist of 20 games, will be played at theRPICS, before it moves into MRICS,Hambantota to proceed with the final roundgames.

The finals of the League will be played onDecember 23 at the MRICS, Hambantota,whilst this year’s tournament has December 24, as a ‘Reserve Day’ dedicated forthe finals.

The Lanka Premier League which is SriLanka’s topmost domestic tournament, withan international flavour, will consist of 24games and will see the participation of top-most domestic and international cricketers.

The Final Round Games will see the toptwo teams in the points table playing the qual-ifier 1, whilst the 3rd and 4th placed teams onthe table playing in the ‘eliminator’.

The winner of ‘qualifier 1’ will directly gointo the finals, whilst the loser of ‘qualifier 1’will play against the winner of the ‘elimina-tor’ in the ‘qualifier 2’ and the winner of thatgame will go into the finals.

PTI n DUBAI

Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandyaconsiders the ongoing T20 World Cupthe biggest responsibility of his careeras a finisher because “everything is on

my shoulders” in the absence of “life coachand brother” Mahendra Singh Dhoni fromthe playing line-up.

In an interview to ‘ESPNcricinfo’sCricket Monthly’, the 28-year-old superstar,whose fitness is a concern heading into theevent as he did not bowl in the IPL, spokeabout the many challenges of his life, hisacceptance of the not-so-perfect self and theextraordinary bond he shares with Dhoni.

This would be India’s first World Cupcampaign since Dhoni retired in 2020 andthe side will open its campaign againstPakistan on October 24 here. Dhoni hasbeen appointed the team’s mentor for themega-event.

“The biggest so far, I will say, becausethis time I don’t have Mahendra SinghDhoni. Everything is on my shoulders - I liketo think that way because it gives me anadded challenge. It is going to be exciting,a cracker of a tournament,” he said.

Speaking of Dhoni, a fiercely privateperson whose life outside cricket is as enig-matic as his persona on the field, Pandya saidthe two-time World Cup-winning captainis someone he turns to in times of adversi-

ty, turmoil and even to understand his ownmind. “MS was someone who understoodme from the start: how I function, what kindof a person I am, what are the things I don’tlike, everything,” he said.

Pandya recalled how Dhoni reached outto him on his return to the side during thetour of New Zealand in 2019 after a suspen-sion for some sexist remarks on a TV show.

“...Initially there were no hotel rooms(for Pandya in New Zealand). But then I geta call, saying, “You just come. MS has toldus, ‘I don’t sleep on the bed. He will sleepon my bed and I will sleep on the floor.’”

“He (Dhoni) was the first person whohas been always there. He knows what kindof an individual I am. He knows me quitedeep. I am very close to him. He is the onlyperson who can make me calm.

“When all this (the TV remarks contro-versy) happened, he knew that I needed sup-port. I just needed a shoulder, which he pro-vided multiple times in my cricketingcareer. I never saw him as MS Dhoni thegreatest. For me, Mahi is my brother,” heasserted. Pandya said there are times whenhe struggles to understand his own thoughtsand it is Dhoni who comes to his rescue.

“...I have to call him and say, “Yeh sochrahan hoon, kya chal raha hai, batao.” (Thisis on my mind. What do you think?) Thenhe will explain. So, yes, in a lot of ways heis a life coach. “Staying with him, obvious-

ly, you learn to be mature, you learn tobecome humble,” he elaborated.

On to his own self and Pandyaacknowledged that he has not been per-fect but his family has made sure that hehas never gotten too big for his boots.

“I accept my flaws or I give myself thatbenefit of doubt that, okay, you wereyoung. The early two years (of mycareer), maybe I was little here, little there,but we were a close family.

“There is absolutely one thing clear inour family: if I’m wrong means I’mwrong; there’s no sugarcoating.That makes us a strong fam-ily because everyone canhave an opinion. Inour family if some-one is flying, theymake sure to pullthem down.”

A lowerback injury,which requireda surgery, hasall but endedP a n d y a ’ schances ofplaying Testcricket buthe does notworry about ittoo much.

AP n MADRID

Ansu Fati is quickly becom-ing Barcelona’s go-to play-

er in the absence of LionelMessi.

The 18-year-old Fati madehis first start for Barcelonaafter a long injury layoff onSunday, scoring a goal andearning his team a penalty asthe Catalan club halted its los-ing streak by rallying to beatValencia 3-1 in the Spanishleague.

Memphis Depay andPhilippe Coutinho also scoredfor Barcelona as it moved toseventh place, five pointsbehind leader Real Sociedadand with a game in hand.

Fati returned to action lastmonth after being sidelined formore than 10 months becauseof a knee injury, coming off thebench in three straight match-es before getting his first starton Sunday and giving fansmore hope that the club canrebuild around him afterMessi’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain. He had alreadyscored a few minutes afterentering the game againstLevante.

“We’ve always said we needplayers like him,” saidBarcelona coach RonaldKoeman, who was back on thebench after a suspension of twoleague matches following a red

card for complaining. “It was his first start and it

was already decided with thedoctors that he would only playfor about an hour. We don’twant to overwork him in suchan important week for us.”

Barcelona was coming offtwo defeats before the interna-tional break — 2-0 at AtléticoMadrid in the league and 3-0at Benfica in the ChampionsLeague. It had won only oncein its last six matches in allcompetitions.

Barcelona has begun athree-game home stint thatKoeman called key to getting

the team back on track. It willnext play a critical ChampionsLeague game against DynamoKyiv on Wednesday and thenthe first “clásico” of the seasonagainst Real Madrid.

“It was a very importantwin, we are in a key week in theseason,” Barcelona midfielderFrenkie de Jong said.

“We started it well by earn-ing points and gaining confi-dence, that’s very important forthe club right now.”

The loss extendedValencia’s winless streak to fivematches. It dropped to ninthplace in the league.

PTI n DUBAI

The 2023 Asia Cup inPakistan will be a 50-over

event with the Asian CricketCouncil continuing its traditionof holding the tournament inthe same format as that partic-ular year’s ICC global event,PCB chairman Ramiz Rajasaid on Monday.

However, the formerPakistan captain also droppedenough hints that there is verylittle chance of having a bilater-al series against India in nearfuture as a “lot of work stillneeds to be done” to reach a

“comfortable level”. Raja recent-ly attended the ACC meet inDubai where he discussed the

modalities of Asia Cup and alsohad a meeting with BCCI pres-ident Sourav Ganguly and sec-

retary Jay Shah.

India-Pak bilateral cricketOn his meeting with the

BCCI officials, Raja said: “A lotof work needs to be done torevitalise Pakistan-India crick-et but there needs to be somecomfortable level between thetwo boards and then we can seehow far we can go. So overall,we had a good discussion.”

“I met with BCCI PresidentSourav Ganguly and secretaryJay Shah on the sidelines of theACC meetings. We need to cre-ate a cricketing bond, while Ihave also believed that politics

should stay away from sport asmuch as possible and this hasalways been our stance,” he reit-erated.

Raja understands thatACC as a body has no powerto dictate terms to a giant likeBCCI and that’s the reason hesounded a word of caution forthe continental body knowingthat their could be a shift ofAsia Cup by the time 2023arrives.

“The ACC was set-up tocreate a unified approach andcollective stance so that we hadone voice and if there was a sit-uation, all stood together.

T20 WC biggest challenge: Hardik

2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan will be 50-over affair: Raja

Will bat at No. 3, KL toopen with Rohit: Kohli

Lanka PremierLeague 2021 to kickoff on December 5

Ireland beat Netherlands by 7 wickets

Barcelona rallies to beat Valencia 3-1 Sindhu eyes good outing on return to action